Long Melford FC

Long Melford 1 Thetford Town 1 - Eastern Counties League Division One

Eastern Counties League

The area now occupied by Long Melford has been occupied since at least 100 B.C.. The village's layout was defined in Roman times, with the empire building two roads thorough Melford, the main one running from Chelmsford through to Pakenham. The village is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086.

With the Spurs v West Brom fixture scheduled for this evening (27 March 2006), a fourth excursion of the season into the Eastern Counties League was the order of Saturday. Like the previously reported Cornard United, Long Melford play in a village on the outskirts of Sudbury. The village appears to be centred around the main street which is extremely long - hence the name I guess.

Stoneylands is reached via either Liston Lane or St Catherine's Road off the High Street. Take your pick as both routes are extremely narrow and caused Mrs Pieman to glare in the direction of the co-pilot/navigator. Harry Hotspur and I entered the 'stadium' with the best part of an hour to go before kick off. Sky Sports News was on in the clubhouse and we were able to keep up to date with the Merseyside derby. (I must admit to being a bit concerned that Gerrard got himself sent off for kicking the ball away. The following 'tackle' for which he received the second yellow just compounded his stupidity. For such talented footballers a bit of common sense is so important when going into a high profile tournament like the World Cup. Foreign officials and opposition will thrive on such weaknesses. Gerrard is not alone, Defoe made a complete idiot of himself at Boro this season and was fortunate to stay on the pitch - Grow up lads ! - Ed)

Anyway, back to the real stuff. Long Melford, like Cornard, make good use of conifers to separate the football ground from the adjacent cricket pitch. There are two areas of cover along the main side of the ground including a small seated stand. There is also some covered standing accommodation behind one of the goals - the same end where Hotspur injured himself warming up with the Thetford Town substitutes at half time !

A fairly uninspiring match finished honours even at 1-1. I was pleased that Thetford equalised with about 15 minutes left as it was they that were the more adventurous throughout. Mrs Pieman (arrived back from sightseeing during 2nd half) was also pleased as she recognised a Long Melford defender as the lout that had "cut her up on the inside" on arrival. It doesn't take much to sway allegiances when supposedly neutral.




Attendance: 75
Admission: £4.00 (Hotspur £1.00 - should have been £2.00 but elderly gatelady was conned by his innocent appearance)
Programme: 50p ((obtained for you Andy, Stan and Glyn, the barman in Phil Butler's local, the Prince Albert in Ely)
Tea: 50p
Fare: No idea, but I stuck some petrol in Mrs P's car

Morpeth Town FC

Morpeth Town 1 West Auckland Town 2 (AET) - Northern League Cup, 4th Round

Northern League Club

Morpeth is situated in Northumberland. It is on the River Wansbeck, which flows east through the town. The administrative centre both of Castle Morpeth borough and of the County of Northumberland, it prospered in the 12th century, when it was granted market status by King John.

A Wednesday morning meeting at Longbenton facilitated an overnight stay in Newcastle and a further opportunity to explore the delights of Northern League football. I initially chose Morpeth due to there being the 22.25 train back to Newcastle post match but at the time this was a league fixture against different opposition. It took just over 20 minutes to reach Morpeth and armed with a map, I was able to familiarise myself with the route from the station - this was just as well as I felt obliged to give the map to a car load of West Auckland Town players (Dennis Waterman absent) who had become lost !


Immediately prior to this, I took advantage of the real ale at the Joiners Arms. My choice was 'Workie Ticket' from the Mordue Brewery and looking around the bar it appeared that this establishment often carries guest ales alongside the varying Mordue products. I'm not sure if the pub is in this year's Good Beer Guide CAMRA but it has certainly featured in the recent past (Also Westons for you Ciderman !)

www.100groundsclub.blogspot.com

Craik Park is an oval shaped ground with a cinder (speedway type) track around it. Both sides of the ground have covered accommodation, with a decent (200ish) seated stand at the main/clubhouse side of the ground. Now with this match having a 7.45 kick off, extra time, possible penalties and a 25 minute walk to Morpeth station does not fit when attempting to catch the 22.25 train. Step in Alan Price (good Geordie name that). The non singer/song writer version is a Newcastle United season ticket holder/Gateshead supporter and resident/Northern League club member and most importantly car owner ! Before the match this fine gentleman offered me a lift back to Newcastle. Failing that I could also have called in a favour from those West Auckland players who I has assisted earlier.

www.100groundsclub.blogspot.com


Extra time it had to be with West Auckland edging an entertaining League Cup 4th round tie 2-1 (1-1 at 90 minutes). It got progressively colder as the match went on and every so often we were treated to a flurry of snow. Therefore the lift back to town was greatly appreciated with Alan dropping me off at the Royal Station Hotel but not before giving me a copy of the latest edition of Northern Ventures Northern Gains - the superb Northern League magazine. Alan has a letter published in the March edition, bemoaning the demise of the Saturday Pink classified sports paper. I understand from Alan that the Craik Park site on Morpeth Common, stands on an old wartime munitions dump. This has caused frequent drainage problems. Les Scott (club secretary) said that the club have only recently discovered this and were certainly unaware when moving to Craik Park in 1994.























Attendance: ?
Admission: £4.00
Programme: 50p (obtained for you Andy, Stan and Glyn, the barman in Phil Butler's local, the Prince Albert in Ely)
Tea: 50p
Pie: £1.20
Fare: £4.60 standard day return from Newcastle
Workie Ticket: £2.12

The subsequent visit by Smid - 17 March 2007