There aren’t many days where you wake up not knowing which
game you are going to attend, but on Saturday this was very much the case. Despite Exeter playing at Portsmouth we had
made a conscious decision to not attend and instead would be following the game
on twitter from another stadium.
There were two options that had been discussed and until
11am either was still an option.
Hereford FC, the phoenix club formed in 2014, are currently playing in
the Southern League. Their first full
season saw them win a league and cup treble and take the first step back
towards league status. They sat top of
the division having only lost their first league in January against Taunton and
only a madman would bet against them going up as champions to secure back to back
promotion. Today they hosted Tiverton
Town themselves flying high in 3rd place in a top of the table
clash. However, this was not the game we
chose to watch and not surprisingly Hereford went on to win the game 2-1. This is even less surprising given the recent
comment from Ladysmead that the club cannot afford to go up due to the
increased travel costs for away games.
So with Edgar Street and Fratton Park off of list this left
only one option…. The Victoria Ground where Bromsgrove Sporting of the Midland Football League
First Division ply their trade. Having
finished runners up for the past 3 seasons they currently sit top of the league
and were unbeaten. Today they played
Bristol Manor Farm in the 5th round of the FA Vase, Bristol were
also top of their league and they play a tier above Bromsgrove.
Having
left at 11 we made good time and arrived at the ground about 30 minutes before kick-off. The ground was larger than I expected and has
a capacity of just under five thousand.
Not surprising consider they play at the same ground as the club they
replaced and at their peak finished second in the conference to Wycombe. With rickety turnstiles and a small club shop
they had it all, fans were flocking to this game and it was already busy ahead
of the 3pm kick off. The ground was a
delight and held all the character the new style ‘Ikea pop-ups’ fail to
encompass. There were two covered ends,
one down the side of the pitch and the other behind the goal. Other than that, there were a series of steps
behind the other goal and a thin walkway down the other side which held viewing
for disabled supporters and the club bar.
The
pitch was in better condition than expected for the level at this time of year,
even more surprising considering there is a game most weeks due to the ground
share with nearby team Worcester City.
Three small huts spanned the stadium offering light refreshments
offering the variety football league teams could only dream of. For just £1.60 you could have walked away
with chips and curry sauce whilst the menu also contained sausages, fish, pies
and freshly made ham and cheese rolls.
When
the players exited the tunnel, they entered the field to rapturous applause
from the 1487 fans, quite sensational for a game at this level. Bromsgrove started the game with all the
nerves you would expect from a team playing the biggest game in their short
history, that was at least for the first ten minutes. They quickly grew into the game and showed skill
and composure on the ball and got their reward shortly before the half time
whistle when Cowley powered in from close range after a clever corner routine. Bristol had been well organised prior to this
but offered very little going forward with the Bromsgrove keeper rarely
troubled. The core support for
Bromsgrove during this half was behind the goal in the uncovered end, in just
45 minutes of football they had 2 inflatable footballs and a Triceratops
confiscated. One of these by the referee
who simply looked like he had forgotten the rules of the game as he ran across
the pitch carrying a ball just half the size of him.
As
half time refreshments were purchased and the bulk of supporters switched ends
the floodlights began to flicker into action and then it was time for football
to take over again. Bromsgrove started
the stronger and created several good opportunities before doubling their lead
on 54 minutes, Cowley again showing why he has been so important this campaign. If any criticism could be passed on
Bromsgrove it was that they simply tried too hard to be like Arsenal, they
passed and passed ball when it looked easier to shoot and wasted good one on
one opportunities. Although if you ask
any fan I am sure they would be delighted to have been mentioned in the same
sentence.
The
Bristol supporters turned up on a coach in their tens, which luckily for them
left plenty of room for kitchen sinks, and their team through them with force
at Bromsgrove in the last 15 minutes. Dean
Stamp, formally of Exeter City, drove the ball from distance and with the
Bromsgrove keeper unable to hold on Simpson tapped in to an empty net from 6
yards. A strong defensive unit and a
little luck saw the game reach its conclusion with Bromsgrove still having time
to miss a one on one for the umpteenth time.
With the full-time whistle came jubilant celebrations as Bromsgrove
reached the last 8 of the competition, fans entered the playing surface despite
the elderly stewards doing their best to stop them. They joined in with the
players on the pitch and it was as if they had won the cup and they deserved
every second of it, the applause was quite not deafening but for the players it
is a moment they will never forget.
Bromsgrove
Sporting now find themselves just 3 games from Wembley and can look forward to
playing the likes of Cleethorpes Town or Buckland Athletic in the next round.
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