Nice Wolverhampton : No 1

Something completely different this week.Wolverhampton can sometimes be given a bad press but it really can be very nice.Given the hint of summer I decided to take a stroll along the canal from Compton to Wightwick(pronounced Witik).

I was lucky enough to  see a couple take their canal boat through a lock,something I've not witnessed before.

There she goes under the bridge and into the lock.

The rear gates are closed. The front gates are then opened to allow the water in.

The boat is brought up to water-level and on they go.

Doesn't look too bad,does it ?

C'est la vie....... Time for cricket.

So bye-bye Proper Football for the time being and hello to summer(if we get one)sport.I suspect my wife had visions of me going shopping with her on Saturday afternoons while the football is in temporary abeyance.WHAT ! No chance; ne; non; nein; ohi; nie; niet.........   get the picture ? So,summer, sport......it's got to be cricket!

For those not versed in the appeal of the game it 's difficult to explain.It's just so.........English.It's sunny days; it's warm beer ; it's silly mid-off,point,yorker,stonewalling.It's falling asleep in your canvas chair even while they're playing.

Today was the perfect day to sit and watch a game of cricket.The sun was out.It was warm.I was comfortable in my chair.I fell asleep.A little glimmer of summer.

Time for orange juice.

During my slumber I missed three batsmen being given out and was just in time to see the end of the innings.

Our feathered friend is either not interested in the game or has been given out !

End of the innings.

It's not Proper Football and it will rarely get the pulse racing but it's different.It's cricket and it's ours.

 

What shall we do now. Another football season has come to an end. Well, a wise man would get the paint out and do a quick job in the bog or any other of the other jobs ‘she’ has been nagging about over winter before it all starts again in July.

Not quite so easy for those running Proper Football clubs though. Committees to refresh, forms to fill, applications to make as well as making sure that Team Managers are secure and squads finalised. Pitches to attend to and re-seed the areas where the grass has worn away, ground improvements and repairs to do and a fresh lick of paint when needed  as well as fitting in a family or friend holiday. So much to do, so little time.
Then there are the finances. We were recently told that one benefactor laid out £38,000 in a single year just to keep his club afloat. Expensive business this Proper Football.
So what can supporters do, and I guess that you, dear reader, are a supporter otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this stuff. Keep going to games ? Well, that’s what we do. Keep talking about the merits of Proper Football ? We already do that too. I think the answer may be to bring a friend to the match. At recent end of season games attendances shot up at games where the glory of a League title was at stake so maybe, just maybe, they could become regulars.

The end of the season also marks the end of our first attempt at a blog. But  we  are not giving in and will continue  on  as long as Proper Football exist.
 We are just a couple of lads trapped inside old farts bodies who tour the Black  Country on  Saturday afternoons   in search of the Beautiful Game. We thank you for indulging us by  reading our jottings and hope you find some enjoyment from them. Don’t be afraid of making a comment to let us know if you like what we are trying to do or even a bit of criticism if we are getting it wrong. Journalists we are not but we are old enough and ugly enough to own up to our wrongdoings and your  feedback could even help us to  improve.
But most of all, keep gooing to the matches.

                                                               They ay ‘arf good

Best time to use a 'Get out of jail free' card !

              West Midlands(Regional)League Division 1

                                Wolverhampton Utd v Hanwood Utd

Wolverhampton Utd needed to win to avoid the drop into division 2,whilst Hanwood were in a comfortable position much higher up the table.Before the game started,we met some guys who had travelled down from Wrexham just to see a game,any game. Dedication ? Off their bleedin' rockers ? Anyway,hats off to 'em,well done lads.

And here they are(sorry about picture quality,lads)

Hanwood kicked off with 11 players(as per FA rules) and immediately withdrew  one(?) and played the remainder of the game with 10.The home team were on the attack from the off and stayed there virtually all of the first half.

It was no surprise to anyone when they took the lead from a corner on 35 minutes.If they'd brought their shooting boots,they could have been 4 or 5 goals to the good by then.

There goes the first goal.

Half Time ; Wolverhampton Utd 1 Hanwood Utd 0
The second began in much the same vein as the first and the home side soon  scored a second. By this time,it hadn't gone unnoticed the referee was ,shall we say,different.His 'no nonsense' style was amusing to say the least;telling various players to 'shut up and bugger off'.Hanwood were,on the face of it,not a bad team but didn't really seem 'up for it'(were they 'on the beach' ?).Having said that though,they did seem to rally near the end and were unlucky on a couple of occasions.

There's that ref.

Just before the final whistle the referee(in our opinion) blotted his copybook somewhat by awarding a contentious penalty to the home side who duly converted.

Full Time ;Wolverhampton Utd 3 Hanwood Utd 0

This result keeps Wolverhampton Utd in this league and condemns Blackheath Town to Division 2.

Entry ; Free

Programme ; N/a

Coffee ; 60p

Crowd ; 25

Referee ; Bloody hilarious

Pete and me(me looking like a bloody great lemon)

 

Steelmen celebrate !

              West Midlands(Regional) League.Division 1

                                    Bilston Town(2007) v Haughmond

On a cold,grey,wind-swept afternoon The Steelmen of Bilston did the business to clinch promotion to the Premier Division backed by their large,loud crowd.  

They had suffered a recent blip in form losing a couple of matches but 

 were ahead in two minutes,added a second after 10 minutes and a third on 15 minutes.Visions of a 6 or 7 goal thrashing loomed large as Haughmond were given the run-around by  a home team up for the challenge.Haughmond improved as the half progressed with their number 9 showing some impressive ball control often requiring 2 or 3 defenders to halt his progress.

That's 'Mr Bilston' in the background.

Half-time ;Bilston Town(2007) 3 Haughmond 0

Haughmond were dealt another blow at the start of the second half as The Steelmen added a fourth.Instead of caving in the visitors came back into the game with an excellent goal of their own and for a time pressured the home team again with their number 9 causing havoc in the home defence with his mazy runs.

Bilston regained their composure to see the game out and wouldn't you know it,as the referee blew for full-time,out came the sun and on came the fans to celebrate promotion.

Home fans celebrate goal number 4

Congratulations to Bilston Town(2007) on their promotion to the Premier Division.

Result; Bilston Town(2007) 4 Haughmond 1


Entry ;£1(special price for last game of the season)
Programme ; Sold out
Coffee ; £1
Crowd ; 200(estimate)
Referee ; Not bad.