football rambles

In a list of the all time greatest games in the Eastern Counties is a match from 1960 where Ely City beat Great Yarmouth 9-5. I didn't expect this game to be a classic that would go down in the history books, but it was definitely a far better match than I had anticipated. Around the step 5 clubs over the last few weeks there has definitely seemed to have been a feeling that the season was already finished and that it was time to play out the last few games before the summer break, well at least at the clubs where the teams weren't involved in promotion or relegation battles. However, today saw both teams put up a spirited display that made the match look like it mattered. The Ely players turned up at the ground in fancy dress, but their good humour seemed to dispate somewhat once they entered the pitch. The opening encounters didn't create any real chances, but both teams were getting stuck in. After some bad tempered arguements between the players Ely were the first team

Tomorrow is Ely's last game and despite eulogising over the performance against Brantham a couple of weeks back I'm half thinking thank God for that! All of the Step 5 issues in this region have been settled and the players are looking knackered. Anyway time to be positive for once. Tomorrow the Robins take on Great Yarmouth Town at home. I went to the reverse fixture earlier in the season and I have to say I really like the Bloaters' set-up. They have a ground with the oldest stand still in use in the World, friendly fans and officials who run the club professionally and one of the best programmes at this level. Actually, I might be over-stating Yarmouth's programme, as since I visited the Wellesley last September they had to cut costs on the programme and the regular editor has been out of the country for a couple of months. Let's hope he comes back and carries on the good work next season. Yarmouth's Wellesley Road ground was opened on 6th August 1888 and the

I might be alone amongst fans of other non-league football fans in East Anglia, but you've got to feel a bit sorry for King's Lynn Town. The pheonix club playing their first season at step 5 reached the semi-finals of the FA Vase and last night saw them reach 100 points and a goal difference of +93 with one game left and they still won't get promoted. They have also achieved an average crowd of over 600 and yesterday, which was their 3rd home game of four in the space of a week they got well over 500 turning out. However, they won't be playing a step higher next season, mainly due to the fact that they lost last month to St.Neot's who will be the promoted side. I went to the Walks expecting a goal fest, as apart from the fine record Lynn have, with 3 players all scoring over 30 goals in all competitions, Rothwell were and will finish bottom of the league. It didn't quite transpire in that way, as there was definitely an end of season feel to the game with both s

On Thursday I have a bit of a bonus game to go to as King's Lynn take on Rothwell Corinthians in the United Counties League Premier Division. It really is a bit of a David and Goliath contest. King's Lynn lie in second place with a record that would see them gaining promotion with a title win this year, but it won't as money bags St.Neots have already pipped them to it. Rothwell Corinthians on the other hand are bottom of the league. King's Lynn didn't have to play in a competition as low as the FA Vase until this season, and they reached the semis. Rothwell Corinthians couldn't play in the Vase until 1999 when they installed fllodlights. When the clubs met earlier in the season at Rothwell's ground Lynn tanked them 5-1, so I'm hoping for goals. Rothwell Corinthians were formed in 1932 and played in the Kettering Amateur League, which later became part of the East Midlands Alliance. If you are wondering why I keep calling them by their full name it's

... And not much goalmouth action were the order of the day at the local derby between Ely and Mildenhall today, which ended in a 0-0 draw. The wind, sun and bounce of the hard pitch made it hard for the teams to settle in the first half and get the run of the game. In the second half the end of a long season, with both teams no longer having anything meaningful to play for seemed to be the main factor. It didn't always look like the game was heading for a 0-0 draw though, especially when after 6 minutes the Hall had the ball in the back of the net. It was given as offside though, but it was very marginal. In fact for the first time in a long while Ely were back to living dangerously by employing an offside trap that past experience can tell us can often end in tears. Anyway, 4 minutes later Ely had a chance to go into the lead, but Luke Parkinson put the ball into orbit rather than into the back of the net. On 22 minutes Luke Parkinson had another chance to put Ely in the lead whe

Tomorrow is Easter Monday and Ely take on Mildenhall in the traditional bank holiday fixture. That said, although the Easter Monday game usually goes off without a hitch the Christmas / New Year game is usually a rearranged fixture. Over the three seasons that I have lived in Ely, the two teams have been quite equally balanced. This season sees Mildenhall in the ascendancy though. With just two games to go they currently lie in fourth place in the league and have just won the Cambs Invitation Cup for the second year in a row. Earlier in the season they applied to go to the next level, but they seem to have put that idea on hold. Not least I expect because their ground is a little bit crap. It will be the fourth time I have visited this fixture. The first one was on the Easter Bank Holiday of 2009 when Ely lost 4-2 after some almighty whingeing and mad, mad refereeing. Then last season the game at the Unwin was a rescheduled game from Boxing Day that was held on an awful night in Februa

Yesterday Ely took on Walsham-le-Willows on a day when it was hotter in Ely than in Cairo. Not surprisingly the two teams who were more or less well balanced in terms of performances over the season cancelled each other out with the second half being probably dominated by tiredness and thirstiness, which ultimately saw the two teams cancelling each other out. Ely started off brightly enough with Goodge, Chadwick and Impey creating a few chances, but it was Walsham who made the breakthrough on 21 minutes when an uncharacteristic slip by the person I have voted for as player of the season, Adam Murray let Walsham have a clear shot in the six yard box. The shot was miraculously saved by Lee Pacey, but Pacey brought the forward down as the ball rebounded back. The Walsham player sent a decent penalty in slightly to Pacey's left and they were one up. On 29 minutes Walsham had a chance to double their lead, but another fine save by Pacey denied them. However, Ely weren't out of it ye

It's perhaps not the most inspiring of fixtures today when Ely City take on Walsham at the Unwin. Both clubs are in mid-table just above the relegation zone with little chance of being relegated (thankfully) and the brilliant weather will probably not inspire a big crowd to turn out as most people will head for the coast, beer gardens, barbecue stores. I don't know why I missed the fixture last season, I was probably working, but the season before the game was played in dreadful weather and the game ended in an uninspiring 1-1 draw with Lee Dixon, who followed ex-manager Dennis Lightning to Sawston, scoring Ely's goal. Anyway, this is supposed to be about Walsham, but as you have probably guessed there isn't a great deal to say about to them. Walsham-le-Willows is situated to the East of Bury St.Edmunds in a part of Suffolk where it seems every town and village has a poncey name. The village is most famouf for being quite a pretty place and starred in a book on the plag

There's just one week of Step 5 action left and Ely have 3 home games in the space of a week, with Walsham-le-Willows today, a local derby against Mildenhall on Monday and then Great Yarmouth next Saturday, then it'll be a trip a bit higher up the leagues when Villa take on Wigan in the Premier, and that will probably be the end of the season for me, but let's see. Other chances might present themselves with the play-offs.

Maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but today Ely put in the best performance I have seen at the Unwin and with the sun shining down it was a perfect day for watching football. Ely started off brightly against Brantham, who at the start of the day were just above them in the league and went into the game with a decent striking record, but an equally poor defence. It looked like it was going to be Ely's day from the start when Andy Pettit put the ball in the back of the net on 5 minutes, although he was unfortunately off-side. Just 2 minutes later Josh Bridgeman was unlucky not to put the home side one up. Ely continued to pile on the pressure and on 26 minutes a corner from David Wilson on the left looked to be curling in and Richard Chadwick made sure that the ball went over the line to put the Robins in the lead. Ely were clearly playing the better football, although on 34 minutes our hearts were in our mouths when a defensive error by Adam Dalby almost let the Brants in,

Here is what I have been listening to over the first 3 months of 2011 on one nice Spotify play list. On some occasions I have listened to a band for an equal amount of times in a week (Fang Island and Squarepusher) and on others the first place band wasn’t available on Spotify, for example Clorofila Azul had more plays than Cruyff in the Bedroom in that week. Here’s the play list with the links below: 1 Sigur Ros - Hoppipolla The year started off with the Icelandic nutters, although I think that most of the plays were on the morning of New Year’s Eve. 2 Deer hunter - Basement Scene Another band who are a bit off the wall. I think that the last time I listened to them on a regular basis had been when I was in Korea and had also been listening to Sigur Ros, so I think it was probably a bit of an association of ideas that led me to putting these on again. 3 Fang Island - Careful Crossers I think this band came as a recommendation on Last Fm. They are alright, but are never going to be my

Tomorrow Ely take on Brantham Athletic at the Unwin. It will be the first time I have seen Brantham, as they were promoted from the first division last season. Currently Brantham sit in 15th just above Ely in 16th. It should be a close match with Ely having finally found some form and Brantham having a secret weapon of their own is on fine form. Brantham's young striker Ollie Mann has hit 33 goals so far this season in a purple patch that has incluede him hitting 3 hat-tricks in the last 7 games; he also scored the only goal in the game between Ely and Brantham at Brantham's Social Club ground last month. Not surprisingly Mann has been linked to several clubs higher up the food chain including an unnamed Championship club (remember Brantham is in Suffolk, so perhaps the championship club in question can be guessed by the geographical location). However, it seems that in the short term he is more likely to join champions elect Leiston. Brantham were formed in 1887, however their

Well, it's that taile end of the season now which means that the games should be coming in thick and fast. However, due to a gammy leg and filming up in Nottingham I haven't been to a game since the trip to Rocester. Normal duty will be resumed at the Unwin tomorrow when Ely City take on Brantham Athletic, then I have to work next Saturday which will be followed by ba bumper Easter programme when the games come in thick and fast as step 5 winds itself up for the Summer break. On the local football front Ely have won 2 away games and crawled or rather cruised to safety over the last couple of weeks and King's Lynn crashed out of the vase against Coalville amongst reported scenes of violence at the Walks.