No.29 - Sat. 22nd December 2007; Eastern Counties League Premier Division                3.00pm at Recreation Way, Mildenhall, Suffolk. (Att: 146; Admn: £5; Prog: £1.00) 

 

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Mildenhall Town (0) 2 Kirkley & Pakefield (0) 0

'Deck the 'Hall with boughs of holly...'

They say "Tis is the season to be jolly!" Well I suppose it was until approximately 12.30pm when the Wraymobile sadly ground to a halt on the A14 at Bar Hill, a residential area of new builds on the outskirts of Cambridge. Not mechanical problems this time but the result of a long traffic queue stuck behind a white van that had broken down further up the carriageway somewhere near Huntingdon (a distance of approximately 10 miles). For those of you are all too familiar with this occupational hazard then you will know the gut churning feeling that can develop in such a situation. My immediate reaction was to thump the wheel hard and let out a string of expletives. This didn't really help - in fact it caused a numbing sensation that went right up my arm. Judging by their reaction my obvious frustration was a great source of amusement to the two old dears sitting patiently in the car next to mine in the outside lane. Mmmm. 

With the clock ticking away and having crawled about half a mile in forty minutes it didn't look at all likely that I would now reach my chosen game - the Northants Combination Premier clash between the top two sides in the table, Corby Pegasus and Corby Madison. Ironic really that one of these clubs should be named after a winged horse as such a beast would certainly have been most helpful in escaping this dreaded part of the A14 (known affectionately around these parts as the road from Hell).

Plan B. One full hour later and with a much lower pulse rate I reluctantly completed a U-turn and headed down the opposite carriageway back into Suffolk once again. Amazingly the road conditions had by now greatly improved. Somewhere there's a law about this, isn't there? Anyway with my plans of getting in any new ground now well and truly gone I decided instead to go local and take in an Eastern Counties fixture instead. With the beloved Jockeys on the road to Lowestoft I consulted the fixture Bible (well the trusty TFT) and continued the short distance to Mildenhall to watch the club's Premier Division home fixture against Kirkley and Pakefield.

Out of the all the local clubs playing in the ECL at the moment Mildenhall Town are enjoying the most success by far. Indeed many will remember the club's exploits in last year's FA Vase when they reached the last sixteen of the prestigious competition losing out eventually to Billingham Synthonia. Their run of good form in the league has continued this campaign and before today's game 'Hall sat in fifth place in the table having won twelve of their opening eighteen games. With visitors Kirkley & Pakefield only three points behind them it looked an evenly balanced contest. And so it turned out to be!

After a goalless first-half it was 'Hall who opened the scoring when Gareth 'Simmo' Simpson steered the ball home through a crowd of players at the far post (48). The hosts gradually took control but had to wait right until the closing stages before adding to their tally when they were awarded a penalty after a clumsy challenge on Andrew 'Porky' Claydon (ex- AFC Sudbury) in the box. John Smith stepped up to stroke the ball into the corner of the net beating the outstretched 'keeper Nathan Pauling (90). Kirkley had chances to get a consolation in the dying seconds but their appeals for a goal were turned down when the assistant judged that the ball cleared off the line had not completely crossed it. It was definitely a close call. The game played in mild, overcast conditions attracted over 140 spectators which included one or two hoppers, a handful of away fans and some seasonal supporters dressed in santa hats! I reckon that this was pretty impressive considering it was the last weekend before Christmas.

Incredibly my last visit to Recreation Way was over seventeen years ago. This was on the 13/10/90 to watch an Eastern Counties League Division 1 game v Downham Town, result 2-4. Since this time the club has since built itself a tidy, well-maintained ground. The site has an enclosed feel about it being surrounded by a wooden  fence and a row of tall conifers. The main facilities are all situated along one side. After entering through a small paybox in the right hand corner you pass in front small covered standing area with the clubhouse directly behind. Beyond is another much newer stand which has several rows of bench seats inside. The club name is proudly displayed in large yellow letters on the front. The pitch which drops markedly from end to end has a smart perimeter fence around it with plenty of advertising hoardings attached to it. Indeed 'Hall have a very hard-working band of committee members who are keen to promote the club with several souvenir items (caps, scarves, shirts, mugs, badges) for sale in the clubhouse.

A smart 40-page programme complete with glossy colour cover is a regular issue. The content includes news on all of the club's three teams with plenty of statistics, tables and the vital line ups. There are also recent match photos and detailed notes about the visitors (who became Kirkley & Pakefield at the start of 2007-2008 when Kirkley amalgamated with Pakefield Boys). There is a terrific tea bar at Recreation Way which has a varied menu selling a range of hot and cold food. This is a well organised business and patrons are given a ticket to ensure that their refreshments are served in order!

On a day which looked destined to be a bit of a groundhopping disaster eventually turned out to be most enjoyable. My re-visit certainly proved to be well worth it and literally got me out of a real jam. A trip to this friendly and well-run club comes highly recommended. You will not be disappointed.

The ground is easy to find. You can approach from the A14/A11 by taking the first turning into Mildenhall which is Bury Road. Follow this road until you reach the town centre. Turn left at the Co-Op in Kings Street and then second left down Recreation Way (next to the town swimming pool) until you reach the car park and main entrance at the end.

                                                                FGIF Rating: 4*                                                                                 

                                                       Map Mildenhall Town FC website

edited on 23/12/07