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No.36 - Sat. 26th January 2008; Kent County League Premier Division 2.00pm at the Norton Sports Ground, Provender Lane, Norton Ash, Faversham, Kent. (Att: 50; Prog: 8pp; Admn: N/A) |
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View matchday images 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 Norton Sports (2) 6 Bearsted (0) 0 League leaders look impressive What a great hobby this is! Just as we were leaving racing HQ at midday the mobile phone rang. The voice at the other end sounded very upbeat: "Hello mate! Where are you off to?" It was my old mate and FGIF legend Paul Roth at the other end. We told him that we were on our way down to Kent for the County League Premier Division game at Norton Sports Football Club who were playing Bearsted. We then asked Paul what he was doing: "I'm in Newmarket mate. I'm in Exning Road opposite The Five Bells!!" The reply was quite surprising. We thought that he was joking and asked him to tell us where he was going: "I'm off to Lakenheath mate!" With this news we then perfomed a very dodgy U-turn alongside the Rowley Mile racecourse and headed at speed back into town. Sure enough as we approached Exning Road we could see Paul standing outside the Five Bells pub. We quickly jumped out of the car and greeted each other. In the briefest of chats we wished him well before setting off again towards the M11. Who would have thought it? Paul had come up to our neck of the woods and we were off down to his! By 1.50pm The Wraymobile arrived at the Norton Sports Football Club in Provender Lane. As we pulled up into the tiny little car park the teams were making their way onto the pitch. There was just enough time before kick- off to give Paul a ring to see if he had reached his destination. It was great news! He had arrived safely in Lakenheath and by the sound of his voice was really impressed by the whole set-up. Back to Norton Sports. Today's game saw the visit of opponents Bearsted FC. On paper it looked as though it would be a comfortable home victory - the league table, printed inside the programme, revealed that Sports were in top spot. The club were currently unbeaten having won sixteen and drawn two of their eighteen matches played so far. They had also scored more goals than any other side in the division (65). By contrast Bearsted had not, by their own high standards (Senior Cup finalists in 2007), achieved much success this campaign with only six wins to their name since August. A couple of visiting fans standing next to us on the touchline explained that their club's demise had been due, in part, to a mass exodus of players at the end of last season. As expected the game went according to the form book. Although Sports started slowly they soon found their rhythm and added four quality second half goals to the two already netted in the opening forty-five minutes. The fourth goal was the pick of the bunch, being a net-bursting volley from all of 35-yards. This effort drew gasps of breath from the crowd who couldn't quite believe their eyes or their ears as word came through that Havant and Waterlooville had just taken the lead at Anfield. Suffice to say that Norton really are a cracking side, playing some excellent football at the moment - on this performance they should be firm favourites to win the Premier Division title come May. The match, played on an excellent playing surface in sunny conditions, attracted exactly fifty spectators. A superb eight page computer-generated programme, edited by the club secretary Colin Page, was issued for the game and was freely available from the clubhouse. The content covers all the essentials with the match details on the front, a round-up from last week, club stats including results and fixtures. There is also a report and matchday photo from a recent game against Snodland, courtesy of the Swale News local paper. Sadly the team line-ups are not listed which would be my only criticism of a decent programme otherwise. The ground, which shares with cricket, is fairly basic to say the least. Being right out in the sticks gives it a rustic charm and all sides are bordered by hedgerows and trees to give it an enclosed feel. The main pitch is marked out on the opposite side of the field with a rope, separating it from the cricket square. A permanent post and rail fence runs along the far side where there is some hard standing next to the dug outs. As there is no cover it would be preferable to attend a game here in better weather. The blue and white goal nets add a splash of colour to the proceedings. The main facilities are found just inside the main entrance (next to the car park) and are set at an angle so as to face the middle of the playing field. The clubhouse and adjacent changing room block are fashioned from what seem to be a couple of old metal shipping containers. Despite outward appearances the clubhouse is really quite homely with a bar, tea bar and colour TV inside. Hot drinks and snacks (crisps, nuts and chocolate) are available for spectators at half-time. A visit to Norton Sports Football Club comes highly recommended. To reach the club is fairly easy for the motorist with it being just off the A2. We chose to leave the M2 at Faversham (J6) and head back up the A2 towards Sittingbourne, coming through the villages of Ospringe, Stone Chapel and Norton Ash. Although the Ground is not signposted visitors should turn left down Provender Lane (next to a large petrol station) and follow this windy road right to the end until it joins Norton Lane. The main entrance becomes visible on the right hand side where the two roads meet. We arrived home just after 5.30pm. Five minutes later the phone rang. It was Paul! He had almost completed his journey back to Margate and had, like us, thoroughly enjoyed his eventful day out. Meeting up had been a real bonus and an amazing coincidence. The joys of hopping! For more on Paul's inspirational visit to Lakenheath FC go to: www.footballgroundsinfocus.com/TT78179.htm. FGIF Rating: 4* |
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edited on 31/01/08 |
