No.47 - Sat. 22nd March 2008; Northants Football Combination Prem Div Cup S-F               2.00pm at Milton PF, Collingtree Road, Milton Malsor, Northants (Att: 55; Prog and Admn: N/A)

View matchday images  01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 Milton (0) 1  Moulton (1) 1 1-1 AE T (Moulton win 3-1 on pens) Perfect back-up leads to cracking cup tie Call it crisis management or just pure luck! I shouldn't really say this but there have been occasions when my personal organisation and time-keeping have let me down. And this state of affairs sadly spills over into my football and groundhopping activities. How I have managed to sustain my favourite hobby after all these years with only a handful of minor incidents along the way, is simply quite amazing. Just ask my wife. Most  Saturdays follows a similar pattern. The day usually starts off well but by the time I have decided where to go there is always a mad race against the clock to set off. As a result of this 'extreme' last minute planning I inevitably get onto the A14 only to discover that I have yet again forgotten something in the rush. This could be anything from the road atlas to the Football Traveller magazine or Directories, to money, my digital camera, mobile phone, reading glasses etc. The list just goes on. This naturally can be a great source of frustration and can make things a bit difficult for you. I only hope that others can relate to this. I tell myself that one day I will be more organised but somehow it never seems to happen. Take this Saturday for instance...   Despite the foul weather conditions which had arrived in East Anglia on Friday, I was quite fortunate to find that many games had survived the strong winds, heavy rain, hail and snow. In the end I decided to take advantage of an early 2pm kick-off and so picked the Northants Football Combination Premier Division Cup Semi-Final game between Harpole and Roade. By the time we got onto the A14 at Newmarket it was a quarter past twelve and this gave us enough time to travel over to the Larkhall Lane playing fields in the tiny village on the outskirts of Northampton. Or so I thought! All was going to plan until we reached the town's ring road. The Easter Bank Holiday traffic suddenly appeared from nowhere and caused everything to become a very very slow moving queue. A quick glance at the road atlas showed that we still had a few miles to go. In fact it was more than just a few miles and this last leg of the journey necessitated a rather fast trip up the M1 before coming back into Northampton. By now the time was fast approaching 1.45pm and things were not looking too good. It goes without saying that my 'leave it 'til the last minute' planning had yet again led to this disastrous situation. My grip on the wheel was tightening and the chances of getting to our chosen game were rapidly becoming less with each passing second. Not having the expertise of Lewis Hamilton nor and vehicle to match I decided that a quick pit-stop was necessary to re-assess the situation...   What were the alternatives though? No surprises for guessing but the trusty Traveller was still on the living room table and so rendered it completely useless. Then purely by chance whilst looking out of the car window I noticed that the road sign immediately ahead of us on the grass verge pointed left for the villages of Collingtree and Milton Malsor. That was it! I suddenly remembered that the other Semi-Final match in the Northants Premier Division Cup was between Milton and Moulton. But was the match on? Time was quickly passing by. Decisions... decisions. So now we had a choice, either: (a) still try and get to Harpole (and perhaps risk missing the kick-off) or (b) to go for the game at Milton which was just up the road and hope that it was still on. Without hesitation  we reckoned Plan B was, at 1.50pm, the better option. The Wraymobile was up to the task and reliably covered the next two miles like a vehicle half its age. We turned into the Collingtree Road playing fields and pulled up to an abrupt halt in the main car park. Within 30 seconds we could see the players and officials coming out of the changing rooms and making their way onto the pitch. We calmly got out of the car and walked over to the perimeter fence. Game on. Perfect. Pheww!!   The match, played on a really bumpy surface, was watched by over fifty spectators who had to brave the changeable elements which alternated from the extremes of snow, rain and hail showers to bright sunshine throughout the afternoon. The game itself was a real thriller and literally went right down to the wire. Visitors Moulton, sporting a most gharish strip (black and white hooped shirts and socks and white shorts), took a first half lead only for Milton to level on the hour mark. Despite having a player red-carded the hosts took control of the game but couldn't find a way through a resolute Moulton defence. And so, with no further goals in normal time and then extra time, the tie was decided on penalties. The visiting keeper made two terrific saves to help his side progress to the final after the score ended 1-3, almost two and a half hours after the game started! I have certainly watched plenty of cup football this season but unusually the last four matches have all gone into extra time. Surely this must be some sort of record?    Milton Football Club, like most (if not all) clubs in the Northamptonshire Football Combination, do not issue matchday programmes. However visitors here will not be disappointed as the club does provide hot and cold drinks, a range of meat and cheese filled salad rolls, snacks and chocolate all of which are available from a kitchen inside the homely clubhouse. With the temperatures dropping quickly there was, not surprisingly, a long queue waiting for hot drinks.   The ground, situated in the playing fields off Collingtree Road in the village of Milton Malsor, occupies a semi-rural location and is bordered by farmers' fields at one end and a railway line which passes along one side. There is a changing-room block and clubhouse just inside the entrance and car park. Although there is no permanent cover on site, the veranda/overhang on the clubhouse offers adequate shelter and a good vantage point from which to view the game. Spectators benefit from a sturdy metal post and rail fence which runs along both sides of the pitch. Several advertising hoardings are attached to the rail and there is a home-made board with the name of the Northants Combination League sponsors 'Travis Perkins' marked onto it. A couple of old fashioned ploughing machines, half-hidden in some long grass, added a bit of rustic charm to the place.   Although you won't get a programme don't be put off watching games in this league. You will find most of the grounds are set in rural, scenic locations within the county of Northamptonshire. Many clubs have basic but homely facilities and some may often provide visitors with refreshments. The standard of football in this competition is good and will make for an enjoyable visit. We certainly were pleased with what we found on a day when just getting to a game was a bonus (even if it was not our first choice). Crisis management or luck? The joys of hopping continue!                                              FGIF Rating: 5*

edited on 26/03/08