No.50 - Tues. 1st April 2008; Eastern Counties League Premier Division                      7.45pm at the Sherbourn Stadium, Cricketfield Road, Newmarket, Suffolk. (Att: 90; Admn: £5; Prog: 24pp, £1) 

 

View matchday images  01 02 03 04

 Newmarket Town (2) 4  Harwich & Parkeston (0) 0 

Long odds but Jockeys win at a canter 

It was with a heavy heart that I attended the new Sherbourn Stadium in Cricketfield Road for this evening's Eastern Counties League Premier Division game. Sadly the Jockeys are facing the very real prospect of being relegated after a dire season which has seen the club play out most of the campaign stuck in the bottom four places of the table. With only three wins to their name things are not looking very good at all. But to many locals this is not really surprising given the events of recent years.

The club has, in truth, seen better times. Indeed many will recall a thrilling FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round tie against Hayes (then top of the Isthmian Premier League) back in the 1990's when the Suffolk men were just a few minutes from reaching the First Round proper in England's most prestigious competition. A crowd of over 1000 squeezed into the tiny ground that day to witness a game which ended in a breathless but tight 2-3 scoreline. It was all quite surreal that a football match here would attract so many - such was the support that even the 'blinkered' stable staff, allotment holders and market traders had dropped tools for the day to get a piece of the action. This was a team that was definitely on the up and one that had actually been tipped for promotion to play at a higher level.

It soon became clear that in spite of all the commitment shown on the pitch by the players and the manager Peter Graham (ex- Football League experience with Lincoln City and more recently Cambridge United), it was not matched behind the scenes. Many old-stagers who had been on the club committee for years lacked any real ambition. In truth they were more than happy to carry on with things as they were. Apathetic and typical of a town which really isn't bothered about anything unless it has four legs and a tail!   

As the feeling of uncertainty grew, the club called an emergency board meeting. This was held before the end of the season in 1996 to thrash out the club's immediate future. As the tension mounted it was obvious that the members present were not united. An ambitious new group of sponsors offered to step in and take the club forward, in effect marking the start of a new era. They had exciting plans to put the Jockeys on the footballing map. But unfortunately this was met with great hostility by the present board who were not prepared to spend any extra money to upgrade facilities, pay higher wages to attract better players and travel greater distances in the search of success. As a last resort a decision was made to review the situation in six months time. In reality this was a lost opportunity as the backers, sensing a lack of commitment, went elsewhere with their coffers. The best players left and so did the management. To put it bluntly the guts had been removed and the club was left mortally wounded. Results soon fell away as the Jockeys quickly dropped down the league like the proverbial falling stone.

Ten years on and unsurprisingly there have been many comings and goings with a rapid turnover in personnel at Cricketfield Road. Things are still as unsettled as ever and those responsible for team management have only stayed a short time. Chris Nunn (an ex player) who guided the club to a sixth round FA Vase appearance in 2006 (defeated 2-1 by Cammell Laird), left to concentrate on his business interests. His replacement Dave Abbs arrived from Fulbourn Institute FC when the club were thrown out of the Eastern Counties League (after local residents gave the thumbs down to a new ground). He transferred his entire squad over to Newmarket thus creating a mass exodus of all the local lads who had faithfully served the club so well under Nunn. Absolutrely disgraceful! It wasn't long before Abbs was sacked by the Board (it happens at this level as well) following a string of poor results which saw the club flirt a couple of times with relegation. His recruits were just not up to the job of Premier Division football. 

In a mad panic and with little apparent forethought, John 'Shaggy' Taylor was then appointed to take over at the start of 2007-2008. The ex-Cambridge United FC striker was brought in to share his experience with the youngsters but after some dire results (only one win in fifteen games), it wasn't long before he too was on his way out. It simply underlines the fact that good players don't always make good managers. By now the club was left rock bottom of the league and in deep trouble. Ex-players Karl McDonald and Tim Gleave (elevated from the Reserves) have since been appointed to lead the Jockeys to safety by a Chairman not knowing which way to turn. Clearly to ask the club to claw its way out of the drop zone with only a few games remaining is totally impossible. It's simply too late now.

And so on to tonight's game. Really this was more about planning ahead for next season rather than trying to paper over the cracks for this present one. With the club resigned to going down now the players have been able to relax a little and play without the added worry and pressure. Indeed in the match on the previous Saturday (played coincidentally at Harwich) the Jockeys managed to gain a point following a useful 1-1 draw. It was a good positive performance by all accounts. So could they go one better and grind out a much needed win (to gain confidence as well as add a few points to their desperately low total)?

It was a cracking game played in great spirit. The youngsters worked hard and played some good stuff. Two goals in each half saw the Jockeys overcome a very weak Harwich side (themselves not clear of relegation) to earn three points and a bit of much needed respectability. The match was played on a heavy pitch (the result of long spells of bad weather and a bit of overuse by the club's junior sides) in front of an appreciative crowd of nearly 100 spectators. Admission was £5 and a basic 20 page programme came complete with yellow card cover for £1. As always a varied menu of hot and cold food was available from the tea bar which was open throughout the evening. Still blood coagulatingly good value even though the portions are rather less than they used to be!

Since my last visit to the ground not a lot has changed really. Hang on, what about that new name tag? From being known for years as the 'Town Ground' the venue is now being called the Sherbourn Stadium. Quite amusing really isn't it that the place should be called a Stadium. Rather grandiose in my opininion but if other clubs do it round here why not this one? Anyway the name refers to the local builders who have agreed terms for sponsorship deal. They have not wasted time either in getting involved as two new modern shelters and benches have since been introduced and are now positioned on the opposite side of the ground to face the main stand. This is a good idea as it now allows players more room to warm up on the open land behind the touchline.

So what of the future? Most of the regulars who really do care hope that the Jockeys can re-group and perhaps regain their Premier Division status one day. But this should only happen when the time is right and will require a bit of stability which has been lacking of late. Things need to be right both on and off the pitch. In an area which boasts many local clubs, a League where players seemingly move from team to another (depending on which one offers the most money) and loyalty stands for nothing, it will not be an easy task. Watch this space! 

FGIF Rating: 4* 

edited on 08/04/08