No.32 - Sat. 7th February 2009; Suffolk & Ipswich League Division 3 2.30pm at Stennetts Playing Fields, Trimley St Martin, Felixstowe, Suffolk. (Att: 13; Admn and Prog: N/A)
Matchday images contributed by Steph Wray via MMS (8) >view> Trimley Red Devils (1) 3 Woolverstone United (1) 1 That's more than Lucky! Our border collie, Lucky, was feeling a bit fed up with himself to say the least! Despite the fact he was in the company of many of his canine friends he really didn’t enjoy going to the vets one bit. In fact he couldn’t wait to get out of the door. The reason for our appointment was to check out a lump that we had just found in his neck. Josh, our vet, called us into his treatment room and after a quick assessment reassuringly told us there was nothing to worry about. He soon allayed our fears calmly explaining that it was probably nothing more than just a cyst, quite common apparently in this type of breed. We breathed a huge sigh of relief knowing that our little fella was going to be okay and thanked Mr. Lida for the great news. Before you could say Football Grounds In Focus our faithful companion had quickly dragged us out of the surgery door back through the snow and to the car once again. That was Lucky! By Saturday morning the conditions outside resembled one of those perfect wintry scenes normally found on the front of a glittery Christmas card. There had been very little change all week with snow and ice still covering most of the ground. In truth I had half resigned myself to staying at home and missing out on my footy fix. Hmmm. Doesn’t this rotten weather make you feel fed up! But being an obsessive type I decided not to give up hope just yet and dutifully logged on to the trusty Football Mittoo soccer website. It sounds daft but I had to check out all the fixture possibilities just in case there was the remote chance of something being played and not missing it…how sad is that! It soon became clear that a large number of matches had already been called off on Friday evening leaving many league programmes totally decimated. By sheer fluke (and for the best meteorological reasons) a few local matches had amazingly survived the cold snap. Even more surprisingly these all involved clubs based in or around the Ipswich area. Having ticked off most of the grounds in Eastern Counties including the top two divisions of the Suffolk & Ipswich League, I noticed, by scrolling down the fixture list, that the Third Division game to be played at Trimley Red Devils Football Club (v Woolverstone United) was in fact going ahead. A quick check phone called to the helpful secretary Lorinda Hall confirmed that the match would start at 2.30pm. I now asked myself some searching questions: did I really want to travel in difficult driving conditions from one side of the county to the other? Did I particularly want to see a SIL Third Division game at a basic ground? Did I want to go somwhere without any chance of getting a programme or refreshments? You bet I did. What a stroke of luck!! Within the hour we had arrived at our destination, the Stennetts playing fields in the village of Trimley St Martin situated very close to Felixstowe. Remarkably the snowy backdrop we had left behind at racing HQ had been replaced by lovely bright sunny and clear surroundings. Even better, there was not one sign of the white stuff anywhere. Not a single flake! How lucky can you get! The pitch certainly looked in good nick as the players went through their pre-match warm up preparations. Facilities here are basic but homely. The site, off Stennetts Close, has been home to the Red Devils since the club’s formation in 1975. Bordered by local housing and fields, it is only a stone’s throw from the Port of Felixstowe docks whose large cranes and lifting gear can be easily seen from the pitch. A smart clubhouse and pavilion forms part of the newly refurbished Victoria Hall and has been funded by a recent Football Foundation Aid grant. This impressive building is found just inside the main entrance and car park. The main pitch itself is marked out on the far side of the field beyond a mini pitch. High netting fastened across several tall wooden posts is used behind both goals to prevent the balls from errant miscued shots entering local gardens and upsetting the residents. Bless them! Lucky had also joined us on the trip and there was just enough time for him to do a bit of stretching and purposeful ball-chasing on a patch of ground running along pitch-side before the kick-off. Although he is almost twelve now he still thinks he’s a pup and is totally addicted to excercise: no doubt other owners of border collies will sympathise! Having such a demanding dog can be a bit of a problem if you want to concentrate on the football and not on him. He doesn’t take kindly to sitting at your feet for long periods and then being fobbed off with the occasional pat on his head. Quite simply he wants to be up and running about. He also responds loudly to any cheering and shouting by barking continuously in an agitated state and naturally this can annoy spectators standing close-by. What would hoppers make to this hyper dog? He would certainly be in the doghouse that's for sure. In view of this situation we have become accustomed to putting him back in the car from where he can watch the action out of harms way. More importantly we could watch the game in peace! As we opened the boot he climbed back in with a disgruntled growl. Those sad brown eyes looked back at us through the rear window and made us feel even more guilty having tried to spoil his fun. Somehow he knew that a couple of chewy sticks were nothing more a pathetic bribe to get him back in the car. And of course, he was right! Right, back to the football now: the Red Devils came into this match with a superb record having won all of their games played so far this season. The league table said it all: played ten, won ten, scored fifty and let in only ten goals, making a total of thirty points. It was encouraging stuff and highlighted the continuing success of recent seasons when the club has gained successive promotions from the SIL Division 6 to reach their current position. Some achievement since joining the league a few years ago. Their opponents Woolverstone who, by coincidence, had also gained promotion from Division 4 last season, currently occupied a creditable, mid-table position. Before play a home win looked a safe bet. However the visitors from Holbrook had other ideas. Against all the odds they soon took control of proceedings with an opening goal scored after only five minutes. Following some neat build-up play it was Frost who, receiving the ball on the edge of the box, turned and struck it firmly to beat keeper Archibald with a rebound coming off the bar. The Red Devils could have levelled matters soon after but visiting keeper Gardiner pulled off a fine save denying Stanners (18) from the spot following a nasty tackle. The same two players featured again mid-way through the half (25) when the custodian maintained his composure again and a clean sheet along with it to keep out a close range effort from the striker. The hosts raised the tempo of their play and were sufficiently rewarded just before half-time when Stanners and Kerr (43) combined successfully. The latter easily side-footed the ball home from only six yards out to make it 1-1 at the interval. The boys from Felixstowe doubled their lead within 90 seconds of the re-start. Agile centre-forward Leesay picked up the ball in his own half and after beating two defenders down the left flank made the perfect cross to an unmarked Stanners (47) who netted easily on the volley to beat the hapless Gardiner. Trimley showed their strength and created further useful chances during the second half. It was the reflexes of Gardiner once more that managed to foil close range efforts from the tireless Stanners (73) and midfielder Hussey (80) giving the visitors half a chance. It was no surprise when my Man of the Match, Stanners, a prolific scorer so far this campaign, had the last word and ensured victory for his team. A superb strike from the edge of the box found the top corner of the goal late on (88) to earn all three points. On balance of play I felt that this was indeed a fair result. I wouldn't be surprised on this performance to see the Red Devils win the title and gain pomotion to Division 2 come May. It had been a terrific advert for the league and particularly said a lot about the standard of play in this competition. It was the first time I had watched a game in this paticular division and I was well-impressed I can tell you! The match, played in sunny but bitterly cold conditions on a well-manicured surface, attracted only a handful of spectators. As expected there was no programme or refreshments on offer but on a day like this I, for one, was only too pleased to get in a game. The joys of hopping in the flat country are to be heartily recommended to one and all. As for the faithful hound he was still fast asleep in his basket as we returned along the A14. No doubt he was dreaming about his next hopping adventure. That’s Lucky! For more information about the club including directions, log on to the Suffolk & Ipswich League’s excellent website at: http://www.suffolkandipswichleague.co.uk/ FGIF Match Rating: 4. edited 16/02/09
