TT No.32: Keith Aslan - Sat 5th December 2015; Wolverhampton Sporting Community v Wellington Amateurs;    West Mids Reg League Premier; Kick-Off: 15.00; Result 4-0; Admn & Prog: £5; Att: 10! (6 home, 2 away & 2 neutral)

Having been soaked by 'Clodagh' last Saturday, which isn't nearly as exciting as it sounds, it's 'Desmonds' turn this week. Although tops for wind velocity Des thoughtfully  only dumped the wet stuff in the north, so no problems. Wolverhampton Sporting Community is an 18 minute walk from Landywood station and while the obvious journey is via Birmingham, I'm a bit of a maverick and went the Rugeley route. Same price, you actually get back into London six minutes quicker, and that 360 seconds equated to an hour earlier arrival back at my Broadstairs dacha. Another big plus is I didn't have to share a train with those nice Tottenham supporters who were playing at West Brom. Rugeley Trent Valley was a good place to get off on the way up as having got there without any problem my train promptly died. After trying C.P.R. without success  the driver and guard were making frantic phone calls for help when my onward train left 15 minutes later. 

Wolverhampton Sporting  have finally found a permanent home after many nomadic seasons. They began life as a works team, Chubb Sports, but lost their ground when the factory shut down in 2001 (locked out perhaps?) They played all over the midlands for the next thirteen years until 2014 when, with those vital ingredients, hard work and enthusiasm, they completely renovated the derelict former ground of Wryley Rangers  where they will be playing for the foreseeable future. They changed their name in 2010 because, and I quote from the programme "we had achieved what we originally set out achieve under the name Heath Town Rangers and for us to push further up the footballing ladder we needed to change our name" The obvious question is - Why? There are plans to build two more stands and a mezzanine balcony (no idea what that is but it sounds good). Currently everything is behind the near goal, changing rooms, a small seated stand with another "Heath Robinson" type covered structure  close by presumably as an overspill if the main stand gets full, although given todays woeful attendance I shouldn't think that's a very regular occurrence. Above all this is the spacious clubhouse, the lunchtime football was showing with hot and cold food and drinks on the go. The rest of the ground is railed off with the floodlights making rather worrying creaking noises in the storm force winds.

Given the teams relative  league positions, a not unexpected outcome to the match, and top marks to both sides for attempting, and often succeeding, to play football in atrocious conditions. Man of the Match was undoubtedly the young lad on the turnstile who was there when I arrived over and hour before kick off, and he dutifully stayed at his post until  half time. With the wind blowing straight at him he must have been frozen, and with the 'crowd' barely reaching double figures, he didn't have very much to do. Normally clubs use the gate money to pay the officials, but today I doubt it would have covered their tea and biscuits.

I had a bit of time to kill on my return journey and Rugeley Trent Valley is far more Trent Valley than Rugeley. Its in the middle of nowhere and the only building in the vicinity is a pub which was all I needed. As soon as I entered  I became the centre of attention and saying I'd just popped in for a quick one while waiting for a train wasn't ever going to cut the mustard and I had to give a detailed description of groundhopping to the assembled throng. I don't know if they got it or not (and if I was them I don't think I would) but they all seemed suitably impressed, although what they said after I left might have been somewhat different. An interesting end to the day.

contributed on 06/12/15