TT No.248: Paul Roth - Saturday 10th May 2008; West Sussex Premier Division; TD SHIPLEY vs. BARNHAM Res: 1-2; Att: 50(?); Programme and Entry: N/A; Weather: Sunny and hot.
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From Zalla to Sestao River to Dragon's Green!
Last June I ventured abroad to watch a couple of games in the Spanish 3rd Division play-offs, at Amorebieta on the Saturday evening and at Zalla on the Sunday, respectively. Without a shadow of a doubt, it was the best footballing experience of my life and to my dying day I will never forget the six hours I spent on that Sunday evening, in the small Basque town of Zalla (prn.thigher), found ten kilometres East of the historic town of Balmaseda.
For people who could speak virtually no English, the welcome I received from those Basque townsfolk was almost unbelievable. Especially, when one considers I was supporting the visitors from CD Fuerteventura!
Every Sunday evening at 9pm I fondly look for Zalla's result. Up until March they were way top of the their league (La Liga, Tercera Division, Group 4) but a recent disastrous run of results has seen them slip out of the play-off places, until last weekend's crucial 2-1 win, at home to table-topping Portugalete.
They need to win their last two games to qualify again for this years play-offs. With that in mind, I was looking this morning at the stupendous www.futbolme.com website to see where Zalla are playing this Sunday...away to San Pedro. Sidetracked now, I was curious to see where this particular team hail from; It seems they ground share at Las LLanas, the home of Sestao River Football club, located within the Urbanisation of Bilbao.
Now, sidetracked even further, to Sestao River FC, I was soon on that club's web page and taking the virtual tour of their impressive stadium (www.sestao-river.com) .
Time was ticking by now, and as an after thought, I thought I would peruse the Barnham FC website, the visitors to my chosen destination today, TD Shipley FC. To my horror, I saw that the game was due to kick-off at 1.30pm. I had been waxing lyrically about Spain and now I had to get a move on to reach Dragon's Green, the beautiful, rural location of TDS FC. My main concern was that I wouldn't get to my chosen GBG pubs in time, which in fact proved correct, and my tardiness left me completely po-faced. I'm easily distracted, it seems, when it comes to football.......ask the wife!
In the end I only managed to 'tick' the Crown Inn public house at Dial Post, a hostelry I'm glad to report that's an outlet for the much vaunted Wasabi Pea. The George & Dragon, round the corner from the football club, is an ex- GBG entry, and well worth a visit, if only to visit the marble headstone located in the garden at the pub's entrance. The beer, too, is worth the detour for!
Found on the A272, about 3 miles West of the busy A24, TD Shipley's home ground is, simply put, MAGNIFICENT! Along with Saga Sports and Lakenheath football clubs, I reckon these are my 'finds' of this season. It is fully railed off, with wood advertising hoardings dotted around, and the large car park leads onto the quaintest clubhouse and changing room block you will ever come across. There is a tiny garden area in front of the wooden pavilion, with pub-style benches, today shaded with large parasols, offering relief from the scorching sun. The 'TD' epithet derives from the initials of the TD Sports shop in London, whose proprietors founded the football club back in 1994. Initially playing their football on council-owned pitches in Crawley, the club moved to Dragon's Green, a mile North of the village of Shipley itself, in 2002, when Shipley FC folded.
Upon my arrival, groundsman Keith gives me a guided tour of the club's facilities, and I thank him for his welcome, hospitality and time.
The game today is crucial. TDS need to win to secure second spot in the league and therefore probable promotion to the Sussex County League. Barnham need to win their last two matches to secure the league championship outright, and also to have their own SCL application rubber-stamped. A lot more work needs to be done to the latter's ground, apparently, to realise their goal of promotion.
Barnham are the just better side in the first, goalless forty five minutes, but after the break, and with the visitors wilting in the baking sun, it's the homesters who take the lead midway through the second half. Deservedly so at that stage, too, as they are now the much stronger, and by the look of it, fitter, team.
Hang on now to the end, that's all they've got to do! Alas no...they cannot, and the visitors steal the three points with two very late strikes. On the balance of play throughout the ninety minutes, a real injustice, if ever I saw one. I pitied the home 'keeper, who hasn't put a foot wrong all afternoon, and is beaten by two goals no goalie would have had any chance of stopping. The poor chap is also playing for the ressies in the match that immediately follows, hence the early start!
The club don't issue a programme, but I didn't miss it...when things are this good you don't need one, honest!
Succinctly put, Dragon's Green and TD Shipley FC are sublime places to visit.
Just one word of warning here, though. The car park side of the ground is the best place to spectate from, as the other three sides are weed, thistle and stinging nettle infested. My legs are still smarting this morning from the hundreds of stings and scratches they received during my perambulations around the pitch. Wear long trousers and not shorts, like I did!
And finally, as a 'Man of Kent', or am I a 'Kentish Man'?, I would like to, along with all at FGIF, offer congratulations to Ebbsfleet United on their glorious achievement in winning this season's FA Trophy.
FGIF Rating...A stinging, sparkling 5*
contributed on 11/05/08