Archive

Dr Martens League Eastern Division 2003-04

Season 03/04

Reports 03/04

1/5/04 Hastings United (1) 1 Histon (1) 4

 

Rook 17; Munns 20, Kennedy 65, Cambridge pen 74, Rowe 90
Att: 321


1. May
2. Elford
3. Eldridge
4. Henham*
5. Green
6. Peters
7. Sands%
8. Ringwood
9. Sherwood&
10. Rook
11. Honey
 
12. Sayer*
14. Taylor&
15. Stickney%
16.
17.


A fruitless attack as the U's fire blanks (Click to enlarge)

Carl Rook, player of the season (Click to enlarge)

Chris Honey and Carl Rook in the thick of it (Click to enlarge)

Decent gate for last game of a dismal season (Click to enlarge)

Golden chance spurned by Ryan Peters (Click to enlarge)

Jimmy Elford, runner up to Rooky (Click to enlarge)

Keeper tidies up (Click to enlarge)

Mitchell Sherwood, home goal of the season vs Stamford (Click to enlarge)

Rooky put in a decent performance (Click to enlarge)

It is a little hard to believe that thirty-seven weeks have elapsed since it all began with an encouraging 3-1 win at home to Corby. Forty-eight matches that have featured forty-three players later, we arrived at the final day of the 2003/04 season. Not a season that will go down in history for anything other than forgettable reasons of course, but one that has seen an ultimately successful battle against the unthinkable threat of relegation to the County League. Supporters will not be able to take many happy memories away from this campaign I guess. The back-to-back away wins at Rothwell and Corby, the home performances against Erith & Belvedere, Fleet and Stamford, the comebacks against Yeading and Fisher and the bizarre events at Ashford will stick in my mind until they are replaced by, hopefully, happier memories of next season.

Before the final action of this season got underway, Robin Powell had the task of presenting the traditional end of year awards, as voted by the supporters. Carl Rook won a landslide victory to be named the player of the year, with Jimmy Elford the runner-up. As the regular readers of this site will know, neither of these guys got my vote, but it was hard to argue with the logic in the end. Similarly, Mitchell Sherwood's solo effort against Stamford, was a more than deserving winner of the home goal of the season, while Chris Honey was also rewarded for the away goal of the season, his winner up at Rothwell. The Histon players respectfully waited in the changing room while the ceremonies were completed, before emerging for, what was for them, a must-win game, if they were to have any chance of pipping King's Lynn to the Eastern Division title. For about an hour, we gave them a very good game, before fading in the closing stages. Oncet again, I walked away from The Pilot Field considering by how many we would have lost that game had it been played a few months ago. On Saturday, we gave a decent account of ourselves and, in the end, I thought the three goal margin of victory somewhat flattered our opponents.

In the continuing absence of Peter Mortley, Steve Lovell named the same starting eleven as had begun Wednesday's dismal effort against Sidley, and the same three substitutes. There was a bit of tinkering at half time, when David Henham was withdrawn for his own safety, Jimmy Elford switching to centre back, Steve Sands to right back and Peter Sayer coming on to play down the right wing. Steve suffered a nightmarish couple of minutes in the second half and was replaced by Wednesday's anti-hero, Simon Stickney, who scarcely touched the ball at all in his thirteen minutes playing time. Slightly earlier, Mitchell had been swapped for Peter Taylor, as has been customary of late. Perhaps it's something to do with Mitchell's age that he seldom sees out a full ninety minutes. I am convinced that he should have occupied the right wing position for the last few weeks, with Peter playing down the left. Still, what do I know? No, don't answer that one. The Histon side contained several familiar faces, including the league's third top scorer Neil Kennedy and the ostentatiously named Roscoe Hipperson.

The visitors gained the upper hand in the early stages and Peter Munns was allowed all sorts of time and space to turn on the edge of the area in the fourth minute, only to curl his shot wide. Ryan's twenty-five yard shot was pushed over by Lee Hulyer in the eleventh minute, but three minutes later, mistakes by Mark Green and David Henham set up an easy chance for Jamie Barker, Chris May bailing out his defenders by blocking the shot with his legs. The opening goal arrived three minutes after that. Mitchell's deep cross from the left ran through to Steve Sands, who crossed it back into the middle. Chris Honey was unable to connect, but the ball arrived at Carl Rook's feet and he slammed a left foot shot into the roof of the net from a tight angle. Another three minutes had elapsed when Histon levelled. Barker's lobbed through ball found Munns, who had timed his run perfectly to stay onside, and as Chris May hesitated, Munns flicked the ball past him for a simple goal. We were displaying our usual incompetence at defending set pieces and Colin Vowden was allowed a free header from an Ian Cambridge corner, but Chris was well positioned to save. A neat move involving Kennedy and Cambridge set up a chance for Barker, but he shot tamely over the bar and Kennedy's low twenty yard shot was saved by Chris as the first half neared a conclusion.

At the start of the second half, we managed to gain the ascendancy for a while. An excellent move down the left ended with Carl's inswinging cross being met by Ryan's glancing header, which lacked the pace to beat Hulyer. The keeper then produced a sprawling save at his near post to keep out Ryan's twenty-five yard free kick and Russell Eldridge couldn't do anything constructive with the loose ball. Peter Sayer's long range effort over the bar proved to be our final chance for about half an hour as Histon then assumed control. In the sixty-fifth minute, our defence was unable to effectively clear the ball out of the area and it was knocked out to Kennedy on the left and he struck a left foot shot into the corner. Histon's celebration at the goal suggested that King's Lynn were maybe losing at Fisher, but they were actually 1-0 up by then. Nine minutes later, Barker cut in from the left and was tripped by Steve Sands in the corner of the area for a clear penalty, which Cambridge rolled past Chris. Steve then lost possession to Cambridge. allowing him a clear run on goal, but Chris produced another super save to keep the score at 3-1. By the time Histon substitute James Rowe missed a sitter, failing to connect properly with Matt Hanniver's low cross to the far post, King's Lynn had extended their lead and the title race was all but settled. Russell's twenty-five yard free kick was tipped over by Hulyer for a corner, which saw Chris May venture upfield, hoping to add to his penalty in the shoot-out with Sidley in the week. Unfortunately, Histon managed to clear the danger and Kennedy set up Neil Andrews for an attempt at an open goal from forty yards, which he put wide. No matter, there was time enough left for Rowe to atone for his earlier miss, when he slotted home a low angled shot into the corner, in much the same fashion as Kennedy had taken his goal earlier. The full time whistle brought an end to an entertaining match and the two sides both received a warm reception as they left the field. Histon went off to celebrate their first ever victory over us, which guaranteed them second place in the table and a Premier Division place.

Elsewhere

The warmest congratulations are due to King's Lynn though, who sealed the Eastern Division title with that 2-0 win at Fisher. For once, I have a reason to be smug, having tipped them as champions after their 2-0 win at The Pilot Field in February. Tonbridge scored in the first and last minute in winning 2-1 at Corby to finish third. Eastleigh's 1-0 victory against Rothwell saw them end their first season at this level in fourth place. Folkestone's first win in nine, 3-0 at home to Newport, earnt them fifth, while Salisbury's 1-1 draw at home to Chatham, their sixth game without a win, left them in sixth place. Stamford's 1-0 win at home to Burgess Hill sealed seventh place by four points ahead of Banbury, who lost 2-1 at Erith & Belvedere, but still finished eighth. Burgess Hill finished as the best of the rest in ninth. Sittingbourne's 1-0 win at Bashley gave them tenth, with Bashley just above halfway in eleventh. Ashford were on their own in twelfth. Chatham just edged Fisher for thirteenth. Likewise, Corby pipped Dartford for fourteenth, a point clear of Burnham in sixteenth. We finished seventeenth, our lowest league position in my living memory, above Newport, Rothwell and the bottom two, Erith & Belvedere and Fleet, who look as if they might be spared relegation to County League level after all. Just to confirm, here are all the results from the final day of the season.

Bashley 0 v 1 Sittingbourne
Corby Town 1 v 2 Tonbridge Angels
Dartford 2 v 1 Burnham
Eastleigh 1 v 0 Rothwell Town
Erith & Belvedere 2 v 1 Banbury United
Fisher Athletic 0 v 2 King's Lynn
Fleet Town 1 v 1 Ashford Town
Folkestone Invicta 3 v 0 Newport IoW
Hastings United 1 v 4 Histon
Salisbury City 1 v 1 Chatham Town
Stamford 1 v 0 Burgess Hill Town

There was plenty to play for in the Premier Division on Saturday, with several Conference North and South places still up for grabs, along with the five play-off places. As it happened, the midweek matches had seen Welling, Weston-super-Mare and Havant & Waterlooville join the list of qualifiers, which left only three automatic places to fill. In the end, Cambridge, Eastbourne and Moor Green took those places, Borough courtesy of a 1-1 draw at Newport County thanks to an equalising goal from our former loanee Mark Goodwin. Eastbourne finished their campaign in eleventh position and with a two point cushion over Merthyr, who head the play-off race and will be joined by Tiverton, Bath, Dorchester and Chelmsford. The latter squeezed in on the last day at the expense of Dover, who were consigned to Premier Division mediocrity along with FA Trophy finalists Hednesford, Chippenham and Grantham.

Redditch United were crowned Western Division champions on Saturday and they will now play-off at King's Lynn in the first round of matches, which will ultimately provide the two final Conference North and South qualifiers. This match takes place on Bank Holiday Monday and the winner will visit Merthyr next Saturday to play-off for a place in the new Conference set-up. Also on Monday, Chelmsford go to Tiverton and Dorchester to Bath, with the two winners meeting next Saturday for the other place.

At least we already know for definite in which league we will be competing next season, as Mark Gardiner's wish comes true, about five years, an unsuccessfully withdrawn resignation, a promotion and a technical relegation too late. We are off to join the Ryman League Division One and, according to Tony Cosens' programme notes on Saturday, we are going to be lining up against AFC Wimbledon, Ashford Town, Banstead Athletic, Bashley, Bromley, Burgess Hill Town, Chatham Town, Corinthian Casuals, Croydon, Croydon Athletic, Dorking, Epsom & Ewell, Fleet Town, Horsham, Leatherhead, Metropolitan Police, Newport IoW, Sittingbourne, Tooting & Mitcham United, Whyteleafe and Winchester City. At least fourteen names on that list will be new as far as league competition is concerned, and I don't remember playing any matches at all against about ten of them. It should be an interesting year and represent a chance to attend a good number of away games. The Isle of Wight will still be an awkward one though, but we'll see. There will possibly be one or two amendments to that list after the play-offs, which I will keep my eye on next week.

Congratulations to Chichester City United, who were crowned champions of Sussex County League Division One on Saturday after a 3-0 home win over Sidley, the cup champions of Hastings of course. Rye & Iden needed a huge favour from their local rivals to stand any sort of chance of winning the title themselves, but they also needed to win their final game, which they failed to do, losing 2-1 at Pagham, despite Simon Fox giving them the lead. Chichester finished six points clear in the end, with East Preston behind Rye & Iden on goal difference after winning 3-2 at Hailsham. Three Bridges were just one point further back in fourth after a 4-0 win at home to Southwick. Sidley finished in sixteenth place, four places, but twenty-seven points, off the bottom. In Division Two, Westfield finished in ninth place after losing 2-1 at Steyning. And in Division Three, Bexhill United finished third from bottom.

Our Reserves are continuing to cling onto fourth place in the Kent League Division One table, but their position was made to look a little more tenuous by Herne Bay on Saturday. After winning 2-1 at Ashford, Herne Bay moved to within three points of our lads and they still have two matches left and a superior goal difference. One of their matches is at home to the champions Corinthian, the other away to struggling Danson Furness, so it looks likely that we will have to settle for fifth place in the end, despite that seven match winning streak at the start of the season.

Apart from the usual plethora of local cup finals, The Pilot Field can now look forward to a much needed post-season rest. It is fair to say that the playing surface has not been at it's best this season, following the debacle with the new drainage system installed a year ago. Apparently, the plan is to flood the surface with sand and to reseed it in about ten days time, after which it will idly while away a couple of months, before pre-season training begins again just after Latvia have won the European Championship. Then we'll have the friendly games, including visits from Gillingham and Brighton I believe, with the new season getting underway on 14 August.

One date for the diary rather sooner than that is Friday, 21 May, when the Supporters' Club are running another quiz night. This was to have taken place this coming Friday, although it had to be put back to avoid clashing with one of those local cup finals. Kick off is at 7.30 in the clubhouse, with Mick James as quizmaster and, if we're really lucky, Robin Powell as his glamorous assistant once again. I can speak from experience when I say that a good night is guaranteed, so get your teams together and help to raise some funds for the club.

I will end the season with a few thankyous if you don't mind. First, to Karl for taking the time to keep adding my lengthy diatribes to the site and to Simon, for allowing me the opportunity to step in to his shoes in the first place. Cheers also to Tom Newman for allowing me to share his PA box, a very fine and warm vantage point, and to Tony Cosens, who has been a great help in providing various items of news throughout the season. And thanks to all of you who have taken the trouble to read this nonsense each week, especially those of you who have posted complimentary comments on the guestbook. It really does make it all worthwhile you know. Apart from reporting on those play-offs and the small handful of outstanding cup finals, I suppose that I ought to put together some sort of end of season review, honouring the finest traditions of the old Ghost fanzine, with marks out of ten for all of those who have worn the claret and blue this year. Given that there were forty-three of them, please bear with me, it could take some time.

Sean Adams