My Non League Day 2015

It was 10 years ago that I rediscovered Non League again after many years and one of the joys since it's inception in 2010 has been Non League day that I wrote about last week.

So this year it was down to Sporting Khalsa and the added bonus of it being an FA Cup 3rd qualifying round between Step 5 Midland League Khalsa and Step 4 NPL Northern League Spalding United, having beaten a step 4 side in the previous round Khalsa had every reason to feel confident.

This was my 4th visit to the Asprey Arena this season and I have to say it is one of the friendliest places to visit and you are always assured of a warm welcome,in addition to the Khalsa guys it was also good to meet up with fellow Non League aficionados Garry,Martin and Roger,in addition it was good to meet for the second time Paul Smithson and his fellow Windsor FC fans who are travelling all over the country following the FA Cup from round to round, true Non League fans

And so to the match and an immediate shock for Khalsa as Joe Moreman cut in from the left and fired home although the usually highly impressive Khalsa keeper James Pemberton may feel he could have got more on it

The rest of the game was finely balanced with neither side creating any clear cut chances but as the second half wore on Khalsa began to dominate and just when it looked like time had run out Marvin Nisbett   was brought down as he attempted to round the Spalding keeper and Khalsa had a penalty,should keeper Michael Duggan have been sent off rather than cautioned is open to debate However I personally wont criticise the ref for this because he had a superb game hardly getting a thing wrong and handling the couple of flashpoints really well

With leading scorer Craig Bannister having been substituted it fell to Dave Meese to secure the replay they so richly deserved and he was unerring from 12 yards

So both sides will be in the hat for Monday's draw as the big boys of the National League Premier enter the competition and I wouldn't like to call the result of the replay although Spalding with home advantage should start as favourites.

I'll finish on a real positive,Khalsa have never been the best supported club in the area but yesterday a record crowd for the Asprey Arena of over 400 watched the match,yes some of those will have been fans of Wolves,Blues the Baggies etc there because of the Non League Day publicity and hopefully they will return on days their own teams are playing away but i think there were others there who have no other affiliation,hopefully they will return and become regulars

Go On Give Non League Day A Chance

This Saturday October 10^th is Non League day a day celebrated each year to bring the Non League game to the attention of all football fans but especially those who support Football League and Premier League sides.

Why especially those you may ask, well let me take you back to a simpler time when to quote my daughters we had to fight off the Dinosaurs off on the way to the match,anyhow back in the 60’s and 70’s my dad and I were regulars at Molineux,never missed a match.

But on the other weeks when Wolves were away and we were unable to travel we went to follow our local Non League team,in our case Dudley Town and we met many who we also saw at Molineux doing exactly the same.

Sadly in the 21^st century this doesn’t seem to be the case and we all know the answer, SKY Sports, match after match on at all hours drawing people away from actually going to a match, but why? I mean I was a Wolves fan and if they were the live game back in the day and Sky were around then yes I would probably have been in the pub watching it,but Norwich v Crystal Palace why would I want to watch that live when  can see the highlights on numerous platforms later in the day

You will see many T shirts saying Keep Music Live but fewer saying Football Is Not A TV Programme yet the sentiment is the same,at the end of the day it’s not the same if you’re not actually there,now I won’t say that you will see the same quality as at The Emirates   but you will see some decent football and plenty of excitement,you will also in my experience meet some really nice people who have a great enthusiasm and love for the game.

So if your team aren’t playing this weekend (League 1 and 2 fans are exempt if you are going to your teams game) don’t go down the pub or let the Wife/Girlfriend /Husband/Civil Partner etc take you shopping (do that on Sunday) go to a Non League match, give it a chance and even if you come away saying load of rubbish never going back you will have made an informed decision,it’s also FA Cup 3^rd Qualifying round so you might see a minnow who actually gets to be on the TV in a few weeks time .

The United Kingdom Honours List

As anybody who knows me will testify twice a year when the honours are announced I get into Mr Angry mode and start having a rant on Social Media, well as my rantings will never change anything I thought lets just get it on a blog that I can recycle every January and June,so here they are for perpetuity .

1. Big Gongs and Little Gongs

Irrespective initially of who gets the gongs how about we look at the ranking system, Knighthoods,Damehoods and Peerages go to the "Great and the good",MP's,Civil Servants,famous people in the arts and sport,head teachers etc etc.When was the last time you heard of a Mrs Miggins of Balaclava Terrace Penge who had raised millions for charity through tireless efforts over 50 years get a K,no if lucky maybe a CBE but more than likely an MBE because she's a pleb who should know her place.

2. Gongs For Doing Your Job

Services To Industry,Services To Music, Services to Politics etc etc we hear it every time and what it means is getting an honour for the state for doing your job.Well sorry you're paid to do your job and do it to the best of your ability so it doesn't matter if you are a Captain Of Industry earning tens of millions of pounds a year or a lollipop lady why happens to have been doing the job for a while its your job you get paid for it so no gong.

3. Gongs As Retirement Presents

Mp's who have managed to lose their seats , Civil Servants retiring on a whopping pension that we pay for its all the same,no you are not supposed to become Sir Or Lady something or other just because you know longer have a job,Fred Smith who worked on the buses for 30 years wont get one and neither should you

4. So Who Should Get Them

To my mind its fairly simple you get honoured by the nation for going the extra mile,for the people who give of "THEIR OWN TIME" to help others,who raise the millions for various charities out the goodness of their hearts. This of course excludes the famous who are just the name up front getting a bit of publicity, its good of you guy's and girls to lend your names to a good cause but unless you get your hands dirty don't expect to get anything but a thank you

People in Sport , no not the Davids's and Johnny's of this world the unsung who spend night after night helping kids and adults fulfill their potential or even just ensure they have a team to play for at the weekend.

Those who help in crisis ridden parts of the world,no sorry not you Lenny or David or Gary it's great that you draw people's attention to these things and thank you for that but sorry it's not worth a gong,I mean those who to go to Africa and Nepal and all other places that are hit by famine and natural disaster and actually work in the field tirelessly and for free,some as in the Ebola crisis risk their lives to help others

So no doubt I have missed out many deserving people this is just a few fleeting thoughts and I know it will have no effect because whilst Sir Lenny Henry makes a good headline Sir Lenny Smith who actually physically raised millions for good causes doesnt. Thats not to say the great and the good couldn't still get gongs,Ian Botham a prime example because he didn't just support John O Groats to Lands End or In The Footsteps Of Hanibal he actually did it.

Anyhow that's it off my chest and feel free to comment

My Supposed Dislike Of All Things Modern

It was intimated to me the other day on social media than in addition to my default grumpiness that I had a dislike of all things modern, well I suppose I must hold my hands up to modern football,modern football commentators (Especially Robbie Savage and Stan Collymore) ,modern football managers all at the highest level.

I'm certainly not enamoured with modern politicians so many of whom appear to be in it for what they can make rather than being there because they  feel they have a duty to serve (All aficionados of the West Wing will note the Ainsley Hayes reference)

And talking of the West Wing modern television, don't get me going on an endless round of "Reality" television with a load of Z list celebrities instead of the plethora of quality drama comedy and documentaries that used to abound in my youth.

So there we are Cliffy reinforcing the fact that he is a grumpy old sod wishing the world had stopped at the end of the 70's

Well hold on a sec the above may be true but there are do many things about but he modern world that is as good as or better than it was in my youth, firstly the way you are reading this,t'internet, a vast repository of information way better than Ceefax and so much more convenient than the library.

And then there's photography as so many know my great love, yes I still drool over the look of cameras of the past but as far as useable instruments go today's DSLR's wipe the floor with what I use to use and I can process the shots without being locked in a dark room and show them to the world shortly after taking them,although some may say that's a negative

And so many more things,the proliferation of real ale, food from around the world and especially cars that don't break down every time you even thing of going on a long journey

Yes there is plenty I miss from the past but I don't live in it

Didn't We Have A Lovely Time The Day We Went To Wembley

Earlier this month I was fortunate enough to win 2 tickets to the FA Trophy final at Wembley in a competition run by Non League day,for those of you  unaware of the mysteries of Non League Football the Trophy is for clubs at the top 4 levels of the Non League pyramid and this years final was between Conference side (Step1) Wrexham who many will have heard of and North Ferriby Utd (Step 2) some of the players mothers have never heard of them, I certainly had to get Google Maps out to find out they are a few miles from Hull.

So at 9.15 my mate Dave and I hopped on board a Virgin Voyager at Sandwell and Dudley Station for the trip south, 15 minutes later the days only mishap occurred when we took the "Long" walk from New Street to Moor street and took 10 minutes instead of five,at our age that can be a bugger.
Anyhow safely ensconced on one of Chiltern railways very nice Class 168 unit's we set off,I do have a bit of a think for Chiltern,the empty seats by us were soon taken by a couple of guys of similar age,Wrexham fans, the 100 minute journey flew by as we regaled each other with  tales of football of years gone by from the very top to parks football,it was sad that their journey home would be on the back of defeat.

Getting off the station I got my first proper view of the new Wembley having last been there in 1974 to see the mighty Wolves give Man City a good spanking,a win for the underdogs that was very prescient considering how the day was to unfold

As we made our way onto the concourse there were plenty of fans milling around even though kick off was  still a good 90 plus minutes away drinking in the atmosphere and taking photos.talking of photo's I should point out that the tickets I won were in a small photographic competition and mine and those of the other winners were in the programme and on the big screens inside.

The reason for saying this was that Dave had decided to be my agent for the day and was regaling anyone who would listen with tales of my magnificence (Sad Bugger),this included 2 young ladies fans of North Ferriby and I guess there dad who Dave ,realising they might want a photo of the 3 of them together dived in and persuaded them to let an award winning photographer take the shot,one of the young ladies was less impressed as she had to show me how to take a photo on her iPhone (Well if it's not got canon or Fuji on the front I haven't got a clue

And so midday chimed the gates opened and in we went and immediately I was confronted by officialdom,as I had a small rucksack  it needed to be searched and so I queued cynically awaiting the attentions of the usual humerlous jobsworth,well no the Security Guard was polite jovial and efficient and that was an attitude we were to experience from all the staff we encountered,Wembley should be very proud of them

Inside is light and airy with plenty of food outlets,expensive but not quite as extortionate as I expected so we had a coffee before going to look at the stadium itself

Over coffee we got chance to chat to some North Ferriby fans,we were in their end,a and find out a bit more of the club we had never heard of before

And so up the steps into the stadium itself and I have to say it us a hell of a place,perfect sight lines from I think all angles wide aisles and well marked  seats although why in our case one side of the aisle was 90 and the other 120 baffles me.

Anyhow Dave and I found our seats and started taking in the atmosphere,oh yes this is Dave a mate from school of nearly 50 years standing

As the ground started filling my shot and those of the other winners started coming up on the big screen,it doesn't half give the ego a boost 

As the ground began to fill friends from the Non League Fraternity started to arrive both in the stands and pitchside,I am a member of a Facebook group of photographers some of whom were photographing the match,so as I says friends I had met before some who were Social Media friends and it was great to meet them in the flesh for the first time

And so to the match and for about 70 minutes it was a decent game with Wrexham largely on top and as their second goal went in I was not alone in saying "Game Over", and had it ended that way it would have been a thoroughly pleasant day out but football as all of us who love the game know can in the immortal Mr Greaves's words be "A Funny old game" and so it turned out.

With 15 minutes to go Ferriby put together a neat passing move got a player free in the box and as he went around the keeper was brought down,penalty,should it have been a sending possibly but I will give ref Michael Oliver the benefit of the doubt as he added to his reputation with another quality display

So Penalty expertly dispatched and 2-1 with 15 minutes to go,now I'm not sure if Wrexham's confidence was fragile but they were now very much in the decendancy,if there is such a word, as Feribly launched a wave off attacks and with just 4 minutes of normal time left grabbed a deserved equaliser and their fans who had given good support even at 0-2 went wild,so extra time it was.

At this point thye massed brains of our neutral group analysed what had happened and how extra time would pan out and came to the conclusion that  the fitness of full time Wrexham would be the telling factor over part time Ferriby.

And so extra time started and once again it was realised why most of us spend our times photographing Reffing writing or just spectating because Ferriby tore into Wrexham with wave after wave of attacks and the third goal was not long in coming.

Finally Wrexham woke from their malaise and began to exert some influence with the pressure finally telling 4 minutes from the end as an unstoppable strike made it 3-3 and gave us the drama of penalties.

By this time we had given up predicting and just watched the drama unfold,Wrexhan missed,the giant Feriby centre foirward had a chance to win it and blue it with a powder puff attempt,more goals and then the pressure finally told on the Full Time Professionals as the Ferriby keeper became the hero oif the hour with I think his third save.

The green and white around us went barmy and the underdog had triumphed in a pulsating afternoons entertainment

And so back homes crowds of Wrexham fans quietly leaving,4 by us on the train hardly saying a word but Dave and I were buzzing,it had a fabulous day out from start to finish and reinforced our love of Non League football and all that it can give us

As a footnote it was fate that I was there in the first place,up until December I had been a club photographer and as a result of a very ill judged social media rant against the mangers tactics I ended up leaving,without that I wouldn't have been at Stourbridge to take the photo that won me the tickets that meant I had that incredible day

Thats's Life

The Non League Family At It's Very Best

People often ask me why I have such a love for Non League football and my reply is always the friendliness the banter on most occasions whether it will a well supported match or 3 men and a dog in attendance,well yesterday I experienced that at its ultimate in the match between Halesowen Town and FC United Of Manchester

For those in the dark and unaware of the story of FC United they were formed as a breakaway by Manchester United fans sickened of what was happening to their club after the takeover by the Glazer family in 2005 on the principle that it would be and remain a fan owned club,well in 10 short years they have moved from the North West Counties  League Division 2 to the brink of the Vanamerama Conference North and in the process funded the building of their own stadium where hopefully they will finish off their season this year

Now anyone who knows me will be well aware that to say that Manchester United are a long way from being my favourite club and that some of their supporters epitomise all that is wrong with football at the top levels so it was with mild trepidation that  I waited to see what the breakaway was like,well they couldn't have been more different.
Being at the match yesterday was like being at the matches I used to watch in my youth with opposing fans sitting next to each other non stop chanting the vast majority of which was unoffensive and the applauding of good play even if by the opposition

What really made the day and epitomised what is so good about this level of football came at the end of the game, United fans obviously happy at their sides 1-0 win but Halesowen fans cheering their side off the pitch after a fine battling performance,as we see in the Bundesliga both sets of players applauding the fans befoire leaving the pitch and on my way out fans of each side shaking hands ,hugging and wishing each other all the best for the remainder of the season

  And in case you think this was a match with a few hundred there the attendance was over 1400 behaving impeccably and enjoying the game as it should be done

In The Shadow Of A Bigger Neighbour

Yesterday I paid my first visit to Allpay Park home of Step 5 Westfields who play in the Midlands Football League and are based in the city of Hereford and thereby hangs a tale ,as anyone with a love  of Non League football will know this year saw the sad demise of Hereford Utd one of the great names of Non League football famous for their victory over Newcastle Utd back in the 70's.

Since Utd collapsed Westfields have been the beneficiaries with an increase in gates this season of over 90% obviously many former Utd fans need a regular fix of Non League Football

But there is an Elephant in the room that being the Phoenix club Hereford FC who have this week secured a 5 year lease on Utd's old ground at Edgar Street and will kick off there next season in a League somewhere between Steps 4 & 6 dependent upon the strictures of the FA.So where will that leave Westfields ,well firstly I am sure at least some of the former Utd fans who have decamped across the road have been impressed with what they have seen at Allpay Park ,I have seen them a couple of times this season and they are highly entertaining and the club itself most welcoming

But of course the vast majority of former Utd fans will be following the new Hereford FC and Westfields will probably have to live without the extra income but there is an option,if the homeless of Hereford who found solace at Allpay were made as welcome as I was yesterday and are unable or unwilling to make long journeys that by the nature of things they will have to make in  whatever league they are in next year then do what you have this year and go and watch Westfields on Herefords away days.

Hopefully the powers that be in the world of fixtures will ensure that the 2 clubs being so close won't be at home at the same time so maybe this seasons upturn in attendance for Westfields wont totally go away

Why Not Watch The Support Band

Went to a gig last night as I was asked to take some photos of the undercard a band called Under a Banner, they were very good indeed and the room was about a third full of very appreciative people who were royally entertained by a very fine band,if there is any justice they will go far.

So an enjoyable hour and then about thirty minutes later the main act came on and suddenly the room was pretty well full and I asked myself why,you pay for a ticket that entitles you to see a band plus support so why not take advantage.

Now I've seen many duff support acts over the years, Liquid Landscape last year was particularly painful and believe it or not many years ago Queen were absolutely dire supporting Mott The Hoople but I have seen many many more superb support acts who music has sustained me for many a year.

So if you are going to a gig turn up on time watch the support because if they're crap just go get a pint but if they're good like Under A Banner you will be in for an unexpected treat

Football Finances

Elsewhere in social media I've been part of a rather interesting discussion on advertising and its morality,this got me thinking about the part advertising plays in keeping Non League Football afloat.

I was at Redditch Utd yesterday and they seem to be very successful in getting adverts from local and national sources in the programme and around the ground ,you can be pretty certain that without the income from this Redditch would not be where they are today.

There was however one billboard that caught my attention especially bearing in mind the rumpus that it caused when put up at nearby Kidderminster Harriers earlier in the season, that being one from UKIP

UKIP are  a divisive force with their being no middle ground you either love them or hate them but should they be advertising at a football ground,well at the end of the day they are a legal organisation and their money is as good as anybody else's so why not.

Of course there is another way that Grassroots and non league could be funded and that's the Pork Barrel Buffet that is the TV rights to the Premier League soon to be sorted to the tune of around £4 Billion,,the tiniest percentage of that could help fund non league across the country,during half time at the Redditch match I I noticed on the internet that for 20 days "Consultancy" work for Manchester Utd Alex Ferguson had been paid £2 Million.

People may not like some types of advertising or even advertising per se but until the vast fortunes at the top of football start filtering down the tree its a major way that football at the level that I love is going to have to be funded

Keep Taking

In the BT add but more importantly on a Pink Floyd track Stephen Hawking told us to Keep Talking ,that's fine  but I want to you to Keep Taking as well,keep taking what you may ask and the answer is photographs
What do you mean keep taking photographs there are more taken than there have ever been you say ,well yes we all see the photographs on Facebook and Twitter but what are most of them,they are People and Selfies very relevant in their own right and they will show future generations how we relaxed and enjoyed ourselves.

However I have seen recently on the Flickr Photo sharing website a number of shots from the early part of the century of assorted everyday scenes,traffic in the street,train stations,people going about their daily business  basically what is defined as Reportage Photography  not carried out by "Proper Photographers"  but by people in the street with their cameras and phones.

We need to ensure that everything that goes on from day to day in the world and the places we frequent is recorded for future generations to see,and believe it or not its not illegal, don't go out to embarrass your subject just record what is going on and in 100 years our descendants will get as much pleasure looking at what our world looked like from the point of view of the average Man and Woman in the street as we do looking back on shots our Ancestors took

Oh and you'll probably never win any awards for them but you'll have a lot of fun taking them I promise

A few I have taken in the last 12 months