FA Cup, first round
Attendance: 5,269
For the first quarter Daventry seemed to be
stumbling over themselves out of over-exuberance and nerves and barely got out
of their own half. Then they settled down and - in what has to be called a
purple patch - had two good
chances when they broke through the Spireites’ back line.
The second half contained little to take my mind off
the increasingly dank conditions, the sweeping rain pitter-pattering on the
roof . There was a five minute delay while Beckley of Daventry received
treatment on the pitch and was eventually stretchered off (although not
seriously injured, it transpired). The visitors held out until 69 mins when a Chesterfield
free-kick from the right was volleyed in at the far post. The chairman, in a
suit and purple and white striped tie, came over to join us but we needed more
than a talisman to get back into the contest. The hosts sealed victory on 89
mins when a 30-yard shot took a wicked deflection and went in off the underside
of the bar.
So for Daventry it’s back to the bread and butter of
the league, a taste they haven’t had since Oct 8 since when they’ve played seven
consecutive cup ties. Next up: Wellingborough at home on Tuesday. And for me?
Back to basics at Nelson in three weeks. I’m longing for another Pennine
backdrop.
(Far) away the lads!: Spare a thought for the Wigan
fans who ventured to Rubin Kazan (sounds like a magician’s exclamation), 500
miles east of Moscow, for their Europa League tie on Thursday. About 150 souls
made the 5,000-mile round trip at a cost of about £1,600 each, some completing
their journey on the sleeper train from the Russian capital. Admirable
dedication or simply madness? Either way the fans are certainly putting the
‘adventure’ into “Wigan’s great European adventure”. Here’s a film that gives a
frisson of what it was like out there.
Attendance: 5,269
A small cardboard box just outside the turnstile block
containing aerosols and other items deemed to be potential weapons; a barcode
reader rather than a craggy old man operating the turnstile; a sign saying ‘No
alcohol beyond this point’; a loud PA system; and lots of yellow jackets.
Welcome to the first round of the FA Cup and the big time, relatively speaking.
The three-year old Pro-Act stadium is smart and thoroughly
fit for 21st century purpose but
new grounds always make a died in the wool traditionalist like me think back to
Staveley (which I past en route this afternoon) or Bacup. Feeling nostalgic I diverted to Saltergate, site of Chesterfield’s former ground. It’s now a
near complete Barratt housing development. The name of the road is a nice
touch, though: Spire Heights. (Chesterfield’s famous nickname is the Spireites.
Geddit?) I also liked the name of the programme: Inspire. The atmosphere today
was somewhat different to the last time I saw Chesterfield on that
unforgettable pre-Christmas night in Droylsden five years ago which was no bad
thing.
The appeal of today’s match was the visitors, Daventry
Town from the fourth tier of the non-league pyramid. They are the lowest but
one ranked club still in the competition (and one of three Southern League
representatives) and this was the biggest game in their 127-year history having
never previously made the first round proper. The size and noise of the away
support befitted the occasion. There was more than six times the average home
gate of around 122 and I was glad to ‘do a Motors’* and swell the numbers in
the Purple Army by one.
Our goalie had played well and, in front of him Liam
Dolman was immense too (in more ways than one). He looked more like a rugby prop
forward, in fact. According to Wikipedia “during his time at Northampton Town,
it has been alleged that he was the only obese player to be playing full-time
in the Football League”. A goalmouth scramble and penalty claim in injury time
failed to give Daventry the consolation they deserved. A minor pitch invasion
greeted the final whistle after which the players come over for their farewells.
* ‘Doing a Motors’ means to join the away fans of a
non-league team at a big match even though you don’t ordinarily support them. The phrase was coined by a friend who, as a neutral, joined the Vauxhall Motors’ lads
at their FA Cup tie at QPR in 2002.
Star turn: In the Chesterfield line-up today was
Gary McSheffrey, ex-Coventry and Birmingham (pictured in previous action shot).
Mascot mayhem: I liked The Guardian’s preview of
Grimsby v. Scunthorpe. “Yesterday the club mascots, Mighty Mariner and Scunny
Bunny, took part in a competition of their own by spinning around on the spot
10 times before attempting to score in a virtually unguarded net. Such is the magic of the Cup.” The paper’s review of six classic first round ties is a good read. Gloucester played in the Cup today. Their abandoned ground is a tale of woe as BBC Online reported last week.
