Ridgeons Football League Division 1
At: Bearscroft Lane
Kick-off: 3-00 pm
Admission: £4 including 28 page programme
Attendance: 40
Weather: cold, dry
Duration: first half: 45:27; second half: 48:05
Over the past few weeks, I have been creating ‘backdated’ i-want-football blogs featuring the games I saw in 1998, 1999 and 2000. One thing I noticed was this: it had been nine years since I last saw a game at an Eastern Counties League ground, a competition back them called the Jewson League. That game was an FA Vase tie at Mildenhall Town in December 2000 and my last league game in the ECL was at Warboys Town in February 1999.
So, thinking about today’s destination when The Football Traveller arrived earlier in the week, I warmed to the idea of an Eastern Counties League game. To me, there seemed no better place to reacquaint myself with the competition now known as the Ridgeons Football League than Godmanchester Rovers, the most westerly of the 41 members clubs and nearest to home.
Godmanchester Rovers, or ‘Goddy’ as they are referred to as, joined the Eastern Counties League in 2002/03 and the current campaign is their seventh in Division 1. Their Bearscroft Lane ground was located in a rural setting around 3/4 mile south of A14 junction 24 (A1198 towards Royston). The left-hand turn into the lane, marked by a sign for ‘Bearscroft Farm’ came as the road started to bend 100 yards after a right turn to ‘Godmanchester Roman Way Industrial Estate. I must confess to not spotting it first time round in my keenness to arrive and ended up several hundred yards further down the road before realising my error.
A signed marked the entrance down the lane and once inside the ground, the fully railed-off pitch (orientated south-west–north-east) ran widthways to the left and parallel with the lane. Parking was behind the near goal and all the facilities were down the near touchline. Two sky blue painted building housed the bar and changing rooms, and a further portacabin housed the snack bar. A new Arena stand containing 50 blue individual tip-up seats stood around the halfway line with a further area of covered standing stretching towards the edge of the far penalty area. Opposite new newly-built dugouts with a second pitch behind and running parallel with the main pitch.
Without a league win for almost two months, Godmanchester (in 13th position with 15 points from 14 games) had a great opportunity to end this run against second-from-bottom Ipswich and record a ‘double’ in the process. The visitors (nine points from 14 games) had only won one league game since the end of August and that was against bottom club Fakenham without a point all season.
The fixtures/results list in the programme (free with admission) showed a quirk in this season’s FA Cup and FA Vase draw which had Godmanchester play Rothwell Corinthians four times in ten days – both ties went to a replay.
After walking around the ground, I got chatting to one of the visiting Ipswich committee men who worked out I was indeed a ‘groundhopper’. The chap, Roger Wosahlo, was intrigued I’d travelled 111 miles to watch the game and introduced me the Secretary who recalled visiting my old club Stafford Rangers with Stevenage Borough. I puzzled the committee man by amending the teamsheet in my notes in green. Was that some eccentricity? No, simply the colour of the pen that came out of my pocket to mark up the teams in the bar, which I copied down off an impressive teamsheet complete with impressive handwriting.
To answer the question I was posed, my visit to Ipswich Wanderers was on Saturday 14th March 1998 when they defeated Mildenhall Town 3-0 in a Jewson League Division 1 game.
In the bar, we got chatting to a reporter who was covering the game from BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, and then a young reporter with the surname Stafford who was reporting for the visitors.
Before kick-off, teams were announced over the tannoy – unfortunately an old teamsheet was read out providing the line-ups from a game played earlier in the season.
Ipswich Wanderers (wearing yellow shirts, yellow shorts and turquoise green socks) got the game underway attacking the car park end in the first half. And the visitors created the first attempt on goal as James Buckle fired straight at Goddy keeper Connor Jordan from just outside the area.
Visiting keeper Gary Hammond did well to thwart James Hull who had been put clear inside the area but could do nothing to prevent Godmanchester (in sky blue shirts, navy blue shorts and socks) from taking an 12th minute lead. John Brierly swept the ball out to the right to Steve Hurst who found space to whip in a cross which Craig Rumens turned into his own net at the near post under pressure from James Hall.
I opted to watch the first half from under the cover next to the stand and, as it turned out, rather foolishly started to dream of a large goal haul by the home side as they started to create chances.
Lee Boon fed Adam King who forced a save out of Hammond at the expense of a corner and Boon hit a deflected shot into the arms of the keeper. Just after the half-hour mark, Hurst sent a 35-yard free-kick flashing past a five-man wall and the left-hand post.
But Ipswich started to pose problems without really stretching the home defence, apart from winning a couple of corners, until Maurice Fike fired across the face of goal.
The visitors almost equalised five minutes before the break. Bird exchanged a one-two with Fike inside the area and fired a low angled shot towards the far left post. Lee Broomfield, a tall striker with resembling Jesus (appropriate as the home side had ‘God’ in their name), got on the end and fired over from just a few yards out.
Buckle was booked in the 42nd minute for a foul on King and James Hall sent the resulting free-kick over the bar.
I retreated to the Snack Bar at the interval for a tea and chips. For meat eaters there was certainly a good menu and burgers seemed to be popular. The two ladies behind the counter, both wearing sky blue ‘GRFC COMMITTEE’ tops, were very friendly and one of them kindly popped down to the bar to get me a lapel badge which simply just had the word ‘Goddy ‘ on it.
Half-time soon ended and I decided to watch the second half from the far side in the half now being attacked by Goddy. My view had changed from a rural one to one of the orange lights of Huntingdon and the sounds of the A14, which I must confess to have not noticed during the first half.
Godmanchester were inches away from doubling their lead in the 54th minute. A long clearance downfield by Jordan fell to James Hall, just outside the area, who went for goal and agonisingly saw his shot hit the left-hand post having beaten the diving Gary Hammond.
James Hall went close again but this time it was the boot of Gary Hammond that stopped his shot.
Just before the hour mark, Wanderers appealed for a penalty when Broomfield went down but all they got from the young referee, who incidentally gave a superb performance, was a corner.
In the 61st minute, Scott Welton became the second player to be booked. As the last defender, he caught Brierly on the edge of the Ipswich area and only stayed on the field because the flag had been raised for offside and the referee had blown his whistle.
Brierly got forward again and this time fired just wide from 20 yards out while at the other end Bloomfield then forced a good diving save out of Jordan.
Just like last week’s game at Coton Green, the second half was far better than the first.
Briely picked up a booking in the 73rd minute for a late challenge on Welton.
Martin Ray, the Goddy skipper, encouraged his side with a shout of “clean sheet, keep it tight”. But guess what happened shortly after in the 76th minute? Ipswich equalised with a well struck 20-yarder from James Hall that flew into the bottom right corner.
Before the game resumed Godmanchester replaced Kamau with Steve Thompson. Ipswich soon made a change in the 79th minute with Jamie Tynan coming on for Sarvio Moore.
Ipswich kept pressing forward and almost took the lead. Fike dribbled through the entire Goddy defence and I thought he was going to score. But Jordan did enough to block the shot and Leon Parnell, following-up, couldn’t keep the ball down from the rebound. A lucky escape for the home side.
Gary Hammond also excelled to turn round a curling shot from Boon that looked to be heading for the far right corner of the net.
Goddy made a second change in the 86th minute – Jonny Hall replaced Chris Hugill – as they looked for the winner and they nearly got it two minutes later. Boon flicked the ball into the path of James Hall inside the area who just needed to keep his shot down but it ended up over the bar.
After the final whistle, while the Ipswich players left for the changing rooms no doubt satisfied with a point, the home side held an ‘inquest’ on the field which didn’t seen too critical or heated.
Before hitting the A14, I took a detour into the town, parked up and had a look at Godmanchester’s famous landmark, the Chinese Bridge.
Godmanchester Rovers (sky blue / navy blue / navy blue): 1. Connor Jordan, 2. Steve Hurst, 3. John Brierly, 4. Darren Ray, 5. Rob Stamper, 6. Martin Ray (capt), 7. Adam King, 8. Chris Hugill, 9. Lee Boon, 10. James Hall, 11. Josh Kamau. Subs: 12. Steve Thompson (for Kamau, 77), 14. Lee Hazell (not used), 15. Jonny Hall (for Hugill, 86), 16. Stuart McKay (not used).
Ipswich Wanderers (yellow / yellow / turquoise green): 1. Gary Hammond, 2. Scott Welton, 3. Ben Hammond, 4. Leon Parnell, 5. Ben Cole, 6. Craig Rumens, 7. Maurice Fike, 8. James Buckle (capt), 9. Lee Broomfield, 10. Rob Bird, 11. Sarvio Moore. Subs: 12. Jamie Tynan (for Moore, 79), 14. Steve Bucks (not used), 15. Robert Forbes (not used).
Referee: Chris Pollard.
Assistants: I George and A Warburton.
Goals:
1-0 Craig Rumens (12 og)
1-1 Rob Bird (76)
