FLASHBACK: FAIRFORD TOWN 2-8 BINFIELD FC, PRE-SEASON, 2014...

Moles Dig In After Fairford’s Stormy Start

Fairford Town 2 Binfield 8

(pre-season 2014...)

I had travelled the 70 miles or so to watch Fairford play a couple of seasons before, but the Non League Paper had reproduced the previous week’s fixtures for the Hellenic League, so I arrived 7 days too late for the appointed game. 

I had to return. Binfield were the perfect opponents, for the club is based near Great Hollands estate, Bracknell, where I lived in digs for 18 months, whilst training to be a P.E. teacher in 1970-1. 

A thunderstorm would be the only drawback to my visit but it arrived and then disappeared during the half-hour before kick-off, leaving the match to be played in warm, damp boots but also hot sunshine until the final cloudy 10 minutes or so. 

THE WARM-UP CUT SHORT...

Many thanks to both clubs for providing players’ names and numbers and I apologise for any errors I have made in spelling those names. 

YEAH, WASHING = TOIL...

A hat-trick by Ian Davies, beard still dripping raindrops came in contrast to his strike-partner’s fortunes, for Adam Dickens finished more like Charles Dickens on the day, even missing a penalty and an open goal, although the emergence of a mole’s head from the turf might just have caused the ball to take a bobble on that occasion. Fair play to Adam though, he kept at his game and set up opportunities for others. Fairford’s two goals were scored direct from free-kicks but the hosts had no real answer to the impish play of Mole Josh Warren (a Mole called Warren? A rabbit, surely?) in the Binfield midfield and the size and mouth of Mole David Woozley in the visitors’ defence, who I had recently seen at Burton Latimer, winning a play-off final with Slough Town against Kettering Town. 

THE BODGING FINDS SOME SHELTER...

WW1 TRENCH BEING BUILT.
A LITTLE LATE IN THE DAY, PERHAPS...

Fairford, with thunder still ringing in their ears, dug themselves into a tough hole against the Moles, for they were 0-2 behind far too quickly. The back-three Moles of Woozley, Callum Whitty and Jack Broome, who began the game with some power, dominated the opening stages and Warren ran the midfield, supported ably by Carl Withers and Jack Tallentire. A fine run by Broome bristled the home defence and Dickens picked up possession, feeding the ball left to Ian Davies inside the penalty-box and on-side, whereupon the striker simply pushed a low shot inside the left upright, leaving home ‘keeper Joe Snell helpless. 40 seconds I believe and the Moles were already up and digging.

DAVIES SCORES FOR 0-1...

A free-kick brought goal two and from inside-left Warren curled his 23 yard shot beyond the flailing right hand of the airborne Snell, reminding me that I was near an airfield.

WARREN MAKES IT 0-2...

Fairford then began to assert themselves a little more, with defender Luke Corderey breaking up the play well and initiating an attack but Woozley and Whitty, sounding like a comedy duo, stood as tall as two Stonehenge pillars, leaving home striker Nathan Gambling gambling on errors, which never seemed to materialise.

Suddenly though, Warren popped up in the inside-right channel, chasing onto a long Broome pass and the midfielder smacked a low angled cross-shot past the surprised Snell and into the net, just inside the left stick. 

WARREN AGAIN: 0-3...

With no warning at all however, the hosts were awarded a free-kick just outside the Binfield penalty-area and with Gambling grumbling when Stratford took the ball, saying something like that if he wanted it, he’d better make sure he jolly well succeeded with it. (There were other words used, actually, but that was the gist of it.) Stratford did so, curling a good shot over the defensive wall and past the goalie. Weait wasn’t wearing his cap, as he had threatened to do if he conceded a goal on video…   

STRATFORD'S FIRST FREE-KICK: 1-3...

I had been asked to go and have a guest’s cuppa at the break but I saw a loose ball in the Binfield dugout and juggled a bit… See, Mr Woozley, I’m not just a blogger... As your coach said, “You never lose it…” 

In the opening stages of the second period, Corderey fouled Bowerman from behind to concede a penalty but Dickens, despite Great Expectations, was on Hard Times in Bleak House, striking his spot-kick low and Snell swooped like a Tiger Moth at Fairford’s airshow to save well to his right, even recovering to save similarly from Davies’ rebound effort.

SNELL WOULD SAVE DICKENS' PENALTY...

Replacement Josh Howell was looking lively on the Binfield right and his low centre was turned into the net by Davies, beyond the static Snell, but there might have been a slight deflection, but Dickens would have scored had the ball not been diverted anyway. Maybe... Dickens was becoming more Ratty than Mole but his bluster was all Wind In the Willows. 1-4 and really, Fairford began to lose all composure in defence, as Howell and Bowerman attacked the flanks. Tallentire’s 24 yard drive was smothered by Snell but the ‘keeper was completely beaten by a great low strike by Howell from 17 yards, right of centre, following support from Davies, which crashed past the hapless goalie like a non-stop Virgin train arrowing past a platform at Cheltenham Station.

DAVIES ADDS GOAL 4 FOR BINFIELD...

HOWELL SHOOTS FOR 1-5...

Soon, Warren picked up the ball on the left after a poor defensive clearance by Fairford and he switched the play to Howell on the right, whose low delivery was hacked at by Eddie at his near post but he totally miscued, allowing the lurking Davies to complete his treble with a close-range hooked shot past new goalie Mick Alexander. 

DAVIES WOULD TURN IN HOWELL'S CROSS, AFTER A SLICED CLEARANCE, TO COMPLETE HIS HAT-TRICK...

Soon though, the hosts were awarded another free-kick just outside the penalty-box and Stratford curled his shot off end-brick-in-the-wall Whitty’s head this time, leaving Weait struggling then clawing at the summer midges as the ball hit the net. Ah, Stratford, Much Ado About Nothing though, as his team trailed 2-6...

STRATFORD'S SECOND FREE-KICK & IT'S 2-6...

The Moles scored again when Bowerman played Warren in on goal at inside-left, only for Snell to save well at his feet, resulting in an overhead kick towards Johnson by Rowland, allowing the winger to turn and hammer the ball spectacularly across the goalmouth and into the top left corner of the net from near the right post. 

JOHNSON SMASHES IN GOAL 7 FOR THE MOLES...

Howell’s dangerous running saw him provide another low centre but Dickens missed the ball completely at the near post, leaving him on his back, wondering whether he should stick to writing novels about Victorian England, but Bowerman retrieved the ball out on the left, cut inside Ben Anderson and beat the goalie with a near post shot from 7 yards.

BOWERMAN COMPLETES THE SCORING: 2-8...

The game over, Fairford would have to take the positive aspects from the game and start over; the free-kicks were good, Gambling looked useful at times and Skeetes could be an asset, as well as Corderey. Binfield must have been really pleased, for their play was strong at the back, with Woozley like a manager on the field; in midfield Warren was good throughout, Howell and Johnson were always quick and dangerous and although Davies notched three goals, whilst Dickens failed find the net, the writer would surely come good... The Moles could well have had a really good season on this flimsy evidence.

The Bodging and I trailed back to Solihull through Stow and Moreton, it was still warm and I watched two old episodes of The Wire, just to make me feel happier and calmer after being horrified by the world news…

It’s what you do...