LYE TOWN 3-1 RACING CLUB WARWICK: the words and the images from downtown Lye...

 Racers Slip To Defeat In Black Country Mud…

Lye Town 3-1 Racing Club Warwick

The Mowdog’s thoughts…

Where better to restart my non-league watching than to drive the M42, M5 and A491 towards a pub I really must drink a beer in sometime, The Shovel Inn, Lye… From home where there was a thaw, I gradually became engulfed in gloom and drizzle, thus finding the Sports Ground looking beautifully grim. Yeah, I was down the Lye…

MY VIEW FROM MOWDOG'S MOUND...

ACROSS THE SHED...

Even the grass on the pitch looked dull, the goalmouths were muddy, so that I wanted so much to don a goalie’s kit and dive about in one of them, despite my hip replacement… Both teams warmed up on the playing surface, which left two areas more dark brown than glum green but I was pleased to see that the grassy knoll behind the far goal, ‘Mowdog’s Mound’ was still accessible, although somehow I doubted that I would stand there, due to the worsening fine rain. 

MOWDOG'S MOUND IN THE BACKGROUND...

I did though, with my umbrella for protection…

MY VIEW OF THE SHED...

The cattle shed at the facilities end of the ground had been painted blue and white which was lovely but I have to admit that I preferred the rusty corrugated artistic style of previous times. The grandstand, once a pallid enclosure which doubled as a sight screen for the cricket club had also been improved with hangings, not exactly like the hand-sewn tapestries to be found in Aston Hall, but modern versions with huge letters emblazoned upon them and two large birds, celebrating the flyers. 

GRANDSTAND VIEW...

MY VIEW OF THE GRANDSTAND...

I guess that an upgrade was necessary, for the club’s women’s team now plays down the Lye but I’ll take some white paint with me next time I’m there to exterminate the apostrophe before the S in FLYER’S…

The clock near a curious loudspeaker next to the facilities was excellent, for despite a little ageing it still kept fine time and behind the roof of the grandstand one floodlight pylon looked like it was hiding from the weather amongst the wintering trees.

THE SPEAKING CLOCK...

OUT ON A LIMB...

Loved the rusting roller lying about near Mowdog’s Mound but the rear of the grandstand was an engaging, fascinating horror story of largely untidy corrugated metal, wooden supports, a supermarket trolly, bricks, odd pieces of wood and a trailer, amongst other smaller items of detritus… Don’t get me wrong, I am not criticising or taking the piss because Lye’s ground is special, unique and a place I love attending…

INDUSTRIAL BAKE-OFF...

IN FRANCE THIS WOULD BE AN OPEN AIR BROCANTE SALE...

Robbo and the Chairman Brian Blakemore are the best of blokes and they always make me feel welcome at the ground. Strangely, I think it was the first time I have paid to go in there since my very first visit many years ago…

THE FLAG IN THE LYE...

A FLYER MINUS AN APOSTROPHE HAD ALREADY PREDATED ON A PIGEON, BEFORE THE FLYERS WHICH SHOULDN'T HAVE AN APOSTROPHE AT ALL PREDATED ON THE RACERS...

Visiting Chairman Gary Vella and his wife Ruth, who was wearing a mustard-coloured woolly hat, I guess because it was nearly the team’s shirt colour, are always lovely folks too, so really for my first match back ‘doing non-league’, I could not have picked a better contest…

The game itself…       

I was surprised that the match was on, in truth and my mind went back to watching pro-games on muddy pitches when I was growing up. Playing in mud was a joy for me too, especially when playing as a left-back, rather like Lye’s Ryan Bridgewater, a position where one can rush forward, get in crosses from the byeline, maybe score the odd goal but particularly in muddy conditions, sliding tackles on wingers could be attempted… 

HUDDLING IN THE MIRE...

Bridgewater’s sortie on the left led to Joe Palmer’s naughty flicked goal to settle the outcome of this match at 3-1 and of course he scored with a downward header himself, right on half-time, aided by an attempted clearance by Racer Toby Scott, whose slithering attempt to deflect the ball only helped it into the net via an upright.

THE TOSS ON THE LYE...

Ben Billingham’s set-piece majesty brought the opening two Town goals, one nodded in at the front post from his free-kick by central defender Adam Meacham, off the crossbar and then of course Bridgewater headed home a corner, as previously described.

CRANE'S CLAWS HAVE MARKED THE 6 & 18 YARD LINES FOR POSITIONING PURPOSES...

Overall, Lye adapted to the conditions far better than their shaken guests, using the elusive central striker Zidan Sutherland to good effect and the pace of Nathan Scott on the wings to take some pressure off the chaotic midfield mire. Lye tackled better, made more goalscoring chances in a game which lacked open play offense and deserved their victory. Warwick, a team used to the smoothness of their own artificial pitch, found it tough to manage at Lye, despite the efforts in midfield of the industrious and cautioned Jamie Hancocks. Passing football was difficult and thus at a premium, bringing the teams down to a kind of attritional level, which persisted.

MAYBE A STEWARD SOMETIMES SITS HERE TO KEEP AN EYE ON THE AWAY FANS, ER, FAN, ER, OK, JUST ME...

Amazingly though, the Racers missed a fine chance to score during a first period littered with long booted clearances and bunted headers. First, Harry White was denied by the advancing goalie Brad Catlow at the left corner of the penalty-box, Kory Burke shoved the loose ball across the 18 yard box but the unmarked White totally miscued and when Charlie Jones set up Cameron Ebbutt, Bridgewater somehow blocked the effort on his goal-line. The rebound was finally stubbed wide by Callum Scott… Amazing…

RCW did score though, straight after the break, from a set-piece of course. A left-side corner, I think by Ebbutt flicked off Bridgewater’s head, leaving his hobbling goalie stranded as he reached out his clenched gloves. The ball drifted on to the far post, guarded by Jamie Ashmore but Burke had shifted out to the edge of the 6-yard box, controlled the ball as it dropped to him and slapped a firm left-booter high into the Flyers’ net. Now that apostrophe is in the right place, I reckon…

THESE STEPS ALWAYS INTRIGUE ME...

The equaliser never did materialise although I had expected better from the visitors and in reality, their most dangerous and effective tactic appeared to be the long, often very long throws of defender Callum Rudd, which were largely well dealt with by Lye’s combative back-line, with Ashmore, Bridgewater, Meacham and Sam Hall all excelling. ‘Keeper Catlow, limping in some discomfort for over an hour, was rarely brought into meaningful action, which must have been disappointing for RCW’s manager Scott Easterlow…  

I REALLY DID WANT TO DIVE HERE...

Burke nodded wide from a good position late on but Palmer had shot wide for Lye earlier too and shots flew not far off target by Tye and Sutherland for the hosts, before a fine glancing header by Palmer missed the left stick by a small margin in the dying embers of the encounter… 

Yeah, I enjoyed the match and was pleased that I had captured the goals and the crazy Warwick miss on video. Next for The Mowdog? RCW v Worcester City next Saturday, hopefully…

THE BODGING LOVES THE LYE.
IN THE WORDS OF CHRIS SIMMS, EX-NEW YORK GIANTS' QUARTERBACK: "HE DOES, HE REALLY DOES..."