Watching St Neots FC…
(Just three games in 2009 & 2010…)
St Neots Town 0-0 Deeping Rangers (2009)…
The road signs on the M6 South warned of week-end closures on the A1 towards St Neots and they were followed by the seemingly pointless meanderings of roads leading across a blank landscape to the stadium. At the ground there was an eager, if rather unusual appearance of cheerleaders who worked really hard and there were small children in the grandstand, one of whom screamed in far from dulcet tones for nearly five minutes, for and to the amusement of everybody else. Fast trains raced past the far side of the ground behind the dugouts, the surrounding wall and the confusion of diversion roads avoiding the A1 roadworks, which had finally led me to Rowley Park.
Two enterprising teams attacked relentlessly for much of this game but St Neots were unable to create really good chances and Rangers failed to convert their own opportunities. Final passes went astray too often, both goalkeepers stood firm but only a goalpost denied the long-haired midfielder and St Neots scrapper Knight.
A draw was fair, I guess but it seemed like it would be a 0-0 draw all along after events which took place during the first forty-five minutes. Scully’s move from the right into the middle, just behind the two forwards affected the experienced wide-player’s involvement after the break, which waned and with Deeping always lively on the counter attack, through the pace of Jacobs, who gave Hyem a variety of problems throughout the game, shots from distance appeared to be the hosts’ best and most effective options. Daventry Town won 4-0 away from home at Stewarts and Lloyds on the day to rub this scoreless draw in harder and frustrate Saints’ manager Steve Lomas even more, no doubt.
I was impressed that both teams attacked constantly though and even players who may have been off-form threw themselves into the fray, despite a stream of poor finishing. Both goalkeepers deserved to remain unbeaten at a smart football stadium, which I thought at the time I would be pleased to visit again. I still haven’t, sadly…
Two committed teams, two smart kits and Deeping’s Holyoak stood firm, as an English defender should, thighs like oak trunks, rooted to the cause, barking orders and leaving with a hard-earned point…
Raunds Town 0-1 St Neots Town (2009)…
It felt like spectators simply didn’t matter much at Raunds. I drew up in a dark car-park fronting a smart clubhouse/social club and as I sat there, life seemed an eternity away. A refreshments trailer lay dormant on the fringe of the parking area and the only evidence that a football match was to take place came from the working floodlights and one ball which was kicked high enough, no doubt by a player warming up, to appear above the wooden perimeter fence. It was 6.50pm…
Raunds is famous for cobbling, or shoemaking like Northampton is but not for its football like Northampton is, for the Raunds team languished in last-but-one position in the UCFL league at that time.
So dark was it that I failed to notice a small sign on the fencing next to what appeared to be a suburban back-gate, which indicated the entrance prices. The gate hid the turnstile. I ventured towards the social club’s entrance, arriving at the same time as a lady, who turned out to be Mrs Fuff, the St Neots skipper’s mother, who was investigating too. She disappeared but I was soon informed that the stadium entrance was along the wooden fence and that was where Mr Fuff Senior sat in his vehicle. I chatted to him.
As the time wore on to 7.10pm, spectators began to arrive in dribs and drabs but there was still no access to the ground and finally at 7.23pm a veteran St Neots supporter rattled the handle of the gate in frustration, to be greeted by “All right, just a minute…” from the blind side of the entrance. I vowed to the miscreant that I would single him out as the culprit when the gate opened and his fellow spectators were amused and bemused by that.
At 7.25pm, the gate opened and I told the turnstile operator “It was him…” as I pointed at the offender. More ribaldry followed as we entered but the operator and a young girl struggled to work out costs, which involved adding one pound to five if a programme was being purchased.
The pamphlet was simply photocopied in greyscale and it contained lots of uninteresting, superfluous information. The toilets were brick-houses and the tea-bar was nowhere near ready to open. It was 7.33pm… The linespersons, both male took an eternity to check the goal-frames and nets, the referee didn’t whistle for the kick-off until 7.50pm and by then the crowd-line at the tea-bar wasn’t worth waiting in. I had arrived to watch football, not have my back to it waiting in a ration queue.
I sat in the grandstand of pillars, left of the Fuffs, became cold and subsequently shivered. Heath and safety was at a premium, too and a great hole was spotted…
I shivered too at the base quality of football on offer. League leaders St Neots were dreadfully poor and thus Raunds Town actually looked the more highly ranked team for much of the game. It was very interesting though listening to the Fuffs’ verbal reactions, for their son, thirty-three years old, ex-Peterborough, sufferer of a broken leg in four places earlier in his career, was seemingly out of sorts.
The St Neots manager, Steve Lomas, an ex-Northern Ireland international, wasn’t there. I was told he didn’t do midweek matches, probably due to his Sky Sports commitments. He made a fine choice…
The uncomfortable evening for St Neots ended with three points in the bag but with several players woefully off form, the hosts really ought to have secured at least a draw. McShane, in the visitors’ goal, made several interventions, as his central defenders struggled to cope with Raunds’ Bates and even the solidly built Blaikie. It was difficult to pick a Saints player who impressed even a little, besides the ‘keeper but Raunds fielded Davis, the one midfielder who attempted to pass the ball with even the remotest of guile. Winger Guney was quick but lacked finesse, yet the team looked more adept in possession than the table-toppers, belying their lowly league position. They had suffered a couple of early scares provided by the pace of Mitchell and the involvement of the painfully inconsistent Scully.
Saints finally netted their all important winning goal from Garrett’s left-wing corner which was headed down to Sozzo, slightly wide of the right upright, 8 yards out and his low volley beat Jones off the base of the post.
The game ended with a confusion of handshakes, Raunds rued the loss, Saints seemed surprised at the victory but sadly, with Scully rarely involved after the break and Mitchell and Sozzo largely nullified by the sterling defence of Smeathers and the mountainous Fitzgerald, ‘keeper Jones was rarely troubled. The hosts really ought to have made Saints suffer for their poor form but with the visitors’ well known manager Steve Lomas not present to witness the debacle, it would remain only for someone on the coaching staff with a degree in Spin Doctoring to lead him to believe that this indeed was a very good victory…
Er, shoes off to Raunds, then…
Getting out of the car-park was easy, driving home was decent enough, despite rainstorms and workforces in the roads.
Raunds of applause for opening the turnstiles at all, then...
Wellingborough Town 1-3 St Neots Town (2010…)
St Neots were examined considerably by a plucky and confident Wellingborough outfit on a cold, breezy evening at the Dog and Duck, in front of a healthy crowd of 146 spectators. Fuff led his league leaders well, Webb bossed midfield but Shane Tolley’s cleverness, not to mention his two goals, really scuppered the hosts’ hopes. Stefan Moore, languid at times, showed only flashes of his Aston Villa days, including his fourth minute equaliser of the Doughboys’ opening goal in the first few seconds. ‘Caught cold’ would be an apt description of the visitors’ defending at the start.
Tolley’s second goal, on 69 minutes, settled the outcome, despite Wellingborough’s game efforts and St Neots’ labouring attempts to add to their lead.
The first attack brought the first goal and such hesitation by St Neots, that defenders simply stared at each other, as Redding took the plaudits for the home team. Turner’s flick fed Johnson on the left flank and his poorly struck centre appeared to lack any danger at all but ‘keeper Trebes seemed confused, the ball reached the far post and left-back Davis made a hash of his clearance, allowing Redding to challenge and somehow, the ball crossed the goal-line.
Delirium for the home fans then but on 4 minutes, Stefan Moore had regained parity for his team. Hilliard’s pass from the left towards the centre was deftly flicked by the clever Tolley for Moore to ease into the inside-left channel and fire a low 15 yarder past goalie Markie and the ball zipped into the bottom right corner of the net.
Stefan had been a good mate of a neighbour of mine in Hodge Hill, Birmingham and he knew of me, so when he saw me at the match he was shocked by my presence. He promised me an early goal and he scored one…
After 29 minutes, St Neots were awarded a free-kick at inside-left for a foul on Tolley, Hilliard clipped it towards the centre of goal but Tolley had moved from the defensive wall area, just as Moore moved towards it and the crossover caused mayhem for no defender followed Tolley, who simply nudged the ball into the bottom right corner of goal from 7 yards, off balance.
I knew Shane Tolley from his Truro City days…
In the 69th minute, the points looked safe for the visitors when Markie and Smith dallied in defence and Tolley netted a third goal for his team. Fuff’s neat pass to Hilliard on the left led to Moore turning on the winger’s centre and Tolley nodding home at the far post from 3 yards after Markie’s attempt to get to the ball had been too late and the St Neots man had nipped in front of the equally hesitant Smith. Simple.
Wellingborough had really tested St Neots with their sheer effort and better finishing might have shocked their out of form guests. Tolley was good for St Neots though and Moore did what he does well, finishing clinically from 15 yards or so. Webb impressed me, as did Fuff, who was not particularly supported with confidence by the lanky Gent. Turner was knowledgeable and Power was in decent form for the hosts but an overworked defence managed. Just…
St Neots won. It’s what they did then…
STEFAN MOORE...
(Stefan Moore scored 68 goals for St Neots from 80 matches...
He had skippered Aston Villa's Youth team to the FA Youth Cup title in 2002, beating Everton, led by a certain Wayne Rooney...
Interesting how their two careers panned out...)
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