Mick shook hands with Steve Bull in his local Co-op the other day. That got me thinking about which famous footballers I have met. Well, I shook hands with Ron Atkinson, not Ron Atkinson the manager but Ron Atkinson the Captain of Oxford United, back in the mid sixties. Fast forward fifteen years or so  and I kicked Dalian Atkinson. Not Dalian the much travelled top class footballer but 13 year old Dalian the top class junior footballer. Truth be told, I didn't mean to kick him, I kicked at the ball but in the mean time he had taken it off me and was away. Perhaps I should have been yellow carded but it was only a training session  and the Ref was my mate who managed the team.

Midland Alliance League.

 Tipton Town v Tividale. A Proper 'Black Country Derby'   23 Feb.2013

Cold? It was bloody freezing.I decided best policy...dress for the weather.By the time I'd finished I must have looked like the Michelin man.I was on my own today;Pete having deserted to watch Shrewsbury Town(it's in his blood).


So it's off down the A41 out of Wolverhampton,through Bilston and on to Tipton Sports Academy.

 

This match,on paper,looked to be a belter.Tipton,with their recent history including an FA Cup 1st Round Proper game, away to Carlisle United,against their nearest(geographically) rivals,Tividale. Tipton would leapfrog their opponents with a win.Alternately,Tividale could pull five points clear with a win. Tipton are in the process of rebuilding following an unfortunate incident 2 years ago and Tividale are treading water after making significant progress in the last few years.That said,both are amongst the front-runners in the Midland Alliance League.

As expected,the game began at breakneck speed with Tipton having the lions' share of posession forcing three early corners and in the fourth minute they scored. 

Tipton continued to dominate until half-way through the first half when Tividale began to turn the tide and they more than held their own to half-time.

Half-time: Tipton Town 1 Tividale 0

From the whistle,Tividale forced the game enjoying long periods of domination.

During this period,they hit the bar,had four one-on-ones with the goalkeeper

 yet still failed to score,due to a combination of brilliant goalkeeping and crap shooting.Tipton seemed to weather the storm and came on strongly towards the end of the match and could have increased their lead.

On reflection,Tividale probably felt hard done by and deserved a draw,but you have to put the ball in the net,which they failed to do.

A terrific game,one of the best I've seen this season.

Entrance:£3

Programme:£1

Coffee:£1

Attendance:101(best of the day)

Mick

I wont be going to a Proper Football match this week. I am off to Shrewsbury Town where I have a season ticket. I don’t know whether it is habit or addiction but I have been doing it all my life and don’t know how to stop. They play in English League 1. Sounds very grand but when Sky TV beefed up the first Division and re branded it The Premier League in line with the premier finances it bestowed upon it, the second division decided to jump on the band wagon and restyle themselves The Championship which left the Third Division  with the grand title of League 1. To those old enough to know better it remains the Third division.
 But even here, amongst the professional clubs, it is different to Proper Football. They play for points not entertainment. The crowd will watch a boring game and if their team scores a goal and win one nil, even if it is a lucky or unjust goal, then their team are world beaters for claiming all three points. [It used to be only two points for a win , but that’s inflation for you.]
If however their team lose 10 -9 in a thrilling end to end game it is the end of the world. The manager must be sacked, players dropped or sold and expensive replacements bought at over inflated prices.
But again I am lucky. Thanks to the wonder of mobile phones, Mick will keep me updated with the Proper Football scores.

West Midlands History

Anyone with an interest in the West Midlands past could do worse than visit this website.Film,news,events, people and places are its' categories.One of the articles is about Edwin Butler-Bayliss,the Wolverhampton-born artist.There is an exhibition of his work in Wolverhampton Art Gallery.He had no formal training,yet was able to depict the Black Country in all its' fire and flame.

The Black Country Society site is also well worth a look.Memories of a bygone age.

                                                   FROM TIPTON TO ENGLAND
                                             A history of Tipton Town Football club

is a book by former player Steve Mills which records its success story from humble beginnings as Ocker Hill United to the glorious achievement of competing in the FA Cup First round Proper against Professional opposition less than 65 years later.

 The book lists former players, perhaps the most famous being Steve Bull, who was capped for England, and Officials and graphically tells of the struggles and hardships of the early days to the position it is in today.
What is more is that it is on sale from selected outlets now .

Paulo DiCanio has resigned from Swindon.Come and try it in the Proper Football world Paulo .Haha.

Goal celebrations

Just a question.In the Proper Football world,goal celebrations involve big smiles,high-fiving and back-slapping,whereas the prima-donnas in the Premier League tend to run around kissing their knuckles(?), the inside/outside of their wrists(?).What is all that about ? And then there's that look  that says 'Look what I've just done'.Yes mate,we can see what you've done. You've scored a goal.You haven't scaled Everest on roller-skates,just scored a goal,that's all.

The players of Gornal and Stourport strode onto the pitch like gladiators with the match officials. Then a curious ceremony took places. Like some long forgotten ritual they lined up and shook hands with each other on the instruction of a far that off body the FA. The small crowd stood and mustered all the apathy they could, barely pausing to watch.
Then the game, the tackles the shots, the runs and blocks that make a football game. Pulsating. Entertaining. After ninety minutes the game ended and the battle was over. To the victors a fleeting moment of glory, to the vanquished the chance to make amends next week. Once again the players shook hands with each other as they left the pitch. No ritual or ceremony this. RESPECT for a game well played. Now off to the changing room and the social club for a quick white wine spritzer and a bag of Prawn Cocktail crisps, a few moments chat and then the rest of the weekend before the toil of the day job starts again on Monday morning.



The ‘Barmy Army’ of supporters, having cheered and sung their way through the afternoon in support of their team, did the same.

Saturday February 16th

Todays' game was Gornal Athletic v Stourport Swifts in the Midland Football Alliance.It was a bright,sunny but cold day; perfect for football.Following their heroics in the F A Vase last week,Athletic had some catching up to do,having as many as 6 or 7 games in hand on those above them including todays' visitors. Stourport showed why they are in the leading few in the league but Gornal were very quickly into their stride with crunching tackles and good inter-passing.The game was all but settled mid-way through the first half when Gornal scored twice in two minutes and could well have added more with a strong finish to the first half.
Half-time.

Stourport altered their tactics at the start of the second half putting more pressure on the home team and could have scored on more than one occasion but lacked the killer touch in front of goal. Gornal re-organised and began to dominate and should have increased their lead but for a fine display from the visitors' goalkeeper.With the game won Gornal played out the remaining minutes with safety football.

An enjoyable and entertaining game between two very sides.

Transport is being arranged for Gornals' game at Spennymoor Town in the F A Vase.

It's a limited choice of matches this week as most of our local teams are playing away but we will be there(somewhere).It will cost us a couple of quid to get in(due to our age);a quid for a programme and a quid for a coffee/soup/tea.Compared to the Pro game-£30 minimum entry,£3 for a programme and £2 for a drink,that's pretty good going.Add to this the fact that the Pro game is crap to watch and our games are rarely boring,we are getting a real good deal.The difference also has a lot to do with us following the game and not any particular team(which means you get to watch a game every week instead of once a fortnIght).
This all started following the 2009/10 season.I'd been paying £500 a season to watch Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Championship and then the Premier League.The PL was definitely 'the straw that broke the camels' back '.Absolute rubbish from start to finish.One season of that was enough.I was off.How to fill Saturday afternoons? Give the local football a try.One game was enough to convince me I'd made the right choice and kept most of the filthy lucre.Win win situation.

I wonder how many Chelsea supporters have spoken to Roman on the touchline at Stamford Bridge ? Not me, for I am neither a Chelsea supporter nor have ever been to Stamford Bridge. I have however spoken to a couple of Chairmen at Proper Football grounds though. And very nice people they were too. I have also chatted to Secretaries and ground staff and people who have held multiple positions of honour from player through coach and manager to committee member and lifelong supporters of their clubs as well. Salt of the earth, every single one of them.



Mick in the Directors' box at Tividale FC

Shirt sleeves! Just a little reminder of summer to come...hopefully.Seems a long time ago.

And the winner is

We all know them. Manchester United or Barcelona supporters, or any other club that might win a top trophy supporters. The supporters who support by merely keeping their television licence up to date but who have never paid a penny to support their club. Probably never even been inside a football ground in years, if ever.

Not for them the search for a ground in distant back street, the search to find a place to park their transport and the trudge along uneven footpaths to the ground. Not for them the decisions of how many layers to wear to keep out the cold or which sensible shoes to wear in case there is a patch of muddy water to negotiate before arriving at what serves as a turnstile. Summer football ? It would spoil it.

No voice in their ears to tell them who is who and is doing what. Clubs once supported by thousands in the early years of the 20 th Century now struggling to remain in existence with crowds of less than one hundred. Clubs that owe their very existence to volunteers and the lucky few with financial backers. A good run in the FA Cup or Vase or trophy brings survival not medals.

But what do I care if Real United win the Super Cup. I get to see former legends like Jake Sedgemore still plying his trade and others like Duane Darby and Gary Hackett giving back to the game that they served so well by passing on their experience and managing grass roots football.

But I am the winner, and the folk like me who pay their shillings to watch good honest football and go home happy in the knowledge at the Beautiful game is alive and well, but maybe with reduced numbers watching it.

Wolves Casuals

Gornal Athletic

The cold has vanished overnight and it's a smashing sunny morning.It's warming up nicely for the weekend.We haven't chosen this weeks' game yet.It could be Tipton,Darlaston,AFC Wulfrunians,Gornal Athletic(who are now in the quarter finals of the FA Vase following a stunning away win at Bodmin Town),Bilston Town(who seem to be running away with the West Midlands League Division Title),Wolves Casuals(making a big effort for the West Midlands League Premier Division top spot or any other of a dozen or more games.

Real Football

This blog will hopefully show how much we(that is,me Mick and Pete)enjoy what we call Proper Football.The professional game has lost its' attraction;the falseness,the play-acting.....THE MONEY!, have removed the enjoyment

P B Davies(Pete) at Cradley Town

We spend our Saturdays ground-hopping around the Black Country.Southern Premier,Northern Premier,Midland Alliance and West Midland League.

More to follow.