A Busy April

Lots going on as the weather improves and the season approaches its final throes.

It has been a long difficult campaign for many clubs, with some such as North Ferriby United not making it to the end of the line.

Moves are underway to try and resurrect The Villagers but for now there has been lots of great gestures from the likes of East Yorkshire Carnegie and Gainsborough Trinity among others offering free admission to NFU season ticket holders in the final weeks of the campaign.

For some clubs, of course, there is plenty to celebrate and Sholing FC clinched the Wessex League title this week to cap an excellent year in which they also had a good run in the FA Vase.

There is always Football for a Fiver on offer at The Boatmen but for the game at home to Brockenhurst on Saturday 6th April it is free admission for all with the trophy presentation also taking place.

The gates of Rugby Town will also be thrown open for the United Counties League match against Cogenhoe United on the same afternoon while Butlin Road will also be the venue for the FA Women’s National League Plate Final between MK Dons and West Bromwich Albion on Sunday 14th April for which admission is priced at £5 Adults, £2.50 for OAP's and Under 16's and £1 for Under 10's.

Also in the FA WNL, Cheltenham Town Ladies will be part of a double-header on Saturday 27th April with their game against Swindon Town Ladies following on from the League Two clash between Cheltenham Town and Swindon Town at the Jonny Rocks Stadium. Admission is set to be free for the Ladies game according to their Twitter page.

And the various County FA Finals give lots of clubs the chance both of silverware and of playing at a bigger stadium than they usually get the chance to.

Southport and Colne for example will meet in the Lancashire FA Senior Cup Final at the home of Bolton Wanderers on 29th April. Tickets, priced £8/£4 while St James' Park will host the Northumberland FA Senior Cup Final between North Shields and Morpeth Town for which it is £6 Adults, £3 Concessions on the gate.

A Twist On Pay What You Want!

Just under a couple of years ago I wrote a piece on 'Pay What You Want' matches for the blog which ended like this.

'So, will the next innovation in football be PWYW as you head out of the ground, dependant on how entertaining your 90 minutes has been? That would put some pressure on the players to come up with a 5-4 thriller!'

And that's exactly what is happening this Saturday at Hadley FC of the Spartan South Midlands League as they entertain Crawley Green and again for the visit of Stotfold on 27th April.

There's plenty going on across the Non-League game as the season draws to a close, including free admission at both Rugby Town and Wessex League champions Sholing on Saturday 6th April and Pay What You Want admission at Whitby Town on Saturday 13th April when Stafford Rangers come to the Turnbull Ground.

England Deaf Men's Football Team

It's always nice to be able to use a picture of the famous grandstand at Wellesley Road, home of Great Yarmouth Town and where a Bloaters XI will take on the England Deaf Men's Football Team in a fundraising friendly on Sunday 7th April at 2pm.

The team are looking to fund their trip to the 2019 European Deaf Football Championships in Heraklion, Crete which take place in June and where they will take on Ukraine, France and Sweden in the group stage.

Over £20,000 of a target of £30,000 had been raised as of Monday evening and hopefully the game by the seaside in Yarmouth can add a bit more to that.

Admission is £5 for Adults and free for Under 14's.

Premier League International Cup Semi-Finals

Two good opportunities coming up to catch a competitive match and see some of the top young players from two European clubs in action on English soil.

In the first of this season's semi-finals Reading Under-23's will take on Bayern Munich II at the Madejski Stadium on Monday 1 April at 7pm.

Tickets for non-season ticket holders are priced at £3 (£5 from 5pm on the day of the game).

And Southampton take on Dinamo Zagreb II at St Mary's Stadium on Wednesday 10 April at 7pm.

Tickets are free but the Saints advise securing your seat early as only certain parts of the ground will be open.

On the Under-23 front more generally there are a number of matches coming up at major stadiums over the next few weeks as the weather gets better and clubs are less worried about their pitches being churned up for first-team football.

Keep an eye on the official Premier League website for up-to-date news but there are games scheduled at Old Trafford, Anfield and Stamford Bridge among others between now and the end of the season.

A Busy Saturday

This coming Saturday is a busy one as the end of the season suddenly looms large for clubs up and down the country.

I've looked previously at the matches at Spennymoor where there reduced prices for the visit of Alfreton Town as the club celebrate the mining history of the local area and also at West Didsbury & Chorlton as they try and break the record for the most dogs at a Non-League game (concession price of £3 available to anyone accompanied by their faithful friend).

Into the Football League and both MK Dons and Notts County are looking to gain important home victories for different reasons at opposite ends of the League Two table and both have Adult tickets available for £10.

The Dons entertain Yeovil with Under-18 admission just £1 and accompanied Under-12's free.

Notts are entering the point of no return in their battle to stay in the Football League and know that three points against Exeter City at Meadow Lane on Community Day are crucial.

In the National League, with no Premier League or Championship action Boreham Wood are looking to swell the ranks of the 'Wood Army' for a crucial home clash against Aldershot Town and will admit season ticket holders from Premier League or EFL clubs for £10 to the game.

Under 16's meanwhile can watch Barrow AFC against for free against Harrogate Town.

Rovers Return With 3 Points As Rugby Hopes Fade

Butlin Road, home of Rugby Town FC and a place where I spent many Saturday afternoons and Tuesday evenings as a youngster watching VS Rugby as they were then known when the Sky Blues were either away or not in action.

Under the stewardship of Jimmy Knox in the 1980’s ‘The Valley’ won the FA Vase at Wembley and came within a whisker of reaching the Conference as well playing host to the likes of Northampton Town and Brentford in big FA Cup ties.

There has been a gradual decline since those heady days and the club currently ply their trade at Step 5 of the pyramid system in the United Counties League.

In terms of facilities the ground could pass for a much higher level with covered accommodation on all sides, a smart main stand and a very nice bar (which is open throughout the week and hosts a number of functions).

Only 177 watched a see-saw 4-3 defeat at the hands of Eynesbury Rovers, a reverse which probably ends Rugby’s hopes of winning the league, and it’s sad to see such apathy in a growing town in the face of the hard work of those in charge of the club and the volunteers who help out every week.

Much is made of Rugby's links to the oval ball game but you would be hard-pressed to find even a signpost directing you to Butlin Road. If you do make it there however you will get a warm welcome and a competitive game of football.

A free admission offer earlier in the year saw 450 through the turnstiles and the visit of Cogenhoe United on Saturday 6 April will also be free entry to all.

Flat Caps & Dogs Welcome

Two Non-League matches well worth publicising on Saturday 23 March take place at Spennymoor Town and West Didsbury & Chorlton respectively.

Spennymoor entertain Alfreton Town in National League North and will be celebrating the region's industrial heritage on Miners' Day.

Lady Elsie Robson (wife of the late Sir Bobby) will be the guest of honour while there will also be a memorabilia display and a collection for the Friends of Durham Miners' Gala.

Supporters are encouraged to wear flat caps and admission prices have been reduced to £10 Adults, £8 Concessions and £3 Juniors (accompanied Under 10's free).

In the North West Counties Football League the call has gone out from West Didsbury for people to bring their dogs along to Brookburn Road for the visit of Padiham and bring the record for the number of four-legged friends at a game back to Manchester after Maltby Main attracted 78 to their ground last season.

There's always Football for a Fiver on offer at West but bring your dog along next week and you will qualify for the Concession rate of £3.

FA Youth Cup

This season's FA Youth Cup semi-finals are being played over just one leg with Manchester City and Liverpool respectively having home advantage for their ties against West Bromwich Albion and Watford.

City host the Baggies at the Academy Stadium on Monday 1 April, 7pm, with tickets priced at £3 Adults and £1 for Concessions (seasoncard holders free.)

And Anfield will play host the Hornets this coming Sunday, 17 March, at 12pm. Kop tickets are priced at £3 Adults and £1 Concessions (free for season ticket holders and members but a ticket is still required) but tickets must be purchased in advance with the ticket office open until 10am on the morning of the game.

Non-League Finals Day 2019

The final four are gearing up for the final hurdle in both the FA Trophy and FA Vase with a place at Wembley for Non-League Finals Day 2019 at stake.

A couple of big names are still in the hunt in the FA Trophy with Leyton Orient ready for a two-leg semi-final against AFC Telford United and a resurgent Stockport County up against AFC Fylde.

In the Vase Cray Valley take on Canterbury City while Northwich Victoria meet Chertsey Town with all first-leg matches taking place this coming Saturday, 16th March, and return games a week later.

Non-League Finals Day sees both competitions reaching a conclusion on the same day, Sunday 19th May.

Tickets covering both Wembley finals are £25 for adults, £10 for concessions (OAP/Students) and £1 for U16s. Group booking discounts are also available with prices at £12.50 for adults, £5 for concessions and £1 for U16s. 

Hartlepool Say Thanks & ‘C’ England In Salford

It hasn’t been a season that will stay long in the memory for Hartlepool United supporters with the club firmly placed mid-table in the National League and having undergone an unusual round of managerial musical chairs earlier on in the year when Richard Money came in as boss, briefly swapped roles with director of football Craig Hignett and then left the club altogether.

But the bigger picture is that the club is still there at all, hopefully providing a force for good within the local community.

Last season's fixture against Wrexham was designated as 'Save Pools Day’ amidst the crisis engulfing the club and as a thank you to supporters from both teams prices for the meeting on Saturday 23 March have been reduced.

It will be £10 Adults, £5 Concessions and £2 for Under 16’s.

Hartlepool's Luke James meanwhile will be part of the England C squad who take on Wales on Tuesday 19 March at the Peninsula Stadium, home of Salford City FC.

England C is the team drawn from players outside of the Football League, giving them the chance of winning caps and pulling on the Three Lions shirt.

 

A number of those who have had that opportunity previously have gone on to play in the Football League and Premier League.

 

Watford striker Andre Gray is one such player. He appeared six times for England C while with Luton Town.

 

Current boss Paul Fairclough has been in charge since 2003 and has managed to constantly refresh the nature of the squad with young players, not just from the National League but from the divisions below and see how they fare in a different environment, something of interest certainly to prospective new clubs at a higher level.

 

An excellent article by Matt Badcock in The Non-League Paper recently highlights how the England C team has evolved over the past few years to take on a more ambassadorial nature, representing the Football Association at home and abroad.

 

Admission to the game against a Wales side drawn from the ranks of clubs in the Welsh Premier League, will be £10 Adults and £5 Concessions, payable at the turnstiles on the night.