TTIWAO : a post-lockdown post-script

[TheOstrich]

Well, as we know, lockdown was finally eased in England on 29th March , with the Government issuing roadmaps and seconding the finer details of the way forward to the various Departments. The DCMS (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport) under Oliver Dowden MP put forth the usual woolly waffle about welcoming the return of grassroots sport and, as previously, left it up the various sports’ governing bodies to come up with the actual rules. Looking at soccer, most Step 8 (County Leagues) and below then had to make a decision “do we carry on where we left off last December?” or “do we arrange some sort of one-off Cup competition to take place during April, May (and by gracious consent of the FA) June?” Most Leagues opted for the latter, although some decided to carry on (those smaller leagues with fewer clubs who had completed most of their 2020/21 fixtures anyway) and others just gave carte blanche to their clubs to play friendly matches.

Anyway, assuming that the various Covid-related rules applied back last December would be re-applied from April, fixtures were duly planned, starting from Saturday 3rd April, and posted up as normal on the FA’s FullTime website. Then on March 24th, just before the re-start, the FA came up with its own pronouncement, entitled “Master Guidance for the Restarting of Grassroots Outdoor Football” – and buried in the middle of it was an absolute corker :
"No spectators are allowed at grassroots football as part of step one of the Government’s roadmap."
This was nothing to do with the Government and the DCMS - it was entirely the FA’s own interpretation!

Cue huge consternation. No spectators? Anywhere? Completely draconian! And to cap it all, some clubs, including Templecombe Rovers locally, had been advertising a commemorative programme to welcome back spectators to their first home game ….. before the FA stepped in, Templecombe had actually been my game of choice for April 3rd! Well, faced with the FA’s edict, I decided I’d give that Saturday a miss – the Templecombe game did go ahead, attracted a bumper crowd of 59 fans happy to ignore the rules , and we moved on to the following weekend, Saturday April 10th .....

On 6th April, the DCMS issued a further bulletin that effectively said that the FA had got it wrong . Spectators were allowed, and had been from March 29th. However, it introduced an entirely new facet – spectators could only attend if the game was played on public fields, but not on private land ! Dear oh dear – now you had to consult the Land Registry to find out if you could go to a game or not ! You couldn't make it up - as if the Coronavirus makes a distinction between public and private .....

Most clubs below step 8 locally play on public recreation grounds, but some were now actively seeking parish permission as to what they could or couldn’t do. At least one club – Milborne Port – had posted up “No Spectators” signs despite playing on a Rec. Other clubs who plied their trade on schools’ 3G pitches, and others with their own grounds, would obviously be a no-no for fans. I had planned to attend Templecombe’s second home game on 10th April, but in the event that became academic anyway – Ossie went down with the virulent virus the day before (thankfully rhino, not corona ). Four days of filling rubbish bags with snotty toilet tissue paper (thank goodness we’d stocked up for Brexit ) and gobbling packets of Strepsils (Honey and Lemon flavour, which the bird adores) ensued. Certainly no footie-watching, so now we move on to the following weekend, Saturday April 17th…..

A recovered Ostrich, a pleasant spring day, Templecombe at home again for the third Saturday in a row, and the only problem now was ascertaining the kick-off time …...

It was of course the day of HRH’s funeral, and the FA had blandly put out a suggestion midweek that all leagues should consider moving their afternoon kick-off times so as not to clash with the events at Windsor. Cue complete chaos again . Some leagues moved their kick-off times to 12:30, others to 16:15, others to a combination of both. Some leagues told the clubs to sort it out amongst themselves, which resulted in more than a few matches being cancelled because the home team and the away team couldn’t agree when to start ! At least the Yeovil and District League adopted a sensible compromise – kick off all games at 14:00 as originally planned, but extend half-time by an extra 5 minutes or so to incorporate one minute’s silence at 15:00, just before the start of the second half.

So, a gentle return to watching grassroots football after the recent lockdown. Slight problems driving the 10 miles or so to Templecombe as I found the back-road I’d normally take closed with diversions in place. I suspect the road closure was initially due to the fact that it passes the house where the property mogul Sir Richard Sutton and his wife were stabbed, the former fatally, last week , and the police wanted to keep journalists and other prying eyes at bay, but I’m surprised the restrictions are still in force; knowing the local constabulary, they’ve probably forgotten to lift the barricades .

Templecombe Recreation Ground is a pleasant, elevated venue at the back of the village’s main housing estate with scenic views across the Blackmore Vale to Cucklington and Wincanton in the distance. The ground is so elevated, it’s higher up than the top of the church steeple down in the village. Apart from the (closed today) sports and social club, facilities include two soccer pitches, a children’s adventure playground with a zip-line, a couple of tennis courts, basketball hoop, and a particularly scary-looking BMX track . There’s adequate parking with an overflow alongside the soccer pitch which was not in use today; getting out of the place, however, there’s a bit of a one-way system round the estate, so I was glad I’d checked it out on Google Maps beforehand. Basically, if you find yourself passing the Westcombe Stores, you’re going in the right direction to get back on the main drag .

Social distancing was no problem and I spent most of the game lounging on the grassy bank by the railings of the BMX track in warm sunshine, although a slight breeze got up later on.

The match was a bit of an end-of the-season mid-table battle, insofar as you can describe anything in an 8 team league as mid-table. Boring, gentle kick-about for the first 20 minutes, in which I was reduced to counting daisies (as one does ) before the home side’s number 10 decided to take matters into his own hands with a 20 yard run and clinical finish. He scored a fortuitous second on 27m, hoisting a speculative attempt from 40 yards which the visiting Manor Athletic keeper totally misjudged. He could have completed his hat-trick a few minutes later when the keeper decided to leave a cross-shot – it came back off the post. At which point Templecombe seemed to think they had the points in the bag, failed to press home their advantage, and that decision came back to bite them on the bum in the second half .

After the interval, possession was pretty much all Manor Athletic, but initially that was all it was – possession and no bite. The game desperately needed a Manor goal to ginger it up, and thankfully that’s what we got on 61m, their number 15 rifling the ball home. With everything to play for, Manor piled on the pressure and equalised on 73m; their number 7, unchallenged, from 10 yards. Templecombe looked a spent force and it was as much as they could do to grimly hang on to the league point - mainly thanks to their keeper who pulled off some outstanding saves and blocks in the latter stages. 2-2 and a fair result to a game which seems better in hindsight than it did at the time.

Yeovil & District League Premier (Step 11)
Templecombe Rovers 2 Manor Athletic 2
No admission or programme, no refreshments available - attendance just 21

[Kaz]

Good to have our favourite bird reporting again

[miasmum]

I miss the refreshments though

[TheOstrich]

Thanks, Kaz - it was just nice to get out of the house for an afternoon, TBH, and Mrs O enjoyed the peace and quiet ...

I miss the refreshments though

Well in theory, MM, "outdoor hospitality" is allowed (rules from 12th April):
https://www.thefa.com/news/2021/apr/08/ ... o-20210408

Outdoor hospitality
As part of step two of the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown, outdoor hospitality at grassroots football is permitted. All participants must follow Government guidance on hospitality settings and specific advice for sport facility operators available on the Government’s website. People using clubhouses and hospitality facilities must adhere to legal gathering limits and wider Government guidance. Please note that while outdoor hospitality is permitted, spectators are not allowed at games unless on public land.
This guidance applies to all youth and adult football and Futsal, including all formats of the game. If there are any further updates from the Government, we will communicate these in due course and we'll continue to update our guidance as we move through the different steps of the roadmap out of lockdown.
It's extremely important that clubs, players, coaches, match officials, league officials, volunteers, parents, carers, and facility providers continue to strictly follow both the UK Government's latest guidance on COVID-19 and respective bespoke guidance documents from the FA. Any incidents of non-compliance will be reported to the local County Football Association.

But the Templecombe Sports and Social Club (independent from the soccer club) were firmly shut as indoor hospitality isn't allowed (until May 17th?) and it simply wouldn't be worth the faff of them opening up to cater for a few soccer fans outdoors when they wouldn't also get the regular Saturday afternoon punters inside watching The Big Game on BT Sport or whatever - and quaffing numerous ciders etc. Anyway, they haven't updated their FB page since June last year ....
https://www.facebook.com/groups/644972105681162/

So I've either got to wheedle Mrs O to prepare me a few libations to take with me , or track down a local Spar shop near the ground .....

[TheOstrich]

Second AZ jabs this morning for Mrs O and the Ostrich, so a trip down to Sturminster Newton again where the vaccination clinics for this end of the Blackmore Vale are held in the cultural hub known as The Exchange. A slightly more streamlined procedure than the first jab, we were in and out within about 8 minutes. We got the second sticker on our “passports” but no other paperwork and we weren’t asked any questions other than “have you been ok since your first jab?” There were fewer folk queuing, and I think that was because there were more vaccination stations in operation – around 10 to 12.

Anyway, all very efficient, and we were able to stop off on the way back at the village stores in Marnhull where with the afternoon footie in mind I purchased a Pinky’s Scotch Egg (locally produced in Stur), a Walls chicken tikka slice and (for Mrs O) a small round of Cricket St Thomas Somerset Camembert cheese, (£7.44). So far, neither of us has had any side-effects from the jabs but tomorrow will tell.

So, to the afternoon’s football. At the end of a week in which Heytesbury made the national news headlines – well, assuming you read the Daily Mail, of course – thanks to the discovery by someone in the village of 5 skeletons buried in his back garden, (that’ll teach him to build a patio ), it seemed entirely appropriate that the local side today were playing a fellow Trowbridge & District League team called The Stiffs! How could Ossie resist it?

Anyway, it’s thought that the victims date from the time of the bubonic plague, circa 1350, and were buried in a “plague pit”. Makes a change from all the articles about the coronavirus, I guess .....
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... -home.html

The Trowbridge & District League have not organised any competitive games post this latest lockdown, so clubs are merely playing a series of friendlies. Judging by some of the girths on display today, a fair bit of fitness training needs completing before the 2021/22 season gets under way in August! Heytesbury currently have a series of home friendlies, each Saturday through to mid-May.

The Stiffs, from Division 2, describe themselves on their Twitter feed as “the Trowbridge & District League's ever-presents. Entering our 19th year and still not quite sure how to defend corners.” They play in Steeple Ashton, up near RAF Keevil, north of Trowbridge, but I have no idea why they are so named.

Heytesbury’s pleasant ground, Heytesbury Park, which I first visited last August, is at the eastern end of the long village street. Originally part of the grounds of the Grade II listed Heytesbury House, it was severed from the rest of the estate when the A36 bypass was constructed round the village, and I believe was gifted to the village. There’s a cricket pitch accompanied by an old pavilion and a few newer buildings at one end, and the soccer pitch at the other end, closest to the village itself. The soccer club has a portacabin changing room block, a small “Hospitality” hut selling beverages, and a ramshackle concrete and corrugated iron shelter along one touchline. The most convenient parking for the footie is on the road outside the ground; pitchside is accessed up a small flight of stairs through a hedge.

The game itself was entertaining enough; a comfortable win for the home side who had the lion’s share of possession and territory throughout the afternoon. Two up in 15 minutes, the first the easiest of tap-ins and the second a lofted 15 yarder over the keeper. The Stiffs might have scored early on as well when Heytesbury’s keeper attempted to dribble his way out of trouble, only to be surrounded by three attackers and lose the ball, but none of the away side could take advantage .

The third goal on 35m was arguably the pick of the bunch, a quick break from defence and Heytesbury’s no.2 was sent away on a long mazy run upfield and into the opposition area where he finished with a neat shot into the far corner of the net. The final goal on 66m was a classic case of keeper and defender leaving the ball to each other, allowing a Heytesbury player to nip in and roll the ball home.

The only other excitement occurred a few minutes into the second half when a swarm of bees appeared from nowhere and swept up the touchline . I turned my back defensively; they flew past either side of me, and disappeared as quickly as they came. They certainly caused a stir!!

Not a bad game overall, but a rock-hard pitch saw the ball bouncing erratically and frequently outpacing the players; had there been a more competitive edge to the fixture and if Heytesbury had been more on target up front, they could have easily doubled their score.

Friendly (Step 8 vs Step 9)
Heytesbury 4 The Stiffs 0
Free admission, no paperwork.
Pitchside refreshments available from the “hospitality hut” were tea, coffee, and biscuits for a donation, just as well as the village shop isn’t open Saturday afternoons. To supplement the scotch egg and slice, Ossie purloined a small tart (I think it was apple), a cherry bakewell, two small Penguin bars, and a mugga tea, all for £2 and a handful of small change I’ve been trying to get rid of since March last year!
Attendance 20

[TheOstrich]

Senility, I’m afraid, is catching up with Ossie . I spent the whole match thinking I was watching Wyndham Athletic, only to find out on returning home that the opposition were South Cheriton United ! No matter – it was visiting another new venue which was my target for the day ….

It’s probably 18 months since I last drove through Keinton Mandeville, and I swear that back then there was a road sign pointing to the entrance to the Castle Street Playing Field. Well, it’s gone now and in consequence I missed the relevant turning off the road coming in from the A37 crossroads at Lydford-on-Fosse by a country mile . When I did eventually manage to turn round, drive back along the main street at 10 mph (annoying at least one other motorist in the process),and discover the right driveway, I stalked back to the road and checked the verge on the other side. And yes, there IS a pole – but it’s now sign-less .

The barred gate leading to the Keinton Mandeville Playing Field contains an impressive warning sign – “No Dogs! No Horses!” Having confirmed the small print didn’t ban Ostriches as well (you can never be too careful given the FA’s current handling of the pandemic ), I parked up on-site, but be warned, it’s a very small, pokey car park and if you ever visit the place, you might want to consider leaving your car on the main road as an alternative.

It’s an attractive, open ground on the edge of the countryside with housing down just one end, low stone walls and trees marking the boundaries of the remaining three sides, and sheep bleating in an adjacent field. The pavilion / changing room block looks rather dour, but did provide some shelter for the punters during the second half of the game (social distancing went out of the window ) when we were plagued by a rather intense and slow-moving rain shower – clouds had been building up all afternoon. Still, we won’t grumble too much, the land needs a good soaking down here. In fact, when I drove home after the match, there was some localised road flooding just outside the village. The coaches and substitutes were positioned on one side of the pitch; spectators were requested to stand behind a yellow tape running down the other side. There’s a couple of tennis courts on site and a zip-wire for the kids as well.

For some unaccountable reason, we started the game 8 minutes early , and the first half lasted only 43 minutes, so we were completely done and dusted by 3:30. The slightly corpulent referee was, shall we say, a bit “old school” – I can’t remember when I last saw a free-kick given against a keeper for handling outside the area whilst punting the ball upfield. He was also perhaps over-keen on penalising “pushing”, and the home side had a second half goal rather harshly disallowed for said offence - it looked ok to me, but then I’m not the guy with the whistle.

None of which detracted from what was a very enjoyable game, a credit to both sides. Keinton started like a train, forced two corners in the first three minutes, then promptly conceded a goal on the Cherries’ first venture upfield – and direct from a corner at that, the keeper only able to flap at it as it swerved neatly into the far corner of the net. Keinton, whose twin strikers always looked dangerous, pounded away and equalised on 20m with a well-struck angled shot before taking a 2-1 lead with a close range toe-poke from a right-wing cross. They all but had a third a minute later, and it would have been in contention for my Goal of the Season if it hadn’t been blocked on the line – a brilliantly-executed back-heel by their no.11 while surrounded by a crowd of defenders in the six yard box. In fact there was some relief it didn’t go in, as at half-time I heard one of the home team remark they’d never have heard the last of it if it had!

The second half continued in the same entertaining fashion - just after Keinton’s disallowed goal, the Cherries equalised with a solid, thumping header from a corner, but the home team won it with a delicately curled free-kick from the edge of the box, which just evaded the Cherries’ keeper – really hard luck on him as a couple of minutes earlier, he’d spectacularly tipped a similar free kick from a similar position over the bar.

Yeovil & District League Division 1 (Step 12)
Keinton Park Rangers 3 South Cheriton United 2
Free entry, no programme
Refreshments: The well-stocked village stores is a 5 minute walk away down the main road. It looks very small from the outside, but that’s deceptive; it’s at least 6 times as deep as it is wide. There’s an impressive one-way system round it worthy of Tescos and the packed, tall display shelves initially masked from me the fact that there were 6 people queuing for the single till! Anyway, armed with a tuna and mayonnaise sandwich for £1.60, (reduced from £2.29), when I eventually got out of the store, I had to leg it back to the ground!
Attendance: 19

[cromwell]

That sounds like a very entertaining match Os.
The land is the same round here, very dry and hard. It only seems two minutes wince it was a quagmire though. That said we've had two days of very welcome showery weather.

[Kaz]

Ooh a Tardis shop! I'm glad that well-behaved Ostriches were allowed into the match!

[Workingman]

Who on Earth buys a chipboard and mayo sarnie for £1.60 and thinks it's a bargain (never liked tuna)? I do like the idea of a Tardis shop, tho - "To go with the tuna sarnie I'd like a Land Rover discovery, an Airbus 330.... oh, and a packet of Fisherman's Friends, thank you."

[Kaz]

I love those shops that look tiny from the outside, but once you're in stretch back a lonnnng way, filled with all sorts D calls them fiddly shops, that you can fiddle around in for ages