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“So, what ever happened to the Silly Ogs,” queried Ossie.
And that is indeed today's unanswered question!
Croesyceiliog FC, from near Cwmbran, were due to play a pre-season friendly match today at Devizes Town, and that had been the bird’s Plan A to open his 2021-22 footie season. However they apparently cried off about a week before
, leaving the Wiltshire club scrambling around trying to find replacement opposition. No reason seems to have been forthcoming – or made public, anyway – but it can’t have been Covid in the squad as they happily played a game last Tuesday evening. I believe that the Football Association of Wales don’t allow spectators at games at the moment, and maybe Croesy had been told not to travel to a “different country”, but even that can’t have been the reason as I’ll demonstrate below ...... Croesyceiliog translates from the Welsh as “The Cockerel’s Cross”. I should think Devizes were none too happy, either!
So, an alternative game had to be found, and after much rootlin’ around social media, I came up with another gem: Street vs Goytre United. Or was it Goytre United?
Well, Street seemed to think so on their Twitter feed, and even referenced a link to Goytre United’s Twitter account - but Goytre United were strangely quiet on the subject. By yesterday, however, Street had corrected themselves – it was indeed Ardal South East League (Welsh Tier 3) side Goytre from Penperlleni - which sounds vaguely Italian, but is in fact a village near Pontypool 
- and not Tier 2 club Goytre United, who are based in Port Talbot. The message still hadn’t got through to the gate staff at the Tannery Ground by Saturday lunch-time, though, as I overheard them greeting the opposition players:“Had a good trip from Port Talbot, then?”
“Err, no …..”
So, Ossie’s first visit to the Tannery Ground since July 2019, the home of “The Cobblers” (hence the title of this thread
) and it’s certainly looking very smart, spick and span. No material infrastructure changes, although I think a row of seats might have been taken out of the back of the far stand as the area in now set aside for standing spectators – I may be wrong though. The cafeteria hatch was open and an extensive menu was being offered. I arrived fairly early to ensure I secured parking under the trees alongside the main drive and received the usual warm welcome from a club I’ve always found to be friendly.I’d come armed with a pre-printed Track and Trace form, down-loaded as requested on Street’s website.
However, I wasn’t asked for it, they were just running a book of names and phone numbers, which I duly supplied, although it’s not my fault that they wrote the number down incorrectly . I did mask up to go in, but nobody else was wearing one inside the ground, and less than 100 fans in a purportedly 1,500 capacity stadium didn’t pose many problems over social distancing. The bar was open but I didn’t venture inside; instead I ordered food from the outside hatch and sat at one of the patio tables to consume it before wandering round to the far side of the ground and claiming an isolated seat in the stand. As for the game, Goytre – who turned out to be from the same league as Croesyceiliog, so bang goes the FaW no spectators / no travelling theory - proved more than a stern test for the Cobblers, although to be fair, this was Street’s first pre-season friendly whilst Goytre already had at least four under their belt, having played throughout June.
Once the game settled down, Goytre always looked the more dangerous side, especially when their tricky left-wing forward player was getting around the back of the home defence. Street were restricted to half chances, and those attempts were easily dealt with by a very competent-looking keeper. Just when it looked like a goal-less first half was on the cards, Street’s no.10 was brought down on the edge of the area; the referee took a long hard look at the positioning of it, and awarded the spot kick. The Street player took the spot-kick himself but the shot was placed rather than wellied
, and Goytre’s keeper saved low down to his right. Goytre promptly took the ball up the other end; it ricocheted around the home goalmouth, and finished up in the net. I’m not sure the player who claimed the goal knew an awful lot about it! 
Street looked more purposeful at the start of the second half, and even dangerous at times, especially when they brought on one of their young substitutes up front, (I think his name was Korey Andrews, a 17 yo, and I'll be watching out for him in future), but unfortunately he sustained what looked like a wrist injury in an aerial clash with the Goytre keeper, so it was a short debut. Goytre, meanwhile, had made it 0-2 on 62m when their no.11 had juggled the ball past a defender and rocketed it home from around 15 yards out. Street kept going but simply couldn’t get anything on target today; an entertaining game but no arguing over the result of this one.
03/07/2021: Pre-Season Friendly
Street 0 Goytre 2
Admission £3 (cash or contactless), no programme.
Admission ticket doubled as a raffle ticket for a £50 prize; won by number 4, guess who had number 3 …..
Cheeseburger £3.50, attendance 75
Finally, more lunacy from the FA. When all the restructuring was announced in June, and teams told what leagues they were going to be playing in, Ardley United and Easington Sports, from near Bicester and Banbury respectively, found themselves flung into the Hellenic League, meaning trips to Bristol, Herefordshire and Wiltshire. So they decided to appeal in the hope of getting switched to something a bit more local. I believe the conversation went something like this:
“We’d like to appeal against our placements, please.”
“That’s fine, it’ll be £100 for costs incurred, payable up front, non-refundable.”
“OK, here’s the money then”
“Thank you very much. Appeal denied”
“What?! Hang on .. you haven’t heard it yet!”
“No appeal can be lodged after 31st March each year.”
“But …. You didn’t tell us what league we’d be in until June!”
“So what. You didn’t appeal before 31st March. Read the rules. NEXT!”
There was a happy outcome, however. The FA eventually relented, heard the appeals, and I think both clubs are now going into the South Midlands League.
).
One of the reasons for moving from the old ground was its poor drainage, but the new pitch has turned out to be worse, simply because it has become apparent that the laying of it was, well, completely botched. A specialist survey company recommended remedial drainage work be carried out (at an eye-watering cost) as the existing installation simply wasn’t “fit for purpose”, and although this has been completed over the last couple of months, the trench lines are still visible and the ground a bit threadbare in places – it definitely needs some further TLC before the regular season opens next month. So, pre-season matches are still taking place up the hill at Hardings Lane, but the only available changing rooms are down at Woodwater, so the players then have to trek back up the lane to the old ground before kick-off. The tea bar at Woodwater was also open, putting it well in contention today for the annual Refreshment Hut Furthest From The Pitch Award – at least ¼ mile! 
