Shots, Hammers and Russians

None of my first ten games this season had produced a home win. I went to five games last week and they were ALL home wins.

The results were: AFC Bournemouth 1-0 Aldershot Town (League Two), Hamworthy United 3-2 Buckland Athletic (FA Cup), Fulham 3-1 Amkar Perm (Europa League), Whyteleafe 2-1 Walton Casuals (Ryman League) and Barnet 5-0 Colchester United (FA Women’s Premier League Cup).

Last Wednesday was allegedly the hottest day of the year and there were an estimated 100,000 people on the beach at Bournemouth where I was staying for a couple of nights. The Dorset village of Hamworthy is a 17-minute train ride away – going through Branksome, Parkstone and Poole – and their football team had an FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round replay against a Devon outfit called ‘Buckland Athletic’.

It was still warm when they kicked-off in front of 129 fans at the County Ground and it turned out to be my best game of the season. Buckland were awarded a penalty after the home ‘keeper had grabbed one of their strikers instead of the bouncing ball. He saved the spot-kick brilliantly but the taker followed up to score. It was the only goal of the first half.

About 20 insect bites later, mostly on my hands, 'Hammers' emerged 3-2 winners and now have a home tie with Frome Town to look forward to at the weekend.

A seat at the Putney End for Fulham’s Europa League game with Amkar Perm from Russia cost me £15, a pound less than it was to watch Bournemouth in League Two. Fulham’s new signing, Damien Duff, came on as a substitute and almost immediately contributed to their third goal. The person on my left became demented. “Duff! Duff! Duff! Duff!” he kept shouting as he jumped up and down. No, this wasn’t a child.

There’s something pleasingly surreal about going to a ground that you visited a lot in the 1960s and finding that they’re playing ‘60s music leading up to kick-off. Whyteleafe’s Church Road ground is barely recognisable now from how it used to be. There was no terracing 40-odd years ago and the only cover was a little shack on the halfway line with a hole in the corrugated roof.

When I first went, it was sixpence to get in. For Saturday’s Ryman Division One South fixture with Walton Casuals, it cost me eight quid. It was a decent game though, ‘Leafe’s huge goalkeeper making a series of courageous blocks to help them to three points. Then it was back to Mum’s flat in Purley for some more World Championship athletics on the box.

Sunday’s game was an FA Women’s Premier League Cup Preliminary Round tie between Barnet and Colchester United at Hanwell. I counted 46 people watching in the warm sunshine as Barnet slipped into a 3-0 lead by half-time. The visitors had no answer to the pace and skill of their forward line, although there were no goals after the 71st minute. Barnet now go to Chelsea in the First Round.