A solo trip to Bracknell didn’t exactly have the hallmarks of a decent day out, logistical difficulties on the way there made it seem even more of a fool’s errand. But come five o’clock and having got three precious, and very deserved, points to move us out of the bottom three, I was very glad I made the effort and didn’t accept the local taxi drivers offer of dropping me off at Bracknell Cricket Club. The result itself wasn’t so much of a shock. We’ve been in decent form recently and aside from the 3-0 loss at home to Gosport last week, have picked up points and looked good in doing so. It was more the quality of the performance that stood out here as we pretty much had the game won inside five minutes and kept at bay one of the better footballing side in the league.
As days go, this was never going to be a long, beer fueled day for me as I was the only one of the London lot able to go, and the journey there wasn’t going to be as straightforward as it should have been. Bracknell’s ground isn’t actually that close to Bracknell station at all. Sandhurst is the nearest station and a short walk away, Bracknell station is some eight miles away. It was an easy run into Sandhurst last year, but it was a replacement bus there this time around, so I decided train to Bracknell, and a taxi to the ground was the best idea.
It all seemed simple enough so as I started my journey from Peckham after my now traditional lucky fry up -three fry ups and three wins this calendar year- I should have been at the ground roughly at two o’clock. The train was straight through with no worries and rather than use an app, I thought I’d just go with whatever the local taxi firm was. With my hindsight being fucking brilliant, I should have just used Bolt or Uber. Asking the cabbie to take me to Bracknell FC’s ground in Sandhurst, I got in and we set off. The usual chat ensued, with the driver asking me who was playing and if I’d been here before. I told him I had and that the replacement bus to Sandhurst had meant I had to travel a different route, and much to my surprise, he told me how I had got my bearing wrong and that the ground was actually much closer than I thought. Eight miles was far too big an estimate, and that actually the ground was walking distance from Bracknell station. There was a stroke of luck, I must have been looking at the wrong thing online. Shortly after we pull up and the driver tells me we’re at the ground. The only problem is that we’re at the ground of Bracknell Cricket Club.
Now, I’m sure Bracknell CC is a great place to play and the league setup in the Thames Valley Cricket League is very strong. But it wasn’t where I wanted or needed to be.
“Are you sure you don’t want to get out here?”
Yes, quite fucking sure, drive. Now can you take me to the ground I originally asked to go to in Sandhurst, please?
It was, of course, my fault that he went to the wrong place as I neglected to give him the full postcode upon entry into the taxi. Bracknell had played next-door to the cricket club, but have since moved to Sandhurst Town’s Bottom Meadow ground. It reminded me of the time the Isle of Wight branch of the Portsmouth Supporters Club went to watch Pompey at Derby, and were surprised by the lack of a crowd on the way in. There was a good reason for that, the coach driver had taken them to the Baseball Ground, and Derby had moved to Pride Park five years earlier. Bill, if you’re reading this, please feel free to confirm or deny this! It could have been worse, Dorchester Cricket Club once went to play Kilmington but had got the Kilmington in Devon confused with the one in Wiltshire and went to the wrong one, and as the story goes, Chukki Eribenne once signed for Ashford and turned up at Ashford in Kent, only to realise he had actually signed for Ashford in Middlesex…
My taxi trauma wasn’t over just yet though as his SatNav took him as far the Wellington Arms before he admitted defeat and has no idea where he was going. I said I’ll walk the rest as I now knew roughly where I was. I asked what the fare was and he told me it was £26.80 on the meter, but he wouldn’t charge me that as we’d gone the wrong way with a stop and a detour. Call it £25, he says. Fuck me, very generous. A bargain to not even get me to my actual destination. My return train from London was only a tenner. Recovering from the surgery performed on my bank balance, I eventually got to the ground at about a quarter to three, through the gates for £7 with my Blue Light discount, and time to have a look at the team.
We showed only one change from the Gosport defeat as Drew Eccott-Young returned from his one match ban following his red card at Didcot, Will Fletcher dropping to the bench. Drew coming in at right back immediately gave the side a bit more balance as we’d seemed a little top heavy last weekend. The Dodge provided the info on how we’d shape up and it would be a 4-3-3 with Moore, Ngalo and a deeper Olaf as the middle three, Shaq up top with Daws and JD either side. There were a couple of ex-Magpies in the Bracknell lineup as well as Billy Steadman started for them having made 11 appearances for us and scoring a couple of goal back in the 21/22 season, and Adam Mekki was on the home side’s bench, and those with good memories might recall him having a cup of coffee with us in 2011.
I had a quick chat with Dodge and Brian Churchill before the players came out, and I was slightly surprised to find Tommy Killick stood next to me as the coin toss took place in the middle. Turns out he has another touchline ban, although he and the league don’t seem to be sure why. So he stood next to the bench and the only real difference was he didn’t have an actual seat. It’s a shame really as the away bench at Bracknell is so bloody big, its about the only one in the league all our coaches and subs can fit on. After the toss took place and we ended up kicking towards the clubhouse, I trotted to that end from my position on halfway to see the other travelling fans and watch the game. I’d just walked past the corner flag when we went 1-0 up.
We’d won a very early throw in deep towards the corner on our right after some good running from JD. From said throw, more JD hip movement got Shaq away at the byline, and his cutback somehow missed everyone at the near-post, but not the onrushing Ollie Haste who found the bottom corner with a composed side footed finish from around about the penalty spot. I can’t think of many quicker goals that we’ve scored and it definitely helps settle any early nerves. It was the third goal of what’s been a good season for Ollie, and now that he’s sponsored by TSOF, we’ll be taking a portion of any credit he get for further goals and performances. We had kicked off at two minutes past the hour, by seven minutes past, we were 2-0 up.
It’s quite possible that our second came from a break from a Bracknell corner, but what seemed a speculative ball over the top left Bracknell’s keeper and a centre half looking at each other, both waiting for the other to deal with the bouncing ball. One man who had no interest in this particular waiting game was Shaq as he got in front of the defender, held him off and lobbed the ball over the stranded keeper for 2-0. Shaq now has 12 for the season and he was excellent all game here, and his performances and goals will be a big part in helping us keep clear of trouble. It was the perfect start and the second very well taken goal of the afternoon, and we knew we’d stand a good chance of getting out of those relegation places should we win. Now we just had to see out the remaining 85 minutes. It’s always ten past three when you’re winning and a quarter to five when you’re losing…
Despite not appearing to be quite the side they were last season, Bracknell still are a good side at this level and were looking to move into the playoff spots with a win, so they predictably looked for a response. A succession of corners came to little more than either catching practice for Jameson Horlick, or a workout for the foreheads of Will Spetch and Ed James, and the only effort of note the home team could muster was a 20 yard effort that stuck the underside of the bar and was bundled clear. Now, we were the wrong end for this, and the video from a home fans vlog is inconclusive, but The Dodge reliably informs me that Horlick is claiming fingertips on that one, so I’ll gladly agree and say it was hell of a save.
At the other end, we had chances to extend the lead. A Daws freekick went over the bar, some sublime work from Shaq including a lovely Zidane turn saw him create and opening at the byline that was a touch too narrow an angle, and we really should have had a third just before halftime as Bracknell did their best to gift us a goal. The home side had struggled when playing the ball around at the back and when a clearance from home keeper, Michael Eacott smashed into the back of one of their own players it presented JD with a brilliant chance. He had two choices, go for goal himself or square it for Shaq. Sadly, he didn’t really do either as the ball rolled wide of the far post. Was that the chance to put it to bed? Would that miss haunt us? This was the sort of shit we were asking ourselves as the halftime whistle blew and we took our 2-0 lead into the second half. Our questioned were answered inside the first 180 seconds of the half was we went 3-0 up.
More enterprising work down our righthand side saw the ball worked into Olaf’s feet. His trickery created half a yard but a Bracknell player was able to partially block. That block fell nicely to JD who had carried on his run, a quick touch to get it out of his feet and a well place toe-poke from the angle later and it was 3-0. It was a goal his play had deserved and was a real killer for the home side. Those of us behind the goal went mental with my pint, glasses and head all going in the celebrations. It was a vital cushion for us and totally ruined Bracknell’s plans of any early push for a comeback. As I regained my bearings and my sight, the game went into a bit more of a pattern of Bracknell passing the ball around nicely, the move breaking down, and us looking dangerous at the other end. Something else was dangerous at our end was the state of the bogs as the four portaloos seemed to have come straight from a festival. But that wasn’t going to dampen the mood.
Shaq came off for Fletch after he’d gone down with what we hope was just cramp, Jonny Efedje replaced Daws, and Olaf made way for Lewis Waterfield as we looked to see the game out. We could have had more than the three we got, Olaf seeing a shot well saved from the angle, Fletch’s trickery took him past the defence but he couldn’t squeeze the ball was Eacott in the home goal, and a scramble almost saw us get a fourth, but it was Bracknell who’d get the final goal. A deflection from a well worked free-kick crept past Horlick’s outstretched right hand for a consolation late on, but that’s all it was as the final whistle blew shortly after to give us the points that took us out the drop zone. It was a thoroughly deserved win with us being the better side and creating the better chances from whistle to whistle, and one that really does give hope that we can stay out those bottom four places.
No one had a bad game with everyone contributing to a pretty complete team performance. For all their possession Bracknell only had one shot from range and a deflected effort that went in as chances of note, and we never really looked like conceding from the multiple corners we had to defend. We retained the ball well, always looked dangerous and really did a proper job on them. The artificial pitch that wasn’t like our own 3G made no difference. Bracknell’s new surface is more sand based and looks a bit like a doormat, but it didn’t matter as we never looked like losing, and ultimately had the match won inside five minutes. If I had to pick a man of the match, it would be Shaq who was a problem all game for the home side. He took his goal brilliantly, pressed tirelessly and could have had more.
Chatting with The Dodge after the game he said how he was really happy with Horlick’s handling during the game, and that 90 minutes on the artificial hadn’t exactly been what he’d been training for this week. He trains fulltime with Luton and a lot of their training had centred on Marcus Rashford’s movement and finishing and how he cuts in the with the ball. Dodge wasn’t sure his half volleys were quite up to the drills Jameson, Tim Krul and Thomas Kaminski had been doing as Rashford prep for the week, but it didn’t seem to matter. I said my goodbyes to the folks there and headed to the Wellington Arms again, this time for a lift to the station that wouldn’t cost loads or take me the wrong way, as I met up with what we’ll describe as well oiled John and Charlie Krayne. They had sunk a few Stellas during the course of the day and as well as being their vocal selves behind the goal, and it was starting to catch up to John early on as he had no idea he’d left his phone in the pub pre-game, until the barman handed it back to him when they returned at fulltime. Photos will show how John had some Magpies based artwork on his head, and I hope that their driver, the very patient Lauren, had a nice and quiet ride back home!
I was very grateful to her for dropping me at the station, I even had time for a pint that only cost me £3 at the nearest pub, something that almost caused me to consider staying longer. But I got my train back with no issues and after a quick pitstop at McDonalds, it was off back to Peckham for the rest of the evening. Another successful away day to add to the collection after I’d also seen the other three games on the road this year. Sadly, work prevents me being at Tivvy for the Hedley Steele derby on Tuesday and the Hendon home game on Saturday, but I’m back in for the next three after that as we hopefully continue to pick up points and move clear of those relegation places. I’ll see some of you at Sholing, hopefully the football ground and not the fucking cricket pitch this time. SV.
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