Showing posts with label Hedge-End. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hedge-End. Show all posts
Sunday, 21 August 2011
Burridge AFC 1-0 Hedge-End Rangers Reserves
The majority of this blog was written between 7:52 and 8:42am with a Holiday Inn ballpoint pen on a wet Thursday morning in McDonald's car-park, Hedge-End; the morning after Burridge's narrow 1-0 pre-season win over Hedge-End Rangers reserves. You can get the very latest Burridge news by joining the club's Facebook page, which you can find by clicking here, and Twitter feed, which is here.
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"What's wrong with playing left-back?” I asked Marc Judd and Kristian Hewitt. Both have featured there at some time or another during pre-season; and as we sat in the pub, assessing our latest performance over a bowl of chips, I wanted to know why neither of them enjoy playing there.
“It's boring,” shrugged Kristian. “Name me a left-back?”
“Ashley Cole?” I said, as Kristian looked down into his pint. “What about Paolo Maldini?”
Kristian didn't look convinced. His oldest brother, Marcus – who had once again refereed us, offered an explanation.
“They both know,” he said. Know what? I thought, as he moved forward and said, “that after left-back there's nowhere else to go.”
And there it was. Getting gradually withdrawn into a more and more defensive position was, in some people's opinion, nature's way of telling you that you were finished as a footballer.
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I had stopped off at Texaco on the way to Burridge for two packets of Airwaves gum, where I made a pact with myself to actually enjoy tonight's game. Two-and-half hours later, as Marcus Hewitt blew the final whistle, I remembered that a player's enjoyment of a game is measured by how well he plays in it. No amount of pacts in petrol station car parks was going to determine how much I enjoyed a game if I couldn't take a satisfactory throw-in.
Why? Or more importantly what was the chain of events that led this to happen?
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I had stopped off at Texaco on the way to Burridge for two packets of Airwaves gum, where I made a pact with myself to actually enjoy tonight's game. Two-and-half hours later, as Marcus Hewitt blew the final whistle, I remembered that a player's enjoyment of a game is measured by how well he plays in it. No amount of pacts in petrol station car parks was going to determine how much I enjoyed a game if I couldn't take a satisfactory throw-in.
Why? Or more importantly what was the chain of events that led this to happen?
During the game the ball soon came to symbolise a wayward stepson – few wanted it, fewer still were able to bring it under control, and pretty much everyone despised it. One of the great things about playing football is that once you're lost in a game you forget all of life's problems. Mainly because they are quickly replaced with a whole set of new ones. These problems are, admittedly, fairly superficial in comparison to paying the bills; but you try telling that to Kristian Hewitt when you've lost possession on the half-way line. In the first-half he carried on like a sales manager with a raging stomach ulcer - blaming his health on what he considered to be incompetent staff. Mark Reeves got an earful once or twice. As I have mentioned in a previous blog, I could empathise with Reeves.
Hedge-End's reserves play a couple of rungs down the Southampton League than us, (click here to see who they're up against this year), and judging by this performance it's clear they've bolstered their squad this season. They are managed by former Burridge midfielder, Rich Allan - who very nearly opened the scoring with a half volley from the edge of the box. As he made his way back into position I saw a big smile on his face - there's life in the old dog yet, especially if there's a chance of a goal.
We were without both our first choice centre-backs - Kev Willsher and Ryan Hurst, who were replaced by Sam Hewitt and Dave Williams, who brought a 'take no prisoners approach' to his work. Also missing due to injury were Lee Fielder, Ben Rowe, Paul Andrews and Dan Jackson. Not that Hedge-End had it all their own way so far as team selection go. They too were smarting from the loss of former Burridge full-back, Jay Schwodler, who is on holiday in Australia.
Hedge-End will wonder how they didn't score. They created a number of chances, most notably through Kev Judd, who created three opportunities for himself; so, perhaps the sight of his older brother lining up a free-kick with his left-foot may have got under his skin. He, along with his team mates, hotly disputed the referee's decision to give us a free-kick on edge of box.
"It's like the referee wants them to win," said Kev, realising that his older brother, and opponent - Marc, was capable of floating the ball into the net with his left foot. The free-kick didn't get past Hedge-End's defensive wall, and it was they who had further clear chances to score. It was Dan Allen who in provided the defining moment of the game. Under the quiet demeanour and mousy fringe lurks a young man who is only ever one drink away from breaking the law.
With Burridge goalkeeper -Jones, off his line, Dan had taken up a position on the goal line, which was crucial as a Hedge-End shot cleared Jones' reach, and would have ended up in our top corner had Dan not headed it off the line. It's highly unlikely he will be credited for any diligence or positional sense. People write the history they choose to believe in. The reasoning behind Dan's position will be many: people would rather believe he was dawdling there from Hedge-End's previous corner kick, or he was looking at the sky for clouds that looked like Cheryl Cole, or even he'd just found a good spot to eat worms.
It was Chris Pye, who was having a quiet game by his standards, who set up our winning goal ten minutes from time. He left his marker standing on the right and squared the ball for Ali Ingram to side foot the ball neatly past the goalkeeper's right. I received a text from Hedge-End's Bryn Schwodler later that evening, asking how we had got on. The final score surprised him, as he believed we would have enjoyed a more comfortable win. The win was far from comfortable, but maybe all the more beneficial as a pre-season exercise because of that.
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| (Pictured above) Hedge-End reserves manager, Rich Allan, during his days in the Burridge engine room. NB Mike's is a long-standing men's barbers in Hedge-End, Southampton. |
Hedge-End's reserves play a couple of rungs down the Southampton League than us, (click here to see who they're up against this year), and judging by this performance it's clear they've bolstered their squad this season. They are managed by former Burridge midfielder, Rich Allan - who very nearly opened the scoring with a half volley from the edge of the box. As he made his way back into position I saw a big smile on his face - there's life in the old dog yet, especially if there's a chance of a goal.
We were without both our first choice centre-backs - Kev Willsher and Ryan Hurst, who were replaced by Sam Hewitt and Dave Williams, who brought a 'take no prisoners approach' to his work. Also missing due to injury were Lee Fielder, Ben Rowe, Paul Andrews and Dan Jackson. Not that Hedge-End had it all their own way so far as team selection go. They too were smarting from the loss of former Burridge full-back, Jay Schwodler, who is on holiday in Australia.
Hedge-End will wonder how they didn't score. They created a number of chances, most notably through Kev Judd, who created three opportunities for himself; so, perhaps the sight of his older brother lining up a free-kick with his left-foot may have got under his skin. He, along with his team mates, hotly disputed the referee's decision to give us a free-kick on edge of box.
"It's like the referee wants them to win," said Kev, realising that his older brother, and opponent - Marc, was capable of floating the ball into the net with his left foot. The free-kick didn't get past Hedge-End's defensive wall, and it was they who had further clear chances to score. It was Dan Allen who in provided the defining moment of the game. Under the quiet demeanour and mousy fringe lurks a young man who is only ever one drink away from breaking the law.
With Burridge goalkeeper -Jones, off his line, Dan had taken up a position on the goal line, which was crucial as a Hedge-End shot cleared Jones' reach, and would have ended up in our top corner had Dan not headed it off the line. It's highly unlikely he will be credited for any diligence or positional sense. People write the history they choose to believe in. The reasoning behind Dan's position will be many: people would rather believe he was dawdling there from Hedge-End's previous corner kick, or he was looking at the sky for clouds that looked like Cheryl Cole, or even he'd just found a good spot to eat worms.
It was Chris Pye, who was having a quiet game by his standards, who set up our winning goal ten minutes from time. He left his marker standing on the right and squared the ball for Ali Ingram to side foot the ball neatly past the goalkeeper's right. I received a text from Hedge-End's Bryn Schwodler later that evening, asking how we had got on. The final score surprised him, as he believed we would have enjoyed a more comfortable win. The win was far from comfortable, but maybe all the more beneficial as a pre-season exercise because of that.
Wednesday, 9 June 2010
Coming close to calling it a day in a Hungry Horse pub chain
I collected the Burridge team kit from the laundrette after work. The girl behind the counter made small talk about when I'd be bringing it back. All I knew was that I'd spent the past thirteen years playing football for Burridge with my friends; and slinging the kit into the boot of my car, I was convinced I'd never pull that blue and black striped jersey over my head ever again.
Rumours of a split to Hedge-End Reserves began circulating ever since a wet March afternoon in Hiltingbury when Pete Lyons said he was stepping down after fours years as manager. Hedge-End isn't just a motorway junction closer to home for many of Burridge's squad, with their reserve side due to be in a lower division, Hedge-End means a shot at a miniature plastic footballer perched on a marble base with the word champions engraved in it.
Hedge-End's kinder on your wallet too. Player subscription fees at Burridge are £5 per match, which covers the cost of maintaining the pitch and the referee's fee. Hedge End charge an unprecedented rate of only £2. What's more, a pint of lager from their social club costs the same price. If you impressed in training you even stood a chance of getting called up by the first team. Not something to be sniffed at.
A Facebook message went out to all eighteen of the Burridge squad to find out their plans for next season. The only player to fully commit to Burridge was Paul Andrews, a six foot plus striker with a dislike of heading and a dodgy back. Nobody wanted the responsibility of splitting up a bunch of friends, who as the years have passed relied on football as one of the few times they socialised together. Not even for £2 a pint.
Paul Dyke had text me from his sight seeing holiday in New York. Having seen all there was to see, he wanted a meeting with the players on his return. He was prepared to sacrifice his playing days as a vocal cog of the back four at the age of 31 to become the new Burridge manager. We arranged to meet at 7pm on Thursday at the Shamblehurst Barn in Hedge-End, to find out if the club had a future.
I got to the pub early and sat down with a coke, trying hard not to listen to a couple sat in the corner having a heart to heart. The man looked more interested in his plate of onion rings than staying together. Paul Dyke arrived at 7:05pm. Contrary to being a ginger haired, teetotal, accountant, Dyke is confident, loud and talkative, and had no problems in filling the ten minutes before anyone else turned up with the sound of his voice. By 7:20pm Marc Judd, Paul Andrew and Ben Rowe joined sat around a table while Dyke read out an alphabetical list of last season's squad. He got as far as the name of Burridge captain Kristian Hewitt and went quiet.
Hewitt has scored goal of the season for the last two years running and can play well in any position, including goalkeeper, but football has been knocked down in his list of priorities by the birth of his son, and the organisation of Burridge top goalscorer, Bryn Schwodler's stag weekend in Bristol. Hewitt's biro scribble on a Burridge signing on form would be enough for several other players to follow suit. Without, the club was dead in the water. Dyke rang Hewitt, he was coming.
Hewitt pushed open double doors covered in promotional flyers telling him that it was Big Grill Thursday. The walk indoors from the car-park isn't much shorter than the distance from his back garden to Hedge-End's home dressing rooms. There were no seats left when he arrived so he stood at one end of the table as Dyke led the cross examination. “Will you stay at Burridge?” Asked Dyke. Five pairs of eyes looked up towards Hewitt as he sipped beer and nodded: “I'm too old to be trying to impress anyone,” he said. If good men like Hewitt are willing to turn their back on a £2 pint you know that you have a club worth staying at. I celebrated by stopping off on the way home at McDonald's with two cheese burgers.
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Rumours of a split to Hedge-End Reserves began circulating ever since a wet March afternoon in Hiltingbury when Pete Lyons said he was stepping down after fours years as manager. Hedge-End isn't just a motorway junction closer to home for many of Burridge's squad, with their reserve side due to be in a lower division, Hedge-End means a shot at a miniature plastic footballer perched on a marble base with the word champions engraved in it.
Hedge-End's kinder on your wallet too. Player subscription fees at Burridge are £5 per match, which covers the cost of maintaining the pitch and the referee's fee. Hedge End charge an unprecedented rate of only £2. What's more, a pint of lager from their social club costs the same price. If you impressed in training you even stood a chance of getting called up by the first team. Not something to be sniffed at.
A Facebook message went out to all eighteen of the Burridge squad to find out their plans for next season. The only player to fully commit to Burridge was Paul Andrews, a six foot plus striker with a dislike of heading and a dodgy back. Nobody wanted the responsibility of splitting up a bunch of friends, who as the years have passed relied on football as one of the few times they socialised together. Not even for £2 a pint.
Paul Dyke had text me from his sight seeing holiday in New York. Having seen all there was to see, he wanted a meeting with the players on his return. He was prepared to sacrifice his playing days as a vocal cog of the back four at the age of 31 to become the new Burridge manager. We arranged to meet at 7pm on Thursday at the Shamblehurst Barn in Hedge-End, to find out if the club had a future.
I got to the pub early and sat down with a coke, trying hard not to listen to a couple sat in the corner having a heart to heart. The man looked more interested in his plate of onion rings than staying together. Paul Dyke arrived at 7:05pm. Contrary to being a ginger haired, teetotal, accountant, Dyke is confident, loud and talkative, and had no problems in filling the ten minutes before anyone else turned up with the sound of his voice. By 7:20pm Marc Judd, Paul Andrew and Ben Rowe joined sat around a table while Dyke read out an alphabetical list of last season's squad. He got as far as the name of Burridge captain Kristian Hewitt and went quiet.
Hewitt has scored goal of the season for the last two years running and can play well in any position, including goalkeeper, but football has been knocked down in his list of priorities by the birth of his son, and the organisation of Burridge top goalscorer, Bryn Schwodler's stag weekend in Bristol. Hewitt's biro scribble on a Burridge signing on form would be enough for several other players to follow suit. Without, the club was dead in the water. Dyke rang Hewitt, he was coming.
Hewitt pushed open double doors covered in promotional flyers telling him that it was Big Grill Thursday. The walk indoors from the car-park isn't much shorter than the distance from his back garden to Hedge-End's home dressing rooms. There were no seats left when he arrived so he stood at one end of the table as Dyke led the cross examination. “Will you stay at Burridge?” Asked Dyke. Five pairs of eyes looked up towards Hewitt as he sipped beer and nodded: “I'm too old to be trying to impress anyone,” he said. If good men like Hewitt are willing to turn their back on a £2 pint you know that you have a club worth staying at. I celebrated by stopping off on the way home at McDonald's with two cheese burgers.
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