I've been to The Tipton Sports Academy before, it's very close to home and just a short bus ride on the 313 from Wednesbury, but I have never seen Stapenhill, so my first competitive game of the season was a fairly easy choice, after all it saves me traipsing over to the wilds of Leicestershire (or are they from Derbyshire?). See, that's why I could never be a proper Groundhopper, I don't particularly like going too far out my way. Oh, and my geography is woeful.
My son Cameron has been a constant companion over the last few years but at 11 I fear he now thinks I'm a "bit sad", but because he had nothing better to do and because I assured him he would be allowed to kick a football around the perimeter of the ground he decided to come with me. It cost me extra pop and chocolate of course.
Lovely day for it though, maybe a bit too hot, I notice all the regulars at Tipton had bagged the seats at the back of the stand, only the last two rows were in the shade, south facing is great for a house but not quite so good for a football stand!
Stapenhill, playing in red, scored within two minutes, a nice start to their season back in the Alliance, but were pegged back almost immediately. I don't know who scored, I could look it up but then again I can't be bothered. There you go, yet another reason why I'm not a hopper, I have no attention to detail.
Tipton were awarded a dubious penalty towards the end of the first half, it looked like a 50-50 challange by the keeper on the forward but the referee saw it differently, if it was a foul then the keeper had to be red carded as he was definitely the last man, but he recieved only yellow so the ref was not only wrong but he is also a bottler! Lee Bullimore slotted home the spot kick.
2-1 at half time and off to the spacious Social Club to see if my real club Tamworth were winning, they certainly were, 4-0! Now I regretted not being there but I would never have got back in time for my night shift.
I spent most of the second half wandering around the ground and kicking a football at Cameron, then some more time trying to retrieve said football from the vicious nettles guarding the slope up to the Asda Superstore, I can still feel the stings on my hands, if only I knew more about alternative medicine then I might know what a dock leaf looks like. Tipton scored again and were never in any serious danger after that so a solid start for them.
Price: £5 for me and Cameron together.
Programme: £1.
Attendance: Officially 76 but I could only count 57.
Food: Only had a Lion Bar, wasn't really hungry.
Beer: Driving for this one so none, this won't last throughout the season!
2 comments:
Stapenhill is part of Burton, so it's in Staffordshire.
There you go! Told you my geography was rubbish.
Thanks anyway.
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