Damage in the Box!: SHIREBROOK TOWN (Langwith Road)

While the focus of the media attention today is turned to the beginning of the Premiership season and all its grossly overpaid prima donnas (how can anybody justify player wages in excess of £100,000 a week?) it has been overlooked that today also marks the beginning of the 2008/09 FA Cup. Yes, that’s right, the FA Cup! It doesn’t start on the first Saturday of January you know!

396 teams across the length of the country start on their road to Wembley this weekend. Alas, we know that none of the teams that were in the hat today will have any chance of reaching Wembley, indeed many will be lucky to make it to the 1st qualifying round but that isn’t the point, the fact is though that the dream is there and we can all dream, can't we?.

With 198 cup games being played today the choice was simply overwhelming. Where do I go? I based my decision on the most scientific system that is known to humankind...I simply stuck a pin in the fixture list! The fickle finger of fate landed on Shirebrook Town v Causeway United.

Shirebrook is a former mining town inbetween Chesterfield and Mansfield, just off junction 29 of the M1. The football team plays in the Northern Counties East League, which is four leagues below the Conference. The opposition Causeway United hail from Birmingham (though they groundshare with Stourbridge) and play in the Midland Alliance league, again four leagues below the Conference. I think it always makes for an interesting tie when teams from differing leagues are paired together, usually due differing styles and standards between the leagues.

After enduring a nightmare journey along the A6, thanks to a combination of roadworks, caravans and lorries it was gone past 2pm before I was parked up at the ground. Thanks to the directions off the Shirebrook website, Langwith Road was pretty straight forward to find. I paid my £5 admission and another £1 for a decent 44 page programme (but no staples!) and entered the ground. The beauty of going around many different grounds is that you just don’t know what you are going to get in terms of a ground, as the variation in standards is amazing!

Today, i’m happy to report, was a pleasant surprise. Two fairly decent covered seated stands, separated by a small gap on one side of the ground and terracing on the other three sides. The pitch looked in great nick too. First port of call was to the refreshment bar where a northern speciality of chips and mushy peas was purchased, sadly lacking some gravy but still a bargain at £1.50. It was then off to the directors box, err, portacabin to try and find out which potential heroes would be lining up today. Here is where you find what I think is the essence of watching non-league. The chairman greeted me with a smile, was extremely helpful with the team-news and was genuinely pleased that I have come to watch his club. You actually feel valued and appreciated as a football supporter instead of just being a nameless customer number. After a conversation asking me the usual questions of where i’d travelled from, why i’d come here and generally putting the football world to rights, the Chairman assured me i’d see an entertaining game, especially as Shirebrook had lost their two opening games of the season 6-2 and 4-1.

The visitors took the game to the hosts from the off and clearly looked a stronger, fitter side and created numerous chances within the opening 10 minutes, mainly from set pieces. It was no surprise when they took the lead on 19 minutes. A great run down the left from Stuart How left two defenders in his wake before cutting into the penalty area and laying it on for a simple tap in for Danny Jones. For the rest of the first half Causeway had plenty of possession but didn’t seem to create anymore clear chances and Shirebrook started to creep back into the game with a couple of half chances.

The second half was in complete contrast to the first, as whatever the Shirebrook manager said at half time had the desired effect. They looked a different team. Shirebrook had a chance to equalise on 54 minutes when they were awarded a penalty for handball but Aaron Brady’s weak effort was easily saved by Todd Henderson. The equaliser was not long in coming when on 64 minutes a cross from the right was headed home by Joe Taylor and it was Taylor again who 6 minutes later gave Shirebrook the lead when he burst through into the area to shoot home. The game was now end-to-end as Causeway chased an equaliser and in the 91st minute it duly came when a dipping volley from Stuart How flew into the top corner. All back to Stourbridge for a replay on Wednesday or so the crowd thought! There was still time for Shirebrook to snatch a dramatic 94th minute winner when a cross into the area was flicked on and the ball fell nicely to substitute Nat Watson to volley home from 12 yards.

The magic of the cup! A great game for the 97 people in attendance and a great advert for non-league football.

Bring on the next round...