Damage in the Box!: West Midlands Regional League

It was FA cup time once again as the competition moved into the 1st Qualifying Round. Work commitments meant I had to choose a tie that was close enough to get to after one had completed ones hours.

It was Hobson's Choice really as there was only one game that allowed me to do this and, as luck would have it, it turned out to be a cracking cup tie.

Formed in 1899, Wolverhampton Casuals, of the West Midlands Regional League, were taking on Tividale, of the Midland Football Alliance, one step higher. This is the first time the sides had met in two seasons, when both sides were in the WMRL (Tividale were promoted in 2011).

This was only the second ever FA Cup tie staged at Casuals Brinsford Stadium, their first being in the last round when they beat Pilkington XXX 2-0.

On a glorious sunny afternoon, it was a pretty even first half with both sides having decent chances. Dan Watson in the home goal though had to work slightly harder to keep the score blank.

However, as the half entered stoppage time, Dean Clarke cut in from the wing and fired a low shot, which beat Tim Beech at his near post, to give the homesters an interval lead.

The Cassies were just four minutes away from a cup upset when James Cooper scored a fantastic volley from the edge of the box to take the game to a replay.

On the balance of play in the second period it was no more than Tivi deserved as The Casuals struggled to get out of their own half such was the domination of the visitors. Tividale missed numerous chances, hit the crossbar and it did appear that the Cassies had lady luck on their side, had ridden the storm and were going to hold on.

Maybe it needed something special to break their stubborn resistance and that is indeed what Cooper provided. Someone in the crowd filmed the goal if you want to take a peep.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmdmmVy74n8

The replay will take place next Tuesday at The Beeches.

Wolverhampton's Brinsford Stadium is pretty basic, with just a small seated stand, but it certainly makes the most of what it has got. The man on the gate, as you drive in, was incredibly welcoming and was happy to pass the time of day.

There is a small clubhouse, but the best has to be The Cassies Cafe. The pie, chips & gravy were served on a proper plate and the portions were generous to say the least.

All in all a great day out at a very friendly club and I would recommend a visit to anyone.

Saturday 8th September 2012
FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round
Wolverhampton Casuals 1-1 Tividale
Attendance: 104 (h/c)

On a cold and frosty morning it's always worth having a few options to choose from. When the first 5 games on my shortlist bit the dust, or should that be bit the ice, I was starting to get a bit worried.

However, there is no point getting oneself worked up and, eventually, upon calling Gornal Athletic I finally received an affirmative, so it was a short trip down the A41 to the West Midlands.

I had been tipped off by many groundhoppers that Garden Walk is an absolute gem of a ground with bags of character and they were not kidding.

The ground is dominated by a huge bank of terracing which immediately hits you as you enter through the gate. The ground, in keeping with most of Gornal, is built into a hill so when you enter at street level the pitch is below you. On the other side of the ground, at pitch level, there is a small covered stand, where the 25 or so 'Peacock Ultras' were gathered!

There are plenty of GBG's in Dudley (of which Gornal is part of) and the surrounding area to choose from but pre-match was spent in the Black Bear, which has it's own brew and a fine selection of guest ales, playing darts and admiring the views from the window (again this pub is another place built into a hill).

Gornal Athletic play in the West Midlands Regional League (step 6 of the pyramid) and are having a terrific season so far, lying in second place at the start of play, having lost only 2 games all season, seven points behind the leaders Black country Rangers, but with four games in hand.

Opponents Stafford Town were down in 16th position at the start of play, but again with plenty of games in hand on the teams in and around them.

The game was a routine win for the homesters, despite the best efforts of Stafford. Gornal were leading 1-0 at the interval through a Mark Swann goal after 28 minutes, when a superb through ball split the Stafford defence and Swann rounded the goalkeeper to fire home. The Peacocks could have extended their lead but were guilty of wayward finishing.

Early in the scecond half Stafford had a great chance to equalise but the No7 missed an absolute sitter. This was to prove costly as after 60 minutes Swann headed home his second goal of the afternoon.

Gornal began to dominate, as Stafford began to fade, but again wayward finishing and bad luck, kept the score down. Substitute Ravi Sangha added two late goals to give the scoreline a more accurate reflection of the game.

A good day out in the West Midlands and a visit to Gornal comes highly recommmended, but use public transport, if you know what I mean!