I sincerely want to thank all the Gold and Black Brakes army for their tremendous dedication, backing and support during my 4 and a half years at the football club .
It’s been the worst feeling of my non league career over the last few days having to sever ties with the club .
Everyone will have their opinion on the whys and the wherefores of my departure but as you’re all probably aware, I didn’t decide to leave .
The Chairman has been fantastic and we have had several conversations about this scenario. He was of course disappointed that it has come to this end. The board get lots of stick as it is, so seriously, go easy on them 😉
We’ve had some fantastic times over the years, up and down the country in all kinds of elements …you’ve been there for us! Your vocal support in great numbers is something you should all be very proud of and trust me the players and staff are lifted and very proud to know you are are ours. Keep supporting the team through thick and thin, good times and not so good. I’m sure that more success is literally just round the corner ( I hope so !) ….
Ultimately all good things generally have to come to an end, although this one was slightly more abrupt for me. I will never forget memories like my first game, Hemel away and Michael Tuohy’s late equaliser …the night down in Chippenham with 200 + of you sucking that ball in, then the Southern Prem championship clincher at Bideford with Batch’s goal and the unforgettable celebrations that followed afterwards … Away trips to places like Telford, Stockport and Boston with big crowds in … Then finishing above Stockport County in the table in our first Conference season.
Happy Days……. :o)
A great achievement also that year was playing the three relegated Conference Premier Division teams Barrow, Stockport and Telford and NOT losing in any of the 6 fixtures. Another highlight for me was when I took charge of the team away up at Barrow when they were on fire, in horrendous conditions and grabbing a fantastic draw, great experience an even greater honour and one I’ll never forget .
Relegation from the Conference was obviously the lowest point for us all but the way you followed us with full support home and away was nothing short of BRILLIANT!
Make sure you ‘stay with’ the current group of players and staff ( and the board ) and get behind them when they are down and get behind them even more when they are up, starting tonight at Cambridge City .
Nothing would give me more pleasure than seeing Leamington get promoted again this season, and I mean that sincerely .
I shall definitely be at a game soon supporting the team from the terraces with you all. Keep the faith !
A new season and a new plan of grounds to visit, which should see me take in grounds of all stature and design!
First up is a visit to newly promoted AFC Solihull from the Midland League Division 3 who play at the Tudor Grange Sports centre 2 miles from my house in Solihull. The venue doubles us as an athletics stadium and interesting still has the hammer area in the far corner , which might explain the less than perfect pitch!
Today there has been a lot of interest from the hopping fraternity and the club have duly obliged by printing a decent programme at a cost of £1 each . These are sold within minutes of the kick off, as well as a small selection of snacks and drinks all at 50p each.
There is one decent benched stand which could easily cover 200 people , although today’s larger than average crowd of 60 odd is mainly stood in the sunshine.
Thankfully for me after my 22 mile bike ride en-route to the ground the grass bank will suffice.
AFC Solihull are eventually outclassed by league regulars Enville Athletic and I suspect they may struggle this year, overall though a great addition ground wise for the league.
Next up was Glossop North End who recently won there league and had in previous years been in the FA Vase final. This is a club on the up after last years fantastic run and promotion the supporters have have that thirst to keep winning.
Glossop were once in the football league and the town itself was once a vibrant northern mill town situated between Manchester and Sheffield. Some of the scenery as we drove up via Buxton was breathtaking and the roads in parts very steep!
The ground has a neat little bar at the main turnstile end and a small snack bar serving proper steak pies and gravy for £1.60, which were super.
There is a covered terrace on the one side and opposite is the main seated stand which needs some attention, behind the goal is another covered terrace and it’s in here that no less than 3 drummers are situated.
Added to the noise is a trumpeter and an old chap from today’s opponents who has a cow bell , totally bizarre as he continues to entertain the home fans.
The match itself is a decent cup tie and Prescot look set to get through until a goalkeeping hash lets the home team in to go and sneak a late winner much to the relief of the supporters.
It will be interesting to see how Glossop adapt this year on and off the pitch, but with crowds of 400 I can see them moving up another level at some stage.
San Marino is my next ground and indeed brings up my tally to 699, I am retiring at 700!
I missed out last time England played there due to lack of tickets and tonight 3,500 England fans turn up to see a fairly standard victory. The ground is Conference Premier standard although 2 toilets between 1,500 fans is just not acceptable at this level of football.
As ever outside the ground on the two hills that enclose it in are around 400 fans without tickets, who add to the atmosphere by chanting towards the north stand, all very weird!
The food and drinks are very cheap albeit lacking in choice, and the programme was £3 and well produced. Every thing is well organised including the 50 free coaches to ferry the England fans out of San Marino back into Rimini.
One bizarre moment was when two Blackpool fans unveil a banner in protest about their current chairman, there was some support but after 5 minutes tempers become a little frayed and a female supporter finally has words and tells them to sit down and stop blocking the view.
Sadly this was not the arena to try and gain support for a club in real trouble, this was also followed by abuse towards Fabian Delph from a number of Aston Villa fans unhappy with his antics.
A wonderful ground in a lovely warm atmosphere and a step closer to France …..which could mean a few more grounds, assuming I haven’t retired by then.
This season marks the tenth anniversary of this……..
…..which for the uninitiated, or those who weren’t following Brakes at time, was the 1st Round proper tie against Colchester United at Layer Road. It was our first entry into the competition since 1986/87, and we went all the way to the competition proper. Yes, we got hammered 9-1 but the run created such a buzz around the club, plenty of publicity was created and new fans attracted.
Jason Cadden’s side didn’t do it the easy way, either. The first tie, at home to NCEL outfit Sutton Town ended 0-0, meaning a trip up the M1 for a replay on the Tuesday night, which finished 2-2 after extra time, a certain Darran Tank smashing home the winning spot kick to see us through 9-8. So if our game against Stamford finishes all square, don’t get too despondent!!
A trip to Northern Premier League side Kidsgrove was next. They had thumped Stourbridge in a replay in the previous round, but a stunning strike from Leon Morgan saw us through, along with an amazing save late on from Paul Shepherd, who was to become one of the heroes of this cup run after he had replaced the injured Richard Morris during the game. Apparently the home supporters were rubbing their hands with glee, thinking he was an outfield player!!
The second qualifying round saw us pitted against fellow Midland Alliance side Oadby Town at home, and after a 2-2 draw (Can you see a theme developing here?), we won a penalty shootout 4-2 in the replay after a 1-1 draw, Shep doing us proud again.
Things were starting to get exciting now, and we were drawn at home again, to Northamptonshire village side Woodford United, in the next round. This would see us come against Adam Knight, who joined us the following summer and played a big part in the MFA double winning season.
On an awful afternoon weather wise, the rain teeming down for the duration of the match, and umbrellas in abundance, two goals from a young Alex Rodman secured a famous win for Leamington in front of over 1,000 fans, the scenes on a slippery North Bank will be forever remembered by all who were there. The goals ultimately earned Rodman a trip to Wembley as Brakes fans ensured that he won the Player of the Round award, in the days before the FA realised the people were multiple voting the crap out of their system.
The first round proper was so close now we could almost smell it, if indeed it smelt of anything at all. Ossett Town in Yorkshire was our destination, a club who played two levels above Leamington at Step 3. A convoy of coaches set off on the day with anticipation at fever pitch. This is where that FA Cup magic that is so talked about came into play. Prolific non league goalscorer James Walshaw put the home side into an early lead before the legendary Josh Blake equalised, tearing away from goal past some wannabe hooligans who had turned up trying to cause trouble (They were turfed out at half time) with his finger to his lips. SHHHHHHH!!! Then Jonny Adams put us ahead. I can still picture it now – the ball is played into the box, it’s half cleared or passed out just outside the D, and Adams smashes it first time, a deflection taking it past the keeper into the bottom corner. YESSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!! The players rush over to the terrace at the side to celebrate with the massed ranks of Brakes fans.
Into the second half. Richard Adams, top scoring hero of our Midland Combination title winning campaign, entered the fray. He was not happy at being named on the bench but reacted in the best possible way, latching onto a cute pass from Morgan to add a third goal for Leamington, but we weren’t quite there yet. Ossett get a goal back, and then Morgan is sent off for a spectacular diving save on the line as the minutes ticked away. Squeaky bum time now, and no mistake. The closing minutes seemed to last an eternity, but this was our time – the final whistle sparked a pitch invasion from jubilant Brakes fans, everybody dancing around in complete and utter joy.
Because of the local idiots trying to spoil things we weren’t allowed in the clubhouse to listen to the draw for the first round on the radio after the game, which was a huge shame, but it everybody was on tenterhooks as the ties were announced. Inevitably ours came out towards the end. ‘Colchester United…will play…….Leamington.’ A football league club, we’re happy with that!
Never mind the result, Saturday November 5th was a day to remember. Cadsey made a controversial team selection, putting Mozza in goal ahead of Shep, who had kept his place after the Kidsgrove tie for cup games. It was hard to feel really sorry for Shep but he was dignified to the last, and it’s open to question whether he would have done any better with the Colchester goals than Mozza did.
We kept them out for 39 minutes with a gallant performance, but two goals just before half time did for us really, and the floodgates opened in the second half. The 1,022 Brakes fans present barely stopped singing throughout. If only we could score a goal. U’s keeper Aidan Davison laughed and said ‘maybe one’ when he was asked ‘go on keeper, let us score a goal’; but there was no way he was keeping out that piledriver from Richard Adams that nearly took the roof off the terrace. The goal celebrations at the Bescot in the League Cup Final of 2007 apart, that was probably the maddest I’ve cheered a goal To this day I still don’t know who it was I head butted while we were all jumping around like mentalists.
Sadly, since that day, our stays in the FA Cup have been limited to one or two rounds at best. We’ve had some awful draws (Stourbridge, Brackley, Solihull Moors) and defeats to teams we really thought we should have beaten (Market Drayton & Daventry Town), but the one that hurt the most was probably last season, losing to Worcester City with the prize of Step 5 Greenwich Borough in the next round. Of course, we all know how Worcester went on to do, but that is consigned to history now. It simply wasn’t meant to happen for us.
We will be one of hundreds of teams hoping that this might be their year. Some have already had their dreams dashed, some don’t even have any FA Cup memories to look back on – imagine that? After all, we don’t have any more right than the next club to an FA Cup run, but it doesn’t stop you from dreaming.
If you’ve got a spare few minutes, take a look at this video. Even if Leamington aren’t your team, I defy you not to get just a little bit excited at the thought of an FA Cup run……..
Those among the Brakes support who followed the club during the early years at the New Windmill Ground will no doubt fondly remember the sterling work done by Brakes Videos in chronicling what turned out to be some truly memorable seasons in that are now consigned to history. From the 2002/2003 campaign up until the end of 2009/10, Phillip Rogers and latterly his Dad Nick filmed every game home and away, producing monthly highlights and end of season dvd’s among other things, that have allowed the nostalgic among us to be able to relive some really special days following Leamington FC.
Having spent several seasons behind the camera Nick decided to call it a day in 2010 so that he could concentrate on helping to establish the Brakes Trust supporters trust. Sadly although many mourned the end of being able to watch our goals back after games, nobody was prepared to step up and take over. Having stepped in to film the odd game here and there I know it isn’t easy to concentrate fully on games when watching through a small screen – I have enough trouble making sure I see everything when standing on the terraces! Phillip, Nick and also Daniel Weardon for a short time, all did a fantastic service to their fellow Brakes fans.
There was brief hope that connection might be re-established in late 2012 when a small group of students from the University of Warwick filmed the 3-0 victory over St Neots Town and were apparently going to return for future home games. Kevin Watson went to the trouble of getting a new camera gantry erected only for them to not show up again, later coming up with some excuse that it was only a one off thing.
With the team looking all set to secure the Southern League title towards the end of that season Nick Rogers stepped back behind the camera in order to capture the celebrations from the last few games for posterity, which was much appreciated by all.
Moving into the Conference North for the following two seasons we were not without video coverage of Brakes games altogether as the vast majority of clubs at that level film their games, though sadly not all share them online.
Fortunately, salvation was on the horizon. At our home fixture against Harrogate Town on January 18th 2014 we had a camera man present at the NWG again, and not just one either. Coventry University student Nick Leek had been made aware the football club were looking for somebody to film their games, and along with friends and fellow students Scott Hanna and Steve Hird, they stepped in to fill the gap.
22 year old Coventry born Sky Blues fan Nick looks back on the day he discovered the vacancy as a bit of a defining moment with regard to his university course. “A few months before starting at Leamington, I wasn’t doing very well with Media related projects. Confidence was very low, University was tough..and then I was informed of a vacancy at the club regarding filming matches. Bearing in mind that things hadn’t been going well for me at the time, I immediately said yes to the chance, and used it as a fresh start and have not looked back. Filming and Football are two things I am passionate about, so combining both interests like that seemed perfect to me. Some at the University were not so keen on it, even though the first few months were simply classed as “work experience” to add to our portfolios for our intended future media careers. They insinuated that it would all be “a waste of time” and that we should be looking to go abroad instead (being told this by highly paid individuals was difficult to accept bearing in mind we were the students affected by the higher tuition fees!!). So after basically being told not do take the opportunity, we did the opposite because we felt we would benefit from it, and we bloody have! We enjoy it and don’t regret it at all (apart from when it it’s freezing and/or raining, but that’s a story for another day!).”
Many supporters of the club who have been involved with spreading the word to the residents of the local area are only too aware that despite Brakes enjoying reasonably healthy gates for the levels they have been playing at, there are still a vast number who are not even aware that the football club exists, and Nick readily admits that he was one of these before becoming involved, but has gradually become a convert. “Being a football fan, you sort of know that pretty much every city or town probably has a football team at some level. In regards to Leamington, I knew a goalkeeper who played for Bashley a number of years ago, and I remember him talking about a few teams that were located near me in their league at the time, which Leamington were. Other than that, I didn’t know anything about Leamington until I began filming. When I first started I wasn’t too bothered but I do consider myself a fan now. It was a bit of a weird experience for me when Leamington took on a Coventry City XI in pre season, I wasn’t sure who to cheer for! When I’m not filming Brakes and they are playing, I do look out for their results.”
Although the way most clubs in the lower levels produce their highlights on You Tube has improved over the years with access to newer technology and such like, the lads were not given any strict guidelines to stick to when they started filming Leamington’s games, so Steve created the sleek looking graphics we see on the You Tube page which display team line ups and such like at the beginning. The decision to use three cameras was something that sets the videos apart from most, with the opportunity for action replays of key moments from different angles, as Nick explains:
“We honestly had no idea how we would put the games together originally. It was suggested to put together highlights between 10-15 minutes if possible, but how to do it was totally up to us. We weren’t really told what to do, where to place the cameras etc. We wanted to try and make it all look as professional as possible, so we nicked a few ideas from Match Of The Day for graphics, Multi-Camera techniques from Sky Sports, etc, and we went from there. The main reason why we wanted to have more than one camera was so that the videos would simply stand out a lot more. The majority of non-league clubs (the teams that film) have just the one camera, so again, to make Leamington stand out, we wanted our highlights to look the part. Adding alternative angles and slow-mo replays definitely helped us, especially because some areas of the pitch are quite restricted at some angles. Plus, it also helps to have back up cameras just in case something goes wrong!
“Our first few games, looking back, weren’t too pretty for us. We did ok considering we had never filmed football matches before, but the job is a big one so we were quick to learn that we had to be fully committed to this for it to work. As some Brakes fans may remember, we took a while to get the games online initially (here is your apology for that!). Editing the games, making the graphics, exporting the video, uploading the video…its a long process that we took a while to get used to.”
Fortunately there haven’t been too many interruptions since the Brakes Official You Tube channel went online early last year, but one game during 2014/15 stands out for Nick, and Scott in particular…
“Our second match turned into a bit of a horror show. Leamington vs Oxford City, abandoned after just 12 minutes due to heavy rain. Scott was the unfortunate soul on the tower that day. The heavy rain and wind almost pushed the tower over while Scott was obviously still up there. I could hardly move from my stand because the rain was so heavy, and I also had to try to hold onto the camera/tripod because it was close to being blown out of the stand! Steve, who was the third camera man at the time, was running inside with his camera, not really knowing what was going on. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Scott’s tower moving, so at that moment it got pretty serious!!! Thankfully, its a story we still laugh about to this day, nobody was hurt and nothing was damaged (how the equipment was all okay, I still do not know!)”
In general, Brakes fans, officials and players alike have loved having the opportunity to be able to view games again, but, as with probably every club in the world that has a fanbase to speak of, there’s always somebody who has to complain about something…….
“We generally receive pretty good feedback from most people about the highlights and general quality of the filming, which is great. It is nice to know people enjoy the work you are putting out. Of course, there are a few examples of fans expecting perhaps a little much or being slightly unreasonable. Bradford Park Avenue last season for example – it finished 4-3, there was lots to see in the highlights, some great goals…but a nightmare to film in. The fog was unreal that day, the main camera was pretty much out of use in the second half because of it, so it was down to my camera angle near the Harbury Lane end only. This game was also played on a Sunday and I had Uni on the Monday, so getting those highlights out were a bit tricky. Once these were posted, I received a few comments about a few chances, subs and offsides not being included in the video, even though there was a Brakes win, 7 goals and an interview to see! We used to also get a lot of “can you show me the goal” as well during the games, and immediately after. Remember, we aren’t Sky Sports!!!”
“More recently, most people don’t complain about what we produce. However, an un-named Bedworth fan did seem to take offence that certain incidents were not included in the highlights from that game. Clutching at straws springs to mind, as it was definitely the worst game I have filmed, most difficult game to edit and didn’t want to be reminded of it again! However, a boring 0-0 highlights package was simply not enough for this chap!”
The three man team had a new member at the beginning of the 2014/15 season after Steve Hird left to spend a year out in Madrid, James Pontin stepping in to take his place before leaving himself at the end of the season. Despite now having just the 2 cameras at games it has not affected the quality of what is produced at all, and Nick hopes to branch out to cover away games at some point in the future.
It was part way through last season that Nick had the idea of producing a documentary on the football club that he could tie in with his university studies as he neared the end of his final year. “It was originally going to be a separate project, but when developing the idea and speaking to the right people at Uni, it worked well as both a uni project and a real-life production, in a sense. Obviously, it was my 3rd year at my university, so I needed to have a final project to be getting on with so I could finish my course. It was always treated as professional project though, it was not made to suit the university (some didn’t want it made at all!).”
Nick planned to show the involvement and day to day events from the perspective of players, management staff, directors and supporters, trying to display a short segment from each area. With anything of this nature, it was not always as straightforward as he hoped it would be.
“Well, obviously with the film being “Part-Time”, the idea of it was to show the balancing act of the non-league game in regards to workplaces, club commitments etc. We obviously covered it, but not as detailed as originally planned. For example, we were refused access to film at one workplace, so we had to improvise for that individual’s scene in the film. We were lucky with this part, as certain incidents on the pitch at the time added to their story, which made up for the lack of work-related coverage in the film. Having said that, it actually worked out for the best, as it could have ended up being over-kill if we went with the original plans. Adding the incidents to build towards the narrative of the big game worked really well in the end, that bit of drama really helped – Thanks Newts!”
A teaser trailer was released, and later on a longer official trailer, both helping to generate interest not just among Brakes fans but the wider non league community. By and large at non league level the majority of supporters of other clubs actually get on quite well, and many outside of Leamington FC were keen to see the documentary and were pleased that a wider audience would eventually get to see how much actually goes on behind the scenes at a part time football club.
When complete, ‘Part Time’ was initially shown to a select few, but the feedback received was positive:
“The first few screenings for the film were at the Coventry University Degree Show, and I think the club also have shown the film at a few events since then too. The documentary has received some good feedback from the majority of people that I have spoken to about it. I think for most people, just seeing a club behind the scenes, especially a club like Leamington, is something you don’t see all the time. With modern day football being over-exposed with media and money, it was great to create a film with next to no budget and showing the other side to the “beautiful game” with a club like Leamington. Just showing the reality of how things are there made it interesting to make, for me. It definitely puts things into perspective when you compare non-league to the professional game right now.”
Further positive coverage was gained thanks to the Non League Football Paper, and recently Nick was able to make a further announcement that ‘Part Time’ would be aired on television early in September.
“I’m absolutely delighted it has made it to TV. I didn’t think it would happen, but knew that if I didn’t try then I would never know. The plan was (and still is, kind of) to submit the film to festivals to see how it does. Film festivals are good for filmmakers to gain recognition for their work, so that is why the film wasn’t just put online immediately. In the grand scheme of things, TV is where you could potentially draw the most eyes to your work, its just extremely difficult to get anything on there, so TV wasn’t even thought of at first. Whether it benefits me that the film has made it to TV remains to be seen, but for Leamington, it should at least attract an interest in the club to viewers who may have no affiliation to the club or non-league football before watching the film. The whole project has been extremely satisfying from start to finish, and the fact it will be broadcast tops it off. Not bad for a project that would be a “waste of time!! I am also in discussions with a local TV channel who have expressed an interest in showing the film, so this will be announced in the coming weeks!”
“Part-Time” will be shown on the Community Channel at 9pm, Tuesday 8th September.
It will also be repeated on the following dates:
Thursday 17th September at 9:30pm Friday 25th September at 9:30pm Tuesday 29th September at 9:30pm
Community Channel is available on Freeview, Freesat, Virgin Media and Sky. Freeview channel 63, Sky channel 539, Freesat channel 651 and Virgin Media channel 233.
On behalf of all Brakes fans Windmill Wonderland would like to thank both Nick and Scott for the work they do in filming and producing highlights of Leamington games. It is very much appreciated lads, so thanks!
I’m not sure Big Ian’s Stag Doo was ever covered in the pages of Windmill Wonderland, but for those of you who weren’t there – it was epic! To summarise (in depth!), Lee organised a trip to Hamburg in Germany at the end of March 2014, taking in 3 football matches in the area between Friday to Monday, with the obligatory visit to the Reeperbahn for some, and copious amounts of Astra beer consumed all round by the group of 12.
After arriving on the Friday and familiarising ourselves with the area surrounding the handily placed Generator hostel (8 to a room in bunk beds with virtually zero air flow, plenty of bad smells, the worst snoring imaginable and ridiculous jokes at 2am in the morning) we made our way to the Hamburger Dom, a mahoosive fair which just happens to be located right next to St Pauli’s Millerntor Stadion, which was where we took in our first match. Greuther Fürth were the visitors for a Bundesliga II fixture and our tickets were in the away section, which looked pretty rudimentary in comparison to the rest of the ground, but the view of the pitch was still good.
Our view from the away end in the Millerntor Stadion
St Pauli supporters have a long standing friendship with Scottish giants Celtic, and the game marked the annual visit of supporters of the Glasgow side. The atmosphere was electric, and all for 12 euros, roughly the same price we were paying to get into a Leamington game in the Conference North at the time.
Despite having a round trip of almost 747 miles there was a pretty healthy away support, their singers doing their utmost to make themselves heard. One thing that stuck with us all from the night was the intensity of the atmosphere – both sets of supporters barely paused for breath throughout the 90 minutes, and the stewards seemed quite happy to allow those leading the chanting to sit precariously on top of the perimeter fencing.
Another thing that stood out was that supporters were able to purchase beer and drink on the terraces, without a hint of trouble. The amount of plastic glasses on the terracing after the game had to be seen to be believed!
After witnessing an exciting 2-2 draw a brief sing song was had with some of the travelling supporters as we spread the Leamington word a little.
The following afternoon we ventured further into Hamburg to the Victoria-Stadion Hoheluft , home of SC Victoria Hamburg, to watch St Pauli’s Under 23 side take on SV Eichede in the Regionalliga Nord, roughly the equivalent of the Conference North. Having put one of our flags up on the fence prior to kick off we took up residence on the terrace behind the goal along from a small group of visiting supporters who proceeded to give their team some tremendous vocal support, along with an impressive array of flags.
Our first view of the Eichede supporters with which we were to become great friends..
Beer courage meant that the odd Brakes related chant slipped out but we were left to our own devices until just before half time, when one of the visiting supporters approached us and asked if somebody could help him. ‘We have bought you all a beer,’ he said, and so it began……
The second half of the game was spent learning each others songs, us waving the Eichede flags, and loudly helping our newfound companions get behind their team, who unfortunately slipped to a 2-0 defeat, not that you would have known it with the backing they received from these boys. Several of our group ended up swapping their stag doo t shirts with our new friends, to mild amusement.
The singing and merriment continued in the bar afterwards, much to the bemusement of the few locals that remained, and we parted ways promising that this would not be the last time we met.
A scorching hot Sunday saw us take a leisurely stroll through suburbia after a short journey on Hamburg’s excellent public transport network, to the Edmund Plambeck Stadion to take in Eintracht Norderstedt v BSV SW Rehden, again in the Regionalliga Nord. After the excitement of the previous two days it was perhaps inevitable that this game would come up short in the entertainment stakes, finishing 0-0 thanks to some poor finishing from the visitors striker. Despite that another cracking afternoon was had and our hostess in the Norderstedt clubhouse, while no doubt delighted with the unexpected extra revenue we provided, kindly provided us with various free shots, something which had also happened at the bar we visited after the match the previous day. Maybe it was their way of showing gratitude for the hundreds of euros we spent, who knows?!
Brakes on tour – 3rd stop – Norderstedt…..
We left Hamburg to embark on the journey home on the Monday with some great memories. Lee made two solo trips to further solidify the friendship, and we shared in the grief of our German pals as they mourned the loss of one of their number in December.
We welcomed Benni and Jonas to England at Christmas, where they were fortunate to witness one of Brakes’ best performances of the season as they trounced high flying Oxford City 4-0. They were then treated to the delights of Racing Club Warwick versus Southam United the following day. Unfortunately our scheduled fixture for the 28th December at Brackley had been played earlier in the season, so Jonas went off to Villa Park with Mr Holte to take in Villa’s game against Sunderland, unfortunately a 0-0, and Benni travelled with Simesy, JJ and myself to Tamworth to take in their game against Worcester City. It finished 1-0 to the hosts but the highlight was probably JJ berating Daniel Nti every time he touched the ball, after his snidey unpunished elbow robbed Leamington of Jordan Goddard for several games during an earlier fixture against Worcester.
Benny returned along with young Vassili for our trip to Stockport County on January 24th, and although Brakes were eventually to lose by 4 goals to 2 they gave it a damn good go, briefly dragging themselves back from 2 down in the second half as we again revelled in the surreal experience of watching our team in a stadium that had been hosting Championship fixtures in the Football League as recently as 2002.
Over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend we were visited by Benny, Jascha, Jonas, Malle, Micha and Johnny Marschner, one of the SVE players, as we travelled to Cheltenham to take on Gloucester City and then hosted Lowestoft Town on the Monday in two crunch games at the wrong end of the Conference North table.
We were also joined at Whaddon Road by our Swedish friend Martin Henriksson, one of the overseas Colchester United supporters who we befriended following our FA Cup tie there in 2005. He had previously attended 4-0 win at Cradley Town in April 2007 when we were on the verge of the Midland Alliance title. Sadly we were finding life at Step 2 just a teensy little bit tougher than it was at Step 5, and despite some tremendous support we were soundly beaten 3-1 by Gloucester, and then suffered the pain of a last minute defeat to Lowestoft on the Monday despite taking the lead through Jack Edwards.
Johnny Marschner feels the pain of a Brakes defeat……
It was disappointing that the lads were unable to witness a Leamington victory during their stay, hopefully we will have better luck when some of them return during this season.
Both sides continued to follow the fortunes of our respective teams as we looked forward to our return trip to Germany in May……..
David Hucker examines the furore over the potential move away from the New Windmill Ground…
The big talking point of the last year or so has been the unveiling of plans to relocate to a new community stadium at Gallows Hill in Warwick and to convert the New Windmill Ground (Phillips 66 Community Stadium) into a gypsy and traveller site.
Along with president Mick Brady, I publicly expressed concerns about the proposal and sent a formal objection to Warwick District Council to the change of use of the NWG on behalf of a number of shareholders. Some people branded us as dinosaurs, standing in the way of progress, and even accusing us of putting the future of the club at risk.
So, are we guilty as charged, or is there something in our concerns that should make everyone think twice before throwing their lot in with a move to Gallows Hill?
A look athistory
Before examining the case for a move, it is interesting to look back at the history of football in Leamington Spa which started with Leamington Town in 1891.
There have been five official grounds starting with one on Shrubland Farm opposite where Ranelagh Terrace joins Tachbrook Road. The club moved to Old Warwick Road, between the road and canal, where the Moorings pub is located today.
A short journey across Old Warwick Road to a site between the road and railway line, later to become the car park for the Ford Foundry, preceded taking up residence in the Windmill Ground on Tachbrook Road, which was to be the home of AP Leamington and finally Leamington FC until 1988.
The Windmill Ground on Tachbrook Road
The sale of the Windmill Ground for housing and subsequent re-launch of the club in August 2000 at Harbury Lane is well documented, although only those who lived through the dark days when the very existence of the club was in doubt know the full trials and tribulations of those twelve years.
The buying of those six acres in Harbury Lane was intended to secure the future of the club and never again put its destiny in someone else’s hands. Not only was the club the freeholder, but it was legally constituted as a company in which shares were sold to supporters with no one person or organisation able to ride rough-shod over everyone’s interests.
The New Windmill Ground, with Chesterton Windmill in the background
So, why does the club now need to leave the New Windmill and would a move to Gallows Hill be such a bad thing?
Future of the New Windmill
Whilst the board of directors had been open about their discussions with Warwick District Council over a possible move, the implications didn’t become apparent until the New Windmill Ground was included on the short-list for sites to be designated for gypsies and travellers as part of a public consultation document issued in March.
The board themselves lodged a formal objection (although the wording of this has never been made public) and the Brakes Trust, which had been instrumental in having the NWG designated as Asset of Community Value under the Localism Act 2011, also made an excellent representation.
Notwithstanding our objections and those of neighbouring owners along Harbury Lane, the council confirmed the designation of the NWG as a site for permanent traveller pitches, the only one adopted for the whole of the district.
The club’s strategy is to move away from Harbury Lane to another location to overcome what the board describes as the “constraints of the existing site” and to “place the club at the heart of the community.” So, just how serious was their opposition, given it made no objection to the inclusion of the NWG in the long-list the year before and a trade for Gallows Hill clearly fits the bill?
With few adjoining properties affected by a change of use and, apart from main drainage, all the essential work having been done, it was odds-on that the NWG would be in the final list. The council’s traveller site strategy, which requires a total of 31 pitches (25 by 2017) is now totally dependent on the ground becoming available and re-developed within the timescale set down by the Government.
The Gallows Hill proposal
Right from the outset, the lack of information and hard data has impacted on the debate. Even at the Extraordinary General Meeting convened last December, apart from a site plan, some enticing images of new stadia and an indication of revenue streams from other clubs, there was little or nothing new to add to what we knew already.
Essentially, what is on offer is a long lease at a peppercorn rent of a field not much bigger than the NWG on which a community stadium could be built. Whilst we are assured that the club will have full control over the facilities, we do not know what other uses the stadium will have and by whom.
There are no plans, no costings and identified sources of finance. No business case has been presented for a move and no market research to support the anticipated non-match revenues which are seen to be key to the club’s future.
The board say that nothing will happen without the agreement of fans and stakeholders, but the wording of the resolution put to the meeting gives them authority to enter into binding agreements which would tie shareholders’ hands for the future. My suggestions for amendments to guarantee the final word for shareholders were rejected and, effectively, we had no choice but to support the resolution or risk the council ending the dialogue and never knowing what the future could have been.
What happens next?
It is perfectly proper for the board to have dialogue with the council over the future of the club, including moving to a better location if the deal is right. It was the linking of a move with the intention to convert the NWG into a traveller site that I disagreed with, believing that the two should be kept separate and each judged on their merits.
Developments with the Local Plan, which has been rejected by the planning inspector at the public examination, and handling of the traveller strategy process have only heightened my anxiety. A recent proposal by Warwick District Council to allocate a site at Hatton, currently in the designated Green Belt, has aroused local opposition and is far from certain to go ahead, leaving the NWG as still the only identified site
The New Windmill Ground evokes strong feelings, being built by fans for fans. For a new generation, it is the only home they have known. It is not something to give up lightly and the onus is on the board to make the business case for a move.
Playing in the National League and seeing the facilities that other clubs have naturally raises expectations and a longing for better at Leamington. That does not necessarily mean moving, as the opportunity to develop the NWG still exists through acquiring more land for parking, extending the clubhouse and building a tiered stand with community rooms beneath.
Football is a game of passion, but moving is a big decision with long-term consequences and emotion can play no part. Only after completing an evidence-based options appraisal that evaluates the costs and benefits of staying put and going to Gallows Hill will we know what is the right decision is.
This year I am going to write about football after 1945 in my ‘Way Back Then’ series in the club programme. For some time I have been writing about the period before the First World War and it struck me how rough the games sometimes were. It was unknown for teams to walk off in protest if they did not like the referee’s decisions.
Some of them seemed to be incompetent (nothing new there then). Considerable controversy arose from a match at the end of October 1894 involving Gainsborough Trinity. A contemporary press report stated, ‘Considerable indignation has been aroused in Gainsborough by the receipt of
information that Mr. Wallace of Derby, who acted as referee in last Saturday’s match at Gainsborough between Gainsborough Trinity and Ilkeston, has made a strong report to the Football Association that he was mobbed. Mr Wallace informed Mr Forest, the treasurer of the Trinity club, on Saturday, before leaving Gainsborough, that he had nothing to complain of, except the conduct of a lot of boys, and he would take no notice of it. Mr Wallace was never interfered with, touched, or hustled on the ground, nor after leaving it; but he was hooted by some boys outside the field.
Both teams on Saturday agreed that Mr Wallace’s decisions were so remarkable that neither side knew against whom the fouls were given, and the goals he disallowed were the best of the afternoon.’
There had been trouble earlier in the year with match officials involving a linesman called Cockayne. A player named Fisher had taken exception to the way he had used his flag. The argument continued on the way to the station and the exasperated linesman eventually struck Cockayne on the head with his kit bag. Fisher at once retaliated with a blow that knocked down Cockayne. Fisher went away ‘but ill-advisedly returned and the disturbance was renewed at the railway station.
One man’s head was knocked through the waiting room window, and as the train steamed off, Cockayne complained of having been stabbed in the neck, a wound from which he was losing a quantity of blood.’ No arrests were made.
In 1913 there was serious trouble at a match at the Eagle Ground in the Hospital Minor Cup between
Leamington St. John’s and Coventry Bell Green. The Coventry side were awarded a free kick and the referee placed the ball in what he judged to be the right position. The goal-keeper moved the ball about a yard before taking the kick, but the referee put it back in its original position. As the official was walking away the goal-keeper kicked the ball hard and it hit the referee, who ordered him off the field. The Bell Green players walked off in protest and the rival spectators swarmed on to the field for an exchange of views.
Looker On, writing in the Courier had no doubt that ‘The referee was largely to blame for not being nearly firm enough. Had he called the teams together before feeling ran so high and given them a caution, the underlying incidents which followed would probably never have happened.’ The Hospital Cup committee ordered the game to be replayed and brought in Sergeant Barrett from Budbrooke Barracks as referee to ensure that there was sufficient discipline. A large crowd turned up in the hope of further trouble, but the match passed off without incident.
Continuing a regular feature from the paper zine, our programme shop maestro, groundhopper and occasional Brakes choir member Craig Hochkins reviews the grounds he has visited recently………..
Burntwood Town, a team that I have seen a few times, are now playing at the Burntwood Leisure Centre on a grass pitch next to the basketball courts. Burntwood have dropped down the leagues and credit to Chairman Dave Cox for keeping the outfit alive. A basic ground with no cover (other than under the well developed trees behind the one goal) , two decent size dugouts and little else. The snack bar is the canteen area within the leisure centre and is pretty cheap which is always a bonus. Today’s match is the last one of the season against Enville Athletic, another long stayer in the Midland League. The game is a feisty affair which sadly ends in a mass brawl, preceded by 3 sending offs including one of the managers, all very sad but all far too common these days.
Aviva Stadium – Dublin
A return back to Ireland after 18 years (Tour de France) to watch England play at the newly revamped Landsdowne Road stadium proves to be a damp squib. The pre match build up was more about stopping people from drinking and there is a nervousness around the ground especially by the pubs close by. The new stadium seats 52,000 people and a nearly full house is in attendance, the away end is a single level open seated area for 3,000 people. The rest of the ground is a 3 tier affair and on a different day probably has a great atmosphere. Frustratingly as we enter the ground the snack bars do not have food ready an hour before kick off which really is poor for an international match. Flags are in abundance and these were checked before being allowed into the ground due to the sensitive nature of the match. The English and Irish FA’s have gone to great lengths to make this trouble free, even dragging out Jackie Charlton before the match to say a few words. The atmosphere rather like the game is flat and a predictable 0-0 is served up, for £52 not value for money at all. The funniest part of the day is the England fans taunting the Irish fans that Thierry Henry’s £5m handball payment from FIFA paid for the stadium, much to the annoyance of the home fans. The trip is rounded off the following day by bumping into 3 of the Baby Brakes at Dublin airport …..looking slightly worse for wear!
Kenilworth Town – a ground familiar to some Brakes fans, is finally ticked off for me at the 8th attempt after several false starts, usually due to the pitch being in an awful condition. Today it is barely playable and the referee nearly calls it off due to the goal nets not being securely pinned to the ground! After a 6 minute delay the game gets under way and the home side are easily beaten by six goals . The clubhouse is falling down and in an awful state which is a shame, no programme or raffle today. The two covered areas give the ground a feel of a Midland League 1 ground and the attendance is about 30, including a beer swilling group of lads who showed little interest in the game. Credit to them for keeping going but sadly another team that is struggling to survive.
For much of the 1980s my ability to watch my team, Hull City, was severely restricted by a lack of money. The entrance fee plus two bus fares (to and within Hull) was way beyond my pocket money and miserly paper round wages. Only when I could get a lift in an unreliable 1970s Vauxhall Viva owned by a friend of a friend was it possible for me to get to Boothferry Park.
This lack of money, however, meant that by chance I witnessed at close hand the start of a new era for non-league football. A school friend and his Dad went to watch Gola League side, Scarborough, and in 1984 they very kindly invited me to tag along. 50p to get in as a junior and 25p for a programme was all that was required at The Athletic Ground at that time, something within even my limited means.
The Gola League Days – A Time of Decline
There were certainly high points for non-league football in the first half of the 1980s. For example, Telford’s epic 1984-1985 FA Cup run (that ended in the 5th round with a gallant display at Goodison Park) and Altrincham’s FA Cup victory over a top-flight Birmingham City. Clubs like Halesowen Town and, of course, the Brakes also enjoyed great times. The truth, however, is that non-league football, at the top end at least, was in dangerous decline by the mid-1980s.
The formation in 1979 of the Alliance Premier League (later the Gola League, the Conference and now the Conference Premier) had given a temporary boost to non-league football. However, it didn’t solve the old problem of promotion – the Football League rejected the APL champions in the re-election process just as it had usually rejected non-league applicants prior to its formation.
As a result, attendances (lower than the APL founders had hoped anyway) dwindled. The average APL attendance in 1979-1980 was 1,218. By 1985-1986 it had fallen to 775. In Scarborough’s case, the decline was even more dramatic. The club averaged over 2,200 in 1979-1980, despite mediocre performances on the pitch. In 1985-1986, the average was about 650, with gates at the end of the season dipping below 450.
The ‘Iron Curtain’ Finally Falls
Then, in 1986, after so many years of resistance, the Football League, albeit under pressure and with fussy ground requirements, announced that with immediate effect the APL (or rather the GM Vauxhall Conference) champions would be promoted to the 4th Division as of right, with the Football League club in 92nd position moving in the opposite direction. The grubby backroom deals and often farcical shenanigans that constituted the re-election process were to be confined to history.
The impact of this decision on non-league football, particularly at the Conference-level, was immediate and lives on to this day. Conference crowds were up come the autumn of 1986 (the average for 1986-1987 ended up 919 and reached 1,244 in 1987-1988) and the football world in general became interested the following April due to the fact that the once-mighty Burnley looked likely to be the first Football League club through the trap door. Bob Lord’s club seemed increasingly likely to be contesting the Bob Lord Trophy (actually, it might have been re-named by then).
Warnock’s Big Break
As for Scarborough, the new era started with a new manager. An obscure lower league ex-pro called Neil Warnock had been making some noise in the mid-1980s at an NPL club, Burton Albion. In the summer of 1986, having dispensed with the long-serving Harry Dunn, Scarborough offered him the manager’s job. Being an ambitious fellow, he accepted.
Warnock’s first act as manager was to axe 17 of the 1985-1986 playing staff. Only two remained. Neil Thompson was one, a Hull City reject who would end up a Premier League left back at Ipswich Town at the end of his career. Neil Sellers, a midfielder who won England semi-pro caps, was the other (In a sign of more casual times, Sellers combined playing for Scarborough with playing in the Hull Sunday League, an injury risk if there ever was one. Other senior semi-professionals in the Hull area did the same making the top division of this vast 22-division league very strong).
Having wielded the axe, Warnock got out his contacts book and brought in a shedload of ex-pros (Tommy Graham and Cec Podd among them) and hardened northern non-league performers. He also brought back former Scarborough favourite, Mitch Cook, who had left in the early 1980s to be a pro at Darlington and Middlesborough.
Despite all this recruitment activity, expectations among the fans were not high and, despite early home wins versus Wealdstone and Nuneaton in front of improved crowds of about 900, a poor October, ending with a home defeat against Cheltenham, saw Scarborough mid-table and Warnock under pressure.
Barnet’s Lovable Cockney Geezers
By this time, the media had already decided who it wanted to be the first non-league team to achieve automatic promotion – Stan Flashman and Barry Fry’s Barnet. The ‘charismatic’ duo was pretty certain too that it would indeed be Barnet, and let everyone know who would listen. Barnet also had a link into national television, as Jimmy Greaves had finished his career at Barnet in the late 1970s and knew Flashman and Fry, something that led to appearances and ‘plugs’ on ITV’s Saint and Greavsie show.
With Scarborough in mid-table, Enfield and Maidstone seemed the main threats to Barnet’s coronation. However, a key turning point in the season for Scarborough, and ultimately for Barnet, was the largely unnoticed arrival at The Athletic Ground in late autumn of one of Barnet keepers, Kevin Blackwell – future manager of Leeds United. Quite simply, Blackwell was brilliant for Scarborough that season. And, like with Breedon this season for the Brakes, it meant that Scarborough started to pick up draws and narrow wins that it wouldn’t have done with a lesser keeper.
Scarborough’s Unlikely March to the Title
Scarborough’s November started with a drab 1-0 win over Kettering, which after a winless October was more of a relief than anything else, and a terrible 0-0 draw at Stafford. But then it all just clicked. The next 7 games, including a 2-0 win at Frickley on one of the greyest days I can ever remember, were all won. This meant 21 points were gained, as the Conference had abandoned in the 1986 close season its unique system of 2pts for a home win, 3pts for an away win.
The seven wins moved Scarborough into second place by Christmas and, responding to the prospect of an unlikely promotion, nearly 2,000 locals witnessed the 0-0 draw versus Telford in early January. The contrast with the end of the 1985-1986 season could hardly have been greater.
As winter turned to spring, the unbeaten run continued, Scarborough took over at the top and the gruesome twosome at Barnet grew increasingly erratic as panic set in. Particularly depressing for Barnet was Scarborough’s away form. All of the last 13 away games were won, with the 1-0 win at third-place Enfield a particular statement of intent. Barnet were scoring more goals and winning more hearts and media plaudits, but Scarborough quietly and relentlessly racked up the points.
On April 20th, 23 games after the home defeat to Cheltenham in October, Scarborough finally lost. The defeat, 2-1 at home to Runcorn in front of 3,764, was classic stage fright. While there was enormous experience on the pitch, too many players seemed overawed by the occasion and Runcorn were far too good a team not to take advantage. So, at last, there was hope for Barnet, who themselves had been drawing large crowds at Underhill.
Neil Warnock: “I told you I was good”
However, the hope was short-lived. Five days later, Warnock’s men hopped on the team bus, calmly won 2-0 at future FA Cup giant-killers Sutton United (remember them!) and left Barnet needing a mid-week win at Stafford just to take the race into the final weekend. Barry Fry’s men failed to achieve this win and it was all over. Nearly 6,000 turned up at The Athletic Ground the following Saturday to see an academic 2-1 win against Weymouth and the league trophy lifted, and, of course, to salute Neil Warnock’s genius.
An Unnecessary Baptism of Fire
As it happens, the Weymouth game provided an unwanted taster of events that would take place the following August and September, as Scarborough commenced its 12-year stay in the Football League. In the second half, a bunch of local lads decided to have a fight with the police. The Athletic Ground was no stranger to such incidents, indeed a fight was almost a given at laughably under-stewarded FA Cup and FA Trophy games versus other northern clubs, but it was a reminder of the challenges that accompanied the excitement of promotion.
These challenges were made harder by the Football League’s refusal to change the Division 4 fixtures churned out by the computer in the summer of 1987. Scarborough had been given Wolves at home on the first day of the season, Bolton at home two weeks later and Burnley at home shortly after that. Was the refusal to change the fixtures pique, a desire at some level to demonstrate that the entry of non-league clubs into the Football League was all a mistake? Whatever the case, the local police got some help from other forces, but were still hopelessly unprepared for what was to come.
The mid-August day of the Wolves game was hot and sunny. By kick-off, many of the 3,000 travelling Wolves fans had been drinking and causing trouble in the town centre for nearly 24 hours, sleeping briefly on the beach – happily for them the south beach, otherwise they would have woken up in Denmark. Violence at the game was inevitable, but the scale of it still shocked most of the locals present.
The Wolves fans fought a constant battle with the police (and a small band of rather ill-advised local lads) both before and during the game. There were pitch invasions. At one stage, one fan needed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation having fallen 30 feet through the rotten corrugated roof of the main terrace stand that 30 or 40 Wolves fans had climbed onto. A small wooden stand in the away end was largely dismantled and used as weapons and the away end toilets and snack bar was wrecked. When the police tried to keep back the Wolves fans at the end of the game, they simply pushed them to one side, smashed down the wooden exit gates and fences and poured out into a terrified housing estate.
It was madness, totally avoidable madness, and madness that was largely repeated at the Bolton and Burnley games – Bolton being 4-0 down shortly after half-time not helping matters in that game. Fortunately, things settled down after those three games and, while the club spent most of its 12 seasons struggling near the foot of the fourth tier, it did manage to reach the play-offs twice and, in the early years of its Football League status, enjoyed many memorable League Cup nights. These included 2nd round victories over Coventry (of course) and Chelsea (thems were the days) and a thrilling 2-2 draw in the 3rd round against Southampton, all at a time when the top-flight clubs fielded full-strength teams.
Jimmy Glass famously ended Scarborough’s league status in 1999, mismanagement ended the club’s existence in 2007 and the re-formed club, supporter-owned Scarborough Athletic, is currently ‘doing a Brakes’, reaching step 4 by 2013-2014. Unlike the Brakes, however, it is without its own ground, as the Athletic Ground was tragically allowed to decay and be vandalised beyond repair after the original Scarborough club folded.
Brakes Return to Find Things Have Changed
By the time the Brakes re-launched in 2000, non-league football had changed dramatically from where it was in 1986, especially at the top end. Thirteen further clubs, albeit some of them ex-Football League clubs on the rebound, had followed Scarborough into the Football League, many professional clubs with proud histories had fallen into the Conference, most clubs’ infrastructure had been upgraded and the average Conference attendance had risen to over 1,600. The average Conference Premier attendance is now about 1,900 and AP Leamington’s successors at ‘Step 1’ over recent years have included relatively recent League Cup winners.
It should be noted that none of the non-league clubs promoted since 1987 have done as well as those elected under the old system in the 1960s and 1970s (for example, Oxford United, Wigan Athletic and Wimbledon). But Yeovil and Wycombe in particular have distinguished themselves and, arguably, some of the relegated professional clubs have benefitted from a spell out of the Football League, coming back stronger and having actually won something for once. The decision in 1986 to allow automatic promotion can only be seen as the right one.
As for me, I have enough money these days to go and watch Hull City, but fatherhood and a new life in Leamington Spa (160 miles from the KC Stadium) has once again meant that my opportunities have been relatively limited. This time the silver lining has been watching the Brakes and witnessing another club’s unforgettable journey.
Happy Days……. :o)
Our first view of the Eichede supporters with which we were to become great friends..
Brakes on tour – 3rd stop – Norderstedt…..
The Windmill Ground on Tachbrook Road
A return back to Ireland after 18 years (Tour de France) to watch England play at the newly revamped Landsdowne Road stadium proves to be a damp squib. The pre match build up was more about stopping people from drinking and there is a nervousness around the ground especially by the pubs close by. The new stadium seats 52,000 people and a nearly full house is in attendance, the away end is a single level open seated area for 3,000 people. The rest of the ground is a 3 tier affair and on a different day probably has a great atmosphere. Frustratingly as we enter the ground the snack bars do not have food ready an hour before kick off which really is poor for an international match. Flags are in abundance and these were checked before being allowed into the ground due to the sensitive nature of the match. The English and Irish FA’s have gone to great lengths to make this trouble free, even dragging out Jackie Charlton before the match to say a few words. The atmosphere rather like the game is flat and a predictable 0-0 is served up, for £52 not value for money at all. The funniest part of the day is the England fans taunting the Irish fans that Thierry Henry’s £5m handball payment from FIFA paid for the stadium, much to the annoyance of the home fans. The trip is rounded off the following day by bumping into 3 of the Baby Brakes at Dublin airport …..looking slightly worse for wear!
The Gypsy Lane home of Kenilworth Town
Neil Warnock: “I told you I was good”
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