It's that time again.... random game time and a chance to really slum it with Hucknall Town of the Conference North! For those who don't know (and that included me last week), Hucknall is in Nottinghamshire so wasn't to far to travel....in fact it's just a tram ride from Samantha's front door and she even came with me for this game - our first random game together.
It was a pleasant tram journey down to Hucknall and we had a nice walk in the sun through a rather dismal and bleak town until we made it to the stadium.
The talk of the town? I don't think anyone has mentioned this club in years to be honest. We certainly heard no mention of them as we were walking around.
As we headed inside the ground, it resembled a working mens club with a football pitch for a back garden as plenty of old people sat around playing dominoes and drinking bitter.... except for the odd few away fans who were crossdressing (and we weren't fully certain if they were men or women.)After a quick drink in there, we made our way into the stadium and had a quick look around the place and chased the sun to find a warm spot. Samantha however didn't seem to impressed and turned her back on the warm up to have a quick flick through the programme.
It's a very basic ground but in all fairness, they are a non-league team and even then they are punching above their weight in the league they are in and the record proves that. Bottom of the league, 5 wins all season and negative 45 goal difference.
We settled on a position near the main clubhouse and soon the teams came out, some of them seemed to be shocked by the camera and cracked a shy smile as they ran out.
There was a Leicester link in the Hucknall team though, Jay Smedley. I don't think he ever made the first team squad but he was with us at some point so he was the one to watch today. (For the record, despite the kit colour and Samantha's protests, Hucknall are not known as the Bumblebees!)
As always, I was engrossed in the action no matter what level the team were playing at.
Gateshead took the lead in the 34th minute through (of all people) a Jay Smedley own goal as the ball ricoched around the penalty area and was diverted into his own net. The vocal Gateshead fans enjoyed that and their lofty position of 2nd in the league looked to be proven as they threatened to take grip on the game. 
At half time, we grabbed the custom random game photo and also managed to capture the magic of the club shop in the background.
We also managed to get featured in a couple of pictures on the Gateshead website to continue the run of being a media whore this season.
Three minutes into the second half, and Gateshead doubled their lead. Agood run down the left was crossed in by Phillips for Jamie Harwood to tap into the net. 2-0 down to the team second in the league left Hucknall needing a miracle to finish the season on a high.... and that's what they got with only ten minutes remaining. Cashell Walters slotted a bobbling shot home off the post when the keeper really should have saved it.
Two minutes later, and they were level. Poor defending saw Antwon Bonnick manage to poke a shot into the corner from 8 yards. It was an unbelievable come back which in some respects was helped by the appalling pitch preventing Gateshead from clearing the ball.
Hucknall nearly stole the win near the end but it wasn't to be and both teams had to settle for a point. With nothing to really play for, it proved to be an entertaining encounter that was actually really enjoyable. The fact that I got to spend the day with Sam made it even better and I think she actually enjoyed herself too! We certainly had some good laughs while watching the game anyway, spotting people that looked like her mate from University and laughing at the club mascot. That's what football at this level is like. Fun. No real pressure and the players just looked to enjoy themselves.
It's a very basic ground but in all fairness, they are a non-league team and even then they are punching above their weight in the league they are in and the record proves that. Bottom of the league, 5 wins all season and negative 45 goal difference.
We settled on a position near the main clubhouse and soon the teams came out, some of them seemed to be shocked by the camera and cracked a shy smile as they ran out.
There was a Leicester link in the Hucknall team though, Jay Smedley. I don't think he ever made the first team squad but he was with us at some point so he was the one to watch today. (For the record, despite the kit colour and Samantha's protests, Hucknall are not known as the Bumblebees!)
As always, I was engrossed in the action no matter what level the team were playing at.
Gateshead took the lead in the 34th minute through (of all people) a Jay Smedley own goal as the ball ricoched around the penalty area and was diverted into his own net. The vocal Gateshead fans enjoyed that and their lofty position of 2nd in the league looked to be proven as they threatened to take grip on the game. At half time, we grabbed the custom random game photo and also managed to capture the magic of the club shop in the background.
We also managed to get featured in a couple of pictures on the Gateshead website to continue the run of being a media whore this season.
Three minutes into the second half, and Gateshead doubled their lead. Agood run down the left was crossed in by Phillips for Jamie Harwood to tap into the net. 2-0 down to the team second in the league left Hucknall needing a miracle to finish the season on a high.... and that's what they got with only ten minutes remaining. Cashell Walters slotted a bobbling shot home off the post when the keeper really should have saved it.
Two minutes later, and they were level. Poor defending saw Antwon Bonnick manage to poke a shot into the corner from 8 yards. It was an unbelievable come back which in some respects was helped by the appalling pitch preventing Gateshead from clearing the ball.
Hucknall nearly stole the win near the end but it wasn't to be and both teams had to settle for a point. With nothing to really play for, it proved to be an entertaining encounter that was actually really enjoyable. The fact that I got to spend the day with Sam made it even better and I think she actually enjoyed herself too! We certainly had some good laughs while watching the game anyway, spotting people that looked like her mate from University and laughing at the club mascot. That's what football at this level is like. Fun. No real pressure and the players just looked to enjoy themselves. Next stop is the final game of the League One tour. Crewe Alexandra away.... in fancy dress! Controversial.
No comments:
Post a Comment