| OCTOBER 2002 |
| As 'Wham' once said: "Bad boys stick together, never sad boys." |
|
October was the month of discipline. After Leon Blake had been left out of the
team that beat Kidsgrove, it transpired that he had got himself cup tied while
playing for Ludlow in an early round of the FA Cup. He decided it best not to
tell anyone until the eve of the match. Had he played Hinckley could've been
disqualified from the competition, lose the £10000 for winning, and have
a fine thrown in as well. Needless to say DT dragged him across the coals,
disciplined him and then let Leon go to Stourport. Paul Hunter also had a fallout with DT. Having just got over his injury, Hunter made an appearance in the Kidsgrove match as a substitute. This very nearly didn't happen at all. When DT told him of his plans for the squad Hunter allegedly began to ask for more money and haggled over how much he would be receiving. Then the following week a friendly game was arranged especially to give Hunter some match practice. Unfortunately he never showed for the game and was then fired by the Football Club. Another week went by and Hunter was back on the books again. After making one more appearance he was loaned out to Evesham United. Leon Doughty also brought on the public wrath of DT after he was sent off against Tamworth. Even though DT claimed not to have seen the incident, when asked after the game, he decided to discipline Doughty with a fine and criticise him in the local papers. These incidents aside, one thing's for sure at our club, if you don't get on with the manager, you don't play for us long. We've all seen players leave at short notice for no apparent reason, and we've all wondered hmmm? OK the manager is in charge of all playing matters and what he says goes, but is it always in the best interests of the football club. Last season saw the exception. Scott Huckerby was not a team player, and by all accounts was a bit of a 'billy big time', but his goals proved that being liked within the club was not necessarily required to do the job. His scoring ability was such that the other parts of his game that he didn't bother with were conveniently overlooked. Come the summer after he'd done his job and kept us in the Premier League he was on his way to Hucknall, surprise there then. I'm not saying players should be allowed to flaunt the rules of the club, and the unwritten rules of the dressing room, just that sometimes our club has a high turnover of players due to the fact that trivial events get blown out of proportion. |
| After the moral boost of the cup there would be three very difficult home games. |
|
First was Newport County, who had started well and then stuttered with five
defeats. They'd started winning again in time to play us. In Hinckley's Jekll
and Hyde form this season, this game was a Mr Hyde. Monserratt International
Wayne Dyer made his debut and started brightly as did the team. A couple of
early chances from Jenkins and Sadler and that was it for the half really.
Martin Fox was out and there was no width, so no chances. Everything was going
through the middle and Newport were up to defending that. Second half Newport
came out running and pushed forward. After one defensive scare, Neil Cartwright
misjudged a back header to Afandiyev and Shepard nipped in to score for Newport.
Hinckley could've and should've equalised next attack. Dave Sadler ran with
the ball wide of the area, took it to the byline and managed to get in a cross.
It was right to the feet of Wayne Dyer who from 3 yards out, with the keeper
stranded, managed to balloon it over the bar. You had to see it. The players
just seemed to have all confidence drain from them and although there were a
few more chances they didn't look like scoring. Newport sealed the game right
on time. A 20 yard swerving half volley form D'Auria was unstoppable and
Newport took a 0 - 2 lead. There was even time for Hinckley to get back in it
when we were awarded a penalty but Stuart Storer's penalty was too close to
the keeper and he saved it comfortably. Newport left Hinckley with 3 points
and 2 goals, exactly as they did last season. Septembers Manager of the Month was awarded to Stafford Rangers, September's Safe Hands of the Month was awarded to Stafford Rangers. They had won 4 drawn 2 and only let in 2 goals. Hinckley's next game? You guessed it Stafford Rangers. A goal at the end of each half for Dave Sadler gave Hinckley an unlikely and precious 2 - 0 victory over Stafford. Steve Gough also made his debut in this game. The 'on loan' signing from Burton played up front with Dave Sadler. However the real reason we won this game was because I was at work, it was bound to happen. FA Cup games have always been full of incident for Hinckley over the last couple of season and the match against Tamworth was to be no exception. Tamworth, who had ex Leicester City Steve Walsh back in their team, were a big and physical side but Hinckley began to get the better of them towards the end of the first half. It had been pretty even with both teams having chances and both defences looking nervous. Hinckley took the lead before half time when Dave Sadler had a 20 yard shot which wrong footed Acton in the Tamworth goal, but then was deflected away to Leon Mitchell who played the rebound to the opposite corner that Acton was in. That silenced the sizeable Tamworth crowd and gave Hinckley a moral boost going into the second half. Next came the turning point of the game. Leon Doughty was substituted on for Nick Preston. It appeared that Hinckley were going to try and defend a 1 - 0 lead for 45 minutes? Fair play, it worked for 30 minutes and probably would have succeeded if it hadn't been for Leon Doughty to throttle Tamworth's Follett in front of the lino' and get himself red carded. I don't suppose it helped with Follett hitting the floor like a sniper victim, but we'd do the same. This time it would be Tamworth that would play against the 10 men, opposite of the league match. It didn't take Tamworth long to surge forward as Hinckley defended deeper and deeper. Their equaliser was inevitable. A shot through a crowded area was well saved by Afandiyev, but only parried away. A throng of approximately 10 players then, were all kicking at the same piece of grass and the ball went into the goal eventually off the foot of Hatton. This knocked Hinckley back and they hadn't recovered by the time Tamworth took the lead. A through ball was played to the feet of Cooper and curled the ball around the diving Fad' to take a 1 - 2 lead. We had no answer. Sadler was as far back as the edge of the D and poor Justin Jenkins could only chase hopeful balls into the corner. Tamworth made the game safe when Follett, having recovered from his bullet wound, tapped in an easy cross after good work by Hatton taking the ball past Fad'. 1 - 3 was a bit flattering to Tamworth, especially as they didn't look like scoring until the red mist got in Doughty's eyes. Statistics show though that Hinckley were out of the FA Cup at the 3rd Qualifying and that's all that mattered really. Now Hinckley could concentrate on the league and getting themselves out of the mire. The next game was away at Chippenham Town. They had been promoted this season but had proved themselves more than capable and were in the top 6 most of this season. It didn't start well with Chippenham taking an early lead. Rawlings finished off from close range when he was not picked up in the 8th minute. They doubled their lead only 10 minutes later when Paul scored from another cross. Hinckley were now chasing the game. They had some good possession and chances coming to half time, but were hit with a devastating blow as they went three down at the break. Paul again converted from another cross, and Hinckley would now have to dig deep to get anything from the game. Second half was a different story. Hinckley had had their half time roasting and came out fighting. Dave Sadler, who seems to be the only player who can score at the moment, got a goal back to start the fight back. Then Bittner in the Chippenham goal was subbed for an injury, but somehow the experienced forward line of Hunter and Sadler couldn't make the stand in keeper pay. The final score finishing 3 - 1 and another away game slips past without a win. The last league game of the month was against Weymouth. They were in a run of dire form and in the last two games had conceded four in each. They were also just a couple of points above us and we'd leapfrog them if we won. The surprise for this game was that Hinckley started with a 4-4-2 line up. Something I'd like to have seen done from the start of the season. Neil Cartwright was pushed into midfield and Stuart Storer was switched to right back. This gave a better balance to the side and it definitely showed. Without setting the world alight with the passing play Hinckley were definitely creating more and it was one of those 'silly' goals that left them 0 - 1 down at half time. A high ball was headed back to Fad' by Preston who got underneath it too much. The ball went up in the air and as it was on it's way down, Fad' unexplainably decided to use his feet instead of his hands. I know, I know, he's a goal keeper and that's what their hands are for. Still, he miss-kicked the ball and Lee Phillips just rolled it into the empty net. So for all Hinckley's approach play they were one down at the break. There is an opinion at Middlefield Lane that Dean Thomas should give out his half time b*ll*cking before the game starts. That way we might not have to wait for the second half to see some action. This second half was only 5 minutes old before we equalised. Cartwright, now freed from his defensive duties, was getting forward more and more. He delivered a perfect cross through the penalty area and as Wayne Dyer ducked under the ball it came right on the head of Dave Sadler who buried it from 2 yards. Hinckley had now got the measure of Weymouth and with a more balanced defence found themselves coming forward in numbers instead of a break away. It was only another 10 more minutes before Hinckley took the lead. After the ball came loose in an attack, Wayne Dyer found himself on the edge of the area. He took a first time shot that was blocked but the ball rebounded straight to his feet for him to place it past the diving keeper to score his first goal for Hinckley United, and give us a 2 - 1 lead. Hinckley had a number of chances to increase the lead with Leon Mitchell, Dave Sadler and Justin Jenkins all forcing good saves. They were nearly made to rue the missed chances when late on after a set piece Weymouth managed to miss the equaliser after shooting over from 5 yards out. Hinckley breathed once more and the final score was 2 - 1, taking us above Weymouth into 17th place. With League action out of the way, and Hinckley out of the FA Cup, this year we could actually take the League Cup seriously. We'd have to if we wanted to beat Gresley Rovers. Always a competent side, they would be up for it on their own ground, and with the weather cold, wet and windy an upset could be on the cards. They came out the better of the teams and looked to attack from the start. Hinckley hit them with a double blow after half an hour though. Zeke Rowe, who had started instead of Dave Sadler because Dave was late in traffic, was involved in a goal mouth 'melee' and stabbed the ball home from 3 yards out, scoring his first goal for Hinckley United. Almost straight away Martin Fox had a free kick and, under pressure, Gresley's James headed it into his own net to give Hinckley a 0 - 2 half time lead. There's a novelty! Second half Hinckley were happy to sit back and defend in a pretty much uneventful half. It came alive for the last 5 minutes though. Gresley's Wardle scored a goal from the edge of the area, curling it round the outstretched Fad'. This gave them the slightest chance and they threw everything forward. Hinckley did enough to hang on and beat Gresley 1 - 2, going through to the second round for only the first time in a 3 seasons. The facts have it. 6 games played, 3 won and 3 lost. A better month than last month but we are out of the FA Cup. Performance wise the games against Newport and Chippenham were non starters but they were balanced out by the Stafford game and digging out a result against Weymouth. If someone else could match the outstanding form of Dave Sadler at the moment then there would be nothing to worry about. Still plenty of hope there to keep the faith going. |
| In out, Shake it all about |
|
Well, as mentioned above, Paul Hunter left this month for about a week. Then he
returned and went out on loan to Evesham. He had a fall out with Thomas over
money and then didn't show for a game. Thomas handled this with his usual tact
and Hunter was sacked. A week later and it was all sorted out again and everyone
was happy. Then another week later he's on loan to Evesham United. Things that
make you go hmmm? Another of DT's 'bad boys' was on his way this month. Leon Blake, who had incurred the wrath of Thomas after getting himself FA cuptied and not owning up, after incurring a club fine then found himself in the squad at Stourport. Tim Wilkes returned from Barwell as well. He'd gone there last month, had a few games, scored a couple of goals, and now come back. Keeps him fit I suppose. A couple of loan new signings this month also: Firstly, Steve Gough from Burton Albion. Steve started at Forest and Leicester before dropping to non-league. He has played for England at Schoolboy and U18 level. He was at Lilleshall with Michael Owen and was considered an exiting prospect. So how did he end up playing for us? Well he didn't actually, he got one game and then Burton recalled him. Point? You tell me. Secondly, Steve Voice from Hereford United. Steve will be on a month's loan at Middlefield Lane while he regains some match practice. Hereford signed Steve in 2001 after he'd had a good few seasons with Bilston Town, including 46 goals one year. A Pelvic injury has dogged Voice since his first season at Hereford and now, with no reserve side at Hereford, this will give him the chance of some first team action. That's nice of us isn't it? Only one 'proper' signing has been made this month, Wayne Dyer from Sutton Coldfield Town. Wayne has had league experience in the lower divisions as well as at Conference level. He has also played at full International level for his country of Monserratt. He spectacularily missed a sitter on his debut, but made up for it by scoring the winner against Weymouth. |
| World of Football Stuff |
|
A new high-tech gadget is set to end the question of goal line decisions. Was
it over the line or not? Well now the question can be answered. The Germans
(are they still that bitter about 66?) have developed a ball tracking
device to ensure that the exact whereabouts of a ball on the pitch can be
determined.(In the case of Sh*psh*d we all know, the ball is in the air.)
The system, named 'Smartball' is a network of transmitters placed inside the
ball and in the players' shinpads. They all send signals to receivers around
the pitch and a computer analyses the positions of players and ball in real
time. The computer can tell if a ball has crossed a line or if a player is
off side and alert the referee on an arm-band display he wears. The data
can be used for a training aid too. A player can be tracked all match, with
distance covered and speed travelled all logged. A German spokesman for the manufacturer said: "For you contrawersial decision, zee vor iz over." Alright I made that last bit up Psychic pub boss Ann Leatherdale has peered into her pint pot to foretell the future of English football. (not that hard really, start OK, then sh*g it up) Her regulars watch amazed as she gazes into her glass to see digits in the lager froth. (something we all can do come the end of the night) A number 8 told her England would reach the World Cup quarter finals. (why didn't she think it would mean we would be the 8th team knocked out?) The brew then told her England would beat Slovakia 2-1, earlier this month. Now Ann has seen a 3 - 0 win for England against Turkey. (Would that be the Bernard Matthews type?) Ann also picked Grand National winner 'Red Marauder' when the horse's number appeared plus predicted that West Bromwich Albion would win 2 - 0 in their promotion match. All in all she has won over £500 with her beer based bets. (Beer based bets, we've all done it. After 8 pints that 50-1 shot looks just so attractive.) I propose to conduct a scientific experiment on this alleged fortune telling. The only way I can see is to pour a pint for each individual match this weekend and let the beer decide the score. Then drink all the beer and not give a f*** what the score is. Sorted. Close to home for this one, as a Leicestershire Senior League Cup tie between Barrow Town and Blaby was abandoned at half time due to referee Ian Rayner finding his dressing room had been ransacked. Apparently action may be now taken against Barrow by the Leicestershire FA and the Everards Senior League. Two questions: |
| Coming next Season: A plethora of home games coming up. Newport, Stafford and Weymouth in the league and Tamworth in the FA Cup. We'll be visiting new boys Chippenham in the league and right at the end we go to grizzly land with our whippets and play Gresley in the League Cup. |
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