February 2005
Leicester City Programme
Middlefield or the Maracana?

I sometimes wonder whether I'm an optimist or a pessimist, or even just round the twist. Sometimes I wonder whether we, as supporters, realise exactly what level of football our team plays at and whether we expect more than our level of football has to offer. Sometimes we are our own worst enemy by raising our expectations and then when they are not met by the ability of the team, instead of reassessing our expectations we just criticise. Our league is the Conference North, at level 6 of the footballing pyramid, with 114 teams in the levels above us. So I could estimate approximately 2000 players that are of a better quality than the players we have now. That doesn't mean I don't appreciate what our players do for our club or make me dislike them, just that I'm realist enough to know that our players are not the best in the country, even if they do try their best for us. Sometimes that isn't good enough and other teams we play at our level are better than us. What I can't understand though is some of the criticism thrown out at our players by some of our fans for not being able to perform to a standard that is unrealistic for the level we play at. Our players are not David Beckhams or Frank Lampards, they are not even Tony Bedeaus (Torquay) or Ian Fosters (Kidderminster), if they were they would be playing at that level and not for us. The point I'm trying to make is at the moment when we are going through a slump in form and have lost a few games it seems that one or two players have come in for criticism from fans beyond the natural football banter almost bordering on abuse. In particular Wayne Dyer and Matt Lewis. While fan's favourites can get away with making mistakes it seems that these two players have incurred the wrath of supporters no matter how hard they try and how well they play. Wayne Dyer, an International captain and our highest scoring midfield player (alongside Rich Lavery) and Matt Lewis, the best young prospect we've had at Middlefield in a long, long time.

What seems to be Wayne Dyer's crime? He's not got a very good shot on him. So what? He's not a striker, he's a midfield player, it's not his job to score goals. It's his job to get the ball into the areas where the people who should score goals can get the opportunity to do so. Yet he has still scored 6 goals this season. Sometimes he tries a shot and misses, and all he gets is jeers and abuse. He brings more to the team then scoring goals, and even if he is not playing at his best at the moment it doesn't take anything away from what his role is in the team.

Matt Lewis on the other hand is there to score goals. So far this season his record is 20 starts with 7 goals, and 10 subs appearances with 1 goal, totalling 30 games and 8 goals. He is the clubs second highest scorer. This has also been done with the back injury he picked up at Burton. Whilst not being a prolific scorer so far he his far from being a passenger. He has good pace and a good first touch. Up until the injury during the Burton match he was going great, after that he has struggled a bit, but he is still young and his confidence will be affected more than older players. You also have to take into account the fact that he was made redundant from his full time footballing career and he has had to pick his life back up again, much the same as Tommy Whittle had to. When Matt came to us on loan he scored many goals in a short space of time and I think people still expect him to do that. To berate him for not constantly scoring at that rate is frankly ridiculous. This season has been a bit stop start for Matt, he has not had a regular run as first choice, only a few starts, then a few games on the bench, then a few starts again. I personally think he can be as good for Hinckley United as Dave Sadler was, he just need to be allowed to make his mistakes and learn from them. What he doesn't need is to be called for every time he makes a mistake, because it will happen, and he certainly doesn't need to be singled out or made a scapegoat for poor performances by the whole team. I think Matt Lewis is the best prospect this club has had since a certain Neil Cartwright stepped up from the youth team. Give him your support now, through good and bad, because you can be sure if we don't look after him then somebody else will, and we'll look back on another 'if only'.

After all that, welcome back to Andy Penny. Thanks a lot for helping Redditch take 6 points of us! Let's hope we see the same kind of performances in our defence, big man. He's brought his mate with him also, in the form of Craig Woodley. Hmmm, I wonder if anyone has brought up the last time Craig Woodley played at Middlefield yet?
 
Vauxhall Motors Programme
So what did everyone do last Saturday then?

A few of us decided that we'd take a trip over to Damson Park to watch the Hinckley Old Boys in action for Solihull Borough. Obviously Morton Titterton plays for them and is their team captain also, but who else is there. Peter Barry played 35 games for Hinckley in 2000 before moving on to Atherstone, and then Solihull Borough. Also there is Scott Voice. Scott played 31 games for Hinckley before transferring to Redditch United and then on to Solihull. Recently we've also loaned out Tommy Goodwin and Chris Smith to Solihull, so with a spare Saturday we though we'd go and see how they got on.

For those that have never been to Damson Park (well it was in the Western Division days) it is a nice tidy Southern League Ground. It has an excellent Social Club, with a 300 seated covered stand adjoined to the Club House central to one side of the ground running approx one third of the pitch. Then behind one goal is a 3 step covered terrace running the whole width of the pitch. The rest of the ground is uncovered hard standing. Photos of the ground always seem to be from one corner craftily making sure that both the terrace and seated stand are in the picture. Sneaky eh? I always liked going there, but then I always remember Hinckley having a good result at this ground. Damson Park is also home to Birmingham City reserves and the pitch was in excellent condition considering the amount of games played on it. It will also be temporary home to Moor Green while they get their ground sorted out after the dreadful fire they suffered recently. Though I suspect Moor Green will be back at the Moorlands before we play them at the end of April, so another journey there might not be necessary.

We were always going to want Solihull to win the match (who can be a neutral?) but even more so when we realised that they were playing Gloucester City. The game was a frenetic pace and all played in such a rush. You don't realise how much play at our level is more deliberate and calculated until you watch lower level. Nobody put their foot on the ball all game, but it made it an exciting game anyway. Titterton was his usual tenacious, battling self, starting in midfield, with Barry starting in defence. Voice and Smith were both on the bench and the bad news was that Tommy Goodwin's back injury had flared up again and he will be out again for some time. It didn't start well for the Hinckley old boys either with Pete Barry scoring an own goal to give Gloucester the lead. Barry made amends though by scoring Solihull's equaliser shortly after, and Solihull took a half time lead with a goal in the 44th minute. In the second half some sloppy defending let Gloucester score two goals to take a 2-3 lead before Chris Smith came on as a sub. As you'd expect Smith chased every ball and his momentum pushing forward led to a spell of pressure where Solihull equalised. The game finished a 3-3 draw and at �1 per goal was good value for money.
 
Bradford Park Avenue Programme
"Start spreading the news, we're leaving today"
"I'm glad to have been a part of you"
"Middlefield Lane"
"And watching football anywhere, just wont quite ever compare"
"So here's to you Middlefield Lane"

Dean Thomas 'celebrity stars in their eyes' - eat your heart out.

Here it is everyone, the final countdown. No not those pomp haired, glam rock boys from the 80's - Europe, but the final 90 minutes (plus injury time!) at Middlefield Lane. This day has been getting closer and closer and I bet some of the old boys can't quite believe it's finally happening. We'll have to paint some rust on the new stands to make them feel at home. So today is goodbye to the 22 years of good times I've had at the Lane. Paul Lambert's volley against Tipton, the Town v Atho FA Vase match with Martin Haskins winner, Keith Scott scoring 5 goals, beating Whitby Town in the Trophy 3-1 after Morts got sent off, anything Morts basically did on the Middlefield pitch, any win against Sh*psh*d (and there have been a few), Jamie Lenton's moments of rage, lifting the Dr Martens Western championship with nobody even caring about the score against Weston, the most bizarre own goal against Hednesford Town, putting 4 past Crawley in their championship season, relegating Chippenham Town, Neil Cartwright's goal against Torquay and the game against Brentford in front of the telly camera's. All now consigned to the 'once was' folder, and when there is a housing estate on the Middlefield centre circle I can look forward to telling people that there 'once was' the home of football in this place.

I tell you what though, there may be a lot of amenities at the Marston Stadium but at the moment what we need is a hospital ward and small band of merry nurses. Dear me, our club looks like a scene from a Hollywood B movie horror flick, Zombie Snatchers or something like that. Our injury list is mind numbing. We've got Lenton out, Stone out, Colkin out, Lewis out, Goodwin out, with Storer, Cartwright, Penny, Woodley and Lavery recently all playing with injuries. I've seen the BBC outside broadcast unit down at Middlefield Lane for the second time this season, though apparently they are filming a new episode of Casualty. There is also no truth in the rumour the club are changing the playing kit - to a long flowing black robe with a hood. Though I've been told our kit is going to be sponsored by NHS Trust. With players now being forced to play out of position the side has lost all balance and cohesion, as was seen in the second half at Stafford, and Vauxhall on Black Tuesday (as it has now become known). I prefer to see the best formation suited for the players we have available rather than trying to fit the players we've got left into a formation that doesn't suit them. This was shown at Runcorn with albeit a patched up team playing gaining the win.

Talking of Stafford Rangers, and I don't like to do that often, what a superiority complex they've got! Now games between Stafford and Hinckley have never been the prettiest of affairs and usually have some kind of extra, erm, edge (you know what I mean.) Our fans don't get on at all, mainly due to the treatment they gave Nick Preston 3 years ago when he broke his leg at Marston Road and was jeered off the pitch by the Stafford fans. Needless to say we don't like them and they don't like us. Now not content with writing to the Non League paper, after our previous meeting this season, to have a good moan at Hinckley they have now done it in their Official match day magazine. On page one they say "we extend a warm welcome" and then proceed in a number of columns to not only criticise the Middlefield Lane ground but also have a pop at the Marston's Stadium too. Purely based on a photo the author had seen of the new ground on the internet. Did I miss when Stafford Rangers were not relegated from the Conference down to the Southern Midland league? Did I miss when Marston Road had not been neglected to the point that it now resembles a World War II prison camp? Did I miss when Stafford Rangers ceased to be a big non-league club and became just another average team like the rest of us? Stafford really do seem to have a mind set of that because they get bigger crowds than others they are somehow a better club with better facilities. Next week we are playing at the Marston Stadium, so we all know where they can stick their Stalagluft Marston Road...

With the good news that we are now moving to our new ground comes some sad news about a team with no ground. After our win last week at Runcorn it appears that the club will no longer be able to afford to play at the Halton Stadium. I can't say it's a loss for the fans because it was a soulless place and not great for watching football, defo the worst pie this season by a long way. However it is very bad news for the club as a whole, I said in the Runcorn programme earlier this season how many Runcorn fans couldn't see a future for their club at the Halton Stadium and worse now with no guaranteed club to play at, some can't see a future for their club. Runcorn are in talks with Witton and Northwich for a ground share to finish the season, but are looking to move back to Runcorn and redevelop an existing site in the town, which may mean having to drop down a division.

I don't know if any one else plays the game, but I always like to do the 'what if we had of won' thing with the FA Cup. You track the team you lose to and see which team we could've played had we actually won the game. Well Brentford have had a great run in the Cup since they beat us. Taking out the top League One side Luton, travelling to the icy wastes of Hartlepool then stunning Premiership Southampton by drawing at the St Mary's stadium. They have yet to win the replay but what a great incentive they now have. The 6th round draw has paired them at home to Manchester United. It would be great to see Brentford get past Southampton and have a crack at the likes of Ronaldo and Giggs. If Man U play like they did at Exeter then the Bees should have a good chance. Only a small matter of beating Saints first then!
Let's give the old lady a magnificent send off, and see you at the Marston's Stadium next week!
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