August 2014 (Part 1)

What price loyalty?

"I don't mind seeing any player depart the club to better himself...But this triggered something of an exodus and I really struggle to see the thinking behind the decision of other players to leave. Throw in rumours of a couple of lads who are "not feeling football" at the moment and I start to despair about not only our fortunes but the future of local football in general."

The above is an extract of my programme notes for the opening league game of the season against Thoresby Colliery Welfare. they were written in a week that had seen it confirmed that Sam Huteson, Lewis Andrew and Jordan Hart were not intending on committing to the club for the new season. They followed Paul Morrill, Danny Blount (both Hall Road Rangers), Charlie Dixon (Beverley Town via Selby Town) and James Robinson out of the club. Thankfully Jordy would reconsider a few weeks later but his return would be offset by the loss of Stef Radley. With Tom McLaughlin injured and Jamie Cousins absent, it meant only six members of the South Holderness Cup Final squad from three months earlier would be in the squad that began the following season. Making this all the more unacceptable to me was that we'd based our decision to stay in the CML largely on the pledges those same lads had made to remain at the club. Ah well...

Saturday 2nd August

Pre-Season Friendly

Easington United 0 Sculcoates Amateurs 5

Due to a well-earned, pre-planned weekend break, AG wasn't at Low Farm to watch his side's final warm-up game. It was probably as well. This was embarrassing. A young Sculcoates side showed how a team should perform after several weeks' training and playing together. We on the other hand looked a rabble, which perhaps wasn't surprising given the fact that (a) attendances at training at had been p!ss-poor therefore fitness levels were way below expectation; (b) the squad again included a number of new or guest faces; and (c) any pre-season optimism among the regulars had already been tested to the full by news of the summer departures. It promised to be a long, hard season.

Thursday, 7th August

UEFA Europa League 

Third Qualifying Round, Second Leg

Hull City 2 FK AS Trencin 1

(Agg: 2-1)

What would turn out to be a fine weekend on the sporting front began in exciting fashion courtesy of City's first ever home competitive European tie. Helped by a superb ticket price (£10/£5 concessions, which included a free match programme) and glorious weather, a 21,000 crowd (the capacity affected by extra segregation required for unreserved seating games) provided a superb atmosphere.

However, within minutes of the start it was the 100 or so Slovakian supporters making all the noise after they'd taken a shock lead. I wasn't worried at that point. Even less so when Elmo headed City level. But as the second half wore on and it started to dawn on many that the away goal was now looking good to end City's first foray into Europe ridiculously early, that awful feeling in the pit of the stomach began to be experienced. Then up stepped Sone and all was right with the world again.

Aside from the result, the biggest plus of the night was the atmosphere, which has undoubtedly been helped by the movement of City fans to the North Stand. The singing joust between this new vocal area and their former partners in the East Stand was excellent, while even elements of the Upper West (where Brim and I sat) got caught up in the "Come On City" chants that reverberated round the stadium in an increasingly tense second half.

Reaching new heights? #CityinEurope

As mentioned in July's blog, hopes of seeing either part of City's first tie in the Europa League had been threatened by a pre-planned family trip to the Corrie studios and Liverpool (a birthday treat for the Younger Slushette).

Thus I'd begun the day of the home leg on a coach that took us from the Ramada hotel in Haydock to Liverpool where the delights of Albert Dock awaited. My pre-match preparation began outside The Pumphouse with a lovely pint of Liverpool Organic Brewery Best Bitter (though not quite as impressive as the previous night's Moorhouse's Blond Witch), while the night ended with me dreaming of drinking several more continental beers al fresco in far-off places over the coming months...

Picture courtesy of the BBC whose report can be found here.   

Friday, 8th August

Barney Moverley Memorial Trophy

Easington United Reserves 1 Roos AFC 1

(Easington won 3-2 on pens)

This was perhaps the first sign that once again I had failed to take into account this club's willingness to thrive in adversity. Despite Roos manager (Gazette sports editor) Les Sennett's attempts to pin this result on the the inclusion of "first teamers", it was instead a cracking performance by a predominantly inexperienced Stiffs side against opponents who would appear to be signing everyone and anyone locally (including one of our departing dirty dozen ;-) ).

True the likes of AG, Smalls and Wilks (via the bench) all figured but this was because none could play in the league opener and therefore they had to plug gaps left by those called up to take their place the following day. And anyway, Graham in centre-mid and Smalley as a flying winger? It was hardly playing "ringers"!

In the event the Stiffs showed excellent resolve to withstand an early onslaught from Roos before cancelling out Tony Everett's opener via Tom Emerson's close-range finish.

After a second 45 minutes had brought no further goals, the tie went to penalties wherein Stiffs keeper Pagey proved the star. Smalls stroked home the decisive fifth kick to ensure the trophy remained at the Farm.

Saturday 9th August

CML North

Easington United 2 Thoresby Colliery Welfare 0

Lee Tryner, manager of highly-fancied visitors Thoresby, later described this as the "kick up the backside" his players required. He was right - they've gone on to win all their subsequent games!

But for us, this opening day win was almost immeasurable in terms of its effect on morale. As reported by groundhopper 'Cod of the North' on the Tony Kempster forum, one of our players was even heard to mention "We're going to get hammered" as the sides lined up for the 'Respect' handshake. And it's very true that on seeing the list of names selected for this opener, several lads had expressed doubts about an ability to compete. But once again, they didn't allow for that East End ability to defy the odds.

And so after a gritty rearguard action for much of the game, two goals in four second half minutes eventually proved crucial and gave everyone the lift required to take into a difficult first month's fixture list.

Along with the previous evening, this win had to be seen in the wider context of another bloody awful summer.

Oh, and I want it placing on record that I stood by my pre-match prediction: Thoresby will finish this season in the top two.

A detailed match report and pics can be found here. There are also pics on the club's Facebook page. The Thoresby account of events can be found here. 

Wednesday 13th August

CML North 

Easington United 0 Westella VIP 6

The one thing you don't need to do when playing a free-scoring side like title favourites Westella is concede within the first two minutes. Then concede again within the first ten. A third before the break meant this game was as good as done with over 45 minutes still to play. What annoyed Andy even more was that five of the six goals originated from our mistakes. You could say Saturday's opening day lift had been consigned to memory in double-quick time.

For a full match report read here. Pics can also be viewed on the club's Facebook page. Westella's account can be found here.

Saturday 16th August

CML North

Glapwell 3 Easington United 0

Glapwell is one of the tidiest grounds in the Central Midlands League North Division. It's also one where - apart from an opening day win back in 2012 - we haven't done particularly well. And this was to be the case again as another side stretched by absences managed just two shots on target in a gruelling ninety minutes. We didn't help ourselves by again conceding early and it has to be said the effort was there for all to see. But effort will only get you so far in this league.

Our report can be found here, the Facebook pictures here and Glapwell's own report here.

So, one win and two defeats as the Bank Holiday weekend approached. We had two scheduled games, Saturday and Monday. Perhaps crucially, both were at home. However, of more concern was the fact that we were again set to be without a host of players...

Back on the Blog

Saturday 12th October

ER County League Premier Division

Easington Utd Reserves 0 Bridlington Town Reserves 3 

Saturday 19th October

Central Midlands League North Division

Easington Utd 0 Thoresby Colliery Welfare 2 

'Tis October, the month of Hull Fair and Halloween; of misty mornings, murky afternoons and of evenings that are often best spent sampling seasonal nutty ales around an old log fire.  And it’s a month in which Easington United tend to lose football matches.  Regularly.

Of course there is always the hope that we will buck the trend.  But this usually lasts barely a week.

Unfortunately, none of our teams can afford another ‘Black October’, especially the focus of my attention this particular Saturday – the Reserves.  They approached the month in miserable form; summer having seen the departure of the manager and key personnel from the squad that had gained promotion last season, September then bringing defeats in both opening league games at Beverley and Holme.

In addition, a first round defeat at Driffield Rangers had ensured there would be no repeat of last season’s run to the League Cup final.

When South Cave Sporting Club then ended interest in the County Cup at the first round stage a week later it became obvious that all efforts this season were now to be thrown into battling against relegation.

Still I’m ever the optimist (well, I try to be!) and as the Elder Slushette and I headed for ‘The Farm’ on a suitably damp Saturday afternoon, there was genuine hope that today might just witness a change in fortune. 

This feel-good factor wasn’t just the result of watching Andros Townsend and his England team-mates put Montenegro to the sword the previous night. Oh no, there were far more relevant reasons for my buoyancy...
For a start the Stiffs were playing their first “proper” home game of the season, on the main pitch and with the Tea Hut open!

Secondly, a lack of First Team fixture actually meant caretaker-boss Foz had some extra quality available in terms of personnel.

And thirdly, although having won two on the bounce ahead of their trip to the Humber Riviera, opponents Bridlington Town Reserves were not setting the top flight on fire. Indeed, the Seasiders were exactly the sort of side that we should be confident of beating if Premier Division survival is to become an expectation rather than a hope.

So there you have it.  All set up for the first 3pts of the season...

 

Low Farm – although always a thing of rustic beauty in this beholder’s eyes – doesn’t look quite so aesthetic on a drizzle-filled autumn afternoon.  This impression is further reinforced when, as today, the generator decides to play up leaving the changing room lights resembling a disco but without the sounds.

Unsurprisingly, the vast majority of a respectable-sized crowd numbering nearly twenty opted to take in the action from the shelter of the “Farm Shed”, or “North West Ryvita Stand” to give it its adopted name (don’t ask – I’m sure I’ve explained why somewhere in a previous blog!).  Among their number was First Team manager ‘Sumo’, in attendance not only to partake of some of the typically dry humour always on offer but also to cast an eye over any potential hopefuls.

For most of the first half he’d have been fairly impressed.  By and large the locals enjoyed the better of things, with the Town keeper easier the busier of the two.

That said, the visitors appeared to be getting too much freedom down the flanks, particularly the left, and only a couple of poor finishes ensured the score remained blank as long as it did.

The breakthrough came towards half-time and emanated from a defensive lapse that allowed Josh Chrislow to stride through and take the ball round Pagey before slotting into an unguarded net. 

 

 

I spent half-time (and indeed much of the second half) putting the world of local football to rights with Patrington-based referee Sprucey and ex-Withernsea AFC stalwart Neil Stivvy.  The usual subjects were trotted out – poor attitudes, lack of commitment, unwillingness to learn – which, in short, all add up to the following conclusion: “it weren’t like that in our day!”

As we vented our frustrations on the sidelines, those being felt by the Stiffs on the pitch were increased by near misses at one end – Gav’s shot being blocked by the last defender; sub Shane striking the post – and clinical Bridlington finishing at the other.

An unseemly bout of handbags brought proceedings to a scruffy end and – apparently – helped convince our visitors that retiring to The Granby would be an unwise move.  I found this particularly disappointing and took to Twitter to tell them so...well, it made me feel better if nothing else!

As it was, I can only report to the absent Seasiders that you missed some particularly tasty sausage rolls and a lovely pint of Old Golden Hen (available alongside the landlord’s usually reliable Tetley Cask). 

 

It rained that night.  It continued raining well into Sunday morning, which had a profound effect on one of the traditional highlights of the local calendar – the Welwick Heritage weekend. 

Usually the Sunday morning sees a large stretch of the Moat Farm grassland turned into a car boot sale.  Not this year.  Indeed, not only was there no car boot sale, there were almost no vehicles at all as many of those who pitch up for an extended break decided to return home early before they became stuck on the increasingly wet field.

We timed our annual visit just right – some rare (for this October) sunshine accompanying our walk around the assorted stalls and displays celebrating the area’s rural past.

By the time I was enjoying a delicious pint of Timothy Taylor’s Landlord to accompany tea at The Crown & Anchor at Kilnsea (as much a fixture of our Welwick Heritage Weekend as the threshing machine) the tribulations of my local football team were temporarily no longer uppermost in my thoughts.

By Tuesday it was the national team taking centre-stage as England lined up against Poland needing just a win to qualify for next year’s World Cup Finals.  Now where have I seen that before?

The much talked about 1973 meeting was the first televised England game I can remember watching all the way through.  Thankfully, unlike on that occasion, Roy’s boys didn’t falter this time round and I could retire to bed to dream of a summer on the Copacabana...

 Autumn on the Humber Riviera may not quite conjure up quite the same images but, hey, given a bit of sunshine and the right soundtrack anything is possible.

Nowadays such a soundtrack in the Slush household would be an eclectic affair.  For example, in the past fortnight my choice of listening has ranged from a ‘50s jump-jive compilation and '80s indie-faves The Wedding Present through the '90s sounds of Saint Etienne, Gene and The Hacienda Club to a classic Northern Soul collection and Calvin Harris.  There, label that little lot if you will.

Of course at one time, the only bits of vinyl to be played on my decks would have been filed loosely under “Rock ‘n’ Roll”.  As a teenager caught up in the so-called Cat Movement of the early-Eighties I would have been mortified had someone told me that in future years I’d be listening to anything that didn’t have its origins in the American Deep South.

I was reminded of such times by the presence at Low Farm last Saturday of a certain Alan Franklin.

 

A resident of the village throughout his childhood and into his mid-20s, Al (or “Franks”) was well-known for his dedicated following of several musical fashions.

And as he stomped his way across the Low Farm car-park I could see by the flying jacket, checked shirt and turned-up denims that he was once again on a retro tip.

Renewing acquaintance with the aforementioned Mr Franklin may account for a less detailed than usual account of our home defeat by Thoresby Colliery Welfare in this our sixth successive Saturday at home.

Certainly, large parts of the second half seemed to simply form a backdrop to memories of those halcyon days of the early 1980s. 

 

Prior to this distraction I’d seen us enjoy the better of things in the first half only to be undone by goals from James Scothern and Tony Buchanan, the latter being one of the finest strikes you’ll see at Low Farm this or any other season.

At the start of the second period Dave Westoby passed up a great chance to pull one back, Gav hit the bar and Sam Huteson was forced out of the game by the latest poor challenge from Nathan Brown.  The Thoresby full-back received a long-overdue yellow card and was substituted shortly after when by rights he could have been off the field via different means, leaving us to go at 10 men for forty minutes.

It was now that my attention on the game came into conflict with revived memories of days gone by: of Friday nights watching bands like The Jets and The Blue Cats at The Goodfellowship Inn on Cottingham Road; of Saturday mornings spent trawling through the latest import releases at the legendary Sydney Scarborough in Hull city centre; of Saturday afternoons catching the train to and from Boothferry Park.

 

I’d last seen Al on a previous trip to Low Farm during our HPL days.  At the time he was involved with someone whose son was playing against us.  Now, once again single, he appears to have taken up where he left off all those years ago. 

I’d be lying if I didn’t say there was a touch of envy as I listened to his tales of seeing Ray Campi at the legendary Hemsby Rock ‘n’ Roll Weekender or even his attendance at Hull Soul Club’s monthly event at The Trades & Labour Club.  I smiled at the almost youthful exuberance that was evident in his recounting of such events – and I smiled because, despite the advancing years, I still can’t talk to Al without thinking he still bears an uncanny resemblance to Dave Bartram, lead singer of mock-Teddy Boy revivalists Showaddywaddy!

The aforementioned Mr Bartram may have proved a more effective front-man than the various ones employed by manager Sumo during the second half at Low Farm (see what I’ve done there). For despite plenty of possession and no lack of effort, aside from those chances at the start of the period, we rarely forged a decent opening during the whole of the second half – unless I missed them while reminiscing about all things rockabilly of course!

  
An official account of the Reserves v Bridlington Town Reserves game can be read here, while that of the First Team defeat by Thoresby can be found here.

Pictures from both games (courtesy of Craig Stephenson and Burt Graham) accompany both reports and/or can be found on our Easington United Facebook page.

 

 

 

 

A sting in the tail

Saturday 9th March

CML North

Thoresby Colliery Welfare 1 Easington United 0

 

Played well, nowt to show for it.  That's what so often happens when you're down on your luck and that was certainly the case on a sodden afternoon in Edwinstowe.

Still, we should be thankful we had a game to watch - Low Farm again fell victim to this horrendous wet winter, ruling out both the Reserves and Casuals fixtures.

And as we drove down a rain-swept M18 I must admit to a few nerves in anticipation of rolling up at the ground only to be greeted by a thumbs down from the men in charge.  I needn't have worried.  Not only was there little evidence of any rain on our arrival in north Nottinghamshire but the playing surface was in superb nick.

Given another raft of shortages, Sumo handed debuts to goalkeeper Ben Broadhead and midfielder Lewis Andrew while also welcoming Chris Frost back into the first team fold.  Ironically, on a day that marked the 21st anniversary of the passing of record goal scorer Melvin douglas, missed chances would again prove our downfall.

Read what I wrote about the game for the website and local press here.

And here's some of Burt's shots from the day, which appeared in the following week's Caught on Camera feature...

 

Smiling in the rain

Smalls' vital block 

That'll be one of the new chaps...

T'other one Ben punches clear

Where's the ball?

In the onion bag that's where!





Time For Action

I hinted at the back end of last season that the blog may struggle to survive in the form you've become accustomed to.  And such "fears" on my part have been realised this past month or so, with increased commitments at work and play meaning regular updates have been impossible.

So, in a taster of things to come, here's a whistle-stop tour of Slush's Sporting (& Not-so-Sporting) Sorties during September/October...

 

Saturday 22nd September
CML North
Easington United 1 Clay Cross Town 2

Attempts to bounce back from the defeat at Kiveton Park were spiked by a very impressive Clay Cross Town (formerly Parkhouse) at Low Farm.

In what turned out to be Jimmy Neilson's last game for the club (for now?) and Darren Eades' first and last for the club (for now?) two Phil Lowry goals brought the visitors victory.  The margin of the win could have been greater but for a fine goalkeeping display by Charlie in his 100th game for the club.  As it was even he couldn't prevent a fourth defeat in a row.

Match report and pics can be found here.  Colin Brammer's photos can be found here, while the Parkhouse report can be found here. 

Saturday 29th September

ERCL Division 1

Easington United Reserves 3 Hornsea Town 0

One effect of Mrs Slush's new weekend working commitments is my inability to travel to every away game in the CML this season.  Of course, this in turn presents the opportunity to catch more of the County League squads' action at the Farm.

The Reserves have started the season brightly and came into this game unbeaten in their four matches to date.

In fairness, Hornsea provided perhaps the least resistance of any opponents yet and Thommo had the Stiffs ahead after just 14 seconds.  By the break it was 3-0 and the points were assured, manager Gav's sublime finish and Thommo's second completing the scoring.  It could have been more...as this photo of Gav will testify.

A report can be found here, accompanied by plenty of shots from new man with the lens Craig Stephenson.

Tuesday 2nd October

Football League Championship

Hull City 2 Blackpool 3
 

My first trip of the season to the KC Stadium and my first glimpse of Steve Bruce's Tigers.  And, despite the result, it was one that left me very optimistic about the future.

Aside from some glaring individual errors at the back, that contributed directly to all three Blackpool goals, this was a fine City performance.  Going forward the Tigers looked far more potent than when I'd seen them last under Nick Barmby. 

Unfortunately, any sense of positivity taken from the result soon dissipated - first with the usual doom 'n' gloomers on the post-match Radio Humberside phone-in, then thanks to a closed section of the Clive Sullivan Way, which meant gridlock getting away from the ground and an eventual half-past-eleven arrival back in Easington.
The BBC report of the game can be read here. 

Friday 5th October

Geno Washington & Yo Yo Blues 

Payback @ The New Adelphi Club



Had this been a normal blog post, or a review of the type I used to write regularly for Hull, Hell & Happiness and other such 'zines, I'd have no doubt waffled at length about the memories stirred by this first visit to The Adelphi (or "New Adelphi" as it now is) some, ooh, fifteen years or so since my last such trip.  

Still, I was very honoured that after such a gap in attendance, owner Jacko still recognised me.  I was equally pleased that the Adelphi's reputation for selling fine cask ales was also still very deserved...although given that we arrived at 8pm, Geno didn't come on stage until nearly three hours later and that my drinking companion for this period was First Team boss Sumo, well, you can guess the rest.

Tipple of choice this evening was the Hawkshead Lakeland Gold, although I also tried a lovely - and apparently very rare - Great Newsome offering, Frothingam Red and a very unique (to my taste buds anyway) Citra beer from Oakham Ales that smelt like perfume and, if I'm being honest, didn't taste much better (though Jacko swears by it!).

Suffice to say, by time the star of the night arrived on stage, I was well and truly on the way to inebriation.  Still, it didn't prevent me lapping up one of the true stalwarts of the Soul scene in this country.  As Burnsy of local radio fame would later tweet, if you look up "showman" in the dictionary it should say "Geno Washington". Yessirree.
Picture lifted from those very nice people who maintain the New Adelphi Club's Facebook page - I'm sure they won't mind!

Saturday 6th October

CML North

Brodsworth Welfare 3 Easington United 0

Possibly the lowest point of the season to date, defeat at previously winless Brodsworth Welfare was one that left Sumo with a bitter taste in his mouth.  With the marvellous power of hindsight, however, it's perhaps worth pointing out that he hadn't seen anything yet!

Plus points of the day were virtually consigned to the ground - easily the finest played at so far, which perhaps isn't surprising given the level the hosts were at up to a season ago.

As for the lack of real ale in the clubhouse - my excesses the previous night meant this wasn't a problem.

I seem to recall it was a fairly quiet ride home from South Yorkshire...
I feel quite guilty not devoting a full post to my first visit to this famous old club but such is life at the moment.  Perhaps another day.  Still, for those who can bear it, the official report I posted to the club website can be found here.

Saturday 13th October

East Riding CFA Senior Cup R1

Easington United 3 St Andrews 3

(AET; Easington win 2-1 on pens)

A win at last! Admittedly not in the league but given our recent record in the County's prestige cup competition, this victory was not to be sniffed at.  Of course this being us it wasn't straightforward - Saints levelling matters in the final minute of normal time and both teams producing a penalty shoot-out of woeful quality!  Still, we were into round two and it's five years since we could last say that... 
My official report and Burt & Craig's pictures can be found here.

Saturday 20th October

East Riding CFA Senior Country Cup R1

Easington United Reserves 4 Driffield Rangers 6

 The Stiffs did their best to compensate for my having to miss the much-anticipated trip to CML North title faves AFC Mansfield; a battling performance against their Premier Division opponents proving not quite good enough to avenge last season's quarter final defeat by the same opponents.

Still, as the score suggests, this was a game full of end-to-end entertainment and some quality goals, not least Gav's final one for the locals - a shot from the centre-circle immediately after Driffield had gone 6-3 up.
Check out my official club report here, along with Craig's photos.



Tuesday 23rd October

Football League Championship

Middlesbrough 2 Hull City 0



A throwaway idea by a group of lads at work - some hailing from Teesside - culminated in this, my first visit to the Riverside.  And as with most memories of previous City away games against the Boro, at the old Ayresome Park, it won't live long in the memory.

Suffice to say the Tigers were a pale imitation of the team I'd seen, albeit in defeat, against Blackpool a few weeks earlier.

We never really looked like coming away with anything more than a point and once the hosts had taken a second half lead, even that propsect disappeared all too quickly.

The main plus pointd of the trip came with the pre-match meet-up in Dr Brown's, a pub that served decent grub alongside a selection of cask ales.  Northumberland Carnivale and Thwaites Crafty Devil would help numb the pain of the City display to follow.

Oh, and Tom Cairney - sat directly in front of me in the away end - quite liked my Brazil comparison as the Tigers strung umpteen passes together in the first half.  At least I think it was the joke he was laughing at... 
Not that I'll bother reading it again but the BBC report is here.

Saturday 27th October

CML North

Easington United 1 Thoresby Colliery Welfare 0

We said goodbye to Brian Pratt the day the First Team finally brought their eight-match winless run in the CML North to an end. 
Bri - or "Big Wezzie" as he liked to be known - was one of the numerous "Comforts" from the West Riding i.e. someone who'd "come for't week" and never gone back!  During his time in Easington he became a well-respected member of the White Horse pub cricket team, for whom he regularly umpired, and a junior football coach at both the local primary school and the village under-14's team.
Above all he was a staunch supporter of all sport in the village and, despite some personal troubles and health issues in recent times, was always ready to stop and have a chat.  He will be missed.
I'd like to think Big Wezzie would have been smiling from up on high as Wilks stretched to grab this game's only goal.  There's no doubt he'll certainly have had comment to pass on some of the stuff that's gone on those aforementioned eight games!

A report of the game, with pictures, can be found here.

 

Big Wezzie's departure would appear an apt place to close this first "backblog".  November's "highlights" to follow...just not sure when!