The story of Staines Town FC 2015/16
INTRODUCTION
You’re about to read my interpretation of the 2015/16 season.
A serious and comedic look back on the season, from coach trips to traffic jams,from burgers to bugles its a comprehensive non statistical based game by game,ground by ground review of the season.
Please enjoy,do not take it too seriously and feel free to share and re-tweet.
WE WON THE MAGNA CARTA CUP
So the previous season saw Staines Town relegated from the Conference south.
We then had to wait until mid summer to find that we would be competing in the Ryman Premier league , a huge sigh of relief could be heard coming from Wheatsheaf Park . Nobody fancied the Southern Premier .
Pre season began on the 7th of July with a trip into south London to pay Tooting & Mitcham a visit ,i was unable to travel so missed a comprehensive 5-0 win . A new look squad given a run out with what im informed was little more than a training exercise.
four days later we travelled west to Burnham a nice well presented ground on the outskirts of Slough , on a warm sunny Saturday Staines came out with a 2-0 win .
Three home games followed against Wealdstone,Woking and Brentford which saw us win all three.
It was around now that the bookmakers made Staines Town pre season favourites to gain promotion from the Ryman Premier and if im honest from what i had seen so far from the new crop of players i was inclined to agree with the bookies. Although i was not tempted to part with any hard earned cash . A wise decision looking back now as i write this .
On the 8th August we made the short trip across the river for our final friendly of the season, OK no game against Egham can be called a friendly add to that the prize on offer there was much at stake .
After all who wouldn’t want to win the ”Magna Carta ” Cup
As it turned out Egham didn’t really fancy starting the season as cup winners and we travelled back across the river 4-0 winners and owners of a big shiny trophy .
The only downside during pre season was the injury to Tommy Brewer . One of the players who had chosen to stay on after last seasons relegation .
THE SEASON BEGINS
Now pre season games are OK but you cant beat the buzz you get on the first day of the season, anticipation of what is to come in the months ahead. So off to Imber Court we went Home of the Metropolitan Police FC. Also training base of the Met Police mounted division. Useless fact number 1 of many .A well presented ground with an excellent pitch,i guess you’d expect nothing less with home office funding(just a guess). It was at this game when it became obvious that attendances in this league were going to be poor . On an extremely warm afternoon both teams struggled with the conditions,and a 0-0 draw seemed a fair result. But sadly the game was marred by an injury to club captain Darren Purse , little did we know then that we wouldn’t really see the best of him again this season.
Three days later It was down to Wheatsheaf park for an evening game against Bognor Regis, another team hotly favoured to do well this season. The game was evenly contested,however the visitors left with all three points after grabbing a goal . A 1-0 defeat seemed harsh but in my opinion we had lost to a side who looked to match the hype surrounding them.
Now the good thing about this stage of the season is that the games come thick and fast and 4 days later Leatherhead visited Wheatsheaf park , not a stand out game but a Michael Kalu goal was enough to secure a 1-0 home win . 4 points from 3 games not a bad start.
A mid week cup match next and a local derby in the Ryman League cup against Hampton & Richmond. A mixture of youth and first team players did enough to send Hampton back down the A308 2-0 losers. Pat cox scoring his first competitive goal for the club,a glimpse that he was going to be something special this season. Pat had joined the club under somewhat of a cloud having been dismissed from his previous club for disciplinary reasons,some wondered if he could lose the ”bad boy” tag and become a prolific goal scorer. I think as we go on this seasons journey it will become clear ”Coxy” has turned out to be the signing of the season . And as for bad boy ,not a chance he is a pussy cat .
Next up was the trip into South London,now this was an away day i was looking forward to,but i wished i had taken the advice of the more travelled fans and gone on the train.I do not advise driving to Dulwich on one of the hottest days of the year when the world and their mother was out and about.The ground is similar to Wheatsheaf Park in some ways, a well presented main stand surrounded by mish mash parts.Great food and a well stocked bar.(so the drinkers told me) Dulwich were also amongst the early favourites for promotion. They have the best home support in the league, regularly gaining attendances in the high thousands. This could be down to the club allowing fans to bring in their own crates of beer,which helps create a fantastic friendly atmosphere,but as the season went on created other problems that the club had to address leading to a pre brought alcohol ban in the ground. which hasn’t affected attendances. The game was a tight affair truncated with a water break which infuriated one of our fans seeing as Dulwich equalised in time added on before half time . ( Trevor will get more mentions ) Pat cox scored the winner late into the 2nd half against the run of play. But who cares, our first away win . Funny how quickly you forget about the torrid journey.
Still in August and its off round the north circular for my first visit to Wingate & Finchley. Now any ground that can still carry off a ”retro” main stand is a winner in my book. Cheesy chips and good coffee also helps to aid a good away day for me . As for the game this will go down as the dullest so far this season but as they say ”a points better than non” 0-0 and that is four unbeaten in all competition.
The final game of August saw Hampton & Richmond return to Wheatsheaf Park for a Ryman League fixture. The game was scrappy,with a Pat Cox goal looking to be enough to secure the points. Until a 2 minute spell at the death saw Hampton score twice and leave with all three points 1-2 . Little did we know then how far Hampton would progress.
FROM EDINBURGH TO FARNBOROUGH
Our first game in September was a trip to Brentwood.I was unable to make the trip as i was in Edinburgh for a work related visit,as it turns out i chose to miss the the right game. The guys that did go said we were not actually that bad.However a 7-0 defeat seems to tell a different story. The much talked about ”wake up call” you here all the TV experts spouting.
Farnborough away ! Some amongst you don’t share the same bitterness i do against this club . Cant think why though.After all its Farnborough . They have a ”we are better than you” attitude with their over sized and under used stand and the £1 to park your car ,add to that Spencer Day and it all adds up to pure bile .
So when i got on the train at Edinburgh Waverley station at 10am my soul intention was to be at the Rushmoor stadium for 7.45pm kick off. Thanks to Virgin Trains and London underground plus south west trains and the light traffic on the M3 i made it .And what followed was well worth the effort.
Now we ll know about Farnborough,how they seem to constantly dodge any sort of punishment for alleged financial irregularities. However this season they were dealt a huge and some might say welcome blow .
After starting the season some 10 games after everyone else they knew that whatever they achieved in late April they would be relegated, either one drop or a double drop depending on their finishing position.
The game was a classic ”smash and grab” with Mitchell Gough lucky not to be sent off in the 1st half and Jack Turner saving a penalty . If im honest either side could have won but with the score level going into the last minutes , pat cox grabbed the winner and the scenes in the away end were unbelievable. The highlight surely was the Injured Tommy Brewer in with the fans celebrating the win with a ” fan selfie” (its an Arsenal thing) .
THE ROAD TO WEMBLEY
I can be quoted as saying ” forget the cups,lets concentrate on the league”
If only id have known then the journey we were to go on in the world famous FA cup
Following our relegation we were to enter a round earlier this season, and our First opponents at Wheatsheaf Park were Ryman south side Faversham. Going by my very sketchy memory we went 2-0 down and goals from Wanadio and Abulla ensured a replay . So off to the Kent countryside we went,and returned with a 3-1 win . And we were off on the road to Wembley.
A home game against East Thurrock followed with a battling 3-2 win , since the 7-0 drubbing we were now 4 unbeaten in all competitions. Next was a Tuesday away day to Grays. Our first Mini bus away day of the season. Now when you arrive at Non league grounds there is normally something that catches your eye and makes the whole bus laugh out loud. i remember turning up at Bishops Stortford last season to be greeted by a travelling circus in the car park. So when we turned up at Grays to see a mini bus in the car park belonging to West Ham Ladies FC with weeds and overgrown grass surrounding it the jokes were flowing thick and fast.
Grays were flying in the league and when we went 1-0 up we all wondered if we could hold on. The game was a tetchy affair , the normal banter we have with the opposing goalkeeper had a nasty edge form him. And when they scored in added on time to make it 1-1 the goal scorer ran the length of the pitch to celebrate in front of us. now this might of been because we outnumbered the home support or was more likely because he was an idiot who wanted to provoke a reaction. So at the final whistle as the players left the pitch it all kicked off. i reckon all the players were involved in the ”handbags” and as we approached the area of confrontation we were unable to continue out of the ground due to a similar set up to wheatsheaf park if you are the wrong side of the tunnel. Some angry Grays fans decided to exchange words with the travelling fans and but for the fence and a couple of stewards a nasty situation was averted. Just a footnote to this . We as Staines fans do not intimidate or encourage any kind of incidents. However if your faced with such provocation its always good to know we all stick together.
FA cup 3rd qualifying saw us visit Essex (again) Stanway Rovers stood between us and a place in the 4th round. Now i know most non league pitches are not exactly flat,however Stanways pitch resembled a roller-coaster. Even the lines were not staight. The game was hard thought and Staines came away 1-0 winners thanks again to Coxy. Six games unbeaten in all competitions through september things were looking good when Burgess Hill visited 3 days later . goals from Cox and wanadio saw us to a 2-2 draw in a game we should have won .
TIN FOIL FA CUPS
Our first game in October was another trip into Essex. So John Blair fired up the mini bus and off round the M25 we went to Billericay. At the time our hosts were flying high so this promised to be a good game , and it didn’t disappoint. Pat Cox grabbing the match ball with a classy hat trick,making it 9 goals in eight games. And Staines coming away 3-2 winners.
Our midweek game saw us make the trip to Dulwich in the Ryman League cup match , and yes i went by train,standing room only from Staines to Clapham With big Dave Brown as my guide. ( the walk up Denmark Hill with Dave was more like a root march)
Staines fielded a reserve team and were unlucky to come away with nothing. a 2-1 defeat saw the winning streak come to an end as this was officially a first team fixture.
Now if you had told me how the next game was going to turn out beforehand, i would have laughed you out the room.
Back to Essex for the FA cup clash with fellow Ryman Prem side East Thurrock. My first visit to Rookery hill, a hotch potch kind of ground with an old fashioned stand and a covered small terrace to one side. However the best bit was the 2 small shed type affairs behind one goal. The game was pure FA cup theatre . Staines being 4-1 up at half time, however some of the less optimistic amongst us didn’t think it was enough, so we went on and scored 2 more in the 2nd half and won 6-3.Pat Cox grabbing his 2nd hat trick in has many weeks. The support that day was amazing , although Dan Norris,Pat Nixon and the rest of the guys dont remember much about the game the atmosphere we all created was unbelievable. seeing Arron Morgan celebrating goals with his shirt off is a sight to behold.
Next we were off down to Sussex,and a trip to Burgess Hill,so we all piled in the mini bus for a mid week away day. Goals from Wanadio & Hutchinson saw us come away 2-0 winners. And if you ask Trevor for a seasons preview on floodlights this ground would be bottom of the list . 10 unbeaten in all matches ( excluding Dulwich ryman cup).
North London next and another mini bus journey . Off to Enfield for my first visit to this ground. Yet another retro style main stand . And the ground is set inside an Athletics track. However not as bad as Chelmsford . This was the game that we discovered how thin our squad was, Darren Purse started when clearly he was not fit , then he clattered into a tackle early on (should have been sent off) and then struggled on with what looked like one leg. A 2-1 defeat and the run was over. Now in the last 2 seasons we have met Poole town twice in cup competitions both games going to replays, Fate meant we had another cup repeat. So Gloucester City came to Wheatsheaf park in the 4th round with the Swans seeking revenge. The atmosphere was electric not quite a full house but with a healthy away following we were set for a cracking game.. Lee Perkins had spent his Friday evening constructing a tin foil fa cup and the songs were sung with gusto .
A very entertaining game which saw Gloucester have their keeper sent off , Staines having a player sent off and a double from Coxy. The winner being scored with less than 5 minutes left , the scenes were amazing Cox having his picture taken at full time holding the tin foil FA cup was priceless. So we had to wait 2 days for the draw. And boom we Got Orient Away.
Back to midweek action and a trip to Bognor. A horrendous journey in pouring rain was only made worse by the performance. A 3-0 defeat and a sense alot of the early season hard work was beginning to fall away. What followed next was rather embarrassing, we were drawn against VCD Athletic in the FA trophy 1st round. Now this team had not won a game all season and were rooted at the bottom of the Ryman Premier. Its fair to say Staines players had their minds firmly set on the upcoming trip to Orient. A shambles of a performance saw us lose 2-1 . And for the the record this football ground ranks in the bottom 100 i have visited.
FAKE STONE ISLANDS
Tickets were selling like hot cakes , Tin foil sales in the Surrey area were rising . It must be FA cup week.
We were off to Leyton Orient. A couple of sub plots for the players. Tommy Brewer let us know he had scored at Brisbane Road and Darren Purse started his playing career here back in the early 60’s …. I had a sneaky feeling we were going to get something out of the match (little did i know) But the main intention was to have a great day and make the club proud.
The coaches left a wet Staines at around 11am and yes we had a tin foil FA cup on the coach with us. Arriving in East London at 1pm, I had visited Brisbane road recently for a Tottenham youth game so this wasn’t a tick off the list ground.However when you visit with your non league club you still get the pang of pride seeing the guys warming up .
Funny moment number 1 .. having a steward check your flag to see if it has a fire safety label . ( health and safety gone mad)
Keith managed to smuggle the bugle in,and once we managed to escape the over zealous stewards who tried to stop us standing where we wanted we were set. flags positioned, the guys who had travelled via a few pubs in East London arrived with time too spare and the singing began. And didn’t stop until we left the ground at 5pm .
I was told by a senior player the night before that the game plan was to keep it tight and not concede a goal in the first 10 . well that plan went out the window within 3 minutes. And im afraid the writing was on the wall. im not going to go into the match to much, But to score a goal was amazing , the celebrations in the away end were that of cup winners. We had 2 tin foil fa cups,Keith on the bugle and we sang from start to finish. A small group of O’S fans who tried to intimidate us from a distance were not only bantered out but also removed to another part of the ground by the local Police .
What games like this mean to Non league fans is priceless , i know its a financial bonus for the suits in the boardroom . But for us the Fans its truly our ”cup final” savour these away days they are few and far between.
Oh and we lost 6-1
We took roughly 400 fans
and did i say we didn’t stop singing for 2 hours .
We bounced back next with a win against a reasonably strong Barnet side in the Middlesex senior cup, coming out 4-1 winners ,in my opinion a victory and performance that went somewhat under reported for the achievement.
We only played 3 games in November , im guessing the weather was bad ( memories not what it was) so our last of 3 fixtures was the visit of Lewes. A comfortable 3-0 win with a Lodge screamer saw the Swans back on track after the cup exploits.
FAIRY LIGHTS AND RELEGATION FEARS
Heading into the December fixtures you always look at this time as the defining part of the season . The next 8 games were certainly defining .
First we made the the well worn visit into Essex and the visit to Canvey Island,Perched on the Thames Estuary i can imagine the wind blows here even when its not blowing anywhere else if you know what i mean. We decided to take shelter in the terrace to the side of the ground and for the 1st half an hour took some colourful abuse from the locals . A Tommy Brewer screamer ( he would have you believe its was 30 yards of his boot) It was in fact more like 18 yards of his shin) but it looked good .and goals from Cox and Boyake looked to have sent us home easy winners. But a nervy last 10 minutes saw Canvey score twice. So we came home wind swept but 3-2 winners. Little did we know then that would be our last win on a Saturday for quite some time .
Not being in the inner circle at the club i couldn’t really comment too much on what was happening but i knew deep down something wasn’t right in the club at this time. the early season unity on the pitch seemed to have gone , and certain players seemed to have had their heads turned by alleged ”bigger club” interest.
Our next 3 games were all at home and were considered winnable
The reality was played 3 lost 3 scored zero conceded 8
Needham,Kingstonian and Grays all putting us to the sword. Things were going rapidly downhill and the visit to Wheatsheaf park of Wingate & Finchley took on the mantle of ”must win” We lost 2-1 and were now looking over our shoulders at the bottom of the league .Boxing day saw us make the short trip to high flying Hampton. On arrival i was greeted with the news that Ashley Lodge had left the club. Now Ashley was in my opinion a top guy who would walk into any club at this level or even Conference south . Also we were letting ABdulah & Kalu leave . the club seemed in turmoil and we seemed to looking at a power struggle. I am not going to use this as a dig at Nicky Forster. Ive made my feelings known about all that . plus as fans we dont know the real story about what happened. But there was real crisis you could sense it . Losing 3-2 to Hampton was a real blow,having come from 2-0 down to level at 2-2 only to lose it at the death . 3-2 . What went on at the final whistle was not as bad as it was made out , however being offered out by an 18 year old spotty Hampton Fan did make me chuckle. As did the Twitter banter that evening.
Our last game of 2015 saw my favourite club visit Wheatsheaf Park. The Farnborough fixture is ”must win” whatever the circumstances,but today it really did MATTER.We laboured our way through the game and won 2-0 with Pat Cox adding 2 more goals to his impressive tally.
NEW YEAR DOOM AND GLOOM
Onto Leatherhead on a damp Tuesday night. This turned out to be Nicky Forster s last game as Manager, and the performance showed the players really were not playing for him any more. An absolute shambles of a game saw us lose 3-0 , the only highlights were spotting Hampton coach Martin Tyler an serenading him with ” your just a shit Gary Neville” and the first singing of the Bob Marley classic ” dont worry” So the next day The club announced the departure of Forster and we were looking for our third manager in as many years.
Martin Spong took charge for the visit to Mertsham a tidy ground all be it small . And just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse. It did in spades. 5-1 and trust me it could have been much worse. The players looked shot and relegation looked a real possibility ,one win in seven and no manager,players not seeming to want to be at the club . It was a worrying time. A mid week win in the Middlesex senior cup didn’t really ease the pain.3-0 winners over Uxbridge on a frozen pitch . A 3-1 defeat to Hendon followed and the word shambles was being banded about we were becoming a joke and i reckon the supporters club could have put out a better team at this moment .
Just when you think things cant get any worse, we had to make the 2000 mile round trip to Leiston. ( i know not 2000 miles but it seemed it) The coach left just before 3pm and arrived in the Suffolk out post with just enough time for the players to get their kit on and run out to start . We took the lead but came out 3-1 losers . Shocking really . the small band of Fans who made the trip were only applauded by 4 players at the end . Games & away days like this really test your loyalty. Add to that not returning to Staines till 1.30am all in all a very disappointing day.
THE DRAX AFFECT
Rumours in early February were that Johnson Hippolyte was going to be the new gaffer. a buzz returned to Wheatsheaf as he was a fans favourite with his contacts in the game and his likeable nature. 2 more defeats followed to Billeriacy & Dulwich both at home and with no disrespect to Martin we needed a change in the dug out and quick. In the week leading up to the Tonbridge game the club announced the arrival of Johnson Drax as manager . And on our arrival to Tonbridge it was clear it meant business. New players had been brought in and some regular players were not to be seen. Tonbridge were a good solid side sitting in the top 4 and i thought we did very well holding on for 75 minutes, but 2 goals in the end were enough for them and with Bennett and Boyake both being sent off , Drax must have wondered what he had taken on.
Im not going to list all the new players that he brought in , its easier to list the 3 that stayed in the new managers team Turner, brewer and Cox . Brewer being made Captain . And 3 days later we achieved our first league win in almost 7 weeks with a 1-0 win over VCD . Cox scoring yet again. This win eased some of the pressure , but trust me relegation was still very much an issue at this stage.
Three more games in February saw us lose a tight game 1-0 to Enfield.We then made the journey to Northwood for a Middlesex senior cup semi final . Seeing as we had seen some improvement under Drax this was a reality shock, back to the old Staines performances of the last few months . 2-0 defeat no shots on goal no heart and no desire. But hey it was a mickey mouse cup . Our last game of February was the visit to Harrow to play Hendon .. ( ground sharing in 2016 pffft )
We lost 2-0 and yet again i cant really think of any words, expect it was chuffing freezing stood behind the goal in the 2nd half.
THINGS CAN ONLY GET BETTER
We entered march with the threat of a 2 season relegation threat hanging over the club. So the up coming seven fixtures in the month were crucial.
First up was Met Police an emphatic 3-1 win got us off to a flying start to the month,following that with another home win 2-0 against Mertsham. we were looking solid and the new players had hit the muddy ground running .The only blip in march was a 1-0 home defeat to Brentwood, who although were relegated managed to do the double over us with an 8-0 aggregate score . Funny old game.
Next up was a mid week away day to Needham Market. so not quite 2,000 mile round trip , just the 1,999 this time . It was my birthday so i wasnt about to allow Brewer and the guys to ruin it , although leaving to the 88th minute to score the winner was a bit much .Theres something special about winning a crucial game 1-0 in the last minute . A special mention to Pat ( grumpy) Nixon who made the 1,999 mile round trip on his own in his car driving himself . He made a point of telling us this for weeks to follow . Still in March and back to Essex . and East Thurrock. A team who were surprisingly flying high in the league . Not quite the same outcome as the FA cup game , however a very credible 0-0 draw and Staines were beginning to look hard to beat,and we were starting to believe staying up was very much on.Another point gained in a 1-1 draw with fellow struggler’s Harrow saw us heading to the final game of March in good form.
Now the 28/3/16 will go down as the most annoying away day of my life. The day before the south east had been battered by heavy winds ( it was a named storm but like i said my memories gone) Add to that it was a bank holiday Monday . so the M25 was at its worse . I left Ashford at 1pm for what should have been an hour or so round to VCD . That turned out to be more like two and a half hours arriving just before half time and missing a sending off and a Staines goal. Highlight though while sitting in stationary traffic on the M25 was Ron (scouser) Windsor getting out of John Blairs car,knocking on my window and asking for a lift. I wont go into the slight disagreement i had with the turnstile guy on my arrival , but i guess being relegated they need my £5. A 3-0 win was a cantor it could and maybe should have been more , but the win was enough for me .
SMOKE SCREENS AND HANDBAGS
We entered April with five games to play and our status as a Ryman league side still not secure. Our first game was at home to Leiston,a team who were fighting to make the play offs so a 2-2 draw was a good result in my opinion. Then we were back off to Harrow this time we actually played Harrow. Get Surrey had incorrectly reported after the last result we were safe from relegation, and following the 1-0 defeat here it was very much still a possibility. Oh and the game was as dire as the result sounds.Down to East Sussex next and our final Coach trip away day . The visit to the Dripping pan was my first and i was impressed. Sadly Lewes had already been relegated ,but for us to go 2-0 down you’d have thought it was the other way around. The game was a bit touchy to say the least and a second half bout of handbags involving all 22 players and staff from both benches certainly livened things up. Staines never give up attitude under Drax was clear to see here and we returned home with a 2-2 draw grabbing a last minute equalizer .And our status in the league was secure.
Off to Kingston for our last away game of the season . And a first for me in non league football , Sunday afternoon football. Kingstonian were in with a shout of making the play offs , so it was going to be a tough game. WE were 1-0 in the first 3 minutes an to be fair should have had the game won by half time. we hung on for dear life in the 2nd half and managed to come away with a 1-0 win .
Now im going to be diplomatic here . I love the passion of our fans this season,our away support has been first class . I cant however condone the breaking of ground regulations.I expect the fallout will come out soon but i hope the club are fair in dishing out any punishments. And as a side note the Stewards at Kingstonian were shocking towards those not involved in causing the smoke screen .But hey ho , you have Football league stewards looking after non league games what should you expect .
Footballs nothing without the fans
So the final chapter of the season was a home fixture against Canvey Island .
Not much to say really it had all the hallmarks of a an end of season game and i guess a 2-2 draw was a fair reflection .
THE END
STAINES TOWN
PLAYED 46
WON 15
DREW 10
LOST 21
FOR 53
AGAINST 74
DIFF -21
POINTS 55
FINAL POSITION 16
NEARLY DONE
i would like to thank all the fans who have stuck with the club this season, the support, especially at away games has been superb. Even in the face of some awful times.
A special mention from me to Keith Tunnicliffe. Running the social media side of the club is a thankless task and Keith does this with no complaint Twitters a minefield and he promotes the club superbly .
AND DONT FORGET
” ITS ALL SWINGS AND ROUNDABOUTS”
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