VfB Oldenburg 5 VfL Bückeburg 1

                                                                                    

Before I start on todays blog, let's get one thing clear. I have no idea if any of the players read this drivel, but if they do a message for you and the rest of the team about todays performance. I am proud of every one of you. There is NO way we should have lost, let alone by that scoreline. Hold your heads up high, and keep playing the same way and we will survive in the Oberliga. 

I left at 9 in the morning for this game. A gentle drive across country, however it was such a long way that Emily, my sat nav, took me on the motorway for most of the way. There was a thick fog and the temperature was -1 degrees (Forgive me, I have no idea how to type the degree sign, I am such a luddite).

Driving in thick og......sorry about the "F" in fog

Arrived 2 hours before kick off at the Marschwegstadion. It has a capacity of 15,200 and due to renovation this was only Oldenburg's 2nd game here this season. During their glory days in the early 70's over 30,000 people packed in here. Impressive stuff. Not impressive enough for a bloody car park though.

Where are you?

 I parked my car on the main road opposite the stadium. And waited for the ticket office to open. Yes, ticket office. That's how uppity this lot were. And I waited. And waited! At 12:45 they finally decided to open, but only because some old codger knocked on the window. 

I decided to sit in the Ashampoo block!

 I purchased a ticket for the Ashampoo block in the main stand. Don't ask me...I have no idea either. But then I had to wait again, until the stewards decided to open the gates. Luckily I was entertained by a couple of odd looking Oldenburg fans.

Aren't they wonderful?

 When the stewards finally opened the gates at 13:00 I had the half-hearted check of my rucksack (which was new yesterday by the way rucksack fans). I was informed that I couldn't take my bottle of water in the ground. "If I tip it out can I keep the bottle?", "No". "Well, can I have 25cents as there is a deposit on it?". "No". We had reached a stale mate. I could leave my bottle of water at the gate and collect it afterwards. How very kind of you Mr Steward, and may a jackdaw peck you in the eye you jobsworth oaf!

Public enemy number 1

 I was in at last. And there was a fan shop so I bought a pennant. I couldn't walk round the ground and take my pre-match pics as once again a jobsworth steward stopped me! "Where are you going?". "Here", quoth I. "But you need a ticket for the seats", quoth he. "I've got a ticket for the fucking seats, I just wanted to take a pic", quoth I. 

The main stand

 The main stand consists of 4,500 seats and every one of them was soaking wet. Bad design! Someone said to me on Facebook that this was the best ground in the league. Is it bollocks! No floodlights. An ex athletics stadium, where the track has been concreted over. No terracing behind one of the goals. Seats wet and dirty. No car park, as I have mentioned before.

Every one of the seats was wet

 The game kicked off and after 4 minutes we were 0-1 down to a Julian Lüttmann goal. For the first 15 minutes, it was looking like another spanking, but then we started getting a grip of the game. Nils Rinne was immense at the back, as skipper Niko Werner and the suspended Pascal Könnemann sat this one out. Niklas Fritsche was lucky to escape a booking as he clattered one of their players, but Bastian Schmalkoch picked up a yellow in the 13th minute. 


Jean-Paul Thom was starting to win tackles, and setting up some lovely triangles with Dennis Peter and Burak Buruk in the middle of the field.


We went into the break just the one goal down.

Match day ticket and programme

The second half got underway and we were playing some superb stuff. After 54 minutes, we get a free kick 35 yards out and Bubi Bremer spanks it in for his 11th of the season. From then on there was only one team in it, and we were finding more and more space in the midfield, I honestly thought we could win it.


In the 74th minute, young Bastian Könnemann tried to dribble round one player too many, when releasing the ball was the easier option, and Oldenburg break down our left flank. The ball is whipped in and Sebastian Ferrulli cleverly glances it past Engler to make it 2-1.


Four minutes later and another Bückeburg attack, Rinne (I think it was), is fouled 40 yards from their goal. Instead of the free kick, the referee waves play on, Oldenburg do exactly the same and Lüttmann scores his second. 

Oldenburg fans

After that sucker punch, the floodgates opened and Oldenburg scored again in the 89th and the 90th minute, for a scoreline and a result which really did flatter them. With the only team below us drawing we are now just 3 points from the drop zone and have shipped 48 goals, the most in the league.


Having said that, I can only take positives. Football is a cruel, cruel game and this result was the cruellest of the lot.


In other news, Romford drew 4-4 in a bizarre game with Waltham Forest on Saturday, Jack Barry scoring after 6 seconds and Kurt Smith, Nick Reynolds (2) adding to the tally.

Stand in skipper Jack Barry

 In the first round of the FA Cup, Orient ran out 3-0 winners over non-league Bromley and will face Gillingham or Bournemouth in the 2nd round. Matt Spring, George Porter and Jimmy Smith scoring for the O's. The bad news is Dean Cox leaving the ground on crutches.

George Porter is substituted to a standing ovation

 On Saturday the Romford Raiders thumped Bristol Pitbulls 9-2 at Rom Valley Way. Seven different players scored and pick of the bunch was Slovakian import Juraj Huska with yet another hattrick

26 so far for Huska

Tonight (Sunday) we lost 2-4 at Invicta. I was all set up for another 14 game winning streak.


RATINGS
Friendliness:          7/10
Clubhouse:             Didn't see one
Seats:                 4,500 of them
Behind goals:          One terrace
Cover:                 Main stand
Floodlights:           No
Barrier:               Cage
Beer:                  Veltins (not sampled)
Bratwurst:             2€ 9/10
Entrance fee:          7€ standing, 9,11 and 13€ for seats
Programme:             50c 8/10
Weather:               4/10
Ground:                5/10
Home fans:             7/10

 

Romford Trip - Day 1

ROMFORD 3 WARE 2

    

                                  

                                                                                                                                        

The sun was out in force as the first day of my Romford trip got under way. A "home" game against Ware. As you may or may not be aware Romford actually play in Aveley, which is in Essex. It is our 17th "home" venue since we reformed in 1992. I can't even begin to go into the saga of the new ground at Westlands without my blood boiling and me upsetting certain people at Romford FC, both of which I do not wish to partake in.

Today I was feeling rebellious, so got the 165 to Elm Park Station, then changed to the 372. And who says I don't lead an exciting life?

Elm Park Station in the sun

The journey was over all too soon and as usual I was ridiculously early so got off a couple of stops after the ground to have a pre match pint in a boozer round the corner. It wasn't open. Hmmm!

I walked into Aveley village and luckily found a pub that was open, and showing the Liverpool v Moan United game. There were a number of Thurrock fans in there, which suprised me. On looking at the fixtures they had an FA Trophy game at home.

Supped a couple of pints and walked to the ground.Saw all the usual suspects and it was good to catch up with every one.

Ware have a certain Stuart Nethercott as their manager. He looks like a buffoon and has a high pitched gutteral voice to match.

Ex Spurs, Millwall "player, Ware manager Stuart Nethercott

Every time he shouted his instructions from the dug out, Paul, one of our lot, started up with the Muppet song, "Ma na ma na". The scene would be, Nethercott would shout something, followed by us going "Do,do,do,do,do". You had to be there really.

We took the lead after 5 minutes when Paul Kavanagh swung in a free kick and Matt Toms rose un marked at the far post.

                           Tommsy with the first

After 25 minutes that man Kavanagh was at it again, this time a free kick from the left, and Nick Reynolds headed in to make it 2-0.
 

Nick Reynolds is congratulated by Abs Seymour

A defensive slip ten minutes after this allowed Ware’s Nikki Crace to reduce the deficit and this goal led to a period of strong but unsuccessful play by the visitors.

 

Two minutes into first half added time Reynolds settled the Romford nerves somewhat when he headed home his second and his team’s third goal from yet another Kavanagh dead ball kick to take the home side into a 3-1 half time lead.

Get this man in your fantasy team, 3 assists

 

Although Ware pulled a goal back, Romford were good value for their win, and the 88 hardy souls went home happy. Except me! I didn't go home, for my next appointment was in Leyton for an anti-racist gig.

Poster for the gig

 Whilst I was basking in the sun in deepest darkest Essex, the O's were beating Bury 1-0. Tiny Cox with the goal.

                                 We've got Tiny Cox

The gig was compared by the wonderful Graham Larkeby and first up were Corporal Machine and The Bombers. Wasn't sure where a tuba player was going to fit in but it was soon obvious as they went through their impressive set, with a couple of songs mentioning Romford, which will always get bonus points from me. The tuba took the place of the bass guitar and at one point, there was even a rap. A rapping tuba player? Thumbs up!

                              Rapping tuba player? Tick!
Headline act was Steve White and The Protest Family, a band I am proud to call my mates. They churned through classics such as "Walthamstow Dogs", "Brisbane Road", "Summer in Sainsbury's". Encore was a song I have never heard live, namely "Leyton Orient scored more goals than any other 4th division team in 1988/89".

                                  "Funky" Lol Ross

And then I had to get to Leyton station, to get to Stratford on the Central Line and then take my chances with the trains to Romford. As I was on the platform, my mate Lee told me there were no trains due to engineering works. Ah! Wonderful! Hop over to the other platfrom and get a Central Line to Newbury Park, then the 66, the "King of bus routes". 

 I was stranded at Newbury Park for an hour waiting for the bus. I love Newbury Park station with its funky roof, but don't wish to sit there so long on a Saturday night, watching a chav have a breakdown in front of me. Finally got back, and flopped tired into bed, ready for the next days adventures.

                         Is that not a funky roof?