Thursday 17 November 2016

Bideford v Swindon Supermarine, Saturday November 12th, 2016


There's something very enticing about an empty football ground on a hot summers day, visit in June and the beautiful game remains painfully out of reach for weeks to come. Yet the promise of what lies in wait echoes around what feels like an empty cathedral. You can't help but think of all those who have worshipped here, prayed here, rejoiced and despaired here, and will do so again. After all, this could be the big season.

                             

Last summer I had such an experience when driving through Bideford on a family holiday on route to the theme park 'The Big Sheep'. Spotting the siren like sight of four large floodlight pylons, I drove towards them and soon found myself entering the open gates of AFC Bideford's classic looking Sports Ground. Alas, pre-season training hadn't started yet and the 'attraction of the year' (as voted by Visit Devon 2013/14) awaited.

One day I'll be back to watch a game I thought to myself. 

The perfect opportunity presented itself last weekend when I was tasked with organising an annual lads trip away. North Devon seemed a good destination and what better way to break up the drinking and sightseeing than building the Saturday around a Southern League Div one South West clash between Bideford and Swindon Supermarine? 

That Supermarine were the opponents was another pull factor. I spent a very enjoyable evening in August at their Webbs Wood stadium home watching them take on Forest Green in a friendly. Everyone I met that night from the chairman to the man on the turnstiles had been very welcoming and I was looking forward to seeing them in action again.

The journey down to Devon was a smooth one. Despite a stop at Sedgemeer services and a flurry of excitement caused by the christmas cups at Costa, we arrived in Westward Ho! by 11 am. With kick off at 3, the plan was to spent a few hours walking the picturesque North Devon coast. Westward Ho! (the only place name in the world to include an explanation mark apparently) was chosen due to it's proximity to both Bideford and some well regarded stretches of the coastal path. 

Pulling in to Westward Ho! on a grey wet and windy day in November, it is unlikely we were seeing the seaside resort town at it's best. On parking up in the central car park and taking in his surroundings, one of our group warned us that he was "not very good at dealing with depressing places."

His pessimism proved ill placed and we found Westward Ho! to be a welcoming place and on the door step of some stunning cliffs and scenery.

 
Lunch in Westward Ho!
Having enjoyed our walk it was high time for some football. Bideford's sports ground is situated on Kingsley road in the middle of the town. Having been in existence since the Victorian times I imagine a lot of Bideford has grown around it. We entered via the North turnstiles, paying £8 entry and buying a full colour programme for £2 which proved to be a very good read.

With 45 minutes before kick off, we sought out the club bar. We found it on the first floor of the main building at the opposite at the end of the ground. Named the Robins Nest, it was a decent size and catering for a good number of both home and away fans. Enjoying it's elevated view of the pitch and the players warming up, we turned our attention to the two teams as we supped on pints of Amstel. Neither side were in great form. The hosts had been beaten 4-1 at home (admittedly fielding a weakened team) to fierce local rivals Barnstaple in a mid week cup game. Prior to that they had lost 2-1 away to Hereford (not a bad result considering Hereford remain unbeaten all season and are running away with the title). Supermarine were also coming in to the game on the back of a 2-0 home defeat at the hands of Winchester and looking to make amends.
Inside the Robins Nest

On leaving the bar we looked around deciding where to watch the first half from. Behind one goal sits the club house whilst opposite is the main car park. The main spectator areas are to be found on the pitch's two sides. Next to the changing rooms is a narrow but deep fully roofed all seater. We opted to sit here first half and after buying a ticket each for the half time draw, enjoyed good supporting pillar free views of the action with the dug outs just in front of us.

Getting ready to enjoy the first half

Opposite was a longer covered area with a few rows of seats with terraced areas either sides. It was in the terrace to the right where the more vocal Bideford fans congregated and made a good noise throughout the game. A curved metal fence encircles the pitch separating the spectator areas from the playing surface,

                          


In the early exchanges it was the home team that seemed to be taking control. I'd been told to look out for Kevin Squire, Bideford's number 9. With a big bushy beard and standing 6'3 he was easy to spot anyway, but as the game went on, his class became more and more evident. He won all the early headers and was linking up well with the players around him, most notably Bideford's number 4, Sean Downing, who also looked a cut above. In a lovely move in the first half he plucked the ball out of the air with his back to goal before executing a sharp turn, leaving his marker for dead and going on a mazy run before crossing in to the box only for the ball to elude his striker by a whisker. I was later to learn that Downing has represented England C whilst at Bidefored. This is quite a feat given that it is predominantly national league players that get this honour. 

                        

Supermarine for their part were doing their best to get in to the game. The Bideford centre backs looked a bit nervous and in Connor Waldon they were trying to deal with a young striker with recent football league experience. The visitors almost took the lead after drawing a foul ten yards outside the box. The resultant free kick was hit hard and low and seemed to be heading straight in to the grateful arms of Bideford keeper, Josh Colwill, shortly before reaching him however it hit a bobble and bounced up viciously, Colwill perhaps due to his familiarity with the pitch had sensibly adopted a sort of long barrier position and the ball cannoned of his chest and away to safety via a skied effort from Supermarine's left back.

                  

Shortly after this scare Bideford took the lead. Will Richards raced in off the left wing and was played through on goal by Ben Watson, Supermarines keeper rushed out only for Richards to calmly chip it over the top of him and in to the net. 

1-0 at the break.

At half time our luck was in, we'd won 2nd and 3rd prize in the half time draw! With prize money of £10 and £5 respectively it was back to the Robins Nest to enjoy our winnings at the bar. 



As tempting as it was to watch the second half from the cosy vantage point of the Robins Nest, we ventured outside and after saying congratulations to the wedding party who had hired out the ground floor of the club house, we did a slow lap of the ground. It was Bideford who were back on the front foot, their attacking quartet of Squire, Downing, Richards and Watson was proving too hot to handle and it wasn't long before they doubled their lead. Squire was played in, just inside the box, though tightly marked and at a difficult angle, he made out as if he was shaping to shoot before holding the ball up, rolling his marker and playing a perfectly timed pass to the on rushing Richards who scored his second of the day.



By now we were standing by the singing section of the Bideford fans and it's fair to say they were loving it. Richards completed his hat-rick a few minutes later before Supermarines number ten was sent off for a bad tackle. The away teams misery was complete when an own goal made the score 4-0 shortly before the final whistle. "Who needs Mourinho, we've got Sean Joyceio" sang the Bideford faithful in honour of their long serving manager.


Bideford looked a class outfit and their supporters will be hopeful that they can kick on with a realistic chance of getting in the play offs. Having thoroughly enjoyed a very good game, we stumbled out the ground and in to the nearby Laceys Ale and Cider house. Here we entertained ourselves with a game of darts and a drop or two of local ale before venturing further in to the Bideford night.

The impressive Sean Downing



Sean Joyceio
                               











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