20/08/08 - EPR: Saffron Walden Town 2 Desborough Town 1

I CLOSED OUT THE Extra Preliminary Round of the 2008/09 FA Cup with my third tie of the round and a short hop up the M11 to Saffron Walden on the Essex/Suffolk border. It was a toss up between this fixture or Sporting Bengal V London Colney, but I'd seen Bengal play at the same stage last season in the first ever all-Asian FA Cup match and you can't top that.

The Saffron Walden tie had two added attractions – first of all it would be my maiden visit to the oldest football team in Essex still in existence, and the 23rd oldest in the world, and secondly sleepy Saffron Walden on a Wednesday night was a darn sight more appealing than the bandit country of Mile End.

It was also my first sighting of the fabled Saffron Walden 'slope'. When the team first moved into Catons Lane in 1890, eighteen years after their formation, the pitch sloped a total of fifteen feet two inches from corner to corner, a condition which saw them kicked out of the Isthmian League over one hundred years later in 1996 after a rule change regarding 'excessive undulations'. The 'Bloods' were then demoted two divisions in the Non League pyramid to the Essex Senior League before work began in 2000 to address the slope's severity. In 2004 the team moved into the Eastern Counties League where they currently reside as one of the best supported teams at step six of the pyramid.

I have to admit that they've done a good job on the slope because nowadays it's not that bad, but you can see evidence of it all around the ground, particularly at the bottom end where people stand on a wee ledge to look out onto the pitch with a sizeable drop behind which caught out more than one Walden punter once the lagers had been flowing.

The opposition for the night, Desborough Town from Northamptonshire, ply their trade in the United Counties League, and they too have been in existence since before the turn of the last century, and have been ever-presents in the United Counties.

Weather-wise we looked set for a good night, some high cloud cast dark shadows across the pitch until the floodlights came on, but never really looked like chucking it down. I arrived at the ground shortly before what I thought would be the 7.45pm kick off although we ultimately didn't get underway until nearly eight.

What seemed to delay proceedings was a general lacksidaisicalness around the team warm ups, and then this new FA Cup ritual where the teams line up and then shake hands before kick off.

Prior to tonight, the two teams had duked out an eight-goal thriller in Desborough on Saturday, with Walden netting their fourth and equalising goal with the last kick of that game. If Pyramid status was anything to go by then Desborough were the favourites - residing at step five to Walden's six - but if my experience of watching teams from the United Counties and Eastern Counties Leagues was anything to go by, then there wouldn't be much in the standards between the teams. I think the first real cut off in footballing quality comes at step four.

Having said that, I generally like an Eastern Counties match because the game seems to be played at a slightly slower tempo to say an Itsthmian game where the two teams just go at each other hammer and tongs, and because of this, the game becomes more one of footballing ability rather than strength and stamina.

Unfortunately none of this was in evidence tonight. This was hammer and tongs, with the ball bobbling around on what looked a lush pitch on the surface but which I suspect was camouflaging a rock-hard base. Giant hoofs from defence were the order of the day, sliced clearances, overhit balls, a midfield packed tighter than Ryanair hand luggage, and precious little ingenuity at either team's top end. A far cry from the sublime talents on show at Royston Town the night previously. I was also stymied by that dark cloud which rendered my photograpic experiments wicked blurry.

Chances then were few and far between until the 25th minute when a Desborough player was snaggled in the area by a trailing Walden appendage and our referee Mr Martin Holmes had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Sadly for me the penalty was being taken at the end where I wasn't so you will have to take my word for it that Iain Blakie tucked the pen away.

The rest of the half was played out with Walden never really threatening the visitors' goal and I feared that this was going to be a fait accompli in the second half. In fact at half time, as temperatures dropped and a light drizzle finally emerged, I was beginning to wonder if three games in five days was testing even my FA Cup endurance. Particularly when I started to busy myself with arty-shots of the far goal and it's backlit church in the background.

But then shortly into the second period, there was a rare piece of quality when the Walden winger who had been brought on at half time broke free on the left wing and delivered an inch-perfect cross which was thundered into the back of the net from the middle of the penalty area by the head of striker Steve Leys.

'Yesss', I cried, along with the assembled Walden faithful, before checking myself. For some reason I had been surprisingly bouyed by the strike, which had dripped with quality. I analysed why I should be so motivated by a Walden goal and I realised it was because they were my homer. This was Essex versus Northants and my county loyalties had surprisingly and unexpectedly emerged.

With some skin in the game then I suddenly found myself engrossed in the action, and delighted when twelve minutes later, a ball into the Desborough box was lifted over the head of the keeper by number nine Ben Riches.

Now we had something to enjoy as the Desborough heads dropped and despite all of their efforts, suddenly it was they who were threatening little. A number of free kicks on the edge of the box offered Walden the chance to extend their lead, but none of them found the mark which meant we were entertained by one of those prolonged last two minutes which seem to last twenty.

Finally Mr Holmes put his whistle to his laps to bring an end to this game and to my involvement in the Extra Preliminary Round of 2008/09.

All attention now moves to the weekend of August 30th/31st. Time to check the fixture lists and work out where to go next...

• If you've enjoyed this report, click here to find out about The Road From Wembley, my forthcoming book about the FA Cup and how it has affected my life.

Comments

[Andrew]

Hi John,
So you were the guy who wanted to go down the other end to take some pics!
Not a great night for photography indeed, but a good night for Walden. You are right about the Step 6/Step 5 equality - we have seen that a few times in the last few years at Catons Lane.
Enjoyed reading your take on the night - maybe you'll come back for the game if we beat Harefield?

[Paul]

I too enjoyed your accurate reporting of the evening's procedings. I saw The Bloods beat Stansted at the end of last season, and was strong-armed into sponsoring a player strip this year, so thought I should go along and keep a keen eye on my investment. I have only seen the team play twice and enjoyed the "blood and guts" approach to footy -reminded me of my school days..........