Wednesday 9th July 2008
Willenhall Town v Halesowen Town Postponed
Pre-season friendly at Noose Lane
The saying goes that the start of the English cricket season is normally greeted by wet and windy weather. So logically, the football season should begin in baking hot and sunny conditions. Well that is the theory any way.
Six weeks had elapsed since I was that seven-goal thriller at Girvan. In between, Euro 2008 had come and gone, and I had been climbing the walls waiting for the next instalment in my new life as a ‘born-again groundhopper’.
Having checked the fixture on the Willenhall and Halesowen websites, I set off to Noose Lane, admittedly in miserable weather, and duly arrived about half-an-hour before the 7-45 pm kick-off. I’d arranged to meet a long-standing football friend and, no sooner had I parked up, ‘Walsall Neil’ (or should it now be ‘Addis Neil’) arrived.
“Is it on?” he enquired. Like me he thought things we a little quiet. There was at least another football traveller parked up in the car park. Into the clubhouse we went, only to find out the match had succumbed to a waterlogged pitch. It was no surprise as an awful lot of rain had fallen in the hours leading up to the game.
Anyway the evening wasn’t lost as we had plenty of time back in Bloxwich to chat and catch up with news, without the distraction of having to note down goals, substitutions and team line-ups!
After getting back home, the respective club websites announced: “Due to the persistent rain today, the pre-season friendly against Halesowen Town has been cancelled.” and… “With the game against Willenhall Town postponed due to the inclement weather, Halesowen’s pre-season programme for 2008-2009 will begin when they make the very short journey to Beeches View Avenue to take on Cradley Town of the Midland Football Alliance, kick off 3pm on Saturday (12th July 2008).”
I suppose it will be the competitive action that will start in baking hot weather!
