And so to another trip to flooded Worcestershire, this time to Lye Meadow, and more Southern Premier Central football between Alvechurch and Needham Market.
Football in Alvechurch dates
back to 1913 in the form of Alvechurch Juniors FC. By the 1920s the
club had changed name to Alvechurch Swifts but 1926 saw the General Strike, depression
and the demise of the football club. The club was resurrected in
1929 again as Alvechurch Juniors and played at the Meadows, a field given
to the club by a Colonel Wiggins, competing in the Redditch League
until World War II. They then moved to Guants and purchased land in 1957
which was transformed into the current ground at Lye Meadow. The
Church were runners-up in the West Midlands Alliance in 1960–61 and moved up to
Division One of the Worcestershire Combination. After a seventh-place finish in
their first season in the Combination, the next seven seasons saw the club
finish either first or second in the league, winning the league title in 1963,
1965 and 1967. In 1965–66 they also reached the semi-finals of the FA
Amateur Cup, eventually losing 1–0 to Wealdstone at Stamford Bridge with around
10,000 supporters travelling to London for the game.
The league was renamed the
Midland Combination in 1968 and Alvechurch won their fourth title in
1972. That season also saw them make FA Cup history, now never to be broken; in
the 4th Qualifying Round they were drawn against Oxford City. Following a 2–2
draw at home, the tie went to a (Guinness Book of Records) record five
replays at Oxford City, St Andrews, the Manor Ground (twice) and finally, after
17 days and six cup ties, the Church won the fifth replay 1–0 at
Villa Park. The win meant that Alvechurch reached the First Round proper,
becoming the first club from the Midland Combination to do so. They went on to
lose 4–2 at Aldershot.
After finishing as runners-up
in the Midland Combination in 1972/73, Alvechurch switched to the Premier
Division of the West Midlands (Regional) League. The club's first season
in the league saw them reach the first round of the FA Cup again, defeating
Fourth Division Exeter City 1-0. This was followed by a 6–1 win at home to
King's Lynn in the second round, before a 4–2 defeat at Bradford City in
the third round. That season the Church also won the West Midlands
(Regional) League title, the League Cup, the Birmingham Senior Amateur Cup and
the Worcestershire Senior Cup, thereafter retaining the league title for the
next three seasons, before moving up to Division One North of the Southern
League.
Following league
reorganisation, Alvechurch were placed in the Southern League's Midland
Division for the 1979/80 season, and were divisional champions in 1981, beating
Dartford of the Southern Division in the championship play-off, winning
1–0 at home and losing 3–2 away, and winning the tie 4–3 on
penalties. A further league reorganisation then saw them placed in the new
Premier Division for the 1982/83 campaign, but relegation to the
Midland Division in 1990, and another relegation two seasons later saw
them drop back into the Premier Division of the West Midlands (Regional) League.
After the death of club benefactor Philip Palmer and a brief intervention by
Geoff Turton of The Rockin' Berries pop group, the club was taken over by
financial speculators and subsequently folded in 1993.
The club was re-established
under the name of Alvechurch Villa in 1994, entering the Premier Division
of the Midland Combination. In 1996 they reverted to the name
of Alvechurch FC, and in 2002/03 the club were Premier Division
champions and League Cup winners, prompting promotion to the Midland
Alliance. When the Midland League was created in 2014, Alvechurch were
placed in the Premier Division. They were runners-up in the league first time
around and went on to win the league and League Cup double the
following season thereby earning promotion to Division One South
of the Northern Premier League.
Alvechurch's first
season in the Northern Premier League saw them finish as runners-up in
Division One South, resulting in promotion to the Premier Division Central of
the Southern League. A fourth-place finish in 2018/19 led to the club
qualifying for the promotion play-offs. However, after beating
Stourbridge 2–1 in the semi-finals, they lost 3–0 to King's Lynn
Town in the final. However a change of manager, Ian Long moving to
Stourbridge and all bar 4 of the squad leaving, then his
successor Darren Byfield being sacked in November, has led to a
terrible second season syndrome with the Church languishing in 21st place
this time, garnering only 17 points, 8 adrift of safety.
 |
Although records show the
existence of a Needham Market Football Club during the late 1890s, the modern
club was officially established in 1919. They joined the Ipswich & District
League and subsequently won Division Two A in 1932–33 and after World
War II captured the Division Two title in 1946–47 before going on to win
Division One in 1952–53.
Following relegation in 1984,
in 1986–87 the Marketmen were Division One runners-up, earning promotion back
to the Senior Division. In
1996 the club were Senior Division champions, and were promoted to Division One
of the Jewson (then Ridgeon and now Thurlow Nunn) Eastern Counties League.
They were Division One runners-up in 2004/05 and were promoted to the Premier
Division. In 2006–07 the club won the East Anglian Cup, before going on to
finish as runners-up in the Premier Division and winning the League Challenge
Cup and the Suffolk Premier Cup in 2007–08, as well as reaching the
semi-finals of the FA Vase, losing 4–2 on aggregate to Kirkham & Wesham
(now AFC Fylde).
The 2009–10 season saw
Needham Market win the Premier Division title and the League Cup double,
earning promotion to Division One North of the Isthmian League. In their first
season in Division One, Needham finished as runners-up, qualifying for the
promotion play-offs, but losing 3–1 at home to Brentwood Town. The following
season the club finished third, again reaching the play-offs, but lost 1–0 to
Enfield Town. They qualified for the play-offs for a third time after finishing
fifth in 2014, this time losing 1–0 to Witham Town. Finally the Marketmen
went on to win the division in 2015, earning promotion to the Premier
Division. In 2017 they won the Suffolk Premier Cup for a second time.
Needham Market were
transferred to the Premier Central division of the Southern League at the end
of the 2017/18 season as part of the restructuring of the non-League pyramid.
After a bright start, the visitors from Bloomfields, named after former player
and club stalwart of 70 years Derrick Bloomfield, finished 11th last term - the
Marketmen again sit 11th this time, having just appointed Kevin Horlock as
their new manager.
It's a blustery morning with
spasmodic rain as I join the M6 at Tabley, with traffic freely moving and
providing more unusual numberplates - MOO53, the slightly (wh)iffy SK1.1NKS and
the very clever H20 PTP - Pete The Pipe, unsurprisingly a plumber !! And a
private car with the sticker 'How's My Driving ? Tel: 0800 F*CKU' ....
Then onto 'Smart' Motorway,
26 more miserable months of roadworks and goodness only knows how more deaths,
and those red distracting bridge signs. This time Yarnfield Lane catches my
eye, as two of the three clubs that play there - Stone Dominoes and Tunstall Town
- have folded this season.
Past that Jolly Good Storage
place, onto the M5 and still speed restrictions at Oldbury due to viaduct and
technology testing. With a backcloth of the Sutton Coldfield TV mast and
council tower blocks, the West Midlands is not so much Black Country as
presenting a visage of fade to grey....
The M42, then joining the
A441 before cutting back on myself to Redditch Road and the village of
Alvechurch with The Swan, The Red Lion, Tran's Chinese takeway, a Co-op
and not much else. The football club is on the right, free parking and a
helpful Safety Officer who directs me to a spot for an easy and immediate exit.
Two prehistoric tractors in
the car park, and after paying £10 admission, an even older caravan inside the
ground - 201 is today's attendance, with two pockets of Marketmen support.
Inside Lye Meadow a narrow
walkway surrounds the pitch which has a pronounced slope from left to
right, the main stand on the left, a mix of red, black and yellow seats,
alongside which there is a modern office and taped off grass banks. At the top
end is a crumbling, weed infested covered terrace.
To the right is a warm up
area and Portakabin with a 'Ministry of Defence Guard Service' sign that
houses the filthiest and darkest toilets I have ever seen at a football ground.
The press box and adjoining clubhouse and bar are a different matter
altogether, although I can't speak for the burger bar.
I take my place in the main
stand, out of the wind, and enjoying glorious views of the Worcestershire
countryside. Pre match is dominated by Needham's number 5, Jordao Da
Encarnacao Tackey Diogo (him again !!), warming up in a pair of ear rings,
which thankfully are removed for the game. Church are in gold and black, with a
hint of red, no number 6, (16 instead), and their goal keeper in a lurid
salmon number; Market are in change navy.
Within the first 30 seconds
Callum Page is through one on one for the Marketmen, but scuffs his shot beyond
Matthew Sargeant's post. Barely thirty seconds later, at the opposite end,
Marcus Garnham magnificently tips over Ryan Winwood's volley and then makes a
reaction save from the corner.
Both sides struggle with a
pudding of a pitch that's heavy, cutting up and full of divots. The Church
shade matters, a corner from Kevin Da Veiga Monteiro catches on the wind
and lands on top of the crossbar. Then Mitch Botfield seizes on a Needham mistake,
pinching possession and bearing down on Garnham, but the pitch slows him up and
his effort is blocked.
The Marketmen have been neat
and tidy without any real penetration, but that changes in the final five
minutes of the half. On 41 minutes a ball into the Church box is collected by
Adam Mills, and he pulls it back for Page to stroke it into the corner. A
minute later Sargeant does extremely well to turn over Craig Parker's well
struck shot.
In the second period Needham
take control with Parker spurning four clear chances. Alvechurch's tactics of
only one attacker (Connor Deards) in the penalty box makes it easy for the
Marketmen to defend; it is only when a second forward, Nehemia Zazi, is
introduced from the bench that they begin to carry a threat.
With 13 minutes to go Deards
cuts inside and his vicious swerving shot smacks against the crossbar. The
Marketmen respond with Luke Ingram heading narrowly wide and substitute Jose
Santa De La Paz (Santa to his friends !) hitting the side netting.
On 87 minutes Garnham tips
over Botfield's effort and, whilst the ball is being retrieved, bizarrely two
more are kicked on to the pitch by the home bench. Three balls, 'Ballfest' is
the comment from the Needham fan next to me, but only one is required for the
corner, which produces a scramble and a final touch from four yards from Deards
for the equaliser.
When, 60 seconds later, two
goal line clearances prevent Ingram from restoring the Marketmen's lead you
wonder whether Church can improvise an improbable home victory. Sadly, when
you're down amongst the dead men, luck tends to desert you, and so it
proves.... In the third and final minute of stoppage time the ball falls to
Needham's Mills and his left footed 25 yard strike is heavily deflected beyond
the despairing dive of Sargeant to land in the net.
