HAUGHMOND V COLESHILL TOWN
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31ST 2017
Competition: Midland Football League Cup Second Round
Ticket price: £5
Programme: £1
Attendance: 45
Half time score: 0-1
Full time score: 0-1
Bird species: 20
Mileage: 353
Trip music: BBC Radio 6; Ladies and Gentlemen:The Best of George Michael by George Michael.
THE BIRDS:
A rather handsome male Rock Thrush has been tempting me to Wales for the past few weeks and with little else to go for, I give in to temptation. After dropping off Perfect Wife at the swimming baths, I head along the cobbled M42 and then onto the M5 and the not-so-busy M50. Because of traffic, it takes me four hours to do what should be a two hour dash. Still, I arrive at the delightfully named Blorenge to hear the news that the thrush is "showing exceptionally well".
It seems every recent trip I have been on has been accompanied by dull, wet weather and today is no different. I start my trudge across the hill to the quarry in light rain. My heart is gladdened by a nice mixed flock of thrushes: Mistle Thrush, Fieldfare and Redwing are feeding in the sheep fields in good numbers.
 |
| The start of the walk to the quarry |
 |
| The murky, yet still impressive view into the valley from the footpath |
I trudge on along the rocky, wet track meeting people coming away from the bird all the time. I reach the first quarry, which looks perfectly suitable for a Rock Thrush to inhabit but no, my fussy bird has chosen Quarry Number Three, about half a mile further on!
 |
| What's wrong with this bit of quarry, Mr. Rock Thrush? |
I finally reach Q3 and there's no one left in sight: everyone has been, seen the bird and gone! I round a bend and find three others actively searching for the thrush: it's gone AWOL! I needn't have worried, as the bird is soon relocated up on the crag. It flies a little closer, revealing a flash of orange. I could still do with better views, though, so settle down to see what it does next.
The answer is that it flies over my head and lands fairly close on the bank. It starts to feed and I admire the handsome beast before taking a few record shots.
 |
| It's a thrush sitting on a rock: it must be a Rock Thrush! |
 |
| Slightly better views on the deck. |
For the next 90 minutes, I watch this delightful bird as it forages and feeds in its chosen quarry (did I mention it was the furthest from the road?!). It reminds me of the last time I saw one of these mountain dwellers. That particular time, I was in The Picos de Europa mountains where an Iberian Bear and its cub also put in an appearance. No chance of that here today!
The thrush finally comes closer to the gathering band of birdwatchers. Photographers have been putting down mealworms to entice the target closer to their lenses and it now seems to be on the lookout for more tit-bits. It dashes in very close and I manage to fire off a pleasing shot. Other photos are better but they had the benefit of some sunshine on the bird. And a better camera. And a wheelbarrow-full of photographic know-how, of course!
 |
| I'm pleased with it anyway! |
I amble back towards the car, taking more time to survey my surroundings now the day's target bird is in the bag. It is a beautiful walk that would definitely benefit from some sun!
 |
| Birders looking for the Rock Thrush in Q3 as I leave |
 |
| Footpath to the quarry along the hillside |
 |
| Attractive fungus by the path |
 |
| Gorse along the path |
 |
| Where are the Fieldfares and Redwings when you need them? |
 |
| It's Wales; it's a sheep; get over it! |
 |
| A nice view of the valley through the murk. |
By the time I get back to my car, it is still only a few minutes past midday. What to do now?! The only other bird I have researched is a Rose-coloured Starling in Hereford. I decide to go have a look even though the bird wasn't seen yesterday. Besides, it gets me closer to home, which is handy for later being as I cannot be too late back to Nottingham to pick up Perfect Wife from her Mum's.
Just 45 minutes later, Jane SatNav has taken me to a district of Hereford called Orcop Hill. It is a very pleasant village and I set about trying to find the juvvy Rosy. I find the correct garden and start to scan through the mobile flock of Eurasian Starlings. There's no sign of Rosy.
The house owner, and finder of the bird, comes out for a chat. He hasn't seen the bird for a while now and tells me it hasn't been hanging around with his 'ordinary' Starling flock. I wander around for a couple of hours and fail to find Rosy or the Hawfinches that have been lurking in gardens for a couple of days.
The fields and hedges in the village host many beautiful Redwings and Fieldfares, House Sparrows, Goldfinches and Chaffinches and a secretive Great Spotted Woodpecker. I enjoy my stroll but give up at 3.00pm.
I now start to plan my evening. I have a few choices of football venue, including Hereford United. I don't really want to pay Edgar Street another visit being as I have been there several times, though it is tempting to see how the newly-reformed club is getting on. There are a couple of games in Coventry tonight but I plump for Haughmond, a club that play on the outskirts of Shrewsbury and a new ground tick for me.
My route takes me past Edgar Street, which brings back memories of watching Notts County play there a few hours after admiring a breeding pair of Bee-eaters in a local quarry!
Jane SatNav takes me to a Sports Village on Sundorne Road, but I cannot see a football pitch anywhere near here. I drive around the side streets in case a ground is hidden somewhere. I then ask a nice lady where I might find Haughmond FC and she starts to direct me to Shrewsbury Town's new stadium! She finally clicks what I mean and sends me back to the Sports Village. As a final question, I enquire about a chippie and am soon munching on a decent fish and chip supper.
Back at the uninspiring Sports Village, a lady on the desk confirms the venue and points to a pitch through the café. I must say that it isn't a particularly scenic ground and has more of a Continental feel about it than anything.
I have a drink in the canteen and wait for the Stadium to open. I try not to look like a pervert while watching the yoga class taking place in a small room adjacent to the café! All the while, fans are arriving and trying to get in but the gate remains padlocked until 7.25pm. When he arrives with the key, the man looks shocked so many people are eager to get in for this League Cup 2nd round tie. More importantly, he has a bag of programmes for tonight's match (£1): I had convinced myself there wouldn't be one.
I pay my fiver at the garden shed just inside the gate and then chat with another couple of Groundhoppers while surveying my surroundings. The pitch is enclosed by a high fence. There's a terrace in front of the café - outside the fence - behind one goal where twenty tightwads are watching the match for free. The only cover is a stand down one touchline, ample shelter to get out of tonight's steady drizzle. The council-owned pitch looks immaculate. Behind the stand is a large artificial training area where several girl's sides are going through their paces.
I must have my dates mixed up. I thought tonight was Halloween but there is a large firework display taking place in the distance. It is, obviously, November 5th!
 |
| A nice banner; probably the most exciting thing about the whole ground! |
 |
| The club crest |
 |
| Sports Centre in the background; terrace in front of that - not in the ground. |
 |
This Cup tie sees Haughmond (pronounced 'Hawmond') take on Coleshill Town (pronounced by their fans as 'Couz-ill') in an all Midland League, Premier Division tie. The first half is keenly contested. The reds of Coleshill play some really good, snappy football until the final third of the pitch when they invariably choose the wrong pass or shot. The visitors have a goal disallowed and the home side hit the post. In the end, Town grab a late lead in injury time when Luke Edwards heads in from a corner.
 |
| You can cut the cup atmosphere with a knife! |
During the break, I seek out the teamsheets in the bar. While on the hunt, I am invited into a sectioned off area of the café - The 'Boardroom' - to help finish off the tea and sandwiches for tonight's club officials. It is a nice gesture even though someone has spilt tea all over the sarnies! I still haven't got over how weird this feels: a strange, incongruous setting for a football stadium. It is a curious hotch-potch of people in the bar. Yoga-ites are parading around in tight lycra outfits, cyclists are coming and going on their bikes, girl footballers are chatting away in the corner and bored parents are hanging around waiting for their kids to finish doing what they are doing. All this going on while football fans are trying to keep warm and stay dry as we usually would at a Tuesday night match.
The second half sees some crunching tackles, none resulting in a 20 man brawl like one would see in a Premier League match after the slightest contact between two posers with over-inflated egos. Don't they know that their pathetic antics are making high level football almost unwatchable for true football fans? They probably do but just don't care as long as they are bagging their quarter of a million quid a week wages.
Anyway, after clinging on in the first half, Haughmond make a comeback and press forward early on. As they push for the equaliser, Coz-ill exploit the space and break at will. Fortunately for the home side, Town's shooting is truly abysmal and I end up seeing just the single goal.
The only sour note on a fairly standard evening's football is Coleshill's Dan Tyman who completely loses the plot for no apparent reason. He should have been sent off - TWICE! - and is substituted by his manager before the referee gets out his red card.
As I am leaving the ground, I notice a sticker on one of the perimeter railings. Curiously, it is for something called Non League Dogs. I am baffled but further research reveals a Facebook page for people to post pictures of dogs at grounds. If I had my way, dogs would be banned from football stadia - the bloody things are the bane of my life - but what do I know?
 |
| I cannot for the life of me think why anyone would want to take a dog to a football match but there you go... |
What should be a straightforward drive home is blighted by road closures, as usual. The M42 is shut, so I feel smug when I craftily divert up the A38. The powers that be have foiled me again: part of that route is closed as well. FFS, work on one route so drivers can use an alternative; don't have closures on the diversion as well!!! I sometimes wonder if the planners who come up with these insane schemes have ever driven an inch in their lives! Ooooooh, come the glorious day when I rule this planet...
