Kinloss Astro, Forres and Nairn WFA League, 27/06/23
Me 282, Wee Man 154
Kinloss Sappers Football Club 39 Engineer Regiment
Founded – 2012
Nickname – Sappies
Honours – Unsure
Random Fact – After a conversation with a Sapper player during the first half it turns out they use the FNWFA as a sort of preseason before heading into the Army leagues in around September time
The wade through the Welfare continued tonight with a trip to the 5th different association to date. This time the Forres and Nairn set up. But it also threw up what I think is a first in my time watching the game. Visiting a forces team. I may be wrong and will have check back the teams on the continent but I have definitely not visited one in the UK until tonight. I was worth the visit too. I had a bit of everything this despite what was a slowish first half.
Down at the Kinloss Astro we found ourselves bang on kick off. This after following the high barbed perimeter fence of the barracks themselves. To be honest I was expecting a fenced in 3G pitch and not much more but it turned out the place has a wee enclosure and the surface is not to bad, quite soft under foot and reasonably slick (we had a kick about at half time on it). Its a tidy ground. Adjacent through the peering through the bushes were a host of war planes at what is the Morayvia Museum (noted for a visit when up this way for Forres Mechanics for book two) behind one goal there seems to be an abandoned field which was a football pitch a one point going by the dugouts still being there. I may be putting two and two together and getting sixteen but I presume it is the predecessor pitch of our venue tonight, the ex home of RAF Kinloss who once plied their trade in the Juniors. I may be wrong though.
The game was a slow burner to start with despite being played with a heavy metal sound track in the background, Metallica, Pantera, Black Sabbath and more were belting out from somewhere(I don’t know where from though) . But the fast riffs didn’t speed up proceedings in the entertainment stakes this despite the quick pitch. One thing of note was the amount of different match balls that seemed to be used. Wee Man picked up on it, it was on par with the amount of guitars Slash used at Glastonbury during Guns n’ Roses set at the weekend. It seemed every time one was thrown back on the field it was different. Then came the worry of Wee man when he noticed one of the balls was the same as his and he worried they might think he was trying to steal one. It wasn’t until around a quarter of the match had passed before there was some decent action in the final third. The Sappers missed a few good chances. First up was Dylan Rendall who headed over when he surely should have been hitting the target. The winger was then creator when he played in Darriel Brownie who’s effort went high wide and handsome. As the players dropped back to set up for a goal kick the ref was telling them it was a corner. I am not sure what he saw but even Brownie was laughing about the truly strange decision. Then came the opener and it was for the visitors. Let me tell you it was worth the wait. The Tavern were awarded a freekick, quite central about twenty five yards out. Ricky Wardrop lined it up and Ricky Wardrop hit an absolute scorcher which pummelled the bar on the way in. The keeper’s dive was pointless given how amazingly well this kick was struck. One of those goals that makes you involuntary let out an Archie MacPherson type “woooooft” which I did. A stunning hit. The lead couldn’t have lasted more than two minutes and the Army side were back on level terms when Jay Hubbard took advantage of a defensive slip to accurately place the ball across Tavern keeper Andy Lloyd and into the bottom corner. On Hubbard, the boy is a player, tall but skillful, great feet with an excellent reading of the game.
HT 1 v 1
We jumped on the park for a we kick about at the break leaving Wee Man’s top black due to the crap you get in these fake pitches. This after speaking to a Sappers player who was a great source of info and made me want to watch the Sappers v Fort George in the Army leagues. It is a “proper derby” I was told. I will definitely be looking out for that. Hopefully I am home for the match at Fort George. The teams were back and the game was much more open and had a lot more action than the first. The Sappers took the lead when the burst forward at rapid speed after a ball over the top from Hubbard, Brownie received it an cut in, but instead of going for glory he squared to Rendall who lashed home. Then the Sappers were given a chance to extend their lead when again on a quick fire break Brownie was wiped out from behind by McCarten. But before the inevitable red for the defender was shown, Brownie lost the plot due to the tackle on him, this sparking a rammy which lasted a few minutes. The striker seemed to throw a punch and was dismissed for his daft actions. Then the teams were levelled up when McCarten finally got his marching orders for the original infringement. Hubbard stepped up and put the keeper the wrong way. From here the game lost its discipline and the fouls were coming from all angles, this leading to the Sappers being told to calm down by their sideline before they got embroiled in pointless trouble when leading by two goals. The game died a bit from here and went through the motions a bit. Mosset went for it in the dying few minutes inclusive of keeper Lloyd coming up for set pieces, where to be fair he was an effective target man and it was as he was up the Tavern were awarded a penalty. Dave Bromley stepped up an skied it over the bar ending all chances of a late scare for the Sappers.
A decent bit of viewing overall as once again the Welfare threw up some decent action. The better team won, could possibly have been more if not for the Tavern keeper Lloyd.But it was more than the game, there were the quirks of watching the military on the very edge of a barracks. More to add to the wonders of Welfare. It’s a shame I am away again next week as by the time I am back most leagues will be over. So on that, roll on next summer.
Entrance – Free
Attendance – 26
Pie – N/A
Pint -N/A
Score Predictions – Me 3 v 0, Wee Man 2 v 0
FITBAWBAG 