@WM
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“Innn the Naveeeeee ,,,,,,”
“Oh good heavens, Ossie, why are we wearing a war bonnet on top of our fevvers?”
“Just getting in the mood for today’s match! And I didn’t fancy dressing up as a builder.....”
We are going to attempt today to break into the compound at the Royal Naval Air Station at Yeovilton.
“Well you don’t have to go in disguise, bird-brain. And do you honestly think Security are going to let you in the Main Gate looking like that?”
“Whyyyyy – emmmm - C –ayyyyy!” carolled the Ostrich
“Good grief!”
The whole thing is a chapter of accidents. Firstly Mrs O had arranged to go to a local garden centre Saturday afternoon with a friend. So I decide on a reasonable trek and a 15:00 kick off in the Somerset County League at Somerton. Saturday morning, and the friend cancels.
So we decide I’ll run Mrs O over to her sister’s place to deliver some shopping and have a chinwag, so I now need a pick an alternative game somewhere around Yeovil. The FA FullTime website comes up with a number of interesting possibilities.
But Facebook is throwing one of its periodic wobblies where it denies access to non-registered guests to a large swathe of its pages.
I can get no confirmation that any game on my list is actually going ahead. Brilliant!
So having deposited Mrs O at SiL’s, I set out for the nearest of 8 possible venues, with (these being the Yeovil League fixtures) a 14:00 deadline and no idea where I’ll finish up.
First port of call is the aforementioned RNAS Yeovilton. RNAS Yeovilton is one of the Navy's two principal air bases (t’other is Culdrose, I think), and it is said to be one of the busiest military airfields in the UK. It is home to more than 100 aircraft operating on both front-line squadrons and training units, including the Fleet Air Arm Wildcat Force and the Commando Helicopter Force, plus vintage aircraft of the RN Historic Flight. The Fleet Air Arm Museum (which was open today) and the runways are on one side of the B3151; the accommodation blocks and general quarters of HMS Heron, as the establishment is known, on the other. Google Maps shows there’s a number of soccer pitches that side of the road, and as the FA website says the venue is Vixen Close, which is within the compound, I head for the Main Gate and park up under the watchful gaze of a couple of security guards. One looks like a contractor, the other sports military camouflage plus a rather lethal-looking carbine of sorts.
He is wearing a green beret; not a red one which would be Military Police, or a blue one (United Nations?) but a green one, from which I deduce he is probably a Royal Marine.
That is the guy who steps out to engage with me.
I approach cautiously, masked, and socially distance myself.
“I was hoping to watch a football match this afternoon which I understand is to be played here. Are you allowing spectators in?”
“I have not been told anything about a football match, Sir”
“Well, it’s on the FA’s website and it’s a 2:00 kick-off, AFC Huish versus Keinton Park Rangers.”
“I would know nothing about that, Sir.”
“Umm, would it be on the pitch at the back of that building, in Vixen Close?”
“I have no idea, Sir. And you cannot come in through this gate unless you have a Pass, or a Personal Escort.”
“OK, that’s fine, then - thanks for your help.”
“You should return to the road, turn left, and take the first narrow turning on the left, Sir, and enquire there.”
“Oh, thank you very much, I’ll do that then.”
Back to the car, where Ossie is cowering on the back seat and softly singing “A Life on the Ocean Wave” to keep his spirits up.
“No Wardroom visit for us today,” I told the bird.
The narrow turning, which leads through an avenue of trees marked as the Falklands Memorial Way, peters out into a small car park where members of a football team are disembarking from a number of cars. Having ascertained I’d found the right spot, I parked up next to a 6-lane running track with a football pitch in the middle. There’s grassy banks and 6 floodlights on each side; even a small covered stand, but the home team have appropriated that as a “changing room” so I’m on the other side. Looking around, there’s a rugby pitch and a full-size artificial surface football / hockey pitch nearby. We’re penned into the area by razor-wire, and what’s strangely missing is any sign of a permanent changing room block, so it’s all seemingly very spartan. And sitting on the grassy bank, it’s also very windswept today.
The home side are AFC Huish. Despite the name, I am wondering how far they are actually a civilian club - they have signed something called the Armed Services Covenant:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.u ... 200505.pdfKeinton Park Rangers are much more straight-forward; they’ve been going since 2015 and hail from Keinton Mandeville near Somerton. Huish have lost their opening two fixtures of the season, Keinton lost one and drawn one.
It’s a very cautious first 20 minutes. Keinton are using the wings well, but not really testing the home keeper who looks pretty competent despite his girth.
It’s all very cat and mouse. The deadlock is finally broken on 27m when Keinton’s no.11 simply side-foots home a cross from his no.7. Keinton’s no.7 looks like he’s in for a torrid afternoon, twice finding himself 1 on 1 with the keeper and twice muffing the chance.
Keinton’s second goal on 38m comes from another cross, only this time the home no.6 decisively puts through his own goal.
And a further two-goal salvo right at the end of the first half means the result is beyond doubt.
Huish do pull a goal back after 54m, an in-off-the-post, but Keinton soon restore their lead. Again, Huish score to make it 2-5, but two minutes later, Keinton’s no.11 brilliantly juggles the ball past a defender and the keeper, leaving himself with the simple task of stroking the ball into an empty net. Huish keep going and are denied what looked to me like a cast-iron penalty just before the end, but the referee thought otherwise. So a heavy defeat for the homesters and probably a fair result in hindsight.
19/09/20 – Yeovil & District League Division 1 (Step 12) – AFC Huish 2 Keinton Park Rangers 6
Admission: free
Refreshments: Nothing on offer. Not even hardtack or a tot of Rum.
Covid Rating: 0/10. Virus, what virus?
Attendance: 17
And finally, from the local FB pages:
Hi there, any molecatchers around?
Answers on a postcard, please ….
