Awesome Coffee Mugs at - Takeley FC

Whilst most people started their football travels a while back, I have finally started mine on the 25th of July. 

The reason being is that, I was away in Scotland for the start of July and in Lanzarote in Mid-July. The only football action I had in those places, was buying a fake Barcelona away shirt and a UD Lanzarote scarf, taking pictures around FC Puerto Del Carmen's stadium and quickly taking some pics as I passed Arbroath's ground in Scotland on the way to go "Coasteering" which is basically jumping off high rocks and cliffs into the freezing cold North Sea in wetsuits which felt like you were being strangled to death. (Thoroughly Recommend it though, it's great fun!)

A brief glimpse of Arbroath's ground 

The new addition to the scarf collection.

The Main Stand at FC Puerto Del Carmen's ground.

Today though I was heading back once again to Takeley's ground, this time in their friendly against Saffron Walden Town. A couple of reasons why I wasn't doing a new ground today. Braintree's game away at Lowestoft was called off due to waterlogged pitch another was that I had just got off the plane from Lanzarote the day before and on the Sunday I was going to the Emirates cup. So a little Step 5 friendly would me nicely.

Personally I'm not a big fan of some friendlies. I'm just not a big fan of some games that have "3 x 30 mins half's" and teams making a billion substitutes at at time (I also heard of one game where they played either half's on different pitches...). But then again that is what pre-season is meant to be. Just warm up games to see which players are fit and which aren't.

Takeley FC Selfie.

This game however wasn't a silly "3 X 30 mins half's game" it was just a simple friendly in which 2 Step 6 teams came together for a little game.

Both teams started lively, Takeley had a few great runs on the wing which couldn't be converted unfortunately, included one great run from Takeley's number 10, Alex Martin which was fingertip saved wide from the Walden keeper. Walden had a some good chances also a few low drilled shots from just outside the area and a few headers from set pieces which went wide of the right hand side of the post.
During the first half I went into the club house to get myself a cup of coffee, which to my amasment they gave to me in a mug!! Any fan who ventures to non league often, will know that a small thing like Coffee in a mug is one of the best things about lower league football.

The Awesome Coffee Mug itself!

After buying the coffee I switched from the smaller seated stand to behind the goal Walden were shooting in. It was there that a met 3 Walden fans who were later joined by a few more. They were a great bunch of fans and one of them, Jonathan has recently started a blog of his own about his experiences at Saffron Walden games. http://bloodssweastandcheers.blogspot.co.uk/ We got chatting and I eventually agreed to come to their ground soon. It was on the to do list anyway, but it this now has definitely urged me to go in the near future. The Dead lock was finally broken when one of Walden's players put the ball past the keeper in the bottom right corner of the goal from a 1 on 1 chance. and the score was 1-0 going into the break.

The second half started the way it did in the first half, with both teams having some great chances once again including one Takeley shot which just went over the bar. The second goal finally came for Saffron Walden, and my word, What a belter. The ball was passed to Walden's Louis Harper outside of of the box who belted it into the top left hand corner of the goal. Genuinely a goal you don't expect to see in pre season!!

The Walden Fans.

Walden fans selfie.

And that's how the match ended. Final Score Takeley 0-2 Saffron Walden.

Thanks to the Walden fans which made the game that little bit more exciting!!

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