STOCKTON TOWN (Bishopton Road West)

FA VASE SEMI-FINAL, 2ND LEG, STOCKTON TOWN 1-2 MARSKE UNITED (Agg: 3-2) ATTENDANCE: 1,800

With 'the beast from the east' wreaking havoc in recent weeks it has been a while since I managed to visit a new ground. Fortunately today's game in the North East was on an artificial surface and what an occasion it was too.


Stockton Town were taking on Marske United in the FA Vase semi-final second leg for the right to play either Thatcham Town or 1874 Northwich at Wembley in May.

This all Northern League tie was finely poised after last weekends first leg. Stockton held a 2-0 lead after winning their "away leg" last Saturday. I say "away leg" because of the recent wet weather the first leg was also played at Bishopton Road West as Marske United's pitch was saturated and no other suitable alternative venue could be found.

The ground is situated on the edge of town, behind the local sixth-form college.This semi-final tie match was billed as the biggest game(s) in Stockton Town's 40 year history, certainly since they moved into senior football in 2009. The game was an all-ticket sell out with 1,800 packed inside the tight ground.

Marske really needed to score first to keep the tie alive and they did indeed do that. Liam O'Sullivan firing home after 8 minutes. This though was after Stockton missed a one-one-one chance after 30 seconds of the game, Fred Woodhouse squandering the opportunity. 

The Seasiders dominated the half but they could not find an aggregate equaliser. Stockton had their moments on the break and just before half time they were awarded a penalty. Kevin Hayes was fouled in the box and Nathan Mulligan stepped up to dispatch the spot kick and to restore The Anchors overall two-goal lead.

Marske came out for the second half and continued to pile on the pressure. A superb solo goal on 55 minutes from James Fairley, who picked the ball up on the wing before going on a mazy run and slotting home, putting Marske within one goal of levelling.

As the game went Marske pushed forward and took more risks, leaving gaps at the back, and there were chances for Stockton to seal the tie on the counter attack. The tie could have gone either way at this point. Michael Arthur in the Stockton goal pulled off a world class save to deny Curtis Round before Fairley had a goal disallowed moments from time due to a push in the box.

The final whistle sounded and the Marske players sank to their knees but it was jubilation for the Stockton players and supporters. In three short years they have gone from the Wearside League to Wembley. That is some journey! They will play Combined Counties League Thatcham Town in the final on 20th May.

The Stockton Town players who made history

PRESTATYN SPORTS (Gronant Playing Fields)

WELSH ALLIANCE DIVISION TWO, PRESTATYN SPORTS 5-0 PENMAENMAWR PHOENIX, ATTENDANCE: 30 (official)

After last weekends European travels I kept it closer to home this Saturday. I took the opportunity to complete visits to all of the clubs and grounds of the Welsh Alliance League. The opportunity of a 'champagne job' admittedly influenced my decision to head to Upper Gronant today.

Prestatyn Sports were formed as recently as 2013 and have enjoyed a fair amount of success in it's short history. The club won the promotion to the Vale of Clwyd & Conwy League Premier Division in its first season before going one better and winning promotion to the Welsh Alliance League as champions in 2015. The club also won an unprecedented quadruple by adding NWCFA Intermediate Cup, Premier Cup and Presidents Cup to their trophy cabinet.

In order to gain promotion to the Welsh Alliance the club left behind their Meadows home in Prestatyn, as that ground did not meet league criteria due to a lack of changing facilities and dugouts, and moved to the Gronant Playing Fields.

The ground is pretty basic but is railed behind one goal and up to halfway line, meeting the minimum standards for the Welsh Alliance. I am led to believe Prestatyn Nova and Greenfield have previously played on this ground. Whatever the ground lacks in facilities though it certainly makes up with vista, offering great views of the Irish Sea and of the Dee Estuary looking towards Point of Ayr lighthouse and Talacre Beach. There were refreshments available and a hot brew at half time was most welcome on a bitterly cold day.

The fact that the club are playing at Gronant led to them being voted out of the Welsh Alliance at the beginning of this season. Gronant does not fall into the catchment area of the league as it is in Flintshire (which is covered by the Welsh National League) and Prestatyn are a Denbighshire club. The club appealed the decision and won meaning they were reinstated to the league. Plans are in place for a suitable home back in the town but lack of funds are proving problematic. 

Penmaenmawr Phoenix were the visitors to Upper Gronant this afternoon. The opening exchanges were very scrappy with neither side able to take control. The turning point was a penalty to Sports and red card to a Phoenix defender midway through first half, for deliberately handling on the line. Ian Griffiths (33) stepped up to convert the spot kick and after that it was one way traffic and basically shooting practice for the home side. 

Goals from James Harper (50) Chris Owen (53) Mike Jones (60) and Jack McDougall (80) ensured a comfortable afternoon at 'The Fortress' for Prestatyn and luckily for Penmaenmawr some of the other finishing was poor or the scoreline could have been a hell of a lot worse! The result leaves Sports second in the table, 22 points behind leaders Glan Conwy, but they still have a whopping 10 games in hand. 

HOLSTEIN KIEL (Holstein Stadion)

2.BUNDESLIGA, HOLSTEIN KIEL 2-2 ERZGEBIRGE AUE, ATTENDANCE: 9,702

My final trip of the weekend took me to north to the city of Kiel, located on the shores of the Baltic Sea. The city is a major maritime base and busy port and the Kiel canal is one of the busiest in the world.

It was an early start from Münster in order to make the 1300 kick off. The ground is a good 30 minute bus ride from the main station, but fortunately buses are frequent so there was plenty of time for a beverage and a frikadellen. Holstein Kiel were hosting Erzgebirge Aue in a 2.Bundesliga clash. Coincidentally, Kiel were the visitors when I travelled to Aue a few years ago.

Kieler Sportvereinigung Holstein were formed in 1900 and in their early years were a dominant force in the north. They won the German championship in 1912 but have never reached the promised land of the Bundesliga, spending most of their history in the second and third tiers.

The club returned to the 2.Bundesliga for the 2017/18 season and are enjoying a very good season thus far. Admittedly the good ship KSV has hit choppy waters in 2018, having failed to win so far, but going into the winter break they were in one of the automatic promotion positions. Kiel are still third in the table, which is a promotion play off position, but the other teams below them are now closing in.

In order to meet the criteria for any promotion, plenty of work has been done on the Holstein Stadium. At one stage the ground did not meet the minimum criteria necessary for the Bundesliga so major renovation has taken place. Two new stands were erected to replace the old terracing. In fact the only remnants of the old terracing are behind one of the goals where the away fans are placed.

All the differing builds give the feel of a bit of a hotch-potch ground. I was having a chat with a couple of fans and there is talk that the club could, in the next few years, be demolishing the ground completely and re-building it to create a stadium with a capacity of around around 25,000. 

Erzgebirge Aue were the visitors this afternoon, making the 400 mile journey from Saxony and they would have returned happy having secured a precious point as Holstein Kiel's inability to turn draws into wins haunted them once again.

It started well for the Stork's as they found themselves 2-0 up. After 10 minutes good work down the right led to Dominck Drexler crossing the ball to an unmarked Marvin Ducksch to sidefoot home from 12 yards. Kiel were on the front foot and their winless run looked to be coming to end when Drexler swept home a second goal, after Rafael Czichos headed the ball on from a corner kick.

However on 36 minutes The Violets got a goal back in slightly controversial circumstances. A corner was flicked on and Malcolm Cacutalua challenged the Kiel 'keeper, Kenneth Kronholm, who appeared to have caught the ball. He subsequently lost control and Cacutalua prodded the loose ball home. It terms of modern football it was certainly a foul on the 'keeper but the referee let the goal stand.

It got better for Erzgebirge Aue 90 seconds later when Cacutalua levelled things up. A free kick was launched forward and Cacutalua's header from the edge of penalty area looped over the 'keeper into the net.

The second half was a more cagey affair and both teams had chances to seal the win but the game eventually petered out and both teams had to settle for the draw. That's eight games without a win for Kiel and if that continues their promotion hopes will surely be sunk.

After the match I headed back to Hamburg for a few night caps. On the journey north it was noticeable how much snow there was on the ground and on my way back south I received confirmation the my game of choice for Sunday had been postponed. The weather had played havoc with other games in the lower leagues too, so this turned out to be my final game of this trip. Another fantastic weekend in Germany and hopefully I will be able to get over once more before this season is out.

SC PREUßEN MÜNSTER (Preußenstadion)

3.LIGA, PREUßEN MÜNSTER 2-0 HANSA ROSTOCK, ATTENDANCE: 8,310

For my Friday night football fix I found myself in the North Westphalia region of Germany for a 3.Liga clash between  Preußen Münster and Hansa Rostock. Münster is a student city and is famous for the amount of bikes within the city. Everywhere you turned there was a bike and the parking station by the hauptbanhof is certainly the first thing you notice upon arrival!

I arrived late afternoon after a slight delay in my flight from Bucharest but there was still time to catch up with a mate in the Pinkus Müller brewery tap for a few beers before catching the bus to the ground.

Formed in 1906, Preußen Münster have spent all of their years below the top flight of German football apart from one season, 1963/64, when, after consistent Oberliga finishes, they were invited to become one of the founder members of the Bundesliga. They finished 15th in that inaugural season and were relegated back to regional football.

The club are currently in the third tier of German football, where they have been since 2011 but at the start of play tonight they were 4th from bottom whilst the visitors from Rostock were 4th from top, but both teams were in good form since the winter break.

Off the pitch though there could possibly be troubles ahead. At an extraordinary general meeting in January members voted to for the football department to became separate from the sports association, thus opening the football club club to investment and the possible move away from the 50 plus 1 model, where members retain a controlling interest.

This has led to Preußen Münster ultras withdrawing their support by not partaking in the things most admired in German football such as, for example, not displaying banners or constantly singing during matches. At this time though there is no apparent boycott of games.

The main home block(s) behind the goal. Note there are no flags on display.

The Preußenstadion has been home since 1926. When it was built it was one of the most impressive stadiums in Germany with a capacity of around 40,000. That is now down to around 15,000 but in my eyes it still looks a fantastic ground. There has been work done in recent times such as the building of a new grandstand (in 2009) and covering added to the far side. There are swathes of open terracing and there is still the feel of a proper 'old skool' stadium.

On a freezing cold evening, the game was a routine win for the home side however the opening goal was anything but routine. Inside the opening 10 minutes Martin Kobylański unleashed an unstoppable shot from 25 yards into the top corner to give 'Die Adler' the lead. Janis Blaswich in the Rostock goal had no chance of saving the effort.

Simon Scherder (54) headed home from close range to make it 2-0 and from then on the game was pretty much a non-event. Skipper Adriani Grimaldi had a chance to extend Preußen Münster's lead but he blazed over when clean through.

Hansa Rostock, considering their form, offered little and the game petered out. I must give credit to the Rostock supporters who, having travelled in numbers, never stopped singing and bouncing up and down all game despite having very little to cheer.

Post match analysis took place in The James and Braukunstwerk, which was an excellent way to round off the evening!