HAMBURGER FUSSBALL CLUB FALKE (Rudi Barth Sportplatz)

HAMBURG KREISKLASSE 5, HFC FALKE 7-1 TSV STELLINGEN, ATTENDANCE: 459

After visiting HFC Falke for their first ever competitive game back in July today was a chance for a catch up to see how things are progressing at this fledgling club, and also an opportunity to catch up with friends, sink a few beers and have my faith restored after the previous night's adventure!

Finally, I got to use my season ticket!

Falke are now at 'home' playing at the Rudi Barth Sportplatz, the ground of SC Union 03 Altona, which was unavailable at the beginning of the season, and things are going very well for Falke at the moment.

They currently sit top of their league, the Hamburg Kreisklasse, Group 5, which is the lowest level of football in Germany. They have won all of their 12 league games, so far, and made it through to the 4th round of the Hamburg Cup, eventually losing 2-1 to TSV Bulcholz.

Today Falke were hosting TSV Stellingen (who sat 4th in the table at the start of play) and were hoping that it wasn't unlucky thirteen in the league.

Sebastian Semtner heads home to make it 2-0

In the end it was a comprehensive victory for Falke as they thrashed Stellingen 7-1.

The first half hour of the game was tight, as the visitors closed down the home side and allowed them little space to play. The turning point was on the half hour mark when Stellingen's Andreas Korneev received as second yellow card for a lunging foul.

Within six minutes of the red card, Falke had broken the deadlock through Marcell Voß and then doubled their lead two minutes from the break when, with a hint of offside, Sebastian Semtner headed home.

Ich möchte wimpel, bitte!

The game was over as a contest within minutes of the restart when Björn Naruhn (46 & 51) and Timo Braasch (47) scored to make it 5-0.

Krischan Ramon Stein scored a consolation goal for Stellingen on the hour but Braasch (75) netted his second to make it 6-1.

Substitute Niklas Koopmann completed the scoring in the last minute to set Falke up for their forthcoming Friday night clash with second placed Blau-Weiß 96 II.

Post match was spent meeting and greeting people in the clubhouse, whilst having some more beer and schnapps, before settling down to watch Darmstadt and Hamburger SV play out a 1-1 draw live on the TV. A massive 'danke' to all who made me so welcome!

The handcrafted cider went down an absolute treat!

The Falke/FCUM flag that I also saw on display at
Broadhurst Park a couple of weeks ago.

VFB LÜBECK (Stadion an der Lohmühle)

REGIONALLIGA NORD, VFB LÜBECK 0-2 SV MEPPEN, ATTENDANCE: 1,668

They say things happen in three's. Well that certainly was the case today as I had a rather eventful first day in my latest journey to Deutschland.

Firstly, my flight to Hannover was cancelled leading to me being put on another flight via Dusseldorf, secondly, this delay led to me missing my train North meaning I had shell out for another ticket.

Thirdly, I could have, inadvertently, got a good hiding at the game!

When I innocently went on the home terrace, minding my business, taking a few snaps, as I always do, some home fans basically made it abundantly clear that "groundhoppers are not welcome" and told me to get out "or there would be problems" I can take a hint! They wouldn't let me pass until I'd deleted said photos. Clearly they didn't want any images taken of them, even if I wasn't specifically photographing them.

I thought it just may have been me, but a German groundhopper I know told me he had problems in Lübeck and was also informed strangers are not welcome. Apparently some of their fans seek out "strangers" at every game.

Anyhow, a little bit shaken I managed to upgrade to the main stand for additional €7 (the terrace was €7) to watch SV Meppen win 2-0. The home side wasted that many chances though, the game should have been over before Meppen had netted their first goal.

Skipper Martin Wagner fired Meppen into the lead after 30 minutes, with a shot from just outside the area. Erdogan Pini doubled the visitors advantage after 44 minutes. This led to a number of Meppen fans going bare chested, à la Newcastle, in celebration.

The visitors played the last 20 minutes with ten men after goalscorer Wagner received his 2nd yellow card, but by this point Lübeck had ran out of ideas as Meppen comfortably saw the game out.

Even at the end, when the stadium was virtually empty, I thought I would try again but a couple of other fans appeared from nowhere and starting to question me for taking pictures of a deserted main stand. The evening left a rather unpleasant taste in the mouth.

I have to be thankful that I was able to walk away from the ground, which is actually rather good, but I will certainly be in no hurry to visit VfB Lübeck again. I would advise any groundhopper going to the Lohmühle to be vigilant.

RHOSTYLLEN (The Rec, Vicarage Hill)

FAW WELSH CUP 2nd ROUND, RHOSTYLLEN 0-2 FLINT TOWN UNITED, ATTENDANCE: 120 (est)

Today attention switched back to the Welsh Cup, as the competition reached the second round. After a visit to the island in the last round, it was a short trip up the A483 to Wrexham for today's action. When the draw was made, the only team left in the Northern section that I hadn't visited was Rhostyllen. When they were drawn at home to Flint Town United, it was a no brainer as far as I was concerned.


Rhostyllen is a former mining village, with many residents working at the nearby Bersham Colliery, which before closure in December 1986 was the last working coal mine in the Denbighshire coalfield.

There is evidence of football being played in Rhostyllen as early as 1879, which is the year displayed on the club badge. The Vicarage Hill field has been used to play football since 1955, when it was donated by Colonel Fitzhugh. The Rec ground is excellent for this level of football, with a railed off pitch and a small covered brick stand.

There have been many clubs who have taken to the field under the name of Rhostyllen (a Rhostyllen & Bersham won the Wrexham Area Division One in 1995 and a Rhostyllen MV also won Division One in 1989) with the last incarnation playing as Rhostyllen United when they folded in 2005.

 The reformed club joined the North East Wales League in 2015. Due to cup fixtures, the club have only played 5 league games and won them all, so they are, currently, well placed with games in hand.

In their debut Welsh Cup campaign this season, Rhostyllen have seen victories over AFC Brynford (6-0) Brymbo (1-0) and Berriew (2-1). The club are also through to round four of the Welsh Trophy.

Rhostyllen are the lowest ranked Northern side left in the competition so today would be their biggest test so far as they welcomed Cymru Alliance outfit Flint Town United to The Rec.

Unfortunately for the home side there would be no giant killing, as this game was a step to far, though they did make Flint work hard for their victory.

Stewart Carroll gave Flint the lead when he blasted home the ball from the edge of the area after 10 minutes. Rhostyllen worked their way back into the game and tested Flint 'keeper Ross Dalton with a few efforts. However just before half time, Carroll scored a superb free-kick to double Flint's lead (pictured below).

The Silkmen controlled most of second period and had chances they really should have taken to extended their lead and make their afternoon slightly more comfortable. However as the game moved into it's latter stages, Flint took their foot off the gas and allowed Rhostyllen chances to get themselves back into the tie, with one effort cleared off the line. However Flint held on to secure their passage to the next round and a home tie with Welsh Premier League Newtown.

ALTRINCHAM (Moss Lane)

FA CUP 4th QUALIFYING ROUND, ALTRINCHAM 1-0 CHESTER, ATTENDANCE: 1,603

The road to Wembley continued with a visit to a club with a long, proud FA Cup history. Altrincham have sixteen victories against Football League clubs to their name. The club history page lists them as follows:

1921/22 Tranmere Rovers
1965/66 Rochdale
1973/74 Hartlepool
1974/75 Scunthorpe United
1979/80 Crewe Alexandra and Rotherham United
1980/81 Scunthorpe United
1981/82 Sheffield United and York City
1982/83 Rochdale
1984/85 Blackpool
1985/86 Blackpool and Birmingham City
1988/89 Lincoln City
1992/93 Chester
1994/95 Wigan Athletic

Altrincham's win at St Andrew's was the last defeat of any First/Premier Division team at their own ground by a non-League club in the FA Cup. Other notable games include drawing with Everton, at Goodison, in 1975, before losing the replay at Old Trafford and drawing with Spurs, at White Hart Lane, in 1979, before losing the replay at Maine Road.

When the draw was made, throwing up a Cheshire derby with Chester, a Blues supporting mate of mine suggested a day out on the train to Altrincham, as it had been over decade since I last visited Moss Lane I thought "why not".

To the best of my recollection, the ground hasn't changed much in the intervening years. Segregation was in force today and, as I was with my Chester mates, I ended up on the open terrace, fortunately the predicted heavy rain held off.

The game was largely forgettable but there can be no complaints with the result.

The winner came in the 51st minute when a Jordan Sinnott a free kick (pictured below left) was saved by Jon Worsnop but the ball was parried into the path of Damian Reeves who fired the ball home.

There was a bizarre incident shortly after the goal when Worsnop rushed off his line to prevent Simon Richman getting an effort at goal. The Chester goalkeeper got there first but took both ball and man.

Referee Richard Wigglesworth pointed to the spot and the Altrincham player stepped up to take the penalty. The Chester players protested and the referee then changed his mind! I can't recall ever seeing that in all the years I have been watching football. The game restarted with a drop ball.

Chester naturally increased the pressure and although Altrincham goalkeeper Tim Deasy made a couple of decent saves, the Robins were able to comfortably see the game out, ensuring they were in the hat for the first round draw on Monday evening.

Altrincham is a top place for a beer or two so, as the train was taking the strain, it would have bad form not to have one or two! Pre-match was spent in Costello's Bar, the Brewery Tap for Dunham Massey, which was excellent and post-match it the Old Market Tavern was so we could watch Everton slump to their annual defeat at the Arsenal live on TV.

EVERTON (Goodison Park)

FA PREMIER LEAGUE, EVERTON 0-3 MANCHESTER UNITED, ATTENDANCE: 39,553

The Toffee's were comprehensively dispatched by the Red Devils thanks to goals from Morgan Schneiderlin (18) Ander Herrera (22) and Wayne Rooney (62) however this was deemed irrelevant when in the hours before the game news came through that Howard Kendall, Everton's greatest ever manager, had sadly passed away. It meant there was a sombre atmosphere at Goodison Park.

Legend is an overused word in football these days, but in the case of Howard Kendall, it is wholly appropriate.


Lest we forget that Howard Kendall was a fine player making over 200 appearances, after famously choosing to sign for the Blues instead of Liverpool.

My family had regaled this young blue with tales of his exploits as part of 'the holy trinity' with Alan Ball and Colin Harvey, but it as a manager his legend, for many, will live on.

Howard Kendall, who was Everton manager on three separate occasions, was responsible for putting together a team in the mid 1980's that won the league title in 1985 and 1987, the FA Cup in 1984 and the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1985.

Around 1983 is when my interest in football began in earnest, indeed my first game was the aforementioned 1984 cup final where somehow my Uncle acquired a pair of tickets for my dad and I. My immediate family were all blues so I guess it was my destiny!

At the time our neighbours from across Stanley Park were the dominant team in Europe, so as you can imagine in school I was surrounded by loads of little Kopites who needed, and probably still do, a map to find their way to Anfield.

I was bought my first season ticket in the Autumn of 1984, just at the time things were beginning to stir at Goodison and the successful team Howard Kendall built allowed myself and every other Evertonian to hold their head up high and go toe-to-toe with the Kopites.


It was a genuinely sad day in 1987 when Howard Kendall left for Bilbao, and Everton went into quick decline, from which we have never really recovered. He returned for two further spells between 1990 - 1993 and 1997 - 1998 but it wasn't the same, indeed in 1998 Everton only survived relegation on goal difference from Bolton.

However, it is for that glorious period from 1984-1987 when Everton were the greatest team in the country (and possibly Europe) that Howard Kendall will be remembered by me, you made a small boy very happy indeed, for that for that I am eternally grateful. Rest In Peace.

Meeting the great man

Some fine moments under the management of Howard Kendall...

1984 FA Cup Final

1985 "Bayern Munich"

1985 European Cup Winners Cup

1985 Champions (1)  (2)  (3)

1987 Champions