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This week we headed to North Birmingham to take in the Midlands Combination action between Castle Vale and Bartley Green. The two sides are at contrasting ends of the league table, Vale, despite not having won (or even scored) in their last three games currently sit forth, pushing for promotion whereas the Owls are fighting for survival down in sixteenth.
Despite the name Castle Vale are based two miles up the Chester Road (A452) in the leafy suburb of Boldmere, They share a ground with Midlands Alliance side Boldmere St. Michaels following their departure from Vale stadium.
We were fortunate to get to the Trevor Brown Memorial ground on time thanks to a rather rude bus driver in Ashby de la Zouch refusing to give us change for a £10 note Setting the travel arrangements back half an hour, Still I couldn't resist a snap of the beautiful St. Michaels Church near the ground during a frantic power walk from the train station.
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| St. Michaels Church |
The Match
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| The pre-match rituals |
The game got off to a far from remarkable start, Very scrappy football with many misplaced passes and poor tackles, I even witnessed a foul throw from a Bartley Green defender which I cannot ever remember seeing outside of schoolboy ranks.
Eventually the home side managed to get a grip on the struggling opposition and settled down, They almost took the lead in the 22nd minute when forward Ryan Nash fired wide from 25 yards, Nash came close again five minutes later after bursting through the defence but fired wide when one on one with Bartley keeper Mark Wolesley.
The spitfires had several opportunities to take a lead into half time, Danny O'Callaghan should have headed in from a corner into a gaping net but squandered the chance by heading wide of the near post, Nash also came close with a diving header and an overheadkick following a scramble, But despite all their pressure Vale were unable to pick the Owl's defence before the break, With their poor finishing today it is not hard to see why they haven't scored in three games.
Vale began the second half in a determined manner, Ryan Nash must have been wandering what exactly he has to do to put the ball in the net, His freekick struck the Bartley crossbar shortly after half time, The Spitfires finally made the breakthrough in the 48th minute, Midfielder Scott Parker's (Prehaps lost on his way to the Hawthorns for the West Brom-Spurs game?) shot took a wicket deflection off a defender to elude a despairing dive by Wolesey.
Following the goal Vale enjoyed near total dominance for the remainder of the second half, The pace of their attack caused Bartley many problems which they just didn't look equipped to deal with. Centerback Dean Crowley went close to doubling the lead on the hour mark but headed over, His defensive partner Richard Deavall also had a glorious opportunity when he suddenly found himself in an advanced position, He however powered over the bar. O'Callaghan came the closest to a second when he burst clean through on Wolesley, His shot looked to be going in but just clipped the diving keepers leg, The deflection was enough to take the ball up and over for a corner, The resulting ball was cleared off the line following a goalmouth scramble.
Bartley did have a few chances to steal a point against the run of play near the end but spurned all of them, Handing Vale a well deserved win.
Castle Vale F.C.
Nickname: The Spitfires
Founded: 1964 (As King's Heath)
Ground: Trevor Brown Memorial Stadium, Boldmere, Birmingham, B73 5RY Map
Capacity: 2,500
Contact: 07787804153
Founded in 1964 in the King's Heath district of Birmingham, This club has gone through several name and location changes. Initially founded as a pub team of the Horse and Shoe Inn they began life playing in the South Birmingham league until deciding to change their name to King's Heath FC to better represent their local area, Joining the Midlands Combination division two which they won in 1982/83.
The club was relocated to Solihull but were evicted due to not being able to produce the funds to improve their ground, They then entered into ground shares with Knowle and Shirley town, These grounds were not up to standard and the club was forced down a division.
After contributing towards improvements at Shirley Town's Whitlock's End ground up to code the club returned to the Midlands Combination Premier in 1992/93, Another ground share followed in 1994 when they moved in with Alvechurch FC before finding a more permanent arrangement with the now defunct Paget Rangers FC in the Castle Vale area of North Birmingham, They changed their name to Castle Vale KH to reflect their new surroundings but also to retain their ties with their former home of King's Heath. The KH was eventually dropped in 2005.
The club left the Vale stadium in 2011 and moved in with Midlands Alliance side Boldmere St. Michaels in the Sutton Coldfield region of Birmingham.
The Ground
Upon entering from Church road we are greeted by the ticket lady who seems to have been expecting us, She sells us a programme for £1, The programme certainly not the most professional job we've ever seen but for just £1 it's not too bad.
We are escorted to the club house by a friendly young man where we are introduced to Steve Henson, The clubs vice-president who has been involved with the club for 20 years or so, He offers us a drink and shows us around the ground, There is little evidence that Castle Vale play here, All the décor is of Boldmere St. Michaels.
The clubhouse is at the South of the ground, It has a hatch for buying hot or cold food and drink and has a covered area for shelter, The players emerge from a door next door to the refreshment area, The toilets are right in the South-East corner.
Shortly before kick off Steve takes us to our seats in the directors area where we meet chairman Gary Higgins, These are the only seats in the ground, running along the East touchline, There are three rows of black and white seats with the directors and press area on the half way line, Unfortunately neither end of the stand is close so the bitter wind cuts right through.
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| The main stand is on the right of the field. |
The substitute benches are on the opposite side of the field, They are between two of the eight large floodlights which adorn the field, There is no other covered areas in the ground, Just a barrier with a few supporters leaning on. Some have decided to sit in their cars to avoid the cold, Although we can't ascertain how they can see half the pitch from their place in the South-West corner car park.
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| Panorama of the Trevor Brown Memorial stadium. |
Getting to the Trevor Brown Memorial Stadium
By car: Leave the M6 at junction five and take Chester Road (A452) for approximately three miles, Turn right onto Church road, The ground is on the left hand side.
By Train: The closest train station is Chester Road around three quarters of a mile away on the Longbridge to Lichfield line, It has regular services to and from Birmingham New Street.
By Bus: The 66A runs regularly from Birmingham City Centre and stops close to the ground,
Local Area Info
Pubs/Food
Bishop Vesey: A well run Weatherspoons pub on Boldmere high street serving the standard spoons' menu as well as a selection of local and international ales.
Harvester: If you don't fancy Weatherspoons there is Harvester right next door! Traditional pub food as well as a delicious grill menu.
Miller & Carter: Situated on the shore of a large boating lake within the scenic Sutton Park, This grill house serves up some of the most delicious meals to be had for miles around and comes with our personal recommendation.http://www.millerandcarter.co.uk/millerandcartersuttonpark/
Regards: Asian cuisine, A nice Asian grill restaurant on Boldmere high street.
To Do
Sutton Park:The beautiful Sutton Park is just a short walk from Boldmere, It is Europe's largest public park and has some great walks.
Accommodation
Travel Lodge: Located just behind Boldmere high street this Travel lodge offers all you have come to expect from the chain, Comfortable accomodation with breakfast available.
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