Post by deadbat on May 21, 2022 20:48:39 GMT
I don't get to see many u23 or u18 games in person. I wish I could. I read Ball_Sup (Phil) posts and think what a life they have. Traversing round the country watching football and cricket involving United at various levels. Yorkshire and England at both sports. Seems a dream! Sadly, I still have a long time to work, pay the bills, get the lad into Uni etc and with family commitments I can barely even get to many first team away games these days.
But today things aligned and I said to the missus with the lad away, do you fancy going up to watch United under 18's in the u18 Premier League Development Play off final against Charlton Athletic? She was not convinced but I said it will be nice and warm and we can get lunch afterwards so amazingly she agreed.
We got up there early as we expected a big crowd. We had heard about bus loads coming up from South East London. I had visions of thousands of Charlton fans talking over the bank of Shirecliffe on the top hill. We got there around 11.30am and the gates were shut at the normal entrance on the top. Maybe it had 'seld out? Maybe they had locked the door already? Or maybe we were in the wrong place as confirmed when a bloke shouted though a peep hole, 'Go round, you need to go in main entrance!'
We obliged following a few other excited fans who skirted the path round the houses with washing pegged out. This was not quite the Wembley Way that we dreamed of in a week but it was our final game and for this season, our culmination.
We got to the barrier and a steward stopped us. Maybe we could not get in after all or were they now charging admission seeing a change to make a quid or two? No, he simply gave us a green wrist band and said you need to wear one of these. I strapped it on in a confused like state. Later I saw Charlton fans in yellow wrist fans. There was no segregation of fans in different wrist fans though. The confusion continued.
Undeterred, we wandered round and were pointed to where the game was to take place - on the bottom pitches. I had always assumed the top pitches were inferior due to the slope at Shirecliffe and that is why the first team trained at the bottom but realised the gradient is as undulating on these pitches too! I had a wander across and felt the bumpy ground that then seemed to turn boggy in places and found myself muttering, 'You are right Hecky! Injuries are bound to happen on THIS!'
I glanced at the shabby first team building with peeling paint, rusty window frames and then noticed the shed like building next to it that had daubed 'Cryotherapy unit' upon it and shook my head muttering again.
However, we were here for the football and for the glory. A trophy was on offer. We settled in on a rope near where many of the Charlton fans stood. This was not intentional but it was the only free rope area we could find. Many were probably parents and families of many of the opponents so we had to watch we were saying. There's a respect in watching the younger players.
The whole aspect of it being a final meant the players had to go to the side and come back on and line up for a photo and then shake hands. All seemed a bit pretend but they were attempting to give it a bit more gravitas. Charlton were big and I mean big. The lad up front Miles Leaburn must have been 6 foot 4. I thought I wondered it he was a relation of former Addick Carl and a quick phone search confirmed this. His Dad was a big un too. They had a player called Kanu - no relation and Danny Kedwell's (former lower league striker - most notably at Wimbledon) son Harvey in midfield. They certainly looked a physical unit and a further scan revealed three had made first team debuts since Xmas this season including the aforementioned Kanu. The kit let them down. All white with red, black and more red flashes. It was a monstrosity.
The Blades started with Hiddleston in goal, Sachdev at right back, Angell at left back and Pitan and Potter at centre backs. In midfield were Staniland on the right, Smith on the left and Peck and Arblaster in the middle. Williams supported the prolific Lankshear up top.
Both teams were nervy and giving the ball away but on only 6 minutes, kicking up the hill the visitors led. The ball bounced round and was not cleared and KANU smashed home with a superb half volley giving the keeper no chance. Untied took a while to settle down but they did and started to move it round with 'Blaster as his teammates called him seemingly pivotal to everything we did. Peck was also lively but got a bang to the nose so came back on with cotton tissue shoved up his erm pecker. We had a few near misses as we snatched at a few. Charlton started timewasting very early and could not get out. We had some go wide or deflected or saved. Peck then lost a boot but still had our best efforts after hobbling back on. 'Blaster blasted one off the post. It was one way traffic really. The half time whistle went and we somehow trailed.
Second half they started with a decent attack and Hiddleston nearly made a mess of a decent cross but then the pattern of the game settled down to that of the first half with United looked far more composed and the better footballing side. We might not have had the size and athleticism but technically, especially in midfield, we looked like we had the measure of them but the keeper Kone had still not had any real top saves to make until Arblaster hit a fierce volley he had to push away. Lankshear then nearly turned in after good work down the right from Sachdev.
The game turned sadly on a contentious refereeing decision which was a shame - not even sure who was fouled - possibly Williams? The ball was played down the left channel and a Charlton defender appeared to nick it behind but the referee judged it a foul and pointed to the spot. It looked very harsh. The Charlton lot were not 'appy round us. I thought at least we can help take the edge off the penalty heartbreak in the club by scoring a few days later albeit only at youth level. That is what I thought. LANKSHEAR took it and it hit the post but he converted the rebound as the Charlton defenders could not react. WAIT! You can't do that off your own kick. It will get disallowed and our penalty woes will go on. Nobody appealed though and it seems the keeper had pushed it onto the post so was legal. I was right at the other end so was leaning over the rope to see some of these incidents after the break as we attacked the hill. Maybe my glasses had steamed up too.
After this United continued to push and moved it around nearly. Arblaster was so composed and just let the game come to him. Lovely to watch technically.
Peck volleyed over and then had a shot saved as he was a real threat with his forward runs. Charlton had offered little at the point and were still slowing things down.
My wife then said what happens if they draw and said she was hungry and was wanting her lunch. I mumbled something about straight to penalties to try and appease her. The truth be told was I had no idea. I tried to google it but found nothing. Fortunately for me and my wife's stomach, the winner came.
Peck ran across the box, fed Staniland and Chaz as the lads called him pulled back a perfect cross for WILLIAMS to curl into the corner. A tidy and composed finish and with just over 10 minutes to go, it may prove to be the winner.
After this tempers were frayed on a few occasions. A bit of a brew-ha-ha you could say. It was always amusing to see the tiny Angell (left back) up against much bigger players and now the Charlton lot (fans) were losing their rag at the yards he was gaining on throw ins. A few skirmishes and some bookings resulted with a few choice words right by us but the game drifted towards stoppage time of which there would be 5 minutes - ironically mostly for Charlton timewasting! They had one dangerous ball but did not rest Hiddleston at all and it was United who could have scored again with Williams blocked off down the left and then at the end Lankshear coming inside and hitting a ferocious shot well saved. Still, it did not matter as the final whistle went soon after. 'Champion, Champion, Ole, Ole, Ole' was sang by the players who met for group huddle as they bounced up and down.
Interesting to watch the respective sides at the end. Whilst Charlton just moped around, the Blades coaches made them do a proper recovery warm down consisting of sprints up and down. A stage was then assembled. Yes, a stage and Paul Lake (brother of Mike) was on hand to give the medals. Apparently, something to do with Premier League youth development - although why the two teams are in a Premier League development when they are not part of the Premier League is beyond me?
After the debate over the coloured wrist fans, me and the wife chatted about the boards and wooden plinths set up for the presentation with the Blades badges on them and wondered whether they had equivalent for Charlton or simply had put stickers on. Were they pre-made - did they glue them on? At what point did they feel comfortable peeling the sticker back in an act akin to engraving a trophy? We agreed the latter on the basis of the wonky stickers. As proud parents and families stood near us waiting for their 'lads' greatest moment, I do wonder whether our sticker chat took the edge of things for them. It was a good-sized trophy too and after the ref had been booed (yes booed in a kid’s game) by the visiting lot, the Addicks got their medals and then it was turn of the invincibles and United came forward and got medalled up before Lankshear lifted the trophy. The players enjoyed the moment and so did we. We don't lift many trophies.
A few Charlton fans sloped off moaning about the referee and the circumstances. Yes, even at this level, winning is important. Actually, I still had no idea why we had home advantage - maybe we had more points so could choose or was it just down to availability of pitches - but then surely the Valley would have been better than this surface if the Lane was being returfed. As one Charlton CBF remarked - 'Bloody rock 'ard and a great big facking slope.'
Anyway, off we went back out of the training ground and off for lunch at Kommune. I cannot come close to Ball_Sup (Phil) ale blog but I did have a can of Cloudwater Brewery's ''....And Relax.' So, we could.
But today things aligned and I said to the missus with the lad away, do you fancy going up to watch United under 18's in the u18 Premier League Development Play off final against Charlton Athletic? She was not convinced but I said it will be nice and warm and we can get lunch afterwards so amazingly she agreed.
We got up there early as we expected a big crowd. We had heard about bus loads coming up from South East London. I had visions of thousands of Charlton fans talking over the bank of Shirecliffe on the top hill. We got there around 11.30am and the gates were shut at the normal entrance on the top. Maybe it had 'seld out? Maybe they had locked the door already? Or maybe we were in the wrong place as confirmed when a bloke shouted though a peep hole, 'Go round, you need to go in main entrance!'
We obliged following a few other excited fans who skirted the path round the houses with washing pegged out. This was not quite the Wembley Way that we dreamed of in a week but it was our final game and for this season, our culmination.
We got to the barrier and a steward stopped us. Maybe we could not get in after all or were they now charging admission seeing a change to make a quid or two? No, he simply gave us a green wrist band and said you need to wear one of these. I strapped it on in a confused like state. Later I saw Charlton fans in yellow wrist fans. There was no segregation of fans in different wrist fans though. The confusion continued.
Undeterred, we wandered round and were pointed to where the game was to take place - on the bottom pitches. I had always assumed the top pitches were inferior due to the slope at Shirecliffe and that is why the first team trained at the bottom but realised the gradient is as undulating on these pitches too! I had a wander across and felt the bumpy ground that then seemed to turn boggy in places and found myself muttering, 'You are right Hecky! Injuries are bound to happen on THIS!'
I glanced at the shabby first team building with peeling paint, rusty window frames and then noticed the shed like building next to it that had daubed 'Cryotherapy unit' upon it and shook my head muttering again.
However, we were here for the football and for the glory. A trophy was on offer. We settled in on a rope near where many of the Charlton fans stood. This was not intentional but it was the only free rope area we could find. Many were probably parents and families of many of the opponents so we had to watch we were saying. There's a respect in watching the younger players.
The whole aspect of it being a final meant the players had to go to the side and come back on and line up for a photo and then shake hands. All seemed a bit pretend but they were attempting to give it a bit more gravitas. Charlton were big and I mean big. The lad up front Miles Leaburn must have been 6 foot 4. I thought I wondered it he was a relation of former Addick Carl and a quick phone search confirmed this. His Dad was a big un too. They had a player called Kanu - no relation and Danny Kedwell's (former lower league striker - most notably at Wimbledon) son Harvey in midfield. They certainly looked a physical unit and a further scan revealed three had made first team debuts since Xmas this season including the aforementioned Kanu. The kit let them down. All white with red, black and more red flashes. It was a monstrosity.
The Blades started with Hiddleston in goal, Sachdev at right back, Angell at left back and Pitan and Potter at centre backs. In midfield were Staniland on the right, Smith on the left and Peck and Arblaster in the middle. Williams supported the prolific Lankshear up top.
Both teams were nervy and giving the ball away but on only 6 minutes, kicking up the hill the visitors led. The ball bounced round and was not cleared and KANU smashed home with a superb half volley giving the keeper no chance. Untied took a while to settle down but they did and started to move it round with 'Blaster as his teammates called him seemingly pivotal to everything we did. Peck was also lively but got a bang to the nose so came back on with cotton tissue shoved up his erm pecker. We had a few near misses as we snatched at a few. Charlton started timewasting very early and could not get out. We had some go wide or deflected or saved. Peck then lost a boot but still had our best efforts after hobbling back on. 'Blaster blasted one off the post. It was one way traffic really. The half time whistle went and we somehow trailed.
Second half they started with a decent attack and Hiddleston nearly made a mess of a decent cross but then the pattern of the game settled down to that of the first half with United looked far more composed and the better footballing side. We might not have had the size and athleticism but technically, especially in midfield, we looked like we had the measure of them but the keeper Kone had still not had any real top saves to make until Arblaster hit a fierce volley he had to push away. Lankshear then nearly turned in after good work down the right from Sachdev.
The game turned sadly on a contentious refereeing decision which was a shame - not even sure who was fouled - possibly Williams? The ball was played down the left channel and a Charlton defender appeared to nick it behind but the referee judged it a foul and pointed to the spot. It looked very harsh. The Charlton lot were not 'appy round us. I thought at least we can help take the edge off the penalty heartbreak in the club by scoring a few days later albeit only at youth level. That is what I thought. LANKSHEAR took it and it hit the post but he converted the rebound as the Charlton defenders could not react. WAIT! You can't do that off your own kick. It will get disallowed and our penalty woes will go on. Nobody appealed though and it seems the keeper had pushed it onto the post so was legal. I was right at the other end so was leaning over the rope to see some of these incidents after the break as we attacked the hill. Maybe my glasses had steamed up too.
After this United continued to push and moved it around nearly. Arblaster was so composed and just let the game come to him. Lovely to watch technically.
Peck volleyed over and then had a shot saved as he was a real threat with his forward runs. Charlton had offered little at the point and were still slowing things down.
My wife then said what happens if they draw and said she was hungry and was wanting her lunch. I mumbled something about straight to penalties to try and appease her. The truth be told was I had no idea. I tried to google it but found nothing. Fortunately for me and my wife's stomach, the winner came.
Peck ran across the box, fed Staniland and Chaz as the lads called him pulled back a perfect cross for WILLIAMS to curl into the corner. A tidy and composed finish and with just over 10 minutes to go, it may prove to be the winner.
After this tempers were frayed on a few occasions. A bit of a brew-ha-ha you could say. It was always amusing to see the tiny Angell (left back) up against much bigger players and now the Charlton lot (fans) were losing their rag at the yards he was gaining on throw ins. A few skirmishes and some bookings resulted with a few choice words right by us but the game drifted towards stoppage time of which there would be 5 minutes - ironically mostly for Charlton timewasting! They had one dangerous ball but did not rest Hiddleston at all and it was United who could have scored again with Williams blocked off down the left and then at the end Lankshear coming inside and hitting a ferocious shot well saved. Still, it did not matter as the final whistle went soon after. 'Champion, Champion, Ole, Ole, Ole' was sang by the players who met for group huddle as they bounced up and down.
Interesting to watch the respective sides at the end. Whilst Charlton just moped around, the Blades coaches made them do a proper recovery warm down consisting of sprints up and down. A stage was then assembled. Yes, a stage and Paul Lake (brother of Mike) was on hand to give the medals. Apparently, something to do with Premier League youth development - although why the two teams are in a Premier League development when they are not part of the Premier League is beyond me?
After the debate over the coloured wrist fans, me and the wife chatted about the boards and wooden plinths set up for the presentation with the Blades badges on them and wondered whether they had equivalent for Charlton or simply had put stickers on. Were they pre-made - did they glue them on? At what point did they feel comfortable peeling the sticker back in an act akin to engraving a trophy? We agreed the latter on the basis of the wonky stickers. As proud parents and families stood near us waiting for their 'lads' greatest moment, I do wonder whether our sticker chat took the edge of things for them. It was a good-sized trophy too and after the ref had been booed (yes booed in a kid’s game) by the visiting lot, the Addicks got their medals and then it was turn of the invincibles and United came forward and got medalled up before Lankshear lifted the trophy. The players enjoyed the moment and so did we. We don't lift many trophies.
A few Charlton fans sloped off moaning about the referee and the circumstances. Yes, even at this level, winning is important. Actually, I still had no idea why we had home advantage - maybe we had more points so could choose or was it just down to availability of pitches - but then surely the Valley would have been better than this surface if the Lane was being returfed. As one Charlton CBF remarked - 'Bloody rock 'ard and a great big facking slope.'
Anyway, off we went back out of the training ground and off for lunch at Kommune. I cannot come close to Ball_Sup (Phil) ale blog but I did have a can of Cloudwater Brewery's ''....And Relax.' So, we could.