One of us took the opportunity to take a trip down to Hampshire to visit Wessex League Premier Division side Andover New Street FC for their huge FA Vase quarter-final cup match and the biggest game in their history against Heanor Town in a game where both teams had never reached this far in the non-league cup competition for sides who play at step 5 & 6 of the National League system.
After arriving at Andover train station it was time for a quick pint in the nearest pub and straight away you could sense the buzz in the town, one of the locals informed me his Godson was playing for The Street today! he then told me where to get the free minibus transfer to Foxcotte Park the home of Andover New Street which had been kindly put on by the club for the 3-mile journey.
After paying the £7 to get in and picking up an excellent programme for £2, I met up with The Street's head of media, Kelly Wilson, who had kindly agreed to show me around even though she was super busy, which was much appreciated!
The sun was out and it felt like the first day of spring!
The DH Property Stadium was buzzing with hundreds of fans soaking up the atmosphere, taking advantage of the 2 separate food stalls and a burger bar, and quenching their thirsts in the busy clubhouse.
You could see the local community had turned out in numbers and it was fantastic to see so many kids who play in the 50 junior sides playing impromptu games of football in their Andover New Street kits on any spare bit of grass they could find!
The stadium is situated in a beautiful setting, and Foxcotte Park has been their home since 1992 with a grass pitch, a modern-looking seated stand on one side, and a covered small stand behind one goal; the previous record attendance was smashed on the day with a fantastic crowd of 953!
It was great to meet Rufus, the dog, as well, who was wearing his Streets football kit!
As I was mooching around the ground, I saw quite a few fans wearing face masks depicting The Streets manager Jamie Coleman, which obviously shows how well thought of he is at the club; I spoke to one of the fans called Steve, who only turned out to be Jamie's long lost brother!
It was great to have a little chat with some of The Streets 'Green & Black Army' who were a lovely group of fellas who go home & away and create the atmosphere that no doubt inspires the lads on the pitch.
Hats off to the 2 to 300 Heanor fans who had made the 150-mile trip down from Derbyshire for what was one of their biggest game for years and it was a pleasure to have a chat with some of them and was great to see the passion from their young fans who made plenty of noise throughout the game along with their drum.
Before the match, one of The Streets players, Jake Rawkins, who was unfortunately cup-tied on the day, kindly gave his time for a short interview.
The waiting was over and it was time for Kick-off!
The young Heanor fans made sure to give the home side keeper a warm welcome with a rendition of 'Baldy give us a wave, baldy baldy give us a wave'! 😂
The first half was a close affair with nothing between the 2 sides, and the referee made his mark early on by booking a Heanor player after just 10 seconds!
However, the deadlock was broken just before halftime with the home side taking the lead in the 43rd minute
At half-time, I went and got a drink in the hospitality bar and started to talk to a lovely lady called Joy, who told me she would be turning 88 this week! And then went on to tell me about her late husband, Brian Waterman, who had played a big part in the club over many years, and how much this big day meant to her.
Into the second half & The Green & Black Army were now in full voice and didn't hold back in poking fun at Heanor Town & Derby County! 😂
In the 58th minute, the referee had his cards out again, but this time, it was a straight Red 🟥 meaning the task for Heanor had just got a lot harder!
Full credit to Heanor Town, though, as they kept pilling forward, looking for an equaliser, and the game was becoming end to end due to them leaving themselves open at the back.
With minutes to go, I bumped into an old work colleague I hadn't seen for years, and he told me his son Scott Hassell was on the bench for the street and was just about to come on.
Heanor was now throwing the kitchen sink at The Street, and in the 90+11th minute, they had a freekick in a very dangerous area!
The referee finally blew the full-time whistle, and the amazing scenes followed with the players, staff and fans all celebrating together!
The players were applauded off by the many youngsters as they made their way back to the dressing room.
I caught a quick word with one of the Street players, forward Greg Peel who looked like he had given everything!
The celebrations after the game continued in the bar with "Que sera sera" echoing around the clubhouse!
During the day, I also spoke to Alex, who really highlighted all the great work the club do in the community with The Andover Streets Ahead project, who proudly support adults & children with additional needs to participate in community-based football.
All I can say is what a fantastic day at a fantastic club!
It was an absolute pleasure to be in attendance on such a historic day for The Street!
A big thank you to Kelly for giving me her time and hats off to both sets of supporters who created a cracking atmosphere, you can clearly see this club is a hub for the community and feels like one big family from the board to the manager Jamie Coleman to the players and all the supporters of all ages.
We sincerely hope Andover New Street go all the way to Wembley and creates a legacy for future generations to come and compounds all the great things they bring to the community already!
My day out in Hampshire was truly a day of Proper Football!
Best of luck in the semi-finals!
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