Chatham House Rules

Eendracht Wervik v Westkapelle,

Chatham Town v Three Bridges,

This was meant to be a game-a-day week but so far I had been bowled out by postponements at Tower Hamlets and Biggleswade, so had only managed to get Mildenhall v Kings Lynn reserves.

A quick stop off at home on the Wednesday night before heading up to Easington Town v Spennymoor in the Durham County Cup. However, it was pissing down at Kings Cross so a quick re-think.

A check at the Eurostar office revealed that whilst all trains to Belgium were caped due to a strike, there was staff availability on a fold down vestibule seat on the 0755 Paris, so off to the Continent it was. Fortunately, it was one of the new sets which have more seats than the old ones, so in the end I had half a coach to myself to watch the new speedometer.

 

There wasn't any required football on the Thursday so instead it was brewery clearance. An ICE took me from Paris Est across to Saarbrücken, however, the catering crew were on a late running inward working so we didn't get a meal, instead improvising with mini saucisson and Brie, and a weisbier from the on train bar.

Saarbrucken station is testament that not all German station re-builds are masterpieces, being a terracotta version of Milton Keynes central.

After sorting tickets for my next move in the travel centre, first call was the Steifel Brau brew house,

which was cleared for a Hellas and a Dunkel, and a couple of bottles of Weiss for later.

 

Next stop was the town square for the tap of the local Bruch brewery.

On tap they had their Pilsner, Festbock and Zwickel. The first two good, the last indeterminable from dish water. However, excellent beer mats. 

By now I had missed my train, fortunately these were on an hourly pattern, so it was bonus beer hunt. On my way to a recommended student bar, I stumbled across a Belgian offering so this sufficed for a variety of Trappist offerings.

Ordinarily I would have stayed in Saarbrücken (twinned with Nantes), but I refuse to stay anywhere that charges a city tax, so the destination for the night was Trier (twinned with Gloucester). The line up there was new track for me.

I have two objectives in life;-

1. Outlive Gazza

2. Clear the German passenger rail network.

At present, 1 is eminently more achievable over 2, but every little helps. This meant a stop off half way up to Trier, at Dillingen (twinned with Naas), for the short branch across to Niedaltdorf (still available), right on the French border, who's station platform showed the best playing surface I'd seen all week. The line here does continue to Bouzonville in France, but only operates only on Good Friday each year for the Easter market.

Back to Dillingen where a frenzied game of darts was going on, probably of a higher standard than Frimley Green. A very quick Franziskaner and it was off on the unit to Trier, with the branch donkey sat in the background.

After checking in at the hotel outside the station, it was on to the Kraft-Brau blesius Garten, the only brewpub in Trier, which is in the opposite direction to town, on the southern outskirts. By now I was flying so I'm relying on my untappd status as to what I got through.

Next day was an early start for a four country move to the game. First was a unit into Luxembourg, for a SNCB intercity service up to Namur (rather greedily, twinned with; Quebec, Subotica, Belmont, Empoli, Cluj-Napoca). For the uninitiated, this is the world centre for Dairylea and I had been in correspondence with Kraft about a factory visit as I had two hours to spare. However, not having any food grade clothing scuppered this, so instead it was an all-shacks move on this beast of a unit, across to Charleroi Sud.

Charleroi (Donetsk) is where England fans go to throw white plastic garden chairs at water cannons. I resisted this temptation and instead used the spare time to get in the branch to Quiévrain, which seemed to have a population of nil.

Next move was onto Tournai (Bethlehem no less), and into France to Lille (Cologne, Leeds, Liège, Rotterdam, Turin, Wrocław, Buffalo) Flandres.

This was necessary in order to get the twice a day train up to Comines (Hedge End and Wolverton) which is the next village along to my destination, Wervik.

The train terminates on the French half of the village, and it was a walk over the river...

....that took me to Komen, the Belgian half of the village.

 

A quick spin took me on the rest of the branch to Poperinge (Hythe). This journey took me through Ypres (Sittingbourne) and the heartland of the First World War trenches. Unfortunately by now it was dark, so there wasn't too much to see.

And then immediately headed back to Wervik. Once again I had relied on the English version of Soccerway for the kick off time, which was actually at 2000, so I had almost two hours to kill. I wasn't expecting too much from the town, but found a great big church....

 

.....a windmill....

.....and the Belgium National Tobacco Museum. Fortunately this was still open so I paid a visit. All I can say is that if I never see another Flemish clay pipe in my lifetime, I will still have seen a few thousand more than I would ever want to. Still, worth a visit if you like smoking. Or Smoking adverts. Or anti-smoking adverts. Or if you really, really, really like clay pipes.

All this clay pipe viewing had made serious inroads into the available time, so it was off to the ground. Or it was off to where the ground was last time I'd seen them play, which was now some sort of housing project.

A quick check revealed they moved to a new ground a couple of years ago, so it was a march through the town to the new ground.

Eendracht Wervik 2 v Westkapelle 2, Belgium - Provincial (West Flanders)

Eendracht Wervik were founded in 1943 after the merger of Racing Club Wervik and Wervicq Sports.  Starting in the Provincial leagues, they have had a couple of spells in the national league, rising to the third division in the 1980s.  However, the 1990s saw a rapid drop back to the provincial set-up, even dropping through these.  However, the current decade has been kind to the club, with successive promotions up to the top of the provincial set up

Westkapelle are from the outskirts of Zeebrugge.  

If I was building a new ground with an all weather pitch, here are some things that I would make sure we're features.

1. The all weather pitch was the main pitch, not one tucked away somewhere else, as otherwise you will have large puddles everywhere.

2. The main stand faces the pitch, not at a bizarre 45 degree angle that faces the corner flag.

3. The main stand, that has numerous roof supports, actually has a roof, otherwise everyone gets soaked when it pisses it down in the second half.

On the plus side, there was a covered terrace opposite the main stand...

....the linesman was both fat and bespectacled....

 

....the dugouts had random drugs phrases adorned on them....

....and the adverts had passing references to the towns military past….

…with some outstanding unprotected obscure machinery.

The game was top versus fifth and was of a very decent standard. I arrived halfway through the first half when it was still 0-0, but the home side took the lead just before the break, only for an immediate equaliser.

The home sides colours were red and yellow, but we're playing in white with a red and yellow sash. They had an extremely busy right winger who was responsible for most of their play. I would love to tell you who he is, but the extensive programme was actually a club yearbook full of adverts, with a one page insert for the game. Unfortunately this only contained a table, and details of the match and ball sponsors. There was some hope when I found what appeared to be a team line up, with the scorers being;-

- Delsol Wevelgem

- Rembrandt Moorslede

- Traiteur Vincent Geluwe

I would have gone away thinking this was the case if, on the way back to the station, I hadn't wandered bast a builders merchants called Delsol Wevelgem, confirming the list to actually be match ball sponsors for the season.

A goal each in the second half meant the game finished 2-2, a fair result.

A quick hike back to the station for a train on to Kortrijk for the night.

Next morning it was back to Kortrijk station.....

......for a leap over the border back to Lille Flandres.

An hour so wait gave just enough time to head for the brewpub opposite the station.....

.....for one of their tasting trays. I don't normally do these, but they had a couple of new brews on and this mob can produce some awful dross so I didn't want to go full on.

It was then on to Lille Europe, already in Euro 16 mode....

....for a Eurostar back to Ebbsfleet (not a real place) I'd managed to get an actual ticket for this one. Eurostar crews are renown for their bolshiness, so I was surprised when I sat down in my solo seat, to be immediately be moved to an empty table. I then starting writing up some of the previous day's report, but straight away was served the meal and as many drinks as I wanted, when normally you have to prise just one out of their cold hands. Something then clicked. My original seat was coach 8, seat 61, which is the favoured seat and eponomy of the author of this website,

www.seat61.com/Europe-train-travel.htm

which is now the leading one for European rail travel. So seeing it booked as a staff ticket and then a Brit with only a carrier bag get on, who immediately starts making notes, had obviously drawn conclusions. Needless to say that will be my preferred seat from now on as well.

Into Ebbsfleet.....

.....and a hop over the footbridge to the domestic platforms, for a Javelin service on to Strood (Cádiz ).

Checking the Twitter feeds that morning, the original plan of Rochester United v Holmesdale in the Southern Counties East League was off, but Chatham v Three Bridges had survived a pitch inspection. This was a bit inconvenient as trains were only running as far as Strood, so it was a rail replacement bus to Chatham (Valenciennes) which only arrived at the station 10 minutes before kick off, and it was a 15 minute walk to the ground.

 

Chatham Town 2 v Three Bridges 3, Ryman League Division 1 South

Chatham have a long and slightly bizarre history. They were formed in 1885 when Royal Engineers Band FC changed their name. They then competed concurrently in both the Kent League and the Southern League for two years before concentrating on the Southern. They have since spent the rest of their existence flitting between the Southern and Kent leagues, before joining the Isthmian this century.

Three Bridges (untwinned) have spent their time bouncing around the Sussex League, before being promoted to the Isthmian a couple of seasons ago. Neither side is setting the league alight, being lower mid-table.

I arrived at the turnstile 7 minutes into the game, just in time to hear a Three Bridges goal. I was then informed that this was actually the third goal, it being 1-2 to the away side. Needless to say I didn't see any goals for the rest of the half.

The pitch was taking a right hammering, god knows how it survived the inspection.

An aquaintance at University was from the area, so I had been to the ground many times previous. The pitch length stand was still there.....

....as was the small cover on the opposite side, with the away firm looking on.

However, a large changing room/bar/executive area has been built behind the near goal, which despite its size, only has a couple of steps of terracing.

The ground is situated almost on the brow of a hill, so the pitch slopes in all directions. There has obviously been an effort to reduce some of the slope as the pitch has been narrowed, meaning it is some distance from the small stand and dugouts.

Although Chatham are in the Isthmian, in terms of clutter lying around the ground, they are champions league. All manner of crap here.....

.....whilst an attempt had been made to construct a bonfire, complete with attendants padded chair.

A couple of advertising oddities. Firstly, this brand new sign had been fixed upside down, and was promoting a lager I'd last heard of in Switzerland in the mid nineties. God knows what it's connection with Medway is.

Secondly, there were numerous hoardings demonstrating Medways support for the forthcoming 2012 Olympics. Let's hope it's a success.

Highlight of the first half was an all in brawl after a Chatham player punted the ball at a Three Bridges player who was on the ground after a fairly innocuous challenge.

Three Bridges scored another half way through the second half. As it was freezing and raining, I headed off with a couple of minutes left, just in time to miss a penalty and another goal.

So back on the much beloved rail replacement bus....

.....and on to Strood for a High Speed service back to St Pancras, and an HST back to Swindon (Chattanooga).