Not for Wantage of Trying

Wantage Town v Didcot Town

The weekend starts here with a local derby in the FA Cup being moved to the Friday night because the Wantage police didn’t want the notorious Didcot ultras making a weekend of it, sleeping on the beach and smashing the place up.

First of all a short hop to Didcot where a freshly painted Deutsche Bahn class 66 was loitering on a Bicester – Marchwood MOD explosives train, in front of the steam centre coaling stage.

Didcot Parkway has just finished being transformed into an “interchange” which means it has a few more bus stops and more pavement.

As I arrived, a commuter service from London also arrived, from which disembarked the current number one on the cunt status; business man on a fold up scooter.

A plus of 12 minutes was enough for a quick visit to the adjacent Prince of Wales, which has had Copper Draggon – American IPA on recently, but instead the guest was Black Sheep Best. 

Next move was the Thames Travel X1 to Wantage. Waiting for the bus, I popped into the Spar on the station, where the woman in front of me, on being quoted £10.05 for twenty B&H, declared that this was it, she was finally giving up smoking now fags had gone over a tenner.

I know what you’re thinking, “What does Didcot’s legendary one sided high street look like from the top floor of a filthy Scania N230UD ADL Enviro 40?”. Well, here it is, shops on the right, houses on the left.

It had been pissing it down for most of the day but by now had cleared up, with the sun shining to give that quintessential English view; late summer hay baling to the back drop of a half demolished power station.

The bus makes the long detour via Harwell Atomic Energy Research Establishment. Having grown up in a village with a nuclear warhead factory, and its associated security, I always find Harwell a bit tame in that you can wander around it at will. They do make an effort by having some sort of satellite dish at the entrance…

...but then it has a bus station in the middle of it. This detour adds 25 minutes to the journey, for the sum total of one person who got on. The main building is in the background.

Finally arriving in Wantage, and the first port of call was the Shoulder of Mutton.

Bizarrely, the pub is no longer in the guide, despite having all these sticks on. The on-site brewery is still listed. An XT – 3 was had.

A copy of the South Oxfordshire Guardian had been left on the table, which had quite a novel approach to news priority. Whilst this made page 2…

.. Donkeys in hard hats page 4, and the previously posted missing Emu on page six, from then on were some quite horrific stories of domestic beatings, stabbings and fatal road crashes.

and a missing Emu on page six, from then on were some quite horrific stories of domestic beatings, stabbings and fatal road crashes.

Another unusual item is that the Williams F1 team are based on the outskirts of the Town, so the sports back page was all about the nice and local Belgian Grand Prix.

Next stop was the still GBG listed Royal Oak.

This had an excellent beer list, although dominated by West Berks, at decent prices. An Elmer’s was had.

Most of the beers are straight from the tap room.

The pub is littered with navy memorabilia, like having wallpaper made from old copies of Jane’s Fighting Ships.

There was no plan for cheese tonight, put popping into the convenience store to get some water, found some acceptable Wensleydale offering t a bargain price.

The ground is on the southern fringes of the town, just off the main road.

However, FA cup fever had brought near gridlock to the approach lane.

But an adjacent farmer’s field was hastily brought into use.

Wantage is a ground where you really have to make an effort to pay to get in. The turn style is tucked away in the corner, but the gates are always open, either to the club house…

….or to the touch line. I paid my way, but the programmes had long since gone. Being a convenient game for a Friday night, the groundhoppers had descended. Not the normal ones who like a day out, but the ones who buy three programmes; One to studiously record all the team changes and goal times, one to vacuum seal as soon as it is purchased and then to be stored in a deep freeze next to Walt Disney, and one for a late night wank.



Wantage Town 3 v Didcot Town 4 - The Emirates FA Cup; Preliminary Round

Wantage have traditionally bumbled around the Hellenic League. However, they started to have a bit of success at the start of the century when the manager and players from the Wallingford team that lorded it over Wimbledon, moved on to Wantage. In the last five years they had continual high finishes, which saw them move up to the Southern League South and West.

Didcot were also long-time residents of the Hellenic league, but moved up to the Southern about ten years ago. 

And so to the clubhouse.

This year, after the revelation at Hallen, pennants are definitely the new team pictures. On offer were Ringmer, Shortwood, Kidlington, Southampton and Plymouth Parkway, who seem to be the most prolific pennant producer in non-league.

Shortly before kick-off, the PA burst into life which was the fire doors being opened, and some speakers turned to face outwards.

The usual team news was forsaken for an announcement about the owner of a silver Nissan to make themselves known. Shortly, an out of breath gentleman turned up enquiring ‘I know what you’re going to tell me, I’ve left the engine running again’ this was confirmed, and that also the lights were on. I know this because the mike wasn’t turned off so being broadcast to the whole ground was that exchange plus a follow up between them of how the combination of quiet engines and push button starters, had made it harder to turn a car off than it was to leave them running.

With the game under way for 10 minutes, there was still a healthy crowd in the clubhouse.

I made my way outside. The ground is relatively un-developed. On the far side are a series of stands, the near touchline and behind the far goal is just hard standing, whilst behind the near touchline is a huge grass area separating it from the car park...

...from which viewing is prohibited, but not enforced.

There probably are grander board rooms out there.

The main stand is a relatively recent addition and is a very strange combination. From left it has; plastic tip up seating, standing terrace, wooden benches, standing terrace.

The ground is very scenic, beyond the far touchline are the Berkshire downs, with the Ridgeway running along the top.

The 50/50 half time draw seller came round, and immediately accosted the group of youths next to me for all having box fresh white trainers. Strangely, this didn’t entice them to but many tickets.

Wantage took the lead early on with a quick break and smart finish.

I pride myself in my ability to always be on hand to take a picture just after a goal has been scored.

Didcot then created most of the chances…

…..a few people fell over…

….and then just before half time Wantage scored a screamer from 30 yards out. The keeper reacted by trying to kick the ball to Letcombe, it can be seen exiting the ground on the right.

The Didcot keeper was sporting an all-white ensemble, including white boots. Twat.

Wantage scored again after 58 minutes to make it 3-0. It stayed this way until 72 minutes when Didcot got a penalty which they scored. They then scored another two in six minutes to make the game level. Then in the 92nd minute, they scored again with a header to win the game.

The players head off down the less than segregated players tunnel.

Thames Travel used to be a private operator, running a convenient service including between Wantage and Didcot up to 2300. However, they have now been taken over by Go-Ahead and last month the last bus back to Didcot was cut back to 1900. This meant I had to get a Stagecoach service up to Oxford, seen awaiting departure from the market square with the statue of King Alfred the Great was born at the royal palace in Wantage in the 9th century.

You want proof that Williams are based in Wantage (ok – Grove), I give you proof that Williams sre based in Wantage.

On the outskirts of Oxford, I was able to watch a minor prang and subsequent rapid police response from the prime viewing position of the upstairs of an Alexander Dennis Enviro400.

Despite the bus clearly being advertised as terminating at the railway station, instead the driver headed for the city centre which meant I missed the train which had a 25 minute connection at Didcot.

Instead I got one with a seven minute connection, which ran 11 minutes late, meaning I missed the train to Swindon and had a 40 minute wait, which gave me the opportunity to have a look at the other sides of the Interchange sign. Brilliant Horizons indeed.

And so my trusty steed finally turned up, with power car 43189 doing the grunt work at the back.