Cheddar, like City have been struggling due to postponements and this was only their fourth game in two months, while Bradford Town have also had a weather hampered fixture list.
I returned to BoA by train, and disembarked to meet other stripes in The Three Horseshoes, a swift Danish Dynamite wet my whistle, before a quick march to Trowbridge Road (I was running late, the rest had been there a couple of hours!)
Cheddar FC amazingly play in the colour yellow, which we all hope is due to the cheese but who knows! They have been in existence since 1892, originally playing in the Cheddar Valley League (again I hope this is named after the famous luminous orange cider...) which they won in 1911, their first ever trophy. They continued in local leagues, and in 1952 moved to their current home Bowdens Park, sadly though they are planning to relocate, no doubt to a dismal out of town location.
Last season, for the first time in their history Cheddar achieved promotion to the Western League and that led to today. Trowbridge Road was bathed in a pleasant sunshine and was missing the cold bite of recent weeks, the pitch however, was showing the damage the weather has caused.
Bradford started the game well, as expected from a team on a 6 game winning streak, however, against the run of play, Cheddar broke into the box and a deft chip over the keeper by Jamie Howson, gave the Cheesemen the lead.
This just seemed to sting Town into action, and the men in blue swarmed all over the visitors. Palmer standing behind the goal was questioning the oppositions stature and querying the defensive positioning of his men on the post. Bradford star man Matt Minnis picked up an injury during this period and was substituted.
Not long after the ball broke to a Bradford player about 20 yards from goal, a soft shot was hit along the ground, but the keeper horribly misjudged it and dived over the ball, 1-1 and you couldn't help but feel for the keeper as he buried his head in the turf.
Bradford's number 18 was having a cracking game, linking play well and driving forward with intent, while at full back was Frome Town's Josh Brigham, who to be fair is carrying a little bit of extra timber! But he had a cracking game, and I later learnt he had broke his leg while playing for Frome.
Bradford then scored a goal from a powerful header from a corner and deservedly took a 2-1 lead into half time. At half time we wandered into the old Spencer Moulton social club building, as detailed previously in my blog this has since been closed apart from the football and bowls clubs, and it is still a saddening sight. What isn't depressing is the vast array of bowls pendants from past touring sides and victories Bradford bowls team, I learnt last year was the bowls club centenary year, and if I eventually return to Bradford as a retired man I hope they are still going for me to join!
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| A nice winter day in West Wiltshire |
Bradford were buoyed in the second half, and playing like a team full of confidence. For a Western League side some of the play was superb, and the passes were knocked around, "Brazil, it's just like watching Brazil" was sung by the striped Bradfordians, and truly it was.
Tempers flared near the halfway point of the half, and a Cheddar player crashed into a smaller Bradford attacker, the giant centre half cleaned out the smaller man, who kicked off, both sides rushed in, and it took an age, which included consulting his linesman before the referee sent off the assailant.
After Cheddar were reduced to 10 men there was no chance that they were going to get back into the game and Bradford increased their stranglehold on the game. Bradford scored a wonderful third which involved a jinking, weaving run, a dinked cross a header back across goal and a wonderful finish.
Palmer had been winding up the Cheddar number 4 thoughtout the game (who was a big bastard to be fair!) and at one point after the third Palmer's ribbing had got too much and the big man told Palmer to "Shut up, you cunt" Well that told Palmsy!
The game finished 3-1 and was Bradford's seventh win in a row, and Town currently sit in third with potential promotion on the cards. We wander though town to sink some beers, and in The Plough had a giggle over a 1999 Swindon Town team photo with a very young looking Charlie Grffin (with full head of hair) and a City photo from 2005 which led to some reminiscing.
Sadly City's Tuesday game was called off, so once again another game is added to the too be played file.
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