Welcome to the most recent Gloucester Groundhopper blog post.
For this instalment, I travelled to Worcester with AFC Finners, and Gloucester Groundhopper Senior to watch some FA Vase action. Worcester City of the Midland Premier League faced Lichfield City of the same league. The game was played at Claines Lane, Worcester City's new home after years of ground sharing with other clubs such as Kidderminster Harriers and Bromsgrove Sporting.
The stadium is located near the centre of Worcester, about a 10-minute drive from the city centre, which is home to many landmarks. Worcester Cathedral, which is home to the gravesites of King John I and former Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin, the Edward Elgar statue, and Gheluvelt Park are among them. In Worcester, there are numerous restaurants and bars, including Keystones, a cocktail bar that serves cocktails based on TV shows and characters. We arrived at the stadium after taking in the sights of Worcester.
It's All In The Name
The Faithful is Worcester City's nickname. This is due to Worcester's reputation as the 'Faithful City,' which has less to do with its impressive focal point, the stately cathedral, and more to do with its role in the English Civil War, during which it remained staunchly loyal to the Crown.
Some Notable Former Players
Amadou Bakayoko
Ronnie Radford
Colby Bishop
Shaun Harrad
Lee Hughes
Some Notable People From Worcester:
Sheila Scott- Aviator
Lee Cornes- Blackadder Actor
Vesta Tilley- Male Impersonator
Edward Elgar- Composer
Nathan Baker- Footballer
A History Lesson From AFC Finners
Following the liquidation of Berwick Rangers FC in 1902, Worcester City was formed, and Worcester would take their place in the Birmingham & District League. Between 1908 and 1914, they won six consecutive Worcestershire Senior Cups. They won the league for the first time in 1925, and they repeated the feat in 1929 and 1930. They joined the Southern League in 1938 and won the cup two years later.
They made history in the late 1950s when they defeated Liverpool in the FA Cup, a result that led to Bill Shankly being appointed Liverpool manager. After being relegated to the Division One North of the Southern League in 1974, they won the league in 1977 and the Southern League two years later.
They would spend a long time in the Premier Division of the Southern League until 2004, when they were promoted to the Conference North. They would leave St George's Lane in 2013, ground sharing for several years as they planned to build a new home. They knocked Coventry City out of the FA Cup at the Ricoh Arena in 2014 but resigned from the National League North and ended up in the Midlands League due to financial issues a few years later.
They returned to Worcester in 2019, agreeing to play at Claines Lane in the Worcestershire FA Headquarters. They are still in the Midland League, hoping to rebuild and climb back up the pyramid.
Additionally, a fun fact, in 2014, Worcester City was involved in the longest penalty shootout in FA Cup history, losing 14-13 on spot kicks to Scunthorpe United.
Honours
🏆 Birmingham & District league (Winners: 1913–14, 1924–25, 1928–29, 1929–30)(Runners- up: 1931–32, 1932–33, 1933–34)
🏆 Southern League Western Section (Runners-up: 1939–40)
🏆 Southern League Division One North (Winners: 1967–68, 1976–77)
🏆 Southern League Premier (Winners: 1978–79)
🏆 Football Conference (Third Place: 1979–80)
🏆 Southern League Cup (Winners: 1940, 2001)
🏆 Worcestershire Senior Cup (Winners: 28 times)
🏆 Staffordshire Senior Cup (Winners: 1976–77)
Matchday: Worcester City 1-0 Lichfield City
The stadium is located in the Claines area of Worcester, about 10 minutes outside of Worcester's city centre. We parked at the Grange parking lot, which charged a £2 fee but was close to the stadium. If this is an issue, there is £5 parking available at the stadium, but you must reserve it in advance if you want to do so. According to a man in the parking site, the stadium is at the top of some stairs. However, there is little to no signage directing people to the stadium, which may need to be rectified if Worcester City hopes to attract more visitors.
To enter the stadium, one must pay a person who sits in a cabin. The admission price of £8 for adults and £6 for concessions was reasonable given the calibre of football on display. I would say that the amount of handicap access is modest at best due to the requirement to descend stairs to reach the ground, and I believe that the surfaces around the pitch would make it challenging for a wheelchair user to move about the pitch.
We completed our routine circle of the area, and it is pretty quirky. On one side of the pitch, there are two stands with a combined capacity of about 300. The rest of the area is terracing, however there is a hill where spectators can sit to see the game better. The restrooms were excellent; they offered complete privacy while you did your business while being clean and modern. The structure at ground level has a club bar and formerly contained the club shop, which offered a variety of goods such replica kits, pin badges, and scarves.
The spectators in the stadium were incredibly pleasant, keen to chat, and offered advice about where to stand or sit. Another Worcester City fan asked my father if he played FIFA or Pro Evolution Soccer, to which he answered, "International Superstar Soccer"—one for you more seasoned supporters there. There was a large variety of food available, including sandwiches, homemade pies, sausage rolls, and sweet desserts. A burger truck was also there at the scene. Additionally, there was the oddity of being able to purchase the "cake of the day"—it was cake, Saturday was a day, and we were buying the cake. This time, it was a delicious Lemon Drizzle Cake.
I'm sorry, but there aren't many amusing tales to share with you all at this moment. I was having a talk with AFC Finners when we almost followed the teams into the locker rooms. Additionally, Finners thought Sean Bean was Worcester City's goal scorer for the entirety of the first half (thanks to a Lichfield City FC typo).
Teamsheets
Worcester City
Manager: Stewart Watkins
Adam Harrison
Chris Withington
Sam Whitton
Aaron Roberts (c)
Matt Hunt
Josh Schuck
Elliot Huntley
James Douglas
Sean Brain ⚽️
Billy Shaw
Reiss Taylor Randle
Substitutes
Ryan Glenister
Kyle De Garis
Matt Pinder
Cameron Monteith
Kieran Alder
Lichfield City
Manager: Ivor Green
James Beeson
Tom Hurdman
Sam Walton
Jamie Elkes
Joe Haines
Scott Goodby
Luke Childs
Kyle Patterson (c)
Romario Martin
Sam Fitzgerald
Kyren Rico Hamilton
Substitutes
Luke Keen
Harrison James
Cameron Dunn
Ethan Muckley
Greg Lewis
Worcester City, a team which had only won one game all season, was the first out of the gate. Both teams had few and far between chances in the first half, but Worcester applied pressure and forced Lichfield to make unintentional errors. Worcester City took the lead in their first meaningful opportunity of the game. James Beeson struggled to clear a cross from the left, but the ball eventually fell to Sean Brain, who had the simple task of finishing into the bottom left corner of the net after a defensive blunder. Sean Brain was almost wheeling away for a second goal soon after Luke Childs was dispossessed. Brain was in again, but Beeson, who had sprinted off his line, was able to get a crucial touch on the shot and prevent the hosts from extending their lead. Worcester led 1-0 at the halftime break.
The second half began similarly to the previous one. Cameron Dunn, who was energetic when he was introduced for Lichfield, won a free kick 20 yards from goal, but it was unsuccessful because it was struck into the wall. Lichfield started to seize control of the game as the second half went on, spending some time exclusively in Worcester's half, but no clear-cut chances were produced as the tide of time started to shift against Lichfield. After Joe Haines charged forward from the centre of the defence, he fired the ball into Luke Keen, who then passed it to Ethan Muckley. However, the winger blazed his effort over the crossbar. As the game stalled and Worcester looked like they had managed to win, Lichfield's Luke Keen received a free kick from 25 yards out, but he too sent it over the crossbar. Joe Haines appeared to have tied the score with 88 minutes left when he finished off Adam Harrison's save in goal, but Haines was ruled to have been offside. Worcester City won 1-0 to go to the next round of the cup, while Lichfield City will need to focus on their league play if they want to succeed this year.
Scores On The Doors
Atmosphere: 3.5/10
Food and Drink: 7.5/10
Stadium: 3.5/10
Welcome: 6/10
Overall Experience: 5.5/10
GG
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