Mangotsfield United FC - Pitchero

DAVE’S DIARYGOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE & WELCOME TO THE GLASS CONSULTANTS UK STADIUM fortoday’s Calor League August Bank Holiday encounter against our old friends from CLEVEDON TOWN.Thank you for your attendance today & for buying this programme. I do wonder how long it will takeus Editors to get used to referring to Cossham Street under its new name in the FIELDREVIEW, but I’m sure we’ll get used to the name in time! Anyway, Clevedon are here this afternoonfor their 2 nd away game of the season & they will be hoping to improve on their first one, which wasa 2-0 defeat at Swindon Supermarine. They were also beaten at home last Monday by BridgwaterTown. Rivalry between our 2 clubs goes back a long, long way, of course, right back to the 1950s &the Bristol & District League, so please give Our Boyz (in their new kit) all your support this afternoonas we strive to pick up the 3 points on offer – COME ON THE FIELD! COME ON YOU MANGOS!THESE NOTES WERE PENNED BEFORE SATURDAY’S TRIP TO FLEET TOWN, so let’s hope thatwe came back along the M4 with at least 1 point, but preferably all three!WE BEGAN THE SEASON, OF COURSE, nine days ago with that amazing 5-3 home win v newboys GUILDFORD CITY & what a first half it was! We were 2-0 up in 3 minutes, 3-1 up in 18minutes, 4-2 up at half time & then eventual 5-3 winners. Bearing in mind that Guildford weretotally unknown opponents for us, & appealed against being put into this division in the summer,I’d have taken any kind of win before the game, but I don’t think anyone here expected to see as many as 8goals in the game. Our forward play was a delight to watch, we created chances galore, could/shouldhave doubled our tally & there were many good performances throughout the team. Of course,if we were to learn anything at all from the game, it was to tighten up at the back more than wedid, as conceding 3 goals was the only blot on our copybook. Nevertheless, we can only hopethat more performances like that will lead to us having bigger crowds from now on, because ourgate of 118 was the 3 rd lowest in our division on the day & that is disappointing, though notsurprising. It was peak holiday time after all, and Guildford didn’t bring as many as their website originallysuggested, so let’s hope there’s a good few more here today for this afternoon’s local derby!INTERESTINGLY, ONE FAN’S COMMENT ON THE GUILDFORD FORUM is worth reproducing here,as the writer said:“Thank you very much FA. It wasn't just about the extra mileage, it was about extra cost and extracommitment. Our guys left Guildford at 1030 today and will get back at about 2100 and Mangotsfield isone of the nearer away trips, let alone travelling to and from home”.One of our own supporters then commented that the AA mileage from Guildford to Mangotsfield is86 miles. That’s a lot of miles admittedly, but we’ve had journeys longer than that in the WesternLeague years ago (to places like Barnstaple, Bideford & Torrington) & then in the Noughties, to clubslike Rocester, Sutton Coldfield & Shepshed Dynamo! Perhaps from Guildford’s point of view, it’s justas well, then, that Truro City aren’t in our division this season!MOVING ON, LAST TUESDAY’S TRIP TO MERTHYR TOWN (AT CINDERFORD) brought us alldown to earth as we lost 3-0 to The Martyrs. I could easily say that it’s always hard to get anything atMerthyr, even though they’re playing at Cinderford for the moment until their new 3G pitch is ready,but the score-line says it all; it’s history now though & we have to learn from it. I am sure that Merthyrwill be up at the sharp end of the league again this season, but defensively, we need to tighten upafter conceding 6 goals in our first 2 games & I hope that we were able to do just that at Fleet onSaturday & again today.DON’T FORGET THAT IT’S FA CUP DAY THIS COMING SATURDAY when we entertain old friends& local rivals in BITTON here at (what’s it called again??) the Glass Consultants UK Stadium.There’s always a few Mango connections at Bitton & seeing as we knocked them out of the FA Cuplast season, they’ll be after their revenge today as well. For us, we have NEVER reached thePromised Land of the First Round of the FA Cup before, but local rivals Clevedon, Paulton & Yatehave all done it in recent years. Will 2013-14 see MUFC achieve that same glory?? DAVE SFIELD REVIEW -11