March Town United - The last stand!

Saturday 8 March 2014, March Town United 0 Stowmarket Town 7, Eastern Counties Division One, GER Sports Ground

I had to visit March as the famous old grandstand will not see another season of football. The club are not doing well and need to improve the facilities at the ground and though the stand is memorable it is not best suited for watching a game.

The cost of removing the stand and legal wrangles have seen the better players leave March, and they were unrecognisable from the team I saw play so well at Halstead at the start of the season.

It is a pity that the club were still not linked with the Great Eastern Railways - and with the thriving GER Social Club next door. Only a few weeks left to sit in this famous stand, take the opportunity if you can.

Playing to the whistle

Saturday 12 October 2013, Halstead Town 2 March Town United 1, Thurlow Nunn Division One - Rosemary Lane

Malcolm Root is an Essex born, artist who specialises in painting steam trains, and many are set in scenes close to his Colchester home. Behind the bar at Halstead Town is a large print of one of his pictures - not one his more well know prints. So why on display at Rosemary Lane? the reason is the ground acts as the backdrop to the steam train - the painting is titles 'Playing to the whistle'

Hard to find a good copy of the print on the internet, but the painting has been used for Christmas Cards and more well known as the scene for a 1,00 piece jigsaw.

Take a visit to Rosemary Lane, a giant non-league stand - sit in it and you can almost imagine that steam train slowing down as it passes the ground so the driver can see how Halstead are getting on.

Getting back to the match - both teams attempted to play football and Halstead had some very young and skilful players (mainly out wide) but also a carthorse up front (but he did score both Halstead goals!) I think Halstead will find it harder as the season goes on as their pitch is certainly not one of the best - making it harder to stick to their passing game.

The Programme shop, damp, dark but full of great reminders of local football