Dull Men’s Club

[gmoney]

 

Posted on the Sutton Common Rovers IG about 5 minutes before I left the flat at 14.10.

No, I did not see it. 

I'm starting to suspect most non league football doesn't actually happen.

Edited January 4, 2025 by gmoney

[SuperBacon]

Dull Idiots Club amiright???

[wordsfromlee]

Watching the World Indoor Bowls Championship on iPlayer. Better than Wimbledon. 

[Statto]

A good friend of mine is on the bar staff at Potters. He's worked in pubs and bars for a long time and said it's unlike anything he's ever experienced (pissed up pensioners at 9am on the all inclusive), but that the bowls fortnight is carnage on a whole other level. 

[gmoney]

Croydon Athletic 0-4 Sittingbourne FC - Isthmian League South East Division - 25/01/2025

The Venue - Mayfield Stadium, Thornton Heath. Now this is Croydon Athletic, as apposed to Croydon FC who I saw last year. These are The Rams, not the Trams. Got it? They're co-owned by Stormzy, Wilfred Zaha and some other guy who is/was involved with Crystal Palace. Though I had to walk through a cemetery to get there (an omen for the quality of football?), and nearly slid down a mud bank, this was a much better venue that Croydon FC's Arena. For a start, the 300 seater stand was actually open, and no running track means you're much closer to the action. 

Refreshments - Bovril was on the menu! My mate who goes to see Chichester FC regularly had been warning me that there was apparently a national Bovril shortage and they hadn't had any there in weeks. I was also sent the below image, so I was prepared for the worst. 

My mate emailed Unilever for an urgent update, but apparently they didn't have a clue what he was on about. Not wanting affect the stock price no doubt (pun intended). In any case, it was in stock (same pun also intended) here so I was a happy man. The usual fare was on offer, no bubble tea and the like. I had a cheese burger and chips for £6 which these days is pretty decent value. Chips were cracking, burger was fine. I should also shout out the very nice lady at the kiosk who remembered me and said "back for more eh?!" when I went back for a second Bovril. I should note, Croydon are sponsored by chicken fast food chain Wing Stop, which seemed to me to be a pretty big get for them, but alas no trace of the overpriced chicken wing products could be found here. 

The Match - Croydon Athletic were promoted via the playoffs to this division last season I believe, and Sittingbourne are making a pretty successful promotion campaign this season, so this was a struggle for the Rams (not the Trams). If you're a fan of hopeless balls pinged to no one, and midfielders being easily dispossessed, Croydon Athletic are the team for you. They've got a couple of players who look like they've got a bit about them, but individual skill doesn't count for much when you're outclassed everywhere else on the pitch, and Sittingbourne were much stronger here. They never looked in trouble once. I looked up the couple of decent players afterwards and they were ex-Crystal Palace youth prospects which makes sense.  Oh and there was a sending off, so I'm 2 for 2 in seeing games with a red card. 

Sittingbourne brought probably more than 50 away fans for this, and were in fine voice, drowning out the home fans consistently. At one point they chanted "Are you even there?" to the home fans, who to their credit chanted "Are we even here?" back. There were more tourists like me here than the Croydon FC (Trams not Rams) game, possibly because it wasn't as cold, but possibly because of the Stormzy connection making them a bit more of enticing prospect. Oh and despite that connection, music played over the PA included Johnny B Goode, Glad All Over and High Ho Silver Lining. No grime in sight, sadly.  Attendance was probably over 200 I think, though I'm pretty bad at estimating that. 

Edited January 31, 2025 by gmoney

[mim731]

@gmoney if this is going to be a regular thing for you, we definitely need a new thread. Would be very much up for reading more of your adventures in the lower leagues. 

[Chest Rockwell]

I'm just amazed the match actually happened this time. Everything else is icing on the cake.

[gmoney]

11 minutes ago, mim731 said:

@gmoney if this is going to be a regular thing for you, we definitely need a new thread. Would be very much up for reading more of your adventures in the lower leagues. 

I'm up for that, would obviously welcome anyone else contributions as well. 

[DavidB6937]

I had a dream that I had a massive model train collection, so naturally I spent the morning looking at Hornby trains online despite the fact I have absolutely nowhere to put anything like that.

Fuck me though. How bloody expensive?! 

[SuperBacon]

@gmoney Thought of you Sunday as my youngests team were mascots at Moneyfields FC womens.

Dog count: 1

No hot food, but the coffee was superb and they didn't charge for oat milk and let me use as much as I wanted.

Quid for a programme.

Moneyfields ran out 4-1 winners over Bristol Rovers (one fan who kept screaming "COME ON ROVERS" every 30 seconds much to my child's delight)

[Magnum Milano]

3 hours ago, mim731 said:

@gmoney if this is going to be a regular thing for you, we definitely need a new thread. Would be very much up for reading more of your adventures in the lower leagues. 

Absolutely.

I used to go and watch my local non-league team, when they were in the Southern League and later Conference and then back to the Southern League, and wished I'd kept records of all the matches I've gone to and grounds I've visited.

These days I just go and watch my local women's team (nice atmosphere to watch football and just £2 to get in).  Attendance fluctuates between 70 and 150.  I attended an Under 21s match right at the start of the season and counted 40 die-hards there, the majority of whom appeared to be relatives of the players.

[Gus Mears]

Cracking channel of a man in his food stall selling baked potatoes. No, it isn't Onyx. Yes, every video does appear to be the same.

Perfect nodding off/3AM insomnia fodder for me this.

[SuperBacon]

I have an order coming today which consists of loose leaf tea, a new spatula, a new slotted spoon, a new frying pan and some water filters for the kettle.

Thrilling.

[SuperBacon]

Staring out the window as dinner was cooking I saw the street lights flicker on one by one in sequence. This was at 6pm.

They are on for 7 hours as they go off at 1am. I know this because if in bed and still awake and am aware of the time, I'll sit very still and "watch" them go off at 1, seeing the bedroom go from dark to darker.

As you were. 

[SuperBacon]

What a dull boy. Just a lad who loves his tractors.

Fantastic.