CORINTHIAN SPIRIT

 

Newhaven 1 Corinthian 2 FA Cup Preliminary Round Saturday 12^th September 2020

I'm currently half way through The Farther Corner by When Saturday Comes contributor Harry Pearson who rekindled his love of the Northern League as a cure for a mid life crisis. It’s a great read that focuses as much about the characters in the crowd as the football on the pitch. When Dunston sensationally knock Chester out of the FA Cup it’s the story of his first ever football that gets centre stage. As Slough have gone up the leagues your voice can get lost in the crowd but just like every club we have supporters shouting the same slogan in a timeless loop season after season. In an ever changing world its kind of reassuring. But it wasn’t so long ago when a stray word on a sparsely populated terrace would lead to some lively player-crowd debates.

I should have beared this in mind when I headed to Newhaven to see them take on Corinthian in the FA Cup preliminary round

Newhaven as a club continue to grow on and off the field. Todays attendance was 184 plus numerous youngsters helping and I reckon they could easily compete in the Isthmian League. All they need is some young Ultra Dockers to get the place rocking, oh and winning the Southern Combination League.

My mate Gavin is the only Northampton Town supporter I know, and likes to get involved in a game at the best of times. Six months of lock down with two small children while trying to work he informed me that under that mask on the bus to the game he was grinning from ear to ear about the prospect of actually watching a live game. Especially after having to listen to Northampton's improbable Wembley play off promotion on the radio. Gavin is also a football tactics encyclopedia. He sees the changing formations on the pitch and what players to watch out for just from observing the warm up while my brain comes up with ‘Shoot.’

Meanwhile fellow non league supporter Duncan also starved of football, noticed the Newhaven stand was named after one of their players who I later found out has been with the club for ten years.

Corinthian meanwhile were founded in 1972 by a Mr RJ Billings to ‘provide football in a safe environment whilst teaching the players the principles that he believed to be important in sport.’ Somewhere along the way, the old Corinthian motto of ‘hard but fair’ has got lost.

While nursing a beer just before the half time rush I stood by the Corinthian dugout. As soon as they scored one of their officials barked instructions to start wasting as much time as possible while continuing to needle the lino. By the second half the ref finally had a little chat about his behaviour while the Newhaven fans in the stand were having a bit more than just a word. At one point a stray ball that might well have been aimed at their dugout hit a bloke with a pint where I had previously been standing. While wiping beer from his clothes and enjoying one of the biggest cheers of the day he nonchalantly continued to Vape away.

Watching my eldest play football you can see how the opposition coaches set the tone for their players. Grown adults cheering when my then 11 year old was rightfully sent off was a particularly highpoint. Beating that very same team to the league title the following season was lets just say, satisfying.

In this topsy-turvy pandemic world where competitions begin before the last lot ended, Corinthian had only just lost on penalties in the FA Vase semi final. There a good side and as soon as Newhaven draw level, they started to play again until they got the winning goal a few minutes from the end. So why the constant earache to the officials? Eventually I’d had enough of the abuse and with my Slough mouth on might have asked one of their players how they did in their FA Vase semi final.

My old dad used to remind me that if you can’t take it then don’t dish it out, and as we left the building, let’s just say I wont be getting any Christmas cards from them anytime soon.

With more teams having to forfeit cup and league games because of covid, you feel the season is on borrowed time so while the sun still shines we should get behind Non Leagues biggest cheerleader Tony Incenzo idea to promote lower league football. With Non League Day postponed it seems a simple message #footballforatenner to include entrance, a pint and a pie is a good place to start.

Maybe we can put that slogan on the side of a bus.