Wilderspool Causeway

Being in Farnborough at 8:15 on a Saturday morning raises some of life’s fundamental questions, such as ‘Why am I here?’ Another one would be ‘What sort of long-gone karmic moment could signal ‘Farnborough’ for a future life?’ Why are we here?

After a good start to the season, which included a goal for Evan on his league debut against Eldon Celtic (too bitter to write about given scuffles between the two sets of parents – final score 3-1), another win and a draw, we drove through the therapeutic pines of Outer Crowthorne in a calm and optimistic fashion.

Whereas last week existential fears were calmed entirely by the absorbing quiet of the trees of Pinewood (final score 1-1), this week they were there in abundance and remained long after the final whistle. Hawley/Farnborough is mundane in the extreme, if that’s possible. There didn’t seem to be anything to live for. At least Wokingham Without/Pinewood had a sense of purpose and design to it, with peace in the aftermath of the closure of the London Open Air Sanatorium in 1966. You can still edge towards Crowthorne and have a wander between the giant sequoias of Wellingtonia Avenue. You can ramble around Finchampstead Ridges, smoke rising through the clearings. As far as I can see, Farnborough is a really horrible place with nothing to redeem it – a bit like Camberley. Where can you go to burn off the excess cortisol to reduce its level to merely ‘above average’ from ‘all you can feel’?

This was a cup game; Bracknell are a strong team in Division 2 (of 7) and Hawley are a strong team in Division 1. A real life comparison might be something like Leicester v Nottingham Forest or, to take an example from the Highland league, Inverurie Loco Works FC v Hill of Beath Hawthorn or Crossgates Primrose.

The first half was relatively even, believe it or not, and the score was 2-0 at half-time. Although Bracknell played meaningfully at times, they couldn’t really impose their rhythm on the game. The second half included a series of calamitous goalkeeping errors (Bracknell don’t have a goalie), shattering the team’s morale. Evan had played well on the left, but didn’t see much of the ball when moved into the middle in the second half. When it was his turn to sit off, I saw the manager speak to him for a good 3 or 4 minutes. Apparently Evan was told that he needs to approach the game with greater mental strength. I was disappointed he didn’t get a chance to take any free-kicks – he normally puts them away, but didn’t get a look in today. It’s not easy to settle into a new team, and after a crushing defeat in a nothing place like this it’s not easy to see why it’s worth it either.