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The 4th XI's win against unbeaten Kings Park Rangers was a big achievement, and the 6's 7-2 victory over AP was sweet, but probably the most satisfying result of the weekend came from the 3rd XI who stuck it out to claim a 3-2 win in a difficult fixture. Without meaning to brush the playing achievements aside, the resolution of a difficult situation with one of our local rivals this week has been a big relief to me (Andy) personally, and the club at large.
I'm not going to say which club it was, but I imagine many people will know that they have carried out a sustained campaign of baiting, particularly of the 3rd XI, since October last year. This was allegedly prompted by their feelings about our not running a 2nd XI, believing that we have been 'cheating' all year long. The decision not to run a 2nd XI this season was not one the Vamps wanted to take, but did so on the advice of the Southern Amateur League.
I should like it to be clear that most people at the club concerned are good people, and I have a soft spot for the club as I was a member of its committee for eight years. I am also keen to point out that the club secretary has, upon understanding the extent of the situation, issued unreserved apologies for the actions of the person who has control of the club's Twitter account, and has agreed to write a note in the newsletter insisting that this anti-social behaviour cease immediately.
Throughout all of this, however, the Vampires - as a club and as individuals - have refrained from reacting and I am very proud of them for that. Some people will say it's only Twitter and that we shouldn't look at it, but that is a lazy answer which overlooks the fact that Twitter - along with other social media channels - benefits us greatly in the modern era. To ask people not to look at something that will annoy them is like telling someone not to go out in public if they don't want to hear racist, sexist or homophobic language. It should not be up to the subject of antagonism to avoid it, it is up to those in charge to deal with the problem.
Returning to the issue of the 2nd XI, for those who don't know, last season's 1st XI more or less disappeared towards the end of the season. The final league game was lost 0-15 by a mixture of 5th and 6th XI players. The 2nd XI - winners of Intermediate Division 2 - were moved up en masse to become the 1st XI, absorbing the few remaining players from the previous 1st XI. So far so good, and the 3s move up to become the 2s - except that in 2017/18 we didn't have a 3s. This was due to a number of players being removed for failure to pay fees and for poor discipline. So we had no ready-made 3rd XI to move up. We approached the SAL to ask for our 2nd XI to be moved down to Inter 2 or 3, but ultimately the SAL suggested we withdraw the 2nd XI for one season and continue with the lower teams in the same divisions.
I should make it clear, at this point, that this is not a 'Vamps thing'. Old Owens, Winchmore Hill, Norsemen, Broomfield, Southgate Olympic, Old Garchonians and Old Stationers have all taken the same path in recent seasons (and that's just the northern clubs). It's not what any of these clubs want to do, but we are no longer in 1995. In 2019, players - who are paying for the privilege, after all - no longer want to be part of a club which offers them 'a game' each week. They want to be part of a team for a season, to know who they are going to play with week in, week out. They don't want to be moved to another team with no say in the matter.
So, if you believe that lower players should be moving up to fill the spaces, that's fine. But remember that today's players are entitled to make their own decisions too. Don't make the mistake of thinking the choice is between that and withdrawing a team. In 2019, the choice is between withdrawing the 2nd XI, or risking the loss of all lower teams who simply walk out and join other clubs. Would that really constitute a 'win' for us, or for football in general?
Back to football, the 5s' re-arranged League Cup semi-final takes place this week. The trip to Old Salesians (who nowadays play at Old Tenisonians since the loss of their own ground) is one of the longest in AFA football so we wish them the best of luck. If they win, the final is likely to be on 30 April at Alexandra Park - complete with three match officials ;)
The 1s are the only home team this week, hosting Old Blues and looking for revenge for their only away defeat of the season. The 3s go to Oakhill Park to face Finchleians 4s while the 4s are away to Parkonians as they continue their chase for promotion. The 6s are at Winchmore Hill but we are yet to hear where that game will take place - the Paulin or Enfield Playing Fields.
Good luck boys!!!
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