I HAD the bizarre case of my girlfriend disappearing into thin air on a football trip to the Manchester area in 1991.
 
This actually happened during a really historic occasion. It was the first ever live televised match outside of the Football League at Altrincham versus Barnet and I was booked to commentate on the game.

It was being shown by a TV channel called Sportscast which used to broadcast exclusively into pubs around the county. So I travelled up north with my lady friend – who we will call Tina – the night beforehand and we stayed in a nice hotel.

On the day of the game, I had to clamber up a steep ladder to the precarious broadcasting gantry. This was perched on top of the grandstand roof at Altrincham’s Moss Lane ground.

Therefore I said to Tina: “It’s not really very safe for you to climb up there as well. So just take a seat in the stand and watch the match. I’ll be back down after the final whistle.”

At the end of the match, I descended the ladder to meet her. But she wasn’t anywhere to be seen. 

I spent four hours looking for Tina – in the football club’s bar, back where I had parked my car and back at our hotel. It was before the advent of mobile phones so I couldn’t contact her.

As a last resort, I decided to go to the local police station and report Tina as a missing person. It created quite a stir and a number of officers crowded around to take down the details.

Here is a video of one of my first television jobs where I was co-commentating on Altrincham v Barnet in 1991 https://t.co/ncxl6oXbZL

— Tony Incenzo talkSPORT (@TonyIncenzo) April 18, 2022

A worried-looking CID detective said: “We haven’t had an abduction round here for years. We’ll call in extra men and carry out house to house enquiries.”

Then the detective added: “Have you tried to phone her at home?”

So I replied: “No, she has a flat in South London. She won’t be there. We’ve been up north since last night. There‘s no point in phoning her.”

“Well I think you should just try her number before we get this major investigation under way.”

“Ok, but it’s a waste of time. She won’t be in London. We came up for the weekend and she can’t get home as I’m driving.”

So he handed me a phone and I called Tina’s flat. It rang four times and then to my total amazement she answered!

I said: “What the hell are you doing?”

And she replied: “Oh, I got bored watching the football so I decided to leave.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well I went outside and there was a man standing there so I told him ‘Look, if you see Tony coming out of the match, then tell him I’ve gone home’.” 

“Who was this person?”

“Some guy on the street corner.”

“And you think he was going to stand there for the next few hours waiting for me to come out of the match?”

“Yeah, he said he would pass the message on.”

“So how did you get home?”

“Well I got a bus into the centre of Manchester and then I saw a railway station and there was a train about to leave for London so I got on it. I’ve only just this minute got back to my flat. And by the way Tony, you owe me £37 for the train fare.”

I swiftly left the police station after receiving some very strange looks from the CID detective. 

And I decided that it was best not to see Tina again.

*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to @TonyIncenzo*

FIRST PUBLISHED: 21st July 2022

Match Information

• Corinthian 3-1 Bearsted

• When: Saturday 9th July 2022

• Kick-off: 3pm  

• Where: No 2 Pitch, Corinthian Sports Club, Gay Dawn Farm, Valley Road, Fawkham, Longfield, Kent DA3 8LY

• Competition: Pre-season friendly

• Attendance: 57

Way back in 1982, I became aware of an intriguing football fable which I didn’t quite believe to begin with. It concerned a millionaire who had marked out a full-sized football pitch in front of his house on a farm.

This was so that his sons could play together in a team with their friends. They only took part in friendly fixtures. Well it was before the internet so it was hard to find out more information.

But I did some rudimentary research and discovered that the gentleman in question was called Mr Ronald Billings and he had formed Corinthian FC at Gay Dawn Farm in Kent.

So I consulted Directory Enquiries and rang the farm to learn that there was a Sunday afternoon friendly match coming up against Carshalton FC. This captured my attention and I set off for the game by train.

It was a couple of miles from the nearest railway station and I couldn’t afford a taxi in those days as I was an impoverished university student.

Therefore I intrepidly walked along a series of narrow and quite dangerous country lanes before I eventually found the farm which seemed in the middle of nowhere.

The first person I met there was Mr Billings himself and he took a great interest in the fact that I was a keen football explorer. He invited me into the farm to meet his family and offered me refreshments before we watched the match together.

After the final whistle, Mr Billings drove me back to the train station as he didn’t want me to walk down the country lanes again! My only disappointment was that no match programmes had been published for the fixture.

But a couple of days later, I received a letter in the post. To my great surprise, Mr Billings had written and printed a single programme for the Carshalton game just for me and sent it to my home address!

I have never forgotten the warm welcome I received at the farm all those years ago. After that, Corinthian eventually joined the formal ranks of competitive Non-League football in 1985.

The main pitch was fully enclosed by then with spectator accommodation added. I understand that Mr Billings sadly passed away in 1991.

Nowadays, Corinthian are members of the Isthmian League. So when I heard that this pre-season friendly versus Bearsted was being played on their second pitch, it was an opportune time for me to make a groundhopping re-visit.

Ground Description

It is still a working farm containing several large barns complete with agricultural machinery.

But the Corinthian Sports Club within the site has expanded over the years to include extensive football, golf, ball court and sports bar facilities.

The ‘No 2 Pitch’ that I was interested in is mainly used for youth football. It has floodlights, pitch railings, dug outs and a totally unique-looking 110-seater grandstand. 

Programme Details

Priced at £1 for four pages - a good effort for this friendly.

I enjoyed reading the manager’s notes where Michael Golding described his squad being “cherry picked by sides around us” and “trying to rebuild a side with no budget” as the club’s long-standing amateur ethos remains in place. 

The Match

Those family traditions continue as two of the original Mr Billings’ grandsons - Jamie and Jack Billings – were playing in this game for Corinthian.

Well-known professional cricketer Sam Billings (another grandson) was in attendance watching the match. 

The People

Aforementioned manager Michael Golding was very helpful in confirming the fixture and providing background information for this blog.

Meanwhile, Phil Hannah from the Corinthian coaching staff spoke to me in great detail about his love of being involved in Non-League football.

In addition, I had a lengthy chat with Mr Billings’ son – also called Ronald – who was absolutely fascinated by my recollections of meeting his father when visiting the farm 40 years ago.

*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to @TonyIncenzo*

FIRST PUBLISHED: 21st July 2022

Leeds were fighting relegation until the very end of 2021/22. Premier League betting odds envisage a similar campaign for the Yorkshire club in 2022/23 with only the newly promoted teams having shorter odds to go down.

It took 18 years for Leeds to return to the top flight, but after a ninth-placed finish under Marcelo Bielsa in 2020-21, many are tipping them for the drop in 2022/23.

This is a club which has lost arguably its two best players in Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips this summer.

There shouldn’t be any surprise that sports betting markets once again project a relegation-threatened season at Elland Road.

Busy Summer At Elland Road

Raphinha and Phillips are in Barcelona and Manchester respectively, but Leeds haven’t hung around spending that influx of cash.

Three players – right-back Rasmus Kristensen, midfielder Tyler Adams and attacking midfielder Brenden Aaronson – arrived from the Red Bull family.

Some nice words from Patrick Bamford on Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha after they left Leeds this summer. States they 'deserve' the opportunities at Manchester City and Barcelona (via PA). #lufc pic.twitter.com/pSagR3mn6B

— Tom Carnduff (@TomC_22) July 21, 2022

Winger Luis Sinisterra was picked up from Feyenoord for over £22 million, while Marco Roca signed from Bayern for a shade over £10 million.

Depth was an issue in 2021-22, and Leeds have made a marked effort to add bodies. Their manager’s links to the Red Bull project have clearly played a part in their recruitment, too.

Fixing The Defence

Jesse Marsch made quick progress in improving the Leeds defence.

While they still finished the season with the second-most expected goals against, Leeds’ 19 goals conceded from March 1st onwards was fewer than eight Premier League clubs, including Arsenal.

Tens of millions have been invested in defensive personnel in Kristensen, Adams and Roca. Rumours continue that Marsch is searching for another left-back, with Burnley’s Charlie Taylor mooted as a possible target.

Leeds defenders weren’t a popular FPL pick in the Bielsa era – could that change under Marsch’s leadership in 2022-23?

How Can Leeds Improve?

With the defence making a real step forward in the closing months of last season, attention will turn to the attack. Raphinha top scored in the league with 11 goals in 2021-22. Jack Harrison was the only other player with more than six.

Patrick Bamford was limited to under 600 minutes, which didn’t help their front line after his stellar debut campaign in the Premier League, but it’s clear quality is needed in the final third.

Leeds will hope Sinisterra is part of the solution after the Colombian scored 12 goals and registered seven assists in the Eredivisie in 2021-22.

Further reinforcements are probably required too, though, with transfer links ranging from Otavio and Juan Mata to Cody Gakpo and Nicolas Pepe.

Leeds Prediction for 2022/23:

There will inevitably be a range of Premier League predictions for Leeds this season.

This is a squad with sufficient upside to talk yourself into a top half finish, but the losses of Phillips and Raphinha will naturally provoke relegation speculation.

Marsch showed enough last season to suggest he can extend Leeds’ Premier League stay. Anything more than that seems out of reach with the calibre of players they have sold.

Leeds Premier League prediction: 15th