IN this nostalgia blog, I reflect on two of the strangest experiences I have encountered during my 50 years of actively following Non-League football…
Fine After Flare
My most embarrassing moment as a reporter came when I caused a humble Non-League club to be fined £20 by their local county football association.
It was back on Sunday 24th September 2017 when I travelled up to Staffordshire to watch a Buildbase FA Vase tie between Uttoxeter Town and Bardon Hill.
What I liked at Uttoxeter was that all children under 16 years of age were admitted free of charge to home matches. This worked really well and around 60 youngsters were present on the day of my visit amongst an overall attendance of 206.
In fact, the Uttoxeter Town ‘ultras’ took over one of the grandstands behind the goal and spent the whole afternoon noisily supporting their team with an impressive array of songs. The football club actively encouraged these boys and girls to go along and enjoy themselves on matchdays.
At the end of the game, I took a dramatic photo of the ultras as they held pyrotechnic flares in the air.
I then posted this picture on my Twitter account in a genuine attempt to promote a community-based football club’s admirable policy of inviting young fans to attend their fixtures.
However, the following day Uttoxeter Town received a charge sheet from their local Staffordshire County Football Association. This referred to “alleged misconduct” as “members of the club used flares after the match”.
Result of my @HellenicLeague match today@HfdLadsClubFc 3@LydneyTownAFC 5
— Tony Incenzo - my 50th football season (@TonyIncenzo) April 1, 2023
Attendance 96 (my headcount), programme £1. Football grounds visited - 2,501@NonLeagueCrowd @fcbusiness @nonleagueshow @NonLeaguePaper @HerefordshireFA @hellenicupdates @dannymoon2014 pic.twitter.com/qEsxA1uZtu
There was a £20 fine and – alarmingly for me - a copy of my tweet showing the ultras with their flares was attached to the charge sheet.
I found the whole situation very, very embarrassing and I felt compelled to make a heartfelt apology to Uttoxeter Town Football Club.
Make Love!
The most bizarre public address announcement I have ever heard at a football ground urged members of the crowd to “make love”!
This happened on Saturday 2nd April 1983 when I travelled up to the Norfolk coast to watch the FA Vase Semi-Final Second Leg between Great Yarmouth Town and VS Rugby.
A crowd of 4,552 packed into the quaint Wellesley Recreation Ground with people standing four and five rows deep around the pitch.
It is a venue that features the oldest surviving grandstand in English football. Built in 1892, the aesthetically brilliant structure holds Grade 2 Listed status.
A couple of thousand Norwich City fans turned up supporting Great Yarmouth whilst several hundred Coventry City fans arrived in coaches from the Midlands to cheer on VS Rugby.
I sensed great tension throughout the match. With no segregation possible within the ground, a ferocious fight subsequently broke out amongst rival spectators and things got very heated indeed.
All of a sudden, the Great Yarmouth public address man sprang into action. He was a distinguished-looking elderly gentleman speaking in clipped military tones. I will never forget his words on the microphone:
“Come on you chaps! Behave yourselves! When you get to my age, you’ll make love not war. And you’ll enjoy it too!”
The fighting stopped and the aggregate scores were level after 90 minutes.
Before extra-time could begin, there was another announcement:
“Come on boys and girls! Let’s all enjoy this match. It’s one of the best for a long time! It’s first class! Jolly good show! Let’s hope that the better team is victorious.”
And as the game kicked-off again, he frenziedly yelled into the microphone:
“LET BATTLE COMMENCE!!!”
This unsubtle comment was extremely ill-advised bearing in mind the earlier crowd disturbance. But the match was played to a conclusion and finished 1-1 as VS Rugby progressed to Wembley on aggregate by 3-2.
*Credit for photos in this article belongs to @TonyIncenzo*
