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She’s Not There
Mar. 31st, 2025 09:59 pmPortchester Ladies Reserves away at Farnborough yesterday in the League Cup semi-final. A new ground for me, number 473. No problems on the train up. Got lunch at a Dallas Fried Chicken in the town centre then got the bus out to the ground. The guy in front of me on the bus introduced himself as Rocky and asked if I’d been in town. I explained I was up from near Portsmouth for a women’s football match; he was surprised, but seemed happy, to learn that Farnborough had a women’s football team. He was on his way to church.
Stacy, Michele, Jess and Lynsey were in the car park when I arrived. The big news was that they had a bare 11 players. Stacy was out after doing her hamstring last week; she said she’d been tempted to play this game because of the lack of numbers, but the others had persuaded her that she was better off missing the two games she’s been told she needs to recover, than playing, aggravating her hammy and being ruled out for the rest of the season. A more controversial absentee was one of the other girls, who apparently hadn’t shown up - with Charley and Lisa waiting outside her house - because she had a hangover. Later one of our followers said this girl was marooned in Kent.
The ground once hosted Conference National football, when Farnborough FC’s forerunners Farnborough Town were in Non-League’s top flight, and is a very impressive stadium for non-league, certainly a massive contrast from the basic venues the Portchy reserve girls usually play on. It was likely the only game most of these girls will ever play in where their names will be displayed on a state-of-the-art graphic scoreboard. (Even if their names and numbers were accompanied by generic silhouettes while the Farnborough players had actual pictures of themselves.) Behind me in the stand was the control room, housing the male matchday announcer and a lady who was controlling the scoreboard with her smartphone. Fair play to Farnborough for going to that effort for their women’s side.
Charley showed me the team sheet as kick-off drew near. The name of the hungover absentee was initially among the starting eleven; it had been scored out and replaced by Kat, whose name was originally among the subs. Elisha and Liz were listed as subs; Charley told me they were on their way and it was hoped they’d arrive around half-time.
I sat in a section of the main stand. Three of our players’ children, aged between 8 and 11, were sat a couple of rows in front of me; behind me were two slightly older boys supporting Farnborough. They got into arguments with each other until a lady Farnborough official told the two lads to go and sit elsewhere.
Farnborough had the better of the first half and were 2-0 up at half time. Towards the end of the half Kat was stretchered off after a collision. As Elisha and Liz hadn’t arrived yet, Portchy had to play on with ten.
Around the hour mark Elisha appeared from the tunnel, and after a brief conflab with Charley, she went on. The unfortunate Sophie deflected a cross into her own net for Farnborough’s third. The game seemed dead and buried.
Liz appeared, began warming up and came on for Hollie. Portchester broke forward and Paula scored from a goalmouth scramble. The control room duo were asking each other who scored so I turned round and supplied her name. The announcer duly read her name out and it appeared on the scoreboard.
Moments later Paula struck again. 3-2 and game on. In the closing minutes Jess was shown a red card. No-one could understand why, until one of the kids went down and asked the Portchester dug-out. It was for bad language.
It was the 89th minute when a Farnborough player struck a beautiful ball from far out on the wing that looped over Millie and into the net to finally kill the tie. Elisha’s injury time strike proved to be just a consolation.
Went to say goodbye to some of the girls. Kat was on crutches but walking. Everyone was cheesed off - it was the team’s first defeat all season, with only a few weeks to go - and there was a feeling the game could have been won with the absent girl and the two late arrivals there from the start.
Got the bus back to town. Walking up the approach to Farnborough main station I saw the 16.32 to Fareham leaving bang on time. The board showed the 17.32 was cancelled. I had a choice of waiting for the 18.32 or buying a new ticket to get home by a different route via Southampton. I went for the latter, which turned out to cost £16.80. Although the Delay Repay compensation I’m due on my original ticket only comes to £7.80, if I’d waited for the other train and sat in the pub for two hours I’d easily have spent the difference on a couple of pints and likely something to eat.
Stacy, Michele, Jess and Lynsey were in the car park when I arrived. The big news was that they had a bare 11 players. Stacy was out after doing her hamstring last week; she said she’d been tempted to play this game because of the lack of numbers, but the others had persuaded her that she was better off missing the two games she’s been told she needs to recover, than playing, aggravating her hammy and being ruled out for the rest of the season. A more controversial absentee was one of the other girls, who apparently hadn’t shown up - with Charley and Lisa waiting outside her house - because she had a hangover. Later one of our followers said this girl was marooned in Kent.
The ground once hosted Conference National football, when Farnborough FC’s forerunners Farnborough Town were in Non-League’s top flight, and is a very impressive stadium for non-league, certainly a massive contrast from the basic venues the Portchy reserve girls usually play on. It was likely the only game most of these girls will ever play in where their names will be displayed on a state-of-the-art graphic scoreboard. (Even if their names and numbers were accompanied by generic silhouettes while the Farnborough players had actual pictures of themselves.) Behind me in the stand was the control room, housing the male matchday announcer and a lady who was controlling the scoreboard with her smartphone. Fair play to Farnborough for going to that effort for their women’s side.
Charley showed me the team sheet as kick-off drew near. The name of the hungover absentee was initially among the starting eleven; it had been scored out and replaced by Kat, whose name was originally among the subs. Elisha and Liz were listed as subs; Charley told me they were on their way and it was hoped they’d arrive around half-time.
I sat in a section of the main stand. Three of our players’ children, aged between 8 and 11, were sat a couple of rows in front of me; behind me were two slightly older boys supporting Farnborough. They got into arguments with each other until a lady Farnborough official told the two lads to go and sit elsewhere.
Farnborough had the better of the first half and were 2-0 up at half time. Towards the end of the half Kat was stretchered off after a collision. As Elisha and Liz hadn’t arrived yet, Portchy had to play on with ten.
Around the hour mark Elisha appeared from the tunnel, and after a brief conflab with Charley, she went on. The unfortunate Sophie deflected a cross into her own net for Farnborough’s third. The game seemed dead and buried.
Liz appeared, began warming up and came on for Hollie. Portchester broke forward and Paula scored from a goalmouth scramble. The control room duo were asking each other who scored so I turned round and supplied her name. The announcer duly read her name out and it appeared on the scoreboard.
Moments later Paula struck again. 3-2 and game on. In the closing minutes Jess was shown a red card. No-one could understand why, until one of the kids went down and asked the Portchester dug-out. It was for bad language.
It was the 89th minute when a Farnborough player struck a beautiful ball from far out on the wing that looped over Millie and into the net to finally kill the tie. Elisha’s injury time strike proved to be just a consolation.
Went to say goodbye to some of the girls. Kat was on crutches but walking. Everyone was cheesed off - it was the team’s first defeat all season, with only a few weeks to go - and there was a feeling the game could have been won with the absent girl and the two late arrivals there from the start.
Got the bus back to town. Walking up the approach to Farnborough main station I saw the 16.32 to Fareham leaving bang on time. The board showed the 17.32 was cancelled. I had a choice of waiting for the 18.32 or buying a new ticket to get home by a different route via Southampton. I went for the latter, which turned out to cost £16.80. Although the Delay Repay compensation I’m due on my original ticket only comes to £7.80, if I’d waited for the other train and sat in the pub for two hours I’d easily have spent the difference on a couple of pints and likely something to eat.
