Wellington 6 Stafford Town 1
West Midlands (Regional) League Premier Division
At: Wellington Playing Field
Kick-off: 3-00 pm
Admission: £3; Programme: £1 (24 pages)
Mileage: 141.0 miles
Weather: dry with late sunshine
Attendance: 45 (headcount)
Duration: first-half: 46:17; second-half: 47:00
Non-league fixtures were badly hit again with snow in the north and waterlogged pitches elsewhere. Just two of nine games in the West Midlands (Regional) League Premier Division took place and one of them was my preferred destination – Stafford Town’s trip to Herefordshire-based Wellington. However, after conceding the opening goal after just 15 seconds and another five before half-time, Town may well have wished this game had joined the list of postponements. A goal from Matt Buckham, which reduced the deficit to 3-1, gave Town hope but they were left fuming over a controversial decision not to award a penalty for a challenge on Paul McMahon which would have led to Wellington being reduced to ten men. After the break, Stafford salvaged some pride by drawing the goalless second half. I was impressed with the setup at Wellington which included welcoming club officials, a decent tea bar and the tannoy being used to announce the line-ups.
