Port Vale 2 Stevenage 2 (10 Feb 2024)

Port Vale 2 Stevenage 2

It seems to have become an irregular and unintended tradition in our family to watch the Port Vale versus Stevenage match at Vale Park, once every four or five years. I saw Vale's infamous 3-1 defeat almost exactly 13 years ago, featuring THAT own goal (yep, I was there and couldn't believe what I saw).  That game was so long ago, it even pre-dates this blog, (but not my other blog, where I posted my eyewitness review of the game).  More recently I saw Vale win 1-0 in a tight game in the 2019 season. So, although it's been a few years, I decided to mark the start of my birthday week with a trip to Vale Park to watch my favourite match.

I'm not a loyal, life-long fan. I'm not even really a supporter, I just like watching the very occasional football match, and soaking up the match atmosphere - so don't expect deep tactical insights. This will be another eyewitness account of a sporting event!

Vale were between managers for this game, but it didn't seem to affect their performance. They started very brightly, moving the ball quickly around the midfield and looking to get forward as much as possible. It was not surprising when their strikers combined effectively to cause havoc in the Stevenage penalty area, leading to a Terence Vancooten own goal, and Vale's first goal after just six minutes. This lifted the whole atmosphere and the home fans settled in for some Saturday afternoon entertainment. To quote Star Trek Deep Space Nine: "War is more fun when you're winning." And they were certainly winning, as Stevenage only managed around two chances in the whole of the first half and the Vale goalkeeper (in his tasteful all-shocking-pink kit) had very little to do.

The Vale players celebrate the first goal of the game

Vale made a change, bringing on number Mighten (number 11) for number 10, and this opened up a range of attacking opportunities. Mighten was fast, always making runs down the wing - primarily the left but swapping to the right occasionally - and was constantly pressurising the Stevenage defenders.

Vale's goalkeeper in a rare action shot from the first half

As always, the referee made some controversial decisions. Football matches are truly like pantomimes, with all the usual characters and all the usual audience participation. "He's behind you," and, "Oh yes he is..." are replaced with other phrases, but the underlying concept is the same. The players on the stage are heroes and villains; there are ugly sisters (if I understood the comments lobbed at the officials) and there's plenty of booing and cheering.

The unfortunate linesman, who got a load of stick from the Vale fans

The referee makes a questionable decision: the crowd questions his abilities. The fans question his eyesight; his parentage; his integrity, and his nocturnal behaviour. They insult his intelligence, his grasp of the rules of the game, and his competence.  The referee ignores it and carries on with the game.  The same appliers to the 'liner', the assistant referee who was nearest to us.  My opinion - the referee made some very suspect decisions, and most of them went against Port Vale.  It even seemed, as it often does in games, that he would try to compensate for one bad decision by making another one to benefit the other side, trying to bring the game into balance.  Was his judgment accurate?  Probably.  Did it look it?  No.

Anyway - at half time, Vale were 1-0 up and had been looking relatively comfortable.  It all changed in the second half.

Stevenage appeared better organised after the restart, and following a free kick near the Vale penalty area made some neat passes that ended with an equalising goal.  Six minutes into the second half, and the scores were level; Jamie Reid the scorer for Stevenage.  This was compounded by Terence Vancooten scoring (at the right end) for Stevenage, giving them a 2-1 lead.

The Vale players regroup after conceding a second goal

There followed a tense period of play, with Vale trying to get forward but only rarely connecting any incisive passes.  There was a lot of header-tennis around the centre circle, but with both teams maintaining a relatively high line, there wasn't much space.  Vale were definitely better getting the ball on the floor and playing neat passes around the midfield - they were able to stretch the play and create opportunities for the strikers to get forwards - especially Mighten, who was constantly causing headaches for the Stevenage right-back.

Vale managed a series of corners and goalmouth scrambles in front of the Stevenage goalkeeper Craig MacGillivray, who stood resolute in defence, and it seemed that he was going to help his team to victory.  Despite Mighten's persistence down the left, it was the right wing that finally provided Vale's second goal.  A cross into the box from the right wing was blocked by Stevenage defender Dan Butler, and the linesman flagged for an offence.  This was in front of where we were seated, and the Port Vale fans were howling and shouting immediately.  Except me - I didn't think it was a deliberate handball, but I'm not daft and I kept my mouth shut.  It did happen very quickly, and it was the linesman who flagged for the penalty.  Maybe the abuse from the Vale fans had got to him.

There was, as always, a lengthy debate on and off the field as the Stevenage players commented to the referee how unlikely it was that it was a genuine penalty, while the Vale players stood around the edge of the box waiting for the chance to equalise.  This was already over the three minutes after the full 90 minutes had elapsed, so things were very tense.

Eventually, Ojo took and scored the penalty for Vale.  If you heard the roar of the Vale fans, you'd think they'd won the match (in the eighth minute of stoppage time).  There were a few seconds of play after the restart, then the ref blew for the end of the game - at which point the Stevenage players resumed their conversation with him about his questionable decisions.

The Stevenage players after the final whistle, in conversation with the match officials

It was a good game, and probably a fair result, and for the occasional fan masquerading as a die-hard Vale fan it was also extremely entertaining.  I might go again in a few years...

Connect at 4, St Thomas Church, Mow Cop, 28 January

 Coming up later this month, and on the last Sunday of every month, is Connect at 4.  This is a short event held at St Thomas Church, Mow Cop, ST7 3PJ, from 4:00-4:45 and is designed for children aged 5-10.

It's awesome. Entry is free, and there's a wide range of structured and well-thought-out activities which fill the 45 minutes. There's a quick intro and a prayer, then a multiple choice quiz with 10-12 questions on the topic for the month. This has varied from Pancake Day to the Coronation, from Advent to Easter, and there are prizes for the highest scorers.  This is followed by a choice of activities - we've taken part in an Easter Egg hunt, a leaf craft with air-drying clay, pin the crown on the King, and a "How high can you toss a pancake?"!

There are drinks provided throughout, and a quick wrap-up at the end.  We always come home with a craft, and sometimes a prize for our efforts.

This is highly recommended for all sorts of reasons, and one event which has permanent residence on our calendar!

RAF Museum (Midlands) Cosford

One of our favourite places to go during the school holidays is the RAF Museum at Cosford.  We've been a few times - we even went during the pandemic -  and each time we go we find something new, or see something in a different light.  My children are now 14, 12 and 7 and they're now becoming more interested in what they're seeing.  There's a visitor centre (with a cafe and toilets) and four hangars full of military exhibits (most of them aircraft) and plenty of interactive exhibits too - and a 4-D simulator (although we've never been on it).

During our most recent visit, our youngest child thoroughly enjoyed classifying the historical planes into goodies (British and American) and baddies (German), and admiring their paint jobs and colour schemes.  Cosford isn't just about aircraft, and the older two were particularly interested in the history of the Cold War and the Cuban Missile Crisis, and with the Berlin Wall and the end of World War II.  I might say this was educational, but they were interested in all the exhibits just for the additional background it gave them for their history schoolwork.

In the school holidays, the Museum sometimes puts on 'Open Cockpit' events - these are well worth a visit, although you will need to be patient as the queues can be long.  You have the opportunity to sit inside the cockpit of a real aeroplane and see all the controls and dials.  Our youngest was more patient (or determined) than his two siblings, and was rewarded with a seat in an RAF Phantom cockpit, which he thoroughly enjoyed.  

Cosford may have more than just aircraft, but it's the aircraft that people go to see, and there are plenty here.  Many - if not most - of the aircraft in the museum have specific historic significance: there's the Fairey FD2 (the blue one) which held the world record for fastest airspeed; there are prototypes of the RAF's Harrier and Typhoon aircraft, and even a TSR-2 (the big white one with droopy wings).  The significance of these aircraft may be lost on younger visitors, but they will still enjoy looking at the diverse range of aircraft and even decide on their own personal favourites (often based on the way they look).  

The Cold War Hangar is my personal favourite - there's a wide range of aircraft and other military vehicles on display, and whoever though to dangle a BAC Lightning vertically from the hangar roof was inspired!  My children loved the interactive science demonstrations - how aerodynamics work, how planes turn, and so on - there's plenty to keep everybody entertained.

Cosford has exceptional facilities - there are multiple toilets including baby-changing facilities on the site; a cafe, which is reasonably priced and serves hot and cold food and drinks; plenty of picnic spaces outside if the weather is good (and plenty of indoor seating if it isn't).  

Above all, Cosford has a large amount of wide open space.  The exhibits are well spaced out - even the larger aircraft aren't cramped into the hangars - and with four hangars to visit, there's plenty to see and plenty of walking to tire out even the most energetic legs.  Younger children who have exhausted their attention span can also run around on the green fields, and make use of the aircraft-themed playground.  This is a relatively recent addition and adds even more to a great day out - it's been designed for children aged 3-9 and also has plenty of seating for parents!

And did I mention:  entrance to the museum is FREE?  You only  need to pay parking, which is around £5 per car, and then you spend as much time as you want in the museum.  There's a guidebook available from the visitor centre; this is frequently updated with more information and newer exhibits and is good value instead of paying an entrance fee.  If a guidebook isn't your thing, then there is plenty to see in the gift shop.  This has a core range of aircraft merchandise (books, models, toys, pictures and so on) and on occasions has an additional range of pre-owned books, some of which are very interesting and often hard to find elsewhere, and is always worth a look.  Prices are reasonable, and there's enough to cater to every budget.

I'm an aircraft enthusiast and have been since I was about five years old.  I understand the details of the aircraft, their historical relevance, I can identify them on sight, and I've been building Airfix models since I was about nine.  If it was my choice, we'd probably go to Cosford during each and every weekend (it's only an hour's drive for us), however, we do have other commitments and it's not everybody's cup of tea.  Having said that, whenever I do suggest going during a school holiday, the kids are always up for it (even through teenage apathy) and each of us always has a good time either seeing something new or getting a fresh understanding of something we've seen before.  Not only that, but it gets them off their screens (and they take loads of photos of everything, too).  

Cosford is also the site of an active RAF base (which hosts a full-scale airshow each June), and a base for the Midlands Air Ambulance so you might occasionally see some aircraft flying around (typically light aircraft), and occasionally see a visitor the RAF base's engineering department - there was one occasion we saw this Tornado on the car park (I don't think he'd paid and displayed, though).

Highly recommended.  It's free to enter, so you can take a picnic and dodge the gift shop (and spend only on parking), or take your wallet and be prepared to come back with armfuls of valuable aircraft merchandise! 

2024 Events Preview - First Half of the Year

 Happy New Year!

It's been a while - raising young children is more time-consuming and demanding than blogging about events for them - but here's a preview of the main events we'll be attending this year.

There are probably other links for these events, so it's worth doing extra research if you're interested in them, but here are a few to get you started, roughly in chronological order.

Connect @ 4,
St Thomas Church, Mow Cop 
Last Sunday of every month, 16:00-16:45
I'll post more about this throughout the year, but it's great.  The content, speed and delivery are all suited for children aged 5-10, with a quiz, a game, a craft, refreshments and activities that are perfectly suited for primary-age children.  It never over-runs, so you know exactly how long it'll take, and every time we've gone, we've come back with photos, a craft model and a prize from the quiz.  Massive recommendation.

Collectibles, Antiques and Bric-a-Brac Fair
Endon Village Hall, 10:00-14:00, monthly
This is a new event for 2024.  In 2023 (and previous years) it was the Antiques, Books and Collectibles fair at Bradwell Lodge, which ran six times a years, but the Bradwell Lodge team aren't running it any longer, and instead it's moving to Endon.  I have these dates for it - typically the first Sunday of the month (nothing for January or April):
4 February; 3 March; 5 May; 2 June; 7 July; 4 August; 1 September; 6 October; 3 November; 1 December

I can't say how good it'll be, but the one at Bradwell Lodge yielded some classic Star Trek books, some genuine G1 Transformers toys and comics; Lego (boxed and reduced price); and so on.  Don't think pottery and "antiques", think retro collectibles!

Staffordshire Invertebrate Science Fair, aka Bug Day
2 March 2024, 10:30 - 16:00, Staffs University Science Building.
Free entry
I've reviewed and previewed this event a few times over the years, and it's still a highlight.

Hanley Comic Con
6-7 April 2024
This debuted last year (we missed it) but is organised by the same team that run Buxton, Ellesmere Port, Nantwich and Northwich Conventions.  It's held in the Potteries Shopping Centre, with the old Next shop as its epicentre.

Northwich Comic Convention
20 April 2024, 10:00 - 16:00, Northwich Memorial Centre
Free entry

Sandbach Transport Festival
Two-day event, 20-21 April (first day clashes with Northwich Comic Con)
Free entry, Sandbach town centre.


Nantwich Comic Con
1 June, 10:00-16:00, Nantwich Civic Hall - celebrating its 10th year (where did that time go?)
Free entry

RAF Cosford Airshow
Sunday 9 June
Advance tickets (online) only - adults £34, children (0-15 years) free.





Events pending more details

There are many events we attend each year, but which haven't (as yet) provided any more details:

Stoke Con Trent - it's not as good as it used to be, as it used to have a stronger sci-fi contingent but has degenerated into wrestlers, horror and Gladiators, with a stronger dependence on cosplay guests; and when you're paying for tickets you're paying for the guests - if the guests aren't to your liking, then why bother?  We might attend this year, if the guests are better.



 

Keele University Observatory - Open Evenings

If you're looking for something different to do on a Tuesday evening, can I suggest Keele University's Observatory?  It's open to the public every Tuesday evening, from 8pm - 10pm, and is a genuinely unique experience.  It's not fast-paced, it's not high-energy, it's not for everybody, but if you're looking for a complete change of pace, and a chance to see the night sky in a new way, you're going to enjoy this.

Keele Observatory is part of the university's astrophysics department, and it consists of two telescopes (the second was brought back into use in March 2022), two domes, various classrooms and teaching aids, and - as with the biology and invertebrate days at Staffs Uni - a team of experts.  The experts are a combination of teaching staff and students at the department, who will set up the larger of the two telescopes, and point it at various night-sky objects.  At the moment, there are no planets visible in the night sky (they're hiding near or behind the Sun), but there are still many objects and interesting stars to look at.  

The main telescope, aiming for the Orion Nebula

We've been twice since the post-Covid re-opening, and have seen the Pleiades; M35, M54, the Orion Nebula, and the star Castor.  Castor is found in the constellation of Gemini, and it's relatively easy to find at this time of year (look straight up and slightly to the south).  Stars aren't exactly interesting by themselves; they still look like dots through a telescope because they're so far away.  However, Castor is a double-star - i.e. two stars close together and orbiting each other (it's actually a total of six stars - three pairs, but the other four are fainter).  Using the telescope it's possible to see the two component stars, and it makes for a fascinating view.  The team do a great job of showing a different variety of objects each week, so there's something new to see each time you go.

The experts are on hand to answer all your questions, and I'd like to call out the Keele University Director, Jacco von Loon, who does a great job in not only setting up the telescope, but commenting on what we're looking at, explaining its relevance and importance and then answering questions about it (and about anything else in space).  

The second telescope, recently brought back into use, is controlled by motors and can be programmed using a computer below the observatory (mind your head) from a warm control room.  It's only just come back online, and when we visited it, the team were taking some test shots; in this case, of the Orion Nebula.

The 'new' motorised telescope.  It's pointing up and to the right; the block near the camera is a counterbalance weight.

The image (right screen) of the Orion Nebula.   The bright smudge is the nebula; the central bright area are the stars within it.

There are activities to do and the team give short presentations for times when the weather is poor and the sky is cloudy, but this is definitely something that's best in good weather.  And clear skies at night mean it's going to be cold, so dress up in warm clothing - the dome roof is open to the elements and it can be freezing standing waiting for your turn to look through the telescope!  It's well worth it, though, so keep an eye on the weather forecast, and on a clear Tuesday evening, head to Keele for a truly out-of-this-world experience.

There are various learning resources around the observatory teaching room, including smaller telescopes; posters and models.

Staffordshire Invertebrate Science Fair 2022 Review

I've mentioned before that the Staffs Invertebrate Science Fair is an unmissable event in our house.  But in March 2022, the bug people reunited in a post-COVID world - how would it all go?  Could it still be as good as it was in 2019 or early 2020?

And the answer is that it was even better.  Maybe it's the maturity of my children; maybe they understand more about what they're seeing (maybe they're more likely to look into petri dishes at the creatures inside, instead of trying to set them free) but March 2022 was a good time to be a bug enthusiast.

I have previously mentioned that the experts are key to the success of the event, and this year they returned with even more enthusiasm and even more facts.  Even the scientists who are perhaps less accustomed to working with the general public were talkative, chatty and happy to share their knowledge, while working double-time to make sure that they were making things easy to understand.  No, a six-year-old may not know the difference between a flea, a fly or a genuine bug, but the entomologist who was running the stand on insects was more than happy to help to explain in words that we could all understand.

The butterfly expert, John, was a real gent, drawing butterfly outlines from stencils and then sharing them out for young enthusiasts to colour in with their own designs.  He was tireless, enthusiastic, energetic and engaging, which is just what young bug fans want from their grown-ups. 

Similarly, the Staffs Wildlife stand was manned by an expert in centipedes and spiders, and had plastic child-friendly microscopes with creepy-crawly specimens lined up.  These critters look weird enough at actual size, but when viewed through any kind of magnification they look alien, and very scary (and very exciting for young and older viewers alike).  Great stuff!

One thing that really makes these events, though, is the freebies :-)  Apart from our own collection of photos, drawings and pictures, we were the grateful recipients of assorted stationery courtesy of the Harper Adams stand (rulers, pens, wristbands, and so on), and spider leaflets from the British Arachnologists Society's stand.  We may not exactly like spiders, but seeing close-up pictures of eight legs and multiple eyes was fascinating (from a safe distance) and we ended up fielding all sorts of questions from our youngest - what's this called, why is it called that, and so on. 

Being held in Staffs University's Science Building meant that there were local amenities on hand - toilets, a snack bar and plenty of space to sit down and take a break - which is a big winner too.  The fair was well-attended but not at all overcrowded (we're not quite over the pandemic yet) and is a very bright and airy location.  My big hope for 2022 events is that we'll get the Big Biology Day in the autumn - the other half of Staffs Uni's science events for the year... then we really will be back to normal.

We had a great time (in case you hadn't guessed) and we are very grateful to all the experts who gave their time, patience, energy, leaflets, quiz sheets and freebies and who once again made this a great day.

Staffordshire Invertebrate Science Fair (SISF) 2022 - preview

Just over two years ago (remember those times?), I published a preview of the Staffs Invertebrate Science Fair, in March 2020.  I had fully intended to post a review of the event, as I often do, but things went slightly awry shortly after, and I never took the time to write it (in fact, I didn't have the time, as we were all rapidly introduced to homeschooling).

Anyway, now is the time to fix that miss, because this year's Bug Day is at Staffordshire University's Science Centre (although it might be at the new Catalyst Building, which I assume is nearby) and it's on Saturday, 5 March from 10:30 - 4:00.  Did I mention that it's free admission?  This is the event that keeps on giving.

I've said it before, but it bears repeating:  the Staffs Invertebrate Science Fair (aka 'Bug Day' in our house) is one of the highlights of the events diary each year.  There's the Big Biology Day which typically falls in October, also hosted at Staffordshire University, and Bug Day which falls in April - six months apart, to keep all your budding scientists engaged at the start and end of the year.  

We visited the most recent one in March 2020, and even though there was some general apprehension about COVID (we didn't even really know what it was at that time) there was a great turnout of staff and visitors.  At the time, our children were three, eight and ten, and they all had a great time:

The two things that consistently stand out about the Bug Day are the experts and the number of hands-on activities.  This is not a walk around a series of glass cases, peering inside dank, mouldy, dimly-lit tanks looking for a glimpse of some heavily-camouflaged creepy-crawly.  Oh no, on the contrary: providing it's safe for the bugs, and for the little hands, there is a multitude of opportunities to touch, stroke, hold, and get up close and personal with all sorts of insects and other creatures.  If necessary, you can look at them down a microscope, or see a TV screen hooked up to a camera-microscope, and see the hairs on a bee's knees. Yes, it really is the bee's knees.

The hands-on activities are particularly well thought-out.  Apart from interacting with the real, live invertebrates, there are opportunities to participate in craft sessions - draw, colour, cut, stick, make, decorate and produce your own wonderful butterflies, ladybirds and so on.  If your little ones are a little shy about getting too close to the bugs (and this is understandable, some bugs are easily five or six inches long and tend more towards creepy than crawly), then you can take time out and do some cutting and sticking.

And the second most amazing thing about Bug Day is the experts.  I'm always surprised - and I should have learned by now - that when you get people talking about something they're interested in, they will keep talking and talking about it.  People - and Bug People in particular - love sharing their knowledge about bugs that spread disease, bugs that eat crops, bugs that have eluded quarantine and eaten crops in other countries... These experts know how to make their subject appealing to a younger audience too, with gory details where appropriate, or how to scale it back for a very young audience and keep it simple.  

The experts come from a wide range of disciplines and some are from industry rather than education - they all get together and participate, they all talk fluent science and they're all very engaging.  Everybody has a slightly different angle - is it worms, is it bees, is it other larger creepy crawlies?  Is it ecological?  Habitats?  Microscopic?  There's far more to see and do here than you'd think from 'invertebrates'.  Everybody is delighted to talk about their particular niche, and absolutely nobody said, "You can't touch that," and when you're five or six years old, that's very important.

The favourite activities amongst our little people were looking at the leaf litter (finding insects in the dirt... I mean, show me a three-year-old who isn't up for that?) and investigating pond life with the oversized pipettes.  The experts are on hand to help you identify the creatures you discover, while the parents are standing close by to make sure that the pipettes, water and creatures stay where they're supposed to!  It is genuinely fascinating to look at the small water-borne insects, and my photographs do not do them justice - you have to see them for yourself. 

For older children and adults, there are informative lectures and presentations - these vary each year, but cover a wide range of topics.  I must confess that these were a little advanced for our children, and while we started listening, we soon realised that we were better placed among the more interactive activities (we left quietly and the lecturer was not at all offended).  This does show the range of activities that are available at the Bug Day, and how it very carefully and thoughtfully caters to all ages, abilities and interests (you don't even have to be a biologist to find the view down a microscope interesting).

There isn't much more to say:  Bug Day is excellent; suitable for all age ranges and interests, and is highly, highly recommended.