Welcome to my blog 'The 100 Football Grounds Club' the site dedicated to groundhoppers everywhere.Please feel free to leave any comments if you wish.
Cheers!!!
site updated on post date
Welcome to my site - The 100 Football Grounds Club
Welcome to my blog 'The 100 Football Grounds Club' the site dedicated to groundhoppers everywhere.Please feel free to leave any comments if you wish.
Cheers!!!
My Matchday - 241 Field Mill
Mansfield Town 0v2 Gateshead
Blue Sq. Premier
Saturday 6th February 2010
Mansfield lies on the River Maun, a former mining town and the largest market town in the county of Nottinghamshire.
A local church formed Mansfield Wesleyans FC in 1897 playing games on Kate Moody Lane for three years before switching to public playing fields on Stanhope Street.
The club’s next home base from 1903 on Newgate Lane was purchased by the local railway, which meant another move, this time to the aptly named ‘The Prairie’ at Radcliffe Gate from 1912.
The Stags finally found a permanent home when purchasing Field Mill in 1919 from the Duke of Portland, who leased the land with the agreement that the land must always be used for sporting purposes. By this time the club were established as Mansfield Town, which had infuriated rivals Mansfield Mechanics, who themselves were in pursuit of adding the Town suffix to their name.
Originally a cotton mill, football had been played on Field Mill as far back as 1861, making it one of the worlds oldest continuously used football grounds. The original tenants Greenhalgh formed from the local cricket club, cricket being its sole purpose from 1840, then Mansfield Amateurs followed by Mansfield Mechanics both shared with Mansfield Town Cricket Club from 1912.
The first stand was built on the west side in 1922, a small wooden structure which stood until 1959, when the club purchased a steel framed stand from Hurst Park racecourse in south London. The structure was built behind the original stand with changing rooms, offices and club lounges added. The original stand was then demolished and replaced with a standing paddock at the front of the new stand before finally opening in 1966.
In February 2001 the new West Stand was opened which is a large two-tier cantilever stand with a capacity of 5,500 which completed the £6.5m redevelopment of Field Mill. The stand also includes the Sandy Pate bar and sponsorship lounges.
The North Stand terrace was covered in 1956 with funds from the Supporters Club and along with the open Quarry Lane End terrace were replaced with new seated stands behind each goal in August 2000. Both stands are similar in stature, the North Stand is the away end, decked out with 1,910 blue seats with STAGS picked out in yellow. The Quarry Lane End is slightly larger with an extra 73 seats, with mainly yellow seats with MTFC picked out in blue. The players tunnel emerges from the nearside corner of the stand.
The Bishop Street Stand became the main stand when built prior to the Second World War, with 1,120 bench seats taking across from the West Stand.The stand is now condemned and cordoned off, only the players dugouts are at this side with an electric scoreboard on the old paddock terrace. There’s plans to redevelop the stand which would include a TV studio and gantry.
The overall capacity stands at 9,990 with the club’s record attendance of 24,479 against neighbours Nottingham Forest for an FA Cup 3rd round tie in January 1953.
As a young boy the Newcastle United 1973-74 side became the football club I fell in love with. A side which embarked on a thrilling FA Cup run which ended in a predictable Wembley embarrassment against Liverpool’s Shankly, Keegan and Co. A result and performance which the first time in my football fan career, ended in tears.
On my bedroom wall was a team picture of the United squad, amongst Supermac, Bobby Moncur, Hibbitt and Tudor, was one player who stood out amongst the rest of the striped shirts.
Standing in between Craig and Cassidy, was a big strapping lad with shoulder length strawberry blonde hair and matching moustache, much like a 70’s German porn star.
I knew all about the United squad in that photograph, except for this one particular player that I had no knowledge of apart from his name.
Gordon Hodgson was born in Newcastle and signed for his hometown club as a teenager in 1971. Shortly after the Cup Final horror show and limited to only 9 appearances over three years he signed for Mansfield Town .
Gordon is regarded as one of the greatest midfielders in Town’s history. In his first s
eason with the club he played a starring role in The Stags promotion as Division Four champions. In 1975-76 he skippered the club as promotion was again achieved as league winners reaching Division Two for the first time in the clubs history.
Over four years Hodgson made 184 league appearances, missing only two games because of suspension and notching 23 goals from midfield before moving on to Oxford United in 1978.
Gordon went on to play for Peterborough United, before hanging up his boots, swapping the blue of The Posh for the blue of the police force.
Gordon Hodgson died in April 1999 at the tender age of 46, the big Geordie will always be held in high regard with the Stags fans, playing a decisive part in the most memorable time in the club’s history.
Mansfield Town’s 77 year stay in the Football League ended in 2008 and like many clubs relegated into the Blue Square Premier, a quick return has proven difficult, and in turn, clubs promoted into the Conference find it equally tough to survive.
Mansfield currently lie in fourth position took on a Gateshead side who are an example of a club finding it difficult to adapt to the big league. However that struggle may be about to change, as The Tyneside’s produced their best performance of the season to upset a large anticipating home support.
The return of Carl Jones in defence from long term injury, along with January recruits Andy Ferrell in midfield and striker Brian Wake has seen the backbone of the team strengthened, along with wingers Winn and Sinclair added to the squad.
It was one of the new signings Brian Wake which gave Gateshead a dream start in the 5th minute, the former Morton striker picked up the ball in the middle of the park and ran unchallenged to the edge of the box, his shot took a deflection which looped high over the stranded Marriott.
Gateshead created more chances to extend the lead, Wake twice went close while Armstrong saw a close rage effort blocked by a defender. Heed keeper Farman wasn’t called into action until first half injury time, easily dealing with a Jake Speight shot from the edge of the box.
The consensus amongst the media and Mansfield supporters was that they’d turn the game around in the second half and go on to take the three points. That theory was diminished after only three second half minutes. Wake again lead the Stags defence a merry dance before smashing a right foot shot into the far corner to double the lead.
Mansfield had spells of pressure to try and get a foothold back into the game. Challinor’s long range effort was tipped onto the crossbar, then a Speight shot was blazed over.
Town’s best opportunity came in the 82nd minute, a mad scramble in the penalty area saw a blocked shot fall to Gary Silk who’s effort was pushed onto the bar, the rebound fell to Jon Shaw but his close range header was desperately cleared to safety.
The Tynesiders weathered the late storm and deservingly held on the claim a morale boosting win, which could turn out to be the big turning point of their season.
Picture courtesy of 100FgC#26 Alan Price
This was actually Gateshead’s closest Saturday away fixture of the season, which meant we had a full bus on, leaving at a reasonable time of 10.30am and arriving with enough time to spare for me to tick of the two ’Spoons pubs in the town.
This game caught the imagination of the local public as the club launched a special ‘pay what you like’ initiative, which means what it says on the tin, pay whatever you like to gain admission, be it 1p, £1 or a tenner, the choice was yours.
The plan was a success, as the Mansfield public turned out in large numbers giving Field Mill its biggest gate for over eight years. The big turnout meant the game had to be delayed for 20 minutes, with a section of the North Stand opened to feed the demand.
When I say the plan was a success, I mean the attendance of 7,261 (74 away fans) was a great achievement, however the fact that Mansfield were comprehensively beating will not encourage that casual supporter to return t’ Mill in a hurry.
The reason that this particular fixture was chosen is The Stags chairman was expecting an easy win for the home side. The big crowd would have enjoyed a goal fest, gone home happy seeing their team win and be keen to return again, however the boo’s ringing out at half time and on the full time whistle means this ambitious scheme has basically gone tits up!
I entered the ground via the Kevin Bird Suite at the back of the West Stand, the staff at Field Mill made me feel welcome, special thanks to Mark in the press box who looked after us all, my only complaint would be the lack of filling in the half time sandwiches! I also heard and spoke to reporters working for local radio, who gave an unbiased opinion on the game, giving full credit on a well deserved victory for Gateshead.
Unfortunately I have to report that the ’pay what you like’ gave good reason for the local crackerjack element to come out to play at a cost of only a penny.
Coins were thrown towards the Gateshead end from both inside and outside the stand with one lady supporter hit on the head, the father of one of the players was hit with a bottle, while a Heed supporter was set upon and punched by a gang of five thugs in the toilets. To cap it all off on our way out of the town a brick was thrown at our coach, luckily the person taking aim had a throw like a girl and missed the windows, his feeble effort ending up hitting the roof of the bus.
It’s a shame that a small minority spoils it for everyone else. I was warned by several people beforehand not to go into the town centre and be very cautious of the stewards at the ground.
While I appreciate what the club is doing in generating interest and extra home support, the matter of the safety and well being of away supporters has to be looked into. Visiting Field Mill needs to be a pleasant experience, otherwise away fans will be put off and the likes of myself, along with my fellow members of the Heed Army won’t be in too much of a hurry to return.
Matchday stats
Blue Sq. Premier
Saturday 6th February 2010
Mansfield lies on the River Maun, a former mining town and the largest market town in the county of Nottinghamshire.A local church formed Mansfield Wesleyans FC in 1897 playing games on Kate Moody Lane for three years before switching to public playing fields on Stanhope Street.
The club’s next home base from 1903 on Newgate Lane was purchased by the local railway, which meant another move, this time to the aptly named ‘The Prairie’ at Radcliffe Gate from 1912.
The Stags finally found a permanent home when purchasing Field Mill in 1919 from the Duke of Portland, who leased the land with the agreement that the land must always be used for sporting purposes. By this time the club were established as Mansfield Town, which had infuriated rivals Mansfield Mechanics, who themselves were in pursuit of adding the Town suffix to their name.
Originally a cotton mill, football had been played on Field Mill as far back as 1861, making it one of the worlds oldest continuously used football grounds. The original tenants Greenhalgh formed from the local cricket club, cricket being its sole purpose from 1840, then Mansfield Amateurs followed by Mansfield Mechanics both shared with Mansfield Town Cricket Club from 1912.The first stand was built on the west side in 1922, a small wooden structure which stood until 1959, when the club purchased a steel framed stand from Hurst Park racecourse in south London. The structure was built behind the original stand with changing rooms, offices and club lounges added. The original stand was then demolished and replaced with a standing paddock at the front of the new stand before finally opening in 1966.
In February 2001 the new West Stand was opened which is a large two-tier cantilever stand with a capacity of 5,500 which completed the £6.5m redevelopment of Field Mill. The stand also includes the Sandy Pate bar and sponsorship lounges.
The North Stand terrace was covered in 1956 with funds from the Supporters Club and along with the open Quarry Lane End terrace were replaced with new seated stands behind each goal in August 2000. Both stands are similar in stature, the North Stand is the away end, decked out with 1,910 blue seats with STAGS picked out in yellow. The Quarry Lane End is slightly larger with an extra 73 seats, with mainly yellow seats with MTFC picked out in blue. The players tunnel emerges from the nearside corner of the stand.
The Bishop Street Stand became the main stand when built prior to the Second World War, with 1,120 bench seats taking across from the West Stand.The stand is now condemned and cordoned off, only the players dugouts are at this side with an electric scoreboard on the old paddock terrace. There’s plans to redevelop the stand which would include a TV studio and gantry.
The overall capacity stands at 9,990 with the club’s record attendance of 24,479 against neighbours Nottingham Forest for an FA Cup 3rd round tie in January 1953.
As a young boy the Newcastle United 1973-74 side became the football club I fell in love with. A side which embarked on a thrilling FA Cup run which ended in a predictable Wembley embarrassment against Liverpool’s Shankly, Keegan and Co. A result and performance which the first time in my football fan career, ended in tears.On my bedroom wall was a team picture of the United squad, amongst Supermac, Bobby Moncur, Hibbitt and Tudor, was one player who stood out amongst the rest of the striped shirts.
Standing in between Craig and Cassidy, was a big strapping lad with shoulder length strawberry blonde hair and matching moustache, much like a 70’s German porn star.
I knew all about the United squad in that photograph, except for this one particular player that I had no knowledge of apart from his name.
Gordon Hodgson was born in Newcastle and signed for his hometown club as a teenager in 1971. Shortly after the Cup Final horror show and limited to only 9 appearances over three years he signed for Mansfield Town .
Gordon is regarded as one of the greatest midfielders in Town’s history. In his first s
eason with the club he played a starring role in The Stags promotion as Division Four champions. In 1975-76 he skippered the club as promotion was again achieved as league winners reaching Division Two for the first time in the clubs history.Over four years Hodgson made 184 league appearances, missing only two games because of suspension and notching 23 goals from midfield before moving on to Oxford United in 1978.
Gordon went on to play for Peterborough United, before hanging up his boots, swapping the blue of The Posh for the blue of the police force.
Gordon Hodgson died in April 1999 at the tender age of 46, the big Geordie will always be held in high regard with the Stags fans, playing a decisive part in the most memorable time in the club’s history.
Mansfield Town’s 77 year stay in the Football League ended in 2008 and like many clubs relegated into the Blue Square Premier, a quick return has proven difficult, and in turn, clubs promoted into the Conference find it equally tough to survive.Mansfield currently lie in fourth position took on a Gateshead side who are an example of a club finding it difficult to adapt to the big league. However that struggle may be about to change, as The Tyneside’s produced their best performance of the season to upset a large anticipating home support.
The return of Carl Jones in defence from long term injury, along with January recruits Andy Ferrell in midfield and striker Brian Wake has seen the backbone of the team strengthened, along with wingers Winn and Sinclair added to the squad.
It was one of the new signings Brian Wake which gave Gateshead a dream start in the 5th minute, the former Morton striker picked up the ball in the middle of the park and ran unchallenged to the edge of the box, his shot took a deflection which looped high over the stranded Marriott.
Gateshead created more chances to extend the lead, Wake twice went close while Armstrong saw a close rage effort blocked by a defender. Heed keeper Farman wasn’t called into action until first half injury time, easily dealing with a Jake Speight shot from the edge of the box.
The consensus amongst the media and Mansfield supporters was that they’d turn the game around in the second half and go on to take the three points. That theory was diminished after only three second half minutes. Wake again lead the Stags defence a merry dance before smashing a right foot shot into the far corner to double the lead.
Mansfield had spells of pressure to try and get a foothold back into the game. Challinor’s long range effort was tipped onto the crossbar, then a Speight shot was blazed over.
Town’s best opportunity came in the 82nd minute, a mad scramble in the penalty area saw a blocked shot fall to Gary Silk who’s effort was pushed onto the bar, the rebound fell to Jon Shaw but his close range header was desperately cleared to safety.
The Tynesiders weathered the late storm and deservingly held on the claim a morale boosting win, which could turn out to be the big turning point of their season.
Picture courtesy of 100FgC#26 Alan PriceThis was actually Gateshead’s closest Saturday away fixture of the season, which meant we had a full bus on, leaving at a reasonable time of 10.30am and arriving with enough time to spare for me to tick of the two ’Spoons pubs in the town.
This game caught the imagination of the local public as the club launched a special ‘pay what you like’ initiative, which means what it says on the tin, pay whatever you like to gain admission, be it 1p, £1 or a tenner, the choice was yours.
The plan was a success, as the Mansfield public turned out in large numbers giving Field Mill its biggest gate for over eight years. The big turnout meant the game had to be delayed for 20 minutes, with a section of the North Stand opened to feed the demand.
When I say the plan was a success, I mean the attendance of 7,261 (74 away fans) was a great achievement, however the fact that Mansfield were comprehensively beating will not encourage that casual supporter to return t’ Mill in a hurry.
The reason that this particular fixture was chosen is The Stags chairman was expecting an easy win for the home side. The big crowd would have enjoyed a goal fest, gone home happy seeing their team win and be keen to return again, however the boo’s ringing out at half time and on the full time whistle means this ambitious scheme has basically gone tits up!
I entered the ground via the Kevin Bird Suite at the back of the West Stand, the staff at Field Mill made me feel welcome, special thanks to Mark in the press box who looked after us all, my only complaint would be the lack of filling in the half time sandwiches! I also heard and spoke to reporters working for local radio, who gave an unbiased opinion on the game, giving full credit on a well deserved victory for Gateshead.
Unfortunately I have to report that the ’pay what you like’ gave good reason for the local crackerjack element to come out to play at a cost of only a penny.
Coins were thrown towards the Gateshead end from both inside and outside the stand with one lady supporter hit on the head, the father of one of the players was hit with a bottle, while a Heed supporter was set upon and punched by a gang of five thugs in the toilets. To cap it all off on our way out of the town a brick was thrown at our coach, luckily the person taking aim had a throw like a girl and missed the windows, his feeble effort ending up hitting the roof of the bus.
It’s a shame that a small minority spoils it for everyone else. I was warned by several people beforehand not to go into the town centre and be very cautious of the stewards at the ground.
While I appreciate what the club is doing in generating interest and extra home support, the matter of the safety and well being of away supporters has to be looked into. Visiting Field Mill needs to be a pleasant experience, otherwise away fans will be put off and the likes of myself, along with my fellow members of the Heed Army won’t be in too much of a hurry to return.
Matchday statsMTFC 0 GFC 2 (Wake 5,48)
att.7,261
Admission:1p and above
Ground no.241 Field Mill - Matchday Web album (17 pictures)
My Matchday - 240 Recreation Ground
Aldershot Town 1v1 Grimsby Town
League Two
Saturday 30th January 2009
Aldershot is a town in Hampshire, best known as the home of the British Army, the armed forces having established a base in the town in 1854, which became a permanent home for troops returning from the Crimean War.
The army camp saw the town’s population grow from 875 in 1851 to over 16,000 within ten years. Today the town has a population of 33,840 whilst the Aldershot Urban Area has a populace of almost a quarter of a million.
The original Aldershot FC formed in December 1926, setting up home on the council owned ’ Rec’ the following year. The first competitive match took place on August 27th in the Southern League, Grays Athletic their opponents in front of a healthy crowd of 3,500.
Aldershot were elected to the Football League Division Three South in 1932 after winning the Southern League title, replacing the defunct Thames AFC who gave up their place in the league.
The original Shots played in the Football League for 60 years, peaking at 8th in Division Three in 1973-74. The clubs suffered more lows than highs throughout their League career. The biggest highlight came at the end of the 1986-87, the first season of the Football League play offs. Aldershot finished 6th in Division Four and after seeing off Division Three bottom side Bolton Wanderers in the semi-finals they went on the beat Wolves 3-0 on aggregate in the final over two-legs. (sorry Tim!…Eddy)
The club’s financial plight first came to prominence in 1989, mounting debts resulted in the club being wound up in the High Court in July 1990 with debts of almost half a million pounds. However the winding-order was lifted after one week, with funds of £200,000 from a young property developer, meant the club could kick off the 1990-91 season.
Unfortunately the club’s saviour didn’t have the sufficient funds to keep the club running, which saw him eventually end up doing time for this crooking dealings while time was ultimately called on Aldershot FC.
On 25th March 1992 the club finally went out of business, resigning from the Football League with their record expunged. The final game played was a 2-0 defeat away at Cardiff City on the 20th March.
A new club was immediately born by a group of loyal supporters, rising like a phoenix from the flames, the club reformed with the Town suffix added to the name.
The new club resumed in the Isthmian League 3rd Division the following season, winning the league title as well as the 2nd Division the following year.
The Shots progressed through the four divisions of the Isthmian League over an eleven year period, winning its Premier division in 2002-03, thus gaining promotion to the Conference.
After twice missing out in the play-offs, Aldershot were promoted from the Conference after only five years. The Shots crowned champions in 2007-08, amassing 101 points, the Hampshire town returning to League football after a 16 year exile.
The Rec is set within a public park, the Main Stand is on the north side of the ground which is a small narrow all seated stand in club colours with a striped con-iron roof. The stand is overshadowed by the large office block at the rear. The forecourt at the stand entrance has a small club shop(pin badges sold out!) and office block.
The South Stand is the oldest structure, built in 1929. The cantilever roof overhangs at the front which acts as a sun visor and overall hasn’t changed much in those 70 years apart from the odd tweak here and there for safety reasons. The stand sits centrally with a mixture of red and blue seats including a section dedicated to away supporters. There’s also a pub situated underneath the stand called Wallys Bar .
The East Bank is a large terrace which is shared with the away supporters. The stand has a barrel shaped roof which was added after the war and later extended with a flat roof at the front. There’s extra terracing which extends out towards the seated stands with the unique feature of a line of trees along the side terrace.
The High Street End is unused apart from a gangway between the north and south sides and the space is filled with large sheets of advertising on scaffold supports.
The ground has a set of the classic subbuteo type floodlights which were switched on in May 1953, the highest attendance came in January 1970 - 19,138 for a FA Cup tie with Carlisle United.
For sponsorship reasons the ground is now known as The EBB Stadium at the Recreation Ground, with a current capacity of 7,100 with 2,000 seats.
Aldershot Town are currently managed by former Birmingham City, Portsmouth and Newcastle United midfield terrier Kevin Dillon, a man certain friends remind me as the footballer that cost me a fortune.
Dillon made his United debut along with fellow experienced new signings Quinn, McGhee and Burridge in a memorable 5-2 opening day win over Leeds United, with an impressive display in the heart of the Toon midfield. He almost added to the impressive score line, hitting the post early in the game which encouraged me to back him for first goalscorer in future games.
Over the following two seasons Dillon made 76 appearances scoring a grand total of zero, so he cost me about £70, that effort in his debut being the closest he came to hitting the back of the net.
Dillers has done at good job on the quiet since taking over the manager’s hot seat in November, recent good home performances against Rochdale and Bournemouth have taking the Shots into the play-off positions.
Grimsby on the other hand went into the match without a league win in 18 games, although they can count themselves unlucky, Adam Proudlock missing a penalty five minutes from time which would’ve gave the Mariners three precious points in their fight for survival.
The visitors took the lead in the 5th minute, a low cross from Michael Coulson was deflected into his own net by John Grant. That goal gave them a bit of confidence, creating a few half chances in the opening half to extend the one goal lead.
After a half time rollicking from Dill, The Shots were a different proposition in the second half, looking more dangerous and likely to score with each foray forward.
The breakthrough came on 68 minutes, substitute Danny Hylton raced on to a Morgan flicked header to shoot past Colgan at the far post.
The home side looked set to take the points but it was the visitors who almost snatched it. A Cowan-Hall cross was a handled by Sandell, the referee taking the linesman’s advice to give the spot kick.
Proudlock stepped up and sent his shot sailing high into the East Bank, blowing the chance to end Grimsby’s barren run and preserving Aldershot’s fine home record of only one defeat at The Rec this season.
Just when you thought it was safe to open the curtains, there it was at 5.20 this morning, its back and looking bad - yet more snow, a good 2-3 inches of the shit. Thankfully I was leaving the white stuff behind heading from the naughty north to the sexy south(reference to weather) safe in the knowledge that I was heading off to warmer climes.
The mouth watering prospect of a League Two fixture between Aldershot and Grimsby was arranged back in the hazy shade of July. Grimsby Town fan and 100FgC squad#88 Graham Precious emailed me with his planned fixtures for the forthcoming season with the offer of meeting up and travelling together.
So I set off on the 0635 from Newcastle Central to Kings Cross where Graham and his son Hayden were waiting to welcome me off the train at Newark Northgate. After stopping off for a McDonalds breakfast we hit the road to Hampshire just after 9am, the journey running smoothly arriving in the town by noon.
I picked out the Royal Staff pub for pre-match bevvy and a spot of lunch, which serves a selection of Fuller’s ales. The pub is quiet cosy, the landlord, bar staff and even the boxer dog Tyler made us feel most welcome.
It was a very enjoyable day, its always great when a plan comes together and the whole day went without a hitch. I arrived back in Newark at 7.50pm, which gave me a bit time to tick off another Wetherspoons pub before catching the 2147 back home. The only disappointment on the day was actually missing out on witnessing a rare Grimsby Town victory, which would have been good to see and even better for long suffering Mariners Graham and Hayden.
League Two
Saturday 30th January 2009
Aldershot is a town in Hampshire, best known as the home of the British Army, the armed forces having established a base in the town in 1854, which became a permanent home for troops returning from the Crimean War.
The army camp saw the town’s population grow from 875 in 1851 to over 16,000 within ten years. Today the town has a population of 33,840 whilst the Aldershot Urban Area has a populace of almost a quarter of a million.
The original Aldershot FC formed in December 1926, setting up home on the council owned ’ Rec’ the following year. The first competitive match took place on August 27th in the Southern League, Grays Athletic their opponents in front of a healthy crowd of 3,500.
Aldershot were elected to the Football League Division Three South in 1932 after winning the Southern League title, replacing the defunct Thames AFC who gave up their place in the league.
The original Shots played in the Football League for 60 years, peaking at 8th in Division Three in 1973-74. The clubs suffered more lows than highs throughout their League career. The biggest highlight came at the end of the 1986-87, the first season of the Football League play offs. Aldershot finished 6th in Division Four and after seeing off Division Three bottom side Bolton Wanderers in the semi-finals they went on the beat Wolves 3-0 on aggregate in the final over two-legs. (sorry Tim!…Eddy)
The club’s financial plight first came to prominence in 1989, mounting debts resulted in the club being wound up in the High Court in July 1990 with debts of almost half a million pounds. However the winding-order was lifted after one week, with funds of £200,000 from a young property developer, meant the club could kick off the 1990-91 season.
Unfortunately the club’s saviour didn’t have the sufficient funds to keep the club running, which saw him eventually end up doing time for this crooking dealings while time was ultimately called on Aldershot FC.
On 25th March 1992 the club finally went out of business, resigning from the Football League with their record expunged. The final game played was a 2-0 defeat away at Cardiff City on the 20th March.
A new club was immediately born by a group of loyal supporters, rising like a phoenix from the flames, the club reformed with the Town suffix added to the name.
The new club resumed in the Isthmian League 3rd Division the following season, winning the league title as well as the 2nd Division the following year.
The Shots progressed through the four divisions of the Isthmian League over an eleven year period, winning its Premier division in 2002-03, thus gaining promotion to the Conference.
After twice missing out in the play-offs, Aldershot were promoted from the Conference after only five years. The Shots crowned champions in 2007-08, amassing 101 points, the Hampshire town returning to League football after a 16 year exile.
The Rec is set within a public park, the Main Stand is on the north side of the ground which is a small narrow all seated stand in club colours with a striped con-iron roof. The stand is overshadowed by the large office block at the rear. The forecourt at the stand entrance has a small club shop(pin badges sold out!) and office block.
The South Stand is the oldest structure, built in 1929. The cantilever roof overhangs at the front which acts as a sun visor and overall hasn’t changed much in those 70 years apart from the odd tweak here and there for safety reasons. The stand sits centrally with a mixture of red and blue seats including a section dedicated to away supporters. There’s also a pub situated underneath the stand called Wallys Bar .
The East Bank is a large terrace which is shared with the away supporters. The stand has a barrel shaped roof which was added after the war and later extended with a flat roof at the front. There’s extra terracing which extends out towards the seated stands with the unique feature of a line of trees along the side terrace.
The High Street End is unused apart from a gangway between the north and south sides and the space is filled with large sheets of advertising on scaffold supports.
The ground has a set of the classic subbuteo type floodlights which were switched on in May 1953, the highest attendance came in January 1970 - 19,138 for a FA Cup tie with Carlisle United.
For sponsorship reasons the ground is now known as The EBB Stadium at the Recreation Ground, with a current capacity of 7,100 with 2,000 seats.
Aldershot Town are currently managed by former Birmingham City, Portsmouth and Newcastle United midfield terrier Kevin Dillon, a man certain friends remind me as the footballer that cost me a fortune.Dillon made his United debut along with fellow experienced new signings Quinn, McGhee and Burridge in a memorable 5-2 opening day win over Leeds United, with an impressive display in the heart of the Toon midfield. He almost added to the impressive score line, hitting the post early in the game which encouraged me to back him for first goalscorer in future games.
Over the following two seasons Dillon made 76 appearances scoring a grand total of zero, so he cost me about £70, that effort in his debut being the closest he came to hitting the back of the net.
Dillers has done at good job on the quiet since taking over the manager’s hot seat in November, recent good home performances against Rochdale and Bournemouth have taking the Shots into the play-off positions.
Grimsby on the other hand went into the match without a league win in 18 games, although they can count themselves unlucky, Adam Proudlock missing a penalty five minutes from time which would’ve gave the Mariners three precious points in their fight for survival.
The visitors took the lead in the 5th minute, a low cross from Michael Coulson was deflected into his own net by John Grant. That goal gave them a bit of confidence, creating a few half chances in the opening half to extend the one goal lead.
After a half time rollicking from Dill, The Shots were a different proposition in the second half, looking more dangerous and likely to score with each foray forward.
The breakthrough came on 68 minutes, substitute Danny Hylton raced on to a Morgan flicked header to shoot past Colgan at the far post.
The home side looked set to take the points but it was the visitors who almost snatched it. A Cowan-Hall cross was a handled by Sandell, the referee taking the linesman’s advice to give the spot kick.
Proudlock stepped up and sent his shot sailing high into the East Bank, blowing the chance to end Grimsby’s barren run and preserving Aldershot’s fine home record of only one defeat at The Rec this season.
Just when you thought it was safe to open the curtains, there it was at 5.20 this morning, its back and looking bad - yet more snow, a good 2-3 inches of the shit. Thankfully I was leaving the white stuff behind heading from the naughty north to the sexy south(reference to weather) safe in the knowledge that I was heading off to warmer climes.
The mouth watering prospect of a League Two fixture between Aldershot and Grimsby was arranged back in the hazy shade of July. Grimsby Town fan and 100FgC squad#88 Graham Precious emailed me with his planned fixtures for the forthcoming season with the offer of meeting up and travelling together.
So I set off on the 0635 from Newcastle Central to Kings Cross where Graham and his son Hayden were waiting to welcome me off the train at Newark Northgate. After stopping off for a McDonalds breakfast we hit the road to Hampshire just after 9am, the journey running smoothly arriving in the town by noon.
I picked out the Royal Staff pub for pre-match bevvy and a spot of lunch, which serves a selection of Fuller’s ales. The pub is quiet cosy, the landlord, bar staff and even the boxer dog Tyler made us feel most welcome.
It was a very enjoyable day, its always great when a plan comes together and the whole day went without a hitch. I arrived back in Newark at 7.50pm, which gave me a bit time to tick off another Wetherspoons pub before catching the 2147 back home. The only disappointment on the day was actually missing out on witnessing a rare Grimsby Town victory, which would have been good to see and even better for long suffering Mariners Graham and Hayden.
Matchday Stats
ATFC 1(Hylton 68) GTFC 1(GrantOG 6)
att.3195
Admission £15
Ground no.240 Recreation Ground - Matchday Web album (20 pictures)
My Matchday - 239 Home Park
Plymouth Argyle 0v0 Newcastle United
FA Cup 3rd Round
Saturday 2nd January 2010
Plymouth is a city in Devon in the South-West of England, between the mouths of the rivers Plym and Tamar which flow into the natural harbour of Plymouth Sound.
Plymouth is renowned for its sea port. The Pilgrim Fathers set off for the New World in 1620 and established Plymouth Colony, the second English settlement in America.
The port thrived during the Industrial Revolution, building Royal Navy ships and importing goods and passengers to the States.
Famous Plymothians include nautical traders Sir John Hawkins and of course Sir Francis Drake. According to legend Drake insisted on finishing his game of bowls on the Hoe before going into battle with the Spanish Armada, in a similar way that I insist on finishing my pint before going to the match!
The city now has a population of a quarter of a million, which makes it the biggest city in the country to have never played host to the top flight of English football.
A disappointing game to start off the new year, played on a bobbly cut up pitch with both sides lacking creativity and as I predicted after only 20 minutes; “This game’s got nowts each written all over it”
It was Newcastle who had the two best chances, both coming at the end of each half. A Guthrie shot bringing out a flying save from Romain Larrieu just before half time, then as Newcastle rallied for a late winner, a Nicky Butt half volley was tipped on to the crossbar, the Argyle keeper producing another fine save.
Plymouth made only the one change after their convincing win over Reading early in the week, while United made seven, amongst those were Ryan Taylor and Fabrice Pancrate who didn’t produce a decent cross between them all afternoon.
Both sides will be disappointed with the draw, especially The Pilgrims who will have to endure the long trip north for a midweek fixture in ten days time.
Everyone knows that the furthest point between two English football league clubs is the 408 miles between St. James Park and Home Park, so how is such long time consuming trip navigated?
From Home to Home Park
FA Cup 3rd Round
Saturday 2nd January 2010
Plymouth is a city in Devon in the South-West of England, between the mouths of the rivers Plym and Tamar which flow into the natural harbour of Plymouth Sound.
Plymouth is renowned for its sea port. The Pilgrim Fathers set off for the New World in 1620 and established Plymouth Colony, the second English settlement in America.
The port thrived during the Industrial Revolution, building Royal Navy ships and importing goods and passengers to the States.
Famous Plymothians include nautical traders Sir John Hawkins and of course Sir Francis Drake. According to legend Drake insisted on finishing his game of bowls on the Hoe before going into battle with the Spanish Armada, in a similar way that I insist on finishing my pint before going to the match!
The city now has a population of a quarter of a million, which makes it the biggest city in the country to have never played host to the top flight of English football.
Home Park was originally home to rugby, where local clubs Plymouth Albion and later Devonport played during the 1890‘s. The latter club departed due to a rent dispute which left the ground vacant for three years.
In 1901 the lease was taking over by the long established Argyle Athletics Club, the ground at the time being an oval shaped bowl with a cinder track and the surrounding land made up of farmland and allotments. The ground had two structures, a main stand and a open corner west terrace on the Popular Side.
The new owners staged their first event, an athletics meeting in 1901, however leaseholder Clarence Spooner was keen to stage football as Devon lacked a senior football club. A series of successful trial matches followed which attracted healthy attendances and convinced Argyle A.C. to focus on professional football.
Plymouth Argyle FC made their competitive bow in the Southern League against Northampton Town on the 5th September 1903 in front of a crowd of 4,438.
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The Main Stand was originally a wooden structure with a centrally positioned gable with a capacity of 2,000. In 1930, ten years after joining the Football League the stand was replaced with a new full length grandstand costing £11,000.
The close proximity to the Plymouth naval base caused damage to the ground during the Second World War, the pitch was badly covered with bomb craters and worse still the grandstand was destroyed by explosives and inflammable materials.
The stand was replaced with temporary uncovered seating and a wooden pavilion was built in the corner of the pitch for the directors, which is nowadays used as a PA box.
The current Main Stand was built in 1952 with floodlight switched on in October the following year for a friendly with Exeter City.
The Leitch inspired stand runs pitch length with a green con-iron roof and windshields, seating is provided with the classic old wooden flip chairs.
In 1969-70 seats were added at the back of the lower tier, known as the Mayflower Stand which took the seating capacity to 4,100 and at the time the overall capacity to 40,000.
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Cover was first added to the Devonport End terrace in 1930 with funds generated from the supporters club and extended towards the Grandstand two years later. For safety reasons the roof was taking down in 1980 and replaced four years later, while the Lyndhurst Side terrace was covered in 1965
In 2001 work began on both these stands as well as the open Barn Park terrace and corners, which was completed in February the following year. The three sides form a horseshoe single tiered stand, decked out in dark green with a simple white trim behind each goal and PAFC along the Lyndhurst Stand.
The Field of Greens now has temporary seats which replaced the Main Stand terracing in 2007 which run up to a row of executive boxes. There is a small enclosure in the corner with floodlights now perched on top of the Lyndhurst Stand and thin pylon poles at each side of the Main Stand.
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Home Park was recently announced as a host stadium for England's 2018/2022 World Cup bid. The stadium will be redeveloped from 19,500 into a 40,000 capacity stadium, which will see the current grandstand replaced at the end of next season.
A disappointing game to start off the new year, played on a bobbly cut up pitch with both sides lacking creativity and as I predicted after only 20 minutes; “This game’s got nowts each written all over it”It was Newcastle who had the two best chances, both coming at the end of each half. A Guthrie shot bringing out a flying save from Romain Larrieu just before half time, then as Newcastle rallied for a late winner, a Nicky Butt half volley was tipped on to the crossbar, the Argyle keeper producing another fine save.
Plymouth made only the one change after their convincing win over Reading early in the week, while United made seven, amongst those were Ryan Taylor and Fabrice Pancrate who didn’t produce a decent cross between them all afternoon.
Both sides will be disappointed with the draw, especially The Pilgrims who will have to endure the long trip north for a midweek fixture in ten days time.
Everyone knows that the furthest point between two English football league clubs is the 408 miles between St. James Park and Home Park, so how is such long time consuming trip navigated?
From Home to Home ParkPlanes? - We tried to book planes to Exeter, we were quoted £82 which sounded fine. I went online to book the flights, however they forgot to mention the T.P.T.- the taking the piss tax - which meant the total fair was £151, which is too much expense so close to Xmas.
Trains? Either going cross country or via London, the journey was too long and again too expensive and wasn’t worth it.
Luxury coach travel? - Yes, I was up for that, but Ian wasn’t. He didn’t like the idea of being stuck on a coach for that length of time with the added difficulty of trying to get comfortable and catch up on some much needed sleep.
So that left us with just one option - the car. Ian was keen to drive us there after travelling by road to the likes of Portsmouth and Southampton. On one occasion he drove us to Exeter and back in one day for an evening kick off and that was just for a bliddy friendly!
So taking inspiration from the Aviva advert starring Paul Whitehouse(Green Arrrmee! …Eddy) it was Plymouth away today - “And that’s a long old poke init!”
I was looking forward to visiting Home Park but obviously apprehensive about the journey, but the trip went smoothly. I text radio station TalkSport and at 8.20am Mark Saggers and my old mucker Micky Quinn sounded quite impressed as they discussed how Shaunee Boy, Ian and Lee had departed at 3.50am on route by car to Plymouth.
After a couple of pitstops we were eventually greeted by bright sunshine with just a touch of ground frost as we pulled into the Home Park car park at 10.15am.
I took a look around the outside of the stadium and visited the club shop before gaining access inside the Main Stand for pictures, thanks to a helpful gentleman from the club.
Ian took the opportunity to catch up with his sleep, leaving myself and Lee to go on a Wetherspoons pub crawl, visiting three of the four pubs, the only one we didn’t visit was the pub nearest the ground - The Britannia, which was packed out with thirsty Geordies with the queue outside stretching back down the street.
The trek home didn’t get off to a good start as we struggled to get out of the car park. In our part of the world drivers are mostly polite and considerate to one another but in the far south it seems to be an “all for one and bugger the rest” attitude.
We encountered some heavy snow showers as we travelled through Derbyshire, but apart from that we had been very lucky with the weather, meaning I arrived safely home just after midnight.
As far as ticking off ‘The 92’ is concerned, my geographical location means this is the mightiest tick of them all and thanks to my life long travel companion Ian, it was achieved with relative ease. Plymouth supporters view the long journey very differently to us, we did it in just over six hours, so to us it’s not so much of a long old poke, more like a nice little day trip out to the coast.
Trains? Either going cross country or via London, the journey was too long and again too expensive and wasn’t worth it.
Luxury coach travel? - Yes, I was up for that, but Ian wasn’t. He didn’t like the idea of being stuck on a coach for that length of time with the added difficulty of trying to get comfortable and catch up on some much needed sleep.
So that left us with just one option - the car. Ian was keen to drive us there after travelling by road to the likes of Portsmouth and Southampton. On one occasion he drove us to Exeter and back in one day for an evening kick off and that was just for a bliddy friendly!
So taking inspiration from the Aviva advert starring Paul Whitehouse(Green Arrrmee! …Eddy) it was Plymouth away today - “And that’s a long old poke init!”
I was looking forward to visiting Home Park but obviously apprehensive about the journey, but the trip went smoothly. I text radio station TalkSport and at 8.20am Mark Saggers and my old mucker Micky Quinn sounded quite impressed as they discussed how Shaunee Boy, Ian and Lee had departed at 3.50am on route by car to Plymouth.
After a couple of pitstops we were eventually greeted by bright sunshine with just a touch of ground frost as we pulled into the Home Park car park at 10.15am.
I took a look around the outside of the stadium and visited the club shop before gaining access inside the Main Stand for pictures, thanks to a helpful gentleman from the club.
Ian took the opportunity to catch up with his sleep, leaving myself and Lee to go on a Wetherspoons pub crawl, visiting three of the four pubs, the only one we didn’t visit was the pub nearest the ground - The Britannia, which was packed out with thirsty Geordies with the queue outside stretching back down the street.
The trek home didn’t get off to a good start as we struggled to get out of the car park. In our part of the world drivers are mostly polite and considerate to one another but in the far south it seems to be an “all for one and bugger the rest” attitude.
We encountered some heavy snow showers as we travelled through Derbyshire, but apart from that we had been very lucky with the weather, meaning I arrived safely home just after midnight.
As far as ticking off ‘The 92’ is concerned, my geographical location means this is the mightiest tick of them all and thanks to my life long travel companion Ian, it was achieved with relative ease. Plymouth supporters view the long journey very differently to us, we did it in just over six hours, so to us it’s not so much of a long old poke, more like a nice little day trip out to the coast.
Ground 239 Home Park - Matchday Webalbum (20 pictures)
The 100FgC 2009 Accolades
(The 100FgC New Years Honours list)
* Best Match Attended *
Southport 2 Gateshead 3
7th March, Blue Sq. North
History suggests that Gateshead don’t usually win these crucial matches. A cracking second half with Gateshead staring defeat in the face as Southport took a 2-1 lead, before a great late come back and as the song goes..
“2-1 down, 3-2 up, Wayne Phillips he wrapped it up”
My best game of the year, great entertainment and the result and performance made it that extra special.
(2008 winner Gateshead 2v0 Fleetwood Town, 23rd Feb, Unibond Premier)
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*Goal of the Year*
Lee Novak Gateshead v Vauxhall Motors, 28th February
Deepdale - Preston North End
Haig Avenue - Southport
Classic old Football League ground, with real ale in the clubhouse named after the stand.
(2008 Ewen Fields - Hyde United)
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*Favourite ‘ My Matchday’*
The Brandon Works - Motherwell
Chicken Balti Pie
* Best Match Attended *
Southport 2 Gateshead 37th March, Blue Sq. North
History suggests that Gateshead don’t usually win these crucial matches. A cracking second half with Gateshead staring defeat in the face as Southport took a 2-1 lead, before a great late come back and as the song goes..
“2-1 down, 3-2 up, Wayne Phillips he wrapped it up”
My best game of the year, great entertainment and the result and performance made it that extra special.
(2008 winner Gateshead 2v0 Fleetwood Town, 23rd Feb, Unibond Premier)
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*Goal of the Year*
Lee Novak Gateshead v Vauxhall Motors, 28th February
Kris Gate began the move with a ball out wide to Harwood who struck a superb first time 40 yard diagonal ball into the path of the league's leading scorer, Novak.
The 20 year old chested the ball goalwards under pressure from a covering defender to lift a right foot shot past James Coates and into the far corner of the net. Class!
(2008 winner Michael Owen Newcastle Utd v Sunderland, 20th April)
(2008 winner Michael Owen Newcastle Utd v Sunderland, 20th April)
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* Favourite Uncharted Senior Ground *
* Favourite Uncharted Senior Ground *
Deepdale - Preston North End
After years and years we finallly got there and it was worth the wait.
(2008 winner Hampden Park)
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*Favourite Uncharted Non-League Ground*
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*Favourite Uncharted Non-League Ground*
Haig Avenue - Southport
Classic old Football League ground, with real ale in the clubhouse named after the stand.
(2008 Ewen Fields - Hyde United)
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*Favourite ‘ My Matchday’*
My Matchday 214 Griffin Park An excellent day, great ground with a pint or two consumer in every corner, and the day was finished off with, well, those who read the original post will know!
(2008 winner My Matchday 186 Don Valley Stadium)
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* Best Pre Match Bevvy *
The Barrels in Hereford.
A pub which I'd be proud to have as my local and that's the biggest compliment I can give it. And a quality pint too. http://bevvyalmanac.wordpress.com/2009/10/11/decent-beer-and-no-bull/
(2008 winner - Sportsman, Hyde)
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*Silver’spoon Award*
The Brandon Works - MotherwellThe best Wetherspoons purely for the good food and service, which was top quality. The bar staff are very friendly and helpful.
(2008 winner - Union Rooms, Newcastle)
(2008 winner - Union Rooms, Newcastle)
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Last but by no means least and to some the most important accolade of the calendar year..
*Scabby Eye of the Year*
*Scabby Eye of the Year*
Chicken Balti Pie
Surrey Street - Glossop North End
Delicious from the pastry through to the filling. Top Quality!
(Previous winner - Stake & Kidney at North Ferriby Utd)
Happy New Year, Have a great 2010. Cheers!
SS
My Matchday - 238 Holker Street
Barrow 3v3 Gateshead
Blue Sq. Premier
Saturday 26th December 2009
Barrow-in-Furness is a large industrial town and seaport in Cumbria, found at the tip of the Furness peninsula on the north western edge of Morecambe Bay and bordering the Irish Sea.
This small 19th Century hamlet became one of the largest iron and steel centres in the world and a major shipbuilding town. The railway was introduced to carry iron-ore, slate and lime-stone to the new port. The town’s wealth grew with the development of the steel and shipbuilding industries.
Barrow AFC were formed in 1901 and began playing competitive football in the Lancashire League. The club played at a variety of grounds in their early days, beginning at The Strawberry for three years, before moving on to Ainslie Street and Little Park until settling into their current home on Holker Street in 1909 which had been the former home of Hindpool Athletic.
In 1903 the club joined the Lancashire Combination, becoming league champions for the first and only time in 1920-21 which gained election to the Football League in the newly formed Division Three North.
The reformation of the Football League in 1958 saw Barrow placed in League Division Four, however the decade saw the club host two epic battles in the FA Cup. In 1954 a record Holker Street crowd of 16,874 witnessed a respectable 2-2 with Swansea Town, then five years later another 16,000 plus crowd saw a tremendous performance against the mighty Wolverhampton Wanderers, eventually losing the tie 4-2.
In 1966-67 the club won promotion to Division Three, which was followed by their highest league placing of 8th the following season. But within three years their 51 year stay in the Football League was over, relegation and then two bottom three finishes meant having to apply for re-election. Barrow were up against Hereford United in their fight to retain League status. The first ballot was tied with 26 votes each, then the second rounds of voting saw the Southern League side gain nine extra votes.
They returned to Non-League football in 1972 in the Northern Premier League, then joining the Alliance Premier League in 1979. Over the years the club has plied their trade within these two leagues with five sets of relegation and promotions.
The clubs most successful time came in the late ‘80’s under the leadership of former Gateshead manager Ray Wilkie. He steered the club back into the Conference by winning the Northern Premier League title in 1988-89, then lifting the FA Trophy the following season with a 3-0 win over Leek at Wembley.
The Bluebirds were placed in the Conference North when it was formed in 2004-05, then returning to the Conference by winning the league play off final in 2008 with a 1-0 win over Stalybridge Celtic.
Barrow reach the 3rd round of the FA Cup last season after seeing off Brentford in the previous round, taking on Premier League side Middlesbrough with the backing of 7,000 supporters on Teesside, their team put up a credible performance before losing 2-1.
The Bluebirds fans can again look forward to another 3rd Round cup tie in the North-east, with another large following heading over to Sunderland next week (best of luck!)
This year Holker Street has been celebrating it’s 100th birthday and now has an overall capacity of 4,256. The ground is spruced up with the stands, clubhouse and the back walls of the terraces decorating in the club colours of blue and white.
The Main Stand was opened in 1996, replacing the old wooding stand which had stood since 1912. The stand is decked out in blue with the club’s name boldly picked out in white amongst the 1,000 seats, with old fashioned brick pitch level dugouts.
Ray Wilkie Popular Side is a standing terrace with cover added towards the centre which has supporting pillars and also accommodates the PA box at the back.
There’s open terracing behind each goal, the Holker Street End is a larger terrace which curves in each corner meeting each stand, while the Crossbar End is much smaller, situated in front of a building block incorporates the club offices, changing rooms and social club, which overlooks out onto the pitch.
When entering the town the ground is visible with its set of traditional floodlights, which were erected in 1963 and purchased from Arsenal when Highbury’s lights were replaced, although one of those pylons is fairly new and doubles as a mobile phone mast.
Barrow and Gateshead shared six goals, serving up a traditional Christmas cracker with the visitors failing to maintain the lead on three occasions.
The match got off to an explosive start with two goals in the opening four minutes. Neale McDermott put Gateshead ahead with a goal his ‘fatha’ would have been proud of, after swapping passes with Daryl Clare his delicate chip from the edge of the box found the top corner and was reminiscent of Terry Mac himself.
Minutes later it was all square when a wicked 25 yard shot from Goodfellow took a slight deflection giving Farman no chance, then just before the break a cross from McDermott set up Clare for a simple finish.
Barrow drew level in the 51st minute, when a through ball found Bond on the edge of the box, who took the ball in his stride before striking a sweeping right foot shot into the far corner of the net .
An error from Barrow goalkeeper Tomlinson restored The Tynesiders lead, dropping a cross which was gratefully accepted by Clare for his second goal of the game, but once again the lead lasted only minutes as Blundell made it 3-3 on the hour mark.
Gateshead had good chances to win it, Craig Baxter was unlucky to see right foot efforts twice come back off the post while Jon Shaw also hit the woodwork from close range. Darren Williams almost clinched it late on but agonisingly saw his header cleared off the line, although if he’d scored Barrow would have probably equaliser in the final five minutes.
An excellent game with both sides serving up a Xmas treat with the 1700 plus crowd certainly getting value for money.
After living in Arctic conditions for the last week or so, I wasn’t expecting to see any traditional Boxing Day football action this year. However after checking the Barrow website, I was surprised to read that apart from a sprinkling on Christmas Eve, there had been no snow in Barrow-In-Furness.
So after we travelled across the country, through atrocious weather conditions on the A66, it was hard to believe that we were going to see a game especially with matches at Carlisle and Preston being postponed.
As we got closer to Barrow the amount of snow diminished and once we arrived in the town it was as if we had went through some kind of time warp. Green grass, bright sunshine and warmth as if we had jumped back from the middle of winter into early autumn.
Myself accompanied by Ian Tommo headed into the town in search of a decent pint. We stopped off at the Ambrose Hotel then on to the Furness Railway (Ws) where he asked the barmaid why there isn’t any snow, her explanation was that it was because we’ve got too much salt in the air! So a special thanks to the ‘power of the salt’ for making it possible by defeating the snow, thus allowing us an enjoyable day out in Barrow-in-Furness.
P.S. FREE THE GATESHEAD ONE!
BAFC 3(Goodfellow 4, Bond 50 Blundell 59)
Blue Sq. Premier
Saturday 26th December 2009
Barrow-in-Furness is a large industrial town and seaport in Cumbria, found at the tip of the Furness peninsula on the north western edge of Morecambe Bay and bordering the Irish Sea.This small 19th Century hamlet became one of the largest iron and steel centres in the world and a major shipbuilding town. The railway was introduced to carry iron-ore, slate and lime-stone to the new port. The town’s wealth grew with the development of the steel and shipbuilding industries.
Barrow AFC were formed in 1901 and began playing competitive football in the Lancashire League. The club played at a variety of grounds in their early days, beginning at The Strawberry for three years, before moving on to Ainslie Street and Little Park until settling into their current home on Holker Street in 1909 which had been the former home of Hindpool Athletic.In 1903 the club joined the Lancashire Combination, becoming league champions for the first and only time in 1920-21 which gained election to the Football League in the newly formed Division Three North.
The reformation of the Football League in 1958 saw Barrow placed in League Division Four, however the decade saw the club host two epic battles in the FA Cup. In 1954 a record Holker Street crowd of 16,874 witnessed a respectable 2-2 with Swansea Town, then five years later another 16,000 plus crowd saw a tremendous performance against the mighty Wolverhampton Wanderers, eventually losing the tie 4-2.
In 1966-67 the club won promotion to Division Three, which was followed by their highest league placing of 8th the following season. But within three years their 51 year stay in the Football League was over, relegation and then two bottom three finishes meant having to apply for re-election. Barrow were up against Hereford United in their fight to retain League status. The first ballot was tied with 26 votes each, then the second rounds of voting saw the Southern League side gain nine extra votes.
They returned to Non-League football in 1972 in the Northern Premier League, then joining the Alliance Premier League in 1979. Over the years the club has plied their trade within these two leagues with five sets of relegation and promotions.
The clubs most successful time came in the late ‘80’s under the leadership of former Gateshead manager Ray Wilkie. He steered the club back into the Conference by winning the Northern Premier League title in 1988-89, then lifting the FA Trophy the following season with a 3-0 win over Leek at Wembley.
The Bluebirds were placed in the Conference North when it was formed in 2004-05, then returning to the Conference by winning the league play off final in 2008 with a 1-0 win over Stalybridge Celtic.
Barrow reach the 3rd round of the FA Cup last season after seeing off Brentford in the previous round, taking on Premier League side Middlesbrough with the backing of 7,000 supporters on Teesside, their team put up a credible performance before losing 2-1.
The Bluebirds fans can again look forward to another 3rd Round cup tie in the North-east, with another large following heading over to Sunderland next week (best of luck!)
This year Holker Street has been celebrating it’s 100th birthday and now has an overall capacity of 4,256. The ground is spruced up with the stands, clubhouse and the back walls of the terraces decorating in the club colours of blue and white.The Main Stand was opened in 1996, replacing the old wooding stand which had stood since 1912. The stand is decked out in blue with the club’s name boldly picked out in white amongst the 1,000 seats, with old fashioned brick pitch level dugouts.
Ray Wilkie Popular Side is a standing terrace with cover added towards the centre which has supporting pillars and also accommodates the PA box at the back.
There’s open terracing behind each goal, the Holker Street End is a larger terrace which curves in each corner meeting each stand, while the Crossbar End is much smaller, situated in front of a building block incorporates the club offices, changing rooms and social club, which overlooks out onto the pitch.
When entering the town the ground is visible with its set of traditional floodlights, which were erected in 1963 and purchased from Arsenal when Highbury’s lights were replaced, although one of those pylons is fairly new and doubles as a mobile phone mast.
Barrow and Gateshead shared six goals, serving up a traditional Christmas cracker with the visitors failing to maintain the lead on three occasions.The match got off to an explosive start with two goals in the opening four minutes. Neale McDermott put Gateshead ahead with a goal his ‘fatha’ would have been proud of, after swapping passes with Daryl Clare his delicate chip from the edge of the box found the top corner and was reminiscent of Terry Mac himself.
Minutes later it was all square when a wicked 25 yard shot from Goodfellow took a slight deflection giving Farman no chance, then just before the break a cross from McDermott set up Clare for a simple finish.
Barrow drew level in the 51st minute, when a through ball found Bond on the edge of the box, who took the ball in his stride before striking a sweeping right foot shot into the far corner of the net .
An error from Barrow goalkeeper Tomlinson restored The Tynesiders lead, dropping a cross which was gratefully accepted by Clare for his second goal of the game, but once again the lead lasted only minutes as Blundell made it 3-3 on the hour mark.
Gateshead had good chances to win it, Craig Baxter was unlucky to see right foot efforts twice come back off the post while Jon Shaw also hit the woodwork from close range. Darren Williams almost clinched it late on but agonisingly saw his header cleared off the line, although if he’d scored Barrow would have probably equaliser in the final five minutes.
An excellent game with both sides serving up a Xmas treat with the 1700 plus crowd certainly getting value for money.
After living in Arctic conditions for the last week or so, I wasn’t expecting to see any traditional Boxing Day football action this year. However after checking the Barrow website, I was surprised to read that apart from a sprinkling on Christmas Eve, there had been no snow in Barrow-In-Furness.
So after we travelled across the country, through atrocious weather conditions on the A66, it was hard to believe that we were going to see a game especially with matches at Carlisle and Preston being postponed.
As we got closer to Barrow the amount of snow diminished and once we arrived in the town it was as if we had went through some kind of time warp. Green grass, bright sunshine and warmth as if we had jumped back from the middle of winter into early autumn.
Myself accompanied by Ian Tommo headed into the town in search of a decent pint. We stopped off at the Ambrose Hotel then on to the Furness Railway (Ws) where he asked the barmaid why there isn’t any snow, her explanation was that it was because we’ve got too much salt in the air! So a special thanks to the ‘power of the salt’ for making it possible by defeating the snow, thus allowing us an enjoyable day out in Barrow-in-Furness.
P.S. FREE THE GATESHEAD ONE!
BAFC 3(Goodfellow 4, Bond 50 Blundell 59)
GFC 3(McDermott 2 Clare 41,56)
Att.1727
Admission £13
My Matchday - 236 Kirkby Mills
Kirkbymoorside 0v3 Ryhope Cw
.JPG)
Kirkbymoorside is a small market town in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire between Helmsley and Pickering and approximately 25 miles north of York.
The town is known locally as Kirby, as there’s a silent K in Kirkbymoorside which I’ve only just discovered, meaning I’ve been spelling it wrong all his time.
The town has a population of 3,000 and recently it became the last town in the country to implement double yellow lines for parking restrictions.
Kirkby Mills is found off the main A170 road. On arrival you are welcoming by three gentlemen taking admission money and selling programmes and pin badges.
The car park is shared with the Bowling Club and Squash Club and is found at the top of the ground. The pitch has a slope which runs down towards the adjacent cricket pitch. At the top of the slope are a pair of white brick dugouts, each having extra bench seats at the front. There’s hard standing behind the dugouts but the popular place to watch the game is the elevated grass verge above.
The clubhouse, home and away changing rooms, refreshment bar and toilets are all within the same building, while the referee and his assistants make use of the facilities in the squash club to get changed.
Work on the ground is still ongoing with the pitch perimeter fence and wooden fencing at the front of the car park still to be finished.
Kirkbymoorside FC having played in the Scarbourgh & District League gained entry to the Wearside League last season after finishing runners-up in the Teesside League in 2007-08, finishing 10th in their debut season.
The club also have a successful reserve team, last season winning the league and another three trophies within the Beckett League.
The Moorsiders were up against Wearside League leaders Ryhope CW in the second round of the League Cup. The two clubs have met recently in the league when the visitors gubbed their hosts with four unanswered goals, today’s game was a lot closer than the score line suggests.
An even first half saw Ryhope looking more likely to score but it was Kirby who had the better chances, young striker Rivas had two good openings, the second of which produced a great save from the ‘keeper.
Ryhope’s best chance of the half fell to Butler, who raced onto a long clearance from the goalkeeper before seeing his right foot shot parried around the post. The Ryhope striker made amends early in the second half to give his side the lead, latching onto a high ball before producing a confident finish from a tight angle.
In the interval I felt if Kirby were to go on and win this tie, then they had to score first, but once they fell behind then it was virtually game over. However it wasn’t until the final five minutes that Ryhope were assured of victory, with a Hodgson own goal and a second from Butler in the final minutes booking a place in the League Cup semi finals.
Ryhope remain top of the league and will be looking to add further honours in the League Cup, a trophy they haven’t won since 1978. Kirby on the other hand are a growing club and just like today’s more experienced opponents, they too may be winning a trophy or two, sooner rather than later.
I left behind the fog on the Tyne to glorious winter sunshine in North Yorkshire. I travelled down the A19, then along the A170 through the North York Moors negotiating Sutton Bank, then passing through the picturesque valleys and rivers which eventually leads to the Yorkshire Coast towards Whitby, Robin Hood’s Bay and Scarborough.
I picked out a visit to The Moorsiders when an early kick off coincided with neighbours Pickering Town also being at home, so unfortunately I missed the last quarter of the game to head off a further six miles east for the second leg of my Ryedale double at Mill Lane.
KFC 0 RCW 3(Bultler 47, 87 Hodgson 85og)
Wearside League Cup 2nd Round
Saturday 12th December 2009
Kirkbymoorside is a small market town in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire between Helmsley and Pickering and approximately 25 miles north of York.The town is known locally as Kirby, as there’s a silent K in Kirkbymoorside which I’ve only just discovered, meaning I’ve been spelling it wrong all his time.
The town has a population of 3,000 and recently it became the last town in the country to implement double yellow lines for parking restrictions.
Kirkby Mills is found off the main A170 road. On arrival you are welcoming by three gentlemen taking admission money and selling programmes and pin badges.The car park is shared with the Bowling Club and Squash Club and is found at the top of the ground. The pitch has a slope which runs down towards the adjacent cricket pitch. At the top of the slope are a pair of white brick dugouts, each having extra bench seats at the front. There’s hard standing behind the dugouts but the popular place to watch the game is the elevated grass verge above.
The clubhouse, home and away changing rooms, refreshment bar and toilets are all within the same building, while the referee and his assistants make use of the facilities in the squash club to get changed.
Work on the ground is still ongoing with the pitch perimeter fence and wooden fencing at the front of the car park still to be finished.
Kirkbymoorside FC having played in the Scarbourgh & District League gained entry to the Wearside League last season after finishing runners-up in the Teesside League in 2007-08, finishing 10th in their debut season.The club also have a successful reserve team, last season winning the league and another three trophies within the Beckett League.
The Moorsiders were up against Wearside League leaders Ryhope CW in the second round of the League Cup. The two clubs have met recently in the league when the visitors gubbed their hosts with four unanswered goals, today’s game was a lot closer than the score line suggests.
An even first half saw Ryhope looking more likely to score but it was Kirby who had the better chances, young striker Rivas had two good openings, the second of which produced a great save from the ‘keeper.Ryhope’s best chance of the half fell to Butler, who raced onto a long clearance from the goalkeeper before seeing his right foot shot parried around the post. The Ryhope striker made amends early in the second half to give his side the lead, latching onto a high ball before producing a confident finish from a tight angle.
In the interval I felt if Kirby were to go on and win this tie, then they had to score first, but once they fell behind then it was virtually game over. However it wasn’t until the final five minutes that Ryhope were assured of victory, with a Hodgson own goal and a second from Butler in the final minutes booking a place in the League Cup semi finals.
Ryhope remain top of the league and will be looking to add further honours in the League Cup, a trophy they haven’t won since 1978. Kirby on the other hand are a growing club and just like today’s more experienced opponents, they too may be winning a trophy or two, sooner rather than later.
I left behind the fog on the Tyne to glorious winter sunshine in North Yorkshire. I travelled down the A19, then along the A170 through the North York Moors negotiating Sutton Bank, then passing through the picturesque valleys and rivers which eventually leads to the Yorkshire Coast towards Whitby, Robin Hood’s Bay and Scarborough.I picked out a visit to The Moorsiders when an early kick off coincided with neighbours Pickering Town also being at home, so unfortunately I missed the last quarter of the game to head off a further six miles east for the second leg of my Ryedale double at Mill Lane.
KFC 0 RCW 3(Bultler 47, 87 Hodgson 85og)
att.42hc
Admission £2
My Matchday - 237 Mill Lane
Pickering Town 0v1 Thackley
Northern Counties East League Premier Division
Saturday 12th December 2009
Pickering is an historic market town which lies at the south boundary of the North York Moors National Park. This tranquil town was founded by king Peredurus at around 270 BC and has been formerly known as Piceringas and Pykering.
The North Yorkshire Moors Steam Railway, which runs 18 miles north towards Grosmont on the Esk Valley is the longest of its kind in the country. Other attractions include Pickering Castle and the Beck Isle Museum of Rural Life which are popular haunts with tourists.
Pickering Town FC were formed in 1888, having spent the majority of their early years in local leagues within North Yorkshire, winning both the Scarborough & District League and York Football League during the 1950’s and ‘60’s.
In 1972 they joined the Yorkshire League 3rd Division, winning two promotions in their first three seasons to reach the leagues top division, but within four years they were back where they started after successive relegations.
In 1982 they became founder members of the Northern Counties East League, winning the Division Two title in 1987-88 with further promotion to the NCEL Premier Division achieved in 1992.
The Pikes first season in the top league was their best to date, after finishing joint top with Spennymoor United on 90 points, they narrowly missed out on the title on goal difference.
The club made a brief return to the First Division at the end of the last decade, but won promotion again after two seasons and since 2001 the club have established themselves in the NCEL Premier Division finishing a credible 3rd last season.
In 2005-06 they produced their best performance to date in the FA Vase, losing out to Nantwich Town at the quarter-final stage and have reached the second qualifying round of the FA Cup on three occasions.
The trip to Ryedale was a pleasant one. After visiting Kirkbymoorside earlier in the day, the short trip along to neighbouring Pickering took less than ten minutes.
The journey back home was another story, travelling through the North York Moors in the dark, not knowing the twist and turns in the road and heading back down Sutton Bank in the pitch black was a life threatening experience!
My driving skills saw me through and once I navigated my way onto the A19 the journey back north flew by, arriving home by 6.30pm, content with the satisfaction of ticking off two new grounds on the same day.
PTFC 0 TFC 1(Matthews 60)
Northern Counties East League Premier Division
Saturday 12th December 2009
Pickering is an historic market town which lies at the south boundary of the North York Moors National Park. This tranquil town was founded by king Peredurus at around 270 BC and has been formerly known as Piceringas and Pykering.The North Yorkshire Moors Steam Railway, which runs 18 miles north towards Grosmont on the Esk Valley is the longest of its kind in the country. Other attractions include Pickering Castle and the Beck Isle Museum of Rural Life which are popular haunts with tourists.
Pickering Town FC were formed in 1888, having spent the majority of their early years in local leagues within North Yorkshire, winning both the Scarborough & District League and York Football League during the 1950’s and ‘60’s.
In 1972 they joined the Yorkshire League 3rd Division, winning two promotions in their first three seasons to reach the leagues top division, but within four years they were back where they started after successive relegations.
In 1982 they became founder members of the Northern Counties East League, winning the Division Two title in 1987-88 with further promotion to the NCEL Premier Division achieved in 1992.
The Pikes first season in the top league was their best to date, after finishing joint top with Spennymoor United on 90 points, they narrowly missed out on the title on goal difference.
The club made a brief return to the First Division at the end of the last decade, but won promotion again after two seasons and since 2001 the club have established themselves in the NCEL Premier Division finishing a credible 3rd last season.
In 2005-06 they produced their best performance to date in the FA Vase, losing out to Nantwich Town at the quarter-final stage and have reached the second qualifying round of the FA Cup on three occasions.
Pickering Town have played at Mill Lane since 1920. The ground has two separate 100 seated stands. The Main Stand sits on the half way line an is elevated above pitch level with a mixture of blue and red seats, green framework and the club name facing out towards the pitch. The dugouts are situated between the half way line and corner flag with the remainder of this side having hard standing.
The Stand at the far end is situated at one side of the goal, which has fours rows of red flip seats. The side opposite the Main stand is out of bounds, with only a picket fence to divide the ground from the neighbouring cricket pitch and of course this end forms the top of the famous slope. The nearside goal has a covered terrace with a capacity of 300 which runs halfway parallel to the penalty spot, next to the spacious clubhouse which has a bar with a weekly guest ale(missed out because of the car) and a large canteen at the back.
There’s five floodlights pylons which were installed in 1992 and the record attendance came in 1991, 1,412 for a friendly with Notts. County.
Pickering Town fresh from booking their place in the next round of the FA Vase in midweek were back in league action against West Yorkshire side Thackley.
The game was entertaining with both sides producing plenty of openings, be it only half chances, as both defences stayed firm in the opening half an hour.
Thackley finished the first half on top and thought they had taking the lead on 35 minutes. A corner kick was headed home by centre half Airey only to be ruled off by the linesman who spotting an infringement, even though the referee initially seemed happy enough to award a goal.
The decision enraged the Thackley players who spent the remainder of the half kicking anything in a blue shirt that moved which produced a bad tempered end to the first half.
The two teams club colours of Pickering’s all blue and Thackley’s red shirts and white sleeves made it look like a Chelsea v Arsenal clash, but without the fannying about brand of football or a big daft centre forward falling over as if someone as much as farted next to him.
The winning goal from Thackley’s number 10 had the stamp of a legendary Arsenal number 10. Nicky Matthews picked the ball up 25 yards from goal, weighing up his options before deciding to go it alone, going past three defenders with ease, before coolly slotting the ball wide of the ‘keeper in the style of one Dennis Bergkamp.
Thackley had chances to seal the three points but the Pikes had chances of their own. In the dying minutes Fox had an effort cleared off the line and then in injury time Pickering almost snatched a point, Higginson pulling off a fantastic save from a Aziz shot, tipping his ferocious effort over the bar.
Overall the visitors deserved their win and as a neutral I enjoyed an entertaining encounter.
The trip to Ryedale was a pleasant one. After visiting Kirkbymoorside earlier in the day, the short trip along to neighbouring Pickering took less than ten minutes.The journey back home was another story, travelling through the North York Moors in the dark, not knowing the twist and turns in the road and heading back down Sutton Bank in the pitch black was a life threatening experience!
My driving skills saw me through and once I navigated my way onto the A19 the journey back north flew by, arriving home by 6.30pm, content with the satisfaction of ticking off two new grounds on the same day.
PTFC 0 TFC 1(Matthews 60)att.85
Admission £5
Ground no.237 Mill Lane - Matchday Web album (13 pictures)
WSC 2009 Web Awards - 100FGC wins Bronze Award.
I received news last night of my humble little blog winning a prestigious award.The 100 Football Grounds Club website is honoured to have achieved a Bronze Award in the 2009 When Saturday Comes Web Awards.
So all that’s left to say is…thank you friends, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you!
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Also amongst the medals was European Football Weekends which is writing by 100FGC squad#77 Danny Last and friend of 100FGC - Tom Dunmore, who achieved a Gold Award for the excellent Pitch Invasion. Well done lads!
http://www.wsc.co.uk/content/view/4195/38/
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My Matchday - 235 Genix Healthcare Stadium
Garforth Town 2v4 Colwyn Bay
Garforth Town have strong links with the Boys from Brazil, wearing both home and away copycat kits. Ambitious owner and now former team manager Simon Clifford bought the club in 2003, clearing the clubs debts. He introduced Brazilian training methods to the club, as part of his SOCATOTS chain of football academies at both home and worldwide.
Brazilian legend Socrates turned out for the side in 2004, while on a one month loan as a player-coach. His debut against Tadcaster Albion produced a record home crowd of 1,385, former international Careca also adorned the yellow shirt of Garforth in 2005-06.
Garforth moved to their current ground in 1998, originally named Wheatley Park after the ground’s building contactor Michael Wheatley. It has also been known as The Marston's Stadium, as part of a sponsorship deal with the brewery, then from 2006 local dentists Genix Healthcare took over the naming rights.
The ground is a good 15 minute walk from the train station in the middle of a housing estate on the edge of town. The houses were part of the same development as the stadium and are quite posh, some of the owners have giving their homes individual names with the likes of ‘The Ascot’ and ‘The Woburn.’ I can’t really criticise as I wanted to do the same thing with my own house, calling it ‘Gallowgate View’ but unfortunately the breadknife was having none of it and firmly put her foot down on the idea.
The stadium focuses itself around one stand with open hard standing around the other three sides. The main stand is a beauty, originally known as the 'Safer Roads Stand' then renamed ‘The Norman Hebbron Stand’ in honour of the long-serving club president.
The brick built stand has 238 seats, split into four blue sections with the club initials spelt out in yellow within each section. Access to the seats is via staircases at the back of the stand. Below is a standing paddock behind the team dugouts and the stand is topped off with a distinctive elevated roof.
The clubhouse is called the Mineiros Bar and is decorated with Brazilian football memorabilia including framed signed shirts from Ronaldo and Romario. In between the bar and stand is another room used by club officials for hospitality purposes which forms a bridge between both structures.
Colwyn Bay went joint top of Unibond Division 1 North with three goals in a four minutes burst in the opening quarter of an hour.
They took the lead in the 11th minute, a free kick from the edge of the box was slammed home by Eddie Jebb, his shot finding the postage stamp frame of the goal.
Minutes later Jebb’s corner kick was nodded home at the near post by Ian Sheridan, then the same two players linked up again, Jebb’s cross found the unmarked Sheridan, leaving him with an easy finish.
Sheridan completed his hat-trick before half time, managing to stay onside before racing through on goal and finishing like a natural striker. Sheridan usually plays in midfield for the Seasiders and was playing as a centre forward for the first time. After this outstanding first half performance I’m sure it won’t be his last in a number nine shirt.
Garforth produced a plucky second half performance. They had nothing to lose so they give it a good go with a spirited display with left winger Chris Ovington and top scorer Tom Greaves looking impressive for The Miners. They were rewarded with two late goals which made the score look more respectable. Greaves scored both, the first after latching on the a long ball from the keeper and in the final minute showed good skill to go past the defender and finished well.
This win put Colwyn Bay level on points with Curzon Ashton at the top, but the Welshmen have a game in hand and look good bet for the league title.
I took advantage of a special offer of £6 train tickets to York to pay a visit to the West Yorkshire Brazil. The train journey from York to Garforth is less than 15 minutes away, so after leaving Newcastle at 11.30 and stopping off for in York for a beer break, I arrived in Garforth by 1.15pm.
A quite enjoyable day out which was topped off with a very entertaining match. Whilst in town I naturally stopped off for a few drinks, visiting the pub where the club originated from; the Miners Arms as well as having a Speckled Hen in the Gaping Goose! Which is, in case you don’t know, a quality pint of beer served in one of Garforth’s best pubs and not as it sounds - some kind of poultry porn!
Matchday stats
GTFC 2(Greaves 84,89)CBFC 4(Jebb 10 Sheridan 12,13,35)
Unibond Division 1 North
Saturday 5th December 2009
Garforth is a town in West Yorkshire within the City of Leeds. Originally a coal mining area, the town expanded during the 17th and 18th centuries when local landowners the Gascoigne family ran several coalmines in the region.
Garforth is now more of a commuter town, with its close proximity to Leeds city centre with the A1, M1 and M62 motorways close by.
The club originated as a Sunday morning pub team when formed in 1964. The Miners Arms had to play home games on the Welfare Ground in nearby Swillington as there was no pitch available in Garforth.
The team switched to Saturday football in 1976, gaining a place in the West Yorkshire League and acquired a ground of their own in the town, on a former rubbish dump on Brierlands Lane. A small covered stand and changing rooms were build at a cost of £3,000, but further progress was held back because of the refusal of installing floodlights because of nearby houses. (lights were eventually erected in 1995 after a petition to the local council)
In 1978 they accepted a place in the 3rd Division of the Yorkshire League, although a name change to Garforth Miners was required as the league didn’t accept pub teams. The club continued to progress, becoming members of the newly formed Northern Counties East League in 1982 after the merger of the old Midlands and Yorkshire Leagues.
Another name change to the present Garforth Town came in 1985, which coincided with winning promotion from Division 2. The club remained in Division 1 until winning further promotion in 1998 to NCEL Premier Division.
Success in both the League Cup and West Riding Cup followed, as well as relegation and again promotion until finishing runners-up in the Premier Division in 2006-07 which gained entry to the Unibond League.
The Miners finished 10th then last season 16th in Unibond Division 1 North, and regained the West Riding County Cup beating Bradford Park Avenue 5-4 on penalties in the final.
Garforth Town have strong links with the Boys from Brazil, wearing both home and away copycat kits. Ambitious owner and now former team manager Simon Clifford bought the club in 2003, clearing the clubs debts. He introduced Brazilian training methods to the club, as part of his SOCATOTS chain of football academies at both home and worldwide.
Brazilian legend Socrates turned out for the side in 2004, while on a one month loan as a player-coach. His debut against Tadcaster Albion produced a record home crowd of 1,385, former international Careca also adorned the yellow shirt of Garforth in 2005-06.
Garforth moved to their current ground in 1998, originally named Wheatley Park after the ground’s building contactor Michael Wheatley. It has also been known as The Marston's Stadium, as part of a sponsorship deal with the brewery, then from 2006 local dentists Genix Healthcare took over the naming rights.
The ground is a good 15 minute walk from the train station in the middle of a housing estate on the edge of town. The houses were part of the same development as the stadium and are quite posh, some of the owners have giving their homes individual names with the likes of ‘The Ascot’ and ‘The Woburn.’ I can’t really criticise as I wanted to do the same thing with my own house, calling it ‘Gallowgate View’ but unfortunately the breadknife was having none of it and firmly put her foot down on the idea.
The stadium focuses itself around one stand with open hard standing around the other three sides. The main stand is a beauty, originally known as the 'Safer Roads Stand' then renamed ‘The Norman Hebbron Stand’ in honour of the long-serving club president.
The brick built stand has 238 seats, split into four blue sections with the club initials spelt out in yellow within each section. Access to the seats is via staircases at the back of the stand. Below is a standing paddock behind the team dugouts and the stand is topped off with a distinctive elevated roof.
The clubhouse is called the Mineiros Bar and is decorated with Brazilian football memorabilia including framed signed shirts from Ronaldo and Romario. In between the bar and stand is another room used by club officials for hospitality purposes which forms a bridge between both structures.
Colwyn Bay went joint top of Unibond Division 1 North with three goals in a four minutes burst in the opening quarter of an hour.They took the lead in the 11th minute, a free kick from the edge of the box was slammed home by Eddie Jebb, his shot finding the postage stamp frame of the goal.
Minutes later Jebb’s corner kick was nodded home at the near post by Ian Sheridan, then the same two players linked up again, Jebb’s cross found the unmarked Sheridan, leaving him with an easy finish.
Sheridan completed his hat-trick before half time, managing to stay onside before racing through on goal and finishing like a natural striker. Sheridan usually plays in midfield for the Seasiders and was playing as a centre forward for the first time. After this outstanding first half performance I’m sure it won’t be his last in a number nine shirt.
Garforth produced a plucky second half performance. They had nothing to lose so they give it a good go with a spirited display with left winger Chris Ovington and top scorer Tom Greaves looking impressive for The Miners. They were rewarded with two late goals which made the score look more respectable. Greaves scored both, the first after latching on the a long ball from the keeper and in the final minute showed good skill to go past the defender and finished well.
This win put Colwyn Bay level on points with Curzon Ashton at the top, but the Welshmen have a game in hand and look good bet for the league title.
I took advantage of a special offer of £6 train tickets to York to pay a visit to the West Yorkshire Brazil. The train journey from York to Garforth is less than 15 minutes away, so after leaving Newcastle at 11.30 and stopping off for in York for a beer break, I arrived in Garforth by 1.15pm.A quite enjoyable day out which was topped off with a very entertaining match. Whilst in town I naturally stopped off for a few drinks, visiting the pub where the club originated from; the Miners Arms as well as having a Speckled Hen in the Gaping Goose! Which is, in case you don’t know, a quality pint of beer served in one of Garforth’s best pubs and not as it sounds - some kind of poultry porn!
Matchday stats
GTFC 2(Greaves 84,89)CBFC 4(Jebb 10 Sheridan 12,13,35)
att.107
Admission £7
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