My Matchday - 444 Somervell Park

Cambuslang Rangers 1v1 Wishaw Juniors

(Wishaw win 3-2 on penalties)

Euroscot Eng Central League Cup Rd 2

Saturday 28th March 2015

This was my third trip north of the border in the space of seven days, after attending the Sunday leg of the Lowlands Hop followed by the Scotland v Northern Ireland international at Hampden on Wednesday night. This week I was back on my Scottish Joons trail with a trip to Cambuslang, just outside Glasgow.

Whereabouts and Whatsabouts
Cambuslang is a suburban town located just south of the River Clyde, about 6 miles south-east of Glasgow city centre. It is known as "the largest village in Scotland", having a population of around 24,500, with historical links to coal mining, iron and steelmaking.
Cambuslang is an ancient part of South Lanarkshire where Iron Age remains loom over modern day housing estates. Due to its location, the town has been very prosperous over time, due to its agricultural land and mineral resources underfoot, such as limestone, iron and coal. This wealth was guarded by the medieval Church, and later by the local upper classes, particularly the Duke of Hamilton. These riches made the town intimately concerned in the politics of the country and over the centuries the Church has made Cambuslang a major focal point.
The manufacturing industries attracted workers from the rest of Scotland, Ireland and other European countries. This diverse population increase posed problems in housing, employment and education, although Cambuslang has always benefited from its closeness to the thriving city of Glasgow. The two brought closer in the 18th century by a turnpike road then of course the railway and nowadays wider communication networks, particularly the M74 motorway.
The town was represented at the start of the Scottish Football League in 1890-91. Cambuslang FC were founder members but folded after just two seasons in the new league, their most notable achievement being runners-up in the Scottish Cup in 1888.

Plantpot History
The football club were originally known as Leeside and joined the Junior ranks in 1892, changing their name to Clyde Rovers. They became Cambuslang Rangers in 1899, also changing their kit from red and white to Royal Blue to become “The Wee Gers”.
They joined the Glasgow and District Junior League in 1900-01, winning their first trophy as champions in 1901-02 before repeating the feat the following year. The club switched to the Glasgow League in 1904, winning the title in 1911, 1912 and 1916 and finished that decade by reaching their first Junior Cup final in 1920, losing to Parkhead 2-0.
In 1927 they again lost out in the Junior Cup final to Glencair, but made it third time lucky in 1938 defeating Benburb 3-2 at Celtic Park. When football resumed after the Second World War they got to another final but were defeated 3-1 by Burnbank Athletic.During the 1950s and 60s the club won a few minor cup honours and lost two more Junior finals against Dunbar United in 1961 and Johnstone Burgh in ‘64.
 After a thirty year wait the the Scottish Junior Cup was finally brought back to Somervell Park, when they defeated Kirkintilloch Rob Roy 1-0 in the 1969 final at Hampden Park. This heralded a golden era for the club, as they went on to beat Newtongrange Star 2-1 in the 1971 final and retained the trophy with a 3-2 win over Bonnyrigg Rose after a replay. This was the first time a club had back-to-back wins in this century and they almost made it a hat-trick, but were thwarted by Irvine Meadow, losing 1-0 in the second replay.
Cambuslang earned the title of "Junior Side of the Century" by the Scottish Newspapers, as during this era they were also winning an array of league titles and cup honours. The Lang added the top prize yet again to regain the Scottish Junior Cup with a 3-1 win over Linlithgow Rose in 1974. Since that golden era silverware has been hard to come by, although they did win the 2nd Division of the Central League in 1989-90 and the Division One title the following season. They currently play in the Central District Second Division.

Ground no.444 Somervell Park
(Scottish Grounds 58 Junior Grounds 13 Lifetime Junior winners 8/27)

The Lang originally played on a park at the "Old Mill" before renting a new ground at Somervell Park in 1904. The ground was named after the property owners, with the first ever match against local rivals Rutherglen Glencairn.
The original wooden stand was replaced with a new pavilion in January 1937, then in December 1941 the football club became owners of the ground having bought it from Colvilles Ltd. This purchase left the club in debt, which was eventually cleared through fundraising and social activities by the committee. In December 1970 they formed the Cambuslang Rangers Social and Recreation Club called Sweepers Lounge Bar. The licensed premises opened with extensive renovations made on the pavilion at the same time. The standing enclosure is about two-thirds pitch length with eight large steps of terracing which runs around the other three sides. The dugouts are opposite built into the perimeter wall. The changing rooms and food hut are at the corner entrance next to Sweepers. The open elements show panoramic views of Glasgow.

The Match
Cambuslang were up against Wishaw in the 2nd round of the Central League Cup. The visitors were the better side throughout the first half, after going behind to an early strike from Grant Howarth, who cheekily lobbed the 'keeper from the edge of the box. After missing several good chances Wishaw finally levelled just before half time, when Chalmers received a left wing cross to place his shot out of the 'keepers reach from the edge of the box.
The second half was an even affair but Wishaw finished the game on top but were unable to grab the vital winner. The whistle blew with the teams still level, however Wishaw deserved their shoot out victory, with Sandy Thomson saving twice to win the penalty shoot out by 3 strikes to 2. 

Matchday Stats
GRFC 1(Howarth 8) WJFC 1(Charmers 45)
Att.160hc
Top Bloke - Charmers (Wishaw)

Spondoolicks
Admission £4
Programme: none
Pin badges - 2 badges of old and new design giving free by the club photographer....Many Thanx!
Bovril and Scotch pie £2

My Matchday
Akin to last Saturday’s trip to Dover, I wasn't a "William no mates" as Honest Paul came along for the ride, as we boarded the 7.43 to Edinburgh, then following a quick train swap we arrived in Glasgow at 10.25.
The journey between Edinburgh and Glasgow was pretty stressful, as my Scottish Joons twitter feed list saw the fixtures in the West Region dropping like flies after a night of heavy rain. I was expecting to yet again look for an alternative match, but as I was enjoying my first drink of the day in the Camperdown Place, the news came from the Wishaw Juniors feed that the match was on.
Cambuslang is just an eight minute journey from Glasgow Central, so we enjoyed a good drink before and after the match, including the impressive new Wetherspoons in the town; The John Fairweather on Main Street which was a picture house in its previous life.
To allow ourselves more time in Glasgow we travelled back via Carlisle, where we enjoyed an hilarious ninety minutes in Cumbria before catching the 0924 back to the Toon. So overall a cracking day out which managed to tick all the right boxes as we enjoyed visiting a friendly club, a smashing old ground, a good game of football and of course, a canny bevvy!

Foetoes(Matchday album of 31 pictures from Somervell)

Footnote
All going well I’m in the process of writing a book on the winners of the Junior Cup over the last 50 years, so I’ll be writing a more thorough piece on my matchday at Cambuslang. This chapter will also include my first childhood memory and the confessions of Honest Paul. 
You can check the progress and a map of the grounds on my list on the T’Do Page.

Bevvy Almanac (Scotland only)
Camperdown Place
Mauldons ‘Bronze Adder’(4.1%)***
The Counting House
Brains ‘Pocket Full of Rye’(4.3%)**+
Weltons ‘Churchillian’(6.6%)***
Caledonian Merman XXX(4.8%)****
The Crystal Palace
Celt Experience ‘A False Dawn’(4.4%)****+
The John Fairweather (Main St,Camuslang)
Robinsons Mojo(3.7%)***+
Pot Still (Hope Street)
Scottish Border ‘Foxy Blonde’ (3.8%)****
Also the usual pint of ‘Bitter & Twisted’ in The Horse Shoe and a Deuchars IPA in the Royal Scot.

My Matchday - 443 Meadow Park

Threave Rovers 2v3 Edinburgh University

Lowlands Football League

Sunday 22nd Match 2015 (KO 3pm) 

After the game at Dalbeattie Star is was a quick 7 mile drive along the A747 for the next match at Threave Rovers. The club are based in Castle Douglas, a town in the eastern part of Galloway known as the Stewartry.
The town was founded in 1792 by William Douglas, a wealthy descendant of the Douglas family who made his dosh in an 'American Trade' and created a town, based on the street grid plan pattern used in Edinburgh’s new town, which was built around the same time. Sir William also created a number of industries in Castle Douglas, including hand-woven cotton factories from which Cotton Street derives its name.
Castle Douglas is built next to Carlingwark Loch and to the north of the town Glenlochar is the site of two successive Roman forts, the first being erected during the invasion of Agricola and the second during the Antonine period. Nearby Threave Castle was a seat of the powerful "Black" Earls of Douglas from the late 14th century until their fall in 1455. 

Plantpot History
Threave Rovers FC was founded in October 1953, taking their name from the former Threave Tearooms, where ten regular customers formed a new football club. They spent their early years playing in friendlies and local cup competitions until replaced Whithorn in the South of Scotland Football League in 1959.  
They won the league title for the first time in 1964-65 and a further six times before moving to the East of Scotland Football League in 1998. The reserve team continued to perform in the South of Scotland League, before the club as a whole returned in 2004 after just six season, due to the financial burden of constantly travelling east to games.
Threave won the league for the seventh time in the 2005-06 season, before going on to be champions in four out of the next five seasons. The club have also won an array of cup honours, most notably in the Potts Cup, which they've won eight times and six victories in the South of Scotland League Cup.
They produced a big cup shock when defeating Third Division side Stenhousemuir 1–0 in the second round of the Scottish Cup in 2007-08, then hosted Raith Rovers in the next round, but Rovers lost the game 0–5. Threave joined the Lowland Football League in 2013 as founder members.

Ground no.443 Meadow Park

(Scottish Grounds 59 Lowlands League 8/14)

Maybe it was because of all the black and white on show that I really adored this ground. Once you enter through the paying gate all the amenities are in front of you behind the goal. The refreshment bar adjoins the entrance, with the changing room block (opened in 1996) the Rovers Bar, hospitality suite and committee room are all lined up together in gleaming white, with plenty of standing room in front.

The stand is on the opposite side with six rows of white flip seats courtesy of St Mirren’s old Love Street ground. The front two rows are larger at both sides but aren’t covered and the stand is finished off with the club name on the perimeter wall at the front. The dugouts are opposite with stepped terracing at one side running towards the entrance. The capacity is just under 1800 with around 100 seats.

The Match

Threave Rovers’ kit comprises of a black and white striped jersey and black shorts, plus they enter the field to the sound of “Local Hero” which either means they have a connection to a club close to my heart, or they did this for my own benefit, if that’s the case, then..thank you!..it’s much appreciated!

Another good game where the form book looked to have been chucked out of the window, until Rovers were denied by a late winner. They took the lead after only seven minutes when a shot from Jamie Struthers took a wicked deflection which left the ‘keeper stranded. The lead only lasted five minutes, as Finns Daniels-Yeoman ran onto a neat through ball to fire home into the bottom corner, but they regained the advantage just before the interval with Andrew Donley nodded in a left wing cross at the far post.

The University side played really well in the second half, equalising just after the hour mark when Joe Aitken capitalised on some slack defending before Dan Ward fired in from 20 yards ten minutes from time, his strike similar to the opening goal of the game; finding the net via a big deflection. 

Threave pushed for a late equaliser to grab a point which their overall effort deserved, but their case wasn’t helped by a late sending off for Ian Miller after a fracas with a Uni defender, so they remain at the foot of the table losing out to the odd goal in five.

Matchday Stats

TRFC 2(Struthers 7 Donley 43) 

EUAFC 3(Daniels-Yeoman 12 Aitken 61 Ward 81)

Att.462

Top Bloke - Dan Ward(Edinburgh University)

Spondoolicks

Admission £5

Programme £1.50

Pin Badge £3

Scotch Pie £1.20

Coffee 50p

Pint of Sulwath ‘The Grace’ (4.3%) £2.50

As I mentioned in the last post, it was good to catch up with groundbagging friends and everyone I spoke to said they enjoyed the weekend. The Lowland League hop will be back next season with the last remaining clubs that don’t groundshare, which will be a popular entry in everyone’s fixture diary. My own busy weekend of travelling ended when Peter dropped me off back home at 7.15pm. I was cattle trucked after covering just under 1000 miles in two days, but it was well worth the effort and overall a very enjoyable weekend.

Foetoes (Matchday album of 19 pictures from Meadow Park)

My Matchday - 442 Islecroft Stadium

Dalbeattie Star 2v1 Edinburgh City
Lowlands Football League
Sunday 22nd March 2015 (k.o Noon)

Much gratification to the organisers at Groundhop UK for sorting the weekend fixtures in my favour. The first ever Lowlands League hop kicked off at East Kilbride on Friday night, followed by three matches at grounds I’ve already ticked on Saturday. This meant I could watch the Heed at Dover and return home before visiting two new grounds the next day. 

Also a big thank you to Peter Taylor who picked me up on Sunday morning, and along with Lee and Katie(who left her car at 100FgC HQ) we heading off to Dumfries and Galloway at 8am.

We arrived in Dalbeattie at 10.15, early enough to get a good parking spot at the ground before taking a short stroll in the town, which is is situated in the valley of the River Urr. The river flows from the north to the Solway Firth and passes by the west side of the town. Dalbeattie is known as the “Granite Town” due to an abundance of distinctive grey granite. The town today has a greatly reduced industry and most residents commute to the nearby town of Dumfries and is a frequent tourists stop due to its access to the Solway coast.

Plantpot History
Dalbeattie Star Football Club formed in 1905 and competed in the South of Scotland Football League. They won the league title for the first time in 1924-25 followed by championship success five years running at the turn of the 1930’s. More honours followed in the South of Scotland Challenge Cup, the South of Scotland Cup and the Potts Cup before the club folded prior to the Second World War. The club rejoined the league after the conflict, but lasted just one season before they folded altogether in 1948.
The Star was brought back to life in 1976 at Islecroft Stadium, winning their first trophy in the J Haigh Gordon Memorial Trophy in 1977-78. The South of Scotland League title returned to Dalbeattie after a gap of over 50 years, which was won two years running from 1984-85 and again in 1988-89. In 1983 Islecroft hosted its first Scottish Cup tie against Arbroath, and more trophy success followed in the League Cup, local cup competitions and they took their tally of Potts Cup wins to nine.
The club also entered a team in the East of Scotland League in 2001-02, winning promotion as Division One runners-up in 2003-04, then after relegation were champions 2006-07. In the club’s final season before resigning from the East of Scotland League they almost won the Premier Division, but were pipped by Spartans in the final match of the season.
The Star became founding members of the Lowlands Football League in 2013 but not before winning the league and cup double in the South of Scotland League in their concluding seasons.

Ground no.442 Islecroft Stadium
(Scottish Grounds 58 Lowland League 7/14)

The 3,500 capacity ground is dominated by a old fashioned but very handsome looking stand. The 300 capacity structure has a dark green frame with levitated seating with the changing rooms situated underneath. The stair access to the stand is at the sides with a few steps of terracing at the front. The refreshment bar is at the side of the turnstile block and the team dugouts are at the far side. The ground has an oval perimeter with grass banking which peaks behind the top goal.

The Match
Dalbeattie Star hosted Edinburgh City, the new winners of the Lowland League. Due to results elsewhere The City were crowned champions over the weekend, so were giving a guard of honour as the teams entered the field. The champs most have been out celebrating the night before as they were caught napping with just 67 seconds gone, when Jack Steele latched onto a long through ball before showing an electric turn of pace to fire into the far corner from the inside left channel.  City grabbed the equaliser just before the half time whistle, when Dougie Gair ran onto a square ball to side foot home from fifteen yards.
The second half was a cracking affair, with both teams going all out for a winner. The visitors just shaded it on chances created but it was the Star that clinched the three points when Liam Park was fouled in the box by Frazer Paterson. Lewis Sloan fired home the spot-kick in the 78th minute to give the champions their first defeat of the season following 17 wins and 2 draws in a terrific campaign.

Matchday Stats
DSFC 2(Steele 2 Sloan 78) ECFC 1(Gair 45)
Att.400
Top Bloke - Darren Martin(Dalbeattie Star)

Spondoolicks
Admission £5
Programme £2
Pin badge £3
Square sausage sandwich £1.50
Tea 80p

Sloan fires in the spot-kick

Dalbeattie were great hosts, adding to the occasion with the town’s own Galloway Pipes and Drums performing before kickoff. As is always the case with these groundhopping events it was good to meet up with my 100FgC friends and acquaintances, meeting a few ‘hoppers for the first time. So a great start to the day with a cracking ground and entertaining match, the only negative being the macaroni pies sold out, which was my own fault as my hunger pangs didn’t kick in until the second half, so a scabby eye would have to wait until the next match at Threave Rovers.

Foetoes (24 Matchday pictures from Islecroft Stadium)

My Matchday - 441 Crabble Athletic Ground

Dover Athletic 1v0 Gateshead

Vanarama Conference

Saturday 21st March 2015

Over the last few years I've just fallen short of completing the Conference and the top 116 clubs, so at long last I've finally achieved my goal after a long tiring journey to Dover Athletic.

Whereabouts and Whatsabouts

Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, facing France across the narrowest part of the English Channel. The town is an administrative centre and home of the Dover Calais ferry through the Port of Dover. The famous surrounding chalk cliffs have become known as the White Cliffs of Dover at the narrow sea passage nearby the Strait of Dover, which may have give England its ancient name of Albion, meaning “white” 

The name of the town derives from the River Dous which flows through the town and is also one of only a few places in Britain to have a corresponding name in the French language - Douvres.

Historically the town goes back to the Stone Age, but the coming of the Romans made Dover part of their communications network, connected by road to Canterbury and Watling Street and it became a fortified port -  Portus Dubris. Forts and lighthouses were constructed to guide passing ships and it has one of the best preserved Roman villas in Britain.

Dover was also one of the Cinque Ports during medieval times along the Kent and Sussex coast and has served as a guard against various attackers, most notably the French during the Napoleonic Wars, and against Germany during World War II.  The medieval Dover Castle hails from the 12th century. The largest castle in the country was described as the "Key of England" due to its defensive significance throughout history

Plantpot History
Dover Athletic Football Club was formed in 1983 after the dissolution of the town's previous club - Dover FC. The town’s original club dated back to 1894, having started life in the Kent League and were members of the Southern League from 1959.
The new club took their place in the Southern League, winning promotion as champions from the South Division in 1987-88. Two years later they won the Southern League championship, but failed to gain promotion to the Conference due to ground regulations. A second league title followed in 1992-93 and promotion was granted after extensive work to the Crabble. They spent nine seasons in the Conference before suffering relegation in 2001–02. The club moved to the Isthmian League Premier Division in 2004, but another poor season coupled with financial problems led to further relegation. Back to back championship seasons from 2007 took The Whites into the Conference South for the 2009-10 season. After five seasons and knocking on the promotion door several times, they returned to the Conference after a twelve year absence, defeating Ebbsfleet United in the play-off final.

Ground no.441 Crabble Athletic Ground
(Non League 20 Current Conference 24/24)

Crabble Meadows opened in 1897 in the suburb of River on the outskirts of Dover. The word “ Crabble” is the name of a local corn mill which derives from the Old English crabba hol, meaning a hole in which crabs are found.
The pitch was shared with Kent County Cricket Club, who were given priority over the football team, which resulted in the council laying out a new football pitch further up the hillside, behind the lower pitch's pavilion. The first match played on the "upper pitch" took place in September 1931, with a small stand being constructed the following year. The football club then used the upper pitch whenever the lower pitch was unavailable due to cricket matches.The final game on the lower took place on the 26th March 1951, and the first on the upper was held eleven days later against Fulham in a friendly, as the club moved there on a permanent basis, initially paying the council rent of £300 a year.
The new grandstand was opened by the Deputy Mayor before a match with Folkestone in August 1951 and the Supporters Association financed a covered terrace behind the town goal. Floodlights were added in 1961 and inaugurated with a match against a Chelsea XI, which included Terry Venables in the side.
This stand runs the full length of the pitch with five rows of red seats. The stand is split by a larger section in the middle for the press and directors lounge at the top.

The work required to bring the stadium up to Conference status at the start of the 90’s included new turnstiles and two new terraces behind both goals. The seating in the main stand was replaced and a second stand was added on the opposite side. 
The Family Stand is a small covered all seated stand running up from the Dover End to the half way line. The paying entrance is also on this side behind the dugouts with the clubhouse beside it next to the River End. Both ends are similar looking covered terraces, which have a lot of supporting pillars, with an electric scoreboard on the front of the roof. The capacity of the Crabble is 5,745 with 1500 seats

The Match
What a terrible game of football. Mislaid passes, poor crossing and in Gateshead's case not a decent effort on goal. The decisive moment of the game arrived in the 53rd minute when a left wing cross landing in the path of Connor Essam who snack a 20 yard volley past Bartlett.
That's it regarding the key points of the game, the Heed were very poor, very poor indeed and Dover were slightly better...but only just. 
To add a bit more misery to a miserable afternoon, the match announcer gave notification of the attendance without mentioning the long journey made by the away supporters and didn't wish us a safe journey home. This is my only recollection of this happening since we returned to the Conference, even Darlington wished us well and that's only twenty odd mile away and not 335 miles and a lot of travelling expense.
Dover are looking to round off their first season back in the Conference with a good run in and a top ten finish. As for Gateshead, after two back to back wins over the last week they blew a golden opportunity to enhance their play-off chances, which was summed up by a Dover fan who I overheard saying to his mate as we departed the ground; "They're not that special Gateshead are they?"

Matchday Stats
DAFC 1(Essam 53) GFC 0
Att.725
Top Bloke - Connor Essam(Dover Athletic)

Spondoolicks
Admission £15
Programme £2.50
A pint of Fosters lager & pint of John Smiths £5
Coffee £1.20
Hot chocolate £1.20

My Matchday

As you would imagine a long journey to the bottom right  corner of the UK, meant an early start for me and my travel companion Honest Paul. The train to Kings Cross, then onward from St Pancras to Dover Priory saw us arrive in deepest Kent at 11.40. This allowed sufficient time for a few pints and a walk down to the seafront, before the long walk up to the football ground.

We had a few drinks in the local Spoons, the quirky Tir Dar Ghlas and also The Lanes micro pub, where the barmaid welcomed us both with a kiss on the cheek. Once we arrived at the ground we still had plenty of time before kick-off for a pint in the clubhouse, but a splendid day out was about to be spoilt by the football.

After the match we needed perking up so we called into the Flying Scotsman in Kings Cross. After watching eleven fannies earlier that afternoon what harm would there be in watching a few more!

We headed home on the 8 o'clock train both knackered after a very long day, arriving back at Newcastle Central Station at twenty minutes past midnight. 

After a busy day travelling what was required was a nice relaxing Sunday, but this match was just the first of three this weekend, after a catching up on my sleep I was up and back on the go again, for a trip to the south-west of Scotland for the Lowlands League hop.

Foetoes (25 pictures from the Crabble)

Bevvy Almanac
Eight Bells (Cannon St)
Black Sheep ‘Monty Python Holy Grail’(4%) ***+
Tir Dha Ghlas (Cambridge Rd)
Tir Dha Ghlas 'Jimmy Riddle' (4.7%)***+
The Lanes (Worthington St)
Hopfuzz Hoppy Bomb(5%)****
Golden Lion (York St)
Sharps 'Doom Bar' (4%)**** (Re-sup)

My Matchday - 440 Bracken Edge

Yorkshire Amateur 5v0 Grimsby Borough

Northern Counties East League Division One

Tuesday 17th March 2015

Another midweek Northern Counties East ground courtesy of the Katiemobile, off to Yorkshire Amateur for their Division One fixture with Grimsby Borough.

The club are based in Harehill in the inner-city area of east Leeds, situated approximately 1 mile north-east of the city centre, just south of Chapel Allerton and Roundhay.  The area is basically a south-facing slope, with many streets of terraced houses on hills. In the middle off Harehills Road is Banstead Park, a grassy slope with trees and play areas, giving a view over the city of Leeds

Plantpot History
Yorkshire Amateur A.F.C. was formed by local man Kolin Robertson in Leeds in November 1918. The club started life playing friendlies at Elland Road, after gained a ground lease before it was sold to the newly formed Leeds United for £250 in 1920.
The club were founder members of the Yorkshire Football League in 1920–21, but left the set up in 1924, before returning six years later. During this period they became the first ever football club from Britain to tour the Eastern European countries of Latvia and Estonia.
The club played in the Yorkshire League for just over half a century, winning six league titles within its three division, until joining the newly formed Northern Counties East League in 1982. 
The club have won cup honours in the West Riding and reached the 1st Round of the FA Cup for the first time in 1931-32, losing 3-1 to Carlisle United. During the same season they also reached the semi-finals of the FA Amateur Cup and were crowned champions of Division One for the one and only time.

Ground no.440 Bracken Edge
(Non-League grounds 214 NCEL 15/43)

Yorkshire Amateur played at various grounds once leaving Elland Road, including sharing with Harrogate Town. They moved to Bracken Edge in 1930, which was originally a rugby ground and home to the Roundhay Club, who vacated the premise, moving to Street Lane.
The first football match took place on the 6th September 1930 against Goole, with the players using old wooden rooms at a nearby housing estate. 

The original stand was condemned after the Bradford fire and replaced by new changing rooms with an overhang shelter.  The clubhouse is next to the paying gate, which also has a covered shelter over the terrace. The main stand is at the bottom, running up from the corner flag to the dugouts, decked up with a mixture of 200 red and blue flip seats across three rows. The other three sections of the ground is open with hard standing and grass banking. The overall capacity is 1,550 with the record attendance of 4,000 set back in 1932, for an FA Amateur quarter final with Wimbledon.

The Match
The Amas faced bottom of the table Grimsby Borough, who went into this game with just a solitary victory and a goal difference of minus 94.
The expected goal fest was put on hold as Borough made a promising start, but fell behind in the 20th minute when Craig Heard danced around the defence before firing home.
The hosts took full control of the match courtesy of a second half hat-trick from Harrison Blakey. On 55 minutes he produced a cracking chest, turn and volley combo to shoot home from 15 yards, followed by rounding off a terrific team goal with twenty minutes remaining.
Good work by Heard set up Blakey for his third, before getting himself on the score sheet for the second time thanks to some unselfish play from Joel Hughes. 
So after a sluggish start the Amas finished the match strongly to eventually go nap, while their opponents are now just one short of a three figure minus goal difference.

Matchday Stats
YAFC 5(Heard 20,83 Blakey 55,65,80) GBFC 0
Att.25
Top Bloke - Harrison Blakey(Yorkshire Amateurs)

Spondoolicks
Admission £4
Programme £1
Pin badge £3
Coffee £1


Foetoes( 29 pictures from Bracken Edge)

My Matchnight 
Similar to our trip to Armthorpe a fortnight ago, the afternoon started with the X1 bus. This time I alighted in Houghton-le-Spring where Katie picked me up, before we headed across to Peterlee to collect Lee. 
As our route to Leeds was via the A59 I requested a refreshment stop in Knaresborough. This meant I was able to tick off The Crown and mark off more bevvys from my 'Spoons Ale Festival bingo card. We still had time call to the Three Hulats for our tea and more drinks, as its just a mile from Bracken Edge. The pub was really busy, full of punters wearing stupid hats in celebration of a patron saint of a another country (the likes of which don't have the same enthusiasm for our own saint)
We arrived at the ground just in time for kick off, receiving a warm welcome and were pleasantly surprised how decent the ground is, with a top notch clubhouse. 
Another enjoyable night out with the “Celebrity Groundhopping couple” with the only bummer behind the closure of a large section of the A1 on the way back. The long diversion route meant I got home way past my bedtime, but I’m happy enough to live on four and a half hours sleep before going to graft, as long as I can visit another new ground.

My Matchday - 439 Solitude

Cliftonville 2v3 Glenavon

Danske Bank Premiership

Saturday 14th March 2015

 A matchday of firsts …  my first visit to Belfast to visit the country’s first football club at the oldest ground in Ireland.

Whereabouts and Whatsabouts
Cliftonville is a suburb located north of the city of Belfast in the district of Oldpark in County Antrim. It is one of the nine district electoral areas of the capital, containing the wards of Ardoyne, Ballysillan, Cliftonville, Legoniel, New Lodge and Water Works. Oldpark forms part of the Belfast North constituency for the Northern Ireland Assembly and UK Parliament.

Belfast  meaning "mouth of the sandbanks" is the largest city in Northern Ireland and the 17th largest in the UK. Belfast earned the nickname "Linenopolis" as it was once the centre for the Irish linen industry. The city also excelled in tobacco production, rope-making and shipbuilding. The city's main shipbuilders, Harland and Wolff became the biggest and most productive shipyard in the world, building the magnificent but ill-fated RMS Titanic.  
Today, Belfast remains a centre for industry, as well as the arts and a pivotal city for higher education, business, and law. The city suffered greatly during the period of conflict known as "the Troubles" between 1969 and 1997,  but has now sustained a period of calm, free from the fierce political violence of former years, in hand with significant economic and commercial growth. The city centre has also undergone considerable expansion and regeneration in recent years, most notably the Victoria Square shopping centre, which opened in March 2008.

 
Plantpot History
Cliftonville Football & Athletic Club are the oldest club in Ireland, founded on the 20th September 1879 by a successful young Belfast businessman named John McCredy McAlery. He placed an advertisement in the Belfast News-Letter and Northern Whig asking people to sign up with "Cliftonville Association Football Club" after falling in love with football while watching matches on his honeymoon in Scotland the previous year. (what a guy!) The advert was a success, as they played their first recorded game just one week later on the third ground of Cliftonville Cricket Club, losing 2-1 against a selection of rugby players known as Quidnunces
John McAlery influence in Irish football saw the formation of the Irish Football Association. The first meeting took place on the 18th November 1880 at Queen's Hotel, Belfast, presided by John Sinclair, with Major Chichester being appointed president and McAlery becoming the honorary secretary of the association. This meeting also paved the way for new clubs and the Irish Cup. The club lost the first two finals in 1881 and 1882 but lifted the cup at the third time of asking with a 5-0 win over Ulster. They went on the win the cup a further six times in the late 19th/early 20th centuries, but had  to wait 70 years until lifting the trophy again, with a 3-2 win over Portadown in 1979.
The Reds are the current Northern Ireland Premier League champions, winning the title for a fifth time and a second consecutive year, following on from earlier successes in 1905–06 (shared with Distillery), 1909–10 and 1997–98. Cliftonville were an all-amateur club until the early 1970s and played a minor role in turning the game to professional status in Northern Ireland.

 Ground no.439 Solitude
Opened in 1890, Solitude is the oldest football ground in Ireland. The venue has hosted a number of cup finals and international games, having the kudos of the first ever penalty awarded in an international fixture. Solitude replaced the Ulster Cricket Ground at Ballynafeigh to become the home ground of Ireland, hosting 11 home internationals, before gradually being replaced  by Windsor Park and Dalymount Park.
Another first for the ground was the use of floodlights in 1891. Cliftonville played two matches under lights against Distilery (lost 4-2) and Black Watch (2-2 draw) becoming the first Irish football club to use floodlights, with both games kicking off at 8pm. The lights were later dismantled with the announcement that spectators found it difficult to follow the action and that "the player seemed to have all the fun in the middle". This bold experiment wasn’t a success, as the general public seemed convinced that football under lights would never catch on.

The main stand was constructed during the 1950s, replacing the original structure which was destroyed when a fire broke out after a Linfield v Glentoran Irish Cup tie in January 1949. The classic looking stand has two tiers of seats, with only the bottom section open to the public. Overall the stand has a capacity of 2,500 and has the Cliftonville Social Club underneath.
On the opposite side is the team dugouts, but this end is barren apart from a small disabled section and a free standing electric scoreboard in the corner.
The Cage End terrace was replaced with a new 1,600 capacity seated stand in 2008. The stand is decked out in red seats with THE REDS picked out in white, with the main facilities such as changing rooms, directors box and press area are now housed behind the goal. The Red Shop portakabin is found at the side of the stand.
The away end is behind the opposite goal. The Bowling Green End is now a 880 single tier seated stand, having replaced the old covered terrace in 2001. Another feature of Solitude, situated in the corner between the two main stands is the Whitehouse. This is similar to the Cottage at Fulham, but the old changing room building is closed but hopefully will be revived sometime in the future. There is four traditional corner floodlights and Soiltude now sports a 3G surface.

The Match
My introduction to the Northern Ireland Premier League wasn’t great, as the first half an hour of this match against Glenavon, was as dull as the old lightbulb I've got hanging up in the loft.  
The match finally produced a goal courtesy of a penalty kick from Kevin Braniff after 33 minutes, after a handball offence against James Knowles. The award looked a bit harsh with the home fans showing their disapproval with the bloke behind me setting a new record for the number of times he said "You're a fooking eejitt ref!" in the space of a minute.
The second half was a complete opposite to the first, turning out to be cracking entertainment. The Reds had the chance to draw level when another penalty was awarded for handball, but James McGrath made a great save to deny Joe Gormley from the spot. The visitors punished that missed opportunity by increased the lead just before the hour mark when Eoin Bradley nipped in ahead of his marker to side foot home, before extending their lead six minutes later, when Braniff finished off a fine passing move to fire in from ten yards.
On 79 minutes the home side pulled one back through Martin Donnelly with a delightful chip from the edge of the box, then minutes later Knowles was on hand to volley in a Tomas Cosgrove cross. The Reds battled away in search of an equaliser but the golden opportunity didn’t arrive and the Lurgan Blues hung on to claim the three points.

Matchday Stats
CFC 2(Donnelly 79 Knowles 82) GFC 3(Braniff 33pen, 64 Bradley 58)
Att.500(est)
Top Bloke - Eoin Bradley (Glenavon)

Spondoolicks
Admission £10
Programme £2
Pin Badge £3
Pint £2.30
Coffee £1

Foetoes (Matchday Webalbum with 26 pictures from Cliftonville)

 My Matchday
Our first visit to Belfast saw me and the breadknife having our Wetherspoons breakfast at 9am, after a short 35 minute flight followed by a half hour bus transfer to the city centre. After exploring the city and booking into our hotel, we took the 12A bus service from outside the City Hall up to Cliftonville. We enjoyed the match and had a good night out in Belfast. There are a few decent pubs, but unfortunately they are few and far between, so there was plenty of walking in between the boozers. Nevertheless, come midnight I was still half popped and ready for a kebab compass back to our hotel. 
There are some cracking grounds in Belfast, so this visit won't be a one off, so hopefully a return to Ulster will be on the cards sometime in the not too distant future.

Bevvy Almanac
Cliftonville FC Social Club
Caledonia Smooth (4%)***+
The Bridge House (Bedford Street)
Oakleaf ' Blake's Gosport Bitter' (5.2%)***+
Ilkley 'Baby Jane' (4%)***
The Crown Liquor Saloon (Great Victoria St)
Hildens 'Scullion Irish Ale' (4.6%)****
Kellys Cellar (Bank St)
Smithwick Blonde(4.1%)***+
John Hewitt (Donegal St)
Hercules Belfast Pale Ale(4.6%)***
Duke of York (Commercial Court)
Some American Craft Beer gubbins with an orange slice wedged on the side for £4.20 a pint.Ever had the feeling you’ve been robbed?