34. Ingfield-Ossett Town

Ossett Town 0-2 Garforth Town

Northern Premier League Division One North

1.10.11

Admission: Adults: £7 Children: £1

Programme: £2 (32pp)

Attendance: 87

Capacity: 2,000

Seated: 270

Covered: 620

Town: Ossett, West Yorkshire

Floodlights: Yes

Shop: No

Step: 8

A trip to York on the 1st of October meant I could continue on by train to Dewsbury and catch a bus to the town of Ossett in West Yorkshire. There is nothing significant to note about the town, it is merely another section of the metropolitan borough of Leeds. It has a population of 21,000. Buses run every 15 minutes from Dewsbury Bus Station to Ossett Bus Station which is opposite the football ground.

Ossett Town joined the Yorkshire League in 1945. In 1959 they were relegated to Division Two but instantly regained their place in Division One on the first attempt. In 1962 they were relegated back to Division Two before being relegated to the new Division Three in 1970. In 1973 they were promoted back to Division Two But were back in Division Three two years later. They were promoted again the next season Before finally regaining Division one status two years later. Two years later they were back in Division Two before once again playing Division One football two years later. In 1982 Ossett Town were founder members of the Northern Counties East League before joining Division One Central ina re-organisation in 1984. They were then placed in Division Two a season later. The side won Northern Counties East League Division Two in 1989 and were promoted to Division One. They then gained a second successive promotion to Northern Counties East League Premier Division. They finished as runners up in 1999 and joined Northern Premier League Division One. They finished as runners up in 2002 and were promoted in 2004. However last season Town were relegated from the Premier Division and are now back in Division One North. In 2006 Ossett Town made it to the 4th Qualifying Round of the FA Cup. They knocked out Stocksbridge Park Steels, Consett and Matlock Town before losing 3-2 at home to Leamington. In 2000 the side made it to the 2nd Round of the FA Trophy. They knocked out Atherstone United before losing1-0 at home to Doncaster Rovers. In 1989 Town reached the 5th Round of the FA Vase. They knocked out Bradley Rangers, Hallam, Immingham town, West Allotment Celtic, Bridlington Town and Whickham before losing 2-1 at home to North Ferriby United.

This was a pretty dull game. After 32 minutes Hunter gave Garforth Town the lead. Cook put a header wide for Ossett with not long to play and Walker made it 2-0 to Garforth and ruined any hope Ossett had of snatching a point. Before the game Ossett were 3 points off a play off spot, but after this defeat against a side in the bottom half, Ossett must surely wonder whether they are ready for Premier Division football again.

It is becoming rarer and rarer to find football grounds in town centres. Ossett is one place where this rarity can be found, although the club have recently announced a deal for TESCO to build a store on the site of the ground. You enter on the Prospect Road end of the ground in the southeast corner. To your left is the only seating in the ground, a 270 seat structure consisting of red tip up seats with a walkway at the back. You the have to descend a flight of steps to reach the west side of this ground. At the end is a small two step covered standing area that holds about 100. The far end consists of just hard standing while the east side features a small 1 step covered stand holding another 100. The changing rooms are behind this. You then reach an open 3 step terrace which continues to the enterance corner. Set behind this terrace is the clubhouseb and tea bar.

The programme features match details on a sticker on the cover. The league, club, price and photos are on the cover. It is clear that the club uses the same ads every fortnight and just adds an insert for each separate game. The programme features 32 pages, 19 of which are ads in full colour and on glosst paper. The match content is in black and white. This includes lineups, table, brief welcome, fixtures, league news, a history of Garforth Town, Ossett Town fixture/results chart, Garforth Town pen pictures, matchday sponsorship and a league review. A poor effort for £2 and Northern Premier League level.

A visit to Ossett Town is recommended for the ground, but perhaps not for the atmosphere or the programme.

Ossett Town matchday pictures:

https://picasaweb.google.com/117159223503887715169/OssettTown#

33. Hardenhuish Park-Chippenham Town

Chippenham Town 0-1 Brackley Town

Southern League Premier Division

27.8.11

Admission: Adults: £9 Concessions: £3-£5

Programme: £2

Attendance: 323

Capacity: 2,750

Seated: 500

Covered: 1,220

Town: Chippenham, Wiltshire

Floodlights: Yes

Shop: Yes (wasn't open on my visit)

Step: 7

On the 27th August I was due to go to a wedding anniversary in Chippenham. At the time we were staying in London so we set off early in the morning for South Kenton Tube Station. From here we went to London Paddington and , after a visit to Krispy Kreme, we were on a South West train for Bristol. It takes about an hour and a half to get to Chippenham from London and from here it's a 25 minute walk to the ground. After going to the service and for a drink in the church hall I set off for the ground. I arrived about 15 minutes before kick off. You follow a track up to the stadium where there are two turnstiles. Before these you can purchase the bulky programme and half time draw tickets.

The match was a very uneventful one. The closest the sides came to scoring was a Chippenham shot that hit the bar. In the second half Brackley scored what would be the winning goal when a player rose above his marker to head the ball past the keeper.

Chippenham is a market town in Wiltshire. There is little of note about it, however thereis a hnigh street with a charity shop and something I rarely even see on the streets of London, a preacher.

The ground is very impressive. You enter in the corner of the ground. The side straight ahead features a 500 seat stand with blue seats, however you need to pay a £1 extra to sit in here. Either side of this stand are small open terraces that hold about 100 each. The far end features an open terrace. This is 7 steps at one side and 5 steps at the other. This holds around 780 with crush barriers running the length of the end. The far side is flat standing but it is completely covered. There are two fences that swing around therefore preventing access. This is presumably for games where segregation is required, and this is justified by a similar structure to the left of the main stand on the other side. The near end to your right has a 5 step terrace. This is an arena stand but Chippenham have completely made it their own by covering the steps with concrete and adding crush barriers. This is the main congregation point for the hardcore Chippenham support with flags covering the back of the stand. The clubhouse is at the back of the main stand with the club shop (closed on my visit) to the left of the stand.

The programme is very good for this level, if a little expensive. It is 68 pages long, 33 of which are ads. The programme includes match details and action photo on the front, club info, from the boardroom, a note from Adie Mings, club history, pen pics, news, attendance stats, match photos, match report, league tables, stats, fixtures/results, player stats, Brackley pen pics, Brackley Town history, youth teams, supporters club, puzzle, matches on this day, club directory, programme news from this point in a previous season, Southern League fixtures and team lineups on the back. A very good issue that is a recommended read.

Chippenham Town matchday pictures:

https://picasaweb.google.com/117159223503887715169/ChippenhamTown#

32. Goathill Park-Stornoway Athletic

Stornoway Athletic 2-4 Back

Lewis & Harris League

15.8.11

Admission: £2

Programme: None

Attendance: 100

Capacity: 1,400

Seated: 100

Covered: 100

Town: Stornoway, Highlands & Islands, Scotland

Floodlights: No

Shop: No

Step: N/A

What an opportunity this was. I found myself in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis on Monday 15th August. I had been on a trip roun North Lewis and arrived back in Stornoway at 18:20. I had discovered that morning at Stornoway Youth Hostel that the Lewis & Harris League had a couple of rounds of fixtures left and that matches were usually played on Monday evenings. On looking at the list I found that Stornoway Athletic were hosting Back in a important fixture.

So after visiting Port Nis in the north we drove back to Stornoway where I was dropped off outside Goathill Park, home to Athletic and United as they are known on the island. It had turned out there had been an error on the league website. The fixture had had its fixture time changed to 18:00 rather than 18:30, meaning I had missed the first 20 minutes. However I soon found out that the score was 1-0 to Athletic. Athletic soon added a second and went off at half time at 2-0. The match seemed to be going on forever. This was because of the midgees that I hadn't anticipated. It felt like my face was constantly being pricked with thin needles and I'm amazed my face didn't erode away from the vigorous rubbing I gave it. The second half saw a brilliant comeback from Back. They scored a penalty and then continued on to score 3 more goals and win the fixture. Back were looking forward to a Highland Amateur Cup final appearance against Avoch (Avoch won 5-1).

Stornoway is an interesting town. It serves as the HQ for the Western Isles. It is also has the only TESCO for over one hundred miles, Oban is the next one. The War Memorial on the northern edge of the town is worth a visit and walking around the docks is also a very interesting detour. A visit to the churches in the town is also popular with one seeing over 1,000 attendees for services (in Gaelic). Or you can just wander the narrow back streets of the quiet coastal town.

Goathill Park is a very impressive venue for Amateur football. You enter in the west corner through the iron gates with two footballer silhouettes and GOATHILL PARK shown in a gold colour. The end to your left is flat syanding as is the far side. the far end is out of bounds to spectators. The near side has all the facilities. There are 4 steps of open terracing as you enter. These run down to the half way line where there is a seated stand containing concrete steps with wooden slats on top. This would hold about 100 and has the changing rooms behind. Admission is taken when someon brings a bag around at half time. Many disappeared for the interval and then returned when the coast was clear. What makes watching a game on the island so interesting is the fact that everyone speaks Gaelic. The supporters, players and managers all speak in the language and I found it very unusual and almost felt like I was watching a game abroad. But this is what makes you realise the culture of the game around the world. Wherever it is being played and whatever language people may speak, we all play one game that can ultimately join everyone together. Ness, Point and Carloway are other grounds to enjoy a game in an interesting ground, Ness in my opinion is the best.

Stornoway Athletic matchday pictures:

https://picasaweb.google.com/117159223503887715169/StornowayAthletic#

31. KC Stadium-Hull City

Hull City 1-1 Crystal Palace

Football League Championship

30.4.11

Admission: Adults: £24-£26 Children: £10-£12

Programme: £3

Attendance: 20,407

Capacity: 25,586

Seated: 25,586

Covered: 25,586

Town: Kingston Upon Hull

Floodlights: Yes

Shop: Yes

Step: 2

Having visited the Keepmoat Stadium 8 days earlier for the relegation battle between Doncaster and Palace, the contest was still on at full time. However going into this game Palace were safe. In midweek they had beaten Leeds United and with two matches left, they were 6 points clear with a large goal difference. This meant the away crowd wasn't as big as it could have been. We had booked tickets in advance having expected Palace to not beat Leeds. We found seats with plenty of space in the North Stand. The crowd was still very big despite the events in midweek.

Hull City took the lead after half an hour with an Anthony Gerrard goal. It seemed Palace would finish their away season a low as they headed into the last 5 minutes still 1-0 down. However with 3 minutes to go Ibra Sekassa, a player I had never heard of came onto the pitch with Dougie Freedman presumably just wanting him to get a few minutes to play in a league game. However he surely didn't expect Sekassa to poke a scrambled ball home from close range just a few seconds later. It was his first touch in a senior football match. The Palace supporters went beserk. This goal sealed a point and Palace's Championship status for the 2011-12 season. The final whistle eventually went to start the celebrations.

Hull City have been at the KC Stadium less than nine years after leaving Boothferry Park. The stadium is not disimilar to Brighton's new Amex Stadium and Ireland's Aviva Stadium. It is a bowl set out but with a very modern roof and seat set out setting it apart from the Darlington Arena and the Keepmoat Stadium. The West Stand has a second tier with a few thousand more seats. The stadium is shared with Hull FC RLFC meaning the word 'HULL' is spelt out on the seats.

And so it was back onto the M62 before a trip up the A1 to North Yorkshire. So ends my 2010-11 season which saw me visit 18 new grounds. Not as many as I would have hoped but with the 2011-12 season ahead this doesn't concern me at all.

Hull City Matchday Pictures:

https://picasaweb.google.com/117159223503887715169/HullCity#

30. Teesdale Park-Thornaby

Thornaby 0-5 Hebburn Town

Northern League Division Two

9.4.11

Admission: Adult: £4 Children: £2

Programme: £1 (4pp)

Attendance: 30

Capacity: 1,300

Seated: 50

Covered: 280

Town: Thornaby, Stockton-on-Tees

Floodlights: Yes

Shop: No

Step: 10

Saturday the 9th of April saw a huge contrast for me. Just 50 hours earlier I had been sitting in the amazing Blue Lagoon near Keflavik in Iceland. Now, 50 hours later, I found myself at the very derelict Teesdale Park where Thornaby were to take on Hebburn Town in a Northern League Division Two fixture. A shopping trip to nearby Teesside Park meant it was a good opportunity to tick off the ground without paying travel costs.

I left Teesside Park just past 14:00. If you are at Teesside Park, you can walk Pets at Home before seeing a footpath just opposite the Morrisons car wash. This takes you right up to Acklam Road. Go right along here and down the hill and the entrance to the football ground is just past the golf club entrance. You will come to a fork in the dirt track. Take the far left one for the football ground.

Thornaby have had a very poor recent history. They always seem to find themselves in a tussle at the wrong end of the table despite having some good players. I would certainly agree with some that say there is not a good enough set up in place. The atmosphere around the ground was that the place wasn't really Thornaby's and that it was just a park pitch they were allowed to use.

In 1898 the club reached the semi final of the FA Amateur Cup where they lost to local rivals Middlesbrough. The majority of the club's history came under the name of Stockton. In 1889 they were founder members of the Northern League. In 1898 the side won the Northern League, despite there only being 9 members. The club went on to win 4 more titles. The side spent 50 consecutive years in the league before joining the North Eastern League in 1939. They won this title in 1951. From 1958 to 1960 the side played in the Midland League. Before rejoinging the North Eastern League for two seasons in 1962. 1967-68 saw the side play one season in the North Regional League. They rejoined the Midland League for the 72-73 season. In 1975 the side folded. 5 years later however Stockton Cricket Club FC changed their name to Stockton FC and joined the Wearside League. 5 years later they rejoined the Northern League in Division Two. They won Division Two twice along with promotion three times, however relegation always followed within seasons later. In 1999 Stockton FC changed their name to Thornaby-on-Tees FC. They played one season under this name before reverting back to Thornaby FC. Two more promotions and relegations to and from Division One saw them in Division Two and that's where they've been since. In 1951-52 the side, as Stockton FC, saw their best ever FA Cup run. They reached the Third Round knocking out Consett, Mansfield Town and Folkestone before losing 4-0 at Notts County. Stockton FC saw 8 FA Amateur Cup final appearances. However they only managed to win 2 of these, against Oxford City in 1903 and Eston United in 1912. 1971, the club's second appearance, saw Stockton FC take Boston United to a First Round Replay in the FA Trophy after drawing 2-2 at the Pilgrims. They lost the replay 2-0. In the 1997-98 season Stockton FC Stockton FC reached the Third Round of the FA Vase after knocking out Whickham, Willington and Sheffield. They lost 2-1 at home to Burscough.

Both sides had nothing left to play for this season. However this didn't stop Hebburn romping to an emphatic 5-0 victory. To be completely honest Thornaby didn't stand a chance. If they can't beat a side at a similar place in the table to them, then one must question whether Thornaby are really cut out for this level. I noticed that former Northallerton keeper Psani was between the sticks for Thornaby, it wasn't a good day for it. Unlike Iceland where I experienced several snow showers it was a very warm day and after having my coat on all week it was a chance to re-ajust to the completely unpredictable British weather.

'Derelict' is the first word that springs to mind when you first reach Teesdale Park. I visited the ground just to take some photos a few months before and there had been nothing to enclose the ground, there was no pavement leading up to the ground and there will still some battered iron turnstiles completely stood on their own (beats the objective). However this has now all changed.

New security fencing has now been put in place, but this is clearly to satisfy ground graders. You can see right through it and it looks right onto the pitch. There is a pavement leading up to the ground under construction. At the time of visit only a few metres had been completed. There is also a pay hut in the north east corner of the ground. It is here that you pay admission and can buy the programme. As you enter there is a very peculiar stand to your left. It is uncovered and has 5 concrete steps, however the steepness of it and the flat section at the top suggests there used to be a roof and seats on it. The far side is currently out of bounds with an 8 step terrace running the whole length. This would probably hold around 1,500. The far end has a tatty stand running half the length. There is one step beneath this. The side nearest to you has the dugouts and futher down the main stand which has wooden slats on one side giving about 50 seats. The other side is concrete steps and holds about 100. The dressing rooms are behind this building and the players walk out between the seats and standing spaces.

The Thornaby programme is the worst I have ever seen charging £1 for it is outrageous. The amount of profit the club must gain from paper chasers must be huge. The programme is two A4 sheets with one side used for each. Club title and match details are on the front cover. Inside there is a Thornaby team list on the left while on the right is a brief match report of the match against Washington and managers comments. The back cover advertises the club's Facebook page and the club sponsors. To give them a little credit they do cover the essentials, but the printing is poor quality and a lot of space is wasted.

Teesdale Park is not a ground I would wish to revisit in a hurry, but with them being in the same league as Northallerton, there could be several visits yet to come.

Thornaby matchday pictures:

https://picasaweb.google.com/117159223503887715169/Thornaby##

PS: Leading up to the 2011-12 season Thornaby FC installed 50 black and white plastic tip up seats to replace the wooden slats in the main stand as part of the club's ground improvements.

26. Turf Moor-Burnley

Burnley 1-0 Crystal Palace

Football League Championship

5.3.11

Admission: Adults: £26 Children: £12

Programme: £3

Attendance: 14,848

Capacity: 22,546

Seated: 22,546

Covered: 22,546

Town: Burnley, Lancashire

Floodlights: Yes

Shop: Yes

Step: 2

I would first like to apologise for this match being after some matches that were played afterwards. I didn't manage to get a programme for the game so when I was looking back at the matches I missed this one out.

Burnley is in the Pendle area of Lancashire. On a map it seems like a corridor of towns going from Skipton and Keighley down to Manchester. Burnley is right in the middle of this corridor.

Burnley were clearly feeling the effects of the drop from the Premier League during this 10/11 season. They hadn't given the promotion push everyone was expecting and were struggling to move towards the play offs. Burnley had to win today if they were going to pose a threat to those in the play off places. Palace meanwhile were having yet another poor season. They were just 4 points clear of the relegation zone.

Turf Moor started life as a cricket ground in 1833. It opened as a football ground 50 years later. A grandstand was opened in 1885. In 1891 the Star Stand was opened allowing with terracing behind the goals. Prince Albert Victor visited the ground in 1886, making Turf Moor the first football ground to be visited by a member of the British Royal Family. In 1924 the record attendance was set when 54,755 watched Burnley play Huddersfield Town.

Today, Burnley has the highest league ratio of seats to inhabitants. There is one seat for every 3 inhabitants. The James Hargreaves Stand holds 8,154. The East end holds 6,280 seats and is two tiered. There are 4,000 seats in the South Stand. The West Stand also holds 4,000.

After arriving late at the ground, Burnley scored what was to be the only goal of the game through Rodriguez after just 3 minutes. The rest of the game was spent watching Palace desperately trying to get the ball forward to find the equaliser. However the full time whistle went to give Burnley 3 points and send Palace back to Norwood with nothing.

If you are going to Burnley for a match and don't want to visit any pubs then you may as well just get there for kick off and leave straight after as there is very little to see and do in the town.

Burnley Manchester Road has trains to Blackpool, Leeds and York.

Burnley matchday pictures:

https://picasaweb.google.com/117159223503887715169/BurnleyFC#

29. Welfare Park-Brandon United

Brandon United 2-2 Northallerton Town

Northern League Division Two

26.3.11

Admission: Adults: £4 Children: £2

Programme: ?

Attendance: 50

Capacity: 1,500

Seated: 150

Covered: 180

Town: Brandon, County Durham

Shop: No

Floodlights: Yes

Step: 10

'Lee Hitch is a r*****' is the sight that greets every spectator at Welfare Park, scrawled across the back of the stand. It more or less sums up the state of the ground and the club itself. Brandon were 2nd bottom in the Northern League Division Two at the time, and the visiting Town army were keen to secure 3 points that would help seal their place in the FA Cup next season.

I left the decision to follow Town up to Durham very late that morning . I had been thinking about going to the Brewery Field but decided if I was going to go up to County Durham I might as well watch Town and tick a new ground at the same time. I caught a 27 bus to Darlington station only to find that all trains on the East Coast/Cross Country lines had been delayed due to a signal problem. Having already bought my ticket I was wishing I had checked beforehand. I watched longingly as the Northern Rail train left for Marske knowing that a quick check on the internet could have taken me to Marske United.

Eventually a Cross Country train to Taunton was sent back north and would call at Durham. I jumped on a train nearly an hour late. I dashed from Durham station down to the Bus Station. Here I saw the first bus going to Brandon and got on it.

'Where in Brandon you heading for asked the driver?' asked the driver. I replied the football ground and he continued to tell me that I wanted the 49 and not the 50. However as the game would kick off in one minute I said I didn't mind a run. I got on the bus and upon alighting at the Co-op (the only recognisable building in the town) the very helpful and friendly driver gave me directions to the ground. I thanked him and sprinted up the road to the ground. I made it just 15 minutes in and having only missed a Brandon goal. Brandon then scored another to leave the Town fans wondering what was going on.

Town went in at half time 2-0 down. Upon looking round the ground I realised it was a tip. You walk up a dirt track to reach the social club with 'Brandon United Football Club' on the wall. You enter the ground through a gate and up some steps. I believe before kick off someone waits there to collect admission however when I got there I saw no one meaning I got in free. The near side has the dugouts and open flat standing. Behind the goal to your left is more open flat standing, however there is a wooden bench running all the way along which is painted red. The far side has the dressing rooms in the corner and the elevated stand which has 3 steps of terracing, although I think it used to be seating. The end to the right is also flat open standing with another wooden bench running half the way along.

Brandon United had had a very poor season and found themself in 19th place. They only had 4 wins that season with the most recent being in mid January. The club were formed in 1979 and played in the Northern Alliance for a season. They dropped out and two seasons later were in the Wearside League where they spent two seasons. In 1983 they joined the Northern League Division Two. They finished 4th in their first season there and won the division the next season meaning promotion to Division One. They stayed in Division One until 1994, twice escaping relegation on goal difference. In 1994 they were back in Division Two which they won again in 2000. In 2003 the club had their best ever season as they won the Division One title. In 2006 they were back in Division Two where they finished bottom in 2008. The side reached the FA Cup First Round on two occasions in 1980 and 1989, in the latter they took Doncaster Rovers to a replay after drawing 0-0 at Belle Vue. They lost the replay 2-1 which was switched to Doncaster. The club also made it to the Quater Finals of the FA Vase in 1983 and 1984 when they were knocked out by Great Yarmouth Town and Irthlingborough Diamonds respectively.

The second half saw Town make a much needed improvement. A penalty that shouldn't have been given was converted by Darren Mowbray and a corner that also shouldn't have been given was headed in by the same player. However Town then had a player sent off and the 10 men couldn't find another goal to claim the 3 points and had to settle for 1. Thankfully Town gained 16 points out of a possible 24 after this game to seal a 9th place finish and FA Cup football for the 11-12 season.

Brandon United may well be running from the ground graders, however with requirements becoming ever stricter it won't be long before the Welfare Park has to evolve or die.

28. Wakefield Sports Club-Wakefield

Wakefield 1-2 Salford City

Northern Premier League Division One North

19.3.2011

Admission: Adults: £7.50 Children: £1

Programme: £1.50

Attendance: 100

Capacity: 2,400

Seated: 250

Covered: 250

Town: Wakefield, West Yorkshire

Shop: Yes

Floodlights: Yes

Step: 8

Wakefield were formerly known as Emley Town, however the side moved to Wakefield as Wakefield & Emley before becoming Wakefield while Emley formed AFC Emley.

The side used Belle Vue, home of Wakefield Wildcats Rugby League team, before moving to the sports club. However once again the club finfd themselves on the move again. Wakefield Sports Club told the side they would not renew their lease and would have to leave at the end of the season. Therefore it was important to visit the ground before football left it (I believe American Football is still played there).

However Wakefield was not the primary destination for the trip that saw me get a rare lift in a car for part of it. Once at Leeds station I went to get a ticket to Wakefield Westgate where, for the first time, I was asked for ID to prove I was still under 16. Thankfully when I told the person behind the desk that I didn't, they didn't seem to be too bothered to persue an extra £5.00.

Leeds station is very easy to get lost in. Knowing that there were regular trains to Wakefield I glanced at the departure board and saw Wakefield, leaving in 10 minutes time. I hurried over to the other side of the station to find that the train was going to Wakefield Kirkgate, which wasn't on the map I had printed off. I then had to run back to the other side to jump on an East Coast train that took me to the right destination.

Wakefield isn't the nicest city in the country. It doesn't even feature in the Rough Guide despite having a cathedral. It has all the shops you'd expect to find ina big place, but they were all low standard and I found myself heading towards the ground with an hour to kick off.

Arriving at the ground you have to walk through the car park and around the corner to the turnstile. You pick up the programme here as well. As you walk in there is a burger van in front of you. The near end is flat standing with the clubhouse behind. This is a neat building, if a little depressing, with TVs inside showing the scores. The near side is flat standing except in the middle where there is one step of terracing running for a few metres. I think this used to be for the hockey pitch next door and served as a step before Wakefield FC arrived at the complex. The ground then had to be enclosed to avoid people watching the hockey and getting into the football. The far end is very narrow. It starts with 5 steps of terracing from the far side and fades to nothing behind the goal. There is a temporary cover on this terracing which covers about 150. I didn't count this in the cover section at the top as it is merely a few pieces of scaffolding witha plastic sheet put over the top. The far side features the main stand in the centre which contains 250 yellow seats with some sort of star shape picked out at both ends. On either side of the stand are steps of terracing with crush barriers.

The match was very average. Salford played the ball well and were rewarded when they took the lead through Mark Ayres, not long before half time. Wakefield made an instant impact in the second half when South headed in to make it 1-1. However Redshaw scored for Salford less than 20 minutes later, with a goal that would seal three points for Salford. Salford brought a dozen supporters with them however, as always with away fans, the made much more noise than the Wakefield support. After the game a brisk walk got me back to Wakefield in time to catch a full East Coast train back to Leeds to find an AA van next to our car. We were stranded in Leeds for a couple of hours before we were finally taken home in a breakdown truck all the way back to Middleham. Turns out the brakes had broken. Not the best way to end an enjoyable trip to Wakefield.

The programme is 28 pages on glossy paper an in colour throughout. Only 7 pages of ads with the content being very informative. There were views from all sorts of people including fans, information on Salford, reserves, academy etc. fix., tab. and res., league news and lineups on the back. A high quality programme that will hopefully extend to next season's groundsharing spell at Ossett Town.

Wakefield matchday pictures

27. CNG Stadium-Harrogate Town

Harrogate Town 3-1 Gainsborough Trinity

Conference North

12.3.2011

Admission: Adults: £9.00 Children: £2.00

Programme: £2.00

Attendance: 266

Capacity: 2,500

Seated: 300

Covered: 1,300

Town: Woodlands, Harrogate, North Yorkshire

Shop: Yes

Floodlights: Yes

Step: 6

Having been thwarted at my last two attempts to visit Harrogate Town, I finally got my chance to visit on the 12th of March for the Conference North game against Gainsborough Trinity.

As I have previously commented on my trip to HRA, Harrogate is a spa town with the Turkish Baths featuring as the real tourist magnet. Walking from the station takes you past the long stretch of grass that is the Stray. Many Harrogate & District League games are played here. The ground is tucked away on the road to Knaresborough. You don't realise you've arrived until you're right outside the turnstile.

Only one turnstile is used and it makes a real grating sound as it rotates. A very nostalgic sound to the times when turnstiles weren't electrical. You come out in the West corner. The programme table and club shop are immediately to your right. There is open hard standing behind the Northwest goal and it is pretty much the same behind the Southeast goal, except there is one narrow step of terracing down half of the end. The Southwest terrace is where most of the home supporters gather. There are 5 steps and it could probably hold 1,000, with a tin roof propped up on thin poles. The only seating is on the Northeast side with 300 yellow seats with HT picked out twice. The clubhouse is behind the Southeast goal.

Gainsborough brought a hardcore following of a dozen (they came in a minibus). The Lincolnshire hopefuls opened the scoring in the first half. However Town hit back, scoring three, including one from the penalty spot. It's just a shame that there is hardly anyone there to care. In the whole season, Town didn't get one league attendance above 500, with only two above 400. They average at around 250 with another 100 or so at Railway. So where is everyone. A town with over 70,000 inhabitants and they don't even get an aggregate of 400 every fortnight. A Conference North side like Harrogate Town should not go unnoticed. Personally I think more match advertising is needed. When I visited Bewdley and Whitley Bay, there was advertising in pubs on roundabouts on railings. This is why Whitley Bay get big attendances. They need to find a way to stop people going to Leeds or York City.

The programme is very average for this level and should probably be priced at £1.50 instead. There is a player image on the front along with match details. Inside it features: Manager and boardroom notes, match reports, player views, match pictures, away team, results, statistics, league round up, sponsorship, rewind, next match, past programme, BBC York view and team lineups on the back. There are 40 pages overall with 15 taken up by ads.

I recommend a visit to the CNG Stadium but quite how it survives in this state at this level I don't know, when you compare it to Telford, Worcester or Hinckley.

Harrogate Town matchday pictures

25. Lye Meadow-Alvechurch

Alvechurch 1-2 Coventry Sphinx
Midland Alliance
12.2.11

Admission: Adults: £5 Children: £3
Programme: £1
Attendance: 63
Capacity: 1,700
Seated: 150
Covered: 150
Town: Alvechurch, Worcestershire
Shop: No
Floodlights: Yes
Step: 9

A 3 hour trip down to the West Midlands was undertaken with the hope of attending either a game at Kidderminster or Stourport. However to no prevail. We arrived in Redditch (our drop off point) just before 14:00 with no hope of getting to said destanations before 15:00. Instead we went into Redditch rail station and got tickets to Alvechurch. The train journey is a short ten minutes and continues up to Birmingham. Alvechurch is a very quiet town compared top the loud traffic in Redditch. We only got lost once on the way to the ground. I had decided to taken written directions rather than maps. We arrived with 20 minutes until kick off.

The turnstile, unusually has no roof yet is still of the classic design (no pay boxes here). The side you come out on is open hard standing as is the North side. The West End has 3 steps of unusual terracing over half of the width. It is unusual because as you move along this end. The terracing steps up both in depth and length. This stand was covered in the 1990s as a picture in the clubhouse depicts. The steel girders that held the stand in place are still in position. The main stand is on the south side of the ground. It contains 150 red plastic tip up seats. With a tin roof covering them. The clubouse and changing rooms are on the north side of the ground. The clubhouse has many pictures dotted around and sky sports on a projector screen!

Coventry Sphinx took the lead in the first half when a corner 'apparently'hit Williams' back and went in. Alvechurch equalised in the second half when Dempster scored just 30 seconds in.
However Coventry needed the 3 points to climb above Alvechurch and Cudworth headed home with 22 minutes to go to make sure of that.

We got the bus back into Redditch before getting another bus to Webheath. The bus that went from Alvechurch cost £2.10 for a child single for a 10 minute journey!
Alvechurch went on to finish 20th which could which was just 9 points clear of a potential relegation place.

The programme is 44 pages and is very stat heavy, yet there is no league table. But, to be fair to Alvechurch there are only 3 pages of ads. Some examples of the stats are: an all time record of teams performance in the Alliance, Stats from Alvechurch's season so far and recent league histories. Obviously a good programme for those who like stats.

My first dip into the Midland Alliance wasn't as good as I'd hoped but hopefully things will get better.

24. Station Road-Norton & Stockton Ancients

Norton & Stockton Ancients 0-1 King's Lynn Town
FA Vase Fourth Round
22.1.11

Admission: Adults: £5 Children: £3
Programme: £1 (20 pp)
Attendance: 249
Capacity: 1,400
Seated: 120
Covered: 180
Town: Norton, Stockton-on-Tees
Shop: No
Floodlights: Yes
Step: 9

With the Thursday being someone's birthday I was able to choose which match I went to with the added luxury of a car. My intial plan was to go to Barnoldswick Town v Atherton LR, but a helpful message on the NLM forum cleared that one off the board. Believe me there don't seem to be any positives with having your birthday in January apart from the fact it is definitely in the football season. I then heard that Billingham Synthonia v Tadcaster Albion was on. This would be a backup if all else failed. However a call to Norton & Stockton confirmed that their match was on. We made the 75 minute drive to Norton with little signage that the game was on apart from a small sign at the end of Station Road proclaiming 'Norton & Stockton Ancients v King's Lynn Town Saturday'. That was it. We parked on Station Road and walked up beside the railway tracks to the ground. I caught a glimpse of the impressive stand at Stockton RFC who play in the Durham/Northumberland Division One. It was two minutes into the match when we arrived at the gate. I was surprised to see a small queue to get in. I had expected this game to be quite popular. Thwere is a small pay hut where admission is payed and the programme can be bought.

You come in at the Northeast corner of the ground. Going down the East side there is hard standing with two dugouts in the middle. The South End is the same, just hardstanding. The West side features a 120 seat stand. Not arena, but very similar. The seats are a mixture of orange and black in four rows. The North End has a small covered standing area holding about 60. Right beside this is the new clubhouse being built. It was covered in sheets on this occasion but looks like it will be a joy to behold once finally built. On the other side of this are the portacabin club buildings and refreshment hatch with the changing rooms set behind.

N & S started the better side with threatening chances troubling the KLT keeper. However King's Lynn soon hit N&S on the counter with Robbie Harris putting the ball into the back of the net. After half time it was KLT putting on the pressure with several chances almost makling the score 2-0. However N&S avoided conceding more, shame they couldn't convert some at the other end. Despite the few dozen KLT supporters, there was very little atmosphere and I think the small attendance sums that up.

We left the ground and made the 15 minute drive to Teesside Park where we were hoping to visit TGI Fridays. But we were met with a 45 minute wait. However after lots of driving round we finally found an Indian, in Darlington, 40 minutes from where we had started.

The programme was quite poor considering the occasion. A bright cover proclaims the match details. There is then a word from the chairman and club details and honours. There are then player profiles and a number of result and fixture pages. Team lists are on the centre pages with an advertisement for their next match against Penrith including a form table. There are 4 pages of ads, all kept to the back.

To be honest Station Road seems very much like a flat pack venue, so one visit and you'll never want to visit again.


Norton & Stockton Ancients matchday pictures

23. Nethermoor Park-Guiseley

Guiseley 1-0 Harrogate Town
Conference North
1.1.11

Admission: Adults: £9.00 Children: £5.00
Programme: £1.50 (36 pp)
Attendance: 624
Capacity: 2,300
Seated: 340
Covered: 850
Town: Guiseley, West Yorkshire
Shop: Yes
Step: 6

Well another year has come and gone with 2011 bringing yet more cold weather to the New Year's day fixture schedule. On the Thursday I checked the Guiseley website to find pipes had burst with the water seeping onto the pitch and freezing deeming the pitch unplayable. However by the next evening, the problem had been fixed and the pitch had been cleared up. The game was on.
The next morning, as there were no buses running, I had to be dropped off at Northallerton station from where I got a train to Leeds and a connection to Guiseley. It was then a 10 minute walk through the derelict streets of Guiseley to Nethermoor Park. I know it was New Year's Day, but the streets were completely empty with the football ground being the only area of any activity. There are a couple of turnstiles in the North West corner and the North East corner. The programme can also be purchased here.
Guiseley have had plenty of success in recent years. In 2004 the club won the Northern Premier League Division 1 giving them promotion to the Premier Division. In 2008/2009, they reached the play offs, but were knocked out by Nantwich Town. However last season they won the league by 1 point and were promoted to the Conference North.
This season they look to challenge for promotion as a win would see them go top.

Once inside the ground from the North West going clockwise, there is flat standing behind the North Goal. At the end there are more turnstiles and a tea bar. Once you've turned the corner you will also see the hospitality suite on the left. You will then see the seated stand. This is a modern steel design (not an srena stand, but similar) and contains 340 blue seats with GAFC picked out in white. The flat standing continues to the corner. Behind this goal is 1 step of terracing that looks like it used to be a pavement. It continues all the way down. On the East side is a small covered terrace with about 5 steps of terracing and could probably hold between 100 & 150. The dugouts are on this side, as is the club shop. At the far end of this side is the clubhouse which is shared with the cricket club. In front of this is a 7/8 step terrace that cazn hold around 350.

Neither side really deserved to win the game. Guiseley scored the only goal through O'Neil with 20 minuites to go, therefore taking them top of the table.
Harrogate's away support of 4 was louder than the 620 Guiseley supporters put together. Theonly noise they made was a 5 second roar when they scored.

After the match I made my way back to Guiseley station where I got a train back to Leeds from where I went back to Northallerton along with several dozen Middlesbrough supporters who had been at Leeds that day.

The programme is done on glossy paper with a couple of player pictures adorning the cover with match details in the bottom left corner. There are 14 pages of ads ikn the 36 page production.
There is a view from the board, manager's viewpoint, Conference North news, tables, results and scorers, news on the reserves and ladies teams, Harrogate Town history, club results (including attendances), a team sheet, supporters' club page, a plan of the ground, Harrogate Town player profiles, Guiseley news and sponsorship.
A fairly good effort with plenty on both teams. 8/10

If you're going to visit Nethermoor Park, dop it now. With the club rising through the leagues, the ground will be modernised with the terraces probably first to go.

Guiseley matchday pictures

22. Elland Road-Leeds United

Leeds United 2-1 Crystal Palace
Football League Championship
4.12.10



Admission: Adults: £19-£35 Children: £11-£16
Programme: £3
Attendance: 25,476
Capacity: 39,460
Seated: 39,460
Covered: 39,460
Town: Leeds
Club Shop: Yes
Floodlights: Yes
Step: 2


Leeds United's glory days have certainly been and gone. The side saw a drop from the Premier League to League One in a matter of seasons.
With all non league games called off I was grateful that we had planned to go and see Palace away. It had been nearly 4 years since my last visit to Elland Road when Leeds beat Palace 2-1 in the Football League Championship. Leeds is the biggest city in West Yorkshire with a rich sporting history. It is of course home to United, Yorkshire CCC, Leeds Rhinos and Leeds Carnegie along with many amateur sides. The City is the second biggest district in England after Birmingham. In the 17th and 18th centuries Leeds was big in wool industry. In 1880 Louis le Prince recorded the first moving images with a Leeds back garden as his subject.
Leeds has existed since the 5th century when it was several settlements in the kingdom of
Elmet. Charles Dickens described the town as 'the beastliest place, one of the noisiest I know.'
Leeds United were founded in 1919. Their predecessors were Leeds City. The club has won 18 titles in its history including 3 First Division titles, 1 FA Cup and 2 UEFA Cups. Between 1920 and 1960 the clunb rose through the Football League. 1961-1975 were referred to as the glory years for the club. In 1964 the club were promoted to the First Division. They won two League Championships, the FA Cup, the League Cup and two Inter City Fairs Cups. In 1974 Brian Clough was made manager and 44 days later he was sacked and replaced by Jimmy Armfield.
In 2001 Leeds made it to the UEFA Champions League Semi final where they were knocked out by Valencia. In 2006 Leeds were in the Championship. They reached the Play offs final where they lost 3-0 to Watford. In 2007 the club were relegated to League One for the first time in their history. However in 2010 the club were promoted back to the Football League Championship. The club are now pushing for promotion back to the Premier League.
Elland Road is a 39,460 capacity ground. It is all two tiered especially in the Main Stand which partly overhangs the lower tier. The North Stand holds 7,000 seats. The East stand has 17,000. The South Stand has 5,000 while the West Stand has 10,000. The away supporters are located in the Southeast corner with 1,710 seats. The away seats are yellow, while the rest are blue. There are spacious concourses beneath the stands. We arrived late as usual and had to run to the North Stand to buy our tickets, then back to the Souith Stand where the turnstiles are automatic. We ran through the concourse and up a flight of steps. It was then that we noticed we were the only ones in the stand. We looked up to see the rest of the Palace fans in the upper tier. We had seven stewards watching 5 people overall. However this meant we had a bit more space.
Neil Danns gave Palace the lead just before half time. With 9 minutes to go Becchio equalised and scored a winner just 2 minutes later.
Leeds is certainly one of the charesmatic grounds in the Football League but only if you can afford it.
8/10

21. Bramall Lane-Sheffield United

Sheffield United 3-2 Crystal Palace
Football League Championship
20.11.10

Admission: Adults: £10-£34 Children: £5-£12
Programme: £3 (68 pp)
Attendance: 20,240
Capacity: 32,702
Seated: 32,702
Covered: 32,702
Town: Heeley, Sheffield
Club Shop: Yes
Floodlights: Yes
Step: 2

Heeley is a suburb of the city Sheffield. It has existed since 1343 at the earliest. Sheffield itself holds the main attractions in the city, particularly the Millenium Galleries. The Tropical Butterfly house, The Peace Gardens, Kelham Island Museum and City Museum are all recommended by Trip Advisor. Sheffield's industry is, of course, in Steel. However the 21st century has seen the city change and most factories are now nothing but tourist attractions. The city currently has a population of 534,500.
Sheffield is home to several football clubs. They include Sheffield Wednesday, Rotherham United and Hallam. It is also home to several ECB Yorkshire Premier sides, Sheffield Eagles RLFC, Sheffield RUFC and Sheffield Tigers RUFC.

Sheffield United were founded in 1889 as a Football/Bandy club. Unioted were champions of England in 1898. They have one 4 FA Cup titles, however the last one was in 1925. However in 1976, during one of the clubs worst ever spells, they were relegated to the Second Division. Three years later they were relegated again to the Third Division. Then 2 years later they were relegated to the Fourth Division. However three years later they were back in the Second Division. In 1988 they were back in ther Third Division, but manager David Bassett masterminded a plan that saw them return to the First Division in 1990. In 1994 they were relegated from the new FA Premier League. In 1999 Neil Warnock was appointed manager and in 2006 Sheffield United were back in the Premier League. They were relegated after one season. United have had a poor season in 2010-11 with relegation looking more likely than promotion.

Bramall Lane is 156 years old, being built in 1855. It is the oldest major stadium in the world still to be holding professional football. The ground has held an Ashes Test, England internationals and a FA Cup final replay. The record attendance is 68, 287. This was a FA Cup tie between United and Leeds United in 1936. The first floodlit game was played in 1878 between a 'blue' team and a 'red' team. The first stand was built in 1896. It held 6,000.

Today's match was a 17:20 kick off due to its coverage from Sky. After doing some Christmas shopping in Sheffield city centre, we headed down to Bramall Lane. You have to buy tickets before the game from the ticket office behind the South Stand. This was fairly quick and we walked back round to the West stand turnstiles. Once inside you are in a cramped concourse with a couple of food stalls and toilets. There are a few entrances to the stand however some had police tape over them. We went in and took some seats nearby. I instantly began to take photos, but was stopped by a steward who claimed that the flash 'can damage the electrical equipment around the ground. For God's sake. Why can't clubs just come out and admit they don't want people to use pictures for commercial use. Frustrated that I couldn't take photos, I began to watch the game. Palace scored a penalty not long into the second half, but this was cancelled out by a Cresswell goal. The sides went off at half time with the scores level. Palace then took the lead again through a Vaughan goal. However with 5 minutes to go Evans scored for United, and two minutes later Bogdanovic scored a penalty to seal the points for United. Overall both sides were pretty awful and a goalless draw might have reflected the football on show better. The stand I was in was two tiered with away fans in the lower.
The Bramall Lane stand holds 5,680 seats with BLADES picked out in the top tier. The South Stand holds 7,500 stands. The opposite end is the Kop. It holds over 10,000 with SUFC picked out. The North Stand holds 7,000. The ground is very well kept and certainly doesn't look its age. Unlike some grounds its attendances fit its cazpacity, so that not everyone is cramped together, but the majority of seats are filled.

The programme, titled 'The Blade', is 68 pages long. It has 16 pages of ads which is pretty good compared to some programmes. There are player interviews, opposition low down, match reports, stats, a league table and line ups. One thing I particularly liked was the then and now section for the visitors which compared their ground in the past and now. It includes some good pictures. Everything you could need in a programme really. 9/10

Bramall Lane is a must visit for all Football League hoppers. However I recommend getting a visitors pass that allows you to take pictures. 9/10

20. St George's Lane, Evesham United (Worcester City)

Evesham United 0-1 Swindon Supermarine
Southern League Premier Division
13.11.10

Ground: St. George's Lane (Worcester City FC)
Admission: Adult: £11 Children: £3 (£1 stand transfer at Worcester home games)
Programme: £1.50 (includes team sheet)
Attendance: 94
Capacity: 4,000
Seated: Approx.: 1,000
Covered: 1,300
Town: Worcester, Worcestershire
Club shop: yes (Worcester have their own while Evesham set their own up in the clubhouse)
Floodlights: yes
Step: 7

Worcester is a city in Worcestershire. It is 30 miles south west of Birmingham and 29 miles north of Gloucester. The River Severn runs through the city and is overlooked by the 12th century Worcester cathedral. This site held the last battle of the Civil war. Worcester is the home of composer Sir Edward Elgar and Worcestershire sauce. The cathedral is 927 years old with its crypts thought to be even older. The Chapter house is the only circular one in the country. The cathedral is the burial place of King John.
Worcester is a town with a big sporting community. The town is home to Worcester City FC, Worcester Warriors RFC and Worcestershire CCC. Worcester can be accessed from: Hereford, Birmingham, Kidderminster, Oxford and Bristol directly.

Evesham United were founded in 1945. They started in the Worcester League before switching to the Worcestershire Combination in 1951. They won the competition twice before moving into the Birmingham & District League. In the 1960-61 season they were coached by former Coventry City captain Charlie Timmins. Not long afterwards the club were back in the Worcestershire Combination. Which then became the current Midland Combination. The club won three titles in the division before snatching promotion to the Southern League. Coached by former Coventry City player David Busst in 2004-05, they won promotion to the Southern League Premier, but were relegated after one season. In 2008 the club made it to the FA Cup 1st round where they lost 2-0 at Torquay, but not before they knocked Rushden & Diamonds out 2-0. The 2008-09 season was the club's best finish when they ended the season in 9th place. They have made it to the FA Trophy 4th round and the FA Vase Quater finals.

St George's Lane is regarded by some hoppers as one of the best in the country with its wooden main stand running along one side and the old terrace opposite. The record attendance is 17,042 which was for an FA Cup game against Sheffield United. The club are soon to leave St. George's Lane and build a new 6,000 capacity ground in Nunnery Way.

I had had a busy day visiting 8 grounds already with the Southern League game between Evesham and Supermarine. You enter the ground in the South West corner where you pay £11 (or in my case £3). Once inside you are met by two friendly people selling programmes and raffle tickets. I bought a programme which included a team sheet. If you look immediately to your right, there is City's club shop, toilets and the entrance to the clubhouse. This runs right underneath the main stand, with 3 TV's showing the scores. There is a bar selling drinks and a few tables set out to form a club shop. Back outside the dressing rooms are right in front of you with the ground entrance to your right. Behind the goal straight ahead of you is the west goal with 4 steps of terracing and long crush barriers running along. Going round the corner there is 8 steps of terracing and a TV gantry in the centre, this is presumably for WCTV or FA Cup games. There is then the large covered terrace taking up the other half of the side. This contains a dozen steps of terracing with some friendly (really!) graffiti on the back wall. Behind the next goal is raised flat standing with the canal behind. This proved to be a bit of a problem with high shots. The other side ios taken up completely by the main stand. This is a mixture of wooden, plastic and bench seats in 4 blocks. The roof is quite low so the stand is quite poorly lit in November. At the back there is a radio booth, however this was not in use for todays game. Some of the seats in the stand had stickers on them to indicate which season ticket holders owned them for the season. In front of the stand is a small paddock with 2 steps of terracing.
The game started extremely slowly with very few chances created. It stayed at 0-0 at the interval so we left the main stand to gety a bite to eat. Whilst at the refreshment van, which was selling chips, burgers, hot dogs, soft drinks, coffee and tea, we saw that an Evesham United player had been sent out to collect tea and coffee's for the players. A few people were a bit disgruntled by the fact the chips would take another 10 minutes to cook, however the people were working extremely hard to satisfy their customers so I congratulate them for that.
The second half showed no sign of improvement until the last few minutes when Evesham came close on a couple of occasions. However 3 minutes into stoppage time Hopper headed in a corner to the joy of the dozen travelling supporters.
I visited the ground with my brother, uncle and cousin. All of whom rarely went to non league football and really enjoyed it. The particularly liked the fact you could hear what the players, ref and managers were shouting.

The programme is certainly plaudible seeming as Evesham are tennants at the ground and receive low gates. It is 48 pages with only the 12 of ads glossy. The front cover displays the club badge and match details. There is info on the opposition and fixtuires and results. There are a few match pictures and the latest news from the club and league.

Ground: 9/10
Programme: 7/10