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