These are the pictures I took whilst on holiday in Norway, Sweden and Denmark in the Summer. I literally just popped in too take some pictures so there is nothing written here about the grounds however I have put captions in where I do know information.
Holiday pictures
Sunday, 21 November 2010
Tuesday, 16 November 2010
18. Darlington Road-West Auckland Town
West Auckland Town 2-1 Billingham Synthonia
Northern League Division 1
9.10.10
Ground: Darlington Road
League: Northern League Division 1
Admission: Adults: £5 Children: £2.50
Programme: £1
Attendance: 141
Capacity: 1,500
Seated: 190
Covered: 270
Town: West Auckland
Club shop: yes
Floodlights: yes
Step: 9
West Auckland is a village in County Durham. It is mainly known for its coal mining in the past at West Auckland colliery. The Colliery closed in 1967. Of course though the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy is what West Auckland is known for. This was one of the first international competitions, it was won by West Auckland twice. They were allowed to keep the trophy when they won it for the second time.
The serial killer Mary Ann Cotton lived in West Auckland. Ex-Prime Minister Anthony Eden was born in the village. The Manor House Hotel was apparently one of Henry VIII's hunting lodges and 7 trees were planted behind the house to commemorate one of his visits. 2 have been cut down though.
Buses run regularly from Bishop Auckland station to the village green for about £3.00 return.
West Auckland are 117 years old, being founded in 1893. Before 1908 they played in the Wear Valley League, South Durham League and the Mid Durham League. They joined the Northern League in 1908.
As mentioned before, West Auckland played in the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy in 1909 and 1911, winning it both times. No one actually knows how they managed to get into the competition, seeming as the FA rejected the offer to put a time in the competition. The West Auckland players had to pawn their possessions in order to get to Turin where the competition took place. It paid off though and they returned home with the trophy won. They then managed to repeat the feat 2 years later and were allowed to keep the trophy.
The trophy was sold to pay off the clubs debts, but was bought back to the club after a village appeal. However the trophy was stolen in 1994 and was never found. A replica is now in the West Auckland WMC. The club folded in 1912 due to debts but reformed in 1914. They won the Northern League in 1960 and 1961. They were runners up to Walthamstow Avenue in the 1961 FA Amateur Cup. In 2009 to commemorate the centenary of the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy, West Auckland played a friendly against Juventus. Juventus won 7-1.
Darlington Road is found on the A68 South of the village green. Going down Chapel Street the ground is down the driveway on the second right. You go through the commemerative gates to the Trophy and then through a set of more grim ones. You come to the turnstile where you pay your admission. Once through there is a stall selling programmes and raffle tickets. going down the side to your left there is sloping hard standing all the way down. Going behind the goal there is more hard standing. On the opposite side is the main stand which has about 190 plastic yellow seats without the backs. In the middle is the players tunnel leading to the changing rooms underneath. In front of the stand are two dugouts. Adjacent to the stand is a small covered terrace with 4 steps holding about 80 people. In the corner is the clubhouse, containing the club shop, hospitality room and the refreshments hatch selling hot food and drinks. Along the near goal is 3 steps of raised terracing. The pitch has a wall all the way around it while the ground is surrounded by a metal fence.
West Auckland went 1-0 up in this game thanks to a penalty from Steven Brown due to a hand ball after 5 minutes. However Synners equalised when Colin Iley fired home a pass from Nathan Jameson. The sides went off at 1-1. The second half didn't produce many chances until late in the game when Mattie Moffat went round two defenders to put the ball home. West Auckland got a crucial win in their bid to reach the top of the table as they beat Synthonia 2-1.
The programme produced sells for £1 at a table in front of the turnstiles. It is a bit of a newsy publication but includes a match report from the last game and player profiles. It also had a quirky 'On this day...' feature that had nothing to do with football, but oh well. All the clubs latest news was featured and the league's. The cover features a picture of a player in action while the back has team lists.
Overall I think this is a superb ground to visit with real character. The slope and main stand give it that flavour of a real non league ground. The club seemed friendly overall and replied almost instantly to my e-mail I sent ahead of the match.
West Auckland Town matchday pictures
Northern League Division 1
9.10.10
Ground: Darlington Road
League: Northern League Division 1
Admission: Adults: £5 Children: £2.50
Programme: £1
Attendance: 141
Capacity: 1,500
Seated: 190
Covered: 270
Town: West Auckland
Club shop: yes
Floodlights: yes
Step: 9
West Auckland is a village in County Durham. It is mainly known for its coal mining in the past at West Auckland colliery. The Colliery closed in 1967. Of course though the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy is what West Auckland is known for. This was one of the first international competitions, it was won by West Auckland twice. They were allowed to keep the trophy when they won it for the second time.
The serial killer Mary Ann Cotton lived in West Auckland. Ex-Prime Minister Anthony Eden was born in the village. The Manor House Hotel was apparently one of Henry VIII's hunting lodges and 7 trees were planted behind the house to commemorate one of his visits. 2 have been cut down though.
Buses run regularly from Bishop Auckland station to the village green for about £3.00 return.
West Auckland are 117 years old, being founded in 1893. Before 1908 they played in the Wear Valley League, South Durham League and the Mid Durham League. They joined the Northern League in 1908.
As mentioned before, West Auckland played in the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy in 1909 and 1911, winning it both times. No one actually knows how they managed to get into the competition, seeming as the FA rejected the offer to put a time in the competition. The West Auckland players had to pawn their possessions in order to get to Turin where the competition took place. It paid off though and they returned home with the trophy won. They then managed to repeat the feat 2 years later and were allowed to keep the trophy.
The trophy was sold to pay off the clubs debts, but was bought back to the club after a village appeal. However the trophy was stolen in 1994 and was never found. A replica is now in the West Auckland WMC. The club folded in 1912 due to debts but reformed in 1914. They won the Northern League in 1960 and 1961. They were runners up to Walthamstow Avenue in the 1961 FA Amateur Cup. In 2009 to commemorate the centenary of the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy, West Auckland played a friendly against Juventus. Juventus won 7-1.
Darlington Road is found on the A68 South of the village green. Going down Chapel Street the ground is down the driveway on the second right. You go through the commemerative gates to the Trophy and then through a set of more grim ones. You come to the turnstile where you pay your admission. Once through there is a stall selling programmes and raffle tickets. going down the side to your left there is sloping hard standing all the way down. Going behind the goal there is more hard standing. On the opposite side is the main stand which has about 190 plastic yellow seats without the backs. In the middle is the players tunnel leading to the changing rooms underneath. In front of the stand are two dugouts. Adjacent to the stand is a small covered terrace with 4 steps holding about 80 people. In the corner is the clubhouse, containing the club shop, hospitality room and the refreshments hatch selling hot food and drinks. Along the near goal is 3 steps of raised terracing. The pitch has a wall all the way around it while the ground is surrounded by a metal fence.
West Auckland went 1-0 up in this game thanks to a penalty from Steven Brown due to a hand ball after 5 minutes. However Synners equalised when Colin Iley fired home a pass from Nathan Jameson. The sides went off at 1-1. The second half didn't produce many chances until late in the game when Mattie Moffat went round two defenders to put the ball home. West Auckland got a crucial win in their bid to reach the top of the table as they beat Synthonia 2-1.
The programme produced sells for £1 at a table in front of the turnstiles. It is a bit of a newsy publication but includes a match report from the last game and player profiles. It also had a quirky 'On this day...' feature that had nothing to do with football, but oh well. All the clubs latest news was featured and the league's. The cover features a picture of a player in action while the back has team lists.
Overall I think this is a superb ground to visit with real character. The slope and main stand give it that flavour of a real non league ground. The club seemed friendly overall and replied almost instantly to my e-mail I sent ahead of the match.
West Auckland Town matchday pictures
17. Leyburn Road-Bedale
Bedale 3-2 Harold Stynas
Harrogate & District League Premier Division
11.9.10
Ground: Leyburn Road
League: Harrogate & District League Premier Division
Admission: None
Programme: None
Attendance: 22
Capacity: 860
Seated: 20
Covered: 50
Town: Just outside Bedale
Club shop: No
Floodlights: No
Step: 14
Bedale is a small town in Hambleton, North Yorkshire. It attracts visitors mainly because of the fact it is a simple market town in the heartland of the County. At last check the town had a population of 4,530.
The main highlight being the station from which you have acces to Leyburn and Redmire. There is also Thorpe Perrow Arboretum and Big Sheep Little Cow Farm to keep youngsters entertained.
Bedale used to be part of Hangshire. It got this name due to the fact Scots were hung in Finghall in the distant past for attempting to tresspass into the country. However later it split and Bedale went into East Hang. There are still hamlet names in the area that show this grim past (Hutton Hang).
The town is set by the River Swale which runs by Bedale Beck. This certaintly helps the local agriculture.
To get to the ground from Northallerton station, get the 73 Dales & District bus on the opposite side to the station on Boroughbridge Road (this costs £3.70 return). Get off in Bedale market place and walk out West along the A684 past the Golf Club. After about 300 yards you will see the ground on the right.
Because of Bedale's low down position it is very hard to find out about their history. This is mainly because a) there is nothing on the Football Club History Database. b)The website is small, and c) there was no programme issued. Hopefully a rise in status may trigger a programme production or an upgrade to the website.
Bedale Athletics club is located outside of Bedale to the West on the A684. Enter through the drive and turn right past the pavilion. You will then see the football pitch to the right of the Cricket pitch. Behind the near goal is just grass standing as is the right hand side which contains one lone crush barrier. Who knows why it's there. The opposite goal is pinned right up against the bushes behind meaning there is no access. The left hand side is the one of interest. The half closest to the entrance is fenced off with ad boards (although this may be for the Cricket pitch). Located either side of the half way line are two dugouts, brickbuilt with 'Home' and 'Away' painted in blue on the back of each. Between the two dugouts is the small stand that gives the ground its interest. It has a blue wooden shell with Bedale Town FC on the front. Inside there are 3 wooden steps, the top one is higher so it can be used for seating. The others are used for standing. The stand has a low roof providing cover that is the envy of all clubs in the league (it's something very, very rare at this level).
There were no refreshments on offer on matchday, neither is the pitch railed off apart from the forementioned section.
This was a match Bedale had to win if they were going to have any chance of pushing for the title. They started well hitting the bar 3 times in the opening 20 minutes. This was before they got a penalty which was easily converted. Bedale began to rue those early chances as Stynas equalised before going ahead in the second half. Bedale had lots of work to do and it took some quality passing and finishing to get the equaliser and then the winner. A close call for Bedale, but they got the crucial 3 points in the end.
Overall, if you're a fan of small stands and little clubs in the English countryside then I definitely recommend a visit. This is a club with so much potential and every bit of help can help them achieve that.
Wednesday, 1 September 2010
16. Griffin Park-Brentford
Brentford 1-1 Crystal Palace
Pre Season Friendly
30.7.10
Ground: Griffin Park
League: NPower League One (match was pre season friendly)
Admission: Adults: £10 Children: £1 (Different on league match days)
Programme: £3
Attendance: 2,166
Capacity: 12,763
Seated: 7,800
Covered: 12,763
Town/City: Brentford
Club shop: yes
Floodlights: yes
Step: 3
First off I would like to apologise to followers of the website for my tardiness of updating it. I went on holiday to West Scandinavia (see possible grounds soon and next post) and returned to find the internet had gone down. BT had come to raise a low wire and turned the internet and telephone lines off. When they turned it back on they had connected the phone line to an old wire that wasn't in use anymore. Thankfully they came to fix it (properly) a few days later.
Brentford's small claim for importance is the fact that it is home to Syon House, the place of residence in London for the Duke of Northumberland. Griffin Park is also the home of Chelsea Reserves who play home games here. They may get higher attendances, I'm not sure.
London Broncos also used to play here, however they became Harlequins and moved to the Twickenham Stoop.
Brentford FC were founded in 1898, as a winter sport for the local rowing club, in the Southern League Division 2. In 1901 they won the league and joined the Western League. In 1920 they were founder members of the third division south. In the 1920/1930 season the club won all 21 of their home matches yet they still missed out on promotion. They are the last of 6 teams in England to have a 100% home record in a season. In 1933 they were finally promoted to the Second Division. Two years later Brentford were in the First Division and finished 5th. During the war Brentford played in the London War Cup. They lost in the 1941 final to Reading at Wembley but beat Portsmouth in the final the following year. The club were relegated one season after the war finished. In 1954 they were relegated to the third division and the fourth division in 1962. In the late 1960s QPR threatened to take over the club as money problems set in. However before they could take over Brentford received a £104,000 emergency loan to keep them afloat. In 1978 Brentford FC finally got a permanent promotion to the third division. In 1985 the club reached the final of the Freight Rover Trophy where they lost to Wigan at friendly. Brentford were promoted to the new 1st division 1992 but were relegated one year later. David Webb became manager in 1993. The club missed out on promotion several times with a series of differnt managers. In January 2006 the club beat Sunderland to reach the 5th round of the FA Cup where they were beaten by Charlton. In 2007 Brentford were relegated to League Two. Terry Butcher was appointed manager and Brentford were promoted to League One in 2008 under Andy Scott after Butcher's departure.
Although this match was regarded as a friendly, the Palace fans certaintly didn't seem to be thinking of it that way. I was positioned in the away terrace the bottom of a double decker stand. The Brentford fans seemed to see the match as a nights entertainment. With mainly families there. However the die hard Palace fans were in their droves and singing songs right through the match. Palace pushed forward but it was Brentford who took the lead with Nicky Forster hitting home a third rebound. In the second half though, Palace were back in control and when an Ambrose corner was hit in Moore in the Brentford goal dealt with it poorly and Cadagon headed it in before he could catch it. Both sides attacked from there on but neither side looked to threatening and the sides finished with the match all square.
Griffin Park is based next to the M4 and has cover on all 4 sides. The New Road Stand has approximately 2,000 red plastic tip up seats. The opposite Braemer Road Stand has about 3,000 red plastic tip up seats. The Brook Road Stand has a capacity of about 3,300, 1,300 of which is Red plastic tip up seating with Brentford picked out in White. The Ealing Road end has a capacity of about 3,000 standing.
I didn't get there in time to collect a match day programme, but if you look around on the internet you'll probably find a picture.
A great night overall and the first time I've stood on a terrace to watch the Eagles play.
Pre Season Friendly
30.7.10
Ground: Griffin Park
League: NPower League One (match was pre season friendly)
Admission: Adults: £10 Children: £1 (Different on league match days)
Programme: £3
Attendance: 2,166
Capacity: 12,763
Seated: 7,800
Covered: 12,763
Town/City: Brentford
Club shop: yes
Floodlights: yes
Step: 3
First off I would like to apologise to followers of the website for my tardiness of updating it. I went on holiday to West Scandinavia (see possible grounds soon and next post) and returned to find the internet had gone down. BT had come to raise a low wire and turned the internet and telephone lines off. When they turned it back on they had connected the phone line to an old wire that wasn't in use anymore. Thankfully they came to fix it (properly) a few days later.
Brentford's small claim for importance is the fact that it is home to Syon House, the place of residence in London for the Duke of Northumberland. Griffin Park is also the home of Chelsea Reserves who play home games here. They may get higher attendances, I'm not sure.
London Broncos also used to play here, however they became Harlequins and moved to the Twickenham Stoop.
Brentford FC were founded in 1898, as a winter sport for the local rowing club, in the Southern League Division 2. In 1901 they won the league and joined the Western League. In 1920 they were founder members of the third division south. In the 1920/1930 season the club won all 21 of their home matches yet they still missed out on promotion. They are the last of 6 teams in England to have a 100% home record in a season. In 1933 they were finally promoted to the Second Division. Two years later Brentford were in the First Division and finished 5th. During the war Brentford played in the London War Cup. They lost in the 1941 final to Reading at Wembley but beat Portsmouth in the final the following year. The club were relegated one season after the war finished. In 1954 they were relegated to the third division and the fourth division in 1962. In the late 1960s QPR threatened to take over the club as money problems set in. However before they could take over Brentford received a £104,000 emergency loan to keep them afloat. In 1978 Brentford FC finally got a permanent promotion to the third division. In 1985 the club reached the final of the Freight Rover Trophy where they lost to Wigan at friendly. Brentford were promoted to the new 1st division 1992 but were relegated one year later. David Webb became manager in 1993. The club missed out on promotion several times with a series of differnt managers. In January 2006 the club beat Sunderland to reach the 5th round of the FA Cup where they were beaten by Charlton. In 2007 Brentford were relegated to League Two. Terry Butcher was appointed manager and Brentford were promoted to League One in 2008 under Andy Scott after Butcher's departure.
Although this match was regarded as a friendly, the Palace fans certaintly didn't seem to be thinking of it that way. I was positioned in the away terrace the bottom of a double decker stand. The Brentford fans seemed to see the match as a nights entertainment. With mainly families there. However the die hard Palace fans were in their droves and singing songs right through the match. Palace pushed forward but it was Brentford who took the lead with Nicky Forster hitting home a third rebound. In the second half though, Palace were back in control and when an Ambrose corner was hit in Moore in the Brentford goal dealt with it poorly and Cadagon headed it in before he could catch it. Both sides attacked from there on but neither side looked to threatening and the sides finished with the match all square.
Griffin Park is based next to the M4 and has cover on all 4 sides. The New Road Stand has approximately 2,000 red plastic tip up seats. The opposite Braemer Road Stand has about 3,000 red plastic tip up seats. The Brook Road Stand has a capacity of about 3,300, 1,300 of which is Red plastic tip up seating with Brentford picked out in White. The Ealing Road end has a capacity of about 3,000 standing.
I didn't get there in time to collect a match day programme, but if you look around on the internet you'll probably find a picture.
A great night overall and the first time I've stood on a terrace to watch the Eagles play.
Monday, 26 July 2010
15. Bootham Crescent-York City
York City 0-1 Hull City
Pre season friendly
Saturday 17th July 2010
Ground: Bootham Crescent
League: Conference National (match was a pre season friendly)
Admission: Adults: £10 Children: £5 (On league matchday, Adults: £14-£17 Children: £6-£11)
Programme: £2
Attendance: 2,550
Capacity: 7,900
Seated: 2,400
Covered: 5,200
Town/City: York
Club shop: yes
Floodlights: yes
Step: 5
York as I have already covered before is a large city with a population of 195,400. The number one thing to do in York is obviously visit the minster. Which towers above everything in the City center. This is open on matchdays between 9:15 and 17:00. It costs between £5.50 and £9 to get in. Nearby to York is Castle Howard. By many said to be England's grandest stately home this will certaintly take a few hours to explore. The house is open March-October and late November to mid December every day from 11:00-17:00. The grounds are open all year from 10:00-17:00. It costs £10 but £7.50 for just the grounds. Jorvik is the other site that provides interest. It provides a simulation ride through a Viking York with sounds and smells to go with it. It is open daily from 10:00-16:30 and costs £7.95. Also associated is Dig! which lets you dig artifacts up for yourselves. This costs £5.50 or £11.20 with Jorvik. You must pre book for this.
York holds every sport with City being its main one. York Knights RLFC play in the Co-Operative Championship 1 and play at Huntingdon Stadium in Northeast York. York RUFC play at Shipton Road Northwest of York centre. They play in the Yorkshire Division One. York CC (who I have already visited) also play at Shipton Road. They play in and are holders of the Yorkshire ECB Premier Division.
York City were founded in 1922 and joined the Midlands league. They spent 7 seasons here before being elected to the Football League Division 3 North. In 1955 they were FA cup semi finalists after beating Notts County in the Quater final. They lost to Newcastle United on a replay at Sunderland. In 1959 they were placed in Division four. They were promoted to Division 3. This was followed by relegation in 1960. They were promoted twice more the first was followed by relegation again. In 1984 they won the Football League Division 4. in 1993 they were promoted to Division 2 after winning the play offs. In 2004 they were relegated to the Conference. Here they have waited since. They lost last seasons play off final 3-1 to Oxford United. In 1962 they reached the Quater finals of the Football League cup where they lost to Rochdale. The club lost the 2008-2009 FA trophy final against Stevenage Borough.
York first played at Fulfordgate, this was demolished in 1932. The highest attendance was 12,721 when York played Sheffield United in an FA cup match. York then moved to their current ground Bootham Crescent. In 1938 28,123 fans squeezed in to see York play Huddersfield in the FA cup sixth round.
When we arrived in York we saw police milling about everywhere. First thoughts were football hooligans, but I soon dismissed this as it was only a pre season and instead presumed that it had been a bomb scare. I arrived at the ground in time for kick off and sat in the main stand. I paid my £5 admission and picked up the thin 8 page programme for a miserable £2. The match started slowly with neither side looking to make the break through the fans were looking for. Hull hit the underside of the bar with 10 minutes remaining of the half to the annoyance of the 900 Hull fans. The break through was made on 80 minutes when a free kick was guided into the box for Daniel Cousin to head home. The full time whistle went and both sets of fans applauded their teams. I left through the narrow exit and made my way back to Marygate car park.
That night I checked the news and found out that 50 Hull fans had started a riot in York centre just before I got there. That would explain all the commotion. Some people say pre season is a waste of time and isn't worth seeing, and then there's these fans who take it to the other extreme and are risking being arrested and fined just at a friendly match. What would they be like at the Champions League?
Bootham Crescent is located in the Centre of York. There is no parking at the ground so your best bet is to either park at Marygate about 3/4 of a mile away, or park and ride. There are turnstilesat the main stand and the corner of the North Stand. Away fans can enter through the turnstile at the South stand. Fans wanting to access the Popular stand have to pay at the North stand turnstile, walk through the North stand and pay £1 at the other side to get into the Popular stand. You'll need to collect a ticket if you want to leave the Popular stand and get something to eat from the snack stand in the North stand. However on days like this when it isn't a league game. It may be there is no extra fare to enter the Popular stand and no ticket needed to go in and out. Its the same for away fans. They pay at the South stand turnstile and then pay £1 extra to get into their section of the Popular stand.
The main stand is on the East and holds 1,800 seats and covers 2/3 of the pitch length. Half the seats are wooden tip up and half are red plastic tip ups. The stand has windshields at both sides.
In front of the stand are two Perspex dugouts. Opposite the main stand is the Popular Stand which contains 1,700 seats all red plastic tip ups. One block is designated to away supporters.
The North Stand is completely terracing and is covered and holds 2,200. The opposite end is also terracing but is uncovered, it also holds 2,200. There are 4 floodlight pylons, one on each corner.
The programe for the match was awful. It was 8 pages long and most of it was welcomes for the new season from lots of different people. We only need one or two. There is also news on the youth academy, full season fixtures and team lineups (with no Hull squad numbers). All this was £2, rip off.
York City matchday pictures
Pre season friendly
Saturday 17th July 2010
Ground: Bootham Crescent
League: Conference National (match was a pre season friendly)
Admission: Adults: £10 Children: £5 (On league matchday, Adults: £14-£17 Children: £6-£11)
Programme: £2
Attendance: 2,550
Capacity: 7,900
Seated: 2,400
Covered: 5,200
Town/City: York
Club shop: yes
Floodlights: yes
Step: 5
York as I have already covered before is a large city with a population of 195,400. The number one thing to do in York is obviously visit the minster. Which towers above everything in the City center. This is open on matchdays between 9:15 and 17:00. It costs between £5.50 and £9 to get in. Nearby to York is Castle Howard. By many said to be England's grandest stately home this will certaintly take a few hours to explore. The house is open March-October and late November to mid December every day from 11:00-17:00. The grounds are open all year from 10:00-17:00. It costs £10 but £7.50 for just the grounds. Jorvik is the other site that provides interest. It provides a simulation ride through a Viking York with sounds and smells to go with it. It is open daily from 10:00-16:30 and costs £7.95. Also associated is Dig! which lets you dig artifacts up for yourselves. This costs £5.50 or £11.20 with Jorvik. You must pre book for this.
York holds every sport with City being its main one. York Knights RLFC play in the Co-Operative Championship 1 and play at Huntingdon Stadium in Northeast York. York RUFC play at Shipton Road Northwest of York centre. They play in the Yorkshire Division One. York CC (who I have already visited) also play at Shipton Road. They play in and are holders of the Yorkshire ECB Premier Division.
York City were founded in 1922 and joined the Midlands league. They spent 7 seasons here before being elected to the Football League Division 3 North. In 1955 they were FA cup semi finalists after beating Notts County in the Quater final. They lost to Newcastle United on a replay at Sunderland. In 1959 they were placed in Division four. They were promoted to Division 3. This was followed by relegation in 1960. They were promoted twice more the first was followed by relegation again. In 1984 they won the Football League Division 4. in 1993 they were promoted to Division 2 after winning the play offs. In 2004 they were relegated to the Conference. Here they have waited since. They lost last seasons play off final 3-1 to Oxford United. In 1962 they reached the Quater finals of the Football League cup where they lost to Rochdale. The club lost the 2008-2009 FA trophy final against Stevenage Borough.
York first played at Fulfordgate, this was demolished in 1932. The highest attendance was 12,721 when York played Sheffield United in an FA cup match. York then moved to their current ground Bootham Crescent. In 1938 28,123 fans squeezed in to see York play Huddersfield in the FA cup sixth round.
When we arrived in York we saw police milling about everywhere. First thoughts were football hooligans, but I soon dismissed this as it was only a pre season and instead presumed that it had been a bomb scare. I arrived at the ground in time for kick off and sat in the main stand. I paid my £5 admission and picked up the thin 8 page programme for a miserable £2. The match started slowly with neither side looking to make the break through the fans were looking for. Hull hit the underside of the bar with 10 minutes remaining of the half to the annoyance of the 900 Hull fans. The break through was made on 80 minutes when a free kick was guided into the box for Daniel Cousin to head home. The full time whistle went and both sets of fans applauded their teams. I left through the narrow exit and made my way back to Marygate car park.
That night I checked the news and found out that 50 Hull fans had started a riot in York centre just before I got there. That would explain all the commotion. Some people say pre season is a waste of time and isn't worth seeing, and then there's these fans who take it to the other extreme and are risking being arrested and fined just at a friendly match. What would they be like at the Champions League?
Bootham Crescent is located in the Centre of York. There is no parking at the ground so your best bet is to either park at Marygate about 3/4 of a mile away, or park and ride. There are turnstilesat the main stand and the corner of the North Stand. Away fans can enter through the turnstile at the South stand. Fans wanting to access the Popular stand have to pay at the North stand turnstile, walk through the North stand and pay £1 at the other side to get into the Popular stand. You'll need to collect a ticket if you want to leave the Popular stand and get something to eat from the snack stand in the North stand. However on days like this when it isn't a league game. It may be there is no extra fare to enter the Popular stand and no ticket needed to go in and out. Its the same for away fans. They pay at the South stand turnstile and then pay £1 extra to get into their section of the Popular stand.
The main stand is on the East and holds 1,800 seats and covers 2/3 of the pitch length. Half the seats are wooden tip up and half are red plastic tip ups. The stand has windshields at both sides.
In front of the stand are two Perspex dugouts. Opposite the main stand is the Popular Stand which contains 1,700 seats all red plastic tip ups. One block is designated to away supporters.
The North Stand is completely terracing and is covered and holds 2,200. The opposite end is also terracing but is uncovered, it also holds 2,200. There are 4 floodlight pylons, one on each corner.
The programe for the match was awful. It was 8 pages long and most of it was welcomes for the new season from lots of different people. We only need one or two. There is also news on the youth academy, full season fixtures and team lineups (with no Hull squad numbers). All this was £2, rip off.
York City matchday pictures
Friday, 16 July 2010
14. Moore Lane Park-Newton Aycliffe FC
Newton Aycliffe 2-3 Bishop Auckland
Pre Season Friendly
Saturday 10th July 2010
Ground: Moore Lane Park
League/Competition: Pre season friendly (Newton Aycliffe are in the Northern league division two)
Admission: Adults: £4 Children: £2
Programme: £1 (brilliant)
Attendance: 180
Capacity: 1,200
Seated: 120
Covered: 120
Town: Great Aycliffe
Club shop: yes
Floodlights: yes
Step: 10
Newton Aycliffe is a medium sized town in County Durham. It has a population of 26,000 with the nearest large town being Darlington.
Newton Aycliffe RUFC and CC both play on Moore Lane Park's premises. The Rugby club are in the Durham/Northumberland Division 3. This is at step 9 of the Rugby Union pyramid. The Cricket club play in the North East Durham League Division 1.
Newton Aycliffe started out life in the Wearside League in 1984. Their first season ended up with them finishing near the bottom in 17th out of 20. In 1988 they managed to finish the season in 13th out of 20 with 45 points. In 1988 the league become the Wearside league Division 1. In 1990 they managed to finish 3rd out of 15. The clubs record was destroyed before the 1993/1994 season when they resigned from the league. Until 2008 the club went around playing in local leagues. The last of which was the Durham Alliance, before they finally applied to join the Wearside League again for the 2008/2009 season. This was followed by instant success as the side were promoted to the Northern league Division 2. They played in this in 2009/2010 under the condition they had to install seating by March 2010. They did this in late winter. The clun got a ninth place finish out of 20.
This match was set to be a local derby with Bishop Auckland about 10 miles away.
Bishop Auckland are 1 division above Newton Aycliffe.
I set off on Saturday morning to get the 12:20 train from Northallerton to Darlington. Here I switched to a train which took me to Newton Aycliffe station. I didn't quite know what to do with the couple of hours I had, so I wandered round the town. At 15:00 the match kicked off and I positioned myself by the corner flag so I could get a good view of the action.
Newton Aycliffe opened the scring on 6 minutes with Hawkins curling a shot home. Bishop Auckland equalised on 27 minutes through an Emson header. John Close sliced a free kick from Jake Richardson into his own net just two minutes later. Into the second half Garner chested a cross and volleyed home. With 6 minutes left Salvin headed home a long free kick to win the match for Bishop Auckland.
I made the 35 minute walk back to the station where I did exactly the journey I did before. I managed to get home by 20:15.
Moore Lane Park is situated in the East of Newton Aycliffe, in the Great Aycliffe area.
It shares the premises with the Rugby club and the Cricket club so it needs a lot of space. The ground is enclosed by a wooden fence. There is a small wooden turnstile when you go into the ground. The changing rooms are on your left as you go in. Thses are portakabins.There is also a food van selling hot dogs and pies on the right. The ground is fully railed off and has hard standing all the way round. There are two perspex dugouts on the North side. The South side contains the seater stand. This holds about 120. It is an Audience System stand (groan!) and is decked with blue seats. There is an empty concrete space next to it exactly the same to that underneath the stand. Could they be planning on putting another one in?
The programme at Newton Aycliffe is excellent. It is 32 pages long and is all in colour. An example of what it contains is: a message from the manager, posters of the players, profiles on the away players and details of what's available from the club shop. It is totally worth the amazing £1 you pay for it and is almost worth visiting the ground just for it.
Newton Aycliffe matchday pictures
Pre Season Friendly
Saturday 10th July 2010
Ground: Moore Lane Park
League/Competition: Pre season friendly (Newton Aycliffe are in the Northern league division two)
Admission: Adults: £4 Children: £2
Programme: £1 (brilliant)
Attendance: 180
Capacity: 1,200
Seated: 120
Covered: 120
Town: Great Aycliffe
Club shop: yes
Floodlights: yes
Step: 10
Newton Aycliffe is a medium sized town in County Durham. It has a population of 26,000 with the nearest large town being Darlington.
Newton Aycliffe RUFC and CC both play on Moore Lane Park's premises. The Rugby club are in the Durham/Northumberland Division 3. This is at step 9 of the Rugby Union pyramid. The Cricket club play in the North East Durham League Division 1.
Newton Aycliffe started out life in the Wearside League in 1984. Their first season ended up with them finishing near the bottom in 17th out of 20. In 1988 they managed to finish the season in 13th out of 20 with 45 points. In 1988 the league become the Wearside league Division 1. In 1990 they managed to finish 3rd out of 15. The clubs record was destroyed before the 1993/1994 season when they resigned from the league. Until 2008 the club went around playing in local leagues. The last of which was the Durham Alliance, before they finally applied to join the Wearside League again for the 2008/2009 season. This was followed by instant success as the side were promoted to the Northern league Division 2. They played in this in 2009/2010 under the condition they had to install seating by March 2010. They did this in late winter. The clun got a ninth place finish out of 20.
This match was set to be a local derby with Bishop Auckland about 10 miles away.
Bishop Auckland are 1 division above Newton Aycliffe.
I set off on Saturday morning to get the 12:20 train from Northallerton to Darlington. Here I switched to a train which took me to Newton Aycliffe station. I didn't quite know what to do with the couple of hours I had, so I wandered round the town. At 15:00 the match kicked off and I positioned myself by the corner flag so I could get a good view of the action.
Newton Aycliffe opened the scring on 6 minutes with Hawkins curling a shot home. Bishop Auckland equalised on 27 minutes through an Emson header. John Close sliced a free kick from Jake Richardson into his own net just two minutes later. Into the second half Garner chested a cross and volleyed home. With 6 minutes left Salvin headed home a long free kick to win the match for Bishop Auckland.
I made the 35 minute walk back to the station where I did exactly the journey I did before. I managed to get home by 20:15.
Moore Lane Park is situated in the East of Newton Aycliffe, in the Great Aycliffe area.
It shares the premises with the Rugby club and the Cricket club so it needs a lot of space. The ground is enclosed by a wooden fence. There is a small wooden turnstile when you go into the ground. The changing rooms are on your left as you go in. Thses are portakabins.There is also a food van selling hot dogs and pies on the right. The ground is fully railed off and has hard standing all the way round. There are two perspex dugouts on the North side. The South side contains the seater stand. This holds about 120. It is an Audience System stand (groan!) and is decked with blue seats. There is an empty concrete space next to it exactly the same to that underneath the stand. Could they be planning on putting another one in?
The programme at Newton Aycliffe is excellent. It is 32 pages long and is all in colour. An example of what it contains is: a message from the manager, posters of the players, profiles on the away players and details of what's available from the club shop. It is totally worth the amazing £1 you pay for it and is almost worth visiting the ground just for it.
Newton Aycliffe matchday pictures
Sunday, 11 July 2010
New Season
I am already excited about the new season even with it still one month away.
There's so much to look forward to, World Cup Final, The FA cup, giantkillers, The Championship, relegation battles, the chase to go to the football league, new grounds, Farewells (Church Lane of Hayes & Yeading), local football, the Northern league, Teeside League, Harrogate & District League and so much more, so much that I thought I'd create a list of what I'm liking and what I'm not liking in the new season.
What I'm liking:
Another season in the Northern league for Northallerton Town
The FA cup
Newton Aycliffe's programme and ground
A trip to Norway and Sweden to see some foreign grounds
Train trips to get me further round the country
Northern Rail trains
A trip to Griffin Park
Northallerton v Middlesbrough
Visiting the peculiar stand at Bedale
Pre season
Darlington v Newport County
The new Evo Stick League
Leigh Genesis have finally got their own ground
Trip to Elland Road
Turf Moor
Accrington Stanley's tiny Crown Ground
Goals!
My new digital camera
Don't have to climb all the steps to get to the away end at Newcastle United
Transfer fare to get to the main stand scrapped at Harrogate Town
Wensleydale RUFC in the Rugby Union pyramid at the Yorkshire Division 5
More children watching non league football
What I'm not liking:
Audience System stands (I'm looking at you Newton Aycliffe, Haverfordwest County and Histon)
Still a fortune to get into York City
Trips to see Northallerton at Whitehaven and Morpeth
Lack of stands in the Teeside League
Lack of football in my home County North Yorkshire
Neither Scarborough side has got a ground in Scarborough yet
Bowl stadiums
Teams groundsharing at Athletic tracks
St Helens Town will be relying on the Rugby League side for a home at the next ground as well rather than finding their own
Lack of teams from step 7 in the FA vase
The stands have all gone at Feethams
Darlington Arena
Prospect of a new stadium for York City
Lack of interesting grounds in lower Rugby League
The death of Saltergate
There's so much to look forward to, World Cup Final, The FA cup, giantkillers, The Championship, relegation battles, the chase to go to the football league, new grounds, Farewells (Church Lane of Hayes & Yeading), local football, the Northern league, Teeside League, Harrogate & District League and so much more, so much that I thought I'd create a list of what I'm liking and what I'm not liking in the new season.
What I'm liking:
Another season in the Northern league for Northallerton Town
The FA cup
Newton Aycliffe's programme and ground
A trip to Norway and Sweden to see some foreign grounds
Train trips to get me further round the country
Northern Rail trains
A trip to Griffin Park
Northallerton v Middlesbrough
Visiting the peculiar stand at Bedale
Pre season
Darlington v Newport County
The new Evo Stick League
Leigh Genesis have finally got their own ground
Trip to Elland Road
Turf Moor
Accrington Stanley's tiny Crown Ground
Goals!
My new digital camera
Don't have to climb all the steps to get to the away end at Newcastle United
Transfer fare to get to the main stand scrapped at Harrogate Town
Wensleydale RUFC in the Rugby Union pyramid at the Yorkshire Division 5
More children watching non league football
What I'm not liking:
Audience System stands (I'm looking at you Newton Aycliffe, Haverfordwest County and Histon)
Still a fortune to get into York City
Trips to see Northallerton at Whitehaven and Morpeth
Lack of stands in the Teeside League
Lack of football in my home County North Yorkshire
Neither Scarborough side has got a ground in Scarborough yet
Bowl stadiums
Teams groundsharing at Athletic tracks
St Helens Town will be relying on the Rugby League side for a home at the next ground as well rather than finding their own
Lack of teams from step 7 in the FA vase
The stands have all gone at Feethams
Darlington Arena
Prospect of a new stadium for York City
Lack of interesting grounds in lower Rugby League
The death of Saltergate
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