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