My season ended with the visit to Ripon City, my 66th game. I visited 26 new grounds out of the total number of 37 grounds I went to. I saw 183 goals in total which equates to 2.818 goals per game, with only 3 0-0 scores (all involving Leicester).
Whilst I enjoyed all my visits, my favourite ground was definitely Bangor City. Farrar Road is well worth a visit and it also boasted the best pitch I saw all season too. I hope you have enjoyed the blog this season and I fully intend to carry on next season, beginning with my visits to two Swedish grounds when I go on holiday to Gothenburg in July.
Hope you have a great summer, see you soon.
Paul
Reynard The Fox
Sunday, 20 June 2010
Game 66 - Ripon City v Pool Saturday 22nd May 2010 West Yorkshire Premier League
With Leicester's season ending with defeat at Cardiff, there was no Wembley visit for us and I really did not fancy watching the play off Final, so I started a hunt for a game to go to. Using the Non League Matters site I saw that Ripon City were at home and a quick look at their site revealed a decent looking stand so the trip was arranged and Mrs Reynard and Helen decided that they would come too. Ripon's Mallorie Park was easy to find and we were soon parked up and exploring the ground.
It was a really hot sunny day and the Clubhouse, although open, was not serving any food or drink. As there were a fair number of people at the Ground at 2pm it seemed a missed opportunity for the Club to make some money. The Clubhouse was decorated with pictures of teams from the past and some shirts too. I made my way back outside and made my way towards the only stand in the ground.
It has four rows of bench seating and was flanked by the dugouts. The rest of the ground is railed off and there is no hard standing. Behind one goal there are trees and the end you enter is where the car park and Clubhouse are. The opposite side to the stand is open and the road is clearly visible and during the game people were watching from outside the ground and some did actually climb the fence and watch the game.
I did the usual amble round the ground and took some further shots of the stand from the opposite side.
I rejoined Mrs Reynard and Helen in the stand, grateful for the shade. The game kicked off and I did not envy the players having to play in the heat. Both teams had chances to score in the first half but a combination of poor finishing and stout defending kept the game goaless.
The second half followed the same script and just as everyone was resigned to a goaless game Ripon scored. On 87 minutes a corner was headed out to Medd who totally miskicked his volley but he had time to compose himself and his second attempt went through everyone and ended up in the corner of the net. The whistle went no long after and the three points were Ripon's.
I enjoyed the trip and the ground was well worth visiting.
Ripon City 1-0 Pool
Att: Varied throughout the game, headcount of about 50 was the best.
Admission: Free
Programme: None
It was a really hot sunny day and the Clubhouse, although open, was not serving any food or drink. As there were a fair number of people at the Ground at 2pm it seemed a missed opportunity for the Club to make some money. The Clubhouse was decorated with pictures of teams from the past and some shirts too. I made my way back outside and made my way towards the only stand in the ground.
It has four rows of bench seating and was flanked by the dugouts. The rest of the ground is railed off and there is no hard standing. Behind one goal there are trees and the end you enter is where the car park and Clubhouse are. The opposite side to the stand is open and the road is clearly visible and during the game people were watching from outside the ground and some did actually climb the fence and watch the game.
I did the usual amble round the ground and took some further shots of the stand from the opposite side.
I rejoined Mrs Reynard and Helen in the stand, grateful for the shade. The game kicked off and I did not envy the players having to play in the heat. Both teams had chances to score in the first half but a combination of poor finishing and stout defending kept the game goaless.The second half followed the same script and just as everyone was resigned to a goaless game Ripon scored. On 87 minutes a corner was headed out to Medd who totally miskicked his volley but he had time to compose himself and his second attempt went through everyone and ended up in the corner of the net. The whistle went no long after and the three points were Ripon's.
I enjoyed the trip and the ground was well worth visiting.
Ripon City 1-0 Pool
Att: Varied throughout the game, headcount of about 50 was the best.
Admission: Free
Programme: None
Monday, 17 May 2010
Game 59 - Rossington Main v Glasshoughton Welfare Saturday 3rd April 2010 NCEL Division One
A family do in the evening changed my destination today. Originally I was looking at visiting Leeds Carnegie at Throstles Nest, but with Leeds being at home it meant getting home in time afterwards would be very difficult so The Welfare Ground, Oxford Street, home of Rossington Main became my destination. A fairly uneventful trip saw us arrive in plenty of time for kick off and a wander around the ground.
You enter the ground in the the middle of one side of the ground, and we make our way clockwise around the ground. There is a covered area with some benches under it immediately in front of you.
As you reach the corner the end behind the goal there is a narrow strip of hard standing along the whole length of the end with a fence behind it.
The opposite side of the ground where we had come in has the longer covered Gerry Murden Stand with about 100 seats in it. The whole ground has a railing around it, with neat white posts.
We carry on to the other end of the ground which is basically the same as the opposite end but it has a grassy area behind the hard standing.
This now brings back to the side of the ground where we came in. At this end of it there is another seated stand, which also accommodates the changing rooms and just past this is the tea hut where I'm able to buy a badge. Past this there is a covered terraced area with five steps. (See the picture at the end).
In this stand there is a large painted Club badge on the back wall.
As we had entered the ground we had met Chris, a Grimsby fan who lives in Thorne. Chris came and sat with us to watch the game and as we chatted it became apparent that although we had never met before, we both knew several mutual friends, most of whom are based in London. To be honest, the talk of Grimsby in the past helped pass the time as there was little quality on the pitch to distract us and chances were at a premium. It really was a poor game and Helen amused herself taking shots of the players and their boots. It was not going to be a game that was going to stay in the memory for long but it was settled on 80 minutes with a finish not in keeping with the game. A superb shot from 18 yards from Rossington's Jason Stokes finished in the bottom corner of the net to settle the game.
This is a really nice ground with lots of interesting features and we got a very friendly welcome from everyone involved with the Club. If you take a visit there I think you'll enjoy yourself. I just hope you see a better game than the one today.
More pictures of The Welfare Ground, Oxford Street.
Rossington Main 1-0 Glasshoughton Welfare
Att: 55
Admission: £4
Programme: £1
Badge: £3
You enter the ground in the the middle of one side of the ground, and we make our way clockwise around the ground. There is a covered area with some benches under it immediately in front of you.
As you reach the corner the end behind the goal there is a narrow strip of hard standing along the whole length of the end with a fence behind it.
The opposite side of the ground where we had come in has the longer covered Gerry Murden Stand with about 100 seats in it. The whole ground has a railing around it, with neat white posts.
We carry on to the other end of the ground which is basically the same as the opposite end but it has a grassy area behind the hard standing.
This now brings back to the side of the ground where we came in. At this end of it there is another seated stand, which also accommodates the changing rooms and just past this is the tea hut where I'm able to buy a badge. Past this there is a covered terraced area with five steps. (See the picture at the end).
In this stand there is a large painted Club badge on the back wall.
As we had entered the ground we had met Chris, a Grimsby fan who lives in Thorne. Chris came and sat with us to watch the game and as we chatted it became apparent that although we had never met before, we both knew several mutual friends, most of whom are based in London. To be honest, the talk of Grimsby in the past helped pass the time as there was little quality on the pitch to distract us and chances were at a premium. It really was a poor game and Helen amused herself taking shots of the players and their boots. It was not going to be a game that was going to stay in the memory for long but it was settled on 80 minutes with a finish not in keeping with the game. A superb shot from 18 yards from Rossington's Jason Stokes finished in the bottom corner of the net to settle the game.This is a really nice ground with lots of interesting features and we got a very friendly welcome from everyone involved with the Club. If you take a visit there I think you'll enjoy yourself. I just hope you see a better game than the one today.
More pictures of The Welfare Ground, Oxford Street.
Rossington Main 1-0 Glasshoughton Welfare
Att: 55
Admission: £4
Programme: £1
Badge: £3
Monday, 12 April 2010
Game 58 - Cardiff City v Leicester City Tuesday 30th March 2010 Coca Cola Championship
This was a re-arranged game from December when Cardiff's undersoil heating system was not working and meant that the frost put paid to the game. Never mind that we were already about 100 miles into the trip to Wales. The more cynical amongst the City support pointed to the injury list that Cardiff had at the time and when the heating system was miraculously working in time for their bumper holiday game the conspiracy theorists brought the story up again.
Anyway, after a few problems getting the match re-arranged the date was set and the tickets we had had since December had the cobwebs blown off them. Now as I don't like to make things too easy, we go to Cardiff via Leicester to pick up Helen, adding a few more miles to an already long trip for a night game. A fairly uneventful trip saw us arriving in Cardiff by 5.40pm and after we park up we head to Costa for nice coffee and something to eat. This means I will have now done 91 of the 92 after tonight, only Arsenal left now.
I'd been to Ninian Park on numerous occasions, most recently with City on Craig Levine's first appearance as Leicester manager, although he was on a watching brief that day. He must have wondered what he had let himself in for as I really have no idea how we came away with 0-0 draw, we were awful, but Cardiff's finishing was even worse! Back to tonight. We start to wander round the outside of the ground but this abruptly halted once we had entered the area outside the visitors section. Once in we could not go any further, so we headed inside. The concourse was very roomy and there were plenty of toilets etc. We found our seats which were on the back row. Good views and plenty of room for my legs. But some jobsworth steward then tells us we cannot stay here as they want to keep the back row clear. Why? And if you want to keep it clear, then don't sell me a ticket for the row then. Of course later Mr Jobsworth gives up doing this and City fans stay on the back row for the duration of the game.
As with most new grounds at this level, it is a smart looking stadium, with excellent views from everywhere. One problem I'd read about though, was the lack of cover for people sitting at the front of the stands when the weather was wet and this was clear to see tonight. The wind was very strong and during the game, even where we sat near the back, the rain was blown onto us.
True to his word, Paul turned up wearing his Santa Claus outfit, alluding to the original date the game should have been played, although a few people looked puzzled when they saw him. As for the game, well, we go on to lose 2-1 on a night we could have won. A controversial moment in the first half took me back a number of years. From a corner City look like they have scored but the ball is cleared and no goal is given even though from where we are sitting the ball looked over the line. Now many years ago I visited Ninian Park with Grimsby and we were stood behind the goal on the open terrace. A Cardiff corner was cleared to the halfway line and a Grimsby player took the ball into the other half, spotted the keeper off his line and had a shot. The keeper scrambles back to pull it back from over the line but we're celebrating like mad only to eventually realise that play is continuing and no goal has been given. Some things just don't change.
To cap a disappointing evening it takes over an hour to get back onto the M4, only to find it shut only a few miles down the road. The non existent diversion signs means we ended up lost very quickly. A long night gets even longer when we then reach the M69 turn off only to find out that it is blocked off! We finally roll in at 3am, totally knackered.
Many thanks to Helen for the photos.
Cardiff City 2-1 Leicester City
Att: 20,438
Admission: £25
Anyway, after a few problems getting the match re-arranged the date was set and the tickets we had had since December had the cobwebs blown off them. Now as I don't like to make things too easy, we go to Cardiff via Leicester to pick up Helen, adding a few more miles to an already long trip for a night game. A fairly uneventful trip saw us arriving in Cardiff by 5.40pm and after we park up we head to Costa for nice coffee and something to eat. This means I will have now done 91 of the 92 after tonight, only Arsenal left now.
I'd been to Ninian Park on numerous occasions, most recently with City on Craig Levine's first appearance as Leicester manager, although he was on a watching brief that day. He must have wondered what he had let himself in for as I really have no idea how we came away with 0-0 draw, we were awful, but Cardiff's finishing was even worse! Back to tonight. We start to wander round the outside of the ground but this abruptly halted once we had entered the area outside the visitors section. Once in we could not go any further, so we headed inside. The concourse was very roomy and there were plenty of toilets etc. We found our seats which were on the back row. Good views and plenty of room for my legs. But some jobsworth steward then tells us we cannot stay here as they want to keep the back row clear. Why? And if you want to keep it clear, then don't sell me a ticket for the row then. Of course later Mr Jobsworth gives up doing this and City fans stay on the back row for the duration of the game.
As with most new grounds at this level, it is a smart looking stadium, with excellent views from everywhere. One problem I'd read about though, was the lack of cover for people sitting at the front of the stands when the weather was wet and this was clear to see tonight. The wind was very strong and during the game, even where we sat near the back, the rain was blown onto us.
True to his word, Paul turned up wearing his Santa Claus outfit, alluding to the original date the game should have been played, although a few people looked puzzled when they saw him. As for the game, well, we go on to lose 2-1 on a night we could have won. A controversial moment in the first half took me back a number of years. From a corner City look like they have scored but the ball is cleared and no goal is given even though from where we are sitting the ball looked over the line. Now many years ago I visited Ninian Park with Grimsby and we were stood behind the goal on the open terrace. A Cardiff corner was cleared to the halfway line and a Grimsby player took the ball into the other half, spotted the keeper off his line and had a shot. The keeper scrambles back to pull it back from over the line but we're celebrating like mad only to eventually realise that play is continuing and no goal has been given. Some things just don't change.
To cap a disappointing evening it takes over an hour to get back onto the M4, only to find it shut only a few miles down the road. The non existent diversion signs means we ended up lost very quickly. A long night gets even longer when we then reach the M69 turn off only to find out that it is blocked off! We finally roll in at 3am, totally knackered.Many thanks to Helen for the photos.
Cardiff City 2-1 Leicester City
Att: 20,438
Admission: £25
Sunday, 4 April 2010
Game 57 - Kendal Town v Hucknall Town Saturday 27th March 2010 Unibond Premier League
The mad dash from Holker to Kendal saw us arrive at the Lakeland Radio Stadium at half time. Once we had parked the car, the problem was how to get into the ground. To my surprise the gates are open and as we get nearer I realise why. There is a portable food van in the car park which was serving fans from the game. We went in through the open gate into the ground. While Mrs Reynard avails herself of the facilities I speak to a couple of people nearby to find out the score at half time. But first I get some grief as it turns out one of these guys is the driver of the Hucknall bus and he's a Forest fan with a chip on his shoulder about Leicester. What a great start! I discover it's 1-1 and I then make my way to the table set up in the near stand where Kendal merchandise is on sale and buy a badge.
We make our way clockwise round the ground. The side we came in has a covered stand which only extends about a third of the way down the side.
A little way down this side are the dugouts and behind them is a 7-step terrace.
There is a wide hard standing single level behind the goal at this end.
The next side of the ground has two separate covered seated stands resplendent in the black and white colours of the Club.
The end where we came in is split between terracing and seats with the large Clubhouse behind.
We settled down to enjoy some football at last. The second half started entertainingly enough with both sides having chances. Kendal's winger, Carl Osman, was really shining and was causing Hucknall's defence plenty of problems. There was a big shout for a penalty when he was brought down, but much to the annoyance of the home crowd the referee gave nothing. The turning point of the game came on 63 minutes. After a bad challenge on Kendal's Wright, a mass confrontation involving most of the players from both sides flared up. After the referee restored order he gave a second yellow to O'Brien of Hucknall. All the pressure was now on the Hucknall goal and on 75 minutes Kendal took the lead when Wright fired home after a good run from Osman. Three minutes later it was 3-1 when Stopworth scored for the home side. To be honest it was all one way traffic now and how Kendal did not extend their lead I do not know.
The final whistle came to send the home crowd away happy with a convincing win in the end.
I'm glad we went to Kendal even if it meant we only saw 45 minutes of football. Its a really nice ground and worth the effort to visit.
More pictures of The Lakeland Stadium here.
Kendal Town 3-1 Hucknall Town
Att: 196
Badge: £3
We make our way clockwise round the ground. The side we came in has a covered stand which only extends about a third of the way down the side.
A little way down this side are the dugouts and behind them is a 7-step terrace.
There is a wide hard standing single level behind the goal at this end.
The next side of the ground has two separate covered seated stands resplendent in the black and white colours of the Club.
The end where we came in is split between terracing and seats with the large Clubhouse behind.
We settled down to enjoy some football at last. The second half started entertainingly enough with both sides having chances. Kendal's winger, Carl Osman, was really shining and was causing Hucknall's defence plenty of problems. There was a big shout for a penalty when he was brought down, but much to the annoyance of the home crowd the referee gave nothing. The turning point of the game came on 63 minutes. After a bad challenge on Kendal's Wright, a mass confrontation involving most of the players from both sides flared up. After the referee restored order he gave a second yellow to O'Brien of Hucknall. All the pressure was now on the Hucknall goal and on 75 minutes Kendal took the lead when Wright fired home after a good run from Osman. Three minutes later it was 3-1 when Stopworth scored for the home side. To be honest it was all one way traffic now and how Kendal did not extend their lead I do not know.
The final whistle came to send the home crowd away happy with a convincing win in the end.
I'm glad we went to Kendal even if it meant we only saw 45 minutes of football. Its a really nice ground and worth the effort to visit.
More pictures of The Lakeland Stadium here.
Kendal Town 3-1 Hucknall Town
Att: 196
Badge: £3
Holker Old Boys v Oldham Borough Saturday 27th March 2010 Vodkat League Division One
The observant amongst you will have noticed that there is no game number for this entry. Why is that? I hear you ask. Well, thereby hangs a tale. After an interesting morning following the coast road to Barrow and a visit to The Dock Museum we made our way to Rakesmoor Lane, home of Holker Old Boys.
We go in and wander round the ground anti-clockwise. The Clubhouse, dressing rooms and dugouts are all on this side. There also looks like a covered area beyond the dugouts but when we get there, only the supports remain and there is no roof!
We reach the far end where there is only a one level standing area that runs behind the whole end.
There is a gateway half way down and this allows wayward balls to be brought back. This also gives you a view of the two pitches outside of the ground. On the far pitch there is a Holker juniors game taking place.
The side that runs along the pitch on the far side also has one level hard standing which runs the whole length of the pitch. It also has one of my favourite quirks of the season. There is a set of steps leading out of the ground, over the fence outside, giving you access to the field behind to retrieve the balls that end up there.
The sheep in the background did not like us much, took one look and had a massive pee! Must be a Derby fan. Anyway, we carry on undaunted to the other end. The hard standing behind the goal is a bit overgrown as you can see.
This end also has the seated stand that is sited at the corner of the end.
Here's another view.
Now to the reason why the legend "Game 57" does not adorn this entry. Not long after we got into the ground, one of Holker's officials tells us that the Oldham coach has broken down on the way to the ground and that they are waiting to see if they will make it. We get a coffee in the Clubhouse and wait for news. And wait. My list of alternative fixtures starts going through my head. As time moves on I start to have doubts the game will go ahead. Eventually another call is received from Oldham Boro, the recovery have still not arrived. I make the decision that we are going to leave, but where to? We could still make Barrow's game but I really do not fancy it, so we decide to hot tail it to Kendal. This means we will only see the second half but I'm happy with my choice. Not long after we get in the car and are on our way my phone goes. City have just gone 1-0 down to a bizarre own goal. The day just gets worse.
More pictures of Rakesmoor Lane here.
We go in and wander round the ground anti-clockwise. The Clubhouse, dressing rooms and dugouts are all on this side. There also looks like a covered area beyond the dugouts but when we get there, only the supports remain and there is no roof!
We reach the far end where there is only a one level standing area that runs behind the whole end.
There is a gateway half way down and this allows wayward balls to be brought back. This also gives you a view of the two pitches outside of the ground. On the far pitch there is a Holker juniors game taking place.
The side that runs along the pitch on the far side also has one level hard standing which runs the whole length of the pitch. It also has one of my favourite quirks of the season. There is a set of steps leading out of the ground, over the fence outside, giving you access to the field behind to retrieve the balls that end up there.
The sheep in the background did not like us much, took one look and had a massive pee! Must be a Derby fan. Anyway, we carry on undaunted to the other end. The hard standing behind the goal is a bit overgrown as you can see.
This end also has the seated stand that is sited at the corner of the end.
Here's another view.
Now to the reason why the legend "Game 57" does not adorn this entry. Not long after we got into the ground, one of Holker's officials tells us that the Oldham coach has broken down on the way to the ground and that they are waiting to see if they will make it. We get a coffee in the Clubhouse and wait for news. And wait. My list of alternative fixtures starts going through my head. As time moves on I start to have doubts the game will go ahead. Eventually another call is received from Oldham Boro, the recovery have still not arrived. I make the decision that we are going to leave, but where to? We could still make Barrow's game but I really do not fancy it, so we decide to hot tail it to Kendal. This means we will only see the second half but I'm happy with my choice. Not long after we get in the car and are on our way my phone goes. City have just gone 1-0 down to a bizarre own goal. The day just gets worse.
More pictures of Rakesmoor Lane here.
Homes of Football & Ambleside United
£60 to see City at Derby? No thanks. So we decide on a weekend away in the Lake District with a side helping of football. Holker Old Boys on Saturday is the game of choice but more on that later.
We arrive in Ambleside on Friday dinner just in time for the heavens to open and we decide that our visit to the Stuart Clarke's "Homes of Football" should be our first port of call.
Clarke has spent many years taking photographs of football and the gallery here has many of his best known works on display. You can buy postcards or prints of you favourites if you wish, but it is very interesting to see the full size versions of photos I have in one of his books or I've seen on the web.
Well worth a visit and there is an interview with Stuart Clarke on the European Football Weekends blog.
The rain eventually relents and we wander around Ambleside and of course I know that there is a football ground here, home of Ambleside United who play in the Westmoreland Football League and they currently lead Division One. We find the ground fairly easily.
We make our way to take a closer look and go through the fence ignoring the "Keep Out" notice. The changing room complex has a large sign on the side, revealing that the ground is called Hillard Park.
Wandering round to the front of the building reveals a plaque which says that the Clubhouse was officially opened in 1995 by Graham Kelly.
This must be one of the more idyllic settings for a football ground and I would imagine it makes for a pleasant day watching a game when the weather is nice.
We make our way back into the centre of Ambleside with my appetite wetted for Holker tomorrow.
We arrive in Ambleside on Friday dinner just in time for the heavens to open and we decide that our visit to the Stuart Clarke's "Homes of Football" should be our first port of call.
Clarke has spent many years taking photographs of football and the gallery here has many of his best known works on display. You can buy postcards or prints of you favourites if you wish, but it is very interesting to see the full size versions of photos I have in one of his books or I've seen on the web.
Well worth a visit and there is an interview with Stuart Clarke on the European Football Weekends blog.
The rain eventually relents and we wander around Ambleside and of course I know that there is a football ground here, home of Ambleside United who play in the Westmoreland Football League and they currently lead Division One. We find the ground fairly easily.
As you can see, it is a fairly basic ground, with no floodlights and the only building is the changing room block, with dugouts on the opposite side and it is railed off all round the edge of the pitch.
We make our way to take a closer look and go through the fence ignoring the "Keep Out" notice. The changing room complex has a large sign on the side, revealing that the ground is called Hillard Park.
Wandering round to the front of the building reveals a plaque which says that the Clubhouse was officially opened in 1995 by Graham Kelly.
This must be one of the more idyllic settings for a football ground and I would imagine it makes for a pleasant day watching a game when the weather is nice.
We make our way back into the centre of Ambleside with my appetite wetted for Holker tomorrow.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)