Hopping all over the World

Queens Park Rangers (My Visits)

2012-01-02T02:29:00.004Z

I moved to live and work in London in April 1999 and have watched football at many stadiums, without watching any one particular side. However, while working at Lord's Cricket Ground I met the acquatence of Jeff Cards who was also a sports nut. We went for beers after work talking about the good old days of our respective clubs and life and sport in general.

Eventually after several maybes I was having a poor day at work and badly needed a release. I managed to negotiate an early get away from the thoroughly depressing County Championship match between Queens Park Rangers and Chesterfield in Division Two at the time (the third division in old money). I'd been as an away fan many years previously, but in the company of Jeff and his brother John, plus my pal from Willesden, Colm, I went down to Shepherd's Bush and had a cracking day out.

The whole day suited me perfectly. I liked the pubs, the atmosphere in the stadium and the fans. They were passionate but also friendly.

While not been totally hooked, I went down to Loftus Road when I was at a loose end. I went to the Play Off Final at Cardiff with Rangers and started to look for their results. I have had many good times down there, and although I don't make it as often as I once did, I still reaaly look forward to match days at Rangers in the company of some really good people.

Many players have given plenty of pleasure at Loftus Road, but many thanks to the following for brightening up match days: Kevin Gallen, Richard Langley, Jamie Cureton, Marc Bircham, Gareth Ainsworth, Adel Taarabt and Shaun Derry.

Below is a list of the matches I've seen, with a few memories thrown in for good measure. You R's!

QPR 3 Hull City 0 (Tuesday 24th September 1985) League Cup Round Two First Leg - School End Upper

QPR 3 Chesterfield 1 (Saturday 10th August 2002) Division Two (att: 12,603) - South Africa Road Stand

For details of the two games above go to:

http://worldgroundhop.blogspot.com/search/label/Queens%20Park%20Rangers

QPR 2 Plymouth Argyle 2 (Saturday 31st August 2002) Division Two (att: 14,001) - Lower Loft

QPR 1 Oldham Athletic 2 (Saturday 26th October 2002) Division Two (att: 15,491) - Lower Loft

QPR 1 Barnsley 0 (Saturday 11th January 2003) Division Two (att: 11,217) - Lower Loft

I decided to go to this game the day after returning from Australia watching England in The Ashes. I was struggling badly with jetlag so I thought fressh air and beer would assist!

QPR 0 Crewe Alexandra 0 (Saturday 26th April 2003) Division Two (att: 16,921) - Lower Loft

A huge game which Rangers needed to win to try and secure automatic promotion, but unfortunately a draw led to the play offs and eventual defeat in the final to Cardiff City.

QPR 1 Brentford 0 (Tuesday 11th November 2003) Division Two (att: 15,865) - South Africa Road StandA passionate derby with plenty of feeling outside. A last minute decision from me to go and a lucky one, as I had a rare fixed odds win!

QPR 3 Plymouth Argyle 0 (Saturday 15th November 2003) Division Two (att: 17,049) - Lower Loft

A top of the table clash, a massive away following and a great atmosphere saw Rangers go top of the league.

QPR 2 Colchester United 0 (Sunday 28th December 2003) Division Two (att: 15,720) - Lower Loft

QPR 1 Swindon Town 0 (Saturday 1st May 2004) Division Two (att: 18,396)

I had the day off so went down early to the stadium. I tried and tried to get a ticket. I went to the pub and then back hoping any touts would give in and let the tickets go at a sensible price just after kick off. Unfortunately there was at least a hundred other Hoops on the lookout. Keith Rowlands scored after two minutes and the noise outside was loud enough. I can only imagine what it was like inside. The following week Rangers went to Hillsborough and defeated Sheffield Wednesday to clinch promotion.

QPR 1 Rotherham United 1 (Saturday 7th August 2004) The Championship (att: 4,547) - Ellerslie Road Stand

The opening day of the season and it was absolutely scorching hot. The game was an anti climax.

QPR 3 Leicester City 2 (Saturday 25th September 2004) The Championship (att: 15,535) - Lower Loft

Jeff went on holiday to Australia so he left me his season ticket for a few matches so I could go with John.

QPR 1 West Ham United 0 (Saturday 16th October 2004) The Championship (att: 18,363) - Lower Loft

I'm glad I was with John. We went to the Wetherspoons on The Green for a change where we met some Hammers fans he knew. Let's just say I'm glad they were our friends!

QPR 3 Burnley 0 (Saturday 30th October 2004) The Championship (att: 15,638) - Lower Loft

It was 3-0 in no time with the Clarets keeper dropping a real clanger for one of the goals when he completely missed a clearence outside his area.

QPR 1 Millwall 1 (Tuesday 2nd November 2004) The Championship (att: 16,685) - Lower Loft

Very interesting on the way to the ground. Very pleased we drank in Hammersmith back then.

QPR 2 Ipswich Town 4 (Saturday 11th December 2004) The Championship (att: 18,231) - Lower Loft

Rangers went two up before Ipswich awoke with Darren Currie running the midfield.

QPR 1 Preston North End 2 (Saturday 12th February 2005) The Championship (att: 15,620) - Lower Loft

The visiting Lancastrian fans came dressed in 70's wear.

QPR 1 Sunderland 3 (Saturday 2nd April 2005) The Championship (att: 18,198) - South Africa Road Stand

The visiting Mackems were far too good on their way to the title. The home fans were getting impatient with manager Ian Holloway. I was sat in the very end seat of the stand, a structure ideal for dwarfs with its limited leg room.

QPR 1 Leeds United 1 (Saturday 16th April 2005) The Championship (att: 18,182) - Lower Loft

QPR 2 Hull City 2 (Saturday 26th November 2005) The Championship (att: 13,185) - Lower Loft

A difficult one for me as City went two up. A draw was a perfect result for me, especially one with goals.

QPR 1 Watford 2 (Saturday 22nd April 2006) The Championship (att: 16,152) - Lower Loft

A big away following were making plenty of noise in the Walkabout before kick off. They went on to the play offs and promotion after beating Leeds United in the final, so I was willing to forgive them anything!

QPR 2 Leeds United 2 (Tuesday 8th August 2006) The Championship (att: 13,996) - Lower Loft

A great night out at the football in lovely weather. Rangers were two down with nine minutes remaining until a Rowlands penalty and a stoppage time equaliser from Baidoo rescued the points.

To see my handy work on you tube of the penalty, go to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_xIySP0uIs

QPR 1 Ipswich Town 3 (Friday 25th August 2006) The Championship (att: 10,918) - Lower Loft

A poor crowd and performance under Garry Waddock's team. A Rangers fan amazingly had a go at one of the Sky staff in a van outside as he reckoned they were a jinx!

QPR 2 Hull City 0 (Saturday 23rd September 2006) The Championship (att: 11,381) - Lower Loft

Two poor teams with Carl Ellis also down for the weekend to see two concerts by The Boys at The Barfly in Camden.

QPR 3 Burnley 1 (Saturday 3rd February 2007) The Championship (att: 10,811) - Lower Loft

QPR 3 Middlesbrough 0 (Saturday 11th September 2010) The Championship (att: 14,784) - Upper Loft

My first visit for some time owing to my new shifts as a Station Supervisor for London Underground and my devotion to Scarborough Athletic. It was great to be beack, with an even better view. The game was 0-0 at half time before Rangers turned on the style against a very lacklustre Boro team. A quality day was rounded off by going to see Muse at Wembley afterwards.

QPR 3 Reading 1 (Saturday 6th November 2010) The Championship (att: 15,692) - Upper Loft

A superb game of football and a great atmosphere. Reading simply couldn't contain the majestic Taarabt who was a pleasure to watch, this despite Rangers playing much of the game with ten men. I also enjoyed the graft and guile of Shaun Derry. Warnock had them playing all right!

QPR 2 Bristol City 2 (Monday 3rd January 2011) The Championship (att: 15,618) - Upper Loft

Another excellent game with City very much the underdogs. They went one up until Rangers equalised and then went ahead with a Taarabt penalty just five minutes from time. The visitors stole a point in stoppage time.

QPR 1 Norwich City 2 (Monday 2nd January 2012) Premier League (att: 18,033)

Joey Barton put Rangers one up and was then harshly sent off. City filled both tiers of the School End. Their side were organised but nothing outstanding. Derry, Faulin and Taarabt had excellent games for QPR. Lovely to use a proper pub, The White Horse before kick off, after the earlier abomination in Westfield!

Don Valley Stadium (Sheffield)

2011-09-06T10:08:00.001+01:00

The reason for The Don Valley Stadium receiving a page on this blog is because of the Booth's families' demands in terms of rent from Rotherham United FC to stay in their Millmoor home. The club decamped to the DVS at the start of the 2008-09 season while a new site was found and developed back in Rotherham.

The Don Valley Stadium was designed by the local council and was built by RM Douglas Construction. It was completed in 1990 in readiness for the 1991 World Student Games at a cost of £29M as part of a complex for sports with a capacity of 25,000.

It had been hoped that Sheffield would win the bid for the 1992 Commonwealth Games but lost out to Manchester. It was also hoped both Sheffield United and Wednesday would move in to an extended 45,000 capacity stadium.

The Don Valley has staged American Football, Sheffield Eagles Rugby League matches and concerts as well as numerous athletics meetings until it gave haven to Rotherham United FC.

My visit

Wednesday 20th July 2011

I was in South Yorkshire after watching my team Scarborough Athletic play at Goole in a pre season friendly the previous evening. I had been to Millmoor for a look at the old place before taking a bus to Meadowhall. I then caught the Supertram to the Arena/Don Valley Stadium stop.

The Arena has had several sponsorship names with an indoor capacity of 13,500. It held the gymnastics at the Student Games before staging concerts, boxing and Sheffield Steelers ice hockey games amongst other events.

Directly ahead across a large square was Ice Sheffield with two Olympic size rinks and a seating capacity of 1,500 which was the training venue for ice hockey and skating.

Sheffield really was blessed with some tremendous facilities which had replaced the old industrial wastelands and I turned left through a lovely parkland walk towards the crowning glory of the complex. It really did remind me of being somewhere like Germany with the tram and superb facilities and landscape.

I got outside the impressive stadium and had to walk all the way around to Worksop Road where the gate was open to the vast car park. There were signs of The Millers' tenancy with signs pointing to the away fans entrance and ground regulation notices. A temporary souvenir stand also stood on the car park. I made my way to the reception as there didn't seem to be any open gates.

The lady behind the counter gave me a warm welcome and rang the duty manager when I asked if I could go inside to take some pictures. I had to fill in and sign a disclaimer to say they would not be used for commercial use. Once I'd done that the friendly staff told me to go where I wanted apart from the pitch!

I was sent down the tunnel in the corner which was used as access for setting up events. It immediately became clear that the pitch was several metres below normal ground level to form a natural bowl and to keep the wind out.

A bottom tier of seats ran all the way around the track, which had ten lanes in the home straight. Three quarters of these seats were in the open until the Main Stand side which held 10,000. This had a strange canopy type roof like the one on the Mound Stand at Lord's Cricket Ground. The stand also had an extra deep tier of covered seats and had all the VIP facilities. At each end of this stand was an additional separate block. The one at Meadowhall End was home to away fans. Behind the open end was the Student Games torch and the Sheffield End had a huge electric scoreboard at the back. Only the Main Stand was used for Rotherham United matches.

I wandered around taking several shots before going back to the reception to thank the staff. I walked back to the tram stop and within a few minutes my transport arrived to take me out to Hillsborough.

Football in an athletics stadium is not ideal, but the Don Valley is pretty good. I sincerely hope that the operators, Sheffield International Venues find enough uses to keep the stadium in regular use once The Millers move out.

Dagenham & Redbridge

2011-09-06T09:45:00.002+01:00

Dagenham & Redbridge FC were formed in 1992 following a merger of Dagenham FC and Redbridge Forest FC, who were in turn formed by the merger of Walthamstow Avenue and Leytonstone/Ilford. : see the pages on those clubs for full details. The club are based in the east of London in the Borough of Barking & Dagenham.

Dagenham FC were formed in 1949 to serve the expanding community after the War. They were founder members of the Metropolitan & District League before joining the Delphian League in 1951, winning the title a year later and then moving into their Victoria Road ground in 1955.

In 1957 Dagenham switched to the Corinthian League and then the Athenian League in 1963. The club continued to grow and they reached the FA Amateur Cup Finals at Wembley in 1970 and 1971, losing 5-1 to Enfield and then 4-1 to a Steve Heighway inspired Skelmersdale United. In 1973 'The Daggers' became founder members of the second division of the Isthmian League, which they won at their first attempt.

In 1977 Dagenham returned to Wembley in the FA Trophy Final and were just eight minutes from victory before Scarborough scored two late goals to win. Success came three years later when Mossley were beaten in the final. In 1981 the club were promoted into the expanded Alliance Premier League (Conference), where they remained until 1988 when they went back to the Isthmian League.

In 1992 when Dagenham and Redbridge Forest merged, Forest held a Conference place, so that is where the new club were placed. They were relegated to the Isthmian League in 1996 and remained there until 2000 when they returned to the pinnacle of non league football under the stewardship of Garry Hill to start a glorious period for the club.

In 2002 The Daggers were denied a Football League place by Boston United on goal difference. It then transpired that Boston, with manager Steve Evans one of the most guilty, had made illegal payments to players. Dagenham & Redbridge attempted to have the league placings overturned and went to court over the matter. Boston were allowed to keep their title but started the following season with a deduction of four points.

The Daggers went into decline for a few seasons, including an astonishing 9-0 home defeat by Hereford United in 2004. Hill was replaced by experienced boss John Still for his second spell with the club, and in his third season at the helm, he led them to the Conference title in 2007.

After a couple of seasons of consolidation The Daggers were promoted into the third tier (League One) in 2010. Unfortunately despite a late rally, the club were relegated after just one season.

Dagenham & Redbridge FC will play in Football League Two in the 2011-12 season.

My visits

Sunday ? February 1984

I was a student in Boreham Wood and I had discovered the joy of day travel cards and the non league annual. I was on my second large groundhop. After visiting Clapton I caught the tube to Dagenham East station and took the ten minute walk to Victoria Road. The gates were open as there was a programme fair being held in the upstairs clubhouse behind the Main Stand.

The Main Stand was a wooden structure which sat either side of the half way line with open standing either side. To the right was a few steps of open terrace going round to the far North Stand, which was a long covered terrace. Behind the far goal was an open grass bank. It was a decent enough ground, but not as good as I had previously imagined for a club of Dagenham's status.

I went on my way on the District line and went to visit Bridge Avenue and the home of Hornchurch.

Dagenham & Redbridge 3 Aldershot Town 1 (Tuesday 30th November 1999) Isthmian League Premier Division (att: approx 1,200)

I was now living and working in London and wanting to get to some football after a long summer of cricket at Lord's. After a day at work I decided to choose the game between the top of the table Daggers and Aldershot Town who I knew would have a large following as they clawed their way back through the leagues following going bust in the early 90's.

I arrived at the ground and went into the clubhouse, paying a small fee at the door. The place was vibrant and traditional and pretty busy. After a few pints I decided to go into the ground, going into the home end. It had changed a little bit since my previous visit in the way of being tidied up to meet the health and safety requirements. A small open terrace replaced the grass bank for away fans. I took my place in the North Stand, which home fans affectionately called The Sieve, owing the amount of holes that let rainwater through it at one time.

The Shots did have a good following and this obviously attracted plenty of youths to support The Daggers, making the area around the segregation pretty feisty. Dagenham & Redbridge were simply too good for their visitors, with Danny Shipp standing out up front.

The Daggers went on to lift the title at the end of the season. I saw them once again at St Albans City, where they easily defeated one of their nearest challengers.

Dagenham & Redbridge 1 Scarborough 0 (Tuesday 6th March 2000) Football Conference

I met up after a long tube journey in rush hour ready for a beer ready to meet some friends in the clubhouse. As Boro didn't have many fans there on a midweek night, there was no segregation. Daggers went one up early on and Boro never really looked like equalising, despite having plenty of the play.

I remember it being a long journey home nattering with some other Seadogs about the clubs' financial crisis of the time.

Dagenham & Redbridge 1 Scarborough 0 (Saturday 18th January 2003) Football Conference (att: 1,566)

Boro were in a bit of turmoil having gone into administration again a couple of days before the match and manager Russell Slade tendering his resignation so this was to be his last match. We went pretty early to the game with me joining Butch, Liz and Carl from King's Cross.

I had missed the previous seasons 4-2 defeat when Ian Kerr took temporary charge of the team after Neil Thompson's departure. I was on my way with my mate Dave Cammish when we were prevented from getting there before half time owing to us not knowing about rail replacement buses on the tube route where engineering works were taking place. We went to a Bethnal Green pub instead where illegal TV coverage showed us Manchester United come back from a 3-0 half time deficit to win 5-3 at White Hart Lane.

Carl and Butch in the away end

After going into a 'local' pub near the station so Carl could use the facilities we walked up to the ground to have a few pints and to chat with other Boro fans. A petition was being put together to try and get Slade to stay and feelings were pretty high. Not everyone was impressed with the board and one or two were annoyed with the manager.

Victoria Road had now improved with the opening of the new Main Stand which ran most of the length of the pitch. The eight floodlight pylons down the sides had been replaced by one in each corner. Next to the Main Stand was another smaller length stand of the same height which was allocated to away fans wishing to sit down.

Boro tried their best but Daggers scored late in the second half although the football distracted from Slade if truth be told. At the end of the match he came across to the decent away following and one or two went on the pitch to thank him and try and persuade him to stay. We went back inside the clubhouse for a beer before leaving.

Slade changed his mind on the Monday after the match and remained as manager of Scarborough FC.

Dagenham & Redbridge 1 Scarborough 0 (Saturday 22nd November 2003) Football Conference (att: 1,107)

Another trip to the east and another one nil defeat. The pattern was the same as ever. Beers in the clubhouse. Daggers scoring. Boro not looking like equalising. At least the welcome was always warm at Victoria Road. No wonder with our record there!

Wednesday 26th September 2007

I was on a days groundhopping around Essex. After visiting the home of Romford FC at the time, Rush Green Road, I took a bus down to Victoria Road. All the entrances to the ground were locked, but I was met with a busy scene as new portakabins were being used as offices by the local community. I went inside the clubhouse where some cheery ladies and a bloke were cleaning up. I explained what I was doing and I was a fan of Scarborough Athletic. The man said it was no problem and led me down the players tunnel and told me to do what I wanted as long as I didn't go on the pitch.

With the tidying up at the Bury Road or Clock End and the TV gantry on top of the North Stand, the stadium was starting to look very smart. It had even got a new name through sponsorship naming rights and was now officially called The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Stadium. I think Victoria Road sounded better!

What pleased me more than anything was the fact that despite The Daggers now being a Football League club, the people connected with them didn't forget the same kindness and friendliness from the past.

Since my last visit

A new raised seated stand was built to replace the away fans open terrace at the Pondfield Road End. This also contained the players changing rooms and a bar specifically designated for the visitors. This gave Victoria Road the seating capacity required by the League.

Tranmere Rovers

2011-06-18T15:09:00.001+01:00

Tranmere Rovers FC are based in Birkenhead on the opposite bank of the River Mersey to Liverpool. The club were formed as Belmont FC in 1884 before taking on their present name a year later.

The team began playing matches at Steele's Field in Birkenhead before buying Ravenshaws Field from Tranmere Rugby Club in 1887. Two years later they renamed the ground Prenton Park, although it was not the same venue as their current home of the same name. In 1889 Rovers entered the West Lancashire League before moving to the Lancashire Combination.

The club continued forward and moved to their current Prenton Park in 1912, which was a venue of substance for a club of their size. The team continued playing through the First World War, which brought criticism as their players avoided military service, despite being employed in the local shipyards.

Prenton Park at the time of Ron Yeats' managership

Rovers entered the Central League in 1919 and were then invited to become founder members of Division Three North in 1921 following the League expansion. In 1924 a local youngster, William 'Dixie' Dean started getting attention with his goalscoring feats and was transferred to Everton for £3,000 where he became a club legend. In 1935 Rovers forward Bunny Bell netted nine goals in one incredible 13-4 Boxing Day victory over Oldham Athletic. The aggregate of seventeen goals in one game is a League record.

1938 saw Rovers lift their first ever, and up to 2011 only, championship when they lifted the Division Three North crown, but relegation followed a year later. After restructuring Rovers were relegated to Division Four for the first time in 1961. A new boss Dave Russell took over the team and instigated some revolutionary changes. He brought in a youth system which produced future England international Roy McFarland and changed the club colours to all white.

In 1967 promotion was secured and this was celebrated a year later with the opening of a 4,000 seater Main Stand and the team reaching the fifth round of the FA Cup. Former Liverpool hero Ron Yeats came in as player manager in 1972 and used his Anfield connections bringing in ex team mates. The side won 1-0 at Highbury in the League Cup, but the good times soon subsided as they were relegated in 1975.

After another brief spell in the third tier Rovers hit desperate times. The area was caught in the sever depression of that era with huge job losses and Rovers boar the brunt of it. Wirral Council loaned the club £200,000 to keep the club going, which forged a long lasting relationship between the authority and the club. Sadly it was not enough to stop the club entering administration in 1987.

Local businessman Peter Johnson bought the club in a deal which proved to be the turning point in their history. John King was appointed as manager and his first season the team secured their League status before winning promotion two years later. A consecutive promotion was only foiled the following year at Wembley against Notts County, before Rovers returned a week later to defeat Bristol Rovers in the Leyland Daf Trophy Final.

The 'Super Whites' were on a roll and they returned to Wembley to win promotion in the Play Off Final against Bolton Wanderers in 1991 to reach the second tier for the first time in sixty years. Former Liverpool star John Aldridge arrived in an audacious signing from Real Sociedad and in 1993, 1994 and 1995 Rovers reached the Play Offs, only to miss out on promotion to the Premier League.

Prenton Park was gradually rebuilt and completed in March 1995. A year later Aldridge took over as player manager, before hanging up his boots in 1999. The club reached the sixth round of the FA Cup in 2000 as well as getting to their first ever major final. Leicester City defeated ten man Rovers 2-1 after extra time in the last League Cup Final to be held at the old Wembley Stadium.

The following season the team went on another superb FA Cup run including a 3-0 victory at Goodison Park against Everton, but the league form suffered. Aldridge resigned before the team were relegated. Brian Little took the club to a sixth round replay of the 2005 FA Cup where they went down to eventual finalists Millwall. After Little, Ronnie Moore and John Barnes had spells as manager. Barnes struggled badly before club stalwart and former physio Les Parry took up the reigns to bring in some stability.

Tranmere Rovers will compete in League One for the 2011-12 season.

My visits

Tranmere Rovers 0 Hull City 3 (Saturday 8th December 1984) FA Cup Round Two

Several of my good mates were going on the train to this game. I was in a terrible job at the time and was due to leave a day or so later, so I bunked off and joined my pals.

We got off at Lime Street with the knowledge there were no big games on in the city that day so we should be relatively safe from the heavy hooligan element in the city at the time and their reputation of carrying Stanley knives. We took the Merseyrail to Rock Ferry and then a bus to arrive at Prenton Park before two o'clock.

It seemed to be a bit lively outside so we went straight inside the ground. Prenton Park seemed a largish stadium for a club of Rovers size. The large Main Stand towered over us with its seating deck. We were on the paddock terracing in front of its large wall up to the players tunnel. To our right was the large open Kop terrace. Opposite was a long low covered terraced Borough Road Stand. The Cowshed behind the other goal had a strange roof like the home end at Brunton Park, Carlisle.

The crowds started arriving with City's casuals and lads going in the seats above us. As Everton were at QPR and Liverpool having no game it seemed that some of their fans had turned up to give their Merseyside friends some support. Plenty also went into the seats. Before long there was a running battle with police doing their best to get help and seperate the fans as fists and seats flew at each other. We were in the safest place!

Rovers former crest

City were far too strong for Tranmere on the pitch and were two up by half time. For some reason, Rovers kicked off at 3.15 in those days, as well as playing many matches on a Friday night to try and attract floating fans from other clubs. We were now starting to get a bit concerned about how we'd get back to Lime Street without any hassles. The vast majority of City fans had travelled by road so we were likely to stand out.

A bloke overheard our predicament. He was a locally based Tiger and he offered to cram us all (I think there was five of us) into his small car and take us back through the Mersey Tunnel. We were not going to refuse! City completed an easy three nil win before we went across the car park and crammed into our new friends car.

Before long we were in Lime Street station listening to the third round draw which drew groans of disappointment as City were rewarded with a visit to Brighton. We got back to Scarborough and some of us went to an engagement party across town at the Scalby Manor. It had been a long day out but a really good one!

Tranmere Rovers 1 Scarborough 1 (Saturday 21st January 2000) Division Four

As was the norm for matches in the north the lads from the Post Office and Gas Club had got a mini bus together for this league encounter. Interest was high with both sides up towards the top of the table.

We arrived in time to find a local pub. This was no thing of beauty, but it was cheap and friendly enough. We were still inside Prenton Park in good time. Gates had improved since my last visit when the Kop was unused. We were given half of it for this game. It was far too big for three hundred or so Seadogs, but it offered a great view.

The match as expected was very tight and we were delighted to grab a point from it.

I celebrated on the way back with a couple of beers before we stopped at the Windmill Hotel in York. The Post Office pool team were playing there in the regional knock out competition against York and I'd been selected. My captain and good friend Steve Walker was not massively impressed with my condition towards the end of the evening as I 'danced' around the table! All's well that ends well, as I say. We won!

Tuesday 19th October 2010

It was the final day of my adventure on Merseyside as I called in on football grounds and did some socialising and sightseeing. The weather was windy with showers as I alighted off the bus from Cammell Laird's Kirklands Stadium.

I thought I was relatively near to Prenton Park, which I was. Unfortunately the map did not show hills and my memory from 1994 didn't remember any. It was a very steep walk up Well Lane and Prenton Road East.

I got to the ground and had a good look around, but sadly it was all locked up. I did my best with getting some pictures through gaps in the fences.

The ground had changed massively since my previous visits. The Main Stand had a seating deck over the old paddock with aligned with the original tier. The Kop was a large covered single tier of seats. The Cowshed was a new covered seating stand which followed the slant in the street behind and the John King Stand, which was also a single tier of covered seats had replaced the previously smaller Borough Road Stand. It looked a very impressive venue.

I waited outside the Prenton Park Hotel and caught the bus into Birkenhead town centre to take a train north of the river to call at my final grounds of the visit.

The modern pictures of the inside of Prenton Park have been taken from the internet, as all gates were locked on my last visit.

Southport

2011-06-07T20:40:00.003+01:00

Southport FC from the seaside town sixteen miles north of Liverpool were formed in 1881. After a joining together of local clubs, Southport FC took up their name in 1886 following a meeting at Mather's saleroom of which players from Southport Wanderers were prominent. The club moved to a new ground in Scarisbrook New Road.

The Football League was formed in 1888 and the people of the town wanted a side to represent them. Meetings were held at the Scarlett's Rooms, Chapel Street and then the Railway Hotel when a decision was made to name the club Southport Central FC. The club became members of the Lancashire League.

The club moved to the Lancashire Combination in 1903 and moved to a new ground at Haig Avenue, which was called Ash Lane at the time, two years later. In 1911 the club joined the Central League and seven years later renamed themselves Southport Vulcan FC. This was the first ever case of a club being named after a sponsor as the Vulcan Motor Company bought the club.

In 1921 'The Sandgrounders' became founder members of Division Three South of the Football League. Southport had few highlights and when league re-organisation came about in 1958, they were placed in the fourth division. Billy Bingham, who later managed Everton and Northern Ireland, took the club to their first ever promotion in 1967. They lasted just three seasons in their higher status but they went back up as fourth division champions in 1973.

Unfortunately relegation came after just one season and it begin a sorry period in the clubs history. Crowds dropped badly, the ground decayed and the team struggled. After three consecutive twenty third placed finishes, disaster struck in 1978. Southport were the last ever club to be voted out of the League by the re-election process to be replaced by Wigan Athletic. It would be a further nine years before automatic promotion and relegation was introduced.

Southport played in the Northern Premier League until a resurgence kicked in, which saw them promoted to the Football Conference in 1993 after finishing as champions. They reached Wembley in 1998 where they went down to Cheltenham Town in the FA Trophy final.

Relegation followed in 2003 before Southport became founder members of the Conference North in 2004 and going on to lift the title and rejoin the Conference National. In an ambitious move they decided to revert to full time status in 2006. The scheme backfired as relegation followed. They remained full time in the lower division until 2008 when it was decided to go back to being part time professionals.

The change of status worked as some good players in the area preferred part time football and they were promoted once again in 2010. Their spell in the top flight of non league football would have lasted just one season, but Rushden & Diamonds were expelled from the league for financial irregularities so The Soundgrounders were reprieved from relegation.

Southport FC will compete in the Football Conference in the 2011-12 season.

My visits

Southport 2 Gainsborough Trinity 1 Northern Premier League

My first ever visit to Haig Avenue was one of my first experiences of going to a game on my own. I was fourteen at the time and was on a family weekend break staying at Pontins at Ainsdale, which was between Southport and Liverpool. The trip was by coach with the Scarborians Social Club and was designed so those who wanted to go to the Grand National at Aintree could do so.

We had taken the train into Liverpool for the day and then gone on to the National. Aintree at the time was a real mess and we were charged a small fortune to get in (or at least my Dad was). We were on the inside of the track and it was impossible to see much. Men had climbed onto building roofs around the place but there was little hope for my Mum, Dad and three kids.

It was a blustery day to add to our woes and just after the big race my youngest brother Nick was complaining that one of his eyes hurt and he had something stuck. I forget how but my Mum got some advice and we had to set off for St Paul's Eye Clinic in the city. Fortunately the experts managed to get some rust out of his eye which could have come from a multitude of places at the decaying course. As my Mum lamented, "All that travelling and money and all I we saw was the winning jockeys cap bobbing by"! For the record Ben Nevis, ridden by Charlie Fenwick won the National.

How Haig Avenue was at the time of my first visit

Anyway, we went for something to eat and I'd been dropping some unsubtle hints to my Dad about that evenings match up the coast. As was normal practice, whichever of Liverpool or Everton were at home on National day had played at lunchtime, with Tranmere Rovers playing on the Friday evening. Southport had put their kick off back to try and attract a bigger crowd.

I was given some money and sent on my way, with my Mum naturally a bit worried. I assured her all was going to be OK before promptly getting lost on the way to Moorfields Merseyrail station. In the end my stubbornness relented and I asked for directions and found myself entering the previously unknown to me Central station. I was extremely embarrassed when my parents and brothers got on the train at the next stop!

I eventually got out at Southport station and asked for directions. I was told that Haig Avenue was quite a distance and I'd be better catching a bus. I eventually arrived half way into the first half.

Haig Avenue was well past its best. Hardly any turnstiles looked to have been used for some time. The paintwork was peeling and the stands rapidly decaying. The Main Stand was impressive if untidy as it filled a good part of one side, with open terracing flanking it. There was a covered terrace behind the Scarisbrick End which continued and gave shelter to the Popular Side. The Blowick End behind the other end was open standing.

Trinity went one up in the game before The Sandgrounders, who played in amber and blue in those days, slowly fought their way back into it and won with two second half goals. The crowd was pretty poor and at the end of the game the exit gates weren't opened so we had to exit through a door under the Main Stand.

I caught a bus back and then a train to Ainsdale where my Dad was waiting for me to walk back down to the camp.

Sunday 17th October 2010

I was out and about on my first of three days visiting grounds, sights and pubs around Merseyside. My daily travelcard allowed me to catch the Merseyrail service from Crosby, where I'd tried and failed to get into Rossett Park, the home of Marine and Southport. My advance homework had proved to be good as I was soon on a bus travelling towards Haig Avenue.

I was not having much luck. My second ground of the day was also locked. I manged to get a sneak look through the gaps in the brightly painted gates, but nothing substantial. I did know that the Main Stand had been improved and updated. The old terrace cover had been demolished many years previously following the stricter guidelines following Bradford and Hillsborough.

The Scarisbrick End had a new cover and terrace. Both the Blowick End and Popular Side had new terracing but remained uncovered. The whole place was neat and tidy and had signs of its previous standing.

Try as I might, I couldn't get a better view inside the stadium. I went on my slightly unmerry way to catch a train to Meols Cop towards Burscough.

The photos as viewed from inside Haig Avenue have been taken from the internet owing to the ground being locked on my latest visit and sadly not having a camera with me in 1980.

Burscough

2011-06-07T20:02:00.003+01:00

Burscough FC come from a large village of the same name in West Lancashire which is located between Liverpool and Preston. The club were formed in 1946, but they are not the first club to represent the village.

The first Burscough AFC were formed in 1880 and played local football before folding ten years later. Burscough Rangers FC came into existence in 1905 and based themselves at a new ground in Mart Lane in 1908. The club played in green and were nicknamed 'The Linnets' like the current club. In 1926 a grandstand was purchased from Everton FC and erected at Victoria Park as the ground was now called. Unfortunately in 1935 they hit financial problems in 1935 and folded.

After formation after World War Two, Burcough played in Liverpool based competitions before entering the Lancashire Combination in 1953. In 1956 the lifted the league title and three years later they reached the FA Cup First Round. A crowd of 4,200 flocked to Victoria Park to see Crewe Alexandra end their run.

In 1966 local born former Blackburn Rovers, Preston North End, Bolton Wanderers and England star Bobby Langton took the reigns as manager. The Linnets lifted some cup competitions as well the league once more.

In 1970 the club joined the Cheshire County League, and in their spell there they reached the first round of the FA Cup on three further occasions. In 1982 they became founder members of the North West Counties League and became the first ever champions. A new grandstand was built in celebration to replace the sixty year old structure.

In 1998 Burscough became members of the first division of the Northern Premier League. In 2000 they made the step up to the Premier Division and went on to lift the Liverpool Senior Cup for the first time. During this period the club had set up an excellent youth development scheme which produced Lee McEvilly who was sold to Rochdale for £20,000. Within three months he had made his Northern Ireland debut.

In May 2002 former Aston Villa defender Shaun Teale was appointed as player manager and in his first season he took the side on to lift the FA Trophy after defeating Tamworth 2-1 in the Villa Park final. Despite this he left the club six weeks later over a fall out over finances.

Managers came and went as The Linnets came close to Conference football before losing in the play off final. The second round of the FA Cup was reached for the first time in the 2005-06 season. After beating Gillingham 3-2 at Victoria Park, Burton Albion knocked them out.

2006-07 was probably the most successful in the clubs history as they lifted the Northern Premier League title, The Lancashire Junior Cup and the Peter Swailes Memorial Shield under the managership of Liam Watson. Promotion was secured to the Conference North, but with it financial worries as the club overspent. The club was bought from its previous benefactor around this period by businessman Chris Lloyd for a very small fee on the understanding he was responsible for the mounting debts.

The Linnets lasted two seasons in the Conference North before they were relegated to the Northern Premier League. After a while the club were sold to Southport based Chequer Properties, who unveiled plans to sell Victoria Park and replace it with a new stadium to increase income streams and sort out the clubs finances. They promised not to interfere in the playing side of the club, but they soon sacked the manager and slashed the playing budget.

Chequer Properties are owned by father and son Martin and Paul Gilchrist. The company also owns the stadium of near neighbours, Skelmersdale United. Alarm bells started ringing amongst the Burcough fans when news broke that Chequer had sacked long serving secretary Stan Petherbridge and Chairman Frank Parr. Petherbridge was replaced by Paul Gilchrist. Then the news broke that the owners went to the NPL AGM and got permission for Burscough to play their home games for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons at Skelmersdale to allow them to develop Victoria Park and build a new ground for the club.

Supporters were furious and many vowed to look towards setting up a new club and not give money to Chequers at Skelmersdale. The team were reprieved from relegation owing to the demise of Ilkeston Town.

Burscough FC will play the 2011-12 season in the Northern Premier League Premier Division.

My visit

Sunday 17th October 2010

I was on my first day of three around Merseyside, enjoying visiting football stadiums, sightseeing and socialising and had the use of my all day travel card.

I had previously been denied access by the walls of both the grounds of Marine and Southport and was hoping for better luck as I boarded the train at Meols Cop station. My ticket didn't cover me all the way to Burscough Bridge station but the conductor was fine and didn't ask for any extra money.

I walked around past the shoppers going into the large modern Tesco store and into Bobby Langton way which bordered Victoria Park. Again the gates to a ground were locked! I walked past 'The Barons' private clubhouse which had access outside the ground and round the playing fields so that I could get some brief views inside the ground, but get some pictures as the perimeter fence wasn't too high.

It looked a decent enough ground. The near side had covered standing on the half way line and the goal at this end also had a cover in the centre. A Main Stand was on the far touchline towards the Mart Lane end with the changing rooms and social club next to it.The far Mart Lane end was open terracing with spectator facilities. The majority of the open areas consisted of terracing or concrete paths.

I walked back around to the Mart Lane End for further pictures by the grounds turnstiles, before I decided to return back to Southport and call in at Formby and have another more successful visit to Marine.

Bootle

2011-06-05T17:11:00.004+01:00

Bootle FC are a non league club based four miles to the north of Liverpool city centre. The present club were formed in 1953 as Langton FC and have no connection to the club of the same name that were once members of the Football League.

The original Bootle FC were formed in 1880 and played their games at Hawthorne Road. They were founder members of the Football Alliance in 1889 and they reached the quarter finals of the FA Cup. The Alliance merged with the Football League in 1892 and Bootle became members of the newly formed second division. They lasted just one season before the newly formed Liverpool FC replaced them! The club disappeared owing to financial troubles.

Another club, Bootle Athletic FC ensured football returned to Hawthorne Road in 1948. They competed in the Lancashire Combination until their demise in 1953. The ground soon fell into disrepair, but of 2011 it was home to Bootle Cricket Club.

Langton FC started out playing local league football and started out playing at Edinburgh Park. In 1973 they changed their name to the current title and joined the Lancashire Combination while moving to Orrell Mount. In 1977 'The Bucks' moved to the Cheshire County League and a new home at Bucks Park on Northern Permimeter Road near to Old Roan station, before becoming founder members of the North West Counties League in 1982.

The club were regulars in the top tier of the league when they vacated their Bucks Park home toardss the end of the century. They planned to use the Kirkby Sports Centre ground until a new home was found. This had previously staged the home games of Knowsley United FC (previously Kirkby Town FC). Unfortunately urgent repair work at the ground at the 2001-02 season meant Bootle having to drop down into the Liverpool Combination.

The club shared with Waterloo Dock FC while club officials worked tirelessly to find a new permanent home. In 2005 a new home, New Bucks Park was secured a few hundred yards from Aintree Racecourse and the following year they were readmitted into the North West Counties League. In 2009 promotion to the top tier was secured with a championship win.

Bootle FC will play in the North West Counties Premier Division for the 2011-12 season.

My visit

Tuesday 19th October 2010

I was completing my tour of Merseyside football grounds as well as enjoying some fine hospitality and Bootle were the last on my list.

I alighted at Aintree station in a rather damp state following a downpour in Maghull with the huge stands behind me. I could see New Bucks Park about a hundred yards in front of me, but unfortunately access was round the new industrial state and a good ten minutes walk away.

The gates appeared to be locked, but luckily for me an old boy was inside. I attracted his attention and he was kindness personified. He welcomed me inside and took great interest in my hobby. I was pleased to hear he knew all about the plight of my own club, Scarborough Athletic.

New Bucks Park was typical of many new venues. It lacked character but was functional and met all the ground graders requirements. Three sides were open and flat with a mixture of hard standing and grass. Practice pitches with their artificial turf and high fences were down the side and behind the far goal. The fourth side had the large clubhouse, changing rooms and offices complex with three of the modern type stands in front. One provided seats and the others a few steps of terracing with covering over both and the players tunnel in between.

I went inside the neat clubhouse to use the loos and my new friend gave me a programme from the FA Sunday Cup game that had been played there at the weekend featuring local side Salisbury Athletic. It appeared that hiring out the facilities played a vital park in assisting the clubs' finances.

I walked back to the main road and was most pleased when a local lady told me that a bus was due. I had a nice ride through Bootle town centre and right to Lime Street station in the centre of Liverpool.

Everton

2011-06-02T09:34:00.002+01:00

Everton FC, from the city of Liverpool, were formed as St Domingo's FC in 1878 so that the people of the parish of St Domingo's Methodist Church had an activity in the winter to sit alongside their cricket in the summer.

The following year the name of Everton FC, after the local district was adopted after a meeting at the Queen's Head Hotel. Barker and Dobson, a local sweet manufacturer, introduced "Everton Mints" to honour the club.

Everton started out playing on an open pitch in the south east corner of the newly laid out Stanley Park. John Houlding's house backed onto the pitch and he noticed the large crowds so he got involved with the club. A Mr J Cruit offered Everton a new enclosed ground at Priory Road, but after a couple of years he asked them to move out because of the large crowds and noise.

'The Toffees' or 'The Blues' as they are nicknamed moved to Anfield in 1884, renting from John Orrell who was a friend of Houlding. Houlding was by now the club president and he bought Anfield a year later. For a time the club made a donation to a local hospital in lieu of rent, before they started paying rent to their own president! Anfield was quickly made into a top class venue and was soon to stage an international game.

Everton became founder members of the Football League in 1888 and they lifted their first title in 1891. A bitter conflict was soon around the corner as Houlding had increased the rental fee dramatically. His friend Orrell had adjacent land and wanted to legally build a road where the Main Stand stood. The Everton committee asked Houlding to work out a deal for them, but he refused to give them a contract of lease.

In 1892 Houlding tied to set up a new company called Everton FC and Athletic Grounds Ltd and take over the clubs fixtures. The officials at the Football Council refused to recognise the new company as Everton so Houlding changed its name to Liverpool FC and Athletic Grounds Ltd to form Liverpool FC. The Everton committee decided enough was enough and they abandoned their substantial home to move to Goodison Park in the other corner of Stanley Park.

Everton reached four FA Cup finals before the outbreak of the First World War, but only won one of them in 1906 at Crystal Palace against Newcastle United. In 1915 another league title was won.

A hero lit up the club for many years in the shape of William Ralph Dean (better known as Dixie), who scored a remarkable sixty league goals in the 1928-29 season. Unbelievably the club were relegated the following season. They were promoted immediately with Dean scoring thirty nine times. The FA Cup was lifted again in 1933 in the first final where both the teams wore numbers and then another championship was secured the following year. 1939 saw yet another league title with Joe Mercer and Tommy Lawton starring. Goalkeeper Ted Sagar remained constant throughout the eventful decade.

The 1940's and 50's were barren years for Everton. They were relegated in 1951 and spent three years in the second tier before reclaiming their place in the first division. Harry Catterick took over the managerial reigns in 1961 to watch over a golden era where the club were dubbed "The School of Science".

Further league championships were added in 1963 and 1970 as well as the FA Cup against Sheffield Wednesday following a remarkable comeback from being two goals down. To watch the highlights in colour, go to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spl2yQDHThU

The 1970 title side was characterised by the "Holy Trinity" midfield of Colin Harvey, Alan Ball and Howard Kendall.

The club had an occasional push for honours over the following decade without winning anything. Former hero Kendall took over the managerial reigns in 1981 but didn't find things easy to begin with. Fans were losing patience before he transformed the side bringing in Peter Reid to marshall the midfield with Andy Gray up front around lots of young talent and the commanding Neville Southall in goal.

Everton won the FA Cup in 1984 against Watford and followed it up with the European Cup Winners Cup against Rapid Vienna in Rotterdam the following year. To watch go to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LEOXyWp980

The same season The Blues won their eighth league title. Gary Lineker spent the following season at the club before yet another title was secured in 1987. Sadly Kendall departed for Athletico Bilbao and the momentum dropped off. Managers came and went including a failed comeback from Kendall and the club were extremely close to relegation before winning a highly controversial game with Wimbledon.

Former forward Joe Royle came in and another FA Cup was lifted in 1995 as the "dogs of war" side were put together. More managers tried and ultimately failed at Goodison including yet another Kendall spell and the much respected Walter Smith before control was given to David Moyes who joined the club from Preston North End.

The club was struggling off the pitch with finances and the aging Goodison Park. Theatre impresario Bill Kenright took over as Chairman as Moyes continued to work wonders on the pitch with limited resources which forced him to sell starlet Wayne Rooney to Manchester United.

The club tried to put together a move to Kirkby which caused a volatile reaction from many Evertonians as it is outside the Liverpool City boundaries. The deal involved help from Tesco who would get a huge store on the site. The club were advised by the authorities that planning permission would not necessarily be granted so it went no further while fans continued to protest as Moyes continued to perform wonders with the squad.

Everton FC will play in the Premier League in the 2011-12 season.

My visits

Everton 2 Middlesbrough 1 after extra time (Tuesday 9th February 1988) FA Cup Round Four Second Replay

I was a postmen back in he day and I finished work early each afternoon. A good Boro mate Doomie knew an Everton fan based in Scarborough who wanted to go to the game so he agreed to drive through.

We were pushing it to make kick off and we at last managed to find somewhere to park before we sprinted round to the Gladwys Street turnstiles and forced our way onto the terracing behind the goal. I was immediately impressed by the tradition and grandeur of Goodison Park.

The Gladwys Street End was terracing downstairs where we were with a deck of seats above us. The corner cut away where St Luke's church stood before giving way to the magnificent Main Stand had terracing at the front before two large seating decks with the third tier having an incredible rake to it. The far Park End was seated at the back before giving way to a smallish terrace for the visiting fans. This stand once had the terrace going further back but safety measures had restricted the capacity. The final side was taken up by the Bullens Road Stand which joined up with the Gladwys Street End. This had terracing at the front with a converted seated paddock behind it. A further seating deck rose above it.

At the time it was still considered quite risky to be thought of being in the wrong areas of a stadium and we had similar accents to the evenings visitors from Teesside, or at least we would to a suspicious Scouser looking for trouble so we kept quiet. We need not worry. Everton went ahead and we got pushed around in the general crush but then Boro equalised with several around us applauding the goal! The Blues went on to win the match in extra time.

Monday 18th October 2010

I was on Merseyside for my second of three days groundhopping, socialising and sightseeing. The previous day had seen Everton defeat their deadly rivals Liverpool two nil and has luck would have it, I'd booked a Goodison stadium tour a few weeks previously.

I caught the bus from Lime Street station and I passed Prince Rupert's Tower which is depicted on the club crest before jumping out on County Road. It looked strange but mightily impressive seeing the huge rear of the Main Stand down the old terraced streets.

I entered the reception and encountered others on my tour as well as many smiling club staff. Our guide was bullish in the extreme and obviously very proud of his club. He refused to mention Liverpool FC by name and referred to their owners as "The Cowboys".

We were taken around the various hospitality suites and the boardroom. There was many interesting souvenirs and mementos on show including some of Dixie Dean's old possessions. We went into the changing rooms, which I thought were OK without being remarkable, before we lined up and walked up the steps and onto the side of the pitch with the clubs' 'Z Cars' theme tune booming out. Although Goodison was not as modern as a lot of stadiums, it still oozed class and character.

Since my previous visit it was now all seated. The only structural change was the Park End Stand which was now a large single tier of seats replacing the old stand. Everywhere including the pitchside track was blue. Our guide kept saying how the club needed to move to allow the manager funds for players that could be generated from a newer stadium with more facilities. He thought a shared stadium with his friends from over the park could be the solution!

I said my goodbyes and popped back to County Road to use an internet cafe before returning to Goodison Street where The Wimslow pub was sadly closed because I wanted to have a look inside to see if it had an souvenirs on show. Instead I made do with a mammoth portion of pie and chips from the local chippy before I walked round to have a look at the Dixie Dean statue.

I walked through Stanley Park clutching my lunch and trying to keep warm as I reflected on the history between two huge clubs who were such close neighbours. I went on my way to the Arkles pub and awaited my tour of Anfield where I heard a very different slant on the story of the clubs!

Cammell Laird

2011-06-01T15:01:00.005+01:00

Cammell Laird FC from Birkenhead in Merseyside were originally formed as Cammell Laird Institute FC in 1907 for workers of the shipbuilding yard. The club was based in Conway Street, Birkenhead with the team playing their games at Old Prenton Park on Temple Road in the West Cheshire League.

In September 1909, the club moved to their newly enclosed ground in Park Road North, Birkenhead Park. After the First World War ship building decreased and the company took the football club in house.

In 1922 the club were re established as Kirklands FC and joined the local Birkenhead League playing at Kirklands Stadium in Rock Ferry before they folded in 1935. In 1944 they were once again brought back and they rejoined the West Cheshire League. They went on to lift the title on a magnificent nineteen occasions.

'The Shipyarders' joined the pyramid in 2004 by becoming members of the North West Counties League. Consecutive promotions were then incredibly achieved to find Laird in the Northern Premier League as well as reaching the semi finals of the FA Vase before Nantwich Town ended their run.

A fourth successive promotion was only foiled by Eastwood Town in the play off final. The following season they finished second but were automatically promoted as champions Retford Town didn't meet the ground grading requirements. However, in a cruel twist of fate Laird were demoted the following season despite finishing in a safe position as they failed to upgrade Kirklands.

Cammell Laird FC will play in the Northern Premier League Division One North for the 2011-12 season.

My visit

Tuesday 19th October 2010

It was a gloomy and showery final day of my few days of groundhopping, beer tasting and sightseeing on Merseyside. I had left my fine guest house north of the river in Waterloo and deposited by travel bag at Lime Street Station. A Merseyrail train dropped me at Rock Ferry.

I left the station and surveyed a rather run down area. I turned left down the hill and into Chester New Road before taking a turning after half a mile and ending up in St Peter's Road. To my dismay the ground was locked up and there was no sign of life over the road in the social club. I did my best to take some limited photos but I didn't get much of a view. I needed a plan B.

I walked back to the main road and noticed that the bus garage and large yard formed the boundary to the stadium. It only had a high rail fence and the ground could be seen through it. There was nothing else to do. I walked into the yard where there were many private cars. Nobody questioned me so I took some reasonable photos of the sides I hadn't previously seen.

The near St Peter's Road side had a low seated covered stand straddling the half way line with facilities towards the corner flag including the changing rooms. The Chester New Road or Bus Garage Side had two low covered stands, one offering seats and the other room for standing spectators. The rest of the ground consisted of flat open standing with a hard standing path around the pitch and then grass.

I left the bus yard and took a bus back past Rock Ferry station and some of the way to my next port of call, Prenton Park Tranmere.

Formby

2011-06-01T14:11:00.004+01:00

Formby FC are a non league football club based a few miles north of Liverpool. They were formed in 1919 as Formby United FC playing on a ground between Philips Lane and Ravenmeols Lane.

After a year the club dropped United from its name and moved to a new ground at Brows Lane with the team competing in local leagues and cup competitions for many years. In 1969 'The Squirrels' joined the Lancashire Combination before moving to the Cheshire County League in 1972.

In 1973 the team reached the first round proper of the FA Cup before Oldham Athletic won 2-0 at Brows Lane. in 1978 they became the first non league club to lift the Liverpool Senior Cup. In 1982 Formby joined the North West Counties League as founder members. They spent many of the following seasons in the second tier of that league.

In 2002 the club moved to a new ground at Altcar Road. This was not up to the requirements of the league so Formby had to drop down to the Liverpool County Combination for a season before being readmitted into the NWCL.

The team were promoted in the first season back and despite a large turnover of managers and one or two struggles they maintained their status.

Formby FC will play in the North West Counties League Premier Division in the 2011-12 season.

My visit

Sunday 17th October 2010

I was on Merseyside for a few days sightseeing and groundhopping. I had originally planned to go to Formby early on the Sunday morning but the distance of the ground from the station and the lack of buses deterred me.

I went on to Southport and Burscough before realising I could fit in a call to Altcar Road. A bus was due as I alighted from the train so I hopped on board. Unfortunately I lost my bearings and got off far too early. I could have gone another mile nearer the ground!

Nevermind. It was a nice enough morning and I had my digital radio to keep me entertained. The ground really was quite a distance, over the Formby by pass and near some light industry behind a Tesco superstore.

The good news was that the ground was open as it was the base for several junior teams. Many youngsters were around in their kits with parents filling the car park. The grounds refreshment hut was open to serve the hungry hordes.

It was no thing of beauty in truth but it was obviously adequate for their league and fully functional. As I entered through the gate the main covered seated stand was unusually directly to my left filling in up to goal, maybe as a reminder of the lay out of their old Brows Lane home? The far end had the only other cover, this time for standing spectators. The rest of the ground was a combination of flat open standing, consisting of concrete and grass. A large hedge formed the perimeter on the far touchline, with a plethora of buildings for offices, a tea bar, changing rooms,a camera point and clubhouse were down the opposite touchline. All buildings were painted dark green so as to fit in with its rural surroundings.

I left and set off on the long walk back to Formby station. There were no buses due on the sporadic Sunday timetable but I got a move on so I could catch a train and try once again to get at Marine FC.

Marine

2011-05-31T23:50:00.003+01:00

Marine FC are a non league club based in Crosby in Merseyside, a few miles north of Liverpool, who were formed in 1894. The club were formed following a meeting between former students and local businessmen at the Marine Hotel in Waterloo on the waterfront of the River Mersey.

Marine moved to Rossett Park in 1903 from Waterloo Park and they quickly made an impression in local football circles. In 1932 'The Lillywhites' (The Mariners being the clubs' other nickname) reached the final of the FA Amateur Cup, only to go down 7-1 to Dulwich Hamlet at the home of West Ham United in front of 22,000 fans.

The Mariners joined the otherwise all professional Lancashire Combination in 1935 as an amateur club. They had limited success before moving to the Cheshire County League in 1969. The legendary figure of local window cleaner Roly Howard was appointed as manager in 1972. Howard went on to appear in the Guinness Book of Records as he amassed an amazing 1,975 games over thirty three years as the club won thirty assorted trophies.

The club turned semi professional in 1974 and they progressed into the Northern Premier League in 1979. They lifted the league title in 1994 and 1995. In 1993 they reached the third round of the FA Cup before Crewe Alexandra ended the run with a 3-1 win. Wembley was nearly reached on a couple of occasions, but Marine went out in the semi finals of the FA Trophy in 1984 and 1992.

Marine have remained in the top flight of the Northern Premier League with the promotion play offs being reached on a few occasions.

Marine FC will compete in the Northern Premier League Premier Division in the 2011-12 season.

My visit

Marine Youth Team 3 Nantwich Town Youth Team 2 (Sunday 17th October 2011) North West Youth Alliance (att: approx 30)

I was staying in nearby Waterloo for a few days to do some sightseeing and groundhopping. I awoke on a pleasant Sunday morning and decided to make the Arriva Stadium, or Rossett Park before sponsorship, my first call of the day.

After a brisk ten minutes walk from my excellent bed and breakfast lodgings I was stood outside a locked stadium. It looked extremely secure and I abandoned all plans of entering and put it off until the following day, when I hoped some club staff may have been about, or so I thought....

I had travelled on the Merseyrail up to Southport and then Burscough. My plans were flexible so I returned to have a look at Formby. My idea was to try again at Marine and then watch some of the Everton v Liverpool derby match in a hostelry.

I returned to find the gates open and a match in progress. I knew Everton Ladies used the ground for their home games but that they charged admission so I ruled them out. I had a chat with a couple of friendly stewards who told me of the game in progress and welcomed me to wander around and take photos.

The ground was oozing with character and was extremely hemmed in, but neat and tidy. The College Road end had all the changing room and office facilities along with the clubhouse. The only seated stand was behind this goal along with some neat terracing. To the right hand side there was a low full length cover over a narrow terrace. The other side of the pitch had only the dug outs and no spectator accommodation. The far Crossender Road End had neat open terracing.

The match was keenly contested and play flowed from end to end at great speed. I resisted staying too long and instead I went into the clubhouse where a packed audience were fairly quiet while being glued to the big match on TV.

I had a pint before deciding to try the more animated atmosphere of the wonderful old fashioned pub, The Edinburgh. There was hardly any room but the service was quick and the atmosphere superb.

I left after the game to head off for a brief siesta before enjoying the evenings activities. Liverpool city centre was like New Years Eve!

Maghull

2011-05-31T23:03:00.002+01:00

Maghull FC are based eight miles north of Liverpool and were formed in 1921. The club originally played its home games at Deyes Lane and played in local league and cup competitions.

In 1972 the club joined the Lancashire Combination before moving to the Cheshire County League in 1978. In 1982 Maghull became founder members of the North West Counties League.

Disaster struck in 1991 when the clubs facilities were destroyed in a fire but they were replaced with a new building containing fine changing rooms, a lounge bar and a small covered area for spectators. The following season the team clinched the division two championship but were denied promotion because of failing the necessary ground requirements.

In 1999 Maghull moved to the West Cheshire League.

Maghull FC will compete in the West Cheshire League Division One in the 2011-12 season.

My visit

Tuesday 19th October 2010

It was the final day of my stay on Merseyside. I had a great time sightseeing, socialising and visiting grounds. I had crossed the Mersey to call in at Cammell Laird and Tranmere Rovers before taking a train north.

Maghull seemed a very nice village suburb, but unfortunately the weather gods were against me. It started pouring down as soon as I left the station. I sheltered under the trees before continuing my walk once the rain abated slightly.

I found the Old Hall Field easily enough on Hall Lane. The ground was pretty basic but very smart at the same time. The cricket ground was on one side with the football pitch surrounded by a rail and post fence on the other. The clubhouse and changing rooms building were on the far side.

I walked back to Maghull station glad I'd ticked another ground off, but a little regretful about doing it in the rain!

London APSA

2011-02-04T23:46:00.187Z

London All Peoples' Sports Association FC (APSA for short) were formed in the East End of the capital in 1993 to compete in the first Asian Football League. The club were originally known as Ahle Sunnah and came about when a group of friends from Newham's East Ham College merged with a local youth team known as Young Muslims FC.

In 1999 the club became serious about competing in senior football after a trip to Pakistan via a Manchester group known as APSA. The founders of the club continued to plan for the future and were featured on national TV when they played the Pakistan national team at Oxford.

APSA applied to enter the Essex Senior League in 2002 but were turned down as facilities at their preferred venue at the Terence McMillan Stadium didn't meet the required the criteria. However with help from Aveley FC who offered the use of their home ground, APSA were admitted the following season.

APSA eventually got the McMillan Stadium up to scratch and moved in to be in the area in which they were formed.

London APSA FC will play in the Essex Senior League for the 2011-12 season.

My visit

London APSA 2 Southend Manor 4 (Thursday 20th January 2011) Essex Senior League Cup Group H (att: 32)

I had been to two Essex Senior League games of late and had thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I was impressed with the standard of football and of course the value for money it offered. I had noticed a couple of weeks earlier that APSA played the occasional Thursday night game, so when I was on early shifts this fixture stood out.

The choice was even easier as the other challenger, the Surrey Senior Cup game between Colliers Wood United and AFC Wimbledon had fallen victim to the weather. So after a siesta and a fine meal and guest ale at the Baker Street Wetherspoon's I took the Jubilee line to Canning Town. From there a bus took me directly to the approach road to the Newham Leisure Centre, to which the Terence McMillan Stadium was part of.

I walked past the open all weather five a side courts and into the centre's reception. I was shown the way through and walked down a corridor and through an open fire door. This took me out to the side of the running track of the stadium. A welcoming lady took my £5 plus another quid for the decent programme.

The pitch looked quite a long way across the track. It was very open with a small grass bank around the track. The dug outs were on the far side. Behind the near end was the main building of the leisure centre where the players emerged from. On the near side another facility that appeared to be hosting judo and basketball had a few rows of seats under the roofs overhang. The club had a large hut which it shared with the host athletic club, the Newham & Essex Beagles which was being used to serve refreshments and as a club room. Spectators only had access down this side.

The match kicked off on the rather bumpy surface with the visitors from Southend in the ascendancy. They went two up and looked like they would stroll the game. The match was in one of the three team groups in which the winners progressed and Manor went into the game at the top.

I recognised the young referee from officiating the Bethnal Green v Witham match in which he was quite fussy. It was another game in an athletic stadium and he was insistent on a ball being ready as soon as it crossed the track. At one point I thought he was going to book me for time wasting when a retrieved a stray pass. The bloke a few seats along agreed with me. By amazing coincidence he'd also been at the same game as me the week before.

APSA had a magnificent character at the back. He clearly enjoyed his food and drink and just about squeezed into his shirt. He wasn't the most mobile but he could play. I laughed my head off when his mates called for the ball. He was called Matthew Frew but his nickname was 'Burger'! Indeed, the meaty one had put Manor two up with a magnificent headed own goal.

Just before the break APSA were back in it. They fielded five debutant's on the evening and reduced the arrears with a penalty, the first they'd been awarded in two seasons of home matches. It was interesting that APSA had players from all colours and religions, fully encapsulating the district they represent.

At half time I took advantage of the refreshments. I liked the idea of everything costing 50p, whether it was for tea, coffee, crisps or a chocolate bar. Suitably warmed I went back outside and saw the equaliser go in.

Manor went ahead again through a deflected free kick and then another goal in the seventy fifth minute. I gave it a few minutes longer and waited by the exit for a few minutes. I was rewarded as I saw the award of a very soft penalty to the home team which was consequently smashed over via the crossbar.

I made my way out and to the bus back to Canning Town, followed by another one through true Eastender territory to Aldgate and the train home.

I really enjoyed the game. I found APSA well organised and friendly. They had a photographer on the side of the pitch and their website featured a good account of the game in later days. It isn't ideal watching a game across a running track with very little elevation for spectators, but they make the best of what they've got. Credit to them.

South Kilburn

2011-01-01T21:19:00.015Z

South Kilburn FC are a non league football club based in North West London. The club were formed in 2005 and immediately gained membership of the Middlesex League.

Initially they found the league a steep learning curve but soon found their feet and enjoyed some decent cup runs, and eventually elevation into the premier division.

The team played its home games at Broadfields Country Club at Headstone Lane. In season 2009-10, South Kilburn finished runners up in the league and gained promotion into the Hellenic League. To meet league requirements, South Kilburn moved to Vale Farm at Wembley where they implemented ground improvements.

At the end of the 2010-11 season South Kilburn applied to move sideways in the league structure to minimise travelling to join the Combined Counties League.

South Kilburn FC will compete in the Combined Counties League Division One during the 2011-12 season.

My visit

Saturday 1st January 2011

I am always intrigued by the introduction of new clubs into the senior pyramid system. I was even more so by South Kilburn. I had spent many a happy evening socialising on Kilburn High Road, but never thought they'd have a football club.

I did some research and found out early in the season that they were playing at Vale Farm, but that raised more questions than answers as the football ground there was the home of Wembley FC who were tenants to Hendon FC. I delved further into the world of the internet and found out that South Kilburn played by the sports centre in the main arena. I intended going to Hendon v Harrow Borough on New Years Day as I'd yet to see Hendon since they sadly lost their Claremont Road home. I could kill two birds with one stone and have a look at a new ground at the same time.

I had a walk and then took the 245 bus to Vale Farm and was soon finding my way inside the arena. The main sports centre block housed the changing rooms. The pitch was surrounded by an old overgrown shale running track which was once home to Middlesex Ladies Athletic Club. This had a rail fence round it and some raised banks. The actual pitch had a new fence around it, complete with dug outs and hard standing around the majority of the playing area. The whole arena was enclosed by a high mesh fence which would mean anyone could watch for free if they wished. There were four floodlight pylons but I wasn't sure if they were satisfactory for night matches.

There was scope for some covered accommodation which would be required if promotion was gained. The club had done tremendously well to reach the status they had in just five years.

I went across the site and to Wembley's ground for the afternoon game with thoughts of maybe a return for a midweek end of season match to watch South Kilburn in action.

Arsenal (Emirates Stadium)

2010-11-16T13:38:00.081Z

To read about the earlier club history and see pictures and read about my visits to Highbury, go to:

http://worldgroundhop.blogspot.com/search/label/Arsenal%20%28Highbury%29

Arsenal's history took another immense turn when the club opened a brand new stadium a few hundred yards from their old Highbury home at Ashburton Grove in 2006, while the old stadium was turned into flats using the old stands while the pitch was turned into a garden for residents. A deal was struck for naming rights at the place which became known as the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal FC will play in the FA Premier League in season 2011-12.

My visits

Arsenal 0 CSKA Moscow 0 (Wednesday 1st November 2006) Champions League (att: 60,003)

By now I had now joined London Underground and a colleague of mine John Wilson, an Avid Gooner and season ticket holder couldn't get to the Champions League game against CSKA Moscow (who I'd coincidentally seen at Stamford Bridge a couple of years previously). I made my way to the Emirates Stadium. I used Arsenal tube station and followed the crowds round the corner to the stadium. I was very early as I wanted to get inside and take some photos but also needed to find a cash machine. Naively I thought I'd find one inside but there wasn't one so I had to remain beer less. Emirates Stadium was a truly stunning place. It felt like approaching to watch a game abroad or to see an international game.

The four-tiered bowl had roofing over the stands but not over the pitch, with every padded seat having a good view and ample leg room. The main middle tier, known as the "Club Level", is premium priced and also includes the director's box (there are 7,139 seats at this level, which are sold on licences lasting from one to four years), the bottom tier has 24,425 seats with the upper holding 26,646. The other mid tier is home to corporate boxes. One thing that does slightly detract it in my opinion is that there is quite a bit of space between the playing pitch and the spectators compared with the special intimacy created at Highbury.

The game was totally dominated by Arsenal although the Russians counter attacked well occasionally. The home side blew chance after chance. The game ended 0-0 in front of a crowd of 60,003 and I departed two minutes from the end. The crowd control outside was first class and I was soon shepherded into the station and on my way home.

Arsenal 2 Hull City 1 (Tuesday 17th March 2009) FA Cup Sixth Round (att: 55,641)

My brother Nick managed to get us tickets for the City section for a game which saw The Tigers appear in the FA Cup Quarter Final for the first time in thirty eight years. He headed down to meet me from work. We had an enjoyable afternoon catching up and having beers at Hampstead CC and a place in Camden Road before heading up to the pubs near to the ground in Holloway Road.

We were refused entry at the Coronet Wetherspoons pub as we weren't home fans. We continued to the next one the Herbert Chapman. We were asked by the doorman, "Har you Ass in Hell" or at least that's what our Eastern European friend sounded like. We smiled and nodded and we were in while trying not to wet ourselves laughing. We must have stood out a mile inside but what the hell?

We made our way for a beer inside the stadium after I'd got us a little lost looking for another place I knew of. Our seats were excellent in the corner of the stadium but quite near the segregation with the home fans. City, who had already won at The Emirates in their debut season in the top flight, went one up through Nicky Barmby.

Arsenal huffed and puffed but could not break down The Tigers rearguard despite the best efforts of referee Mike Riley who did everything possible to help the home side short of donning a red shirt. The City fans were going spare while the home fans amongst a crowd of 55,651 incredibly whined! Eventually the pressure paid off for Arsenal with an equaliser before referee Riley allowed a winning goal to stand which replays proved was about two yards offside.

The City players were livid at the end as was manager Phil Brown and assistant Brian Horton who claimed that Gunners non playing skipper, Cesc Fabregas had spat at him. We left the ground not in the best of moods to walk back to the station before alighting at Finchley Road for refreshments.

I simmered down about two days later.

Monday 12th December 2011

My Dad had come to stay with me on the Sunday evening before heading back to Yorkshire the following afternoon. We had a lovely long walk with my brother Paul, before heading home for the evening to relax and watch the sport on the TV. While we had a beer we went through some ideas for the following day to fill in a few hours.

While Match of the Day 2 was on, Dad mentioned not for the first time that he'd love to go to a game at The Emirates. Tickets are hard to come across, but I happened to mention that there is a museum up there. It seemed to hit an instant chord, so we pencilled it in for the next day.

We caught the tube down to West Hampstead and then took an Overground train to Highbury & Islington. It was a cold but bright day, which showed the lovely old Victorian terraces on the roads up the hill through Highbury Fields to their greatest effect. Although the plan was to definitely look inside the museum, I also mentioned that there were tours around the stadium. I was really hoping that there would be one to fit into our time frame, and the weather and views were putting the pair of us in a good mood.

I had taken him this way so that we could also see what they had done to the old stadium at Highbury. Dad's eyes lit up as we looked down Conewood Street with the majesty of the old East Stand down at the end of the road. The old East and West Stands had been kept the same at the rear through a preservation order and smartened up. The fronts had been converted into flats, along with new blocks where the North and Clock Stands once stood. The pitch was now a communal garden, with each flat having their own space. One of the gates were open, so we went inside to take a photo.

We walked around past Arsenal tube station, along Drayton Park and up the steps to the rear of the north end. The gent on the door of the museum gave us directions to the tours office around at the other end. Just walking around the perimeter was worth the effort with the murals and banners depicting both well known and unseen heroes of the club. The murals on the stadiums walls were simply stunning.

Dad was concerned as he thought the tour was 10.15, but fortunately that was the time that they commenced from. The welcoming staff explained that our tour was self conducted and we could set off immediately. We paid £9 for Dad and £17.50 for me, which included the tour and the museum. We were given a console with controls and a small screen as well as earphones. They were set for us, and after a quick bag search we were on our way.

Bob Wilson narrated the self explanatory tour, with contributions from Robin Van Persie, Wojciech Szczesny and Theo Walcott. There were interjections along the way, with videos of great moments and comments from Arsene Wenger. The console offered the option of doing a direct tour or watching and listening to extras while at a particular point.

We started in the reception area and then went into the directors box, both inside and out. We went upstairs to the incredible VIP area as Wilson explained about the 'Arsenal Way' and how attention to detail and class were so imperative when the stadium was built. We went back downstairs and visited the home and away changing rooms, the press conference room and went down the tunnel and to the Arsenal dugout. There were guides along the route to answer any questions. Wilson encouraged us to test the guides, who were certainly knowledgeable and proud of their jobs. The bloke by the dugouts was a former Enfield FC player, so when he saw my Scarborough Athletic jacket, we had a good chat.

The tour naturally enough ended in the souvenir shop! It took us around an hour, but could have easily been spread out to double that time. There was no pressure whatsoever to go at any speed. The accompanying video and guide was interesting and classy. There was none of the gloating that some other stadiums have been guilty of on my previous tours on my travels.

Put simply, it was the best tour I had ever been on at any sports arena. It had been just short of four years since I took Dad round Wembley, and he agreed with me.

The club had celebrated their 125th Anniversary the previous Saturday at the match against Everton, and the previous day they had unveiled three statues on the outer concourse to honour three of their greatest heroes. We walked round and saw the tributes to Thierry Henry, Herbert Chapman and Tony Adams.

We entered the museum, where the same gent from earlier gave us an introduction. He was genuinely pleased that we rated the tour better then Wembley. He was most modest as he commented that at The Emirates they only had to look after one club and one sport, unlike Wembley. He said there was very little likelihood of rugby being played here. He did laugh when my Dad added, "Only when Stoke are here!"

The museum offered entertainment for all ages, with many interactive displays. We only spent thirty minutes in there as time was short, but you could stay as long as you wished. We went back to the Armories Arsenal shop so Dad could buy a gift for his Gunners supporting mate back at the Railway Club in Scarborough. He said he couldn't wait to tell him all about it.

We had time for a quick cuppa in the brilliant Coronet on Holloway Road before heading to St Pancras so Dad could catch his train back up north. It had been a superb morning and a complete contrast in emotions from the last time I left there. I will never be an Arsenal fan, but in terms of class and doing the right thing, nobody does it better.

Many thanks to everyone at The Emirates for making a couple of football fans so happy.

Juventus (Italy)

2010-11-13T18:52:00.032Z

Juventus FC are one of the most famous names in Italian, and indeed world football. The club were formed in 1897 and have gone on to lift nearly every honour available to them within the game, as well as spending all but one season in the highest league possible in Italian football.

Juve initially turned out in pink and black as they won their first title out of their Velodrome Humbert I home. La Vecchia Signora (The Old Lady) to use their most familiar nickname, changed to their recognizable black and white stripes just after that after being inspired by Notts County. The club suffered a split in 1906, when after a dispute the clubs’ president Alfredo Dick formed Torino, thuus spawning the Derby della Molle. From 1909 until 1922 Juve played at Corso Sebastopoli Camp, before moving to Corso Marsiglia Camp which had been built by the new owner Edoardo Agnelli who was also the owner of Fiat.

Stadio Comunale in 1990

Another Scudetto followed in 1926, before I bianconeri (the black and whites) won five consecutive titles from 1930. Juve moved into the new Stadio Comunale in 1934 (originally called Stadio Mussolini), but success wasn’t as great. Gianni Agnelli took over the club’s presidency from his father as two more titles were lifted, the latter under the management of Englishman Jesse Carver. In 1957 the club signed one of their most popular ever players, the Welshman John Charles. In 1997 on celebrating the clubs centenary, Charles was named Juve’s greatest ever foreign player. He was nicknamed Il Gigante Buono – The Gentle Giant, as he was never sent off or cautioned in his entire career despite playing equally well as centre back or centre forward.

Honours continued to come in and the title was won another five times in the 1970’s. Great players of the time were Franco Causio, Roberto Bettega and Gaetano Scirea, who was said to be one of the greatest defenders of all time. He sadly lost his life in a car crash when out scouting for the club at the age of just 36. The UEFA Cup was won the first time in 1977. Giovanni Trapattoni took over as coach and drove the club to more success. Before long they had lifted their twentieth league title. Players such as Michel Platini and Paulo Rossi kept lifting the standards. In 1985 they reached the European Cup Final against Liverpool at Heysel Stadium in Brussels. The evening ended in disaster as a combination of poor organisation, a crumbling stadium and criminal actions from some Liverpool supporters caused a wall to collapse which led to thirty nine fans (mainly Juventus) losing their lives, which led to English teams being banned from playing in European club competitions. UEFA disgracefully ordered the game to go ahead, which Juve won one nil.

In 1990, Juventus moved into their new home, the Stadio delle Alpi, which was built for the 1990 World Cup. Marcello Lippi took over as manager and won a title with players such as Gianluca Vialli, Roberto Baggio and Fabrizio Ravenelli. They went on to lift the Champions League the following year before finishing runners up for two seasons. Zenedine Zidane, Alessandro Del Piero and Edgar Davids were the prominent players of the time.

Fabio Capello became its coach in 2004, and led Juventus to two more Serie A titles. However, in May 2006, Juventus became one of the five clubs linked to a Serie A match fixing scandal, the result of which saw the club relegated to Serie B for the first time in its history. The club was also stripped of the two titles won under Capello in 2005 and 2006.

Juve moved back to a renovated Stadio Comunale which was now named the Stadio Olimpico di Torino instead of the deeply unpopular Stadio delle Alpi in 2006. The relatively new stadium was demolished to be replaced by a new Juventus Arena which was ready for the start of the 2011-12 season. The stands will all be a lot closer to the pitch than before. Meanwhile Juventus continue in the control of the Agnelli family as of 2010.

Juventus will compete in Serie A for the 2011-12 season.

My visit

England 1 West Germany 1 (West Germany won 5-3 on penalties) Wednesday 4th July 1990 (World Cup Semi Final) att: 62,628 (Stadio delle Alpi)

I had travelled to Italy for the World Cup better known as Italia 90 with Nick, my youngest brother. We had been to England’s previous games against Belgium and Cameroon and we had now arrived in Turin quite anxious whether we would get tickets or not. We had made friends with some great lads along the way: Billy from Rugby (Leeds), Darren (AFC Bournemouth), Keith (Millwall), Brian (Aston Villa) and John (Portsmouth). We stuck together and found a great way of getting railway compartments to ourselves. We just took our trainers off! Billy had two mates who cleared off after the group stages so he gave us their vouchers.

We stayed on an organised camp site, which was basically a community athletics stadium which had toilets and showers. We had tents which saved money. The hut where tickets were being distributed from was just outside in a park. The ticket allocation was ridiculous. England fans were being severely discriminated against. FIFA allotted the Germans a ridiculous proportion more than we got. The FA fought to get some more tickets but they struggled. This didn’t surprise any of us in any way. We were about as welcome as a fart in a spacesuit. Somehow we managed to get two tickets. Indeed, I think all of our group got sorted. We all agreed that we would not admit to anyone that we had any. Fans were getting desperate for them so it was a case of safety first.

The day of the game came around and we were nervous but in a good mood. Italy had been knocked out in the other semi final the night before by Argentina. This was wonderful news after the way they had been treating us. How we laughed at Maradona and his boys winning on penalties. How little we knew. Nick and Darren cleared off to Milan for the day to have a look at the San Siro. It was going to be a long day on the camp site. Everyone was uptight, not just because of the game, but the events of the night before. It had been rumoured that Juventus fans were seeking revenge at some point for Heysel. They had decided it was to be last night.

You could smell the atmosphere in the air. You just knew something was happening. England fans went to the top of the camp site by the high fences. Some Italians began to turn up, and before long missiles were coming over. The England fans were locked in but some were determined to get at our hosts. The police were losing control on both sides of the fences despite the factions being quite a distance apart. They decided to fire tear gas at the England fans. This was not very pleasant. They didn’t just fire it at those looking for trouble. We all got a good portion. I dread to think what it was like outside our sanctuary. The police must have done OK. There were more Italians arrested that evening than England fans had been in four weeks, when we were meant to be the biggest animals in the world. The British press conveniently never got round to publishing those facts.

On the camp site a few games of football broke out on the pitch inside the camp. I went out to a convenience store with someone else. The booze ban had been implemented, so there was no chance of getting a beer. I had never been so relieved to see our transport arrive. Once again we were packed onto the buses like sardines for our escort to the stadium. It was about ninety minutes before kick off when we were ushered inside.

The Stadio delle Alpi was in the middle of nowhere. It looked an impressive sight from outside, with its triangular towers holding the roof up from behind either goal. The stadium didn’t look too high one tier had been built below ground level. The stadium consisted of two large tiers of grey coloured seats only interrupted behind the goals by the scoreboards.

We were on the top deck to the left of a goal. The players and media side was to our left. It was mainly German fans around us. The main body of England fans were at the far end. We were outnumbered, no thanks to our hosts and FIFA.

The game itself was going far too well. Rudi Voller had limped off and England were generally on top. Chances were been made and we were fairly happy as half time came and went. The Germans got back into the game and although England settled again, they went behind in very unlucky circumstances as a Brehme free kick deflected off Paul Parker and over Peter Shilton.

Time was running out and there didn’t look like a way back, when Parker aimed a ball towards the German box. Gary Lineker controlled it and drilled it back into the corner of the net. We were in perfect line with it as it went in. We were happy with going to extra time as Chris Waddle and Paul Gascoigne were having great games going forward. Indeed Waddle had hit the bar from miles out and in extra time he hit the post. Surely we were going to score? Then Gazza was booked. It seemed to knock the stuffing out of us all. He was the player of the tournament and our inspiration. It was made even more galling by the German rolling around as though he’d been shot.

The game went to penalties. We all know how it ended.

I was devastated. It was all too much for me. We’d been treated like animals but we’d stuck together and made friends with pals from all over the country. We’d slept on mud in cheap camp sites and gone ages without hot water. Our team had been the best on the night and indeed provided three of the best games of the tournament, but we still lost. It all just seemed so unfair.

I will never forget a couple of Republic of Ireland fans laughing and cheering near us when the Germans won. The authorities kept us back for what seemed like a lifetime so we could watch the stadiums closing ceremony. An announcement went out that apparently said that Italy had been reinstated as Maradona and another Argentinian had failed drugs tests. It proved to be a hoax, but it fired up a lot of England fans.

We got back to the camp site where plenty of England fans consoled each other and talked the game over, while regaling more tails of gross criminal policing. Just to round off a terrible evening a couple of England fans were allegedly stabbed by some rogue locals. I slept on the terraced steps of the arena with plenty more who were determined to be on their guard as it was deemed safer than falling asleep in the tents.

I was so glad I went to see the film “One Night in Turin” when it was released in May 2010. It brought back so many reminders and encapsulated the mood of the day. I recommend it thoroughly, ideally buying it and donating some money to the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation at the same time.

We were so close to being world champions again, but it was not to be. More than that, it was so great to be in the company of so many people who looked after each other and created special bonds and refused to be beaten by the authorities.

RIP Sir Bobby

Suphachalasai (National) Stadium (Bangkok)

2010-11-08T13:47:00.026Z

Suphachalasai Stadium, which is also known as the National Stadium, is a multi purpose stadium in the centre of Bangkok that was opened in 1935. Over the years it hosted many football internationals before the construction of Rajamangala.

Many different Thai league clubs have also used the stadium, particularly for Asian Football Confederation competitions as many league grounds don't meet the criteria required.

Suphachalasai was used as the main stadium for the 1966, 1970 and 1978 Asian Games. It also staged the game between Oman and Iraq in the 2007 AFc Asian Cup.

My visit

I was in Thailand in April 2008 primarily for the Chiang Mai International Cricket Sixes and a holiday afterwards. I was staying at Steve and Ea's on the outskirts of the city and decided that a day looking at the stadiums in the city was in order.

I took the skytrain to the station called National Stadium, which is extremely convenient. Next door stands the Thephasadin Stadium, which was used at the time by various club sides. It was like a warm up stadium for the main structure by the looks of things.

I was delighted to see the goods entrance opened by the main gates so I wandered in. There were many labourers readying the stadium for the next event, but a smile seemed to do the trick and I was in.

The stadium had a running track but the stands were right alongside it and were steeply banked. Three sides were opened with a roof over the main straight of the track. I could easily imagine it being able to create a good atmosphere with a big crowd.

I left and found several side streets behind the covered side were the hub of sports equipment in the country. Rows and rows of shops sold replica shirts of varying authenticity at wide price ranges depending on the naivety and bargaining power of the buyer.

I found the shop of Grand Sport, the company that provided kits to many Thai League teams and bought a few shirts for my collection. I just wish Thai sizes were the same as in the UK!

AFC Emley

2010-11-08T03:30:00.015Z

AFC Emley play at The Welfare Ground in the heart of the small village which is located up in the moors between Wakefield and Huddersfield. The club was reformed in 2005. The previous Emley club had played from 1903 until 2000 at the ground before regulations stopped them from joining the Northern Premier League.

They decided to decamp to Belle Vue, Wakefield to share with Wakefield Wildcats RLFC. In 2003 they changed their name to Wakefield & Emley FC, which alienated the fans of the club in the village, where the reserve team continued to play.

The reserve team was disbanded and officials formed the new club to perform in the West Yorkshire League before joining the Northern Counties East League for 2007/08.

In season 2011-12 AFC Emley will compete in the Northern Counties East League Division One.

My visits

AFC Emley 2 Scarborough Athletic 3 (Saturday 17th September 2007) Northern Counties East League Division One (att: approx 250)

I travelled up on the train from London to Wakefield for the visit of Scarborough Athletic . I was collected by my mate Chewy at the station and after a pleasant twenty minute car journey we were outside The Welfare Ground, although it took us a bit longer to find the narrow lane to gain access to the ground.

The welcoming steward gave us information that we should drink in the Wentworth Arms as that was currently doubled up as the clubhouse. We had a pleasant hour before we entered the impressive ground.

I had to wonder how the the FA ground graders had ever found it not up to scratch for the NPL? The far side admittedly did not have any spectator access and had a fence separating it from the adjoining cricket ground. Apart from that, all seemed good. The Clubhouse End has a tiered room over a few steps of terracing. The Emley Moor TV Transmitter stands dominantly in the background. A Main stand sits alongside the other touchline with terracing and changing rooms either side of it. The far end consists of flat standing. Everything looked neat and tidy and obviously cared for.

The game itself was good for a Boro fan as they ran out 3-2 winners, with the score flattering the home side. Dave Kemp scored an absolute belter on his debut. Despite the lack of a clubhouse, a small bar was set up underneath the stand selling cans of beer. The catering at the ground was outstanding with the corn beef hash with bread and butter being the pick. The visit was awarded "The Best Away Day of the Season" by the Boro fanzine, Abandon Chip.

On the train home I was in the same carriage as some Exeter City fans who'd won at Farsley Celtic. They inquired as to which shirt I was wearing (my 1973 Boro Wembley shirt) and as soon as I told them we ended up having a beer and consoling each other. They, like Boro fans had been victims of the "Chairmanship" of John Russell. As a Chairman he was useless. He managed to take both clubs to relegation from the Football League. his business actions were even worse. Both clubs were left virtually bankrupt after his reign. Nobody can prove any illegal actions at Scarborough but he served a jail sentence for his wrongdoings at Exeter City.

AFC Emley 1 Scarborough Athletic 6 (Saturday 29th November 2008) Northern Counties East League Division One (att: 461)

The following season Boro played at Emley in late November. I travelled up to stay with my brother and his wife Rachel and to see my nephew and niece, Stanley and Sally, in York on the Friday evening. I travelled by train with a couple of York Seadogs to Wakefield to try some fabulous real ale (which was replicated after the game). Chewy again provided his carriage to the ground where we saw Boro blow away "The Pewits" 6-1 with a quality performance in wintry conditions. Emley were in second place behind Boro going into the game but had no answer on the day. There was a big away following which created a great atmosphere.

Once again the Emley officials were top drawer. A new clubhouse had opened inside the ground and the away following were putting it through its paces. The bloke on the PA was of top comedy value. The home fans were grumbling about the ref all day and at full time the man on the tannoy announced that a pair of glasses had been found and could the owner please let himself be know, to which loud cries of "They're the refs" echoes around! Another belting visit which saw Emley retain the Abandon Chip award.

I got back to Kings Cross still with a big smile on my face while next to me on the tube was a Sunderland fan who congratulated me on our clubs progress while mortified at their own 4-1 defeat at home to Bolton Wanderers. It was a nice touch but it confirmed to me who was getting the better value for my money!

Chonburi FC

2010-11-08T02:02:00.020Z

Chonburi FC were formed in 1997 in the city of Chonburi which is on the eastern seaboard of the Gulf of Thailand. The club originally played in regional competition and was formed from the football club of Assumption College Sriracha.

An amalgamation soon took place with the division one side, Sannibat-Samutprakan with the new club being named Chonburi-Sannibat-Samutprakan FC. The club played at the local Princess Sirindhorn Stadium and joined the Thailand Provincial League in 2002 under the name of Chonburi Code Red FC after seperating from Sannibart Samutprakarn FC. At this point the club adopted the nickname of 'The Sharks'.

Suphachalasai Stadium also known as National Stadium played host to

Chonburi AFC Champions League games

Promotion was won into the Thai League in 2006. The side were successful with games being played at the Chonburi Municipality Stadium with AFC Champions League matches switched to the Suphachalasai Stadium (also known as the National Stadium) in Bangkok. The Sharks had success in the Asian Champions League in 2008 as they defeated Melbourne Victory as reigning Thai champions.

IPE Chonburi Stadium

Matches were shared between the Municipality and Princess Sirindhorn Stadiums until the club moved to the Institute of Physical Education Chonburi Campus Stadium (IPE Chonburi Stadium). Chonburi FC continue to be one of the countries most prominent football clubs with a large following.

In the 2011 season Chonburi FC participated in the Thai Premier League.

My visit

The following is my description of my visit as part of a groundhop around Thailand in March/April 2007 that appeared in the Scarborough Athletic fanzine, Abandon Chip

The train transport system in Bangkok is first class if a little sparse. Once it is eventually extended it really will be something to behold. My destination was the old National (Suphachalasai) Stadium near Siam Square. This is a grand old place with steep open seats and one covered main stand which had hosted three previous Asian Games and now plays host to Chonburi FC for their ACL games Now it is all seated it has a 35,000 capacity.

OK, I admit it. I’m guilty of overdoing things at times and I provided conclusive evidence the next day. Steve (my good friend and host) didn’t have a spare key for me so I needed to be at the house for him getting home at 4.15. I hummed and ah’d, before I decided it would be a good idea to have a half day out in Chonburi to visit the reigning champions’ home stadium. Just before my arrival Chonburi FC had won the ACL game against Melbourne Victory which had given me a bit of a laugh when amongst my Victorian friends at the cricket.

I should have pulled out after the taxi to the bus station was held up owing to an accident further up the road, before I got lost trying to find the bus station, eating up more valuable time. However my stubbornness meant I continued onwards. The bus fare was cheap (about £1.50 return for a 90 minute ride) and I had thoughts of crossing off the ground and enjoying an ice cold beer and lunch in a beach bar. The journey was OK but it was taking slightly longer than anticipated. I should have known better as a regular to the city, but the traffic was horrendous. On arrival in Chonburi I realised I would have just over an hour in town before my return journey. Then I realised that Chonburi is not a very touristy place despite been on the coast (I don’t think I saw another westerner during my short stay). Well at least Google Maps showed it was by the Gulf, but as on other occasions I’d miscalculated the size of the town I was visiting.

There were no taxis, maps or anything written in English. I set off walking in what I naively thought was the right direction but soon realised I was going nowhere fast, so I bit the bullet and asked the way to the beach which is where I thought the stadium was. A 7/11 shop assistant told me that any sangthaew (small local bus) outside would take me to the beach. I was soon on board the next service and spying the promising signs of floodlights ahead. I rang the bell and enthusiastically sprinted up the steps which give passengers a safe crossing over the dual carriageway.

I took photos of the sparse stadium through the surrounding railings, which I hoped was my intended target, while never totally convincing myself that I was in the right location. There was no-one around except an old caretaker who’s English was even more lacking than my Thai!

I now had the problem of finding my way back to the bus station as time was getting short. I stood there without the sign of a taxi until I gave in and hailed a motor bike taxi. Yes, believe it or not, this is a very popular form of transport over there. I hadn’t been on the back of a bike since I was nineteen when I was petrified and drunk. We went all of twenty yards before I begged my pilot to stop. I’d rather have been stranded for the night and face Steve’s wrath than ride pillion. I stood there not really knowing what to do. A couple of locals obviously realised that I was having problems and were doing all they could to suppress laughter after experiencing my brief motorbike excursion.

After what seemed like a lifetime I saw a sangthaew approaching so I flagged it down and took a chance on it taking me somewhere near the bus station. I got out in the town centre and went in a shop, showing my bus ticket so to indicate as where I wanted to go. I made it back with two minutes to spare, to my huge relief. I jumped out of the bus early on my return using my knowledge of that part of Bangkok and got into a taxi back towards Steve’s house when my unhappy hosts name appeared on the phone as it rang. I explained I was en route but he seemed very upset. He’d had a bad day at the office so sitting outside his locked house in blazing sun didn’t particularly help. I felt even more stupid when after investigation I’d not found my intended target but I’d gone past it on the way back for my bus. I had taken photos of a college facility! The following day I stayed very close to base.

Rossington Main

2010-11-06T05:36:00.012Z

Rossington Main FC are based in the former mining town just to the south of Doncaster in South Yorkshire. The club were formed as Rossington Colliery FC in 1919, offering the opportunity of the colliery workers the chance of organised football.

After a spell in a donkey field behind the pit, they moved to Oxford Street in 1921. When mines became nationalised in 1948, the club changed their name to Rossington Miners Welfare. In 1983 they moved from the Yorkshire League to become founder members of the Central Midlands League and changing their name to Rossington Main FC.

From the early 1970's another local club Rossington FC had appeared on the scene, originally as Station FC, progressing up the leagues up to the Central Midlands League. After lengthy negotiations the clubs merged in 1988. In 1991 Main joined the Northern Counties East League

Rossington Main will compete in the North Eastern Counties League Division One for season 2011-12.

My Visit

Rossington Main 1 Scarborough Athletic 5 (Saturday 11th November 2007) Northern Counties East League (att: 224)

All season one of my mates and regular travelling companions, Butch, had a nagging feeling that one day we would come across some hostility as fans of Scarborough Athletic. We, as fans were trying desperately to embrace the other clubs in the Northern Counties East League Division 1 and most other clubs had reciprocated. We were outnumbering home supporters by about seven to one and one or two thought of us as "big time Charlies" as a former Football league club.

I travelled up on the train to Doncaster where Butch was waiting in The Railway pub for me. We then went to the bus interchange to find our transport to Rossington, which is a former small mining town about seven miles away. The journey took us past the ruins of Doncaster Rover's old Belle Vue ground and then through some very dodgy looking estates on entering Rossington. A friendly local helped us to get out at the right stop and we thought that the looks may be deceiving. We decided to have a beer in a pub before going into the working men's club that doubled up as the football clubs clubhouse. We entered the very basic Station Hotel and thought we'd walked onto the cast of "Shameless". I then got a call from Boro director, James Hunter telling me to avoid the WMC as they'd felt uneasy and the coach of supporters would be joining us. I rang Fred to warn him of the WMC but he sounded unconcerned as he was already in there at the bar. I thought no more about it until the pub doors flung open as Fred and Irish Mark came in. Apparently they were watching the Sunderland v Newcastle game on TV and when one team scored, all hell broke loose as the drinkers had bets on the game. Bottles and punches were being thrown while the poor barman stood there helpless.

We walked down to Oxford Road and the welcome was superb. The gate staff and caterers could not of been more helpful. We even got Bovril in proper mugs. The ground was not too bad at all. A path and grass were all that was behind both goals. There was a smallish Main Stand with the dressing rooms built into the back with the rest of the side been made up of open flat standing and a small shelter with a few steps. Opposite was a small seated stand on the half way line. Occupying this area were the local youngsters who'd obviously watched Green Street or Football Factory of late. They were very vocal which was good to hear, but they then decided they'd look for some reaction from the travelling Seadogs. Fortunately they didn't take the bait so the youths were left to staring with menace and generally making themselves look stupid. They kindly scratched some of the visiting fans cars.

Boro won the game 5-1. Rosso had a foul mouthed yobbish manager who offered to sort out one of our fans while the no.10 tried all his tricks in front of probably the biggest crowd he'd played in front of. The harder he tried, the worse he got much to the hilarity of the Boro fans who kept cheering his every touch. Then unbelievable he let go of a thunderbolt to score the home sides consolation. They also put in an entry for own goal of the decade. The centre back rolled the ball back to the keeper who swung his leg to clear, only to miss it completely and see it roll into the net. You just don't see that kind of thing on Match of the Day, more's the pity. Only the 224 in attendance got to see it.

We decided to forgo the after match "hospitality" in the WMC to grab a much appreciated lift back to Doncaster station from Andy Crossland, a joint founder member of the Seadog Trust, who are the owners of Scarborough Athletic. We went to the excellent Leopard music pub for some top real ale with music to match.

I know I'm a nostalgia fan but I can do without experiences like Rossington too often.

As a footnote, the return match a couple of weeks later saw the mouthy manager don his boots and get sent off while encouraging the Rossington posse who were on tour for the day to get stuck into the home fans. The said Rosso fans were either arrested, ejected or left the game as Boro once again hammered their side. The manager was sacked a few games later because of his general manner!

Radcliffe Borough

2010-10-07T17:15:00.011+01:00

Radcliffe Borough FC are a non league football club who hail from the old industrial town around six miles north east of Manchester. The club was formed on 24 April 1949 at the Owd Tower Inn in Radcliffe by Jack Pickford, and became a member of the South East Lancashire Football League.

"The Blues" (The Cliff and The Boro being other nicknames) joined the Manchester League before moving into the Lancashire Football Combination in 1963. They remained there until becoming founder members of the North Counties West League in 1982, moving into Stainton Park in 1970.

By 1984 the club had won successive promotions and were members of the Northern Premier League. Boro spent heavily on ground improvements so that Stainton Park was able to stage premier division football, so that once promotion was achieved, there was no money available to sustain wages and so the club were relegated in 1998. Finances were kept in check by Bernard Manning Jnr.

In 2003 promotion was won in the play offs and the following season there was a near miss in trying to secure Conference North football. Unfortunately in 2007 Boro were once again relegated.

In season 2011-12, Radcliffe Borough will be playing in the Northern Premier League Division One North.

My visit

Wednesday 21st July 2010

I was in the Greater Manchester area on my final of three days visiting football grounds and generally enjoying myself meeting people and finding some wonderful pubs!

I had previously visited Salford City FC and got back on the number 98 bus out through North Manchester, over the motorway, past the town of Whitefield where we'd previously had beers on the way to Bury and on to Radcliffe. It was a far bigger place than I imagined and quite a way from the tram station to the ground.

I got off the bus too early as it turned out as it went on ahead and right past the entrance. However, it wasn't all bad news as it pointed to where I could jump back on when I'd finished. I went up to where two men in overalls were stood by an open gate and asked for permission to enter. They told me they didn't work there but there were people inside the club office. I went inside and they said it was no problem. I was given a card and asked if I'd forward them a copy of the photos I took, which I did on my return to London.

Stainton Park had a slope down the pitch and was unusual in that the Main Stand with all the grounds seats was behind a goal. To the right was the Clubhouse Side with a mixture of open and covered shallow terracing. The other two sides were open terracing with the far side having neat crush barriers. Money and attention had obviously been spent on the ground.

I returned to the office to thank the two gents before wandering on my way past the car park and the all weather pitches that provide a vital lifeblood to the club. A quick walk saw me reach the bus stop in time before getting a vital rest as time was tight to reach Bury's Bolton Road railway station so I could catch a train up to Ramsbottom on the heritage line.

Stainton Park and Radcliffe Borough are fine examples of what can be achieved with careful planning in an area where so many fans are attracted to the bright lights of the big clubs in the city. Full credit to all those involved.

Ramsbottom United

2010-10-07T17:04:00.012+01:00

Ramsbottom United FC were formed by Harry Williams in 1966, playing in local Bury and Bolton football leagues, before moving into the Manchester League in 1987.

Promotion for "The Rams" into the North West Counties League was secured in 1994 after substantial ground improvements were carried out. Within a couple of seasons they had lifted the second division title and moved to the top flight were consolidation was gained.

In season 2011-12, Ramsbottom United will be playing in the North West Counties League Premier Division.

My visit

Wednesday 21st July 2010

I was in the Greater Manchester area for a few days enjoying the sights, good living and visiting football clubs. I had just visited Radcliffe Borough and took the bus to Bury where I was looking forward to my next form of travel.

I had read all about the East Lancashire Railway, which is a heritage line run by volunteer enthusiasts. I was extremely keen to take a journey on it as it offered the chance of a ride on a steam train! I just made it to Bolton Road station and got down to the platform to find an old diesel was pulling the train. There was consolation on finding the carriages were of old stock which took me back to my childhood.

The train was full of pensioners enjoying an excursion. I got sat next to one of the volunteers and had a lovely chat as we passed through the stunning countryside. Before long we were pulling into Ramsbottom station. I said my good byes and went on my way.

My first impressions were very good. The approach road and signposts were all neat and tidy, with the ground sitting alongside the very impressive Ramsbottom Cricket Club who are proud members of the Lancashire League.

The football ground is now named The Jack Williams Riverside Ground, in honour of the man who made it all possible. The entrances were all pristine and some gents were working on the ground and were welcoming when giving me permission to go inside. I was so pleased I made the effort.

The near Cricket Side was open with the dug outs on the half way line. The clubhouse and changing rooms stood back from the pitch with smart benches and gardens sitting on a lawn in front. Even a little wheelbarrow in the garden had been neatly painted in club colours. The Railway End was a narrow strip of open terrace. The far side consisted of the main Harry Williams Stand with blue seats including some recovered from Maine Road after demolition. Alongside is the small covered terrace called The Ellis Timlin Stand. The far end has a long narrow covered terrace called The Jack Wolfenden Stand, named after a hard working stalwart of the club. The floodlights came from Boundary Park, Oldham.

It really was a stunning sight and a ground I'd love to visit for a game, hopefully against my beloved Scarborough Athletic.

I spent a few minutes having a look inside the cricket ground before I walked into the picturesque market town with its stunning surroundings. I had time to kill so I decided to go and sit in the homely pub adjacent to the station to listen to locals enjoying each others company. The train took me back to Bury, where just to round off a wonderful couple of hours, I spent time in the station buffet which proved to be a haven for real ale.

If you are in the area, I highly recommend a visit to the railway and maybe a Ramsbottom United game.

Kentish Town

2010-10-06T15:23:00.019+01:00

Kentish Town FC from North London, were formed as a youth team in 1994, by a couple of parents who were concerned by the lack of opportunities for youth in the area in competitive football.

They gained election into Division Two of the Spartan South Midlands League in 2003 and have progressed steadily since. Owing to the lack of a suitable home ground in their own locality, they have played home games at Coles Park (Haringey Borough), Parkfield (Potters Bar Town) and Claremont Road (Hendon) before moving to Copthall Stadium near the A1.

Parkfield, Potters Bar provided a base for Townies home games for a while

Rumours spread that the club are looking to develop their own ground and facilities near to Copthall in 2010, despite local protest:

http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/5066966.Stadium_fears_for_playing_fields_site/

To add to the clubs woes, the team were deducted ten points during the 2010-11 season, which saw them finish bottom of the league and be relegated.

In the 2011-12 season, Kentish Town will play in the Spartan South Midlands League Division One.

My visit

Kentish Town 1 Harefield United 3. (Wednesday 29th September 2010) South Midlands Spartan League Premier Division (att: 17)

Wednesday's can be limited in terms of choice, even in London. I'm forever astonished more clubs don't try and spread the fixtures over other nights. My original choice for the evening was Ilford v Waltham Abbey in the Isthmian League North until the signals went down on the Metropolitan line, but fortunately a second choice was still possible to reach.

I set off for Copthall Stadium, with a decent idea of how to do it. The Townies have no suitable home ground near them so they currently use the stadium which forms part of a huge sports village just off the A1 by Mill Hill in North London. It has loads of floodlit 5 a side pitches, golf, swimming, a rugby club, football and cricket pitches as well as the main arena holding 10,000 which is home to the Shaftesbury & Barnet Harriers Athletic Club. It's not the easiest of grounds by public transport, especially for the first time in the dark.

Claremont Road, Hendon once hosted Kentish Town home games

I had alighted at Mill Hill Broadway on the main line and caught a bus. The rain was falling quite heavily so the view from the window wasn't the best. I saw road signs for the stadium so I jumped off on what turned out to be a long walk as the signs were for vehicles.

I eventually found the entrance in the back of the stand and paid a fiver including a programme. The club officials were friendly and told me the original ref had blown out, so the replacement was just getting ready meaning it would now be a 8pm kick off. I went for a wander to take photos. I don't like grounds with athletic tracks but this was one of the better ones as the large Main Stand is raised above the facilities downstairs.

I did a head count and there was 17 watching including the home officials who doubled up as groundsmen trying to clear the puddles from the pitch. It must have been costing someone a lot of money to hire the stadium. Town's mission statement in the programme said the club aims to provide organised football for players over the age of 16 in a safe and welcoming environment. In fairness some fans were missing because Spurs were at home in the Champions League as well as on terrestrial TV, plus it wasn't a very pleasant evening.

Both sides did really well to provide an excellent end to end game splashing through the puddles. The two linesmen looked to be real ale and pie fans (top lads!) and the ref seemingly preferred a panoramic view of the game (he couldn't keep up with play). They did their best and any wrong decisions led to the entertainment. The game certainly flowed. A Premiership ref would have booked about eight players, yet the only yellow card all night was for dissent.

The game was of a similar standard to the NCEL in which my club Scarborough Athletic were competing. Both sides were near the bottom of the table, although the visitors have only two players who started the season and look to be turning things around.

The two older away fans were good company giving me all the league gossip. One had relatives on South Cliff in Scarborough. The other enjoyed lambasting the nearside linesman. The poor sod. Only seventeen there and he still got clog!

The programme was certainly an eclectic read featuring such articles as seven children's quotes, ten things that sound dirty in golf and fourteen advantages of being a woman. They all had to be read to be believed. There was also the announcement that vuvuzelas are banned from the ground and the club reserved the right to refuse admission. Glad they could be choosy on such crowd figures!

A first for me was having a cheeseburger served in a bagel by a nice motherly lady from Middlesbrough. It was up there with anything I'd had at a ground for a long time.

If anyone should venture to this ground please note there is no bar (the stadium won't even let them serve cans to make a few quid) and it's best to go on a nice day. After the game I found a far quicker route to the main road and bus stop via the leisure centre car park and past the football pitches along a lit footpath.

It all made me realise that even though we have our gripes about following our own clubs at times, we are very lucky in the grand scheme of things.

For details of another 'home' match, go to the Oxhey Jets page. Copthall was out of commission for the league match in March 2011, so the game was moved to the home of their opponents.

Bristol Rovers

2010-10-06T14:52:00.017+01:00

Bristol Rovers FC were originally formed as Black Arabs FC in 1883, being based in the north of the city. The title only lasted a year before the club became Eastville Rovers in an attempt to draw more local support. Initially playing local football, Rovers then competed in both the Western League and the Birmingham & District League.

They became professional in 1897 and took on the name of Bristol Eastville Rovers. In 1899 the Eastville was dropped from their name and "The Pirates" joined the Southern League, where they picked up a league title. In 1920 in common with many fellow clubs, they became members of the Football League.

Rovers had moved into Eastville Stadium in 1897 which also played host to greyhound racing and a speedway team as time elapsed. League success was pretty thin on the ground and it was not until 1953 that they played in the League's second tier. The FA Cup quarter finals have been reached on three occasions up to 2010.

In the 1970's saw Rovers win the 1972 Watney Cup and fight back from a previous relegation to go back up with the free flowing football and goals from the partnership of "Smash and Grab" otherwise known as Alan Warboys and Bruce Bannister. See the Brighton & Hove Albion section for a classic 8-2 win at the Goldstone Ground.

In 1980 disaster struck the club as the South Stand containing all the clubs records at Eastville burned down. The club decamped to Ashton Gate for a few games before "The Gasheads" (known because of gas works behind the Tote End) returned. Eastville still had a large North Stand with seats behind a terrace, the covered Tote End and the open Muller Road End with the M32 hovering above it.

By 1986 the rent had increased to such a degree at Eastville that the club were enforced to move out. An agreement with Bristol City wasn't reached for varying reasons, so Rovers moved thirteen miles and shared Twerton Park with Bath City FC. They remained there for ten years. It didn't stop The Gas from having a spell in the second tier and visiting Wembley on a couple of occasions for the Associate Members Cup and play off finals.

Twerton Park home of Bath City became a temporary

home to The Gas for ten years.

In 1996 after the club had yo-yo'd between the leagues, Rovers moved in to share the Memorial Stadium near to their spiritual home as tenants as Bristol Rugby Club, soon becoming joint owners through the Memorial Stadium Company. The ground had been smartened up for the advent of professional rugby and Rovers soon added a roof to the Clubhouse End.

The rugby club suffered relegation and financial problems and Rovers became owners of the stadium, buying out their former landlords shares. In 2002 the club finished 23rd in the bottom tier, narrowly avoiding losing their Football League status.

Progress gradually took place on the pitch and in 2007 planning permission was granted to completely redevelop The Mem. Unfortunately the timing coincided with the recession so plans that would have seen Rovers temporarily share Waddon Road, Cheltenham were put on hold. The team were relegated to the League's bottom tier in 2011.

In season 2011-12, Bristol Rovers FC will compete in League Two in the Football League.

My visit

Bristol Rovers 0 Tranmere Rovers 1 (Tuesday 28th September 2010) League One (att: 5,589)

I was on early shift at work and had planned a visit to The Mem for about a year since I had worked out from my trip to Ashton Gate that I could still get back the same evening. Studying the fixtures, the match with Tranmere fitted the bill perfectly.

I booked the Megabus for just £6 to the University of the South West. My preparation told me that this was more convenient than going all the way into the city. From there a bus dropped me right outside the stadium. At one point I was going to walk it. I'm so pleased I didn't bother as my estimations on distance were way out!

I went into one of the huge bars in the clubhouse and was served in no time, despite it being fairly busy. After a couple of pints it was time to decide where to stand. I plumped for the terrace in front of the Centenary Stand which had decent views but was uncovered for £18.

The large seated stand towered above the terrace. Behind the left hand goal was a temporary West Stand which housed the away support, such as it was. Opposite was the DAS stand which had the look of a cricket ground stand with its many different sections, and another temporary stand at its west end. To the east of it was the Family Stand which was covered terrace and joined up with the Clubhouse End.

Rovers started brightly but burned out after about ten minutes. Tranmere were nothing special but soaked up any pressure remarkably easily. Veteran visitor Ian Goodison stood out. The locals were not happy and I couldn't blame them. Just before half time I decided to beat the rush and use the gents. Sure enough I came out to find I'd missed the only goal.

Half time offered some relief as I got a beer easily enough underneath the stand. It was obvious that the catering staff were more than efficient and were used to dealing with larger crowds of thirsty rugby fans when spectators can drink throughout the game.

The second half was similar to the first. In a word: rubbish. It really was the worst game I'd seen for some time. To add to things the rain started falling heavily. A little shelter was found under the stairways to the seating decks. I left about ten minutes from the end. I popped back inside to take photos from the Family Stand before catching the bus back towards Temple Meads station.

I had booked an advanced ticket on the 10.35 train back to Paddington for just £10. I still had a bit of time to kill before the train and was not upset to see signs pointing to a newly opened Wetherspoons pub just a couple of minutes walk away. It certainly helped me sleep on the train home.

It hadn't been the best game I'd been to with the highlights being the superb pasties at the ground and listening to Preston come back from 4-1 down to beat Leeds 6-4 at Elland Road on my radio. It was however another ground off my list and another new area visited.

The pictures on this section of Eastville have been taken from the internet.

Kingstonian

2010-09-26T19:56:00.027+01:00

Kingstonian FC were originally formed as Kingston and Surbiton YMCA FC in 1885, in the Surrey town of Kingston upon Thames.

By 1890 it was decided to adopt a name to represent the town they came from, so the title of Kingston Wanderers FC was adopted. The club played games on the Fairfield Recreation Ground in the town centre. A motion was successfully passed in 1893 that all the major clubs in the town should amalgamate, which saw the birth of Kingston-on-Thames AFC.

They competed in local league football and found their first enclosed ground at Ditton Road in 1898. Another ground was found at Lower marsh Road at the turn of the century, before part of the land belonging to the town's rugby club at Richmond Road was secured in 1902. Just as the club was establishing itself, a split occurred in 1908 over ground terms, which saw Old Kingstonians being formed and moving to the Norbiton Sports Ground (the site of Kingsmeadow now).

The peace after the War in 1919 put the rivalry into perspective and work between the officials of both clubs saw the formation of Kingstonian FC, who entered the Athenian League.They won that title on a couple of occasions before taking the place of Civil Service FC in the Isthmian League in 1929. The K's greatest triumph of the era came in 1933 when they lifted the FA Amateur Cup.

Two league titles were lifted in the same decade before war broke out once more. In peacetime, Kingstonian found perhaps their greatest ever player, a forward from the north east called Johnny Whing. He finished top scorer in nine of his thirteen seasons at the club, scoring a remarkable 295 goals for the club.

In 1955 the great Bishop Auckland team of the day provided the record crowd at Richmond Road of 8,960 and won a remarkable game 12-3, with all three of the K's goals coming in the last six minutes. They did reach Wembley for the first time in 1960 for the Amateur Cup final against Hendon. They were three minutes from glory thanks to a Whing goal before the North Londoners created a dramatic finish. To watch the historic game highlights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uV0HU-vV1kY

The K's had a good period in the 1960's, just missing out on league and cup honours before the club declined as did amateur football at the time. The 1970's and 80's were moderate for the club. Richmond Road was showing its age at a rate of knots so it was sold in 1989, while the K's decamped to share The Beveree with Hampton, while new facilities at Kingsmeadow Stadium were built.

A great period followed after a few barren years in their new abode which saw many managerial changes. The Isthmian League title was lifted again and the club joined the Conference under the popular former Woking manager, Geoff Chapple. League consolidation was achieved as well as consecutive FA Trophy triumphs at Wembley over Forest Green Rovers and then Kettering Town.

Action on the link below:

http://www.kingstonian.net/downloads.jsp?videoKettering

Even greater success was found in the FA Cup. They reached the fourth round in 2001 and were only for Bristol City to snatch a last minute equaliser at Ashton Gate and then an 87th minute winner in the Kingsmeadow replay to deny The K's a fifth round place. League form suffered and club were relegated.

Chapple left by mutual consent in 2001 as the club hit financial troubles through overspending on the team and upgrading Kingsmeadow for a possible push towards the Football League. The club entered a period of administration before Rajesh Khosla bought the club. It is fair to say he wasn't popular and many doubted his intentions.

Fortunately, businessman and fan Jimmy Cochrane bought the club from Khosla in 2005. The club went down a league, but was revitalised off the pitch. AFC Wimbledon had moved in in 2002 to groundshare before buying the leasehold from Khosla. Khosla had previously transferred the ground to a separate holding company so he could charge both clubs even when he had gone. They gave the K's a long term lease at a nominal rate, partly paid for by an annual pre season friendly between the two clubs.

Under the management of Alan Dowson, the team won promotion and seem to have turned the corner on and off the pitch thanks to some dedicated businessmen and the fans of the K's and AFC Wimbledon.

In season 2011-12, Kingstonian will play in the Isthmian League Premier Division.

My visits

Sunday 15th January 1984

My first ever call on Kingstonian came a long time ago when I was a student in Boreham Wood. I did my first ever days groundhop around the west of London. I was so naive that I wasn't aware of the full value of a day travelcard and therefore paid separately for each bus journey.

The Main Stand at Richmond Road Richmond Road in 1984

I had been to Feltham and caught a bus to Kingston. I wasn't as nearly prepared in those days and information wasn't as freely available. It was a Non League Annual or nothing. It suddenly dawned on me on arrival in the town that although my A to Z covered the area, it didn't have the club marked on it. Suddenly I had a brainwave. I checked out the address in a phone book. It tells how long ago it was that books were still left in phone booths back then.

That didn't entirely solve the problem of getting inside and a lap of the surrounding streets was required before I saw the open entrance.

The ground was nearing the end, and although it had character galore, it was in a bit of a mess. Down one side was a long wooden Main Stand with steps at the front leading up to the seats. A smaller pavilion stand stood next to it. The far end and the side opposite were banks where once terracing had provided views, but now much of it was becoming unkempt and overgrown. A small cover provided shelter from the elements on the half way line. The end where I entered had a car park and a brick social club with changing rooms.

Within five years the ground had been sold and converted into housing where Archer Close and Earle Close now stand.

Kingstonian 2 Scarborough 0 (Saturday 8th April 2000) Football Conference (att: 952)

It was a beautiful April morning when I met Carl and Chelsea from King's Cross station for the journey down to Surrey. Joe the unpredictable Kiwi barman from Lord's had joined us, more for the promise of our pre match beers I suspect.

Word had got round fans whenever we played other clubs. "Have you been to Kingstonian yet?" The Peel pub had certainly got some reputation for it's "live entertainment". The bars seemed to want to concentrate on the big two up front on the stage rather than Football Focus.

We went on to the ground via the bookies as it was Grand National Day. Kingstonian were sponsored by Grolsch at the time. The boiling weather, topping up from the night before and the strong foreign lager served in the gleaming clubhouse by gleaming promotion girls meant the day would only go one way, especially as they let us back in at half time. There was no segregation in place so we could swap ends as well. The stewards were top class.

For the first half we went in the Kingston Road End. This was a shallow terrace behind the goal with a basic roof and open areas to the sides. To the left was a similar arrangement with a slightly deeper terrace but a low roof over the centre sections. To the right was the Main Stand which had red tip up seats. The far Athletics End was just an open shallow terrace.

Boro had been having a good season, but it was before the play offs were introduced meaning only one team would go up and the season was petering out. The K's on the other hand had a FA trophy semi final coming up and were determined to make sure they hit form. They were far too much for a slightly disinterested looking Boro team on the day.

I met new friends, had a few more beers and slowly awoke on the Sunday morning with a hangover from hell.

Friday 3rd November 2006

I was out and about in Surrey and South West London. I decided a photo call at Kingsmeadow, and possibly a lunchtime pint was in order. By now AFC Wimbledon had also moved in so the signage around the ground reflected the fact. The gates were open so access was no problem.

The ground had seen improvements from my last visit. The Main Stand had been extended along at the front. A new terrace had been built at the Tempest or Athletics End with a roof. All notices were neat and tidy and had both clubs crests on them. It looked like a successful groundshare as each club had separate office space and shops at the rear of the Main Stand.

Thursday 23rd September 2010

Please go to the AFC Wimbledon section for a report on my visit to Kingsmeadow for their game in the Conference against Crawley Town. It was nice to report that the Main Stand had been extended towards the Kingston Road End and noticeboards also had plenty of K's information inside the bars.