Football is being ruined

I am sick and tired of habitual divers and inept, incompetent referee's continually disgracing the game of football.


The pathetic (rancid) examples witnessed during Manchester United v Aston Villa and the FA Cup Semi Final between Spurs and Chelsea emphasise how far todays (sordid) game has slid down the toilet.


No wonder people don't go anymore, a lot don't even watch it on TV.


One has to question whether it is time to find something more honest and morally appropriate to enjoy than the maggot-ridden (corrupt) world of football?

Bacup Borough 0 Ramsbottom United 1

Easter Monday 9th April 2012
North West Counties League Premier Division
BACUP BOROUGH 0 RAMSBOTTOM UNITED 1
Attendance: 167
Admission: £6
Tea Hut stuff: Soup 80p
Weather: Continuous non stop rain, grey, dull, very wet
Parking: Just off Cowtoot Lane a few minutes from the ground

I've had a love-hate relationship with Bacup Borough over recent seasons. They have a charismatic ultra rustic ground on top of the hills above Bacup and when the sun is out there are some stunning views to enjoy, a great place to watch non league football. However, when there is a bit of dodgy weather about, particularly rain, they drive me mad with the uncertainty of whether the game will be called off or not, I've been here before when a late postponement has sent me home fuming after a wasted journey. I think I've been harsh on Bacup in criticising them, especially when you get in the ground and you appreciate just high up on the hill the place is and you then take in the significant slope that runs down from the farmers field touchline. It must be murder trying to drain this pitch, I owe you an apology Borough, I'm out of order for being unrealistic about how harsh the landscape is up here.

Anyway, against all the odds today, the game survived some absolutely awful weather, it had been raining quite hard since the early hours and already a number of NWCL matches had been called off elsewhere, I had feared the worst but the NWCL had twittered that the game was on, I made a phone call to the club just in case, at 1.20pm they confirmed the match would definitely take place. Well done Bacup. Todays game was vitally important in the sense that the snazzy visitors from Ramsbottom were league leaders (just), they were just in front of a hard-chasing Runcorn Town who had a game in hand, Rammy needed all 3 points today and with Bacup in a cup semi-final on Thursday, their large travelling support seemed mighty smug of the outcome. Frugal Glenn was back in the Tea Hut squad for todays game, he's been missing for a while due to moving house, plus the fact that he's now got 3 Indian takeaways just down the road and he's been blowing his spends in them not just at evenings but dinner times as well! I advised him on the importance of a well balanced diet. We were in the ground at 2.30 and rather than get wet soaking through too early we went in the wonderful Martin Peters Sports Bar just behind the nets. I had a pint of Becks at 2.85p. The place was pretty packed and everybody appeared well-up for the match.

The ground offers some protection from the rain in the format of an attractive little seated stand down by the corner flag, a covered terrace on the opposite touchline beside the halfway line and finally a bit of a cowshed type kop behind the goals at the far end of the pitch, this has been blocked off in recent times but it looks like the club are doing some work to the standing area under the roof and today there was space to stand at the front nearest the pitch.

Me and Frugal had economy-brollies so we stood in the open near the halfway line adjacent to the changing rooms. The rain was relentless but the pitch seemed to be holding up and we were quickly into the action. Bacup put pressure on the visitors straight from the kick off and got right into their faces, the fancy dans from Ramsbottom didn't like this one bit and seemed a bit rattled. Bacup got a few clear cut chances but fluffed them, this would prove extremely costly as Rammy slowly but surely dug in, held their positions and started to move forward.

They won more of the 50-50's and began passing around the chasing Bacup players, without creating too much up front Ramsbottom looked the better side by half time, Bacup lacked the cutting edge with which they started so brightly. It was back to the shelter of the Sports Bar at half time, Frugal Glenn got a 50p Bovril which he confirmed was the best he'd had all season, I got a soup for 80p, I think it was golden creamy vegetable or something, anyway, I didn't think much of it, it was a bit tasteless. I did think about having a portion of the famous Premiership Pie they serve from the kitchen, lots seemed to be trying it but I'd had a big dinner so I gave it a miss, maybe next time? The bar area was crammed full so we stood near the door next to one of those big fancy fruit machines with flashing lights. Frugal was taken aback when the thing started talking to him! "Hello... how are doing?" He nearly spilled his bovril "Its a lousy day isn't it... did you sit in the stand?" It was only then he realised that with the bar so full some bloke had wedged himself behind the machine next to the exit door on a small stool, he was talking on his mobile phone to somebody! The look on Frugals face when at first he thought the machine was talking was a picture.

The second half of the game was totally dominated by Ramsbottom, they more or less camped out in the Bacup half as the pitch got wetter, heavier and much more slippy. To their credit Bacup were hanging on for a draw and mopped up attack after attack with some resolute tackling. News had filtered through that Runcorn Town were getting beat in their local derby with Runcorn Linnets, it seemed to inspire the visitors to go all out for the 3 points, still Bacup held on. When the winning goal came it was through luck rather than craft, a shot from the edge of the box appeared to be covered by the Bacup keeper until the ball hit Grant Spencers backside and diverted its path into the empty net, cruel on Bacup but it was nothing more than what Ramsbottom deserved. When a Bacup forward was sent off for a rash challenge the game was up, Ramsbottom nearly got a second when Bernard Morley hit the post but Bacup were well spent in any case.

A crucial away win for the league leaders especially as news came in that Runcorn Town eventually lost 2-1. If Ramsbottom United win their last 3 games they win the league, Runcorn Town would not be able to catch them. Should be an interesting end to the season?

A very wet Bacup Borough

Back from intense sealed-wallet surgery, Frugal Glenn joined the Tea Hut squad for a traditional Easter Monday up above Bacup Borough's ground high on the Pennine hills, the welcoming holiday weather didn't let anybody down either.... it pissed it down! Visitors don't come much more hyped than the North West Counties Premier League leaders Ramsbottom United and what a battling performance they provided against some pretty stern defending from the locals. It was all splish, splash, splosh as the Rammy galactico's soaked out a vital 3 points from a 1-0 away win.

Visit report scribblings will be posted on here sometime Tuesday (I hope).

Nelson 0 Rochdale Town 3

Saturday 7th April
North West Counties League Division 1
NELSON 0 ROCHDALE TOWN 3
Admission: £4
Attendance: 45
Tea Hut Stuff: Cheese and Onion Pie £1.50
Weather: Dull grey sky and a bit chilly
Parking: On the road outside the ground


It looks better once you get inside

What should have been a simple enough trip for the Match Shed went a bit pear-shaped in the centre of Brierfield (which was the planned route). With only a few miles to travel before reaching Nelson FC a car was lying on its roof in the main street and the whole place was cornered off with police and ambulances. This meant the Match Shed had to negotiate quite a few tight back streets packed with terraced houses, parked cars and speed bumps. Eventually a path was found and despite losing 15 minutes the Match Shed still pulled up before kick off on Lomeshaye Way outside the ground they've titled 'Little Wembley'. At least it was only 4 quid to get in this version of Wembley and they had proper footballers. The ground is next to a public park in a quite part of the town and a bubbling brook runs all the way behind the Main Stand.


Great looking Main Stand

The stand is the first thing that strikes you when you pass through the turnstiles at the wide open park end of the ground. Its a long wimbledon-green structure that runs the best part of the touchline, it certainly has a charismatic appeal and has a decent number of plastic bucket seats to view the action from.


Shift! I can't see f*ck all!

The stand sits back a few yards from the pitch and notices are placed asking people not to gather in front of it by the railed fence. The only other buildings in 'Little Wembley' are a few portakabins and huts which house changing rooms, toilets, tea hut, VIP committee room and a small bar.


Hard hat zone at half time

This is a humble little club trying to make the best of limited funds so there is nothing swanky or flash to note here but I've seen a lot worse places and a lot that lack the friendly laid back appeal of the place. The other side of the pitch opposite the main stand is just hard standing and a railed fence, behind it there is a nicely trimmed grassed area adjacent to some fine looking terraced stone cottages, set back a little further is an enormous stone chimney which offers a great backdrop if you watch the match from the stand. 


One that Fred Dibnah missed

With around ten minutes to kick off I headed for the small tea hut which was just next to the mens bogs, ultra handy if you want to grab a quick pie after an urgent slash. A friendly lady was giving punters an explanation of the wide range of pies on offer, a fine selection indeed and all at decent prices.


Trendy price tags as well

She informed me and another chap that the pies were halal pies from a company called Tayyabah, she was clear in her recommendation that a lot of people found them very tasty. (Some later research I did identified that Tayyabah Pies come from a company called Sara's who are based in Blackburn). I opted for a cheese and onion pie at £1.50 and I put some HP sauce on it from a nice clean bottle, I think cheese and onion's are a rare breed at tea huts these days so I tucked in while I had the chance. It was very good too.


Mmmmm

I decided to watch the start of the match from the stand. A local old timer sat on one of the front rows was having a go at a couple of Rochdale Town blokes who happened to stand at the rail in the total-exclusion zone that forbids standing up in front of the stand. "You can't stand there" he yelled, "You're blocking all the pitch", a bit of an over statement but the grumbling visitors sloped off heeding the bollocking. As regards todays game Nelson find themselves near the foot of the table but they do have a few games in hand on the clubs positioned around them, its a bit different for Rochdale Town who are doing really well this term, they occupy 5th spot which is a real improvement on some of the recent hard seasons they've endured. 


You can't stand there lads

Nelson have a bit of a multi-national influence to the team and they play an attractive style of football that really appeals when it comes off, unfortunately when it doesn't come together they can quickly find themselves under pressure. Something which Rochdale exploited as early as the third minute when Kristian Evans slotted home the opening goal, the Nelson defence was out of position and totally out numbered. There was a bit of extra drama after about 15 minutes when the referee appeared to suffer a nasty calf strain, after a hold up he tried to struggle on but it was no good, he had to come off and was replaced by one of the linesman. Luckily a spectator was qualified as a liner and had some kit in his car, this chap kindly decided to give it a go and raced off to get changed, a fine gesture. As the game wore on this same kindly gent got some awful stick from some very fickle players who slaughtered some of his decisions, a bit out of order I think, he seemed to do a fairly good job under the circumstances. The rest of the first half was end to end stuff and Nelson missed some nailed-on sitters, something which dismayed the regulars in the small crowd.


Looking for aggro

After some half time entertainment when one of the Nelson subs with a large beard went in the nets and spent a lot of time giggling for some of the worst totally misplaced shot-shooting practice from his colleagues I have ever seen, a young lad acting as a ball boy was running far and wide collecting ridiculously miss hit shots on goal, this was not a good sign for Nelson bringing on a mystery super-sub for the second half.


Keepers!......ooh err

As per the first half, Rochdale caught Nelson cold at the start of the second half and went 2-0 up, according to the Nelson regulars there was no chance of them coming back from 2 down? They were right. Rochdale ended up 3-0 winners and looked mighty pleased with the points. Back to the drawing board for Nelson but you cannot fail to admire the spirit in which they play the game, I can see why some of the small band of supporters just keep coming back for more.

I'm still pissed from last night Alf

Return of the Tea Hut!

Nelson 0 Rochdale Town 3

The Tea Hut is back in business and it was North West Counties Division 1 stuff leading the way. A jaunt over to Nelson Football Club to be exact. A visit report will be on here sometime Sunday evening.

Pitches suffer after a hard winter

Passed through sunny Bacup today and had the chance of popping in to visit Borough's ground at the top of the hill.


Bacup Borough still have tons of games in hand on everyone else in the North West Counties League Premier Division due to all the postponements during the winter.


I was a tad surprised to witness some radical action from the groundsman.


The pitch looked somewhat different to my last visit here?


Looks like Borough have got rid of the notorious waterlogging problem by investing in a few bags of sand. Looks a lot more 'playable' than normal though!

Bootle 2 Ramsbottom United 2

Saturday 25th February 2012
North West Counties League Premier Division
BOOTLE 2 RAMSBOTTOM UNITED 2
Attendance: 194
Admission: £4
Tea Hut Stuff: Tea 80p, Cheese & Onion Potato Snacks 30p
Weather: Cloudy, odd bright spell, chilly
Parking: Club car park (easy exit)

I was even more 'under-cover' than normal today, there has been no love lost between me and the North West Counties League recently. My public complaints about the increasing number of late postponed games in the NWCL resulted in a number of both private and public messages and various statements coming my way. I'm not one to hold a grudge and when you get fixtures like todays top of the table clash between Bootle and Rammy I decided to give the league another chance (I bet they're thrilled to have me back 'NOT'). Anyway, I didn't want to get spotted by anybody official so I went along to the game dressed as a bigger tw*t than normal. Frugal Glenn has moved house since the last episode of Crimewatch and he's still sorting his model railway out so it was just me in the Match Shed as I did the dance of the multiple traffic lights all the way down the East Lancs Road towards Liverpool. I got to pass the big grandstands of Aintree Racecourse as the Match Shed made its final approach for the nearby fantastically titled 'Delta Taxis Stadium' the home of Bootle Football Club.

The ground is just over the road about half a mile past Aintree Railway Station nestled amongst some nicely designed industrial units on a modern looking business park. As I entered the ground the turnstile gang were giving some older bloke with a beard a bit of stick for not buying a raffle ticket, as he was a concession they started saying he didn't look 60 and was he sure of his age? The chap had a bit of a limp and he looked a bit upset as he hobbled off with the raffle ticket seller still tracking him. I pretended to be a Latvian (not sure the turnstile gang understood that though, probably thought I was a slate loose), still, it seemed to work, the raffle ticket snapper just blanked me. The Delta Taxis Stadium is a nice tidy ground that is being developed as and when the club can afford it, the most recent addition is what the club title 'The Kop' which is about 3 steps of terracing behind the nets with a new roof over it.

The other structures are all down the touchline as you enter from the turnstile. These come in the form of some flat pack stands (one with seats) positioned outside the large clubhouse.

There are toilets both inside the clubhouse and at the end of the last stand.

The Tea Hut is (unfortunately) of the burger van variety but it looks like it belongs to the club rather than a trader. Its down by the corner flag next to the Kop. It was a bit strange that it didn't seem to open until after kick off time? It was managed by a couple of young girls and the place didn't inspire me with confidence (no disrespect intended). As far as I could see, the girls seemed to be selling a few tinned hot dogs but not much else. I just got a tea (which was only luke warm) and a bag of some crappy potato snacks which I stupidly mistook for crisps, cheese and onion it said on the bag, they tasted more like bleach for a U-Bend (or at least how I imagine that kind of stuff tastes). Shame the Tea Hut doesn't match up to the rest of whats happening at the ground. 

A few Rammy supporters had gathered and it was obvious that both sets of fans knew this was a very important game in respect of the title. Bootle have been solid, confident and mighty impressive of late, Ramsbottom are the team everybody else in the NWCL rates as a fine football side, there would be no-quarter given today and neither side could afford to lose, especially with Runcorn Town and Barnoldswick also gearing up for the challenge elsewhere in the division. With just short of a couple of a hundred in the ground the game set off at the expected fast pace.

What most people didn't expect was the visitors taking a 2-0 lead after only 15 minutes. The mightily impressive Lee Gaskell headed home the first and midfield general Grant Spencer backed it up with a strike from just outside the area. Bootle were visibly shaken and Ramsbottom went onto control much of the first half, Bootle simply stuttered to get into gear.

A couple of apparent half time team talk factors kicked in for the second half. Predictably Ramsbottom sat back deeper down the pitch whilst Bootle started playing with much more thought and calculated determination. Would they get the 2 goal deficit back? To be honest I thought no, how wrong could I be? Tom Foley scrambled a reply for Bootle with 12 minutes left to make it 1-2. Still Ramsbottom looked mighty confident and very tight at the back, surely Bootle couldn't get the all important equaliser? The game ebbed towards the final whistle and Bootle just couldn't get up the pitch, then with 90 minutes on the clock there was a last gasp surge which ultimately resulted in an almighty scramble on the Ramsbottom six yard line, unbelievably Bootle somehow got the ball over the line for the magic goal they'd battled so hard for all the way through the second half. The Ramsbottom dug out was a picture of two reactions, half of them stood stunned as they drowned in abject deflation, the others started kicking ten tons of shit out of the metal dug out, victory was so near yet so far. Bootle just went mad.

The NWCL drama looks set to reach even further dizzy heights before the end of the season, perhaps it might go all the way to the final day. By the way.... Runcorn Town and Barnoldswick both won today... just to make it a bit more interesting. All in all Bootle is a nice little visit, if they could improve the Tea Hut a bit it would be even better.

Apology to Lancaster City?

On Saturday 18th February I attended a game at the Giant Axe ground where Lancaster City beat Radcliffe Borough 1-0. It appears that a number of Lancaster City supporters are a tad upset that I referred to the match as being 'Totally Shyte'! I am sorry if my description of this absolutely pathetic kick-about upset anybody of a blinkered disposition. To be honest it was not intended as a slur on Lancaster City as Radcliffe Borough were equally ridiculous on the day.

As a token of 'no hard feelings' from my side, please accept a few more pictures of my day out at the ground (which I did confirm was one of the better non-league stadiums on the circuit).

Great main stand

Some locals before the mind numbing boredom kicked in

And finally..... some pretty crap football

Lancaster City 1 Radcliffe Borough 0

Saturday 18th February 2012
Evo Stik Northern Premier League Division 1 North
LANCASTER CITY 1 RADCLIFFE BOROUGH 0
Attendance: 232
Admission: £7
Tea Hut Stuff: Cheeseburger £2.10, Tea 70p
Weather: Started bright, turned dull, breezy and cold
Parking: In the large club car park

After weeks off due to the harsh winter weather it was a bit strange getting back into the swing of things. I double checked all the websites and even rang the club before I took the Match Shed up the M6 North to Lancaster. I'd been here many years ago to watch a pre season friendly against Huddersfield Town, you never forget the setting looking out across the pitch from the Main Stand, to the right is the railway station where you can watch all the trains ploughing up and down the West Coast Main Line and there in the background is the Castle (which I believe doubles up as a prison) just beside the lovely Parish Church. A great landscape to witness from a football ground. The Giant Axe is a strange name for one of the better non league stadiums you are likely to encounter, it has a great location just up from the charismatic town centre which has plenty of pubs and really decent eateries, I like Lancaster as a place, it seems to have a really good vibe about it. It is of course a famous university location and it looked like a good few students were at todays game.

I parked the Match Shed in acres of space in the club car park just behind the open end terrace. The weather was a hell of a lot better than it had been recently in the North West, an almost cloudless sky full of sharp winter sunshine made the Giant Axe look tremendous. Lancaster City are just behind the pack up towards the top of the NPL Division 1 North (also known as the Evo Stik), their famous opponents from Greater Manchester, Radcliffe Borough are finding things a bit more difficult and seem to be struggling to break free of the dreaded lower table basement grouping. Borough had brought a decent number of hopeful supporters on the trip north and I think everyone was just glad to be able to watch a football match again. 

First port of call inside the stadium was Dollys Pantry, the Tea Hut. I plumped for a cheeseburger with onions and plenty of tomato sauce, I got a tea on the side to wash it down. It was good stuff. Unfortunately that was the last decent event of the day! Hate to say it but the game itself was an absolute dog! Never mind thoughts of total-football, this was total shyte! It started scrappy and went downhill fast. It was a muddle of fragmented hoofing, lots of kick and run which was all interspersed with ridiculously inaccurate levels of passing. 

Lancaster had slightly more possession and territorial advantage which probably summed up the 1-0 victory, saying that.... Borough missed 2 penalties amongst their other wayward attempts on goal. It was not a good advert for what can often be a very attractive league. This one will be quickly forgotten by most of todays supporters (although it should provide a good basis for some massive bollockings once the next training sessions take place with the players).

I spent large parts of the match slipping off into a near-sleep type trance as the madness took place before me. The loyal Lancaster City singers could be heard faintly in the background trying to encourage their heroes, i think they were trying to coax the team into making 3 clean passes in succession, then I'd snap out of the trance abruptly as the 4.15 to Glasgow Central rattled past in the fast developing cold grey skies (even the weather got fed up with this game, it started snowing near the end). Yes, this was not the best of games and I was well pleased to get back in the Match Shed for a quick exit with the heater on full.

Tea Hut back on track in Lancaster

After weeks of doom, gloom and misery the ridiculously lousy North Western weather finally provided a brief glimpse of viable non league football action today. I hastily got some diesel in the Match Shed and headed up to Lancaster City for their Northern Premier League (Evo Stik) Division 1 North clash against Radcliffe Borough. Hopefully I can get a visit report on here sometime tomorrow (Sunday).

The Gross Incompetence of the NWCL

That bunch of clowns called the North West Counties League have driven me away from Non League football before. They couldn't run a p*ss-up in a brewery. I suffered so many wasted journeys going to ridiculously postponed games I packed it in. Friends persuaded me to think again and not let this incompetent organisation spoil my enjoyment of watching the game.

This season the NWCL have been back to their old tricks, today Saturday 14th January 2012 they finally did for me.

We had a bad frost last night. I spent all of this morning and early afternoon (up until 12.45pm) looking at websites, carefully keeeping a check on twitter and ringing up various grounds to see which games had survived.

A lot of games in reach were called off but at 11am AFC Liverpool announced that their NWCL game v Silsden HAD PASSED AN INSPECTION AND WAS ON! Bearing in mind how shyte the NWCL are at information I double checked this game would take place and left it right to the last possible moment to travel.

I struggled with M62 traffic and roadworks but eventually arrived at the Prescot Cables ground that AFC Liverpool use at 2.10pm.

I was met by locked turnstiles and the entire Silsden squad (in their smart tracksuits) angrily marching out the ground and boarding their mini-bus. "Whats going on" I fearfully enquired, "They've just decided to call it off" came back the reply from one of the players, he went on to say "two bloody hours to get here and they postpone it at the last minute.... the league told us it was on"!!!

So there you have it. Yet another ridiculously late postponement from those masters of farce The Glorious NWCL. This was a major balls-up even by their daft standards.

I wasted over 120 miles worth of diesel and gave up a gloriously sunny day (it was 6 degrees in Prescot) to let those stupid tw*ts from the North West Counties League f*ck up another of my Saturday afternoons. They really are useless.

They've done it once too often as far as I'm concerned.

End of!

Bootleg Report: Ramsbottom 2 Salford City 1

This uncut visit report has not featured on the Tea Hut site before now. Recently came across it whilst surfing the archives of 'Tonys Non League Forum'. It concerns an FA Cup Preliminary Round clash that I attended at Ramsbottom Uniteds ground on September 2nd 2011 (a Friday night fixture). There are no pictures (unfortunately).

Here we go.....................

FROM TONYS NON LEAGUE SITE
http://www.nonleaguematters.co.uk/

Like Cod of the North I was also at........

RAMSBOTTOM 2 SALFORD CITY 1

Attendance 345

I respect Cods well compiled views but I have a slightly different opinion of the proceedings.

Not happy Ramsbottom decided to put the kick off back to 8pm to let a load of ale heads in who couldn't be arsed leaving the local pubs half an hour early. I passed most of these late comers driving around the corner to the ground at 7.10pm! They were all supping pints before toddling down to the ground 5 minutes before kick off. I strolled in the ground 20 minutes earlier and was the only person at the turnstile. Obviously the club didn't want the beer boys going back to the pub if they risked missing the start so they made everyone who'd been sensible in getting in a bit early pay the penalty. They should have kicked off on time, it would have served the ale heads right but greed is a funny old thing isn't it. Funnily enough I spotted some of the same late comers peeing all over the adjoining cricket buildings, typical!

As for all the hype about local people being able to see the real FA Cup trophy on show..... they kept it mighty quite about the ridiculous £4.50 charge for doing so! I'll stick to seeing it on the BBC. Ridiculous!

I also noted the 20% hike in admission price since the short time I last came here, nice to see a club taking note of the hard times around this part of the world.

As for the game, a superb opening goal from Salford in the first minute was a great start. Sadly, apart from a few good saves at either end the match turned out to be (generally) pretty poor quality with lots of mistimed passes and poor control. The referee very much favoured the home side as they kicked, elbowed and niggled without caution. A typical example was the Ramsbottom equaliser. The home sides NO.4 (Morley) cut down a Salford player with a blatant tackle from behind which unbelievably went unpunished, Ramsbottom went up the pitch, Salford put in a cleaner tackle (winning the ball) but got penalised, from the resultant free kick Ramsbottom made it 1-1. Salford suffered a lot more bad decisions as the evening panned out.

Wished I'd saved my money to be honest.

Harrogate Railway Athletic 2 Salford City 0

Saturday 7th January
Evo Stik Northern Premier League Division 1 North
HARROGATE RAILWAY ATHLETIC 2 SALFORD CITY 0
Attendance: 78
Admission: £7
Tea Hut Stuff: Tomato Cuppa Soup and a Kit Kat
Weather: Gusty breeze, turned cloudy and quite chilly
Parking: On Station View just outside the club car park

The Match Shed trundled past the Blackstone Edge Reservoir high up on the Pennines a gusting wind was blowing sheets of water across the road, the Match Shed duly copped for it. The scenic cross country journey also took in the highlights of Hebden Bridge, Addingham and Blubberhouses, there was plenty of standing water in the fields as the tributaries gushed down from the fells. An hour and a half later I was in Harrogate taking the A59 Knaresborough Road to nearby Starbeck the home of Harrogate Railway on the suitably titled Station View. Todays chosen game was from the Evo Stik Northern Premier League Division 1 North, I've not been to the Harrogate Railway ground before and the visit of Salford City (one of the better footballing sides in the division) provided the ideal opportunity. A friendly chap in the turnstile bunker took my admission money and I was immediately surprised at the apparent scarceness of facilities.

The end I had come in at had a bashed tin fence and little else, across the pitch was perhaps the smallest Main Stand I had ever seen. The far end of the ground did have a stand which was half shallow terracing and half seats but the rest of the ground seemed to be made up of a few weather worn dark green portakabins. My target was the Tea Hut and I eventually found it set back from the portakabins near the exit gates adjacent to the car park.

It was a long white building with a big kitchen taking up half its length, the other section was set out as a sit-in eating area. I was pretty hungry, my breakfast was hours ago. My food choice today was somewhat hampered by the fact that I was having a big home made 'gut-buster' steak and ale pie with chips and mushy peas for my supper (once I got home). I decided to plump for a burger, or even a hot dog if need be (even I can't eat pies all day). I entered the tea hut which was already full of greedy looking Salford supporters huddled over steaming trays full of pie, chips and gravy. I approached the lady at the food counter. "Do you do burgers" I asked, "no" she replied, ok, "what about a hot dog" I asked, "oh no, we don't do hot dogs" came the response, my worst fears came to fruition... today of all days when I (for once) didn't want a pie, I end up at a tea hut that does pies-only and bugger all else! I realised I had to set my sights a little lower "alright, i'll just have a bag of crisps then". The woman smiled back at me "oh we dont do crisps here" she said. Bloody hell, this was one hell of a limited menu! I eventually ended up with a luke warm tomato cuppa soup and a kit kat! I scowled to myself as I trudged out the tea hut past the tables full of slavering pie monsters. That pie the wife was making had better be a good one. As I slurped the soup my attention focused to the sloping pitch in front of me, my concern was not so much the slope but the uneven, cut up and muddy look of the playing surface. It looked like they'd just had a 3 day Horse of the Year Show on it.

Salford are a side who like to play fast, pacy, passing football, this gloopy field of mud did not look good for their prospects, especially when you added a strong gusty breeze blowing towards the Starbeck railway station end. 

Salford had been doing well over recent weeks and had picked up quite a few points, the opinion on the street was that they were not far from play off form, a win at bottom four Harrogate Railway was just what they needed to strengthen such lofty aspirations. However 'Railway' have always been an unpredictable side and they are well capable of upsetting form calculations at the best of times, never mind playing on a mud heap with a wind behind them. I got my scarf and gloves on, it was going to be a chilly afternoon. As kick off arrived it was disappointing to see such a poor attendance, only 78 souls turned out for the game, ok Harrogate Town were playing Histon in the Conference North just a few miles away but it was still a poor turn out from the locals, especially as more than half the gathered crowd had made the trip over from Salford, they brought the big orange and black banner with them which they proudly plonked behind the nets in the first half before cheekily putting it up in the locals Main Stand after the half time break. I wonder if the Salford fans were as surprised as me at the line up for City, there seemed to be some new faces and a few youngsters being given a game, I suspected injuries had forced a slightly unfamiliar line up. I knew one of the new faces, Lloyd Rigby the goalkeeper who'd done a bit at Rochdale AFC, I think this must have been his debut?

The game started very niggly and very scrappy and got steadily worse. There was plenty of commitment from the home side and naturally they seemed more at ease with the conditions (it is their pitch after all). Salford didn't like it. They struggled to get their normal game going and it wasn't long before player boss Rhodri Giggs was throwing a wobbler in the nearby dug out. After 15 minutes he shot out from the bench and threatened to take legendary hit man Gavin Salmon off the pitch if he didn't get more involved in the proceedings, Gavin was very much 'a fish out of water' today. To give Gavin credit he did get a bit more stuck in following the bollocking.

Railway had the wind behind them in the first half and forced Salford back into the mud. There was no way that football was going to be a winner today. Railway went 1-0 up when a corner swung in with the wind and overshot keeper Rigby and his defenders, despite a goal-line last ditch attempted clearance by Alex Mortimer the ball ended up in the roof of the net. 

All 21 of the attending Railway supporters went mad. The rest of the first half was crap, the only winner was the terrible uneven pitch. It looked like a football match being played in treacle syrup for the most part. Half time I followed a gang of pensioners to stand outside the semi steamed up windows of the Director and VIP Hut, I wondered why they all eagerley piled off to do this? Perhaps they had some saucy strippers on or something, a couple of the old blokes did seem genuinely quite excited? Then I realised what all the commotion was about... the half time scores on Sky Sports, you could just about make out the screen between a couple of fat bast*rds sat inside the hut scoffing jumbo sausage rolls.

In the second half Salford had the wind behind them and there did seem to be a bit more 'go-forward' about them. It all went pear-shaped for the visitors when one of the growing number of Railway counter attacks came up trumps, Luke Durham got forward onto a cow poke from the back and edged it past the Salford keeper to make it 2-0. We then had a festival of defenders performing a cultural ritual of end to end hoofing and old time toe bunging. It had got colder and colder and the football seemed poorer and poorer, Salford had a last push at it when Rhodri Giggs came on for the last 15 minutes but despite hitting a post the 3 points went to the Railway, in all fairness they just about edged it but to be honest... it had been a pretty poor game of football.

I was glad to get back in the Match Shed and get the results on the radio. Harrogate is a nice place and it was looking mighty fine all lit up in the dark, there look to be some nice eateries and pubs for those inclinded to spend an hour or two sampling it.... I had to get back across the pennines for that Steak and Ale Pie!

All aboard for Harrogate Railway

Saturday 7th January
Evo Stik NPL Division 1 North
HARROGATE RAILWAY ATHLETIC 2 SALFORD CITY 0

Just as well the Match of the Day camera's weren't there.
Not exactly the 'total-football' classic I was hoping for.
Bit of a blow to Salford's play-off aspirations.

Visit report and pictures due up on here sometime Sunday evening.