Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2012 22:24:35 GMT
I’ve probably got a mental list of around 20-25 grounds I want to visit in the north of England. Then – believe it or not – if I stay in this neck of the woods I want to settle down to watching good football within easy distance of home. That might even be within walking distance.
So, for this season anyway, I should have enough scope to work through my list. Matlock, Buxton and Bradford Park Avenue were near the top and have been visited already. And, today there was the opportunity to go to Stalybridge.
Hands up who knows that Stalybridge Celtic once played in the Football League? Just the two seasons from 1921 to 1923. They started well by giving Chesterfield – them again – a good stuffing and actually did reasonably well to finish 7th and 11th in their two seasons. Thereafter Stalybridge had a long stint in the powerful old Cheshire County League before hitting a ropey spell in the 1980s. They made it to the Conference proper in the 1990s and now play in Conference North.
Stalybridge Celtic still play at Bower Fold just as they did in the Football League ninety years ago as this extract from The Ultimate Directory of English and Scottish Football League Grounds indicates:
Outside the ground is a plaque recalling the role of William Rhodes in helping Stalybridge gain entry to the Football League:
Stalybridge, in case you’re wondering, lies to the east of Manchester just before the big hills begin. Whatever the above map says, it was actually in Cheshire before boundary changes. Here’s the view you get when you step off the train:
Mind you, rather than admire the scenery, you may be more interested in the real ales on offer at the famed station buffet:
Bower Fold lies about a mile out of town in a fairly salubrious suburb close to open country. A walk around the outside of the ground revealed sights that were more rustic than decaying. The entrances are bordered up simply because they are no longer needed:
Bower Fold is generally neat and tidy with covered areas on all four sides: standing at the ends; seating along the sides. I chose to sit in the Lord Tom Pendry Stand, named after the town’s former MP who was something of a football man. No doubt Alpine Joe will be along shortly with an observation or two:
The interesting thing about today’s game was that it didn’t involve Stalybridge Celtic. Instead in was a Northern Premier League (Premier Division) game between FC United of Manchester and Hednesford Town. It was an excellent game – in many ways one of the best I’ve seen this season – which finished as a one-all draw. It could have gone either way and I thought Hednesford were slightly the better team. From a Torquay United perspective, I was disappointed that Rhodri Giggs – named in the programme – wasn’t playing.
FC United are a curious phenomenon and I still can’t quite get my head around the concept. But their songs are good and we were treated to a wide repertoire of popular songs from the last fifty years. There’s a selection at fcunited.ru/en/songs/
The respective followings at each end:
All told an attendence of 1,702 and, after the final whistle, a rare old throng for the walk down Mottram Road:
So, for this season anyway, I should have enough scope to work through my list. Matlock, Buxton and Bradford Park Avenue were near the top and have been visited already. And, today there was the opportunity to go to Stalybridge.
Hands up who knows that Stalybridge Celtic once played in the Football League? Just the two seasons from 1921 to 1923. They started well by giving Chesterfield – them again – a good stuffing and actually did reasonably well to finish 7th and 11th in their two seasons. Thereafter Stalybridge had a long stint in the powerful old Cheshire County League before hitting a ropey spell in the 1980s. They made it to the Conference proper in the 1990s and now play in Conference North.
Stalybridge Celtic still play at Bower Fold just as they did in the Football League ninety years ago as this extract from The Ultimate Directory of English and Scottish Football League Grounds indicates:
Outside the ground is a plaque recalling the role of William Rhodes in helping Stalybridge gain entry to the Football League:
Stalybridge, in case you’re wondering, lies to the east of Manchester just before the big hills begin. Whatever the above map says, it was actually in Cheshire before boundary changes. Here’s the view you get when you step off the train:
Mind you, rather than admire the scenery, you may be more interested in the real ales on offer at the famed station buffet:
Bower Fold lies about a mile out of town in a fairly salubrious suburb close to open country. A walk around the outside of the ground revealed sights that were more rustic than decaying. The entrances are bordered up simply because they are no longer needed:
Bower Fold is generally neat and tidy with covered areas on all four sides: standing at the ends; seating along the sides. I chose to sit in the Lord Tom Pendry Stand, named after the town’s former MP who was something of a football man. No doubt Alpine Joe will be along shortly with an observation or two:
The interesting thing about today’s game was that it didn’t involve Stalybridge Celtic. Instead in was a Northern Premier League (Premier Division) game between FC United of Manchester and Hednesford Town. It was an excellent game – in many ways one of the best I’ve seen this season – which finished as a one-all draw. It could have gone either way and I thought Hednesford were slightly the better team. From a Torquay United perspective, I was disappointed that Rhodri Giggs – named in the programme – wasn’t playing.
FC United are a curious phenomenon and I still can’t quite get my head around the concept. But their songs are good and we were treated to a wide repertoire of popular songs from the last fifty years. There’s a selection at fcunited.ru/en/songs/
The respective followings at each end:
All told an attendence of 1,702 and, after the final whistle, a rare old throng for the walk down Mottram Road:
