On my way home yesterday I called at a Lidl on the outskirts of Middlesbrough. ‘There’s definitely more than 2 kilos of onions in that bag…but I’ll let it go.’ I think I was being accused of stealing extra onions. Now, if I’m going to shoplift, it’s not going to be onions. What kind of a place IS Middlesbrough?
I digress. As usual. It’s another ‘international break’ so no fixtures in the upper echelons and a chance to visit another Northern League ground. And it turns out I’m not the only Barnsley fan choosing Guisborough today, as I get my pint in, wander around the perimeter, and bump into Kelvin, Ashley and Eric, all faces I know from Oakwell. (A 4th, Molly, woulda been there too had life not got in the way.) I had a shorter journey, yet Guisborough was still at the extremity of where I hadn’t been yet in the Northern League this season. Being a Saturday, it’s a chance to venture further away from my County Durham base.
Guisborough looked ideal. With other responsibilities (life!) in the morn, I didn’t quite have time to visit local beauty spot Roseberry Topping, but I could fit in a wander round the town, and see Guisborough Priory, mostly destroyed under Henry VIII’s policy of monasterial dissolution. I even looked up the opening times: 10am – 4pm. Ideal. What I glazed over was it’s closed November-March…and it’s now November. Oh well. I could see the top of it, but even my efforts to circumnavigate it for a view were ruined by a school. At least I found an open chippy and had (below par) fish and chips.
The town centre was thriving by modern standards, lots of independent shops, and I treated myself to a few CDs at one of the charity shops. The market was rather underwhelming though, 3 stalls, one of which was selling ‘bandanners’. Is that a cross between a banner and a bandana, I wondered? (No, it wasn’t.) I then jumped back in the car and set the satnav for the King George V Ground. As an aside, we have one of those in my town too – what was it with George V and recreation grounds?
There’s plenty of parking, which was lucky, cos there was plenty of cars. Turned out to be a bumper crowd today, 434. Once through the turnstile, I marvelled at a guard of honour from Guisborough’s junior teams, awaiting the players. (I don’t think any of the kids watched the game itself, preferring to play footie behind one goal.) With the teams out, I found the bar and waited to be served. And waited a bit more. Turned out the barman was outside ‘enjoying’ the minute’s silence for Remembrance Day. It’s a sizable bar too, and had a decent choice ie, some IPA on tap – Maltsmiths. Add this to Ashington as one of the few who serve owt but lager and crap bitter.
Then, as I say, I went outside, intending on the usual circumference of the ground, but instead bumped into some familiar faces and hung out with them behind the far goal. One thing we all agreed was that groundhopping for a day was far more preferable than watching Barnsley in current circumstances (managerless; off the bottom only due to Derby’s points deduction). The others also had the excitement of the golden goal competition, but as the 27th and 29th minutes passed by, all hopes were on Kelvin’s 90th minute for the 1st goal. Does that include injury time, thereby gaining 4 or 5 extra minutes? We’ll never know, as after 66 minutes Penrith opened the scoring. By now, we were under cover in the stand. The rain had started to come down, and maybe this helped the scoring, as it zipped around the pitch. 6 minutes later it was 1-2, as Guisborough’s temporary equaliser was quashed by Jamie Armstrong running free on the right and firing through the keeper’s palms. As I said, without the rain, that’s a save all day long.
Aside from my own company, I’d recommend a visit to Guisborough Town. Along with certain other Northern League grounds I’ve been to – Crook, Easington, Ashington – there’s a ‘buzz’ about proceedings, as fans crowded the Main Stand side of the pitch with their beers. A raised platform next to the Main Stand meant a second line of fans with immaculate views of the pitch. I wandered around…behind the goal had a small bank ‘Do Not Stand on the grass bank’ behind which was an expanse of grass large enough for the gaggle of kids to have a proper kickaround. Opposite, a two-step terrace with propped roof ran over half the length of the pitch. The other goal, meantime, had the odd building/portacabin as well as the external fence and turnstile. Yet surrounding 3 sides of the ground were trees reaching skyward, giving it a real enclosed feel. Quaint, buzzy, plenty of cover….I’ll be back. Sometime after March.
The Damage:
£7 ent
= £6
The Tunes:
Ultra Mono (Idles)
The Orb’s Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld (The Orb)*
*79p from the charity shop. Bargain.
No comments:
Post a Comment