Tussling with the Tykes

Saturday 8th March. Off to Barnsley. They play at Oakwell in Barnsley and have done since 1888. The club used to own the stadium and land around it, but because of financial problems earlier this century the stadium was purchased by the council which enabled Barnsley FC to continue their footballing commitments.The club play in red shirts and white shorts and are nicknamed the Tykes, a common appellation for anyone born and bred in Yorkshire. I parked near the top of Oakwell Lane and my first view of Oakwell was a fine panorama

of the ground from a used car lot. I made my apologies to the salesman who approached me thinking he had a prospect, but he was happy to chat for a minute about football. I had another longer chat in the car park of the ground as I was taking a photo of the C K Beckett stand. One of the car park attendants came over and asked if I wanted him to take one of me with the stadium as backdrop. I explained that I didn't go in for those photos because I tend to look even more gormless than usual in snaps. This started us chatting and eventually they had to leave me as cars were piling up around us!

The redevelopment of Oakwell was well under way by the turn of this century, but stalled when Barnsley fell into financial straits. Consequently, three sides of the ground have been developed, but the original West Stand remains.

This stand has been made all-seater, but looks it's age. Only the top half of the stand is covered. There is another of these odd media gantries on the roof, cantilevered out from an old gable (reminiscent of that at Sheffield Wednesday, amongst others), which is apparently reached by ladder from the back of the stand. Hardy types these cameramen.

The opposite stand, unsurprisingly called the East Stand, is a splendid structure, looking much more imposing from outside the ground, I thought. Architecturally it matches the Pontefract Road End ( or C K Beckett Stand). The East Stand is a two tier stand with executive boxes running along between the tiers. The C K Beckett stand is single tier, though giving, at first glance the impression of two tiers as the spectator entrances are on the mid-line and the ascending and descending steps are set slightly askew. In the corner between these two stands is a three tier boxy structure called the (wait for it) Corner Stand which houses executive and disabled facilities.



Away fans are housed in the North Stand which is similar to the C K Beckett stand in appearance. In the corner of the stand between this and the West Stand is the present players tunnel running out below the control post and a large video screen. In fact, Oakwell is unusual in having two players tunnels, the old and now unused one coming onto the ground in the traditional spot in the middle of the West Stand between the dugouts. The old tunnel is still used as an entrance to the offices and other facilities in the stand. The position of the new tunnel requires that a member of staff is detailed to remove the corner flag whilst the players and officials troop out of the tunnel at the start of the game and to replace it when the procession has passed that spot.

Behind the North Stand is the car parking for the players and officials and beyond that several fine training pitches for the various teams of the  club.

There were two changes to our team. Kevin Gomis came in at centre back with Halford moving to right back in place of the injured Eric Lichaj, who is to have an operation for a double hernia. Greening moved to the bench to make room for Abdoun. The match itself is another one of those games which are becoming common in our present run. We have the majority of the play, miss a few chances when , quite frankly it would seem easier to score, allow the opposition a goal and then try to score ourselves. The first half was notable for a fine shot by Abdoun which hit the base of the post and a glaring miss by Mackie who headed wide from about six yards from a centre by Abdoun, who looked our best player on the pitch today. We were not having it all our own way by any means, Darlow having to make one fine save.

At half time it was 0-0, but a lively nil-nil. Second half we started off as if in a dream, allowing their left winger to cut in onto his right foot and drive a strong shot past Darlow and into the corner of the goal. After that Forest stepped up the pressure which became quite frantic towards the end, but Barnsley held out to record a precious win. As we were situated close to the players tunnel, I could quite clearly see, from the players demeanour, that they were dismayed at the result. Another three points gone.

I trudged wearily up Oakwell Lane to the car and left for Wakefield. I went to Wakefield purely because I had found a cheaper hotel up there, but it was a useful jumping off spot for my journey next day to Carlisle, being right on the M1.

Sunday dawned bright and clear. In fact, the weather had turned right around and we were having a beautiful spell of weather in contrast to the awful winter up to that point. I had a picture perfect drive over the

Pennines to Carlisle United FC and their Brunton Park ground. It was a Sunday morning and I didn't expect to gain access to the stadium. I always wonder as I approach a new ground if I'm going to be able to gain access or just peer at bleak stands from the outside like "Billy No Mates". As usual I went into the wrong entrance to be faced by a locked gate. Eventually I found the right entrance and parked the car. Wandering round the ground I found the place firmly locked and bolted, but there were enough holes for me to poke my cameras through and a convenient earth bank to climb for a pretty comprehensive view of the ground.  Mind you, I can't see much through these holes; I just poke the camera through, waggle it about and hope something comes out.

Carlisle United were founded in 1904 and have played at Brunton Park since 1909. The stadium has the four traditional stands, with seating and terracing. The Main Stand runs along the West side of the pitch and
seems to consist of three sections with three sponsorship names. Only the back of the stand contains seating, along the whole of the front of the stand is an uncovered terrace
. The centre section of the seating areas is named the Scores.co.uk Stand and contains the usual directors box, media area etc. Also included is the Pirelli Family Stand. The larger of the two wing areas is prominently signed Edinburgh Woollen Mill. This stand, between the upper seats and lower terrace seems to have a glassed in viewing area, possibly used as executive boxes or (as at the CG) a restaurant/hospitality section. In fact, at the rear of this stand is Foxy's Restaurant. At the Southern end of the Main stand is the smallest wing section, the Cumberland Building Society Community Stand. All these areas of seating have a mixed range of seats and I understand that some seating was obtained from Doncaster Rovers in 2006 when that club relocated to the Keepmoat Stadium.

An interesting facet of the ground is the arrangement of lights on the floodlight pylons.
Instead of the usual solid bank of  lights at the top of the pylons the lights here are arranged down the supporting legs. I surmised that the ground is fairly exposed and it is a way of preventing damage by the wind, but I have no idea of the real reason.

The newest stand in the ground is the East Stand or The Pioneer Stand. This is a plain modern stand (though with a most impressive exterior façade) extending slightly beyond the end of the pitch at the Northern end of the ground. Apparently there were plans in place to adjust the playing surface to match the siting of the stand, but these never came to pass. The visiting fans are in the Northern section of the Pioneer Stand and immediately adjacent to them and almost encroaching onto the pitch is the large building housing the Neil Sports Centre.

The small terrace at the North end is the Waterworks or Petteril End, used only if large sections of away fans are expected. Behind this end is a practice pitch. Also along this end of the ground is what looks like the police control boxes in the corner adjacent to the Main Stand.

Opposite the Petteril is the Warwick Road End which has the roof segmented into three parts presenting
three diamond gable ends towards the pitch instead of the usual practice of running the roof parallel to the pitch. I think this is an attractive and rather traditional way of building. At one time, most grounds had these either ornate or individual rooflines. Anyone of my age will remember the instantly recognisable roof at Molyneux, for instance. The Warwick Road End is a covered terrace.

At the entrance of the ground is the club shop and next to this is a statue of former club favourite Hughie McIlmoyle, who played for a large number of clubs during a 20 year professional career, but played for Carlisle United in three separate spells, totalling 174 appearances, scoring 76 goals in the process.

There was no way I could get into the ground, but I had managed to see quite a bit of it from my several vantage points. I thought it most attractively sited and a fine old ground kept in pretty good order. So I left Brunton Park and the several enthusiastically supported games of rugby going on next door and headed off to Newcastle.

I had booked a hotel close by St James Park, home of Newcastle United, but not as close as I had hoped. Cost is always a consideration and I just went for the cheapest. However, it had the bonus of being close to the Quayside and the Gateshead Millennium Bridge and only a short walk to the famous Tyne Bridge.

I had the afternoon free so wandered along the riverside, by the several bridges, past the thriving market all the while basking in the warmest day of the year. What a change in the weather!! Exactly a month ago I was ploughing through the rain and wind at Blackpool and the snow at Huddersfield.

The sightseeing had another useful purpose. It gave me valuable reconnaissance time for my visit next day to St James Park. This ground, although a monster, is situated right in the city so was in easy walking distance of all the sights and my hotel. It saved me a drive through unfamiliar streets. Something I have done enough of this season; the number of times I have had to double-back or take the wrong road because I'm in the wrong lane or simply give up and stop in a quiet spot to either study the map or ask a pedestrian must now be in the hundreds. This time I picked the brains of the staff in the hotel. I must mention that I usually stay at a well-known brand of budget hotels (Premier Inns) and I find the staff unfailingly polite and helpful. The hotels are clean, the bathrooms work and the beds are comfortable. And on this occasion they were not found wanting. The young man on the desk produced a map (having declared mine unsuitable) annotated it comprehensively and explained other points in answer to my questions.

Next day dawned fine and sunny. I set out for the ground. I had decided on one route out and a different one back. The route out was one which gained me height very quickly and once up I could contour round to the ground, a useful point from my SAS days in the hills of Brecon Beacons and Scotland. After a twenty minute walk I found myself gazing up at the giant Gallowgate End of St James Park, home of Newcastle United.

I haven't been to this ground before so I don't know if, in the past the ground just had four stands. Now, although it is not a modern "bowl", the stands are all joined round the corners and the pitch is completely surrounded by tiers of seats towering above it. As in other grounds completely surrounded by city streets or residential housing, space is at a premium, so if you want a large crowd in your ground, the answer is to go upwards.All notes for away fans mention the great climb up to the away fans eyrie at the top of the Leazes Stand.

Newcastle United was formed in 1892 by the amalgamation of two local clubs and has played at St James' Park since that time. In common with other clubs playing in black and white striped shirts the club nickname is The Magpies or, probably more commonly now, the Toon. I walked around outside the ground marvelling at it's size. Although it has much less room for spectators than Old Trafford, I suppose the location gives it a more imposing air. I walked around, past the restored gates and the entrance steps, to the Milburn Stand

which houses the main reception area.  Here I asked if it was possible to see inside the ground. I was directed upstairs to the tours desk. Here I again made my request, not for a long official tour, but just a quick peek inside the ground.

To my delight, after a short interrogation as to my motives, one of the young ladies acceded to my request. I then got a whistle stop tour of the ground. During our walk she confided that she was a fan of Brian Clough and always looked for the results of my team during his tenure as manager. Delighted to find a kindred spirit, I thoroughly enjoyed our 'tour', chatting about a variety of subjects from my attempt to visit all 92 grounds in the single season to Bobby Robson's funeral.  What a nice lady.

The Gallowgate Stand, or rather the area it stands in, was once strawberry fields from which the local nuns would use the fruit to make strawberry wine to sell. Now just the street name, Strawberry Place, and a pub remain.Together with the East Stand, The Gallowgate End is lower than the other two stands with a single tier of seating and executive boxes round the top of the seating at the Milburn corner of the stand.
Outside one corner of this stand, on Strawberry Place, is a statue of Wor Jackie or more officially, Jackie Milburn, one of the 'Number Nine' heroes of Newcastle United.

At the other end of the stand is a statue of Sir Bobby Robson, a beloved son of the area and childhood fan who came back to manage the club at the end of his playing days.
Inside the entrance lobby to the Milburn stand there are also busts of Bobby and Jackie. On the pavement beside the road running under the Milburn Stand, the road which divides the main reception area and offices from the actual stand, are rows of commemorative plaques to absent friends, gone but not forgotten fans.

The players tunnel is a narrow tiled affair which dips down a few steps as one proceeds towards the playing area. Along the artificial turf to more steps going upwards to the sunlight and the very edge of the pitch. The dugouts are hard by the tunnel and occupy a very small area, just two rows of well-upholstered seats for the manager, staff and subs of each team.

The Milburn Stand itself towers above you once on the pitch side.


Together with the Leazes End it forms one half of the stadium with a large lower tier of seating on each stand separating an upper tier of seating with a row of executive boxes. The roof panels extend right out above the stands to pitch side level, but this doesn't create an oppressive atmosphere as the roof panels are translucent, presumably to aid the growth of the grass on the pitch. The Leazes End is separated from Leazes Park by a small car park, but is also somewhat unique in having a multi-story car park built into the stand.

Although the ground is hard by bustling city streets (there are electric gates on Strawberry Place and Barrack Road which can be closed to aid the passage of the crowd after games)  this is only evident on the Gallowgate and Milburn side of the ground. On the other side of St James Park there is an air of calm, with peace and tranquillity  in Leazes Park and a quiet, dignified atmosphere amid the handsome architecture on Leazes Terrace.


I enjoyed my walk around Newcastle and St James' Park (there is debate as to whether the apostrophe is used correctly, but the club use it thus), but found I was quite tired on returning to the hotel, so I spent the rest of the day relaxing prior to moving down the coast on the morrow to Sunderland, Hartlepool and Middlesbrough, the scene of our next match.

Mugged by the Latics

This won't take long. After the disappointment of the FA Cup, then dropping a point to Leicester in what I reckon were controversial circumstances (should Wes Morgan have been sent off? should they have had a penalty? should the penalty have been retaken because of encroachment by the goal scorer?) and then being out-played by the Clarets, I was hoping for at least a fine performance against Wigan Athletic who rolled up at the CG bang in form, having won four and drawn one of their last six matches. In contrast Forest haven't won in the last three, all of which means the points in the bank keeping us in the playoff places are slowly being eaten up and Wigan, Reading and others are clustering just under those playoff positions.

Wigan won the game at the DW earlier in the season. Reidy scored first with a fine free kick, then they scored from a penalty and fine strike from Gomez.

Absentees this afternoon were Guy Moussi who had to return to France for personal reasons and Darius Henderson who was just officially unavailable (he was found not guilty, so his absence is temporary, thank goodness). In came Lichaj from injury, Cox, Majewski (back from Poland) and Jonathan Greening for his first start in living memory. Replaced were Collins, Djebbour and Abdoun.

Wigan came out in their all black away kit, which wouldn't have been allowed years ago before the referees started  going all fashion conscious and turning out in a variety of colourful outfits.  The game started and it soon became apparent that we were just a tad short of confidence. Plus it looked just what it was, a patched up team playing together in that formation for the first time. Much has been made of our injury problems, but Wigan have one or two missing, too. However, as befits a team only just out of the Premier League who have oodles of cash from parachute payments, their backup squad members are very proficient players. One of those squad members was returning player James Perch, a product of the Forest academy, who left us to go to Newcastle for a very decent fee. He was roundly criticised just before he left us after a particularly pathetic display against Blackpool in the second playoff game, when we were defeated yet again in the playoffs. But since then has added to his reputation after some competent displays for Newcastle and Wigan.

Despite our ragged start, Cox had a golden chance on 12 minutes. Mackie pressurised their full back on the right. He put in a poor back pass which was well anticipated by Simon Cox. However, as usual in a one-on-one, our player made a mess of the chance, weakly pushing the ball across goal and wide. We keep doing this; forging clear chances early in the game, missing them and then allowing the opposition in to score first. Playing catch-up is the game at the moment. And so it proved once again. After a pretty even first half hour during which we finally managed to give as good as we got, they "created" a chance. It was so lucky; Gomez shot, rather tamely, and the ball was covered by Darlow. The ball just flicked against Jara, deflected onto Lascelles and then bounced right in front of Waghorn, who couldn't and didn't miss.

This left me rather deflated and the rest of the half passed fairly swiftly and tamely until just before time was up. Eric Lichaj sadly had a recurrence of his injury (sort of groin trouble, Billy is a bit vague on the subject) and this meant re-jigging the defence yet again. Halford went to full back and Collins came on in the middle.

Forest came out all guns blazing in the second half. First Mackie got right down to the goal line, but fired straight at the keeper. Then the goal. Mackie again attacked the full back and this time was  unceremoniously dumped  after getting past him. The free kick seemed to have fizzled out, but Cox, shielding the ball, pushed it back to Paterson, who banged the ball into the net. I think it may have taken a bit of a deflection, but who cares? After this the game takes on the air of a farce.

Wigan began to pressurise the Forest defence and, just after the hour, two defensive lapses presented Wigan with two goals. Then right on full time, Gomez, who must regard Forest as his lucky team, drove forward and from fully thirty yards lashed in a shot which must have moved miles in the air as Darlow sort of leapt in the air waving his arms about, but all he caught was thin air. One of those that you know is going in when you feel the sweet contact.

1-4 to the Latics and we were well beaten in the end. But, I must say, every game I am impressed by the effort the lads put in. All right, they lost, but it's no disgrace to lose to the better team on the day if you can honestly say you tried your best.

Onwards and, hopefully, upwards. Next week we go to Barnsley hoping for a good result, though they are scrapping for their lives. I have had to combine the two away games (Barnsley on Saturday and Middlesbrough on the Tuesday) into one away weekend as the cost and effort of driving up and down for two games is just not worth it. Plus I have grounds up North to visit and Middlesbrough is as far North as we go in the league this season.

A Nice Drop of Claret

To me Wednesday was a surprise. Not that we dropped a couple of points by allowing ten men to come back with an equaliser, but that we got anything at all. When I saw the team Billy put out because of our problems, I was appalled. Players going down like nine pins, resulting in, to me, a weak team.  But they played their socks off and I was hoping for the same at Burnley. Wednesday against the top team, Saturday against the second team in the league. Normally mouth-watering match-ups, but at the moment cause for a bit of buttock clenching.

On my way up to Burnley I stopped at the City Ground for a tour of the ground. I was slightly confused when I booked for the tour; I must have been because I thought the game following day was at home. However, not a big problem. I toured the CG mainly because when I went round the ground in June after collecting my season ticket I forgot my video camera and so this visit was to take a few pictures inside the ground from a vantage point other than my seat in BC Upper.

I enjoyed the tour, but not the journey to Burnley. I couldn't get on the earlier tour so had to book for 2pm. This put me on the road at about 4pm. The obvious route up to Burnley is via the M1 and, of course, the timing meant I had to join in the lemming-like race up the motorway on a Friday evening coupled with the rain and the road works. Not what a young lad from the country needs. Anyway, I made it in one piece to discover my hotel was much closer to Turf Moor than I thought. This meant that I could walk down in the morning, take a few pictures and nose about in peace before the hordes arrived to get in the way!

And Saturday dawned fine and sunny. I wandered down to the ground, past the futuristic looking Burnley Community Fire Station and Burnley Cricket Club. Actually as I got to the cricket club, I spied Turf M.... spelt out on seats at the football ground over their wall, so I wandered in to see if I could get a better view of Turf Moor from a different angle.
I was then accosted by the custodian of the cricket ground or, rather, the gentleman in charge of car parking there during the football match. We got to chatting and he had a host of amusing stories regarding celebrities and others who have tried various dodges to park on his bit of turf.

I made my excuses and left his green and pleasant ground to seek out the real reason for my visit. As I walked around the corner, I spied the Forest team coach unloading some stores required by the team and staff at the game. I passed by the coach (I've given up trying to chat up the driver for a tour of his bus, he just ignores me) and went on to the reception. Here I asked the charming lady on the desk if it was possible to have a look inside the ground before it started to fill up. She was so helpful. I was given a quick tour of the sponsors lounge (looking very impressive with all the shiny cutlery and glittering glasses) and a look around the ground from the Director's Box.

This was especially welcome to me as I usually don't get a good look at the stand the away fans sit in for obvious reasons.

A leisurely walk back to the hotel and preparations for the match, followed by another walk down the hill to Turf Moor, Burnley Football Club's home since 1883. They were founded in 1882 and were founder members of the Football League six years later. The club nickname is the Clarets because they now play in claret and blue, but that kit colouring was only adopted in 1910 as a nod to the success at the time of Aston Villa. Prior to that time the club had played in a variety of shirt colours.

Turf Moor is situated on Harry Potts Way, the name being changed from Brunshaw Road in honour of Burnley Football Club's long time player and manager. As befits such a historic ground, there are four separate stands; none of these bowl-type in-filled corners, this is a proper ground. It is not a large ground, holding only just over 22,000 spectators  in stands of varying age. The two newest stands are together in on one side of the ground and are the James Hargreaves Stand, down the side of the pitch,  and the Jimmy McIlroy Stand. These are just about 20 years old and have two tiers each with executive boxes running along the centre of each stand. In the corner between the stands is a large video screen.

The other two stands are rather older and, quite honestly, look it. They have wooden seats (which I actually found quite comfortable) and, more annoyingly, large supporting pillars across the front of the stand. Away supporters are housed in the David Fishwick stand (also known as the Cricket End) which also houses the changing rooms. Thus the players and officials enter the ground pitch from the left hand end of this stand and meander diagonally across the pitch to the dugout area situated in front of the main stand known as the Bob Lord Stand in honour of the former chairman of the club. Bob Lord was associated with the club for 30 years, an association ending just before his death in 1981. Between this stand and the Jimmy McIlroy stand is the separate police control box. I've had a look in a few of these boxes now and they all have an impressive range of state of the art screens and camera controls. Many of the larger clubs also use these cameras for manned security surveillance 24/7 around their grounds as well as match day control.

The away stand has a small enclave of grey plastic seats just behind the goal and these remained empty. We wondered why. A few enterprising fans decided to move from behind the pillar into these seats. The stewards magically materialised and tried to move them. After a bit of a stand-off PC49 was summoned and the miscreants were ejected. It seemed that those seats were for the away team staff who did not have jobs in the dugout. So the small area was populated by three tracksuit clad individuals, who must have enjoyed the barbed comments aimed at the team during the first half.

Located in the Jimmy McIlroy stand are rooms for lectures and classes of  the University College of Football Business, which was set up in 2011 by Burnley FC to educate students in the business side of football. On either side of the entrance to the UCFB are large commemorative plaques where gone but not forgotten Claret supporters are noted. Just around the corner, behind the James Hargreaves stand, is a neat modern building housing the club's Elite Training Centre.

Like many clubs, over the years Burnley have achieved success and suffered near collapse, but this season they are playing their best football for some time. When we played them earlier in the season at the CG I forecast that their promotion charge would tail off as they we very average on that day, despite achieving a draw (albeit by a disputed penalty). In fact, they have continued to make good progress and were lying second to Leicester City on Saturday.

I shall not dwell on the match. Sufficient to say that we were three goals down in 35 minutes, mainly due to poor Forest play and high-tempo Burnley football. It is easy to make the excuse that we are a team with multiple injuries disrupting our play, but we were just not at the races this afternoon. Talking of injuries, one of the changes forced on Billy Davies today was brought about by the absence of Andy Reid, who has a hernia problem which requires an operation in the next couple of days. Our midfield general out for six weeks. Even worse is the news that Jack Hobbs is out for the season with a stress fracture of the ankle. Other changes today are Cox and Majewski out and Moussi, Djebbour and Abdoun in. Majewski would have been selected but has had to return to Poland due to family reasons.

Second half was better, rockets fired in the dressing room at half time by Billy sparked a bit of life, but it was too little too late. We hit the woodwork a couple of times, had a header cleared off the line and, finally, scored from a penalty. Well, Abdoun took the penalty which Heaton saved, but Abdoun headed in the rebound. One of the more entertaining aspects of the game was a heated debate during the first half between a couple of spectators seated around me. One was continually berating our players and the other took a much more lenient view of our troubles. The one complaining throughout the first half spent the entire second half counting up our missed chances and concluded we should have won 4-3!!

I made my way back to the hotel and prepared for my visit next day to Accrington Stanley, Chesterfield and Mansfield. I duly left early in the morning for Accrington, which is but a short drive from Burnley.

Accrington Stanley neatly sidestep the fact that the present club were not the club from the town that were original members of the Football League. On the sign announcing your arrival at the ground they say "Accrington Stanley Football Club. Accrington was one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888." The original club were called just Accrington, but they resigned from the league after five years and folded. A team called Stanley Villa FC took over the name of the town and called themselves Accrington Stanley, but did not play in the Football League until 1921 and the expansion of the league with the formation of Third Division (North) and (South). Stanley never achieved promotion, remaining in the Third Division until 1962 when financial problems forced them to resign from the League in mid-season. Interestingly, Bob Lord, chairman of Burnley was closely involved with events leading up to this collapse of the club, though he was not at all involved in the debts revealed which led to the resignation. The club eventually finally folded in 1966.

Stanley rose again in 1968, largely due to the efforts of a few local businessmen. They moved across the town from Peel Park to the Crown Ground, situated down a leafy residential street. A rise through the football pyramid saw promotion from the Football Combination in 2006 into League Two.

The Crown Ground is now known as the Storefirst.com Stadium. It is a modest ground as befits a team who have had a struggle every year of their existence, but still proudly strive for success. It is a mixture of seating and terracing with these elements mixed in several areas of the ground. The two posher stands are the Main Stand and the Sophia Khan stand.
The Main Stand is in fact now named the Jack Barratt Memorial Stand and looks to have been built in two sections. I'm informed that one section of this stand is called the John Smith Stand, but I could find no evidence of this. The division of the two is only evident if one looks up at the roof supports, strong beams which extend along the roof line of the stand, which dive down in the middle of the stand right above the dugout areas. The Sophia Khan stand also has these strong metal supports holding up the roof beams. This stand has seats at the front and terracing at the rear.

Opposite the Jack Barratt Memorial Stand is the Whinney Hill Terrace also known as the Cowshed, which is just what it looks like!

Built of breeze blocks and corrugated iron sheets with many supporting pillars it has two or three rows of seats with the whole topped by a most extraordinary media gantry, which looks as if it could collapse at the slightest puff of wind. At the end of the ground is an small open terrace, the Coppice End, which is given up to away fans. If there are few away fans, this is not used and these fans sit in the Coppice End of the cowshed.

Actually I couldn't get into the ground, not surprising as it was only just after 7 o'clock on a Sunday morning, but I got a jolly good view of it from an earth bank just adjacent to the houses behind the Cowshed. I feel that many a small boy, saving up his pocket money, has viewed matches from this vantage point. The evidence of the struggle to stretch every pound of their income is so clear at Accrington Stanley and I left with a fond feeling towards the club.

Next on my journey was Chesterfield FC, a visit I should have made a few weeks back after the Huddersfield game, but I raced home on that day because of threatened poor weather. Actually, the storm on that day was every bit as violent as forecast. A lorry was blown over very near to the hotel at Ainley Top on the M62 and blocked the road for about 24 hours.

On their old club badge, Chesterfield used to claim it was established in 1866. There is doubt over this date. And, since the club has gone through several incarnations since that date, it is probably best to say that the present club took it's name, and at the same time cut it's ties to the local council, in 1920. What is certain is that football was played at the old ground, Saltergate, by various teams from 1871 until the Proact Stadium was built in 2010.

I entered Chesterfield on the A619 and had noted that I should cross the  main A61 by the roundabout and turn right at the next roundabout. As I crossed the A61 I failed to see the Proact Stadium behind the whacking great Tesco which completely obscures it from the road. Consequently I took the wrong right turning at the next roundabout and finished miles up the road. Luckily I saw a police car parked at the side of the road. "If in doubt, ask a policeman" . So I did and was directed to the correct spot. Having arrived at the Proact  I found it difficult to conceive that I had missed it, because it is a striking looking stadium. At first glance it looks like a bowl-type ground, but is in fact built on the classic four stand idea.

There was a great car boot sale going on and the car park, particularly at the Tesco end, was very busy. This, of course, made it difficult to take clean photos, but I tried. I also tried the doors of the main reception, but no joy. However, the club had made some of their loos available to the car booters and after a long journey, I made my way towards these. Inside the concourse going towards the loos, I noticed a chink in the armour. Some wheelie bins had been pushed to one side to block entrance to the ground proper. Ever the opportunist, I squeezed past the bins, not having to move any of them, and found an entrance to the ground, though no progress could be made onto the actual ground. No bother, I had my photos of the ground and was happy.

As I was walking around the ground after this, I noticed a couple of the club training staff chatting away outside a side door. I sidled up and asked if it would be possible to see inside the ground. One of them popped inside to check with higher authority;  it was OK and I entered the ground, nosed around, took more photos and videos and exited by the main doors. Another kind person going that extra mile and helping a stranger.

It seems to me that the four stands are pretty much identical to each other, except the ones alongside the pitch are obviously longer and they also have a curved roof line. All stands are single tiers all-seated and only the main stand has executive boxes running along the back wall. It also has a control box built on the end of the stand with it's roof line following the curve of the stand. The players tunnel is in the centre of this stand flanked by the dugouts.The seats all around the ground are in solid blue blocks, no names or nicknames picked out in strategically placed white seats. There is also an almost complete lack of signage about the stadium. None of the stands bears a prominent name board and they have just a few advertising placards

along the back of each stand with one bearing the name of that stand being placed rather anonymously in the centre. All very austere. However, the ground is modern and up to date and the team are going well on the pitch, so the mixture is obviously working.

Chesterfield are called the Spireites,  a nickname possibly too long to go on the seats, because the town boasts the famous church with the crooked spire, St Mary and All Saints. Not only have the club changed their badge to incorporate this spire, but there are two representations of the crooked spire on either side of the main entrance to the ground. A modern ground for a forward looking club.

My next port of call was just a hop and a skip down the road, Mansfield Town FC, The Stags, the third professional football league club in Nottinghamshire, at their home Field Mill, though nowadays entitled the One Call Stadium.
I tried to find the origin of the nickname. The closest I can get is the use of stags heads on the original arms of the Borough of Mansfield which were those used on the arms of the Cavendish-Bentinck family. The stag incorporated in the present District Council arms is said to represent Sherwood Forest. So I think it goes back into the mists of time when the whole area was covered in forest and herds of deer roamed throughout.

The ground itself is situated down a quiet road and, although surrounded by retail parks and bustling industry, manages to seem quite tranquil. The team were formed as Mansfield Wesleyans in 1897 before becoming Mansfield Town FC in 1910 and have played at Field Mill since 1919, though the ground itself has hosted football matches since 1861 and lays claim to be the oldest ground in the Football League. Visiting the ground today it does not look to be the oldest ground, a great deal of work has been done during the last few years. However, more still remains to be done as the ground has a decidedly lop-sided look. Half the spectators can be accommodated in the Ian Greaves Stand which lies along one side of the pitch.

It is a handsome two-tiered stand built just over ten years ago. Opposite this fine stand is a shambles of an old stand which has been condemned and is permanently boarded up. Once again, as at Accrington Stanley, the media have to be quite brave to ascend to the media gantry which is on top of the roof of this stand.The dug outs are in front of this empty stand and I suppose it does have the benefit of putting the staff and substitutes some way from any critical spectators if things are not going well. It is difficult to see quite how the Bishop Street Stand could be improved or rebuilt as at this point the ground is hard up against residential and commercial premises.

There is what appears to be a training pitch running along behind the car park by the Ian Greaves Stand. At either end of the ground there are two similar single tier stands which are of a similar age to the main stand. The stand at the Quarry Lane End also houses the club reception and offices and the changing rooms. The players tunnel is situated at the Ian Greaves Stand end of the Quarry Lane End.
 Built in to the back of the Ian Greaves Stand is the Sandy Pate Sports Bar, named after a former Mansfield player who used to hold the club appearance record.. During my visit all the offices etc were closed up tight (it was a Sunday) and this bar represented my only hope of entry to the ground. And, once again, someone turned up trumps, finding enough time in their busy morning cooking Sunday lunch for the fans, to let me in to the ground for a wander round.

As with pretty much every ground I have been to this season, there are plans to further improve the stadium, but financial constraints mean that these plans are at present in abeyance.

That concluded this round of ground visits and I drove away happily towards home. I might mention again, for the benefit of anyone who has stumbled across these rambling jottings, that if you click on the pictures you get a slide show which, I think, presents the pictures in a much clearer way.