Middlesbrough FC

Middlesbrough 0 Tottenham Hotspur 1 - Premiership

Premier League

Middlesbrough is a large town in North East England, and is the largest and most populous settlement within the borough of Middlesbrough. It is in the first town in the world to owe its existence to a railway. Historically part of the North Riding of Yorkshire, in 1968 the town became the centre of the county borough of Teesside, which was absorbed by the non-metropolitan county of Cleveland in 1974. In 1996 Cleveland was abolished, and the Middlesbrough borough became a unitary authority, within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire. Middlesbrough is different from the other districts on Teesside, as the borough is almost entirely urbanised, thus making it the largest town in terms of area and population, but the smallest district. However, what is locally regarded as Middlesbrough also includes a wider area, including South Bank and Eston, in the neighbouring borough of Redcar and Cleveland.


A breath of fresh air - if that is possible in the land of the Smog! Seriously though, Middlesbrough's former home Ayresome Park was not the most inviting of venues for visiting fans. So when the club moved to the Riverside Stadium, the change was widely welcomed. The location of the ground is also to be congratulated. Built on a 'brown field' site it is also within 10 minutes walk of the railway station, the bus station only a little further and the A66 for those driving will take you to within a few minutes walk of the stadium.


Tottenham Hotspur became the first visiting team to win a competitive match at the Riverside Stadium courtesy of a goal from Chris Armstrong. Much travelled supporter Mark Toole had been drinking for some considerable time in Hogans, the pub outside Darlington station and for this reason he was having difficulty eating his cheeseburger in the ground. Mrs Pieman was in the 29,487 crowd that evening and still has nightmares about the majority of that burger that was worn rather than eaten!






The Pieman's earlier vist to Ayresome Park in 1979

Brache Sparta FC

Brache Sparta 2 London Colney 0 -South Midlands League, Premier Division

Photo by Elaine Waumsley

Peacehaven & Telescombe FC

Peacehaven & Telescombe 4 North Leigh 0 - FA Vase 1st Round

Peacehaven has only existed as a settlement since 1916, after its founder, Charles Neville had purchased land in the parish of Piddinghoe; he then set up a company to develop the site. He advertised it by setting up a competition to name the development, although the newspaper concerned - the Daily Express - sued Neville over the competition, holding that it was a scam, since he was offering "free" plots of land in the town as runner-up prizes, but issuing them only on the payment of a conveyancing fee. The newspaper won the case, but the publicity brought the scheme to a large audience. The name chosen - New Anzac-on-Sea - lasted less than a year: the fateful Gallipoli campaign led Neville to rename his development Peacehaven. By 1924 there were 3000 people living in Peacehaven. The town, apart from the newer development to the west named Telscombe Cliffs, still retains its original shape: rectangular plots of land on both sides of the main road. Original houses were often very temporary affairs (some were old railway carriages). Peacehaven eventually grew to be larger in area than Lewes, the county town and administrative headquarters of the region.


To reach the seaside hamlet of Peacehaven by public transport, we took the train from London Victoria to Brighton. From there we took a local Brighton & Hove bus along the coast road to Peacehaven. This journey took little more than 20 minutes.


For lunch we took the slightly unorthodox step of visiting the local curry house, Tandoori Nights. Here we enjoyed a splendid meal which set us up nicely for the afternoon proceedings.


The Piddinghoe Avenue ground is only a short walk up from the main coast road through Peacehaven. A basic but tidy venue, mugs of tea and an impressive 4-0 victory for the home side over a spirited North Leigh FC.

Hassocks FC

Hassocks 1 Stamco 2 - Sussex County League, Division One



The Pieman's earlier visit to Adastra Park

Newmarket Town FC

Newmarket Town 2 Cornard United 1 - Eastern Counties League, Premier Division

Newmarket is a market town in Suffolk, approximately 65 miles north of London, which has grown and become famous because of its connection with race horses and thoroughbred horse racing at Newmarket Racecourse. It is the largest racehorse training centre in Britain, and home to several horseracing institutions. The town has two race courses situated on Newmarket Heath, these are the Rowley Mile and the July Course. The two courses are separated by the Devil's Dyke. The area of Suffolk containing Newmarket is nearly an exclave, with only a narrow strip of territory linking it to the rest of the county. Historically the town was split with one parish - St Mary - in Suffolk, and the other - All Saints - in Cambridgeshire. The Local Government Act 1888 made the entirety of Newmarket urban sanitary district part of the administrative county of West Suffolk

Rushden & Diamonds FC

Rushden & Diamonds 1 Eastwood Hanley 0 - FA Cup, 2nd Qualifying Round

St. Neots Town FC

St. Neots Town 5 Newport Pagnell Town 1 - United Counties League, Premier Division

St Neots is a town in the Huntingdonshire district of Cambridgeshire, England. The town originally developed next to a mediaeval priory in the form of market stalls. These were replaced over the years by permanent structures, which eventually defined the boundaries of today's Market Square. There is some evidence of pre-Roman and Roman activity in the area, but the main story of the town begins with the founding of St Neots Priory in mediaeval times. There is evidence for Iron Age and earlier settlement in the vicinity of St Neots, mainly in the valley of the River Great Ouse where soils are easily cultivated. The first settlements in the valley were in Neolithic times. The Black Death struck St Neots in 1348, spreading very quickly and resulting in the deaths of about 35% of the population. In 1378 only seven monks remained in the Priory, and three of these returned to France.

Market Square

This was a convenient midweek jaunt after work and we travelled via London Kings Cross to St Neots station. Rowley Park is only a few minutes walk from the station and can be seen from the platform. However, before venturing to the ground, Mr & Mrs Pieman had a stroll around this pleasant market town. This was not the first time this Pieman had been to St Neots to see a match. Back in 1985, I witnessed a friendly match between St Neots Town and Tottenham Hotspur at the former Shortsands ground. That centrally located ground is now covered in houses. We took advantage of a 40% discount offer at an Indian restaurant and very good the meal was too.



The match was very one-sided with Newport Pagnell Town suffering a 5-1 defeat. It was good to experience that non-league treat of tea in mugs on this occasion.





The Pieman's earlier vist to Shortsands (October 1985)

The Pieman's subsequent visit to 'new' Rowley Park

Stirling Albion FC

Stirling Albion 1 Motherwell 1 - Pre-Season Friendly Match

Stirling is renowned as the Gateway to the Highlands and is generally regarded as occupying a strategic position at the point where the flatter largely undulating Scottish Lowlands meet the rugged slopes of the Highlands. The starkness of this contrast is evidenced by the many hills and mountains of the lower Highlands such as Ben Vorlich and Ben Ledi which can be seen to the northwest of the city. On the other hand, to the east of the city, the Carse of Stirling is one of the flattest and most agriculturally productive expanses of land in the whole of Scotland.

Stirling Castle

Mr and Mrs Pieman were embarking on a weeks holiday in Scotland, based in Stirling. We only discovered that Stirling Albion were playing Motherwell in a pre-season friendly match as we travelled and so it was a quick dash to our lodgings to deposit luggage and then a taxi ride to the Forthbank Stadium. In truth it is probably only a 20 minute walk from town, as we discovered after the match, but we did not have time to spare.


Forthbank Stadium is set against the backdrop of Stirling Castle, the Wallace Monument and the Ochils. At the time of this vist the stadium was relatively new, Stirling Albion have moved there from their former Annfield home in 1993.


On a sunny Saturday afternoon it looked like Motherwell would win this match courtesy of Jamie Dolan's strike from outside the box. However, Albion captain Tommy Tait was having none of this and claimed a draw when he slotted home in the 88th minute.

Milton United FC

Milton United 3 Wantage Town 1 - Hellenic League, Division One

Langney Sports FC

Langney Sports 5 Oakwood 0 - Sussex County League, Division One

Harpenden Town FC

Harpenden Town 0 Milton Keynes 1 - South Midlands League, Premier Division

Wisbech Town FC

Wisbech Town 4 Tiptree United 1 - Eastern Counties League, Premier Division

Wisbech is a market town and inland port with a population of about 20,000 in the Fenland area of Cambridgeshire. The tidal River Nene runs through the centre of the town and is spanned by two bridges. A Norman castle to fortify Wisbech was built by William I, and in later Tudor times became a notorious prison. The Castle was rebuilt in the mid-17th century and again in 1816 by Joseph Medworth, who also developed the Crescent, familiar as the setting in numerous costume dramas.

Market Place 1894

The major town dwelling is Peckover House with its fine walled garden, built for the Quaker/banking family in 1722 and now owned by the National Trust. It is also worth noting that Pat North ventures this way when the local football team are at home.


Our journey by train from Cheshunt took us to Kings Lynn via Cambridge. We opted to go via this route rather than via Peterborough for a couple of reasons. It was easier than going into London and it was also cheaper.


From Kings Lynn we took advantage of the regular (hourly I think) bus services to Wisbech. The route taken passes Fenland Park but as we had time to spare we continued on to the town centre, giving us the opportunity to explore the Georgian market town. We enjoyed a good lunch in one of pubs near the Market Place.


Another notable purchase was local Fenland onions which Mrs Pieman and I duly transported back to Cheshunt. As for the match Wisbech overcame an error by their keeper to beat a spirited Tiptree side 4-1.

Kettering Town FC

Kettering Town 2 Gateshead 4 - Football Conference

Northampton Town FC

Northampton Town 2 Walsall 2 - Football League, Division Three

The Pieman's initial earlier visit to the County Ground

Blyth Spartans FC

Blyth Spartans 4 Radcliffe Borough 2 - Northern Premier League, Division One

Blyth is a town in southeast Northumberland. It lies on the coast, to the south of the River Blyth and is approximately 13 miles northeast of Newcastle upon Tyne. The port of Blyth dates from the 12th century, but the development of the modern town only began in the first quarter of the 18th century. The main industries which helped the town prosper were coal mining and shipbuilding, with the salt trade, fishing and the railways also playing an important role. These industries have largely vanished, but the port still thrives, shipping paper and pulp from Scandinavia for the newspaper industries. The town was seriously affected when its principal industries went into decline, and it has undergone much regeneration since the early 1990s.