Bolton Wanderers FC

Bolton Wanderers 1 Tottenham Hotspur 1 - FA Premier League

Premiership

Historically part of Lancashire, Bolton rose to prominence during the 19th century as a mill town centred on textile manufacture and cotton spinning. At its zenith it was one of the largest and most productive centres of cotton manufacture in the world. The town's position on the west of the Pennines provides a damp climate. It is this feature which probably led to Flemish weavers, fleeing the Huguenot persecutions in the 17th century, to eventually settle here, as moisture-laden air allows for the spinning of cotton with little breakage. The cotton industry was to provide the catalyst for the town's expansion between the 14th and 19th centuries. Large, steam-powered textile mills eventually dominated the town's skyline, providing the major employment and defining the rhythm of the working week, so much so that an annual shut-down for maintenance in late June became the Bolton Holidays. There were also some large iron foundries in the town as well as other engineering works, many connected with the cotton industry.


The Reebok Stadium is a modern, all-seater stadium with a capacity of 28,723. completed in 1997, it replaced the club's old ground, Burnden Park. Despite the improved facilities and larger capacity (and resultant larger ticket revenues), this move was unpopular with many of the club's fans. This was partly due to the new stadium being built out-of-town, and partly due to sentimental attachment to the old stadium and its history. In recognition of this, the street on which the stadium is situated is called Burnden Way. The Stadium is located in neighbouring Horwich. There is a local railway station on the Manchester - Preston line but as many will testify, services from this station after matches are not always geared up to the demand. There is of course plenty of car parking space available and the numerous retail outlets in the vicinity assist with this (in their interests of course).


The Reebok Stadium is impressive. The design is interesting, with the lower tier of the each stand being rectangular, and all the upper tiers semi circular. As with all new stadia, there is a certain uniform appearance. However visiting supporters will not miss Burnden Park as in the latter years the view from the limited visitors section was the worst in the Premiership.



The first competitive match at the stadium was a 0-0 draw between Bolton and Everton on Monday September 1, 1997. Nineteen days later, Bolton drew 0-0 with Manchester United. Therefore it was on the Pieman's visit that the scoreless duck was broken. The first player to score a competitive goal at the stadium was Alan Thompson, from the penalty spot. The honour of scoring the first goal from open play went to Spurs man Chris Armstrong (right), who later in his career had a short spell with Bolton Wanderers. Talking of Ducks, we also spent a good hour looking for Steve Duke after the match (he has now moved to Blackpool to improve his geography of the area - Ed)

The Pieman's vist to Burnden Park in 1977



Tim Rigby's subsequent visit

Marine FC

Marine 1 Spennymoor United 0 - Northern Premier League, Premier Division

Cowdenbeath FC

Cowdenbeath 2 Inverness Caledonian Thistle 1 - Scottish League Division Three
Cowdenbeath is a burgh in Fife, Scotland. The outlying area of the eponymous town was awarded burgh status in 1890. The origin of the name is uncertain. One theory is that Cowdenbeath is an anglicised version of Coilltean Beithe, meaning Birch Woods. A local myth is that Cowden is the name of a warlord based there in ancient times. The town made its name as a famous coal-mining centre. At the height of its size, the town was home to 25,000 people, mostly connected with this industry, but as the mines closed in the 1960s, the population declined in common with the trend of Scottish towns. Cowdenbeath lies in south-western Fife, near the larger town of Dunfermline. As the mining legacy of the town suggests, Cowdenbeath lies near the southern ridge of hills running through Fife.

High Street c.1907

A long weekend in Edinburgh for Mr & Mrs Pieman facilitated this visit to one of those wonderfully sounding clubs from the teleprinter and pools coupon – Cowdenbeath. We arrived in the town by train from Edinburgh. The journey involved crossing the Forth Rail Bridge. Before the match we came across Gronbach’s butchers where we purchased the renowned local haggis.



Central Park is less than 5 minutes walk from the railway station. The stadium has a capacity of 4,370. The most unusual feature of the ground is a tarmac racetrack circling the pitch. This is because the stadium is occasionally used for motor sport events. The track means fans on the east and west terraces are quite far away from the pitch. Three sides of the ground are uncovered standing terraces. The seating area is on the north side of the stadium, which seats 1,431 spectators. Another unusual feature is that there are actually two stands here, side by side. Originally there was one main grandstand here which sat 3,500, however half of it was destroyed by a fire in 1992. The surviving section of this stand is called the West Stand, or the Old Stand. Both stands have a row of floodlight pylons in front of them, which can obstruct views.




Visitors Inverness Caledonian Thistle had already clinched the championship and were applauded onto the field by their hosts. However they were stunned when Cowdenbeath stormed into a 2 goal lead within the opening 20 minutes. First through a Craig Sinclair header on 13 minutes, followed 4 minutes later by Martin Scott’s strike. Paul Cherry reduced the arrears with 20 minutes remaining but the 302 spectators were not to see any further goals as Cowdenbeath held out for an unlikely victory.


On a subsequent visit to Central Park, Kareoke Bob Gilligan purchased a Gronbach’s haggis. However, he failed to return to London with the said item which to this day, may still be in his hotel!

Hastings Town FC

Hastings Town 1 Chelmsford City 0 - Southern League, Premier Division

Alloa Athletic FC

Alloa Athletic 0 Arbroath 2 - Scottish League Division Three

Alloa is a small burgh in Clackmannanshire, Scotland, 6 miles to the east of Stirling, on the north bank of the River Forth. Its most notable visible landmark is the 14th century Alloa Tower, the surviving part of the ancestral medieval residence of the Erskine family, the Earls of Mar. Though much altered both externally and internally, the Tower retains its original medieval wooden roof and battlements, as well as some internal features. It is one of the largest (and earliest) of Scottish tower houses. During the 18th century, Alloa thrived as a river port through which the products of Glasgow manufacture was exported to continental Europe. At that time, and until the 1950s, the main industry to the north and east of the town was coalmining, and an extensive waggonway existed to take the coal to the harbour. The Earls of Mar owned many of the coal mines, and Robert Bald, an unusually inventive local mining engineer, was instrumental in providing water power from the Gartmorn Dam to operate both the mines and other industries such as weaving. Many traces of the waggonway, and the Gartmorn Dam, can still be seen today, and although the dam is no longer used for energy production, or water supply, it is well used for fishing and leisure purposes.

Town Hall

A weekend excursion to Glasgow enabled Mr & Mrs Pieman to once again experience the delights of Glasgow. We were able to reach Alloa courtesy of a train from Queen Street to Stirling and then by bus from there. Recreation Park is walkable from the centre of town and can be reached in around five minutes.

The 388 in attendance witnessed a 2-0 victory for visitors Arbroath. This was a surprise result as Alloa Athletic were comfortably positioned in mid table whereas Arbroath were second bottom. Don McVicar scored the first from the penalty spot after 52 minutes. Jamie McCarron sealed victory with a second with 20 minutes remaining. Referee Mr L Mottram was officiating in his last match before jetting off to start a new career in Japan. It was fitting that Alloa was the venue on this occasion as Recreation Park was where he first officiated in the Scottish Football League.

East Stirlingshire FC

East Stirlingshire 1 Albion Rovers 4 - Scottish League Division Three

In 1880, cricket club Bainsford Bluebonnets founded a football clubcalled Bainsford Britannia. In November the following year the football club changed its name, and East Stirlingshire Football Club was born.Based in Falkirk, The club's name is often abbreviated by outsiders to East Stirling, leading to the erroneous impression that they are based in or near the city of Stirling, 14 miles away; fans and other locals refer to the club by their nickname, The Shire. East Stirlingshire disappeared for a season in 1964-65. Against the fans' wishes, the club merged with Clydebank Juniors to create ES Clydebank. The new club played at Kilbowie Park that season before East Stirlingshire regained its identity and independence after a court case brought by the club's shareholders. Both clubs reverted to their original names the following season and East Stirlingshire returned to Falkirk. Clydebank returned to junior football before later securing a place in Division Two in 1966-67.


Already in Glasgow for a long weekend, with the intention of taking in the Saturday match between Alloa Athletic and Arbroath, it was with some surprise that I discovered this Friday evening encounter between East Stirlingshire and Albion Rovers. Not entirely plain sailing though, as I had to convince Mrs Pieman that this would be an effective use of our evening. Anyway, with the compromise of a trip to a Falkirk curry house(very good that was too) I managed it. Firs Park is only about 10 - 15 minutes walk from Falkirk Grahamston station and therefore, easily accessible from both Glasgow and Edinburghfor evening fixture.


The ground is very basic with just the one seated stand (a fine looking structure) and the covered standing area opposite. However there was a tidy/clean feel about the place and I enjoyed the evening, enhanced by the humorous PA announcer. Albion Rovers ran out comfortable winners on the night. I thought the standard of football tobe better than I had experience previously at this level, perhaps the floodlights and slightly larger than usual attendance helped (a few groundhoppers attracted by the Friday opportunity).

Bury Town FC

Bury Town 2 Warboys Town 2 - Eastern Counties League

Newhaven FC

Newhaven 3 Redhill 1 - Sussex County League, Division Two

Margate FC

Margate 2 Waterlooville 2 - Southern League, Southern Division

Margate was recorded as "Meregate" in 1264 and as "Margate" in 1299, but the spelling continued to vary into modern times. The name is thought to refer to a pool gate or gap in a cliff where pools of water are found, often allowing swimmers to jump in. The cliffs of the Isle of Thanet are composed of chalk, a fossil-bearing rock.
The town's history is tied closely to the sea and it has a proud maritime tradition. Margate was a "limb" of Dover in the ancient confederation of the Cinque ports. It was added to the confederation in the 15th century. Margate has been a leading seaside resort for at least 250 years. Like its neighbour Ramsgate, it has been a traditional holiday destination for Londoners drawn to its sandy beaches. Margate had a fine Victorian era pier which was destroyed by a violent storm in 1978.