Yeovil Town FC

Yeovil Town 1 Macclesfield Town 2 - Football League Two

Yeovil was founded in the 8th century after the Saxons conquered this part of Somerset. The name Yeovil is believed to be a corruption of the Celtic word Gifl, meaning forked river. In time the Saxon village grew into a little town. By the time of the Domesday Book (1086) it was a flourishing community though it would seem tiny to us with a population of not more than 1,000. Givle, as it was then known, had a weekly market. In those days there were very few shops so if you wished to buy or sell anything you had to go to a market. From the early 15th century there were also 2 annual fairs in Yeovil. In the Middle Ages fairs were like markets but were held only once a year for a few days. The Yeovil fairs would attract buyers and sellers from all over Somerset and Dorset. In the following centuries the glove making industry grew to be Yeovil's most important industry.



15 years on from since my previous visit to Yeovil (FA Cup tie v Merthyr Tydfil with Dennis/Jack Jones). I did not recall a great deal about the town and for this purpose a bit of ‘surfing’ as preparation took place. In search of decent pubs, A Cambridge CAMRA lorry driver on his local site claimed that the Butchers Arms was the best of a pretty bad lot and to be fair he was spot on. A very average town centre, including an extremely poor Weatherspoon (not enough bar staff), was more of a desert than the oasis that should be expected, for my real cider seeking chum (this is Somerset !)


To reach Yeovil by train there is a fairly good service from London Waterloo but Junction station is a bus ride from town. The town is also a bus ride from the Huish Park Stadium which is located within an industrial estate. This venue is OK but why after at least 10 years had they still not covered the away terracing ? For this reason alone I was happy to allow Macclesfield Town their rather fortunate 2-1 victory (86th minute winner).


I was particularly grateful thanks to Peter and Matt Vinall for releasing Kareoke Bob Gilligan for this fixture. He was getting fed up with evicting Chinese nationals from his Highbury seat. Some decent beer and superb Fish & Chips (sorry about taking the last Haddock Matt) in Salisbury on the return leg rounded off the day.



Programme courtesy of Alan Curran

The Pieman's earlier visit to Huish

Cammell Laird FC

Cammell Laird 2 Dunston Federation Brewery 0 - FA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round Replay

Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside. It is located on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the City of Liverpool.
Historically part of Cheshire, Birkenhead is perhaps best known as a sea port and as a centre for ship building.

Cammell Laird Football Club can trace its origins back to 1889 when a team from the Upper Boilers Shop of Laird Brothers (forerunners of the world famous shipyard whose name is still carried) played in Birkenhead Park under the name of Grange Football Club. However, the club soon changed to the rugby code and it was not until June 1907 that the Cammell Laird Institute Association Football Club was established. Its headquarters were the Cammell Laird Institute in Conway Street, Birkenhead and played on the old Prenton Park ground of Tranmere Rovers in the club colours of white shirts and blue knickers. Lairds first match was a 1-0 defeat by their hosts Tranmere Rovers in a pre-season friendly on 2nd September 1907.


By coincidence I happened to be in Liverpool and was able to visit Cammell Laird FC (Peter Davenport (left) joining Nottingham Forest was their previous claim to fame) for their FA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round Replay with Dunston Federation Brewery. Situated in the Rock Ferry district of Birkenhead behind a bus depot, I soon realised that I had been very close to the Kirklands ground on a previous Tranmere excursion with Spurs. This venue is across the road from a rather dubious B&B that I and others (who else will admit to being in the dormitory that night? - Ed) stayed in. It was run be the ‘Uncle Stanley’ of that larger than life scally ‘Bromborough Cabs’ alias Phil Jones. Enough of this.

The Camel Laird ground was basic, as might be expected from the newly promoted works outfit, but certainly adequate for North West Counties League football. An old fashioned social club of the ‘British Legion’ variety is across the road from the ground but is part of the Cammell Laird complex.

Both teams had enjoyed good starts to the season. Laird, a young team with plenty of pace and were good value for their 2-0 win in front of a crowd of 215. Dunston, reduced to 10 men midway through the first period improved as the game progressed and certainly contributed to a fine match.

Rock Ferry station (Merseyrail) is only 8-10 minutes walk from the ground and one could be back at Lime Street within 25 minutes of the final whistle.

Steve Martin was delighted to have been successful in the e-bay bidding for my (unique?) Cammell Laird match ticket and an informal presentation was made to him at Fratton Park a week or so later.

Hull City FC

Hull City 2 Tottenham Hotspur 2 - Friendly Match

Kingston upon Hull is near the east coast of the United Kingdom, on the northern bank of the Humber estuary. The city centre is close to the Humber, making the city roughly semi-circular in shape. The city is surrounded by the rural East Riding of Yorkshire, making it quite isolated from many of the large cities of the United Kingdom. Some readers of this blurb will be interested to learn that vocalist and actor Roland Gift (who formed the Fine Young Cannibals) grew up in Hull, others will not.

My fourth visit to Hull for a match but my first to their new KC stadium. The two previous occasions being for friendlies with Spurs at the old Boothferry Park venue. On both previous occasions I stayed at the the same Guest House on Spring Bank West and on the occasion of Hull City's centenary match my hat-trick was completed. However, a Hull based colleague has since informed me that when he joined our organisation in his formative years, he was staying at the same Guest House. He was awoken in the night be police activity and discovered that someone had been murdered in the next room (Scope for going upmarket should the Pieman be back in town - Ed)

The new stadium is no more than 10-15 minutes walk from the centre of town and proves that when building new stadia it is not necessary to plonk them in the middle of nowhere (Are you listening Bolton Wanderers? - Ed). There is plenty of scope to add to the capacity of the KC Stadium should City continue their progress.

Real Ale was available in abundance in the pubs along nearby Spring Bank and despite Ian Scott being poisoned by "a warm bottle of bud" we had a good time in most venues - some of which had more than their fair share of 'characters'.

Another first was the northwards crossing of the newish Humber Bridge (were you awake at this point Andy? - Ed). The match? - a late equaliser for Hull City meant that had something to enhance their centenery celebrations. The new stadium, shared with Rugby League, is a fine venue and would not be out of place in the top division.

The Pieman's initial visit to Boothferry Park

Arlesey Town FC

Arlesey Town 2 Uxbridge 0 - Isthmian League Division One North

Isthmian League

Arlesey is a small industrial town in the district of Mid Bedfordshire in Bedfordshire. It is located about four miles north of Hitchin and four miles south of Biggleswade. Arlesey railway station provides direct train services to London and Peterborough. The Domesday book mentions Arlesey as a market town. St Peters Church, situated in the Church End part of the town, was built in the 11th century by the monks of Waltham Abbey. Major employers in Arlesey used to be the Fairfield Hospital (now re-developed as housing) and the former brickworks (producers of the Arlesey Whites bricks seen in many local buildings). Some of the clay pits use by the brickworks are now lakes including the Blue Lagoon, which hosts fishing and sailing clubs.


I first visited Arlesey back in 1994 for their FA Vase Quarter Final v Boston FC. In those days they were based at Lamb Meadow but in recent years they have relocated to a new stadium at Hitchin Road. Lamb Meadow was also located on Hitchin Road but was nearer to the town.


The new venue is further from the railway station and based on previous experience it might take up to 45 minutes to walk. There appeared though to be plenty of buses passing the ground and, certainly on a Saturday, a bus from nearby Hitchin (more trains too) would seem a good bet.


The new stadium is very good, with a decent sized stand, covered terracing opposite and decent banked terracing behind one goal. The clubhouse looked good with a thriving social scene, with no pubs in sight of the ground, I guess they have a regular trade from the area.


Admission to the game was £6 and children under 11 are admitted free. A result for me as I had 2 with me. Sadly the offer was not extended to Spouses but you can't have everything.


Despite a bright start, Uxbridge fell behind to two first half goals from Arlesey and further misfortune came in the second period when they lost their keeper (broken leg I think). A slight delay ensued before their assistant manager went between the sticks.



The Pieman's earlier visit to Lamb Meadow (February 1994)

Grantham Town FC

Grantham Town 0 Stafford Rangers 2 - Southern League Premier Division

Grantham is a market town within the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. Located along the course of the River Witham, to the south-southwest of the city of Lincoln. The town is best known as the birthplace and childhood home of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The town is situated within short walking distance of an ancient Roman road, and was the scene of Oliver Cromwell's first advantage over Royalists during the English Civil War.

A Good Friday evening match at Goodison Park set the scene for a visit elsewhere the following day. On Merseyside we stayed in the Waterloo district and Ian Scott kindly made the accommodation arrangements. Ian as many of you know was a planner and spotting that this was Easter weekend booked us in to a guest house run by Augustinian sisters ! The nuns were friendly and obliging (a bit like the Spurs defence at Everton - Ed) and contrary to Paul O'Sullivan's advice, the breakfast was sufficient.

Enough of this - what about Grantham ?

Main Stand

We chose this venue as it was close to the A1 and it would be an easy get away. This was proved as I was home at Cheshunt before 7pm. Grantham play at the South Kesteven Sports Stadium (probably 35 minutes walk from the station). It is a relatively new ground (1991) and houses a running track too. It is a very open venue and on our visit was fairly chilly. Lincolnshire being flat and open, this area being no exception. Apart from the main stand, the other covered area is terracing situated on the opposite side of the ground.

Stafford Rangers FC were enjoying a good season and in the end comfortably beat their hosts 2-0.

From above

The clubhouse, at the rear of the main stand, is good with hot food available and a bonus was the real ale option (local Grantham brew Oldershaw's OSB).


Programme: £1.80 (48 pages)

The subsequent visit by Smid - 8 September 2007

Kilmarnock FC

Kilmarnock 4 Dundee 2 - Scottish Premier League

Kilmarnock is a large burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland. It is roughly between Glasgow and Ayr. The River Irvine runs through its eastern section and the Kilmarnock Water passes through it, giving rise to the name 'Bank Street'. The name comes from the Gaelic cill (kirk) and the name of Saint Marnoch or Mernoc who is also remembered in the name of Portmarnock in Ireland, and Inchmarnock. It is believed by some that the saint founded a church there in 322. The first collection of work by Scottish poet Robert Burns, Poems, chiefly in the Scottish dialect was published here in 1786. It was published at the current site of the Burn's Mall, dedicated to his work. This edition is known as the Kilmarnock Edition.


A cheap flight from Stansted to Prestwick opened the door to 'ticking off' another Scottish ground. However, Kilmarnock was not our chosen destination. A sudden drop in temperature, followed by frost, had deemed the Somerset Park pitch unplayable. Accordingly, Ayr United would have to be 'put on hold' as we sought a new venue. Realistically there was only the one option considering that we were booked on an early evening return flight. Kilmarnock had always been my contingency plan and the knowledge that Rugby Park was blessed with under soil heating provided some assurance.


True enough, Kilmarnock’s home fixture with Dundee was never in doubt. We were able to get to Kilmarnock by train and did so at a discount, courtesy of Ryanair’s arrangement with Scotrail/SPTE.


We spent a few hours sampling the hospitality in some of the local pubs before making our way over to Rugby Park, where we treated to a six goal thriller. After the match we had to catch a taxi back to Prestwick as the trains between Kilmarnock and Ayr are few and far between. However, this was not expensive between the four of us and the journey took little more than 20 minutes. Special mention must go to the 'Killie Steak Pies' on sale in the ground. These are just superb and are probably the best pies I have tasted at a football ground (Andy Scott agrees - Ed) - 'Say Aye to a Killie Pie'

Kilmarnock: Meldrum, Lilley, McLaughlin, Dindeleux, Hay, Skora, Locke, Fowler, Murray, Boyd, Invincibile.
Subs: Dubourdeau, McSwegan, Dargo, McDonald, Nish.

Dundee: Speroni, Smith, Mair, Hutchinson, Mackay, McDonald, Fotheringham, Brady, Novo, Lovell, Milne.
Subs: McCafferty, Hernandez Santos, Jablonski, Robb, Kneissl.

Referee: H Dallas

Ashton United FC

Ashton United 0 Barrow 0 AET (Barrow won 4-2 on penalties) - Northern Premier League, President's Cup Quarter Final

Northern Premier League

Ashton-under-Lyne is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside, in Greater Manchester, lying under the Pennine hills, roughly seven miles (east of Manchester City Centre. Although existing for centuries, Ashton grew rapidly in size during the 19th century due to cotton spinning and weaving, and coal mining. Today, Ashton is a predominantly residential town

My trip to Manchester for an FA Cup tie at the City of Manchester Stadium with an early Sunday kick-off facilitated a Saturday night stay at Stockport. Accordingly, the world of non-league football was again opened up to me with various options in the Manchester area. My travelling companions attended Stalybridge Celtic v Bradford Park Avenue. I am reliably informed that the pie, peas and gravy at that match was very good. I opted for Ashton United v Barrow (Att: 220) in the Unibond President's Cup Quarter Final. 120 minutes of good football thwarted by excellent goalkeeping brought about a penalty shoot out won by Barrow 4-2. Collectors of football memorabilia will be disappointed to learn that Steve Martin soon swooped for my match ticket !


The Surrey Street ground in Hurst Cross ground is a 25 minute walk from Stalybridge station where I parted from the others. Ashton-Under-Lyme station is similarly close but the former has a better service with trains to both Manchester stations whereas the latter is only served by Victoria.

Buffet Bar at Stalybridge

Real Ale enthusiasts should take the opportunity to visit the Station Buffet at Stalybridge. Apart from a superb selection of ales, there is some interesting railway memorabilia. The buffet is also decorated as to recapture the past and the open fire looked inviting on this visit. For regular references to this fine establishment check out Smiffy's site


The ground is pleasant with covered accommodation on both sides (includes seated main stand) with uncovered terracing forming the remainder. Ashton were founded in 1878 and are clearly a club with a lot of tradition.