A Wednesday morning meeting at Castle Meadow, Nottingham facilitated an overnight stay and a wonderful opportunity to explore the delightful spa town of Matlock.Matlock is the County town of Derbyshire (I didn't know that) The Romans are thought to have mined lead here but the town was relatively unimportant until the early 19th century, when it developed rapidly as a spa. The Midland Railway brought further prosperity in the latter half of the century before the spa declined. There is also Matt Lockwood but he plays for Leyton Orient.
I was joined on this excursion by colleague and long time Spurs sufferer John Warcup. John did not need much persuading, his diary page for Tuesday was blank and he actually muttered something along the lines of 'Billy no mates'. I am not sure that this is altogether true, as I certainly recall that rather dubious chef Kevin Hulse, who lived and worked in a hotel at Great Malvern. Kevin had amassed the complete collection of ITV's London's Burning on video and this collection took up the majority of his broom cupboard sized bedroom - yeah ok John perhaps you are wise not to acknowledge this !
As I had to change trains at Derby, there was time to meet John for a swift pint at the Brunswick opposite the railway station. The late Fred Dowry often said that the Brunswick was the best pub in the country. True or not (I still have a few to visit !!), it is certainly up there with the best of them. An ever changing selection of guest ales coupled with their own home brew upholds the long standing reputation of this fine establishment. I opted for Silver Knight but failed to register which micro brewery was responsible for this delightful ale (It was only when in the fabulous 'Ship & Mitre' after the Everton v Spurs match on Saturday 15 April that I realised this beer was 'Shining Knight' from Slater's of Eccleshall - for research purposes I sampled another and can confirm the quality - Ed).
I have long yearned for the opportunity to visit Matlock. Previously I have been restricted to the view (fine that it is) from Ian Scott's car, as we made our way to and from Manchester via the A6.
On arrival at Matlock we made our way to The Boat House Inn, a Hardys & Hansons establishment across the road from the continuously meandering River Derwent. Four real ales were on offer and I sampled both 'Olde Trip and 'Kimberley bitter'. This pub is good for both beer and food. Although not eating there, we did witness a group of contractors enjoying theirs (Ian - Haggis is on the menu with sponge pudding and custard one of many traditional desert options !) The prices seemed very reasonable for what is a tourist location.The Causeway Lane ground is very centrally located and only a few minutes walk from the railway station. However, for a midweek match (19.45 KO) the 21.39 departure will be tight, with the only other return option (Nottingham via Derby) being the 23.00. Not a problem for me as I was staying over and had intelligent company as far as Derby.
The ground can be best described as old fashioned and those who have been there (Nigel Maitland saw a whole match there unlike his 45 minute appearance at neighbouring Belper Town) will know what I mean. There is covered accommodation on three sides, with a hotchpotch assortment of stands. Behind the remaining goal is a cricket pitch but the ground is fully enclosed with a large wooden fence separating the summer and winter arenas. This has to be one of the more scenic venues on the non league scene. Matlock is surrounded by peak district hills and the cricket end of the ground is looked down upon by the ruins of Riber Castle. There are two refreshment kiosks selling the usual 'northern fare' - John and I opted for the Pie & Peas and this was an excellent choice on a progressively cold evening (Alex, one day I will make the comparison to those served at Ramsbottom !)What about the match Pieman ? Well, visitors Marine (4th in the Unibond League) raced into a 2 goal lead with some slick attacking play. A stunned home side did extremely well to level the scores but then undid all their hard work by conceding again before the break. The scout hut clubhouse was warm and welcoming at half time. After the break the merseysiders grabbed a 4th goal and their 5th arrived ten minutes later. To their credit, Matlock battled away and were unfortunate not to have added to their tally. Marine looked good throughout though and still have their eye on the Unibond League championship.
Just one other football experience to report. I was able to impress John and the Marine supporters by returning the ball to the pitch with an Ian Hutchinson style throw - superb technique ! However, on reflection, I should add that I am a bit surprised as it was rare for me to get such an opportunity when playing Sunday football some years back. Mick Gould will confirm that any non contact situations such as throws, free kicks, penalties and even tossing the coin were the domain of Duck/Chef from Woolworths, who even on a wet muddy day always went home with clean kit - not even Hoddle managed that !
After the seven goal feast, John and I adjourned to the 'Crown' (Wetherspoons), followed by the Railway Hotel (Hardy & Hansons) for some further liquid refreshment. Trams were still running when I got back to Nottingham at midnight - worth knowing about for potential midweek excursions to Hucknall Town. Ten minutes later I was at the Park Plaza ready to retire.
Attendance: 231
Admission: £6.00
Programme: £1.20 (obtained for you Andy, Stan and Glyn, the barman in Phil Butler's local, the Prince Albert in Ely)
Pie and Peas: £1.50
Fare: £6.30 (Cheap Day Return from Nottingham)
Matlock Town FCTim Rigby's subsequent visit - April 2007
The Smid's subsequent visit - September 2007
