Cinderford Town - The Causeway

Cinderford Town FC
The Causeway
Edge Hills Road
Cinderford
Gloucestershire
GL14 2QH

07896 887162
Official Website
Twitter

Ground Number: 678 
Tuesday 21st March 2017
Cinderford Town 4-2 Frome Town
Southern Premier




CINDERFORD TOWN - A BRIEF HISTORY

Cinderford Town were formed in 1922 and played in the Gloucestershire Northern Senior League where they were runners-up twice and champions once. They joined the Bristol Charity League in 1939 due to the outbreak of World War 2. Upon resumption of football, the club joined the Western League, initially at Division 2 level. They were champions in 1957 and finished 10th & 11th in the following two seasons before dropping back down to the Gloucestershire Northern Senior League. For the next 30 or so years, they switched between the Gloucestershire and Midland Leagues on a regular basis, before finding a new home in the Hellenic D1 West for the 1990/91 season where they were league winners at the first time of asking, winning promotion to the Hellenic Premier. They adapted well to the higher level, never finishing below 6th prior to winning the Hellenic League Championship in 1995. This entitled them to promotion to the Southern League and up until this season, they spent their time in various regional Division 1 leagues. 2015/16 saw Cinderford Town crowned Southern League D1 South & West champions. They initially turned down promotion due to increased costs, and the whole thing became a bit of a mess with the FA forcing them to go up, and the knock-on effects were felt across the pyramid with Stamford being relegated after initially being told that they had been reprieved. Given the fact that they are operating on a much-reduced budget, it's perhaps no surprise that they are 9 points adrift at the bottom of the league. Although all is not lost, it will take a very good run for them to survive.

The FA Cup 2nd Round was reached in 1995/96. Starting in the first qualifying round they recorded several notable victories along the way, beating Tuffley Rovers, Gloucester City, Forest Green Rovers, Bath City and Bromsgrove Rovers before facing Gravesend & Northfleet. They took the Kent-based side to a replay before losing 3-0, missing out on a 3rd Round tie against Aston Villa in the process. 2003/04 saw Cinderford Town get to the FA Trophy 2nd Round, whilst their best run in the FA Vase came in 1991/92 when it took three games for Chertsey Town to prevail in a 3rd Round tie. The club have had a few notable wins in local cup competitions, none more so than 2001 when they defeated Bristol City to lift the Gloucestershire Senior Cup.

MY VISIT

I'd been wanting to visit Cinderford Town for a while, especially when they became the sole team I needed to complete the Southern Premier. However, whenever they came up as a choice, they promptly had their match called off due to issues with the pitch. To the club's credit, they were always quick off the mark in letting the public know if there were any issues. Right throughout January and February, games were called off due to rain, with me not really surprised given that the pitch was not the greatest. Finally, in mid-March, the opportunity presented itself for a visit. I was off for the week, and so didn't want to do anything too near. Fellow hopper Anwar had a budget of £15 towards petrol costs and so I drew up a list of possible games.



On the day of the game, I'd drawn up a list of 10 possibilities. Cinderford Town were my first choice, given that I'd typed up a lot of my blog for my abandoned visits.I was glad when the club tweeted that there were no issues with the pitch, although just in case I had a backup at Tuffley Rovers planned. I spent the morning walking down town to get some things for my upcoming couple of days away. After coming back I started planning my Wednesday & Thursday away, which, fingers crossed, will include visits to Darlington 1883 & Whitby Town in the evenings. That said, with the weather looking wet once again, I made sure I had plenty of backups with 11 alternatives planned for the Wednesday night should the match fall victim to the weather. However, with my room booked in Darlington, half a mile from the ground, it was something I really wanted to avoid. There was doubt over my afternoon game too - I was originally planning on the 1.30 game at Rothwell Juniors between FC Halifax Town and FC United of Manchester. But with there appearing to be no cover, I was considering either switching to a revisit at Basford (11 am), Farsley (2 pm) or indeed just going straight up.



After leaving at 3.30 and meeting Anwar at 4, we made our way across slow roads on the way to the game. It was especially bunged up in Witney and Gloucester, with us opting to stop at Morrisons Cafe in the latter for dinner. With a late burst of rain, we were concerned at there being a late postponement at Cinderford, so were trying to minimise the chances of a wasted journey. Here I had Sausage, egg, chips and beans for the bargain price of £3. Before I left, I also filled up with diesel as it was nice and cheap. There was no further news on Twitter, and the rain had not been as heavy or as lengthy as the BBC Weather site had predicted. So we made our way to the ground, getting there at 7.20. I was surprised when we got there are were asked if we had brought the Frome kit with us. That has to be a first for me in all my years of hopping and I was fearing the most random reason for a postponement ever, but thankfully it all passed off OK. After paying £10 to get in, plus £2 for a thin programme, we had a walk around the ground getting pictures.



For the game, we took a place along the side in the stand. Cinderford looked nothing like a side that were rock bottom of the league. Frome, who were donning Cinderford's old yellow away strip, thanks to them forgetting their own were distinctly second best. The home side had already had a decent effort ruled out before they took the lead on 20 minutes. The ball was not cleared properly and Nick Harrhy was there to poke home the rebound. The same man made it 2-0 just before the half hour when he converted a penalty that had been awarded following a foul in the area. Callum Mconie gave them a 3-0 lead five minutes later, again it was some slack defending that allowed him to finish with a low shot from around 10 yards. Sam Teale did pull one back with a shot from the edge of the area shortly before hhalf-time but overall the hosts were good value for their lead. That said, the goal did give Frome impetus and they were by far the better side for large periods after the break. They made it game on just before the hour mark when Jack Jackson converted a penalty that had been awarded for a foul on the left hand side of the area. The way the game was going, it looked as if it was only a matter of time before they would equalise, dent Cinderford's confidence and go on to win the game. The hosts were restricted to chances on the break, but it was during one of these chances that they gave themselves some breathing space. A nice move was rounded off by Mconie who grabbed his second, firing across the visiting keeper Kyle Phillips from 15 yards. A vital win was made all the more possible when Frome's Conner Roberts was sent off for a second bookable offence, after tripping a Cinderford forward who was getting away from the defence.



With the visitors down to ten, their chances of getting back into the game were greatly diminished. Despite lots of chances and even a disallowed goal for Frome, there were no further goals and the hosts got a win that was celebrated wildly at full time. This gave them an outside chance of survival, only a glimmer of hope, but if they show the spirit that they did tonight, then anything is possible if luck goes for them. It was quite a late finish, 9.50 before we got away and so after dropping off Anwar at 11.30, I got home myself 20 minutes later. After staying up watching TV and writing some of my blog, I got to sleep around 1.30am.



THE GROUND

THE CAUSEWAY is a fairly old and ramshackle ground, and all the better for it. The needed improvements for step 3 are currently being put in place, although the ground was more than adequate already for the crowds they get, upon my visit. All the covered accommodation is along one side, with the main seated area. This has a capacity of 250 and is flanked either side by standing areas. The one nearest the turnstiles is a strange one - you actually stand around a foot below pitch level, which gives a strange but perfectly acceptable view of the action. Up the other end is a work in progress, a smaller area currently being extended and out of bounds on my visit. The other three sides were open hard standing, with a couple of steps of terracing on the far side.

Facilities at the ground are reasonable. The clubhouse has a bit of a retro feel to it and offers a reasonable range of drinks, though cider drinkers are restricted to Strongbow, Stowford Press or a few bottles, with nothing local on offer. The food looked decent, although I didn't indulge. The club shop was the best part, with a decent range of souvenirs, lots of pennants from random clubs and a large selection of old programmes. Talking of programmes, the one on the night was not the greatest. Very thin for the asking price of £2, not too much to read and no list of previous results. In its defence, it was well presented with good print quality and design.

Thornaby - Teesdale Park

Thornaby FC

Teesdale Park

Acklam Road

Thornaby

Stockton On Tees

TS17 6JU

Official Website
Twitter

Ground Number: 677
Friday 17th March 2017
Thornaby 1-2 Stockton Town
Northern League D2








THORNABY FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

Thornaby FC was formed in 1980 and have also been known as STOCKTON and THORNABY ON TEES at various points during their history. They originate from Stockton Cricket Club and started out in the Wearside League. Their best finish here came in 1982/83 when they finished 6th. Despite a bottom-placed finish in 1984/85, they made the step up to the Northern League, starting in Division 2. They've spent considerable time in both divisions of the Northern League, with their best-ever finish of 5th in Division 1 coming in 1990. Since 2006 they have been in Division 2, despite finishing 17th the season before, they were relegated due to ground grading issues. After a long run of bottom-half finishes, they've improved in the last couple of seasons, finishing 7th on both occasions. This season has been a disappointment, however, with them sitting 18th at the time of the game, while local rivals and tonight's opponents Stockton Town are in 3rd.

In the FA Cup, the club's best-ever run came in 1992/93 when they lost out to Blyth Spartans in a 4th Qualifying Round replay. In the FA Vase Thornaby reached the 3rd Round in 1992/93 before going out to Burscough. In 1989 they reached the FA Trophy 3rd Round before losing to Hyde United. The club reached the final of the Ernest Young Memorial Trophy in 2010, only to lose 3-1 in extra time to Whitehaven.



MY VISIT

When I was thinking of taking a weekend in the northeast, this was the game that made me make the commitment. The Northern League seldom do Friday night games, though one a few weeks ago in Crook Town v Tow Law Town was one that I really fancied, but it was too far with Wycombe at home on Saturday. For a long while, it looked as if I might be out of luck. However, a few weeks ago a game in Thornaby v Stockton Town was announced. This was ideal, being one of the closest to my Saturday game at Hartlepool. There was also the bonus of a Thursday night game at Northallerton, so when I got the all clear to have the time off work, I booked all my accommodation, even saving on petrol by getting a free lift with my parents.



On the day of the game I woke at 7am after a decent night's sleep. I wanted to take a shower, but the water wasn't heating up, so I had to make do with a wash instead. I was hungry by now and so took the half-hour walk to Lidl to get some breakfast. I picked up some chicken and a couple of cheese and tomato tortillas as well as some stuff for later. I came back and caught up on my Youtube subscriptions amongst other things. I handed my key in and paid for my stay before meeting my parents at 10.15 and making my way up to Durham. We got there and had a brief look at Durham Cathedral before going to the local Wetherspoons for a pint. I was disappointed when they had no real cider despite having the pump clips on display. I had to settle for a pint of fake Irish cider for St Patrick's Day, although at least the Magners was only £1.99 a pint. From there it was to some poxy retail outlet that my parents wanted to go to. It was pretty dire and despite being there 90 minutes no one bought anything. I fancied some jeans but the Levi's shop was about twice the price of the one in Vegas. I just wanted to get to my hotel and get out and have a look around Middlesbrough.



I eventually got to my hotel at 3.40, dumped my bag in the room and went straight out. By 4.25 I was in my first pre-match pub. The Chairman promised a 'good selection' of cider and that was true, with 12 on offer. The first was an accidental retry in Lilleys Red Rabbit, a fact that I only discovered after buying it. The second was another from Lilleys, called Sunset. I then had a brief look around the shops before going to Wetherspoons for my dinner. I'd been meaning to try the Bombay Hot Dog since it came out and with it being right near the train station it was ideal. I headed for the station but was distracted by the Last Orders. I watched a few fake Irish people go on the karaoke while having a pint before going to the station. It was all closed up on most entrances and looked like Stallag 17, but at least I was Thornaby-bound. The station was around a mile away from the ground so I didn't arrive until 7.20, I paid £5 to get in, plus £1 for a programme and also spent a couple of quid on the raffle.



The game was a decent contest but was goalless at the break. Visitors Stockton Town had been well on top though and they took the lead on 73 minutes. There was a trip in the area and from the resulting penalty Kallum Hannah slotted past the keeper.  Thornaby got the equaliser on 88 minutes with a great shot on the turn from Danny Brunskill that went in off the post. Just as it looked as if it would finish a draw Alan Cossavella struck through a crowded area to grab a late dramatic winner. On the balance of play it was deserved, but Thornaby had been denied a valuable point. I'd had a couple of cans of Strongbow during the game, but fancied hitting town for a couple more. I ordered a taxi from the ground to Middlesbrough, getting dropped at the Slaters Pick where I had a pint of Applejack Vintage. I then went to the other Wetherspoons in town, the Swatters Carr for a final pint. From there I walked to a local takeaway, getting a Parmo and chips before getting a taxi back to my hotel. It had been a good night, and I fell asleep pretty quickly after getting back around 11.30.



THE GROUND

TEESDALE PARK is a great venue for step 6. There are two areas of cover - a modern-looking main stand with a capacity of around 100, and then a further area of covered standing behind one goal. This is more ramshackle and has a few comfortable padded seats towards the back of it. The rest of the ground is open and includes some steps of terracing and a further 100 uncovered seats.

The ground is a bit out in the middle of nowhere, but at least it does offer a tea bar and clubhouse. I didn't bother with food, but the bar was warm and welcoming, even if most offerings were bottles and cans, albeit at reasonable prices. The programme is a good effort too, plenty of stats and other bits in a home-made type production for £1.

Northallerton Town - The Calvert Stadium

Northallerton Town FC
The Calvert Stadium
Ainderby Road
Romanby
Northallerton
North Yorkshire
DL7 8HJ

Official Website
Twitter

Ground Number: 676
Thursday 16th March 2017
Catterick Garrison FC 2-3 Richmond Mavericks
Wensleydale Creamery League Medals Shield Final




NORTHALLERTON TOWN - A BRIEF HISTORY

Northallerton Twon were founded in 1895. They played in local leagues up until 1982 when they joined the Northern League, just as the non-league pyramid was being established. They had to raise £150,000 to make the ground improvments needed. They struggled at first, with bottom-half finishes the order of the day but by 1989/90 they had improved enough to finish as runners-up behind champions Murton. This entitled them to make the step up to the Northern League's higher tier, having started out in Division 2. It was during this first spell in Division 1 that they enjoyed their best-ever finish of 6th in the 1993/94 season. They've flitted between the two leagues since and have been in Division 2 since 2009/10. They've finished in the top half of the table every single season, though without really troubling the three promotion places. This season they having an average season, sitting in 11th at the time of my visit.

In the FA Cup the best ever progress has been to the 4th Qualifying Round, losing 3-1 to Accrington Stanley during the 1992/93 season and 2-1 to Witton Albion the following season. The 1992/93 season also saw a great run to the FA Trophy 3rd Round where they lost to Conference side Farnborough Town. The 2002/03 season saw the best run in the FA Vase, with them reaching the 4th Round before a 3-0 defeat to Burgess Hill Town. Locally, Northallerton Town won the Ernest Armstrong Memorial Cup, defeating Team Northumbria 3-2 in 2012 and Ryhope CW in 2016. Notable people to come from Northallerton include footballer Michael Dawson and Oxford hospital founder John Radcliffe.



MY VISIT

Initially, I thought I'd be without a game on the first day of my jaunt up to the north-east but then the Football Traveller threw up a groundhopping opportunity. Though it's not as extensive as I'd like, with quite a lot of youth and reserve games not covered, it is the most comprehensive list of games available and it made for a decent choice for a birthday present from my parents. It had thrown up a couple of interesting games that had not been listed elsewhere and this issue was no exception, throwing up a game at Northallerton Town, The Wensleydale Creamery Medals Shield Final was being contested between Catterick Garrison Football Centre and Richmond Mavericks and with my parents staying in Hartlepool, they kindly agreed to drop me partway up. I'd looked at accommodation in Northallerton which was in short supply and pricey, so I booked somewhere in nearby Thirsk from where I could get a train. The night before I'd been up till 5 am listening to the radio and typing my blog. Even so, when I woke at 9 am, I felt pretty refreshed.



After some toast for breakfast, I had a bath and got dressed. After getting my stuff together, we left at 10.30. The journey went fine up until the A43 where there was 20 minutes delay due to roadworks. There was the double annoyance of my Dad putting his Bananarama CD on and his dodgy taste in music prompted me to put my earphones in and catch up on my podcasts. At least the journey gave me a chance to do some research for tonight's game. Both sides were in Division 1 of the Wensleydale Creamery League. Catterick Garrison were second in the league and were fresh from an 8-0 win against basement side Reath & District Athletic Club. They'd got this far by beating 2015 winners Hawes United and Reath & District. Richmond Mavericks were a place lower in third, having beaten local rivals Richmond Buck Inn 1-0 on Saturday. They'd got this far by beating Richmond Buck Inn, Spennithorn & Harmby and Unicorn, having started a round earlier than their opponents. There was a complete lack of enthusiasm for the game on hosts Northallerton Town's website or Twitter feed, with no mention of tonight's game. The usually reliable FA Full Time website still had it listed, however, and so I was reassured that the game was still on.



The journey up was punctuated by the disappointing news that fellow groundhopper Chris would not be available for our planned jaunt to Knypersley Victoria next Monday due to work commitments. This would mean yet another re-jig of the games on my week off as I sought to see as many games as possible. That said, with fellow hopper Anwar also away, I'd probably be keeping it local. We stopped at KFC for lunch, with me trying the Dirty Louisiana burger meal which was pretty decent. I managed to research club history for both of my upcoming blogs which helped kill the time for the rest of the journey. I got to my accommodation, the Linden Tree near Thirsk at 3 pm. It was really nice, with its own kitchen and right near the train station. I let my phone charge and watched Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads before leaving at 4. Although the station was just around the corner, the town was over a mile away. I had plenty of time to spare anyway, so decided to take the walk. I was there at 4.35, though disappointingly there was no real cider on after all that trek. Instead, I had a bottle of Hazy Hog cider which was nice before walking back to the station. Due to confusion on Google over the train times, I just missed the hourly train and so had to go back to my room for a while. It was annoying as I'd probably have to either go straight to the ground or get a taxi from the pub as it was in the opposite direction.



In the end, I did get my train at 6.40 with me getting to Northallerton 10 minutes later. I decided to go straight to the ground, arriving at 7.10. I was pleasantly surprised to see the admission was £2 which was a real bonus with me not finding a cash machine on my walk. I headed straight for the bar. I bought myself a pint of Strongbow for £3,40 as well as some funny coloured, but very tasty chips for £1.60. I went outside and met my mate Dan who I have known for years on social media, but never actually met, We had a brief chat, though the guy he was with, a York fan who looked a bit like the comedian Dave Spikey said that he hated Wycombe when I told him I was up for the Hartlepool v Wycombe game on Saturday. For the game, I stood with fellow hopper Paul, who I'd met before, recognised his face, but couldn't remember his name. It took me until full time to sheepishly ask his name.



On the pitch, Richmond Mavericks were well on top, which disappointed me as I wanted Catterick Garrison to win for Dan. The Mavericks took the lead just before half time with a close-range finish by Craig Lovell. The game looked to be over, when still dominant, they scored a second on 50 minutes with a lovely dipping shot by Adam Emson that went in the top right-hand corner. However, a couple of minutes later, Catterick were back in it with a scrappy goal when a loose ball was put home from 6 yards by James Boyle. This seemed to fire them into action and they had a purple patch, getting really on top of the game. They equalised on the hour with the goal of the night - a piledriver into the top right-hand corner from Liam Walker. As much as I was pleased for my pal, the equaliser was not what I wanted, with me keen to get down to the pub that I had missed out on earlier. Catterick were well on top for a long period, and I was imploring them, or anyone to score to save extra time. Just as it looked as if I was going to be staying for another half hour, Richmond Mavericks popped up with the winner on 86 minutes. A huge goal kick was picked up by Owen Kelly and he flicked beyond the onrushing keeper to win the cup for his team.



No equaliser came in the dying moments as the game was killed off. We stayed behind to watch the medal presentations before heading off. Paul had kindly agreed to give me a lift to my intended pub. The Stumble Inn was excellent, but bodily capacity restricted me to halves of Very Perry and Abrahalls Still Dry, as well as a pint of Farmer Jim's Medium. I think I pretty much ticked the board of the 20 on offer, as I'd had most before. Time was not on my side, however, with the last train to Thirsk leaving at 10.30. It was not easy running with a belly full of cider, but I made my train with just under 10 minutes to spare. It was prompt and on time and I was back near my hotel ten minutes later. I was going to walk down to Tesco to get something for breakfast, but couldn't be bothered with the 2.5 miles round walk. Instead, I went back to my room and had some Irn Bru while watching Bullseye and typing my blog. It was well into the small hours before I got to sleep, but I'd enjoyed my day, even if everything had not gone perfectly to plan.



THE GROUND

THE CALVERT STADIUM is a great facility for this level and could probably function as a step 3 venue. One side is almost completely covered, with around 400 standing spaces and 200 seats. There is a decent amount of terracing behind both goals as well whilst the 4th side is currently out of bounds to the public.  The bar is smart and has Sky TV and real ales, though cider drinkers are restricted to Strongbow on draught. The tea bar is also decent, with a wide range of hot food.