Game 7

Barton Town Old Boys V Pontefract Collieries
FA Vase round 1
Euronics ground Marsh lane
22/10/11
att:80

Despite suffering the worst bout of man flu I decided that as I had a Saturday off and there were 7 non league games alone within an hour and a half travel, it had to be a football day.  In the end I decided to work out which game was closest and thus I ended up on the south side of the humber at Barton. It was a gorgeous sunny day and pretty warm out of the shade.  Entrance to the Euronics ground was a very reasonable £5 and a programme only a further £1.

The Ground at Barton is a small one but probably one of the tidiest and best kept ive seen. You enter the ground at the bottom right of the pitch.  Behind the goal nearest to you is a wall with a small grass area.  As you follow the ground there is a small seated stand that covers about half the touch-line.  Behind the other goal are 2 small terrace type stands either side of the goal.  As you come back to the near side you come to the clubhouse with the usual bar and kitchen.  On the side of the clubhouse is a banner advertising the Barton branch of the Hull City supporters club.  Hull City are at home today on the otherside of the bridge and I fear (rightly) this will keep todays crowd down.

The game itself was pretty awful and the vast majority of us were praying quite early on that it didn't go to extra-time.  Pontefract had slightly the better of the 1st half however the 2nd saw Barton hit the woodwork a couple of times.  In the end Barton ran out 1-0 winners in what was possibly the worst game ive been to in a very long time.

Very Sad

On the 6/10/11 I was dropping the missus off at work in Scarborough, on the way home decided to take a quick look at the old McCain stadium.  What I saw was sad, very sad.

Rumour was a local builder was able to ready the stadium for league football for a lot less than it would cost for the proposed new stadium at weaponess ( not anymore obviously).  Many fans believe the new stadium will never happen and its all talk.  I have my doubts and honestly don't see Scarborough coming home for some time.

Game 6

Pickering Town V Scarborough Athletic
Northern Counties East League premier Division
Mill Lane Recreation Ground
4/10/11
Att: 564

On the way to the ground

The last time I went to see Scarborough away was back in the late 90's in league 2 (old division 4) at Peterborough's London Road ground.  A friend of mine was a big Scarborough fan and it was his brother who introduced me to the reincarnated Scarborough Athletic 2 years ago.  At the time they where playing in the NCEL 1 and their home games played at Queensgate stadium home of Bridlington Town fc. Only about 75 Boro fans turned up at Peterborough, however over 400 made the short trip tonight to Pickering.  For myself it is a 28 mile journey and the satnav puts us right outside the ground.  I decide to park down a side street as I am expecting a large away following in the club car park.  Entrance is a bargain £5 for adults and the matchday programme a very reasonable £1.30.



The walk to the ground

Upon entering the ground the first thing you notice is one of the craziest slopes I have ever seen on a Football pitch.  The turnstiles bring you out behind the goal which is half terraced stand and half clubhouse.  Along the side there is a small seated stand in the middle with small standing areas either side.  Behind the other goal is a small seated stand in the middle.  The far side has a 6ft fence running the length of the pitch, on the other side is the cricket pitch.

clubhouse to the left

The clubhouse had a large bar area including club shop/pool table.  To the back there is another function room with a kitchen.  I have to say for food Pickering was the best value I have seen up to now on my travels.  £1 for a burger or hotdog represented really good value.  There were also sausage rolls, pork pies and bacon butties available.  After having a bite to eat we decide to take position at the far corner of the ground as the teams take to the field.


slope and clubhouse

 As the 2 sides take to the field it becomes obvious exactly how heavily the away fans out number the home fans.  Pickering's largest crowd of the season so far has been beaten by over 400.  The 1st half gets underway and Scarborough dominate the possession with Pickering looking quite dangerous on the counter attack.  On 20 minutes Scarborough were awarded a free kick 30 yards out.  Ryan Blott scored direct from the free  kick firing low and hard to the keepers right.  The 1st half finished with Scarborough 1-0 up.

The second half began in the same fashion as the 1st with Scarborough continuing to dominate.  On 67 minutes Curtis Bernard scored a great 2nd goal which even this early on put the game beyond Pickering.  The 80th minute saw Ryan Blott score his second of the game and Billy Law added a fourth in the 90th to leave the score 4-0 to the away side.

Matchday programme



Having been to several Scarborough games in the last few years, my faith in Football has been restored.  The club is run by fans who give up time in their lives to ensure the people of Scarborough have a team to follow and who knows maybe one day they will finally get "back to the Boro".