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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2012 20:58:53 GMT
Instead I was ferried to a FA cup replay by a long-standing associate of Wildebeeste. Surely the first time a Gull and a Magpie have travelled together to see the Linnets. |
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bbcgull
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Post by bbcgull on Mar 1, 2013 22:05:39 GMT
01. PLAINMOOR (Torquay United)
02. SANDY LANE (Dawlish Town)
03. VETCH FIELD (Swansea City)
04. WHITE HART LANE (Tottenham Hotspur)
05. NYEWOOD LANE (Bognor Regis Town)
06. ASHTON GATE (Bristol City)
07. HIGHFIELD ROAD (Coventry City)
08. THE HUISH (Yeovil Town)
09. WEMBLEY STADIUM (English National Stadium)
10. THE CAMROSE (Basingstoke Town)
11. ST JAMES PARK (Exeter City)
12. MATCHROOM STADIUM (Leyton Orient)
13. WHADDON ROAD (Cheltenham Town)
14. AGGBOROUGH (Kidderminster Harriers)
15. BRUNTON PARK (Carlisle United)
16. MEMORIAL STADIUM (Bristol Rovers)
17. AVENUE STADIUM (AFC Bournemouth)
18. GIGG LANE (Bury)
19. THE SHAY (Halifax Town)
20. THE HAWTHORNS (West Bromwich Albion)
21. FILBERT STREET (Leicester City)
22. GAY MEADOW (Shrewsbury Town)
23. HUISH PARK (Yeovil Town)
24. FITNESS FIRST STADIUM (AFC Bournemouth)
25. MILLENNIUM STADIUM (Welsh National Stadium)
26. KITKAT CRESCENT (York City)
27. ROOTS HALL (Southend United)
28. LAYER ROAD (Colchester United)
29. NATIONAL HOCKEY STADIUM (Milton Keynes Dons)
30. NEW WEMBLEY STADIUM (English National Stadium)
31. EBB STADIUM (Aldershot Town)
32. THE NEW LAWN (Forest Green Rovers)
33. STONEBRIDGE ROAD (Ebbsfleet United)
34. KASSAM STADIUM (Oxford United)
35. BROADFIELD STADIUM (Crawley Town)
36. KINGFIELD STADIUM (Woking)
37. NEWPORT STADIUM (Newport County)
38. THE RAYMOND MCHENHILL STADIUM (Salisbury City)
39. THE WESSEX STADIUM (Weymouth)
40. NEW RECREATION GROUND (Grays Athletic)
41. VICTORY STADIUM (United Services Portsmouth)
42. BROADHALL WAY (Stevenage Borough)
43. ATSPEED STADIUM (Horsham)
44. LANGNEY SPORTS CLUB (Eastbourne Borough)
45. FRATTON PARK (Portsmouth)
46. PIRELLI STADIUM (Burton Albion)
47. SILVERLAKE STADIUM (Eastleigh)
48. CAMS ALDERS (Fareham Town)
49. THE DRIPPING PAN (Lewes)
50. ST. MARY'S STADIUM (Southampton)
51. WITHDEAN STADIUM (Brighton & Hove Albion)
SO the rule change gives me 17 of the 92 instead of 13 or 14 i was on. Thought id get more back seeing as you CAN NOW count teams that have fallen out but come back. A lot of mine were in the Conference years ie Stevenage and Crawley... and 92 is a 92 game sadly!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2013 17:08:07 GMT
Of the Newport programmes that Timbo posted, I was trying to work out which games I saw. I reckon I watched both 1974 matches plus a Football League Group Cup tie in 1981. That makes three visits to Somerton Park, one to Spytty and Rodney Parade yesterday.
That got me thinking about how many away games I've watched since my first at Reading in 1968. Now, as I'm pretty sure I've a programme for each, that involved delving into the programme boxes. So, by that calculation, yesterday was my 464th proper away game with Rodney Parade being the 137th venue on which I have seen a competitive away fixture. That's made up of visits to 115 clubs, some of whom have switched grounds or used other clubs' grounds in the process. Then throw in Wembley and Old Trafford.
Now that's clearly a sign of a misspent youth and a lacking adult life. But there will be a few people who'll regard this as a half-arsed attempt. There could be supporters of my age who have clocked up 800-900 away matches by now and there's probably 15-20 venues and clubs I've missed over the last forty-five years. I bet they haven't.
My most-visited club with Torquay United is Exeter City (23) which, because I' be not always lived in the South West, may be a relatively poor tally. Next, on a dozen, I've got Plymouth, Barnet and Leyton Orient. Then, just behind: Bristol Rovers, Hereford, Bournemouth, Shrewsbury and - for reasons of my own - Darlington.
There's also an additional forty-six games made up of friendlies, reserve fixtures and Devon Bowl ties. These include seven visits to Tiverton and half-a-dozen to Exeter.
Counting these would put me over five hundred. But, if I choose only to count first-team competitive games, I'm ambivalent about setting myself a lifetime target of five hundred. If I was on 420 I'd rule it out completely: getting old, becoming poorer. Were I around 480 I'd have a final flurry before announcing my retirement from the fray. Instead I'm in the middle at a time when the time is approaching for easing up. I think it's best taking each game as it comes and counting my blessings.
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Post by gullone on Sept 30, 2013 16:47:15 GMT
Of the Newport programmes that Timbo posted, I was trying to work out which games I saw. I reckon I watched both 1974 matches plus a Football League Group Cup tie in 1981. That makes three visits to Somerton Park, one to Spytty and Rodney Parade yesterday. That got me thinking about how many away games I've watched since my first at Reading in 1968. Now, as I'm pretty sure I've a programme for each, that involved delving into the programme boxes. So, by that calculation, yesterday was my 464th proper away game with Rodney Parade being the 137th venue on which I have seen a competitive away fixture. That's made up of visits to 115 clubs, some of whom have switched grounds or used other clubs' grounds in the process. Then throw in Wembley and Old Trafford. Now that's clearly a sign of a misspent youth and a lacking adult life. But there will be a few people who'll regard this as a half-arsed attempt. There could be supporters of my age who have clocked up 800-900 away matches by now and there's probably 15-20 venues and clubs I've missed over the last forty-five years. I bet they haven't. My most-visited club with Torquay United is Exeter City (23) which, because I' be not always lived in the South West, may be a relatively poor tally. Next, on a dozen, I've got Plymouth, Barnet and Leyton Orient. Then, just behind: Bristol Rovers, Hereford, Bournemouth, Shrewsbury and - for reasons of my own - Darlington. There's also an additional forty-six games made up of friendlies, reserve fixtures and Devon Bowl ties. These include seven visits to Tiverton and half-a-dozen to Exeter. Counting these would put me over five hundred. But, if I choose only to count first-team competitive games, I'm ambivalent about setting myself a lifetime target of five hundred. If I was on 420 I'd rule it out completely: getting old, becoming poorer. Were I around 480 I'd have a final flurry before announcing my retirement from the fray. Instead I'm in the middle at a time when the time is approaching for easing up. I think it's best taking each game as it comes and counting my blessings. Firstly well done for keeping a record of your travels over the years. Those totals look pretty damn impressive to me. I have mine all written down, from obscure friendlies in the centre of Newton Abbot Racecourse to Wembley and beyond ! |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 1, 2013 10:03:41 GMT
Firstly well done for keeping a record of your travels over the years. Those totals look pretty damn impressive to me. I have mine all written down, from obscure friendlies in the centre of Newton Abbot Racecourse to Wembley and beyond ! It's revealing when you track these things over time. Although I've been going to away games since I was twelve I see I've done rather more in middle age than before: as many in the last fourteen years as in the first thirty-one years. But at least, now I've done the tally, I'm more pleased with how many I've attended rather than finding myself agonising over those I've missed. I think it's better that way and it may act as a brake in future if I'm prevaricating. Wycombe? No, I may save myself for November. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 13, 2013 18:16:56 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2013 17:07:06 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2013 18:06:17 GMT
Flashbacks to the second-half of last season when I ended up visiting a few more football grounds than I'd intended. Hugely satisfying even though I now feel I'm at the point of scaling down my efforts and announcing my semi-retirement from "football travelling" (well, after this season anyway). The Groundhopping Secret Police are on my case at this very moment. Here’s the first batch to keep them off the trail: Nuneaton After the snows in January. It's functional and on the by-pass:  Tideswell The "TUFC of the Peaks". Discovered by accident one wintry Sunday:  Dartford An eco-friendly football ground that I didn't expect to visit on an evening trip from Sheffield:  Stamford The glory is the town but there's enough to interest in this nook that the tourists miss. But hurry, a move to a new ground is planned:  Boreham Wood This is where our youth team played Arsenal. Last February v Salisbury:  New Mills Edge of the Peak District between Buxton and Stockport. A rather unusual town with a quirky little football ground:  Worsbrough Bridge Just outside Barnsley not far from the M1; a former miners’ welfare team. A misty night down in the hollow:  Hednesford Town Newish ground, less than twenty years old. Promoted to Conference North for this season. Old mining country near Cannock; there was a contribution to the programme by the "Marldon Pitman" who may be known to some of us:  Colwyn Bay English football on the North Wales coast. An inland rural location that could easily have been deep in the South Hams:  Mossley A Pennine classic on the edge of Saddleworth to the east of Manchester. The club has had good times but it's modest fare these days. Visited on a freezing cold Easter Saturday with snow in the air:  |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2013 18:44:35 GMT
A second batch from the latter stages of last season: Nantwich Lovely Cheshire town near Crewe but a pretty soulless - if well-appointed - football ground. Rodney Jack has played for them:  Rhyl An all-seater ground to comply with UEFA standards. A grandeur, of a sort, that's a relic of the long-gone glory days in English football:  North Shields A late season nippy evening in a largely unwelcoming part of Tyneside. The old ground was apparently far grander but, given the club's diminished status, this suffices:  Eastwood Town DH Lawrence and all that. One of several hill towns in mining country on the Nottinghamshire-Derbyshire border. A game against FC United towards the end of last season:  AFC Fylde An odd club in a somewhat strange place; flat farming country between Preston and Blackpool. Fylde aim to be in the Football League by 2020:  Belper Fascinating old mill town on the main railway line between Derby and Sheffield. A cracking football ground visited on the day Stamford hammered the locals in the play-offs:  Bangor An out-of-the-blue visit for the Europa League play-off against Bala. On the way to Menai Bridge and rather different to the old gaff at Farrar Road which now has a supermarket built on it:  Consett One of the last games at this decrepit 1950s bowl built by supporter efforts. It was so bad it was wonderful in its' own peculiar way:  Richmond Town A lift was offered. I couldn't say no. Not the best football but how about that castle?  Flint Hardly North Wales' prime tourist location and not at its' best on a dull Thursday afternoon. But this structure has a certain character:  Prestatyn A quick look on the way to Rhyl. Tidy enough. Welsh Cup winners last year but dumped out of this year's competition by Aberdare Town:  |
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Jon
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Post by Jon on Dec 15, 2013 19:06:02 GMT
DH Lawrence and all that. Did you know that he actually played for Torquay after injury curtailed his first class career? Or am I mixing up my DHs and my DVs? |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2013 19:33:03 GMT
DH Lawrence and all that. Did you know that he actually played for Torquay after injury curtailed his first class career? Or am I mixing up my DHs and my DVs? I was referring to the Nottinghamshire spinner of many a yarn as opposed to the Gloucestershire merchant of pace. |
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Post by gullone on Dec 16, 2013 17:30:53 GMT
A great selection of pictures Barton Downs, much appreciated.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2013 11:17:25 GMT
Thanks for that, gullone. Weather permitting I've a few visits planned for Christmas, New Year and January and will put a collection of pictures together when appropriate. Likely to be more midland than northern but I'll not tempt fate just yet.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2013 12:46:35 GMT
Probably as a result of not using the 'recent posts' or recent threads' options this thread has largely passed me by, as I wrongly assumed it would comprise of various lengthy typed lists. However I would echo gullone's sentiments, in particularly thanking Barton Downs for the fine selection of interesting and varied photo's he's provided. The standard and quality of which seems to have shot up over the last year or two, probably helped a little bit I'd suspect by improved equipment that does better justice to his keen eye for an interesting and well composed photograph.
With the Christmas post being what it is, it's probably the wiser option to drop the letter with your application to fill their managerial vacancy through The Hawthorns letter box yourself, and if we benefit from a few Midlands/Black Country pics reflecting your explorations in the area, then so much the better.
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keyberrygull
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Post by keyberrygull on Dec 17, 2013 18:36:27 GMT
DH Lawrence and all that. Did you know that he actually played for Torquay after injury curtailed his first class career? Or am I mixing up my DHs and my DVs? I can remember turning up to the Rec in Torquay to play for South Devon CC when word soon came through that DV was playing. The senior players ran for cover leaving the rest of us to face the music - the most memorable excuse coming from a certain local on course bookmaker ‘apparently’ pulling a muscle getting out of his car. Wearing an old white 2nd generation helmet, facing the first ball was the biggest anti climax of my life! A very chirpy wicketkeeper and at least 3 slips stood on the rugby pitch shouting out the verbals, I was feeling rather uncomfortable. That was until an ashes opening Steve Harmissonesque delivery just about reached the keepers gloves on the third bounce. I can't remember his exact figures but 0 for quite a few off not many is about right. I’m sure it was in the days of the double league weekend during the early 90’s and I think we may have actually gone on to win the game. That’s how long ago it was! |
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