The 92 Club

An ambition of a lot of English football supporters is to become a member of the 92 Club, the 92 Club comprising of everyone who has visited all 92 grounds currently in the league. However, it has become like painting the Forth Bridge (or at least how painting the Forth Bridge used to be before nano paint technology). In fact, maybe the expression for never finishing a task should be changed to It’s like doing the 92.

Bristol Rovers

Ground: Memorial Ground
Date: Saturday 26th March 2008 3.00pm
Competition: League One
Result: Bristol Rovers 0 Brighton 2 HT: 0-0 Att: 7,590
                                           Westlake 71, Murray 74
Additional: Entrance £17.00 Programme: £3.50 Hot drinks: £1.00 Cornish Pastie: £2.50 (10/10!)

My Photos

With Leeds having beaten Yeovil 1-0 on the Friday night before, Brighton’s slim hopes of making the play-offs had gone. Due to the expected high volume of away fans, I had already got my ticket. Had I not, I may have been in two minds about going. However, it was the last ever game at the Memorial Ground, before its complete redevelopment, so I’m glad I finally got to see it. Also, it was nice to be able to see the Albion’s last away game of what I believe has been an excellent season for Dean Wilkins and the squad. I had been without my fine pair of Bristols since the Rovers moved from Bath’s Twerton Park in 1996. In 12 years, like Kenilworth Road that I visited two weeks ago, it was a ground that had managed to elude me.

Luton Town

Ground: Kenilworth Road
Date: Saturday 12th March 2008 3.00pm
Competition: League One
Result: Luton Town 1 Brighton 2 HT: 0-0 Att: 6,652
             Parkin 49           Westlake 51, Murray 59
Additional: Entrance £21.50 Programme: £3 Hot drinks: £1.50

Kenilworth Road is a ground that has until now eluded me. Virgin trains did their best to keep this tradition up, but I did eventually make it, albeit a tad late. I can’t begin to tell you how much that irks me, to turn up late to a football match. It’s like buying a jigsaw to find there’s pieces missing. Anyway, Luton’s has hitherto been a virgin ground for me, as they managed to avoid being in the same division as Brightonfor ages, and when we did finally meet recently, there were always logistical reasons such as evening kick-offs to stop me going.

Staffordshire County Senior League (Step 7)

Staffordshire County Senior League

Map of League Teams in the SCSL - here. 
As I’m starting to run out of grounds close to my home at Step 6 and higher of non-league, I’ve started taking an interest in the Staffordshire League. This is three divisions running from Step seven to step nine. The reason I don’t ordinarily show an interest in Step seven or lower is that there are no FA requirements for grounds below step six. Step six is where a ground must have floodlights, hard standing round the pitch and at least 50 covered seats in one stand and able to accommodate at least 100 fans undercover in the ground. These are just a tiny few of the many requirements step six clubs must meet, and as you go up the pyramid the more rules you must adhere to as well as more seats and a greater capacity. Rules for steps 1-6 can be read here.

Skelmersdale United

Ground: Ashley Travel Stadium
Date: Saturday 8th March 2008, 3.00 pm
Competition: Unibond League Cup Semi-Final
Result: Skelmersdale Utd 2 Gateshead 2 HT: 1-0 Skem won 4-2 on pens Att: 259
                Almond 6 Donnelly 113   Armstrong 64, Harwood 92
Additional: Entrance £7 Programme £1.50 Hot drinks £0.60
Ashley Travel Stadium photo album

The script for this league cup semi-final could’ve been written for the Roy of the Rovers comic, albeit the underground version with fighting and swearing, rather than the more traditional one with the speech bubbles coming out of the crowd saying Yessssssss and Come on Skelmersdale, you can do it, boys!

The Skem keeper turned out to be the unlikely hero as he kicked the penalty that put them in the Final against Eastwood Town. This was after having a shouting match with Gateshead fans in the first half and a full-blown fight with one such fan in the second. As it wasn’t a player he mauled, he wasn’t booked by the ref. The police might want to book him, though!

Dagenham & Redbridge

Ground: London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Stadium
Date: Tuesday 12th February 2008, 7.45 pm
League: League Two
Result: Dagenham & Redbridge 6 Chester City 2 HT: 3-0 Att: 1,328
    Strevens 13, 60 Uddin 15             Roberts 51, Murphy 90 (Chester scored 1st)
 Rainford 23 Nurse 83 Hall 90
Additional: Entrance £15 Programme £2.50 Hot drinks £1.00

Luckily for me my work were sending me on a two-day conference in London, meaning an overnight stay. When I heard about it, I immediately started looking at the non-league fixtures in the area. I’d found that Northwood and Croydon Athletic were at home on the Tuesday night, but then it occurred to me that this could be an opportunity to pick up another one of the 92. I only had Arsenal’s Emirates, Charlton’s Valley and Dag & Red’s Glyn Hopkin Stadium to visit to complete my London league set.

Glossop North End

Ground: Surrey Street
Date: Saturday 14th February 2008
League: North West Counties Division 1 (Vodkat)
Result: Glossop North End 4 Atherton Collieries 0 HT: 2-0 Att: 151
  Morris 3, 14
  Hamilton 88 Young 90
Additional: Entrance £5 Programme £1 Hot drinks 60p

Football trivia buffs will know that Glossop is the smallest town in England to have had a top-flight football team. It seems incredible now, but Glossop spent season 1899-1900 amongst England’s elite, and despite beating Aston Villa, Blackburn, Burnley and Nottingham Forest (3-0), it turned out to be their only season, as they finished bottom.

New Mills

Ground	Church Lane
Date	Saturday 26th January 2008
League	North West Counties Division Two (Vodkat)
Result	New Mills AFC	3	1	Stone Dominoes	HT	2	0	Att	202
	Meakin 23 Bingham 43 Ryan 85			Curley 55
Entrance £4 Programme £1.00 Hot drinks 60p

New Mills have played competitive football for over 120 years, playing in Manchester and Cheshire Leagues in the early years and often winning the Derbyshire Cup. The latest incarnation stems from Birch Vale and Thomsett FC, who used the Church Lane ground, after New Mills disbanded in 1983. Birch Vale and Thomsett FC shortly became New Mills FC.

New Mills, the place, is a small town in the High Peak,

Brocton FC

Ground	Coppice Colliery Ground
Date	Tuesday 1st January 2008
League	Midland Combination Premier
Result	Brocton	1	5	Heath Hayes	HT	1	3	Att	78
	Fyfe 19			Haycock 1, Eatley 8, Haysley 44,84, Meakin 74
Entrance £3 Programme £1.00 Coffee: 50p

This fixture was something of a non-league curio for the collection, watching away side Heath Hayes playing at their own Coppice Colliery ground; which they share  with today’s opponents Brocton. It

is always a bonus when a ‘hop’ has that extra bit of uniqueness.
Brocton, from just south of Stafford, have been sharing with Heath Hayes for four years.

Well Done Stoke City

While not a true supporter but rather a keen follower of Stoke’s results, I feel duty bound to praise the Potters for a remarkable first half of the season, as it looks like nobody else outside the city is going to!

Most Stoke fans’ hearts sank when it was announced that Pulis was coming back last year, a Pulis whose previous tenure at the club showed his only merchandise to be hard-fought 0-0 and 1-0 scorelines. There was much despair and gnashing of teeth amongst the Stoke faithful. However, Pulis has proved a lot of people wrong by expanding his range of stock to include exciting six goal thrillers, occasional thrashings, dramatic comebacks and a team scoring in every half at the moment and having scored 23 goals in 13 away games.