Ground: Community Drive
Date: Saturday 18th October 2008, 3.00 pm
Competition: North West Counties League Div 1
Match: Norton Utd 3 Holker OB 2 HT: 1-2 Att: 65
Hughes 8 Bamber 18 (pen)
Own goal 59 Southwood 32
Rutter 69
Additional: Entrance: £4.00 Children £2 Programme: £1.00 Hot drinks: Coffee £0.40
I took Dylan, my six year old son, down the road on Saturday to watch our local side, Norton Utd, with a view to maybe supporting them on a regular basis. Community Drive is a great venue, comprising Norton Cricket Club and Football Club and also hosting table tennis. The views are excellent from the high sided grass bank. One has a panorama of part of the city, a view of the old Chatterley Whitfield colliery, and Mow Cop (highest point in staffordshire) in the distance. On one side the pitch is overlooked by Poplar trees making it a really pleasant setting.
Norton had made a good start to the season with their opening home match a six-nil thumping of newly-promoted Manchester side Irlam. Since then their results have been up and down, seeing them resting in mid-table. A win today would really put them back in touch with the top. The visitors, Holker Old Boys, had made the long trip from Barrow. They were residing near the foot of the table.
Norton made a good start to the game, dominating the early play and were rewarded with a eighth minute opener; a close range shot from a cross. Frustratingly they lost the edge somewhat and let Holker back in to it, first with a penalty and then with a sublime lob from twenty yards, chipping the Norton keeper, to go into the break 2-1 up.
Norton showed their passion in the second half and deservedly took all three points, equalising thanks to a massive headed own goal, forced into somewhat from some heavy attacking, and then a beautifully struck 20-yarder that flew into the top corner from Rutter – a goal fit to win any match.
These are a few of the pictures Dylan took. He has quite an eye for a pic! In total he took about 120 photos. Here are some of them. For the full picture show click here
The Groundhog 
