VENUE #48 BURTON ALBION The Pirelli Stadium

SKY BET LEAGUE TWO

Burton Albion... 1

Plymouth Argyle... 0

Saturday 5th April 2014

@ The Pirelli Stadium

       Burton-On-Trent

     My son Ross picked out Burton's Pirelli ground for a visit last season but I'd already been to see a league two game and so decided to go the short distance into Derbyshire this time around.  They have there advantages these short trips, not costing much money is one and being home for half past six is another.

   

Front of the main stand

 It's a fare old walk to the ground from the railway station, a good twenty five minutes give or take a couple.  I passed a few pubs on route and was very tempted to pop in and try some of the famous Burton ale everyone raves about but resisted the temptation like a good little boy, I'm sure the Wife will be pleased to hear.  A female motorist pulled over and called to me as I was hurtling along my merry way, I out-stretched my arms in a manner to suggest that it's no use asking me directions as I'm new to this area also, but then she said, "Do you know the way to the railway station?" and I said, "Ah yes, I've just come from there", but whether she understood my directions of not is another thing, she did look more bewildered than before she asked me, poor sole.

Players lining up before shaking hands

     Burton go into this game lying in 5th place in the league table and looking to consolidate their play-off place with a win today.  Manager Gary Rowett makes two changes to the side that took a goalless point from York City last weekend, Jimmy Phillips steps in for Phil Edwards and Gary Alexander partners Billy Kee up front instead of Adam McGurk.

     This is Plymouth's first game in eleven days when they were defeated 2-1 at Home park by near neighbours and relegation strugglers Exeter City and that makes it three games without a win now for the Pilgrims.  Argyle are currently 9th in league two and desperately need a win today to keep any hopes alive of reaching the play-off's.  John Sheridan makes three changes to his team, Paul Wotton, Matthew Parsons and Tope Obadeyi who returned to Bury after his loan spell ended, are replaced by Durrell Berry, Ben Purrington and Enoch Showumni who makes his debut after being loaned out by Notts County for the rest of the season.

     It was a tentative start and Burton seemed obsessed with keeping the ball in the air and playing to Argyle's strengths as the Devonshire side have a number of tall players but they did get their act together after ten minutes and started to keep the ball on the floor and play some wonderful football especially in the midfield.  They almost made it pay when a shot on the turn by Billy Kee was tipped onto the top of the net by the Argyle keeper Jake Cole. 

     Cole was busy again minutes later when he finger tipped a fierce shot from Jimmy Phillips onto the post and stopped an almost certain opening goal for the home side.  Burton were starting to dominate while Plymouth were showing cracks in their armour and it was defensive frailties of the Pilgrims that gave the Brewers the opportunity to score the goal, Neal Trotman made a pass to Luke Young but the Argyle midfielder fell over and the ball was pounced upon by Matty Palmer who's shot was blocked by Trotman but rebounded outside the Argyle penalty area to Callum McFadzean to drill past Cole into the bottom corner in the 27th minute.

      Six minutes later and it was nearly 2-0 when Trotman committed a foul about 30 yards outside the Argyle penalty area and the free kick was blasted goalwards by Damien McCrory but the ball was pushed onto the bar by the busy Jake Cole who also denied Cole in the dying minutes of the half.

     In the second half Burton sat back and defended their narrow 1-0 lead, Plymouth came close a few times to levelling the game but couldn't find that golden final touch that was needed.  It's no wonder that Burton have won 1-0 so many times this season, they must have rode their luck on many occasions.

West stand.  Part of the concrete shell

     The Pirelli Stadium as a 6,912 capacity with just over 2,000 seated.  It was built in 2005 to replace their Eton Park ground which had been their home for 47 years.  The main stand looks quite impressive and is where I watched the game from, with it's black coloured plastic seats with some painted yellow to form the words Burton Albion, it looks clean and new as you would expect from a ground that's only nine years old.  The other parts of the ground are covered terracing that looks a bit like a plain concrete shell.  There is the Popular terrace that is opposite the main stand and the two ends behind the goal are the West and the East terraces.  The East terrace is to the left of the main stand as you look at it and houses the away fans as does the left quarter of the main stand. 

                                                         Match Details

 

              

VENUE #47 COWDENBEATH Central Park

       SCOTTISH                      CHAMPIONSHIP

Cowdenbeath... 2
Alloa Athletic... 2

Saturday 8th March 2014

@ Central Park, Cowdenbeath


     This will be the second time I've seen Cowdenbeath in 18 months, I saw them play at Livingston on the first of my treks to Scotland and now I'm in Fife and at Central Park, home to Cowdenbeath for the past 97 years.  This means that I can cross them off my list as I've seen them play both home and away, but you never know, I might see them again some day.
     Cowdenbeath or the Blue Brazil as they are known locally were formed when a lady named Margaret Pollock walked from Fife to Glasgow in 1880 to buy her sons a football at the cost of 13 Shillings, (65p), which must have been a small fortune in those days and on her return the ball was kicked all round the small village in Fife and the team Cowdenbeath Rangers was born.
     Apparently, people south of the Scottish border, (the English), make pilgrimages to Cowdenbeath just to stare in disbelief at their Central Park ground and yes, this I can believe for having done it myself and witnessed quite a few of my fellow countrymen in the crowd around me.

Side of the new main stand

     Both Cowdenbeath and Alloa make two changes from the game last weekend.  The Beath travelled to Livingston and lost 1-0 to the Edinburgh side, both changes come in midfield with Jon Robertson and Chris Kane making way for Sammy Stewart and Lewis Milne.  Athletic were at home to face promotion candidates Hamilton and were soundly beaten 3-0 by the team from Lanarkshire and for this game Darren Young replaces Liam Caddis and Andy Kirk comes in for Eddie Ferns.
     It's a must win for both of these teams with Cowdenbeath currently holding the play off relegation place and Alloa only two places and five points above them.
     The Beath kicked off facing a fierce wind which could have a serious effect on the outcome of this game and so it seemed when after just six minutes and some good work in the box by Alloa they took the lead when Graeme Holmes fired a shot past Thomas Flynn in the Cowdenbeath goal.
     The Blue Brazil couldn't seem to get a foot hold in a scrappy game until the 37th minute when a through ball from James Fowler found Greg Stewart on side and with time to place the ball into the back of the net.
     After the half time break Cowdenbeath should have been in front but some fine goalkeeping from Scott Bain kept the scores level
     Cowden kept using the strong wind which was now blowing in the direction of the Alloa goal but they couldn't find just the right judgement and the ball either went out of play or to the Alloa keeper.
     In the 59th minute against the run of play Alloa took the lead again when confusion in the Cowden penalty area enabled Ryan McCord to fire home a low shot into Flynns bottom right hand corner.
     The Blue Brazil kept on pressing the Alloa defence and in the 73rd minute got their just deserts when a long, wind assisted throw from Rory McKeown found Greg Stewart in the Alloa penalty area to fire home a volley and score his and Cowdenbeath's second of the afternoon and level the game once more to give both teams a point apiece which is a result not really good enough for either team.

The track and truck tyres that surround the pitch

     Before the game I had a couple of jars in the Partnership pub on the corner of Hall street and High street before making my way down under the railway bridge to Central Park.  I didn't cross the car park to the turnstiles, instead I decided to walk round the perimeter of the ground past the Indian restaurant, the Shimla Palace, that's adjoined to the football ground and up a walk way that passed through a recreation area which was an open grassy piece of land with trees and led me to a gate which had visitors written above it.  I couldn't see a way to walk right round the ground without passing through a nearby housing estate which I didn't fancy and so I turned into the cold and very powerful Fife wind and made my way back to the turnstiles.
   

Central Park doubles as a race track after the match

The Central Park capacity is 5,268 of which 1,622 are seated.  I sat in the newer main stand that faces you as you come inside the ground.  There is an older stand right next to it which was destroyed by fire back in 1992 but is still in use today and was used by the away supporters for this match, both stands are fully covered.  Behind the two goals are open terraced areas the East and the West and opposite the main stand is another open terraced area called the South terrace.
     The ground has a dual purpose it is also used to put on motor sports events and is the reason why it has an oval racing track that runs around the pitch.  There are also big black and white painted truck tyres strewn around the sides of the pitch which maybe the attraction for the pilgrims from the south as I've never seen the likes of it before at a football ground, it does look a bit of a dump.  There is a meshed safety fence which is not good for watching the game at or close to pitch level and there are pillars in the stand that restrict your viewing also.

                                                          Match Details

VENUE #46 GLASGOW RANGERS Ibrox

SCOTTISH LEAGUE ONE

Rangers... 2

Brechin City... 1

Saturday February 1st 2014

@ Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow

     Starting back to work on Monday for the first time in over two months.  My hip is still a little on the painful side but I'm hoping to work my way back to full fitness, if I can.

     Having to take an overnight bag with me for this journey, I wouldn't have to normally with such a straight forward trip to Glasgow but there are rail works in between Warrington and Carlisle during the time of my return and so I'm staying overnight in Carlisle at a Premier Inn, I'll leave the bag at Glasgow Central railway station for when I'm at the game, it'll cost me a fiver but at least I haven't got to cart it around with me.

   

The Broomloan stand

 Today's game, Rangers Verses Brechin City looks a bit of a formality with Rangers flying high at the top with a 23 point lead over the team in second place and Brechin currently in fifth place and hoping to make the play off places at least.  Both teams were at home last weekend with Rangers entertaining Arbroath who are currently bottom of the league.  Rangers had to come from behind twice before a Lee McCulloch penalty sealed the game for them in the 78th minute.  Ally McCoist makes just one change David Templeton replaces Lewis McLeod.  Brechin also won 3-2 at Glebe park and had to come from behind to do so, they were 2-0 down to Dunfermline Athletic until goals from Derek Carcary and Andy Jackson levelled the score and then Darren Petrie struck and stole all three points in the 89th minute.  Ray McKinnon makes two changes to his squad from that game, Ewan Moyes and Craig Molloy make way for Steven Robb and Allan Walker.

     As expected Rangers started the stronger dominating play with some wonderful one touch and quick passing football that saw Brechin at sixes and sevens at times.  The Hedgemen's keeper Graeme Smith was busy right from the start making saves from efforts by Templeton, Shiels and Daly, but it wasn't long before he was picking the ball up out of the net when after 14 minutes a wonderful curling shot from Dean Shiels from the right went flying past the out-stretched Smith into the top corner.

The Copland Road end

     This filled Rangers with even more confidence and you sort of had the feeling that this could be a rout as Brechin looked powerless to stop the league one runaway leaders and the task got even harder when Jon Daly leapt to glance a Lee Wallace free kick past Smith for Rangers second in the 25th minute and made up for his earlier miss when he shot straight at the keeper.

     2-0 at half time and you wondered how many it was going to end up, I was looking forward to a feast of goals in the second half with Brechin going forward and looking for a way back into the game and leaving themselves short at the back and at the mercy of a Rangers side who are on fire in all departments on the field but it wasn't to be, Brechin gathered momentum and looked a far better side in the second half and with only seven minutes gone reduced the deficit with a spectacular goal from Steven Robb who hit a thunderous shot from 25 yards past Cammy Bell and into the roof of the net.

     This unnerved the Rangers players and supporters but there was worse to come when Bilel Mohsni picked up a second yellow card in the 61st minute for purposely kicking the ball at an injured Brechin player.

     Although a man down Rangers still looked the stronger team but not as dominant as they were in the first half and were lucky in the later stages of the half not to lose a couple of points or three as Cammy Bell had to make some fine saves from Andy Jackson and Derek Carcary.

   

Fans holding banner of Ally McCoist MBE

I did some forward planning before embarking on this journey, instead of taking the subway from St. Enoch's to Ibrox station, I alighted at Cessnock which is a five minute walk from the ground and was a lot easier to get on and off the train for with a crowd of 40 thousand plus the volume of people using the subway was immense.

     When approaching the football ground up Edmiston Drive past all the fast food vans and souvenir vendors you suddenly come across a building that looks like a factory, if it hadn't have been for the fact that it had Rangers Football Club ltd. on the gates I might have walked past it. 

     Built in 1899, Ibrox is a 50, 411 all seated Stadium and is looking some what tired and dated, plans to revamp the joint have been put on hold because of money or lack of it, shall we say, at the moment.  You have the Govan stand and the Bill Struth main stand, (Where I watched the game mid-pitch)), running the touch lines and at both ends behind the goals there is the Copland Road  end and the Broomloan stand of which the right hand corner is allocated to away fans unless they play some side with vast support like Celtic and then the whole of the stand will be put aside. 

                                          Match Details

   

VENUE #45 MIDDLESBROUGH The Riverside Stadium

SKY BET CHAMPIONSHIP

Middlesbrough... 1

Charlton Athletic... 0

Saturday 18th January                       2014

@ The Riverside Stadium

           Middlesbrough

     It's been three weeks now since my last venture up in Sheffield and I'm still off work with, what the doctors describe as "sciatica".  All I know is that it's still very painful to walk long distances and getting about in general is not the best especially on cold, damp days such as this one.

     My first game of the new year takes me to the Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough, to see them take on Charlton Athletic in a Sky Bet Championship match.  Going into this game Middlesbrough are as their name would suggest middle of the table while Charlton are only two places above the relegation zone.  This game will be a first for me for it will be the first time I've seen Middlesbrough in the flesh and not on TV, that's not the case with Charlton though I've seen them many times at Walsall's old Fellows Park ground in the 70's where their fans would come in their thousands and it was quite scary at times.  I remember on one occasion when there was so many of them that they were put in the Hillary street end which was usually reserved for home supporters and we had to go and stand on the Railway end terrace which was the away end, I'm hoping that this journey will be a tad too far for most of them to come today.

     

   

The large ship moored and marooned on the river Tees

Manager Aitor Karanka makes two changes to the Boro side that beat Blackpool 2-0 last weekend at Bloomfield Road, Albert Adomah and Lukas Jutkiewicz make way for Mustapha Carayol and Curtis Main.  Charlton managed a 2-2 draw on Tuesday night last against Oxford United of league two in the FA cup third round at the Valley and manager Chris Powell makes three changes to the team and they are Yohann Thuram-Ulien in goal instead of Ben Hamer, Dale Stephens in for Bradley Pritchard and Callum Harriott taking the place of Simon Church who drops to the bench for this one.

     If I'm entirely honest this game was the most boring I've seen on my travels to date, the only saving factor was the goal that insured that I haven't seen a 0-0 draw yet and what a goal it was coming after a quarter of a hour in the first half, Emmanuel Ledesma picked up a loose ball thirty yards out and struck a looping shot that bounced in front of the diving Charlton keeper Thuram-Ulien and went over him and into the net.

     In the second half Boro could have doubled their lead when after 61 minutes Carayaol got on the end of a knock down ball but his shot was well saved by the keeper.

     Charlton did have the ball in the net on 70 minutes when a deep ball from Danny Green looked as though it was going out for a goal kick until Yann Kermorgant hooked the ball back across the Boro box for Simon Church to barge his way through to knock the ball into the back of the net but the referee ruled it as a foul on the Boro keeper Shay Given.

     In the 84th minute Charlton were reduced to ten men when Rhoys Wiggins made a crunching tackle on Boro midfielder Dean Whitehead and the referee produced a straight red card.

     Although they were at a disadvantage in numbers Charlton could have levelled the match in injury time when Kermorgant drilled the ball across the Boro penalty area but an unmarked Simon Church couldn't make contact with the ball.

Dull, dark, dank and dismal day on the river

     What a dull,dark, damk and dismal day to watch a game of football.  As I approached the Riverside Stadium it looked like a large ship that had been moored and marooned on the river tees, you even had the cries of distant seagulls as they flocked around the impressive but forlorn looking vessel.

     It is a 35,100 all seated Stadium built in 1995 to re-house Middlesbrough after having to upgrade their former home Ayresome Park after playing there for 92 years, the gates of the old ground have been erected outside the Riverside Stadium in between the statues of two of Middlesbrough's great legends George Hardwick and Wilf Mannion to mark a piece of history.

     The inside is fully enclosed and all stands are two-tiered and fully covered but the West stand, which is where I watched the game, is slightly higher than the other three maybe because it has executive boxes running through the middle of it.  The West stand also houses the dugouts and the changing rooms with the East stand running the touch line on the other side of the pitch which as the right half of the stand as you look at it designated to away fans.  The two stands behind the goals are the North and the South.

                                                         Match Details

        

VENUE #44 SHEFFIELD UNITED Bramall Lane

SKY BET LEAGUE ONE

Sheffield United... 3
Tranmere Rovers... 1

Sunday 29th December                     2013

@ Bramall Lane Stadium
           Sheffield


     Here I am on my travels again just two days before seeing in the new year and this time it's Bramall Lane home of Sheffield United that is my venue for this Sunday afternoon's football.  I've not been too well as late in fact I've been off work for the past two months with a back and hip injury which makes walking a difficulty so one hopes I don't have to make a quick get away at some stage.
     I was a bit apprehensive once more about coming here as both Sheffield clubs have a bit of a reputation for not being good hosts and I don't think my impression of a Yorkshire accent would fool anyone and thought it might be best to keep my mouth shut as much as possible.  My last visit to Yorkshire though was at the beginning of the year when I went to Doncaster's Keepmoat stadium and found the fans very friendly and welcoming and the football was the best I've seen up to yet as well, so if I get a repeat of that day I'll be well chuffed.
   
   

View outside GAC stand

 Sheffield United and Tranmere Rovers both played three days ago on Boxing day.  The Blades were at home to Oldham managing a 1-1 draw with the Latics and manager Nigel Clough makes two changes for today's game, Andy White and Shaun Miller step aside for Ryan Flynn and Jamie Murphy.  Tranmere travelled to the New Meadow, Shrewsbury and clocked up a 1-0 victory.  Ronnie Moore makes just the one change swapping James Wallace for Steve Jennings.
     Both sides have a crucial battle this afternoon as they are occupying a place in the bottom six with Sheffield United in 19th position and Tranmere just one place below them, a win for either side could ease their relegation fears a little.
    It was United that got off to a good start scoring a goal after nine minutes when Jose Baxter's corner was headed down to Jamie Murphy who turned in a crowded Tranmere six yard box to hit the ball under Owain Fon Williams in the Rovers goal.
     Murphy almost became provider when his cross from the left was hit against the bar and was close to bouncing over the goal line off Liam Ridehalgh who was trying to clear the danger for Tranmere.
     Six minutes into the second half and United did extend their lead when a ball played from mid-field to Chris Porter on the edge of the eighteen yard area was slipped across the box to the penalty spot where Jose Baxter was running in to side foot the ball into Williams left hand side corner of the net.
     In the 67th minute the game was put beyond Tranmere's reach when a break down the right

Kop end stand

saw that man Murphy again play a ball to the exact spot as Porter did for the last goal but this time it was my man of the match Ryan Flynn who was there for a carbon copied goal of Baxter's eleven minutes earlier.
     Tranmere did get a consolation goal in the 85th minute when Jason Koumas fired the ball into the United six yard box where an attempted header clearance found Ash Taylor running in to fire home from twelve yards.
     This triggered a late surge from Rovers who could have reduced the deficit even further when the two substitutes combined with Max Power, (Yes this is the players real name), pumping the ball into United's box to be headed out but only as far as Jake Kirby who hit a twenty five yard shot that clipped the top of the bar and over for a goal kick.
     So it ended with a 3-1 victory for Sheffield United and I can honestly say that I've been treated to another marvellous game of football in Yorkshire, the best yet again so far this season.  I look forward to coming to this part of the country again in the future..

 

Jessica Ennis Stand

 Bramall Lane is a 32,700 all seated Stadium with all corners filled in but mainly with office blocks, unfortunately.  The two stands that run the touch lines are the Visit Malta stand which is a smart looking stand with executive boxes and the GAC stand, which is where I watched the game and is a more plain looking feature of the Stadium.
     At the Bramall Lane end behind the goal is the Jessica Ennis stand which is two tiered and covered while opposite this is the Kop end which can't be good for spectators as it has two pillars holding the roof up and so will restrict the fans view from certain places.
     Away fans are housed in the lower tier of the Jessica Ennis stand with the upper tier made available also when more space is needed to accommodate larger opposition followings.

                                                         Match Details

     

VENUE #43 ROSS COUNTY Global Energy Stadium

SCOTTISH PREMIER

Ross County... 1

Aberdeen... 0

Saturday 5th October 2013

@ Global Energy Stadium/

     Victoria Park, Dingwall,

               Inverness

     Absolutely loved it when this one came out of the bag, a nine hundred mile round trip to Dingwall in the Scottish Highlands to see Ross County who's ground is the furthest away from where I'm situated in the ten divisions that are being covered by myself and they're playing fellow highlanders and one of the most distinguished football teams in Scotland, Aberdeen.

   

Inverness castle taken from outside the hotel

My Wife is accompanying me on this trip which will start about 5:30am on Friday morning to reach Inverness about 2:30pm in the afternoon.  We're staying in Inverness at a Premier Inn hotel on the banks of the river Ness for two nights, starting the journey home at 9:00am Sunday morning.

     When we arrived at the hotel we unpacked and then I suggested that we take a walk up to the Caledonian Stadium so I could take some pictures of the ICT ground.  Baring in mind that we had just embarked on a nine hour journey and so the Wife was a little reluctant, shall we say, to come with me on this trek but after a little persuasion agreed to tag along.  The Inverness Caledonian Thistle ground is just across the road from the North sea and some of the views are breath taking, so to me, it was well worth the visit.

     On the Saturday morning we took in the sites of Inverness around the town, river and castle before I made the further journey by train to Dingwall while the Wife scouted around all the crafting shops she could find locally.  When I actually arrived at Dingwall station I ended up following the crowd thinking that everyone was heading for the football ground but nearly ended up in the pub,(again).  The majority of people getting off the train at Dingwall were Aberdeen fans making their way from the East coast to see the match or just to get drunk somewhere different whatever the case may be.  It suddenly came to me that I had to cross the railway bridge to reach the ground and not head in the direction of the town.

Teams shake hands before the match

     

     Last weekend Ross County travelled to Fir park to face Motherwell in the SPL and were on the end of a convincing 3-1 beating from the South Glaswegian side and the manager Derek Adams names an unchanged side to face Aberdeen this afternoon.  St. Mirren Park was the destination of the Dons on Monday night last where they managed to get a share of the spoils in a 1-1 draw and manager Derek McInnes makes just the one change, Niall McGuinn comes in for Calvin Zola.  Ross County go into this match fourth from bottom while their opponents are doing slightly better holding the fourth from top spot.

     The first half started with Aberdeen dominating the play and it seemed as though they would end their dismal record at the Victoria ground, only managing to draw one and lose two in the last couple of seasons.  But, for all their dominance of the game they couldn't manage to break down a resilient County defence.  The staggies were restricted to two chances in the first period and both of them fell to Rocco Quinn, the first was a shot from distance that sailed high and wide of Jamie Langfield's goal and the second came near to the end of the half when he was a little closer but still wide of the target.

     After the break County looked fired up and came out with intent toward the Aberdeen goal when Steven Ross's shot went wide of the visitors post but seven minutes in they took the lead when a ball from Melvin De Leeuw to the right side of the Aberdeen penalty area found Rocco Quinn who smashed the ball into the roof of the net from six yards.  County nearly extended their lead moments later but Graham Carey's shot from an acute angle was well saved by Aberdeen's keeper Langfield.

     The game opened up toward the end with both sides obtaining corners with County looking more likely to extend their lead than to lose it but in the dying embers Michael Hector thought he had earned the Dons a point but was denied by Mark Brown in the Staggies goal.

   

Five minutes to kick off and the Aberdeen fans are still in the pub

The Victoria ground or Global Energy Stadium as it was re-named in 2012 is a 6,300 all seated stadium.  The East and the West stands run along the touch lines with the East being the bigger, both are fully covered and the West, where I was watching the game from, has the left third designated to away fans.  The two stands behind the goals are the Jail end which is right side of the West stand and houses the vocal part of the home support while at the other end is the North stand which is the bigger of the two stands and where the opposing fans were watching the game.  The gate for this game was just over 5,000 and most of them were Aberdeen fans who filled the North stand and created a great atmosphere even though quite a number of them were a little over intoxicated, (So says the man after last weekend in Aberystwyth).

                                           Match Details

 

            

VENUE #42 ABERYSTWYTH TOWN Park Avenue

WELSH PREMIER

Aberystwyth Town... 1
Bala Town... 1

Saturday 28th September
               2013

@ Park Avenue Ground
        Aberystwyth


     I just knew that it was a mistake when I agreed to meet my old work colleague and drinking partner Andy to go and watch the Aberystwyth V Bala game.  Andy upped sticks, sold his house and moved his family to the mid coast Welsh town several years ago to live in a caravan on site in an attempt to escape the rat race and stress of meeting mortgage payments every month, I only wish that I'd got the guts to do something similar.  He's now doing a job that he loves whilst living in a most beautiful part of the world with lots of lovely sea air, what more could you want?
   

The Control Tower

 We met up in Wetherspoons inside the Aberystwyth train station a couple of hours before kick off and like the good old days we strolled from pub to pub around the town until we eventually got to the pier where we got talking to two chaps from Shrewsbury who's names, unfortunately, I can't remember but not surprising really with all the alcohol I'd consumed.  They had come to watch the game as well with the intent of getting plastered at the same time.
     By the time we managed to get to Park Avenue, between us, we must have had enough beer to sink a small battleship and I had just a vague idea of the reason why I had come to Aberystwyth.  Low and behold if there wasn't a club house inside the ground and with the game live on Sgorio, the Welsh TV sports channel and the rain coming down pitch side we decided to watch the game in the club house while supping more ale.  The rain did ease off for the second half so we did see some of the game from the touchline but by that time I was unable to take in what I was watching and so have to rely strongly on web information for this report.

Picture from where I stood in second half

     Last weekend Aber took on Gap Connah's Quay here at Park Avenue and earned a point in a 3-3 draw, manager Tomi Morgan names an unchanged line-up for the game today.  Bala travelled to Y Morfa to take on Conwy Borough in the league cup on Tuesday night last and came away with a 4-2 victory.  Colin Caton makes three changes for today's game, Edwin Renaud, Steve Brown and the old Crewe favourite Kenny Lunt sit it out on the bench while Ben Collins, Ryan Valentine and Mark Connolly take their places.
     The Lakesiders started the more positive and were unlucky not to take the lead in the early stages when Mark Jones's shot went wide of Ashley Morris's goal.  The Seasiders came into the game and started to dominate with Craig Williams sending a shot just over the bar before having a free kick blocked on the Bala goal line.  Just after Stuart Jones headed wide from a corner and brought a fine save from the finger tips of Morris who managed to turn the ball over the crossbar.  Geoff Kellaway managed to get on the end of a William's cross only to head wide with the goal gaping at his mercy.
   

The Dias Stand

 0-0 at half time and just after the break a last ditched challenge from Stuart Jones denied Ben Collins giving Bala the lead but in the 59th minute Ryan Valentine broke the Aber hearts when he unleashed a twenty yard plus shot into Mike Lewis's near side corner of the net and brightened up a scrappy Welsh Premier league fixture, well, for Bala fans and neutrals such as myself.
     Kellaway came close to levelling things but fired a good chance wide of the Bala goal.  Then, in the 71st minute an inspired substitution by Tomi Morgan, bringing on Stuart Fraser for Craig Williams and within a minute the Aber academy product returning home after a brief spell with Newtown, netted with his first touch after some good play between Antonio Corbisiero and Mark Jones.
   
     Park Avenue has a 2,500 capacity of which 1,000 are seats.  We came in across the car park and stood in front of the clubhouse, (at first), which is on the riverside that runs along the touchline.  The main stand covers the centre circle and the club shop is behind the club house.  On the other side of the pitch the Coedian Y Parc has the control tower covering the centre circle and to the left is an uncovered seating area which is designated to away fans, with a grass verge to the right.  Behind the goal to the left of the riverside end is the Dias stand end, a covered stand which straggles the eighteen yard area with a flat standing area to the left of the goal and a arriva bus depot behind it.  At the other end behind the goal is a grass verge.

View from car park of bridge crossing river

   
     The drinking continued for a couple of hours after the game back in the Wetherspoons inside the station so as our new found friends as well as myself didn't have too far to travel to catch our relevant trains home.  Mine was the first to depart and I quickly found a seat to pass out on hoping that I would wake up in time to alight at Wolverhampton.  Andy and his new pals stayed on in the pub until the Shrewsbury train came in and whisked them away.  I read on a social network that Andy did arrive home safe that night to slump in his chair unconscious wearing his tea to the annoyance of his wife Jenny.

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