Last Saturday Harwood Bull felt the need to watch some live football so decided to visit Clitheroe.
To fill the void I thought I would go and see some local football. I’ve got plenty of choice. I live between Blackburn and Burnley. Accrington Stanley are no more than ten minutes away. Bolton, Wigan, Oldham, Preston, are all within easy reach. So what did I go and see? Clitheroe Town v. Workington in the FA Trophy, that’s what. Clitheroe is very nice little town, and the football club play in Division One North of the Evo Stick league, i.e. one level in the football pyramid below where the current bunch of impostors claiming to be Hereford United play. Workington are one level above that, in the Evo Stick Premier.
Although I go to Clitheroe regularly, I wasn’t quite sure how to get to the ground. I asked a local lad the way and he said “turn left at the end of the street, then you will hear the roar”. Everyone’s a comedian these days. The ground was compact, with a very small gap between the pitch and the concrete wall surrounding it which must make long throws and corner kicks difficult, and with a serious side to side slope. The crowd was somewhere between 200 and 300, including a very noisy and well lubricated 30 or 40 from Workington. It was £7 admission, and I treated myself to the local delicacy of pie, peas and gravy which at £2.30 was good value. There was a bar and it was OK to take your pint out onto the terraces if you wanted to.
The game itself wasn’t too bad. The home side worked hard, without ever creating any real scoring opportunities. Workington went ahead on 29 minutes with a well taken goal, and then one of the Clitheroe defenders got a straight red for an over enthusiastic challenge. Workington hit the post from the resulting free kick. In the second half the ref levelled things up by sending off one of the visitors for a second yellow, Workington got another goal, and the game fizzled out after that.
Overall it was an enjoyable afternoon. The football wasn’t great – lots of huffing and puffing but not much skill - but it was watchable. I was able to move around the pitch to see things from different viewpoints and chatted to supporters from both sides - there was no segregation. Unfortunately some knob in the Workington group threw a coin at a Clitheroe supporter which caused a brief appearance from the law. Other than that it all passed off quietly and I was home by ten past five.
It was just good to be at a live match again, hearing the banter and abuse. It felt a lot more real than being in a big stadium, watching a bigger team I have no real connection with or feeling for, and I started feeling nostalgic about days on the Meadow End. I won’t go back to Edgar Street until it’s back in the hands of someone we trust, so until then maybe I’ll be a Clitheroe supporter. Come on you blues!