On one of our visits to friends in the North-east of England we happened to pass the Stadium of Light, home to Sunderland AFC.

A replacement for the famous Roker Park its naming was immediately derided by fans of Sunerland’s great rivals from up the A19 and amended by thme to Stadium of (something that rhymes with light.)

Football champions of England six times, Sunderland AFC have, of course, recenty fallen on relatively hard times.

The stadium sits above the River Wear:-

Part of west stand:-

From north-east:-

East and north stands:-

Stadium from Sunderland city centre showing west and south stands:-

As well as hosting athletics, Gateshead International Stadium is home to Gateshead FC, who now play in the English sixth tier, the National League North. The club is successor of a sort to both Gateshead United and Gateshead AFC, the last of which I can remember playing in the Football League.

We visited the stadium to attend an antique fair so I took the opportunity to photograph it.

Stadium east end exterior:-

Entrance. The sign says, “Welcome to Gateshead FC”:-

Gateshead FC logo:-

Interior from Main Stand:-

East goalposts and east seating area:-

West goalposts and seating:-

Running Track:-

Main Stand from west:-

Main Stand to right and east seating beyond:-

On leaving Rye we travelled along the south coast through East Sussex using the A 27, past the Falmer Stadium (known as the Amex) on Brighton’s outskirts, just before the turning for Lewes, the county town.

I didn’t see any Art Deco but there was a War Memorial, perched on a traffic island halfway up the High Street.

It’s topped by a winged figure of Victory. Apart from the dedication, the shields attached to the base of the memorial bear Great War names:-

From north:-

The right-hand shield at the bottom here has the dedication, “In memory of the men of Lewes who died for their country and for mankind n the Great War 1914-1918.” The column above it is inscribed, “Likewise remember those of this town who gave their lives in the war 1939-1945.” The rectangular plaque has names for World War 2:-

From west:-

From east. The column is inscribed, “This was their finest hour” and again the rectangular plaque has WW2 names:-

Home of Rochdale AFC. The stadium is known as the Crown Oil Arena due to sponsorship.

View from Willbutts Lane:-

Pearl Street stand:-

From bend in Pearl Street, Pearl Street stand to right, main stand to left:-

Turnstiles at Sandy Lane stand and turnstiles for Main stand west:-

From Sandy Lane:-

Willbutts Lane stand from main stand:-

Pearl Street stand from main stand:-

Sandy Lane stand/enclosure from main stand. This end is terraced rather than containing seating:-

Main stand from Sandy Lane End:-

Rochdale AFC’s mascot, Desmond the Dragon, with young fans:-

New Meadow Stadium is the home of Shrewsbury Town FC of the third tier in English football.

On the Saturday we had seen that there was an antique fair taking place in the main stand on the Sunday so we headed there after visiting Powis Castle and Welshpool.

New Meadow replaced the club’s old ground (called Gay Meadow) which was closer to the town centre near the Abbey and the River Severn. For many years in that old location local coracle maker Fred Davies used to use one of his coracles to retrieve any balls which happened to end up in the river.

New Meadow Stadium, Main Stand From Car Park:-

Main and North Stands:-

Shrewsbury Town FC Heroes:-

Main Stand from south-west:-

South and Main Stands:-

West and South Stands:-

If you look at the above there’s a blue set of doors between the stands. I took this photo of the main and north stands from the gap in the door:-

Inside the main stand this poster for the previous day’s game was still in evidence:-

I took the opportunity to photograph the other three stands from inside the Main Stand.

West Stand:-

North Stand:-

South Stand:-

The club has a distinctive badge featuring three lions’ heads* and the legend Floreat Salopia (May Shrewsbury flourish.):-

When I visited the team was going well at the top of their division. Sadly their performance tailed off and they missed out on automatic promotion and also lost in the play-offs. Some of these players left the club for better things in the summer and this season they have struggled a bit, flirting with the relegation places for a while. But I see now they are in thirteenth place with four games to go (though only six points clear of the relegation zone.)

Given that Rochdale have also had a run of poor results since I attended their stadium in November maybe I’m a jinx. Rochdale have also revived a bit recently but are only one point above the danger area with a terrible goal difference – much the worst in the bottom half of that league.

*Edited to add (16/4/19): According to this website they are actually leopards’ heads (known in heraldry as loggerheads.)

Home of The New Saints of Oswestry Town & Llansantffraid Football Club aka The New Saints or TNS, once known as Total Network Solutions.

Scene of the most recent historical achievement of Dumbarton FC, the mighty Sons of the Rock.

Since The New Saints play in the Welsh Premier League this also counts as a Welsh Football ground.

The ground is more or less in the middle of nowhere, across the main road which by-passes the town of Oswestry and up a narrow unlit road. And it doesn’t have much in the way of dedicated parking spaces.

Entrance Gates:-

From southwest. The structure on this side is a TV camera platform.

Main Stand from southwest. The word stand isn’t really appropriate. The brick structure is more like a social club with a small balcony fronting onto the pitch. It doesn’t seem to have seats. The covered area to the left here does, though:-

Main stand and north terracing/stand from southwest:-

Stadium from main stand, showing TV platform:-

Pitch and TV platform from northeast:-

Pitch and East terracing from northeast:-

North Terracing/Stand:-

Camera platform from north:-

Main stand and covered terracing from north terracing:-

Teams Shake Hands, Irn Bru Cup Semi-final, Park Hall Stadium, Oswestry, Feb 2018:-

English Football Tier 3,* Spotland,** 24/11/18.

As you can tell from this post’s title I’ve been away again. Down to see friends in Rochdale and seizing the opportunity to take in my first ever English League game. Not my first game in England – that was in Oswestry earlier this year, that wonderful magical night.

As you can see from the programme cover it was celebrating Ian Henderson’s 100 goals for the club.

My main impression overall was that the players’ work rate was higher than in the SPFL (Tier 3 or 2.) In particular the pressing was sharper and quicker.

I was a bit surprised to recognise the referee (from highlight games.) It was none other than Lee Probert. A high profile referee for a 3rd tier game surely?

Rochdale started on the front foot but Stanley’s more direct style soon had them making inroads at the back. Dale’s keeper Josh Lillis was only just back from injury and initially looked shaky, spilling the ball on his first contact but he was called on three times in the first half and made good stops each time. Stanley seemed prepared to shoot on sight but were only on target those three times. Dale tended to play the ball about at the back and tried to pass their way through but mostly didn’t penetrate. Dale’s number 7 scurried about, though, and his running style reminded me very much of Kenny Miller. Stanley had more of the first half but lacked that clinical edge.

Things changed in the second. Dale substitute forward Calvin Andrew immediately brought a new focus to the attack. Whatever Ian Henderson’s qualities winning high balls isn’t to the fore. Andrew put himself about and won the first four of his aerial duels. Thereafter the man marking resorted to climbing over him to get the ball. The Dale fans weren’t too keen on Probert’s failure to penalise that.

For all Dale manager Keith Hill’s desire to play football it was ironic that the goal came from that most basic of football attacking ploys, an inswinging corner. Ian Henderson worked himself room in the box to head it down and in. I thought the keeper might possibly have done better and kept it out but it squirmed under him. So goal no. 101 for Hendo. I think it was Dale’s only effort on target.

Stanley pushed in the final ten minutes but were reduced to long range efforts only, none of which troubled Lillis. Young David Perkins came on and perked up Dale’s midfield. He looked very much one for the future. Apparently Dale’s football academy is now one of the most respected in England.

It was a good result for my first experience of Spotland which is a tidy ground with stands on all four sides, the one behind the goal at Dale’s favourite end standing only. Stanley’s supporters filled the middle portion of the stand opposite the main one and made a lot of noise at the start. This faded towards the end. Dale’s supporters were notably more quiet and only roused thenselves a few times but it seems they take a good lot on away trips.

*EFL Tier 2 – call it Sky Bet League One if you must.

**The Crown Oil Arena, no less – it’ll always be Spotland to me.

Home of Bolton Wanderers F C.

Formerly the Reebok Stadium, then the Macron Stadium.

From M 61 motorway (through a passenger window):-

Scottish Challenge Cup*, Semi-final, Park Hall Stadium, 17/2/18

I was at Oswestry!

This is a boast that may be overtaken in a month or so’s time. Or not as the case may be.

Whatever, I was there when the mighty Sons played their first national cup semi-final in 44 years and reached their first national final for 106 years. It’s historic stuff.

Mind you I couldn’t see us achieving that heady goal at any time during the first half. We started poorly and allowed them to play from the outset. They were neat and tidy, passed the ball well, hit the bar with their first attack and continued to look threatening without managing to test Scott Gallacher in goal. I don’t know what the first half possession stats were but we didn’t have much of it that’s for sure. We barely crossed the halfway line and when we did failed to muster any sort of threat on their goal.

I thought it was all over when they scored early on in the second half. Their winger got past stop-gap left back David Smith (a midfielder turned into a makeshift right-back last season) and put in a low cross which from where I was sitting Scottt Gallacher seemed to spill and it fell to the scorer.

The game changed after around the hour mark when Calum Gallagher and Iain Russell were replaced by Mark Stewart and Liam Burt and we started to play.

Still the equaliser was a surprise as we had looked toothless even when we got the ball in their area. It was beautifully worked though with Kyle Hutton winning the ball in midfield before strolling forward and feeding Danny Handling who made space for himself and fairly thumped it past the keeper.

In a hairy moment Scott Gallacher made a one-handed stop for a header after a corner just before the ref whistled for an infringement.

Then. Froxy.

He replaced scorer Danny Handling and slotted into right midfield. I’d watched him at the half-time kick-about and he didn’t look fit to me, but sometimes he doesn’t have to be fit.

It was a free kick given for a foul against Christian Nade (his legs have gone; I don’t know how he lasted the full 94 minutes) – the first he’d got all game despite their centre half being all over him at times. I thought it was too central but Froxy is Froxy, that left foot is something else. Bang. Top left corner. Cue delirium.

It felt like very late on but there were still about ten minutes to get through before the final whistle and I nearly had heart failure when Scott Gallacher had to juggle a shot that must have swerved in the air.

Considering that due to injuries we also had to play a centre half at right back and our midfield wasn’t at its strongest this was an amazing result.

We had only two shots on target in the whole game but they both hit the back of the net. That’s football.

Here’s a video of the scenes after the final whistle. Click on the picture to get to video:-

*Irn Bru Cup

The Humber Bridge from King George Dock, Hull:-

The exit from King George Dock is through a sea lock. A very tight squeeze! Looking directly down the ship’s side:-

Other side of ship. Only centimetres of water between ship and lock side:-

The sea lock:-

Lock emptying:-

Nearly at level:-

Finally moving off:-

Humber Bridge from Humber Estuary:-

I never did see the KCom stadium but on the way out of the Humber I spotted the very distinctive Grimsby Dock Tower (picture from Wikipedia):-

Some way beyond it were the four floodlight pylons of what looked very like a football ground which I assume must have been Blundell Park, home of Grimsby Town FC, though it seems the ground is actually in Cleethorpes.