My Matchday - 128 - Darlington Road

West Auckland Town 1v1 Dunston Fed
Arngrove Northern League Division One
17th February 2007
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Darlington Road is the home of Northern League club West Auckland Town,a club which will remain forever immortalised, as they are renowned as the first ever winners of the ‘World Cup’.

Founded in 1893,they spent their pioneer years playing in local leagues around County Durham until their election into the Northern League for the first time in 1909.
Their famous ‘World Cup Campaign’ was made into a TV film by Tyne-Tees ‘A Captains Tail’ was narrated by Dennis Waterman(in a very dodgy County Durham accent)he played the part of team captain Bob Jones,who skippered his team mates and fellow coalminers to the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy in 1909.
The club returned to Turin two years later in 1911 and retained the trophy, which made them outright winners meaning the trophy was theirs for keeps,but the second trip lead to severe financial trouble and the club sadly disbanded in 1912,even the sale of their winning trophy wasn’t enough to save them.
The club were back in business two years later,but spent 20 years playing local league football until 1934,when they finally got their Northern League status back,re-elected into the league replacing Esh Winning.
West Auckland went on to become Northern League champion twice at the turn of the sixties,this was the best period in ‘West’ history as this coincided with their only appearance at Wembley, narrowly losing out to Walthamstow Avenue 2-1 in the 1961 FA Amateur Cup in front of a crowd of 45,000.
You enter the ground via a back lane with the main entrance along with the turnstiles in the corner of the ground,behind the goal is a small built up terrace which runs towards the café and the club house,the main stand has five rows of amber benches with black plate seats,sandwiched in between is a diminutive covered terraced stand,the other two sides are left open with the opposing side to the main area acts as a car park for club officials.
Obviously it goes without saying,the pitch has a slope,which seems to run down across and back around again,the pitch is surrounded by white walls which certainly brightens the place up a bit, apart from behind the goals which are painted amber,to evidently help the strikers find their target.
The match was entertaining to say the least,but not for events on the field more for the action off it with good banter between supporters and players,both referee and linesmen had a torrid time from players, fans and from both dugouts,(referees in the ANL must be the bravest of all)with the highlight being ‘The Fed’s’manager taking off his glasses and offering them to the linesman after a dodgy offside decision and Wests keeper(is he the oldest goalie in the world…probably) constantly arguing with everyone,which finally resulting in a booking after some unkind Rooneyesque words to the referee.
By and large a smashing day out in County Durham with a bit of groundhopping history for myself,as my 128th ground along with the old Wembley is now my second ground which is a home to winners of a world cup.
West report/ More match photos

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This is the new badge of the 100 Football Grounds Club,special thanks goes out to Dan Robinson for bringing my design to life.
The logo will eventually be transformed into pin badges,and will be distributed to all members of the 100FGC.

My Matchday - 127 Galpharm Stadium

Huddersfield Town 3v1 Gillingham
Football League One
3rd February 2007
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Finally a return to the Yorkshire Borough of Kirklees and a visit to the ground which was dubbed the ‘stadium of the nineties’ when constructed in 1994-‘The Galpharm Stadium’ or if you still can’t get used to the new name ‘The McAlpine Stadium’
It’s almost 23 years since I last visited Huddersfield,back in the Leeds Road days,and as you may have read on these pages,it was way back in the days of amusing haircrimes(contributed comment of Helge of Munich) and a entirely different football era.
The Galpharm Stadium is a ground of true splendour, which won the RIBA Stirling Prize for architecture in 1995,the main contractor in the construction was Alfred McAlpine,at an estimated cost of £40 million,part of the original deal was the naming of the stadium after the firm for the next 10 years,an option which they didn’t prolong,so in 2004 Galpharm Healthcare Ltd took up the sponsorship,hence the new name.
The Terriers home has a capacity of 24500,the ground has a unique contour, there are four separate stands,all which are shaped like orange segments,the Panasonic Stand and the Riverside Stand are two-tiered and the Antich Stand along with the away end,Pink Link Stand are single tiers,the four corners are open,but this is the main characteristic of the stadium,as the structural supports meet and form which looks like four giant robotic legs which acts as a support for the floodlights.
I sat in the top tier of the Panasonic Stand,which seems to be the main stand for families and the view was excellent,to my left the Antich Stand is the main singing end,where there’s a constant din of a drum throughout,I don’t know what tune they were banging out but it sounded like ‘Shang-a-lang’ by the Bay City Rollers.
Behind the opposite goal is the away end which has an electric scoreboard,and the main stand has hospitality areas which not only benefits The Town’s supporters but also their Rugby League residents Huddersfield Giants,this stand also features a podium for the presentation of trophies and medals.
Before the main event the supporters are introduced to a special,but regular guest,who can this be,I wondered? Then on runs the one and only Terry The Terrier,the hairy faced one laps up the applause and does a wee lap of honour,to 'Who let the Dogs out'
On a glorious February summers day,the teams entered the arena to the sound of the tune from the ‘Old Spice’ aftershave advert (Carmina Burana)and it only takes 3 minutes for Town to take the lead,the goal is greeted by the jingle of the Mary Hopkins song ‘Those Were The Days’ covered by (not sure but sounded like) Black Lace,and within another 5 minutes I again had to suffer the same song as Town living legend “Boothy”celebrated his new improved contract with his opener of his two goal brace.
I travelled to Huddersfield by train,(1st class compartment,of course)my travelling companion when I went to Donny earlier in the season was best mucker Jimmy,but this time,we left each other at York,as he was on a all day bender with some of his work collegues,so I went on to Huddersfield alone.
I looked at the FGG for the best pubs to visit on arriving in the town,my first call was a social club on Leeds Road called the Bradley Mills Working Mens Club,I was looking forward to a few pints and watching the Merseyside derby on Sky.I got myself a pint and found the TV switched off,a lad appeared with the TV remote in his hand “Get in!,get the match on” I thought,but imaging my disappointment when he put the teletext on with the latest score from Anfield on view,I used to do that a good 20 odd years ago,but not now in the days of internet,mobile phones and satellite television.
I swiftly knocked my pint back after realising I was sitting in ‘a regulars seat' and after trying Rickys and the Market Tavern,no football on,just Rugby from the Beeb,my last call was the Gas Club just next to the stadium,there I found I had to pay to get in,”paying to get in a pub!!,it’s Huddersfield not bliddy Blackpool” so I gave it up as a bad job and went on to the stadium.
Overall another enjoyable trip to Yorkshire(although I can’t understand how the SkyTV satellite doesn’t seem to hit Kirklees) as far as ‘The Pharm’ is concerned it’s a Premiership ground in League One,a distinctive structure which the residents of Huddersfield can be proud of, not just another lifeless bowl that clubs knock up nowadays,so the Terriers are now barking away in a palace and not a rusty old kennel.
Match report. / Aerial picture

Ground Image Of The Month

In 1985,Charlton Athletic ran into financial troubles and new safety regulations deemed The Valley unsafe,which lead to the club having to leave their home of 66 years and groundshare with rivals Crystal Palace at neighbouring Selhurst Park.
The ground had been left to wrack and ruin(see ground image) but ‘The Addicks’ never gave up hope of returning to their spiritual home and with the help of new directors and the unity of their loyal fans,they cleared the overgrowth and applied for planning permission to rebuild on the site.
Greenwich Borough Council refused the club planning permission and this forced the fans to form their own political party and fight at the next election with the main agenda being a return to The Valley.
‘The Valley Party’ were victorious in their mission,and along with the publicity the campaign generated forced the council into a rethink,so in April 1991 planning permission was finally granted,and after a season sharing with ‘The Hammers’ at Upton Park,Charlton Athletic returned to their home on Floyd Road in 1992.

The Valley today.