The Ghost Stadium of Chernobyl and the Team That Is No More

Imagine a whole town or city being evacuated, with no one ever to return. People leaving behind their homes, their places of work, the places where they socialise, in many cases leaving behind the place where they grew up. 

Watching TV recently I saw a programme where they visited a place where this actually happened, with area in question being site of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster and the now ghost town that stands in it's shadow. Proclaimed a city in 1979, Pripyat's population reached 49,360 before it was evacuated in April 1986, and sat there imagining what everyday life would have been like in this Soviet metropolis, one of my first thoughts was did they have a football team? 

Naturally however I did not wonder for long, I very quickly went and did what everyone does in the modern day world that we live in, I went on the internet and googled the answer. The answer was indeed yes there had been a team in Pirpyat. According to wikipedia FC Stroitel Pripyat played in the fifth tier of Soviet football and finished second in their final full season before leaving the city (they moved to Slavutych a new purpose built city for Chernobyl evacuees, but folded two years later). 

You can view Pripyat's overgrown abandoned stadium on Google Maps street view and after putting a few tweets out to various Ukrainian, Russian, and Soviet football accounts, someone replied telling me they'd visited the stadium as part of a Chernobyl tour. Although I've obviously never been myself it is interesting too see footage and images of the crumbling 'ghost' stand that remains and imagine the matches that took place there.

As for further information on the club, my twitter shout out did not give me anything else but I did myself however find a moderately interesting article on the club at atlasobscura.com and the abandoned ground. It describes in the abandoned ground, though that is nothing you can't see via Google maps, but does also have an interesting paragraph about the very sudden end of football in Pripyat: 

Midfield Magazine reported how on April 26, 1986, FC Stroitel Pripyat’s opponents for the upcoming weekend’s fixture, the magnificently Soviet named, FC Mashinostroitel, were preparing to leave for Pripyat. The sharp end of the season was approaching, and the two sides were scheduled to play in the semi-final of the Kiev Regional Cup. A helicopter landed on FC Mashinostroitel’s training field, and a fraught looking official informed them, “lads, go home, you’re not going to Pripyat tomorrow.” The cataclysmic events unfolding at Chernobyl meant no football team would ever play there again.

FC Stroitel Pripyat is a fascinating football story about which I know very little, and any further information would be welcome about what is one story that is rarely told when it comes to the Chernobyl disaster and the events that followed it.

Border Boys

Anyone and everyone is welcome at Galabank, from the man who's travelled up from London for his first experience of football in these parts, to the group of West Brom fans who looking for a second team to follow closed their eyes, put a pin on a map, and ended up here. Then there's me, this my also my first visit and I've travelled from Newcastle to be here.

I'm here at a stadium where some ten years ago 22 men took the field in what was a historical moment for the team plays here, it's loyal supporters, and indeed the small borders town in which they are based. The town is Annan in Dumfries and Galloway, south west Scotland, and the club in question is Annan Athletic of Scottish League Two.

A decade ago at the start of the 2008-09 season having just made their Scottish Football League debut with a 4-1 win away at Cowdenbeath, Annan Athletic played their first ever home game inside the top four divisions of Scottish football, with 1152 spectators in attendance to witness this historic occasion. It was 9th August 2008, a rainy Saturday afternoon, and despite visitors Stenhousemuir taking the lead on four minutes, the hosts playing in their traditional black and gold colours were level tso minutes later when Mike Jack slid the ball home. Having from the penalty spot scored the clubs first ever league goal at Cowdenbeath a week earlier, Jack had now scored the clubs first ever home league goal. Stenhousemuir had a man sent off on the hour mark but Annan failed to to take advantage and their first ever home game in the league ended in a draw.

As part of it's match report from that famous day, the Daily Record wrote of a notice on the wall in the ground's social club stating there would be an open meeting held to try and form a supporters club, and that 'depending on numbers' a bus would run for fans to attend the clubs next away game at Montrose. Annan Athletic had finally arrived. 

Yes Annan had arrived, but some eight years after originally applying to to join the league. Although in recent years there has been a play-off system in place involving the bottom team in League Two, not so long ago the league was a closed shop, and very rarely were new clubs admitted. In 2000 a league expansion saw Elgin City and Peterhead join the league with Annan's application unsuccessful, but eight years later and it was however a different story. The financial demise of near neighbours Gretna saw a place open up for admission into the league and this time out of five teams who applied it was Annan who were the successful applicants. 66 years after they were originally formed, Annan Athletic had for the very first time become members of the Scottish Football League.

Galabank is a modest stadium, a modern looking all seater stand runs along one side of the pitch with open air terracing for the away fbehind one goal ans to its left, whilst to its right home fans have been able to stand undercover behind the other goal since 2013 when new covered terracing was constructed. The pitch slopes down towards the covered end, and this end has a clubhouse situated behind it. On a matchdays you will find the clubhouse a hive of activity with visiting officials being offered a warm welcome inside, and home supporters sat watching the lunchtime kick-offs on the television as they enjoy a few pre match pints. Once they've finished their pints, left the delightful clubhouse building and headed inside the ground for kick-off, those supporters can soak up their alcohol with a bite to eat, choosing from a selection of food including what I found to be one of the best meat pies I've ever tasted. 

The stadium itself has been the home of Annan Athletic since 1953 when the club were a Scottish team playing in an English league. However in 1977 Annan left the Carlisle and District League and rejoined the Scottish Football Association where pre 2008 they spent their days in the South of Scotland League and then later the East of Scotland League. 
Annan's first two seasons in the league's bottom division League Two saw seventh and eighth placed finishes, with the latter also including a Scottish Challenge Cup semi final, whilst their third season saw the clubs first real promotion push.

22 May 2011 was a key date in the history of Annan Athletic as they hosted Albion Rovers in the second leg of a promotion play-off final. A fourth placed finish had seen Annan face up against second bottom in League One Alloa Athletic in a the semi final and the men in Black and Gold won 2-1 on aggregate to set up the tie with Albion. Having won the first leg 3-1, Albion went into the second game clear favourites and went 1-0 up after 24 minutes.  But Annan would not go down without a fight. The 1,165 strong crowd that afternoon saw Bryan Gilfillan find the net twice in the second half and the home fans started to believe. Annan pressed forward looking for a winner but this however was to no avail and dreams of promotion were dashed.

Promotion has yet to follow with second and third placed finishes in 2013-14 and 2016-17 respectively both ending with play-off semi final defeats. 2012-13 however brought another historic moment in the clubs history, a 2-1 victory over the mighty Glasgow Rangers.

One half of the big Old Firm rivalry that is made up of the two most successful clubs in the history of Scottish football, Rangers had reformed after financial meltdown and were forced to start their new life in the bottom division of the Scottish leagues. That season Rangers won the title with a 24 point margin, but they didn't have it all their own way as events on 19th Mach 2013 showed. Undefeated at home in league up to that point, Rangers got the shock of their lives after a visit from those men in Black and Gold, in what was probably the biggest moment in Annan Athletic's 70 odd year history.

Crowds of 2,517 and 2,441 had seen Rangers twice visit Galabank with the first game ending 0-0 and the second a 3-1 win for the visitors. A 3-0 away defeat for Annan against the Gers was sandwiched in between, before a fourth game between the two sides and that historic afternoon at Rangers' Ibrox Park home.

Annan had been struggling in the league, new manager Jim Chapman had failed to win any of his first seven games in charge, and a visit to Ibrox for match number 8 wasn't expect to bring anything other than defeat. All assumptions were thrown out the window however when Annan found themselves 2-0 ahead with two goals in the first 10 minutes of the second half. An Ally Love backheel in 47 minutes was followed by a David Hopkirk header 8 minutes later, and for the visiting supporters this was what you call 'dreamland'. Yes Rangers quickly pulled one back, but it mattered not as Annan held on for a famous famous victory. 

Although Annan have failed to advance from League Two in the ten years since they joined the division, they are now a well established name in the Scottish leagues. Taking us up to the present and the 2017-18 season has seen Annan finish in seventh place meaning they will remain in League Two for another season at least. When I visited them towards the end of the season they were playing a Stirling Albion side who despite sitting in the play-off positions were enduring a rotten run of form. Annan ran out 3-1 winners, and the home fans amongst the above average 507 crowd seemed to rather enjoy themselves on what was a warm sunny afternoon, making lots of noise, particularly when the goals went in. Despite the noise, the fans did however fail to drown out what is one of the loudest PA system I've ever came across, with defeaning music accompanying every goal.

That there ends my introduction to Annan Athletic, and I leave you with some final thoughts. A neat little stadium and welcoming hospitality awaits anyone who ventures over to Galabank, and hopefully this family friendly club will continue to thrive both on and off the pitch so that their stay in the Scottish leagues can last well into the future years ahead.

Annan
A key border town in the wars between England and Scotland during the middle ages, Annan Castle was home to the Bruce family who were the Lords of Annandale, and took a very active role in Scottish independence (all this obviously many many centuries before Sturgeon and co tried to secede from the United Kingdom). Since the Acts of Union in 1707 however, Annan and its inhabitants have lived a much more peaceful life, and Annan with a River of the same name running through it for many years became known for it's ship building. Nowadays the town has a population of about 8,500.

Popular attractions within the town include Annandale Distillery where you can take a tour of the site and take part in whisky tasting, the Victorian Town Hall which was built in 1878 and sits at one end of the high street, and also Bridge House which is considered one of the finest Georgian Town Houses in Scotland. Bridge House was used by Annan Academy between 1802-1820  where writer Thomas Carlyle was a notable pupil and there are currently plans to restore the Grade A listed building and open a museum there. Although no longer in existence, the site of what was Annan Castle forms part of Galabank Park that sits by the river, whilst opposite the entrance to the park a plaque marks the cottage where the renowned artist and painter to Queen Victoria William Ewart Lockhart was brought up.

MATCHDAY GUIDE

Getting to the Stadium
The ground is barely a 10 minute walk north from the town's main train station which is on the Carlisle to Dumfries line.

Eating and Drinking
There is a clubhouse at the ground, but that aside you'll need to walk into the town centre which is just under a 10 minute walk away. On the High Street there is the excellent Blue Bell Inn pub whilst the nearby Cafe Royal is popular for food.

Buying a ticket
Matches generally don't sell out and you can pay on the turnstiles.
Admission prices for season 2017/18 were as follows.
Adults: £12
Adult & Child (under 12 years): £12 (Accompanied Children U12 free entry)
Concessions: £6 (Concession entry covers Senior Citizens (65+), Juniors under 16

As featured in July 2018 issue of Football Weekends magazine

There's always a match in Berlin

Berlin has a rich football history. Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin are well known throughout the world, and Union Berlin in the second division seem to be rather popular amongst visitors from the UK, whilst fourth tier BFC Dynamo are well remembered for their East German past. What people don't always realise though is that the German capital also hosts several other clubs in the fourth tier Regionalliga, as well as an extensive list of clubs in both the fifth tier Oberliga and the large Berlin league system that sits below it. Such an array of leagues and teams gives an expansive list of options for the football traveller looking to find a match when visiting the city. Even an end of season trip to Berlin during the week which saw me arrive at the wrong ground for a game, still saw me able to catch one and a half local matches in the city. Also, with a truly excellent public transport system, getting to the football once you've found the right venue is not a problem in the slightest.

I enjoyed a delightful stay in this bustling German metropolis when originally I was supposed to be in London. A planned overnight trip with friends to watch our beloved Newcastle United away at Tottenham however had to shelved because a) we couldn't get tickets, and b) some of our contingent couldn't get time off work either. I however had my leave all booked but nowhere to go. So with the money I'd saved for London whispering 'spend me, spend me', I indulged in one of my favourite pastimes of searching for cheap last minute flights online. I usually in the end decide not to go anywhere but this time I actually decided to take the plunge. 

Having always wanted to visit Berlin, when I came across £60 return flights from Newcastle I jumped at the chance, especially when a quick fixture check showed that I might be able to catch some local fussball whilst there. Confirmation that none of my friends would be coming didn't deter me, and I booked up for this fascinating solo trip which included two great games that are detailed below.

Match 1 - Berliner AK 07 v Berliner FC Dynamo

The first of my two matches in Berlin came after a long Wednesday sightseeing in which I saw many of the usual sights, including the Brandenburg Gate, Berlin Wall, and Checkpoint Charlie, as well as the slightly more unusual but rather interesting Currywurst museum. Currywurst is my favourite German cuisine along with the McRib burger. Although not strictly German, Germany is the only country where McDonald's permanently serves this famously elusive burger all year round. I am also partial to a bit of Sauerkraut, whilst the Turkish 'Kebap' shops common in many German cities serve Doner Kebabs that are far superior to anything available in the UK.

As you can see I had plenty of food options for my post match supper, but before my meal it was time for the big game. That night's match was a Berlin derby in the Regionalliga Nordost between Berliner Athletik Klub 07, often referred to as Berliner AK 07 or simply just BAK, and Berliner FC Dynamo, or BFC Dynamo for short. 

Previously as the all conquering East German side Dynamo Berlin, BFC Dynamo won ten top flight GDR Oberliga titles in a row between 1979 and 1988. Being the favoured club of the Stasi (secret police) many alleged that their dominance came with help of obedient referees and because of this the club was despised by many throughout the East German republic. With the clubs past so heavily associated with the communist East German regime its rather surprising that nowadays Dynamo - currently an insignificant semi professional side in the lower leagues - has a fanbase consisting of predominantly far right neo nazi skinheads. This I'd read about previously and I had it confirmed by a German I met at my second game who said Dynamo's support was notorious for its what many people consider extremist views. As for the home side BAK, Wikipedia told me they had a bit of a following amongst the local Turkish community, but aside from a few Turkish sounding names on the pitch this wasn't something I found particularly noticeable whilst attending the match.

After walking through a charming park full of families with picnic baskets and children kicking balls around I found myself at the Poststadion, home of BAK. There were various stalls outside the main stand serving food and drink, as well as a couple of tables serving as a mini club shop and selling replica shirts and other memorabilia.

I purchased a €10 match ticket from a small ticket hut outside and as I entered the stadium was thoroughly patted down by a member of what was a heavy security presence, and also had my bag thoroughly searched. In the ground I was sat in the all seater main stand along with the home support. The pitch had an athletics track around it with the away support stood on the terracing at the other side of the ground. I Had to temporarily leave the stadium when I was told that the only toilets were outside, and had to deal with the same over the top security rigmarole before I could re enter.

BAK, pronounced 'Bee-ah-kah' very quickly found themselves 2 -0 up thanks to a thunderbolt long range shot and another effort also from distance that came shortly afterwards, both of which saw the home fans rather excited. A small group of children at one end of the stand were brought to life by the excellent start and ended up making a lot of noise chanting 'BAK! BAK!' whilst accompanying said chant with loud drumming. BAK totally dominated that first half and found themselves 3-0 up at half-time. In the second period BAK relaxed a little but still ran out 4-1 winners and the home fans in the crowd of 416 trudged off into the night rather happy, whilst I went off to a bar near my hostel for a beer and some German sausage and mash with sauerkraut. Yum.

Match 2 - Füchse Berlin v Tasmania

Before this second game I spent two days doing more sightseeing. This further sightseeing included trips to the Ramones Museum where you can walk round with a beer (apparently the punk rock band were very popular in Germany and the place was recommended to me by a friend), a walk down Karl-Marx-Allee which was built as the showpiece boulevard of the GDR, and a brilliant tour of the Olympiastadion (with thankfully no intense security searches). The city having now been extensively covered, I was definitely ready for some more onfield action. 

With a Saturday afternoon flight home stopping me from catching any of the numerous weekend fixtures, the only other game I could find after studying the various fixture lists was a lone Friday night sixth tier Berlin-Liga match between Füchse Berlin and a team called Tasmania (Who just to point out are also based in Berlin themselves and do not hail from that island by the same name near Australia. Now that would have been a long away trip!!!).

Pronounced 'Fookser' which translates as 'foxes', very little information on the home side was forthcoming online other than that they are a sports club more famous for their handball team, whilst their website even when translated into English was almost useless.  A quick search on Google Maps however did lead me to what I believed was the home ground of their football side and I arrived there half an hour before kick-off. 

I had turned up in the middle of what was a quaint residential area known as Reinickendorf and I found several football pitches and some tennis courts, but whilst there seemed to be players warming up next to the main pitch, there was a distinct lack of supporters about. Despite posters up advertising the match I knew something was amiss when as kick-off approached the players were still training/warming up and there were still no spectators around. The specified kick-off time came and went with still no match taking place so I checked my phone and a German site listing the league fixtures claimed the match had already kicked off and also had live updates from the said game! The match may well have kicked off somewhere, but not where I was!

I frantically searched online using my phone to try and find out where the actual stadium was and whilst doing so was accosted by two lads who when they realised I was English introduced themselves as a German groundhopper and a Finnish guy studying in Berlin. The two men had just met minutes earlier after making the same mistake as me and turning up at the wrong venue. At least I wasn't alone in doing so! One of my two new friends was thankfully able to find directions to the correct ground and I followed the pair of them to a nearby station where I was promised it was only two stops to the right stadium.

After some great banter on the station platform we were eventually able to board a delayed train and finally get to our destination. Unfortunately the aforementioned delay saw us enter the ground just after the second-half had kicked off, but arriving so late no one seemed to charge us an entrance fee so it wasn't all bad.

After buying cheap drinks in the club house we headed out onto the terracing in front of it. These several rows of terracing ran along the length of one side of the pitch and many people stood there enjoying the action, whilst behind one goal a grassy bank was also populated by supporters.The rest of the ground seemed to be surrounded by trees. In all there were probably a couple of hundred of people in attendance and although I remember the fantastic football conversation with my two new pals more than the actual match itself, the home side scored late on what judging by the euphoria around us seemed to be a winning goal (a check online later showed that yes it was in fact the winning goal with a final score of 3-2 and the other four goals evidently coming in the first half before we arrived).

Game over and we headed back for the train. After the local amongst us departed a few stops down the line, me and my new Finnish friend ended up having a lovely Schnitzel takeaway before exchanging social media details and then heading our separate ways. It was a brilliant evening with two top lads, Kim from Finland who it turned out had also been at the BAK game earlier in the week, and a German who's name shamefully escapes me. A perfect end to my terrific stay in this fascinating European city. Berlin - Once divided by a wall, but always United by football.

As featured in September 2018 issue of Football Weekends magazine

Jimmy Glass and the Magic of Carlisle

When the local News & Star newspaper complied a list of the 100 greatest Carlisle United players of all time Jimmy Glass only came in at number 65, but when you consider the fact that the on loan goalkeeper only ever made three appearances for the club that is quite a remarkable feat. Having said that, when you look back at the events 9 May 1999 the only surprise is that he wasn't listed higher.

It was the last day of the season and Carlisle's match at home to Plymouth Argyle was tied at 1-1 going into stoppage time. With United needing all three points to avoid relegation out of the Football League, not only were they drinking in the last chance saloon but last orders had already been called. Scarborough had just secured a point at home to Peterborough and unless Carlisle pulled off something magical would be staying up at their expense.  United's last hope was a corner kick with everyone including goalkeeper Jimmy Glass going forward into the Argyle half. From that corner the journeyman goalkeeper not only went down in Carlisle folklore, but became a household name for football fans all around country, if not the world.

Voted 72nd in the Channel 4's 100 Greatest Sporting Moments, 7th in The Times 100 Greatest Goals of All time, and 15th in ITV4's 20 Goals that Shook the World, Jimmy Glass saved Carlisle United from relegation by volleying the ball into the net when it fell to him from that aforementioned corner. 'Jimmy Glass has scored! Jimmy Glass! Jimmy Glass the goalkeeper has scored a goal for Carlisle United!' cried radio commentator Derek Lacey on local BBC station Radio Cumbria as fans invaded the pitch and were in Lacey's own words 'bouncing on the crossbar'. What followed was absolute pandemonium with a man who's life would never be the same again carried off the field by supporters in wild scenes of jubilation.

An awful lot has happened in the intervening years, promotions, relegations, and a cup final win just to name a few. But 19 years on those final day events against Plymouth are still are still talked about in these parts, and definitely remembered fondly. In fact they actually play the Jimmy Glass commentary over the tannoy before every home game, and I would myself hear Lacey's now famous words echoing around Carlisle's Brunton Park home as I stood on the terraces during my maiden visit to the scene of that famous injury time winner.

It's a very damp, cold, and miserable day, at a time of year when you'd hope it might be starting to get a little warmer. I disembark from my train at Carlisle station after an hour and a half of winding through the Pennines, zig zagging past hills populated with sheep and their newly born lambs, some areas still covered in a light dusting of snow, whilst stopping at remote stations devoid of any life in tiny villages where probably very little ever happens.

Although awarded city status as far back as 1133, with a population of only about 75,000 Carlisle is essentially a small to medium sized town. Situated in Cumbria and 25 miles from the edges of the Lake District, Carlisle was during the middle ages an important military base on the Scottish borders. The city's castle has been the scene of many wars and invasions and dates back as far as the reign of William II, son of William the Conqueror. Carlisle later became a bustling mill town during the industrial revolution whilst nowadays it is listed as a 'Fair Trade Town'.

I head straight for Brunton Park where today's opposition are Lincoln City, and find myself walking down Warwick Road past terraced houses with little neat front gardens, dental practices, doctors surgeries, and welcoming bed and breakfasts. The Cumbrians as Carlisle United are nicknamed have been playing their football at Brunton Park since 1909 and joined the Football League in 1928. They hung around in the league until 2004 when five years after their 1999 heroics they were finally relegated to the fifth level of English football, what was then known as the Football Conference. Their hiatus did not last long though as back to back promotions quickly followed and Carlisle went on to spend 8 years in the third tier, otherwise known as League One. This successful period also included 2 Football League Trophy finals at Wembley, with United winning the Trophy for a second time in 2011 having previously won the competition in 1997. Since it's inception in 1983 only Bristol City (3 times) have won the competition more than twice. Unfortunately since 2014 however Carlisle have once again found themselves in the bottom division of the league, where under the stewardship of ex Man City and Wolves defender Kieth Curle, 20th and 10th placed finishes were to preceded a play-off semi final defeat at the hands of Exeter City last season.

Eventually I arrive at Brunton Park, it announces its arrival with the Carlisle United club shop sat by the main road and a statue of ex player and former Scottish International Hugh McIlmoyle stood outside it. Turn left round the side of the club shop and and you are here, hidden behind Warwick Road, this is the home of Carlisle United.

Although your archetypal lower league ground, Brunton Park believe it or not did for one brief season host top flight football. After a formidable 9 seasons in the old Second Division Carlisle were in 1974 promoted to the First Division for the very first time in their history. An excellent start to life in Division One included an opening day win against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, but the optimism of the opening month would not last and the Cumbrians finished the season rock bottom. What the late great Bill Shankly called 'the greatest feat in the history of the game' abruptly came to an end and United have never came anywhere near the top division since. As for Shankly, he was as well placed as anyone to appreciate Carlisle's magnificent feat. The man who's success with Liverpool saw him recognised as one of the greatest British football managers of all time, actually started his managerial career in 1949 with a 2 year spell in charge of you guessed it Carlisle United, a club he had also appeared for as a player.

Back to today and I have arrived at the ground a good forty minutes before the kick-off in today's League Two clash. Across the road from the club shop there are a few people stood outside the Beehive pub which is no doubt doing a roaring trade inside, whilst further up and back on the other side the queue is out the door at Claire's Bakery. I enter the ground having opted for a spot in the paddock below the main stand. This is a terraced affair and my ticket was obtained from a small ticket office next to the turnstiles that lead into a section of Brunton Park which will be my home for watching not only ninety minutes of football, but also a half-time egg and spoon race!

Brunton Park is very much an old skool stadium, there is an empty open air terrace at one end of the pitch whilst at the other there is covered terracing that from some angles looks arguably similar to a large cow shed. The old grandstand above the paddock where I stand was built in the 1950's after it's previous incarnation burnt down, whilst across the pitch is the newest part of the stadium in the shape of the the East Stand. This stand has the travelling Lincoln fans housed towards it's far end. When you view the East Stand it looks out of sync with the pitch, stretching beyond the uncovered terracing that sits behind one end. When it was opened in 1996 there were plans to rebuild the rest of stadium and move the pitch a few yards further north. This however never materialised due to a lack of funds and so the pitch and the East Stand don't quite align properly. There has in recent years been talk of building a new 12,000 all seater stadium in another part of town, but what becomes of this we shall have to wait and see.

Come kick-off the stadium doesn't look overly full. There are more than 5,000 spectators here today but this being largest non all seater football ground in the country, and with a capacity of just over 17,000, there is certainly room for plenty more people inside. Despite the wretched weather the game gets underway with the pitch looking in reasonably good nick. After severe flooding in December 2016 and several home games having to be played elsewhere, the pitch was relaid at a cost of £150,000. Those pictures of the old Brunton Park pitch completely underwater and looking like a swimming pool are now iconic, but thankfully there are no such issues today.

Despite some strong spells of pressure from Carlisle early on, the match looks destined for a 0-0 half-time score, until that is the 43rd minute when some excellent play sees the visitors take the lead. Matt Green finds space to run onto a Neal Eardley free-kick and slot the ball past United goalkeeper Jack Bonham to make it 1-0. Just after the goal some of home support seem to take offence at one of the visiting players going down injured and a lot people around me seem rather angry and irate as the players walk off for half-time.

The mood of the home fans doesn't exactly improve in the second half when they see Carlisle awarded a penalty on 73 minutes only for the referee to change his mind after consultation with his assistant. The original decision had seen Lincoln City's joint manager Danny Cowley looking rather apoplectic whilst waving his hands about furiously on the touchline.

Carlisle struggle to test the opposition goalkeeper as the second half heads towards a close and things only get worse for the hosts when midfielder Mike Jones is  sent off in the dying seconds for a second bookable offence.  With time running out the home support start to trudge away in disgust knowing a defeat will put a huge dent in their teams play-off hopes. I soon follow suit and head back for my train home when despite six minutes of injury time Carlisle can't find the net for that all important equaliser and the match ends in defeat. Where is Jimmy Glass when you need him?

Doing The Pools

By the time you read this things may have changed for Hartlepool United, hopefully for the better, but as I write the situation is far from great. The club has debts totalling £1.8m, and there are fears of administration if they don't find £200,000 by the end of January. The fans of Hartlepool however are not giving up hope and they've raised over £68,000 to date, vital funds that apparently mean the players will get paid next week.

So amongst a backdrop of finical woes and an uncertain future, welcome to Hartlepool. I disembark from my train once it pulls into the station, it's a numbing cold January day with a clear crisp sky and the sound of seagulls drifting through the air. This is the town where legend has it the locals once hanged a monkey believing it to be a French spy sent by Napoleon, and where a man dressed in a monkey costume was once elected mayor. I've arrived on what is a big day for Hartlepool United. A bumper crowd is expected for this afternoon's visit of Wrexham as the footballing world rallies behind this stricken club. As well as the large number of locals that should be out in force, fans from various clubs are supposed to be coming along to lend their support and bring in much needed cash into the coffers.

Today Hartlepool sit in the bottom half of the Vanarama National League having last season finally been relegated from the Football League for the first time in forever and a day, or in numerical terms 95 years. However having faced and overcame re election a record fourteen times it's surprising they didn't drop out sooner. But with proper relegation to non league football having been in place since the late 80's there was this time no escape. Despite a final day victory, other results went against them and their long reign within the top four divisions of English football finally came to an end. 

During their Football League years Hartlepool never managed to find their way into the top two divisions, but they did have their moments within the bottom two tiers. Their first promotion came in 1968 when Brian Clough was boss. The famous Brian Clough. Clough was considered one of the greatest English managers of all time and Hartlepool was where it all began for him, where he started his managerial career. He took over a failing team near the bottom of the league and within a couple of years had them promoted to old Division Three for the very first time in their history. Clough soon went on to bigger and better things and sadly within a season Pools were relegated back to Division Four. It was 23 years before they would be promoted again. Three years later saw relegation again, whilst there were another couple of promotions and relegations in the noughties, and a League One play-off final defeat to Sheffield Wednesday in 2005 when they were eight minutes and a dubious penalty decision away from reaching the Championship, probably the most successful season in the clubs history.

Nowadays the Pools are more famous for celebrity fan Jeff Stelling and his Saturday afternoon antics as presenter in the Sky Sports Soccer Saturday studio. Covering the Saturday afternoon football with latest scores and updates, being professional and unbiased always goes out the window when Hartlepool are concerned. His eccentric cheering, elation, and jubilation when his beloved Poolies score has for many years been amusing fans watching up and down the country.

Back to today's visit and with a bit of time to kill before the big match I head for the Royal Navy museum. Although Hartlepool isn't exactly known for having much of a naval tradition it was once a major force in ship building, and this museum, complete with a fully restored HMS Trincomalee,  is supposedly Hartlepool's number one attraction. Though perhaps not the main attraction for me, at least not today. It's seems there is only one particular event today that I am really bothered about and visiting a museum isn't really it. But head for the museum I do. When I arrive the woman behind the ticket desk seems very happy to see me and is very enthusiastic about what lies ahead for me within the museum. The main centrepiece of the museum is the aforementioned HMS Trincomalee navy ship which was originally built shortly after the Napoleonic wars. This is situated outside in the main courtyard in the middle of the museum but with access only available with a tour guide and with the next tour not till 14:30 I will have to give it a miss. Nonetheless I decide to have a quiet nose around inside the various rooms and buildings dotted around the place inside which many aspects of nineteenth century naval life are depicted. I don't hang around long though, the whole place is mostly deserted, no one is interested it seems, everyone is probably at the football. The turnstiles will already be getting busy, the crowds will already be gathering, and with myself not having a ticket I soon decide its best to head up to the ground and sort myself out.

So on to the ground it is and it's not hard to find. The giant floodlight pylons of Victoria Park entice me towards them like homing in beacons directing me to the promised land. I am not the only one heading towards the ground, but the numbers are rather small compared to what I see when I actually find myself in the vicinity of the stadium. There is a hive of activity in and around the ground with crowds of people swarming about all over the place.

Having walked around the outside of the ground I enter the home end turnstiles only to be told I can't pay there as they have sold out. I find the same problem further round and start to panic. I'd heard a bumper crowd was expected and what if god forbid the game is a sell out? Panic stricken I walk round to the ticket office I passed earlier. There is a small queue but everyone in front of me seems to collect envelopes containing tickets purchased in advance. I am worried, very worried, especially when I once again hear the words 'sold out'. Thankfully this it turns out is in reference to the matchday programmes, one of which I've already purchased, and thankfully again there is huge relief as when I reach the front of queue I am able to purchase a £20 ticket for a seat in the Niramax Stand, the one remaining area other than the away end that isn't completely sold out. Hallelujah, I have a ticket, I can enter the ground, I can watch the game.

There are large numbers of Middlesbrough fans here today, you can see their red scarves and bobble hats all over the place. Friendship works both ways and the Boro support vividly remember when the boot was on the other foot. In 1986 financial problems saw Middlesbrough locked out of their then Ayresome Park home and it was Hartlepool who stepped in, allowing the Boro to play their home games at Victoria Park. The Middlesbrough fans clearly haven't forgotten this act of kindness and have turned out in force today to help as much as they can. 

I enter through the turnstiles and find myself in an open plan area behind the stand. I walk up some stairs and above to my right is covered seating whilst below me is uncovered terracing. With no stewards around to check my ticket I decide forgo my seat and instead stand amongst the hordes whom have already gathered on the terraces some ten minutes before kick-off. I look around the ground and see covered stands on the other three sides of the pitch. In front of me across the field of play is an all seated stand, another all seated affair sits behind the goal to my left and is housing the travelling Wrexham support whilst the home end to the right is standing only.

I see a man in a monkey suit walking along the touchline and waving at the crowd. This is Hartlepool United's mascot Angus the monkey, and the same monkey suit that was worn by Stuart Drummond when he successfully campaigned to become mayor of the town in 2002. On the terraces the die hards are in full voice belting out a pre match rendition of fans favourite 'Two Little Boys'. Unfortunately probably most famous as a hit for the disgraced Rolf Harris, the song was actually originally written in 1902 almost 30 years before Harris was even born. I hadn't realised this song was sang at Hartlepool but the supporters standing around me passionately sing their hearts out. Forget 'You'll Never Walk Alone' this is what it's all about.

During the first half I get talking to the lad next to me who seems well chuffed that I have travelled down to support his club in their time of need and even offers to buy me a pint. Top bloke. As for the football, the first half is rather poor with both sides creating little in the way of chances and by half-time you can see why Pools have been struggling to find their feet in this division.

At half time I walk behind the stand from one end to the other end and discover there is a steward letting fans through a gate which leads to the terracing behind the goal. I take my chance and nip through so I can stand behind the posts for the second half. I don't know if it is down to the lack of a performance on the pitch from the home side in the second period but the atmosphere here is rather disappointing compared to the fervour where I had been stood for the first 45 minutes.

For the supporters of Hartlepool, the less said about the second half the better. Two fantastic goals by Scott Quigley, both of which see him run 40yds before finding the net win the game for the visitors and at the end of play Hartlepool have only one win in their last eleven league outings.

Full-time and I head back to the station for a train home, whilst as for Hartlepool United well who knows what the future holds. Things may not look good at the moment but the whole of the football world will I'm sure be praying for those historic Poolies and hoping they can find a solution to their problems so they can survive for many more years to come.

Hartlepool United - Never Say Die

A version if this was printed in issue 32 of Football Weekends magazine (April 2018)