Holker Street Conference North Saturday 22nd March 2014
After months of waiting, the Galacs’ (well, 3 of us) big day out in Barrow was upon us. This one had been pencilled in the diaries for some time back in the days when we actually used to win away games. It was also our 2nd longest away trip- coming after the longest trip of the year to Workington only 2 weeks ago.
After refining train times on the Friday night, it was another early start on the Saturday- 8am to be precise. That was when I dragged myself out of the house, shaking off a bout of man flu and a left leg which left me barely able to walk to get the bus into town. Sadly, Greggs don’t do 8am starts so some cold sausage rolls from Tesco had to do and I paid £35 for the tickets to Barrow-in-Furness via Manchester and got on the 0848 train towards Liverpool (I’d get off at Manchester Picadilly)
By half 10 and amazingly, after a smooth, reliable service through the notorious (No) Hope Valley Line, I was in Manchester where I got off at Platform 14, but with our connection 40 minutes away, it was not on the boards so I had nothin to do except look for Nick’s train which was due in imminently. After looking lost around the concourse, I heard a “JOSH!” and looked up to see Nick. To be fair, if he can remember me from a game the week before having never met me, he’d recognize me now in a yellow top and a yellow scarf.
Unusually, we were then greeted by quite a few people- keen to wish us luck or simply ask what we were going to see. I can sense Mancs adopting Boston as their next team! Via a cup of tea and a 40 minute wait, we went to Platform 14 for the train towards Barrow- however the longest and slowest freight train ever delayed us. It took 3 minutes to pass through the station and amid the typical Manc weather (lousy, horizontal rain), we froze until the actual train we wanted arrived at 1125 (9 minutes late).
The First Transpennine train was not particularly fast and until we got to Lancaster, quite busy. It would get a bit busier at Lancaster as Adams Shergy and Hallgarth (who’d left Basingstoke at 6:45am!!!) joined us and the majority of the train trip was laughing at the fact Arsenal conceded every time someone updated their page (or- when they could given a lack of a signal in the wilderness of Cumbria).
After a slow last leg of the journey- resembling the Nottingham-Skegness train, we rolled into Barrow-in-Furness at 1310 where we were expecting to bump into Craig- who had gone direct from Carlisle via Workington (the same train I had to endure 2 weeks back).
Our train.
Barrow-in-Furness station front. Given warnings to expect a vile place, we were pleasantly surprised
But the 4 of us made our way into town as we were all hungry. I sort of thought about asking Nick if we would meet Craig near the ground but didn’t. After 15 minutes we decided it would have to be a McDonalds and only then did Nick realize he WAS meant to meet Craig at the station. Leaving me to place his order and not nick any of his chips, he dashed back to pick Craig up and we then found out the East Midlands Derby ended 5-0 to Derby against Nottingham Forest- to a stone-faced Nick upon arrival back at Maccies.
Statue of Emlyn Hughes. Born in Barrow. Liverpool and England captain, One of the great players.
Fortunately, once we’d all ot sorted, the route to Holker Street stadium is not difficult. You can see the floodlights from the station and it is literally a 5-10 minute walk past an old abandoned Quik-Save and whilst we did get a view of one of the most optimistic overtaking moves since Ayrton Senna’s attempt to kill himself and Alain Prost at Suzuka in 1990, we made it safelty enough.
Upon arrival, I paid a tenner and then £5 for 2 programmes and we headed straight for the terraces. We got is apparently a typical welcome by Barrow fans in that we’d not get any points (something their director wrote in his programme column too) whilst chatting to a few of the BUFC contingent who’d made another 200 mile trek.
Holker Street is a very old fashioned ground. It has almost nothing at 1 end, just changing rooms and portakabins. At the other end (Holker Street End) is quite a deep open terrace where we would go and down one side there was a large covered terrace and a main stand down the other side (well, two thirds of it).
Holker Street End
Main Stand
Covered terrace
Possibly the most bizarre bit of team news came before the start as Junior Konadu (living in London and without a car) was given the day off as he’d not make the game… but we pointed out that some of our fans had left the South of England at 6:45 on a train to get there. An abiding memory was also the Barrow megamix… I’m no expert on music but since when was the Verve’s Bittersweet Symphony totally knackered by some rap shit?
The game itself- with only 50 or so of us and not that many standing at the bigger end 1st half (as Barrow attacked this end), the atmosphere was more subdued this time, and after an early save by King, we were in good spirits within 10 minutes as Miller raced clear from Liam Agnew’s pass and slotted the ball past the Barrow keeper Tony McMillan . Cue a mini surge forwards and my knees getting bashed up against the gate as Nick jumped all over me- denting the gate in the process!
However, this is Boston United away from home. Cue looking at the clock every other minute and rightly so. Barrow got on top and King had to make a second save with his legs from Gareth Arnison- a useful striker at this level. Then, after 20 minutes, Ted Cribley’s fierce shot was probably handled by one of our defenders to deflect the shot wide via the outside of the post. From the 2nd of 2 resulting corners, Boston-born Duran Reynolds thumped a powerful header into the top corner following a delightful ball in. At least Barrow’s injustice was short lived there.
From then on, we hung on grimly- offering almost nothing up top apart from a Newsham shot into the side netting. We were passing the ball round our back 4 and they pressed well, so we found it hard to get out and on 45 minutes, their 2nd goal came as no surprise. Arnison was fed in and drilled one in low past King.
Me and Nick versus the gate. End result
Half time and amidst the doom and gloom texts from supporters not at the game it looked like being a pointless away trip again- more so shortly into the 2nd half when Arnison was sent clear and rolled it past King to make it 3-1 and a hiding genuinely was on the cards at this stage.
But we are made of stern stuff and have come back to get point so often. Somehow we managed to force our way back into the game. Following a set piece, the ball bobbled around and sub Ben Milnes smashed one in from 20 yards. Out of nothing, we were back in it.
That, and a few questionable calls going in our favour by the referee (who was poor for both sides) riled the home players and fans and the momentum was with us- Weir Daley slipped when he may have had a chance in the box, Garner stretched for one at the back post and was inches away and Agnew had an effort saved, before we got caught on the counter attack and in a similar move to their 3rd, Barrow went 4-2 up through Niall Cowperthwaite and only 9 minutes remained to play.
That seemed to have killed us off and was against the run of play “We can still get 2” Nick said- I’m sure more in hope than expectation but with 5 minutes to o, Miller was denied a stone wall penalty (and booked for a dive) when tripped in the box by Paddy Lacey but we did get something just as the 4 minutes board went up as Miller latched on to a through ball to finish well- it seemed like a mere consolation but seconds later and following a hih ball into the box, Barrow went to clear but were denied by a clear handball by Milnes, who kept control of the ball. The ref waved play on and it fell to Miller, who was chopped down again and the ref amazingly pointed to the spot!
Miller dusted himself down to smash the penalty into the net to give us the most unlikely point since Doncaster at home in 2001/2 to send the 50 or so of us wild and we weren’t finished there, forcing a corner and a dangerous free kick which sadly was straight at McMillan- before the ref called time on one of the most amazing games I’ve seen.
Barrow (3-5-2): Tony McMillan; Niall Cowperthwaite, Duran Reynolds, Liam Willis; Andrew Burns, Ted Cribley (Alex-Ray Harvey 77), Sam Sheridan (Richard Davies 73), Paddy Lacey, Paul Edwards; Gareth Arnison (Dan Parkinson 84), Tom Corner. Subs (not used): Phil Marsh, Nick Rushton.
Boston (4-1-3-2): King, Marshall, Garner, Piergianni, Ferguson, Ross (Weir-Daley 62), Dowie (Milnes 46), McGhee, Agnew, Newsham (Galinski 68), Miller. Unused subs: Fairclouh, Aujla
Referee: Peter Wright
Attendance: 808
Upon our exit one Barrow fan congratulated us on our spirit to grab a draw whilst their other fans booed the ref and our team off at the end. One ran past us shouting “Lucky Bastards” to which a chorus of “Your season’s going nowhere” broke out but that aside, we got back to the station- only to find the train was delayed by 11 minutes. Bad for me and Nick as we only had 8 minutes at Lancaster. Craig would leave us at this point as he had to get this train home or face spending Sunday and part of Monday in Barrow, but with a goals per game rate of 8, he may never see a more free scoring (and conceding) team in his life (it was our first 4-4 since 1963 too).
We made it to Lancaster, where me and Nick realized we were missing our train. I stepped off only for a guard to say stay on for Manchester- so we got back on- said hello again to Shergy and Hallgarth and carried on for another 25 minutes to Preston, where the train terminated.
Preston station looking north
We had 20 minutes to get the train to Manchester, so I did what I only do in desperate situations- buy food at stations (£3.90 for a cuppa, kitkat and pack of hula hoops!)
The train was rammed and with my cuppa lid not going back on, I had to be very careful not to spill it all over some northerners dressed up for a night out in Manchester. After about 45 minutes, we collapsed out of the doors at Picadilly and headed for Platform 6, where Nick’s train home was waiting and my train to Sheffield was (I’d hoped to get there in the hope that I’d get any delayed trains to Nottingham)
Nick’s train went at 2006 and I headed for the main concourse, via a chat with WBA fans on the way home from a loss at Hull, they were very friendly to chat to and once they boarded, I went for more food (realizing I was due in at 2230 in all likelihood). £3 for a sausage roll is robbery so I went to Burger King and paid £5.49 for a chicken burger and chips with a coke.
I then got on the Train to Sheffield at 2020 (not waiting for the 2040), parked myself on a table to eat and chatted to a mother and her daughter briefly about schools (after mentioning I do teacher training in Nottingham, where I wanted to get a train to) before the ride back to Sheffield.
Sadly, nothing was delayed and I had 25 minutes wait to get the Nottingham train (or the 2040 from Manchester) so after a chat to Dad, who wasn’t so depressed as the doom and gloom texts he sent me suggested he would be. The ride home was quick. Got back at 2231 and thanks to the bus being seconds away and a driver in a rush to make up time, I walked in at 2250 (19 minutes is surely a public transport record from Nottingham to Clifton Campus) and then boasted about what an amazing day it had been because I’d also made about £80 on bets! A real “I was there day”
Under the Floodlights- literally!
Game rating- 10/10. You never get a bad 4-4 to be honest. It was 2 teams who were far better in attack than at the back.
BUFC performance- 7/10. First half poor, 2nd half much improved. Perhaps fortunate to nick a point but better team 2nd half.
Atmosphere- 5/10. Given our lack of numbers and an open end, very subdued and their support made little effort too- just moaning at the ref and our players. Poor from both sides.
Ground- 7/10. Really old school, quite big, just needs something at the other end and a roof at the Holker Street end and it would be a very decent ground.
Prices- £10 entry was pushing it given we charge plenty at £9 for concessions. Didn’t sample their food. Programme at £2.50 was quite good. A £60+ day out for me though £15 of that was on food
Day out- 8/10. A really good trip up there, the place was better than I had been told it would be and a finish to end all finishes. Good stuff
Next up- Gloucester at home for us but next blog post will be Solihull Moors away in 2 weeks… a win there would kill their faint hopes and put us in a good position
Under The Floodlights 