EFL League Two
Blundell Park, Cleethorpes
Admission: £18.00 (in advance, match day price £20.00)
Programme: £2.00 (in advance, match day price £3.00
Attendance: 3,397
Match Rating: 3
Ticking off Blundell Park was always going to be something of a challenge, given that Cleethorpes is something of an outpost for someone based in the south-east corner of England and with cheap travel tickets hard to come by. However, a sale by Virgin East Coast offered affordable tickets, giving me a long awaited opportunity to visit an interesting, old-fashioned football stadium which, unsurprisingly, is living on borrowed time as the club look to relocate out of town in the next few years.
Blundell Park is about a 20 minute walk from Cleethorpes train station, and going to the ground I decided to walk along the seafront, not the most charming of walks on a grey January afternoon, but it did allow me to approach the ground with the floodlights and the tallest stand towering above the surrounding houses. Around the outside, everything oozes charm and character, that is a world away from the usual modern bland facilities installed in the Football League these days. I collected my match ticket and programme from the club shop, which I had ordered online for respective £2 and £1 discounts, and then made my way into the lower tier of the Young’s stand, which has seven rows of seating and is the only area in the ground to offer unobstructed views. The upper tier apparently offers very good elevated views of not only the action but also of the North Sea in the near distance, but does have supporting pillars to obstruct views. Although the Young’s stand is by far the tallest and most imposing stand, what is called the Main Stand is opposite, much lower and is very old fashioned, indeed is one of the oldest structures in the Football League, part of it dating over 100 years, and it appears cosy and intimate inside, although with that comes some views with a low roof, supporting pillars and the dugouts in the way. The stand is continuous around a corner (which does not contain any seating) and behind the goal, and this area houses the away fans. Behind the remaining goal there is a separate all-seater stand, again with some supporting pillars along the front. It is a ground to really enjoy, with something for everyone's tastes, and it will be a sad day when the ground is consigned to history in a few years' time. The 68 page programme was really good and excellent value at £2 when ordered in advance.
Grimsby came into this game in quite poor form, having lost their last three league games without scoring, and had only picked up one point and scored one goal in their last six league games. They were in a comfortable position in the league, in 15th place having won nine and drawn seven of their 27 league games, 13 points clear of the relegation zone and nine points adrift of the play-offs. After two seasons finishing just one place above the relegation zones, things are going well for Newport County this time around. They were in 11th place, having won ten and drawn nine of their 26 league games and were four points adrift of the play-offs. They also beat Leeds United in the third round of the FA Cup last weekend, and can look forward to hosting Tottenham Hotspur in the next round.
On a grey, chilly afternoon, Grimsby had slightly the better of the early exchanges, and came close to opening the scoring on 7 minutes when Scott Vernon broke clear of a defender but his shot hit the keeper's legs. But it was the visitors who took the lead on 19 minutes, Robbie Wilmott firing a powerful low shot from just outside the area, beating the keeper at his near post. Newport then went on to control the game for the rest of the half, and had two goalbound efforts cleared by defenders on 39 and 44 minutes.
A crucial moment of the match came on 55 minutes, when Vernon forced a very good save by the keeper, and within a minute, the visitors doubled their lead. Frank Nouble cut in from left wing before firing in a low shot which would not have been that dangerous but it took a deflection off defender Karleigh Osbourne to wrong-foot the keeper and send the ball inside the near post. The visitors were looking very comfortable, until the hosts introduced two substitutes on 67 minutes, which suddenly gave their team more impetus. One of those subs, Jamille Matt, got Grimsby back in the game on 80 minutes, when he received a ball at his feet deep inside the area and although his initial shot was blocked by the keeper, the ball looped up and the keeper could only punch the ball into his own net under pressure from Matt, who was awarded the goal. That gave hope to the same players and fans that they could still get something from this game, but their task got harder when Matt was shown a straight red card for an apparent elbow as he contested a ball lumped forward. Grimsby were given some renewed hope when the fourth official indicated eight additional minutes, but in truth they never looked likely to grab an equaliser, and the visitors gained a deserved victory as the Grimsby fans voiced their frustration at a toothless performance, having voiced their desire to see their manager Russell Slade sacked.
After the match, with my train not leaving Cleethorpes until 6.25, I wanted to sample the famous Grimsby haddock and chips, and the Ocean Fish Bar certainly did not disappoint, some of the finest I have had, and afterwards I stopped off at the equally excellent Message in a Bottle, a bottled beer shop (as well as a bar), from which I picked up a couple of local ales by Axholme Brewing Company - the Cleethorpes Pale Ale and Mariners Winter Ale, brewed in honour of Grimsby Town Football Club.
Video highlights of the match can be found by clicking here.
No comments:
Post a Comment