Another season beckons...

It has been about six months since I last decided to write anything on this here blog. The football adventure didn't really happen for me. I did go to another Wigan Athletic game against Hull City, but I didn't get to any new grounds. Last season I missed games in League One, Conference, Unibond Premier, Unibond 1st div N/S and also the North West Counties First Division. So, I have until May to try and get to games at these levels this season, it can be done... but its not really an adventure is it?

Let's look at the possibilities:

League One:

Leeds United: I've been to Elland Road many-a-time, I still call myself a Leeds fan and its not really much bother for me to get to Elland Road when visiting friends and family back 'ome but £29 to watch Leeds play Exeter? It only cost £10 to watch Farsley play them in the league two years ago. (Granted its £21 to sit behind the goal, but still?!)
Huddersfield Town: Its another pretty easy one to get to and I've been down the Galpharm for football and rugby league games many a time - over twenty quid to watch them too?!
Oldham Athletic: Believe it or not, I've never been to Oldham. I've never had a sporting reason to visit and to be fair, there aren't many other reasons to visit. 18 quid to watch the other Latics.
Stockport County: I've been to Edgeley Park before a few times, mostly for Stockport Beer Festival and to a couple of County games. County are a bit of a second team to me.

I think looking at the above, Oldham Athletic would be the destination, especially as Boundary Park may soon be no more.

Blue Square Premier (t'Conference):

Altrincham: I have been there before to watch Farsley a couple of times, so that wouldn't be too fun.
Chester City: Nice city, but I hear the stadium is in the middle of an industrial estate, which puts me off a bit.
York City: York's great, I've never been to Bootham Crescent either. Yeh, York sounds about right.

Unibond Premier:

Ashton United: I've been to Hurst Cross (?) before, so it wouldn't be very adventurous
Bradford Park Avenue: One of Farsley's rivals... I couldn't do that! Plus I've been to their ground a few times before anyway.
Burscough: Just down the road/railway from me in Wigan and I've never been there before... so a possibility.
Buxton: Its do-able from Wigan via the train - and quite adventurous too.
FC United: As a so-called Leeds fan, no thanks!
Guiseley: See Bradford Park Avenye
Marine: Never been there, but not too far from Wigan (I think they play in Crosby), could check out 'Another Place' whilst I'm there
Nantwich Town: Got a friend who lives in Nantwich and was meant to visit, so maybe
Whitby Town: Never been, but I do love the seaside

So er, most likely Burscough, Buxton, Marine or possibly Nantwich.

Unibond 1st Division (North AND South):

Bamber Bridge: Quite easy to get to from Wigan by train, so maybe.
Chorley: Pretty near to Wigan, plus I've heard a lot about Victory Park
FC Halifax Town: I've been to the Shay before, but its somewhere thats fairly easy to get to on my Transpennine travels.
Lancaster City: Pretty easy to get to from Wigan and I like Lancaster.. and anyone that has a ground called the Giant Axe is fine by me.
Leigh Genesis: Very near to me and probably the best ground (technically) in the non-leagues, if they can afford to play there.
Mossley:Up in the Hills, its do-able I spose
Radcliffe Borough: Fairly local, but I have been there before watching Farsley
Salford City: As above
Skelmersdale United: Another local one for me and I have never been there before
Trafford: As above
Warrington Town: Same again
So, any one of them... except Halifax, Radcliffe or Salford I guess!

and from the south, I wouldn't mind a visit to Sheffield FC, the oldest club in the world no less. Plus, I like Sheffield as a city.


North West Counties League First Division

Ashton Town, Daisy Hill and Wigan Robin Park are all very close, so would all be worth a visit! Atherton Colleries are near, but I went there last year when they were in the NWC Premier.

The first port of call for any football statistic questions I had, or simply just who was in what division was Tony Kempster's Football Site. Tony died in June from Cancer and is sure to be greatly missed by all in the Non League Football Community, seeing as he must have devoted hours of his own time to maintaining that site.

Stick it up your Janus

Janus, the roman god of gates, doors, doorways, beginnings and endings (so wiki tells me) and known to me as the man with two heads, who we used to hear about in Primary School when it was January. We just needed some dude with two heads, with different faces, to take our mind off December and the God of December, Santa. Janus could also refer to the star of 'Game On' and later 'Eastenders' and not forgetting 'Up and Under' (bad film about Rugby League with Neil Morrissey in it), but she's not really referred to when talking about January.

As well as being the time of new beginnings, hence the boy Janus, January is also a time for abstinence and feeling sorry for one's self in the bleak mid-winter. This January I tried to give up alcohol (lasted 2 weeks), tried to diet (didn't last) and then in the last week of the month I have started a points based diet (Slimming World, it was free because of all the fat people in Wigan, the PCT send people off to lose weight). Despite thinking that watching some football games would help me get through this torrid month, I didn't and I'm now thinking that it is looking difficult to get my last five games in, I'll have to do a few Tuesday nighters because I'm always busy at weekends now!

I haven't given up and I will get to these five games and maybe more! The mighty Farsley Celtic may not have long left. The main backer has pulled out of the club, then came back again this week. This week it seems that the Celts are having a winding-up order served on their ass. The club's success in the Conference last year was bank-rolled with a view that some of their land would be sold for housing, as it happened the Council refused them planning permission (at committee, the qualified planning professional said yes) and then the housing market went tits up shortly after. It could end up like a smaller scale version of Ridsdale's fuck up at Elland Road, but lets hope not.