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Last Tuesday, December 16th, Farsley drew their FA Trophy First Round game away at Burton Albion. When I saw the result in the paper on Wednesday, I was pleasantly surprised. I hadn't really given the game much thought until then, which either shows how poor a supporter of Farsley I am, or how far Farsley have come in the previous years, I'd rather go with the latter.
Now Farsley are playing in Blue Square North (Conference North), following a one season adventure in the Conference (or Blue Square Premier), I'm starting to regret not going to those away games in the Conference last season. I made it to two away games, Altrincham and Droylesden, that's one current Conference North team and one team who should be in the Conference North, but were lucky to escape.
I
missed local derbies away at recent ex-football league neighbours York and Halifax. The home game versus Halifax on Boxing Day was magnificent and saw a 3-0 win before 1,501 supporters. The result against York City was pretty poor but the experience of the game was stupendous. The largest crowd of the season (1,603) and the biggest away support I've ever seen down at the Nest, not only that, it was on the Television, with the huge trucks from Setanta Sports parked up behind the Shed. There was also a whole lot of West Yorkshire Police there and it was just quite surreal, when a couple of years earlier a clash with near-neighbours Ossett Town had yielded less than a tenth of that night's attendance. It is now sad to see that Halifax Town are no more and a reformed club are playing in a division below the mighty Ossett Town. (and I mean absolutely no disrespect to Ossett Town, I am just using them as a point of measurement on the football pyramid).
Speaking of points of measurement on the football pyramid, 1998/9 or 9 seasons before Farsley made the Conference, Farsley were five divisions below Oxford United and last season they played in the same league. I was disappointed to miss Farsley's 5-1 loss at the Kassam Stadium in April, the result was terrible yes, but a chance to see Farsley play a league game before 4,000 in a football league style stadium and a time in the season when Farsley still had a faint hope of staying up. I also missed the away victory at Torquay, Torquay who were in the football league a year before, also Farsley's last win of the season and when the Celts had a real hope of staying up (they lost the last six games after that).
So, what did I actually see then? Aside from the aforementioned Manchester away games and home local derbies, other highlights were beating Cambridge United at home, nearly giving run-away winners of the league Aldershot a good game at the Nest, seeing the bald eagle Jim Smith's Oxford side narrowly beat Farsley and the opening day of the season's victory over Stafford Rangers.
As I mentioned in the first paragraph, Farsley held Burton away and face them tomorrow at the Nest (December 23rd). Burton are now 8 points clear at the top of the Conference, so what a good result for Farsley and the chance of the classic upset. Had this been two or three years ago I would have been coming home for Christmas 
early, but now I'm confident we can get a result and maybe I'll go watch the Celts take on Salisbury in the second round. The fact that I can probably count on one had the amount of times Farsley have been in the FA Trophy on one hand, still doesn't mean much to me, after last season's exploits.
If Farsley can have a strong second half to the season and get into the play-offs, it is unlikely that they will be as fortuitous to get promoted, but if they do it again, it won't be as special as the first time but I will make a much better effort to get to some away games. I should make more of an effort to get to games in Conference North, but I don't think it'll ever be the same!
pic 1: Farsley v Halifax on Boxing Day
pic 2: Farsley at the Kassam Stadium (from Oxford United site)
pic 3: Cambridge United at Throstle Nest (from Cambridge United site)
pic 4: Farsley v Aldershot
The first day of the intrepid adventure thrust itself upon me and I thrust myself upon the Moon Under Water, the Wigan Wetherspoons pub. I went to line my stomach ahead of the day's transpennine trip and because a Wetherspoons breakfast is always good when one is slightly hungover.
I didn't think that I endeared myself to the punters in there very well. Coffee and a vegetarian breakfast isn't exactly de rigueur, when everyone else is drinking pints at 9:20 in the morning, on their own. I stopped short of buying a 'quality' newspaper though, buying one later.
The train journey from Wigan to Leeds, via Piccadilly was largely uneventful apart from realising I'd left my glasses at home when I was halfway between Wigan and Hindley, getting molested by an Alsatian was another event. I then returned to my family home in Horsforth, before travelling by car to the ground. I'd like to think that this will be the last bit of car travel that any other visits to games will see, its more fun/challenging/interesting using public transport.
And so to the game and the mighty Throstle Nest. I find it hard to make observations about the Nest, cos I've been attending games there for about 15 years. From being an annoying 9 year old, to becoming a discernible football follower. There was both groups of people there and all kinds of people inbetween. I went to the game with my dad, his friend Stuart and my ladyfriend Sara. Sara has grown to accept that a day out at a non-league football game is a very romantic event. I also met Graham from my work who is a Stalybridge Celtic fan, he opted for the changing ends option so I didn't see him when the game was in place. We stood with a small enclave of Farsley fans by the half-way line and the cage from where the players emerge. Most of these blokes are aged 50 upwards, seem to have seen so much down at the Nest and have some excellent things to shout at the referee and opposition players, I think every non-league ground has such people.
Despite the deluge of rain that come the night before, the pitch was looking good and most of the game was played in sunshine. Observations on the opposition were that they were sponsered by a hand sanitizer (a festival essential) and their no.6 reminded me of Tony Adams, I think it was the haircut or perhaps the fact that my glasses were sat at home in Wigan. The Tony Adams bloke, took a knock in the eye in the first half, telling a Farsley fan it was an eyelash in his eye. Another highlight was Stalybridge's no.3 throwing a tantrum 'fuck off, its our ball ref!'. He got booked for that and also got the home fans giving him what for (me included).
Stalybridge's first goal, came from Farsley been at sixes and sevens but Andy Campbell leveled it a bit later. I was talking at the time and I was surprised to see how the goal was scored, I think it took some deflection or other. I suck at watching football. I read a description of Andy Campbell on an internet messageboard: 'that Ginner who played for Boro and fell out of the ugly tree hitting every branch on the way down', I did spot him from that description I must say. He may not be the most handsome bloke in the well, but he does kick some arse out on the park.
Our second half vantage point was from behind the goal, so my dad could sit down because of his new ankle. There's some strange seats behind the goal that are a legacy from meeting Conference Ground regs, although I think anyone over 4 foot tall would struggle to sit in the seats behind the front row. Another legacy from Farsley's conference spell last season is the segregation fence which separated the Farsley bootboys from the likes of York, Aldershot and Oxford fans.
One of the best things at Farsley is the tannoy man shouting 'GOOOOOAAALLLL' when the home team take the lead. This became 'GOOOOAALLL... WOOOAH...WHAT???', when Farsley had a potential late winner ruled out. Before that though, Walshaw put Farsley ahead after about 55 minutes, coolly slotting the ball under 'bridge's keeper. Stalybridge's equaliser came from a scramble and then their winner came at the death in controversial circumstances. Straight after the aforementioned ruled out goal, 'bridge's goal came from a free kick, which baffled the hoardes of Farsley fans behind the goal. Jubilant scenes amongst the healthy (in terms of amount, obviously) travelling support, not so much for the home fans, who's team are finding it difficult to readjust back down at this level.
I would normally write a conclusion here, but I can't find much to say about a ground I am so familiar with. Having said all that, pictures would have done the job better:
missed local derbies away at recent ex-football league neighbours York and Halifax. The home game versus Halifax on Boxing Day was magnificent and saw a 3-0 win before 1,501 supporters. The result against York City was pretty poor but the experience of the game was stupendous. The largest crowd of the season (1,603) and the biggest away support I've ever seen down at the Nest, not only that, it was on the Television, with the huge trucks from Setanta Sports parked up behind the Shed. There was also a whole lot of West Yorkshire Police there and it was just quite surreal, when a couple of years earlier a clash with near-neighbours Ossett Town had yielded less than a tenth of that night's attendance. It is now sad to see that Halifax Town are no more and a reformed club are playing in a division below the mighty Ossett Town. (and I mean absolutely no disrespect to Ossett Town, I am just using them as a point of measurement on the football pyramid).
Speaking of points of measurement on the football pyramid, 1998/9 or 9 seasons before Farsley made the Conference, Farsley were five divisions below Oxford United and last season they played in the same league. I was disappointed to miss Farsley's 5-1 loss at the Kassam Stadium in April, the result was terrible yes, but a chance to see Farsley play a league game before 4,000 in a football league style stadium and a time in the season when Farsley still had a faint hope of staying up. I also missed the away victory at Torquay, Torquay who were in the football league a year before, also Farsley's last win of the season and when the Celts had a real hope of staying up (they lost the last six games after that).
So, what did I actually see then? Aside from the aforementioned Manchester away games and home local derbies, other highlights were beating Cambridge United at home, nearly giving run-away winners of the league Aldershot a good game at the Nest, seeing the bald eagle Jim Smith's Oxford side narrowly beat Farsley and the opening day of the season's victory over Stafford Rangers.
early, but now I'm confident we can get a result and maybe I'll go watch the Celts take on Salisbury in the second round. The fact that I can probably count on one had the amount of times Farsley have been in the FA Trophy on one hand, still doesn't mean much to me, after last season's exploits.
