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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.
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
