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March 10th 2010, the day that Farsley Celtic were finally disbanded after over one hundred years existance. It was also the same day that Chester City were wound up after 126 years. Recent years has seen the demise of several clubs such as Telford, Halifax and Scarborough, something is clearly wrong and needs to change. It is possible that Farsley might have been rescued from oblivion if the Administrators hadn't been so unreasonable charging ridiculously large fees. But the reason why Farsley have headed towards oblivion essentially stem from the spending money that was essentially predicated on a housing development that never happened, thanks mainly to the Leeds City Council planning committee, but also the credit crunch and subsequent slow down in the property industry.
I first got taken to watch Farsley Celtic by my father in the early-mid 1990s, mainly because it was far too expensive and poor value for money to go watch Leeds United, how times haven't changed. I remember very little about watching football in those days at Throstle Nest, it was more about going to the tea hut around the back of the stand and getting cones of greasy chips, bags of penny sweets and cans of pop. The shed behind the goal offered shelter from the windy conditions (it is always windy at Throstle Nest) and it had some wooden seats that were covered in dust, and terracing that was dust. When I got a bit older at Throstle Nest, I used to take great interest in the club shop, a portakabin full of about 10% merchandise and 90% programmes, where I occasionally bought bundles of programmes for a quid or so. When my friends and I were once at the Nest, we bought our form teacher a York City programme for his leaving present, as he was a long suffering fan of the Minster Men.
Going to Throstle Nest, watching such luminaries as Robbie Whellans, Calvin Allen, Steve Learoyd and Ian Blackstone became a part of life on cold mid-late '90s Saturday afternoons. Buying 10p mixes, early '90s football league programmes and watching Unibond First Division football, followed by three hours of warming up at home in front of the Brookside omnibus, Gladiators and Noel's House Party kind of sums up mid-1990s Saturdays for me.
I grew up in Horsforth and went to school in Menston and remember trying to whip up a bit of Farsley v Guiseley fervour, when the clubs played each other in the FA Cup Qualifying rounds (I think!). At the time, Guiseley had been in a division higher than Farsley for quite a few years, indeed Guiseley were very close to getting into the Conference in the early 90s, whilst Farsley languised in the bottom half of the Unibond First Division for many seasons in the 90s. The Farsley - Guiseley fervour worked to some extent as we went to a game and had fun in the way that boisterous 14 year olds do. No one else really came back for some more though.
Other games that excited people from school to go to were friendlies against our professional neighbours. One particular game that stands out is a visit of Bradford City, probably a year or two before they got promoted to the Premier League, with the Bantam's brazilian cult hero Edinho scoring and celebrating exuberantly. I remember a later visit of Bradford where Ashley Ward missed a penalty for them. Leeds visited a few times, probably around the time of their meteoric rise and fall, as did a Celtic XI (i.e. the Scottish Celtic).
One particular memory of watching the Celtic didn't involve any football at all. Myself and a couple of friends travelled to Morecambe on a wet autumn day for an FA Cup qualifying round (it may have been the final qualifying round, I can't remember) only for the game to be called off. Still, it was a great day out for as, as young 'uns, to have a day away from home and to travel on the player's coach.
At around the turn of the millennium, I remember a couple of occasions from the clubhouse at Throstle Nest. One of these was an end of season presentation evening, where Martin Haresign's trousers split. I also saw in the new millennium in the Throstle Nest club, as a fifteen year old.
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.
I think on Saturday, I shall make Clitheroe my next port of call. I imagine that it is a good place to go on a sunny afternoon, I've been to the town before to the Castle and I spotted the football ground from there. There is a snag though. I did aim to go to a game at every level in the pyramid at this level, well the game on Saturday is an FA Cup qualifier. The first qualifying round proper, where Clitheroe of the Unibond 1st Division North play Leek Town of the Unibond 1st Division South.Both teams are near the top of their respective divisions, so it should be a good game. Indeed Leek Town seem to have fallen from grace a little bit, being a Conference team not so long ago. I don't know too much about Clitheroe though, apart from that I imagine it'd be a good place to go on a sunny afternoon.Obviously I'm picking games for the right reason. Bring on the magic of the cup!
