Surrey Street – Glossop North End

Glossop North End – 0

Barnoldswick Town – 1

North West Counties League Premier Division – 19th February 2010

I was at a loose end on the third weekend of February, so I decided to watch a football match. Unfortunately, as a wannabe groundhopper & a fully paid up member of Colwyn Bay FC Supporters Club, you begin to cross off grounds that are “maybes” for next year. As Colwyn Bay were (and hopefully still are) challenging for playoffs for the Conference North, you eliminate grounds that you could attend as a Bay fan in the following season. So Droylesden, Hyde & Stalybridge Celtic are out of the window, as is Altrincham who could be relegated from the Conference. Also out was Stockport County, who may be relegated from the football league as well, so me may get them in the FA Trophy. I decided on Rochdale. Except Rochdale canceled their game due to a waterlogged pitch. In fact many games were called off, one game that survived, that Beat The First Man recommended that I go and see, is Glossop North End vs. Barnoldswick Town.

For those of you not privvy to my twitter feed, I feel I must apologise to the fans, players & staff on Barnoldswick Town, as for the entire game I couldn’t remember their name. Instead, I referred to them as “B-Something” from the second I arrived in Glossop. Glossop was a pretty little town and armed with a little local knowledge, I headed to a few pubs. As you imagine with a place like Glossop, the pubs are quaint, with a wonderful amount of real ales. However, their pricings aren’t quite right. Went into a pub and looked at the menu, and although the main meals were more than reasonable at over a fiver, some of the side dishes weren’t. Bread & Butter for £2. Two. Pounds.

A sign that fills me with dread.

Following my impromptu one man pub crawl, I headed to Surrey Steet, Glossop’s ground at the east end of town. I was scared when I saw the signpost for the ground, as it seemed to be in a large commercial district. I hate grounds in the centre of commercial districts, as they lose the soul of the town, as teams are forgotten if the ground lies between Carpet Right & an Argos. Luckily, whilst the ground is located behind the afformented shops, there are enough housing areas around it to ensure a steady stream of supporters & casuals to the ground.

The turnstiles were tiny - even if this is a less than flattering photo

I arrived outside the ground and saw that I could look over the walls, it was a small ground, the walls extended to the turnstile which was also tiny, I’ve had problems getting into turnstiles before, but they’ve never been this tiny. I headed to the clubhouse, a nice little outfit behind one of the goals, the only one with any sort of development. Glossop had a rich history of football, even having a couple of trips to Wembley, with the distinction of being the smallest town to once have a team in the top flight of English football. With that said, since the 1920’s, they’ve struggled – now plying their trade in the North West Counties League Premier Division.

One thing that they rule the roost with though is pies. Glossop North End have officially the best Steak & Potato pie in the entire of UK Football. I was a bit skeptical, but for £1.20 I was handed a beautifully bronzed pastry, with tender meat & fluffy potato, with no gravy. It was absolutely divine! So tasty and I agree – Glossop pies are gorgeous.

Onto the game itself, I took a pew almost on the half way line, the ground is dominated by industry & country, on one side of the ground is Glossop’s famous chimney which dominates the landscape, and on the other side is the striking Peak District.

Glossop on the attack.

You may have noticed me not mention the match, with good reason – it wasn’t the best. The first half was largely dominated by Barnoldswick, but with very few clear cut chances by either side until the ball broke to Adam Hayton on the right flank. Shooting from just inside the penalty box from a pass on the right flank, the ball squeezed passed the Hillmen’s keeper on the near post on 44 mintues. Half time: Glossop North End 0 – 1 Barnoldswick Town.

During the half time interval I headed into the clubhouse, a nice little building that conveys the history of the club, to watch the scores roll in. It was an FA Cup weekend, and as such there was the promise of “Cupsets”. Alas, as the scores rolled in, even the most expected upsets didn’t go the expected way. Furthermore, the big one – Manchester United vs. Crawley Town – people were after a United win. Not only because we’re half an hour from Old Trafford, but also Crawley aren’t exactly the most popular team at Non League level.

Barnoldswick's Butcher

Anyway second half kicked off with a bit of excitement. First the Barnoldswick Town centre back came on with a Terry Butcher esque bandage on his head, and there was an off the ball incident that saw Glossop’s Rob Hartsthorne got sent off. This killed the game as although there was a little rally late on for Glossop, the game ended 1-0 to Barnoldswick Town.

Despite their level, Glossop have a passionate group of fans that do the club proud. And they have ace pies.

Not the best game I’ve seen, but Glossop is a great club. Nested beautifully in the Derbyshire countryside, the club is rich in history. The pies – wow the pies – are the tastiest in football. If you’re bored & in the area, Glossop is a good fun day out.