Wetherby Road – Harrogate Town
12 Dec
Apologies for the lack of photos on this post. Unfortunately my camera didn’t cope with the conditions. Luckily, next week’s post is also about Harrogate Town, with Jack Jolly‘s report for Harrogate Town next week, aren’t you lucky!
Harrogate Town – 4
Colwyn Bay – 0
Football Conference North – 6th December 2011
The fixture list is a cruel mistress.
You reach a certain level in football when it comes to fixture lists that geography is thrown by the wayside and what would be “nice” away days in the weekend become nigh on impossible and not fun on your traditional Tuesday nights. The mistress throws up Carlisle United away at Torquay United with a wry smile, and even in the first season in the Football Conference North Colwyn Bay played Droylesden (an hour with the wind behind you) twice on a Saturday, yet the positively miles away Harrogate Town at their gaff on a Tuesday night in the middle of December.
In truth, I wanted the game called off. Rearrange it for a lovely spring weekend in April when we limp out of the North Wales Coast FA Cup to Glan Conwy Reserves, and have a lovely weekend away in Harrogate. Rather than a rush job leaving work a little early to arrive late to a game.
Yes. Late. Even with the best will in the world a shockilngly bad Northern Rail service (which previously blogged about in the Bradford Park Avenue trip) seemed destined I couldn’t really enjoy Harrogate to it’s full charms.
Instead I arrived annoyed. If I was being polite, it was positively urinating it down when I arrived at Wetherby Road and after the day I had, I needed a pint. Even more so that in the 10th minute when I arrived we were already 1-0 down, Richard Pell heading in from close range following a cross from Craig Radcliffe. Dejected, I left to the bar for a cheeky pint and to scoff the pie and chips. Chips that I was warned about as being greasy, unmanageable and other words used in Shampoo adverts, but in truth they were edible. The pie was lovely though, rich gravy with nice chunks of steak within it, one of the better ones I’ve had.
Thirty minutes into the game Harrogate Town double their lead, a ball from the right wing by Laurie Wilson saw our stand in keeper Will Jones flap at the ball like a cat flapping at a ball of string, missing wildly and Richard Pell again heading in to an open net. Harrogate Town 2 – 0 Colwyn Bay.
Harrogate's second sends the crowd into a frenzy.
Bay had chances, and pressed forward for a chance to claw back the deficit. Danny Meadowcroft headed the post when it was easier to score and Danny Lloyd – who has been a star for the Seagulls in recent weeks – was marked out the game. A few Bay fans and players (myself included) felt unfairly at times, in particular by Jonny Allan, who had a few choice words to share with Jon Newby our manager.
Allan had the last laugh when Jon McKenna scuffed a clearance wildly which lead to him cutting inside and scoring past Jones’ left hand side. In a move that if I was a Harrogate fan I’d have loved but as a Bay fan I despised, Allen celebrated in front of the Bay bench, but far enough for the referee not to act.
A word on the referee, he was poor, but the Bay weren’t much better. Half time Harrogate 3 – 0 Colwyn Bay.
Dejected I retired to the bar, had a couple of pints in the nice surroundings (which were nice, they had Sky Sports and all), and headed out for the second half.
Five minutes into the second half, a shot by Wilsonwas spilled by Will Jones, and Matt Bloomer shot into an empty net making it 4 – 0 to the home side. I made the decision to leave early, unheard of me, but when you’re miles away from home and with only train an hour, getting in at 11:30 is a lot better than getting in at 12:30. Saying my goodbyes to the Harrogate fans I had been chatting with, I headed to get the early train from Bradford.
Except I didn’t. With Bradford rain and terrible one way system, I arrived at the station minutes after the train had left. Dejected, I headed with my mate to the jearest alcohol establishment, a Casino, for a final pint and a flutter on Blackjack. I lost, the train was coming and I headed to it. After making polite conversation with a gaggle (is that the plural?) of nuns, who’s language was so filthy it could make a….errr…..nun blush, I reflected on the evening.
In all honesty, it wasn’t that bad, and dare I say I enjoyed it? Sure the result didn’t go our way and the fact that there were no badges for my epic scarf annoyed me, but everybody I met was friendly. Sometimes that is all you need to make it a good away day, rather than a rubbish away day. The football was secondary, in fact in my case almost non existant, but I had a great day, and plenty of stories to share with you.
Which is all you ask of me, right?
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