TICKING OFF THE GROUNDS

Printed in the National League South game v Dulwich Hamlet Tuesday 8^th February 2022  We lost 2-1 in front of 531

I love that football sends you to places you would never visit unless you were on the run. So somewhat surprisingly, with a direct train from Brighton, this was my first ever trip to St.Albans. A city rich in history and culture, which I of course ignored and headed instead straight to the pub.

In plastic-bag carrying ground hopping terms this has meant I have visited every club in our league. Well except I’ve only been to Dorking and Maidstone's old grounds, but who cares about such semantics. Forget the 92 Football League challenge (especially as I’ve only been to 15 of them) I reckon I’ve ticked off 230 grounds although quite a few of these don’t exist anymore buried under housing and supermarkets. I look forward to the day when a supermarket is knocked down and replaced with a non league football ground.

I take great pleasure in pointing out these football places to my missus as we drive around the country, as she pretends to be bored stiff. From Dover to Gateshead, Truro to Boston, i've been there, done that and wiggled my Slough Town bobble hat. When I was growing up I could map the British Isles with ease thanks to my football knowledge. Maybe learning the football pyramid should be part of the Geography syllabus? My non league pyramid poster sits proudly on my office wall as I longingly look at places like Nostel Miners Welfare and West Allotment Celtic and hope one day we get to play them in the FA Cup.

Clarence Park is actually in a Victorian park – and is the sort of old ground that has been hunted to extinction in London and beyond. Park wardens still lock the gates at dusk and until very recently there was an oak tree with a preservation order growing in the one of the terraces behind the goal!

Despite it being a traditional ground it is now cash free - mind you, they could do with investing in a stair lift to the clubhouse. I think Clubshop Sue is still there.

Pubs also seem to be on the UK endangered list and there’s always a property vulture around the corner willing to snap them up and turn off the taps. We found ourselves in the Mermaid, which is a proper old fashioned real ale boozer that had a range of concotions to delight the Rebels palates. Thanks to the pandemic it has converted its car park into an outside drinking area - and it served up the best nachos I’ve ever had in a pub.

Most of us had seen St Albans outplay and beat Forest Green Rovers in the FA Cup on the TV but their promotion push had stumbled since then. Their crowds have risen and today was touching 1,500. The Rebels as ever had travelled in good numbers and it was the St Albans goalkeeper who enjoyed our attention in the first half just for the having Johnstone as a name stake. Parties, cake, he got the full I-broke-the-rules-cos-im-posher-than-you reportorie. I’d never heard Slough fans so politicised about a PM and if this is a barometer of peoples anger that taking the piss out of people who had obeyed the rules he set, well he’s toast. Me, I’m just sick of being told we should all be patriotic and love our country from people who royally shaft us.

Neil Bakers dad Keith had sadly passed away the night before after a long battle with cancer. On the 66^th minute the Slough fans started singing ‘There’s only one Keith Baker’, the ref stopped the game and all the players and St. Albans fans joined in with a minutes applause, a fantastic show of respect from everyone.

Neil tweeted: ‘Can only thank everyone for the support over the last 24 hours after losing Dad so late Friday night. Whilst we knew it was coming, it is still hard to lose your hero. I was in absolute tatters! The football community has been incredible though and I will be forever grateful.’

And just to add to St.Albans being a thoroughly decent club, special mention must to go their stewards - quite possibly the best I’d ever accounted. They found us a bin, and even bought it around for us in the second half. And then admitted they supported their nearby rivals Hemel!

I heard rumours that St.Albans want to move, no doubt like York to some out of town carbuncle which would be a real shame but I understand there must be severe limitations to the ground. No doubt eager groundhoppers will be flocking there until they do to enjoy a trainspotting, bird watching, ball spotting bonanza.