A fan from afar
Football has played a huge part in my life and my ambition is to watch a match at all 92 Football League grounds. Often when I am travelling to a League ground I try to visit non-league grounds on the way. The majority of non-league games I have watched have been within the West Midlands.
I regularly take in matches at my local non-league club Solihull Moors, who play at Damson Parkway, now referred to under a sponsorship deal as the Autotech Stadium. Whilst being a supporter of the Moors, I have witnessed them playing many ex-Football League teams such as FC Halifax, Boston United and Stockport County. While it’s sad to see these clubs drop out of the Football League and down to this level, it’s great for us non-league supporters who get to see their club playing well established clubs, in big stadiums in front of thousands of fans.
One of the main reasons that I love non-league football is because of the grounds. I love visiting new grounds and watching matches at quaint, old grounds that are steeped in history. I can tell you that there is no better feeling than sitting in small, old stands or standing on crumbling terraces watching the ‘Beautiful game’. I feel that the best time to take in a game at this level is on a midweek evening and I find this is when true football fans come alive. Another thing that I love about non-league football is its fans. When attending a match of this magnitude you feel as though you are part of a family and that you are valued. Like myself, many non-league supporters will do anything to get their football fix. You could say that we are addicted to the game!
One non-league memory that sticks out within my mind is the day when I visited Moor Lane, the home of Salford City. Our visit to Salford City was made memorable due to the friendliness and generosity of the people that we met there. At the time, my Uncle Tim and I were on the way to Rochdale to see them play against Burton Albion, one of the League clubs that I support. On arrival we parked up, unbeknown to us that we had parked in the chairlady’s spot! After I had taken some photos, a very kind gentleman showed my Uncle and I into the changing rooms. We then visited the club shop and even though I only purchased a badge, I could not have envisaged the gifts that we left with. The man who worked in the shop told us the history of Salford City and even proceeded to tell us about the carrier bags he uses within the shop. I believe his passion and knowledge made our day. He then gave me many Salford City items for free such as a pen, flag, programme and two recent editions of a local non-league magazine. He even told us about the time when he went to Scotland with his girlfriend, and toured around all the Scottish football grounds whilst she was working. Then we met another gentleman who was in fact the owner of the non-league magazine I had been given. He was at the match do a report on the game for the non-league paper. As we left the ground, I was given a replica home shirt by the same person who had taken me into the changing rooms. I could not believe what a friendly bunch they were and I will never forget their generosity.
I will also never forget my first ever match at Truro City whilst on holiday in Cornwall. My family at the time had planned their whole day in Truro just so that I could go and watch the match. Even though they don’t like football, and it was only me that was going to the game, they still knew how important it was for me. To get to the match my dad and I had to struggle up a very steep hill for over a mile (my Dad kept stopping, struggling to keep up with me and then had to walk back down it as he did not attend the match. The next morning he had a heart attack! but has now recovered). I could not have missed the opportunity to watch a match at Cornwall’s premier club and have since been back there on one other occasion.
Another non-league team that my Uncle and I went to watch was Alvechurch FC. We had the choice to go and watch Burton Albion that night but decided to fit in a non-league game instead. Unfortunately, when we arrived, we found out from one of the club’s coaches that the match had been called off. We were told that we could watch the players train on the pitch if we wanted. Instead, we decided to head off to another local club, Highgate United to see if their match was still on. This was a team that my Uncle used to play for. However, just like on the Alvechurch website, the Highgate website contained no information about the match being called off. When we arrived at the ground, it was all shut up and the game had been called off. If my Uncle and I were to travel to another match then we would only have made the latter end of the second half. Sadly, there was no football for us that evening and I regretted having missed the Burton game because they won 4-3!
I have also watched matches at Football League clubs that are now in the non-league pyramid. These clubs include Macclesfield Town, Cheltenham Town and Torquay United. Another of these clubs is Hereford United, a club that will always be special to me. They were the opponents for the very first match that I ever attended, the opposition when I was a mascot and provided me with one of my most enjoyable away days. It has been sad to see their demise. I still have a pennant of theirs on my wall. Visiting a ground or watching a live football match fills me with unprecedented pleasure and I hope to visit many more non-league grounds in the future. Who knows which non-league ground I will be visiting next?
As I pursue my quest to do the 92 continues I’m sure that many more non-league clubs and grounds will be ticked off along the way.
Forever the football fanatic
Alex Manners
