Middlesbrough v Norwich City, Saturday 12th September 2026, 3pm

September 14, 2026

The gigs are becoming a bit more frequent as we move into Autumn. Perhaps it’s touring season. On Wednesday, Jen and I went along to the Waiting Room at Eaglescliffe to see Jeffrey Lewis. We saw him in York last year and this one, in front of a one hundred capacity standing crowd is likely to have been one of his smallest venues for a while. He was very good, as were the support band, The Grasping Straws.

I was chatting to the drummer who was helping out the support band and he turned out to also be the drummer for David Cronenberg’s Wife, a band that we have seen a couple of times, most recently at Sheffield this year. He was able to answer my question about the grand piano at that gig, which was whether DCW were lugging it around with them, something that seemed unlikely for a band travelling in something the size of a transit. Not only was he able to confirm that they had just found it on the stage and decided to put it to good use, but also that he had abandoned his drums to be the one to play it.

Next up was The Molotovs at Gemini in Newcastle on the Friday night. I’d seen them with Paul earlier this year in a much smaller venue and came away from that occasion very impressed. In fact, I recall saying to him that I could watch them every night of the week. A few months on, I’ve backtracked a bit. When their debut album came out, I listened with a smile on my face as I was able to identify which bits they had taken from which Jam songs. I can live with a bit of stealing, as long as it’s discreet, lots of bands have done it.

What isn’t discreet though is the on stage stealing. All three of them blatantly mimic the style and movements of their Jam counterparts as if they were a tribute. They played a few new tracks which sounded just like their older songs and as Weller moved The Jam onwards with every album, is probably the least Jam-like thing about them.

The bottom line though, is the quality of the songs. If you are going to write a formulaic Jam by numbers song, then it needs to stand on its merits and none of their songs to date are as good as, say, the top fifty Jam songs. So, why bother? They should either develop a sound of their own or go full tribute. I’d watch them in the latter guise.

We were back in Teesside the next morning in time for me to get along to the game against Norwich. We’ve been doing well so far with a two point average  and just the one defeat in the league. Everyone thought that Kim had made a decent selection with maybe only Philips missing out from most people’s first choice eleven. We’ve still got that Puskas or something American fella too, who might be ideal for the ten role if we play it.

There was a wild start to the game, we could have scored in the first twenty seconds but then went a goal behind in under a minute. We hit back and went in at the break three-one up. The guy on loan from Brighton looked good, very good in fact, I think he might be an upgrade on Morgan Whittaker. Tommy Conway started wide and earned two assists in a busy performance.

We looked good for sixty-five minutes, but when Conway and McGree went off, the momentum seemed to switch. We pushed forward for a fourth and were then twice hit on the counter to bring it back to three each. An added time winner from half-time sub Ashley Phillips nicked the win for us. That’s always a great feeling.

It was an entertaining game for a neutral, as they say, but could easily have been two or more points dropped for us. We need to be tighter at the back. I’d suggest avoiding committing too many players forward in games where we are a couple of goals ahead. I’d also play all three of our main central defenders with wing backs. That would mean one less attacking player but would allow us to have one of Conway or McGree on the field at all times rather than seeing them both replaced by someone less effective like today.

Roll on Tuesday night, as a win at home to Millwall would take us two points clear at the top.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Football, Music | Leave a Comment »

Salford City v Port Vale, Saturday 5th September 2026, 12.30pm

September 6, 2026

After our stay in Ravenglass for Krankenhaus, Jen and I moved on to Barnoldswick for some more music. This time it was Soho Dukes at the Barnoldswick Music and Arts Centre. It’s a great little venue, with just sixty seats, most of them having been reclaimed from an old cinema.

We’ve been a few times and on one of those occasions we saw a couple of the Soho Dukes moonlighting in a Mott the Hoople tribute band with Zak Starkey. It was enough to encourage me to look up their original material, and I liked what I heard enough to return for a rare headline show.

They were very good and it was easy to see the Hunter/Mott influence on the band. They were joined for one song by Spike and Harry of the Quireboys which went down well.

I was hoping that the gig would coincide with a Barnoldswick Town fixture, but they were away. From the options available I picked a Salford City game due to a combination of it being just a forty-five minute drive and a lunchtime kick-off. Just as importantly, they are a League Two club and I really need to put some effort into ticking off the ninety-two. It’s a little embarrassing that with getting on for seven hundred grounds under my belt, I’ve still twenty-nine of the ninety-two to visit.

I bought a ticket online for twenty-three quid and set off early enough to bag some on-street parking just a few minutes’ walk from the AIG Stadium.

I tried two entrances that weren’t mine, before eventually finding the correct turnstile. I’d chosen a seat at the back of the six rows in the stand that ran the length of the dugout side of the pitch. I could have sat opposite, or behind the goal to my left. The visiting Port Vale fans filled the terrace behind the goal to my right.

I was given a team sheet as I came in and noticed two players with Boro connections. Macauley Langstaff was starting up front for Salford. He’s a bit of a late developer who was released as a kid from the Boro Academy but made his way into the EFL via stints at the likes of Boro Rangers and Stockton Town. He was busy but didn’t really shine.

Port Vale had Onel Hernandez on the bench for them. He had played the first half of the season for us in 2021, the time when Warnock started the campaign but was replaced by Wilder. He came on in the second half but did nothing of note that I can recall.

Port Vale had been relegated last year and were not finding the fourth tier any easier than the third. They began the game at the bottom of the table with Salford just above the relegation spots. Despite their team’s lack of form, the away fans really got behind their team. They were scathing towards the home fans and gave Salford part-owner Gary Neville some stick.

At half-time I got a steak pie and chips, which were ok. I’d earlier watched a fella a few rows in front of me avoid the queues by producing a packet of ham from his coat pocket and snacking on that.

I watched the second half from the standing area at the other end. An old bloke nearby moved next to me and talked my ears off. Sometimes I’m just too polite for my own good.

Neither side had looked capable of scoring until the Port Vale keeper let a daisy cutter free kick slip through his hands and into the net for the only goal of the game. I expect both teams to struggle this season on today’s showing.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Football, Music | Leave a Comment »

Burnley v Middlesbrough, Wednesday 2nd September 2026, 8pm

September 4, 2026

Jen and I had booked to stay in Ravenglass for a fortnight. In hindsight, it was probably longer than ideal as the weather had been poor and it meant that we were less inclined to do things after I finished work each day. There were lulls in the rain that we took advantage of to take the dog out, but nothing suitable for a longer walk.

The Championship fixtures had given the Boro a trip to the north-west on the Wednesday night of the second week and as I was already in that part of the world, it only seemed right to go along. Ravenglass is quite remote though and heading south involves a lot of small, narrow roads. That meant that the journey time to Turf Moor was two and a half hours, which is longer than it would usually take from Teesside.

I parked a fifteen-minute walk away from the ground at Sainsbury’s and passed the Royal Dyche pub which is named after the former Burnley Manager. It had a bouncer on the door who could easily have passed for Sean Dyche, as could most bouncers.

I followed the road around past Burnley Cricket Club, where I’d called into on my last visit here. There were a few Boro fans in the outdoor seating overlooking the field and it was easy to imagine Jimmy Anderson running in to bowl for Burnley.

Once inside I got a drink. Pepsi Max unfortunately. There were plenty of options for pies, but I didn’t bother with food as I’d stopped at the services before leaving the M6 and called into Greggs.

I spotted Carl in the crowd, so had a chat with him. We discussed the new signings, the team selection and particularly whether we would be playing with three centre-backs or whether Malanda would be in midfield. In the end, it was a sort of hybrid role where he slotted into the back line at times but often played further forward. I’m not sure it is for the best, either for him or the club and I’d prefer to see a midfielder alongside Morris and for Malanda to do what he does very well as a defender.

Phillips remained on the bench, although it can’t be long before he starts, and the two new midfielders weren’t available.

It was another game of two halves. We dominated the first forty-five minutes and went in at the break a goal up after a fine strike from Aiden Morris. He almost had a second that would likely have clinched the points.

Burnley were better in the second half and got an equalizer. I wasn’t too bothered as an away point at Burnley is still a decent return when you consider the players that they have. That said, I’d like us to be up there at the right end of the table and so a win at QPR in our next game would be a welcome result.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Football | Leave a Comment »

Haverigg United v Vickerstown, Saturday 29th August 2026, 2pm

August 31, 2026

There have been six Krankenhaus festivals to date and Jen and I are fortunate enough to have been to them all. The capacity has risen from four hundred in 2019 to fifteen hundred these days.

There have been changes in the layout too and this year saw more use of the secondary Glade stage as well as additional food trucks. The catering had been moved to create more covered areas near to the barn and this worked well during the frequent downpours.

The highlights were the two Sea Power sets. The first was a general festival set, with Clari from Mary in the Junkyard guesting on Lovely Day Tomorrow. On the Sunday night Sea Power played Decline in full with former member Eamon making an appearance and reliving his forays into the crowd with a drum. The bear was back too.

Whilst I’d be happy enough even if the line up went no deeper than Sea Power, Mary in the Junkyard, Bill Ryder-Jones and BC Camplight were also well worth seeing.

On the Saturday afternoon I nipped out to watch a game in the fourteenth-tier Furness Premier Division. It was taking place at Wilson Park in Haverigg which is around a twenty-five minute drive from Muncaster Castle.  Wilson Park is also the home of Millom Rugby Union Club and has pitches for rugby, football and touring caravans. The park has a great backdrop of some hills. There weren’t any stands, but one corner had a rail that I was able to lean against.

Haverigg have had a mixed start to the season and went into the game in the lower half of the table, whilst visitors Vickerstown sat at the top with three wins and a draw from their opening five fixtures.

As you might expect at this level, there weren’t many spectators. I counted a total of sixteen that watched some part of the game, but most of those paid a fleeting visit, often as part of a dog walk. Only six of us were there to watch the game in full and all apart from me were well-known to the players.

The ref looked well into his sixties, but had a good game. He took no lip from anyone and was quick to highlight that he was more than happy to sin bin anyone questioning his decisions.

Most of the meaningful action took place in the first half. Vickerstown took the lead a quarter of an hour in with a well-placed shot just inside the post. Haverigg levelled five minutes later when a long-range free kick was palmed up in the air by the Vickerstown keeper, only for it to drop behind him into the net.

The biggest talking point, between the players at least, was a Haverigg shot a minute from half-time that hit the underside of the bar and may, or may not, have crossed the line. Like so many of those commenting, I was too far away to have a worthwhile opinion.

With two minutes of the second half remaining a Vickerstown shot was parried by the Haverigg keeper and the rebound was tucked away to clinch the three points. It was hard luck on the home goalie who had kept his side in the game with some top notch saves. That’s how it goes sometimes. I made the short drive back to Muncaster for the teatime sets.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Football, Music | Leave a Comment »

Workington AFC v Warrington Rylands, Tuesday 25th August 2026, 7.45pm

August 29, 2026

It’s that time of the year when Jen and I head over to the Lake District for Sea Power’s Krankenhaus Festival. This time we are staying in Ravenglass, so it is a short walk through the woods to the festival site at Muncaster Castle.

The house that we are staying in backs onto the Ravenglass Estuary which, tides permitting, makes an excellent place for walking the dog.

I’d identified an interesting game in the first week from a ground hopping perspective. Workington are moving to a new stadium, but it won’t be ready until next season. I went to a game at their old stadium, Borough Park, last year when we were over here for Krankenhaus 2025. This year Workington are temporarily playing their home fixtures at Derwent Park, home of the town’s rugby league team.

That stadium dates back to 1956 and looks its age. As well as rugby league, it has also hosted speedway intermittently over the years. The perimeter track has been covered over in places, but it is easy to imagine the bikes lapping the pitch.

The fixture that I was attending was in the seventh-tier Northern Premier League Premier Division. It’s the same division that Stockton Town and Redcar Athletic are currently in. Admission was fifteen quid on the gate with another three pounds each for a programme and parking.

I think fifteen pounds for tier seven is a bit on the steep side and as the attendance was only 638, maybe I’ve a point. I wonder whether charging, say, a tenner, would have a beneficial impact on numbers and revenue?

I started off in the main stand which dated back to the days when view obscuring stanchions were in fashion. There were enough empty seats for me to pick a spot where I could see both goals. Visitors Warrington Rylands, who I believe started out as a factory team, went ahead after eight minutes. The goal revealed that many of those sat around me were away fans. Everyone got on ok though, despite the overt celebrations.

The main talking point was the sending off of a Rylands player close to half-time. No one was really sure of what he did or that he had actually been red-carded, but we didn’t see him again and he wasn’t replaced.

At half-time I moved to the terraced stand on the opposite side. I stopped at the toilets in the old stand first which had no lighting for that true old school experience. On my way I bought  a cheeseburger. It wasn’t the best and perhaps provided an indication of why most people were opting for hot dogs or chips.

Despite being a man down, Rylands doubled their lead five minutes after the restart.  Their two-goal advantage was short lived though as Workington halved the deficit with a screamer from distance. Five minutes later, the home side levelled from a free kick on the edge of the box. The turnaround energized the kiddie ultras at the far end of the terrace and prompted a run of drum led chants.

As we entered the final stages of the game the momentum was with Workington and with two minutes remaining, they headed home from a flicked-on corner to take the points. Rylands went down to nine players before the end after a second red card and no doubt felt hard done by.

I left the stadium at the full-time whistle to a chorus from the home fans of “Two nil and you fucked it up”. A harsh, but accurate summation of events.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Football | Leave a Comment »

Cramlington United v AFC Burradon and New Fordley, Saturday 22nd August 2026, 2pm

August 28, 2026

On getting back from Sweden, I’d planned for a busy weekend with a game, a gig and a walk. The travelling had tired me out though and so we only managed the first two activities.

The gig was Martin Stephenson at the Waiting Room in Eaglescliffe on the Sunday night. We’d seen him there last year as part of a three piece. This time they had added a drummer who was the grandson of a Daintees drummer from the eighties. It all went very well. Although I had a stiff neck from looking upwards from my seat just a few inches from the stage.

On the Saturday I’d thought about going across to Blackburn to see the Boro as tickets were available on the gate. It’s a ground that I’ve been to a few times before though, including a game towards the back end of last season.

I decided to stay local instead and so Jen and I headed through the Tyne Tunnel for a game at Northburn Sports and Community Centre in Cramlington. We arrived early and got the final parking space.

It was three quid each to get in and we handed over the change for a couple of blind card entries. There wasn’t any food available other than crisps, so we limited ourselves to a coffee each. The eleventh tier Northern Alliance Premier Division fixture had attracted around eighty spectators, with a lot of them likely friends and family of the players.

There weren’t any seats other than a single memorial chair. Maybe the guy wasn’t popular enough to warrant a bench. Jen settled into the chair and I took up various positions on the perimeter fence. The grass was long and missing from patches in the goalmouths.

It was a niggly contest with both teams giving the ref stick. He wasn’t the best, but if he were, then he wouldn’t have been spending his afternoon overseeing an eleventh-tier fixture. I sometimes wonder whether players at this level genuinely believe that the officials should all be FIFA standard.

Cramlington went a goal up in the first minute when a Burradon defender diverted a cross into his own net. The hosts doubled their lead in the second half when some playing out from the back went tits up leaving the home striker an easy finish.

What had seemed like an easy victory for Cramlington was put at risk six minutes from time when Burradon pulled one back. I missed it hitting the back of the net as I was checking on the Boro score.

Matters got interesting with a minute remaining when the home keeper was sent off for wiping out a Burradon striker on the edge of the box. That spurred the visitors on and with four minutes of added time played, they equalized from a quickly taken corner. It was an unexpected comeback but, on reflection, a fair result overall.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Football, Music | Leave a Comment »

Pitea IF v AIK, Thursday 20th August 2026, 6.30pm

August 27, 2026

It’s a few months since I’ve been in Sweden, but a quick visit coincided with the Second Round of the Swedish Cup. The game that I’d selected was in Pitea. It’s around a fifty-minute drive south from Lulea and, perhaps coincidently, the weather was so much better when we arrived than when setting off.

I was accompanied by a couple of fellas from work, and we got there early enough to nab one of the few remaining spots in the official car park adjoining the IF Arena.

Pitea are in the fourth tier and were taking on AIK of the top division. Apparently, the visitors are regarded as the third best team in Sweden. I’d sorted out tickets online for one hundred SEK a pop. The seats had already sold out by that time, and our allocated spot was a standing area in a newish stand along the side, behind three rows of seats. I got chatting to a couple of young lads stood next to me who filled me in on a lot of the match details as well as pointing out their history teacher, who was part of the Pitea coaching staff.

The game was well attended with two and a half thousand spectators filling the stands along the sides of the pitch and one very old-looking one behind the goal. AIK, from Stockholm, had around three hundred fans in a section further along from us and had brought flags, flares and a drum.

We had difficulties with food and drink as none of us had the Swish payment App popular at Swedish grounds. We had about nine quid in Swedish currency between us and that got us three bottles of coke and two chocolate bars from the only cabin that took cash. It seems so odd that you cannot tap a debit or credit card that would be fine just about anywhere else in the world.

At half-time we moved to the opposite corner of the pitch and stood on a slightly raised embankment. I got a couple of bites from whatever flying insects are doing the rounds in Sweden at this time of year, so regretted not having applied some repellent.

Pitea gave a good account of themselves on the pitch, and it wasn’t always apparent which of the teams played in the top tier. Whilst I’m sure all of the stats would show that AIK were dominant, it didn’t always look that way.

The visitors had to wait until almost half time before going ahead and it wasn’t until midway through the second half that they took the game beyond Pitea. A third goal in added time flattered AIK in what was a good night on and off the pitch for the hosts.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Football | Leave a Comment »

Middlesbrough v Lincoln City, Saturday 15th August 2026, 3pm

August 26, 2026

The first league game of the season is something to look forward to, although this year the impact has been diluted a bit by the scheduling of a League Cup game for the week before. Soph and I discussed our prospects as we walked the dog around Cowpen Bewley the evening before. It’s somewhere I’ve never been to despite living within a few miles of it for over sixty years. We both considered that this might be our year for promotion.

Harry and Tom had the same opinion as we walked to the ground. I thought Sol Brynn was good enough for us, but they both rated the new guy as a definite upgrade. A new centre half from Spurs who might cost us twenty million if all the add-ons materialize had been confirmed that morning. That gives us three high quality central defenders plus Luke Ayling whose attributes would be ideal for bringing on to see a game out.

The fan zone was busy. We had a chat with Amelia and Ryan who were equally confident. There were plenty of Lincoln fans enjoying their first visit to the second tier in sixty-five years. I’d like them to stay up, particularly if it is at the expense of, say, Southampton or West Ham.

The first half didn’t go to plan, although I should have expected that ex-Boro player Adam Reach would score against us.

In the second half we were more physical. The introduction of Riley McGree made a difference, as it usually does. Two goals from Will Lankshear, the second in added time, broke the hearts of the Lincoln fan as we took the points.

It could easily have gone the other way, but the teams that get promoted usually do so because they somehow find a way to win and that’s what we did.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Football | Leave a Comment »

Ferryhill Athletic v Barnard Castle, Wednesday 12th August 2026, 6.45pm

August 25, 2026

It was Eclipse Day. Not the horse race, but the solar kind. Or the lunar kind, I’m no expert. I’d been listening on the radio about the need to observe it through pin holes in cardboard or facing away and viewing it over your shoulder on your phone.

It all seemed a bit alarmist really. What about those people who watch the sun go down each evening? It doesn’t seem to affect them. I watched the last eclipse in Scotland, maybe thirty years ago and I think we all just squinted at bit.

With the sky due to turn dark I thought it would be interesting to see how it impacted upon a football game. Clearly it would need to be at a ground without floodlights and so I selected an eleventh-tier Wearside League fixture at Ferryhill Athletic’s Dean Bank Recreation Ground.

It was four pounds admission, including a raffle ticket and I paid another couple of pounds for a coffee and a bag of crisps. There wasn’t any hot food, so there’s no pie review this week.

Approximately fifty fans and one whippet lined the perimeter fence and awaited the dimming of the sunlight. As ten past seven approached the light began to fade. It was probably a little darker than I’ve seen at matches of this level, but nowhere near the lack of visibility that we played in as kids ignoring our Mam’s shouts to come inside.

When the peak darkness occurred, we saw very little of the eclipse as it took place behind a cloud. We saw very little football either as the ref conveniently called for a drinks break that lasted until the gloom started lifting.

I’m not really sure what I’d expected. Birds falling silent? Dogs wimpering? Maybe locals ritually slaughtering those from out of town?

All we got was a continuation of play in light appropriate for an August evening and in an evenly contested game a second half goal was enough to clinch the points for Barney.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Football | Leave a Comment »

Middlesbrough v Wrexham, Friday 7th August 2026, 8pm

August 22, 2026

The first round of the League Cup usually takes place as a midweek fixture early in the season. A change of plan this year has seen it scheduled for the weekend before the opening Championship game. I like that idea, it’s a competitive fixture rather than a friendly, but one that most clubs won’t be that fussed if they lose.

I was joined by my daughter Soph, as well as Tom and Harry. She had come along to the box the previous weekend for the Espanyol friendly and enjoyed it, so made a quick return. Before that, it might be fifteen years or more since Soph was last in the Riverside and Espanyol was probably the first time I’ve been to a game with both of my kids since Eindhoven.

She was soon back in the swing of things, probably helped by us opting to sit down in the North Stand rather than having to stand up all game at the other end.

The change of schedule seemed to work as despite it being a Friday night game and live on ITV1, more than eighteen thousand fans turned up. There’s a bit of a buzz around the club at the moment with the new signings. For this game our two new Americans started as did Will Lankshear.

All of them look as if they will be regular starters and that’s what I want from a new signing. Forget about signing players for the bench, that can be filled by those displaced from the first eleven by the new fellas.

We played well and clinched the victory with a well taken goal from Will Lankshear. It’s early days, but he really does look like someone who might solve our problem with converting the many chances that we create. If he does, then promotion is a distinct possibility.

Posted in Football | Leave a Comment »

« Older Entries