I like to try and combine going to games with something else and Pickering seemed an ideal location to go for a pre-match walk. Rather than spend some time looking for a suitable route I took the easy option of just going to Dalby Forest Park as it had a load of paths marked on it and I figured that we could just wander along one of those.
That was exactly as it turned out, although as all but one of the paths were mountain biking trails, there was no need for any difficult choices. We didn’t see much at all in the way of wildlife but it made for a pleasant morning out in the fresh air.
Pickering is a town that I’m reasonably familiar with as when my kids were small I used to bring them to a fishing lake on the edge of town. It was marketed as ‘fun fishing’, the fun being that it was so overstocked that you would catch a fish with just about every cast. We would head down after school and return an hour or so later with a bag of trout that had been gutted and cleaned for us.
We stopped for lunch just outside of Pickering and then parked up with half an hour or so to spare. It wasn’t the warmest of days and Jen was keen for a seat in the covered stand where she could more easily cover her legs with a blanket. With rain forecast I wasn’t going to argue with that. Our early arrival worked well and after paying the eight quid admission we were soon settled into a small covered stand along the side of the pitch.
There were also covered stands behind both of the goals, but I think we got the better of the deal.
I was sat next to a bloke who was filling in a sheet on a clipboard. I took a sneaky peek whenever I could and concluded that he was the referee assessor. It was a time-consuming task with him appearing to have to score everything the ref was involved in. It meant that he spent most of the match looking downwards rather than being able to take in everything that was going on.
For what it is worth, I thought the ref had a good game. I’ve no real idea on how often he made the right call, but he was confident and decisive and that counts for a lot. Mind you I’ve worked with some right chancers over the years who were just like that so maybe there is a bit more to it.
The game was in the Northern Premier League East Division which is the league directly above the Northern League and the one that Stockton currently play in. Pickering, in blue, were taking on Tadcaster, in white. Both teams were near the bottom of the table and the home fans weren’t confident of avoiding relegation.
I’d been hoping to watch a couple of Boro youngsters who had been on loan at Pickering but they seemed to have vanished. One of them didn’t appear to have even played during his spell at the club.
The pitch was unusual in that there was a slope about two thirds of the way across from us. It ran the length of the field but wasn’t gradual. The pitch started off flat, dropped down a metre or so and then levelled off again. I imagine that when playing a pass you would have to gauge the way the slope would impact upon it in the way a golfer would when lining up a putt.
The first half was a bit niggly with a few yellows but no real chances and the teams went in level at the break.
The game came to life on the hour when an unexpected Pickering shot from distance flew in. It looked as if Pickering would see the game out until two minutes from time when the home keeper, who was making his debut on loan from Darlo, had his clearance charged down to allow a Tadcaster equalizer. It was a shame for the kid as he’d had a decent game. His blushes were spared in injury time though when one of his teammates cut inside from the right and finished well for the winner.
Three points for Pickering against their relegation rivals and a decent day out to start the New Year.
Tags: Dalby Forest Park, Fun Fishing, Pickering Town, Tadcaster Albion
Trail of the Lion King 
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