I usually try and combine a game with doing something else, although sometimes for this blog I’ll cheat a bit and rattle on about something that I did a few days earlier. I’ve not been up to much at all though lately as the dog has just had a ruptured cruciate ligament repaired and so we’ve been pretty much stuck in the house whilst he recuperates.
So, the best I can mention is that I called into a garden centre on the way to the game at Selby and bought some plants. I don’t really pay much attention to what the plants are, other than trying to buy the ones that are attractive to bees. We have some living inside a wall in the back garden and lavender goes down well with them.
It was six quid to get in at Selby Town’s Fairfax Plant Hire Stadium. Once inside, I bought a strip of raffle tickets and had a go on a blind card despite not knowing what the prizes were. There weren’t any programmes, but there was a book on sale celebrating Selby Town’s centenary. I was briefly tempted to buy one but didn’t want to lug it around for the next two hours.
The ground dates back to the 1950s and had some covered seating behind one of the goals and two covered standing areas at the other end. Most people stood along the rail on the side with the dressing rooms. The dugouts were opposite.
There were four divisions between the teams with Selby in the tenth tier Division One of the Northern Counties East League and Scarborough up in the sixth tier National League North.
Selby were in red, with Scarborough in their recently released yellow and blue kit. It was so new that they hadn’t had time to add numbers to their shirts, which might well have caused difficulties if the ref wanted to book someone. There were also lots of the new Scarborough kits among the crowd. I’d estimate that maybe half of the 358 in attendance were supporting the visitors.
Whilst there’s usually a tenuous Boro connection if you look hard enough, this one didn’t need me to dig too deeply. Jonathan Greening, who was one of Steve McClaren’s first signings, is the Scarborough manager. The fans around me weren’t initially sure that he was there, speculating that he might be on holiday. I wandered around to the dugouts and recognised him despite him having moved on from his Jesus hairstyle to a buzz cut.
Ste Walker started up front for Scarborough. He played eleven times for the Boro as a kid, but at one point looked to have drifted away from the professional game. It’s good to see him making a living from football.
Most of the chances went Scarborough’s way but Selby defended well and it was goalless at the break. I joined a lengthy queue for a pie that was billed as steak and pepper. I could definitely taste the pepper, but didn’t notice any steak in there. Slurry and pepper might have been a better description.
Ste Walker was replaced at half-time along with five of his teammates. Refreshing the line-up worked for Scarborough and they went ahead just before the hour. That first goal gave them a bit more confidence and they rattled in another four without reply before the full-time whistle.
Trail of the Lion King 