Cod Almighty | Postbag
Coming back and the road to Wigan
14 November 2012
The Postbag is on the comeback trail this time around. That is to say, on the back of the Diary's efforts, you have been on the trail of various Town come backs. There is also a surpring amount on Wigan Athletic's stadium.
In the meantime, Charles Lumley has suggested we should "lay off the constant SNOS bashing" until we bring our own proof reading and spellchecker up to scratch. Cant see the need myself.
Write to Cod Almighty at postbag@codalmighty.com.
"The 13,151 gate at Stamford Bridge was only a few more than saw the r
Dear CA
Following on from your call for comeback memories, an early recollection I have of supporting Town is seeing the rather prosaic headline in the Sports Telegraph stating that "Town hit 3 in 11 minutes to beat Chelsea". It was back in 1983, and as an impressionable youngster not yet trusted to travel to away games, the first (and probably only) edition of the ST was often the messenger of Town tidings good and bad when we were on the road, and this particular headline stuck in my mind. Brief googling has failed to bring more information on scorers and timings, but I seem to remember that the goals came in the final 11 minutes of the game after Town had been 2-0 down.
A couple of interesting footnotes were found though. The 13,151 gate at Stamford Bridge that day was only a few more than saw the return fixture (13,000, though doubtless swelled by Blues that day). This article, referring to both games between the clubs that season, provides a decent opposition perspective on visiting BP.
Keep up the good work,
from Steve P
Letters Ed responds: Our readers voted the first of Grimsby's goals in that comeback win at Stamford Bridge the 17th best in Town's history.
"The York supporter with the rattle listened to sound advice"
The result was 3-2 to Grimsby but we were 2-0 down at the interval. The Town line-up:
Nigel Batch; Dave Moore, John Stone, Kev Moore, Phil Crosby; Mike Brolly (sub Tony Ford), Joe Waters, Bobby Mitchell, Bobby Cumming; Kev Kilmore and Trevor Whymark. Scorers Trev Whymark, Kev Moore and Jo Waters. Can't remember the goals but could imagine a touch of class about Whymark, a set piece for Kev Moore and a run to the edge of the box for Joe Waters. Next time in Grimsby and near the library...
Bank holiday Friday and a much bigger attendance than seen in the previous months at BP. Indeed only the Sheff Wed game in September had drawn a larger gate. Town had a poor opening half and one or two of the players were subjected to harsh criticism. Among those criticised was Bobby Mitchell who was, in my opinion, a stylish midfielder always happy to work for his team, always available and a player who passed the ball with great accuracy. It was through his promptings that Town got back into the game and from a sour, almost unrepentant bunch of spectators the mood changed dramatically as we came away with the points with Barnsley demoralised.
I have taken a look at the Barnsley team on the day with one or two famous and not so famous names. Mick McCarthy is the best known, followed by the big centre-forward Trevor Aylott who held the ball up beautifully in the first half inviting a series of rash challenges. Playing at right-back was a guy called Nicky Law.
One match that a select few of us talk about is the game at York City in September 1959. A midweek game. A Monday night game. We set off early in a Ford Anglia (number can be supplied) with stops for re-fuelling at Crowle and Hemingbrough. Pubs in towns or cities with cattle markets had special dispensation to extend their hours on such days and we were fortunate enough to find shelter at an inn close to York cattle market. To add anything else would be superfluous.
The match was a disaster in the first half played in front of an 11,500 crowd. A huge gate when compared with the gates seen on York's return to the Football League. We were 3-0 down at the interval with a guy in front of us vigorously waving his gas rattle without concern for those around him. We couldn't play any worse and we improved beyond all recognition in the second half. In fact Ron Rafferty and Ralph Hunt were exceptional in front of goal with one goal for Rafferty and a pair for Hunt. Unsurprising in a way as John Scott and Jimmy Fell will have provided a silver service for their strikers. The York supporter with the rattle listened to sound advice and at 3-3 was silenced. Why was the hat-trick goal of Ralph Hunt disallowed?
from Neville Butt
Wigan "is a world away from the out of town, greenfield unsustainable
Tut, Tut, Middle Aged Diary (See entry for 23 October). I know who you are!
Your comments on Wigan were a little unfair, and is not a good comparator to the crazy doomed Fentydome project. Did you ever go to Springfield Park? Did you ever stand on the mudbank behind one goal? The Wigan stadium is very different to that of the Great Coates proposal.
It was built on a tip, a problem that the local community had wanted something done about for decades. The stadium is closer to the town centre than Springfield Park was and is much more integrated into the community than the old ground ever was. The stadium is a joint use facility with the Warriors RL club, includes an excellent athletics stadium and indoor training facilities next door. The adjacent housing area is one of the most deprived in the north-west and the RL club has built its learning academy just a few hundred yards away from the stadium and is by all accounts making a significant difference to youth activity on that estate by putting sport-related learning right into that community.
The club is planning to develop its football youth academy next to the stadium to bring exactly the same benefits to the local community as the rugby club has done. Wigan as a town is very proud of the club and the stadium and the prestige it brings to the town. Whilst Dave Whelan may not be everybody's cup of tea, no Latics fans who I know for one minute consider that the stadium development was anything other than a great move.
It's a world away from the out of town, greenfield, unsustainable Great Coates site that Fenty is hell-bent on pursuing.
from Mike Worden
Letters Ed responds: Middle-Aged Diary replies: Knowing that Mike's views are coloured by a vast amount more than general knowledge about planning in general and stadium development in particular, I'm happy to be told my impressions from my trip to Wigan were misleading. I stand by the conclusions I drew in that entry (which are in agreement with Mike's views) but admit I'd have chosen a more appropriate example had I known what I now know.
"Wigan is not a big ground but has class"
I am really pleased that I was asked to drive my grandson and two of his friends from Shipley to Wigan on Wednesday night. There were 5,100 Bradford fans alone and the evening brought home to me how much we miss the big occasions and especially so as we have failed to reach the first round proper of the cup this season. We did not always win but trips to places like Anfield, Villa Park, Highbury, Stamford Bridge, Pride Park, Hillsborough, Molineux and even Burnley are all fondly remembered.
Wigan is not a big ground but has class. Yes, the town of Wigan was gridlocked but I would be prepared to sacrifice the ease of parking in Asda's car park adjacent to the Barrow ground just to be stuck in that traffic near the DW stadium to watch Town.
Alan Connell took his penalty well in the 4-2 penalty shoot-out hitting it high and to the right of the keeper. He came on as sub after 65 minutes. When given the opportunity to attack, to employ a cliché, he held the ball up well and used it intelligently. Much of his time was spent latching on to hurried City defensive clearances and pumping them further upfield.
from Neville Butt
Thanks very much to Steve, Neville and Mike. Thanks also to Steve Bramley, who sent us the very timely image below.
