Football Snapshots - Stan Mortensen

That is a picture I took of the statue of Stan Mortensen outside Bloomfield Road when I visited Blackpool in 2007. “Morty” is most remembered for his part in the ‘Matthews FA Cup Final’ in 1953 when he scored a hat-trick for Blackpool to win the game 4-3, despite being 1-3 down. Overall he scored 197 goals for Blackpool in 317 appearances from 1941-1955.

Bloomfield Road is a stadium that is near me during term time but have yet to visit for several reasons. Firstly, is the price, as according to Blackpool’s website the cheapest ticket for me would be £28 which for the Championship is ridiculous. Also, with several closer grounds such as Preston and Bamber Bridge, which appeal to me more. So it will be a while most likely before I return to Morty’s old stomping ground but it always pleases me to see great players from the past commemorated like that. 

Lancaster City vs Salford City (07/03/09)

Match 43

Ground #: 18

Ground: Giant Axe

Competition: Northern League Division 1 North (Level 8)

Kick Off: 3pm

Cost: £5 (concession ticket)

Programme: £1.50

Attendance: 185

Lancaster City 3

Mahoney 34’, Coar 47’, 69’

Salford City 5

Foster (pen) 15’, 57’, 71’, 75’, 90’

_____________________________________________________________

Despite being now more than midway through the 2nd year of my degree at Lancaster, the local football team had not appealed straight away. When I first arrived in Lancaster, within a week I had already watched their Football League rivals Morecambe and had been several times after, such was my enjoyment of my first visit to Christie Park.  However, now being a Groundhopper and wanting to see more local teams, the time had come to visit Lancaster City.

Lancaster City currently find themselves playing in the Northern League Division 1 North (or the Unibond League) which is Level 8 on the English League Pyramid. Lancaster had been well known from 2006/2007 after they finished the season in the Conference North with just 1 point after going into administration, all their players leaving and having to play a sizeable amount of games with their youth team and young cast-in’s who they had brought in on emergency deals. They then dropped down to Northern League Div 1 North, where they achieved a very respectable 11th place last season. They play their home games at the brilliantly named Giant Axe ground, which is named because when viewed from above, it is said to be shaped like an axe head. The ground today is quite basic but probably a good standard compared to the rest of the League, with one main stand for seats, a covered standing area behind one goal, an uncovered standing area behind the other goal and a place people stand underneath the press box down the other side of the pitch. Plans to improve the ground have been put on hold due to financial implications, but also as Lancaster will probably not need to improve the ground in a hurry for more fans.

 

They welcomed Salford City, who had last season been promoted from the North-West Counties 1st Division after a 2nd place this season. However, this season had been very tough for the Ammies and they have already gone through 3 managers to try to staive off an immediate return to the North-West Counties league. Under ‘new’ manager Paul Wright, they found themselves coming to Lancaster with only 9 points all season, with one away win so far and amazingly none at home. With also only 9 away goals scored all season, this was a potential banana skin for Lancaster City which was repeatedly touched upon within the programme.  Lancaster City were having a decent season, currently in 6th and were only 2 points of the last play-off place in the Division, so this game had all to play for.

We had arrived at the ground on a VERY wet day and a quite chilly wind half expecting the game to be off, but it was on and to my amazement it was on when we saw the state of the pitch too (see the photo above) that amazement increased. Salford fans were in good voice at the start of the game as both teams tried to get used to the poor conditions and it was Salford who took the lead when a Salford player was one on one with the goalie and was taken down yet no penalty was awarded until the referee had consulted with his linesman, much to the fury of the Lancaster fans. Steve Foster dispatched the penalty and Salford had the lead. This forced Lancaster to come back at them and bombarded the away goal until they got their deserved equalizer on 34 minutes when Danny Mahoney curled a superb free kick into the top corner to give on loan goalie Matt Edwards no chance. The last 10 minutes of the half both sides could of snatched a goal and Salford thought they had when a shot had beaten Neil Beesley in goal but was stopped on the line, through mud and Lancaster cleared. So 1-1 at HT it was. My friend who I went with to this game laughed and said he wished for a 4-4 draw, was never going to happen, but I had not expected what the 2nd half brought.

Lancaster took the lead for the first time straight away when a well delivered cross could not be missed by Alan Coar from about a yard out which then brought Salford out to attack the Lancaster goal. By this time the rain had stopped for a very chilly wind which was causing the mud and pitch to dry up slightly and turn more into a bog which made playing any sort of football hard. Salford though had a go and got their reward when a great cross was slipped through the keepers legs for Steve Foster’s 2nd of the game. Again, both sides went on the attack as a draw would suit neither team and Lancaster got a 3rd and re-took the lead when great work from Dodgson I believe allowed Coar for another tap in. However this lead didn’t last long as an awful pass-back from a Lancaster City defender went straight past Beesley in goal and allowed Steve Foster to slide in on the mud for a 3rd. Salford then scored almost instantly after that too when they hit Lancaster on the counter attack and Foster scored his 4th by smashing a shot through Beesley. Lancaster were stunned and the Salford fans next to us also were too as they were looking at only their 2nd league win of the season. As you would expect Lancaster bombarded the Salford goal and near misses and some good saves from Edwards retained Salford’s lead until just after 5 minutes of injury time was called and Steve Foster picked the ball up outside the box and curled a fantastic shot over Beesley in net and made it 5. It finished 5-3 to Salford. Breathless.

 

This was my first proper non-league game, as I don’t really count Cambridge Utd as one as in my belief they should be a league side and look good to go back to League 2 this season. I could not have expected the match to turn out the way it, especially after the 1st half. This game will really take some beating, 8 goals, 5 scored by one player alone, I doubt I will ever see that again. Great fun and banter between the fans, and all of this only for £5. You have to love the non-league, I sure will be back to Lancaster City at some point and will have to go visit other close-by Unibond League teams.

Photos from Lancaster City vs Salford

_____________________________________________________________

Match Ratings:

- Match: 9/10 (this will take some beating, great game)

- Value for money: 7/10 (£5 for Level 8 does seem fair, and the game was worth the entry fee)

- Ground: 6/10 (decent for this level, good facilities too)

- Atmosphere: 8/10 (Salford City fans are some of the best I have come across, great banter with Lancaster too)

- Food: 6/10 (decent burger at decent prices)

- Programme: 6/10 (while not amazing, you have to remember it was only £1.50 and at this level too)

- Referee: Mark Griffiths – 6/10 (keeper should have been sent off for last man and someone also kicked out at another player to only receive a yellow)

 

Heart of Midlothian vs Motherwell (04/03/09)

Match 42

Ground #: 3 (10th visit)

Ground: Tynecastle

Competition: Scottish Premier League

Kick Off: 7:45pm

Cost: £14 (concession ticket)

Programme: £3

Attendance: 13,306

Hearts 2

Driver 50’, Palazuelos 90’

Motherwell 1

Hughes 76’  

_____________________________________________________________

I hadn’t actually planned to go back to Tynecastle or watch Hearts at all after my dismal record of viewing them this season. 3 games, 3 defeats, 0 goals scored. It was keeping with my frankly embarrassing record of watching Hearts over the years, I had only seen them win twice out of 14 games I had viewed them in. However a history essay I am working on needed some primary sources from the National Library of Scotland and so another trip to Edinburgh was needed, and of course, a Hearts game.

Its just as well then that a strange mid-week set of SPL fixtures was here and Hearts played at home to Motherwell. This was the fixture from the opening game of the season where Hearts had beaten the Well 3-2 which was Csaba Lazslo’s first game in charge of Hearts. Sadly, the away game at Fir Park (a game I attended) was a 1-0 win for Motherwell and the worst games of football I had witnessed.  

Both teams came into this game on the back of two good away wins on the Saturday. Hearts had finally won at Dundee Utd by 1 goal to 0. While Motherwell beat Inverness 2-1. Hearts would need to win this game to keep their 5 point lead over Dundee Utd in the race for 3rd place in the SPL, while Motherwell were looking to cement their place in the Top 6.

Tynecastle is a classic old school ground which has been Hearts’ home since 1886 and has undergone recent renovation in the past two decades to improve the Gorgie, Wheatfield and Roseburn Stands so the current capacity of the ground is now 17,420. The Vladimir Romanov regime has also wanted to improve the old Main Stand which is now the smallest stand at the ground to bring capacity up to 23,000. Whether this happens or not remains to be seen but an improvement could be great for Hearts and Tynecastle.

I took my position in my normal Stand, the Gorgie Stand, behind one of the goals, although this was the first time at the very top of the Stand so I was quite high indeed but still had a decent view. The game started off very tight with ‘Well boss McGee playing a surprising 3 up front, although a hoof-ball over the top constantly did not make for a good spectacle from the boys in white. Hearts took a while to get going, not helped by the lone striker up front, Adrian Mrowiec having a nightmare and was promptly taken off after 34 minutes for a more attacking Christian Nade. Motherwell also hit the bar in the 1st half although it would have been an travesty if they had actually gone in at HT 1-0 up.

 

The 2nd half was very different game, with 5 minutes in Motherwell failed to deal with a direct ‘Delapesque’ long throw in which missed everybody except the head of Andy Driver. 1-0! My first Hearts goal I had seen live this season ,delighted. Could it last though? Well, on the 70 minute mark Motherwell captain Stephen Craigan and Nade both went for a ball that Nade, in my opinion had won fairly, however Craigan was badly injured by this challenge and needed to be taken off. What should have been a drop ball was actually a ‘Well free kick, which was only cleared to Stephen Hughes who hit a hopefully volley that flew straight in. 1-1. Both teams then went for it, and in the last 10 minutes I kept asking myself why did I bother? I wasn’t enjoying this game as a defeat for Hearts would be very costly. Why do I bother? Well on 91 minutes, after 5 minutes injury time had been announced, again Motherwell failed to deal with a long throw in and cleared a ball only to Ruben Palazuelos. Ruben had only previously scored one goal for the club (ironically a game I was at, away at Falkirk) and so when it fell to him, I wasn’t expected much. However a low drive took a deflection and rolled in. I could not believe it! Were Hearts going to win when I was there!? Motherwell still had time to have two corners, the last one resulted in a free header for Mark Reynolds which Janos Balogh saved well from.

Game over, a 2-1 win! Only the 3rd time then that I had seen Hearts win. Motherwell manager Sour grapes McGee again caused some laughs after the game slating Hearts, but that can be expected from him. I dont want to completely rip into Motherwell here as it was a tight game, but they are a terrible footballing side, who only appear to know how to hoof ball and throw themselves about into a few bad challenges. The ‘Well fans also disappointed me singing about Christian Nade after Craigan had gone off which effected Nade for the last 10 minutes of the game, but a win is a win. Especially a last minute winner too.

Photos from Hearts vs Motherwell 

_____________________________________________________________

Match Ratings:

- Match: 7/10 (bit of late drama bumps this score up)

- Value for money: 6/10 (£14 is quite cheap for a top flight game)

- Ground: 7/10 (maybe a bit of bias here, but I do love Tynecastle)

- Atmosphere: 6/10 (wasn’t expecting much for a midweek game but both sets of fans quite vocal)

- Food: 5/10 (wasn’t hungry so only a bovril, but they have stopped doing Scotch Pies. Bad move)

- Programme: 5/10 (not as good as last season and a high amount of adverts which is disappointing)

- Referee: Brian Winter – 5/10 (a few mistakes but a reasonable game)