A football blog for the curious.
A human touch in a digital world, living at the speed of life.
Watching Non-League and other football since 1955 when as a 5 year old I was bitten by the bug at St Albans City.
She Stood There Laughing – A Man, His Son and their Football Club
Written By Stephen Foster
First Published in Great Britain in 2004 by Simon & SchusterUK Ltd
This book is about Stephen Foster, a fan of Stoke City, being loyal to his home team even though he had moved away to Norwich. His journey is through the ups and downs of the lower Leagues and a brief flirtation with the Premier League, but he maintains his long commute to both home and often away games.
He takes his son to a Stoke game and he is surprised that he is bitten by the bug even though his local Norwich City are performing so much better.
The beginning of the book had me smiling, giggling at some of the crazy day and night time visits to see Stoke as it reminded me of some of the mad journeys my son and I made.
For me though the book seemed to peter out in the middle and the unnecessary swearing made me tired of the book. It also seemed odd that the final match in the book, a typical Stoke survival from relegation, which they won, does not get a report on such a vital match.
Sorry I became detached from a book that does give some good fan wisdom of how a club will always be there creating new memories of new players and owners and in many ways many of those gone before will just be a statistic of the past.
I decided to revisit a club, something I haven’t done for a while, partly because it was near to me and this would mean using little fuel in the current crisis and because the ground had been totally changed due to grants and locally raised money.
Staveley Miners Welfare have installed a 3G pitch that can be used by the community, they have enhanced the mobility around the ground and the spectator experience.
Arriving at the ground there is still a large car park which has now been tarmaced and lined out meaning you no longer risk damp feet in the puddles. The changes do not end there with new money for a revamp of the car park oposite the junior pitches (which were awarded a grant to redrain them) which will also be available for people to park to visit Poolsbrook Country Park and access to the Trans Pennine Trail.
The clubhouse at Staveley is always welcoming and busy and looked as if it too had seen some redecoration. The five large TV screens shone out on what was a very dark day. The weather put me to shame having complained about the unusual warm weather for September at my prevous matches. The heavy rain came out of very grey skies but luckilly the light breeze did not reduce the temperature.
The beautifully flat 3G pitch was already in use with children taking penalties in the main goal area not cutting up the surface as with a grass pitch, their accuracy was amazing.
Silsden AFC were formed in 1904 with a few ups and downs along the way, with the current incarnation started only 25 years ago. Their rise up the local Craven Leagues and West Riding Leagues meant they were invited to join The North West Counties League in 2004. Like Staveley grantsĂ² enabled them to transform their ground and by 2010 and they were promoted, relegated and promoted again to the Premier Division before being moved laterally to the Northern Counties East League in 2021 due to the FA’s reorganisation.
Staveley Miners Welfare 2 Silsden 3
Trojans v Cobbydalers
The rain just kept coming as the two teams kicked off and it was Staveley who took early control of the game perhaps being more used to the playing surface. They were strongest attacking down the right and it was no surprise that they scored from that sector but unexpectedly via the right back Charlie Bell who recieved the ball 25 yards out to the right of centre of the goal and .hit it true after one touch to the right hand corner of the net. Staveley kept control and still led at half time. Silsden’s sometimes over copmplicated passing movements continually breaking down.
Ten minutes into the second half the rain finally stopped and Staveley were still on top but not converting their chances. Silsden made two substitutions and changed to a more direct style and out of the blue Mohamid Quasim stumbled, swerved and jinked past three Staveley defenders to equalise on 81 minutes.
But within 6 minutes Staveley were back ahead when a corner by Charlie Bell was met with a majestic header by Samuel Kay which ripped into the net.
I thought that would be it but Silsden semed to have found new legs and desire and equalised with 1 minute left on the clock when Bradley Riley recieved the ball on the left of the penalty area and placed it beyond the diving goalkeeper to make it all square.
The breathless end had a further sting in the tail as Silsden wrapped up the game with a third just before the final whistle when Joseph Mitchel scored a long range effort. His delight and the teams was very evident as they celebrated in the corner.
A big reminder that a game is 90 minutes long and if you don’t convert your many early chances you run the risk of paying the price later.
Staveley have certainly now put together an impressive ground and set up that will give them an assured future but the day was certainly not theirs.
The chips at only £1.50 were a great quantity, tasted good, hot, not greassy but were soggy so a disapointing score of 62.
This is the only advert that you will see on this site but as in previous years I’m happy to promote this soft covered book that is nearly 900 pages long.
Mike Williams publishing have again done a great job in getting this encycopaedic tome together with team facts and league tables in what is a momentous change year in the Non League structure.
I am going to revert back to getting my copy for Christmas and spend some of those dark days at that time of year looking up some of the unusually named teams and planning trips to see some of them in the future. This book is available at most of the traditional and on line book shops at just under £20..
On Friday night I checked on watching the FA Vase game between Quorn AFC and Nirvana where I was to meet my daughter but I found that they had played the game the night before (Thursday) for some reason! Quorn going through 2-1.
Change of plan, I noticed a Northern Counties East Division 2 game between Rainworth Miners Welfare FC. and Hallam F.C. having both been knocked out of the F.A. Vase in an earlier round.
This was a rearanged match after a previous encountr had been abandoned on 14 August at half time with the score at 1-1. It was abandoned due to one of the Assistant Referees falling ill on the touchline as the players and officials resumed the field. As the players realised the gravity of the situationte the Hallam physio and other trained people took control and with the help of the Defrillator, a first responder, an ambulance crew and the Air Ambulance, Andrew Jarvis was flown to Derby Hospital where he was operated on. His recovery meant that he was again back at Kirklington Road and able to start the match from the touchline.
My journey to the ground was held up twice as I queued to pass queues for fuel as the UK supply chain for many goods and services seems to be tuning upside down and increasing in price
The game was at the unusual kick off time of 2pm due to floodlight maintenance which will not be completed for a few weeks.
The temperature was 20 degrees the same as last Saturdays game, crazy for late September, the air felt sticky and the sky was very grey with fluffy clouds. The pich was undulating and sloping slightly end to end but giving no great advantage to either side and to emphasise the unusual climatic conditions the pitch was yellowing badly due to lack of rain.
Rainworth is South East of Mansfield, an ex mining village like many in the area. The club was formed in 1922 and spent most of its life in the Nottinghamshire Alliance League, sometimes known as Rufford Colliery F.C. Their greatest achievement in the last century was reaching the FA Vase final in 1982 where they lost to Forest Green Rovers who were at the start of their major climb from almost obscurity to the Football League.
Being accepted to the Central Midlands League in 2003 was the start of a swift promotion succession to the Supreme Division, The Northern Counties East Division One and Premier before reaching their peak with entry to the Northern Premier League Division One South in 2010. This elevated level was not to last and they find themselvesm two steps lower today.
I have written about Hallam before being one of the oldest teams in the worl and playing on the oldest, still in use, football pitch in the world. I was interested to see them play as after a shaky start to the season they seem to now be knocking goals in for fun and atracting big crowds that would grace a much higher level. Whether it was the fuel problems, the early kick of, or something else the attendance of 80 was very disapointing.
Rainworth Miners Welfare F.C. 0 Hallam 4
The Wrens v The Countrymen
Hallam immediately showed their recent form and dominated play. It was no surprise that they took the lead on 7 minutes when Chris Salt’s downward header found the net after a beautifully delivered free kick from the right. Chris wood then put the game out of reach of the Wrens with a simple tap in to make it 2 nil on 11 minutes and a minute later made it three guiding a left foot shot into the right hand side of the goal after some pretty interpassing by his team mates.
The game though was held up on 15 minutes when Carl Fielding in goal for Hallam jumped to catch a cross but fell badly on his knee. After a long period of treatment he was unable to continue and was carried off and the substitute goal keeper Daubney-Hughes took over.
This seemed to unsettle Hallam and they let Rainworth more into the game and no other goals were added by half time.
Hallam settled in the second half and took control but did not look like adding to their tally and it was Rainworth who came closest hitting the bar on 53 minutes. However Hallam’s continual pressure paid off when Josh Scully curled a sublime free kick round the Rainworth wall from outside the penalty area. The ball curved seriously to end up in the top right hand corner of the net.
Two minutes later there was an injury this time to the Rainworth goalkeeper who was replaced by an outfield player for the rest of the game.
Hallam’s stand in goalkeper looked very sound and could be in for a long spell in the first team with the injury to Carl Fielding looking serious.
As I said the crowd of only 80 was disapointing even more so whe I overheard two fans talking about the record crowd for an FA Vase semi final having been at Kirklington Road.
Unfortunately there were no chips at Rainworth so a sausage roll with mushy peas and mint sauce was a great substitute. Mint sauce on mushy peas seems to be a Nottinghamshire delicacy.
If you visit Weston Park Museum in Sheffield you will be confronted by the biggest exhibit a 10 metre x 2 metre mural depicting Sheffield between 1946 and 2006, when it was finished, by famous local artist Joe Scarborough.
This is Sheffield in Joe Scarborough’s style that captures the locals in an almost cartoon like fashion.
Centre stage is a section depicting the local Sheffield derby between United and Wednesday.
Snow, ice, a waterlogged pitch and Covid have beaten me before so this time a visit in September to the Iron Works ground to see Tow Law Town play seemed sensible.
I wanted to go for different reasons, I had heard it to be one of the most picturesque grounds in the country, which I knew through driving along the A68 in the past, some say it is the second highest ground to Buxton in the UK and I enjoy the competitiveness of Northern League games.
Whether this competitive spirit is because there is still fierce rivalry between what is often very local ex pit villages/town’s, that the Northern League is cocooned in a distinct area, the fan base is pasionate, the players are local and not mercenaries looking for the highest payment, I’m not sure, but I know that there is a difference.
Tow Law set up high in the Durham hills is named from the Old English ‘tot hlaw’ which was the name of a house meaning ‘lookout mound’ and you can soon get the reasoning behind this by taking in the view. The clubs Ironworks Road ground is named after the the works that was important in the area until the mid 1800’s which was replaced as the main employer by coal with the mine finally closing in the 1960’s. Today the population is about 2000 but the club took double that to Wembley in1995 for their unsuccessful appearance in the final of the FA Vase.
Tow Law Town FC were founded in 1890 and played in local football until joining the Northern League in 1920. Their most famous ex player is Chris Waddle who played as a teenager before being prized away to the professional game. The club has gone through ups and downs in its history with miners originally fashioning the club and then again during a Miners strike in 1923 were instrumental in creating the grounds contours that we know today. There have also been some financial problems and the generosity of Sir Bobby Robson (born in a near by village) was needed at one point to keep the club afloat. More recently in April 2020 the club was threatened with folding due to a large sink hole appearing on the side of the pitch and terracing along which an old railway line used to run. A football foundation grant , donations and the help of a YouTuber in the south of England all meant that they were able to raise the money for repairs.
There has been a team in Birtley since a year before the formation of Tow Law but a few reformings in the early years has led to the current team that was established in the early 1990’s. They progressed to the Northern League in 2007 were relegated back to the Northern Alliance in 2016 and were promoted back to the Northern League in 2018.
The day itself was dry, the sky was grey and the car said 20 degrees as I was dropped off. As you walk through the turnstile the lush green grass hits you and there is the whirring sound of a small wind turbine sited in the car park. The pitch unusually slopes end to end and side to side and you soon spot the view over the hills.
Tow Law Town 3 Birtley Town 1
The lawyers v The Hoops
This was a battle between two mid table teams and Birtley chose to play down hill which immediately proved a good move scoring in the first minute when Ben Garrity made space on the right and crossed for James Norton to tap home at the far post.
This was soon countered 4 minutes later when Drew Lake made room to squeeze a strong shot past everyone to go in off the left post. The Tow Law pressure continued and they were ahead a few minutes later, this time through Lewis Teasdale.
The game continued at a competitive furious pace and Tow Law were awarded a penalty for what seemed a very soft challenge and it seemed justice that Birtley’s goalkeeper Isaac Robinson saved it diving to his left. Birtley continued to be in the game particularly due to crosses from the right but a fight back grew harder as a second penalty was awarded to the home side. This time there was no dispute to the penalty awarded for a reckless tackle with the resulting spot kick dispatched to the centre of the goal by Lewis Teasdale for his second of the game.
The first half ended with Tow Law well on top and after such a breathless first 45 minutes it was anyone’s guess how many goals would be added in the next. But there were no more goals from either side despite Tow Laws continual pressure. Birtley did hit the apex of the crossbar and upright but they were well out fought by a stronger more committed team.
A great advert for the League that was spoilt in the first half by some obscure decisions by the referee who was influential in the result. The crowd of only 80 should have been higher considering the skill and value for money of the game.
A really good day out and well worth the wait. The whole set up was much better than expected with the stand and terracing in fine condition. The club house was spacious and comfortable with a large TV at one end showing the Liverpool v Crystal Palace game and another at the other end showing the horse racing. The only disappointment was the chips, at £1.50 they were only warm, squashy and a bit greasy, a score of only 50, I’m sorry to say.
It’s a Tuesday night in mid September and at 7pm but it feels like November with dark skies and constant drizzle. Manchester United are on TV with Chelsea to follow in the Champions League and Sheffield United at home nearby so it’s not surprising that with ten minutes to go to kick off there are only 10 brave souls in the ground. Perhaps there will be a late rush.
The pitch is pretty level but very wet and greasy as recently installed new floodlights light up the gloom. There is a pristine bowling green behind one goal and where you enter the ground there is a Sports Hall and good car park. However I shouldn’t be surprised at the turn in the weather as the Autumn equinox is only a week away and a slide into winter beckons. Mid week winter games under the lights do seem more exciting with a crackle in the air and by my reckoning the crowd has swelled to 35 by the start.
This is a good chance to see the ground before the builders move in to install a new all weather pitch for community use. I overheard a conversation in the seats in front of me that fund raising is on going for a new small stand and a club house.
Dinnington are unbeaten in the league and are playing against St Joseph’s Rockware of Worksop who are mid table in the Black Dragon Premier Division North (Central Midlands League).
St Joseph’s Rockware of Worksop were established in 1984 and the following is taken from the Dinnington programme.
St Joseph’s Rockware of Worksop were a Worksop Sunday League team for 35 years enjoying many succesful seasons. In 2019 it was decided to move to Saturday football and join the Central Midlands League with the aim to provide local Worksop players an opportunity to play football at this level. We won the Central Midlands Division 1 in our first season and were promoted to the Premier Division.
Dinnington town have been going in different guises since 1908, the name progression being Dinnington Main. Dinnington Colliery, Dinnington Main Colliery, Dinnington Colliery and Dinninton Town since 2000. There have been a few reformings on the way and the highest they have reached is the top Division of The Northern Counties East League. With their current developments it looks like better times are ahead.
Dinnington Town 3 St Joseph’s Rockware of Worksop 0
Play was even for the first half but neither goalkeeper looked troubled. Dinnington’s keeper had a strong kick that put them firmly in their opponents half. St Joseph’s number 2 was a throw in specialist and put the home team under pressure from some distance. Half time came and although the play had been busy and competitive neither side was on top.
The second half took on a new urgency and after hitting the cross bar and drawing a great low diving one handed save to the goalkeepers right Dinnington went ahead. 14 minutes after the break Jordan Turner took down a through ball with his foot, ran on and hit it from left to right across the keeper to nestle in the right hand corner of the net.
Worksop did not give up and at the other end a glancing header nearly drew them level but 8 minutes later it was 2 nil after Liam Bryan had stretched the defence to be able to knock back a ball from the by line which in the melee deflected into the net.
It was now all over and there was no surprise that athird was added before the end when number 7 ran down the left side to make a perfect cross which was tapped in by Danny Cain for his first touch of the game after just coming on as a substitute. After this Dinnington dominated the last 10 minutes as momentum, superior strength and fitness took over. Dinnington still undefeated but this is going to be a very competitive League this year with a long way to go.
Where were the officials? They were in comand the whole game with instant direct decisions, well done.
I look forward to visiting here again in a couple of years when the changes have all been made. No chips at the moment but perhaps with the new facilities in the future.
On holiday in Scotland we were passing Glasgow and had to just visit the old ground of Third Lanark who suddenly went out of business in the 1960’s. Unfortunately I am old enough to remember them as the results came through on the teleprinter.
Third Lanark AC founded in 1872 were one of the founder members of the Scottish F.A. in the same year. They were formed out of the 3rd Lanarkshire Riffle Volunteers and had a successful start to life winning the League in 1890 and the Scottish Cup in 1889 and 1905. Their great achievement was staying in the top flight for most of their existance but it all started to go wrong in the 1960’s. They were relegated in 1965 but found it hard going in the second tier as much influenced by off field problems. The biggest story to hit the local press was that they were going to sell their famous Cathkin Park Ground for housing and move to East Kilbride. Both on and off field performances led to their attendances falling to a tenth of previous seasons. The board now offered the ground to Glasgow Corporation and announced that they were moving to Bishopbriggs north of Glasgow. No satdium was ever built and after finishing second from bottom of the league they played their last game in April 1967. A judge reviwing their financial plight put in place a winding up order on the club and a subsequent Board of Trade enquiry found irregularities regarding the finnances of the club. Although the board were heavilly critisised for their running of Third Lanark no formal charges were ever brought against anyone.
This is only a fraction of the tale and it is Cathkin Park that is the story here. Having read in the past of this ghost ground I wanted to see it myself. We parked in a residential street which at the end of this cul-de-sac was an entrance into a woody park. You initially walk down a path through the woods and through the trees you can see a bright green field shining in the summer sun. Walk further and some old terracing appears with the metal barriers still in position. This is the home of Third Lanark but more is to be revealed by a couple walking their dog. They were not surprised to see people taking it all in but were soon chatting and saying they were not football fans. However they had a pride in the area where they lived and in the park. They told us that when Third Lanark folded the local council took it over with the view to build houses but in the interim sections of the terracimg were dug up by the Parks Department and were used as a tree nursery. The trees were never moved and today their leafy full grown state add to the charm, intriege and myth of the place.
The couple then explained that Cathkin Park with its 50000 capacity was the second Hampden, home to the Scotland national team and the place where the first one stood was at the bowling green just outside the park over the railway bridge.
First however they told me the ground is used by a youth team of the Jimmy Johnston Accademy. They said the grass had been cut 3 times recently and now lined out for its first match post Covid. Standing in the middle of the pitch I felt good to think that a youth team would be playing here amongst the ghosts of football’s past. What an inspiration for them. But there was more, a plaque on the ground I was told I must see but taking a photo I had no idea of the relevance and still don’t.
Being mid morning I asked for the nearest cafe and they directed us to Salamagundi on the Cathcart Road via the first Hampden.
We walked out of the park past the Youth teams club house and out onto the railway bridge. Now we were lost with roadworks disorienting us.
Help was at hand as a man in t shirt, shorts and Celtic socks and carrying a pair of trainers exited a car and walked across the road towards us. Realising he must be a Football fan I asked where the first Hampden was, which turned out to be just down the road. He explained the scoreline of the first International and I countered that I was at Wembley for the 9-3 game, good football banter. However his recollection was listening to it on the radio and his the hero, goalkeeper Frank Haffey having a night mare. At the end of church the next day he said he used some colourful language about his hero in front of the priest and was dragged off by the ear to be chastised later.
To have remembered the game I realised he must be about my age so I asked if he had been playing walking football. He indignantly replied no proper football and immediately put me to shame and made me feel very inferior. I put my foot in it there. He explained that the first Hampden now a bowling green had been built by Queens Park F.C . My new found friend said that recently an archaeological group had been excavating around parts of the Bowling Green.
We walked on and found the site of the first Hampden where a painted memorial facing the railway line tells of Scotlands 5-1 win over England and the involvement of Andrew Watson the first black footballer to play for Scotland.
Queens Park had to move because a railway company wanted to build a line right through Hampden. Hence the move to Cathkin Park which suited their needs until they again they moved to the current Hampden Park as we know it today. But it does not stop there as as recently as 2020 Queens Park F.C . decided to end their amateur status which they had kept since 1875 and agreed a sale of Hampden Park to the Scottish FA. Queens Park are now getting Little Hampden which is next door up to League standard and hope to get it licenced and move there in the next 12 months. If I had known this on the day of my visit I would have gone there too. Oh well a future adventure beckons.
Again Mary Queen of Scots seems to come into view of everything, it is understood that her army passed through Cathkin Park in South Glasgow on the way to the Battle of Langside where she was defeated and effectively ended any hope of regaining her rule over the country
How much of this is urban myth and how much reality I don’t mind. I just find it fascinating, enjoyable and amazing the impact that football has on people and the pride people having in talking about their space.
Of Course we did make it to the cafe, Salmagundi (a mixture, an assortment) and it lived up to its name and reputation. Described by the local people I met as a bit Boho the menu would be able to cater for all. I had vegetarian haggis with portobello mushrooms and an egg based pattie in a brioche bun with brown sauce. Delicious and obviously a well used place with a constant stream of sit ins and take aways. Thanks for the recomendation.
I would not usually start with the match but I decided to get this one out of the way. The match was an FA Cup First Rouind qualifier between Lancaster City of the Northern Premier League, Premier Division and 1874 Northwich one level below playing in the Northern Premier league, Division One West. My expectation of a very competitive, pasionate game did not materialise and the noisy Northwhich travelling fans felt so too.
Some games just do not get going and there was little to enthuse as the two defences blunted any attacks. Lancaster slightly edged the first half with some wide play that gave them more option.
The day was warm, 18 degrees, with a light breeze that helped to move the cloud revealing some sunny patches. The pitch is pretty level and the grass very thick but yellowing where it has been cut in stripes.
Lancaster put on more pressure in the second half through three long throws into the penalty area and their pressure paid off after 20 minutes when Paul Dawson picked up the ball on the halfway line and ran straight through the middle of the Northwhich defence to shoot. The goalkeper could only parry the shot and it fell to Tom Kilifin to tap home.
Lancaster made a half time change bringing on Christian Sloane who tidied up midfield and made some good probing balls. I was also impressed by Liam Brockbank at left back who overlapped on numerous occaisions and seemed to be marauding all over the pitch at the end.
After the goal there seemed little interest and it was not necessary for Lancaster to take the ball into the corner flag area to waste time three times in the last ten minutes, I’m sure if they would have pressed harder they would have added to their one goal..
The real enjoyment
Lancaster is a great club if the volunteers are anything to go by. I arrived from Scotland on my way home with very little cash. This was a problem to the gateman but he sent me to the office for help. Unfortunately they coudn’t get through on their phones to take a payment. Why is it that you just can’t get mobile telephone service in so many places in the UK including major motorways, some levelling up here would be a help. However help was at hand and Jan said no problem if you come round to the bar they have access there. So Jan saved the day and then spent the whole of the first half walking round the ground selling raffle tickets and having banter with home and away fans. Every club has or needs a Jan.
1874 Northwhich have done amazingly well since their first game in July 2013 having been formed following the demise of Northwhich Victoria. Not being able to use the old name, which has also since been restarted, they chose to add the date of the formation of the original team to ‘Northwhich’. They have progressed from the North West Counties League despited the Covid disruptions in such a short time.
Lancaster City in contrast have been in existance since 1911 although there were teams in the city before that. THEY played their football in the Lancashire Combination for 60 years and were unsucessful in applying for Football League status. Lancaster City now joined the Northern Premier League but ten years later were relegated to the North West Counties League but bounced back in 1987 and rose to playing in the Conference North. A return to the Northern Premier mainly due to financial problems has seen them consolidate life at that level.
Their ground the Giant Axe is just behind the railway station and you can train spot comings and goings in the station. It is a large ground with good terraced covering behind both goals and a large seated stand down one side. There is an ample carpark just outside the ground.
Lancaster City and Jan deserve success for the future but an away draw in the next round at Morpeth Town will be a hard game to win. Although the crowd of 347 must not have thought the game was a cracker I’m sure like me they enjoyed themselves.
The Chips
Jan explained to me that there were new caterers at the ground this year and when I asked for chips before the game I was disappointed to be told they had none. Meat pie, mushy peas and gravy had to sufice but at half time I noticed people with trays of chips. They had now managed to get some and were frying, so I had to try them and although they were hot, golden. a good quantity, they had little taste and a greasy after taste. I apologise to Dollys Diner for only being able to award 55 points. It also makes the diet harder having eaten the pie.
If you live in the North of England you will most probably come across a plaque on a building that says Mary Queen of Scots slept here.
This is because she exiled herself in England hoping her half sister Elizabeth would welcome her. Elizabeth did not want her at court in London because she could be seen as a rival to the throne and kept her very much in the North of England and for much of the time under the control of Bess of Hardwick also one of the most powerful women of the time. Bess too was kept out of court with her new arduous task and had to use some of her wealth to achieve her goal
Bess was reputed to be one of the richest women in England only second to the queen herself and had amassed a large property portfolio in which to keep Mary.
Mary was continually moved to wear her down and reduce the chances of her plotting against the state. However she never met her sister and met an untimely end.
On a recent holiday to Scotland we visited Linlithgow Palace the birth place of Mary. Unfortunately the now ruins were closed but this is still an imposing building on a site that makes it even more majestic.
You must be wandering why this is on a Football site for the curious. Well Mary Queen of Scots was a sports woman and sports fan and at 5 feet 10 inches tall (1.8 mtrs) an imposing figure for the age.
Recent research into old records has thrown up some interesting new ideas. There are mentions in official doccuments, up to 350 years ago, that a game using a small ball was played in royal castles and when Stirling Castle was restored in the 1970’s a leather ball with a pigs bladder was found behind a false wall in Mary’s living quarters.
Recent research found old diaries of Sir Francis Knollis who was keeping Mary under suveilance at Carlisle Castle and in them he wrote of a game played for Mary using a ball in which the players only used their feet.
So when we sing ‘Football’s Coming Home’s we may have to wait for Scotland to win the world cup for this to be true. We may also need to acknowledge Mary Queen of Scots as an early patron of the game, a true fan.
payonthegate 