Tag: food

2024/2025 Chip League

43 matches this season 24 of which had chips.

Of those that didn’t have chips, the National Award Winning ‘Great Northern Pie Company’s’ pie with mash and mushy peas at Stockport Town was outstanding. Having watched my grandson play at Everton’s training ground in the morning, I needed some food, and I could have eaten two of them. Really well served in a large comfortable area, Stockport Town should be congratulated. Gretna’s Scotch pie with gravy changed my mind on Scotch pies,’ I suppose in Scotland they know just how to cook them.

Retford FC’s pie and peas were good, but Appleby Frodinghams’ Cheese Burger with bacon was better. Thank you to the ladies who persuaded me to buy one. I think their reprieve from relegation was due to the food!

Sandiacre impressed me in that they had returnable and reusable plates.

The chips as usual were a mixed bag, both at TNS and St Albans, they were good but the seasoning ruined them, and with real potatoes at Gainsborough Trinity, I thought they had cracked it but they were only warm. I had chips three times at Hallam during the season, and twice they were up there near the top, but one time, they were close to the bottom, which shows they can be variable and subjective on the day.

The chips at Clay Cross were good and enhanced by the very thick Bovril, which you could almost stand your spoon up in. Second during the season was Coleshill under the Gazebo in the rain, but the winners by a fair margin were at Hednesford where not only was the game one of the most entertaining I have ever seen but the chips were hot, crispy. golden, but most of all, tasty.

I wasn’t sure that I would carry on with my chip league, but I’m ready to sacrifice my body again for another season.

payonthegate 2024/25 chip league

Club Score Comments
Hednesford 82 Really good taste.
Coleshill 74 Tasty under the gazebo.
Hillsborough Stadium 73 Tasty, golden, soft inside, if they had been hot would be higher
Hallam 72 Hot and Tasty
South Leeds 72 Freshly cooked, good Friday night out.
Clay Cross 72 Good taste. Very thick Bovril.
Matlock 70 Big portion
Hallam 69 Hot Crispy and Tasty
Clifton All Whites 67 Enjoyable
Sheffield FC 67 Good texture
St Albans City 65 Good Chips but seasoning ruined the taste
Gainsborough Trinity 62 Real Potatoes but dry and only warm
Basford 62 Greasy background taste, good food hut.
Worksop 60 Gone backwards since last times improvement
Pinxton 59 Chips were limp and over cooked
Mansfield 58 Only ate half, greasy, why chips in away end not main stand?
Knaresborough 56 Warm , little taste
Sandiacre 56 Lingering, greasy taste, served on a reuseable plate
TNS 55 Chips were great but the seasoning ruined them.
Hallam 55 Warm and soggy, not up to usual standard
Albion Sports 55 Lasting greasy taste
Brigg 54 Too greasy, friendly club house.
Wombwell 52 Taste of burnt fat.
Wembley 40 Cold, limp, dry, + Burger was horrible, the FA should be ashamed
Fakenham Town 0 No Chips
Club Thorne Colliery 0 No Chips
Wolves 0 No Chips
Kiveton Park 0 No Chips
Gretna 0 No Chips but the Scotch pie was great.
SJR Worksop 0 No chips, packet of Quavers instead.
Sheffield Union 0 No Chips, didn’t go to the club house.
Keswick 0 No Chips
Retford FC 0 No Chips but pie and peas were delicious
Appleby Frodingham 0 No Chips, very good Cheeseburger with bacon
Wakefield FC 0 No Chips, good beef pie and gravy
Ansty Nomads 0 No Chips and the burger was tasteless
Bradfordn City 0 No Chips, enormous food queues, atmosphere electric
Stockport Town 0 No Chips, Award winning, Great Northern Pie Company, WOW
Loughborough Stnts 0 No Chips, sausage roll dry.
Ilkley 0 No Chips, but had my favourite crisps ‘Seabrooks’
Chesterfield 0 No Chips
Aston Villa 0 Couldn’t get to the food kiosks, too busy
Shrewsbury/TNS 0 No Chips

2024/2025 season, interim Chip League

At the half way stage of many of the leagues, I thought it prudent to issue an interim league table for my chip league. After 25 matches and 15 portions of chips there is a clear leader in Hednesford Town, and by a co-incidence it was by far the most exciting game I have seen so far this season and for many seasons.

As I always state this is subjective and could change at a subsequent visit, sometimes dependent on whether you are first in the queue for a newly cooked batch of chips. After 7 years of chips I do wonder if I am getting a bit jaded in my appreciation of chips but the smell and anticipation, often on a cold evening, overcome those thoughts.

I will in anticipation look forward to the end of the season to see if anyone can knock Hednesford off their top billing.

 payonthegate 2024/25 chip league
ClubScoreComments
Hednesford82Really good taste.
Coleshill74Tasty under the gazebo.
Hallam72Hot and Tasty
South Leeds72Freshly cooked, good Friday night out.
Clay Cross72Good taste. Very thick Bovril.
Matlock70Big portion
Clifton All Whites67Enjoyable
Sheffield FC67Good texture
Basford62Greasy background taste, good food hut.
Worksop60Gone backwards since last times improvement
Mansfield58Only ate half, greasy, why chips in away end not main stand.
Sandiacre 56Lingering, greasy taste, served on a reuseable plate
Albion Sports55Lasting greasy taste
Brigg54Too greasy, friendly club house.
Wombwell52Taste of burnt fat.
Fakenham Town0No Chips
Club Thorne Colliery 0No Chips
Wolverhampton Wanderers0No Chips
Kiveton Park0No Chips
Gretna0No Cips but the Scotch pie was great.
SJR Worksop0No chips, packet of Quavers instead.
Sheffield Union0No Chips, didn’t go to the club house.
Chesterfield0No Chips
Aston Villa0Couldn’t get to the food kiosks, too busy
Shrewsbury/TNS0No Chips

payonthegate Chip League, Season 2023/24

payonthegate Chip League 2023/24

A season of over 50 games meant that I ate almost 25 portions of chips around 7500 calories, all in the aid of research.

There is a new winner in the seventh year of the League, Tamworth FC, who I visited early in the season. Their chips were extremely hot and fresh very tasty, with a great internal texture, covered by a crispy outside.

Strangely this year I found my winners when attending a match with my daughter, when last year she was with me when I left the chips on the terrace at Burton, no bins seemed to be available, because they were so poor.

This league is very subjective and I feel I may have been a bit harsher as the season progressed. Was this down to chip fatigue or were they just not as good, which I think was the reason. Sometime I was lucky to have chips that had just been cooked and other times I was unfortunate to get the last of a batch.

I must stress that the league is not a criticism of the clubs or the helpers that provide food and drink to enhance the matchday experience and I can only applaud their dedication and efforts.

They were served almost always by happy people who I often had a chat with and the food they served was prepared in kitchens of different sizes and equipment.

Thank you everyone I look forward to a new season.

payonthegate chip league 2023/24    
      
Football ClubScoreComments  
Tamworth74Hot, Hot,Hot  
Worksop Town70Hot, tasty, changed from previous
Goole70Just 
Basford70Freshly fried. 
S.M.W. Sunday Cup69Hot, tasty, golden, soft inside, bit greasy
Hillborough (S&H Cup)69Hot,tasty, good texture, slightly limp
Dinnington69Pretty Good 
Wombwell Town67Fries, great golden colour 
Quorn (Ashby Ivanhoe)66Tasty, hot good texture 
Retford United65Could have beeen hotter 
Dunkirk65Hot and crispy 
Staveley Miners Welly64Bit Greasy 
Kings Lynn64Good Portion 
Beverley61Burnt after taste 
Shirebrook Town60Well down on previous seasons
Villa Holte End60Great but unusual Seasoning 
Alfreton Town6025 minute wait! 
Llangefni Town60A bit greasy 
Hallam60hot , good taste but greasy after taste
Bridlington59Greasy and soggy 
Yorkshire Main58Bit limp but tasty 
Sheffield Wednesday58Hot, ggod but stange spicy taste
Harborough Town56Crazy long wait 
Hamworthy53Some were hard 
Wakefield48Warm to cold 
Garforth44Soggy and limp 
Stamford40Warm, limp, tasteless, didn’t eat all
Heacham0No Chips 
Retford Fc0No Chips 
Newark Town0No Chips 
Newark & Sherwood0No Chips 
Dearne & District0No Chips 
Handsworth0No Chips 
Scunthorpe Utd0No Chips 
Mansfield Town x 30No Chips 
CD Nacional Madeira0No Chips 
Oughtibridge WMSC0No Chips 
Parkgate0No Chips 
Kiverton Miners Welfare0No Chips 
Loughborough Students0No Chips 
Manchester City0No Chips 
Chesterfield0No Chips 
Fiorentina0No Chips 
Kirton Brickworks0No Chips   

A Great End to the Season.

I normally count the F.A. Cup final as the end of the season but this year with many postponed games there was some lower league carry over and I planned to visit North Gawber on the last day of May. Their game like some others was in the end was not played but declared a draw as the result would not have changed the league placings. So with my lip out I searched for another ending and I was lucky enough to find what looked like an interesting game a short hop from me at Staveley Miners Welfare.

The Butchers Arms FC 3 Brampton Rovers AFC Mens 4 (AET)

Chesterfield & District Sunday Football league, Alma Cup final.

Staveley Miners Welfare, Inkersall Road, Staveley, S43 3JL Friday 31st May 2024 Kick off 19.45

The Butchers Arms; Blue Shirts with white shorts, Brampton; Red Shirts with blue shorts.

The artificial pitch and ground looked immaculate (as it always does at Staveley) as the teams came out in some evening sunshine. The sun didn’t help the temperature which read only 14.5 in the car as I managed to get the last space in the large car park.

Both teams looked nervy as they settled down to the surface and it was the Butchers arms who found their feet first when after only 4 minutes a scrappy attack saw the ball drift to the right of the goal where their unmarked number 9 who steadied and placed the ball across the goalkeeper into the left hand side of the net for the lead.

Brampton equalised 10 minutes later when, after three headed attempts from a corner, the ball was headed in at the far post. Butchers Arms re-took the lead after a drinks break but Brampton pulled level again on 25 minutes when their lively number 10 was pulled over in the penalty area by the centre back and the resulting penalty was despatched straight down the middle.

The Butchers Arms keeper denied the number 10 with a brilliant save 10 minutes before the interval but it was the Butchers Arms who finished the half the strongest.

Butchers came out all attack at the restart and pressed hard but a break away after only 6 minutes saw the ball slotted through to Brampton’s number 10 again, who from 20 yards out to the right of the goal, slammed the ball into the right hand side of the net. With 63 minutes gone The Butchers Arms equalised when their lively number 9 was bundled over in the penalty area and he picked himself up and strode forward to convert the penalty for 3.3.

The game seemed to lose a bit of its intensity as neither side wanted to make a mistake and there were no clear chances as the time ran down to 90 minutes.

The first half of extra time saw lots of endeavour and it was Brampton who came closest. With just 7 minutes left Brampton’s number 10 crowned a great performance when he ran on to a ball between two defenders and slid the ball home to take the lead. The Butchers Arms tried hard to get back on equal terms but some basic defending and time wasting saw Brampton home.

What a great advert for Sunday league football and a fascinating last game of my season. The crowd was over 500 and made up of all ages reflecting the young age profile of the teams. Brampton’s win who were second in the Second Division, shows the depth of the leagues by beating The Butchers Arms who were second in the First Division.

I had a warm glow from the game as I left the ground but a hat and gloves were needed with the temperature drop to 9.5 degrees, was it really less than 2 hours until 1st June.

The Staveley club house did brisk business for drinks and food all night and the chips were some of the best of the season. they were hot, tasty, golden, crispy on the outside and soft in the middle but a bit too greasy and therefore a score of 69.