Monday 11 July 2016

320 horsfield stadium bradford (sorry! that shud read horsFALL stadium!)

Ground number 320
Date of First Visit: 10th July 2016
Horsfield (correction!) Horsfall Stadium, Bradford

Bradford Park Avenue  0
Newcastle United U21s  3 (Toney, Longstaff, Harvey)

Friendly Fixture
Attendance 675 (plus 3 of us who forgot to pay!---honest!)

"YOO LORN SOMETHIN' NEW EVERY DAY!"

This game waz arranged to remember the life of 2nd Lieutenant Donald Simpson Bell who waz killed in 'The Battle of the Somme' exactly 100 years ago to the day!
Bell played for both The Toon and Bradfaad and won the Victoria Cross for hiz bravery on the battlefield just 5 days before hiz death.
To be honest a'd never even hord of him until Saturday when aa read hiz story.
Before the kick off we were telt ower the loudspeaker that he iz the ANLY professional futbaaller to this day who haz won the Victoria Cross and 36 members of hiz family were there az invited guests by the club to watch the game!

We had arrived some 3 hours before hand and heeded straight for the clubhoose situated inside the groond (aall 7 of us!)
An excited Bradfaad official informed us that SIX NUFC forst teamers would be playin'!---but when we informed him that in fact the entire forst team squad were 'at this minute' in a trainin' camp near Dublin, hiz face dropped! (there WERE 6 players who at sometime had featured briefly in forst team games like Bigiramana, Gilliead and Vuckic, but yoo could hardly say that the were 'seasoned first teamers'!)   

Kick off waz preceded by the playin' of 'The Last Post' by a bugler followed by a minute silence in 2nd Lieutenant Bells honour

Straight away 'National League side' Bradfaad went for 'the jugular' and had 2 great efforts which went narrowly wide.
The programme we bought and team sheet were absolutleee useless az the WRANG players were listed az playin', which anly added to the confussion when The Toon took the lead in the 13th minute at 'The Marquee Tent End'!  (see photos!)
GEORDIE TIMES EXCLUUUSIVE!---IVAN TONEY GOAL
@ 'THE MARQUEE TENT END'!

Ivan Toney scored with a low shot, but the team sheet said he waz someone else!

The lead waz doubled 9 minutes into the 2nd half when Sean Longstaff hit a sweet shot past the Brafaad keeper at the 'Big Grass Bank End' (again, see photo!) az glorious sunshine torned into torrential rain az we scurried for cover in a stand ne bigger that a bus shelter!
GEORDIE TIMES EXCLUUUSIVE!
THE LINESMAN SIGNALS FOR A CORNER TO 'US'
@ 'THE BIG GRASS BANK END'!

7 minutes from time it waz 'game ower' when 'Mystery Man' fired home from inside the box! (we later foond oot that he waz a trialist caalled Tyler Harvey!) 

The 2 fans who DIDN'T get their priorities right!
Notable absentees from the 'NUFC mad-sad groundhoppers' were 'Blondie Alan the Morris Dancer' who preferred instead to be wined and dined in hiz mates chateau in northern France, rather than be here to watch the resorves ---and 'Dave from York' who waz on a luxury Caribbean cruise with hiz 'better half'!---it beggars belief!---

Take a long hard look in the mirror and ask yourself a serious question---where would YOO rather be---like????--- Sittin' in a chateau drinkin' and eatin' fine wine and food???---lyin' next to a swimmin' pool in the bakin' sun on the deck of a luxury cruiser, bein' waited on hand and foot???---OR!--- drinkin' a pint of luke waam Tetley's bitter, whilst eatin' a stale beefborger 'n' onions in downtown Bradford, az the weathaa takes a torn for the worse????

"I REST MY CASE!!!"



"WE WAZ THERE PHOTOS!"


     

A BUGLER FROM BELL'S YORKSHIRE REGIMENT PLAYS 'THE LAST POST'

THE BANNER ON THE FAR SIDE READS
'BRADFORD PALS' 'SOMME 1916'

A MODEL OF BRADFAAD'S OLD LEEGUE GROOND IN PARK AVENUE
(HENCE THEIR NAME!)
(THEY WERE A LEEGUE SIDE UNTIL THE1970's)





 

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