Ground number 368
(369 if you include Motspur Park, Fulham from ootside!?)
Date of First Visit: 2nd February 2024
Eco Giants Stadium, Clitheroe, Lancashire
Fleetwood Town U21s 1
Newcastle United U21s 1 (Diallo pen)
Premier League Cup
Official Attendance: 120 (Glennn from Ashington coonted them!)
(4 NUFC mad-sad groundhoppers--plus quite a few 'locals' supportin us, who made up half the 'crowd'!)
"IF 60 IZ THE NEW 40, THEN 39 IZ THE NEW UNDER 21!"
*This game had been rearranged from Wedinzday, which woz due to be played at Fleetwood's Highbury groond, but woz postponed due to a waaterlogged pitch!----This woz in fact the 3rd time of askin' az the origional tie woz due to be played in Chorley, but that one woz postponed az well!
In desperation---and to get the game played it woz moved 40 miles from Fleetwood to The Eco Giants Stadium in Clitheroe!
They got special permission to play here even though the floodlights wernt up to the standard required for this competition!
3 of us travelled doon from Tyneside, namely 'Biffa the Beer', 'Glennn from Ashington' and 'me 'Fink the mad-sad groundhopper', in Biffa'z 'jam jar'!
On the way ower the A59 it started to p*ss doon and fears of yet another postponement crossed wor minds!
But we shouldnt have worried az the rain eased off az we apporoached Clitheroe's groond----a groond that non of us had ever been tee before!---Hence wor presence!
The Clitheroe clubhoose woz open and we were welcomed with open arms! (whey the curious locals did say "Hello, who are you?")
Mad-sad groundhopper 'Alex of St. George' (Middleton St. George) then torned up to make a total of 4 who had made the trek across the Pennines
After a few 'gargels' there, it woz time for the kick off, but Glennn woz not 'a happy bunny' az he had bought a Clitheroe FC metal badge az a souviner of hiz visit, BUT woz charged EIGHT QUID for it!
“I anly want one NOT two!” he said, but the guy said that that WOZ the price for one! (Normal price anywhere else would be between £3-£4!)
Anyway!---The match kicked off and the pitch had a massive slope from top to bottom AND from one goal to the other and we kicked 'doon hill' in the forst half towards 'The Lidl Supermarket End'!----(Which woz behind that goal!)
The rain then started comin doon in 'waves' but thankfully the groond woz covered on aall 4 sides to kep the 100 or so fans who had torned up dry! (With quite a few 'local' Toon fans az well!)
To say the game woz poor would be an understatement and (for example) we got a free kick near the halfway line and instead of kickin it forward, we kicked it back ower towards wor own goal???
However!--NUFCs youngins took the lead in the 40th minute, when Parkinson woz pulled doon in the box!---A clear penalty, which Diallo took to put us 1-0 up!-----(see video below) And thats the way it stayed til the break az the rain eased off!
We were very poor in the 2nd half az we struggled up the hill towards (wait for it) 'The Strange Lookin Trees End! (See photo below!)
"POND LIFE!" (At 39!)
The equaliser from Fleetwoood came in the 67th minute when an horrendous misstayk by wor goalie let the 'home side'? in to knock the baall into the net from one yard oot!----The scorer for this Fleetwoood Under 21s side woz (wait for it!) THORTY NINE years old! (39) and woz caalled Nathan Pond!
I thought he looked a canny bit ower 20 when the game kicked off, but thought mee eyesight woz 'playin up' ---How wrang I woz! (Thankfully!)
(Apparently 3 over age players are allowed to play for the U21s—-makes nee sense to me—like!🤔
There woz nee more scorin az the clock ticked doon and the game ended aall square!
Yet another groond to tick off, on the never endin' list!
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