344 new meadow, shrewsbury

Ground number 344
Date of First Visit: 8th October 2019
New Meadow (aka Montgomery Waters Meadow), Shrewsbury
(141st ground visited that has staged Premier League/Football League games watchin' NUFC)
Shrewsbury Town 3
Newcastle United U21s 0

EFL Trophy group stage
Attendance: 1,408 (55 Toon fans in away section, plus several others in main stand (I coonted 65 Toon fans?)

                             The Toon (in orange) attack the away end goal (2nd half)

"GANNIN ROOND IN CIRCLES!"

I had to dee mee normal truck run to Manchester on Munday neet, but woz delayed doon there and aa finally left at '2:10am bells'!
Aa got back to Tyneside at '5:00am bells' and got to bed half an hour later! "ZZZZZzzzzz!!!!!"

After less than 3 hours kip, aa woz up again to catch the '10:18 bells' train to----MANCHESTER!---and heeded for 'The Piccadilly Tap' for swift 'gargel', 11 hours after leavin Manchester in mee truck!----and then it woz onward to Shrewsbury, where we arrived at '2:55pm bells'!

With loads on time on wor hands before the 7:30 bells kick off, we did a mini pub crawl aroond the many bars in the toon centre after dumping wor bags at wor digs!

Anothaa new groond for The NUFC mad-sad groundhoppers woz ticked off the list when we visited Shrewbury's (nearly) new abode on the very outskirts of the town next to an industrial estate and retail park, some 3 miles from the toon centre!

Some of the 50 odd Toon fans in the away section
Lookin towards the sparsely filled main stand

The Shrews were far too strong for this young Magpies team and we were soundly beaten by the Leegue One side in front of a sparse crowd, which seems to be the norm in this competition!
It's a nice 10,000 seater stadium, but it's on the wrang place!!!
(Their old Gay Meadow groond woz near the toon centre!)

Anyway!  We fell behind in the 22nd minute when a Shrewsbury player who's name I cant remember put them in front with a shot inside the box
Their lead woz doubled in the 33rd minute when Cummins sent in a powerful header which beat Dan Langley The Toon keeper, aall ends up!

We reely wornt at the races and this woz a poor show indeed!

We were a bit better in the 2nd half as we kicked towards the 55 Toon faithful in the stand behind that goal! (I counted 65 but the official coont woz 10 less?----must 'clue up' on mee maths!)

Allen and Fernandez both hit the woodwork, but it woz the home side who put the final nail in wor coffin when Edwards fired in with just 3 mins left on the clock with just 3 minutes left of the 90!

A bad result which puts us oot of the competition as we sit bottom of the group with just 1 game to play (v Port Vale)

A nice touch happened at the end, when the tannoy annooncer said that 55 Newcasil fans were in the away end, which brought loud applause from the home section. The 55 NUFC fans applauded their appreciation back! (Divvint forget, this woz wor RESORVE team v their forst team!)

The 'drowning of the sorrows' took place in 'The Nags Head' back in the centre of Shrewsbury, but not before having to wait half an hour for wor pre booked taxi to pick us up from the groond! (Nee tip for him, then!)

"WHERE'S THE TAXI---LIKE?"

NEXT DAY
We had to get 3 trains back today (Wednizday)---One from Shrewsbury to Stockport (near Manchester!)---One from Stockport to Donny---and one from Donny to The Toon
Wor last train woz delayed coz of a fire on a train at Croxdale near Darlo station---and a 'jumper' at Newark station!---The FIFTH train journey to an away game 'in a row', where we have been delayed this season!😳

Updated 3:48pm bells'
The f***in' train never torned up after waitin' an hour and a half--- so in desperation, we jumped on a Cross Country train with LNER tickets!
The ticket inspector said it woz ok to get on!

Will be claimin a full refund YET AGAIN!

Updated '4:50pm bells' onwards
We eventually arrived back at 'The Central' (station) at '4:45 bells' and aa caught a bus yem.  Had a quick nosebag and an update on this story and then went to work to drive back to-----(YEEV GUESSED IT!)------MANCHESTER!!!

Much more on this story tomorrow, when aa get the time.
 I am writing this on mee mobile tellin' bone at the mo!

PS: Aa naa it soonds az though we 'make some of theeze stories up' ---but its TRUE---here iz a photo of the train fire az reported in 'The Ronny Gill'!

*PUB CRAWL PIX---EVENTUALLY!

PICCADILLY TAP, MANCHESTER (BETWEEN TRAINS)

THE ALB, SHREWSBURY (PRE MATCH)

BULL INN

3 FISHES

THE WHEATSHEAF

THE NAGS HEAD (POST MATCH)

*Updated Thorsday dinnaatime

My tales of woe didn't end when aa got off the train.
I went to work at '7:00pm bells' (Wedinzday) to find that there woz nee diesel in the wagon and no fuel card!
I had to phone a gaffer up who woz at home and woz 'non too pleezed' when he torned up at '7:30 bells' to open the warehouse and get me a diesel card!
After fillin' the diesel tank up I eventually left for Manchester at '8:00 bells' and because of that the 'A1M' woz shut for 12 miles in north Yorkshire for owerneet roadworks and the 'M62' woz shut near Leeds!
On the way back (and to put anothaa spanner in the works!) the 'A1M' woz shut near Durham!
"HELP!"

BAD BLUE BOYS 2 THE SUB MARINERS 1 *** NORTHERN PREMYAA LEEGUE NORTH WEST DIVISION

 Posted '7:00pm bells' Munday 21st September 2020

"BAD BLUE BOYS SINK SUB MARINERS!"

Wor non Leegue 'sorte' continued, with nee Toon game to gan tee, and we heeded for the Dunston clubhoose where the home team were playin Marine from Liverpoool!

Because if the new 'bat out of hell's corona virus restrictions, table sorvice woz the order of the day and the former Dunston manager caalled Billy, (who won the FA Vase at Wembley in 2012) woz wor waiter and he took some stick I can tell yoo!

Billy had been renamed 'Manuel' off the Fawlty Towers programmes, az we demanded fast sorvice, az we clicked wor fingers! (How the mighty have fallen!)

Anyway!-- it woz soon kick off time az we had wor temperatures and phone numbers taken at the entrance gate (35.8) and we made wor way to wor usual standing place near the main stand!

Disappointingly, there woz a much smaller crowd than aa anticipated, (200 woz my guess) az 300 were expected!

Marine, playin' in predominantly yellow shirts (wot else!) got off to the better start and attacked 'The Tea Hut End' in the forst half!

They took the lead in the 40th minute when a great looping shot went ower Dunston keeper Liam Connell, to put the visitors 1-0 up!

Which brought loud cheers and applause from the half dozen or so diehards, who had travelled across the Pennines 

TYNESIDE 0  MORSEYSIDE 1 HT

'The Bad Blue Boys' were much better in the 2nd period as THEY attacked 'The Tea Hut End' and the equaliser came in the 63rd minute, after Dunston's Jake Stafford had hit a tremendous shot which shook the crossbar! The baall fell nicely in front of Dunston's Mark Fitzpatrick and after a scramble a Marine defender put the baall into his own net as the baall rickoshaded off him! (The goal woz later given to Fitzy, but it looked like an own goal from where aa woz standin'?)

TYNESIDE 1  MORSEYSIDE 1

And then the main takin point of the game when a high baall woz challenged by their keeper and  'Fitzy', Dunston's centre forward, the keeper fell to the groond and gave oot a loud cry az he held his back in an attempt to con the ref and get the Dunston player sent off! (see pix below)

He woz rollin ower and wavin' hiz legs in the air, az though he been shot by a sniper! COMICAL!---DISGRACEFUL!

                                                                          ^

(Cynical play actin' in the extreeeme)

The ref woz having 'non of it' and restarted the game after 5 minutes of stoppage to tend to the keepers non existent 'back injury'!)

And then the winnin' goal in the 82nd minute. Dunston's Liam Thear woz hacked doon in the box and the ref pointed straight to the spot!

Terry Galbraith took it and sent their keeper the wrang way to put 'The Bad Blue Boys' 2-1 up! --- JUSTICE!

Marine tried in vain to find an equaliser, but Dunston held on to take the points and sink the Sub Mariners!

TYNESIDE 2  MORSEYSIDE 1  FT

PS: At full time their goalie woz sent off for arguing with the ref?

Offical attendance:186 (I woz 14 oot with mee 200 guess, which didn't included up to 3 freebee watchin from ower the fence, on the far side from us!) (6 or 7 Sub Mariners!)

SPOT THE MISSPRINT?

'DUNTSON' instead of 'DUNSTON'!

THE TOON 0 NEE WHERE NEAR BRIGHTIN 3 *** PREMYAA LEEGUE 2020-2021

 Posted '4:17pm bells' Sunday 20th September 2020

Updated Munday from '10:35am bells'

"HORROR SHOW AT SJP!"----"NORMAL SORVICE RESUMED!"

Just ONE line 'max' on wor attakin' performance!

NEE shots on target = 'NEE goals'!

UPSTAIRS IN ROSIES AZ THE GAME KICKS OFF!

Wot can we say aboot thiz abysmal performance?

Not much reeely, az Brightin were streets aheed of us in tactics and knowhow!

It took them just 3 minutes to open the scorin, when Saint-Maximin needlessly fouled Lamptey in the box to give an orly spot kick at The Gallowgate End!

Maupay made nee misstayk az he hammered the baall into the centre of the goal with Darlow in The Toon goal gannin the wrang way and unable to stop it!

It woz soon 2-0 to wor visitors from the sooth coast, when Maupay scored hiz second goal after just SEVEN minutes on the clock, when he clipped the baall into the far corner of the net!

A lang VAR check said he WASN'T offside and so the goal stood!

The mood in Rosies Bar near to SJP woz one of dispair, az despite aall 4 new players on show, it woz 'Normal sorvice resumed' from last season!

With nee shots on target az we attacked The Leazes End, it woz on the cards that the 3 points would be heedin sooth!

By half time we still hadn't had a clear shot on goal--truely shockin'!

A RARE TOON ATTACK ON THE LEAZES GOAL!

The second period woz nee better az *'Nee Where Near' Brightin went for the jugular, hittin the woodwork twice before put the final nail in wor coffin in the 83rd minute, when Connolly beat Lascelles to the baall to hit hiz shot into the corner of the goal!

The anly notable effort we had on goal iz when Wilson heeded wide from an unmarked position inside the penalty area----and that woz it!

Just when it looked that we would avoid a relegation battle with wor fine 2-0 win at West Ham last week, then we are brought back doon to orth, with the reality, that we ARE! 

 

*PS: We say 'Nee Where Near Brightin', az their groond iz miles away in the countryside!

THE TOON V NEE WHERE NEAR BRIGHTIN *** THIS AFTERNOOON AT SJP (BCD)

 Posted '10:25am bells' Sunday 20th September 2020

The Toon play wor forst home game of the new season v Brightin in a '2:00 bells kick off!

We are gannin to Rosie's Bar near St. James' Park to watch it and hopefully we will repeat the great performance at West Ham last week, where we won 2-0

A full 'Geordie Times' match report will appear here sometime tomorrow---Az well az a report from the Dunston v Marine game, which we attended yesterday (Dunston won 2-1) (I intended to dee Dunston's match report today, but unfortunately I havvint got time az the boozers are open soon!)

Az per usual "Watch this space!"---tomorrow!

'BAD BLUE BOYS' V 'THE SUB MARINERS' OF MARINE *** NORTHERN PREMIER LEEGUE NORTH WEST DIVISION

 Posted '10:31am bells' Saturday 19th September 2020

Az The Toon arnt playin til tomorrow afternooon (on the telly), we are off to see 'The Bad Blue Boys' of Dunston play 'The Sub Mariners' of Marine, who hail from Crosby in Liverpoool!  And of course their home shirts include the colour yellow!

This is the first game of the leegue season and a canny crowd iz expected.  400 maximum, but its pay at the gate (£7 big kids and £4 for sprogs and zimmerframeites!)and the attendance will probably be aroond aboot the 300 mark!  The game kicks off at '3:00 bells' at the UTS Stadium in Dunston (aka Federation Park)

A full Geordie Times match report on the game will appear here, eethaa later tooneet or orlyish on Sunday!

"NOW WE CAN'T EVEN WATCH THE MATCH TOGETHER ON THE TELLY NOW!" Update: "OH YES WE CAN!"

 Posted '3:00pm bells' Friday 18th September 2020

EVEN THE MOVIN' HEADS HAVE GOT TO 'SOCIALY DISTANCE' AND 

WEAR FACE MASKS IN 'ROSIES BAR'!

With the new restrictions in the north eest affectin' 2 million people, we can't even meet friends in a pub nuw, to watch Toon games together!  

Aa booked at table for 6 upstairs in 'Rosies Bar' near SJP for wor home game v Brightin on Sunday---BUT!---today a'v had 2 phone caalls off mates to say that because we can't sit together, they arn't comin' now!

This will be devastatin news for AALL 'liquid lubrication locations' (pubs!), az they will be forced to torn a group of 6 friends away, for fear of a spot check, and ultimate closure!

I am gannin into 'Rosies' later today (On mee own!) to find oot exactly wot the situation iz, but I fear that they will tell me that anly ONE of us will be allowed in, az we are not related or live in the same hoosehold!

That's one person drinkin up to 6 pints durin the match, instead of 36 pints between us!

It will surely finish off many of the pubs that HAVE reopened since restrictions were lifted and sadly 2 historic pubs, 'The Crown Posada' near the Quayside (The Toons oldest pub, opened in the 1700s!) and 'The Star' on Westgate Road, will be closed for good! (so we hear!)

I will let yoo naa just wot they tell me in 'Rosies' when aa gan for me normal 'liquid lubrications'!

Az per usual, "Watch this space!" for forthaa news! 

Updated '3:10pm bells'

Just hord, aall the bar staff in Fitzys, The Bacchus and not surprisingly, The Crown Pasada have been made redundant! (Aall city centre boozers!)

Updated '4:55pm bells'

Accordin to manageress of Rosie's there are NO restrictions on 6 friends meeting for match in bar!

Sign on door of Rosies

It's not law!

LEEGUE CUP 4th ROOND DRAW *** TOOONEET!

 Posted '8:13pm bells' Thorsday 17th September 2020

The Leegue Cup 4th roond draw will be made tooneet!---even before the 3rd roond haz been played!

So far the draw haz been very kind to us!

With the 2nd, 3rd AND 4th roonds behind closed doors, we are dreadin bein drawn away to a team we had never been tee, and thus spoil wor 100% record on new groonds visited followin The Toon in the 1980s, the 1990s and this century! 

In the 2nd roond we beat Bleakburn Rovers at SJP on Tuesday---and  we will be away to Morecambe  in the 3rd roond next Wedinzday---a groond 'The NUFC mad-sad groundhoppers' have been tee before!

Brentfaad's new groond, Fleetwood, Northampton and Newport are the 4 teams to avoid in the 4th roond draw, az we've never visited their abodes and know that we won't be allowed in!

NUFC/Morecambe are baall number 3 in the draw, live on SKY Sports after the Brightin/Portsmoooth game

Watch this space in a couple of hours to see if we've avoided the above teams!🙏

Updated '10:10pm bells'

OH NO! ITS EETHAA NEWPORT COONTY or Wotfaad away IF we beat Morecambe!

MR GRIMSDALE TO THE RESCUE?

Posted '4:35am bells' Thorzday 17th September 2020

"NO! NOT MR GRIMSDALE OFF THE NORMAN WISDOM FILM!"

"WE MEEN MR GRIMSTONE THE GOVERNMENT MINISTER!"

"YET MORE TAKEOWER TALK TALES!"

With wor beleagered owner engagin' a top London law firm to fight the Premyaa Leegue, we hear of anothaa 'twist' in the tale!

News that a government minister caalled Mr Grimstone, iz to intervene in the protracted takeower talks, to try and find a solution for NUFC and to finally get the 'green light' in this never endin saga!🚦

He haz been engaged by the consortium (so we beleeeve!) to try and sort the sorry mess oot!

Just who ultimatly owns the PIF iz top of the agenda and he will discuss this with The Premyaa Leegue!

Changin the structure of the consortium iz one solution on the table and we can anly hope (and pray!🙏) that we will finally--finally! be rid of 'The Fat Controller' for ever!

Az per usual "watch this space!" IF yoo can stay awake lang enough!  😴

THE TOON 1 V BLEAKBURN ROVERS 0 FULL TIME *** LEEGUE CUP 2ND ROOND *** AZ IT HAPPENS!

 Posted from '7:15pm bells' onwards Tuesday 15th September 2020

"HAZ IT REEELY COME TO THIS!?"

Aa never thought aa would see the day when aa watched an NUFC home game on mee laptop!

But as this iz the anly way to watch wor game v Bleakburn, aa coughed up the ten quid to watch the live stream!

It's ironic to say the least that az aa look oot of mee hoose window aa can see the bright glow of the St.James' Park, in the darkness, barely a mile away, as the drunken magpie fly's! (See photos below)

10 changes from West Ham game!

*Updates and pix az the game progresses! (Scroll doon page for updates!)

1st minute 0-0

10th minute: Crap game so far! Nee shots on target by eethaa team yet!

Halfway point of forst half

Bleakburn the better team

Still nee shots on target!😴

GOAL! RYAN FRAZER FROM A THROUGH PASS BY ALMIRON IN THE 35TH MINUTE! (below)

HT 1-0 to NUFC

The glow of the floodlights from wor hoose at half time!

63rd minute  still 1-0 to The Toon

Bloody picture keeps freeezin'!

(Aa want mee money back!)

68th minute: weak shot on target by Joelinton

Forst shot by 'us' this half!

Followed by an offside Joelinton goal!

85th minute  still 1-0

Terrible game to watch!

We held on to gan into the 3rd roond where we will play Morecambe away!

Just 2 shots on target from us!

Very lucky!

 

IT AINT OVER TIL 'THE FAT CONTROLLER' SINGS!

 Posted '8:00am bells' Tuesday 15th September 2020

THE TOON V THE PREMYAA LEEGUE***COMIN' SOON!

News reaches The Geordie Times that wor 'beloved'? owner 'The Fat Controller' haz employed the top legal team Blackstone Chambers from London to fight the Premyaa Leegue ower the failed takeower by the PIF consortium!

And for once Toon fans are 100% behind him and are singin' from the same hymn sheet!

Things are getting  serious now and if anybody thought that this takeower woz 'dead in the waataa', then 'fink' again!

So, fear not!  We will keep yoo posted of any developments forthwith!

Az per usual "Watch this space!"

PS: Wor Leegue Cup tie v Bleakburn Rovers tooneet at '7:30 bells' can be bought on a live stream for £10 from 

https://carabaocup.live/

A Geordie Times match report on the game will appear here IF we can manage to get the live stream?