SATURDAY 28TH MARCH 2015
BERWICK RANGERS 1 QUEENS PARK 1
SCOTTISH LEAGUE 2
SHIELFIELD PARK
GATE.....550 (approx. 40 away)
ADMISSION £12
PROGRAMME £2 TEAMSHEET 20P
No Millers game due to us being a team full of Internationals, I decided to make my Grounds total up to a nice round 230 and take my Scottish League Grounds into double figures.....that's 10 for those of you who can't count that many.
After suffering with the dreaded killer (Man Flu) for the past 10 days, which completely ran me into the Ground, and even worse, still suffering the after effects of the defeat by our feathered friends from S6 last week, a billy no mates trip to some far flung reaches of the Country, leaving everything and everyone behind me, was just what the Doctor ordered to blow away the cobwebs.
Google maps was used thoroughly for the last few days, and my port of call was the only Scottish League Ground in England.
Berwick Rangers home, Shielfield Park was my destination, which lies 2 1/2 miles from the Scottish border in Northumberland.
A 5am rise to make myself beautiful (no comments please) in time for the 5.55 bus into Barnsley, followed by the 6.33 train to Leeds, then the 7.57 from Leeds to Berwick on Tweed.
£82.10 spent already on fares, call it insanity if you wish, I call it having nowt better to spend my brass on.
Arriving at a damp Berwick at 10.20 I took a leisurely stroll down the main street in the Town Centre, clicking away at various points of note....basically anything and everything.
Then making my way to a little hill I'd spotted on Google Maps which offered a great view from above looking up and down the River Tweed.
This was when I first encountered the ferocious winds (not from me) that would blight the standard of Football later.
One of the first things I do when I research new Grounds is to locate any Fish and Chip shops/Restaurants in the area, as I'm rather partial to the old Friday favourite fodder.
A recommended and highly rated one, slap bang in the middle of the High Street is the Castlegate Fish restaurant, and I made my way there for it's opening time of 11am.
£8.60 for Fish, Chips, Peas, Bread n Butter and a small pot of tea, and I wasn't disappointed.
Best of it was the melt in the mouth batter, and a good sized portion to satisfy the appetite of this hungry traveller.
I gave the Waitress a tenner and told her to keep the change......a commendation itself from a cash careful Yorkshireman.
Then I made my way close to the banks of the River and the Leaping Salmon Wetherspoons which is just on the Town centre edge of the Royal Tweed Bridge.
That was plan B for the food intake, and I'm glad I opted for the Chippy as they had no Bacon for the Breakfasts....no Bacon !!!!!! then it's not a Breakfast in my eyes.
As is the norm for Wetherspoons, there was only one lass serving, but she was very pleasant, and apologised to everybody she served for the wait.
A quick shandy later and it was time to make my way to the Ground.
A very blustery walk over the Bridge, good job the Fish dinner had weighed me down, that's all i can say.
A couple of streets away and the slip road to the Ground appears as if by magic between a couple of houses.
The Black and Gold bar is straight across from the Ground so after a few outside Stadium shots I went into the bar for an hour and half.
The bar seemed very small, until I went to the loo and spotted a massive function room at the back which was decked out in blue and white ribbons to accommodate a Wedding reception later on.
As I was served I was told that free soup was available from a huge cauldron type thing near the door.
Most of the locals went straight to the soup as they entered before they ordered their drinks.....some instead of having drinks.
A nice touch, and with the weather as it was today, very welcoming I would imagine.....I didn't bother as I was still full believe it or not.
If there is any arguments over the last bit of soup, there is one of them Fairground punchbag things next to the table, an unusual accessory for a Pub, but I suppose it sees some action later on at night when the beers have been flowing.
At 2 o'clock I left the bar to enter the Ground, and paid my £12 admission fee, plus £8 for 4 programmes.
The Berwick Bandits Speedway track circles the perimeter of the pitch and gives the whole Stadium a massive feel to it when you first enter.
To the left is the main stand which houses corporate/press boxes and stretches almost the length of the pitch.
The players tunnel cuts into the stand on the halfway line and the far end can only be accessed through the top 2 or 3 rows of seating.
I have to say though that the Main Stand offered great protection from the biting wind.
Across from the Main stand is Duckets Enclosure, a small covered terrace which accommodates the away following.
The area behind both goals is just open walkways, which despite the track still offers a decent view of the action.
Refreshments come in the form of a large catering van just away from the main stand, which serves up a wide range of hot and cold food, including Fish and Chips, Burgers, Pies and the gut stretching delicacy I was hoping for.......Haggis.....this was devoured at half time with chips, again, it's a wonder how I keep my figure in shape.
Excuse my ignorance for Scottish lower league knowledge, i know very little about the 2 teams, apart from League positions, but I knew there was one autograph I wanted to add to my collection.
Berwick player manager is former Wolves, Coventry and Hearts Midfielder, capped 28 times by Scotland, Colin Cameron.
I acquired this as the players came off after the warm ups, so my stalking work was done and dusted.....thanks Colin.
The teams came out with Berwick obviously in their Black and Gold kit and the visitors from Glasgow in their all red away strip.
I made 4 changes to my seating choice as supporting pillars blocked crucial parts of the pitch, but I eventually settled for a front row seat (about 20 foot of leg room) to the right of the Main Stand.....closer to the half time Haggis van.
The game itself as a spectacle was never going to be achieved, as the swirling wind made passing and movement very awkward.
One of the loudest cheers of the day was when the Berwick keeper tried a high pass out to the right back during the first half, the wind took hold and sent the ball off on a 180 degree course and went out of play over the head of the left back.
Balls at Goal kicks had to be replaced 2 or 3 times as the ball just rolled out of position.
The home fans certainly gave the Referee some grief (sounds familiar) as "one of the worst we've had this season", and from a totally impartial view, I could see their point.
The visitors took the lead after 20 minutes through John Carter, but Berwick got a deserved equaliser 5 minutes from the interval, as Paul Willis netted from the penalty spot following a foul in the box.
In the second half Queens Park had the lions share of efforts at goal, but unfortunately for them they couldn't judge the flight of the ball due to the wind, and shots just soared up and well away from the net.
The draw leaves Queens Park more or less certain of a play off spot in League 2, while Berwick still have an outside chance of reaching the play offs, but a recent run of 4 straight defeats may have just left them with a little too much to do.
Possession stats were as follows....Berwick 20%, Queens Park 20%, Wind 60%.
The man selling the programmes was spot on when he said the wind would spoil the game, but despite the conditions, I thoroughly enjoyed
ticking off this new Ground and an altogether grand day out was had.
Leaving Berwick Station at 5.52, back via Leeds, I arrived home at 9.30 tired and weary and in need of a cuppa and my home comforts.
Next stop Birmingham v Millers on Good Friday, hope it's Good for us....UP THE MILLERS.
