And so to Brunton Park in Carlisle for an FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round clash between Carlisle United and Boston United.
Carlisle United FC traces its origins from Shaddongate United F.C. The club goes back to 1896, changing its name to Carlisle United in 1904. Thereafter the club moved into the Lancashire Combination the season later and then entered the North Eastern League in 1910, and were crowned as champions in 1921/22. The Blues have played at Brunton Park since 1909, previously residing at Willow Holme, Milhome Bank and Devonshire Park.
The Cumbrians were elected to the Football League in 1928 and spent the next 30 years in the Third Division North. At that point the Blues were assigned a place in the newly formed Fourth Division and achieved promotion in 1961/62, but were then immediately relegated.
Two consecutive promotions saw Carlisle as Third Division champions in 1964/65. And more was to come as United assumed top tier status after the 1973/74 season, famously topping the First Division table after the first three fixtures - with Chris Balderstone featuring as county and test cricketer in the summer and as a professional footballer for Carlisle United outwith the cricket season. Indeed his achievement of playing County Championship cricket on the day, and then League football that night, is unlikely to ever be surpassed...
United inevitably dropped out of the top tier at the end of their one and only season in the First Division and were further relegated to the Third Division at the end of the 1976/77 campaign; Bob Stokoe took the Cumbrians back up in 1981/82. However successive demotions saw Carlisle consigned to the fourth tier by 1987.
The club's Football League existence ended in 2004 but Paul Simpson engineered an immediate return the following season via the play offs, beating Stevenage 1-0. This after the 1999 last minute injury time miracle goal by emergency goalkeeper Jimmy Glass against Plymouth Argyle which kept the Cumbrians up, thereby relegating the SeaDogs of Scarborough.
United achieved promotion to League One in 2006, but were relegated at the end of 2013/2014. However promotion during 2022/23 then prefaced back to back relegations to the National League, notwithstanding Mark Hughes taking charge. This time United are 3rd, a point behind leaders Rochdale, but having played two games more.
The club badge is of the city's coat of arms and two wyverns, and the Cumbrians are now owned by Castle Sports Group - the Piatak Family from Florida. That's after a controversial decade long reign by the infamous Michael Knighton that ended in 2002....
Boston United FC was established in 1933 as a successor to the short lived Boston Town. The Pilgrims are named after the Pilgrim Fathers, who left England and sailed to North America and settled near, but did not found, Boston in Massachusetts. The club crest features the Mayflower, the Pilgrim Fathers' ship.
Boston initially competed in the Midland League, before moving to the Southern League for four seasons in 1958. The Pilgrims returned to the Midland League, and then joined the United Counties League and were crowned as champions in their first campaign in 1966.
The club switched to the West Midlands (Regional) League, winning the title in 1967 and 1968. United became a founding member of the Northern Premier League for the 1968/69 season, and won the league four times in 1973, 1974, 1977 and 1978.
That led to the Pilgrims being invited into the newly created Alliance Premier League, subsequently the Conference and now the National League Premier in 1979. Boston were relegated back to the Northern Premier in 1993 and moved laterally to the Southern Premier for the 1998/99 term.
United won the Southern League in 2000 and then the Conference two years on in 2002, ascending to the Football League, under the stewardship of controversial manager Steve Evans - who was later banned, along with chairman Pat Malkinson, for breaking player registration rules. A five year stay in the League ended with administration, a double demotion to the Conference North in 2007 and then relegation at the end of the 2008/09 campaign to the Northern Premier.
The Pilgrims achieved promotion via the play offs the next season to return to the Conference North. Five unsuccessful play off campaigns finally culminated in promotion, again via the play offs, in 2024 to the National League Premier - and a miraculous relegation survival under Graham Coughlan last season; they are 15th this time around.
The club settled into their new home ground, Pilgrim Way, aka Boston Community Stadium in 2020. This entailed a move from their Jakemans York Street home and a brief groundshare at the Northolme, home of The Holy Blues of Gainsborough Trinity - and a town infamous for Swein Forkbeard, son of Harald Bluetooth, who was King of England for five weeks in 1013/14, combining it with King of Denmark, which he assumed in 986; he also reigned as the King of Norway. It all ended in 1014 with death either killed by falling from a horse, apoplexy or murder.....
Numberplates on parade en route today are B16MAC, E2FUN and ME61CAL. The weather is dreary and the train suffocatingly hot..... Past the former Agecroft Colliery it's onto Orlando Bridge at Bolton. Then Luke Pek artwork at Horwich Parkway.
Wrekaminded Supplies is at Chorley as I follow the West Lancashire Line via Buckshaw Parkway and Leyland. Subsequently we come to Swietelsky railway clearance locomotives at Preston 🙄 That precedes The Giant Axe at Lancaster and the rolling stock and locomotives graveyard at Carnforth. Thence into Carlisle...
A mosey round Carlisle opens up the attractions of Carlisle Citadel, Carlisle Castle, Cumbria's Museum of Military Life, Bitts Park, Carlisle Street Art, West Wall Street Art, Tullie Museum, Carlisle Cathedral, Guildhall Museum, Market Cross Monument, Dixon's Chimney and Blank Wall Assassins - more Street Art. Pubs are The Border Rambler, The William Rufus, Woodrow Wilson (the last two both Wetherspoons on Botchergate) and The Cranemakers (closed). And eateries are The Last Zebra, Beirut Bites and El Pollo Loco (The Mad Chicken)...
And I have to take advantage of the Settle Carlisle Railway Line - '72 miles of Scenic Splendour'. I leave Carlisle and head for the Cumbrian Hills.
First stop is Armathwaite where the signal box celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2024. Then Lazonby & Kirkoswald, and Langwathby, home of Frank Bird Poultry.
Beyond Kirkby Thore and British Gypsum to reach Appleby (in Westmorland) - Appleby spelt with pebbles. Thankfully the Gypsy Horsefair has been and gone, but there remains a plethora of trailer parks.
Also Sammy Lees Motors and a blue plaque in honour of Eric Treacy, who was a Bishop and railway photographer, and who died on the station platform taking a photo. Kirkby Stephen also has a blue plaque - for a conservation award.
The mist and murk and drizzle hit us around Garsdale and then we reach Dent, the highest main line station in England at 1150 feet above sea level. After that it's Blea Moor and Ribblehead, with its iconic Viaduct.
The penultimate stop is Horton in Ribblesdale, only 850 feet above sea level 🙄 That brings us to Settle and the Water Tower on the station approach; Settle station opened in 1876.
In Settle there's the Market Place and Shambles, Victoria Hall Theatre and Moneypennys & Lavender Lounge. Not forgetting Castleberg and Tot Lord Trail, The Folly, Quaker Meeting House and Ye Olde Naked Man Cafe.....
And so to the football finally.... Reduced admission prices of £12 (normally £23) are in force today and only the Paddock Terrace and the Andrew Jenkins Main (West) Stand are open - I'm in the TrustFord section on halfway.
The Armstrong Watson Warwick Road End Terrace, Waterworks Petteril End Terrace and East Stand with various sponsors are all shuttered today 🙄 Outside the ground is the Hugh McIlmoyle statue.
The Cumbrians are in blue with red and white detail, the Pilgrims in amber and black.
Before the match my neighbour informs me 'We need to score three as Lewis is in goal and statistically he
concedes two every game'. The crowd is 3,543 - 164 away - about half the average league gate.
And the signs are not promising as Harry Lewis makes an unconvincing shovelling save in the first minute.
But the Cumbrians soon take charge and debutant Chris Conn-Clarke has his shot just helped on over the bar on
4 minutes.
Carlisle take the lead two minutes later, David Ajiboye coming in from the right wing to fire one across
Rhys Lovett. The Cumbrians then have an effort cleared off the line on 8, but go 2-0 up just before the quarter
hour as Josh Grant flicks in Conn-Clarke's corner.
And it's three goals in ten minutes, as on 16 Luke Armstrong heads home an Ajiboye cross.
Either side of the half hour Ajiboye hits a shot into the turf and over and Callum Whelan tries an audacious lob
but we reach half time at 3-0 for Carlisle.
The Pilgrims are back in the game 45 seconds into the second period as half time sub Liam Donnelly heads in a
cross. Then on 49 Lewis flaps at a corner and Lenell John-Lewis (he's a shop 😛 ) nods in to make it 3-2;
my neighbour has been proved correct 😉
Amidst increasing Cumbrian nervousness and sustained Boston pressure Lewis makes three extraordinary saves
to keep Carlisle ahead. The anxiety is eased on the hour as a splendid move ends with Conn-Clarke passing the
ball into the net and it's 4-2.
On 78 minutes Conn-Clarke's thumper is palmed by Lovett but the ball traverses slowly into the goal for 5-2.
Cumbrians' sub Georgie Kelly hits the bar in the last five minutes but it finishes Carlisle 5 Boston 2.
