And so to the Derbyshire Dales, and the Autoworld Arena on Causeway Lane, the home of the Gladiators of midtable Matlock Town. The visitors are the Daniels of Stamford AFC, currently sitting next to bottom, and after their first nine league games produced an astonishing 60 goals, with a new manager in charge.
The home side was formed in 1878 as Matlock, and competed in the Central
Alliance and then the Midland Counties League. After being four time champions
in the 1960s, the Gladiators moved into a different arena, the Northern Premier
League in 1969.
In 1975 the club won the FA Trophy beating Scarborough 4-0 at Wembley with all
three Fenoughty brothers, Tom, Mick and Nick, scoring. 1978 saw the side win
the NPL Cup, and this allowed them to play in the Anglo-Italian Cup in 1978/9
against Chieti, Pisa, Juniorcasale and Cremonese.
After relegation to the First Division in 1996, the club were promoted back to
the Premier Division in 2003/4, and have remained there at the third tier of
non-league ever since.
Stamford AFC
are nicknamed The Daniels after Daniel Lambert, reputedly the fattest man in
English history then (but not in these morbidly obese times !), who died in
Stamford and is buried in St Martins' churchyard, close to the old ground.
The club was established in 1896 and played for one season in the East Midlands
League. Then after several years without league football they joined the
Northamptonshire League in 1909, and were champions in 1912. They left the
(now) United Counties League in 1939 after being plagued by financial troubles,
but rejoined in 1946 and after playing in the Central Alliance and the Midland
League, went back to the UCL for the final time in 1972.
The Daniels were champions five times in seven seasons, and reached the FA Vase
final three times winning it in 1980 by beating Guisborough 2-0. In 1998 after
consecutive championships, one in their centenary year, the club was promoted
to the Midland (later renamed Eastern) Division of the Southern League.
Promotion to the Premier followed in 2004, and then after two yo-yo years, the
club was moved to the Premier Division of the Northern Premier League, and went
down after one season to Division One South.
In August 2012 the Daniels became the first club in the world to wear the
Twitter handle and display a QR code on the back of their playing shirts.
Promotion to the Premier was achieved via the play offs, and in their second
season back Stamford went top after winning their first five games.
The club moved from their old home at Hanson's Field to the brand new Zeeco
Stadium in December 2014 and became embroiled in a relegation dogfight. On the
final day of last season the Daniels were 2-0 down at the Zeeco to fellow
relegation strugglers Witton Albion. Cue a tremendous fightback, late goal, a
3-2 win, survival and Witton through the trapdoor. It remains their only home
league win at the new stadium to date.....
And so
through the footballers' playground of Hale Barns, past the crystal Methodist's
Co-op pyramid in Stockport and there's no gridlock in the (Hazel) Grove - a
first time for everything ! Past Lyme Park, and then skirting
Chapel-en-le-Frith, the Capital of the Peak, brings us to the hairpin bend at
the Wanted Inn at Sparrowpit.
Through Peak Forest and then a turn to Ashford in the Water, avoiding Tideswell,
the Cathedral of the Peak. On into the sprawling town of Bakewell, and its
Tarts, and then past the Grouse & Claret at Rowsley and into Darley Dale,
with its Carriage Museum.
First stop is the tourist trap of Matlock Bath, with its illuminations on the
River Derwent and fireworks later ! Awesome views from the Heights of Abraham -
and don't forget the Lead Mining Museum.....
Then a backtrack to the spa and market town of Matlock and park up by the
railway station - sadly no Peak Rail services today due to problems with the
steam locomotive :( Then lunch and a pint of Woodforde's Tap & Go in the
packed Crown, where the horse drawn fire engine was based many years ago.
The town is compact and vibrant, watched over by Riber Castle, perched on the
peak above. The football ground is in the town centre across from Hall Leys
Park, with its sunken gardens, skate park and boating lake. Next to the ground
is Matlock Ford dealership and on the approach Maazi restaurant, with an
incongruous yellow tuk-tuk on its portico......
And so up Causeway Lane and in through the turnstile, with every spectator
greeted by 'And how are you today ?' 'Not three bad'. The far end is fenced
off, with the cricket club and pitch behind and Riber Castle in the distance.
The near side supports the Cyril Harrison Stand, showing its 95 years, three
seated/ benched rows and partly taped off. The Town End has a small covered
terraced area backing on to Matlock Ford, with tarmac standing below. However
the ground has been transformed by the shiny new Twigg main Stand - alongside
it is the Sports and Social Club, where an episode of Sky series Starlings was
filmed (no I've never heard of it either !). There is also the Autoworld Lounge
on one side and a refreshment bar and some benches on the other; behind the
town rises layer by layer.
A rather
frightening looking middle aged man with gelled dyed blue and yellow hair,
which doesn't match his goatee, walks round the ground before the game starts.
The Gladiators are in all blue and the Daniels in all red.
The weather matches the first half - five minutes of sunshine then drab with a
swirling wind. A chance in the first minute for Matlock captain Danny Holland
and no real threat from the Daniels, until Nabil Sharif pokes wide under
pressure. A home claim for a penalty for hand ball, and rather aimless pinball
football until the half hour.
Then three very presentable chances for the home side. Holland nods down a free
kick to the unmarked Sam Smith who volleys horribly over, Holland is just
thwarted by the Daniels' keeper Richard Knight and Micky Harcourt's cross cum
shot evades the onrushing forwards.
Within in a minute of the second half the Gladiators' Harry Coates hits the
frame of bar and post from a corner but the home side are struggling to create
chances, looking lopsided and lacking invention. Shortly after, the
Daniels lead - a corner produces a tremendous save from home custodian George
Willis, but Tom McGowan thrashes home the rebound. Two minutes later Smith is
cut down in the area: Holland takes the penalty but Knight saves low to his
left.
Knight produces further great saves to deny Ben Elgar and Joel Purkiss but
leaves the best till last - a superb tip away from Adam Yates' header. By the
end the Gladiators have run out of ideas, with Daniels' Daniel Clements nearly
adding a second, Willis saving well. Injury time is brief - only one double
substitution from the home side and no injuries - as the veil is drawn on an
unlikely away win.
