14 December 2019 – AFC Stamford 4 Cleethorpes Town 1 (280)
A quick zoom down the
A1 found us parked outside the Zeeco Stadium, home of Stamford AFC,
before two o'clock. Quick walk round the ground? No chance, it was
freezing cold and blowing a bitter gale. From the car park the ground
looks small but neat, with a large private gym attached as part of
the design, and a large advert for the ground sponsors Zeeco to the
fore. Let's put this on the record, we're not fans of stadium naming,
they should all keep their original name or if new-build, given a
sensible “proper” name. We don't take points off for this offence
yet, but we're thinking about it!
In through the
turnstile, game on! It cost us just £13 to get in, an Ayrton Senna
for me and just three quid for Sam as he's 16. Recently I have been
feeling like the turnstile operators think we're working a flanker,
as Sam's twice as tall as me (not difficult), but he's genuinely that
age until next summer. The lady in the kiosk was really friendly and
helpful, as was the programme seller just in and to the left, and the
50/50 draw ticket seller. First impressions great, met three “staff”,
all were lovely. As it's non-league we strolled right around the
pitch. There are two covered areas, one along the side with maybe 400
seats for the posh folk, and a nice metal-floored terrace behind a
goal. Sadly it was on this terrace that we spotted a drum tied to the
barriers, point lost for that! For some reason the dug-outs are on
the opposite side of the pitch to the changing rooms. One end and one
side are simply flat tarmac, but that is perfectly OK until Stamford
need to expand.
We opted to watch from
the end terrace, mainly because we would be sheltered from the wind,
but first it was food time, so we queued at Daniel's Larder
(Stamford's nickname is The Daniels). The menu contained everything
we usually look for so hopes were high, I went for a steak pie with
chips, Sam a cheeseburger with chips, accompanied by a Bovril (extra
point) and a water. This cost £11.80, which is comparable most of
the league grounds we've visited (and where we don't order the
chips). So, good value, but....there were some issues. The burger was
apparently too dry. The Bovril wasn't stirred enough. Worst of all
the chips needed another couple of minutes cooking, they tasted too
firm and not “chippy” enough. Shame.
The home team's
shooting practice was bloody lethal for those standing behind the
goal! Every few seconds there was a shout oh “HEADS” and a ball
would ricochet riotously around the rattly floor, roof and backing.
It must surely be a way of driving up snack bar takings, by knocking
people's pies and Fanta out of their hands? Just before kick-off this
visit scored a bonus point in a very unexpected but brilliant way.
Remember Scunthorpe v Donny Rovers last season where we heard a song
called Sunny Scunny blasted out just before the game? Since that day
there has been a point on offer for any team that plays their own
local version, AND STAMFORD DID! Bravo boys!
This game was first
against third and we had heard a rumour that there were a LOT of
Cleethorpes fans coming. Well, if two dozen and a dog is a lot then
that rumour was true. With the teams so close in the table we
expected a tight game but it was just the opposite, and The Daniels
were two up in ten minutes, with the second goal being a beautiful
pacey break, which we likened to Northern Premier League Bielsaball.
In the second half Stamford were attacking their own fans end and
those fans were having a whale of a time. The visiting goalkeeper
made the fatal mistake of reacting angrily to those fans, which
simply made him a target for constant withering “criticism”, but
that will have been a lesson learned for him. Stamford's third goal
was a thunderbolt from the visiting number five into the top corner
which nearly took the net off, and the fourth was a chip from near
the touchline after the Cleethorpes goalie had a tantrum and raced
out there to tackle the Stamford winger. We're not sure that the ball
was completely over the line but we celebrating wildly along with
everyone else. Cleethorpes grabbed a lucky consolation when a long
shot hit a lump of turf right in front of the keeper and bounced over
his shoulder and in. And that was that, as comfortable a 4-1 win as
you will see. Stamford played attractive, flowing football at pace,
and were a joy to watch. Cleethorpes offered very little.
We enjoyed our visit to
the Zeeco, thanks for having us! And so to the scoring:
Atmosphere 3.5 For
this level, cracking.
Food & Drink 2 Good
set-up & menu, end product underwhelming.
Stadium 3 Tidy, suits
the club well.
Value For Money 3.5
Reasonable cost for a very enjoyable visit.
Bonus points for
Bovril, 50/50 draw, own Sunny Scunny-type song, and singing at least
three different songs.
Half a point each for a
big baldie on the pitch and the extendable tunnel.
Lost a point for home
fans using a drum.
Final score 16.
Current table:
1 Rotherham United 19.0
2 Chesterfield Town
18.5
3 Walsall 16.5
4 Stamford 16.0
5 Doncaster Rovers 15.5
6 Boston United 15.0
7 Lincoln City 13.5
8 Falkirk 13.0
9 Sleaford Town 12.5
10 Mansfield Town 12.0
Total goals so far =
31. Average goals = 3.10. Global average 2.75.
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