Saturday 2nd March 2024 ko 11:00

North West Counties League Premier Division

LONGRIDGE TOWN 2 (Homson-Smith 20 Marshall 45)

PADIHAM 3 (Price 27 Brownhill 37 James 79)

Att 438

Entry £7

Programme £2

It was odd having the hop base in Blackpool, way out of season. We were staying on the seafront at the grandly named Savoy Hotel. It was superlatively convenient, the car park was large, there was a tram stop by the entrance and the name was impressive enough for Robyn to wonder what sort deal GroundhopUK had managed to get?

The truth was an examination of Blackpool’s travails, and to some extent the decline of the British seaside resort. Back in the 1960’s there’s no way we’d have been there, it catered for the exclusive end of the market, but that trade now jets abroad, and so the Savoy sports a faded elegance and caters for an audience of groundhoppers and older couples interested in being entertained by a Tina Turner tribute act on Friday night, and a Freddie Mercury one 24 hours later. I allowed myself a grim smile at what both singers had in common.

What the Savoy was, was to be extremely convenient for the 4 games we’d lined up. The issue was that it hadn’t stopped raining since the FC St Helens game and there was some doubt as to what would take place. Those on the periphery of it all don’t see this, but the lines of communication between ourselves, the league, and the host clubs are clear. We knew that Longridge was on and made tracks.

That last sentence really doesn’t do Longridge Town justice. As part of the advance party, there to distribute programme packs, we saw what they’d done to make sure the game took place. The pitch had been worked on the previous day, and since sunrise. The fact that it was playable was down to the volunteers hard work and boy did the club make the most of the opportunity that gave them.

I will say this though, it was perishingly cold, to a point where I did wonder how I’d cope with 4 games! The rains returned, there was a cold wind, and where the Ribble Valley gave way to the hills, there was snow. It looks pretty in the photos, but back then I shivered!

Now at this point I could give you a long list of what Longridge did well, but save for the pea and ham soup that you ate with a fork, you can distill it down to two things they did that that blew me away, and I’ve been helping organise these events since 2009.

The first was a classic call and response. A groundhopper was telling anyone who was prepared to listen that the Garstang game was off, a club official like me, overheard him, and phoned Garstang. They confirmed that their game was definitely ON, and so he took it upon himself to make sure everyone knew the truth. We caught up with the liar later, while not anyone who’s ever bought a ticket from GroundhopUK, he now knows precisely what we think of his antics. With hindsight, perhaps we should have introduced him to the good folks at Garstang FC, yes, he was there… work that one out!

The second was a lovely touch. I was fortunate to be invited into the hospitality cabin at half time, but as the teams came out there were cakes and sandwiches left over. A club official distributed those leftovers to anyone who wanted them. How to create goodwill in one easy lesson!

With all due respect to the good folks at Padiham after all that I really wanted a home win. It would have been handy for Longridge too, new to the Premier Division and struggling. But despite scoring the two best goals of the hop, they were destined to lose, one of Padiham’s goals being scored by Joel Brownhill. His younger brother Josh Brownhill plays for Burnley- you may remember me watching him during his time at Bristol City.

But like a few clubs we’ve visited on these events, Longridge Town will be remembered for the wonderful things they did off the pitch, rather than what happened on it. I trust they feel the financial rewards made it all worth it, and I hope to see them in the Premier Division next season, advising the next tranche of host clubs on how to be as good as them.