Saturday 23rd March 2024 ko 15:00

Northern Premier League- Division One West

CLITHEROE 1 (Baker 72)

RUNCORN LINNETS 1 (Molloy 40)

Att 938

Entry £10

Programme £2

It had been a busy few weeks. There’d been Belfast, then a week at home, then the North West Counties Hop, then a week at home, then the Scottish Hop then this, a week off before the South West Peninsula League Hop over Easter. My thought was to stay reasonably local to Oxford, which I did reflect upon sat on the M6 for hours on end!!

So just the 4 hour drive to the Ribble Valley and my only excuse is that I’d seen photos of Shawbridge and knew we’d be visiting somewhere special. In fact my only regret is not leaving earlier, I’d have loved to have got a shot of the ground from the Castle!

Perhaps the reason was Non League Day, I do like to support it. Here Clitheroe offered season ticket holders at EFL clubs a discount on entry. I’m a groundhopper, the aim is to visit everywhere once so that discount wasn’t aimed at me. I didn’t take advantage, it didn’t seem right but apparently 35 did, mainly from Accrington Stanley; hopefully plenty will come back here. Incidentally the standard groundhopper joke is that Clitheroe ought to merge with Chatteris Town but no groundhopper would find the ground!

But there was far more to that bumper crowd than Non League Day. It was clear that this is a club being built up by making the matchday experience everything that the professional game lacks. I promise you wont see a bar with a view of the pitch in the EFL. But this is a ground with character by the bucketful; the pitch slopes, the stands don’t reach the corners and there’s an interesting backdrop everywhere you look. Once the rain stopped, I forgot the long journey completely.

It was a good game too, with both sides cultivating promotion ambitions. History well tell you Runcorn Linnets are still in the hunt having finished second and facing a play-off semi final against City of Liverpool, but there’s wasn’t much to seperate the two sides here. I do think that in time Clitheroe will see themselves playing National League football, they’re doing so much really well and Shawbridge is more than ready for it.

Off in all it wasn’t bad for a failed attempt at a local game. Thanks to all at Clitheroe for making it that way.