Scunthorpe United v Blackpool

Saturday, April 29, 2006

Football League One

Scunthorpe United :
Evans, Byrne, Crosby, Foster, Williams, Taylor (Torpey 79), Hinds (Beagrie 74), Baraclough (Richie Ryan 87), Sparrow, Keogh, Sharp
Subs not used:
Lillis, Stanton

Blackpool :
Jones, Joseph, Clarke, Edwards, Wilcox, Donnelly (Lasley 65), Bean, Southern, Prendergast (Stockley 86), Parker, Williams (Blinkhorn 66)
Subs not used:
Pogliacomi, Wood

SULSESC REPORT

by Bob Dook at Glanford Park

SINCE I had never been in the away end at Glanford Park and the result of the game against Blackpool hardly mattered to United with regard to points, I decided to witness the spectacle of this match from the Railway End.

The first thing of note was the £16 entrance fee. This is £3 up on the home terracing, with a similar view but composed entirely of seating. Thankfully cash was accepted at the gate, with none of this silly buy-your-ticket-first stuff, as recently experienced at Yeovil and earlier at Bournemouth (see previous match report).

The seats have seen better days and are unclean with both dirt and grime as well as bird excrement splattered liberally around. Plenty of complaints from the Seasiders sat around me.

A Blackpool supporting boss of mine informed me once that I had been incorrect in introducing him as a Blackpudlian. I was working off the Liverpudlian analogy at the time, intent in some form of embarrassment. He noted that folk from Blackpool were called Sandownians, which sums up perfectly the relegation threatened folk attired in all manner of tangerine coloured garb, who surrounded me.

For those of you with eagle eyes who were present at the match, I was sat directly behind the ‘Burlington’ flag, next to Osama bin Laden. It wasn’t the real Osama, you could tell that when he removed his mask and lit up a fag. Osama represented a fairly large proportion of the away support, in that he actually looked like someone on the run. Intimidating atmosphere to say the least. I decided not to engage in any conversation, lest my accent gave me away, but listened in to talk to gauge opinion on various matters.

The refreshment stall was sadly lacking in food when I visited for a customary cup of coffee. No hot food ready, but plenty of beer sodden fans awaiting their pies. Surely this could have better organised? It’s not as if we were not expecting a sizeable turnout from the west coast (a little under 1,000 as it happened).

There were a few Blackpool fans new to Glanford Park in front of me. Some of their positive remarks regarding the standing terrace, as opposed to seating were interesting. Most of these were thoughtful about the game and quite analytical regarding passages of play. There was obvious fear every time Billy Sharp received the ball and the utmost respect was paid to Peter Beagrie. Overall though, many of the Sea-Sea-Seasiders followers were busy on their radios and phones, following the progression of League One matches. A minority were the usual alcohol fuelled, brain dead, unwashed pond life. Indeed, this latter group ‘invaded’ the pitch after Sharp’s injury time winner to receive customary truncheon thumps, arrest and eviction. Several of this gene pool never made it onto the pitch, being escorted out well before the end due to excess alcohol intake.

To clear up any misconceptions, I would add at this juncture that in no way was I involved with the pitch invasion at the end. The circulating rumours that attribute the instigation of such behaviour by me are scurrilous. It is untrue that I was at the edge of the wall at the time of Sharp’s goal, nor did I say: “Onto the beach my Sandownians.”

The knowledgeable as well as thoughtful lot in front of me summed it up appropriately at the end with: “Well, that was utter crap.”

Back to the home terrace for me next season and a view of the electronic scoreboard which, for some reason, I sorely missed.