Match: v Halifax Town - Blue Square Premier

Date: Saturday, February 16th 2008

Result: Halifax 1 Cambridge United 2

THE JOURNEY

Departure Time: A cold and frosty 8.45am.

Arrival at Ground: The glorious winter sunshine, rather than the cold and frosty start, was the precursor for a tremendous day out and even the A1 was on its best behaviour - despite a succession of road works - for only our second trip of the season up the Great North Road.

Actually, those of us that hadn't used the road for a while noted some big changes with many of the roundabouts being replaced by flyovers and slip roads - changes that certainly make the road safer and easier to use, but removed some of its character.

We parked at the ground, at about 12.15pm, to find that the bright sunshine was a little misleading about the temperature outside the cosy environs of the car.

AT THE GROUND

The Ground: A quick look at the pitch confirmed the weather to be a bit parky with one goalmouth, in the shadow of the home terrace, as hard as permafrost. This area had been protected by tarpaulins which, when removed, had left a line of frost just outside the penalty area. While the pitch itself was hard, flat and, in places, as sandy as the Sarasota shoreline, the run off area just off the pitch was still white with frost and could, perhaps, have been better described as a 'skate off area'.

That big home bank of terracing was covered and almost mirrored by the away terrace behind the other goal. The main difference was that entrance to the home terrace was via tunnels from the concourse underneath while the away terrace was loaded from the top where there was also a tea bar. The other difference was the temperature. With the sun shining on the away terrace U's fans did have to shield their eyes from the bright sun, but they could also bask in its rays while home fans were in permanent, chilly shadow.

Cut into the side of a hill, the old stand to the right of the away end was shoehorned full of blue and white seats set a perfect distance apart for anyone under 5'9 or without any knees. The row of seats at the back of this stand for the press was made even more of a squeeze by the addition of a bench without the removal of the backs of the row of seats in the row in front - even though the seats themselves were unusable by the absence of the flip down bit on which to sit. This stand was also in shadow and was so cold that even penguins refused to sit in it unless it was the height of summer.

The remaining side of the ground contained a stand that was still a work in progress with nary a bolt added to its construction since we were there last. Skeletal girders held a part-built roof while concrete steps stood ready to receive seats bolted to them. A few seats were in place here and there; some were for sponsors, some for directors and others simply covered by inexplicable black tarpaulins. There was a scoreboard in front of a portacabin that also stood in this building site/stand, but it was clearly not going to be used on the day we were there as it was ready to show details of Tries, Goals and the score for Halifax RLFC.

United Fans: An excellent turnout for a long journey. One over exuberant fan managed an inadvertent somersault down the terrace steps after our second goal and 'exuberant' was perhaps the word of the day on the away terrace where the fans had clearly come to give the lads tremendous backing. The 'bouncing' at the end of the match was particularly impressive.

View from Away End: With plenty of space on a huge terrace, the only impediment to an excellent view was the bright sun. Still, mustn't grumble...

Home Fans: ...the home fans grumbled enough for both sets of supporters. The manager, the impending takeover, the club badge! You name it, Halifax fans seemed unhappy about it - especially after the equaliser, when their vocal support noticeably dropped. One Halifax fan had a rattle while another had a megaphone with which to amplify his comments towards visiting players with Lee McEvilly being a favourite target. Despite the megaphone, a quick look at the goal scorers for this match will suggest who had the last word!

Police/Stewards: There were no police in the ground, although they did manage a flyover in a helicopter during the second half - presumably on the basis that it was a heated helicopter. Stewards were ok, even if one was wearing a Chelsea hat.

Programme: At £2 for 36 pages, this was easily the poorest programme of the season. With plenty of adverts and little to read, the overall impression was made worse by having virtually all of the articles on left hand pages. This not only gave the programme a slightly odd feel but also meant that, at first glance, you had the impression that it contained nothing but adverts.

Food/Drink: A good range of fare was available from the outlet at the top of the away terrace with chips and burgers getting a particularly big 'thumbs up' from our tasters.

State of Toilets: There was a freestanding block for the away section, with two large troughs and sinks that were so big that they could have doubled up as the team baths after the game.

Those for home fans in the old stand were less salubrious. Consisting of a gutter, a wall and a roof to keep the smell in, the floor was almost as wet at the gutter and just as unsavoury.

AFTERWARDS

After The Match: The players clearly enjoyed the result and the 'bouncing' at the end of the match. While waiting to do interviews I could hear the dressing room resounding to the sound of "Bounce, Bounce Amber Army" half an hour after the game.

The Journey Home: For the first time since 1976 (or ever, in most cases) it was a very happy trip back from Halifax. We stopped at 'ice station Grantham Services', where the debris on the tables suggested that a barbarian horde had just swept through. It turned out to be a couple of coach loads of Colchester fans on their way back from Hull... so maybe first impressions were accurate after all! As they had eaten all the pre-cooked food, it did at least mean that our meals hadn't been sitting out on display since time immemorial, so they had done us a favour.

Mileage: 348.8 miles

Total Distance for Season: 4,575.5 miles

Mark Johnson, with additional reporting by David Gray, Paul Johnson and Gordon McMillan

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