Positive Vibes

 

A view of Hillsborough from the away supporters' stand on Saturday afternoon (where I sat with an AFC Wimbledon-supporting friend) as Sheffield Wednesday treated their fans to a five-goal home victory in League One.

The travelling Dons remained positive throughout but, as an S6 local, it was also good to see the cafes, bars and takeaways of the area busy before the game as those of a blue-and-white persuasion restablish their matchday rituals following the turbulence of recent seasons.

That is reflected in the attendance being over 30,000 for the sixth game in a row.

Cambridge United are the visitors on Tuesday 27th October and all under 14 tickets are priced at £1.

Have a Gander

The first time I became aware of Sutton United was in trying circumstances for a Coventry City supporter, listening to the radio commentary of a famous FA Cup giantkilling in 1989, Barrie Williams, Matt Hanlan and all.

But that win is just part of the club's long history since its formation in 1898 and with well over a century of football now under their belts at Gander Green Lane.

During the lifetime of this particular blog, Sutton have made it into the EFL for the first time and subsequently returned to the National League but have always been proactive with ticket offers.

That continued last season with the 'Pack the Lane' game against Truro City which attracted the biggest crowd of the campaign and a similar deal is in place for the visit of Solihull Moors on Saturday 14 November (during the second international window).

Tickets are priced at £2 general admission for adults and over-14's (£5 in the main and family stands) with all under-14's tickets at £1.

One Step at a Time

 

A first win of the season for Sheffield United Women on Sunday afternoon as they deservedly defeated Durham 4-1 in WSL2, Amy Andrews taking home the matchball after netting a hat-trick.

Bramall Lane is again the venue for the Blades next game, at home to Ipswich Town on Sunday 4th October (2pm) with 2 adults and 2 children able to attend for £25 (one adult and two children £18).

Durham remain without a point to date but, after a summer when it looked as though the club may fold before their future was secured, it is good to see them still involved at the higher levels of the women's game.

Big Break

I had been looking to write a few lines about the upcoming international break, an extended one as the August and September windows have been combined this season.

That means a longer gap in the action at the top levels of the game, a slightly messy scenario in Leagues One and Two in England due to postponements, but plenty of opportunity to get out to games lower down.

I'm sure a number of clubs will be making an effort to get more spectators through the turnstiles over these couple of weeks and, linking together this piece and that on students earlier in the month, Basford United have cut the price of their family ticket (covering up to 2 adults and 2 children) to £10 for the visit of St Ives Town on Saturday 26 September while students with a valid ID can come in for free.

Past, Present and Future

 

This was as close as I got to visiting Bootham Crescent, former home of York City FC, and it will have to go down as one of the grounds I wish had been to.

I was pleased to see, when looking at this history of the ground, that, as it is developed for housing, the new street names would commemorate York City heroes, such as Keith Walwyn, while a section of the centre circle and stand will also mark where such memories lie.

It's good to see the Minstermen back in the Football League, on the up and well represented by replica shirts around the city when I had a couple of days there in the summer.

International football, with some stars of the future hopefully on display, comes to the LNER Community Stadium on Monday 12 October as England's U23 Women take on Norway at 7.30pm with tickets priced at £5 for adults, £3 for concessions and £1 for under 16's.

Affordable Archive: Student Days

The road signs here in Sheffield are advising of students arriving in the city this coming weekend, a good time to look back to a couple of earlier articles on a similar theme, from September 2014 and October 2019.

It may be that existing support for a team brings someone to study in a particular town or city or that they discover a second club while they are, perhaps at a lower level of the pyramid but one where tickets are affordable and the atmosphere welcoming, something I remember happening to a friend of mine, a Sky Blues supporter who became a regular at Exeter's St James' Park while studying in that fine city.

Wherever you are off to, enjoy your studies and your football.

Royals Return Home

A positive piece on the excellent Reading FC blog and fansite The Tilehurst End caught the eye this week as it told the story of the return of Reading Women's return to the wider umbrella of RFC after a tumultous couple of years.

Home matches will once again be played at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, beginning with the visit of Fleet Town on Sunday 13 September at 2pm, with tickets priced at £8 for adults and free for under 16's.