Ramsbottom 2 GNE 2

“Come to Rammy” said Oggie, “it’s a beautiful setting”. “Ramsbottom” and “beautiful” are, perhaps, words which are not often associated with each other. Think more of the East Lancashire towns clinging to the hillsides, defying the elements and reminiscing about old textile mills in Working Men’s Clubs where the membership is well past working age. Or maybe there is some confusion of the mind as your ageing scribe thinks of Bacup?

So to Ramsbottom on a Tuesday evening in mid August.

The Riverside Ground could indeed be called a “beautiful setting”. Nestling in fairly flat land close to the town centre and alongside the East Lancashire Railway Line. A picture on a sunny day in summer. However, summer has gone missing this year and a grey drizzly evening – you know, the type of rain which “gets you wet” - greets the supporters of both clubs as they navigate the semi-lethal speed humps in the road approaching the car parks.

Next door is Ramsbottom Cricket Club, a Lancashire League outfit having had considerable success in this high standard of club cricket. The history shows the club having won both the Lancashire League and the Lancashire League Cup several times. Recent professionals have included the test match players Wasim Raja, Brad Hodge and Keith Arthurton. Alongside a well-preserved cricket pavilion is the clubhouse including the bar. Keg beers from the Thwaites brewery, who are main sponsors of the Lancashire League, along with a frighteningly expensive lager of Italian origin (brewed in Blackburn perhaps but don’t quote me on that). The Cricket Club has many teams playing at different age levels. We wander in to what looks to be under 9s practice with the main sound of leather on willow being the outside edge in the direction of second slip rather than a Goweresque drive through extra cover. But, cricket at lower age level is to be encouraged and full credit to the Cricket Club for running all of the teams that they do in helping to develop new players for what is still our National summer game.

Then, here we are in the height of our so called Summer to watch what should reasonably be called our National Winter sport of football. Just as we have a blurring of the natural seasons of the year where we experience a sort of continuous Autumn with just brief nods in the direction of what we used to know as Winter and Summer (don’t even mention Global warming!!), this is close to the case for our two National sports. For many people, it is difficult to get too excited about the footie season when there is still an Ashes series to decide.

Still, a football match to watch. £5 entrance and £1 for a programme. Information comes later that Rammy’s programme was Programme of the Year last season. Could be an award that GNE could win this season. Pie and peas were consumed by a number of the travelling supporters. Reports were that the pies were “not bad” but not up to the standard of the offerings at Surrey Street this season. Is there an award for the “best pies” in the Vodkat League this year?

With the away supporters encamped at the top end of a ground with a noticeable slope and a surface which would have benefited from the introduction of a flock of sheep and attention from the heavy roller from the Cricket Club next door, GNE started badly. No midfield to speak of and lucky to be only one nil down at halftime. At halftime, the floodlights came on which seem to be powered by a generator of gargantuan proportions which should probably be served with a noise abatement notice.

Into the second half and the main body of the travelling support (with flags) moves to the bottom end (by the river). The drizzle continues and even the smoke from several cigarettes fails to keep at bay swarms of voracious midges. Wet and bitten in Rammy, beginning to seem like a less than “beautiful” place. An improvement in the performance of the boys in white in the second half, largely due to the introduction of a couple of experienced substitutes and better retention of the ball. However, it is always difficult to come from behind, even though GNE are well practised at giving the opposition a goal start, and a two apiece final score was probably as good as we could have hoped for after the first half performance. Lest we forget, Rammy were beaten 5-0 by Newcastle Town in the opening game of the season.

Early days of course but 2 league points out of a possible 6 is not the best of starts. No reason for despair and despondency just yet but “best programme” and “best pies” could be worthwhile aspirations if things do not improve on the pitch.

So, thanks Oggie, it was an experience in Rammy and one shared by around 40 to 50 GNE Supporters (an estimate by one of our esteemed Directors) – good away support in a crowd given as 138.

And now to Formby…..