Bracken Down

Sheffield United U23s v Huddersfield Town U23s

With the Underground on strike, even getting the first Eurostar of Brussels meant I wouldn't have got to work in Manchester until after ten, so I took a day owed and the more leisurely 0852 departure.

Back at St Pancras a quick check revealed quite a few Premier League 2 games on.  Sheffield United v Huddersfield was a 1400 kick off and got me close to home, so this was my choice.

I'd just missed the fast Sheffield service so an HST fill in move with the 1015 Nottingham...

Another Carrefour feast, this time being Chimay cheese and mini Chorizo.

...as far as East Midlands Parkway.

A few minutes later and it was onto the Sheffield service.

Past Etches Park with it being a bigger tractor fest than it was in BR days.

Even a bit of waggon action to add to the noses.

Into Sheffield, with the delightful Park Hill flats in the background.

Outside to the Cutting Edge sculpture which represents the two main themes of Sheffield; steel and getting soaked.

 On to the transport the interchange, the beating heart of South Yorkshire.

The game was being played at the Bracken Moor home of Stocksbridge Park Steels.  This meant a bus move up the Don valley.

Heading out of Sheffield and it was ominously pissing it down.

However, off at Stocksbridge where it was much brighter.  The town grew up due to its proximity to the river Don.  Firstly it housed Cotton mills, then wire mills to make umbrellas from, and finally, steel production. Although one of the more viable locations for British steel, it became embroiled in Tata's scandal whereby the high quality steel was actually plastic or such like, and has thus taken a bit of a hit.

Heading towards the ground and it looked like a bumper crowd with cars parked all down the street.  Except it was the road into the estate was being resurfaced so no one could park in their drives.

Stocksbridge Works played in the Yorkshire League and then the Northern Counties East League in the 1980s.  They merged with local team Oxley Park in 1986, to form the current club.  They have since enjoyed their most successful spell, moving up to the Northern Premier.

Sheffield United U23 2 v Huddersfield Town U23 1, Professional Development League

Sheffield United.  Well, test cricket ground, Blades Business Crew, Tony Currie, When Saturday Comes, Neil fucking Warnock, Paul Heaton.  I think that covers it.

Huddersfield Town.  Herbert Chapman, three in a row, the McAlpine, Harold McMillan, Neil fucking Warnock.  Not as much to say about them. 

The Bracken Moor ground was always the works Sports ground, and is shared with the cricket club, making it the third two sides ground of the six I have seen this weekend.

In some ways it is only a 1.5 sided ground, as the main stand is the only feature on one side.  

Behind the goal is a small section of covered terracing.

The process to enclose the players tunnel would have enthralled any transformers fan.  

The main stand is named after the Steels most famous player; people's hero/perma wrist plastered/chandelier owning/gambling induced racist, Jamie Vardy.

Double @keepers_towels again.  As I couldn't get near the far end, I got them both in one picture.

Huddersfield took the mid way through the second half.

The game was a bit shit but the tea was good, and the old men moaning was really good.

United soon equalised.

Then scored again right at the end to win 2-1.



The walk back into the centre gave a view of parts of the remaining steel works, in a surprisingly rural setting.

I was back to the bus stop for a move back into Sheffield.

By now it had cleared up and was quite a good view down the Don Valley.  Hillsbrough is in there somewhere.

The road from Hillsborough into Sheffield is shared with the tram.  As it is so narrow, everything just follows the tram along.

Back to the station.

I forewent the usual Northern move via Barnsley, as for once the Cross Country was on time.

This meant I had a chance of making a -3 connection at Leeds onto the Blackpool, this being the time of day when they stop at Sowerby.

And three days,  six games, 21 goals, and 1108 miles of train travel later, back into Sowerby.