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First County Visit:	Tuesday 28th December 1982
Competition:	Football League Division 4 – (Tier 4)
Result:	Chester 0 – 2 Stockport County
Attendance:	2,646
Away Trip:	26
Away Day:	68
County Line-up	1 Brian Lloyd; 2 John Rutter; 3 Steve Sherlock; 4 Dean Emerson; 5 Tommy Sword; 6 Andy Thorpe; 7 Nigel Smith; 8 Trevor Phillips; 9 Micky Quinn; 10 Mike Power; 11 Tony Coyle
Scorers:	Mike Power; Micky Quinn (pen)
Manager:	Eric Webster
County Visits:	3

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SEALAND ROAD – SADLY MISSED

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The suffix was in place by the time of my next, and what transpired to be penultimate, visit to Sealand Road in October the following year. Following the financial debacles that beset the Club in the first decade of the new millennium, a winding-up order became almost inevitable, and it duly arrived.  The reformation of the Club saw the “City” element despatched and the wheel had come full circle as they reverted to Chester FC.

To the tourist Chester has much to commend it.  Roman ruins; boat trips on the Dee and a racecourse beside the city walls which always provides a good day out and where I celebrated my 50^th Birthday.  It was there that I found the Holy Grail – an infallible way to back a winner.  The day out was with a group of work colleagues, and two “kitty’s” were created.  One for alcoholic refreshment and the second to “find the winners”.  Five races in and the latter had been depleted seriously.  It came to the last race and as the Birthday Boy I was deputed to pick the sturdy steed which might give us some further funds for the night-time celebrations.

Off I went to the Tote and came up with the concept of definitely coming back 15 minutes later to collect some winnings.  Back every horse in the race!  Quickly dividing the remaining kitty between the runners and riders the bets were duly places.  I returned to my colleagues and on being asked which one I had backed then faced looks of incredulity.  Those looks turned to amazement a few minutes later as the winner came in at 18-1!  It provided for a good night later…

However, Sealand Road, and indeed its successor the Deva Stadium, could never aspire to be included within the tourist’s itinerary.  Sat either side of the main road out of town, they were surrounded by warehouses and other assorted industrial units.  Not much to commend either location to be perfectly honest.  But when the objective of a visit is football, the majority of the punters will care not a jot.

The game was the second of three Christmas and New Year fixtures, back in the days when the tradition of a 3 game programme at the festive season and also at Easter was the norm.  In fact it was the second game in 24 hours.  With Boxing Day having falling on the Sunday, (and Sabbath games at that point probably not allowed), the fixture compilers had arranged back to back games on 27^th and 28^th December.  I reflect now, and bemoan that a unique element of the English game has gone as fixtures are spread out. 

Even this season, (2016/17), Boxing Day and New Years Day provided the only entertainment in Conference North.  The Evostik League did at least try for a three game schedule, but seasonal weather rather put paid to the majority of that.  Back then the festive fixture pile up was an integral part of the game and should be reinstated forthwith … all in my very humble opinion of course!  As indeed should the three game Paschal programme on Good Friday; Easter Saturday and then Easter Monday.  It’ll never happen at the top level – the TV money, and complaints from the legion of foreign managers will preclude that, but maybe, (well maybe not), in the more humble surroundings of the lower echelons?

On the Monday both County and Chester had a fruitful time.  The latter had made the very short trip along the Wirral peninsula and handed out a 4-2 beating to Tranmere.  County had hosted Blackpool and could look forward to their trip to Sealand Road buoyed by a three goal victory, topped off by a superb brace from Trevor Phillips, plus the customary contribution from Mike Quinn.  The same eleven were to be on duty the following day.  Both sides, unusually for them at the time, were lying in the comfort zone of mid-table.  A decent game in prospect as I headed westward.

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My first sighting of Sealand Road, of which little was expected, did I think belie Simon Inglis’ description “the overall effect is very dismal”.  There can be little debate that its environs were far from appealing but once inside it was like being transported back to a stadium as originally created.  There’s a lot to be said for many of these unique places, when compared to the breeze block constructions being erected now, all built to a plan the architect must have sold over and over again.  I bring as my witness the Riverside and Pride Park.  No doubt a reasonably well loved home to ‘Boro and Derby supporters but for me pretty soulless affairs. 

Whether Chester fans were proud of their ancestral home maybe open to question, but in the light of a later move, (albeit via a temporary home at the Moss Rose), maybe they should.  They fell victim to the fascination with breeze-block as well across the road, down Bumpers Lane, and then to the Deva.

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There’s an interesting video of Sealand Road in 1979, 3 years before my first visit. See it here

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Three sides of Sealand Road had seen a good number of years of service.  Back in late 1982 what must have been, in its early years, an impressive open terrace, the Spion Kop, was probably beyond its sell-by date.  It must have held a significant proportion of the paying customers that day in 1952 when Chelsea came a ’calling in a Cup replay and over 20,000 squeezed in. 

The far end was one of my favourite old fashioned covers.  Named The Barn, for reasons beyond the scope of research for these thoughts, it was by the time of my initial visit decaying.  But the old barrelled roof stands always convey something different.  A relic, maybe, of a bygone age, but still to be found at Gainsborough, (Away Trip 149), this must have been the place for the locals to gather, and I imagine the acoustics derived from its construction style probably created a fair bit of atmosphere. 

Opposite the Main Stand, on the far touchline, was the covering, rather unimaginatively titled the Popular Side.  Protection from the elements had only been in place since 1968 – prior to that a long open terrace.  So at first sighting three quarters of Sealand Road felt like a proper ground.  As recounted in Away Trip 9, the Main Stand eventually found its way to Vale Park and provided accommodation, and cover, for many visits to the Potteries.

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The new structure left a small standing space in front, but with no slope. A strange barrier as well for a football ground – fence posts and chicken wire

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But it felt a bit out of place in the context of the rest of the ground.  A wooden stand had been there previously, but as with Ashton Gate, continued in service whilst the new Stand was built in late 1979.  On completion the wooden edifice was removed but nothing replaced it.  Sat in it that December afternoon the 10 yard void between the front of the Stand and the pitch felt a little surreal if not out of place.  The front row of seating was seemingly suspended in mid-air well above pitch level.  But I suppose by that time, with decay setting in on the rest of the ground, there was little enthusiasm to create a bit of terracing to fill the gap and bring the crowd closer to the action.

Sealand Road before its demise. Its taken from the Vale Tarci You Tube Channel from “Demolished Football Stadiums”

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Not that there was much of a crowd that afternoon, despite the success of the two teams 24 hours previously.   Just 2,646 bothered to turn up, albeit, as ever for games like that there was a goodly following from Edgeley.  They were rewarded with a victory.  Quinn notched, his 12^th in 17 starts that campaign, and as 1983 dawned, he added another hat-trick as Halifax were put to the sword on New Years Day. He ended the season with 24 from 38 starts – a proper, old fashioned centre-forward, who not only knew the way to goal but made certain he got thereA hero of mine, and, (but whisper it very quietly to the County faithful, with more recent memories of Kevin Francis and Andy Preece), still my favourite all-time County player.

Having been signed by Eric Webster, who purportedly got Wigan to pay County to take him off their hands, Quinn’s time at the Park lasted a mercurial 17 months.  It encompassed 69 starts, plus a single substitute appearance, and delivered 41 goals.  There is simply no arguing with that, in any generation. 

It was only a matter of time before he was snapped up, and that came only hours after he signed off with a goal against Reading in January 1984.  The galling thing was that the need for cash at EP meant that his destination was Boundary Park, Oldham for what felt like a pitiful £52k, or thereabouts.  He was worthy of much more, and deservedly got that opportunity some time later as he donned the fabled No 9 shirt, (beloved of Milburn; McDonald et al) at Newcastle.  His name may well crop up elsewhere in this tome.  But there again that’s my prerogative.  When a player captivates you for his approach; attitude; skill and character his performances are always the ones to catch the eye. 

Just to sign off in my paean to Quinn let his career record speak for itself – over 500 appearances, 225 goals.  To reiterate there is simply no arguing with that!

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The other scorer that day at Sealand Road was Mike Power.  A part-timer, and printer by trade, he hung around Edgeley for most of the early to mid-1980’s.  Undeniably what would now be termed a “squad player” but realistically back then somebody registered to ensure that we could field a full complement.  He never really had a decent run in the team, but definitely proved himself handy in front of goal whenever called upon.  Just over 70 appearances in 6 seasons yielded 16 strikes, and the 9 he picked up in 1982/83 represented his most prolific spell.  Thereafter his appearances became more sporadic until his last two seasons saw the faithful see him less than a dozen times in total. 

Another of these type of players was Mark Leigh.  A regular in County’s Lancashire League side it always seemed that he would be called on when the bench needed filling for some long trip down south. Over four seasons we witnessed him with 6 starts and the same number of appearances from the bench.  The record show that games at Bournemouth; Aldershot and Colchester featured him, so maybe that perception of a ‘long distance benchwarmer’ wasn’t too far from the truth.  But it was needs must, a full team had to be fielded and when the full-time squad numbered no more than 14, any injury meant delving into local football.  It’s hard to comprehend these days, even down at non-league level that a full time professional team was run on these lines.  Of course County were not alone with fellow 4^th Division outfits with these kind of travails.

Sealand Road was coming to the end of its life, which limited me to a further two visits.  I left it behind in March 1986, with a 100% record.  3 games; 3 wins.  There are not many places, if any, that could beat that.  Maybe that’s why I was disappointed.  A happy hunting ground definitely, but one with more than a bit of character as well, which is infinitely more than can be said about its eventual successor.

January 2017

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VISITS

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Day	Date	Competition	Tier / Round	Opponents	Res	F	A	Crowd	Away Day
Tues	28/12/82	Football League Division 4	Tier 4	Chester	W	2	0	2,646	68
Sat	22/10/83	Canon League Division 4	Tier 4	Chester City	W	4	2	1,612	84
Sat	01/03/86	Canon League Division 4	Tier 4	Chester City	W	2	1	2,948	128

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ON MY JOURNEY WITH COUNTY AROUND 180 GROUNDS

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Previously – ASHTON GATE Next stop – BLOOMFIELD ROAD