..

First County Visit:	Friday 30th March 1984
Competition:	Canon League Division 4 – (Tier 4)
Result:	Wrexham 1 – 2 Stockport County
Attendance:	1,252
Away Trip:	32
Away Day:	93
County Line-up	1 Mike Salmon; 2 Andy Thorpe; 3 John Rutter; 4 Dean Emerson; 5 Paul Bowles; 6 Tommy Sword; 7 Nigel Smith; 8 Graham Jones; 9 Clive Evans; 10 Steve Taylor; 11 Tony Coyle
Scorers:	Steve Taylor; Clive Evans
Manager:	Eric Webster
County Visits:	23

..

ALWAYS A WARM WELCOME FROM HEDDLU

..

..

Not much more than 50 miles away, and certainly amongst our fellow travellers for much of my journey, but for those six years they were resident in a higher division, indeed mixing it on the European stage courtesy of a series of Welsh Cup wins.  Two consecutive relegations had reduced them to our level by 1983/84.  There had been one previous chance with an FA Cup 3^rd Round tie in early 1979.  The weather was pretty grim as 1979 dawned, and the Wrexham tie was one of only two games County managed to play in a spell of seven and a half weeks. 

Not that the Racecourse fixture was managed easily.  Originally due on the first Saturday in January the snow that blanketed the country throughout the month saw NINE unsuccessful attempts to get things underway.  I had actually set off for at least three of those but fortunately didn’t get too far.  At the tenth time of asking, and even then on a snow covered surface, it did happen.  I’d given up on that day, confident that it was going the way of all flesh, like the nine that had gone before, and was amazed, and dismayed, when news came through an hour or so before kick-off. 

Not a chance of making it over the border in 60 minutes and finding a ground I’d never visited previously.  Nor, if truth’s known, did I have the heart to venture out with a forecast promising a hairy trip back.  A good choice in the context of that most powerful of tools – hindsight.  An exit by 6-2 wouldn’t have warmed the cockles anyway.  So it was another 5 years before the border was crossed, giving County just about the nearest they have ever had to an away European game!

..

..

In the years prior to my first visit there had been more than a bit of investment at the Racecourse.  Reasonably regular participation in European football probably demanded an updating of the facilities.  The Yale Stand had been constructed in 1972, replacing the old Popular Side, and remains to this day, albeit that where was once a paddock at the front this is now occupied by seating.  Looking from this Stand to the right is the Border Stand.  Built 6 years after its bigger brother it has, in more recent visits, (other than a couple of visits since the Hatters dropped out the league where we have been located in the Main Stand), been the habitat of away fans.  Good seating with a decent view, again like the Main Stand what was once standing is now out of use. 

..

..

Opposite was the Mold Road Stand which was used on my very first visit but never thereafter.  Terraced in front it had a varied mixture of edifices at the rear.  Once again looking from the Main Stand, at the left was the Turf Hotel, where legend has it a vantage point, albeit not a spectacularly good one, could get a sight of the action from the ‘conveniences’  Quite how true that is I don’t know but I have my doubts.  I was never tempted to try.  If one has just driven 50 miles or so it seems to me that getting a sub-optimal view at the price of saving a few quid seems like a fool’s economy.  It did have a balcony where the view would have been a good one, but I imagine that the landlord was pretty choosy about who he allowed patronage to.

..

..

The Turf Hotel gives an indication of the antecedent users of the site, but really that doesn’t require too much guessing given the name of the stadium.  But the gathering of architecture on the Mold Road side, which certainly had more than a bit of a curve to it, is probably proof.  The middle part of this side of the ground was occupied by the Mold Road Stand itself.  The photograph clearly shows that it was set back a fair way from the pitch with a decent terrace in front.  In the other corner was the Plas Coch Stand, a wooden affair, which prior to the construction of the Main Stand had housed the dressing rooms.  All of these fell victim to the tender caresses of the bulldozer around the turn of the millennium. 

Its replacement is, I think, an impressive design, with a sweeping roof, plenty of seats, and inside the ubiquitous conference and banqueting facilities. The quaintness of the old Mold Road side may have disappeared, but it’s non-use on most of my visits before its demolition, always, to me, left the Racecourse a somewhat soulless experience.

..

..

To the left of the Main Stand was the Kop.  Reproduced is a photograph of what must be the strangest stand that must ever have graced a football ground.  Sadly I never saw it in situ, but have been captivated by photos of it.  So a bit of a digression, but regard it as the author indulging himself! The Kop itself was a pretty large terraced area.  Perched at the rear was once the balcony at the Majestic Cinema in the town.  It certainly doesn’t look the safest of environments – just take a look at the less than straight line at the front! Put up in 1962, it was quickly dubbed the Pigeon Loft. 

It saw 16 years of service before being deemed unsafe.  Unsafe for football apparently, but not for rugby, as it gained a third life with the Wrexham Rugby Club.  It’s a matter of personal regret that I never saw it – whatever else it might have been, then ‘unique’ is a more than apt description.

The Kop terracing remains, with a more modern, and unquestionably safer, cover.  But it’s not used these days.  It’s been a couple of years since we were called on to visit the Racecourse, but without speccies behind the goal it still has that three sided ground feel.

..

Archive footage of the Racecourse as it was in 1979

..

Simon Inglis, in his 1983 tome, introduced his look at the Racecourse by looking back.  The football club had been resident since 1905, but it had previously been used for other sports.  The Sport of Kings definitely, but there seems to have been a darker side.  Fifty years previously Inglis uncovered that it was “a place where drunkardness and vice were encouraged to a terrible extent” It would be exaggerating to say that it ever took on this cloak on any of my 22 visits.  Aside from a bit of taunting there’s never, to my knowledge anyway, been much untoward.  I suspect that’s not the case when Chester come a’ visiting, nor when Wrexham make the reverse journey.  Strangely enough, as I write, at the tail end of January 2017, the “bubble” match took place last weekend.

For those not ‘au fait” with the term, it’s attached to a fixture when the constabulary deem it to be in the category of highest risk match.  Entry is more than strictly controlled.  Travelling fans are required to report to their home ground; put on coaches; driven to the gates and only then are given their precious means of admittance.  Ninety minutes later, back on the transport and delivered back to the Deva Stadium in this instance.  Pity the poor Chester fan who may for some reason live in one of the houses on Mold Road. 

People do move away from their home town in search of employment.  But for them there is no relaxation.  It involves driving to the Deva, going through the whole sorry process, and then having to drive back home.  I understand the need for control in what could be described as a flashpoint game, but this seems beyond ludicrous, and by the look of it so do travelling Wrexham and Chester fans.

The gate at the Deva last weekend was under 4,000 and earlier in the 2016/17 campaign it struggled to get over 5,000.  The three previous seasons have seen crowds at the Racecourse of well over 6,000.  There was plenty of comment on social media that fans have just about had enough of this approach and voted with their feet.  Given that the home Clubs will be picking up a substantial tab for the policing, and would do whether it was a “bubble” match or just an all ticket game, it’s arguable that each Club is losing out to the tune of £15,000 as a result.  Money that they can ill afford to miss out on.  It’s a National League game for heaven’s sake, not World War III.

It’s strange writing these memories.  Each chapter concentrates on a ground, and the Club associated with it, but 32 grounds in, it seems to have adopted the pattern of recalling some instance at the particular location and thus affording me the opportunity to reflect on things.  On exactly the same day, last Saturday in fact, (21^st January 2017), Darlington were the visitors to Edgeley Park.  A decent away following and a great atmosphere as over 3,600 watched a National League North game, (yes it was that size of crowd at a Tier 6 fixture!!), and the local plod took the opportunity to boost the coffers.  Tactical Aid Units lined the streets of Edgeley; with more police than you could shake a stick at, (but hardly advisable as they were itching to detain any transgressor of any shape or form), and the only product was a hefty bill for County. 

At a time when cash in the lower echelons of the game is so scarce and Clubs limp from week to week, this kind of imposition reeks of overkill and a total lack of public accountability.  If the police want to turn up then so be it, but why do they, indeed why should they, expect the bill to be footed for their presence outside of the ground.  It’s disgraceful.  Which other sport faces this kind of thing.  The answer of course is none.  It’s easy money to bolster their resources.  It’s about time football as an industry took them on and challenged the premise of their policies. 

So finishing off the Racecourse.  I’ve always enjoyed going there.  I’ve got a great parking spot, (but sorry I’m not revealing it!!), which allows ease of egress and a quick dash back across the border.  Nine wins and three draws.  In the wider context of Away Days that’s a pretty good record.  Hopefully the team that Jim Gannon is now fashioning will allow a return to the National League sooner rather than later, and I’ll be able to get back on the road to Wrexham again – that is of course if the Red Dragons haven’t re-elevated themselves to the Football League!

January 2017

Postscript – March 2020

We of course did get back into the National League, and as it turned out a visit to the Racecourse was scheduled for early in the season.  An all-ticket affair for County fans, (at least).  The ground remained unchanged from my previous visit, which was a 6-1 debacle in a Trophy replay some four and a half years earlier.  That was a dreadful night, (only offset by getting a comp off Richard Landon), which saw a truly appalling County side fail to trouble a stand-in keeper for the whole of the second half. 

The visit on the last day of August 2019 was far more fruitful.  A 2-1 win, despite having to withstand a siege for much of the second stanza.  What we didn’t know at the time was that when Jake Kirby limped off in the first 10 minutes this was the last we would see of him – he retired from the game shortly afterwards.  I was disappointed – I thought he offered a fair bit, but it had been an injury plagued career.  He ended having played in just under 50 games for the Hatters, notching 9 times in the process

..

VISITS

..

Day	Date	Competition	Tier / Round	Opponents	Res	F	A	Crowd	Away Day
Fri	30/03/84	Canon League Division 4	Tier 4	Wrexham	W	2	1	1,252	93
Sat	29/09/84	Canon League Division 4	Tier 4	Wrexham	W	4	3	1,516	100
Sat	25/04/87	Today League Division 4	Tier 4	Wrexham	D	0	0	1,433	144
Sat	26/09/87	Barclays League Division 4	Tier 4	Wrexham	L	1	2	1,946	147
Tues	08/11/88	Barclays League Division 4	Tier 4	Wrexham	L	0	2	1,865	163
Tues	05/09/89	Barclays League Division 4	Tier 4	Wrexham	W	1	0	2,333	175
Tues	16/04/91	Barclays League Division 4	Tier 4	Wrexham	W	3	1	1,918	211
Tues	08/03/94	Endsleigh League Division 2	Tier 3	Wrexham	W	1	0	4,756	274
Sat	12/11/94	FA Cup	Round 1	Wrexham	L	0	1	4,740	290
Mon	17/04/95 (Highlights)	Endsleigh League Division 2	Tier 3	Wrexham	L	0	1	3,008	300
Tues	05/09/95	Coca-Cola Cup	Round 1 – 2nd Leg	Wrexham	D	2	2	2,769	304
Sat	16/03/96	Endsleigh League Division 2	Tier 3	Wrexham	W	3	2	4,081	321
Thurs	26/12/96 (Highlights)	Nationwide Football League – Division 2	Tier 3	Wrexham	W	3	2	6,736	342
Sat	07/02/04	Nationwide Football League – Division 2	Tier 3	Wrexham	D	0	0	5,046	501
Tues	02/11/04	LDV Vans Trophy	Northern Round 2	Wrexham	L	0	2	2,130	514
Tues	07/12/04	Coca-Cola Football League – League 1	Tier 3	Wrexham	L	1	2	3,984	516
Sat	01/10/05	Coca-Cola Football League – League 2	Tier 4	Wrexham	L	0	3	4,153	537
Tues	30/01/07 (Highlights)	Coca-Cola Football League – League 2	Tier 4	Wrexham	W	1	0	4,060	572
Sat	29/12/07	Coca-Cola Football League – League 2	Tier 4	Wrexham	W	1	0	4,287	594
Sat	15/10/11 (Highlights)	Blue Square Bet Premier	Tier 5	Wrexham	L	0	4	3,874	685
Sat	09/02/13	Blue Square Bet Premier	Tier 5	Wrexham	L	1	3	4,206	718
Tues	09/01/15 (Highlights)	FA Trophy	Round 2	Wrexham	L	1	6	1,373	764
Sat	31/08/19 (Highlights)	Vanarama National League	Tier 5	Wrexham	W	2	1	5,777	848

..

ON MY JOURNEY WITH COUNTY AROUND 180 GROUNDS

..

Previously – BUCKS HEAD Next stop – ROOTS HALL