First County Visit:	Tuesday 9th January 1990
Competition:	Leyland DAF Cup – (Northern Round 1)
Result:	Carlisle United 1 – 2 Stockport County (aet)
Attendance:	2,814
Away Trip:	47
Away Day:	182
County Line-up	1 David Redfern; 2 Steve Bullock; 3 David Logan; 4 David Frain; 5 Bill Williams; 6 Paul Jones; 7 Chris Beaumont (12 John Cooke); 8 Chris Downes; 9 Keith Edwards; 10 Ian McInerney; 11 Brett Angell
Scorers:	Brett Angell; Keith Edwards
Manager:	Danny Bergara
County Visits:	9

..

I AM GETTING PAID FOR GETTING ****** WET THROUGH…

..

..

The first 50 or so miles are pretty mundane, and if truth’s told have been well trodden over the years, but once beyond the Morecambe turn off on the M6 the Lake District hoves into view.  Home to England’s biggest lakes and highest mountains it quite rightly has the epithet of “an area of outstanding natural beauty”.  Driving over Shap the fells rise to right and left – a truly imposing sight. 

Sadly there is no sighting of the famous lakes when Brunton Park is the objective and the M6 is the designated path, but on other less pressing journeys I have often taken the scenic route and never, ever been disappointed. Which could well explain why Julie and I spent our honeymoon in the Lake District. Brunton Park is one of those grounds that can still be located by a sight of the floodlights, and stands about a mile or so off the M6.  The beauty of the drive up has disappeared by the time junction 43 arrives with the ground standing to the right hand side of the main road into the city. 

On the first visit in early 1990, (in what was the first new ground of the 1990’s), I immediately liked the ground.  An imposing Main Stand in front of which was a good terrace, but sadly not protected from the elements, and nor was a small terrace, (the Petteril End), behind the goal to the left of the Main Stand.  Jeff and I found this openness to the vagaries of the border weather to our cost one evening in November 2002.  It was a LDV Vans Trophy early round game and the elements were sufficient to draw under 2,000 for the entertainment on offer.  There wasn’t a great following from County – maybe just over 100, but the powers that be directed us to the open terrace behind the goal. It wasn’t dry when kick-off came, and the wind wasn’t helping either.

..

There’s a decent, (if open), terrace in front. The whole of that side of the ground was to me an archetypal football stadium of the type I grew up with,

..

To our left was the pretty large East Stand.  It had been built in the mid 1990’s with greater ground developments in mind.  The outermost seats were around 10 yards beyond the dead-ball line and at the other end it was similarly out of line.  Quite clearly the intention was to shift the pitch a little nearer to the border with Scotland.  It seemed very strange and as things have turned out it’s still the same with the planned development of the Warwick Road End just a fond, and long distant, memory.  Anyway that very damp night it stood substantially unoccupied.  By half time the meagre gathering on the Petteril End both looked and felt like they had taken a dip in the River which gave the terrace its name.  And it certainly wasn’t improving. 

..

..

Casting my eye to the East Stand and noticing that the home fans had been directed to the far end I suggested to a representative of Cumbria’s finest that maybe a swift transfer of the occupants of the terrace would save us all, including him, a substantial amount of discomfort, and may avoid an appointment with a dose of pneumonia.  A brusque comment came back in response.  “No chance – there’ll be trouble”. 

A somewhat surprising retort given the minimal number of travellers, and a distance of nigh on 50 yards which would still have provided a more than adequate “no-mans land” should anything approaching antagonism have transpired.  A further suggestion that he was suffering in the conditions as well as us provided no comfort either.  The reply says it all.  “The difference between you and me, mate, is that I’m getting paid for for getting ******* wet through and you’re not”. 

I’m sure that as I work my way through future travels there will be ample opportunity to reflect on the actions of the constabulary which on many occasions have driven me to distraction.  I just remember driving the 120 miles home with steam rising from clothes which felt as though they had just come out of the washer.  A singularly uncomfortable experience.

..

..

Later visits did provide the chance to sample the view from the East Stand.  By then the Petteril End had fallen into disuse.  There was still no visible means of stopping the two factions meeting in mortal combat, but visitors were allocated the part of the stand which frankly gave a better view of the rugby field and car park than the pitch… that is unless a cricked neck was deemed to be the price to pay. 

It also provided the accommodation on a day that the inviolable rule referred to in Away Trip 24, (Boothferry Park), came into play.  In October 2005 goalkeeper Carl Ikeme was on loan from Wolves and that afternoon in the far north he had what was beyond a nightmare. (The link in the list of games below shows the debacle). He certainly wasn’t helped by the 10 in front of him, but by 4.15 he was retrieving the ball from the back of the net for the 6^th time. 

Jeff and I looked at each other; the rule kicked in and we headed for the car-park.  By the time the final whistle went, and the result came though on the radio that Carlisle had declared at 6 we must have been somewhere near Kendal.  It wasn’t until the relegation game at Kidderminster 8 years later that the timing of this departure was challenged.  And that day was nothing to do with the score.  But more of that when we look at Aggborough.

..

..

Turning back to the ground, to the right of the Main Stand was the Warwick Road End.  A real old fashioned covered terrace, with the cover provided by a three pointed roof.  It was also the End which saw the action which provided the answer to Arthur Brotherton’s prayers on what was my very first visit to Brunton Park.

A Leyland DAF First Round game had drawn a decent gate of just under 3,000 on what was a bitterly cold evening.  Maybe so cold that it left the two teams in what seemed a state of stupor as the game staggered its way through 90 minutes with no sign of a winner coming from any of the 22 on the field. Onwards to extra-time, and before it started Arthur rose from his seat, (we were in the Main Stand courtesy of ‘comps’ from midfielder Mark Payne).  I sensed that he was about to vent his spleen, and so it proved.  He bellowed, and at such a volume everybody in the Stand must have heard it, “This is crap. For ***** sake. I’m bloody freezing, I’m on shift over 100 miles away in less than 6 hours so will somebody score, and I don’t care which team it is”.

Keith Edwards provided the answer. We won 2-1 – a successful first foray to the borders. We dashed to the car and Arthur was deposited back in Droylsden, with but two hours of blissful repose ahead before work called….

April 2020

..

VISITS

..

Day	Date	Competition	Tier / Round	Opponents	Res	F	A	Crowd	Away Day
Tue	09/01/90	Leyland DAF Cup	Northern Round 1	Carlisle United	W	2	1	2,814	182
Sat	02/02/91	Barclays League Division 4	Tier 4	Carlisle United	L	0	1	2,750	205
Sat	02/03/96 (Highlights)	Endsleigh League Division 2	Tier 3	Carlisle United	W	1	0	4,849	320
Tues	18/03/97 (Highlights)	Auto Windscreens Trophy	Northern Final – 1st leg	Carlisle United	L	0	2	7,057	353
Tues	12/11/02	LDV Vans Trophy	Northern Round 2	Carlisle United	L	0	1	1,918	473
Sat	29/10/05 (Highlights)	Coca-Cola Football League – League 2	Tier 4	Carlisle United	L	0	6	5,664	540
Tues	13/11/07	Johnstones Paints Trophy	Northern Quarter-final	Carlisle United	W	3	0	3,395	590
Sat	21/02/09 (Highlights)	Coca-Cola Football League – League 1	Tier 3	Carlisle United	W	2	1	5,930	625
Sat	23/01/10	Coca-Cola Football League – League 1	Tier 3	Carlisle United	D	0	0	4,966	648

..

ON MY JOURNEY WITH COUNTY AROUND 180 GROUNDS

..

Previously – MILLMOOR Next stop – GLANFORD PARK