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On non- County days over the years much of my football watching has been done around the non-league grounds of Tameside, where I live. Many at Bower Fold, Stalybridge, (a 200 yard walk from my house!); Hurst Cross, home of Ashton United; Ewen Fields Hyde and the the Tameside Stadium hoem of Curzon Ashton. At the turn of the Millennium, ensconsed in the equivalent of today’s Championship nobody would ever have conceived that these would be ports of call for League action within not much more than a decade. But the fall from grace that was endured meant that they were.

The Tameside Stadium is no more than a stone’s throw from my summer home, Ashton Cricket Club, so I always looked forward to games there, and it was avenue we never lost at. In terms of picking a highlighted game I suspect that County fans would expect me to select the home game in April 2019 when what was a routine win was played against the backdrop of a 6,000 smartphones tuned into the action from the Brewery Field Spennymoor. History says that the ground exploded deep into injury time when news of Glenn Taylor’s winner meant that we would be champions with a win at Nuneaton the following Staurday.

However, I have picked the game 2 days before Christmas 2017. Three months earlier I had gone into Manchester Royal Infirmary for a stem cell transplant as a part of the treatment for my diagnosis of multiple myeloma. I knew that this would mean a spell hospital followed by a period of isolation to avoid issues surrounding my immune system. Speaking with a friend and work contact, Phill Brown, before the treatment I suggested that I might be able to get out around Christmas time. A couple of days later he phoned me and said that he had booked in for ‘hospitality’ at Curzon for the County game to celebrate my treatment and I was to be the guest. So that was the target!! As is turned out things went better than expected and I made it to Lancaster the week before but it was still a time to celebrate, and I have been grateful for the support of people like Phill over the last few years.

As to the game. County were all over the hosts in the first half, and Darren Stephenson, who ran them ragged in that period, gave us the lead very early on. We sat back, on what was a pretty chill afternoon, awaiting the deluge. It never came, as Curzon put up a spirited show in the second half, equalising with a penalty around 20 minutes from time.

No matter. The day meant that I was able to get out again; enjoy the company of friends; and of course watch County. It was also a turning point – it marked the time when travelling the length and breadth of the country was over. Away games from this point would have to be easily reachable. But at least I could still do that!!

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Memories of trips to the Tameside Stadium

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THE GAMES

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Where the date is in bold click for highlights of the game

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	Date	Venue	Ground	Competition		F	A	Att:
Sat	17/10/15	a	Tameside Stadium	Vanarama National League North (Tier 6)	D	0	0	1,784
Sat	30/04/16	h	Edgeley Park	Vanarama National League North (Tier 6)	D	0	0	3,876
Sat	24/09/16	a	Tameside Stadium	Vanarama National League North (Tier 6)	W	2	1	964
Sat	11/03/17	h	Edgeley Park	Vanarama National League North (Tier 6)	W	3	1	3,495
Tue	08/08/17	h	Edgeley Park	Vanarama National League North (Tier 6)	W	3	0	3,002
Sat	16/09/17	h	Edgeley Park	FA Cup (Qualifying Round 2)	W	1	0	1,922
Sat	23/12/17	a	Tameside Stadium	Vanarama National League North (Tier 6)	D	1	1	1,473
Sat	03/11/18	a	Tameside Stadium	Vanarama National League North (Tier 6)	W	2	0	1,487
Mon	22/04/19	h	Edgeley Park	Vanarama National League North (Tier 6)	W	2	0	6,001

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