Bus £1-80
Train £13-10
Tea £1
Ticket £22
Programme £3
Bus £1-80
Gum 50p
Tea £1-95
Total £45-15
Crewe is one of three League grounds I still have to see in the North West, so it seemed ideal for a closer hop on a nippy February day. The journey across was smooth, with a change at Stockport, so I arrived in the Cheshire town at just after 1:30. Today I'd decided to buy an away ticket, as the away side were Barnsley and I thought it would look dodgy if I gave a Sheffield address for a home ticket! I sorted a ticket for £22 and, after some external photos, headed off into town.
I have only been to Crewe itself once before, for a Chumbawamba gig at a distinctive venue called the Limelight Club. I wanted to see if it was still there, and also to explore the town a bit. After finding the club I stopped for a superb cup of tea to regroup. The town sadly was not worth seeing, and some parts felt more tatty than Walsall, which is saying something.
Wrapping myself up in layer after layer, I headed to Gresty Road. The away stand was directly opposite Crewe's impressive main stand, so I was well placed to take some decent photos. Although I had some trepidation about sitting in the away section, these were allayed by some friendly stewards and a relaxed atmosphere among the Barnsley fans. The stand I was in was a nice relic of an older age - as you entered through the back you could barely see the pitch for the low roof. This slowly came into view as you headed to the front.
Crewe were in the relegation zone, while the Tykes were chasing a play off spot, so there was plenty at stake today. Barnsley predictably started stronger, playing a high pressing game with 8 and 11 particularly pacey and aggressive. Their first clear cut chance came with a header from 26 which drifted over. Crewe rather surprisingly put up a stubborn resistance in midfield, and created their first effort when 10's long ranger was saved. Crewe's 11 was the dynamo of the whole team, driving them from box to box. Barnsley took the lead when 3 slid it in fr close range after ping pong in the penalty area. At the back Crewe still looked determined, particularly the impressive 6, who resembled Ryan Shawcross.
At half time it was pointless to try and get a drink as the queue was so long - only one booth for all these hungry away fans! Back on the pitch, and Crewe quickly made it 1-1 when 9 banged it in from inside the box. Game on. Slowly but perceptibly Barnsley gained the upper hand, winning key midfield battles and driving forward with purpose. They took the lead again when 26 bent a lovely free kick into the net. Late on they rattled the cross bar, and to their credit Crewe kept attacking. The 11 hardly stopped running all game - if they put in this kind of effort, they will hopefully avoid the drop to League Two.
The usual uneventful change at Stockport suddenly became interesting when the entire Man City squad strolled down the platform for a Euston train (off to the League Cup final). I actually queued up behind Kolarov in the Starbucks, where they had pre ordered a bunch of skinny lattes! You really couldn't make it up.
Like Walsall last week, I was shocked at how quick the journey was. I made it back to Sheffield at 6:40, home in time for The Voice!
No comments:
Post a Comment