Train to Bradford £12-50
Entry £5
Programme £2
Tea (x 2) £2
Bus £3
Total £24-50
After an extended sabbatical (with the new arrival) I headed on my first longer distance ground-hop since Hereford. Campion was a decent one to do given they are relatively new to the league, and the ground is relatively close to Bradford Interchange.
It was a beautiful sunny day as I set off from Sheffield, and while I had a bit of concern over the impact of the rail strike, it was set to be a good day. Campion's ground was located about 2 miles from Bradford, very close to the iconic Manningham Mills, which hark back to perhaps a more glorious era for the area.
Campion's Scotchman Road ground is located just behind a new-ish looking bar/clubhouse, which also seems to double as a DSA driving test centre! The ground is shared with a cricket club, so (like Hallam) one side is fairly exposed, and presumably the metal pole can be removed for matches in the summer. Upon parting with £5 entry and £2 for the programme, I surveyed the ground. The main covered area was on the far side, where scaffolding held up a long roof covering a couple of blocks of white seats. Some of the seats were discarded on the floor as if someone had forgotten about them or was planning some work over the summer! All in all it was a nice set-up and it was a day to relish football with the weather so good.
This was an intriguing game in prospect. Campion lay in 8th, having done superbly in their maiden season here, while 16 points behind them were Brigg in 13th. It was the home side who started quicker, attacking at a ferocious pace, and with players who were able to find space in all areas. They took the lead when Jason Davis lobbed the keeper superbly from a fair distance out - as someone next to me said 'you won't see that in the Premier, on TV'. Although Brigg had a handful of chances - Ben Kendall's volley well caught by an alert keeper and then Ryan Thompson's drive being tipped over - I could see that Campion were going to dominate proceedings if they continued at this pace.
Brigg came out for the second period with a degree of intensity. But they could not find the equaliser when they had possession - their nearest chance came when Nathan Peat had an effort cleared off the line. In the Campion ranks I noticed that the physio resembled Paul Lambert, whilst the centre back looked like Peter Crouch! Back to the football and Campion made it 2-0 when Jason Davis curled in a low shot from around 35 yards. He was in form today as was the industrious and pacey Kieron Batey. Brigg attacked but could not find a way round or through a stubborn Campion midfield and defence. Then after a brilliant flowing counterattack, Campion were awarded a penalty when the pony-tailed Eli Hey was denied a goal-scoring opportunity. Brigg's red-head Charlie Clemenshaw was red-carded and stood ashen-faced behind the goal as Davis smashed in the spot-kick to claim a hat-trick. There was still time for the home side to rattle the post (the second time they had done so in the game) but 3-0 was just reward for their efforts.
It is great to see a new team do so well in the NCEL and illustrates how strong this league is. I headed back to Bradford for the 17:27 train amid blazing sunshine, which makes a complete contrast to the freezing conditions in Hereford back in November. My first trip out for a while was a decent one, and saw me tick off another Yorkshire ground.
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