Wednesday 27 February 2013

Lower league football

As a lad, I used to watch a lot of football, so a mate and I decided to take in a lower league football match. We picked Burton Albion vs Morcambe. It ended 3-2 to Burton. Here are my scores for various aspects of the night.

The ground: 8 out of 10. Small but reasonable toilets and catering. Friendly stewards. Cheap parking outside the ground.
The standard of football: 6 out of 10. Morcambe seemed to think the ball was safer 50 feet in the air. They only started passing to a teammate's feet after they went 3-0 down. The Burton Mail talks of the Brewers struggling against the "Shrimps fluid 4-3-3 system". From what I saw, they could have played 5-0-5 for all they were using their midfielders in the first half. Burton in contrast looked fresh, lively and inventive.
The beer: 3 out of 10. It was in plastic glasses and I still can't get used to chilled bitter. I guess if we had wanted a proper pint, we shouldn't have got a beer at the stadium.
Value for money: 8 out of 10. £14 for an adult in the main stand or the end of the ground. Seating would have been more - that's one of the advantages of lower-league football: you get to stand.
The atmosphere: 7 out of 10. It's hardly the Kop at Anfield, but there were a few good chants and lots to cheer.
The pies: 7 out of 10. Standard Pukka variety, but not too soggy.

Overall, it was a good night out. I'll be watching out for the name of Billy Kee (Burton's two-goal hero for the night).