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Tesco Away featured in July 2021 issue of From The Grove to The Harrow:
“Awaydays” Preparation is paramount without this the whole flow and potential success of the day could be ruined before the first half whistle is blown and the first kick of the football.
Having a reliable source for the weather forecast is essential, whether this is via a news source, website, app or an “old school” physical newspaper you need to be confident that it served you well in the past. The printed newspaper option can often be too risky if you buy this on match day as all your proverbial clothing eggs are already in one basket, no going back home now to change.
You opt for the BBC Weather app on a mobile device and for a short while become the Michael Fish of the football terraces, a skilled prediction of the days weather massively impacts the choice of jacket and trainers for the following day.
With the weather forecast as accurate as it can be without having a phone call with God the wardrobe doors are flung open to reveal the treasure trove of terrace attire. The head scratching and matching up “combos” begins this can go on for a few hours and few lubricating thought-provoking beers always help the process. Not too many mind as you may end up with a brave pastel La Coste polo and the brightly coloured Malmo’s on foot, not the best for a mid-Winter away fixture.
A lubricating thought-provoking beer in hand it’s time to go in, a Mr Benn slash Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe kind of going in. So, do we go from head down or feet up? A sip of the beer and its head down. Burberry or Aquascutum? Got to be the Aquascutum as there is rain forecast in the morning and the brand name derived from the Latin words “aqua” meaning water and “scutum” which means “shield” so a “water shield”, maybe not in the case for a lambswool scarf.
Seemed to have jumped the gun somewhat, Mr Benn has missed a crucial item, the headwear as any shaven headed middle-aged man will tell should absolutely categorically never be forgotten, so we have riffle through the hat box. Yes, there is a hat box, it’s a bald man’s parachute! Two rummages deep the FILA ski hat makes an appearance and joins the scarf on the bed.
Did someone shout “cover those legs” that will be me with a very loud megaphone, mid-Winter match day has to be the timeless LOIS cords in tan, someone else screams “put a top on FFS”!
As Morrissey once sang “Off the rails I was and off the rails I was happy to stay” in this case it is up at the rails again hangers flicking about, a pop of colour to go with the tan LOIS cords, the enigma, the elusive Benetton rugby shirt in green.
Next up the footwear decisions, simple has to be the Trimm Trab in navy blue and soft yellow to accompany the tan Lois cords, and we now go in for the big guns, the smother, the coat. A difficult choice but for this match day it is the Berghaus 87 Pole jacket in navy blue with pink lining to make the girls wink. I nearly forgot the train cans vessel the wonderfully versatile FJall Raven Kanken a timeless classic. There was a great FJall Raven shop in Ambleside which has sadly now shut down, but the great pub on the corner opposite still survives. Now all ironed and ready it’s an early night for an early alarm call for the following morning.
The last Berwick Rangers away game was against Bo’ness United where they lost 2-1. Borrowstounness a Scottish town in between Falkirk and Edinburgh on the coast, their home ground being Newton Park. The train from Berwick takes you along the coast to Dunbar then across to Edinburngh Waverley station. From there the train stops at Linlithgow where you catch a bus to Borrowstounness. For this journey train cans are essential items, the small 330ml cans maximise the space in the Kanken a decent selection of upmarket cans for the more discerning of awayday travellers. First in the bag the Beavertown Gamma Ray American Pale Ale a juicy tropical beer weighing in at a 5.4% perfect to kick start the journey to the football ground. Next in is the Magic Rock Saucery a session IPA to get you through the train journey and finally to keep you awake but still well-oiled for the journey home and hopefully a celebratory 3 points the wonderful Common Grounds coffee porter, tasting notes describe this as having hints of toffee, rich fruit, chocolate, vanilla and hazelnut a true taste sensation to get the taste buds tingling!
If your awayday experience is a solo venture or with mates you may want a music soundtrack to kill some time or numb some of the pre-match tension. Ensuring your travel tunes are ready to go and easily accessible makes for a much more relaxing experience, for this awayday we go for Nightmares on Wax – Back to Mine for the journey home, which could be replaced with singing if the 3 points are in the bag. For the outward leg of the journey DMA’s- Live at Brixton and The Coral – Coral Island a conceptual psychedelic musical masterpiece narrated by James and Ian Skelly’s 85-year-old Grandad “The Great Moriarty” the bands 10th studio album 24 tracks of velvety, interwoven gems that leave you wanting to unlock more each listen, the album opens to the narrative “On Coral Island you can fall in love, all the piers and promenades on the boardwalks and bridleways of innocent dreams”.
As the new season fast approaches and it looks like fans will be allowed back into the football grounds the excitement of the pre-season fixtures mounts. The first planned pre-season fixture is a mouth-watering clash against newly promoted to the Scottish Premiership the Jam Tarts AKA Hearts of Midlothian under the management of Robbie Nelson. It’s a 7pm Friday evening fixture which makes the match day experience something of an afternoon delight!
With the work that has been carried at The Curfew it really is a great place and location for pre match beers in Berwick. I have mentioned The Curfew briefly before in previous ramblings it is special place, so no harm to mention it again, I guess!
Situated on the up-and-coming Bridge Street, beautifully and subtly hidden up a delightfully painted alley with “The Curfew” you know you have definitely found the right place. The alleyway opens up the splendid out door seating area with its pergola with optional rain cover perfect for those sudden unexpected sharp Berwick downpours, which I have witnessed first hand many times over the years on the walk up to Shielfield Park.
As you open the door to the main bar area you get an overwhelming feeling of warmth, not just the warmth that thaws you out on a cold Winters matchday, but also a mental feeling of wellbeing as you are made to feel completely welcome by the locals, holiday makers, football goers and staff as they give you a smile and a nod as you enter. In a world that sometimes feels it dragging you down a little love and kindness from your fellow human beings goes a long way, so does 3 points on a Saturday afternoon around these parts! “Mon the Gers!!”
At the small bar area there are always some decent hand pulls on and an amazingly well stocked fridge. On the wall to the right is a menu for the beers and ciders available, a joyous ready! If you fancy a light bite before the match, I can highly recommend the locally sourced Game Pie, but be sure you leave enough room for Fish and Chips at half time at the football ground. No visit to The Curfew would be complete without a look in the new Snug area which I am yet to have the pleasure of experiencing but very much looking forward to it this season.
With the new season to look forward to, real football “awaydays” are just a breath away from returning and Saturday afternoon visits to the local supermarket a thing of the past as “Tesco Away” doesn’t have the same ring to it or appeal.
By Michael Conboy
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Kung- Fu Cantona …article featured in issue 2 of Diego Mag:
The music stops and the red robed gold crown wearing bearded Frenchman stands at the top of the steps of Gunnersbury Park in Hounslow London, which was originally owned by the Rothschild Family.
The “King” makes his way down the mansion steps to an awaiting black vintage Rolls Royce, as he approaches the car the butler dressed in a black suit and top hat opens the car door and the crowned Frenchman climbs inside.
The butler with a familiar swagger walks round to the driver’s side and gets in, as the car drives away down the long drive a John Lennon Imagine esque piano plays and camera pans out to an aerial view of the white mansion, the words “The King – Eric Cantona” appear on the screen.
If you haven’t already guessed the butler and chauffeur is Liam Gallagher. This unusual meeting of minds, Liam a Manchester City fan and Eric famously ending his professional playing career at rivals Manchester United is for Liam’s music video and single “Once”.
Of the meeting, and Eric featuring in the video Liam said “I’m absolutely thrilled to have Eric Cantona, the last Rock n Roll footballer star in my video for Once, songs like this don’t come around often and neither do football players like him”.
This is first time Eric has been seen on the screen for a while the last time was when he presented the presidents award at the UEFA Awards ceremony in 2019, his speech was classic Cantona, his co-presenters didn’t know what to make of “As flies to wanton boys we are for the Gods, they kill us for their sport” a quote from King Lear.
He goes on to say “Soon the science will not only be able to slow down aging of the cells, soon the science will fix the cells to the state and so we will become eternal, only accidents, crimes, wars will still kill us but unfortunately crimes, wars will multiply. I love football, thank you”
Throughout his speech you can hear a pin drop, the camera moves around the bemused crowd and focuses on Messi and Ronaldo who are sat next to each other. The look of confusion on Ronaldo’s face is priceless, totally bemused like a man who has unwillingly been brainwashed into some kind of weird footballing cult.
From one bizarre speech to another, not so much a speech in this case but his statement to the press following the said titled “incident” on the 25th January 1995.
Dressed in shirt and tie and a grey smart jacket he takes a sip of water and reads the following statement to the packed press conference “When the seagulls follow the trawler, its because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea, thank you very much”. He then gets up and exits the press conference there are some nervous laughs from the “seagulls” sorry I meant journalists in the room, or am I reading to much into the statement? I guess we can all have our own thoughts on what we think he might have meant.
Eric Daniel Pierre Cantona signed on a short-term loan contract from the French team Nimes to Leeds United on 1992, this loan deal would then later that year become permanent with an additional payment from Leeds.
Under the management of Howard Wilkinson, Cantona’s most notable achievement from his time at Leeds United was when he scored a hat trick in the 1992 Charity Shield match against Liverpool to win the game 4-3.
But things with Cantona and Wilkinson seemed to turn sour when Wilkinson dropped him from the team later that year, with a poor excuse that Eric had a groin strain. Being the hot-headed French man, he is he refused to turn up for training and faxed a transfer request to the club which specified the clubs he would like to be transferred to with no particular order or preference – Liverpool, Manchester United or Arsenal.
Leeds United fans were not happy at the rumours of his transfer to their bitter rivals Manchester United.
Leaving Leeds for an estimated 1.2 million he arrived at the Manchester United training ground and introduced himself to his team mates “I’m Eric, and I am here to win the title for you”. The “King” had arrived.
The “Kings” palace in Manchester was less than grand to say the least. According to Shaun Ryder and Bez from the Happy Mondays who lived on the modest housing estate in Manchester at the time, they were surprised to see Eric Cantona move into the house opposite them one day when they were filling their bath with a Month’s worth of dirty pots and pans for washing up. Seemingly Eric just wanted to live in a 3-bedroom semi-detached.
Back on the football pitch Cantona fitted into the team well despite his bold introduction. He started to contribute to the team’s goals, and also created assists for the other players and was linking up well with Mark Hughes.
Manchester United retained the Premier League title with his help, so his introductory statement wasn’t as bold as first thought. He was voted PFA Player of the Year for that season 93- 94 and was also the clubs top goal scorer with 25 goals.
The following season was one of stark contrast to his previous season’s success, on the 25th January Cantona was involved in an incident which would fill the newspapers and news headlines around the world.
In an away fixture against Crystal Palace Cantona was shown a red card for kicking a Crystal Palace defender who had been tightly marking him all of the game.
As Eric was doing his walk of shame from the pitch a Crystal Palace supporter ran down from row 11 and hurled abuse at him, allegedly saying “Fuck off back to France, you French Bastard”. Not very original but what do you expect from an uneducated knuckle dragger! Cantona enraged at the abuse launched at him over the barriers with a “kung-fu” style kick followed by a quick succession of punches.
He was disciplined by Manchester United and the FA but also faced criminal charges for the incident which he was sentenced to 2 weeks in prison, following a successful appeal his prison sentence was changed to 120-hour community service which he spent football coaching children at Manchester United’s training ground…. all hail the King!!
“When the Seagulls follow the trawler………”
He did carry on playing for Manchester United after the incident and captained the team in some of that time that followed, he announced his retirement from football in 1997 at the age of 30.
Since then he has ironically taken up acting and has starred alongside the likes of Cate Blanchett to name but a few. His new direction into acting probably goes someway to explain some of his bizarre and theatrical speeches and press conferences over the years, the budding actor itching to get out.
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This article was also featured in the “From the Grove to the Harrow” fanzine, you can read the full article in that post.
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Article featured in the latest issue of the Berwick Rangers Fanzine “From the Grove to the Harrow” October 2020:
As the train sweeps round at a rapid pace from Tweedmouth on its approach to Berwick Upon Tweed via the Royal Border Bridge which spans across the River Tweed the views of The Royal Tweed Bridge followed by the Old Bridge as the river joins the sea are stunningly breath taking something you have to visit first hand to truly appreciate.
On arrival at Berwick train station you are now greeted with the refurbished concourse area with its new ticket office and waiting room. There is also a new coffee shop with a small news agent inside for all your reading needs from the Berwick Advertiser to the latest detective novel.
The automatic doors slide open and you are hit by the crisp and fresh February Berwick air. Above the carpark the Castle Hotel looks down commandingly over the train station. The Castle Hotel is where LS Lowry stayed on his visits to the town in the mid 1930’s, one of his fascinations being with the Elizabethan walls that surround the town. You are in fine artistic company if you have a pint of Belhaven Best in the Castle. A perfect stop off after a reasonably long but always pleasant train journey from Leeds.
I am writing this as loose kind of travelogue with a doff of the cap to the late great Clive James as I make my way to Shielfield Park for the Edinburgh University home game last season. It was also the Berwick Rangers Football Club Community Open Day seeing a great increase in gate numbers.
I don’t proclaim to be a historian or a travel expert but I am going to try and give you some ideas and hopefully inspirations of some of my favourite places and parts in Berwick to date, there are still loads of places and things I want to do one being the full Lowry Trail, a coffee and a browse through the records in the Mule On Rouge on Bridge Street and a beer in the new beer shop and bar Hop and Bottle” opposite the Kings Arms Hotel which is also where I am staying for the night on this football trip. A colleague at work whose daughter used to live in Berwick and work in the Brown Bear before it was renovated stayed there for his 60th Birthday and advised me it was haunted. I did hear some strange noises through the night but put it down to either the heating system, the floorboards in the corridors or my stomach after a 3 course Indian meal in the Magna Tandoori followed by a Stout night cap in the Curfew, let’s just say the short walk back to the Kings Arms took slightly longer than usual.
As I finish my Bell Haven Best in the Castle Hotel, I make my way with plenty of time down to the High Street on a cold February lunchtime. After a short walk I reach Scots Gate built in 1560 and was the gate out of town on the road to Scotland. You can also turn right here and follow the path to Megs Mount the bastion protecting the South West corner of town, there are some lovely views of the bridges and the river Tweed if you carefully amble down to the river side, there are some rather precarious steps though. When you eventually reach the bottom there is some not so historical spray painting of “HIBS” under the bridge, one would have to assume done by an out of towner!
I stay on the main street though and call into the Free Trade Inn which is a small traditional pub with a wooden screen separating the tap room off, there is an unusual wishing well in the men’s urinals. I say wishing well it’s just loose change in the bottom of the trough. The pub is full of Rugby fans so I have another quick Bell Haven Best, nip for a wee (sorry to much information) sling 20 pence into the urinal wishing well and make a wish that Berwick Rangers take all three points at 3pm.
My next stop is the wonderful Curfew on Bridge Street, as I make my way down the High Street with the tall Georgian Town Hall building dominating my eye line the snow begins to fall. Turning right at the bottom of the High Street down the steep hill to Bridge Street the snow starts to ease off and the sun pops its head out.
I have fond memories of a visit to the “Slightly Foxed” bookshop on Bridge Street. The owners friendly Labrador greeted us on arrival, it’s like Aladdin’s cave in there books everywhere on every subject imaginable. If you walk through to the back there are Chesterfield chairs and a sofa for you to relax on pick up a book and have a browse through while the low volume of music from one of the stunningly restored radiograms hums along in the background. If your senses can cope, I would recommend looking up from whatever book you have chosen and feast you’re eyes on the marvel of the hand painted domed ceiling above you, you leave the shop with your breath truly taken away.
I head past the Slightly Foxed this time and arrive at the Curfew with just enough time for a drink before heading up to Shielfield Park. There and fellow Black and Gold supporters in with their colours on show, the pre match tension and anticipation can be felt around the busy bar. Once at the bar my eye catches the black and silver can of the elusive Magic Rock Dark Arts Stout which is definitely one of my favourite stouts along with Gathering Storm which is a dark traditional stout from Leeds Brewery which I have sampled on many occasion at Brewery Tap near Leeds train station and Midnight Bell in Holbeck Leeds a stones through from the canal.
The Dark Arts Stout never fails to get the taste buds tingling, but the sun is shining so it’s a good time to make my way to the football ground, past the Barrels pub and over the old bridge to the other side of the Tweed I take some time to take in the views looking back across the river and they are stunning with the sun in the back ground, no one would have thought it was snowing 30 minutes earlier.
I walk on the low side past the harbour on Dock Road, loosing my bearings slightly but I finally reappear near the Angel Inn. The sky darkens suddenly and looks threatening, I really do need to get to the football ground now. Unfortunately, halfway up the main road the snow begins to fall yet again but in a matter of minutes it’s a blizzard. Woolly hat on and Jacket zipped up I tuck my chin into it put my head down and pick the pace up. I arrive just about in one piece, pay my money at the turnstiles, there is a certain buzz around the place and more families around than usual. I always have to visit the club shop, programme and team sheet purchased. I also buy a BRFC bobble hat as my woolly hat is now covered in snow, soaking wet and no use at all. I swap over hats and warm up ever so slightly. A smiling face of a fellow supporter looks and me and asks if I have come from the Antarctic?? I reply with a grin or is it a grimace “no, Leeds” for that brief cold moment the humour was lost on me.
Making a bee line for the Pop-Up bar which is situated at the top of the main stand I get a well-deserved pint just as the whistle blows for the first half to commence. I am pleasantly surprised to be joined in the small concrete bar area by the one of the new directors of the football club Dave Buglass who discusses his vision for the club going forward and how pleased he is with the turn out in such bad weather for the Community Day. I eventually just about thaw out and Berwick win 2 nil so a great day all round!
Its now September 2020 as I write this and the Lowland League fixtures have been published, the Gers have played a number of preseason friendlies which have included some of the exciting new player signings they have secured during the break. The standout games being the 1-3 win against Whitehill Welfare and the 7-0 win against Tweedmouth Rangers, so things are looking promising for the season ahead.
Grassroots football faces an uncertain future in the current climate with no supporters being allowed into the grounds, so I would urge and encourage any supporters who would normally pay at the gate on a Saturday afternoon to join the 1881 Club, this gives the football club a regular income stream which allows them to future forecast and enhance the match day experience for all involved and ultimately keep this great football club functioning, its not just about the results at 5pm on a Saturday the club provides so much more to the community as a whole and brings people together.
Michael Conboy
TNH - The Northern Hemisphere 