Welcome to Barrow

[TheSage]

How could I forget Wrexham? They must be the "biggest" club to struggle to get back. They've held International games there and are capable of large crowds.

Chester too, of course. I remember Sealand Road, part of which now adorns the Hamil End, and always stopping on the way for chips at Tarporley. But now it's the soulless Deva lego stadium at the back of an industrial estate as so many are.

Workington I'm sure played in red. Aren't both the rugby and the football teams nicknamed "the Reds"? Southport used to have an all amber kit.  Bradford PA I think(?) had a horrible green and white banded strip which was awful but my memory is probably playing tricks on me now.

Currently Notts County are the big fall guys and they haven't bounced back immediately either.

I imagine not only do finances take a hit but the longer you are out of the league the more fans will drift away and follow another team or just give up. Only the real die hards will stick with it. A lot of football fans have other clubs within a 10 mile radius they could watch.  Forest is across the road, literally, and Bradford City 3-4 miles away from Park Avenue.

[points-with-bone]

1 hour ago, TheSage said:

How could I forget Wrexham? They must be the "biggest" club to struggle to get back. They've held International games there and are capable of large crowds.

Chester too, of course. I remember Sealand Road, part of which now adorns the Hamil End, and always stopping on the way for chips at Tarporley. But now it's the soulless Deva lego stadium at the back of an industrial estate as so many are.

Workington I'm sure played in red. Aren't both the rugby and the football teams nicknamed "the Reds"? Southport used to have an all amber kit.  Bradford PA I think(?) had a horrible green and white banded strip which was awful but my memory is probably playing tricks on me now.

Currently Notts County are the big fall guys and they haven't bounced back immediately either.

I imagine not only do finances take a hit but the longer you are out of the league the more fans will drift away and follow another team or just give up. Only the real die hards will stick with it. A lot of football fans have other clubs within a 10 mile radius they could watch.  Forest is across the road, literally, and Bradford City 3-4 miles away from Park Avenue.

Bradford Park Avenue seem to have amber, black and yellow kit, indeed they do a 1964 'retro' kit at their shop which sports natty amber, black and yellow stripes

Aldershot are a club that haven't been mentioned in this thread. They seemed to have been a league club forever, but have struggled to get back too

Points-with-Bone

[RailwayRowdy]

2 hours ago, TheSage said:

Chester too, of course.

Chester went out of the league in 2000. They also regained their league status only four years later, but a five year stay was ended with relegation again to The Conference in 2009.

Chester failed to complete the following season and the club was wound up and expelled from the Conference, leading to the formation of Chester FC.

Former Vale favourite Gary Roberts is now at his home town club, who also boasted our own Jon McCarthy as their manager between 2016 & 2017.

 

[RailwayRowdy]

3 hours ago, points-with-bone said:

Bradford Park Avenue seem to have amber, black and yellow kit, indeed they do a 1964 'retro' kit at their shop which sports natty amber, black and yellow stripes

Aldershot are a club that haven't been mentioned in this thread. They seemed to have been a league club forever, but have struggled to get back too

Bradford PA’s only probable claim to fame is that the recently departed Jim Fryatt scored the fastest goal in league history when netting after 4 seconds against Tranmere in the early 60’s ! 

Aldershot, who first played league football in 1932,  were expelled from the league mid season in 1992 for failing to fulfill their fixtures.

However, in a dramatic rise from the 5th level of non league football,  the newly formed Aldershot Town (reverting to their original name from their 1926 formation) won promotion back to the Football League in 2008. Sadly their stay lasted just five seasons before relegation back to the Conference.

Two things I always associate with Aldershot ;

1 - When entering the away end I always felt the need to ask for a game of bowls

2 - Stalwart 70’s ‘keeper Glen Johnson and his 9” parting, sometimes under a baseball cap

Strange the things you remember !

[Fosse69]

17 minutes ago, RailwayRowdy said:

Bradford PA’s only probable claim to fame is that the recently departed Jim Fryatt scored the fastest goal in league history when netting after 4 seconds against Tranmere in the early 60’s ! 

Aldershot, who first played league football in 1932,  were expelled from the league mid season in 1992 for failing to fulfill their fixtures.

However, in a dramatic rise from the 5th level of non league football,  the newly formed Aldershot Town (reverting to their original name from their 1926 formation) won promotion back to the Football League in 2008. Sadly their stay lasted just five seasons before relegation back to the Conference.

Two things I always associate with Aldershot ;

1 - When entering the away end I always felt the need to ask for a game of bowls

2 - Stalwart 70’s ‘keeper Glen Johnson and his 9” parting, sometimes under a baseball cap

Strange the things you remember !

Bradford have played in  the top tier,  also they were the most Northern team to play in the Southern League, when they took over Fulham`s fixtures when they joined the Football League

[soothsayer]

On 17/06/2020 at 20:07, boslemportvale91 said:

I used to work in the lake district a few years ago and ended up going a Barrow game with a couple of mates. Definitely not up there for a decent away day. Horrible town. Ulverston/Lancaster are cracking though 

Great location For a game if you want a weekend in the South Lakes - Coniston, Ambleside or Windermere.