A Barrow-load of laughs - Division 4 2020/21

[Hot Orange]

Four games in a row now that Orient have got a result with a goal in the 89th minute or later.

[Reality Checkpoint]

[other going-to-be-short-lived things include Cambridge being second]

Top predicting there Janik.

[Satchmo Distel]

It seems to be a fucking mess.

[Reality Checkpoint]

Almost 24 hours later, Carlisle have sold less than 400 tickets for this. Substantially more than 400 people want to attend, and the club had been talking up the possibility of it being a test event for the last couple of weeks so it shouldn't have been a complete shock to them, but the ticketing arrangements have been chaotic.

Morecambe have pulled out of the trial as well so our game will be behind closed doors again.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

The 3 League Two fixtures with fans to be admitted this weekend have been confirmed as:

• Forest Green Rovers v Bradford City
• Carlisle United v Southend United
• Morecambe v Cambridge United

Crawley seem to be suggesting that finances being as they currently are, they couldn't actually afford to (or possibly, aren't prepared to pay to) put the required restrictions in place at the ground in time for Saturday.

Almost 24 hours later, Carlisle have sold less than 400 tickets for this. Substantially more than 400 people want to attend, and the club had been talking up the possibility of it being a test event for the last couple of weeks so it shouldn't have been a complete shock to them, but the ticketing arrangements have been chaotic.

[andrew7610]

The 3 League Two fixtures with fans to be admitted this weekend have been confirmed as:

• Forest Green Rovers v Bradford City
• Carlisle United v Southend United
• Morecambe v Cambridge United

Crawley seem to be suggesting that finances being as they currently are, they couldn't actually afford to (or possibly, aren't prepared to pay to) put the required restrictions in place at the ground in time for Saturday.

[jwdd27]

And Scunny have said today that they would have applied if they were at home, so if the chance arises I'm guessing that the Carlisle game on the 26th would be the one for them, especially as the opponents are from a fair distance away.
We've just scraped over the 1,000 line for season ticket holders so I'm guessing they'll get the invites.

[Third rate Leszno]

Carlisle have confirmed they've been given the go ahead to run a test event on Saturday with 1000 fans.

[Simon G]

According to Crawley (Scunthorpe's opponents this Saturday), they were informed at 11.15 this morning of the possibility of staging a test event, but were given a deadline of 2pm the same day to make the application, which seems a bit ridiculous, and a recipe for things to go wrong on matchday.
Crawley seem to have sensibly held back for now.

Is it the EFL making the invitations, or some government agency?

Tranmere have said the same thing about there being a 3 hour window and not having a certificate in place so our game against them will be behind closed doors. I think Exeter have also said the same thing.

Carlisle have applied to be a pilot though.

[Ray de Galles]

The English Football League will continue to stage pilots with up to 1,000 fans at matches this weekend, following approval from the government.

EFL clubs were asked to put in requests by Tuesday in order for their plans to be signed off in time.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden will meet with sports bodies later this week to discuss the planned return of spectators to sport from 1 October.

The EFL said the pilots were an "important step" for fans' safe return.

Those in local lockdown areas were told they would not receive permission to take part in the test events.

In a letter to clubs on Tuesday morning, the EFL's head of policy John Nagle said: "We cannot guarantee at this stage that all clubs that would like to stage a pilot will be given permission to do so, as only a limited number will be approved.

"We are still in discussions with regard to pilot matches on other dates."

Nagle said that "the next 48 hours are likely to be critical in terms of determining the direction of travel" regarding the potential return of fans.

He asked clubs to lobby local MPs, asking them to "make representations on behalf of you, their local club, to government," and added that football was facing "an impending financial crisis as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic".

[jwdd27]

According to Crawley (Scunthorpe's opponents this Saturday), they were informed at 11.15 this morning of the possibility of staging a test event, but were given a deadline of 2pm the same day to make the application, which seems a bit ridiculous, and a recipe for things to go wrong on matchday.
Crawley seem to have sensibly held back for now.

Is it the EFL making the invitations, or some government agency?

[Third rate Leszno]

Carlisle have submitted a request to play in front of 1000 fans v Southend on Saturday. Presume other clubs have done the same. Not sure when they announce which (if any) have been successful though.

[Satchmo Distel]

https://twitter.com/robgwarren/status/1304785193585258497?s=21

Utterly bonkers. Any news on these test games with 1000 fans?

[jwdd27]

Even if the players are pretty much unknown to me, I do feel slightly more emotionally involved as I "know" both the manager and assistant - as previously alluded Cox was my school year (although not my school) so I knew him from youth football, while Mark Lillis is the neighbourhood celebrity in this particular corner of Huddersfield, and we say hello when we pass on the street, although I've never outed myself as Scunny to him, he probably just thinks I'm a Town fan and says hello because I always stare at him.
He was a surprise choice as assistant - he'd apparently been working in a care home in Manchester through the early months of pandemic.

[Bermuda Iron]

Thanks UE, you got so used to something then it gets taken away. It will take a while but I will remember the messages (all kept safe and sound so I can reminisce about shit football games when I want).

[Uncle Ethan]

A bit of a weird day for me today. Scunny v Newport, first league game of the season, and my old man would have been there as usual. I was sat here 1100 local time, getting my house ready for the imminent arrival of Hurricane Paulette (Cat 2, hitting Monday morning if you're interested), still half expecting his texts about getting to the ground, followed by the occasional message about Newport scoring, how shit we are, surprise at an equalizer, getting all the new players names wrong, then a text later about the journey home. Sad I know, but with his passing in July, I'm going to miss his match day text messages, doesn't feel right somehow. As jwdd27 has alluded to, we have an almost new squad, not sure how emotionally involved I am going to be this season.

Thinking of you Bermuda. As I watched Ipswich last night my thoughts kept going to where my Dad and I stood and eventually sat for about 16 years on the trot. All I can offer is the assurance that as time passes those memories become more and more precious and somewhat less unsettling.

[Ray de Galles]

https://twitter.com/robgwarren/status/1304785193585258497?s=21

[slackster]

That Shrimpers howler yesterday caused much merriment amongst Os fans at "the other end of the A127" on social media.

We won again to kick off our League campaign with a late goal in a scrappy game (apparently: I didn't bother to stream it). Boundary Park isn't a place we get much joy from, so that was nice.Maybe it was the unusually non-frozen tundra weather that helped us - every visit I've made there I've come away on the verge of hypothermia after watching us lose - or more likely Oldham just haven't got their act together yet.

[Satchmo Distel]

Programmes were 5p that season at several clubs. Earlier in the season they had been a shilling. 9d is bollocks.

https://ntfcmemorabilia.weebly.com/197071.html

[Capybara]

This is the programme for Barrow's first game in their last season in the League. The date or opponents don't feature on the front cover. The game was against Northampton Town.

[Foot of Astaire's]

Well we deservedly got nowt yesterday after a disjointed, limp display. Several players seemed unable or unwilling to keep possession and Forest Green, once they realised how poor we were, pretty much took control and deserved their victory.

Depressingly, our captain came off social media last night after deciding he didn't want to spend his evening being abused. Just when I think we've hit rock bottom, we seem able to drop another level.

[Sporting]

[Sporting]

A week before D Day;

[Sporting]

August 1971 was still after decimalization though, which I think was in february of that year. For a couple of years before that you'd often get things- well, paperback books anyway- priced in both old and new money- ie 8 shillings/ 40 new pence. And 5np and 10np coins were in circulationand used interchangably with shilling and two shilling coins. In fact I remember there still being shilling and two shilling coins around in the eighties.

Not sure, but I think it might have become illegal to price things in old money after the official switch.

I'll have to see if I have any old football programmes from the era to check this out.

[Bermuda Iron]

A bit of a weird day for me today. Scunny v Newport, first league game of the season, and my old man would have been there as usual. I was sat here 1100 local time, getting my house ready for the imminent arrival of Hurricane Paulette (Cat 2, hitting Monday morning if you're interested), still half expecting his texts about getting to the ground, followed by the occasional message about Newport scoring, how shit we are, surprise at an equalizer, getting all the new players names wrong, then a text later about the journey home. Sad I know, but with his passing in July, I'm going to miss his match day text messages, doesn't feel right somehow. As jwdd27 has alluded to, we have an almost new squad, not sure how emotionally involved I am going to be this season.