The Holy Blues

Gainsborough Trinity  1  Banbury United  0

FA Challenge Cup – First Qualifying Round Replay

There are some places that are too far away to be deemed as ‘local’, but at the same time, these very same places don’t actually take as long to get to as you might think.

The problem is though, because your mind is firmly focussed on the former as opposed to the latter part of that thought process, what actually happens is, you very rarely pay them a visit.

I would put places such as Northampton, Coventry, Wolverhampton and pretty much the whole of the West side of Lincolnshire into that equation. And on that basis, many of the football grounds in these places, at a senior level, have been visited on less than a handful of occasions over my many years of watching the game that is deemed to be so beautiful.

Gainsborough falls very much into that category. You see, I imagine Gainsborough as very much a medium sized Lincolnshire town, located largely in the middle of nowhere, with roads clogged with tractors and tankers leading to it. Because of that I’ve only ever been to the place three times in my life.

The first time I went was simply because I’d never been before, and that was a game against Matlock Town in 1995 that finished 2-2. Two years later I went again, this time to see Alfreton Town with some mates, and that finished 4-0. The third and final time came on Boxing Day in 2004, and that was to see a 1-1 draw with Worksop Town. Why the hell did I go to Gainsborough on Boxing Day? Simple, myself and my Dad were on the way to watch Hucknall v Alfreton when we got a call to say the game was off, so for some reason we chose to carry through to Lincolnshire. I ran over a pheasant on the way, I’ll always remember that!

So, it’s nearly 15 years since I’ve been to Gainsborough, and the reason I’ve not been since is very simple, in my mind it’s too far to travel for a midweek game. For some unusual reason I’d got it into my head that I wouldn’t get home until the early hours of Wednesday following a Tuesday night game!

It was time to take a step back and look at this properly, you see, the Northolme at Gainsborough is a stunning football ground and one well worth a visit. I’d not even considered it until I discovered my planned game at Dunston (that local club!) was off due to a FA Cup Replay, and needed a Plan B. I had a few options, but Gainsborough v Banbury stood out, so what did it entail?

So lets get this straight, at least once a fortnight I work in Doncaster, and getting home from the Donny M18 junction takes me 40 minutes. It takes half an hour from the same junction to get to Gainsborough, via Bawtry. So, being a mathematical genius with a GCSE and all that, I reckon that means it should take me an hour and ten minutes from home?

It takes me that long sometimes to get home from Carlton Town for God’s sake, just stop being a knob and get on with it Bob!

You know what, having left Sheffield with plenty of time to spare, I very quickly arrived in Gainsborough, with plenty of time to spare, I can confirm, this town is just over the Nottinghamshire / Lincolnshire border, and not actually in Holland!

Let’s talk a little bit about this football club then.

A bit of history first though, when they were relegated from the Conference North to the Northern Premier League in 2018, it was the first relegation or promotion the club had been involved in for 144 years. Boring eh?

Prior to that, having been formed in 1873, they became founder members of the Midland League before joining the Football League in 1896. That period lasted until 1912 when they found themselves back where they started once again.

A one season spell in the Yorkshire League in 1960 was enough to convince them to move back to the Midland League, until 1968 when they were elected as founder members of the Northern Premier League.

That’s where they stayed until 2004 when they were then elected as founder members of the Conference North.

The club has had it’s moments of excitement though. Like in 2005 when they lost the Play Off Final to get into the Conference National to Nuneaton Borough, and in 2013 when they lost to Wrexham in the FA Trophy Semi Final.

They’ve also had some moments with the FA Cup, playing Hartlepool United, Shrewsbury Town, Brentford and Barnet in the competition proper during the noughties, while in 1997 they took neighbours Lincoln City to a replay.

Right now though, under the guidance of Liam King and his assistant Ross Hannah, the club sit firmly in the NPL, with ambitions of getting back to where they came from, which is the National North, not the Midland League, in case you were wondering.

I have no memory of the town itself, so it was nice to be able to drive through it having crossed the River Trent. Gainsborough is historically a port, and many of the buildings portray that history. The town centre looked smart and appears to have been modernised, but without taking away it’s history. Marshalls Yard being a superb example of this and well worth a visit.

The ground itself sits just North of the town centre on the right hand side of the main road that leads to Scunthorpe, and having found a parking space right outside, I decided to check out the nearest pub.

With the nearest pub checked out it was time to check out the nearest chip shop, and with that checked out it was time to try the social club….you get the picture?

So, just prior to kick off it was time to check out the aesthetic beauty that is the Northolme, and trust me, they don’t come much better than this.

You enter in the corner behind the goal, and to your immediate left is a large covered terrace that backs onto the main road, whereas to your right is a further covered terrace that runs the length of the pitch. Behind the opposite goal is another large uncovered terrace, while on the Northolme side of the ground is a relatively narrow but steep two tier seated stand, with the dressing rooms and offices behind, and a hospitality area to the side. It’s a thing of beauty, a thing of untouched and unspoiled beauty, and if anyone thinks moving to a modern out of town site is the way forward, they need their head examining!

Ground related thrills at £12 admission aside, what about the game?

Gainsborough were marginally the better side in the first period, posing more of a goalscoring threat than the visitors who had taken three hours to get to Lincolnshire. Banbury played a very nice pass and move game, but seemingly without much of the end product variety.

The only goal of the game came early in the second period thanks to a Kingsley James header, and to be fair the wonderfully nicknamed Holy Blues (it's to do with their beginnings, I won't bore you) could have made the game safe but Gavin Allot saw his penalty saved by Jack Harding, after initially being fouled.

As the game wore on with only one goal in it, Banbury pressed harder and thought they’d equalised when Jaanai Gordon found the net with some help from the Trinity goalkeeper, but his effort was ruled offside.

The visitors threw everything at it in the closing stages but despite having plenty of possession and shooting opportunities, they couldn’t muster anything to test Joe Green in the Trinity goal. The final whistle signalled a victory for the hosts in front of 321 spectators, and they now take on Rushall Olympic in the next round.

I spent the second half in the company of Gary Hayward and Mark Ward, the Hednesford Town management team, both of whom have sat in the hot seat at Belper Town in years previously. Hednesford play Banbury next week so this was a scouting mission, and it’s always interesting to hear a managers take on a future opposition and what they view to be their strengths and weaknesses.

So, in all a super night at a ground, that if I’m being totally honest, is not that far way at all. I must go again some time, but let’s not wait fifteen years next time eh?