Once In A Lifetime

Notts County  2  Belper Town  1

FA Challenge Cup – Fourth Qualifying Round

Let’s get the elephant in the room dealt with first and foremost.

I don’t go to many Belper Town games, maybe half a dozen a season, and the reason for that is simply because I prefer to do what I do, and that’s travel.

That doesn’t mean to say that they aren’t my team though. It’s the first result I look for, and on the basis that Mrs H is a season ticket holder and Mr H Senior is the Managing Director of the club, it would be impossible not to feel a connection.

So when I sat in the toilet at one of our offices, listening to the draw on Talksport for the Fourth Qualifying Round of the FA Cup, and out came Notts County away, I instantly knew I was going to cop for some earache.

I’d said the day before that the dream draw for Belper would be Notts County away, and I was met with a few comments, most of them along the lines of “And I suppose you might even turn up for that one?”

To be fair, I wasn’t going to miss that, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity, and of course when I announced that I’d be going to the game, the floodgates opened. In fact, one night at the dinner table it was decidedly uncomfortable, so much so, Mrs H actually stated that she hoped I wouldn’t get a ticket!

I simply had to accept that I would be viewed as something of a bandwagon jumper, a glory hunter, and whatever other uncomplimentary, but probably deserved, terms you can think of for those who only turn up for the big games.

Moving on. After the initial verbal and psychological exchanges, what then happened between the draw being made, and the final whistle sounding at Meadow Lane, is something that will live forever in the memory, and for me, perhaps even surpasses the FA Vase run of 1995.

Tickets went on sale, and the clamour was immense. Estimations of how many the Nailers would sell ranged from 1000 to 1500, and in the end it turned out to be a quite incredible 1718 who took up their places in the Jimmy Sirrel Stand at Meadow Lane.

Notts County, by all accounts were absolutely superb once the draw had been made. The management and the directors of the club were invited to the next home game against Dagenham & Redbridge, and were royally looked after in the process. In many ways, the away draw worked much better for the club because other than flog tickets and sort out match day logistics, from a planning perspective the pressure was off.

The club travelled by luxury coach to the game, but the supporters had to make their own arrangements. The hourly trains to Nottingham were kindly doubled in size by East Midlands Trains to accommodate the expected support. The talk in the town was about which train you were catching, and for us, that was going to be the 11am. Ideally with Master H part of the travelling party, we needed seats, so we took the view of getting on the train one step further back at Ambergate to be sure. That plan worked a treat as once the train pulled into Belper, it was clear given the volume of human mass present, that had it been the original two car service, we would have had a problem.

With the local media all over matters, the players and management found themselves under a spotlight like never before, and they handled it brilliantly. The club was well and truly on the map, and as you got off the train in Nottingham, and the songs started as we walked up the platform, you just knew this was big time. This was what professional football was all about, this was little Belper Town travelling to a club that was in the top flight of English football as recently as 1992.  Notts County may be a non-league club right now, but trust me, this is a big football club with a ground that seats 20,000 spectators. It really does not, and probably will not, get any bigger in our lifetimes.

Pre-match we went for a meal in ‘Hooters’ with many a fellow Nailer, I’ve never been in the infamous establishment before but to be fair it was very good and the food was excellent value. With the youngster in tow, we thought it perhaps best not to try the local pubs, especially considering some of the DCFC Stone Island Danny Dyer types had managed to get a pub closed in the City Centre with their pyrotechnic related antics.

We got in the ground nice and early, and very soon the concourse was filling up, and of course the singing started. It was clear we had two camps, the loyal BTFC regulars, and then the young Rams fans (albeit from Belper) who were having a day out. To be fair, you half expect that, but Belper fans don’t do the bounce, and they don’t hate Forest (much). They do like singing about beer and Matlock Town though!

The atmosphere at kick off was electric, the Nailers fans had been kept all together as opposed to being allowed to spread themselves across the entire length of the stand, which in turn meant the noise levels were at an impressive level. 

County had elected to open three sides of the ground, the Jimmy Sirrel Stand where the BTFC contingent were homed, the main Derek Pavis Stand opposite and the Spion Kop to the right of the away fans where the vocal Magpies element were sat. A total crowd of 5,729, the largest of the day in the competition pitched up, and from a coffers perspective, taking price money and gate receipts into account from the whole FA Cup experience, Belper were set to make around £50,000.

In terms of visiting Meadow Lane, it was the first Football League ground when I was a kid that I was allowed to go to and stand on the terraces, as opposed to sitting down. I was never allowed to stand on the Popside at Derby County and always had to go in one of the stands. But when we went to see Notts take on then Gola League outfit Scarborough in the FA Cup (incidentally) in 1985, it was a standing spot on the County Road side, which (incidentally), is now known as the Jimmy Sirrel Stand.

Visits since then have been sparse, with the most recent being over 25 years ago when a sorry Derby side were slammed 4-1, with Gary McSwegan netting a hat-trick for the Magpies. A visit, I suppose, was long overdue, but never did I think I’d be going to Meadow Lane to see the hosts as a non-league club, playing the Nailers?

So, the game.

Well it’s been shown, shown again, commented upon, and then shown again over the past few days so I’ll keep it brief. Danny Gordon scored a ‘Worldie’ that will forever have it’s place in the BTFC hall of fame to give the Nailers the lead, but after a sustained period of pressure, County equalised. County got a second and the subsequent winning goal in the second half, but Belper got a second wind and threw everything at the Magpies in the closing stages, with only some desperate defending and fine goalkeeping denying them an equaliser and a replay back at Christchurch Meadow.

Anyone who was at the game will not forget the scenes at the final whistle when the players and the management came over to salute the travelling masses. It was a memorable, and an emotional moment for everyone.

And that was it, we were still buzzing as we waited to board the trains, it had been a superb day, and a defeat that actually felt like a victory. Will we ever see the like of it again?

I honestly don’t know as it’s impossible to say, but just in case we don’t, that’s why I made absolutely sure I was there, along with the 1717 others.

Finally, tribute has to be paid to the manager Grant Black, his backroom team, the players and of course the Directors of BTFC who have worked bloody hard over the years to make occasions like Notts County possible.  Take a bow Belper Town Football Club and all of those either involved or supporting them, you were an absolute credit to the town, and to Non-League football.    

Pictures - Tim Harrison / Mike Smith / Neil Laughlin