Sunday 12 October 2014

Barnoldswick Town (NWCFL Premier Division)

After Saturday's trip to Chadderton FC it would appear we have a few things in common with the Broadway side.
On top of boasting a Murray brother in the starting line up, they too unfortunately find themselves victims to mindless local crime. 
Friday night break-ins at the Chaddy compound, in similar fashion to what we have experienced in the past, are becoming a regular occurrence.
I was shown photographs of some of the things ground staff find littering the pitch on a Saturday morning. Among them was a robust-looking knife that, in the wrong hands, looked capable of doing some serious damage. Scary stuff.
I can understand the boredom that comes from being too old to sit in on a Friday night yet being too young to get served in the pub. 
I even understand the kids who have climbed over the gates of Goredale to have a moonlit kick-about - ex-professional footballer James Scowcroft was one of them. 
What I don't understand is why anyone would want to vandalise and jeopardise the existence of their local football ground. 
These are little bastions where, for a few hours, you can forget the weight of the world and watch local lads play the game we love in an honest fashion. They should be embraced, not attacked.
Sadly this element will not be going away any time soon and I wish Chadderton FC well in their attempts to tackle the problems that lie on their doorstep.

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