Life in Cumbria is far from a simple walk in the Park (From The Northern Echo)

Life in Cumbria is far from a simple walk in the Park

4:47pm Tuesday 8th March 2011 in Backtrack By Mike Amos

GILLFORD Park may not be the only football club whose programme carries a Samaritans advert – “Having trouble coping? Life getting you down? Don’t know where to turn next?” – though they may well have the greatest need.

They’re based in Carlisle, far-flung members of the STL Northern League second division. Saturday’s match with Crook Town was the first at their home ground all season.

Sadly, it may not be said that the welcome mat – much less the red carpet – was rolled out to mark the occasion.

It all revolves around a protracted dispute with Carlisle Railway Club, the ground owners. Last Wednesday the football club won an interim injunction, allowing them back for two matches.

On Friday the Railway Club failed in an attempt to overturn it and had £750 costs awarded against them.

On Saturday the law continued to make its presence felt.

At 1pm, two hours before kick-off, a diminutive Scottish police lassie – the policewoman was Scottish, the constabulary Cumbria – turned up. She was there, she said, in case of a breach of the peace.

Assured that the peace would very likely keep itself, and that blood shed was unlikely, she drove off again.

At 1.30pm, Stephen Skinner arrived. He’s a football club founder, vicechairman, assistant manager and player but has been suspended for six months from the Railway Club because of something he’s supposed to have said in the fresh food department of Tesco. So much for shop talk.

The attendant railway club officials informed him that he could neither play nor be on the ground because of the suspension. On legal advice – Richard Bloomfield, Gillford’s barrister, was in attendance – Skinner declined to leave.

The Railway Club chairman insisted that he’d be barred for life. Since not even the threat of being sin died (as they say on the eastern side of the Pennines) could excoriate poor Skinner, the Railway Club re-called the police.

This time the Scottish lassie was accompanied by a larger Irishman. Technically it was a trespass, he insisted, and for a while seemed unwilling to forgive poor Stephen his trespasses.

Persuaded by m’learned friend that trespass was a civil matter and that Mr Skinner would only be liable to arrest if he dropped a crisp packet or something serious like that, the constabulary again departed.

The Railway Club said they’d apply for an injunction against him on Monday – Carlisle County Court must be on overtime – then rang the local newspaper to demand they take photographs of allegedly dangerous electrical fittings. Clearly having no news sense whatsoever, the News and Star failed to show.

We’re talking grass roots football here, remember.

We’re supposed to be talking sport.

Finally a football match broke out, Stephen Skinner involved from the start. That a police helicopter clattered overhead just minutes later is thought to have been coincidental. All those sirens must have been for something else, too.

There was blood shed, however. An accident, honestly, though the lad had to change his red, now blood red, shirt. Besides, he was one of Stephen’s own.

Besides that, Stephen was 30 yards away at the time.

Had it been otherwise, he might have resorted to the familiar legal plea of disorientation. It was an awfully long time, after all, since they’d been at home.

Disorientation may also explains why half the programme was printed upside down.

At half-time, goalless, the Gillford Park committee went round the crowd with free hot drinks and salmon sandwiches. It probably wouldn’t happen in the Premiership, nor even at Carlisle United.

Mr Bloomfield, who’d successfully acted for Billingham Town in the dispute with Hartepool United, held court in the players’ tunnel. “Are you getting the beers in afterwards?” he said.

Crook won with a late goal from Darren Kokes.

Thornaby are at Gillford Park tonight, Gillford Park back at the court on Friday – if not, it might reasonably be supposed, before – to seek a permanent injunction.

Poor Stephen Skinner, found guilty of talking out of turn in Tesco’s, will appeal to a railway clubs’ association tribunal – in Preston, or somewhere – on March 24.

Afterwards in the Green Bank – post-match refreshments in the adjacent Railway Club seeming not terribly well-advised – he remained courteous, sporting but subdued.

“All I want to do is play football,” he said, and will no doubt get over the gloom. At yet another court hearing yesterday, the injunction was amended to make it clear that he can play. After this Friday’s hearing, it;s expected that Gillford Park will be able to continue at the Railway Club for the rest of the season.

“It’s by no means the end of the legal road,” said club chairman Donald Cameron.

If still it proves to be potholed, Carlisle Samaritans can be contacted on 01228 544444.

THE need to be on an early train to Carlisle meant that it was impossible to fit in Andy Fisher’s last lap around Albert Park in Middlesbrough.

Just three years ago, Andy – lifelong Arsenal fan, Boro season ticket holder – started a 5k Saturday morning run around the park, centred on Brian Clough’s statue.

He began with about 25 participants. Now there are 250, aged from eight to eighty.

Some are in wheelchairs, others encouraged by the Hearts and Minds mental health charity. They range from Commonwealth six-day champion Sharon Gayter to Rob Nicholls, editor of the Boro fanzine Fly Ne to the Moon.

“It’s among the top few events of its kind in the country, a weekend tradition already,” says Rob.

The event is part of a national Parkrun project, organised by volunteers and backed by national sponsors.

Following Saturday’s presentations, Andy and his wife June have now jogged off to Cumbria, which probably explains why he hasn’t been answering his phone.

The Saturday morning workouts continue: around Albert Park, this one could run and run.

NOTING that Middlesbrough were trying to bring in another goalkeeper before tonight’s match, Charlie Dove issues a plea for Connor Ripley, the 17-year-old stand-in on Saturday. “Remember John Barton,” he says.

Remember John Barton?

In December 1958 he was Preston North End’s fourth choice keeper, a ground staff boy dutifully scrubbing the boots beneath the Pavilion Stand when word arrived that the manager – Cliff Britton – wanted to see him at once.

The other goalkeepers were all injured. Barton, who’d played neither for the Reserves nor the A team, would be in at Arsenal the following day.

Though the Gunners scored early, Preston won 2- 1, Barton driven away by the BBC – not even radio cars back then – to do a Sports Report interview with Eammon Andrews.

The BBC paid him five guineas, the youngster so excited that he stuck the cheque in his scrapbook – where it remains.

Preston never paid him a penny, though his mum got a Christmas hamper soon afterwards.

Though it was three years before he again played for the first time, he made 48 League appearances for Preston and 68 for Blackburn.

“By all accounts Ripley didn’t disgrace himself on Saturday,” says Charlie.

“Why don’t we take a chance on him as Preston North End did with John Barton?”

AN email arrives from Tom Stafford, the man with the WD-40 in his cricket bag. It’s headed “D Lillee to play at Great Ayton.”

This proves a little disingenuous. Though Australian, it’s Des Lillee, not Dennis, in younger days an off spinner with Queensland but now playing for Victoria Over 60s.

They do, though, expect to field K Stackpole – and that’s the real Keith Stackpole, now 70, who made 43 test match appearances for Australia, averaging 37.4 between 1966-74.

They’ll be playing against Yorkshire Over 60s, the man with the titanium knees still crouching contentedly behind the stumps. The game’s on August 17.