A Crazy Football Match For A Crazy Day
I was running a few minutes late after my meeting in Manchester Piccadilly and eventually, I got on a train to Sheffield. It was the usual overcrowded TransPennine Express going to somewhere like Scunthorpe. Hopefully, when they finally sort out and electrify the cross-Pennine routes and Piccadilly station, you’ll always go to the same platform to get trains to places like Sheffield and Liverpool. at least though there were plenty of staff about and the train I needed was not in the platforms at the back of the station.
But I didn’t get to Sheffield in time to get a train to Derby that would get me to Pride Park in time for the start of the match. Nothing was late except my start time at Piccadilly and I caught a Cross Country train that would get in to Derby at 19:51. However, someone decided to try a spot of attempted murder on the train and when we got to Derby, the Police locked us all in for a few minutes until they made an arrest.
So I decided to take a taxi. If you know the area, walking to Pride Park from the station is not that far. But the taxi driver gave me a tour of the city and then dropped me at the point of the ground furthest from the Away Supporters End. By the time I got into the ground, Ipswich were leading by three goals to one.
We were all ecstatic at half time and wondered how many it will be. But in the Ipswich were almost lucky to hang on for a four-all draw.
I then walked back to the station to get the 22:02 train to Birmingham for the Virgin train home.
But it was running thirty minutes late. Luckily there was another train and I piled in to try to get to Birmingham in time.
I made the Virgin train, by the skin of my teeth and it was a few minutes early in London at 01:15.
But why did I need all that hassle to get back, when most train companies, but not East Midland Trains, provide a train back to the capital after a match.
Are East Midlands Trains Serious About Running Trains?
Although, I’m an Ipswich Town supporter, I live in London, a short bus or Underground ride from Kings Cross and St. Pancras stations. So as this week, Ipswich are playing at Derby and Sheffield Wednesday, you’d think it would logical that tomorrow, I go to Derby and on Saturday I go to Sheffield from St. Pancras.
You would be wrong!
As there is no direct return train from Derby back to St. Pancras, I decided to go via Preston and Manchester to Derby, as I have things I want to see for this blog and someone to meet in Manchester. The latter solves my supper problem, as we’re meeting in Carluccio’s in Piccadilly. I can also get an excellent gluten-free breakfast on Virgin trains on the way up.
I did think about staying overnight in the Travelodge by Derby station, but after trying to buy a ticket to get back on Wednesday morning, I decided that the prices on offer, were just too steep. Other similar distance journeys, early in the morning to London, were certainly cheaper than those on offer from East Midland Trains.
So I decided to get home via Birmingham and Virgin Trains for £22.00 after the match. And that includes First Class from Birmingham to Euston. But I do get into London at 01:30 on Wednesday morning.
On Saturday, I’m going to Sheffield via Lincoln, as I have an old friend I want to see and can get a train from Lincoln to Sheffield. It’s not as roundabout as you’d think.
But I’ve done this before, as last time, I went to Sheffield Wednesday, I went via Doncaster, as the First Class on East Coast, is so much better than that on East Midland Trains.
Will Ipswich Keep David McGoldrick?
I’ve watched all of Ipswich Town’s competitive matches so far this season.
The performances have not been as good as everybody wants, but they have been entertaining and certainly a lot better than we have seen in recent seasons.
The star with five goals so far has been David McGoldrick. With many of the teams in the Premier League struggling to score goals, I would suspect that someone will come calling. I suspect it could be a difficult job to tell them to go away, so will Mick McCarthy use his Irish charm or Yorkshire plain-speaking.
In fact the one thing that we can make a real judgement on now, is McCarthy’s choice of players, as only time will tell how good the team turns out to be. In David McGoldrick, Christophe Berra, Cole Skuse, Paul Anderson, Anthony Wordsworth, Frank Nouble and Dean Gerken, I think he has made a good set of signings. I won’t add Ryan Tunnicliffe, who is only on loan. But surely, Manchester United wouldn’t have loaned Ipswich such a good player, if he wasn’t going to benefit from his time with the club.
It’s definitely a case of so far so good! We’ll know more about how good this side is at the end of the week after the games at Derby and Sheffield Wednesday.
Greater Anglia Get It Together
I travel to Ipswich regularly to see Ipswich Town play.
My last two tickets cost me £34.95 and that was made up by buying a Senior ticket from the Zone 6 boundary (Harold Wood) to Ipswich and then upgrading it to First.
Yesterday’s ticket was much simpler in that it was a Senior First Class ticket all the way and back for £32.60.
I’ve just looked it up the 19th of October, when Ipswich play Burnley and I can now buy one on-line for £32.60.
it also looks like that for a Tuesday night match, I can get an Off-Peak First Return to Ipswich for the same price, provided I leave before 16:30. I don’t remember that being possible before. i could of course be wrong. The only returns to Ipswich I can find in my credit card statements are £34.95.
It looks like the price has got down for me and I’ll now be able to avoid the queues at Liverpool Street station on a Saturday morning, by buying my ticket on-line. I’ll also have time for a proper lunch before I travel.
That’s progress.
I’ve never found any fault with the staff on the trains to Ipswich, but today they seemed to have gone up a gear in cheeriness. The steward was also offering more than the usual single complimentary drink with your First Class ticket.
I have no complaints and let’s hope it all gets even better.
For instance, it is known that Herculean efforts are sometimes needed to keep the Class 90 locomotives on top form. As passengers generally like the smooth riding Mark 3 coaches, could a small injection of the new Class 88 locomotives, allow some Norwich services to be extended to Great Yarmouth, as they used to be in the past. Would they also enable proper trains to be run to Bury St. Edmunds and Lowestoft?
Wigan Parish Church From The DW Stadium
I took this picture at half time of Wigan Parish Church from the DW Stadium.
Wigan Parish Church From The DW Stadium
It’s one of those times, that I wished I’d had a proper camera and a long lens with me.
Two Female Football Photograhers
You don’t see many female photographers at football matches.
Two Female Football Photograhers
But as you can see they had two at Wigan.
Wigan On The Up
I went to Wigan to see Ipswich play. These are pictures, I took show the area around the North Western station and the station itself.
Incidentally, the toilets were some of the best and cleanest, that I’d ever found on any railway station. They were free too!
I’m sure if all stations were as clean and tidy as Wigan North Western, then more people would travel by train.
The sun was even shining.
Incidentally, Wikipedia says this about Wigan North Western station.
In 2009 North Western station was identified as one of the ten worst category B interchange stations for mystery shopper assessment of fabric and environment, and was set to receive a share of £50m funding for improvements.
It looks like the money has been well spent, as the description didn’t fit the station I visited.
A Sky Satellite Dish Is So Yesterday
I’ve just looked up what football matches, I can watch over the next few days, through my steam-driven broadband, BT Sport and Freeview.
Tonight, BT are showing Wigan, whilst ITV4 is showing Swansea and Tottenham. All in the Uefa Cup. As I’m seeing Wigan on Sunday, as I’m going to see Ipswich play there, it’s rather a no-brainer, which matches I’ll watch.
Tomorrow, I’m busy in Liverpool, but the only match is on BT and it’s a German one. I’m not that sad yet!
Saturday, BT are showing a Premier League match, but as it’s Norwich, I assume they are going to pay me to watch it! Later I might want to watch Fulham on Sky, but obviously I can’t!
Sunday has some good matches on Sky, but I’m on the train going to Wigan and back to watch Ipswich. At least Virgin’s trains are higher up the speed and reliability scale compared to their broadband.
So BT Sport’s deal of free football with broadband, is equivalent to a supermarket giving away burgers made of horsemeat. It may look good, but it’s not what you want.
I’m almost getting to the point where I put up a satellite dish for Sky.
But that is yesterday’s old technology and I would only rip it out again, when fibre optic broadband became available. I’ve no objections to Sky as a company, as they gave me good service, when I lived in Suffolk.
Fibre-optic broadband would give me everything I want. But when will someone deliver it to me? Or is Hackney too rural for it to be hooked up? On the other hand if Innerleithen, in the Scottish Borders can have fibre optic broadband, why can’t I?
BT are keeping the delivery date secret! Which of course means I can’t plan!
I have written to my MP, Meg Hillier, who is also the member for Silicon Roundabout and Shoreditch. She said this in a letter to me.
I am very aware of issues around broadband in Hackney, particularly in the Tech City area around Shoreditch. The growth of these cutting edge businesses in my constituency is an exciting addition but I am very concerned that the infrastructure to support their tech needs is not in place.
She obviously has more clout than any Hackney resident, so if you have a desperate need for fibre-optic broadband, I’d send her an e-mail. The best way is to use WriteToThem.
It Was Another Win Last Night For Ipswich Town
Last night, I went to see Ipswich Town play there home match against Yeovil. They won 2-1, although they made a bit of heavy weather of it.
Still a win is a win and they’re now up to 11th in the Championship.
A question that will go in an Ipswich pub quiz has turned up this season and we mused it over at half time..
With Christophe Berra‘s goal against Birmingham a few weeks ago, who was the previous Scot to score for the team?
I thought it could be John Wark, but searching showed that it was Alex Mathie. Last night, someone said it was Tommy Miller, but although he scored a lot for Ipswich, he never got into a Scottish team and was not born north of the border.
How you frame the question could give a range of answers.
But it has been a long time coming.
The Anonymous Widower 