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TT No.175: Ian Hill - Tuesday 1st Jan 2008: Football League Div One - Carlisle United 4-2 Hartlepool |
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I always try to visit the "Temple of Doom" every season and a 1.00pm kick off on News Years Day allowed me to take in this so called "Derby" game between Carlisle United and Hartlepool.
There were anxious faces in Carlisle as the rain hammered down. Some homeowners near the football ground are still recovering from the floods which devastated the area a couple of years ago. Luckily there were no problems and the game went ahead as scheduled.
As I entered the turnstiles I was advised to "watch my feet" as the turnstile area was underwater. The women taking my ticket had found about an inch of dry land but still had to stand on tip toes. I waded through in my boots - Great !!
Brunton Park has two grandstands running down either side of the pitch. One is a modern cantilever one and the other is more old school with a standing paddock area in front. The Warwick Road, behind one goal, is a terrace covered by a farmer's cow shed and there is open standing opposite with a small amount of seats. It is rare that this end is open unless the away team have a large travelling support.
The modern cantilever stand is a bit off line with the rest of the ground. When Michael Knighton was incharge he had plans to redevelop the ground and build three other new stands. Basically the idea was to move the ground away from Warwick Road to create space for a new stand in the acquired land. Only one stand was actually built and the rest of the development never went ahead. There is talk of the club moving to a new stadium but at present no definite plans have been released.
Carlisle have a tradition of placing a stuffed fox on the centre circle before every game. It certainly got very wet before this one.
This was quite a strange game as in the first half Hartlepool completely outplayed Carlisle but could not take advantage of their superiority. The Cumbrians were lucky to still be in the game at half time with scores level at 1-1.
Hartlepool continued to dominate early in the second half to take a 2 -1 lead. They continued to play well but defended poorly which allowed Carlisle back into the game and they ran out with an undeserved 4-2 win.
The match day programme at Carlisle has improved somewhat. For £3.00 you get a nice 76 page colour glossy issue with laminate cover. There are also a good mix of articles inside. |
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contributed on 22/01/08 |