Love Thy Neighbour? Absolutely Not! | Page 2 | Vital Football

Love Thy Neighbour? Absolutely Not!

Probably Scot, though I'm pretty sure that Newport were favourites to go out.

During last Tuesday's commentary Thommo kept going on about John Helm being at the game. For all those who wonder about commentator bias I do know for certain that Bradford (Park Avenue) was John Helm's team.

I saw Bradford PA lose 5-2 at Sincil Bank towards the end of their last season, and I think the received wisdom at the time was that their time as a league club was coming to an end.
 
Unfortunately for them, Bradford had finished bottom three years in a row and applied for re-election for four in a row. Probably fully justified on that basis.

That justification thankfully did not always apply-Lincoln applied for re-election in 5 years out of 6 in the 1960's.We finished in the bottom 4 of the old Div.4 in 62'63,65,66 and 1967. Granted we were only bottom, once in 1967.

This annual application was referred in some quarters as the "old pals act"
 
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Probably Scot, though I'm pretty sure that Newport were favourites to go out.

I can't remember the politics or feeling at the time but it was only Newport's second application for re-election in a row compared to Bradford's fourth. On the other hand, looking at the voting figures there was evidently some feeling against Newport.

In the previous season (1968/69) Newport, despite applying for re-election for the first time since 1950, came out worst of the four league clubs with 27 votes compared to Bradford's 33 (Cambridge United got 16).

In 1969/70 Newport still only managed 31 votes, the same as Cambridge United, but Bradford only had 17 - behind even Wigan Athletic with 18.

In 1970/71 Newport were still unpopular, with 33 votes (the same as Hartlepool) but that was too many for the challenge of Hereford with 22. (Lincoln topped the poll that year with 47 votes).

Perhaps fortunately for them Newport pulled themselves together enough to finish mid-table the following season, leaving the unfortunate Barrow to be the ones voted out in favour of Hereford United.
 
That justification thankfully did not always apply-Lincoln applied for re-election in 5 years out of 6 in the 1960's.We finished in the bottom 4 of the old Div.4 in 62'63,64,66 and 1967. Granted we were only bottom, once in 1967.

This annual application was referred in some quarters as the "old pals act"
I think Lincoln got away with it because they were late of the Second Division and had built up plenty of goodwill amongst the other FL clubs.
 
They tried the same thing at Cathkin Park where Third Lanark played until 1967. They found lots of soil.
Cathkin Park has fared relatively well in so much as you can still see terracing and it is apparent where the pitch was.....unless it has changed again in the last few years.
 
Perhaps fortunately for them Newport pulled themselves together enough to finish mid-table the following season, leaving the unfortunate Barrow to be the ones voted out in favour of Hereford United.

Barrow were undoubtedly victims of geography too, but in a different way. I think it was only their second application for re-election after being relegated from the Third Division, but they got the boot - FL clubs just didn't fancy the long trip to the back end of nowhere any more. Workington could not have been helped by that either.
 
That programme cover is interesting. My original photograph in the post above was taken from the corner to the far left in the drawing, looking along the narrow side towards the embankment behind the goal to the right (obviously both roofs had been removed by then).

An unusual main stand - it adjoined the cricket ground and had slates on its roof.
 
That programme cover is interesting. My original photograph in the post above was taken from the corner to the far left in the drawing, looking along the narrow side towards the embankment behind the goal to the right (obviously both roofs had been removed by then).

An unusual main stand - it adjoined the cricket ground and had slates on its roof.

It was a double sided stand like the one at Headingley which incidentally has just been rebuilt between the cricket ground and rugby league ground.
 
The main stand was double sided and used on the other side for the cricket spectators. In the top corner of that illustration is the small stand known as the Doll's House which was similar to (but I think smaller than) the cottage at Fulham's Craven Cottage.
 
That programme cover is interesting. My original photograph in the post above was taken from the corner to the far left in the drawing, looking along the narrow side towards the embankment behind the goal to the right (obviously both roofs had been removed by then).

And the bricked-up turnstiles and stairways in my second batch of photos were behind the right hand goal.