Up the North End

Glossop North End XI 3 v Sheffield United XI 1
(Billed as United Futures)

Saturday 16 July 2016

Pre Season Friendly

Twitter @ball_sup

Depends how you count. Depends if you can remember them all. I'm putting that as the 174th ground I've seen a Sheffield United XI play on. Let there be no misunderstanding. If it's grass, I count it.

Drinking in Glossop

A mate who lives in Glossop put me on to Harvey Leonard’s. One of those wine merchant, bottle shops, with a bar front & some craft keg fonts. Great place. Superb & well organised selection of bottles.

Four on keg (two were Thornbridge) .Two double tall fridges & one single fridge behind the bar stuffed with bottles. As well as off licence stuff on the shelves. Which they'd chill for you. If you were settling in.

Even though it's pre season. These hills aren't gonna run up themselves. Neither are these hopped, high abv, IPAs gonna drink ‘emselves. It's Deep End Time.

The Kernel, India Pale Ale, Citra, Nelson Sauvin, Galaxy on keg at 6.9%. Kola Kube sweetness on the nose. Nice diluted pineapple in the first gulp. As you'd expect, it's then all about the bittering. Grows gently, but then kicks in with a hint of ginger. Long & lingering. But, not overpowering. Great beer. Great place.

Clubhouse Leader In The Clubhouse

So. Glossop North End leapfrog above Stocksbridge. But, it's a close call. Both had one cask on. GNE had the very local Howard Town Brewery, Longdendale Lights on at 3.9%. I noticed a few other Howard Town bottles behind the bar. That'll nudge GNE ahead.

Carrier Bag Buffoonery

I'm an observer, not a participant. The Carrier Bag Firm (CBF) love a bit of paper. A ticket. A programme. A teamsheet. No tickets today. No programme today. No teamsheets. None in the sense of a bloke coming around the bar saying “would anyone like a teamsheet?”.

Oh dear. What a pity. Never mind. Phrases not used by the CBF. I may have misjudged it. But, to me, it looked like the CBF were trying to sort a teamsheet themselves. Flitting between Committee Rooms & Office. Writing things on notepads. Passing them from one GNE wallah to another. Asking for some typing to be done. Asking to use the photocopier. No, honestly. Organising it so a self designated teamsheet would emerge.

The Baggers couldn't get it over the line though. They sat back. Utterly exhausted.

A good competitive game. With some great strikes & headers. 

332/725
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