Stalybridge Celtic vs Bishop's Stortford

I've seen a few good games at Ashton United, but this time I was on the other side of the east Manchester area of Tameside for other perennial non-leaguers, Stalybridge Celtic. It's not often I'm the first in the ground, but at Stalybridge I was, at least until I realised that the fifty-odd people that arrived before me were in the social club behind the home goal. There was roughly 20 old men for every women or child, a ratio impressive even by non-league standards. As for the Bishop's Stortford faithful, due to the rather odd design of the league, which places this Hertfordshire side in the Northern section of the split lower conference division, there were roughly three fans present. 249 fans in total - their lowest turnout this season, but it didn't take away from what was a great evening out. Celtic's ground, Bower Fold, is located about twenty minutes walk from the train station. It is almost entirely surrounded by trees, that tower over parts of the ground in an ominous fashion. From the main stand I could just about catch the outline of the Pennines in the distance far, the faint glow of the sun still visible. A quirky feature of the stadium is that a large part of the main stand is taken up by a curry house, next time I'll have to get here a bit earlier.

What strikes you in games with small crowds is how clearly you can hear the players talking/yelling at each other on the pitch, who for the most part drowned out the sound of the spectators. It must make communication between playing/coaching staff a lot easier and more effective. You wonder to what extent does the loudness of bigger crowds inhibit this, and how does this affect the way the game is played. Anyway, the game itself was fantastic. Although it may seem like a gross generalisation, I notice at this level the players play with less fear - you see more wingers taking on full backs and forwards taking pop shots from outside the area, whereas in higher leagues players are often more cautious, to the detriment to the quality of entertainment. I'd take these part timers over Michael 'square ball' Carrick and Stewart Downing any day of the week. The home side came from 1-0 down to win 3-1.