Gallagher Stadium Saturday, February 3rd, 2018 k/o 15:00   FA Trophy Attendance: 1,186         Maidstone United 2-2 Gateshead
2017 /18

Comments :

Easy train journey down through London and less than 10 minutes walk to the ground. Thought about having a beer at the White Rabbit (opposite the ground) but it was shutting down and had nothing. So headed to the ground and the Spitfire Lounge for a swift JD before the game. The ground is really neat, smart and well maintained with a seated stand on one side (where I sat) and a high bank new-looking covered stand (standing) away to the right. The other end is low 'cattle-shed' standing but again clean and new-looking. The playing surface Astroturf. The first half was poor but the inclusion of a proper centre forward at the break saw Maidstone boss the early part of the second and deservedly take the lead. Then is all fell apart as they let in an own goal and then a second. I had to leave to catch my train before the end and missed Maidstone's injury time equaliser. It was cold and drizzling back to the station and a warm first class carriage was very welcome back to Victoria. Then and easy tube to Euston where it all went to hell. A suicide at Leighton Buzzard had bolloxed just about every train in and out of London. All trains were cancelled and then re-instated when they could. The advice was to get any train heading north and then work it out from there. I jumped a train to Warrington Bank Quays and - just as it left - I got a text to tell me my original train (to Crewe) was now UN-cancelled). Too late. At WBQ i caught another delayed (1.5 hours) train headed to London and got off at Crewe less than an hour later than my original schedule. Home at 10:00 on the dot.