Done the 92 questionnaire – PETER HOLDRIDGE (SPIDERMAN)
Peter in Catalonia
How many grounds had you visited before you realised you wanted to do the lot?
My second league ground was Feethams, Darlington in 1982. There was an article on the Ninety -Two Club in the programme saying if you visited league 70 grounds you could become a member. That got me interested. (I never did become a member of the Ninety-Two Club though).
Did you choose the last ground you were going to visit or did it just pan out that way?
My original target was to go to all 92 clubs. When I had done that I was left with 4 new grounds I hadn’t been to. My final ground was Sixfields, Northampton in March 1997. I had already been to a Rugby League match there, so I left this to last.
Did you have company for some or all of it – were you in competition with anyone else and what happened to them?
Most on my own. Travelling to new grounds has always been a therapy of time to myself away from the pressure of work. I went to about 15 grounds with my wife (before she was my wife) who would come for a day-out but has never been interested in Football. I have been to a few others with various people over the years.
How many had you done when you thought ‘Right, I’m going to finish this now’?
I got to 46 on the first day of the 1994-95 season and decided then that I had to get a move on as when children came along it was going to be difficult to get time away. I went to 25 new league grounds that season (and I watched all Leicester Tigers home Rugby matches as well) and another 11 grounds in the first 3 months of 1995-96. Then there was a gap as Jimmy was born in February 1996.
Obvious question but, best day out?
Taking my son and daughter to the Globe Arena, Morecambe. Morning on the beach, dodgems, Eric Morecambe statue, hot chocolates with soya milk at the fabulous art deco hotel on the seafront. Taking my dad (a Yorkshireman) to Scarborough for the only Football match of his life was a great day out too. The best game would be either Blackburn 7 Forest 0 with Shearer scoring a hat-trick and Lars Bohinen (who had just moved from Forest) getting two, or Arsenal 4 Sheffield Wednesday 2 (I was in row 6 of the South Stand, directly behind the goal and 5 goals were scored at my end).
Did you manage to do more than one ground in a day at any point?
Yes, Stockport and Preston one Boxing Day and Oldham (a.m. kick off) and Blackpool. Got to the second game with about 10 minutes to spare both times. I have also been to a Football match and a Cricket match on the same day a couple of times. (I have been to all 18 First Class County Cricket grounds and a lot of County ‘out grounds’ as well).
What does Plainmoor have that Old Trafford never will?
You can go there without having to buy a ticket from the away team as soon as they go on general sale. You can park near the ground. You can choose where you sit – you can even stand up if you want to. Food and drink will be reasonably priced. The referee won’t send anyone off for breathing too heavily. Helen Chamberlain might be sitting right behind you (she was when I went to Plainmoor).
Did you ever turn up to find the game wasn’t on, or that you’d gone to the wrong ground?
The first ever game I went to was a school trip to Wembley for England v Bulgaria. The game was postponed due to fog and we didn’t even get inside the ground. The game was rearranged for the next day and the father of a friend offered to take some of us down. We saw Glenn Hoddle score on his international debut – that was a long time ago! Since then I have never gone to a game that has been postopned. The only game that got abandoned was Derby v Wimbledon, the first league game at Pride Park, where someone turned the lights off in the second half as part of a betting scam. 30 seconds after the referee abandoned the game the lights came back on.
Best/worst food on your travels?
I don’t drink milk and KC Stadium, Hull couldn’t produce a black coffee. Tranmere refused to sell me a roll and onions without a burger (I am vegetarian too). There have been some awful chips at non-league grounds….
Do you still call ‘League One’ ‘Division Three’?
Depends who I am talking to.
Most and least welcoming hosts?
The people at Merthyr were great. (I had mentioned that it completed my list of all former league grounds still in use). The stewards at the Amex, Brighton were great too. Supporters are the same wherever you go. The away fans make more noise than the home. The home fans always think the referee is against them (but he hardly ever is).
Any bizarre incidents along the way. Any brushes with anyone famous/infamous?
When I went to Old Trafford I saw York City beat them 3-0. Paul Barnes, who comes from the same village as me and was in the same class as my brother in law, scored two goals.
Now you’ve joined the small band of 92ers do you plan to keep visiting new grounds as they are introduced to the League, or do you consider it to be a one-off, job-done deal?
I’ve been to all the Conference Premier grounds and I don’t go back to them when teams get promoted to the Football League. I am obsessive about going to new league grounds though and have nearly always got to one of the first 3 games at the new grounds over the last 15 years. I plan to keep going to new league and conference premier grounds for as long as I am able.
What was your memento/proof of each visit – program, photo, ticket stub, badge?
I have kept all the programmes and tickets – when there were tickets. In the days of terracing no one bothered with tickets!
Any advice for anyone contemplating doing the 92?
Move to Leicester! Look out for the chance to visit two grounds in one day. Any time your team gets an away cup draw at a ground you haven’t been to, go there. If you support a Premier League team ‘adopt’ a League Two team with which you have some association and watch them away, when you can.
Cheers Peter!
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