Stereotype Weather in Greater Manchester
I 20.01.2020
I Daniel Barthold
I Salford City FC v Accrington Stanley FC 2-1
THE CITY
Salford is just about 10 minutes by taxi from Manchester so there is no need to spend too much time in Salford. Manchester offers a wide range of pubs and restaurants which are all a short walk from each other. Piccadilly Gardens is the central point of the city centre and from there, all the locations are within walking distance including the National Football Museum which is definitely worth a visit.
If you only have a couple of hours before attending a match at any of the various football clubs in Greater Manchester, I would recommend “The Printworks”. It looks like an old factory hall with various restaurants and pubs. “Waxy O’Connor’s” is a decent Irish bar with solid food options and obviously, nobody will ever reject a fresh pint of Guinness. The Printworks is only a short walk from Victoria station.
THE GAME
Salford City FC v Accrington Stanley FC
2-1
I have to be honest, I was not really looking forward to this as it was an EFL Trophy cup game which is a pretty unpopular competition in England. It is not that prestigious and more importantly, reserve sides and under 23’s are eligible to compete as well. Most football fans do not like that and prefer reserve teams to play in separate leagues and cups without interfering in first team competitions.
Accrington Stanley were the higher tier side and went 1-0 up. They looked the better side but the game slipped a bit out of their hands after conceding a poor goal from a set piece right before the half-time whistle and Salford scored again early in the 2nd half. Accrington did not recover from this apart from creating a few chances.
Overall, a very average game on a wet cold night in Salford. I have been to Manchester for about ten times now and I think only once the city greeted me with sunshine. The city a little bit confirms the stereotype of constant British cloudy and rainy weather. That might explains the huge number of pubs in the city… Manchester certainly has its charm though and it is never unpleasant despite the non-existent sunshine every time I visit.
THE STADIUM
The Peninsula Stadium is a pretty boring ground to be honest. The fan base is very small and for many supporters Salford City is only their second club after Manchester United. At least the stands are close to the pitch and due to the small capacity one can follow every fixture from close range. If in Manchester, I would recommend to tick off many grounds in the area rather than just Salford. There are many other clubs to tick off in the region so there are plenty of options such as Oldham, Stockport, Macclesfield or Rochdale and the obvious giants Manchester United and City.
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HOW TO GET THERE
If you are travelling from London or other parts of the UK you are likely to arrive at Manchester Piccadilly station which is a short 5 minute walk from the city centre. It is a pretty solid station with easy access.
Manchester Airport is a big enough airport with low budget airlines flying from all major hubs in Europe. Generally speaking, it is fairly cheap to get into Manchester by train, bus or even plane and I find the city centre and its restaurants very affordable which is definitely a plus compared to cities like London, Paris, Stockholm or Copenhagen.
5/10
Daniel Barthold
Born in 1983 in Hildesheim (Lower Saxony, Germany) and raised in the Hamburg Area. Supporter of FC St. Pauli and since 2010 living and working in London (England) as a sports business consultant. Groundhopping has been a passion since the early days but I am actively counting and ticking off grounds since the Euros 2004. I have been to 500 stadiums in 65 countries so far.