THERE I was waiting for a taxi, which thankfully came, for I felt lost, and my driver said, 'this is the middle of nowhere'. Indeed, it felt so.
My game? The New Saints v Bala Town, somewhere in the borders between England and Wales. He was bemused and surprised at my choice of location or at least that was the impression given.
With the game over, I was glad to be dry and heading for the sanctuary of a hotel room just outside Oswestry. And all this made me consider the value and identity of towns, not just as football clubs in the pyramid but as places within countries, or even between countries, in the borders between.
These towns can be left behind' places or the 'forgotten places', with little work, but places to commute from, if one has work that is.
'In between places' that I wrote of in my book 'Hinterlands', writing in poetic form.
Once again, I found myself there on Saturday, October 28, in the 'Hinterlands' with pen and paper.
My reason for the visit was to watch a Welsh Premier match in this English town, well just English, so near to the border of Wales. My train took me to the town, well not exactly. There have not been any trains to Oswestry since the 1960s. Instead, I landed in Gobowen, three miles away.
Denne historien er fra January - February 2024-utgaven av Late Tackle Football Magazine.
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Denne historien er fra January - February 2024-utgaven av Late Tackle Football Magazine.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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REISS LIGHTNING
SHUBI ARUN ON FOLLOWING THE FORTUNES OF ARSENAL IN 2022/23...
THE LOST WALLET
MICHAEL GRIMES RECALLS A VISIT TO A MATCH THAT DIDN'T QUITE GO TO PLAN...
DOUBLE DIAMOND
AUTHOR ALEX IRELAND DETAILS HOW SPORTSWEAR FIRM UMBRO BECAME PART OF FOOTBALL HISTORY ACROSS THE GLOBE
TASTY ALMONDS
ROY HAMILTON TELLS JOHN LYONS ABOUT THE DAYS WHEN ALMONDSBURY GREENWAY BECAME A BIG FISH IN NON-LEAGUE WATERS...
HANSEN'S HIGHLIGHTS
AS MATCH OF THE DAY CELEBRATES ITS GOTH BIRTHDAY, SAM TODD REFLECTS ON THE CONTRIBUTION MADE BY FORMER PUNDIT ALAN HANSEN...
MARINE LIFE
POET CHRIS TOWERS WATCHED MARINE PLAY BRADFORD PARK AVENUE IN THE NORTHERN PREMIER LEAGUE IN FEBRUARY. HE WRITES OF A CLUB CLOSE TO ITS COMMUNITY
SAME OLD ROUTINE
JONNY BRICK APPRECIATES THE RITUALISTIC ARRIVAL OF A NEW FOOTBALL SEASON...
CLOSE ENCOUNTER
MAURICE MOORE TELLS US ABOUT HIS UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE AS A EURO 2024 VOLUNTEER...
A FLASH OF GORDON
CALLUM HUMPHREY REFLECTS ON A DISAPPOINTING EUROS FOR ENGLAND WINGER ANTHONY GORDON...
FOXES' RETURN
JOHN LYONS LOOKS AT THE PROSPECTS OF LEICESTER CITY AS THEY HEAD BACK TO THE TOP FLIGHT AFTER A YEAR AWAY...