Saturday 27th August 2022
Buxton FC 1-2 Blyth Spartans FC
Admission: £15
Competition: National League North
Attendance: 692
What better way to kickstart a bank holiday weekend than a trip into the Peak District to combine two of my favourite past times – football and hiking. This was my 167th ground and is one that had been on my to-do list for a long time, thankfully it did not disappoint. I parked in the centre of Buxton as this was ideal for my morning walk and then it was just a ten-minute walk to the ground afterwards, parking around the ground might be a bit tricky as it is a tight estate so you may be better off parking in the centre.
Buxton FC was founded in 1877 as an extension of the local cricket club and The Silverlands site established in 1884 on land that was owned by the club captain, Frank Drewry, meaning that it is one of the oldest grounds in the country that has been continually used by the same club. It is also the highest senior ground in the country at 1035 feet above sea level, almost double the Hawthorns of West Brom which is usually recognised as the highest in the country. Another example of non-league ignorance in the media! The Bucks have competed at various different levels of the non-league pyramid but after a title-winning season last year in the Northern Premier League Premier Division they now found themselves at Step 2 in the National League North.
The Silverlands is a fantastic non-league ground fitting to the town that it finds itself in. Located just a short walk from the town centre, which after a quick trip into the Kings Head pub I established has an astonishing 19 (yes nineteen) pubs which should make for a good away day! There are three covered stands at the ground, with one holding around 500 seats, and the other two standing. The seats in the stand came from Maine Road when Manchester City moved across to their new home.
The terraced stand behind the goal hosted the vocal contingent of Buxton supporters for both halves of the game, whilst the impressive Blyth Spartans following switched ends as is traditional at non-league games.
The final covered stand runs the length of the pitch and has a bit of terracing in parts but also just flat areas too. The far end behind the goal is just hard standing but has a slightly raised view of the 4G pitch.
I have to say that food available was fantastic, maybe slightly biased as I had just hiked 10 miles through the Peak District countryside, but it really did deliver. There was a great range on the menu but I had to settle with an unbeaten classic; pie, chips, peas and gravy. There was also chicken curry and chips which almost tempted me and looked great but the pie edged it.
There was also a printed programme available for the game for the price of £2.50 which is probably the going rate at Step 2. It was well made and provided a good read about the opposition and the game.
The Bucks have had a fairly positive start to their Step 2 campaign, only losing one of their first four games and picking up five points. They were hosting the superbly named Blyth Spartans who are a well established National League North side who had also had a mixed bag in their opening fixtures.
The game was well contested by both sides and it was the hosts that took the lead in the 42nd minute through a fantastic Jason Gilchrist header which gave them the advantage at the break. The Bucks defended valiantly in the second half and the full time whistle was drawing nearer when the Spartans finally broke through and equalised in the 87th minute. Two minutes later and disaster struck for the home side as they conceded a penalty which was cooly converted to make it a brace for Alex Nicholson, who sent the travelling Blyth fans back up North with beaming smiles on their faces.
A tad harsh on Buxton to concede twice so quickly at the end of the game and a point a piece would have been a fair result. Good luck to them for the rest of the season.
ground bounce 