For weeks I was looking forward to my visit to Lincoln. A ticket bought from thetrainline.com at a very reduced rate and then the cancellation of my original match choice of Lincoln City vs Cambridge Utd rearranged due to Cambridge progressing in the FA Trophy and then the bringing forward of a night game between Lincoln City & Braintree Town to the 4th Feb had me very excited going into Friday morning. Ground number 285 would soon be chalked off, I would sample some new ales and take in a couple of new pubs.
Then what happens..... the weather is what happens......a cold frost arrives, the covers come out at Sincil Bank and by Friday afternoon my game of choice is looking doubtful, very doubtful.
Undeterred I board my booked train from Kings X at 09.03 the following morning with a pitch inspection booked for 09.15, I am already halfway to Newark when the game is postponed..along with most other "non league" games...all of a sudden I have a great idea, the train I am currently on is going to Leeds via Doncaster, 20 minutes longer on the train and I alight at Donny station, with a few hours to kill before Doncaster Rovers entertain Reading at the Keepmoat stadium.
I wander round Donny, wrapped up & looking forward to salvaging my day out with another new ground and a match at the Keepmoat. I visit a couple of pubs, the Black Bull & The Horse & Groom to stifle the cold, I read the Daily Mirror from cover to cover and the tv guide aswell, then I find myself in the clothes shop "Home Boy", now the last thing I need is a new coat but with a 70% sale on some fine Pretty Green jackets I purchase myself my 16th coat and a couple of shirts. So off I wander with my purchases towards The Plough where having visited in October I knew I would get some decent ale on draught and a warm and friendly welcome..but guess what spoils my walk to the Plough, only the news that Donny's game has been postponed which leaves me in Donny, miles from home and in possession of a train ticket for the 7.40pm back to London all of this and it's just gone 1pm!
The Plough and it's regular’s didn't disappoint, the ales were top notch, the bar staff were jolly & entertaining and the snow was falling outside. The Golden Sheep and the J W Lee’s Cask Ale was superb but after 3 pints a decision was made to take my chances on an earlier train and hopefully not have to shell out £94.00 to get home.
So after boarding the train and encountering a very nice train guard who used common sense and didn't make me fork out for another ticket I was back at King X by 5.30pm..a combination of 2 tubes and the overground from London Bridge I was back home with a Chinese by the time the snow fall and covered everything white at around 8pm.
Did I have a good day, the answer to that is yes, though extremely disappointed not to have taken in ground number 285..this will just have to wait another week or so.
So this brings the end to my first blog and I shall return soon with another instalment of Ground hopping, new ales and hopefully some football to report on.
Till the next time.
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