As the old cliché goes, it’s a sign of progress that Cardiff City never go there, or think about going there anymore, but it’s only 7 years ago we last visited the place and new were there 4 times in as many years.
I always found it, in keeping with that crooked spire, one of the weirdest away towns to visit as the pubs were quaint, the townsfolk contained some of the ugliest folk I’ve ever seen (many resembled a scientific chemical test gone wrong), a fair portion of the home fans were the nastiest around hanging about on street corners looking out for Cardiff fans to pick off (a classic small town mentality amongst them) and one bizarre experience where my brother completely lost the plot in a way I’ve never seen before or since (thankfully). He went AWOL after the game, somehow ran the 7 miles from the town to the M1 and was picked up on the M1 hard shoulder. Only in Chesterfield!
However there were highlights as the ground, including;
A big open away end
Chesterfield fans running a full length terrace towards us at half-time until City ran over and banged on a corrugated iron fence separating them and us (the deafening thudding from City fans was enough to send them scarpering 100 yards quicker than they ran towards us and into another terrace behind the opposite goal).
Danny Gabbidon scoring a back-heeled flick at a corner as we headed to promotion
Gareth Ainsworth doing cart-wheels, back flicks and bowing as he was felled for free-kicks
A game where it peed down non-stop and monsoon like on us and every City fan was soaked through from head to toe. I’ve only ever been wetter at a football match once in my life (Chelsea in the early 80’s) made worse as we were 2 up early on (Kevin Evans scoring a 30 yard cracker in front of us) but we ended up drawing.
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