1st Matches of 2021-22 Season: 7th August 2021

[Robshep]

Got a ticket for saturday. First game in 17 months. It will be strange.

 

[denzel ecfc]

I'll be happy with a draw against Champions elect Bradford

 

[Essex2Wessex]

I'd like to think we'll beat Sutton, but who can say. I'm sure they will be going full out on their first EFL game. If they don't get worn out coming up the hill. But we should be in with a chance unless it all goes horribly wrong

It's really nice to see a "traditional", non-cash doped (I know) non-league team be promoted, anyway, perhaps the first since Stevenage? Dagenham? (Not counting Barrow as a traditional non-league team, of course).

Having been to all four League games with crowds at TNL last season, man, it's gonna be great to have away fans in too

 

[kieran_vale]

I'd like to think we'll beat Sutton, but who can say. I'm sure they will be going full out on their first EFL game. If they don't get worn out coming up the hill. But we should be in with a chance unless it all goes horribly wrong

It's really nice to see a "traditional", non-cash doped (I know) non-league team be promoted, anyway, perhaps the first since Stevenage? Dagenham? (Not counting Barrow as a traditional non-league team, of course).

Having been to all four League games with crowds at TNL last season, man, it's gonna be great to have away fans in too

Burton maybe? Always struck me as a club who do things the right way.

 

[Chris FGR]

Do Accrington count?

 

[shoddycollins]

Do Accrington count?

Mansfield?

 

[loz]

Feel a bit sorry for Hartlepool. Finally get back into the football league and their first match they have to cope with the teeming hordes travelling from Crawley.

A trip to Hartlepool first game of season is pretty good, done it twice. A couple of hours in a bar on the Marina and then the footy. With your journey, you can have a nice kip on the way home.

 

[Chief Rocka]

A trip to Hartlepool first game of season is pretty good, done it twice. A couple of hours in a bar on the Marina and then the footy. With your journey, you can have a nice kip on the way home.

It's probably the only fixture of the season were you lot can turn up in short sleeve tops, if you think Oldham is deathly cold wait till you've sat in The Vic

 

[loz]

I'll be happy with a draw against Champions elect Bradford

Are all of your posts as stupid as this?

 

[Greenacres]

I'd like to think we'll beat Sutton, but who can say. I'm sure they will be going full out on their first EFL game. If they don't get worn out coming up the hill. But we should be in with a chance unless it all goes horribly wrong

It's really nice to see a "traditional", non-cash doped (I know) non-league team be promoted, anyway, perhaps the first since Stevenage? Dagenham? (Not counting Barrow as a traditional non-league team, of course).

Having been to all four League games with crowds at TNL last season, man, it's gonna be great to have away fans in too

It will be nice to welcome back a former Rover, in Omar Bugiel, just loved his attitude and glad that he has another chance to play in the Football League after being deemed surplus to requirements by Mark Cooper.

It will be odd having away fans for a proper game, we did have a couple of hundred from Swansea last week...who were absolutely hilarious with their rendition of "It's coming home" and the Italian flag...can see that being a big hit next season when they face the likes of Millwall!

 

[denzel ecfc]

Are all of your posts as stupid as this?

Just been reading the Guardian

League Two 2021-22 season preview

Bradford should thrive under new manager Derek Adams but relegated Swindon and Rochdale could face more struggle

www.theguardian.com

 

[The Terminator]

Nerdford away first game, perfect symmetry after it was our last game of last season.

I am going in hope rather than expectation, I don't think we're anywhere near ready to be thinking about beating them. I'm expecting us to lose 1-0 but to put up a good fight.

Attacking wise I think we will take a while to get going. Harry Smith is shit and injured - he hasn't even played a single friendly as he's still recovering from injury, Aaron Drinan is also shit and injured. Paul Smyth is 50/50 to play.

Alot is going to ride on the shoulders of Dan Kemp - Who has impressed since arriving from West Ham and Ruel Sotiriou who has shown alot of promise - but he needs a run in team, as last season he kept getting injured and never found any form and ended up missing the final 4 months of the season.

I think we can have a good season, which means a playoff challenge at the very least. This season under Jackett will be more about laying good foundations to push on next season I'd say.

Losing Danny Johnson was a blow, but we did manage to keep Lawrence Vigouroux at the very least.

Not been to Manchester since December 2019 or had an away day out since February 2020, will feel odd after 12 months of watching streams in empty stadiums and actually having to get up early to go to games again.

 

[AdamStag]

i’m pleased we’re playing someone like bristol rovers who’ll bring a crowd and make a noise rather than some other dull side from down south who'd bring 50 fans.

Should be a decent game, think we’re all the same of where we’re all happy to be back and hope it carries on, there’s no appetite from anyone to go back to lockdown etc.

both teams seems well fancied by the bookies though opening game results mean little

 

[Casey]

A trip to Hartlepool first game of season is pretty good, done it twice. A couple of hours in a bar on the Marina and then the footy. With your journey, you can have a nice kip on the way home.

There's a coach going and we have a few fans up north but I start work at 6pm so, unfortunately, I will not be making my second trip to Hartlepool.

Casey

 

[Dale4ever]

So, just 4 days until kick off, and absolutely no communication with fans from Harrogate on whether we can even attend. No ticket news. Nothing. Utterly shambolic at this stage. Fans will have spent money on travel/hotels in advance.

 

[Conker]

Why wouldn’t you be able to attend? Shocking from Harrogate to be fair.

 

[Albru17]

Well if it wasn't for the mad staycation traffic I would be there. I lived in Cornwall for 15 years and used to visit SJP 5/6 times a season, as alternative to 800 mile round trip to Bradford. Used to be some cracking local pubs around the ground.

As for the game, ex-Plymouth manager should add spice! We have had a great pre-season, but that usually counts for little. We have a generally poor first game record, so a draw would be fine.

 

[AdamStag]

So, just 4 days until kick off, and absolutely no communication with fans from Harrogate on whether we can even attend. No ticket news. Nothing. Utterly shambolic at this stage. Fans will have spent money on travel/hotels in advance.

you’ll be their 1st ever league game with fans, maybe they don’t know what to do! haha

 

[shoddycollins]

So, just 4 days until kick off, and absolutely no communication with fans from Harrogate on whether we can even attend. No ticket news. Nothing. Utterly shambolic at this stage. Fans will have spent money on travel/hotels in advance.

Oh don't expect any communication from Harrogate. The pitch could be under 5 foot of water and they'd just be keeping the information under wraps hoping it would sort itself out in time for kick-off.

 

[Dale4ever]

https://thestrayferret.co.uk/council-17-unacceptable-risks-at-harrogate-town-forced-us-to-ban-fans/

Conker

To be fair they've only had a year to get their ground up to scratch since promotion .

 

[GEORGE]

https://thestrayferret.co.uk/council-17-unacceptable-risks-at-harrogate-town-forced-us-to-ban-fans/

To be fair they've only had a year to get their ground up to scratch since promotion .

Is it all fans banned or just away supporters ?

 

[Dale4ever]

Is it all fans banned or just away supporters ?

As it stands only home supporters with a season ticket can attend.

No other tickets for Harrogate fans who only attend a hand full of games say, or away fans. It's truly shambolic at this stage for nothing to have been announced. I know of a few Dale fans who have spent on train tickets/hotels. Who will be covering the cost of this should we not actually be allowed in on Saturday?

 

[Dale4ever]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1422479773570379788

Some great replies on this.

 

[Dale4ever]

Oh don't expect any communication from Harrogate. The pitch could be under 5 foot of water and they'd just be keeping the information under wraps hoping it would sort itself out in time for kick-off.

Sounds believable at this stage.

 

[GEORGE]

As it stands only home supporters with a season ticket can attend.

No other tickets for Harrogate fans who only attend a hand full of games say, or away fans. It's truly shambolic at this stage for nothing to have been announced. I know of a few Dale fans who have spent on train tickets/hotels. Who will be covering the cost of this should we not actually be allowed in on Saturday?

Probably will be the lowest gate of the day.

 

[Reremnart]

https://thestrayferret.co.uk/council-17-unacceptable-risks-at-harrogate-town-forced-us-to-ban-fans/

Conker

To be fair they've only had a year to get their ground up to scratch since promotion .

They have been a FL club for 15 months yet they have not even got the basics sorted out. Even allowing for Covid that is absolutely shocking. Talk about tin pot.

 

[shoddycollins]

Sounds believable at this stage.

Well we had a match called off down there last season after their pitch froze and they did fuck all about it. Presumably there would have been an early pitch check if they'd informed the FA that the pitch had froze overnight. I know we have pretty low expectations of competency from the FA but I assume that if the FA knew the pitch was like an ice rink in the morning they would say a check was required, but they waited for the match officials to arrive, and then when the officials missed a frozen section in the pitch they kept schtum until the match kicked off and we noticed the issue. They then had the cheek to blame us for wanting the match abandoned and ruining the fan's day. There were fans at that match so they have had fans at a league game before.

 

[Essex2Wessex]

They had fans in when we played them too, just don't think they've had away fans in since pre-COVID days, and I understand a fair bit of the away area is new and has never been used. No excuse for their incompetence and lack of communication though!

 

[The Terminator]

This Harrogate situation reminds me of when we first went there in 2018, their first season at National League level and how they didn't seem to handle a larger than usual crowd well.

With both clubs at the time 1st and 2nd in the league, we took around 800 fans and they decided not to segregate the two sets of fans. This led to disagreements during the game, a fight in the bar at half time, a load of our fans constantly giving their bench alot of "friendly banter" which the home fans didn't like particularly, this led to Simon Weaver and Paul Thirwell eventually biting at the stick they were getting (And making the sitution worse) after our fans kept on suggesting his players were diving and at the end of the game it all felt a bit tense, even though we ran out comfortable 3-0 winners.

I couldn't help but think if a more aggressive and lively away fanbase had gone there that day, it could've been alot worse. The security there just seemed under prepared and shit.

 

[denzel ecfc]

For those wondering why I am so pessimistic at the moment, even our own manager states this:
"So we cannot expect too much from Saturday but we do expect them to compete.”

Whilst we have signed a few players those we have lost have not yet been replaced. To lose Randall, Bowman, Williams, Taylor, Ward and numerous others is a blow. We also have Collins, Hartridge and possibly Jay out injured.

Hopefully things will improve in the coming weeks but as it stands, player for player, we are way behind Bradford.