A cold and vibrant afternoon as The Pork Pie Army took on The Gingerbreads
I’m a poet and a football writer and this is an account of my first visit to Melton Town FC’s Sign Right Park as the Pork Pie Army took on local rivals Grantham Town.
This was a stirring encounter with a late penalty winning it for the ‘Pork Pie Army’ with a strike buried into the bottom corner of the net to send the home crowd into delirium.
The roar echoed through to the nearby housing estate as the rain came down in the cold early evening.
My first trip to the ground, and first time in the town for many a year, started more serenely, purchasing the obligatory Melton pork pie in the town’s famous pie shop.
Wrapped in paper, the treasure of the town found its way into the recesses of my ruck sack.
Some spend their days at the Etihad, Anfield or Old Trafford. But I was happy in Melton, with a pork pie in my bag.
From there, I walked to the ground, tucked away in the Melton Sports Village, behind a school.
With many fences, lanes and alleyways it was like walking a snakes and ladders board to the ground.
Once there, I talked with the club president and learned that the club used to be known as Melton Mowbray FC, formed in 2004 and then dropping the ‘Mowbray’.
He informed me that he started the club around the same time as giving up a Derby County season ticket, after The Rams played out a terrible season in which they collected just 11 points.
Melton have achieved many promotions but the club retains its intimate, family appeal as it moves up the football pyramid.
This was not the Premier League, but it has its own magic, and the place is like a treasure to the faithful.
The ornate Juke box in the clubhouse makes a real impression, with its bright colours, like something out of the ‘Grease’ movie.
It was Grantham, ‘The Gingerbreads’, who were, however, calling the tune early on when a Melton defender deflected a shot into the net.
Players from both sides were frequently falling, so much so that it looked like a game on ice as footing was lost on the skiddy 3G artificial pitch.
The sides traded goals and at 2-2 the game was set for its grandstand finale as rain lashed the ground.
Melton’s winning penalty was arrowed into the net before the scorer ran towards team-mates and their passionate fans under murky skies and in the sort of cold that snakes through layers.
This was non-league football at its finest – competitive, yet humble.
Grantham, in their shocking purple kit, were clearly devastated at the late loss for they did play some neat football at times.
But The Gingerbreads’ defence proved to be as crumbly as my Melton pork pie.
And as for my pickle-topped pork pie, it remained in the ruck sack as a memento of a cold, yet vibrant, afternoon.
You can pick up a copy of my book – ‘Return to the Hinterlands’ – from Waterstones in Nottingham or the National Football Museum in Manchester.
Turn to page 40 for a detailed match report on the game.