Written by Emma
Ground #49
Saturday 11th February 2023
NCEL Division 1 (Step 6)
Brigg Town 0 – 4 Ollerton Town
Attendance: 263
Entry: £5
Brigg Town FC were formed in 1864 making them one of the worlds oldest football teams. In 1959, they moved to The Hawthorns where they have played ever since. As you can imagine the club has had plenty of ups and downs over the years, the two highlights being their two FA Vase wins in 1996 and 2003.
In 2004, the club found themselves promoted into Step 4 of the non league pyramid, where they consolidated for 11 years before relegation back to NCEL Premier Division. This was the start of a complete free fall for the club as they were relegated three times in four seasons and found themselves playing in the Lincolnshire League in 2018. The club currently find themselves back one league higher and will be looking to climb back up the leagues to where they once were.
Todays game saw the Zebras come up against a club that we are very fond of, Ollerton Town, who were the first team we ever visited for this blog back in 2020. Both teams came into the game in good form and both will be hoping to continue this and attempt to grab a play off spot at the end of the season.
The game kicked off and we had only just taken our position in the terraced stand as Ollerton took the lead. It was an unexpected start, so unexpected that we didn’t see it! As the game continued, Ollerton remained on top and after 15 minutes thought they had a second but it was disallowed for a push in the back. Just a minute after this Brigg had their first real chance of the game. They also had the ball in the back of the net but this was disallowed as well.
After 25 minutes it was another huge chance for Ollerton but the shot was skied, Brigg were looking really poor at this point and we started to think Ollerton had to capitalise soon or they may live to regret it. Just 10 minute later Ollerton scored another but once again the celebrations were cut short due to an offside flag.
Right before half time, the visitors had another huge chance but a wonderful double save from the Brigg keeper kept it at 1-0. As the half time whistle sounded everyone couldn’t believe that it was only 1-0 as Ollerton had completely dominated.
Into the second half we went and just like in the first, Ollerton came out of the blocks quickly and a lovely lobbed finish gave them the second goal they more than deserved. Ten minutes later and they had a third! This time some unbelievable play on the wing saw the left back beat three players before placing an inch perfect cross onto the head of the striker who couldn’t miss.
With 15 minutes to go, another great Ollerton counter attack was denied by another great save, without the keeper this could have really been embarrassing for Brigg who were two seconds slower to every ball and really looked off the pace today.
Once again Ollerton wing back Lewis Murr beat his man as he had done all game and ran into the box, his cross was diverted in by the defender to complete a near perfect away performance from Ollerton who took a huge three points with the 4-0 victory.
Now to rate our day:
Location 8/10
Brigg is a market town in North Lincolnshire, 22 miles from Lincoln and just 6.8 miles from my hometown of Scunthorpe. The Hawthorns is a 10 minute walk from Brigg town centre where there are a variety of local pubs and restaurants including a Wetherspoons. The ground itself is located within a sports complex which includes tennis, hockey and multiple football pitches with ample parking.
Brigg does have a train station however it only runs three trains per day on a Saturday so you will probably have to drive to this one!
Kit 6/10
The Zebras,as you can imagine, play in black and white stripes with black shorts and red socks. The red numbers stand out well and this is usually one of our favourite colour combinations. For us though, the black line across the sponsor wasn’t to our taste and let down what could be a really nice kit.
One nice detail we did notice was that the league logo was printed onto the sleeve of the shirt. Something we haven’t seen at this level before.
Facilities 7/10
The clubhouse at The Hawthorns may seem small, but does have a bar in the middle with two rooms either side. The main bar is pitchside with a view into the ground. It does also offer a pool table and two dart boards for fans to kill time before kick off as well as 2 large screens showing sky sports.
It was nicely decorated and we noticed it has picture frames with photos and newspaper cuttings showing the history of the club for you to read up on. The bar is a good size although has a limited amount of seating meaning the majority of fans had to stand.
Look 8/10
The first thing you see when you get to the ground is the black and white corrugated metal fencing everywhere. As you walk towards the clubhouse it becomes maze-like and slightly confusing. We went into the bar before the game which has a view of the pitch, but you then have to leave the club house to get to the turnstiles via the beer garden as you queue past the kids play area.
Inside the ground, the black and white theme continues with the roof to the clubhouse and changing rooms matching the decor outside. If you didn’t know what colour the home side played in before you arrived, you certainly would by the time you get inside the ground!
On the clubhouse side are the 2 smallest stands, one with old style wooden seating and in the other you can find more comfort than you are used to at the football as they have sofas for you to relax and eat a burger on! Now that’s something we have never seen before!
Along the far side of the pitch is a permanent concrete, seated stand with one end having terraced standing which was something we haven’t seen before and a great addition. The stand contains around 300 seats with a great view of the pitch. We stood on the terracing for the full 90 minutes with Ollerton’s head of media Liam Kent and had a brilliant view of the action.
You can tell this ground isn’t brand new but that adds to its charm. Certainly a ground that deserves to be at a higher level.
Food and Drink 7.5/10
We saved ourselves for todays game to make sure we were hungry to taste what they had to offer. Perusing the menu we noticed they had a cheeseburger with onions and so ordered one each. We had to wait a while but when we did get the burger it was tasty and hit the spot! One of the thickest meatiest burgers we have had at the football. The only other option they had today was a steak pie so not a huge variety but still a good offering for the fans.
They had a good selection of drinks in the bar and with dark fruits on offer the extra half point has been given!
TOTAL SCORE : 36.5/50
We both had a great afternoon watching Brigg V Ollerton, made even better that my Dad and Grandad came along too! I am sure we will return to The Hawthorns again and also tick off that spoons! When we return Brigg will be definitely hoping to put in a better performance than they did today as they were completely out played by Ollerton in todays game.
The ground and club certainly deserve better than that, and with over 260 fans at today’s game they certainly have the support to take them higher. We will follow them with interest going forward to see if they can climb back up the leagues to where they once were.
If you would like to see where this places Brigg Town in our Non League Leaderboard click here: NON LEAGUE
If you’d like to see the football league grounds we have visited click here: The 92
Emma’s Ground Guide 