It’s been a full month since our last grand day out, most of which had been spent watching out for the postman. Was my minor indiscretion at a bright red traffic light on the way to Boreham Wood caught on camera, and would the festive police be sending me a Christmas card to congratulate me on my near perfect driving? It made the build up to the festive season far more interesting. In the end though, as often happens with greetings cards, it appeared to be lost in the post… So, we set off on our 119-mile journey south, passing the scene of the crime for the first time since, with a clean slate and a couple less passengers. The others had unexpectedly made alternative travel arrangements, perhaps fearing a repetition. Do they not like excitement???
With it being that strange time between Christmas and New Year, and as we had no idea of what day of the week it actually was, we were mightily relieved to find a decent chippy open. For £3.00 you could have a regular portion, but the special festive offer got you a bucket load of hot tasty chips for just £3.50. Something to set you up on a chilly December evening and an offer too good to miss.
With traffic lighter than normal due to the time of year, we rolled into the car park in plenty of time. Adult admission to the seats in the main stand was a complex £22.50 in advance, which included a mandatory online booking fee of £1.50. If you were feeling flush, you could turn up on the night and pay £23 in the ticket office and have the moral high ground of avoiding the booking fee. Dressed for the arctic conditions, with thermals, fleeces, and new Town bobble hats, we made our way into the ground for what was likely to be a tricky fixture.
The Shaymen started the first half in complete control earning a corner within the first minute, soon afterwards, another corner resulted in our first goal, scored at the bottom end of the sloping 3G pitch. Town dominated the first half, scoring again midway though, in perhaps the most one-sided half we’d seen this season. It was fun being in the stand adjacent to the locals, one Santa look-a-like wasn’t best pleased with our delight, perhaps a little disgruntled after his side’s Boxing Day 7-1 defeat and keen to share his annoyance with us. We of course, expressed every sympathy, and before long he was led away by a friend to down another sherry, our additional unexpected entertainment had come to a premature end.
In the second half, Town kicked towards the impressive following of 178 travelling Shaymen. It was more competitive in terms of a contest, but in all honestly the half was well managed without any real drama. Only the referee kept us active with his late distribution of festive cards. Tamworth was a shadow of the team that had pushed us so hard back in February, and it was a thoroughly deserved away win on a very cold night.
2025 hasn’t been a bad year for watching the Shaymen on the road, we’ve had ten league wins and have had a good first half of the season, now sitting just outside the play-off positions. At home, the new pitch has really helped with the quality of football, and the team are keen to get forward and create plenty of chances. We’re in the next round of the Trophy and will have an additional opportunity to progress in the National League cup too. 2026 will certainly be another entertaining year watching the Shaymen.
Next up and we’re off to the wonderful Forest Green Rovers and the chance to sample once again their vegan delights. Happy New Year.
C’mon Shaymen
Miles on the road: 4438. Goals on the road: 16 Points on our travels 16
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