Silverlands, National League North, 3/4/26
Buxton Football Club
Founded – 1877
Nickname– The Bucks
Honours – Northern Premier League; Premier Division – 2021/22. Division One – 2006/07 . President’s Cup – 1981/82 and 2006/07. Northern Counties East League 2005/06. President’s Cup 2004/05 and 2005/06. Cheshire County League– 1972/73. League Cup winners 1956/57, 1957/58 and 1968/69. Manchester League – 1931/32 League Cup -1925/26 and 1926/27 Derbyshire Senior Cup – 1938/39, 1945/46, 1956/57, 1959/60, 1971/72, 1980/81, 1985/86, 1986/87, 2008/09, 2011/12 and 2022/23
Random Fact – At 1,020 ft. above sea level Silverlands is the highest ground in the UK.
I have five loves in life and I like to think I live in a very simple world. The quintet is made up of the kids, the most amazing woman on the planet, reading, music and football. The first two being the the reason for living and are very much paramount. The others are leisure so the degrees of fondness varies massively between people and hobbies. Sometimes they mix but when you take football and music, they very rarely combine. There was one time I took a trip to Dukla Prague in December to purchase an away kit for Christmas (and watch a game). Ok it was not a Subbuteo team but an actual away top, but it was still a tribute to a great song by an choice band. This was nine years ago I visited the Juliska where I witnessed Teplice defeat the hosts 0 v 2. Today, although not a direct link, but music and fitba were to come together again…..
When I was in third year at academy I was loaned a copy of an album by the filthiest and most brilliant foul mouthed and piss taking band I had ever heard in my 14 years on the planet. The album, ‘An Orifice and a Genital’ , the band, The Macc Lads from Macclesfield. From here I wanted to hear more. Without realising at the at the time, ‘An Orifice….’ was an outtakes album and featured a song which was also found on ‘From Beer to Eternity’, a duplication I found strange. That song was ‘No Sheep til Buxton’, a tune mocking the Derbyshire town. After a look at the map I could see why this song would have been born given the proximity of Macclesfield and Buxton at just 11 miles between them. Local rivalry and all that.
On rivalry, The Bucks find themselves in the league with Macclesfield FC for the first time ever since the phoenix of Macclesfield Town emerged 6 years ago. But games v the now defunct Town were at a premium too over history. Rivalry may be true this season as anyone on your league is surely a rival, but on the whole maybe this could be a derby of local pride as opposed to a rivalry given the scarcity of matches between the Bucks and Macc new and old. Whatever it is, we set off early from Aberdeenshire at a time when only lorries were on the road to attend this after I spied the fixture on Scorebar.
After 6 1/2 hours on the road, many of which in torrential rain and 106 tunes on the Ipod we arrived in Derbyshire at an elevation 1034 feet above sea level, this would explain why our venue for the afternoon is the highest ground in the UK. The afternoon started off with a wander about the town and I was immediately taken with it. Of course you have the vape shop and Betfred but you have a load of cozy local businesses including an old school tobacconist/toy shop and days gone by sweetie shop. But the town seems to be full of pubs and eateries too. We settled on The Railway for lunch and the customary pints and J2Os. A tidy juicer which was full of fitba types heading to Silverlands. Nice folk behind the bar as was the mannie we spoke to outside. From here Wee Man wanted to watch warm ups so up Holker Road we headed. By up I mean up as the trajectory of the street felt like the travelator from Gladiators with a belly full of ale. So early we arrived at the ground the Macc players were not even out for the warm ups yet as The Buxton men were in the early stages if theirs. As we looked about Wee Man was gifted an Easter egg by a Buxton player which was immediately and inevitably devoured as I scoofed a pint in the terrace as we sheltered from the rain which had gradually got heavier over time. Despite there being 45 minutes to kick off the crowd was building to impressive levels. The away end which took up the whole far side wing was filling up with the short distance travellers from the west. As we were in the home end I chatted with a few of the locals and they were really friendly despite a couple of clear “what the fuck is that accent” type looks I was given. Just as the pub showed earlier the Buxtonians (is that what they are called?) are a sound bunch and very welcoming. I was enjoying this away day choice and armed with my new Buxton tourie I was a fully fledged Buck for the day. The game was action packed. An early goal set the tone when Buxton man Cian Coleman bent a brilliant effort across goal into the right hand side of the goal. It was one of those efforts you knew was goal bound as soon as it left his foot. Six minutes gone and we had a goal. Rare earliness compared to recent matches viewed on this current time hime from my work. But the lead was short lived as tricky Macc man Isaac Buckley-Rickets was upended in the box. A clear penalty despite the half arsed protestations from.the home side. Captain Paul Dawson stepped up and made no mistake from 12 yards this in the 13th minute. With a rare break in the weather we headed for a pie and let me tell you it was a delight. I once waxed lyrical about Wick Academy having carrot in their steak pies and how it just worked, Buxton do the carrot too. The gargantuan girthed pie was beautiful to taste but fell to bits unfortunately, (maybe why you are given a polystyrene tray) leaving me to rip my coffee cup up to act as a makeshift spoon. But as far as fine tasting pies this was up there. Back on the pitch Macclesfield were right back in this and took the lead via their captain Dawson who struck what looked a worm burner from the edge of the box, it looked tame and I could be wrong but Buxton keeper Young looked to get a hand to it but it was weak? It looked it from our vantage point. One thing that could not be doubted was the questionable defending that lead to it. A high ball was completely misjudged by Davidson letting Macclesfield in behind. On the Macclesfield captain how he did not walk for an elbow was criminal refereeing. As he went up for a challenge soon after his second goal , his arms were at his side then he lifted his arm pointing his elbow into the Buxton mans face. This was not arms up for leverage, it was arm up for malice. Incredibly the referee pulled him up and booked him. I would love to hear the reasoning behind it. How can such an action be deemed a yellow? But even on a booking the man was constantly chirping in the refs ear. I would have binned him but this ref just gave him chance after chance, while booking others for the same. His opposite number Burton for Buxton was then pulled up for a foul throw. A rarity to see but this was a seriously poor effort much to our amusement. The poor refereeing was not over for the half and Macclesfield were once again lucky not to lose a man when a clear pull back on a Bucks man who I reckon would have been clean through was totally ignored. By pull back I mean headlock. Truly terrible officiating
HT 1 v 2
Back in the bar saw more chat with the affable locals as I queued for a pint. I was genuinely loving how the day was panning out. There is a lot more to a day at the fitba than the action in the pitch and I was definitely becoming very fond of Buxton as a place in general.I do try to live by “treat others as you would like to be treated” and there is definitely a vibe of that in the Peak District. The second half saw a much better Bucks. They seemed more forceful with their attacks and they paid off ten minutes into the half when a cross from the left found George Ward with his back to goal in the middle of the box and with one touch spun losing all the defenders and finishing past Ravenhill who had no chance. Quality stuff. Wee Man and I were both in agreement that Buxton were looking good here and a win could be on the cards. Even the mannie who was watching from his window in an adjacent house got his missus to watch once the equaliser was in. Then against the run of play we were treated to a potential goal of the season contender. Step forward Elliot Osbourne who at the edge of the box took a defensive header down on his chest and followed up by unleashing a volley into the top corner. Although I was wanting a home win I couldnt help but be impressed with this fantastic strike. The goal knocked the stuffing out of the Bucks and five minutes later the away side grabbed another via Luke Duffy. Game over. The day had been brilliant so far, but it soured somewhat as the fourth goal opened the gate to the mutant zoo to our right and as bottle came across the segregation fence hitting me off the chest and up into my face. Plastic it may have been but with it being full with the lid on it rattled my jaw. This leaving Wee Man to shite himself and with good reason as it just missed him(hes 11 for the record). This as all the identikit floppy fringed alpaca wannabe Macc hard men clad in Stone Island and Lyle and Scott thought they were hard as fuck. I counted eight kids in my vicinity and these wee fannies across the fence thought they were tough guys as they continued to lob shit inclusive of vapes and snuss tins over the fence. (I hope Baggy Anne gets a hold of you lot). A local behind us checked if everything was ok (again Buxtonians are sound) and explained there is never trouble at Silverlands and Macclesfield have a chip on their shoulder about going bust and dying and are not even a historic rival(Matlock Town are for the record). We shifted away to the far side for the remainder but the goose was cooked for the Bucks unfortunately.
The day wasn’t finished and we headed for a pizza at La Gaby Pizzeria. Again really lovely people, who also squeezed us in without a booking and I am very much grateful they did as it was one of the best pizzas I have ever had the pleasure of eating. A superb feed and a great end to what was a bloody brilliant random fitba day out.
The Macc Lads may have been taking the piss back in 1989 but I tell you what Buxton is a magic place, one of the best I have visited in a long time. Decent ground, great folk, nice town. Well worth the 800 mile round trip. Maybe Congleton is not as bad as made out either.
Entrance – Me £15, Wee Man £5
Attendance – 2710 (official)
Pie – £8.50, pie, coffee,juice
Pint – £5.00, Deepdale, fan bar
Score Predictions – Me 1 v 1, Wee Man 2 v 1
Season Score Prediction Totals – Me 3 v 3 Wee Man
FITBAWBAG 