Brunton Park is run-down and expensive but, for the Carlisle fans who have spent their lives in its stands, the stadium also can’t be replaced.
Brunton Park has been Carlisle Unit-ed’s home for over 100 years, now hold-ing the distinction of having the largest capacity of any Football League stadium which is not all-seated. Carlisle supporters haven’t had much to celebrate in recent years, so this minor claim to fame gives us a small measure of pride.
The ground’s heritage status has been underlined in recent years, its terraces passing as 1950s Old Trafford in a Busby Babes TV drama, and 1980s St James’ Park in a commercial. The ground’s traditional and historic nature evokes a deep link to past glories and miseries. Squint through the Cumbrian drizzle at the Main Stand and terraced Paddock (dating from 1953) and you can imagine yourself back in the 1970s, watching Hugh McIlmoyle spearheading the club’s only season in the top flight. Look again and you could even see him in his regular seat in the stand.
My time watching Carlisle started shortly after that season and in that stand, where I’d sit with my dad surrounded by old timers with their rugs and flasks and soak up their wisdom. Three sides of the ground have remained largely unchanged since, with only the east side redeveloped and now home to what is still considered the “new stand”, despite opening in 1996.
This story is from the February 2018 edition of When Saturday Comes.
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This story is from the February 2018 edition of When Saturday Comes.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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