retiredmartin

January 2025. Gainsborough.

Only five minutes walk from the Eight Jolly Brewers to the Trinity’s ground; I know CAMRAs who’d have taken a taxi.

It’s a grim quarter of a mile, Gainsborough’s market square looking particularly unloved.

But as Will noted, there’s some loveable old buildings, and I haven’t even touched on the Old Hall itself.

And there’s some impressive vehicles, probably the Macclesfield transport,

just across from Trinity FC.

Northolme has a convoluted claim to fame, and it was here in 1896 that Gainsborough ground out a 1-1 draw with Manchester City in their first home league match, Haaland guilty of a glaring miss no doubt.

The Blues Club is a GBG regular, and let me now admit that on my ticking visit a while back I assumed the “blues” was of the Gary Moore variety rather than the “Holy Blues” that play kickball.

Two rooms. Two the right, very social club, young lads running around, quality keg line-up/

The hand pump has no clip, but a sign says “Exmoor Ale“. Actually the sign in the lounge says “Exmoor Real Ale“, a beer not recorded on What Pub and therefore likely to send Will’s notebook into meltdown.

The barmaid disappears to fetch our halves (sorry) of Somerset’s finest, and with kick-off five minutes away we wonder where exactly she’s gone; there’s no working pump to be seen. Wiveliscombe, maybe ?

Will wonders how it gets in the Guide when the 8JB doesn’t, I chastise him for questioning the judgement of local CAMRA. Wherever it’s come from, the Exmoor is decent enough. Even in a plastic cup.

Right, let’s pay our £13 and admire Robbie Savage’s hair.