Pitch Invasion!

It was interesting to read the comments of Ballymena Mayor Tommy Nicholl at last Saturday’s corporate dinner, when he hinted at further development plans for the Showgrounds. There was nothing too elaborate I have to say, the principal point being the long talked about demolition of the old O’Kane stand and the erection of a control tower in its place. So there wasn’t too much for the gathered audience to get excited about, although the Portadown fans who occupied four tables, were getting a bit carried away, to put it mildly. There had been a ‘jackanory’ doing the rounds that Stock car racing was finished at the Showgrounds, I took this news with a pinch of salt as I’ve heard it so many times before, but I was assured this time that the Stock cars would never have the use of the main Showgrounds complex again. Imagine my surprise when I read in the local papers this week that there is a massive Easter meeting with a full programme of races this Friday and Saturday. The Showgrounds pitch has been looking quite well recently and this Saturday sees United play their most important home game of the season, when their derby rivals, the Coleraine Scum, pay their seasonal visit. What chance does the pitch have of being in good condition when the stock cars blatantly use the pitch as an escape lane? Ballymena Borough council were supposedly quite annoyed at United losing the Irish cup semi-final, which went to Windsor Park. But how can they expect the footballing powers that be to take them seriously, when they allow these ‘people’ (I use this word in its loosest form, Hallions is much better word to my mind), to plough up the football pitch at their will? As the debate goes on about the proposed new National stadium at the Maze, maybe the council and the United board could be looking ahead and formulating plans to develop the Showgrounds as a reasonable alternative. Everybody and his Aunt knows that the ‘Maze’ is just a ‘white elephant’, it will never be built. The government will dilly and dally, until one of the big superstore chains comes along and offers them several million pounds for the site and that will be the end of the National stadium pipe dream. The government will of course blame everybody only themselves, but the crux of the matter will be that Northern Ireland will still be playing at an ever decreasing capacity ground, Windsor Park. Maybe if our council got their act together they could have plans to develop the Showgrounds, after all they wouldn’t have to actually do it, but they’d have to be ready. The first move in my opinion would be the relocation of the stock car track and the widening of the Showgrounds pitch. If they did this and set out plans for future development, then The I.F.A. would have to take them a bit more seriously!