Retford FC are Champions of the League and local bragging rites.

An intriguing Easter deby beckoned me to Retford on Easter Monday. Retford United second in the league were at home to near rivals Retford FC. Retford FC sat top of the table with United second, Retford needing the minimum of a draw to be champions and United needing to win the match and their last fixture and hope that their rivals slipped up in their final game.

Retford United’s ground is on the edge of town and although it bosts a large car park and overflow parking area many ha8d parked by the side of the road as we approached. Having previously purchased a ticket we missed the turnstile and were let in at the back of the ground.

It was a beautiful clear day with a  vivid blue sky and little wind. Still being at the beginning of April it was only 16.5 degrees.  United’s ground has a character and history and is well kept and tidy. Despite it being nearly the end of the season the flat grass pitch still had a lot of cover.

The large crowd of 1080 were scatered around the ground. Most were on the two banks either side of the covered seated stand or on the opposite side around the food kiosk, club house and changing rooms.  On the same side hamburgers were being cooked on an open grill.

One end has covered standing and the other is open.

I have written extensively before about how these two teams were formed so I will not add to it here. For a town that has a population circa 24000 it does very well to maintain these two sides and draws such good crowds.

Retford United 2 Retford FC 2

Monday 6th Apri 2026, 15.00 pm kick off.

United Counties League Division 1
Cannon Park, Leverton Road, Retford, Nottinghamshire, DN22 0DR.

2nd v 1st, Badgers v Choughs

United; Black and white vertical striped shirts, black shorts. Goalkeeper in all red
Retford FC; All orange strip,  Goalkeeper in all fluorescent green/yellow.

Considering there was much to play for the first 20 minutes were a bit dull as both teams were cagey looking for an opening.

This all changed in the space of five minutes starting on the 27th minute when a long high free kick from within the choughs half sailed over everyone except for Liam Bennett who unmarked stooped at left hand post to nod the ball down and into far cornerof the goal for the lead.

Four  minutes later a long ball to the right lead to a tustle inside the penalty area and with both players falling over the referee awarded a soft penalty.  This was expertly dispatched when Rory Coleman sent the keeper the wrong puting the ball in the top left corner of the net.

With the two goal lead it looked all over, but the Badgers rallied and started to pressure, and eight minutes later their number 10 made space to shoot but his shot hit the post, rebounded to him and his cross was headed in at the far left post by Ross David.

With half time just a whistle away, Woodward in goal for the home side kept a shot out by a fully stretched dive to the right and parried the ball behind for a corner. Retford FC could have been out of sight but at half time it was anyone’s game.

United started the second half with a purpose and switched ton playing the ball along the ground rather than long high balls forward that were just meat and drink for the big back four to head clear.

The different tactic paid off and the Badgers forced corners but didn’t draw level until the 58th minute when Ross David was tripped and he easily scored from the penalty spot.

United kept up some pressure but substitutions meant larger players were now up front and the high ball again played into the Choughs hands and they took back control. Retford FC controlled the last 20 minutes with injuries, substitutions and clever play.

With only minutes left the players surprisingly walked to the side for a drinks break. Perhaps everyone had decided that the game was going to be a draw.

A fantastic result for the Choughs who became champions and look forward to life in the Premier Division North next season. United have to go again in the play offs but on the back of an eight game unbeaten run they should be well set.

Despite the large crowd the two staff manning the food kiosk were working like lightening. My chips were a good portion, hot, golden, tasty, not greasy but very crunchy. Had the chips been cooked more than once? A score of 62.

I finally made it to Ashby Ivanhoe.

After the morning game in Baslow I headed south to Ashby de la Zouch via Loughborough to watch my second game of Non-League-Day. I have tried to see a game at Ashby Ivanhoe at least three times before but have always been thwarted by the weather and the resulting postponement.

It was still cold in Ashby made worse by the biting wind. The ground is out of town and id bordered by the A42 a major cross midlands road route. There was a large car park and it was filling and in the ground 242 fans had turned up, Ashby’s second largest gate of the season. This was their third game of the week as they catch up on their backlog of fixtures and try to move away from the relegation places which at the moment they are just avoiding.

The pitch was of grass, mainly flat, with a slight side to side slope, and with some areas being worn and heavily sanded. Walking through the entrance you soon notice that everything is compact at one end of the ground. There is a clubhouse with an outside awning for extra seating and a food shack that faces it. In front of these is a seated stand right behind the goal where we sat and found it an unusual view being so close to the goalkeeper. Next to this stand is a covered standing area. One end and side is open, the side onto some training and junior pitches. The other side has the two dugouts and another compact covered seated stand that looked as if it was for officials only.

Ashby Ivanhoe were formed in 1948 playing initially in local leagues and moved up to the East Midlands Counties League in 2018 and a year later to the Midland League. League reorganisations and on field performances moved them further up the league ladder in 2023.

There was an original Newark FC in 1886 but by the second world war they had disbanded . Briefly resurrected in the 1970’s it’s current form dates to 1991. Since joining the Nottinghamshire Alliance in 1997 they have progressed through the Central Midlands League and up to the Premier Division, North, of the United Counties League. It is a community owned club and now plays in very modern community facilities.

Ashby Ivanhoe FC 1 Newark Town FC 3

Saturday 28th March 2026, United Counties Football League League, Premier Division North.

Ashby Ivanhoe FC, Lower Packington Road, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, LE65 1TS

16th v 4th, The Knights v The Blue Army

Ashby Ivanhoe, Light and dark blue vertical striped shirts with two white stripes in the middle of the front with a red stripe in between and dark blue shorts. Goalkeeper in black shorts with a green and black vertical striped top.

Newark; Pink shirts with black shorts, the goalkeeper in all orange.



The first 30 minutes of the game had no pattern and neither side dominated and the crowd seemed more interested in chatting to each other.

It came alive though on 33 minutes when William Robson was set up by a pass along the ground ground pass from the left. He gave the home side the lead with his left foot stroking the ball across the goalkeeper into the right hand corner of the net.

Both teams came alive with Ashby looking comfortable. However right on half-time, from out of a group of players on the edge of the box Tristan Drummond smashed the ball into top left hand corner of the net for the equaliser.

Ivanhoe came out in the second half with renewed vigour but after 16 minutes they fell behind,for the first time, when Harry Allcock, against run of play, on the edge of the box, and his back to goal, turned,  swivelled his left foot and put the ball to the left of the keeper.

Only seven minutes later a corner from the left was headed on to centre of the goal where Harry Allcock, again, unopposed, headed  the ball home, to the right.

Ashby now looked a beaten team as Newark controlled the game to the end, which felt like it was never coming, with the referee adding on many minutes that didn’t appear to have been needed.

Ashby should survive this season but their end of season glut of games does not help their cause. Newark by contrast will have been happy to increase their play off chances. Talking of end of season, it’s always amazing that once we reach the New Year, a few postponements, and the season is almost over. Where has it gone.

The chips were a large portion, hot, crispy, perhaps too crispy, a bit greasy gaining a good score of 63. Mine were quite thin but later others were walking by with much fatter chips, must have been a different bag. You can see that I forgot to take a picture of the chips before I ate them!

The many seasons in Baslow.

I returned to Baslow, to this time see a football match at this picturesque football ground.

On the same day that the clocks went forward one hour in the UK to welcome British Summer time, it was a cold start and my car temperature gauge told me it was getting colder as I approached this edge of the Peak District village. The temperature was 5 degrees but this didn’t seem to worry the lambs running about on the hill field opposite. It didn’t warm up during the game either and although summer beckoned, we had sleet, rain, a cold wind and some sunshine in the time I was there. Although the biting strong wind was not appreciated, at least it meant that the black, dark grey and white clouds scuttled by, occasionally giving some blue sky, sun and some welcome warmth.

I had come to see a table top clash between Hammer and Pincers and Thurgoland Welfare in the Sheffield and District Fair Play League.

This League is for teams who play within a 12 mile radius of Ponds Forge in Sheffield and normal kick off time is 10.30 am on a Saturday Morning. The Hammers and Pincers is a pub in the West of Sheffield and Thurgoland Welfare is situated in Thurgoland north of the city on the road to Penistone.

Hammer and Pincers 1 Thurgoland Welfare 2

Sheffield and District Fair Play League, Baslow Sports Field, Church Lane, Baslow, Bakewell, DE45 1SP.

Saturday 28th March 2026, 10.30 am kick off. Ist V 3rd

Hammer and Pincers,Orange and black vertical striped shirts with black shorts. Goalkeeper in purple top with black shorts

Thurgoland Welfare, Blue shirts with red shoulders and sleeves and red shorts with goalkeeper in all black.

The Kick off was 3 mins late waiting for ref, and with the teams even in the first 20 minutes it was the hail, rain, sun and wind that were the feature.
It was noticeable that the teams had a wide variety of ages but were competitive and a much higher skill level than I had expected. The home team made more passes but either the away keeper thwarted them or they were shy to shoot near to goal.

After a corner to H&S on 37 minutes Thurgoland quickly broke away down field, leaving the home keeper exposed to parry a fierce shot diving to his left, only for another Thurgoland attacker to nip in and place the ball into the net.

Despite Hammer and Pincers having more of the ball in the first half they went in behind at the break.

Feeling very cold a Sausage Roll and coffee on offer as a special at £4.75 revived me for the second half. The cafe at the Sports Field is open for on most days and offers a great place to relax.

Into the second half, and the home team were again shading the posesion and hit the intersection of the cross bar and upright on 20 minutes. Seven minutes later they equalised when their number 12 who had played well all game, held the ball and slipped it through to the overlapping umber 3 who put it underneath the goalkeeper into the left hand corner of the net.

With the game ebbing and flowing and full time beckoning Thurland’s number 11, from 30 yards out, just hit the ball into the top right hand corner of the goal. He celebrated with joy, not surprising as it would have been a goal of the month on ‘Match of the Day’.

Hammer had no time to get an equaliser and the two teams will resume their rivalry in a few weeks at Thurgoland in the League and at Doncasters Keepmoat Stadium in the final of the cup.

Great venue, great cafe, great football and an amazing winner. Up until then my man of the match would have been Hammer and Pincers 17 year old goal keeper.

I’ll watch more of this level of football in the future.

Being Non-League Day and an early finish I moved on to another game.


Non-League Day, March 28th 2026

Tomorrow is Non-League Day, now, in its 16th year, this annual event that coincides with an Internationals weekend is an opportunity to showcase the importance of affordable, volunteer led, community football outside of the four major English Leagues. If you can look up your local club and go and support them  they will appreciate it and welcome you, and it will help to keep one aspect of grass roots football alive.

Hopefully I can take in two games tomorrow, fingers crossed.

Rotherham United have a bad weekend.

Having missed football  last week I decided this week to go to Rotherham to watch a match. I chose to see Rotherham United’s Women’s team play SJR Worksop Women in the fifth tier of English football. Women’s football has now established itself with the performances of our national side and European results of our top level club teams. The game at lower levels also now has a structure for teams to progress as I recently found out by this chart published on the Clapton FC Bluesky feed.

Rotherham United play at the Rotherham Hospice Community Stadium, also home to Parkgate FC and next door to Rotherham United’s’ training ground.  Immediately inside I was met by some enthusiastic helpers who were running a tombola, with Easter themed prizes, goodie bags for children and stickers. I didn’t win an Easter egg but consoled myself with a coffee and a Fry’s Chocolate Cream, something I hadn’t eaten in decades. Enjoyable but very sweet.

The crowd was approaching 100 and were scattered in the covered seated area behind the goal, the covered standing area on one side and an open area around the dug outs. It was very relaxed in the warm 16 degrees despite the grey overhead sky. The pitch here is of grass and it looked lush with little wear.

With only 10 teams in the league this was Rotherhams last home game of the season and before the game a shirts was awarded to Sidni Simmons for her 100 appearance for the home team which sounded like a great achievement.

Rotherham United Women  1 SJR Worksop Women 5

Sunday 22nd March 2025,  14.00 kick off. Attendance approximately 100.

Rotherham Hospice Community Centre, Roundwood Sports Complex, Green Lane, Rawmarsh, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, S62 6LA.

East Midlands Region Football League Premier.

Rotherham United; Red shirts with white arms and collars, red shorts.
Goalkeeper in all purple.
SJR Worksop; Black and white vertical striped shirts with black shorts. Goalkeeper in fluorescent yellow top and black shorts.

In the first 20 minutes Rotherham looked dangerous down either wing but SJR come closest with shots resulting from two corners. There was no shirking of tackles by the home defence and they started to dominate play. This domination didn’t lead to creating chances and just before half time they went behind. A corner on the left was not dealt with by the Rotherham defenders and it fell to an SJR player who put it into the top of the net.Rotherham went in at half time wandering how they were behind.

It suddenly became worse for the Millers when with just 2 mins gone after the restart a mistake between Rotherham defenders and goalkeeper meant the ball came out sideways for an away forward to left foot strike it into open goal.

Injuries meant that Rotherham lost their two central defenders but after 10 minutes since the restart a substitute, on the right, outpaced everyone, and put in a beautiful cross which was saved at far post by the goalkeeper, but squeezed in by a Rotherham attacker in a huddle.

A lady now came round with cupcakes, left over from the tombola, as I sat relaxed in the family feel of the occasion which was being watched by all ages and sexes. But there was no relaxing by SJR, another mix up between the Rotherham goalkeeper and defenders, outside the area on left, let the away teams winger clip the ball across the ground for an on coming forward to tap the ball into an open net for a three one lead.
SJR were now in total control and continued to drive forward despite tiring legs on both sides.SJR Worksop added a forth when their number 11, who had a stand out game, lifted the ball over the goalkeeper from 20 yards out on the left into the top right hand corner of the net. A fifth was added when they drove forward with five minutes remaining.

100 percent effort was given by everyone and the Worksop team showed that although still in the relegation zone they could well pull clear if they continue to play with this spirit in their remaining 5 games.

Not a good weekend for Rotherham United, with their men’s team losing three nil and being in the relegation places in League One.

The good news is that over the road from the New York Stadium where the mens team play, CF Booth, a major metals recycler, was bought out of administration by local firm Ron Hull Junior saving 28 jobs. Ron Hull’s name has now been added to the ex CF Booth buildings. However I noticed as I passed by that the name has not been added to the old Millmoor Stadium. It was a falling out with the Booth family that lead to he club moving from the stadium and becoming nomads until their new ground was built. Now that the ground is controlled by someone else will the Dereck Dalton Clock, a symbol of the old ground to the fans, be moved to the New York Stadium.

A tale of two football grounds.

An early start on Saturday morning to take in a football match that kicked off at 10.30. I had driven to the picturesque village of Baslow, on the edge of the Peak District and next to Chatsworth House p⁰ark boundary.

I was there to see a game in the Sheffield and District Fair Play League, a league I had recently noticed. There were plenty of cars in the car park but after a chat with the groundsman I was told that the game had been moved to a 3G pitch at Fir Park in Sheffield, kick off 8.30 because the Baslow pitch was being used for an over 45’s cup semi-final kick off at 13.30 pm. I had come to see the league leaders Hammers and Pincers play. Hammers and Pincers is a pub, one of a major chain of pubs, in the south west of Sheffield, not too far from Baslow. There were no up to date internet content from either of the two teams to say about the change and the F.A. official website for the league was still showing that the game was in Baslow at 10.30. I have found this frustration regarding F.A. local football websites before, and with all of the income that they have, feel that they could put more money into this service to support grass roots football and its fan base to keep everything up to date.

The groundsman was very helpful and explained that the pitch was used by six teams of which the three senior teams contribute a few thousand pounds each season to help provide for its upkeep. The ground itself is idyllic, just off the road next to The Cavendish Hotel, named ‘Hotel of the Year’ by the Times and Sunday Times in their best places to stay in the UK guide 2025. It is within Baslow Sports Field, which from what I could see had football pitches, floodlit tennis courts, a bowling green and a cricket square with many trees on site. The football pitch is beautifully flat and looked ready for the afternoons game. I now had the dilemma of what to do ? Luckily next to the football pitch/cricket pitch are the changing rooms and a cafe. So after a coffee and a piece of flapjack I decided to return home, regroup, and head off to Derby to visit Graham Street Prims FC, table toppers of the Central Midlands League, Premier Division South.

I miss calculated here also, in that Derby County were at home, and traffic was nose to tail until I neared Borrowash where the ground was located.

The contrast was immediate, driving past the turning because there was no signage for the club, eventually after going past a derelict old social club, I parked in the vast poorly surfaced car park, I was confused. There was a concrete fenced area with floodlights to my right and a wooden fenced area with floodlights to my left. In between was muddy grass where kitted players were warming up, and a rugby match in play in the distance. Heading for the rugby match I noticed that the wooden fencing on the left had fallen down and there were some people in the far corner. That turned out to be the entrance and I paid my entrance fee although I think I could have just gone and sat down.

The whole ground seemed to have an air of neglect, the fencing problems, no signage, the perimeter railing looked not to have been painted for some time, a small area in a portacabin for a coffee and Kitkat, some covered standing area in the centre of one side of the ground and a small seated area to one side, behind one goal. The locals however were friendly and chatty. If Graham Street Prims win their league this season it will need a great deal of effort to achieve the ground standards to progress higher. It was a cool but pleasant 9 degrees looking over the flat well preserved grass pitch.

The Prims were originally formed in 1904 but have during their history had times when they have not played. A 1953 reformation led to success in local Derby and East Midlands leagues. The current club dates from 1995 restarted after a 4 year lull. The ownership of the old Asterdale Club, now up for sale again, and local planning rules, leave the future of the football club open to conjecture.

Their opponents were Stapenhill Reserves in the League Cup third round. Stapenhill FC have been in existence since 1947 and ten years later joined senior football ranks in the Leicestershire leagues before competing in Midlands based leagues, with the first team currently playing in the Midland League. They play at Maple Grove, Stapenhill, Burton on Trent. The reserve team are currently second in the Central Midland League Division 2 South and have been surprise achievers to reach the third round of the Buckinghams Cup.Buckinghams are a regional insurance brokers and have been long term sponsors of local Non-League football.

Graham Street Prims 5 Stapenhill Reserves 2

Saturday 7th March 2026 15.00 pm Kick Off.    Buckingham Insurance Challenge Cup Third Round.

The Fred Harding Ground, The Asterdale, Borrowash Road, Spondon, Derby DE21 7PH

Graham Street Prims 1st inThe Central Midlands League Premier Division South v Stapenhill Reserves 2nd in the CML Division 1 South. Prims v Swans.   Attendance 21

GMP; Red and white vertical striped shirts with black shorts, goalkeeper in all grey.

Stapenhill; Royal blue shirts with white diagonal flashes with royal blue shorts, goalkeeper in green top and grey shorts.

The home team went on the attack from the start and after only 5 minutes took the lead when the away keeper saved one shot only for it to reach Marcus Thomas who swung his left foot and put it into the corner of the net. Stapenhill now steadied after their nervy start and posed threats to equalise, but they fell further behind when from out of the blue Blaise Duruaka, hit a 20 yard shot into the top left hand corner of the goal. The away keeper was kept busy and made a great save with his legs when a Prims striker was clean through. As the half neared its conclusion Stapenhill clawed themselves back into the game when Will Baker chipped the goalkeeper from the front edge of the goal area. Stapenhill were back in it as they left the field at half time but the home team must have rued their missed chances.

The Stapenhill goal just before half time had given them heart against their higher league rivals and the game swung from end to end. However the contest was over when 27 minutes into the second half Blaise Duruaka, again, scored by outpacing the defence and the advancing goalkeeper, to walk the ball in. Two minutes later Tristan Elson swept the ball over the goal line after four chance, one of which had hit the post. A player from each side was sent off on 80 minutes for offences I did not see.With five minutes left Alex Seale made it five when unmarked ⁰ he rifled the ball home. Stapenhill not to be out done managed a second consolation goal when Musa Jeng scored on 88 minutes.

Certainly an interesting day and two contrasting locations. The football was competitive and good too.

There were no chips and a coffee and Kitkat had to suffice.

Mucky Boots, Triumphs Trials and Tragedies of a Football Club Owner.

Mucky Boots – Kevin McCabe with Peter Beeby

Published by Pitch Publishing 2024

This was a very interesting and informative book written in a style that was easy to read and follow.

It covers Kevin McCabe’s journey with Sheffield United since an early age, living in Sharrow, Sheffield, the area in which Bramall Lane is situated.

The most fascinating time was when he was Chairman and Joint Chairman of the club. A period of promotion to the Premier League, subsequent demotions, and then a rise again to the top division.

The journey is littered with the hiring and firing of managers of the team and club when results on and off the pitch did not match the investment put in. But there were fantastic managerial successes on the pitch with Neil Warnock and Chris Wilder and off it with Dereck Dooley.

I gained the opinion that he was often too loyal to people who let him down and with him living for a long period of time abroad, was too trusting of some. While hands on in his very successful property business he wanted and needed some one to trust or perhaps he was unable to let decisions be made by others.

What is fascinating are the major events that occurred during his reign and caused Sheffield United to have been high up in the public limelight for off field events rather than on the pitch. The best examples of these are the Carlos Tevez affair that the FA favoured West Ham and meant United were relegated, the Ched Evans court cases that generated a lot of bad press and finally the lost court case with Prince Abdullah, who Kevin McCabe had brought into the club to effect an exit for himself but ended up in a disappointing end to his involvement. There is also a chapter on the expansion into owning other international clubs which depending on your view were a success or a distraction.

Kevin McCabe comes across in the book as passionate about the club, the area in which it resides and the city of Sheffield. He left United with a Premier League stadium, although not finished to his original plan, as the number one team in the city, and boasts training and academy facilities that are fit for the current age. My own view was that he created a family club that respected the fans’ ability to pay and responded to individuals’ hard times in the community. It also gave them sorrow, joy and a sense of belonging.

A book well worth reading even if you are not a Sheffield United fan to enable you to understand why individuals get involved in investing money in football clubs when they have no chance of ever getting it back. It may also be an epitaph to this kind of chairman with many of our clubs now owned by corporations, syndicates, often from abroad who do not have the tie in to the local community that Kevin McCabe certainly did have.

The sun comes out for Northallerton Town FC

February the 28th is the meteriological last day of winter in the UK. It would be good if the weather reacted to such finite rules. Winter seemed to be leaving us, with a dry day, 10 degrees, but still grey and overcast with small patches of blue sky peeping through.

I found Northallerton Towns’ stadium on the South West edge of the town, part of a park and on the edge of housing. The club moved here in the mid 1970’s when the local council decided they needed their town centre location to extend the Town Hall.  The car park was huge with the entrance at one corner of the ground. On entering I found it all very open with all of the facilities on one side, the entrance, covered standing, covered seating, changing rooms, food counter and clubhouse.It was a big club house. With two large TV’s, plenty of seating, a large bar and dance area.Both ends have some low terracing and the other side is flat.

This was Northallertons’ first game at home for five weeks due to postponements, and lack of playing time on the grass had left it in good condition.

A football team has been located in Northallerton since around 1895 playing under different Northallerton guises. They played in local Leagues until 1982 when they moved up to Division 2 of the Northern League. Since then they have been up and down the leagues, suffered financial problems but regained a place in Division One in 2019 where they have consolidated their position.

Penrith FC were founded in 1894, similar to Northallerton. Originally playing in the North Eastern League they became members of the Northern League Division 2 in 1947 where they stayed until 1982 joining the North West Counties League.  A brief five years there saw them promoted to the Northern Premier League but by 1990 they were back in the NWCL returning again to the Northern League 7 years later.

In 2003 they won the Northern League Division Two and in 2007 they merged with another Penrith club and moved to a new ground in 2009. They have continued to play in the Northern Premier League.

Northallerton Town 2 Penrith AFC 2

Saturday 28th February 2026.  Kick Off 15.00 pm.

Ainderby Road, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, DL7 8HA

17th v 11th,  The Ally v Bonnie Blues/Cumbrians
Attendance 120

Northallerton; White and black vertical striped shirts with all white backs and black shorts, goalkeeper in all dark green.
Penrith; All blue kit, with white flash on shoulders and arms, goalkeeper in all fluorescent yellow.

Penrith were first out of the blocks and took the game to the home team. They were rewarded after just 11 minutes when Connor Shields hooked the ball goal wards from a cross from the right. Northallerton’s goalie scooped it away but the referee awarded a goal deciding that the ball had crossed the line. The assistant referee didn’t give it but the home team didn’t contest his ruling.

After the goal Penrith still looked more menacing, spreading the ball wide with skilful play.

With half-time beckoning Northallerton drew level when Bailey Prudhoe received the ball just outside the centre of the goal area and he brilliantly curled it over the goalkeeper who was off his line.
Leaving the field at half-time Northallerton must have been the happier having weathered Penrith’s many attacks and levelled up just before the break.

Unfortunately at half-time the rain came and swept across the pitch from side to side.

Penrith had not been put off by the home teams equaliser and like the first half they took the lead after 11 minutes when Mathew Williamson  took down the ball on run, shrugged off a defender and beat the advancing goalkeeper placing the ball along ground which  ended up in the right hand corner of the net.

The game now opened up, going from end to end and the home keeper made a point blank save to his right after 24 minutes and 11 minutes later managed to keep out a rebound off his own defenders knees.

With just 3 minutes to go the rain stopped and the sun came out. A few minutes later Penrith had the ball in the net but it was ruled out for offside.

Then two minutes into added time a long ball was beautifully played over the away teams defence for Alistair Banks to run forward and hit it to the right of the goalkeeper to level. So the sun had come out for Northallerton and they managed to force a draw when a defeat looked more likely.

Penrith must have driven back over the A68 wishing they had made more of their chances.

The chips were a large portion,
golden, hot  tasty, a bit floury, crisp outside, not greasy but a bit dry. They were very good and scored a 70.

Shirebrook move nearer safety.

Although the rain had stopped the game I had hoped to see at Brodsworth was called off late morning. Needing a quick solution to my problem I drove locally to Shirebrook. Shirebrooks’ season had not been going well and they had an intriguing fixture against the team just below them. What a change from recent weeks with clearer skies and the sun shining through at times. Pulling up to park at the ground I was faced with a full car park and lots of parking on the overflow grass area. I was not surprised that as previously the field directly in front of the stadium was being used by the local Whippet Society to train their dogs to race. The field is used for formal racing during the year. Three dogs were being readied to run the course as I walked to the football, although I think that they were greyhounds. Both the devolved governments in Scotland and Wales are moving towards banning greyhound racing. There are no registered greyhound tracks left in Wales or Scotland and below 20 in England, with two major venues closing in 2025.

As I walked into the ground I realised that the slope from end to end most probably meant that the drainage here had saved the match. The grass surface though was cut up in places and the goal mouths were heavily sanded, added to this players warming up were getting used to the ball bobbling on the uneven surface. The grey clouds building in the distance looked ominous and were moving in line with the strong breeze. Luckily the sun was occasionally peeping through and the temperature was up to 10 degrees.

Although this ground shows its age, it has two good seated stands on one side and covered standing down most of the other. with a snack bar and entrance taking up the rest of the side. The snack bar is open to those inside and outside the ground so that the earlier whippet/greyhound group could use it as well.

Both Shirebrook and Gedling, are from ex mining communities and now play their football in the United Counties Division One, a strong league in these parts.


There have been Shirebrook teams for over 100 years but the current club dates back to 1985 when it was formed as Shirebrook Colliery, changing its name to Town in 1991 when the colliery closed. It had played in the Northern Counties East Leagues for nearly 20 years but recently has found it hard to progress further with a limited amount of resources. It was placed in the United Counties League at the last F.A. reorganisation of local football.

Gedling Miners Welfare were started in 1919 playing in local football they changed their name to Mapperley St Judes in 1930 and took on their current name during the Second World War. Continuing after the war in senior local football they became ever present Amateur Cup entrants, setting ground attendance records in the 1950’s against Pegasus and Bishop Auckland. These heights were not maintained and by 1999 they were relegated down a Division bouncing back the following year. Gedling were accepted into the Central Midland League five years later and soon gained promotion to the Supreme Division. In 2008 they became founder members of the East Midlands Counties League where they stayed until its demise in the League restructuring and at that point were placed in the United Counties League Division One.

Shirebrook Town FC 1 Gedling Miners Welfare FC 0

Saturday 21st February 2026, United Counties League, Division 1, 15.00 pm kickoff

Shirebrook Town FC, Langwith Road, Shirebrook, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, NG20 8TF

19th v 20th, The Steel Men v Gedling/The Miners

Shirebrook; Red shirts, Black shorts, goalkeeper in all light grey.

Gedling; All light blue strip, goalkeeper in all pink

The first ten minutes of the game saw Gedling push the home team back, playing up hill, and their wide players looked to have the beating of the home defence. However Shirebrooks confidence changed when they hit the post following a corner on ten minutes.From then on Shirebrooks defence seemed to strengthen giving their forwards more support to attack Gedling. Both teams were finding it hard to control the ball on the uneven pitch but just before halftime Joe Godfrey made space for himself outside the right hand corner of the goal area and let go of a shot that zoomed across the goalkeeper ito the top left hand corner of the net, a great strike. Shirebrook maintained their lead until half time.

Immediately play was resumed the rain came back.

The second half saw the home defence get fully on top of the Gedling attack which made continual efforts to force a draw. This left Shirebrook to mount some good counter attacks and with 15 minutes left should have made it two when a beautiful ball from the right along the ground was tapped towards goal only to hit the post. A follow up shot just grazed the outside of the post again and ended up in the side netting. Gedling forced the play for the final 15 minutes but the home defence were not to be beaten.

The result meant that Shirebrook move further away from the relegation battle, but Gedling like a few others have a few games in hand on them. It looks like a nervy finish to the season for up to 10 teams in the league.

The chips were really tasty, crisp and didn’t taste greasy, unfortunately they were only warm as my serving was the last in the tray having been previously cooked in a fryer. The lack of temperature meant I only scored them a 64, it could have been higher.

Ashbourne Shrovetide Football 2026

The origins of football?

With a weekend wash out of much of my local football I decided to venture to Ashbourne to see what is often quoted in football history books as one of the origins of the game. Shrovetide football has been traced back to the 12th century and in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, there is a version that has been played continuously since at least 1667 or earlier.

Earlier games in other locations were banned for raucous and violent actions that caused havoc to people, property and commerce. Queen Elizabeth 1st banned the game in London in her reign, and the master of ceremonies at the 2026 event reminded everyone to play within the rules or the game could be lost forever.

It was a beautiful clear day as I drove across scenic Derbyshire to park at an old airfield, free park and ride, for the day, about two miles out of town. Although the sun was out for the first time in ages it would need a week of dry weather to dry the thick mud I had to wade through to the bus. The bus dropped us off at the bus station and walking round the corner I could easily see what this game meant to the locals.

There were throngs of people outside the packed pubs and the shops were boarded up in case of damage when the game gets going. Luckily some food and drink establishments were open until one o’clock when a final board would be positioned over their doors. I searched for Derbyshire oatcakes, I thought a substitute for a pancake , on pancake day but had to settle for a lamb and mint pasty, a piece of ginger flapjack and a coffee. Having eaten I found a Sainsbury’s open and continued my search for the oatcakes, what disappointment in Derbyshire they only had Staffordshire oatcakes. Just as I pondered ab purchase I was ushered out of store as it was 1 o’clock.

People now were drifting towards Shawcroft car park where a permanent plinth stands for the officials to send the ball into the competitors on Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday. The game is played between 2 pm and 10 pm although if the ball is grounded any time after 6 the game ends earlier. The teams are made up of people born in opposite ends of town, the UP’Ards and the Down’Ards. The ball has been traditionally made of three panel of leather of varying thicknesses, stuffed to a weight decided by the maker. 2026 saw the Tuesday ball made by Terry Brown, the recent maker, but the Wednesday ball was to be made by newcomer Carl Spencer to bring fresh blood into the process for future continuity.

I was lucky enough to hold one of the ball that were used in a game when i attended a talk about a book called ‘The Derby Game – A history of local rivalries’.

The car park slowly filled from 1 pm onwards until a large group of players of all ages and sexes marched in at 1.45pm, followed by the ball protected by the marshalls. The expectation of the start increased the chatter and noise. The participants in the game can not be distinguished as both sides wear all colours of clothes. The officials now stepped up onto the rostrum and everyone was reminded of the rules, particularly what not to do and where not to go. One unsavoury touch was that the master of ceremonies decided to say ‘If your not from round here you’re not welcome’. I found this inhospitable attitude later when I asked a marshal if I had found the right place to get the bus back to the airfield and he chose not to answer and turned round and walked away. Luckily I was in the right place.

The ball was “Turned Up” into the crowd two minutes early, after a rendition of ‘Auld Lang Syne’, and it disappeared into a mass of bodies that swirled for some time around the starting plinth. It then headed off to near a wall to Henmore Brook where a heaving mass semed motionless as people sat or stood on the wall encouraged it to be thrown to them to most probably be moved along the brook as often has been the case in the past. One man fell backwards off the wall but he did reappear some minutes later. Then suddenly the ball was in the air and the play swept across the car park in the opposite direction and disappeared through some wire temporary fencing into a housing area. Players from both sides were now frantically trying to keep up with the movement as the ball disappeared. I took that as my time to leave but I later read that late into the evening the Up’Ards goaled the ball at Stursto Mill around 9.30 pm. All to play for on Wednesday.

Despite the disruption to Ashbourne for two days, there seems to be a warmth towards the event and a strong desire to keep the tradition alive that has bred great rivalry but also a sense of togetherness and community. This is Social History that binds communities that has been lost in too many places in the UK and the world in general. May it continue to flourish.

I’m glad that I finally made it to see this sceptical but find it difficult to link it to the birth of football. There is no kicking and is more akin to rugby than anything else.

N.B. Upwards won this year’s contest 3 nil.