Finding Dronfield Town’s ground on the Coal Aston side of town proved not easy and I ended up walking round the cricket pitch with a game in full flight. I passed two others going to the game and caught up a familiar figure who asked the cricketers the way. Going through a leaf covered gate we were straight at the entrance and the man in front of me just walked straight through although I had to pay. He was greeted inside and then I realised it was Chris Waddle one of the all time great footballers. I looked up later to find he did make one appearance for Hallam in his illustrious career.
The game we had both come to watch was Dronfield Town FC v Hallam FC in the North East Counties League Division One. Dronfields pitch slopes slightly from side to side, the pitch was magnificent and the ground very very tidy gleaming from a fresh coat of paint. The club house although small had a bar and served food both inside and out.
The game watched by 154 was competitive but Hallam bossed the first half with their numbers 10 and 11 always a handful. It was no surprise that Hallam took the lead on 33 minutes through Benjamin Thornton and they should have added more. It was here that the woman next to me spoke to Chris Waddle and the Chairman of Hallam as she was the mother of the scorer. When the mother of the scorer is only as old as your daughter you realise you have been watching football for a long time.
The second half changed immediately and Dronfield took advantage of the wind and sun by kicking long high balls for Hallam to deal with. It was no surprise that Mathew Ord scored for Dronfield after 55 minutes after a mix up in the Hallam defence. From then on it was one way traffic and Dronfield scored twice more through Connor Chappel and Mark Fereday. Both teams look useful at times and should gain good results as the season progresses.
Dronfield Town FC 3 Hallam FC 1
In my chip league I was pleased to have them served in a paper tray with a wooden fork. They were a golden brown and very hot but were a bit dry and tasteless meaning they only scored 56.
Payonthegate 