A foray back into the Central Midland Premier North Division this week found me at Kiveton Miners Welfare to see them play Collingham.
The ground is reached through a modern housing estate and a gate leads to a very large car park with the ground and other pitches beyond.It was a grey overcast day with very little wind but still mild for mid November. The scarf and had to be dispenced with as the game began. The pitch here slopes from goal to goal and slightly side to side with the pitch looking really good and as if a lot )of nitrogen had been put on it because of its vibrant green colour. The Worksop to Sheffield railway line runs down the end of the pitch.
Kiveton Miners Welfare are a recently formed team not to be confused with the very long established Kiveton Park. They are trying hard to develop their new ground with water ground works underway and planned floodlights as a future goal. The seated stand is very good for this level of football and if friendlyness and enthusiasm is anything to go by then they will surely suceed.
Collingham are from near Newark and were formed over 100 years ago (1887) but concentrated mainly on Youth and Sunday football until forming a senior Saturday team in 1994. They have since then played their football in the Central Midlands League.
Kiveton Miners Welfare 2 Collingham 2
Saturday 12th November 2021 kick off 14.00
A two minutes silence was observed before the start of the game.
Kiveton were steadily gaining confidence when against the run of play Collinham forced a corner and some continuing attacking football led to the ball falling to Gary Clarke on 21 minutes who cooly rpolled the ball along the floor, bouncing over the goalkeepers outstretchd arm to end up in the bottom left hand corner of the net. Kiverton continued their pressure but were unable to equalise before half time as their aerial assaults were amply dealt with by the Cottinham defence.
Kiverton must have had a talking to at half time because they started keeping the ball on the ground and after 10 minutes some good work on the right was rewarded when the resulting low cross was headed into the net with some force by Dan Neath. The home side playing up hill in the second half deservedly took the lead 15 minutes later when some good work on the left was rewarded when the ball fell to Elliot Fox to place home.
Collingham didn’t give up and fortune helped when a misplaced back pass was picked up by Olly Presley who took the ball wide to the right of the goalkeper to then find the net from an accute angle.
This equalising goal seemed to invigorate Collingham and when the Kiveton stand in goalkeeper rushed out of his area to upend the on rushing forward there was no other outcome but a sending off. Collingham failed to trouble the new keeper and it was Kiverton’s 10 men who finished the game the strongest. In the dying minutes of the game in the increasing gloom the away teams goalkeeper picked up a back pass and a free kick was awarded on the penalty spot. With their team lined up on the goal line Collingham faced down the freekick and the game was ended a minute later.
Great end to end football and a good advertisment for this improving league in terms of football and facilities.
Finally to the chips which I was not expecting. A food stall was available but the generator was getting up to speed to fire up the deep fryer. I paid my money for chips and a coffee and took my place in the stand and when I saw people with coffees I went back but still the fryer was not up to power. Sitting in the stand watching the start of the game the chips and coffee were delivered to me. You wouldn’t even get that at Tottenham in their new mega bucks emporium. The chips were hot, golden long, delicious, no oily taste and served in a cardboard carton that could be recycled. I have to score them an 85.
Payonthegate 