What a beautiful autumn afternoon , I thought, as I drove down the A38 towards Derby. Not quite yet but the colours of the ageing leaves are now brightly contrasting with each other. As you enter Derby you pass lots of out of town retail and car dealerships with queues of cars entering the new style Saturday sporting afternoon. I drove into where I thought I should be, only to find out I was at Derby County Cricket ground. I could see plenty of football pitches behind. After turning round and driving through a housing estate, I found where I needed to be but was confronted by car after car coming out with lots of boys and girls milling around happily chatting about the games they had just finished. Luckilly I spotted someone I recognised who told me where the match I had come to see would be played.
I was at Leasure United Derby Racecourse Hub, to see Derby Singh Brothers play. I have seen them elsewhere when they were looking for a permanent home, after ending their stay at the then Rolls Royce Sports Club. The hub is their new home, the not for profit operation, funded by Derby City Council and the Football Trust run by Leisure United. It has brilliant changing facilities, a large cafe, all weather pitches and many grass ones.
As before there seems to be no history available about Derby Singh Brothers.
Borrowash Victoria were started in 1911 and played in local legues until they were disbanded in 1957. Reformed in 1963 they joined the Central Alliance in 1967 and by 1971 had moved up to the East Midlands Regional League. A move to the Midland league in 1979 was before they were founder members of the Northern Counties East League in 1982 with the FA re-organisation of Leagues. After some success they dropped down to the Central Midlands League four years later, and were back in the NCEL in 2001 only to join the new East Midlands Central League in 2001. When this was disbanded they spent one very unsuccessful year in the United Counties League Division One. I believe at that stage they played in the Nottinghamshire Leagues until rejoining the Central Midlands League this season.
Derby Singh Brothers 3 Borrowash Victoria 5
Saturday 11th October 2025, Central Midlands League, Premier Division South. 7th v 2nd. Attendance approximately 50.
Leisure United, Racecourse Hub. St Mark’s Rd, Chaddesden, Derby DE21 6AJ
Derby Singh Brothers all red kit, goal keeper in lime yellow
Borrowash Victoria, green shirts with black shoulders and green shorts, goal keeper in all purple.
For the first 15 minutes Singh Brothers edged it and it was no surprise that they went ahead on 23 minutes when some tricky play by their winger, on the left, took the ball to the bye line and knocked it across the goal to be tapped in.
But only three minutes later Borrowash were level when a long ball was placed over the head of the home teams central defender for Max Tudgay to run through and lift the ball over the goalkeeper into the net.
In added time, to the first half, a through ball along the ground allowed Max Tudgay, again, to run on and slide the ball past the goalkeeper to the right side of the net.
To end the half mazy footwork from the Brothers number 9 forced Durrell Berry, in goal for Borrowash, to make a great great save, diving backwards, to clutch the ball on the line.
The first half ended with the away team ahead, but there was not a lot between the teams. At half time I watched a game of walking football on the adjacent pitch.
It wasn’t until the 57th minute that Borowash Victoria took control. A corner from left was headed on to their central defender, Max Tolley, who was standing all alone and headed home for a three one advantage.
A fourth was added with 79 minutes gone when substitute Jacob Hawksworth shot from 25 yards out on the left, and it sailed over the goalkeeper into the top right hand corner of the goal. Two minutes later Max Tudgay completed his hattrick when a zigzaging run ended with the ball being cut back to him and he scored the fifth, taking a slight deflection.
As the game neared the end we had a crazy last two minutes as Borrowash Victoria seemed to switch off. They bundled over a Singh Brothers player to concede a penalty that was expertly despatched and a minute later their defence stood off a home player to give him a free shot at goal, and he took his opportunity and made it a third for Singh Brothers.
If it had finished 5.1 it would not have been a true reflection of the game, when in most parts, the teams looked evenly matched. It was great to see that Derby Singh Brothers have found a permanent home, returning to the Racecourse where they played many of their games when they first started.
No chips left, or much else, so I turned to a hot dog. It was hot, but unfortunately it had very little taste, no sauces, and very doughy bread. At least the coffee was good.
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