With the publication of the lower league fixtures I decided to start my 2026/27 season with a trip to Goldthorpe.
With the heatwave continuing it was a pleasant evening drive, 22.5 degrees, to the Dearne Valley to watch a Friday night friendly. The dry warm weather meant farmers were out with combine harvesters getting in the wheat. It seems a few weeks earlier this year.
I had watched Dearne and District FC for some time with my first visit back in October 2022 when they were playing on a pitch used by their many junior teams, as they awaited the completion of their current grounds upgrade. They were promoted from the Central Midlands League to the Northern Counties East League Division One, and I visited them again at their current location. They had made great strides to get the ground ready for their new level and having been runaway winners of that league last season I was interested to see how they had progressed.
The concrete walkway round almost three sides is completed, and one seated stand and one standing covered area, made from containers have been fitted out. The transit van that had served as a drinks and food outlet had gone replaced by another converted container. Progress definitely but with costs doubling each level you gain, and ground regulations increasing there will be more to do both on and off the pitch.
The playing surface has suffered from the very prolonged dry spell and although basically flat does have some undulating areas and dry, yellowing patches.
Brigg Town, I watched early last season when they had a disastrous start, later recovering to finish 6th in the NECL Division One. I sat in the covered seated stand behind some of their supporters who were not happy. They had seen their team lose all of their pre-season friendlies by at least 3 goals and were fearful of their line up in this fixture. They also were bemoaning the fact that not everyone had turned up.
Dearne and District FC 6 Brigg Town FC 2
Friday 17th July 2026, 19.30 pm kick off.
Dearne and District FC, The Century Cladding Community Welfare Ground, Furlong Road, Goldthorpe, S63 9EH.
Northern Counties East League Premier Division team v Eastern Counties League Division One team.
Dearne, in all red shirts with some thin white stripes down the front wit red shorts. The goalkeeper in all fluorescent green.
Brigg, all royal blue shirts with some cross fading and blue shorts. The goalkeeper in all yellow.
A good crowd was present, briefly increased by regular passing trains on the banking behind one goal.
The Brigg fans were adding up the pre season goals against after just 4 minutes when a
ball through to Jordan Kershaw, I thought he was very offside, allowed him to stroll forward and roll the ball to right of Brigg’s young goalkeeper, into the net.
With 16 minutes gone it was Jordan Kershaw again who found space to shoot but this time hit the post. However he was not denied 12 minutes later when he took advantage of the goalkeeper hesitation and chipped over his grounded body into the open net.
It was not all one-way traffic though and Brigg grabbed one back when a low hit corner was steered into the Dearne goal by Josh Batty with 33 minutes gone. Dearne, a big team, in comparison, scored again, 4 minutes later, when Justin Circuit collected the ball on right, shaped to shoot and curled it out of reach of the goalkeeper into the top left hand corner.
A Dearne player now shouted loudly that the young Brigg keeper couldn’t kick far so move up. The keeper then struck the goal kick so that the ball landed just in front of Dearne’s 18 yard line and the Brigg keeper shouted “Can’t kick, fuck off”. This drew loud laughs from the players and crowd.
The teams left the pitch at half time with the home side leading 3.1 but with Brigg not crumbling.
D&D pressed hard again at the start.of the second half with their number 2 launching throw ins from the side to beyond the penalty area which were proving effective with their height superiority.
Justin Circuit made it four on 56 minutes when from the right corner of the goal area he curled the ball just inside the far post.
Brigg kept trying and with a penalty awarded to them, for a trip, Josh Batty despatched it for his second goal.
Thirteen minutes from the end one of the amazing long throws was met by Owen Fieldsend, whose bullet header screamed into the net for a 5.2. lead.
Just 2 minutes later a headed clearance was headed back to goal by a trialist and it looped over everyone increasing Dearne’s goal tally to 6.
Dearne and District were happy with their win although the two goals against could have been defended better. For Brigg, back to the drawing board, although they never gave up and have a base to build on.
No chips to start the season, instead a great cup of Bovril but a very dry sausage roll of which I only ate a third. Not a good start to the season.
payonthegate 