2023/24 another fantastic Season.

Another fantastic season which began many months ago in early July at Llangefni on Ynys Mons (Anglesey) with a friendly against Chadderton. It was a glorious sunny afternoon as I sat watching two teams enjoying a good kick about in their first game of the season. I had no idea that 49 games later, after one of the wettest winters on record I would be again watching football in the sun, but on a chilly evening as Brampton Rovers beat The Butchers Arms in the final of the Chesterfield and District Sunday League Cup.

To mention all 49 would take too long, so here goes with the highlights. Murder on Zidance Floor won through to the final of the Berwick Charities Cup played next to the walls of an Elizabethan Castle with the sunshine glistening on the sea in the background (the football wasn’t bad either.

Shirebrook at home kicked off the league season, two Norfolk games were squeezed in whilst on holiday and Wombwell Town featured early, played at their ground with a Go Kart track behind one goal.

The Retford derby was in bright warm sunshine and notable by the warmth of the supporters who were there for an afternoon out and a chat to friends from whichever camp. Tamworth had great facilities as well as good chips and went through in the FA Cup, Tamworth was the last team Paul Merson played for. The start and completion of a Mansfield evenings trilogy gave me a different perspective on this town.

The early games of the season were memorable particularly when I was adopted by some aged season ticket holders at CD National on Madeira. High fiving all of the five goals and a conversation by sign language and facial expressions was wonderful.

The best named teams were found north of Sheffield, Oughtibridge War Memorial Spots Club v South Emsall Services Firsts and the most improved ground at Dearne and District whose efforts off the field to pass grading rules were just surpassed by their team winning their league and promotion to The Northern Counties East League Division 1.

Wakefield’s new stadium, sharing with Wakefield Trinity (Rugby League) is a must go to for anyone in the area and where I will go again.

The reverse Retford Derby drew a large crowd on Boxing day and another Retford United big score (Maybe my new Boxing Day go to).

Goole AFC was an old ground with a running track round it that is due to be totally rebuilt as part of the Town Centre regeneration. I hope that this will come to fruition. Great chat with a Goole fan born and bread who now lives in Leeds but comes back for most home games.

The weather thwarted me seeing football within the Kirton Brickworks, the game being moved to a nearby village pitch to beat the weather. A must for next season. The weather almost beat me a few weeks later as I waited for the rain to stop in Florence to see Fiorentina play Lazio. Luckily it did but I will remember the fan who showed me the bus, where to get off, walked round the ground with me and was so, so helpful, all in a biblical rain storm. Football fans everywhere I salute you.

A great run in to the end of the season saw me see two Villa games, they didn’t win either but qualified for next seasons champions league, up The Villa. Loughborough Students put 7 past Skegness to win the United Counties Premier Division North play off final and right a wrong that I felt they suffered the previous season. It will be great to see them in the Northern Prem.

Shirebrook beat Wakefield in the Northern Counties East Division one semi final play off and despite losing in the final still gained promotion. A County Cup Final at Hillsborough saw Worksop Town outclass Penistone Church and a fitting engrossing end to the season at Staveley as Brampton Rovers beat the Butchers Arms in extra time to lift the Chesterfield and District Sunday Cup.

A brilliant season for me although in the game as a whole there were some worrying trends. Teams still battling with the aftermath of loss of revenue during Covid, high levels of inflation in all areas particularly in energy. reducing local authority support where local budgets have been squeezed, lack of continuity planning, a cost of living crisis hitting the pockets of fans and extra costs and administration as teams have expanded their women’s senior teams and teams for all ages and sexes. This has led to Nuneaton Borough, Marske, Hamworthy United etc to not complete their fixtures and Loughborough Dynamo and Coleville moving down leagues to reduce costs and re-group. There could be more to follow.

On the positive front a re-organisation of the United Counties Premier North League has produced very local games that should result in some competitive football and bigger crowds, bring on 2024/25, I can’t wait.

A Great End to the Season.

I normally count the F.A. Cup final as the end of the season but this year with many postponed games there was some lower league carry over and I planned to visit North Gawber on the last day of May. Their game like some others was in the end was not played but declared a draw as the result would not have changed the league placings. So with my lip out I searched for another ending and I was lucky enough to find what looked like an interesting game a short hop from me at Staveley Miners Welfare.

The Butchers Arms FC 3 Brampton Rovers AFC Mens 4 (AET)

Chesterfield & District Sunday Football league, Alma Cup final.

Staveley Miners Welfare, Inkersall Road, Staveley, S43 3JL Friday 31st May 2024 Kick off 19.45

The Butchers Arms; Blue Shirts with white shorts, Brampton; Red Shirts with blue shorts.

The artificial pitch and ground looked immaculate (as it always does at Staveley) as the teams came out in some evening sunshine. The sun didn’t help the temperature which read only 14.5 in the car as I managed to get the last space in the large car park.

Both teams looked nervy as they settled down to the surface and it was the Butchers arms who found their feet first when after only 4 minutes a scrappy attack saw the ball drift to the right of the goal where their unmarked number 9 who steadied and placed the ball across the goalkeeper into the left hand side of the net for the lead.

Brampton equalised 10 minutes later when, after three headed attempts from a corner, the ball was headed in at the far post. Butchers Arms re-took the lead after a drinks break but Brampton pulled level again on 25 minutes when their lively number 10 was pulled over in the penalty area by the centre back and the resulting penalty was despatched straight down the middle.

The Butchers Arms keeper denied the number 10 with a brilliant save 10 minutes before the interval but it was the Butchers Arms who finished the half the strongest.

Butchers came out all attack at the restart and pressed hard but a break away after only 6 minutes saw the ball slotted through to Brampton’s number 10 again, who from 20 yards out to the right of the goal, slammed the ball into the right hand side of the net. With 63 minutes gone The Butchers Arms equalised when their lively number 9 was bundled over in the penalty area and he picked himself up and strode forward to convert the penalty for 3.3.

The game seemed to lose a bit of its intensity as neither side wanted to make a mistake and there were no clear chances as the time ran down to 90 minutes.

The first half of extra time saw lots of endeavour and it was Brampton who came closest. With just 7 minutes left Brampton’s number 10 crowned a great performance when he ran on to a ball between two defenders and slid the ball home to take the lead. The Butchers Arms tried hard to get back on equal terms but some basic defending and time wasting saw Brampton home.

What a great advert for Sunday league football and a fascinating last game of my season. The crowd was over 500 and made up of all ages reflecting the young age profile of the teams. Brampton’s win who were second in the Second Division, shows the depth of the leagues by beating The Butchers Arms who were second in the First Division.

I had a warm glow from the game as I left the ground but a hat and gloves were needed with the temperature drop to 9.5 degrees, was it really less than 2 hours until 1st June.

The Staveley club house did brisk business for drinks and food all night and the chips were some of the best of the season. they were hot, tasty, golden, crispy on the outside and soft in the middle but a bit too greasy and therefore a score of 69.

The scramble to finish the season.

With so many local leagues disrupted by our wet, wet, wet winter there are some games that need to be finished.

I was lucky to find one very local to me at Kiveton Park, so a 15 minute car ride and I was there.

I have been to Kiveton Miners Welfare before a couple of times and they were winners of my Chip League in the past. I also visited the ground when Sheffield Town ground shared a few seasons ago. Sheffield Town don’t seem to be in existence any more but I’m sure that the Kiveton team had more than a few faces from that team.

43 spectators had ambled along to see the game that was a dry but cool, breezy, early evening. There were some very sporadic spots of rain from a blue sky that was mixed with grey and white clouds. The recently mowed grass pitch was already looking good after some better weather.

This ground is reached via a housing estate and is bordered by houses on two sides, a practice pitch and cricket ground on another and the Worksop to Sheffield line at one end. The seated stand in the centre of one side is the only area that is not open.

Kiveton Miners Welfare FC 1 AFC Bentley 2

Wednesday 15th May 2024; 18.30 kick off. Stone Close, Kiveton Park, Rotherham, south Yorkshire, S26 6SQ: 14th v 7th.

Central Midlands Alliance League Premier Division North.

Kiveton M.W.; Red and white vertical shirts with black shorts; AFC Bentley; Navy blue shirt body with one sleeve a lighter blue and the other sleeve green, green shorts.

For some reason the home team were late in coming out of the distant changing rooms and then stopped for a discussion on the way. This meant that the game did not kick off until 18.37. The game was furious end to end football but misplaced passes abounded and meant that neither side was able to totally dominate. This all changed around 23 minutes when the away teams number 5 hit a pile driver of a shot from 30 yards that hit the cross bar and bounced down with the Kiveton goalkeeper struggling. His attempts to finally scoop the ball away were of no avail as the officials ruled the ball had crossed the line.

Approximately 5 minutes later Kiveton’s tricky number 7 exploded into the penalty area on the left hand side and was immediately floored, gaining a deserved penalty. Solly Limb stepped forward and easily levelled the score from the penalty spot.

There were some strong tackles from both sides but the referee kept the game flowing and it soon reached half time.

The second half continued in the same end to end fashion and with the game drifting to a stalemate, Bentley went ahead again when a corner kick sailed over everyone to be met by one of their team who, unmarked, clipped it into the net. There was a final burst by Kiveton in the added minutes as they came close to scoring when they hit the post, it was not to be their evening. Bentley returned to Doncaster with three lucky points that should have been shared and both teams only have one more game to complete this truncated season.

It was an impressive game in the fact that both teams went for it in what was to some degree a dead game as neither side had anything to play for.

No Chips tonight as the food van looks like it is in a state of refurbishment.

Played in Germany

Played in Germany – A Football Journey Through a Nation’s Soul

Written by Kit Holden Published by Duckworth 2024

This is an amazingly well researched book about football in Germany ahead of the 2024 UEFA European Championship as it takes you on a journey to the centres of football that will be hosting the9 many games.

What is marvellous is that the book is not just about football but about what makes up and has fashioned the German state that presents itself to the world today.

You are swept along in a learning fest about geography, history, economics, politics, industrial development but most importantly people and their culture.

Surprising to me was the revelation about local dialects, which can lead to peoples of some areas not being able to understand others and the fierce regional rivalry that exists. This regional patriotism feeds through to the football community culture that sticks closely to areas which are clinging on to these roots, propelled by a defence of their fan ownership model, under threat from capitalist forces.

The book describes the passion of the fans through interviews with those who live and breath their club’s traditions and customs in an ever-changing environment.

The growth and decline of different clubs is true in Germany as everywhere and this is well put near the end of the book, “But you cannot preserve everything in aspic, and even the most romantic traditionalists must at some point move with the times”.

Bring on the Euro’s.

If you are interested in reading this book then it can be pre-ordered from Stanchion Books (a cracking little football bookseller), where you can get 24% off with the code PROST24:

Played in Germany: A Footballing Journey Through a Nation's Soul – **PREORDER, SIGNED COPIES AVAILABLE**

Catching the fading embers of the season.

With most Non-League football matches complete, apart from a few stragglers due to the many postponements from our wet and weary winter, I was drawn to Hillsborough (home of Sheffield Wednesday) to see The Sheffield and Hallamshire County F.A. Men’s Senior Cup Final between Worksop Town and Penistone Church.

This Cup competition is the fifth oldest surviving football cup competition in the world and has had differing guises over the years and is now fought for by teams from step 1 to 7 in the pyramid system that are registered in the area.

It seemed summer had finally arrived and it was a beautiful evening driving into Sheffield down the leafy Parkway, my mood only being slightly dampened by the usual traffic back up at the end of it. I unbelievably parked within 100 meters of the stadium and strolled along to the turnstile. Everyone was in an end of season happy mood as all fans queued to ‘pay on the gate’, cash to the left cards to the right. No segregation for this evening outing for all. It was still 19 degrees as I sat in my seat in the main stand although a cooling breeze was welcome as it swirled round this empty arena. The bright blue sky of the day was now meshed with a high thin layer of white cloud.

Both teams had enjoyed a good season, Worksop Town of the Northern Premier League, Premier Division, had finished 5th but had been defeated by Macclesfield in one of the playoff semi finals, Penistone Church of The Norther Counties East League, Premier Division finished 6th, one off the play offs. Penistone had done well to reach the final being two levels below Worksop.

Penistone is only 11 miles north of Hillsborough, a pretty town up in the hills and Worksop 21 miles away south east on the Nottinghamshire/South Yorkshire border.

A good humoured crowd of above 1000 turned up with the fans of the more senior team, Worksop the noisiest. It was only a mild noise compared with the febrile atmosphere of the last time I was at Hillsborough when they were battling for survival in the Championship. The kickoff had been scheduled for 19.30 but Worksop had put 19.45 on their Social Media so the game was delayed to give everyone time to arrive.

Worksop Town 5 Penistone Church 0

Sheffield and Hallamshire County Men’s Senior Cup Final.

Thursday 9th May, 19.48 kick off

Sheffield Wednesday F.C. Hillsborough, Sheffield, S6 1SW

Tigers v The Church

Penistone; shirts and shorts all royal blue with a white flash on shoulders if the shirts.
Worksop; Black shorts, yellow and black vertically halved fronts of shirts with yellow backs.

Although the game was even for the first 5 minutes Worksop already seemed to be bigger, stronger, faster and more skilful especially down the left flank.

It was no surprise that after only 9 , Jay Rollins, surged past the defence to cross a ball that was met by Liam Hughes who guided it into the net via a bounce off the turf.

Only 10 minutes later Jay Rollins again showed some clever footwork before the ball found Vaughan Redford who scored.

Penistone kept trying but didn’t have any success and held out until a few minutes before half time when Liam Hughes stroked a perfectly weighted pass through the middle of the pitch for Terry Hawkridge to run on to score through the legs of the Penistone goalkeeper.

Although it was still a clear night the floodlights were on for the second half.

After further Worksop dominance Penistone made multiple substitutions and the fresh legs and enthusiasm meant they competed for the ball more and looked to have gained some momentum.

But as the game moved towards the final 15 minutes some neat Worksop interplay found Jordan Burrow unmarked on right of penalty area and he sent the ball across the goalkeeper into the corner of the net.
To round things off a blatant foul in the penalty area saw Liam Hughes step forward and score from the spot to make it 5 nil.

Worksop had shown their class but Penistone didn’t disgrace themselves. Most of the crowd stayed to see losers and winners presentations and drifted of into the close season.

Can I find another game? We will see.

The chips were good, hot, hot, a good quantity, tasty, good texture but a bit limp. They didn’t have the spicy taste that I experienced before at Hillsborough, I think because they were cooked in separate fat rather than cross contaminated with something else. A very good score of 69.

A Wedding present for Shirebrook Town FC.

With the football season coming to an end I was pleased to head to Rotherham to watch the Northern Counties East Division One paly off semi-final between Shirebrook Town FC and Wakefield AFC. With Shirebrook finishing above Wakefield in the league they should have been playing at home but perhaps not expecting to be in the playoff s their club house was pre booked for a wedding.

Parkgate are based in the north of Rotherham and their ground is next to Rotherham United FC’s training ground which is currently being rebuilt having been totally cleared for the redevelopment.

The grey cloud of varying shades looked menacing but were very high and didn’t look to threaten rain although the cool breeze was keeping the temperature down in the first week of May.

The ground is set up the hill overlooking the training ground with Liberty Steel in the valley and trees lining the far hills. The ground facilities are just to this level of football and their rise as Champion to the Premier Division will leave it as a poor relation of many of the others. You approach it through a housing estate which leads into a large car park.

The pitch slopes from side to side with a hedge down one side and trees and hedges at one end where the hawthorns were in bloom, there is no standing area on those sides. Behind half of one goal is a covered seated area, a food kiosk and some standing. On the other side is a small covered standing area with a grass bank where most supporters were congregating. The pitch was in beautiful condition for the match.

The contest was between the aristocrats of Wakefield who play in the amazingly redeveloped Wakefield Trinity stadium and Shirebrook who have whippet racing training outside their ground sometimes before games.

Shirebrook Town 4 Wakefield AFC 0

Saturday 4th May 2024, 15.00 pm kick off, Parkgate Football Club, Green Lane, Rawmarsh, Rotherham, S62 6LA, Northern Counties East, Division1 Paly off Semi-final. 3rd v 4th

Shirebrook; Black Shorts with black and red vertical striped fronts to the shirts with red backs. Wakefield; Navy Blue shorts with white shirts that have a thin blue and red stripe down the centre of the front of the shirt.

The game was cheered on by a good humoured crowd who exchanged banter and and chants which I estimated to be about 500.

Shirebrook showed their intent from the outset by applying a very high press and were first to every ball. Their efforts were nearly rewarded after just 8 minutes when they hit the cross bar. Just six minutes later they were ahead when Kieren Watson slammed home a curling freekick from the right hand edge of the box that he received at knee height.

A few minutes later a medical emergency in the covered standing area stopped the game. The team’s medical staff ran to the elderly man who had collapsed and the defibrillator was rushed to the scene But after a short while the man recovered and the Parkgate officials brought him a plastic chair to sit on for the rest of the game.

The disruption did not affect Shirebrook’s intent and they went further ahead on 25 minutes when a through ball was met by Kieren Watson who took three strides and made no mistake in doubling the lead. Wakefield had their first shot on goal five minutes later but at the other end Wakefield’s right full back took the legs away from Shirebrooks number 7 in the penalty area and that man Kieren Watson stepped up to smash the ball down the centre of the goal with the goalkeeper going to his right.

Kieren Watson had taken his hat trick with great skill and the game calmed down after the frantic start. Shirebrook’s half time three goal lead look unassailable as the players left the field.

Wakefield looked steadier in the second half but Kiyani Clayton made it 4 with an hour gone when a poor back pass to the Wakefield keeper allowed him to nip in and run across the goalkeeper to tap the ball in. Substitutions by both sides made no difference to the play as Shirebrook ran out the game to set up a trip to play Beverley at their home ground on Saturday 11th.

Playing at home, away due to the wedding didn’t hurt Shirebrook and if the wedding party were Shirebrook fans they would have cheered when they heard the result.

Unfortunately there were no chips inside the ground although they were available in the facility outside it. Instead I had a warm to cool sausage roll with a cup of coffee.

A post script to the match was published on Shirebrook’s X account 5th May. Despite this good news for them their game at Beverley will still be played and I am sure will still be competitive.

Shirebrook Town FC @ShirebrookTwnFC

Good morning After a very important win yesterday we were informed that win should be enough to be promoted regardless of next weeks game on a points per game average over the season.

You have to deal with disappointments following the Villa Part 3.

As soon as the final whistle had blown at Loughborough I was in the car to drive across to Villa Park for an 8.00 pm kick off.

A very relaxed 10 minute walk from the car park we use to the ground amongst happy Villa fans. They should have been happy, they were guaranteed a minimum 5th place finish and were the only English side in a European Semi-Final.

Many of the fans gathered underneath the part of the Holte End that struts out over the road to welcome the Villa team bus. The acoustics amplified the songs and enhanced the flares as the coach passed and emptied the hero’s into the ground.

The packed ground was rocking to Villa songs and chants as a cold wind whipped through the opening to where we were standing high up in the Holte End. It’s a great atmosphere at Villa for any game but the glare of the lights seem to turn it up a notch.

Aston Villa 2 Chelsea 2

English Premier League, Saturday 27th April 2024, 20.00 pm kick off.

Villa v The Blues, 4th V 9th. Villa; Claret shirts with light blue sleeves and white shorts. Chelsea; All royal Blue kit.

Villa were off to a great start when they took the lead after just 4 minutes when a John McGinn’s miss hit shot deflected off Marc Cucurella into the net. The crowd went mad but became more subdued as they realised that their team was under par for this game. Chelsea’s Nicholas Jackson had a goal disallowed by VAR for offside and he hit the foot of the post with a well placed header.

With the home side riding their luck they went two ahead just on half time when the ever improving Morgan Rogers took the ball to the left of the goal and slotted a class goal between a defenders legs and the keepers outstretched right hand.

It all looked fine but when the ‘World’s number one goal keeper’ doesn’t come out in the second half because of an injury you feel a bit tense. Chelsea put further pressure on Aston Villa from the start of the second half and when the Villa midfield gave away a simple ball Noni Madueke made no mistake putting the ball in the corner of the net. It was all Chelsea and the Villa fans tried to calm their nerves with a repertoire of old songs not used for some time, but Chelsea kept on the pressure.

With 80 minutes gone Connor Gallagher engineered himself some space on the edge of the keepers area and curled the ball into the top corner. The Chelsea fans were now delirious and both sides created chances as the game opened up some more. Ollie Watkins blasted a cut back over the bar almost into the top tier and during added time Disasi headed home for Chelsea. The Villa fans were distraught but also angry that a push in the back of Diego Carlos in the build up had been ignored. Cue the inevitable VAR and the goal was disallowed for the push which drew protests from the ay team. Once play had continued Villa nearly stole it in the final moment when from a corner Carlos headed the ball onto the roof of the net.

At the final whistle the Chelsea team surrounded the referee but the pushing and shoving that ensued was soon broken up. Villa were lucky to gain the one point on a night when they looked second best. Perhaps their astonishing efforts this season are catching up with them, they need to hang on in there and recover their style for the few remaining games and perhaps an amazing end to the season.

There were chips! which were hot, golden, crispy on the outside, fluffy in the middle but had a slight seasoning on them which reduced their score to 60.

What a great day, having been lucky enough to see 11 goals and two very intriguing games, I drove home with a smile.

If you would have read the previous blogs regarding Aston Villa you will remember that I haven’t seen them win for some time hence the caption. This time I didn’t wear my vintage beanie hat or any other Villa item and they managed a draw, perhaps I will see a win next time.

Loughborough Students make amends for last season.

If your looking to create a fuel economy record then driving on the M1 between junction 36 and 24 is the place to be. Most of this journey is restricted to 50 mph for the creation of necessary safety measures and other repairs and on the rest watch out for pot holes.

Journeying on a large section of this I made my way to Loughborough University to see Loughborough Students play Skegness in the playoff final of the United Counties Premier North Division.

This is, as I have said before, one of my favourite venues. You drive into the immaculate campus through the security gates and head to The Loughborough University Stadium. Pre-booked parking on the very leafy car park at £1 was easy and it was a short walk to the ground. Unfortunately the grey skies were emitting a light drizzle so when the lady on the gate gave me a blue band to upgrade to the covered stand for nothing I was even happier.

This new facility has three sides of hard uncovered standing and a majestic seated stand on one side that houses the changing rooms underneath, with a glass fronted high spec hospitality area and bar above the seating. No chips here so a coffee and KitKat were enough.

The grass pitch is immaculate despite our recent weather but a cold wind kept the temperature down to 7 degrees, crazy with May just around the corner. There was no printed programme but one accessed by a QR code in the ground, for such an important match I thought a printed version should have been on offer.

There are records of a team called Loughborough Technical Institute as far back as 1919 and a year later they became a College of Technology and a University in 1966. They have won University Trophy’s on many occasions in their history. In recent years they have re-entered the non-league football world in the Midlands. Initially in the Midland Combination in 2007 and then the Midland Alliance and as founder members of the Midland Football League in 2014. With recent seasons being curtailed and with the team being highly placed the restructure of the leagues has seen them placed in the United Counties Premier Division North. At the start of this new era they changed their name from Loughborough University to Loughborough Students a name they now use across all of their team sports for both Men and Women.

Skegness Town AFC were formed in 1947 after the demise of Skegness United and Skegness Blue Rovers. After playing local football they joined the Midland Counties League in 1958 where they played until being founder members of the Northern Counties East League in 1982 where they stayed for just one season. A move back to Lincolnshire football saw them dominate the Lincolnshire League for many seasons and returned to The NCE League again for a short while in 2018 before being moved to the United Counties in 2021 due to the re-organisation.

Loughborough Students FC 7 Skegness Town AFC 0

United Counties League North Play Off finals, Saturday 27th April 2024, 15.00 pm kick off

Loughborough Students; All Purple Kit Skegness; White Shirts, Red Shorts.

I had watched Skegness at Collingham (Against Newark and Sherwood) and at Quorn (Against Ashby Ivanhoe) this season and on both occasions they impressed, looking strong and quick so I expected a fierce contest.

Within 8 minutes and the wind getting stronger the Skegness centre back took out the Student’s player on the right wing but the referee played advantage and the ball was crossed in from the right for Edwards to hit the back of the net in the centre of the goal. A great start for the home team but they didn’t slack off and continued to play some clean, skilful and fast football that lead to a second goal 4 minutes later when Edwards was this time the provider as his pass found Spiteri who from distance hit the ball hard along the ground gaining a deflection on its way to the left hand corner of the goal.

With no time to get your breath Loughborough added a third and fourth after 14 and 15 minutes. First O’Toole, clipped it into the left hand of the goal after great inter-passing and then Watts made a quick pass out of defence for the ball to be passed to Wicks who chipped it into the net.

Skegness were stunned but managed their first shot on goal after 22 minutes and started to gain some traction in the game. Considering the onslaught they had experienced heads did not drop and they tried to play football. Their efforts were to be further deflated when on 45 + 1 minutes Bangura, who had shown some skilful play but also has given the ball away showed his true class when from outside of the box and to the right he let go of a rocket to the Skegness keepers left hand to make it 5 nil.

How do you come back from a five goal deficit when the opposition are showing great movement on and off the ball, brilliant cross field passes, never kick and rush but measured football and general speed and skill, the answer is you don’t but Skegness did not give up, it just wasn’t their day.

The students made it six when Wicks cut a ball back along the ground where Morales amongst the melee tapped it in.

With the 646 fans readying to leave on 90+2 minutes Loughborough made it 7 when the recent substitute, Thew, chipped the goalkeeper from 35 yards, wow, what a game.

I was so pleased that Loughborough Students won because last season I felt they were robbed of promotion partly due to the indecision of the FA in deciding that they could be promoted. That battle was finally won, which I believe leads to a greater diversity within the game at this level and hopefully this will encourage other University sides to follow suit. It also means that this is another route for players to get into higher level football instead of what can be a treadmill of some Academies. You also gain a qualification that can be used in the future.

Good luck to Skegness next year, I hope that if they are in a play off final next year I will be there cheering them on.

And on to The Villa.

Stamford despatch Hitchin in the Daniels Den.

A trip to see another under 8’s game featuring my grandson meant I stopped off the A1 at Stamford on my way home to see them play Hitchin. Stamford is a historic market town and maintains many of its beautiful old limestone buildings. It is one of the few towns in Britain where the centre still has a vibrant centre.

Stamford AFC moved to their current ground, Borderville Sports Centre in 2014 just North of the Town and just in Lincolnshire on the border with Rutland. As you finish passing the retail park and housing you hit the countryside and the football ground. At the front of the Sports Centre is a very large car park and you walk past the main Centre building to the football ground. It is a very modern ground linked to the sports centre, with a covered 250 seated stand in the middle of one side and a tiered covered standing area behind one of the goals, the rest of the perimeter area is flat hard standing. The flat pitch was grass that had fared well in our very wet winter considering this was the last home game of the season. Behind one of the goals is a 3G artificial pitch that is used for training, junior teams, hiring out and there are also some more grass pitches.

Although there were some blue patches in the sky there were also grey and white clouds that along with a breeze meant that is felt colder than it looked at 10 degrees.

Football has been played in Stamford since 1870 but the current team seems to have gained full recognition in 1894 when it merged with Rutland Ironworks taking their name but using the name Stamford Town from 1896. They played locally on and off until in 1909 when they joined the Northamptonshire League that in 1933 became the United Counties League. They played most of their football in the UCL apart from a few short moves away until 1998 when they joined the Southern League and due to League reorganisation made it to the Premier Division in 2003 but were relegated the next year and promoted the year after that. Since then they have been moved between the Southern and Northern Premier Leagues depending on the geographic make up of those leagues and various ups and downs, the last of which was last year when they were promoted as champions of the Northern Premier League Midland Division 1 and moved to the Southern League. Stamford have a proud history in the FA Vase, before moving to their higher pyramid status. They won the cup in 1980 and were runners up in 1975 and 1984.

Hitchin were started in 1865 and were initially very successful eventually turning professional. By 1911 however they ceased playing due to a fire and financial problems. Hitchin town were restarted in 1928 joining the Spartan League, they progressed to the Athenian League in 1939 and on to the Isthmian League in 1963. They competed in different divisions of the Isthmian League for 41 years until in 2004 when they joined the Southern League where they are today. They have progressed well in both the old Amateur Cup and the FA Cup despite various off field problems. This North Hertfordshire club has been a stalwart of this level of football for nearly 100 years.

Stamford AFC 2 Hitchin Town 0

Saturday 20th April 2024 15.00 pm kick off. 7th v 18th Southern League Premier Central Division

Stamford AFC, Ryhall Road. Stamford PE9 1US.

The Daniels v The Canaries ( The Daniels after Daniel Lambert, England’s heaviest man at the time, who is buried in Stamford.)

Stamford, all red kit; Hitchin, all purple.

The first 15 minutes produced no clear chances yet Hitchin looked more interested and direct. Stamford then came more into the game and started to create some chances. With just 4 minutes to go until half time a ball was chipped in to the penalty area on the left hand corner where a defender was adjudged to have fouled the attacker and the referee gave a soft penalty. Will Glennon sent the goalkeeper the wrong way as he planted the penalty into the left hand corner of the net. The rest of the half was enhanced by a pair of red kites acrobatically soaring above one corner of the ground.

By the second half the chilling wind had increased and was blowing down the ground towards the covered terrace where I had moved to. After growing pressure on 65 minutes Stamford attacked down their right and Duffy battled for the ball, ran forward to the by-line and crossed for Harry Vince to run on to and place the ball into the right hand corner of the net.

Although Hitchin never gave up they did not look like scoring and Stamford saw out a competent performance that puts them in with a play off chance and drops Hitchin into a relegation spot with just one game left of the season.

The crowd of 611 was Stamford’s second highest of the season and the majority would have been happy with the result. The whole set up at Stamford is first class but as yet lacks the atmosphere that was associated with their old ground built up over many seasons and dramatic cup runs. Only time will deliver this.

The chips were a disappointing, warm to cold, limp, chewy, tasteless and although a good quantity were expensive for £3. I only ate 30% of them and the rest went in the bin, hence a score of only 40. The Daniels Larder kiosk was well staffed and quick and the bar facilities were excellent.

Yorkshire Main beat Harworth Colliery in miners duel.

Having spent a few weeks in higher echelons, Northampton Town’s Ground (FA Sunday Cup semi final), Chesterfield, Manchester City and Sheffield Wednesday I returned to lower league football. Just off the A1 to the West of Doncaster is Edlington where my destination, Yorkshire Main are based. I drove into the large car park to see the Central Midlands Alliance League Division North game between Yorkshire Main and Harwoth Colliery Institute.

To get to the ground you need to walk past Yorkshire Main Sports and Social Club and some grass football pitches to find the ground in the left hand corner of the park.

The ground is picturesque in that it is bounded by hedges and trees. It has a grass pitch that is undulating and has a good grass cover considering the winter water, but the spring daisies and dandelions are pointing through. There were some white concrete posts topped with red paint linked with rope that outlined the pitch.

The grey sky was giving way to lighter skies as a breeze blew from end to end. Surprisingly the temperature of 12 degrees felt warmer.
There was a small covered stand with wooden seating, floodlights and a pile of blocks presumably for future development.

Yorkshire Main, trace their origins to 1925 as a team called Edlington Rangers. The club was reformed as Yorkshire Main in 1960 and after time in local Doncaster leagues and The Sheffield and Hallamshire County League they joined the North East Counties League in 1983. In 1991 they were back in the Sheffield and Hallamshire County League where they played for seven seasons before joining the Central Midlands League. The club dropped down to local Doncaster football again in 2013 but with a renewed push both on and off the field they were elected to the Central Midlands League again in 2022.

Harworth were started in 1931, playing in local leagues and then the Yorkshire League. After a few years in the Sheffield and Hallamshire County League they joined the North East Counties League in 1982 at its inception where they stayed for four years. The Central Midlands League then became their new home where they are today.

Yorkshire Main 6 Harworth Colliery 0

Saturday 13th April 2024, Central Midlands Alliance Division North.

Edlington Lane, New Edlington, Doncaster DN12 1DA

5th v 9th Kick Off 15.00 pm

Yorkshire Main all red shirts and shorts; Haworth navy blue shirts and shorts with yellow panel on front.

Yorkshire kicked off with the wind behind them and within 2 minutes Bradley McFadden won a 50/50 ball on the left of the goal area, turned and hit the ball low to the left hand of a despairing goalkeeper to take the lead.

The football was direct but skilful and there was little between either side. but with 34 minutes gone the home sides Daniel Boulton took the ball to the right of the penalty area and riffled it across the goalkeeper into the far corner of the net.

With minutes to go before half time Main hit the crossbar with a header and Harworth had a disputed goal ruled out for offside. The half ended with Yorkshire Main leading 2 nil but all still seemed to play for.

No sooner than the second half had started when the home sides Tristian Taylor floated a great corner for George Cooper Smith to nod home.

It now looked all over for Harworth as although they kept pressing there was little end result.

Number 4 was added on 77 minutes when a brilliant through ball by Bradley McFadden gave Marvin Hockmann the chance to run through, beating the offside, and tap the ball into the goal.

Two minutes later the impressive Daniel Boulton received the ball 35 yards out and despite the bumpy pitch ran on past defenders to eventually flick the ball past the goalkeeper.

The rout continued and with 5 minutes remaining a missed cross by the away defence was latched onto by Jamie Whitehouse who swung his his leg, connected with the ball and it was 6.0.

Although it was 6 nil it was a fascinating game which I’m sure the crowd of 78 enjoyed. That is apart from a group of Harworth supporters.

The tea bar was welcoming with chairs, a television to watch the Grand National and pictures of old campaigns on the wall.

The chips were only £1.50, a good quantity. warm to hot, soft and a bit limp, tasty but not greasy gaining a score of 58.