A morning ground inspection put paid to my planned game so looking back to the previous weeks game at the incredible Loughborough. University I had read that their opponents Eastwood Community had an all weather pitch and good facilities.

So it was a change of plan and Google Maps to get me there. The lady on Google maps I call Betty, a long story, often she confuses me and this was no exception. Being told my destination was on my left but all that was there was a fire station belied the fact it was hidden by this building. Turning off google and driving around the block I eventually found a large sign directing me in.

Easy parking, although it was nearly full, led to a short walk past a large park to the ground. As I expected this is a good facility for this level of football.

An artificial pitch that when laid there was an attempt made to even the end to end slope which has resulted in a slope from one end to the centre and the other half being flat which initially looks a little odd. One side has a very large and well appointed club house, a steep comfortable seating area and a food bar. There is hard standing on all of the three other sides with cover at both ends and a very small covered seating area on the far side where some of the seats are smashed.

The view from near the top of the stand is really good as I looked out on the grey clouds that were building on this relatively cold, still day.

Eastwood Community FC have only been in existence since 2014 when they took on the mantle of football in the town after Eastwood Town folded. Eastwood Town had reached as high as the Northern Premier League. Community play at Haltbrooke Stadium, a modern facility with a 3g pitch. The Stadium also has great hospitality rooms to allow for a good income stream from off pitch activities. They have risen through the Central Midland League and are now placed in the United Counties League. They look certain to be contenders in this league in the future.

Newark FC have had a chequered career starting life as A. J. Simpson in 1901 in the Ironmonger’s League and the next mention of the club is as Worthington Simpson in 1935 in the Nottingham Spartan League. After fourteen years they moved to the Notts Alliance where they had some success and further name changes to IDP Newark and then Newark Flowserve in 2001. By 2004 Newark Flowserve joined the Central Midland League but lased only 5 years before joining the Notts Senior League. The senior team was reformed in 2013 and successive promotions saw them playing in the East Midlands Counties League where they soon achieved promotion to the Midland League. They had to drop the Flowserve name in 2020 at the request of the F.A. due to their sponsorship rules and with the Leagues restructure now play in the United Counties Football League. The team play at Basford United’s ground after their leased Lowfields ground in Balderton was subject to a plan to build housing. Long term this ground sharing 25 miles from their base will be difficult to sustain and efforts are being made to try to move back nearer to their roots.

Eastwood Community 1 Newark FC 2

Saturday 5th March 2022 Kick Off 3 pm

United Counties North Premier Division

Badgers v Highwaymen : League Position 14th v 15th

Attendance 197

Eastwood, red shirts and white shorts – Newark, royal blue shirts and shorts.

Eastwood initially looked as if they would take charge of the game but on 12 minutes the Newark forward, Josh Mundell, who had been a hand full, passed the defenders to the byline and cut back the ball where the striker, James Berrett was checked and the referee had no choice but to award a penalty. Mason Rowley stepped forward and hit the ball into the centre of the goal with the goalkeeper diving to his right. Both teams created chances but the defences were well up to it and the score remained at 0.1 at Half Time.

Eastwood did not seem to have the same confidence of the previous week but that appeared to be because the opposition were not letting them play.

Eastwood pressed at the start of the second half but on the hour a long ball forward was chased by Newark’s Richemone Sylla who controlled the ball and took the defender and goalkeper to the right of the goal and then crossed the ball for Nyle Blake to simply tap in.

As the game neared the end the heavens opened and a biblical deluge that had threatened all afternoon lasted for only five minutes.

Eastwood now took control and forced successive corners but could not beat the resolute Newark defence until on 80 minutes when Ben Henderson received the ball on the left, strode forward past lunging defenders and hit a powerful shot past Sam Andrew from range. Eastwood pushed for an equaliser but had no clear chances and Newark went home happy. My man of the match was Dean Freeman Newark’s centre back who marshalled his line and never missed a tackle or header.

The chips were crispy, fluffy inside, golden, tasty, an amazing amount for £1.50 but disappointedly a little cool but a good score of 81.

There has been a beacon for University Football this season and that has been Loughborough Students who have reached the quarter finals of the F.A.Vase and play Wythenshawe Town at home on the 12th March. They are only two wins away from Wembley when if they get there they say they will paint it purple. I decided to go and see them play at home to Eastwood Community FC on Saturday in the United Counties Premier Division North to see what was going on.

First you have to get past one of two campus gates to see an amazing University with indoor and outdoor sports facilities to die for. It is around a one square mile area and has always been known to me as the best sporting University in the country. But these days there are around 20000 students that not only excel at sport but many other degrees of which Business Studies is one of their prime offerings.

We parked in a very leafy car park walking past the beach volleyball area and in the distance the Steve Beckley javelin building that looks like a modern train station where you can launch your javelin under cover, Wow.

The University Stadium was opened in 2012 but still looks like it was last week. This is Non-league heaven with a beautiful stand down one side incorporating changing rooms, and a plush hospitality area for all up stairs where you enter the seats or look out on the pitch while having a drink or eating your pie. There is standing on three other side and to cater for the Quarter Final they are going to install a fans zone on the hard standing pitch behind the open side. There is an electronic score board and a perfectly flat pitch that is grass and looked after by a Wizard who has presented a lawn that would not be out of place for a bowls team.

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 have 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.

Eastwood Community FC have only been in existence since 2014 when they took on the mantle of football in the town after Eastwood Town folded. Eastwood Town had reached as high as the Northern Premier League. Community play at Haltbrooke Stadium, a modern facility with a 3g pitch. The Stadium also has great hospitality rooms to allow for a good income stream from off pitch activities. They have risen through the Central Midland League and are now placed in the United Counties League. They look certain to be contenders in this league in the future.

Loughborough Students 2 Eastwood Community 0

26th February 2022 3pm Loughborough University

United Counties Premier Division North

The Scholars v The Red Badgers

Purple shirts and shorts with pink shoulder stripe v Red shirts and white shorts

The first quarter of the game was very equal as it had been when the teams fought out a draw in an early round of this season’s F.A. Vase that had to be decided on penalties.

Just as Eastwood were beginning to get on top the Students hit the post and cross bar in a flurry of activity on 18 minutes. The game continued to see saw and Ben Whiting in the Loughborough goal (later to be named man of the match) flipped a header that had been powered down by Kyle Stovell of Eastwood up onto the bar and away.

At half time it was all square with a talented home team matched by a well disciplined and organised Eastwood.

Loughborough came out in the second half with all guns blazing but Eastwood kept their cool until the 66th minute when Dylan Edwards placed the ball along the ground into the left hand corner of the net from a position in the centre of the goal.

With Loughborough one goal up they continued pressure to make it 2 nil in the 82nd minute when Tope Fadahunsi’s pass was controlled by Cam More who spun and hit a bullet shot across the diving Warren Squires the Eastwood goal keeper.

The 162 fans left happy after a good competative game in fantastic facilities.

No chips unfortunately but a tasty Chicken Pie.

A trip to county Durham gave me the chance to visit Esh Winning to see them play Bedlington Terriers in the Northern League Division Two at the West Terrace Ground.

The names conjure up a strange coming together of a mystical world playing a dog breed, but this is serious football. The village of Esh Winning comes from Esh, the medieval name for a local Ash forest and Winning the term given when a new coal seam was discovered (A winning).

Esh Winnings ground is outside the village in fact it is on the border of the neighbouring village Waterhouses. The ground was moved there around 1968 when The NCB cleared the Eastern Village and pit buildings selling the current ground to the reformed Esh Winning club.

There was a football team in village called Esh Winning Rangers around 1889 playing locally until joining the Northern League in 1912 and dropping the Rangers from their name a year later. This team folded in 1934 and today’s club can be traced back to 1967 when Esh Winning Pineapple was formed playing Sundays in the Durham League. 1981 saw them step up to the Northern Alliance where they stayed for only one season before joining the Northern League where they play today. At the same time as this move the Pineapple part of their name disapeared.

They have seen an awful lot of ups and downs since then, 2002 up to Division 1, 2006 down to 2, 2009 to 1, 2011 back to 2 where they are now.

Bedlington like Esh Winning has seen football in the town for over 100 years with teams playing around the 1900’s. The current team dates back to 1949 when they played under the name of Bedlington Mechanics in the Northern Combination. They changed their name to Bridlington Colliery Town and then to Bedlington Colliery Welfare in the next ten years joining the Northern Alliance League in 1955. After another ten years they disbanded (1963).

They were back in business in 1965 reforming as Bedlington Colliery Welfare in the Alliance but by 1971 they left the Alliance League and played in some minor leagues under the new name Bedlington United again being readmitted to the Northern Alliance League in 1980. Two years later they were promoted to the the inaugural season of the Northern League Division Two. By 1985 they were promoted only to be relegated the next year. Promoted again to the top division in 1995 by 1998 they were winning that division, the first of 5 in a row, and a year later their highest peak was reached when they made it to the final of the FA Vase where they lost to the only goal to Tiverton Town. They were close again a season later but this time fell at the semi final stage. Somewhere along the way they were renamed Bedlington Terriers as per the dog breed associated with the village.

The heady days were over and they suffered a decline until finally sucumbing to relegation to the second division in 2016.

Sometimes it’s not the football that is the main enjoyment of the afternoon. Sitting in the stand I met Dec alias Miserable Les a musician of 50 years who now under his alias writes poetry and sings some of his output to paying audiences. He has released some albums one of which is called ‘7 Deadly Songs’ worth looking up but it is an acquired taste. It was the chat about the area, his support for Gateshead, knowledge of the local football scene all in a comical way that made the two halves fly by. Some of the humour was self depreciating, for instance his explanation of how his choice of name, Miserable Les, was a huge error because if you look it up on Google you find pages about Les Misérables before any appearance of himself. Definitely a very poor choice. Thank you Dec for a very amusing and enjoyable afternoon, hopefully our paths will cross again on another of my Northern excursions. Good luck with your music in the future.

Back to the football, the ground as I said was not in Esh Winning but in Waterhouses and is reached down an unmade road through a wood. To enter the ground you go through the club house that was busy with a bar and food area combined, however no chips. Going outside you are greeted by an open ground with good views of the local hills and woods. The pitch sloped from one goal to another and the grass was still thick with little wear even in the goal mouths, perhaps due to the exposed nature of the area and the drying winds which were very evident.

Although overcast it did not feel cold despite only registering only 6 degrees.

Esh Winning AFC 0 Bedlington Terriers FC 1

Northern League Division 2, Saturday 12th February, Kick off 3 p.m.

Esh v The Terriers

Esh Winning looked the liveliest early on but the two very young teams cancelled each other out as the defences took the upper hand. Even the sending off of Bedlington Terriers stalwart defender Shepherd for what the crowd thought was arguing with the referee changed little. The biggest excitement was when Esh hit the corner of the upright and crossbar just before half time.

With Bedlington now playing down hill little changed and it was a defensive error that gifted O’Connor the ball who steadied himself as two defenders and the goalkeeper tried to get in the way before he placed the ball home for the lead. Despite having a man advantage Esh Winning did not get back into the game and posed little threat to deny Bedlington their win.

The result meant that the Terriers moved up the lower half of the table but Esh Winning are now second from bottom only above the winless Durham City.

Interesting that both goalkeepers were young, tall and very competent. This seems a trend in lower league football. It could be that there are now specific goal keeper coaches or perhaps they are no longer sticking the kid that didn’t want to play in goal, Whatever the reason the standard of goalkeeping is definitely improving.

Unfortunately there were no Chips at the ground but I popped into Fields in Esh Winning to try their Chips. Fields have featured on TV programs as one of the last Chip shops to still cook with a gas fired range. It was busy and everything had been freshly cooked and the chips were just as they should be , tasty, hot, slightly greasy. Unfortunately my picture does not do them justice as I took it with them rested on my knee as we rushed off

As you drive north on the M1 in the dark you will notice two sets of red lights climbing up into the sky. One is the Emley Moor Grade 2 listed, built of concrete, transmitter that began transmitting in 1971 and the other is a temporary metal structure put up in 2018 to be used whilst the older transmitter has the technology changed at the top of the mast. This should have been completed by the end of last year but has been delayed.

My reason for the interest is that I was headed for Emley village just a mile west of the towers to see Emley AFC play Knaresborough Town in a Northern Counties East Premier Division encounter. You drive up the hill to the village and you soon notice the floodlights welcoming you but there seems no way to get to the ground. Having driven up and down twice I noticed a car cut down between two houses and low and behold there is a very small notice on the wall for the car park. Once through the gap it opens up to a good sized area with easy parking.

The entrance to the ground leads in to a table selling tickets for a traditional meat raffle, this one made up of a breakfast tray. I haven’t seen a meat raffle at a ground for over three years and my ticket was just five off the winner that keeps up my run of never having won one. My contributions to football clubs by now must have reached a tidy sum. If I wasn’t committed to a match this Saturday the ticket sellers promise that at this Saturdays game there will be a tray of a full stake dinner may have tempted me.

On entering you immediately notice a large covered seating area down one side which is complemented by some covered standing behind one goal with the other end being open. What is unusual is that one side is completely fenced off which comes down at the end of the season for the adjoining cricket club. The club house under the stand was cosy and modern and a food bar located at the far end.

I sat in the stand which was pleasant with an outside temperature of 11 degrees but for the next 10 minutes a fine rain swept horizontal across the ground. The rain stopped as soon as it came but was a precursor for a stronger cold wind. You can get four seasons in a match up here not in a day

The pitch looked as if it had been cut short and where the pitch had been rolled earth was visible. The pitch looked like it drained well with the slope from right to left goal mouths.

Emley has seen local football since 1903 and the original team reached as high as the Northern Premier League, an FA Vase final and a match at West Ham in the FA Cup. However a move to Wakefield to further their dream that looked hampered by a ground grading issue did not work out.

In 2005 a team based on Emley reserves who had continued to play in the village was formed to play at the Welfare Ground.

Just one season in the West Yorshire League and they were elevated to The Northern Counties East League. By 2019 Emley had reclaimed their name but they were also unusually moved to the North West Counties League. After two seasons they campaigned to return East and the recent reorganisation of Leagues and their performances in games in the second Covid curtailed season meant they were relocated into the Premier Division of the NCEL where they sit today.

The opponents Knaresborough Town FC have a long history going back to 1898 when there was a team called ‘Trinity’ which changed its name to Knaresborough two years later. Reformed in 1945 as Knaersborough Rovers they have played in various local Yorkshire Leagues and are enjoying their highest level of competition having been promoted to The Northern Counties East League Division One in 2012 and to the Premier Division in 2017.

Emley AFC 4 Knaresborough Town FC 0

Tuesday 8th February 7.45 Kick Off

Fantastic Media Welfare Ground, Emley, The Pewits v The Boro, 16th v 17th

Emley: Claret Shirts with blue sleeves and white shorts, Knaresborough: All bright yellow strip.

Both sides had early chances but as the game continued Emley looked the stronger. On 36 minutes Callum Charlton found himself to be onside, to the amazement of the 173 supporters, as he burst through with just the goalkeeper to beat. He duly stroked the ball into the corner of the net for Emley to take the lead which they held till half time.

Having a walk round the ground at half time the wind was playing a tune through the netting behind the open end of the ground.

Emley had the advantage of the slope in the second half but failed to take advantage until the hour mark when Doyle threatened on the left and as he passed the defender he was brought down. The penalty was expertly put into the right hand corner of the net by Joe Jagger to make it two nil.

Knaresborough did not give up but the luck was certainly not with them when with 10 minutes left Doyle seemed to have an easy chance to score but his miss kick hit Craig Hall and the ball sailed into his own goal. It was all over now and made easier for Emley with two bad injuries to Knaresborough players that due to previous substitutions left them with only 10 men on the pitch.

Emley duly scored again in the last two minutes for a game winning 4.0 when despite the diving keepers best efforts he could not keep out the strong Joe Jagger’s effort.

Emley have now won three in a row and are now almost clear of any relegation worries while Knaresborough still have more to do that has been made harder by their injuries.

It was great getting back to some good chips which were hot, crispy, firm and tasty but soon cooled in the wind. A good score of 78.

Back to a Saturday and this time a trip to School Lane in Poole to watch the Dolphins play The Marine.

Poole Town’s ground is part of a school complex and allows for plenty of parking.

There are some more developed grounds in this League but what Poole have is adequate for the level and the crowd of 508.

With storm Malik battering Scotland and the North of England the balmy 9 degrees on the coast with a light breeze and dull grey skies was a benefit.

The playing surface was mainly flat with a good grass cover and there was an ample covered seating area with covered terracing at each end of the ground as well as more next to either side of the stand. There is a well frequented club house as you enter the ground.

Poole Town FC were formed in 1890 with the merger of Poole Rovers and Poole Hornets and I remember them being a strong force in Non League Football in the 1960’s when their reputation for cup heroics went before them. They have been dogged with ground issues, Poole Stadium used by Speedway was lost to them, but have now settled into The Black Gold Stadium, Oakdale School, School Lane, Poole and in recent years have been pressing for promotion.

Swindon Supermarine FC are a more recent club being forged from a merger of Swindon Athletic and Supermarine in 1992. They stayed nearly 10 years in the Hellenic League and in 2001 moved up to the Southern League and were promoted to the Premier Division in 2007 where they stayed for 5 seasons until being relegated. They regained their Premier status in 2018 where they now sit.

Poole Town 2 Swindon Supermarine 1

Southern League Premier South

Dolphins v The Marine: 9th v 15th

Poole. Shirts – gold and black vertical stripes with black sleeves and shoulders, shorts- black.

Supermarine. Shirts – White, Shorts – Royal Blue

Before the match started there was a minutes applause to celebrate the passing of Jack Fisher a 96 year old who had been a stalwart at the club for many years and had been the trainer for 19 years and stand in manager when needs were great.

A small knott of Poole ultras began chanting in time to an incessant drum beat to get the game under way and the home team were soon on top when on only 5 minutes Jack Dickson dribbled in from the right only to be up ended by a defender and Will Spetch sent the goalkeeper the wrong way to convert the awarded penalty.

The game was then scrappy and had not really settled down when Will Spetch went up to challenge for a ball and was adjudged to have fouled by a Swindon defender and goalkeeper Jed Ward. Spetch made sure that the ball was his and blasted the awarded penalty straight into the net with the keeper diving to his left where the first penalty had been placed.

The away side came to life and both sides seemed to be competing harder for possession. On thirty seven minutes, seven minutes after the penalty the referee gave a free kick to Swindon for what seemed to everyone was a very theatrical dive. Perhaps it was an evening up after the home sides dubious second penalty. The ball went well over the bar but found its way into Poole’s net with the first half coming to an end when Tom Mehew hit the ball into the left side of the goal after two defence splitting passes.

It was as if that both teams left their spark in the dressing room in the second half and on territorial play alone it felt like Poole were hanging on for the win which they duly did. Not the best game I’ve seen this year which I will remember most for the competitive first half.

I seem to be having a run of very poor chips. These were a large quantity but were soggy, only warm and dull, meaning only a score of 53.

A trip to Rossington, South East of Doncaster, would have been a trek at one time to what was a solid mining town. Now a new feeder road off of junction 3 of the M18 takes you straight there. Well that would be the case if Google maps was up to date and hadn’t taken me on a tour of the new I Port and the mega shed and other buildings that is an Amazon Distribution Centre.

Amazon Distribution Centres are like the Norman Motte-and-Bailey castles or the castles of Edward 1st in that they are there to dominate the populous and ensure that their deeds are done. Most empires fail in the end, I wander who will be the barbarians who topple it.

It is not only these distribution sheds that have helped to transform this area but also the growth of nearby Robin Hood Airport and the Yorkshire Wildlife Park as major local employers. The new housing along the new road is testament to the immense change.

The trip on the cold and misty January night was to see Rossington Main play Brigg Town in The Northern Counties East League Cup 3rd round. The ground is tucked away behind an older housing estate and I was able to squeeze the car into the last space in the good sized car park.

A few weeks ago I wrote about Briggs long history so I will not repeat it here. Brigg played well on that day and their strength as a main challenger for the League title looked to be enough to see off their mid table rivals.

Rossington were formed in 1919 as Rossington Main Colliery. They played in local South Yorkshire leagues initially changing their name to Rossington Miners Welfare in 1948. They entered the Yorkshire League in 1975 and the Central Midlands League in 1983 changing their name to the current Rossington Main. After some successful years they joined the Northern Counties East League in 1991. In 1998, the club amalgamated with another local club, Rossington F.C. They have remained in Division 1 since joining just over 20 years ago.

Rossington Main FC 1 Brigg Town CIC 3

Tuesday January 25th 7.45 Kick off.

Oxford Street, Rossington, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, DN110TE

Bluebirds v Zebras

NECL Division 1 6th v 3rd

It was cold outside, 2 degrees, but really warm in a compact, comfortable, friendly club house with the TV turned on for football.

There were no chips on the menu but there were five varieties of pie and I chose a scalding hot chicken and mushroom pie with mushy peas and gravy. Good for the soul but another blow to the diet.
The club house was getting louder and louder with laughing and banter and it turned out that all the noise and songs were from Brigg Town supporters.
The pitch was flat with good grass cover, cut short and it looked like it had been rolled.
The cold mist cleared before the game started although the air was still and the temperature slowly rose.

Rossington edged the first 15 minutes and created more chances but did not come near to converting their opportunities. The inevitable happened when on 28 minutes a wayward back pass was met by Owen Vincent who coolly lobbed the advancing goalkeeper. Kian Johnson the Rossington keeper managed to stretch to stop the shot but it was parried into the path of Brigg’s Scott Phillips who made no mistake to make it one nil.

With half time beckoning Brigg made it two nil when Reece Newell broke through and from the edge of the box he hit a shot across Johnson who although getting his fingers to the ball couldn’t stop it from nestling in the left hand corner of the net.

So Rossington went in at half time losing two nil but having had more of the play but no cutting edge.

Within 8 minutes Josh Batty was put clean through for Brigg and on the edge of the goal was flattened by Kian Johnson who had rushed out of his goal. Somehow Batty had directed the ball towards the goal and it slowly beat the defenders attempts to stop it crossing the goal line. Batty needed some attention and Johnson was lucky to get away with only a yellow card.

Both sides now made a series of substitutions and Rossington looked more direct.

With 3 minutes left Rossington scored a consolation goal when substitute Dec Slater curled a shot into the net from right centre of the goal.

An enjoyable Tuesday evening that cut through the cold of the night.

As a postscript to this game Toolstation Northern Counties East League Management issued the following statement.

31st January, 2022

A league disciplinary panel has ruled that Brigg Town should be removed from this season’s Toolstation NCEL League Cup having fielded an ineligible player in their Third Round win at Rossington Main.

It was alleged that Brigg had played Lawrence McKay in their 3-1 victory on Tuesday 25th January, 2022, while he was unregistered as a player for the club.

The panel found the case proven and decided that Brigg should be fined and removed from the competition in accordance with the FA’s National League System and the NCEL’s Cup Regulations.

As a result, Rossington Main will be reinstated into the League Cup.