The last day of the football season on June 5th !! and I had the opportunity to watch one of the last Abacus Central Midland Football League Division One Central games of the season, either the home game at Holbrook St Michael or Kilburn. Both of these villages are just off and straddling the A38 in Derbyshire within 6 miles of each other. I chose Holbrook St Michael as it sounded the most interesting.

I set off following Google maps and eventually arrived in the pretty village of Holbrook St Michael but could not see the ground. Parked up looking at a phone screen with prescription sun glasses is not easy but I saw a playing field on the map about a mile away at Holbrook and set off again. Sure enough I arrived at a football ground with a few minutes left to kick off. The car park looked quite full but I could see no activity on the pitch through a small opening in a wire fence. Walking round the perimeter I passed the bowling green where at least 50 people were playing or watching and then found an entrance to the deserted football ground.

My thoughts were that this could be another game that had been cancelled because one club couldn’t get a team together in the current climate in the same way that a Glapwell game against Newark was cancelled by their opposition a few weeks ago.

However not to be beaten I thought I would go to Kilburn and headed off to soon find the village. But now I drove round that village three times until I finally found a small hidden drive next to the Jade Garden Chinese takeaway.

Darting down there I was confronted by a very full carpark and had to go back out into the main street where there were no parking spaces but eventually found one on a newish housing estate a brisk walk away. I finally walked into the ground 25 minutes after the start where someone was standing with a program. I tried to buy one off him but was soon told that the program was his and I needed to go to the kiosk where I bought the last program for £1 and a coffee for the same price. As the coffee was being made I watched the game and saw Kilburn take the lead at the far end.

The gound is compact with a children’s play area at one end. The playing area is fenced off but surrounded by Hawthorn bushes that were in full bloom with the rolling countryside beyond. The day had beautiful blue skies with some rolling cotton wool clouds that were motionless in the still wind.

The pitch sloped from side to side away from what looked like a good sized club house and was bumpy with good long grass cover. There looked like a crowd of about 40 who were dressed to enjoy the sun.

Kilburn 3 Woodhouse Colts 4

This was a mid table end of the season game that Kilburn needed to beat Woodhouse by 17 goals to pass them on goal difference in the league table.

As I said earlier I just caught the first goal when a Kilburn player found some space to smash a ball to the right of the goalkeeper to take the lead. This was doubled shortly after when a game of pin ball in the goal was greeted by shouts of goal by the Kilburn players and the linesman, provided by Woodhouse corageously signalled it had crossed the line.

So two nil at half time and 15 more to score to overtake Woodhouse.

A headed goal at the re-start for Woodhouse put paid to any silly results but Kilburn scored again quickly when their lively and most dangerous forward, No,9 ran on to a through ball and ckeekily chiped it over the diving goalkeeper. It was then the Woodhouse number nine’s turn to get in on the act with an audacious lob over the keeper. The Woodhouse defence now seemed to take an iron grip on the game and hit long balls to each wing, especially the left, for their forwards to run onto and cause havoc. It was no surprise that they equalised through number 12 who powered a shot along the floor to see it bounce over the diving keeper and into the net. Woodhouse were now fully in charge and had a goal disallowed for a foul on the goalkeeper in amongst a group of players.

The drinks break midway through the half was welcomed by all but it did not stop the pattern of play and Woodhouse were ahead through their No.14 and never looked like relinquishing the lead until the end of play.

An exciting game to end the season a little spoilt by the grumbles of some players towards the referee who was doing his best on a very hot, tiring, end of season day. Thank you Kilburn for you hospitality I would like to visit again when the clubhouse is fully open and a game in normal seasonal football weather.

When I sat down later at home I looked up the results and found that Holbrook St Michael Development did play at home and lost one nil to Cromford and Wirksworth and that the ground I visited, only just over a mile away was Holbrook Sports. Amazing to find two such teams so close together and surviving. It also showed that I must do more planning before I set off but at the end of the day I think I was fortunate to see A SEVEN GOAL THRILLER. It also proved that I should have researched my journey more carefully before starting. The plus point is that I now have two new teams to watch in the coming seasons and I know where their grounds are,

The end of a very unusual season.

I wrote a blog back on 15th December 2020 when I excitedly explained the renaissance of Glapwell F.C. With the second level of The Central Midlands League resuming to finnish their season I was able last Saturday to visit Hall Corner and see what was going on.

It was great to re-enter this ground that I had not been to for over ten years. When I last visited it was an evening game which is now impossible because there are no longer any floodlights, taken down some time ago due to vandalism and safety.

I was met with a young boy explaining the new rules at this publically owned arena and asking to sign in through the app. A bucket was on the ground in which people had left contributions if they wished.

There is a sadness in the delapidated areas but a feeling of going places in the friendliness, enthusiasm of the helpers, the tidiness and the playing standard, more of that later.

Glapwell FC may have more than battles on the field to contend with in the future. They have already won battle number one in re-forming and are trying hard through their on pitch efforts to win a promotion. They may be thwarted to rise through the pyramid system because of their ground. They will need to have floodlights in the future and with planning permission being granted to build 62 houses on part of the next door Glapwell Nuursery and 65 other new homes near by may face complaints about those lights being a nuisance. There could also be objections to increased fans arriving and leaving by car in an area that is faced with a major increase in traffic flow in the area resulting from the new housing.

There is a strong local campaign and petition to stop the sale of land close to the ground spearheaded by Tom Kirkham that is underway.

We, the undersigned, petition Bolsover District Council to protect the wildlife and mature trees at the top of Park Ave in Glapwell from development. We ask the council to stop its sale until covenants can be added to the land to keep it as a green, open public space respecting its status as a Bolsover District community asset. The land is one of the few areas of Glapwell that links the village back to its heritage and the old Glapwell Hall. The trees on the land are some of the oldest in the district and they are home to protected species such as bats. The land is much loved by local residents as a space for peace and relaxation.

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/we-call-on-bolsover-district-council-to-protect-glapwell-s-wildlife-and-heritage?share=33aa6a51-0dd2-4829-9f97-4905ac31da75&source=&utm_source=

You can understand all councils looking to sell any asset with their budgets being squeezed by reduced central goverment spending and more tasks being delegated to them from above. Austerity by the back door contiues to blight local representatives everywhere.

Back to the football.

It was a grey overcast day with a few spots of rain in the air and a cool 8 degrees that meant I went straight to get a hot coffee and a chat with an enthusiastic official.

The ground slopes from one end to the other, the grass cover was thick and lush and overall the facilities are much better than most teams of this level.

Glapwell’s opponents Thorne Colliery are believed to have been in existance for nearly 100 years. Based near Doncaster they have played their football in and around South Yorkshire, North Notts, and North Derbyshire for all of that time.

Glapwell FC 6 Thorne Colliery Development Team 0

Glapwell were into their stride from the kick off and with a very lively and skillfull front line it was of no surprise that they took the lead on 8 minutes through Curtis Birchall who from 8 meters out stroked the ball to the right of the diving goalkeepers hand.

Some 7 minutes later it was 2 nil, the goal scored by Chaz Brtadwell after some neat interpassing. On cue a further 7 minutes and it was three nil, Grant Mitchell only having to slide the ball home after a three man passing move..

Thorne steadily came back into the game and started to press having their best phase of the half. They looked unlucky not to be given a penalty but went in at half time well behind. Glapwell’s dominance was achieved by a neat inter passing game as against Thorne trying to beat their man through dribbling with the ball.

The referee turned the players round quickly but there was enough time for the Thorne manager to vociforously put over his feelings and plans for play in the second half.

However with Glapwell now playing down hill it took them only 10 minutes to increase their lead when a corner from Ben Coperstake was met by a thunderous header from Stephan Brown at the far post. This was somewhat dubious as the ball seemed to curve out of play before coming back on to Brown’s head.

A few minutes later Ben Coperstake was upended by the Thorne goalkeeper who received a yellow card and the resulting penalty was stroked home by Chaz Bradwell sending the keeper the wrong way.

The sixth goal for Glapwell came on 62 minutes when Grant Mitchell jinked past two defenders and drove a deflected ball along the ground into the corner of the net.

Glapwell brought on a young substitute Olly Marshall but within 2 minutes he suffered a very painfull leg injury. The pain on his face as he walked round the pitch to the bench was not good to see.

Glapwell did not have a substitute to replace him and played out the rest of the game with ten men for their 6 nil win that lifted them to second in the table.

My man of the match was Glapwell’s number nine Ben Coperstake who was playing out on the right and was unplayable with speedy nuns and accurate crossing and passing that had the Thorne defence in disaray.

I felt sorry for the young Thorne goalkeeper who although letting in 6 goals looked to have the potential to play at a higher level.

Really enjoyed the game and coming to Glapwell. I will be there again next season whatever league they are playing in.

I didn’t think I would be watching any more football this season but some leagues lower than step 7 have restarted to complete their season and spectators are able to attend if it is a public park.

So I was all set to visit Glapwell and checked their Twitter feed an hour before kick off to find that their opponents had cried off because they couldn’t raise a full team. A frantic look at other games within my now constrained travelling time to find Ripley Town F.C were at home to Clifton All Whites Development Team only 30 minutes away.

The ground at Greenwich Park was easy to find alongside the A610 and was an open area next to a skate board park. Being the first of May a cricket match was in progress just beyond an adjacent football pitch.

The weather was disappointing for May in that although dry it was overcast with heavy dark clouds and a cold chill was in the air. The pitch was very undulating and reminded me of past Sunday League pitches I have known and loved. The goal mouths were bare of grass but a nice strip of dandelions and daisies ran down one side.

Ripley Town FC

There has been a football team named Ripley in the town for over 130 years although there have been many restarts, mergers and reorganisation. Ripley Town F.C. currently play in the Central Midlands League Division 1 South.

Clifton All Whites Development Team

Clifton All Whites have been going 1963 starting as a youth team in Nottingham, originally named Thistledown Rovers and in 1973 formed a senior team. They have played their football in and around Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. The club is a community club with men’s and women’s teams of varying ages.

Ripley Town 2 Clifton All Whites Development 2

Ripley started the game most promisingly but a dull game was brought to life 7 minutes before half time when The All Whitles number 7, James Itokun, who had mafe some mazy runs which ran into cul de sacs, stooped to head home a great right wing cross.

The second half quickly started with just a quick 5 minute turn round. The dullness of the first half disapeared as Ripley pressed to equalise, which they did through Jason Whitehead. The All Whites now came back into the game strongly to go ahead through Ben Cooke. During this period of play they had a goal disalowed and a penalty saved by Ripley’s keeper diving to his left. However it ended all square with Alex Crossley getting the equalising goal. It was an enjoyable second half only dampened by some unnecessary swearing at the referee by an All Whites defender.

With no food available at Ripley I could not have any ‘chips’ so I took a flask of soup instead. It must be because I have been used to non organic tomato soup all of my life that this just did not have the flavour I expected. At least it was hot on a cold day.