I visited Athersley Recreation FC on Wednesday evening to see them play Maltby Main FC in the Toolstation Northern Counties East, Premier Division. I had been to this ground in the past but that was to see the now defunct Shaw Lane AFC who were ground sharing at the time. It is on the edge of a housing estate in North Barnsley and has a handy car park down a narrow entrance between two houses.

The clear night was cold with a biting wind. The pitch was heavy and slightly sloped towards each goal with muddy areas down the centre of the pitch having taken a hammering with all of the recent rain.

My first port of call was the snack bar for a large tray of chips and a coffee and I sat down in the cosy and warm portakabin bar area.

I ventured out a few minutes before kickoff to see a reasonable crowd of 117 had braved the elements.

Athersley Recreation FC 0 Maltby Main FC 3

Athersley had a very young side particularly up front and had two clear chances in the first 15 minutes although Maltby looked the more polished side. It was no surprise that on 28 minutes Jonathan Hill was left alone in front of the goalkeeper to score Maltby’s first after some neat passing. Athersley never gave up and dominated the ten minutes before half time.

Bovril this time at half time to warm the hands,  it tasted good, being quite strong compared to some.

Maltby’s strength was beginning to show and they further increased their lead on 61 minutes when Rory Coleman guided the ball  from a narrow angle on the left of the goalkeeper to make it two nil. This was after a strong run from Hill from near the halfway line.

Just 3 minutes later a ball through to Maltby’s Foster beat the offside trap and Ross Pritchard in the Recreation goal raced out and fouled him on the edge of his area. The referee took time to consult his linesman who was nearer the incident and the goalkeeper was lucky only to be shown a yellow card. Maltby reacted quickly and Coleman swung in a ball with the Athersley defence not fully prepared and it went into the back of the net off a home defenders head.

Athersley kept at it but didn’t create any strong chances. This was despite Kane Swinburn (No 10) terrorising from the right wing but not being able to make a decisive pass after such good work.

The result consolidated Maltby’s mid table position while Athersley are fully rooted to the bottom with only 9 points, 4 away from their nearest rivals, despite some recent better performances. Considering the fact that they did compete for the whole match they could still make up the difference.

The game was competitive but fair and there was no repeat of my Saturday experience when the two teams constantly harangued the referee.

It was good to see Dan Jarvis, Local Barnsley Central MP and Mayor of Sheffield City Region supporting Athersley in the program.

The large portion of chips and coffee were £2.70 with the chips being hot, crispy and tasty. A slight burnt taste to the oil meant a score of 68.

I’ve been meaning to go to Ollerton Town FC for some time and finally made it to this small town in North Nottinghamshire within the area known as the Dukeries just on the edge of Sherwood Forest. Once a farming community noted for its hop growing it became a mining community in 1920 with the sinking of a coal pit that attracted miners from all over Britain and some from Europe. The mine went in 1994 and the area now looks for a new identity.

Ollerton Town FC’s ground is located in a housing estate surrounded by some grassy areas that is used for training and parking. The immediate reaction to the welcome and facilities is homely. You can see the edge of Sherwood Forest from the ground and pigs roam a nearby field. Like other clubs at this level there are Youth and Ladies sections to the club and this can bee seen in the number of younger players in their team, particularly the forwards. I have noticed that more clubs at this level are bringing through youngsters at an earlier age which is due to them developing local talent and not having to pay the wages of non-league journeymen.

There has been a football team in Ollerton from the late 1800’s and was called Ollerton Colliery for a time up to 1988 when it folded. Reformed in 1988 as Ollerton and Bevercotes Miners Welfare it changed again in 1994 to Ollerton Town FC with the demise of mining. The club have developed well in local football and are now in the Northern Counties East League Division 1 and taking part in the FA Vase. Their current aim is to establish themselves at this level and eventually be elected to take part in the FA Cup.

The game I went to see was a League game against Hallam FC. Hallam as I have written before have an amazing pedigree being the second oldest football team in the world, took part in the world’s oldest derby against Sheffield FC, play at the World’s Oldest Football Ground still in use and possess the World’s Oldest “knock out cup”, the “Youdan Cup”, some pedigree.

Ollerton Town FC 0 Hallam FC 0

The pitch had a slight end to end slope and an undulating surface with good grass cover. The temperature of 8 degrees was a lot colder in the strong developing wind with grey overcast skies that were heavy with occasional rain spots. 112 fans braved the wind with a good away support from Hallam.

I have been to some nil nil draws that have been fantastic matches but this was decidedly uninspiring. The lack of a team sheet meant I did not know who was who but the stand out performance was Hallam’s number 11 who hit the woodwork or bar three times and his harrying led to an Ollerton defender handballing in the penalty from a long throw in. He did not take the penalty 15 minutes into the second half but this was trusted to their captain number 9 who hit it to the left of the goalkeeper who calmly palmed it around the post for a corner. The Ollerton forward line were energetic and skillful but overall Hallam must have felt this was 2 points lost rather than one gained. Ollerton now sit just one above the relegation positions in the league with Hallam just below half way.

The game was competitive and the word ref was being shouted continually as each side contested all of his decisions. Some strong abuse by the home management and some of their players that was directed towards him at half time was unseemly and should have been dealt with firmly.

The food area was small but very warm, friendly and needed on this cold day. The chips were red hot, thick, golden and tasty and with a cup of coffee only £2. The Chips scored a very good 74.

A short move along the A6 Trunk Road from Boxing Day’s  Matlock game you come to Bakewell.

Today I’m not visiting this Derbyshire market town for a much sought after Bakewell Pudding but to see Bakewell Town FC play Long Eaton United Community in the Central Midland Football league Macron Store Stoke Division One South.

A Bakewell Town FC have been in existence since 1883 but todays incarnation is from a merger of three local teams in the 1999/2000 season to play in the Hope Valley League and to step up to the Central Midlands League recently. Long Eaton United Community are the reserves side of Long Eaton United and field a very youthful development team.

The players get changed in the Cricket Pavillion and the home team put up the nets, corner flags and a one strand perimeter fence in the Recreation Park. A crowd of about 30 comes and goes during the game with the stalwarts using the park benches to watch in comfort.

The pitch was flat but a bit bumpy, wet through and heavy but the grey skies do not look like rain. The recreation ground was busy with people walking dogs and just strolling with the backdrop of the Derbyshire hills.

Bakewell 1 Long Eaton 3

Long Eaton are a very youthful side and their deliberate short interpassing game saw a dividend on 5 minutes when No.9 turned neatly and fired under the Goalkeeper for the lead. Bakewell didn’t give up and their more physical game exerted enough pressure to draw level through Aaron Maund whose run and shot from the left was deflected to loop over the Long Eaton keeper. Half time soon came round and was a reflection of how well the young referee had kept the game moving to the point of no added time being needed.

A quick ten minute half time break for this 2 o’clock kick off, no lights here, got us back in action and Bakewell started stronger. Long Eaton though were still very much in the game and on 62 minutes No.9 again netted, with his left foot this time, after his first attempt was blocked.

The Long Eaton keeper who made some good saved, particularly with his legs to beat advancing forwards, made a wander save from point blank range with 25 minutes left when a goal seemed certain. Just a minute later the Long Eaton No. 7 hit the crossbar with a free kick which should have been scrambled home by the attackers.

With just a few minutes left the No. 9 for Long Eaton scored his hat trick when a shot from the left was deflected in off the goalkeeper.

Long Eatons Nos. 7&9  and Bakewells No. 2 were the men of the match.

No refreshments here and no charge. Perhaps a bucket collection would have gained some money for the club and the players efforts who gave a competitive enjoyable game on a difficult surface.

It’s always a pleasure to get out on Boxing Day to get some fresh air and see a football match. A trip to Matlock to see the A6 derby was a reverse of last years visit to Buxton.

The Matlock ground is one of the most iconic and picturesque in the country, three sides for supporters and the fourth open to the next door cricket pitch. It is overlooked by Riber Castle atop of the hills overlooking the ground which are shrouded in swirling clouds and although only 3 o’clock its seems that night time has started early. The pitch is flat being on the river Derwent valley floor opposite a glorious local park that is bordered by the river. Matlock is the county town of Derbyshire and this battle is for bragging rights in the Peak District.

The pitch is in good condition considering recent weather and a crowd of 922, 42 more than last years fixture have turned up. Matlock started the season well and looked promotion candidates in the early fixtures but have lately been slipping down the league to be just below half way. Buxton by contrast have all season been in the relegation area and recent results have seen them start to climb to a safer position.

Matlock Town 2 Buxton 4

This Betvictor Northern Premier League game started with a bang and within 5 minutes Matlock were two nil ahead. The first goal after just 2 minutes came from a high speculative cross from Matlocks Luke Dean to the far post which was headed in by Luke Hinsley who was challenged by Grant Shenton in the Buxton goal who felt he had been fouled.  A few minutes later a through ball was met by Tomas Poole who neatly hit the ball with the outside of his right foot to the right of the diving Shenton.

Buxton did not collapse and started to take control with their completed pass rate much superior to Matlock’s and a definite stronger will to win and attack the ball.

To the confusion of the crowd on 26 minutes the referee walked off the pitch handing over to his senior assistant and a plea to the crowd for an assistant referee at this level was met by a spectator, Mark Tracey. Buxton continued their ascendancy and were rewarded on 38 minutes when Alex Byrne riffled home after Matlock failed to clear four shots on goal from Buxton.

Matlock were ahead at the break but the second half started as dramatically as the first with Buxton equalising after just 90 seconds of the restart. A long throw in from the right was missed by two Matlock defenders giving Liam Hardy an easy tap in goal.

Buxton now dominated further and Matlock seemed to lose heart and direction as the half continued. Two goals from Diego De Girolamo on 55 and 88 minutes wrapped up a very comprehensive win for the visitors. His first taken cooly when a ball threaded to him behind the home defence was placed easily past the lonely Dan Wallis in goal and the second a gift from a bad pass by Bailey Gooda allowing him to dribble the ball into the net.

The Matlock Manager quoted from their official website summed it up perfectly although I did feel that Buxton’s more positive attitude had a major effect.

“All four goals were down to our errors, we’ve got to be better than that” said Matlock boss Steve Kittrick afterwards. “It was a comedy of errors, Buxton didn’t have to really work for their goals and it’s disappointing after doing so well in the last two or three games.”

Really good food here and I was not surprised by the queue. The chips were cooked in a large deep fryer and were piping hot, golden and crispy outside, good value for £2 and a magnificent score of 80.

Finally after three weeks of postponements and Christmas commitments, a game. Even then this was the third choice with Selby and Ollerton both called off.

Staveley too have had their postponement problems this being their first home game in 63 days. Volunteers had been in since 8.30 a.m. pumping out water and preparing the pitch for a successful pitch inspection.

From 8.30a.m. to 3.00 p.m. what a transformation after the magnificent work of the Staveley crew.

This is a community club that has a vision to develop further and they are planning an artificial pitch that will ease the pitch problems and generate some extra income. Not everyone can afford the 3G pitch and some Non-league clubs are hanging on in there almost as heritage venues like some churches and perhaps deserve some sort of financial support to keep the community spirit alive. With the wettest season I can remember many teams are struggling to get by with no gate money, bar or snack sales.

A crowd of 179 was in attendance, down on the average so far this season but the competition of Christmas shopping and two World Club Championship games on TV was formidable. The fact that people did not know whether the game was on until the pitch inspection did not help although this had been countered by Staveley only charging £4 for adults, £2 for concessions and free for children, a nice touch. With all the money in the game more should trickle down the pyramid, to start with a defibrillator at all clubs, sports and recreation grounds paid for by the Premier League Clubs is a must.

On the bar at Staveley’s ground.

But despite the weather the the bright, large friendly club house, male dominated, was buzzing with laughter and sales.

The game is Staveley Miners Welfare at home to Grimsby Borough in the Northern Counties East league Premier Division. Grimsby third in the table with game in hand of the top two and Staveley in fourth with even more games in hand.

Staveley M W 3 Grimsby Borough 1

The grey still skies did not look like any further rain was due but the pitch looked heavy and claggy.

The pitch caused the first real interest in the game when Dan Trott turned and hit an average shot from 20 yards. Myles Wright, in the centre of his goal dropped down to collect the ball which didn’t bounce but bobbled under his body and into the net. Everyone seemed stunned in the crowd and wandered what was next. Both teams from then on mastered the conditions and Staveley spent most of the half camped in their opponents half with Joe Pugh hitting the crossbar. With no luck Staveley went in one down but having put on a strong display.

Staveley started the second half dominating play again and they finally broke through on 55 minutes when Joe Pugh swept home a perfect cross from the left by Michael Burke.

After a series of long throw ins by Adam Lund one was headed on which Michael Burke prodded towards the goal which three Grimsby players franticly scrambled to keep out. The third followed on at 89 minutes when Matty Parkin curled a great cross in from the right for Patrick Lindley to head home with some force.

Grimsby now had their best spell of the game but much too late and Staveley move above them in the table. You just feel about Staveley as a team and club that they have a great future.

The chips were hot, tasty, and scored a very good 75.

Well I had travelled to County Durham to see Tow Law play Bedlington Terriers but was sceptical with all the recent postponements due to the incessant rain we have had. With two days of clear skies and some sunshine all seemed promising but an early inspection ruled the game off due to a frozen pitch. I did have a contingency in Penrith v Sunderland RCA and after a nervous wait until the 10.30 pitch inspection my fears were well founded with that game also postponed for the same reason.

Around about this part of the country though there is always an alternative and it was Darlington v AFC Telford United. Before heading to the match I popped into The Bowes Museum (Possibly the most underrated Museum/Gallery in Britain) at Barnard Castle, to see the Norman Cornish exhibition. Norman Cornish (born in Spennymoor 1919 and died in 2014) was a miner and artist and the way he captured the mining life through its people is amazing. Non of the nostalgic feathery look back at the good old days, his pictures show it as it was, the bent bedraggled look of the miners walking along the pit road tells it all, you can see the desperation and pain. The exhibition runs to the 23rd of February and on the previous day we visited the Mining Art Gallery part of the Auckland Project  in Bishop Auckland where some more of his paintings are on show to mark the centenary of his birth.

The restored Bishops palace is a new gem in this area and well worth a trip but there is more to come in the major regeneration of this part of town. The whole restoration of the area and heritage sites is being done to such a very high standard. I often find a football theme somewhere in the other things I am going to see and that was true of some of Norman’s paintings. Children playing football in the street was a common site and you can imagine the Charlton brothers being in the paintings.

I had forgotten the demise of Darlington FC and thought that I was going to the concrete monolith just on the A66 but when Google maps took me to the rugby ground at Blackwell Meadows I started arguing with the lady I call Betty. As usual she was right as she is nearly always, her major failing is some of the computerised american pronunciations of place and road names, it does give a fun distraction though to often lengthy journeys.

Darlington as a club was started in 1883 and have an amazing switchback history that could easily be made into an intriguing movie but I will only start in 2012 when despite strenuous efforts by fans to rescue the club the FA controversially demoted them from the Conference to the Northern League a drop of four levels.

The fans were made of strong stuff and left the 27000 stadium to ground share with nearby Bishop Auckland and won promotion in their first, third and fourth seasons to get back to where they are now in the National League North. The supporters raised funds and grants to get back to Darlington on Boxing Day 2016 to play at Blackwell Meadows which is rented from Darlington Rugby Club. A further promotion would have followed if the ground had been to the correct standards which it is now after raising the money to build a magnificent seated stand and a shed end for standing supporters. The club has even  set up a new academy in September 2018, and joined the National League Under 19 alliance. To progress to the next level the club needs to balance its fundraising for further on and off pitch development.

AFC Telford has its own story, originally known as Wellington Parish Church Institute in 1872 and as Wellington Town from 1879 it changed its name again in 1969 to Telford United to reflect the growth of the New Town to incorporate Wellington. In 2004 financial problems forced the liquidation of the old club and the new one was placed into the Northern premier League Division One. A lesser demotion than Darlington.

With the Appleby Frodingham match postponed due to the heavy rain I decided as I was in Scunthorpe to go and watch Scunthorpe United at home to Port Vale in League Two. It is over 30 years since I last saw Scunthorpe play at home and that was just before they moved to their new stadium at Glanford Park. This stadium is now outdated with views obscured by stanchions and when built was easily accessed at the end of the M181 (a spur off the M180) but now blocked in by a Retail Park. To my surprise the club have gained planning permission in July to comprehensively rebuild the ground one stand at a time from the 9000 capacity to 11000 all seater. As well as the ground transformation 160 starter homes are to be built and business space to rent in all of the new stands will be made available. Scunthorpes already good parking facilities will be improved and I hope the council work with the club to create a better traffic plan for the area.

With only four and a half weeks left till Christmas and the rain just easing most cars were heading to the established Saturday afternoon sport of hunt the bargain at the Retail Park. You needed to fight through this throng of cars headed to the shops to get near the ground which was visible just beyond the shops bright lights.

There were more people going to the shops than the nearly 3400 who made their way into Glanford Park. The crowd seemed disappointingly low to me but perhaps there is a light on the horizon. If more people want to shop online then they will be looking for a new/old experience for Saturday afternoons. Perhaps here the clubs below the Championship can take a leaf out of the Premier League Women’s teams in offering discounted tickets to fill stadiums that increases merchandise, food, drinks, raffle tickets and future ticket sales that generates the same or more income and creates the atmosphere that encourages better play and a warm community spirit.

With the rain having finished about an hour before kick off it left grey heavy skies with a damp atmosphere but no wind. What a wet, rubbish Autumn this has been and we have a week yet to get to Meteorological Winter. The pitch however looked in good condition, very flat with great grass cover and there was good noise despite the ground being just over a third full.

Both teams have never been higher than the second tier of the Football League system despite both being over 120 years old. They find themselves playing now in the fourth tier.

Scunthorpe United 2 Port Vale 1

Port Vale only one off the promotion places were favourites against Scunthorpe who were just hovering above the relegation zone, but Scunthorpe had not lost at home in all  previous eight competitions.

Scunthorpe looked the better team from the off and both Alex Gilliead and Abo Eisa looked dangerous on both flanks. Eisa looked to have scored on 25 mins when cutting in from the left his fierce low drive was touched onto the post  by Scott Brown in goal for the visitors and out for a corner.

Eisa was again involved when he was fouled just in his own half but the referee played the advantage which fell to Port Vale after only two passes and as the home side froze Port Vale strung some passes together and Jake Taylor took his chance well to give them the lead. The crowd and home players were silenced as they looked to the referee to call the play back for the foul but he pointed to the centre circle.

Scunthorpe were not phased by this and kept up the pressure and a run and an accurate pass on 37 minutes by McGahey from the right found Kevin Van Veen (a Harry Kane look alike in all respects) who effortlessly planted the ball in the back of the net. All level at half time Scunthorpe now seemed to have the momentum.

Only 7 minutes into the second half Van Veens pin point corner caused mayhem on the goal line and Brown could only knock the ball down for Ngosi Ntlhe to tap in for his first goal for Scunthorpe.

Scunthorpe could well have added to their score and when Abo Eisa was subbed off late in the game he was awarded the man of the match. Despite the impressive fluent forward play my man of the match was Rory McArdle who was tireless all over the pitch.

As I left the ground a melee of all players broke out at the Port Vale end and I later found out that  the referee had red carded both David Worrall of Port vale and Mathew Lund of Scunthorpe.

Disappointingly there were no chips at Scunthorpe but the cheese pie was so tasty. It was also amazingly hot and foolishly I burnt the roof of my mouth.

It was a change and enjoyable to watch this level of football but I will hopefully make another attempt to visit Appleby Frodingham by the end of the season.

Football Classified – An Anthology of Soccer  –  Edited by Michael Parkinson & Willis Hall

Published by William Luscombe Publisher Limited 1973

This easy to read 50p bargain from a Charity Shop is only 187 pages long and is interspersed with the odd cartoon.

The short stories and articles are a bit dated but some are relevant today and show where the game has come from. It also reminds you that ‘Football Books’ did not start with ‘Fever Pitch’ in 1992.

My favourites were two articles by Derek Dougan the loved Northern Ireland player and Manager and the idolised Wolves player. In a few pages he weaves a great story of how he became established in Northern Irish Football and the interesting religious mixtures. The other is about how to choose a football club as a youngster with a view that tradition of a club my hold you back.

Another article by Tony Pawson talks about Managers, partly about Danny Blanchflower’s   relationship with them. He wanted to be captain but have the authority on the field and change tactics as he seemed fit for the way a game was heading and be involved in team selection. This would not sit well in todays game but perhaps should be reviewed especially in view of the success he had at Tottenham.

There are chapters by many well known writers, J.B. Priestly, ian Wooldridge, Brian Glanville, Willis Hall and many more. The book satisfied my curiosity for the game.