A last minute decision found me in Eastern Nottingham in the Radford district to see a United Counties Division One game between Radford and Barrow Town

Google maps led me down a cul de sac to announce I had arrived. I could see the lights but no entrance to the ground only three rough sleepers preparing for their night. After driving completely around the ground which is hidden behind shops and houses I abandoned the car and decided to find it on foot. Eventually I could see a small entrance and turnstile that opened up to the pitch.

Radford F.C. weren’t formed until 1964 as Manlove and Allotts. F.C. as a Sunday team, but when the company went to Scotland in 1970 they changed their name to Radford Olympic F.C. They changed to playing on Saturdays in the late 1970’s along with finding their current ground. The name Radford F.C. was adopted in 1984 then competing in the Central Midlands League. A step up to the East Midlands Counties League in 2009 has been followed in 2021 by being moved to their current league due to the F.A. re organisation. They have made great strides in developing the stadium with a club house at the entrance, a covered seating area at one end of the pitch, a tea bar and two covered standing areas on one side. Some high netting is required to try to stop the many balls that go out of the ground during a match. The playing surface is relatively flat but the grass is wearing badly in some areas I’m sure due to the poor weather conditions of the last year.

Barrow Town F C are based in Barrow upon Soar a small town south east of Loughborough in Liecestershire. There has been a team playing there since the 19th century when they played under the name of Barrow Rising Stars based in a local pub. They competed in local leagues and morphed into The Old boys and eventually Barrow Town around 1969 when they also moved to their Riverside ground.

Their next move was to become founder members of the East Midlands Counties League in 2008 and when that league was disbanded in the non-league re organisation of 2021 they were placed in the United Counties League Division 1.

Radford F.C. 0 Barrow Town F.C. 1

Tuesday 31st January 2023. 19.45. pm kick off.

United Counties League Division One

Oakfield Arena, Speldhurst Street, Radford, Nottingham.

Radford, claret shirts and light blue shorts: Barrow, yellow shirts and blue shorts.

6th v 18th. The Pheasants v The Riversiders

Radford started the game by being quicker and mobile in defense which enabled them to push forward at any opportunity. They missed their best chance of the first half when the away keeper parried out a free kick that had been swung in from the right and the attacking number 15 missed a great heading chance. Barrow stayed very strong to see out the half.

Radford resumed their stronger activity level but with 6 minutes gone into the second half Barrow’s number eight headed on the ball for Tom Mangan to loop head it over the stranded goalkeeper to take the lead.

The home side thought they had drawn level with 18 minutes gone but the goal was ruled offside. Two large shouts for handball in the penalty area were turned down to the groans of the fans.

The crowd of 60 became more and more vocal towards Barrow’s time wasting and their frustration at not being able to break down their dogged defence.

Barrow saw out the onslaught and went away with a hard earned 3 points.

An enjoyable game that I felt all the players left a lot of sweat and endeavour out on the pitch.

The chips were hot, all sizes, with some black bits on the top. They were squidgy in the middle and had a greasy taste as I ate more which also had a burnt fat after taste. Such a disappointment after those at Bradford on Saturday, score 56.

After missing a game at Carlisle City the week before, due to frost, I traveled to Bradford not to see City whose Valley Parade ground dominates the Skyline but to see Bradford Park Avenue. Unfortunately they no longer play at their historic Avenue ground, now a sports centre, still home to the cricket club and was until 1996 a venue for some Yorkshire Cricket Club games. Still I had wanted to visit this club for a long time and here I was.

For those with a long memory you have to go back to the 1969/70 season to remember them playing in the football league. It was in 1970 that they were voted out to allow Cambrdge United to take their place.

Bradford P.A. now play at Horsfall Community Sports Ground to the South of the city where they move to in 1994. They share the Bradford Council owned ground with an athletics track and West Bowling ARLFC with whom tthey will jointly experiment in a few weeks when Bowling will kick-off in a Challenge Cup match in the morning to be followed by a Bradford P A game in the afternoon. One interesting fact about the ground is that the seats in the main stand once watched cricket at Lords.

Bradford started life as a rugby league club in 1863 and were very successful in being finalists in the Challenge Cup twice, one of which they won in 1906 and were winners of the league in 1904. However all changed when a vote in 1907 was narrowly won by those wishing to change to association football in a move that was known as “The Great Betrayal”. They had started playing football in 1885 as part of the rugby club but were disbanded after a few years.

When they were reformed they first played in the Southern League but were elected to the Football League in 1909 and during their over 60 year stay their highest ranking was 9th in the top tier of English football and reached as far as the quarter finals of the F.A. Cup. Their voting out of the football League was the start of a downhill slope that eventually led to them stopping playing in 1974. The supporters would not give in and restarted the club playing in Sunday football where they gained promotions in the local leagues and in 1988 Saturday football was resumed. The Sunday club eventually stopped as everyone through themselves into the Saturday side which went through a nomadic period of ground shares and League changes as they clawed themselves back up the football pyramid. They have been in the National League North since 2012 where they sit today. perhaps in a few years and two more promotions it will bring them back to the football League.

Chorley like Bradford started life as a Rugby club switching in 1883 and played at the highest level of Lancashire football with many ups and downs. They were founder members of the Northern Premier League in 1968 but yoyo’d between leagues having one short two season spell in the Football Conference. In 2014 they were again promoted upwards to the Conference North later to be named the National League North and made it to the National League by the playoffs in 2019. People in the Non-League family will agree that they were harshly relegated in 2021 back to the National League North during the Covid curtailed season.

Bradford Park Avenue 0 Chorley 0

January 28th 2023 15.00pm kick off at the Horsfall Community Stadium

National League North

Bradford, peppermint shirts with white shorts: Chorley Black and White vertical striped shirts with black shorts.

There was easy parking at the ground where the car said it was 6.5 degrees and this temperature matched the grey overcast sky which just hung due to no wind. The football pitch is within a synthetic running track and is very flat being a modern 3 G surface. I am not a lover of this type of set up and like Newcastle Towns pitch I visited last year it gives me a feeling of disconnect. The 491 who turned up, Bradford City season ticket holders were allowed in for half price, did make some atmosphere from the back of a large seated stand which hold 1500 and runs for the full length of the pitch on one side. All other parts of the ground are open apart from a small covered standing area behind one goal. There is an old, what looks like a cricket pavilion, in the middle of the open side where the teams change and in one corner a group of facilities for the fans. There is a hospitality suite, warm friendly club house, club shop, the green army cafe and a program shop with old books and programs, all of which were being well used.

The football was unfortunately not inspiring with Chorley taking control of the first 20 minutes attacking on both flanks with Bradford getting back into the game with their own forays down the wings. Chorley could have gone in at halftime one ahead as on 44 minutes they hit the corner of the crossbar and upright with the home defense well beaten.

Chorley again came close when within 5 minutes of the restart they headed just over from a corner. Chorley maintained the pressure but in the last 15 minutes the home side came to life and put the visitors under constant pressure. Bradford’s manager was booked for comments about the referee’s decisions after he felt they should have been awarded two penalties in the space of a few minute. Chorley hung on for a point each which helped neither side with Chorley vying for a play-off place and Bradford trying not to get dragged into a relegation scrap.

My player of the match was the home sides goalkeeper, not for spectacular save but competent catching of many high crosses and his marshaling of his defense. He just seemed calm all afternoon.

Well onto the chips and they made the journey all worthwhile, cut from real potatoes, hot, tasty a good consistency and a good portion. They were very slightly greasy but who cared they had just scored 83 to go top of my seasons chip league. The chips still had skins on and they were delicious, something that the judges on ‘Master Cheff’ get sniffy about. The football was dull but the afternoon was one to savour.

Continuing my journey to some ex mining football clubs I ventured to Harworth Colliery F.C. in the northern corner of Nottinghamshire very close to the South Yorkshire border.

I recently attended a talk at Worksop Library about the history of Harworth Colliery and its interesting history by David Amos a Nottinghamshire mining historian. The pit had an chequered past having been developed by a German company in 1913 and at the outbreak of war caused a lot of local intrigue. Some locals were convinced that the owners were going to install surveillance and disruption on the A1 which is very close. The German sinkers were interned and the pit was nationalised during the war and sold to Eastwood based Barber Walker Co after it. They ran it until nationalisation and was latterly developed as a super pit which never lived up to its promise, being closed in 2006 when under the ownership of UK Coal. The football club was started in 1931 playing locally but rising to the prestigious Yorkshire League in 1946 where they stayed for 4 years before droping back into local South Yorkshire Football.

By the 1980’s they had progressed well to the Northern Counties East League but were relegated after a short while droping back to the Central Midlands League but were again promoted back into the NCEL in 2018 after 32 years. This uplift was only to last one year and they have stayed in the Central Midlands League since being proud to develop young talent in the Under 21’s, reserves and senior team.

What is noticeable is the development of the ground over recent years, situated off Scrooby Road along with other sports pitches and not far from the modern Bircotes Leisure Centre, the large tarmacked parking area is exceptional.

The land around here is very flat and on entering the ground this is continued with a lovely thick grass covered pitch. There are new LED floodlights, Toms tea rooms, a Shaft Side bar with outside fan zone, a small 50 seat covered stand on one side of the pitch mirrored by a similar standing area opposite. I’m sure the facilities go a long way in attracting the 118 hardy souls who were there to watch. You had to be hardy as the car temperature said 6 degrees but the biting strong wind blowing straight down the pitch cut you in quarters not half. This was despite the sunshine and clear blue skies.

I have written about Staveley Miners Welfare before having visited the ground more than once. They have been going for over 100 years.

Harworth Colliery FC 2 Staveley Miners Welfare Reserves 2

Saturday 14th January 2023. Kick off 15.00 pm

Central Midlands League North Division

5th v 7th, Colliery v Miners

Harworth Colliery orange shirts, black. shorts: Staveley blue and white vertical stripes shirts with blue square on the back, blue shirts.

Immediately it was noticeable that it was two young teams and both displayed some good skills in a well matched first 10 minutes despite the windy conditions. It was however the home side who scored first when with 13 minutes gone a Staveley defender turned in his penalty area and lost the ball to Bailey Lowe who made no mistake in finding the net.

Staveley did not lose heart and they drew level on 22 minutes when a ball was chiped over the top of the defence for Charlie Bingham to run on and score placing the ball across the goal keeper.

The pitch was drying with the wind and 1.1 at half time was a fair reflection of play.

8 minutes into the second half the Staveley substitute for the centre back, who had been injured through a tackle in the first half that had resulted in a booking, brought down a Harworth player, Mason Laws, in their penalty area. It seemed to me a soft penalty but it was dispatched easily by Bailey Lowe , sending the goalkeeper the wrong way.

Harworth were now on top but the visitors equalised on 65 minutes when the Harworth defence momentarily stopped appealing for a free kick. Staveley kept going and the ball was put through to Reece Clegg who fired it into the top of the net.

Staveley took the initiative for the rest of the game partly helped by a 10 minute sin binning of Harworth’s number 10 who appeared to argue with a linesman and the fact that he had been booked in the first half for kicking the ball away. Despite his return to play and some substitutes Harworth were on the back foot and the woodwork saved them in the last few minutes.

The end to end game had helped to fight off the biting wind along with the facilities that gave some shelter and the opportunity for warming food and drink. With players as young as 16 you have to say that there is luckily some great future talent coming along.

The chips were cooked for me and they were hot, crispy, tasty with no oily after taste. A good score of 68 would have been higher but sor a soggy inside.

Having missed Kimberley Miners Welfare for my first match of the New Year due to a waterlogged pitch I planned to meet my daughter to see Derby Singh Brothers at home in the semi final of the Derbyshire Cup against Melbournre Dynamo. A day before the game was switched to Melbourne and the drive there was through driving rain until 20 minutes before the end. Even driving over the river Trent made me feel apprehensive as the level was near the top of the banks. Walking towards the distant pitch you had to dodge the sodden grass but when we reached it the surface was drained and looked ideal for football. Infact the sky had cleared to a bright blue and with a little wind it was the ideal day. The pitch with a very slight slope from end to end was covered with thick undulating grass and to add to it there was a great view over some of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, the Trent valley as well as planes from East Midlands Airport taking off over you.

This is the Melbourne Sports Complex which is home to Melbourne Town Cricket Club, Melbourne Tennis Club, Melbourne Rugby FC and Melbourne Dynamo FC with a central modern two storey changing rooms and bar area that is open 7 days a week. A brilliant community venue.

While the rugby players chanted motivational chants Derby Singh Brothers kicked off against Melbourne Dynamo FC in the DerbyshireFA Divisional Cup South 2022/23 Semi-Final.

I had noticed Derby Singh brothers last year as they were promoted to the Cebtral Midlands League 1 South but missed a visit for some reason.

Derby Singh Brothers FC 2 Melbourne Dynamo FC 2

Derby Singh Brothers go through to the final 3.2 on penalties.

Saturday 7th January 13.30 pm kick off.

Derbyshire Divisional Cup South – Semi Final played at the Melbourne Sports Complex

Derby Sing Brothers from mid table of the Central Midlands League South Division v Melbourne Dynamo from second of the Central Midlands League Division One (West)

Derby Singh Brothers, Dark Blue shirts and shorts with white collars, Melbourne Dynamo, Blue and Black vertical shirts with black shorts.

Derby Sing Brothers started the game the strongest but it was Melbourne who took the lead when Jack Goodband received the ball on the right of the penalty area, moved forward, drew the goalkeeper and lifted the ball into the net.

It fell to Derby Sing Brothers’ number 9, Darnell Smith, to equalise on 17 minutes when he took the ball wide and slipped the ball between the goalkeeper and his left post. But it was Melbourne who went in at half time in the lead when on 37 minutes Carl Allsop rose above the rest from a free kick to head goal wards. The Singh Brothers keeper seemed to have it covered but the ball slipped out of his hands into the net. Melbourne had taken their chances whereas Derby had created more but not made the best of them.

Melbourne held out under pressure for 22 minutes in the second half until Derby Singh Brothers number 7 played a beautiful cross along the ground which was met by Tyla Johal who squeezed between two defenders to score. having equalised they now put on more pressure and stout defending, great goalkeeping and the woodwork kept them out.

With a draw at the final whistle the dreaded penalties took place and when both teams missed their first attempts it looked like a long shoot out. Derby however took the lead on the next round and two great saves by the Derby goalkeeper, making up for his earlier mistake, saw them through eventually 3.2.

This was a great game for the level of football, good facilities and great footballing weather. Melbourne although they lost could be proud of getting the game on considering the recent weather and that they had held a team a division higher than themselves. derby Singh Brothers showed some good skills at time s but must know that their poor finishing nearly cost them the game. 60 plus fans were on hand to see an exciting game that seemed over in a flash. It turned out to be a great start to the season and one worth waiting for.

With very little football scheduled in England for Christmas Eve the Central Midlands League, 10 promotions from the Premier League, gave their clubs the choice of playing or not. Dinnington Town and Retford United agreed to play and were well rewarded with a crowd of 269, much, much higher than normal. There was the fact that Dinnington had won five in a row and were third, at home to Retford United, who were top and so far undefeated in the league although they only just maintained that record last time out when they equalised in the 90th minute against Haworth Colliery.

The large mainly male crowd may also have been helped by getting a pass out with the children to be out of the way. It may have been because after the torrential rain that swept across the UK the day before, Christmas Eve was a beautiful sunny day, with clear blue skies but with a chill wind. There also seemed to be a good many groundhoppers taking advantage of visiting Dinnington where the midday kick off didn’t disrupt the day too much.

I decided to go to see if Retford could maintain their record against in form opposition and because the ground had been majorly updated since I was last there. A new 3G pitch has been installed with new floodlights and tarmacadam hard standing on three sides. Gone are the covered areas but I’m sure that is a future priority not only for the fans but to achieve ground grading criteria. What has been achieved is outstanding and gives the club a firm financial base to progress.

They have also updated the facilities by the fact that you now enter the playing area via the resource centre which provides food an drink before, during and after the game. This was not available before and is a great idea to bring together two community assets. There is also unusually a Post Office in the building. The bowls club is also next door.

The new pitch does appear to slope slightly from end to end and is covered with multi coloured lines marking out various smaller pitches for juniors.

Dinnington Town 1 Retford United 3

December 24th 2022, kick off 12.00 (Midday). Central Midlands League North Division

Dinnington Yellow shirts with black edging and fading with black shorts. Retford United Grey shirts with darker grey vertical stripes and grey shorts.

Dinno v The Badgers

The game was very competitive as expected but it was Retford who created the best chances. They had a disallowed goal on 20 minutes and hit the cross bar 7 minutes later when the rebounding ball was just scrambled away only to be hit back in but only into the side netting. Dinnington had their own period of pressure and were denied by a point blank save by the goal keeper on 32 minutes.

Retford though went ahead on 41 minutes when a cross in from the left was met by the number nine Joe Froggat who tapped in. This seemed to coincide with the sun disappearing behind some cloud which certainly increased the chill factor. It was soon colder for the home side when in the last minute of the half a Retford player was fouled in the penalty area and Mark West took charge and dispatched the ball into the net for Retford to lead 2 Nil at half time.

As the teams walked off the pitch the Dinnington Manager walked over to argue with the ref and was shown a yellow card, unfortunately this added to one he had collected earlier for the same offence and he was red carded and sent off.

Dinnington came out in the second half with renewed vigour and deservedly pegged a goal back after ten minutes of the restart when Brad Sedgwick collected the ball near the penalty spot and struck it straight into the top right hand corner of the goal. They continued their pressure and for a while Retford looked a little rattled.

With 21 minutes left Retford’s impressive Mark West was put through on goal and running on to the ball he clipped it across the home keeper, Best, into the top right hand corner. This goal steadied Retford and they kept control of the game until full time.

Retford went home with their unbeaten league run intact but Dinnington played well and showcased their great new facilities that will surely improve the game of football for the community in the future.

The officials should also be commended keeping very tight control of the game and the referee was quick to explain any of his decisions on the pitch. All in all a happy start to Christmas.

Tuesday 20th December 2022, Technique Stadium Chesterfield, FA Trophy Kick off 19.45pm

Having been to see Chesterfield FC bow out of the Derbyshire Senior Cup the night before I thought I would give myself an early Christmas present and watch two games in two days.

I don’t know why turning up for an evening game is so magical, but it is.

Chesterfield’s FA Trophy match against Coalville Town FC had been postponed on Saturday due to the hard ground and to ensure that fixture congestion would not build up it was quickly rescheduled for Tuesday night. The draw had already been made for the next round and each team knew that a win would bring them an away tie with the winners of Banbury v Bognor Regis which was being played on the same night.

The evening was so different from the night before in that there were now clear skies and the temperature had dropped by 7 degrees.

This stadium, one of the newly relocated grounds of the past 10 years, is one of the best, which was amplified by the fact that England under 19’s have played here in the last 12 months. Those who will remember Saltergate will have loved its homely charm, but it’s cramped near town centre location could not survive and the housing that has replaced it gives no indication of football’s cultural loss. The Spireites have not had a good time in the new stadium having dropped down to the National League but the club is now more focused locally and on a much steadier foundation.

Coalville Town play in the Southern League Premier Division Central which is two levels below Chesterfield. They have been a successful Non League Club for some years since originally establishing in 1926 and have been known as Ravenstone Miners Athletic, Ravenstone Swifts and Coalville Town from 1998 when they moved into the Town after having local difficulties in being able to install floodlights.

When I looked at the program and heard the teams over the sound system I had that eerie feeling that I’d seen this before, in fact at Staveley the night before. Chesterfield were not playing their first team but their second stream squad which when I compared it to who had featured in their league games this season there was little comparison. There was a place for Lawrence McGuire, brother of the England centre back who I had seen previously play for Illkeston Town.

Chesterfield FC 1 Coalville 3

Isuzu FA Trophy Third Round Proper

Chesterfield, Light Blue Shirts , White Shorts: Coalville Town, White and back vertical stripes to front of the shirts, plain white back with black shorts.

This seemed familiar as Chesterfield stroked the ball across the back finding no outlets for a final pass while Coalville buzzed around as if their life’s depended on it. Coalville also played quick tempo direct running and passing that unnerved the Chesterfield defense. All the same as Belper the previous night.

It was no surprise that Coalville took the lead on 10 minutes when their number 2, Alex Dean, took the ball past defenders and crossed it beating the goalkeeper for Ashley Chambers just to tap in. This brought some response from Chesterfield who seemed stung by the visitors and they drew level 8 minutes later when a curling free kick from the left was met by George Wilkinson at the far post.

The night was getting colder and I thought that Chesterfield would now show their dominance and take control of the game. They did however fall back into their previous lethargic pattern and Coalville renewed their lead on 22 minutes when a poor clearance by the home defense meant the ball fell to Tom McGlinchey who curled the ball across the keeper into the far corner of the net. Again the goal sparked a Home response but Coalville looked well prepared and organised and little came of some shots from long range.

Coalville were worth their 2.1 lead at half time and within 5 minutes of the restart were 3.1 up when Ash Chambers again scored with a deflection after some good interplay with McGlinchy after Banks sloppily gave the ball away.

Chesterfield and Coalville made changes but there was little change to the pattern of play and the outcome. Many of the Chesterfield fans had drifted away before the final whistle but the away fans stayed to celebrate. Coalville are off to Banbury in the next round but Chesterfield’s two matches highlighted that they have little in depth beyond the first team. Hopefully at the end of the season they will be in with a shout of promotion otherwise these two games will be seen as a waste.

There were 2107 fans there with 287 from Coalville but listening to the reaction in the main stand when they scored I think there were a few more away fans than identified.

Monday 19th December 2022: Staveley Miners Welfare Ground, Staveley Derbyshire. Kick off 19.30 pm

As the freeze of the past ten days ended I noticed a game not far up the road at Staveley. Chesterfield FC had hired the all weather pitch to play their previously twice postponed ‘Derbyshire FA Senior Challenge Cup’ match. It was to have been played at Clay Cross’s ground but was postponed on 6th December due to a waterlogged ground and the 13th due to a frozen pitch.

Staveley had not missed out like other teams because of hard pitches and the drainage was more than adequate to cope with the change in temperature, a balmy 13 degrees and the slight drizzle that soon wet you through if you stood out in it.

Chesterfield’s team was styled as a Chesterfield FC XI as they were playing many youngsters as a group of their fans just behind me in the stand told me. They said that the only first team squad player was the goalkeeper Luke Chadwick.

This I’m sure was a disappointment to the Belper United players who would have loved to have pitted their skills against a team four promotions away from them. However it was understandable that Chesterfield were in this position as their FA Trophy game was postponed from Saturday and was to be replayed the next night. Chesterfield have also won through three rounds of the FA Cup, twice against League opposition, and now face a mouth watering home game against Championship team West Bromwich Albion in early January. They are also sitting third in the National League with games in hand with Notts County and Wrexham above them, this league is in my mind the hardest, most competitive to get out of in the pyramid structure.

The facilities as always are first class at this venue and the Chesterfield fans were expressing their admiration and comparing it to some of the grounds in their league. I had a coffee and some chips before the game but they did not come up to their usual standard and I will not comment further than say they were cold and I resorted to some tomato sauce to help them down.

Chesterfield FC XI 0 Belper United 3

3rd in National League v 14th in Unuted Counties Premier Division North

Chesterfield in an unusual all light green kit: Belper United all blue ki with a white flash across shoulder and down the arms.

You sometimes know the result of a game early on and this was no exception. Belper immediately showed that they wanted the win and pressed forward down the wings with some intensity and direction. Chesterfield however played the ball out of defense slowly from side to side and were overwhelmed by hungry opponents. How Belper didn’t take the lead on 12 minutes was a mystery. A corner for them was awarded after Chadwick had managed to tip a shot over the bar and when it came into the box it was met with some ferocity hitting the bar and bouncing down to a group of player of which a Chesterfield player managed to scramble it away.

Chesterfield did come more into it at the mid point of the half but they lacked any cutting edge and didn’t bother the away teams defense. The left full back for Belper was now playing more as a constant overlapping winger and one of his crosses was headed just over on 35 minutes. But two minutes later the inevitable happened as he again flashed in a cross which this time was met by Josh Gregory who right footed put the ball beyond the diving keeper into the left hand corner of the goal. So a deserved half time lead for Belper who came off the pitch to torrential rain.

Chesterfield were a little more direct after the restart but within 10 minutes another attack on the left made it to the goal line and the cross was rolled along the ground past the despairing goalkeeper for Richard Hanslow to tap home for Belpers’ second.

Belper played out the rest of the game with ease and made it three nil when yet another cross from the left was loop headed over Luke Chadwick’s dive by Jack Tyson.

The one bright spot for Chesterfield was the performance of the number 3, Archie White, according to the team sheet, who didn’t give up all night and provided many of their better plays.

Great to be back after the freeze and I would expect that Belper will have a harder game away against Gresley in the next round even if that club is a Division lower than them.

Saturday 3rd December, Swinton Community Sports Ground, Barton Road Swinton, Dearne Valley, South Yorkshire

I finally made it back to Swinton after my abortive visit in September. We were then experiencing beautiful Autumn sunshine but this dull grey day seemed an age away. The ground is situated on the edge of a housing estate on the side of a hill and the 6 degrees seemed colder as the wind blew up the valley from the school down below.40 brave people had turned up despite Christmas events and shopping and the draw of the world cup on the television.

The pitch slopes slightly from end to end and is mainly flat with the surface showing some mud after the constant rain and previous games.Next to the pitch are training pitches that can be used by the seniors as well as a good junior set up for this community involved club.

The senor team this year have returned from exile after playing at the Mexborough ground and a new stand is being constructed to meet the grading standards of the league.

Swinton was one of the many coal mining towns in the area which I have been visiting recently, the area goes back at least as far as Roman times and was famous for its pottery industry in the 1800’s when Rockingham Pottery was world famous. The factory ceased production in 1842 but gave the world the style, Rococo after the factory name. Now light industry, warehousing and call centres have become staple industries of the whole area.

There is little about Swinton Athletic F.C.’s history with football having been played in the town in the 19th century. They joined the Sheffield and Hallamshire County Senior League about 1990 where they have played since, often in either division . They have been active locally and have won the local Montagu Cup on 8 occasions starting in 1964.

Their opponents Hepworth United come from a village near Holmfirth and joined the Sheffield and Hallamshire County Senior League in 2016 having previously played in the Huddersfield League. The club has been going for over 100 years in this farming village with locals also formerly employed in nearby textile mills.

I sat down on the girders that are part of the ground improvements as the teams came out and today at this level 10 league wins away from the Premiership there was only a referee to take charge of the game with no line officials.

Swinton Athletic 2 Hepworth United 0

Sheffield and Hallamshire County Senior League – Premier Division.

Swinton all blue kit that had some subtle vertical darker stripes on the front. Hepworth black shorts with vertical black and white striped shirts.

The chat amongst the fans was that both sides are without a few regulars with work and family Christmas commitments taking precedence.

Hepworth were first to put pressure on their opponents particularly down the left side but poor finishing let them down. Often if you don’t take your chances you will be punished and on 19 minutes the ball bobbled through to Swinton’s number 9 who placed it onto the right hand corner of the net between the keeper and the post.

Just 2 minutes later and a high ball in from the right was miss headed by a Hepworth defender and it fell again to number 9 who made no mistake with the gift to make it 2.0.
For the remainder of the half Swinton were the better side but couldn’t add to their tally by half time.

With a cold bum from sitting on the girder for the first 45 minutes I decided to have a walk round and watch the second half standing up. It was then the chill wind blowing up the hill hit me and I decided that winter was finally with us, late this year.

Hepworth were again fastest off the blocks and were awarded a penalty on 63 minutes for a blatant hand ball. However after what seemed an age the keeper dived the right way to save a weekly hit attempt. Hepworth shyness near goal continued, even the woodwork wasn’t helping when they hit the crossbar in the dying minutes.

Swinton deserved their win because they had taken their chances, surely Hepworth won’t miss so many this season.

There were no chips or catering facilities at the Swinton ground but next door is Park View Bar where you can get a drink and I believe some food before or after the match. For me this time it was a coffee and a packet of crisps. Swinton also entertain their team and the visitors there afterwards. Swinton have a long way to go but they are making some steps along the road at this community ground.

Walking through Prescot Town Centre you come to the hill that is Hope Street. Walking down it you see Prescot Cables Football Club. You wonder how many fans of all teams have walked down this street full of hope for a victory.

Football has been played in Prescot since 1884 under the name of Prescot and Prescot Town before they adopted the Cables name. The ‘Cables’ came from the largest employer, British Insulated Cables that had been set up in 1890 and which traded locally for 100 years under various names until its closure in 1991 with the loss of 230 jobs.

The club had a successful run in the Lancashire Combination from the late 1920’s until a slump in form saw them drop into the Mid Cheshire League in 1975 where after continued high finishes they became founder members of the Cheshire County League. More success was to follow when in 1982 they were again founder members of a League, this time the North West Counties League where they progressed to the highest division. When they finished runners up in 2002 they were promoted to The Northern Premier League Division One and attained a spot in the Premier Division in 2004 with one of the many Non-League re-organisations.

2005 was a pivotal year in that a group from the Supporters Club took control but the club fell into administration in 2008 caught up in the financial crash. Relegation followed a year later to Division one where they have stayed and this year are having one of their most successful recent seasons. They have now become a Community Club that is run by volunteers who have a long lease from the local authority who now own the freehold of the John Russell Stadium.

Macclesfield Football club by contrast have only been in existence since Macclesfield Town FC went into liquidation in 2020. The club were bought by Robert Smethhurst with the intention of quickly getting back into the National League and from there the EFL. Macclesfield Town FC had risen as high as the 3rd tier of English football over their nearly 150 year life and throughout their history were known as a strong Non-League club. Robert Smethurst has invested heavily in the club and has brought high profile Robbie Savage on board as Director of Football. His status in football and his celebrity profile has enabled the club to get outstanding media coverage.

Up the hill just off the Town Centre is the Shakespeare North Playhouse a beautiful new theatre built of wood by traditional methods, in the round, a cockpit theatre fashioned in the style of ‘The Globe’ in London. The theatre was opened this year and you would be right to ask why Prescot. Well the area of Prescot was very influential and prosperous in the first Elizabethan era and had a theatre there in those days rivalling London. The play that was being presented at a rival matinee performance to the football was ‘A Christmas Carol’. Scrooge v Tiny Tim came to mind in the football with the team with money v the Community Club.

It was a dull grey day with some slight drizzle in the air and although the Met Office App was saying it was 11 degrees I think they must have been measuring it indoors. The pitch looked flat but the grass was beginning to wear after the rain of the last month. What hits you first is the high, large, seated stand that runs down most of one side under which are the changing rooms, snack bar and club house. The other three sides were terraced with a small covered standing area over half of one end.

The snack bar beckoned but there were no chips, however unexpectedly there were Hot Pot pies! This turned out to be a mushy meat and potato pie that with peas and gravy was delicious. The club house was well furnished, warm and friendly which belied the recent club statement against anti social behavior that had been issued for a second time this season and had meant that two policemen were standing within the crowd which was a great 948. As I moved to the exit I saw one of the policemen yawning which didn’t reflect the game but their lack of work. The crowd of nearly a thousand was good considering Christmas Shopping, the miserable weather and the World Cup matches of Poland v Saudi Arabia and France v Denmark on the television.

What struck me was that I was in Prescot where Lancashire or Liverpudlian accents prevail but the announcer had a very strong American accent!

Prescot Cables 1 Macclesfield 2

Saturday 26th November 2022: 15.00pm kick off.

Northern Premier League Division One West.

9th v 1st Cables (Also known as the Pesky Bulls) v The Silkmen

Prescot: Yellow shirts with black sleeves Macclesfield: Pale Mint Green shirts with white shorts

Macclesfield started the game the strongest both physically and skillfully and had two attacks cleared off the line. Despite this Prescot hung in there and were still very much in the game but on 30 minutes a second yellow card for James Hamill looked likely to open the floodgate for the away team but some profligate finishing and great saves from Mitchell Allen in the Prescott goal kept it all square at half time.

Just after another Macclesfield attack Prescot were awarded a free kick out on the right touchline, some 35 yards plus out. James Edgar hit the ball into the centre and it sailed over everyone into the top left hand corner of the goal for a home team lead, could this be real! The euphoria of the home crowd only lasted a minute as James Berry through on goal chipped Allen but the ball hit the cross bar and dropped down for Berry to run through and tap it in for the equaliser. The game was now getting more competitive and you couldn’t tell that it was Prescot who had the ten men. It could have been ten each when a bad foul in midfield ended in a scrum of players with the Prescot centre back being booked for some jostling with the perpetrator of the foul slinking off early and avoiding a second yellow. Macclesfield substituted the player immediately afterwards.

With 15 minutes left the referee awarded a freekick for a foul inches from awarding a penalty with the crowd baying for a different response. The freekick came to nothing and eight minutes later Macclesfield dowsed all of the Christmas cheer when a ball was hooked into the goal mouth from the right in what looked like an off side position for Dan Cowan to tap in for the lead 1-2.

Prescot just didn’t give up and had a penalty shout for hand ball and a deflected shot just go wide in the last minutes. I usually don’t get partisan in the matches I watch but I was so upset for Prescot who gave their all and ran their socks off with super human effort. Certainly Macclesfield were Scrooge in this performance and Prescot were Tiny Tim. Tiny Tim in the story recovers and with this spirit Prescot will come back stronger.

P.S. After the match the Shakespeare Theatre North was amazing and the production of A Christmas Carol was more like a pantomime. The four actors kept everyone entertained and if this is what they are going to offer to the public I’m sure it will be full as it was on Saturday night.