I needed to lay down!

Beverley is a lovely town set in East Yorkshire, with its Minster, busy historic shopping area, large open parkland and an up and coming Non-League football team.

It was a flat walk from the town to a small narrow lane that leads down to the cricket, tennis, squash, racket ball and football club.

It was a beautiful clear blue sky day but a bit cool at 8 degrees. You pass a small fans car park before the entrance and the clubhouse that is used for all sports.

You come to the football pitch last, which was flat with thick quite long grass. There are trees and shrubs on three sides with houses behind and the sports facilities on the other. You can only walk round half of the pitch, the rest being blocked off. Down most of one side was a small covered seated stand flanked by two covered standing areas.

Beverley Town have been going since 1902 playing in local East Riding football and merged with Beverley Rangers in 1948 and Beverley United in 1954. They moved to the new Humber Premier League in 2000 and were ever present winners or runners up in the Premier Division enabling them to be invited to join the Northern Counties East League in 2021.

Retford United were formed in 1987 and have played their football in as high as the Northern Premier League but disappointing seasons and restructuring saw them fall to the Central Midlands league. Now under new management they won the Central Midlands League North at a canter last season and are now in the Northern Counties East League Division One.

Beverley Town V Retford United

Saturday 11th November 2023 15.00 pm kick off: Norwood, Beverley HU17

Northern Counties East League, Division One: 3rd v 7th; The Beavers v The Badgers

Beverley, Red shirts with some white angled stripes on the bottom with red shorts: Retford, sky blue shirts with black shorts.

There was a period of reflection before kick off with the game being played on rememberance day.

Retford won the toss and changed ends meaning that the low sun would be in the home team defenders’ eyes. Retford immediately pumped high balls at Beverley causing the desired problems but it was the home side who took the lead after 11 minutes when a mistake by Retford’s central defender let in Benjamin Hinchcliffe to run through and place the ball under the exposed keeper.

Retford kept creating chances at one end and making silly defensive errors at the other. They drew level on 28 minutes when a strong cross from the right was hit back from the left for Liam Owen to head in unopposed. Within a few minutes the badgers were ahead when Owen nodded down a ball in the path of James Eyles to sweep home. Retford made it 1.3 on 39 minutes when a long throw was headed on by Spencer Clarke who looped it over the advancing keeper Tom Nicholson. They kept their advantage until halftime but must have wondered what it could have been if they had taken all of their chances.

HT 1.3

The floodlights were on for the second half as the sun disappeared behind local housing.

Beverley came out in full flow and they hit the post within 5 minutes and then missed a free header at the far post. After a lot of pressing a quick long ball out of defence, on 23 minutes. rolled along the ground for Scott Phillips to run on to and clip it across the goal into the corner of the net to reduce the deficit.

Just 3 minutes later, Beverley were equal when a cleared ball fell to Grant Tait who curled it in for all square.

Beverley now had the momentum, but they seemed to back off and both sides had chances. A long throw with 1 minute of normal time left from Retford was headed on to the far post where it was bundled out only to fall to Lewis Macaskill who squeezed it in. With time up it looked like Retford who had stolen all the points but with one minute left of 9 minutes of added time a Beavers forward bore down on goal to be met by a diving goalkeeper and two defenders. The referee stepped forward to the pile of players on the ground and pointed to the penalty spot. Two Retford players were then booked for I think decent. Scott Phillips steadied himself and hit the ball hard into the goal for 4.4. The referee soon blew for full time. What a game, I needed to lay down in a dark room to take it all in but for a walk back to the car. I’m sure the large crowd of 310 felt the same but with everyone knowing they had seen a great game that epitomises football at this level.

The defensive mistakes by both sides were wiped out by all out attacking. The cricket score board could have been used to keep track.

Beverley Town 4 Retford United 4.

I had to feel sorry for Retford’s young goalkeeper drafted in for the day for their Under 21’s, his performance didn’t warrant letting in four goals.

Great to have chips again, provided by ‘raise the roof’ of Hull who support the homeless. The food van was very busy and the chips were hot, crispy, a good texture that was let down by a burnt after taste. So a score of 61.

The great Sheffield City FC mystery!

Saturday 4th November I made my way to The Sheffield Olympic Legacy Park for a 14.00 pm kick off for the game between Sheffield City and Caribbean Sports as shown on The FA website.

There were some people using the all weather pitch but they finished in time for kick off.

It seemed confusing that there were only 3 of us there and when a man came with a bunch of keys to lock up the whole stadium my worst fears were realised. He told us that Sheffield City were not playing at the stadium but 10 minutes away but he didn’t know where. I squelched off to the car and off to a warm home and the football scores on the TV.

The FA website stated that they were playing at the Olympic Legacy Stadium but there was no social media for either team telling of a change.

To be fair on such a miserable wet day it turned out better to be at home.

Later in the day I looked at the Sheffield and Hallamshire County Senior Football League results to find that Sheffield City had infact played and beaten Caribbean Sports. I don’t know where.

I emailed someone who I believed helped run Sheffield City but he replied that he had moved on and had no involvement.

Oh well, if I find out in the future, I might try again.

Mansfield Again!!

Back again to Mansfield this time to see a EFL Trophy game, a competition I have never really understood the necessity except for the benefit to the two teams who reach the final. Tuesday 7th November EFL Trophy.

Mansfield were playing Everton U21’s but without an on line or physical team sheet I had no idea who the young hopefuls were. This was apart from Seamus Coleman one of the Senior players allowed in the regulations. I believe he is coming back from injury and his experience, control and commitment showed until subbed off as a precaution after a slight injury.

It was a cold clear night but only 819 had turned out (74 from Everton). The pitch looked great but after just a few moments there were traces of brown showing though the grass after the recent continual rain.

Everton were on top in the first half and looked in complete control but for some scrambled away corners at the end of the first 45 minutes. Some of their team showed amazing pace with the ball and their inter passing skill and positional play was good. However they too had not really troubled Mansfield’s reserve goalkeeper who looked very composed.

Mansfield goalkeeper made 2 point blank saves in 1st 15 mins of the second half and Everton clipped the intersection of the upright and crossbar with a right foot curler 5 minutes later.

Nigel Clough made 4 changes on 73 minutes to try to change the game, with no avail and the game drifted on. One minute into the 4 minutes added time Mansfield’s Cooper, was adjudged to have pulled over an attacker who looked suspiciously to be leaning on. Up stepped Chermitti to hit the ball straight down the middle as the goalkeeper dived to his right.

No way back for Mansfield and a cruel way to lose.

Mansfield Town o Everton U21 1

Having completed my trilogy of Mansfield games I had time to reflect on footballs lower level survival.

How do you compare the income generated for an attendance of 819 for an official cup game with the money earned and spent at the pinnacle of the game. The gap between the top teams who play in Europe and those in the lower divisions grows inexorably every day. I wandered who this trophy is for, the smaller clubs, who must earn little if any income from the games or a means for the Premier teams to have competition for their Under 21’s players.

Clubs were born out of Churches, factories, cricket teams, Sunday League teams, youth teams etc, but the main theme was their community. Often as theses teams grew they needed local benefactors to support their gate receipts. This support may have been altruistic, due to a love of their local area or sometimes as a way of improving their standing in the community or to gain advertising for their company. The thing that is most relevant here is ‘Local’, which was also the tag that would be used to talk about fans. Fans started following their local team because there was not the transport to travel far and wide, they couldn’t justify the cost, they often worked Saturday mornings and there were a host of local newspapers that reported about the clubs. The majority of fans were from a working class background and if their club reached a national final ( FA Cup or Amateur Cup) they would descend on the capital and take it over, claiming it for their club and community. To some degree, communities not being left behind as teams from all parts of the land reached Wembley.

Jump to today and there are only a relative few teams who are going to win everything, backed by TV rights deals, a commodification of the club, European football and an ownership structure that may have an agenda to maximise profits or benefit the sporting political ethos of different states. There is a disconnect here that spills over to the fans. Fans of the Elite clubs are now from all over the world due to games being broadcast to everywhere, social media and an increase in disposable income and transportation. Low cost airlines even allow people to support teams in other countries than their own. So the working class community fan has been slowly squeezed out as the so named ‘prawn sandwich fan’ has been willing to pay increased seat prices, club merchandise prices and experience add-ons. Even the wealth of owners is graded, it cost Wrexham a great deal to get out of the National League but how deep are their owner’s pockets to get into the Premiership? Even if they succeed, there is a further tier level to confront. It appears to me there are the relegation clubs, often those promoted from the year before, the mid table group who don’t go down but don’t make it to the top table and the Elite. Having watched Watford in a previous era, my love of Luton FC is somewhat tainted, but I am rooting for this Supporters’ Trust owned club to defy the odds and stay up. Will this community disconnect result in local causes being overlooked for one’s that cater for their international base.

This wealth has increased the power of players to rightly demand their share of the riches but this has percolated to lower divisions clubs who can not afford it. This has also led to a disconnect with local fans in that they want success but there are no local players, often they are from the far side of the earth spending a fleeting glance in the history of the club. Although you could not say that Charlie Aitkin was local to Aston Villa, being born in Edinburgh, his recent death showed the loyalty by player and club that is so very rare to see. He played 660 games for Villa, all but 3 of them from the start, in three different divisions and was a League Cup winner. Now it seems that Elite Football Academy’s draw youngsters from far and wide and then often off load them to ensure they comply with the Fair Play Rules. Using Villa again as an example, will we see a Grealish, born in Birmingham and one of their own, come through again?

As top clubs increase their match day prices to maximise income to cover costs the fans have become more drawn from a wealthy group, travelling often from far away. Tickets in the Premier League often start at £50+ if you have paid for club membership. There are loyal fans who I admire in keeping faith despite the cost demands of todays living.

Are there clouds on the horizon for the Super Clubs, TV Rights deals are not expected to see the rises of the past as more and more TV and streaming companies merge, Disney-Hulu, Warner-Eurosport- TNT Sport-BT, more sharing of content among rights owners and perhaps we have reached peak English football. There is also the big fish on the horizon, Saudi Arabia, who have disrupted golf and football with the lure of big salaries in their Global Sports Domination Program.

In my mind the EFL Trophy needs modifying if it is to survive. Perhaps very local leagues to start the season drawing in derby crowds with a final on New Year’s Day! Just a thought, I’m sure there are others.

It’s been good to go to Mansfield and enjoy a real community feel and belonging. Thank you, but it’s back to the lower levels for me to really feel that connect.

As I have said before there are no chips at Mansfield so I was ready for a cup of mushy peas with mint sauce. Horror, I had left my wallet at home because the ticket was on the phone. Perhaps it’s time to add payment to my phone.

Mansfield’s unbeaten run ends.

I journeyed again to Mansfield for their next game in the EFL cup home to Port Vale. To have achieved progress to the last 16 (Fourth Round) was a good achievement but they did not use this attainment as a cash cow opportunity but kept prices low, my ticket was £5. I looked at the cost of going to a similar round game at a Premier League club and costed it at £20 to become a member and a ticket for £52, wow. More of that in a later post but first the game.

Mansfield Town v Port Vale

Tuesday 31st October 19.45 kick off.

EFL Cup (Carabao) Fourth Round (Round of 16)

One Call Stadium, Quarry Lane, Mansfield, NG18 5DA

The Stags v The Valiants Fourth Tier of English Football v 3rd Tier

Mansfield, Yellow shirts with blue flash from armpit to end of shirt and Royal Blue shorts. Port Vale, White shirts with two wide horizontal bands of black and yellow and Black shorts.

It was a very foggy drive and the dampness hung in the air all around you but the temperature was a mild 10 degrees.

There were still people queuing up for tickets and three sides of the ground were open for this game as against two in the previous round. 1644 from Port Vale took up the whole of one end and their continual singing and chanting created a good atmosphere within the 7432 attendance. The home crowd had increased from 3690 in the previous round to 5788 on the night which vindicated the clubs decision to keep prices reasonable a good example of a club that knows its community.

Mansfield Town FC v Port Vale

The fog swirled round the lights and became thicker and made it difficult to see the far end.

The match started at a frantic pace, end to end with Port Vale using Tommy Sang overlapping on the right and delivering tantalizing crosses that caused problems and one shot from one of his passes shaved the post after 12 minutes. Port Vale continued to show the greater endeavour and 12 minutes later it looked to me like a handball in the penalty area by a home defender to me but in the gloom I could have been wrong.

Despite all of the Port Vale possession Mansfield nearly went in ahead at half time when a great cross was met by Keillor-Dunn who se volley was brilliantly saved at point blank range by Connor Ripley in goal for the visitors.

Port Vale had created the most chances but Mansfield had stayed in touch and caused problems with some quick long balls to the wings for forwards to run on to.

HT Mansfield 0 Port Vale 0

The second half was only minutes old when Alfie Devine ran through the middle from half way and from 20 yards out curled a shot that beat the diving Mansfield keeper to his left.

Port Vale bossed the game from here although a triple substitute by the home side did inject some positivity but it was Vale who nearly wrapped it up a few minutes later when Christy Pym had to make two good saves to keep the game alive.

The Home supporters were riled by the assistant referee who made three contentious decisions against them when they were attacking with some momentum.

There was unfortunately no late charge and comeback for Mansfield like against Peterborough in the previous round.

Being Halloween, could I say this was a thriller, No, could I say it was a horror show, No, it was a straight forward display by the higher League side who progressed to the next round

Mansfield Town 0 Port Vale 1

No chips here as I have written before but this time I had the sausage roll, not quite as good as chips but a worthy contender.

A grey day in Bridlington.

After driving through the mist along the never ending A614 we arrived in Bridlington. Even on such a day ‘Brid’ has its charm and a sausage roll and coffee in the cafe on the third floor of Boyes can’t be beaten. The view down the beach is just magnificent, you can keep the “Shard

I walked from the town to the Football ground, a 12 minute stroll through suburbia of all shapes and sizes. You hear the tinny tannoy before the stadium appears behind the local Rugby Club which had a game playing on one of its many pitches.

There was a car park at the front and side and as you walked through the turnstile a young boy asked if you wanted your hand stamped for re-entry, did he know something that I didn’t.

The miserable day reflected on the stadium and it looked dull in the poor light. The floodlights came on at half time but they will be on all the while next week after the clocks went back an hour on Saturday. However the clubhouse was large, warm and friendly with the early Premiership kick off on the two screens. There was a drinks bar on one side and a snack bar in one corner, more of that later.

I was not surprised that Bridlington’s programme has been in the top two on 9 out of ten years in whichever League they were in. It is packed full of interest, photos and abundant statistics. The club are progressive in proffering the programme for £2 and a team sheet, for 20p, which has been printed in line with the teams handed in to the matchday officials. People who don’t want the programme can just buy it for a small cost increasing the income stream.

The pitch was of grass, lush and very flat surrounded by a long seated stand down one side, some covered terracing on the side of one end and between the two dugouts. One end of the ground is taken up by the club houses of the football and rugby clubs with hard attending in front.

The sky was a solid light grey with a dampness in the air that made the temperature of 11 degrees seem colder which may also have been effected by a breeze from the sea that was just shy of 1 mile away.

Bridlington were formed in 1920 out of another defunct local team. They played local football but gained a step up to the Northern Counties East league in 1982 with its formation. The 1990’s were a tumultuous time going to Wembley twice in the FA Vase and being winners once but they also were also disbanded and the team today has grown out of those ashes. Most of the time since has been in the Northern Counties East League but have played in the Northern Premier League East in recent seasons.

Carlton are based in North East Nottingham and I commented on their history two seasons ago when I visited them.

Bridlington Town v Carlton Town

Saturday 28th October 15.00 pm kick off. Queensgate Bridlington YO16 7LN

Northern Premier League East Division; Seasiders v Millers; 13th v 6th

Bridlington in all red strip: Carlton, White Shirts and Black Shorts.

A minutes silence was held to remember the great Sir Bobby Charlton.

The match soon settled down, with the home side being the most positive, without creating any chances by both sides. Bridlington’s attack came on 30 minutes which came to nothing and by then the more physical Carlton had already racked up 4 bookings. Carlton were awarded a soft penalty which struck the post and shortly after the Seasiders hit the post on 41 minutes which rebounded out.

Against the run of play it was Carlton who took the lead a minute later when Lamin Sisawo-Danso headed in, when unmarked, from a freekick out on the left. This meant Carlton went in at half time with a one goal lead which was against the run of play.

HT; Bridlington 0 Carlton 1

Carlton seemed stronger in the second half buoyed by their halftime lead and looked certain to go further ahead after 20 minutes which they would have done but for a point blank save by James Hitchcock. A few minutes later it was Felix Annan in the away goal who showed his skill in making a full length diving save to his left.

Bridlington tried hard to gain momentum but were denied by a dogged Carlton defence and some fresh legged substitutes who pressed hard on the home team. Carlton saw out the rest of the game to go third in the league with a game in hand on some of their rivals, looking good for a strong push for promotion.

Bridlington could have drawn the game if they had more cutting edge to their forwards. The 228 was 10 down on their average attendance which was not surprising on such a dull day.

The chips were welcomed, but although there was a great quantity for only £1.50 and were tasty they were also greasy and a bit soggy. Unfortunately only a score of 59.

Exciting Football beats the weather.

Storm Babet had stopped me from being in Scarborough to see them play but despite the deluge that had engulfed many parts of the North I was still able to see a local football match.

I went to Handsworth in Sheffield to see them play top of the table Campion from Bradford. When I visited this ground before they had only recently completed their synthetic pitch and were building the rest of the facilities so it was good to see them finished. Along with the spirit level pitch with great hard standing and some covered seating is a clubhouse one end of the ground that houses the changing rooms and bar and food area. The finished ground is now impressive and is used along with the other pitches in this Oliver’s Mount complex for the many teams of all ages that now count this as their home. On the day of my visit there were officials from Northern Counties East who will surely have been impressed.

With flooding nearby it is incredible that games were being played locally for example on the artificial pitches at Worksop and Staveley. The green carpet looked even more authentic with a sparce covering of leaves from the surrounding trees and what looked like water being thrown up when the ball or foot glided on the surface. The splash effect was the black crumb that is layered onto the green carpet.

It was a cool 13 degrees with a grey cloudy sky that had small blue patches trying to sneak through. The loud speaker system was very audible, often not the case, a really great 32 page programme, team sheet or both were available on entry allowing you to be very informed. Despite all this effort and with Rotherham United cancelled the night before, Sheffield Wednesday away at Watford and Sheffield United kicking off at 20.00 pm there were only 162 there.

Although there had been a team at Handsworth for some years they take the start of the current club to be the 2013 merger between Handsworth and Worksop Parramore who took up Worksop Parramore’s higher league standing as Handsworth Paramore F.C. and played at Sandy Lane, Worksop. A Women’s team joined Sheffield and Hallamshire Women’s County League under the Handsworth banner in 2018 and the whole club was renamed Handsworth FC in 2019. The next year they returned home to Oliver’s Mount in Sheffield and a new all weather pitch.

Campion were formed in 1963, using their current name around 1975 when they entered the Bradford Sunday League moving to Saturdays soon after. They soon progressed to the West Riding League steadily moving up to the Premier League by 1993. Continued steady progress on the pitch and the facilities enabled them to be successful in joining the Northern Counties East League in 2016. Covid and the FA’s League reorganisation left them playing in the North West in 2021 but a successful appeal meant they were back in the NCEL in 2022 winning Division One. Now they are top of the Premier League and are looking to progress further.

Handsworth v Campion

Saturday 21st October 2023

Northern Counties East League Premier Division; 6th v 1st.

Express Worktops Stadium, Oliver Mount, Sheffield, S9 4PA

Handsworth: Gold shirts, Black shorts Campion: Royal Blue Shirts and shorts

Within 3 minutes Campion were ahead when a free kick by Luke Rhodes out on the left was missed by everyone and sailed into the net.
Campion looked strong, assured and focussed but on 11 minutes the home team were level when a cross from the right to the far post was headed back to Aaron Moxam who manged to control it and score.

Although the flow of the game was now equal Handsworth had the most chances and they converted one of them when just before half time Mason Barlow shot from the edge of box to top right hand corner.

Campion looked more pumped to start the second half as the temperature dropped to a cold 8 degrees and they equalised within 5 minutes as Stephen Crawford smashed the ball into the net after continued pressure.

This game had more twists in store as Handsworth regained the lead when a freekick from Ambers goalkeeper into area was headed up by a defender and after some scrappy play it fell to Aaron Moxam, again, who swivelled and kicked the ball into right hand corner along ground. The lead lasted only 6 minutes when on 74 minutes Sam Bradley headed home, when unmarked, from another freekick.

With time drifting on, the away team took the lead when Michael Trench turned the ball into his own net trying to stop it from reaching a Camion forward. This was after a string run down the left by Marcus Harper whose wicked whipped in ball caused all the trouble.

Unfortunately it was all over on 90 minutes when with Handsworth sending men forward for the equaliser they were caught out by a ball past their high line defence which Joseph Colley ran on to and lobbed the ball over Dylan Parkin who was off his goal line.

Handsworth 3 Campion 5

Heartbreak for Handsworth who had played well and perhaps deserved more. The league leaders showed their strength and determination to maintain their table topping position.

Unfortunately there were no chips for the third game running.

Dearne and District FC continue progress on all fronts.

After last week’s 35 degrees, back home I decided to go to see Dearne and District FC play on a truly Autumnal evening. The rain of all day had cleared as I approached the ground where cars were abandoned on nearby open grass land. Walking to the match, having parked, I was glad of my large coat and the gloves I found in the pockets from last winter’s use. The 8 degrees felt colder from the effects of the breeze.

I watched a home game of Dearne and District last season but that was at their other ground just south of Goldthorpe. That ground is still used by the clubs numerous sides of all ages, abilities and sexes. The men’s senior team have moved their games to The Welfare Community Stadium in Bolton – upon – Dearne where there is a big push to climb up the football pyramid. Not only is the team top of the Central Midlands Alliance Division North but also pressing on with ground improvements to gain grading to move on. With floodlights, perimeter fencing, pitch side fencing for most sides, a hard standing path around the pitch (almost two sides completed), toilets, food and drinks outlets, an innovative stand made out of containers and a programme, amazing work so far.

The pitch was of thick grass that sloped from end to end and was undulating. Most of the 376 spectators were stood on the new concrete with some on the grass banks and behind one goal trains whizzed by to Doncaster and Sheffield.

There has been a major reorganisation for this season at the Central Midlands League where they have merged with the Midland Regional Alliance and changed name to the Central Midlands Alliance. There are now more divisions with 93 teams giving a greater depth and regional coverage, a league to watch in the future.

As I have said in a previous post Dearne and District were only formed in 1982 and are just starting to write their history. Elite are in the same situation creating their history since their set up in 2020 as an under 18s side. Their move into Thr Central Midlands Alliance has been smooth and bodes well for the future.

Dearne and District FC v Elite FC

Central Midlands Alliance Division North. Welfare Community Stadium Friday 13th October 19.45 kick off. 1st v 5th

Dearne and District red and white vertical stripes with blue shoulder flashes and red shorts: Elite all white strip.

The game was straight away off to a fast and furious pace with both teams showing intent. However it was the home team who took the lead after just 7 minutes when the ball was headed down to Curtis Wilkinson on the left of goal who made no mistake in drilling it into the far corner. Within a few minutes they were two nil up when Josh Moore received the ball 12 meters out and turned round to guide it into the top right hand corner.

The intensity of the game continued and Elite players showed some very good skills but the strength of the Dearne team kept them on top and they made it three nil just on half time when Curtis Wilkinson latched on to a beautiful cross from the right to head home unposed.

Straight at the start of the second half with me not totally concentrating, Dearne and District made it four when in the first minute they surged forward in numbers for Bayley Lowe to stab home. It was Baz Lowe who made it 5 on 58 minutes when a weighted pass over the defence allowed him to run past them and lob the goalkeeper who was rushing out to get the ball.

There were no more goals and Elite didn’t give up so it was competitive to the end. Elite are finding their feet at this higher level of football and will surely come up against lesser competition in this seasons campaign. Dearne and District look to be on course for higher things. I look forward to visiting here again to see their progress.

Unfortunately no chips but on a cold night the minced meat pie with gravy and mint sauce along with a hot cup of coffee went down well.

Island hopping for football.

I have been lucky this year to have seen football on the islands of Guernsey, Lewis, Anglesey and now Madeira.

A very new experience as I drove from the coast to near the top of the hill/mountain that towers over the capital Funchal. The road that Google maps took me up seemed so steep I would topple back at any moment. The car as well as me needed oxygen at the top.

It was all worth it reaching the Madeira Stadium where Nacional Deportivo FC of Madeira play their games. I was warned that parking could be a problem but I found a storied car park built into the rock under the stadium. Great just to drive in to but as I expected getting out wasn’t the easiest as I queued for 20 minutes.

The facility here is first class with synthetic training pitches opposite where some juniors were playing watched by an enthusiastic crowd. It was only 7.50 Euros to get in for a seat on the side with the sun behind you which was needed in the 30 plus degree heat. There were food and drink outlets outside but only a small soft drinks bar inside and no chips or programme. The heat was constant with no wind and clear blue skies. The kick off at 11.00 am seemed to go against the old adage ‘only fools and English men go out in the midday sun’ but as I have found here in Madeira it seems to be the hottest around four in the afternoon.

The pitch was snooker table flat with a mottled yellow and green grass cover that was being watered profusely ahead of kick off , which meant players lost their footing and cut up large divots at times.

There were stands on both sides. One side, the one in the sun, was all seater with a line of hospitality boxes along the top row. The other side had a seated top tier with standing in the lower area. There was also a smoker amongst the group of pensioner supporters who were around me and whose gang I was assimilated into.

At one end of the ground there was just a sheer drop down into Funchal and a cruise ship could be seen docked far below. The other end is also fenced and adorned with adverts but has a grass training area behind the fence.

CD Nacional vs UD Oliveirense

Portugal National League 2

Saturday 7th October 2023: 11.00 am kick off. 4th v 6th

Nacional all black strip with white chevrons on the shoulders. Oliveirense red shirts black shorts.

Within 3mins of the kick off J Ramirez of the home tram hit the bar when it was easier to score, however a minute later the same move again of a cross from right he tapped in his second chance.
Nacional looked very confident from the back and in midfield and went two up on 11 minutes when a severely deflected shot found its way to G Da Silva Chuñha the number 77 who was stood infront of the keeper and only had to tap the ball home. If this had been the English Premier League a ten minute VAR review may have intervened. Hand shakes all around celebrated the goal.

11minutes later and it was 3 nil when a cross from the left was collected by Witi who cooly took the ball down 7 uards out and placed it along the ground to the right of the goalkeepers despairing dive.
Oliveirense were skillful but didn’t show the same energy or commitment. A drinks break on 31 minutes also saw the first sub for the away team and prhaps this helped with them scoring on roughly 39 minutes but it was ruled offside. Oliveirense were now coming more into the game but the heat was now slowing the game down. Even in the heat the ball boys were throwing new ball to players as soon as one went out of play to keep the game moving.

With half time approaching Nacional added a 4th when a long ball was misjudged by the goalkeeper and although Witi was very wide he expertly slotted the ball across the goal line. Three minutes VAR ruled it out but he was not to be denied the fourth when he met a beautiful curved cross, along the ground, from the overlapping right full back to send the home team in for the break well on top.

Half time hadn’t come too soon for the travellers but their woes were added to when only 7 minutes from the restart a wonderfully weighted cross from Silva, right out on the touch line, onto Witi’s head who had no problem adding to his tally. High fives from all my new friends and a check by them to show their team had moved into second place in the league.

The game now had many substitutes on both sides, another drinks break, and a slower pace as both sides saw the game out to the end at a walking pace under the scorching sun.
I was lucky to witness a good quality football match in such hot conditions that sent the home supporters away with a smile but a long journey back to the mainland for the losers. Witi will have enjoyed his hatrick and the match ball, which one I have no idea. I’m sure he would like to be thought of as a player in Christiano Ronaldo’s footsteps who started his career here. It was disappointing that a crowd of only 1262 saw such a good match.

CD Nacional 5 – 0 UD Oliveirense

The Derby Game – A History of Local Rivalries.

The Derby Game – A History of Local Rivalries

Written by Ian Collis, published by Pitch Publishing 2023.

I bought the book after going to see Ian Collis do a talk about Shrovetide football in Derby and once I started it I couldn’t put it down. In fact the 237 pages disappeared in less than a week.

The book tells the story of the Shrovetide football game that was played in Derby and gained a notorious reputation for its violence and damage to property.

There is no definitive date for its start although it is believed to have been played for centuries before its demise in the mid 19th century.

The book goes into depth about some of its stars, supporters and detractors, especially the way it was killed off.

Other features of the book are a review of past and surviving festive football games, the most high profile being the still played Royal Ashbourne Shrovetide game.

There is some good analysis of why the current game was greatly influenced by the Sheffield and Derbyshire region and evidence that the ‘Derby Game’ was the inspiration for the term ‘Local Derby’.

A fascinating read that taught me a lot.

Don’t call it the Cardboard Cup in Mansfield.

I decided to see an EFL Cup match and the £35 a ticket at Villa compared to £5 at Mansfield was a no brainer. I had not been to Mansfield Town’s ground for over 40 years but had driven past it many times.

It sits in the Retail Quarter of Mansfield on a hill with access by the ring road system that by-passes the centre but brings you to the current shopping experience.

I followed some fans across the many car parks, through a gap and up a path past what looked like an old mill pond to reveal the ground in front of us.

It had obviously changed from my last visit now having three modern seated stands and one side just advertising boards and a gantry for camera teams. The open side is on the steep side of the hill and any future development looks limited.

I sat high up in the main stand one row from the back with a great view of the pitch and the neon signs of the retail park that shone bright as the evening darkened. There was a dark cloud covering that didn’t threaten rain and the temperature of 17 degrees seemed warmer than in the day.

I typed Carabao Cup into my Samsung notes and predictive words changed it to ‘cardboard’. Carabao the sponsors of the cup are an energy drink, one I have never tried and are one of a long list of changing sponsors that have made the trophy a bit of a joke in some circles. Some teams also field younger second tier players to give them opportunity and save first team regulars from injury and burn out for the League games ahead All said and done the final is usually contested by the elite teams in England with entry to a European competition the prize.

Mansfield beat local rivals Sheffield Wednesday, away, on penalties in the previous round and Peterborough did the same at Portsmouth.

Mansfield Town v Peterborough United

EFL Carabao Cup, Kick off 19.45

Mansfield 3rd in League 2; Peterborough 8th in League 1

Stags v Posh

Mansfield, yellow shirts with Royal blue stripes down the side, Peterborough all white strip with a subtle pink pattern.

Peterborough steamed into attack and it looked like they would take the lead in the first minute but the attackers point blank shot hit a defender in the head and was cleared.

Back down the other end and with only 3 minutes 45 seconds on the clock a player running on goal was bundled down and the referee had no hesitation but to award a penalty which was coolly dispatched by Will Swan on 5 minutes.

Peterborough now dominated the game and their front 4 showed great speed and good wide play but the numerous crosses into the box came to nothing.

A chance came on 28 minutes when from a free kick 30 yards out the shot by Jason Clark- Harris took a cruel deflection leaving the goalkeeper wrong footed and the job of taking the ball out of the net. The large contingent of Peterborough fans now dominated the singing and chanting as their side played some slick football out of defence creating chance after chance.

Half time came all square but with Peterborough dominating the game even though they had not added to their tally.

With only a minute of the second half gone Peterborough took a deserved lead when a surge forward by the right back allowed Jason Clarke -Harris to hit the ball home for his and Peterborough’s second.

The crowd was now subdued and the game fell into a predictable one way flow but on 67 minutes Mansfield nearly equalised when a deflected shot that seemed goal bound was headed over by one of their own attackers.

A few minutes later both sides made changes which seemed to change the game and atmosphere. Panic is the word I would use as Mansfield pushed forward and their fans brayed for the equaliser. With the 90 minutes up another penalty was awarded to Mansfield as a player was bundled over in the box, a repeat of their first one and Lucas Akins slotted it calmly to the left of the Peterborough goalkeeper. Added time was frantic at both ends but ending 2.2 meant the dreaded penalties which were taken at the Peterborough fans end.

Two accurate penalties and two save by the home teams keeper made Mansfield favourites but the post had a say on two spot kick only delaying Mansfield’s 3.1 win.

What a turn round and jubilation by the majority of the 4372 fans. Don’t call this cup the cardboard cup in Mansfield or you might be put in your place. Mansfield now face another League One side in Port Vale in the next round with a chance of reaching the quarter finals.