Recent rain led me to target three games to visit and luckily my first choice was deemed fit to play whereas the other two both failed pitch inspections. I made my way across North Nottingham in the traffic to Mapperley Plains and the home of Gedling Miners Welfare FC.

The ground is just off a main road to the right of a main stream gym and other community facilities. There is a large car park at the front and an overflow one at the back. I had layers on to counter the 6 degrees and a wind which was whipping down the ground.

Going through the turnstile I was greeted with a flat pitch that is showing wear all over. The ground felt hemmed in with some low roofed terracing with some having a single line of seating. Despite the clocks going back a few days ago it was dark and overcast by some heavy dark clouds.

The club was born in 1919 after the first World War playing in local football changing its name to Mapperley St Judes in 1930. They took on their current name during the Second World War continuing in senior local football and become ever present Amateur Cup entrants setting ground attendance records in the 1950’s against heavy weights Pegasus and Bishop Auckland. These heights were not maintained and by 1999 they were relegated down a Division bouncing back the following year. Gedling were accepted into the Central Midland League five years later and soon gained promotion to the Supreme Division. In 2008 they became founder members of the East Midlands Counties League where they stayed until its demise in the League restructuring. At that point they were placed in the United Counties League Division One.

St Andrews FC started senior life in 1985 in the Leicestershire Senior League gaining promotion to the Premier Division after 2 seasons. Their progression reached a high point when they reached the semi final of the FA Vase in 2014. Their rise meant joining the United Counties League getting to the Premier Division only to be relegated to where they are today, Division One. They are based in Aylestone near Leicester playing at their Canal Road home.

Gedling Miners Welfare 2 St Andrews FC 3

Tuesday 28th March 2023 19.45 kick off.

Plains Road, Mapperley, Nottingham 19th v 20th

Gedling, Yellow Shirts Blue Shorts: St Andrews, Black and White Vertical striped front of shirt, white on back with Black Shorts

The ball skidded fast off the wet surface to start as both teams found it hard to control and within 6 minutes Gedling were ahead when Courtney Hastings was put through and he calmly stroked it under the diving goalkeepers left arm.

St Andrews responded immediately with some good wing play and crosses that tested the home defence. From an overlap on the right and a brilliant cross Jurelle Philip made it all square on 19 minutes. Jurelle Philip was again on the score sheet 6 minutes later when taking the ball in the centre of the goal he volleyed it home. Sitting in the stand in line with the St Andrews player I was surprised that the official did not give off side.

St Andrews forwards continued to look lively but were dealt a blow just before half time when the impressive Mangondoza was sent off. Although St Andrews led at half time they looked to have a mountain to climb in the second half.

The second half started with a mist like a sea fret swirling down the pitch towards the St Andrews goal and despite constant pressure on it the away team scored again. A static square defence didn’t cover the runs from the St Andrews forwards after a free kick and allowed Shim Thompson -Isac to sneak in to glance the ball with his head past a wrong footed keeper.

The home side rallied with more and more attacks and pulled one back on 69 minutes when Hasting rose to head the ball home off the underside of the cross bar after a beautiful curling cross from the right. With Gedling leaving space at the back as they pressed forward St Andrews scored again on 78 minutes but this time it was ruled off side.

The home team had three penalty shouts turned down by the referee and some of the tackles became tasty as both teams showed how important this bottom of the table encounter meant. A touch line scuffle with most of each team neared the end of the game.

St Andrews overtook Gedling in the league and must have been very happy to have journeyed home south to Leicester with the three points despite the conditions, a man being sent off and the competitiveness of the encounter.

Two coffees and some chips were needed to stem the cold, the chips were tasty, hottish, soft and not greasy with an overall score of 62.

The stand out game of the day to me was at Long Eaton just West of Nottingham. Long Eaton United were at home to Hebburn Town in a promotion chasing game.

Long Eaton vie with Grantham as to who is the most southerly in the Northern Premier League East and play at Grange Park with a 3G pitch and other grass pitches on the site. As I pulled up players were leaving the NJD Community Arena after playing junior games on the 3G pitch, vacating the large car park for the Senior game to follow.

The car was showing a heady 13.5 degrees even though there were light grey clouds covering the sky. The ground was very tidy with a big seated stand on one side, a terraced covered area on the opposite side and good hard standing around the rest of the pitch. The refreshment kiosk greets you as you go through the turnstiles alongside the club house. I was disappointed to find that with such an interesting game and good facilities there were only 248 there.

I sat high up at the back of the stand and behind the goal to my left I could see the cloud machine you pass on the M1, the Ratcliffe-on-Soar coal fired power station. The grass pitch looked very flat but was beginning to see the scars of a long season.

Hebburn Town were started in 1912 as the ‘Reyrolles’ works team plying local football in Jarrow. Having moved within leagues they eventually changed name to Hebburn Reyrolles in 1986 and two years later to Hebburn when they joined the Northern League. They yoyoed up and down leagues for some years having added the “Town’ name in 2000. They continued steady progress and highlighted with an FA Vase win at Wembley in 2020 against local rivals Consett. They were promoted to the Northern Premier League East, their current location, after the recent league reorganisation in 2021.

A team called Long Eaton St Helens played in the Derbyshire Alliance in 1907 and played in local leagues for around 20 years before disbanding. Long Eaton Town were established in July 1949 and spent many years in the Central Alliance, before moving to the Midland League in 1961.

In 1982 they were founder members of the Northern Counties East League, with the merger of two leagues. They stayed there for 7 years before opting to move to the Central Midlands League but by 2002 they were back in the Northern Counties East League.^[9] They moved up to the Premier Division before changing leagues again in 2014 to the newly formed Midland League. Their nomadic days continued when reorganisations moved them to the Premier Division North of the United Counties League in 2021 which they won and were promoted to The Northern Premier League East where they sit today. They now hope to move up again via the play offs

Long Eaton United 3 HebburnTown 2

Saturday 18th March 2023. 15.00 pm Northern Premier League East. 4th v 2nd

Grange Park, Long Eaton, The blues v The railwaymen

Long Eaton, Royal Blue and black vertical stripes on the front of shirt, all blue on the back with black shorts: Hebburn Light blue shirts with white shorts.

Hebburn were a disappointment, sitting second in the league they had no answer for Long Eaton’s quick inter passing forwards with Fearon continually causing trouble on the right and setting up chances with good crosses.

It was no surprise that a cross led to long Eaton’s first goal. It was nodded down by walker to Cursons who appeared to miss kick the ball but it came back to him to just tap in with no one challenging.

Long Eaton continued to make chances and converted one just on half time when a flick header put Jamie Walker through who drew the keeper and slid the ball along the ground into the net for a two nil lead for the home side.

Hebburn had made one positional change by switching a different defender to marshal Fearon and when Long Eaton’s centre back went off with a shoulder injury and the away side subbed on two forwards the game changed. Hebburn took control and hit the bar, sent free kicks just over and scored on 70 minutes when Daniel Moore rose above everyone else to head the ball down into the goal. The ball was cleared off the line but the linesman who was in the correct position gave a goal as it had crossed the line.

Hebburn kept pressing and were awarded a penalty on 83 minutes when a player was tripped in the box. Olly Martin sent the keeper the wrong way as he hit the ball just inside the left post.

With the clock ticking over into added time Hebburn conceded a freekick to the right of the goal and Jamie Walker left footed stroked the ball past the Hebburn wall just inside the post for the winner. Hebburn after completely turning it around in the second half had themselves to blame for defending the free kick sloppily and coming up against a superb strike from the Long Eaton. If these two sides meet in the play offs it will be anyone’s game.

Great refreshments bar with a good variety on offer served in a helpful manner. The chips were red hot, crispy, golden, great taste and not greasy. If anything slightly overcooked but still a very good score of 69.

I drove 18 miles to Retford United and the contrasts were amazing, no snow and a temperature of 7.5 degrees whereas at home it was six inches of thawing snow and 2.5 degrees. There were Grey skies and a light wind but it felt almost tropical compared to the previous few days.

Retford was one of the games on that were near to me and I thought I would catch up with the Central Midlands North League leaders as they move towards a promotion to either the Northern Counties East Division 1 or the United Counties Division 1. There are a few overlapping anomalies at the border of these leagues which I’m sure the FA will sort in future seasons. Retford had been undefeated in the league until last time out and were playing a hard to beat Bentley side. I estimated about 100 were there to witness the outcome.

Retford’s ground is on the edge of town surrounded by fields and has a very large car park to the front of the stadium. The pitch slopes slightly from end to end, has a few undulations and a very good grass cover for the time of year. There is a covered seated stand on one side with the changing rooms, club house, administrative rooms and a food kiosk on the other. Behind one goal there is covered standing and open standing at the other.

Retford United have been going since 1987 and were formed to provide football in the town after the demise of Retford Town. They have had a meteoric rise to the Northern Premier League Premier Division and back down again to where they are today. After their fall they are now aiming to progress back up the pyramid and catch up neighbours Retford FC.

AFC Bentley are mere infants in the Non League world having been born out of Brodsworth Welfare FC and Bentley Colliery FC in around 2015. They have set up as a Community club and run teams at all levels. The club has consolidated its position in the league and is quickly updating it’s facilities to move up the leagues in the future.

Retford United 2 AFC Bentley 1

Saturday 11th March 15.00pm kick off.

Central Midlands Football League North

Cannon Park, Leverton Road, Retford, Nottinghamshire DN 22 0DR

1st v 8th

Retford, white shirt backs with vertical black and white fronts, black shorts: Bentley, green shirts and shorts.

The game was competitive from the start and the referee took some verbal chat from the away side. Retford looked quick when they went wide and on 13 minutes a ball through on the right to Mark West was clipped back along the ground for Charlie Baird to back heel it into the net for the lead. Retford seemed to relax after this and allowed Bentley to grow in confidence. Despite West hitting the post and Retford’s left back causing some good defending from his long throws Retford were unable to add to their tally by half time.

Bentley were the dominant team in the second half and with 18 minutes gone of the second half they swarmed forward overwhelming the Retford defense for them to be able to score by the left hand post.

For all of Retfords huff and puff they could not find a way past the resolute defence and some fine saves by the goalkeeper, Danial Lister, from West and Barlow.

Bentley had a player sin binned and one sent off both of which I believe were for dissent. Their trainer too was yellow carded and with all of the stoppages there was a long period of added time. A few minutes before this Max Pemberton rose to meet the ball from a corner and planted it downwards into the net for what had looked an improbable win.

Retford did not seem to have the swagger they had when I saw them demolish Dinnington on Christmas Eve. Perhaps it is the expectation of being champions that is weighing on them that has seen their first defeat and making hard work of this game. Mark West too, their prolific scorer, is stuck on 99 goals for the club and just can’t get over the line.

The chips were hot, skins on, crispy, tasty with no greasy after taste. A good score of 66.

Bishop Auckland v Whitley Bay to many would not seem a top match but this was a game I had looked forward to.

Both teams play in the Northern League and were in good positions to win the league but have in recent weeks fallen away. Why then my title, well both have an illustrious history that can’t be matched by any others at their level of football.

Bishop Auckland appeared in eighteen FA Amateur Cup finals during its 80 odd year run, winning ten, before that competition became the FA Vase of which Whitley Bay have won four, three in a row in 2009, 2010 and 2011. No other teams has won as many.

Bishop Auckland’s ground is modern on the edge of a large retail park that is growing in size across the already busy main road. The centre of Bishop Auckland has that very run down feel which has new grant money to try to regenerate it. One idea currently up for consultation is to build a new multi million pound bus terminal to help turn things around. I think the money would be better spent on increasing affordable busses to serve the expanding and ultra busy retail park which might help to take some of the cars away.

The afternoon was grey with a cold bite in the air at 3.5 degrees which had not put off the 346 who had made it to the match. The ground has good facilities with a large seated stand on one side, more uncovered seating behind one goal and covered terraced standing behind the other. There is a food kiosk with a good range of food and drink, tarmacadam parking area and a hospitality area which I did not look into. The club also have their own shop in town in the cultural quarter, an area that boasts the refurbished town hall/theatre, Mining Art Museum, Spanish Art Gallery, Auckland Tower, El Castillo tapas restaurant, Auckland Castle, grounds and gardens and soon to be opened Faith Museum, mostly part of the Auckland Project that has been driven by the philanthropist Jonathan Ruffer. The football shop has all types of historical artifacts and information about this important club and if time had permitted I could have spent much longer there.

Bishop Auckland trace their history back to 1882 when theological students studying at the castle formed a team called Bishop Auckland Church Institute but a dispute meant a break away club, Auckland Town, was crated in 1886 and from this Bishop Auckland Football Club. Their iconic quartered shirts of light and dark blue represent the colours of those original students from Oxbridge. Auckland Town were founder members of the Northern League but it was as Bishop Auckland that they were members from 1893 to 1988 and 2006 to date. They spent the other years in the Northern Premier League which at that time was only one league away from the Football League. They moved to their current ground in 2010 after nearly a decade of ground sharing. This is a very brief history that touches the very surface of their many cup and League triumphs and the players who represented their country or went on to play for clubs at the highest level.

The present Whitley Bay team was formed in 1950 named Whitley Bay Athletic as members of the Northern Alliance League and joined the Northern League as Whitley Bay FC in 1958. Like Bishop Auckland they can boast many cup and League successes but it is those FA Vase wins that set them apart from others.

Bishop Auckland FC 3 Whitley Bay FC 0

Saturday 4th March. 15.00 kick off. Northern League. 3rd v 4th. Bishops v Seahorses

Heritage Park, Stadium Way, Bishop Auckland, DL 14 9AE.

Bishop Auckland, Shirts, bark blue and light blue quarters with dark blue shorts: Whitley Bay, shits have black shoulders and neck that graduates into yellow with black shorts.

There was 1 minutes silence for ex manager, Tony Lee before the game who had served the club for many successful seasons in the past.

The 1st 15 minutes were edged by the Seahorses who gained the upper hand in midfield and down the left and should have had a penalty when Elliot Day was tripped but somehow kept his balance to tamely shoot at goal. I’m sure that if he had gone down the referee would have had no alternative but to point to the penalty spot.

The home side did have the ball in the net just after but this was ruled as offside. Bishops now came more into the game but what struck me most was the best long ball passing I have seen anywhere all season from both sides, great to see it successfully executed rather than some of the pedestrian crab like playing out of defence that is the current trend.

With the game poised for half time in the 4th minute of added time Marcus Giles received the ball on the edge of the penalty area and his shot was cruelly deflected past the away goalkeeper who was going the other way for 1.0.

Bishop Auckland kicked down hill in the second half on the undulating good grass pitch and took control from the start. They doubled their lead after 67 minutes when some neat inter-passing on the left corner of the penalty box gave Lewis Johnson the space to cut inside and hit a right foot curling shot round defenders and the goalkeeper into the right hand corner of the goal.
It was all over ten minutes later when substitute Callum Patton was put through and he drew the keeper and tapped the ball to his left where Dean Thexton was free to stroke the ball home for a three nil win.

The win for The Bishops keeps their League title hopes alive and I saw a competitive, skilful game, thank you. My man of the match was Whitley Bay’s Elliot Day who created chances on the left, defended well, was vocal in marshalling his colleagues but was subbed off around 70 minutes when he seemed to injure his leg after an awkward tackle.

The officials had a good game and they say that when policemen look young you are getting old well the girl running the line looked like she could have been my granddaughter. However she took some stick from the home fans for offside decisions. not her age or sex and was confident to hold up play for an off ball incident that gained a player a booking.

Finally the chips, of which I am embarrassed to comment, they were cold and soggy and I threw most away. A score of only 33. Perhaps I was given the end of a batch that had been cooked sometime before I bought them.

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A journey down the M1 gave me the chance to see a United Counties South League game having recently watched a number of North games.

Bugbroke is a village to the North West of Northampton not yet swallowed up by the behemoth that is this fast growing town. If you stand still for long on the outskirts of Northampton for long you risk being part of a roundabout, housing estate or one of the large sheds that keep growing and growing.

A team named Bugbrooke United started in 1910 but only lasted until 1927 and two years later Bugbrooke St Michael’s FC were formed. They played local Northampton football including in the intriguingly named Central Village League. Bugbrooke joined the United Counties League in 1985 gaining promotion to the Premier League in 1999. Since then they have developed as a Community Chartered Standard Club being voted the best in Northamptonshire in the past. The club now run teams of all ages and levels for men and women.

Their football foundation grant in 2006 to build a clubhouse shaped the ground, ‘the sett’, to what it is today. The brick built clubhouse runs for much of one side of the ground incorporating, changing rooms, bar, food hatch, reception area and function room. They also cleverly incorporated a seated spectator covered area to meet ground grading parameters.

The rest of the pitch area is surrounded by hard standing and new railings and fencing supplied with the support of the FA make this a very tidy and compact ground. There are other football pitches around for their other teams and training and they merge into Rugby and Cricket pitches all with their own clubhouse facilities.

The visitors Rothwell Corinthians like many clubs started as a church side and played local football on the ‘rec’. However in the 1980’s a move to the local cricket ground and the subsequent purchase of their current ground cemented their future. Winning the East Midlands Alliance Premier League on two occasions gave the club the confidence to apply to and join the United Counties League in 1995.

The club have cemented their status in the United Counties despite a few ups and downs and have been set in the United Counties Premier League South since the FA reorganisation. The Corinthians have assumed the senior role in Rothwell after Rothwell Town’s demise from the Southern League just over a decade ago.

Bugbrooke Town 2 Rothwell Corinthians 1

Saturday 25th February 2023. 15.00 pm kick off. United Counties Premier League South.

The Sett, Camp Hill, Bugbrooke, Northampton, NN7 3PH

13th v 17th. Badgers v Corinthians

Bugbrooke, White shirts with black shorts: Rothwell, Red shirts with black vertical stripes on the front with red shorts.

The very flat grasss pitch looked good even though it was wearing in a few places. The day was cold, 5.5 degrees, windy with grey skies that were begining to turn blue in places.

Rothwell were the more possitive team at the start with more possession, more running with the ball and more movement up front. Bugbrooke did have a few moments of opportunity and converted one of these into a goal on 39 minutes when Tom Simmons stole in at the back post to tap the ball into the net after it was headed on after a free kick from the right. Half Time 1.0

The game reverted to the previous halves pattern with Bugbrooke becoming more adventurous which was rewarded in the 70th minute when they were awarded a hotly contested free kick just on the right line of the penalty area. The free kick was whipped in for Joe Malkin to run in and make it 2 nil to the home team.

The Corinthians did not give in and pressed harder resulting in a free kick from the left being met by the soaring Aaaron Healey who headed it past the keeper to set up a frantic final 6 minutes. They continued to press but wasted a series of free kicks that went harmlessly to the goalkeeper or out of play. When the final whistle blew you could see the relief of the home team who celebrated their win with some vigour.

The crowd of only 60 was disappointing for this level of football.

The chips which were freshly cooked were very hot, had the skins on, tasty, crispy but were a bit greasy. A good score of 75.

While many watched on TV as Real Madrid gave Liverpool a roasting I made my way to Arnold F.C. which is situated just north of the town which is itself just north of Nottingham.

It was pitched dark as I drove into an enormous car park with the lights of the ground burning in the distance. There are at least two other pitches on the complex but it was too dark to see any more detail.

Parking in the huge car park the ground, lit up, looked magical, they may call it ‘field of dreams in other locations’ but this looked just as good. The large brick built building houses all you need to run and manage local football. The huge lounge with bar and ‘snackery’, their name, is great for match days and use for any function.

Outside there was a good sized seated stand with a small covered terraced area between the two dugouts and some hard standing all around a very flat grass pitch that looked in good condition.

The night was cool with a wide clear sky as I sat down in the stand. An elderly gentleman approached us to buy raffle tickets but his telling all that his deafness was getting worse didn’t stop him from succeeding. After his efforts I looked down at the program to see that it was dedicated to fan Bob Bethell who had died over the weekend. A regular at home games and some away he was a true supporter and a quote by Mick Gretton, program editor, says it all…..”I know how much Bob loved his football and his genuine affinity for Arnold backed up by regular sponsorship throughout the season- barely a week went by without him thrusting a £20 note in to my hand”…..

The teams lined up and a minutes silence was observed which made me reflect on the local football communities. How had Mick Gretton put together the program in a few days, who had put the nets up, taken the money on the gate, manned the bar and ‘snackery’, mowed the pitch, administered the club, coached and managed the many teams. Where had the players traveled from to play after a day’s work, where had the officials come from. Just a few of the many that keep these local clubs going, not to forget the fans who turn up, around 50 for this game.

Don’t you just love Non-League football at all level, I know I do.

Arnold Town 0 Mickleover Royal British Legion 2

21st February 2023, 19.45 kickoff

Central Midlands League South Premier Division

Eagles v Legion. 11th v 4th

Mickleover took control of the game from the off with particularly good progress down the wings. The home defense stood firm but often played long balls out which only came straight back. There were times when Arnold could have carried the ball forward before making decisions of where to place the ball. They seemed static, where their opponents were running into spaces. It took until just on half time for Arnold to have their first corner against many for the visitors. Nothing came of it and the sides went in all square at 0.0.

The referee had controlled the game well playing the advantage rule and explaining decisions to disgruntled players.

The second half was delayed as a repair to the net fastening needed to be made.

Arnold came out with more intent in the second half which will have helped them keep warm as the temperature dropped. Their better play was undone after ten minutes when a defenders back header gifted the ball to Sam Vickers who lifted it into the net. Ten minutes later and Arnold hit the post during their most positive spell, all to no avail as a few minutes later another poor clearance gave Sam Vickers the chance to run beyond the rest of the defense and slide the ball across the goal for Jordan Lee to tap home.

The game was now over and both teams blanked each other out leaving Mickleover to walk away with all three points. A thoroughly good evening of football and I reflected that this was two levels below the match I had seen on Saturday but there was not a great deal of difference in skill level.

The Chips were hot, crinkled, crispy with a firm centre, but had a bit of a greasy after taste and scored 77 in my chip league. After pancakes perhaps this was not the best thing to eat.