Christmas shopping takes centre stage.

It’s always a challenge driving through Nottingham, but on a shopping weekend before Christmas, a nightmare, both in and out.

My trip to South East Nottingham revealed a flat area by the river Trent where there were a group of football pitches that are used by all ages, reflecting this teams roots in youth football. A large car park greets you, with an overflow if needed, next to a large dressing room and club house block. This is a few yards from the entrance to the ground which reveals a flat pitch with good grass cover that had some wear in the goalmouths.

There was a concrete walkway all round the perimeter with a small covered seated stand on part of one side. The pitch was surrounded on three sides with trees, with the sun, low on the horizon, peaking through the building cloud after a day of bright blue skies. The floodlights were on from the start, and they needed to be.

West Bridgford FC 1 Stapleford Town 1

Saturday 13th December 2025.

United Counties League Division 1, 15.00 pm kick off.

19th v 3rd, The Colts v The Saxons Attendance: 83

West Bridgford; Red and black vertical stripes on fronts of the shirts, red backs. Black shorts. Goalkeeper in all grey.

Stapleford Town white shirts with Pastel green/blue shorts, goalkeeper in all pink.

Stapleford looked pumped for the start of the match and took an early lead with 6 minutes gone when David Ayodeji Olatomide received the ball in the ‘D’ and flashed it into the net. Only three minutes later they hit the crossbar and continued to keep the home team goalkeeper busy.

They were knocked off their stride when on 31 minutes they lost their left back with what looked like a nasty ankle injury. Their replacement, I thought was one of the players of the match, but as a team they seemed to lose momentum and the Colts came more into the game.. With 2 minutes to half time the West Bridgford keeper made another fine save, this time with his knee.

West Bridgford started the second half with more intent and it was no surprise that with 16 minutes gone of the second half they equalised through Elliot King who scored a goal that was a copy of Staplefords first half effort. This was after a mazy mid field dribble from a team mate.

The away team responded with pressure, but apart from a fine save by the home goalkeeper, at the base of his right hand post in the last minutes, didn’t come close enough to score.

West Bridgford would have been happy with their point but Stapleford would have been expecting to take three points from this encounter to try to bridge the gap between them and the two Retfords above them.

There were chips, which unusually were served in a bag, They were hot, tasty, golden, a bit dry, a good quantity to enable a score of 63.

There was no team sheet posted up or a program.

N.B. The next evening I returned to Nottingham centre to see an interview with Paul Merson. What a thoroughly engaging guy who reflected on his long career in football and the demons he has overcome. It was well worth the return to the city, but yet again I was lost driving out of it.

A table topping performance.

Due to other commitments I didn’t plan to see a football match this weekend, so I took the opportunity to take in a local game between Worsop Town and South Shields.

I wrote about Worksop Town back in 2020 when the reputed fourth oldest club in England were in jeopardy of going out of business.

5 years on and they survived, and have since gained two promotions and now play in the National League North.

Their opponents South Shields have gained one promotion in the same time but have established themselves at the higher level over the last two seasons. They have been up for sale for over a year as offers are being progressed.

I have written before about the history and ground at Worksop so I will not repeat myself.

It was a cold night at 3 degrees, and falling, as the teams walked out.

Worksop Town FC 0 South Shields FC 3

Tuesday 25th November 2025, National League North.

18th v 1st, Tigers v The Mariners

Worksop, shirts – yellow and black vertical stripes on the front and all yellow backs, black shorts, goalkeeper in all green.

South Shields, white shirts, claret shorts, goalkeeper in all light blue.

South Shields started with crispy through passing that Worksop countered with a good offside trap. Although South Shields looked stronger and more accurate with passing and slow organised play out from the back, Worksop grew into the game and had numerous chances. However they didn’t have the cutting edge to score.

With half time fast approaching another of the away sides long balls was met by Lemar Gordon who just beat the Worksop keeper and the ball looped towards and into the goal, from his header, despite a last minute lunge from a defender.

The goalkeeper needed attention for a few minutes after the clash but the goal stood.

The Tigers left the field rueing their missed chances.

The Mariners pressed forward immediately from the restart and the fast and tricky Gordon forced a corner on the left which he took himself after 50 minutes.The corner didn’t rise more than 6 feet off the ground but somehow found Will Jenkins in the middle of the goal, all alone, to flick it in, to double the score.

Five minutes, and it was all over when Will Jenkins, again, received the ball on the left side of the goal area, jinked one way and another, before scoring his second, after his shot took a wicked deflection off the back of a defender, wrong footing the goalkeeper.

The away team controlled the game from that moment to the end, with one play, mainly across the back line and the goalkeeper, being a 22 pass move.

Aaron Martin’s header for Worksop, did clip the outside of the right post, and they looked livelier when they made three substitutions but South Shields cruised to victory, a truely top of the league performance.

Worksop dropped to one off the relegation zone and have a hard task to stay up to consolidate their place in this higher league. whereas South Shields maintained their two point advantage at the top.

The chips were again disapointing, they were warm, slightly crispy, chewy, but tasteless, gaining a score of only 54. I did wonder wether I have reached peak chips.

N.B. How do fans from the North East do it, in the second half I stood next to some South Shields fans, one of whom only had a shirt on, it was zero degrees!

Torrential Rain doesn’t dampen 6 goal thriller.

Having driven south through a curtain of mist, spray and rain to Northampton, to see my grandson lose 4.1, I returned North on the M1 to Junction 23. Just a few miles along the Ashby Road is a left turning to Grace Dieu Manor.

The former Grace Dieu Manor Schools buildings were sold in 2022 to FCV International Football Accademy. The accademy was founded in 2007 as the first Prvate Football Accademy in the UK. Initially located at Nene Park in Northamptonshire, moving to Corby and then Stamford and now a permanent home at Grace Dieu.

They offer full time courses from the age of mid teens to students who wish to combine their academic progress with that of football. Academic courses are supplemented by the nearby Loughborough College and University.

The facilities are impressive for the students along with the artificial pitch that was receiving loving attention when I arrived, rollers, mechanical squeegees and other devices were being used to clear some of the deluge. There was plenty of parking.

The FCV Grace Dieu Football Club that I saw were only formed in 2023.

Having finished second and gained promotion from the Nottinghamshire Senior League Division One they romped away to win the Premier Division in the 2024/25 season and gained a further promotion to the United Counties League, Division One for this season.

Clipstone were known as Clipstone Welfare until 2013, a name they had chosen in 1955,4 having previously been Clipstone Combine. They have been a successful local Nottinghamshire side and reached the Nothern Counties East League only to drop back to the East Midlands Counties Premier Division and now play in the United Counties League after recent league reorganisations.

Th rain continued on a miserable day with the temperature rising to 6 degrees. This ground has hard block paved standing on one side and behind one goal where there is also some covered standing. There was no seating although I overheard a conversation that was saying some was being fitted before the end of March to comply with League grading. A cafe/food bar and toilets was located at the top of an open embankment which would be a good vantage point on a dry day.

FCV Grace Dieu 3 Clipstone 3

Saturday 22nd November 2025, kick off 15.00 pm. United Counties League, Division One

FCV Academy, Grace Dieu, Manor Park, Thringstone, Coalville, Leicestershire LE67 5UG

5th v 18th

FCV Grace Dieu Orange shirts and shorts, goalkeeper in all purple.

Clipstone, Red shirts black shorts, goalkeeper in luminous green.

Grace Dieu were out of the blocks and immediately forced Clipstone back with quick wide plays, particularly from the right.

Clipstone weathered the storm but did not look comfortable. With 16 minutes gone the home side gained a penalty as a burst into the box was cynically stopped by pulling the player down. The penalty though, was saved, but the ball was put over the line from the rebound. The referee, who was on hand, immediately disallowed the goal for a foul on the keeper.

The marauding right back for Grace Dieu, Nathan Linden, was rewarded with a goal, on 31 minutes, when he was put through and he slammed the ball across the goalkeeper just inside the post. Clipstone were continually being undone by the home teams pace and were lucky not to go further behind. seven of the bank of 14 floodlights were turned on after 35 minutes, but they didn’t lift the gloom for the watching spectators or the away teams defence. As the teams left the field at half time you had to wonder why the home team were not further ahead.

By the time the second half started water was beginning to pool on the pitch and Clipstone seemed to have new vigour in attacking their opponents more quickly moving the ball forward at pace. FCV Grace Dieu should have gone further ahead within 5 minutes of the restart but their number nine had beaten the defenders and goalkeeper to present an open goal, he hesitated and allowed two defenders to rush back and block his shot.

Out of the blue with 63 minutes on the clock Lewis Weaver robbed the home player of the ball and unleashed an unstoppable drive into the top left hand corner of the net. With the ball now being slowed by the surface water, and Clipstone’s more organised showing, they went ahead, when some nice close passing from within their own half unleashed Lewis Weaver again to score on the run with his left foot.

FCV rallied and equalised with 76 minutes gone when Jack James Harry ran through the centre, steadied the ball and volleyed it along the ground, 2.2. But within a minute Clipstone were ahead again when from outside the goalkeeping area Jack Thatcher lifted his left foot and fired the ball into the roof of the net.

Clipstone were now running after everything trying to preserve their lead until the end. When it looked like they had made it, Spencer James -Weir Daley smashed the ball into the net after receiving a long ball and jinking from side to side, evading the away defence. Clipstone had been undone by the added 4 minutes, and the referee blew the final whistle moments later. FCV must have felt the better of the two teams having gained a point, while Clipstone must have felt they had lost two. In reality, Clipstone had retrieved a point when looking back, at half time, they were second best.

There were chips here, but I have to say they were the worst I have had at any football match. After trying one I smothered them with tomato sauce, but that didn’t help. They were cold, limp, soggy and tasteless scoring a miserable 20 for my chip league.

Lincoln Moorlands Railway just hold on.

After the day before, battling across the Midlands in the torrential rain of storm Claudia, I expected that the game I wanted to see would be postponed. However a call to the clubhouse, and a ring back by a cheerful lady, confirmed it was on.

There was some water lying in a few fields, and the river Trent looked high passing over the Toll Bridge at Dunham but there was little evidence of the storm that had caused flooding in some parts of Wales and the West.

The traffic in Lincoln was heavy, Lincoln City were at home to local rivals Doncaster, early Christmas shoppers, and perhaps people catching up on postponed shopping from the previous day.

I was dropped off at Lincoln Moorlands Railway FC in the south east of the City on a grey, overcast, light drizzly, cold (9 degrees) day. In fact I decided that winter had finally arrived.

Lincoln Moorlands Railway are the third team in Lincoln behind Lincoln City (English Football League, Division One) and Lincoln United (Northern Premier League, East Division). Crazily all three were at home on the same day. Perhaps the junior teams, in status, could play when Lincoln City were away to try to attract some of their fans who don’t want to travel.

The ground is reached by driving down a narrow drive between houses on a main way into the City. It opens up to a good car park and sports facilities that have a Sports and Social Club as its centre. Immediately through the gate you are met by the snack bar and beyond a large fenced in area for the main football pitch which is of grass and majorly flat.

There are floodlights, railings around the ground, two small covered seating areas on opposite sides of the ground, hard standing around the perimeter, toilets and changing rooms. This ground could be soon readied for a higher level of football rather than the eleventh tier match I had come to watch.

Lincoln Moorlands Railway FC started life in 2007 with the merger of Lincoln Moorlands FC and Lincoln Railway FC both of whom were in the Northern Counties League and the new club were placed in the Premier Division. After some near misses from relegation they went down to Division One in 2014 after being defeated in all but one of their games. Their misfortune continued with on and off field problems forcing a further demotion to the Lincolnshire League. A quick turnaround in fortunes enabled a move to the Central Midlands League but league reorganisations saw them back in the Lincolnshire League in 2018 where they still compete.

Sleaford Town FC by comparison have a history going back 100 years and like their opponents have featured in many Lincolnshire League campaigns. The first team now play in the United Counties League, Division One but it is their Development team that was playing.

Lincoln Moorlands Railway FC 4 Sleaford Town Development 3

Saturday 15th November 2025, 14.00 pm kick off

Lincoln Moorlands Railway AFC, Newark Road, Lincoln, LN6 8RT

7th v 14th (last with no points).

LMR FC; Claret Shirts with light blue collars and stripe down the sides, claret shorts, goalkeeper in all purple.

Sleaford; Green shirts, black shorts, goalkeeper in all grey.

The home team dominated early play but it was Sleaford who had the clearest shot on goal. Their domination plaid of when on 21 minutes, after some neat passing play on the right the ball was threaded through to Liam Bentley who turned one way and another before scoring the opening goal. Only two minutes later it was two nil after a penalty was awarded when an attacker bearing down on goal from the left was bundled over. Jon Smith made no mistake from the spot kick when he placed it past the right hand of the goal keeper.

Sleaford hit back almost immediately when Alexander Milczak hit a shot from outside the keepers area that took a deflection off the back of a defender and flashed into the top right hand corner of the goal. Moorlands lead was increased on 27 minutes by Jon Smith again, who headed in unopposed after a pin point cross from the right.

George Asplin, who was running everything in midfield added a fourth when he expertly curled a freekick from 20 yards over the defenders into the bottom left of the net.

Sleaford did counter but Lincoln should have scored more, hitting the crossbar twice before half time.

The teams left the field with the home team wellon top and looking like they would add many moor against the bottom of the table team. At the start of the second half you could hear the noise from the Lincoln City game and after a few minutes the floodlights were needed to be able to see through the gloom.

The expected gloom of the away team did not materialise, what did they have at half time?

They really started battling for everything and started to play the ball wide, particularly on the left, they matched and out fought the home team and were rightfully rewarded on 72 minutes when Andrew Whalen raced in to meet one of the many crosses to head the ball into the net.

Morlands looked shell shocked and could not deal with the continued domination and pressure from Sleaford conceding another goal with 5 minutes left when Andrew Wharton squeezed the ball over the line after again some strong play on the left.

Everything was now being played in the home sides half and the few supporters there were anxious that a draw was inevitable. They were relieved when they held out, but what would the result have been if Sleaford had played the whole game the way they played in the second half. Surely they will soon gain their first point of the season.

The referee and officials had a very good game that flowed and needed little added time to each half.

No chips here, however I had a mini sausage roll and a coffee which was very tasty.

Sunday Football by the River Trent.

Driving down the M1 we were passed by some Leeds fans heading south. Stopping at Trowell Service Station we chatted to the Greene twins, in the Costa queue, who were on their way to West Brom to play for Leeds United Women in the Women’s League Cup. Unfortunately I later learned they went out on penalties after drawing 1.1.

I ended up passing through the centre of Nottingham just after midday, where Nottingham Forest and Leeds United fans were making their way to the City Ground nearly two hours early.

However, I drove by, along the river Trent to Dunkirk FC, to watch a second round FA Sunday Cup game between Beeston Cosa Nostra, representing Nottinghamshire and Athletico Magna, representing Leicestershire, in this year’s competition. FA Sunday Cup games have to be played at grounds reaching a certain standard to ensure safety and security.

It was one of those grey, damp autumn days that was made worse by a chilling wind making the temperature only 8 degrees. The club house for Dunkirk is outside the ground but unfortunately was not a warm haven nor did it offer a hot drink. However the bar was in use for the roughly 50 spectators and the teams afterwards.

The pitch here is quite long grass, a bit of an undulating surface but with good cover. There is a small covered standing area on one side and two small covered seating areas on one side and behind a goal.

Unfortunately there is little information about the two sides but I looked forward to a good match as each team try to progress to the final which will be played at a league ground next spring. Don’t you just love some of the names in Sunday Football.

Beeston Cosa Nostra 4 Athletico Magna 0

Sunday 9th November 2025, 13.00 pm kickoff. FA Sunday Cup – Second Round

Dunkirk FC, Lenton Lane, Nottingham, NG7 2SA

The first 15 minutes were very equal but as the game progressed Beeston started to look more dangerous with attacks on both wings and long throws. In the next ten minutes the away team made some good blocks to keep out shots and were able to make one break away that nearly lead to a goal.

On 26 minutes though the ball was worked well from the right for Thomas Teece to squeeze the ball under the keeper for Beeston to take the lead. Only 4 minutes later it was 2 nil when centre back Alex Beno made no mistake to head the ball into the net from a corner from the right. There were no more goals in the first half and despite not over running their opponents Beeston Cosa Nostra looked in control.

Athletico Magna showed more intent in the second half and for the first 10 minutes looked as if they may get back in the game. However the constant wing play and midfield domination of the home team was rewarded on 61 minutes when Scott Litchfield received a pass on the left side of goal, outside the penalty area and hammered the ball into the top right hand corner. His thumping right foot curled shot was met with cheers for the player who I believe heard is nicknamed the tank.

Beeston made it four, around the 70 minute mark, when two players tried to kick the ball in the sticky goal mouth, and with both falling to the ground, Isaac Morledge hooked his foot around it to score.

At four nil it was definitely all over, and the last 20 minutes petered out. Beeston Cosa Nostra made it through to the next round and the team from Leicester must wait for next year. Great to see that Sunday football is alive and well and still creating dreams.

No chips so a packet of crisps and a diet Coke had to be my Sunday Lunch.

Second half goal fest lifts the gloom.

My football fest continued, three games in four days, as I drove through the rain to Rotherham. The New York Stadium always looks good on a dark night from the main road through the town. I parked and squelched my way to see Rotherham United play Burton Albion, a match that should have been played back on the 19th August on a much warmer balmy night. It had been postponed for various reasons until now and having bought a ticket for the original match it seemed silly to waste it.

This is one of my favourite modern stadiums although the weather and the mid table form of the two teams meant that the attendance was given as just over 7000, although it did not look like that many in the ground. An all seater, green grassed, flat pitched arena, it was not spoilt by the continual rain. It sits as a beacon against the old ‘Millmoor’ which is just across the road. It is also near the River Don which used to flow into the River Trent, next to which was where my two previous matches had been, but was diverted into the river Ouse in 1620.

I had seen Burton blow away my home team 6 nil in the FA Cup on Saturday so I was not sure what to expect.

Rotherham United FC 2 Burton Albion FC 2

Tuesday 3rd November 17.45 pm kick off, The Millers v The Brewers

New York Stadium, Rotherham, S60 1AH

English Football League Division 1, 15th v 20th.

Rotherham; Red shirts with white sleeves and white shorts with the goalkeeper in all fluorescent yellow.

Burton; All blue with the goalkeeper in all grey.

The first half was quite uneventful with both teams cancelling each other out, Burton threatening with long throws and Rotherham having most of the attacking play down the wings.

The second half changed all that with Burton coming out of their shells and pushing forward. They were rewarded when on 50 minutes, a corner from the left landed in the middle of the goal. Rotherhams keeper missed the ball as he came off his line and Kyran Lofthouse headed it into an open net for the Brewers.

As the game opened up with Rotherham being cheered forward by their fans, Burton could have gone further ahead on 58 minutes when a shot was cleared off the line. Burton went two ahead 5 minutes later when Rotherham’s Kian Spence slipped with the ball in the centre of their half and it went to Jake Beesley, he rolled it along the ground beyond a defender into the path of Tyrese Shade who shot across the diving keeper to put the ball in the right hand corner of the net. Burton couldn’t believe their luck but at the other end their luck failed them when Denzell Hall sprinting into the right side of the goal area hit a low cross to meet an unmarked colleague only for the ball to hit the diving leg of Toby Sibbick and fly past the inside of the post for a Rotherham goal.

With 20 minutes left Rotherham pushed forward, but didn’t look to have the cutting edge to level and leaving gaps in their defence allowed Burton to counter. The crowd greeted the 5 minutes of added time with joy as they had been continually frustrated by the away teams time wasting. With 4 of those minutes gone Rotherham’s corner from the left was met by unmarked Hamish Douglas whose bullet header hit the net.

The Rotherham team and crowd were joyous and saw it as a positive, and were buzzing with talk as they walked away. Burton too will be happy with the point and a display that should give them some momentum going forward.

The referee drew the ire of both supporters for some unusual decisions. Me too.

No chips, so on this miserable wet day I had a Steak Pukka pie and a coffee. More recently I have found Pukka pies to be dry and disappointing. It was either the preparation or something has changed because it was filled with steak and a hot tasty gravy.

Good idea that they sold the programs at the food/drinks kiosks.

Few fireworks on the pitch at Gainsborough.

A weekend of FA Cup 1st round games brought me to Gainsborough on a cooling Sunday evening. Last year at Hednesford, at the same stage of the competition, I watched Gainsborough defeat the home team on penalties after a pulsating 4.4 draw, in what was my game of the season. This was 76 miles by road from yesterday’s game but much longer if I had travelled along the River Trent on whose banks both towns sit.

As we queued, a group of Accrington ultras marched past with flags and chants, making us think that the away end would be packed. When in, this close to the centre stadium, we found that it was the home three sides that had filled up and the Accrington fans had only been a noisy few. Surprised at the good attendance, we found some space behind the goal.

Gainsborough of the Northern Premier League were up against Accrington Stanley of the English Football League Division Two, three levels below their opponents. Gainsborough were once in the Football League but that was back in 1912. Accrington Stanley were founder members of the football league and have been an up and down club that was brought back from extinction in the past. Considering the nearly 60 places in the leagues between the two clubs some divine intervention from the vicar of Holy Trinity Church, who originally formed the club, may have been needed.

Gainsborough Trinity FC 1 Accrington Stanley 2 AET

Sunday 2nd November 2025, 17.15 pm kick off. The Holy Blues/Trinity v Stanley

Gainsborough Trinity FC, Northolme, Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, DN21 2QW

FA Cup 1st Round. Northern Premier League v English Football League Division Two.

Gainsborough; Royal blue shirts and shorts, goalkeeper in all light blue.

Accrington Stanley; Red shirts with white shoulders and sleeve, goalkeeper in all fluorescent yellow.

Gainsborough playing up the slight slope exerted the early pressure but the away back line looked strong and soon took control as the game entered a dull period. It was a surprise when Accrington took the lead on 28 minutes when a cross in from the right was nodded down for Paddy Madden to score near the post. Gainsborough couldn’t find a way to test the away defence and Accrington were in charge by the time the break came.

Two blue flares were thrown onto the pitch at half time, that were cleared, and we also had noticed a man with a dog, a spaniel, on a lead. It did not appear to be any kind of assistance dog and seemed irresponsible to have it in such a big crowd.

A few fireworks had gone off in surrounding properties at half time and these continued at the start of the second half. This must have distracted the players along with another flare which stopped play and caused some disquiet in the terrace behind the goal as the fans pointed out the thrower to stewards.

On the field Gainsborough were now pushing and both sides had chances but were either thwarted by the keepers or the post in Accrington’s case. The introduction of Sisa Tuntuwana spurred Gainsborough on with Accrington finding it hard to match his pace and skill. With 15 minutes left a cross was missed by the away defenders and Tuntuwana found the space to easily head the ball home to draw the teams level. Gainsborough tried hard to press forward and gain the momentum but full time came too quickly and it was into a period of extra time.

Throughout the game Accrington’s players had seemed physically bigger and stronger, faster, played the ball quicker and harder, and played a busy pass and run football. This carried them through when Charlie Caton put them ahead with only minutes of Extra Time played. Maddon’s quick burst freed him to pass to Caton who was able to wham the ball into the net.

Gainsborough didn’t get back into the game to challenge the EFL side although the fans felt that the referee was giving all the challenges to Accrington and none to them.

At the start of the second period of extra time Maddon should have done better with a great chance and was duly subbed off. Accrington saw out the game but the good sized crowd walked away pleased that their team had not been overwhelmed.

Perhaps Gainsborough might invest some of their cup run money in new floodlight/bulbs as the pitch seemed gloomy despite it being a clar evening.

There were chips here, after queuing for a long time, the well staffed kiosk serving as quick as possible and adding to Gainsborough’s coffers. The chips were a big quantity for the £3.50, they were freshly cooked, hot, golden, slightly greasy, but a bit bland. A creditable score of 62.

St Albans cup run ends on the Trent.

Roadworks on the A38 brought me to a standstill as I approached Burton on Trent to see the first round FA Cup game between Burton Albion and St Albans City. With a junction and a side road joining at the point of the dual carriageway becoming one lane it took a while to get through. I was thankful that it was not a week day when this major road artery is well used by commercial traffic.

Having left enough time for such problems I still arrived with time to spare. Parking my car on the grass verge on Derby Road I was surprised at the lack of people. It was easy to enter the ground and I stood on the terrace with the home supporters. It was disapointing that the crowd was only 2523 having read that St Albans had sold over 600 tickets and tickets were available on the day, meaning that the home support was well below 2000.

Burton play at the 3rd level of English football while St Albans play at the seventh. These clubs had last met here in 2007 when they were both in the National League, (St Albans only season at that level), since when Burton have moved up 2 levels and St Albans moved down 2.

St Albans had won through 4 rounds to reach this stage, their season improving after a disapointing start. A missile had hit them however when only 3 days prior, their manager and his assistant, Ian Culverhouse and Paul Bastock, had left the club for King’s Lynn FC. No one blamed them, the offer from a club nearer to their home, at a higher level and full time rather than part time was an offer not to be turned down.

It was a damp afternoon, the temperature, 12 degrees, average for the first day of November, with a blue sky that was being invaded by some very dark grey clouds. Being over meant the floodlights were on from the start.

The Pirelli Stadium is modern with cover on all sides. The two ends and one side are for standing and the otherside seated. A well kept, flat grass pitch presented an immaculate playing surface.

I have written about the history of both these teams on previous blogs.

Burton Albion 6 St Albans City 0

Saturday 1st November 2025. 15.00 pm kick off.

FA Cup Ist Round. Brewers v The Saints, English Football League One v Isthmian Premier League.

Burton Albion; Yellowband black vertical halved shirts with black shorts. The goalkeeper in all light blue.

St Albans; Pink shirts with white shorts, the goalkeeper in all orange.

It was not the start that St Albans needed when within 58 seconds Burton went ahead. A through ball along the ground allowed Tyres Shade to outpace the defence to then draw the goalkeeper, Magnus Norman, and slide the ball under his body into the net.

The expected floodgates didn’t open and St Albans regained their composure producing some fluent football and shots on goal. Burton clipped the top of the bar when a cross decieved Norman and ended up on the roof of the net with 22 minutes on the clock.

St Albans came right back and three minutes later Zane Banton’s long range shot was neatly plamed round the post by Burtons goalkeeper, diving at full stretch.

Both teams cancelled each other out and despite the very early goal, the difference between these two teams was hard to see.

The second half started like the first, but it was St Albans who unluckily saw a header by Lewis Page glanced onto the right upright and scrambled away by the Burton defence. Having ridden their luck Burton made it two nil only 2 minutes later when a long throw from near the corner flag was headed on fir Charlie Webster to riffle it in.

Webster now seemed to be everywhere and he made it 3 when on 55 minutes he ran through the middle of the City defence and smashed it past the despairing Norman.

Both sides made changes and the game calmed down until the Saints keeper slipped while taking a free kick and the ball landed with Burton players who surged forward and from an angle Tyrese Shade made it 4.

As St Albans tired and started to look a bit ragged Fabio Tavares added two more in the 83rd and 96th minute.

Burton will be pleased to have avoided a banana skin and be in Monday night’s draw for the second round. St Albans must have been happy that for 60 minutes of the game they competed strongly with their higher rivals.

What if the post hadn’t stopped Lewis Page from scoring!!

I was informed by an official that the club had stopped selling chips two years ago, was this after my report that said they were the worst chips I had that season? Instead I had a steak and ale pie and a coffee. Small pie but filled to the brim with large chunks of meat.

Retford save another Brickworks postponement.

I decided to go to see Kirton Brickworks FC play for the second time. My previous visit was thwarted by the weather when the game was moved from within the brickworks to a nearby village pitch. The grass pitch was then waterlogged but this time I was sure that this wouldn’t be the case because of our summer of little rain. When I arrived the pitch looked immaculate, the nets up, new advertising boards compared to last time, but no people. Luckily someone was leaving from the brickworks and he told me the game was off but didn’t know why. I have now found that the morning pitch inspection found the pitch unplayable?

On to the phone to check on the nearest game that I could make it to in time, I was lucky to find Retford FC’s game at home to Southwell City. Retford FC sitting top of the table.

The journey started with a crawl behind a tractor and when I was in Retford I was following a car through a green light when on the pavement to the left a grey haired lady on a mobility buggy suddenly rushed towards the road. The car Infront, me and the one behind slammed on the brakes and in our hesitation the lights changed to red. She pressed the button for her to cross and blithely rode across the road.

I parked, with plenty of time and walked through the road tunnel to ‘The Rail’.

The grass pitch looked as immaculate as on previous visits but there were not many people about. In fact only 199 fans in total, disappointing considering Retfords great start to the season. It was a cold day and I walked to the far corner where the club house is and the food kiosk. Getting some chips i went and sat in the open seating behind one goal, very reminiscent of seating behind a green at a golf competition and chatted to a visitor from the Doncaster direction. I wasn’t sure that this was the best place to watch the game as coming across the vivid blue sky were sone light and grey clouds hurried along by a wind that made it seem colder than the official 8 degrees.Luckilly this ground has covered standing down one side and at one end.

Retford FC were only formed in 2015 moving to their ground ‘The Rail’ in 2017. They were founded at a time when Retford United were going through a rough patch and were promoted from the Central Midlands League in 2019 to compete in the Northern Counties East League where they established themselves. With the FA re-organisation of Non-League football they were transferred sideways to the United Counties League Division 1 which they have been competing hard to move to the Premier Division North.This club have done wonders in their ten years in existence, they have purchased their ground and adjoining land, and built a brand new fan area in one corner with a Scandi styled wood clad, club house, food kiosk, and toilet block.

Southwell City FC were formed in 1893, but early records are sketchy, with the club believed to have played in the Newark area. The team was devastated through casualties in the Great War and although football was played in Southwell it wasn’t until its reformation in 1955 that the current club truly emerged. They joined the Notts Football Alliance in 1957 where they stayed until the end of the 2002/03 season, moving to the Central Midlands League was. On their journey the football club merged with Southwell United Youth Football and Southwell Amateurs and have created a Community Charter club that caters for all grades of the game. This has been achieved through developing their old and new grounds. Winning the Notts Senior League gaining promotion to the United Counties Division One in 2022.

Retford FC 1 Southwell City FC 1

Saturday 25th October 2025, 15.00 pm kick off. Attendance 199.

United Counties League, Division 1, 1st v 16th, The Choughs v The Bramleys/City

Retford Football Club,Babworth Road, Retford, Notts DN22 7NJ

Retford in all navy blue kit with the goalkeeper in all yellow.

Southwell City, Grey shirts with fluorescent pink sleeves and shorts, the goalkeeper in all orange.

Southwell started the game as if they were the top of the table team clipping long balls over the top for their forwards to run on to. It paid off within 5 minutes when Christopher Okoye collected the ball on the left, beat two defenders and hit the ball across the goalkeeper into the bottom right hand corner. Southwell continued to look the most promising side with corners and long throws, the home side looked if they were having a bad day. As the half progressed the game became more even with both teams having chances which was summed up by both teams missing easy chances minutes before half time. Retfords striker blasted over the bar with only the goalkeeper to beat and immediately at the other end the away team should have scored had it not been for their goalkeepers outstretched leg. Southwell deserved to be Infront at half time but the score could easily been higher for both sides.

The game resumed the same pattern in the second half but this time it was Retford who were more in charge and they equalised with 62 minutes gone when a corner from the left was headed on twice, across the goal for Ahmed Tahar, a recent substitute, to head the ball into an open net. Retford now took control but good defending by Southwell kept clearing the pressure despite a large scramble on the goal line that somehow did not go in and a long range shot that glanced the post. Southwell too had breakaway chances which the home keeper did well to keep out.

As the game drew to a close it was City who should have taken all 3 points when No 4 was put through. He had been Southwell’s outstanding player all over the pitch but had noticeably faded in the last ten minutes. With just the keeper to beat he hesitated allowing the ball to be cleared, he still however got my vote as man of the match.

Retford’s point kept them in a commanding position at the top of the league and were lucky to find that their chasing arch rivals, Retford United FC also drew along with others in the chasing pack.

The chips this week were disappointing, like warm and soggy. They tasted OK and were not greasy but only managed a score of 55.

Sometimes you just grind out a result.

Saturday morning saw me watching my grandson lose a match at the great facilities on the University of Northampton Campus. Unfortunately he lost but after some sustenance we made our way to Market Harborough to see their home team play.

I have been here before but they have since moved up a League and further developed their ground. Market Harborough is a pleasant Market town that has grown unbelievably since I lived nearby at Desborough many moons ago. The electrification of the rail link to London has increased its appeal as a computer town for London and the building of the nearby A14 east west link makes it easier to reach the West Midlands and the East.

The ground on the outskirts of the town is part of the Harborough Leisure complex which has been recently updated to feature a brand-new, 115-station gym, three swimming pools, a group fitness studio, a dedicated group cycling studio, a wellness studio, a spacious sports hall, an indoor bowls hall, tennis courts a café and outdoor pitches for sports including rugby and football.

There is great parking, all on the flat, and it is an easy walk to the Football ground. It is an all weather pitch that has had some surrounding hard surface update and two new covered seated areas on one side adjacent a previous existing one. The facilities are now easily ready to enable the club to move up to higher levels and is able to host higher attendances as per their 1813 for the midweek FA cup game. There is a large club house and changing rooms which have solar panels on the roof, which we did not go in.

As we passed through the turnstiles we were handed a token for a Spanish beer. It’s relevance became clear as soon as we were in the stadium with one of the three covered stands down one side crowded with fans from Spain . There was also a clue in a Spanish language insert in the programme. Harborough Town FC’s Spanish connection is due to a friendship with La Media Inglesa. The partnership has grown a large Spanish fan base with live-streamed matches on YouTube to all spanish speaking countries. Harboroughhave also been on a pre-season tour of Madrid. The Spaniards were making themselves known well before the start of the game.

Although a grey overcast afternoon the 13 degrees felt quite pleasant, probably because there was little wind. We debated wether the artificial pitch had a slight slope on it from one end but couldn’t make up our minds if this was an optical illusion.

Harborough Town are a new team, although there have been previous clubs in the town. In 2007 it progressively merged three teams, Harborough Town Juniors, Harborough Town Spencers and Harborough Minis and with the local council developed playing facilities that have benefitted all ages and sexes to create many teams that can use the artificial pitches. After 3 seasons in local Northamptonshire football they gained promotion to The United Counties League again stepping up a league two years later. In 2022 they won the Premier League moving nto the Northern Premier League. In 2024 they won the League play offs and now play at the higher level.

Bromsgrove Sporting FC was founded in 2009 after the demise of Bromsgrove Rovers, saved by local supporters. A restriction of a maximum ten percent shareholding in the club has been introduced to keep a community involvement. The club has gained promotion in local and midlands leagues in a very short time to be now competing in the 7th tier of English football. They reached this level in 2019.

Harborough Town 1 v Bromsgrove Sporting 0

Saturday 18th October 2025 Southern League Premier, Central Division.

Harborough Town Community Football Ground, Northampton Road, Market Harborough , LE16 9 HF.

The Bees v The Rouslers. 1st v 14th

Harborough, all yellow kit with the goal keeper in all green. Bromsgrove, Red shirts with some white vertical stripes on the front and back, and dark blue shorts. The goalkeeper in all green.

Harborough were on top throughout the first half gaining numerous corners and long throws that caused concern foy the visitors. The home sides tall defence were very effective but Bromsgrove did manage a few chances.

The game seemed very stale with perhaps Harborough suffering the after effects due to extra-time in their FA Cup match the previous Tuesday. The game changed for the Bees on 66 minutes when their goalkeeper hoisted a free kick from their half into Sporting’s penalty area. The ball was chested down by Riley O’Sullivan, who had just been introduced as a substitute minutes earlier. He turned and volleyed it into the roof of the net for a well taken goal. Unfortunately his game time only lasted 2 minutes, when a challenge on him in the penalty area was given as simulation, and he was shown a yellow card. He picked up his discarded boot, which looked as if it had come off by the defender treading on his foot. He ran to the official to show him the boot but was waived away. His frustration was shown by him throwing down his boot to which the referee showed a second yellow card and then a red due to the dissent. This all seemed harsh and this added to him being sent off in the seventh minute of Tuesday night’s FA Cup replay.

Bromsgrove saw their chances and pushed forward but the home defence stood solid and saw out the game. It was more like grinding out a win,and not a classic, but Harborough were happy to retain their top spot in the league. After the extra time on Tuesday they were relieved to not have had a reaction.

After missing a few weeks it was back to some chips, and they were hot, tasty, golden, not greasy, crispy outside with a soft middle and a score of 73. Because I was with family I was talking and forgot to get a picture of them until after I had finished. As I continued eating them they became a little dry, perhaps due to the large portion.