Catching the fading embers of the season.

With most Non-League football matches complete, apart from a few stragglers due to the many postponements from our wet and weary winter, I was drawn to Hillsborough (home of Sheffield Wednesday) to see The Sheffield and Hallamshire County F.A. Men’s Senior Cup Final between Worksop Town and Penistone Church.

This Cup competition is the fifth oldest surviving football cup competition in the world and has had differing guises over the years and is now fought for by teams from step 1 to 7 in the pyramid system that are registered in the area.

It seemed summer had finally arrived and it was a beautiful evening driving into Sheffield down the leafy Parkway, my mood only being slightly dampened by the usual traffic back up at the end of it. I unbelievably parked within 100 meters of the stadium and strolled along to the turnstile. Everyone was in an end of season happy mood as all fans queued to ‘pay on the gate’, cash to the left cards to the right. No segregation for this evening outing for all. It was still 19 degrees as I sat in my seat in the main stand although a cooling breeze was welcome as it swirled round this empty arena. The bright blue sky of the day was now meshed with a high thin layer of white cloud.

Both teams had enjoyed a good season, Worksop Town of the Northern Premier League, Premier Division, had finished 5th but had been defeated by Macclesfield in one of the playoff semi finals, Penistone Church of The Norther Counties East League, Premier Division finished 6th, one off the play offs. Penistone had done well to reach the final being two levels below Worksop.

Penistone is only 11 miles north of Hillsborough, a pretty town up in the hills and Worksop 21 miles away south east on the Nottinghamshire/South Yorkshire border.

A good humoured crowd of above 1000 turned up with the fans of the more senior team, Worksop the noisiest. It was only a mild noise compared with the febrile atmosphere of the last time I was at Hillsborough when they were battling for survival in the Championship. The kickoff had been scheduled for 19.30 but Worksop had put 19.45 on their Social Media so the game was delayed to give everyone time to arrive.

Worksop Town 5 Penistone Church 0

Sheffield and Hallamshire County Men’s Senior Cup Final.

Thursday 9th May, 19.48 kick off

Sheffield Wednesday F.C. Hillsborough, Sheffield, S6 1SW

Tigers v The Church

Penistone; shirts and shorts all royal blue with a white flash on shoulders if the shirts.
Worksop; Black shorts, yellow and black vertically halved fronts of shirts with yellow backs.

Although the game was even for the first 5 minutes Worksop already seemed to be bigger, stronger, faster and more skilful especially down the left flank.

It was no surprise that after only 9 , Jay Rollins, surged past the defence to cross a ball that was met by Liam Hughes who guided it into the net via a bounce off the turf.

Only 10 minutes later Jay Rollins again showed some clever footwork before the ball found Vaughan Redford who scored.

Penistone kept trying but didn’t have any success and held out until a few minutes before half time when Liam Hughes stroked a perfectly weighted pass through the middle of the pitch for Terry Hawkridge to run on to score through the legs of the Penistone goalkeeper.

Although it was still a clear night the floodlights were on for the second half.

After further Worksop dominance Penistone made multiple substitutions and the fresh legs and enthusiasm meant they competed for the ball more and looked to have gained some momentum.

But as the game moved towards the final 15 minutes some neat Worksop interplay found Jordan Burrow unmarked on right of penalty area and he sent the ball across the goalkeeper into the corner of the net.
To round things off a blatant foul in the penalty area saw Liam Hughes step forward and score from the spot to make it 5 nil.

Worksop had shown their class but Penistone didn’t disgrace themselves. Most of the crowd stayed to see losers and winners presentations and drifted of into the close season.

Can I find another game? We will see.

The chips were good, hot, hot, a good quantity, tasty, good texture but a bit limp. They didn’t have the spicy taste that I experienced before at Hillsborough, I think because they were cooked in separate fat rather than cross contaminated with something else. A very good score of 69.

You have to deal with disappointments following the Villa Part 3.

As soon as the final whistle had blown at Loughborough I was in the car to drive across to Villa Park for an 8.00 pm kick off.

A very relaxed 10 minute walk from the car park we use to the ground amongst happy Villa fans. They should have been happy, they were guaranteed a minimum 5th place finish and were the only English side in a European Semi-Final.

Many of the fans gathered underneath the part of the Holte End that struts out over the road to welcome the Villa team bus. The acoustics amplified the songs and enhanced the flares as the coach passed and emptied the hero’s into the ground.

The packed ground was rocking to Villa songs and chants as a cold wind whipped through the opening to where we were standing high up in the Holte End. It’s a great atmosphere at Villa for any game but the glare of the lights seem to turn it up a notch.

Aston Villa 2 Chelsea 2

English Premier League, Saturday 27th April 2024, 20.00 pm kick off.

Villa v The Blues, 4th V 9th. Villa; Claret shirts with light blue sleeves and white shorts. Chelsea; All royal Blue kit.

Villa were off to a great start when they took the lead after just 4 minutes when a John McGinn’s miss hit shot deflected off Marc Cucurella into the net. The crowd went mad but became more subdued as they realised that their team was under par for this game. Chelsea’s Nicholas Jackson had a goal disallowed by VAR for offside and he hit the foot of the post with a well placed header.

With the home side riding their luck they went two ahead just on half time when the ever improving Morgan Rogers took the ball to the left of the goal and slotted a class goal between a defenders legs and the keepers outstretched right hand.

It all looked fine but when the ‘World’s number one goal keeper’ doesn’t come out in the second half because of an injury you feel a bit tense. Chelsea put further pressure on Aston Villa from the start of the second half and when the Villa midfield gave away a simple ball Noni Madueke made no mistake putting the ball in the corner of the net. It was all Chelsea and the Villa fans tried to calm their nerves with a repertoire of old songs not used for some time, but Chelsea kept on the pressure.

With 80 minutes gone Connor Gallagher engineered himself some space on the edge of the keepers area and curled the ball into the top corner. The Chelsea fans were now delirious and both sides created chances as the game opened up some more. Ollie Watkins blasted a cut back over the bar almost into the top tier and during added time Disasi headed home for Chelsea. The Villa fans were distraught but also angry that a push in the back of Diego Carlos in the build up had been ignored. Cue the inevitable VAR and the goal was disallowed for the push which drew protests from the ay team. Once play had continued Villa nearly stole it in the final moment when from a corner Carlos headed the ball onto the roof of the net.

At the final whistle the Chelsea team surrounded the referee but the pushing and shoving that ensued was soon broken up. Villa were lucky to gain the one point on a night when they looked second best. Perhaps their astonishing efforts this season are catching up with them, they need to hang on in there and recover their style for the few remaining games and perhaps an amazing end to the season.

There were chips! which were hot, golden, crispy on the outside, fluffy in the middle but had a slight seasoning on them which reduced their score to 60.

What a great day, having been lucky enough to see 11 goals and two very intriguing games, I drove home with a smile.

If you would have read the previous blogs regarding Aston Villa you will remember that I haven’t seen them win for some time hence the caption. This time I didn’t wear my vintage beanie hat or any other Villa item and they managed a draw, perhaps I will see a win next time.

Loughborough Students make amends for last season.

If your looking to create a fuel economy record then driving on the M1 between junction 36 and 24 is the place to be. Most of this journey is restricted to 50 mph for the creation of necessary safety measures and other repairs and on the rest watch out for pot holes.

Journeying on a large section of this I made my way to Loughborough University to see Loughborough Students play Skegness in the playoff final of the United Counties Premier North Division.

This is, as I have said before, one of my favourite venues. You drive into the immaculate campus through the security gates and head to The Loughborough University Stadium. Pre-booked parking on the very leafy car park at £1 was easy and it was a short walk to the ground. Unfortunately the grey skies were emitting a light drizzle so when the lady on the gate gave me a blue band to upgrade to the covered stand for nothing I was even happier.

This new facility has three sides of hard uncovered standing and a majestic seated stand on one side that houses the changing rooms underneath, with a glass fronted high spec hospitality area and bar above the seating. No chips here so a coffee and KitKat were enough.

The grass pitch is immaculate despite our recent weather but a cold wind kept the temperature down to 7 degrees, crazy with May just around the corner. There was no printed programme but one accessed by a QR code in the ground, for such an important match I thought a printed version should have been on offer.

There are records of a team called Loughborough Technical Institute as far back as 1919 and a year later they became a College of Technology and a University in 1966. They have won University Trophy’s on many occasions in their history. In recent years they have re-entered the non-league football world in the Midlands. Initially in the Midland Combination in 2007 and then the Midland Alliance and as founder members of the Midland Football League in 2014. With recent seasons being curtailed and with the team being highly placed the restructure of the leagues has seen them placed in the United Counties Premier Division North. At the start of this new era they changed their name from Loughborough University to Loughborough Students a name they now use across all of their team sports for both Men and Women.

Skegness Town AFC were formed in 1947 after the demise of Skegness United and Skegness Blue Rovers. After playing local football they joined the Midland Counties League in 1958 where they played until being founder members of the Northern Counties East League in 1982 where they stayed for just one season. A move back to Lincolnshire football saw them dominate the Lincolnshire League for many seasons and returned to The NCE League again for a short while in 2018 before being moved to the United Counties in 2021 due to the re-organisation.

Loughborough Students FC 7 Skegness Town AFC 0

United Counties League North Play Off finals, Saturday 27th April 2024, 15.00 pm kick off

Loughborough Students; All Purple Kit Skegness; White Shirts, Red Shorts.

I had watched Skegness at Collingham (Against Newark and Sherwood) and at Quorn (Against Ashby Ivanhoe) this season and on both occasions they impressed, looking strong and quick so I expected a fierce contest.

Within 8 minutes and the wind getting stronger the Skegness centre back took out the Student’s player on the right wing but the referee played advantage and the ball was crossed in from the right for Edwards to hit the back of the net in the centre of the goal. A great start for the home team but they didn’t slack off and continued to play some clean, skilful and fast football that lead to a second goal 4 minutes later when Edwards was this time the provider as his pass found Spiteri who from distance hit the ball hard along the ground gaining a deflection on its way to the left hand corner of the goal.

With no time to get your breath Loughborough added a third and fourth after 14 and 15 minutes. First O’Toole, clipped it into the left hand of the goal after great inter-passing and then Watts made a quick pass out of defence for the ball to be passed to Wicks who chipped it into the net.

Skegness were stunned but managed their first shot on goal after 22 minutes and started to gain some traction in the game. Considering the onslaught they had experienced heads did not drop and they tried to play football. Their efforts were to be further deflated when on 45 + 1 minutes Bangura, who had shown some skilful play but also has given the ball away showed his true class when from outside of the box and to the right he let go of a rocket to the Skegness keepers left hand to make it 5 nil.

How do you come back from a five goal deficit when the opposition are showing great movement on and off the ball, brilliant cross field passes, never kick and rush but measured football and general speed and skill, the answer is you don’t but Skegness did not give up, it just wasn’t their day.

The students made it six when Wicks cut a ball back along the ground where Morales amongst the melee tapped it in.

With the 646 fans readying to leave on 90+2 minutes Loughborough made it 7 when the recent substitute, Thew, chipped the goalkeeper from 35 yards, wow, what a game.

I was so pleased that Loughborough Students won because last season I felt they were robbed of promotion partly due to the indecision of the FA in deciding that they could be promoted. That battle was finally won, which I believe leads to a greater diversity within the game at this level and hopefully this will encourage other University sides to follow suit. It also means that this is another route for players to get into higher level football instead of what can be a treadmill of some Academies. You also gain a qualification that can be used in the future.

Good luck to Skegness next year, I hope that if they are in a play off final next year I will be there cheering them on.

And on to The Villa.

Stamford despatch Hitchin in the Daniels Den.

A trip to see another under 8’s game featuring my grandson meant I stopped off the A1 at Stamford on my way home to see them play Hitchin. Stamford is a historic market town and maintains many of its beautiful old limestone buildings. It is one of the few towns in Britain where the centre still has a vibrant centre.

Stamford AFC moved to their current ground, Borderville Sports Centre in 2014 just North of the Town and just in Lincolnshire on the border with Rutland. As you finish passing the retail park and housing you hit the countryside and the football ground. At the front of the Sports Centre is a very large car park and you walk past the main Centre building to the football ground. It is a very modern ground linked to the sports centre, with a covered 250 seated stand in the middle of one side and a tiered covered standing area behind one of the goals, the rest of the perimeter area is flat hard standing. The flat pitch was grass that had fared well in our very wet winter considering this was the last home game of the season. Behind one of the goals is a 3G artificial pitch that is used for training, junior teams, hiring out and there are also some more grass pitches.

Although there were some blue patches in the sky there were also grey and white clouds that along with a breeze meant that is felt colder than it looked at 10 degrees.

Football has been played in Stamford since 1870 but the current team seems to have gained full recognition in 1894 when it merged with Rutland Ironworks taking their name but using the name Stamford Town from 1896. They played locally on and off until in 1909 when they joined the Northamptonshire League that in 1933 became the United Counties League. They played most of their football in the UCL apart from a few short moves away until 1998 when they joined the Southern League and due to League reorganisation made it to the Premier Division in 2003 but were relegated the next year and promoted the year after that. Since then they have been moved between the Southern and Northern Premier Leagues depending on the geographic make up of those leagues and various ups and downs, the last of which was last year when they were promoted as champions of the Northern Premier League Midland Division 1 and moved to the Southern League. Stamford have a proud history in the FA Vase, before moving to their higher pyramid status. They won the cup in 1980 and were runners up in 1975 and 1984.

Hitchin were started in 1865 and were initially very successful eventually turning professional. By 1911 however they ceased playing due to a fire and financial problems. Hitchin town were restarted in 1928 joining the Spartan League, they progressed to the Athenian League in 1939 and on to the Isthmian League in 1963. They competed in different divisions of the Isthmian League for 41 years until in 2004 when they joined the Southern League where they are today. They have progressed well in both the old Amateur Cup and the FA Cup despite various off field problems. This North Hertfordshire club has been a stalwart of this level of football for nearly 100 years.

Stamford AFC 2 Hitchin Town 0

Saturday 20th April 2024 15.00 pm kick off. 7th v 18th Southern League Premier Central Division

Stamford AFC, Ryhall Road. Stamford PE9 1US.

The Daniels v The Canaries ( The Daniels after Daniel Lambert, England’s heaviest man at the time, who is buried in Stamford.)

Stamford, all red kit; Hitchin, all purple.

The first 15 minutes produced no clear chances yet Hitchin looked more interested and direct. Stamford then came more into the game and started to create some chances. With just 4 minutes to go until half time a ball was chipped in to the penalty area on the left hand corner where a defender was adjudged to have fouled the attacker and the referee gave a soft penalty. Will Glennon sent the goalkeeper the wrong way as he planted the penalty into the left hand corner of the net. The rest of the half was enhanced by a pair of red kites acrobatically soaring above one corner of the ground.

By the second half the chilling wind had increased and was blowing down the ground towards the covered terrace where I had moved to. After growing pressure on 65 minutes Stamford attacked down their right and Duffy battled for the ball, ran forward to the by-line and crossed for Harry Vince to run on to and place the ball into the right hand corner of the net.

Although Hitchin never gave up they did not look like scoring and Stamford saw out a competent performance that puts them in with a play off chance and drops Hitchin into a relegation spot with just one game left of the season.

The crowd of 611 was Stamford’s second highest of the season and the majority would have been happy with the result. The whole set up at Stamford is first class but as yet lacks the atmosphere that was associated with their old ground built up over many seasons and dramatic cup runs. Only time will deliver this.

The chips were a disappointing, warm to cold, limp, chewy, tasteless and although a good quantity were expensive for £3. I only ate 30% of them and the rest went in the bin, hence a score of only 40. The Daniels Larder kiosk was well staffed and quick and the bar facilities were excellent.

Yorkshire Main beat Harworth Colliery in miners duel.

Having spent a few weeks in higher echelons, Northampton Town’s Ground (FA Sunday Cup semi final), Chesterfield, Manchester City and Sheffield Wednesday I returned to lower league football. Just off the A1 to the West of Doncaster is Edlington where my destination, Yorkshire Main are based. I drove into the large car park to see the Central Midlands Alliance League Division North game between Yorkshire Main and Harwoth Colliery Institute.

To get to the ground you need to walk past Yorkshire Main Sports and Social Club and some grass football pitches to find the ground in the left hand corner of the park.

The ground is picturesque in that it is bounded by hedges and trees. It has a grass pitch that is undulating and has a good grass cover considering the winter water, but the spring daisies and dandelions are pointing through. There were some white concrete posts topped with red paint linked with rope that outlined the pitch.

The grey sky was giving way to lighter skies as a breeze blew from end to end. Surprisingly the temperature of 12 degrees felt warmer.
There was a small covered stand with wooden seating, floodlights and a pile of blocks presumably for future development.

Yorkshire Main, trace their origins to 1925 as a team called Edlington Rangers. The club was reformed as Yorkshire Main in 1960 and after time in local Doncaster leagues and The Sheffield and Hallamshire County League they joined the North East Counties League in 1983. In 1991 they were back in the Sheffield and Hallamshire County League where they played for seven seasons before joining the Central Midlands League. The club dropped down to local Doncaster football again in 2013 but with a renewed push both on and off the field they were elected to the Central Midlands League again in 2022.

Harworth were started in 1931, playing in local leagues and then the Yorkshire League. After a few years in the Sheffield and Hallamshire County League they joined the North East Counties League in 1982 at its inception where they stayed for four years. The Central Midlands League then became their new home where they are today.

Yorkshire Main 6 Harworth Colliery 0

Saturday 13th April 2024, Central Midlands Alliance Division North.

Edlington Lane, New Edlington, Doncaster DN12 1DA

5th v 9th Kick Off 15.00 pm

Yorkshire Main all red shirts and shorts; Haworth navy blue shirts and shorts with yellow panel on front.

Yorkshire kicked off with the wind behind them and within 2 minutes Bradley McFadden won a 50/50 ball on the left of the goal area, turned and hit the ball low to the left hand of a despairing goalkeeper to take the lead.

The football was direct but skilful and there was little between either side. but with 34 minutes gone the home sides Daniel Boulton took the ball to the right of the penalty area and riffled it across the goalkeeper into the far corner of the net.

With minutes to go before half time Main hit the crossbar with a header and Harworth had a disputed goal ruled out for offside. The half ended with Yorkshire Main leading 2 nil but all still seemed to play for.

No sooner than the second half had started when the home sides Tristian Taylor floated a great corner for George Cooper Smith to nod home.

It now looked all over for Harworth as although they kept pressing there was little end result.

Number 4 was added on 77 minutes when a brilliant through ball by Bradley McFadden gave Marvin Hockmann the chance to run through, beating the offside, and tap the ball into the goal.

Two minutes later the impressive Daniel Boulton received the ball 35 yards out and despite the bumpy pitch ran on past defenders to eventually flick the ball past the goalkeeper.

The rout continued and with 5 minutes remaining a missed cross by the away defence was latched onto by Jamie Whitehouse who swung his his leg, connected with the ball and it was 6.0.

Although it was 6 nil it was a fascinating game which I’m sure the crowd of 78 enjoyed. That is apart from a group of Harworth supporters.

The tea bar was welcoming with chairs, a television to watch the Grand National and pictures of old campaigns on the wall.

The chips were only £1.50, a good quantity. warm to hot, soft and a bit limp, tasty but not greasy gaining a score of 58.

Sheffield Wednesday Owls keep Norwich Canaries in their cage.

A trip on the Sheffield tram from the ‘Park and Ride’ at Nunnery Square to Hillsborough Park station left me with an early evening walk through the Park.

The park was looking very tidy and smart after a major refurbishment that was needed after the Tramlines Concert of last summer that ‘trashed’ it because of the wet weather. In some areas the newly sown grass still needs a little while to recover and other areas have standing water after our decidedly wet winter. The occasional spots of rain were disappearing but the strong breeze from the tail end of Storm Kathleen felt cold. The car may have said 10 degrees when I parked it but the wind chill made it feel a lot colder than that. The Hillsborough Stadium soon loomed out of the failing light, made darker by the overcast sky.

The stadium now has a capacity of 34835 and still has that big arena feel but with a faded glory feel. I sat well up in the Kop end to the left of the goal not far in front of their famous band with the drum and trumpet. It looked not to have been updated greatly since I last visited to watch Villa some many years ago. The view of the pitch was partially obscured by a stanchion of which there were two at this end and more at the far end. The pitch looked in good condition apart from wear in the corners and goalmouths, not surprising with the 23 league home games plus cup games played by Championship teams. The 28156 crowd were in good voice as the band and the tannoy system played ‘Hi ho Sheffield Wednesday’ just before kick off.

Sheffield Wednesday 2 Norwich City 2

Sheffield Wednesday FC , Hillsborough DStadiu,m, Sheffield, S6 1 SW

Tuesday 9th April 2024, 19.45 Kick Off, Sky Bet Championship

23rd v 6th , The Owls v The Canaries

Sheffield Wednesday; Blue and white vertical striped shirts with Royal Blue Shorts

Norwich City FC; Yellow shirts with some thin horizontal green stripes, Green Shorts.

Norwich started playing a high line and competed hard for the ball. This immediately put pressure on Sheffield Wednesday’s tippy-tappy football out of defence, they found it hard to clear and the lost balls put the home side continually in defence. It was no surprise that on 11 minutes Norwich went ahead when a poor clearance was pounced on, pushed out to the left, swung back to the far post where Josh Sargent swung his leg horizontally to place the ball in the goal for the lead. Only five minutes later Beadle in goal for Wednesday made another short clearance that was lost and Borja Saintz ran through to double Norwich’s score.

The home crowds early support led to boos when Sheffield Wednesday again tried short clearances which were intercepted. The crowds anger seeped through to their team and the long ball was adopted which did have the effect that they were no longer under constant attack although not creating any clear chances. Norwich did have other attempts on goal and should have been further ahead by the break having squandered their chances. The fans booed Wednesday off at half time and I reflected on the slow, static performance of the home back four trying to play a system that didn’t suit them.

Wednesday came out for the second half having made four changes including their number 5 Diaby, who had struggled with what looked like an injury in the first 45 minutes. They now continued to clear balls as far forward as possible and the fans responded with renewed hope. Norwich though were still playing well and Beadle saved well with his outstretched leg as Jack Stacey bore down on the near post after 10 minutes.

The home side started to get a momentum with much more energy and enthusiasm, putting pressure on Norwich with some immense long throws from both sides of the pitch. They should have recovered one goal with 18 minutes left but Dawson made a point blank save. Sheffield’s attacks forced a series of corners and one produced a goal when Will Vaulk’s corner on the right was headed into the net by Michael Ihiekwe in a very crowded penalty area. The home support noise levels went up a notch and Wednesday piled forward and from a corner on 85 minutes, 7 minutes after their goal, time from the left, was hit long past the far post where Michael Smith levelled the score with an unopposed header.

The home support backed their team for the last 5 minutes and 6 of added time but a winner was not to be had. Norwich will have rued their missed chances in the first half and Wednesday should reflect that their trying to play short balls out of defence should be put on ice till the end of the season. They still need points to squeeze their way out of the relegation zone which they have inhabited all season. Norwich will be annoyed that they lost ground in their promotion hopes when at one time in the game it was there for the taking.

In the end a great game and atmosphere and a long walk from the ground to Shalesmoor tram stop before I was able to get on a packed tram back to the centre. The walk in reality did me good.

It was good to see chips on the menu even though a whirring card machine made me feel I was most probably paying for food and drink for the whole Kop. The chips were very very hot even down to the bottom of the tub and had very little grease. Some were crispy and others limp but there was a strange spicy taste to them that meant I only scored them 58.

You have to deal with disappointments following the Villa Part 2

On Wednesday I was treated to see Aston Villa play Manchester City at the Ethiad. The last game I had seen Villa play was in their 2023 home defeat to Stevenage when I posted ‘You have to deal with disappointments following the Villa’ after I saw them dumped out of the FA Cup by the League 2 side.

So much has changed under the fantastic Unai Emery, a place in European football and fourth place in the league behind Arsenal, Liverpool and Man City.

On my last visit to the Etihad I watched a limp Villa go down badly, without much fight, in what unfolded as their relegation year.

The Etihad is an amazing stadium with further development on going as they add further seating behind one goal. This will complete the refashioning of the stadium which will then have a capacity of 61968, certainly worthy of World Club Champions. Its not just the ground that catches the breath but also the other pitches and facilities that have been built to ensure their continued success. The club shop was busy with a lot of foreign voices looking at and buying merchandise, emphasising that this has become a true football tourist destination.

There are those that would say that it is just a franchise model copied from the USA with vast amounts of foreign money invested to give their owners the best publicity for themselves. There are also rumours that the Premier league are looking at circa 150 breaches of their rules, of which a verdict has taken a long time coming as against punishments metered out against Everton and Nottingham Forest for breaking the Profitability and Sustainability Rules. These rules are hampering competition from up and coming clubs who may have the resource to buy outstanding players and make competition more equal but can not because they will breach the profitability rules and be deducted points.

Against all of this Manchester City have truly helped English club football achieve the highest status in Europe for players and managers alike. Others have followed or are readying to join the party.

Back to the evening, having not pre booked parking we found ourselves both parked in what we felt appeared to be dodgy ‘secure parking’ which however turned out fine, We walked to the ground, very early, and walked around the stadium killing time to be let in 2 hours before the game. Meat pie, coffee, a look at the program and a lot of catching up meant the time whizzed by and we sat in our seats high up in the Villa section. The seats were the trial standing ones, which you could almost call cages, and as expected the Villa fans stood the whole game.

Villa’s season has been exceptional but long term and niggling injuries have played their part too. Only 40 minutes before the start we heard that Martinez will not be in goal due to a sickness. This added to recent injuries to Ollie Watkins, Pau Torres (on the bench being brought back into the team), John Mc Ginn suspended, and long term Tyrone Mings, Emi Buendia, Boubacar Kamara, Matty Cash and Jacob Ramsey who keeps coming back and then breaking down again all of whom are side-lined. So it was with some trepidation that we viewed the game but like all fans there was hope and the Villa away fans were in good humour and voice as they greeted their heroes and goaded a rather quiet Manchester support.

Manchester City 4 Aston Villa 1

Wednesday 3rd April 2024 English Premier League, Kick off 20.15 pm

Etihad Stadium, Ashton New Road, Manchester M11 3FF

3rd v 4th, Manchester City nickname, City (Amongst others): Aston Villa nickname, Villa.

City: Sky blue shirts and white shorts. Villa: Claret shirts with light blue sleeves with claret shorts with light blue side slash.

Villa immediately set up to defend and make quick stylish breaks on the counter with City moving forward with methodical play and releasing the wide wingers of Doku on the right and Grealish on the left. It was Doku who was causing the greatest havoc and some neat play to get him past the defenders enabled him to pinpoint a ball to Rodri on the near post to ram home. City continued this style but to the Villa fans delight Grealish, who was booed or given a rendition of ‘Villa till I die’ every time he touched the ball was forced inside on his right foot every time and looked lost and ineffective.

Villas counter attacking set up bore fruit on 20 minutes when Morgan Rogers put Jhon Duran in on goal to put the ball past Stefan Ortega, in goal for City, with a sweeping fierce shot.

Continuing nerves at City attack after attack brought us to 45 minutes and still level but there were still 4 minutes of added time to see out. A disputed free kick just off centre of the goal keepers area was converted by Phil Foden with a free kick to the right of Olsen. If the Villa wall would have stood strong the ball would have hit Zaniolo and not meant the home side had the advantage at half time.

The second half saw Douglas Luiz test Ortega but an equaliser wasn’t coming and Villa conceded two more goals in the 62nd and 69th minute to two thunderbolts from Phil Foden, a top class act on the night, above many class acts.

For Villa Olsen deputising for Martinez, arguably the best keeper in the world at the moment, did well and could not have been faulted for any of the goals.

Villa fans kept singing even on the stair wells as they left the ground and drifted of with the surge of other supporters down the Ashton New Road.

Man City kept up their challenge on the top 3 and Villa stayed in fourth and need to revive tired legs for their home game with Brentford at the weekend. This may have been another of those dealing with disappointment moments, but somehow it didn’t because you just knew that everyone gave everything they could on the night.

No Chips, again, so it was another steak pie , compared to Mondays at Chesterfield it was drier and had less chunky meat, but in reality it was welcome even though 75 P dearer. the coffee though was 25 P cheaper but was very weak.

Great night out, up the Villa.

After the Lord Mayors Show

For my Easter football I travelled locally to watch Chesterfield, at the pinnacle of Non-League Football (As National League Champions), play at home to relegation challenged Kidderminster.

I parked at the far end of Stand Park and took a leisurely walk to the ground in light drizzle with a grey sky overhead. I had heard on the radio driving in that nearby Mansfield’s game at home to Accrington Stanley had just been postponed after a morning deluge. Too late to stop the Accrington team whose manager along with their hosts wanted to play but the referee had deemed it unplayable and dangerous.

Chesterfield’s Stadium is one of the best new grounds which although showing its concrete construction on the outside has four separate all seater stands that give a more iconic feel. With a capacity of 10600 and a strong fan base these facilities and the town deserve to have re-joined the Football League family. The success of the facilities have been rewarded in the past with England Under 19 matches. The old Saltergate, now a housing complex, is remembered fondly for past highlights and atmosphere. but was not fit for the modern world.

After a coffee and watching the end of the early kick off on the monitors I was surprised to find that the sun was out and the sky was bright blue with some fluffy white clouds.

The very flat grass pitch was sanded in the goalmouths and a few other areas.

Chesterfield formed in 1866 claim to be the 4th oldest league club still in existence. A chequered history of league status and liquidation led to their reincarnation when they re-joined the football league in 1921. They have been up and down the leagues in their history but reached a low point in 2018 being relegated to the National League. Off the field problems were resolved by a take over in 2020 by a Community Trust who with great local support have steered the club to a new era of major ownership by local Paul and Ashley Kirk.

Kidderminster were founded in 1886 playing in the newly formed Birmingham and District League. Always a strong midlands non-league team they won the FA Trophy in 1987 and made it to the Football League for 5 seasons in 2000. They dropped down to the National league North but came back to the Premier Division in 2023.

Chesterfield FC 1 Kidderminster Harriers 3

Monday 1st April National League; 15.00 pm kick off.

SMH Group Stadium, 1866 Sheffield Road, Chesterfield, S41 8NZ

1st v 22nd Spireites v The Reds

Chesterfield: Royal Blue shirts and white shorts, Kidderminster: Red shirts with white front, red shorts.

The Kidderminster team and the officials provided a guard of honour to welcome the newly crowned national League Champions onto the pitch.

The 338 Kidderminster fans were in good voice to start the game and apart from one great save by the Kidderminster keeper it was no surprise when they took the lead as early as 7 minutes. The ball fell to Ashley Hemmings who hit it first time across the home defence and goalkeeper to see it nestle into the far corner of the net.

Kidderminster took control of the game, first to the ball, strong in the tackle, harrying all over the pitch they were a team determined to stay ahead. With 30 minutes gone it all went wrong for them when a cross in from the right was met by Matt Preston who instead of clearing the ball he sliced his kick which went over his head and into the roof of the net for Chesterfield’s equaliser.

Chesterfield now had a period of domination, but apart from forcing a brilliant save down to his right by Dibble, who managed to palm out the deflected shot, they lacked any clear cut chances.

Kidderminster came out in the second half with a new intensity with Zak Brown slotting the ball between Chesterfield keeper’s legs after the rebound from Boot’s initial save with only 3 minutes gone. Kidderminster’s forceful play reaped further rewards when on 56 minutes a ball was cleared only to Matt Preston just outside the goal area and he drilled it along the ground into the net via the righthand post. Redemption for Preston’s previous own goal and a lead not to be given up.

After Banks came on for Chesterfield with 30 minutes left he did manage to distribute the ball more effectively and into more attacking positions but Kidderminster’s resolve was not tested. They went away with the three points but did not get out of the drop zone. With other teams having played less games around them they need to win all of their three remaining matches to have a chance of survival. If the team and the supporters have any say they might just do it.

As for Chesterfield I can only surmise at their poor showing. Having been crowned champions so early they have little to play for, they have celebrated too hard, they have seen the retained list or they feel they are already on the beach.

The crowd of 8337 turned up looking towards next year, I hope the enthusiasm does not wane with some late indifferent shows.

Unfortunately no chips at Chesterfield but I did try the steak and ale pie which was deep, filled with large chunks of meat and thick gravy, as well as being tasty.

Sunday sunshine only for Trooper.

I decided not to take part in Non-League day but Sunday League day instead.

I drove South to watch the FA Sunday Cup Semi Final between Trooper and AFC Hackleton.

The FA Sunday Cup was started in 1964, and this year has seen a record entry of 124 clubs. Although Sunday football has a national importance in the game, due to its inclusiveness and involvement at all levels, it has yet to be given the honour of the final being played at Wembley. The game on Sunday’s did not get FA sanction until 1960 but was played much earlier outside of their jurisdiction.

There are many at all levels who remember fondly turning out on muddy uneven pitches in all weathers, with a group of friends (sometimes loosely only connected by the team), with kit that had not been seen for a week and after a late few nights as the weekend unfolded. My first involvement was at 16 playing as a guest in a Jewish Sunday League that played all over the South East of England playing for Luton Nomads. My career ended with Kingsbury Old Boys (although not a Kingsbury Old Boy) on corporation pitches in and around Luton.

The Semi Final was a ticket only game at Northampton Town’s Sixfields Stadium.

Trooper were formed in 1981 and play in the Tamworth and District Sunday League and have become a very strong team in their area winning many recent competitions. AFC Hackleton started in 2010 in the village South East of Northampton and play in the Nene Sunday League.

It was a sunny day with the temperature showing 13.5 on the car display as I parked outside the ground. The crowd of 1090 seated in the shade, which meant that by the time I left my feet felt like lumps of ice although out on the pitch it must have been warm under the bright blue sky.

Trooper 1 Hackleton AFC 1

Trooper winning 4.3 on penalties

Sunday March 24th 14.00 pm kick off Sixfields Stadium, Northampton NN5 5JT

FA Sunday Cup Semi Final

Trooper: bright green and white vertical stiped shirt fronts with green backs and green shorts

Hackleton: White shirts and Black shorts.

Hackleton started the game playing some controlled football and dominated the first 30 minutes. But as often is the case it was their opponents, Trooper, who took the lead, when on 32 minutes a wayward pass was intercepted and hit forward for their number14 to run onto. He breezed past the fullback and from the right hand side of the penalty area advanced to slot a ball along the ground, past the keeper leaving the ball nestled in the far corner. The flow of the game now seemed interrupted and half time came with Trooper still ahead.

Trooper came out in the second half with gusto and but for two great saves from the Hackleton keeper should have put the game beyond the Northamptonshire side.

Hackleton regained the initiative but despite many corners and some gigantic throws into the penalty area they were snuffed out by a resolute and competent trooper defence. With just over three quarters of the game gone scuffles in the left hand corner of the Hackleton attacking area held up the game for some time. The referee, his linesman and the fourth official deemed to have not seen much wrong doing but footage of the whole game, on YouTube, clearly shows a trooper defender pushing an opponent to the ground by his throat.

Hackleton pressed forward, hit the post, had a major miss and a clearance off the line, that looked suspiciously as if it had crossed it, before they equalised. A high through ball was nodded down by the number 9 to Ed Panter who riffled the ball home in the 87th minute. It was justice for Panter who had been ruffed up all game as he continually battled to beat the Trooper defence down the right wing.

The game had many nervy minutes of added time, following previous long stoppages, but it stayed at 1.1 to bring on the dreaded penalties.

Two penalty saves a piece left the score at 3.3 however after Trooper had made it 4.3 Ed Panter stepped up but missed. It was all over and the Trooper team and some of their fans ran on the pitch to goad the disconsolate Hackleton fans.

In the other semi final Home Bargains (from the Liverpool area) beat Highgate to set up a final with Trooper.

I enjoyed the game which was poorly controlled by the officials. Northampton Town organised the event well although there were no chips.

Harborough checked by the Steelmen.

An early morning start to get to Brackley for an under 8’s Cup semi-final. Travelling on the M1 early on a Saturday morning is always easy so an early arrival gave me a chance to look at the pitch next to the 3g pitch the game was to be played on. This was next doors Brackley Town’s Ground which looked very tidy and inviting and I have marked it down for a future visit.

Unfortunately the team I had gone to watch lost 3.2 to Brackley but there was more football to follow. Not Brackley’s home game to Hereford but Harborough Town at home to Corby. This match was all ticket, there having been problems with the away supporters at Harborough in a previous encounter. There was good parking here next to the Rugby ground and the local Sports Centre. A noticeable police presence and each ticket was marked off against a list as you entered. This hadn’t deterred the 812 who were there, the highest home or away league attendance to watch Harborough all season.

There is only 11 miles, a 19 minute drive, between Market Harborough and Corby, which meant its local derby billing added to the fact that Harborough are top of the League and pushing for promotion. Harborough Town’s run in to the seasons end looks difficult in that they now have 6 away games left and only 3 home.

The pitch here is artificial with other similar training and junior pitches next door. It is flat with two small seated stands on one side as well as a small covered terraced area. The other three sides are open, fully tarmacked, with the clubhouse and changing rooms set back from one end.

It felt colder than the 10 degrees which was due to the cold wind whipping down the ground from end to end. The skies were mainly grey but a few blue patches peeped through every now and then. We stood at one end and felt the cool air as segregation of the fans precluded us from walking round and finding somewhere more comfortable.

Harborough Town came about in 2007 with the merger of Harborough Town Juniors Harborough Spencers and Harborough Minis. Starting in the Northants Combination within 3 years they had progressed to the United Counties league and won the Southern Division in 2022 progressing to the Northern Premier League. This meteoritic rise has been matched with the new 3G (Class 1 Pitch) in 2018 and other supporter facilities.

Corby Town were founded in 1948 and have developed well since moving from local Leagues through the United Counties, Midland League, Southern League and now Northern Premier League (Midland Division) through promotions, relegations and F.A. reorganisations. Floodlights were added to their Rockingham Triangle ground in 1958 when they stepped up to the Southern League and their current modern stadium was opened in 2011.

Harborough Town 1 Corby Town 1

Saturday 16th March 15.00 pm kick off The Bees v The Steelmen 1st v 10th

Harborough Town Community Football Ground, Northampton Road, Market Harborough, LE16 9HF, Known locally as the Beehive.

Northern Premier league midland Division.

Harborough Town; all yellow kit. Corby Town; all royal blue kit.

The first thing we noticed was the size of the home defence, they towered over everyone and as the game progressed it was noticeable that they were mobile too. But it was Corby who pressured the Harborough goal with quick balls to the wing and fast overlaps to deliver crosses that caused concern. Corby also seemed to be playing to a plan of being aggressive in all aspects of the game and early on were lucky not to have a player sent off when it appeared to most in the ground that the Harborough fullback had been elbowed in the face after one encounter.

Harborough Town’s keeper was in fine form and looked majestic in his goal, stopping numerous shots. The Bee’s looked jaded in their attacks which were mainly high balls to the front line that were easily picked off by the steelmen. At 0.0 at half time there was all still to play for, after a first half that was shaded by Corby.

Corby duly took the lead with 18 minutes of the second half gone when Jordon O’Brien sent a penalty kick to Elliot Taylor’s right with the keeper just failing to keep it out.

This goal stung the bees into a response and with the game opening up both sides could have scored in quick succession, Harborough having a goal disallowed and Elliot Taylor making a great left handed save to deny Toby Hillard’s shot when he was clean through.

It was Harborough however who managed to score an equaliser on 84 minutes when a powerful shot from Connor Kennedy was not cleared and a Corby defender ended up in the net with the ball. Despite shaving the crossbar Harborough could not get a winner and the points were shared.

A fair result on the balance of play with Corby being the most pleased of the two teams. Harborough remain top of the league with a two point cushion from the chasing pack.

I was pleased to have visited this ground and seen the Harborough set up which has developed significantly on and off the field in the past few years.

The Chips, well, a 10 minute wait didn’t help, which was the result of the large crowd. They looked great, were hot, golden, crispy on the outside, but were limp and mushy on the inside and didn’t taste great. a poor score of 56.