Not all the football is at United or Wednesday.

I ventured to the 12th level of English football to the University of Sheffield (Norton Playing Fields) to so see their team, Sheffield Union play Athersley Recreation Development team in the Sheffield and Hallamshire County Senior League Division 1.

It was a sunny afternoon with multicoloured grey and white clouds in the sky as I drove to the match on the last day before the clocks were put back from British Summer Time. I joined a queue off the Bochum Parkway which I realised wasn’t for the match but to park for Graves Park, a popular venue for families.

The University of Sheffield, Norton Playing Fields, is some complex, but I only needed the first car park to find my match. It is built on the side of a hill, like most of Sheffield, and I could see cricket, football and rugby pitches cut into the hill, sloping down to floodlight pitches and a large new building.

The pitch was of grass which was undulating and sloped slightly from end to end. A strong breeze added to the autumn conditions highlighted by the browns, yellows and orange of nearby trees.

Sheffield Union joined the Sheffield and Hallamshire County Senior League from the Sheffield and District Fair Play League in the 2018/19 season and immediately gained promotion to Division One. Sheffield Union’s reserve team still play in the Fair Play League in Division Three

Athersley Recreation Development are the reserve team of the team that plays in the Northern Counties East League and are based just north of Barnsley. I have given information about their history in a previous blog.

Sheffield Union 2 Athersley Recreation Development 2

Saturday 26th October 14.00 pm kick off. Norton Sports Park, Warminster Road, S8 8PS. Sheffield and Hallamshire County Senior League Division 1. Both teams in the bottom 4.

Shef Union: Black and white vertical stripes on the front of shirts with white backs and black shorts.
Athersley Development : Full fluorescent orange strip.

Sheffield Students started the match strongly but Athersley soon countered. Unions number 11 had a series of shots one of which drew a great save from the Athersley goalkeeper. With half-time just minutes away, Bailey Wright burst through against the run of play and his two shots hit either post. The let off was rewarded for the home team when their number 4 picked up the ball in the centre circle, strode forward and unleashed a fierce shot straight down the middle of the goal beating the diving keeper.

The Students half time lead only lasted 4 minutes when a cross from Bailey Wright was turned into the net by a defender.

Sheffield regained their lead on 62 minutes when their number 9 cut in from left to the centre of the D and his shot was deflected over the goalkeeper for 2.1.
Athersley’s keeper denied the number 11 again with two great saves to the disappointment of the approximately 40 fans.
The Students dominance was to no avail when a long kick up field was not dealt with by their number 4, who in my opinion had been the class player all afternoon, and Bailey Wright seized on the ball, rushed forward to round the keeper to level at 2.2.

Right at the end Union’s number 11 had another chance but it just went wide of the left hand post.

A great game for this level of football and there were some players on show who could undoubtedly play at a higher one.

Thank you.

No food or drink although there may have been something at the otherblevel of the sports ground.

N.B. The Sheffield & District Fair Play League (SDFPL) was set up in 1998.

Played in Germany

Played in Germany – A Football Journey Through a Nation’s Soul

Written by Kit Holden Published by Duckworth 2024

This is an amazingly well researched book about football in Germany ahead of the 2024 UEFA European Championship as it takes you on a journey to the centres of football that will be hosting the9 many games.

What is marvellous is that the book is not just about football but about what makes up and has fashioned the German state that presents itself to the world today.

You are swept along in a learning fest about geography, history, economics, politics, industrial development but most importantly people and their culture.

Surprising to me was the revelation about local dialects, which can lead to peoples of some areas not being able to understand others and the fierce regional rivalry that exists. This regional patriotism feeds through to the football community culture that sticks closely to areas which are clinging on to these roots, propelled by a defence of their fan ownership model, under threat from capitalist forces.

The book describes the passion of the fans through interviews with those who live and breath their club’s traditions and customs in an ever-changing environment.

The growth and decline of different clubs is true in Germany as everywhere and this is well put near the end of the book, “But you cannot preserve everything in aspic, and even the most romantic traditionalists must at some point move with the times”.

Bring on the Euro’s.

If you are interested in reading this book then it can be pre-ordered from Stanchion Books (a cracking little football bookseller), where you can get 24% off with the code PROST24:

Played in Germany: A Footballing Journey Through a Nation's Soul – **PREORDER, SIGNED COPIES AVAILABLE**

It’s never over till It’s over.

Again the weather changed the game I watched because the FA Vase game between Hallam and Lincoln United was postponed as were others.

I stayed local and drove to Worksop whose synthetic pitch ensured a game.

Worksop Town 5th in the Northern Premier League, Premier Division were playing Radcliffe FC from North of Manchester, between Bolton and Bury, who were runaway leaders of the Division. They were 11 points clear of the second club with two games in hand looking ‘nailed on’ to be playing National League North football next season.

Since Pete Whitehead took over the reigns of Worksop everything is immaculate and a joy to visit. Talking to a Matlock supporter whose team were playing away, he was very impressed on his first visit.

A hint of blue sky was visible but the prevailing grey cloud still gave that depressing February feel. There was no wind and the temperature was a mild 10 degrees

The local streets were full of supporters cars which showed in the home sides highest league attendances of the season at 1057

Radcliffe had brought a good, noisy contingent with them.

Worksop Town FC claim to be the fourth oldest team in the world but that claim is disputed. They have had a very up and down existence but I feel their resurgence in 2020 when they were just days away from oblivion is the current starting point. They survived and have since gained promotion to the Premier League of the NPL and are pushing for a play off spot.

Radcliffe Borough FC were formed 75 years ago in 1949 playing in the South East Lancashire League, the club dropped the Borough name in 2018. By 1974 they had progressed to the Cheshire League that morphed into the North West Counties League in 1982. Within 3 years, promotions saw them in the Northern Premier League. Their success continued in 1997 winning promotion to the Premier League which unfortunately only lasted one season. By 2019 and after a few ups and downs they were back in the Premier Division where they sit today.

Worksop Town FC 1 Radcliffe FC 1

Saturday 10th February 2024 15.00 pm Kick Off

Windsor Food Service Stadium, Babbage Way, Sandy Ln, Worksop S80 1UJ

Northern Premier League, Premier Division. 5th v 1st. Tigers v Boro

Worksop; Yellow shirts with diagonal black stripes and black shorts: Radcliffe; Red shirts and shorts.

Radcliffe started the game as if they only had a few minutes to spare to impose themselves on Worksop and return home with the points. Within 3 minutes they had scored when Jude Obiyo burst down the left wing leaving a trail of Worksop defenders behind him, cut in and played the ball along the ground for Josh Hancock to run in and tap the ball into the net.

With no time to catch your breath they nearly scored a minute later but the Worksop keeper tipped the shot over the bar. Ten minutes later Radcliffe hit the post with a strong drive but from there they seemed to fade as Worksop’s smaller, compact, midfield and forwards’ pace, put the away side under constant pressure. Worksop were rewarded with an equaliser on 33 minutes when a free kick 30 yards out , on the left of the goal, was glanced on for Josh Rollins to squeeze home. Worksop by now had the initiative and it was their turn to be denied by the upright just 3 minutes before half time.

Worksop retained the upper hand in the second half as they continued to harry their opponents all over the field. Unfortunately they didn’t score, even when they brought on some bigger substitutes up front for the last 10 minutes. At the end Worksop were pleased with their efforts but Radcliffe must have sighed in the relief of holding on.

A great exciting game that was a marvellous advert for Non-League football. Radcliffe having run away with the league so far have in their last 3 games, lost one, won one, drawn one. That must give the chasing pack some hope, it’s never over till it’s over.

I was not looking forward to a portion of chips. On my previous visits the chips have always been almost inedible due to a stale fat taste. The chips this time were a revelation, they were, hot, golden not too crispy, not greasy, tasty, and a good quantity. A score of 70 put them equal top of this seasons ‘Chip League’. Windsor Food Service have not only improved the team, the ground but now the chips.

A really good programme too.