Monday 19th December 2022: Staveley Miners Welfare Ground, Staveley Derbyshire. Kick off 19.30 pm

As the freeze of the past ten days ended I noticed a game not far up the road at Staveley. Chesterfield FC had hired the all weather pitch to play their previously twice postponed ‘Derbyshire FA Senior Challenge Cup’ match. It was to have been played at Clay Cross’s ground but was postponed on 6th December due to a waterlogged ground and the 13th due to a frozen pitch.

Staveley had not missed out like other teams because of hard pitches and the drainage was more than adequate to cope with the change in temperature, a balmy 13 degrees and the slight drizzle that soon wet you through if you stood out in it.

Chesterfield’s team was styled as a Chesterfield FC XI as they were playing many youngsters as a group of their fans just behind me in the stand told me. They said that the only first team squad player was the goalkeeper Luke Chadwick.

This I’m sure was a disappointment to the Belper United players who would have loved to have pitted their skills against a team four promotions away from them. However it was understandable that Chesterfield were in this position as their FA Trophy game was postponed from Saturday and was to be replayed the next night. Chesterfield have also won through three rounds of the FA Cup, twice against League opposition, and now face a mouth watering home game against Championship team West Bromwich Albion in early January. They are also sitting third in the National League with games in hand with Notts County and Wrexham above them, this league is in my mind the hardest, most competitive to get out of in the pyramid structure.

The facilities as always are first class at this venue and the Chesterfield fans were expressing their admiration and comparing it to some of the grounds in their league. I had a coffee and some chips before the game but they did not come up to their usual standard and I will not comment further than say they were cold and I resorted to some tomato sauce to help them down.

Chesterfield FC XI 0 Belper United 3

3rd in National League v 14th in Unuted Counties Premier Division North

Chesterfield in an unusual all light green kit: Belper United all blue ki with a white flash across shoulder and down the arms.

You sometimes know the result of a game early on and this was no exception. Belper immediately showed that they wanted the win and pressed forward down the wings with some intensity and direction. Chesterfield however played the ball out of defense slowly from side to side and were overwhelmed by hungry opponents. How Belper didn’t take the lead on 12 minutes was a mystery. A corner for them was awarded after Chadwick had managed to tip a shot over the bar and when it came into the box it was met with some ferocity hitting the bar and bouncing down to a group of player of which a Chesterfield player managed to scramble it away.

Chesterfield did come more into it at the mid point of the half but they lacked any cutting edge and didn’t bother the away teams defense. The left full back for Belper was now playing more as a constant overlapping winger and one of his crosses was headed just over on 35 minutes. But two minutes later the inevitable happened as he again flashed in a cross which this time was met by Josh Gregory who right footed put the ball beyond the diving keeper into the left hand corner of the goal. So a deserved half time lead for Belper who came off the pitch to torrential rain.

Chesterfield were a little more direct after the restart but within 10 minutes another attack on the left made it to the goal line and the cross was rolled along the ground past the despairing goalkeeper for Richard Hanslow to tap home for Belpers’ second.

Belper played out the rest of the game with ease and made it three nil when yet another cross from the left was loop headed over Luke Chadwick’s dive by Jack Tyson.

The one bright spot for Chesterfield was the performance of the number 3, Archie White, according to the team sheet, who didn’t give up all night and provided many of their better plays.

Great to be back after the freeze and I would expect that Belper will have a harder game away against Gresley in the next round even if that club is a Division lower than them.

Saturday 3rd December, Swinton Community Sports Ground, Barton Road Swinton, Dearne Valley, South Yorkshire

I finally made it back to Swinton after my abortive visit in September. We were then experiencing beautiful Autumn sunshine but this dull grey day seemed an age away. The ground is situated on the edge of a housing estate on the side of a hill and the 6 degrees seemed colder as the wind blew up the valley from the school down below.40 brave people had turned up despite Christmas events and shopping and the draw of the world cup on the television.

The pitch slopes slightly from end to end and is mainly flat with the surface showing some mud after the constant rain and previous games.Next to the pitch are training pitches that can be used by the seniors as well as a good junior set up for this community involved club.

The senor team this year have returned from exile after playing at the Mexborough ground and a new stand is being constructed to meet the grading standards of the league.

Swinton was one of the many coal mining towns in the area which I have been visiting recently, the area goes back at least as far as Roman times and was famous for its pottery industry in the 1800’s when Rockingham Pottery was world famous. The factory ceased production in 1842 but gave the world the style, Rococo after the factory name. Now light industry, warehousing and call centres have become staple industries of the whole area.

There is little about Swinton Athletic F.C.’s history with football having been played in the town in the 19th century. They joined the Sheffield and Hallamshire County Senior League about 1990 where they have played since, often in either division . They have been active locally and have won the local Montagu Cup on 8 occasions starting in 1964.

Their opponents Hepworth United come from a village near Holmfirth and joined the Sheffield and Hallamshire County Senior League in 2016 having previously played in the Huddersfield League. The club has been going for over 100 years in this farming village with locals also formerly employed in nearby textile mills.

I sat down on the girders that are part of the ground improvements as the teams came out and today at this level 10 league wins away from the Premiership there was only a referee to take charge of the game with no line officials.

Swinton Athletic 2 Hepworth United 0

Sheffield and Hallamshire County Senior League – Premier Division.

Swinton all blue kit that had some subtle vertical darker stripes on the front. Hepworth black shorts with vertical black and white striped shirts.

The chat amongst the fans was that both sides are without a few regulars with work and family Christmas commitments taking precedence.

Hepworth were first to put pressure on their opponents particularly down the left side but poor finishing let them down. Often if you don’t take your chances you will be punished and on 19 minutes the ball bobbled through to Swinton’s number 9 who placed it onto the right hand corner of the net between the keeper and the post.

Just 2 minutes later and a high ball in from the right was miss headed by a Hepworth defender and it fell again to number 9 who made no mistake with the gift to make it 2.0.
For the remainder of the half Swinton were the better side but couldn’t add to their tally by half time.

With a cold bum from sitting on the girder for the first 45 minutes I decided to have a walk round and watch the second half standing up. It was then the chill wind blowing up the hill hit me and I decided that winter was finally with us, late this year.

Hepworth were again fastest off the blocks and were awarded a penalty on 63 minutes for a blatant hand ball. However after what seemed an age the keeper dived the right way to save a weekly hit attempt. Hepworth shyness near goal continued, even the woodwork wasn’t helping when they hit the crossbar in the dying minutes.

Swinton deserved their win because they had taken their chances, surely Hepworth won’t miss so many this season.

There were no chips or catering facilities at the Swinton ground but next door is Park View Bar where you can get a drink and I believe some food before or after the match. For me this time it was a coffee and a packet of crisps. Swinton also entertain their team and the visitors there afterwards. Swinton have a long way to go but they are making some steps along the road at this community ground.

Walking through Prescot Town Centre you come to the hill that is Hope Street. Walking down it you see Prescot Cables Football Club. You wonder how many fans of all teams have walked down this street full of hope for a victory.

Football has been played in Prescot since 1884 under the name of Prescot and Prescot Town before they adopted the Cables name. The ‘Cables’ came from the largest employer, British Insulated Cables that had been set up in 1890 and which traded locally for 100 years under various names until its closure in 1991 with the loss of 230 jobs.

The club had a successful run in the Lancashire Combination from the late 1920’s until a slump in form saw them drop into the Mid Cheshire League in 1975 where after continued high finishes they became founder members of the Cheshire County League. More success was to follow when in 1982 they were again founder members of a League, this time the North West Counties League where they progressed to the highest division. When they finished runners up in 2002 they were promoted to The Northern Premier League Division One and attained a spot in the Premier Division in 2004 with one of the many Non-League re-organisations.

2005 was a pivotal year in that a group from the Supporters Club took control but the club fell into administration in 2008 caught up in the financial crash. Relegation followed a year later to Division one where they have stayed and this year are having one of their most successful recent seasons. They have now become a Community Club that is run by volunteers who have a long lease from the local authority who now own the freehold of the John Russell Stadium.

Macclesfield Football club by contrast have only been in existence since Macclesfield Town FC went into liquidation in 2020. The club were bought by Robert Smethhurst with the intention of quickly getting back into the National League and from there the EFL. Macclesfield Town FC had risen as high as the 3rd tier of English football over their nearly 150 year life and throughout their history were known as a strong Non-League club. Robert Smethurst has invested heavily in the club and has brought high profile Robbie Savage on board as Director of Football. His status in football and his celebrity profile has enabled the club to get outstanding media coverage.

Up the hill just off the Town Centre is the Shakespeare North Playhouse a beautiful new theatre built of wood by traditional methods, in the round, a cockpit theatre fashioned in the style of ‘The Globe’ in London. The theatre was opened this year and you would be right to ask why Prescot. Well the area of Prescot was very influential and prosperous in the first Elizabethan era and had a theatre there in those days rivalling London. The play that was being presented at a rival matinee performance to the football was ‘A Christmas Carol’. Scrooge v Tiny Tim came to mind in the football with the team with money v the Community Club.

It was a dull grey day with some slight drizzle in the air and although the Met Office App was saying it was 11 degrees I think they must have been measuring it indoors. The pitch looked flat but the grass was beginning to wear after the rain of the last month. What hits you first is the high, large, seated stand that runs down most of one side under which are the changing rooms, snack bar and club house. The other three sides were terraced with a small covered standing area over half of one end.

The snack bar beckoned but there were no chips, however unexpectedly there were Hot Pot pies! This turned out to be a mushy meat and potato pie that with peas and gravy was delicious. The club house was well furnished, warm and friendly which belied the recent club statement against anti social behavior that had been issued for a second time this season and had meant that two policemen were standing within the crowd which was a great 948. As I moved to the exit I saw one of the policemen yawning which didn’t reflect the game but their lack of work. The crowd of nearly a thousand was good considering Christmas Shopping, the miserable weather and the World Cup matches of Poland v Saudi Arabia and France v Denmark on the television.

What struck me was that I was in Prescot where Lancashire or Liverpudlian accents prevail but the announcer had a very strong American accent!

Prescot Cables 1 Macclesfield 2

Saturday 26th November 2022: 15.00pm kick off.

Northern Premier League Division One West.

9th v 1st Cables (Also known as the Pesky Bulls) v The Silkmen

Prescot: Yellow shirts with black sleeves Macclesfield: Pale Mint Green shirts with white shorts

Macclesfield started the game the strongest both physically and skillfully and had two attacks cleared off the line. Despite this Prescot hung in there and were still very much in the game but on 30 minutes a second yellow card for James Hamill looked likely to open the floodgate for the away team but some profligate finishing and great saves from Mitchell Allen in the Prescott goal kept it all square at half time.

Just after another Macclesfield attack Prescot were awarded a free kick out on the right touchline, some 35 yards plus out. James Edgar hit the ball into the centre and it sailed over everyone into the top left hand corner of the goal for a home team lead, could this be real! The euphoria of the home crowd only lasted a minute as James Berry through on goal chipped Allen but the ball hit the cross bar and dropped down for Berry to run through and tap it in for the equaliser. The game was now getting more competitive and you couldn’t tell that it was Prescot who had the ten men. It could have been ten each when a bad foul in midfield ended in a scrum of players with the Prescot centre back being booked for some jostling with the perpetrator of the foul slinking off early and avoiding a second yellow. Macclesfield substituted the player immediately afterwards.

With 15 minutes left the referee awarded a freekick for a foul inches from awarding a penalty with the crowd baying for a different response. The freekick came to nothing and eight minutes later Macclesfield dowsed all of the Christmas cheer when a ball was hooked into the goal mouth from the right in what looked like an off side position for Dan Cowan to tap in for the lead 1-2.

Prescot just didn’t give up and had a penalty shout for hand ball and a deflected shot just go wide in the last minutes. I usually don’t get partisan in the matches I watch but I was so upset for Prescot who gave their all and ran their socks off with super human effort. Certainly Macclesfield were Scrooge in this performance and Prescot were Tiny Tim. Tiny Tim in the story recovers and with this spirit Prescot will come back stronger.

P.S. After the match the Shakespeare Theatre North was amazing and the production of A Christmas Carol was more like a pantomime. The four actors kept everyone entertained and if this is what they are going to offer to the public I’m sure it will be full as it was on Saturday night.

A trip south on the busy M1 full of commuters hurrying home lead me to Loughborough University, one of the top ten university’s in the UK, to see Loughborough Students play.

I was here last year to see one of their FA Vase matches when they went all the way to the semi-final, this year they were eliminated at their first hurdle.

I had come to meet up with my daughter, to see how they are maintaining an unbeaten league season and enjoy the great facilities they have.

Luckily it was a dry evening considering the recent rain and at 8 degrees was a good night to watch football. The beautifully flat grass surface was beginning to wear on the touch lines and there were marks on the pitch where the teams had warmed up.

Heanor have a long history being formed in 1883 but other teams pre-date this in the town. They missed being elected to the Football League by 3 positions when playing in the Midland League and did well in past FA Cup matches only losing to teams like Aston Villa, Southampton, Bury and Nottingham Forrest. Most of their football has been played in local and midland leagues but spending just over the last decade in the United Counties.

Loughborough students trace their history back to 1919 under the name of Loughborough Technical Institute later to become a Technical College and then a University. They have won many University competitions but it was in 2007 that they moved into the Non-league sphere of today. The University Stadium was opened in 2012 and they were moved into the United Counties League in 2019 with the major league re organisation. For this season they have appointed Rebecca Sawiuk as Director of Football who is maintaining the growth of the men’s and women’s teams.

Loughborough Students FC 5 Heanor Town 1

Tuesday 22nd Novbember 2022 19.45 pm kick off

United Counties League Premier Division North 1st v 4th Students v Lions

Loughborough Students: Shirts with pink shoulders graduating into purple body and shorts.

Heanor: Ready orange shirts and shorts.

Loughborough immediately set the pace of the game but it was a mistake in the Heanor defense that gifted them a goal on 8 minutes giving Anthony Lynn time to draw the goalkeeper and place the ball past him for the lead. The students pace and passing kept up the pressure and they scored their second goal after 22 minutes when two or three rebounds from shots meant the ball fell to Ethan O’Toole who blasted it home from close range.

Ethan had his second 6 minutes later when he found himself wide on the right in the penalty area but was able to hit the ball across the goalkeeper into the left hand corner of the net. The Students maintained their slick play and although Heanor did have some chances they failed to take them.

Immediately at the restart with Loughborough in a commanding three nil lead Heanor pressed forward and secured a corner. The ball was swung in from the right just under the cross bar and although it seemed the keeper had it in his hand the ball was bundled over the line by the Jack Dando of Heanor. Despite protests from the home side the goal stood.

Heanor pressed more in the second half and used the high ball to challenge the keeper from corners and free kick. At the other end chances were kept out by some heroic goalkeeping but he was unable to keep out a missile of a free kick from just outside the penalty area by Matty Bowman for a 4-1 lead at 58 minutes. Both sides now had more chances but it was Matty Bowman again who showed class with a through ball to Dylan Edwards who calmly rounded the keeper to give the students a convincing 5-1 win.

There were numerous chances for both sides in the game and on chances it could have been 12 – 7, many of the home team players shone out on the night in a very competent team performance but my player of the match was the Heanor goalkeeper.

As I knew there would be no no chips so I had a vegan sausage roll and a coffee, pictures tell all.

A short journey on the A57 to Worksop for an evening game this week. The continual rain of the day has stopped and cleared skies meant the temperature had fallen to 6 degrees with the odd fog swirls to pass through, more typical weather for November. There was no chance that the rain could have caused postponement due to the state of the art all-weather pitch.

I last visited here on 22nd of February 2020 when the fear of the club folding was in the air. The club needed £60 000 to survive of which £30 000 had been promised from Peter Whitehead, owner of the ground, if the other £30 000 could be raised. £24 000 had been raised and the full £30 000 was achieved by the end of that month. This meant that Peter Whitehead would takeover the club. Getting on for two years on and what a change, a new entrance to the ground which incorporates new changing rooms, a covered terraced area behind that goal and a small covered seating area to one side greet you along with the all-weather pitch. The seated stand down one side of the ground seemed to be cleaner with the older terraced shed end still in place along with the open terraced side. What a great impression and the on field performances have gone forward too. A win would have put Worksop only three points behind the League leaders Stockton Town with a further two games in hand. The good news continued in that the crowd of 582 was Worksops highest home league attendance of the season, a fact that was evident in that parking was more difficult than before.

The signage outside the ground, for the 1861 coffee lounge and on the program is also new putting forward their claim to be the fourth oldest football club in England. This is a fact that is disputed by Martin Westbury in his excellent book ‘A History of Sheffield Football 1857-1889’. He states on page 155- ‘I will cause further controversy by suggesting Worksop Town FC has an 1873 foundation date’.

I wrote on that previous visit about Worksops history and about their opponents Stocksbridge Park Steels when I visited them so I will not repeat myself.

Worksop Town 4 Stocksbridge Park Steels 1

Northern Premier League – East Tuesday 15th November 2022

The Tigers v The Steels

Worksop, yellow shirts and black shorts: Stocksbridge, red shirts with white short sleeves and red shorts.

With Worksop having been in free flow scoring in their most recent games I was surprised that after only 2 minutes it was ex Worksop player Tomas Poole who put Stocksbridge ahead. A misplaced pass in the Worksop goal area gave Poole the chance to curl the ball with his right foot into the top left hand corner of the net.

The Tigers did not panic and started to play the ball out to the wings and put pressure on Stocksbridge. Within 5 minutes Jay Rollins playing on the right with number 11 on his back put over a pin point cross for Liam Hughes to rise above the defense and head home for 1-1.The pressure on Stocksbridge did not relent and Worksop were ahead on 11 minutes through Jack Broadhead, He headed in another neat chip but collided with the goal post and the keeper which took sometime for both to recover. It was Jay Rollins again causing trouble that put in a cross that seemed to go behind the goal line in the mass of players but it only came out to be hit back along the ground for Jack Broadhead to turn and make sure, 3-1 to Worksop.

Worksop increased their lead four minutes before half time when goalkeeper Sebastian Malkowski’s long kick was headed down to Liam Hardy who hit the ball with his left foot first time past keeper Hampshaw’s diving hand.

Worksops easy half time lead was met by another rain shower which fortunately was short lived.

The Stocksbridge half time team talk must have been good because in the second half they immediately looked to hjave more shape, not leaving gaps for opposing players to run into or onto and their wing backs played further out to the sides of the pitch which although not totally did reduce Jay Rollins, my man of the match, from getting to the byline and delivering pin point crosses. Stocksbridge even hit the bar on 70 minutes but Worksop also made changes presumably to rest players for Saturday that seemed to disrupt their flow.

Worksop were worthy winners and it will be intriguing to see if they can catch Stockton and stay up there for a promotion that will match the off field organisation. There are many downs in football but for Worksop it seems a very positive up.

For all the good news the chips were disappointing in that they were warm, soggy on the inside and left a greasy taste that lingered. Sorry to say a score of only 58, I suppose you can’t win everything.

On Saturday I visited Sandygate Road S10 Sheffield (The World’s Oldest Ground) to see Hallam FC play Bury AFC in the second round proper of the FA Vase. I missed their clash in the FA cup due to other commitments but fate had it that they had been drawn together in the ‘Vase’ a cup that either side could well go all the way to Wembley. Both these teams play at the same level in the pyramid system with Hallam and Bury both being promoted last season to the Premier divisions of the North East Counties and North West Counties respectively. Their encounter in the FA Cup ended 0.0 at Hallam with Bury winning the replay at home 1.0 so a competitive game was expected.

Hallam have continued to attract good crowds this season despite being in the lower half of the higher Division and like Bury are one of the best supported teams at this level. The Sandygate Road ground in the leafy suburb of the Crosspool area of Sheffield was once on the edge of this green city and you can understand their Countrymen nickname. The ground was opened in 1804 as a cricket ground and like many other clubs started to play football in the off season to keep fit and in 1860 Hallam FC was born. This has been officially confirmed by FIFA as the oldest football ground in the world still in use for football and the first interclub football match was played here against their rivals Sheffield FC on Boxing day 1860.

Sheffield FC although being the oldest have had a nomadic journey and still play just over the border in Derbyshire but their proposed new home at The Sheffield Transport Ground at Meadowhead, Sheffield, looks like it is going forward after a partnership arrangement with The Joe Root Academy. Again it will be cricket and football together, back to Sheffield FC’s roots. (The Sheffield Star 22nd October 2022)

How long can this weather last, clear blue skies and no wind meant perfect conditions for the players to perform on this highly sloped pitch, from end to end, that looked like it had absorbed the recent heavy rain leaving a heavy ground that had cut up in places during the warm up. The ground is homely with the shed end, a covered standing area behind most of one goal, an open end for standing and a side that hosts a good seated stand along with clubhouse and changing facilities. The club house is active locally for use at evenings and weekends. The open cricket square side harps back to the clubs founding and the cricket club remains a local asset as well with many teams of all ages and abilities. There is investment here with some very substantial posts having appeared since my last visit that look like they will be hung with nets to stop those boundaries going into the road or gardens. The cricket ground also has a historical claim to be the oldest club ground in Yorkshire and they now have a second ground further out of he city towards the Peak District on Crimicar Lane, Fullwood.

Hallam’s history which I have documented before has spanned 162 years whereas Bury AFC were only formed in 2019 out of the sad collapse of Bury FC and the loss of their Gigg Lane ground. Different groups looked to save the club which was not achievable and two emerged, one that created Bury AFC and set them on a footballing journey to climb up the footballing ladder and another that wanted to save the Gigg Lane ground for football to be played by a Bury team. Both have succeeded but now have to come together to put all the pieces in place. We hope that this can happen in the near future.

Hallam FC 1 Bury AFC 1

Saturday 12th November 2022 Kick off 15.00pm Sandygate Road, Crosspool, Sheffield.

The Countrymen v The Shakers

Hallam : Blue and black vertical striped shirts with blue shorts. Bury : White shirts with a blue flash across the shoulders with black shorts.

Bury kicked down hill in the first half towards a waning sun that hovered over the cross bar of the goal. Perhaps it was the sun in Bury’s eyes but more likely Julian Lawrence between the sticks that kept them at bay as they created the most and best chances of the first 15 minutes. Hallam came more into the game but it was Bury who should have scored on 36 minutes and the 0.0 draw at half time was down to goalkeeper hero Lawrence.

The second half had no let up in chances as both sides came close. The stalemate was broken though on 60 minutes when the Bury team stopped for a foul on one of their players that they thought the referee had indicated with his arm movement but the linesman had flagged for a throw to Hallam which they took quickly for Brett Agnew to run on unopposed and slide the ball into the net past the goal keeper. The Bury team to a man surrounded the referee and what seemed like an age the referee finally dismissed them and the game could be restarted.

Bury now threw everything into attack and Hallam were resolute in defense until on 70 minutes a ball was swung in from the right at chest height that was met by Connor Comber whose downward header squeezed into the net between the post and the diving Julian Lawrence.

The final minutes were tense for the large 660 crowd but despite chances neither team were able to find the winning goal. Everyone’s heightened emotions were deflated as they realised that at this stage of the Vase competition there is no replay only penalties to decide the game.

The referee organised penalties at the Shed End and it was Bury who came out the winners 4.1 with Jack Atkinson saving two of the spot kicks. What a disappointment for Julian Lawrence who as Hallam’s goalkeeper was my man of the match by a mile although it was Jack Atkinsons penalty saves that made the most impact on the result.

This had been an exhausting ‘Mad Max; game played by two very frantic competitive teams who looked like they both had so much to lose that it reduced the skill level to make me feel I had seen an old fashioned pinball machine in action which had ended on tilt with the penalties. The players must have been exhausted, I was, but I left the ground to walk to the car knowing I had seen the best game of the season so far.

The only disappointment were the chips which at £2 were a small portion of thin, crispy, hot but with little taste with a greasy after feel. A score of only 60.

Horbury are based in a town South West of Wakefield and vie for local bragging rights with Wakefield AFC who play at Featherstone North of Wakefield. Horbury joined the Northern Counties East League with Wakefield this year. Whereas Wakefield play in a super stadium Horbury are just developing theirs.

As soon as I came off the M1 the drizzle turned to constant heavy rain but I had read that the game would be definitely on with no pitch inspection needed. I found the ground after not believing Google maps directions to turn right down what seemed a dark drive to a house and driving round again. I recently heard Ben Elton say “I was smarter then my smart phone twenty years ago”, how did I manage to find a football ground back then, but I did!

There was ample parking near the ground and in the overflow car park where I parked and walked down to the ground past an all weather pitch being used for a hokey match and could see that there were other pitches in the distance. Luckily the rain had stopped and you could see that this was a work in progress. A large enclosed field had fencing around the pitch with floodlights added this year to play at this higher level. On going work is in progress to provide paving around the pitch, a small building housed ‘The Reds Café’, no chips here, and a small seated stand was big enough to just meet ground grading for this League. An amazing crowd of 161 had turned up to see the game that was played on a slightly sloping side to side pitch that could have been flatter.

You must congratulate the Officials here considering that they were only formed in 2005 and climbed three Divisions of the West Yorkshire Association League before winning the Premier Division last year and promotion to the Northern Counties East League Division 1. Their achievements are immense

Harrogate Railway Athletic was started and funded in 1935 by the workers at the local Starbeck LNER Depot which survived until closure in 1959. They continued to rise to the Yorkshire League in the 1960’s but fell back to local Leagues by 1973 but by 1982 had bounced back to become inaugural members of the NE Counties League and progressed to be promoted to the northern Premier League Division 1. Their ten year run at this higher level came to an end and retuned to the NECL and were relegated 2 years later to find themselves in Division 1. They have twice reached the second round of the F.A. Cup in 2002/03 and 2007/08 seasons a feat not achieved by many Non-League clubs.

Horbury Town 2 Harrogate Railway Athletic 2

Wednesday 3rd November 2022 19.45 pm kick off.

Northern Counties East League Division 1

Venue: The Slazenger Sports Complex

The Reds v The Railway

Horbury Red Shirts, black shorts : Harrogate Railway White Shirts Red Shorts

Harrogate played down the slight slope with the wind at their backs in the first half and should have made their attacking superiority count when on 15 minutes a save by the home keeper and two clearances off the line. How the ball didn’t go in was a mystery.

As the half came to an end a high ball swung in from the right was parried by the Hornby goal keeper Elliot Lightowler and Oliver Norman nipped in to tap home. The lead though was short lived with Horbury immediately pressing from the restart and they were awarded a free kick on the right. The free kick was curled into the far post and Craig Laight rose to head home to draw level. The referee blew for half time before the teams could restart.

As if on cue the rain started and the wind strengthened and people scurried to hide under the small covered area or in the café. Some unbelievably just toughed it out. The gusty wind rattled the top of the stand and we all looked at each other wondering whether we had made the right decision to huddle there.

The rain and wind just kept coming as the game restarted and the teams battled on against the elements as much as against each other. Huddled together in the only covered area it was hard to keep up with play but eventually 70 minutes into the game the storm stopped as suddenly as it had started.

Back watching it on the railings Horbury were pressing and on 75 minutes the Harrogate keeper took out the advancing Abu Bojang but the referee played on as the ball squirmed out from under their bodies to be taken up by Benjamin Agu who ran on towards goal and just squeezed it into the net between the post and a defender.

Surely Horbury would hold out for the last 15 minutes but this was not to be as with a few minutes left a corner for Harrogate on the right was nodded in at the far post for a 2.2 draw.

Breathless stuff considering the conditions and a score that was fair to each side. It will be great to return in a few years time to see how they have progressed with the ground and who knows Horbury may have moved up anoter level.

After last week watching Linby Colliery a few miles from the ancestral home of Lord Byron this week I was only a few miles from Shakespear’s home at Stratford Town FC’s ground. I saw Stratford Town a few weeks ago at Ilkeston but I went to see F C Stratford play Shortwood United FC in the Hellenic League.

FC Stratford play their games at Stratford Town’s, Arden Garages Stadium, Knights Lane, Tiddington and have only been in existence for a short time since 2007. It was first started as Stratford Town ‘A’ changing names to FC Stratford four years later. They have quickly risen through the leagues to play in the Hellenic League Division 1 and now take part in the FA Vase. They play under the umbrella of Stratford Town FC.

Their opponents Shortwood FC from Nailsworth, just south of Stroud, by comparison have been around for over 100 years. Their ground is a very short distance from Forest Green Rovers who are in the same village and I’m sure that they hope their neighbours might one day move to their proposed new ground some miles away. It wasn’t until the 1970’s that they climbed out of the local leagues and by 1982 they had reached the Hellenic. They had an up and down era in that league until they won promotion to the Southern League and reached the quarter finals of the F.A. Vase. Two years later they played Port Vale in the first round proper of the F.A Cup losing 4-0 but this success could not be sustained and in 2018 resigned from the Southern League due to the financial demands on the club and the improvement of facilities. they have rejoined the Hellenic League where they play today.

It was a sunny day for the last few days of October with bright blue skies overlaid with a cobweb like white cloud and had dried out after some torrential overnight rain. There was an eeriness to the ground with only 30 supporters in this very clean, tidy and well appointed ground. None of the food bars were open or the bar as far as I could see. The pitch was flat and immaculate and was surrounded on one side by a covered seating stand with open seating down the other side. One end had covered standing and the other was open to the elements. There are other pitches around the ground including an all weather one all of which can be used for training and junior teams.

FC Stratford 3 v Shortwood United FC 2

Saturday 29th October 2022 Kick off 15.00 pm Hellenic Football League Division 1

Arden Garages Stadium, Knights Lane, Tiddington, Near Stratford on Avon.

The Bards v The Woods

Stratford – Dark blue shirts with orange trimming around the color and sleeves and black shorts.

Shortwood – Red shirts with three thick vertical white stripes down the front and black shorts.

In the early exchanges some players kept slipping up following the heavy overnight rain but it was the away team that found their footings first. A mistake of a missed kick by the home goalkeeper found the ball at the feet of Nathy Payne who from 25 yards out on the left hand side of the goal riffled a shot across the goalkeeper to nestle in the corner of the net for a one nil lead. So one goal up after 17 minutes was soon two when four minute later a corner on the right was sent to the far post where it was met it with a bullet header which was sliced into his own goal by a defender. Shortwood continued to have the best of the first half with more trickery and better finishing. Stratford had played some good positional football but final passes and finishing let them down. Shortwood’s first half lead was well deserved.

The half time team talk in the home sides dressing room must have been good because they were a different side that came out. They were much more positive in their approach and started to dominate play hitting the crossbar on 62 minutes but ten minutes later Stratford finally scored when a cleared ball fell to Daniel Chaundy who lashed it along the ground past the goalkeeper. Despite Stratford’s dominance it wasn’t until the final moment when Shortwood’s goalkeeper parried the ball into the path of the on coming Benjamin Cook who made it 2.2.

The referee now seemed to find some unexpected over time and 6 minutes into that a home player made it to the by line and knocked it back for Felix William Miles to tap the ball home for an amazing win. The referee played a further minute and Stratford had certainly won the game right at the end with a barb at the tail end.

At half time a food kiosk was open and I was able to buy a tray of chips which were a nice golden colour, crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside with no oily after taste. Unfortunately they were only luke warm gaining a score of 62.

There was a new look program that was given away as part of he entrance price. A very brightly coloured offering with plenty of photos, news and history.

Considering the ground, facilities easy parking, food, covered watching areas and the level of football FC Stratford deserve a crowd of more than 30. Hopefully the efforts the officials are putting in will eventually get a better following.

Keeping up a run of recent visits to ex mining areas I travelled to the former North Notts Coal Field to see Linby Colliery Welfare play Heanor Town Reserves in the Central Midlands Buckingham Insurance League Cup. To some not a very prestigious piece of silverware but to Linby, the current holders, it means a lot.

Turn off the M1 at junction 28 and head for Hucknall and just before you reach it a turning to Linby will bring you to the pretty village of that name and down Church Lane you will find Linby’s home.

It is less than 4 miles from Newstead Abbey the home of Lord Byron one of our greatest poets but also a revolutionary of his time sticking up for the Luddites and taking part in the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman empire for which he is revered in that country. Skip to today and a group of men are discussing the return of Boris Johnson and how he will sort things out. The only thing that I would think they would have in common are their many alleged dalliances.

It was a beautiful day at Linby as some grey cotton wool clouds crept across from the motorway along with the occasional cold burst. This is a picturesque ground with good parking for players officials and the 40 plus fans who came to watch. There were railings round the playing area with concrete hard standing round half the pitch which was a lush green, quite flat with some undulating areas. There is a changing block for the players and a small club house across one corner. No chips here but a welcome coffee and a chat with a referee assessor.

The club house is friendly and the hosts have gone to the trouble of covering the walls with lots of references to the past which I would have read if time had permitted.

Linby Colliery have been going since 1892 and were reformed in 1946 having been dormant since the 1930’s. They were the biggest non-league club in Nottinghamshire until the mid 1950’s. They entertained Gillingham in the FA Cup in 1950 in front of 6585 fans and were watched by 20500 at the city ground in Nottingham when they beat Retford in the Notts Senior Cup Final. After that they spiralled down the pyramid system to a nadir in 2011 when they won only 3 games all season. Since then they have climbed back into the Central Midlands League and have consolidated the clubs foundations and recently extended the playing surface ready for future plans to install new lights and changing area at the Church Lane Ground. They moved into this ground in 1985 taking over the old cricket pitch that had been in use since 1925.

I have written about Heanor before when I visited them right at the start of the year. They too were started in the 19th century (1883) and have been at an even higher level than Linby in the past and had numerous long cup adventures. Their Senior team did not have a game so I wondered whether they may have had a strong team out.

Linby Colliery Welfare 4 Heanor Town Reserves 1

Central Midlands League Buckingham Insurance League Cup 2nd Round

Saturday 22nd October 2022 14.00 pm Church Lane Linby

Linby: Red Shirts with Black shorts Heanor: Black and white vertical stripes on front of shirts with a white back with black shorts.

The first 20 minutes was a competitive battle which the referee controlled with a couple of yellow cards and some harsh words. Linby then took charge and took the lead on 37 minutes when a freekick from the right was curled in and met by Linby’s captain, Gregg Conn whose glancing header beat the goalkeeper for the lead. They maintained their dominance to half time.

Heanor pressed harder in the first 15 minutes of the second half but the home team weathered the storm and on 37 minutes went further ahead when a long kick from the goalkeeper was headed on for number 12, Sam Atkin to run on and place the ball into the net in the middle of the goal.

Worse was to follow for Heanor as only 2 minutes later a defender failed to clear and the ball fell to Tremere Lindo who turned and made it 3 nil. The flurry of activity continued when only 4 minutes later a ball along the ground was turned into the net by a home defender who was under pressure from Heanor players. Heanor now charged forward and somehow one of their players headed wide when scoring was easier and they had a headed goal disallowed. Heanor’s new spirit was extinguished when they had a defender sent off for a reckless trip and the penalty was easily converted by Jamie Thomas.

So Linby went through to the next round and still have a grip on the cup and I would think that Moshin Arshid, the referee, would have had a good assessment.

Linby’s 28 page programme was the best I have seen at this level for a long time.

Another trip to Junction 37 of the M1 but this week I turned left and was soon in Dodworth (pronounced Dodoth I believe) High Street where a left turn brings you to the Miners Welfare where a plaque on the wall says 1925 when I would deduce these facilities were opened. Dodworth was a mining area with the pit closing in 1987 and the legacy lives on in these community facilities. Near the entrance is a large cosy club house which was full with all ages, chatting, watching the TV’s, using the bar and the food kiosks just inside the door on the left.

Unfortunately there were no chips but like nearby Penistone Church FC they serve warn pork pie with mushy peas that has to be topped off with some mint sauce, it was a good time to serve it as the game I had come to see was to kick off at 13.30 pm

No time for a coffee as the queue at the bar was growing so I left to walk down the hill to the Football pitch. Immediately you are faced with two immaculate bowling greens and behind me was a door to a boxing club. There was a lot of noise coming from behind a wall where I found an all weather pitch being used by what looked like adults v children, all ages all sexes kicking a rugby ball high in the air from end to end. A dad foolishly tried to catch a glorious up and under while talking on his mobile and he dropped the ball with an attempted one hand catch. Cries of derision and laughter and one more point to the children.

Walking on you see the main football pitch in front of you with another and a rugby pitch beyond, this is also the home to Dodworth Miners ARLFC (Rugby League). There may be other sports and activities that go on here including the base for Dodworth Colliery Brass Band. It all adds up to a strong community spirit forged by mining and kept alive by people.

The pitch was flat and well grassed which contrasted with the vivid blue sky. The temperature at 15 degrees belied the cold wind that was swirling about at the unusual kick off time of 13.30 pm. Three sides of the ground are open and one is steeply banked with some covered terracing in the centre and stanchions to stand behind.

The game I was to watch was Dodworth Miners Welfare FC v Wombwell Main FC in the Sheffield and Hallamshire County Senior League. These teams have only 6.5 miles between them and the town of Barnsley.

I have found no mention of Dodworth Miners Welfare FC prior to 1954 but I am sure that there will have been teams in the area prior to this. Up until 2003 they played in Barnsley and Yorkshire Leagues before joining the Sheffield and Hallamshire League and despite one dip they have usually played in the Senior League. By contrast Wombwell have a much longer history with a team being tracked from the first years of the 20th century that played in local Barnsley Leagues until 1973 and returned to them in 1977 after a few nomadic years. They joined the Sheffield & Hallamshire League in 1996 and remain there today. Throughout their earlier history they entered the FA Cup on 10 occaisions.

Dodworth Miners Welfare FC 2 Wombwell Main FC 2

Saturday 15th October 2022 Kick off 13.30 pm

Sheffield & Hallamshire County Senior League Premier Division.

Dodworth – Red and Black vertical striped shirts with red sleeves and black shorts.

Wombwell – Dark Blue shirts with yellow collars and Yellow shorts.

Two strong teams competed and in the first 15 minutes Wombwell edged the contest but 10 minutes later a well placed out swinging cross from the right wing was expertly met by the home sides number 9 who running in unopposed headed it straight into the centre of the net for the lead. Wombwell hit back on 32 minutes when their number 10 was put through to draw the goalkeeper and coolly slot the ball under him to make it 1-1.

It stayed all square till half time but some black clouds rolled in from the pennines and the few spots soon became a deluge. Everyone moved under cover apart from the teams.

After 7 minutes Dodworth changed three players and this had an immediate impact when Wombwells No.8 brought down the home sides No.9 in the penalty area with what looked like a high rugby tackle. The home sides No.11 made penalty taking look easy by placing the ball straight down the middle.

After 20 minutes it was Dodworth’s turn to change two players but this didn’t seem to change the game until just before the end when their No.7 curled a right foot free kick, from a long way out, round the wall and into the top left hand corner of the net for 2-2.

The second week that the end of a match has seen a spectacular goal from a free kick. Overall a draw was a fair result and the roughly 60/70 watching had seen some good entertainment.

The rain stopped 15 minutes before the end leaving a great sunny view of the nearby Autumn colour.