Barnard Castle FC, improving in plain sight.

Barnard Castle became notorious during covid due to Boris Johnson’s right hand man, Dominic Cumming’s excuse that he broke the travel regulations due to needing an eye test in the town.

However, it is much, much more than that. The Town is always alive, the Castle adjacent to it and the amazing Bowes Museum a short walk from the centre.

It also has an improving local football team. It seems difficult to find a history of football in Barnard Castle. A team was in existence in 1889 and appear to have been founder members of the Northern League. Since then, there were many short-lived teams. The team I had gone to watch, who came to my attention in 2021 playing in the Wearside League Division 2, but now, a few years later, playing in the Premier Division.

Based at Tensfield behind the Bowes Museum, and within housing, it has been transformed. There is a good grass pitch, like all suffering from this summers lack of water. The pitch slopes slightly, diagonally from corner to corner, there are modern dugouts and the pitch is surrounded by metal railings, with a good perimeter fence securing the whole ground. The new clubhouse/changing room is set back, with a small practice pitch between it and the main pitch. As well as Barnard Castle’s rise off the pitch, the on pitch developments are also quite remarkable.

Silksworth Colliery Welfare FC, like the home side have been around, on and off, in different guises for the last 100 years. The current team have been playing in the Wearside League since 2013.

Although it was a cloudy day it felt very warm with a temperature of 24 degrees. The light breeze became stronger in the second half to need me to put on a jumper.

Barnard Castle FC 4 Silksworth Colliery Welfare 0

Barnard Castle FC, Tensfield 21 Kalafat, Barnard Castle DL12 8LP.

Saturday September 2025 14.00 pm kickoff. Wearside League, Premier Division. Attendance 73

8th v 12th. Barny v The Welfare

Barnard Castle; Blue And yellow vertical striped shirts with blue backs, blue shorts. Goalkeeper in black and grey.

Silksworth Colliery Welfare; black and red vertical striped shirts with red back and red shorts. Goalkeeper, orange top black shorts.

The home side looked very strong, with their back four dominating. Although they were on top in the first 15 minutes it was their goalkeeper who kept them from going behind with a fingertips save to his left.

By 24 minutes, Barny took the lead, when a freekick from their number 11 on the left was met in the centre of the goal to be headed in.

Silksworth responded but were unable to get back on terms by the break.

The second half started with the temperature cooling by a stronger breeze.

Silksworth came much more into the match, but it was Barnard Castle who doubled their lead within 68 minutes when a chest high cross from the rightbby number 7 was met by a diving header which flashed just inside the left hand post.

11 minutes later a speculative cross was dropped by the goalkeeper to allow Dan Hull to take advantage and connect his left foot with the ball and steer it into the net.

Both teams at this point looked tired after a very competitive game in the heat and Silksworth’s woes were completed with time up another accurate cross from number 7 was met again by Dan Hull to make it 4. This was after they had hit the bar two times in the previous 5 minutes.

Barnard Castle looked like their first season in the Premier Division is going to be a happy one.

Silksworth may well have been slightly demoralised by the score but in reality they were not far off the winners all match.

I was amazed at how far Barnard Castle have come in a short time and pleased that I have been able to follow their journey so far. Good luck on their continual growth.

Drinks and a few snacks were available in a small room in the club house so a coffee and a Mars bar sufficed.

Feisty M180 Derby

The first junction off the M180 brings you to the Isle of Axholme. It’s not an island now, but before the marshland was tamed and drained local flooding made it appear as one.

The destination was Crowle, a new member of the Northern Counties East League Division One, having been promoted from the Lincolnshire League.

Past peat cutting and the draining of the bogs have resulted in roads that are above field level and are undulating and uneven.

The road to Crowle I took has straight sections, sharp bends, a manned level crossing, through which trains bound for Drax Power Station carrying imported wood pellets from the Docks at Immingham pass, and a bridge over drainage canals.

Crowle’s football ground is in the outer South Western tip of the town. On entering the tarmacked car park, you can see a modern football set up surrounded by fencing. The clubhouse and changing rooms are large and run for half of one side of the pitch. Apart from a small covered standing area in the far corner, there are no other buildings. There is no seating and only a path round two sides of the ground. The pitch is basically flat but with undulating areas and some tussock grass that has been left due to the lack of rain and the yellowing of the rest of the playing area. This is a ground in progress as they upgrade the facilities to compete at this level since their elevation.

It was 22 degrees, blue skies with some white straight lined clouds. The sun faded fast, making watching difficult to see, but produced some good coloured skies. The floodlights were on from the start but didn’t make a difference until the sun went down on the big sky.

Crowle United Junior Colts was formed in 1997 after various teams had represented the village, joining the Scunthorpe League. They changed their name to the current one the following year.

They stayed in that league until 2018 apart from 3 seasons in the Gainsborough and District League. In that year they joined the Central Midlands league where they had immediate success and after competing in the premier Division for 3 years, they moved to the Lincolnshire League in 2022. After just 3 seasons by finishing second in the premier league in 2024/25 they moved up to the Northern Counties East league, Division One, for the first time.

Brigg Town can trace a history back to 1864, one of the earlier teams in the country. Playing for a long time in Lincolnshire Leagues, they moved up to the Midland League in 1976, and in 1982, when League mergers created the Northern Counties East League where they were founder members.
Their highest league status was reached in 2004 when they were promoted to the Northern Premier League, but 11 years later, they were back in the NCEL. 2017 saw a further fall back into the Lincolnshire League, which they bounced back from the following year and have stayed there since. Briggs Cup exploits have been amazing winning the FA Vase on two occasions in 1996 and 2003.

Crowle Colts 3 Brigg Town 2

Northern Counties East League, Division One, Tuesday 26th August 2025, 19.45.pm kick off. 14th v 16th, The Colts v The Zebras. Windsor park, Godnow Road, Crowle, Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, DN17 4EE

Crowle; Red shirts with white trim and black shirts, goalkeeper in all purple.

Brigg; All royal blue, goalkeeper in all yellow.

There is only 25 miles between these two teams along the M180 so the competitiveness in this feisty duel was not surprising. The good crowd of 241, many from Brigg, were stunned that within 13 minutes Crowle were two nil ahead. Crowle were far more at home with the uneven hard pitch and the uneven fast bounce it created along with a dust flurry with most kicks. It was lee Ridley who put them ahead after just 8 minutes when he rose to head home a curled free kick from the right with the away keeper stranded off his line. Only 5 minutes later a very low corner from the right was met at the near post by a Crowle player who flicked it on for Henry Cook to steer into the net. both sides now put in a lot of effort and intent as Brigg came more into the game. They were rewarded with just minutes left before half time when a Brigg corner was not properly cleared and after some attempts to score Joshua Jordon took control and guided it into the net.

With just seconds left before the referee blew for half time the Crowle keeper tipped a certain goal over the bar for the home team to go in leading at half time.

Brigg made two substitutes to start the second half and both teams continued their frantic hit and run football often slowed by some fierce tackles. Brigg managed to draw on 73 minutes when the referee awarded them a penalty for a contested hand ball decision. Harry Parr for Brigg converted it into the bottom left corner of the goal with the home keeper just getting his finger tips to it. It was now anyone’s game, but only five minutes later Crowle were awarded a free kick to the left of the ‘D’. Henry Cook restored their lead with a neat shot past the wall and into the top right hand corner. A very good strike which turned out to be the winner as the final 12 minutes became even more competitive with some daft antics on and off the ball by both sides. Crowle will build on this result to survive in their first season in the league and Brigg with their competitiveness should soon get the results to climb the league as well.

No chips in the big club house, so just a coffee.

Speedy South Normanton Athletic.

A check at lunch time about my planned visit to Rotherham United soon turned to dust as I found that the game against Burton Albion, for which I had bought a ticket, had been postponed. Evidently, Burton’s lights had failed in a league Cup game, and the replay of this took preference over their league game.

A quick search for a substitute brought up South Normanton Athletic at home to Rainworth Miners Welfare in Division 1 of the United Counties League. South Normanton had been promoted to this league at the end of last season as champions of the Central Midlands League South, whereas Rainworth had finished just above the relegation zone of the United Counties Division 1. The season had started differently for these two clubs, only 10 miles between them, with South Normanton 2nd and Rainworth bottom of the league.

I had not been to this ground for 6 years. It is only a short distance from Junction 28 of the M1, and after driving through some houses, you come to a very large car park. Unbelievably, after 3 official heat waves this summer and droughts proclaimed in some areas, I arrived with the sky overcast with some very dark clouds. There was some faint drizzle in the air, and the new floodlights since I was last here were on from the start. Surprising for mid-August. The temperature had also dropped to 15 degrees and felt colder in the strong breeze, and with the stadium being on top of a hill, I was glad I had put on extra layers. There are good views over distant Derbyshire hills.

My first impressions were how much tidier it was with the new floodlights and a new seated stand in the middle of one side. This seated area complements the two others behind one end with the rest of the ground surrounded by a wide perimeter path. The grass pitch slopes slightly from end to end, with the grass looking stressed in some areas. The club house in one corner is large and well decorated with what looked like newly updated toilets. Outside the clubhouse is a very tidy food kiosk, which did not open until 15 minutes before kick off.

South Normanton AFC were formed in 1926 as South Normanton Miners Welfare, which they changed in 1990 to South Normanton Athletic FC. Following a fire, lack of money and an ageing committee they were forced to fold in 2008 but since a new start they have been able to steady the ship and move back into the United Counties League this season.

Rainworth is South East of Mansfield, an ex mining village like South Normanton. The club was formed in 1922 and spent most of its life in the Nottinghamshire Alliance League, sometimes known as Rufford Colliery F.C. Their greatest achievement in the last century was reaching the FA Vase final in 1982, where they lost to Forest Green Rovers who were at the start of their major climb from almost obscurity to the Football League. More recently, their fortunes have faded.

South Normanton Athletic FC 7 v Rainworth Miners Welfare FC 0

Tuesday 19th August 2025 17.45 pm Kick Off, United Counties League, Division 1,

The Shiners v The Wrens, 2nd v 23rd

South Normanton: Kit all Royal Blue, the goalkeeper in dark pink top with black shorts.

Rainworth: White shirts with a black stripe on the shoulder, the goalkeeper in all purple.

South Normanton played the first half down the slight slope and immediately showed their pace on both wings. It was no surprise that with 19 minutes gone, Billy Whitehead passed retreating defenders to slip the ball along the ground for Archie Brown to find the back of the net.

Rainworth kept battling, mainly defensive, but out of the blue on 27 minutes George Morris hit a fierce shot from outside the goalkeepers area into the bottom left hand corner of the goal. This was after some neat inter-passing to create the space. Neither side added any other goals before half time and at the away team must have been pleased to be only 2 goals behind.

The ‘Wrens’ continued to stand firm until with 13 minutes of the second half gone, Marc Bright showed his speed, once again, racing on to a long ball over the top of the defence to whip it past the goalkeeper. Rainworth did now apply a little pressure but going forward left further gaps at the back and a ground pass to Billy Whitehead was despatched with ease past the outstretched legs of the keeper. At four nil this prompted mass substitutions by the home team and the flood gates opened , a fifth being added 6 minutes later by Josh Pickering, a substitute, again a home player outpacing the Rainworth defence.

Only a few minutes later and it was six when Albie White rose to head the ball down and into the net from a corner on the right. To add the icing on the cake Billy Whitehead made it seven on 84 minutes after another pacy run presented him with the ball to tap in.

Rainworth were pleased that it was soon all over, and even this early in the season they are rooted to the bottom of the table with no points after 7 games, with a goal difference of -27. It’s a long time until next May, lets hope they re-group and find some form soon. It may seem silly to say but with a seven nil loss I though their goalkeeper looked a good player.

The Shiners on the other hand went joint top after their win and look a very speedy team that will be a handful for any of their rivals in the league.

The Chips were good too, as first in the queue I received a hot portion, which were not golden but crispy, tasty, no greasy after taste and a nice texture. A score of 69. I nearly gave them one more for the serviettes available on the counter.

An iconic ‘Game of two halves’.

Each season I like to watch an Extra Preliminary Round of the FA Cup, the start of the journey to the final at Wembley. Last year, I started with Albion Sports losing at home to Trafford FC. The game was played at Bradford Park Avenues ground whilst they’res at Myra Shay was being updated to League standards

I noticed this year that Albion had been drawn away to Sheffield FC at the same stage of the competition. I drove to Dronfield, Sheffield still playing in Derbyshire, with their plans to finally set up in Sheffield stalled yet again.

Over recent years, the grounds car park has been reduced and a charge has now been introduced. There have also been little done to upgrade the ground although t looked good in the sunshine with the blue skies dotted with white fluffy clouds. The flat grass pitch, heavily sanded, looked in perfect condition after its rest, emphasised by the end to end striping by the cutting. There is still seating behind one goal, an end that also has the club house, changing rooms and food kiosk. One side has terraced standing with half of it covered, and the rest of the ground just has a path around the perimeter.

These two teams play in the same league, Northern Counties East, Premier Division, having played just one league game of the new season. Sheffield started their campaign with an away draw whilst Albion lost.

Albion Sports in their 51st year, started off playing Sunday League football. Steady progress led them to be winners of The Asian Cup and Bradford Senior Cup and League in 2000. That same season and in 2005 they went all the way to the final of The FA Sunday Cup, but were runners up on both occasions. In 2007 Albion moved to playing on Saturdays where they were successful in local leagues and were elected to the Northern Counties East League in 2011 which they won 3 years later and gained promotion to the Premier Division where they play today. An impressive rise in their short History.

Sheffield FC’s history as the worlds oldest team is well documented and their web site provides a good description of their pioneering days and up to date.

Sheffield FC 1 Albion Sports 1

Saturday 2nd August 2025, 15.00 pm kick off, Extra Preliminary Round of the FA Cup.

The Club v The Lions

Sheffield FC: Red and black quartered shirts, black shorts, Goalkeeper in yellow.

Albion Sports: All white kit with goalkeeper in all Pink.

Before kick off Albion were in a long huddle but it was Sheffield who started the game with the greatest intensity. The Club attacked down both wings with their most success coming from down the right and it was from there that on 13 minutes a cross was met by Nathaniel Crofts, at the far post, who headed the ball into the net. Sheffield were the more composed team and dominated play. Sheffield looked as if their training for the new season was paying off appearing to understand where each other were and where to put the ball. Alex Hardwick was denied by a point blank save by James Aspinall 10 minutes before half time and just before half time his header from a corner tipped the top of the cross bar. As the teams came off at half time Sheffield had looked well in control and the better team.

What a change in the second half with Albion Sports now dominating play, that must have been some team talk at the break. With Sheffield’s goalkeeper screaming for his players to challenge the opponents, Albion executed some neat play around the box to give Nathan Cartman the opportunity to curl a shot across Jim Pollard’s outstretched left hand to nestle in the corner of the net to equalise.

After the goal the referee allowed a drinks break, on the warm day, and also to attend to an injured player. Sheffield needed to regroup, but Albion kept up the pressure playing through a blizzard of dandelion seeds swirling around the pitch. Albion didn’t manage to get the winner and both sides will replay in the week. Certainly a game of two halves and Sheffield must have rued their first half chances and should have gone in at half time well out of sight.

A very good program for £2. It had good info on the clubs, players, and stats.

After just two matches of the new season I have been lucky to have had two portions of good chips. These were golden, crisp, no greasy after taste but not quite as tasty as last weeks at Berwick, a score of 66.

The Berwick Charities Cup Final 2025.

Having watched Berwick Rangers play Cowdenbeath in the afternoon, I made my way to ‘The Stanks’, the area just outside the Elizabethan Castle walls. Berwick Rangers played some of their early games here.

This is the third year I have been to this competition, but the first final I have been able to attend.

Thanks to the community, this cup has been played for over 100 years, raising funds for local charities. Much needed today as it has been in all its years.

The match kicked off early, 18.56, after the teams had been led onto the pitch by a lone piper.

https://videopress.com/v/wVLxpDrR?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

As normal, it was an amazing sight to see the pitch, restored every year for this competition, enclosed on two sides by castle ramparts, and lined by a narrow local road on the other two. Looking beyond, you can see a beach and the North Sea. A good crowd had gathered. Mainly sitting on the wall or standing pitch side or on the road. A collection was taken for the fund, and a table heaved with the donations for the raffle.

As usual, an ice cream van was in attendance behind the goal.

The evening had cooled from the 20 degrees of the day, except if you were playing. Evergreens were from Chirnside north of Berwick in Scotland and Hadda Mad Dogs from Amble in England. So it looked like the normal borders rivalry and skirmish.

Evergreens 4 Hadda Mad Dogs 2

Saturday 26th July 2025, 18.56 kick off. The Berwick Charities Cup Final, The Stanks, Berwick Castle, Berwick Upon Tweed.

Evergreens, all green with the goalkeeper in all pale blue.

Hadda Mad Dogs, black shirts with lime green shoulders and sleeves, lime green shorts, goalkeeper in yellow top black shorts.

The referee had a lime green shirt and socks with black shorts. There was a lot of confusing green everywhere.

The first 14 minutes were very even with the full backs playing nearest the road, making some fierce tackles.

On 15 minutes, a ball was hit down the left for Evergreens number 6 to run past all defenders and Cross for a forward to score unopposed.

Evergreens didn’t hold the lead for long when 6 minutes later, number
11 sored a similar goal for Hadda, receiving a pass from the left and clipping the ball past the goalkeeper.
Just before half time, the Hadda goalkeeper made a crucial save at the foot of the post to keep it at 1.1 at half time.

Evergreens came out strongly in the second half, and within 25 minutes they had added three more goal to lead 4.1.
First, a header through to 12 who coolly drew the keeper to score. A few minutes later, 11 received the ball on the centre spot and fired home. The fourth was a tap in by 9 who had been left on his own.

Madda did get one back on roughly 40 minutes when their number nine received the ball nearly 30 yards out, turned and smashed it into the top right-hand corner of the net. The best goal of the evening, but too late as Evergreens saw out the rest of the game with ease.

As usual, it is always a joy to watch football in this location, a community event, competitive to the end and in good humour. Please keep it going. We need more things like this.

Non-League Club Directory

This time of year, I usually advertise the new seasons Non-League Club Directory. Unfortunately this year I have recieved the email below that gives the sad news that the 2024/25 edition was the last one and after 47 publications there will be no more. Thank you for those many seasons of joy when thumbing through the many pages of tables and results of teams I had never heard of and aspired to visit in the future. In the early years it was invaluable for addresses to grounds now so easily found via Google Maps.

I will cherish all 47 editions that sit on my shelves and once again thank you and wish you well in your continued support for the game at this level.

Email from The Non-League Club Directory

Thank You…

You may or may not have heard that unfortunately last year’s edition of the Directory was in fact the last one.

Between myself and James Wright we tried our best to keep it going, for another season at least, but for a number of reasons it has not been possible to continue.

As some of you will know the above was where it all started 47 editions ago. Football has changed for the better, and worse but the one thing that remained the same throughout, the passion of real non-League followers and your support of the Directory, as well as our other publications such as Team Talk magazine.

Whether you bought just one edition or have the complete set (you must have a very strong book case!) thank you so much.

Good luck to you and your club for the season ahead.

All the best

Mike & Tony WilliamsCopyright © 2025 Mike Williams Publishing, All rights reserved.

There’s still value in County Cup football.

2416 fans turned up at Hillsborough to see the final of the Sheffield and Hallamshire County Cup final and no one was disappointed. It was a cold evening, only 11 degrees, yet it was a pleasant walk to the ground from parking the car just outside the ground, something you couldn’t do when ‘Wednesday’ are at home.

Fans of both teams mingled in the bars and food kiosks before taking their seats. I was able to get one of the padded seats, so I sat back waiting for the players of Worksop Town FC and Hallam FC. Both have had successful years coming second in their respective leagues and both gaining promotion by way of the playoffs. Worksop Town will be leaving the Northern Premier League and returning to the National League North after an 18 year absence. Hallam FC will be leaving the Northern Counties East League, Premier Division, next season, and moving up to The Northern Premier League, East Division a level they have never before played at. Despite these moves there will still be two level between the clubs, Worksop at the 6th level of English Football and Hallam at the 8th level.

Both teams entered the arena to some vocal fans and a drum beat by the Hallam contingent. The grass surface looked like it was starting to be prepared for the close season with patches of sand all over the pitch. After the customary introduction to the supporters and each other the teams stood in the centre of the centre circle with everyone standing and observing a minutes silence on this 80th Anniversary of VE Day.

The Sheffield and Hallamshire County FA Senior Cup is the 5th oldest in the world and next year it will be 150 years old, having been first played for in 1876.

Worksop Town 2 Hallam 1

Friday 8th May 2025, 19.30 kick off. Hillsborough Stadium.

Tigers v The Countrymen

Worksop; grey shorts and shirts the front of which had a vertical black panel on one side, the goalkeeper had an orange top and black shorts.

Hallam; All royal blue strip with the goalkeeper in a pink top and black shorts.

Worksop looked in control from the start but Hallam were letting them come to them and counter attacking with some quick breaks down the wings particularly down the right. Hallam were also controlling the tempo of the game with slow goal kicks, throw ins and set pieces, this was something they continued with all match.

It was Worksop who took the lead when with 16 minutes gone, a cross from the left was beaten out by the Hallam keeper but only onto the head of Aleks Starcenco who directed it down and into the bottom right corner of the net. The game now ebbed and flowed and despite the difference in League levels Hallam held their own to only trail by the one goal at half time.

The floodlights were turned on at half time with it coming over gloomy, and Worksop should have made it two with only 4 minutes gone from the re-start when the ball was blasted over the bar from very close range. A few minutes later, Warhurst in the Hallam goal kept them in the game with a reflex point blank save.

The Worksop dominance continued with the Hallam break aways, and one of these lead to an equaliser when a cross in from the left found Rio Allan, unmarked, and he cleverly dinked it over the goalkeeper into the net. Que celebrations by the players just in front of their fans. Rio Allen had played some skilful football all night and deserved the goal.

This set up a nerve wracking 20 minutes for both fans with the pattern of play resuming as before. Both sides made numerous substitutions, and it seemed destined for penalties to decide the tie, when with a minute to go Worksop struck again, when after a higher tempo attack the ball was received by Aleks Starcenco on the right corner of the Hallam goal area and he blasted it into the top right hand corner of the net. Hallam could not come back in the final 4 minutes of added time but all of their team gave their all. Worksop will have known that they had been in a hard won game, just deserving to edge it on the night.

Football Food

Great to have chips again, they were a good portion, tasty, golden, firm to soft inside, and but for the fact that they were only warm they could have been the chips of the year, score 73.

You have to deal with disappointment to follow the Villa….5….

An early start to head south to watch a grandson’s under 6 game in Northampton and then on to Wembley.

A Wembley trip is an occasion as well as a football match, and for me to go with two grandsons made me reflect on my first visit. Then there were twin towers, and England lost 2.3 to Sweden in 1959. This was only England’s second loss to a team other than a Home Nation on the hallowed turf. Just six years after the thrashing by Hungary and only 7 years before England’s World Cup triumph. Bobby Moore’s statue, with reference to the rest of the team, stands proud outside the entrance.

There have been other changes, too, even since a visit to see Aston Villa lose in a Championship Playoff final in 2018. On my first visit, my father showed me the decaying buildings left over from the British Empire Exhibition of 1924/25, and I showed what was left to my son in 1994 when Villa beat Manchester United. None of that now , the area has been transformed into a modern high-rise city of its own with the tiered walkway that was Wembley Way replaced by a flat pathed area to complement the new living style.

The organisation was fantastic, with the turnstiles and security opened, all of the queuing fans were whisked into the stadium. Inside the concourse offers food and drink and toilets to befit a national stadium.

The vastness of the red seats hit you as you walk into your seating area brought smiles to the grandsons. The immaculate pitch gleamed a bright green despite the grey overhead cloud, and there was no wind or breeze in this bowl.

Strangely, the Villa fans, so vociferous at home and away, seemed subdued, but a ripple of applause broke out as Stan Collymore was spotted standing above a ‘Villa Cannock’ flag.

Crystal Palace 3 Aston Villa 0

Saturday 26th April 2025, FA Cup Semi-final, 17.15 kick off.

Eagles v Villians.

There was little intensity to the start of the game, and Villa looked as if they were playing walking football out from the back as Palace didn’t press them but crowded out the mid field and defence. Palace fans were in ascendancy when 31 minutes Pau Torres made a mistake to let Ismail Sarr cross the ball for Ebrechi Eze to hit a fierce shot into the roof of the net past Martinez’s right hand.

Villa tried to get into the game and, with much of the possession, didn’t create a worthwhile chance despite some hard work by John McGinn.

Villa briefly looked a little sharper at the start of the second half but conceded a penalty . Jean-Paul Mateta stepped forward and placed the ball to the diving Martinez’s left, but with it clipping the outside of the post and going wide Villa fans thought this could be a sign of a come back.

However, Villa players looked like they had tired legs and were often picked off by some strong defending in mid field by Daichi Kamada and Adam Wharton. The Londoners doubled their lead on 58 minutes when Sarr dispossessed Tielemans and surged forward to power a drive along the ground into the left hand corner of the net. Villa made changes and could have reduced the lead but for their own player, Torres, blocking a powerful shot that looked destined to score.

With the minutes ticking away and the Villa fans drifting out, Sarr raced clear of the Villa defence and made it 3 nil, game well and truly over.

Although Villa had over 70 per cent of possession, it was Palace who outplayed them again this season, their defensive tack ticks and fast breaks, capitalising on Villa mistakes.

Palace had a game plan to disrupt Villa’s flow, they made the referee and Villa wait at the start as they held a long huddle, they made very long celebrations for each goal, Eze strutted back to the half way line after his goal celebrations at a crawl, Place came out in dribs and drabs to start the second half with a pause to wait for their 11th player and Henderson , who had a great game in goal should have been penalised by the referee for his time wasting. But despite this, you could not take it away from Crystal Palalce, who very much deserved to win and make Villa look second best.

Hopefully, the long season has not proved too much for Aston Villa and they can win the remainder of their games.

Football Food

The food at our magnificent football stadium was less than magnificent.

I was told I couldn’t just have chips to review for my annual chip league unless I had it as a meal deal with a burger. However, the chips were priced separately. Why not sell them separately then. The burger in what I think was supposed to be a Brioche Bun was awful. It was limp tasteless, just warm and made a McDonalds basic burger seem like a gourmet meal.

The chips were the worst I have had all season and sit bottom of my chip league, a score of 40 was generous. They were cold, dry limp, with no taste, and unfortunately, I left most of them under my seat for someone to clear up, sorry. I won’t ever buy anything inside this stadium again.

N.B. The heading to this post has been used before in my blog. However, it doesn’t reflect the enjoyment fun and smiles that Aston Villa have given me.

An evening at Pinxton FC

With the end of season fast approaching, I decided to get a game in before some time away, will stop me from watching some football. I headed south, two junctions down the M1 to Pinxton. Pinxton was a ground I had visited before but to watch a Derby Singh Brothers game when they were homeless and playing games there.

This is an ex mining village. You park in the car park of the Pinxton Miners Welfare and walk up the hill to the ground. Considering the pitch is on the side of a hill, it only has a slight slope from end to end and side to side. The surface is grass but a little bumpy. The facilities are unusual. There is a small covered two stepped seated stand that holds roughly 50 people in the corner of one side and built into the hill at the back is a food hut which you climb up to past a small covered standing area.

After a day that was beautiful , clear blue sky with the temperature rising to 18, the evening was cooling quickly with a cold breeze. 126 fans had turned up to see Pinxton play Staveley Miners Welfare with both teams on the edge of the play-off places with only a few games left.

Football Histories

Pinxton FC were started in 1994 and played in the Mansfield Bitter League for their first years, gaining promotions and moving up to the Midlands Regional Alliance League in 1997. Some solid seasons in this league gave them heart to join the Central Midlands League in 2004. They made their way to the highest division and won it in 2024 to be promoted to the United Counties Division One.

Staveley Miners Welfare F.C‘s. current club was formed in 1962 as a Sunday team, known as the Nags Head playing in Barrow Hill. There had been a football team in Staveley since the early 1880’s. They started playing on Saturdays in 1989. In 1991 they joined the Sheffield and Hallamshire County League and two years later moved to the Central Midlands League. They were constant members of that league until 1997 when their second place finish in the highest league gained them entry to The North East Counties League.

Their time in the NCEL wasn’t without ups and downs, semi-finalists in the FA Vase in 2012 masked their off field problems. In 2020 they secured grant money to install an all weather pitch and have continued their facilities development in tandem with community involvement. In 2022 the club took a voluntary demotion by one Division to reset a 5 year sustainability plan. They were moved to the United Counties Division 1

Pinxton FC 2 v Staveley Miners Welfare FC 2

Tuesday 8th April 2025 19.45 pm kick off

United Counties League, Division One, 8th v 5th, The Miners v The Trojans

Wharf Rd, Pinxton, Nottingham NG16 6LG

Pinxton; All Royal Blue shirts and shorts with some white chequered images on the lower front of the shirt. Goalkeeper in light lime green with some yellow stripes on the front of the shirt.

Staveley Miners Welfare; All fluorescence orange kit. Goalkeeper in all light green.

Pinxton were the more dominant team in the first 15 minutes, hitting the crossbar and being foiled by a point blank save by the Trojans keeper. They took the lead on 17 minutes when a ball cleared by the Staveley defence was controlled by Kane Hempshall who volleyed a rocket of a shot just to the right of the goalkeepers hand.

The home side were only ahead for eight minutes when Staveley equalised. A ball swung in from the right went over all those in the penalty area it was kept in out on the left, crossed back, where Dan Grierson outfought a defender at the right hand post and headed it down and over the goal line.

Pinxton returned the pressure and but for some great goalkeeping by xxx and a strong Staveley defence could have gone in ahead at half time.

Pinxton played downhill in the second half and, for the first 15 minutes, looked the most likely to take the lead. The game then settled down, and as it progressed into the last 15 minutes, it was Staveley who looked the most likely to score. With the final whistle approaching it looked like the away side had stolen the win when a long throw was headed on for Jack Deakin to riffle the ball along the ground, through defenders legs and into the net.

The game drifted into added time, and with three minutes added, Pinxton were awarded a corner from the right, which their goalkeeper went forward for. The over hit ball was chipped back in where Josh Wright headed the ball into the goal for a draw. The referee blowing for time only a minute later.

A good competitive game, with a draw being a fair result that leaves both teams with a chance of reaching the playoffs with two games left, although Pinxton’s is a slim one.

Football Food

I was happy to have some chips, but although being hot were a bit limp and some were overcooked. A good quantity and a good taste but a score of only 59.

The rain in Anstey stays mainly on the pitch.

After a drive to Woodford in Northamptonshire to see my grandson lose 6 nil in a semi-final, I called in to Anstey, a village just north west of Leicester, to see a game on Non-League day.

Anstey Nomads play on the outskirts of the village and have in recent seasons seen them rise through the football pyramid. Arriving early I was able to park in the small club car park and walk into the village which had some good cafes and a friendly atmosphere.

Walking back to the ground the Sporting Khalsa team coach had arrived and I entered the ground at one of the corners right next to the food kiosk. Behind one goal is a covered seated stand, and there is further covered seating in a one tier stand down a portion of one side with one level of standing behind. The far end has just a single path with a grass area inside the perimeter where children were having their own game. The changing rooms, a large club house, and some administrative buildings take up the other side with one level of standing in front.

The 15 degrees made it a pleasant day, and the high grey clouds did not indicate the threatened rain. The pitch was in good condition for the end of the season, being flat and still with good grass cover. I chose to spend the first half in the stand behind the goal but soon moved to the other end of the stand when a large drum was left 4 seats away.

Football Histories

Anstey Nomads were started in 1946, born out of a merger of church teams, and adopted their current name a year later. They have mainly played in local Leicestershire Leagues moving up to the East Midlands Counties League in 2008 and the United Counties League in 2018 where they gained promotion to the Premier Division that was split into North and South in 2021. They were promoted from the North Division in 2023 as champions and now play in the Northern Premier League, Midland Division.

Sporting Khalsa’s rise has been more dramatic, having been established only 34 years ago, then playing in the Walsall and District Sunday League. This football club, founded by members of the local Sikh community, switched to Saturday football in 1995. It was the first Asian, semi professional football club, with its own ground, in the country, and at around the same time as purchasing the ground they were being successful in the West Midlands Regional League. They moved to a new, wholly owned ground in 2010 and moved up the pyramid in 2015 to the Midland League. In 2021, they were placed in the Northern Premier league after an FA reorganisation.

Anstey Nomads 0 Sporting Khalsa 1

Saturday 22nd March 2025, Northern Premier League, Midland Division, 15.00 pm kick off.

Cropston Road, Anstey, Leicestershire, LE7 7 BP 5th V 6th, The Nomads v Sporting or The Lions

Anstey Nomads; All red kit with a white stripe down the side of the shirts, the goalkeeper in dark blue. Sporting Khalsa, All royal blue kit with the goalkeeper in all grey.

The game started with the local fans chanting at the opposing keeper, Shepshed reject, and it was the home team who were the most lively. Speedy attacks down the left didn’t produce any end result. Although the Nomads had the majority of possession, it was Sporting who came closest to scoring in what could be described as an uneventful first half. An attacker put through with just the keeper to beat hit the ball wide of the goal to the right.

I decided to walk around the ground at half time but had to shelter in the small stand when the rain started. Sporting Khalsa came out renewed and took control of the game. However, the rain took on biblical proportions with the down pour getting worse. I now took shelter in the food hut as I made my way back to the shelter of the main stand. After ten minutes of the second half, the referee stopped the game and allowed the players to change their boots to suit the conditions.

The away team continued their dominance in the wet, and their player made it past the defence on the right, and his pass, slid along the ground, was fired into the goal but cleared off the line. The clearance, though, fell to Andre Landell, who controlled the rebound and blasted it into the roof of the net on 65 minutes.

Anstey Nomads responded, and a shot was parried by the Sporting goalkeeper, only for him to pounce on it after it laid motionless in a pool of water. The referee immediately walked over and consulted with his linesman and the opposing officials, and he ordered the teams off. After 5 minutes, he returned and seeing that the rain was continuing and conditions had not improved abandoned the game.

Anstey would have been the happier of the two sides as a defeat by the away team would have meant that they would have leapfrogged them in the chase for playoff places.

It was a disappointing outcome, but the British weather has no rhyme or reason.

Football Food

There were no chips, so I had a burger, which was tasteless and dry. A few onions may have helped, but none were available.

Disappointing that there was no program, no team sheet available or pinned up, and no raffle. There was even no announcement over the PA system to say that the game was abandoned. On non-league day, perhaps more effort could have been made.