Rock And A Hard Place

Glasshoughton Rock  0  Shelley Reserves  1

West Yorkshire League – Second Division

I’m not overly familiar with Castleford, or Cas-Vegas as it’s is more commonly known in West Yorkshire, situated just a couple of miles from its sparring partner of Pontefract which of course is better known as Ponte Carlo.

The first time I encountered the West Yorkshire town would have been back in the mid-Nineties when Belper Town played at Glasshoughton Welfare, and I seem to think we won 1-0 thanks to a Paul Gretton goal. The memories are a bit hazy and to be honest if you asked me to describe the place I would struggle.

About ten years ago I went through a phase of watching Rugby League, a phase that resurfaced again this Summer, and a mate of mine decided we ought to go to Wheldon Road to watch Castleford Tigers play. Blimey, I’ll not forget that in a hurry though, ‘The Jungle’ as it’s now known is a classic old school sports stadium and with a packed house in attendance they drew 22-22 with Wigan Warriors. The pubs before the game around the ground were heaving and the buzz was fantastic.

Since then, our paths have not crossed since, probably because that area around the M62 corridor is dominated by Rugby League, with football very much a secondary sport. That said, Pontefract Collieries won the Northern Counties East League last season and are now a Northern Premier League side, Glasshoughton Welfare still ply their trade in the NCEL, but otherwise you are talking a couple of clubs in the West Yorkshire League, namely Kellingley Welfare and Featherstone Colliery.

Ferrybridge Power Station

Another name entered the fray though over the course of the Summer, The Rock Inn, a pub side from the town, won the Wakefield League last season, were admitted to the West Yorkshire League, but to comply with league rules, they couldn’t be named after a pub, hence the name change to Glasshoughton Rock. They also found a new facility in the shape of the Townville Sports Club which had a football pitch and dressing rooms sitting adjacent to the cricket ground, and of course the impressive clubhouse. It was ready made for a side looking to progress.

With a limited choice of options on Saturday due to a number of leagues having not yet started, it seemed like the ideal place to go to. The club is very active on Facebook so the game was confirmed nice and early, and despite some problems on the A1, it was a steady hours trip North.

So, what is Townville all about? Located to the East of the centre of Castleford, it offers views further East towards the Ferrybridge Power Station which dominates the skyline in the area. The ground is on a housing estate and a good sized car park leads to a social club that appears to serve both the sporting clubs that play at the complex, and also the locality. A party was taking place as I arrived in a large function suite opposite the bar area.

View From The West Bank

A cricket match was taking place just outside, I have no idea what league or level it was at, but they had an electronic scoreboard so it must have been pretty decent! I’m useless when it comes to cricket by the way, I wouldn’t know the difference between Minor Counties and the local Scout Group so no point me elaborating on it!

Behind the cricket pitch, dropping off down a slope if the football field, which is roped down one side but banked on two sides offering a decent elevated view. No cover, and no dugouts are in place, but it meets the grading and it has separate dressing room area that sit adjacent to the clubhouse.

Parched Pitch

As for the game, well I didn’t quite know what to expect. Rock are newly promoted and on something of a roll (rock & roll eh, get it?), whereas the reserves of Shelley are the second string of a side that has just gained promotion to the North West Counties League.

After a promising start by the hosts, the game evened out and it was the visitors who took the lead when a Shelley player found the net from close range having been given too much time and space to finish.

The second half saw both sides put in plenty of effort, but efforts on goal were at a premium, and to be fair, in the end it was the away side who seemed to be in control of proceedings.

Rock will see this as something of a learning curve, West Yorkshire League football is tough, but they have enough quality to come again having gained from the experience. They won’t be far away when it comes to the crunch, sides used to winning invariably find a way, but it won’t be a walk in the park.

As for football in Castleford, the more the merrier, the egg-chasing dominance is due for a challenge after years of having it all their own way. But let’s be honest, there will only ever be one winner, and you'll struggle to get any odds on that in Cas-Vegas!  

Cricket Sits Above At Townville