Stick Insects

Clay Cross Town  3  Ashbourne  0

Derbyshire Senior Cup

“Stick Insects – 4 For A Pound”

It was the sign that stood at the side of the small driveway of a house that sat almost on the junction of the traffic lights as you entered Clay Cross from the South, and for over ten years I passed it almost every working day.

When I landed my first job in Financial Services I was based in Chesterfield, that was in 1999, and up until a change of role which came about in 2012, my daily commute took me through ‘The Cross’.

It didn’t change an awful lot, other than the readily available supply of stick insects, you could get your hair cut at Scissor Sisters, while cheap second hand furniture could be obtained from Pop’s Attic or Jack’s Interiors. Moving further along, T Nutt & Sons could provide you with a carpet whereas if motorbikes was your passion, then CMC Motorcycles was the place to be, situated just before you got to the Snooker Centre on the other side of the road.

Clay Cross has changed a bit since though, firstly a massive Tesco that seems wholly out of proportion to the size of the town has appeared, which in turn has re-routed some of the motorway traffic, while a new pub with purpose built roundabout called the Six Halts has appeared as you leave to the North.

Footballing wise in that time things have changed a fair bit as well.

The Stand

When I were a wee scrote back in the Eighties, it was Clay Cross Works who competed in the Central Midlands League down at the old ground on John Street. I remember seeing them play at Belper Town in a Derbyshire Senior Cup tie in 1983 and they were unlucky to lose 1-0.

I remember the game vividly to be fair because a Clay Cross player broke his leg and was stretchered into to the clubhouse until an ambulance arrived. It was a freezing cold day and he lay shivering on the stretcher while I sat a short distance away, trying to keep out of the cold. I also remember that day because I ended up feeling ill on the way back and finished up honking back at my Grandma’s in Mickleover!

They changed their name to Biwater in 1988, reflecting the change in ownership of the Works that the club were linked to, but in 1994 they seemingly disappeared from senior football.

What A Surface!

Parkhouse Football Club, named after a small area to the East of the town, had been around playing in local football for many years, but first came to prominence with myself in the early noughties when they joined the Midlands Regional Alliance. Playing in the Holmgate area of the town that is as far West as you can go compared to Parkhouse, I first saw them play against Derbyshire Amateurs and was impressed with what they seemed to be building at the Mill Lane ground.

Promotion was earned to the Central Midlands League in 2007, and by 2010 they had reached the Supreme Division and Step 7. Something was niggling away though at the club, and it was a matter of identity. The only links with Parkhouse now was the name, so with a view to creating closer links with Clay Cross itself, and giving the ‘town’ a club of its own, the decision was taken to change the name to Clay Cross Town.

It wasn’t met with universal popularity I’m told, with some of the Parkhouse custodians not being 100% behind the move, but from a profile and commercial point of view it was the right thing to do.

A Great Night For Stick Insects

Clay Cross Town began life in 2012-13, and since then they have made no secret of their intentions to take the club up to Step 6. 2016-17 was a cruel one as they looked nailed on to do it, but then right at the death they were pipped by FC Bolsover who beat them on goal difference to win the championship. They finished runners up again last season, this time to Harworth Colliery, promotion was again denied.  The trouble with the Central Midlands League is that across its two divisions, a large number of clubs both want to, and are capable from a facilities point of view, of getting promotion, so you have to win the league to go up. Whereas take something like the Sheffield County Senior League for example, so few clubs want to go up, you only need to finish top five to do it!

Clay Cross, along with the likes of Pinxton and Hucknall, if anything are victims of geography.

They are very proud of the facilities at Mill Lane. The pitch is an absolute belter, and groundsman Lee is very proud of it, quite rightly so, even if he does have an ’influence’ on local referees when it comes to inspections and any doubt needs to be ironed out!

They’ve done some great work to the facilities, building a small stand, installing floodlights, laying hard standing, creating a pay booth, putting in a committee room and of course running a thriving tea bar! They’ve also always prided themselves on producing an excellent programme, but then I’m going to say that as they’ve published a couple of my articles over the years!

So, with ten league wins from ten games this season, is the side run by local footballing legend Ant Lynam and co-manager Andrew Thornton finally at the point where they are going to get the promotion they both want and deserve? I thought I’d go and have a look, via Batemans Mill for some refreshment beforehand as always, and take in the County Cup tie against Staffordshire County Senior League side Ashbourne.

Shading

Clay Cross won the game 3-0 thanks to three second half goals from Grant Mitchell (really?), Josh Parfitt and Josh Scully, and to be fair they were comfortable throughout against an Ashbourne side that battled hard but lacked a cutting edge to hurt the hosts.

The County Cup is not the priority for Cross, the league is, and this time round I have a feeling they’ll make damn sure that they got that long awaited promotion. Crowds are decent, the club is very well run and they have some great facilities. They’ll be a welcome and worthy addition to whatever league they get promoted into, and that of course is another story!

As a footnote, the Stick Insects aren’t for sale anymore, and haven’t been for some time, but then last Summer something really bizarre happened.

I went to a Beer Festival at Belper Rugby Club, and as I was queuing up to buy a real lager, I looked up at some of the memorabilia behind the bar, and there it was, the sign, which had either been donated or possibly stolen (you know what rugby lads are like on the way back from an away game).

“Stick Insects – 4 For A Pound” – sat proudly on the wall, I bet they taste nice with a pint of Carling…..

The Stand Again