Lenton Laners

FC Pelican  2  Wollaton Reserves  1

Nottinghamshire Senior League – Division Two

You would be hard pushed to find anyone who is from the East Midlands who watches non-league football, who hasn’t seen a football match played at one of the grounds on Lenton Lane in Nottingham.

In fact, I seem to recall at one point an entire days Central Midlands League groundhop took place on the same road, with games being taken in at Greenwood Meadows, Dunkirk and Pelican, however, these days Lenton Lane isn’t quite so prolific in the fixture lists.

For those not familiar with Lenton Lane, it works a bit like this…..

Exiting the Nottingham Ring Road just before the Clifton Bridge, you spin round the roundabout as if you were heading for the giant Boots factory complex, only to then take a sharp left down a narrow track.

This is where a plethora of sporting facilities start to open up to you. The first ground on the right is the home of Pelican Colts (known as the Dave Eastwood Sports Ground), then right next to it is the former Greenwood Meadows ground, which is now used by Nottingham Outlaws Rugby League.

Moving round the bend and running parallel to the River Trent, you them stumble upon the Ron Steel Sports Ground which is the current home of Step 6 club Dunkirk, while next to it is the Brian Wakefield Sports Ground, which used to be the home of Pelican FC but as far as I am aware it’s used for cricket these days. Finally, right at the end is the huge Riverside Sports Complex and the David Ross Sports Ground which I seem to think are used by a number of junior and Sunday sides.

Last season I spotted that Nottingham Community off of the Notts Senior League had moved to the Dave Eastwood variant, a variant I had not yet contracted, I also then spotted that a team called Pelican used it on a Sunday morning for Notts Sunday League games. So I went one Sunday morning, and nothing was happening, but the score appeared later that day on Full Time?

I went again a few weeks later, a Sunday morning, plenty was happening this time, but it was all kids games, so I asked someone, and apparently Pelican’s Sunday side didn’t use the ground anymore! Bugger it, was my thoughts, I’ll hang on until next season and see how the land lies.

Turns out a new side called FC Pelican were using it, in the Notts Senior League, and having travelled back from Cornwall the following day and made the decision not to travel far, it was time to see if I could make it third time lucky. To be fair, the visitors Wollaton Reserves tweeted about the game so I was reasonably confident all would be ok, but when you’ve been bitten twice you can be forgiven for being a bit apprehensive.

As I drove through the gates all looked good, a pitch at the far end had nets up, the obligatory rope down one side to stop pitch invaders was in place, the corner flags had been inserted and a variety of musical beats were coming from car windows as players from both sides rocked up for action.

Description wise, the DESG is a large expanse, with what appears to be one adult sized pitch and numerous small sized pitches upon it. To the river end of the complex is a changing room block and indeed a tea bar that served drinks and hot food, which in itself was an added bonus. The pitch the game was played on is tight to the West side and also backs onto the South side where a road leads to a small golf complex, and as I said, we had a rope down one side and some dugouts for furniture.

The game itself was enough to keep you entertained on what was another warm afternoon for running round. The visitors opened the game looking the stronger side and it was a goal from Sammy-Joe Smith that gave them the lead but as the hosts grew into the encounter goals from Damilola Sodiq Sanusi and Moussa Sylla first saw them equalise and then well into the second half grab a winner that the visitors would argue on the balance of play was perhaps a bit harsh.

After the jaunts of Cornwall the previous week, is was nice to know that home was no more than half an hour away once back in the car (albeit via Argos as Mrs H needed me to collect an ironing board after apparently I broke the old one….). It was also nice to know that at the third time of asking I’d seem a game at the Dave Eastwood Sports Ground.

I won’t be holding my breath, there are still a few more pitches down Lenton Lane yet, I suspect it’s only a matter of time though before I’m back! 

In Two Minds

Liskeard Athletic  3  Wadebridge Town  0

South West Peninsula League – Western Division

As the day wore on I was in two minds about the prospect of a jaunt across to East Cornwall and the game between Liskeard Athletic and my old pals Wadebridge Town.

A trip to Newquay in the morning had been an enjoyable one, it had been a good few years since I’d visited Cornwall’s answer to the Costa Del Sol, and upon returning back we decided to retire to the beach for the afternoon. Consequently, feeling chilled, and then contemplating a night in downtown Falmouth with a meal and few beers was starting to win the day, I was at the stage where Mrs H could easily have convinced me not to go….

“I’m not bothered about going to football tonight, we can stop here and have a nice evening in town.” Was the comment I threw into the mix.

“No, we’ll go, we’ll all go, no arguments.” Came back Mrs H.

She obviously wanted to go, so who was I to argue, and besides, we had beers in the fridge anyway!

I will be honest though, Liskeard Athletic are one of those clubs who I remember from my very early days of getting into non-league football. Back in the mid-eighties when I’d learned what shape the Country was, started to get a bit of an idea of which places were where, and, developed something of an understanding of what leagues covered which parts of the isles, I came across something called the Western League.

It all sounded a bit like the places we went to on holiday as a young child, where I would feel car sick, and then be dragged around with my sister in the pouring rain wearing a cagoule and some sturdy Clarks Commando shoes. Places liked Ilfracombe, Bideford, Barnstaple, Minehead and Weston super Mare. An old Non-League Directory allowed my Rainman like tendencies to kick into gear and before long I’d got an encyclopaedic knowledge of who, what and where, and, one of those names was Liskeard…..

The trusty Bartholomew Atlas quickly showed that Liskeard (from Lux Park – a great name for a ground!) was a bit isolated in the sense that while the bulk of the league was Somerset, Bristol and Devon, they were from Cornwall and that wasn’t the done thing it seemed.

A bit more research into the pages numbered 700+ in the old non-league bible taught me that if you were from Cornwall, then you played in the South Western League, which in theory fed into the Western League, but in reality didn’t because no one else wanted to be like Liskeard!

I liked Liskeard, they were different, they were special, they were probably the best club in Cornwall because they wanted to play bigger and better teams, and in fairness, they did a decent job of it. When they made the jump from the South Western League in 1979, having won it twice and finished runners up twice in four seasons, they got promoted from Western Division One at the first time of asking, and then in 1986 they had a five season spell in the Premier Division where they finished fourth twice, second twice and champions once.

But, after winning the league in 1988 (and in theory being eligible to apply for Southern League status), seven years later they had taken voluntary demotion and returned to the league they came from. That is where they stayed until the South West Peninsula League formed, and once in the newly formed competition they’ve had a mixed time albeit in 2019 they were crowned champions of the Western Division.

Last season they finished runners-up to Falmouth Town, by a distance, whereas this time around along with St Blazey they are favourites to make the jump to Step 5 football, in theory the Western League Premier Division, but restructuring may well mean it’s something slightly different to that, which doesn’t involve travelling to Bristol!

Liskeard is a decent drive time wise from Falmouth (it probably isn’t if you live in either of the two places, but for us mere mortals from the built up Midlands it’s a decent drive!). The 47 miles can take up to an hour and a half depending on the time of day, and of course the traffic jams getting out of Falmouth, through Truro and onto the A30. Fortunately it wasn’t too bad and before long we were exiting at Bodmin and getting on the Plymouth bound A38, which eventually lead us to our destination.

Liskeard looked a very nice town, in fact Mrs H at this point volunteered to me that she had indeed previously visited it and it was both pleasant and quite hilly! That said, once we’d located a supermarket for provisions and then found Lux Park, it was time for a little look around the place.

The ground sits at the back of a sports centre, and the entrance to it is through a tunnel that runs below the bar which is on the top floor of the two story building which also houses the dressing rooms. The bar does provide an excellent viewing point for watching the game from an elevated position, but with all the seats taken up we decided to make do with a pitch side view!

So, once through the turnstile that sits at the end of the tunnel, moving anti-clockwise you’ve got hard standing behind the goal at the leisure centre end, and then moving round to the side, just beyond the half way line is a seated stand that apparently contains seats from the old Mayflower Stand at Plymouth Argyle’s Home Park.

The far end goal is quite tight but then moving round onto the dugout side you’ve got a couple of terrace steps with a wooden shelter straddling the half way line. Beyond that is the large tea bar which runs down to the corner flag and probably sells things like pasties.

It’s a very nice ground, with a surprisingly green looking pitch under the circumstances. I would describe it as ‘old school’, but in a positive sense, one that doesn’t look to have been overly modernised over the years, but at the same time, it doesn’t show any signs of wear and tear.

The game was another entertaining spectacle. The first half did finish goalless but Liskeard went down to ten men on the half hour mark when Harry Jeffery was dismissed for a high challenge, but parity in terms of numbers was restored just into the second half when the Bridgers Ewan Reeves saw red for a professional foul.

Shortly after the second red James Lorenz scored his first goal of what was to be a memorable night when he found the far corner of the net, only for the same player to get his second with a sublime chip over the goalkeeper just over ten minutes later.

Lorenz then got his hat-trick in the 78^th minute as Liskeard threatened to cut loose, but in fairness to Wadebridge they battled incredibly hard throughout the game, but at the same time they were second best in the final analysis.

Liskeard look good, I wouldn’t back against them being a Step 5 club next season, they certainly have the team, the facilities and the support to warrant it. Quite what the Step 5 league they would go into is going to look like is conjecture at the minute, but all will be revealed in due course I’m sure.

Falmouth was reached by 10.30pm, the Cornish football adventure was over for another year, but we’ll be back again, of that there is no doubt! 

Still time to open the fridge though.........

Solomon Browne

Mousehole  1  Millbrook  2

Western Football League – Premier Division

The Solomon Browne left her station just outside of the Cornish village of Mousehole on the evening of 19^th December 1981, after receiving the call to aid the stricken vessel, Union Star. She was never to return.

The Penlee Lifeboat Disaster saw sixteen lives lost, eight of whom were local volunteer lifeboatmen. Winds of 100 mph and 60 feet waves proved too much for the boat and it’s immensely brave crew, at just after 8pm on that fateful evening, radio contact was lost, the boats lights went out, and over the coming days wreckage was found washed up on the shore.

The village of Mousehole remembers, each year on the anniversary the Christmas lights are turned off at 8pm for an hour as a mark of remembrance, while on the site of the former Penlee boathouse, a memorial garden has been created.

A new lifeboat station was built in nearby Newlyn which allowed for a larger and faster boat to be moored, but it still called the Penlee Lifeboat Station.

The village of Mousehole (pronounced ‘Mowzel’) sits to the West of Penzance, and is home to only a few hundred residents. The beautiful harbour sees fishing boats moored, while around the edges are a small selection of pubs, shops and restaurants. It’s a delightful place, and one that is visited regularly by tourists and holidaymakers, indeed we paid a visit on our Summer holiday last year.

What we didn’t do last year though was visit Mousehole AFC, we were going to, but our plans were scuppered on the previous Saturday when FA Cup results didn’t go the right way and as a result the home game we had lined up was called off.

So what’s the story behind Mousehole AFC then, the most Westerly club in the Non-League System, and, a club that has designs on climbing the pyramid and becoming the number one club in Cornwall?

The club known as the Seagulls were formed in 1922 (yes 100 years old this year) and in 1960 joined the Cornwall Combination, where they remained until 2007 when a runners-up spot saw them promoted to the newly formed South West Peninsula League. In 2015-16 they won Division One West with an incredible record of winning 30 of their 32 games, scoring 131 goals in the process.

They remained in the Western Division when it got elevated to Step 6 through restructuring, and then they found themselves promoted to the Western League for the first time at the start of the 2021-22 season thanks to the points per game method adopted by the FA at the time. Last season they finished third and only just missed out on promotion to the Southern League.

There was controversy though at the end of last season, a game against Keynsham Town was never played as the Bath based side refused to travel to West Cornwall for a midweek game, after the original game on a Saturday had been postponed. This is one of the issues that the FA are currently tackling.

For any Cornwall based teams (bearing in mind Mousehole is on the very West point of the County) wanting promotion to Step 5, they have historically had to join the Western League which involves journey’s to places as far away as Bristol. We could be talking up to four hours each way on a bus to do that. Along with Mousehole, fellow West Cornwall clubs Helston Athletic and Falmouth Town have taken the plunge in recent seasons, but the footprint remains too large geographically so the FA’s plan is to create an extra Step 5 league that covers Cornwall and West Devon(ish). It won’t keep everyone happy I’m sure, but it will help. Beyond Step 5, which is only surely a matter of time for Mousehole, is another story. We can recall the noise when Truro City were climbing the pyramid and the concerns about travelling (not from Truro btw – the opponents!), well Mousehole is an hour further on than Truro, so clubs will have to simply get on with it, and, I might add, you don’t hear Mousehole complaining about their own travelling.

Digression aside, how come they are on such an upward trajectory? Well since 2017 the club has had a sponsorship arrangement with a company called the Endorsed Group, and part of that initiative is to create an academy for aspiring footballers in the County to progress. So financially they are in a good place, but the plan is to be sustainable with it.

Trungle Parc sits outside of Mousehole in a village called Paul. Paul is even smaller than Mousehole, but the ground is well signed as you enter, and after working your way up a narrow track you arrive at a large car park, and only then do you realise that by coastal standards, you are pretty high up!

The first impressions of the football club are very positive. The ground is very tidy, the clubhouse is excellent and the socials are very good, in fact they have their own documentary on You Tube called ‘Way Out West’ which journals the events of last season, and that I have to say is very professionally made and well worth a watch. Plenty of club officials were busy working at the ground, and you got the distinct feeling that this was not only a club on the up, but a club being well run at the same time.

The clubhouse sits to the side of a small seated stand and the adjacent dressing rooms, while the other area of cover at the ground is at the car park end, where the poignantly named Solomon Browne Stand sits, complete with a plaque remembering those who lost their lives in 1981.

A crowd of just under 200 were treated to a superb game of football against Plymouth based Millbrook (a side who were promoted at the same time as Mousehole). The hosts started brightly but it was the visitors who took the lead in the tenth minute when Tylor Love-Holmes scored with a well directed header. Mousehole regained the initiative in the game and pushed forward, playing a combination of excellent quick passing with tempo, and well measured diagonal balls to wide areas, but credit to Millbrook who had a game plan, were well coached, and they stuck to it resolutely.

More pressure at the start of the second half did eventually tell when Millbrook were unable to clear their lines, allowing Jack Calver to drill home powerfully from 20 yards. You could have been forgiven at that point for thinking the hosts would go on to cut loose and win the game, but Millbrook had other ideas.

Valiant defending kept the home side at bay, but then with less than ten minutes remaining Mousehole’s Paulo Sousa was forced into an error and gave the ball away to Sean Thomson who went through on goal and neatly chipped Ollie Chenoweth. More Mousehole pressure came as they searched for a second equaliser, but huge credit to Millbrook who put in so much effort, as they said after the game, not many sides will go to Trungle Parc and get three points this season.

Considering we’d had a heatwave for the previous four days, the game was played out in drizzly rain that turned quite sharp at times, with a mist forming in the distance out towards the harbour. It was quite an evocative scene, and as we made our way down the tight lanes and down the hill towards Newlyn, you couldn’t help but think about those men that were lost in 1981 when the Solomon Browne never came home, and the community that every Christmas, remembers. 

Building Bridgers

Wadebridge Town  3  Wendron United  1

South West Peninsula League - Western Division

For over ten years now we've enjoyed some wonderful family holidays to the South West. Typically split across a couple of locations, Starcross in the East and Falmouth in the West. In normal times we'd usually try and visit one at Easter and one in the Summer, varying from time to time depending on circumstances.

Visits to Falmouth over recent years have been to the fantastic Poltair Guesthouse which is a short walk from Gyllyngvaise Beach, which inadvertently also ended up as the venue for our honeymoon after a pre-booked holiday ended up coinciding with a quickly organised Wedding!

Naturally, the location of Falmouth has allowed us some fantastic opportunities to explore the depths and delights of Cornish football, which in a large part is encapsulated by the quite wonderful South West Peninsula League, or "Phil's League" as I like to call it, after the long serving and hugely respected secretary Phil Hiscox who continues to provide a fantastic service to it's clubs and it's followers.

One of Phil's trademarks is getting fixtures out nice and early, and, not buggering about with them, so when you do have a holiday planned, you can almost certainly rely on dates and times being spot on so you can prepare accordingly.

To be honest, we've managed to visit a fair bit of the Western Division already, so when the fixtures did eventually land, we were given three choices for a new visit, one being Dobwalls which is next door to Liskeard, another being Bude which sits on the Devon border on the North coast, and, the one we plumped for, Wadebridge Town, which from Falmouth was about an hours drive.

Ironically, I was very close to going to Wadebridge at a similar stage last season, at that time on a Wednesday night, only to change my mind at the last minute and stay at base camp with the family. I can't recall who they were playing but I do know I dodged a bullet because the game was abandoned due to a floodlight failure!

Arriving on the Friday in at the start of the heatwave, my only concerns were the weather, would the forecast of extreme heat result in a postponement, but then again, this is the South West, and if anyone is going to be used to playing football in very hot weather it's the lads from Cornwall.

On the day of the game we started by taking a drive to Padstow, a place I can never recall ever visiting previously, although I do recall my Aunty and Uncle used to go regularly when we were very young kids. Driving into Padstow we passed a sign for a place called St Merryn, which suddenly rang bells because A & U's first house was called Merryn Cottage, the connection become incredibly clear after all of these years.

Padstow is a nice place albeit a swine to park in, and yes, it is dominated by all things Rick Stein, so much so we avoided the fish and made do with a pasty for lunch! With the Sun blazing down it was soon time to get back into the air conditioned car and head for the town on the River Camel.

Now then, the first time I can ever recall hearing the name Wadebridge was many years ago while watching an episode of Challenge Annika, it seems the town was in dire need of a footbridge over the river so Annika pitched up with her army and in double quick time the bridge was built! This was no small feat either, we are talking a proper bridge over a proper river, not just your plank and rope job over a stream!

We didn't have a lot of time available so it was straight over the A39 bridge that leads to Camelford and Bude, before turning back towards the town and along Bodieve Road, upon which sits Bodieve Park, the home of Wadebridge Town Football Club.

The Bridgers joined the South Western League in 1952 and remained stalwarts until the Peninsula League was formed in 2007, and in that first season as members of Division One West they were crowned champions for the only time in their history. Three seasons were played out in the top flight until relegation back to Division One again, where they have remained since (albeit a restructure saw the end of the Premier Division anyway). Right now, they play at Step 6, in a league that last season was won at a canter by Falmouth Town.

What I have always admired about Wadebridge is their use of social media and digital technology. Their Twitter feed is always bang up to date, whereas in an era when websites are now becoming a little bit archaic and no longer the first port of call for football fans, they have a superb site that contains interviews, reports and match highlights. Indeed the highlights of the game we attended can be found here 

Match Report: Wadebridge Town 3 v 1 Wendron United - Wadebridge Town FC

Bodieve Park is a smashing venue. After parting with £6 admission and £2 for a superb programme, you can drive round behind the goal up onto the bank that overlooks the ground. Mrs H and Master H were able to get the camping chairs from out of the car and set up a base while I went in search of a pint of Offshore from the clubhouse!

The main stand opposite the bank is a large structure that is both tall and deep, which contains the dressing rooms within it's bowels. To the left of the main stand behind the goal is the Ron Williams Stand which is a long section of cover with a single row of seats within it, while perched below pitch level in the corner between the two stands is the clubhouse. The pitch is cut into a significant slope, hence the banking on two sides and the fact the business side of the ground is a fair bit below pitch level.

Under the circumstances of the blistering hot conditions, credit must go to both teams and the officials for contributing to an entertaining spectacle. For us spectators, walking to the bar and back in the heat was bad enough, so I've no idea how those involved in the game managed it! The hosts took the lead just a few minutes in thanks to a neat volley from Jacob Smale, but visiting Wendron United (a village between Falmouth and Helston) equalised in he 12th minute thanks to a header from Charlie Young. However, with just five minutes to go until the break it was the Bridgers who regained the lead thanks a really well taken goal from Charlie Willis.

The hosts made the points safe in the second period when Ross Beare cracked a lovely shot home from the edge of the box, and with the heat really starting to tell on those 67 spectators who were watching, but not on those playing, it was a deserved three points for Wadebridge on a bone hard surface that was tricky to play on to say the least.

The final whistle saw the air conditioning kick into full gear, and soon it was back down the road via Indian Queens and Truro, before landing back in Falmouth and a cold shower. 

A cracking day out it has to be said, at a fantastic and friendly club, who do things the right way. It's fair to say that I think we made the right choice of game, but in this part of the Country and in this league, there is no such thing as a bad choice.  

Returning To Stone

Stone Old Alleynians Reserves  3  Cheadle Town  1

Staffordshire County Senior League - First Division

I've seen four games of football in Stone over the years, played on three different pitches, all at the same complex.

That's actually a bit of a lie, the complex itself isn't actually in Stone, it's in the village of Yarnfield which sits to the West of the town, just over the M6. I refer to it as a complex, I seem to think it's currently known as Yarnfield Football Centre, but when I went it was known as Springbank Park. The name Wellbeing Park has also been used more recently, so apologies to any sponsors who I've not suitably name checked.

The first visit was back in 2004 when I saw Stone Dominoes, then a North West Counties League side, play Kidsgrove Athletic in a pre-season friendly. I then had a somewhat bizarre plan with my old mate Jamesie off of Sheffield FC, when we worked out we could watch two games simultaneously on adjacent pitches at the venue, one of which was a Staffordshire County Senior League game between Barlaston and Eccleshall AFC, while the other was a West Midlands Regional League game between Stone Old Alleynians and Punjab United.

I seem to recall it went quite smoothly, not a goal was missed, oatcakes and Carling were readily available and when we posted a report of the events on a well known non-league football forum, it created a mixture of curiosity and disgust! On one hand we were a shameful double act who completely bought the idea of watching football into disrepute, while on the other hand we were quizzed as to the practicalities of the exercise, and in a couple of instances, members of the forum started to list dates when others could repeat our little feat!

All good fun, but then Stone Dominoes decided to build a self contained new ground on the back of the complex, which was visited one midweek evening for a game against Daisy Hill. Memories are a touch hazy, but what I do know is that football in Stone got a bit turbulent after that. Dominoes have dipped in and out of senior football, while Old Alleynians  have gone from the West Midlands League, to the North West Counties League, and now the Midland League. Issues have abounded with the facilities that I watched games on previously, Alleynians in recent seasons have ben playing at the old Meir KA ground, a dispute with the owners at Yarnfield I believe lead to that, whereas Dominoes from what I can see have vanished at a senior level. 

Anyway, Old Alleynians have a plan, and that is to develop their own facilities in Stone itself, at the Alleynes Sports Centre on the North East side of the town where the clubs junior sides are based. My mate Dave, who now lives in Stone after moving up from Surrey to take advantage of cheaper beer and cheaper house prices, told me all about it after reading about it in the local free magazine. It all sounded good, but then being me, I totally forgot about it until recently when I was perusing the fixtures in the Staffordshire County Senior League only to spot that both the reserves and the development sides of Alleynians had set up base at the Sports Centre.

An early midweek kick off on a Wednesday night for the Ressies ticked the boxes, and when the hosts Tweeted earlier in the day about an exciting occasion as football finally returned to Stone, it was with a sense of anticipation that I made the journey from the Hillsborough side of Sheffield. On a beautiful evening it took me via the Hope Valley, Buxton, Leek and then finally through Meir before arriving in the very pleasant market town. 

It was as I drove into Stone that I remembered many years ago I'd seen another sporting event in the town, a Natwest Trophy cricket game between Staffordshire and Derbyshire, my memories of that day are a little vague, but I can remember watching the late Aussie and Derbyshire Captain Dean Jones eating an ice cream on the edge of the outfield, while chatting to spectators. A bit of research about that game tells me it was on 25th June 1996 at Priory Road, Staffordshire were all out for 178 while Derbyshire rattled the total off in less than 27 overs, recording an eight wicket victory. 

Alleynes Leisure Centre is right on the edge of the town in a semi rural location, along Oulton Road, and is accessed up a driveway, with a good sized car park in front of you. A caged artificial pitch sits to the rear of the centre but looking at the condition and type of the surface it didn't really look fit for senior football, perhaps more for hockey? But, directly to the rear was a grass pitch which was marked out and ready for the game. A couple of  dugouts were in place, but nothing else was in situ so I would say that Alleynians have got a fair bit of work to do to get the facility ready for Step 5 football, but, they have the location and the space so good luck to them. I do wonder whether they will upgrade the artificial pitch, that would probably be the more straightforward and practical option, especially as floodlights are already in place. It is a lovely location though, with nice scenic views out towards the Staffordshire countryside.

The game was a decent one, played in warm conditions. Adam Harper gave the visitors the lead in the first half but two goals from Hasam Mahmood and one from Aaron Fahey turned the game around and gave the points to the hosts. Alleynians looked a good side and while it's early days, they'll be feeling confident of challenging at the top of the table. A decent crowd were also in attendance to witness the occasion, which was good to see.

It was quickly back to the A50 afterwards and in next to no time back over the county boundary and into Derbyshire. It was nice, after all this time, to finally watch a game of football in Stone, and, I will keep my promise to visit Dave and let hm take me on that pub tour of the town he keeps threatening me with! 

A Brum Ting

Solihull Sporting  3  Wake Green Amateurs  3

Midland Football League – Third Division

Pickings were a little slim on the second opening weekend of the new season (we’ve got a third coming up shortly if your team is in the Northern Premier League!).

I made my mind up early on though, a short run down the A38 to the Eastern side of Birmingham (it’s a Brum Ting apparently) to Midland League newcomers Solihull Sporting, where the game against fellow newcomers Wake Green Amateurs was very much floating my canoe.

When I say newcomers, they were in the Midland League last season, competing in the Reserve Division, so I can only assume what was a club linked to Solihull Moors, has decided to head off in their own direction. I stand to be corrected on that, but my logical brain has lead me to that conclusion.

I had a bit of dialogue with the club over the Summer, largely because they were very quick to get a list of pre-season friendlies out into the public domain, but venues of the games were somewhat changeable. Games were scheduled at John Henry Newman College, the old Chelmsley Town ground, and the Tudor Grange Academy at Kingshurst, with the latter being what was the registered home venue for the season. The guy who runs the Twitter for Solihull was both prompt and helpful, but to be fair, due to a number of factors, I couldn’t get in a visit before the real stuff started.

It was a lovely day as global warming increases it’s grip on our embattled planet, and the journey down was a straightforward one, skirting the edges of the large Castle Vale estate, and running parallel to the M6 before turning onto Cooks Lane. When I say straightforward, it became clear that there was a bit of a problem at the venue itself because both teams were queued up in cars on the main road trying to access the academy, but that was proving quite tricky as the gates were locked!

The traffic congestion this caused was relatively minor, and when the gates were finally unlocked it was like a scene from the start of the Gumball Rally as engines revved and horns were sounded, thankfully though car parking spaces were greater than the number of cars trying to use them so in a short period of time order was restored and the home team had to move quickly to get the pitch in order.

When I say get the pitch in order, it’s a floodlit 4G, and the first job was to get all of the small sided goals out of the way, the corner flags put in and the temporary dugouts erected!

With the jobs completed, the players had a warm up / cool down, and it gave me chance to survey the scene. No alcohol was taken as my meanderings in the vicinity didn’t present me with any opportunities, so I made do with a bottle of H20 and gazed across the landscape which other than being made up of a good number of educational establishments, was very much a large residential expanse of relatively modern housing.

A changing room block sat at the Northern end of the pitch and comprised the usual facilities, but for clubs like Solihull Sporting the only down side is they can’t make any money selling refreshments etc. To compensate for that though they did charge £3 admission, and I have to say it was money well spent!

Somewhat against the run of play, it was the hosts who scored twice in the opening half, one from a free kick and the other well finished after an excellent through ball.

Visiting Wake Green came back into it and reduced the areas in the second period only for Solihull to reply almost instantly and make it 3-1. This galvanised the visitors though and for the remainder of the game they threw all they had at Sporting, firstly reducing the arrears and then as the game entered it’s closing stages they bagged the all important equaliser.

So, 3-3, a cracking game and probably on reflection a fair outcome for two sides who gave their all and look to be good additions to the competition. Solihull Sporting are a forward thinking and friendly club, so I would recommend a visit, especially on a day when (and don't laugh) when it eventually turns wet and cold and you need a failsafe!

Another opening day thoroughly enjoyed, one more to look forward to the following Saturday, I won't be going to a 'Trident League' game though (FA Speak for Step 3 & 4), a trip to Cornwall beckons, assuming the planet hasn't spontaneously combusted by then!

Synthetic Ammonia

Billingham Synthonia  0  Chester Le Street Town  1

Northern League – Second Division

Synthetic Ammonia is synonymous with the town of Billingham.

The huge ICI works in the town just North of the River Tees is a famous landmark in that part of the Country, and, is one of the largest, if not the largest producers of fertiliser in the stratosphere.

That is how Billingham Synthonia Football Club got their name, the ‘Synthonia’ is a mash up of the words Synthetic Ammonia….and I was fortunate enough back in August 2015 to visit their Central Avenue ground. Somewhere within my blog articles is a report on the game against Ryton & Crawcrook, albeit the article was written pre-blog days, I just posted it during the first lockdown when we were all interned and unable to fashion any new experiential content!

A lot has happened since my visit back then to the quite magnificent stadium Synthonia played at, with it’s huge iconic stand (once the biggest of it’s kind in the Country). Tragically, due to rising costs of maintenance (it was a big bugger of a stand to be fair), the club were forced to vacate and move just up the road to the home of Norton & Stockton Ancients.

Central Avenue has since been demolished, which was a tragedy in itself, but as if the short hop over the A19 to Norton was a huge leap in many ways for the loyal fan base, this season what was a mile and half journey from their spiritual home, has turned into a fourteen mile jaunt from the heavy industrial areas of Teesside to the North Yorkshire market town of Stokesley.

With the meeting in Gosforth due to finish at 5pm, calling in at Stokesley on my way home to Derbyshire seemed a good idea. It did mean a somewhat stop-start journey through Gateshead out to the A19, but once on the road that links Teesside to North Yorkshire, it was a pretty easy run to the Southern edges of Middlesbrough and the short cross country jaunt to the edges of the attractive town.

They still have some games kicking off at the traditional time of 7.30pm in the Northern League, which is good to see, especially when you are looking at a two hour journey home afterwards, but that said, due to the Tyneside traffic I was a little later arriving than I would have hoped and did well to get what was the last car parking space.

Stokesley Sports Club is a sizable venue, it’s the home of the North Riding County FA, Stokesley Football Club, Stokesley Cricket Club and Stokesley Tennis Club. More importantly, it has a bar, which always makes me a happy soul at a midweek game…

The football ground has seen Northern League action before, when Stokesley Sports were promoted from the Wearside League in 2006. The club did get to the top flight of the league briefly after winning the Second Division in 2009-10 but at the end of the 2015-16 they were relegated back to the Wearside where they remain.

As you would expect the ground does the job for Northern League football. It has a seated Atcost towards the end of one side, with a small tea bar adjacent to it. Behind the car park end goal are two areas of shallow cover, whereas the remainder of the ground is hard standing. The dressing rooms are actually on the other side of the car park in the County FA building, with a temporary barrier protecting the pathway to the pitch.

The ground does offer lovely views to the South with the hills of the North Yorkshire Moors in the distance, while Synthonia have tried to make it their own with some flags and hoardings, but for me, it will never be the same as looking at the towers and the chimneys at the adjacent ICI plant.

It was a tight affair on the field against Chester-Le-Street Town, with the game being decided just before half time when a challenge on the home goalkeeper saw the ball drop loose for a visiting player to tap into an empty net.

Synthonia gave it a real good go in the second period, in front of a crowd of just over 100, but they were unable to breach the defences of the County Durham side, and so they came away with nothing for their efforts.

As I drove away, turning left at the roundabout heading in the direction of Thirsk, the bulk of the traffic was going in the opposite direction towards Middlesbrough, and that kind of saw it hit home for me. This must be a really tough gig for Synthonia, and as much as they have nice facilities to play at, and I’m sure they have been made hugely welcome in Stokesley, it’s not home, on so many levels.

Even if the club can find a way back into Billingham (share with Town maybe, but I don’t know the politics?), wherever they end up, it will never be quite like Central Avenue. That ground was what the famous old club was all about, and on the day they started to demolish it, part of the club disappeared into the rubble.

That said, the loyal band of club officials, helpers, and supporters continue to do all they can to keep the club alive…..their illustrious history alone means survival is the only option they can pursue.

Perks Of The Job

Newcastle Benfield  2  Pickering Town  1

Northern League – First Division

I genuinely thought after the ‘majestic’ job I did of looking after three of our North East offices, and the subsequent removal of said offices from my watch, regular trips to that part of the World were well and truly over.

Geographical reasons apparently the gaffer told me, it made no sense for someone based in Derbyshire to be looking after branches in that part of the Country. Clearly, it had nothing to do with my disparaging remarks and observations of a certain town on Teesside, nor my apparent lack of desire to go to Whitby on the basis that “it’s a pain in the arse to get to and I couldn’t find any football to fit in with it”.

Relieved of my duties I was, but then our new owners have come up with a concept whereby we effectively have a territory roadshow once a quarter whereby those in my role have to travel to a location and present their results and plans to peers and people on a higher pay grade. The Q2 review was to take place in Gosforth, a suburb of Newcastle Upon Tyne. That dear readers, was to involve an overnight stay, which also happened to coincide with the opening midweek fixtures in the Northern League…..

The hierarchy were staying at some venue in the city centre and going out for a collective nibbles and drinkies by the river. I was duly invited to attend what promised to be a rip roaring evening of prosecco and tapas, but then I considered the alternatives.

The Best Western in Jesmond was perfect, only a few minutes walk from the student themed restaurants and bars, and, very close to the West Jesmond Metro station, which was going to be vitally important to my evening plans. I have to say, after having a few issues getting onto the Tyne Bridge thanks to road closures, and then weaving over various lanes to get in the correct position for the turn I needed, once you get into Jesmond you can’t help but be impressed as to just how nice an area it is. For one night only, I suspected I was going to be mostly quite happy.

Suitably fed, watered, and doubling the average age of the customer base in the venues I patronised, it was time for a little trip out, a trip just East of the city centre, to an area called Walkergate.

The Newcastle Metro is a bit like the London Underground, except it’s in Newcastle, it’s considerably smaller and has less lines, while the majority of it isn’t actually underground. That said, the concept is still the same, and in a busy city it’s the easiest way to get around. Southbound, change at Monument (they’ve got one of those in London) and then get on the North Shields bound wagon, which goes via Byker (Grove) and into the final destination of Walkergate.

A short ten minute walk up the road and on your left is the home of Newcastle Benfield Football Club, who, were playing North Yorkshire side Pickering Town, who themselves are new entrants to the Northern League this season.

Right, this is a bit of a confusing story, and I’m reliant on Football Club History Database for the info so if I’m wrong, don’t shoot….

In 1988 a club called Brunswick Village joined the Northern Alliance but then a year later they changed their name to Heaton Corner House. Then in 1991 the club changed it’s named to Newcastle Benfield Park, however, they merged with North Shields St Columbas in 2000 and the name changed again, this time to Newcastle Benfield Saints.

By now, the loyal fans, were not only confused, they were getting fed up of having to buy new scarves and pin badges, and that was further exacerbated in 2005 when they decided to adopt the name of a sponsor and become Newcastle Benfield (Bay Plastics), oh, and by now they were competing in the Northern League, and for that matter, doing pretty well!

Bay Plastics was dropped in 2007 and they then became, as they remain, plain old and simple Newcastle Benfield. They won the Northern League in 2008-09, and since then they’ve always remained in the top flight.

The club play at Sam Smith’s Park, and I have to say it’s a very tidy venue, and if like many of their former Northern League pals, they decide to have a go for promotion, then I don’t see any issues in terms of the facilities. You enter behind the goal, in the South West corner, and immediately to your left is the clubhouse and the tea bar area. Moving round in a clockwise direction is an area of cover that appears to have been turned into an al-fresco gymnasium, while next to it on the half way line is a seated stand.

It's remains open at the West end of the ground while on the South side is a further seated stand and another area of cover that has also had a slight conversion to it, in this instance a boxing gym!

There also appears to be a kind of nightclub on the corner of the ground, but it wasn’t open so I couldn’t partake in any moves or disco biscuits, instead sticking to draught Madri from the clubhouse which served in a plastic pot made for an excellent touchline companion.

A crowd of 175 rocked up to see an entertaining game. Pickering took an eighth minute lead through Bobby Rye only for Eddie Thomas to equalise within a matter of a few minutes. Pickering were then awarded a penalty ten minutes into the second period (albeit somewhat dubious I thought) only for the hosts Andrew Grainger to save the kick. Benfield then went straight up the other end and Cameron Gascoigne found the net with a composed finish. On the balance of play it was probably the right result, but Pickering certainly put up a good fight.

And that was it, a quick trot back down Benfield Road and back on the city bound train, with base camp being arrived at around 10.20pm. Jesmond was still looking pretty lively, but I needed rest before a day of presenting.

The presentation went fine, and when it came to questions, I was immediately on the back foot with the first one that came my way, bearing in mind my alternative choice of evening entertainment had become widely publicised…..

“So, talk to us about this obsession for non-league football, then?”

I had to think quickly, I looked the questioner in the eye and replied in the best way I could

“Do you really want me to start to go down that route?”

The conversation moved quickly back to business….

Triangulation

Atherton Town  0  Vulcan  1

Friendly

Triangulation – I like that word, you hear it a lot on TV programmes where cops are trying to track people down via mobile phone locations, usually at really tense bits on dramas like ‘Line of Duty’ or ‘Silent Witness’, typically when they are closing in on the baddies!  Apparently though, it also refers to a psychological and someone sinister practice whereby individuals with narcissistic tendencies try to influence and control others for their own gains, 'gaslighting’ is another word used for it.

That’s all a bit deep though, my favoured explanation of the word is where you take three points on a map and join them together to form a triangle. No idea why you would do that or what purpose it may serve, other than to make pretty patterns. Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t go around drawing triangles on maps, but, if you had a map of the Lancashire town of Atherton, then you could do just that, with football grounds as your points!

I first went to Atherton back in 1994, Belper Town had drawn newly promoted Northern Premier League side Atherton Laburnam Rovers in the FA Cup. The game finished a 1-1 draw, we went up on the players bus and I can vividly remember we shunted into a car in Hazel Grove when passing a pub called the Grapes. I’d been on a night shift the evening before in a local factory and seem to recall sleeping most of the journey, both ways.

Atherton Collieries, who at the time were lower down the food chain than LR, were visited in 2003, for a North West Counties League game against Glossop North End. It was a Monday night and the visitors won 1-0, from memory whereas LR’s ground was on the edges of the town, Collieries ground was very close to the centre of the action.

The balance of power has shifted in Atherton, Collieries are the major force now playing at Step 3, in fact Belper go their early this season for a midweek game, their first venture to the town since 1994. However, another club has moved up a level in the football pyramid this Summer and that is Atherton Town, who have been promoted to the Premier Division of the Manchester League, which is notionally Step 7.

Town play at Butler Park in the Howe Bridge area, which sits on the Southern edge of the town, and I’ve got to be honest, I know very little about them. Looking at Football Club History Database, it does suggest that they joined the Manchester League in 1985, but how accurate that is I’m not sure, but what I can say is that other than the odd promotion and relegation between the top two divisions, that is where they have remained ever since.

I try and keep on top of the ‘Manc League’ as Steve and I describe it, so with Town getting promotion at the end of last season along with Moorside Rangers and Uppermill, I thought I’d take the opportunity to pay them a visit on a day where they had a 1pm kick off, allowing me to listen to the start of the Football League season on the radio for the drive back.

The game against Vulcan was a double header with the reserve teams also playing each other at 3pm, for the Holly Prince Memorial Cup, a charitable cause that both teams support. The games were well advertised on social media, so with no concerns around late call offs, it was time to make it a hat-trick of visits.

I decided to go via the M6 and along the East Lancs Road, before heading up past Leigh Sports Village and into Atherton. The journey took just under two hours from blighty, interspersed with some rain showers, this is Greater Manchester in July remember!

Butler Park sits behind the Howe Bridge Leisure Centre and is adjacent to the cricket club, but it does have it’s own enclosed facilities. The car park is sizeable, and both a clubroom and a separate changing block sit just outside the pitch area which is surrounded by a concrete post and fence surround. Inside the fence the pitch is fully railed, it has hard standing all around it, while a small shelter stands behind the goal to provide a bit of cover from any inclement weather.

First impressions were that Atherton Town are a very friendly and welcoming club, with an array of volunteers, all decked in club leisure wear busily going about match day duties. There is a definite sense of pride in the club and its facilities, with the promotion last term clearly buoying all of those involved. Can they go any higher in terms of what they have at their disposal? If I’m honest at first glance I would say that they aren’t a million miles away from having a Step 6 set up, clearly getting floodlights is the big challenge but located in an area some way from any housing, maybe the big hurdle of planning could be relatively straightforward to overcome.

As pre-season friendlies go, it was an entertaining and competitive affair. I thought Atherton had the edge for large parts of the game but the visitors took the lead quite late in the second period with a low shot that eluded the home goalkeeper. It could easily have been parity moments later when Atherton won a penalty but the spot kick came back off the cross bar and the rebound finished up in the arms of the goalkeeper.

So with the game finishing 1-0, and the reserve game finishing 4-3 to Atherton later in the afternoon, the destiny of the Holly Prince Memorial Cup came down to penalty kicks and it was to be the visitors from Newton-Le-Willows who came out on top.

I decided to head back via the M61, M60 and over the tops via Glossop and Buxton, which wasn’t the best move for picking up radio reception and the football updates, but there is something special about the opening day of the Football League season, although, I can never recall it starting in July before now.

There are three points to every triangle, and in the case of Atherton, if you get chance, head to the point in Howe Bridge, you won’t be disappointed.