Summer League

Broughton Wanderers  2  Kirk Langley  3

The Summer Football League

It was the long hot Summer of 2012, and having finally got our new house to the liveable stage, Mrs H decided I needed to find something to do to keep myself from under her feet.

Mrs H spent a few years working in the licensed trade in Ashbourne, and was pretty well versed with some of the local customs, so when I mentioned the Summer League, she knew a fair bit about it.

“Why don’t you watch a few games in that, some lovely places….”

And that was kind of it, I was about to be introduced to the Derby Summer League.

It isn’t called the Derby Summer League to be fair, it’s actually called, quite simply, ‘The Summer Football League’, and if anything, if it needed localising, it would be more like an Ashbourne based competition than a Derby based one.

I’d read about it on the various non-league forums, and to be honest, my interest up to that point kind of ended when I’d read some of the harsher comments about farmers fields. But to be fair, the negatives were without doubt the exception, it did have quite a keen following amongst the travelling community, and I don’t mean those that turn up one day and park their caravans on open spaces!

Fixtures and locations could typically only be found by ordering the handbook from long standing League Secretary John Brailsford, and then subscribing to the mailing list, it proved handy, and away I went once armed with all of the relevant information.

It started at Kirk Langley, and moved on to places such as Osmaston, Hulland, Brassington, Biggin, Boylestone, Doveridge and Shirley. Teams were either based around the local village, or in some cases, notably in Ashbourne, centred around a pub. It had quirky rules, like the matches were forty minutes each way, apart from cup ties which were forty five! Also, if you were between the ages of 21 and 35, you could not have played Saturday football during the previous campaign.

So what was it all about then? It seemed, as chatter suggested, that it was designed for two purposes, one was to allow those who worked in the farming community who couldn’t play during the typical football months, to get a game, and, it also catered for those who liked to play rugby in the Winter months.

Whether that is strictly true or not I don’t know, but what I found was a keenly contested, and a surprisingly good standard of football. Facilities wise it was as basic as it gets, quite often players would change in cars, and it was literally a case of playing on the village recreation ground, expect of course the Red Lion who did quite literally play in a farmers field just outside Longford!

Over the course of a Summer I’d done the lot, and it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience at some truly fantastic locations in the heart of the Derbyshire countryside. Since then only one opportunity has presented itself to me in terms of new grounds and that was when Brassington moved to a new facility closer to the centre of the village.

But that all changed recently when it was announced that the village of Church Broughton was to host a team (Broughton Wanderers) after a few years without a side since Holly Bush used to play there. Holly Bush had gone by the time I started watching it, so it was time to dip into the Summer League once more.

It got pencilled in for a Monday night, the Summer League plays every week on a Monday and Thursday night, and it was also scheduled to be my last game of a long season. I took Derek and agreed to meet Dave, lock up your wives and daughters as the boys were coming to town…..

I’ve never been to Church Broughton before, located North of the A50 not far from Hilton, it’s the village where my sister used to be Headteacher at the local Primary School. With the pitch in the middle of the village right next to the school, and with us parked up and players arriving, it was time for a short walk to the aforementioned Holly Bush for a pre-match snifter.

In another lovely setting on a fine night for football, we had the pleasure of a very entertaining game. Kirk Langley upset the form book by taking the lead, but two quick goals from a confident Broughton side saw them turn a deficit into a lead.

But then, somewhat inexplicably, Kirk Langley equalised and then went back into the lead through something a freak goal which saw a clearance rebound off the back of a defender and into the empty net.

And that was how it ended, not only the game, but also for me, the season, and in some ways it was the perfect place to end it, with a couple of mates for company.

147 games, I’m ready for a (maximum) break………..

Steady The Buffs

Kilwinning Rangers  0  Auchinleck Talbot  1

Scottish Juniors Western Region - Premiership

It was the stand out fixture on a night of many choices in the West of Scotland.

Kilwinning Rangers were playing their last ever game at the famous Abbey Park ground, while the fellow Ayrshire visitors are arguably the biggest name in Junior football, and arrived knowing a victory would be another step towards the Premiership crown and a potential double with the Junior Cup Final just around the corner.

Another trip North of the border was soon upon me, and this time I had a compatriot in the shape of my colleague Andrew, who was to ultimately join me at the game. On a wet and windy day, Glasgow was reached by just gone 4.30pm, and shortly after that we were firmly camped in Wetherspoons having fun with the App and the Meal Deals!

Kilwinning is reached easily from Glasgow Central station, trains run frequently to Ardrossan Harbour and our port of call takes around half an hour. By just after 6pm we were alighting just West of the town centre.

Located around twenty miles south of Glasgow, with a population of just over 20,000, Kilwinning became a designated part of ‘Irvine New Town’ in 1966 and with new housing estates springing up, it became something of an overspill for ‘Glasgae’.

The football club has something of a rich history, becoming the first ever Ayrshire winners of the Junior Cup in 1909. Another first came in 2004 when they became the first Ayrshire side to win the West Super League (which became the Premiership). The clubs fortunes declined after this and a couple of relegations were suffered, but two promotions in the middle of the current decade saw them return to top flight status, where they remain.

It’s a fifteen minute walk to the ground from the railway station, and as we arrived it became apparent that a good sized crowd was going to be in attendance for the historic final game, before a move to Kilwinning Sports Centre at the start of next season.

Interestingly, the programme editor, while not going as far as stating it directly, suggested in his notes that he was unhappy about the direction the club was going in, and as a result his efforts for the club would be ceasing at the end of the campaign. I assumed by ‘direction’ he meant one of two things, geographical or strategic, or possibly even both. Either way, he wasn’t a happy bunny!

Abbey Park is a proper old Junior ground, with no seats, but a couple of areas of cover. One area sits raised behind the West goal, while the other is just in front of the clubhouse on the South side. Otherwise it’s standing only out in the open, but the other two sides of the ground are banked so provide excellent views of proceedings. No floodlights at the ground as is the norm, but the pitch was in superb condition.

With a swift can of Tennents downed in the club, it was time to see what fare was on offer. To be fair, Auchinleck, or ‘The Bot’ as they are known, who were backed by a large following, were favourites to get the points, with just one defeat to their name all season in the league.

Talbot won the league four times on the bounce from 2013 to 2016, while the Junior Cup has been won six times in thirteen seasons. Junior sides have only recently been admitted to the Scottish FA Cup, 2009 to be precise, and in that time they’ve reached the Third Round twice, the Fourth Round and then the Fifth Round this season when they lost 4-0 to Hearts after beating Championship full timers Ayr United in the Fourth Round.

In short, they are no mugs!

Tonight was about Kilwinning though, and they did a great job of creating a fitting finale for Abbey Park in terms of the publicity and the local engagement. I would estimate a crowd of around 500 was in the ground at kick off, but when it came to the entertainment on the field, to be honest it wasn’t really befitting of the occasion.

The Buffs, as Kilwinning are known, with the strapline ‘Steady The Buffs’, battled away, but in a game of few chances it was a goal just before half time from Talbot that essentially sealed the three points. The visitors clearly know how to win games when not playing especially well, the mark of champions I guess, but what they do very well is really limit the opposition in terms of chances.

At the final whistle on an increasingly cold night, it was a steady walk to the station before a train black to Glasgow, which saw us back the Spoons before 10pm, just in time to watch Spurs grab the now legendary winner at the Amsterdam Arena.

That’s Scotland over for this season now, and what a great place to round the season off, at a proper old Junior club and ground, and reading between the lines, it will be a loss.

But, a chance has now arisen to head back again next season to Kilwinning, while those more knowledgeable than me will probably tell me it won’t quite be the same. I’ll be open minded though, and, with much talk about the Western Juniors moving into the Scottish football pyramid, maybe a new ground with the appropriate facilities is what they need if progression is on the agenda.

It's all about direction though, and that is quite apparent, what is also apparent is some people don't like a change of direction, and in the West of Scotland, some things are seemingly sacrosanct....

Youth Club

Blacon Youth  1  Lostock Gralam  2

Cheshire Football League – Division One

As we move into May, finding new football venues is proving a bit of a task, but thanks to the trusty old Cheshire Football League, one or two options were on the table, and the game at Blacon was the main attraction.

The third placed outfit from Chester, were at home to Lostock Gralam who sat top, with just Broadheath Central between them in the table. A victory for Gralam would guarantee promotion, whereas Blacon had games in hand should they not get the desired result, it was still in their hands.

Blacon sits right on the England / Wales border on the North West side of the City, not far from the Deva Stadium home of Chester FC. My journey took me via the M56 and through the village of Sealand, which is actually in Wales, before crossing the border again just before the high rise flats come into view.

Blacon is a large residential area made up predominantly of social housing, indeed at one point it was one of the largest council owned estates in Europe, but now its primarily owned by Sanctuary. Myself and Steve had a plan in mind and that was to meet at the Waggon & Horses pub, a mere five minutes from the ground.

With a bookies in the pub car park, it was a busy and indeed friendly place for a pre match pint and sandwich. But we couldn’t stay all day, a top of the table clash was looming around the corner and parking spaces were at a premium! Besides, they ran out of cheese and onion, which is no good at all….

The ground is pretty much what you’d expect at what is effectively Step 8, a railed pitch surrounded a quite superb playing surface, with dugouts opposite each other on either side of the pitch. Two buildings sit next to the car park, one being a changing room block, while the other serves as a clubhouse and seemingly a community centre for the youth of Blacon.

A friendly club, with strong support, indeed a good number had turned up to watch an important game in the clubs quest to attain Step 7 football next season. The Cheshire League is one of the better Step 7 competitions around, so to get into it you’ve got to be a pretty decent outfit.

It was a close game, but Gralam for me had the edge, with Alex Wilson giving them a first half lead. The second period was only moments old when the hosts grabbed an equaliser through Omar Ramo, but on the hour mark it Lostocks’ Robbie Hatton who found the net with the games third and decisive goal.

Of course, Blacon fought hard for an equaliser as you would expect them to do, but there efforts came to no avail and at the final whistle it was the Northwich based visitors who were celebrating a promotion that has been a good few years coming.

Blacon will go again, two wins from four games should see them home, but the final game is away at second placed Broadheath, I suspect the boys from Chester will ideally want it sewn up by then!

So that was the last Saturday of the season for me, three weeks earlier than last season when the horrible winter had such an impact on fixtures, whereas this time round the mild weather has left clubs kicking their heals as we approached the back end of the campaign.

The journey back was nice and straightforward, listening to the tales of joy and woe on Five Live as the likes of Notts County went down, Mansfield Town missed out and MK Dons celebrated. It’s always dramatic at this stage of the season, unless of course you are competing in the Step 4 play offs, in which case you probably don’t know whether you are up, down or sideways!

But today was about Blacon and Lostock, let’s hope that they are both competing at Cheshire’s top level next season, they are both more than capable of making a real fist of it.

Hotbed

Wirksworth Ivanhoe  1  Sherwood Colliery Reserves  3

Central Midlands League – Division One South

It’s got to the stage of the season now whereby I’m trying to find games that have something on them.

Firstly because it means that it might be an entertaining spectacle as a result, but also, it significantly increases the likelihood of teams actually turning up to play!

I was going to go to Wirksworth a couple of midweeks ago, to watch Town, but that got called off due to a lack of visiting players. To be fair, I wasn’t initially planning on going tonight, I was heading to watch a vital game in the Sheffield County Senior League between Houghton Main and Sheffield Bankers, but that turned out to be so pivotal that it got moved to the following Saturday at short notice!

So, a quick look at the fixtures and of course the tables, showed that visiting Sherwood Colliery Reserves needed to win this game to clinch the title, anything other than that and it was in the hands of Wirksworth’s neighbours (and mates it turns out) Rowsley 86.

Despite living mightily close to Wirksworth, it’s not a town I’m overly familiar with. Footballing wise I went to Town once in the late Nineties to watch Belper Town Reserves, while I had an amble to Ivanhoe about seven years ago when they were a Midlands Regional Alliance side. Otherwise, my knowledge of the place is limited to the fact it was where my Grandad bought his new cars from years and years ago.

Both Wirksworth sides are relatively new to the CMFL. Town joined two seasons ago when they expanded the league to effectively add a Step 8 division, while Ivanhoe made the move at the start of the current season. Both currently sit in mad-table places in a league that comprises of an almost equal 50/50 split between reserve sides and first teams.

Arriving in the town a short while before kick off I made my way to a boozer, which was fine, barring a couple of lads who had clearly been in place most of the day. No problems with them, although to be fair one of them in my own mind soon earned the nickname ‘Thrush’……..

Ivanhoe play on Derby Road to the South of the town, sharing a complex with the local cricket club. The cricket side have an excellent clubhouse and scoreboard building, while the football club look to be the poor relations with a small changing room block that looks like it’s been in place for longer than most of the players have been born!

A fence separates the cricket from the football, and other than that, there are some temporary dugouts and a rope down the edge of the pitch. Sherwood had bought a few with them (on a bus) while the Rowsley support probably made up about a third of the overall attendance.

Features wise, a nice bank sits behind the goal giving excellent views of the pitch, and on a wet / cold day, you could watch the game from the comfort of your car at the top. I didn’t do this, but others did on a night that was a bit on the chilly side.

The game was very good in all fairness. Sherwood had the edge in terms of possession but Wirksworth battled like they had something a stake (a bung from Rowsley!), and got tackles in and bodies in the way of everything that was thrown at them. The game had just over ten minutes remaining when the visitors finally made the breakthrough courtesy of Gareth Curtis who managed to get the ball past my old pal Shane Torr who was in goal for Ivanhoe. Nerves looked to be settled, but as is often the case, the hosts went up the other end, won a free kick and before you know it, it was 1-1 and the Rowsley fans were celebrating!

With 89 minutes on the clock, Ewan Robson snatched a second for Colliery and the hopes of Rowsley were shattered once more. With Wirksworth throwing men forward it was almost inevitable that a third would come in the 95^th minute for Sherwood from Triston Burrell.

It had been a cracking final fifteen minutes and to be fair, on balance of play and possession, it was probably the right outcome, and well done Sherwood on your championship. Ivanhoe, as Shane said to me during the game, are finding their feet in a new league and they have been somewhat inconsistent. Next year, with the experience behind them, who knows?

Ivanhoe play Town shortly, the 9th of May in fact. I can't make it but I suspect a few will pop down to watch it. Wirksworth, it appears, is a footballing hotbed, except until now they haven't told anyone!

The New Sons

Corwen  3  Rhostyllen  2

Welsh National League (Wrexham Area) – Premier Division

Owain Glyndwr was once named second in a list of the top 100 Welsh Heroes.

This from a man who inspired a group of Welsh Nationalists to set about fire bombing Holiday Homes owned by the English in the principality. The Sons of Glyndwr because infamous in the Eighties and early Nineties due to concerns over housing. They were also known to have planted / sent incendiary bombs to estate agents across the land.

Terrorist attacks was probably not the legacy Owain was hoping for when he set about battling the English in an attempt to free the Welsh from British rule in the 1400’s. Ultimately he didn’t succeed, but, he remains a national hero, with his name attributed to many buildings and monuments throughout the country.

One of those is a statue of the last Welshman to be given the title Prince of Wales, sat upon his horse, in the centre of the town of Corwen. The connection with Corwen is quite simple, he was born and owned property nearby. A former coaching inn in the centre of the town is also named after him, sitting right opposite his statue.

Why the hell am I banging on about this fella then?

Dead simple, I’d chosen to go and watch Corwen play Rhostyllen in the Welsh National League, largely because the hosts sat in the box seats for a promotion place into the new Northern Tier 2 League next season, which is effectively replacing the Cymru Alliance. A victory would see them needing two points from two games, and having passed the ground grading earlier in the day, it looked a pretty done deal as far as I was concerned.

Corwen sits on the A5, West of both Wrexham and Lllangollen, but before reaching Bala. I’ve driven through it before on the way to both Bala and Porthmadog, but never had the chance to stop off.

The journey from Sheffield took me over the Woodhead to the M60, and then along the M56 to Buckley. Once at Buckley it was a cross country run (albeit very scenic) down to the town which is also the end of the lane as far as the Llangollen Steam Railway runs.

The football ground sits just North of the centre of the town and is only a few minutes walk from the main car park. I decided to have a pint in Owain’s place, which is also a hotel, and have a quick walk up and down the main road to take in the sights, including the impressive statue.

Once at the football ground, it’s a tidy venue but the standout is without doubt the stunning scenery on all four sides. Corwen is in a valley so it’s an idyllic location to watch the football. A community centre style building serves as a dressing room and clubhouse facility, while the pitch has hard standing on three sides, with a fourth sharing with cricket. The club have built a small seated stand behind the goal, but because the ground is in a public area and can’t be secured, the stand has had to be effectively fenced in with lockable fascia boards.

I chatted to a club official before the game who told me about the successful ground inspection, and how they were going to control the access of spectators next season when they need to charge admission. They will need to have staff stationed on the two entrances to the park to collect money, but, I guess, how they enforce that with it being a public space may be up for debate?

The history of Corwen is one of a club that has pretty much spent most of their recent history in the Welsh National League, albeit for one season in 1999-00 when after winning the league they had a solitary season in the Cymru Alliance, finishing bottom. This time round, you would hope for their sakes after the money they’ve spent on the ground, it’s a longer stay.

On the field this season they’ve been impressive. They’ve won 20 of the 26 games and scored 90 goals in the process. They are a point behind FC Queens Park who themselves have finished their games, hence the need for just two points from the final games.

The game against the South Wrexham based visitors was very entertaining, especially the first half. The visitors took the lead through a fantastic shot from distance by Lee McBurney, but ten minutes later the impressive Sam Henry found the net to equalise.

McBurney made it 2-1 with his second goal ten minutes before the break, but Joe Williams was on hand to equalise for Corwen the second time around with less than five to go before half time.

The second half was a much tighter affair, but the all important fifth goal of the game came in the 61^st minute through man of the match Henry. Rhostyllen gave it everything in the final half an hour but couldn’t break down the organised and resolute home defence. One down, two to go, they can almost smell the polish on the trophy!

The journey home took me via Wrexham, Nantwich and Stoke, and I was pulling on the drive by 10.30pm, it was a relatively easy journey back. But what an enjoyable evening, watching the new ‘Sons of Glyndwr’ putting the local football club firmly on the map.

Queens & Country

Queens University  5  Lurgan Celtic  0

Northern Ireland Premier Intermediate League

It was Ireland time again, the six monthly jaunt via FlyBe and UlsterBus taking in the sights, sounds, football and bars of the Northern part of the emerald isle.

It has been nearly a year since I’ve been up to Derry, so a trip was long overdue to the Maiden City and once in the centre of Belfast it was onto the half hourly 212 bus to Friday’s destination. In that year, the most noticeable difference has been the commencement of a new road being built that links the two major cities in Ulster. Two years away from completion yet (at least), it will knock between twenty minutes and half an hour off the journey time, a not unsubstantial saving.

On the downside of course, the paranoid and down-trodden folk of Derry feel it will just entice more people to the provincial capital and away from the second city, probably closing the airport with it. They do think a bit like that in Derry, everyone is out to get them, rather than being a faster road to Derry, in the eyes of many, it’s actually quite the opposite, it’s a faster road to Belfast!

On a serious note, Derry has been shaken recently with the murder of journalist Lyra McKee at the hands of a New IRA gunman. Widespread condemnation of the atrocity from all sides was quickly forthcoming, but, it demonstrates that there will always be a minority that quite simply will not accept being part of the UK, and that is what it really comes down to.

I love Derry, I have done since the very time I set foot in it in 2005, and that evening was going to be my seventeenth trip to the Brandywell to see the Candystripes take on Cork City. After a meal and drinks with friends, with just over 2,500 others we saw Derry play exceptionally well to beat the Leesiders 2-0. Things are looking up for City after a few tough years, they probably won’t win the league, but they will be competitive and the crowds are definitely coming back.

A farewell to a place I like to call my second home came courtesy of the 9.30am bus to Belfast. By the time we landed just after 11am, Storm Hannah was in full swing. The rain was teeming down and with high winds it made simply stepping out of doors an uncomfortable experience. I managed to dodge my way down to Lavery’s Bar on Bradbury Place for convenience purposes as it was where I was to catch the bus to my next game.

The weather was a slight concern, and I must admit being surprised to see only one game in the province called off due to it, at Sport & Leisure Swifts, but with time on my hands and the ground only a ten minute journey away, I had plenty of back-ups if required.

I’d chosen to got to Queens University, largely because they were on course to be promoted to the second tier of football in Northern Ireland, and I’m close to having completed all of the grounds in that division. I also chose it out of convenience as well, because the only other alternative in the second tier was Dergview and that’s a right ballache on public transport!

Anyhow, the game was on, the weather seemed to be easing and I was getting stuck into the Carlsberg as the pub started to get busy with punters getting ready for the Ulster v Leinster rugby game (they had got a bus on). At just after 2pm I made a move, it was a number 8b to Upper Malone.

Having never travelled along the Malone Road, it was interesting to see the profile of the properties change once past the University, this is clearly a very middle class area of Belfast, and without doubt a sought after area to own property in.

Upper Malone is effectively the Sports Ground of Queens University, and it comprises of various grass and all weather pitches, used for all sports. The centrepiece is the two story clubhouse and dressing room complex, complete with offices, and to both the front and rear of this are full sized pitches, one for rugby and one for football, while I’m lead to understand gaelic sports are also played on the main pitches.

Both pitches have stands and are only accessible to spectators down one side, with large mesh fences protecting the area. Interestingly, the rugby pitch has floodlights, the football pitch doesn’t.

Upper Malone, or ‘The Dub’ as it is known, hasn’t been the home of Queens for that long, it was only opened in 2012, prior to that the football team played at Newforge Lane, sharing the home of the PSNI side who ply their trade (currently) in the league above Queens.

As it was trophy presentation day, the club had elected to offer free admission to all, so that was a bonus, but the weather was far from conducive to bringing a large crowd through the open gates.

I would estimate an attendance of around 75 was in place before kick off, with a sprinkling having made the journey from Lurgan. The game was fairly one sided to be honest, Ryan McCready gave them an early lead before Lorcan McIlroy grabbed a second goal. It was 3-0 just before the break when Connor Mulholland found the net.

Mulholland got his second and Queens fourth in the second period while Ciaran O’Hare got the fifth and final goal, before the celebrations began.

A very friendly club though, and all spectators were invited into the hospitality area at half time for drinks and food, during which we witnessed Peter Thompson’s (Queens Manager) Mother receive a bouquet for all of her hard work preparing the wares in the hospitality area throughout the season, a lovely touch indeed.

After the final whistle, with the sun now shining, it was back to the bus stop and down to the Lisburn Road area to find my accommodation for the night. I always like to spend a couple of hours in Ryans on the Lisburn Road on the Saturday evening for some refreshments, it’s great to be able to chill and reflect.

It's also somewhere to start thinking about the next trip, and of course, what options that new road is going to give me, to escape from Derry of course!

Plan B For Linby

Linby Colliery Welfare Reserves  1  Bakewell Town  4

Central Midlands League – Presidents Cup

I’ll be brutally honest, I had absolutely no intention of going to Linby tonight.

Plan A was Wirksworth Town v Sutton Rovers, but deep down I should have known what was going to happen, and that was the Division One North league leaders from Doncaster would not be able to raise a side for a 6.45pm kick off in the back of beyond. 

The Presidents Cup has been formulated to fill in the fixture gaps caused by reduced league numbers and the unusually good weather, but, once it stretches beyond Saturday’s and over County boundaries, it is prone to problems. So, when the game was announced as off, I had to come up with something.

I’ve not been to Linby for a while, and knowing that they’ve moved the pitch at the Church Lane ground, I thought I’d go and have a gander at what they are up to. Plus, I’d never seen visiting Bakewell Town play before, and after hearing good reports about them, it kind of made my mind up for me.

There wasn’t much happening at Church Lane and hour before kick off, so I decided to go to the pub up the road for a wee beverage. I do like the Horse & Groom, for an eating pub it’s great to have a quiet pint in, but it is a bit on the expensive side, Linby is the posh side of Hucknall!

So what’s the story with Linby Colliery Welfare then?

There was a team playing in in Linby (Linby Colliery) just after the War, the Football Club History Database tells us that as the clubs FA Cup records are listed. Standing out are games against the wonderfully named Parliament Street Methodists and Players Athletic, but the highlight came in the 1950-51 season when victories over the aforementioned Methodists, Shirebrook, Retford, Boston United, Spalding United and Nuneaton Borough set up a First Round tie against Football League outfit Gillingham.

The game resulted in a 4-1 defeat and a record crowd, photos of which are on display in the clubhouse at Church Lane.

In latter years the club plied their trade in the old Midland League First Division in the Seventies, before a long spell in the Notts Senior League. The Central Midlands League was joined in 2012, where they have remained in the Southern Division ever since, albeit never at any stage really threatening for major honours.

Linby sits to the North East side of Hucknall, on the road to Papplewick and Calverton, it’s a small village, and it’s residents are known as Linbolians! In fairness though, it’s a very nice place, albeit at rush hour it does get pretty busy as it’s on the route to the main A60.

I first went to the ground over ten years ago to watch a Notts Senior League game against the enigma that was the Caribbean Cavaliers, but I’ve only been back once since and that was a couple of years ago to watch an end of season game against near neighbours Hucknall Rolls Leisure.

With tales abounding of the pitch move, I was indeed curious as to what other changes have taken place. To be fair, the only visible changes of note are that other than moving to pitch fifty yards or so nearer the changing rooms, are that the cover has been moved to the opposite side along with the dugouts, while a new barrier has been erected around the pitch.

Always a friendly club, I do like the way they do things at Linby, they have a strong community ethic, with the reserve team (and I assume the firsts as well) made up of local lads. A modest crowd had turned up on a wet and windy evening, and in fairness to the young team, they put up a good show having lots of possession, but Bakewell’s experience and nous saw them through in the end.

Tom Forder gave the visitors the lead in the 20^th minute when he rounded the goalkeeper to score, before new Dad, Ben Rach, scored from the penalty spot just before half time.

James Hill added a third in the 65^th minute before Travis Shooter pulled a goal back for the hosts. The fourth goal for Bakewell came in the 82^nd minute when a Rob Littlewood header found the net.

It’s a short trip home from Linby, and after seeing a very entertaining game at a super football club, I was kind of glad Sutton Rovers decided against a 120 mile round trip for a midweek game……