Sunday Bloody Sunday

Hop Inn   5   St Joeys   6

Mansfield Sunday League – Premier Division

It was brilliant yet uncomfortable TV viewing.

Alan Partridge was regaling two Irish media colleagues, and then he threw it in.

“Sunday Bloody Sunday – doesn’t it just encapsulate the frustration of a Sunday, you have to get up, read all of the papers, mow the lawn, wash the car, kids running around….”

The two Irishman, somewhat aghast, responded.

“That song is about the massacre of innocent people in Derry in 1972.”

Alan replied

“A massacre? I’ll not be playing that song again.”

So here we go again, another Sunday, and off to another football match, just the one today though, and a short drive up the A38 to Costa Del Pinxton for a top flight Mansfield Sunday League game.

I was looking forward to this one, largely because I’d had a look at the Hop Inn squad list on Full Time a noticed one or two Pinxton FC players off of the Central Midlands League were listed, so, the standard ought to be pretty good.

Even armed with that knowledge, I really hadn’t quite bargained for what was about to happen!

Firstly, why was I going?

Well, as you will be only too aware, I’m picking off a few grounds that are in use by Saturday teams, via Sunday games, and it came to my antennae like attention over the Summer that Pinxton United had put a team in Midlands Regional Alliance. When the fixtures were released it became apparent that they were playing on Pinxton Tops.

Now Pinxton United also have a team in the Alfreton Sunday League, which plays in the afternoon’s, but I also spotted that Hop Inn (a Pinxton Micro pub I’m told) were using it in the morning, so as it all fell, it was to be a Hop Inn game for yours truly.

Pinxton Tops sits above the Wharf Lane ground of Pinxton FC, the two separated by the graveyard, and it’s a pretty good venue in all fairness. They have a changing room block behind the goal, while a concrete fence separates the pitch from the road that runs parallel. A footpath runs around two sides of the pitch, set back behind the trees, while the pitch was in good nick considering it sees plenty of action.

Bloody Norah, what a game!

The first thing that came apparent, almost instantaneously, was the standard, it was very good indeed, these were proper footballers as opposed to pub footballers, and to be honest, when Hop Inn took the lead after about thirty seconds, with the away side having barely touched the ball, I did wonder quite how it was going to turn out.

Joeys came back brilliantly and scored three quick fire goals in response to put themselves in a great position by the time the half time interval came. Hop Inn after their superb start did lose their way a little as the half wore on, but….

Hop Inn came out in the second period like they’d had something slipped into their half time oranges (no, I didn’t see anything although there was a pungent smell in the air at one point!), and before you knew it they were 4-3 up. This of course was going down very well with the supporters / locals that had gathered behind the goal, winding up the visiting goalkeeper who was by now biting back!

But then it went to 4-4, only for Hop Inn to get another to make it 5-4, however it wasn’t over. Joey’s equalised again and as the game drifted towards it closing moments a composed finish made it 5-6 in favour of the team from just up the A38 in Sutton in Ashfield.

When that went it, it was chaotic, and by now the visiting keeper had resorted to charging round in his penalty areas making very clear gestures to the locals (not sensible, trust me!). The final whistle saw wild celebrations, and as I hopped over the wall, I heard the shouts….

“Joey’s, Joeys, leave it, let’s just pack up our stuff and go……”

Yep, I didn’t see what happened, but clearly a coming together was threatening, but all seemed fine as I drove back past the ground, no bodies in the streets put it that way!

For the record, Jay Cooper netted a hat-trick for Hop Inn while Daniel Fisher did likewise for Joeys. Cooper by the way, plays for Pinxton in the CMFL and is a player who I am convinced could perform, and probably should, at a higher level, he is a class act.

Sunday Bloody Sunday indeed.