A Port In A Storm

AFC Sandiacre  1 Sandiacre Town  5

Friendly

Admission / Programme – No / No

To be completely honest, I had no idea where to go on Saturday 22^nd July.

Nothing was coming up for any of the clubs I specifically wanted to visit, and given the weather forecast of torrential rain, no way was I planning on travelling far for a game, when a club could suddenly call a game off to protect the pitch (which did happen to be fair all across the Country).

No, I was bereft of ideas up until the Friday night when I spotted on Twitter that Sandiacre Town were playing what I think are their reserve side (AFC Sandiacre) on the plastic pitch at Friesland School. So, it was a local game, on a surface that wouldn’t be a problem, and I’d never been to the said school, so why not, and if I arrived to find it was off, Derby County were playing Stoke City a bit further back down the A52.

So, it was off to Sandiacre, where the first team right now are looking forward to their first season at Step 6 following promotion from the Notts Senior League last season. They will be competing in the United Counties League, which to be fair is the highest level they’ve operated at in the modern era, having previously got as a far as the Supreme Division of the Central Midlands League.

AFC Sandiacre have taken up a place in the second tier of the NSL this season, which is notionally Step 8, and if memory serves I think the highest level they can play at given the first teams status, if I recall there has to be a two step difference, but of course I could be wrong. However, being called AFC Sandiacre, is that a reserve team or is it a different club, I’ll let you decide on that one……!

It was a crappy old day to be fair, and having driven through the driving rain, my first challenge was locating the entrance to the school, which I missed first time around, when I realised what I thought was the entrance was in fact someone’s driveway….anyway, a quick about turn and we were soon meandering our way through the school and out to the back where the floodlit 4g pitch is situated.

Turns out the advertised 2pm start was more of a guide, the game kicked off closer to 1.45pm, well, I guess if everyone’s ready, and getting wet, why not just get on with it?

Facilities wise, it’s what you would expect, with a viewing area down one side. I think the game was only being played at the school due to availability and pitch preservation reasons, I expect AFC will play at St Giles Park along with Town this season, but I stand to be corrected.

The game, well for saying they were all technically team mates, it was a competitive affair, so much so after an altercation in the second period a player from each side was forced to be substituted as efforts to instil peace between the two seemed to be failing miserably. Whether they met up for a pint back at the clubhouse afterwards is anyone’s guess!

Town won the game 5-1, it was relatively straightforward and I guess expected. I’m hoping Town have a good season in the UCL, they were a club who back in the early Nineties were being touted as an up and coming outfit that could go on to mix it with some of the bigger boys, but that never transpired and the club did drop into the Midlands Regional Alliance and what is effectively local parks football.

I will have a run down this season and see what’s developing, as for AFC Sandiacre, well, again, it will be interesting to see what the season holds for them, but I think they will be more than ok at the level they are in.

The journey home was again through pouring rain, and I was just glad to get out of the wet clothes and dry off. It’s meant to be July, it’s not meant to be like this, in fact this time last season games were being called off for safety reasons as it was too hot!

You can’t beat the good old British Pre-Season can you……….