Cracking

Barry Town United  6  Ton Pentre  0

Welsh Football League - First Division

I ain't gonna lie to you, Barry Town United are a cracking football team....

Ok, I know, I can hear the groans all the way from Jenner Park because I bet they've never heard a take on that line before!

West Stand @ Jenner Park

For those not familiar with James Corden's brilliant series 'Gavin & Stacey', Barry Island was chosen as the home and indeed the location of Stacey and her unorthodox collection of family and friends. One of her friends was played by the actress Ruth Jones, and her larger than life character had some stock phrases, one of which was the one about Barry Island being a 'cracking' place.

We spent the morning on Barry Island, once it had opened and burst into life. It kept little Master Hatt entertained while we did our best to find shelter from the driving winds. Barry Island is your typical seaside town, albeit on a much smaller scale than the likes of Skegness and Blackpool. I avoided the head spinning rides at Pleasure Park as they looked a bit lively for me, I was focusing more on the fact that Finnegans Inn was just along the way and it had been an early start...

The history of football in Barry is well documented, but to precis the recent history, the well documented period in exile at Worcester in 1992 when the club traded as simply Barri FC came about when the 'Irate Eight' Welsh clubs competing in the English pyramid system decided that the newly formed League of Wales was not for them. However, vastly wealthy backer Neil O'Halloran performed a u-turn just a year later and took the club in to the Welsh League (a step below the LOW), and the fun was about to begin.

And Now The East Stand

O'Halloran's backing lead Barry Town to a straightforward promotion and then on to a period of domination in Welsh football that until the arrival of TNS, looked like being unsurpassed. Seven league titles were won in eight seasons, and that meant European football. Dinaburg, Budapest Vasutas and FK Shamkir were knocked out by Barry, while the mighty FC Porto were beaten at Jenner Park (they were 8-0 up from the first leg to be fair!)

Operating in a full time capacity they simply could not be touched domestically, but when the O'Halloran family pulled the plug on the financial backing, Paula O'Halloran was now at the helm, the club spiraled into crisis.

John Fashanu had a play with it, that went wrong, and then a mysterious backer by the name of Stuart Lovering came on the scene, and amongst his many vastly unpopular moves, was the decision to withdraw the struggling club from the Welsh Football League with two games of the season left to play, ironically both were against today's opponents Ton Pentre. This was in the Summer 2013, and the Welsh Football League decided that the newly formed fans club, Barry Town United, would not be allowed to take the place of their predecessors. The case went to the High Court, the fans won and the club could take it's rightful place.

The Business End @ Parc Jenner

And that's where we are now, two promotions took them to the top flight of the Welsh Football League, and last weekend they won the league and earned their rightful place in the Welsh Premier League, a competition the old Barry Town left in 2004.

It was party time at Jenner Park, the clubs many youth teams lined the pitch pre-match as the players took the field. There was a real buzz about the club, many were wearing club colours and the fans were in good voice.

Jenner Park is impressive, with both the East and West stands dominating the arena. The West Stand is the bigger of the two and contains the TV gantry which they will need for next season. The running track might put some off, but to be fair it doesn't detract at all from the experience, which neither does the 3G pitch that played very well.

With only four league defeats all season, it's been won at a bit of a canter, with no sign of any nerves in the run in, especially as they were playing catch up with games in hand. An 11-0 win over Risca United two weeks ago, followed by a 3-0 victory over Goytre United meant second place was guaranteed and indeed the coveted promotion spot. Last Saturday they won 1-0 at Cambrian & Clydach to seal the league title, and with just today's game to go, I expected nothing short of a home victory.

I wasn't wrong, it was pretty much one way traffic in a game that was more like an exhibition game than a full blooded league encounter. It was 3-0 at half time, with a further three added in the second period, and to be fair it could easily have been more.

It wasn't about the result today though, and as the trophy was presented and the champagne sprayed, you couldn't help but think about the journey Barry Town and it's supporters have been on over the past 25 years.

It's been a rollercoaster by anyone's standards, in fact they had one of those at Pleasure Park, I didn't like the look of it to be fair, but young Master Hatt said it was cracking.

Forza Barry as they also say in these parts, it's been a season to remember.

Guard Of Honour - Stand Up For Barry

Setting Standards

Knutsford  2  Rylands  2

Cheshire Football League – Premier Division

Standards – you either have them or you don’t.

It was absolutely clear from the moment I parked up at Knutsford Football Club’s Manchester Road ground that they have high standards, everywhere you looked you could pick up on them.

The façade of the clubhouse tells you exactly where you are, freshly painted and with clean lines, it was a warm welcome, without the handshake.

Welcome....

The playing surface is immaculate, and you don’t win Groundsman awards from the FA without it being in a first class condition. Not only was it flat, grassy and well manicured, it also had one of those patterns woven into it that artistic ground staff like to create.

Inside the clubhouse, the walls are decorated with memorabilia, photographs and awards. But not only that, the notice boards tell you everything you need to know, from the pre-season training schedule to how to practice safe sex! (I kid you not!)

I had a pie, it was bloody magnificent, one of the finest I've ever had, and apparently they think they have the best pies at Step 7, and who am I to argue?

Billiard Table

The ground is very tidy, everywhere is well maintained, its in good order, its clean and there is a definite attention to detail.

A small stand adorns one side, and they’ve also put in some seats and some tables, so you can take out your teas and coffees to watch the game in comfort. As the game comes to its conclusion a chap comes round to collect the empty mugs. (attention to detail!)

That brings me on to the people, plenty of them, chatty, friendly and helpful, what more could you want?

They don’t miss a trick, this football club is certainly no Ragtag Rovers, but the cynics will scoff. 

Knutsford is a very well to do area, some of that affluence may well find its way into the club, I couldn’t say for definite, but clearly you can’t create and maintain what they have without an income stream.

They also have an abundance of officials who can help out, that is critical at any football club.

Money and bodies, they are very hard to come by at the best of times and at this level of football I suspect 95% of clubs will look at Knutsford and wish they had what they had. Enviously maybe, jealousy possibly, but nothing wrong in having something to aspire to.

Bespoke Furniture

It does actually come down to the fact that Knutsford have standards that all at the club buy into, and they simply live and breathe them on a constant basis. Yes, they are fortunate in some respects, but how much of the good fortune comes from the fact that people would rather associate themselves with an organisation that takes pride in itself and also upholds certain values? It does make you wonder?

On the pitch they have had a poor season. They won the league last year and have been consistently one of the best sides in the league over recent years. This season they are likely to finish anywhere between 3^rd and 6^th, Whaley Bridge have the league in the bag already, by their high standards (the standards extend to the team) it’s been a struggle.

Tonight’s game against Rylands pitched them against a side in the lower reaches of the table, but in terms of a spectacle it was one of the best I’ve seen all season. Knutsford had the lions share of play in the first half, but their good approach play became a bit too predictable once they got into dangerous areas and Rylands were able to keep them at bay. It came as no shock that on one of the visitors increasingly regular breaks that they took the lead late in the first half.

Knutsford continued in the same vein in the second period but showed a bit more purpose in attack and in a fifteen minute spell they turned the scoreline on its head to make it 2-1. It wasn’t over though, Rylands dug in, threw bodies forward and scored a deserved equaliser in injury time.

Compelling, entertaining and interesting, it had been all of those things, but also it had been of a high standard. It was better than many Step 5 games I’ve seen recently.

You are perhaps sensing I enjoyed my evening at Knutsford. Yes, clearly I did, but it wasn’t just the football, it was the whole experience that had the impact upon me.

Just along from the ground is the McLaren Showroom, I don’t know if the football club have approached them about any sponsorship, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they had at some point.

If you are going to have standards, set them high!

Even The Shadows Are Perfect!

Dark Satanic Mills

Uppermill  3  Chapel Town  3

Manchester Football League – First Division

I had a foreboding feeling as I drove into the car park at the impressive home of Rochdale Sacred Heart.

It was all too quiet, so I had a wander up the clubhouse stairs, only to be told the game against Dukinfield Town had been called off just an hour previously as the visitors were unable to raise a team. I guess given what I had to say about Dukinfield on last week’s blog, combined with the fact I advertised I’d be seeing them again tonight, gave them as good a reason as any to cause me some inconvenience!

Sorry RSH, it’s probably my fault, and as a result my pre-prepared missive about dark satanic mills, religion and football will have to wait until next season now, you are spared for the time being……..

So, it was time to check the fixtures and the clock, where could I get to, given I was in Greater Manchester in the midst of rush hour? The obvious choice was Uppermill, only eleven miles from Rochdale and a rural location that shouldn’t involve too much traffic congestion.

Hiding From The Rain - Uppermill's Tree's Provide Shelter

Normally I do a bit of research before going to a game, but with Plan B swinging into action, other than a postcode, I had no idea really of where I was going or what to expect. The journey was a very pleasant one, rising up over the edges of Saddleworth Moor before dropping down into the charming and authentic  village of Uppermill, which is another one of those Manchester League grounds that actually sits in West Yorkshire.

I was solely reliant on the navigation system, which took me via a housing estate, and that was both arduous and perilous as I was behind a bus that was trying to weave its way between the cars parked on both sides of the road, with a fair degree of abandon. But, with fifteen minutes to spare, I had apparently reached my destination, and thankfully I could spot what looked like footballers emerging from a building.

The Huddersfield Road & Railway Is Up There Somewhere.....

What a pleasant surprise I was in for, Uppermill’s ground is a wonderfully scenic venue nestled in a natural valley. The views across to where the Huddersfield to Manchester road, and indeed railway line, cut across the edge of the hillside were tremendous. The football pitch forms part of a bigger sports ground, and tonight both another football match and rugby training were taking place at the venue, but the main railed pitch is the one used by Uppermill. No cover, just dugouts, and the dressing rooms were some buildings fifty yards or so away.

A chill was in the air, indeed I’d travelled through sleet and snow as my journey wound its way round the edges of Huddersfield, but with some trees for shelter along one corner that also provided cover from the intermittent rain, I’d got my spot for the evening.

As the players and officials ran through the pre-match pleasantries I had a look at the league table. Uppermill sat bottom, Chapel Town were mid-table, but with only two wins to their name all season and a -93 goal difference I was pretty much expecting one way traffic.

If You Look Carefully Saddleworth Moor Sits Just Above The Trees...

I was very wrong. The visitors indeed took the lead but by half time a penalty made it 1-1, there had been very little in the game. Uppermill made it 2-1 and then 3-2, before missing a couple of good late chances that would have all but guaranteed the three points.

But, when you are bottom of the league things don’t go your way, and with virtually the last kick of the game it was the side from Derbyshire who made it 3-3 and gleaned a point that they perhaps didn’t really deserve on balance.

What a great game of football though, and what a cracking setting for a game. Plan B was definitely a good plan. Funnily enough though, Uppermill, as the name would suggest, is a village where the history is steeped in the textile industries, with mills dominating the skyline.

They might not have been dark and satanic tonight as I was planning, but as I drove back through Mossley and down towards Stalybridge, the gritters were out in force. It’s still the bleak mid-winter in this part of the World, but the again we are almost in May!

Three games seen now in the league I dared to explore. Manchester, so much to answer for……….

Ask Dusk Arrives Satan Makes His Way To The Mill

Unsung Heroes

Staffordshire LA  1  Eastwood Hanley  12

Staffordshire County Senior League - First Division

One of the challenges when following Staffordshire County Senior League football is actually knowing who plays where? Clubs do have a habit of being somewhat nomadic.

This is not a problem unique to this particular league, but it's a problem for football at County League level full stop. The reason behind this is typically because a good number of grounds are hired by the clubs, and then there comes a point when charges rise, and costs can't be met, so as a result they up sticks and move somewhere else, or they just pack up.

This league in particular is very good in the sense that it publishes it's handbook, which gives the locations, and at the start of the season it's invaluable because more often than not someone will have moved somewhere new, and without the information from the league you would never know. But more importantly, it gives the details of the club officials, and it is these people who go along way towards helping neutrals like me make decisions regarding where to travel to on a match day.

Ben Cook at Staffordshire LA falls very much into that category. I contacted him earlier in the season during a period of snowy weather, and despite admitting to me he had something like 17 texts on his phone asking if the game was on, and having also been at work he had no chance to respond to any of them, he still made the point of picking up the phone to me to keep me posted.

That day the game at the Gordon Banks Sports Centre was called off due to the snowy surrounds, and thanks to Ben it saved me a wasted journey. Then, a couple of months back, my mate Steve planned to visit LA, but we had heard they'd moved to the Dimensions Sports Centre, he spoke to Ben, who confirmed the details of the game, and at the same time confirmed the club were planning to at least see the season out at the new venue.

So, with one home game left, I decided to go for it, the last remaining ground I needed to visit in the league, it was time for a precautionary text to Ben, and I did that for two reasons, to check they were still at Dimensions and also to check the the kick off time as only a hundred yards away Port Vale were playing Bolton Wanderers in a crucial League One fixture.

Vale Park In Close Proximity - The Battle Was Soon To Commence!

He came back to me, confirmed all was ok, so I responded and pointed him in direction of this blog. He came back to me later that night having browsed it and said he was impressed, and hoped to see me the following day. Things like that make you feel good about a club, and make you want to pay them a visit, it doesn't take much, but those first impressions are really important.

Now then, the Port Vale game, lets box that debacle off first of all. I arrived an hour before kick off, knowing that in turn would get me to the vicinity of Vale Park about 90 minutes before a game that Vale were desperate to win to stay up, and Bolton needed to win (subject to Fleetwood's result) to go up. Bolton bought 4,000 to the game! It was going to busy, but thankfully by arriving early I didn't have too many issues in the way of traffic or parking, and then after the game I could get away before the madness commenced. It wouldn't have mattered anyway, the game finished way later than it should have done thanks to a significant delay while Vale and Wanderers fans decided to have a battle on the pitch. I don't know what the centre of Burslem was like after the game but I suspect it was tense.

The Dimensions Sports Centre sits right behind the home end at Vale Park, the noise of the crowd is clearly audible, and to access it you simply head down Scotia Road and enter the car park, which on a Vale match day has people streaming through it to get to the stadium.

A pint was enjoyed in the cafe area, before heading up the slope to the artificial pitch that LA are calling home. I overheard an Eastwood Hanley player say in the warm up that it was the best artificial pitch he'd played on, and to be fair from where I was stood it looked to play very well indeed. In terms of viewing, you had two options, behind either goal, for half the width of the pitch, that was it. As the game kicked off it was slightly bizarre that four women turned up with both cameras and video recorders to take some shots of the game. Quite why I don't know, unless one of the clubs has a very active media department that requires such photographic attention? If I was a betting man I would suggest students from the nearby Universities of Keele or Staffordshire.

Cameras At The Ready

The game, right, this is where it gets a bit awkward, because Ben will probably at some stage read this! After twenty minutes Eastwood were 5-0 up, it had been a complete massacre, but to be fair to LA they rallied and only conceded once more in the remaining twenty five minutes of the first half.

The second half was no better, a further six goals went past LA but they did pull one back. Was it a fair outcome? Well, Eastwood could have had countless more but to be fair some good defending and indeed goalkeeping kept other goal bound efforts out. Were LA that bad though? Going forward they looked ok on the rare occasions they did, but ultimately Eastwood ran rings round them, they were a significantly better side who played with movement, pace and no lack of skill. The league table would demonstrate that, Eastwood are set to achieve a promotion position, LA look set to finish in a relegation berth.

I made a quick exit at the end, I think at that moment in time the first punches were being thrown on the pitch at Vale Park. I never did catch up with Ben, I don't know if he was a player, or a member of the management team, but I suspected he was best left alone after this hammering.

The unsung heroes though, those that work for football clubs week in and week out, and never even think about quitting, even after a twelve goal drubbing. You deserve to be saluted, all good things and all that.........

Match Action

 

The Worst Team In England

Tunstall Town  5  HDFC  1

Staffordshire County Senior League - Division Two North

"Tunstall Town finally end 171 game run without a win" screamed the headline on the BBC website in January 2014.

Recognised unofficially as the 'Worst Team In England', they had found their fifteen minutes of fame, but what preceded it was tantamount to a whole World of pain for the football club from the Potteries. Six and half years of pain to be precise, but why was that, and also, why bother?

Well you certainly couldn't criticise the persistence and indeed the resolve to simply keep going, but defeats into double figures on a regular basis, and goal differences upwards of -200 suggested a serious underlying problem, and it will come as no shock when the diagnosis suggests it had something to do with the players!

Not just any players though, because Tunstall Town were effectively a veterans team, it was reported in some games that the average age of the back four was 50, so the playing field was clearly not a level one in a competition packed with fit, young whippersnappers.

The were wooden spoon winners season after season, but gradually things started to change, the average age of the team for a start. 143 consecutive defeats then finally came to an end with the victory over Whittington in January 2014. They were dancing in the streets of Tunstall, well, Knypersley where they were actually domiciled.

In The Shadow Of Sir Stanley

Then, at the start of this season came revolution. They decamped to the Ormiston Sir Stanley Matthews Academy in Blurton which had both grass and artificial pitches, and furthermore they went about signing players who had been there and done it, notably Matt Haddrell, the striker who had scored goals a plenty in the Evo-Stik League. Rumours abounded that players were being paid, but I say only rumours.

So how has it gone? 19 wins and 1 draw from 20 league games tells it's own story. Division Two North will be won at a canter although Foley Meir Reserves gave it a good shot. The County Challenge Cup has also been won but the Division Two Cup was narrowly lost on penalties to Brereton Social.

It's a far cry from the bad old days, in fact these are heady days indeed, and it was time to pay them a visit.

The Ormiston Sir Stanley Matthews Academy is a smart educational facility sat right at the top of the Blurton estate and backs onto the Longton Rugby ground that is ironically also the home of tonight's visitors HDFC (Hardman Development as was). Stoke City's stadium can be seen in the distance, and the ground is reached from the A50 via Sir Stanley Matthews Way.

The pitch used tonight was set on a plateau, but from time to time this season when the weather has dictated they have used the artificial pitch that is adjacent. The pitch had been freshly cut, but the grass cuttings had been left on the field which gave it an untidy appearance. A smattering of spectators turned out for the game, including a handful of curious neutrals like myself.

The Vast Expanses Of The OSSMA

Tunstall looked a confident and indeed competent side, although give credit to HDFC who were far from outclassed, certainly in the first period. Tunstall went in 1-0 up at half time, but the visitors equalised 18 seconds into the second half.

This galvanised Tunstall who then went on to move into another gear to retake the lead, before a quick fire barrage saw them produce neat finishes to take the game away from HDFC.

When you have quality and you also have momentum, you take some stopping, and to be frank, they won't be stopped. How will they fare in Division One? Hard to say because I was lead to believe that a few key players were missing tonight, but I suspect they will strengthen where they feel they need to and make a push to take the club to Step 7.

Sir Stanley will have looked on, in the shadow of the academy they named in his honour, and smiled, he would be delighted that no longer does a team from his beloved Stoke-on-Trent have the tag of being the worst team in England......

Getting Dark Now Liner....

Testing Resolve

Dukinfield Town  1  Walshaw Sports  0

Manchester Football League Premier Division

I have kept my promise, I said a few weeks ago that I would make every effort to get to a few Manchester League grounds in April, and after having a very enjoyable evening at Springhead, I was even more determined to maintain my pledge.

Dukinfield Town were the opponents at Springhead, but tonight they were the hosts, and after being sat in a meeting all day in Liverpool, it was a moderately stress free journey via the M62 and M60 into Ashton-Under-Lyne and then onto the suburb of Dukinfield.

Dukinfield is a brutally urban satellite town on the East edge of Manchester, and with the absolute greatest of respect, it isn’t the most aesthetic area of the World you will ever visit. Social Housing proliferates the area close to the Woodhams Park ground that the club play at, while a youth centre backs onto the community facilities that mark the space between the car park and the concrete fence that surrounds the football facilities.

The Pearly Gates

A pint in the nearby Wheatsheaf saw me sat lonely as a cloud, and with some debate as to when the game would kick off (the website said 6.45 but the Dukinfield players thought 6.30), I had to be quick in my guzzling. I arrived back bang on 6.30, but it was not yet kick off time, it did however get underway at 6.38, so betwixt the advertised and the assumed.

The ground was fenced in on two with the concrete post and slab construction that is commonly seen, but panels were missing. On the other two sides were housing and industrial units. The pitch was posted and railed while hard standing surrounded it. The grass areas were overgrown, it looked to lack loving care and attention, but it did the job. Clubs don’t have the hands these days to keep things spick and span, you can’t blame Dukinfield Town for that, indeed it may not even be their responsibility?

There was a bit of a chill in the air, the crowd was sparse and the two teams were both struggling at the wrong end of the table. Bury based Walshaw Sports did have the advantage though and it was they who looked the most likely side in the early exchanges.

Urban Jungle

The Walshaw bench were a lively bunch, very little passed by without a comment, a shout or a scream, typically aimed at the linesman (he was the nearest). But if they thought their methods would influence the officials positively in their favour, they were mistaken.

The only goal of the game came in the first period and it was an absolute cracker. An overhead kick from the edge of the box found the back of the net, and to be honest it wasn’t really in keeping with the game.

Plenty of effort, plenty of fight, but not a great deal in the way of quality in the areas that mattered. 1-0 was probably about right. Dukinfield, while actually hitting the bar with the last kick of the game, might argue they deserved a point, but Walshaw will point to the times they got behind the home defence, especially in wide areas, but the final ball was lacking.

The pitch didn’t help matters much, it was bobbly, as they often are at this stage of the season, but in summary, it wasn’t a great spectacle.

If you are thinking I didn’t enjoy tonight’s game much, you are probably right. It didn’t float my boat, and that isn’t anyone’s fault, it was just the combination of factors already mentioned that lead to that conclusion.

I won’t let it put me off though, remember this is a man who bravely battled two divisions of the Leicestershire Senior League without needing medical attention or a lawyer!

Rochdale Sacred Heart next week, with a name like that, what’s not to like?

Grey Skies

Nevermind

Leicester Nirvana  2  Kirby Muxloe  0

United Counties League Premier Division

It was 'oh so close' last season for Leicester Nirvana.

The battle with AFC Kempston Rovers went right to the wire but ultimately it was the boys from Bedford who crossed the line in pole position, and they took their rightful place in Step 4.

2015-16 was the first season that the club formerly known as Thurnby Nirvana, took on the Leicester prefix. Maybe they saw the Premier League title coming for the Foxes and wanted to piggyback it? Or maybe they just decided it was time for a seamless structure given that the senior team plying their trade were once known as Thurnby Rangers, and only adopted 'Nirvana' after merging with a predominantly junior organisation known simply as Leicester Nirvana?

Anyway, it goes the full circle and the named link to Thurnby has gone, which for some is a shame because it was this club that managed to climb from the Leicestershire Senior League, into the East Midlands Counties League and finally the United Counties League where in the season prior to becoming Leicester Nirvana, they also finished runners up, this time to AFC Rushden & Diamonds.

I Spy A Kirby Muxloe Fan - Not Far From The Clubhouse

It's quite a story to be fair, but as often happens after a couple of near misses, the manager and the players decide that while they may not have achieved their goal collectively, as individuals they are deserving of a better stage. They pretty much pitched up at Gresley as a unit, so in a roundabout way, they got to Step 4 after all, leaving the club behind!

This left Nirvana in a bit of a hole, Scott Goodwin was appointed manager and they had to rebuild, which has resulted in a season of consolidation, but, this term the focus has been considerably more off the pitch than on it.

Playing previously at the Gleneagles Avenue home of Highfield Rangers, they had plans to develop a ground at the location of the junior sides in Hamilton Park. It kind of went under the radar though, certainly for me it did, and I like to think I pay attention to such happenings. Having been to Hamilton Park before to see the then reserves of Thurnby Nirvana play, all I could recall was an open expanse on which sat a couple of pitches, with a changing block located next to the car park.

So it came as something of a surprise earlier this season when Nirvana announced that they were delighted to be moving 'home', with a game under floodlights at the 'new' Hamilton Park stadium.

Where Meccano Meets Originality

They worked both quickly and quietly to create a facility that is fit for Step 5 football, and having kept an eye on the fixtures, Easter Monday looked the ideal choice for me to pay them a visit.

So what have they done?

They've erected a large green fence to enclose the ground, although it doesn't stop those not wanting to pay having a free view from two sides of the pitch. Hard standing and floodlights are in place while an Atcost stand has almost inevitably found it's way onto the half way line. Credit to them though, they are in the throws of erecting some additional cover next to the stand and by the looks of it, it will be in place for next season.

The clubhouse sat atop the bank behind the goal, with an elevated viewing area in front. It was neat and tidy and also purposeful. They've created a football ground out of a piece of land, and that's something many, many clubs wish they could do.

The crowd on the Bank Holiday was sparse, certainly not many more than 50, and despite it being a local derby, perhaps a third of the crowd were neutrals / hoppers. Kirby Muxloe had very few fans, in fact by all accounts they could only muster up eleven players, so if you had turned up you probably would have been on the bench!

The first half was shocking, I was just glad a couple of lads I knew had turned up to help alleviate the boredom. For a Step 5 game, it was dreadful stuff, but thankfully the second half improved somewhat with Nirvana getting a grip on the game. The first goal came from the penalty spot while the second was a really well taken individual effort.

A well known Kirby Muxloe fan vented his spleen on the TK Forum, describing his teams performance as 'an absolute abomination', it was hard to argue. They may stay up this season, but next year could be curtains.

But this was about Nirvana, they have a base of their own now, a clear identity, they just need to start to replicate the success of the previous two seasons, assuming of course that is on the radar. Don't expect Dave Grohl to turn up in a hurry though, he's moved on, he's a Foo Fighter these days, they don't do the United Counties League, can't for a minute think why not, Holbeach would be right up their street?

Nevermind, as Nirvana once said, probably when Kempston pipped them to the title............

Here We Are Now - Entertain Us