The Resurrection

South Normanton Athletic  0  Loughborough University  1

Midland Football League – Premier Division

The history of South Normanton Athletic Football Club is a short, yet eventful story.

They joined the Central Midlands League in 1990 and worked their way through the divisions until 2003 when they were eventually promoted to the Northern Counties East League.

Upon my return from University in 1994, I started to make the odd trip down to Lees Lane to watch ‘The Shiners’, and part of that was due to the clubs excellent media coverage courtesy of then press officer Kev Miles.

Kev worked at the local newspaper as sports editor and his ‘influence’ meant Athletic were always well represented, but not only that, he took immense pride in producing the clubs matchday programme which was an excellent piece of work. The impression you always got was that they were a well run and progressive club, and on top of that they did used to get a fair few watching them.

They spent four seasons in the First Division of the NCE before winning promotion to the Premier Division, and that level of football was quite an achievement for a club that had only been playing in senior football for just over fifteen years.

It went wrong though.

After just one season at Step 5, the club resigned from the league, a combination of factors meant the dream was over, or was it?

The Business End At Lees Lane

A season was spent in abeyance until a new committee came along and re-started the club back in the Central Midlands League. They remained there for five seasons, pretty successfully, and as a result they won promotion to the East Midlands Counties League in 2014. For three successive seasons they improved their league positon, to a point where they finished runners up last year to West Bridgford.

The Nottinghamshire side initially took up their place in the Premier Division of the Midland League, but an internal implosion down by Trent saw them decline promotion, thus opening the door for South Normanton to return to Step 5, nine years after their last season at this level.

Throughout the last few years I have tried to make a couple of visits a season to the club, and one thing that always impressed me, and others for that matter, was the importance they placed upon improving their facilities and indeed the customer experience.

Cover

Lees Lane is a very tidy football ground. A large car park leads to the turnstiles which nestle in the corner of the ground, usually Chairman Phil Bailey can be spied collecting the admission. Up to the left is the tea bar and the clubhouse, while straight in front of you is the seated stand that’s positioned behind the goal. Built into the stand is the Club Shop.

There is a smaller stand placed at an angle by the far corner flag, and then another area of cover runs two thirds of the length of the touchline. The rest of the ground is open, and behind the North goal you have views right across the valley towards Tibshelf.

Normanton have had a poor start to the season but a couple of recent good results have seen them start to climb the table, visitors Loughborough University sat bottom of the table with no wins, but, I suspect some of that will be due to the fact that a number of players didn’t arrive at the University until September so they’d been playing a weakened team?

A sparse crowd turned up on a chilly night, Lees Lane is quite exposed so even on the nicest of days it can be coat weather! When I say sparse, I would estimate around 75 spectators, and that’s a shame for those who run the club because they deserve better than that, crowds when they were playing at a significantly lower level in the nineties were almost double that. In fact, as myself and Mark from Alfreton observed, of the crowd in attendance, a number were neutrals just looking for a game.

It was a very open game and Loughborough belied the fact that they were yet to win a game. They missed a first half penalty, but made amends early in the second half when they took the lead from a scrambled effort.

Wide Expanses

Normanton gaffer Tommy Leighton did his best to rally the troops but they simply couldn’t find an equaliser, despite creating numerous opportunities to have taken something from the game. A draw would probably have been a fair result, but it was not to be.

I really hope that Normanton not only survive in this league, but thrive, but they need the backing of the local community to do that. The locals of South Normanton have a great little football club within their midst, they just need to get behind it.

Resurrecting a football club is hard enough to do just the once, to have to do it all again a second time is nigh on impossible, so please don't let that happen to South Normanton Athletic, those that have stood by the club through thick and thin deserve more than that.

South Normanton By Night

A Mutual Respect

Alfreton Town  1  Brackley Town  1

National League North

It was during Miss Uppadine’s Maths lessons that the stick was at its most merciless.

Going to school in Alfreton was an interesting experience, but that experience took on another aspect when it came to the attention of a group of Alfreton Town supporters that they had a Belper Town fan sat in the same classroom.

Curiosity initially that this ‘alien’ had landed on their territory, lead to some banter, but then as we got to know each other a little bit better, the banter became more intense, to the point where, especially during the build up to games between each other, it was never ending. Of course, I was on my own and in a no win situation, I got it from all angles. I was eleven years old, a simple kid from a quiet village and the ‘townies’ had sniffed blood!

In all fairness though, after Belper won the Northern Counties East League in 1984-85, a season during which the Nailers beat Alfreton 2-0 very late in the campaign to virtually seal the championship, we didn’t have much to shout about, apart from a very famous 5-0 victory during the year Alfreton won the title themselves and with it promotion to the Northern Premier League.

I didn’t really know the Alfreton contingent in our Championship year, but I certainly knew them thereafter, and barring the 5-0, it was pretty much one way traffic. Don’t get me wrong, when we weren’t squabbling about the rivalry, we got on brilliantly because deep down we were mates, but I have to say when they did get promoted I breathed a sigh of relief that I wouldn’t have to put up with another two games against them.

"You Walk Into The Tin End....."

I was wrong, I couldn’t get away from it. We then had a habit of meeting in the Derbyshire Senior Cup, where clearly we would get beaten pretty heavily, and as usual, my name would be chanted from the terraces, and it was far from complimentary. Being honest, I used to dread the games, not the game itself, that was an inevitable defeat, it was the grief I was going to cop for.

Something changed though, you could argue that we grew up, but those who know us all today would argue that has never really happened. What we did do was get a little bit older, a couple of us went into Sixth Form, a couple left school, and we drifted a little bit. I went away to University, but when I returned, I was stuck with a bit of a dilemma.

I’d had a Derby County season ticket in the couple of years prior to Uni, but chose not to persist with it when I got back. I watched Belper a bit, but I also used to go to Alfreton, mainly to catch up with the lads who I’d kept in touch with. Alfreton were a fine side at the time, vying for promotion, and to be fair I went through a spell of watching them home and away, but the family ties with Belper coupled with the fact we were on a great FA Vase run to the semi-finals, ultimately saw me migrate home.

The Tom McCroy Stand

That said, watching the fantastic Alfreton side, which contained great players like John McFadzean, Matt Walsh, Steve Johnson, Phil Stafford and Paul Eshelby, along with the superb atmosphere that the fans created, stuck with me. I was to go back whenever the opportunity allowed me.

Since those days back in the mid-nineties, I get along to the Impact Arena a few times a season, and during the last twenty years or so, I’ve seen some incredible things happen at Alfreton Town.

I saw Belper ultimately have a spell where they were the dominant side of the two, as Alfreton slipped down the pyramid and back into the Northern Counties East League, but then along came a man called Wayne Bradley.

The rest is history, Chris Wilder who is now managing Sheffield United took them to the treble, and then a second promotion was gained into the top flight of the Northern Premier League. During that second promotion season they dicked us, and we were also a fancied side at the time, 5-1 at home, but we did manage to win the return somehow! I did cop for a little bit of flack after the 5-1 game as you would expect!

Billiard Table Playing Surface

Restructuring lead to Alfreton becoming founder members of the Conference North, and I remember fondly being invited to spend the day with the Reds fans on the afternoon they won the league to seal a historic promotion to the Conference National. It felt special to just witness that moment.

Alfreton are also an accomplished Cup side, myself and my Dad travelled with the massed away fans to watch them lose an FA Cup replay unluckily at then League Two outfit Macclesfield Town, while for my fortieth birthday, the lads (Mark, Lee and Ste) bought myself and my Dad tickets for the FA Cup tie with Leyton Orient, we had a superb afternoon with them.

But what has also happened over the years is that both sets of fans have developed a fondness for each other. When Alfreton don’t have a game, a few of their fans come to watch us, and quite often when Belper don’t have a game, it’s not just myself that travels up the A38 to watch the Reds.

The Modern Impact Arena - Wayne's Legacy 

We’re well into our forties now, we’ve matured with age, we love our football and we like a pint, but what we have that is most important of all is a mutual respect for each other as mates, football fans and lovers of the non-league game. It didn’t matter that we beat them in a Derbyshire Senior Cup Final a few years back, and they went on to beat us on penalties in another final two years ago. In fact when we met last season at Belper and they won 4-0 in the Cup, we spent the entire game stood together, I just wouldn’t have dare do that back in the Eighties!

Tonight I went along for the first time this season, really looking forward to seeing a revitalised Reds side under John McDermott taking on one of the early pace setters and fancied sides in the shape of Brackley Town. I wasn’t disappointed, it was a fantastic game on what must be the best pitch anywhere around for miles. Brackley took the lead but a deft touch by Craig Westcarr onto an in swinging free kick saw Alfreton equalise.

Brackley played some superb football in the second half but Alfreton defended like warriors and dug deep to earn a deserved point.  The Reds have a lot to feel optimistic about this season, new investment, backed with the superb vocal support they receive home and away, could lead to a possible Play Off push, but this is such a strong league, far tougher than the one they won in 2012.

The heavy rain didn’t put a dampener on proceedings, and most importantly it was a chance to catch up with the lads, and have some great banter and share some memories. I have stolen a saying that I once heard Johnny Vaughan use on 5Live, it’s “Never Let The Football Ruin The Football”, that never happens when I go to Alfreton.

I could go on and talk about the time we came back from Hyde and wrapped a car door round a lamp post, I could talk about our first teenage holiday in Ingoldmells, I could talk about trips to Ireland together and missed flights, I could talk about birthdays, weddings, college parties, fancy dress costumes, run ins with the law on the way back from Congleton, beer festivals, and any number of scrapes we got into along the way. 

But, it was over thirty years ago now that we used to sit in Miss Uppadine’s Maths lessons, never let anyone tell you that school’s a waste of time, all that pain has been worth it in the long run.

"The Often...."

Tales From A Riverbank

Southwell City Development  2  Bridgford United  3

Nottinghamshire Senior League – Division Two

Google Maps is a truly wonderful thing, unless of course you are the chap who owns the A-Z Map company, in which case it’s probably ruined your life!

In all seriousness, it does come in incredibly handy, not just in terms of a directional tool, but also as a reference point to find out pretty much all you need to know about a specific destination.

Take today, I knew Southwell City Football Club had a ground just outside of the City (still can’t get my head round calling it that), but what I didn’t know until I had a closer peek that it was incredibly close to the village of Fiskerton and the banks of the River Trent.

So, at 10am I’m thinking about what pubs in Southwell I could grace with my presence pre-match, but by 11am my plans had changed completely, I was off to the river!

An hour before kick off I was sat outside the Bromley Arms in the bright sunshine staring at the sereneness of the Trent, two barges were moored just in front of the pub, I had a pint of the finest in my hand, and all in the World was looking good. Thank you Google, now what can you tell me about South Normanton that could potentially change my life next Wednesday night?

The Sun Threatens....

The bright sunshine very quickly disappeared, almost at the moment I chose to leave my car a mere five minutes before kick off at the Brinkley home of the junior sides of the Minstermen. The game was being played on the furthest away of three pitches that adorn the complex, and by the time I’d found some strategically placed trees on the very far side, it was a bit too late to stay dry, the damage had been done.

Southwell City Development, as you would expect, are a very young team, whereas today’s opponents Bridgford United were somewhat more experienced. Both sides are new to the Notts Senior League this season, and have been placed in the bottom division, and that isn’t always the case when new sides join the league, take Beeston Rylands for example who started in the middle division of the three.

The Loneliness Of The Linesman

Both sides had got solid starts to the season under their belts, and it was the visitors who took the lead mid-way through the first half, this after I thought Southwell had looked slightly the better team. A second goal arrived from a super free kick from all of 25 yards, and at that stage you felt there was only going to be one winner.

Southwell pulled a goal back after half time but Bridgford came back and made it 3-1, however, in the 88^th minute Southwell scored again to set up a tense finish, although in fairness Bridgford I felt, had the game under control.

I guess for Southwell’s players, this season could be a real learning experience, a young set of lads playing in a man’s league. I suspect not every side will be as sporting and as fair as Bridgford United were, who I thought were a really well disciplined and honest outfit. Interestingly enough as well, the game was refereed by Jevon Swinscoe, who is also a fellow Kempster Forum member, he did a good job, although it wasn't the most challenging of games to deal with. 

Summer's Back!

Not much to report at the ground in terms of furniture to be honest, a changing room block sits in the corner of the large car park, and if you are on the farthest pitch, it’s a decent walk, so thankfully both sides chose not to return to the dressing rooms at half time.

But that didn’t matter to me, I’d found my oasis of calm a mile or so down the road, it served me well, and all thanks to a little bit of pre-match research. Next week I’m off to Coventry and I’m not sure that it’s got a river running through it, it might have a canal, but if I look closely enough I’ll find a suitable watering hole in the proximity of GNP Sports FC's home at the University. Either that or a Student Union bar, which reminds me of a time I was at another Notts Senior League game at Trent University, but that’s a story for another day……….. 

In-Direct Free Kick

Eating Apples Through A Tennis Racket

Swinton Athletic Reserves  3  Wombwell Main Development  4

Sheffield County Senior League – Division Two

As the nights begin to draw in, the early evening kick off’s disappear from the fixture lists, and tonight was to be the last time until early April that we were to spend an evening wondering if there will be just enough light left to complete the game.

Thankfully in the very reliable Sheffield County Senior League, they endeavour to kick off at 6pm to avoid such issues, but often that doesn’t happen, for example a couple of years ago we went to watch Silkstone play AFC Dronfield and due to traffic issue the game kicked off nearer half past and as a result it was pretty dark by the time we finished. Not only that it completely spannered the plans of our pal Ken who was hoping to make another game at Penistone Church straight afterwards!

Steve and I chose to meet in a pub on the edges of Swinton, a boozer he had not frequented since he was a ‘nip’ as he likes to call it, during the time when he was living in nearby Rawmarsh. Clearly the visit to Swinton was bringing back happy memories for Steve and subsequently we spent the evening talking about the various scrapes he got into in the areas of Mexborough, Parkgate, Denaby, Dalton and indeed Goldthorpe. 

That then in an inadvertent way lead on to a discussion about the Bash Street Kids and an incident at a Gentleman’s Evening, but more on than later.

When Banksie Came To Swinton

When we finally found the Park Road base of Swinton Athletic I was pleasantly surprised. I think I was more surprised in the sense that the first team of Swinton don’t play at their home ground, they play at the old Hampden Road ground of Mexborough Town at Step 7, and I had put that all down to ground grading and the like. So I suppose in my mind I’d got Park Road down as a field, and not much else.

I was wrong, banked on two sides giving great views of not only the game but also of the Dearne Valley, the pitch was fully railed. On top of the bank was a changing room building that had been tastefully decorated with murals, including one signifying the home of the football club. Next door was a pub / restaurant that also doubled up as the clubhouse. So, why don’t Swinton’s first team play here, I really don’t know the answer to that question? But perhaps they should?

The game was a cracker, Wombwell took the lead almost straight from the kick off via a penalty, but by half time the hosts had turned the scoreline around and were leading 2-1. It then went to 2-2, 2-3, 2-4, and finally 3-4 with a young Wombwell side hanging on for a victory. It had been a great advert for County Senior League football, and, it kicked off bang on six o’clock.

A Healthy Turn Out

I was also pleasantly surprised by the size of the crowd, because I’d expected a game between a reserve side and a development side to at best attract us two, a man, and possibly his dog if he had one. I was very wrong, over 50 turned up to watch it, so imagine how many might turn out if the first team used the ground? I can think of some Step 5 clubs that would have been happy with that turn out, and this was Step 9!

As we were chatting during the second half, the conversation moved towards Rotherham nightclubs, I happened to mention one that I was familiar with, and this set Steve off..

Apparently, during his younger days he was invited along with his mates to a Gentleman’s Evening. Now to put this into context we are talking late Seventies, back then the aforementioned function was not like it is today. Today it would be potentially black tie, you would have a compere, a comedian (who would be a bit blue), a game of stand up bingo, or is it sit down? I can’t remember, anyway, you might have a charity auction and the highlight of the night would be the quest speaker who would typically be an ex-footballer talking about the good old days of Bestie, Mooro, Bobby, Chopper, Norman, Uncle Tom Cobley, the lot. I’ve been to a few of these, it’s the same stories, but different names. And of course, despite the fact it’s titled a Gentleman’s Evening, you do get women in attendance.

In the Seventies you also had women in attendance, but these were not guests, these were the entertainment. Anyway, said dodgy comedian had done his turn and on came the ‘entertainment’ and indeed according to Steve they were very good. But just prior to them finishing their exotic (I think that’s the word) performance, a bucket collection was made to pay the girls a little bit extra for a grand finale.

A male volunteer was asked for, and that was when Steve said the room almost erupted as one, the chant of “Plug, Plug, Plug….” rose like a crescendo around Rotherham’s finest emporium, and up to the stage looking somewhat nervous was a young gentleman who had earned the said nickname due to the fact he bore an uncanny resemblance to the Bash Street Kids character from the Beano, and could almost certainly eat an apple through a tennis racket!

Plug stuck to his guns and gave the crowd a show, back at work he would have earned legendary status, and his Mother would have been very proud I’m sure!

The Dearne Valley Skyline

And to think, in the late Seventies my Grandma used to bring me home the Beano from her shopping trips to Belper on a Thursday afternoon, and then on a Thursday night my Mum would always read three stories from the comic before I went to sleep. Typically they would be Dennis The Menace, Mini The Minx, and of course saving the best until last, the Bash Street Kids.

I’m glad our kids are beyond the Beano stage now, I could never read about Cuthbert Cringeworthy, Herbert, Spotty and indeed Plug again without thinking about that stage in Rotherham. Having said that, I might try and eat an apple through a tennis racket, could be one for a Saturday night, healthier than a kebab at I guess?

And The Beat Goes On

South Shields  3  Ossett Albion  1

Northern Premier League – First Division North

I’ve been trying to think of a word that best describes South Shields Football Club, and it's proving quite tricky.

However, I’ve got one, and it’s ‘Phenomenon’

To truly understand one of the remarkable tales of the modern era, you have to delve a bit deeper into the history books to really begin to chart the ups and downs of a club that is really starting to make people across the land sit up and look.

Elected members of the Football League in 1919, the club prospered until 1930 when with the threat of bankruptcy hanging over them, they moved to Gateshead and took on their name, in what some might argue was an early version of the MK Dons scenario, albeit over a significantly shorter distance!

A new club was formed in South Shields and they carried on in the North Eastern League’s until 1968 when they were invited to become inaugural members of the Northern Premier League.  This is where they stayed for six seasons, and at one point they reached the Third Round of the FA Cup, losing out to Queens Park Rangers. Not only that, they also reached the semi-final of the FA Trophy, losing out to Morecambe.

It all went pop though in 1974, when the club were once again forced to move to Gateshead and change their name, largely due to the controversy and mysterious loss of the ground at Simonside Hall, and to this day there remain unanswered questions surrounding that episode.

The Crowds Gather

A new club once again emerged, and success followed in the Northern Alliance and Wearside League’s until 1995, when the acquisition of Filtrona Park allowed the club to be admitted to the Northern League.   

Promotions and relegations between the two divisions of the Northern League followed, along with a worrying period of two seasons when they vacated Filtrona Park due to the lease expiring. However, they returned home in 2015, and that’s when the landscape changed dramatically.

Geoff Thompson took over as Chairman and in his first season, they won the Second Division of the Northern League. Last season they went on to win the First Division, along with the FA Vase, and now they find themselves in the Northern Premier League, 43 years after leaving it.

Atcosts Oversee A Quite Stunning Surface

But this is the thing, the records being created on and off the pitch are quite staggering.

Last Saturday, the win at Witton Albion in the FA Cup was the club’s 29^th successive away victory in all competitions. Prior to tonight’s game against Ossett Albion, the club had won 43 of its previous 44 games.  These stats are scary, we are talking semi-professional football, and this is why I use the word 'phenomenon', in the sense that it surely has no equal?

Off the pitch, the crowds are flooding in, in the season they won the Second Division the average crowd was 698, last season they averaged 1275, and this season it’s risen to over 1500. When they went to Wembley in the Vase over 10,000 made the journey. The talk of the pre-war years was that South Shields could maintain a top flight professional football club, what is now happening in the eighth tier of football is suggesting that the professional ranks are not out of the question, in what is a vastly different World altogether.

Sunset Over South Shields

I simply had to go and have a look at this, and in fairness despite the distance, it was a relatively easy journey up the A1 to the Tyne Tunnel exit, followed by a short hop to what is effectively the border between South Shields and Jarrow to the ground now known as Mariners Park.

Mariners Park sits at the end of a road that is dominated by industrial units, and even an hour before kick off it was busy, I chose to park in a unit five minutes walk away, and at this stage there were queues to get into the ground.

The first thing that strikes you when you walk into the ground is the outstanding playing surface, complete with inbuilt sprinkler system. To call it a billiard table would not be doing it justice.

The stadium itself, while not a spectacular new-build with mod cons and the like, is a very neat, tidy and functional venue. As you enter, to the left are three sections of Atcost terracing that run from one end of the pitch to the other, both ends of the ground are open, one of which has the all weather pitch behind it.

Opposite is the tall main stand, in front of which is an area of terracing, while to one side is a large beer / hospitality tent, and to the other are a couple of buildings housing dressing rooms, bars and function suites, along with a further smaller area of covered terracing.

I lost count of the number of bars and food outlets, but clearly you weren’t going to go hungry or thirsty, despite the large crowds. As a venue, it ticks the boxes, and it’s clearly well looked after. The organisation was good and the officials friendly and helpful, I guess you really couldn’t ask for any more.

So what about the phenomenon that is the team?

Stand / Terrace / Bar / Bar / Food

To put it simply, they play with a confidence that allows them to pass the ball almost instinctively either long or short, cross field or diagonal. They intuitively know each other’s movements and can very quickly move the ball in tight spaces, at times it was a joy to watch, and in fairness to Ossett Albion they had to accept they were going to have long spells without the ball, trying to defend and keep their shape.

Orchestrating the whole event is Julio Arca, the former Sunderland and Middlesbrough player sits just in front of the back four and pulls the strings. Tonight, while not the standout player, he was a joy to watch. If there is a more accomplished footballer at this step anywhere in the country I’d like to see him.

It was 0-0 at half time and that was largely down to poor finishing from Shields, however almost straight from the off at the start of the second half Jamie Holmes angled a low drive into the net.

Louis Storey then scored a second from a header only for Callum Charlton to pull a goal back after a brilliant cross from Declan Dawson.

Breathing space was restored in the 79^th minute when Holmes found space in the box and beat the visitors keeper from a tight angle.

It was a thoroughly deserved victory for Shields who played some delightful football, and I suspect without really hitting top gear. But with now 44 wins from 45 games, who am I to be remotely critical?

So what does the future hold? I’ll be bold, they’ll win this league, and then they’ll probably have enough to win the Premier Division, but then once in National League North the ante increases substantially.

That’s a league that I would describe as a real bottleneck, with so many big and powerful clubs vying to get into the National League. Just look at who they would be potentially up against, the likes of Darlington, Salford City, York City, Stockport County, Boston United and Telford United. This is a mammoth division to escape, but would I bet against National League status being achieved at some point in the not too distant future? No I wouldn’t.

So, that’s why I use the word ‘Phenomenon’, a once big name, who sank into the doldrums, and then came back to achieve success and support that those on the outside would not have thought possible.

But that’s where men like Geoff Thompson come into the equation. They sing a song at Mariners Park about him having a dream, but I don’t think Geoff’s dream has quite ended yet, and for the 1,500 regulars and those who will no doubt jump on the rollercoaster in weeks, months and years to come, they too will be hoping that dream continues.

But at this moment in time, the beat simply goes on……

A Trip To Trubshaw

Goldenhill Wanderers  1  Red Star Alma  2

Staffordshire County Senior League – Division Two

When the last kick of the game is a stunning overhead kick that finds its way into the back of the net to secure a 2-1 victory, it is really the only place to begin to describe this afternoon’s fare in the Potteries.

It had been an interesting as opposed to an enthralling game at Trubshaw Cross, with visiting Red Star Alma dominating the first half and taking the lead through an own goal when one of the centre halves flicked an in-swinging free kick into his own net.

The second half saw Goldenhill come back into the game and they scored an unusual equaliser when a hopeful cross from the right hand side looped over the visiting goalkeeper and crept into the net at the far post.

As we moved into injury time, the draw looked inevitable but a cross from the left was controlled on the chest by a Red Star forward, and with his back to goal he acrobatically produced a fantastic overhead effort that looped over the top of the goalkeeper and found the net. It truly was a stunning strike, and while the scenes on the pitch amongst the Alma players were pandemonium, the referee chose to blow the full time whistle before Goldenhill had time to re-start the game. That in itself must have left something of a bitter taste.

Apart from the infamous lights out / penalty incident at St Helens Town recently, it has to one of the most dramatic finishes to a game I’ve seen for a long while, and it will remain the abiding memory of a first visit to the new home of Goldenhill Wanderers.

Home Of The Ladsanddads

It came to light as the constitution of the Staffordshire County Senior League was announced back in June that the club who previously played at Sandyford Cricket Club, were relocating to Trubshaw Cross on the edge of the town centre of Burslem.

The ground at Trubshaw Cross is a collection of pitches that are used by a very well known football club called Staffordshire Ladsanddads. They are a club that were formed in 1967 and initially it was designed to be a place for lads who couldn’t make school football teams, to play football. Over the years players like Garth Crooks and the Chamberlain brothers have come through the Ladsanddads organisation and found themselves with professional careers.

They have their own changing block and café area on the ground, but Steve and I after seeking some advice from the helpful staff in the café, chose to have a walk up the hill into the centre of Burslem.

The Scene Of THAT Goal

Our venue of choice was Ye Olde Crown on Westport Road which was full of Port Vale fans getting ready for the home game with Notts County. It was a proper football pub, and also something of a music pub as well, with the jukebox playing some classic Indie stuff, and Northern Soul being very much a theme. 

Apparently it is also home to the VLF according to a picture on the wall, now I’ve done some research into what this stands for, and it is either a collection of boys who like a rumble on the cobbles, or it stands for Vale Luxury Fabrics, I’ll leave you to make your own minds up on that one…….

It Was Sunny - Honestly!

Burslem is actually a fantastic place for pubs, I once had a day on the beer in the town prior to watching a game at Vale Park, and I have to say it was brilliant, lots of traditional venues, many serving local delicacies along with the selection of ales. I would recommend a trip to Burslem for anyone of that inclination.

With the sun beating down we made our way back to Trubshaw Cross for the game, and you know already how that shaped up. The pitch itself was set to the back of the venue, and along with a couple of dugouts, it had a Respect tape down one side to stop the crowd invading the pitch. They needn’t have worried, the VLF were more concerned about Notts County’s visit up the road!

A good day out, but it always is when the sun’s shining, the lager’s flowing and the last minute winner is an overhead kick.

The Burslem End

 

By A Lonely Prison Wall

Knaresborough Celtic  3  Kirk Deighton Rangers  3

West Yorkshire League – Division Two

I’ve always wanted to watch an Old Firm Derby, but the fact I’ve never seen one take place is largely my own fault.

I was once offered a spare ticket for an SFA Cup semi-final between the two sides at Hampden Park, but declined it on the basis that ideally I would prefer to watch a game at either Ibrox or Parkhead.

The second time I was offered a ticket was at very short notice by my good friends from Derry who were flying over for the game at Celtic, but it would have meant time off work that I wasn’t overly enthused about booking for some reason.

In hindsight I probably should have taken up the second option, however I suspect my time will come again, and being the slightly masochistic type, in an ideal World it would be a game at Ibrox but I’d go in the away end! The chances of that happening are very slim I suspect.

My fascination in the Old Firm stems from my passion for Ireland and its political and religious divides in the North. This of course, rightly or wrongly, comes to the fore during the games between the two sides, and despite valiant attempts to cut out sectarianism and the chanting that goes with it, it simply doesn’t and will not stop. I do find it a bit odd from the outside looking in though, and I guess not being directly affected impacts upon that, but certain aspects of what is, and indeed isn’t tolerated, baffles me.

In the crudest of terms, you can hurl abuse at each other about height, weight and hair colour. You can call someone an illegitimate child, you can suggest they over use the right hand, and you can even tell them who and what can be stuffed up the back passage.

But, one side is not allowed to sing a song about the Irish being sent on the prison ships to Australia for trying to keep their children alive by stealing corn, and the other side is not allowed to sing about the regalia their forefathers wore at the Battle of Boyne. I guess you have to be one or the other to properly understand, and while I understand to a degree, I don’t really get it?

Hail, Hail, The Celts Are Here.....

Knaresborough Celtic were formed by Ramsay Beattie, and they play in green and white hoops, yes, I need say no more! They are very much a community based club who cater largely for the children of the picturesque Yorkshire town. They have acquired an out of town site at Thistle Hill and developed it into a privately owned facility that caters for the clubs many teams.

It’s a nice venue, with a long (potholed) drive leading from the main road into the town, and once in the car park you spy a large building that the club built themselves. This building contains dressing rooms, storage areas and a small communal café area.

Home Of The Green Brigade

Two full size pitches are located on the site, with other smaller sized pitches alongside. One thing that stood out was the quality of the playing surface, it was absolutely superb, and this was something I told Club Treasurer Andy Nixon who I spent a large part of the game chatting to. Andy gave me a run down on the clubs history, off the field progress and future plans. They are truly a community club, and more importantly they have the personnel and infrastructure, and that is the solid base from which to develop from.

Visiting Kirk Deighton Rangers (in blue) were the opponents, so we did truly have a Celtic v Rangers encounter, and readers of my blog may well recall I visited them in pre-season. Both clubs have been promoted to the West Yorkshire League this season from the Harrogate League, and from Andy comments, it does appear that Rangers had the upper hand on Celtic last season.

Lush Surface

So clearly the game, even at this early stage of the season, had something on it, notably due to the history between the two, but also it was a local derby in the sense that Rangers are from nearby Wetherby.

The game itself was a cracker. Rangers took the lead from a long range shot that the home ‘keeper lost in the low sun. Celtic fought back though and deservedly found the net twice to reverse the score line.

The second half saw Rangers score twice, both from crosses from the right hand side that weren’t dealt with, so they in turn had turned a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead, and if I’m being honest they perhaps didn't deserve it on the balance of play and the number of chances Celtic were creating and missing.

Parity was restored to make it 3-3, and from that point on it was Celtic who had the upper hand, but you always felt Rangers, who were a physical side and dangerous from set pieces, had it in them to grab a goal at the other end.

Celtic missed a great chance to win it in the dying seconds, but as the light faded the referee ended a thoroughly enjoyable game, one which both sides will no doubt look back on and feel somewhat frustrated, Celtic probably slightly more so.

So that was the West Yorkshire Old Firm Derby, and a thoroughly enjoyable experience it was too. No sectarian chanting, no fighting, no flute playing simulations, no flag and banner waving, no Queen, no Pope, just football.

You know what, I don’t think I’ll bother going to Glasgow after all… 

The Fields Of Athenry