Walking Football

Holbrook St Michaels Juniors  0  Willington Reserves   3

Midlands Regional Alliance – Division One

Work this one out, it’s your one thousand three hundred and sixty eighth football ground visited for a game, and it’s a ten minute walk from your front door!

You see, this is where the weird and wonderful eccentricities of Groundhopping are pushed to the limit, because I was going to spend my Saturday afternoon at a venue that I’ve played on, and, that I spent a large number of Friday night’s last winter watching Master Hatt train on.

It was with a sort of despair that I flicked through the Midlands Regional Alliance Directory at the start of the season and noted that Holbrook St Michaels Juniors were playing on the 3G surface at Belper Leisure Centre. You see, because I’d not seen a game played on it, and, because it is a league I always complete, I had to go and ‘do it’ as is the speak.

A midweek option did not offer itself at the start of the season, so I was left with no choice. I would be spending a Saturday where I could have been in any number of places, watching football just down the road in a cage, on a piece of land that I’ve stood on so many times before. So, I had to make the most of it, with all due respect to the two teams involved.

It was as I was walking across Whitemoor Recreation Ground, the current home of fellow MRA side Belper Sports, that something struck me. Belper and the locality is pretty well blessed for non-league football, all of which is within walking distance of the home I share with my fellow Hatt’s. Belper Sports I can get to in five minutes, Belper United Reserves equally so on Nailers Way. Holbrook St Michaels Juniors is the aforementioned ten minutes, while Christchurch Meadow, the home of both Belper Town and Belper United is circa twenty minutes from Casa Hatt.

If you want to stretch your walking to the 30-45 minute mark, you can also get to the grounds of Holbrook Sports and indeed Holbrook St Michaels. When I get old and can’t be arsed with driving all over the place for football, I think I might just resort to shank’s pony and watch the local games, all of which have pubs en-route to them.  I can think of worse things….

So what of the home of Holbrook St Michaels Juniors then? Well it’s a relatively modern floodlit caged 3G surface at the back of the Leisure Centre, and to access it you have to enter the building and make your way out of the back. Many years ago it used to be an old floodlit ‘Redgra’ surface that did your knees and elbows no good at all, and on a wet day was guaranteed to double the weight of your trainers due to the amount that would be caked on.

I used to train on it for RJN Juniors and then a few years later I played a game on it when Belper School Teachers took on a Belper Town Supporters side, whereby I played in goal for the Supporters.

More recently as I said earlier, I watched young Hatt train on it for many consecutive Friday nights, and not once sloping off to the bar for a pint during the process! Incidentally though, during the bad weather spell which felt like most of last season, Belper Town Academy used it for a game against Radcliffe Borough, and if I remember correctly the surface only just meets FA guidelines for size, but as far as the NPL Academy goes it turned out to be too small. Belper won the game but the visitors protested, the outcome of which I’m not sure on, but it transpired Radcliffe were aware before the game that it was undersize, so sour grapes maybe?

The game was being refereed by Steve Davies, a Walsall fan from Newhall who I first met many years ago as he was mates with my mate Steve (confused yet?). I’d never seen Steve referee a game before, and I’m pleased to say that the game itself went by without controversy and we managed to keep 22 players on the park. Well done Steve, great to catch up with you!

So what about the game? Well it turned out to be a reasonably comfortable win for the visitors who took the lead virtually on the stroke of half time through Tom Toon.  Two second half goals from the giant that is Rayon Martin secured the points against a young Holbrook side who never gave up, but 

lacked the killer pass and punch in the final third of the field.

It was noticeable how small the pitch was though, a goalkeepers clearance could easily make the opposite goal, while the gap between the edge of the penalty area and the touch line was only a few yards.

Back through the front door by 4pm, Jeff Stelling for the second half updates and a little snooze at the final whistles, I could get used to this walking to football lark!

As Good As It Gets

Longridge Town  7  Ashton Town  2

North West Counties League – Division One North

As the final whistle blew at the Mike Riding Ground, Longridge Town had scored an incredible 60 league goals in just 13 games. Putting that into perspective, it equates to an average of 4.6 goals scored per game.

It’s fair to say that tonight, I’ve watched a very good football team in action, as they demolished mid-table Ashton Town 7-2, and to be fair, it could easily have been more.

More on the game later, but what’s the story with Longridge Town?

The Crowd Gathers

A West Lancashire League side, based to the North East of Preston, they have been mooted as a contender to move into the North West Counties League for some time. They had a floodlit ground, ambition, and in 2016-17 they were crowned as champions. They didn’t make the move as many outsiders had expected, but last season with a third placed finish under their belts, combined with a regionalisation of the lower division of the NWCL, it was time, along with neighbouring Garstang, to make the move.

Longridge is a small town of around 8,000 inhabitants, and access to it is pretty straightforward, especially by car (as it doesn’t have a train station!). Once off the M6 at the Preston exit, the B6423 takes you straight into the town, past the large reservoirs, into the town centre and then out along Inglewhite Road, with the ground appearing on the right hand side.

Lushness!

The car park is quite large but on a night when close on 200 spectators were in the ground, getting in early and parking nearest to the clubhouse was a bit of a schoolboy error as getting out was a bit of a challenge!

Once in the ground, the dressing rooms and a clubhouse / tea bar sits along the Inglewhite Road side, while directly in front of the structure is an Atcost that has been put into place to satisfy grading requirements. Further down this side of the ground is a smaller area of covered terracing that looks to have been in place for some time. It does have some seating to the rear but this wouldn’t be much use on a wet night as anyone taking shelter would end up standing in front of those seated. Tonight, it didn’t matter.

Let There Be Light

The rest of the ground is hard standing apart from an area around the North goal that was technically out of bounds. The floodlights were excellent and the pitch, which had been troublesome last season, although given the weather not surprisingly, has been dug up and replaced with what looks to be a superb playing surface.

I was going to go last season in May to a game, against Blackpool Wren Rovers if I recall, but I found out the day before the game that it had been switched to Blackpool because Longridge’s pitch had been dug up!

Pristine

This is a well run and indeed a very friendly club. Everyone was helpful and happy to chat, and anyone that does a pie and a pint deal for £4.50 deserves credit in my book. Clearly they are relishing the move upwards, not only on the pitch, but also off it. Making new friends, visiting new places, seeing what is out there in Step 6 land is all part and parcel of getting promotion. They have developed some excellent facilities, but they haven’t rushed it. They probably could have made the move a few years ago, but for whatever reason they waited until the time was right for them, and for that they deserve credit.

What’s also happened is the club have built a real groundswell of support. The attendance for what was only their second midweek home game of the season was a very impressive 191. They have had a high of 211 against Prestwich Heys, while the lowest has been 141. Putting that into perspective, in the particular division they are in, their lowest attendance has only been beaten nine times by every other team in the competition!

So then, the football match?

The Obligatory Atcost

Prior to the game a minutes silence was held in memory of the Mother of Longridge player Jordan Tucker who had passed away at the weekend, and Manager Lee Ashcroft (ex WBA and Preston) said after the game that the performance and victory was dedicated to her.

Mrs Tucker would have been immensely proud of the display Longridge put on against an Ashton Town side that were by no means a poor outfit, they were just simply put to the sword by one of the most clinical displays of football I’ve seen in a very long time.  

Tom Ince (no, not that one!), opened the scoring by finishing a fine move inside the six yard box, while it was 2-0 just before the break when Richie Allen fired home a half volley from the edge of the penalty area.

Immediately after the break it was 3-0 when Phil Doughty blasted home a header, but then in a rare attack Ashton pulled a goal back from an impressive flowing move.

Ince then scored his second to make it 4-1 before the hugely impressive Jay Hart made it 5-1. Hart then set up Paul Turner who rounded the goalkeeper to score before the talisman netted his second and celebrated with a backflip, much to delight of the adoring Longridge faithful.

Ashton netted a second goal near the end, but nothing could be taken away from Longridge who played attacking football of the highest quality, and with it overtook Carlisle City and went top of the league with eleven victories from thirteen games.

Drone View (Longridge Town FC / Mark Ashmore)

It was the kind of performance whereby you didn’t want the game to end, and it’s not very often that I say that, such was the quality of the entertainment on display.

I wouldn’t bet against Longridge getting promotion again this season, and with the side Ashcroft has built, the future looks very rosy indeed. Clearly though, with performances like this, clubs higher up the pyramid are going to start showing interest in the players, so that in itself might be a challenge.

But tonight was about a great football team, and a club that seem to quite simply have got things right on and off the pitch.

What’s not to like about that? This is about as good as it gets.......  

Pain Barrier

Newport Town Reserves  2  Audley Reserves  1

Staffordshire County Senior League – Division Two

It really wasn’t supposed to be like this.

The plan was a simple one, on a fine Autumnal morning I was going to rise from my slumber and make the long journey up the M6 to the Cumbrian outpost that is Cleator Moor. Cleator Moor Celtic are a new addition to the North West Counties League, and being located just to the East of Whitehaven, it was going to be right at the top of the arduous journey list for this season.

I’d psyched myself up for it by preparing two changes of clothing for the journey, a blanket in case of ending up stranded, and a fully stocked emergency survival kit. I went to Barrow once, I know what to expect…..

But, two things happened in the build up to the game against AFC Liverpool in the week prior. 

Firstly, some bastard of a storm by the name of Callum was forecast to deposit a ridiculous quantity of rain over the North West of England, and as the week wore on, this seemed to be narrowing down to effectively Cumbria, which look set to be washed away.

Secondly, what started out as a niggling pain in my left arm, ended up with an emergency GP appointment on Thursday that culminated in a course of painkillers and a physio referral. I could drive, but it wasn’t very comfortable, and I wasn’t exactly overwhelmed by the prospect of 194 miles of my arm held upright to alleviate the pain, plus, let’s be honest, fellow road users looking at me and thinking I’m some sort of dick!

The decision was made, I wasn’t going to Cleator Moor, and to be fair by 10am on Saturday morning it wasn’t an option anyway as the game ended up being inevitably postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.

I’d got three choices. I had the plastic option at Eastwood Hanley but I only wanted to play that card when I had no other alternatives. I then had either Newport Town Reserves, which was my first choice, and a second choice of Burton Town Reserves. I took the view that if Newport got back to me with a positive, then it was all systems go, and a significantly reduced journey time with my arm held up in the air.

Responses came via both text and Twitter, the game against Audley Reserves was on, and, it was being played at the Tibberton School, just West of the Shropshire town of Newport.

So how did the reserves of Newport Town come onto the radar then?

When it comes to my completist tendencies, the Staffordshire County Senior League is one of the ‘must do’ competitions, albeit it has a caveat whereby as it stands, I’ll never be able to complete it. That’s because Featherstone Prison play in it, although spectators are not allowed admission to games, and I know that because I know people who’ve tried various methods to gain entry which have proved unsuccessful. At one point you could get the visiting club to add you to the list of designated club representatives, but nowadays even that’s been clamped down upon.

So, the nick aside, the league gave me four newbies this season. The aforementioned Eastwood Hanley, Ball Haye Green who got a visit back in August, Coven Athletic who I visited last week, and of course Newport Town Reserves.

I didn’t initially think when I saw them in the constitution that it would be a new ground. I knew the first team were moving to play at Eccleshall, but I assumed the reserves would pick up where the first team used to play at Shuker Field in the town, but not so it appears, a school field in a nearby village was to be the base, but even then after making enquiries and pencilling them in for a visit much earlier in the season, I subsequently found out that they weren’t actually moving into Tibberton School until the end of September.

With rain still in the air I was taken on a magical mystery tour by my sat nav as fellow road users waved back to me at regular intervals, no doubt thinking I was a touch eccentric with the constant raising of the arm at random moments of my journey. I ended up going via Uttoxeter to Stafford, before being taken around the top of the town and under the M6 on the road to Newport itself.

Once in Newport it was past the Harper Adams University (Tractor Studies), which is another former home of Newport Town, before turning off the main road and into the lovely little village that is Tibberton.

The school playing field is located at the rear of a housing area, and once parked up and checked in with a club official who was trying in vain to get the respect barrier to stand up in the high winds (unsuccessfully), I made my way to a pub that I’d spotted less than a couple of minutes walk away.

Lager was taken to wash down the painkillers, while a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel took a liking to me. I’m not sure if Codeine and dogs mix, I’d left before they had chance to take any effect……

So, what is the place like? Well, it’s a school field, but it doesn’t feel like that because it has two things that make it feel much more like a village football ground than a school. Firstly it has two permanent dugouts, and it has a separate changing room and tea bar facility at pitch side. The respect barrier had now gone, so no rope or rail, while the end furthest away from the school, which was a good three hundred yards away at least, was very tight to some trees, so much so the branches overhung into the goalmouth.

The pitch was in very good condition though considering lots of rain had fallen overnight, so no danger on that front, but, it was very windy, although to be fair it didn’t seem to have too adverse an impact on the game itself, which was quite entertaining.

Visiting Audley Reserves have had a tough season and sat bottom of the league, whereas the hosts were sat in a mid-table spot. The first half wasn’t blessed with lots of chances, but it was Newport that took the lead, and to be fair, deservedly so.

A further goal came during the second half, and with three points looking to be in the bag, the complexion of the game changed slightly when Audley reduced the arrears with around ten minutes remaining. They pushed on to find an equaliser but in fairness the goal sparked a bit more urgency in Newport who went on to close it out.

The journey back was done in one armed fashion, and under the circumstances, it was probably the limit of just how far I could realistically travel. This had better sort itself soon, otherwise it won’t just be a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel that feels the wrath. I’ve got three games in three Countries in three days coming in up just over a week, if anyone mentions Brexit (the choice of the stupid and the geriatric - look what mess we are now in?), I might have to raise my arm…….

Village Life

Coven Athletic  1  Cannock United  3

Staffordshire County Senior League – Division Two

Being raised in a small village, I spent many of my formative years sheltered from the real World!

No sooner had I turned up for my first day at the semi-borstal that was Mortimer Wilson Comprehensive School, did I start to realise just how lucky, and possibly even how naïve I’d been.

These kids were different, for a start, they seemed to be let out after dark and they understood the basic concepts of survival in a working class town. Arguing, fighting, haranguing the opposite sex, loitering, even minor criminal acts were part and parcel of daily life.

But, they couldn’t recite their twelve times table, and I could, so it gave me comfort that I might just have enough to survive the five year rat-race, and assuming I got out of the other end, I stood half a chance of a life without penal incarceration.

You see, living in a small village was great, you knew everyone, everyone knew you. You could walk everywhere, you could get home nice and easily, before it got dark. You also couldn’t get into trouble, because everyone knew you, and unquestionably your parents WOULD find out everything you’d been up to.

We played football, we rode bikes, we played on our Sinclair ZX Spectrum’s and in the Summer we’d go down the woods and make dens. How Famous Five it all was, ‘Woof’ said Timmy. Lashings of Ginger Beer all round, with cream cakes for dessert!

There are some villages through the passage of time, that actually end up becoming small towns, rather sadly in my view. The price of progress and housing demands has seen the large developer win the battle of wills with the authorities, and green land subsequently turns to homes. I’ve seen this locally with places like South Normanton and Hilton, and what were once small village communities have become almost unrecognisable.

However, I don’t ever recall a town being ‘downgraded’ to a village before, but when I did my research on Coven Athletic, who were new to the Staffordshire County Senior League, I came across something very unusual.

My first discovery was that they played in a place called Brewood, which was located in South Staffordshire, not far from the Shropshire border, effectively to the North West of Wolverhampton. 

That rang a bell because I could recall a team playing in the West Midlands Regional League in the Eighties called Brewood, and so it transpires, Coven were going to be playing at the same ground.

But Brewood itself is unusual because it was once a town, but not anymore it transpires. It was reconstituted as a village in the early twentieth century as the population fell due to a migration to the major centres such as Wolverhampton and Stafford. But, soon after its status changed, the village grew again, and now with its population at almost 8,000, the highest it’s ever been, it remains a village.

Having had some very helpful Twitter chatter with Coven on the day of the game, I made my way to the ground and parked up, while having taken the advice as to suitable hostelries, I was soon at home in the ‘village’ centre with pint in hand.

Brewood is a nice place, much bigger than the village I grew up in, but a very welcoming and attractive place all the same. The ground itself sat right on the outskirts of the village and after driving down a short track you find a car park with a dressing room building to the side. Two pitches adorn the complex, with a further cricket field and pavilion in the distance.

It had a lovely rural feel about, and other than the two dugouts, the lack of any football furniture seemed to suit the location. Stands and floodlights might appease the ground graders, but from an aesthetic point of view, it’s not what Brewood needs or indeed wants.

As for the game, well Coven lost 3-1 to neighbours Cannock United, but to be fair, and I did make the comment to them afterwards, they did deserve at least a point, and probably more. Cannock took the lead early in the game but the hosts saw plenty of the ball, and indeed hit the woodwork on at least two occasions.

A second goal followed but then Coven scored with a header to get themselves back into the game. Despite more pressure and more chances, the decisive fourth goal in the game went to Cannock and this deflated Coven who in my opinion deserved more from the encounter.

The result saw Cannock maintain second position in the table, while Coven sit just below the half way mark, with two wins from their five games.

The journey back took just around an hour, down the A5, up the A38, and as always, it gave me a bit of reflection time. I got thinking about the village where I grew up and the fact that I could look out of my bedroom window across the valley, and in the distance on the horizon was that town that came as such a culture shock to me.

The irony now is, if you look out of the very same window, you can’t see the town any more, you can see an estate of new houses that have been erected over the past eighteen months, despite loud protests from local residents.

Village life is evolving everywhere you look, the local shop, the local pub, the post office, are all disappearing as the urban centres draw us ever closer. Villages like Brewood, with clubs like Coven Athletic, the pubs and the café’s, are getting fewer, and that’s a real shame, the price of progress is a heavy one in my opinion.

Town's becoming villages, that's not a trend I expect to see happening readily, Brewood clearly bucked that trend several generations ago. They may well one day have a fight on their hands from stopping it going back the other way.

Ejection

Buxton  2  South Shields  0

Northern Premier League – Premier Division

I’ve only ever been ejected from two football grounds.

One of those instances was a real schoolboy error (pardon the pun) at Wolverhampton Wanderers when I went through the junior entrance only for a Police search to find my car keys on me. I tried the plead the student line but it was to no avail, they put me in a holding cell at the back of the ground, took some photographs, completed some paperwork and then out I went. I was allowed back in, but this time at full price. Apparently, if ever found guilty of a football related offence again in the West Midlands I will receive a lengthy ban, so to be honest I’ve always been ultra-careful since, especially when going to places like Gornal Athletic and Cradley Town where the temptation to go bat-shit crazy can be overwhelming at times!

The other instance actually came after the final whistle, allow me to tell the story!

It was the end of the 1985-86 season and Belper Town had reached the Derbyshire Senior Cup Final, it was to be a two legged affair, and in that era the Senior Cup did actually matter, so we had a double decker bus to take us to the game. Myself and my Dad were collected at the Hurt Arms in Ambergate, and with many of the bus residents having had a good gargle back in Belper before setting off, it was a merry old journey up the Via Gellia.

We arrived in Buxton, and I went straight into the ground, but a good number went into Buxton, and it wasn’t long before reports were coming back of aggro in the town, so consequently the home officials and stewards were on their guard as us Belper louts needed to be watched closely.

I don’t remember an awful lot about the game, but I can remember a fair bit of taunting going back and forth in the big main stand as the two sets of fans goaded each other. At the final whistle, after a game that I seem to recall ended 2-2, the crowd dispersed, and with our battle wagon not due to depart until half an hour after the final whistle so the committee could make the most of the post match hospitality, a few of us decided to have a charge around the terraces.

It was at the point where I think we might have been in the process of considering what souvenirs to take home with us (parts of the ground), that we felt the long arm of the local stewards. Within seconds we were being frog marched to the exits and placed back on the Trent bus. Technically not an ejection I guess, more of a hastened departure, but all the same, it was my first instance of forced removal from a football ground.

It didn’t put me off, I’ve been to the Silverlands numerous times since. We actually played them again the following season in another Senior Cup Final, this time without the drama, while I can also remember going with Alfreton for a pre-season friendly after a hefty drinking session in the Hope Valley, that day, did not end well. I won’t elaborate, but sometimes in hindsight you are quite rightly ashamed of yourself!

I can remember being at another Derbyshire Senior Cup tie against Ilkeston Town, when the game was played in incessant rain. It finished all square at the final whistle, by which time the rain had abated. With extra-time due, the referee, Mr Shoebridge from Ripley, decided to abandon the game to everyone’s amazement. The pitch was perfectly playable so it made no sense. This caused a problem though, because the 90 minutes had been played the game was to be replayed at Ilkeston, but the weather took a turn for the worse and it was a real job to actually get the game played. Future rounds were significantly delayed as a result.

I’ll be honest though, as much as I love going to the Silverlands, I’ve always been super cautious due to the fact it suffers from the extremes of the weather. Snow can arrive when it’s sunny elsewhere, you can have a frozen pitch when it’s mild just down the round, and my mate Steve has on at least three occasions been sat in the bar when the game has been called off, albeit once due to a somewhat bizarre and controversial incident involving Buxton’s player being caught in horrendous traffic (Morrisons Car Park down the road it transpired!) prior to another Senior Cup tie against Alfreton.

But that’s all in the past now, because Buxton have installed an artificial pitch, so unless we have a pile of snow, it’s happy days. But, I had picked a game out as soon as the fixtures were announced, with my old favourites South Shields in town for a midweek game, it was straight into the planner and barring a freakish weather incident that would even surpass Buxton standards, I was going!

Why do I love the Silverlands? Because it’s a proper traditional football ground, that’s why. A cracking old stand with the dressing rooms and offices below dominates the vista, while behind the railway line end is a steep covered terrace where a great atmosphere can be created. Opposite the main stand is the popular side which is a full length covered terrace, while behind the other goal it’s just open. The clubhouse and tea bar are just as you enter the ground in the corner, and over the years the warmth of that clubhouse at half time has been a godsend!

What about the club?

A Cheshire County League side until 1973 when they were crowned Champions and won promotion to the Northern Premier League, they went on to become one of the mainstays of the premier non-league competition in the North, remembering that up until 1979, the winners of the NPL could apply for election to the Football League.

They never really threatened in the NPL but once the top sides moved into the newly formed Alliance Premier League in 1979, they did conjure up sixth and fourth placed finishes for a couple of seasons afterwards. They continued to tick along, without really threatening, until 1996-97 when a disastrous campaign saw them finish bottom and relegated. Financial problems hit the club and once again the following season they finished bottom of the First Division and were relegated to the Northern Counties East League.

Despite being without doubt the biggest club in the league, they didn’t find life easy in the NCEL. Twice they had to survive relegation scares and in the end it took eight seasons before they were crowned champions and were able to return to NPL football. In fact, it was once Nicky Law was appointed Manager that fortunes changed. He was the man who took them up, and then the following season they won the NPL1 at the first attempt, and finally, they were back where they belonged.

Since then they’ve flirted with the Play-Offs on a couple of occasions, but in all honesty, they’ve never really looked like going up, nor have they ever been in any danger of going down. Arguably, they are now at their natural level as a football club, but that said, the National League North is still something to aim for, they certainly have the facilities and the support in the town is strong, so why not?

The current campaign has started positively, prior to the match against South Shields they were just outside the top six, and if they could muster up a victory, a top four place with a quarter of the season gone was within grasp. Crowds have been good as well, the highest being over 700 while an average of just under 500 is very healthy for the level.

So what about the game? I had a feeling beforehand that South Shields would have too much for them, despite them not perhaps having had the start that would have hoped for and indeed expected. Bearing in mind this is the club that have stormed all before them in the previous three seasons, and in many pundits eyes, were the favourites again this time around. I was one of them, I felt that they would go through the league this season (having seen them last year) and would be taking up a place in National North for 2019-20.

Buxton had different ideas, they played a high tempo game and pressed the ball quickly. Shields had plenty of possession but more often than not the ball was going sideways or backwards such was Buxton’s tenacious attitude. Buxton took the lead in the seventh minute when the impressive Liam Hardy saw his shot from distance take a deflection and find its way into the back of the net.

Shields saw plenty of the ball for the rest of the first half, but could only real manufacture one decent chance that went begging.

I had a feeling that Shields would go up another gear in the second period and perhaps try to be a bit more direct, but it was quite the opposite. Buxton were the side they found another gear and started to see more of the ball, so it came as no surprise when in the 78^th minute Greg Young found space in the penalty area to turn and fire low into the net.

A well deserved victory for Buxton, and disappointment for the healthy following from the North East who seemed somewhat disgruntled at the final whistle. They aren’t used to losing games, and this was the fourth away defeat from six games on the road.

But tonight was about Buxton, and under the guidance of Paul Phillips and Steve Halford, you do wonder whether this might be the season when they could mount that elusive promotion push. They’ve beaten Shields and another favourite in the shape of Basford United, so why not?

With a guarantee of games due to the shiny new surface, I’ll be back again this season, and being that bit older and slightly more sensible, I promise you Buxton, I won’t be causing you any trouble!

In God's Country

Ryburn United  3  TVR United  0

West Riding County Amateur League – Premier Division

I do love a trip to West Yorkshire.

Over the years I’ve been to some stunningly picturesque venues while watching football, highlights include Oxenhope and the breathtaking views over the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, Salts and the evocative Saltaire Village, Esholt and Emmerdale Country, and of course the ghostly mills of Marsden.

And Why Not.....?

The West Riding County Amateur never failed to disappoint as year in, year out, new teams would appear and new venues would be visited. It was that league that then set me onto the West Yorkshire League for what were some equally fabulous trips to some wonderful places.

Things are changing though, in 2010-11 season the WRCAL had four division with a membership of 54 teams. At the start of this season it was down to one division with 15 teams, but since then Wakefield City, AFC Bingley and DRAM Community have all resigned, it’s down to 12 teams.

Many knowledgeable locals are suggesting this could the final season for the league, with the clubs either choosing to go into the West Yorkshire League or the West Yorkshire Amateur League. It certainly has the look of a league on its way out, especially after a proposed merger with the West Yorkshire League fell through in the Summer.

That said though, it has persevered with its recruitment and in the Summer new teams in the shape of AFC Bingley, Toller and Ryburn United joined the fold, but of course Bingley quickly disappeared again. Toller, for that matter, did disappear before the season started, but they suddenly re-appeared again, and so far all looks good.

Halifax Road Side

Ryburn United though, a side from the Halifax League who finished runners up to Shelf United last season, despite winning 16 of their 20 games, looked to be one of the more competitive recruits, and competing out of their own base at Ripponden Wood, it was on the radar for a visit.

It’s taken a bit of time though as for the first month or so they didn’t play at Ripponden Wood due to some work taking place on the ground, but having been in a dialogue with their Twitter Guy, I got the affirmative that the game against Bradford based TVR United would indeed be at ‘home’.

Getting to the village of Ripponden is pretty straight forward, and once off the M62 at Ainley Top, as you would expect, it’s a very picturesque run out of Elland, into Greetland and then down into the valley where it sits. Located only twelve miles from Rochdale, Ripponden is very much a Yorkshire village, but being so close to the Greater Manchester boundary it does have close links.

Aesthetic

The River Ryburn (hence the clubs name) runs through the village which has a population of around 8,000, while it was famous for being on the route for the Tour de France in 2014 when it passed through before climbing the 1.3 kilometre long Cote de Ripponden.  Other than that, it has pubs and the like, and like many of these Yorkshire villages and towns, it does make me wonder how they cope when the snow comes!

The ground is located to the North of the village, on the main Halifax Road, and once down the narrow driveway, a car park and dressing room building appears on the right. Adjacent to the building is a storage container that’s been converted into a handy tea bar selling pies and other such delicacies.

Two sides of the ground are overlooked by the stunning views of the woodland that slopes up the side of the valley, while on the main road side is a steep wall that runs close to the edge of the pitch, which in itself provided a great viewing location for some of the spectators.

Dressing Rooms

The pitch was in good nick and to comply with regulations a ‘Respect’ barrier was erected down one side. Overall, a lovely venue that the club have worked hard on to give some basic creature comforts for players and spectators alike.

The game was due to kick off at 2.30pm but TVR were in no rush so it was 2.45pm by the time it actually happened, and that laissez faire attitude transmitted onto the pitch where they were comfortably beaten by a well drilled and determined Ryburn outfit.

The final score was 3-0 and that was probably a fair reflection of the balance of play, which saw the hosts jump over the visitors in the league table into fifth position. Quality wise it was of a good standard, but it does beg the question as to where clubs like Ryburn United might sit as regards next season.

If the WRCAL is no longer viable, and the future may not be clear until very late in the day, then decisions will need to be made early by clubs who want to secure a league for 2019-20. It may be that process which ultimately is the death of the WRCAL, unless of course the FA Leagues people get involved, in which case the outcome is anyone’s guess.

For the time being though, give me God's Country any day of the week……

The Wall

The Balance

Carlton Town  5  Gresley  0

Northern Premier League – Division One East

The balance of power in Nottinghamshire non-league football has swung significantly over the past decade.

The top non-league club in the county is Basford United, followed by Carlton Town and then AFC Mansfield. To put that into some kind of perspective, it wasn’t too long ago that Basford were a Nottinghamshire Senior League side, Carlton, while under the previous name of Sneinton were also in that competition, while AFC Mansfield haven’t been formed that long!

The previous big players, namely Worksop Town, Eastwood Town, Arnold Town and Hucknall Town, are at Step’s 5, 6 and 7, their demise due to a variety of factors, cash being a significant one.

But let’s focus on Carlton Town, a club I first saw play back in 2003 at their old ground, which sat right next to where the current ground sits on Stoke Lane. It was a pre-season friendly against Holbrook Miners Welfare, and at the time plans were in place to run the new Colwick Loop Road right through the ground, which would mean the club would have to move slightly to the West at a virtual right angle to where they played. They already owned the land and had a pitch in place, so it was deemed to be one of the simpler ground moves in the grand scheme of things.

The move took place in the 2006-07 and I saw what I think was the first home game under lights when they lost 1-0 to Hallam. Much debate amongst the travelling fraternity concerned pitch overlaps, you see that’s quite a big thing as any slight overlap of pitches means it isn’t a new ground.

Spurs are currently featuring in such debate, but you only have to go on the Google Earth timeline to work it out, and besides, how anyone can suggest the Tottenham ground is not a new stadium is talking cobblers .

Digression aside, the new home was indeed a new ground, and it coincided with the rise of a club that as I have said, were once called Sneinton and competed in the lower division of the Notts Senior League. They moved up to the top flight of the NSL and then made the jump into the Central Midlands League, winning the Supreme Division in 2002-03 season.

It only took two seasons of Northern Counties East League football before the First Division title was won, and then the following season a third place in the Premier Division meant promotion to the Northern Premier League thanks to some restructuring.

All of this took place under the Chairmanship of Mick Garton and the shrewd management of Tommy Brookbanks, two men who have been fundamental to the rise of a club that still to this day struggles to draw larger crowds to Stoke Lane despite the significant progress that has been made.

The club achieved a best place of runners up in Division One South in 2011-12, losing to Leek Town on penalties in the play-offs, this of course came after a play-off defeat to a Jamie Vardy inspired Stocksbridge Park Steel in the 2008-09. An era that was undoubtedly the best in the clubs history, with the County Senior Cup finding its way into the trophy cabinet on more than one occasion.

Recent years have been a little lean on the pitch, Brookbanks moved on, and further managers have come and gone, but the club remains at Step 4 despite the last four years finishing in the bottom four consistently.

On a night when Nottingham Forest were at home to Stoke City, it perhaps wasn’t the smartest move to drive right past the City Ground en route to Stoke Lane, but anyway, it was achieved without too much discomfort and soon the A612 was negotiated and the car park found with ease.

The ground hasn’t changed much over the years, once through the turnstiles, the tea bar and dressing rooms are to the left, with an area of covering overhanging at the front. To the right is the clubhouse, with a further building beyond it that looks like its being converted into possibly an academic facility.

The only other area of cover at the ground sits behind the South goal and that is a small block of Atcost style seats, behind which is a floodlit all weather court.

As for the game, it was something of a procession. In front of 106 spectators, Luke Smithson gave the hosts a tenth minute lead, while Ben Hutchinson doubled it in the 24^th minute. It was 3-0 by half time when Riece Bartram found the net in the 36^th minute.

Oliver Clark made it 4-0 ten minutes into the second period and then as the game moved into the final five minutes, the same player made it 5-0. It was a comprehensive victory and a very good performance from Carlton who’s pace and trickery was just too much for a very lacklustre Gresley outfit.

It was Carlton’s first home win of the season and moved them towards the mid-table places, while Gresley’s poor away form continues. I’m sure Carlton would accept mid-table from this season, it would give them something to build on, and with some impressive looking youngsters in the side, they’ve certainly got the makings of a good side.

The balance of power will undoubtedly shift again in Nottinghamshire at some point in the future, Carlton Town will be hoping that they can remain a consistent in what seems to be a very changing football World.