Born Of Frustration

AFC Mansfield  3 Morpeth Town  1

Northern Premier League – Division One East

Every once in a while, in football supporting terms, the toys come out of the pram.

We can all handle our teams playing crap, having rubbish players, being largely a footballing failure, but what we can’t handle is turbulence within the ownership and all that goes with it, including the insecurity and uncertainty it breeds.

Politics and greed, we’ve seen it so many times over the years at the professional level, and then of course, led by the pioneers, AFC Wimbledon, the fans get so sick of it that they form their own clubs.

The aforementioned Dons, FC United of Manchester, Coventry United, AFC Barnsley (RIP) and of course, AFC Mansfield are all examples of clubs that have emerged out of the maelstrom of dissatisfaction over what happens off the pitch, not on it!

AFC Mansfield were formed in June 2012 by three former Directors of the Stags who were somewhat unhappy with the goings on at Field Mill, many of which had been dragging on for years, largely over the ownership of the club and the stadium (the two were in separate hands which didn’t help).

They were immediately accepted into the Central Midlands League, and won promotion from the North Division, based out of their home at the Forest Town Arena. The finished runners up to Dronfield Town, and that was enough to earn a place in the Northern Counties East League

By 2015-16 they had recorded another second placed finish, in the NCEL, and with it came a berth in the Premier Division, or Step 5 as it is also known. The movement forward continued and by the end of the 2017-18 they had gained promotion to the Northern Premier League, finishing third behind Pontefract Collieries and Pickering Town despite mustering an impressive 96 points.

So it’s been a success story on the field, but what about off of it? Well the stadium has seen improvements, which to the naked eye include new floodlights and a new stand to meet grading requirements.

Crowds wise though it’s been something of a struggle, a huge influx did not shift across from the Stags and this season they are averaging 103 through the gate, which is the second lowest in the division.

From a commercial and marketing perspective, again looking from the outside, it does look as though the club is moving in the right direction. Sponsorship, advertising and events look to be high on the clubs agenda, and at this level of football they need to be.

I first went to the Forest Town Arena, or The Clod as it is known locally, back in 2004 to watch former tenants of the ground, Forest Town, take on Teversal in a friendly game. The stadium comprises a football pitch with a cycle track around it. On one side is a steep concrete stepped bank that has been seated, the bulk uncovered, with a standing area behind it which sits in front of the Welfare.

A small Atcost type stand has been dropped in just to the side of the banking, while the dressing rooms and tea bar sit behind the goal. The Welfare is a huge place, with various rooms, but football supporters are encouraged to use the main bar area without having to sign in or such like.

It may not be the most aesthetic of venues, but it’s functional, it’s tidy and it has a very good playing surface that holds up to most weather conditions very well indeed.

I’d chosen to go and watch the game, and I’ll be honest, because I wanted to see champions elect Morpeth Town in action, and also being honest, I was expecting an away victory, but it seems I got that very wrong.

Morpeth had a hell of a lot of the ball in the first period but Bulls goalkeeper Jason White made two excellent saves, combined with some stout defending, to keep them at bay. It was the hosts who took the lead though in the 39^th minute when Ellis Wall found the net, very much against the run of play.

Morpeth had the ball in the net in the 66^th minute from a Joseph Walton penalty that was clear cut, this after White had continued to make some outstanding saves. But, just when you thought the visitors were on for the turnaround, Mansfield went straight up the other end for Oliver Fearon to net with a well placed header to make it 2-1.

Morpeth tried to battle back, but frustration got the better of them and as the game moved into injury time they found themselves down to ten men, and with another clear penalty awarded which Fearon duly despatched, it finished 3-1.

A fantastic result for Mansfield, a truly brave and battling performance against a side that will win the league sooner rather than later. The Bulls are safe this season, and under Mark Ward and Jon Froggatt I see no reason why they can’t push on next season.

But what about AFC Mansfield, the club formed out of anger and frustration? Well, they’ve taken on the mantle of the most senior club in the Mansfield area behind the Stags (who themselves are now in a much better place), with more traditional sides like Clipstone and Rainworth falling behind them, but it will come very much down to those running the club.

As one AFC official said to me, age is not on their side, they could do with some younger blood coming through to carry things on for the next generation. The club isn’t for disaffected Stags anymore, so that angle isn’t available, it’s now about harnessing the small but loyal band of followers who love non-league football, to help them to carry on.

But then again, isn’t every club like AFC Mansfield in the same boat as far as that’s concerned anyway?

C’est la vie, mi duck!

Aqua Sulis

Bath City  1  Woking  1

National League South

Given that I consider myself to be pretty well travelled as far as the UK goes, it was quite odd that I’d never once set foot in the City of Bath.

Yes, I’ve been to Dumfries, Whitstable, Haverfordwest, Lowestoft, Penzance and even Ballinamallard, but the beautiful Bath Spa has always eluded me.

Not sure quite why, just one of those things I guess. But, with Steps 1 and 2 on the radar in terms of the completism exercise, it firmly jumped onto the radar earlier this season due to Bath City plying their trade in the National League South.

Of course, as soon as Mrs H got a sniff of it I was the best part of three hundred quid down as we were all going to make a weekend of it. Mrs H doesn’t do B&B’s, nor does she do Hotels without facilities that meet her standards, in fact, Mrs H doesn’t do anything with a hint of a budget about it.

But, it was a little treat for us all, even if it transpired we had to make our own car parking arrangements, for the price of your average B&B in Glasgow!

The Friday afternoon journey down wasn’t too bad, apart from a broken down lorry on the roundabout at the M42 entrance which caused several degrees of chaos and a delay of about forty minutes. The journey from the M4 into Bath was surprisingly straightforward and after having to take a slight detour to drop the family off at the hotel before parking up, we were sat in the Bath Brew House over the road with pints in hand.

With an early night secured, it was a relatively sprightly start in the morning and we were soon treading the pavements of Bath, grabbing a coffee and getting on board the first available entry to see the iconic Roman Baths. I must admit to being somewhat ignorant to the existence of such a place, but the sight, the history and the geology of the place is quite wondrous, even if the taste of warm spring water is absolutely vile!

With that done, it was a good old Spoons breakfast prior to the obligatory open top bus tour of the City, which took in sights such as the Crescent and the Circus, along with somewhat more historic venues such as Bath Rugby Club, where one of the great club sides of the Eighties and Nineties swept all before them!

With the touristy bit done and dusted, it was time to get the number 5 bus to Twerton and the football ground. The journey is not a particularly long one in terms of mileage, but Bath is a very busy place, and it takes time to meander down the Old Bristol Road before turning left under the railway line and up into the centre of the suburb itself.

A short walk from the bus stop and the up the slope brings you into the car park, and this is where the sheer size of what is a superb non-league football venue hits you. I’ll talk more about the stadium later, but what about Bath City FC, the club and the team?

A Southern League side for many seasons, winning it in 1978, they became founder members of the Alliance Premier League in 1979-90. They remained in the top flight of non-league football for nine seasons, with a best finish of fourth, before returning to the Southern League once again.

Two seasons later, in 1990 after a runners-up spot was secured, they were back in the top flight of what was then known as the Conference National. This time the spell lasted for seven years before the Southern League beckoned again, but on this occasion they had to wait until 2007 before promotion presented itself to them, courtesy of the championship.

Promotion came to the now Conference South, and within three years they were back in the Conference National, for just two seasons until relegation took them back to where they remain to this day.

They aren’t renowned cup fighters to be fair, the FA Trophy semi-final was reached recently whereby they lost to eventual winners North Ferriby United on penalties, whereas in the FA Cup notable Football League scalps include Grimsby Town, Barnet, Hereford United and Cardiff City, but in all honesty, the First Round Proper has not been reached since 2011.

But what a stadium, a proper old school non-league football ground, that if you recall, was once used by Bristol Rovers in the Football League when they were homeless for a spell.

The clubhouse sits outside the ground and backs onto the large main stand which sits on the top of the small car park. Underneath are the offices, dressing rooms and a shop, but once inside the stand the plastic seats give an excellent view of the pitch, despite the numerous supporting pillars that can obstruct. In front of the main stand is a terraced paddock, while heading round to the left behind the goal is an area of open terracing (the home end / Bath End) that starts quite narrowly and then widens as it reaches the opposite side of the ground.

Opposite the main stand is a vast covered terrace, which has a strange kind of slope as it moves towards the end of the pitch at the Bristol End of the ground. This is where the hard-core Romans support congregates. Another open terrace, significantly deeper than at the home end sits behind the opposite goal, and when a big crowd is in place, like today, it’s used for the away support and can be segregated. Moving round from this to the side is a much smaller seated stand that is again used for away support, and this sits to the right of the main stand, at a slight angle to the pitch.

As for the floodlights - pure porn!

After a quick pint and the purchase of a great value family ticket, we queued at the turnstiles and were in place less than five minutes before kick off. We got some seats despite a crowd of over 1700 being in place, and on a gloriously sunny day, it was time to watch two sides who in all probability, may well be meeting again in a months time in the play-offs!

The first half wasn’t a great spectacle, and it was the visitors who had the half time lead thanks to a goal in the eighteenth minute from Max Kretzschmar who capitalised on a goalkeeping mistake.

Bath got a deserved equaliser in a markedly better second period albeit video evidence does suggest that Andy Watkins was in an offside position when he found the back of the net.

The draw was a fair result, and it didn’t really make much of a difference to either side in the grand scheme of things, as Woking’s hopes of overtaking Torquay at the top took a further blow, while Bath simply consolidated a play-off berth.

The bus back to the City Centre was packed, with a number of Woking fans (nearly 300 were at the game) heading back to the Railway Station. Mrs H nearly got into a fight with an octogenarian as we neared our stop, it appears he did not like the tone in which she asked to be excused as we squeezed past to get off the bus…..anyway, had it come to blows I would have fancied her chances, she would have been at least three to one on for a knock out!

The evening was spent having a meal and a few drinks, before a lie in and a departure back North the following morning, a first visit to Aqua Sulis had been both memorable and enjoyable, not least the experience of the magnificent Twerton Park.

Ballinamallard it wasn’t…….

Darkness

Rossington Main  0  Selby Town  1 (match abandoned)

Northern Counties East League – Division One

Did you realise that Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club is actually the end result of a series of mergers and name changes of six separate clubs?

Without going into the detail, those clubs are Dagenham, Redbridge Forest, Walthamstow Avenue, Leytonstone & Ilford, Leytonstone and Ilford!

The relevance with a very brief evening at Rossington Main is what, you might wonder?

Well, the story in Rossington is not a million miles away from that, maybe several hundred thousand miles, but certainly not a million! Rossington Main have been around a good while, but for a time, they were joined in the mid-Eighties by a team called Station, who then became Rossington Haslam, and then they ultimately became Rossington FC.

I’m not 100% sure what happened to plain old Rossington when they left the Central Midlands League in 1998, but something tells me at the back of my mind that the merged with Main? I could be wrong, but anyway, for what is essentially a former mining village on the South side of Doncaster, to have had so many clubs / names in senior football is quite impressive.

Rossington Main are a very steady club, they joined the Central Midlands League as founder members in 1983 and when the Supreme Division was formed in 1986 they were the only current member to gain entry to the new ‘Midlands Super League’ as it had been billed. The fact Main had an impressive ground, and had won the league a couple of years previously no doubt had an influence on that particular decision.

They plied their trade in that particular division for five seasons before a move into the First Division of the Northern Counties League, where they have remained uninterrupted since 1991. They’ve never finished higher than seventh, but they have flirted with the relegation zone on more than one occasion, but their Step 6 status has always remained.

While they may not provide the loyal faithful with the ups and downs like some clubs do, what they do manage to do very well is provide some excellent facilities at their Oxford Road ground. The clubhouse is excellent, as is the tea bar, while pitch side there is a seated stand on either side of the pitch, with an additional area of covered terracing.

The pitch itself looks in very good nick, while the floodlights, with the pylons straight from the old pit yard, are more than adequate.

I first went to Main in 2003, to watch a pre-season friendly against Coalville Town. Quite how Coalville ended up in Rossington is anyone’s guess, but on a baking hot day the lads from Leicestershire recorded a 1-0 victory. I never went again until a few seasons ago, 2014-15 to be precise, when I saw them beat Penistone Church 3-1.

I like the ground, and I like the club, so why have I not been more often? Simple, until the new link road was built from junction 3 of the M18, getting to Rossington was a ball ache that meant either a trip through Doncaster, or a cross country route via Maltby and Tickhill.

That’s changed now though, and what makes it even better is that the road from the M18 brings you into Rossington from the right direction to get to the ground easier. I should imagine manager Ryan ‘Massive’ Hindley finds it a darn sight easier now to attract players to the club now the logistics have improved!

So, the game?

Well, Main sat in the bottom six while visitors Selby were mid-table, and after just two minutes it was the visitors who took the lead with a well taken Liam Flanagan goal. The game ebbed and flowed until the half hour mark when suddenly we were plunged into darkness.

With the floodlights out, Main officials frantically tried to get them back on, but it became apparent the issue was much bigger than the football club. The houses in the surrounding streets and indeed the street lights were out, so the situation was very much out of the clubs control.

It became more and more apparent that the lights were not going to come back on, so the match was abandoned, and is now rescheduled for the 9^th of April.

Mrs H was a tad surprised to see me back home so early, 123 games this season and the first abandonment. I’m normally good for one or two a season so I was definitely due one. I can’t make the re-arranged game, but it’s not put me off future trips to RMFC, the hotbed of all things non-league football South of Donny, even if it took a few clubs before they got it together!  

Red Dogs

Nottingham  0  Crowle Colts  3

Central Midlands League – Division One North

It was always destined to end in failure, a Nottingham Sunday League game in January where the hosts Red Dogs were playing someone I’d never heard of, I can’t remember the name of, nor do I have any inclination to go back and find out the origins of.

Anyway, quite how I got cajoled into going to pub football is purely down to my mate Steve, who has made a bit of an alarming habit of it this season, but it was probably alcohol related and given it wasn’t too far away, I thought I’d try it.

Bad move, nothing doing, not a corner flag, not a match official, not a car in the car park, it was simply not taking place. On further inspection of Full Time a bit later on, yes, it was off, and as far as Sunday League football watching goes hereon in, you can insert it firmly up your jacksie!

Ok, it needs further clarification. I found out at the beginning of Winter that Nottingham FC, who were new to the Central Midlands League (and remain something of a mystery due to no social media), had moved from Lenton Lane to Melbourne Park on the Western outskirts of the City. Steve, who sees spending a Saturday at such a venue as something of a waste when it could be done at another time, spotted that the Red Dogs used it as a home venue on a Sunday, hence the idea of ticking it off for some good old pub football.

It failed, clearly, but I mean, Red Dogs, it didn’t sit well anyway with me. Watching the real Red Dogs on TV is painful enough, but watching what is clearly a team of supporters was pushing the boundaries too far, no, it was probably for the best.

Anyway, it had to be done one way or another, and with league leaders Crowle Colts in town, it was the perfect opportunity, notwithstanding the fact I had to be at a Hotel not far from blighty at 5.30 for the Wedding Anniversary celebrations, meant that it ticked so many boxes. It also ticked another box, my old mucker Derek lives a couple of minutes from the ground and with some horse trading to be done on the paper front, I was now into three birds – one stone territory. Boom, as the kids say these days!

It's changed since I last went, for no game, they’ve railed the pitch off nearest to the entrance. That came as a surprise, I was expecting rope, but I got metal, that opens the door now for my mate Dave who only does railed pitches. Not being funny, rope / metal, anyone would think he had a fetish?

Right, location wise Melbourne Park is just off the A610 which runs from the M1 to the City Centre. You get to the junction that was the old Commodore International, turn right and then a few hundred yards later you turn left into the ground. It’s an expanse of pitches with a centrally located changing block, that’s kind of it, apart from the railed pitch, which is a mighty fine railed pitch I have to say.

In the distance I spotted some familiarity, in the shape of four well known members of the travelling fraternity. You see, another foible here, some hoppers don’t like to go to games where a reserve team is involved, so on the basis that three quarters of this league is reserve teams, is does limit the choice somewhat. So, when a first team is visiting, it is an attractive proposition to the great unwashed of this World.

This lot were not the great unwashed though, Messrs Berezai, Hardy, Groves and Berry were convivial company throughout the afternoon’s proceedings, although stood a short distance from us was another well known face, nicknamed after a form of public transport popular in Blackpool, he was praying for a goal, you see, if a game ends 0-0 he has to go back and watch another game until a goal is scored. I didn’t laugh about the two consecutive goalless draws at Shelbourne in Dublin, not one bit…….

Stood on the grass bank that runs down the side of the pitch, we witnessed the league leading visitors ease to a 3-0 victory. Nottingham gave it a good go, but Crowle had that bit more quality and were deserved victors in the end.

You know what though, it felt somewhat strange to be at a game so close to home after the recent jaunts down to Essex and suchlike, I could get used to it, if there was anywhere new to go!

So, that polished off all the local leagues for another season, and unlike Steve, I did it without seeing a single second of pub football, just………

155 But Still Fighting

Clifton All Whites  2  Belper United  1

East Midlands Counties League Cup – Semi Final

BBC Radio Derby – Sports Scene Final, I think I’ve been down this route before in the blog, but not to worry, I’m going to do it again just one more time!

It was the journey home from my Grandma’s in Mickleover on a Saturday night, we would normally be on the final straight back to Fritchley when the non-league reports came on, and always featured were Borrowash Victoria, with Ian ‘Chunky’ Collins providing the report from firstly Deans Drive, and then the Asterdale Bowl.

The Vics are one of the stalwarts of non-league football in Derby, joining the First Division of the old Midland League in 1979, before becoming founder members of the Northern Counties East League in 1982. They defected to the Central Midlands League along with many other local sides in 1986, but within ten years they were back in the NCEL.

They had a four season spell in the Premier Division, but were relegated and then moved sideways to the East Midlands Counties League where they remain.

The Asterdale Bowl was the chosen venue for tonight’s League Cup semi-final between Clifton All Whites and Belper United, with United of course being former ground sharers at Borrowash a couple of seasons ago when Belper Town decided they didn't want them for a spell!

I’ve not been for a few years to the Bowl, and to be fair to the Vics, the last couple of seasons have been something of a struggle. This season in particular they sit second bottom of the table having conceded 155 goals, indeed on five occasions they’ve conceded double figures in a game, but to be fair, over recent weeks they do look to have steadied the ship a little.

But, with some new blood behind the scenes, and no lack of effort or enthusiasm, the future does look significantly more rosy. The word on the street is that no one will be relegated, which would be a real boost for the Vics because with their infrastructure, they should be a Step 6 club.

The ground is vast in terms of size. The Asterdale complex itself is a huge site, with the home of Graham Street Prims on the left as you drive in, and the now derelict Asterdale Club standing out like a monolith from days gone by as many ponder what the future holds for it.

Once beyond the car park is the slope that takes you down to the turnstiles at the back of the goal, with the old golf driving range stand immediately to the right. Yes, the ground was once a driving range, and that largely explains the vastness of it. A seated stand has been put on the halfway line while opposite are the dressing rooms. A bar sits to the far end of the driving range stand, from which food can now be purchased to accompany your drinkies, following the closure of the wonderful old tea bar that used to be at the opposite end of the stand.

The pitch is large, and considering the recent wet weather it looked in good shape, while the only criticism would have to be the floodlights, they are not especially powerful, but I’m sure that’s something that the club have on the radar when funds allow.

My first visit came in 1994 when I saw them play Nuthall in an FA Vase Replay (it went to three replays if I recall), since then visits have tended to be midweek games, or on the odd occasion when Belper United were indeed sharing with them.

I quite fancied Belper to win the game, especially given they’ve had some good results against Clifton already this season, but to be fair they never got out of the blocks in the first half and found themselves 2-0 down at the break against an All Whites side that were confident and sharp in all areas of the pitch.

The second half was a totally different story as United got a goal back from the penalty spot, and went on to throw the kitchen sink at Clifton, very much in the same way the Nottingham based side did in the first period. With a bit more composure they may well have got an equaliser and even gone on to win the game, but in all honesty, it was the first half that did for them.

Clifton go on to play Newark Flowserve in the Final, it should be an interesting encounter. On paper you would fancy the big spenders from Newark, but.....

As for Borrowash, I do hope that they stay up and I do hope that those behind the scenes see the efforts they are putting in bear fruit. A competitive Vics side is good for local football, they’ve been a top team in the past and they could be again.

I recall back in 1991 they went to Conference side Macclesfield Town in the FA Cup and won 2-1, that was one hell of a result. The two clubs nowadays couldn’t be further apart in reality, but just getting back into the FA Cup with a decent league position would be an achievement for the Vics.

I don’t think anyone who appreciates what it takes to run a non-league football club would begrudge them that.

Grand Slam

Penybont  2  Cwmamman United  0

Welsh Football League – Division One

It’s slightly ironic on the day that Storm Gareth swept the nation, my plan was to head for Wales.

But, on the day when heavy rains and high winds swept across the province, something big was happening in the sporting arena, and that arena was the Millennium Stadium.

Wales v Ireland in the Six Nations, with the hosts a victory away from a Grand Slam. All eyes were on Cardiff, and with that huge distraction combined with the weather, football was without doubt going to be playing second fiddle, and even that with Manchester United playing just up the road at Swansea City.

I’ve had Penybont on the radar for a few reasons recently. Firstly because they’ve applied to join the Welsh Premier League, secondly because they are currently top of the league and unbeaten, but also thirdly because they have a 4G pitch, which is ideal for days when Gareth is at his worst!

There was also another reason to be fair, I’d made an arrangement with a programme dealer from Merthyr Tydfil, and rather than pay postage for my purchases, I’d agreed to meet him on my way down to Penybont as it’s on the route assuming you take the Heads of the Valleys Road.

So unless we had a pile of snow, or the Welsh Football League decided to call all games off due to no one being arsed because of the rugby, it was something of a cert that the game would be on and I could kill two birds with one shotgun.

To be fair to Gareth, I didn’t see any sign of him until virtually crossing the Welsh border just before Monmouth. Ok, the fields around Ross-on-Wye and beyond were completely flooded thanks to rain earlier in the week, but the first specs of water were some time coming.

That said, once on the HOTVR, the winds picked up and the ran got heavier, so by the time I was driving into Merthyr, I would suspect most grass pitches were now pretty well shafted! With the deal done, it was another forty five minutes down through the Valleys before hitting the M4 at Cardiff West and driving Westbound towards Bridgend – or Pen Y Bont as it’s known in Welsh.

I’ve only ever been to Bridgend once before, for a Wedding, a Roman Catholic Wedding to be precise. It went on for ages, and I mean ages, I vowed never to attend such a ceremony again, and I haven’t.

Memories are a bit sketchy, I stayed at my mates place in Brackla, and we did have a drive in to town, taking a look at the Rugby Ground, but that’s about it. What I hadn’t realised though is just how big a place it actually is. It took an age to get from the M4 to the home of Penybont, as I was directed around the edges of the town to the West side, and the suburb of Bryntirion.

Football in Bridgend is quite an interesting story. Bridgend Town were the big name, and were a Welsh Football League side from the late Fifties through to 1973 when they changed their name to Everwarm! The idea of being named after a sponsor didn’t last and then in 1977 they took the decisions to leave Wales and join the Southern Football League. Promotion was won to the Premier Division but they eventually settled in the Midland Division until 1983.

Welsh football again beckoned, and from the point of leaving the English system they remained in the WFL, moving up and down the divisions, until 2013.

Up until 2006 the club played at Coychurch Road, but then having sold the site to a supermarket chain, they shared at Porthcawl before setting up a temporary base at the University of Glamorgan grounds in Treforest. Ambitiously, they moved in with Bridgend RFC at the Brewery Field in 2009 and applied for the Welsh Premier League, but this was not to be and they were forced to vacate.

The solution was in the suburbs, Bryntirion Athletic were a successful club plying their trade in the WFL, so to secure funding, a merger took place with the newly named club formed, called Penybont, and their home would be the well appointed Bryntirion Park.

This season, subject to licencing, they are odds on to win the league and all being well, should secure promotion to the WPL. South Wales has not had it easy over the years in WPL circles, Llanelli were a success but then went belly up, only for the newly formed Llanelli Town to gain promotion at the end of last season, but relegation looms large one year later.

Port Talbot is in the doldrums as both Town and Afan Lido have suffered the drop, while the Neath project disappeared no sooner than it arrived.

Cwmbran fell off the radar, while Haverfordwest have yo-yo’d. Carmarthen on the other hand have managed to hang on in there, but Barry Town United, rising from the ashes of Barry Town, look to be the current success story along with student team Cardiff Met University.

So, a team from Bridgend, one of the largest, albeit rugby mad towns, is long overdue in the WPL.

The ground at Bryntirion Park is tidy, but quite basic. The car park is large, and the clubhouse equally so, while today it was rammed with locals getting set for the rugby. No turnstiles have yet been installed and the only covered accommodation is an Atcost Stand on a bank straddling the half way line. Hard standing surrounds the fully enclosed ground, while it does of course have floodlights and a TV gantry!

Plans are afoot for turnstiles, another stand and some offices, and the club did sound confident that they will get the work done in time.

So, in front of an understandably sparse crowd, albeit a good number from Cwmam….the Anmmanford area, it was a relatively routine victory for the homesters against, to be fair, one of the form sides in the league.

Penybont haven’t lost a game in the league all season, and on their home pitch, it’s easy to see why, they play with a confidence and a purpose, and even with a missed penalty, a goal in each half was enough to seal the three points.

By the time the final whistle blew, the rain was at it’s worst, and just as I was about to get on the M4, the final whistle blew in Cardiff and a nation began to celebrate, Wales are officially the best rugby team in the Northern Hemisphere, and in a World Cup year, that’s not a bad place to be.

It was so empty on the M4, all the way down to Newport, clearly the nation were right behind the lads in Cardiff, and tucked away in front rooms, clubs and pubs to celebrate.

It won’t be too long before they are celebrating in the round ball format over in Bridgend, as finally the town gets what it deserves, a top tier football team in the national league.

Europe Next?

The Biggest Club You Never Saw

Newark Flowserve  3  Radford  1

East Midlands Counties League Cup – Semi Final

Rainworth Miners Welfare are arguably one of the biggest non-league clubs that the East Midlands never saw!

As a wholly amateur club, playing in the Nottinghamshire Alliance League, they made history in 1982 by reaching the FA Vase Final at Wembley, only to lose to Forest Green Rovers.

The Wrens were the first and only Miners Welfare club to reach a national final at Wembley, but the 3-0 defeat, this after beating Barton Rovers in the semi-final, the home leg attracting over 5,000 spectators to Kirklington Road, didn’t take the shine off what was the crowning moment for a football club that were dominating local football.

Between 1977 and 1983 the club won the league championship six successive times, but not only that, they achieved both League Cup and County Cup success. In terms of status, they sat way below the Northern Premier League, which at the time was the second tier non-league competition, while the Midland Counties League and then the Northern Counties East League were also a step above them.

I remember not too long ago talking to a Rainworth stalwart, a man who certainly knows his football, and he told me that the side that he saw reach Wembley and win titles, would have been top four in the Midland League, and in all fairness, were good enough to hold their own in the Northern Premier League, they were that good!

It’s all hypothetical of course, but if like me, you keep old programmes, it’s interesting to scan through and look at some of the players, many of whom had not been long out of the professional game, like Paul Comerford and Clint Guy, who were paying ‘subs’ by all accounts!

On top of that, the crowds were flocking to Kirklington Road, I went once in the early years and that was in 1984 to see an FA Vase victory over Lincoln United, and it was packed, several hundred lined the pitch side and up the grass bank. But therein lay the problem, Kirkilington Road was a pitch with a rope around it, while the dressing rooms were the pavilion that was a fair old walk to the pitch.

Facilities wise it was as basic as they came, but, given the success and the support, why did they not develop and rise? Well, I get the feeling it all came down to politics. The Secretary of the club was Alan Wright, who himself was also the Chairman of the Notts Alliance, and the view was that while he pulled the strings, the league and the club would never part. Alan Wright did so much for the club, and indeed for the league, but……

Ultimately a decision had to be made, as more and more clubs left to join the Central Midlands League and the ultimately move into the Northern Counties East League, Rainworth were getting left further behind, so a decision was made to make the switch to the CMFL and with it embark on a programme of ground improvements.

They moved to pastures new in 2003, and by 2007 they’d risen through the leagues and were sat in the bottom tier of the NCEL (Step 6).  By 2009 they were in the top flight of the NCEL, and despite finishing runners up to Bridlington Town a year later, they won promotion to the Northern Premier League following the East coast clubs decision to decline promotion.

So, after so many seasons as a massive fish in a relatively small pond, they took a leap of faith and within seven years had reached a level which was perhaps unimaginable at the time the decision was taken.

The dream continued until 2015 when the club resigned from the league for financial reasons, and then at the end of the 2017-18 season they took the decision to drop from the Premier Division of the NCEL into the East Midlands Counties League for similar reasons.

I’m no expert, but the club survives, on a tight budget, with excellent facilities and a decent level of support. The NPL was a step too far, maybe twenty years too late in fact, but all the same, the club survives, when many clubs in the County have had histories that would all make decent soap operas! No names of course…….

So, why bang on about Rainworth Miners Welfare when I’ve been to match a game between Newark Flowserve and Radford? Simple, it was the chosen venue of the East Midlands Counties League Cup semi-final, so because it was such a well known venue locally, it is worth telling the story of the club.

But, we had a game, featuring a street wise and very hard to beat Radford side, playing the team that everyone seems to want to beat at the moment from Newark, and the reason everyone seems to want to beat them is the rumours that abound about the kind of money they are paying to players.

I won’t comment on how big the wage bill is, or comment on whether it’s a good or bad thing, suffice to say, it’s entirely up to the club and its custodians what they do, and is no business of anyone else. 

Furthermore, the team currently sitting above them in the league is alleged to pay out no money at all, so from the point of view of an advantage, just how big is it? I’ll let those more qualified decide that, but from my own point of view, they’ve developed the ground, built a great team, engaged with the town and got the locals behind them, so money is a good thing, as long as it’s sustainable?

A decent crowd had pitched up, 140 it appears but it looked a lot more, maybe some passes flying around? Anyway, a large proportion had come from Newark and they were certainly enjoying themselves and the refreshments on offer.

They got a shock though as Radford took the lead in the first half through Ryan Smith who netted on the half hour mark. It was a deserved goal and by the half time interval Radford were in my opinion the better side.

It all changed in the second period as Flowserve came out with a real intent, and it came as no surprise when Jamie Lloyd netted the equaliser in the 52^nd minute.

The traffic was now pretty much one way and it was the experienced Bradley Wells who gave the side from Newark the lead three minutes later, only for another experienced campaigner in the shape of Blair Anderson to net a cracking third goal to make the game safe and earn Flowserve a passage to the final.

Rainworth, as hosts, perhaps looked on somewhat enviously at Flowserve, a side who plied their trade in the Notts Senior League only last season, and wondered what they have to do to simply compete with them?

But in reality, they can’t, but what they have got is a history that trumps the vast majority of clubs in the East Midlands hands down, and no one can take that away from them.