Barrow Town FC VS Shirebrook Town FC In The Buildbase FA Vase 2nd Qualifying Round On Saturday 15th September 2018.

 

Barrow Town FC vs Shirebrook Town FC At Riverside Park (Ground 26) 

Barrow Town FC Logo

Shirebrook Town Logo

The Form of Both Teams

Barrow Town FC had won one and lost two out of their last three matches in the East Midlands Counties, losing 2-4 at home to Radford, 3-0 away from home at Heanor Town and beating Clifton All Whites 5-4 at home, whereas Shirebrook Town FC had won two and lost one of their last three matches, they beat Rossington Main 3-0 at home in the Toolstation NCEL League Cup 1st Round, and beating the same opponents away from home 0-4 in the league and losing 1-2 to Worsbrough Bridge Athletic in the league. So there had been fixed fortunes for Barrow Town FC and Shirebrook Town FC, and it looked to be an interesting tie in the FA Vase with £750 for the winners of the tie and £225 for the losers!.

My Visit To Riverside Park 

Riverside Park is a very scenic non-league ground with the edges of the ground being made up of hedges and tree lines, and it is only a short distance from the train station (15 minute walk) and the centre of the village as well. Riverside Park has a clubhouse and a tea bar which serves hot and cold drinks, and hot food as well. We got to the ground after quenching our thirst in the Soar Bridge Inn and The Boat House, and we got a cheeseburger and took our positions for the start of the first half.

The First Half 

Shirebrook Town started the better of the two teams and Barrow struggled to create clear cut chances in the first 20 minutes due to the Shirebrook defenders heading the balls away and not allowing the Barrow attack any leeway, this changed in the 23rd minute when Dan Sheaham slid a great ball to Zac Ginvert who placed the ball past the Shirebrook keeper through a narrow gap, the goal changed the momentum of the match and having found a method to breach the visitors defense.

Barrow attacked and scored again in the 34th minute through Zac Ginvert again who followed up from a parry by the Shirebrook Town keeper. Shirebrook looked like they needed to get to the half time whistle without conceding more goals, and they got more than that at the end of the first half when Barrow Town conceded a penalty, and Carter  Widdowson scored the penalty which was entirely against the run of play, but made for an interesting second half.

Half Time Wanderings 

After the first half ended, i went over to the hot food area to get a Bacon and Sausage Roll which was very nice and much need (£2.50). I went into the clubhouse to check the latest football league and premier league scores, and a bottle of Abbot Ale (£3.00) from the bar was had. Half Time went quickly and the teams were back out for the second half.

The Second Half 

Barrow Town started the half, like they had played for the majority of the first half (On the front foot), and got there reward for dominating the first 15 minutes of the half, by increasing their lead in the 60th minute when Zac Ginvert got his hat-trick with a quality finish that crashed under Levi Owen’s net .

Shirebrook never recovered from that, and Barrow Town created plenty of chances to score a fourth, but a combination of poor finishing and saves from Levi Owen, who if it had not been for him, the scoreline would have been bigger, but eventually Barrow got their forth goal when Zac Ginvert rolled the ball which was unselfish of him, because he could have easily chosen to shot, towards James Parker who scored the forth goal and put the game to bed once and for all.

Prices At Barrow Town FC 

Admission and Programme- It was £5 entry for this FA Vase fixture and it included a programme which detailed the history of both teams, a section about the FA Vase’s history, league table and fixtures and results of the season so far. It was very good value for money with a programme included as well!!.

Food and Drink-  The kitchen offered a decent of hot food and hot drinks as well, the only slight downside was that they did not have chips!, but that besides the Cheeseburger and the Sausage and Bacon Roll (£2.50 each) were very nice and priced fairly. The clubhouse had a standard range of drinks and had bottled ales, the bottle of Abbot Ale was cold due to it being kept in the fridge, but tasted nice and again priced fairly (£3.00)

Final Thoughts On The Match and My Visit to Barrow Town FC 

Barrow Town were deserved winners of the match and perhaps should have scored more if it were not for the efforts of Levi Owen, the Shirebrook keeper, and it shows that there is a good standard of football at Step 6 and that the FA Vase certainly provides some interesting match ups!.

Barrow Town FC is a welcoming club that is well run and supported by its volunteers and supporters, although I would encourage the people of Barrow-Upon-Soar village to support their local team, who are on the up in the East Midlands Counties League. You will not be disappointed, it has good facilities on offer and you will be guaranteed a friendly welcome and want to come back for more!.

The Referee Leads The Teams Out

A Barrow Town Attack

The Teams In Action

The Teams Battling In The Second Half

The Pitch At The Riverside Park

Seating In The Clubhouse

 

Stapenhill FC VS Uttoxeter Town FC In The Midland Football League Division One (Step 6) 8th September 2018

Stapenhill FC VS Uttoxeter Town FC At EdgeHill (Ground 25)

Stapenhill FC Logo

Uttoxeter Town FC Logo

Stapenhill FC Logo

Uttoxeter Town FC Logo

Before the beginning of the this blog, i would like to wish Uttoxeter Town FC fan and volunteer Mick Osbourne who was taken ill during the match all the best and a speedy recovery. I also want to praise the reaction of members of both clubs dealing with the situation and the East Midlands Ambulance Service for responding quickly, assessing him and taking him to hospital.

The Form Of The Two Teams.

Both teams have had good starts to the season with Uttoxeter Town beating Leicester Road away from home, Chelmsley Town, Paget Rangers, Brocton and drawing with Rocester FC, but had lost their last home match against Cadbury Athletic, and were looking to bounce back.

Stapenhill are newcomers to the Midland Football League having transferred from the East Midlands Counties League, they had lost to Dunkirk in the FA Vase where they took Dunkirk FC to extra time at Lenton Lane, and to Lichfield City FC away from home, they were also looking to get back to winning ways as well.

My Visit to EdgeHill

I drove to Edge Hill from work, and I always feel good when I watch non league football, after paying my admission fee and getting a programme that was included with the fee, i took some pictures of the ground which seemed to be basic with only two areas of cover, a covered terraced area and a covered seated area, after that i made my way to the clubhouse and purchased a cup of coffee (I was driving this time!), and began writing my blog, the clubhouse is a modern facility, which to me is one of the best i have been to at this level along with Uttoxeter Town’s clubhouse!. After that i took my position in the covered terraced area for the start of the first half

The First Half  

Both teams started off on the front foot, but Stapenhill started the better of the two teams, and the flow of the game was not helped by the referee (There was an assessor from the Nottinghamshire FA at the the match!), despite this Stapenhill pressed well as a team and were rewarded with a penalty that was awarded for handball by one of the Uttoxeter Town players.

It was was scored by Pete Martin in the 20th minute, after that they were defensively organised and resolute, as a result they restricted Uttoxeter Town to very few chances at all, and looked dangerous when they countered-attacked and they forced Jordan Boot into a good save and the first half ended with Stapenhill deserving their lead.

Half Time Wanderings

After the half time whistle, i wandered back to the clubhouse to write about the first half and i purchased a hot dog and a cup of tea for a reasonable £2.50, and caught up on twitter about the other non league results at the time. I also purchased a pin badge for £3.50 that was kept behind the bar, which was a very nice pin badge and a good addition to my collection.

The Second Half

Uttoxeter Town FC started the second half, the better team and they equalized in the 49th minute through Jack Holley, and they were much the better team and they missed several good chances in the first 15 minutes of the second half, but Stapenhill defended well and counterattacked well on several occasions and got their reward through a well placed and powerful header from Peter Martin in the 68th minute who had his second of the game. After this Stapenhill were the better of the two teams and perhaps should have scored more, but Uttoxeter never gave up and won a penalty at the end of the game, which if scored would have salvaged a draw, but Ben Allsop saved the penalty and that was the last action of the second half, and Stapenhill got the three points.

Prices At Stapenhill FC

Admission- It was £5 and £3 for concessions and it included a free programme that had all the essentials that you expect from a non league programme which was a nice touch.

Food and Drink- The bar had a standard range of keg beers along with bottles of Marston’s Pedigree and Marston’s Resolution (I was driving!), so i had a coffee, cup of tea  and a can of Coke (They were £1 each and tasted nice), and i had a hot dog which was £1.50 and it tasted nice!.

Club Merchandise- They advertised a wide range of merch in the programme which included mugs, scarfs, beanie hats, fridge magnets and pin badges and i bought a pin badge for £3.50  

Final Verdict On My Visit To Maple Grove And On The Match

The match was well contested by Stapenhill FC and Uttoxeter Town FC and on the balance of play, Stapenhill FC deserved to win, although my thoughts are with Mick Osbourne and his family after he was taken ill at the match and I wish him all the best and a speedy recovery.

Maple Grove is a interesting ground with only three sides open to spectators and the facility includes the local bowling club as well, the outstanding feature of the ground is the clubhouse which is one of the best I have seen at Step 6, this along with the friendly nature of the club and the almost family nature as well makes me recommend a visit to Stapenhill FC to the residents of Stapenhill, Branston and the Burton-On-Trent area and to groundhoppers as well, you will feel very welcome indeed and will feel the need to return to Stapenhill FC.

Stapenhill FC Logo

Programme and a Cup of Coffee

The Bar In The Clubhouse

The Teams Waiting To Go Onto The Pitch

The Covered Seating Area with the Bowls Club In The Background

Stapenhill FC Celebrating Their Second Goal

The Teams In Action

 

 

Result Of The Day (FA Cup Preliminary Round Fixtures) (25/08/2018)

The weekend saw the return of the FA cup for the preliminary round fixtures which would see the teams that win their fixtures earn £2,890 and the losers earn £960. This year, the FA have double the prize fund for the this year’s competition and the losers in the extra preliminary round and the preliminary fixtures earn money for the first time in recent history, which is one of the few things the FA has done at non league level, which i feel is positive and will benefited the clubs competing in the FA cup this season.

There were 160 ties to be played this weekend with a place in the 1st Round qualifying match up for grabs, there were several high scoring results with the stand out results being an 6-6 draw between Clitheroe FC and Sunderland RCA FC, a 7-5 win for Daventry Town FC against Yaxley FC, a 10-1 win for Frickley Athletic FC against Liversedge FC.

But in my view the best result of the weekend was the 1-3 win away from home for Atherstone Town FC who play in The Total Motion Midland Football League Division One (Step 6) against Bedworth United who play in the Southern Premier Central Division (Step 3), more coverage can be found via Adders TV (It will be linked below at the end of the blog!).

So as a result the winner of result of the day (FA Cup Special) is Atherstone Town FC and the runners up are Clitheroe FC, Sunderland RCA FC, Daventry Town FC and Frickley Athletic FC, and commiserations to Bedworth United, Liversedge FC and Yaxley FC.

I will be linking below several relevant links that go into detail about this weekend’s FA Cup ties.

FA Cup Factfile

Twitter-https://twitter.com/FACupFactfile?lang=en-gb

Blog-https://facupfactfile.wordpress.com/

Adders TV

Youtube-https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx_Z4Z8V0bKsfvI6H5R221w/feed

Video documenting the FA Cup tie Between Bedworth United and Atherstone Town FC-  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2cvvd6KKpI

The Winners of Result Of The Day- Atherstone Town FC

Graham Street Prims FC VS Borrowash Victoria AFC In The East Midlands Counties League (Step 6) (27/08/2018)

Graham Street Prims FC VS Borrowash Victoria AFC (Ground 24)

 

 

Borrowash Victoria AFC

Graham Street Prims FC

 

This is my third competitive fixture of the season and my second involving teams in the east midlands counties league which is shaping up to be a very competitive league, the teams involved in the league Heanor Town, Teversal, Selston, Eastwood Community, Newark Flowserve, Ingles, Kimberley Miners Welfare, Rainworth Miners Welfare, Clipstone, Barrow Town, Clifton All Whites, Gedling Miners Welfare, Arnold Town, West Bridgford, Borrowash Victoria AFC, Graham Street Prims, Belper United and Ashby Ivanhoe.

I was looking forward to my trip to Graham Street Prims FC and watching the 50 Yard Derby, which must be one of the closest derbies in terms of distance in non league football or in professional football as well, and from looking at other blog posts, they also seem to be a friendly and welcoming club despite their modest facilities and lack of a clubhouse.

Graham Street Prims FC have had a wonderful start to the season and they have scored 13 goals in 4 games, they beat Ashby Ivanhoe 0-5 away from home and they were clinical in taking their chances and defensively resolute as well, whereas in stark contrast Borrowash Victoria do not have a point on the board yet and have conceded 18 goals this season including a 0-6 home loss to Selston and a 7-0 away loss at Radford, so two teams with contrasting forms coming into this match made this an intriguing contest.

My Visit To The Raygar Sports Ground

The entrance to the Raygar Sports Ground is down a path with brambles and blackberry bushes on the left hand side with the tea bar and the player and official changing rooms on the right hand side, and you come up to a gate to pay for entry and the programmes can be bought from there as well (They were sold out when i got there!), and there is two areas of cover, a seated stand with around 100 seats and standing sheltered area (They are decommissioned smoking shelters from the Rolls Royce factory), after entering the ground, me and my dad took up positions in the smoking shelters and watched the first half.

The First Half  

Graham Street Prims struck first in the 2nd minute when Kevin Morrow scored a good goal and this set the pattern for the first half with Graham Street Prims looking like the better footballing team and causing problems for the Borrowash Victoria every time they came forward, the second goal for Graham Street Prims came in the 9th minute from Kevin Morrow, and they were creating chances at will, and playing some very good passing moves which resulted in them hitting the bar in the 17th minute and forcing the Borrowash Keeper to make several saves.

Graham Street Prims scored their third goal in the 39th minute which was scored by Gwinutt and after that, Prims ran riot in the last 6 minutes of the half, the forth was a fantastic shot by Kevin Morrow who completed his first half hat trick in the 41st minute, and near the end of the first half, the fifth was scored by Ball and they made it look so easy, and the first half came to an end.

The Interval

During half time, i wandered to the Harvey-Toon tea bar to sample the drinks on offer, and the tea was very nice and was poured from a proper teapot as well, they was also a selection of cuppa soups, cans of pop, and hot food as well, There was also a box of old programmes which were 50p each and the donations go to the British Heart Foundation which is a great gesture by the club, there were also mugs and pin badges for sale as well and I picked up a mug for £5 and two programmes from Loughborough University FC and Mickleover Sports FC for £1 donation to the British Heart Foundation.

After having a look around the tea bar and purchasing the mug and programmes, i wandered out to watch the start of the second half, and we wandered round to get a better view of the goal that Graham Street Prims were attacking.

The Second Half

Graham Street Prims started the second half just like they had played in the first half, and they scored their sixth goal in the 52nd minute through Dallison, and almost straight from kick off, and with no amount of help from the Borrowash defense, Dallison scored his second and Graham Street Prims seventh, in the 53rd minute.  Borrowash Victoria were all over the place and often helped Graham Street Prims in making their job of attacking easier, although they were outfought and in my opinion gave up after the 5th goal went in before the first half ended.

The scoring did not end there, the substitute Harris who replaced Dallison scored the eighth goal  in the 65th minute, the defending was almost comical, and i was thinking that i have never seen a team at non league level defend so poorly as Borrowash Victoria AFC have in this match, the 9th goal came from Harris in the 69th minute, and was a result of the Borrowash goalkeeper losing the ball after claiming it and it was put in the back of the net by the aforementioned Harris. Graham Street Prims continued to create chances, and played some good football as well, The tenth goal came from the penalty, which came about from a comical moment of defending from Borrowash Victoria, where the defender dived and took out the Graham Street Prims  attacker with his head (the defender came off worse!), the penalty was scored by Brad Scard in the 80th minute.

The game ended with Graham Street Prims pushing for more goals and wanting to keep a clean sheet, which is a credit to the players and the management team at Graham Street Prims FC.

Final Thoughts On The Match

The Borrowash players afforded a lot of space to the  Graham Street Prims attackers in the box, and the fact they did not work as team defending wise, whereas the Graham Street Prims defenders were resolute and on the front foot, and won most of the aerial challenges even when they 9-0 up, and they had a plan in terms of defending and attacking, whereas Borrowash Victoria had neither and looked deflated at the end of the first half.

If Graham Street Prims keep this level of performance up, they could surprise a few teams and have a much better season than they did last season, whereas Borrowash Victoria need to get points on the board, otherwise they could be embroiled in a relegation battle this season, which would not be nice for all concerned at Borrowash Victoria AFC.

Prices At Graham Street Prims FC

Admission- £5 for adults and £2 for concessions, which are standard prices for this level of football and as shown by today, great value for money.

Programme- The programme cost £1 (unfortunately i did not get one as they were sold out)

Tea Bar- I had a cup of tea which cost £1 which was very nice and poured from a teapot, and was nicely brewed as well, there was a large selection of cuppa soups, confectionery, and hot food as well at decent prices (£1.50 for a steak pie for example)

Club Shop- There was no club shop as such, but there was merchandise to purchase in the tea bar, which included old programmes, mugs, current season programmes and pin badges, all at decent prices, the mug was £5 and the programmes were 50p each and the money went to the British Heart Foundation as well.

Final Thoughts On My Visit To The Raygar Sports Ground

The Raygar Sports Ground is a very modest step 6 ground that has a lot of character and is in a nice setting as well, the volunteers and the committee that run the club deserve at lot of credit for keeping the club afloat despite the lack of a clubhouse, and modest facilities. Furthermore despite the fact i have never been to Graham Street Prims FC before, they made me and my dad feel very welcome, and we were both very impressed with the team and how they played as well.

The management team have had a fantastic job in building and coaching the team, and i believe that if they can keep this up, they can surprise many teams this season, and even contend for a top five finish or higher this season, and if they continue to attack well, and defend as a team for the rest of the season, then the team will improve on their lowly finish last season. Graham Street Prims FC are a club on the up and i wish them all the best for the rest of the season.

Links to Blogs that documented Graham Street Prims FC

We All Stand Together-  http://weallstandtogether.blogspot.com/2018/08/five-star-showing-for-prims-who.html

Bobbles Travel Blog- http://bobblestravels.blogspot.com/2018/03/carry-on-down-a52.html

The Raygar Sports Ground

The Two Teams Shaking Hands Before Kick Off

Borrowash Making a Rare Foray Into Graham Street Prim’s Half

The Teams Before The Kick-Off.

Prims Number Two Watching On

The Derelict Asterdale Sports and Social Club

The Harvey-Toon Tea Bar

The Mug Purchased From The Club

The Programmes Purchased

 

 

 

Result Of The Weekend (18/08/2018)

Today marked the start of the Evo-Stick Northern Premier Division and of the West and East division’s (Step 3 and 4) Joining The National League, National League North and South, Total Motion Midland Football League Premier Division and Division One, The Toolstation Northern Counties League Premier Division and Division One, and The East Midlands Counties League which have been up and running for a few weeks.

There were several high scoring match throughout those leagues, however in the Total Motion Football League and The East Midlands Counties League, several results caught my eye such as Lichfield City beat Paget Rangers 4-2 despite Lichfield being down to 9 men!, along with Radford in the East Midlands Counties League beating Borrowash Victoria AFC 7-0, but the result of the weekend goes to Brocton FC who beat Coventry Copsewood 8-3, in an extraordinary game!. Special mention will also go to Leek Town FC in the Evo-Stick East Division, who beat Skelmersdale United 0-4 , and were 0-3 up after only 9 minutes.

So congratulations to Brocton FC, and to the runners up, Lichfield City FC, Leek Town FC and Radford FC and Commiserations to the sides on the wrong end of the scorelines who are Coventry Copsewood FC, Skelmersdale United, Borrowash Victoria AFC and Paget Rangers.

Brocton FC- They had the result of weekend beating Coventry Copsewood FC 8-3.

 

Borrowash Victoria AFC vs Teversal FC in the East Midlands Counties League (Step 6) (8/08/2018)

Borrowash Victoria AFC VS Teversal FC (Ground 23)

Borrowash Victoria AFC

This was my first competitive fixture of the 2018-2019 season, after watching pre season friendlies at Belper Town FC, Lichfield City FC , Mickleover Sports FC  and Tamworth FC, i was looking forward to my visit to Borrowash Victoria, as it is not very far from where i live, and from looking at other blog posts, it seems to be a friendly club with very good facilities for Step 6.

Borrowash Victoria had lost their opening homes fixture against Sherwood Colliery 0-3 who finished 2nd in the Central Midlands League South Division behind Eastwood Community Football Club, and were promoted to the East Midlands Counties League, when Holbrook Sports resigned from the league and dropped down to the same league. Their opponents Teversal FC who celebrate their 100th anniversary of their foundation in October 2018,  finished third last season and missed out on promotion by only two points, and won their first match, 6-1 versus West Bridgford who won the league in the 2016-2017 season.

My visit to the Anderson Electrical Arena

First impressions of the ground is that it is quite small when walk down the path past the derelict Asterdale Social Club and Graham Street Prims ground, but when you enter the turnstiles, you are met with a bowl shaped ground with grass banking, a good sized stand to the left, and a terrace/seated stand near the clubhouse to the right of the turnstile,  it is an impressive ground for the level, and could easily serve a few levels up the non league pyramid. After gaining entry and me getting a programme, and listening to the gentleman at the turnstiles making valid points about the FA ground requirements at this level, and the fact that clubs are fined if they do not produce a programme which was interesting to listen to, we made our way to the clubhouse and me getting a drink (Dad was driving!!), we took our positions for the start of the first half

The First Half

The first half was an very entertaining affair, with Borrowash Victoria having best of the chances, particularly in the first 20 minutes, when their number 9 (Shay Wiggins) and number 7 (Kane Samuel) had several gilt edged chances, such the Teversal keeper saving from Shay Wiggins when he was one on one, and Kane Samuel hit the outside of the post after a good pass through the Teversal defense from Borrowash’s number 11 (Jordan Sanders).

Teversal had chances of their own, and forced Lewis Soal to make a number of excellent saves. Teversal dominated the rest of the first half, and this culminated in taking the lead on the 42rd minute when a good move started by Danny O’ Donnell and Joel smith ended with Matt Wilkinson lobbing Lewis Soal, it was almost 2-0 a few minutes later, when Matt Wilkinson’s header hit the crossbar and shortly afterwards, the first half ended.

The Second Half 

Borrowash started the second half as they did the first, and created two clear cut chances, but they were missed to their cost, as Teversal began to dominate and their experience at this level showed as they looked dangerous on the break, from crosses and in the box as well and the defense prevented Borrowash Victoria from creating as many chances they did in the first half.

Their were warning signs when David Cockeril lobbed Lewis Soal, but it went over the ball, the second goal was inevitable and it came on 72 minutes, when Joel Smith scored from six yards out after a good pull back from Ben Cartwright who was supplied by the running of Matt Wilkinson, after the second goal, Teversal created chances at will, and should have scored at least two more goals, and it ended 0-2 to Teversal.

Final Verdict On The Match

Teversal look like they could challenge for the title this season along with a whole host of teams this season in the East Midlands Counties League. Borrowash Victoria have lost all of their matches, but have played well in certain periods in both games and there is more optimism that they will not be at the wrong end of the table this season.

Prices at Borrowash Victoria AFC

Admission- £5 entry, but they do several deals such as the “Groundhopper Package” which costs £7 and it covers entry, a programme and a pin badge as well, along with a “Big Day Out Package” which covers a entry, a programme and a pint for £5, These deals are excellent value for money and encourages Groundhoppers to visit Borrowash Victoria AFC.

Programme- The programme cost 50p and was full color and was eight pages long, it included information about the history of both teams, the current table, the full squad and a word from the programme editor calling on the people of Borrowash to support the club. The programme was great value for money and the cheapest programme i have brought in my time ground-hopping across the Midlands .

There was a bar and a tea bar, i am not sure about the prices of the tea bar as i did not use it, but the bar served Carling, San Miguel, Strongbow and had bottles of real ale such as Ruddles Country, Abbot Ale.

Bar- Bottle of Ruddles Country-£3.50 and Bottle of Abbot Ale- £3.50

Final Thoughts On My Visit To Borrowash Victoria AFC

Borrowash Victoria AFC is a friendly and welcoming club, and  i felt that although we had never been there before, we were made to feel welcome indeed, furthermore for the level and the league they compete in, the ground is excellent and the people of Borrowash should come out and support the team, and the management team, and the committee after the changes that happened in January 2018, and the new signings that have come during pre-season. I wish Borrowash Victoria AFC and Teversal FC all the best of luck for the rest of the 2018/2019 season.

Ando’s Sport Bar (The Clubhouse)

The Joe Kellogg Memorial Stand

View Of The Sky At Borrowash Victoria AFC

View Of The Grass Banking and The Dugouts.

Teversal Attacking In The Second Half

The Main Stand at Borrowash Victoria AFC

Swanwick Pentrich Road vs Aslockton & Orston (CMFL Groundhop Match 1) (04/05-2018)

This was the first match of the central midlands football league groundhop weekend that was organized by Groundhop UK and the Central Midlands Football League, that started at Swanwick Pentrich Road, who were going to fold at the end of the season, but due to volunteers coming forward, the club withdrew their resignation from the CMFL on Monday 30th April 2018 which was very welcome news.

My Visit to Highfield Road

The coach picked up the hoppers from outside the pride park entrance of Derby railway station at 5pm, and the journey up to Swanwick went smoothly, and we were there at around 5:45pm.

The facilities were some of the most basic i have been too, however it has some stunning views as well, and had plenty of character, and several dedicated and welcoming volunteers, including a gentlemen who shook everyone’s hand as they entered Highfield Road which was a very nice touch. There were several special things put on such as The Football Traveler, Terry’s Badges (A link to his website will be at the end of the review) and there was also real ale from the Steampacket Pub, Beef Cobs, and Bolognese and Bread as well. The clubhouse had old t-shirts, programmes, cakes, cans of pop, lager and cider cans as well. Furthermore this was the closest i have been to players before which was a good thing!, then we took our positions for the first half.

The First Half

The first half was goalless which Swanwick Pentrich Road dominated, but could not take their chances, they also hit the post and crossbar at least three times and there was plenty of endeavor and effort from Swanwick and Aslockton who also created some chances, mainly from corners and set pieces, but neither side could not score and the match was goalless at half time.

The Second Half 

Swanwick Pentrich Road started the second half well, and scored in the 52nd minute by Guy Wilding, and from that point on, Swanwick were in control, and Aslockton did not create the number of chances that Swanwick did in the first half, and they began to tire a bit in the last 20 minutes, and Swanwick scored in the 77th Minute through Henry Brooks, and he scored his second of the match and Swanwick’s third by the very well struck shot that beat the keeper in the 83rd minute, and they controlled the rest of the match well and gained a deserved well, although fair play to Aslockton & Orston who traveled a fair distance to Swanwick and they never gave up, and strove to create chances throughout the match.

Final Thoughts On The Match

Swanwick Pentrich Road were by far and a way, the better side throughout the match, and fully justified their 7th place in the table, and you could see why Aslockton & Orston are struggling at the wrong end of the table as well, although they also showed plenty of effort and endeavor as well.

Prices At Swanwick Pentrich Road

Admission- I gained entry using my CMFL hop Ticket, otherwise it was £3

Programme- It was included with the CMFL hop ticket, it was priced at £1, it was entitled ‘The Flock’, and it included a quiz on non league football teams, words from the general manager, league tables, ‘Wise Words from Worz’ a feature on Aslockton & Orston and a league round up from 28/04/2018, a good quality programme at a fair price.

Merchandise- I purchased several items from Terry’s Badges stall, i bought a Belper Town, Matlock Town, Barrow Town and a Graham Street Prims Badges (Total cost was £12, £3 per badge, and a magazine on Welsh Football which was an interesting read, and has sparked interest in the welsh non league system.(£3)

Food And Drink- There was real ale from the Steampacket pub in Swanwick, the ale was Columbus, and Paleshifter (I think it was called that!) and they were very nice and reasonably priced as well (£2.50 a pint), the food was beef cobs (proper beef at that!) (£2.00) and bolognese and bread (£2.50), and was nice as well.

Attendance figure for this match

The attendance for this match was 194, which was a very big crowd by the normal standards of Swanwick Pentrich Road, and hopefully gave the club more exposure in the local community.

Final Thoughts on my Experience at Highfield Road

I really enjoyed my visit to Highfield Road, and it is a traditional non league ground which just really has a clubhouse, one stand and no floodlights, there are plenty of dedicated volunteers that put their heart and soul into the club. It also shows the benefits of holding a groundhop match as well. I would encourage the people of Swanwick, Ripley, Pentrich, Somercotes, Alfreton and Leabrooks to watch and support Swanwick Pentrich Road, and help this traditional non league club stabilize at this level and prevent the club from folding.

Terry’s Badges Website– http://www.terrysbadges.co.uk/gallery.html

The Football Traveler Links- (Website and Twitter) https://twitter.com/footballtrav?lang=en and http://www.thefootballtraveller.com/

The Swanwick Clubhouse

“Refuse to Lose”

A Good Looking Surface

Swanwick Pentrich Road Logo

Swanwick and Aslockton In Action

The Aslockton Keeper in Goal

 

 

South Normanton Athletic FC vs Boldmere St Michaels FC In the Total Motion Midland Premier Division (Step 5) 21/04/2018

South Normanton Athletic FC were formed in 1926 as South Normanton Miners Welfare, and they adopted the present name in 1990/1991 season. The club’s nickname ‘The Shiners’ comes from the 1750’s when South Normanton was the heart of the ribbed stocking industry. The workers’s trousers backsides spent many hours on the stools, that they became shiny and made the individual recognizable as from the South Normanton Area.

South Normanton Athletic were promoted in the 2016/2017 season when they finished second in the East Midlands Counties League behind the champions, West Bridgford FC who elected to stay in the league, and therefore South Normanton were promoted to the Total Motion Football League Premier Division as the next best team.

South Normanton Athletic were in 19th place, one above the relegation zone in MFL Premier Division, and were looking to pull away from Shawbury United and Haughmond as well. Boldmere St Michaels were in 14th place in the same league, and were looking to push up the table and go towards the top half of the table.

My Visit to the MJ Robinson Structures Arena 

The journey to South Normanton was easy, and only took around half an hour or so, and the weather was glorious (before the match and the first half, the second half was a different story!), and the playing surface was in excellent condition as well.

The South Normanton Athletic club shop was well stocked with league and non league programmes, Scottish programmes , pin badges and SNAFC football shirts, and the gentlemen in it was very welcoming and friendly, I bought a pin badge, a Selston FC programme, Macclesfield Town programme and a Ashby Ivanhoe programme as well, for under £4.00.

The bar was smart and clean, it also had the standard range of drinks (Carling, San Miguel, Guinness, and Strongbow, but no real ale!, it also had club memorabilia on the walls which was a nice touch as well. The bar did a good trade with the travelling Boldmere fans as well.

Me and my dad took our positions on the right hand side of the pitch, near the home and away dressing rooms and watched the first half.

The First Half 

South Normanton Athletic FC  were the better team in the first half, and considering their predicament, wanted the result more than Boldmere St Michaels in the first half, South Normanton took the lead on the 23rd minute, when the ball found Kane Jellyman, who was allowed to turn by the Boldmere defense, and scored from a narrow angle.  Boldmere responded well and equalized in the 31st minute, when Ben Usher-Shipway worked his way through the South Normanton defense, and slide a low shot into the bottom corner of the net.

South Normanton, like Boldmere responded very well, and scored in the 35 minute,which was helped by Tom Lewis, whose shot was saved by the Boldmere keeper, but the rebound was put in by Jack Ekins-Tyson to put the shiners back in charge of the match and South Normanton kept Boldmere at bay until the end of the first half.

The Second Half   

The second half was not as entertaining as the first half in terms of goals scored, but there were still several chances for both sides, South Normanton’s best chance came from Jack Ekins Tyson, whose shot hit the post with the keeper beaten and the follow up shot by Jamie Turner was well saved by the Boldmere Keeper. South Normanton were quick on the counter attack and the two stand out players in Tom Lewis and Jack Ekins-Tyson were always a danger.

However South Normanton defended well, and rarely allowed the Boldmere attack to create clear cut chances, and when they did, in the last 10 minutes, when Jack Skinner volleyed a half clearance towards goal, and it was very well blocked by Ryan Fuller-Nadine and South Normanton held on for a vital three points which boosts their survival hopes.

Final Thoughts On The Match 

South Normanton Athletic wanted the win more than Boldmere St Michaels, and played well throughout most of the match, and looked good on the counterattack with some good young players as well, hopefully they can survive this season and push on next season.

Prices at South Normanton Athletic FC

Admission- The standard £6 for Total Motion Midland Football League Premier Division matches, £4 for concessions and U18’s and £1 for U10’s.

Programme- The programme was £1 and it contained articles about the history of South Normanton Athletic and Boldmere St Michaels FC, fixtures, the league table, Teammates 2.0, player sponsors and season sponsors as well, the programme was full color and consisted of 18 pages.

Club Shop-The SNAFC pin badge was £3.00, the Selston FC  (The Whistler) programme was 20p, The Macclesfield Town programme ( Silkmen) was 20p and the Ashby Ivanhoe programme was 20p 

Food and Drink- The San Miguel and Guinness cost £3.50 a pint and i have a portion of chips with a sausage roll, which was very nice and good value for money, £1.50 for a portion of chips and 80p for the sausage roll

Attendance Figure for this Match

The official attendance for this match was 64, which included a good sized contingent from Boldmere St Michaels FC, it was also one of the lowest attendances in the Total Motion Midland Football League Premier Division on the 21st of April 2018.

Final Thoughts on my Experience at The MJ Robinson Structures Arena

Despite struggling in their first season in the Total Motion Midland Football League Premier Division, and competing with teams such as Coleshill Town, Bromsgrove Sporting and Worcester City, who were playing in the National League North only 2 years ago ( They were relegated in 2016-2017, but asked to be put in the TMFL Premier Division due to rising costs and trying to find land to build their new stadium in Worcester), South Normanton Athletic have shown they can compete and survive at this level. It is disappointing that few people come to watch South Normanton, as they are a friendly local non league club where you will be guaranteed a warm welcome, 100% commitment from all the players, and honest football at the heart of the community. I would encourage the people of South Normanton, Pinxton and Alfreton, and of the Bolsover District in general to watch South Normanton Athletic FC, and after going once, you will feel the urge to come back again.

Programme and a San Miguel.

Beautiful View of the Pitch and the Hills Beyond.

South Normanton and Boldmere in Action in the First Half.

The Main Stand, and the Family and Disabled Stand in the First Half.

View of the Main Stand in the Second Half.

Purchases from the South Normanton Club Shop.

 

 

 

 

 

Gresley FC VS Kidsgrove Athletic In The NPL Division One South (07/04/2018)

Gresley FC were formed in 2009, after the demise of Gresley Rovers due to financial difficulties, Gresley FC had been at step 4 football since their promotion from the Midland Alliance in the 2010/2011 season. Both Gresley FC and Kidsgrove Athletic have had difficult seasons this year with Gresley FC sitting in 20th, and Kidsgrove in 18th in the NPL Division One South. Gresley Fans are another great set of supporters at this level, and were very welcoming as well.

The Moat Ground (Former of home of Gresley Rovers) has been on my to do list for some time due to it being a traditional non league ground set in among terraced housing, and the fact, the club are planning to build a new ground in the future that will be very different to the Moat Ground as well.

My Visit To The Moat Ground

Fortunately the heavy rain forecast did not happen, and the club volunteers worked very hard and deserve a lot of praise for getting the game on, and i managed the short drive from Burton to the Moat Ground despite getting lost on the way!.

The club shop at Gresley FC is small, but well stocked with Gresley FC, Gresley Rovers and other non league programmes along with various football and cricket books, it also had a wide range of merchandise which included Mugs, Tea Towels, Ties, Caps, Football Shirts, Hats etc. It also had Gresley FC pin badges, key rings, NPL 50th Anniversary badges, car stickers and scarfs as well, the gentleman in the shop made me feel very welcome, even though i wasn’t a regular to the Moat Ground or from the local area.

The social club (Harry’s Bar) had a wide range of drinks (Including Pedigree!), i had to have a pint of Pepsi, which was reasonably priced as well, it also contains memorabilia,  newspaper articles, and trophy’s that  Gresley Rovers won in their long and illustrious history (1882 to 2009), it also had a welcoming and homely atmosphere, and after finishing my drink, i took my position on the terraces for the start of the game.

The First Half

Kidsgrove Athletic were by far and away the better side in the first half, and to be honest they could have scored more, but the opening goal was created by a really good cross by Rhys Thompson and was scored by Lee Cropper, although he was helped by poor marking by the Gresley defense.

Kidsgrove went close on the 13th minute when a hard hitting shot by Eric Graves was superbly saved by Callum Hawkins. Gresley created few chances, and to be honest looked like a team of individuals lacking direction and inspiration, whereas Kidsgrove looked organized and looked dangerous on the counterattack.

The Second Half 

The second half started, and followed the same pattern as the first half, and on the 55th minute, Kidsgrove deservedly doubled their advantage, when Jonathan Beaumont headed in from a free kick, again it was not helped by poor defending yet again. Gresley failed to respond to this latest setback and failed to create any clear cut chances and were punished again for poor defending from a free kick in the 75th minute, when Rumenio Valido Barai put in a very good cross from the left hand side, which allowed Timothy Sanders to slot pass Callum Hawkins for the third goal.

It was a very timid performance by Gresley FC and a very controlled and composed performance by Kidsgrove which belies their league position (18th), Gresley’s day was made worse by the sending of Alvin Jarvis for an alleged elbow, this was disputed by the player and the Gresley fans who saw it! (I did not see the incident),

Gresley’s only shots on target came in the last 10 minutes, and the best chance was a free kick (in the 90th minute) which was heading towards the bottom corner, but was saved by Dave Parton, it was a disappointing conclusion to a very poor performance by Gresley FC, and left the majority of the 161 fans going home disappointed and not happy at all.

Final Thoughts on the Match

It seemed to me that Kidsgrove wanted it more throughout the match and were prepared to work hard for the full 90th minutes, whereas Gresley FC did not do this, and did not have the quality or the resilience to bounce back from going behind in the 10th minute. Also it is a bit surprising on this performance that Kidsgrove are near the relegation zone as well, but on the day, they deserved the three points and maybe should have scored more too.

Prices at Gresley FC

Admission- A reasonable £8 for me (Adults) and £5 for concessions.

Programme- Taken As Red £1.50, this was a very interesting programme which contains articles called A View From The Chair, Hannah Speaks, Meet The Gresley Lads and information on their opponents, the work the club do in the local community, upcoming fixtures, form and fixtures tables, and a segment on the history of Gresley FC, which was a nice feature, it is 24 pages long and is good value for £1.50

Club Shop- The Glory Game by Hunter Davies (A season with Tottenham Hotspur in the 1970’s), Kicking In The Wind ‘The Real Life Drama of a Small-Town Football Club (2009-2010 season following Rochdale’s first promotion in 41 years) and ‘Moatmen’ (Gresley Rovers Programme from Saturday 29th October 1994 VS Leek Town), the gentlemen allowed me to have these items for free, despite me going to pay for them!, Gresley FC Small Keyring-£1, Gresley FC Pin Badge- £3, and the NPL 50th Anniversary Pin Badge-£3 

Food and Drink- I had a pint of Pepsi which was £2, half a pint of lemonade which was £1 and a reasonably priced cup of tea which was 90p. I had a beefburger and a portion of chips which came to £4.00, the beefburger and chips were very nice, and i would have them again!

Attendance Figure For This Match

The Attendance for this match was 161, and was bettered by attendances at Corby Town FC, Sheffield FC, Basford United, Belper Town FC, Cleethorpes Town FC  and Spalding United on the weekend of 7th April 2018.

Final Thoughts On My Experience at Gresley FC

Despite the poor season Gresley FC are having at the moment, i would encourage the people of Castle Gresley, Church Gresley, Swadlincote and Burton-On-Trent to watch Gresley FC and experience what real football is like, you will be guaranteed an warm welcome, a friendly atmosphere, value for money and to be valued as a supporter as well, which is not the case in the higher echelons of the game in my opinion, and you will come away with the non league bug and come back again!!.

Gresley Rovers History Display

Kidsgrove And Gresley In Action

View of the Pat Murray Stand

View of The Kidsgrove Goal In The Second Half

Welcome to Gresley FC

Purchases From The Club Shop

 

Ilkeston Town FC vs Racing Club Warwick in The Total Motion Midland Football League Division One (24/3/2018)

Ilkeston Town FC were formed in 2017, after the previous incarnation Ilkeston FC were liquidated after the end of the 2016-2017 Northern Premier League season, where they were relegated. The club was reformed under the ownership of Alan Hardy, who also owns Notts County FC, and were granted a place in the Total Motion Football League Division One (Step 6 of the non league pyramid). They have a very dedicated fan base, and for their first game, against Uttoxeter Town FC, they made up most of the crowd which was around 267 and have traveled far and wide to support their team.

My Visit to the New Manor Ground 

The club shop is well stocked with hats, shirts, scarfs and old programmes that range from old issues of the robins review, AFC Bournemouth, Mickleover Sports FC and Notts County FC. There was a special book celebrating 25 years at The New Manor Ground, which was well priced at £7 and the young lady at the till was very helpful and welcoming as well.

The social club and bar area was a large area, it has draught beer and cider (Carling, Worthington’s and Stowford Press) along with bottled ale, ( Old Speckled Hen and Newcastle Brown Ale) (no real ale on tap, though!), there are plans afoot to refurbish the clubhouse area, that were discussed at recent supporters meeting , which should modernize the space and improve it more generally.

The First Half

Racing Club Warwick started the better of the two teams, and created two chances which they failed to take, which was to cost them as Ilkeston got the first goal on the 5th minute which came from pressure from Malachi Lavelle-Moore, which made Tom Cross, the Warwick goalkeeper to drop the ball, and Alex Marshall headed into the empty net.

Ilkeston were the better side for the rest of the first half, despite only creating half chances, apart from a Jamie Walker curler, which nearly caught the Racing Warwick goalkeeper on the line, and a poor header from Charlie Jemson, which nearly looped into the Ilkeston goal, it went over the bar. Ilkeston took a 2-0 lead on the stroke of half time thanks, to another Alex Marshall who fired pass Tom Cross in the Warwick goal, he was helped by good hold-up play by Lavelle-Moore, Ilkeston deserved their 2-0 lead, and the majority of the punters went to get food and beer were left satisfied with the performance so far.

The Second Half 

Ilkeston started the half the better team, the first chance to speak of fell to Ben Morris, whose shot was very poor, but Ilkeston scored a third goal without reply, when Ben Morris smashed the ball home from Lavelle-Moore’s blocked effort, that originated from Chris Shaw’s free kick. Ilkeston kept pushing for a forth goal, they were kept at bay by Tom Cross, the Racing Warwick keeper, who effectively kept his team in the match, thanks to saves from Alex Marshall, Charlie Jemson and Tom Marshall. Unfortunately Lavelle-Moore did not get a goal, which his efforts and assists deserved, his header from a Ben Fairclough cross went over the bar .

The Racing Club Warwick fans had to wait until the 89th Minute for anything to celebrate, when Sean Kavanagh fired into the left after good build up play down the left hand side. The away fans were celebrating again moments later, when Luke Church scored, when made the last few minutes more nervous for the home fans, but Ilkeston held out for a 3-2 win to keep up the pressure on Walsall Wood at the top of the table, and the majority of the 1.889 crowd went home or to the pub happy indeed.

Final Thoughts On The Match

This was a good performance by Ilkeston Town FC against a Racing Club Warwick side who are aiming to finish to high as possible this season, although the way they conceded two goals in a few minutes at the end of the match will be a slight concern, along with the fact that they failed to kill the game off when it was 3-0 will also be a small concern. But overall it was a good attacking performance by Alex Marshall and Malachi-Lavelle-Moore and they were well supported by the Midfield and the Defense as well.

Prices at Ilkeston Town FC

Admission-£1 (Free for Concessions), this was a special offer to hit 1,000 fans through the gate, the normal entry fee would be £5 for Adults.

Programme- Robins Review 2017-18 £2, it had 36 pages with articles from the manager (Steve Chettle), chairman (Alan Hardy), Chief Operating Officer (Anthony Redwood). It also had match reports, full color photographs, a good sections on the visitors, Racing Club Warwick, and 2 pages on results in the Total Motion Midland Football League Division One, a page on the run in and a feature on the progress of the Ilkeston Town FC Ladies team, which is a very nice addition, a round up of the recent supporters meeting and full color photographs of the players. It is in full color and is of a very high quality, and is easily the best programme i have bought this season, so well done to everyone involved in making the programme.

Club Shop-25 Years Of The New Manor Ground by Duncan Payne-£7, this book has been very well received, and will not be reprinted, it contains many photographs of the Manor Ground and The New Manor Ground throughout three decades (The 1990’s, The 2000’s and 2010’s) and lots of information about the ground and the club in that time as well, it was a very interesting and fascinating read, and it a must read for fans of Ilkeston Town FC. It can be purchased from the club shop, the clubhouse bar, away coaches, U Choose Smoothie Bar and The Little Acorn Pub.

Beer- The bottle of Old Speckled Hen cost £3.40 and tasted as a chilled bottle of real ale would do, and i also had a pint of Carling (Price is not known) as well, the only thing missing was a hand pump serving real ale.

Food- I have a Double Cheeseburger with Bacon, Onions and Chips, which cost £6.00 (£4.50 for the cheeseburger and £1.50 for the Chips), the double cheeseburger was very nice and one of the best burgers i have tasted this season, and the chips were good as well.

The Attendance was 1,889, which is an record attendance for a non league club playing at step 6 of the non league pyramid, only clubs in the National League, National League North, South and Hereford FC had an higher attendance than Ilkeston on Saturday 24th March 2018.

I would heartily encourage the people of Ilkeston and the Erewash County to visit Ilkeston Town FC, and experience what non league football is all about, and see players always give 100% and play for the love of the game, unlike a lot of players in the Premier League, you will also get good value for money and you will come away wanting to come again. I was made to feel very welcome and i really enjoyed my time at The New Manor Ground.

 

 

 

The ClockTower Stand

Robins Review and Old Speckled Hen

Railway End Terrace

Ainsworth Road Seating Stand

Club Shop Programme Stock

Ilkeston Town FC T-Shirts

Team Sheet For Both Teams

Interesting History Of The New Manor Ground