If it wasn't for your wellies where would you be?

(Above) I would never consider commercialising the66pow and taking on advertising to raise revenue to finance my lavish lifestyle choices, but I would just like to take this opportunity to say, the best pub meals I have ever eaten, affording very generous portions for a most reasonable outlay, were at a premises in Newington, on the Misson Road, near Austerfield.
(Above) This panoramic view of Armthorpe Welfare's Church Street Ground was taken whilst standing on my tippy toes in the Netto car park next door. I didn't park there though, read my Rossington Main v. Teversal report (17.03.09) to find out why.
Incidentally, the pitch side advertising to the right of the goal in this picture, if you were so inclined to zoom in, is paid for by a very nice public house in Newington ... it has a "Large Adventure Playground"
I do have a panoramic view of Netto taken from inside the ground, I am willing to post this for you to peruse if anybody really wants to see it btw.
(Above) The main entrance on Church Street.
Every time I visit the "Wellie" ground, their humble but perfectly adequate grandstand seems to have been vandalised still further by the local no marks have progressed from petty and immature crime like snapping car windscreen wipers off to 'major league' vandalism, such as kicking a few breeze blocks over and then running off while nobody is around to give them the good hiding they warrant.
Birch them, tar and feather the little fuckers and bring back the cane ... that's my effective remedy in a nutshell.
I'm quite surprised that Winterton Rangers are tucked into a mid table position, because every time I've seen them play they've put in an impressive performance and won.
Tonight was no exception.
That said, in my humble estimation, the man of the match had to be Armthorpe's number 3 Henry Sibeng. Despite his shirt number, he was a left sided attacking midfielder and if a couple of his team mates had been anywhere near as keen as him to take the game to Winterton, the scoreline might not have been so one sided in the favour of the visitors.
Tuesday 31st March 2009
Armthorpe Welfare 0
Winterton Rangers 3
Paczkowski 28
Morley 36
Watson 85
NCEL Division 1
Church Street, Armthorpe
Attendence 42

Northern League 'Double' 20th & 21st march 2009

From the sprawling outskirts of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne to a tiny woodland outpost in County Durham (above) ... A Northern League Double:
Whickham v Brandon United and Esh Winning (The Stags) v. Jarrow Roofing

Part 1 - The Northern Lights
Friday night football, under the lights, what a smashing way to start the weekend.
Tonight I get to visit Glebe Park, Whickham, for the first time ever and witness a cracking game of football between two teams who both want to play to win.
For sure there are a few firm but (borderline) fair challenges, but Lord help us all if football ever stops being a contact sport and all the competitive edge is removed from the game.
Get stuck in, enjoy the game, respect the referees decisions as much as possible and shake hands and have a pint afterwards.
Whickham FC were formed in 1944 as Axwell Park Colliery Welfare.
In 1981, after coming from 0-2 behind, Whickham beat Willenhall 3-2 after extra time to win the FA Vase at Wembley. To date, they are still the last ever North Eastern team to win a cup final at Wembley - although Whitley Bay have reached the semi final stage this season and will be going all out to re write history.
Above. The view from Whickham's Glebe Park social club facing the pitch. Note reflection of a drum kit in the window. I did fancy bashing out a solo or two but I don't like to show off in public.
First rate hospitality awaits visitors to Glebe Park, everybody was really friendly.
The 'player profiles' in the programme were very funny, i.e:
David Fairless - David is a part time gardener and model, who was brought in to add some glamour to the team photo. It's the only logical reason I can think of.
Graeme Jackson - Experienced full back in his second spell at the club. He's a fireman so he'll be used to sleeping and playing with his hose.
Tony Dowson - Club coach and utility player. Player/Coach, lucky he's a great coach.
Brandon United have been experiencing difficulties both on and off the pitch in recent years, particularly last season when they finished rock bottom, so its great to see them recovering and going from strength to strength this term.
Formed as 'Rostrons' a Sunday League side linked with the local waste paper company of the same name, they became Brandon United in 1972-73.
I haven't seen Brandon United since 1988, when I was at Belle Vue to see them narrowly lose an FA Cup 1st Round replay v Doncaster Rovers.
They also reached the first round proper in 1980 while still in the Northern Alliance and lost that time 1-0 to Bradford City at Spennymoor United's ground.
Mark Odea put Brandon ahead after about 20 mins, but though they went on to win by virtue of a second half strike from sub Chris Toye after he latched on to a rebound off the keeper, it would be fair to say Whickham were the better side. When Andy Wilson equalised just after the half hour it looked to all intents and purposes that a home win was on the cards.
But given their recent fortunes, it would seem that Brandon revel in battling their way out of tight corners and tonight was no exception.
A very decent game of football ... and even the Whickham supporters didn't begrudge a resurgent Brandon United their victory.
(Above) The spectre of a ghostly linesman pounding along the touchline, or 'possibly' my camera got damaged worse than I thought during the recent deleuge at Clipstone MW v. Ollerton Town.

Friday 20th March 2009
Whickham (1) 1 Wilson
Brandon United (1) 2 Odea, Toye
Northern League Division 2
Attendance 140

----------------------------------

Part 2 - Northern Uproar
Esh Winning FC.
In keeping with the friendliness at Whickham last night, everybody at "The Stags" couldn't do enough to extend a warm and genuine welcome.
To make sure I had my bearings right I had arrived with plenty of time to spare and the bloke unlocking the ground gave me freedom to roam with my camera.
After a couple of pints and some friendly banter it became apparent that to gain access to the West Terrace ground, one is supposed to pay the guy sat up the road on the woodland track that approaches the ground. I had arrived before him and as a consequence was in for free. But it was such a friendly place, manned by really pleasant people I felt compelled to walk back towards the entrance and pay my way.
It would have been rude and sneaky not to under the circumstances.

Local football pull outs from the Northern Echo, old programmes with club histories and various other kindnesses were bestowed upon me, for which I was very grateful. The people at the club are all obviously very fond of their club and were gladdened that somebody had travelled quite so far to take a genuine interest.
There are hundreds of grounds all over Europe I've visited only once but I can safely say, though this was my first visit to Esh Winning, it certainly won't be my last.
Special mention merited for EWFC programme editor Lee Stewart, cheers I owe you one ;-)
Above. A female referees assistant. That ought to curb some of the bad language and harassment match officials often have to endure.
Well, at least I would have hoped so.
Of course there is the polar opposite camp who would argue that a female should be treated no differently to a man out on the field of play.
Maybe I'm just a bit old fashioned then.
Esh Winning play just outside the small village of Waterhouses which is a mile or so from Esh Winning itself, a few miles off the beaten track to the west of Durham in the road atlas.
120 years old, the club have previously been called both Esh Albion and Esh Winning Rangers. They have disbanded and reformed a couple of times, the current Esh Winning being reformed in 1969.

Jarrow Roofing FC. Hmm, I suppose I could post a short, potted and truncated history, but fuck 'em!
From what I saw of them in a cup game v Retford United in 2004 when they were a rough arsed excuse for a football team and especially today when there were many aspects of their conduct that were beneath contempt ... I don't have the time or inclination.
When they start behaving like a football team I might give them credit for being one, until then ... I won't!
Above. Why on earth would anybody behave that way when they have been awarded a free kick in a great position?
The Esh players retreat to defend a free kick, Jarrow Roofing have the initiative, they are on the cusp of a set piece move that if they make the most of it will put them firmly in charge of the game, because during the opening exchanges they have been coming out well on top.
So what happens next?
With just twenty minutes gone, Jarrow's number 9 is dismissed for persistent foul and abusive language cum threatening behaviour.
Persistent after just twenty minutes!
And from my vantage point near the halfway line, the lad wholly warranted it.
I could hear his constant abuse and threats from that distance so the referee had no other option. There is always going to be a certain level of menace, winding up, taunting and industrial language in any game, but this was OTT.
Yes, the centre forward, the teams focal point of attack, sent off when his team are about to take a free kick in a dangerous position.
When the Jarrow captain was sent off just before half time, for retaliating to a heavy challenge on him shortly after he had been booked, one could argue that the Esh player who squared up to him could have gone too ... but he was only booked.
And there were two other Esh players who appeared to be seeing how far they could push the atmosphere with a string of fouls and bad language who went unpunished too.
But although Esh should have been bought to book as well, their transgressions were made to look insignificant by a team of very able footballers from Jarrow who had obviously been briefed to spoil the game and rough the opposition up and not bother playing like they could - where is the logic in that!?
I chatted to the Jarrow captain later on, he was very friendly, but at that point he didn't have his gaffer shouting "Kick the lad in the Hearts t-shirt and make sure you go in studs up!" at him.
I seriously hope some of Roofing's better players move on at the end of the season so they can play football instead of indulging in this thuggery week in, week out.
When the Jarrow full back was dismissed in the last minute after conceding the penalty Esh netted for their 3rd goal, he wanted to go and confront the ref because "Fuckin' hell man, he took that fucker when I was still on the pitch". Maybe he should have said "Fuckin' hell man I was loitering by the touchline and deliberately trying to waste time, because that is the kind of mentality that our manager Wes Saunders hammers into us".
I was amused to hear the blinkered response from the Jarrow dug out of "Leave it, he's obviously a homer this one!". D'oh!!!
(Above) In between the four red cards for Jarrow Roofing (3 players, 1 manager), they are actually capable of some decent football, especially the number nine who was dismissed. But their other antics were quickly killing the game off as a spectacle from halfway through the first half onwards.
(Above) "No Elvis, Beatles or the Rolling Stones in 2009" - "Rock, rock, Esh city rockers!!!" - "Rock the Esh bar, Rock the Esh bar"
Hmm, I wish I was going.
Saturday 21st March 2009
Esh Winning (2) 3 Coates , M Fort 2 (1 pen)
Jarrow Roofing Boldon CA (1) 1
West Terrace, Waterhouses
Northern League Division 2

I won't bore you with my account of the game, check out the links below to read what people more knowledgeable than myself about the Northern League circuit had to say.

(Above) 'Thug On The Tyne' ... Mr Rathband the Referee, explains in expletive free language to the Jarrow Roofing manager Wes Saunders why he is about to produce a red card from his pocket and send him off from the technical area.
Saunders left the bench having been sent off, but continued his tirade of abuse from just behind that bit of white fencing you can see in the photo between the blonde haired woman and the dug out.
It is little wonder his team have such a thug boy siege mentality when they are led by such a piss poor example from their ex pro manager, you would kind of hope that somebody who has played at the very top level and actually managed a football league club could have picked up some professionalism and perspective on what good and proper conduct is.
Alas he hasn't.
I'm scheduled to have visited all the Northen League grounds by the end of next season, however if Wes Saunders is still in the hot seat at Jarrow Roofing, I will be giving the trip there a miss for the foreseeable future.
Such behaviour is unacceptable at any level, but in the friendly environs of a place like Esh Winning on a beautiful sunny afternoon, in a competition where pride, honour and respect do still actually exist, Saunders Jarrow team stand out like an ugly eyesore.

Esh Winning deserved to win and at the time of writing could still win promotion, I hope they do. Jarrow Roofing Boldon C.A. deserved to loose, I'm REALLY glad they did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Below. Links to the Non League Zone forum, appertaining to the two games I saw this weekend, they make very interesting reading.

Whickham v Brandon United detail (Whickham)
http://www.nonleaguezone.com/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=62904

Whickham v Brandon United detail (Brandon United)
http://www.nonleaguezone.com/viewtopic.php?=101&t=62900

Esh Winning v Jarrow Roofing indiscipline and disrespect 5 page thread (Northern League) http://www.nonleaguezone.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=62925

The Main Event

Rossington Main 4 (A Culshaw, M Lodge, L Holmes 2)
Teversal 0
Koolsport Northern Counties East Football League Division 1
Tuesday 17th March 2009
Oxford Street, Rossington
Attendance 56
Two days have elapsed since my last football match, so tonight, pre-empting any withdrawal symptoms that might be starting to kick in, I pick up my travelling companion and ask "Which sprawling metropolis of entertainment, adventure and thrill a minute excitement is your pleasure tonight good sir?"
He eyes me suspiciously.
"Tonight we have a rather fruity choice of two well established south Yorkshire clubs, both within a few miles of each other, namely Armthorpe Welfare or Rossington Main ... Woo hoo! Paaaaarty!"
I can sense he isn't picking up on the vibe just yet ... Tsk, some people just don't know they're born.
So by careful process of elimination, Eeny Meeny Miny Moe (go on then you spell it!) of to Rossington we go.

The last time I went to watch Armthorpe play I got food poisoning after smashing my way with a fork into a pastie that had pastry so solid I suspected someone's pet tortoise had actually crawled into the oven and been cremated, but I was famished and thought it would be OK if I mixed my mushy peas and mint sauce in with it.
And on the same day I got back to my auto-mobile in the nearby Netto's car park and found some twat had snapped my wipers off and smeared soil all over the windscreen, cue an hazardous drive home peering through a six inch square slot I'd scraped in the mud ... ever tried buying windscreen wipers in Armthorpe on a Saturday evening? Well don't bother, you can't!
The last time I went to watch Rossington, we were met at the gate by a player who was just chucking his kitbag in the car, he told us "Game's off lads! Fookin' pitch is rock hard" So we made a last minute dash elsewhere, to yet another 'Fookin' rock hard pitch' and postponement and we were home before Corrie had finished.
On the approach to Rosso's ground, I saw a familiar looking sight in my rear view mirror. Wherever Teversal play, you will spot an Adonis type figure of a man, wearing a high visibility vest over a Tevie FC tracksuit travelling from ground to ground on his motor scooter. Back in The Good Olde Days*, he edited a fanzine called Follow The Yellow Brick Road that I used to write for under my dodgy alias of Marco van Sherpa (a hybrid of Marco van Basten and the Sherpa Van Trophy. A trophy that Mansfield Town actually won at Wembley in 1987 when it was still called the Freight Rover Trophy - they beat Bristol City on penalties after extra time - take notes I will be asking questions later on).
Anybody on my Facebook will be able to spot 'Adonis' amongst my friends, he has a Benny Hill avatar.

*Go on, please tell me I'm not the only person who immediately thought of Leonard Sachs belting out 'Down At The Old Bull And Bush' recorded live from Leeds City Varieties?
Readers under 35 consult your parents for further information. Anybody else who is puzzled by this interjection, please read on ... it wasn't that important really.

I'd gone to Rossington straight from work so I delved into the food bar for something to eat. Remembering my experience at Armthorpe I asked the guy behind the counter if he knew of anybody in the vicinity of the ground who had a pet tortoise who was prone to wandering off.
He just gave me a look as though he thought I had just escaped from Rampton Psychiatric Hospital.
But to be on the safe side I just had a Twix and a bottle of Lucozade.
Uninteresting blog fact number 146 in a series of 147, Rampton Psychiatric Hospital chimney used to be visible from my front bedroom window until it was taken down and replaced with a stumpier one.

Teversal started really lively, there were definitely going to be a few goals tonight and at that point you would have thought the visitors could have afforded to have a disallowed strike chalked off (which they did have) and still leave Oxford Street with all 3 points comfortably tucked away
But Rossington Main, after the opening ten minutes, completely played Teversal off the pitch and were not flattered in any way, shape or form by the convincing four nil scoreline. I'd go so far as to say, after the opening exchanges, this turned into a one sided rout.
Laying 15th (out of 19) in the league and mid table in the current form chart, there was no hint that Rossington were even capable of putting in such an accomplished and polished performance, let alone stick home four goals into the bargain.
Before tonight they had averaged just one per game.
Oxford Street is renowned for having an excellent playing surface, ideally suited to neat passing football, but I'm reliably informed it seldom sees any.
In fact one rather critical observer I spoke to told me 'That pitch is bound to be well fertilised with all the shit that gets played on it' well tonight, he was wrong.
After going ahead through a penalty on 30 minutes, Rosso hit a purple patch and were 3-0 up by half time.
Tevie never looked like getting back into it at that point ... they didn't.

For the record, Armthorpe lost 1-3 at home to Dinnington Town before a crowd of 38, must've been something they had eaten.

Tonic for the Troops

Mansfield Town 1 v Lewes 0
Blue Square Premier
07.03.2009

Prior to the game, troops from the Mercian Regiment, currently serving in Afghanistan were presented to the crowd. MTFC have given them free tickets to watch football at Field Mill.
A nice gesture y the club. Though you would've thought our brave lads had endured quite enough tedium already.

(Above) Watch out Sammy The Stag, that regimental mascot ram has got his eye on you.
(Below) The Mercian marching band walk around the pitch to the accompaniment of Corporal Rolf Harris playing 'Jake the Peg' on his 'Wobble Board' ... if you weren't there you'll never know, eh!? Diddle - iddle - iddle - um.
You'll also never know if that young lady in the West Stand lower tier sat next to the No Smoking sign was actually naked or if the camera is telling fibs.

(Above) The 22 Lewes supporters in a crowd of 2434 look on in hope, but probably not expectation from the North Stand, dotted around the yellow coloured letter 'A' wondering if this will be the moment when their run of consecuitive defeats comes to an end. Alas, it wasn't to be, the danger was cleared and Lewes chalked up their 13th loss in a row, by virtue of a solitary goal conceded when their otherwise impressive keeper Rikki Banks advanced too far from his line and allowed Nathan Arnold to lob the ball over him into an empty net. Few but true, well done Lewes fans, your loyalty is commendable.
A bit of an ugly win for the Stags. But after the handicap of starting the season with Billy McEwan in charge, points matter now, not pretty football for the purists. I've definitely seen worse games.
Elsewhere, there was a bit of a shock result as Ryton beat Consett by 3 goals to 2 in their Northern League encounter. Worksop Town grabbed another vital 3 points away at Prescot Cables and it was 'business as usual' over t'border as Celtic were knocked out of the Scottish Cup by odds on favourites St. Mirren. Hearts didn't play, they're concentrating on the league and consolidating European qualification ;-)

the66pow

Tigers Tigers - Burning Bright!

Worksop Town in exile (2) 3 v. Frickley Athletic (1) 1

UniBond Premier Division
At Watnall Road, home of Hucknall Town FC

(Above) Caught here in a rare moment of positional awareness the referee's assistant observes the goal line to make sure everything is all above board and fair n' square.
Worksop spot the ball for a penalty kick ... and then fail to score from it as per usual.

Where to begin?
Hmm ... refer back to the Arnold v Pickering post by way of an explanation as to why Worksop Town came to be playing 'home' games in Hucknall.

Survival, quite literally, is the priority for Worksop Town this season.
Anything else is a bonus. Staying up in the Unibond Premier was always going to be an uphill struggle this term, given the way the leaseholder of the football ground on Sandy Lane, Worksop and certain other bodies, most notably FC Brimington, have crapped on WTFC from a great height (more on that at a later date) and created massive obstacles for them to overcome at every turn.
But going on tonight's evidence, with the players, management, club officials and supporters alike all pulling in the same defiant direction, it warms my heart no end to report The Tigers are up for it and the rock solid-arity displayed tonight bodes very well for an end of season climb up the table to safety.
I'll stick my neck out and say ... Worksop Town WILL DEFINITELY stay up and by addressing the free fall and checking the descent into oblivion, in spite the circumstances they must operate under through no fault of their own. And that in turn will act as the spark to ignite a further push back up the non-league pyramid to the higher level they truly belong at.

With half time approaching and the Tigers a goal to the good, a Frickley attack broke down and the ball harmlessly crossed the goal line for a goal kick, in fact it passed it by a good four feet.
A Frickley player, frustrated at not getting on the end of a half chance, hooked the ball back onto the pitch and another put the ball into the unguarded net.
All the other players were sauntering away from the goal in readiness for the goal kick.
At first I thought the referee was signalling that he was going to book the Frickley player for kicking the ball into the net when it was Worksop's possession ... but he wasn't!
He hadn't blown his whistle and the linesman, now sprinting belatedly up the touch line in a vainglorious attempt to keep up with play, hadn't flagged that the ball had been out of play.
The goal stood. And neither official had even seen what happened.
Everybody makes mistakes, but at least one of the officials SHOULD have kept up with play called the decision correctly - neither did.
I am biased of course, but ... a Frickley player indicated by outstretching his arms to his own bench just how far the ball had been over the line before it was crossed and the visiting supporters I spoke to who were stood near us (in line with the goal line) were honest enough to admit they had got away with a large slice of luck and injustice.
Of course the Worksop players, knowing they had been wronged in a game that they must win, surrounded the match officials and angrily protested. But that kind of thing never overturns a bad call.
So Worksop, fired up by the ineptitude of the officials, surged up the pitch from the restart with a determination to put things right before half time ... their application and clinical finish delivered a far more effective means of redressing the balance than gobbing off at the useless officials and they went in at half time 2-1 in front.
After the break, the siege mentality that the officials had inadvertently instilled in the Tigers had galvanised the exiles and there was only really one team in it from that point.
Worksop finished 3-1 winners with tread to spare and could even afford a penalty miss.

Ironically, at the end of the day, Frickley might have fared better if they hadn't taken advantage of the unsighted officials, because their 'crafty' goal buoyed up both the Tigers players and fans and inspired them to up the ante ... who said cheats prosper!?

As the game moved into injury time there was an edge of niggliness creeping in and a few face to face confrontations nearly spilled over into proper aggro. Though that demonstrates there is a backs to the wall, in it to win it together mentality, maybe the WTFC players should have just let the Frickley players indulge in such theatrics instead of getting involved ... after all, how could they (FAFC) have anything to complain about?
The only thing Frickley came out of the game with was a goal that they had been gifted by a lack of concentration from two match officials anyway. Those officials kept up with play for the rest of the game mind you, with reminders as to what their roles and correct positions should be ringing in their ears.

A confession. How come I was hovering around the corner of the pitch at the end where Frickley were attacking in the first half?
Because that is where the tasty as anything hot dogs and burgers are sold. Thoroughly recommended by this humble scribe - sample for yourself and see if I'm right ;-)
This picture features a genuine size 5 football and a perspective photograph trick, the hot dogs aren't quite that big really.
Hearts won tonight too - they seem to when I'm not watching them!!!

Wet Wet Wet

7.45pm Lets get this party started

7.55pm Rain in the camera gives a corner taker a semi invisible aura

8.15pm the weather is starting to get daft now

8.20pm I'm sheltering round the corner and I'll only come out if there's any goalmouth action down this end

8.30pm Match abandoned, get home and get out of
those wet clothes before you get pneumonia

3rd March 2009.
Clipstone Miners Welfare 1 v. Ollerton Town 1
ABANDONED 45 minutes waterlogged pitch and shit weather
Last time these two played I was there too, abandoned 73rd minute due to floodlight failure with the game locked at 0-0, so tonight, the rematch, we attended out of some misplaced determination to see it through to some tangible conclusion (or out of a perverse sense of gallows humour), four of us set out on a foul raining and windy night and were joined by another thrill seeking mate when we got there.

Will we all be paying to watch this jinxed fixture a third time to see if there will ever be a result or conclusion of any kind?
Is the Pope a Catholic?
Is Susan Tully (Michelle Fowler) a sex Goddess?
Is all the Jade Goody stuff in the news boring you yet?
Is Graham Norton very funny despite being a poof?
Do I really own a well earned Blue Peter badge?
The answer to five of those questions is a definite yes.
Alas I'm undecided about the first one, there are times when you most definitely can get too much of a good thing.