Monday 31 August 2009

Gainsborough Trinity 1 v Eastwood Town 4

Monday 31st August 2009, Blue Square North,
The Northolme, Gainsborough

Gainsborough Trinity (1) 1 (Stamp)
Eastwood Town (1) 4 (Meikle, Holland, Holmes, Bacon pen)

Admission £10. Programme £2
Attendance 551
Left click on match photos for enlarged images.

An excellent game of football at the Northolme in the Blue Square North today.
Obviously Brian Little, Trinity's 'coup signing' new manager has got a lot of work to do when he takes over the reigns next week. Yet until the 35th minute if you'd have told me one of these teams was going to take all three points with a convincing 4-1 win, I would've backed Trinity.
Gainsborough were a goal in front at one point and looking good, but once Eastwood pulled level and stole the initiative they were rampant and the home side caved in.

Gainsborough Trinity tore into the (original and best Nottinghamshire) Badgers from the off and could already have been two in front when Lewis McMahon crossed for Darryn Stamp to head the home side in front on twelve minutes.
It was the very least they deserved and at that stage it looked like a home banker.
Eastwood just about managed to keep the deficit down to a single with an 'all hands to the pumps' rearguard action, but the Blues were looking on top of their game and destined for a win.

Somebody in this picture and me learnt to drink together during our teenage years, we were rubbish at it, but became quite accomplished in the art of quaffing as we got older.
The venue for those escapades was the back room of the Half Moon in Retford market square, that Hibs supporting buffoon Fish wrote a somewhat derogatory song about that pub that he recorded with his group Marillion, called 'Market Square Heroes'. I only ever saw him in their once and he definitely wasn't wearing his Hibs colours then. It was a real dump of a Bikers pub back in the day. That Hibee poser was like a fish out of water in 'Mad Jacks'.
Here he (my pal Lee not Fish) joins his mates in a crafty smoke (some old habits never die, eh!?), nervously ruing the host a chances Trinity created but wasted in the first 35 minutes that would and should have killed the game off ... and hoping they won't regret them later on.
Ah, the 'joys' of writing with the benefit of hindsight ;-)
Trinity TV.

On 35 minutes, against the run of play, Eastwood found themselves in the Gainsborough penalty area in a rare foray forward.
Trinity duly snubbed out the attack and cleared the ball up field. But it only went as far as Martin Foster who drilled a well timed and perfectly weighted ball forward to Lindon Meikle on the edge of the box. Meikle sublimely beat his marker Jake Picton and swerved home as sweet a goal as I'm likely to see all season.
"One spark o' magic!" offered a happy smiling Eastwood fan as he celebrated his sides turning point. "We've not been in it 'til that" he added. 100% correct on both counts.
I hope 'Trinity TV' post the moment on their website or YouTube in due course.
Trinity came out for the second half and tried to pick up where they had left off.
Mark Hume had to clear the ball off the line for the visitors straight from the restart and then Nathan Peat struck a free kick inches wide of the upright as Gainsborough tried to restore their lead.
But from that moment onwards, the tide turned and Eastwood were all over their hosts like a rash.
Trinity spent the rest of the game chasing shadows as the Badgers went from strength to strength and dismantled them.
Emaka Nwadike put the ball in Gainsborough's net, it was disallowed. But on 65 minutes Danny Holland got on the end of a flick on from a corner and it was time for Blues fans of a nervous disposition to look away.
Eastwood were in front and never looked back.
The only surprising aspect of the game from that point onwards was that Eastwood didn't increase their lead until the 83rd minute. Meikle cleverly found the Badgers substitute Knox who had just come on inside the box and he unleashed a thundering shot. Phil Barnes managed to save it, but Ian Holmes was on hand to head home the equaliser. 1-3.
A real poachers goal.
Peter Knox shoots, Barnes has it covered, but Holmes is lurking to head home the rebound, 1-3

In the very last minute a Trinity defender shoved Eastwood's other sub David Brown in the back and to the ground as he raced clear into the box.
"A dodgy penalty" moaned someone on the Gainsborough fans forum. "As blatant a penalty as you'll ever see" said the bloke stood with me in line with the incident.
The latter, the linesman and the referee all got it completely right ... as did Brown from the resultant spot kick.
Eastwood's last minute penalty from David Brown bulges the net, 1-4

Brian Little's first job as Gainsborough's newly appointed manager is to get them to play for the whole ninety minutes. They looked very capable for spells, especially during the first half, but Eastwood Town wanted it more here this afternoon and thoroughly deserved the result.

THE66POW

Wednesday 26 August 2009

Programme Review #1

Part one in an occasional series of ... probably not very many
Radford FC v. Gedling Miners Welfare - East Midlands Counties League - 22/08/2009
Thanks to Howard for the programme from this game.
'Tis muchly appreciated comrade! ;-)

It shows dedication beyond the call of duty to produce a 52 page programme for your local Non League side, so hats off to the efforts of those people who put together Radford FC's essential match day reading.
Of course, you'd expect such a bulky tome to be padded out with pages upon pages of adverts, but only six pages (if you count the CMFL sponsors details that are reproduced by all clubs affiliated to that league as a matter of course anyway) contain any advertising.
The rest is very readable and jam packed with information, about both 'The Pheasants' and other local clubs.
Incidentally before any pedantic 'statto' contacts me to say that Radford don't play in the CMFL, their reserves do, which accounts for their 'affiliation'.
One programme feature a friend of mine commented on the desirability of in regards to the Radford programme is the attention to detail given to the directions to other teams grounds ... he doesn't drive you see.

Most clubs will provide the basic routes - Y'know the kind of thing ... 'Head north on the A614 over Ollerton roundabout - turn right at Thoresby roundabout - left at the church in Bothamsall village and then look for the floodlights or ask a local farmer because you're most likely completely lost by now and will probably miss the kick off'.
But short of publishing the details in Braille for the visually impaired (most of who seem to be driving on the nearby A60, Mansfield Road in Nottingham whenever I'm in the vicinity), the details in the Radford programme leave no stone left unturned.
Even walking routes to grounds are provided!

No 'sat nav'? (Join the club, me neither), no worries ... the directions Radford provide will get you straight to wherever you are going, find you the premium parking spots and then lead you to where you can be fed and watered in the vicinity.
Besides which, 'sat nav' directions work to post codes and can actually quite often lead you to destinations other than those you intended to travel to anyway.
For example, I share a post code with a North Notts Unibond Premier League club, and using Google maps will direct you straight to my front garden instead of their ground (fact).
Upon arrival the difference between the two locations is quite apparent ... there is no screechy music blaring out of my windows and my garden actually has some grass growing in it.
And if anyone stands in my garden banging a drum they're going to get chucked out before you can say:
"Barmy army!" (bump, bump) "Barmy army!" (bump, bump) "Barmy army!" (bump, bump).
So get out of here and follow the road out of town over the two bridges, but be mindful there is no footpath beside this busy and dangerous road because Bassetlaw District Council are not renowned for co-operating with local football clubs.

No car? (Or want to leave it at home because you fancy a few beers), even better ... Bus, train and tram routes (and even timetables) are all provided too, which believe me, is a Godsend for a lot of (so called) ground hoppers I know.
The logistics of getting from A to B around Nottinghamshire by public transport can be a (***)king sized throbbing headache of severely migraineous proportions.

Of course there will be people who say this kind of information sharing removes 'the thrill of the chase' out of the noble art of seeking lost and forgotten civilisations in the obscurer corners of Planet Football (AKA Gedling), but there are also people who would chose to sleep on a bed of nails and/or listen to the Lighthouse Family out of choice.
Those of us without such masochistic leanings appreciate the odd stress busting snippet of informed guidance ... and as somebody who knows the 'joys' of having to sling a U turn through six lanes of rush hour traffic on the laughingly named Nottingham Relief Road, I feel extensively qualified to comment on this.
Yes, I missed the signpost for Burton Joyce once too!!!

Of course, there could be a couple of cynical people who would say I'm writing a favourable review of the Radford 'Official Match Day Programme' because this particular issue contains some input from this very blog (which is apparently written by 'a well known ground hopper based in North Notts and Edinburgh, who favours Hearts, Mansfield Town and Worksop Town), but that hasn't swayed my judgement one bit, in fact one of the other blogs in my index, 'The mind of an Imp', rates the programme (and set up at Selhurst Street) too. So check that link out without further daily.
By way of a huge coincidence ... here below, is a picture of the guy who puts that Lincoln City/Sophie Ellis Bextor blog together entering the recent Radford v Rainworth MW, FA Cup game that I also went to.
Blimey! Its a small world isn't it???

*Note to Imp bloggist - stop walking in shot when I'm taking pictures or you are going to get thumped one of these days.

Anybody wanting to sample one of these excellent programmes should send £1 and a SSAE to:
Howard Bacon
C/O Radford FC Supporters' Club Shop
Radford FC
Selhurst Street (off Radford Road)
Hyson Green
Nottingham
NG7 5EH

Incidentally if you type that NG7 post code into your 'sat nav' you will end up at a take away food emporium called Curry King (the ground is behind this fine establishment) that stands opposite the Asda on Radford Road.

*Footnote.
I have patented the word migraineous, so don't use it without asking my permission or you will be sued for breach of copyright.

the66pow

Saturday 22 August 2009

Spennymoor Town v Chester le Street Town - Northern League Division 1


In 2005, the original Spennymoor United (who also used to play at the Brewery Field) went out of business in their centenary year.
The club was reformed a year later as Spennymoor Town.
Around the same time Evenwood Town had also been looking to move in to use the empty Brewery Field ground on Wood Vue.
Both clubs met and it was jointly decided to merge together using the name Spennymoor Town.

My last trip to the Brewery Field and the town of Spennymoor was an unmitigated personal disaster for me, however ... despite how I felt about it at the time (pretty phucked off, as I recall), at least I managed to get a few pictures of how the signs and main entrance looked prior to them being modernised during the summer of 2009 before I aborted that trip ... and those pictures are preserved for posterity here ---> http://the66pow.blogspot.com/2009/04/moor-moor-moor-how-do-you-like-it.html

Saturday 22nd August 2009. Northern League Division 1.
The Brewery Field, Spennymoor.

Spennymoor Town (2) 3 (Waite, Rae, Peacock)
Chester le Street Town (1) 2 (Fisher 2)

Admission £5. Programme £1.
I was going to ask a few searching questions of the locals, such as:
Where did Evenwood Town play?
Where did the UNITED AFC disappear to from the old sign?
Am I going to need to take another photo in the near future if they're planning to add TOWN AFC in it's place?
Is there a club shop?
But unless anybody in the ground could 'sign' my attempts at opening any lines of communication were thwarted by the ear splitting volume of the music aurally assaulting me from the distorted tannoy system. It was a truly horrible experience.


So I bought a golden goal ticket and then sought sanctuary from the appalling racket in the bar at the top and back of the stand.
I don't even mind Rhianna and Lady Ga Ga, but the match day announcer and his defective equipment did them no favours today "Howay! X Factor's back tonight I'm sure we'll all be glued to our TV sets" - Trust me, if I could have found a strong enough solvent he probably would have been!
Apparently today was the first day this 'bijou' facility was open to the general public. The décor is very modern, but it gets quite cramped once there are a few dozen people in, so I grabbed an handful of nibbles from the regularly topped up bowls on the centrepiece table and headed out to find a spot on the terrace behind the goal away from where the substitutes were warming up and thundering hard but inaccurate shots at the frequently missed target.
Talk about running the gauntlet.

Note in the picture below, the shutters in the public bar (left) are closed at 3PM sharp, those in the 'Prawn Sandwich Brigade bar' at the other end of the stand aren't.
Note, it's not actually called that by the way.
Spennymoor were quickest out of the blocks and they got into 'the Cestrians' from the off.
My watch (a very accurate timekeeping device) and the clock on my mobile phone both said 15:02 when a Karl Richards corner from the right found 'the Brewers' centre half perfectly timing his run to power home a header for the first (and golden) goal.

Woo hoo!
His name was Waite, my ticket said two minutes, the omens were good and I began to wonder what kind of grand prize I might have won, I couldn't hear the ticket seller for the music when I'd handed over my quid.
And here comes that already annoying announcer confirming the news that ... "First goal scored by Spennymoor's number six Gareth Waite. The golden goal time is 3 minutes!!!"
Grr, me and this guy could quite easily fall out today methinks.
The Chester le Street full back slams a clearance away with such ferocity that the ball disintegrates into a cloud of dust (I just made that bit up).

One thing I don't especially like about all the Northern League grounds I attend, is the amount of people who swan around in Newcastle Untied shirts like they own the place.
I understand that they are like a religion in the area (and credit where it is due incidentally to the many Spennymoor fans wearing their own club's black and white stripes)
but if they're not actually watching the Mags in action, they shouldn't be strutting their stuff at other local grounds and continuously rambling on about NUFC while there is another game of football taking place right in front of them.
I think clubs should be deducted points or have to start from two goals down if more than a dozen of their fans turn up wearing Newcastle United shirts. Seriously!

To compound my annoyance - and to make me like him even less than before - in the 8th minute, while the game was actually in progress and the ball in play, the match day announcer gleefully blurted out over the PA that Newcastle were winning at Crystal Palace ... A bit insulting to the players from both teams I would have thought - and personally I would have sacked him on the spot for his belittling disregard of today's game.
Maybe somebody 'had a word' because there were no more live updates from elsewhere while the main event was taking place.
Perhaps the referee (from Sunderland) had similar thoughts to mine about penalising clubs for their Magpies over indulgences, because shortly after the score flash, he turned down as blatant a penalty as I will see all season when Craig Ruddy was pushed off the ball with only the Chester le Street keeper to beat ... the visitors went straight on the counter attack and hit home an equaliser through Nathan Fisher.
It was completely against the run of play.
It was just before half time when Spennymoor regained the lead, my new worst enemy in the whole world had just informed us "There will be one extra minute to play", when Michael Rae narrowly beat the Chester le Street keeper to a fifty-fifty challenge and neatly put the ball home. You can just about make out that piece of action and the ball heading towards the goal by left clicking on the above picture to enlarge it.
The home side could have been three or four goals in front by this point but had lacked the end product to finish off a lot of possession.
Rae has recently joined Spennymoor from Whitby Town, he's a good capture for them.
They've also signed six Durham City players since the end of last season. Three in the summer and three more during City's current mass exodus.
Two minutes into the second half Keith Graydon hit a 25 yard free kick past the Chester le Street defence, keeper Jonathan Carmichael got behind it and blocked the shot, but as the ball rebounded back into open play Tony Peacock smashed it home (see above), his performance and effort this afternoon deserved a goal.
It looked as though a comfortable home win was on the cards and as the game entered the last few minutes, Spennymoor were more or less keeping the ball up the business end of the field and frustrating their visitors.
Chester le Street's one hope all afternoon seemed to be pumping long balls to try catching the advanced Spennymoor defence flat footed. On several occasions Andrew Spence in the Brewers goal, had to run from his area to loft the ball back upfield to safety, but with the game drawing to a close, one of those clearances hit his own player and deflected to Nathan Fisher who gratefully ran on to put his second strike of the afternoon into an empty net.
Spennymoor were hanging on a bit at the end, but on the balance of play got the result they deserved.

Man of the match - Waite
That has a nice ring to it ;-)
P.S. I went to a cash machine before I set off to Spennymoor today ... and this week my favourite LP of all time is the Lee 'Scratch' Perry "Arkology" box set.

Wednesday 19 August 2009

Worksop Town v Nantwich Town - UniBond Premier League

Wednesday 19th August 2009. UniBond Premier League.
Played at New Manor Ground, Ilkeston.

Worksop Town 0
Nantwich Town 0

Admission - Season Ticket. Programme - £1.50
Attendance 185

It is said that over the course of a whole season tenuous '50/50' refereeing decisions that either go for you or against you balance themselves out evenly in the end.
That could also be said of events at the New Manor Ground tonight.
Well almost!
Worksop Town were the first to feel justifiably aggrieved when Nantwich's goalkeeper Lee Jones took out Danny Bacon, outside the box, with the kind of challenge that would've merited being punished in a Rugby League match for having been a 'high tackle', let alone a game of football.
Bacon had just headed the ball over Jones and the keeper was stranded.
A red card looked so inevitable that even over on the Nantwich bench they had told their substitute goalkeeper to get ready because they thought he would be going on.
The referee called Jones over.
"Cheerio! Cheerio! Cheerio!" sang the jubilant home supporters.
Jones to defence: "Chill out guys, I'm not going anywhere ;-)"
But Mr D Plowright, the referee, stunned us all by only showing Jones a yellow card instead.
The surprise and relief on Jones' face was obvious, he knew he'd got off lightly ... and so did one of his team mates who commented to the Worksop fans within earshot behind the goal "I thought he was going off for that!" while shaking his head in disbelief.
Jones is a big lad and I'm not the sort of guy who'd grass anyone up, so I won't mention the name or number of the left back who said that ;-)
Whether Jones being dismissed would've changed the course of the game or not we'll never know, but he put up a fairly dogged resistance to match anything the Tigers threw at him tonight and definitely preserved the visitors clean sheet on a number of occasions. Especially in the first half when Worksop played as well as I've seen them do for a long time.
Gary Townsend in particular put in a great shift.
Danny Bacon and Ben Tomlinson were keeping the visitors defence busy, while Anson and Callery both came close to breaking the deadlock too.
"Hey linesman, I owe you one, this big!"
Ha, ha, isn't hindsight a wonderful thing

Half time, same as full time (oddly enough), nil nil.

On the hour Nantwich Town thought they had taken the lead but Mike Lennon's 'goal' was deemed by the officials to be offside.
No real complaints from anyone about that one and it looked as though it had been called right.

This was the classic game of two halves, Worksop were by far the best team in the first, but in the second they had to sit back and soak up a lot of Nantwich pressure. The fact that Jon Kennedy (the Tigers keeper) was awarded man of the match speaks volumes for how things went after the break.
But deep into injury time just as it was looking as though a battling second half rearguard action had won a hard earned point for Worksop against one of the best teams in the division (it had by the way, I'm just endeavouring to build up the suspense and drama for a thrilling climax), Rodney Jack broke free on the left for the visitors and hit the ball across the goal ... Nantwich had recreated this move several times already to no avail, despite a few near misses, even before Jack came on as a substitute ... but this time Ashley Carter got on the end of the cross and agonisingly for the Tigers, in the 93rd and final minute, scored the winning goal for Nantwich Town.
The Dabbers had become the grabbers and Worksop were left to lament on all the goal scoring chances that had gone begging in the first half.
A cruel, cruel, agonising way to finish a game of football.

Err ... hang on there is an alternative ending too ...

Just as the Tigers fans were letting off steam with a few "Flipping heck, how unfortunate was that? One would've hoped we could have held on there for a just a tiny bit longer ... what old chap!?" type comments and a few unprintable type ones aimed at Lee Jones who was smirking all over his face - over yonder on the left touch line, a raised flag appeared.

Gasp out loud and pause for full effect at this point.

Plowright, once again, was in roughly the same area of the pitch where he had failed to clearly see Jones' first half infringement from, when Nantwich Town scored their 'winner'.
It was obviously a bit of a blind spot for him.
Which in my humble, but extremely biased opinion wasn't necessarily a bad thing at this point in time.
It was unbelievable that he took heed of his assistant's obviously impaired view of the 'winning goal' and disallowed it.

Lee Jones ears must by now have been burning, the Tigers fans cheered as though they had won the game and gave him some real stick.
Personally, I have no sympathy for Jones, Danny Bacon has possibly only 50% of the Nantwich keepers body mass and could've been seriously hurt by that first half 'professional foul'.
But in light of that completely incorrect decision right at the death, I have every sympathy for anybody else from Nantwich who was present.
And I would have to concede that just maybe a couple of incorrect decisions may have balanced out 'more evenly' in Worksop Town's favour than they did that of Nantwich Town tonight.

Who said goalless draws had to be boring?

the66pow

Tuesday 18 August 2009

Mansfield Town v Barrow - Blue Square Premier

Tuesday 18th August 2009. Blue Square Premier
Field Mill, Mansfield

Mansfield Town (1) 4 (Duffy, Speight, Clare 2 both pens)
Barrow (0) 1 (Walker)

Admission: Used Cookie's season ticket while he's on holiday, cheers Mick!
Programme £3
Attendance 3188 (106 from Barrow)

The Stags took the lead on 26 minutes. The ever lively Ryan Williams hit a low cross across the face of the goal, a Barrow defender stuck out his boot but only played the ball into the path of Rob Duffy who slotted the ball home from inside the six yard box.
As the first half came to a close, both Duffy and Williams came close to extending the lead, but as the first half came to a close there had been no more scoring.
"Keep The Faith" Barrow FC Northern Soul Flag

On 59 minutes, with the Stags looking to build on the lead (Perry, Williams and Duffy all had good chances), Barrow pulled a goal back against the run of play.
Matt Somner under hit a back pass to Alan Marriott. The keeper raced from the box and managed to block Barrow's Rutherford's attempt on goal, but the ball spun sideways from their challenge to Jason Walker who gratefully hit the ball into an empty net.

David Holdsworth made a double substitution, bringing on Clare and Speight.
Speight's first action was to hit the Stags back in front. An inspired replacement then.

The Stags last two goals came from penalties, both scored by Daryl Clare.
Barrow played delaying tactics to prevent both spot kicks being taken quickly, an odd tactic when your losing I would have thought.
The first penalty was conceded by Phil Bolland, it cost him a second yellow card and he was dismissed.
Barrow are a fairly physical side, but not as bad as last season. Paul Jones would've been my choice if we were having a bet on the first player to get sent off (going by what I saw of him last time Barrow visited Field Mill) but it wasn't to be. Even when he conceded the second penalty it would've been very harsh if he'd received a second booking and had to walk.
Clare ignored the spoiling tactics and calmly put both penalties away, one to each side of the keeper. Cool, composed and one of several striking options the Stags have at their disposal this season, which can't be a bad thing.

Final score 4-1

A plus mark to the Barrow fans by the way, good banter with them before the game and constant vocal support throughout. A great turn out for a midweek game, particularly given the distance they had to travel.
They probably deserve a better team to match their backing if truth be told.

Saturday 15 August 2009

Radford v Rainworth MW - FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round

The FA Cup road to Wembley starts here ...

Saturday 15th August 2009. FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round
Selhurst Street (off Radford Road), Hyson Green, Nottingham

Radford (0) 0
Rainworth Miners Welfare (2) 3 (Topliss 10, Baxter 44, McDonald 70)

Admission £4. Programme £1. Attendance 102.


Today marked Radford's first ever game in the FA Cup in their 45 year history and there was a real buzz about the place.
It's a shame a few more people couldn't have turned out to watch them on this historic day, because this homely and friendly club really pull out all the stops to give all visitors a warm welcome ... the unstinting efforts and enthusiasm of their supporters are a great example to fans of all other non league clubs of what can be achieved if they actually get involved with their team instead of merely just turning up and being a spectator ... it's not everybody's cup of tea to be 'hands on' I know, but the rewards of such 'collective responsibility' are clearly visible for all to see at Radford.

Alas, Radford came up against some pretty formidable opposition today in Rainworth MW.
Rudy Funk's side were smarting from a 0-4 defeat on the first day of the season and weren't about to be caught off guard again today.
On ten minutes (above) Julian Topliss was sent through on the left hand side of the area, waited for the keeper to come out and placed the ball neatly past him for the opening goal.
Meanwhile over in the stand, local football 'legend' "RainworthGord" (below) was typing all the details into his laptop to provide live updates on 'the Wrens' website.
You'd have to go a long way to meet anybody else as knowledgeable about non league football and as gentlemanly in conduct as Gordon Foster.
After the first goal, it looked as though the Wrens were going to stuff the Pheasants in this 'Nottinghamshire bird derby' and it was one way traffic for a while, but Radford found there feet and began to make a fist of their efforts to pull level as the half progressed.
Apparently it had been quite galling for Rudy Funk that his team had conceded goals late in both halves of their previous game and he had demanded that they didn't switch off early today. He'd have been especially happy then and Radford completely gutted, that on 44 minutes, Matt Baxter got on the end of a cross on the edge of the six yard box to volley home the visitors second.
Radford kept plucking away (last bad bird pun I promise) in the second half, but Rainworth soaked up the pressure well and were biding their time.
I'm sure Radford's stocky, but short, centre forward would have preferred passes to his feet rather than vaingloriously competing for aerial balls against Rainworth's tall centre back pairing all afternoon. But he never gave up trying.
On seventy minutes Massiah McDonald found himself on the edge of Radford's box, he turned left, then right, then unleashed an unstoppable shot past Mark Rollson to effectively finish the tie off.
This was my inaugral visit to Radford FC, to be honest I didn't realise their ground was tucked away where it is, just off Radford Road, when I've passed by numerous times before.
The enthusiasm of the people there is quite infectious ... and I wouldn't hesitate to visit a game at Selhurst Street again when I'm in the locality.

I hasten to add, when I've been in Hyson Green before it had nothing to do with the 'working girls' who allegedly operate around certain streets in the nearby vicinity. It's easy for an area of any city to get a bad reputation, but Hyson Green is nothing like the run down no go area it's made out to be. I reckon it's all a propaganda ploy by the council to get people to use the by pass road ;-)

So Rainworth now entertain Gresley or Heather St. Johns at home in the preliminary round, their tie ended two apiece today (replay Tuesday).
The other game I'd pencilled in if I wasn't going to be near Radford this afternoon finished Stone Dominoes 7 v. Cadbury Athletic 0.
I have a lot of time and respect for people like Rudy Funk and Gordon Foster at Rainworth, so good luck to them for a decent cup run this season. I thought they were a bit unlucky when I saw Stourbridge knock them out in a replay last year.


Wednesday 12 August 2009

Harworth Colliery Institute v Carlton Town XI - Pre Season Friendly

Wednesday 12th August 2009, Pre Season Friendly
Scrooby Road, Harworth, North Notts

Harworth Colliery Institute (0) 1
Carlton Town XI (2) 3

Admission Free. No programmes.
Harworth Colliery Institute, the most northerly based of all Nottinghamshire teams, in fact they play so far north people often mistake them for a south Yorkshire club.
But they're most definitely based in Notts.
You can probably boot the ball into Yorkshire from Harworth's ground ... but I bet you wouldn't get the bugger back.
(Above) Away in the far corner you can see the main attraction in Harworth.
No, not the little dilapidated stand behind the goal, over and beyond that you have the BMX track, home of Harworth Hurricanes - they have their own website btw.
This popular local attraction was certainly better populated than the football ground tonight, though the Holland v England game was being shown in the nearby social club so that might account for the sparse crowd (approx. almost a couple of dozen).
Also inside the social club there is a museum display dedicated to Tom Simpson 'the greatest road cyclist this country ever had', be sure not to miss it ;-)
Harworth (in orange) defending a corner.

The visitors took the lead very early on and though it was their reserves and youngsters playing tonight, they looked head and shoulders above Harworth in every department. The only surprise of the first half was that they had only added one more goal by half time.
The gulf in quality looked fairly wide at times.

The second half was a strange affair, Carlton kept probing at their hosts but only managed to find the net once more. After which they had a player booked for what looked like some back chat after a foul, nothing malcious, just a bit of a trip.
Even the Harworth boss called out "You're not booking him for that surely?"

The game seemed to be crawling over the finishing line without further ado, when Carlton conceded a foul just inside their own half. The referee blew and awarded Harworth the free kick, but their number 9, a decent enough young player on tonight's evidence, kicked out at the Carlton player who had committed the foul straight in front of the ref.
Whoops!
He got a straight red card, in the very last minute.
While he was still walking out of the ground and towards the adjacent dressing room, Harworth lofted the ball into the box and their number 12 hit home a consolation goal.
There was hardly any time for the restart and moments later we were all following the red carded Harworth player out of the ground ... but some of us didn't head for the showers, we went home instead to catch the end of England's comeback from 2-0 down in Amsterdam where they earned a 2-2 draw courtesy of a Jermaine Defoe double.

The sun begins to set behind the winding tower of Harworth Colliery and pretty soon the lights were going down on yet another pre season for yours truly too ... now let the real juicy stuff start to flow thick and fast. Bring it on!

Footnote, there are those who claim Bawtry Town (Doncaster Senior League) are the most northern based team in Notts because their pitch is a matter of feet away from the border line, but Bawtry is in Yorkshire ... end of! ;-)
Bawtry Town the most southerly based of all Yorkshire teams, in fact they play so far south people often mistake them for a north Notts club.

As an aside ... Chester City have a ground that is half in Wales and half in England, but because their club offices are in England they are officially classed as an English club. What's that got to do with 'owt? You may ask ... and frankly at this late hour I'll be blowed if I can answer you.

So move along, there is nothing to see here.
Last man out please turn the light off, put the cat out and leave a note for the milkman.

Pre Season 2009 ... did the earth move for you baby?

Tuesday 11 August 2009

Luton Town v Mansfield Town - Blue Square Premier

Eric 'Lutonious' Morecambe

Tuesday 11th August 2009, Blue Square Premier League
Kenilworth Road, Luton

Luton Town (1) 4
Mansfield Town (1) 1

Admission £18 Programme £3 Attendance 7295 (inc. 542 from Mansfield)

Note* It is 'forbidden' to take actual match photographs from the stands at Luton, probably just as well given how many pillars there are blocking the view in the visitors end.

£18 for a restricted view seat and £3 for a programme, welcome to the 'relatively inexpensive' world of Non League Football.

"It's going to be intriguing to see how they adapt to their new environs." Said I of Luton Town shortly before heading south down the M1.
On tonight's showing I'd say they are adapting very well and if they can maintain this level of performance they won't be far away from going straight back up to the Football League at the end of the season.

Probably already against the run of play, Mansfield took the lead on 18 minutes, the ball was flicked on into the danger zone from a left wing free kick and Garner made no mistake from close range.
Luton had plenty of chances, most of them off target long range efforts, but in spite of them having the lions share of the game, they still hadn't found a way through in the first half, until the 38th minute anyway, then things changed ... Marriott in the Stags goal should really have held onto a catchable cross but didn't and from the resultant corner the ball was flicked across the face of goal and George Pilkington was at the back post to clinically finish. Game on!

Half Time 1-1 .... to Luton! ;-)


Only a blinkered and biased big fibber could deny that Luton had dominated the first half, even though the Stags looked threatening on the counter attack.
The second half carried on pretty much in the same vein.
I doubt if Mansfield Town will face opposition as good as Luton were tonight again this season.

On 66 minutes Luton were in front, it had been coming for a while now.
Once again the chance came from a corner and was hit home, once again, by George Pilkington, from 12 yards out.

View from the rear of the visitors end, where the back gardens on Oak Road and entrance staircases into the stand merge together is an aesthetically beautiful way.

The Stags weathered a Luton storm and it was still on the cards that despite being under the cosh for long spells, if they could just hold out a bit longer, there was a slim chance they might nick an equaliser. But that hope was dashed after 81 minutes when Hall crossed the ball for Newton at the far post but Kyle Perry managed to intercept the cross and head the ball powerfully ... into his own net.
3-1, it was now all over now bar the shouting.

A minute later, Perry, still looking gutted about his 'goal', was brought down by Callum Reynolds. It was Reynold's second booking and off he went. "Cheerio! Cheerio! Cheerio!"

Another minute later Asa Hall scored for Luton, but the linesman flagged for offside and the Referee disallowed that one (did you see what I did there? People are wont to sat 'the Linesman disallowed the goal' when in fact it is always the Referee who makes the final decision. Pedantic bugger aren't I?)

Maybe by ruling out the fourth goal, the Referee had spared Mansfield any further woes? Err, not quite!

On 87 minutes Gardner fouled Murray and the Referee decided it warranted a straight red card, so it was now a ten aside game.
To alleviate any confusion here, please note, the Stags fielded a Garner and a Gardner tonight ... on this occasion it isn't my lousy spelling and diction that is to blame ... for a change.

In the very last minute Perry found himself in his own box again ... and this time he upended Claude Gnapka to top off a night he'll want to forget in a hurry.
Craddock belted the penalty kick home and within moments the final whistle sounded and we could all shuffle off and endure three into one lane sections and 50mph speed restrictions (and average speed cameras) on the M1 Northbound home.

Luton miscellanea (space filling bit):
There are people who think Lorraine Chase made the ghastly pop record 'Luton Airport' (based on her 'career' launching catchphrase) but it wasn't her, it was a group named Cats UK.
Contrary to rumours that the lead singer from Sweet (Brian Connolly) had a sex change and tried relaunching his career as the Cats UK singer ... he didn't!
It isn't true, it's just a vicious lie, so lets nip that in the bud now.