Worksop Town v Matlock Town - UniBond Premier League

The Ex Factor

Wednesday 28th October 2009. UniBond League Premier Division
At the New Manor Ground, Ilkeston

Worksop Town (0) 0
Matlock Town (2) 3 (Benger, Hannah, Cropper)

Admission Season Ticket (others £8)
Programme £2. Free Teamsheet. Attendance 253

Refer here --> http://ontheroad2009-2010.blogspot.com/2009/10/worksop-town-0-3-matlock-town.html for a neutral overview of the game written eloquently by Nottinghamshire groundhopping legend Malc Storer. For another angle on things and some pictures of Sophie Ellis Bextor (she looks OK but can't sing) look here --> http://razorferret.blogspot.com/2009/11/worksop-town-0-3-matlock-town.html (warning, this link leads to a slight fib about some chips).

Left click team sheet for supersized image

Injuries, suspensions, players taking ill on the day of the game, others leaving the club altogether in the run up to this fixture.
Hmm, where to start?
I don't really want to sound like I'm making excuses from the outset, but ...
The Worksop side was depleted in extremes tonight and half of those that did start the game were playing out of their accustomed positions and/or shaking off the effects of illness.
Adam Green and Rob Austin both made their home debuts in defence, number 9 Gary Townswend lined up alongside them at left back.

Matlock Town needed the points to help them climb away from the foot of the table and knew before hand that Worksop would most likely be there for the taking under the circumstances.
Yet if the Tigers former keeper Adam Sollit hadn't been in such inspired form for the visitors, especially in the first half, it could have been a very different story.

At 7PM the priority was rounding up enough players to even fulfil this fixture, let alone striving to get a result out of it ... but once the game got under way it was obvious the makeshift Tigers team weren't just here to make up the numbers and they certainly weren't just going to roll over and die.
The Worksop manager must feel like trying to do his job at the moment is akin to a Juggler trying to do his act with a blindfold on and his hands tied behind his back.
Perhaps what he really needs is some sound proof proof ear plugs.

Matlock had two early shouts for penalties turned down by the referee.
In the spirit of being ever so impartial, I would have to say that ...
I didn't really get a very clear view of either incident from up in the posh seats at the far end of the ground, so I won't dispute the referee's integrity, judgement or ability vis either incident.
Though I might have become 'slightly' animated if he'd turned down similar looking appeals at the other end. Nuff said!?
Adam Sollit then decided to put in a goalkeeping master class and thwarted the live-wire Ben Tomlinson four or five times and Ryan Hindley once, before the ball was hiked up the other end and Nathan Benger got onto the end of a misplaced back header to chip the ball over the advancing Jon Kennedy.
How often is this going to happen to Worksop this season, where they dominate a long spell of the game and then concede a goal against the run of play? It wasn't as though they were squandering chances because they'd had at least six on target, but Sollit was in no mood to be beaten.
Tomlinson again broke through the visitors defence, drew Sollit towards him and exquisitely chipped the ball beyond the keepers reach ... and narrowly past the left hand post.
Once more in the interests of impartial reportage I would have to say that technically Ben's effort was vastly superior to the scuffed one that Matlock scored from ... ish ;-)

Of course there is an unwritten rule that it is compulsory for ex players to score against you and sure enough, before half time, Ross Hannah toe poked a lucky shot (am I stretching the credibility of this unbiased angle a bit too far now?) just inside the post for the second goal, if he had got a clean strike on it, then I'm sure Kennedy would have saved this particularly feeble effort, I was possibly slightly unsighted again though. Just as well the other former Tigers player Dene Cropper was only on the bench then, eh!?
Note to self, you're going back to Matlock again next week, so behave yersen now.
To be honest the visitors played some good passing football, in places.

Honestly referee, two Matlock Town players obscured by
that floodlight pylon are playing him onside.

The second period wasn't half as entertaining as the first, as Matlock seemed content with preserving what they already had and the Tigers looked too knackered to do much about it anyway.

That said we'd now moved from the upper tier and gone behind the car park end goal that Worksop were attacking, which meant we had to squint to see what was going on down at the far end for probably the first twenty five minutes of the half.
Hannah continued to look a menace, while both Anson and Glass came close to halving the deficit with headed attempts, but to no avail.
Dene Cropper came on as a substitute somewhere just before the hour mark and in the very last minute of the game, kept up the ex players scoring against Worksop tradition by heading home unmarked from close range.
He possibly won't ever have scored an easier goal under less pressure, but effectively the game was already over by then anyway. He would have scored with more aplomb if he was still as good as he used to be when he played for ... well, y'know!!!

Waldorf and Stadler look on from their balcony perch.

As the game drew to a close, there was an unsavoury incident involving a Worksop supporter and their manager Peter Rinkcavage.

Everybody with the best interests of WTFC at heart knows the score right now. The Tigers don't have the resources to put out a super human world beating team every week, or any week for that matter.
It was touch and go whether they could even scrape a team together at all tonight.
The directors, manager, players and proper supporters of Worksop Town haven't locked themselves out of their home ground, gone into exile by choice and run into unavoidable financial problems as a consequence, nor have they been charging around injuring each other on purpose or going out of their way to give each other the flu' virus.

Let's face facts here, even after tonight's result there are still six sides below the Tigers in the table and they're only two wins away from fourth place.
And if Adam Sollit hadn't put in a man of the match performance the half time score alone could've been 6-2.
Though I don't want to take anything away from Matlock in saying that, they won fair and square.
But someone please explain it to me, because I don't comprehend at all ... why on earth do some fans seem to take such delight in aiming cat calls and criticism at 'Rinky'?
He hasn't been paid for ages and is working in near impossible circumstances, so just what kind of miracles do some people expect???
Peter Rinkcavage responded to one of the insults and came charging down the touch line offering the individual responsible the opportunity to discuss the matter face to face in the car park. Thankfully the linesman led him back to his bench before a flash point actually occurred.
Possibly some might think that Peter Rinkcavage over reacted, see his own comments about that on the official Worksop Town website here --> http://www.worksoptownfc.co.uk/news/details.php?news_id=604 but I ask you all, just how much criticism would you personally be able to put up with under similar circumstances and how long would it be before you were pushed into responding? Maybe his conduct was a bit over the top, but I for one certainly won't be getting all judgemental about it.

I can even understand the frustration of the fan who got so wound up he was shouting and wanting to let his disappointment be heard, but not his motives for singling out Rinky individually to aim his vituperative invective at.

We interrupt this prolonged football match report to bring you a very appropriate musical interlude:



I'll bet £3.80 and a king sized Twix that the Worksop manager feels that frustration and pain just as much as any pissed off supporter, the difference being his livelihood is at stake too.

Odd fact of the night.
The away fans return journey to this fixture was 30 miles less than the 'home' fans.

One day, when WTFC have circumnavigated this long, long, long corner back into financial stability - and Worksop - and have fulfilled their destiny of reaching the European Champions League final in which they are beating Barcelona by five goals to nil with two minutes to go, some multi millionaire superstar striker might just be fortunate enough to net a consolation goal for the Catalan team ... and I bet I could tell you right now which three or four Worksop fans will start having a tantrum because they didn't keep a clean sheet and screaming for the managers head.
When (not if) this scenario actually becomes reality, remember where you read about it first.

Matlock Town v Worksop Town - Under 19 League Cup

'Gladiators ... are you ready!?'

Monday 26th October 2009. Windsor Foods Under 19 League Cup
Causeway Lane, Matlock

Matlock Town (1) 3 (Joe Byetheway, Jerome Wilkes, Dwayne Wiley)
Worksop Town (0) 0

Admission £2. Programme free. Attendance 67
Attendance verified by the author John Scott Lawton
The first of three encounters at different levels that will be played between these two sides over a short space of time (the first teams play at Ilkeston on Wednesday night and the Under 19's are back here at Causeway Lane next week, for a league fixture) started with Matlock looking like they had decided to come straight out off the starting blocks and into the Tigers youngsters ... and by the time Joe BTW put them ahead they might have already scored three, but for some off target shooting from their number 10 (Wiley) and a chance coming back off the upright.

Shortly before half time, Worksop were nearly on level terms but with the Gladiators keeper beaten all ends up, a defender got his body behind the goal bound shot and blocked it on the line. It looked from where I was stood that he had used his arm to prevent a goal but the referee waved play on and linesman kept his flag down.
During a break in play (unfortunately Matlock's number three had fallen heavily and hurt his back and had to go off) I said to the Linesman "You could see that was an handball from the chip shop queue up the road!" to which he smiled and replied "I was a bit closer than that and it was his chest, sideways on, he twisted well and avoided contact with his arm."
Hmm, that's me told then.
In the second half Wilkes put the home side 2-0 up, but then Worksop had their best spell of the game, but found the Matlock keeper to be in inspired form. He commands his back line very well and patrols his area confidently - maybe not the tallest of keepers you'll ever see but there is time for a growth spurt yet.
Inevitably given the run of bad luck that is permeating its way through all things Worksop Town at the moment, this purple patch of possession and all out attack for the young Tigers ended up with a goal ... for Matlock!
Wiley finally put the ball away to top off an hard working performance.

The times they are a changin' ...

One of the greatest pleasures of visiting Causeway Lane over the years was a visit to the old club house (with the football memorabilia plastered all over the walls) and it's terracing outside where you could have a pint (or three) while watching the game and indulge in friendly, though often quite lively, banter with the locals. But it has now been demolished along with the old main stand that stood adjacent to it.
Both structures used to stand behind where the new dug outs are now (see picture below) in that space to the right of the modern tea hut and first aider room ...

... and they now look like this

A new stand will rise in the place of the demolished facilties as Matlock Town redevelop their old, but very charming ground on Causeway Lane - see artists impression.
But despite the plans to make the ground all modern and up to date, the Gladiators supporters are still steeped in humility, realism, friendliness ... and all a bit old and traditional looking around the edges too ;-)

Darlington Railway Athletic v Hebburn Town. Northern League Division 2

"Only The Lonely" THE66POW blogger person models Tesco Jeans in Darlington.

Prior to today's game Darlington Railway Athletic had played 13 Northern League 2nd Division fixtures, winning just one of those and losing the other 12. They've also lost all three cup games they've played in and all of their pre season games apart from one against their own reserve team.
And for all you fans of minutiae and statistics ... they've scored an average of 0.8 goals per game.

Darlo RA, they've won lots of trophies at darts

For their part Hebburn Town, though they have two games in hand, started this game only two points ahead of DRA in the table and were actually beneath them at the bottom of the current form table.
They've recently appointed a new manager, Rob Marsden and have drawn their last two games against North Shields and Team Northumbria, the latter being the only side Darlo RA have beaten all season.
Birtley Town have been trying to gate crash this two team relegation race for a while, today they 'achieved' that honour by virtue of losing 1-3 at home to Gillford Park and they have an away game at Hebburn Town next Saturday, where they can really establish themselves as relegation contenders.
http://www.northernleague.org/view_div2_tables.php
Following this home defeat, Max Rees, Darlington Railway Athletic's manager resigned.

Thrill seekers one and all - head to the 'RA' ...
Saturday 24th October 2009. Northern League Division 2.
Brinkburn Road, Darlington.

Darlington Railway Athletic (0) 0
Hebburn Town (0) 1 (Armstrong)

Admission £3. Programme £1 (a great effort, they usually are in this league), NVNG magazine 30p or free with programme (another great Northen League publication)
Caution: Weather subject to immediate change.
Downpours, gusting wind, Autumn sunshine ... the weather provided a vast array of elements to 'amuse' us all with, the cloud formation and rainbow combinations were quite spectacular and were probably a real thrill for any budding meteorologists present today.
Alas the football, save for a few all too brief flurries, wasn't ever so entertaining for the most part.
Darlington RA hold penalty shoot out competitions for local school kids on the pitch at half time, it's great getting the youngsters familiar with the surroundings of their local club, however ... there are stands offering cover from the elements at both ends and on the dug outs side of the ground. Along the other side is a wide uncovered strip of land and behind that playing fields galore that you get access to from within the football ground - so why can't the kids, who obviously have no interest in the game on the main pitch at all, bugger off over there and play instead of clattering up and down in front of (and amongst) people who are actually watching a 'proper game'.
In their defence, the young lads and lasses just want to play football, but the parents and teachers should know better. "I told him to stop kicking that ball near people or it would hit one of them ... but he wouldn't bloody well listen!" said one female 'guardian' by way of (almost) an apology, after her son had miscued a 'Cruyff Turn' and hit a woman in the third row with a muddy ball.
Note to parents and teachers - there is a sign on the end of the end of The Paul Adamson Memorial Stand, it is there for a reason - read it!!!
Thankfully a lot of them buggered off after their interval 'moment of glory', including the lad who was being taunted by his dad "FFS son! You had a penalty saved, by a lass! You make me feel sick, what have I taught you? That was shite son, you showed me up, I'm ashamed, you're rubbish!"
Hmm, catch 'em early, keep 'em keen n' all that.
There was only one person showing the pair of them up and anyone within earshot would clarify who that was.

Sam Pybus plays Spot The Ball through a crowd of bodies

Out on the pitch, I think most people would've been happy to witness a miscued 'Cruyff Turn' or even a passage of play that consisted of either team completing three successive passes.
It was taking both sides some time to get to grips with the conditions and the first half hour was quite tedious, only punctuated by a few 'mistimed' tackles.
Hebburn did eventually start to knock the ball about towards the end of the half and Paul Trosh could have scored twice - the first effort saw Sam Pybus, the home team's goalkeeper, block a close range strike, the second saw Trosh head the ball across the face of the goal and beat the keeper and defence all ends up but also evade the back post by a couple of feet.

HT 0-0

Brinkburn Road football ground could do with some weed-killer and TLC in places

In the second period, Darlington RA played like a team who have that bottom of the league millstone weighing heavily on their shoulders, every (almost) promising move broke down due to a misplaced pass or all too easy interception from a Hebburn player.
On 52 minutes, Michael Armstrong hit home the only goal of the game from inside the penalty area, Pybus was woefully exposed by a lack of cover from his defence.
I know it was 52 minutes because a small, inoffensive looking man standing nearby (who I had thought might be a North Face storm jacket wearing statue until he made a noise), shouted out the goal time very loudly to nobody in particular and then stood motionless again gazing at his stop watch for the rest of the game, waiting for a second opportunity to verbosely share some more vital information with, well, nobody in particular again ... alas the ineptitude of both teams in front of goal thwarted him in his quest.
I don't think it was actually 52 minutes at all but don't want to rob him of his moment.
And then the Darlo RA players heads seemed to drop even more as they were consumed by the inevitability of yet another league defeat ... at just one goal down with 38 minutes still on the clock!
On 65 minutes Paul Trosh (again) missed the chance to put Hebburn two up from close range with Pybus already beaten, he'll have better days than this.
The Hebburn Town number 6 narrowly missed out on a hat trick today, but when Dame Fortune isn't smiling on you she does seem to have days when she delights in mocking you instead. Today she was being extra spiteful to Paul Trosh.
On 75 minutes William Crew was through on the Darlo goal but was thwarted by a last ditch defensive tackle from making the score more convincing for Hebburn.
The visitors were the better side, but by the same token the 'RA' were the worse by some distance so that probably made their opponents look better than they were.
In his last ever programme notes the Darlington RA manager had mentioned negative comments posted by supporters on the DRAFC section of the Non League Zone forum and suggested they should use their real names instead of hiding behind aliases.

Ironically, in the latest copy of 'Northern Ventures - Northern Gains' (congratulations on reaching 20 years with this excellent publication BTW) there is an interview with one of the guys now running the NLZ who said he had become concerned about "sometimes banal and often immature" dialogues on the site "It's our determination to take a harder line to attract the type of contributors to restore it's reputation as a vehicle for intelligent discussion about non-league football" ... well said that man, about time too.

With everybody gratefully looking at their watches and seeing that the 90 minutes were up, we all stood waiting in gleeful anticipation for the referee's whistle to put this game out of it's misery, when Hebburn Town decided to provide us with a comedic finale that just about summed up the rest of the game.
Two of their players set off on a run towards the DRA goal from the centre circle to take advantage of the fact that the home side had pushed forward in a vainglorious last ditch effort to salvage a point. The ball was free, as was the route to goal and it was 'rush goalie' time ... but both players clumsily ran into each other and went crashing to the floor in an undignified heap as the ball bobbled harmlessly away.
The whistle sounded and I was in my car and heading out of the end of Brinkburn Road before the last player had even left the pitch.

FT 0-1

*Footnote* There is a link to the Non League Zone in THE66POW index (see right hand margin) and details of how to obtain the Northern Ventures Northern Gains magazine can be found here --> http://www.northernleague.org/league/nl_publications_3.php

Remembrance

Heart of Midlothian Football Club (Hearts) has announced today (Wednesday 21st October 2009) that the team will play in a special commemorative jersey on Saturday 7th November against Hibernian at Tynecastle.

The shirt, which will feature the Heart of Midlothian War Memorial and the poppy, will mark the club's respects for Remembrance weekend and acknowledge the special part played by the club's players in World War I.

In November 1914, with Hearts sitting at the top of the first division in Scotland, Hearts players were the first footballers in Britain to enlist as a team. The players' actions formed the impetus for supporters, shareholders, staff and other professional footballers to join the war effort. Many people credit their move as also saving the game at a time when football was coming under severe scrutiny from the wider public when young men were dying in the war. Most Hearts players enlisted with 'C' Company of the 16th Royal Scots, Sir George McCrae's battalion.

Seven Hearts players made the ultimate sacrifice and the club erected a memorial at Haymarket in the west end of Edinburgh in 1922 to remember their comrades and teammates. Tramworks in Edinburgh have necessitated that the Heart of Midlothian War Memorial is currently in storage and the Remembrance Service that is held annually at Haymarket will now take place at Tynecastle on 8th November.

A club spokesperson said: "The history of Hearts and the sacrifice of our players is well documented and it is something the nation can be rightly proud of. This year we felt it was appropriate to acknowledge our players, supporters and staff that made the ultimate sacrifice by including an image of the Heart of Midlothian War Memorial on the shirt.

"For many years now we have paid respects to our own players along with the players and staff of teams including Hibernian, Falkirk and Raith Rovers at the memorial at Haymarket. In the absence of the memorial we felt it was appropriate to retain its significance to our supporters by providing a lasting memory on the jerseys of the team that plays Hibernian on the 7th November."

Hearts have also announced that they aim to raise up to £10,000 for three charities by releasing a limited edition shirt for sale to supporters through the Hearts Superstore at Tynecastle and Hearts CityStore in the St James Centre. All proceeds will be divided equally between Erskine, the charity that cares for ex-service men and women, PoppyScotland and McCrae's Battalion Trust.

North Ferriby United v Worksop Town - FA Trophy - First Qualifying Round

Left click pictures and team sheet image to enlarge

Saturday 17th October 2009. FA Trophy First Qualfying Round
Grange Lane, Church Road, North Ferriby
North Ferriby United (0) 1 (Colin Hunter 52)
Worksop Town (0) 1 (Gary Townsend 64)
Admission £8. Programme £2. Attendance 202
Replay - Wednesday 21st October 2009 at the New Manor Ground, Ilkeston

North Ferriby United's Steve Wilson saves Ryan Hindley's penalty kick

Worksop had the best of the first half exchanges without actually managing to get a final touch on the end of the succession of corners and crosses launched into the box.
NFU's Ben Turner fouled Andy White in the penalty area and thought he'd got away with it, but the referee Mr A McIntyre of Doncaster spotted the infringement and pointed to the spot ... at which point I would've expected Alistair Asher to take the penalty, but the ever confident Ryan Hindley stepped forward and spotted the ball up instead. He hit the kick well enough, straight down the middle, but Steve Wilson in United's goal had guessed it right and blocked the shot.
White was the last man and through on goal, but the referee didn't brandish a red card at Turner, at least he had spotted the foul though ... it was a crafty foul rather than a malicious one so the ref just about called that right IMHO. These things balance themselves out - or so I'm told.
HT 0-0

In the second half there was more urgency about United's play and they pushed forward in waves. In the 52nd minute Colin Hunter ran into space and belted the ball home unchallenged from the edge of the box - he took it well - and the home side now seemed to have the upper hand. They were twice foiled in their efforts to put the game out of reach when two goals in quick succession were disallowed after the linesman raised his flag on both occasions.
According to the locals the referees assistant was biased, according to the official both were offside.
Those NFU fans moaning on the way out weren't complaining about Worksop having a late goal by substitute Ben Tomlinson chalked off when the ref sounded his whistle seconds before the ball crossed the line though.

Steve Wilson remains focussed as a Trans Pennine Express train rattles along the roof of the nearby stand at 90mph

Gary Townsend doesn't score ordinary goals, he's already struck a few 'corkers' this season and on 64 minutes he took the ball down in the D on the edge of the box, swapped the ball from his left foot to his right and curled the ball into the top corner of the North Ferriby goal beyond Steve Wilson.
The game was now there for the taking, by either team ... and if those North Ferriby fans who felt they had reason to complain want somebody to blame for them not winning (even though they still had eleven men on the pitch in spite of that penalty they conceded) they ought to vent their spleen on the two NFU players who missed absolute sitters as the clock ticked down towards the end of ninety minutes instead of the match officials.
North Ferriby United had the bulk of play in the second half but didn't have anybody willing to step forward to and turn all that possession into an end product. Maybe there is a clue to a solution for their lack of prowess in front of goal in the picture below???
FT 1-1

The replay is this coming Wednesday 21.10.2009, Worksop's first 'home' game (at Ilkeston) for some considerable time. Pay at the gate - 7.45PM kick off.
Note. Worksop's next 'home' game after that v. Burscough 24.10.2009 has been switched and is now an away game because Ilkeston Town are at home in the FA Cup that day against Tamworth that day.

Ever wondered what's behind that fence at the 'Humber Bridge' end of Grange Road?

'Deano' started his career at North Ferriby United.

Amended 20.10.2009 - Strong rumours abound that Dean Windass may end
up at Grimsby Town as their new manager in the near future.

Scores elsewhere - Mansfield won 2-1 at Eastbourne to keep their play off push in the BSP Conference on course and Hearts drew one apiece at Aberdeen (full game delayed coverage on BBC Alba tonight, twice - and Sunday at 4.30pm if you miss both of those). Retford United went out of the FA Trophy courtesy of an own goal in the last five minutes, a real shame because they need the income from a decent run in an FA competition as much as anyone at the moment. AFC Emley seem to have recovered from the goal scoring shyness that they've been suffering from of late and won 4-2 at Rossington Main in the NCEL.

A BLAST FROM THE PASTUnibond League Cup 4th Round - Penalty Shoot Out05.01.08 - North Ferriby United v Worksop Town nostalgia ...

Bottesford Town v Scotter United - Lincs Intermediate League

Free Charter Standard Club sign with every two baskets of Mothers Pride purchased

Thursday 15th October, Lincolnshire Intermediate League
Birch Park, Bottesford

Bottesford Town (2) 2 (Parry, Robb)
Scotter United (0) 0

Admission Free. Attendance 56
A decent enough game, back home by 10.00PM and two personal firsts ticked off for me at Birch Park tonight too ... my first ever Lincs Intermediate League game and the first time I've ever seen Scotter United in action ... note those are hypothetical ticks by the way, I gave up making lists and keeping concise records of stuff like this many moons ago and I have long since lost count of all the small yet significant data appertaining to how many teams I have seen, grounds I have visited and minor competitions I've witnessed first hand. This blog arrived far too late in the day to salvage any record of my extensive travelogue over the years, oh well.
Bottesford Town were good value for their win, they passed the ball around well and looked every bit the intermediate wing of an up and coming football club that oozes neatness, tidiness and (for want of a better word) professionalism from every pore. The ground has improved even more since my visit a few weeks ago - somebody is obviously backing this club to the hilt, good for them!

Colin 'Capello' Picken- Scotter United

"Matt Lawson, 'the big lad in goal' for the visitors is playing very well and he's had to be from the outset"
I'd just scribbled those words down (25 minutes) when he dropped a cross (but recovered well) and then conceded the first goal a minute later when Josh Parry fired home from inside the box. Sorry for putting the mockers on you Matt.

On 40 minutes (or thereabouts) Joe Robb got away with almost dwelling on the ball too long in the box and steered it across the face of the Scotter goal and just inside the post to put 'The Poachers' two ahead.
On other frequent raids into the Scotter half, the home side had been guilty of some 'Emleyesque' type moments of 'finishing' (see yesterdays post) and the ball spent a lot of time vanishing over the fence behind the goal and onto the training pitches.
The referee, though obviously wanting to let the play flow sans regular interruptions, could, I felt, have been a little more strict in his application of the rules as regards heavy challenges and blatant fouls. One Bottesford player in particular got away Scot free with two very late, heavy and high fouls that ought to have had at least been dealt with by the referee suggesting to their manager that he should be replaced for being too passionate and fired up in his desire to stop opponents playing the ball at any cost.
It was fairly obvious from the reaction of a good few of those around us to these transgressions, that they favoured Scotter and had travelled the four short miles up the A159 hoping to see their lads beat the representatives from the local 'big club'. There was no need for Bottesford to have resorted to that kind of thing because they obviously had the upper hand on the night anyway and possess several really talented young players.
On 65 minutes, Scotter's most effective thorn in Bottesford's side thus far, the lanky 'all arms and legs' James 'Crouchy' Shuker, had to leave the field of play after taking a knock and any Scotter comeback was effectively nullified from then on in. Though they probably deserved a consolation goal for their efforts late on. Shuker had worked his socks off.
Matt Lawson was on hand to make a couple more point blank stops to restrict the deficit to two goals ... he's actually far more agile and athletic than he looks - and in spite of me jinxing him deservedly won the man of the match (an unofficial award I have bestowed on him).

the66pow

Brodsworth Welfare v. AFC Emley - NCEL League Cup

Wednesday 14th October 2009. Northern Counties East League - League Cup
The Welfare Ground, Woodlands, Doncaster.

Brodsworth Welfare 1 (Shane Fox 45)
AFC Emley 2 (Neil Bagshaw 55 OG, Gavin Armitage 96)
After Extra Time.
HT 1-0. 90 mins 1-1. ET HT 1-2 ET FT 1-2

Admission £5. Programme £1. Attendance 50
Occasionally an ugly juxtaposition of clumsily thrown together composite elements, combined with a bit of mistiming and off kelter 'co-ordination', can melt together to produce a quite satisfying mess that is actually a complete joy to behold - take the way the off tempo drumming enhances Hawkwind's 'Silver Machine' for example - but tonight such a chain of events merely made for a rather frustrating spectacle at times.
Emley knocked the ball around well at times and created loads of chances, but they misfired and were completely unconvincing in front of goal.
Going on this performance (and the one I saw at Bottesford a few weeks ago) Emley are possibly the most attack minded team I have seen all season, but they need to address the fact they have a very low percentage pass rate for actually putting the ball away when gilt edged chances by the score are begging for a final decisive touch. Even as a complete neutral, I found Emley's lack of sharpness in front of goal quite alarming.
Brodsworth for their part, were not the best football team on the pitch, but they stuck at it and through employing guts more than guile almost nicked the result a couple of times. Alas they haven't spent a lot of time in opponents penalty areas this season yet and their lack of familiarity with their surroundings seemed to throw them a bit.
Emley had what looked like a blatant penalty waved away on 35 minutes, we were stood in line with the challenge and were unanimous that we would all have awarded a spot kick were any of us fit enough to run around in a black kit for 90 minutes ... but we aren't, the guy that is shouted "Great tackle!" and waved play on. He probably disliked their Hibs style away kit too.
Moments before half time Emley only had themselves to blame for all their poor finishing when Broddy's Shane Fox ran into the area and curled a well placed shot into the net to snatch the lead at a traditionally psychologically premium time to score.

Half Time 1-0

During the break I overheard an Emley fan saying "If we'd have wanted to win this one we would've done by now" ... Hmm, if Emley really were missing all of those chances on purpose because they didn't want to be in this competition, then they were extraordinarily good at it.
The second half followed pretty much the same pattern as the first - Emley passing their way through Brodsworth's rearguard without providing a killer touch and the home home side belting the ball forward and having an occasional flurry around the Emley box.
Eventually Emley hit a long ball forward themselves and Broddy's number 5 Neil Bagshaw showed them how to find the back of the net ... as the ball fell out of the sky towards the edge of the penalty box he executed a perfect back header towards his keeper, a skill that takes no small amount of practice to execute properly, he weighted his defensive strategy perfectly and put the ball well beyond the reach of any of the incoming Emley players who were following the trajectory of the ball. Alas he also put the ball beyond the reach of his own goalkeeper who had advanced from his line to deal with the ball and equalised for Emley on 55 minutes.
I blame modern players for this kind of thing happening, they all shout "Squeeze!" and "Second ball!" these days, instead of "Man on!" and "Keepers ball!"

On 73 minutes Brodsworth were reduced to ten men, that happens when you throw a punch in front of the referee and an 8 a-side posturing and pulling threatening faces competition breaks out on the field of play. It was goal scorer Shane Fox who got his marching orders, Brodsworth's most effective player on the night until the red mists descended.
Now Emley would surely take advantage of their numerical advantage and finally get on the end of one of the frequent balls being played into the final third - wouldn't they?
Err, no actually.

The whistle sounded for 90 minutes and the players got into little group huddles and listened to their managers instructions for the extra half hour that was now going to be needed to separate these sides - and the spitting rain turned into a steady drizzle, the sort that Peter Kay's dinner ladies dreaded.
Extra Time
Typically, now we were going to have to persevere with far more of this game than most people present would probably have wanted to, barely 5 minutes into extra time Gavin Armitage cut into the Brodsworth box from the left and lobbed the ball over the advancing keeper. Armitage's goal was extremely well taken, but his timing could've been a lot better!

Brodsworth kept huffing and puffing and forced a couple of corners late on, but they didn't have enough puff left in them to blow Emley's house down, even though they had pushed 'goal scorer' Neil Bagshaw forward to add some height up front.
In the end disjointed Emley just about warranted their narrow victory over messy Brodsworth and we all went home to watch the England v Belarus highlights on TV.
Like the elderly man sat in the stand had said ... "Who'd want to sit in t'house watching t'England match when Broddy's playing at 'ome!?"
Who indeed?

I wasn't anticipating extra time, not given Brodsworth's hard earned reputation for defensive capitulation this season, nor was I expecting that there would be even more night time closures and diversions on the A1, which after 20 minutes of weaving through traffic cones on the southbound carriageway sent us back up into 'Donny' for a circuitous expedition that more than doubled our mileage on the way home.
But these things happen I suppose ... usually to me!!!

the66pow

Boston United v Worksop Town. UniBond League - Premier Division

Tuesday 13th October 2009. UniBond League - Premier Division
The Jakemans Stadium, York Street, Boston

Boston United (0) 2 (Davidson 59, Newsham 90)
Worksop Town (0) 0

Admission £10. Programme £2.50. Attendance 1137
Strange but true ... The Eagles Fish and Chip Shop, possibly the purveyors of the finest tasting Cod in the known universe, is just up the road from the apparently named 'Jakeman Stadium', but still people eat football ground food when they visit Boston.
I really enjoyed my pre match 'Chippy Tea' and sat at the next table from us was Derek Griffiths, famed for his sterling work in Cabbages and Kings, Play Away and Play School alongside such luminaries as Johnny Ball and Brian Cant.
At least it looked like him.
It all started so well for Worksop, they looked to be carrying on where they had left off on Saturday and their shock troops of an unexpected invasion tactics had Boston on the back foot and struggling to cope for a while.
But then the while fizzled out and the home side grew stronger ... and stronger ... and stronger!
Tom Evans in the Boston goal saved brilliantly from Tomlinson as Worksop threw everything but the kitchen sink at him early on, but tonight will be remembered for the goalkeeping heroics at the other end of the pitch.
BTW, any invasion has to be unexpected for troops to be considered anything even resembling a shock, please excuse my poor diction and grammatical faux pas.
Man of the match: Jon Kennedy - Worksop Town's goalkeeper.
Hmm, I wrote that as soon as I got back in from the game and uploaded a few pictures from my mobile phone onto the blog before I went to bed, because that sentence kind of summed up the rest of the game.
He put on an awesome show, displaying why Blackpool and Sunderland have both had Kennedy on their books since he was first at Worksop. Without him between the sticks tonight, Worksop would've been completely routed ... fact!
I'm told, Jon was on the verge of packing in playing after the end of last season, but Peter Rinkcavage convinced him to join Worksop Town instead. Maybe next time somebody feels like launching a verbal volley Rinky's way they should consider things like that first, hmm????
The first goal game on 59 minutes, inevitably, because my golden goal ticket had 59 minutes printed on it along with word 'Away' instead of 'Home' which lost me £75, bugger!
Danny Davidson lashed the ball home off of the underside of the crossbar following a corner for Boston which was headed on into the danger zone by Anthony Church. At this point the Pilgrims were dominant and only a stiff rearguard action by Worksop's defence and Kennedy's heroics were keeping the score looking respectable for the visitors.

Boston go 2-0 ahead in the 90th minute in a pixelated fashion

Besides Jon Kennedy, the other player who impressed me the most was Marc Newsham of Boston. Davidson won their man of the match as announced over the public address system, but it was Newsham's tireless running, hard graft and movement that allowed him so much room and scope to shine. Newsham wouldn't have minded though, because he smacked home a close range volley to kill off the game, but not until the very last minute, such was Kennedy's defiant stand against a completely dominant home side in the second half.

Blurred 'Tiger Talk In Exile' forum admin hiding in the shadows

Footnote:
As we walked into the club car park from 'The Eagles' one of my travelling companions asked me if I wanted a programme ... I didn't realise until after the game that it had cost them £2.50.
TWO POUNDS AND FIFTY PENCE for a Unibond League match programme!?
Shame on you Boston United.
Draw your own conclusion about whether £10 is a just and fair admission price to pay at this level too.
The price structure at Boston United is a real pity, because I actually like this run down old ground, the social club is excellent, there is a great chip shop just up the road and in fairness to BUFC they play some good football in patches ... but the Pilgrims have to accept that they're not up in the Football League any more or even the top two tiers of the non league game and they should introduce a price structure more in keeping with their current status. I appreciate that they have big bills to pay (other clubs could do with a bit extra too, for a whole myriad of reasons) but a tenner to watch Unibond League football ... Nein Danke!!!
Referee?
OK, kicking the ball away when your team has just conceded a free kick is indeed a bookable offence. But can anybody explain to me why a Worksop player was booked for tapping the ball away (like he should've been) when his team were pulled up for an infringement, but a Boston player who was flagged for being offside wasn't booked (like he should've been) for kicking the ball away nonchalantly and so hard it hit the underside of the stand roof? And did the fact that the Referee was called Mr Dexter have any bearing on this?
Neither decision altered the course of the game incidentally, I just thought I'd mention it.
Best team won.
Kennedy played a blinder.
'The Eagles' never fails to satisfy.
So where are we going tomorrow night?

Durham City v Worksop Town - UniBond League - Premier Division

Two teams, a whole heap of problems... one mutual goal - survival!

Click to enlarge picture

These are some very thin times off the pitch for both Durham City and Worksop Town at present.
The Tigers had only Gary Townsend (currently suffering with Influenza) and Andy White on the bench alongside the untried (this season in first team action) goalkeeper Michael Chapman today.
Worksop's Assistant manager, the veteran Micky Galloway, was in the starting eleven, he actually put in a very good shift..

Durham have none of the playing squad left at the club who I saw play in a pre season friendly here against Ryton, there has been a mass exodus since controversy caused by a Conference ruling over their synthetic pitch caused their main sponsors to bail out on them and the money ran out.
The team Durham City have put out over these past two seasons would be sat comfortably amongst the Unibond Premier pacemakers this season, make no mistake about that ... but the (mostly) young side they put out today are merely fulfilling fixture obligations as the team crash to defeat after defeat. It's a real shame.
There but for the grace of God!
Kevin Sanasy and Alex Callery have both left Worksop this week as the grim reality of cash flow problems caused by struggling to survive in exile have really taken on a quite sinister twist, others are alleged to be leaving soon too.
Alas we'll just have to wait and see, but with an embargo in place stipulating that WTFC can't currently register any new players, it doesn't bode well at all.
This statement was released on the Worksop Town official website earlier this week:
http://www.worksoptownfc.co.uk/news/details.php?news_id=507
Another worry for the club (nowt like putting the boot in when you're down and defenceless eh!?) was that Worksop had been threatened with being prevented from playing their fixtures until money owing to an ex player was paid off ... a director of the club has stated publicly that he will personally cover that debt long before such sanctions are taken - well done Chris Smith.
For the record that is the same Chris Smith who helped Retford United sort their mess of a pitch out (along with WTFC's Steve Hardy) so they can play the remainder of their home games at Cannon Park this season. Not that this inter club act of friendly helpfulness as received so much as a mention in certain places, ahem!

It's not the size of your flag that counts, it's how you use it!!!

Janice & John Hepworth personally (and the WTFC board and supporters organisations) have put up considerable monies to keep Worksop Town afloat at this current difficult time - it's time for the people of Worksop to follow suit now and decide whether they want to save their local football club or not.
There are loads of ways to help even if travelling the 80 mile round trip for 'home' games is not an option to you.
So get up off your apathetic arses while you still can.
Those of you who are exempt from that rebuke will know who you are.
Check out the Tigers in Exile forum and WTFC website links in the66pow index and see what opportunities to help SAVE THE TIGERS there are available.
Without further ado and before this descends into a finger pointing naming and shaming rant (which would be wholly f***ing justified by the way and will most likely be appearing on this humble little blog in the not to distant future any time soon anyway) some thoughts and observations about the Durham v Worksop game ...

The Unusual Suspects
Left to Right. Wheelie Bin, Father Ted, The Spell Checker, Yan, Craig Shithouse,
Finchley Tiger and err ... somebody else?

Saturday 10th October 2009. UniBond League - Premier Division
At Esh Stadium, Durham (It was still the Arnott Stadium when I went there pre season but so much as happened since then)Durham City (0) 0
Worksop Town (2) 5 (Bacon, Bowler, Tomlinson, Townsend, Hindley)

Admission £8. Programme £2.
Attendance 135

"City's early flair and promise goes unrewarded" read the title in the Durham programme for a match report from their previous game.
Same as today then.
They've nothing to lose by now, having already shipped in 55 goals whilst losing their first twelve league games in a row ... and they started in a very gung ho and lively fashion. Rufus Ayre, Durham's 18 year old centre forward (but he looks much younger) had the best of three early chances for the home side but Jon Kennedy pulled off a great save. Max Stoker had already forced a point blank block from the Tigers keeper and another long distance shot flew wide of the upright too.
On 22 minutes, the Worksop manager Peter Rinkcavage was dismissed from the dug out for verbals directed at the linesman.
Yes, it's been a tense old week, there are livelihoods and football clubs at stake, and yes the linesman did call the decision completely incorrectly, but Rinky, passionate about his team at the best of times, could have voiced his reservations in a slightly less expletive strewn manner.
We all swear in the work place especially when things go against us unjustly, but we aren't all going to be sent up to the back of a stand.
I like Rinky, he wears his heart on his sleeve and he's Worksop Town through and through ... but, sometimes a little bit of restraint is required.
I see on the Worksop Town web site, Tom Jones was given man of the match and in the Non League Paper, Matt Glass got it. But though it was a backs against the wall all round team performance and both those players did very well, in my estimation there could only be one candidate, Ryan Hindley. Back at Worksop and making his debut a second time around, 'Massive' created four goals and scored one for himself.
Retford's loss is Worksop's gain.
On 35 minutes Hindley was involved in the build up and the ball fell kindly for Danny Bacon who had the easiest of chances to lob the ball over the stranded Marc Riches in the Durham goal. It seemed to knock the stuffing out of the home side who had been very lively until then.
Just before half time Hindley lashed in a corner to the far post that Kris Bowler got on the end of to give the Tigers a commanding half time lead. And Durham then adopted the mantle of a boxer caught up against the ropes with a sucker punch who had let his guard drop and lost his gum-shield.

You can just about make out the second goal in the picture below if you squint really hard.

Click picture to enlarge

On 70 minutes a pinpoint pass into the six yard box to Ben Tomlinson from Hindley (who else) found the young striker in front of the goalkeeper and he won't get a simpler tap in goal than that all season.
A few minutes later Kris Bowler put his hand up into the face of Andrew Stephenson shortly after he'd been fouled, it wasn't a punch or a slap, but raising your hand is a straight red card offence. The referee never saw it, but Rinky's favourite linesman did and Worksop were down to ten men.

Gary Townsend, on as a sub, headed home from a Ryan Hindley corner on 84 minutes and the game was well beyond Durham's reach now.

Of course the final slice of icing on the cake was to belong to Ryan Hindley who in the very last minute burst into the box from the left hand side and buried the ball home from an acute angle - it was the very least he deserved.

And here is how the good folk on the Durham City message board viewed the game:
http://www.clubwebsite.co.uk/durhamcityfc/clubforum/messageBoard.pl?teamid=90554&topic_id=1395&index=10

THE66POW