Easter Monday Part 1 (Game 532)

Bentley Colliery 2-0 Hatfield Main

Monday 24th March 2008

Central Midlands League Supreme Division

Bentley Welfare Ground

The first part of an Easter Monday double bill in the Central Midlands League saw a trip up the M1 / M18 and A1(M) to the Bentley area of Doncaster for an 11am kick-off. The journey north took around 90 minutes with the ever so common aide of a sat-nav and I arrived with 10 minutes to kick-off. The ground is on Avenue Road and is opposite the cricket ground. There is no off-street parking and the club do not have a clubhouse on site and portakabin's house the changing rooms, toilets and catering facilities. There is a covered stand on the Avenue Road side of the ground while the rest of the ground remains open. Admission was £3 and a further £1 for a programme - these were sold out but I managed to aquire one from a fellow groundhopper which was much appreciated.

At the start of play these teams were next to each other in mid-table so a close game was predicted, well my me anyway! Hatfield settled quicker and had the better of the early exhanges, but the hosts gradually got into the game and looked the better side. The opening goal came on 35 minutes through Luke Atkinson who scored from a far post header from a cross on the left hand side. No further goals were added during the half which was scrappy, though both teams tried to get forward at every opportunity. Bentley increased their lead on 52 minutes when they scored from another header, this time from Josh Lumsden who bravely headed in from a corner. Both sides created chances with the home side having the better ones and also played the better football. To be fair to Hatfield they had several of their own but I don't recall any that were on target.

2-0 was a fair result in cold and at times snowy conditions. I did a head count during the game and counted 35 people in attendant. Next up is a drive down to Kiveton Park for a 3pm kick-off. See next post...