Steel City Show

PARRAMORE SPORTS 3-4 LOUTH TOWN

Saturday 27th February 2010

Central Midlands League Supreme Division

Woodbourn Road Stadium

Thanks to the weather my original choice of game in the Leicester & District League premier division between Welby Lane United and Kingsway Rangers was postponed on the Friday, so it left me with the option of choosing another game or heaven forbid not going at all. To be frank there was not a lot that grabbed my attention or that I could be bothered with until a posting on Tony’s non league forum by Rob Hornby – he of Central Midlands League fame!! which stated that Parramore Sports game v Louth Town had been switched from their normal venue of the Don Valley Stadium (DVS) in Sheffield to the nearby Woodbourn Road Stadium, a smaller athletics venue which does not normally host men’s open age football. Having been to the DVS before to watch the Sheffield Eagles Rugby League team I had no interest in going there again to watch football, but thankfully this switch gave me the chance to visit a new venue and see a new team in action. A call on the Saturday morning to Rob gave me confirmation that the game was on and I duly gave him confirmation that I would definitely make the seventy mile trip up the M1 to the independent state of Yorkshire and asked him to reserve me a programme and badge.

The stadium facilities include an eight lane track with an addition two for the sprinting; two long jump / triple jump pits; 400 seated stand and a bar. The stadium is fairly easy to get to and took around 1 hour 20 minutes to get to from my home in Leicester. If coming from the south exit the M1 at junction 33 and take the A630 towards Sheffield, continue to follow City Centre signs when the A630 becomes the A57, exit the A57 signposted Manor Park onto Parkway Drive, turn left at island onto Parkway Avenue, then turn right at junction onto Woodbourn Road. Stadium is ahead of you on right hand side, though for the small car park turn right at lights immediately before stadium.

Parramore Sports Football Club were founded in 1936 and played in the Sheffield Works League from then until 1972. Three seasons were then spent in the Barnsley Junior League before returning to the Works League in 1975. Just two seasons were spent back in the Works League before they joined the Sheffield Amateur League in 1977. Eight years later in 1985, following success at Amateur League level they joined the highly rated Sheffield & Hallamshire County Senior League. Despite not being in the premier division of the County Senior League the club, in 2008 made the switch to the Central Midlands League and recorded an excellent fourth place finish. Promotion to the Supreme Division was achieved at the first attempt. Their first game in the Supreme Division saw Parramore record a 5-0 away victory at Lincolnshire side Nettleham. At the start of play ‘Sports sit literally in mid-table in the eighteen team division, recording eleven wins in the twenty-one games played so far. Sports go into this game in the back of four straight wins, two in the league and two in the Floodlit Cup and last Saturday saw them record a 3-1 victory @ strugglers Kimberley Town in a league match with Lewis Fothergill (2) and Gavin Davies scoring the goals. Opponents Louth Town, also in their debut season at Supreme Division level top the table with fifty points from their opening twenty one games played so far. They have a one point cushion over Sutton Town AFC but have played two games less. I visited Louth Town in September last year for their league game against Calverton Miners Welfare (report can be found here: http://www.rambler77.net/2009/09/louth-town.html) where they record a 3-1 victory. Louth come into the game on the back of seven straight wins, recording a 3-0 win at Southwell City last Saturday.

The game was one of the better ones I have seen this season with the visitors from Lincolnshire emerging victorious in a seven goal thriller. The visitors supporters from Louth and neutrals in attendance did not have to wait long for the first goal when Jamie Rowbotham lobbed the ball over the Parramore keeper Mark Clements on eight minutes despite being under pressure from a couple of defenders. A further eight minutes passed and it was all square when a mistake in the visiting defence allowed Gavin Davies to score from ten yards or so out. Parramore then took the lead for the first time just four minutes later, when the first of three penalty kicks was awarded by referee Craig Langton. Davies went down under a challenge from Louth keeper Craig Wherey and Kieran Gallagher despatched the penalty in the top right hand corner. The second penalty kick was awarded on thirty three minutes, this time for Louth. Mark Wood stepped up and made it 2-2. Louth nearly re-took the lead on 38 minutes when an incisive breakaway resulted in Mark Clements making an excellent save at his near post. Just two minutes into the second half and Louth did indeed regain the lead with Mark Wood getting his second of the game, steering the ball home from a cross from the right. Just after the hour mark and the third (and final) penalty kick of the game was awarded and Kieran Gallagher made no mistake and brought the game level for the third time. The winner for Louth came with ten minutes remaining when Mark Wood completed his hat-trick, scoring direct from a free kick. The game did not end with all players remaining on the pitch as both teams had a man sent-off in the last five minutes. Both sending offs were for two bookable offences and not straight red cards, though this came as no surprise to myself as, despite it not being a dirty game it was competitive and the referee took the names of at least ten players and you felt that one or two would end up being turned into dismissals.

Overall it was an enjoyable outing to the Steel City of Sheffield and credit to both teams for producing an entertaining game of attacking football.

Admission: £3

Programme: £1

Badge: £3

Coffee: £1

Woodbourn Road Stadium

http://www.donvalleystadium.co.uk/woodbourn_road_stadium/

A numbers game...

FC 05 1-0 EASINGTON UNITED

Saturday 20th February 2010

Central Midlands League Premier Division

Bilsthorpe Miners Welfare

Today was a second attempt at visiting Central Midlands League (CML) newcomers FC 05. I planned to go a few weeks ago only for the game to be called off due to a frozen pitch. The aim was also to meet up with Rob Hornby for the first time this season. Rob is the CML's club liason officer and league registrar, though a word of note and caution is that Rob has more stories than a library and spends most of the time telling them than actually watching the game!!!!!  FC 05 unsurprisingly were formed in 2005 and began life in the second division of the Midland Amateur Alliance (MAA). In their first season they won all of their twenty-six games played and with it a double promotion to the Premier Division. Three seasons were spent in the top division of the MAA finishing in 4th and 2nd place respectively before being crowned champions last season and thus promotion to the Premier Division of the Central Midlands League.

The visit to FC 05’s ground in Bilsthorpe will be a revisit for me having previously seen former CML members Santos here. I know a lot of ground hoppers will not do revisits even if a different / new club now plays on a particular ground, but I class myself as more of a “club” hopper. Today’s game will be a first this season that falls under this category as such. Last season I made revisits to see different teams on four occasions: Loughborough University, FC Dynamo, Evington and Desford, while I have plans over the next few seasons to visit various other clubs of the same vain. These include Romulus, Castle Vale and Rushden & Higham United.

This season 05 find themselves in 14th place in the sixteen team division and have so far won four of their opening nineteen games, obtaining fifteen points in the process. Their last outing was a 3-0 defeat @ Bulwell Town. Opponents Easington United are also in their debut season in the league after transferring from the Humber Premier League. Easington have made a steady start to life in the Central Midlands League finding them in seventh place winning eight of their eighteen games played at present. They lost 4-2 at home to division leaders Church Warsop Miners Welfare in the previous game. The reverse fixture earlier on in the season between today’s teams ended in a 0-0 draw.

The game was another that was easily forgettable with the only goal coming on seven minutes when a cross was headed against the bar and bounced over the line. The first half was better than the second with only a few half chances being created by either side. No further comment your majesty!!!

Admission: £2
Programme: £1 – 20 pages full glossy production
Attendance: around 30
Match rating: 1 out of 5
Google maps driving time / distance: 1 hr 3 minutes / 44.5 miles


Websites:


FC 05
http://www.webteams.co.uk/Home.aspx?team=fc05
Central Midlands League
http://www.football.mitoo.co.uk/News.cfm?LeagueCode=CENTM2009

Allenton

ALLENTON UNITED 4-0 CASTLE DONINGTON TOWN

Midlands Regional Alliance Premier Division

Saturday 13th February 2010

Rolls Royce [Merrill Way], Derby

My trawl through the grass roots clubs of the East Midlands continued this afternoon with a visit to Derby based club Allenton United for their game against Leicestershire side Castle Donington Town in a premier division clash in the Midlands Regional Alliance. Allenton play on one of the myriad of pitches that surround the Rolls Royce complex on the southern edge of the city. The site in which they play on is accessed through Gate 1 which is on Merrill Way, just before the junction with Moor Lane if coming from the Chellaston area. There is two football and two rugby football pitches on the site, with Allenton using the pitch nearest the changing rooms. Both rugby pitches were also in use today. There were no catering facilities for spectators on the site, while the pitch in use was roped off.

The game was not one that will not live long in the memory. Allenton were clearly the better side and had I felt a touch off arrogance at times, this confirming each team’s respective position in the league table – Allenton in 4th and CD in mid-table. The home side did most of the pressing and scored the opening goal on just nine minutes when their number nine rounded the visiting keeper and put the ball back across goal for it to be headed home. The remainder of the half was pretty uneventful until Allenton were awarded a penalty on 37 minutes but was blasted over the bar. A few minutes before half time and a case of handbags broke out only for the referee to send off one player from each side, when I felt a booking each should have been sufficient. Allenton doubled their lead five minutes into the second half when the number 9 slotted the ball past the keeper from ten yards out. The final two goals came in the last ten minutes, firstly from the penalty spot on 81 minutes scored by the home keeper and the final one with just three minutes remaining. One note to make is that both goalkeepers made two or three good saves each in the second half, while Castle Donington struck the woodwork late on in the game.

Admission / programme: none
Attendance: don’t know as I didn’t do a head count
Google maps driving time / distance: 43 minutes – 31.6 miles

Brix not Bricks

BRIXWORTH ALL SAINTS 3-2 MEDBOURNE

Saturday 6th February 2010

Northants Combination Premier Division

St. David's Recreation Ground

After a week off without football due to car problems caused by the engine maintenance pilot light coming on, I am back on the M1 heading south to a game in the Northants Combination with thankfully no problems. My destination this week is the village of Brixworth which is located between Market Harborough (8 miles to the north) and Northampton (5 miles to the south). In 2001 the population was given as 5,162. The village is home to one of the oldest and finest Saxon churches in the country which was founded c680 ad.

The journey from my home in Leicester takes around 45 minutes and is a simple one, taking me down the M1 to junction 19, across the A14 and then onto the A508. The club play on St David’s Recreation Ground in the village, of which the car park is accessed down a narrow drive off the southern side of Foxhill Crescent. The pitch though is adjacent to St David’s Close and the northern side of the afore mentioned Foxhill Crescent. The club share the facilities with the cricket club with a single story building hosting the changing rooms and club house. There are no facilities at pitch side and it is a roped off affair with no dugouts or hard standing.

Today’s match sees them up against Leicestershire side Medbourne, the top scorers in the division and a club that I visited before Christmas for a league game v Whitefield Norpol. The Northants Combination is a league that I have seldom ventured in over the years, and apart from the previously mentioned game my only other match was in 2007 for Rushden Rangers last ever match before their merger with United Counties League Higham Town.

The game was an interesting one that was competitive and committed throughout. It was the visitors who created the first chance when the home keeper pulled off a good save after only a couple of minutes. Brixworth got the opening goal on 33 minutes from the penalty spot, but the awarding on the penalty was hotly disputed by the Medbourne players and officials. I was at the other end of the pitch and did not have a good view of it, but a couple of people connected with the home side it was “dodgy”. Medbourne equalised five minutes into the second half with the best goal of the game. Brixworth re-took the lead on 66 minutes when a cross from the right hand side of the penalty area crept past the keeper and found its way into the net for a very soft goal. The old saying that a team is at its most vulnerable when they have scored could not have been more apt, as Medbourne equalised for a second time just a minute later when a shot was parried by the keeper only for the ball to be headed home from six yards out. Both sides had chances to take the lead and win the game but it was the home side that struck the killer blow with the winner coming seven minutes from time.

Attendance: between 20 and 30

Admission / programme: none

Driving time / distance (Google maps): 45 minutes / 32.7 miles