Phoenix / Kimberley MW

Saturday 26th March 2011

Firstly let me say sorry to disappoint folks but there are no reports from the two games I attended today. The reason being is simple enough and that is I could not be bothered as I was more interested in taking photographs.

Phoenix FC 0-0 Kiveton Park

Central Midlands League Premier Division

Pavilion Lane, Brinsworth

The first game in South Yorkshire was the opening gambit of four that were part of this years Central Midlands League "Bonanza" ground hop. This was a 10.15am kick-off which meant an early start for the 75 minute journey northwards on the M1. 

A brief summary of the game...a shocker, truly awful, 90 minutes of dross etc etc. To be fair the Phoenix keeper did pull off a couple of cracking saves in the second half and that was about it.

A slideshow of photos take of the game and stall holders selling their wares etc can be found below:

Admission: £3

Programme: £1

Badge: £3

Team Sheet: 20p

Attendance: 220ish

Match rating: 1 out of 5

Kimberley Miners Welfare 4-1 Linby Colliery Welfare

Notts Senior League Senior Division

Digby Street

Game 2 saw me head south into Nottinghamshire for this 1pm kick-off which was brought forward a couple of hours early due to the Wales - England international. The ground is a tidy affair that is hemmed in on all four sides, one by housing, two by industrial units and the fourth being the A610 dual carriageway. It is also located just a few minutes from the nearby Ikea store.

The game was a reasonable and competitive encounter with the bottom of the table visitors looking dangerous early on. Kimberley scored their opening goal against the run of play and then added a second a minute after Linby and come close to an equaliser. The second half was very scrappy and Linby pulled one back from a corner. It was not until the last five minutes that the home side added two late goals, the first coming from the penalty spot that put a gloss on the score.

A slideshow is below containing some photos of the ground and game:

Admission / programme: none

Attendance: approx 40

Match rating: 2 1/2 out of 5

Nottingham United

NOTTINGHAM UNITED 0-3 KIVETON PARK
Monday 30th August 2010
Central Midlands League Premier Division
Gresham Sports Park

I hadn’t intended to go to a game today but after going out for the morning with the better half and the dog I was given permission to bugger off this afternoon. To be fair the choices of games in the East Midlands today were poor, but in the end I opted for Central Midlands League (CML) new boys Nottingham United’s first ever home game in the league against Kiveton Park.

Nottingham United FC

The following history on the club is taken from the clubs website www.nottinghamunitedfc.co.uk:

“We were formed on the 27th of April 2008, when a group of friends from around the Midlands joined with a local 5-a-side team to play our first ever fixture at Beeston Weirfields. Although starting as Nottingham United FC, we entered our 1st season in the NSFL under our sponsors name and a respectable season saw us finish 6th. We also merged with Notts Cobras during that season which gave us a 2nd Sunday team and we also created a Saturday team.

At the end of the season, troubles in the boardroom saw the club sever its ties with the 5-a-siders and revert to its original name of Nottingham United FC. In the 2009/10 season we dominated throughout, winning 20 out of 22 games, scoring 101 goals along the way and Keeping the best defence in the league, ensuring that the league Championship was ours as we won the Senior Section of the NSFL by 4 points. Starting the 2010/11 season we currently have 2 Saturday teams entered into the Premier and 1st Divisions of the Midland Amateur Alliance after the club decided to merge with Monty Hind Old Boys FC and our 1st Team in the Premier Division of the Central Midlands Football League and we now have 4 Sunday league teams entered into the Notts Sunday Football League, East Midlands Public Authorities League and Long Eaton Sunday League.”

United’s home venue is the Gresham Sports Park in West Bridgford, and to get there (if coming from Leicester) take the A46 towards Newark and turn onto the A606 towards Nottingham. At the island with the A52 stay on the A606 following the West Bridgford signs, continue on the A606 until you reach the junction with the B679. Turn left onto Wilford Lane following signs for the M1 / East Midlands Airport. Just after the Nottingham Forest Academy signs turn right at the island and the sports park is on the left hand side. The pitch is a 3G artificial one inside a metal cage which was something I was not expecting. When I arrived, opponents Kiveton Park wanted the game to be called off due to two wires running across the pitch which are used to separate the pitch into three for five-a-side use, but the referee deemed the game playable.

This was to be my first ever game that I have seen on a 3G surface and to be honest I think they are a good idea and practical and would have no problem with watching a game on them in the future. The game though was a shocker which was contested by two poor sides and I am struggling to write a lot about it. The visitors from Yorkshire won it at a canter with a hat-trick from their centre forward Jamie Ward. The first came on ten minutes with a side footed finish past the United keeper Marcus Apentitis, the second on the hour mark was scrambled home from a corner. The third was the best of the lot as he drilled an angled shot into the bottom corner on the ninety minute mark. The afore mentioned wires were a cause of annoyance as they were struck around eight times during the game with the referee having no option other than restarting with a drop ball. A flash point occurred towards the end of the game with a player from each side was involved in a scuffle on the ground, fellow team mates got involved and a home supporting spectator went onto the pitch to get involved also. Two bookings (one for each side) were shown and the neanderthal who got involved was asked leave the compounds of the cage. United’s best spell of the game came in the last fifteen minutes in which they created a few chances with one particular being well saved by Kiveton keeper Jonathan Parker.

Overall like stated it was a poor game and the situation with the wires was annoying. Another note though is that I don’t believe that games in which an admission is charged should be played in a metal cage, and I for one will never watch a game in one ever again. Some good points now...to meet up with Mr Central Midlands League Rob Hornby for the first time this season and his wife Hazel. Thanks go out to him for allowing me on the pitch to take a team photo of the home side. Last but not least is was good to catch up again with Herbie who is a Newark based Dartford supporter. My reaction though when seeing him here was “shit, oh no!” due to the fact that the last two times we have been at the same game they were both awful. No further comment!!!

More photos of the game can be found here: FGIF

Admission: £2

Programme: £1 (first ever issue I believe)
Match rating: 1*

Easter Monday Part 2 (Game 533)

Kiveton Park 2-1 Calverton Miners Welfare

Monday 24th March 2008

Central Midlands League Premier Division

Hard Lane

The second part of a Central Midlands League double bill saw me head south towards home and stop off at Kiveton Park for a 3pm kick-off. Due to having time to kill I stopped off at Woodhall services on the M1 and then made the further 15 minute journey to Kiveton Park. The football ground on Hard Lane is on the edge of the village and has off road parking for a handful of cars. Admission was £2 with a further £1 for a programme and this was payable in the catering hut.

There are three pitches on the Hard Lane complex with the main one with stand being the middle of the three. It does, unfortunately have an air of despair around the place through the efforts of the local chavs. In the programme the club stated that they would like to enclose the ground properly to keep out the afore mentioned locals, then build new dressing rooms and install floodlights. The club also do not have a clubhouse on site so no alcohol is available.



Going into the game saw Kiveton occupy 4th place and Calverton heading the division with Ollerton and Kinsley sitting between them. I did not have to wait long for the opening goal with Rob Jones with the home side the lead after 6 minutes from an overhead kick following a corner. Both sides tried to play football and keep the ball down on an excellent pitch. The game started off in bright sunshine but after 10 minutes or so we were joined by the snow which laster for he remainder of the half. Calverton nearly equalised on 20 minutes when their no. 10 saw his shot roll past the wrong side of the post. The visitors did though equalise on 28 minutes when Craig Boulton scored with a header following a cross from the right hand side. This was just two minutes after they should have been awarded a penatly - why they weren't was a mystery to all in the ground and even the home keeper who had commited the offence! Further chances occured for both teams but the half ended 1-1.



The second half carried on as the first ended with both teams not wanting to settle for a point and went for the win. Chances were created by both teams and it was looking likely that a draw would be the end result. Alas this theory proved to be incorrect as the home snatched the winner five minutes from time through Chris Nelson, who scrambled the ball home following a goalmouth scramble.


Final score: 2-1 (attendance: 45 - head count)


Seventy Five minutes after the final whistle I was back home in Leicester after the drive down the M1 to Leicester. I was thinking of watching Loughborough University in an evening kick-off but would have had too much time to kill, anyway they can wait till the end of this season or next season. I like to do a few local clubs each season so holding them back as it were will not nessesarily be a bad thing.