Tuesday 31st March 2009

Blidworth Welfare 0-5 Forest Town -- CML Supreme Division

Can a Tuesday night out watching non-league football be any better than this? Although the difference in class between the two teams was obvious, the home team fought on right to the final whistle. Although that final whistle was blown just after Forest Town had added their 5th.....

Blidworth are 5th from the foot of the table, while this victory for "Foggy" sees them take over top spot - they are now two points clear of Newark with two games in hand. Their impressive run of 9 straight league wins began after we saw them lose 1-3 at home to Sutton in late December.

Decided to give the Rainworth v Eastwood senior cup tie a miss on the advice of Brian "Evening Post" Dennett - good call as it happens ... mind you, I could have done without the assault on the nostrils that seemed to eminate from somewhere in the reporters nether regions !! Sorry, but that was a bit anti-social Brian!!

Apart from that it was a nice evening - Kev even went coat-less for a while, and it was noticable that noses and eyes were dry AT LAST!!!

Decent temperature and no wind or rain.. made the evening very pleasant. Spent a while in the company of Peter Craggs, who is Forest Town through and through, and with the CML's Rob Hornby. Nice company, nice weather, good tea, very good Referee, a bit of banter with one of the linesman,,,, great stuff.

The football was decent as well, and although, as I mentioned earlier, there was a large difference in class, Blidworth gave all they had and the scoreline is a bit harsh.

MARK CARTER opened the scoring in the 10th minute, a sublime side foot volley from 20 yards that looped over Blidworth keeper Jamie Davies. Nothing Davies could do about this goal, but when MARK HURST tried his luck from about 25 yards out five minutes later, Davies inexplicably let the ball slip through his arms, and legs, and it rolled into the net. Blidworth went forward to try and cut the defecit, but their strikers were no real match for the Town defence. H-T 0-2

Kev had a tea during the interval, and rated it very highly - big styrofoam cup for £0.60p. I had an orange lucozade - I tell you what, that is a good drink ....going to get some of them in!!!

Just 4 minutes into the second half, the move of the game brought the third goal - great control in the centre of the park from Craig Jackson, the he fired an inch perfect pass to Mark Robinson on the right. The full-back played in a superb ball across the goal where MARK HURST was waiting to slam home from about 6 yards out. Great goal, great play - well worth the £3 admission.

Welfare had a strong case for a penalty on the hour after a defender appeared to handle in the box, but this wasn't the home teams night, and the Referee gave a corner instead.

CRAIG JACKSON had played well all through the game, and he got his reward in the 83rd minute. After feinting to shoot with his left, he hit a right foot curler from the corner of the area right into the top corner of the net. May have took a slight deflection, but what a strike!

LEWIS CROUCHER fired home the fifth with the final kick of the game - we were somewhat pleased for the young substitute who had squandered two decent chances earlier in the half.

Admission £3

Programme £1

Tea £0.60

Lucozade £0.75

Attendance - h/c 30

Hucknall Rolls Leisure v Linby CW on Wednesday - or I might stop in and watch England...

Saturday 28th March 2009

Dunkirk 0-0 Gedling Town -- EMCL


I know it was cold, but ......

We haven't been to many goal-less games this season, but I suppose when the team in 3rd place plays the team in 4th it could have been forecast - and added to this the conditions were awful. Still, not the worst 0-0 we have seen.......

Pulling the bar down is one way to ensure it stays 0-0

We stood with Gedling Town Chairman Roland Ash for the first half-hour of the game - what pleasant company to be in. Genuine nice person, and his knowledge the game and of the players in the local non-league scene is nothing short of amazing. What he doesn't know probably isn't worth knowing.

Not too much to write about - the only decent chances coming late on. First, home keeper Wheater-Lowe made an error, and after making amends by blocking the resultant shot, watched with some relief as Gedling striker Eugene Francis fired the loose ball over the bar from about 8 yards out.

Then, as the ball was played up the field, Dunkirk's Theo Smith saw his effort cannon off the foot of the post. Finally, Neil Thompson tried his luck from long range, forcing James Mason in the visitors' goal to tip over. H-T 0-0

Into the second half, and Gedling looked dangerous early doors, winning a series of free-kicks. However, nothing came of any of the set pieces. They did have an effort cleared off the line in the 52nd minute, but with Dwaine Soar in superb form marshalling the home defence, keeper Wheater-Lowe was rarely troubled. It has to be said that Mason in the other goal was also not over-worked!!

Gedling's Aaron Ryan and Dunkirk's Theo Smith, Andy Frawley and Dwaine Soar all saw yellow as the half wore on.

Rob Gill was superbly played in by Ryan Johnson on 67, but the visiting striker fired just over. As the game drew to a close, Dunkrik had the best chance of the game - but Jarrod Westcarr (I think) fluffed his effort in front of goal, bringing a groan from the home supporters.

During a challenge, one of the home defenders took an accidental blow to the mouth, bringing blood. The Referee, quite rightly, asked him to leave the pitch. This prompted one of the substitutes, who was behind the perimeter rail, to berate him very loudly. Something along the lines of " he only has to leave the field if he's got blood on his shirt" and "the fans are here to watch the game, not you !" The Referee sent him off - straight red, and well deserved... respect, my a**e !! F-T 0-0

Weather-wise, it was a bad afternoon - cold, wet and windy. Well done to the players for providing a good game in the testing conditions. 90 minutes spent with a runny nose and watering eyes AGAIN, and the warm spell that has been forecast will be more than welcome!!

Images from the game

Admission £4

Programme £1

Tea/coffee -- to far to walk !!

Attendance at the start was head-count at 36 - must have been a few late-comers as the official attendance was 74...

Off to the last Notts F.A. Senior Cup 1/4 final on Tusday -- Rainworth MW v Eastwood Town. With Rainworth seeking promotion from NCEL1 and Eastwood struggling to keep their place at the top of the UniBond Premier division, you wonder what the line-ups will be....probably not their strongest...

A home semi-final against Carlton Town awaits the winners.

Notts F.A. Senior Cup Semi-final line-up

I appear to have missed this - but better late than never...

Semi-finals of the Notts F.A. Senior Cup :-

1) Retford Town v Arnold Town
2) Rainworth MW or Eastwood Town v Carlton Town

Dates have not been decided yet......

Tuesday 24th March 2009

Eastwood Town 1-3 Guiseley -- UniBond Premier Division

First a word of praise to Mrs. Kev..... 25th wedding anniversary - hubby's off to footie... no problem!! ... I think I'll start my own "ontheroad" hall of fame - first person in there will be Mrs. Kev.

With Kev having just driven back from taking a well earned break in Yorkshire, I drove to the gorund, and when we arrived, much to our surprise the car park still had spaces available....on previous visits we have had to park on the road.

We took up a position at the top of the Main stand - a great view, but a bit cold and draughty to say the least! The spring-like weather didn't stay around long and what we were served up on the pitch did nothing to warming the cockles either. Admittedly, Eastwood missed three glorious chances, Sturdy, Hume and Holmes all guilty, but Guiseley were undoubtedly the better team on the night and it took a couple of decent saves from Badgers' keeper Redmond to ensure the teams went in at the break on even terms. H-T 0-0

On the hour mark, Guiseley took a well deserved lead, a ball across the box tapped in by ADAM MULLER.

Marc Smith was booked for a nothing foul - a trip, a shout and "in the book you go" .. Refs are conned so easily nowadays.... anyway,it was a booking, fair or not - so as a player you take it easy for a while, don't you? Not Smith obviously - a minute or so later, another rash tackle and a second yellow and a red.......not a smart piece of football from the big front man.

Down to 10 men and soon two goals down as well ... this time it was RYAN CROSSLEY who netted for the visitors on 73.

2-0 became 3-0 with three minutes to go, when the Badgers defence failed to clear allowing JAMES HANSON to prod home.

ANDY TODD did manage to pull one back in the second minute of added time, running down the right before slotting under the body of the Guiseley keeper. F-T 1-3

I could talk about Eastwood's tactics and lambast their desire to launch the ball over the top, the old "direct football", but what's the point...? As Liverpool prove against Villa, route one works occasionally so it has a place in the game, but to use this as plan A with no plan B seems to me a little bit naive.

Anyway, it was great to see over 500 at Coronation Park on a miserable Tuesday evening. It was cold again -- as well as wet and windy. Spring-time in England - lovely...

Straight out at the final whistle, straight out of the car-park, back into Hucknall by 9:50pm ---- safe in the knowledge that our goals per game average was still intact - well over 3.75 now.

Admission £7.00

Programme -

Tea/coffee -

Att 577

Thursday - Kimberley v Forest Town ( if it stops raining!) - UPDATE --- this game is off due to floodlight failure...

Saturday 21st March 2009

Rainworth MW 3-0 Bottesford Town -- NCEL Division One

What a change in the weather - Thursday night we were cold and damp at Kimberley, today bright sunshine and blue skies and not a runny nose in sight!!!!


Welcome


This was the 1st penalty incident


Phil Bignall fires the spot kick past Steve Jordan


The first of two penalty misses by Bottesford - Jamie Smith hits the post


Off the defender to Craig Charlesworth (no. 5) waiting to nod home

Mark Hales saves the Bottesford second penalty


Matt Draper sees red


Ant Lynam on his way to netting the Wrens third

Images from the game

Where to start? Well, let's start with the,as usual, excellent programme supplemented with a copy of the team sheet -- 40 pages and well worth the £1.00.

Into the ground and managed to grab a few minutes with Rainworth's Richard Smith - "Smig" is a friend from our Eastwood Town days - and he was lamenting the fact that the Wrens are to play the Badgers on 31st March and he is suspended. We had a word with James "Topps" Whitehead as well. The Rainworth right-back is currently on the road to recovery after suffering a serious injury a few weeks ago. He thinks he is still a couple of weeks away from playing. I wonder if HE will be fit to play against former club Eastwood Town?

Rainworth currently lie third in the table, and look likely candidates for promotion along with Scarborough - although Askern Welfare are in second spot, apparently their ground grading is not sufficient to warrant promotion. With this in mind, it is important for the Wrens to keep winning and hold onto that third spot. Bottesford are in 7th place so we thought this would be a close game - and it was - a lot closer that the final score suggests!!

After the usual early sparring, the home team were awarded a contoversial penalty in the eighth minute. Raised eyebrows from both me and Kev - but PHIL BIGNALL didn't care - he stepped up to fire his spot-kick past Steven Jordan to give the Wrens the lead.

Rainworth looked fairly comfortable at the back with the Town strikers offering little or nothing - and in the 23rd minute, when Jermaine Hollis tripped Luke Clifford who was heading away from the goal, his fellow defenders couldn't believe it....there was absolutely no danger. Hollis got out of jail though - Bottesford's Jamie Smith hammered the penalty againt the post and lashed at the rebound - only to realise too late that he can't kick the ball again - result? A free-kick to Rainworth.

Wrens hit-man Ant Lynam was foiled by a great block by Jordan on 38, after being played in on goal by Brendon Sweeney. The home team did go further ahead soon after though - a corner played in from the right cannoned off the leg of a defender and CRAIG CHARLESWORTH was on hand to jump and loop a delicate header into the top corner. H-T 2-0

Decided against tea / coffee ... remembered what it was like on our last visit - this was actually mentioned to me at pitchside later by Sue Funk, wife of the Wrens Manager ....she assured me that the drinks are now ok. We'll try one at the Eastwood game, Sue!

The visitors strated the second half well enough and asked a few more questions of the home defence - culminating in yet another penalty. A long shot by Jamie Smith was well saved by Hales and then he tipped the subsequent corner over the bar .... another corner, this time the Referee saw something and awarded the penalty.

Up stepped Town skipper Daniel Hope to take the kick, but Hales dived to his right to save. As Hope ran in to look for any scraps, he appeared to catch Hales and a 20 man melee ensued. As things calmed down, Rainworth defender Matt Draper was shown a straight red for something or other.... He went ballistic and only a few words from Chariman Brian Reece calmed him down.

Sweeney received a yellow, followed quickly by Danny Naylor as the 10 man home team tried to reorganise. As it turned out, the game was effectively over in the 66th minute. A ball through the middle picked out ANT LYNAM who raced into the box and slotted past Jordan. Rainworth tired a little towards the end of the game, but Bottesford never looked likely to stage a miracle comeback. F-T 3-0

Regular readers of this blog will know that we have not been too critical of referees this season. But Mr. Colin Barraclough was in a class of his own. More free-kicks than you could shake a stick at, 3 penalties that left everyone scratching their heads, a red card, several yellows -- and this was by no means a dirty game! This was an entertaining game and you have to wonder how good it would have been if not for such over-zealous Refereeing.

Admission £4

Programme £1 inc team sheet

Attendance 82

Tuesday - on my own - Eastwood Town v Guiseley