Central Midlands Alliance League

Premier Division South

Saturday 14th October 2023

Kick Off 15.00 Actual 14.59

A.F.C. Normanton 0 Bakewell Town 2, attendance 85

76’ 0-1

90’ + 5, 0-2

@ The Boundary Recreation Ground

Lea Bank

Broadmeadows

DE55 3LH

£2 Admission

£2 Programme, 12 pages.

My morning game had finished shortly before 12.15, so I had plenty of time to make it to an afternoon match. The game here at A.F.C. Normanton was my first choice, but I noticed on Twitter that someone had questioned how the 10.30 pitch inspection had gone. Apparently they had mentioned on their Facebook page about the inspection. They hadn’t bothered to reply to the original question, nor to my tweet asking the same, but as I’d got to drive within a mile or so of the ground to go home, then I headed there anyway, just to see if anything would be happening. I was here before one o’clock and was surprised that they were already set up with a table at the entrance, where admission was being taken and match day programmes were available. Even the tea bar was ready, doing hot dogs, burgers, chips and the usual tea/coffee, sweets and crisps. Although the walk around the recently railed pitch was very wet in places, the pitch itself looked very good. Thankfully, there was just a brief rain shower during the opening few minutes and another one during the last ten minutes, which also produced a double rainbow overhead.

The match was 6th versus 8th in the league table and produced a decent contest, between two very evenly matched sides. There were very few clear cut chances and I’d resigned myself to getting my second 0-0 in a matter of days, but somehow Bakewell managed to nick it with two late goals. The opener came fourteen minutes from time, when a long ball forward found a striker with his back to goal. He controlled it and hit a shot on the turn into the bottom corner from just outside the 18 yard box. They nearly added a second in the last minute, but hit the post with that effort, then in stoppage time one of their defenders cleared off the line, with his ‘keeper well beaten and they immediately broke away down the right and played the ball inside for a cool finish to wrap up the points.

Sheffield & District Fair Play League

Division 1

Saturday 14th October 2023

Kick Off 10.30

Treeton Terriers 6 Hammer & Pincers 1, attendance 15

4’ 1-0, 17’ 2-0, 41’ 3-0

46’ 3-1, 70’ 4-1, 83’ 5-1, 90’ 6-1

@ Treeton Cricket & Football Club

Washfield Lane

Treeton

S60 5PU

No Admission or Programme.

Having stayed overnight near Rotherham, this morning was the perfect opportunity to take in my first game in the Sheffield & District Fair Play League, which is a Saturday morning league where games kick off at 10.30, so plenty of time to head off for a second game afterwards and where better place to start than at league leaders Treeton Terriers, who were hosting fourth in the table Hammer & Pincers.

The standard was far higher than I’d been expecting, helped perhaps by it being two of the better teams involved and is certainly something I would watch in future. It only took Treeton four minutes to go in front and they had doubled their lead after just seventeen minutes. The visitors went close when an initial shot hit the post, before the follow up rebounded off the crossbar, but it was Treeton who got the all important next goal just before halftime, clipping the ball over the ‘keeper after being played through on goal.

Hammer & Pincers pulled a goal back within seconds of the restart through a long range diagonal shot that sailed over the ‘keeper into the far corner. A far post header ended any hopes of a comeback though, as Treeton made it 4-1 with twenty minutes left. Goal number five, which looked offside, came with seven minutes left and saw the visitors have a man sin binned for the remainder of the game after arguing the decision and Treeton made it 6-1 with what turned out to be the final kick of the match.

The ground is shared with the cricket club, which houses the changing rooms. The football pitch is to the left when looking from the building, just beyond the cricket pavilion in the near left corner. There are a pair of dugouts on the far side, with the left hand goal backing onto grass banking, whilst the other end is tree line. The pitch was in good condition and sloped down towards the right hand goal.