Sheffield & Hallamshire County Senior League

Premier Division

Wednesday 8th September 2021

Kick Off 18.00 Actual 18.12

Houghton Main 2 Swinton Athletic 4, attendance 62

43’ 0-1

52’ 0-2

54’ 0-3

62’ 0-4

78’ 1-4 (pen)

90’ 2-4

@ Houghton Main Sports & Social Club

Middlecliffe Lane

Middlecliffe

S72 0HN

No Admission or Programme.

So, for the second successive night, I was visiting a ground in the Sheffield & Hallamshire County Senior League. As with last night, this is a very nice ground for Step 7 football, with a seated stand and the pitch railed off on three sides (only the cricket pitch side not having a barrier), but this had a more cared for feel, helped by the fact that the grass around the perimeter had been cut.

Houghton Main had opened the season with a 4-1 defeat away at Penistone Church Reserves, whilst Swinton Athletic had won 7-0 at Jubilee Sports, maintaining a 100% winning run stretching back to April 2019 (last defeat was 4-1 away at Wombwell Main on 24th April) although it isn’t as good as it sounds, as they’ve only actually played nine league matches in that time due to COVID-19 disruptions!

The first half was absolutely turgid, but when Swinton broke the deadlock just before halftime, it kicked the game into life. The second half saw the visitors score three times in the opening seventeen minutes, to go 0-4 up, and the game was won. Houghton Main reduced the arrears with a late penalty and added another goal with the last kick of the match to make it 2-4. The score line flattered them and it was only because Swinton eased off that they got anything from the game at all.

Despite the match kicking off twelve minutes late, the 3 match officials still went back to the changing rooms at halftime (on the far side of the cricket pitch), whilst both teams remained on the pitch. The game ended at 19.51 and the light was beginning to fade quite rapidly.