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.