Normal
service
will
be
resumed
ASAP
Thursday, 23 May 2013
Saturday, 20 April 2013
Selston 2 v Wollaton 2 - NSL & Underwood Villa 2 v West Bridgford 2 - NSL & Mansfield Town 1 v Wrexham 0 - BSBP
Three matches in one day, starting off with a couple of early starts at the Nottinghamshire Senior League Groundhop event and climaxing with the 5.15pm, Blue Square Bet Premier title decider, at Field Mill, between Mansfield Town and Wrexham.
at the Parish Hall Ground
Selston (1) 2
Rich Barnes 4, Tim Moore 90+3
Wollaton (0) 2
Dane Rawson 47, Richard Ranson 82
Admission £3, Programme £1, Attendance 358
MATCH DETAILS TO FOLLOW ASAP
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| Selston v Wollaton - NSL - 10.10AM Kick Off |
at Bracken Park
Underwood Villa (2) 2
Ian Townsend 44, Sam Tring 45
West Bridgford (2) 2
Jamie Prince 5, Jurgen Charlesworth 9
Admission £3, Programme £1, Attendance 341
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| Underwood Villa v West Bridgford - NSL -12.45PM Kick Off |
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| Mansfield Town v Wrexham - BSBP - 5.15pm Kick Off |
at the One Call Stadium, Field Mill
Mansfield Town (1) 1
Matt Green (pen) 40
Wrexham (0) 0
Admission £18 (West Stand Upper), Programme £3
Attendance 6394 (Inc. 142 from Wrexham)
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| Goooooall!!! You trying holding a camera still and going mental at the same time. |
No time for Luton, 'cos we are the champions ...
Thursday, 18 April 2013
Sheffield U19 0 v Handsworth U19 0 - NMU19L Div 1
at the Coach & Horses Ground, Dronfield
North Midlands U19 League Division 1
Sheffield U19 (0) 0
Handsworth U19 (0) 0
Admission £2 inc. free programme
Once more this term, the NMU19L has provided an excellent source of entertainment and intrigue again all season and in both divisions its going right to the wire.
Basford United could (deservedly) claim the 2nd Division title at Matlock Town next Thursday, with Buxton and Dunkirk (2nd v 3rd) playing against each other on Tuesday.
Second placed Sheffield hosted Division 1 leaders Handsworth tonight, in this nip and tuck game.
A win for either side, would've given them a massive leg up in the race for the title, but in the event, a goalless draw, combined with Staveley's 3-0 victory at Teversal last night, means that there are still three teams in with a shout of lifting the trophy.
Handsworth have just one game remaining, at Arnold Town on Monday 29th April.
Sheffield's last game will be at Teversal, on Tuesday 23rd April.
And Staveley MW have two away games left to play at: Hallam on Monday April 22nd and Worksop Town (at Shirebrook) on Thursday 2nd May (according to the NMU19L website, though I'm unofficially but very reliably told that game will actually go ahead on 29th April too).
Staveley MW also travel to Cannon Park/The Jones & Co. Solicitors Stadium (home of Retford United), on Wednesday 8th May, when they face Hallam again in the NMU19L League Cup Final.
If Handsworth win at Arnold the league title will be theirs and they'll already know both Sheffield and Staveley's interim results by then.
In the end I think the draw was just about a fair result.
Handsworth had Sheffield on the back foot for most of the first half, but couldn't make their lions share of the possession count.
But after the break, Sheffield got into the game more and Liam Fox came closest to breaking the deadlock when he shot narrowly wide and into the side netting from close range.
Adam Hurrell went in late and recklessly on the Handsworth keeper, just after the restart. I gave him the benefit of the doubt over an unpunished challenge on Staveley's Dan Hatfield a couple of weeks ago, but tonight, well ... he deserved his yellow card, at the very least.
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| Barry and Pam Crownshaw, NMU19L Committee stalwarts ... and an ex England international footballer called Chris |
The result all but guarantees the Badgers a top four finish, unless Hallam win all of their four games in hand.
Worksop will be hoping Hallam don't achieve that record, because they could then slip down in the table, below the dreaded dotted line, that could spell demotion to Division 2 next season.
The fact that Hallam and Worksop both need maximum points from the run in, adds even more spice to Staveley's two remaining league games.
Hold on tight!
NMU19L Remaining fixtures - April
NMU19L Remaining fixtures - May
Wednesday, 17 April 2013
Mansfield Town 6 v Morecambe 0 - The Central League - Divisional Section Division Two
at Field Mill, AKA Wonk Hall, AKA One Call Stadium
The Central League - Divisional Section Division 2
Mansfield Town (3) 6
Todd 35, Clements 43, 45
Wright 48, 62, 75
Morecambe (0) 0
Admission Free, no programmes or team sheets
Attendance 65/70 or somewhere around that
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| There will possibly be a few more people here on Saturday |
Redmond, Tolley, Wright, Thompson, Hutchinson, Todd, Marsden (Birch), Pilkington, Geohaghon, (J) Green (Lamb), Clements
Morecambe Reserves:
Cookson, McGowan, Lewis (Newton), Riley, Short, Dunleavy, McGee, Naylor, Mwasile, Woods, Parkinson.
Sub not used: Jones.
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| Spot the referee - pre kit change |
The home side started the game with the stiff wind behind their backs and had several chances to take advantage of the conditions, before player/manager Andy Todd finally broke the deadlock on 35 minutes when he nodded a header back across the face of goal from Jake Green's cross that bulged the net just inside the right hand upright.
The Shrimpers defence were caught flat footed, twice, just before half time and Chris Clements benefited both times ... scoring first from a lofted James Tolley pass into his path that he drilled home from 12 yards, before lobbing the visitors keeper Jack Cookson, from a similar distance, after Nick Wright had picked him out with a precision ball, less than a minute later.
HT - Mansfield Town 3 v Morecambe 0
Three minutes into the second half, the officials missed Nick Wright pulling a defenders arm back to put him out of the race for the ball in the middle of the park, before he advanced 30 yards at pace and buried the ball into the Quarry Lane End net for the Stags fourth goal of the night.
In what had become a fairly one sided contest, which was hardly surprisingly given how strong a line up Mansfield had started with tonight, i.e. ten of the starting eleven have had first team experience this season, Nick Wright bagged another brace of goals to claim his hat trick, as the home side steadily racked up the goals and won fairly easily.
FT - Mansfield Town Reserves 6 v Morecambe Reserves 0
Tuesday, 16 April 2013
AFC Mansfield 1 v Belper United 0 - CMFL League Cup Semi Final
Central Midlands League - League Cup Semi Final
AFC Mansfield (0) 1 - Carl Haslam 90+3
Belper United (0) 0
Admission £3, Programme £1, Attendance TBC
Ta very much to Pete Craggs for the team line ups.
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| Crap programme of all time - overall winner |
Dale Sheppard, Ricky Chambers, Danny McLane, Joe Meehan, Chris Timmons, Danny Naylor, Phil Buxton, Joe Naylor, Dean Rick, Carl Haslam, Mark Carter
Subs - Steve McGurk, Gary Armstrong, Ed Eley, Callum Green
Belper United:
Adam Jablonski, Tim Perry, Matt Phillips, Scott Slter, Joe Sparham, Craig Riley, Adam Taylor, Kyle Wadsworth, Luke Crosby, Adam Nicholls, Jamie Wilde
Subs - Dan Riley, Tim Sterland, Josh Wisdom, Ben Summers, Paul Posslethwaite
An enjoyable evening spent in the company of the dynamic duo, AKA Malc and Kev, of the excellent ON THE ROAD 2012-13 Blog
Option 2, Buxton U19 v Harworth Colliery U19. Same note from my mum type crap to explain my absence from that one too.
Option 3. However, I was in the Mansfield area at around 7pm, so what the hell! Why not? AFC Mansfield v Belper United, just up the road at a neutral ground.
I found a football fix for the night after all.
In spite of the fluky, scuffed in off of his shin goal, that he scored at Harworth on Saturday, Dale Sheppard resumed in goal for AFC Mansfield tonight, as the Forest Town based Bulls, went out onto the park in search of their third cup final, in this, their inaugural season.
Sheppard was involved in the first goalmouth incident of the game, when he had a fairly easy save to make from Adam Nicholls.
For the remainder of the first half, though the rigours of battling it out for honours on four fronts, are evidently beginning to take their toll on several of the AFC Mansfield lads, they began to impose themselves on the game and it looked as though they would soon be racking a few goals up ... but the breakthrough never came. Well, not for a while yet.
Carl Haslam, seems to have shaken the cobwebs off, after his enforced lay off (or maybe he had them kicked off, during the two recent games 'versus' a fair, but firm, Harworth Colliery side), and he was proving to be a real thorn in Belper's side.
Haslam was popping up all over the place, across the final third of the pitch, where he seemed to have been given a free reign to roam ... or least-ways, if he hadn't, that is what he had decided to do anyway. to good effect.
A quick short free kick from Chris Timmons near the half way line, saw Haslam sprint off towards the United goal, but the defence were under orders tonight, to clear the ball 'properly' whenever the Bulls attacked and time after time the ball vanished over the roof of the stand.
From a coaching perspective, it is good practice to launch the ball into orbit from a clearance, because it prevents the opposition from taking a quick throw in, while your defence is regrouping.
From a spectating point of view however, it is a complete ball ache ... and prevents the game from flowing.
A Carl Haslam corner to the back stick, was knocked across the face of the goal by Danny McLane and Chris Timmons thundered a header against the crossbar as Mansfield continued to boss the game, while their CMFL South opponents, kept putting up a determined resistance, while causing havoc with the aeroplanes that were attempting to land at the nearby Hucknall International Airport.
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| I'm unsure whether this is Mark 'The Beast' Labbett, of Bradley Walsh's 'The Chase' fame, or Peter Craggs, Matchday Sec. for AFC Mansfield |
Carl Haslam swung a cross into the Belper box, which Joe Sparham couldn't get out of the way of and the ball dropped off his chest into the path of Joe Naylor, who from just ten yards out, blazed a rushed shot high and wide of the goal and into somebody's well tended garden.
Excuse me whilst I go off at a tangent here for a moment and ask of Joe Naylor ... Why the bloody hell couldn't you have finished like that in your previous two games, this last week, against Harworth, hey!?
Inside the last five minutes of the first half, Dean Rick as flattened in the Belper penalty area, by Craig Riley. It was clearly a penalty, but the referee didn't award it and Belper got off very lightly.
Possibly the official had got a text from his missus, telling him he was on a promise when he got home, on the proviso that he didn't give either team a penalty tonight. It would certainly explain a lot.
HT - Nil each
The second half continued pretty much as the first had ended, with the Bulls attacking and United persisting with their 'Have it!' style approach to defending, until the referee had to warn them, that until a search party could locate any of the balls that were now missing in action outside the ground, we were now down to the last match ball.
Belper would live to regret the amount of stoppage time, that their frequent ball distribution, to the four corners of Hucknall (and possibly even Bestwood on one occasion) was racking up.
The Bulls created two good chances, but Haslam smashed the ball narrowly wide of the Belper goal and then Adam Jablonski saved well at the feet of Joe Naylor.
Though the CMFL North side were in the ascendancy, while the game remained goal less, there was always the threat that Belper could snatch a goal on the counter attack ... and they nearly did, when Tim Perry chased a long ball over the Bulls defence, but shot wide with just Sheppard to beat.
A Carl Haslam corner, was only half cleared as far as Danny Naylor, who shot wide of the target.
And yet another Carl Haslam corner picked out Dean Rick, but Jablonski pulled of another great save from close range.
With eight minutes remaining, Mansfield packed out theri box as Belper looked for a breakthrough, a ball across the box clearly hit a defenders hand and the linesman signalled for a penalty kick.
In the nick of time, the ref remembered the sex text he'd received earlier and over ruled his assistant, who wandered back along the touchline looking quite fed up that his input had just been ignored.
This is the Central Midlands League mate, get used to just watching out for offsides and throw ins ;-)
The temperature started to drop as the game entered stoppage time and extra time seemed to be on the cards.
The messages started coming through that Matt Green had won the game for Mansfield Town with a stoppage time goal at Hereford United and that Buxton U19 had scored twice in injury time to beat Harworth 3-1. Here at Watnall Road, there was an injury time goal too and it was a quite special one.
Carl Haslam, dribbled the ball from right to left along the edge of the Belper goal area, before unleashing an unstoppable shot from 20 yards out, that went in through Adam Jablonski's leg.
Nutmegged in the 93rd minute!
The indignity of it all.
AFC Mansfield deserved their win, but it took a moment of quality with just a few seconds of stoppage time remaining, to finally clinch the game, against a stubborn and well drilled Belper United side.
The contrasting styles cancelled each other out for long periods of the game tonight and even the penalty appeals were evenly balanced, but, in the end, the difference between the two sides, was a back to form Carl Haslam.
FT - AFC Mansfield 1 v Belper United 0
Saturday, 13 April 2013
Harworth Colliery 0 v AFC Mansfield 5 - CMFL North
at the Recreation Ground, Scrooby Road, Bircotes
Central Midlands League (North)
Harworth Colliery (0) 0
AFC Mansfield (3) 5
Joe Naylor 12, Mark Carter 26, 78,
Carl Haslam 39, Dale Sheppard 87
Admission £3, Programme £1, Attendance 37
Left click crap photos for slightly larger versions.
Thank goodness I'm getting my new camera on Monday.
Mark Latham, Jordan Hardman, Simon Brewster, David Cornthwaite, James Woodward, Gareth Sides, Tom Walker, Jonny Bownes, Chris Belshaw, Tom Padgett, Tom Pick.
Subs - Matt Smith, Lee Edmondson, Brendan Wilson.
AFC Mansfield:
Dale Sheppard, Ricky Chambers, Danny McClune, Joe Meehan, Steve McGurk, Danny Naylor, Paul Buxton, Joe Naylor, Dean Rick, Carl Haslam, Mark Carter
Subs - Mark Robinson, Mark Stainforth, Callum Green, Graeme Rodger, Ed Eley
My Stags pals, en route to Essex, to watch Mansfield Town beat struggling Braintree Town and all but confirm they are going up as champions of the Blue Square Bet Premier, are bombarding me with stories about a 'lively' day out (at least by staying on 'home turf', I won't be spending the night in a cell), Hibs are getting turned over 3-0 by Falkirk in the Scottish Cup Semi Final ... and given their first half performance on Tuesday night against today's table topping opposition, I'm quietly confident and cautiously optimistic that Harworth won't be overawed this afternoon, by the size of the task they're going to face.
Besides, they have a secret weapon to unleash on their unsuspecting visitors today, Daine McGrain, the Under 19's powerhouse centre forward, is going to be making his first team debut.
And best of all, it isn't a cup final today, so I don't feel obliged to wear my one size fits all, HCFC committee shirt, that makes me look like an on the run, mental patient from Rampton Hospital, who disguised himself as a Michelen Man to make good his escape. And no, the initials on it do not stand for 'Really Wide' either!
So, what could possibly go wrong?
Err ... well, just about everything I've just mentioned actually.And more besides.
It's too late to press gang any of the third team who are just about to kick off their game (which they lost 7-1 to Ackworth United) on the adjacent pitch, to plug the gaps, the reserves are away from home and it's going to have to be a case of make do and mend.
Lee Edmondson is so ill, that he was told to wrap up well and get comfortable in the corner of the dug out and stay there, because his role today, was to give AFC Mansfield the impression that we had strength in depth to name three subs ... though eagle eyed readers will have noticed, that in the event, both teams actually did this, by including the names of management staff who are registered as players, to bolster the numbers on the bench.
However, the visitors did have Carl Haslam back in their starting line up today, which is always a big advantage when you are under strength and carrying a few knocks and ailments.
From the first attack, the Bulls keeper Dale Sheppard, plucked Chris Belshaw's cross from James Woodward's head, but Woody's momentum saw him crash to the ground.
As the captain was one of those who had started the game, despite feeling very ill, it looked as though he would be coming off right at the outset.
But in the event he soldiered on until half time, but didn't return after the interval.
With just over twenty minutes gone, AFC Mansfield were two goals up, courtesy of strikes from Joe Naylor and Mark Carter, the same two players who had scored in the Floodlit Cup, on Tuesday night.
The Bulls captain Steve McGurk took a knock and had to go off, hes been suffering for a while, but that won't have helped to speed up his recovery time any.
Carl Haslam showed a burst of pace and advanced menacingly on Harworth's goal, but Woodward stuck his leg out and back-heeled the ball away.
There was a shout for 'handball!', but it was a fairly optimistic one, from a guy who's guide dog told him to shut up and stop being daft.
Carl Haslam, sprinted clear of the Harworth defendces attentions, chasing a long ball, knocked over a static back four and Mark Latham in the Colliery goal was left exposed, he had two options: 1) Stand his ground and let the prolific marksman pick his spot, or 2) charge from his line to narrow the angle and risk getting lobbed. He chose the latter ... and Haslam dinked the ball over him and into the net.
You can't blame the keeper for that one.
He can't play against them on his own.
HT - Harworth Colliery 0 v AFC Mansfield 3
That obnoxious team from Leith (near Edinburgh) were in the process of turning a 3-0 deficit into a 4-3 win (never mind they'll get gubbed in the Scottish Cup Final anyway), while Mansfield Town were experiencing a bit of a 'squeaky bum time' and surrendering a 1-0 lead at Braintree, where they ultimately lost 2-1.
But Harworth's plight, unfolding before my own eyes, was compounding my misery far more than I ever imagined it could do.
I can't remember exactly when I stopped being somebody who merely helped at at Scrooby Road occasionally and actually started to care about this football club, but my pangs of misery throughout the second half, kind of indicated that my transformation was almost complete and I'm officially part of it all up here now.
For better or for worse, 'til death us do part ... hook, line and bleedin' sinker!
Thankfully, Carl Haslam (cheers mate) tried overdoing it with some trickery in the Harworth six yard box and squandered a great chance to make it four nil.
Moments later, Paul Buxton's snap shot from outside the box, was well covered by Mark Latham.
Tom Padgett put Tom Pick (another of the walking wounded) through into the visitors box, but with the goal in his range, Danny Naylor put in a great saving tackle.
Paul Buxton knocked a defence splitting pass through the left channel, Mark Carter timed his run to perfection and the visitors were four ahead.
Grr! Why had I foolishly let myself believe, that there might have been a way back into this game? When the outcome was fairly inevitable before a ball had even been kicked.
Tom Pick lobbed the ball wide of the Bulls goal after combining with Matt Smith. It was a tired effort from a player who was obviously completely knackered, but who had to stay on for the remainder of the game, because there was no replacement available.
Carl Haslam made himself some space inside the Harworth box and rattled a shot against the upright.
I think he'd probably seen how agitated and distraught I was becoming and hit the post on purpose, because he didn't want to add to my pain ... you're too kind Hazza!
Dean Rick was withdrawn by AFC Mansfield (approximately 80 minutes too late in my opinion), he didn't score today, but his input to his sides win was immense.
Ed Eley came on from the bench and went in goal, while Dale Sheppard, moved into an outfield role.
He nearly scored with a 20 yard free kick, but that would've been taking the p*** ... so he scored a goal that went in off his shin in the 87th minute instead. FFS!
FT - Harworth Colliery 0 v AFC Mansfield 5
Wednesday, 10 April 2013
Harworth Colliery U19 0 v Basford United U19 2 - NMU19L Div 2
at the Recreation Ground, Scrooby Road, Bircotes
Harworth Colliery U19 (0) 0
Basford United U19 (2) 2
Joe Brothwell 11, 30
Admission £2 inc programme. Attendance 21
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| Harworth line up as per team sheet |
Josh Downie, Lewis Selby, Tom Teece, Conor Naylor, Luke McKeag, Josh Rae, Scott Bailey, Jack Hodson, Dan Jackson, Joe Brothwell, Rhys Plackett
Sub - Kyle Keetley
I've seen this Basford side in action quite a lot this season and they usually play a fast tempo, passing, pressing attacking game, that benefits the quartet of quality attacking players they have to choose from.
But tonight, they played things a bit more direct, with an extra defender, which worked perfectly for their big striker Joe Brothwell, who claimed two goals, both from quality strikes, inside the first half an hour.
It was good to see Glenn McPherson, who had resigned as Harworth U19's manager earlier in the season, watching this final home game from the touchline, even if he was on the wrong side of the fence.
Glenn told me, he sometimes can't view THE66POW on the computer in the school he works at, whenever I use profanities, so with that in mind, the rest of you please ignore the rest of this sentence while I say ... Glenn you lanky tw@t, you can't fucking well read this now, can you?
And though he works well as part of a team with Hasan Hussein, it needs to be said, that Has came into his own and impressed me no end with the way he's kept things going since Glenn left, stamping his own way of doing things all over the job.
Sometimes, Has is really funny when he least means to be, but that is not meant as a criticism ... and it certainly makes for a happy dressing room.
Hopefully one, or even both of them, will be at Harworth next season, but whatever the future holds, its been a pleasure to work with them both ... jointly and individually.
I personally happen to think, in view of the great job they've done at Harworth and the reputation they've built for themselves, that they'll probably get snapped up by a club from higher up the football pyramid at the end of the season and they've earned and deserve the opportunity to try themselves out at a higher level ... and I'm sure that they would do very well. But from a selfish point of you, I want them both to be at Harworth Colliery FC next season.
Good luck whatever you decide to do guys, but you've got to do what is best for yourselves in the long run.
Dan Jackson should've put the game beyond Harworth's reach, but he missed an absolute sitter just before half time when Jack Hodson set him up with a cross from the left wing.
I assume that must have been a different Dan Jackson to the one who wrote all over Harworth U19s Facebook page, about what he was going to do tonight then? ;-)
In the second half, both Daine McGrain and Connor Gresham had chances to reduce the arrears and get Harworth back into the game, but the bounce of the ball denied both of them.
The current trend of giving teams a goal or two start and then clawing the game back, backfired this week.
Enzo Guarini, took matters into his own hands when he cut in from the left and drilled a low and hard shot towards the inside of the near post, but Josh Downie got down well to deal with it and pulled off a great save.
This Basford side will do well in the NMU19L Division 1 next season, with Wayne Scott and Steve Hawley at the helm. Their approach, meticulous pre match preparation and conduct were a credit to their club and a few other club officials in this league would do well to follow their example.
And they've got some real quality players in their ranks too (including the Facebook pest).
Anyway, good luck to the Harworth team in the final game of 2012-13 at Buxton next week and apologies for my absence.
All of your pre-season targets have already been achieved and Harworth Colliery now have a great nucleus of young players coming through the ranks for next season (and beyond).
Finish the season off in style lads.
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