Tuesday 29th September 2009. Northern Counties East League - Premier DivisionPhoenix Park, Dinnington Resource Centre.
Dinnington Town (0) 2 (Ward 61 pen, Blythen 80)
Bridlington Town (2) 2 (Burwick 30, Fleming 35)
Admission £4. Programme £1. Attendance 120
A number of match options had presented themselves tonight.
Carlton Town at home in their FA Cup replay was tempting as was Louth Town v Harworth CI in the CMFL. But lazyitis had kicked in after a busy shift at work, so we just made the short ride over the South Yorkshire border beyond Worksop, through the people's republic of South Anston and into Dinnington instead.
In the event, Nuneaton Town stuffed Carlton 3-0 and the game at Louth was abandoned on 45 minutes after it had descended into a half time fracas as the players left the pitch ... so by default we probably ended up at the right game.
In the run up to this game Dinnington were sitting in a respectable position in the top half of the NCEL Prem and league leaders Bridlington had been racking up goals and collecting wins for fun, having played seven, won seven and setting up a goal difference of plus 29 along the way.
At the top of the division Armthorpe Welfare have won all seven of their opening games too, but have only managed to accumulate a plus 24 goals tally. Also on 21 points are Scarborough Athletic, who play at Bridlington Town's ground, but they have played 9 games.
Got all of that?
The vocal and colourful elements of both teams support took up positions in the small stand behind the goal - beside each other - and indulged themselves in a wide array of songs and chants in support of their respective teams and to the detriment of those sat just a matter of feet away.
But it was hardly Millwall v West Ham United.
The Addams family theme tune got a rearranged workout ... "Your father is your brother, your sister is your mother, you all phuck one another, the Dinno family"
And rather amusingly so did "There's only one team in Yorkshire!"
There are actually two teams in Brid alone lads let alone Yorkshire ... and a third playing their home games in the seaside town, from up the road in Scarborough.
But credit where it is due, the 'Seaside Mafia' travel, even all of this way in midweek, and make some noise. We arrived about 30 minutes before kick off and they had already assumed their position behind the goal and were singing to an otherwise empty ground.
There is a gangway (it doubles up as the players tunnel), through to the cafe/bar area in the adjacent Dinnington Resource Centre. The big mug of coffee I had in there would've needed about 14 of those little cups from Wakefield last night to fill it up - same price though.
"Does that number 11 look a bit blurred to you?"
"No it's just that skinflint from the66pow behind us with his cheap camera"
Carlton Town at home in their FA Cup replay was tempting as was Louth Town v Harworth CI in the CMFL. But lazyitis had kicked in after a busy shift at work, so we just made the short ride over the South Yorkshire border beyond Worksop, through the people's republic of South Anston and into Dinnington instead.
In the event, Nuneaton Town stuffed Carlton 3-0 and the game at Louth was abandoned on 45 minutes after it had descended into a half time fracas as the players left the pitch ... so by default we probably ended up at the right game.
In the run up to this game Dinnington were sitting in a respectable position in the top half of the NCEL Prem and league leaders Bridlington had been racking up goals and collecting wins for fun, having played seven, won seven and setting up a goal difference of plus 29 along the way.
At the top of the division Armthorpe Welfare have won all seven of their opening games too, but have only managed to accumulate a plus 24 goals tally. Also on 21 points are Scarborough Athletic, who play at Bridlington Town's ground, but they have played 9 games.
Got all of that?
The vocal and colourful elements of both teams support took up positions in the small stand behind the goal - beside each other - and indulged themselves in a wide array of songs and chants in support of their respective teams and to the detriment of those sat just a matter of feet away.But it was hardly Millwall v West Ham United.
The Addams family theme tune got a rearranged workout ... "Your father is your brother, your sister is your mother, you all phuck one another, the Dinno family"
And rather amusingly so did "There's only one team in Yorkshire!"
There are actually two teams in Brid alone lads let alone Yorkshire ... and a third playing their home games in the seaside town, from up the road in Scarborough.
But credit where it is due, the 'Seaside Mafia' travel, even all of this way in midweek, and make some noise. We arrived about 30 minutes before kick off and they had already assumed their position behind the goal and were singing to an otherwise empty ground.
There is a gangway (it doubles up as the players tunnel), through to the cafe/bar area in the adjacent Dinnington Resource Centre. The big mug of coffee I had in there would've needed about 14 of those little cups from Wakefield last night to fill it up - same price though.
"Does that number 11 look a bit blurred to you?""No it's just that skinflint from the66pow behind us with his cheap camera"
Luke Hands, the aptly named Dinnington keeper, was the busiest player in the first half - not because Bridlington were dominant or anything, because the two sides were more evenly matched than the pre match stats suggested they would be - but down to certain players going AWOL and leaving him exposed a couple of times. In the main he was equal to it though, but couldn't do anything as the visitors went 2-0 in front from a brace of soft goals that should have been snuffed out before they were even a danger to Hands.
One Dinnington player, Ben Rosser, stood out in particular, but not for his footballing attributes. I'm sure that on his day he is a decent player, a good few Dinnington fans seemed to rate him highly least ways and he obviously has a 'confident edge' borne out of a largesse sense of self belief.
Tonight he was a constant menace ... to the referee's ear drums.
Anything that didn't go his way was apparently somebody elses fault and seemed to warrant a non stop flow of abuse. Some of that abuse was actually as badly non PC as anything I've heard from even the drunkest foul mouthed bigot stood on any terrace for many a year. I figured he couldn't have been focussed on the game and was having an off night, but after a bit of delving found the following on a Dinnington Town fans forum:
One Dinnington player, Ben Rosser, stood out in particular, but not for his footballing attributes. I'm sure that on his day he is a decent player, a good few Dinnington fans seemed to rate him highly least ways and he obviously has a 'confident edge' borne out of a largesse sense of self belief.
Tonight he was a constant menace ... to the referee's ear drums.
Anything that didn't go his way was apparently somebody elses fault and seemed to warrant a non stop flow of abuse. Some of that abuse was actually as badly non PC as anything I've heard from even the drunkest foul mouthed bigot stood on any terrace for many a year. I figured he couldn't have been focussed on the game and was having an off night, but after a bit of delving found the following on a Dinnington Town fans forum:
"Just wish Ben could stay on for 90 mins, now he will be out for 3 more games, how much have you paid out in fines Ben? you could have got yourself some stylish clothes with the money (only a joke)."
Maybe the person that posted that only made the comment as 'a joke', but there is many a true word spoken in jest.
Shortly before half time the 'attitudal narkiness' spilled over into a brawl on the pitch involving several players from both sides. Out of the melee one from each side was red carded, Bridlington's Tom Fleming and inevitably Ben Rosser, who then ran across the pitch and into the tunnel in pursuit of Fleming - or maybe he was just trying to get in front of him in the queue for a mug of coffee???
In the second half, minus their apparent star player, Dinnington rose to the challenge and appeared to be a much better team without him.
Bridlington Town's chairman was stood near us and he said he's had a bad feeling about this game all day and hoped his team weren't going to be over confident. Prophetic words then.
On the hour Michael Blythen was upended in the area and Dinnington's new signing from Thackley, Rob Ward, buried the penalty.
Ward is one of a number of Thackley players to have jumped ship this week, their manager Billy Fox moved on to Staveley Miners Welfare taking half a dozen more players over with him too. Staveley themselves suffered a similar mass exodus a few weeks ago - it's all go in the NCEL!
Shortly before half time the 'attitudal narkiness' spilled over into a brawl on the pitch involving several players from both sides. Out of the melee one from each side was red carded, Bridlington's Tom Fleming and inevitably Ben Rosser, who then ran across the pitch and into the tunnel in pursuit of Fleming - or maybe he was just trying to get in front of him in the queue for a mug of coffee???
In the second half, minus their apparent star player, Dinnington rose to the challenge and appeared to be a much better team without him.
Bridlington Town's chairman was stood near us and he said he's had a bad feeling about this game all day and hoped his team weren't going to be over confident. Prophetic words then.
On the hour Michael Blythen was upended in the area and Dinnington's new signing from Thackley, Rob Ward, buried the penalty.
Ward is one of a number of Thackley players to have jumped ship this week, their manager Billy Fox moved on to Staveley Miners Welfare taking half a dozen more players over with him too. Staveley themselves suffered a similar mass exodus a few weeks ago - it's all go in the NCEL!
On 80 minutes Michael Blythen smashed home a great strike from outside the box into the bottom corner of the net to level things up and Dinnington looked the side most likely to succeed now. But for a woeful miss in the dying moments of the game (Rob Ward again) the home side would have taken all three points from a game where Bridlington Town had briefly threatened to up the tempo and go for another large score once they had got their noses in front with two quick goals in succession in the first half.
All in all, not a bad game at all.
A groundhopper (he vehemently denies he is one though) who was at Phoenix Park texted me after the game "I've seen better games, but I've seen worse." He was last seen squealing with delight having managed to get at least four touches of the ball tonight. He stands in isolated positions in the grounds he visits to maximise his ball touching possibilities - it's a personal and private thing - each to his own bag I s'pose.
A more intellectual overview of this pulsating 2-2 draw can be found here:
Dinnington 'Art' in the resource centre next to the ground
