The Don Valley Stadium, home of Rotherham United, Sheffield Eagles, Athletics meetings.... and Parramore Sports of the CMFL.
Wednesday 30th September 2009, CMFL Supreme Division
Don Valley Stadium, Worksop Road, Attercliffe, Sheffield
Parramore Sports (2) 2 (Riley 16, Turner 21)
Calverton MW (0) 0
Admission £3, Programme £1, Attendance 40 ish
A Central Midlands Football League match played against the opulent back drop of such a large stadium, under enough watts of floodlight power to keep even those big posh new floodlights at Forest Town going for the rest of the season, was always going to be a slightly surreal affair.The last time I saw Parramore play here, Metallica's support band were sound-checking at the nearby Sheffield Arena, tonight with the exception of the occasional siren from a passing emergency services vehicle, you could hear a pin drop and every sound and shout resonated around the eerily still stadium.
The goalposts at the DVS are of an aluminium construction with a plastic coating, you can tell this from the pitch of the 'ping' they make when hit my a smartly struck football from the edge of the 18 yard box ... you can also here every word that is shouted out on the pitch and from the technical areas, such as "Kinnel man! Get the ball on target I'm gonna have to run miles to retrieve that bugger now!!!"
For CMFL games (unlike when Rotherham United play their Football League games here), you can only enter (and leave) the Stadium through entrance C, which is 'manned' by two very charming and cheerful ladies who can also provide coffee and chocolate bars for a small consideration.The 32 page programme is exactly 50% full of adverts, but I would imagine Parramore Sports need the extra income to finance playing at a venue of this size.
To be honest, I never understood why a stadium like this was built in a grim northern city like Sheffield. Three quarters of the seating is uncovered and the odd shaped roof offers only a cursory nod to the spectator luxury that is some kind of shelter from the elements ... and even then, there are large open spaces at the back of the roof that allow the wind and rain through. Though my current abode is only 25 miles from here, I know that when we're getting a slight sprinkling of snow, Sheffield will be getting at least a foot of the stuff blowing off of them their hills on the not so distant horizon.
Out n' about in my old Ajax away shirt, by way of tribute to the fact it that today is the birthday of the legendary Ajay SaggarRecognising the players over yonder, in the distance, out on that faraway pitch was always going to be a bit of a challenge, but Parramore sporting black numbers on the back of their blue shirts made it nigh on impossible at times.
Calverton MW, like to play a short passing game and are not to sort of team to whack the ball forward at every opportunity ... though tonight that could have had something to do with playing just one man up front most of the time who Parramore were marking out of the game relatively easily.
The attack minded Calverton of last year who finished the season knocking in 9 and 10 goals in a couple of their final run in matches are no more, I'm sad to say.
However, Parramore showed they are capable of playing a passing, entertaining and flowing game and had loads of goalmouth action over the 90 minutes.
Riley smashed home a long shot on 16 minutes and five minutes later Turner scored the second from the edge of the six yard box. That two goal salvo knocked the small amount of stuffing Calverton had turned up with tonight out of them until really late in the game and it became a very one sided spectacle.
All the 'pinging' came from PSFC, hitting both the post and crossbar ... and the visitors keeper had to be very alert to keep the score down too.
Early in the second half, the linesman flagged a third goal for offside (raising his flag quite late as it happened). And then CMWFC needed a few last ditch challenges and a superb save from their keeper in a 1 to 1 shoot out situation to keep the scoreline semi respectable.
Surprisingly Calverton even mounted a few attacks in the second period themselves, a succession of corners came to nothing and with three minutes to go they also had a goal chalked off for offside.
Parramore Sports were the better team by far and ought to have won by a more convincing scoreline.
Calverton MW on the other hand simply misfired from the word go and would've been glad to see the back of the bright lights tonight.
Note to Imps bloggerist bloke ... Adam, your spell checker is phuct again mate ;-)
Y'see, not all roads go to Rome after all, some lead to much bigger and better empires than that ...
