Thursday 11th March 2010.North Midlands Under 19's League Division One
at Blackwell Miners Welfare
Worksop Town (0) 3 (Williams, Hickey, Capewell)
Hallam (2) 4
Admission £2, Programme 50p
According to my car's dashboard display panel and resident sat nav lady, it is 143 miles from where my journey started this afternoon to Blackwell Miners Welfare via Retford to pick up a passenger on my way past.
It seemed much further on that crappy 50mph average speed camera stretch on the A1 and while passing through all the traffic lights on the A38 out of Mansfield towards the Blackwell junction to be honest.
But this wasn't just any old fixture, this is the Windsor Foods North Midlands Under 19's League and tonight I was out n' about to witness the two bottom teams in Division 1 battling it out for 3 vital points.
Hallam took a 0-2 first half lead, though Worksop did have several chances.I know this, because I was stood beside the goal they were attacking and three times in a five minute spell, I found myself running to retrieve the ball as it flashed narrowly past the post twice and was tipped over the crossbar on one other occasion.
I didn't exert myself as much as that in my youth, when I was still reasonably fit, so I'll be buggered if I'm going to start up doing that kind of thing regularly now I'm a clapped out relic of a 46 year old.
So I moved to the side of the pitch, took root in the stand and stayed there, safely out of harms way.
In the second half, Williams halved the arrears early on.But then, the Tigers defence seemed to collectively switch off and lose their concentration.
Hallam took advantage and stormed into a 1-4 lead.
Hmm, looking for a positive slant to enhance my reportage at this point is proving to be somewhat problematic, however I'll have a go ... the Worksop Under 19's have a backlog of fixtures to clear and they now really need regular games to improve their fitness levels and to help them to work on staying focused for a whole 90 minutes.
Over the next few weeks they have re-arranged games coming thick and fast, which will obviously see them becoming sharper and hopefully picking up a few more points too.
Not, of course, that anybody would ever say that results are the be all and end all at this level. It's all about developing players and hopefully helping one or two of them to fulfil their potential as they work their way through the ranks and break into the first team ... not bad eh!?
I nearly even convinced myself there for a moment.
Worksop were better in the second half than the first, well, after that two goal lapse had seen the game disappearing from their grasp they were anyway.When Hickey scored a second for the Tigers, it seemed like a mere consolation strike, but then late on, Capewell smashed home an unstoppable shot to make it 3-4 ... the best strike out of all seven goals you'll be pleased to hear if you're still riding high on that positivity created wave dear reader, yes you!
I have no illusions as to why I referred to you in the singular rather than plurally there, by the way.
Right at the death, Hallam's keeper charged off his line to smother the ball as the young Tigers threatened to snatch a late, late equaliser.
But it wasn't to be.
Hallam, by virtue of their narrow victory, climbed off the foot of the table and were replaced in that last berth by Worksop Town.
But like I said, results (and league positions) don't count for much at this stage of the learning curve.
But don't quote me on that if Worksop win the next two Thursday night games scheduled for this month.
Forthcoming Worksop Town Under 19's fixturesThursday 25th March v Matlock Town - Home
Home games played at Primrose Hill,
home of Blackwell Miners Welfare
