Tuesday 20 April 2010

Hallam v Worksop Town - North Midlands Under 19's League

Perry Cawthorne covered every grain of sand
along the left touchline tonight
Tuesday 20th April 2010.
North Midlands Under 19's League Division One
at Sandygate 'The oldest football ground in the world' TM

Hallam (1) 2 (Harry Hewson, Jack Smith)
Worksop Town (0) 0

Admission £2. Programme Free.
The social club bouncers were a surly looking bunch

It was very tempting to go to Staveley to watch Arnold Town v Winterton Rangers in the NCEL Presidents Cup Final tonight, because Winterton have always been good to watch on the few occasions I've seen them play this last couple of seasons.
But once it was confirmed that tonight offered another chance to see the Tigers Under 19's in action, there was only one game I would be going to.
It is always good to see a handful of Tigers fans at these games (home and away), along with WTFC directors, the first team manager and even the incoming new club owner. It illustrates a united front coming together at grass roots level, which can only bode well for the club in the long run.
Ultimately, this defeat for Worksop meant relegation from Division one. But though results are in essence what the game of football itself revolves around (after money), the most important role these Under 19's teams fulfil is to bring players through for the first team.
To that end the young Tigers have had a couple of notable successes these past couple of seasons.

Elsewhere, Teversal were beaten by Handsworth tonight, which guaranteed Hallam's safety from the drop and means Tevie will join Worksop in Division 2 next season.
8pm and as the sun starts to drop, so does the temperature. Brrrrrrrrrrr!

Tonight's game was at times a bit scrappy in places, but Hallam's lumpy, bumpy and heavily sanded pitch wasn't exactly ideal for recreating the kind of skills one could have seen on the TV tonight at the Inter v Barcelona game.
To be frank, it was messy, not Messi.
The mild spring weather we've been having seldom hits this end of Sheffield and once the sun went down behind the cricket pavilion on the far side of the ground, it was bloody freezing.
Hallam's opener kind of illustrated the kind of luck Worksop have been having on the pitch this season (first team included).
It looked as though the Tigers keeper Callum Smith had shielded the ball as it was going out for a goal kick, but it held up on the 'difficult' surface and the home side, always on alert for such assistance from the pitch no doubt, knocked the ball back across the face of goal for Harry Hewson to fire home on 33 minutes.
In the second half, Hallam seemed to cope better with attacking up the slope than the visitors had done in the first and just about deserved to go further ahead when Jack Smith made it 2-0.
Both teams had chances to add to that scoreline but neither did ... Hallam were worthy winners in the end
The Tigers Under 19's still have one game to rearrange before the season ends, against Handsworth, who themselves are still in with a chance of the title.
The game was rescheduled for this Thursday, but Handsworth can't raise a side that night having already got two Under 18's games arranged.
So the date for that one still needs to be arranged.
Watch this space.
Hallam FC have ambitious plans to build a new social club,spectator viewing
area and football museum at 'the oldest football ground in the world'.
It looks a bit like a blue and white signal box.