Harworth Colliery 0 v Hallam 1 - WVH NMU21L North

Screaming Lord Satch - HCFC Chair-person

Thursday 28th September 2018
WVH North Midland U21 Development League
at the Dean & Co. Solicitors Recreation Ground
Scrooby Road, Bircotes
Harworth Colliery (0) 0
Hallam FC (0) 1
Theo Wilson 80
Attendance 91

A great advert for the North Midland Development League, with neither side orbiting the ball towards the Cumulonimbus capillatus, hanging in the overhead stratosphere, but keeping the ball on the deck and fizzing round a string of passes at a rare old speed.

There are those who complain about sides in this league being able to field a small number of over aged players, in what is in essence and by name, a development league, but while it is obviously beneficial for up and coming youngsters to play alongside more experienced players, especially those who are only slightly older and have come up through the club ranks themselves, it does provide a loophole for teams to use to their advantage from time to time that does border on adopting gamesmanship to 'improve their chances'.
However, all teams play by the same regulations and have exactly the same opportunities to, for want of a better word, 'exploit' the rule book to their own end and though I doff my cap to those who adhere to the honourable principles of exclusive fielding players of a development league age.

But. if everyone else is doing it and it's legit, even though that goes against the grain with several people, does taking such a stance and going it alone as regards the age of all of your players, merely represent a case of cutting of your nose off to spike ones own face?
Personally, I was glad that the only Under 21 side I worked with never used over aged players, but that didn't give us any platform, built moral high ground, to lord it up over and criticise any other clubs for the way that they kept their house and ran their development teams within the rules and therefore the actual spirit of the competition.
Either way, it was great to see Matty Bradley and Kenzi Tomlinson in action for the Colliery side tonight... and, of course. Michael Fereday for the 'Countrymen' and it's hardly as if any of them exactly fall into the ancient journeymen category for at least another couple of decades yet, is it!?

It soon became apparent that scribbling a detailed ledger of notes about the game down was going to be a pointless exercise, because I would never be able to use them all, not even in a 'two parter' blog post, because the game was ebbing a flowing one way then the other and keeping an eye on the action while frantically recording the events, would have left me resembling Marty Feldman after a long night on acid tabs and hot-light cultivated magic mushrooms.
For the benefit of our younger viewers who don't know who Mr Feldman was, he was a very funny, but particularly creepy looking comedy actor, who appeared in a string of 'cult' movies, co-wrote the famous 'Four Yorkshireman' comic sketch that the Monty Python crew get all of the credit for and would've been the best Doctor Who ever, if only those who did the casting for the role of suitable Time Lords would've had enough nous and balls to approach him.

Harworth Colliery U21

It was frantic fast tempo, end to end stuff from start to finish... and inevitably, when athletic young men are charging around at breakneck pace, it is inevitable that there will be the odd bump and scrape to deal with along the way. Sadly for Hallam's Aaron Partlett, he took a sizeable whack on his ankle while making a last ditch challenge early in the game and couldn't carry on,but hopefully it bodes well for the lad that it appeared as though the application of plenty of ice was the only treatment he is going to need, when he limped back from the luxurious dressing rooms at the Recreation Ground, to watch the last twenty five minutes or so of tonight's closely fought encounter.

The visitors went close to take the lead, when Jake Squires released Danny Bent with a well weighted through ball,  that Adam Rotherforth did well to reach first and intercept... but when the same two players went head to head moments later, Bent caught the 'Colliery' keeper with a late challenge, which led to a few moments of handbags at ten paces, as testosterone fuelled players ran over to shout at Sam Clayton, the match referee (and each other). I'm sure he will have been glad of the opportunity to nip any potential fracas in the bud and suitably impress his assessor who was in attendance tonight.

Hallam FC U21

Right at the start of the second half, Rotherforth saved well from Bent, as the two of them continued their own private battle of wits.

Bradley broke on the right for the hosts and picked out Louis Maguire with a great delivery, but his flicked header towards towards the top corner was clawed away by Ted Claxton at full stretch.

Just after the hour mark, Bradley showed another turn of pace and crossed towards Maquire, who rose to meet the ball with his head again, but didn't reach it because he was unceremoniously barged out of the way, leaving Mr Clayton with no option but to blow up and point to the penalty spot without hesitation.

The Colliery captain Ross Wicks took responsibility for the penalty kick, which he struck powerfully, beyond the reach of Claxton, with precision... and an almighty ping, as the sound of the ball crashing back off of the left hand post resonated loudly around the Scrooby Road ground, while we all hoped and prayed that the noise hadn't disturbed even more of those pesky Mosquitoes that are attracted from out of the 'swamp' on the disused pit site by the floodlights.

'The Pav'
Don't anyone let Tash know but my membership subs are overdue

Harworth had done enough to deserve something out of this game, if only a draw, but in the 80th minute, Theo Wilson latched onto a free kick from out on the left wing and drilled the ball past Rotherforth to claim the only goal of the night.

The Colliery were almost on level terms right at the death, but when Wilkinson got on the end of yet another quality ball from Bradley, his shot deflected wide of the post.

FT: Harworth Colliery U21 0 v Hallam U21 1

It was great to catch up with some familiar faces tonight... next time one of you is around, I will let the Blond Beelzebub out of her cage so the two of you can have some 'girly time' in the bar, while us blokes put the world to rights and deal with all the grown up stuff ;-) She was gutted to have missed you Mrs Smith.

Well played both sides, that was a really enjoyable game... and special thanks to the wonderful Brenda for the loan of that stumpy mosquito repellent thing you always have with you. 

You can have him back now!!!