Immingham Town 2 v Skegness Town 0 - Lincs League Challenge Cup

Saturday 28th October 2017

Balcan Lighting Supplies Lincolnshire Football League Challenge Cup

at the Immingham Sports Complex

Immingham Town (2) 0
Liam Vanderweele 2
Gary Nimmo 45 pen

Skegness Town (0) 0
Admission free. Programme £1. Attendance 46 HC
Picture gallery inc. old ground photos click HERE
Thanks to Mr Allan Gray from Skegness Town, for the team line up details.

Skegness narrowly beat Immingham in a Lincolnshire League fixture at the Vertigo Stadium on Wainfleet Road, just two weeks ago, in what was a closely contested game that ultimately proved to be a hard fought home win for Nick Chapman's 'Skeg', who leapfrogged over today's opponents in the table as a consequence, courtesy of a goal apiece by Jake Gibson and Sam Turner, either side of Gary Nimmo's fifty ninth minute penalty strike for the visitors.
This afternoon's rematch saw these sides go head to head, in a Challenge Cup game... and they'll face each other yet again, at this very ground, on Saturday November 11th in the Supplementary Cup. That game has a 1.30pm kick off, if you fancy checking out what Immingham Town, Skegness Town and the Lincolnshire League itself have to offer... and from what I've seen over the past fortnight, it would be a tiddy investment of an afternoon's worth of your football watching schedule to make a trip to Lydford Road, Immingham, DN40 1HA, just saying.

Last Saturday the Pilgrims progress was thwarted on the outskirts of Lincoln, when they missed the chance to climb back above the Lilywhites, after succumbing to a one-nil defeat at Ruston Sports, where Sam Coulson scored the only goal of the game at Newark Road.
Elsewhere, 'Skeggy' won four-one against in a Supplementary Cup game against Brigg Town Reserves at the Hawthorns, and yours truly made good use of my new Jacamo wind proof coat on a blustery afternoon at the wild and windy Wong, the home of Horncastle Town, where the 'Wongers' convincingly saw off CGB Humbertherm by five goals to nil.
Maybe if I mention the name of the company (Jacamo) that produce clothing for big lumps like me often enough, they'll send me some free thermal socks or something... it's always worth a try.

The last few times that I travelled to watch Immingham Town play at home, were all before they folded in 1995 and subsequently reformed two years ago, when they played their home games, in the NCEL, at a floodlit ground on Woodlands Avenue.
Sadly during their fallow years, the old ground has become a bit overgrown and during the interim, the clubhouse facility there was burnt down as well.
The club chairman Johnny Walker has spearheaded a campaign to restore the site of the former ground and made it his first avowed intent, to give the Town it's main football venue back, and from what I've heard from people in the locality, that there's no discouragement that shall make him once relent.

But in the meantime, the Pilgrims have taken up residence at the Immingham Sports Complex at the end of Lydford Road, although they have also played a few games at a ground on Blossom Way.
Fingers crossed that the project to take Immingham Town back to Woodlands Avenue can overcome a minefield of obstacles and the council planning department will play ball with them any time soon, because the foundations of the club are in place, as are the right calibre of people to make a real go of things here.
Developing the Sports Complex they're currently using, or even the nearby Oasis Academy, as a suitable ground, to fulfil the requisite grading criteria, were Immingham Town to ever apply for promotion any time soon, would throw up many new problems as neither are exclusively used for football.

I did hear a (completely unofficial) suggestion, that with Cleethorpes Town and Grimsby Borough both moving out of the shared Bradley Road football ground in Grimsby, it might be ideal for Immingham to use the vacated premises as their base, albeit as a temporary measure, until such a time as they can utilise a site within their home town. Such a relocation would actually only entail moving a distance of around nine miles and 'Bradley' is less than a twenty minute drive away via Great Coates.
But it's going to be a delicate and challenging scenario to tackle when the time comes to face up to it, possibly even as soon as the end of this season. Because from what I saw this afternoon, the majority of the home support arrived on foot and the Pilgrims are a part of the local community. Woodlands Avenue is obviously the preferred option that is best for all concerned, but only time will tell if North East Lincolnshire Council will see things that way, or if Immingham Town FC might have to adopt a 'needs must' policy for the foreseeable future.

Joe Strummer, the former front man of The Clash, is quoted on the official Pilgrims website (how radical is that?), where they coin the phrase: "The future is unwritten", a slogan that was originally written to inspire people to take control of their own destiny and make things happen.
Very fitting methinks... as is my choice of song.
If you ever feel inclined to have a wander around the Woodlands Avenue enclosure, to see for yourself just how ideal a location it is as a local football ground, and how blatantly obvious it is that the place is crying out for a restoration job, part funded (at least) with council backing; you can do so, by taking a walk down the track that leads past the allotments behind the Lectec factory, next to the WELCOME TO THE TOWN OF IMMINGHAM sign at the top of this post, on Manby Road, just off the the fork in the A1173, without even disturbing the neighbours on Woodlands Avenue itself, where there is another entrance.

Two red dots, five minutes drive apart, mark
both Woodlands Avenue and Lydford Road

But be warned though, you won't half get some funny looks from the dog walkers who exercise their pets around the perimeter, if you take photos of the dishevelled enclosure to use on a blog site and/or run around the pitch with an imaginary ball while providing a running live commentary, oblivious to the fact that you've got an audience.
The place is heaped in football nostalgia and it makes you feel inclined to behave in that way... or so I'm told!

With the Immingham Sports Complex being a public thoroughfare, Immingham are another Lincs League team who don't charge anything for admission, but they do produce a full colour 16 page programme that costs £1 and serve hot and cold drinks and snacks from a serving hatch, where two pleasant ladies made me a strong cup of proper coffee for a mere 50p, there is none of this Skinny Latte and Costa(lot) pretentious stuff here.

As the teams emerged into the bright sun, to play out what proved to be yet another entertaining encounter, despite the windy conditions, the skies seemed to turn grey at the exact moment that the match referee Kevin Booth blew his whistle to get the game underway and then stayed that way, pretty much, for the remainder of the afternoon.

Immingham Town:
Joe Turner, Callum  Day, Dan Simpson, Craig Mitchell, Liam Vanderweele, Dean Lodge, Carl Price, Darren Hanslip, Gary Nimmo, John Waugh, Scott Raworth (C)
Subs - Craig Larder, Tom Hobson, Stefan Melin, David Deane, Matthew Hanton
Skegness Town:
Travis Portas, Courtney Warren, Jordan Turner, Dan Stevens, Corey Cuncliffe, Jordan Smith, Luke Raynor-Mistry, George Hobbins, Sam Turner, Jordan Potts, Jake Gibson
Subs - Joshua Nwokobia, Aaron Scutt, Wade Hurst

The game was just two minutes old when Immingham opened the scoring, when Carl Price lashed the ball across the visitors area from a short corner routine out on the right, to Gary Nimmo whose shot on the turn rebounded into the path of Liam Vanderweele, who drilled his shot past Travis Portas from close range.

Dan Simpson motored forward on the left flank, but Portas gathered his swerving cross, before colliding with a team mate in mid air and crashing to the ground. It wouldn't be the last time that the 'Skeg' goalie would end up in a crumpled heap this afternoon, going in for the ball where any completely sane person would never have ventured, and he must've been covered in all manner of bumps and bruises by the time he got back into the changing room for a shower at the end of the game.

George Hobbins and Jake Gibson were trying to find a way through to Immingham's goal, along with Jordan Turner who was pushing up on the left in support, but Dan Lodge and the Pilgrims back line looked solid. Perhaps a bit too solid for Mr Booth's liking, who penalised Vanderweele for a strong challenge as he went in heavily for a 50/50 ball with Jordan Smith twenty yards from the home side's goal. Smith dusted himself down and took the fee kick himself, but his low shot fizzed wide of the upright.

Hobbins tripped Darren Hanslip in the middle of the park and Immingham attacked from the resulting free kick and John Waugh tested Portas from distance, but the 'Skeggy' keeper got down well to save by the foot of the post.

Jordan Potts kept the ball alive out on the flank when it looked destined to go out for a throw in and played it down the line to Smith, who flicked it first time into the path of Sam Turner, but Joe Turner was out quickly from his line to cut out the danger.

With Corey Cuncliffe tucking in behind Smith and doing the spadework, the visitors number six seemed to be pivotal to everything that Skegness were doing, but Scott Raworth was tracking back and man marking the Lilywhites play maker, while Price, the Pilgrims number seven, who I'd describe as a wide left midfielder with a free reign to pop up just about anywhere, was having a great shift and causing Skegness no end of problems.

And it was Price who almost doubled the lead, when Nimmo unselfishly laid the ball off to him, but Courtney Warren made a timely interception.

Joe Turner got his body behind a daisy cutter of a free kick from Smith and was back in action again thirty seconds later when he went down at the feet of Gibson to cut out a through ball from Hobbins.

While at the other end Portas saved a long range free kick from Callum Day and took yet another knock in the process of doing so. Tip of the day... don't wear bright pink next week, it makes you an easy target.

Vanderweele showed that he could be just as thorough in front of his own goal as he was the oppositions at the outset of the game, when he flattened Gibson just outside the Pilgrims area.
Gibson crashed the free kick against the cross bar and Turner saved well when Luke Raynor-Mistry took the rebound in his stride and unleashed a fierce shot from close range, but the loose ball spun up in the air and Warren leaped to meet it as it dropped down and powered a header into the roof of the net.
I'm not sure why the goal (pictured above) was ruled out, but I was scribbling notes down and taking pictures at the time, while the referee had an assistant level with play who must've seen something I didn't.
These things balance themselves out in the end... or so they reckon.
Turner broke forward for the Lilywhites, or Primrose Yellows as they were today, but at the end of surging sixty yard run, couldn't quite keep his shot down.

Right on the stroke of half time, Dan Stevens got into a tangle with Craig Mitchell as he cut in towards the visitors goal, just inside the penalty area and the referee, taking his cue from his assistant who was in line with the incident, blew up and pointed to the spot.
Turner remonstrated with Mr Booth and protested so vociferously, that he talked/shouted his way into a booking... a caution that would prove to be costly later in the game.
Portas guessed which way Nimmo was going to place his spot kick, but couldn't reach it, while I just about managed to get a blurred picture of Immingham's second goal going in on my antiquated mobile phone.
HT: Pilgrims 2 v Lilywhites 0

A quick recap of my first half notes, reached the conclusion that while Skegness had some young and very skilful lads in their ranks, such as Jordan Potts and Luke Raynor-Mistry, who could probably un-peel an orange in your pocket with his left foot without you even noticing, and of course the guile and craft of Jordan Smith, the Pilgrims, with all due respect, had players of the ilk of Nimmo, Lodge, Mitchell, Waugh and Vanderweele, who could easily be mistaken for a cut throat hit mob, and for all of their niceties, these were exactly the sort of players that the visitors actually needed to grind out a result on a roped off pitch, on the exposed expanse of a big, open and long cut field, in the middle of windswept Immingham. 

The experience will have been invaluable for the fleet of foot 'Skeggy' lads, who were obviously being kept under close observation after making such a big impact the last time these two sides met.

In his programme notes, Gary Nimmo had mentioned about tiredness being a telling factor in the game at the Vertigo Stadium, so I don't think I'd be far wrong in saying that the youthful visiting players were getting nipped in the bud today, so to speak, by a side who wanted to conserve their energy rather than chase energetic teenagers around the pitch all afternoon. It was an effective approach and ultimately it worked in Immingham's favour and saw them through to the next round.

The second half performance of the home side's keeper also played a big part in their win, because although clear cut chances were at a premium after the break, Turner must've had three whole Shredded Wheat at half time and possibly even changed into a pair of inflatable gloves.

It is no exaggeration to say that his contribution to Skegness's downfall was immense.

Kinnel! When they said they were pulling him off
after half time they really, really meant it.

The visitors were trying to get back into the game, but Immingham weren't in any kind of mood to surrender their two goal cushion.

Cuncliffe connected with Smith's corner, but Vanderweele blocked his effort and the 'Skeg' number five could only turn the rebound into Turner's arms.

Smith delivered a long free kick into the Immingham area, but Turner had read the flight of the ball well and claimed it for himself.

Stevens and Raynor-Mistry both tried to catch Turner out from long range, but he made two almost identical saves, at full stretch down by his left hand post.

With the visitors pushing men forward, Simpson spotted that Portas had strayed from his line in the virtually deserted visitors half of the pitch, so he whacked the ball forward from all of fifty yards but his audacious effort bounced just over the crossbar.

As the game went into the final ten minutes, it was becoming a midfield scrap, with Immingham closing down the game as much as possible and the visitors battling tooth and nail to find a breakthrough.
Challenges were flying in and the referee needed a revolving head and six pairs of eyes to stay on top of what was unfolding around him, as several players interpreted his insistence on letting the game flow as much as possible with a laissez-faire approach, as a free licence to get stuck in for all they were worth. Sadly for Jordan Turner, one thing that Mr Booth did spot, was his off the ball shove and as he reached for his pocket it was apparent that the visitors were going to have to see out what was left of the game with ten men.

Skegness reshuffled their pack and knew that there was only one option left open to them now.... CHARGE!!!

Smith drilled the ball forward for Gibson to chase, but Turner sprinted out to reach the ball first.

Hobbins made himself a yard of space twenty yards from goal, but lifted his shot over the bar.

Stefam Melin, came on late from the bench for Immingham and gave them some fresh impetus, offering the Pilgrims more options from put on the left wing within moments of coming on, as the hosts looked to nail the lid down on this cup game, but 'Skeg' stood up to the Pilgrims pressure and continued their stampeded towards their hosts goal.

Gibson crashed a shot just wide of the post, that hit an unfortunate spectator who was trying to take photographs... Ouch! I'll get you back for that!

Deep into stoppage time Turner pulled off a great double save, blocking Smith's angled shot, before recovering quickly to deny Joshua Nwokobia as well.

FT: Immingham Town 2 v Skegness Town 0

Congratulations to Immingham on progressing through to the next round of the Challenge Cup, but by heck! 'Skeggy' had a right go at getting back into it right at the end.

I don't think it would be exaggerating any, if I was to actually thank both of these sides for providing this neutral traveller with yet another great afternoon's entertainment... and the friendly welcome that I received from people who are connected to both sides was greatly appreciated too. 

Forza Lincolnshire!