Frickley Athletic 5 v Athersley Recreation 1 - S&HFA Senior Cup R3

Tuesday 5th December 2017
Sheffield & Hallamshire Senior Cup Third Round
at the Big Fellas Westfield Lane Stadium
AKA the Wezziecana, South Elmsall
Frickley Athletic (2) 5
Danny Frost 26, Jacob Hazel 38, 62,
Tom Dugdale 69, Gavin Allott 90
Athersley Recreation (0) 1
Simon Poole 85
Admission £5. Programme £2. Attendance 140

I used to enjoy reading and partaking in the banter on the Frickley Athletic fans forum, but I hardly ever even look at it nowadays, because of all the negativity, sh*t stirring, rumour mongering, misinformed sabre rattling and occasional downright fibs that have been finding their way onto there of late. Best practice appears to be steering clear of this particular 'chat-room' until they introduce an 'ignore this poster' facility, to sieve out any mischief making, spamming and trolling.

Each to their own, but vindictive individuals playing at being a fly in the ointment and stretching the truth out of anything and everything to try and make it fit their own fairly obvious agenda isn't for me; and it's a real shame that the forum has taken such a turn for the worse, because as regards every other aspect of the club's media innovations and communications, the calibre of people that they have on board to that end couldn't be any better, and their collective input continues to gather momentum as they go from strength to strength.

Before kick off we were given a tour of the recently opened 'Building Products Solutions Building' by our extremely lovely guide Penny Wall. The new dressing rooms (all six of them) are massive and incorporate physio and first aid facilities along spacious shower rooms. The new facilities mark a massive leap in the right direction for Frickley Athletic, compared to the olde world rooms they used to use beneath the main stand. 

Besides the luxury surroundings for players and an impressive reception area, the club secretary Ruth Simpson also has her own well appointed and heated office, which is a million miles away from the confined space where match-day operations used to be run from; well it's more like a hundred yards diagonally across the pitch, but you get my drift. 

And the jewel in the crown is a large function suite, that can be hired out for formal occasions or be used as a place where local societies and groups can hold their get meetings. 

The suite incorporates catering amenities too, namely: the Keepmoat Kitchen. 

And you don't have to duck at regular intervals to avoid hitting your head on the girders that were part and parcel of strolling through the passageway beneath the stand. What's not to like!? 

Potentially the buildings are a great source of income for the football club. I was even tempted to sign up for the 'Booty Camp' fitness sessions that are held there myself, but only in a spectator capacity.

As of Boxing Day this year, when Stocksbridge Park Steels are the visitors, Frickley Athletic will be incorporating match sponsorship for home games and fully utilising their new rooms, for further details click HERE. 

Of course, the very welcoming Big fellas Social Club is still open within the ground itself and doing a roaring trade, where 'mein host' the equally lovely Neil, awaits your custom with a charming smile and pleasant demeanour... and of course, the pie, peas, chips (and mint sauce) from the kiosk at the home of the 'Blues', is the food of the Gods.

Frickley have won the Sheffield & Hallamshire Cup a (joint) record fourteen times (along with Sheffield Wednesday).

The first occasion was during the 1927-28 season, when they beat Ardsley Athletic 3-1 at Hampden Road. For purposes of clarification, that isn't the home of the Scottish national team, but a slightly more modest ground in Mexborough, that has been the home ground for several South Yorkshire teams over the years and is currently used by Swinton Athletic. Frickley lost last years final at Bramall Lane against Shaw Lane.

Athersley have won the competition once, when they beat Frickley 1-0 in the 2013-14 cup final, at Hillsborough in front of a crowd of 607, on a night that it must be said, both teams got exactly what they deserved silverware wise, i.e the 'Penquins' were impressive while the 'Blues'... err, weren't.

Tonight's hosts currently occupy a top six spot in the Evo-Stik North Premier League (South) table, while the Rec' are seventeenth in the next division down from Frickley, the Northern Counries East Laegue (Premier Division), but comfortably clear, points wise, of the clubs who are facing a relegation battle.

As the teams emerged from the space age tech dressing rooms and entered the field of play, with Frickley in their traditional royal blue and white and Athersley sporting their change strip, I overheard somebody saying: "I thought that penguins were supposed to be black and white, not orange!" Hmm... that just goes to show what you know then, doesn't it!?

Not as big as they used to be, but eight for a quid in Asda

As regards this seasons S&HFA Senior Cup, both sides got a bye in the first round, and in the second Frickley won 4-0 at Sheffield FC and Athersley travelled to Dinnington Town, where they triumphed 3-0.

The visitors gave a good account of themselves tonight, with a lot of their play passing through their captain Ryan White, as is the Athersley tradition, but I don't think that the final outcome was ever in any doubt.

The hosts had the first chance of the night, when Nicky Darker's right wing delivery produced an impressively lengthy bout of head tennis in the 'Penguins' area, but just as the umpire was about to declare a tie-break, the ball broke loose to Lewis Szanto on the edge of the area, but he shot straight at Jordan Greaves, the Athersley keeper.

Dane Hodgson broke into the 'Blues' penalty area, but Teddy Bloor kept tight on him and forced the Athersley number eight wide and forced him to shoot from too tight an angle to get the ball on target.

The 'Penquins' midfield lynch pin (R) White, threaded a long pass into the path of James Eyles, but Seb Malkowski had read the situation and advanced quickly from his line to claim the ball.

Adam White drilled the ball on target from outside the 'Blues' area, but the 'Pole in the goal' was down quickly to his right to turn the ball round the upright.

Both sides were looking to break the deadlock in what was an open start to the game, but Frickley took the lead in the twenty sixth minute, when Jocob Hazel delivered a great diagonal knock over the visitors defence, that found it's way through to Bloor on the right hand side of the area, who delivered a slide rule pass across the face of the goal, to Danny Frost whose first touch with his right foot was blocked, but his second with his left bulged the net.

This is, of course, the same Teddy Bloor (above left) who played for the Mansfield Town U18 side for the last two seasons, who won back to back league titles.

It's great to hear so many people at the 'Wezziecana' praising his input this season to the Frickley cause, where he is on loan from the Stags until the end of the current season. 

Hazel was chasing the record of having scored in eleven consecutive games for Frickley, but found himself denied twice in quick succession when Greaves smothered his ball across the face of goal from out on the left and then tipped his thumping effort from eighteen yards over the bar.

On thirty eight minutes, the 'Blues' doubled their lead when Jack Burton's left wing corner picked out Hazel on the edge of the box and he rifled it past Greaves, via the slightest of deflections off of Frost's head. Following much deliberation, the goal was awarded to Hazel and as such, the official club line must be adhered too. Personally, I've no doubt that Hazel's strike was destined for the back of the net anyway, with or without glancing off of Frost's head. Either way, it was a Frickley goal and subsequently they upped the ante towards the end of the first half and a good exchange of passes between Richard Patterson and Fabian Bailey down the left flank, saw the latter pick out Frost with a cross, but his close range downward header was well saved.
HT: Athletic 2 v Recreation 0

Keith has been sat there since he joined Frickley Athletic from
Grimethorpe in 1926 and nobody has ever seen him move yet.

After the break, the Penguins tried to p-p-p-p-pick up the pace, but Spencer Fearn's side were frustrating their Barnsley based visitors and moving the ball around well... inviting Athersley on but keeping possession well and waiting patiently for another opportunity to break forward and finish the game off. Frost peppered a string of balls into the Athersley area, but both Hazel and Szanto were being crowded out.
Tom Dugdale and Gavin Allott were both introduced from the bench for the 'Blues' and made a big impact on the full time result. Allott's first touch saw him sprint forward after receiving a well weighted fifty yard pass from Bloor along the right flank, but Cameron Clark hooked his cross away before it could reach Dugdale.
But it was the prolific and in form striker Hazel who delivered the 'Blues' third goal, with a flash of individual brilliance, when he picked up the ball in D on the edge of the area, motored forward to the right and planted a left foot shot across the face of the Athersley goal and into the bottom left hand corner of the net. It's no wonder this guy has a flag of his own dedicated to him.

Dugdale was in a rampant mood, wanting to put the game out of Athersley's reach once and for all, he smashed an angled shot from twelve yards against the right hand post and was denied by a worldly of a save from Greaves when the rebound fell back into his path.
Hazel tried putting Allott through on goal, but the visitors cleared the ball away and moments later, Dugdale crossed from the right but Allott directed his powerful header over the bar.
Frickley's fourth goal was a real team effort; Bloor won the ball out on the right and rolled it to Hazel on his left before sprinting forwaed in support of his attack, Hazel nudged it forward to Darker who released Allott with a sublime knock through the right channel that caught Athersley flat footed, Allott played the ball across the area, Bloor unselfishly left it and Dugdale spanked a shot into the visitors net from ten yards. End to end football par excellence.

With five minutes remaining, Athersley showed that they had a trick or two in their arsenal as well, when a deft back heel on the edge of the Frickley area by Eyles, freed Simon Poole through the left channel and he sprinted forward, waited for Malkowski to commit himself and then planted the ball through the advancing keeper's legs.
In the final minute Allott added a fifth to Frickley's total, when he picked up the ball from a flick on just inside the Athersley half and slalomed his way through several challenges, advanced on Greaves from the left hand side of the area and picked his spot with an emphatic finish.
FT: Frickley Athletic 5 v Athersley Recreation 1
The South Elmsall public can be an unforgiving crowd when the need arises, but they were generous in their praise and applause for both sides tonight, as they celebrated reaching the next round of the County Cup.

It's back to league action for both teams on Saturday, with Frickley heading down the A1 to take on Peterborough Sports, while Athersley welcome in form Bottesford Town to Sheerien Park.