Saturday 26th December 2020
East Midlands Football League
at the Lido Ground
Clipstone (0) 2
Dan Sorrell 62,
Jack Warwick 63
Rainworth Miners Welfare (1) 2
Ryan Ingram 28, 77
Attendance: 140
An early start at Clipstone afforded a good number of the local football supporting population with an ideal opportunity to do a 'double-header' this afternoon, with AFC Mansfield (just a five minute drive away from the Lido Ground) getting underway at 3PM.
Sadly, this first game of the day didn't kick-off quite early enough for my own purposes and I had to nip off before the end, to carry out my duties at the nearby Forest Town Arena, in readiness for when Silsden were the visitors this afternoon.
In the event, the referee got the Bulls game under way at around 2.55PM meaning that a good number of people missed at least a small part of one, if not both of these games.
Though I appreciate that in the current climate, it's nigh on impossible to plan two weeks in advance, let alone twelve whole months... I pondered, that if per chance next year throws up a similar Boxing Day scenario, perhaps the two home clubs could liaise and get their heads together in advance, so that the opening game of the day could start at 12.30PM instead, giving people more of an opportunity to attend both games, while attracting a good number of neutrals in too, because it is very popular among the groundhopping fraternity to visit more than one game in a day over the festive period.
For the record, both Clipstone and Rainworth are only a five minute drive, or brisk twenty-five (ish) minute hike away from Forest Town, while Ollerton Town and Sherwood Colliery aren't much further away too, so there are quite a few options and possibilities available for staggered kick off times to become a future consideration or even a permanent arrangement.
Any tweaking of the fixtures calendar that could potentially bring in much needed income for local clubs, who've all been taking a financial hit right in the kisser of late, should be explored to the full.
Another possibility could be some non-league clubs in the locality playing their games on a Friday night when Mansfield Town are at home on a Saturday afternoon.
Having done a straw poll among committee people and supporters at a number of clubs, understandably a lot of established bodies are reluctant to change their ways and would prefer to keep their football activities as a Saturday afternoon pursuit. Each to their own, but if you don't want to suck it and see, how you ever going to know if embracing new ideas and giving them a go might actually provide new opportunities and appeal to a larger audience base?
The Central Midlands League have already grasped the nettle and seen a marked improvement in attendances at their 'Floodlit Friday' gatherings, so if it can work at step 7, why wouldn't it have the same desired effect on crowd figures in the higher echelons of the game in the area too? Of course there is no reason whatsoever why the CMFL couldn't be a part of any mutually beneficial arrangement, particularly as their fixtures secretary, my old pal Chris Berezai, is a dab hand at organising multi-game weekend long events elsewhere.
Ryan Ingram's superbly struck free-kick from just outside the Cobras area, arced around Clipstone's defensive wall and nestled snugly into the bottom right hand corner of the net, to break the deadlock in the twenty eighth minute, much to the delight of the gathering of young Rainworth Ultras who were congregated alongside the dug outs.
But having laid the foundations, the Wrens failed to build on their slender advantage and as the game reached the halfway point, there remained just the one goal in it.
Being a man of my word, although I was enjoying the contest that was developing and unfolding at 'Clipo', I left early because AFC Mansfield had a staff shortage, causing a gap in personnel that required plugging, so the remainder of this overview is brought to you via a friend who stayed 'til the end, but missed kick-off at the Forest Town Arena:
"Clipstone got a quick couple of goals just after you'd driven away, but that lad who'd scored the free-kick for Rainworth got another one and it finished 2-2. Clipstone were much better in the second-half and deserved at least a draw"... so now you know.
On my arrival at the Forest Town Arena, a small gathering of early arrivals were gathering outside the gate, which was stuck closed with a handful of club staff wrestling to get it open. I looked around and found a piece a small branch and the problem was soon solved... never underestimate the superpowers of a determined Retfordian with an eight-inch stump!
Hopefully I'll be able to see the whole 90+ minutes when Rainworth and Clipstone meet again at Kirklington Road on Saturday, assuming of course that we're all allowed to go out and play still by then.
You never know what is just around the next corner these days.
Enjoy your football and stay safe :-)
