Eastwood & Kimberley - The Dale Club

Eastwood & Kimberley FC
The Dale Club
Jacksdale Miners Welfare
Main Road
Jacksdale
Nottingham
NG16 5HR

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Ground Number: 1208
Saturday 29th July 2023
Eastwood & Kimberley 2-2 Gedling Southbank
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EASTWOOD & KIMBERLEY FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 2011 and has gradually expanded to include women's and charity sides as well as their usual first team. They appear to have started out as a Sunday League team as the earliest record I can find of them is from the 2015/16 season when they finished 6th in the Nottinghamshire Sunday League Division 2. A 4th place finish in 2017 was good enough for promotion to Division 1 where they recorded a 5th place finish. This was good enough for another promotion to the Premier Division for the 2018/19 season where they finished 6th. They then disappeared for a season, at least from that league. When they returned, they took over their reserves place in Division 2 for the 2020/21 season where they finished 4th. Promotion was once more earned and they spent their final season in Sunday football finishing bottom of Division 1. Last season they switched to Saturday football, joining the Notts Senior League Division 3, finishing 12th and will compete there again this coming season. They will be hoping for a better season this time out, it took them until November to get their first win last time, 2-1 against Elston United.

The club is based in Jacksdale, at the Miners Welfare Club. This venue hosted Central Midlands League football for three seasons between 1987 and 1990 when Jacksdale won promotion from Division 2 to Division 1. The village of Jacksdale is located near Selston on the Notts / Derbyshire border with a population of just over 3,000. Actress Samantha Beckinsale, daughter of actor Richard Beckinsale (most famous for playing Godber in the hit sitcom 'Porridge') and half-sister of actress Kate Beckinsale, was born in the village. Pye Hill Pit was based in the village from 1894 until it closed in 1985. The spoil heaps have since been made safe and landscaped for walking, providing access to nearby Jubilee Hill. The nature reserve there demonstrates colonising vegetation and scrub.

The Grey Topper music venue was located in Jacksdale. Many well-known bands and singers appeared there in the 1970s: Dr Feelgood (when called The Pig Boy Charlie Band) as mentioned in Julien Temple's film Oil City Confidential ('the silk top hat club'), Bill Haley, Billy Fury, glam rock band Sweet, Mud, Bay City Rollers, Hot Chocolate, soul legends Ben E King, Geno Washington, Edwin Starr, reggae greats Desmond Dekker and Jimmy Cliff, heavy metal acts UFO, Judas Priest, Saxon. Punk and new wave acts The Stranglers, The Vibrators, UK Subs, The Members, The Ruts, Angelic Upstarts, Ultravox, Adam and the Ants, The Pretenders, Toyah, The Specials, Simple Minds. Inevitably with punk, violence flared, culminating in the Angelic Upstarts riot gig that has gone down in Jacksdale folklore. The story of the Grey Topper is told in the book The Palace and the Punks by Tony Hill.

MY VISIT

As with a lot of hops last season, the United Counties League one had not worked out for me. I needed Hucknall Town, Skegness Town, Southwell City and Newark Town to complete both divisions of the league. I was really pleased when Hucknall, Southwell and Newark were announced as included on this season's hosts list. However, having not booked the time off and not being able to change dates that I'd already booked, I was disappointed when both Southwell and Newark were placed on Sunday, which I think of as the day of Satan due to it being hell at work. However, I still had one ground to do and so decided to make the best of it. Fellow hopper Chris was keen to join me and he played a blinder when he spotted this game as a replacement for Gedling Miners Welfare which we had both done together in 2019. It was a decent railed pitch and both clubs were also good on social media.

Due to the 'late' start at Mickleover, we were pushed for time. We dropped fellow hopper George off in Alfreton before heading to Jacksdale. We were there a few minutes before kickoff. It was a bright start, chances for both. Gedling Southbank took the lead on 27 minutes through a close-range goal by Jordan Coleman. The hosts were dominant though, spurning a number of chances including a free kick blasted high over the bar. On 38 minutes, it was 1-1, a shot blasted home from just inside the area. Right on halftime, it was 2-1 to Eastwood & Kimberley, the visiting keeper unable to keep out a shot from the right at his near post. Gedling hit the right-hand post around 20 minutes into the second half and looked the most likely to score. The visitors equalised on 75 minutes, a long ball found Coleman who beat the keeper to the ball before rounding him and slotting the ball into the empty net to complete his brace.

 

THE GROUND

JACKSDALE MINERS WELFARE is a decent setup. Set in pleasant greenery, the pitch has a fence surround on two sides but no cover. There is a bar at the ground and a small car park. There is also street parking and a chippy and a few pubs further afield.