Hillsborough Pumas FC
Firvale
Owler Lane
Sheffield
South Yorkshire
S4 8GB
Ground Number: 1248
Saturday 2nd December
Hillsborough Pumas 3-2 Brunsmeer Athletic
Sheffield Fair Play D1
HILLSBOROUGH PUMAS FC - A BRIEF HISTORY
There is very little information on the club, but their badge denotes a 2000 formation date. They have various teams of all ages and in terms of adult teams, they compete in Sunday Football. The team I was going to see was their Saturday team who play in the Sheffield Fair Play League. This is a competition that is off-pyramid and one of the few to play on Saturday mornings. The Sheffield & District Fair Play League (SDFPL) was set up in 1998 to provide local churches in the Sheffield district to play football in a safe, friendly but competitive environment, away from the more physical Saturday/Sunday pub leagues. Hillsborough Pumas were Division 1 champions in 2020, having only recently joined the league, at least according to my research. They were runners-up to City Central the following year and then again to Hammers and Pincers in 2022. Last season was another battle with Hammers and Pincers with Hillsborough Pumas snatching the title on goal difference.
MY VISIT
With me stopping over in Doncaster on Friday night, I wanted to make the most of all the money I had laid out on petrol and a hotel room. This meant a Saturday morning game and the most obvious choice was something in the Sheffield & District Fair Play League. The grounds were not the most exciting, but something decent could be found if you looked hard enough. I had initially intended on dipping down into Division 3 and watching JBM Sports v Dronfield at Frecheville Sports Club. This was a nice venue with a railed pitch and a small stand. However, it soon became apparent that the weather was going to be frozen and so a 3G was needed. Hillsborough Pumas was ideal as they had a Twitter account and were one of the leading teams in Division 1.
From my game at York on Friday night, it was a fair wait to get out of the car park. Half an hour later, I was back at my room by 11,15. Travelodge was what it was, reliable but the location was a bit dull. I typed my blog, had a few drinks while watching YouTube, and was asleep by 2. It wasn't the best night's sleep with me waking at 7, well before my alarm. At least it wouldn't be a rush and my room was a pleasant enough place to spend time. I left at 9.20 as I needed to get petrol on my way to the game. Tesco was en route and reasonably priced. I was at Firdale by 10.20, parking my car on the street. It was a bit of a run-down area but I was glad when I saw it was game on. Even 3G pitches had frost on them in this weather though. Around fifteen hardy souls had opted to come along and watch this morning's game.
Both sides had played four games, Hillsborough Pumas having a 100% record. They played last week, beating Beerhouse 9-0. Brunsmeer Athletic's form was a little more patchy, they had won one, drawn two and lost one of their games. Their last game was an 8-2 victory at Penistone Church Development, their first of the season. The game kicked off late at 10.38. Hillsborough were edging it but Brunsmeer took the lead on 12 minutes. It was a shot from 15 yards, a real error from the home keeper as he fumbled the ball at his near post. They doubled their lead on 26 minutes, a deflected shot from 20 yards finding the top right corner. Brunsmeer were soaking up the pressure well but on 38 minutes Hillsborough Pumas pulled one back. A man was taken down in the area but an excellent pass still found Sam Firth who finished from six yards. Half-time was at 11.24 and only lasted four minutes. There were quite a few injuries which would add time later but it wasn't a dirty game. The hosts had the lion's share of possession but didn't threaten for the most part. It looked as if it wasn't going to be their day when on 80 minutes their #10 scuffed a shot wide after failing to make a proper connection with the ball. On 85 minutes, they finally did equalise, a great through ball finding Matty Cowen who shot home on the turn from six yards. A great save in injury time by the visiting keeper nearly preserved his side a point but there was still time for a late winner. A minute from time a cross found Sami Eric who finished from ten yards to send the home team into wild celebration. There were no more goals but it had been an excellent introduction to the league.
THE GROUND
Firvale is a 3G cage situated within the grounds of a school. Facilities are very sparse but it does have the benefit of standing space all around. There is no rail or signage but it's good enough if you need a late replacement or something for a morning game.
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