Worsbrough Bridge Athletic - Park Road

Worsbrough Bridge Athletic

Park Road

Worsbrough

Barnsley

South Yorkshire

S70 5LJ

07951 121222
Official Website
Twitter

Ground Number: 761
Wednesday 21st March 2017
Worsbrough Bridge Athletic 3-6 Retford United
NCEL D1





WORSBROUGH BRIDGE ATHLETIC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was formed in 1923 as Worsborough Bridge St James and has also been known as Worsborough Bridge Miners Welfare for part of its history. They played in local Barnsley and Sheffield Leagues for much of their history before joining the Yorkshire League in 1971. They started in Division 3 but won successive promotions in their first 2 seasons to get up to Division 1. The second half of the 70's saw two relegations to see the club back where they started the decade. In 1982 they became founder members of the newly-formed Northern Counties East League. The first 10 years saw several reorganisations of the league and mixed results but since 1991 they've been in Division 1. Highlights have included a runners-up spot behind Hatfield Main in 1995 although recent seasons have seen them struggle and they currently sit just outside the relegation zone.



Worsborough Bridge have not competed in the FA Cup since 2002 with their record progress being the 1st Qualifying Round. In the FA Vase, their best season came in 1990 when they beat Hallam, Ilkeston Town, Denaby United and Heanor Town before a defeat to Great Harwood Town in the 3rd Round. Local cup wins include the Sheffield Association League Cup in 1966 whilst they were runners-up in the Sheffield Senior Cup in 1974. Famous former players to turn out for the club include Mick McCarthy and Geoff Horsfield. Worsborough itself is a suburb of Barnsley and has a population of around 9,500.



MY VISIT

I left my game at Hucknall at 4 with plenty of time to spare. Wanting to kill time, I popped in for a look at Phoenix FC near Rotherham but it was just a social club with a load of pitches, so I didn't bother getting pictures. Even with the rush hour traffic, I was parked up outside Worsbrough Bridge by 5.30, so decided to go in the search of dinner, having not eaten since breakfast. Even though it was drizzly, I decided to walk. My original plan was to go into Barnsley on the bus for shops and a pub, but with a long drive home after, I decided against it. The ‘Taste Of China’ was above average and I had a decent salt and chilli chips with chicken satay skewers for £6.50. I got back to my car at 6.20, killing time by typing some of my blog and reading an essay about England at Italia 90. The rain had started to come down heavier by now, so at 7, I left my car and went into the ground. Entry was a well priced £5 and the programme was £1. It was a fairly thin effort with not much to read, but it made up for it a bit by being well presented. I’d heard about them doing a great pork pie, but all I could see on the side was an Asda steak pie, so not being hungry, I didn’t bother. I did have a bovril though and this helped me warm up as I sat in their club room, waiting for the game to start. I did have chips and gravy at halftime, these were tasty and excellent value at £1.25. Before the game, I spotted a fellow groundhopper and Retford fan who had come along to support his team tonight and we had a good catch up.



I’d noted that the two teams had shipped a massive 166 goals between them so far this season, but when I checked the scoreline of the reverse game, it had been a goalless draw. A repeat would not be welcome and I was hoping to see a few goals.  The visitors were up against it in the opening period of the game, Worsborough had opted to kick down the pronounced slope first half and were taking full advantage, hitting the bar after a quarter of an hour and having other half chances. Retford started to get back into it and they took the lead on 40 minutes through a deflected own goal by Josh Dacre. The slope allowed the visitors to have a bright start to the second half and they came close to extending their lead on more than one occasion. It was 2-0 on 46 minutes, a terrific shot from 25 yards by Kyle Sambor that flew past the keeper. Worsbrough pulled one back just before the hour mark. A free kick was awarded just inside the Retford half and Lee Morris poked home from a few yards out after Retford failed to clear their lines. However, the hosts' joy was short-lived as less than a minute later, Retford restored their two-goal lead. This time a good through ball found Quino de Ataide Dias who had a simple finish past the keeper. Worsbrough just wouldn't lie down and they made it 3-2 when on 66 minutes Morris got his second when he latched onto a great through ball and rounded the keeper. But again Retford regained their lead almost immediately when de Ataide Dias got his second a few minutes later through a low diagonal shot from the edge of the area, 4-2 and game seemingly over.  Ben Gresch-Brooksbank had other ideas though, on 71 minutes, making it 4-3 when he turned in a cross from the left at the far post. The game hung in the balance until the last few minutes but Retford confirmed the win thanks to Kyle Sambor. On 86 minutes he latched onto a long ball and wrongfooted the keeper before tapping the ball into the empty net. On 89 minutes Sambor completed his hat trick, scoring from the penalty spot after a foul just inside the area.

Worsbrough first goal from tonight

A post shared by Russell Cox (@russ_wwfc) on Mar 21, 2018 at 6:28pm PDT

It had been a good evening in great company and to cap it all, I won £20 on the 'pick a team' scratchcard by picking Middlesbrough. It's something that I have extraordinary luck with - despite the odds being something like 30-1 each time, I've won on 3 out of the last 4 times I've played. The game had been excellent too, one of the best I've seen this season. The only disappointment was that they didn't have any of the pork pies I'd heard about on fellow hopper Laurence's blog, though to be fair, that was written around 5 years ago. I set everything up for the journey home, pleased that Wycombe had won too, 3-2 against Crawley. Leaving at 9.50, I had a good run home, despite a fair few lane closures. Thanks to podcasts and music, the journey home went really quickly and I  got through the door just after half midnight. I said hello to my Dad who had just returned from holiday and caught up with Twitter. I wasn't tired in the slightest, so I watched Coronation Street and YouTube before going to sleep around 2.30 am.



THE GROUND

PARK ROAD is a decent ground for step 6 and would probably be fine a couple of levels higher up. The stand holds around 200 and there are also a further two areas
of covered standing, adding another 200. The rest of the ground is open and has a few more steps of terracing and some good elevated areas for an overall capacity of 2000.

The ground is located around 2 miles from Barnsley and is on the main bus route. Parking isn't great, with a small and tight car park but at least there is street parking. Nearer by, there's an Indian restaurant a couple of minutes walk away and a decent Chinese takeaway 15 minutes walk away. Back at the ground, the tea bar is great value although drink wise you are limited to cans.

SCORES ON THE DOORS

1: Ground facilities & condition (for the level)
A nice venue with plenty of character (7)

2: Area around the ground (parking, food/drink, public transport)
Small and tight car park but there was street parking. Two miles from Barnsley with a few takeaways and pubs nearby (5)

3: Welcome / Club Friendliness
A decent enough welcome (7)

4: Value for money
Good value (7)

5: Social Media & Website
Was kept in the loop for tonight’s game (7)

6: Programme
Thin, but very well presented (6)

7: Game entertainment
One of the best games of the season (9)

8: Tea Bar
A decent good value range (7)

9: Bar / Clubhouse
Cans and bottles in the club room - didn’t visit the outside bar (5)

10: Club Shop
None (badges available at tea bar) (N/A)

TOTAL SCORE OUT OF 90: 60
AVERAGE SCORE: 6.66

GROUND PHOTOS

Glossop North End - Surrey Street

Glossop North End AFC

Surrey Street

Glossop

Derbyshire

SK13 7AJ

01457 855469
Official Website
Twitter

Ground Number: 759
Tuesday 20th March 2018
Glossop North End 1-1 Droylsden
NPL D1 North





GLOSSOP NORTH END - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was founded in 1886 but between the years of 1899 and 1992, they were known simply as 'Glossop'. Mossley was one of the earliest members of the Football League, even spending a season in the top tier when they finished bottom of the 1st Division. This was thanks to funding by Samuel Hill-Wood who would go on to become chairman of Arsenal. They'd finish 5th in the 2nd Division following relegation and would stay in the Football League until the outbreak of the First World War. Once the hostilities were all over, they dropped down to the Lancashire Combination. Next up was a spell in the Manchester League before joining the Cheshire League in 1978. Four years later the league was absorbed into the newly-formed North West Counties League. Glossop would remain in the top tier until 1988 when after two consecutive bottom-placed finishes, they were relegated to the 2nd Division. They'd remain there for 20 years, finally being promoted following a 7th place finish in 2008. This gave Glossop North End a new lease of life and by 2015, they were North West Counties League champions, earning promotion to the NPL's Division 1 North in the process. They've had some credible finishes since, finishing 4th in their debut season before a playoff semi-final defeat to Northwich Victoria.

In the FA Cup, Glossop got to the Quarter Final in 1909, losing in a replay to Bristol City. Sice they've been a non-league club their exploits have been less impressive, with the 3rd Qualifying Round in 1983 being their best progress so far. Glossop have not pulled up any trees in the FA Trophy so far although they have two FA Vase Finals to their name - losing to Whitley Bay in 2009 and North Shields in 2015.Local Cup wins include the Manchester League Gilcryst Cup four times, the Manchester Premier Cup twice, the Derbyshire Senior Cup in 2001 the North West Counties League Cup in 2015 as well as their Division 2 Cup in 1991. The club's record attendance of 10,736 came against Preston North End in a 1914 FA Cup tie, although this was at their old North Road Ground where they played up until 1955. Cricket is still played on the ground as it was a home venue for Derbyshire for a short time in the early 1900s. The town of Glossop itself is one of the smallest in the UK, indeed, being the smallest to host a top-flight football team. The town's history is based in cotton making and weaving but nowadays it gets most of its business from tourism, with it being on the edge of the Peak District. 



MY VISIT

I was never sure where the first game of my week off was going to be. When I booked a week off towards the tail end of March almost nine months previously, I’d not envisaged the wintry scenes that would occur. For the second time this month, we’d been beset by flurries of snow and as a result, choosing somewhere to go had been a bit of a lottery. I’d chosen the safe option of the 3G pitch at Bromley for my Saturday game, but that was a revisit. I’d spent most of my time at home in the warm, celebrating my time off by generally eating and drinking too much and relaxing. But I’m the sort of person who likes to get out and about and was keen to do a game as soon as possible. So a Twitter list was set up with Monday’s options - Dronfield Town and East Yorkshire Carnegie the favourites due to their easterly location but I was also considering Nelson, Daisy Hill and Whitchurch Alport.



The Monday morning came and any hope of a lie in was put paid to when I woke not much later than my usual work time. I checked my chances of a game that night, but as you would imagine with volunteer-run clubs whose helpers all have full-time jobs and families to take care of, news was thin on the ground. The only definite news was that Dronfield were having a pitch inspection at 3.30, though I feared that traffic would make things too tight and that all I’d have to look forward to was a double helping of Coronation Street that evening. I walked down town and back, arriving home at midday. Though the three clubs in the North West had declared their games on, I decided against going as I'd left it too late to book a hotel. I did at least pencil in plans for the next couple of days, booking a hotel in Glossop with the intention of visiting Glossop North End tomorrow. I also planned in a double on Wednesday - a revisit to Mossley in the afternoon and a new ground at Worsborough Bridge in the evening. The rest of the afternoon was spent putting in the research for the next couple of days before a decent evening of TV.




I'd been planning to do a revisit to Mansfield Town in the afternoon, but yet again the weather had intervened and the tie was switched to Wigan Athletic's training ground, a fact that I was lucky to spot to save a wasted journey. Glossop was looking doubtful for my Tuesday night game, so I set up a Twitter list with all my potential options. On the day of the game, I woke up just after 6 am, much earlier than I'd wanted to. I listened to Mike Graham on TalkRADIO whilst I'd waited for the time to come for me to leave. In terms of game options, one of my options, Chadderton, had already bitten the dust and Glossop were planning a pitch inspection at some point during the day. In terms of game options, West Didsbury and Chorlton was my favoured backup, with Bamber Bridge and Thackley close behind. I eventually left at 9.45, stopping for fuel at ASDA along the way. Another stop for a rest was had at Hilton Park and at this point, there had been no news on my game tonight. I got to Glossop just before 2PM, deciding to look in at the ground on the way to check if the game was likely to go ahead. The friendly groundsman had done an excellent job and it was clear from the amount of snow along the side of the pitch, that a lot of work had been put in. I got some pictures of the ground during daylight before going and checking in at my B&B, just down the road from the town. The Peakdale Lodge was decent value at £30 a night including breakfast and although it wasn't high luxury, it was clean and cosy.



I'm always skeptical of whether a referee might postpone a game for some reason, so I didn't want to go out drinking straight away. Instead, I stayed in my room, catching up online and typing my blog for a couple of hours before going into town at 4.30. I had a look around the shops, buying a few random snacks. By the time 5.15 came, I went to Wetherspoons for my dinner. There I had a mixed grill and a pint of Wobbler before going back to my room. I dropped some stuff off and had a drink of Irn Bru before resting for a while. By now, I was getting a little more relaxed that the game would go ahead. I'd been recommended a pub near the ground, The Friendship, so that was my first port of call. It was OK, I guess, pleasant enough. I had a pint of Strongbow for £3.60, but this was £1.50 more expensive and a whole lot less enjoyable than my pint in Wetherspoons earlier. I'd rather have had a pint at the ground and given the money to the club in all honesty. At least it got my hunger for the Glossop pies going, these had a great reputation amongst many people and I was looking forward to trying one.




After paying £8 entry and £1.50 for a programme, I went to the bar, paying £3.20 for a pint of Dark Fruits. I also sampled a couple of their pies, around £2 each with gravy and in my opinion, the lamb and mint pastie beat the balti pie although they were both nice. I was going to try a sausage roll too, but they had sold out. Before the game started, I went to the club shop, buying a pen and book for £3. The opening period had plenty of action and commendable effort, but little composure or quality in front of goal. Glossop opened the scoring on 26 minutes when Darrhyl Mason attempted to cross the ball from the left and although his effort was blocked, he followed it up with a shot past visiting keeper Ritchie Branagan from around six yards. It was all square on 35 minutes, the ball was crossed from the right, a header was cleared off of the line and Dominic Smith followed up from close range. It was the least Droylsden deserved, as they had enjoyed the better of the first half. The second half belonged to Glossop with them having the majority of possession but lacking the finishing touch and a bit of luck. Droylsden almost snatched it at the end too but their man couldn't connect with a corner that fell to him at the far post. It had been a decent contest for the 188 watching spectators and an enjoyable evening at a friendly club. I headed back into town or more specifically Wetherspoons for a couple of pints with me getting back to my room around 11 where I promptly dropped off to sleep.




THE GROUND

SURREY STREET is a lovely ground set in the rolling hills of the Peak District. As such, there are lovely views to be had during the day, but even at night, there's plenty to shout about. Three sides have partial cover and this includes around 200 seats. There is also plenty of open terracing. Parking is OK but mainly limited to street parking. 

It's located close to the pretty town centre where a range of pubs and eateries can be found. For drinking, your best bet is probably the Wetherspoons, The Smithy Fold as it is cheap and does a good range to suit all tastes. Food-wise, you can also eat here although you would be much better off sampling the excellent pies at the ground.

SCORES ON THE DOORS

1: Ground facilities & condition (for the level)
A decent ground in a nice setting (8)

2: Area around the ground (parking, food/drink, public transport)
Enough parking for all, close to the town (8)

3: Welcome / Club Friendliness
A nice welcoming club (8)

4: Value for money
A reasonable price for the level and ground (7)

5: Social Media & Website
Both decent, amusing match reports on Twitter (8)

6: Programme
A fairly decent effort for £1.50 (6)

7: Game entertainment
An enjoyable contest that just lacked finishing (7)

8: Tea Bar
The highlight of the trip, great pies at cheap prices (9)

9: Bar / Clubhouse
Fairly basic, but homely (6)

10: Club Shop
A decent range at fair prices, a handful of old programmes (6)

TOTAL SCORE OUT OF 100: 75
AVERAGE SCORE: 7.5
(the best so far this season)

GROUND PHOTOS

Haverhill Borough - New Croft 3G

Haverhill Borough FC

The New Croft 3G

Chalkestone Way

Haverhill

Suffolk

CB9 0LD

01440 702137

Official Website

Twitter

Ground Number: 758
Friday 9th March 2018
Haverhill Borough 2-1 Saffron Walden Town
Eastern Counties Premier




HAVERHILL BOROUGH - A BRIEF HISTORY

HAVERHILL BOROUGH were formed in 2011, making them one of the youngest teams in football. Originally called HAVERHILL SPORTS ASSOCIATION they started out in the Essex & Suffolk Border League. Great success was had here with a double promotion to elevate themselves to the Eastern Counties Division 1 for the 2013/14 season. Following their promotion, they changed their name to its present one and have made a solid start to life at a higher level, with three top-half finishes in their first three seasons. Last season they did even better, a 3rd place finish behind Stowmarket Town & Coggeshall Town was good enough for promotion to the Premier Divison. Their start to the season has been unspectacular, but no doubt survival is the aim in the first season. They look set to achieve this at present, sitting ten points ahead of the drop zone at the time of the game.

In the FA Cup, their debut season of 2014/15 has seen their best progress so far. Barking and Whitton United were defeated before a 1st Qualifying Round defeat to Leiston. They did match that progress this season, only to lose 8-0 to Kings Langley. In the FA Vase, the 1st Round has been reached twice - losing in 2014 to AFC Dunstable and in 2017 to Felixstowe & Walton. Haverhill Borough won the Eastern Counties League Knockout Cup in 2016 with a convincing 5-0 win over Stowmarket Town. After sharing with neighbours Haverhill Rovers for the first 6 years of their history, they got their own 3G pitch this season and now play the vast majority of the games here, with it being adjacent to Rovers' home.



MY VISIT

I always like a bit of Friday night football, although bad weather meant that it had been a few weeks since I had kicked off the weekend with a game, rather than staying in. There were not a huge range of options this week, with just Haverhill Borough v Saffron Walden Town as an option. With the weather being horrendous last weekend, I'd actually tried to visit last Saturday, but even 3G couldn't save the day under deep snow. Thankfully, it had long since disappeared and there appeared to be no problem with the game going ahead. It was hardly the most inspiring of venues, right next door to the venue I'd seen the Haverhill derby at a couple of years previously. It was also similar in terms of ground, just a couple of metal stands put down to comply with ground grading. They all had to be ticked however and I would have company in Josh, who lived nearby in Finchingfield. Sadly, it was impractical to pick up the other Braintree fans I know, as travelling to them could add up to an hour on my journey, what with the rush-hour traffic. I was glad when fellow hopper Anwar agreed to come with me, as it would help out with costs and keep me company.



The night before was spent trying to plan football my week off, which was easier said than done. If the weather wasn't looking dodgy then there was a lack of decent pubs or the hotels were not there or too expensive. I decided to leave it in the end and look nearer the time. The day of the game came and it was a fairly easy day at work and it was a fairly easy one, with me finishing at 12. I got some shopping and went home for the afternoon, having lunch, a shower and lazing around until it was time to leave just after 4. There didn't seem to be a great deal of enthusiasm on the Haverhill Borough Twitter, with no posts since February, but the 'New Croft' and Saffron Walden's Twitter both confirmed the game was on. The only question was, what game would I be seeing? Both of Haverhill Borough's teams were playing at the same time, with the reserves also in action at the same time. I'd be wanting to see whatever game was on the 3G pitch but was hoping it would be the first team game. I got to Anwar at 4.40 and soon enough we were on our way. My Sat Nav indicated plenty of delays, with half an hour added to the journey, but that was par for the course on a Friday evening. The main culprit, of course, was the M25, adding an hour to my journey. I got to Finchingfield at 7, but my timing was impeccable, as Josh, who had also been delayed thanks to the laughable road system in Braintree, arrived just as I pulled up. We headed to Haverhill and as we all needed dinner and Anwar needed cash, we pulled over in a car park. Josh went off to KFC whilst myself and Anwar went to Aldi. I picked up some good bargains with some nice chicken for dinner, plus some crisps and new ciders for later. Soon enough, we all met up and drove the final 5 minutes to the ground. The car park was pretty busy with two games on, but there was still plenty of space.



I went to the turnstile, paying £6 to get in, plus £1 for what was a decent programme for the price. I also, later on, got some chips, which were pretty good too. The game started with the hosts well on top and in the opening exchanges they had a shot cleared off the line and hit a post. Despite Haverhill having the better of the first half, it was Saffron Walden that took the lead on 37 minutes. It was some neat footwork and a tidy finish in the bottom right-hand corner of the net by Lewis Francis but the scoreline didn't reflect the balance of play. It was only thanks to a good double save by visiting keeper Neil O'Sullivan the kept the scores level at the break. I met 'Lesta Blue Hopper' during the halftime period, he'd come here after his game at Clacton had been called off. Soon though, it was back to the on-field action. The second half started in much the same vein and Borough hit the bar with a rising shot early on in the half. The pressure continues and O'Sullivan made another great save to tip the ball over the bar. The resistance was not going to last though and from the resulting corner, the ball was cleared. It fell to Rory Lee, who smashed home a terrific deflected equaliser on 78 minutes. There was then a dubious free kick awarded to Saffron Walden after the Haverhill man appeared to win the ball. A free kick was awarded just outside the area but the resulting effort was more akin to something on a rugby pitch with the ball going well over the bar. Another good save from O'Sullivan looked to have saved Saffron Walden Town a point, but Haverhill Borough were not to be denied. Cameron Watson headed home from a Ryan Swallow corner to seal a deserved victory for the hosts.

The Haverhill Borough equaliser from Rory Lee, cracking goal.

A post shared by Russell Cox (@russ_wwfc) on Mar 9, 2018 at 6:09pm PST

The game went on for a bit, and it was 10:05 by the time the final whistle was blown. A decent crowd of 102 had seen an entertaining contest which had been just reward for braving a filthy night. It was a few minutes walk back to the car, where I got a can of Irn Bru to drink on the way back. It was back on the windy roads to drop Josh off at 10:30. There was still some more to endure before we got back on the main roads but at least I had the Two Mikes on TalkSPORT to keep me company. It made the journey pass a lot quicker and before I knew it, I was dropping Anwar off at midnight. 20 minutes later, I was back home myself and after saying hello to my Dad, I poured myself a cider and listened to the rest of the Two Mikes. After that, it was catching up with my YouTube subs, while I worked on tonight's blog.



THE GROUND

THE NEW CROFT 3G is hardly the most inspiring venue to watch a game with only half the pitch being available to spectators. There's a covered seating and standing area and these did their job on my visit. Flat standing is also available. The tea bar is shared with the main stadium and this is pretty decent. I didn't check out the bar, but there's a good Wetherspoons, 15 minutes away in town, which also has a number of decent takeaways and shops.

SCORES ON THE DOORS

1: Ground facilities & condition (for the level)
Dull, but well kept (4)

2: Area around the ground (parking, food/drink, public transport)
A good amount of parking, the town is walkable (8)

3: Welcome / Club Friendliness
A nice welcome from everyone I met (8)

4: Value for money
£6 was decent value (7)

5: Social Media & Website
A bit patchy at times (6)

6: Programme
A nice effort for £1 (8)

7: Game entertainment
A decent contest from start to finish (7)

8: Tea Bar
A good choice and fair prices (7)

9: Bar / Clubhouse
Didn't visit (-)

10: Club Shop
None (-)

TOTAL SCORE OUT OF A POSSIBLE 80: 55
AVERAGE SCORE: 6.88

GROUND PHOTOS