Ground Number: 779 Wednesday 18th July 2018 Retford 1-0 Cleethorpes Town XI Friendly
RETFORD FC - A BRIEF HISTORY
RETFORD is one of the youngest clubs in football, having been formed as recently as 2015. They joined the Central Midlands League North upon formation and have played there ever since, finishing 7th, 6th and 5th in their three seasons here. The club has not yet entered the FA Cup but did play in the FA Vase in 2016, losing 3-0 at Leicester based side St Andrews FC. Their nickname of the 'Choughs' comes from the pair of birds that are on the town’s badge. For the first time this coming season, they will face local rivals Retford United for the first time in league games, United having suffered a fall from grace in recent times, having played as high as the step 3 NPL Premier. The town of Retford itself has a population of just under 22,000 and has a great range of pubs considering its size. Famous people to hail from the town include Liam Lawrence, the former Portsmouth and Republic of Ireland footballer. MY VISIT I'd been wanting to go to Retford for some time, although I'll admit my initial interest was in their rivals Retford United, a club that had suffered a fall from grace in recent times, having once played in the NPL Premier, but now sharing a step 7 league with their newly established rivals. Retford FC were playing at the former home of Retford Rail, a pretty good venue and one that was in the town centre. This town had a number of interesting looking pubs and so really, it was one to do when I could sleep overnight. The only problem was, the accommodation was really expensive - £50 a night for a basic B&B. A solution was found with a nearby campsite - Little Oak Camping. They charged a tenner a night for a pitch, together with a £13 tent from Tesco, I had a bed for the night as well as something that could save me money in the future. I planned a game for Thursday afternoon and evening to make the most of my driving up north, whilst keeping an eye on Retford's Twitter in case of any late cancellations.
I'd spent the night before at Wycombe Wanderers v Brentford, not the groundhop I wanted, but a reasonably cheap option. It was nice to catch up with some old faces, even if we were disappointing in the second half, eventually losing 1-0. I woke up fairly early on the day of the game, failing to get the big nights sleep that I wanted on my week off. After having some breakfast I took my Aunt's dog who we are looking after for a walk. When I got back, I opened my birthday presents, including a very nice Sony Smart speaker. I got all the stuff in my boot, leaving at 11, first listening to my new Lancashire Hotpots CD and then Jeremy Vine on Radio 2. About 12.30, I stopped at McDonald's for lunch, having a BLC and fries for under £2.50. It also gave me half an hour rest and a chance to catch up online. I had to pump my tyre up before I went, but soon enough I was on my way. There was a brief delay of around 20 minutes thanks to rubberneckers slowing down to look at an accident on the other side of the road. By the length of the tailbacks, it looked a pretty serious one, but I'll never understand what kicks people get out of seeing someone else suffer misery. I got to my campsite at 2.45 to be greeted by the friendly owner. I soon had my tent up, spending around half an hour at the campsite before walking the mile and a half into town.
It was a pleasant afternoon for a stroll and with bags of time to spare, I was able to undertake a leisurely pace. I stopped for a peek in the estate agents and property was very good value in what was a pleasant town. Though not the cheapest in the country, it was still less than half the price in Wycombe and strengthened my belief that the way forward is a move up north. It would certainly aid my groundhopping ambitions. I stopped at ASDA to get a bottle of Irn Bru before heading into town. Although all of the micropubs were starting to open, I decided that my first stop would be Wetherspoons. The Dominie Cross was my 167th Wetherspoons. Though it might have been a bit worn on the outside, the inside was a gem. 5 real ciders including one of my favourites, Black Dragon at £2.75 a pint. A recipe for carnage potentially, so I decided to stick at a single pint until after the game. Despite its 7.2%, it goes down easier than Neymar, and I really wanted to get to and remember tonight’s game. I would, however, be returning later. Leaving some friendly locals behind, I made my way to Beerheadz, a micropub. This was another great place, where I had another retry, this time a pint of The General from Sandford Orchards at 8.4%. This one was a cider to sup slowly, rather than sling down the neck. So after a brief stop at Aldi for some chicken and a bargain £3.49 England sweatshirt, I made my way to the Beer Shed. A pint of Sandford Orchards Vintage was tried, with it being another strong one, that was my pre-match drinking done.
I was happy to get to the ground, £2 entry was good. It was another £2 for chips which were also decent. Retford came into the game on the back of a decent 1-1 draw against a young Sheffield United side whilst Cleethorpes Town’s second string side had drawn 1-1 at Humber League side Hessle Rangers. The first half saw the visitors dominating but it was Retford, who capitalised on some sloppy defending, who led at the break, thanks to a close-range effort from Adam Scott on 33 minutes. They’d certainly weathered the storm well but were most effective on the break. Nevertheless, I was pleased for them, as I’d been made to feel welcome. The second half passed without much incident, but the hosts looked comfortable in the lead and were rarely threatened, though the Retford keeper did have to pull off a couple of good saves.
A pleasant walk through the park was enjoyed and 15 minutes later, I was back in Wetherspoons. Another pint of Black Dragon was sampled, whilst I caught up on things. I decided to leave my drinking there and via a pit stop at a local Chinese for some salt and chilli chips, I made my way back to the campsite, arriving around 10.30. I dropped off to sleep fairly quickly, having enjoyed a good day.
THE GROUND THE RAIL is an excellent venue for a step 7 side. There’s just the one area of cover, this is behind the goal and has a mixture of sitting and standing. The rest of the ground is open hard standing with the far side being out of bounds for spectators.
The tea bar at the ground is a pretty decent effort. There’s a wide range of stuff at decent prices. I didn’t check out the bar, if they did indeed have one, but the town of Retford is around 10 minutes walk away. There are a huge number of pubs here, including an excellent Wetherspoons and plenty of other good places. You’ll also find plenty of takeaways and other facilities too. GROUND PHOTOS
Ground Number: 778 Tuesday 10th July 2018 Chatteris Town 2-1 March Town Bill Salisbury Memorial Cup
CHATTERIS TOWN - A BRIEF HISTORY
The club was formed in 1920 as Chatteris Town Juniors, changing to their present name a year later. They joined the Isle Of Ely league upon formation and were an immediate success, progressing quickly through the divisions. Eventually, they moved up to the Cambridgeshire League, winning it in 1932. Time was spent in both this league and the Peterborough & District League with the latter being won three times in succession between 1964 and 1966. This was the most successful time in Chatteris Town's history and after the third success, they decided to make the step up to the Eastern Counties League. Their highest ever finish of 3rd was achieved in 1968. Twenty years later, the league expanded to two divisions, this led to some tricky seasons for the club and they were eventually relegated after finishing bottom in 1995. Six further seasons were spent in Division 1 and despite a best-ever finish of 5th in 2001, the club took the decision to resign from the league due to financial reasons. Dropping down to the Peterborough & District League, Chatteris Town would remain here until 2007 when they moved to the Cambridgeshire League. Starting in the Senior B division (step 9 of non-league football), success was immediate with the club finishing 3rd and winning promotion. Another promotion followed from the Senior A Division with the club finishing as champions in 2009. Promotion to the Premier Division followed and despite an excellent 7th place finish in 2011, Chatteris Town were relegated back to the Senior A Division two seasons later. In 2016, they were promoted back up to the Premier Divison after finishing as runners-up behind Outwell Swifts. Despite a best-ever finish (since their return) of 5th in 2016/17, last season saw the side struggle and finish bottom, meaning that they start this season in the step 8 'Senior A' division. Chatteris Town played in the FA Cup for a number of seasons between 1946 and 1995. Their best progress was the 3rd Qualifying Round, reached in their debut season when they lost to Cambridge Town and then again in 1972 when they lost out to Ely City after a replay. They will want to forget the 1951/52 season though as they suffered a crushing 14-1 defeat to Kings Lynn Town. In the FA Vase, the 2nd Round was reached in 1993 with a 5-1 defeat at Bridgnorth Town. Local cup wins include the Eastern Counties League Cup in 1968, the William Croad Intermediate Cup and William Cockell Memorial Cup in 2016 as well as the Cambridgeshire Challenge Cup on six occasions. Chatteris Town's record attendance of 2,000 came for a 1988 league game against their local rivals March Town United.
MY VISIT I'd wanted to visit Chatteris Town for a while as it was one of the better grounds at step 7. Despite it having its own stand, it was probably one to do in the summer, thanks to it being pretty open. So, therefore, I was pleased when it came up fairly early in pre-season when there wasn't so much on. It had the bonus of not being a friendly although the game against local rivals March Town was unlikely to attract the 2,000 crowd that it did when the sides met in a 1988 Eastern Counties League clash. The Bill Salisbury Memorial Trophy was created in memory of the Chatteris Town club legend, though information on his contribution to the club is scarce on the internet. It appears that the cup was first contested back in 2015, with March Town running out 3-1 winners. The following year saw March retain the trophy with a 2-1 win. Last season saw the hosts win the trophy as they finally defeated March 1-0.
On the day of the game, I awoke after a pretty good nights sleep. After having some breakfast, I headed down town pretty early to get my hair cut as it was getting a bit long, especially for the recent hot weather. While I was down there, I went in to Iceland and got a pizza for lunch and some drinks for later. After getting a lift back home with my Dad, I had my lunch and spent the afternoon carrying on with this blog post and catching up on some TV. The internet bought some decent news in that tonight's game was free. I'd already found a place for dinner called Chilli Masters which was just under a mile (or 15 minutes walk from the ground). I left at 4.15, meeting Anwar in Aylesbury half an hour later. Despite the journey being under 70 miles, it took just over 2 hours to get there, thanks to traffic and small roads. We arrived for dinner at 6.50, where I had a chicken tikka burger, chips and a drink for £4. It was nice and the portions were good, so I was fairly full as I drove the mile to the ground, arriving at 7.20 and parking up outside. Pictures were taken of the impressive ground for the level and a spot sought where the low lying sun would least ruin the view. There were a number of friendly dogs enjoying the evening sun and it was a nice setting to watch a game in the conditions.
In what turned out to set the pattern for the evening, it was a feisty start, with plenty of tough tackles coming in, especially from the visitors. Chatteris Town had been having a good spell but then they wasted a free kick, losing possession quickly. March were swift on the break and a low shot from just inside the area by Toby Allen on 29 minutes gave them the lead. This led to the visitors seizing control of the game up until halftime, but Chatteris came out for the second half a revitalised team. They started the half on the front foot with Jack Brand having a shot that clipped the post and was cleared off the line five minutes in. They did eventually get the equaliser on 57 minutes, a ball was played across the box and Jack Jefferson netted from around ten yards out. This spurred Chatteris on further and around 10 minutes later Jefferson forced a great save out of the March Town keeper Simon Dalton. Shortly after, they had a shot cleared off the line as they continued to press. Then, the impressive Josh Dodman, who had come on just before halftime played in Harris-Hercules who tried to take the ball towards goal but was felled by March Town keeper Dalton. There was a big debate about whether he should be sent off, but in the end, the referee awarded just a free kick just on the right side of the area. Jack Saunders stepped up and powered a free kick into the bottom left-hand corner to give the hosts the lead on 79 minutes. March pushed for the equaliser with Max Mattless hitting the bar with a few minutes to go. Chatteris had to cling on after this, Matt Walshe saw red for a crude challenge soon after, but they survived to retain the Bill Salisbury Trophy and by my reckoning make it two titles apiece for the local rivals.
We left at 9.45, having enjoyed the game. It had been a combative game, but the referee and his assistants did well to keep a lid on things, despite complaints from both sets of players and fans. We left at 9.45, learning that England would have faced France in the World Cup Final, had they beaten Croatia. Certainly, the team had done us incredibly proud this tournament and despite certain sections of the media attempting to turn fans against players like Raheem Sterling, most had remained fully behind our heroes. Sadly, they went out in the semi-final the following evening, continuing their disappointing form when they play on ITV, only less marginally disappointing than the sub-par coverage itself. On the way back, we listened to a show on BBC Radio 5 live which recalled England's last World Cup semi-final against West Germany. This made the journey pass quickly, with me eventually dropping Anwar off at 11.10. I got home myself 20 minutes later but just couldn't get to sleep for hours for some reason. It meant I was really tired when I woke for work at 4 am the following morning.
THE GROUND WEST STREET is a great venue for step 8 football and would probably suit a step 4 side with a few minor improvements. The sole seating area holds around 250 according to an old non-league directory and this is made up of bench seating. There is an area opposite for standing holding around 150 and a further covered area behind the goal for around 50. The ground has an overall capacity of 2,000 and is pretty well kept, save for behind one goal which is overgrown. Facilities at the ground are pretty decent, there's a spacious car with TV and a tea bar with a reasonable range. The town is not far away, around 10 minutes and offers a decent range of takeaways and pubs.
Ground Number: 777 Friday 6th July 2018 Melton Town 2-1 Grantham Town Friendly
MELTON TOWN - A BRIEF HISTORY
Though there have been a number of clubs representing the town of Melton Mowbray, this incarnation was formed as recently as 2004 and were initially known as Melton Mowbray. Starting out in the Leicester & District League Division 2 (step 10 in the non-league pyramid), they were champions in 2007, earning promotion to Division 1. Their first season produced a credible 5th place finish but despite a disappointing 11th placing in 2008/09, they moved up to the Leicester Senior Division 1. After three seasons spent in mid-table, 2012/13 saw the club finish as runners-up to Allexton & New Parks, earning promotion to the Premier Division in the process..The momentum continued for both sides as they were the top two the following season too. Another runners-up spot, this time to Sileby Town followed in 2015 before the following season saw a 3rd place finish. With the required improvments now in place, they moved back home to the Melton Sports Village after a number of years playing in nearby Ashfordby. Promotion to the United Counties League followed as well as a name change to Melton Town and 2016/17 saw an excellent 9th placed debut season. Last season saw a slight drop to 16th, but still well clear of any potential relegation spots.
Melton Town are yet to make their FA Cup bow, but they did make their FA Vase debut last season. A 3-2 victory at South Normanton was followed up by a disappointing 4-1 home reverse to FC Bolsover in the 2nd Qualifying Round. In terms of local cups, information is scarce, but they were runners-up to Desford in the 2008 Leicester & District League Cup Final. The town of Melton Mowbray is famous for its pork pies and has a population of just over 27,000. Famous people to come from or live in the town include footballer Jamie Vardy, cricketer Stuart Broad and actor Mark Wingett who played Jim Carver in 'The Bill' for 21 years and 780 episodes. MY VISIT
Due to England's brilliant progress in the World Cup, I wasn't envisaging going to a game for a while. With the Three Lions games being on Tuesday and Saturday, my usual hopping days, I'd decided to stay in and save money. Not that it bothered me, the whole nation seemed to be behind the team and the players doing really well. It made a nice change from the team playing badly and the media doing their best to disrupt team harmony and turn the nation against the team. Just before the World Cup, certain outlets, most notably the Sun ran another story in their hate campaign against Raheem Sterling over his tattoo. Wonderfully, the nation got right behind the player and condemned the spiteful coverage. We also went into the tournament with realistic expectations and any progress a bonus. The latest win against Colombia had broken two unwanted statistics - firstly our awful record at penalties and also the 9% win record when ITV cover our games compared to a 70% win record when on the BBC. Coincidence maybe, but I am thankful that our next match against Sweden is on the BBC and hope that all future ones are, as the BBC coverage is far better anyway. Happily, a number of teams were playing on Friday night, most notably Melton Town who were playing Grantham Town in their first friendly of the season. Though regular hopping partner Anwar didn't fancy it, Chris, who I'd last seen a game with in October fancied it. The closer the game got, the more I looked forward to it, though I was hoping to get a good night's sleep before, what with me starting work at 5 am.
As it happened, I managed a reasonable night, but not as much as I'd have liked. It was a pretty busy day at work, though I still had over an hour to relax and have lunch before watching some of the Uruguay v France game and leaving at 3.30. Despite allowing an extra half hour to get to Chris, I only just made it on time. My usual cut through at Broughton was closed again although I and scores of other drivers didn't know until we actually got 100 yards down the road. A long queue to turn round and the usual congestion around that area added 25 minutes to the journey. I got to Wavendon at 4.55, thankfully Chris was quick off the mark. Delays are to be expected on a Friday night and thankfully there was only a further 15 minute delay thanks to the M1 and A47. We got to Melton Mowbray at 6.30, putting our order in at a Chinese called Ma's Cottage. While we were waiting for it to be cooked, we popped along to an excellent Micro Pub called the Gas Tap where we both had a small glass of Farmer Jim's Copper Top cider which was excellent. After picking up our meals we made our way back to the ground, getting there at 7.05. My car bonnet made for an impromptu dinner table as there was no other option. It was not the most comfortable, but at least it kept the food warm. I enjoyed my prawn curry and 'Thai style' chips. By 7.20, we were all finished and ready to go in, paying £5 for the priviledge.
It was nice to meet groundhoppers Rob and Adam who I knew from Twitter and through the evening, I had some good company. The game was pretty decent too, Melton Town taking the lead on 16 minutes. It was a low cross from the right that saw Liam Fray finish from around six yards despite the Grantham keeper getting a glove on it. A couple of minutes before half time the visitors had the ball in the net, but it was ruled out for offside. The first half had seen Grantham enjoy a dcent share of posession, but it was the hosts that were creating the chances. Just after the hour mark, there was a glaring miss for the visitors when they blazed over from just a few yards out. It had been a competitive game with plenty of commintemt and Grantham Town equalised on 80 minutes. A cross found Tiago Nassunculo who bundled home from close range. The scorer had played in Grantham's youth setup last season and was one of six youngsters from last season that played in very much a second string side. Melton Town got the winner a couple of minutes later, a penalty was awarded for a infringement in the area and Ashley Palfreyman stepped up to convert the spot kick. There was no further action of note and so I said my goodbyes and headed off with Chris for home. We stopped at Morrisons on the way for a drink, with me dropping Chris off at 11. I decided to take the longer route on the M1 for my journey home. Although it was 20 miles longer, it cut out lots of nasty countryside roads with the unpredictable wildlife jumping out in front of the car. I got back at midnight, but stayed up for a while, having a couple of drinks whilst I typed this blog.
The MELTON SPORTS VILLAGE is a smart and tidy venue, under a mile from what is a pretty decent ground. It'll never win any awards for individuality, the obligatory metal stand holding around 100 fans, with the rest of the ground being open to the elements. It's in very nice surroundings though and a nice place to spend a summers evening. Everyone was friendly and it was a nice place to spend a warm summer's evening. Sadly, there were none of the local delicacy - the pork pie on sale, but the tea bar does the job without being spectacular. I didn't visit the bar, but there are plenty of decent establishments in town, most notably the Gas Tap micropub. Ma's Cottage is a good Chinese also, but there are plenty of other places on offer.
