Attenborough 2-0 Dunkirk Reserves

Wednesday 11th May 2011 -- Notts F.A. Intermediate Cup final, played at Hucknall Town FC

Not a lot to write about -- Attenborough play in the NSL Senior Division, while Dunkirk Reserves are members of CML Reserve Supreme Division.  Met up with my good friends from the F.A. again, Mick Kilbee always welcomes me to the Notts F.A. finals, and Mick Connelly always has a cheerful smile as he takes your money on the gate!  On this occasion, Mick allowed me in as a guest of the F.A. - so I will gladly donate the £2 to APTCOO on Notts F.A's behalf.

  

After the usual formalities, the teams kicked off and ......well, not a lot happened really!  One header flew over as Attenborough pressed, the no. 11 Liam Slater had a couple of tame efforts saved by Dunkirk keeper Jake Want. Slater almost broke the deadlock half way through the first period, but his speculative 30 yard lob just cleared the Dunkirk bar. H-T 0-0

Liam Slater

Header flies over

Went into the Hucknall Town office for a coffee during the break  - many thanks to General Manager Dave Green for the hospitality - another new friend made this season. 

Attenborough took the lead on 52 when STEVE OLDHAM beat Want to the ball at the far post -  although the no. 9's header was blocked, he still managed to lash home the loose ball from close range.

Both sets of players then decided to make Referee Sean Richardson's life a misery - some bad challenges, bad attitude and bad language not helping the official. JORDAN RUCK added the second for Attenborough on 68, beating the off-side trap and racing in at goal before sliding the ball past Want.  The protests were long and stupid - the goal had been given - get on with it!!!! 

Dunkirk's skipper (no.6) had been cautioned earlier in the game, but he wasn't about to keep quiet and duly received a second yellow and the red followed. 

Nothing else written down and nothing else springs to mind .....finished 2-0

Admission £2 ( donated to APTCOO) inc programme

H/C 120

"APTCOO" -- well worth every penny donated, trust me!

At the start of season 2010-2011, I asked Kev if he thought we should try and add a little something to the “On The Road” blog by finding a local charity to support. Kev readily agreed and the format of £0.15 per goal was decided – with any goal-less games to count as £0.50 each. APTCOO was decided upon after our friend Rob Hornby had mentioned the great service they provide for children and their carers.

Last season we managed 109 games, with a goal tally of 393 with 9 goal-less games. That would have raised £126.90 based on the above formula.

Season 2010-2011 saw us make the extra effort, and our total of 154 games was, in all honesty, far more than we had planned. There were 662 goals scored and four goal-less games meaning the total should have been £202.60. Not bad at all.

Chris “Tall-Lad” Dent ( can you guess why his nick-name is tall-lad?) gave us the first “other” donation at the Heanor v Graham St Prims game in September 2010, and after I mentioned this in the match blog entry, interest grew. Throughout the season, we were handed contributions by a variety of friends, old and new, fellow hoppers old and new, and a multitude of others.

One special donation needs a mention : the total at the turn of the year was already at £185, then Alan Avery at Unity FP doubled it – just like that! So we entered the new year with a running total of £370.00 !!

After the poor December when we only managed four games due to the very inclement weather, we really went for it, and as mentioned previously ended up going to 154 games in total, notching up 662 goals.  "Other" contributions in the end, totalled £647.40.....

So, with the total at £850.00, I contacted APTCOO to arrange to present them with a cheque. We were invited to their premises on Saturday 21st May, and were given a very warm welcome by Deb Jones and Megan Wheat.

Deb gave us a tour of the facility and we were duly invited to have a go at drumming – not being very musical, I declined, but Mrs. Kev had a right old bash !!

A photographer from the Chad turned up, and organised a group pic – could have done without me in them though .. I’m not the most photogenic person you’ll ever meet!! Having said that, this hasn’t been about me, or Kev, it’s been about APTCOO and the children and parents who really can say that they have  “A Place To Call Our Own” 

Well, that's it then....the season's done -  we never expected to be handing over such a fantastic amount to APTCOO, but the thought that there were so many people prepared to part with their hard-earned for a charity they had probably never heard of, makes you think that the world isn't such a bad place after all....

Will we do this again next season?  I don't think so ....how the hell can we top this?

One more big THANK YOU to those who donated to the charity

On a more selfish note - ontheroad2010-2011 clocked up 100 hits a day throughout most of the season -- thanks for your continuing interest!!!

See you next season -  "ontheroad2011-2012"

Hucknall Rolls Leisure 1-3 Boots Athletic

Tuesday 17th May 2011 -- NSL Senior Cup final

Usually a good turn out for this end of season Cup final - no exception on this occasion with well over 200 present and head-counted!!

This was ostensibly our final game of the season -  may take in the rearranged Notts F.A. Saturday Junior Cup final next Wednesday, but won't be blogging it.

Brian Dennett accompanied us again tonight, but we spent the game in the company of the66pow blogmeister Rob Waite - always a pleasure and always a laugh or two to be had when Rob joins us. Rob is a Hearts / Mansfield Town / Worksop Town fan from the People's Republic of Retfordshire, a small county near Yorkshire.....

The game saw Rolls take on League Champions Boots - Boots actually ground share with Rolls at Watnall Road, so it was landlords v tenants.....

Boots took the lead on 20 minutes after their no. 11 TOMMY KEMP was allowed time to control and turn before firing past Neil Waters in the Rolls’ net.  Athletic doubled their lead a few minutes later, this time PATRICK BAKONE taking advantage of some slack marking, running at Waters and slotting home. H-T 0-2

Rolls pushed hard from the restart in an effort to reduce their arrears. Their pressure paid off 10 minutes into the half when Boots’ no. 7 ( free advertising?!! ) NATHAN HODGES headed into his own net after a frantic scramble in front of goal.

With Rolls pressing hard, and Boots looking a little ragged and losing some discipline, the spectre of extra time loomed large again – and after what happened at Clipstone last week we were not counting any chickens as we headed for the exit.

KEV WALKER eased our squeeky bums by lobbing Waters in the 91st minute to secure the victory, and see Boots complete a league and cup double. F-T 1-3

Admission £3 inc programme

Attendance – well over 200

Bulwell Town 1-3 Bentley Colliery

Saturday 14th May 2011 - CML Premier Division

Second part of our double-header saw us at Bestwood Miners Welfare Gound again to see Bulwell Town take on League runners up Bentley Colliery.  We were at Bulwell's previous game when they beat Welbeck Welfare 6-0, but Bentley are a different proposition entirely!

We had to wait 29 minutes for the first goal, a penalty converted by centre-half MATTY BROWN.



Right on half-time, Bentley's no. 9 MARK RICHARDSON cut in from the left and curled a beauty past Bulwell keeper Alex Smith.  The ball ended up in the far corner of the goal and there was absolutely nothing the keeper could do to save. H-T 0-2

The visitors went further ahead on 57 - LEE TILLEY cutting the ball home with the outside of his foot after keeper Smith had blocked his initial effort.   Bulwell's ELLIOT CHRISTIE headed home Jamie Coup's overhead kick on 69, but the goal was to prove only a consolation as the game fizzled to a close. F-T 1-3

Bentley received their runners-up mementos after the game, presented to them by League Chairman Frank Harwood.. the video is a bit shaky, but Kev had had a hard day doing it himself !!!!

Admission £2

Programme £1

H/C 22

One more game to go ...the NSL final on Tuesday - then we are off to APTCOO on Saturday to present a cheque to the value of £850.00 !!!!!   More on this later....

Basford United 3-1 Wollaton

Saturday 14th May 2011 -- Notts Senior League Senior Division

This was Basford's final NSL game, they applied to join, and have been accepted into the Central Midlands Football League for next season.  Wollaton just needed a point to secure second place behind champions Booots Athletic, while United had to win to grab the runner-up spot.

Basford's General Manager Chris Monroe's pre-game preperation didn't seem to be too ideal,he spent the final few minutes before the kick off marking out the pitch!

Accompanied by Mr. Dennett for this game, company for me as Kev was busy doing it himself!!!!!  A bitterly cold wind blew across the Greenwich Avenue pitch, making the afternoon less than comfortable. 

The home team took the lead on 15 - their no. 7 flicked the ball past a defender and raced into the area before crossing to the far post where CONNOR CARTER was on hand to slot home.  After 38 minutes, the Basford keeper did well to keep out a fierce drive from Wollaton no.10 Austin Wallace. H-T 1-0

On 54, a neat ball by Zeke Jenkins found Carter who in turn found Craig McCaffrey - but the no. 11's effort crashed off the foot of the post.   DAMIEN RENNICKS fired home from the spot midway through the second half, then CRAIG McCAFFREY did find the net - arriving first at the near post on 79 to flick home. AUSTIN WALLACE grabbed a late consolation for Wollaton on 82, hitting a 20 yard shot the flew through a crowd of players and past the unsighted keeper.  F-T 3-1

Basford end their final season in the NSL as runners-up.

No admission or programme - h/c 30

Saturday 14th May 2011 - games

CML Supreme
Kinsley Boys 0-1 Kirkby Town
Sheff Parramore 2-1 Bilworth Welfare (12:45pm)

CML Premier
Bulwell Town 1-3 Bentley Colliery (5:30pm)

NSL Senior
Basford United 3-1 Wolllaton (1:00pm)
Bulwell 1-3 Clifton ( at Green Lane ko 1:00pm)
Gedling SB 3-1 Kimberley MW ( at Digby Street ko 1:00pm)
Keyworth United 1-1 Boots Athletic (1:00pm)

Blogger acting a little strange...

Blogger have been apologising left,right and centre after an "upgrade" screwed up over 13 million blogs!  Posts went missing, links were corrupted and data lost... I am pleased to say that all seems back to normal now!!