Kimberley Town 1-7 Maltby Main

Pre-season game at the Stag Ground.

Kimberley Town FC are members of the CMFL Supreme Division, while Maltby Main ply their trade in the NCEL Premier Division. The South Yorkshire team was made up predominantly of first team players, but also contained a couple of under 19's. Kimberley had never played together before this game, the team having to be re-assembled after the departure of long-standing Manager Paul Rawdon and most of the previous season's squad.

Had a chat to Town Chairman Graeme Critchley before the game and he was fairly upbeat. He may need a bit of cheering up after this heavy defeat though. He told us that most of the squad are local to the area, whereas last term the majority of his players were from the Sheffield area. He may need to cast his net a bit further before the CML season begins, or this will be one long, hard season for his Kimberley Town team.

Graeme has produced a programme for Kimberley's pre-season games and it features a couple of the "On The Road" blog entries. Very flattering when your work is appreciated. The cover picture is a gem - I have no idea which ground it is mean to depict, and I know nothing about art, I just know what I like....

Anyway, many thanks to Mrs. Critchley for walking half way around the ground just to hand us complimentary ones.

When watching pre-seson games, it is mostly a game of guess the player - on this occasion, and I think this has to be a first, I knew NONE of the players on either side......so "no name" scored all eight goals !!

Kimberley went behind in the 11th minute when their young keeper failed to hold onto a fairly tame shot from Maltby's no. 10. Seven minutes later the score was doubled when the tricky, pacy no. 9 crashed home an effort from 16 yards that the keeper got a hand to, but couldn't stop entering the net.

On 21, Kimberley's no. 12 saw his 20 yard free-kick tipped over the bar by the visiting keeper, but that was about all the home team could muster. The Main's 15 shirt hammered home from 18 yards on 38 after being given far too much time by the Kimberley defence, then seconds later their no. 10 was played through on goal and calmly chipped the home keeper. H-T 0-4

Kimberley made defensive changes at half time, and they appeared to cope a little better with their visitors. They even managed a couple of shots at goal, but it wasn't to last. Maltby's 12 jacket hit the ball into the box from the left in the 58th minute, giving no.17 a simple side-foot tap in. No. 15 beat the Kimberley offside trap on 76, and despite the keeper's valiant efforts, the striker was able to slot home.

The goal of the game was, inevitably, scored by Kimberley! After showing little or nothing as an attacking force, a long ball out of defence was latched onto by their 7 shirt, and he placed his shot over the advancing keeper into the net. Great finish. The final goal of the game was scored with just two minurtes to go - a corner from the left was played to the Maltby left back who hit a superb cross to the far stick to where no. 11 was on hand to head home.

Maltby looked a decent team, and were well disciplined - and were lead well by their skipper. Kimberley can only get better, but they have only three more weeks to try and put together a squad that can be competitive in the CML Supreme. F-T 1-7


Admission ; £0.00 very reasonable

Programme : £0.00 very reasonable

Coffee : £0.75 very nice, but heated by a thermo-nuclear device - blimey it was hot !!

Attendance : counted 12

Hucknall Town 6-1 Gedling MW

Pre-season game at Watnall Road.

Anyone looking at the result will probably think "oh, that scoreline looks a bit one-sided" - and they won't be far off the mark. As well as hitting the back of the net 6 times, Evo-Stik Premier outfit Hucknall hit the bar, hit the post and saw several other decent efforts go begging. Gedling scored in the 87th minute, much to the annoyance of the home bench, but all in all a good job done by a strong looking Hucknall team.

Premier League Referee David Coote was in charge

The home team went ahead in the 17th minute through DARYL THOMAS, who hit a neat drive across keeper Lance Walker from the corner of the area. 3 minutes later Martin Ball crashed a shot off the bar as Hucknall made light work of getting through the Gedling defence. On the half-hour mark, Richie Holmes saw his powerful header from a corner thump off the post and cleared to safety. H-T 1-0

Gedling's programe editor Tony Hay walked past us just before the break, mentioning something about the "On The Road" curse -- we see quite a few games featuring the Plains Road club, but we don't seem to see them win many!

The curse - love it!! Could Plains Road be the first ground to ban "On The Road"?

Hucknall's Richie Holmes - a touch of class

The Hay family had barely settled down for the restart when DARYL THOMAS collected the ball on the edge of the area and curled it sweetly over the Welfare trialist keeper - whose name was unknown, even to the Gedling faithful! Anyway the ball flew into the top corner giving the keeper no chance. PARIS SIMMONDS was on the scoresheet soon after, hitting a drive from fully 35 yards that was past the keeper before he could react. On 71, Dan Williams found room on the left and picked out DANWELL FRANCIS 6 yards from goal, and the striker was not going to miss from there!

Four minutes later, Keiran DeBrewer ran down the left fired the ball into the box where DAN WILLIAMS was waiting to side-foot home from 10 yards out. The home teams sixth goal was a bit scrappy compared to the other 5, but DANWELL FRANCIS won't mind - he hit the loose ball home from close range after the visiting defence failed to clear.

Decided to have a potter to the gate with 3 mintes to go, and as we turned our backs, a cheer went up -- Gedling had scored and we missed it. Trialist CRISTIAN ETOND was credited with the goal. Men v Boys for most of the game, but Welfare do have some decent players, and they won't be facing such tough opposition in the EMCL.

Admission : very fair £3.00

Programme : 4 pages £0.50

Attendance -- no-one could tell me, so estimate around 120

Blidworth W 1-1 Rainworth MW

Pre-season friendly at the Welfare Ground.

Strange game this .. for the first 45 minutes it was difficult to tell which team was CMFL and which was Evo-Stik, as Blidworth totally controlled the play. Brett Marshall looks to have put together a decent squad at Blidworth, with more than a sprinkling of his former Kirkby Town players. The addition of Dean Rick means that in Haslam, Rick and Bramwell the front line looks formidable.

H/C 120+

 

The only goal of the half though was scored on 27 when JAY EDWARDS fired past Hales after he was picked out superbly by a cross-field ball from Steve McGurk. Haslam and Bramwell brought out a superb double save from the Wrens keeper a few minutes later, then on 38 he had to be alert to tip over Rick's powerful drive. H-T 1-0

Carl Haslam in full flight

As with most pre-season games, the second half brought myriad changes to both teams and the game lost some of it's interest. The visitors levelled after 75 minutes had been played, a superb curling shot from 20+ yards from BRENDON SWEENEY the gave Frost in the Blidworth goal no chance. Blidworth were given the chance to re-take the lead four minutes later after they were awarded a penalty for hand-ball in the box, but the spot kick was hit way over the goal and into the trees by "no number" Spares some blushes having no number, eh?? F-T 1-1 Nice, pleasant evening, spent with Mr. Brian Reece, Pinxton's Darrel Bailey and the irrepressible Gordon Foster.

Admission £3

Blidworth W v Mansfield Tn -- Monday 9th August

Rob Hornby is producing a programme for this game, with proceeds going to the Mansfield charity APTCOO. Taken from Rob's facebook group Non League Scores and Blogs of Non League Football

"On Monday 9th August 2010, Blidworth Welfare FC entertain Mansfield Town in a final pre season friendly before the season kicks off. A Bumper Crowd is expected at the game. I am doing a programme for the match retailing at £1 a copy with the proceeds helping a local charity called APTCOO(A place to call our own). Its a charity that supports any family with a child of any disability. If you type in APTCOO in to google you will find their website. The programme I was aiming for just a simple 16 pager but it may be a bit larger, as info is coming in. I know a lot of the Group can't make the match, but if you would like a programme, then can you please let me know and I can arrange to send you one and accept payment etc..Payment be £1 plus 50 postage".

Rob's facebook group is now over 100 strong - join at Non League Scores and Blogs of Non League Football - and if you do want a programme for the Blidworth v MTFC game, please let Rob know.

Teversal 0-2 Matlock Town

Gerroff!!! Phil Mumby getting friendly with yours truly!!!

Our 2nd pre-season game and although these games are commonly described as "typical pre-season fayre", this one really was. Matlock started with a mix of first team players and trialists, while the Tevie team looked to have a majority of their first team. It all changed at the break with the teams making umpteen changes - so many in fact that they both ran out of numbered shirts!

The gateman was up to his old tricks again, bless him. Trying to sell me a badge - luckily I was wearing the one I purchased last season. He never gave up though, and when I went out of the ground to retrieve a ball that had flown over the fence, he said he was going to charge me to come in again... great stuff!! 

Oy..!! Cover it up please!!!

Matlock pressed hard from the off and played the ball around well, but it took them until the 26th minute to crack the stubborn home defence, JAMES KNOWLES hitting a hopeful long-range shot that the Tevie keeper got to, but couldn't quite tip over the bar. Seconds later the keeper was in action again, this time saving from a team-mate who had headed a Reuben Wiggins-Thomas cross powerfully at goal. On 40, the visitors thought they had doubled their lead when Hannah's excellent free-kick was headed home by Adam Yates. However, the eagle-eyed linesman was already flagging for off-side before the ball entered the net.

 

Yates head in but was offside...
                                                                                  

Cockerill sees his effort well saved

                                                                                                                                                                         








Dave Cockerill had a shot well saved by the Matlock keeper two minutes before the break, but apart from that Tevie offered little threat. H-T 0-1

Gladiators boss Mark Atkins kept his players on the pitch for their half-time team talk - very interesting to hear the former Blackburn Rovers man's words of wisdom. He was unhappy with the Matlock performance and made it plain that he thought it was just not good enough.

Atkins in action

Danny Wood was foiled by the home keeper three times in as many minutes as Matlock looked to improve on their first half showing, then ROSS HANNAH crashed home a stunning 25 yard free-kick 6 minutes into the second half to double the visitors lead. Both teams then made changes en-bloc and interest waned slightly as the game entered a stagnant period and both camera and note-pad were put away. F-T 0-2

 

Hannah's shot beat the keeper and the cameraman!

Strange weather - wind, rain, sun - but on the whole a good afternoon out, leaving us in anticipation of Monday night's game between Blidworth and Rainworth.

Admission : very reasonable £2

Attendance : 145

No programme or team sheet, but who cares?

Failed again...

.....this time Pinxton v Heanor. We'll maybe get to Pinxton v Burton Albion on 6th August.

Saturday is Teversal v Matlock Town at the Grange - 3pm kick off, then on Monday it's a local derby between Blidworth and Rainworth. The clubs are just a couple of miles apart geographically, but leagues apart as far as football goes. Blidworth, with new boss Brett Marshall in charge, have high hopes of doing well in the CMFL Supreme Division this coming season, while Rainworth were promoted to Evo-Stik Div One South last season and are, so I'm lead to believe, the first ever Miners Welfare club to achieve step 4 status.

Tuesday should be Arnold Town v Gedling Town, then Thursday were off to CMFL Supreme outfit Kimberley Town, to see them take on NCEL Premier Matlby Main.

Failed........

..............to get to our planned second pre-season game at Teversal. Work commitments etc..... Never mind, we have a game on Friday at Pinxton, at either Hucknall Town or Teversal on Saturday, as well as games at Blidworth on Monday and Arnold on Tuesday.