Gresley Rovers (16-02-2013)

Gresley Rovers 1 - 2 King's Lynn (Evostik Division 1 South)

The week of 5 games in 8 days began on the border of South Derbyshire, at the Moat ground in Swandlincote. After a quick train ride to Burton-upon-Trent, I had a 6-mile walk to the ground. I realised as I walked that I was walking out of Staffordshire and into Derbyshire - was this the Midlands or the North? The route itself was scenic, moving from an impressive walkway across the River Trent, evolving into a string of villages before I approached Swandlincote. The Moat ground had been on my list for a while; back in the late 90s when I started following King's Lynn, I remember them as familiar sparring partners in the old Dr Martens league. Three relegations, three promotions, and a winding-up order later, and here we were!

The ground was a classic, nestled closely between terraced houses, with old turnstiles leading down a dark alley before you came out into the light of an intimate ground. I noticed two things about the ground - like Marine's Merseyside ground, it only had 3 sides for spectators, and to add to the lower league feel, there was a distinctive dip and slope in the middle of the pitch. That may explain the name of the ground!

King's Lynn started in a distinctive turquoise kit, almost fluorescent in its brightness. In true style, we started off brightly, attacking directly down the wings and through the middle. Gresley though, looked a lot tougher than some of the teams we had faced so far, standing up to challenges and looking difficult to break down. The breakthrough came when a speculative ball was dropped into the box from the right side, looping down towards Dunkley, who made no mistake and buried it. The lead took the pressure off, and I was tempted to think we might get a second before half time. It didn't materialise, but I was happy enough with a halftime lead.

The second half was a fast and physical battle all over the pitch. Despite falling behind, Gresley looked determined to get something back and not cave in. Several of the midfielders looked useful and intelligent on the ball. Still Kings Lynn attacked, and it looked like we might quell the fight back. Then late on, Gresley snatched an equaliser, which I have to admit was thoroughly deserved. The crowd cheered them forward and it seemed that the tide was turning in their favour. Kings Lynn looked out of sorts and were misfiring in front of goal, and the home team looked more like scoring. One of their players went clean through and our keeper made a superb stop. At this point I would have been happy with a draw, which would still keep us in the playoff spots at the top. Then in the 89th minute, we pushed forward again, and a corner was curled in before missing everybody - our left back Jordan Yong picked up the ball just inside their area, and smashed it into the net. Fantastic finish, which meant we took another 3 points back from our travels, even if we were somewhat lucky along the way. I set off on the long walk back to Burton in good spirits, looking forward to the next match.

Liversedge (02-02-2013)

Liversedge 2 - 2 Scarborough (NCEL)

February the 2nd, and I set off to my first official new ground of the year. Unofficially,  I counted a visit to Swallownest Miners Welfare as the first ground, but was unsure whether this counted as there was not a covering at the ground! Liversedge is located in West Yorkshire, roughly equidistant between Bradford, Huddersfield and Wakefield. To get there from Sheffield, I took a circuitous train route via Wakefield Kirkgate, Mirfield and Dewsbury. As ever on these trips, I like a walking challenge, and this was perfect as the ground was 5 miles from Dewsbury station! It was a relatively straightforward walk along a main A-road which joined Dewsbury to Heckmondwike, Cleckheaton, and eventually Halifax. I was impressed by the robust stone houses and buildings along the route. The ground was buried in between Heckmondwike and Cleckheaton, and was accessible from a country path, in between rolling Yorkshire hills and countryside, quite a picturesque scene for a football match.

As I approached the ground, it seemed busier than one might expect a normal NCEL match to be, then I realised that the away team were Scarborough Athletic - a reformed club of the now defunct Scarborough, who I can remember being relegated from the league over 10 years ago. A steward directed me away from the turnstiles to a gate where cars were entering, 'this way sir'. The man at the gate looked perplexed for a moment, then gratefully took the entrance fee of £5.

I immediately liked the ground, as the entrance was effectively one side of an embankment next to the pitch - it was as if the pitch had been carved out of the hill so there could be a football ground here. The place was swarming with Scarborough fans with red and white scarves, and I remembered how they had been relegated all those years ago. Jimmy Glass, the Carlisle goalie, had scored a late winner which relegated Scarbough and protected Carlisle's league status. I wondered if this hadn't happened whether Scarborough would never have gone into liquidation, and whether they would be here today as a reformed club. I had passed the old ground, Seamer Road, on a visit to Scarborough a couple of years ago, and there was something mythical about this great league club which used to exist on the North Yorkshire coast.

Back to the reality of this NCEL match, and I took a glance at the league table. Scarborough were top of the league, almost running away with it, 6 points ahead of their nearest competitors. Liversedge were languishing in 14th position, clear of relegation, but looking at best like a mid- table team. The goals scored were striking - Scarborough had 87 to Liversedge's 39. I had a feeling this could be a mauling today.

From the word go, it looked like Scarborough were the more assured team, and in control of the match. There were several early attacks, and it seemed only a matter of time before they scored. Liversedge, meanwhile, were surprisingly direct with their attacks, using a striker on the last defender with two supporting wingers alternating either side of him. On a couple of occasions, they managed to scramble a cross in, only for their attackers to be outnumbered by the away defence. Positively, they were getting the ball into the right areas in and around the penalty box. Scarborough still looked in control, and like they had a yard more pace and a lot more skill on th ball than Liversedge. It was no great surprise when they opened the sorting with a flicked header just after 30minutes. Liversedge had not managed to get to half time on level terms, so I felt that there was no way back from this point. Surely the superiority of Scarborough would tell in the second half.

Liversedge started the sound half with direct attacks, and bolstered their midfield with a stronger physical presence. Scarborough still had the assurance on the ball, but lacked conviction in challenges, and seemed less hungry than their opponents. The home side didn't create many chances, and it seemed as though they might be hit with a counterpunch on the break, or succumb to tiredness in the latter stages. The clearest chance came just after the hour mark, when the pacey 'Sedge striker ran at the defence, and slid in a shot just inside the box. It was cleared, but only to the second striker, who hit a flat shot on the floor, placed in the far corner. It rattled the outside of the goalkeeper's right post, and bounced away for a goal kick. This looked like the golden opportunity which had been missed. Minutes later, they did find their reward, scrambling in a scrappy goal inside the 6-yard area.

Finally, it seemed that the home side would have a just reward for their energy and commitment. The Scarborough fans went quiet - it had been a long time since they had dropped points in the league. Yet there was another twist to the tale, with Scarborough attacking straight from the restart, crossing in a dipping ball from the left, which was headed into the roof of the net by the oncoming striker, with the speed of the attack leaving the goalkeeper stranded. That was it, surely? Liversedge again defied expectations, and surged forward with a late attack, and managed to sneak the goal and the point they deserved - once again the Scarborough fans fell silent, and I have to say I wasn't disappointed. Liversedge had done fantastically well, battled hard, and could have even shaded it in the dying seconds. This ground and match was a great advert for the NCEL, and reminded me why I liked this league so much - it was good to be back after a Christmas break.