Total: £10.70
Entrance: £4
Programme: £1
Tea: 70p
Petrol (52 mile-round trip divided by 2): £5
After the unexpected off-the-pitch drama at last week's NWCL encounter at Atherton, I switched my attentions to the right side of the Pennines. Clipstone sits just East of Mansfield, not far from Rainworth MW. This would take over 3 hours by public transport from our house in Sheffield, so I opted for the car to travel the 26 miles, which worked out at about 40 minutes each way. Clipstone are relative newcomers to the NCEL - this is their second season in the league so I was keen to see the ground. Hall Road Rangers - in contrast - were near-veterans of the league, though I hadn't yet managed to visit their ground in Hull.
As we entered the ground, I managed to confuse the man at the turnstile (more a shed with a hatch to be honest!). I asked for two adult entrances, and a programme. It caused a great commotion when I handed over a £10 note for the £9! Perhaps they were used to the normal patrons giving exact change? On a serious note, I know it must be a hard job to man a turnstile every week; there is a lot of voluntary behind-the-scenes work that goes on which is often taken for granted (even by groundhoppers like myself).
The game started in bright sunshine, and was played at a good pace. There was variation to the play from both sides, with ball played side to side on the floor, in the air, and dribbled through the middle. Clipstone looked stronger, and took the lead when their number 7 hit a fantastic left-foot shot into the top corner. They were certainly holding their own against the 'veterans' from Hull.
As I looked round the sparsely populated ground at half time, I spotted a kid with a Liverpool shirt on - with 'Saurez' on the back. This was either a new player with remarkable similarities to the Uruguayan, or an unfortunate spelling mistake. I also noticed a suited man who had a black clipboard with a white football pitch marked out on it - I cast envious glances in direction throughout the second half!
The second half started a little more slowly, but again Clipstone looked strong and capable. They doubled their lead when their number 8 rolled the ball in off the post with a neat shot. More chances were spurned, and as one shot flew wide of the post and where we were sitting, I put out a strong hand to save Mrs Groundhopper from a painful injury. Its a nice idea to see yourself as a potential goalkeeper from the safety of the sidelines when the ball comes towards you! Hall Road Rangers still showed a lot of fight and made it 2-1 with a converted penalty at the far end, setting up a slightly nervous finish. In reality the home side never looked flustered or bothered, and were good value for their 2-1 win on the opening day of the season. So now I'd been to season openers in the NWCL and the NCEL on consecutive weekends - two entertaining matches, with plenty of off-field diversions. And, driving back from Clipstone, we made it back home by 6pm - in the light, and in time for tea!
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