Stocksbridge (02-04-2025)

Stocksbridge Park Steels Reserves 1 - 0 Oughtibridge (Sheffield & Hallamshire Premier League), Wednesday 2 April 2025

Dinnington (01-05-2024)

Dinnington Reserves 9 - 1 Thurcroft (Sheffield and Hallamshire Division 2), Wednesday 1 May 2024

Swinton @ Mexborough (18-04-2019)

Swinton Athletic 3 - 1 Penistone Church Reserves (Sheffield and Hallamshire County League Premier), Thursday 18 April 2019

Petrol estimate £3

North Gawber (28-03-2018)

North Gawber Colliery 3 - 1 Grimethorpe Sports (Sheffield Senior League Premier), Wednesday 28 March 2018

Train £6-50
Total £6-50

Denaby United (30-08-2017)

Denaby United 2 - 1 Wombwell Main (Sheffield Senior County League), Wednesday 30th August 2017

Provisions £2-71
Total £2-71

Swallownest (07-01-2017)

Swallownest 1 - 0 Frecheville (Sheffield and Hallamshire County), Saturday 7 January 2017

Tea £1
Free travel
Free entry

As most of my recent blog entries are starting with a reminiscence of things past, I may as well start this one in the same way. I have visited Swallownest twice before - one in January 2013 and again in December 2015. On the latter occasion I managed to scrape the side of our car on a post when reversing - a lesson to look where you are going even in the dark! Today I opted for the 45 minute walk from home.

Since my last visit, the refreshments and entrance hut has been given a lick of paint, and now looks in good nick. The section of old terracing along one side was out of bounds though some spectators ignored the warnings anyway. The club are again looking to progress to the NCEL next year so no doubt they will be looking to put in seating and other facilities required for that level.

On the pitch this was a top-of-the-table clash with nearby Frecheville, who I saw a few weeks ago. This was a tight but entertaining match. Frecheville - in orange and black - rattled the crossbar early on with an effort from their midfield, whilst at the other end 4 and 9 both had shots solidly saved by the away keeper. The home number 9 then saw a goal-bound shot cleared off the line shortly before half-time. It was a solid battle but with relatively few clear-cut chances.

After a cup of tea (bringing my day's outlay to £1!) I picked a spot for the second period. Swallownest began to dominate the game, and early shots from 8 and 10 were again foiled by the increasingly busy away keeper. At the other end, where Frecheville were increasingly limited to counterattacks, they did forge the odd chance, with 4 firing just wide, and then 17 blasting over from a good position. The pressure on the away side began to crank up at the 'Swal Siro', and they were pretty much camped inside the away half for long periods. But there was still no goal. When 4's free kick went wide it seemed that this would end in stalemate. 

But there was just time for a crucial goal. Swallownest launched the ball into the box again, and it was half-cleared away, before a loose ball fell to number 16 who rifled in a low strike to break the deadlock. The players and the large crowd of fans at the home end were delighted, and there were jubilant celebrations at the final whistle. This was a key win over title rivals, and gave Swallownest a commanding points cushion at the top of the division.

Frecheville (17-12-2016)

Frecheville 4 - 2 Wombwell Main (Sheffield and Hallamshire County League), Saturday 17 December 2016

Free entry
Free travel

Frecheville sounds rather like a Sheffield-based dairy, but is actually a football club on the South East of the city. In fact it is only about 3 miles from our house, so I decided it was finally worth a visit. I had nearly opted for Sheffield Wednesday today but then saw the crazy price of £36. This was completely free and involved no more than a 45 minute walk each way.

The ground is just off Birley Moor Road, but I reached it from the A57 side, taking back streets up hills to get there. It is actually both a cricket and football club, so the football was being played at the far end, down several leaf-covered steps from the main clubhouse and changing rooms. Frecheville have a small covered terrace area at the near end of the pitch, and the standard white pole along one side. On one long side was the obligatory blue rope separating the pitch from the spectators.

Frecheville have a reputation as a decent team in these parts, and I have heard rumours that they may apply for the NCEFL at some point. Dressed in a distinctive orange and black kit they started brightly, but Wombwell took the lead when Frecheville's 11 mistakenly headed back across his goal with the keeper stranded. This provoked a reaction from the home side, and they made it 1 apiece when 10 bundled in from close range after the away keeper couldn't hold onto a stinging shot. They then made it 2-1 with a goal from number 8, who found space in the box and turned and shot. The first half ended on a bit of a sour note, with Frecheville's 6 sliced down in an industrial tackle, before then himself launching into a high challenge. The referee did well to calm the melee which ensued.

After a full half-time break (not always the case at this level), the second period began. The skies were starting to darken so it definitely felt like a winter game. The home side extended their lead when their left-back scored a peach of a goal - right in the top corner - and began to look far superior to the away side from Barnsley. Frecheville's left winger ran half the pitch at one point and nearly scored what would have been an outstanding goal. The home side then rattled the angle of post and bar via the away keeper's finger-tips. Wombwell's main threat came when they were direct and launched the ball into the box - they were not going to win this game by skill. 

Their keeper had a bizarre posture as Frecheville launched yet another attack, standing like a frog ready to jump! The fourth goal came when 15 turned a cross in superbly on the near post. To their credit Wombwell continued to toil away, and grabbed a consolation when 9 was brought down in the box and converted the penalty (right into the top corner).

Overall this was an entertaining match, far better than the awful one I had seen at Stocksbridge 2 weeks ago. On this evidence I will try to find other matches in this league as it is cheap, local and of a fairly good standard. I headed back to Handsworth via Richmond Park and made it through the door at 4:35, just in time for Final Score.

Penistone Church (04-01-2014)

Penistone Church 3 – 1 Athersley Recreation Reserves (Sheffield County League Cup Quarter-Final), 4^th January 2014

Tea: 70p

Oxo: 80p

Train (Sheffield-Penistone): £5-80

Phone home! £1-60

Total: £8-90

I depressed myself over Christmas with thoughts of how many more places I needed to visit to see all grounds from the Premiership to Step 6 in Northern England. At the current steady rate of 30 a year it will take me until the end of 2016 to see games in all the remaining games. And they are getting harder and harder to travel to!

Back on the groundhopping trail after the break, I opted for a ‘local’ game at Penistone, which is just North of Barnsley, roughly a 40 minute train ride from Sheffield. According to the league website, this one kicked off at 1.30, so I set off at 11.30 unsure whether this would be on with the wet weather we’d had so far in January. Games at Shaw Lane and some in West Yorkshire had already fallen foul of the conditions, so I was taking a risk on this one. I had visions of reaching the ground and turning round immediately for the return train to Sheffield. It looked ominous as I arrived at the ground, where there were barely 10 cars outside. Unless they’d done some serious car-pooling, it looked unlikely that both teams were here. Entering the ground, I found the groundsman putting out corner flags, and upon enquiry I realised that kick-off was actually 3pm!

I spent an hour wandering round Penistone in the wet and cold, had lunch and headed back to the ground at 2.30. So much for my aim of getting back in time for the Arsenal-Spurs game at 5.30! Further disaster followed when my phone battery died, and I was unable to let Mrs Groundhopper know the changed kick-off. Fortunately, I had my iPod, so was able to take the obligatory photo of the ground. This was free entry and was a pretty decent ground for this level. To the left as I entered was a covered stand in the black and white colours of Penistone Church – a short section of terracing followed by around 100 seats further towards the half-way line. The rest of the ground was uncovered – the far side bordered by a fence next to a training pitch. In fact, it was only possible to walk around two and a half sides of the ground, as the far goal was off limits to spectators. I liked the ground, but was feeling slightly grim what with the cold weather, flat phone battery, and my unnecessarily early arrival. Still, the game was definitely on – one positive today so far!

The first half started at a fast pace, exactly what I expected from this league. Penistone looked far stronger, with one midfielder cutting inside before shooting over on his left foot. Athersley responded when their number 9 put a header over after a smart passing move. A flicked header from Penistone forced a save on 15 minutes, and was only a matter of time before a goal came – number 6 putting the home side ahead on 30 minutes. Athersley looked slightly off the pace, and there was a lot of backing off from the ball, which allowed Penistone to attack easily.

Athersley clearly had a rocket up them at half-time, and came out looking to take this match by the scruff of the neck. Their vocal captain (number 6) rattled the crossbar with a superb shot, before Athersley forced a point-blank save from the home keeper. The away side deservedly equalised on 67 minutes when their number 10 smashed in from just inside the box. Penistone still looked strong and ready to take the initiative when they needed to. On 75 minutes, their number 4 headed in from a corner to make it 2-1. Despite this there was a still a match to be won here. It just wasn’t going Athersley’s way, with their captain hitting the bar a second time. Now, Athersley were open to quick counter-attacks, and were carved open on 82(ish) minutes. The ball was played to the right of the penalty area, and from a tight angle, the Penistone striker caught it crisply, hitting a superb goal into the top corner. It reminded me of Batistuta’s brilliant goal for Fiorentina against Arsenal at Wembley, and finished the game off for Penistone. After a slightly inauspicious start, I’d seen a competitive and entertaining game to light the January gloom – and all for free!

Handsworth (14-12-2013)

Handsworth 3 – 0 Oughtibridge WMC (Pete’s Patisserie Sheffield & Hallamshire County League), 14^th December 2013

By this penultimate football weekend of the year (for me at least), I’d pretty much had enough of the long-distance travelling, and with the nights closing in, a local trip had a certain appeal. And so, appropriately, I plumbed for Handsworth FC, where I had started the season for the #Oneclub friendly against Worksop. That was at the end of the July, with pretty much all the game played in the light – what a contrast today! I opted to drive the short distance from Beighton to Handsworth’s Oliver’s Mount ground, which took an impressive 15 minutes door-to-door – a nice treat after a couple of longer recent trips. The only down side was that I’d arrived just before 2pm, not realising it was a 3pm kick off. Not to be dissuaded, I went for a cup of tea (80p) and returned to the car to listen to the second half of Man City vs Arsenal. Incredibly it finished 6-3 to City, in a game which demonstrated the unpredictability of this year’s Premier League. For Handsworth, today’s game was arguably as important as the Etihad clash. Oughtibridge were 12 points clear at the top, but the Ambers had 4 games in hand, so this could be a crucial game today.

The first half was very evenly contested, judging by my record of shots on and off target. Oughtibridge’s number 10 hit an easy shot wide on 3 minutes, before Handsworth’s striker latched onto a backpass and ended up foiled by the keeper. The away side’s number 6 had a curling shot with the outside of his foot saved, and then hit a dipping shot just over. Handsworth had a spell of dominance in the middle of the first half, and sneaked into the lead when their number 7 (Danny Smith) planted a header in from the far post on 22 minutes. He’d been particularly impressive this half – winning the ball all over the pitch, passing and controlling with finesse, and showing great anticipation of movement around him. Handsworth’s grip on the game loosened slightly, but they were still showing great tenacity in tackles and pressing. Some tackles were perhaps a little over-zealous, with their pacy number 10 causing an outcry from the away bench with a sliding tackle just before half-time.

I grabbed a second cup of tea, bringing my outlay for today to £1-60, then trudged back for the second half. If I had wanted to, I could probably have watched this from the car, but decided to get closer to the pitch for a decent view. Handsworth came out looking determined to build on their lead, and their number 11 hit a shot which was tipped round the post by the away keeper, before a header went wide shortly after. Then for roughly a 15-minute spell, Oughtibridge controlled the game and began to look like they would get an equaliser. Still, nothing really materialised from all their pressure, largely due to some determined Handsworth defending. The turning point came on circa 60 minutes, when Oughtibridge’s number 6 received a second yellow for a late tackle. There was a brief flurry of pressure from the table leaders, but they gradually began to suffer with a man down. Handsworth’s number 9 hit a short straight at the keeper, before number 10 hit a dipping half-volley which was well-saved. Then in a mirror image of his first half goal, Danny Smith popped up at the far post to make it two for Handsworth and secure a vital win. Still they weren’t done, and a further 5 minutes of pressure resulted in a last-minute goal, slotted in by Smith after a neat shimmy in the box.

3-0 to Handsworth and it was a deserved win. They had fought hard for every ball, played some pacy attacking football and showed great commitment to win. What impressed me in this game was the way they attacked and defended as a whole team, with the defence, midfield and strikeforce playing as a compact and robust unit. Good luck to Handsworth in their bid for this title again this year.

Shaw Lane Aquaforce (23-04-2013)

Shaw Lane Aquaforce 0 - 0 Handsworth (Sheffield and Hallamshire County Senior Football League)

Continuing to take advantage of the cluster of early evening games in the local Sheffield league, making my way to Shaw Lane in Barnsley. The ground was a short walk from the station, so was ideal for an easier ground hop. I was particularly interested to see the ground as Shaw Lane had applied for promotion to the NCEL league, so could shortly be entering the pyramid. The added attraction was that the home side had very nearly wrapped up the league title, but faced a strong Handsworth side who likewise had applied for promotion. Handsworth, since being demoted for ground grading issues in 2012/13 (despite winning the NCEL division 1 title), had faced a tough time in this league, probably indicating the strength in depth of football in south Yorkshire. I recalled a game earlier in the season when they'd been taken apart at Oliver's Mount by an organised Houghton side. The clash tonight would hopefully give some indication of the strength (or weakness) of the league.

The ground at Shaw Lane itself is part of a wider sports complex. To your left as you enter is a cricket pitch, as I passed there was a match in full swing. Behind a clubhouse are a set of 5a side football pitches, and a rugby ground. To get to the pitch, I walked alongside the rugby pitch, and turned left up a hill which looked like it was in the middle of being churned up. Possibly redevelopments for next season? There was a grassy pitch at the top next to more astroturf pitches, surrounded by spectators, and ready for kick off. Forget the fuss which surrounds many matches - at this level, you only know if a match is on by the fact that there are corner flags and nets in the goals!
The first half was a bit of a cagey affair, with both teams not quite going out with attacking intent. The chances of note were a shot from Handsworth's no 11 which flashed wide, and shots straight at the keeper from Shaw Lane's numbers 9 and 10. Handsworth with their pacey midfielders, began to dominate possession, thought they didn't really create many clear cut opportunities. At this point, it looked like one way traffic, and like Handsworth would sneak a win.

The second half was a fantastic battle, with both teams really going for the jugular. Early on, Handsworth's no 4 volleyed over from the middle of the box, while Shaw Lane's no 10 had a low shot tipped wide by the keeper. There was a moment of controversy, with a Shaw Lane header from a corner appearing to hit the hand of the defender on the back post. It looked like a handball to me, but the referee didn't give anything. The game swung back into the home side's favour, with no 4 dribbling into the box, and setting up no 9s shot before it deflected off no 4 in a crowded penalty area. For long periods, Handsworth were pinned back inside their own half. Shortly after, the number 10 cut inside from the right, firing a shot just wide. Handsworth did make the occasional break, number 11 hitting a left foot shot past the post. Late on, a speculative shot from Shaw Lane's no 5 was tipped over by a relieved Handsworth goalkeeper. This match - particularly the second half was a great advert for this local league, and showed why even a newly relegated team like Handsworth had faced a real challenge this season.

Everest (28-04-2013)

Everest 1 - 1 Eccleshill Red Rose (Sheffield and Hallamshire County Senior Football League)

This game in the Windsor Food Service Sheffield & Hallamshire Premier division (got that?) had the kickoff time of 6pm, which was a nice idea with evenings getting longer and lighter as we moved towards Summer. This was in complete contrast to the cup game at Swallownest which kicked off at 1.30pm on a Saturday. Everest's ground was located at the back of what used to be Handsworth Working Men's Club, and was now the Holme Lea pub. Confusingly, Handsworth FC themselves don't play in Handsworth, but actually in the Darnall area. The ground was as I expected, with a blue rope marking the perimeter of the pitch, and a small set of changing rooms away to the left. I arrived bang on 6pm, but with my luck the game kicked off later than expected at 6.30 - I had visions of playing in the dark if the game wasn't done by sunset!

Everest, playing in blue, looked to dominate their opponents from the start, with no 11 put through, before the Eccleshill goalie saved with his legs. Shortly after, the Everest no 6 hit the post with a clean shot from his right foot. The chances continued, with 11 firing straight at the keeper from close range, and 8 taking a long shot straight at the keeper. Slowly, Eccleshill started to get into the game, their no 11 taking a long range shot which flew just wide of the post, before their no 9 clipped a shot straight at the Everest goalie. Just before halftime, Everest's no 9 had a header saved.

The second half was as evenly matched as the first, though I did sense that Everest looked like the better team. Against the run of play, Eccleshill scored with no 8 chipping over the goalie in a one-on-one situation, the ball dropping into the top left corner of the net. They threatened to score again, with the no 7 sending a free kick dipping just over the crossbar. No 10 shot low to the keeper's left, with only a flying save keeping it out. Everest responded to the attacks with more aggression and direction, number 6 hitting a stinging shot straight at the keeper. The momentum swung back into Everest's favour when they won a penalty after the Eccleshill no 5 clearly hand-balled inside the area.  It was becoming windy and wild, and I wondered if this would cause the penalty taker a problem. He had no such difficulties and planted a low shot into the corner of the net - a good penalty well-executed. Final score 1-1 and a deserved point for both sides.