"Oh no! It's that bloody pest from THE66POW again!"

Saturday 14th April 2017
EFL U18 Youth Alliance
at Roundwood Sports Complex, Parkgate FC
Rotherham United (0) 0
Doncaster Rovers (1) 1
Cody Prior 42
With three games left to go in the Youth Alliance (North East) season, Rotherham kicked off eight points adrift of the league leaders and reigning champions Mansfield Town, but their long odds and outside chance of nicking the title, which would have depended on the young Stags losing all three of their remaining games, went up in smoke today; when Cody Prior's forty second minute strike, took a slight deflection off of Adam Saxton, that wrong footed the Millers keeper George McMahon and ended up in the back of his net.
Rotherham have been enjoying a great run of form, but with Rovers having sent several players out on work experience placements elsewhere, they were something of an unknown quantity today, with a side that contained several first year academy players.

George Foster, the former Mansfield Town player, manager and player manager was here scouting for Chesterfield

Declan Ogley in the visitors goal had a good game today and he kept Rotherham out from their first attack, when he did well to tip Jovanni Sterling's powerful close range header over, after Lewis Murr had delivered a well weighted long range free kick into the 'Donny' six yard box.
Reece McGinley got free on the left wing and met Josh Kayode's well timed run with a dipping cross, that Ogley did well to take off of the Millers number seven's head.
One of the key battles in the first half, saw McGinley pitted against the visitors right back and captain Tyler Walker.
The outcome of that particular head to head, finished just about honours even, but Rotherham decided to switch McGinley to the right flank after half time, to see if he'd come up against less resistance on the opposite wing.
Walker ventured forward and hooked a diagonal pass into the path of James Morris, but the ever alert J'Cee Abraham moved inside quickly to make a timely interception.
Murr launched a long ball towards the Millers area, that was cleared by McMahon as he sprinted from his area and doubled up as an emergency centre half as he headed the ball back towards the halfway line.
The visitors left back Brandon Horten, was adept at putting quality balls into McMahon's goalmouth from dead balls, but it would seem that United have yet another good young prospect in goal and he made light work of gathering Horten's long knock towards Kane Bingley.
Horten was back defending his own goal shortly afterwards and headed McGinley's cross away from danger, before forcing another stop by McMahon with a well struck thirty five yard free kick.
I did a double take to make sure Horten didn't have a twin on the pitch, when he ran across to take a left wing corner, from which he picked out Jacob Fletcher, whose header was cleared off the line by Sterling.
Just before half time, Prior ran onto a defence splitting pass by Horten and put Rovers in front with a deflected shot, that turned out to be the only goal of a closely fought game.
HT: Millers 0 v Rovers 1
From the restart, McGinley cut inside from the right wing and chipped the ball to Trae Adeyemi,who couldn't keep his header on target.
Doncaster were defending well and Kayode, faced by a wall of bodies decided to unleash a shot from twenty five yards, that bounced up in front of Ogley, but he still managed to turn the ball around the post at full stretch.
Kayode's throw in down the left touchline was intercepted by Walker who powered forward before passing inside to Morgan, who in turn threaded the ball through for Morris, who cursed his luck as it sat up in front of him as he was about to pull the trigger and he could only drill the ball wide of the left hand post.
Sterling delivered a long pass to Kayode who took a step backwards before clipping the ball towards the right hand cornher of the visitors goal on the turn, but Ogley got down and got a hand to it again and Rovers breathed a collective sigh of relief as the ball went wide at the expense of a corner.
McGinley's twenty yard shot was blocked and cleared by Horten and as the visitors shifted play quickly from box to box, Anthony Greaves' launched the ball up the park for Lewis Scattergood to chase, but McMahon and Sterling cleared the danger between them.
Rotherham upped the ante and Rovers had to defend in numbers, while Adeyemi went close with a thumping shot that narrowly cleared the bar.
Saxton met a right wing free kick at the back stick, but headed into the side netting. While Ogley climbed to pluck Deegan Atherton's delivery towards Akeel Francis out of the air.
The referee Matt Tyers blew his whistle and booked Keegan Townrow for talking to him out of turn, I am led to believe that he'd told the referee that yellow didn't really suit him and that they also made shirts similar to the one he was wearing, that might actually fit him ;-)
McGinlley switched back to the left wing, but was thwarted by Walker before he could get his cross away after trying to take the Rovers skipper on around the outside. But the plucky number eleven was back moments later and though Walker forced him to go inside, he still managed to shoot with his right foot, but Ogley was well placed to deal with the sitaution.
Doncaster were forced to defend like Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie and their pals had done in San Antonio, but them there Texans didn't have Declan Ogley in goal and right at the end he was the difference, as Rovers held onto their slender lead and won the day.
FT: Rotherham United U18 0 v Doncaster Rovers U18 1

The last time that these two sides met, back in October at St. Andrew's, the game finished 4-2 in favour of Birmingham City.
Of course. both teams had completely different managers back then, but I'm sure that you're all fed up of reading about the pair of them elsewhere, so... moving swiftly on.
Prior to today the Millers have been victorious just twice in their previous twenty two outings.
By comparison, Blues have been on fire and it has only taken them twenty games to amass the same amount of wins.
This most definitely wasn't a head to head between two form teams, quiye the opposite!
Birmingham City, the team previously called: Small Heath Alliance, and more recently: play off contenders, have accumulated just twelve Championship points in the whole of 2017, the only team in the same division to have picked up even less are Rotherham United with a paltry five... and those totals include the one apiece from this afternoon's draw.
With a build up like that, it's got to be fairly obvious to understand why I purchased a ticket for this must see clash, the very moment that they went on sale... hasn't it!?
It was a rhetorical question.
And everybody already knows the answer.
According to a statement issued by the club hierarchy earlier in the week, another sold out visiting support of 2,600 at the New York Stadium and the regular turnout of Blues fans at away games, is a vindication of their strategic planning and the claims of the manager that the team is improving on the pitch, regardless of how much that is contradicted by the hard facts of the matter, i.e. a run of piss poor results, some shocking performances at both rnds of the pitch (which some geometric aesthetically nice stuff in the middle third of the pitch, sans any penetration in areas that actually hurt other teams) and a league table that doesn't lie.

Seriously, all that money and he still buys £20  trainers in the Sports Direct clearance sale.

But more than anything, their assumption actually illustrates just how out of touch the club owners are with their fan base, who are demonstrating a quite remarkable level of loyalty, camaraderie, togetherness, defiance and stubbornness, in the face of Trillion Trophy Asia and Gianfranco Zola effectively using their club as an experimental plaything.
The supporters of any football club who have stood their ground during a downturn in fortunes, will be able to relate to why Blues fans keep right on travelling in such large numbers, but by the same token, they would also struggle to comprehend why on earth an overseas business conglomerate and a multi millionaire manager (with a personal net worth of £32 million, if you can believe anything you read on the internet), would suddenly rack up at West Midlands football club, that they have no previous connections with whatsoever.
Whereas the supporters, who were already a massive part of what Birmingham City FC is really all about, have been there all along and they'll still all be around, dutifully manning their posts, long after any manager or overseas backers have moved on and/or been superseded.
TTI's takeover was long and protracted and tobe honest, it came at a time when financially, Blues were drinking after hours and stretching out time to the nth degree in the last chance saloon, so to that end they've effectively kept the club alive... but though change was inevitable, there is a marked difference between change for changes sake and progressive change.
To their immense credit, at least Birmingham stopped their hosts from creating a new record this afternoon. Because if Blues had won... I know 'if' is only a two letter word, but it has a mountain of connotations; it would've meant that the Millers had been involved in the longest ever unbroken sequence of back to back defeats, experienced by any club in Championship history.
So that's something nice that they can proudly tell their grandchildren about in years to come.
Yes, you're right of course: sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, but you keep coming back to read all of this crap, so you only have yourself to blame.

Hmm... is this kind of goalkeeper and referee colour clash apparel allowed?

On the way out of Rotherham after the game, I happened upon a local radio phone in on the car stereo, where a sage and evidently very wise old Millers fan was talking a hell of a lot of sense about the plight of the South Yorkshire club he'd supported all of his life.
His closing gambit was reserved for Birmingham City however; and I quote "That lot today, were the worst team we've had down here at the New York Stadium... and in saying that I don't just mean this season in the Championship, I'm talking about all of the time we've been playing there. They were awful... and if we aren't good enough to beat rubbish like that, it clearly demonstrates how far our standards have slipped"
Blimey! Don't mince your bleedin' words Granddad.
I can't imagine that the Millers themselves have entirely been up to much themselves, but his post match analysis somewhat buries the claims of the current Blues manager that performances are improving.
And, to be frank, any Blues fan who believes such a fallacy is being sold a bargain rail version of the kings new clothes.
There have been traces and the odd hint here ans there, the the Birmingham players are absorbing a new culture and more scientific way of playing football, but it's a very simple game that can be made far too complicated at times. In a nutshell, you win games by scoring at one end and lose them by conceding at the other and though attractive tippy tappy football is pleasing on the eye, you shouldn't entertain such flights of fancy until you've got the basics right first.

Rotherham fans... it takes all sorts Darrell! ;-)

Anyway, I suppose I had better say a few words about today's game:
Rotherham were very average, but the Blues were so poor, they made the Millers look good (well, almost) in spells.
Though I must stress that I am not singling anybody out, Craig Gardner was wasteful with a string of free kicks around the Millers goal area.
In fact he was so ineffective that it seemed as though the home side were happy to commit fouls whenever Blues pushed forward, secure in the knowledge that the resulting free kicks would come to absolutely nothing, time and time again.

It's a goal!!!

But the law of averages, if nothing else, suggested that one must go in eventually and sure enough...
Kerim Frei took responsibility for a kick in the seventy third minute and there were wild scenes in the away end as a mass outpouring of relief erupted as he curled the ball over the Rotherham wall and into the top corner of the net beyond the reach or Richard O'Donnell.
The performance didn't matter today all that much today as far as those travelling fans were concerned, but with the trapdoor end of the table looming ominously close, the result did!
However with five minutes remaining that elation turned to despair, as Danny Ward crashed a low shot past Tomasz Kuszczak into the bottom corner of the net from the edge of the area to make it one apiece.
It was a well taken goal, which the home supporters thoroughly enjoyed as they finally found their voices and turned towards the massed ranks in blue and white, to taunt them with a few verses of: "You're going down with the Millers!"
I think it would be fair to say that Blues season had just reached it's lowest point. Their game against fellow strugglers Burton Albion on Monday, had just grown arms and legs... and possibly horns and a capacity to breathe fire.
Anything other than a win over the Brewers will mean that a defeat in next week's Second City derby at Villa Park, could see Birmingham  slide into a relegation spot, with just two games to go, namely: one against Huddersfield Town who are pushing for promotion and a trip to Bristol City on the last day of the season, who themselves might need a result to preserve their own Championship status.
In an instant, the dynamic in the South Stand changed, as the reality of the situation unfolding out on the field of play and the very real possibility that things could get worse, categorically worse, any time soon, acted as a trigger for a volatile mixture of frustration, hurt and disbelief began to spill over and create a very unpleasant atmosphere.
Angry voices were raised, some towards Gianfranco Zola others towards fellow supporters, as arguments broke out, fingers were pointed, threats were made and people even squared up to each other... (even two Blues players had to be restrained after the game as they flared up at each other).
Things nearly got much worse for the visitors, as Rotherham almost snatched the points right at the end, when Jerry Yates smashed the ball over the bar, but the ref blew for time and it finished all square, with a point apiece.
FT: Rotherham United 1 v Birmingham City 1

Saturday 15th April 2017
SkyBet Premier League
at Selhurst Park
Crystal Palace (0) 2
Cabaye 54, C Benteke 70
Huth 6, Vardy 52
Admission £35 (ticket was a birthday present)
Programme £3.50 Attendance 25,504
The Eagles defence queued up to audition for the lead role in the Invisible Man after just six minutes and bestowed the freedom of Selhurst Park upon Robert Huth as he opened the scoring with a free header from Christian Fuchs' long throw in.
And just after the beginning of the second half, Riyad Mahrez fed the ball Vardy, whose clever last touch put the ball past Wayne Hennessey in the Palace goal to make it 2-0 after he had sen  of the challenge of his former Leicester team mate Jeffrey Schlupp.
Schlupp was involved in Palce's first goal, when his blocked shot rebounded to Yohan Cabaye who swept the loose ball past  Schmeichel.
Somebody tried telling me that this was actually Kasper Schmeichel, not Peter... get stuffed! He was playing for Notts County the last time I saw him play, so what would he be doing in the Premier League? Uh!?
Christian Benteke equalised in the 70th minutes, seeing off Yohan Benalouane to direct Andros Townsend's cross into the back of the Foxes net.
And though Danny Drinkwater had a great chance to claima winning goal for the visitors right at the end, the game finished...
FT: Leicester City 2 v Crystal Palace 2
Right, a quick dash to Thornton Heath Station and I'll be on my way to Islington Assembly Rooms, to take in what promises to be a great night at the International Ska and Reggae Festival, which encompasses four days of live bands and events across the capital.
And that is the real reason that I am in the capital this weekend... don't wait up!

Mansfield Town (1) 1
Alfie Potter 23
Luton Town (0) 1
Danny Hylton 51 pen
Admission season ticket. Programme £3
Attendance: 4632 (892 from Luton)
Mansfield Town:
Jake Kean, Rhys Bennett, Mal Benning, Krystian Pearce (C), George Taft, Shaq Coulthirst, Alfie Potter (CJ Hamilton 77), Haydn White (Alex MacDonald 60), Joe Byrom, Ben Whiteman, Danny Rose (Matt Green 80).
Unused subs - Brian Jensen (GK), Lee Collins, Kyle Howkins, Yoann Arquin
Luton Town:
Stuart Moore, James Justin, Glen Rea, Scott Cuthbert (C), Alan Sheehan, Dan Potts (Stephen O'Donnell 84), PellyRuddocl-Mpanzu, Olly Lee, Lawson D'Ath, Danny Hylton, Isaac Vassell (Ollie Palmer 64).
Unused subs: Craig King (GK), Jonathan Smith, Jake Gray, Jack Marriott, Luke Gambin

Hamish McChuckle. "To me, ye ken, to you, ye ken"

Portsmouth's 3-1 win at Notts County this afternoon, sealed a top three automatic promotion spot for Pompey, who will now play in League 2 next season, along with Doncaster Rovers and Plymouth Argyle, who have also confirmed that they are going up; while fourth placed Luton Town, whose slim hopes of making up ground on Paul Cook's side evaporated today and they will have to fight it out for a play off place and potential route out of the basement division now.
Luton, along with Stevenage, Exeter City and Blackpool currently occupy the four play off berths, but mathematically there are still ten clubs in contention for a play in the winner takes all lottery at the end of the season and the team that is currently ninth in that group, sitting just two points behind Blackpool with three games left to go, is Mansfield Town.

Every town still has one, here is Mansfield's!

The fans taunted each other with songs about each other's respective localities, but with the visiting fans singing about Mansfield being a shit hole, I had to suspect, very strongly, that they weren't really from Luton, because if that is the benchmark that they were comparing their hosts hometown with while making such a comparison; then it is small wonder that such a broadside was met with incredulous laughter.
Of course, there are some nice parts of Luton you can visit, including the area that my son lives in since he graduated from Bedfordshire University (Yes! Luton actually is a university town!) and made his home down there.
It's great that the Stags have been getting more vocal backing this season, than I've heard at Field Mill for many a year, but was the retaliatory chant alluding to the ethnic origins of approximately 39% of the overall population of Luton really the sort of thing that massed ranks of football fans still sing about in these enlightened times?
The atmosphere at home games has been steadily improving and kudos is due to those making the noise... but please could we all leave our politics at home?
Whichever side we dress to.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but 3pmin the afternoon at any given football ground is neither the time nor place.
I was pulled up for questioning the content of the words to a song that's sole aim was to be derogatory towards fellow human beings and was accused of being a racist myself towards people who were born in Chesterfield, because I happily join in with songs aimed at the Spireites.
But, in my defence, that is a very shallow argument, because Chesterfield fans aren't another race, they actually belong to an entirely different species to the  rest of us altogether.
And, for the record, they finally confirmed their relegation to League 2 today.
After the game, Steve Evans bemoaned the fact that the Stags weren't awarded a penalty in the first half, that might have seen them take a two goal advantage into the half time break, when Cuthbert tangled with George Taft, but didn't mention an incident at the other end, when Pelly-Ruddock Mpanzu wriggled past two challenges before seeing his shot blocked en route to goal by the hand of Krystian Pearce.
"Ball to hand" I suppose you could say, by way of dismissing Luton's claims, while an impartial observe might say that Taft v Cuthbert was a case of six and two threes.
Either way, in Nathan Jones, who Bananarama once made a record about, Luton have a manager who is just as outspoken and animated as the Stags 'gaffer' and his sidekick Paul Raynor, but in Mark Brown, we had a referee today, who won't be swayed or influenced by such histrionics, so between them both benches were bellyaching and emitting a whole lot of hot air for nothing.
But, each to their own, eh!?
Midway through the first half, Danny Hylton cleared a George Taft header off the line, right next to the upright, but Mal Benning delivered the ball back towards Taft, who cushioned it back towards Alfie Potter with a dipping header, that the Stags number eight struck first time, but saw his effort rebound straight back to him off of Dan Potts and made no mistake with a crisp finish from fifteen yards with his second attempt.
The first half was bereft of many actual clear cut chances, but at this time of the season results take on an even bigger significance than usual and supporters will happily sacrifice intricacies and aesthetically lovely geometry any day of the week for a few precious points.
Which is just as well as large proportion of the game was quite frantic and being played at a high altitude, although to be fair there were a few water sodden sections of pitch, particularly in front of the visitors bench, that made a few players look daft when they did actually attempt a few flicks and tricks, or anything out of the ordinary.

Football unites

One player who seemed to suffer more than most with the underfoot conditions was Shaq Coulthirst, who was left frustrated several times as he tried a few elaborate twists and turns and lay offs only to find himself thwarted and quite literally bogged down... and when he tried taking matters into his own hands, he seemed like he was hanging onto the ball for unnecessarily long spells and always trying to beat a man too many, when he had team mates who appeared to be better placed.
But to be fair to Coulthirst, there were areas where keeping the ball down and moving it around on the deck wasn't an option and a horses for courses policy had to be adopted.
HT: Stags 1 v Hatters 0
At half time the majority of 'The Legends of 1987" were introduced to the crowd... and here George Foster recreates his iconic trophy lifting pose, as first seen on that epic afternoon when Bristol City were beaten on penalties.

By half time, well, possibly after just twenty minutes if truth be told, it looked as though Church were already on cruise control and heading straight for the NCEL Cup Final, which will be played on Wednesday May 17th (7.30pm) at Bramall Lane, against Bridlington Town, who beat AFC Emley 1-0 in tonight's other Semi Final, courtesy of a Chris Adams 76th minute goal at Queensgate.
But after their restorative half time mugs of PG Tips, the visitors came out and made a real go of it and almost overcame a 3-0 interval deficit when Nathan Keightley's 88 minute strike was ruled out.
Mike Brearley hooked the ball off the line, as Duncan Richards left wing corner swung in and almost went straight in to double Penistone's lead.
But when the same two players went toe to toe in the seventeenth minute as they challenged to get to Barlow's through ball, Brearley got their first but slipped and inadvertently set up an easy chance for Richards who gratefully accepted the invitation to curl the ball into the top left hand corner past Bradshaw, who couldn't do a damn thing about it, unless he'd arrived with extendable arms and an invisible force field across his goal.
Adam Rhodes, the Penistone keeper held onto Connor Glavin's left wing corner, at the second attempt, as Glasshoughton began to pick up the pieces of their auspicious start and started to pick up momentum, but they were almost blown away completely when the home side turned the screw with half time fast approaching and they could have gone into the break four or five goals to the good, but had to settle for three, as Andy Ring ran straight through the middle of the Welfare defence and drilled the ball past Bradshaw from fifteen yards after Whittington had put him through with a precision pass fromin the middle of the park.
Ryan Johnson had combined with Richards on the right flank, but Bradshaw moved off his line to pluck the latter's cross out of the air before Whittington could capitalise, and right on the stroke of half timeJimmy Stafford crashed a header against the crossbar from James Young's long free kick.

Wednesday 19th April 2017
CMFL North
at Station Road,Collingham
Newark Town (1) 2
Tyler Martin 31, Cole Maule 70
Collingham (2) 3
Daryl Price 28, Tom Moore 38, Jackson Buckthorp 89
Admission £3. Programme £1. Attendance 113
This absorbing Station Road derby could've gone either way, right up until the very last minute, when Jackson Buckthorp got the final touch to the ball to steer it past Oliver Sinclair, after both sides had frantically vied to make a clean contact on Daryl Price's dipping free kick from out on the left flank.
Overall, Collingham probably had the lions share and better of the clear cut chances and would've felt that their extra effort in the attacking third warranted the win, but by the same token, Newark could consider themselves unlucky not to have held on to take a point after a solid defensive display, with Will Nelson in particular looking like a tower of strength as he put a great shift in attempting to thwart the twin spearhead of Price and Marlon Grundy and the obvious threat they posed.
Price had two good chances inside the first ten minutes, but his first strike, just thirty seconds in, was blocked by Ian Wade, while his second was well stopped by Sinclair.
Jayden Driver dispossessed Aaron Martin and burst forward down the left flank, but having taken a return pass from Price, the 'visitors' left back screwed his shot wide of the right hand post.
Jammy Lloyd, the Blues captain, had Newark's first shot on goal of note, when, having surged across the edge od the six yard box, his angled shot on the turn, deflected into the waiting arms of Spencer Ellis.
The deadlock was broken in the 28th minute, when amid a scramble for possession just outside the Newark area, Price drilled home an unstoppable shot.
But the 'home' side were on level terms just three minutes later, when Tyler Martin chased the ball down as Spencer was about to kick it clear from the edge of his area, and having got the faintest of touches a split second before the Collingham keeper could make any contact, nicked it past him and ran on to knock a shot into the now unguarded net.
Sidnei Costa won the ball on the halfway line and quickly released the ball to Price who slipped it forward first time into the path of Tom Moore, who ran towards the right to avoid the advancing presence of Nelson before drilling the ball past Sinclair from twelve yards out.
Collingham had two more chances to increase their lead before half time: Craig Bridge released Grundy on the left and he cut in along the dead ball line towards the Blues goal before forcing a save out of Sinclair and Costa picked out Price with a long ball, but Wade forced him to turn inside tolook for a shooting optionand as he consequence, the diminutive front man had to rush his shot and as a consequence he struck the ball straight at Sinclair.

Knees bent, arms stretched, rah, rah, rah

Newark were reduced to ten men nine minutes into the second half, when Tyler Martin was shown a straight red card for a bad foul on Matt Ward, that fully warranted the match referee's decision to dismiss the Blues goalscorer on the spot.
Ironically, as often happens, Newark upped the ante despite their numerical disadvantage and as Nelson marshalled Grundy and Price, Aaron Martin paced forward down the right wing and delivered a cross into Spencer's six yard box that only needed a touch, but the Blues had nobody on hand to provide one.
Ward dropped a long free kick towards Costa but Wade reached the ball first and headed it clear at the expense of a corner which came to nothing.
But Costa was soon on the attack again, cutting through the right channel before shooting across the face of goal and narrowly wide of the left hand upright.
Bridge picked up a stray pass in the centre circle and knocked the ball out wide to Driver whose long kick found Price beyond the back post, whose effort was blocked but fell into the path of Bridge who had continued his run, but when he struck the ball first time it flew wide of the left post.
Sinclair did well to hold onto Driver's long shot and released the ball forward quickly and Cole Maule sprinted forward down the left before a cross towards the Collingham goal that crossed the line beneath the crossbar and either by accident or design, Newark ware on level terms in the 70th minute.
Once again, Sinclair came to the rescue, saving from Grundy as Collingham looked to regain their lead.
Danny Purves struck a free kick somewhere into a distant back garden, but minutes later planted a corner into the heart of Collingham's defence that was only cleared as far as Sam Wilford, whose spanking thirty yard shot was held by Spencer.
The game had become a real end to end affair by now, but late in the day, Jackson Buckthorp's goal claimed all three points for Collingham after Buckthorp had combined with Jack Wilkinson and Sam Biggs out on the left flank and Newark had conceded the free kick that led to the goal described above.
In stoppage time Wilkinson went to ground under a challenge by Will Carlisle in the penalty area, but the referee waved Collingham's appeals away.
Buckthorp threaded a pass through to Bridge, who looked odds on to score, but Sinclair got down to his left to pull off a great one handed save.
Bridge and Price were both thwarted by Sinclair in the final minute of added time from Driver's left wing cross... and that was that!
FT: Newark Town 2 v Collingham 3

Wed 19th April 2017
at York City FC, Wigginton Road Training Ground
EFL U18 Youth Alliance
York City (1) 1
Aaron Brettell 35
Mansfield Town (0) 1
Nyle Blake 67
Photo gallery from game: CLICK HERE
Match report on Stags website: CLICK HERE
Video footage from game: FIRST HALF CLICK HERE
Videofootage from game: SECOND HALF CLICK HERE
John Dempster post match interview: CLICK HERE
Henri Wilder post match interview: CLICK HERE
Post match reaction: CLICK HERE
Preview of Stags U18 v Burton Albion U18 game: CLICK HERE

Thursday 20th April 2017
WVH North Midland U19 League
at the Windsor Foodservice Stadium
Worksop Town (0) 0
Retford United (1) 5
Nathan Blagg 12,
Zach Casburn 53, 85
Liam White 71, 82

Some eye candy for our female readers

Both sides are back in action on Tuesday 25th May, when Worksop Town entertain Chesterfield, while Retford United travel to Chesterfield.

So which one of you lads lives next door to THE66POW HQ then?

Friday 21st April 2017
National League U19 Alliance
English Colleges League
at the New Manor Ground
Ilkeston FC (0) 0
Mansfield Town (0) 1
Rhiess McLean 78
Flickr photo gallery HERE
To say that the New Manor Grounfd pitch was inneed of some TLC would be a massive understatement.
During a break in play, the match referee, the right honourable James Thornhill asked me if I could get him some water.
Happy to oblige a dehydrated match official, I quipped "Back in a minute pal, I'll just nip off and get you bottle"
"Oh it's not for me" replied Mr Thornhill "It's this pitch that's thirsty!"
A good point well made methinks.
Myles Saxton played a defence splitting ball into the path of Rheiss McLean as the Brooksby Lads had the better of the opening exchanges, but Charlie Wood dived bravely in and claimed the ball from off of the Stags strikers toe.
I didn't say bravely because the Wood ran the risk of being kicked for dashing head on into a potentially painful situation, because it was his gung ho act of complete disregard for his own safety, as he bounced on the bone hard pitch that posed the real danger... very real actually.
Ilson's Jake Brogden delivered a right wing cross towards Dan Faulkner, but Lewis Matthews did well to clear the ball away. Alas Matthews only last eighteen minutes before he hobbled out of the game, giving Mansfield the opportunity to let the mercurial talent that is Lance Moyo loose on their hosts.
Ryan  Evans set up McLean just inside the home side's area with a clever back heel, but the Stags number nine's shot was tipped over the bar at the expense of a corner, even though he had beaten the keeper. But none of the officials spotted it, so well done to the Robins right back Tom Taylor, that was a mighty fine save pal!

Saturday 22nd April 2017
EFL U18 Youth Alliance
at Kirklington Road, Rainworth MW FC
Mansfield Town (2) 2
Burton Albion (0) 1
Flickr photo gallery: CLICK HERE
Mansfield Town:
Wilson, Bloor, Baldwin, Ward, Ratcliffe (C), Harrison, Wilder, Healey, Hakeem, Law, Blake (Reittie 82)
Unused subs - Sundby, Dumbleton, Walker, Smith
Burton Albion:
Hawkins, Cooke (Hart 83), Hutchinson, Hallahan, Cotterill, Dowd, Saville, Harrison (Savage 65), Sbarra, Matthews (Steer 73)
Unused subs - Ollie Fairbrother, Ethan Vale

"Hey!"

The Stags youngsters went into this game secure in the knowledge that their fate was in their own hands and a two point haul from their remaining two games would see them crowned as champions for the second year running, regardless of what happened anywhere else.
In the event, they claimed all three ponts against a spirited Brewers side, who obviously hadn't just come to make up the numbers.
Having started on the front foot, with Zayn Hakeem, Nyle Blake and Teddy Bloor taking the game to their visitors from all directions, while utilising the height of Cameron Healey to good effect inside the Albion goalmouth.
Callum Hawkins, the Burton keeper got the faintest of touches to a towering header from Healey to help the ball over the crossbar, but the unsighted referee awarded a goal kick. Match officials are only human and they occasionally make mistakes, just like the players.
Joe Sbarra provided Burton with their first attack, when he cut in field from out on the right flank, but his shot was easily dealt with by Sam Wilson.
Mansfield had one hand on the championship trophy, when Kane Baldwin's long distance delivery found Jason Law with his back to goal and as the visitors defence tried to crowd Law and Hakeem out of the game, between them they managed to knock the ball sideways into the path of Nyle Blake, who crashed it past Hawkins to put the Stags ahead.
Hakeem strode powerfully forward for thirty yards, before wrong footing two defenders who were tracking him and having changed direction, rolled the ball sideways to Healey, but Tom Hammerton managed to intercept his intended pass and cleared the danger, for now.
Bloor's left wing corner towards the Stags skipper,Morgan Ratcliffe, was headed back towards him by Jayden Cotterill and when the Stags number two crashed the ball across the six yard box, it deflected wide off of Danny Cooke's right hand, but the referee waved away the appeals for a penalty, ruling that Cooke had been unable to get out of the way and any contact was purely unintentional.
Eager to ram home their advantage, the Stags created a string of chances,but only managed to clear the crossbar three times in quick succession, with Henri Wilder letting rip with a long range shot, Law turned the ball over from ten yards after Blake had headed Bloor's cross down to him and Kieran Harrison diverted the ball over, when he met another cross from Bloor over with a powerful header.
With half time fast approaching, Jason Law spotted a gap in the Albion defence, put on a burst of pace to shimmy through it and confidently side footed the ball beyond the reach of Hawkins.
Right at the start of the second half, the Stags made hard work of clearing the ball out of defence and Joe Sbarra pounced to take advantage and rolled the ball into the back of the net from close range.and all of a sudden, it was 'game on' again, with everything still to play for.
Keaton Ward carried the ball forward thirty yards, avoiding two attempted tackles, before laying the ball off the Law, who quickly played it to Wilder on the right flank, before taking the return pass and showing some neat touches to get beyond Reece Hutchinson and crossing to Ward who had continued his run, but when the industrious midfielder shot from just inside the Burton area, Cotterill blocked his effort.
Wilder tried his luck with a speculative shot from twenty yards and when the ball ricocheted back to him he knocked it back to Ward, who danced through  the left channel and whipped a cross into the path of Blake and Hakeem, but neither of them could quite get a foot on it and Burton had a lucky escape.
Harrison swerved a free kick from outside the area over the Burton defensive wall, but Hawkins had it covered and plucked the ball out of the air.
Ward teed the ball up nicely for Wilder, but he couldn't keep his shot on target as he blazed the ball wide of the left hand upright.
Burton were still a threat going forward and Wilson did well to keep out a well struck low shot by Charlie Dowd.
Dowd once again, showed good attacking intentions when he combined with Hallahan, but Wilson had read the situation well and claimed the ball.
The Brewers were defending in numbers and piling forward as a compact unit whenever the opportunity to counter attack arose, in the eighty ninth minute of the scheduled ninety, Hammerton broke free inside the Stags area and he unleashed a shot from ten yards and time stood still momentarily as it looked for all the world as if the celebratory champagne would have to stay on ice for at least another week, but Wilson had advanced bravely from his line and blocked the Burton captain's thumping shot.
Play switched ends quickly and Hakeem's persistence saw him release Wilder at the second attempt, but Hawkins twisted and turned the ball over the bar... and moments later, the final whistle signalled celebration time for the victorious Stags as they held on to clinch the title that they had been defending since last May.
What a fantastic achievement for all involved.
FT: Stags U18 2 v Burton Albion U18 0

Saturday 22nd April 2017
Toolstation NCEL Premier Division
at the Windsor Foodservice Stadium
Worksop Town (1) 3
Jack Waddle 25
Kyle Jordan 49
Steven Wankiewicz 64
Maltby Main (2) 3
Keegan Burton 9
Reece Wesley 41
Sam Forster 82
Admission £5. Programme £1. Attendance 249
Flickr photo gallery from today's game HERE

Hey! Look everybody, it's my extremely handsome old pal, Craig Shithouse. An unsung WTFC hero.

Adam Scott skimmed a shot over the bar, after making a forty yard run that had the home crowd purring with approval and the same player picked out Slew with a left wing delivery, but the Tigers number 9 missed an absolute sitter.
Jordan Hodder fouled Keegan Burton just outside the Worksop area... and I mean just, everybody could see the white dust of the eighteen yard line, but having slammed his initial free kick into the Tigers defensive wall, Hodder couldn't get enough purchase on his second attempt from the rebound.
Wesley, Maltby's defensive mainstay, dedicated a goal that he scored against Retford United last week, to me, in my absence on the occasion of my birthday celebration in that there London.
But today he went one better and treated me to one in person, when just before half time, the Tigers defence did a passable impression of a Sunshine Busload of special needs kids chasing a balloon around on a windy beach from Lewis Bemrose's long throw in and allowed 'Wes' the time and space to slot the ball past Kennedy with a well executed and quite divine left footed finish.
Fancy awarding me with the accolade of a goal dedication just 48 hours before I submitted my vote for the Maltby Main committee members player of the season ;-)
HT: Worksop Town 1 v Maltby Main 2
The second half was just four minutes old when Worksop turned up mob handed and Kyle Jordan levelled up the score with a great hooked shot from just outside the Miners area.
It was a great strike and there would've been very little that Matby's evergreen goalie Jamie Bailey could've done about it as the ball dipped narrowly beneath his crossbar, just a split second after he'd seen it coming.

WTFC sweeper system. While you lot are buggering off home for your chippy tea, these lads are still hard at work

Both first team managers survey the scene

Tuesday 25th April 2017
2pm Kick Off
Central League
at Kirklington road, Rainworth
Mansfield Town (0) 0
Rotherham United (1) 2
Trialist 35
Darnelle Bailey-King 75
Attendance 75
Photo gallery: CLICK HERE

Wednesday 26th April 2017
Central Midlands League (North)
at Langwith Road, Shirebrook Town FC
FC Bolsover (3) 5
Josh Parfitt 4, 70
Josh Thomas 20, 73
Josh Scully 29
Clay Cross Town (1) 1
Ant Lynam 27
Admission £3. Attendance 248
The scene was set thus: a Clay Cross Town win tonight, or even a draw, meant that they would be crowned as CMFL North champions.
But a victory for FC Bolsover, would see them climb to within just one point of tonight's opponents in the table, meaning that the title race was going right down to the wire on Saturday, when the Millers travel to Collingham and 'FCB' entertain Phoenix FC at Langwith Road.
In the event, the visitors misfired on the night, in front of a large and expectant crowd of 248, while 'Boza' grasped the opportunity to close the gap to just one point, with a demonstration of incisive and quality finishing.
And while the home side will be floating into Saturday's game on the back of a wave of euphoria, the Millers will need to put the disappointment of tonight's display to the back of their minds with immediate effect and focus on the job in hand, as they strive to mount a very tricky final hurdle at Station Road.
So given the layout of the league table after tonight's result, there's no pressure on the Millers at all, as the destiny of a whole year's work goes down to the final ninety minutes of the season.
Not much anyway!
Collingham themselves face a re-arranged game at Harworth Colliery tomorrow night, but the early kick off time of 7.15PM will prevent our attendance at that one, which is a shame because it would've been good to catch up with quite a few people I know who are involve with both teams.

Saturday 29th April 2017
EFL Youth Alliance (NE)
at the Worksop Van Hire Stadium, Clipstone FC
Mansfield Town (0) 0
Grimsby Town (0) 1
Akheem Rose 69
PHOTO GALLERY CLICK HERE
Mansfield Town:
Xavier Sundby, Teddy Bloor (Cain Smith 62), Henri Wilder (Morgan Ratliffe 55), Harry Bircumshaw, Aiden Walker, Kieran Harrison (C), Nyle Blake, Luke Morgan (Surafel Behailu 62), Devante Reittie (Jason Law 55), Keaton Ward (Alistair Smith 62), Jake Dumbleton
Grimsby Town:
Corey Briggs, Sam Williams, Mikey Davis, Myles Lawman,Tom Jamieson, Jack Keeble, Jamie Goddard, Tom Sawyer (C), Akheem Rose, Declan Slade, Runarn Burrell
Subs - Ben Flowerdew, Laurence Burchill, Bilal Sesay, Ty-Rhys Paul-Jones
Having already successfully defended last season's title, by way of ensuring that neither Oldham Athletic or Rotherham United could catch up with them on points, with a 2-1 win against Burton Albion at Rainworth last Saturday, courtesy of two first half goals from Nyle Blake and Jason Law; the young Stags finished this season's successful campaign, just as they had the last one, with a game against Grimsby Town.
However, while Rotherham were beating Oldham 2-0 to claim the runners up spot at Parkgate, the final game of the season for the reigning and recently re-crowned EFL Youth alliance winners, wasn't entirely their most convincing display of the past twelve, or even twenty four months, and was more of a case of after the Lord Mayor's Show than anything else, but having shown the kind of mental toughness that saw them finish the current term with a goals against total of just 15 from 24 games, you could forgive this current crop of lads for having a bit of an off day, now that they have already made it securely past the finishing line.
Truth be told, the team that took to the pitch today, gave a nod towards the fact that preparations for next term are already in full swing, as John Dempster and his coaching staff strive to keep the momentum of back to back title wins going, with several players who will doubtless be featuring heavily next season being given the chance to prove themselves in a real match situation.
The nucleus of the embryonic 2017-18 side got a run out today and there were already several positives you could pick out of this performance, most notably the shift that Aiden Walker put in as he got to grips with the challenge of containing Akheem Rose, Grimsby's live wire centre forward, in whom it would seem, the Mariners have a real gem in the making who will serve them well next season.
Two of the Stags players who will be carrying the champions torch into next season, Nyle Blake and Keaton Ward, combined early on to threaten the visitors goal, but Jack Keeble, who along with Tom Sawyer has just signed a pro contract with Grimsby Town, cleared the danger away.
Xavier Sundby pulled off a great save to thwart Runarn Burroll, while Walker was being kept busy by the fleet footed Rose, but having the better of their personal battle.
Jake Dumbleton was tripped on the left hand side of Mariners goal area, but was denied a penalty as the referee Minesh Gupta judged that the actual contact had occurred a few inches the wrong side of the line and the visitors regrouped and cleared Harry Bircumshaw's free kick away.
Rose was proving to be problematic for the home side, but having dropped deep to make a run after Walker had blocked his route to goal inside the eighteen yard box, he found Luke Morgan to be just as tenacious in his tackle, inside the centre circle.

Megs!

As half time approached, Dumbleton though he had opened the scoring, but he was flagged for offside.
Sundby was called into action twice in quick succession, plucking Sam Williams cross out of the air and pushing Rose's angled shot away at full stretch.
Play switched and Teddy Bloor picked out Ward with a sideways pass, who ran across the edge of the Grimsby area from left to right, before letting fly on the half volley, but Tom Jamieson put his body in the way to preserve the Mariners clean sheet.
In first half stoppage time, Rose pushed forward again twice but both times Walker was having none of it and stole the ball away.
HT: Stags 0 v Mariners 0

Posing

With the title already in the bag, Mansfield utilised the second half in a fashion akin to a practice match and used it as an excuse to blood several first year players as they used the whole permitted allocation of five substitutes.
The game began to resemble a pre-season friendly, which indeed is what it actually was, given that teams who tried doubly hard to overcome the reigning champions this time around, will really up the ante next year as the back to back title winners become an even more desirable scalp to claim, so they are going to really have to hit the ground running from August onward.
And though some onlookers will have been disappointed not to have seen more goals, or to have witnessed the league leaders steamrolling their visitors into submission, while showing off their championship credentials, it needs to be understood that effectively, the current season reached it's zenith and climax last week and although winning games is important most of the time within a group of players performing at this level, age group wise, helping them to develop and giving them time to practice while instilling good habits into and coaching them is always of paramount importance.
Of course it is a massive achievement to win two league titles in a row, but when that is the reward of watching young players improve and flourish, that kind of success tastes so much sweeter than the sort that is enjoyed by the mega rich clubs, who can entice all the so called best youngsters from far and wide, with promises of fiscal remuneration.
Development football should never be about buying your way to the top... and to that end, the academy system at Brooksby is achieving all it's goals and ticking every box along the way.
Of course today's opposition deserve a lot of credit for the way that they took the game to their hosts too, in particular Akheem Rose, who probably deserved to be on the end of Burrell's sideways pass to knock the ball home for the only goal of the game after sixty nine minutes, he'd put in an immense shift and only the combined efforts of Walker, Sundby and Kieran Harrison had stopped him finding the net several more times.
It was good to see Cain Smith coming on late in the game and announcing his arrival with one of his trademark shuddering challenges within moments of entering the fray and to watch Devante Reittie take on his marker with his vast arrayarray of tricks, and to hear tthe dulcet Lancashire tones of Morgan Ratcliffe barking out encouragement to his team mates and X rated humorous slights to his opponents.
And who can forget Tom Marriott's darting runs down the flanks and the input of Tyler Johal last season? Or the powerhouse duo, double spearhead in attack of Tyler Blake and Zayn Hakeem, the latter of who has tree trunk 'power-house' thighs that are almost as huge as his mothers.
They've all more than played his part in the team's success, along with many more on and off the pitch, but sadly some of them will be moving on to pastures new in the near future.
The last couple of years have flown by and not everybody who has plated an integral part will be involved next season, such is the nature of the beast that is football, but hopefully those who will be leaving the ranks soon, will feel that they have benefited from their time at the club.
It speaks volumes for the quality of the players who will still be involved at the club next year, that such a high calibre of players couldn't be accommodated within the club's present framework.
Credit where it is due, Grimsby saw the game out using the template that has served the Mansfield Under eighteen's so well for the past two years, as they stayed strong and focused in defence and used their resilience as a platform to build from.
All in all, the Stags coaches will have picked out a myriad of positives to build on towards the future, on a day that a prototype Grimsby Town side showed that they won't be pushovers next season either.
Win, lose or draw, as long as you're learning valuable lessons from it, there is no such thing as a bad result in development league football, especially when you've already won the league with tread to spare.
I'm looking forward to seeing how the next couple of seasons are going to unfold already.
Stags director Mark Hawkins said tome at the end of the game today, that it felt like the end of an era, and though I can see where he is coming from with that sentiment, it also feels like the start of the next chapter and the future is still unwritten.
Bring it on!
FT: Mansfield Town U18 0 v Grimsby Town U18 1

Saturday 29th April 2017
Toolstation NCEL Premier Division
at Muglet Lane, Maltby
Maltby Main (1) 1
Keegan Burton 41
Handsworth Parramore (2) 3
Alex Rippon 35
Aaron Moxam 43, 55 pen
Admission £5. Programme £1.50. Attendance 138
A few additional pictures: click HERE
On the day that Penistone Church confirmed their Premier Division status with a 4-2 win at Grimsby Borough, in the play off final, meaning that they will be promoted along with champions Hall Road Ranger and runners up Pontefract Collieries; Handsworth Parramore took up four car parking spaces with their fancy team transporter, as the 'culture club' arrived at Muglet Lane to see out the season at the home of the NCEL's very own crazy gang: Maltby Main FC.
In the event, the Ambers win, on an immaculate carpet like surface, that has been well worth the whole of the princely sum of £14.82 that has been invested in keeping it in such good shape all season, saw them finish the season with a run of five consecutive wins, while, to their immense credit in such a competitive league, the Miners slumped to what was only their first defeat in eight games.

Mr Mills misunderstanding what the phrase 'dog grooming' means

Handsworth, who were fancied by many, before the outset of the season, myself included, as the main threat to Cleethorpe's title aspirations, finished the season in fourth place, some 25 points behind the Owls.
Maltby, having flirted briefly in an unwanted tryst with the clubs at the bottom end of the table, pulled themselves away from the drop zone with a vast improvement in results since the turn of the year and ended up in 14th, seven places and fourteen places behind last season's impressive finish.
As a cursory glance back through any number of posts on this here blog, will confirm that I'm crap at making predictions, I will nonetheless be sticking my fifty pence (each way) on both of these sides finishing higher in the table next season, than they did this one. With Parramore probably being there or thereabouts, in the running for the single promotion spot to the Northern Premier League and the Miners making steady and sustainable progress in  the top half of the table.
The way to conquer the NCEL Premier Division, is to treat her like the 'lived in' and vastly experienced promiscuous woman that she is.
There is little point in wooing her, courting her, showering her with gifts and diamonds and respectively letting her dictate the pace at which your relationship develops and then fannying around laying down the corn, before embarking on a demur and gentle approach to the act of love making.
The NCEL isn't a lady, she doesn't make love, she frowns upon foreplay and niceties, she's been around and the only approach that will see you bossing this brassy broad, is to be up and raring to go from day one, ramming it home on all fronts and smashing her back doors in, if needs be.
Spank her ass hard and keep your arsenal primed from day one and get off to a flying start, while your peers are still asking her mates for her phone number.
Faint heart and floppy parts will never win over a real woman.
Holding hands across the table, while wining and dining the apple of your eye, is going to get you absolutely nowhere, not while the big guns have been firing from day one and have probably been doing the apple of your eye over the bonnet of your car, while you nip into the florists to buy her roses.
Get stuck in, keep the tempo going... and thank me later when you have reached your zenith, while other wannabe suitors have missed the ride of a lifetime.
Fail to prepare, prepare to fail n' all that. Stock upon the stud spray!
If, just if, heaven really is a place on earth, then surely Belinda Carlisle must've visited Muglet Lane on an  overcast and ever so slightly chilly Saturday afternoon, when she was inspired to write that infuriatingly catchy, chart topping pop ballad.
As an aside, did anybody else notice that the crafty bitch also used virtually the same hook and tune on that other record 'We dream the same same dreams'.
Getting paid twice for the same job, no wonder she can afford to leave the light on... nice work if you can get it!
The air raid sirens sounded and Frankie Goes to Hollywood's  "When two tribes go to war" boomed out over the public address system (or it probably would've done if somebody hadn't nicked the super woofer speakers from off the main stand roof, to fit into the the back of his Ford Capri), both teams shook hands, while dead eyeing each other and hissing "I'm going to fookin' have you!" under their collective breaths... the match officials crossed their chest and looked to the heavens for guidance, but mostly foe help! And a most eye catching, beautifully presented and aesthetically appealing game of Association football, between two renowned exponents of the dribbling code ensued, on a surface that even the head groundsman on the centre court at Wimbledon would've gone weak at the kness had a wank about, such is it's geometrically perfect, lovingly manicured surface and gleaming white straight(ish) lines.
Both defences put in their gum shields and fronted up for what promised to be a challenging ninety minutes of rough and tumble, with occasional outbreaks of football... and they pretty much dominated the opening exchanges.
Dean Smith, Keegan Burton and Steve Hopewell battered away at Handsworth's back doors, but hadn't quite applied enough lubricant to their forward thrusts, to actually make any telling kind of penetration as of yet.
Kinnel! This blog is going all Mills & Boon meets fifty shades of Maltby. This is what happens when I take a blue tablet to overcome my writers block.
The Ambers countered after seeing off Maltby's early attacking threat and their captain (and all round decent bloke) Connor Smythe, spanked the ball narrowly over the crossbar from twenty five yards.
Smythe hurried back and was well placed to clear when Hopewell nodded Burton's knock forward down into the path of Lewis Bemrose.
Hopewell threatened the visitors goal again as he broke in through the right channel, but the Parramore mascot got the ball away... err, hang on a minute while I get my glasses... it was actually Richard Tootle, but given his diminutive stature it was an easy mistake to make on part.
There was a massive roar of anticipation from the packed to capacity Maltby kop, as Spencer Fearn unleashed the Miners secret weapon... a long throw in from Nicky Darker! I bet none of you Handsworth lot were expecting that were you? The home side's captain launched the ball towards Dean Smith arriving at the back stick, but his downwards header was well held by Gary Stevens.

Five wins in a row and still a grumpy f*cker!

The NCEL Premier Division's top scorer Aaron Moxam saw a slight gap in Maltby's armoury and stuck the ball from fifteen yards out, but Danny Patterson took the sting out of shot with a slight touch while Jamie Bailey got down to his right to turn the ball round the upright.
Bemrose nudged the ball forward for Burton to run onto, but as he raced for the ball, shoulder to shoulder with Ben Starosa, the two of them collided and went to ground and the referee awarded a free kick to Handsworth, in spite of some hopeful penalty appeals from the home side.
Tootle launched a long ball that landed in front of Joe Thornton, but as it bounced up perfectly off of the carpet like pitch, the usually reliable front man inexplicably directed the ball high and wide.

Preparing to bowl from the Pavilion end

Meanwhile, at the other end, Burton, who has been a revelation since he arrived at Maltby on a work experience from Sheffield United, headed the ball inches wide of the upright as Josh Hemmingway picked the lively forward player out with a well delivered ball from out on the right.
Thornton was full of running today and upon arriving on the edge of the Miners area he unselfishly knocked a pass sideways to Harry Bamforth, but the ball, yet again, sat up unkindly at the last second and the interim assistant first team manager's far more talented talented son put his shot past the wrong side of the upright.
Hopewell and Josh Nodder were chipping away at Handsworth's stubborn defence from wide positions, but weren't getting the rub of the green and as another attacking move broke down, Stuart Ludlam launched a lengthy to Moxam, but Reece Wesley calmly stood his ground and authoritatively cushioned to ball back to Bailey with a well placed header, that suggested that he didn't feel under any pressure at all, not even in the slightest, with the league's most prolific striker breathing down his neck.
I'm probably forbidden from saying who I voted personally in the secret ballot for the committee's player of the season, but if I'm allowed to drop a bijou clue into the mix, the guy has got the same initials as me ;-)
With thirty five minutes on the clock, Danny Buttle stroked a low cross towards the near post from out on the left and Alex Rippon steered the ball past Bailey from close range to put the visitors ahead.
Rippon, marking his one hundredth game for the Ambers, then pointed to the sky, by way of a poignant tribute to Nigel #Nige Goodinson.
For the benefit of those of you who don't know, Nige was a stalwart and cornerstone of Handsworth football, known and respected throughout the local football community, who sadly passed away earlier this week.
I shall respectfully mention the unique tribute that was paid to him at Muglet Lane today, at the appropriate moment in this overview of the days events.
Buttle delivered another testing cross into the Miners six yard box, but Darker headed clear and the home side picked up some momentum into the opposition's half.
With the Handsworth defence backing away and waiting for Maltby to try and find a way through them again, with a defiance that called out "Come and have a go if you think you're hard enough!", Hopewell rolled the ball to his left to Burton, who unleashed an unstoppable twenty five yard strike into the corner of Stevens' net.
What a quality finish!
If a Brazilian had scored that in a major tournament, the TV companies would be repeating that time and time again, while asking: what the funking hell is David Luiz doing in Maltby?
Probably comparing hair styling products with Danny Patterson, I would have thought.
The last time that these two sides met, Aaron Moxam scored twice... and guess what?
He squeezed home the first of today's double through a crowded defence, from the left hand side of the six yard box, after Handsworth had made good use of the best pitch in the NCEL (if not the whole of the known universe) to thread together a string of quick passes down the left flank.
Which meant that, with their new incoming management team, old whatisname and his entourage, watching on from the cricket pitch side of the ground, the Handsworth caretaker's were quite possibly en route to keeping their 100% win record intact throughout their tenure.
So credit where it is due and well done to all concerned.
The second half, was beginning to get a little bit 'tetchy' as several players from both sides started to go in a little bit late with one or two of their challenges, which I, ever the optimist, put down to a few of the lads being a bit leg weary, having just endured a forty five minute orienteering course at the end of a long and tiring season.
Buttle got past Hemmingway out on the left flank and crossed towards Moxam and Thornton, who would be a handful for anyone at this level, or even in the two leagues above this one; but Wesley isn't just anyone is he? And he comfortably dealt with them both and poured water on the situation with his calm and assured presence.
The bucket is probably useful to stand on at set pieces too.
But in the fifty fourth minute, all hell broke loose.
Having dropped deep to win the ball, Buttle played it down the left flank to Smythe, who played two return passes with Moxam, before the prolific striker turned, just inside the Maltby area to, shoot.
But Richard Adams met him head on with a crunching tackle and though he won the ball he followed through and Moxam caught the full brunt of the hefty challenge.
Players from both sides ran across to pull their team mates apart as a few of them began squaring up in response to Adams coming together with Moxam.
And having pointed to the spot the referee booked a player from each side to calm the situation down (well, after a fashion) and Moxam, who thankfully wasn't too badly hurt, got up to convert the penalty.
Arguments raged on, on the touchline, off the pitch, with the supporters from Handsworth demanding to know while Adams was still on the pitch, while some locals were claiming that it shouldn't have been a penalty, because Adams had got the ball before his momentum had carried him forward and he'd clattered into Moxam, a fraction after making the challenge.
It all happened so fast, it must've been a difficult one for the ref to call, and I don't envy his position one bit on this one.
In my opinion (and I'll concede that I am not always correct); the ball was there to go for, but, and it is a big but, in a game with very little riding on it, Adams' challenge was reckless, and anyone who thinks that a penalty wasn't a just and fair outcome, should take a moment to consider just how serious the consequences might have been for Moxam, instead of splitting airs over a rule book technicality.
Football opinions can drive an argumentative wedge between the most amiable of people, but they can also foster some quite remarkable acts of mutual respect, so not wanting to dwell on the above incident a moment longer...
This afternoon at Hillsborough on 58 minutes, the crowd would be joining in a heartfelt minutes applause for their fallen comrade.
So, several days ago, Maltby Main had contacted today's visitors to ask how they would wish to mark the remembrance of Nigel Goodinson, because, with just one game remaining, today would be the only opportunity they would have to celebrate his life on a match day.
And it was mutually agreed, pending the blessing of the match officials, that a signal would be made from the touchline on 58 minutes and on the next stoppage in play,the game would come to a halt for 60 seconds, while the crowd and the players of both teams joined together in a respectful round of applause for Nige.
Maltby were happy to comply and co-operate with this request from the visiting side and following a pre-match consultation with the match officials, it was agreed that this possibly unique act of mutual respect could take place.
Football is only a game, it isn't a matter of life and death, regardless of what you might have heard elsewhere and some things are far more important.
This shared act said more about the camaraderie that exists between the clubs, the players, the officials and the fans, that any crappy pre-match hand shaking ritual ever could... and it was a complete honour to be involved in such a genuine tribute to Nigel Goodinson.
And, if truth be told, the timing, such as it was, gave several of the more fiery competitors an opportunity to take a deep breath, put things in perspective and chill out.
Play restarted, and the humbling experience that both teams had just shared, deemed to inspire a closing half hour of play, where the players were trying to beat each other fairly and squarely, rather than issuing threats of recriminations behind the bike sheds at pay time away from the watchful eyes of the headmaster and teachers.
Nodder's free kick from out on the right was flicked on by Smith and Wesley was inches away from netting from the second ball.
Be it marshalling the defence, manning the barricades in the middle of the park, or weighing in with the goals, Wesley, as per usual was showing a quite remarkable versatility, which can only be beneficial to those playing alongside as he leads by example.
Both managers made changes for the closing stages, as Maltby vied to get back in the game and Parramore pushed on to consolidate their lead.
Buttle, who as per usual was putting in a mammoth effort out on the left, got away again and crossed towards Rippon, but Wesley (who else!?) was back to take the ball off of the Handsworth midfielder cum strikers head, but the loose ball ran to Bamforth, who took it under control, sprinted forward ten yards and smashed a shot towards the bottom right hand corner... and he was only denied a goal by Bailey's bravery and great stop.
It's a team game and on that pretext it would be wrong to single Wesley out as Maltby's man of the match, because everybody has a part to play, but come on you lot, try to keep up with 'Wez' and match his work rate and you'll be firing on all cylinders next season.
Handsworth selected Buttle as their star man and I couldn't argue with that, even though Connor Smythe and Alex Rippon couldn't be far behind him on points.
Smythe might have nicked the accolade off Buttle had his twenty five yard piledriver inside the last five minute, not crashed against the bar.
Right at the death, Buttle dropped a cross into the path of Moxam who hit the ball first time as it bounced up, but uncharacteristically missed an absolute sitter.
Deep into stoppage time, Ollie Lawrence fed the ball through to Burton, who took a leave out of Moxam's book and blazed the last goal attempt of the afternoon into the wild blue yonder.
All in all, a fool blooded NCEL clash that did everything and when the dust settles, the only talking point will rightly be, the incredible shared minute's applause and bond of mutual respect shown by everybody in the ground, in memory of Nigel #Nige Goodinson.
FT: Maltby Main 1 v Handsworth Parramore 3
Enjoy your holidays everyone, it will soon be time for the pre-season friendlies.

Tuesday 2nd May 2017
WVH North Midland U19 League
Retford United 2
Chesterfield 3
Admission £3 inc programme
A decent second half recovery by the young Badgers side, saw them finish the game in the ascendancy possession wise, but the visitors had already given them a (very steep) hill to climb as they swept into a three goal lead, courtesy of a close range from Lewis O'Connor who reacted quickest to reach the rebound as Adam Hicks pushed away Max Dungworth's curling free kick, and a double from Danny Williams, the first of which he netted from an angle after United were breached from the left hand side of their crowded goal area and a second one that was a carbon copy of the Spireites first goal, when the Retford defence failed to clear their lines after Hicks had kept out O'Connor's stinging long range free kick.

Lessons in life. Turn up with a top knot in your hair and you're going straight on the bench.

Wednesday 3rd May 2017
CMFL (North)
at Station Road, Collingham
Collingham FC (2) 2
Tom Moore 2, 34
AFC Bentley (1) 2
Luke Farrar 22, Brad Sykes 90+3
Admission £3. Programme £1
Two apiece!?
How on earth were there only four goals tonight?
I hear told that there was live football on the television night and I could've watched the semi finals in either the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League, from the comfort of my front room.
Well, if you were daft enough to stay at home to watch either of those games, then you have got nobody but your stupid self to blame for missing this compelling end of season game, between two of the Central Midlands League North's form teams.
Collingham went into tonight's game on the back of an eleven game unbeaten run, whilst AFC Bentley, in their inaugural season, have been quietly going about the business of securing third place in the league, before a ball was even kicked tonight.
AFC Bentley rose from the ashes of Brodsworth Welfare and Bentley FC, who both ceased to exist at the end of last season, for reason's far to complex for me to go into minute detail here and now, given that I impose a 20,000 word limit per match report/overview I write, on this self indulgent, bullshit blog with added football content.
But, I am delighted that this phoenix like club are doing so well, given the high calibre of the people I know from previous visits to both clubs.
AFC Bentley haven't wasted any time in establishing themselves and next season they will have as many as eighteen teams of differing ages, playing under the club banner.
Of course, Collingham themselves have numerous teams too, and aren't shy about giving the players who have developed through their youth ranks a fair crack of the first team whip.
Tom Moore gave Collingham the lead inside the second minute, with an Exocet rocket of a shot from almost thirty yards out.
I can't imagine that any of you misery guts lot who stayed in to watch football on the telly tonight will have seen anything even like such a sweetly taken strike.
Ellis Spencer was called into action twice in quick succession, saving well against Zack King as the two of them went one against one as the Bentley striker paced through the middle of the home side's defence, before blocking Brad Maddison's effort with his feet.
At the other end, Jack Wilkinson evaded two challenges but Josh Diggles got down quickly to get his body behind the ensuing goal attempt.
But Bentley's spell of pressure paid off in the twenty first minute, when Luke Farrar equalised and Maddison almost put the visitors in front shortly afterwards, but his dipping effort from twelve yards, dropped just over the bar.
The crossbar(s) came into play at both ends, with Diggles claiming the ball from Matt Cotton as the pair challenged for the rebound from Chris Funnell's effort as it crashed back off the woodwork, while Maddison rattled the framework of the goal from the edge of the area at the other end.
Moore added a second goal for the home side on thirty four minutes, when he made himself a yard of space inside the Bentley area and drilled the ball past Diggles.
Craig Bridge punctured the visitors defence with a diagonal ball through to Cotton, but his angled shot across the face of goal rolled wide of the left hand post.
Maddison went close once again, but his well directed header that looked to be sneaking into the bottom right hand corner, was tipped round the upright by Spencer, who made a save with his fingertips at full stretch.
HT: Collingham 2 v AFC Bentley 1
Matt Cotton looked odds on to increase the lead for the home side, when he chased down a loose ball on the edge of Bentley's area and took it wide of Diggles, but his shot cannoned back off the upright.
A good knock from Josh Bowkett presented King with a shooting opportunity, but as he took aim, Sidnei Costa moved in quickly to nick the ball off of his toe. Personally, I prefer to see Costa playing further up the pitch, in a more creative role, but he has proven to have the versatility to tailor his game to accommodate his switch to being a left sided defender with the first team.
Another of Collingham's development team's graduates, Marlon Grundy, was now on the pitch from the bench and offering them more attacking options, as both sides continued to keep up the high tempo in what was their final game of the season.
Maddison, who must have run over half a dozen black cats belonging to a Gypsy elder on the way to Station Road, was having no luck whatsoever in front of the home side's goal and as he nudged the ball past Spencer from eight yards out, it rolled inches wide of the goal. On any other night, he could've been on a hat trick by now.
Collingham went hunting for a third goal that would secure their victory, but as Bridge threaded a pass through to Cotton, he rounded the last man but fired into the side netting.
Diggles was the hero for the South Yorkshire side with two great stops from close range efforts by both Grundy and Cotton and in  the final minute of the ninety he smothered Bridge's knock across the face of his goal at the feet of Grundy.
Three minutes into stoppage time, the visitors summoned up enough lung power to take the game to the wire, throwing everything they had at their hosts and while the referee was checking his watch Brad Sykes got a telling touch on the ball in the Collingham area and diverted it into the roof of the net.
FT: Collingham 2 v AFC Bentley 2

Thursday 4th May 2017
Worksop Van Hire North Midlands U19 League (North)
at Cannon Park, Leverton Road, Retford
Retford United (1) 1
Liam White 25
Worksop Town (0) 1
Oliver Spencer-Brunt 87
Admission: £3 inc programme. Attendance: bloody cold
United's final U19's home game of the season against Sheffield is being played here next Tuesday, I have already put the blankets and snow shovels in the boot of my car and fitted chains to the tyres as a precaution.
Retford played with an outfield player, Harry Hargreaves, in goal and in the event he was only three minutes away from keeping a clean sheet on the night.
The home side opened the scoring after 25 minutes, when Callum Amendola threaded a diagonal pass through the Tigers defence to Liam White, who tucked the ball away from five yards out.
Mason Gee and Leon Loftus were looking dangerous for the visitors, particularly when they pushed forward in tandem down the left flank, but Harry Moore was getting right in  among them, winning the ball and causing them to check back and look for other options.
Amendola picked out Nathan Blagg inside the Tigers six yard box with a corner kick, but he nudged the ball just past the wrong side of the upright.
Just before the break, Callum Fielding did well to anticipate Olly Presley's long range strike and got down  to claim the ball at full stretch.
Tuesday 09/05/17Retford United FC v Sheffield FC
Thursday 11/05/17Swallownest Miners Welfare v Espial FC
Friday 12/05/17 Sheffield FC v Retford United

Wyberton's pre-match rituals weren't quite as masochistic as their opponents

Admission £5 inc programme. Attendance 160

Nimmo and Doughty were quickly reacquainted after the break, as the Wyberton keeper ran from his line to beat the Pilgrims player manager to the ball.
The Colts goal was coming under a bit of pressure at the outset of the second half and the ball skimmed inches over their crossbar, when Hobson picked up a loose ball thirty yards from goal, before advancing forward a few strides and aiming a thumping shot towards the top corner.
Bayliss repeated this trick at the other end moments later and was a similar distance away from snatching an equaliser.
Ben Cooke had looked lively for Immingham since coming on from the bench, but having broke clear of his marker with a burst of pace, he chose to take the ball wide of Doughty and drilled his shot past the right hand upright.
You couldn't take your eyes off of this game for a moment as it ebbed and flowed from one end to the other and as the clock ticked down towards ninety minutes, although it was now cold enough to snow and a lot of the players must've been knackered, I was looking forward to extra time, if it was half as incident packed as the first and second half had been.
Inside the final five minutes, Nimmo combined with Waugh. the latter hooked a cross towards Brendon Smyth and he hooked the ball just over the bar from six yards out.
Harry Bruce picked out McLeod with a long free kick towards the back stick, but when the Colts number eight lobbed the ball over Ritchie, it landed on top of the goal netting.
Waugh and Smyth both went close and in stoppage time Wyberton piled forwards, but Ritchie smothered the ball as Bayliss picked out Frost with a sideways ball across the face of the Pilgrims goal.
90 minutes: Immingham Town 1 v Wyberton 1
As an icy blast picked up across Elsaforde Park, some of the players were running on empty now, but their adrenaline and passion kept them pushing their tired limbs to the max
It was a real shame that either team was going to have to lose this captivating and massively entertaining contest now.
At one end, Danny Scrimshaw cued the ball up for Nimmo, but he shot wide, while at the other, Frost played advantage when his captain Grant Butler was fouled but saw his shot spin wide off of an Immingham defender.
Extra time HT: 1-1
Immingham set about trying to screw the lid down on Wyberton's resistance in the second half of extra time, with Cooke, Waugh and Ryan King, running amok for several minutes.
King played a free kick towards Jamie Glover who headed just over
A particularly unkind spectator asked me if the number 20 on Glover's back represented his weight, "No" I replied "I think that's his age!"
King sent a long pass through to Nimmo in the Wyberton area and his shot deflected for a corner, which Nimmo took himself; the ball was only half cleared as  far as Jamie Wilkes, who control the ball with his left foot and smashed it past Ritchie with his right.
It was a goal worthy of settling even the most pulsating of games, which is exactly what this one had turned out to be and with the end of extra time now in sight, you had to wonder if that is exactly what the enthralled crowd of 160 people had just witnessed, but there was still plenty more life in this game and the drama continued to unfold unabated.
Scott Raworth was shown a second yellow card and Immingham were reduced to ten men two minutes after Wilkes strike.
Young Mr Glover fizzed a shot just past the right hand upright, as a very leg weary Immingham team took to trying to play down the clock.
But with just two minutes of extra time remaining, Wyberton found a second (or even third by now) wind from somewhere and Nicky Frost ran to meet a long ball into the Pilgrims area and from ten yards out, steered the ball inches beyond the reach of Ritchie's fingertips and into the bottom left hand corner of the net.
So there we were, last minute of extra time wondering which end the penalties would be at and Glover picked up the ball and sprayed a pass to Nimmo, he hooked the ball to Cooke whose header across the goalmouth found Waugh and... time seemed to stand still as everyone held their breath collectively and, "GOOOOALLLLL!!" there were bodies and limbs flailing all over the place as the Pilgrims number ten crashed the ball home squeezing it through the narrowest of gaps.
There would be no need for a penalty shoot out now.
And agonisingly for Wyberton it was far too late for them to stage yet another comeback now.
FT AET: Immingham Town 3 v Wyberton 2

I wonder what they're hiding in that bin bag?

The final whistle sounded and the Immingham management, subs, committee and noisy travelling supporters converged onto the pitch to celebrate with their winning team.
Though you would need a heart of stone not to feel a great dealof sympathy and compassion towards the beaten finalists, given how much that Wyberton had given of themselves and put into making the game such an excellent spectacle, I reckon that Immingham shaded it in the end, albeit by a margin  of around approximately, 53% to 47% or thereabouts.
Either way, football was the real winner and this game had just about everything you could ask for as a neutral spectator.
Commiserations to Wyberton and congratulations to Immingham Town.