Welcome to Shaun Smith's Groundhopping blog ...Athersley Recreation 2-4 Yorkshire Amateur
Northern Counties East League - Premier Division
Saturday 19th December 2020
The name was first recorded in 1379 as 'Hattirslay', which probably means 'Aethred's forest
glade' from the Old English 'Aethe[l]red' and 'leah'
“The Penguins” formed in 1979 as Athersley North Juniors before changing their name to Athersley Recreation in 1986
Barnsley Nelson League 1979-1985
Barnsley Junior League 1985-1987 - Champions 1986–87
Barnsley Association League 1987-1997 - Champions 1991–92, 1992–93, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1996–9
Sheffield & Hallamshire County Senior League 1997-2012 -
Champions 1999–2000, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2011–12
Division Two champions 1997–98
League Cup winners 1997–98, 2005–06, 2008–09
Northern Counties East League 2012 to present
The Rec have played in the Premier Division since finishing runners-up in Division One in their debut season.
Ollerton Road,
Athersley North,
Barnsley,
S71 3DP
Capacity 2,050 (358 seats)
Current NCEL grounds visited 32/40
The ground has seated stands behind both goals. The Den Wilkinson Stand sits at the top end of the ground decked out in blue and white seats, with the stand at the entrance end in the club colours of black and white.
There are two covered stands on one side, a large section and a diminutive structure called the ‘Rec In Crew Stand’ with eight extra seats. The far side has open hard standing behind the dugouts. The catering facilities and players dressing rooms are in one corner.
Yorkshire Amateur(1st) 4(Priestley 6,45+2 Stewart 40 Fogarty 54)
Att.107
3pm ko
Admission £5
Free team sheet
Cappuccino & Burger £3.70
This top versus bottom encounter went the way of the form book. The Ammers started on the front foot and the early pressure paid off when Adam Priestley fired home in the 6th minute. They finally grabbed their second when a quick break was finished off by Casey Stewart five minutes before half time. Just before the break Lee Garside got the home team back in it, when his free kick from the edge of the box went in off the post, only for Priestley to restore the two goal advantage with a lovely turn and shot from a tight angle.
Roy Fogarty added a fourth with a superb scissors-kick, but they became a bit complacent with their comfortable lead, with the hosts creating a host of chances and finally getting a consolation through Kyle Wordsworth in the last minute.
Yorkshire Amateur are a good side and look on course to win the league, but Athersley showed encouraging signs that they can get out of trouble in the new year
#Heedhopper
117 mile drive door-to-door
Well it had to happen sometime and now it finally has. All the grounds I’ve travelled to in the car without as much as a hiccup, my luck finally ran out as I broke down with a flat tyre, due to a split shock absorber disc. I discovered what had happened after the match just a few yards from the ground. I called the breakdown services and they arrived just ten minutes later, as the local garage was luckily just along the road. The spare was an emergency tyre which meant I was limited to just 50mph on the motorway, so a long, careful drive back home. I managed to steer Simon home without any bother and I was relieved to see the Angel of the North just before 8pm.
formed in 2019 by a consortium of businessmen including former Sheffield Wednesday & Manchester United goalkeeper, Chris Turner. Wakefield is the largest city in the UK without a professional football team and the club are ambitious enough to rectify this. The First Team joined the Sheffield and Hallamshire County Senior Football League Premier and an accredited FA Charter Standard Club with a successfully developed Academy.
The Millennium Stadium
Post Office Rd,
Pontefract
West Yorkshire
WF7 5EN
The ground opened in 1904 and has been used by Featherstone Rovers since their formation in 1908. The record attendance is 17,000 from a 1957 game against St. Helens.The West Stand is the Main Stand, which contains covered seating and a small amount of uncovered terracing towards the South side. Towards the north end of the ground is the hospitality building which connects the main stand and the changing rooms. There are two covered seated stands on the opposite with the smaller stand erected in 2014 after it was relocated from Scarborough's McCain Stadium.
The North Stand or Railway End is the newest part of the ground which replaced the terraces in 2014 with more seats from Scarborough. The North-East corner also houses the scoreboard. The South Stand or Post Office Road End is an open terrace which has a row of terrace houses behind which look into the ground.
Wakefield (5th) 1(Makunike 22)
Hepworth United (3rd) 0
Matchday 6/7
Att.295
2pm ko
Admission Free(pre-booked on-line ticket)
Programme £2
Pin badge £3 (special thanks to the programme seller who sold me his because the club shop had just closed)
Coffee £2
Hot-dog £3.70
Wakefield gained revenge for their 3-2 defeat at Hepworth United last week with a first half winner from Dean Makunike. The striker latched onto a through ball and produced a good finish from the tightest of angles. The second half saw a red card for the visitors and a few handbags moments, which was accompanied by Yakety Sax(the Benny Hill chase theme) blasted over the PA. Wakefield had chances to wrap it up against the ten men, but that 22nd minute goal proved decisive.
#Heedhopper
100 mile drive door-to-door (A1/M62)
I had planned to tick this one off at the start of the season with Lee & Katie but I was unable to make it due to work commitments. Since then I've been desperate to visit this ground and I felt this might be my last chance before Christmas. As fate would have it, I was meant to be here today, as the Casual Groundhopper - Alan Oliver had travelled over from Manchester. I was surprised to see him at the game and it was great to catch up with one of the 100FgC squad.
It was announced last night that Lockdown 2 - The Sequel will begin on Thursday, so no football for at least a month, and more than likely for the remainder of this bugger of a year. The last match I attended before the first lockdown in March was at Widnes, another Rugby League ground shared with football, so history repeats itself, even in my own little groundhopping world.
Saturday 24th October 2020
An early kick off in the Central Midlands League Cup meant I could double up with one off my T’do list, with both matches in Scunthorpe separated by a 5 minute drive.
739. Estadio de JLC
780 JFC 3-5 Heanor Town Reserves
Buckingham Insurance League Cup Round 2
John Leggott College is a sixth form college founded in 1958 as John Leggott Grammar School with 600 pupils aged 11–18. The Sixth Form College was established in September 1968 due to a reorganisation of education in Scunthorpe. It is commonly known as JLC and now has more than 2000 students.
John Leggott College
West Common Lane
Scunthorpe
Lincs
DN17 IDS
Current Central Midland League grounds visited 11.
The main pitch is roped off with a pair of large Perspex dugouts at one side. There is a refreshment kiosk where match admission is also taken. One of the signs welcomes you to Estadio de JLC, which is a better ground name than John Leggott College, so I’m listing it as such.
780 JFC 3(Garner 32,41,70)
Heanor Town Reserves 5(Melvill 6 Vrzal 9 Desmond 62 Sithole 89 Lynam 90+11)
CML League Cup 2nd Round
Att.31
Admission £2
Programme £1
Full marks to both teams in producing a cracking game played in atrocious wet weather. Heanor went two goals ahead, as Josh Melville capitalising on some poor defending, before a Milan Vrzal daisy cutter free-kick from the edge of the box somehow went over the goalies hands. 780 striker Tom Garner grabbed a hat-trick, catching out the ‘keeper with a lobbed effort then equalising just before half time. Heanor regained the advantage when a corner kick was met at the near post by Jack Desmond, only for Garner to strike again with a curled shot from outside the box. The visitors finished the match strongly with two late goals from Fortunate Sithole and Alex Lynham, finally killing off 780 as they ran out of steam, not helped by the dismissal of Brad Teale in the 80th minute by the referee.
On the subject of the ref, I must give him a mention. For starters, he turned up late, strolling onto the pitch after the scheduled kick off time with a cup of coffee in hand, before spending the next five minutes fannying on, instead of getting the game started. At half time the players wanted a quick turnaround as the weather conditions worsened, but he pissed off and got himself another cuppa, then added nearly a quarter of an hour added on time. So in a nutshell a very arrogant and unprofessional man in black, and one I’ll be interested in seeing in action again.
740 Birkdale Park
Bottesford Town 2-2 Eccleshill United
NCEL Premier Division
Bottesford is a historic village with town status in North Lincolnshire. The town is just south of Scunthorpe town centre with its football club Bottesford Town established in 1974. (population:over 11,000)
Lincolnshire League 1974-2000
Champions three years in a row between 1989–90 and 1991–92
League Cup winners 1986–87, 1988–89, 1989–90
Central Midlands League 2000-2007
Supreme Division champions 2006–07
North Counties East League 2007-present
The Poachers were promoted to Premier Division in 2015-16 after 3rd place finish in Division One.
The Barratt Steel Stadium
Birkdale Park,
Ontario Road,
Bottesford,
Scunthorpe,
Lincs
DN17 2TQ.
Capacity 1,000
Current NCEL Grounds Visited 31/40
The ground has all the main spectator facilities down one side. There's a covered stand which has a mix of seats and standing, with another enclosure with a few picnic tables next to the refreshment kiosk. The dugouts are on the opposite side, with the rest of the ground open including the Taco Bellend behind the goal. The changing rooms, clubhouse and ground entrance are in the corner.
Bottesford Town(19th) 2(Hutson 1 Moloney 25)
Eccleshill United(15th) 2(Awty 39 Irving 53)
NCEL Premier Division Matchday 9/8
Att.73
Admission £5
Tea £1
The Poachers looked set for a much needed win before the visitors fought back from two goals down to gain a point. The home team took a two goal lead with Dale Hutson lobbing the ‘keeper in the first minute, before Joe Moloney fired in the second with 25 on the clock. Just before the break the ball was played into the path of Sam Awty, who fired across the ‘keeper into the left corner of the net to make it 2-1, just before another bout of heavy rain. The equaliser arrived in the 53rd minute when a direct free kick on the edge of the box was struck home by Jonny Irving. Both teams had chances to win it but overall the draw was the fairest outcome.
#Heedhopper
131 mile drive door-to-door
I picked up Katie & Lee at 10am, arriving in Scunthorpe town centre at noon, so a good hour for a look around before heading to JLC. The first shop we entered was a large charity shop just next to where I had parked the car. As we perused the goods on offer I said to Lee that I would love to go into a charity shop and see a rare Subbuteo set on offer. The sentence had not long left my breath when I clocked the famous green box, which I hurriedly purchased at an unbelievable price of just two British pounds. It wasn’t a rare set however, it was a Hasbro Team Edition, which I was very happy to add to my growing collection.
Lee & Katie didn’t fancy a revisit to Bottesford Town, instead they opted to warm up in a pub and I picked them up afterwards. After dropping them off I arrived back home at 7.30, when the weather couldn’t dampen an enjoyable day in Scunny.
