My Matchday - 458 Miners Welfare Ground

Bentley Colliery 2v5 Bilsthorpe
Central Midlands Football League - North Division
Tuesday 28th April 2015

 Following on from last Tuesday's trip to Glapwell, the north-east contingent of the 100FgC were back watching top of the table action in the Central Midlands North League, with title chasing Bilsthorpe away to Bentley Colliery.

Whereabouts and Whatsabouts
Bentley is a village in South Yorkshire, about 2 miles north-east from the centre of  Doncaster.  The former mining village  lies on the River Don and is made up of three parts; West End, New Village and Rostholme
After negotiations with local landowners the sinking of the Bentley Colliery began in 1904 and by 1910 employed over 1000 men.  On the 16th of November 1993, British Coal announced its intention to close Bentley Colliery and by  early 1995 the site was demolished. The redevelopment of the site began in 1998, and now forms part of the Bentley Community Forest.

 Plantpot History
The club was originally founded in 1912 and played  in the Yorkshire League during the early 1920s. After the Second World War, they rejoined the league and won  promotion to the top flight in 1952. The club played within the top two divisions of the Yorkshire League  until they eventually folded in 1961. 
The club was reformed in 1976 as a Sunday league side before re-entered senior football  in the Doncaster & District Senior League during the 1990s. The club won the league title in 2001, gaining  promotion to the Central Midlands League. They won promotion from the Premier Division to the Supreme Division in 2007, but despite a mid-table finish they were forcibly relegated the following season due to their lack of floodlights. The reconstructing of the league in 2011 saw them  placed in the North Division of the CMFL, where they have played since.

Ground no.459 Miners Welfare Ground
(Non-League grounds 228)

On entering the ground there's a collection of cabins which are used for home, away and officials changing rooms, the cafe and the toilets. Further along on the Avenue Road side is a large seven step covered terrace with the traditional Yorkshire welfare design roof. The stand is set back from the pitch with the dugouts in front and hardstanding along this side. The rest of the ground has grass banking on the far side and behind the goals.

The Match
Prior to the match Bilsthorpe were joint top of the North Division, neck in neck on points with Clay Cross Town, but with games in hand. They took control from the kick off, taking the lead midway through the first half courtesy of a Liam Black header followed by Joseph Mear firing in on 37 minutes.  Bentley halved the deficit in the 72nd minute when Elyja Takrem Sham(simply known as Tak) stopped a goal bound effort on the line, before quickly firing in with an overhead shot, but five minutes later Mear wearing the number 77 shirt scored in the 77th minute running onto a through ball and sliding in past the advancing 'keeper.  A late brace from Mark Carter sealed the win, capitising on a defensive mistake before netting the rebound after an initial shot came back off the foot of the post to make it 5-1. The match was rounded off  by a 30 yard screamer from Ryan Nicholson, its a shame such a terrific goal was just a mere consolidated in an enjoyable contest.

Matchday Stats
BCFC 2(Takrem Sham 72 Nicholson 90+2) BFC 5(Black 26  Mear 37 ,77  Carter 84,87)
Att.32hc
Top Bloke - Joseph Mear (Blisthorpe)

Spondoolicks
Admission £3
Programme £1(sold out)
Pin badge £3
Coffee(in a proper mug) 60p
Double Decker chocolate (out of the fridge) 60p

 My Matchday
My regular reader should know my Tuesday night routine with Lee and Katie by now. The teatime Wetherspoons this week was the Broken Bridge in Pontefract and there was also time to call at  The Blue Bell in Hemsworth before heading to Bentley for the 6.30 kick off. These were two new pub ticks for me but were revists for my fellow travellers, so this kind gesture was much appreciated. 
As we entered the ground the first person we saw was Facebook legend John McClure(100FgC A9) who had travelled down from York for the game. He had managed to trouser one of the ten programmes issued, but there was none left by the time we arrived, but they did have pin badges for sale. Another good trip into Yorkshire watching Central Midlands League action, and the early kick off meant I was back home at 11pm, despite the many road diversions which crossed our path.

Foetoes (Web album of 28 pictures from the Miners Welfare Ground)

3rd Precision Notts Senior League Bonanza

Friday 24th April

453.Kingsway Park

Ashland Rovers 3v3 Newark Flowserve

Notts Senior Football League - Division One

7.30pm k.o.

For this year’s annual visit to Nottingham I was accompanied by the breadknife and my daughter Laura as I drove down to Notts on the Friday afternoon for the first match of the weekend in Kirkby-in-Ashfield. We arrived in the Ashfield District of Nottinghamshire at 4.40pm, but due to the heavy rush hour traffic we didn’t reach the ground until five thirty. With 2 hours to spare until kick off I had no option but to reluctantly spend the spare time in the local Wetherspoons; The Regent which is just along the road from Kingsway Park.

The ground has a nice welcoming archway at the entrance which leads into the park, which was laid out in 1930 on land sold to Kirkby-in-Ashfield District Council by a Miss Catherine Hodgkinson of Kirkby House. The land was to be used and maintained as a public playing field for the community. The football pitch is to the right of the main building opposite the kiddies park. It’s fully railed off down one side and behind the bottom goal with a wooden fence, with the other half of the pitch caged. There are tent style dugouts at the far side with the near side behind the popular spot for spectators benefiting by a slope separating the car park.

Ashland Rovers were originally called Sutton Trinity, formed as a junior team 20 years ago. The club became a senior team and began playing Saturday football as Acrumac FC in the Elizabethan League, before progressing to the Midlands Amateur Alliance when they changed to their current name. The club joined the Notts Senior League in 2013 from the Notts Amateur Alliance.

Ashland Rovers sporting a smart  Denis The Menace style kit, took an early lead when a free kick just over the halfway line from Matt Allen bounced in front of the ‘keepers and over his head into the net. The goalmouth was covered in sand, akin to Stamford Bridge in the 1970s, so this played a major assist in the opening goal. Newark who were the better side in the first half, equalising in stoppage time when Jamie Charlton latched onto a right wing cross, before two well taking headed goals from Luke Boddy made it 3-1 with twenty minutes remaining. This looked game over for Rovers but they showed great spirit to grab a well earned point thanks to Pete Dunn, who scrambled in at the back post from a corner kick on 86 minutes, quickly followed by nipping in front of the ‘keeper to guide the ball over the line. A great game to start off the weekend and the draw meant Newark Flowserve are promoted to the Senior Division.

Matchday Stats and Spondoolicks
ARFC 3(Allen 8 Dunn 86,87) NFFC 3(Charlton 45+1 Boddy 50,72)
Att.297
Top Bloke - Luke Boddy(Newark Flowserve)
Admission £3
Programme £1
Pin badge £3
Coffee £1 Hot Chocolate £1



Saturday 25th April 2015

454.ButtsPlaying Field
Bingham Town 0v0 Ruddington Village
Notts Senior Football League - Senior Division
10.10am k.o.

After arriving in Nottingham late on Friday night and going out for a few nightcaps, I was up early Saturday morning to first of all move my car to a cheaper car park, then to meet Rob Hornby and his coach load of groundhoppers outside the rail station at 8.30. While queuing to climb aboard the happy bus I overheard an incredibly hairy looking gentleman mention there was a Wetherspoons in Bingham. The town is just 11 miles east of the city centre, so we arrived an hour before kick off, so enough time to find The Butter Cross in the Market Place, where I had a few swiftys with Mark Wilkins. 

Bingham Town joined the Notts Senior League in 2009 and play at the Butt Field, which is as close to the railway station as you could possibly get, just off the eastbound platform. The changing rooms and smart looking clubhouse are on the same side as recently built new dugouts. The ground is shared with the cricket club so it is roped off on all four sides.
Bingham Town kitted out in a dayglow green hi-vis jersey were up against Ruddington Village. The hosts were the better side, creating plenty of chances without severely testing the goalkeeper. The goalless draw upset quite a few groundhoppers which made me smile, as they seem to look upon a nowts each as a bigger disaster than a relegation or a heavy cup defeat for their own particular clubs.

Matchday Stats and Spondoolicks
BTFC 0 RVFC 0
Att.387
Top Bloke - Harley Cox(Bingham Town)
(stuck a pin in the teamsheet)
Admission £3
Programme £1
Pin badge £3
Bacon & egg sandwich £2.50
Coffee £1



455. Victoria Park
Netherfield Albion 1v0 Nottinghamshire FC
Notts Senior League - Division One
12.50pm k.o.

Next stop was a nine mile trip to Victoria Park in Netherfield, found just on the A612 opposite the retail park. The ground has the changing rooms at the entrance with a refreshment hatch at the back. The ground is basically two football fields full of dandelions and daisies with the nearer pitch roped off. As the home side wear black ‘n’ white striped shirts I bought one for £3, having some really good crack with the big lad selling the hot drinks and the fellow selling the souvenirs & programmes.
Netherfield Albion formed in 1931, originally playing at Stoke Lane in the Notts Alliance. Amongst their many achievements in their early history was winning the Notts Intermediate Cup in 1936 in front of 2,625 spectators at Meadow Lane. The club have been members of the Notts Senior League since 2009, after progressing from the Notts Amateur Alliance League.

Prior to all the matches on the hop this weekend there was a minutes silence in memory of the Bradford Fire which is about to reach 30 years since that sad day at Valley Parade. The players for this game wore black armbands as the silence was also observed for Nottinghamshire secretary Colin Spencer, who sadly passed away just a few weeks ago while marking out the pitch before a home game. 
This match was a first for me as I’ve never seen a goalkeeper or a linesman (never mind both on the same day) wearing glasses. The Nottinghamshire ‘keeper made a few spec-tacular saves but the match looked to be heading towards another 0-0, which some of us perversely wanted as we headed into the last quarter of an hour. The poor game wasn’t helped by a heavy downpour of rain which would’ve had me soaked wet through, if it wasn’t for the extra layer made up from the three quid football shirt and the use of Chris Berezai’s big umbrella. However a day which promised an orgy of goalless draws was quashed with six minutes remaining when Chris Riley got on the end of a left wing cross to fire home at the second attempt to give Albion the three points.

Matchday Stats and Spondoolicks
NAFC 1(Riley 84) NFC 0
Att.292
Top Bloke - Chris Riley(Netherfield Albion)
Admission £3
Programme £1
Pin badge £3
Home worn football shirt (no.9) £3
Coffee £1


456. The Poplars
Burton Joyce 3v3 Attenborough
Notts Senior League - Senior Division
3.20pm k.o.

For the next match it was a short 2 mile drive along to Burton Joyce. An acquaintance of Mark Wilkins offered us a lift to a GBG pub on route, so we ditched the bus and went to the ‘Inn For A Penny’ in Carlton before the game. 
Burton Joyce were formed in 1990 as a junior team playing home games at Lowdham. They moved to The Poplars in 1997 and added a senior team to their set up who joined the Notts Alliance Division Two in 2002-03. As well as the changing rooms the pavilion also houses the John Harris Room clubhouse, from there it’s quite a long walk to the football pitch in the far corner over the cricket field. The roped off pitch was in immaculate condition with a set of dugouts on one side.

After two poor games we were treated to more action in the opening five minutes than previously witnessed in the previous 180. Burton Joyce were quick off the mark, missing a penalty in the fourth minute, before Sam Buckle ran through on goal and fired in just a minute later. Attenborough quickly drew level with a nice ‘n’ neat 20 yard free kick from the aptly named Joe Nice, before taking the lead on the half hour mark when Alex Elliker did well to slide the ball into the net from a tight angle. Elliker grabbed his second of the afternoon on the hour mark, meeting a left wing cross on the half volley which looked to have guaranteed the visitors all three points. However after reading the script from the Friday night game, the home team finished strongly and grabbed a draw with a well taking individual effort from Ryan Easom, before Troy Smith was on hand to make it all square. Five minutes from time Burton Joyce ‘keeper Roscoe Easom was sent off when he took out Elliker when running through on goal, but the ten men held on in a thoroughly entertaining encounter.

Matchday Stats and Spondoolicks
BJFC 3(Buckle 5 Ryan Easom 67 Smith 83) AFC 3(Nice 9 Elliker 29,61)
Att.279
Top Bloke - Alex Elliker(Attenborough)
Admission £3
Programme £1
Pin badge £3 Tea 80p



457. Walesby Sports & Social Club
Sandhurst 4v2 Kirton Brickworks
Notts Senior League - Senior Division
6.15pm k.o.

For the final game of the day is was a 20 mile journey north to Walesby. The longer distance between the grounds gave me a chance to catch up on my sleep, before the coach arrived ten minutes before kick off. 
Sandhurst FC share the Walesby Sports & Social Club with the local cricket club. The pitch is at the bottom end of the site over the cricket pitch, which is roped off with a pair of brick dugouts. The small village club formed in 1994 from a reserve team from Bilsthorpe, formerly playing in the Notts Amateur League and the Notts Alliance before joining the Notts Senior League in 2004.

The battle for the wooden spoon in the Senior Division, produced another good game to round of this 3rd Notts Hop. The visitors Kirton Brickwork were originally meant to host this game, but due to ground issues, Sandhurst their local rivals from a mile along the road staged the event.
Scott Ricketts blasted Kirton into a sixth minute lead, rifling in his free kick from a good 25 yards, but they fell behind with two goals in three minutes before half time. In the 29th minute Lee Shaw nodded in the rebound after the ‘keeper saved the initial shot, then a few minutes later the goalie carelessly flapped an Eric Pearson cross into the net. 
Sandhurst added two more in the second half to take the Brickworks goals against tally up to 136. Kyle Clarkson fired in the spot-kick after a penalty was awarded for handball, quickly followed by a right wing cross picking out Ashley Siddall with a simple finish at the far post. The visitors grabbed a late consolation through Cooper, but a well earned victory for Sandhurst still gives them hope in avoiding the drop.

Matchday Stats and Spondoolicks
SFC 4(Shaw 29 Pearson 32 Clarkson 54pen Siddall 55) KBFC 2(Ricketts 6 Cooper 82)
Att.346
Top Bloke - Lee Shaw(Sandhurst)
Admission £3
Programme £1
Pin badge £3
Baked Potato with cheese & beans £2.50
Coffee 50p
Chicken & vegetable cup-a-soup 50p


After the game we headed straight back to Nottingham Rail Station, where our day had started over 12 hours earlier. From there I ran back to the hotel to meet Debra and Laura, had a quick wash and change, then I was out on the lash until 1am. 
It was yet again, another well organised Groundhop by Rob Hornby and next year will be the last Notts Senior League ‘Hop. Rob will hopefully continue to organise these events as he’s already in talks with another league for the season after. As is always the case on these weekends its great to meet up with my groundhopping friends, which makes it such a great event, so all going well I’ll be back again next year for the fourth consecutive year of the Notts Senior League Bonanza.

Links -
Rob Hornby's blog
100FgC Archive -
1st Precision Notts Senior League Bonanza (2013)
2nd Precision Notts Senior League Bonanza (2014)

Foetoes (Matchday Web album of 89 pictures from the Notts 'Hop)

Bevvy Almanac

The Regent (Kirkby-in-Ashfield)

Lincoln Green 'Sherwood' (4.3%)***+

Greene King 'George & Flagon' (4.5%)***

Roebuck Inn(Nottingham)

Burton Bridge 'Spring Ale' (4.7%)***+

Milestone 'Crusader' (4.4%)***+

Ye Olde Jerusalem(Nottingham)

Nottingham 'Legend' (4%)***+

The Butter Cross (Bingham)

Grainstore 'Spring Time' (4.5%)***+

Grainstore 'Ten Fifty' (5%)***+

Inn For A Penny (Carlton)

Castle Rock 'Harvest Pale' (3.8%)**** (Re-sup)

Joseph Else(Nottingham)

Mr Grundy's 'Big Willie'(4.3%)****

Springhead 'Argenta' (4.2%)****+

Nutbrook 'S S S Sintra' (4.2%)****

The Ned Ludd (Nottingham)

Navigation 'Apus' (5.5%)****

Ye Olde Salutation (Nottingham)

Woodforde's 'Flagondry' (3.6%)***+

Purity 'Pure UBU' (4.5%)***+

Hop Back 'Summer Lightning' (5%) ****(Re-sup)

My Matchday - 452 Hall Corner

Glapwell 1v4 Clay Cross Town

Central Midlands Football League North Division

Tuesday 21st April 2015

 For my 100th game of the season it was Central Midlands League action, with a road trip to Derbyshire. While I'm quite content to reach three figures over the season, this is small fry compared with my travel companions. Katie, our reliable girl behind the steering wheel was attending her 182nd game this campaign, while her boyfriend Lee was on a mere 261 matches.

Whereabouts and Whatsabouts
Glapwell is a village in the north east of Derbyshire, between the towns of Chesterfield and Mansfield,  located on the main A617 road, next to the small town of Bolsover.
This village is mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086, observing that Serb held the village for William Peverel, who was a favourite of William the Conqueror and greatly honoured after the Norman Conquest. He received as his reward 162 manors in central England from the king, forming collectively the Honour of Peverel, in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, of which Glapwell was one of them.
Glapwell Colliery, known locally as the Glappy Mine opened in 1882, with seam workings stopping in 1973 before fully closing the following year. The village is also the birthplace of former page 3 bird Jo Guest, who was many a young blokes wet dream during the 1990's and among her many followers who drooled at the sight of this blonde bombshell was my good pal Zippy Turnbull. 

Plantpot History
Glapwell FC formed in 1985 and joined the Central Midlands Football League Division One in 1989, becoming league champions in their opening campaign, quickly followed by promotion to its Supreme League.  In the 1997–98 season Glapwell the club won the Derbyshire Senior Cup for the first and only time, beating Matlock Town on penalty kicks after the tie was level on aggregate. 
In 1996 they joined the Northern Counties East League and won promotion through its two divisions to reach the Northern Premier League Division One South Division in 2009. After three seasons they resigned, returning to the Central Midlands League due to ground licence issues. During their spell in the Northern Premier League their best performance was finishing 3rd in the 2009-10 season and narrowly losing in the play-off final to Chasetown.

Ground no.452 Hall Corner
(Non-League Grounds 222)

Hall Corner is found in the north of the village, having seen better days, with the floodlights chopped in half and condemned, plus the old club shop has closed. At the turnstile entrance there's the club bar and changing rooms situated behind the goal. There are three sections of cover down one side, from halfway up to the top corner filled with a mixture of different seats and benches. The dugouts are opposite with a covered standing enclosure at one side. The rest of the ground is open with hard standing all round.
The club returned to Hall Corner in December 2010 after an agreement with Mansfield Town which allowed Glapwell to play their home games at Field Mill for the 2010-11 season. That was until The Stags were locked out of their ground by their landlord, which saw Glapwell returning to their real home.

The Match
Glapwell faced promotion chasing Clay Cross Town, who strengthened their place in the top two with a convincing 4-1 win. Glappy took the lead in the 18th minutes when Daniel Russell headed in from a corner kick at the back post, but the visitors were soon level when the 'keeper fouled the number nine and Ryan Ordidge converted the resulting penalty.
The Millers got their noses in front when a deep free kick from Will Harcourt picked out Ryan Booker to head home just after the half hour mark. 
The points looked assured when Thomas Poole capitalised on a lack of communication between defender and goalkeeper to nip in and guide the ball towards an open goal after 52 minutes. Then five minutes from time James Whitfield latched onto a long through ball and hit a sweet half volley over the 'keeper from 20 yards to put the gloss on a fine away victory which puts them top of the league.

Matchday Stats and Spon
GFC 1(Russell 18) CCTFC 4(Ordidge 24pen Booker 33 Poole 52 Whitfield 85)
Att.78hc
Top Bloke - Thomas Poole (Clay Cross Town)
Admission £3
Programme £1
Coffee 50p

My Matchday
A big bonus in travelling to matches with Lee and Katie is ticking off a new Wetherspoons. The pub choice on this occassion was The Pillar of Rock in Bolsover, opened in July 2013 found in the shadows of the castle. The breadknife dropped me in Houghton-le-Spring earlier in the afternoon to meet Katie for my lift, so we arrived in Derbyshire at 4.30pm. I had a couple of previously unsupped ales and a John Shuttleworth meal("eggs and gammon,poor Rhyanin...") if you know what I mean. Overall another pleasant evening out and the early kick off meant I was back at 100FgC HQ by 11pm.

Foetoes (Matchday album of 33 pictures from Hall Corner)

My Matchday - 451 Beechwood Park

Auchinleck Talbot 2v1 Hurlford United

(Talbot win 5-2 on aggregate)

Scottish Junior Cup Semi-Final Second leg

Saturday 18th April 2015

Another trip into the Scottish Juniors for the big clash between Auchinleck Talbot, the most successful club in the Junior Cup against the current holders Hurlford United in an all Ayrshire semi-final.

Wherabouts and Whatsabouts
Auchinleck is situated at the heart of the ancient Kyle district in Ayrshire. The name derives from Scottish Gaelic -  achadh ('field') and leac ('slab') meaning a 'field of flat stones'  There are records of a community existing from the early 13th century, however the village came to prominence with arrival of the Boswell family in 1504. The marriage of a daughter of Sir John Auchinleck to Thomas Boswell, saw the estate and the title of laird granted to Boswell by King James IV. The family’s diligence of their large estate saw the growth of a practical village community emerge from the surrounding barren moorland. 

The village benefited from mining and quarrying in the area, which saw the population rise fourfold in fifty years to almost 7,000 by 1881. The Nationalisation of coal industry in 1947 brought investment, along with the building of the Barony Power Station in 1957. However the village went into industrial decline after the demise of deep pit mining and the closure of the power station in 1989.
Surrounding the village is Auchinleck House, which is an 18th-century Category A listed mansion. The estate has the remains of Auchinleck Castle and Auchinleck Old House and it was the former home of the lawyer, diarist and biographer James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck.  His biography of Dr. Samuel Johnson is regarded as an important stage in the development of the modern genre, claimed at the time as the greatest biography written in English.

Plantpot History
Auchinleck Talbot formed in 1909 and are named in honour of Lord Talbot de Maldahide, the man who gifted the club their Beechwood Park home. Due to financial problems Talbot folded in 1916 but returned four years later, winning the Ayrshire Cup with a 3-0 victory over Irvine Meadow. In 1920 they set a club goalscoring record in the Scottish Junior Cup, defeating Craigbank 11–0 at home, a scoreline they surpassed when hammering Nairn St. Ninian 13–1 in 2008.

Talbot are the most successful club in the history of the Scottish Junior Cup, lifting the trophy on ten occasions, stretching back to a 3-2 victory over Petershill in 1949. They became the first club to lift the trophy in three consecutive years with a 3-2 win over Pollock in 1986, followed by single goal victories over Kilbirnie Ladeside and Petershill. At the turn of the 1990’s they beat Newtongrange Star and Glenafton, with their next success coming 14 years later against Bathgate Thistle in the 2006 final. In recent years they have been the team you have to beat in the cup, with Talbot triumphant over Clydebank in 2009 in their centenary year, Musselburgh Athletic in 2011 and Linlithgow Rose in 2013. The chance of another three in a row was denied after losing the 2012 final to Shotts Bon Accord.
Its not just the Junior Cup where honours have been won, there's also eleven Ayrshire League titles, three West of Scotland Super League Premier Division and they won the West of Scotland Cup nine seasons out of ten between 1979 and 1989, plus there's also an array of regional cup competitions to add to the trophy cabinet.

Ground no.451 Beechwood Park
(Scottish Grounds 59 Junior Grounds 14 Lifetime Junior Cup Winners 9/27)

The ground is dominated by the impressive main stand, which was opened in 2005 and sits halfway with a mixture of 500 different coloured seats. There is terracing on all sides with covered enclosures at the far side beyond the dugouts and behind the goal at the Social Club end. On the terraces theres The Bot Shop which sells club souvenirs and Andy’s Snacks cabin which has a good selection of food and a good supply of scabby-eyes (pies) The ground has some nice touches, painted in the gold and black club colours with the club crest embossed on the walls. 

The Match
If you need to know the reason why I've fallen head over heels for the Junior game then its occasions such as this. A fabulous ground within a scenic setting, with a match full of passion, commitment and drama. The Bot went into the second leg with a handsome 3-1 lead from the first leg at Blair Park last Saturday and it seemed just a case of finishing off the job to reach their 13th Junior Cup final.

Talbot had the best of the first half, applying pressure with a few decent headed efforts on goal but nothing clear cut in a disjointed opening period. The match sprang into life just two minutes after the restart in a crazy 10 minute spell as I was queuing up at the snack bar for a pie. 
Talbot goalkeeper Andy Leishman brought down Ross Robertson in the box with the referee having no hesitation in awarding the penalty, followed by a straight red card. Without a substitute 'keeper it was left to Davy Gormley to don the goalies gloves, and he miraculously pulled off a fabulous save to deny Stewart Kean from 12 yards. The save lead to a mad scramble in the six yard box with the ball eventually put out for a corner and two players booked for playing a major part in the fracas.
From the resulting corner kick the ball was met at the far post by Robertson who headed home to put the Ford back in the tie. It was now game on with the visitors having the extra man advantage and facing an untried 'keeper between the sticks. That numerical edge didn't last much longer as two minutes later an ugly tackle from Kean meant a second yellow card, so we were back to level sides with still half an hour left to play.
This seemed to give the home side a major boost and they went onto win the tie with two individual pieces of brilliance. Just before the hour mark a Bryan Young inswinging corner swerved over the defence and directly into the far corner of the net to put his side level and restore the two goal aggregate advantage. 
Hurlford failed to test the stand in 'keeper and their grip on the trophy slipped away with an ambitious effort from Keir Milliken, striking his shot wide on the left and a few yards over the halfway line, sailed high, handsome and over the 'keeper and into the net. A truly wonderful strike and a fitting goal to book a place in another cup final for The Bot.

This striker knows how to save a penalty strike

Matchday Stats
ATFC 2(Young 59 Milliken 71)HUFC 1 (Robertson 51)
Att.1,700apx
Top Bloke - Keir Milliken (Auchinleck Talbot)

Spondoolicks
Admission £7
Programme £2
Pin badge £3
Mince and onion pie £1.20
Coffee 80p

Foetoes(Matchday album of 24 pictures from Beechwood Park)

My Matchday
The journey to Auchinleck was straight forward, boarding the 0924 from Newcastle to Carlisle, then the slow train to Glasgow Central at 11.15, which goes via Gretna Green and Dumfries then onwards through Ayrshire. I had half an hour spare in between trains but managed to resisted a quick bevvy in Wetherspoon, to grab a bite to eat instead, plus I was still feeling a bit rough from the Newcastle Beer Festival the night before.

I arrived in Auchinleck at 1240 and headed straight to the ground. As there was a big crowd expected I wanted to take some photographs of a naked Beechwood Park. There was quite a few club staff already at the ground and I was made welcome and allowed a lap of snaps. 
I called into the Boswell Arms for a pint before returning for a drink in the Supporters Social Club, where I met up with Donald McCrorie from the 100FgC Facebook group for a quick chat before the game.

The Railway Inn is the closest pub to the train station so I had a pint in there before the 1708 to Carlisle. The journey home was straight forward as well, due back in Newcastle nice and early at 2018. Its a this point in the proceedings that this pleasant spring day in glorious warm Ayrshire sunshine went fat bottom over large bosom! .... 
..The train from Auchinleck didn't turn up, apparently there was a staff shortage so the train was cancelled, however they didn't bother to pass this valuable piece of information on to the half a dozen commuters waiting patiently on platform 2. 
The next train wasn't due until twenty to seven, so this meant I would have to catch the last train from Carlisle, so I would be back home 3 hours later than scheduled. Just as I was about to go back into the village and kill an hour in the pub a bus pulled into the car park. I asked the driver if he was a train replacement and he confirmed he was going to Carlisle. I was hoping we would arrive in the border town in time for the 1941 service, but we pulled into the station ten minutes after its departure, so this meant the dreaded drunken fuelled last train home.

To cut this long(journey home) story short, I got wind of a bloke also travelling back to Newcastle who had been on the same bus from Kilmarnock. He was kicking off big style in the station office about this shoddy service and demanded a taxi home. I casually strolled into the office and with my very best little boy look entreated for a share of the taxi ride, which the gentleman in question agreed to with the train station guard only to willing to help.
So my return journey from a terrific day in Auchinleck was by coach and a taxi, arriving in Newcastle at 9.30pm and back home for ten. Of course these transport shenanigans are all part of a football travellers life, and I can life with the odd hiccup now and then, as long as the destination has been well worth the effort and today it certainly was.

Footnote
All going well I’m in the process of writing a book on the winners of the Junior Cup over the last 50 years, so I’ll be writing a more thorough piece on my matchday at Auchinleck. This chapter will also include A69 madness, pregnant women and the laughing cavalier.
You can check the progress and a map of the grounds on my list on the T’Do Page.