KoolSport Northern Counties East League Premier Division
At: Welfare Ground
Kick-off: 3-00 pm
Admission: £5; Programme: £1-50
Attendance: 40
Weather: warm and dry, sunny spells
Duration: first-half: 47:06; second-half: 47:23
We’d been waiting for the chance to double-up English Heritage’s Brodsworth Hall and a Brodsworth Welfare home game. And with autumn opening hours less convenient and probably the weather as well, we decided to head for South Yorkshire on a really nice late summer day.
I enjoyed the drive up to South Yorkshire and we spotted the Goole FC team coach travelling in the opposite direction on the way to Rushall Olympic. Scarves from Birmingham City and an orange/white hooped one were also seen and during our ‘pit spot’ at Woodall Services fans wearing Hull City, Leeds United and Doncaster Rovers shirts milled around.
Our next port of call was Brodsworth Hall, close to the A638 and a couple of miles from A1(M) junction 37. I’d got time to get a glimpse of the hall and gardens before leaving Mrs and Junior ‘iwf’ there for the afternoon while I headed off to the match.
Brodsworth’s Welfare Ground was easy to find and around 2 ½ miles from the Hall. Travelling south on the A638 dual carriageway (Great North Road) towards Doncaster town centre, there was a left turn into Welfare Road (signed Adwick Leisure Centre) just after the ‘Picture House/Bingo Hall’ and Woodlands pub. Fourth Avenue was the first left and the ground entrance was at the end of this short cul-de-sac.
Just before turning off the Great North Road, I noticed players on a pitch behind park railing which turned out to be, like the Welfare Ground, next to the cricket ground. I wonder if this game was the Doncaster Senior League Division 1 game between Woodlands Rhino and ISG Doncaster, played according to mitoo at ‘Brodsworth Welfare 2’?
According to a sign I didn’t initially spot, there was parking available at the Welfare Hall but I left the car on the grass adjacent to the cricket ground. What appeared to be the only entrance was next to the scoreboard and into one corner of the football ground at the top of a small bank. The pitch (orientated south-east–north-west) ran widthways to the left and enclosed by a sky blue pitch-side wall. A new area of cover had been recently erected behind the goal at the far end. On the near left-hand touchline was a decent sized seated stand containing several rows of benches with dugouts in front either side of the half-way line. To the right of the entrance were the clubhouse, changing rooms (with signs labelling ‘HOME’, ‘AWAY’ and ‘OFFICIALS’) as well as the Gents! All in all, a ground that was well worth a visit.
With time on my hands before kick-off, I popped into the clubhouse which also houses the tea bar. On sale were two different designs of lapel badge and in here, I obtained the line-ups from home and away club officials. I got myself a tea and made a mental note to return at half-time for chips. The clubhouse felt such a friendly and welcoming place.
It was fair to say that Brodsworth’s 2009/10 campaign hasn’t gone the way they wanted it to. They went into this game bottom of the 20-team Premier Division without a single point from six games and a goal difference of –35. They’d scored two goals – one on the opening day at home to Hallam and the other last Saturday at Selby Town.
Thackley (in 10th position with nine points from six games) were rocked in the build-up to this game by the ‘shock’ resignation of manager Billy Fox and his assistant Nigel Ransom. Caretakers Sean Clifford and Dave Walters took charge for Wednesday’s win at Shirebrook and were also due to be in the dugout today.
Teams emerged in fair-play fashion and soon Brodsworth (wearing sky blue and navy blue striped shirts with sky blue sleeves, navy blue shorts and socks) got the game underway attacking the far end with its covered standing. I opted for a place in the stand, second to back row on the side nearest to the visitors’ dugout.
Thackley (in red shirts with white sleeves, white shorts and red socks) made what was described by their bench as a “positive start”. Joel Birks hit a 30-yard left-foot drive that flashed past the left-hand post and the same player also sent an angled shot across the face of the home goal.
Despite the visitors enjoying plenty of possession, Brodsworth were certainly competitive and this didn’t go unnoticed by one observer sat in the stand who commented: “They haven’t started like a bottom of the league team”.
However, Thackley took the lead in the 18th minute. Ross Daly was tripped inside the area and Dean Waters sent keeper Martin Spavin the wrong way from the spot.
Spavin soon produced an excellent save to deny Thackley a second goal. Nicky Matthews latched onto a flick from Danny Tononczak and got clear into the area but the keeper left his line to bravely block the resulting shot. The Brodsworth keeper again excelled in the 25th minute to tip over an angled rising drive hit from the left side of the area by Joel Birks.
Thackley doubled their advantage in the 26th minute despite another good save by Spavin who blocked Birks’ initial shot with this boot. The ball wasn’t cleared and Matthews fired home low from a narrow angle across goal into the far left corner of the net.
Spavin was certainly in inspired form and produced an acrobatic save to beat away Birks’ close-range volley.
I headed for the clubhouse and did indeed get the portion of chips I’d promised myself before returning to the same position in the stand.
Referee Booker lived up to his surname in the 49th minute by brandishing the game’s first yellow card for a foul by Brodsworth skipper Shane Fox. The home side made a first change a minute later with Liam O’Neill replacing Daniel Billing. Brodsworth’s Nathan Brady was also booked in the 55th minute for kicking the ball away after being flagged offside.
The Thackley bench were far from happy with the start their side had made to the second half. Their only effort of note was a dipping volley by unmarked Birks that failed to hit the target. “Everything we’ve talked about we haven’t set in motion,” was the shout from the sidelined.
The wake-up call soon did the trick as Thackley scored again in the 56th minute. Adam Fretwell appeared to have few options on the edge of the area so tried the lob Spavin and ball dropped into the net.
In response, Brodsworth got forward and O’Neill got a shot on target which keeper Scott Dinnigan held.
A club official came round with a football card rather than a raffle. I opted for ‘Stoke City’ but The Potters didn’t prove to be lucky for me.
Thackley made a change on the hour when the limping Matthews was replaced by Martin Brissett and they scored again in the 64th minute. Awarded a free-kick a couple of yards outside the area, Dean Walters hit the ball with his right foot over the five-man wall and straight into the left side of the net past Spavin who never moved.
Barely a minute after the goal went in, Chris Peake made a surging run down the middle towards the Thackley goal only to have his passage blocked by Rob Ward who, unsurprisingly picked up a booking. Fox’s free-kick hit the wall.
Thackley made another change in the 66th minute – Bruce Hogg replaced Birks – before they took were awarded a free-kick in a dangerous position just outside the area. Adam Richardson picked up a booking (70th minute) for bringing down Toronczak and Walters stepped up to take the free-kick. However, there was no repeat of his earlier feat as this time the ball hit the wall. In between the booking and free-kick, Thackley replaced Fretwell with Richard Patterson.
Despite conceding five goals, Spavin had an impressive game and did well to block a shot from Brissett that resulted from a patient build-up and cross from Hogg.
Brodworth’s endeavours perhaps deserved a goal. Daniel Freer whipped a cross from the left into the area but Peake couldn’t direct his header on target. The home side made a 77th-minute substitution to bring on Stuart Laidlaw for Matt Bedford.
Thackley wrapped up the scoring in the 79th minute. Spavin failed to hold a close range shot from Toronczak who managed to fire home the loose ball at close range.
The visitors wanted even more goals but once again found Spavin no push over. Hogg fed Brissett who saw his shot turned round by the keeper who, by my reckoning, had kept the visitors’ tally to single figures.
Brodworth made a further late substitution in the 88th minute – Ryan Fletcher replaced Ashley Gillespie – before Spavin produced another save to block Ross Daly. In stoppage time, Spavin parried a long-range free-kick from Hogg but Toronczak was unable to take advantage of the loose ball.
On the way home we added football-related vehicle to our list travelling down the M1 and it was a familiar one… the Stafford Rangers team coach!
Brodsworth Welfare (sky blue and navy blue stripes with sky blue sleeves / navy blue / navy blue): 1. Martin Spavin, 2. Bayden Lockwood, 3. Daniel Billing, 4. Matt Bedford, 5. Adam Richardson, 6. Ashley Gillespie, 7. Shane Fox (capt), 8. Paul Haigh, 9. Nathan Brady, 10. Chris Peake, 11. Daniel Freer. Subs: 12. Ryan Fletcher (for Gillespie, 88), 14. Stuart Laidlaw (for Bedford, 77), 15. Liam O’Neill (not used).
Thackley (red with white sleeves / white / red): 1. Scott Dinnigan, 2. Neil Murray, 3. Jerome White, 4. Rob Ward (capt), 5. James Firth, 6. Adam Fretwell, 7, Dean Walters, 8. Ross Daly, 9. Nicky Matthews, 10. Danny Toronczak, 11. Joel Birks. Subs: 14. Richard Patterson (for Fretwell, 70), 15. Martin Brissett (for Matthews, 60), 16. Bruce Hogg (for Birks, 66).
Referee: P Booker (South Yorkshire).
Assistants: T Bramall (South Midlands) and P Tomes (North Yorkshire).
Goals:
0-1 Dean Waters (18 pen)
0-2 Nicky Matthews (26)
0-3 Adam Fretwell (56)
0-4 Dean Walters (64)
0-5 Danny Toronczak (79)
