Rotherham United Reserves v Mansfield Town Reserves, Central League.
Ossett Town v Billingham Synthonia, FA Cup.
I had deliberately chosen this week to take off as it
coincided with the start of the Central League, which is for the reserve teams
of lower league midland and northern clubs, with games taking place early
afternoon. Today was going to be a ride on the required Cleethorpes Coast Light
Railway, followed by Grimsby Reserves v Chesterfield Reserves and another game
in the evening. However, I couldn't be arsed getting up for 0700, so instead it
was straight to Rotherham for their game.
Off Sowerby at the rather more sociable 1057. This time you
have the opportunity to learn about the canals in Sowerby. We have the deepest
lock in Britain don't you know?
Into Leeds and a change onto the 1148 to Sheffield revealed
this at one end.....
....but at the other end was this. Porterbrook, the owners
of a lot of the Pacer fleet, have undertaken a trial refurb to make them
compliant with the latest PRM requirements. This has meant a massive new
wheelchair bog taking up half of one coach. As well as that, it has new seats
and lighting, and information screens that don't work. Still rides like a
wheelbarrow though.
The Leeds-Sheffield via Swinton service is one of the
shittiest in Yorkshire. I was finally freed from the permanent row of parents
shouting at feral kids, and old cell mates bumping into each other, as we
arrived into Rotherham.
Wilfully chosing against the three guide pubs in town
(though they are all dud) I headed to the splendour of the transport
interchange, where round 2 of screaming kids and ex-cons was in full effect.
The route up to Parkgate is operated by Stagecoach, the
driver denying the existance of a Roundwood Grove stop, only to then sell me a
ticket with that exact stop printed as the fare stage.
Roundwood is the home of the Rotherham United training
ground, and has a very unassuming entrance.
It is the old British Steel sports complex, primarily
hosting a golf course.
The sports pitches have been taken over by Rotherham United.
The exception to this is the enclosed Parkgate ground round
the back of the pavillion.
Rotherham United Reserves 0 v Mansfield Town Reserves 1,
Central League, North East Division
V 
The ground is cut into the hillside, overlooking the
training ground and golf course, and with views on to the lower reaches of the
West Riding.
The tight confines of the ground mean the facilities are all
located at one end, a simple cover over the picth surround, and a couple of
small stands behind the near goal.
Spectators can only access three sides of the ground, the
third being a large hedge through which first team training could be observed.
Access round the othe side was via a narrow bath wedgeg
between garden sheds and the slope down to the pitch.
The touchline was the most popular, with wooden planks on a
low wall serving as seating.
Despite it only being a reserve game, there were camera
crews from both sides, and live commentary on the Mansfield website, though the
commentator was about 17.
Reserve games always attract an odd crowd. Here is a typical
cross section. In the foreground, an old bloke who looked like he had only put
on a sun visor since getting up this morning, with his own deck chair. Behind
him, a teenage parent gives his kid a ride around the ground on the crossbar of
his Raleigh Chopper.
Mansfield were first out.
Being cone man for Mansfield Reserves must surely be on the
fringes of being termed as involved in professional football.
Coneman gives it the big one to a star struck supporter, as
Rotherham enter the fray.
Eventually we were underway.
Both teams had chances.
Before Mansfield took the lead after a break down the right
and a cut back for Shaw to score.
It was quite an open game, mainly as both sides were 50/50
as to which team they were going to pass to.
On to the second half and Rotherham had most of the chances,
but never looked like scoring.
In terms of any potential, for Rotherham, Mason Warren was
running the show in the centre of midfield and looked a cut above most of the
others. The right back Fabian Bailey was the only other with any promise.
For Mansfield, James Baxendale looked busy without really
doing anything, which probably sums up his hundred dd appearances for Walsall.
The game strangely ended whilst a player was being treated
for an injury, with no further score.
I headed back to the bus stop.
Back into town and to the station. Rotherham Central was
closed in the 1960s as the line it was on didn't fit into the passenger
network. This left Rotherham Masborough station, but this was a mile out of
town. In the 1980s, South Yorks PTE paid for a new link line, round the back of
Millmoor, that brought passenger trains to the line and Central was re-opened
and Masborough closed. The station was then re-built in 2012. There are plans to
extend the Sheffield tram Network through to Rotherham, using the tram train
principle.
Down onto the platforms and my friend from ealier, the
refurbed 144012, appeared again.
This took me past the New York....
....and the floodlights of Millmoor....
....onto Meadowhall. I wanted to go to Modelzone in the
shopping centre, to have a look at the new Hornby offerings. However, on asking
for directions, I was actually sent to Models Own, a make up shop, as the former
had closed down.
I therefore headed back to the station, for a service into
Sheffield.
The reason for this is that any opportunity should be taken
to get the train through northern Sheffield, for the sole reason of seeing
which letters are in place on the English Pewter Company building. The letters
appear and disappear on a seemingly daily basis, spelling out different words,
like the sign for Fawlty towers. Today saw ENGLISH EWTER COMPANY and ENGLISH
PEWT R O PA Y.
Into Sheffield and an immediate switch onto a Northern 158
heading for Leeds.
This was my day for on train discovery as this was the set
that Northern have done a trial instalation of Wi-Fi and USB sockets on.
I didn't try the Wifi, but the sockets were a DIY job that
even I would have had a second go at.
The train took me through 'Fookin' Barnsley and into
Wakefield Kirkgate, the town's second station.
Kirkgate always used to win the title of Britain's worst
station as it was in a horrendously run down state. It has had a complete
renovation and now looks like this.
However, if you turaround from the picture above, it is fair
to say some work is still required on its surroundings....
....including the station pub.
I had a wander through the town centre, before jumping on
the 127 bus.
This took me to Ossett bus station, which is where my
evening entertainment was. Ossett that is, not the bus station.
I had 90 minutes to kill before the game. There wasn't too
much to do in the town, so I relented and headed to a pub.....
.....but deliberately chose a Sam Smiths offering as even if
I was in the middle of a session, I'd still go onto the soft drinks at these
dishwater-for-a-pound outlets.
Ossett has two fairly high up non-league clubs, Town and
Albion. My destination was the former for an FA cup replay.
Their ground is right in the centre, but there didn't seem
much sign of life, however a camera shot over a hole in a wall revealed signs
of life.
Ossett Town 3 v Billingham Synthonia 2, FA Cup, First
Qualifying Round Replay.
Ossett Town were formed after world war and originally
played in the brilliantly named Heavy Woollen league. They then moved on
through the West Yorks and Yorkshire leagues before joining the Northern
Counties East in the early 1980s. They progressed through it, and when they
were runners up in 1999, they took the promotion to the Northern Premier
league. They had been promoted to the premier division, but are currently in
the lower end of division 1.
Billingham Synthonia were formed in 1923 as the works team
of the ICI plant. Synthonia is the name of a synthetic fertilizer produced at
the plant, being a pormanteau of 'Synthetic Ammonia'. Originally playing in
Teeside leagues, in 1945 they joined the Northern League. They had always been
a major team in the league, winning it on a number of occassions, but have
suffered in the last decade as the works has also been cut back. LAst season
they were relegeated to division 2 for the firt time ever.
Last weeks game saw a 2-2 draw at Billingham, with Ossett
the strong favourites.
Ossett have been at the Ingfield ground since they were able
to purchase it in 1959, through the sale of a player to Swansea. Fortunately,
it now has the catchy moniker of the '4G Voice and Data Stadium'.
It is a strangely laid out ground.
The facilities are all down one side, includingthe 'Kellys'
social club...
.....and the Frank Lloyd double portakabin hospitality
suite.
There is a biggish uncovered terrace down this side....
....with a small cover adjacent....
...and also on the opposite side.
The main stand is strangely situated behind the near goal.
A lot of non league clubs make money out of converting a
floodlight to a mobile phone mast. However, I'd never seen it to this degree
before, with five masts in the ground.
The nature of the ground means that people appear to choose
to watch the game from anywhere but an official spectator point. From the car
park...
...behind the main stand....
...at the turnstyle entrance....
...and encouragingly, a throwback to kids watching it for
free from an adjacent wall.
A nice piece of adjacent wasteland played host to a fading
shipping container full of crap, and a kicked in garage door. Top non-league
marks for that.
Unfortunately, this artistry was hidden away behind the
dugouts on the far side. It deserves a bigger audience.
The tea hut had a vast array of pennants, a few highlights
being Kastrup Boldklub, Pannal Ash and Boxmeer.
Kicking off, it was good to see a second consecutive
@keepers_towel
Also, a @nonleaguedog in attendance.
The game started with an almost immediate goal. Billingham
broke down the left, and with the forwards struggling to get in place, the
winger either, depending on which twitter account you are reading, had the
greates vision imaginable and curled a shot from the touchline into the far
corner, or the goalkeeper misjudged a sliced cross that drifted over his head
into the goal.
From then on it was a much more even game than the league
places would suggest. Both teams had chances, before Ossett equalised when a
long shot came back off the bar to a forward with an open goal.
Ossett did score again but it was disallowed for offside.
The second half started the same as the first, with the 'Synners' scoring
straight away from a corner.
My last train back meant I had to be away by 2130, so I was
hoping for a result in normal time. However, Ossett got an equaliser with ten
minutes left when the forward broke away and chipped the keeper.
However, my prayers were answered as Ossett then scored a
winner with a couple of minutes to go.
With that, I headed back to the bus station.....
…for a bus on to Dewsbury.
The rather more civilised Dewsbury bus interchange.
And the even more civilised railway station, with the West
Riding refreshment rooms on the left.
I headed onto the slow train back to Leeds...
...where I actually made an unofficial +2 connection onto
the last train back to Sowerby.
Into my home station, negating the need for the night bus
back from Halifax.
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