St Andrews Links

St Andrews v Long Eaton United

Radford v Gedling Miners Welfare

Kimberley Miners Welfare v South Normanton Athletic

A decent amount of games to choose from.  Round these parts it was either a few games in the North West Counties, but not that many to choose from, or back to the West Midlands where there were staggered kick offs, but I'd been there on Saturday.  Instead, it was to the East Midlands, for a midday kick off in Leicester, then a couple of afternoon games around Nottingham.

For the first time in a while, an east heading start, with the 0741 off Sowerby, one of a handful of Blackpool - York services to stop here.  Because they don't have to rely on coming off the bays at Victoria, these are usually much more punctual, and was sat in the station awaiting time when I arrived.

I still made it.

Through to Leeds where it uses the ominous 'D' platforms, which are more part of the Neville Hill shunt neck than they are the main station.

Northern's stock allocation on the route down to Sheffield is a bit more orthodox than the shits and giggles random approach they have on the Calder Valley, so I flagged the earlier 142 formed all shacks, for the later 158 formed fast service.

On any persons bucket list; Sunrise over Wakefield.

At Kirkgate we crossed a Kings Cross bound Grand Central service, which I realised I could have got from Halifax and had ten minutes extra in bed.  I'd only checked its 0855 departure time from Wakefield, and thought it was a tight connection onto the 0857 Sheffield service, however, the Grand Central gets in at 0838 and waits for 17 minutes, so would easily have made.  One to know for the future.

Football grounds visible from trains but there are much better views than this one; Oakwell.

The reason I was distracted from getting the better view was these two members of Barnsley's elite getting on.  I gave up watching league football in the late nineties.  Just starting to make an appearance were CP company jackets with integral goggles of n the hood.  These were exclusive wear for standing somewhere near the opposition supporters, spreading your arms, and saying 'come on then', which is even more wasteful past time than ground hopping.  Over the years, it seems that goggles are now also built into hats, given this lad the opportunity to look like a complete twat twice over.  

Into Sheffield and my ongoing obsession with getting an update on any more missing letters from the English Pewter Company offices.  It will spell something rude eventually.

Into Sheffield.  My unit sits in the bay whilst on the left is the waggon load transshipment that used to take up the 200 sidings of Tinsley yard, but can now be done in the two through roads of the station.

I was on to a St Pancras bound East Midlands Trains Meridian.

These are the same body shell as a Cross Country voyager, but the interior is about a thousand times better.

Down through Chesterfield, and the famous spire, which is both crooked and twisted.  A bit like Phillip Green.

Onwards through Derby, and a bit of tractor action in the RTC.

East Midlands Parkway, the station with the greatest contrast in views.  On one side unspoiled views of the Leicestershire countryside...

...on the other the unspoiled views of Ratcliffe power station cooling towers.

I was off at Leicester.

I had an hour to go to kick off.  There were buses up to the ground or it was about 50 minute walk.  I chose the latter as it is a stadium tour of sorts.  But first off, heading away from the station, the unmistakeable sound of a non-MTU HST, and sure enough, an EMT service screamed by, though only a VP185, not a Valenta thoroughbred.

First stadium is this...

...which would be impressive if it wasn't this elitist wank.

For anyone who does dirty themselves with ra-ra grounds, this is the new stand behind the goal that was opened up this season.

Carrying on past the 1970s extension to Leicester Hospital.  This is relevant, so keep it in mind.

Next stop was here, home of Leicester City before they became the new Blackburn.

Not much has been done with the site.  A block of student accommodation has been built, and a road built through it, named after their 1980s icon.  If you asked me to define the most memorable thing about that period at Leicester, I would have gone for Phil Gee's streaked mullet, the thinking man's Chris Waddle.

Almost adjacent is this, home of the champions.  Is anyone else still unsure as to whether that actually happened?

I do find it ironic that the stadium sits amidst a maze of substations, pylons and high voltage cables, yet its King Power name has nothing to do with electricity.

What with #eagle at Crystal Palace, #tiger at Hull, and also this, I think it's great that the clubs are embracing the Premier League's campaign to name their favourite Class 50.  Can't wait to see #Temeraire at Watford.

Heading out of town and the next set of floodlights are spotted.

Is there a county cricket ground in Britain that doesn't have a similarly named hostelry somewhere in its surrounds?

Anyway, this is Grace Road, home to Leicestershire CC, and where local kids of my generation got the opportunity to watch David Gower grind out graceful half centuries off 200 balls.  By the time I got to watch him at Hampshire it was 30 off 300 balls.

With the stadium walk complete, the final stretch was along the River Soar.  This part of it has been canalised, as it provided a link between the River Trent, down through Leicester, then onto the Grand Union canal at Daventry, from which London could then be accessed.

This was the street the ground was on and must be the only so named road in Britain that hasn't had letters peeled off.



The ground is situated in an area of meadowland away from any housing, and is reached through the car park for the woods.

Ironwork as ornate as it is authoritative.

St Andrews 5 v Long Eaton United 1, Midland Football League


St Andrews were formed in 1973 as a pub team.  They had previously played friendlies, but the demolition of the pub to build an extension to the hospital (told you that picture was relevant) saw them formalise the team and join the Leicester City league.  After a fourth title win, they joined the Leicestershire Senior League in 1985.  Another three title wins later, and they were founder members of East Midland Counties League in 2007, and were champions last season, moving up to the Midland League.

Long Eaton is situated between Derby and Nottingham and the town's main activity is deciding which of those two cities to align itself to.  After a series of previous clubs, Long Eaton United were established in 1956, playing in the Midland Football League (obviously not to be confused with the current Midland Football League).  They were founding members of the Northern Counties East Football League in 1982, when the Midland and Yorkshire leagues merged.  Due to a lack of floodlights, they were demoted to the Central Midlands League In 1989, and it wasn't until 2002 that the ground and team were of sufficient standard to get back to the NCEL.  However, the last few seasons have seen relegation to the Midland league, only avoiding further relegation by one place last season.

St Andrews have been at the Canal Street site since the 1970s.  As part of the successful promotion appeal, they undertook some upgrades to the ground.  I'm at a slight loss to see what.

There is a small seated stand which was present in previous seasons.

This was the only early kick off in the area, so had attracted a fair sprinkling of Groundhoppers.

As well as handshakes, the home team then had a huddle.  That is so 2013.

A blank day for live @keepers_towels, but there was a submission by an acquaintance at Larkhall.

Although Long Eaton had some early chances, St Andrews then grabbed a goal mid way through the half.

They added a couple more before half time.

More Dads Army linesemen.

There ain't no party like an Addy Football party.  It's the ice cream van that makes them.

Long Eaton did pull one back.

The sun was very low and very bright, causing problems all game.



St Andrews added a couple more and the game finished 5-1.

I headed back to the main road for a bus back into town.  I was just composing a rant about DB railways and another Arriva bus no-show...

...when it did eventually turn up, about 15 down.

It dropped me back at the rugby ground, with eight minutes to get my train.

A conversation in 1920s Cape Province 'Mum, if I devote my life to becoming a leading anti-apartheid revolutionary, will the people of Leicester name a park after me? Yes Nelson, but if you were to become a semi-prolific goal hanger in an otherwise dreary time for British football, they'll name a road after you, and a shit nightclub in Tenerife.'

Back to the station.

Just in time to make a Nottingham bound service.

Past the stabling point, which was only a pair of 20s away from recreating its 1980s heyday.

In to Nottingham.

I was up to the tram stop which is located on top of the station.

I was heading for Radford, but I didn't realise this is on a bit of the route where the different direction lines are separated, so went passed it and had to come back to Green Market.

Radford is a northern suburb of Nottingham and is largely populated by the two groups of people most despised by people who drink in Wetherspoons; students and immigrants.  Raleigh bikes are from here, as well as Players cigarettes 

Which took me here, and what a welcome.  A fine combination of rusting shit surrounds the entrance sign.

Radford v Gedling Miners Welfare, East Midland Counties League

Radford were established in 1964 as the Sunday League works team of the curiously titled Manlove Waste Products.  Not surprisingly, they soon changed their name, becoming Radford Olympic in 1970, as well as switching to the East Midlands Regional League, and then the Central Midlands League Premier Division.  In 2008, they moved to the new East Midlands Counties Football League.  Last season they were runners up to St Andrews, and were initially promoted to the Midland League because the latter ground was not up to standard.  However, the St Andrews appeal was upheld and Radford remain in the EMCL.

Gedling is north west of Nottingham and, as the club name suggests, was a mining village until the pit closed in 1991.  Scab karma.  The football club was founded in 1919, playing in the Nottinghamshire Football Alliance, and then progressing to the Central Midlands League and now the East Midlands Counties League.

I'd got a programme and went into the ground.  Except there was a bit of a kerfuffle going on.  It appeared the referee was trying to call off the game because of a frozen touchline, despite incredulity from both sides.  But the official got his way, so proceedings were halted at 1445, less than a minute after I got into the ground.

I got some more pictures of the new 'if it doesn't move, AstroTurf it' craze.

And an alfresco pool table, with improvised bar billiard pins.



I headed out amongst much disgruntlement.  I'd never had a frozen touchline postponement until earlier this year at Cleator Moor Celtic, this is now my fourth, so it looks like the FA are inventing new directives for young officials, keen to impress, to impose over zealously.

I did have a plan B.  So it was down to the Alfreton Road, and onto a Trent Barton bus heading for Alfreton.

I alighted at Kimberley.  The town was famous for its coal mining, brewing and hosiery industries.  Needless to say, they have all gone.  The last were the local brewers, Hardy and Hanson, who knocked out fairly decent ales, but had a large estate of pubs.  This made them extremely ripe for a takeover, cue the almost inevitable arrival of Greene King, who just as they have with Belhaven/Morland/Ridleys/Ruddles, they bought Hardy out, took over the pubs, shut down the local brewery and sold it for housing, and rebadge a couple of GKs house bilge as Olde Trip.

The bus stop was right at what was the obvious entrance to the ground.  

But whilst I could clearly see the ground, I was separated by a severe palisade fence.

Heading further down, I came across a gateway.

But this led me to another palisade fence.  Talk about hiding in plain sight.  It was half time when I arrived, and eventually I had to shout to a sub warming up as to how the fuck you actually got into the ground.

He directed me to the entrance.  As ever, the best way to find the way into a ground is to choose the least obvious and most awkwardly located one on Google maps.

Kimberley Miners Welfare 2 v South Normanton Athletic 0, East Midland Counties League

Kimberley Miners Welfare were formed in 1926.  The club history gives great detail about the different changing rooms they used for their first 70 years, and then the managers of the last 20 years, but is a bit sparse on what league they were playing in and if they won anything.  I know they were in the Notts Alliance in the mid nineties, and then moved up to the Notts Senior league.  In 2014, they joined the East Midland Counties League.

South Normanton is very much south of Normanton, about 50 miles to be precise, just outside Alfreton.  The club were founded in 1926 as South Normanton Miners Welfare, playing under that name until they joined the Central Midland League in 1990 when they changed to the current form.  2004 saw promotion to the Northern Counties East League, but after four seasons, the club folded.  It was restated almost immediately, and re-admitted to the Central Midland.

The Stag ground was originally the home of Kimberley YMCA, who became Kimberley Town in the 1950s.  They were the major team in the town, but went bust in 2012.  I’m not sure when Kimberley Miners Welfare moved in, but the ground is now firmly in their colours.

The only cover is this behind the goal.

It has a few rows of seating at one end.  At the opposite end, it is unclear if these were counted in meeting the minimum seating requirement.

Though the only way to the parking area is to drive straight through the stand.

I first thought this was yet more astroturf, but it is actually concrete tinged green over time.

A quick cup of tea in the homely club house before the second half commenced.  Some excellent team pictures on the wall.  This one appears to be on a papyrus scroll.

Back out and a view of the fence I was stuck behind earlier.

The subs were warming up through an impromptu cross bar challenge.  More balls went out of the ground (four) than hit the crossbar (one).

Another bloody huddle.

Kimberley had scored in the first half and were winning 1-0.

In the J stakes, Kimberley had a Josh and two Jakes.

The sun was right in the eyes again.

Kimberley added another to win 2-0.

Heading off and hi-viz stickering from a Railfreight general fan.

Back to the main road and another Trent Barton service, heading back into Nottingham.

I was off at the Nutthal.

This took me across to the Phoenix Park tram terminus.

A quick spin through town, and back at the station.

I’d made the 1716 Leeds direct service, which goes via Barnsley, and annoyingly, I’d forgotten that it was Forest – Barnsley and just at departure time, we were swamped with happy Tykes.

Fortunately, the Co-Op on the station was selling off its Christmas cheeses, and this goats cheese, on the day of its sell by date, was 49p and as eye watering as any epoisses, and absolutely stank, giving me a seat to myself.

The train completely emptied at Barnsley, and we rolled into Leeds early.

But annoyingly, my tight connection was 15 late.  It eventually rolled in, unannounced, into a different platform.  Fortunately, I was tracking it on the signal system diagrams I have on my phone through work, so wandered up to it as I wasn’t sure if it was forming the back working.  I hopped on and almost immediately we departed, four carriages with about eight people on it as everyone else was still stood on the other platform.

We picked up a few more revellers on the way, but I still had the front carriage to myself as we arrived back into Sowerby.