TOWN STROLL OUT THE BRICKWORK WITH A WIN

Pre Season

KIRTON BRICKWORKS FC 1 NEWARK TOWN FC 3

Att: 34

A very late choice of what game I was going to attend today left me at Station Road, the home of Kirton Brickworks FC who entertained Newark Town FC. It was nice to bump in to some old friends and new ones.

The game kicked off and the Brickies were on the attack and soon forced veteran keeper Chris "Rocky" Bennett in to action on a couple of occasions to keep the score at 0-0 with two very good saves and one rebounding across the cross bar.

Town pressed forward with both sides beginning to match each other after the opening battles and in their first real attack on 24 minutes took the lead, when a ball played up the right wing was knocked in to the home area and KARL NICHOLSON pounced on it from 25 yards out with the referee Colin White ducking out the way before it hit the top corner of the net.

This seemed to give Town a lot more confidence and they pressed forward more and it was the turn of the home keeper to find his form with a couple of good saves.

The Second Half started the same way that the First had with Kirton pressing forward and the visiting keeper beating everything away, but he could do nothing after 50 minutes when BURGESS powerfully headed home from a corner on the right hand side.

 After 61 minutes, JOSH JOHNSON restored Town;s lead when they broke on the break.

The game then went from end to end and both keepers were playing blinders to keep their sides in the game and prevent the score increasing, but on 82 minutes, a break down the right saw the ball played across and RHYS STANLEY;s shot hit the post before crawling over the line to make it 3-1 to the Newark side.

Photos from the match can be seen on this LINK

EVENS AT THE MILLS

Pre Season Friendly

MANSFIELD HOSIERY MILLS 2 LINBY CW 2

Att: 33

A day of chance saw me end up at Mansfield Hosiery Mills after a late evening before at Nottingham Greyhound Stadium and oversleeping missing my bus out to Chilwell Olympic to see Wollaton FC v Arnold Town FC. 

On arrival I was greeted by the Miillers Management before club chair Russ Booth arrived and we stood and had a cuppa before the game, also nice to meet the Linby management for a chat, just before kick off nice to catch up with old friend Linby Chair Adi Ward.

The game kicked off on a superb looking pitch at a frantic pace with both sides cancelling each other out, me and Russ was still chatting when joined by his son Will who had reffed the early kick off at Basford United between Long Eaton United v Radford FC.

Chances came and went as we headed over the half hour mark, then on 39 minutes, from a cross the Linby NUMBER 6 planted a direct header in to the top corner of the net to give the visitors the lead.

The Millers were not to give up and bounced back on 43 minutes when a well worked diagonal ball saw a one two finish with HUNT lifting the ball over the keepers head to make it 1-1.

The Second Half kicked off and Linby had their hosts pressed back in to their own half whilst they pressed forward and on 57 minutes took a well deserved lead through a long strike that dipped over the home keeper.

Linby looked to increased their lead whilst The Millers played on the counter attack, but with only one man up front, the ball kept returning to the Linby players, but a few subs and change of formation seemed to bring life back in to the Mansfield side and they started to press forward and have a few more chances.

On 87 minutes, a ball from left wing found the Millers NUMBER 8 who blasted into the top corner of the net to make it 2-2. 

A very good friendly and credit to both sides

Photos from the match can be seen on this LINK

POLONIA WIN IN THE SUN

Pre Season Friendly

FC POLONIA 4 CARLTON TOWN LIONS 0

Att: 40

The plan for today was to head to Basford United where Woodthorpe Park Rangers were due to play a friendly against Gedling Southbank with a 10.30am kick off and Id possibly watch the Second Half of the Basford United v Long Eaton United friendly to kick off at midday. Id tried to ring Woodthorpe and Southbank several times in the morning before I set out but no replies, so arrived at 9.30am and was told the game was on pitch 2, meanwhile I had a phone call from Herbie and Sue who had travelled over by car then by tram and I said where are you and they had just got off the tram. We popped back in to the main part of the ground at Basford to be told it had been called off the night before at 10am, but it was still showing as on on the Woodthorpe twitter.

Herbie and Sue headed back towards Nottingham but I was hungry and dry, so caught the tram in to Hucknall and found a nice little cafe and had a full breakfast, as I walked to the bus stop for Mansfield, Id just missed the bus and the board said another 30 minutes in blazing sunshine to wait, then I noticed over the road a bus was due in a few minutes back to the tram station and after a call I heard that the FC Polonia v Carlton Lions match was def ON at 1pm, so back on to the tram to the Famous Goose Fair site it was to be to get my Saturday fix of football.

On arrival I met up with Herbie and Sue again and the FC Polonia people came over to say hello and hoped we enjoyed the match, then we went to have a chat with the Lions Manager.

The game kicked off and it was so hot, as the polish side pushed forward but couldnt find a way past the Lions Keeper, but after 25 minutes, the Referee(FC Polonia chap 1st half & a Carlton Lions 2nd half) stopped the game for a drinks break..I popped down the stairs and got a couple of cans of pop out the machine and some one laughed and said, youve missed a goal, yes whilst I was downstairs on 27 minutes the Polish side had taken a deserved lead through NUMBER 14. Herbie joked can you go to the toilet, we might see another goal, well next attack and Polonia had doubled their lead through NUMBER 16.

The Second Half saw Polonia make 10 changes and Carlton Lions were more in their stride, but their forwards just couldnt make a breakthrough to get them back in to the game and this cost them late on, as after 82 minutes, the Polonia NUMBER 77 hit a low free kick from 35 yards which the visiting keeper had difficulty with. With time running out, a cross came through to a Polonia player with NO NUMBER on and he slid the ball in to the net to make it 4-0

Photos from the game can be seen on this LINK

WELFARE START PRE SEASON WELL

Pre Season Friendly

KIRTON BRICKWORKS FC 1 BLIDWORTH WELFARE FC 3

Admission Free

Coffee 60p

Pop 60p

Teamsheets: Free

Raffle 2 tickets £2

Att: 49

On arrival at this lovely Station Road Brickworks Ground, I entered the large room that sells refreshments etc and met Tony Incenzo of Talksport Radio, then Scots hopper David Bogie, Just before kick off, I made the presentation to Kirton Brickworks Reserves who last season won the Sporting and Respect award for the Nottinghamshire Senior League Division Two.

It was nice to catch up with ref Scott Anderson and Blidworth man Scott Ward.

The game kicked off and Blidworth were cutting out the first few chances and Sam Spencer in the home net looked like he may have a busy afternoon in the scorching sunny weather.

Just before half time, I bought a couple of quids worth of raffle tickets and then at half time, I was asked to draw the raffle, oh well I only picked my own number, so I won a football.

A lot of hoppers were in attendance from Mansfield, Newark and some of the Sherwood Colliery FC team.

The Second Half, Blidworth were playing down the slope and on 50 minutes, a back pass hit the underside of the home cross bar and JOSH ASUMAN was first to react and knock the ball home.

This seemed to spur the game in to life and Kirton were missing a forward as they tended to play on the counter attack. On 63 minutes, a shot from the right side by CALLUM PURSGLOVE doubled the Welfares lead.

In the 81st minute, it was Blidworth;s captain AIDEN HARRIS who put his side in to a 3-0 lead. Kirton scored the last goal of the game to reduce the arrears after 86 minutes when CODY DOWNING headed home after th ball had crashed off the Welfare bar. 

I would like to thank Scott Anderson, Scott Ward and Tony March for their kind donations at the match which totalled £20, which means the running total for FORGET ME NOT now stands at £755.50p

Photos from the match can be seen on this LINK