Rainworth Mw 3 - 2 Newcastle Town

Having not ventured over to Rainworth for a week or two Dudsey decides to pop over and see how things are shaping up at Kirklington Road.

Looking at Rainworth`s current squad certainly gives the impression of a Club who are moving in a positive direction, the only disappointment is that the once full stand now seems sparsely populated, whether that will change now the results are coming good remains to be seen.

Prior to the kick off Newcastle Town were sitting one spot above Rainworth by virtue of goal difference so both teams really needed to secure all three points if they had any desire to chase the leading pack. If today`s weather is anything to go by you wouldn`t bet on much more in the way of support....It`s Baltic!! 

Thompson puts the visitors ahead in the third minute

Newcastle get the game of to a decent start and an early free kick for the visitors shatters Dudsey`s optimism as Rainworth find themself a goal down as a bit of slack defending allowed the ball to skate across the face of Joe McCormack`s goal and onto the boot of Nev Thompson, 0-1 after three minutes.

Shades of previous seasons are still rattling around in my head as Ryan Goward threads a lovely weighted ball into the path of Rainworth`s current impresario, Blair Anderson; on loan from Alfreton Town, this kid is electric and he draws himself out to the left and releases a sublime curler which sailed beyond Dave Parton and into the top right-hand corner. All square after eight minutes.

Parton watches on as Anderson`s shot finds the net

Both sides hustled it out and although the first half failed to produce any more goals it certainly entertained the seventy nine souls who had braved the elements. Rainworth play a completely different game to previous seasons, gone has the long-ball approach as they now pass the ball around in a series of neat moves.

Karl Slack who had failed to impress me over at Hucknall recently looks a completely different prospect in a Rainworth shirt and seems to fit the side like a glove with 'The Wrens' style of play.

The central defence is crammed with experience as Ashley Kitchen now rubs shoulders with the ever dependable Mark Camm, whilst the 'Midfield Generals', Danny Bacon, Jared Holmes and Callum Lloyd provide some decent link play.

Newcastle are a busy industrious side who look to the right flank as their in-road, James Askey and Kyle Diskin cross over well and seek to thread balls over towards the powerful frame of Thompson and Tom France whilst Christian Millar sheriffs their midfield.

Newcastle thought their afternoon was about to take a turn for the better as McCormack came out to make a clearance and slipped in the process seeing the ball strike his arm as he slid beyond the eighteen yard box.

For me it`s a bit of a toughie for the Ref as to what colour card he would produce for Rainworth`s No1, after consulting his assistant he decides a booking would suffice although the Staffordshire contingent certainly had a stronger opinion about it in the Tea-Bar at half-time.

With the wind behind their backs, Rainworth get the second half off to a start but it`s the visitors who come out stronger and nearly catch the home-side with another early stinger but an unorganised scramble in the box saves the home-sides blushes.

The visitors hit a bit of a lull and it`s the turn of the white-shirted Wren`s to enjoy a decent spell of play, Slack goes close before being replaced by Ian Holmes, the home-side`s diligence eventually pays off and they get their noses back in front via Danny Bacon`s deflected shot, 2-1 after twenty minutes of the second half.

Bacon`s deflection makes it 2-1

For the second time in the game the usual dependable Rainworth defence slip into a brief defensive lapse allowing 'The Castle' to square the game as Christian Millar is given way to much time, allowing him to pick his spot and deliver the shot which pulls the game all square again, 2-2 with twenty minutes remaining.

Anderson is replaced by Jordan Turner who also looks a very lively prospect, Rainworth look to be shading it in the last ten minutes as Holmes and Turner who have the benefit of fresh legs look evermore a threat but are at times a little too eager for the linesman`s flag.

McCormack gets caught out 2-2

Kieran Walker and  Ryan Goward are now able to push on at will as the visitors come under a sustained spell of pressure and eventually a break down the right from Goward pushes the ball just beyond Newcastle`s defence and into Turner`s path who coolly chips Parton as he attempts to close him down, 3-2 with five minutes left.

The visitors continue to plug away at it till the end but fail to pose any serious threat in the closing minutes seeing 'The Wrens` collect all three points.

A pretty evenly contested affair although Newcastle`s bench might feel a little aggrieved by the McCormack incident which had it gone their way would surely have impacted on today`s result but it`s refreshing that at last after three arduous seasons at Step 4 it looks like under the guidance of Kevin Gee it appears as though 'The Wrens' are at last starting to fly a little higher.


Click Here for all Match Pictures


Teams - Rainworth: McCormack, Walker, Goward, Camm (c), Kitchen, Burton, Slack,, Lloyd, J.Holmes, Bacon, Anderson. Subs - Cooksey, Turner, Hanson, I Holmes

Newcastle: Parton, Asky, Wint, Bayley (c), Carter; Lowe, Diskin, Millar, Thompson, France, Thorley.
Subs - Hutchinson, Ashman, Nicholls, Harrison.


Admission - £7

Attendance - 79

Sheffield Fc 2 - 3 Sutton Coldfield

The only real option all week was Hucknall Town against table-topping Coalville, how I ended up here today is still a bit of a mystery to me other than the fact the girls were up for a touch of 'Retail Therapy' and Chesterfield is their town of choice so the ten minute nip up the A61 was a good second choice.

On the way up the Bypass.. Dudsey`s mulling over how many goals Sheffield would win by this afternoon.. not dismissing Sutton but the form table and league position just lead you to believe this one was a home-banker. "Just shows how wrong you can be".

Sheffield take the toss and decide to swap ends and kick towards the main-stand and look well up for it in the opening minute taking an early corner, from the clearance a couple of swift advances by 'The Royals' let the Sheffield back four (who are looking a little disjointed early on) know that they are here to make a game of it,  then came a fifteen minute spell that silenced the home contingent of the 269 strong crowd as the visitors racked up a three goal lead.

The first two taken comprehensively by Sutton`s Kristian Ramsey-Dickson, who`s powerful frame brushed aside his markers taking two very convincing goals in the second and fourteenth minutes which had the oldest club in the country lost in a bit of a spin, enough of a spin to see them get caught napping again two minutes later as Luke Chapman slotted in the third.

Ramsey-Dicksons second strike nestles in Liam Flynn`s goal.

0-3 down with only just over a quarter of an hour gone, the home supporters seemed a tad disgruntled that the team currently occupying fifteenth position in the league could be making their beloved 'Club' look such easy pickings. ("I won`t go into detail, ladies might be reading").

It`s looking all too easy and Tbh even at this early stage it seemed like a bit of 'Bridge too Far' on the early evidence of Sutton`s dominance, but if there`s anything Dudsey has learn`t about this Sheffield side is the fact they are usually composed and seldomly look flustered. The afore mentioned attribute rewarded the home-crowd with a little solace as a well constructed move see`s Jamie Hadfield reduce the deficit to two goals in the twenty first minute.

Sheffield remain focused despite the early onslaught

Game on..or that's what everyone was thinking..!! Four goals in just over twenty minutes and both sides playing an open game lead you to believe that we were in for a right treat today, not totally inaccurate as the game was flowing well but Sutton seemed to have gone off the boil whilst Sheffield seemed to be struggling in the final third although enough chances were being created.

Sutton`s failure to make the best of the width Daryl Taylor was offering often lead them into a dead-end and that was the pattern up until the break, 1-3 at half-time.

Not much between the teams in the second quarter.

I suppose four goals in one half would satisfy anyone looking down the barrel of a nil-niler but in a game which showed so much promise in the opening fifteen minutes the hope that a good Pep-Talk by both Manager`s at half time will hopefully inspire a few more goals in the second half.

The second half does lack goals but the game still looks promising, the creativity is there but a lack of awareness see`s it become more of a mid-field menagerie, arms and legs everywhere. Sheffield look slightly the more likely side to break the second half deadlock but Sutton`s back four are well composed.

Middle of the park muddle

The Sun breaks out and brings a little welcome warmth to a lovely Autumn afternoon, the place looks lovely as the tree fringed sidelines come to life, on the pitch there`s still plenty of life and Sutton have found a little momentum, primarily down the left side-line and in the main they are giving as good as they are getting.

Louis Keenan and Dean Rathbone continue to plug away at it for the visitors whilst Sheffield look happy enough to remain composed and take their breaks as the opportunity arises.

Rathbone is watched on by Louis Keenan

Still harboring a two goal deficit, Sheffield decide to introduce a little more fire power in the form of Vill Powell and although he has shedloads of experience and a presence about him he doesn`t quite make the impact the locals are expecting although he does a good job at holding the ball up.

Looking as though it`s destined to be a goal-less second half, Sheffield continue to push and look the stronger of the two sides in the last ten minutes and eventually a run in from the left see`s the first real defensive error by the visitors as a trailing leg brings down Chris Adam in the box, the Ref rightly points to the spot and Woolley steps up to slip it neatly by Lee Evans into the right hand corner. 

Woolley slots it just beyond Evans` reach, 2-3.

With only one goal separating the sides there`s a bum squeaking three minutes of normal time plus stoppages for Sheffield to salvage a point or for Sutton to return home with all three, unfortunately the clock beat the home-side and the travelling 'Royal`s' had something to celebrate. 

Shame the second half fell short of the first but that`s football, either way a decent afternoon, four goals and a bit of welcome Sunshine. Sheffield`s early lapse gave them too much of a hill to climb, Good game though.


Match pictures - Click here

Man the Match - Ramsey-Dickson, Sutton (two killer goals)

Teams - Sheffield : Flynn, Turner, Featherstone, Foster (c), Hadfield, Burrell, Roney, Knowles, Martin, McKenzie, Woolley. Subs - Anderson, Adam, Wall, Bryan, Powell.

Sutton Coldfield.- : Evans, Quiggin, Keenan, Parsons (c), Kettle, Male, Taylor, Rathbone, Ramsey-Dickson, Sheldon. Chapman. Subs - Gumery, Leek, Thompson, Ling, Bedford (Gk).

Admission £6

Attendance 269