Parkgate Fc 2 - 4 Scarborough Athletic

There was no problems picking out this weeks fixture, a chance to catch up with Rudy Funk and his high flying Scarborough Athletic whilst they`re in the vicinity was always on the cards, recent encounters between the sides is too much for me to resist.

On a wet and windy Saturday morning, games are dropping like flies, but there`s no such worries at 'The Roundwood Sports Complex', the game was confirmed as on at Eleven O`Clock.

It`s the first time I`ve dropped into Rotherham via Junction 34 of the M1 down through the `Lower Don Valley', once you`ve passed the Tata Steel Plant you then drop into the Metropolis that is the heart of the towns retail centre, this once massive Industrial area has undergone a serious transformation in recent years.

Teamsheet, Parkgate Style

I pass the pristine 'New York Stadium', the new home of Rotherham United ("Dudsey needs to find out the reasoning behind the name"). "Talking of Rotherham"....this must be the only town in which you cross over the same river three times on the way through it".

I arrive about forty minutes before kick off, both sides are warming up on Rotherham United`s impressive training facility. Aptly named 'The Steelmen' the ground has a panoramic view over the valley with a backdrop of a well worn Steelworks.

It`s a fiver at the turnstile, the pitch looks in immaculate condition and there`s already quite a few in the ground, 'The Seadogs' travel in numbers and by kick off there`s a very healthy crowd indeed.

The only criticism I have of this place is the lack of any hot food of any description. The Tea-Bar is run by three 'Old Dears' who simply do it out of the goodness of their hearts; and if there`s one thing you can count on from an older woman it`s a cracking cup of tea...Top Draw Ladies..!!

Dudsey get`s a chance to speak to Rudy prior to the kick off and I spend the whole game with his wife Sue, it`s really nice to see them both again, the last time was at Staveley Miners Welfare (Pre-season).

The game gets off to a healthy start and the `Champions Elect` are into Parkgate from the off. "It`s strange not to see Boro in their usual Red strip". Tony Hackworth has the visitors first real opportunity about eight minutes in. Louis Horne looks a decent young prospect whilst the lad who takes Dudsey`s attention is Peter Davidson; he`s seeing it all, doing it and providing some great distribution for Blott and Paddy Miller up-front.

Parkgate look a little lost in the final third, all their attentions are focused on targeting the towering figure of Jamie Smith up-front. Steve Brammer wearing 7 looks well fired up for it and makes his presence known to the visitors mid-field....if not a little too over-zealous in the opening spell.!!

Davidson on the Ball - Immaculate

Boro continue to press on and eventually get the scoring off to a start as Blott heads one home from close range into Rob Poulter`s goal after some good build up play from Davidson; with Hackworth providing the cross, 0-1 on ten minutes. 'The Steelmen' bounce back straight away and could have equalised if Craig Fletcher had got his shooting boots on.

The first half  looks as though it is going to be controlled by the visitors in yellow, Blott has a few decent chances but Parkgate`s defence seem pretty robust and manage to provide Poulter with a decent level of protection; and when he`s called upon the man donning the luminous green-strip looks very capable between the sticks.

There`s a hint of the game descending into a scrappy affair as frustrations turn into a series of ill timed tackles with a fair number of bodies being firmly brought to ground... which for me could have been prevented if the Ref had stamped his authority on the game in the opening minutes, eventually the first casualty finds himself unable to continue as Andrew Milne limps off.

The tackles continue and it`s Parkgate who reap the benefit as Tom Roebuck is scythed down in the box leaving the Ref with no doubt in awarding a spot-kick. Sam Smith places the ball down and duly drills it to the left of Reid, 1-1 after twenty five minutes.

The game remains free-flowing; but the visitors remain in control of the half and if there`s ever a perfect time for a goal it`s just before half-time and Boro oblige their traveling fans with a quick double strike in the closing minutes of the first half; the first falling to Jimmy Beadle as Blott turns provider, leaving the No7 the simple task of nodding it home.

Boro`s third, in the dying seconds came as Hackworth was bundled to the ground in the box by Ashley Jackson, Nigel Smith points to the spot and surprisingly it`s Brian Hughes who is nominated to take the kick Instead of Blott; possibly because he looked to be nursing his hamstring minutes earlier. Hughes buries the kick and Rudy`s side take a comfortable two goal lead into the interval.

The expectations of the travelling 'Seadogs' was for the game to continue as it left off but Blott`s injury was enough to warrant him being withdrawn during the break and he`s replaced by David Brown; and although he has a good turn of pace he lacks the upper body strength of Boro`s mercurial No 9.

Expectation turns to frustration for the visiting supporters as their beloved side look out of balance in the second half, Parkgate are in the ascendancy and the introduction of Ashley Linacre seems to give 'The Steelmen' a cutting edge as the game is flows very smoothly going forward for the home-side.

Looking evermore dangerous as the half progresses, Boro find themselves back-peddling more and more; and another break deep into the eighteen yard box see`s Sam Smith felled as he skirts across the penalty area, Referee Smith points to the spot yet again much to the dismay of the surrounding Boro players which in all fairness did look a little innocuous.

Sam steps up to take the kick and makes a real hash of it, holding his head in his hands as his effort glances off the top of the crossbar.

A series of probing runs eventually bear fruit as 'The Steelmen' break forward again; Sam Smith runs across the box, Boro fail to deal with the ball in the box and Jamie Smith directs the ball beyond Reid, 2-3 and it`s all to play for with fifteen minutes left.

With the home-side looking more likely of squaring the game, Funk makes another tactical change, the immaculate Davidson is replaced by Tommy Adam`s to a well deserved round of applause on his departure.

Aided by a fresh pair of legs and a nervously vocal 13th man; Boro start to find their way back into the game, and as the game approaches it`s final minutes a well placed cross from the Sub set`s up Beadle, who lashes the ball beyond Poulter....Squeaky Bum time over for the visitors, 2-4 at the final whistle.

A great afternoon`s entertainment, on a day which started cold and wet and finished up bathed in South Yorkshire Sunshine. Full credit to Parkgate for not buckling after the first half and exceeding all expectations of thwarting Scarborough`s first half dominance, but on the day the visitors just shaded it when it counted.


My Men of the Match - Parkgate : Poulter (kept his side in the game when it mattered most). Scarborough and overall, Peter Davidson (never put a foot wrong all game).


Match Pictures - Click Here


Starting Line-Ups : Parkgate - Poulter, Telling, Jackson, Roebuck, Johnson, Hickey, Brammer, Shepherd (c), Smith, Fletcher, Smith. Subs : Hill, Linacre, Ord, Flint.

Scarborough - Reid, Ingram, Horne, Milne, Plummer, Davidson, Beadle, Hackworth (c), Blott. Subs - Kemp, Adams, Brown, Bennett.

Attendance - 254

Admission - £5

Sheffield Fc 3 - 3 Coalville Town

"What a day for a game of Footie"... Heanor Town v Scarborough Athletic had been on the cards all week, but the sun has given Hales a chance to set about the garden at his new Gaff, so sooner than ride solo to Heanor, Dudsey has decided to spend the afternoon with Jamesie and Co at The BT Stadium.

Tbh I`ve been wanting to have a look at Coalville Town to see what the Champions elect have that has enabled them to dominate the league so far, although two draws and a defeat in the last three outings seem to have slowed The SS Coalville down a little.

My last visit to Dronfield was when they lost 2-0 to Leek Town, the game left me wondering what had happened to the Sheffield Fc of old, gone was the resilience, the bounce-back-ability was nowhere to be seen...yet for some strange reason I had a feeling a draw was on the cards this afternoon, never thought it would be such a cracker.

I arrive with about fifteen minutes to kick-off, Dudsey bumps into a Coalville supporter who`s clutching a can of 'Super Strength' near the entrance to the ground ...he`s Rat-Arsed, I point him in the right direction of the turn-stile although it looks like a waste of six quid to me

There`s a good turn-out and a great atmosphere around the ground as both sets of supporters have a vocal element. Within minutes of the start, it`s fairly obvious what Coalville have...Ryan Robbins, this lad is good.."seriously good", as quick and as skilful as I`ve seen so far this season.

'The Ravens' game looks to be centred on the deft pairing of Robbins and Kris Nurse, the long ball over the top looks very effective, especially when your keeper has a kick on him like a Mule, Sean Bowles can virtually clear the the pitch and he`s accurate with it too.

Sheffield are moving the ball about well, mainly down to some wide play through Matt Roney down the left and Jack Muldoon down the right with Woolley and Jack Waddle providing the back up. Both sides look equally as dangerous as one another but it`s the visitors who take the lead with a sweetly taken free kick from their skipper..Cameron Stuart after ten minutes.

Stuart stabs his free kick in 0-1

Still dusting themselves down from the restart, 'Club' get hit with a sucker punch as Robbins loses his marker and hits a rocket two minutes later which easily beats Adam Billard who has recently replaced Liam Flynn in goal, recently joining Sheffield from Stocksbridge Park Steels.

Thinking that this morning`s inkling was more of a 'Kiss of Death' for Sheffield I was hoping that it wasn`t going to end up a rout, yet surprisingly enough Sheffield actually looked their old selves and seemed totally unfazed by the double-whammy and they set about their game with a purpose once again.

Muldoon looks a real threat for the home-side whilst Robbins and Nurse continue to spear-head the visitors attack, Sheffield continue to press in what is a real end-to-end affair and both sides miss a couple of decent chances at either end before Sheffield get the break they are looking for as they are awarded a penalty which Steve Woolley has no trouble in converting.

Just as it looks as though the lads in red are getting back into the game, that man...Robbins strikes again,1-3 to the visitors with fifteen minutes of the first half remaining. Can Sheffield honestly pull back from this one?, not before half-time although the game is still flowing very well for both sides.

Dudsey relocates himself out of the falling Sun`s glare for the second half and pass by a few Coalville supporters who are trying to sneak a few drinks into the ground but the stewards are on their case.

Lee Cooksey gets delegated the unenviable task of man-marking Coalville`s ace striker for the second half and is doing it a decent job at keeping him at bay in the opening period, Sheffield are proper on it from the re-start.

Woolley has dropped off into the mid-field and is leaving Gascoigne and Muldoon to do it at the sharp end and it`s really working. Coalville are starting to look second best yet still pose a threat through Nurse, Robbins and Carney with some good support from Lewis Dodd.

Having the bit between their teeth, Sheffield continue to press and are putting the visitors defence to the test, when they do eventually manage to penetrate Coalville`s efficient defence, but Bowles is really proving his worth as he pulls off some quality saves.

Coalville make a break but Hatfield and Burrell soon have the ball under control and heading back in the opposite direction, Woolley threads a ball through to Muldoon who has found himself in plenty of space on his own out on the left. Thinking it`s too much for him to do solo he proves the Sheffield faithful wrong and goes all the way and beats Bowles with a class finish, 2-3 just after the hour.

Muldoon pulls another back - 2-3

Ian Whitehorne`s second half strategy is working to a tee, Sheffield`s game is flowing, Matt Roney is romping down the right wing and the crowd are expectant that a point at least is up for grabs as the game restarts, and within two minutes it`s 3-3 as Woolley  get`s his second of the game.

Coalville look rattled and don`t look accustomed to being dominated, the frustration leads the game into a bit of an ugly finale, game-play, squaring-up and eventually handbags take over from what was a really absorbing game. Roney picks up a booking and stupidly gets sucked into another almost immediately for a tangle on the edge of the box, resulting in his marching orders.

Down to ten men, Gascoigne is sacrificed for Shak McKenzie but Sheffield still manage to press-on and the confidence that the game is up for grabs leads to a very open and exciting run-in. Coalville introduce Jerome Murdoch and it`s a battle and a half till the final whistle sounds after six tense minutes of extra-time.

What a belter of a game from two sides determined to take the spoils, definitely one of the best tussles Dudsey has witnessed so far this season. Adam Stevenson keeps Coalville on the pitch for a discussion after the final whistle and although he must be disappointed, looking at what they have it would be hard to see them surrendering their top spot lightly.

Sheffield on the other hand put in a shift and a half for the last forty five and were well worth the draw if not unlucky not to steal all three points, although across the ninety minutes it could have finished up seven apiece.


My Men of the Match - Sheffield; Muldoon (Quality 2nd half) and Cooksey (kept Robbins out of the 2nd half). Coalville; Robbins (Electric) and Bowles (Excellent Keeper).

Teams : Sheffield - Billard, Eagers, Waddle, Burrell, Hadfield, Cooksey, Roney, Stirrup, Muldoon, Gascoigne, Woolley.  Subs - McKenzie, Al-Hakam, Powell, Taylor, Colley.

Coalville - Bowles, Jenno, Stuart, Miveld, Hill, Kay, Woodward, Dodd, Nurse, Carney, Robbins. Subs -Murdock, Way, Leigh, Powell, Gibson


Match Pictures - Click Here

Admission £6

Attendance: 

286