East Midlands Counties League
At: Old Lenton Lane
Kick-off: 3-00 pm
Admission: £4; Programme: £1 (16 pages)
Attendance: 51
Weather: mild, weak sunshine
Duration: first-half: 45:39; second-half: 51:47
I’d not been over to Nottingham for a couple of months – apart from, that is, nipping round the southern bypass on my way to and from Lincoln United – and I’d not seen an East Midlands Counties League (EMCL) side action since Bardon Hill’s wonderful FA Cup win last month.
So, last night I pondered where to head today with the above thoughts in mind and spotted something really exciting in the EMCL. The fixture compiler couldn’t have planned a much better end to October and produced what I called the ‘East Midland Counties League Super Saturday’. Leaders Heanor Town were at fourth-placed Greenwood Meadows and second-placed Gedling MW (level on points with the leaders) entertained third-placed Dunkirk (one point off the top). I’d been to Gedling earlier in the season so my destination this afternoon had to be Meadows’ Lenton Lane ground.
A quick glance at the top of the league showed just how tight things were around the summit. Just two points separated the top five and any one of the top five could have been top come 5 pm this evening. Fifth-placed Bardon Hill had more than a good chance of picking up three points at lowly Anstey Nomads.
I approached Nottingham on the A453 passing the Radcliffe Power Station and Clifton before heading north, briefly, on the A52 signed Derby. No sooner had I joined the A52, I took the second exit, signed ‘Lenton Industrial Estate’, down to the roundabout below. Lenton Lane was immediately on the left after taking the ‘Boots Ind. Est. (West)’ exit, Greenwood’s ground being 200 yards on the right just past the turn for the Riverside Golf Centre.
Immediately through the gate, I was directed to a parking space next to a camper van and the pitch (orientated north-west–south-east) ran lengthways behind a fence that separated the car park from the rest of the ground. The entrance was to the left, where I picked up a programme, and beyond was the clubhouse and changing room building.
A smaller training and warm-up pitch was situated behind the near goal with two stands and dugouts down the left-hand touchline. The nearest stand contained a couple of benches while the far one had two rows of individual blue tip-up seats, around 40-50 seats in total.
Before kick-off, I was made to feel very welcome in the clubhouse and got myself a tea and chips, as well as a nice lapel badge from behind the bar.
Teams were announced over the tannoy. Heanor’s line-up included two players with well-known fathers – goalkeeper Sam the son of former FA Cup winner Steve Ogrizovic and Ashley the son of current Glapwell and former Stafford striker Neil Grayson.
Greenwood went into the game in fourth position on 23 points from 11 games, two points behind the leaders Heanor who had also played the same number of games. They had won four of their last five league games, including the last two at Radford and Blackwell.
Heanor arrived at Old Lenton Lane on a run of eight league games without defeats and had won their last four games. Coincidently their last league defeat came at the end of August when they visited Dunkirk, Greenwood’s very near neighbours.
After the fair play formalities were conducted, Greenwood held a huddle minus their captain who was with the opposition skipper and match officials in the centre circle. The teams stayed as they were and said captain Dave Boafo joined his teammates for the conclusion of the huddle which broke to a large shout of “Greenwood”.
Heanor (wearing all white with blue trim) got the game underway defending the near Lenton Lane end, and, after Greenwood’s Rory Francis fired an early chance over the bar, took a 5th minute lead. Gary Webster, out on the right, delivered into the area and fell for Lee Hodgson to gratefully fire past Paul Farnsworth at close range. Quite a few Heanor fans were at the game, which attracted Greenwood’s biggest league home crowd of the season so far, and made themselves heard with a celebratory roar as the ball went in.
I got quite a good view of the goal, having opted to stand in the half attached by the visitors. But the flies were proving a nuisance.
Greenwood (in green shirts, black shorts and green socks) created a decent chance in the 10th minute. Jourdain Blair crossed from the right towards the near where Chris Atkins sent a diving header just wide. The home side won no fewer than five corners during the opening 23 minutes and from the fourth one Kristian Stephens glanced a header across the face of goal.
By this time, the flies had got the better of me so I moved nearer the clubhouse into the half attacked by the home side. Greenwood’s black numbers on the back of their green shirts also played a part in my decision to move near to the goal there were attacking.
The referee had a word with Heanor’s Danny Williams after a foul on Dave Boafo who, moments later, brought down a Heanor player around the halfway line. Lee Stevenson sent the resulting free-kick forward into the Greenwood area and central defender Adam Kay powered home a header. The visitors were two-up in the 27th minute and any hopes Greenwood or the other three chasing sides had of snatching top spot appeared over. I felt the goal was tough on the home side considering the amount of possession they had had.
A very long bouncing clearance by home keeper Farnsworth caused uncertainly in the Heanor defence and Sam Ogrizovic was unable to prevent another corner. Ashley Harrison delivered it accurately into the area where Kieran Walker headed over from just five yards out.
Callum Mason drew applause from the visiting faithful with a 25-yard dripping volley just wide of the target before, in the 37th minute, Atkins missed a simple chance to halve the deficit. Found unchallenged at the far left post just six yards out, the striker miscued his shot and fired across the face of goal. “How did he miss that,” wondered one spectator stood near me. I felt the same from my new vantage point next to the goal that Greenwood were attacking.
I popped back into the clubhouse and joined the queue for the tea bar before opting to stand down the right-hand touchline facing the dugouts and stands.
Ashley Grayson became the first of two Heanor players to pick up a booking. He was yellow carded for a foul on Francis in the 52nd minute.
The floodlights came on around the time of the booking just before Heanor almost further extended their lead. Grayon looked to put Williams clear only for a brave saving tackle to prevent a clear shooting change. Farnsworth, the Meadows keeper, was mightily impressed with his defender.
Reflecting around the hour mark, I felt that Heanor were comfortably holding their two-goal advantage despite Greenwood raising their game.
The home side made a double change in the 64th minute. Ashley Whitt replaced Atkins and Rob Burton came on for Robinson. In a reshuffle, central defender Romaine Graham was pushed forward as an extra attacker alongside new man Whitt and Blair.
Greenwood were “ticking” when Blair fired an angled shot wide of the far left post and their hard work was rewarded with a goal in the 74th minute. Blair created himself a chance inside the area and fired past Ogrizovic from 8 yards out.
Heanor were urged to “focus” as the home side pressed for an equaliser which had seemed so unlikely after the visitors’ 27th-minute second goal.
A third and final substitution for Greenwood saw Craig Meakin replace Francis and so began their “most important 10 minutes of the season so far”. And the final 10 minutes plus stoppage time certainly didn’t lack excitement.
Greenwood appealed for a penalty for handball against Tom Burgin turned down though I felt that the referee may have assessed things differently had he had the my view of the incident.
Hodgson went down with what looked like cramp and was replaced in the 84th minute by tall striker George Walker. Williams went in the booking three minutes later for a foul and at the same time one member of the Heanor dugout was ‘sent off’, presumably for protesting the decision.
Into stoppage time and Heanor replaced Mason with Danny Roberts. “How long?” asked the Heanor keeper, “five, four?”. I didn’t hear the referee’s answer but there was enough time for Ogrizovic, under pressure, to palm Meakin’s deep free-kick over the bar. The visitors broke upfield following the resulting corner and Williams was denied a shooting chance by Kieran Walker’s brave tackle.
With over six minutes of injury time already played, Heanor again wanted to know “how long?” The answer quickly came – Farnsworth parried Webster’s low shot and the referee blew for full time to end a pulsating second half.
Before setting off, I popped into the clubhouse to the final scores and noticed a good result for my old team – a 2-2 draw at home to Northwich to follow Tuesday’s win at Ilkeston. Manager Chris Brindley’s hard work looks to be paying off.
Heanor had banished all the talk of one of their four nearest challengers knocking them off top spot. Dunkirk won 5-3 at Gedling Town to move up to second while wins for both Bardon Hill (11-0 at Anstey Nomads) and Gresley FC (6-2 at home to Graham Street Prims) pushed Greenwood Meadows down to sixth, admittedly just five points behind the leaders.
Greenwood Meadows (green/black/green): 1. Paul Farnsworth, 2. Dave Boafo (capt), 3. Ashley Branson, 4. Kieran Walker, 5. Romaine Graham, 6. Kristian Stephens, 7. Rory Francis, 8. Nathan Robinson, 9. Jourdain Blair, 10. Chris Atkins, 11. Ashley Harrison. Subs: 12. Craig Meakin (for Francis, 80), 14. Rob Burton (for Robinson, 64), 15. Ashley Whitt (for Atkins, 64).
Heanor Town (white/white/white): 1. Sam Ogrizovic, 2. Lee Stevenson, 3. Tom Burgin, 4. Callum Mason, 5. Michael Norbury, 6. Adam Kay, 7. Gary Webster (capt), 8. Ashley Grayson, 9. Danny Williams, 10. Lee Hodgson, 11. Graham Wells. Subs: 12. George Walker (for Hodgson, 84), 14. Dean Randall (not used), 15. Danny Roberts (for Mason, 90+2), 16. Anthony Bedward (not used).
Referee: A Smith
Assistants: P Wade and J Shaw.
Goals:
0-1 Lee Hodgson (5)
0-2 Adam Kay (27)
1-2 Jourdan Blair (74)
It is well known there are a number of clubs and sports catered for amongst the vast Lenton Lane playing fields and, with time on my hands before kick-off, took a walk to check out the others – Dunkirk FC, Bilborough Pelican FC and Notts Unity Casuals CC, University of Nottingham’s Grove Farm Sports Ground, the aforementioned Golf Centre and Pelican Colts FC’s Dave Eastwood Sports Ground. Bilborough Pelican were also at home and I purchased a Pelican FC lapel badge from their clubhouse but there was no programme issued.
