It's football so it's another week of ups and downs!

The steadying of the good ship Handsworth continued on 17th October when they visited in-form Emley and came back with a very creditable draw.  With another great defensive performance The Ambers became only the 2nd team to stop Emley from scoring this season.

We didn't go due to another engagement but Ian Robinson's report is here:

https://www.pitchero.com/clubs/handsworthfc/teams/126071/match-centre/1-14094445/report

Two good performances against two strong teams was encouraging and we moved on to the next game which saw us host league leaders Campion at Olivers Mount on Saturday 21st October with a little more optimism than usual maybe!

The final score - Ambers 3-5 Campion - doesn't tell the full story of the game. Campion scored early but goals from Aaron Moxam and Mason Barlow meant Handsworth went into the break with a lead.

Not surprisingly, Campion came roaring back in the 2nd half and equalised fairly quickly. Aaron Moxam scored again to restore the lead (he'd also had a lobbed goal ruled out for a debatable offside decision in the 1st half.)

Campion equalised again and then an unfortunate own goal put them ahead. Chasing the game, Handsworth conceded a fifth goal late on. 

With a disallowed goal and a couple of missed chances, The Ambers felt a little hard done by. An excellent showing by the team for no reward. How often is that said of a football match? Someone said after the game that if we play like that for the rest of the season, "We'll be oreight!" Hope so!

Ian Robinson's report is here:

https://www.pitchero.com/clubs/handsworthfc/teams/126071/match-centre/1-14094530/report

and my photos are here:

https://www.pitchero.com/clubs/handsworthfc/photos/2023-10-21-ambers-35-campion-ncel-prem-1079837.html

Probably the best part of the afternoon came when we met some surprise visitors from Braunton FC's Disability squad who had travelled up from Devon - through Storm Bebet!! - to play in a local tournament. The plan was then to go on to Bramall Lane to see Sheffield Utd v Manchester Utd but that plan was scuppered when Sky TV moved the kick-off to 8pm.

Plan B was to go to see Sheffield FC but that was rained off so they came over to Oliver's Mount to watch Handsworth FC! We presented them with medals to commemorate their visit and we hope they enjoyed their brief time with us. A lovely bunch of folk!

I asked what time they would get back to Devon but one of the organisers said they were heading back on Sunday via Bristol  where they were to take in a Bristol Rovers Ladies game (or Bristol City - I have an awful memory) before going home.

So - not the best result but a memorable afternoon for another reason! Thanks for coming guys!

COYA 🧡🖤⚽👊

There was some more bad news when it was reported that Storm Babet had caused serious flooding at Belper Town's ground. The pitch was under water as was the clubhouse and changing rooms. It's the 3rd time in 5 years they've suffered flooding like this and it's heartbreaking for the club, its staff, volunteers and supporters.

We watched our first game of non-league football at Belper Town in 2005/2006 and have fond memories of the club and people. I've been hooked on non-league ever since and these days, wouldn't consider going to a professional game. 

The value for money is second to none and some friendships formed over the years wouldn't have happened without non-league footy.

Anyway, everybody at The Nailers has got stuck in and they are working hard to get the club back on its feet. They desperately need cash to replace floorings and so on in the clubhouse.  The club can't get insurance cover because of their proximity to the river so a crowdfunding page has been set upI

https://www.gofundme.com/f/belper-town-fc-ground-repair-funds?utm_campaign=p_lico+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer

It's going to cost in the region of  £18,000 to put things right so if you can, please put in a couple of quid to help them out. Click the link above. Thanks!

Hopefully Stopping The Rot...

Another busy week with some personal stuff limiting the time I've had to update the blog. Anyway, since my last missive, Handsworth have played 2 games.

We didn't get to the midweek fixture (10th October) at Goole and so missed another defeat. This time, The Ambers lost 2-1 to a Goole side which to be honest, most fans would have expected to beat. Goole's recent form has been mixed but even so, with Handsworth in 5th place in the league and Goole just climbing from the relegation zone, the Ambers fans would have travelled optimistically.

As we didn't go to the game, Ian Robinson's match report on a disappointing result is here:

https://www.pitchero.com/clubs/handsworthfc/teams/126071/match-centre/1-14094389/report

I can't really comment because I wasn't there but you can always rely on Ian to make a truthful and accurate report.

So it was on to Saturday 14th October and another tough away game. This time the fixture was at Frickley Athletic FC.

The weather was predicted to be fine but cold so we donned extra layers for the first time this season. It's a fairly easy drive to Frickley and they have a large car park so there was no need for an early start.

The stadium is showing it's age a little. It harks back to the 1980's when Frickley were in the Conference (now National League) and regularly qualified for the 1st round of the FA Cup.

A large stand at the top side of the sloping pitch provides plenty of cover and those preferring to watch their football standing up have a covered terrace running almost full length on the opposite side. The terrace has large holes in the roof which meant I had to seek shelter away from the elements when a rain shower passed over the ground. A minor inconvenience!

A minutes silence was held before kick off to remember those killed in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East between Hamas and Israel.

This was not the greatest game of football I've ever seen but then  again, every time I've been to Frickley with either Belper Town or Handsworth, it's usually been a bit of a battle!

Once again, Handsworth conceded early on when a loose ball in the six-yard box was knocked into the net. However the scores were levelled about 15 minutes later when Craig Nelthorpe struck home a penalty.

The game had been fairly even to that point but things changed before half time when Handsworth right back Tom Cropper was shown a red card for a "robust" tackle.

Tactics altered in the second half with Handsworth holding firm, playing on the counter attack as Frickley piled on the pressure. In fairness, either side could have nicked it but I think, after the sending off, The Ambers were happy to settle for a point to end the 3-game losing  streak.

Ian Robinsons match report is here: (Dunno how he does it TBH. Ian misses nothing during a game, noting all of the major incidents! I can't claim to do that with the camera!)

https://www.pitchero.com/clubs/handsworthfc/teams/126071/match-centre/1-14094517/report

The camera behaved itself and so a bumper bundle of pictures is here. 

https://www.pitchero.com/clubs/handsworthfc/photos/2023-10-14-frickley-11-ambers-ncel-prem-1078944.html

(If I can't get plenty of half-decent shots on a generally dry, sunny day, it really is time to consider selling the cameras and finding some other passion to pursue!)

Handsworth face another couple of hard games this week. A trip to high-flying Emley on Tuesday evening is followed by a visit to Oliver's Mount by top-of-the-table Campion FC who are having a very good season.

Both games will be tough but we have to be encouraged by the display at Frickley. To be honest, if Handsworth had converted more of the chances they've created in recent games, the picture (and current form table) would look very different. However, as I've said before - "ifs and buts..."

We won't be at Emley. We've something else happening on Tuesday evening but we will definitely be at the home game on Saturday. Fingers crossed for good results!

COYA 🧡🖤⚽👊

As Someone Once Said - "It's a funny old game..."

With no midweek fixture, The Ambers next opponents were Thackley who visited Oliver's Mount on Saturday 7th October.

The Ambers faithful were hoping for a better result and performance than the last outing at Rossington which ended in our biggest defeat of the season.

On an unseasonably warm day, the game ended in another defeat. This time though, Handsworth were undone by a freak goal in the 5th minute of stoppage time. Having conceded an early goal, central defender Henry Carne powered home a header to make it 1-1 at half-time.

However, the 3 points went home with Thackley after Ambers keeper Dylan Parkin parried a strong shot but the ball deflected slightly and hit an unsuspecting Thackley player before trickling into the back of the net. 

There was no time for another comeback as the referee blew the final whistle shortly after the game restarted.

Ian Robinson's accurate and honest (as ever) match report is here:

https://www.pitchero.com/clubs/handsworthfc/teams/126071/match-centre/1-14094509/report

And my match album is here:

https://www.pitchero.com/clubs/handsworthfc/photos/2023-10-07-ambers-12-thackley-ncel-prem-1077954.html

(Both of these links take you to the Handsworth Pitchero website. Have a little look around the page whilst you're there please?. I'm trying to increase hits to push our Pitchero ranking into the top 100 sites! Ta!!)

The disappointment was obviously evident amongst both fans and players although to be fair, if The Ambers had taken a couple of good chances created in the 1st half, the outcome could have been different. If's and but's count for nothing though and the fact is that team has come off a 6-game winning streak to a draw and 2 defeats.

The results leave Handsworth in 5th place in the division. It has to be said that at the start of the season, with new management and a new squad in place, I for one would have settled for 5th place after 12 games! It's a tough league and as other results from the past week have shown, anybody can beat anybody so there will be many more twists and turns I'm sure.

So we move on to the next two games which are both difficult away fixtures. On Tuesday, the game is at Goole and then next Saturday, we're at Frickley. Unfortunately, The Duchess and I won't be at Goole but we're hoping to make the Frickley game.

At the weekend, it was pointed out to me that we are just about a third of the way through the 2023/24 league season. Just another reflection of how quickly time is passing!

COYA 🧡🖤⚽👊

You win some, you lose some.

Or rather, you win none! Another hectic week with no chance to post on the blog so here's what's happened since my last notes.

We've seen three games in the last week, including a look at the Handsworth FC U21 side on Friday evening.

On a cold and blustery Wednesday evening, 23rd September, as the tail end of Storm Agnes passed over Oliver's Mount, Knaresborough were the visitors and they went home with a point in a 1-1 draw.

Knaresborough took the lead inside 20 minutes after a point blank save by their keeper had denied Handsworth a goal. Knaresborough, with the wind at their backs, probably had the better of the first half hour but then had a man sent off. As Tom Bishop burst through and beyond the last man, he was fouled and the ref showed the defender the red card, despite protests from the visitors players. 

Keeper's point bank save denies Masai Arbouin

The resulting free kick from just outside the area came to nothing but just before half time, Handsworth's Alfie Dodsworth scored the equaliser from the penalty spot after overlapping full back Mike Trench was brought down just inside the box.

So, 2nd half and with the wind at their backs, Handsworth fans hoped for a win but credit to Knaresborough, the 10-men saw out the game very well, giving the Ambers little opportunity to take the win. 

The referee evened things up as far as number of players on the pitch was concerned when, in added time, he red-carded Handsworth sub Craig Mitchell for what seemed to just about everyone in the ground to be a 50-50 challenge with both players raising a boot in an attempt to  control a bouncing ball.

In the end, I guess a draw was probably a fair result but as ever in these situations, more was expected when the Ambers had the man advantage. Ian Robinson's match report describes the action far better than I can so have a read here:

https://www.pitchero.com/clubs/handsworthfc/teams/126071/match-centre/1-14094486/report

and my pictures are here:

https://www.pitchero.com/clubs/handsworthfc/photos/ambers-11-knaresborough-ncel-prem-1076360.html

Unfortunately, my camera misbehaved again just before kick off so I had to switch to my old camera and lens. Friustrating!

We were back at Oliver's Mount on Friday evening, 29th September, to have a look at the Handsworth U21 side in their North Midlands Development League fixture against Dronfield Town U21. Before the kick-off, the teams paid tribute to Maddy Cusack, a Sheffield Utd Ladies player who sadly passed away a few days before the game at the very young age of 27. RIP Maddy.

My pictures, including the tribute and minute's silence for Maddy are here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/62126085@N04/albums/72177720311591893

(I have no idea why the match officials had huge grins on their faces during the tribute as Handsworth's skipper held up Maddy's No. 8 shirt. Inappropriate I thought.)

In a game where the two sides basically cancelled each other out, the result was a 0-0 draw and so both teams gained their first point of the season. There was a lot of endeavour on show but neither keeper was tested although both teams worked hard and managed a couple of periods of pass and move football.

The highlight of the evening came when that Sheila won £20 on the football scratch card the team runs to raise funds. She actually won by choosing Sheffield Wednesday on the card. As somebody said, it's about the only thing Wednesday will win all season!

Another bonus was the camera behaved itself, working almost perfectly throughout the game!

So it was on to Saturday 30th September and a trip to Rossington for our next league fixture against a strong Rossington Main team. Promoted last year from Division 1, Rosso have made a strong start to life in the NCEL Premier League so we knew it would be tough.

That turned out to be the case. Rossington ran out 4-1 winners to bring Handsworth's September to a disappointing end. The Ambers had 3 "regulars" missing from the starting line-up but the result meant we slipped from the giddy heights of 2nd in the league table.

Rain for most of the game didn't help matters but Rossington started the stronger and took a 2-0 lead into half time. They added a 3rd goal early in the second half and to be honest, from that point it was essentially game over.

Veteran striker Ross Hannah scored a 4th before Handsworth's Brandon Bagley, who'd worked his socks off all afternoon, brought Handsworth a consolation goal but it was too little, too late as Ian Robinson says in his match report:

https://www.pitchero.com/clubs/handsworthfc/teams/126071/match-centre/1-14094502/report

My match album, on is here:

https://www.pitchero.com/clubs/handsworthfc/photos/2023-09-30-rossington-41-ambers-ncel-prem-1076788.html

Despite the very wet conditions, the camera behaved itself again!!

It's on to another tough month for The Ambers with games against 3 of the top 6 in October. Fingers crossed for an improvement in results!

COYA🧡🖤⚽👊