The “On The Road” blog series began with season 2007-2008, and were originally intended to be a record of games that the “Beardy Man” and the “Daft Lad Next Door” went to. Turned out to be a bit more than that though, as I tried to make the blog an interesting, good read.
The trouble with that was that I’d had no journalistic training, and apart from a couple of years writing short YEFL reviews for the Football Post along with dabbling at programme production and match reports for Eastwood Town, I was a novice at the blogging lark!
2007-2008 – reading that makes me cringe at times
2008-2009 – as above
2009-2010 – the Mansfield Town season ticket blog… the no camera in Field Mill rule spoiled this for us. Non-league football gone crackers! Watch any Premier League / La Liga game and you will see hundreds if not thousands of spectators with cameras.
2010-2011 – our most complete and busy season – mainly dedicated to raising funds for APTCOO. We reached a grand total of £850 with the help of our generous friends.
2011-2012 – this was a difficult season for both of us. I had a few serious health problems, and Kev had a lot of family commitments, so we didn’t get to as many games as we would have hoped to. Still managed over 100 games though, and saw shedloads of goal. No season statistics, but who cares anyway???
The main downside to the season just gone was that we only managed to visit two new grounds – Awsworth Villa and Southwell City. We aim to address that in 2012-2013 by being a bit more selective and roaming a bit further from home. Still Notts/Leics/Derbys, but there are plenty of venues we haven’t visited in the three counties.
The season 2011-2012 began for us on July 2nd 2011 at the pre-season Teversal tournament. After 20 friendlies, our league campaign began with the NCELP game between Arnold Town and Long Eaton United on August 6th. The final game was on 26th May 2012 at Southwell City - a heck of a long season!!
My memory isn’t what it used to be, so can’t do an end of season awards thingy, but me and Kev both agree on the best goal of the season –WAYNE COOKE take a bow. His solo effort against South Normanton on January 28th 2012 was something special. Cooke collected the ball on halfway, turned his marker, ran at goal and skipped through the Athletic defence before rolling home.
Mind you, young Will Coutts similar effort for Dunkirk Res v Clipstone Res was a close second.
We also agreed on the best player we’ve seen this season – had to be a Heanor player really as we spent a lot of time last season watching the Lions. NICO DEGIROLOMO only joined the club pre-season, but fitted straight into the back line and grabbed a few vital goals as well as the Lions finished top of the EMCL.
Enjoyed watching ex-NSL teams Basford United and Clifton FC in the CML South Division. Basford chalked up a league and floodlit cup double, while Clifton finished a creditable fourth in the league, but also made the finals of both the CML Cup final and the Notts F.A. Senior Cup final. The All Whites lost both theses games, but were not disgraced in either.
“On The Road”season 2012-2013 is already up and running, but will it be used? Who knows? I lost the will to carry on towards the end of last season – as it became less of a hobby, more a drudge – done because I felt it had to be done, not because I wanted to do it!
