GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN...BOLSOVER TOWN

BOLSOVER TOWN FC, MOOR LANE..............GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

FORMER STAND AT BOLSOVER TOWN FC

Like buses this feature provides two that come along more or less together.  On a cold and wet morning so much so that we had to decamp into the local Spoons for a breakfast and coffee while the continued rain made any venturing out without Kagools unadvisable.
After a window watching delay of an hour the blog set off to hopefully get some access to Moor Lane the home of the former Coalite Sports and then Bolsover Town.  We left The pillar Of The Rock and a circuitous route which took in a sheltered view of the Castle one of Bolsover's highlights the others being The Model Village a futuristic idea of village layout, in its time and of course The Beast Dennis Skinner MP who was not prowling the Market Sq today.

BOLSOVER CASTLE

In recent times the ground has remained locked and having failed to gain any pictures from external points I did not hold much hope out of taking this mini look at the set up.  While viewing from one of the adjacent roads a few cars were spotted and luckily after a quick walk round we went down the approach road which now had its gates unlocked for what looked like some delivery to the former Coalite Sports and Social Club which is on the left at the bottom of the ground, with thanks to Mick from the club for not locking us in as he left it was good to catch up with you thanks!  To the right are the changing rooms in Portacabin type buildings and to their rear a ground mans brick building, the side of the social club also houses changing rooms.

THE BOTTOM PITCH

Although I never saw a Bolsover Town game the set up here in recent years is not unfamiliar having watched quite a few Chesterfield and District Sunday League games.  Immediately to the front of us is a now derelict bowling green and pavilion which was once an active part of the facilities here.  All of course initially for the workers of the Coalite Plant which employed around 2,200 people in the site to the west of the town.  The social club were set up for their exclusive use although this rule was later relaxed especially when the plant neared its closure before finally disappearing around 2003.
To the right is the bottom pitch of two full sized pitches and this is probably now the better kept of the town with a couple of steady wooden dug outs in situ moving up to the top pitch which is the former site of senior non league football in the town that is the point of our visit and upon entry via a gap in the concrete panelled wall we have to the left a junior size pitch which normally house a young Bolsover Town.

STAND NOW ON JUNIOR PITCH NOT SURE IF FORMER FURNITURE FROM MAIN PITCH

On the side lines here is a small corrugated stand which I can only assume may have been part of the furniture of the former club.
The main pitch to the right is resting from its Sunday League activities which sees FC UTD Of Bolsover ply their trade and indeed win the Chesterfield Sunday League 2 title this year alongside a remarkable Alma Cup win at The Proact Stadium too.

FORMER BOLSOVER TOWN FC PITCH

The pitch is railed down one side but has become very unkept behind the railing so that any Sunday spectators view from the pitch side anyway.  Behind the far goal is also overgrown and the only other accommodation that remains is the green tip up seated temporary staging stand on the far half way line, I believe these were the type used for out ground cricket events etc and somehow it found its self a resting place in Bolsover for the clubs games.  Now sadly offering not only a restricted view but also restricted access.

Historically the site was an excellent facility which had Chesterfield FC reserves playing and training here in a time when Coalite were also Chesterfield's major shirt sponsors.  The club on the site was Coalite FC [Sports and Social Club] and after local success spent a small time in The Midlands Regional Alliance gaining immediate promotion from league 1 to the Premier League.

DUG OUTS AND RAILING STILL IN PLACE

When the chance came for an application to The Central Midlands Football League it was taken and upon acceptance and for the 2003/4 season thy changed their name to Bolsover Town.  The club were in its few years of CMFL action quite successful and gained a quick promotion to the then Supreme League which at the time required clubs to have floodlights and varying other improvements in place with a set season timescale.  When Bolsover couldn't meet some of these they were relegated back down to the Premier League and then from what I can ascertain depart from football altogether around 2008.
A great shame that the people who worked so hard to move the club forward into senior non league football could not receive the further support they needed to keep this level of football in a town the size of Bolsover but as we all know its hard work and so lies another sad story of a football club disappearing off the map.

THE PAST LIVES ON