BROCTON STORM BACK AS HEANOR SEE RED

BROCTON 3 V HEANOR TOWN 2
MIDLAND FOOTBALL LEAGUE PREMIER @ SILKMORE LANE
21 JANUARY 2017 --- 3PM


HERE COME BROCTON FC AND HEANOR TOWN

A remarkable comeback from bottom side Brocton who were 2 down inside ten minutes saw visitors Heanor receive 3 dismissals in a game that had it all.  When the Derbyshire side were 2 up inside 10 minutes it was looking bad for Brocton who were all at sea and damage limitation was the order of the day however referee Simon Kavanagh played an important part as he dismissed 2 Heanor players and their assistant manager in a stormy affair.

SHOWING TODAY SCAMPI AND CHIPS

Todays visit to Brocton had been on the cards for a little while and with it the completion of the 3 non league sides in Stafford, amazingly today both Rangers and Town were also at home this could not help Town or Brocton I guess with nearly 800 at Rangers.  Standard travel news on the way down seats all round a major change from the recent moans with changes at Derby and Tamworth.  The only thing of notice today on both changes was the further south the blog went the colder it was getting.  There was time today to have a quick look around Stafford something I wont cover again because it was only at the end of last season for a Stafford Rangers game that this exercise was fulfilled.  However there was time to walk to The Picture House a Wethespoons public house and of course converted former cinema which still has its pay booth as you enter the establishment we managed a scampi or 2 and obligatory Lemonade.

APPROACH TO THE BADGERS OF BROCTON FC

The aquamarine special to Rickerscote soon had us on Silkmore Lane and in discussion with an elderly Gentleman who was well averse with our home town we made the way along the smart driveway to the ground entrance and the key word here is smart because that's the order of the day at Brocton FC.  We have said it many times you need as a club a friendly welcome at the gate and that's what we received here the 2 gatemen offered a kindly greeting and we set off on a tour to take some pictures straight away getting into conversation with a club official walking the pitch picking up any twigs from the playing surface.  Once again though from our immediate surroundings smart and immaculate were so much the chosen words.  For this ground is one of the smartest I have come across there may not be large stands and lots of furniture but the officials here clearly care for it and look after the club.

THE ADJACENT STANDS AT SILKMORE

A quick ground descriptor entering between the two stands to the left is a covered terrace and too the right a covered seated stand the whole walkway around the perimeter is concreted with smart railings and advertising boards in place.  To the rear at relevant points large and smart deflector nets all in one piece and again looked after the dug outs are on the far side and behind them more dug outs for the pitch that runs onto the side of the main playing surface.  Behind the goal to the left is more net catching equipment and in the far corner the changing rooms hospitality and to the far end a brand new club house that has just been put in place and awaits finishing internally in the next few weeks.
As ever we sampled a few items during the afternoon from the refreshment area and Marion on duty here today was very pleasant and once again welcoming and guess what, the area was once again smart, clean and tidy.

MORE SMARTNESS WITH NEW CLUB HOUSE IN GREY

Todays ground pictures were taken and with apologies here the weather was very dark for action pictures with the floodlights on before kick off today.  With a little time before the start we got into conversation with Alan from Ruabon in North Wales and as ever it was a pleasure to swap stories and we also learned a lot about the Welsh National League [Wrexham] area clubs from our chat, thank you.

REFEREE KAVANAGH SOON TO BE BUSY

So too the game and I have to say football is a game of opinions and of course the only persons that matters in proceedings on the pitch is the referee and today Mr Simon Kavanagh ably assisted by his senior assistant referee on the dug out side were to play a starring role in proceedings.  The blog always likes to feature the match officials and often gives a too balanced view although over recent weeks this has become harder.  Once again today at a Midland Football League game there was a referees assessor in attendance and my thoughts are well documented that referees officiate to the fullest when the spy is in the stand.  So excuses made here goes.
Heanor found themselves 2 up in 10 minutes and with the home side looking all out of sorts it was difficult to see anything other than a comfortable away win it was Jay Cooper who drove in after 3 minutes and then 7 minutes later the lead was doubled thanks to Alex Brown and Kieran Debrouwer whose persistence created the chance.  On the half hour mark Brocton earned a lifeline as Heanor seemed to take the foot of the gas when Sam Bell curled one home from the edge of the box.

KEENAN LAYTON RECEIVES TREATMENT FOR HEANOR TOWN

The game had seen a few tetchy moments creeping into it and when Keenan Layton for Heanor went down after an aerial challenge he needed lengthy treatment and extensive bandage however the game changing moment came on 35 minutes and we could probably spend a while discussing it.

ITS RED

The visitors Nick Hall committed to a robust challenge that appeared to win the ball cleanly from my angle, although those in who had a different view disagreed, but was powerful enough to take Dave Ablewhite off his feet.  Ron Harris, Norman Hunter days a fair challenge ball won but in todays game feet off the floor, even though the ball was won, it was a tackle in lets be fair a game that you increasingly cannot tackle, but it was very robust.  Brocton player down pushing and shoving a plenty referee Kavanagh consulted his senior assistant who come on for a word, now he had already signalled and been on early for some dissent and to be fair this guy during this match he probably had more active game time on the pitch than some of the players.

MR KAVANAGH POINTS THE WAY TO THE TEA BAR

Discussion over red card for Hall and incredulity on the Heanor bench when a few moments later a visiting defender appeared to be caught in his own box the visiting manager Clarence shouted at the assistant referee asking why he had not seen this.  Cue our friend to flag again and gain some more 'active' game time having guided Mr Kavanagh to the Heanor bench Clarence was advised he was being sent off to watch from the other side of the railings, with the Heanor boss asking what had he had said wrong the referee was in no mood to answer and when a home side official approached to say they had heard nothing wrong the first discussions of abandonment by the referee were muted.  After a short hiatus the Heanor boss complied with the request and off we went again.

OOH ITS MR KAVANAGH AGAIN AS HE OFFERS WARM NEW YEARS GREETINGS TO MR CLARENCE

Before we could go into half time a rattled Heanor were grateful to McCormack who pulled off a great save from Matt Holland before from the resultant corner Matt Dockerty saw his cleared off the line.
Time to revisit Marion in the snack bar get some warmth back in the fingers and calm down!
Barnton were out for the second half all guns blazing as they looked to bring the great escape into reality and the leveller came with a superb header from Nick Wellecome who rose to power home a header from a right hand sided corner.  The comeback was complete on 62 minutes when Dave Berks sent in a cross off the left that evaded everybody and flew into the far top corner to set off joyous scenes of celebrations for the green and whites.
With 17 minutes remaining the afternoon went from bad to worse for Heanor when they were reduced to 9 players and Mr Kavanagh had the chance to flash another red sadly no involvement for out dug out assistant referee on this one, though he probably clocked up enough marks from the assessor in the first half.  Brocton player pulled down by visiting keeper McCormack 25 yards out with one defender behind him and another about to come round yellow only, nope out came the red circle again.  The Staffordshire side had kept their heads while all those around them were loosing theirs, cue Mike Bassett, and through sheer determination to keep playing and not get involved in any distractions picked up all three points in their battle to avoid the drop.
Quick dash away at the final whistle for the omnibus to town and after a brief re engagement with the shopping streets we were whisked away to Tamworth for a 2 minute change in Derby that saw us arrive back in base station just before 7.30.
Overall today for those worrying about my fish and chip intake they were not available near the ground which was a shame but the 'spoons was an experience.  Don't let the former put you off a visit to Silkmore Lane though for Brocton FC is a smart little club with an equally smart little ground with some very welcoming officials who should be rightly proud of their set up.