ROSE STUNTED BY VILLA KEEPER

ECCLESFIELD RED ROSE 0 HIGH GREEN VILLA 0
SHEFFIELD COUNTY SENIOR LEAGUE PREMIER @ WORDSWORTH AVE
21 AUGUST 2019 --- 6.30PM

ECCLESFIELD RED ROSE V HIGH GREEN VILLA

Ecclesfield Red Rose would be the more disappointed of the two sides to have come away from this local derby with a point and had it not been for the heroics of visiting keeper Tom Parker who on four occasions saved from Rose's frontman Mathew Young the points would have been theirs.
Stop me from buying a High Green Villa t shirt for the third time this season, following Saturday and a pre season friendly, as the Thorncliffe based side would be featuring but as the last blog mentioned I expanded my Sheffield County Senior League interest after pre season games and Ecclesfield Red Rose also came up on the radar.

THE EIGHT FOOT WAY AND PARSON CROSS

A split journey today with bus into spire town and then it was great to be back on the trains to Sheffield, standing as ever, before hopping on a 135 passing the away end at Sheffield Wednesday and departing on Halifax Road onto the edge of Parson Cross the neighbouring settlement to Ecclesfield and today's destination.
Parsons Cross he wasn't the only one when I saw the unimaginative effort in the Asda café, I wasn't going to do it but the old ones are the best aren't they!
Having entered by the junction that features The Eight Foot Way a new pub adjacent to the Red Rose pitch and utilised by it was onward to Asda for some hoppers snacks after the café in all fairness even at 5pm looked very disappointing.  The pub name was gained after the width of the walkways between the social houses built here in the industrial boom that Sheffield experienced and was the standard architects width for the walkways and so the new eatery pub records the areas past.
The 'Cross' had developed to provide over 10,000 social houses and with around 50,000 people moving into the area in the 1960's it housed at the time a tenth of the population of Sheffield.  On the edge of the estate many older household products were produced including breads under the Sunblest and Fletchers moniker, who can forget the tag line 'betta fetch a Fletchers loaf' alomgside Batchelors and Bassetts.  Fletchers still remain in two sites today at Wadsley Bridge and at the side of Owlerton Stadium.

MATCH PROGRAMME A FANTASTIC EFFORT FOR COUNTY SENIOR

The locally named brook Tongue Gutter had the air of concern added to the area but as I departed Asda with waist widening snacks it was onto Chaucer School which sits next door on Wordsworth Avenue as we developed the literary theme.
Having secured entrance it was good to catch up with the home side officials who certainly made me feel welcome again, sadly there would not be time at the end to join in a refreshment but hopefully during the season the opportunity will arise for a Saturday re visit.  Superbly, for a county senior side, a programme is produced and a valiant effort it is too so well worth a visit for any interested parties although I believe the next mid week game may not have one so wait till the following home game if this is of importance to you.

MATT GRIFFIN AND MATT WRAGG WONDER WHATS ON AT THE EIGHT FOOT AFTERWARDS

Ecclesfield Red Rose formed 1915 moved from Green Lane in Ecclesfield at the Civil Sports Club around four years ago to take up residence at their new ground and once the first month of the season is over will normally be playing on 4g, so again a good bad weather fixture.  The club has an interesting longevity in one of its founder Members Mr H Goodison's son Alf who joined in 1956.  He became club secretary three years later and remained in post until 2012 a real commitment to local sport that we don't see today and something for the club to be proud of, sadly Mr Goodison passed away recently but the club remembered him with a charity game a few weeks ago.  His wife Joan was at the game to receive a presentation and to this day the connection remains as she oversees the club as Chair.  Sport and football is made good by stories like this well done all keep the memory alive lets hope future generations will keep our sports going like this man wonderfully nicknamed Sir Alf!

SUBLIMINAL ADVERTISING COME ON ASDA HOW ABOUT A BIT OF SPONSORSHIP

Todays Ecclesfield Red Rose on the management side are entrusted to Matt Griffin manager, his assistant Jon Wragg and his brother as coach Matt.  The programme also featured columns from all three this was again to be applauded and I hope they will do this for the season it adds a lot to this league when additional articles are not always available on the County Senior League.
This looked a tough game on paper following High Green's opening win and Ecclesfield Red Rose's good pre season, this would be their first league game of the campaign, anticipation was high.
Chances were at a premium in the first half as a tense local derby on a poor pitch probably got the better of both sides and it was Parker who saved from Young on 20 minutes and then again three minutes before the break.

NEW SIGNING TYLER BATES TAKES CONTROL FOR ROSE

The second half saw the game threaten to open up at one stage as first one side then the other had periods of play.  But it was service as usual as Parker denied Young before Villa had a great chance when Josh Evans climbed to head straight into the keepers arms.  The opening stages looked encouraging for a breakthrough but it didn't come and you knew the score line we were heading for when Parker pulled off probably the best of the four saves when Young broke through looked odds on to score but the Villa number one stretched to enhance his shot stopping reputation by denying the number 9.

RED ROSE CAPTAIN RYAN MCDONALD TAKES CONTROL

The ever lively Michael Vella was proving a threat for High Green and in the closing stages it looked like he would break the deadlock but his 20 yard strike hit the post and unbelievably the ball rebounded into the grateful arms of Liam Boswell in the Red Rose goal.

CARLTON CARTY RECEIVES A STRONG CHALLENGE FROM JACK JONES

So with the light failing and the second half waft of Fletchers bakery producing tomorrows loaves piercing my nostrils it was time upon the final whistle to board a number seven back to the station and with a quick departure on an 'additional' service arrival back in base town was achieved at 9.20pm.
Looking forward to a re visit but I'm bringing some butter for that fresh bread next time.