27 PENALTIES IN A NIGHT OF HIGH DRAMA

DINNINGTON TOWN 1 HOLBROOK SPORTS 1 [HOLBROOK WIN 11-10 ON PENS]
CMFL FLOODLIT CUP @ LAUGHTON ROAD
19 NOVEMBER 2019 --- 7.45PM

HIGH ENTERTAINMENT ON A COLD NIGHT IN DINNINGTON

As the evening became increasingly colder and more frosty the game rose in its temperature and entertainment stakes that finally settle only after 26 penalties were taken in the decider after full time and when Mathew Brittle smashed home the wining penalty just short of 10pm nobody could grumble at their three pounds worth of entertainment.  [In fact so many penalties were taken that the CMFL website wrongly states 12-13 on penalties an understandable oversight unless you had your abacus out]
Dinnington sitting in South Yorkshire is a former pit town, closed 1992 that's the pit not the town, surrounded by Sheffield, Rotherham and Worksop and after a previous visit a few years back in my non blog days it was high time to revisit.  Tonight with the superb help of a chauffeur service by Mr R of the whistlers parish it became possible and although evening games lack the pictures a daytime encounter would provide you could get the feel for the place as a former industrial community once again struggling with the loss of its major employers.
The club sits on Laughton Road behind the Dinnington Resources Centre and previously had received many problems that were mitigated by the tremendous hard work of former manager Steve Toyne who spent many years here dedicating many, many hours to the club.  Times have now moved on from NCEFL days from which I remember a giant killing act in the game I attended when they somehow at rock bottom defeated the high flying money men of Shaw Lane Aquaforce one nil on a gale swept afternoon.

IT STILL LOOKS COLD BUT WARMS UP AS THE GAME DEVELOPS

The ground is entered by the centres car park and with its own entrance booth and shows some signs of its former higher step status, to the left a snack bar and the Cowshed stand a covered terrace of smart build type of which all three stands are made of here.  Moving around its hard standing and panelled concrete fence boundary walling.  The dug outs are on the far side and as we approach the top goal the Ultra Stand is a two breeze blocked stepped stand that you can either sit in or remain upright on the blocks coming back towards the entrance the Family Stand is bench seated and then immediately to its side is the weaving path way to the back of the resources centre for the changing rooms.
The ground was looking smarter than on my last visit and pitch wise it had drained well from recent horrendous rain and although looking very bobbly and with a cold night developing we were more than happy to say 'game on'.

MR OC AND MR R OF THE REFEREEING PARISH ENJOYING SHARING A WARM BEVERAGE

The Floodlit Cup can be described as far from a competition most clubs are enthusiastic about although tonight these two sides set about providing a very close fought entertaining game that belied that theory.  Holbrook Sports were flying high in The CMFL South despite a fair few call offs recently and Dinnington sat in second spot behind Newark Town in the CMFL North.
The opening exchanges saw Dinnington take the upper hand in possession but as the half developed the clearest chances fell to Sports first Joe Evans saw Joshua Branch save after a misjudged cross that the home defence believed, mistakenly, had gone out, Chris Dring put over from close range and Brittle saw his shot re-gathered after an initial stop under the cross bar.
Half time arrived and the Ultra stand duo had been in good voice and during the second half the enjoyment of spending some time in the Ultra Stand was undertaken, the two guys in there and their fellow fans encouraged and shouted on 'dinno' and it has to be expressed supporters like this are the life blood of the non league game with one of these chaps conscious of his need to get the last bus back to Rotherham at 10pm, keep supporting guys great effort all of you behind the goal.
Dinnington started the second period strongly had a goal disallowed for offside and then Cameron Evans saw his shot well held by Scott Whittingham.  The match looked to have been settled by a highly debatable penalty with nine minutes remaining Evans was adjudged to have tumbled Mason Barlow and the 'offended against' got up to convert from the spot.
With three minutes remaining a more than fair equaliser for Holbrook came with a lovely 25 yard strike from Aaron Coyle but just as we lined up for Penalties Dan Cain from the home side hit a superb shot that fell just inches too high of the Sports crossbar.

DINNINGTON ULTRAS IN FINE FORM TONIGHT

Penalties with the decision made to take the kicks towards the Ultra Stand there was no need to move and we could enjoy the lottery that would commence.  Here is were the fun starts with official adjudicator by my side and in true Brian Hanrahan style 'I counted them all in and all back' it finished 10-11 with five missed or saved however if you want a few more the CMFL site wrongly states 12-13.
At 1-1 Dinnington number 9 Jason Short missed and we moved onto 4-4 as visiting keeper Whittingham dragged his effort wide and so we were into who misses loses.  Arriving at 9-9 Dinnington keeper Branch missed out and with Evans just having to score Branch made immediate amends with an excellent save and so we went on.  At 10-10 Short missed his second of the night for the home side and it left Brittle the nervous task of putting this game to bed something he achieved and we could all finally enjoy breakfast. 
A fantastic effort by both sides who showed a real willingness to lock horns in this competition and as the game warmed up in the second half we concluded with a monumental shoot out that probably surpassed any previous experience of penalties I had witnessed.