MILLS STORM INTO THIRD ROUND

SOUTH NORMANTON ATHLETIC 1 MANSFIELD HOSIERY MILLS 5

BUCKINGHAM INSURANCE CMFL CUP ROUND 2 AT LEES LANE

22 OCTOBER 2022 --- 3PM

GOAL FIVE WONDER FREE KICK FROM CURTIS BIRCHALL FOR MANSFIELD HOSIERY MILLS V SOUTH NORMANTON ATHLETIC

A Lee Naughton wonder strike five minutes into the second half cheered the crowd but more importantly deflated the home side as Mansfield Hosiery Mills stormed their way into the hat for round three of The CMFL Cup.  So a much revisited revisit to Lees Lane but this time IT would be the first time under the 'walk and a game' series.

LOVING THIS HEARTS LIKE KIT OF MANSFIELD HOSIERY MILLS

Having undertaken a steady trip to Pilsley last weekend after the previous saunter of seventeen miles and back to Sleetmoor United this one would come in at eighteen with a five hour time schedule all in.  Starting from base just before mid day down the A61 via an identical route to two weeks ago until Shirland when Park lane would take the relief from the noise of the main road and lead us to the west edge of Westhouses and an introduction to the Blackwell Trail.  Again in this area a memory of the former industrial greats of pits and railways, indeed the early part takes you under a very high steel bridge supporting the Erewash line to nearby Alfreton and onto Nottingham.

LUKE MANLOVE OPENS THE SCORING FOR MANSFIELD HOSIERY MILLS

Most of the walkway is well settled trail underfoot and alongside information boards there are two carvings impressively one of a miner adds to the feel of the former use of land in this area.  To the hill side to the right is a first sight of the ground and its floodlights.  There is of course a footpath that would get us slightly nearer slightly quicker but it is very much fields and after the recent rain this was not an option I was confident in.  Having reached the main road and for the climb to South Normanton it was time to hit the tarmac again to reach our destination.  Bypassing much of the town via a few back streets we came out near the large Coop only to turn onto Lees Lane shortly after and into the ground on paying its £4 entrance fee.

EARLY BREAK FOR MANSFIELD 

The ground has been covered many times before but its one I have always enjoyed, except when its blowing a wind, its looking a little tired in places but overall it sits in a mini bowl and in an oval format and has of course witnessed football at a higher level.  It always feels sad that they are back at CMFL level but the Midland League days are gone and I guess it was just too costly for the club to continue at that level.

SOUTH NORMANTON HIT THE BAR AT 1-1

There was the excitement of a local derby about todays game with Mills popping in for the fixture from the Sutton in Ashfield/Huthwaite border just four miles away and to add a little extra these two played here last week with South Normanton coming out 3-1 winners.

TOM TORRINGTON DEFENDS THE PENALTY BOX WITH ATHLETIC IN POSSESSION 

Before the game a ground circuit, as ever, was undertaken and it was good to have a brief catch up with Mills manager Mark Turner who took on the club in perilous state last season, indeed we caught up with them a few months after his take over and there was signs of an improvement coming to the fore.  Today would be a challenge to progress to round three and it was clearly something he and the club was looking forward to.  It was also good to be back in a 'ground' this season and South Normanton was as good a place as any to experience this.

LEE NAUGHTON IN FULL FLIGHT

Onto the game and as usual here while making notes and taking pictures it is never ideal not getting a photo of the team sheets so I'm reliant on the clubs social media for team line ups and while Full Time is a use in certain areas it is not ideal for there are of course no numbers listed, so all I'm saying is bear with me I hope its accurate name wise.

GOOD TAKE BY THE SOUTH NORMANTON KEEPER UNDER PRESSURE

It was an enthralling opening fifteen minutes but also receiving a fair few stoppages that referee Gareth Carlile was finding necessitated much talking to the offenders.  It was at the end of that mini period that saw Mills take the lead when Luke Manlove saw the ball fed to him and he had an embarrassment of time around the penalty spot to fire the ball home.

It was a lead though that the visitors could not hold onto when Jack Heald went on a wonderful mazy run before finishing with confidence past the keeper.  All of a sudden it was Athletic in the ascendancy and they hit the bar with a powerful header before Mansfield got their battling qualities back to hold the line.  Before the break there was three cautions collected by the referee with little sign of what was to become a large tally.

A BATTLE TO GET AWAY

All square at half time was probably a fair reflection and the dreaded thought of penalties sprung into the air but the visitors had other ideas for the next forty five minutes as they set about the home sides defence.

LEE NAUGHTON CELEBRATES HIS WONDER GOAL WITH MANAGER AND ASSISTANT

Five minutes into the second period and a moment that turned the game after witnessing a lovely equaliser from South Normaton we now had a stunning reply from the visitors.  The home keeper had pulled off a superb save blocking away an effort to what look like safety but that was not counting for Naughton who just over 25 yards out unleashed an unstoppable shot straight back into the roof of the net to give Mills the lead and something they would not look back on.  While the crowd applauded this strike you could sense the deflation in the home side.

LIAM WALLER TURNS THE BALL HOME FOR MILLS THIRD

Just past the hour mark substitute Liam Waller turned the ball in from close range to make it 3-1 and the boys in claret were starting to sense the comfort zone.  There was a call for another substitute to have an important involvement in the game and Tyrone Macaskill had been threatening down the left.  This time though he weaved his was way through the middle and with the ball in his run he was tripped just inside the box by the trailing Adam Vardy who was very fortunate to just see yellow.  It was Macaskill who rose to his feet to smash the ball high into the home net to make it 4-1 after 85 minutes.

TYRONE MACASKILL TRIPPED FOR THE SPOT KICK

The game now descended into a collection of cards and temperamental stuff and as they had added up it was no surprise when Macaskill was fouled and Ross Hardy would receive his second yellow and ultimately a red from referee Carlile.  The home side were further reduced to 8 players when two sin bin offences in close succession saw their numbers dangerously low.

A final minute breakaway for the visitors resulted in a free kick and the home player was also fortunate not to see a card and had it been of the red variety we entered the prospect of just seven players on the pitch for Athletic and then the discussion of would the game be abandoned if we lost another to either a red or sin bin offence.  This of course did not happen but it is a question for referees that I still don't know the answer too.  Early on in its introduction [sin bin] I understand the players were still classed as being part of the pitch as they had not been sent off but more recently I seem to have read somewhere that they are not.  Who knows no doubt it will happen somewhere and the outcome will come to answer this conundrum.  

Back to the free kick then and a wonderful dead ball strike from 20 yards out that flew in off the post to give Curtis Birchall a claim for another great goal from this encounter.

TYRONE MACASKILL CONVERTS TO MAKE IT FOUR

Return journey would be a reverse through the trail with a superb view of the setting sun and with darkness arriving Shirland and the well lit streets guided the blog home with once again speedy marching past the collection of takeaways to arrive back at base just before 7.30pm.  Enjoyable walk and a superb cup game with great goals, controversy and superb effort.

YELLOWS BEING PUT AWAY FOR THE RED TO APPEAR