We all stand together: CHAMPIONS ELECT

KIRTON BRICKWORKS 0 BLIDWORTH WELFARE 3

CMA LEAGUE 1 EAST AT RADFORD HYMAS ACADEMY 4G

23 MARCH 2024 --- 2PM

KIRTON BRICKWORKS V BLIDWORTH WELFARE GOALMOUTH SCRAMBLE

Kirton Brickworks were very gracious with their comments after this defeat to champions elect Blidworth Welfare who still remain in second place to today's hosts but with five games in hand and a deficit of five points it would appear that the title really is the Welfares to lose.

A bitterly cold afternoon accompanied by a howling gale made conditions on the pitch difficult and believe me equally as difficult for the watching 35 or so hardy souls, I mean this is March come on spring has sprung surely it should not be this cold.

The morning started off with the usual checking on games as many in the local corridor fell to waterlogging again after heavy overnight rain. Its been said every weekend since October but its becoming a joke and is really endangering the future of some non league clubs. Kirton have flirted with Walesby Rec and here at Mansfield Town's Academy in Pleasley and when I saw this one flick up on Friday night it went straight onto the list with the prospect of first versus second.

Thankfully Kirton have been really pro active in not letting their club get behind in the fixture stakes and after a a few flirtations with a game on grass I opted for safety in what was to be the wind tunnel of Pleasley.

Also noteworthy was the home sides social media so many sides have been really poor in updating, not everybody walk five minutes to the game. While the moan button is pressed don't start me on 'non league day', of which today is, it absolutely galls me that some sides offer free admission or reduced price to local football league and premiership sides supporters. This is people who normally don't give a chuff about the non league scene or their local side and quite happily pay 30, 40, 50 quid for a match and some sides are non league sides are falling over themselves to get them in the ground while not giving a jot about their regular supporters who are still expected to pay their normal admission.

Before the game it was good to catch up with Jamie and Tony from Kirton and also while obtaining the teams today's referee Corey Green who was on the Hosiery Mills game a few weeks back. Having popped down pitch side earlier you could see this was going to be a difficult game with the wind howling pitch length and many on the touchline were wrapped up to the ultimate to protect themselves from the wind chill factor.

Due to a Mansfield Town Under 16 game having been on site in the morning the snack bar was still open and a few non healthy provisions were obtained.

Both teams entered the pitch in kit colours that looked classical blue v red and with the shrill of referee Green's whistle we were underway for a very important ninety minutes for both clubs.

BLIDWORTH CELEBRATIONS AFTER THE FIRST GOAL

Blidworth with the wind to their backs kicked away from the changing rooms end, sounding more like cricket already and it was a half that saw Kirton battling to thwart an onslaught of attacking football that in fairness could have seen the visitors hit eight had their chances have been taken but they proved slightly slack in front of the target and had to rely on a goal after fifteen minutes. Kirton failed to clear their lines and the inevitable happened when up popped Tris Burrell to fire home.

The visitors led at the half time break and the hosts hopes would be that with the wind behind them in the second half they had limited the title challengers to one goal and they would be able to surmount it.

More worryingly at half time was that referee Green could not access his changing room which he taken up in the main academy building as it had all now been locked up with the cafe closed something that probably all 35 of us watching would have been in for a hot drink had it have been open.

CARVER FIRST HALF SHOT

The referee would have to put the possibility of not getting back into the changing rooms to the back of his mind as we had a second half to start and it was very early on normal service resumed as Blidworth attacking into the wind went back into missing chances mode.

Two goals in five minutes finished off the challenge of Kirton when on 62 minutes Burrell set up Liam Carver to guide the ball past Reace Mills in the home goal who had done his best in the previous hour plus to thwart the men in blue. The game was settled when Reilly Hodgkinson control a ball on the edge of the right side of the box before sweetly striking home into the Kirton goal to make it 3-0.

JACK MARCH CHALLENGED

Kirton would try to force their way back into the game but it was all too late now and even despite the efforts of the piercing runs from Jack March it wasn't to be and when the final whistle blew you could feel the elation of a Blidworth side who know barring a terrible run in they are returning a side to the CMA Premier League next season.

HIGH DEFENCE AS BLIDWORTH CLEAR THEIR LINES

There was no doubt that the visitors were impressive but you had to feel for Kirton who are a nice club who have had a fantastic season and have a nice little side gathered together and hopefully for manager Jamie Birch they can get a good final game result to finish the season on a high and accept what has been a very good effort from the club. Hopefully they stop together for another tilt at it next season.

CARVER TURNS IN THE BALL

Blidworth still have to pull in the points but you cannot see anything stopping them after this crunch game went their way they now sit in the box seat and a chance to return the club to the top tier of the CMA after the turmoil of the former first team having to resign from The UCL and promote their reserve side into seeking this now surely obtained promotion.

More importantly had the ref got back in his changing rooms, no he had not and after a struggle to get anybody I believe there was finally hope after the persistence of the Kirton chairman.

From a personal point of view my cheeky taxi was twenty minutes late and it was just what you wanted but I wasn't hanging around in referees kit on a bitterly cold late afternoon which was my only plus.

Arrival back at base for me was just shy of 5pm and I believe Corey was still not away from the academy for another thirty minute a long afternoon for the match official.

LIAM CARVER MAKES IT 2-0 TO BLIDWORTH

Always a pleasure to catch up with Kirton I hope they can get their ground back into playing shape but I guess like many clubs that will be relevant to the rain ever abating and looking at next weeks forecast its not happening soon. It was nice to catch up with Blidworth who it had certainly been a while for me.