Transfer deadline day. A relatively modern invention, a gift to the keyboard managers who know exactly who their club must and must not buy. Teenage boys all over the world pontificate on who should be coming in and out at Chelsea or Barcelona, clubs they’ll never have watched ’live’. FIFA ratings, whatever those are (writes an old gadge) seem important. Dave from Clifton knows, well-ahead of the mainstream media or anyone actually involved, just who is in-coming. Dave from Clifton, a plumber, knows better than any one who makes a career in football, just who Forest need to offload. Best internet nonsense of the day is the incomprehensible blaming of Joao Carvalho for the departure of young full-back Jordan Gabriel to Blackpool, where he’d been on loan last season, the ‘logic’ being that if we hadn’t got a 13 million pound player then we could afford to keep Gabriel. An odd theory, the logical extension of which would be to sell every player that had cost money and field a side made up entirely of Academy players. I’d not imagine that money (700 thousand) is the reason for his departure, more that an even younger prospect, Fin Back seems to be coming through to claim the right back spot and there is also Arsenal starlet Jordi Osei-Tutu already at the club on loan.
Elsewhere on Twitter, people in London are extremely angry at the Extinction Rebellion protest against climate change which is stopping traffic on London Bridge. Val, for one, is angry that she won’t be able to get to the theatre and hates them all. Val hates a lot of things: “Taliban-loving lefties”, Greta Thunberg and President Joe Biden. Not surprisingly, Val really, really does love England and posts lots of photos of red phone boxes and postboxes: “This blessed plot, this realm, this earth, this England.“ Val presumably thinks England is somehow exempt from global warming. Val is going to be very disappointed when she discovers how challenging getting to the theatre is going to be when London is under about ten foot of sea water. I don’t get the right/climate-change—denying thing. What’s that all about? Must research more.
Sky Sports is, of course, full of it. Transfers, not Extinction Rebellion and Val: such deep and meaningful stuff as a debate about how many social media likes Cristiano Ronaldo will attract for Man Utd. It matters, apparently. Is that what players are now - global click-bait?
Whilst all this nonsense plays-out and builds to a shuddering climax this evening, I’m off to escape it all at Sherwood Colliery v Maltby Main in the Northern Counties Eastern League. At this early stage of the season, it’s a top-end of the table clash, with both sides in decent form. Sherwood recently featured live on the BBC’s FA Cup coverage, in their victory over Sheffield FC, proudly the World’s Oldest Football Club, est 1857. Both Forest and Notts County played many of their early games against Sheffield, to Sheffield Rules, out of necessity, there being no other clubs to play yet!
Feeling in need of glamour, excitement and adventure, as the school holidays come to an end, I took the Robin Hood line to Mansfield Woodhouse rather than doing the half-hour drive.
Checking deadline day updates as the train pulls out of Nottingham, it would seem Forest have signed, or are about to sign:
Braian Ojeda, 2 million - a Paraguayan midfielder
Josh Maja, 4.5 million a young forward from Bordeau - sounds promising but then so did Andrea Silenzi, possibly the worst ever
Mohamed Dräger, right back, a loan from, you guessed it, Olympiacos.
Back to tonight…
Sherwood Colliery FC are a relatively new club (2008),but the colliery itself dated back to 1902. A team playing as Sherwood Colliery also competed in the FA Cup in the 1940s and 50s. It was a productive site, breaking British and European production records as recently as 1982. Mining came out an end when British Coal closed the pit in 1991.
Debdale Park is a short walk from the station…and what a fantastic setup it is, smart, modern clubhouse, 3G pitch, attractive cricket pitch and then beautifully kept pitch with small stands either side, set in a wooded bowl for that authentic Sherwood Forest feel. Lovely. Just time for a quick pint, a fiver to get through the gate and away we go.
I had a catch up with MM chairman Wilf and a brief word with manager Louis Axcell. Both expected a tough match against a team very much on the rise and told me that MM were without two first choice forwards tonight - a suspension and a holiday. SC are ambitious, as was explained to me by the friendly Club Secretary Phil Kirkland. New to this division, they’d not be unprepared to go up and it seems they’d have the budget to cope. The club and facilities are well backed by a local mega-winner on the euromillions! The set-up feels very sleek and professional, with a glossy programme and club shop.
A tight match followed. Maltby Main had the better efforts on goal in the first half and number ten Alex Hardwick forced a good save from the SC keeper. That aside, chances were few and far between. Maltby looked well-organised and strong. Sherwood played an attractive brand of passing football, helped by a beautiful pitch. But MM’s defence held firm and keeper Hugo Warhurst was only mildly troubled twice, capably taking two long range efforts. I’m not up to speed on names yet, but MM number 6 took a horrific blow to the nuts, bravely blocking a thunderous goal-ward effort! A less than sympathic wit in the crowd (a decent 180 by the way) revived the old Charlie Williams 1970s routine, “don’t rub ‘em, mate, count ‘em’).
Nil nil at half time and the second half followed much the same pattern. Both sides had good spells without ever looking likely to score. The conversation with Wilf turned to finances; the challenges of covering costs when charged £200 to use Muglet Lane for a home match; the concern that rent might increase given the recent demise of the cricket club. Add in running costs, player payments etc and you appreciate how important fund raising and sponsorship must be.
Just as all concerned would surely have settled for a draw, a terrific ball into the MM box from the right was converted from a yard or two out for a 98th minute winner for Sherwood. Harsh indeed on Maltby, though perhaps tempered by having got their own 97th minute winner at the weekend. Or not! Football is cruel at any level.
A fantastic night all round. I admit I had a bit set against Sherwood in a ‘bah, new money’ sort of way, but I was wrong. This felt like a lovely, friendly club (Secretary Phil was a great ambassador, as was the lovely young lad who did the chain across the player’s entrance - I’m shocking with names, Liam?) and there’s nowt wrong with ambition and making the most of what comes your way. A real asset to this part of Notts. Disappointed as I was to see Maltby lose, I think I’ll be back at Sherwood Colliery on Saturday to cheer them on in their big FA Cup encounter with Buxton, whose manager we spotted scouting! I’ll be back at Muglet Lane in the next few weeks. Has to be said, I’m really getting onto this!
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