A RETROSPECTIVE LOOK BACK AT THE SEASON 2025-26 SOME NEW, SOME OLD, MORE NEW ONES IN 2026-27

Back in August 2025 i just thought I'd do a few games and some new grounds which I'd probably get fed up with once the winter came along, I've spent most of my working life since 16 years working shifts, weekends, early starts, night shifts, afternoon shifts, I've realised that I've missed out on a lot of life purely from being stuck at some unsociable  hour putting up working with some prick when i could have been in another job working a proper 9-5 Monday to Friday. 

So with a bit more free time i ventured out on my quest to visit at least some of the grounds within the Sheffield postcode area, i did a couple of trips outside that area and i also discovered quite a few teams and grounds within said postcode which will be on the list for the coming season. All in all i managed 24 games over the season, with 13 new grounds visited, seen some decent games, had some decent food, few beers, not spent as much money either! some of the clubs and grounds I've visited are really unique mostly old school grounds in small villages, the odd one or two recent developments and most important of all how the supporters and volunteers really keep these clubs going, the turnstile operators, the food caterers, the bar staff they all contribute to the survival of these clubs.

TOP FIVE GROUNDS THIS SEASON

IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER!

Clay Cross the Adalynne Haye Stadium 

Kiveton Park fc Hard Lane

Staveley Miners MWFC Inkersall Road

Athersley Recreation fc  Sheerien Park

Dronfield Town  H E Barnes Stadium

Nearly made it, but not quite!

Dearne and District Dearne Miners Welfare

Shirebrook Town Langwith Road

KIVETON PARK AND DINNINGTON TOWN END OF SEASON DOUBLE HEADER 25th APRIL 2026

KIVETON PARK 0 V  0 HEMSWORTH MWFC SHEFFIELD AND HALLAMSHIRE COUNTY SENIOR LEAGUE PREMIER 25th APRIL 2026

My 21st and 22nd and last games of the season saw me catching the 2 o'clock KO at kiveton park and then a quick drive over to Dinnington Town v Worksop town Reserves at Phoenix Park.

today was a very warm and sunny day, typical spring weather so i chanced it with a t-shirt but the backup of a coat in the car just in case, this was my 2nd visit to  hard lane and a game that Kiveton needed to win or at least grab a point, they had struggled all season but towards the end had picked up a few results to haul themselves away from the bottom of the table, cup of tea and a nice bacon sandwich before the game started and a chat with the lad serving in the cafe, oh and a free programme! just love coming here!

  the sides are out  and kiveton look the better side in the opening few minutes coming close twice from outside the box with a shot tipped over, they keep up the pressure but hemsworth defend well and enjoy a quick break down the middle resulting in a shot tipped over for a corner which is sent straight into the keepers hands who releases the ball quickly for another kiveton attack which comes close to making it 1-0 to the hosts but the ball just goes wide. both teams apply pressure in an ever increasing equal game that goes into halftime at 0-0.

DINNINGTON TOWN V WORKSOP TOWN RESERVES

Its 0-0 at full time as i left at the break to dash over to Phoenix Park for the 3PM KO against Worksop town reserves, Phoenix park has changed quite a lot since my last visit which must have been 15 years ago? maybe more, it was a grass pitch the last time i visited and the pitch was positioned a different way, there was a stand which has now been replaced with a smaller but more modern one and off course the pitch is now 4G i just manage to find a parking spot and find the relocated entrance which is now in a new modern building that houses a bar and function room and various other activities, think entrance was £5 and the kiosk also had Pin Badges at £3 the bar is inside the complex building and i went for the Guinness which was the only one i fancied really from the bar selection.

This game was the Central midlands alliance league premier and with Dinnington pushing for 2nd place in the division  they made it quite hard work for themselves on this hot spring day, Worksop looking at a midtable finish were certainly no pushovers having most of the play during the 1st half and they went down to ten men just before the halftime whistle, however Town struggled to break them down in the 2nd half but finally  managed a goal with 10 minutes of the game left to make a top two finish a certainty.

BAKEWELL TOWN 1 V 2 BORROWASH VICTORIA CENTRAL MIDLANDS ALLIANCE LEAGUE PREMIER 18th APRIL 2026

 

My 20th game of the season and its a short trip out to the Peak District and just out of the Sheffield postcode area for this game in the lovely little village of Tideswell a couple of miles or so from Stoney Middleton, which by coincidence is the home to a fantastic little chip shop called the Toll Bar, you can't really miss it if you are travelling through Stoney from the Sheffield side.

So i stopped on the way as i had plenty of time and stuffed my face with Cod, chips and Peas whilst sat outside watching the world go by, luckily for me i just beat the rush as once id sat down a bit of a queue formed with a few bikers and couples, one thing about the Toll Bar is just about everything is cooked fresh hence the 10-15 wait which is definitely worth it.

Into Tideswell and the ground is on the right hand side as you approach the main square, turn right where the pub is and its just behind there, the lane is a bit tight with cars parked on one side, there's like a courtyard type events space at the bottom of the lane which can make the lane tight so just be aware of this if you happen to go. i parked in a small car park at just to the side of the grounds, enter the ground and turn left, there's a small building with a snack bar and toilets which are above, you pay at a table and then walk up to the Pitch,Programmes and badges are also for sale as well as cans of beer and hot drinks.

The ground is pretty basic at one time it looked like Sheffield Wednesday used it for their Academy or Reserves, the only covered area on the far side of the pitch displays TUFC which is or was Tideswell United FC, I'm not to sure if the team still exists. going into this game Victoria were sat near the top of the division whilst Bakewell flirted with the bottom half of the table, early pressure from Victoria with a goal on ten minutes that was probably coming from the kick off really as Town struggled to get a foothold in the game, the town keeper was going direct quite a lot rather then playing out from the back, however he had such a kick on him that it was just going straight to the Vics keeper, after half an hour Town got a goal back with a superb little dink over the oncoming keeper to send the teams in at 1-1 at halftime.

2nd half and a bit of gamesmanship came into play with Victoria taking an age to come out and whilst both teams were then ready to kick off there was further delay waiting for the officials to make there way out. Eventually the game restarts with Victoria piling on the pressure the game got a bit scrappy with Town timewasting much to the annoyance of the Vics, works both ways eh? on 75 minutes Victoria were awarded a penalty which was calmed put away to give Victoria a 1-2 lead going into the last ten minutes, town couldn't get back into the game and the 3 points went to Borrowash to keep them around the play off places in the division.

Again another ground i would recommend a visit to, give yourself a bit of time and visit the Toll Bar fish and chip shop and a few hundred yards up the main road take a right turn to the village of Eyam and visit the Eyam Plague museum  and the church as well as the two fantastic cafes in the square. I've also been told that the Eyam Brewery has a taproom open in Tideswell but I'm not 100% certain on that. Enjoy your trip!!

ATHERSLEY RECREATION FC 0 V 3 BRIGG TOWN FC NORTHERN COUNTIES EAST DIVISION ONE 11th APRIL 2026

My 19th game of the season and its a trip to Barnsley to Athersley rec completing my visits to grounds based in or around Barnsley in the NCEL Northern divisions.it wasn't a straight forward journey from the south of Sheffield, but then again travelling across Sheffield is never a quick and easy journey, once i was off the M1 Motorway it was pretty much a straight forward run to Sheerien park and after driving past the actual turning a quick U Turn and the entrance was down between 2 houses, a fairly big car park which I'm told can get full and the turnstile is just across from the car park entrance, nice little ground with seating behind both goals and a small covered standing area on one touchline, nice little snack bar and separate bar selling beer and soft drinks and of course Pin Badges were on sale, so its the 2nd week of April and I'm wrapped up again in my trusty North Face jacket, can of stella and a chip butty, clear blue skies and the match is ready to kick off, im chilled out as well so what more do i need?

Brigg are going into the game sat in 6th place having  a recent record of WLWLW on still looking for a playoff place whilst Athersley are sat just above the relegation places with a record of WLWDL in their last 5 games, having watched Brigg a couple of weeks back against the eventual title winners, the game started with Brigg having quite a lot of possession especially down the left wing and they were rewarded with a goal around the half hour mark and they added a 2nd goal 10 minutes later to go in at half time 0-2 up.

The 2nd half and Athersley freshened up their line up with 3 substitutions and looked a more evenly matched side and stronger as well going close  straight from the KO with having plenty of the ball but Brigg weathered the storm (and the spring showers) well and grabbed a third goal ten minutes after kicking off, pretty much game over however Athersley used their final 2 subs and defended fairly high up the pitch which seemed to stem Brigg adding more to the three goals they already had.

End of the game and Brigg run out comfortable 0-3 winners in a very enjoyable game, out of the three NCEL clubs in Barnsley this ground is probably my favorite one, again another welcoming and friendly club and definitely  another visit soon.

ATT 105

DRONFIELD TOWN 4 V 2 SWALLOWNEST FC UNITED COUNTIES LEAGUE DIVISION ONE 6th APRIL 2026

 

My 18th game of the season and another nearby visit to The H E Barnes Stadium home of Dronfield Town, today it was another Local Derby game, again a handful of miles separating the two teams on this fairly warm and sunny easter Monday, I always like a visit to watch Dronfield town, the location, the friendliness of the club plus there's near enough a decent pint to be had and top notch snacks! the clear blue skies and the warmer weather were very much a welcome change from the previous week a few miles away in Attercliffe area of Sheffield.

Today was going to be feisty affair with Dronfield sat near the top of the table with Swallownest mid table, pretty much even start from the kick off with town just shading possession whilst looking strong attacking down the right wing, 20 mins in and town make it 1-0 only for Swallownest to make it 1-1 4 minutes later after losing the ball from kick off and then regaining it and squeezing the ball into the net, five minutes later and the visitors have taken the lead with another goal from Callum brooks, town look pretty shellshocked after such a strong start to the game and for the remaining half look pretty all over the place desperately looking for the half time whistle.

Teams are back out for the 2nd and town look like business again winning quite a few midfield battles and going close a few times but not hitting the target however the last 15 minutes and town grab an equalising goal to make it 2-2 and a frantic last ten minutes for either side to grab a winner and 3 points, there's a fair bit of extra time much to the annoyance of the Swallownest management who take it to another level when town grab a third goal 2 minutes into extra time, the home crowd go crazy as do the Dronfield bench, Swallownest complain to the referee but he's not having any of it as a lot of the time added on had come from Swallownest, from the kick off Swallownest go for goal but lose the ball only for town to go up field and make the 3 points certain! theres angry scenes from Swallownest which eventually calms down and we have handshakes all round, a very well hard fought game and a deserved 3 points for Dronfield Town on this glorious Easter Monday!

BURNGREAVE UNITED 1 V 2 WORKSOP TOWN RESERVES CENTRAL MIDLAND ALLIANCE PREMIER 28th MARCH 2026

 

My 17th game of the season takes me on a quick 4 mile trip to the industrial heartland of Sheffield on this extremely cold and windy day in Attercliffe, the steel city stadium is part of the Legacy park which stands on the old ill-fated Don Valley Stadium.

 Now any trip to the Steel city stadium must also warrant a trip to the best chip shop in the world namely the Frymaster about 5 mins walk up Attercliffe road, on a cold day like this its got to be a certainty, if you have the time as well there's the choice of seating in its 70 seater restaurant at the back, today i had the chip butty with loads of salt and vinegar but i would recommend the cod, anyway back to football!

I'd been looking forward to watching Burngreave for a while as all reports had been good about how well they played and their style of play,as far as i know they have climbed up from the S&H league but don't quote me on that! quite a multi cultural mix of players and it wasnt long before they got into their style of passing and moving 1/2 touch football, entrance to the game was £4 and £2.50 for a fairly decent Programme, i stood out in the sun behind one of the goals but that wind was biting so i sat in the main(and only) stand, early pressure from Burngreave put Worksop on the back foot with Burngreave going close a number of times and scoring on the 28th minute, this seemed to sparked  into life and they had a couple of chances playing the ball down both wings and another opportunity down the middle completely catching the Burngreave midfield rooted to the spot, again the Burngreave mids got caught out just before half time and probably against the run of play by making it 1-1

2nd half begins and Worksop come out strongly and push Burngreave back to their penalty area with a strong attack that results in a corner coming in from the right but the keeper has no trouble in catching it and releasing the ball quick, a couple of handball shouts from Burngreave comes to nothing and where I'm sat i would say they had a reasonable shout on one of them, Worksop freshen the game up a bit with 4 changes and it seems to work well with Worksop adding a second goal giving Luke Abdy his 2nd goal of the game, this 2nd goal was a real shellshock to Burngreave it certainly took the wind out of there sails as at times they had a lot of the ball but ultimately they didn't take their chances and paid the price, Burngreave finished the season with a well earned 3rd place and seemed to have kicked on in 26/27 sitting top of the league.

DEARNE AND DISTRICT FC 1 V 0 BRIGG TOWN FC NORTHERN COUNTIES EAST DIVISION ONE 14th MARCH 2026

 

16th game of the season and back to the Sheffield postcode area for this longish trip to out to Goldthorpe, a small village between rotherham and Doncaster, nice sunny (warmish)day and I'm tempting fate by wearing a hoodie as the sun is quite warm luckily i took with me a top coat which im glad i did as there was a cold wind starting to blow, Dearne were going great guns in the division literally running away with the league and come the end of the season won it with 15 points more then the runners up (Worsborough bridge)

 

A nice little ground with quite a bit of parking around it, through a turnstile which also had Programmes and badges for sale all served by a lovely lady and down one side of the ground there is a small seated area with a hut selling hot drinks and cans of beer and further along there's some seating on the railway end but I'm not sure if they were off limits today, toilets just at the side of the changing rooms.

Today there was only going to be one winner really, and I'm not taking anything away from Brigg who where also challenging near the top for a playoff position, straight from the kick off Dearne controlled the game with a couple of early chances both saved by the Brigg keeper, Brigg also went close attacking down the left side and a neat cross into the box was however met by the keeper, a quick roll out to the left and 8/9 passes up field and with 40 mins played dearne go 1-0 up, from the kick off Dearne won the ball back and again went close just before the whistle for halftime.

2nd half and Brigg attack down the middle towards the railway end and see a shot turned around the post for a corner which is taken quick but nothing comes from the advantage of taking it quick. As the clock ticks down Brigg are increasing there attacks searching for an Equalising goal but Dearne defend well and with the final whistle approaching they keep the ball well knocking it around the midfield and letting Brigg chase the ball. final whistle and its another Dearne victory and an absolute certainty of being promoted as champions.

Again this was a game and ground i enjoyed visiting so it will be due another visit in the near future, as the league now stands as of October 26 Dearne are still going great guns and are topping the NCEL Premier division. onwards and upwards for the Dearne!

SHIREBROOK TOWN 0 V 1 STAPLEFORD TOWN UNITED COUNTIES LEAGUE DIVISION ONE 7th MARCH 2026

My 15th game of the season and a first trip outside the Sheffield Postcode area for a new ground, this was my 1st game for nearly 2 months, i had a few other commitments plus the weather wasn't really very good, I've been wanting to visit Shirebrook for a while as a secondary interest in the mining villages and small towns dotted around the area.

Plenty of parking here, i went in the social club  car park and walked over to the entrance but there is also parking on the grass field at the side although after a bit of bad weather i wouldn't recommend parking on it. Cash and Card on the turnstile and there's a small club shop which accepts the same, i bought a Pin badge for the collection, yes another thing i collect! the non league clubs certainly do a good quality pin badge.

i decided on a coffee as it was cold and i also made a note of whereabouts the toilets where, that's the thing with getting old as age and cold weather does not mix. Quite a lot of seating in the stands on the far side and standing with a few seats on the entrance side. The pitch looked heavy as they normally do around this time of the year, over the far side there was a few of the "ULTRAS" singing and banging away on a drum, it was a pretty even game with both teams going close but nothing near clear cut chances, i was very impressed by a Shirebrook player may have been Farbod Yousefi playing down the wing, very quick, very skillful and great vision as well he certainly was a handful for the Stapleford Defence  especially when Shirebrook switched there wide men around. at half time the score was 0-0 and speaking to home supporter he reckoned there would only be one goal in the game and with 20 minutes to go he was proved right although the goal went to the opposition. i left on 75 minutes or so as i had a night out to get ready for.

I recommend a visit to Shirebrook town, the set up is pretty good the ground isn't to bad i definitely enjoyed my trip out to the wilds of Nottinghamshire it will be on my list for a revisit as the league they play in can throw up some very good close games.