Rainworth Miners Welfare 3-1 Heather st johns

Red hot action from the preliminary round of the FA cup Between NECL Rainworth MW and midland combination Heather st johns.We had seen Rainworth stuff the Pheasants of Radford in the round before and to be honest hardly broke sweat.With the opponents playing in a league below them, the odds were in Favour of the Rudy Funk express making the 1st qualifying round.



Rainworth look to have good set up from the top down.The programme is one of the best you will find at this level(And even above) you get a free teamsheet so you know who's on the pitch.The stadium is kept clean,there is plenty of covering and seating.The tea room is nice and serves well priced beer and the club shop sells a nice range of goods at reasonable prices.


Rainworth are lead by local football legend Rudy Funk.It makes a nice change to see a manager who not only looks the part,always wearing a suit and tie and looking smart but doesn't spend all game having a go at the match officials and other managers. The most wound up he got all day was with his own full back.The game certainly needs more Rudy Funks.


The Wrens took the lead in the first minute and then continued to dominate the game for the next twenty minutes and it looked as as if they would run away with the opponents.Heather st johns slowly started to get back into the match and got an equaliser when a ball was lumped into the box,Rainworths keeper made a mess of it leaving a tap in for Heather to make it 1-1. That was as good as it got for the Midlands league side as the Wrens made it 2-1 shortly after.
The second half wasn't as eventful as the first. Heather huffed and puffed but Mr Funks side were defensively at there best and added a third to all but kill the game. Heather were reduced to ten men late in the second half and the wrens could have added a couple more goals had it not been for a combination of good goalkeeping and bad/greedy finishing.

So Rudy Funks boys march on to the first preliminary round of the cup. i enjoyed my first trip to Rainworth.You will be hard pushed to find a club better ran and welcoming at this level.

display in the club house referring to Rainworths finist hour, the 1982 FA vase defeat at wembley



Admission £4
Programme £1 (with free teamsheet) very good effort 8/10
Badges £3.50
Clubhouse 6/10
Food sausage roll-£1 4/10 because they had to heat it up in the microwave(they never taste right then. Bear was £1.50 per can and tea 60p.
Ground 7/10 whoever makes Rainworth miners welfare signs must be a very rich man as there are at least 7 of them around the ground.
WAG factor 4/10