Non league awards 2010/11

This post is dedicated to all the random matches that i saw in the 2010/11 season and my personal high and low points. This year saw me tick off quite a few new grounds. Its always fun watching football and being able to enjoy it without being worried about the result. Sometimes i lean towards one side or the other but i am never normally unduly concerned about the result. Having seen quite a few steps of the pyramid i have tried to judge each club by the level they play at and not against sides higher up the scale. You can't compare a step 7 club's set up with one from a step 3 club for example.

Best side seen
Carlton Town FC
I saw Carlton play three times last season. The first time was away at Granthm Town in the FA trophy when they completely out played their hosts to win 4-2. They impressed me so much that day that i decided to attend one of their home matches. In that game they smashed Shepshed Dynamo 7-2 after being 3 up in about ten minutes and 6-1 up at halftime. At this point they were hot on the heels of leaders Barwell and were scoring goals for fun and in the two games i saw were playing some fantastic football.
Carlton Town 7-2 Shepshed Dynamo

Sadly after Christmas their form slumped and they faded from the promotion picture. They did make it to the Nottinghamshire cup final but froze on the day and got battered 6-1 by Eastwood Town at Field Mill. Carlton don't get the biggest off crowds often getting less than 100 but they seem a well run club who have a management team who like to play open attacking football. I wish them well and hope to catch a game at their place at some point next season. Maybe before a Panthers home game.

Worst team seen.
Gainsborough Trinity
Way back in August i saw one of the worse performances i have ever seen from a home side in football (this was before some of Lincoln's kickings this season i hasten to add) Gainsborough Trinity 0-5 AFC Telford. Telford would go on to gain promotion at the end of the season but Gainsborough didn't even make them get out of 2nd gear that day. Trinity were also poor against Nuneaton Town when i took in that game.

Gainsborough 0-5 Telford
Gainsborough 1-3 Nuneaton

Best new ground visited
One of either Sheffield FC,Northwood FC. Carnt split them.

Best Clubhouse
AFC Hornchurch A tad on the pricey side but thats London for you. 2nd would be Cannon park, Retford United.

 

Outdoor drinking in London Town

Best programme
Again this is quite a tough one. In 2nd place would be Parkhouse fc. This is certainly one of  if not the best step 7 programme i have seen and was a cut above the others on offer on the ground hop. The winner though goes to Northwood fc. The original programme was for a league game which was cancelled to make way for this cup replay. So the original programme was accompanied with an insert for the cup match.

Worst programme
Notts FA senior cup final. This is the flagship event for the Nottinghamshire FA so you would have thought they would have put a bit more effort into the Programme. A couple of seasons ago for the Retford v Eastwood final they issued a great programme but it seems to have gone hill drastically

Best pub
The Coach and Horses at Sheffield FC. A great country style pub and home to the best pint of the season; a pale ale call "White Swan" and very nice it was too.

Best quote of the season
"Fu*k sake ref, who's that playing? Hong Kong Phooey?"

Heard from the Kirkby Town fc bench a couple of minutes into their match at Church Warsop fc. It amused me for the rest of the game anyway. Much more than the football did in fact.

Best fans of the season
I am going to go for Retford United here. Quite a few people who followed Retford through the good times went suddenly went AWOL this season as soon as it became apparent that it was going to be a very tough season. So i tip my hat to the ones that stuck it out home and away and kept up their support for the team. Retford have taken a voluntary drop on top of the relegation they received this season and are slowly rebuilding the club. Already they appear to be better organised with a new manager at the helm, a full pre season programme in place and new sponsors found. One reason some gave for not going was the admission price, even though it was inline with what other clubs charge. Well that has now been dropped so its over to the stay away crew now. Retford had a great bunch of fans  following them through all the defeats last season and it is for them that i hope the next few seasons are much better and built on a more solid base than it has been in the past.

I would like to give a special mention to the Shepshed Dynamo fans whos backing for the team was first class when i saw them at Carlton, even though they got hammered 7-2.

Best food of the season
To be honest nothing really stood out as being very good or very poor. Gainsborough had the best chips. If i was pushed i would go for the jacket potato and chilli at Parkhouse FC.  The meat and potato pies, chips and mushy peas were always pretty good at Retford as well.

Most welcoming club of the season
Got to go with Cray Wanderers with Corinthian Casuals a close second. Both places were great days out and i can throughly recommend a visit to either club. Although i preferred Corinthian's clubhouse, the kind of place you could really get plastered in.

Goal of the season
Kirkby Town's 1st goal against Arnold in the 3rd round Notts cup tie at Arnold.

Thats about it folks.