Sherwood Colliery 2-2 Buxton

September to me has always seemed to be the worse month of the year by far. I think it started back when I was at school as it signifies the start of another year at school and thus another year of misery for the most part. Add in the fact that as soon as September rolls around you know the long nights of summer and semi decent weather are all but gone. In COVID times its even worse as who knows what will happen over the winter both in terms of the virus and the economy here in the UK. To say I feel its an anxious time is somewhat of an understatement. However, one very small light in a sea of awfulness is that we still have football and especially the FA Cup.

There are some weeks that I don’t really start planning and looking forward to the Saturday game till Friday morning. Then there are some that as soon as the dreaded Sunday night rolls around the only thing that keeps me going and able to get up in the Morning is that thought of a match on the Saturday. This past weekend’s game between Sherwood and Buxton in the FA Cup was most defiantly in the later camp. For the past four years since I have lived alone, I have struggled with Sunday evenings. And now that the nights are drawing in, I have felt even worse with only this blog and the darts to try and keep my mind active and away from thinking about Monday and whatever shitshow the week ahead will bring. Last Sunday though after scrolling through the fixtures this game just shone out like a beacon and it is what have kept me going. The lure of the road to Wembley is strong for me and although the big clubs see this as 3rd in line after the Champions League and Premier League the FA cup carries huge significance for clubs in L1 and L2 and throughout Non-League.

Over the years I have enjoyed watching clubs have their “Big Day” so to speak in the cup. This is normally either when I club gets further than it has ever done in the Cup or is a club plays host to a side in a higher division and thus the match attracts a much larger crowd than they normally would. We experienced this last season when we watched West Bridgeford perform well on and off the pitch against Halesowen in the 1st qualifying round, the same stage as todays match.

The hosts Sherwood Colliery seem to be on a bit of a roll at the moment. They are currently top of the NCEL premier division and had already won two matches to reach this stage of the competition. In the extra preliminary round, they defeated Boston Town before causing a cup upset by beating Sheffield FC a side one division above them in a match that was streamed online by the BBC 2-1 Buxton not only sat two divisions above their hosts but (like their hosts) were also sitting top of their division. Buxton is a ground that I have only visited once before but it does have the rare distinction of being one of the few grounds that Lee Houseman has attended a game at all be it about a decade ago when we watched Buxton take on Macclesfield in a pre-season friendly.

Sherwoods Debdale Park stadium is located just behind Mansfield Woodhouse train station. The road up to the ground seemed quite busy but thankfully there was plenty of room in the station carpark. Walking up to the ground it was obvious that the game had attracted a good crowd with the bar and food hut doing a roaring trade. It looked like plenty of locals had taken the opportunity of watching a side top of the league and on a great cup run. Let’s be honest it’s a long time since the good folk of Mansfield had the chance of witnessing such a feat. Buxton too had travelled in good numbers so a good atmosphere was pretty much guaranteed. Today’s admission was £5 with a well-produced programme coming in a £2. Club pin badges were also available at £3. On paying you entrance fee a club official stamped you hand in a throw back to the days of going up the Poterhouse and various other clubs. It brought a tear to Felices eye and memories of him being a Thursday-Friday-Saturday man up the Doghouse wearing black slip on shoes with white socks in the midd 90, s.

Buxton were quickly into their stride and looked good in possession with Sherwood looking to hit them on the break. Buxton may have had more of the ball, but they didn’t get to many shots in on target. Sherwood weren’t being played off the park, but their decision was letting them down from time to time in their efforts to hit on the counter. The main excitement in the first 20 minutes came when one of the linesmen had the ball hit at him from point blank range thus breaking his flag. The game was held for a good five minutes as a replacement was found. Buxton eventually took the lead on 27 minutes following a free kick that was lofted into the box and finished off from close range by Clarke. The visitors held onto the lead until the break and at that point in the game you have to say it was deserved. The rest of the first half continued in much the same vein with Buxton having more of the ball but Sherwood defending well when the visitors got within 25 yards or so of their goal and pressing well as a group. You can tell they are well coached and worked well for each other even if their discipline occasionally let them down.

At halftime we had a stroll around the ground and made a quick visit to the clubhouse, naturally the clubhouse was very busy, but it looked smart enough even thought there were a few to many Mansfield Town pictures for my liking. They do have a few dartboards up though which is always great to see. Buxton doubled their lead on 53 minutes when Ash Chambers chested home a cross from a foot out. At that point the game looked to be over. But this is football, and this is the FA Cup If Sherwood were going to get back into the match, then they needed to strike back straight away which is exactly what they did when Liam Theakstone finished off a great move when he turned in the cross from the left wing. Suddenly the crowd came to life and Sherwood started to believe again. Two minutes later they were level thanks to a great finish from Gareth Curtis. We now had a real cup tie on our hands and they game was genuinely end to end stuff. Both sides started to look good from corners and free kicks. The game really deserved a winner but alas it finished 2-2. Both clubs can take huge credit from this with the 400 plus in attendance definitely getting their money’s worth.

If you get the chance to visit Sherwood Colliery, I do recommend you give them a visit. Its easy to get to, the clubhouse is smart, they sell programmes and badges. Oh, and the team arnt half bad either.