UNITED COUNTIES FOOTBALL LEAGUE, DIVISION 1
Ron Steel Sports Ground, Lenton Lane, Nottingham, NG7 2SA
26th February 2022, 3:00 pm Kick-Off
Today I am being adventurous and heading off to the East Midlands, to Nottingham and to the ground of Dunkirk F.C. who are playing Aylestone Park from Leicester. It's a United Counties League , Div 1 match, a competition I have not covered before plus a new ground and 2 new teams as well.
Dunkirk are in 7th place and looking to get in to the play-off places, while Aylestone are in 5th and looking to secure their own place before the end of the season.
Dunkirk are named after the area which lies in the district of 'Lenton' to the west of the city centre. Maybe this French sounding name was influenced by the French immigrants who came over to work in the Lace industry of the 19th century or even earlier after the building of the Norman castle?
The forecast is excellent and the sun is shining when I make my way by bus to New Street station in Birmingham. Unfortunately the train I catch has only 4 carriages and every seat is taken with many people standing. Also this train seems to be slow but I still am able to catch my connecting train to Nottingham from Burton-on-Trent. I thought you could catch through trains all the way to Nottingham?
By the time I arrive there, I'm ready for a coffee and find a good place just outside the station, just over the canal bridge. This makes up for the annoying train ride and with the sun still shining, I have a good look around the city.
I go to the Victoria shopping centre, where I have a mooch around the John Lewis store and then have a look at and admire the architecture of the city. The Trent University has some grand old buildings and striking modern ones too! Of course I have a wander down to the Castle (just looking outside) see the Robin Hood statue and also see a nearby pub that's supposed to be the oldest in England (built in 1189) called the 'Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem'!
I have lunch at a Chinese grocery store that also sells meals, near the impressive looking Theatre Royal.
The time goes quickly and as it's such a nice day, I decide to walk most of the way down to the ground alongside the Beeston Canal. It's certainly a beautiful walk and the canal and path are completely devoid of any litter. Very impressive, especially compared to some of the canals I have seen in Birmingham.
After taking my time for the first 20 minutes, I realise I will have to quicken my pace in order to get to the match on time. I do so with 8 minutes to spare, after I had crossed over Thane Road and found Lenton Lane under the shadow of the raised Clifton Boulevard which crosses the River Trent close by.
I find the ground easily enough and I am glad to get to the toilet in the small clubhouse after my lengthy walk. I pay for my entrance and a programme too and decide to go to the left hand side of the ground where there is some shade from the trees at the far end.
The 2 teams come out with Dunkirk in red shirts and black shorts and socks while the visitors are in their 2nd strip of all blue.
The first 45 minutes turn out to be quite uneventful with defences on top and both teams mainly cancelling each other out, although you can't fault them for effort.
Aylestone go closest to scoring when their No.5 has a good header saved following a corner and soon after, from another corner sees a header of their's just go over the bar.
During this half I get talking to a Dunkirk supporter and he tells me that the team had had a difficult start to the season and if they had started with the team they have today, then they could be in a higher position now. He also points out that they usually have a bigger crowd but that's probably been affected by Forest's home game v Bristol City today.
The 1st half ends in what's been a disappointing match so far, so I think it can only get better.
This ground is a pretty neat affair with a fence surrounding the pitch and floodlights in place too. There is a small stand with seats at the end where the entrance is. Also there are 2 stands on the southern side of the pitch, another one with seating and one that is there with cover for standing spectators. Also on the northern side of the pitch, near the entrance is a small building that I first took to be a club shop but it turns out to be a hospitality area, presumably for the club officials of both teams.
During the interval I go to the club house and have a cup of tea, as although it's a sunny day, there is still a chill in the air if you are standing still most of the time. Also I am able to buy a club badge too to add to my collection.
This club house is just outside the fence perimeter of the pitch and alongside it are the changing rooms in the corner, from where a path leads on to the pitch.
Soon after play resumes, the Dunkirk No.7, Greg Tobin unfortunately finds himself just in front of an Aylestone defender who decides to belt the ball and Mr. Tobin is soon doubled up in pain as a result. A bad case of 'crushed nuts' and Tobin has to hobble off the pitch to recover. A few minutes later it's good to see him taking part in the game again.
Just when I'm wondering if there will be any goal action today, Aylestone take the lead in the 60th minute when their No.9 Shay Brennan latches on to a flick following a goal kick and shoots past Joel Howes in the Dunkirk goal.
A few minutes later, Dunkirk equalise through their No.11, Jack Oldham, when he buries the ball in to the left hand corner of the goal.
This half is certainly proving to be a more lively affair as both sides realise that a draw will not be such a good result, especially Dunkirk who are 9 points off the play-off places.
In the 75th minute, Aylestone's No.10, Aaron Preston heads the ball in to the net only for it to be ruled offside. Soon after this, their No.7 goes on a good run down the left but Howes is able to stop his shot with an outstretched boot.
The competitive nature of the game is underlined in the 80th minute when the oncoming Dunkirk No.8, Ruben Nwadike, leaves in his boot when the Aylestone defender, Dan Marriott clears the ball and who ends up in a heap on the pitch. Nwadike is duly booked for this challenge.
3 minutes later and the compliment is returned by Marriott on Nwadike and he also later on fouls the Dunkirk No.15 too.
In the later stages 'The Boatmen' of Dunkirk go close to winning the match when their No.9, Max Taylor has a shot saved and then in injury time, one of their players connects with a clearance from the visitor's keeper and lobs a shot on to the bar.
The match ends with the teams all-square at 1-1 and this has put a big dent in to Dunkirk's fading play-off aspirations. Aylestone suffer too as Hucknall leap-frog them in to 5th place after their 1-0 win v Belper United.
I make my way out of the ground and after walking up Lenton Lane a few yards, see the path on the right which takes me under the Clifton Boulevard and through to Queens Drive where there is a Park and Ride space. The No.49 bus soon arrives and takes me back in to the city centre where I see plenty of happy Forest supporters coming back after their team's 2-0 victory.
Dunkirk FC are a friendly club worthy of a visit, especially in good weather like today and surprisingly although they lie close to the River Trent, they have good drainage which means they don't get flooded too often. There are plenty of other sports grounds close by too to this club.
Entrance fee: £5, (£3 concession)
Match programme: £1
Entertainment value: 7/10
Match attendance: 44
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