RateTheRef

Well, it only took northern rail a week of the season to scupper JCFC's plans. Engineering work meant that the only trains in or out of Huddersfield were the Sheffield ones, so £23.20 was invested in a ticket to Mansfield Woodhouse, to take in the match between Sherwood Colliery and Long Eaton United. The train left on time, but gradually fell behind schedule, with large numbers of passengers boarding in South Yorkshire and the connection to Worksop had departed by the time we reached Sheffield. The service runs hourly, so would not reach Mansfield Woodhouse until 15.07, so Will Murray was spared the distorting lens. Fortunately there was an alternative, in the form of

Saturday 6th August 2022
FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round
Handsworth   1   v   0   Sleaford Town
Scott Mason ("Mansfield way"); Tristan Churcher, Joseph Golland

It was the dullest of dull first halves - after 44 minutes JCFC's notepad was blank. At this point the visitors presented a Handsworth forward with a clear chance, but their keeper dived to turn the shot round the post.

A few minutes into the second period, JCFC's weary sigh drew sympathetic agreement from nearby spectators, one commenting that you could write what had happened to date on a postage stamp, leaving JCFC thinking that the new code section would not be needed. Just after the hour, it was the turn of the home defence to gift Sleaford an unmissable scoring chance, which was duly missed. As the soporific afternoon wore on, further amusement in the stand was caused by a comment that even the fouling had not been very good. Perhaps appropriately in a match which prompted thoughts of Waiting for Godot, in which nothing happens - twice, on 83 minutes Handsworth got Lucky, taking advantage of a couple of rebounds to prod home the winner.

Mr Mason had an excellent reverse gear and made a couple of splendid curving sprints, getting very wide, in a game which did not really test him. He is lightly built, though with a slightly lived-in appearance of someone already into his thirties, at a guess. (There speaks the 74 year old!) His two assistants were more sturdy in appearance, neither of them quite qualifying for "Bright young thing" status, but all three officials performed well.
 
The day's real stars, however, were the two ladies in the clubhouse, who produced pie chips and gravy an hour before the match.

Contrary to previous expectations, it will be possible to take in another tie today.