And as promised, here is that blog I've been meaning to write all week.
This week saw the return of the 4th oldest surviving football club competition in the world, The Sheffield and Hallamshire Senior Cup (behind the FA Cup, the Scottish FA Cup, and the East of Scotland Shield). This particular fixture saw a repeat of the 2010 final, in a match between Sheffield F.C. and Hallam F.C.
Now if any of you know a true football fan, you'll know that they are an odd bunch. Each one of them unable to remember to put that load of washing out to dry, but perfectly able to tell you a list of (useless) football stats like; Tottenham Hotspur are the only non league team to have won the FA Cup, Coventry City are the only football league team with an elephant on their badge, and Wolverhampton Wanderers are the only team to have won all four divisions of the football league.
My personal favourite of all the statistics is the Sheffield F.C. (neither Sheffield United, nor the other lot) are the world's first football team, having been formed in 1857. For the first three years the club organised games between it's own members, for example; Married vs Singles, or Professionals vs The Rest.
This, however, changed in 1860 with the formation of Hallam F.C. and with it came the first ever local derby. This first fixture, and indeed many fixtures up until 1877 were played by a set of rules which are now known as "Sheffield Rules". Sheffield Rules have had a major impact on the modern game, with Free Kicks, Corners, Throw ins, Goalkeepers and Forwards all originating in this form of the game.
This early set of rules was practised up until 1877 when one united set of rules was agreed. Before that point both Sheffield Rules and Association Rules had existed, with different competitions being played using different rules.
In 1876 the Sheffield FA set up its on Challenge Cup as a rival for the FA Cup. Many teams for Sheffield and further afield played in this competition and the first final was watched by around eight thousand spectators, nearly twice as many as that years FA Cup. This Challenge Cup has changed names over the years but still exists today as the Sheffield and Hallamshire Senior Cup.
This year's first round match between Sheffield and Hallam was always going to be a big clash. Sheffield, as always, fancied as one of the favourites for promotion from the Evo-stik Northern League Division One South, and Hallam sitting two leagues below, always looking to show up their slightly more famous neighbours. (Hallam, of course, have their own special place in the history of football, playing at The Sandygate which is the oldest football ground in the world).
With just half an hour until kick off the match looked in some doubt. Having come to the ground, with its own pub on site, from Sheffield city centre after buying a Bob Dylan record from a second hand book and record shop, and having picked up a Chinese football fan studying in Sheffield, we all arrived to find whole ground in darkness. It turns out there had been an electrical fault solved by the simple task of turning them off and on again.
On a bitterly cold night, the game did get under way in front of the 228 expectant fans. Sheffield went 1-0 up in the first minute with a goal from Shaq McKenzie. This early goal catching me off guard and putting my OXO at risk of spillage. With much of the early possession, Sheffield looked in control but could only manage a 1-1 score line at half time. At this point some fans went to the pub, and the small dog got his walk around the entire perimeter of the pitch.
The second half was a similar event. A close game, not the best technical football, and some strong challenges. Again Sheffield took a lead and again Hallam equalised. One of the best things about non league football for me is the closeness to the action. You hear exactly what gets said to the linesman, and tell him yourself, often he'll answer you back. This linesman in particular was having none of it when the Hallam manager argued with him about a free kick in the closing minutes. Personally I don't think he had much room for complaint, but insult was added to injury when, from the resulting free kick, Sheffield scored to send them through to the next round.
In the end, Sheffield go through to the next round, I get to listen to Bob Dylan on vinyl, and much fun was had for only £6 per ticket.
My advice; non league football offers a very different experience to bigger clubs. Give it a try.
Don't worry, there is still the joke. (It has been floating around Facebook recently, but its still awful and I like it)
Why does Snoop Dogg carry an umbrella?
Fo Drizzle
Keep the Faith.
