Main Road

raylong1965
Jan 20, 2020
3 min read

Updated: Aug 17, 2020

Preliminary Round

Maltby Main (L9) v Loughborough University (L9)

Saturday 24th August 2019

Maltby Main, it turns out, are the local team for a mining community near Rotherham. They play at the same level of the football pyramid as the University, so we expected a close game.

About an hours drive took us into Yorkshire on a bright, sunny summer afternoon, and we parked directly outside the ground.

Entry was through a real old-school turnstile, where they charged £5 for me and £3 for Samuel, with an additional £1.50 for a programme.

Facilities were not as glamorous as at Nanpantan, with a small cupboard selling burgers, drinks and sweets. However, two cheeseburgers and two drinks cost just over £5 and they were really good.

Much like the previous game, the ground was very open, with a small covered stand on one side. Unlike the previous game, this pitch had a massive slope that was clearly going to favour the team playing down it.

A number of locals were grumbling about the Portsmouth v Rotherham game being called off so, as we were both wearing tops with the Pompey badge on them, we sidled quietly by in case they decided we were to blame.

We stood next to the away dugout for the start of the match, with a good view of most of the pitch. The Maltby players looked far stronger than the Uni boys, but we thought this in the previous round, so were looking forward to a close encounter.

Presumably having won the toss, Maltby played down the slope in the first half and the advantage, as expected, really told. Loughborough struggled to make any headway through midfield and, after only ten minutes, it took a good save from their keeper to stop a fierce shot.

This was a short reprieve as, three minutes later, Maltby too a deserved lead. A long through ball was pounced on by Anthony Wilson and dispatched with ease. 1-0.

Loughborough continued to battle the slope, but to little effect, and went further behind on 21 minutes when Aaron Moxam finished another penetrating move. 2-0

Despite their two goal advantage, the coaches gave the referee a tough time, challenging each decision that went against them, although some of their comments were funny. After missing a series of potential free kicks to Main, the ref awarded one to the Uni, to be greeted with "Oh, you saw that one then, ref!" from the Maltby bench. Other comments are unprintable here.

The home side were really dominating play now, with their defence able to play comfortably up (down?) the pitch, returning the ball to their forwards easily. Loughborough defended earnestly, but it seemed only a matter of time before they succumbed.

And succumb they did just before the half hour mark. Having won a corner, the ball was floated across the area for Moxam to double his tally with a firm header. 3-0

As the game headed for the break, I said to Samuel that, if the Uni could pull one back they might stand a chance in the second half with the slope advantage. He agreed.

Maltby didn't.

A few minutes before the interval they won a penalty, and Moxam completed his hat trick from the spot. 4-0

Half Time Maltby Main 4 - 0 Loughborough University

One of the many glorious aspects of lower league football is that the grounds are not always fully enclosed stadia. Here at Maltby, they share the field with their local cricket team. So, during the break, we walked around to the pavilion and enjoyed a few overs of cricket.

As expected, the slope favoured the Uni in the second half and they were more involved in the game. Ironically, they still had a huge hill to climb.

They still struggled to break down their more physical opponents, although they won a couple of free kicks (no doubt challenged by the Maltby coaches) in promising positions. These resulted in bookings for the Main players, and they had to defend more cautiously. Loughborough took advantage of this and, on 70 minutes, pulled a goal back. 4-1.

That was as much as they could muster, however, and the game petered out.

We watched a bit more cricket.

Full time Maltby Main 4 - 1 Loughborough University

Together with 102 other supporters, we had enjoyed our afternoon in Yorkshire and, despite its basic facilities, Muglet Lane held a charm that is often missing in most modern league grounds.

Now,along with the Maltby players, staff and fans, we eagerly awaited the draw for the first qualifying round.

Ratings - Food 7/10; Facilities 4/10; Atmosphere and entertainment 6/10.

Attendance 104.

Round trip 100 miles.