Pitmen Undermine Coalville - A Murder of Ravens !!

 Hednesford Town WLWDWL 3rd v Coalville Town DWWLWL 4th

And so to the PRG Stadium, otherwise known as Keys Park, and the FA Trophy 3rd Qualifying Round for an all Southern League Premier Central clash between Hednesford Town FC and Coalville Town FC.

Hednesford Town FC was established in 1880 as a merger of the Red & Whites (who were also known as West Hill) and Hill Top. Based at the Anglesey Hotel, they were sometimes known as Hednesford Anglesey. The club was a founder member of the Birmingham & District League in 1889 but left the league in 1891 and played only friendly matches before joining the Walsall & District Junior League in 1894.

In 1908 the Pitmen joined the Birmingham Combination, which they won in 1909–10. After World War I the club rejoined the Birmingham & District League, before withdrawing from the league during the 1937–38 season and folding. The newly reformed club reverted to the Birmingham & District League for the 1938–39 season.

After World War II Hednesford rejoined the Birmingham Combination. They won the league in 1950–51 and then returned to the Birmingham & District League, which became the West Midlands (Regional) League. In 1972 they joined the Midland League and in 1984 after finishing as runners-up, the club moved up to the Midland Division of the Southern League.

Promotion in the 1991/92 season to the Premier Division and reaching the final of the Welsh Cup (!), losing 1–0 to Cardiff City, followed. They won the Beazer Homes Premier Division in 1994/95, achieving promotion to the GM Vauxhall Football Conference at their new Keys Park home, finishing third in their first season. Notable FA Cup giantkillings of Blackpool, York City, Hull City and Barnet prefaced relegation in 2001 and then FA Trophy success in 2004, winning the competition with a 3–2 victory over Canvey Island at Villa Park. The following season play off success saw a return to the Conference North.

Hednesford finished bottom of the Conference North in 2006, resulting in an immediate relegation to the Premier Division of the Northern Premier League. Flitting between lateral transfers to and from Northern and Southern Premier Leagues and failed play off campaigns, the Pitmen finally won promotion back to the Conference North in 2013 but were again relegated in 2016 to the Northern Premier League, finishing 13th of 21 last season and then moving last summer back to the Southern League as part of the pyramid restructure.

The visitors, Coalville Town FC, are from the Mander Cruickshank Solicitors Stadium, aka the Owen Street Sports Ground, and were established as Ravenstone Miners Athletic in 1926. The Ravens were originally based in the village of Ravenstone, joining the Coalville & District League and undertaking a record journey of name changes. The club was renamed Ravenstone Swifts in 1947 and then back to Ravenstone Miners Athletic in 1951. They won the Division One title five times before, in 1958, the club was renamed Ravenstone FC. The Ravens then joined the Premier Division of the North Leicestershire League in 1974 going on to win the Premier Division in 1988–89 and 1989–90, and moved up to Division One of the Leicestershire Senior League in 1991.

In 1995 the club moved to nearby Coalville after being unable to upgrade their Ravenslea ground, and was renamed Coalville Football Club. In 1996–97 they finished second in Division One and were promoted to the Premier Division. The club adopted their current name in 1998 and, after winning the Premier Division in 2001–02 and 2002–03, were promoted to the Midland Alliance.  They were league runners-up in 2009–10, and the following season saw them reach the final of the FA Vase, losing 3–2 to Whitley Bay at Wembley, but that disappointment was tempered by winning the Midland Alliance, scoring 153 goals in the process and earning promotion to Division One South of the Northern Premier League.

After two unsuccessful play off campaigns, they defeated the now defunct Shaw Lane Aquaforce 3-1 in the final in 2016 to earn promotion, moving laterally in 2018 to the Premier Division of the Southern League Central, and finishing 6th last time around.

So past Altrincham Library and the Eudaemonium ,'The Living Book', aka Council Vanity Project, then Papa Chino and Barberian, Moonchild Tattoo and Holly's Folly to the M6. Not long before the first registration C T0 5OOT (chimney sweep - brilliant ☺), then a van shouting 'Live Life On The Veg' (greengrocer in case you need to ask !!) and 111 OAP (surely all pensioners get ill at some point !) and 3KED (out ?)....

En route, queues for 'Christmas at Dunham Massey' and its excellent light trail, then Smart Motorway, distracting bridge signs before hitting the A5, Watling Street, then the A460 and Cannock Chase before turning off on Hemlock Way. Keys Park is just beyond the Cross Keys roundabout, opposite a business park and adjacent to the new Cherry Blossom housing development, on Keys Park Road.

I refuse to pay the £2 car park fee (tightwad !!), stopping in another new estate five minutes away (I'm not alone !!), and then it's £11 in to a modernised PRG Stadium built for better things and times... The Main Stand houses the Chase Suite and Strikers Bar, and 710 seats; opposite is the covered Wimblebury Terrace. To my right is the covered Heath Hayes End terrace, with the opposing Hednesford End hosting 301 seats alongside a disabled dugout and the club shop. With an overall capacity of 6,039 today's attendance of 354 plus one dog reveals the true extent of the stadium with huge spaces on the terraces reflecting the sparsity of the crowd - most of whom are huddled in the Main Stand.

A sign as the players enter the field announces 'Grass grows in inches. Feet kill it. Please keep off the pitch.' Hednesford are in white and black, Coalville in change all yellow - the sides are led out by mascot Pitman Pete.

Coalville start the much better, hungrier (more Ravenous ?? !) with Kalern Thomas having a shot pushed away by Andy Wycherley who is injured in the process. Shortly after a one two between Luke Shaw and Tom McGlinchey sets Shaw free but he chooses, greedily, to shoot wide, instead of squaring to Grenadan international Kairo Mitchell who has an open goal to aim at.

Thereafter Mitchell has a shot bravely saved, full on, by Wycherley and McGlinchey fizzes one just over the bar. For the hosts Andre Brown brings a good save from Ravens' keeper Saul Deeney but it's the Ravens who are flying....

Then, a minute before half time, a break from the Pitmen, Brown is fouled, the referee plays a good advantage as he manages to lay off to Danny Glover, whose perfect cross to the far post is headed back across Deeney by unmarked Jack Hallahan into the opposite corner; Hednesford lead 1-0 at the interval.

In the swirling mist and teeming rain, the goal buoys the Pitmen and in truth Coalville hardly get going in the second period so after Deeney saves well from Brown it's no surprise that the home side extend their advantage. On the hour a free kick is played to Ben O'Hanlon and his deep cross is met by home skipper Ben Bailey whose header is again directed back across Deeney, nudging the inside of the far post before nestling in the net for 2-0.

The Pitmen then manage the game well, retaining possession and stymieing the Ravens' now impotent attack. Brown has an overhead kick wide as the game draws to its conclusion.

But then Coalville substitute Tim Berridge scores with three minutes to play, tucking smartly into the bottom right hand corner and, as the small enclave of away supporters (A murder of ravens? An unkindness of ravens? A congress of ravens? Or simply a horde of ravens? You take your pick !! ) begin to believe, it's game on.

A succession of corners, Wycherley flapping at one which is diverted just beyond the post, and then the Ravens' final chance: Berridge's fierce strike is deflected over by a magnificent block by Bailey and Hednesford go through to a first round home tie with Chester.