Shambles, Shambles and More Shambles - But The Ice Man Cometh......

And so to the Coach and Horses, and a trip entirely funded by Northern Fail's, err failure, to provide a train service, for the alternative Steel City Derby, bizarrely taking place in Dronfield, Derbyshire (!!). The derby is between Sheffield FC and Stocksbridge Park Steels in the Northern Premier League Division One South East.

Sheffield FC's nickname is 'The Club', and they are renowned for being 'The World's First Football Club'. The club was set up by Nathaniel Creswick and William Prest on 24 October 1857 at Parkfield House in the Sheffield suburb of Highgate, although the original headquarters was a greenhouse.....

Initially Sheffield FC games were played amongst club members - 'Married v Singles', or 'Professionals v The Rest'. Creswick and Prest drew up the club's rules of play, 'The Sheffield Rules' - and along with near neighbours Hallam FC, 'The Countrymen', formed in 1860, they take part in 'The Rules derby', the oldest still contested football derby in the world. FA rules were adopted in 1878. 2nd January 1865 saw the first fixture outside Sheffield - the club playing at Nottingham in an 18 a side game under Nottingham rules. The decision was then taken to play only teams from outside Sheffield, and on 31 March 1866 they played London losing by 2 goals and 4 touchdowns to nil.

The Club entered the FA Cup in 1873, but thereafter there was a decline from the top echelon with the advent of professionalism. Sheffield FC retained its amateur status and suggested to the FA the introduction of an FA Amateur Cup, which was inaugurated in 1893 and which Sheffield won in 1904. After one season in each of the Yorkshire and Midland Leagues, the club reverted back to local leagues, before rejoining the Yorkshire League in 1949. They then joined the Northern Counties East League in 1981, before promotion to the NPL Division 1 South in 2007 - their 150th anniversary. Sheffield FC remain in Step 4.

The Club have previously played at Strawberry Hall Lane Park, Newhall Athletic ground, Old Forge, Hunters Bar, Abbeydale Park, Hillsborough Park, Owlerton and the Don Valley Stadium. Current home is the Coach & Horses ground in Dronfield, which was bought in 2001, and formerly the home of Norton Woodseats FC.

In 2004 The Club were awarded the Centennial FIFA Order of Merit for services to football and maintenance of its values - Integrity, Respect and Community; the only other recipient was Real Madrid. And in 2007 The Club was inducted into the English football hall of fame on its 150th anniversary. Sheffield currently sit 10th in the Northern Premier League Division One South East, and crowdfunding plans to return to Olive Grove in Steel City are still ongoing.

The Steels were formed in 1986 from the merger between Stocksbridge Works FC, the works team of the local British Steel plant, and another local club, Oxley Sports FC. The team joined the Northern Counties East League Division 2, and were then placed in Division 1 after a league reorganisation in 1991. The following year Steels were promoted as champions to the Premier Division, but were denied promotion, having won the league, to the Northern Premier League in 1994 because of ground grading issues. Two years later, as runners up, the club gained admission to NPL Division 1.

After finishing in the top half for 5 seasons, relegation was only just avoided the following year and this saw the appointment of Wayne Biggins as manager. He oversaw the record 17-1 win over Oldham Town in the FA Cup Preliminary Round, with Paul Jackson scoring ten - still an FA Cup record. Biggins' departure saw a succession of managers before promotion via the play offs to the NPL Premier in 2009 was achieved - with Jamie Vardy leading the line. Five years of struggle ended with relegation in 2014, with mediocrity thereafter, and Steels currently lying 8th this season.

 

An early departure and limited road action but Navigation Road provides number plates YY0 5EXY (empty and parked - unfortunately) and WH11 NOT, and then the train leaves early but arrives late before I join fellow bleary eyed travellers on the Hope Valley Line - a shouty walking group and multiple piercings being my main recollections. On to Marple where there is a blue plaque in honour of Agatha Christie and Miss Marple, and then New Mills and the Torrs Millennium.

Thereafter Strines, Chinley, glorious Derbyshire countryside, murk at Edale, Hope, Bamford, Hathersage, Grindleford, Dore & Totley, The Hardy Pick pub and then Steel City - needless to say the train is late but so is my Northern connection to Dronfield, whose station celebrates its 150th anniversary on 1st February 2020, complete with pit tub on rail track memorial.

Dronfield is home to Fat Sams, Killer Byte, Mucky Pups, Café Tiere, The Forge Boutique Shopping at Dronfield and the William Lea Ladle opposite 'The Home of Football' . Not forgetting the pubs of the Dronfield Arms (home of Hopjacker Brewery), craft beers at The Underdog, The White Swan but sadly The Bridge is a bridge too far....

That takes me to the Coach & Horses, the pub ten minutes from the station, next to the football ground and owned by The Club with Thornbridge ales on tap; I sample pints of Brother Rabbit and Shambles, whilst fellow supporters are entirely dismissive of 'Dry January' and 'Veguanary'..... 

£9 in, a decent crowd of 416, and inside reveals to my left The Barrett Steel Community Stand, an all seater affair behind the goal; that end also supports the clubhouse, club shop, bar, hot food and the changing rooms. On the right is a covered 3 step terrace leading to a massive pile of leaves and another cordoned off area. Opposite is a walkway, plastic sheeting highlighting 'The Home of Football' and behind which is the railway line and the busy A61.

 The teams are piped on, appropriately, by The Human League with a guard of honour for Club legend Matt Roney who recently made his 500th appearance for Sheffield FC. The Club are in red and black, Steels in yellow and blue.

Within 30 seconds Jonathan Hedge is palming over Steels' Scott Ruthven's rasping drive, and less than a minute later the Club win a corner from which an unmarked Rob Darkin heads in for 1-0.

Thereafter it's all Sheffield; Lee Cooksey's header at another corner causes pandemonium, Jacob Carney, in the away goal, just keeps out Marc Newsham's shot, debutant Sheldon Jordan goes close three times and Rieves Boocock wreaks havoc on the wing. At the other end Nenad Smiljanic volleys wide.

The second period sees The Club become a shambles, creating little, coughing up possession and sitting deeper and deeper; Steels' injury ravaged side sense they can get something out of this derby.

'Sir Jonathan' Hedge somehow manages to save from Ruthven, and then produces an extraordinary tip aside - the away supporters already celebrating an equaliser. But it's been coming and with 9 minutes left, a corner breaks for ' Ice Man' Danny Frost six yards out and he draws the sides level.

In the final minute of injury time the Club fashion one final chance but, disappointingly, Newsham's free header from close in drifts wide and it finishes 1-1. Needless to say the Northern experience going home is another shambles....