Dronfield Town 1-1 Clipstone

Dronfield Town 1-1 Clipstone

Pre-Season Friendly

Thursday 7th July 2022

And... we're back again!

What better way to kick off the blog for another season than with a trip just down the road to one of those awkward places which has a Sheffield postcode and is vehemently considered by some people to be part of the Steel City, but is actually in Derbyshire.

Thankfully, I didn't buy a South Yorkshire Day Tripper ticket otherwise it would probably have led to a hotly contested debate with a train guard about Dronfield's geographical boundaries at some point en route, but with one of my intentions for this season being to visit the remaining grounds in the Northern Counties East League which I've not yet been to, it was a 'no brainer' to get this one done nice and early.

The summer weather couldn't have been better plus ANYTHING is better right now than another night indoors watching the latest episode of the Downing Street soap opera shenanigans!

Unlike Westminster, which has had an infestation of rats for many years, Dronfield is the polar opposite and not so long ago it was considered to be amongst 'the 10 most desirable places to live' or, as locals might say, 'it's the posh part of Sheffield'. The club have been part of the NCEL since the 2013/14 season and although they haven't finished above 6th or ever looked like they might 'kick on' and get promoted, they're nowadays a staple of the division. They used to groundshare with Sheffield FC at The Coach & Horses Ground, only about a mile away, before getting their own facility in the mid-2010s.

On the pitch, themselves and Clipstone are familiar foes who've played each other quite a bit in the NCEL over the past decade - infact their last meeting was as recently as February when Dronfield won 3-1.

Despite the fact Clippo only finished above 'whipping boys' Teversal last term and got walloped themselves on several occasions, they actually avoided relegation to the Central Midlands League and instead were transferred to the United Counties League (Division One) when the divisions for the upcoming season were finalised at the infamous 'AGM Cup' over the summer. It's ironic, considering just how bad Clippo were for the majority of 2021/22, that the lateral move should benefit them as the UCL at Step 6 probably isn't as strong as it's NCEL equivalent... or at least that's my interpretation anyway!

Their attack in this game was led by a certain Jordan Ball (famous for being in that small batch of footballers who scored on their professional debut as he did for Doncaster Rovers this time 10 years ago). He is a new recruit for Clippo's new start and happened to be the only player on either team who I actually recognised.

It has to be said the game wasn't the greatest. Perhaps it was down to the fact both teams were wearing their away colours and it was 'different' (who knows?) but for large swathes there wasn't very much in the way of goalmouth action and it seemed that a 0-0 draw would be the most likely outcome.

Even though pre-season is just all about match fitness and getting ready for when the real games begin, Dronfield had more possession and created the better openings. Whilst they were the more adventurous team they were also profligate infront of goal and when they did register the occasional shot on target, Clipstone's young 'keeper was always on hand to do his job and keep the ball out. 

What the visitors lacked in fluidity, they made up for in endeavour and it's that character which got them a draw that was probably a fair enough outcome.

After a goalless first half followed by a couple of balls being lost over the trees in the early stages after the re-start, Dronfield finally broke the deadlock via the penalty spot on 67 minutes. A visiting defender was judged to have handled inside the box, the referee was just yards away and showed no hesitancy in pointing to the spot. Matty Ord duly stepped up and put his shot low into the far-left corner just beyond the 'keeper's dive who might have kept it out had the shot not been so accurate.

Clippo weren't to be defeated though and about five minutes later they got back on level terms (albeit fortuitously) as Leighton Platts' intended cross into the area took a wild deflection off a defender sending it goalwards and into the net beyond a wrong-footed Dronfield 'keeper.

The game could have gone either way after the equaliser as things opened to a large degree with a scruffy effort being cleared in the nick of time at one end before Clippo couldn't convert in what initially looked to be a promising one on one at the other, less than two minutes later.

A picturesque backdrop of a red sky was the setting for the final few minutes and with no further goals both teams ought to be content with their night's work in preparation for the new season.

This visit to Dronfield, coupled with Hall Road Rangers' sudden resignation from the NCEL this evening, means I've now got 13 grounds to visit at this level and all being well the next one on the list should be newly promoted Wakefield in the next few weeks.