From Glanford Park To Here - North Ferriby United vs. Hednesford Town

Hednesford going forward with The Humber Bridge in the distance

For my 500th ground we made the short trip over the Humber Bridge for North Ferriby United against Hednesford Town in The Northern Premier Division. My first ever ground was Glanford Park (thankfully it was only uphill from there) for a match with Scarborough which they won 3-1. It's been a great endeavour visiting new places and seeing the great variety of grounds, food, etc across the country and beyond. For today's match North Ferriby found themselves at the bottom of the table, eight points from safety. Things were also going badly for the visitors who had lost their last four league games.

Kick off at Grange Road

Hednesford start by having a lot of the ball but the nearest they come early on is when a good cross is blocked before getting in to the danger zone. North Ferriby are then played in on goal following a good passage of play but the player loses their footing at the vital moment. They come close again as the attacker is able to flick the ball on target as a result of a decent lofted ball, forcing the keeper in to a good save. The visitors take the lead just before half time when the ball hits the woodwork and the referee says the ball has crossed the line and Hednesford go in one up.

Hednesford attacking the allotment end

At the start of the second half, there is a big let off for North Ferriby when a header from a good cross hits the post and goes out to safety. North Ferriby then begin their best period of the match, putting the visitors under sustained pressure. They look a lot more confident and when the forward gets in behind the defence he maybe takes just too long, allowing the defender to get a block in. They are given a away back in to the match as the Hednesford player blocks a powerful shot from the edge of the box his hand and the penalty is buried to level the match. A couple of balls fall to North Ferriby players on the edge of the box but every time the shots miss the target. It then looks they'll be punished for missing these chances when Hednesford are awarded a penalty for a clumsy challenge in the box. However, the North Ferriby  goalie pulls off a fantastic save low to his right to keep the scores level. The game does not sadly finish that way. In the final minute of injury, the Hednesford player gets past the full back and his cross is forced in at the back post to give The Pitmen the win.

North Ferriby sight of goal in the first half

As with the other two games up north this Christmas, it is pretty easy to get to North Ferriby from London. The first leg is a train to Doncaster from Kings Cross and from there you can take the train to Ferriby. Assuming there are no strikes from Northern staff (like the last twenty weekends) then journey takes just under three hours and the ground is just round the corner. Another option would be to go direct to Hull and catch a bus. If you are driving then it is street parking only. Before the game we visited The Duke of Cumberland which had a choice of ales as well as the sports channels. The clubhouse had limited choice of drinks but still provided welcome shelter from the cold and everyone in the village as well as the club were very friendly. On to the next five hundred!

Action in front of the clubhouse