Ilkeston FC v Belper Town - FA Cup - 22Sep12

... well I got there in the end  - about ten minutes into the game after busting the proverbial gut to get finished as early a poss at work.  However the problems were only just beginning ...

Set up my (snapper) stall - only to be accosted by the 50/50 draw ticket seller.  Whilst fumbling for the requisite quid ... Belper scored - aargh !  Within minutes I was further accosted by two stewards ... "Have you got permission ?? You can't take photographs here without permission" ... UUHH ?? So ... I had to wander round to talk/grovel to some official before being allowed to continue.  Sparked up a ciggie, half thinking I'd be told to put that out as well (and at half-time whilst having a quick pint of Pedigree - only £2-60 mind - I saw a sign above the door that said "This is a designated NON-SMOKING STADIUM" - bleedin' hell - bring back Ilkeston Town FC I say).  With all this kerfuffle going on, the first half pretty much passed my camera by.  There were stewards all over the place - far too many in my eyes; it seems that whilst the club has been "reborn"(pleased in that sense as I've a few mates down there who were having to struggle with watching Heanor Town !!), they are now a little bit "up themselves" - to put it politely.

The game was a "melange" of missed chances and defensive errors leading to goals.  Belper will be happy with a replay I reckon - they could have lost it right at the death - and naturally they'll go into that replay knowing the draw for the next round ... pictures to be found at

Ilkeston FC 2 Belper Town 2 (FA Cup)

Game over - and unfortunately no time for a beer in Ilkeston - time for a chat with Ken (Belper "reserve snapper" behind Tim - aka "Snapper" - who'd been doing a wedding that day).  He too had been told "NO PHOTOGRAPHY"  - so had kept his gleaming new 5D in its bag. (Just hope Belper give similar grief to any Ilson snappers at Tuesday's replay - that'll learn 'em !!). Zig-Zagged back into Derby (FYI - a "ZigZag" is a cheap day bus ticket and nothing to do with my state of mind at 1700 hrs - I'd only had the one at half-time !) before catching a bus out to Milford - I was heading towards the "Holly Bush" in Makeney where Mrs Smiffy, her sister and a couple of other friends were knocking back small bottles of wine at an alarming rate (table was littered with 'em when I got there) !!   However I was slightly delayed in Milford due to a sign above the "King William" ... the sign said "BEER FESTIVAL" ... and walking past a beer festival is tantamount to treason ... so after a half of "Strike" - Atomic Brewery, Rugby (3.6%) and a half of "Chimera" - Downton Brewery Salisbury (6.8% !! dangerously quaffable as well !!) I headed up to t'other pub.  Beers, back to sister-in-laws for food, sleep, breakfast, walk up and down the Cromford Canal (a few pix to follow no doubt) - and then drive home, do pix and now this.

Great to see Mossley still top of the league after a 2-1 win at Radcliffe Borough !!  Droylsden and the "two Ashtons" bowed out of the FA Cup whilst Stalybridge Celtic progressed with a 1-0 win over Vauxhall Motors.   The other good news is that a plasterer turned up at our gaff today and did another room - so tomorrow night sees tidy up room - more skirting board etc rather than Curzon Ashton v Prescot Cables I'm afraid.  Tuesday sees Hyde at home to Alfreton Town (another of those Derbyshire clubs where I know a few of the opposition fans ) - so I'll be doing that one !
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