I wanted to see Staveley play a league game at Inkersall Road as this was part of my mission of seeing the 15 Derbyshire teams that play in the top 9 tiers of English football. Staveley, although a Derbyshire team, are not affiliated to the Derbyshire FA but the Sheffield and Hallamshire FA. This is due to the fact that the club came through the Sheffield and Hallamshire league system to get to the lofty heights which they occupy today.
After squeezing into the last car parking space we entered the ground and were asked if we wanted to buy raffle tickets. We then walked a lap of the pitch and we were struck by the excellent facilities that were on offer. The bar and club shop were of a standard that would make most clubs playing two tiers higher jealous.
We downed our pints of Black Sheep and decided to watch the game by the half-way line, as opposed to with the elderly people sitting outside the club shop who looked as if they were sitting outside a café in Eastbourne as opposed to in a football ground in North Derbyshire.
The first half treated us to 3 spectacular goals, the last, by Staveley on the stroke of halftime, was quite sublime. The number 9 controlled the ball in a crowded box and, with a spinning volley, fired the ball across the keeper into the top corner.
At half time we eagerly waited for the raffle to be drawn, unfortunately our tickets weren't drawn from the hat and we didn't win the child's bike. What I would have done with said bike if I had won, I really don't know.
Staveley had the better of the second half but couldn't extend their advantage. At the final whistle we made our way from the ground along with the 132 other fans who had been entertained by a home win in a lovely little football ground.
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