TT No.24: Andy Gallon - Wed 18th August 2010; Sherburn White Rose v Whitkirk Wanderers;             West Yorkshire League Prem Div; Res: 0-0; Att: 62 (h/c); Admission: Free; Programme: None; FGIF Match Rating: *

Matchday images (24) http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/footballgroundsinfocus/SherburnWhiteRoseFC   Never, in a hopping context, change your mind at the last minute. Go with that first instinct. Stick with the chosen match. How many times have I told myself that? Mid-afternoon, I was all set for a short drive from York to watch Boroughbridge’s derby with Knaresborough Town in the West Yorkshire League Premier Division. Late afternoon, looking for an even shorter drive and anxious to avoid yet another tedious journey on the traffic-clogged westbound A59, I switched my focus to Sherburn White Rose’s match, another clash of local rivals, against Whitkirk Wanderers in the same division. Bad decision. Really bad decision. Sherburn and Whitkirk played out a bore draw of stupefying dullness. An unbelievably dire 0-0. Wholly lacking in excitement, skill and interest. Utterly woeful. And then, to really rub the salt in, I got home to discover on the league website I’d missed out on a six-goal thriller at Boroughbridge. You live and learn, eh?   It’d be nice to think better things are ahead for Sherburn this season because it marks the club’s 50th anniversary. Mind you, topping the 2009-10 campaign will be tough. White Rose finished runners-up in the Premier Division, retained the League Cup and lifted the Barkston Ash District FA Cup. Victims of their own success, several of that squad left over the summer for higher level clubs. The most notable departure was Adam Priestley, last season’s leading scorer, to Evo-Stick Leaguers Garforth Town.   Sherburn’s ground, adjacent to the A162 Tadcaster-Ferrybridge road and fringed attractively with mature trees, is typical of the West Yorkshire League. That is to say there’s no cover, no floodlights, no hardstanding and all but no seats. There’s a railed-off sloping pitch, tiny dug-outs and a very decent brick clubhouse. Most of the facilities date from 2003, when the club secured a substantial Football Foundation grant. The clubhouse contains a bar, function room, kitchen and four changing rooms. There’s plenty of spare room at the east end and along much of the south side to erect stands should that become a requirement in the future.   Don’t be fooled by the existing lights mounted on a mixture of masts and wooden posts. They are for training only. White Rose hope to have permanent lights fairly soon, and harbour ambitions to join the Northern Counties East League. Their location away from potential foot soldiers of the NIMBY brigade ought to help. So might a community involvement extending to junior sides from under-eight to under-18, along with teams for seniors, veterans, girls and women. The White Rose Sports & Social Club, shared with tennis (two all-weather courts) and bowls (one green), is on the northern edge of the village and bounded on three sides by fields. On this unexpectedly sunny evening (well, July and August have been terrible in Yorkshire and the forecast indicated more rain), those fields echoed to the seasonal buzz of hay making as vast contraptions forged up and down. Up and down. Up and down. Up and down. How boring must it be to drive one of those things every day in the summer?   Not so much of a buzz on the pitch, I’m afraid. It’s really quite depressing to see such a poor game this early in the season. Whitkirk, from the east side of Leeds, really ought to have won. They made the best of what few chances there were. Paul Graham hit a post from 10 yards in the first half. In the second, he beat two defenders and then somehow stabbed his shot wide from even closer. That apart, there’s very little to say. Sherburn, without Priestley leading their front line, barely mustered a shot on target.   I was praying for the final whistle from the opening moments of the second half. At least referee Joe Goodwin’s climactic blast heralded a bit of excitement. Whitkirk’s Glenn Wood, who, for no justifiable reason I could fathom, had been goaded by one lad among the home fans throughout the second 45 minutes. Instead of making for the dressing rooms, Wood strode over and challenged his tormentor to a fight. Response was there none. Not a whisper. Nothing to say, all of a sudden. Now, you won’t catch me condoning this sort of behaviour from a player, but I had some sympathy for Wood. I’m just glad it didn’t escalate into something really unpleasant. Object lesson: We all need to engage our brains a bit more before opening our mouths. Especially at football games where the crowd is so sparse, the players hear every single word. I’ll be seeing Wood, and Whitkirk, again this season because, after a short break, the club have resumed programme production. Let’s hope it’s a better spectacle next time!

contributed on 19/08/10