Frickley Athletic FC – Westfield Lane

Jimmy Muir
Jan 1, 2022
3 min read

Updated: Nov 13, 2022

The Premier League may give you the glitz and glamour that you desire but the less than lucrative world of non-league can give you that little something extra. Firstly, weather permitting, you’re more or less guaranteed a Saturday 3 PM kick-off. Non-league clubs treat their fans as supporters and not customers.

With my clubs New Year Day fixture frustratingly postponed due to Covid-19, I was sure to make sure that I began 2022 with a football match, and opted to take in Frickley Athletic versus Worksop Town, who both compete in the Northern Premier League East Division, some three promotions away from Football League Two.

Frickley Athletic v Worksop Town Saturday, 1st January 2022

The journey to Westfield Lane proved to be my second visit after visiting on 2nd January 2012 against Whitby Town, and I found that little had changed, though I was impressed that the main stand now had seating installed, as to its previous wooden benches, but was disappointed that the mural that decorated the supporters club wall is now long gone. Thankfully, I had taken a picture of this on my first visit (see below). The West Yorkshire club have also taken considerable lengths to invest in facilities and have built a new purpose-built dressing room behind the goal that presents itself as neatly.

The Blues were formed in 1910 and have called Westfield Lane home since formation, although the ground pre-exists the club and was used as early as 1904 for cycling. The main stand was opened in 1929 and has perhaps seen better days but is aliquant for now amongst the tight purse strings that are the non-league. Three promotions into the glorious world of the Football League doesn’t seem too distant, but the quality of football on show suggests that both sides are light years away from achieving this goal, though Worksop would be the likeliest based on this offering. Not because they won by a single goal, that was scored in the opening ten minutes, but they seemed more organised and had a fluid style of play, rather than Athletic’s kick and rush approach. Worksop also cracked the bar in the first half as they attempted to double their advantage. Frickley were mere passengers in the first 45 minutes and came out stronger in the second half. They failed to muster any meaningful attacks on goal, except a rare breakaway that was the ball chipped over the onrushing keeper and fall agonisingly wide of goal.

Tensions rose in the final fifteen minutes of the match with both sides being aggressively frustrated. An extravagance of injury time was added on due to an injury to the Town keeper who, I believe was taken to hospital (and later confirmed as fit and well), with the visitors playing out the final minutes with an outfield player in goal, who did well to thwart any Frickley attempts.

At £10.00 a ticket for adults it was an enjoyable visit. As much as I enjoy watching the Premier League and Football League, non-league football is the bread and butter of the beautiful game and should be enjoyed in all its glory. No doubt I will visit Westfield Lane again, maybe it will have changed again by my next visit, but maybe I ought to not leave it a decade until my next adventure into West Yorkshire.

Images from visit on 1st January 2022 v Worksop Town