Swanwick Pentrich Road 1-3 Cromford (Midland Regional Alliance, Premier Division)

Swanwick Football Club was formed in 1965 by a few local people. The club first played in the Matlock League and then moved to the Derby Combination and on to the Derbyshire Premier Division One which was won by the Swans in 1978/79. They then went on to play in the Central Midlands League One, then after a few seasons they moved to the Midlands Regional Alliance Division One. They won the title in 1989 and were promoted to the Premier League where they currently compete.

From Nottingham Victoria I got a Rainbow One to Ripley High Street. Walk further up the High Street to the Market Place and get the Trent 9.1 to Mansfield. Get off after 5 minutes at the Church on Derby Rd, Swanwick. Its about 15 minutes walk to the ground. Follow the bus up Derby Road to The Green, turn left and carry on walking past the roundabout onto Pentrich Road. Carry on until you get to Highfield Road, at the end of this road is the ground.A bus returns from Swanwick Church 17.04pm number 90 or 9.2 at 17.09 heading for Derby but get off at Ripley. From Ripley a Rainbow One to Nottm leaves 17.20 arr 18.20.

Admission - Free, Programme - NO, Tea/Coffee 50p, crisps 50p

Tidy little ground. No floodlights but has two covered stands. One for standing the other seating. Both of these are on the dugout side of the pitch. This is where the only hard standing is located, unless you count the shale car park behind the changing room end. The opposite end has a training pitch area.

The visitors, wearing red, took an early second minute lead. Kyle Johnson played a lovely through ball splitting the defence for Billy Lobley to run on and beat the keeper. Four minutes later Craig Rogers, the Swanwick keeper, produced a brilliant tip over save. There was not a lot of quality football but Cromford were the better side for most of the first half. It was 19 minutes before Swanwick had an attempt at goal but on 32 minutes it took a last ditch tackle by a Cromford defender to save an equaliser. Swanwick's Rogers made two fine reaction saves to keep the score at 0-1 at half time.

Cromford came out fighting in the second half but it took a slice of good luck on the 50th minute to put them 2-0 up. Left back, Scott Rider miss hit a cross which flew into the top corner of the Swanwick net. Swanwick came back at Cromford and had their best period of possession in the game. In a good twenty minute period they had three headers go close. On 71 minutes the pressure paid off when a penalty was awarded for handball. Richard Jeffreys converted the resulting spot kick. Cromford fought back and a 25 yard effort was well saved by Rogers and a little later Cromfords Kyle Johnson beat two defenders in the area but put his shot wide. Craig Rogers should have seen red on 90 minutes when the keeper rushed out of his area and chopped down a Cromford striker. Unbelievably the Referee just had a word with him. As time drifted into time added on Cromfords number eight beat his marker outside the area and shot past Rogers. FT 1-3

                                 Click on photo to enlarge