Written by Emma
Ground #30
DSM Memorial Ground – Penistone Church FC
Saturday 29st January 2022 – NCEL Premier Division (Step 5)
Penistone Church 1-0 Bottesford Town
Attendance: 202
Entry: £5
Have no fear as Emma is here! I’m back with my first blog of 2022. I’m sure you’ll all love it!
Penistone Church FC were formed in 1906 and have spent much of their existence at a lower level. In 2014 the club gained promotion into the NCEL 1st division and just 4 years later won the play offs to get to their current step 5 level. The club currently have the highest average attendance in the league and after a decent couple of seasons look to be a solid top half side within the division. It will be interesting to see if they can gain another promotion in the next season or 2 to get up to new heights never seen before by the club
Today they came up against a side we have seen a few times this season, and my hometown team Bottesford Town. The club have been struggling with injuries and covid of late and have been ploughing on with a very young side in recent weeks. Today was going to be a tough test for them against in form Church.
The hosts started the game on top but both teams were really struggling to deal with the conditions as 50mph plus winds were blowing across the ground. Every time the ball went aerial the wind took hold and the ball would fly out of play. The closest either side got in the 1st half was when Bottesford won a couple of corners in close succession with both almost being blown straight into the Penistone net!
0-0 at half time and the wind was certainly the only winner so far!
We were worried for Bottesford as in the second half they were shooting against the wind, but they came out on the front foot creating the first few real chances of the game. The best being when the striker took the ball around the keeper only to see his shot cleared off the line.
That was as good as it got for the Poachers though as Penistone then began to take charge. The hosts dragged a shot just wide and moments later a great save prevented them from taking the lead. From the resulting corner though, they got their goal.
The Bottesford players were visibly gutted after working so hard for so long and this turned to frustration as one of their players was later sin binned. With a player less they struggled to get back into the game and the match petered out.
You’d have to say a deserved win for the hosts in a game ruined by the strong winds.
Now to rate our experience at the DSM Memorial Ground:
Location: 8/10
Penistone is a Market Town in South Yorkshire with a population of around 23,000 people. The town itself is famous as it has its very own breed of sheep called the Whitefaced Woodland! Bet you didn’t think you’d be learning that from Emma’s Ground Guide today did you!!!!
The Memorial Ground is located centrally within the town, very close to the train station. It is also less than a ten minute walk from the Town’s main street which is home to a number of pubs and takeaways.
Kit: 4/10
Penistone’s kit is a classic combination of black and white stripes with black shorts and socks. Although smart enough it was an average template design from Nike and nothing to write home about. As is quite often the case with striped kits, the sponsor was difficult to make out which is always a shame, especially in non-league when the sponsor is usually a small business helping their local team.
Facilities: 8/10
The bar at the ground is located behind one of the goals and is a large room which is nicely decorated. We especially liked the fact that one of the walls included pictures of the team and players from former seasons including photos from when the team played a cup final at Bramall Lane, home of Sheffield United.
As you’ll see below there was a great selection of drinks available from the bar, as well as a pool table and darts board so plenty to keep you occupied before and after the match. The club also had a small shed near the corner flag which sold bottled beers and club merchandise.
Look: 7/10
The main feature of the ground is the main stand which includes space for standing and 100 seated supporters. The stand is a solid brick-built structure which was tested to its limits in todays weather. It did the job brilliantly as we were shielded nicely from the strong winds. From this stand you also have nice views of the surrounding Yorkshire hills.
The rest of the ground is open with just hard standing around the other three sides. We both commented on the fact that the club had put the effort into making much of the ground black and white to match the clubs kit which is always a good touch, and we love seeing details like that thought about when designing a ground.
Food and Drink: 7.5/10
At today’s game we opted for a cheeseburger each and a large tray of chips to share. All this came to just £8.00. I love Yorkshire! The burger was pretty standard, but we were both very pleased to have the option of onions which we of course both accepted! Chips at the football can often be underwhelming, but that certainly wasn’t the case today. The portion was, as the name suggested, large and the chips were crispy and well cooked.
The bar included a fantastic selection of beers and ciders on tap, and not just your usual carling and strongbow either. Max enjoyed a Staropramen whilst I went for a coors. To my delight though, just as we were about to walk out into the horrific weather, I spotted out of the corner of my eye PINT CANS OF DARK FRUITS in the fridge behind the bar! Yes please! Bonus half point coming your way!
TOTAL SCORE 34.5/50
Penistone Church are a club we had been meaning to visit for a while and we were glad to finally tick the ground off. It was such a shame that we will remember the day more for the weather than the friendly welcome we received at the club. The game was short on quality due to the ridiculously high winds and that was a shame. I was also very disappointed that their was no Church anywhere near the ground! The club need to be done for false advertising!
We both enjoyed our visit though and will hopefully return on a nicer day!
If you would like to see where this places Penistone Church in our Non League Leaderboard click here: NON LEAGUE
If you’d like to see the football league grounds we have visited click here: The 92
Emma’s Ground Guide 