10/04/2026
Friday 27th March saw Hathersage FC return to play in The Cup Final, and, after literally no demand whatsoever, a return of the match report.
It has been a long time since Hathersage FC have enjoyed such a strong and consistent run of good form, and the reward for this season's effort was a place in the Derbyshire Junior Cup Final where they would face Glossop North End Community Club.
Most cup finals are played at a neutral ground, somewhere between the two competing teams, giving neither a homefield advantage. So, where would Hathersage Vs Glossop be played? Exactly. Glossop. Where else? As it happens Glossop North End reached the final of this competition last season where it was played at the same ground.
Some brown envelopes must have been passed between themselves and the Derbyshire FA for this to happen again, or which is probably more likely, the pitch is so good that it would be a crime to play it elsewhere.
Cup finals are an occasion many players go their whole lives without being involved in and they can do weird and wonderful things to a person. A game that has been played a thousand times before suddenly becomes an enormous mental obstacle that requires serious preparation for some. Others just need to make sure their boots are in the place they left them after last week's game.
With the team's WhatsApp group working overtime in the days leading up to the final fielding inspirational quotes, motivational messages, fitness plans, dietary regimes, transport logistics, Wickes' parking being substandard and, possibly most importantly of all, who is bringing the Deep Heat, not to mention a last minute trip to Sports Direct to ensure there were enough socks for everyone to play in, Hathersage seemed to be full of spirit and togetherness before they stepped onto the biggest stage of the season so far.
As the sun dropped behind the Pennines so did the temperature, something that the floodlights seemed to amplify with their pale glow. Unsurprisingly, it was in the warm pitch-side bar where some o̶l̶d̶ familiar faces were spotted while the teams were doing their best to warm up on the turf.
Jonny Wilson, Mark Barnett, and Jonathan Fletcher were enjoying the pre-match atmosphere in the presence of the trophy that took pride of place on a nearby table, surrounded by historic photographs of Glossop teams gone by. I was lucky enough to catch a quick word from an historic figure from Hathersage's past when, between mouthfuls of mild, Jonny Wilson remarked, 'This is much better than the tea I have to make myself at our ground. Oh, yeah - good luck, lads!'
Inspirational.
After taking a walk around the playing surface and seeing just how uneven it actually was, thoughts went to what kind of football was going to played in such an important game. It must be noted that the pitch was not as good as was expected for a cup final. It seemed like the prize for winning the final last season was a gift voucher for Wickes that had been spent on sand, before realising they didn't have enough left for something to make the pitch level, or at least smooth! But, as the old phrase goes, 'It's the same for both teams.'
Seeing more faces associated with Hathersage filling the stands and hearing some young fans trying to find out which players had the same number on their shirt as they did really helped raise the spirits and added to the positive energy within the Asgard Engineering Stadium.
Half past seven arrived and the Hathersage players returned to the changing room for any last minute preparation. Not to mention a few dozen extra clichés.
Now, if you have never had the misfortune to be in a grassroots football team's changing room you might not relate to what I am going to say next, but believe me, you could smell that room a mile off. The message about Deep Heat was obviously the one that got the biggest response in the group chat. Anyone would have thought they were sponsored by them.
Some last minute encouragement from team members of past and present, and it was time to get the game faces on. If they weren't ready now, they never would be.
Led out by Club Captain, Christian Barnett, the pride was felt by everyone connected to the club as the boys in claret and blue strode confidently onto the pitch for the additional pomp and ceremony of having the starting line-ups read out over the loudspeakers, with each name on the Hathersage team being greeted by excited cheers from the crowd.
The captains met in the centre circle and the order of things was decided by the traditional coin toss. Glossop to kick off.
This was it. Game on.
Glossop started brightly and were soon showing signs of a dangerous attack down the left, only for Jack(ie Chan) Duffy to show he couldn't have taken 'let them know you're there early doors' any more literally when he leapt through the air to scissor the winger around thigh height to halt his progress.
These days it seems referees are influenced by the noises from the crowd, but not this one. Not yet anyway. With an arm around Duffy's shoulders, and a wry smile on his face, the 'Don't do it again' instruction could be inferred by all corners of the ground.
The early momentum was with the team from Glossop but they were finding it difficult to break down the defensive unit in the shape of Jack Duffy, Christian Barnett, Graham Watson, and Callum Tremayne, and when they did manage to get a sight on goal, Sean Owens offered a safe pair of hands and managed to get a decent save under his belt in the first few minutes which is always good to see off any remaining nerves.
Going forward and Hathersage had plenty of options: Gorgeous George on the Left, Jack Spears and Cam Brizland in the middle, and Ellis Melia on the right, and it was nice to see Ellis being able to go for more than 70 minutes these days!
Up front they had Tom Blacksell, and Josh Chappell who both had pace to burn and were proving very effective outlets to relieve any pressure.
The bobbly pitch wasn't helping any smooth football to be played and there was a fair bit of 'shin ball' going on. Wild and slash sound like they could have been performing at the half time show, but there were plenty of occasions when they were on show in the first period.
Spears and Spoons were also working overtime in midfield.
A huge call for a penalty went begging as the referee waved away the claims, almost catching Josh Chappel’s eye in mid-air as he finally landed in the box. The fact that the game was recorded and, as you would expect, a review of the footage confirms the assault occurred well within the penalty area, has not gone unnoticed. VAR was obviously not being used tonight.
It was looking like Glossop were going to open the scoring after around 25 minutes of frenetic play when a cross from the left was met by the head of the striker, only to be expertly save by Owens who then proceeded to by-pass everyone with a long punt up field.
The bounce deceived one central defender for Glossop, and the other did what no Hathersage player could, or wanted to do, and passed it straight to Chapell who was a few yards outside the penalty area. From there, he took one touch to get it out from his feet, then lobbed it perfectly over the floundering 'keeper and into the goal to put Hathersage into the lead and spark amazing scenes of celebration and loud cheering from the sidelines and the stands alike.
Now, you are never more susceptible to conceding a goal than just after scoring one, so the concentration levels had to be spot on, and, following some assuring guidance from Captain Barnett, the Hathersage team didn't let anything slip and continued in the same way they had before the goal. They were growing into the game.
I say they didn't let anything slip, anything that is, except the ball the slipped down Jack Duffy's face after an attempted diving header following an agricultural clearance from the Glossop centre back. As the ball dropped out of the sky Duffy bravely flung himself towards it, only to have the ball slide down his face and bounce so close to him that he was lucky it didn't hit him in the face again on the way back up. Pure poetry.
The game to'd and fro'd and several chances to expose the shaky Glossop 'keeper came and went. Chances that made some former Hathersage goalkeepers in the crowd feel relief that they perhaps weren't that bad, but then shudder when they were reminded that, on some occasions, they really were.
I read a brief report from the Glossop side of the Snake Pass, and it suggested, 'the Blues controlled much of the game.' Now, if by 'controlled' they meant being run ragged by the likes of Gorgeous George, Blacksell, and Chapelll, losing out in challenges to Tremayne, Melia, Spears, and Barnett, being out-jumped by Watson, multiple drops by the goalkeeper, and inviting the only booking of the game for repeated fouls, then yes, they definitely controlled it.
It was looking like Hathersage would see halftime in being a goal to the good, but a clever ball over their back line saw the Glossop striker lift the ball over the out-rushing Owens and bounce over the line, agonisingly close to Barnett's outstretched foot. Sickening cheers from the Glossop supporters, and the worst possible time to concede.
The fourth official raised his board to signal a single minute of additional time, much to the delight of the crowd - but this was due to the sight of the digital board and the fourth official's big moment coming, not because of the number of minutes added as this game had just about sparked into life.
Cliché time arrived with the scores being level at 1-1.
Back into the eye-stingingly aromatic environment of the changing room and the feeling was mixed. Disappointment at being level, but as equally encouraged by the effort being put in and the fight being shown.
Player manager Owens was full of praise for his team, as was Captain Barnett, as the clichés flowed freely. Everybody was full of spirit and ready to go back out for the second half.
However.
Being the final, the half time break was fifteen minutes. This amount of time was only usually given when a certain referee had f̶o̶r̶g̶o̶t̶t̶e̶n̶ ̶w̶h̶e̶r̶e̶ ̶h̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶s̶ been given three cups of tea by Jonny Wilson and usually left both teams standing out on the pitch waiting for him to re-emerge.
This extra time was used by squeezing out what little Deep Heat there was left in the tubes, refilling the water bottles, and going through some more motivational clichés.
The second half began.
Hathersage had the kick off and the pattern of play resumed with a few shinners and wild hacks from various members of both teams, followed almost inexplicably by some genuinely good bits of football which, I believe, player manager Owens had described as, 'Joga Bonita', whoever he is...
A few highlights of this were some typically dynamic runs by Tom Blacksell. Some tenacious pressing by Josh Chapppel. A cameo appearance from the stand-in Hathersage Physio who ran ambled on to help Chappell un-twist an eyelash with some magic water. The Glossop physio showing what last season’s prize money had really been spent on when they revealed an actual first aid kit containing some of that magic spray, amongst other useful bits of kit, not just a mismatched collection of water bottles. And a ball roll straight from the streets of Rio de Janeiro by Jack Duffy. This piece of skill had such an impact that it caused the Glossop fans to exclaim, 'Ooh! He's the next Messi!' and then tore into their team's player for being skinned. It also gave the three well oiled 'ladies' on the sideline something else to cackle and shriek about, much to everybody's joy.
There were more chances created by both sides and the game was finely balanced. Tremayne and Watson were working well together on the left side of the Hathersage defence ensuring any attacks were broken up nicely and the ball being played into Spears and Brizland in the middle for them to perform some d̶e̶s̶p̶e̶r̶a̶t̶e̶ ̶l̶u̶n̶g̶e̶s̶ well timed tackles and through-balls up to the strikers. Gorgeous George was enjoying plenty of the ball and made a number of adventurous runs down the wing, and his counterpart on the opposite side, Melia, was proving a match for the Glossop left back with some dangerous runs of his own.
There was a collective twitch within the Hathersage camp following a Glossop corner from the right that was met well on the volley at the edge of the box. This shot was gallantly saved on the line by Barnett's larynx which, amazingly, bounced the ball a good eight yards away where it was met by another shot which Owens was able to parry for Barnett to use hit foot this time to clear the ball a little more effectively.
The time then came for the pre-arranged substitutions to be made, with Melia making way for Jacob Percival, and Tremayne being replaced by Ryan Burnett, much to their delight when they saw their numbers being held up in lights. Both substitutes had pace to burn, and they left Hathersage in no weaker position than before.
Having said that though, shortly after the changes had been made, Glossop won a corner on the right. The ball came in and was met with a strong header from around the penalty spot. The initial effort was saved by Owens, but the block bounced out and was met by the soft spot on the top of a Glossop player's head and made its way into the goal, causing more nauseating cheers and shrieks from the home team's bench, and a childish pile on in the Hathersage penalty area.
With less than a quarter of the game to go Hathersage had to find something from somewhere or the trophy would be g̶o̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶t̶o̶ staying in Glossop.
Both substitutes had hit the ground running, with Percival making some excellent covering tackles, and Burnett causing the tiring Glossop defence some problems with his pace.
The battle in midfield was never ending with Spears, s̶p̶o̶o̶n̶s̶ Brizland, and Gorgeous George giving everything they had, and behind them, Barnett, Watson and Duffy still putting in the hard yards.
It was some fancy footwork from Gorgeous George that won Hathersage a corner on the left. Blacksell sent it in, or at least near, to be met by Barnett's flick on. This flick on rolled down the arm of a Glossop defender where it landed near Spears' feet to be fired home. However, Spears’ fierce shot was also blocked by some Glossop feet, which turned out to be a perfect lay off for Burnett, who made no mistake and finished well from all of 4 yards.
The cries of relief could be heard from metres away and the Hathersage team were enjoying what their hard work had deserved. Some particularly interesting faces were being pulled in that post-goal cuddle.
A beautiful scene was witnessed when goal scorer Burnett caught the eye of a young Hathersage supporter in the crowd who had the same number on the back of his shirt and pointed him out to share the moment of joy with the next generation. Exactly what grassroots football is all about.
Not long left according the fourth official's magic light-up board, and both teams looked a little weary and keen not to let the game get away from them in the final offerings.
One last chance arose for Glossop, with a clever through-ball over the Hathersage defence that was promptly dealt with by Percival who showed great concentration and speed to clear the danger.
There was enough time for Mark Hadfield to get his appearance bonus, though. With a minute left he was able to complete his comeback as, realising he didn't fancy getting his toe-poke penalty out, Watson pretended to have something wrong with his leg and performed the international 'I need to come off' signal.
Un-prepared, the fourth official hadn't got his magic board ready, and it was all a bit shambolic.
Hadfield ran on, got hit in the head with the ball, and that was that.
The referee had seen enough and blew his whistle.
The game finished 2-2. And, what a game. A really entertaining draw for everyone to enjoy.
Penalties.
A cruel way to decide such an occasion, but somewhat merciful this time around as it wasn't getting any warmer and an extra half an hour wasn’t a particularly tempting prospect.
The captains did what they needed to and the order of penalty taking had been established. Presumably with Glossop being asked if they wanted to go first.
They duly accepted and things got underway with their first penalty being tucked away nicely into the bottom left corner of the goal which was uphill from the bottom right corner. Owens went right. 1-0.
Tom Blacksell stepped up for Hathersage's first penalty and fired it past the 'keeper to the right of the goal. 1-1.
Glossop's second penalty. Right footer. Uphill, into the bottom left of the goal. Again. Owens stranded. 2-1.
Gorgeous George stepped up for Hathersage's second penalty and stuck it where no goalkeeper could reach. Luckily, there was a net to stop it from leaving the stadium. They don't call him Von Schwing for nothing. 2-1.
Advantage Glossop.
Glossop's third penalty. Right footer. This time it went bottom right. Owens went left. 3-1.
The pressure was building.
Josh Chappelll made the long walk to the penalty spot and placed the ball on the spot. Ran up and managed to find another spot out of reach for the goalkeeper. His foot must have sunk in all that sand as he watched his effort bobble slowly past the left post and into the advertising boards. 3-1.
This was it. If Glossop scored, they had won.
For an agonising second it looked as though the penalty had been missed as the ball hit the left hand post, only for the spin of the ball to take it into the goal. 4-1. Game over.
Congratulations Glossop.
Hathersage, quite rightly, held their heads high as they received their medals, and they stood and applauded Glossop as they were awarded with their medals, and the trophy, at the end of what turned out to be an extremely exciting and entertaining game of football, where the title of ‘Runners-up’ was a measure of the result, not by the amount of effort and determination they had put in.
Catching up with player manager Owens in the changing room afterwards, he said, 'Is that you? ...got Deep Heat in my eye... Listen, the lads have done brilliantly and I'm so proud of each of them. Not just these lads, but the ones who helped get us here in the first place but weren't able to make the team for this particular match. Pretty sure they're out there somewhere. Not to mention Sam Hoche and Will Galsworthy who haven't been able to play any minutes tonight, but their presence and support on the sidelines has been felt and really helped us along on what was a really tough game. I am genuinely chuffed with that tonight. There’s no way Glossop were expecting it to be that difficult. Looking back on where this team was a few years ago, turning up with nine players to get hu**ed eight nil at Furness Vale, it was looking pretty bleak. But we've stuck together, and now we have a really good group of decent lads who work hard for each other, on and off the pitch, and get nights like this as a reward. The support we've had from everyone associated with Hathersage has been amazing, and I want to say a big 'thank you' to everyone who has come all this way to watch us tonight. Just sorry we couldn't win it for you all. By the time I had decided to dive for one, they went the other way!'
For a changing room of the team who had just come second, it was a nice place to be. Everyone was commiserating one another, naturally, but there were no cross words, no tears (outwardly, at least), and no feeling sorry for themselves. Plenty of hugs and backside slapping.
As Owens had said, if you had seen where this club was as recently as five seasons ago, you would have been forgiven for thinking a final like this was well out of reach, but it just goes to show what can be achieved by a bunch of farmers who have the right attitude and self-belief. There was a real positivity coming from that group of f̶a̶r̶m̶e̶r̶s̶ players and I am sure we will see them lift some silverware in the not too distant future.
It was a pleasure to watch these lads wearing the Hathersage shirt with such pride and putting in such a brave performance. Everyone from a Hathersage persuasion is very proud of you, boys.
'Nothing to be heartbroken about. We'll win it next year!'
It might even be played in Hathersage…
