Ground: Ingfield (capacity 1,950)
Location: Ossett, England
Ticket price: £9.50 - Purchase online or at the ground
The best way to get to Ossett United by public transport is to take the bus. You can get the 126 bus from Wakefield or Dewsbury which goes past Ossett Bus Station. From there, Ingfield is a few minutes walk away (the stadium is opposite the bus station). For those driving to the ground, you can park at Prospect Road, which is also a very short walk to the stadium. It costs a measly 90p for a 4 hour stay.
Ossett United FC themselves are a fairly new team, with the two clubs in the town: Ossett Albion and Ossett Town FC, merging together to form one team that the town can get behind. It was decided by the board (a board of which consists of members from the previous boards at both Albion and Town) to also utilise the two stadiums; using Dimple Wells (the former home of Ossett Albion) as the home ground for the club's academy and women's team and Ingfield (the former home of Ossett Town) to host the men's first team fixtures.
It has not been all sunshine and rainbows for Ossett United however since the merger. A court case, dating back to 2015 when Ossett Town faced Radcliffe Borough, was lost by the club, forcing them to pay back a massive £135,000 in legal and damage fees. It's a penalty that could have seen the club fold, however due to the generosity of two generous donors (who remain incognito), the club was able to pay back the loan and retain Ingfield, which was a secondary option in order to generate the income needed.
Since then, the club has been a mainstay in the Northern Premier League Division One East, the division both Albion and Town plied their trade in for many years, and now that the club is on a more stable footing financially, Ossett United, you feel, will be determined to make strides to realise its potential and push for a promotion push in the coming years. Ossett United are currently managed by Grant Black, the former Ossett Town manager, who has been in post since October 2022.
The club's crest represents the two animals on the two former clubs' respective badges. Ossett Albion donned a unicon, whereas the ram was the choice of animal for Ossett Town.
They were due to face Winterton Rangers in an interesting fixture that saw both teams next to each other in the table. It's a fixture that the weather was determined to spoil, with conditious so dreadful that even some fixtures in League Two were cancelled due to waterlogged pitches. However, a club as dogged and determined as Ossett United were always going to move heaven on earth to ensure that this fixture was to be played. If folks are going to travel all the way over from Lincolnshire to Yorkshire, then it's only fair that they experience typical Yorkshire weather after all. Credit has to go to the ground staff and volunteers for their tireless efforts to ensure that the fixture was going ahead.
And their efforts were well rewarded with a 4-2 win. Kelan Swales opened the scoring after Mitchell in the Winterton Rangers goal failed to catch a free kick. Swales was at hand to blast the ball past him into the roof of the net, punishing his mistake. Alex Peterson would get the second goal of the game for Ossett after a throw out from the keeper was intercepted sharply by Ossett. Mitchell got a strong palm onto the shot to make the initial save, however it wasn't enough to keep the ball out, such was the power on the strike. Kelan Swales got the game's third goal with a rebound after Winterton Rangers keeper Mitchell made a good save initally to deflect the ball away 1 on 1. Rhys Plater gobbled up the 4th after a long ball was not dealt with by the Winterton Rangers defense. Plater then advanced onto the keeper and stroked the ball under his legs from a tight angle.
Winterton Rangers came out with more of a point to prove in the second half and scored two consolation goals; both from Luke Williams. His first saw him tuck the ball home after keeper Ombang spilled the ball after making a decent save. The second goal scored by the Winterton frontman was perhaps the best goal of the day as he whipped the ball into the roof of the net straight from the corner kick Recoba style. Ombang didn't cover himself in glory for either goal, however the Ossett United goalkeeper otherwise had a strong performance, making a string of impressive stops to keep Winterton Rangers at bay. Perhaps his best save of the day came early on, leaping like a grasshopper to get the daintest of touches on the ball to tip it over the bar from a free kick in a promising position. He also showed good awareness positionally, rushing out on numerous occassions to thwart otherwise promising attacks from the Lincolnshire outfit. It may have been cold, it may have been wet, but Winterton didn't rain on his parade.
Ossett United FC 4-2 Winterton Rangers 09/11/2023
Comments