Ground: Roundwood Pavilion (capacity 1000) Location: Rotherham, England Ticket price: £6 adult £4 concession. You will need to pay by cash in order to attend.
To reach the ground, you can do the sensible option which is take Stagecoach Yorkshire 9 to Rawmarsh from Rotherham Bus Station or do what I did and walk 2 a half miles through a retail park in Rotherham. The journey takes just under an hour on foot.
It's Good Friday and, having just been to Salford to watch their game against Leyton Orient, I was looking forward to a quiet Easter weekend before deciding where to go on the Monday. That was until I decided to see who my team, Wakefield AFC, were playing. Away at Parkgate, Rotherham. 1 hour walk. Saturday, cracking the flags, last game of the regular season. Why not? It was pencilled in.
Parkgate were sat in 17th, hovering just above the final playoff spot. In their previous game, they had nicked a 1-1 draw with Harrogate Railway, a very impressive result for Scott Mason's side. They come into this game with a glint in their eye against a Wakefield side who had already secured a playoff spot and were trying out new tactics to prepare themselves for the upcoming run of games that would decide which division they would be competing in next season. Picking up the match programme, I noticed that they misspelled our latest signing 'Romerio Viera' and still had Daniel Hernandez down as being a Wakefield player when he left us some time ago. It can't be helped I suppose.
Roundwood Pavilion is the home of Rotherham FC's training ground and plays host to a golf course also. It's a tidy little ground with netting obscuring the view from the small seating are. Thankfully there was a good view from the side of the pitch, which is where the Wakefield fans also congregated. A gang of youth then swaggered in and sat down in the seating area, making quite the racket. These were the Parkgate Ultras and this was a sign of things to come.
The first half was a fairly scrappy affair. Both teams showed tenacity in midfield and both sets of players were eager in their tussles. Wakefield were trying to get into their groove by playing intricate football in the middle of the park and, when the opportunities presented themselves, switch the play to the wings. Parkgate FC on the other hand relied on their energy in midfield and formulated their attacks situationally. They would stalk the Wakefield midfielders like hyenas gazing at a lame gazelle and pounced as soon as there was a loose touch or a misplaced pass. Despite Wakefield looking the better team it was Parkgate who opened the scoring. A failed Wakefield attack saw a gap open which was exploited by Josh Nodding, who ran onto the ball and smashed the ball past Henry Kendrick in the Wakefield goal. Wakefield's best chance of the half came from a well worked move down the right flank. A pass to Jake Morrison, who flicked it onto the onrushing Mason Rubie who beat his marker for pace. The Wakefield winger only had the keeper to beat but he blazed it over the bar.
As half time loomed, an old man with a large tilly hat was walking round shaking a bucket for donations. "Any coppers? And if you're from Rossington and you hear that, you're gonna run a mile. Probably with my telly under your arm."
Second half saw Callum Gladding come on for Henry Kendrick, which seemed like a pre-planned substitution agreed before the game, making it clear to me that manager Mozzini was testing players for the upcoming playoffs. Gladding had the unenviable task of being at the Parkgate end where the young lads were ribbing our number 5, Robbie Miller. Robbie is a large, stocky centre back who, despite his frame, is quite elegant on the ball and feels comfortable playing it out from the back, similar to Maguire. However, thanks to his frame and his ponytail, he was the target of quite a few creative insults from the Ultras, which the larger Parkgate crowed smiled in bemusement over. In the 57th minute, a corner was whipped in and a miscommunication saw Ahmed Tahar nod the ball from close range. Wakefield shellshocked. Parkgate in cloud nine.
The men in white huffed and puffed but in the end, could not break down a stern Parkgate defence. "Parkgate are massive, everywhere we go" and, "You've had your day out, now fuck off home" chants ensued as the away crowd dispersed hurriedly.
Tired, dejected and exhausted from the long journey to and from the ground, I hopped on the bus where the driver parked up in the wrong bay. As he realised his error, he said sheepishly, "I've never driven round these parts, I'm from Leicestershire. You'll have to forgive me." As we were trundling along, we passed a man riding a bicycle with another bicycle under his arm. He must have been from Rossington.
Parkgate 2-0 Wakefield AFC 08/04/23
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