Attenborough FC

08/02/25 – Cup Linby Colliery 3 – 3 AFC The last game of the group stage of the Development Cup saw Attenborough travel to Linby needing just a draw to qualify for the semi-final, but once more they were forced to do so with a numerically depleted squad, George Pursglove’s needless red card the week before rendering him suspended and leaving us without our main producer of goals and assists. Lakshay Sharma was tasked with filling Pursglove’s boots up top and the talented pair of Simon Savage and Colm Keegan-O’Kane returned to the side to add some quality in the wide areas. The Blues started fast and some excellent wing play from Keegan-O’Kane created an early opportunity for Sharma, but the enthusiastic forward was caught out by the bounce of the ball and spurned a great chance to put us in front. It didn’t take long for him to gain redemption, though, and, after a quality cross from Riley Billson had caused havoc in the Linby backline, Sharma was once more in the right place a...

01/02/25 – League RED SEA FC 1 – 4 AFC With several injuries in the camp and a couple of others unavailable for various reasons, Attenborough begun the second half of their league campaign short on numbers and faced with a difficult trip to Vernon Park. Having needed luck on our side when beating Red Sea FC with a full squad shortly before Christmas, this tricky fixture had the potential to derail any title ambitions. In from the cold came Saul Riley at left back, while manager Graham Mee had managed to rush through the signing of Lewis Sanderson just in time for the game to ensure we had an option from the bench. A 4-4-2 formation fitted the available players best with the emphasis on a rigid shape when we didn’t have the ball, ensuring the pacey Red Sea FC forwards were unable to get space to run at our defence. While attacking responsibilities were left largely down to the wingers and Brad Greatorex to feed George Pursglove. A frantic start to the game saw Attenborough ahe...

18/01/25 – Junior Cup Quarter-Final AFC 1 – 3 TRENT VINEYARD FC After the best part of a month off over the festive period, Attenborough were thrown straight into the intensity of a quarter-final match against opposition from the league above and fell short in a frustrating afternoon at The Strand. Freezing temperatures had seen last week’s planned reappearance and preparation match for this big clash called off and it is testament to the efforts of the ground staff that the pitch was fit to play at all. However, that lack of an outing certainly caught the inexperienced home side out up against canny visitors. While Trent Vineyard had struggled in their league campaign so far this season, they proved robust opposition in a first half of few chances, the best of which undoubtedly came when Lewis Caine was felled in the penalty area after some quick feet drew a late tackle, on this occasion, however, the skipper was wide of the mark from the spot and the sides went in level at the ...

21/12/24 – League Red Sea FC 1 – 2 AFC Having enjoyed a sheltered existence at The Strand over the last couple of months, Attenborough ended their unfeasibly long run of home games with a daunting trip to face improving Red Sea FC at Vernon Park and it was to prove a serious test of character for the squad. After two large steaming dog turds had been removed from the pitch and several ankle-deep holes filled in, we were ready for kick off. A couple of regulars were missing from the squad this week, but Graham Mee had the important Simon Savage back available and new signing Colm Keegan-O’Kane also made the bench. It is fair to say the difference between The Strand and Vernon Park is big. Our neat and well-manicured home pitch is a fancy Tapas meal compared to the wide expanses of the badly-packed donner kebab that stretched out in front of us. Could we stomach it at 10.30 on a Saturday morning? This wasn’t a classic, conditions never likely to make playing good football easy,...

14/12/24 - Development Cup AFC 4 - 3 Pegasus FC Pantomime season well and truly arrived at The Strand on Saturday morning as Graham Mee's troupe went through their full repertoire of farce during Act 1 of the Cup game with Pegasus FC. Having played each other regularly over the last couple of years, Pegasus had devised an excellent game plan to nullify our lead actors in mid-field and up front, not to mention the amount of pace they filled their attack with to terrify our ugly sisters at the back. After fluffing our lines right from the first kick off, Attenborough were on the back foot throughout the opening ten minutes and, while the soft and slippy pitch wasn't easy, Reece Caine was more Cucurella than Cinderella as he floundered around in desperate need of a costume change for a more suitable pair of footwear. Sadly, with no back up soft ground boots available he had to continue in his glass slippers. It only took thirteen minutes for the away team to take the lead and cont...

We face higher-league opposition, Trent Vineyard FC, in the quarter final of the Junior Cup.  The tie takes place on Saturday 25th January at The Strand and will be an afternoon kick off (date subject to change)

30/11/24 - League  AFC 6 - 1 West Bridgford  Attenborough made it nine wins in a row in all competitions with a familiar home display. After a scrappy first half hour which saw the visitors bang up for the challenge of taking on the league leaders, Boro conceded the first goal of the game for the fourth time on the bounce as a good move down the right from West Bridgford was swept home. Graham Mee wasted no time in bringing on a couple of subs to liven things up and five minutes before half-time parity was restored after an intelligent header from Lewis Caine was tapped home by George Cuesta-Sarris. George had done little wrong to lose his starting slot and produced a typically industrious display off the bench to emphasise Attenborough's strength in depth.  Just before the break a vicious in-swinging corner looked sure to put the away side back in front only for Luke Smith to produce a stunning goal-line clearance, this served warning that the Blues were not out of the w...

 Ahead of our return to league action at The Strand this coming Saturday (10.30 am) here is an update on Goal Contributions to date.

 16/11/24 - Development Cup  AFC 5 - 2 Red Sea FC After a week off, Attenborough started their campaign in the Development Cup group stage at home to Red Sea FC, a club formed in the last couple of years and made up of refugee and migrant communities from Eritrea and Sudan.  Red Sea's results had picked up in recent weeks and they came out the blocks full of enthusiasm and forced a controversial early goal. The ball appeared out of play down their left flank but the visitors played to the whistle and put a good ball into the box for Ashraf Abdallah to fire home after just four minutes. Familiar territory for Attenborough, this the third game in a row they'd fallen behind within the first ten, but they typically responded well and were in front before the end of the quarter, Will Humphriss converting a close-range headed chance from a corner before George Pursglove had the freedom of Broxtowe to fire the Blues into the lead.  Attenborough, supported by a season-high c...

  02/11/24 - League AFC 5 – 3 South Notts AFC Returning to league action on the back of seven straight wins in all competitions against a side yet to get a point on the board, it seemed hard to envisage anything but a comfortable home victory, but, as is the way of football, Attenborough were handed a real chastening in the first half by a South Notts side that upped their game in pursuit of what would be a memorable victory against the league leaders. It took just three minutes for the visitors to open the scoring, South Notts pouncing on a heavy touch by Jack Brownbill and freeing Takunda Mundirwa, who finished expertly to silence the home supporters. Despite George Pursglove’s classy finish to equalise shortly after, Attenborough never settled at any stage in the first half and our previously solid defence was subjected to its firmest test yet by some excellent direct play by the spirited away side. Indeed, on the half hour mark a firm free kick from Felix Alexa proved t...