Southwell City FC's seniors bid farewell to Memorial Ground with 3-1 NSL League Cup win over Keyworth United
A football club’s senior side played its final fixture at its long-standing home ground ahead of a move which hopes to elevate the team in years to come.
Southwell City first team’s final game at the Memorial Ground — before the move to Brinkley — was described as an end of an era by club chairman John Cunningham.
City bowed out on a high in front of a three-figure crowd beating Notts Senior League Premier Division leaders Keyworth United 3-1 in the NSL Senior Cup.
Cunningham said: “What a nice way to finish off — it had an end-of-an-era feel to it, but it was also the beginning of the new era for the juniors.
“The first team are moving to Brinkley and people will be sad to see them go, but they are going to a new ground with a better pitch, better facilities and, importantly, a place where adult football can thrive.
“The Memorial Ground will be taken over by the junior section who will really benefit.
“We could have more people watching junior football across Saturday and Sunday than we might have had watching our seniors, so it is win-win for the club.
“In terms of the day as a whole, it was teed up nicely with a cup game against top of the league — and the best thing about it was we won 3-1 so we get to leave with a win.”
Cunningham stressed while many supporters would be sad to see the first team move out of the centre of town, parents would have the benefit of seeing their children in one of the 35 junior teams, across the boys and girls section, which will now be based at the park.
On the day, the action was centred around City’s first team who got the job done convincingly, ensuring their name was in the hat for the quarter-final draw.
New signing Callum Leach set the pace early on with a strong challenge and City built on that fight, taking the game to the visitors with an early goal by striker Fraser Bricknell.
After Keyworth survived a penalty appeal, Southwell scored what proved to be the killer goal on the stroke of half time thanks to Samuel Johnson whose long throw into the box was cleared as far as Matthew Newton, who fired home from the edge of the area.
Ten minutes into the second half Johnson’s long throw was at the centre of Keyworth’s undoing again as centre-half partners Blair Bryant and Brad Peace-McDonald caused havoc in the box, with the former flicking on for the latter to finish.
The visitors responded immediately through Thomas Siswick, but City did enough to see the game out in front of the 153-strong crowd.
In a special edition programme, first team manager Jonny Upton spoke of his love for the Memorial Ground and the future of the club.
He said: “Well, where to start? The Memorial Ground, Southwell. A place that has been the home of Southwell City for several decades, a ground which has as much charisma, character and aesthetic appeal as any ground in the county and a pitch many generations, teams, genders and ages have played on and called home.
“For me, it’s what football is all about. We’re a club whose principles are based on creating a culture of enjoyment and community inclusion both on and off the field, and this ground has been the backbone of that.
“Yes, it’s not a ground with modern-day facilities that some have but if you ask most lads about memories of playing here, they’ll typically only be fond ones.
“For us, this move will provide the platform for parents to watch their kids at the Memorial Ground in large numbers over the week, while our seniors can use Brinkley as a base to develop and progress.
“We are not losing the ground, we’re re-shuffling the cards to maximise both our junior and senior teams, and the intention showed by the club should only be applauded.
“We have 35 plus junior teams and it is growing. That rivals any team in the county and we need a senior team fit to do the same — that’s the ultimate aim.”
