RADFORD FC (Selhurst Street)

UNITED COUNTIES LEAGUE DIVISION ONE, RADFORD 2-1 BLACKSTONES, ATTENDANCE: 90

I was originally heading to Selhurst Street prior to the Nottingham Forest vs Everton game back in December but a frozen pitch put paid to that plan, so today was the perfect opportunity to try again.

Radford is part of Nottingham and is a couple of miles north of the centre city. The football club was Founded in 1964 as Manlove & Alliots FC, who were an Engineering firm situated in Radford. After the firm transferred to Scotland in 1970/71, the club changed its name to Radford Olympic before moving to Saturday football for season 1979/80, joining the Central Alliance League. The club were one of the first amateur teams to carry a shirt sponsor, a local pub, the Pheasant Inn, hence the nickname of The Pheasants.

Radford then joined the East Midlands Regional League the following season and then moved into their own home at Selhurst Street for season 1981-82. In season 1982/83 Olympic finished Champions of Division One and moved over to the Central Midlands League. The club remained in this league until 2008 when they became founder members of the East Midlands Counties League. Now known as Radford, after dropping the Olympic in 1987, the club remained in the East Midlands Counties League until it was disbanded in 2021, when the club became members of the United Counties League.

Stamford based Blackstones were the visitors to Radford this afternoon in this United Counties League Division One encounter and the question 'who'd be a goalkeeper?' was definitely asked today!

There wasn't a lot between the teams (8th vs 7th at start of play) but the unfortunate Simon Dalton certainly helped Radford this afternoon. The Blackstones no1 misjudged a cross from Mitchell Tait (after 3 minutes) and the ball sailed into the back of the net. 

The worst was yet to come. A tame effort, from outside the box, from Josh Gardner (25) appeared to be comfortably gathered by Dalton but somehow the ball squirmed underneath his body and trickled over the line.

Inbetween the goals Radford's Conor Moore made a tremendous clearance off the line when it looked like certain goal.

To be fair to Dalton he kept his side in the game in the second half as Radford countered as Blackstones pushed forward. The visitors finally got their goal through Ed Thorpe (84) and at that point it seemed the equaliser would soon follow but Radford held on.