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What an occasion. What a performance by @HallamFC1860. No shame that they couldn't quite get there. A bit weird watching from the side and from distance, but fun. Hallam started well and it took a while for Worksop to assert their obvious quality in midfield and danger in attack. But even when they grabbed a lead Hallam stayed well on it and gave as good as they got to go in one down at half time.

Second half was much the same, though if anything Hallam did even better and they certainly deserved their equaliser, Rio Allan prodding in from a Litchfield cross. By a very long way my favourite ever moment at Hillsborough (Wednesday v Forest is never a great game when it happens) and Hallam did look like they might hold on. But despite the evenness of the game, every so often you could see Worksop's quality come to the fore, and in the last minute a fine shot from the edge of the area when the Hallam defence conceded just a little too much space was what told.

A fine end to a fine season.

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YEEEESSSS! Bloody hell the play-offs take a toll on the nerves. But worth it in the end as @HallamFC1860 head up. In many ways the game is left a bit of a blur. Beverley took the lead after come cagey opening exchanges with a neatly struck finish. Hallam got more into the game, made a couple of decent chances, but always looked a bit vulnerable at the back, and went in 2-0 down after Beverley got in behind the right back.

But they've been battling all season and came back. First Smith took a throw short for once, Brownell put in a great ball and Howarth headed home. THey it was a long throw that found its way to Allan at the back post to slot home. The game evened out again and while Hallam had one ruled out for offside, neither team really looked like getting a winner. Penalties were even until Blakeley had one saved. Which prompted a Beverley player to decide the time was ripe for a Panenka. It wasn't. The ball lobbed feebly to Warhurst, giving Allan the chance to put the pressure on the final Beverley kick. Warhurst saved and bedlam ensued. Brilliant stuff, deserved across the season.

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There are more relaxing ways to spend a warm and sunny spring afternoon, but you're welcome to them. Instead @HallamFC1860 spent theirs battling their way to a play-off final. Opponents Thackley put up a fight, figuratively and then literally. The first half was probably shaded by the visitors, not unlike the league game earlier in the season, except that they had wisely decided that it might be a good idea to mark Rio Allan this time so it ended honours even thanks to some good defending and saves. Second half Hallam dominated the game more but didn't really carve out clear cut chances until, with 20 minutes left, Bradbury chasing a ball caused two Thackley defenders to fail to deal with a ball. He got it an hooked in a great cross, to be met by the very definition of a towering header by South. The goal did little to lift the tension, and Hallam couldn't calm the nerves, though Allan had a good go only to be foiled by a great save. During the incredibly drawn out closing moments there were fouls, niggles, scraps and cards galore, leaving Thackley again down to 10 men. Eventually, as it passed 5pm, the ref decided enough was enough, and we get to do it all over again next weekend against Beverley Town. Oof.

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A few more from Hallam FC vs Goole yesterday.

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What with the sun and the lack of stakes there was a bit of an end of term feeling up at @HallamFC1860, except of course there's the biggest games to come. If anything Goole's early penalty stopped Hallam from dozing off too early. Stung into action they came back strongly with three quick goals. Allan's customary goal (a rather harsh penalty) came between two from Ward - the first picking up the rebound after a decent save, the second poked inside the post when everyone else on the pitch thought it had already gone wide. At that point it felt like Hallam might run in a hatful, but they couldn't add to the total. Second half Goole again started well, with a great low strike from distance narrowing the gap. And again Hallam had more of the play. But it was all a bit half-paced and distracted and as things went on only one team looked like grabbing a final goal. Goole duly did with a lovely hooked finish and the game finished with a fair draw. It'll have to pick up a bit next weekend to get past Thackley in the play-offs, but with South, Bradbury and hopefully Smith back, it really ought to.

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Que sera sera, whatever will be will be. We're going to, er…dunno. Donny? Whenever, wherever, as Shakira might say, @HallamFC1860 are in the Senior Cup final after another great night at Sandygate in front of another big cup crowd of over 1,250. The match lived up to the occasion too. Stocksbridge started looking calm and very much the side from the higher division. Hallam defended well though, restricting chances and as the half wore on realised that they might just do something at the other end. Still as half-time neared thougths were mainly about getting in level. It was much better than that. First and absolutely lovely move down the right saw Howarth convert a Brownell ball beautifully, and then to cap that Allan did his now familiar job of getting in fromt of the defender through a ball over the top, holding him off and finishing neatly. 2-0 up at half time and it seemed likely Stocksbridge would come back into it, but it took them until halfway through to make pressure tell. A few minutes later and they were level. You assumed it would be a case of hanging on for penalties. But Hallam had never been out of it second half and as things went into stoppage time Ward did really well to hold the ball up down the left and make space to slide the ball to Howarth who curled the ball a fraction inside the far post. All that remained was a bit of running the clock down and Hallam made it through. Superb stuff.

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Straightforward enough in the end for @HallamFC1860 but it took a long time for them to make their superiority pay. After a decent start by the home side, Frickley started to give a decent account of themselves and for a fair amount of the first period the two teams traded half chances with neither able to make anything count.

Hallam got more of a grip second half, but struggled to get things to really run for them. A very soft penalty award looked like it might do the trick, but karma intervened and not only was Allan's spot kick saved, his follow up cannoned back off the post. It took Cadman's calm head to finally break through after the hour, lobbing the keeper from outside the area. After that though things got scrappier and scrappier and, as the end of the game neared, memories of midweek were very much alive. As the game went into stoppage time though Hallam finally put together the sort of move they'd looked good for all afternoon and Blakeley capped it nicely.

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It was a tetchy old night up at @HallamFC1860 which ended with Hallam surrendering the chance to pile the pressure on Silsden at the top of the table right at the death. For a fair while it looked like things would turn out worse than they did though. For much of the game the focus of Hallam's ire was each other. They were largely the better side in the first half, but Campion defended well enough to give up few clear cut chances. It was still something of a surprise when they managed to hit Hallam with a sucker punch just before half time, and you felt a comeback could be on the cards with a bit more sharpness up front. After a shaky start Hallam did create more chances in the second half, but for a long while it felt like it was going to be one of those evenings, with efforts being scuffed, deflected and going narrowly wide. That was until Rio Allan showed strength and determination to get onto a ball over the top and the sort of composure in the finish that had been lacking. Then with five minutes left Alfie Smith forced home after a free kick into the box broke to him after a couple of Hallam efforts came to nothing. But Hallam couldn't hold on. In stoppage time a Campion long throw wasn't cut out and made it to the far post to be hooked home over a shoulder. So in the end a disappointing draw and some rather unnecessary afters, but there's a chance to get back on track at the weekend.

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As February started @HallamFC1860 were 17 points behind Silsden and just edging into the play-offs. Four weeks on and the early spring sunshine saw them close to within 5 points, and unless Silsden can turn their form back around top spot is wide open again. As with the Beverley match, everyone (and 'everyone' was over 1,000 again…) turned up expecting a tough game which didn't transpire. Kicking downhill first half, Hallam were just too good for a Silsden side low on confidence. Rio Allan was getting a lot of joy down the right and after 15 minutes jinked and turned and dragged back until he'd drawn most of the Silsden defence to him. He then slotted through to Janni Lipka who was all alone in the resulting acres of space in the box, and who curled in a lovely left-foot finish. Allan grabbed himself the second just before the half hour. The defence might have done better with a lovely long ball through from Cadman, but when they didn't, Allan made no mistake. The in pretty short order Danny South volleyed one back acoss the keeper and in, and Lipka forced his second in between the keeper and the post after a bit of a scramble. 4-0 became five not long into the second half, Leon Howarth grubbing one in at the far post. After that, only a good long shot, following a Silsden free-kick which had come back off the wall, slightly dented the afternoon by nixing the clear sheet. But after a last 15 minutes that served no purpose other than to give a bit of a run out to the subs, Hallam marched on. To what, it remins to be seen.

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A few more from Hallam v Beverley.

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Craven, Knight, Callard, D'Angelo… your lads took one hell of a beating. At 3pm it was cold, drab, drizzly and all the 500 in the ground knew it was going to be a hard afternoon for @HallamFC1860 against fellow play-off contenders Beverley Town. Except it very much wasn't. Hallam were already pretty comfortable at 2-0 before Beverley went down to 10 on the half hour for a last man foul. They'd made several chances with the goals coming from Allan, finishing calmly after some great work had led to a lovely South lay off, and Brodie Litchfield taking advantage of some horrendous 'after you Claude' dithering in the Beverley defence to poke home when surrounded by four men. That Beverley didn't go further behind before half-time was down to some determination and good work by their keeper, without whom double figures could have been reached in the end. As it was, the flood gates opened ten minutes into the second half. Allan finished off a hat-trick with two quick, well-taken goals. Howarth then came off the bench to grab a couple either side of Bradbury getting his head in where it hurts for the sixth. And, for all the further chances, having secured the brackets score of 7 (seven, the main interest lay in deciding which of the away support's defiant chants was funnier - "We love you Beverley" or "Beverley 'til I die".

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After the fun and frolicks of Tuesday's special occasion, it was back to the nuts and bolts of the league for @HallamFC1860 and a tough assignment against Thackley. The visitors started on the front foot and it took a while for Hallam to get into it. When they did though they showed up Thackley's wasteful attacking by taking full advantage of some lax defending. Twice in quick succession Thackley managed to leave Rio Allan in acres of space inside the box to tuck home. The first followed some good work by Howarth on the left which gave Danny South time to switch feet in the area and feed Allan. The second came from a free-kick out on the right. Thackley managed to get one back through a penalty for an unnecessary pull-back on a striker heading away from goal, and Hallam did well to maintain their advantage into half-time, ridng some hefty challenges on the way. Second half settled into a more of a pattern with Hallam trying to catch Thackley with the ball over the top. It paid off with some more good work in the box by Howarth which he finished well too. And it was that effectiveness that made the difference. Thackley managed a few more chances, but never really looked like getting back in it, going down to ten for the last few minutes after one clattering too many. A great result that will hopefully set up a good run in and a tilt at the play-offs.

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A cold Tuesday night in January and 1500 people from far and wide crammed in to @HallamFC1860 for a Senior Cup match. Yes, it was a rare competitive fixture between the two oldest club sides at the oldest ground and one that has received a fair amount of publicity, but it was still a 'pinch me' moment. And that publicity comes from a great deal of hard work over several years. So it was that an full hour before kick-off, the ground was already half full, there were various blokes (probably content providers) doing pieces to mobile phone camera around the perimeter and even a proper telly interview on the pitch. Could the match live up to the occasion? From a Hallam perspective it did. They got ahead early when the penalty area seemed to open up for Cadman to slot home, and even though Sheffield equalised pretty quickly, a shot from distance just out of Warhurst's reach and inside the post, they more then held their own against the higher tier side to go in level. Howarth even havd one ruled out for offside, though there was also some good last ditch defending, Buttle clearing off his own line. The surprising thing was that the second half was pretty comfortable for Hallam. Again they scored early, Howarth making up for his first half denial by showing good strength in the box to send a deflected shot inside the far post. And the chances after that largely fell Hallam's way. It was lucky for Sheffield that the best of them fell to Sharman alone and in front of goal and he applied a centre-half's finish. Nonetheless Hallam saw things out and local bragging rights stayed deservedly within city limits. The Club might reap the long term benefit though. Ifanything might kickstart their drawn out move plans, it's this concrete proof that done properly, there's plenty of potential in mining Sheffield's football heritage.

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Last game of the year at Sandygate and @HallamFC1860 started like they'd had a heavy Christmas. Playing uphill first half, they couldn't get anything going and surrendered the initiative to Pickering. The visitors had no trouble making chances and got ahead after 10 minutes. For all that Hallam had the odd chance - Litchfield hitting the bar with a glorious snap shot - if anything you felt they did well to go in only one down. Second half started like it was going to be more of the same, Pickering doing some dull knocking it along the back line like they were in the Premier League or something. Except Hallam perked up. I'm probably doing a disservice to some subtle tactical change, but mainly they reaped the benefits of sticking it in't mixer. First Gregg Smith (restored to the starting line up and it was great to see him bag one) then Danny South hooked home loose balls in the box and suddenly 10 minutes into the half Hallam were ahead. If not quite on easy street, it was no surprise that they basically sealed it after 70 minutes with Cadman slamming home another loose one and celebrating with a somersault. After that there was some industrial-strength dawdling and timewasting, but the 900+ crowd weren't complaining. A nice end to the year.

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The conditions would've been a leveller up at @HallamFC1860 except the two sides were pretty evenly matched anyway. Penistone started so quickly that the gale force gusts didn't have time to have an effect before they went 1-0 up in first minute. Hallam took quite a while to get into their stride, but got the equaliser their play deserved when Rio Allen snaffled the rebound after his shot came back off the post. Hallam had their best period at the start of the second half and got in front after the wind got hold of a Warhurst kick up field, Howarth got between the defender and keeper, and South tucked home the loose ball. They couldn't get further ahead and paid when Penistone got a free kick out on the right it pretty much put the wind dead behind a shot on goal. It was too good to resist and hit well, leaving Warhurst unable to get across the supercharged shot. A slightly harsh last man sending off gave Hallam a chance to sneak it but Penistone held out for a pretty fair draw.

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If the more apocalyptic weather forecasts didn't come to pass, there was still plenty for @HallamFC1860 to compete with out at Wombwell, including a determined home team. With the high wind blowing straight down the pitch, Hallam had it at their backs during a first half soundtracked by the acceleration of the go karts on the adjoining track. As ever it was as much a hindrance as a help to attacking with balls difficult to time right. The goal came from a fine Litchfield strike from outside the area which was nicely enough struck to have gone inside the far post, but probably got a bit of extra oomph from the wind. The question of whether Hallam would suffer kicking into the gale was answered pretty emphatically with some neat nad ruthless play. Bradbury hammered in from the edge of the box, Allen stabbed home form close range after some good play before thumping a penalty against the bar. But that didn't matter as Litchfield hit another good one to finish things off at 4-0 and see Hallam progress in the Vase.

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The hardy souls who braved a properly parky Sandygate evening were rewarded with one of @HallamFC1860's best performances of the season, even if the scoreline didn't quite match up. Hallam, with South taking centre forward duties, were at full pelt from the start, winning challenges and loose balls and knocking it about with a pace and snap that left a frankly pretty lightweight and disjointed Barton Town chasing shadows. When Bradbury opened the scoring, tucking one away after it ran to the far post, it looked like more would follow in short order. And there were plenty of chances - only a mixture of last ditch defending, bad luck and profligate finishing stopped Hallam going in at half time four or five to the good. If the second half was a bit less fluent, the balance of play was much the same, as was the ratio of chances taken. In the end Hallam were thankful for Rio Allan grabbing a second, as they left the door open late on to let Barton back in. Truth be told though, the game was seen out relatively easily.