Maltby Main

Maltby Main FC, a non-league football club from the mining town between Doncaster and Rotherham in South Yorkshire, can trace their origins back to 1916 when the original club was formed, as a team for workers of the local colliery.

They spent much of their time in the Yorkshire League as well as spells in the Rotherham Association League and Doncaster & District Senior League before dropping back down to the Sheffield Association League at the completion of the 1964-65 season after being renamed Maltby Miners Welfare FC in 1959.

The old club folded before being reformed in 1972, competing in Division Two of the Sheffield Association League. The 1973-74 season saw the side admitted into Division Three of the Yorkshire League, finishing as runners-up, which was backed up by another promotion twelve months later to Division One.

The step up proved too severe as Maltby dropped down a level the following season. A further promotion saw another one season spell in Division One, this time in 1980-81. 'The Miners' became founder members of the Northern Counties East League in 1983, being placed in Division One South. 

A sideways move to Division One Central followed a year later, prior to league reorganisation placing Main in Division Two in 1985-86. From where they won promotion to Division One. The side went up to the Premier Division in 1989-90, as floodlights were installed at Muglet Lane.

The club reverted to the name Maltby Main in 1996, prior to being relegated in 2000 the club owing to the lack of finance required to put hard standing around the pitch. However, they forced their way back to the topflight in 2003-04 with the ground graders satisfied. 

Sean Kay was appointed as manager in June 2006 to replace Wilf Race, with the new man leading his charges to a tenth-place finish. Robbie Baron was the next manager at Muglet Lane from February before he was replaced by former Football League winger Steve Adams.

His experience added stability to the club before being replaced by Chris Dunn in the summer of 2012. Brian Cusworth stepped in a year later but lasted just a few months prior to the appointment of Mick Norbury. Spencer Fearn and Mark Askwith became joint managers from May 2015. 

The turnover of team bosses continued to be testimony to the hard work required to keep Main in the Premier Division on a shoestring budget, with Maltby ending the 2016-17 campaign in seventh position. Jordan Hall was appointed manager shortly after.

Mark Askwith and Scott Mason became joint bosses within a few weeks, leading the side to fifth in 2017-18 before Mason was left in sole charge. Louis Axcell took over after a spell as interim manager from March 2020 as another fifth place was achieved at the end of the 2020-21 campaign. 

John Stancliffe was next in charge, lasting until May 2022, prior to being replaced by Andy Dawson who lasted until May 2023 when Lee Thompson was appointed. Dawson rejoined him in the dugout before the pair were replaced by Joe Scarz, who couldn’t help his side from being relegated at the end of the 2023-24 season.

Maltby Main FC will compete in the Northern Counties East League Division One in the 2024-25 season.

My visit

Maltby Main 0 Scarborough Athletic 6 (Saturday 8th October 2011) Northern Counties East League Premier Division (att: 215)

I had booked train tickets from Doncaster to London well in advance of this encounter at a very low price. However, I was on night shift and travelling to visit my good friends Alain and Linda in Cornwall the next day, so I wasn't sure whether to travel. Added to this I was struggling to reach Maltby by public transport.

A chance meeting with Matt Lawson on the train after the midweek win at Pickering had got me a lift if I wanted one, so I decided to go and cheer on the lads. It was a miserable drizzly day when I woke after a few hours shut eye to find out England had lost in the Rugby World Cup to France. 

I nodded as best as I could on the train north to try and regain some energy. Matt and Nicola were waiting in the car. Us blokes were dropped off at the ground while Nicola went shopping at Meadowhall. There wasn't a bar in the ground so we went across the fields with some other thirst Seadogs to the miners welfare for some lubrication before returning before kick off.

Muglet Lane was certainly not pretty, but it had a charm I quite liked. For a start off it had four traditional floodlights. A pavilion in the corner contained the changing and club rooms with a catering kiosk at the rear. Down that side there was just a single rail separating the football and cricket pitches. 

Both goals had a hard standing path and grass behind them. The final side was slightly banked and had a seated stand and a covered shelter as well as open grass  and hard standing at the sides. There were various slopes and a few bumps all over the pitch which would have made putting awkward for any golfer.

Boro scored within a few minutes through Curtis Bernard but then had a little shaky period before taking the game by the scruff of the neck. The hosts were extremely physical and not short of verbals, but the Seadogs kept their discipline under testing circumstances. 

Skipper Tony Hackworth tapped in a rebound for the second after the home side had been reduced to ten men following a high tackle. If that decision was harsh, the Main players certainly received sympathy from the referee for the rest of the game. Some of the tackling was x rated and the language towards the official should have led to instant dismissals.

Joe Naylor added a third before half time when manager Rudy Funk shuffled his pack to had a physical presence to stand up to some of the thuggish behaviour. Further goals were added by Ryan Blott, Bernard and Scott Phillips. In the end it could have been a lot more than six goals as Boro really excelled.

The host officials and fans were very welcoming, but their team were absolutely shocking. Nicola picked Matt and I up and dropped me in Doncaster in time for a bite to eat before heading back to London in time for a shower and change and then head to work for a nightshift.