David Ward visits Gainsborough Trinity for the first time in an occasional series exploring our local clubs, with an FA Cup tie against Anstey Nomads providing the entertainment.
The idea behind this series is to get out to some of our local grounds, watch a game and give you a little more insight into the clubs on our doorstep. First up was Gainsborough Trinity, who were hoping to build on their FA Cup success of the previous two seasons.
There is certainly no shortage of history at the Northolme. Trinity were formed in 1873 by the vicar of Holy Trinity Church and moved into their home in 1884. They were elected to the Football League in 1896, playing in the Second Division and recording their best finish of sixth in 1904/05, before being voted out in 1912.
In those days, they shared the Northolme with the local cricket club, which occasionally meant finding somewhere else to fulfil their Football League fixtures. The alternatives included Gainsborough’s Bowling Green ground and, of course, Sincil Bank. Our connections with Trinity go back rather further than the loan market.
The ground sits to the north of the town centre, between North Road and the Northolme, with plenty of on-street parking nearby. Admission for this visit was £13 for adults, £10 for seniors and £5 for under-16s, with a programme costing another £3. The Blues Club offers somewhere for supporters to get refreshments before and after the game, while food is available inside the ground.
For Imps supporters, there are plenty of more recent connections as well. Freddie Draper and Jovon Makama both gained experience at the Northolme, while our joint head coach Tom Shaw managed Trinity alongside his development role at City. It is a club that has played a part in the progress of some familiar faces.
My visit came for the FA Cup tie against Anstey Nomads, Trinity’s 17th game in the competition across the last three seasons. It was a warm, sunny afternoon, and the home side got proceedings under way with hopes of extending that run a little further.
Anstey were forced into a change through injury inside the opening ten minutes, which appeared to unsettle them briefly. Trinity thought they had taken advantage when Connor Brown put the ball in the net, only for the offside flag to cut short the celebrations.
As the half wore on, the visitors grew into the game, and there were signs of frustration among the home supporters. Brown looked a handful for Trinity, but the final touch was missing, and they were unable to turn their opportunities into a lead. Instead, Anstey struck just before the break with a well-taken goal to send the hosts in 1-0 down.
Trinity emerged with far more purpose in the second half and immediately began pushing Anstey back. The turning point appeared to be a triple substitution in the 52nd minute, with the changes giving the home side fresh impetus. Six minutes later, Ashley Jackson met the ball with a superb header that flashed past the goalkeeper to level the scores.
At that stage, Trinity looked the more likely side to go on and win it. They had the momentum and were threatening a second, only for a rare Anstey break to undo their good work in the 70th minute.
Jackson went from scoring the equaliser to conceding a penalty, pulling an Anstey striker’s shirt inside the area. It looked a little soft to me, but there was a foul, and the referee pointed to the spot. The visitors converted to restore their lead, leaving Trinity with it all to do again.
The game opened up from there, with both sides creating chances, but it was Anstey who made the next one count. Their third goal arrived in the 80th minute, and at 3-1 it looked as though Trinity’s FA Cup run was over.
To their credit, the home side refused to accept that. There was still a scare at the other end on the counter, but Trinity kept pushing and were rewarded in the 87th minute when Brown bundled the ball over the line during a goalmouth scramble.
That set up a frantic finish, with Trinity throwing everything at the visitors in search of an equaliser. It was all Gainsborough in those closing stages, but the goal would not come, and Anstey held on for a 3-2 victory.
Trinity will look back on the chances they passed up, particularly during a second half in which they were much improved. There was enough in that performance to suggest the result could have been different, but their FA Cup interest ended despite a determined late response.
For a visitor, though, it had been a competitive afternoon of football among friendly, appreciative supporters, even if the home side could not quite provide the finish they wanted.
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