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In the very heart of Robin Hood Country,
you will find the town of Ollerton. Were Mr Hood to descend upon his old
stomping ground today, he wouldn't recognise the place. The town has grew
from a tiny hamlet into a major colliery town, housing people from Wales,
Scotland and the North East. Sadly, the pit has long since gone, but the
colliery has left behind a significant legacy. Yes, the most famous man to
wear green tights would surely be proud of the work that has been done
down at The Lane to provide his descendents with a football club to be
proud of - Ollerton Town Football Club.
There is a long history of local football
in Ollerton dating back to the late 1800's. When the colliery opened in
the 1920's, Town's predecessor, Ollerton Colliery Football Club, was
formed. The best period for the colliery side was immediately prior to the
outbreak of the Second World War, with the Reserve's capturing
the Notts Intermediate Cup in 1936/37, and then the following year tthe
senior's won the Notts Senior Cup.
The Miner's strike in 1984, and a death to
a Miner during the unrest, saw the end of Ollerton Colliery Football Club,
during a turbulent period for the town. However, they were reformed in
1988 as Ollerton Bevercotes Miners Welfare Football Club and entered the
Mansfield Bitter League. In 1991, The club entered the Notts Football
Alliance and were Division Two Champions within two years. Following
the closure of the colliery in 1994, a decision was taken to rename the
team Ollerton Town. However, the club still maintain it's links with it's
past, as a section of Ollerton Bevercotes Miners Welfare. It pledges to
represent the whole community of Ollerton, just as its predecessors,
Ollerton Colliery, had done.
The first taste of success for the newly
formed club came in 1996, when they won the Notts Alliance First Division.
The ambitions of the Club saw a move to the Central Midlands League at the
turn of the millennium. Having joined the National Pyramid of Football the
success story continued, capturing the CML Premier Division title and
reaching the final of the Notts F.A. Senior Cup in 2008.
The ambitions of the Club are clearly visible
upon arriving at The Lane in the form of the Club's splendidly constructed
spectator stand. The
Stand, built in 2001, is dedicated to the memory of former players Wayne Brewin and Peter
Abram, and was officially opened by former England star, Des Walker, in
front of a then record crowd of over 200. Touchingly, the names of Wayne & Peter are
embedded in the brick work of The Stand.
A factor which helped finance the building work was the supporters generosity
in buying commemorative bricks bearing their own names, which have then been
set into the rear of the stand. Not one to miss an opportunity, the
Club can still arrange for inscribed bricks to added. The stand can accommodate
200 spectators, and has an interesting roof that is raised at the front,
in keeping with the Club's dugouts. The
sturdy, white painted dug outs are located on the White water Road side of
the ground. As previously mentioned, the high roofs on each rise towards
the front, and these can easily accommodate the tallest of folk. The pitch
is surrounded by dozens of permanent metal poles and a white painted rail
in line with CML requirements. Ollerton
is literally a mixture of new and old. Old Ollerton is given
mention in the Doomsday Book. In New Ollerton, where the colliery headstocks once
stood, is now the site of the massive Sherwood Energy Village, a �4m, 91-acre
scheme to create an environmentally sustainable development of
houses, industry, public space and visitor attractions. The same scenario
applies at The Lane.
Whilst the Club's stand
represents the new, there are quite a few items by the main entrance which
could equally have been named in the Doomsday book. This maybe a little
harsh, as the various shaped buildings, metal posts and an old cricket
sight screen certainly provide variety. The changing rooms are houses within
a bright blue porter cabin style building, whilst the
Clubhouse stands out for it's a distinctive triangular roof. An eye
catching feature is the concrete turnstile at the entrance to the ground, which
contains a lonely looking plastic chair within. Interestingly, the corrugated
roof is raised at the front, in line with the Stand and dugouts. The
entire site is surrounded by an eight foot high steel fence to keep out
trespasses. The vast recreational area is also home to Ollerton Cricket
Club, whose . The site was also shared by Ollerton Rugby Club up until a
few years ago, after a resident of Main road complained about rugby balls
going into his garden. Behind the
dugouts, the Football Club have erected high fencing to avoid the loss of
too many balls to the very close by residents on Whitewater Road. It
would be strongly advised for the Club to play their football on the deck
in order to avoid a similar fate.
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From North - Exit A1
at junction at with A57 (Worksop) & A617. Take 3rd exit for the A614 (Olllerton)
for 6.6 miles. Take 1st exit at roundabout for A6075 (New Ollerton), then
take 1st exit at next roundabout onto Walesby Lane. The Ground is 0.3
miles on the LHS. Providing the gates are open, there is ample car parking
space, otherwise it's street parking.
East
Midlands Stagecoach - No.13 (Wellow - Mansfield Bus Station), No.15 (Walesby
- Mansfield Bus Station & No.33 (Nottingham Victoria Bus Station -
Worksop) all run past Walesby Lane.
Mansfield
Woodhouse - 8.5 miles