Ceesay Edges Tulips Near

Spalding United 1-0 Halesowen Town (Southern League Central Division Playoff Semi Final)

Last night I watched the most remarkable game I've seen in some years on the TV as Paris Saint-Germain beat Bayern Munich 5-4 in the UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg at the boyishly loud and crazily atmospheric Parc des Princes. Today, I've spent it mostly arguing on Twitter (X) with Arsenal and Premier League football fans who are saying the French and German champions only play like that because they aren't tired, having already walked to their domestic league titles.

Angered by the lack of respect given to our European cousins I'm not going to bother watching Arsenal against Atletico Madrid tonight, instead, I'm heading to Spalding to see the Tulips take on Halesowen Town in the Southern League Central Premier Division playoff semi final, with the winner getting a step nearer to promotion and the lucrative lure of the National League North.

It's been a while since I've been here, a good ten years or so I believe, I have been long meaning to pay the Sir Halley Stewart Field a visit for some time, since Spalding only reached level 3 of the Football pyramid this season (a league which luckily I cover a lot of), and finally after 42 games of the campaign, two days from May, I can happily make my way across to Southern Lincolnshire to see the Tulips play at home.

For Halesowen it's a team I've not yet met before, although I've heard a lot about them, past players include Troy Deeney and Ricky Otto, Mark, the dad of both Jude and Jobe Bellingham, Darren Caskey had a spell here, so did Duane Darby, Lee Hughes and Graham Hyde, Andy Pearce and Tony Thorpe, a lot of 90s football league legends have donned the shirt of the Yeltz.

Russell Penn has built up a decent side with plenty of experience from the league above, Halesowen won their last game of the season 5-0 against Sudbury to ensure of their playoff place fixed, finishing the season in sixth a good fifteen points behind their second placed hosts today.

Jimmy Dean is Manager of Spalding and I have seen them play earlier this season in an entertaining draw with champions Harborough, back then in August I predicted that both teams will do well, and it's been a good season for Spalding who pushed their fellow big spending rivals closely until the final weeks of the campaign.

I'm off after 5pm as I head through Grantham and take the A52 towards Boston, pulling off into the village of Donington, I'm peacefully driving through the flatlands of Surfleet and Pinchbeck arriving a good hour and a half ahead of kick off where the place is already packed.

The Venue

The teams haven't even arrived but there's plenty of people, marquees and music, the sun is out, fans queuing up to get through the entrance, I'm parked across the road in a pay car park shared with the towns bus station, Just £1.40 until the morning if needed, the ground ideally located in the centre of town within walking distance to the quaint shopping centre.

It's leafy and rural but the place has sense of community, boxed in by retail parks and houses lined with trees, the Sir Halley Stewart Playing Field has had some work done to it since I was last here. A brand spanking new 4g pitch offers a flat surface on top of once what was known as a bit of a cabbage patch in the day.

The old iconic Main Stand still sits half way, that's where I'm heading to get my seat nice and early, an elevated view on a bench, old boys around me have brought their cushions, wind in my hair, slightly obscured by posts and padding but with the dugouts and tunnel below, close to the action and well enclosed.

The rest of the ground looks to have come on, two modern ends have low roofed covered terracing, on the far side there's a tin seated stand on half way offering probably no more than fifty blue plastic seats, behind that we used to warm up on a practice pitch where there's still some grass remaining, today it has Marquees on, cars parked, an ice cream truck, and lots of fans already here, plenty drinking beer.

The atmosphere feels special, blue and yellow flags waving, all spaces around the perimeter taken, over 2,000 for a seventh tier football game, this is what the sport delivers deep into the culture of England and its people.

The Game

Tulips from Amsterdam is aired over the tannoy as the club plays musical homage to its nickname, the two teams applauded onto the field and the game is underway under bright dusking skies, a feel good factor ahead of what is set to be a tasty tenacious battle for promotion.

Halesowen in white are the early enforcers, they play the ball around the pitch and try and get a foothold over their bigger, stronger, quicker and more powerful opponents wearing Boca Juniors blue and yellow. The Yeltz have technical talented footballers but lose their captain to injury early on, Josh Smile is forced off to be replaced by former Tamworth talisman Kyle Finn.

That change loses a bit of grit in the away side midfield but the game is tight and tense, no team looking like breaking down the door as both defend as if their lives depend on it.

Of the few chances in the first half, Cybulski has a shot blocked before Ceesay is put through on goal, the tall leggy striker fluffing his lines whilst one on one, not even able to hit the target, perhaps the pressure got to him?

The Score

At half time you feel it's a game that could go all the way. Spalding are breaking with threat whilst Halesowen have the pacey Jason Cowley in attack, with him, the league's top goalscorer, anything is possible.

Cowley is aggressive and quick, working the defenders hard he curls one over on 49 before another routine long throw by Rob Evans ends up with Wollacot flicking a foot over his head, Dan Wilks diving to his right to keep the ball out.

On the hour there's a red card as Spalding manager Jimmy Dean stops a quickly taken throw in, Dean sent even more quickly, marching up to take his pew in the elevated stand that I'm sat in.

That doesn't hold Spalding back though, they look to have taken the lead when Abduramane Sane bundles the ball goalwards, there's celebrations but no signal from the Referee or his assistants, that the ball ever crossed the line.

As we hit the 75 minute mark, one player I have been disappointed with is Tulips winger Jack Roberts, he picked up a first half booking for dissent but has been largely on the periphery, the speedster has netted 24 goals this season but has hardly beaten his man all game, until a moment of magic down the right has him in John Robertson fashion (Malmo 79) produce a low centre, which causes chaos, Yusifu Ceesay is sliding in, the ball bundling goal bound again, this time, it creeps over the line.

There's celebration as Ceesay runs to the dugouts arms aloft, purple pyro appears in the stand behind the goal, the Halesowen fans who have been singing and bouncing all match, at the opposite end, suddenly, go quiet.

It's a slender lead but it's enough of something to hang on to, Halesowen are pushing for a leveller but time is running out, Spalding are captained by Liam Moore who heads everything away, they have Connor Johnson beside him keeping discipline, their full backs Sembie-Ferris and Olopade have been brilliant.

There's time in the dying seconds of six added as Yeltz keeper Daniel Platt goes up for a corner, he manages to get headed contact onto the ball but it's well over the bar, the home side hanging on, they'll play Real Bedford next at home, to define who gets to go up to play step 2 football next season.

The Stars

I said it in August and I'll say it very close to May, Jimmy Dean has a bloody good side and some really good players, if they don't go up, I think there's a few worth looking at, who can play in the league (at least) above.

On the night, I was really impressed with left back Tosin Olopade, a 21-year-old athletic defender signed from Salford City, who epitomised what the night was all about, pace, power, aggression, positivity.

Spalding defended well, lead by Liam Moore at centre half who has over 300 football league appearances, but they attacked with excitement, pacey and direct, leggy and strong, with both Abduramane Sane and Yusifu Ceesay often too hot to handle, whilst wearing number nine they possessed a powerful battering ram in Bartosz Cybulski who looks very good in doing what he does.

Then there's Jack Roberts, a player I think is one of the best in the division, who had 'that moment' in a tough competitive game, to get some space, and deliver the cross that won the match.

Another contender for the best footballer in the division would be Halesowen's Jason Cowley who ran his socks off up front, often with quality and plenty of pace, he did things at speed and was unlucky not to add to his 31 goals this season, well marshalled on the night, he offered Halesowen's best threat of scoring.

Big performances from the likes of Mitchell Roberts, from captain Rob Evans at centre half, I thought Jack Hickman did really well down the right, as did Milan Butterfield who I have seen play more in central midfield, he did a job at full back and offered a big physical presence in the back line, whilst Ty Bennett brought on late on, offered more size and physique in attack.

The Verdict

Unlike the Premier League tarnished with its negativity in style this season, English football down the divisions is bloody brilliant, the Sir Halley Stewart Field is a football ground that has rose up in my charts of favourites, a real community club is Spalding United and the locals ran around to their teams needs and got behind them when needed, whilst credit to Halesowen must be given, I seen at least four coaches of fans making way West to East, a big club in the division, I hope to see them at their place, some time soon.

Whilst Halesowen may go back to the drawing board, with promotion the aim for Russell Penn next season, Spalding have that in sight this Saturday with a home match against another big spending opponent. I hope they win, because it's a nice drive for me, and to see them in the National League North, for the first time in the clubs history, really would be something special.

The Teams

Spalding United: Daniel Wilks, Dion Sembie-Ferris, Tosin Olopade, Liam Moore, Connor Johnson, Curtis Thompson, Jack Roberts, Tom Pugh (Josh McCammon 72), Bartosz Cybulski, Abduramane Sane, Yusifu Ceesay (Lewis White 90).

Halesowen Town: Daniel Platt, Jack Hickman (Fin Holmes 66), Josh Smile (Kyle Finn 21), Ryan Wollacott, Mitchell Roberts (Reece Mitchell 80), Todd Parker (AJ George 80), Jason Cowley, Milan Butterfield, Jim Kellerman, Jordan Ponticelli (Ty Bennett 75), Rob Evans.

7:45pm Kick Off. Wednesday 29th April 2026, Sir Halley Stewart Playing Field, Spalding (att 2,038).