Ground #393 - Ingfield Stadium

Date: 2nd September 2023
Ground: Ingfield Stadium
Location: Ossett, West Yorkshire

My eighteenth new ground of 2023 was on Saturday 2nd September at Ingfield Stadium in Ossett, West Yorkshire. The game was Ossett United vs. Marske United in F.A. Cup 1st Round Qualifying.

Ingfield Stadium is located near the centre of Ossett, directly opposite the town's bus station to the south. It is surrounded by housing on the other three sides. The ground is 3.5 miles west of the nearest railway station at Wakefield Westgate. Ossett United was formed as an amalgamation of Ossett Town and Ossett Albion in 2018 but the venue had been the home of Ossett Town since 1959. 

Many of the club facilities are on the eastern side of Ingfield Stadium. A clubhouse building faces towards the pitch (though you can only see half the pitch due to a dressing room building just to the northern side of the halfway line. In front of the clubhouse are picnic benches and then a three-level uncovered concrete viewing area. Towards the south-east corner are two-storey demountables with a little club shop and hospitality on the bottom floor and a supporters bar on the top floor. There is then an additional demountable serving as a food outlet in the corner itself. 

The dugouts are positioned on the western side and straddle the halfway line. Next to this towards the northern end is a covered concrete stand and beyond this a grass area with a strip of uncovered hard standing. There is more uncovered flat standing heading towards the southern end. The southern end itself has an all-seater stand taking up the middle half of this end - it has five rows of seating and has five supporting beams to hold up the roof. To the east of this is a little shack for announcers and an elevated disabled viewing area. The northern end is the most basic with it consisting of uncovered flat concrete standing except for a small covered metal terrace directly behind the goal.

The game was an F.A. Cup 1st Round Qualifying tie between Northern Premier League Division One East side Ossett United and Northern Premier League Premier Division side Marske United. Both had experienced similarly poor starts with both sitting 2nd bottom of their respective divisions with a single win from their first five games. The start of the game was a slow one with no early chances. The first item of note was a Marske attack after 20 minutes which resulted in Eddie Church's shot from the right side of the area being well saved and cleared after a scramble. Five minutes later Marske got their noses in front - Donald Chimalilo did well to ride several challenges before clipping a cross over Ossett keeper Joe Green. The initial header was blocked but it fell to Church who knocked in from a couple of yards out. The closest the hosts came in the opening 45 was just before the interval when Jimmy Burke headed well wide of the target from a free header resulting from a free-kick. The visitors started the second half on the front foot as in the first minute Adam Boyes headed just wide at the back post from close range. In the 53rd minute they were awarded a free-kick in a dangerous area and Josh MacDonald's excellent curling shot found the corner of the net to put his team 2-0 up. Eddie Church was inches wide of his second and Marske's third in the 74th minute as he saw a shot deflected wide but a couple of minutes later it was the away goalkeeper who was required. A free-kick was headed out as far as Zak Dearnley who smashed a shot at goal only for Nathan Harker to save theatrically. This proved important as five minutes later Marske had a third when Adam Boyes stroked past the Joe Green after a defence splitting ball. This put the tie to bed with the higher league opponents too strong for Ossett.

Result: Ossett United 0-3 Marske United

Competition: F.A. Cup

Attendance: 321