WALKING BACK TO HAPPINESS

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I was going to bang on about Scottish cup football today, but got distracted when this week's edition of the Barnsley Chronicle was staring at me on the news stands in the local Coop. Such fun wading through the four day sell out at the Paramount Cinema in Penistone, when "The Lady in Van" was shown. Or Jo Brand's walk through the area when she does her coast to coast trip; where will she stay when she stops at Langsett for a breather? Then there's the latest housing scandal, when a local cattle barn is being allowed to be developed into a dwelling!

But it was the front page that grabbed my attention thus:-

There I was photographed with my Walking Football mates. We play Tuesday and Thursday, 4 while 5pm at Penistone Church FC. It's a nation wide initiative supported by the FA and in our case the local County FA, Sheffield and Hallamshire (Sheffield FC being the oldest and Hallam FC the second oldest football clubs in the world).

Just up the road, west from Penistone is Bord Hill (the A628) which heads across the Woodhead Pass to Lancashire. It was there that the good folk of the South Pennines had their own "mob game". It's a hot bed of soccer here you know.

Thankfully, Walking Football is more serene; no running (obviously), limited touches on the ball, below head height, score only in the "D" and no nasty tackling. If only all football was like that, I would have been an international!

So as well as all our local Barnsley heroes, Josh Stones and Co (see previous blogs), there is also a young girl who has just made it big in football. Well done Beth, on your contract at Chelsea; watch out for those big hitters in the capital city!