Non-League Day was set up by James Doe in 2010 as a social media experiment, after being inspired by a pre-season trip to Devon to watch Queens Park Rangers play at Tavistock. It has now grown to become an annual part of the football calendar, backed by Premier League and Football League clubs, MPs, celebrities, media organisations, charities and most importantly the non-league clubs themselves and the fans who turn up on the day.

Always scheduled to coincide with an international break, Non-League Day provides a platform for clubs to promote the importance of affordable volunteer-led community football while giving fans across the country the chance to show support for their local non-league side.

Many non-league clubs are almost exclusively volunteer run, with money taken at the turnstiles often funding thriving youth set-ups, projects and facilities which are of benefit to the whole community. The level of skill on offer at non-league grounds might not be the same as that at the Etihad Stadium or Stamford Bridge, for example, but there are other sides to the experience, from which the smaller club will always win hands down.

The vast majority of games still kick off at 3pm, ticket prices are realistic, you can often stand (and drink!) anywhere in the ground and will always be guaranteed a warm welcome by people who run their clubs for a love of the game.

Whether you’re a Premier League or Championship fan without a game, a League One or League Two supporter who can’t make an away trip, or just someone who is curious about what their local club has to offer, there is sure to be something to interest everyone.

Kimberley go into the match riding high after securing passage to the Nottinghamshire FA senior cup final with their victory over Radford on Tuesday night. The win was a first after three straight defeats and the management will be hoping that it kicks the team into a good run for the final five league matches. A return to form will be very welcome, with some tough matches remaining before rounding off the season with the county cup final at Mansfield Town’s Field Mill. Near neighbours, Heanor Town will be hopeful of a Kimberley win today, as Blackstones are breathing down Heanor necks, three points behind and second bottom, but with a game in hand.

Blackstones will want a repeat of the reverse fixture earlier in the season where they took the points against the miners. They find themselves in a strange situation, sitting second bottom in the division, but with Newark & Sherwood FC in fourteenth spot taking voluntary relegation at the end of the season. It remains to be seen if only the bottom spot will be relegated or second bottom as well. Blackstones will look to make sure they are not in the reckoning by taking as many points as possible in their last five matches to leapfrog Heanor Town and pull away from Harrowby who sit bottom.

Kimberley’s last match was on Tuesday night under the lights at The Stag Ground when they welcomed Radford FC in the semi final of the Nottinghamshire FA Senior Cup. In what were horrendous conditions, the sides were struggling to play much football with torrential downpours coming in sidewards with heavy wind putting pay to an attractive game of football. Miners keeper Tom Smith didn’t have much to do throughout the ninety minutes, pulling off a fantastic save in the first half but was rarely threatened by the visiting side. Kole Lambert opened the scoring just four minutes into the encounter. It took until midway through the second half for Kimberley to double their lead as Fin Ryder found the back of the net on a rare return from Shepshed Dynamo. This was enough to take the miners to Mansfield in May.
Final Score - Kimberley Miners Welfare 2-0 Radford

Blackstones’ last match was a trip to Ashby Ivanhoe on that wet Tuesday night. Three goals in six minutes saw George Teeney open the scoring for Ashby on thirty eight, only for Nathan Rudman and Callum Davies to hit back before half time. A flurry of late yellow cards for Blackstones suggests a feisty end to the match which sees Ashby not quite safe but gives Blackstones a fighting chance at finishing above Heanor Town.
Final Score - Ashby Ivanhoe 1-2 Blackstones

LAST TIME AROUND

In October, the team travelled to Blackstones in search of a tenth successive victory in all competitions. This time, the league was the focus. Blackstones were in need of a victory after a couple of defeats previously. A poor game saw the hosts bag the only goal midway through the second half. The miners should not get too down about the result, having been fantastic so far this season, although Saturdays' result could serve as a wake up call for the team to remain focussed.
Final Score - Blackstones 1-0 Kimberley Miners Welfare

The two sides met in Kimberley’s promotion season of 2021-22 as Blackstones stayed in the division despite finishing in the bottom three. The visit to Blackstones was at the end of February 2022. Goals from Luis Rose, Josh Barr-Roston, Aaron Coyle, Bijan Pakrouz and an own goal wrapped up a one-sided 5-0 victory for the miners.

The earlier match that season was early in the season at The Stag Ground. Tom Eccleshall opened the scoring for Kimberley in the first minute. Sam Brown doubled the lead on the stroke of half time. Cameron Vickers, Luis Rose and Josh Barr-Roston added three more at the start of the second half before Harvey Hollis grabbed a goal back for Blackstones. Bijan Pakrouz and two from Blaise Duruaku rounded off another dominant 8-1 win for Kimberley.

A LITTLE ABOUT THE OPPOSITION

Formed as the works team of Blackstone & Co, the club won the Peterborough & District League in 1918–19. However, they subsequently dropped into more local football, playing in the Stamford & District and Bourne & District leagues, winning the last Stamford & District league title before World War II.

Following the war, Blackstones rejoined the Peterborough & District League. They finished bottom of Division One in 1950–51 and were relegated to Division Two. The following season saw them finish bottom of Division Two, after which they left the league. They rejoined the league in 1959, and were Division Two champions in 1961–62 and Division One champions in 1975–76. During this period they were renamed Mirrlees Blackstone after the company merged with Mirrlees National Limited in 1969.

In 1984 Blackstones joined Division One of the United Counties League. After finishing as runners-up in 1987–88, they were promoted to the Premier Division. The 1992−93 season saw them win the Lincolnshire Senior 'A' Cup, beating Bourne Town in the final. In 1998 they adopted their current name after Mirrlees Blackstone closed its Stamford works. In 2002–03 they won the Premier Division Knock-Out Cup with a 4–0 win against Buckingham Town in the final; the following season they won the Lincolnshire Senior 'A' Cup for a second time.

After finishing second-from-bottom of the Premier Division in 2012−13, Blackstones were relegated to Division One. They finished fourth in Division One in 2024–25, qualifying for the promotion play-offs. After beating Retford United 3–0 in the semi-finals, they defeated Retford 3–2 in the final, earning promotion to the Premier Division North.

FINALLY

Both sides will be doing all they can to take the points this weekend. Kimberley will want to continue where they left off on Tuesday and put a run together for the final run in.
Blackstones will be desperate for a win to get themselves out of trouble.

This makes for a very interesting and exciting match in prospect. We hope for a great turnout on Non League Day, with no professional matches going ahead today due to the international break.

Kick off is at 15:00

See you there