Opening Day Win For Hucknall In UCL

And we are up-and-running, the 2026/27 football season is underway.

With the FIFA World Cup final having taken place less than a week earlier, and the qualifiers of Europe’s premier cup competitions, UEFA Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League, already in full swing, the weekend gone saw non-league take centre-stage.

Across Nottinghamshire, the first to kick a ball competitively belonged to those in the GCE Hire United Counties Football League Premier Division North and Division One, and the Macron Northern Counties East Football League Premier Division.

In the UCL Premier North there was successes for Hucknall Town and AFC Mansfield, Kimberley Miners Welfare and Newark Town, whilst Division One’s plaudits went the way of, primarily Shirebrook Town and Cotgrave, alongside wins for Dunkirk, Sandiacre Town, Southwell City, and Clipstone.

Hucknall and Mansfield both enjoyed 3-2 wins on the opening day of the new season, the former doing so when home to Skegness Town, Gabriel Edebe’s late brace giving the Yellows maximum points.

Trevell Lindo afforded the hosts an interval lead, netting in the 42nd minute, however, that was cancelled out by Lucas Dakin’s effort just after the restart; Edebe, he struck twice in the final fifteen before Kyle Radford made for a twitchy finish with a late second for the visitors.

AFC Mansfield meanwhile picked up all three points when away to Aylestone Park, four of the five goals arriving in the first half, the visitors coming from two-down to win; Saxon Nicholls and Joseph Ball had Park two up after 26 minutes before Ryan Ingram’s first of the afternoon got the Bulls back into it.

Daniel Shelbourne then levelled proceedings a little over five minutes before the break, with Ingram grabbing what proved the winner, just before the hour; Kimberley and Newark meanwhile saw their goals also arriving in the first half as they both registered victories.

Ben Henderson and Curtis Rigley netted for Kimberley as they won 2-1 at Deeping Rangers, whilst Toby White and Ryan Rushen scored for Newark as they won by the same, at home to Hinckley.

The remaining two Notts clubs in the UCL Premier suffered opening day defeats, Sherwood Colliery going down 2-1 away to Belper United, Nathaniel Crofts netting for the visitors late in the first, the winner arriving in the closing minutes of the second.

Eastwood meanwhile were involved in a seven-goal thriller when home to Leicester Nirvana, with only one of the seven coming in the first half; Tyler Blake notched a second half brace, and Luke Rawson also netted, but were undone by a Joshua Allen double, and an own-goal at the death. The defeat cost Eastwood manager, Willlis Francis, his job, the first of this seasons managerial casualties.

In UCL Division One, Cotgrave, last season’s Notts Senior League Premier champions, were also involved in an opening day, seven-goal thriller, Leo Almond’s hat-trick helping them to a 4-3 win over visiting Dronfield Town.

Shirebrook also bagged four as they put visiting Gedling Miners Welfare to the sword late on’ Kian Tansley had the hosts a goal up at the break, and it stayed that way until stoppage time at the end of the second as Ryan Parker scored twice, and Joe Shaw adding the fourth, as the game ticked well beyond the ninety.

Jack Casburn got Southwell City’s season up-and-running with a win, they picking apart hosts Pinxton 3-0, Dunkirk won 2-1 against visiting South Normanton Athletic, with Clipstone doing the same at Stapleford Town, and Sandiacre Town won 1-0 at Louth Town.

Elsewhere, West Bridgford Colts drew 1-1 at Maltby Main, and Radford drew 2-2 at Pinchbeck United, whilst there were defeats for Selston, 2-0 at Harrowby United, and for Clifton All Whites, 3-2 at Staveley Miners Welfare.

As for the two sides over in the NCEL Premier Division, there wasn’t to be victorious, opening day returns for either Retford, or Retford United.

The Choughs did pick up a point, drawing 1-1 at home to Handsworth, Bernard Nsiah’s 66th minute equaliser cancelling out Rion Arbouin’s opener just after the restart; as for the Badgers, they were beaten 3-1 on their return to the league, away to Golcar United, Ashley Flynn opening and closing the scoring for the hosts, in the 2nd and 87th minutes, Oliver Wilson netting for the visitors late in the second period.