Tuesday 12th February 2026 ko 19:30

Central Midlands Alliance-Floodlit Cup 2nd Round

MELBOURNE DYNAMO 2 (Bickerton 45+1 Goodband 66)

Peverley sent off 66 (2nd booking)

FC SUNNYHILL

Att 89

Free Entry

It seems a million years ago since the days of the Central Midlands League Hops (the last was in 2012) and these days the league is now the Central Midlands Alliance following a merger with the Midlands Regional Alliance in 2023. Melbourne is a small town in Derbyshire, close to Castle Donington Race Circuit. It is perhaps best known as being the birthplace of Thomas Cook of package holidays fame.

Melbourne FC were founded just in 1950 but soon after, an FC Dynamo Moscow side toured the UK, playing a series of friendly matches against professional and amateur outfits and Melbourne FC were one of the clubs the Russians played. A year or so later, as folklore would have it, Melbourne FC adopted the Dynamo suffix, and an all-blue strip was adopted.

I’m sure some will look at the Step 7 Central Midlands League and immediately think of few facilities. Well while its fair to say the league has lost many of its better appointed clubs, drawn upwards in the pyramid by FA restructuring, Melbourne seem to be trying to buck the trend. It transpired that this was only the second game under their new floodlights, and the opening first XI game, but there is far more to this ground than just the new lights.

Put simply Melbourne Sports Park is a Step 6 ground in development. There is a stand, rails and some hard standing too. Yes, a players’ tunnel will need to be provided, as will a pay hut, but those seem to be smaller tasks than what has been achieved already. The club’s plan seems to be sensible too, incremental progress rather than an unsustainable revolution.

We were treated to an entertaining game too, and one with an unusual twist. It was predictable that Premier Division Melbourne would beat their visitors from Division 1 South, what wasn’t was that a player would be sent off without technically being on the pitch. I’ll explain, Melbourne’s Jake Peverley had been booked but also substituted. But when the second goal went in, he ran on the pitch to celebrate (you can see him on one of the pictures) and collected his second yellow for entering the field of play without permission! I’ve seen non-playing substitutes get sent off, but never that!