The Owls welcomed the oldest football club in existence to Bradley for this Evostik South clash. Sheffield FC have a rich history and are currently experiencing their 11th consecutive season at this level.

However, this campaign has been one of struggle for the Yorkshire outfit. They arrived only one place off the bottom of the table and in desperate need of some points to climb away from the relegation dogfight.

It was a different story for Clee, who started the day in fourth. After last week’s comfortable victory at Loughborough Dynamo, they had their sights firmly set on a good December and a promotion push in the New Year.

The pitch was passed fit after a mid-morning inspection and the temperature hovered around freezing point for the duration. There were four changes from the team that triumphed in Leicestershire as Marcus Newell rotated his squad. In came Peter Winn, Matt Bloomer, Adam Drury and Andy Taylor at the expense of Loz McKay, Oli Donald, Jack Richardson and Liam Davis respectively.

Clee started the game in reasonable fashion as a ball over the defence almost found Brody Robertson but the ball ran safe on the slick surface. Then there was good play on the right by front pairing Taylor and Robertson before captain Alex Flett shot wide from 20 yards.

The visitors had a good chance to take the lead on the quarter hour mark. Mark Worrall found some space centrally on the edge of the area but he rushed his effort, which did not trouble Richard Walton. The Owls responded with a nice move involving Drury and Tim Lowe but the latter’s cross proved to be too high.

Numerous players had slipped in the opening 25 minutes and the general opinion amongst the crowd was that it must have been a marginal decision to let the game go ahead. It was proving to be particularly difficult for defenders, as turning quickly was very troublesome.

On 27 minutes, Sheffield were almost gifted the lead. Walton misjudged the bounce on the hard surface and the ball fell to striker Andrew Gascoigne. However, he could not get his shot on target, much to the relief of the home keeper.

Robertson did well to dispossess a defender and his ball in found Taylor but he could not finish. The strike pair were again involved when Taylor controlled cleverly and played a short ball to Robertson, who was fouled. The home faithful were hoping for a replay of last week’s fine goal by Winn. This time, though, his curling free-kick drifted just the wrong side of the post.

An even half ended with a long-range effort from Drury and the referee’s whistle signalled a welcome break from the biting cold.

HT Cleethorpes Town 0 Sheffield FC 0

The second period began in disjointed fashion. The pitch became ever more crusty as the temperature dropped away. However, Sheffield were starting to carry the greater threat and took the lead on the 56th minute. The Clee defence failed to clear the ball and it fell to Tyler Williams 12 yards from goal. He cut inside and his good shot found the top corner.

A shock for the Owls and they responded immediately when Flett had a long-range effort and then Jon Oglesby tried to inspire a comeback. The winger’s long run through the inside left channel resulted with him curling an effort wide.

This proved to be a false dawn as Sheffield produced a three goal salvo inside 9 minutes to ensure the points were going back to Yorkshire.

Firstly, on the 61st minute, a throw-in on the left led to the ball coming in to Gascoigne, who fired in from 15 yards. Then, six minutes later, a sensational solo goal from Ben Algar. He sidestepped numerous home players before finding space to shoot powerfully beyond Walton.

Finally, another mix-up in the Clee defence allowed Worrall to inflict further misery with Sheffield’s fourth of the afternoon.

The match was effectively over as a contest but, to their credit, the Owls kept battling to try to gain a consolation. Three substitutions followed with Winn, Oglesby and Robertson coming off to be replaced by McKay, Davis and Donald respectively.

As time ran down, Clee had a couple of half chances via Taylor and McKay but it was destined to be a bad day at the office for the home side.

Sheffield had belied their lowly league standing with a fine second half display as they inflicted the Owls heaviest home defeat for over four years.

FT Cleethorpes Town 0 Sheffield FC 4 (Williams 56, Gascoigne 61, Algar 68, Worrall 70) Attendance: 163

It is only fitting to start the summary with a few words about the contribution of Luke Mascall to the Owls over the last seven years. As you will know by now, Luke feels the time is right to move on to Grimsby Borough and I know everyone will respect his decision.

The dynamic midfielder has been here from the days of struggle in the Lincolnshire League to the current success in the Evostik via Wembley! His commitment has been total and he has proved he can play in several different roles. To say Luke is a versatile all-action player is a massive understatement.

A couple of memories from my own experiences. When asked to play as a striker at Buxton recently, he gave a marvellous performance and inspired a famous 2-1 victory. Indeed, he has been voted man of the match several times this season and deservedly so.

Also, the midfielder could certainly find the back of the net and his screamer of an equaliser against Handsworth Parramore on a cold January night at Bradley in 2016 is a particular favourite of mine.

So Luke, from everyone at Cleethorpes Town, the very best of luck in your future ventures and be assured that there will always be a warm welcome for you at the Linden Club.

An unexpected heavy defeat for the Owls but these kind of results happen in football. It is fair to say that Clee did not play well but credit to Sheffield, who adapted far better to the conditions. I am very much putting the game into the “one-off” category and fourth place in the table makes good reading.

Clee continue the Evostik South adventure next Saturday (16th – 3pm) with a visit to the Moat Ground to face Gresley FC. This is the return fixture from the opening day, when the Owls marked their debut in the division with a convincing 4-1 win.

The Moatmen have had a difficult season so far and currently sit in 20th place. It would appear to be a good opportunity for the Owls to get back on track and put pressure on the teams above.

Away support has been superb this year and hopefully there will once again be a large travelling contingent. The ground is in the village of Church Gresley and for those using a sat-nav, the postcode is DE11 9RE.

With Christmas just around the corner, why not treat yourself or a loved one to membership of the Clee Town Ultras – the supporters’ club run by the fans for the fans!

A perfect opportunity to get on board with the area’s premier non-league side. Ask in the Main Stand at any home fixture or contact the Linden Club for all the details. Alternatively, look at the Twitter handles - @CleeTownFC or @UltrasClee.

UP THE OWLS!