Hats off to Will In Villa Thriller.....

And so to Beech Fields in Timperley, which derives from Timber Leah - the Anglo Saxon for a 'clearing in the forest'. It's a Wednesday night Lancashire and Cheshire League Division 3 fixture between Timperley Villa Youth and Broadheath Central, kicking off at 1815, allegedly, but actually starting at 1837...

Villa Youth was established in 1981 and gained promotion last season to Division 3 in the Lancs and Cheshire, currently sitting 9th of 12.

Broadheath Central FC was established in 1922, but a previous incarnation of a Broadheath side served as a forerunner to Altrincham FC prior to 1903. The first team plays in the Cheshire League Premier at Salisbury Fields, backed by attractive railway arches that sit in front of the canal, and the reserves use Navigation Road. Tonight's side is the youth and third team and presently lie 4th, despite me witnessing a 7-1 mauling at home in appalling conditions last Wednesday by Saddleworth 3Ds - the 3Ds referring to Delph, Dobcross and Denshaw.

Central joined the Mid Cheshire League Division 2 in 1991/92 and were crowned as champions in their first season but saw relegation in 1998; they reversed this by winning the league in 2001.

Broadheath left what became the Cheshire League in 2009 for the now defunct Altrincham & District Amateur League but rejoined the Cheshire Division 2 in 2016. Central achieved promotions in 2018 and 2019 to join the Premier - and have been twice runners up and 3rd in the last three seasons, but this term has been an underwhelming disappointment, placing well below half way...

So it's on to Park Road and beyond The Wok Inn, Barberian, Cheshire Clocks and Marvel Guitars. Numberplates today are 6OYA, FR06 XXX, POW311S and BE10VED .... and a BJS van shouting 'One Good Deed Leeds To Another'. 

Then a detour via Skelton Junction and the Moss Trooper before I reach Cheshire Stoves & Fires, Oh Coco and into the Grange and through to Beech Fields - playing fields with a Scout Hut and changing rooms at one end and at the other Fairywell Brook adjoining Brooklands, all surrounded by residential housing and mature trees, and Altrincham Kersal RUFC behind.

                    

Villa are in yellow and black, sponsored by Commhoist and Broadheath wear red and black, covered by PP Group. A 'crowd' of 16 assembles and strangely, for this level, we have two linesmen alongside the referee.

A dreadful miss from Central in the first 15 seconds precedes an awful error by Broadheath's obese custodian who lets a weak shot go through his arms, but fortunately it trickles wide. Another mistake, this time by Villa's keeper, sees a poor goal kick punished by a 45 yard lob from Michael Coffey and Central lead 1-0. But that lasts only for less than 60 seconds as Will Sarwar slots home for Timpers. Nothing further in the first half with Sarwar's stab wide the nearest effort, and the break sees it 1-1.

Two minutes into the second period a horrible clearance by Broadheath's overweight shotstopper results in Callum Blades netting with a lob from 35 yards. Villa hit the post on 63 before it becomes the Sarwar Show.

With 20 minutes to go we have another shocking goalkeeping mistake, dropping the ball from a routine shot and then clattering down the Villa striker. Sarwar scores from the penalty spot and three minutes later gets his hat trick with a well worked team move - and that's it as Timperley comfortably see out the game 4-1, and clip the bar in the dying seconds. Cavaliers possibly next season....but probably not Didsbury FC, formerly Burnage Metro FC 🤔

United and Saints Held In Reserve.....

And so to Wythenshawe Sports Ground on Willenhall Road but not, at the last minute, for a Lancashire and Cheshire League Premier Division fixture and a local derby between Trafford United and Sale Amateurs.

Trafford United was established in 2005 playing in local leagues before moving to the Lancashire and Cheshire. Back to back ascensions sees United in the Premier Division this season for the first time, and they currently lie 9th of 11.

Sale Amateurs FC was founded in 1987 by David Creely and David Hart. The club previously played in the now defunct Altrincham & District Amateur Football League, before moving to the Lancashire and Cheshire for the 2020/21 season. 

Sale also saw back to back promotions to the Premier League of the Lancashire and Cheshire in 2022 and 2023; they were 4th in their second season in the top tier before seemingly resigning from the league this week, but still fulfilling cup fixtures, including a 0-7 reverse at home to Altrincham Reserves, which I witnessed alongside Mersey Valley's injury time heartbreaking Cup defeat to Billinge New Street. Ammies play in yellow/ black and are based at Mersey Valley Sports Club on Banky Lane on the border of Carrington, cohabiting with Mersey Valley FC.

Instead it's a 1pm kick off for a Division 3 Reserves match between Trafford United, 8th of 12, and Heywood St James, formed in 1882, from Shepherd Street in Heywood and currently sitting 5th.

Past Frurt, Bohemia, Stellantis & You and Luminer brings me to Marsland Road. Numberplates today are AN6E FOX - Angela Fox Aesthetics -, MU51CKS (Forsyth Music Shop) and W8X ME, plus a BJS removal van 'Grinning Like A Cheshire Cat'.

Then Marsland Road, the Little B, Sale Rugby FC, Sale Grammar, the Carters Arms and Holy Cow in Sale Moor. Finally through Northern Moor and under the motorway to Wythenshawe Sports Ground, previously owned by the University of Manchester.

The Sports Ground is vast - 22 full size football pitches, 9 reduced size football pitches and a solitary rugby pitch, plus a pavilion - but only one game today 🤔. Junction 5 of the M60 is next door, but the fields are set in a hollow and surrounded by woods and pylons.

Trafford are in blue and black, sponsored by Namaste Nepal restaurant. Heywood are in orange with a black diagonal stripe, and sponsored by Phoenix Fires. Confusingly the home keeper is in all orange too, but the tubby referee lets it go...

We start off in sunshine, which turns to cloud, an icy wind and hints of drizzle. And the match takes a while to warm up... in front of a crowd in single figures, and mostly away supporters 😀 

Forty minutes have elapsed before the first meaningful action - a good stop onto the post by Trafford's custodian. Three minutes afterwards United's centre forward is allowed a free header from a corner and the home side lead 1-0. But not for long, as in stoppage time a Saints free kick causes confusion and leads to an own goal; it's 1-1 at the break.

Eight minutes into the second half a sumptuous Trafford volley smacks the post, and United miss a one on one sixty seconds later. Heywood fight back and they have a shot superbly tipped over on the hour.

Trafford retake the lead with a quarter of an hour to go - a corner not cleared and thrashed home into the roof of the net. But eight minutes later another St James free kick produces a defensive mess and the ball is laid on a plate for a second equaliser - and it finishes 2-2.

From Saint To Sinner.......

And so to Clarence Park in St Albans for a crucial National League South clash between St Albans City FC and Weymouth FC.

St Albans FC was established in 1881 and played in the Southern League for two seasons between 1897 and 1899. Formerly playing at Bernards Heath, Holywell Meadows and Gombards, the Saints moved to Clarence Park in 1894 before disbanding in 1904.

St Albans City FC was founded in 1908, becoming members of the Spartan League and the Herts County League. Champions of both leagues in 1910, Saints joined the Athenian League in 1920 and City was crowned as Athenian champions in 1921 and 1922 😊

The club's most famous match materialised in November 1922 - a fourth round FA Cup qualifier against Dulwich Hamlet. Having been held 1-1 at Clarence Park, the replay saw the Saints mysteriously without their usual keeper and fielding a half back in goal. He conceded eight times and City could only manage seven in reply - all scored by Wilf Minter; a record tally from a losing side unlikely to ever be beaten....

The Saints joined the Isthmian League in 1923 and won it in their inaugural season. More championships followed in 1927 and 1928 but thereafter City only finished as runners-up in 1955.

Relegated to Division Two in 1974 alongside Corinthian Casuals - the first clubs ever to go down in the Isthmian - further demotion to the new Division Two came about in 1983, but City went straight back up the following season finishing as second. The Saints regained their Premier League status in 1986. They were denied promotion at the end of the 1992/93 season due to a low ground grading because of a diseased oak tree on one of the terraces.....

In 2004, after a league restructuring and despite finishing 19th that season, St Albans competed in the play offs for the new Conference South - beating Heybridge Swifts 4-3 and Bedford Town 5-4 to claim their place in the newly formed division. Better was to follow in 2006 as City beat Histon 2-0 in the play offs to gain promotion to the Conference National.

Sadly it only lasted one season as they were relegated in bottom place. Thereafter it was a struggle as owner John Gibson's building firm, William Verry, went into administration in 2009. Subsequently in 2011 the club was fined £7,500 and deducted 10 points for financial irregularities - allegedly illegal payments to players - and inevitably that season saw relegation to the Southern Premier. But new owners brought about a brighter future and City reached the First Round Proper of the FA Cup in 2013; however The Saints were shellacked 8-1 at home to Mansfield Town.

Promotion back to the Conference South followed in 2014, via a 3-1 win over Chesham United in the play offs. There was play off disappointment in 2023, 4-0 at the hands of Oxford City, and the Saints finished 11th last season. This time a terrible start has seen the sacking of manager David Noble, with Ian Culverhouse taking over - and he has steadied the ship with the Saints 21st, but only a point from escaping the relegation zone, with a game in hand and superior goal difference compared to their rivals. 

Weymouth Football Club was founded on 26 August 1890 and played their first fixture on 24 September against a Mr Popes XI at Lodmoor, winning 2-0. In 1896 the Terras (nicknamed after their original terracotta strip) became a founding member of the Dorset League. In the following 1897-98 season, they took a lease at the Recreation Ground, their home for 89 years, and won their first Dorset League title. They continued as a member of the Dorset League over the next 20 years, winning a further league title in the 1913-14 season.

Weymouth was elected to join the Western League from the 1921-22 season, where they competed as well as continuing in the Dorset League. Following a Dorset League win that season, they followed it up in the 1922/23 season with a Western League title. The following year the club turned professional, and was elected to the Southern League for the first time - but debts, a recurrent theme, saw the club revert back to amateur status in 1928, moving back to the Western League where they won championships in 1937 and 1938 before folding for five years.

Football resumed after the Second World War in 1947 and the club soon achieved promotion back to the Southern League, and were champions in 1965 and 1966. The Terras moved to the Wessex Stadium in 1987 - now renamed the Bob Lucas Stadium in July 2010, in honour of the club president at the time.... and who died a month afterwards...

Weymouth was a founding member of the Alliance Premier League in 1979, finishing runners up to Altrincham in its inaugural season. Relegation in 1989 to the Southern was followed by further demotion in 1991; a one season return to the Premier preceded 6 more seasons at the lower level, before promotion and then joining the newly formed Conference South in 2004 in the halcyon days of Ian Ridley's chairmanship and with Steve Claridge managing the team.

Promoted as champions in 2006 despite having 4 points deducted, the Terras were relegated in 2009 amidst financial turmoil, John Hollins and Bobby Gould having little effect in the dugout, and sank into the Southern Premier the following season. Notice of appointing administrators in October 2009 prefaced a Company Voluntary Arrangement in March 2010 with debts standing at £822,000. 

The club was taken over by lifelong fan Nigel Biddlecombe in February 2012, after George Rolls' controversial reign, epitomised by fielding their youth team in a 9-0 home defeat by Rushden with first team players unpaid - Biddlecombe currently still retains a minority shareholding. The Terras were promoted in 2019 and again in 2020 back to the National League Premier, but were relegated in 2022 and miraculously avoided back to back demotions to the Southern League on the final day of the following season on goal difference, after winning their last three games - Dulwich Hamlet going down on goal difference 😒

Last time, after a slow start, the Terras achieved mid table mediocrity and safety, but surprisingly parted company, with safety not assured at that point, with the previous season's saviour Bobby Wilkinson. Mark Molesley retook the reins but was sacked in November as Weymouth plummeted to bottom spot - Warren Feeney was appointed as Weymouth's new manager, but to little effect as the Terras sit next to bottom with a record of 4 wins, 12 draws and 20 defeats and 9 points adrift of safety.

Setting out and spotting new 25 car registration plates, it's past the King's Ransom, Watch House Cruising Club, UA92 and the Taylor Swift mannequin into Manchester. Then the Blue Whale supermarket and Victory Over Blindness statue at Piccadilly Station where I board the Bournemouth train in glorious sunshine. Numberplates en route are UPL1T (UP Lighting), NET 1N and A11 DUN, along with BJS furniture vans advertising 'Silver Service in Sheffield', 'Ready & Willing in Wednesbury' and 'Lighting Up Blackpool'.

Through Stockport with its iconic pyramid and hat museum, and MyHo and Inspired Co-working at Cheadle Hulme. Then Arighi Bianchi at Macclesfield, rusty waters at Kidsgrove and a china factory just outside Longton.

To The Hand of Chronos at Stoke on Trent and Wellbeing Park at Yarnfield, home of Stoke City Women's first team. After Stafford it's the Chubb Buildings and Molineux at Wolverhampton, then Soho depot, New Street and the Bullring in Birmingham.

Beyond lies St Andrews and the airport and this year's Crufts at Birmingham International. Here I change for a Euston service, bypassing Hampton-in-Arden, Berkswell and the industrial Tile Hill, featuring Britannia Cues.

Thereafter Fishing Republic in Canley, the cathedral at Coventry and onwards to Rugby - their football team known as The Valley. We get to Long Buckby and there the problems begin with a 45 minute delay due to a track circuit failure.

Detrained at Northampton - which seems to have more freight than passenger services - we eventually get going again through the countryside. Weyron at Wolverton, a soulless Milton Keynes featuring Planet Ice, then Bletchley (Park  - Home of the Codebreakers) and finally Leighton Buzzard and Watford Junction.

The Abbey Line takes in Watford North, Garston, Bricket Wood, How Wood and Park Street before I end up at St Albans Abbey. St Albans is home to Raindrops on Roses, Anthropologie, Shake & Cow, Magnopus and TinkleTorium. It also features Wetherspoons Waterend Barn, with a pint of Oakham Harmonia, and Mad Squirrel St Albans Tap - thirds of Afterglow and Roadkill there. The Saint & Sinner appears popular too - and appropriate given Saturday's course of events...

Sightseeing takes place the following day: the Rose Garden, the Clock Tower, the Cathedral and Abbey brings me to the Roman Wall and St Albans Pudding Stone. A flooded River Ver means large parts of Verulamium Park are shut off but the walls, London Gate, St Germain's Block, the ramparts, Heron Lake and the hypocaust are still accessible - as are the Verulamium Museum, Grebe House Wildlife Farm and Roman Theatre.

Clarence Park is a Victorian public park, municipal sports ground and pleasure area, donated by Sir John Maple, owner of the former Maples furniture store in Tottenham Court Road, which went into administration and was bought out by Allders. It accommodates cricket, hockey, bowls and croquet as well as the football club. There is also a band stand and water fountain.

Inside there are the 1908, The Satellites and Parkside pitchside bars featuring Mad Squirrel ales. Add in ASM Construction Gin & Fizz bar, Academy Tea Bar plus Chicken George, Riot Burgers, The Pie Guys, Italian Indulgence and Nomad Coffee & Crepes means there's something for everyone 😋 

The ground has three covered terraces - York Road Stand West, Youth Talk Stand North, Lawsons Stand East and the Main Stand and clubhouse South. There are also 48 uncovered seats in the North Stand, where we sit in gorgeous sunshine 🌞 

Entry is £16.50 (£18 on the day) and the crowd is 1,801  with only a handful from Weymouth. Saints are in yellow and blue sponsored by local rock band Enter Shikari aka Jonny and the Snipers - bassist Chris Batten famously played one match for the club against Dagenham & Redbridge in 2022 to raise funds for Ukraine, whilst the Terras are in change pink and grey.

What follows is a tense, messy and scrappy affair, typified by the referee injuring himself in the warm up. City start better and Aidan Dausch shoots wildly over when he should have done far better, then Shaun Jeffers has a piledriver deflected for a corner.

Weymouth's best effort is from Malachi Linton, his shot badly fumbled by home keeper Mike Johnson and ultimately cleared off the line by Brandon Mason. Linton then has a goal correctly disallowed for offside and we reach the break scoreless.

The Terras start the second with intent but without creating chances. Jeffers heads over for the Saints on the hour.

Eventually with 13 minutes to go St Albans take the lead. A corner finds its way to Ken Charles who shoots and the ball is diverted in by David Longe-King. 

And that would appear to be that; but in the fourth and final minute of injury time Longe-King goes from saint to sinner. From a hopeful cross he makes contact with Weymouth substitute Kelson Pollard, barely on the pitch two minutes, and a penalty is awarded by the referee.

Jake McCarthy's 90+6 Panenka effort draws the scores level at 1-1. A point apiece is not useful to either team: The Saints now two points from safety with ten to play and the Terras ten points off, with one less match.

Seventh Hell For The (In)Famous Whites - Then Hebburn Is A Place on Earth.. !!

And so to Cardinal Newman Catholic High School on Bridgewater Avenue in Latchford, Warrington for a Cheshire League Division Two game between Warrington Rylands 1906 Development and Wigan Town FC.

Rylands FC was formed in 1906 as a local wire manufacturer works team. In its early days the club played in the Liverpool County Combination, before joining the Warrington & District League, where they won successive Premier Division Championships from 1955 to 1959.

Steady progress prompted the club to look to higher levels and Rylands moved to the Mid Cheshire (now Cheshire) League in 1969. Championships followed in 1981 and 1984, but thereafter the club suffered barren times.

In 2008 the club amalgamated with Crosfields to form a new club, Crosfields/ Rylands FC. Prior to the start of the 2012/13 season the club reverted back to Rylands FC, with the backing of a new sponsor, Triple S Sports & Entertainment Group – led by former Rylands player Paul Stretford.

Stretford, Wayne Rooney’s agent, now owns the club. It was his investment in ground improvements that saw the club promoted in 2018 to the North West Counties Division One South, notwithstanding an 11^th place finish, out of 15, in the Cheshire League. However the club adapted well and won the league, despite having three points deducted, scoring 111 goals with 28 victories from 38 games to move up to the North West Counties Premier.

The club changed name to Warrington Rylands 1906 FC in 2020 to publicise their location and attract additional support. FA Vase winners in 2021, beating Binfield 3-2 at Wembley, The Blues joined the Northern Premier League for the 2021/22 season and won the Division One West title that term.

Tenth in their inaugural campaign in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, Rylands mounted a sustained promotion the season after. However the loss of star forward Adama Sidibeh to St Johnstone in the January transfer window and the defection of manager Michael Clegg to promotion rivals Macclesfield, shortly after penning a new two year deal at Rylands, saw the club's form stutter and eventually finish fourth, losing to Marine in the play offs.

This season has been more of a struggle, spent largely in the relegation zone. New manager Neil Reynolds has steered them to 15th following a recent good run of form.

The second string joined the Mid Cheshire League Division Two in 1975, for one season, and then two seasons between 1981 and 1983. Another one season sojourn in 1987/88 was followed by a lengthier stay from 1989 to 2003, before they moved to the League's Reserve Division.

Rylands Reserves reappeared in the Cheshire League Division Two in 2018 before becoming Warrington Rylands 1906 Reserves in 2020. The Blues' Reserves disappeared in 2021, and resurfaced in 2023/24 in the Manchester League Division Two, finishing 8th of 15.

Amongst many differences this season has seen the side change ground, from Gorsey Lane to Cardinal Newman, name, to Warrington Rylands 1906 Development, and league, rejoining the Cheshire League. But a disastrous campaign thus far leaves them next to bottom with two wins and 8 points from 18 games - the only club below, Moore United, are a point worse off but with 8 games in hand....

The original Wigan Town was founded in July 1905 and joined the Combination in 1905/06, taking over the fixtures of Middlewich FC, playing at Springfield Park. Their first full season brought about a third place finish after a failed application to join the Football League.

The following campaign saw the club having to post a bond of £20 due to the belief the club would fold mid season. However Town completed the season, finishing 19th of 20, and did not seek re-election, subsequently folding.

The present incarnation of Wigan Town FC was established in 2017, playing at Pinfold Street in Ince. The team joined the Cheshire League for 2023/24 and it was a disastrous debut - two wins and 26 defeats leaving The Famous Whites comfortably bottom; improbably the current campaign sees Wigan lie third.

The normal trip via Thelwall sees a Debonhair Dogs van and redundant festive signs selling Chrismas (sic) Trees at the Moss Trooper and advising us to 'Be Naughty - Save Santa The Trip' !! Numberplates today are Y88PPY and D11MMD with BJS removal vans advertising 'Ship Shape & Bristol Fashion' and 'Squeaky Clean in Bath'.

A brief foray into Warrington town centre to take advantage of Wetherspoons' January Sale at The Friar Penketh - American Burger and Exmoor Beast fit the bill 😄 Then onwards to Latchford and the Cardinal Newman, named after John Henry Newman, the controversial Victorian theologian who converted from Anglicism to Catholicism.

The 3G pitch is on the left in front of the school and matters eventually get underway at 2.17 pm due to a late running prior game.

Rylands are in all blue, sponsored by JobFinity, and Wigan Town, 'The Famous Whites', sponsored by PM Sampling are in erm red and black 🤔 . The crowd is roughly 20 in freezing conditions.

A mundane first 20 minutes and we look at each other - both mouthing it's destined to finish goalless ☹️. Except it doesn't as on 24 a superb curling effort from outside the box swerves in and the home side lead.

Half time arrives with the score unchanged. This despite Wigan beginning to dominate and an unbelievable sequence of events from a free kick just before the break - Town striking the woodwork three times, the ball cleared off the line and two phenomenal saves from the Rylands stopper.

No great expectations for the second half but Rylands double their lead three minutes in. It's trebled on 59, and a super free kick seven minutes later makes it 4-0 as the form book is turned on its head.

5-0 arrives on 76, and then 6 with a sublime finish six minutes later. The Famous Whites do eventually score with five minutes left - an unfortunate own goal - but Rylands respond within 60 seconds to leave the final scoreline a scarcely believable 7-1.

Then a mooch across town to see the last 30 minutes of Rylands first team against the Hornets of Hebburn Town, which finishes 2-2 in front of a crowd of 337.