Panthers Fail To Pounce - Then A Second Half To Makerfield Ill..

 And so to Edge Green Street in Ashton-in-Makerfield, the home of Ashton Town AFC. On a cold, grey afternoon the Town play host to near neighbours, Atherton Laburnum Rovers, in the North West Counties Football League Division One.

The original Ashton Town joined the Lancashire Combination in 1903, but withdrew towards the end of the 1910/11 season and their fixtures were taken over by Tyldesley Albion. The current club was established in 1953 by employee Derek 'Mick' Mycock as Makerfield Mill FC - a works football team for Makerfield Mill, one of Lancashire's leading textile mills in the 1950s, and known locally as the 'Weaving Shed'. The first two seasons in the Wigan Sunday School League can only be described as disastrous, with the club winning just two games, and earning the unenviable name of 'The Chopping Blocks'.....

Mick decided to move the club to a higher standard of football, the St Helens Combination, for 1955/56 and successfully gained permission from the Mill's management to play four non-employees. After a season of consolidation, the restriction on the use of outside players was totally lifted and Division 2 was won in 1958.

Makerfield Mill FC joined the Warrington & District Amateur League the following season, and were champions five times in their first six seasons. This was also a period which saw the club renamed Ashton Town in 1962 and they acquired their Edge Green Street ground, which was previously used by Stubshaw Cross Rovers, in 1964.

After a sixth title in 1970, the Town joined the Lancashire Combination and then the Cheshire County League in 1978. Thereafter the club became founder members of the North West Counties Football League in 1982 where they have remained ever since, aside from one season in the Manchester League - slightly at odds with their motto 'Onwards & Upwards'.

Atherton Laburnum Rovers FC was founded in 1956 as Laburnum Rovers, an U-14s side to play in the Briarcroft Junior League. 'The Laburnums' were named after the Laburnum Playing Fields where they first played; it is not clear where their other nickname, 'The Panthers', emanates from.

The club expanded to senior level, starting in the Leigh & District League, and after moving to Hagfold Playing Fields, became members of the Bolton Combination in 1961. Ground facilities prevented promotion so a farmer's field was found at Greendale and, despite a footpath criss-crossing and duck ponds on either side, a football pitch was created. The move to the new ground occurred in June 1966, and after winning the Bolton Combination Division Two, the Laburnums were promoted and new changing rooms were erected - a major improvement on the old air raid shelters previously in use !

The Panthers joined the Cheshire County League in 1980, with the league stipulating the team changed its name to include that of the town - and Atherton Laburnum Rovers was born. The ground was renamed Crilly Park in honour of chairman Jack Crilly, who died suddenly.

LR were also founder members of the North West Counties in 1982 and, as champions in 1993 and 1995, were promoted to the Unibond Northern Premier League, the latter a stay that lasted three seasons culminating in relegation after financial problems. Thereafter there was a flurry of managers - 6 in 2 years at one point - and the intervening years saw two relegations, one promotion and two Bolton Hospital Cup successes.

In one direction Altrincham Retail Park, with its newly laid turf and bedding plants and on the opposite side the continued disembowelment of the old Halfords store. And then roadworks and gridlock so the more circuitous, but quicker, route is via Scissorhand barbers, Red Hot Nails and the Ducati showroom - but no Patelvis !! - to the M60.

Then onto the M56 and underneath consecutive motorway bridges featuring a rag and bone man, a flock of sheep being herded across and a Portaloo, before joining the M6. Thelwall is suspiciously quiet but still the scene of some moronic driving, before the exit at Haydock Park. This takes me into Ashton-in-Makerfield, past The Fat Bull pub and Inkjections tattooists and then onto the Golborne Road, with Edge Green Street a residential cul de sac on the right.

The ground is fairly basic - school playing fields and car parking at one end, the other three sides surrounded by housing developments. Red and white railings, wooden fencing and two small seated stands on the far side - populated by two spectators in the first half, both of whom disappear at half time.....it proves to be a wise move !! The clubhouse in the corner is the main focus of activity.

Ashton sport a red and white chequered number, whilst the Laburnums are in yellow with a swirl of blue and an illegible sponsor. The visitors kick down the prodigious slope to the end 'packed' with five ALR diehards and three flags.

Despite their lowly standing - next to bottom - the Panthers start better, and Danny Kerr is denied by the keeper's legs, whilst Danny Davies's half volley just clears the crossbar. But the visitors fail to take advantage, and Ashton come into the game, exposing the sort of brittle defending that led to a 10-1 defeat at Cheadle last month and a 6-0 home reverse to Barnton five days before. In the period leading up to half time the Town manage to strike the post twice, have another shot cleared off the line, are denied a penalty and are guilty of some wild shooting.

The second half is a frustrating, nay dreadful, spectacle exemplified by the terrible air shot from 25 yards out by the Panthers. It also features the antics of the Atherton management team, Craig and Adam Jones, who spent much of the first period exhorting their players to 'Relax'. The second half sees a change of tack to plentiful industrial language, constant dissent and goading the Ashton players. Eventually the referee walks over to the dugout and tells them to, er,....'Relax'...... There is no discernible change to their behaviour.

It becomes evident that the chance of seeing a goal is about as likely as a fun day at a funeral directors, but in the last few minutes the Laburnums start to wilt. 86 minutes are on the clock when Town's Marcus Cusani crosses and Sam Wilkie's point blank header is turned aside. Then in injury time Ashton's Phil Williams, in a one on one, shoots and the ball is just diverted wide - typically a goal kick is awarded and that's it as the match finishes goalless.

After the match Adam Jones gets embroiled in a farcical war of words regarding a Facebook post on the match....