Purple Reign - REMY Low On Spirits

And so to the final Saturday of the season and the North West Counties Football League Division One Play Off Final at Litherland Sports Park. A local derby as well, with just over a mile separating the two clubs, Litherland REMYCA and City of Liverpool FC.

Litherland REMYCA, 'The REMY', began life in 1959 as St Thomas FC, based in the Seaforth area of Liverpool and playing in the Church of England League. The club changed its name to Bootle CLB (Church Lads Brigade) in 1967, before becoming REMYCA United a year later - a combination of the two organisations closely connected with the club, REM Social Club and Bootle YMCA.

Progression to the I Zingari League followed in the 1970s, although the move up to the Liverpool County Football Combination was short lived. The merger of the two competitions in 2006 led to the formation of the Liverpool County Premier League and REMYCA won the Second Division in its inaugural season.

Further promotion to the Premier Division was achieved in 2010, and the club adopted its current name in 2013. A fifth place finish in 2014 brought about a successful application to join the North West Counties Football League Division One for the 2014/15 season. Two ninth placed finishes in the NWCFL have been topped by third this time around, and a 1-0 win over Sandbach United last weekend.

The first meeting that led to the formation of City of Liverpool FC was in October 2014, and the club was officially established in May 2015. The club chose to play in the colour purple, as it is the civic colour of the city....and a mix of Liverpool red and Everton blue - leading to their nickname 'The Purps'.

The Purps applied to join the NWCFL in early 2016 but their application was rejected by the FA and COL were instead placed in the Liverpool County Premier League. However they took up the option to appeal the decision, especially as vacancies arose due to Northwich Manchester Villa's resignation and Rochdale Town's expulsion from the league. At Wembley Stadium on 8 June 2016 the appeal was successful.

Groundsharing at Bootle's Delta Taxis Stadium, it has been an extraordinarily successful inaugural season. Leading the way for much of the campaign, the Purps eventually finished fourth and beat Whitchurch Alport 1-0 to reach the play off final.

Added to this, COL beat Sandbach United to lift the First Division Challenge Cup, their first ever piece of silverware. On Tuesday they face Barnoldswick Town in the League Challenge Cup Final at Highbury (Fleetwood rather than Arsenal), and this week were awarded the title 'Non League Team of the Year' by sports bookmaker Coral.

Through the outskirts of Altrincham, past The Barmy Sarnie, Cloudchasers and a plethora of Indian restaurants (Delhi Alley anyone ?) to the M56, a verdant landscape, then the M6 and a shower at Thelwall. Then joining the M62 - IKEA on one side, a massive wind turbine on the other - to the M57 where a Home Start Maintenance van shows maintenance doesn't apply to the vehicle, with thick black exhaust fumes belching out.

The end of the motorway, PIES graffiti, Switch Island, Copy Lane police station and right at the Netherton pub brings me to Boundary Road, home of Litherland Sports Park, on the left just beyond Wendy House Day Nursery.

Litherland Sports Park houses a cycle track, AstroTurf pitches and fitness studio and suite - plus 150 car park spaces which are all taken by 2pm, at which point 'park where you want/ can' becomes the (un)acceptable policy adopted by patrons arriving late. Entering the facility I have to buy a ticket at the booth (£5) then show it to the gateman, in the absence if a turnstile.

Inside is a six lane running track surrounding the pitch and four almost bare sides enclosed by a single railing, with the cycle track visible behind the near goal. The far side has a minuscule all seated stand - quite useless given the fans stood in front of it - and a small covered bus shelter. It is here that the raucous Purps support takes residence with their banners 'Hated. Adored. Never Ignored.' 'Purple Partizan Internationals'.

On the near side the two dugouts, which are between the running track and pitch, ensure that at least one goal is obscured for much of the length of the touchline.....

Kick off is delayed until 3.15 because of crowd congestion with the attendance given as 1303 - unheard of at Step 6. There is a minute's applause for the recently departed Alan Dixon, a Hillsborough survivor and campaigner, who lost his brother at the tragedy.

REMY are in red and black, and their keeper in lime with the Purps in, erm, purple and white. A tight first half ensues with REMY having the early half chances, as Colin Quirk's free kick evades every one and drifts beyond the post and a misplaced defensive header almost produces an own goal for the home side.

COL's first real opportunity is created by REMY stopper, Dave Potter, whose sliced clearance reaches Purps' John Connolly but his shot is mishit and wide. Then REMY have their own purple patch with a superb through ball playing in Lennon Whewell who shapes to shoot - either a magnificent last ditch tackle by COL's Allen Weston or a nailed on penalty, depending on your allegiance.... Ste Ferrigan is just over and Chris Lowe's strike is straight at Stephen Longrigg.

Goalless at half time with REMY slightly shading it, but the final is won in the first eleven minutes of the second half. Barely 75 seconds in, Connolly's square ball across the six yard box is tapped in by Jamie McDonald. Cue orange flare and general pandemonium.... Four minutes later REMY captain Colin McDonald's header the wrong way sees the lineswoman flag erroneously for offside, the referee correctly plays on, and namesake Jamie takes advantage to round Potter and score from a tight angle for his second to make it 2-0 to the Purps.

On 56 minutes COL break but winger Matty Williams appears to lose control of the ball, before brilliantly chipping Potter from 35 yards and the game is over at 3-0. Colin McDonald loses his head and is lucky to stay on the pitch, having been booked and warned.

Despite a flurry of substitutions REMY can't break though a Purps side that play on the counter, and who should have increased their advantage as Joe Camozzi hits the underside of the bar and sub David Forbes spurns two great late opportunities. The Colour Purple reigns J

Bucks Fizz, Jamie Makes Hay and West End OKay

And so, on the final day of the North West Counties Football League season, it's a trip to the Delta Taxis Stadium for the Premier Division clash between Bootle FC and West Didsbury & Chorlton AFC.

The original Bootle FC was formed in 1879 and played its first fixture in 1880. The club were Everton FC's main rivals and competed with them for a prestigious place in the newly formed Football League. The Bucks narrowly lost out as only one club per area was permitted to join.

In 1889 the club became founder members of the Football Alliance, finishing runners up and FA Cup quarter finalists. The Football Alliance then became the Football League Second Division with Bootle finishing a respectable 8th but resigned due to ongoing financial problems - ironically being replaced by Liverpool FC - and then folded.

The club was resurrected after World War II and joined the Lancashire Combination in 1948. The Bucks decided not to sign Bert Trautmann, apparently not wanting to cause upset because of local war feelings, and he joined St Helens and moved on to bigger and better things. The club won the league at the first attempt but struggled in the top flight, before resigning and folding during the 1953/54 campaign.

In 1953 the current club was formed as Langton FC, playing in local Bootle leagues then the Liverpool County Combination. Twenty years on there was a successful request to change name to the latest incarnation of Bootle FC.

A year later the Bucks joined the Lancashire Combination and after two championship successes left to enter the Cheshire County League. In 1982 the Cheshire County League was one of the leagues merged to form the North West Counties Football League with Bootle FC a founder member.

After relegation to the Second Division, in 2002 the club dropped back into the Liverpool County Combination as Bucks Park on Copy Lane closed its doors for the last time. Four years later with a new ground, New Bucks Park at Vesty Road (now sponsored by Delta Taxis), the Bucks were re-elected to the NWCFL and promoted as champions to the top tier in 2009 - a third place finish being their best performance since.

West Didsbury & Chorlton AFC, the visitors from Brookburn Road, was formed in 1908 in West Didsbury as Christ Church AFC by a local Sunday School superintendent - a team formed out of the Boys Brigade Company and the Young Men's Bible Class. The side played in the Manchester Alliance League up to the outbreak of World War 1.

The team changed its name to West Didsbury AFC at the start of the 1920/21 season, entering the Lancashire & Cheshire League. The 'Bury won the Rhodes Cup, twice, and the Whitehead Cup, but never the league.

In 2003 the club renamed to West Didsbury & Chorlton AFC, and moved across to the Manchester League in 2006, with their 2012/13 application to join the North West Counties being accepted. In their first season 'West' finished third and were promoted to the Premier, as now defunct title winners Formby AFC failed ground grading criteria.

The club enjoys celebrity support, including local indie rock band Dutch Uncles who launched their album O Shudder at a game in 2014 (still never heard of them !!). They also form part of the club's Krombacher Ultras, named after the lager sold in the clubhouse.... 

And so on a cloudy, breezy afternoon it's on to Manchester Road, past the carved wooden eagle at Altrincham Dental Practice, the Wheatsheaf pub (surprisingly closed) and Champz Bar (unsurprisingly still closed !) to the new M6 / M56 link road.

It's motorways all the way from here - the M6 and a becalmed Thelwall viaduct, the M62 and a quiet IKEA and miles and miles of massive warehouses, and the M57 and its elephant signs for Knowsley Safari Park. The end of the motorway sees 'PIES MUSIC OUT SOON' graffiti, now rather out of date, and Switch Island. Avoiding the signs for nearby Aintree racecourse, past Copy Lane police station then a left on to Park Lane, right into Bridle Street and left into Vesty Business Park.

This brings me to the Delta Taxis Stadium, a football ground with its own wind turbine - much in keeping with the spinning wheels on the roofs of the other industrial units. Inside New Bucks Park to my left are two seated areas, one white and one blue, bisected by the entrance to a busy clubhouse. Further up is a cosy covered (bus) shelter.

To the right is a refreshment bar, Frankie Andys, next to the Dodge Kop, a two step covered concrete terrace with four benches and festooned in flags - 'We Are The Bucks', others honouring players (Cox, Liam Loughlin, Muff) and joined by two from West Didsbury & Chorlton. From the roof hangs a banner 'Nice 1 Jamie'.

On the opposite side are the dugouts and two mini all weather pitches while the far end holds a small grass warm up area. The pitch is bumpy and bare in places and after the incident involving a player's credit card on the field at Barnoldswick, this week a player's car keys are found on the grass......

The Bucks are in blue and yellow, West in white and black. Before kick off there is a guard of honour and round of applause - after a 17 year association with Bootle FC, over 450 matches and more than 100 goals local hero Jamie Hay hangs up his boots today. Fittingly he is given the captain's armband for his final appearance.

In the opening minutes it's all West, with Matty Kay and Ben Steer having efforts just wide and Ash Woods has a shot cleared off the line. The Bucks can only manage a Carl Peers effort straight down 'Bury keeper Aaron Ashley's throat.

Finally just beyond the half hour Steer puts West ahead, fortuitously getting a second chance, steering (!) the ball into the left hand corner of the net. Bootle respond and a ball whipped into the box appears to evade everybody - Liam Loughlin credited with the equaliser.

Shortly after Ashley palms away a long range strike, when he should have done better, and Hay thrashes the rebound home as the stadium erupts. West go straight down the other end and Kay drives home from the edge of the area, low and hard beyond Ryan Jones, for 2-2 at the interval. Four goals in eight minutes and 'I've seen less attempts on goal in a penalty shoot out - and it's only half time !!'

The second period sees the home side take control and after a lovely Peers flick on, Ryan Cox lays the ball off for Hay to superbly curl the ball in from 20 yards. Within minutes Hay's majestic header crashes against the crossbar, and Ashley tips aside Joel Powell's close range effort before producing a magnificent double save to deny Peers.

The Bucks are rampant but surprisingly West get back into the match with a dubious penalty awarded for handball. Kay sends Jones the wrong way to level it up at 3-3 just after the hour. Ten minutes on Woods slices home after some wonderful play from sub Carlos Mendes Gomes and Kay - the finish not quite matching the build up !!

Ashley sensationally denies Cox in a one on one, and then Kay slots home his hat trick after another fine team move – and the six West supporters go wild in the bus shelter !! He is denied a fourth from a free kick as Jones tips his effort over.

The final moments of the match and the ball is played across West's box just too far ahead of Hay, looking for his hat rick - that really would have brought the house/ wind turbine down !! 5-3 to 'Bury at the finish in a fabulous advert for Step 5 football, with Bootle finishing as runners up to Atherton Collieries, and West a best ever sixth.