Sky Blues Thinking Out of Tune Who Gets The Abbey Habit

And so to the Potteries and a visit to Birches Head Road, home of Abbey Hulton United FC. The newly promoted side host Carlisle City today in the North West Counties Division One.

Abbey Hulton United FC was formed in 1947, and named after the Scheduled Monument of Hulton Abbey, founded by Henry de Audley in the early 13th century. It was dissolved by Henry VIII in 1538 and little remains of it today. Hulton was recorded as 'Heltone' in the Domesday Book, meaning 'hill town'.

 

Abbey played on council land before moving to Bucknall Park in 1962. There they stayed until 1985, before acquiring a piece of land at Birches Head Road. Originally United played in local leagues - the Longton, Fenton & District, Burslem & Tunstall and Newcastle & District Leagues.

 

Having moved to the new facility at Birches Head, the club opted to join the Staffs County League (North) and were crowned champions at the end of the 1997/98 season. Abbey then moved up to the Staffordshire County Senior League, becoming Premier League champions last season.

 

An application to join the North West Counties League was successful and the club was elected, having met ground grading criteria. United have had a decent start to the season, with three wins and three draws from seven games, six of which have been away. The St Helens game, where, with the game goalless going into injury time, Abbey were awarded a penalty and the floodlights went out, was confirmed this week as a 0-0 draw.

Carlisle City FC was formed in 1975 by two former Carlisle United players, George Walker and Ron Thompson, 'to give local lads somewhere to play'. The Sky Blues joined the Northern Alliance and were runners up three times before finishing bottom of the league in 1987, and dropping into the Northern Combination. At the end of the following season, the Northern Combination merged with the Northern Alliance and City became founder members of the new Division One.

 

As champions in 1992, the club was promoted to the Premier Division where they were runners up on five occasions. Having finished third in the 2015/16 season their application to join the North West Counties Football League was granted.

 

This was not least because they had taken over the lease at Gillford Park in the city in 2015 from Celtic Nation FC. (Yes that Celtic Nation - millionaire throws money at the club to buy promotion, club finish second, millionaire withdraws support, club goes bust: all in two years). City's first season was one of consolidation, finishing 14th in the expanded 22 club league and they sit just below Abbey in the current league table.

And so it's on to Manchester Road, past Totty Towers, the closed Wheatsheaf, the for sale Orange Tree and last night's watering hole, The Old Market Tavern and its menu - 'Food severed 12 noon to 4pm'....

Down to the M6 and more Smart Motorway, a stretch of road blighted daily by long delays due to broken down vehicles in the roadworks. Today is no exception but fortunately it's on the opposite carriageway. Disappointingly the PIES graffiti on the motorway bridge has been painted over and 'replaced' by SICADIE.

Off at junction 16 and onto the A500 then the A53 Leek Road, passing M & M Cane Centre, into Sneyd Green, by the Horn and Trumpet, Baddeley Green, then Milton and the glorious floral display at Carmountside Cemetery & Crematorium. Just before the Hulton Abbey remains, it's right into Birches Head Road, ignoring the sign for Funky Fillerz (?) and, just beyond the Trent Country Club, the ground is next to the River Trent Path.

A small car park on a narrow road isn't ideal, and indeed causes carnage at the final whistle for a crowd of 131. A fiver at the hut and a two sided ground this week. The top end is out of bounds with farmland, horseboxes and whinnying horses in the field. The closed off near side has a steep embankment at the top of which is a muddied grass area, trees and the River Trent behind.

The path that takes me behind the goal is where all the activity is - the changing rooms and a shipping container converted into a bar. Tables outside form an impromptu beer garden, whilst there's also a cafe and concrete 5 a side pitch. The tree lined far side holds the required 50 seater covered stand, with the side road next to it a popular cut through for scrambler bikes this afternoon.

Pleasant enough surroundings as we kick off - Abbey in orange and black, and City, inexplicably, in their change 'House of Vodka' sponsored navy strip. The Sky Blues have much the better of the first period; within moments Aaron Bradbury is one on one with Abbey keeper Luke Birkinshaw, with the latter spreading himself well to save.

 

Bobby McCartney, City's number 9, strikes a vicious angled drive that hits the inside of the far post and all Abbey can muster is a near own goal as the ball is inadvertently flicked over the bar. Birkinshaw saves well from Bradbury again just before the break, but the half is marred by some ineffectual officiating from the vertically challenged referee, who seems reluctant to use his cards.

 

United are much improved in the second half with their rotund number 9, Josh Graham (one of 5 Joshes in the Abbey team), wearing one yellow boot and one pink, producing a fine tip over from City's Michael Ballantyne. The Sky Blues go straight down the other end and McCartney is tripped in the box. The equally portly Kyle Armstrong converts the penalty and Carlisle lead.

 

Five minutes later Abbey captain, Josh Tune, nips inside the full back and scores with a quite sumptuous volley into the top corner for the equaliser. Less than tuneful chants of 'Abbey, Abbey' as the drum kit (where did that come from ?) gets its first meaningful action of the day.

 

McCartney muscles through but Birkinshaw again stands tall to block. The rebound falls kindly for McCartney and he rolls the ball across the six yard box into the path of Armstrong who misses the open goal horrendously. Armstrong is substituted, ignominiously, shortly thereafter.

 

Graham produces another classy save out of Ballantyne from a header but the game peters out - apart from a simmering undercurrent that threatens to boil over. The first yellow card is finally shown in the 86th minute, and a second in injury time following an ugly and unnecessary melee, with the match finishing honours even. Then it's the car park chaos......