Purple Reign and Ashes to Ashes

And so to the TDP Solicitors Stadium in Bootle for this afternoon's North West Counties clash between City of Liverpool and Ashton Athletic.

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 (then) Delta Taxis Stadium, it was an extraordinarily successful inaugural season. Leading the way for much of the campaign, the Purps eventually finished fourth and overcame Whitchurch Alport 1-0 to reach the play off final. Litherland REMYCA were beaten 3-0 on their own turf to secure promotion to the Premier Division.

Added to this, COL beat Sandbach United to lift the First Division Challenge Cup, their first ever piece of silverware. The Purps also won the League Challenge Cup Final at Highbury (Fleetwood rather than Arsenal) on penalties against Barnoldswick Town, in a match soured by crowd violence. No wonder City of Liverpool FC was awarded the title 'Non League Team of the Year' by sports bookmaker Coral.

This season the club have won the Champions Cup against Atherton Collieries and currently lie seventh. Furthermore in their quest for a stadium of their own the Purps have been granted a period of exclusivity on a site at Fazakerley Playing Fields.

Ashton Athletic was founded in 1968 playing in the Wigan Sunday League, winning every Division in consecutive seasons before switching to the Warrington League on Saturdays where similar success was achieved. 'The Ashes' or 'Ash' developed Brocstedes Park and joined the Lancashire Combination at the start of the 1978/79 season.

Initially they struggled and finished bottom, and this struggle continued for three more seasons before The Ashes became founder members of the North West Counties in 1982 - and finished bottom. Having finished in last place twice more, Ash left the league in 1986 after failing a ground grading.

The club joined the Manchester League for the 1988/89 season and, after finding their place towards the bottom of the table, started to gradually improve. In 2006 they finished 4th and, following a two year campaign to reach the required ground standards, the Ashes rejoined the second tier of the North West Counties. A season later the club achieved third place and was promoted to the Premier Division.

This season their home FA Cup Third Round Qualifying tie with Chorley was televised live on the BBC, in front of a record crowd of 610. Currently the Ashes really are midtable, sitting 12th out of 23, but with 17 league games to fit into the final 6 weeks of the season - not a patch on 1874 Northwich who have 22 (half their entire league programme) to play in the same period !!

Through the outskirts of Altrincham, past a plethora of Indian restaurants (Delhi Alley anyone ?) to virtually the same route as last week's trek to watch AFC Liverpool. M56 then M6 via Thelwall, M62 adjacent to Sutton Manor, Griffin Wood and the Dream sculpture (below) and finally the M57 with an upturned armchair in the central reservation and a flatbed truck on fire...

The end of the motorway, PIES graffiti and Switch Island in chaos after an accident. 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. I park at Crazy Town, the only industrial unit open, and with some crazy parking to match......

This brings me to the TDP Solicitors Stadium, a football ground with its own wind turbine - much in keeping with the spinning wheels on the roofs of the other industrial units. £5 in and a very impressive match ticket which also allows me to claim a free shot at The Slaughter House pub. The vociferous Purps support is much in evidence with their banners 'Hated. Adored. Never Ignored.' 'Halfway Line Head Cases' and 'We Wear The Purple Jersey For The City By The Mersey'. Defiantly a single AAFC flag is hoisted in the opposite corner....

Inside to my left are two balcony areas, bisected by the entrance to a busy clubhouse. To the right is a refreshment bar, Frankie Andys, next to the Dodge Kop, a two step covered concrete terrace. On the opposite side are the dugouts and two mini all weather pitches while the far end holds two small covered stands in either corner.

The Purps are naturally in all purple, Ash in yellow and blue as the match gets underway in hazy sunshine but with an eye stinging wind. There follows a fairly forgettable opening save for an Ashton overhead kick which lands just wide of the post.

Then on 19 minutes Ashes' centre forward Dale Korie-Butler is played in down the left, and with no Purps' defender willing to close him down, advances to calmly pass the ball into the far corner of the net. The same player makes space for himself minutes later but his shot is hacked off the line.

Just before the half hour the Purps win a contentious free kick on the left. The ball is whipped in superbly at pace and Joe Camozzi heads in the equaliser past a motionless Matthew Pearson. 1-1 it stays until the interval.

The second half is a niggly, scrappy affair but the Purps are more up for the fight, and in Jack Hazlehurst, their 'Purple Messi', they have the game's stand out player. Pearson turns one of his efforts past the goalframe, shortly after pushing wide Tom Peterson's curling shot which seemed destined to give COL the lead.

Then with a quarter of an hour left, and with the home crowd still baying for a penalty, Hazlehurst picks up the loose ball on the edge of the penalty box and smashes it into the top corner. He then produces a gem of a cross that substitute John Connolly nods just the wrong side of the post.

A late Ash flurry produces one smart save and, after an inordinate amount of injury time, the Purps emerge victorious to the delight of the vast majority of the crowd of 447 – I count 3 Ashes supporters and, I assume, left back Bram Johnston’s parents….

Another Place - Congleton Do The Bear Necessities...

And so with the mini Beast from the East en route, West is best this afternoon. A trip to the coast and Rossett Park, or The Marine Travel Arena, in Crosby where tenants AFC Liverpool take on Congleton Town in the North West Counties Football League Premier Division.

AFC Liverpool (Affordable Football Club Liverpool) was officially formed in March 2008 as a not for profit organisation by Liverpool FC fans, increasingly frustrated at the cost of and difficulty in obtaining Premier League tickets. The Little Reds were accepted into the NWCFL, ground sharing at Valerie Park, home of Prescot Cables.

The club won the First Division Trophy in its first two seasons and in the 2010/11 season finished 4th in the league. However Rossendale United were expelled from the league and Formby were demoted to the First Division - both clubs are now defunct. Holker Old Boys, who had finished 3rd, declined promotion meaning AFC moved up to the Premier League.

The Little Reds moved to Marine FC's ground at the start of the 2014/15 season and have largely finished mid table, but this time lie in the relegation zone, 21st out of 23. Average crowds have dipped from 316 in their first season to less than half that, particularly with the advent of the new City of Liverpool FC.

Congleton Town FC was formed in 1901, starting life in the Crewe and District League where they were champions in their first three seasons. This prompted a move to the North Staffordshire & District League, and having conquered this in the 1919/20 season they were off again - this time to the Cheshire County League.

45 years later and yet to crack it, there was a brief 3 season foray into the Manchester League before joining the Mid Cheshire League. After winning this three times in 1974, 1976 and 1978, Town reverted back to the Cheshire County League and their last ever season there brought the Division 2 championship in 1982.

The restructuring of the leagues saw Congleton become founder members of the North West Counties League, and they moved up to the newly created Northern Premier League Division One in 1988. Perennial strugglers, Town were finally relegated back to the top tier of the NCWFL in 2001 - and continue to ply their football there, currently just below half way this term.

Congleton Town are known as the Bears, a throwback to the 1620s when bearbaiting was popular in the town and if historic lore is to be believed, in an attempt to attract more spectators, it used money set aside for a Bible to buy a more aggressive bear:

'Congleton Rare, Congleton Rare,

Sold the Bible to buy a bear. '

Consequently the town became known as Beartown....

So with alternating snow flurries and brilliant sunshine, it's motorways all the way. The M56 to the M6 (a becalmed Thelwall with speed restrictions due to the high winds), the M62 (IKEA and massive warehouses) and the M57 (an advertising hoarding for Velocity Ultimate Trampoline Park and elephant signs to Knowsley Safari Park). The end of the M57 sees the legendary 'The Pies The Pies Music Out Soon' graffiti.....

And then it's onward to the coast, past Liverpool Ramblers AFC and Thornton Gardens of Rest, where the traffic is at a standstill too. That leads to Great Crosby, Blundellsands and then into Crosby itself.

A stroll down to Crosby Beach in the glorious sun more than offset by the icy biting wind - Seaforth Freight Terminal to the south, and Formby to the north. I'm surrounded by ugly wind turbines, dog walkers, a passing ferry and Another Place and its Iron Men - the hundred cast iron sculptures of the artist's body facing out to sea, created by Antony Gormley (he of Angel of the North fame).

A quick walk back into town, past Lady Muck, The Lash Lounge and Moose Coffee brings me to the Marine Travel Arena. The stadium is located on a street full of shops with just the one turnstile open.

The other three sides are enclosed by terraced housing - one open raised end and one shallow three step covered terrace by the touchline. The opposite side has the pitch leading right up to back gardens with no spectator access - two dugouts, advertising hoardings and wire fencing, with helpfully house numbers signposted to aid retrieval of lost balls !!

The main Frank McKeown Wealth Management Stand is behind the goal, and supports a bar, The Galley, club shop and some terracing below and to the side. Gone are the dyslexic flags (NOTLOB REDS) and the bellringers chanting 'Bring out your dead', and there are just two old style rattles in evidence.

The Little Reds are naturally in all red with 96, commemorating Hillsborough, stitched into their shirts and Congleton in change yellow with black hoops - more Wasps than Bears !! The Congleton goalkeeper, Daniel Eccles, also has a different shirt sponsor, fieldfisher, to his teammates, Outpost......

The first half is dominated by the vicious wind, bobbly pitch, overhit passes and a real lack of quality. The Bears' Emini Adegbenro lashes wide, and AFC's Harry Avis steers his header across goal but beyond the far post. Billy Hasler-Cregg's curler beats keeper and goal for the visitors, but the first half hour is all about torpor.......

Then on 32 minutes Adegbenro plays in Dylan Bath who reaches the byline and crosses. His cutback hits the trailing leg of AFC's keeper, Jack Cookson, and trickles into the net - the goal incorrectly awarded to Bath by the stadium announcer. Bath has a better opportunity minutes later but dallies and the ball is cleared. Mason Nevitt somehow places the ball the wrong side of the post bang on half time with the Little Reds' best chance.

The second period starts better for AFC with Zach Hardacre's shot bamboozling a statuesque Eccles as it shaves the goalframe. But it doesn't last and just before the hour a ball lofted over the top is missed by the home defence and the pony tailed David Short has the simple job of tapping home to double the Bears' advantage. This prompts a one man walk out - 'Bloody Sh*te' his considered opinion.....

Into the last ten minutes the ball holds up in the wind and lets in AFC's Brad Owens, who beats Eccles but hits the post. The rebound falls kindly for him but he contrives to shoot straight at the man on the line. Hasler-Cregg is then felled in the penalty area, but nothing is given and he limps off, leaving the Bears to see out the remaining time with ten men.

This they do comfortably and substitute Steve Foster has the final chance, rounding Cookson, before missing the open net and poking wide. A thin crowd of 82 departs as the snow sets in, most wishing they were in Another Place....