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....