Louis Downs Two But Eagles Fail To Swoop And Conquer

And so to the ProSeal Stadium on Norbreck Avenue in Cheadle Heath for a North West Counties Division One encounter between newcomers, Cheadle Heath Nomads FC, and relative veterans Eccleshall FC.

Cheadle Heath Nomads FC was formed in 1919 and a group of individuals began a fundraising project to reach £1000 to buy the piece of land ‘on the other side of the bridge’ in Cheadle. Success saw the creation of a sports club for the area and in 1921 the club opened with Cheadle Heath Nomads at its core, although there were facilities for cricket, tennis and hockey.

Nomads joined the Lancashire & Cheshire Amateur Football League and, after a brief break in 1927, stayed there until 1994. The club struggled that badly in the 1930s that they changed club colours from green and yellow quarters to white, and every player had to bring their own white shirt !!

Fortunes improved over the years and Nomads contemplated moving to the Mid Cheshire League, but were constrained by a corner of the football pitch forming part of the cricket outfield. With the demise of the cricket section (tennis and hockey had already gone) the club stepped up to the Mid Cheshire League Division Two, and were crowned as champions in their first season.

Nomads consolidated in the First Division until they merged with Linotype FC in 2004. Linotype were in the same division of the now Cheshire League but were having problems retaining their facilities at The Silver Wings Club in Timperley. As a consequence the club changed its name to Linotype Cheadle Heath Nomads.

The merged club then prospered, winning the Cheshire League with a final day of the 2013/14 season 2-0 home win against Eagle Sports (yes I was here !!). Then, with the restructure of the North West Counties League for 2018/19, the club successfully applied for promotion to Division One South. It also provided an opportune time for the club to change its name back to Cheadle Heath Nomads FC in readiness for its centenary next year.

Eccleshall Town FC was established in 1908 but the most successful local team of that era was Eccleshall Comrades, set up in 1918. The Comrades' most famous player was the FA Cup Final scorer and winner (for Wolves), and England amateur and full international, The Reverend KRG Hunt. The club also featured in a curious incident when Stone Christ Church were defeated 5-0. The game ended 10 minutes early when first one ball burst, then another and there were no more available.......

Both clubs became defunct and the current club was reformed in 1971 as Eccleshall Town Old Boys, the team made up of locals and staff from Eccleshall Secondary School, where they played their home games.

The Eagles joined the Staffordshire County League (North) in 1979, moved to Pershall Park in 1982 and ascended to the Staffordshire Senior League in 1984. As Eccleshall FC championships were won in 1990 and then consecutively in 2001/02 and 2002/03. With work complete on the stadium the club moved up to the North West Counties Football League in 2003, but several seasons of inconsistency followed before two dreadful campaigns.

2015/16's 16th place finish owed much to the ineptitude of the two clubs below them - Atherton Laburnum Rovers and Whitchurch Alport. The following season the Eagles finished 21st with 18 points from 42 matches and conceded 145 goals. Relegation was only avoided because of an injury time equaliser in the 3-3 draw away at bottom club Ashton Town, who finished one point below Eccy, and the fact that only one club met the league's promotion criteria.

A much improved season last time saw a below midtable finish and safety, and a bit more pride in their boast of 'We Play For The Badge & The Oat Cakes - We Are Eccy !!!' This campaign has been dominated by the suicide of 21 year old player Jake Standbridge, an 11-3 home defeat in the league to Wythenshawe Town and an 11-2 away defeat in the Cup to Carlisle City the week after a 5-1 away win at New Mills.

So on a bitterly cold December afternoon it's out onto a busy Manchester Road and not long to wait for the first of this afternoon's registration plates GL11GGY - the other two today are LO53RSS and S50OLD.

Into Sale and past Indigo Sun, offering Ruby Collagen Boosters (?), the partially demolished Trafford Magistrates Court, TanZo-Go travel agents and then TOILETORIES. ELCTRICAL. at the long since closed T & T Pound Plus.

Joining the M60 it's five junctions till I pull off at Cheadle and turn down Carrs Road at Human Appeal. Then an absolute rabbit warren of a housing estate where I always get lost (today is no exception !!) before I reach Norbreck Avenue and Cheadle Heath Sports Club.

It is readily apparent that a huge amount of work has been done in the summer to allow Nomads to fulfil the promotion criteria. For a start there is now a substantial car park complete with some clueless parking !! Then there is a brand new turnstile - last season free, this season £5 admission. Inside fencing and railings have been installed, more of which anon.

The near side supports The Harrison-Welsh Pavilion, made up of the changing rooms, a serving hatch and two short rows of covered seats. To my left is another full size football pitch and there is a small Astroturf surface as well.

Opposite is a freshly constructed small all seater covered stand in between the two dugouts, and behind which lies residential houses. The top end is fenced off but in the corner is a shipping container, with a large flag draped over it - Stanno In Our Hearts, a tribute to Jake Standbridge.

Behind that is a wooded area and above it the railway line connecting Altrincham to Stockport. No passenger trains today as it's yet another Northern Fail strike day, instead a solitary freight train midway through the second half.

Nomads are in maroon and sky blue, Eccy in change red and white trim; the Eagles can only name three substitutes and come into the game on the back of a 9-4 cup mullering in midweek. So a goalless draw then ? It's a very youthful triumvirate of match officials too, with the linesman patrolling the touchline next to the main stand wearing gloves.

The opening quarter is dominated by Cheadle, forcing Eccy into a defensive switch. Leon Grandison goes closest for the home side, before a recycled corner sees Eagles' keeper Owen Wyatt make a superb point blank stop only to see Joe Hare tap home the rebound on 20 minutes.

However Nomads are operating a very high back line and have already survived a couple of tight offside calls. Third time lucky for Eccy as on the half hour Louis Downs races through unchallenged and dinks the ball over Aaron Tyrer to put the visitors level.

Shortly after we learn that this afternoon's half time raffle prize is a bottle of red wine, but that there will be big prizes for the home Boxing Day derby clash with Cheadle Town - maybe two bottles of red wine ?? In addition the railings next to the dugouts start to disintegrate under any sort of pressure, and the sole falls off one of the begloved linesman's boots.... Half time is reached at 1-1.

There is only one winner in the second half - Storm Deirdre. Horizontal freezing rain and a strong icy wind make conditions horrendous. The seven of us huddled in the stand are the only ones afforded any protection, with the Pavilion open to the elements.

The Eagles are playing against the wind and rain, but organise themselves well with one man up front, George Burslem, and nine behind the ball, hoping for scraps. Nomads struggle to break down the two defensive banks, creating only a chance for Keiran Herbert that is well saved by Wyatt and a 30 yard effort from Hare that hits the outside of the post. Then on 68 minutes Eccy break and a one two puts Downs in and he sweeps the ball past Tyrer to put the Eagles 2-1 up.

Nomads huff and puff but become more and more frustrated at their inability to carve out chances, and it seems inevitable Eccy will hold out and take home the three points. That is until the second minute of injury time when the Eagles concede a wholly unnecessary free kick by the corner flag. The ball is whipped in and sub Andy Simpson, on debut, heads in an unlikely, and probably unwarranted, equaliser.

Shortly after the referee blows for time, and the seven of us brave the weather. There are 20 paying spectators today, and 9 programmes, 2 lapel club badges and a lot of Bovril sold !! 

Rylands In Seventh Heaven - Ellesmere In Fowl Up

And so to Orford and the outskirts of Warrington and Gorsey Lane for my final North West Counties port of call, the Division One South clash between Rylands and Ellesmere Rangers.

Rylands Recreation Club was formed in 1911 as a local wire manufacturer works team. In its early days the club played in the Liverpool County Combination, before joining the Warrington & District League, where they won successive Premier Division Championships from 1955 to 1959.

Steady progress prompted the club to look to higher levels and Rylands moved to the Mid Cheshire (now Cheshire) League in 1969. Championships followed in 1981 and 1984, but thereafter the club suffered barren times.

In 2008 the club amalgamated with Crosfields to form a new club, Crosfields/ Rylands FC. Prior to the start of the 2012/13 season the club reverted back to Rylands FC, with the backing of a new sponsor, Triple S Sports & Entertainment Group – led by former Rylands player Paul Stretford.

Stretford, Wayne Rooney’s agent, now owns the club. It was his investment in ground improvements that saw the club promoted this summer into the North West Counties Division One South, notwithstanding an 11^th place finish, out of 15, in the Cheshire League. However the club have adapted well, sitting second with 12 wins from 16 and a goal difference of +36.

The away side in its present form was established in 1969 following a meeting in The Railway pub and was initially known as Railway Rangers; there have been football teams in the town of Ellesmere since the early 1900s.

Railway Rangers played in the Oswestry & District League but, after moving headquarters to the Market Hotel, changed name to Ellesmere Rangers FC in 1974. In the first season under their new name promotion to the Shrewsbury & West Shropshire League was achieved.

Rangers moved up to the Shropshire County League in the 1980s and, through winning the league in the 2003/04 season, earnt promotion to Division Two of the West Midlands (Regional) League. Promotions in consecutive seasons saw the club into the Premier Division and as champions in 2009/10 they secured promotion to the Midland Alliance.

Three years later Ellesmere were relegated back to the West Midlands where they remained until being transferred laterally to the North West Counties League Division One South at the end of last season – a move that Rangers have struggled to cope with, currently propping up the table with 6 points from 18 games.

Their club nickname is ‘The Meresiders’ referring to The Mere in the centre of Ellesmere (part of Shropshire’s ‘Lake District’), and the club badge depicts a swan to represent an affinity with the large number of these birds and the waterfowl that inhabit the local waterways.

And so on a grey, dreary Saturday afternoon it's an earlier start for the 2pm kick off. Over Altrincham Bridge (built 1765, widened 1850, widened 1907, rebuilt 1935) and a bridge still supporting an advertising hoarding for Kevin Junior 'Proffesional Barber' - yes indeed !!

Then past The Old Market Tavern, where rumours of its closure last night prompted a very necessary visit. In the event the pub's keys were handed over today, it will trade through Christmas but make way for housing - possibly for the homeless according to the rumour mill.

Then the haunted Orange Tree Inn next door and down to the M56 where I come off at Lymm Truck Stop. A brief foray up the M6 and a becalmed Thelwall and off at Woolston, still missing its Tree of Lost Soles. Registration plates this week are BU11YGN (Bullygun Bull Terriers), BL11NDS (Interior Curtain Centre) and OOO 321.......

Beyond Paddington House Hotel and then a right at the late and much unlamented Chevy's, going beyond Kwality Printer and The Button Boutique before parking up. A swift walk down Elaine Street brings me to Gorsey Lane and the attractions of Evolution of Man Barbers and ABC Guitars.

Rylands Recreation Club is on the right with the football club reached first. Beyond is the clubhouse, outside the ground, with a rather magnificent pavilion. There are several other grass and artificial pitches for football, cricket and rugby - the club is also home to Rylands Sharks RLFC.

£4 at the gate and inside the pitch resembles a mud bath; the walkway and surrounding rough ground faring not much better !! On the left are The Snack Shack and the Ian Finchett Pavillion (sic) - the latter actually housing the changing rooms. The top end is now fenced off, behind it waste land then the Liverpool to Manchester railway line. Only East Midlands Trains today because of yet another Northern Fail strike.

To my right is the small all seater covered Ron Stretford Stand with terraced housing in the background. The near end is open with car parking and an apartment block backing up to it. On both sides there are three bases installed, ready to accommodate the floodlights that will be erected eventually. Hence the 2pm start and the reason for Rylands being thrown out of the FA Vase, definitely their lowlight of the season......

As the rain begins to spit, Rylands are in all blue, Ellesmere in all yellow. The Meresiders can only name three substitutes, and the home team four, the latter because of a late injury. Matters are presided over by a very young referee and two elderly linesmen.

We also learn that the 76 year old groundhopper on the back row of the stand is notching up his 456th ground and is hoping for a 9-0 home win - his highest score so far an 8-1. I dare not mention the Barnton 11 Whitchurch Alport 1 match I attended three years ago....

It takes only six minutes for Rylands to move into the lead. Jay White easily outmuscles his defender and scuffs home past Rangers' keeper, Richard Cowderoy. White is sponsored by Knox Funeral Directors - presumably because he's good in the box ??!!

However it is another half an hour before Ellesmere concede again. Liam Moran wastes two good chances, dallying and then shooting straight at Cowderoy, and Tom Freeman plants a free header at a corner over the bar. Cowderoy makes a superb tip over from a Warren Gerrard strike, before Stu Wellstead gets in on the left and his gorgeous cross is headed home by White. The roles are reversed six minutes later; White's cross volleyed into the roof of the net by Wellstead for the goal of the half.

Bang on half time the Meresiders receive another blow as their captain, Seth Ellis, is shown a straight red card, twice, for a dangerous challenge (serious fowl play anyone ??!!) Confusion reigns and it all gets a bit ugly for a short while, so the referee whistles to bring the first half to a close.

Playing against ten men and three goals to the good, Rylands take a while to get going in the second period. We are just short of the hour when Freeman's lovely cross is headed in at the far post by White for his hat trick. Wellstead then contrives to balloon over a sitter from six yards but atones shortly after, laying the ball off for Ste Boardman to sidefoot into the corner for 5-0.

With nine minutes left sub Brad Williams gets wrong side of his man and is wrestled to the ground. Penalty kick and Rangers' defender James Furman lucky to escape with a yellow card. Cowderoy saves Boardman's spot kick, but Moran retrieves the rebound and squares for Williams to tap in, as the Ellesmere side stand and watch.

Just time for Fraser Ablett, son of Liverpool FC's Gary, to have a fizzing shot crash down from the underside of the crossbar before the game's final goal. Williams' floated free kick is glanced in by Boardman in injury time for a final score of 7-0, with the Meresiders failing to register a shot in the entire match.

A slightly disappointed groundhopper too, but the rest of the crowd of 76 went home happy as Rylands stay second, two points behind Abbey Hulton with three games in hand. Ellesmere remain rock bottom and appear doomed.