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 !!