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 11th 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.
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