Mighty Atoms Save The Daten !

And so onto the next part of the roadmap and Thursday night football to the Cheshire League for a reserves fixture at Culcheth Sports Club. I had been hoping to take in Daten versus Lostock Gralam (the Grey Lambs - yes really !!) earlier in the month but that fell foul of the public/ private lockdown debate, so it's Daten and Broadheath Central tonight.

Daten FC was formed in 1948 and was the football team of British Nuclear Fuels Sports and Social Club, now Culcheth Sports Club. The club's history goes back prior to this as the site was originally an inshore navy depot built in the 1930s known as HMS Ariel, with the football pitches located on what was the parade ground and where the auxiliary buildings were located. Sometimes in exceptionally dry weather the foundations' outlines can be seen.

Daten is derived from Department of Atomic Energy, with an emblem of an atom and their nickname of The Atoms. Home kit is orange, away yellow and green matching the safety colours of BNFL.

The club preliminarily played in local leagues and sourced players from the workforce based nearby or family members before opening up to the community in later years whilst participating in the local Warrington District League. 

The Atoms changed in 1999 with the closing down of British Nuclear Fuels and, with the help of a Sport England grant and a considerable sum raised by club members, the club moved from Daten to Culcheth Sports Club, but the football club decided to retain its name. Promoted at the end of the 2017/18 season, Daten have finished 11th in the past two seasons, and with five points from six games lay 14th (of 17) this time, with early elimination from the post Covid Cup.

Broadheath Central Junior FC was established in 1922, and played in local Saturday and Sunday Leagues for many years before joining the Mid Cheshire League in 1991 and immediately gaining promotion to Division One. Relegated in 1997, Central left the (now) Cheshire League in 2009 for the Altrincham and District Amateur League.

Heath rejoined the Cheshire League in 2016, and moved up from the First Division to the Premier in 2019 after a fiery 1-1 draw with the now defunct Blacon Youth (still extant in Division Two via their Reserve side) in very late May. Eighteen games last time, thirteen points and thirteenth place at curtailment was a disappointment.

This campaign two wins, four draws and a solitary loss in an entertaining clash with Altrincham Reserves left Broadheath in 5th, but Central, unlike the Atoms, progressed in the JB Parker Cup, after a thrilling 5-1 thrashing of GPSO (Greenalls Padgate St Oswalds) in their final group fixture, complete with livewire toddler pitch invasion.... Semi finals now await after a 6-1 drubbing of Winstanley Warriors. The reserves sit rock bottom, with Daten starting to climb the table following back to back victories.

Glorious sunshine and a scenic route through Dunham Massey, via the National Trust property, country pubs the Vine Inn and The Rope and Anchor, Dunham Fishery before I hit Warburton, the Saracen's Head and the toll bridge - 12p I won't see again !! Numberplates tonight are S1 TUP and RAV3N - the latter black naturally ☺

Then into Glazebury, home of The Hugging Table Company (?), before arriving at Culcheth, Little Lions Cattery, left at Culcheth High School and onto Charnock Road. As expected parking is shambolic at the Sports Club...

The club is set back from the road, and supports two football pitches, four tennis courts, a croquet lawn, Legacy bar and Northern Starr Dance & Fitness. The complex is entirely surrounded by residential housing and flats, bar a short area bordered by a petrol station, with Newchurch Parish Church providing musical chimes in the corner.....

The Atoms are in orange and black, Broadheath in red and black stripes and a 'crowd' of 9 endures an abject first half hour. Then an atomic fusion as a long ball is inadvertently flicked on by a Central defender on 32 minutes and the Daten forward beats the onrushing keeper from 35 yards. Thereafter both sides fashion chances, the best of which produces a superb reaction save from the home custodian.

The second period sees Broadheath largely anonymous, and the Atoms miss several chances. Finally they score a second with five minutes to go, a strong, unchallenged header from a corner by the centre half.

Then, in the first minute of injury time, another Atomic break, the hobbling Broadheath keeper saves but the ball loops up and is headed in from a couple of yards to make it 3-0. The away shotstopper goes down, injured again, and the referee blows up, despite the fact we have had ten minutes of stoppages this half....