Movers & Shakers - Bury Top, Campion Pointless...

And so to the Neuven Stadium (Stainton Park in a former life), home of Radcliffe FC (Radcliffe Borough in a previous guise) for a North West Counties Football League Division One North clash between Bury AFC and Campion AFC from Bradford - a match moved to Sunday because Radcliffe hosted Carlton Palmer's Grantham Town, The Gingerbreads, the day before.

Bury AFC was formed in 2019 following the expulsion of Bury FC from the English Football League. Created and managed entirely by volunteers with the slogan "By the fans, for the fans" the Club is owned by a Community Benefit Society, the Shakers Community Trust, whose Board is elected by its members. The Shakers joined the NWCFL last term, and led the table with 5 wins, one draw and one defeat before the season was written off.

 

Bury FC was established and headquartered at Gigg Lane from 1885. The Shakers were founder members of the Lancashire League in 1889, and were crowned champions in the 1890–91 and 1891–92 seasons, before being elected to The Football League in 1894.

Bury were champions of the Second Division in 1894–95 and won their test match (an ancient version of the play offs ?) to secure promotion to the First Division. They remained in the top flight for 17 seasons, winning the FA Cup in 1900 with a 4–0 victory over Southampton and again in 1903 with a 6–0 win over Derby County, still a record equalling victory. After relegation to the Second Division at the end of the 1911–12 season, Bury secured promotion in 1923–24, before losing their top-flight status in 1928–29, never to return.

After relegation to the third tier in 1957 the club was promoted in 1961 but then spiralled downwards to the Fourth Division. Stan Ternent took them back up to the second tier, with successive promotions in 1996 and 1997 for a brief two season foray.

Thereafter, fluctuating between Leagues One and Two, alleged gross overspending by previous owner Stewart Day and then 'incompetence' from new incumbent Steve Dale saw the Shakers placed into administration in 2019 and expulsion from the league. Bury FC still exists as a dormant shell and the phoenix club continues to split local opinion.

Campion AFC was established in 1963 by Michael Mahoney, taking players from the St Edmund Campion Youth Club. By 1975 the club had joined Division 4 of the Bradford Sunday League and in the following year entered a team into the Red Triangle League, a Saturday league.

By 1979 Campion had reached the league's Premier Division, before moving up to the West Riding County Amateur League in 1981. The club dropped out of the league for one season for the 1985/86 campaign due to financial difficulties but returned the year after.

As champions of Division 2 in 1990, Division One awaited which was won in 1992/93. The team was also Premier Division Cup winners four times between 2004 and 2008, and West Riding Challenge Cup winners in 2006/07.

Campion applied for promotion to Division One of the Northern Counties East League, and by finishing third, duly went up at the end of the 2015/16 season. In 2020 they sat 5th at the point of curtailment, and last season saw 8 wins and 3 defeats at the time stumps were drawn; a lateral move to the North West Counties ensued in this close season.

Three epic fails on the numberplate front - R1KCY, M1SOR and RE0 5POT (Red Spot Security...) before another MetroStink - engineering works allegedly completed last weekend, but running over to this Sunday, but not advised on station billboards and no staff on hand. A bruised sky, rain abating temporarily and a quiet trip to Deansgate Castlefield.

Then tributes to Peterloo, a performance from Fat Cat Brass, a new (for me!) pub  in The Lost Dene, and beyond Manahatta and Las Iguanas, then the Mahatma Gandhi statue at the Cathedral and Victoria - and a wholly unnecessary diversion to Turkey Lane and Monsall.

Finally the bus replacement turns up and we meander through the diversity of Cheetham Hill, encompassing The Niu, Irish World Heritage Centre and Lahore Appliances. Then Crumpsall and a tram display that shows 'DELAY, DELAY, 36 mins' (helpful !!). Eventually via Besses o' th' Barn and Pioneer Mills 1905 I arrive in Radcliffe.

Past signs for the Black Pudding Lobbing Contest in Ramsbottom next month, then Mary Kelly's Munchkins, and finally Radcliffe in Bloom, a curious display of part barge, boat and spent flowers. This brings me to the Platinum Care Racecourse (Radcliffe CC), Redbank Fields (Radcliffe Juniors FC) and the PJP Sports Complex, alongside the Neuven Stadium.

£7 admission and inside a bumper crowd of 1358 plus residents watching from over the wall (449 for Radcliffe's game yesterday) provides a tremendous atmosphere; the main stand is up top, bisected by the press box, with the sponsors' lounge in the left hand corner. A shallow covered terrace is on the near side and an uncovered one opposite, with a small stand behind the Fell End alongside an unusual drinking booth 'Raising The Bar'. The ground is festooned in Bury flags... apparently Beardyman Lives On...

Shakers are in white and blue, Campion in red and black stripes. A hard fought first half sees Bury start brightly, prompted by Aidan Chippendale and the exciting Abimbola Obasota. But Campion are in this game too and take the lead on 38 minutes - an innocuous challenge on Daniel Keane results in a dubious penalty. Captain Aidan Kirby sends the Shakers' sticksman Jack Atkinson the wrong way. No matter as two minutes later Greg Daniels finishes excellently and it's 1-1 at the break.

Six minutes into the second period a quite wonderful ball from Kris Holt sets Tom Greaves free and the GOAT rifles across Liam Lovell to put the Shakers 2-1 up. Greaves has other opportunities to put the game to bed but Campion's defiant rearguard action prevents any further goals. We then see 3 balls kicked out of the ground in 40 seconds.... 'None left'.

Indeed as the match reaches its closing stages the visitors fashion the better chances. Mark Ferguson slashes over and then, from another Ferguson break, Nicky Boshell shoots wide when he should have done better. Late away pressure yields naught, with the Shakers moving joint top on 10 points, Campion joint bottom after three straight defeats.

Where Eagles Dare But Fail To Conquer Romans' Fortress....

 And so to the 2021/22 season and July 31st, with a Staffordshire derby at the Hillsfield Stadium in the North West Counties Football League Division One South between Rocester FC and Eccleshall FC.

It’s a very long history that the Romans possess, encompassing a protective fort on the site of a village where Queen Cartimandua was forced to flee. The football club dates back all the way to December 16 1876, when the Lyon brothers took over Rocester Mill, where they played multiple friendlies against neighbouring sides. They had various successes in local competitions until the outbreak of World War II led to the club being disbanded. 

After they were reformed in 1946 Rocester started to climb the Staffordshire Leagues, playing 27 consecutive seasons in the Staffordshire County League (North) up to 1984 before ascending to the Staffordshire Senior League, including a period in the 1970s where three Blood brothers played for the side - Alf, George and Steve. 

Rocester FC entered the FA Vase for the first time in the 1986-87 season and reached the last sixteen, knocking out holders Halesowen Town in the process in front of their record crowd of 1,026. They moved from their original and by now rather run-down ground to a new home at Hillsfield, in 1987 and this is where they adopted their nickname the ‘Romans’ as the ground was built on an old Roman fort; the ground was renamed from Riversfield to Hillsfield in memory of previous chairman, Don Hill.

The Romans switched to the West Midlands (Regional) League Division One, which they won at the first attempt. The new ground was further developed with the addition of floodlights and a stand to enable the club to take its place in the Premier Division.

In 1994, following several successful seasons, Rocester became founder members of the new Midland Football Alliance. After a second-place finish in their first season in the new league, they went one better in 1998–99, winning the league title and claiming promotion to the Southern League Midland Division.

Life became harder at this level, however, and after two consecutive last-place finishes the Romans were relegated back to the Alliance in 2002. Rocester soon recovered and were champions at the first attempt in 2003–04. However, due to the re-organisation of the non-league pyramid, The Romans were placed in the Northern Premier League Division One, enduring a disastrous season, picking up only 6 points from 42 games to finish rock-bottom.

The following season back in the Alliance saw the team continue their terrible run, their first win not coming until January, finally ending a run of 67 league matches without a win. After finishing bottom of the Midland Alliance the club only avoided a second successive relegation due to league restructuring.

However, within two years Rocester were back among the leading clubs in the Midland Alliance, finishing 12th in 2007 and 5th in 2008. The Romans recorded a 3–0 win over Kidsgrove in April 2008 to win the Staffordshire Senior Cup for the first time.

Moved to the new Midland League, following the amalgamation of the Midland Alliance and the Midland Combination, in 2014 the Amber and Blacks were relegated in 2018, and moved laterally from the Midland Football League Division One to the NWCFL Division One South in this close season.

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, and relegated, 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 thereafter 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 !!!' The 2019/20 campaign was 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 loss in the Cup to Carlisle City the week after a 5-1 away win at New Mills, but lower table stability has subsequently ensued - as much as stability can be expected in this pandemic....

A grey, breezy Saturday afternoon and an early dart due to prior knowledge of a motorway accident, exacerbated by a 'stranded vehicle' - the joys of a Smart Motorway !! Then beyond Avec Cookers to the M6 and  bridge graffiti - first Jenga (Knutsford) then a 'welcome' return of THE PIES one side, SMOKE PIES the other (Holmes Chapel). This is followed by an array of roadside advertising - Are You Pregnant (I sincerely hope not !!), Hot Car Leasing, Top Secret Furniture and then a shipping container devoted to Allah....

Numberplates today are E6YPT and KEM1X, as I leave the motorway for the A500 then the A50, Dresden (Stoke not East Germany !), The Pepper Mill and Catchem Corner. Bypassing Draycott in the Moors, Deadman's Green and Upper Nobut, the massive JCB complex on my near side as I turn left at JCB International House (also McDonalds Uttoxeter) to the village of Rocester - one street and that's it, a Spar and the Red Lion the only obvious attractions...

Mill Street leads to Hillsfield, next to an imposing mill built in the 1780s by Richard Arkwright, and operative until 1985, with the stone sign of 'The Tutbury Mill Co Ltd' still in place. Fitting that with Rocester being the headquarters of JCB, the mill has been converted into the JCB Academy, next to the ground.

A large car park - for the benefit of the Academy rather than the football club !! - and a small adjoining astroturf pitch, before I pay my £6 admission fee in the corner. This leads to beer trestle tables on the banking side, Roman's Bar and then the three section Gilbert Egerton Stand, the seats having come from Fellows Park at Walsall FC.

Railings at both ends, the top one with a warm up area, the other two sides surrounded by trees and a bus shelter stand opposite, seemingly supported by scaffolding - apparently the old disabled stand at Fellows Park... Not one of the 109 crowd dares to stand underneath, not even when the drizzle arrives late in the second half... Instead an Eccleshall 'Stanno' banner is attached and there are glorious views of the Staffordshire countryside from my vantage point.

Rocester's adventure into the North West Counties is delayed slightly whilst dog mess is removed from the near touchline (a first !!), but at 3.02 we are underway - the Romans in amber and black, and only able to name 4 substitutes, the Eagles in all blue.

Tempers boil over within five minutes, three early bookings and some questionable officiating 'Have a word with yourself, liner', before just after the quarter hour marauding Romans' wingback Derry Creighton seizes on a woefully short back header and is pulled down by Eagles' keeper Zak Noble. Alex Cimino comfortably sends Noble the wrong way from the penalty spot and Rocester lead 1-0.

For the large part of the rest of the half the Eagles soar, Louis Downs and Jack Dundas firing wide but the best chance falls on half time to Luke Lewis who flashes across goal. For the Romans Creighton sets up Cimino but his effort is blocked.

The second period sees Eccleshall once more in the ascendency, Lewis amazingly missing an open goal, scuffing woefully into Charlie Wood's hands. Then on 63 a wonderful Rocester passing move involving Creighton, Jordan Dodd and Elisio Francisco delivers the ball to a free Cimino who finishes composedly for 2-0.

Cue extended Eagles pressure which finally results in an improvised chip from Dundas with a quarter of an hour to go, the ball flicking the inside of the far post before going in. As a result Eccleshall exert ever greater dominance and Lewis comes up with a hat trick of misses, heading wide whilst unmarked.

But the Romans cling on, surviving sub Jack Stevens' red card in the dying seconds, for a 2-1 victory, finishing at two minute to five.