Reds Alert - It's A Wrench But Lions Pay The Penalty ....

And so to another trip to Staffordshire, this time to Evans Park off Riverway in Stafford, for a NWCFL Division One South clash between Stafford Town and Stockport Town.

The home club was founded in 1976 by Gordon Evans as Stafford FC at Burton Manor Sports & Social Club and joined the Midland Combination Division Two for the 1977/78 season, winning the league at their second attempt.

The Reds changed their name to Stafford Town in 1981, became a nursery side for Stafford Rangers and left the Midland Combination the following year before entering local football in 1984. Town became a founder member of the Staffordshire Senior League, staying there until 1993 and playing two seasons under the banner of Stafford MSHD following a merger with Sunday League team MSHD.

Town joined the West Midlands Regional League for the 1993/94 season and immediately won Division One, earning promotion to the Premier Division. As champions of the Premier Division the Reds were promoted to the Midland Football Alliance but were relegated back to the West Midlands Regional Alliance Division One, getting back into the Premier Division in 2009/10 as runners up. After moving from Burton Manor to Stafford Cricket Club and finally Rowley Park, the club settled at Evans Park (named after Town's founder) on Riverway in March 2010 - 3G was added in 2016.

The club was transferred to the Midland Football Combination Premier Division at the beginning of the 2012/13 season but fell foul of a restructure of steps 5 and 6 in 2018 and was demoted to the Staffordshire Senior League Premier. The following campaign saw a top 5 finish, and a League Cup success beating Leek CSOB, which prompted a return to the Midland Football League Division One ahead of 2019/20.

After finishing rock bottom at abandonment of that season, and a disappointing curtailed COVID-19 2020/21, the club was moved sideways to the North West Counties Division One South, where they lie 9th with seven wins and seven defeats thus far.

Stockport Town, The Lions, and their brief seven year history featured in the last report from their convincing win at the Badgers of Brocton - since then they have played Alsager at home in the league (lost 1-3) and Cammell Laird away in the Cheshire Senior Cup, losing 2-1, and currently sit 14th of 20.

Before the M6 it's past Waterworx Custom Detailing, Gymfinity and Stamford Grange Luxury Retirement Apartments before the first registration plate H100VES - a Manor Elite Horsebox. Then Bowdon Pumpkins and the motorway, a combination of numberplates GE55 WOT, and yes, ridiculously, J5 8ACH, interspersed with a campervan emblazoned with Martha and the Vandwellers... Not forgetting those lorry skirt advertising hoardings - Borehole Solutions with its Geothermal Drilling, Nuie Heat & Plumb and Quadz... plus those advocating CBD !!

Off at Junction 14 to the A34 and Erwin Hymer Centre Travelworld and into Stafford beyond Anatolian Palace, Vivere and HMP Stafford, turning at Lammascote and bypassing Honeybuds Day Nursery. Then into Riversway Sports Complex with its interminable entrance road and vicious speed bumps, leaving the Schumacher karting track and Flip Out trampoline area behind me.

Finally to Frank Allen Way and the John Horvath Car Park, more than adequate for today's crowd of 64. Stafford Hockey & Cricket Club is to my left with the Brian Westhead Pavilion, and I pay £5 to sit in the Keith Mottershead Stand with its 204 seats.

Alongside is a cafe and the rest of the stadium consists of a walkway enclosed by immaculately trimmed hedges, the West Coast mainline thrumming in the background. The sun beats down as I notice there are no dugouts - the substitutes sit in the front few rows of the stand.

The Reds are in all red (hardly surprising !) with a flash of white, and can name only 4 subs, the Lions in all yellow.

Within the first minute Stafford's Kyle Ashman's deflected shot produces a decent penalty shout - the first of many contentious decisions. But thereafter it's all Lions, playing the tidier football and creating opportunities.

Wealth Dasilva-Olajide links up with Limpitshi Bongwanga ('Henry') whose effort is blocked, and the former also has a shot saved. Then Matt Grimshaw, all alone from a corner, sends a free header wide of an open goal and back towards the corner flag for an incredible miss.

Leandro Tanswell Vargas plays in Henry for another smart stop, and then Will Calligan has two efforts saved, one beaten out by Reds' keeper Samuel Amedu, the other a fine instinctive reaction save. In response Stafford can only muster two disappointing shots from Tom Duffy and Ashman as we reach the break goalless.

The match resumes its turmoil after the interval and ten minutes in there is a coming together between the Reds' Ryan Taylor and Lions' Jamie Wrench. Taylor stumbles in the box and the referee, as reliable as a political manifesto this afternoon, points to the penalty spot. Harry Bowers sends Josh Schofield the wrong way and Stafford lead 1-0.

Thereafter resilient home defending and more strange and wrong refereeing decisions frustrate Stockport - and exasperate everyone in the ground. The Lions are reduced to long shots, one of which from Calligan sails onto the cricket pitch 'He made such a hash of it that it should have come with a fried egg' !!

For the Reds Josh Oultram plays a one two and his effort just passes the post beyond a statuesque Schofield. Then the Lions get their chance; a dreadful pass from Amedu reaches Stockport sub Max Dickov in the penalty area and with the whole of the goal to aim at he smashes the ball against the underside of the bar.

On 79 minutes, and after yet more incredible officiating, Grimshaw is booked and sinbinned for dissent. Stafford fashion only one further opportunity, Nathan Scott's shot tipped over by Schofield, but the Reds hold on for a solitary goal victory.