Oakmen Felled and Outgovaned !!

And so to the Manchester League Division One and the Armitage Centre in Fallowfield for this afternoon's clash between a rechristened Govan & University of Manchester (clearly not from Glasgow - more of which anon...) and Wilmslow Albion, fresh from their injury time win at East Manchester last week.

Govan Athletic was established in 2001 by Jack Norbury, who still manages the team. Apparently Jack was so inspired by Sir Alex Ferguson's autobiography that he set up a football club named after Fergie's birthplace, as you do....

Athletic competed in the Stockport Football League in 2001/02, finishing as runners up, and moved up to the Lancashire & Cheshire Amateur League as a consequence. Division 2 was won in 2007/08, with Govan champions of Division 1 the following season. 

Athletic joined the Manchester League in 2016, were relegated to Division 2 in their first season, but were promoted back to Division One the following year. 6th from 13 and 6th from 12 in the two Covid truncated seasons pointed to mid table consistency.

Last time Govan finished 4th of 11 before partnering in the close season to become Govan & University of Manchester and moving from Platt Fields to the Armitage Centre. It's a transition that's working as Govan lead the league (first of 14) with 34 points from 13 games.

Today's visitors are the Oakmen from Wilmslow Albion - Albion, from Oakwood Farm (in Styal), was established in 1919 and spent the majority of its formative years in the South East Lancashire League, finishing as runners up in 1928/29.

Subsequently Albion joined the Mid Cheshire League where they finished second, behind Linotype (now Cheadle Heath Nomads), in 1961. A move to the Manchester League, combined with a decline in fortunes, led to a merger with local side Lindow and a change of name to Wilmslow Town - plus a switch to the Lancashire and Cheshire League.

But soon after Wilmslow Albion was reborn, merging with Dean Vale in 1976/77. Albion relocated from the Old Carnival Field on Water Lane in Wilmslow to Oakwood Farm and reverted to the Manchester League in 1998.

Promotions to the top tier in 2003 (relegated in 2006) and 2016 - a one season aberration that saw two wins, 26 defeats and a goal difference of -83, leaves the Oakmen back in Division One. Last term Wilmslow kicked off with a 4-0 thumping of Tintwistle Athletic, but finished 11th with only one more victory (at Altrincham Hale) and bottom with 7 points, comfortably adrift and counting themselves lucky there was no relegation. This time Albion again were occupying last place (14th) with 8 points from 15 matches.... but last week's victory took them above Hindley Juniors and out of the (one place) relegation zone !

Past Zen Tiling and Bathrooms, a broken bus, roadworks, Garvey's advertising St Patricks (which year ?) and a couple of outlets still selling Xmas trees. Then off at Essoldo, bypassing Iglesia Ni Cristo, shocking roads in Chorlton, and beyond Vietnamese Potbellied, Zaxxfried, King Bee records, Gita Bhavan Hindu Temple, Whalley Range High School, crossing Princess Road, to Moseley Road, St Kentigerns, Holy Innocents, Ya Souvlaki, Arabian Nites, and the Armitage Centre, Fallowfield complex.

Opposite are terraced houses, the car park, and to the left is the campus, whilst up top is the pavilion and an 8 step terrace outwith the cage. A crowd of 23 gathers in the cold but glorious sunshine 🌞 Today's numberplates are AM1 8EAU and P16 DOC, and a van advertising Paws & Tours.

The Armitage Centre lies on part of the site of the Fallowfield Stadium constructed in 1892 - and which hosted the 1892/93 FA Cup Final, switched from Kennington Oval. Wolves beat Everton 1-0 with a 15,000 stadium capacity but 45,000 apparently in attendance - Everton claiming, in vain, a replay due to overcrowding. The stadium also hosted 2 Rugby League Challenge Cup finals in 1899 and 1900 and a Calcutta Cup Rugby Union international between England and Scotland.

Bought in the early 1960s by Manchester University, demolished and then redeveloped as student housing and the university's sports facility, the Armitage Centre is now a gym, sports hall, with fitness classes and sports pitches (football, plenty of hockey - one player wearing a 113 shirt today, and rugby) and squash courts.

The Armitage Centre holds three fond Cup memories for me from my banking days:

• Playing for 35 King Street against Altrincham Stamford New Road and scoring the tie's opening goal. Immediately asking to be substituted because of injury, but reluctantly persuaded to stay on, and ending up scoring five in a 6-3 victory,
• The 1994 Subsidiary Cup Final for Manchester Corporate Banking Office which finished all square and went to penalties. We had missed a penalty and were staring defeat in the face when the floodlights went out - car headlights proving insufficient and meaning a replay the week after. That replay saw one goal separate the sides with me breaking from half way to slot home,
• The last ever Subsidiary Cup Final in 1996 again for Manchester CBO, a goal and a comfortable 4-1 win - and guess whose lounge the Cup now resides in ?

And there's an e-programme for today's game:

Govan are in red and black, sponsored by GBR Solutions - strange as the club badge and colours are purple and white and their hashtag is #purpleandproud (even stranger they play in white for the following week's home fixture against Boothstown). Albion are in change blue with black flashes, sponsored by Eastern Revive.

Govan govern the entire game and after hitting the post with a deflected shot, and a header cleared off the line from the resultant corner they eventually score through Matt Turner. Three decent saves from Wilmslow's keeper follow but Athletic are frustrated by a hard working Albion who pose no attacking threat whatsoever - their only effort a late shank by Calum McKenzie deep into the second period. 

1-0 at the break and after a bad miss, hitting the post again and having a goal disallowed, Louis Rhodes eventually twists and turns in the box, stroking home to double the advantage with a quarter of an hour to play.

Then it's sub Colin May's show as he scores a 7 minute hat trick - a 20 yard drive across the keeper on 83 minutes and then two penalties, both for clear trips, on 88 and with the final kick of the match. The league leaders triumph 5-0, having been only a goal in front with 15 minutes left.