Red Card Sees Visitors' Hopes Go South - Rampant Rovers Zak Attack !!

And so to Keighley for a North West Counties Division One North match between Route One Rovers and South Liverpool.

Route One Rovers FC, Bradford based but playing in Keighley, was established in 2013 starting as a grassroots BAME team in the local leagues - the club name a jokey brainstormer, winning out over AFC Bradford and Bradford Rovers. The side joined the West Riding Amateur Football League in 2015, playing at Esholt (of Emmerdale fame !!) Sports Ground in Shipley.

Rovers moved to the Zara Sports Centre on the outskirts of Bradford and were promoted in 2016 from Division 2, and then achieved back to back promotions the following season, moving up to the Premier Division in 2017.

The club joined the Yorkshire Amateur League Supreme Division following the demise of the West Riding League in 2019. Three top half finishes (7th, 4th and 6th), then Rovers moved to the Marley Stadium, groundsharing with Steeton in August 2022 and produced an invincible unbeaten 2022/23 season, with 23 wins incorporating a 100% home record, 2 draws and 1 abandonment. Route One was accordingly promoted as champions to the NWCFL Division One North, and are now looking to move up the leagues and find a permanent Bradford base.

Rovers have started with a 5-2 home victory over Ashton Town, coming from two goals down, and then a 3-0 win at a reincarnated Shelley. But defeats at Ashton Athletic (2-3) and at home to Ilkley - 3-4, after conceding two injury time goals, have been followed by a 1-0 win at Daisy Hill and Monday's remarkable 4-3 home triumph over Holker Old Boys, after being 3-1 down with 5 minutes to go, leaving Rovers fourth - 30 goals in their first six NWCFL games !!

South Liverpool, now based in Aigburth, date back from the 1890s - their first incarnation coming from a club changing its name from African Royal, moving to the Dingle, and eventually relocating to become New Brighton AFC in 1921. The Rakers were dissolved in 1983, having been Football League members from 1923 to 1951.

The second coming of The South came about in 1935 with the club playing at Holly Park in Garston, and enjoying trophy joy as Lancashire Combination champions in 1937, 1938 and 1939. The club made 10 applications to join the Football League, all unsuccessful, but won the Welsh Cup in 1939, beating Cardiff City 2-1....

The Cheshire County League followed in 1951 and subsequently the club played their first ever match under 'permanent' floodlights against a Nigeria XI (who were reputedly barefoot !) - a game covered by Kenneth Wolstenholme (until it was all over !) on the BBC, with a crowd of 13,007.

Then in 1967 Ferenc Puskas guested for the club in a fundraising friendly, attracting a crowd of 10,000 before South were invited to join the new Northern Premier League a year later. Jimmy Case and John Aldridge both cut their teeth at Holly Park before moving onto better things..

South struggled against wealthier, better supported clubs but in 1983/84 enjoyed their best post war season as they annexed the NPL League Cup, the Lancashire Challenge Trophy and the Liverpool Senior Cup. South’s success was not built upon and whilst two more Liverpool Senior Cup wins followed along with the NPL Presidents Cup, Holly Park was lost (burnt down) in 1989 and the limited company was liquidated in 1991. Holly Park was later converted to the impressive Liverpool South Parkway station.

South supporters had already formed a committee to take over the football club and in 1992 the phoenix club, a merger with Cheshire Lines FC, joined the Liverpool County Combination, groundsharing with Bootle rent free in exchange for Holly Park's floodlights - the clubs separating two years later. A nomadic existence was then South’s main issue but at the dawn of the Millennium they secured a home at the North Field, Jericho Lane in Otterspool. The County Combination joined forces with the I Zingari League in 2006 to form the Liverpool County Premier League.

South were consistent top half finishers in the Liverpool Combination / Liverpool County Premier League and won the George Mahon Cup at Goodison Park in May 2009. In 2011 South took the decision to switch to the West Cheshire League and immediately won two consecutive divisional titles to move up to the top division in 2014. The First Division was won in 2015 and retained in 2016 when two cups were added, making it a triple winning season. Further title success was achieved in 2018.

2019 saw South’s home ground move 200 yards to the Jericho Hub complete with floodlights, cover and stand. After the cancellation of the 2019/20 season South stepped up and took the abbreviated league title in 2021, achieving promotion to the North West Counties League for 2021/22, thirty years after semi pro status had been lost. South finished 13th of 19 in their first season at the higher level, and 10th of 18 last term. An opening day defeat this time at Bacup has been followed by three victories, an abandonment at Darwen, due to a sexist comment directed at a young female assistant referee, now under FA investigation, and a 2-1 home win against Daisy Hill on Wednesday - that means South Liverpool currently sit one place below Rovers.

So after the Navigation - its portico erected in 1780 and reconstructed in 1937 - it's a drizzly start turning to a pleasant sunny summer's day that brings me onto Manchester Road and I come across numberplates 2YYY, W4XCD and M11EYE plus a van advertising Dog Meats Bone ☺

Beyond the Sale Postal & Telegraph Office dating back to 1911, Style Junky and Soul Star Holistics to the M60, and Beyond (the latest incarnation of Chill Factore !) and then the M66, into Hyndburn, 'Home of Accrington Pals', and onto the M65 and signs for Shuttlewoof Hall. The end of the motorway brings me to Vivary Way and Colne. As ever the traffic is a nightmare.....

Having finally negotiated my way through I come across the Morris Dancers pub (already offering Christmas Day lunch at £49.99...), Hedge Hogg, the Hartley Homes, Wycoller Country Park (no cars allowed in the village of Wycoller) and The Atom Panopticon. Then the sprawling village of Cowling, past the football club (no game today - they start at Skipton in a fortnight), before arriving at the sign for Glusburn & Cross Hills (coming t'other way the sign has the names reversed), home of Funky Monkey, The Old White Bear and dominated by the Cirteq factory, part of the Titgemeyer Group. There follows a lengthy wait at Kildwick Level Crossing....

Past Zolsha and right at The Trawlerman onto the A629, Silsden to the left and Steeton to the right, The Doris Wells Memorial Field still visible from the road. Then left into the outskirts of Keighley with Cougar Park behind the Texaco garage immediately on the left and the Marley Stadium further down. I park next to a scrap metal merchants on a rundown, litter strewn side street and wend my way into Keighley, following a different route via Cliffe Castle and Ghosijah Masjid, 'Verily Our Time Is Appointed', - the impressive Markazi Jamia Masjid mosque is in the town centre. Then The Livery Rooms (Wetherspoons), Sham Syrian Shawarma, a Persian takeaway, The Kindred Bizzare, the Boltmakers Arms, Taylors on the Green and the market, featuring Arctic Storm Clothing. 

Onto Chic n Tique, Grind n Groove records and the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway - 75078 again on duty for the £14 return 25 minute journey to Oxenhope. My final destination, after Pineoakio Furniture, is the Keighley Bus Museum - in the middle of nowhere on the River Technology Park.

Eventually to the Marley Activities & Coaching Centre where Route One are in grey and white, South in red and black. £5 in, a crowd of 105 including a healthy away contingent, some of whom have travelled on the team bus, and inside at the top end are two shelters - the Varley Boilers covered stand, the other one unsponsored, and nearside the Keighley Kia & Mazda seated stand in front of the clubhouse - which is closed.....

The ground is sited on an industrial estate, the A650 at one end, picturesque views of the countryside, the National Trust's East Riddlesden rising into the hills on my left and surrounded by council football pitches - local games yet to commence.

Route One have an early chance and South respond with a fizzer over the bar from a corner. But on 7 minutes it really is Route One as a long ball produces a flicked header on, and Mohammed Husnain outmuscles his marker and shoots across South's keeper Lucas Allan to put Rovers ahead. 

James Cottrell has South's best chance with a volley on 37 minutes and Rovers hit the post in injury time. Two good footballing sides, cancelling each other out, and guilty of overplaying and imperfect passing leaves it 1-0 to the hosts at the break.

In the second half South start better with sub Lewis Williams proving to be a lively threat. But the game pivots in the 57th minute as the speedy Husnain again outstrips his marker, and in a tangle of legs, is brought down whilst bearing through on goal. Cottrell is deemed to be last man and is red carded to home megaphone taunts of 'Early showers, early showers'.....

That megaphone is back in use, along with an air raid siren and a drummer, five minutes later as a one two beyond a static defence leaves Zak Khan to double the lead through Allan's legs. Rovers then hit the post from a deflected shot midway through the half.

The match finishes with two further goals; with four minutes to go Khan's first effort is saved by Allan, but the ball is recycled and Khan rams it home. Then at the start of injury time Khan has his hat trick, bursting forward and then a beautiful curling finish from 25 yards into the bottom right corner leaves Route One triumphant at 4-0.