And so to Bank Holiday Monday and Pride Park in Great Wyrley for a North West Counties Division One South encounter between Wolverhampton Sporting Community FC, Wolves Sporting, and Sandbach United FC, the Ramblers.
Founded originally as Chubb Sports FC, the team lost their club and pitches when the Chubb Lock and Safety Factory closed down (were they locked out?) and the site was redeveloped for housing. The club refounded as Heath Town Rangers in 2001, joining the West Midlands (Regional) League in 2006 and was immediately promoted as Division 2 champions.
Rangers were further promoted, in third place, the following season to the Premier League. Then midway through the 2010/11 campaign Heath Town changed name once more to Wolverhampton Sporting Community FC and won the Premier Division in 2018, but finished bottom of the Midland League Premier the year after, returning to the West Midlands - before moving back to the Midland League One in 2021.
16th of 20 last time, Sporting was moved laterally, 'ridiculously', to the NWCFL Division One South in the close season despite an unsuccessful appeal. Sporting formerly played at the Cottage Ground, home of Wednesfield FC, but moved to Pride Park in Great Wyrley in 2014.
Starting with five straight defeats this season Wolves seemingly turned the corner with three consecutive victories, before Saturday's four goal Tom Wakefield drubbing at Foley Meir sees them lie 14th of 18.
A recap from last week: Sandbach Albion, formerly known as Hays Junior FC, was founded in 1994. Sandbach Ramblers Youth Football Club was reformed in 1995 to provide access for schoolboy football for the youth of Sandbach and the surrounding area.
United originally competed in the Staffordshire County Senior League, before moving to the Cheshire League in 2011 where they were promoted to the Premier Division in 2014. The Ramblers were accepted into the North West Counties in 2016 and have consistently placed upper half, with two failed play off attempts.
United have thirteen points from eight league games this time, including a thrilling turnaround at home against the previously unbeaten Camels of Cammell Laird, coming back from 3-0 down to win 4-3, and a comfortable 4-1 away win at Allscott Heath. However a 5-2 home reverse to Cheadle Heath Nomads followed and sees them 8th but through in the FA Vase, 2-0, at Parkgate on Saturday.
Briefly held up by a traction engine and a succession of old London buses I pass Va Va Voom, Warhammer and The Starving Man as I head for the M6. Numberplates today are 111ME, PH11ZZR and M33 WET.
Then it's Bank Holiday queues, stretching 2 miles down the A556 and seemingly caused by long tailbacks to enter Knutsford and Sandbach Services. Advertising hoardings offer Nitrous Competitions, Game Changing Cheese and Phantom... There is also a Slam Transport lorry.
Eventually I pull onto the A5, Watling Street, and then the A34 to reach Great Wyrley. Pride Park is on narrow Hazel Lane, next to Puddleducks Nursery. The suburb also supports Ego @ Tumbledown Farm, Naturelle Aesthetics, Nu Era and Cucina Unica.
Because of the delays I arrive as the teams kick off at 3.02, and have to park on the lane. £7 in and a crowd of 75, with a goodly number of Ramblers fans.
Inside the near end houses two covered seated stands, one benches, the other seats and bisected by Wolfies Bar. To the left is a pathway, behind which is another car park and trees plus some bar tables and building spoil.
On the right are concrete terraces and path, and the far end is partially cordoned off on one side. However it is accessible from the other walkway and curiously hosts the old Away dugout - the Home dugout is behind it, facing away from the pitch. Three sides are surrounded by dense trees, it's almost a gladed forest.
Sporting are in amber and black, Sandbach in blue and white. Both teams immediately go on the attack in sunny, but breezy, conditions.
Sporting take the lead on 14 minutes; a cross finds Edgars Nikolajevs unmarked at the far post and he comfortably strokes home. Thereafter the Ramblers dominate - Ben Greenop is denied and Stan Tatters has an effort just over and another deflected wide.
So it's a real surprise when Wolves double their lead three minutes before half time. A prodigious Sam Cooksey goal kick is held up in the penalty area by Isaac Philips, and Nikolajevs sweeps in for his double; Sporting lead 2-0 at the break.
Four minutes into the second half Wolves' winger Mason Williams fires one from distance and it smacks against the crossbar. Cruelly, within 60 seconds, Sandbach's Joe Bevan is played in and he shoots across Cooksey to make it 2-1.
It then becomes the Cooksey show as he pulls off a number of outstanding saves, denying Greenop and Bevan on several occasions. At the other end, on 71 minutes, Philips shoots and the Ramblers' keeper Monty Parkes diverts it onto the post, then desperately clutches the ball as it threatens to spin in.
However Sandbach's pressure finally tells with six minutes to play - Bevan latching onto a rebound and smashing the ball into the home net for his double. They have chances to win it, but the final act of drama is saved for injury time - Sporting having a goal disallowed for a marginal offside - and this hugely entertaining clash ends 2-2.
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