And so to Wythenshawe Sports Ground on Willenhall Road but not, at the last minute, for a Lancashire and Cheshire League Premier Division fixture and a local derby between Trafford United and Sale Amateurs.
Trafford United was established in 2005 playing in local leagues before moving to the Lancashire and Cheshire. Back to back ascensions sees United in the Premier Division this season for the first time, and they currently lie 9th of 11.
Sale Amateurs FC was founded in 1987 by David Creely and David Hart. The club previously played in the now defunct Altrincham & District Amateur Football League, before moving to the Lancashire and Cheshire for the 2020/21 season.
Sale also saw back to back promotions to the Premier League of the Lancashire and Cheshire in 2022 and 2023; they were 4th in their second season in the top tier before seemingly resigning from the league this week, but still fulfilling cup fixtures, including a 0-7 reverse at home to Altrincham Reserves, which I witnessed alongside Mersey Valley's injury time heartbreaking Cup defeat to Billinge New Street. Ammies play in yellow/ black and are based at Mersey Valley Sports Club on Banky Lane on the border of Carrington, cohabiting with Mersey Valley FC.
Instead it's a 1pm kick off for a Division 3 Reserves match between Trafford United, 8th of 12, and Heywood St James, formed in 1882, from Shepherd Street in Heywood and currently sitting 5th.
Past Frurt, Bohemia, Stellantis & You and Luminer brings me to Marsland Road. Numberplates today are AN6E FOX - Angela Fox Aesthetics -, MU51CKS (Forsyth Music Shop) and W8X ME, plus a BJS removal van 'Grinning Like A Cheshire Cat'.
Then Marsland Road, the Little B, Sale Rugby FC, Sale Grammar, the Carters Arms and Holy Cow in Sale Moor. Finally through Northern Moor and under the motorway to Wythenshawe Sports Ground, previously owned by the University of Manchester.
The Sports Ground is vast - 22 full size football pitches, 9 reduced size football pitches and a solitary rugby pitch, plus a pavilion - but only one game today 🤔. Junction 5 of the M60 is next door, but the fields are set in a hollow and surrounded by woods and pylons.
Trafford are in blue and black, sponsored by Namaste Nepal restaurant. Heywood are in orange with a black diagonal stripe, and sponsored by Phoenix Fires. Confusingly the home keeper is in all orange too, but the tubby referee lets it go...
We start off in sunshine, which turns to cloud, an icy wind and hints of drizzle. And the match takes a while to warm up... in front of a crowd in single figures, and mostly away supporters 😀
Forty minutes have elapsed before the first meaningful action - a good stop onto the post by Trafford's custodian. Three minutes afterwards United's centre forward is allowed a free header from a corner and the home side lead 1-0. But not for long, as in stoppage time a Saints free kick causes confusion and leads to an own goal; it's 1-1 at the break.
Eight minutes into the second half a sumptuous Trafford volley smacks the post, and United miss a one on one sixty seconds later. Heywood fight back and they have a shot superbly tipped over on the hour.
Trafford retake the lead with a quarter of an hour to go - a corner not cleared and thrashed home into the roof of the net. But eight minutes later another St James free kick produces a defensive mess and the ball is laid on a plate for a second equaliser - and it finishes 2-2.
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