And so not to Volair on Baileys Lane in Halewood for a North West Counties Division One North match between Halewood Apollo FC and Fulwood Amateurs AFC - the match moved to the Auto Safety Centre Stadium, aka Valerie Park, home of Prescot Cables FC, The Pesky Bulls, also the Tigers, referencing nearby Knowsley Safari Park 🤔 The stadium is imminently to be condemned...more anon... This because Volair, Apollo's 'ground', does not meet NWCFL criteria... and nowhere near - there's a single communal astroturf pitch as part of the leisure complex, necessitating the ground share.
Halewood Apollo was founded in 2014 by Joey Stocks, joining the Warrington & District League. Apollo moved to the Liverpool County Premier League in 2020.
Crowned as champions in 2024, the club placed 5th last time, allowing Halewood to scrape in to the NWCFL 1 North in the close season. Apollo currently stand 6th with 16 points from 9 matches.
Fulwood Amateurs AFC was established in 1924, originally playing on a field by the Black Bull pub, then relocating to Watling Street. Beginning with local football the club joined the Lancashire Amateur League in 1928, moving to a ground rented off Dick Kerrs and winning the double in 1937/38. The Ammies purchased land in Grimsargh in 1955 but this was earmarked for compulsory purchase in 1974, and eventually Fulwood settled at Lightfoot Lane in 1979 and won the LAL in 1987.
They moved to the West Lancashire League Division 2 in 1993 and immediately saw promotion as runners up. Amateurs were champions the following year and again in the rechristened Premier League in 1999.
Relegated in 2014 Fulwood bounced back, winning Division One the following season and were crowned as Premier League champions in 2019. Three consecutive 4th place finishes was enough to see the Ammies elevated to the North West Counties Division One North last season, finishing 12th of 18. This time Fulwood are again 12th, but now of 22, with 13 points from 9 games.
We set off in sunny spells but it becomes increasingly cloudier- fortunately the rain holds off until after the game. Numberplates today are K1NKC and UPL1T.
We pass the three in one - formerly the George and Dragon, now Alty Hotel, the Whitechapel and soon to be the Grand Holdi. Then La Boheme and The Green Dragon in Lymm and on to Statham Lodge.
There's the pink eye in Warrington, Fiddler's Ferry and The Eight Towers before we briefly visit Volair. Then we hit the M57, off at Prescot and past the Clock Face pub to Valerie Park, hidden in a rabbit warren of cul de sacs.
It's £5 in and a thin crowd of 88. Inside is the Cables Bar and the main stand 'nearing the end of its lifetime' - and unsurprisingly closed....
The near end houses a covered terrace, with the top end comprising a walkway and barrier with 1884 signs, referencing Prescot Cables inception. Across from the stand is a narrow walkway, an out of bounds banking side and terraced houses.
Apollo are in dark blue, sponsored by Apollo Leisure, and Fulwood in change yellow, sponsored by Sante Group. Halewood completely dominate the first period, with captain Jordan Barrow dominant in defence and Steven Irwin pulling all the strings in midfield.
On 9 minutes Charlie Glennon is played through, with a hint of offside, and scores past Jacob Barry. The lead is doubled on 20 as Sean Miller takes advantage of a lucky ricochet to fire in at Barry's near post.
That becomes 3-0 on the stroke of half time: a beautiful curling strike from the edge of the box by William McCarthy. From the Ammies, well nothing....
The second half is more even with Fulwood's Spencer Lucas forcing a good double save from Apollo keeper Denny McGee ten minutes in. At the other end Barry makes a fine low save from Halewood substitute Stephen Doyle.
On 72 minutes Lucas receives the ball and charges through, comfortably outpacing the Apollo defenders. McGee gets fingertips to his shot but the ball squirms beyond him into the net: 3-1.
Any hopes of a full Ammies' fightback are banished on 82 as James Bell's effort clears the bar. And the last action of note is Miller's volleyed screamer which just fails to hit the target for Halewood, who emerge victorious 3-1 😊
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