The Joy of Six - Daisies Cut Down To Size

And so to Gillford Park to the south east of Carlisle for a North West Counties Division One North clash between Carlisle City and Daisy Hill.

Carlisle City FC was formed in 1975 by two former Carlisle United players, George Walker and Ron Thompson, 'to give local lads somewhere to play'. The Sky Blues joined the Northern Alliance and were runners up three times before finishing bottom of the league in 1987, and dropping into the Northern Combination. At the end of the following season, the Northern Combination merged with the Northern Alliance and City became founder members of the new Division One.

As champions in 1992, the club was promoted to the Premier Division where they were runners up on five occasions. Having finished third in the 2015/16 season their application to join the North West Counties Football League was granted.

This was not least because they had taken over the lease at Gillford Park in the city in 2015 from Celtic Nation FC. (Yes that Celtic Nation - millionaire throws money at the Northern League club to buy promotion, club finish second, millionaire withdraws support, club goes bust: all in two years). City's first season was one of consolidation, finishing 14th in the expanded 22 club league and then 11^th last term. This time around they sit second behind Longridge Town.

The Daisies, or The Cutters, were established in 1894 playing in the Wigan & District League. By the time of World War 1 the club had moved to the Leigh & District Senior Sunday School League and then the Westhoughton League, playing at New Sirs. The club folded before World War II, but reformed in 1951 playing again in the Westhoughton League but now based at (the adjacent) St James Street & Cricket Ground - they moved back to New Sirs in 1957.

The Daisies then joined the Bolton Combination, which they won four times, before moving to the Lancashire Combination for 4 seasons and then becoming founder members of the North West Counties Football League in 1982.

The club was renamed Westhoughton Town during the period 1989-94, thereafter reverting back to Daisy Hill FC - they have never been promoted or relegated from the North West Counties, but only escaped demotion in 2014 because Leek CSOB and Formby resigned from the league, and last season because of the league restructuring, having finished bottom of the pile. This season the Daisies have fared little better and only two recent victories has seen them move out of the relegation zone.

So on a grey afternoon, the forecast rain not yet having materialised, it's past the six foot aluminium silhouette of a First World War Tommy outside Altrincham Town Hall and right at Riddles Liquor & Sundries. Then the M6 and Thelwall, Haydock Park, Wigan Pier and Martin Mere.

What seems like a herd of Buffaloads More lorries on the opposite carriageway, and that 'CANED' graffiti at Preston. Two car registration plates this week - DR13NKY and H3EHO and no I'm not having a laugh !!

Then Katy Cropper Sheepdogs at Shap, signs for Ullswater Steamers before coming off at Junction 42. Onto the A6 through Carleton and a wry smile at The Nosey Cow Inn and The Tipsy Tomato as I turn into Petterill Bank Road and down a dirt track to the D Marks Carpets Stadium, aka Gillford Park.

I park up and pay £4 on the turnstile; it takes an eternity to get my £1 change as the gateman works out that I am spectator 37. The final attendance today is 69....and a dog (from Daisy Hill !)

Inside the stadium is a king to most other grounds in this league, reflecting the money spent in its Celtic Nation days. To my right is a covered stand with green seats in the middle and on the right hand side, but they didn't get around to putting them in on the left !! Next to it is the Railway Social Club.

At the open top end is a small concrete standing area, screened by trees and the River Petterill beyond. Opposite the green, not quite finished, stand is a covered terrace running along virtually the whole of the touch line.

Then behind the near goal is another (completed !) all seated stand, this time in white. Above is the bar and clubhouse, and behind is the car park and railway line. Virgin Trains today, a severely truncated Northern Fail service (forcing me to drive rather than get the train from Settle), a monster freight train becalmed for a good 15 minutes and Black 5 45212 on a steam excursion.

The Sky Blues are, not surprisingly, in sky blue and the Daisies in change red and black. There is a minute's silence in recognition of Armistice Day and then we're underway. It doesn't take long to see why the two sides are in their respective league positions with City bossing it but unable to capitalise.

Against the run of play the Daisies take the lead on the quarter hour, Jack Iley heading in a Jamie Ramwell corner. Ramwell is then denied by Stephen Townsley's legs as the locals grow restless and the rain starts to tumble down – not much blue sky for the Sky Blues !!

Inevitably the Sky Blues equalise on 22 minutes, Jake Simpson's glorious cross headed across Joe Leather in the Cutters' goal by Michael Slack. City turn the screw and move in front with Marc Shiel's effortless/ speculative (depending on your viewpoint) half volley that beats Leather all ends up.

The Daisies wilt in the face of continued home pressure, with David Renyard scoring with a crisp finish to the corner four minutes from the break. Tyran Taylor heads home unchallenged from a corner bang on half time and the Sky Blues go in 4-1 up at the interval.

Daisy Hill start the second half brightly with Iley heading over and Ashley Stott defied by Townsley's shins. However normal service is resumed on the hour, Renyard getting on the end of a cross and his shot having just enough power to go under Leather and creep over the line - a goal emanating from a quickly taken long throw from Simpson.

Five minutes later City inexplicably switch off at a free kick, leaving Stott unmarked and he sidefoots home to make it 5-2. Then on 70 minutes Macaulay Farrington's magnificent 30 yard volley into the top corner, Townsley motionless, makes the game interesting as the deficit is cut to two. Straight from the kick off however the Sky Blues attack and, after a bit of penalty area pinball, Robert McCartney blasts home for 6-3.

That we don't see any further goals is a surprise to everyone. Sub Kieron Blair hits the post for City, Leather (who saves the Daisies from a real leathering) makes tremendous stops from Blair, McCartney and Simpson, and the Sky Blues have one cleared off the line.

Still, £4, 9 goals and a fabulous afternoon's entertainment !!

Sky Blues Thinking Out of Tune Who Gets The Abbey Habit

And so to the Potteries and a visit to Birches Head Road, home of Abbey Hulton United FC. The newly promoted side host Carlisle City today in the North West Counties Division One.

Abbey Hulton United FC was formed in 1947, and named after the Scheduled Monument of Hulton Abbey, founded by Henry de Audley in the early 13th century. It was dissolved by Henry VIII in 1538 and little remains of it today. Hulton was recorded as 'Heltone' in the Domesday Book, meaning 'hill town'.

 

Abbey played on council land before moving to Bucknall Park in 1962. There they stayed until 1985, before acquiring a piece of land at Birches Head Road. Originally United played in local leagues - the Longton, Fenton & District, Burslem & Tunstall and Newcastle & District Leagues.

 

Having moved to the new facility at Birches Head, the club opted to join the Staffs County League (North) and were crowned champions at the end of the 1997/98 season. Abbey then moved up to the Staffordshire County Senior League, becoming Premier League champions last season.

 

An application to join the North West Counties League was successful and the club was elected, having met ground grading criteria. United have had a decent start to the season, with three wins and three draws from seven games, six of which have been away. The St Helens game, where, with the game goalless going into injury time, Abbey were awarded a penalty and the floodlights went out, was confirmed this week as a 0-0 draw.

Carlisle City FC was formed in 1975 by two former Carlisle United players, George Walker and Ron Thompson, 'to give local lads somewhere to play'. The Sky Blues joined the Northern Alliance and were runners up three times before finishing bottom of the league in 1987, and dropping into the Northern Combination. At the end of the following season, the Northern Combination merged with the Northern Alliance and City became founder members of the new Division One.

 

As champions in 1992, the club was promoted to the Premier Division where they were runners up on five occasions. Having finished third in the 2015/16 season their application to join the North West Counties Football League was granted.

 

This was not least because they had taken over the lease at Gillford Park in the city in 2015 from Celtic Nation FC. (Yes that Celtic Nation - millionaire throws money at the club to buy promotion, club finish second, millionaire withdraws support, club goes bust: all in two years). City's first season was one of consolidation, finishing 14th in the expanded 22 club league and they sit just below Abbey in the current league table.

And so it's on to Manchester Road, past Totty Towers, the closed Wheatsheaf, the for sale Orange Tree and last night's watering hole, The Old Market Tavern and its menu - 'Food severed 12 noon to 4pm'....

Down to the M6 and more Smart Motorway, a stretch of road blighted daily by long delays due to broken down vehicles in the roadworks. Today is no exception but fortunately it's on the opposite carriageway. Disappointingly the PIES graffiti on the motorway bridge has been painted over and 'replaced' by SICADIE.

Off at junction 16 and onto the A500 then the A53 Leek Road, passing M & M Cane Centre, into Sneyd Green, by the Horn and Trumpet, Baddeley Green, then Milton and the glorious floral display at Carmountside Cemetery & Crematorium. Just before the Hulton Abbey remains, it's right into Birches Head Road, ignoring the sign for Funky Fillerz (?) and, just beyond the Trent Country Club, the ground is next to the River Trent Path.

A small car park on a narrow road isn't ideal, and indeed causes carnage at the final whistle for a crowd of 131. A fiver at the hut and a two sided ground this week. The top end is out of bounds with farmland, horseboxes and whinnying horses in the field. The closed off near side has a steep embankment at the top of which is a muddied grass area, trees and the River Trent behind.

The path that takes me behind the goal is where all the activity is - the changing rooms and a shipping container converted into a bar. Tables outside form an impromptu beer garden, whilst there's also a cafe and concrete 5 a side pitch. The tree lined far side holds the required 50 seater covered stand, with the side road next to it a popular cut through for scrambler bikes this afternoon.

Pleasant enough surroundings as we kick off - Abbey in orange and black, and City, inexplicably, in their change 'House of Vodka' sponsored navy strip. The Sky Blues have much the better of the first period; within moments Aaron Bradbury is one on one with Abbey keeper Luke Birkinshaw, with the latter spreading himself well to save.

 

Bobby McCartney, City's number 9, strikes a vicious angled drive that hits the inside of the far post and all Abbey can muster is a near own goal as the ball is inadvertently flicked over the bar. Birkinshaw saves well from Bradbury again just before the break, but the half is marred by some ineffectual officiating from the vertically challenged referee, who seems reluctant to use his cards.

 

United are much improved in the second half with their rotund number 9, Josh Graham (one of 5 Joshes in the Abbey team), wearing one yellow boot and one pink, producing a fine tip over from City's Michael Ballantyne. The Sky Blues go straight down the other end and McCartney is tripped in the box. The equally portly Kyle Armstrong converts the penalty and Carlisle lead.

 

Five minutes later Abbey captain, Josh Tune, nips inside the full back and scores with a quite sumptuous volley into the top corner for the equaliser. Less than tuneful chants of 'Abbey, Abbey' as the drum kit (where did that come from ?) gets its first meaningful action of the day.

 

McCartney muscles through but Birkinshaw again stands tall to block. The rebound falls kindly for McCartney and he rolls the ball across the six yard box into the path of Armstrong who misses the open goal horrendously. Armstrong is substituted, ignominiously, shortly thereafter.

 

Graham produces another classy save out of Ballantyne from a header but the game peters out - apart from a simmering undercurrent that threatens to boil over. The first yellow card is finally shown in the 86th minute, and a second in injury time following an ugly and unnecessary melee, with the match finishing honours even. Then it's the car park chaos......

When Skies Are Navy Blue....

And so, at the fourth time of asking (waterlogged and frozen pitches and then structural damage caused by Storm Angus), it's a trip to the wonderfully named Cowtoot Lane in Bacup. There stands the Brian Boys West View Stadium, the home of Bacup Borough and the venue for today's North West Counties fixture against Carlisle City.

Bacup Borough began life as Bacup Baldies (!) in 1879 before changing to Bacup then Bacup Borough in 1920. At the start of the 2013/14 campaign they became Bacup & Rossendale Borough, following the sad demise of Rossendale United FC. BARB only lasted two seasons though and the start of last season saw a reversion to Bacup Borough - not through supporter pressure but because 'evil spirits didn't approve' (I kid you not !!).

 

The Borough moved to their current ground, West View, now sponsored by local property developer Brian Boys, in 1889 and joined the Lancashire League in 1893. A move up to the Lancashire Combination in 1903 followed and the club was crowned champions in 1947.

 

Following the amalgamation of the Cheshire League and the Lancashire Combination, the club became founder members of the North West Counties in 1982. In September 1997 and after a 0-10 reverse against Tetley Walker, Brent Peters was appointed manager.... and is still in charge for this afternoon's game.

 

The club were promoted as Division Two champions in 2004 but, despite the BARB club motto of 'Prosperity Through Endeavour', was relegated at the end of the 2014/15 season - those disapproving evil spirits presumably......... Borough just failed to bounce straight back, losing the play off final in extra time at Barnton last May.

Carlisle City FC was formed in 1975 by two former Carlisle United players, George Walker and Ron Thompson, 'to give local lads somewhere to play'. The Sky Blues joined the Northern Alliance and were runners up three times before finishing bottom of the league in 1987, and dropping into  the Northern Combination. At the end of the following season, the Northern Combination merged with the Northern Alliance and City became founder members of the new Division One.

 

As champions in 1992, the club was promoted to the Premier Division where they were runners up on five occasions. Having finished third last season their application to join the North West Counties Football League was successful. This was not least because they had taken over the lease at Gillford Park in the city in 2015 from Celtic Nation FC. (Yes that Celtic Nation - millionaire throws money at the club to buy promotion, club finish second, millionaire withdraws support, club goes bust: all in two years)

Onto Washway Road, past Cinders Fireplaces, Red Hot Lips, Maidments - and their ludicrous Serious Crime Solicitors strapline - and Garveys still with their Christmas karaoke..... Then the M60 'smart' motorway, with just the 30 vehicles running out of fuel in December, and Sale Sharks traffic snarling up Barton Bridge and the Trafford Centre.

 

Off at the M66 with the hills shrouded in low grey cloud, blotting out the wind turbines before I reach Rawtenstall, the terminus of the East Lancashire Railway, and home to several mills and even more shoe factory shops.

 

Into Waterfoot, where appropriately it begins to drizzle, and naturally there is a Waterfoot Aquatics - but also The Raven's Nest, a tattoo parlour. Beyond Stacksteads and then to Bacup, up Cooper Street, its steep gradient surely making it a candidate for Heart Attack Hill, which brings me to Cowtoot Lane.

 

West View is, to put it mildly, a ramshackle stadium. Two sides are completely fenced off presumably due to safety reasons - the covered far end behind the goal and the stand opposite where a dry stone wall separates the ground from the farmland and hills. A picturesque view on a glorious sunny day but alas today is grey, bleak and unremittingly cold.....

 

On the popular side is the main stand, which apparently was doing a Mexican Wave during Storm Angus - possibly why only three people take their seats.....The near end supports the Martin Peters Sports Bar, 'The place to be seen', and five portakabins in varying states of decay. There is also a noticeable slope across the pitch, coming down from the hills.

 

Borough are in black and white, and the Sky Blues (sponsored by House of Vodka), inexplicably, in change navy blue... and with no number 4, but 14 instead. The first half hour, on a pudding of a pitch, produces much slipping and sliding with the mud the only winner, and 100mph football combining wayward passing and aimless hoofing. Sky Blues' winger Ryan Errington has two long range efforts and a goal ruled out for offside, whilst Borough's Anthony Hall shoots weakly and has a tame header saved.

 

Then on 32 minutes Borough's keeper Aaron Ashley flails at a cross and City's number 14, Michael Slack, drives the ball across him into the far corner. Three minutes later Jamie Heath's free kick eludes everyone to nestle in the opposite corner and the Sky Blues lead 2-0 at the break.

 

Half time brings us news, via the tubby linesman, that the referee's wife has locked herself out of the house, and will have to make a detour to the dressing room to pick up his key... And an answer as to why City have no number 4 - a fortnight ago Mark Graham broke his tibia and fibula at Widnes, and the shirt is yet to be retrieved from Whiston Hospital.

 

The half time rollicking from Brent Peters has no effect, as within seven minutes the Sky Blues conjure up a wonderful team goal, ending with Brad Hayton slotting past Ashley. A flurry of substitutions follow, with City content to hold on to what they have, and Bacup unable to create any real opportunities.

 

Twelve minutes from the end Borough get a lifeline. Hall's free kick from just outside the penalty box is fumbled by Carlisle keeper Adam Coward and centre forward Adrian Bellamy smashes home the rebound. But that's it for the home team as Steven Cassidy's delicate cross drifts just wide of the post and then Alexander Nwachukusa's free header is planted over as the Sky Blues emerge as 3-1 victors.