Fog On The Line - Villagers Lost In The Mists Of Time...

And so to Hind Heath Road and the Sandbach Community Football Centre, for a clash between two newcomers this season to the North West Counties - Sandbach United and Charnock Richard. The M6 Motorway Services Derby anyone ?? !!

Sandbach United was established in 2004 when Sandbach Albion and Sandbach Ramblers joined forces in their quest to improve football facilities in Sandbach. The club badge reflects the union, featuring R and A in its design.

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 club was accepted into the North West Counties this summer and, whilst initially looking for a season of consolidation, currently lie sixth in the play off places.

The visitors hail from Mossie Park, and a village more renowned for its motorway service station than its football team - Charnock Richard.

In 1933 the Chorley Sunday League became the Chorley Alliance League and a Charnock Richard village team was entered, competing until the outbreak of the Second World War. The club was reformed at the end of the War, winning the league title in 1947/48 but then ran into difficulties and closed down at the end of the following season.

The present club was reborn in 1955, playing in the Chorley Alliance League then the Preston & District League, with a brief flirtation with the Bolton Combination. In 1993 the Villagers joined the West Lancashire League and after winning the Premier Championship seven times, including four consecutive seasons from 2012 to 2015, moved up to the North West Counties this summer, and lie third but with a minimum of three games in hand on Whitchurch Alport and City of Liverpool above them.

And so on a gloomy freezing Saturday afternoon it's onto Manchester Road, then past North Cestrian 'Where Individuals Thrive' and Denzell Gardens shrouded in mist. Through the confusing new Bowdon roundabout and joining the M6 'Smart' motorway and 13.75 miles to the end of roadworks - so all the way there, then !!

It's a blanket of fog making the PIES graffiti barely visible, but astonishingly (OK unsurprisingly) a huge amount of drivers/ imbeciles choose the no lights option.... Off at junction 17 and to the outskirts of Sandbach where I turn near the Hightown Drinking Fountain, one of 77 listed buildings in the market town.

Then onto Hind Heath Road and the Sandbach Community Football Centre. Plenty of car parking and an overflow at the cricket club across the road, which is doing a sideline in selling Christmas trees. A green Shogun sporting what can only be described as a car tattoo, a golden 'The Fat Frog', draws in and then leaves immediately….

Outside the sign tells us Proud Sponsor's (oh dear !) Planet Environmental and then we see what £2m FA and council grants gets you in terms of facilities - an impressive clubhouse on the popular side, 3G pitch, 9 other pitches, 40 teams and over 600 players. Despite, or because of, the new floodlights not much of this is in evidence because of the murk. Two sides are fenced off and out of bounds (ignored), and the near end supports two open, but covered sheds....

The referee, after some debate, decides to start the game as he can see both goals from the centre spot and indeed it's only in the two far corners that the action is particularly fuzzy. Sandbach are in maroon and light blue, with Charnock Richard in white with green trim.

United start the stronger and have a decent shout for a penalty when Danny Bartle appears to be clipped. Shortly after an incisive pass inside the left back sees Omar Mballo score with aplomb for the home side.

As much as Sandbach have controlled the first quarter hour their lead is wiped out soon after. The Villagers' Ollie Evans is tripped in the box, and Nathan Fairhurst calmly hits home the penalty. The away side take control, dominating proceedings with some lovely one touch football. United keeper Ryan Moss makes two fine saves but is beaten by Carl Grimshaw's majestic header from a precision Mark Adams cross for the Villagers to lead 2-1 at half time.

Conditions deteriorate during the interval but the second half gets underway with Charnock again creating opportunities. Ten minutes in, a through ball is cleared desperately by Moss ahead of the onrushing Evans but straight to Adams who lobs home from 40 yards to make it 3-1.

Evans and Grimshaw have chances to extend the lead, but Sandbach respond. Bartle has a shot cleared off the line after some particularly kamikaze defending, then blazes over from six yards and the Villagers' Adam Halton makes the save of the day, turning aside a piledriver - 'Quite how he saw that in this fog - unbelievable'.

By this time we are largely guessing what is going on; the fog means we can no longer see the far touchline and on 74 minutes the referee abandons the match to some disgust. 'Conditions are no different to 3 o'clock' is the general consensus but the fact that we only hear the referee blow his whistle three times, and cannot see him is probably why he brings matters to a premature end......

Villagers Soar As Eagles Have Their Wings Clipped - Eccy Thumped !!

And so to Mossie Park, and a village more renowned for its motorway service station than its football team - Charnock Richard. The visitors from the Adverc Stadium at Pershall Park, are 'The Eagles' of Eccleshall FC - 'We Play For The Badge & The Oat Cakes - We Are Eccy !!!' for today's North West Counties Division One fixture.

In 1933 the Chorley Sunday League became the Chorley Alliance League and a Charnock Richard village team was entered, competing until the outbreak of the Second World War. The club was reformed at the end of the War, winning the league title in 1947/48 but then ran into difficulties and closed down at the end of the following season.

 

The present club was reborn in 1955, playing in the Chorley Alliance League then the Preston & District League, with a brief flirtation with the Bolton Combination. In 1993 the Villagers joined the West Lancashire League and after winning the Premier Championship seven times, including four consecutive seasons from 2012 to 2015, moved up to the North West Counties this summer.

Eccleshall Town FC was established in 1908 but the most successful local team of that era was Eccleshall Comrades, set up in 1918. The Comrades' most famous player was the FA Cup Final scorer and winner (for Wolves), and England amateur and full international, The Reverend KRG Hunt. The club also featured in a curious incident when Stone Christ Church were defeated 5-0. The game ended 10 minutes early when first one ball burst, then another and there were no more available.......

 

Both clubs became defunct and the current club was founded in 1971 as Eccleshall Town Old Boys, the team made up of locals and staff from Eccleshall Secondary School, where they played their home games.

 

The Eagles joined the Staffordshire County League (North) in 1979, moved to Pershall Park in 1982 and ascended to the Staffordshire Senior League - now the Springbank Vending Midland League - in 1984. As Eccleshall FC championships were won in 1990 and then consecutively in 2001/02 and 2002/03. With work complete on the stadium the club moved up to the North West Counties Football League in 2003, but several seasons of inconsistency have followed, and last term's 16th place finish owed much to the ineptitude of the two clubs below them - Atherton Laburnum Rovers and Whitchurch Alport.

So on a bright October afternoon it's onto Washway Road, past a white van seemingly held together by gaffer tape and drawing up at the lights where Maidments are ludicrously championing themselves as 'Serious Crime Solicitors'; amusingly there is a To Let sign above the office.

 

Phil Novak and the Rat Pack are on at Garvey's, and then it's just another gridlock day at the Trafford Centre and Barton Bridge. Onto the M61 and that 'Incontinence Supplies At Internet Prices' sign and then off at Botany Bay. Through Euxton and into Charnock Richard, with Mossie Park down Charter Lane, just beyond Bevonair Hair Salon and Dignity Wigs, and just before you reach the village centre.

 

The ground is on the opposite side of Charter Lane to the old Mossie Close ground where the club were based from 1968, after playing elsewhere in the village. £4 in at the gate but you can watch the game for free from the car park....

 

Immediately inside is the entrance to the changing rooms, then the refreshment bar and, curiously, a converted garage. The small main covered seated stand is situated midway down the popular side, with a walkway and barriers that appear to be made from roller shutters surrounding the pitch. Two sides are tree lined and the far side is adjoined by the village cricket pitch.

The Villagers are in white and green (club colours have always contained green since the 1955 reformation) and the Eagles, who can only name two substitutes to the home side's five, are in change all red. One linesman has a paunch whilst the other is just plain obese, and they are joined by (we soon discover) a cantankerous referee.

 

The visitors' tactics of one up front, flood the midfield, contain and frustrate works well for the first three minutes. Then Spencer Bibby's cross finds an unmarked Carl Grimshaw and he sidefoots home. With second playing next to bottom the home crowd awaits a lorry load of goals, but surprisingly the Eagles swoop to equalise on ten minutes - some shambolic defending allowing Tom Wakefield the freedom of Mossie Park and he dinks over the keeper to level.

 

The rest of the half sees the Villagers in the ascendancy with the vast majority of possession, plenty of passing but unconvincing in the final third. Nonetheless they come close three times - Ollie Evans' horror air shot, Bibby's fierce strike well saved by the Eagles' stopper Stuart Robertson, and a deflected shot that just swirls wide.

 

The second period sees Charnock Richard, laboriously, dominate proceedings and the Eagles offer no attacking threat whatsoever, giving some respite to the heavily perspiring fat assistant referee. Grimshaw blazes over when he should have done much better, Robertson makes two fine saves, two shots are cleared off the line and two strong penalty shouts are waved away.

 

Finally, at the midpoint of the half, Robertson's goal is breached - a glorious scissor kick executed by Mark Adams from a cushioned header back, and a piece of skill quite out of keeping with the overall quality of the game.

 

With just under a quarter of an hour left the ball is played into Grimshaw, who appears to be crowded out by three defenders. To a plaintive cry from the crowd 'Don't shoot Carl, you'll never score from there', he rockets the ball home, via a stanchion, from a seemingly impossible angle.......

 

The 3-1 win takes the Villagers top, and leaves the Eagles flying low in 21st with 5 points from 13 games.