Seasiders Mount Pleasant Start To Campaign - Purple Pain !!

And so to Marske-by-the-Sea and the season's curtain raiser in the BetVictor Northern Premier League Division One North West. Last season we had Divisions One East and West but the league have changed this to Divisions One North West and South East, supposedly to reduce travelling distances. However today's clash at Mount Pleasant between Marske United and City of Liverpool can hardly be classed as regional football....

Marske United FC was established in 1956 by members of Marske Cricket Club, initially playing in the Cleveland League. The Seasiders then transferred to the South Bank League, before moving up to the Teesside League in 1976. The club won the Teesside League in 1980/81 and when this success was matched in 1984/85 United stepped up to the Wearside League.

They went on to win the Wearside League in 1996 and then finished runners up the following year, earning promotion to Division Two of the Northern League. In their first season the Seasiders finished third to move up to Division One.

Relegation followed in 2004, but the side was promoted again in third place in 2011, and were crowned Northern League champions in 2014/15; however they declined promotion to the Northern Premier League.

In 2017/18 the club reached the semi finals of the FA Vase, losing 3-2 on aggregate to Stockton Town. However Marske won the Division One title once more at the end of their campaign, earning promotion to Division One East of the Northern Premier League - where they finished 10th, out of 20, in their first season.

The first meeting that led to the formation of City of Liverpool FC was in October 2014, and the club was officially established in May 2015. The club chose to play in the colour purple, as it is the civic colour of the city....and a mix of Liverpool red and Everton blue - leading to their nickname 'The Purps'.

 

The Purps applied to join the NWCFL in early 2016 but their application was rejected by the FA and COL were instead placed in the Liverpool County Premier League. However they took up the option to appeal the decision, especially as vacancies arose due to Northwich Manchester Villa's resignation and Rochdale Town's expulsion from the league. At Wembley Stadium on 8 June 2016 the appeal was successful.

 

Groundsharing at Bootle's (then) Delta Taxis Stadium, it was an extraordinarily successful inaugural season. Leading the way for much of the campaign, the Purps eventually finished fourth and overcame Whitchurch Alport 1-0 to reach the play off final. Litherland REMYCA were beaten 3-0 on their own turf to secure promotion to the Premier Division.

 

Added to this, COL beat Sandbach United to lift the First Division Challenge Cup, their first ever piece of silverware. The Purps also won the League Challenge Cup Final at Highbury (Fleetwood rather than Arsenal) on penalties against Barnoldswick Town, in a match soured by crowd violence. No wonder City of Liverpool FC was awarded the title 'Non League Team of the Year' by sports bookmaker Coral.

 

In the 2017/18 season the club won the Champions Cup against Atherton Collieries and finished fourth, but last term the club finished as champions, pipping Bootle on the final day - Bootle having gone on a 20 game winning streak but only drawing on the final day. So promotion to the Northern Premier League Division One North West. Furthermore in their quest for a stadium of their own the Purps have been granted a period of exclusivity on a site at Fazakerley Playing Fields. However a Purps fan at today's game informed me that the land is contaminated 'and will never be built on'.

So on a warm summer afternoon it's past that execrable ELCTRICALS. TOILETORIES sign and onto the M60 and today's number plates UR 53CUR (a security company), SK11NKS and a reappearance of BUD61E.

To the M62 then onwards to Saddleworth Moor, Rakehead Viaduct and Windy Hill - The M62 Summit 'Highest Motorway in England 372 metres (1221 feet)'. Then Sammonden Reservoir, Rainbow Bridge and Stott Hall Farm, bisecting the two carriageways. Here there's a serious accident involving multiple vehicles, including one that's landed in a field.... Several emergency vehicles are in attendance and the carriageway is closed - naturally our side stops to rubberneck, creating delays.

From there to the M1 North, A1(M), A168, A19 and the A174, passing Mount Grace Priory and signs for Mother Shipton's Cave, The World of James Herriot and Captain Cook Birthplace Museum, bypassing Wetherby, Thirsk and Northallerton. I am comfortably overtaken by a Lamborghini but pass three Up North Combine lorries sporting signs of 'Caution Racing Pigeons'.

Off at the Marske turn, the landscape one of steelworks and refineries, and onto The Wynd which hosts The Wynd Pantry and Ravanelli's takeaway - a nod to The White Feather at nearby Middlesbrough ?

Mount Pleasant is just off Southfield Road, the next right, and beyond the bowling club. Passing the Alan Prest Band Room it's £8 at the turnstile and a decent crowd of 304 with a Purps contingent of at least three figures for their first game at Step 4.

Inside there's the Jimmy Smith Suite and Neil's Kabin serving refreshments. To my right a small covered area in the corner and to my left the main stand and another covered area with, for this season, a new front row of 44 seats built on wood with a sign at the back 'Tin Shed Titans' although this is soon populated by Purple Partisans.... The rest of the ground is surrounded by a mix of old-style and modern housing.

The Seasiders are in yellow shirts and blue shorts, with the shotstopper in all orange and COL, naturally, are in all purple with orange trim and their keeper in sky blue.

The match itself is dominated by the high winds - winds strong enough for at least 15 footballs to be kicked out of the ground during the game and strong enough to lift a cap off a Purps' fan's head and blown out of the ground....

The first meaningful action in the fifth minute produces a sublime goal for the Seasiders. A well worked move on the left finds Curtis Round and his left foot directs the ball superbly across the keeper into the top right corner. Even the Purps fans are impressed.

Thereafter Andrew Stephenson's cutback is deflected onto the post for the home side and he and Matty Waters waste a whole host of chances - most deriving from Liam O'Sullivan's huge throws. The Purps hardly feature 'we've not turned up this half' and a free kick that drifts past the post is their only meaningful effort, although this is blamed on 'several missing players'. 

The second half sees more of the same as the wind swirls round, although the sunshine is still pleasantly warm. Round conjures up another chance and then thrashes the ball over post and crossbar from six yards, and a goalmouth melee sees the ball land on the top of COL's bar.

Gradually the Purps grow into the game and both Elliott Nevitt and Jason Jeffries go close, before Tom Peterson taps in at the far post with a quarter of an hour to play. Half the ground erupts before the other half does as the linesman flags for offside, debatably.

Then, with ten minutes to go, home debutant goalkeeper Jack Norton loses the ball in the wind and trying to recover pulls down Purps' Jack Hazlehurst for a penalty. He makes up for his error by pulling off a superb save, low to his left, from Karl Clair's spot-kick.

This sparks an altercation between the two dug outs, two bookings and the game turns increasingly spiteful - we end up with 9 yellows and one red; Jeffries for two cynical yellows. Round is put through one on one and shoots wide, but the Seasiders hang on amidst (un)bearable tension.

Purple Reign and Ashes to Ashes

And so to the TDP Solicitors Stadium in Bootle for this afternoon's North West Counties clash between City of Liverpool and Ashton Athletic.

The first meeting that led to the formation of City of Liverpool FC was in October 2014, and the club was officially established in May 2015. The club chose to play in the colour purple, as it is the civic colour of the city....and a mix of Liverpool red and Everton blue - leading to their nickname 'The Purps'.

The Purps applied to join the NWCFL in early 2016 but their application was rejected by the FA and COL were instead placed in the Liverpool County Premier League. However they took up the option to appeal the decision, especially as vacancies arose due to Northwich Manchester Villa's resignation and Rochdale Town's expulsion from the league. At Wembley Stadium on 8 June 2016 the appeal was successful.

Groundsharing at Bootle's (then) Delta Taxis Stadium, it was an extraordinarily successful inaugural season. Leading the way for much of the campaign, the Purps eventually finished fourth and overcame Whitchurch Alport 1-0 to reach the play off final. Litherland REMYCA were beaten 3-0 on their own turf to secure promotion to the Premier Division.

Added to this, COL beat Sandbach United to lift the First Division Challenge Cup, their first ever piece of silverware. The Purps also won the League Challenge Cup Final at Highbury (Fleetwood rather than Arsenal) on penalties against Barnoldswick Town, in a match soured by crowd violence. No wonder City of Liverpool FC was awarded the title 'Non League Team of the Year' by sports bookmaker Coral.

This season the club have won the Champions Cup against Atherton Collieries and currently lie seventh. Furthermore in their quest for a stadium of their own the Purps have been granted a period of exclusivity on a site at Fazakerley Playing Fields.

Ashton Athletic was founded in 1968 playing in the Wigan Sunday League, winning every Division in consecutive seasons before switching to the Warrington League on Saturdays where similar success was achieved. 'The Ashes' or 'Ash' developed Brocstedes Park and joined the Lancashire Combination at the start of the 1978/79 season.

Initially they struggled and finished bottom, and this struggle continued for three more seasons before The Ashes became founder members of the North West Counties in 1982 - and finished bottom. Having finished in last place twice more, Ash left the league in 1986 after failing a ground grading.

The club joined the Manchester League for the 1988/89 season and, after finding their place towards the bottom of the table, started to gradually improve. In 2006 they finished 4th and, following a two year campaign to reach the required ground standards, the Ashes rejoined the second tier of the North West Counties. A season later the club achieved third place and was promoted to the Premier Division.

This season their home FA Cup Third Round Qualifying tie with Chorley was televised live on the BBC, in front of a record crowd of 610. Currently the Ashes really are midtable, sitting 12th out of 23, but with 17 league games to fit into the final 6 weeks of the season - not a patch on 1874 Northwich who have 22 (half their entire league programme) to play in the same period !!

Through the outskirts of Altrincham, past a plethora of Indian restaurants (Delhi Alley anyone ?) to virtually the same route as last week's trek to watch AFC Liverpool. M56 then M6 via Thelwall, M62 adjacent to Sutton Manor, Griffin Wood and the Dream sculpture (below) and finally the M57 with an upturned armchair in the central reservation and a flatbed truck on fire...

The end of the motorway, PIES graffiti and Switch Island in chaos after an accident. Avoiding the signs for nearby Aintree racecourse, past Copy Lane police station then a left on to Park Lane, right into Bridle Street and left into Vesty Business Park. I park at Crazy Town, the only industrial unit open, and with some crazy parking to match......

This brings me to the TDP Solicitors Stadium, a football ground with its own wind turbine - much in keeping with the spinning wheels on the roofs of the other industrial units. £5 in and a very impressive match ticket which also allows me to claim a free shot at The Slaughter House pub. The vociferous Purps support is much in evidence with their banners 'Hated. Adored. Never Ignored.' 'Halfway Line Head Cases' and 'We Wear The Purple Jersey For The City By The Mersey'. Defiantly a single AAFC flag is hoisted in the opposite corner....

Inside to my left are two balcony areas, bisected by the entrance to a busy clubhouse. To the right is a refreshment bar, Frankie Andys, next to the Dodge Kop, a two step covered concrete terrace. On the opposite side are the dugouts and two mini all weather pitches while the far end holds two small covered stands in either corner.

The Purps are naturally in all purple, Ash in yellow and blue as the match gets underway in hazy sunshine but with an eye stinging wind. There follows a fairly forgettable opening save for an Ashton overhead kick which lands just wide of the post.

Then on 19 minutes Ashes' centre forward Dale Korie-Butler is played in down the left, and with no Purps' defender willing to close him down, advances to calmly pass the ball into the far corner of the net. The same player makes space for himself minutes later but his shot is hacked off the line.

Just before the half hour the Purps win a contentious free kick on the left. The ball is whipped in superbly at pace and Joe Camozzi heads in the equaliser past a motionless Matthew Pearson. 1-1 it stays until the interval.

The second half is a niggly, scrappy affair but the Purps are more up for the fight, and in Jack Hazlehurst, their 'Purple Messi', they have the game's stand out player. Pearson turns one of his efforts past the goalframe, shortly after pushing wide Tom Peterson's curling shot which seemed destined to give COL the lead.

Then with a quarter of an hour left, and with the home crowd still baying for a penalty, Hazlehurst picks up the loose ball on the edge of the penalty box and smashes it into the top corner. He then produces a gem of a cross that substitute John Connolly nods just the wrong side of the post.

A late Ash flurry produces one smart save and, after an inordinate amount of injury time, the Purps emerge victorious to the delight of the vast majority of the crowd of 447 – I count 3 Ashes supporters and, I assume, left back Bram Johnston’s parents….

Purple Reign - REMY Low On Spirits

And so to the final Saturday of the season and the North West Counties Football League Division One Play Off Final at Litherland Sports Park. A local derby as well, with just over a mile separating the two clubs, Litherland REMYCA and City of Liverpool FC.

Litherland REMYCA, 'The REMY', began life in 1959 as St Thomas FC, based in the Seaforth area of Liverpool and playing in the Church of England League. The club changed its name to Bootle CLB (Church Lads Brigade) in 1967, before becoming REMYCA United a year later - a combination of the two organisations closely connected with the club, REM Social Club and Bootle YMCA.

Progression to the I Zingari League followed in the 1970s, although the move up to the Liverpool County Football Combination was short lived. The merger of the two competitions in 2006 led to the formation of the Liverpool County Premier League and REMYCA won the Second Division in its inaugural season.

Further promotion to the Premier Division was achieved in 2010, and the club adopted its current name in 2013. A fifth place finish in 2014 brought about a successful application to join the North West Counties Football League Division One for the 2014/15 season. Two ninth placed finishes in the NWCFL have been topped by third this time around, and a 1-0 win over Sandbach United last weekend.

The first meeting that led to the formation of City of Liverpool FC was in October 2014, and the club was officially established in May 2015. The club chose to play in the colour purple, as it is the civic colour of the city....and a mix of Liverpool red and Everton blue - leading to their nickname 'The Purps'.

The Purps applied to join the NWCFL in early 2016 but their application was rejected by the FA and COL were instead placed in the Liverpool County Premier League. However they took up the option to appeal the decision, especially as vacancies arose due to Northwich Manchester Villa's resignation and Rochdale Town's expulsion from the league. At Wembley Stadium on 8 June 2016 the appeal was successful.

Groundsharing at Bootle's Delta Taxis Stadium, it has been an extraordinarily successful inaugural season. Leading the way for much of the campaign, the Purps eventually finished fourth and beat Whitchurch Alport 1-0 to reach the play off final.

Added to this, COL beat Sandbach United to lift the First Division Challenge Cup, their first ever piece of silverware. On Tuesday they face Barnoldswick Town in the League Challenge Cup Final at Highbury (Fleetwood rather than Arsenal), and this week were awarded the title 'Non League Team of the Year' by sports bookmaker Coral.

Through the outskirts of Altrincham, past The Barmy Sarnie, Cloudchasers and a plethora of Indian restaurants (Delhi Alley anyone ?) to the M56, a verdant landscape, then the M6 and a shower at Thelwall. Then joining the M62 - IKEA on one side, a massive wind turbine on the other - to the M57 where a Home Start Maintenance van shows maintenance doesn't apply to the vehicle, with thick black exhaust fumes belching out.

The end of the motorway, PIES graffiti, Switch Island, Copy Lane police station and right at the Netherton pub brings me to Boundary Road, home of Litherland Sports Park, on the left just beyond Wendy House Day Nursery.

Litherland Sports Park houses a cycle track, AstroTurf pitches and fitness studio and suite - plus 150 car park spaces which are all taken by 2pm, at which point 'park where you want/ can' becomes the (un)acceptable policy adopted by patrons arriving late. Entering the facility I have to buy a ticket at the booth (£5) then show it to the gateman, in the absence if a turnstile.

Inside is a six lane running track surrounding the pitch and four almost bare sides enclosed by a single railing, with the cycle track visible behind the near goal. The far side has a minuscule all seated stand - quite useless given the fans stood in front of it - and a small covered bus shelter. It is here that the raucous Purps support takes residence with their banners 'Hated. Adored. Never Ignored.' 'Purple Partizan Internationals'.

On the near side the two dugouts, which are between the running track and pitch, ensure that at least one goal is obscured for much of the length of the touchline.....

Kick off is delayed until 3.15 because of crowd congestion with the attendance given as 1303 - unheard of at Step 6. There is a minute's applause for the recently departed Alan Dixon, a Hillsborough survivor and campaigner, who lost his brother at the tragedy.

REMY are in red and black, and their keeper in lime with the Purps in, erm, purple and white. A tight first half ensues with REMY having the early half chances, as Colin Quirk's free kick evades every one and drifts beyond the post and a misplaced defensive header almost produces an own goal for the home side.

COL's first real opportunity is created by REMY stopper, Dave Potter, whose sliced clearance reaches Purps' John Connolly but his shot is mishit and wide. Then REMY have their own purple patch with a superb through ball playing in Lennon Whewell who shapes to shoot - either a magnificent last ditch tackle by COL's Allen Weston or a nailed on penalty, depending on your allegiance.... Ste Ferrigan is just over and Chris Lowe's strike is straight at Stephen Longrigg.

Goalless at half time with REMY slightly shading it, but the final is won in the first eleven minutes of the second half. Barely 75 seconds in, Connolly's square ball across the six yard box is tapped in by Jamie McDonald. Cue orange flare and general pandemonium.... Four minutes later REMY captain Colin McDonald's header the wrong way sees the lineswoman flag erroneously for offside, the referee correctly plays on, and namesake Jamie takes advantage to round Potter and score from a tight angle for his second to make it 2-0 to the Purps.

On 56 minutes COL break but winger Matty Williams appears to lose control of the ball, before brilliantly chipping Potter from 35 yards and the game is over at 3-0. Colin McDonald loses his head and is lucky to stay on the pitch, having been booked and warned.

Despite a flurry of substitutions REMY can't break though a Purps side that play on the counter, and who should have increased their advantage as Joe Camozzi hits the underside of the bar and sub David Forbes spurns two great late opportunities. The Colour Purple reigns J