And so to the Cottage Ground on Amos Lane in Wednesfield for a Macron Cup clash between North West Counties Division One South sides Wednesfield Community FC and Dawley Town FC.
The Cottagers were established in 1961 as Wednesfield Social FC, changing name to Wednesfield FC in 1989. Social joined the West Midlands (Regional) League in 1976, and after two successive promotions the club was elevated to the Premier League in 1978.
Champions in 1996 & 1997 brought promotion to the Midland Alliance. Relegation to the West Midlands (Regional) League happened in 2003 and after relegation and then promotion later Wednesfield became a member, post Covid, of the Midland League.
The Cottagers added Community to their name in 2023 and have finished next to bottom in their last two seasons; Community were reprieved and moved laterally to NWCFL 1 South this summer, now sitting 9th with 13 points from 9 games.
The away team, from the House of Jockeys, was established in 1970 as Telford Juniors FC. Juniors joined the West Midlands (Regional) League from the Mercian League in 2015 and departed during Covid.
The reboot, Dawley Town FC, the Jockeys, was set up for the 2020/21 season, winning the Shropshire League in the 2022/23 campaign (27 wins and one draw) and again last time with 26 victories, 3 draws and one defeat to achieve promotion to NWCFL 1 South, but only two points above Church Stretton Town. After a slow start and an Edward Case Cup elimination the Jockeys have ridden up to 12th, with 11 points from 8 games 🤔
Numberplates today are PH16BOG and P111MBR - two more Peter Higson vehicles. We also pass a van shouting 2PHAT2FLY...
Drizzle turns to sunny spells as we pass Inhale Capital and hit the M6. Same old graffiti and advertising hoardings, bar one - 'Peak Wildlife Park - Walk With Capybaras'...
Off at Junction 11 to the A460 where Car Cruising is Prohibited. Then beyond Skirmish Paintball and through Shareshill and Featherstone.
Bypassing Essington, roadworks at Westcroft and then Signature Motorhomes, Bourne Ironing and Turkish Scissor brings us to Wednesfield. Amos Lane leads to Glen Badger Walk and the Cottage Ground.
We drive in and it's £8 admission, £5 for those deemed to be pensioners.... We park up at the top next to the clubhouse, behind which is parkland and a warm up area. The changing rooms are set to the side - today's crowd is 48.
En route we drive past the Robert Morris 'Moggsy' Stand - 31/03/58 - 01/11/20 - a covered benched stand. The near end is open and used for overflow parking.
The far side has the dugouts and is out of bounds. But again the ground is tree-lined, verdant and set in a very pleasant residential area.
Wednesfield are in red and black, sponsored by WBP Car Spares, and Dawley are in change sky blue, sponsored by CTR Commercials.
Community dominate the first period: home captain Harvey Dangerfield is denied by Jay Owen's legs in the first ten minutes. Rio Tetsell has an effort saved by Owen, and then just beyond the half hour Jamie King shoots too early and has a free kick well tipped over. Sam Sale also tries his luck but we reach the break scoreless; the Jockeys have barely saddled up.
Sale is involved in a goalmouth scramble five minutes into the second half, but two minutes later the Cottagers take a belated lead as Dangerfield heads home from a corner. That prompts Dawley's first effort with James Bennett-Tindall shooting across the face of the goal.
Sale has another opportunity before The Jockeys level on 73 minutes. Left back Finlay Murray flicks on a corner beyond keeper William Jones for an own goal; Murray is immediately substituted.
Then Dawley centre forward Dyerel Graham-Hoof is marginally wide five minutes later. Another chance for Sale and a bad miss sees him immediately substituted with eight left.
The best chance falls to The Jockeys in injury time but Graham-Hoof screws (hoofs ?) the ball the wrong side of the post. So 1-1 and penalties 🙄
Nine penalty kicks, two saved (one by each custodian), one missed and Wednesfield triumph 4-2 to reach the next round 😀
