And so to the first Saturday in August and the new
football season (we'll ignore the 2 Champions' League, 3 Norwegian and 2 Irish
matches). And a new club and a new ground, the WMS Entrance Systems Park on
Longfield Avenue, the home of Golcar United who play host to
Prestwich Heys in the North West Counties Division One North this
afternoon.
Golcar United FC was established
in 1904 and joined the West Riding County Amateur League in 1934 finishing as
runners up. However, after finishing bottom in the 1937/38 season, United left
the league but rejoined later.
Golcar won the West Riding County Challenge Cup in 2000–01, and were Premier Division runners up in 2003–04. The following season saw them win the league title. They were runners up in 2014–15, and champions in 2017–18. United retained the league and cup double last season with twenty wins and one draw from 22 matches in the league, and were promoted to Division One North of the NWCFL. United thereby became the last ever champions of the now defunct West Riding County Amateur League - a league that started last year with the bare minimum of 14 clubs but following the demise of AFC Bingley and DRAM Community finished with 12.
The Heys’ origins can be traced to February 9th 1938 when a
meeting was called at the Music Room of the Heys Road Boys School with the idea
of forming an Old Boys Association - the football arm becoming Heys Old Boys
AFC. The Heys gradually progressed through the Bury Amateur League and South
East Lancashire League, changing their name to Prestwich Heys AFC in 1964. The
team joined the Lancashire Combination for the 1968/69 season.
Thousands flocked to see the Heys play in the FA Amateur Cup,
with the victory over Sutton United in 1969 attracting nationwide coverage,
coming a week before their opponents were due to meet Leeds United in the FA
Cup. Truly the Heys' heyday !!
The club became a founder member of the North West Counties
League in 1982 but were demoted to the Manchester League in 1986 due to ground
grading issues. Under manager Adie Moran the Heys were champions for three
successive seasons between 2005 and 2007. Tragically Moran was killed in a
swimming accident in Sri Lanka at the age of 43 in June 2007 which left the
club reeling.
After relegation battles, the club renamed the ground as Adie
Moran Park in honour of their late manager and in 2016 won the Manchester
League Premier Division - thereby returning to the North West Counties Football
League after a 30 year absence. An 8th place finish on their
return was followed by third the season after with play off
elimination by Cammell Laird, and 5th last term.
So on a warm summer afternoon it's past Bake My Day, the
execrable T & T Pound Plus ELCTRICALS. TOILETORIES. and still shut, and
Garvey's offering traditional Irish music every Fri-yay !! Onto the M60 and
this season's first number plate M45S RC - possibly a priest ? Past a
van advertising Walks'n'All, a dog walking and pet sitting company, and
over Barton Bridge.
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.
Off at junction 23 and into Huddersfield (Land of Milk and Money apparently !!), where I'm invited to join Huddersfield Petanque Club. Onto the ring road where I spot a Muslim Support Food Bank and then, after Easyfireplace, a sharp right onto Scar Lane and Golcar. Then right onto Taylor Avenue where I park as Longfield Avenue is already choked.
The WMS Park is slap bang in the middle of a housing estate, with work undertaken over the summer to erect fencing and railings to ensure it meets NWCFL criteria. It has the feel of a council recreation pitch split into two with the top half used for overflow parking. £4 at the gate and it soon becomes clear United have underestimated interest in their first ever game at Step 6.
Only 50 programmes have been printed, with the bloke in front of me snaffling the last one. The attendance is a truly magnificent 379 (nearly double the previous record and comfortably the best in the entire league today), bolstered by many groundhoppers, several disaffected Bury fans and the fact that Huddersfield Town don't play till Monday. Only one toilet between us all though......
Inside only two sides are operative; one behind the near goal where there is a refreshment bar and the changing rooms. The popular side supports the clubhouse and a small covered standing area - there are no seats or floodlights yet. The other two sides are cordoned off due to their proximity to housing. Indeed that's all you can see except for trees and, to the left, views of Scapegoat Hill and Slaithwaite rising above the roofs.
Golcar are in their famous green and black stripes, Heys in red shirts and white shorts - although their keeper also wears green. There is a slight hold up whilst one of the goal nets is fixed, and I spot a large 'Up The Heys' banner in the corner next to a rather smaller Golcar flag bearing the club badge.
The first ten minutes are fairly turgid, with the main topic of conversation being the length and thickness of the grass which prevents smooth passing. Indeed the only areas without long grass are a couple of heavily sanded strips covering those parts that were waterlogged until yesterday.
And then suddenly we have a goal. The ball is played in from Golcar's left and Ben Burnett scores in the corner with a wonderful cushioned left footed volley for United's first ever goal at Step 6.
Little has been seen of Prestwich until their equaliser on 24 minutes. Jacob Wood overlaps on the right wing and delivers a peach of a cross which is met with a gorgeous header by Will Shawcross to tie things up. That seems to wake Heys up - Rio Wilson-Heyes draws a flying save from Golcar's Harry Stead and then Shelton Payne scuffs a one on one wide.
But it is Golcar who go into the break leading. Some rather shambolic Heys defending allows Jordan Townend to play in a totally unmarked Alex Hallam and he calmly sidefoots home.
The second period is distinctly underwhelming as Heys don't do enough pressing or testing Stead. Payne shoots across goal following a Stead error, and Wilson-Heyes fires into the side netting.
Hallam shoots across goal for the home side, but the game descends into a flurry of substitutions and bookings - you will not be surprised to learn that Payne is booked for simulation !! The referee chooses not to use the sin bin today however.
Then with ten minutes to go we have a bit of a melee, more handbags than anything else. This is also the trigger for the menacing black clouds, which have replaced the sun, to send out thick and heavy raindrops amidst rumbling thunder.
The groundhopper from Nottingham next to me really has had a nightmare today. He missed his train connection at Wakefield and had to shell out £26 for a taxi to get to the game (more than his return train ticket), and now finds that he hasn't brought a coat.... At least his neighbour from Sunbury on Thames has a cap....
Some pinball ricochet in the Golcar area in injury
time but the ball is cleared and United take the spoils 2-1.
