And so to the 12th of June, the Cheshire League Division Two and a trip to the Moss Farm Leisure Complex in Winnington for a clash between Hartford and Blacon Youth.
Hartford FC's history is not well documented, but Hartford Boys FC was certainly in existence in the mid 1980s, and the Harts had a brief four season excursion to the Mid Cheshire League between 1961 and 1965.
The 'Boys' tag was dropped in 2011, and the historical and spiritual home (hart?) of football in the village, 'The Green Field', located behind the village post office, in the shadow of St John's village church became evermore blighted by drainage and waterlogging issues. Consequently Hartford FC took the decision to leave 'The Green', moving to the new 3G facility at Hartford High School in 2015, where they train - but now play at Moss Farm.
The new Hartford FC returned to the Cheshire League Division Two in 2019, but, in a pandemic disrupted season, ended up with one win and seventeen defeats. This campaign has fared little better, one win, two draws and five points from a possible 54, but at least the club will complete the season, unlike Nantwich Town Reserves and the orful Orford FC...
Blacon Youth
FC was founded in 1964, playing in local Chester leagues before joining the
West Cheshire League in 1981, leaving in 2016 to drop down to the Chester &
Wirral League. A season later Blacon joined the Cheshire League and successive
promotions, finalised by a late May Bank Holiday weekend fiery draw with
Broadheath Central (who also went up), took them to the Premier Division in
2019. The team, nonetheless, won the Cheshire Cup that year.
It didn't last as an exodus of players, tempted by higher league football and wages, forced Blacon to resign mid-season. The reserve side took on the mantle in Division 2, where they currently sit top with 15 victories and 3 draws from 18 matches, and 2 games left.
So through
the outskirts of Timperley, Altrincham and Bowdon - a combination of hip and
hip replacement ! - it's beyond Cheshire Retreat, 'Character Office Suites' at
Denzell Gardens, and Dunham Oaks to the M56, with the more direct route
blighted by ongoing lengthy A556 roadworks.
Off at junction 10, the Stretton Fox on one side, the Partridge on the other (how apposite !), with numberplates M15SDD and H31 8ABE on view, as I join the A49. Past Brookside and Greenwood Fisheries, then White Hart Serenity in Cuddington, through to Bartington Forge, then left into Sandiway, Blakemere Village, Vale Royal Falconry Centre and The Cods Pollocks chippy as I reach Winnington and the Moss Farm Leisure Complex, next door to Winnington Park County Primary School.
The complex is the home of the Cheshire FA, Northwich RUFC and Northwich CC, with the astroturf surface surrounded by 3 rugby and 2 football pitches, a social club and tall trees - with Winnington Park RUFC beyond, travellers now having been removed.....
The Harts are
in red and black, Blacon in black and white stripes, and understrength,
apparently missing 5 or 6 players, but fresh from beating Upton AA 3-0 midweek
in the Chester & District Cup Final. Also missing is their star striker,
who turns up ten minutes after a strange 1345 kick off in glorious sunshine,
vapour trails covering an otherwise cloudless sky - he blames a car breakdown/
puncture... The 'official' attendance is 20, as counted by one of a group of
four spectators from the Black Country, who witnessed 11 goals in half an hour
at a game last weekend...and couldn't keep up !!
Unsurprisingly it's a disjointed Blacon first period performance and the goalfest never materialises. Instead they have to rely on their right back Rowan Brookes to head home a corner on 16 minutes, and then a lung bursting run a quarter of an hour later finished with a shot across the keeper. Youth lead 2-0 at the break.
Introduction of their centre forward sees Blacon move 4-0 up within six minutes of the restart, the fourth a splendid team effort. Brookes is then, reluctantly, entrusted with a penalty which is saved, before the visitors score a fifth. Brookes then steers another header on target from a corner, the away bench already cheering his hat trick...but denied by an extraordinary save - it's just not meant to be....
The game rather fizzles out thereafter, the Harts fashioning two good chances, both shots threatening to interfere with an adjoining match rather than the goal. Finally, in the dying moments, a long range effort from their right winger, one of two Hartford players wearing number 7 shirts (but with different sponsors !) takes aim and his shot is unconvincingly palmed onto the underside of the bar.
5-0 to Blacon at the finish, and now standing 7 points clear of Whalley Range, who have two games to play. But not champions, as a three point deduction for ineligible player reasons is almost certain - which means Blacon against Whalley Range next Saturday will decide the the title - Range's final game is away at Hartford ☺
