And so to the North Field on Jericho Lane in Otterspool, in the Liverpudlian district of Aigburth. Today's North West Counties Division One North match is between MSB Woolton FC, their first ever NWCFL home fixture, and Daisy Hill F.C.
MSB Woolton FC traces its roots back to 1930 as Woolton Boys' Club, with the modern formation in 1994. The club is based at Camp Hill and The Simpson Ground in Woolton, South Liverpool.
The Woo joined the Liverpool County Premier League in 2014 and back to back promotions took them to the Premier Division in 2016. A change of name to MSB Woolton followed through sponsorship by MSB Solicitors at the same time; and that remains to this day 😀
The club was crowned as Premier Division champions in 2023 and 2025. However a groundshare with South Liverpool FC at the North Field on Jericho Lane in Otterspool was required to achieve promotion to the North West Counties, after previous failed attempts due to ground grading issues. The club have started with away defeats 2-1 at Darwen and a 5-0 drubbing at Maine Road which sees Woolton bottom.
The Daisies, or The Cutters, were established in 1894 playing in the Wigan & District League. By the time of World War 1 the club had moved to the Leigh & District Senior Sunday School League and then the Westhoughton League, playing at New Sirs - now the Ginge Power Stadium. The club folded before World War 2, reforming in 1951 playing again in the Westhoughton League but now based at (the adjacent) St James Street & Cricket Ground - they moved back to New Sirs in 1957.The Daisies then joined the Bolton Combination, which they won four times, before moving to the Lancashire Combination for 4 seasons and then becoming founder members of the North West Counties Football League in 1982.
The club was renamed Westhoughton Town during the period 1989-94, thereafter reverting back to Daisy Hill FC - they have never been promoted or relegated from the North West Counties, but only escaped demotion in 2014 because Leek CSOB and Formby resigned from the league, and again in 2018 because of a league restructuring, having finished bottom of the pile.
Two abandoned Covid campaigns then an 8th place finish in 2022 preceded three lower season finishes. However last term saw social influencer Aaron Hunt take over as chairman and a monster crowd of 857 (normal gates are about 50) against Atherton Laburnum Rovers for the first home game under his watch, also attended by Angry Ginge and TikToker Steve Bracknall. This time a 1-0 loss at home to Ashton Athletic, a 2-2 home draw with Garstang and a 2-1 away defeat at Ashton Town leaves the Daisies 15th of 18.
The afternoon begins in bizarre circumstances with a woman lighting a cigarette on a petrol station forecourt..... Past the Armenian Grill House and glorious floral colour at Denzell Gardens in 26C heat it's another motorway bonanza - the M56, M6 and the M62. Beyond Orange Spa Massage, the Pink Eye, Fiddler's Ferry, Griffin Wood and the Dream sculpture at St Helens, with curious motorway bridge graffiti of End Speciesism....Then we come to Tarbock Island and Symmetry Park. The M62 finishes at junction 4, in a failed attempt to reach Liverpool city centre; after that it's left at The Rocket with Brazilian Jujitsu at Aspire Combat and the Tiffin Indian restaurant. Numberplates today are PH16BOG (Phil Higgins Plumbing) and CHE35Y - a black Porsche, plus a BJS removal van 'Coals To Newcastle'.
But, via Childwall Fiveways and Mossley Hill, I reach the outskirts of Aigburth, before hitting Jericho Lane and the Community Football & Fitness Hub. This is now home to South Liverpool FC, Liverpool Feds Women FC and, from today, MSB Woolton FC.
Opposite is the glorious vista of Otterspool Promenade, looking onto the River Mersey - at the hub there is plenty of parking, and £6 admission; the crowd is 122 with good away support and an Ultras banner 'No Pies Are Safe' 👏
The ground has two small seated stands, one behind the goal and the other on the popular side, with only three sides open. There is a walkway and a covered area opposite the dugouts, and the astroturf surface is surrounded by small sized pitches. After a fourth heatwave cloud and warm sunshine greets the game.
Woolton, 'Fire In The Belly, Ice In The Veins', are in all white, with pale blue pinstripes on their sleeves, sponsored by Vesey, and the Cutters in all blue, sponsored by Star401.
It's a scrappy start to the match - not helped by the artificial surface and the heat. However on 17 minutes MSB's goalkeeper captain Dan Jennings spills a Kaiden Barlow free kick and Lee Grimshaw follows up to sidefoot home and put the Daisies 1-0 up.
Needless handbags just before the half hour result in two yellow cards. But five minutes on the Cutters' Joao Soares impressively volleys home a cross and the visitors lead 2-0.
That remains for only four minutes as Woolton's number nine, Tega Okeregha, comfortably outpaces Hill captain Nathan Bartram-Conway and slots in across Morgan Newns on 37. Newns makes a super reaction save on half time to preserve the Daisies' 2-1 lead.
The second period is all Whites as Newns produces a fine save from a corner and Joe Harvey's long range curler just drifts over. All the Cutters can deliver is hitting the post on 65, from a Jennings fumble.
Newns again excels, denying Harvey and Shea Currey. But with 12 minutes to go there is a clear shove by Okeregha and both sides stop. However nothing is given by the referee and Tega feeds the ball down the wing, and the resulting cross is deftly headed in by Daniel Ventre for 2-2.
Woolton hit the bar in the closing stages and apply significant pressure, but ultimately cannot find a winner. The spoils are shared leaving the Woo 16th and Daisy Hill one place higher in 15th.
