And so a return to Wellbeing Park, formerly known as the Springbank Stadium and the Flip Out Arena (!!), in the village of Yarnfield, the home of Stone Old Alleynians FC for their Macron Cup First Round clash with AFC Blackpool as North West Counties Division One South meets North.
Stone Old Alleynians
Football Club was founded in 1962 by Dave Bonnet, a teacher at and former pupil
of Alleyne’s Grammar School (now Academy) in Stone. The club received a
donation from the Old Alleynians Society initially to purchase shirts and pay
league fees.
The Old Boys entered
the Stafford Amateur League (later to become the Mid Staffs League) Division
IV, progressing up the league before becoming Division I champions four times
in the 1970s. The club joined the North Staffs Alliance in 1980 then the
Staffordshire League before entering Division Two of the West Midland League in
2007.
At the end of the
2009/10 season they were promoted to Division One and then in 2014/15 a runners
up spot sealed promotion to the Premier Division. After three unspectacular
campaigns the Old Boys were moved laterally this summer to North West Counties
Division One South.
The away side was founded as Blackpool Metal
Mechanics in 1947 before changing name to Blackpool Mechanics FC. Walter
Jepson, after whom Jepson Way where the team play, was a founding member and
long serving club secretary.
The Mechanics started out playing in local
Fylde leagues but in 1959 took the decision to move up and join the West
Lancashire League. After being crowned champions in 1960/61 and 1961/62 the
club moved to the Lancashire Combination, with a best finish of runners up in
1975.
With the formation of the North West Counties
Football League in 1982 they were placed in Division Three. The Mechanics were
promoted as champions to Division Two in 1985/86 and enjoyed a solitary season
in Division One in 1991/92.
In May 2005 Lytham St Annes FC, having
resigned from the West Lancashire League, merged with the Mechanics. Then in
May 2008 the club merged with Squires Gate Junior FC, with the club renamed AFC
Blackpool. The nickname 'The Mechanics' or 'The Mechs' was retained, and the
stadium was renamed as The Mechanics in a nod to the club's heritage. The club
badge curiously shows a squawking seagull…..
The Mechanics' best ever season saw them
promoted as First Division champions in 2010/11 to rise to the Premier
Division. After four seasons they were relegated to the First Division having
finished bottom. Last time around they finished one place outside the play
offs.
So on a
gorgeous sunny afternoon it's past the two homeless people living in a tent
outside St George's Church, the number of plastic bags supplied by the public
containing provisions on the grass alongside multiplying all the while. Before
I hit the A556 there's two car registrations C11 RTN (Interior Curtain Centre)
and JOS13S (no explanation needed).
The Pies
graffiti has been replaced by 'SICA DIE' on the overhead bridge as I move onto
the smart motorway and a far smoother journey four junctions down to Stone than
last time. Lorry trailers parked in adjoining fields, their skirts with varying
messages - two scream out 'ARE YOU PREGNANT ?', another is about PartySwan,
whatever that is, and finally 'ADVERISE HERE' - oh dear !! And a sighting of
the Hobgoblin Unofficial Beer Halloween double decker bus and another
numberplate too, BA65 FUN - here's hoping !!
Eventually
off at junction 15 and I join the A34, passing Trentham Active Monkey Forest
and reaching Tittensor, where Blanc is a very odd name for an Indian restaurant
!! Turning at the Darlaston Inn at Meaford takes me through Swynnerton, granted
its royal charter in 1306 by Edward I, and the magnificent Swynnerton Hall.
Then the village of Cold Meece before I reach Yarnfield with its Labour In Vain
pub.
Wellbeing Park and the football complex are the other side of the village and, as promised, there is plenty of parking. I walk through Vinny's Gates to find four giant dominoes which when the dots are added up spell out 1987, referencing co-tenant Stone Dominoes – Founded on Truth according to the sculpture. Next to these are a clubhouse and two football pitches and beyond are further full and mini pitches. Tunstall Town also use this venue according to posters at the entrance – they of the 171 game run without a win !!
A sign
points me to the sole turnstile and £4 in brings me to a pitch that seems to
have been hewn out of the earth. Both ends are screened by banking covered in
green vegetation and the opposite side has a grassed banking side with the M6
behind. The main railway line runs past the far end - Cross Country and
suburban trains at a much more regular frequency today. The near side is fully
covered, terracing at either end and two rows of seats in the middle.
Confusingly the roof is adorned with 'Welcome to the Mway Stadium', but it's
Stone Old Alleynians’ name on the hoarding between the two dugouts.
The Old Boys
are in white shirts and black shorts, the Mechanics in tangerine (naturally)
shirts and shorts....and bright blue socks. They can only name three
substitutes. The second Macron Cup tie in 24 hours at Wellbeing Park (Stone
Dominoes lost 4-2 to Ashton Town on Friday night) kicks off in warm sunshine
with just a wisp of cloud. AFC's Tin Army seems to consist of just two
spectators today and no drummer, in a crowd of 46 – far lower, as expected,
than the record crowd last Wednesday of 126 for the local derby with
Eccleshall.
Alleynians
are easier on the eye and play the more composed football, the Mechanics
relying on an offside trap that is anything but well oiled !! Midway through
the half comes a catalogue of errors. The Old Boys' Jack Tomlinson is clearly
offside when played through but is waved on by the linesman. As he is about to
shoot his legs are clipped - penalty but astonishingly the referee produces a
yellow card for a red card offence. Stone's Matt Thomas smashes the penalty
kick against the crossbar and out.
Tomlinson
misses dreadfully from within the six yard box at a corner shortly after, the
ball still rising as it leaves the ground. The Mechanics' captain Danny
Pickering has their first meaningful effort but it's well over the upright.
Then with
six minutes to half time Steve Betteridge finds Conah Bishop completely
unmarked on the right and his shot is deflected over the diving goalkeeper, and
AFC lead. Ben Bradley is denied their second with a fine save from his header
just before the break.
Within four
minutes of the restart the Old Boys are level. Tomlinson, with a lovely piece
of skill, lifting the ball over the head of his marker before sidefooting
calmly into the corner. After that it's fairly even although the Mechanics mess
up a three on one, with Alleynians struggling to create against a well
marshalled Mechanics led by Mike Hall.
With
penalties becoming an ever increasing possibility AFC retake the lead with just
over a quarter of an hour to go. Bishop is given far too much time to deliver a
cross and Bradley nips in between two defenders to head/ shoulder the ball
home.
Jacob Vernon
has a goal disallowed, contentiously, for the Old Boys and play swings from end
to end as Stone seek an equaliser to take the tie to sudden death. Instead a
breakaway in injury time sees Bishop cross again for Bradley to tap home and
make it 3-1 to the Mechanics – and the Tin Army goes wild !!
