And so to Marske-by-the-Sea and the season's curtain raiser in the BetVictor Northern Premier League Division One North West. Last season we had Divisions One East and West but the league have changed this to Divisions One North West and South East, supposedly to reduce travelling distances. However today's clash at Mount Pleasant between Marske United and City of Liverpool can hardly be classed as regional football....
Marske United FC was established in 1956 by members of Marske Cricket Club, initially playing in the Cleveland League. The Seasiders then transferred to the South Bank League, before moving up to the Teesside League in 1976. The club won the Teesside League in 1980/81 and when this success was matched in 1984/85 United stepped up to the Wearside League.
They went on to win the Wearside League in 1996 and then finished runners up the following year, earning promotion to Division Two of the Northern League. In their first season the Seasiders finished third to move up to Division One.
Relegation followed in 2004, but the side was promoted again in third place in 2011, and were crowned Northern League champions in 2014/15; however they declined promotion to the Northern Premier League.
In 2017/18 the club reached the semi finals of the FA Vase, losing 3-2 on aggregate to Stockton Town. However Marske won the Division One title once more at the end of their campaign, earning promotion to Division One East of the Northern Premier League - where they finished 10th, out of 20, in their first season.
The first meeting that led to the formation of City of Liverpool FC
was in October 2014, and the club was officially established in May 2015. The
club chose to play in the colour purple, as it is the civic colour of the
city....and a mix of Liverpool red and Everton blue - leading to their nickname
'The Purps'.
The Purps applied to join the NWCFL in early 2016 but their
application was rejected by the FA and COL were instead placed in the Liverpool
County Premier League. However they took up the option to appeal the decision,
especially as vacancies arose due to Northwich Manchester Villa's resignation
and Rochdale Town's expulsion from the league. At Wembley Stadium on 8 June
2016 the appeal was successful.
Groundsharing at Bootle's (then) Delta Taxis Stadium, it was an
extraordinarily successful inaugural season. Leading the way for much of the
campaign, the Purps eventually finished fourth and overcame Whitchurch Alport
1-0 to reach the play off final. Litherland REMYCA were beaten 3-0 on their own
turf to secure promotion to the Premier Division.
Added to this, COL beat Sandbach United to lift the First Division
Challenge Cup, their first ever piece of silverware. The Purps also won the
League Challenge Cup Final at Highbury (Fleetwood rather than Arsenal) on
penalties against Barnoldswick Town, in a match soured by crowd violence. No
wonder City of Liverpool FC was awarded the title 'Non League Team of the Year'
by sports bookmaker Coral.
In the 2017/18 season the club won the Champions Cup against
Atherton Collieries and finished fourth, but last term the club finished as
champions, pipping Bootle on the final day - Bootle having gone on a 20 game
winning streak but only drawing on the final day. So promotion to the Northern
Premier League Division One North West. Furthermore in their quest for a
stadium of their own the Purps have been granted a period of exclusivity on a
site at Fazakerley Playing Fields. However a Purps fan at today's game informed
me that the land is contaminated 'and will never be built on'.
So
on a warm summer afternoon it's past that execrable ELCTRICALS.
TOILETORIES sign and onto the M60 and today's number plates UR 53CUR
(a security company), SK11NKS and a reappearance of BUD61E.
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. Here
there's a serious accident involving multiple vehicles, including one that's
landed in a field.... Several emergency vehicles are in attendance and the
carriageway is closed - naturally our side stops to rubberneck, creating
delays.
From there to the M1 North, A1(M), A168, A19 and the A174, passing Mount Grace Priory and signs for Mother Shipton's Cave, The World of James Herriot and Captain Cook Birthplace Museum, bypassing Wetherby, Thirsk and Northallerton. I am comfortably overtaken by a Lamborghini but pass three Up North Combine lorries sporting signs of 'Caution Racing Pigeons'.
Off at the Marske turn, the landscape one of steelworks and refineries, and onto The Wynd which hosts The Wynd Pantry and Ravanelli's takeaway - a nod to The White Feather at nearby Middlesbrough ?
Mount Pleasant is just off Southfield Road, the next right, and beyond the bowling club. Passing the Alan Prest Band Room it's £8 at the turnstile and a decent crowd of 304 with a Purps contingent of at least three figures for their first game at Step 4.
Inside there's the Jimmy Smith Suite and Neil's Kabin serving refreshments. To my right a small covered area in the corner and to my left the main stand and another covered area with, for this season, a new front row of 44 seats built on wood with a sign at the back 'Tin Shed Titans' although this is soon populated by Purple Partisans.... The rest of the ground is surrounded by a mix of old-style and modern housing.
The Seasiders are in yellow shirts and blue shorts, with the
shotstopper in all orange and COL, naturally, are in all purple with orange
trim and their keeper in sky blue.
The match itself is dominated by the high winds - winds strong enough for at least 15 footballs to be kicked out of the ground during the game and strong enough to lift a cap off a Purps' fan's head and blown out of the ground....
The first meaningful action in the fifth minute produces a sublime goal for the Seasiders. A well worked move on the left finds Curtis Round and his left foot directs the ball superbly across the keeper into the top right corner. Even the Purps fans are impressed.
Thereafter Andrew Stephenson's cutback is deflected onto the post for the home side and he and Matty Waters waste a whole host of chances - most deriving from Liam O'Sullivan's huge throws. The Purps hardly feature 'we've not turned up this half' and a free kick that drifts past the post is their only meaningful effort, although this is blamed on 'several missing players'.
The second half sees more of the same as the wind swirls round, although the sunshine is still pleasantly warm. Round conjures up another chance and then thrashes the ball over post and crossbar from six yards, and a goalmouth melee sees the ball land on the top of COL's bar.
Gradually the Purps grow into the game and both Elliott Nevitt and Jason Jeffries go close, before Tom Peterson taps in at the far post with a quarter of an hour to play. Half the ground erupts before the other half does as the linesman flags for offside, debatably.
Then, with ten minutes to go, home debutant goalkeeper Jack Norton loses the ball in the wind and trying to recover pulls down Purps' Jack Hazlehurst for a penalty. He makes up for his error by pulling off a superb save, low to his left, from Karl Clair's spot-kick.
This sparks an altercation between the two dug outs, two bookings and the game turns increasingly spiteful - we end up with 9 yellows and one red; Jeffries for two cynical yellows. Round is put through one on one and shoots wide, but the Seasiders hang on amidst (un)bearable tension.
