And so to Chapel Lane and Partington Sports Village (Partington Leisure Centre in my day !!) for the Cheshire League Division One clash between Partington Village FC, playing their opening game of the season, and Moore United FC, who have already played three league matches, garnering a single point thus far.
Partington Village FC was established in 1939, playing in lower local leagues, and hitting the heights in recent years. Four consecutive league titles, culminating in being crowned as league champions of Cheshire League Division Two at the point of null and voiding, sees Village play their first ever game at this level - and there is a League Cup Final against Styal to play for next month.
Moore United
from Latchford, Warrington, was established in 1946. Billy Green's Red and
White Army finished next to bottom at the curtailment of the last campaign.
On a cold
autumnal day, with a biting wind, the four mile, ten minute journey conjures up
more than expected... The roadworks that have paralysed Manchester Road have
thankfully finished, so it's past Trafford College, the proposed, currently
rejected, 5G mast site, then Bramley Farm, the council tip and Roe Clare
Cattery.
Numberplates SS10UXS
and ST11NTZ appear plus a German Schuller lorry with the slogan 'Kuchen
fur Leben' - so not much repeat business there !! It's a shockingly rutted
road, hemmed in by rampant hedges before I turn left onto Chapel Lane.
Partington Sports Village is on the outskirts of Partington and affords plenty
of parking next to the astroturf pitch and netball/ basketball courts. The
indoor leisure centre is to my right, and the open fields reveal a partially
taped off pitch, scene of today's game, and, in the distance, a rugby pitch. Next
door is Broadoak High School, and up top playing fields and woods adjacent to
Warburton Lane.
The referee
arrives in his car shortly after me, already fully kitted out, but there are no
assistant referees, with the lines being run by a member of each team's
coaching staff. No admission fee, naturally, and a crowd (counted by me !!) of
24, including babies - although this is fairly fluid, given the comings and
goings, and indeed a 25th spectator rocks up just after the hour mark.
2pm kick off
with Village in all maroon, sponsored by Atlantic Timber, and Moore in change
blue with white flashing, sponsored by Deliveroo. The first few minutes see
Partington dominating early exchanges, but their players are seemingly more
interested in the fortunes of Manchester United in the early kick off at
Brighton, rather than the game they are actually playing in.
Once that is
all sorted Village take full control, and on 18 minutes score their first with
the ball driven home from a blocked shot. Three minutes later an
unconvincing lob from a through ball just reaches the net, and a further three
minutes on Partington strike the bar, but that is with the aid of a Moore hand.
The penalty is summarily despatched to make it 3-0.
On 32 minutes
an inadvertent deflection off a United defender plays in an offside Village
striker who scores easily. 4-0 and Partington hit the post with the last kick
of the first period. Half time lasts barely five minutes - industrial language
on one side of the pitch, laughter and merriment on the other....
Under a
minute after the restart and a lovely team move, culminating in a sublime one
two, results in a tap in, Josh McVety's hat trick and it's five ! Thereafter
Village go off the boil for a while and fall asleep seven minutes later,
allowing Moore to score what proves to be a meaningless consolation.
Normal
service is shortly resumed and with twenty minutes left Tykio Williams
races on to a through ball to score, and Partington then hit
the bar and force two great saves. In the final minute the ball is recycled
twice in the penalty area resulting in a simple tap in for the outstanding
Zak Ashford. 7-1 at the death..... Village is more, and Moore is less !!!
