And so to the Abzorbed Arena on Abbey Lane in Bucknall, Stoke on Trent to see the league leaders, Hanley Town. Today's visitors in the North West Counties First Division are 'The Angels', Rochdale Town FC.
Hanley Town's
football roots go back as far as 1882 before the club folded in 1912. Whilst a
Hanley Town side returned to local football in the late 1940s, the present club
was formed in 1966 and is currently celebrating its 50th anniversary. The
resurrected club began life as a group of friends playing mainly friendly games
on a Sunday based at the Trumpet Public House in Hanley, and who joined the
local Longton Saturday League. Having won this in their first season, 'Town'
moved up to the Staffordshire County League for the 1967/68 campaign.
The club lost its ground, a pitch rented from engineering firm Copestick &
Farrell on Victoria Road, to developers in 1971. Having ground shared with the
now defunct Eastwood Hanley until 1974 when the rent became unacceptable, they
then played at Leek Town for two seasons.
Abbey Lane was acquired thereafter and the club moved across to the Mid
Cheshire League and were champions in 1981/82. Town applied to become members
of the North West Counties Football League in 1988, but failed, lost players as
a consequence and very nearly folded.
In 1998 the club moved back to the Midland League (Staffordshire County Senior
League) - a division they won in 2012/13 despite the tragic death of their
manager Colin 'Codger' Stair at the age of 50 with four matches to go. Two
weeks prior to his death Codger had seen his side beat Stone Dominoes 42-0 in a
league match. The club was finally accepted into the North West Counties for
the 2013/14 season.
The Angels
were founded in Castleton as the church team of St Gabriel & The Angels in
1924 under the name of St Gabriels FC. Until the 1960s the club's players had
to be Catholic and regularly attend Church and Sunday school.
When these restrictions were lifted the club began to win trophies playing in
the Rochdale Alliance League and moved to their current ground, Butterworth
Park (now Castleton Sports Centre) in 1979. The Angels then progressed to the
Manchester Football League in 1984, changed their name to Castleton Gabriels in
1990 and became members of the North West Counties for the 1990/91 season.
After several seasons of midtable mediocrity two last place finishes in 2004
and 2005 and a ground falling into disrepair meant the club was threatened with
expulsion from the league. However Rochdale Mayfield Rugby Club bought the
Gabriels, who temporarily ground shared with Oldham Town, before moving back to
the refurbished stadium in December 2005.
A third successive last place, 122 goals shipped, winning two games all season
and finishing with one point after a points deduction for registration
irregularities, represented the very nadir of the club's fortunes. Relegation
was again avoided due to the league being under subscribed. Thankfully matters
have improved and, after changing name to Rochdale Town in 2008, there has been
an upturn in the side's final league standings.
Past the now depressingly frequent sight of abandoned wheelie bins on
Manchester Road, then long tailbacks at Regent Roadworks it's on to the M6
after bypassing the Trucknology Roadshow at Knutsford. The M6 means Smart
Motorway and 50mph average speed cameras but a solitary workman (well man in
orange high-vis!) is spotted...... There's the enduring PIES graffiti and
trailers in the adjoining fields, one promoting Price Drop Donkey ('He's One
Smart Ass'), another simply stating 'Adverise Here' - and with spelling like
that how can you fail ??
Off at junction 16 and onto the A500, through Talke then a right to the
'Cultural Quarter' of Stoke (Hanley ?) and then past Crank Music Studios and
the New Finney Gardens - a strange name for a pub in Stanley Matthews
territory....
The Abzorbed Arena is situated in a residential development just off the A50 in
Bucknall and features an AstroTurf pitch and two car parks, one outside and one
inside the ground. As with Eccleshall it's £4 to get in - you certainly get
value for money in the Potteries !! £4 entrance, free car parking and the sun
shining - but a biting cold wind and a sharp shower ensure that this is not
exactly nirvana.....
Immediately inside is the Colin Stair Stand, a 75 seat covered stand opened in
April 2014 and with over 50 of the seats sponsored by life patrons. There is
Codger's picture above the back row and the fitting tribute :
Codger A True Friend
A True Gentleman
You Will Never Be Forgotten
Beyond the
stand the clubhouse sits in the corner whilst on the opposite side is a small
two step covered terrace betwixt the two dugouts. One and a half sides are out
of bounds and the whole ground is enclosed by metal railings.
Hanley are in all blue with a white slash for their shirt sponsor, Britania
(High Level & Specialist Access Solutions - need you ask ?). Codger's son
Theo is on the bench but his nephew, Joel, misses out today. The Angels are in
change yellow shirts, fluorescent yellow shorts and yellow and black hooped
socks, and with the keeper in all lilac - it is neither heavenly nor
aesthetically pleasing.....
Match referee is ex pro Jason Jarrett on a, in parts, heavily sanded pitch. Rochdale
start the brighter but it's not long before the Angels reveal they have a soft
heart and a shambolic offside trap. Three times through the centre Hanley's
centre forward John Higham is played in and three times he scores.
The first, on ten minutes, is via the post and has hints of offside which
prompts a volley of abuse towards the rather portly linesman - very definitely
not angelic behaviour from the visitors ! The other two, on 28 and 42 minutes,
are more clear cut despite further (ridiculous) claims for offside - the former
a calm sidefoot into the corner after excellent work from the skilful Lassana
Sedebe, and the latter a chip over the keeper after a fine ball over the top
from Olly Edwards. A rather wild strike into an adjacent garden is all Rochdale
can muster.
The early hooking in the second half of Town's pacy front two, Sedebe and
Higham (who missed a chance for his fourth), allows the Angels back into the
game. Living up to their motto 'Numquam Dic Morere' (Never Say Die) they force
two decent saves from Hanley keeper Joe Hemmings, before a recycled corner sees
Liam Bennion deflect a shot in to make it 3-1.
But it's only a consolation, with all further attacks easily absorbed (Abzorbed
??), and the influential Edwards takes control of the game which finishes with
Hanley hitting the post, having three goals disallowed and some really rather
unnecessary handbags at the end. Town remain league leaders and need one win
from their last five games to be promoted.
Finally good luck to the Angels for their Groundhopper initiative at next
Saturday's home game with Widnes - tweet to let them know you're going and for
a fiver you get match admission, a hot drink and a pie :)
