Blues' Seventh Heaven, Seven Yellows and Cavalier Defending.....

And so to the Rylands Recreation Club on Gorsey Lane in Orford, Warrington for a Manchester League Division Two game between Warrington Rylands 1906 Reserves and Cavaliers FC on Non League Day.

Rylands FC was formed in 1906 as a local wire manufacturer works team. In its early days the club played in the Liverpool County Combination, before joining the Warrington & District League, where they won successive Premier Division Championships from 1955 to 1959.

Steady progress prompted the club to look to higher levels and Rylands moved to the Mid Cheshire (now Cheshire) League in 1969. Championships followed in 1981 and 1984, but thereafter the club suffered barren times.

In 2008 the club amalgamated with Crosfields to form a new club, Crosfields/ Rylands FC. Prior to the start of the 2012/13 season the club reverted back to Rylands FC, with the backing of a new sponsor, Triple S Sports & Entertainment Group – led by former Rylands player Paul Stretford.

Stretford, Wayne Rooney’s agent, now owns the club. It was his investment in ground improvements that saw the club promoted in 2018 to the North West Counties Division One South, notwithstanding an 11^th place finish, out of 15, in the Cheshire League. However the club adapted well and won the league, despite having three points deducted, scoring 111 goals with 28 victories from 38 games to move up to the North West Counties Premier.

The club changed name to Warrington Rylands 1906 FC in 2020 to publicise their location and attract additional support. FA Vase winners in 2021, beating Binfield 3-2 at Wembley, The Blues joined the Northern Premier League for the 2021/22 season and won the Division One West title that term.

Tenth in their inaugural campaign in the Northern Premier League Premier Division, Rylands have mounted a sustained promotion bid this time round. However the loss of star forward Adama Sidibeh to St Johnstone in the January transfer window and the defection of manager Michael Clegg to promotion rivals Macclesfield, shortly after penning a new two year deal at Rylands, has seen the club's form stutter - however they still sit second, unbeaten away all season, but twelve points adrift of leaders Radcliffe.

The Reserves joined the Mid Cheshire League Division Two in 1975, for one season, and then two seasons between 1981 and 1983. Another one season sojourn in 1987/88 was followed by a lengthier stay from 1989 to 2003, before they moved to the League's Reserve Division.

Rylands Reserves reappeared in the Cheshire League Division Two in 2018 before becoming Warrington Rylands 1906 Reserves in 2020. The Blues' Reserves disappeared in 2021, and have now resurfaced in 2023/24 in the Manchester League Division Two and currently lie 7th of 15.

Cavaliers FC, a new club from the Athletics Track at William Scholes Park in Gatley, had their first season in Division Two of the Manchester League in 2021/22 - and it was a turbulent journey. One win at home against Breightmet United (2-1; I was there !!), one draw against AFC Burnley and 24 defeats and a goal difference of -217 left them bottom. This included a 26-0 defeat at home to Avenue FC, where the club fielded a side lacking a goalkeeper (clearly !!) and only one defender (also obviously !!) which attracted national press coverage and prompted a plea for new players. It also produced sponsorship from SpecSavers and an offer of coaching from Jimmy Bullard...

Season two produced one victory, 3-2 away at Breightmet, which was later expunged with United resigning from the league. Goal difference was -148 and Cavaliers finished 12th of 12. 

This season more of the same - bottom, no points, 16 straight league defeats, a goal difference of -101, including 17-0 and 17-1 annihilations and most recently 14-0 and 15-0 shellackings at Baguley and Leigh Genesis. That said, last Saturday's home match against Macclesfield Reserves saw Cavaliers lead three times but heartbreakingly, and controversially (their goalkeeper, allegedly, virtually unconscious in the six yard area), lose 4-3 to what proved to be the last kick of the game.

Past a brothel masquerading as The Railway public house - licence revoked this week - then Altrincham Town Hall, Built Anno Dom 1900, Extended Anno Dom 1930, the Altrincham Charter paving slabs 1290-1990, the Altrincham Market Trader bust and the water colour artist Helen M.E. Allingham's blue plaque, sees me encounter numberplates HE10 WAG, O ER1C and E10 ELO. Beyond signs for the Lymm May Queen, Watch Hill Castle then the M56, the North Cheshire Motorway, and onwards to Thelwall Viaduct and Juniper Farm into Woolston, Paddington (yes really !!), a Warrington Male Voice Choir billboard and then finally Orford.

The Blues, naturally, are in blue, and Cavaliers are in change maroon, now sponsored by Kwik Fit. Just beyond the French Polishers, Rylands Recreation Club is adjacent to the first team's ground, The Hive Arena, with another football pitch and train lines to one side and a tatty, closed pavilion at the end of Arnold Clark Park, also home to Rylands Sharks ARLFC. A crowd of 19 assembles in a biting wind with spiteful rain and the match is underway at 1.58pm.

The first half sees Rylands miss numerous chances - a drive just past the post, a header over and a hideous one on one miss amongst others. Cavaliers have one opportunity, a free kick tipped over the bar before the Blues 'score' on 42 minutes, incorrectly ruled out for offside and we reach half time scoreless but with four bookings - one after a disgraceful gesture from Cavaliers' manager Ben Gage, brandishing an imaginary card; the referee, who has a poor game, indulges him and yellow cards the Rylands 'assailant'.

The second period is a different affair - the Blues have the wind and Cavaliers defend abjectly. Four minutes in Rylands lead with a low drive from the edge of the penalty box from Joel Eccleston.

That lead is doubled on 52 minutes as Ste Hughes takes advantage of a blocked shot to pot home. 43 seconds later Cavaliers lose possession from the kick off and Adam Lawton scores from distance to make it 3-0. It becomes 4 on 58 minutes as a blocked clearance leads to a break and Ethan Mercer takes advantage.

Cavaliers create two efforts, one a routine stop, the other a decent block after some atrocious home defending. The seventh yellow card of the game is shown soon after for simulation and the Blues go down to 10 from the resultant sin binning for dissent.

No matter as Rylands are awarded a penalty on 67 minutes. It's turned aside and there is an even better save from the follow up, but Mercer tucks away the second rebound, as Cavaliers stand and watch.

Hughes gets his second on 74 minutes with a scuffed finish and in the final moments Kyle Pendlebury makes it 7-0 from a rebound, the initial shot having been stopped.

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Rylands In Seventh Heaven - Ellesmere In Fowl Up

And so to Orford and the outskirts of Warrington and Gorsey Lane for my final North West Counties port of call, the Division One South clash between Rylands and Ellesmere Rangers.

Rylands Recreation Club was formed in 1911 as a local wire manufacturer works team. In its early days the club played in the Liverpool County Combination, before joining the Warrington & District League, where they won successive Premier Division Championships from 1955 to 1959.

Steady progress prompted the club to look to higher levels and Rylands moved to the Mid Cheshire (now Cheshire) League in 1969. Championships followed in 1981 and 1984, but thereafter the club suffered barren times.

In 2008 the club amalgamated with Crosfields to form a new club, Crosfields/ Rylands FC. Prior to the start of the 2012/13 season the club reverted back to Rylands FC, with the backing of a new sponsor, Triple S Sports & Entertainment Group – led by former Rylands player Paul Stretford.

Stretford, Wayne Rooney’s agent, now owns the club. It was his investment in ground improvements that saw the club promoted this summer into the North West Counties Division One South, notwithstanding an 11^th place finish, out of 15, in the Cheshire League. However the club have adapted well, sitting second with 12 wins from 16 and a goal difference of +36.

The away side in its present form was established in 1969 following a meeting in The Railway pub and was initially known as Railway Rangers; there have been football teams in the town of Ellesmere since the early 1900s.

Railway Rangers played in the Oswestry & District League but, after moving headquarters to the Market Hotel, changed name to Ellesmere Rangers FC in 1974. In the first season under their new name promotion to the Shrewsbury & West Shropshire League was achieved.

Rangers moved up to the Shropshire County League in the 1980s and, through winning the league in the 2003/04 season, earnt promotion to Division Two of the West Midlands (Regional) League. Promotions in consecutive seasons saw the club into the Premier Division and as champions in 2009/10 they secured promotion to the Midland Alliance.

Three years later Ellesmere were relegated back to the West Midlands where they remained until being transferred laterally to the North West Counties League Division One South at the end of last season – a move that Rangers have struggled to cope with, currently propping up the table with 6 points from 18 games.

Their club nickname is ‘The Meresiders’ referring to The Mere in the centre of Ellesmere (part of Shropshire’s ‘Lake District’), and the club badge depicts a swan to represent an affinity with the large number of these birds and the waterfowl that inhabit the local waterways.

And so on a grey, dreary Saturday afternoon it's an earlier start for the 2pm kick off. Over Altrincham Bridge (built 1765, widened 1850, widened 1907, rebuilt 1935) and a bridge still supporting an advertising hoarding for Kevin Junior 'Proffesional Barber' - yes indeed !!

Then past The Old Market Tavern, where rumours of its closure last night prompted a very necessary visit. In the event the pub's keys were handed over today, it will trade through Christmas but make way for housing - possibly for the homeless according to the rumour mill.

Then the haunted Orange Tree Inn next door and down to the M56 where I come off at Lymm Truck Stop. A brief foray up the M6 and a becalmed Thelwall and off at Woolston, still missing its Tree of Lost Soles. Registration plates this week are BU11YGN (Bullygun Bull Terriers), BL11NDS (Interior Curtain Centre) and OOO 321.......

Beyond Paddington House Hotel and then a right at the late and much unlamented Chevy's, going beyond Kwality Printer and The Button Boutique before parking up. A swift walk down Elaine Street brings me to Gorsey Lane and the attractions of Evolution of Man Barbers and ABC Guitars.

Rylands Recreation Club is on the right with the football club reached first. Beyond is the clubhouse, outside the ground, with a rather magnificent pavilion. There are several other grass and artificial pitches for football, cricket and rugby - the club is also home to Rylands Sharks RLFC.

£4 at the gate and inside the pitch resembles a mud bath; the walkway and surrounding rough ground faring not much better !! On the left are The Snack Shack and the Ian Finchett Pavillion (sic) - the latter actually housing the changing rooms. The top end is now fenced off, behind it waste land then the Liverpool to Manchester railway line. Only East Midlands Trains today because of yet another Northern Fail strike.

To my right is the small all seater covered Ron Stretford Stand with terraced housing in the background. The near end is open with car parking and an apartment block backing up to it. On both sides there are three bases installed, ready to accommodate the floodlights that will be erected eventually. Hence the 2pm start and the reason for Rylands being thrown out of the FA Vase, definitely their lowlight of the season......

As the rain begins to spit, Rylands are in all blue, Ellesmere in all yellow. The Meresiders can only name three substitutes, and the home team four, the latter because of a late injury. Matters are presided over by a very young referee and two elderly linesmen.

We also learn that the 76 year old groundhopper on the back row of the stand is notching up his 456th ground and is hoping for a 9-0 home win - his highest score so far an 8-1. I dare not mention the Barnton 11 Whitchurch Alport 1 match I attended three years ago....

It takes only six minutes for Rylands to move into the lead. Jay White easily outmuscles his defender and scuffs home past Rangers' keeper, Richard Cowderoy. White is sponsored by Knox Funeral Directors - presumably because he's good in the box ??!!

However it is another half an hour before Ellesmere concede again. Liam Moran wastes two good chances, dallying and then shooting straight at Cowderoy, and Tom Freeman plants a free header at a corner over the bar. Cowderoy makes a superb tip over from a Warren Gerrard strike, before Stu Wellstead gets in on the left and his gorgeous cross is headed home by White. The roles are reversed six minutes later; White's cross volleyed into the roof of the net by Wellstead for the goal of the half.

Bang on half time the Meresiders receive another blow as their captain, Seth Ellis, is shown a straight red card, twice, for a dangerous challenge (serious fowl play anyone ??!!) Confusion reigns and it all gets a bit ugly for a short while, so the referee whistles to bring the first half to a close.

Playing against ten men and three goals to the good, Rylands take a while to get going in the second period. We are just short of the hour when Freeman's lovely cross is headed in at the far post by White for his hat trick. Wellstead then contrives to balloon over a sitter from six yards but atones shortly after, laying the ball off for Ste Boardman to sidefoot into the corner for 5-0.

With nine minutes left sub Brad Williams gets wrong side of his man and is wrestled to the ground. Penalty kick and Rangers' defender James Furman lucky to escape with a yellow card. Cowderoy saves Boardman's spot kick, but Moran retrieves the rebound and squares for Williams to tap in, as the Ellesmere side stand and watch.

Just time for Fraser Ablett, son of Liverpool FC's Gary, to have a fizzing shot crash down from the underside of the crossbar before the game's final goal. Williams' floated free kick is glanced in by Boardman in injury time for a final score of 7-0, with the Meresiders failing to register a shot in the entire match.

A slightly disappointed groundhopper too, but the rest of the crowd of 76 went home happy as Rylands stay second, two points behind Abbey Hulton with three games in hand. Ellesmere remain rock bottom and appear doomed.