Saints Go For A Burton - Ammies Hang On

And so to Hollyhedge Park in Wythenshawe for today’s North West Counties Division One South clash between Wythenshawe Amateurs and St Martins.

The home team was founded in 1946 as Wythenshawe Lads’ Club by a local window cleaner and was based in Daine Avenue, Rack House. In 1949 as the lads grew to maturity Henry Dalton developed them into ‘The Ammies’ to provide football for all ages. (Dalton was a Sheffield Wednesday fan hence the Ammies’ royal blue and white striped kit)

They became members of the South Manchester and Wythenshawe League, racing through the divisions, and securing the 1^st division championship in 1953. After a year in the Altrincham & District League they climbed the pyramid to join the Lancashire and Cheshire League, winning the First Division in 1962.

The Ammies established themselves in the Manchester League in the 1972/3 season, going on to win the Premier Division three times and finishing runners up 10 times, including the last two seasons. They were also three time winners of the Lancashire Amateur Cup and record winners (7) of the Gilgryst Cup.

The club led a somewhat nomadic existence playing at Cleveland playing fields, Wythenshawe Park, The Christie playing fields, Federation of Lads’ Club Ground at Chorlton, and then in 1983 they became tenants of Wythenshawe Cricket Club at Longley Lane. However after 32 years the relationship became strained and the Ammies were evicted by the cricket club in May 2015, necessitating short term stays at Flixton FC and St Paul’s High School.

However the club struck gold in 2013 when they won a £50,000 grant from the Budweiser Club Futures Programme in the North West, followed by a further £100,000 in a public Facebook the following year in the national awards. In July 2016 the club secured further funding from the Premier League, the FA and the National Lottery.

This allowed the Ammies to commence work on a new ground at Hollyhedge Park, with the first match being played there in September 2017. The facilities also led to promotion to the North West Counties League Division One South in the summer, with new floodlights being unveiled last Tuesday before a record attendance of 308.

The visitors from the village of St Martins in the North West of Shropshire with the Welsh border just a few hundred yards away, St Martins FC, need no introduction having featured last week.

The club was established in 1897, competing in the Oswestry & District League, before changing name to St Martins United in the early 1930s and then Greyhound Rangers in 1935, with matches played in the field next to the Greyhound Inn. A successful venture across the border into the Cefn & District League, winning the League Cup in 1936/37 was met with indifference and no further organised football was played until the side was reformed in 1945 after World War II.

The revived club joined the North Shropshire League and were champions three times, following the last of which in 1955 the team joined the Whitchurch League. That league folded in 1972 so Saints transferred to Division 3 of the West Shropshire League, rising up the divisions and winning various cups – the Syd Roberts, Reg Lawrence and Graham Edwards Memorial Trophies and the Tyre Cup (!!)

The Saints then moved up to the Shropshire County League and won the Premier Division in 2009/10 to be promoted to the West Midlands (Regional) League Division 2. In their first season the side won the Second Division, earning promotion to Division 1 where they stayed until this summer – 4^th place last time earning St Martins promotion to the North West Counties League Division One South.

Oh and that club badge – the miner’s helmet is a nod to nearby Ifton Colliery where many of the players and committee members worked, with the pit closing exactly 50 years ago in November 1968.

And so the 4.9 mile journey begins with a carved brown wooden bear at The Rowans, Sugar Couture and an advertising hoarding concerning gentlemen's barber Kevin Junior who is 'proffesional' - maybe not !! Then past Marvel Guitars, Cheshire Clocks and the Frank Sidebottom statue. This week's car registration plate is W33NDY matching the grey, mild and very breezy weather conditions.

Beyond Wythenshawe Town FC, then Wythenshawe Park, The Open University to Altrincham Road, The Pines Hospital and to Sharston 'One of Manchester's greenest places'. The football ground is opposite the Hellermann Tyton factory on the Sharston Green Business Park, and it's immediately obvious that what little parking the club have has already been taken. We park on a side street and pay £3 at the gate, the lowest price in the league - the gate is an encouraging 134.

Immediately before us is an impressive clubhouse and busy bar, with photographs of the club's historic moments. To the right is a mini kids soccer pitch next to the small covered standing area. At the top end is the main Hollyhedge Park, a council park that both teams use for their warm up. The area behind the goal banks steeply upward, and all four sides are tree lined. The other side has a walkway with housing behind the trees. In the background is a constant thrum from the nearby airport added to by the odd firework.

A minute's silence is impeccably observed, with Ammies in their blue and white stripes and Saints in those yellow and black chequerboards. Their vertically challenged goalkeeper, George Austin, is in all orange.

The match takes a while to find its feet and it is 17 minutes before Ammies' left back Alan Dolan has a fierce drive in the box beaten away by Austin. Four minutes later Jordan Burton cuts in from the left and rifles his shot into the bottom left corner and Wythenshawe lead.

Jimmy Green sees his shot just whistle wide but, as last week, Saints improve. Brendon Price has a dangerous free kick flash across the penalty area and then Tawanda Melusi's persistence beats three challenges before being denied by a brave block from Martin Blain. Again Melusi is wearing gloves and as last week he dispenses with them at the interval. There is a pitch invasion at half time - by a dog…..

The second period is again All Saints (sorry, sorry !) as they dominate the park. Some last ditch defending from the Ammies, well marshalled by Richard Gresty, limits Saints to half chances but Wythenshawe drop deeper and deeper, and cannot retain possession.

There is a brief respite as David Wright has his shot fingertipped to safety by Austin, but it's soon back down the other end. Sub Jordan Davies sees his effort heroically cleared off the line by Chris Howard in their best opportunity.

In the last ten minutes Saints continue to press but it's not until the final minute of injury time that they threaten. A real kerfuffle in the home area sees Karl Bailey and Dave Easthope have shots kicked off the line, just, and Ammies cling on to win 1-0 and go second.

Images courtesy of Dylan Photography

Wonder Strike Makes Yuille But Saints Send Nomads Home Dis A Point Ed

And so to The Venue at Park Hall, the home of St Martins, who share facilities with The New Saints (and FC Oswestry Town), for the North West Counties League Division One South clash with Cheadle Heath Nomads. The Venue is two and a half miles away from the village of St Martins, which nestles in the North West of Shropshire with the Welsh border just a few hundred yards down the road.

St Martins FC was established in the 19^th century and the club was playing in the Oswestry & District League by 1897. They were league champions in 1919/20 and won the Village Cup in 1931, before changing name to St Martins United in the early 1930s and then Greyhound Rangers in 1935, with matches played in the field next to the Greyhound Inn.

Saints made a successful impact across the border in the Cefn & District League, winning the League Cup in 1936/37 but interest declined and no further organised football was played until the side was reformed in 1945 after World War II.

The revived club joined the North Shropshire League which became the Oswestry & District League and were champions three times, following the last of which in 1955 the team joined the Whitchurch League. That league folded in 1972 so Saints transferred to Division 3 of the West Shropshire League, rising up the divisions and winning various cups – the Syd Roberts, Reg Lawrence and Graham Edwards Memorial Trophies and the Tyre Cup (!!)

The Saints then moved up to the Shropshire County League and, after a period of rebuilding in the West Shropshire Alliance, won the Shropshire County League Premier Division in 2009/10 to be promoted to the West Midlands (Regional) League Division 2. In their first season the side won the Second Division, earning promotion to Division 1 where they stayed until this summer – 4^th place last time earning St Martins promotion to the North West Counties League Division One South.

Cheadle Heath Nomads FC was formed in 1919 and a group of individuals began a fundraising project to reach £1000 to buy the piece of land ‘on the other side of the bridge’ in Cheadle. Success saw the creation of a sports club for the area and in 1921 the club opened with Cheadle Heath Nomads at its core, although there were facilities for cricket, tennis and hockey.

Nomads joined the Lancashire & Cheshire Amateur Football League and, after a brief break in 1927, stayed there until 1994. The club struggled that badly in the 1930s that they changed club colours from green and yellow quarters to white, and every player had to bring their own white shirt !!

Fortunes improved over the years and Nomads contemplated moving to the Mid Cheshire League, but were constrained by a corner of the football pitch forming part of the cricket outfield. With the demise of the cricket section (tennis and hockey had already gone) the club stepped up to the Mid Cheshire League Division Two, and were crowned as champions in their first season.

Nomads consolidated in the First Division until they merged with Linotype FC in 2004. Linotype were in the same division of the now Cheshire League but were having problems retaining their facilities at The Silver Wings Club in Timperley. As a consequence the club changed its name to Linotype Cheadle Heath Nomads.

The merged club then prospered, winning the Cheshire League with a final day of the 2013/14 season 2-0 home win against Eagle Sports (yes I was there !!). Then, with the restructure of the North West Counties League for 2018/19, the club successfully applied for promotion to Division One South. It also provided an opportune time for the club to change its name back to Cheadle Heath Nomads FC in readiness for its centenary next year.

Setting out on a cold but sunny afternoon it’s past the giant carved wooden eagle at the dental practice on Manchester Road and through Altrincham town centre with its £16,000 4 metre monolith aka vanity project that tells us Altrincham has been a market town since 1290, complete with spelling mistake.....

On to the M56 past the Stretton Fox and Stanlow refinery belching fumes and the wind turbines going like the blazes. Then the M53 which becomes the A55 and a turn onto the A483 before nine miles down the A5 – with this week’s numberplates M UN173D (I think we know who he supports) and the truly dreadful CR11SPZ.

Beyond Lion Quays, the Lord Moreton and over the Llangollen Canal, past Artillery Business Park and ignoring the signs for the Firework Spectacular at Chirk Airfield, it’s down Burma Road to The Venue at Park Hall. Disappointingly the former Grandad's Cafe advertising 'Ugly Staff, Beautiful Food' has closed – to be replaced by the Lone Dog Layby Cafe L

The Venue at Park Hall, in Whittington just outside Oswestry is a ten pin bowling and gym complex with a hospitality suite that leads through to a large balcony and seats overlooking the half way line. Next to it is a poor neighbour stand that covers the rest of the touchline, but the Black Hawk Laser Games behind it looks enticing.... less so the Pyjama Drama advertised outside; indeed the Welsh Guards Museum just down the road appears more attractive.

It’s a fiver in and at the far end is another stand that begins at the corner flag, continues behind the goal and then stops rather abruptly at the 18 yard line. Bizarrely, opposite the main stand, there is a further narrow mini grandstand that houses the press box on the second tier, the subs' benches on the first tier and the technical area on the ground and, er, that's it. The rest of the ground is flanked by trees - we are in the countryside after all !

Saints are in yellow and black, their shirts resembling a black and yellow chequerboard. Their diminutive keeper, George Austin, all 5' 6" of him and the smallest player on the park, is all in orange. Nomads are in maroon and pale blue, their stopper Aaron Tyrer in all white. There's another very overweight linesman this week too....

As the game kicks off one side is bathed in glorious sunshine, the other is bitterly cold - cold enough for Saints' Tawanda Melusi to be wearing gloves, but strangely he ditches them for the second half.
The stand behind the goal houses just two spectators and the poor man's stand has a single occupant - today's crowd is 35 with the vast majority on the balcony.

Nomads have more of the possession but Saints look the more incisive. Brendon Price's diving header brings a fine save from Tyrer and Karl Bailey fires wide when he should have hit the target. Saints also have two goals disallowed.

Then Nomads come more into the game as Kieran Herbert lifts the ball over before on 34 minutes Philip Yuille launches a thunderbolt from 30 yards that strikes the top corner of the net. A goalkeeper of more stature might have had a better chance of saving it....

There is a lengthy injury delay while Austin is treated for a hand injury sustained in not saving Yuille's shot. In the five minutes of injury time Nomads' Leon Grandison cuts inside to shoot and this time Austin tips it on to the bar. From the ensuing corner Yuille's header is smuggled off the line.

The second period is All Saints (sorry!) as, bafflingly, Nomads choose to sit back and have what they hold. In a three on two Saints' Dave Easthope opts to square instead of shooting and the ball is cleared but in the main Nomads' defence is well organised and holds firm; their attack is conspicuous by its absence.

The match becomes increasingly tetchy, Nomads falling deeper and deeper and Saints have a series of free kicks just outside the box, which are dealt with comfortably. Into the last ten minutes sub Jordan Davies appears to be tripped in the penalty area but the referee waves play on, to the fury of the Saints' coaching team.

Finally with two minutes to go Melusi skips down the right, beats two men, and rolls the ball across the box to Bailey who smashes home the equaliser. Nomads belatedly press forward but, despite seven added minutes, fail to create a chance and leave with one point instead of three.