Seventh Hell For The (In)Famous Whites - Then Hebburn Is A Place on Earth.. !!

And so to Cardinal Newman Catholic High School on Bridgewater Avenue in Latchford, Warrington for a Cheshire League Division Two game between Warrington Rylands 1906 Development and Wigan Town FC.

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 mounted a sustained promotion the season after. 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, saw the club's form stutter and eventually finish fourth, losing to Marine in the play offs.

This season has been more of a struggle, spent largely in the relegation zone. New manager Neil Reynolds has steered them to 15th following a recent good run of form.

The second string 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 resurfaced in 2023/24 in the Manchester League Division Two, finishing 8th of 15.

Amongst many differences this season has seen the side change ground, from Gorsey Lane to Cardinal Newman, name, to Warrington Rylands 1906 Development, and league, rejoining the Cheshire League. But a disastrous campaign thus far leaves them next to bottom with two wins and 8 points from 18 games - the only club below, Moore United, are a point worse off but with 8 games in hand....

The original Wigan Town was founded in July 1905 and joined the Combination in 1905/06, taking over the fixtures of Middlewich FC, playing at Springfield Park. Their first full season brought about a third place finish after a failed application to join the Football League.

The following campaign saw the club having to post a bond of £20 due to the belief the club would fold mid season. However Town completed the season, finishing 19th of 20, and did not seek re-election, subsequently folding.

The present incarnation of Wigan Town FC was established in 2017, playing at Pinfold Street in Ince. The team joined the Cheshire League for 2023/24 and it was a disastrous debut - two wins and 26 defeats leaving The Famous Whites comfortably bottom; improbably the current campaign sees Wigan lie third.

The normal trip via Thelwall sees a Debonhair Dogs van and redundant festive signs selling Chrismas (sic) Trees at the Moss Trooper and advising us to 'Be Naughty - Save Santa The Trip' !! Numberplates today are Y88PPY and D11MMD with BJS removal vans advertising 'Ship Shape & Bristol Fashion' and 'Squeaky Clean in Bath'.

A brief foray into Warrington town centre to take advantage of Wetherspoons' January Sale at The Friar Penketh - American Burger and Exmoor Beast fit the bill 😄 Then onwards to Latchford and the Cardinal Newman, named after John Henry Newman, the controversial Victorian theologian who converted from Anglicism to Catholicism.

The 3G pitch is on the left in front of the school and matters eventually get underway at 2.17 pm due to a late running prior game.

Rylands are in all blue, sponsored by JobFinity, and Wigan Town, 'The Famous Whites', sponsored by PM Sampling are in erm red and black 🤔 . The crowd is roughly 20 in freezing conditions.

A mundane first 20 minutes and we look at each other - both mouthing it's destined to finish goalless ☹️. Except it doesn't as on 24 a superb curling effort from outside the box swerves in and the home side lead.

Half time arrives with the score unchanged. This despite Wigan beginning to dominate and an unbelievable sequence of events from a free kick just before the break - Town striking the woodwork three times, the ball cleared off the line and two phenomenal saves from the Rylands stopper.

No great expectations for the second half but Rylands double their lead three minutes in. It's trebled on 59, and a super free kick seven minutes later makes it 4-0 as the form book is turned on its head.

5-0 arrives on 76, and then 6 with a sublime finish six minutes later. The Famous Whites do eventually score with five minutes left - an unfortunate own goal - but Rylands respond within 60 seconds to leave the final scoreline a scarcely believable 7-1.

Then a mooch across town to see the last 30 minutes of Rylands first team against the Hornets of Hebburn Town, which finishes 2-2 in front of a crowd of 337.