And so, seemingly deprived later this month of an Avian derby as the Linnets of King's Lynn 'draw down the shutters' (a decision temporarily reversed), it's off to a National League game at the J Davidson Stadium between the Robins of Altrincham and Woking FC.
Altrincham FC
was established by a Sunday School around 1891 as Rigby Memorial
Club. They soon merged with another local team, Grapplers, forming
Broadheath Football Club, and becoming a founder member of the Manchester
League, where they finished bottom of the table in their inaugural
campaign.
After playing
at various grounds in Broadheath, Timperley and Altrincham, the club moved to
Pollitt's Field in 1903, at which point they changed their name to Altrincham
FC. Success winning the Cheshire Amateur Cup in their first season under
their new name was followed with both the Manchester League and the Cheshire
Senior Cup the following term. They won the Manchester League again
in 1907, and moved to the current Moss Lane ground in 1910.
In 1911 the
club joined Division Two of the Lancashire Combination, finishing
as runners-up in their first season and earning promotion to Division
One, where they remained until World War I. When football resumed in 1919,
the club was a founder member of the Cheshire County League, staying there
until the outbreak of World War II.
After missing
out on the 1945/46 season, the Robins rejoined the Cheshire County League in
1946, but achieved little success until the 1960s, when Altrincham director
Noel White hired Freddie Pye as manager. A key turning point was the signing of
Jackie Swindells in 1965, who in his first full season scored 82
goals, helping Altrincham to the first of back-to-back Cheshire County
League titles. After finishing as runners-up in 1968, Altrincham became a
founder member of the Northern Premier League in 1968.
The Robins
got to the semi-finals of the FA Trophy in 1977 but the following season
went one better, reaching the final at Wembley, where they beat
Leatherhead 3-1. After a series of failed applications for election to the
Football League, Altrincham FC became a founder member of the Alliance Premier
League (which became the Conference and is now the National League) - and the
league's debut season saw them crowned as champions.
In the
subsequent elections to the Football League, the club missed out by a single
vote, receiving 25 to Rochdale's 26; particularly galling as the club had
been promised the votes of Grimsby Town and Luton Town, but the Grimsby
representative was prevented from voting by 'being in the wrong part of the
meeting room', whilst the Luton representative arrived too late after a mix-up
over the start time. Never again would they come so close....
Altrincham
retained the APL title the following year, but again failed in the Football
League elections. Another FA Trophy final appearance featured in 1982, this
time losing 1–0 to Enfield. All the while the Robins were gaining a
history of giant-killing in the FA Cup, reaching the third round of
the FA Cup in four consecutive seasons between 1978–79 and
1981–82, holding a better record in the competition than any club playing
in the Third or Fourth divisions during this period. To date the club has
recorded seventeen victories against Football League clubs - the highlight a 2-1
victory against top flight Birmingham City at St Andrews in 1986.
A second
Trophy success - 1-0 against Runcorn - was also delivered in 1985. The halcyon
days of my youth, with Jeff Johnson, John Rogers, Mal Bailey, Johnny King, Stan
Allan, John Owens and Peter Eales, under the tutelage of Tony Sanders still
bring back fond memories....
Mid table
mediocrity prevailed thereafter until bottom place in 1997 saw relegation to
the Northern Premier League in 1997; two seasons later promotion as champions
heralded a single season return to the Conference..
A
twelfth-place finish in 2003/04 allowed the Robins to qualify for the
newly formed Conference North, and, finishing fifth, won promotion via the
North/South final against Eastbourne Borough at the Britannia Stadium. Three
consecutive reprieves from 2006 followed - bottom after an 18 point deduction
for playing an ineligible player but saved by Canvey Island's resignation and
Scarborough's expulsion, then spared by Boston United's demotion and, finally
in 2008 the liquidation of Halifax preserved Alty's top flight status.
Ricky Ponting
became a shareholder in the club in 2009 as the Robins were relegated to the
Conference North at the end of the 2010/11 season. This was reversed in 2014
with a 2-1 play off final victory, in extra time, against Guiseley in front of
a crowd of 4,632.
Sadly,
in 2015/16 Alty were relegated to the renamed National League North, and
in the subsequent season finished bottom, leading to a second successive
relegation to the Premier Division of the Northern Premier League. But the
2017/18 term saw the club win the Northern Premier League title, and after
one failed play off sortie, earned promotion via the play offs back to the
National League last summer.
The visitors,
Woking FC, from Kingfield aka the Laithwaite Community Stadium, were formed in
1887 (not 1889 as was recently discovered - a new badge will reflect the
correct date of inception), and joined the West Surrey League in 1895.
In 1911 the Cardinals (almost always shortened to The Cards) entered the Isthmian League and stayed in the top division for 72 years. 1958 saw the club win the last ever televised FA Amateur Cup against Ilford 3-0 in front of 71,000.
But by 1983 the Cards were falling, and relegations that year and in 1985 saw the club drop to the Isthmian Division Two South. Cue the Geoff Chapple managerial era as fortunes improved...
Promotions in the 1986/87 and 1989/90 seasons took Woking back to the Isthmian's top tier. In 1991 Woking reached the 4th round of the FA Cup, famously beating West Bromwich Albion 4-2 at The Hawthorns, courtesy of a Tim Buzaglo hat trick, before narrowly exiting 1-0 at Goodison Park to Everton.
The following season Woking played their Cards right, earning promotion to the Conference as Isthmian League champions. Thereafter the team won the FA Trophy three times in four years - 1994 (Runcorn 2-1), 1995 (Kidderminster Harriers 2-1) and 1997 (Dagenham & Redbridge 1-0), with Chapple leaving for Kingstonian after the third triumph.
2006 saw another FA Trophy final appearance, but defeat this time against Grays Athletic, and in 2009 Woking were relegated to the Blue Square South. In January 2011 Garry Hill was appointed as manager and steered the Cards to top of the pack, champions, promoted to the Conference the following year.
In May 2017 Hill left the club amidst much acrimony and the Cards dealt down; relegated on the final day of the season amongst managerial turmoil. A return to the National League followed in 2019, beating Welling 1-0 in the Southern play off final.
The club is now entering a brave new era, under fresh American investors John Katz and Drew Volpe, switching to full time status and aiming for promotion to the EFL. That has not been translated on to the pitch, with a poor run leaving the Cards face down in 18th, seven points behind the Robins but with five games in hand, albeit having reached the Trophy semi finals last weekend, beating league leaders Torquay United 1-0.
So
a short journey, stepladders in the car just in case (!!), and then past
Woodcote Wildlife Area and on to Manchester Road, where I'm greeted by the fire
damaged, shuttered Railway pub and The Arches & Quay House business park -
home of, amongst others, Twister Interiors, Healthy Mutts Dog Treats and
Broadheath Central FC.
An eventful journey nonetheless with a
DogsnDivas van, then a versatile builder offering 'Bricks & Mortar, Pipes
& Water', then Fat Bob The Locksmith (yes, seriously !!), and featuring
numberplates B16 LET (property rentals) and M155 YAK (conjuring up any number
of images)....
Left by The Old Packet House and
beyond the old canalside mill and boot polish works (Radium House) that hosts
the Stubborn Mule Brewery, it's down to the roundabout at the end of Navigation
Road. Crossing over the road at the Jehovah's Witnesses and its Kingdom Hall,
familiar territory awaits in Woodlands Parkway. Then Oakfield Street, with
Oakfield Chambers offering Psychological Services and via a muddy cut through
by Timperley Brook which brings me to Moss Lane.
A bright day has turned to a very
chilly night and behind closed doors my vantage point is the Chequers End, the
former nightclub now redeveloped as townhouses. On the right the uncovered
Carole and Fred Nash Terrace, and opposite a raised covered terraced stand
featuring the Flaggers' flagstones, overshadowed by the gasometer. At the far
end is the Golf Road terrace, evoking memories of 'Zigger Zagger, Zigger
Zagger, Altrincham !!', and on my left is the new Community Sports Hall, the Footy
Accumulators main grandstand and the sponsors' lounge.
Three points of vision - either side
of the gateposts and hinge openings, and a wooden knothole in the gates
themselves ('one I prepared earlier' (not!!)), providing seven eighths pitch
coverage. Amidst a plethora of joggers and dogwalkers a handful stop to watch
the action, but for a couple of minutes only, with one seemingly wearing a coat
robbed from a nearby allotment. This aside from the final interloper who takes
in the final four minutes (and four minutes stoppage time) - and who is
astonished that I have lasted the duration from warm up to the death ('You need
to get out a bit more' 'Don't we all ?'). As the minutes pass by I am conscious
of resembling a timepiece figurine, shuffling between the three vantage points,
dancing and disappearing as the clock strikes the (quarter) hour....or minute
in my case ☺
Altrincham
are in red and white with black shorts, Woking in yellow and black with a
tannoy announcement that face masks are mandatory in the main stand but
curiously nowhere else.... The match is preceded by a presentation for Robins'
captain Jake Moult on the occasion of his 400th Alty appearance, but the Cards
start sharper with Jamar Loza pirouetting on 12 minutes and just shooting wide.
Moult then has a goal disallowed on 21
for offside/ handball, before Ryan Colclough's well struck effort seven minutes
after is expertly parried by Woking's keeper and captain Craig Ross. Then ten
minutes before the break a sloppy back pass results in the Robins' Tom Hannigan
bringing down Jayden Wareham, and, as last man, an inevitable red card means
Altrincham go down to ten.
Surprisingly Alty are the more
enterprising side in the second period despite their man disadvantage;
Colclough has an effort deflected and it loops under the bar with Ross palming
it over on 55. A shocking miss from Woking sub Jonte Smith, through on goal,
ten minutes after proves pivotal....
On 69 minutes Robins' sub Tom Peers
marauds down the right wing on a swift counterattack and squares for Matty
Kosylo to finish sumptuously in the bottom left hand corner and Alty lead 1-0.
A shame it's witnessed by a (non paying) audience of one...
Thereafter a magnificent rearguard
action, with Moult immense, prevents Woking from creating anything other than
hopeful long shots, despite the introduction of ex Premier League star Matt
Jarvis. Indeed the Robins should have put the game to bed but Peers, fed by
Joel Senior, finishes disappointingly.
Finally the Cards' 1-4-5 formation
fashions a chance deep into stoppage time, but Tony Thompson produces a
remarkable double reflex save to preserve Alty's three points.
So 1-0 to the home side at the finish,
as the Cards' aces are trumped by the reliant Robins ☺ 'Zigger Zagger, Zigger Zagger,
Moultrincham' anyone... ??
