Black Panther's Hat Trick In Vain As Chevrons Get Rovers' Goat

And so to Cougar Park in Keighley for this afternoon’s clash between Steeton and Atherton LR in the North West Counties Division One North.

Steeton AFC was founded in 1905, although some believe it could have been in the 1890s, playing at The Oaks in the Keighley & District League – a league they won three times. After the Second World War the team moved to the Craven & District League where they were famous for their ‘Bits of Mint’ side which tasted silverware. The club also won a solitary league championship in 1960.

In 1969 the club relocated to the Doris Wells Memorial Field in Summerhill Lane following the construction of Airedale Hospital, and in 1985 entered the West Riding County Amateur League with a highest placing of runners up in the 2012/13 season.

Third last term and their application to join the North West Counties Football League proved to be successful. However the Doris Wells Memorial Field was not up to league ground grading requirements – it will still be used for reserve and youth team games – so a groundshare arrangement with Keighley Cougars RLFC was agreed. Near neighbours the Cobbydalers of Silsden AFC came to a similar arrangement when they joined the North West Counties in 2004.

Steeton AFC’s nickname is ‘The Chevrons’, from the French word for goat (chevre) and the club emblem features a goat’s head, with the nearby Goat’s Head pub claiming to be the ‘Home of Steeton AFC’.

Atherton Laburnum Rovers FC was founded in 1956 as Laburnum Rovers, an U-14s side to play in the Briarcroft Junior League. 'The Laburnums' were named after the Laburnum Playing Fields where they first played; it is not clear where their other nickname, 'The Panthers', emanates from.

The club expanded to senior level, starting in the Leigh & District League, and after moving to Hagfold Playing Fields, became members of the Bolton Combination in 1961. Ground facilities prevented promotion so a farmer's field was found at Greendale and, despite a footpath criss-crossing and duck ponds on either side, a football pitch was created. The move to the new ground occurred in June 1966, and after winning the Bolton Combination Division Two, the Laburnums were promoted and new changing rooms were erected - a major improvement on the old air raid shelters previously in use !

The Panthers joined the Cheshire County League in 1980, with the league stipulating the team changed its name to include that of the town - and Atherton Laburnum Rovers was born. The ground was renamed Crilly Park in honour of chairman Jack Crilly, who had died suddenly.

LR were also founder members of the North West Counties in 1982 and, as champions in 1993 and 1995, were promoted to the Unibond Northern Premier League, the latter a stay that lasted three seasons culminating in relegation after financial problems. Thereafter there was a flurry of managers - 6 in 2 years at one point - and the intervening years saw two relegations, one promotion and two Bolton Hospital Cup successes.

2015/16 represented the nadir for Rovers, finishing next to bottom in the lower division with only 4 wins and 18 points all season – fortunately there was no relegation. 20^th and 18^th both out of 22 in the last two campaigns shows progress has been limited…..

So after overnight rain has given way to sunshine and clouds, it's onto Manchester Road and past a van with the numberplate W4SP F - naturally owned by Paul Jones Pest Control !! But the real pest is the unannounced roadworks and lane closures at the Eastway crossroads which cause gridlock.

Beyond the ELCTRICAL TOILETORIES shuttered shop, with the malaise extending to several businesses either side, although Noisy Neighbour Soundproofing has opened across the way, to the M60. Some moronic driving and another strange numberplate - PO15ON G whatever that is supposed to signify....

And then the M66, where my earlier traffic delays make it perfect timing to see Flying Scotsman roaring over the bridge on the East Lancs Railway ! Into Hyndburn, 'Home of Accrington Pals', then onto the M65 and the signs for Shuttlewoof Hall.

The end of the motorway brings me to Vivary Way and Colne. Difficult to know what, if any, effect The Great British Rhythm & Blues Festival being held in the town has on traffic because it's always a nightmare, but today is particularly horrific.

Having finally negotiated my way through I come across Wycoller Country Park and The Atom Panopticon. Then the sprawling village of Cowling, past the football club (home to Airedale today), before arriving at the sign Glusburn & Cross Hills (coming t'other way the sign has the names reversed), home of Funky Monkey. There follows an interminable wait at Kildwick Level Crossing - the lengthy delay before the Bradford Forster Square train arrives allowing me to eat my entire lunch.....

Right at The Trawlerman onto the A629, Silsden to the left and Steeton to the right, The Doris Wells Memorial Field visible from the road. Then left into the outskirts of Keighley with Cougar Park behind the Texaco garage immediately on the left. I park next to a scrap metal merchants on a rundown, litter strewn side street.

The main entrance to Cougar Park features a fine set of wrought iron gates as I pay my fiver and early impressions are favourable. Last week's first home match for the Chevrons saw the second biggest crowd at this level - 177 - but the stadium has a 7,800 capacity. Today's attendance is 102, but this is nowhere near as ridiculous as the 72 at Widnes's 13,350 all seater earlier this year….

Not surprisingly only one stand is open - the main Danny Jones Stand named in honour of the Keighley Cougars player who died at the age of 29 from heart failure in a match against London Skolars in 2015. The covered stand comprises wooden benches rather than seats, and there's a rather quiet bar towards the end.

Two uncovered terraces are to my right and opposite, the covered terraced Terry Hollindrake Stand to the left. Once again there are some fabulous rural views with the ground seemingly nestled in the foot of the hills.

Those views are even better from the walkway behind the Danny Jones Stand which abuts Keighley Cricket Club. A match is in progress with the fielding side obviously short of players - eight in whites, two in jeans and T shirts, and a rather rotund man in shorts....

The Chevrons are in all green and obviously going up in the world, being sponsored by Acorn Stairlifts. In fact there is advertising for two stairlift companies and another for mobility aids - not sure what that says about Keighley.... Atherton are in yellow and blue and their shirt sponsor is illegible. I discern, from two away fans' hoodies, that it is myDelayedFlight.com, a compensation and claims company from Milton Keynes. Not sure what that says about Atherton....

The first fifteen minutes are instantly forgettable; a swirling wind, bumpy pitch, some awful control and passing and a flat ball that everyone in the crowd can see but apparently no one on the pitch. Then a cross from the left finds debutant Liam Blades in acres of space, his touch is dreadful and the chance is blocked but when the ball drops Ben Clarkson nods it through a defender's legs to put Steeton ahead.

The Laburnums have been marginally the better side up to this point and they are soon on level terms. Alistair Morgan's woeful back pass lets in the lanky Henoc Mukendi and the black Panther pounces to equalise. Two minutes later he is left unmarked to head home a cross and Rovers lead. Five minutes before the break a lovely through ball plays in Aaron Hollindrake and he thumps the chance home to restore parity for the Chevrons.

On half time Clarkson chases down a ball and Atherton's goalkeeper Louis Murray handles outside the box. A red card, realisation that the Laburnums don't have a substitute keeper, and his shirt is passed to a team mate revealing a ‘panoply’ of multicoloured tattoos - not a pleasant sight !!

Half time brings something I have never seen before – the steward unlocks the back gate to allow two fans to nip over the road to McDonalds and bring their meals back into the ground. This becomes a recurrent theme during the second period……

Surprisingly the Panthers look the brighter team at the start of the second half despite being down to 10 men, but all they can produce are long range efforts, as the Chevrons struggle to create chances. On 58 minutes a long ball reaches Blades who gets a lucky ricochet then exquisitely lobs the ball into the net to put Steeton ahead.

Five minutes afterward his game is over. A second yellow card, this time for smashing the ball thirty yards away in a fit of pique over an offside call - utterly stupid and completely unnecessary. Nonetheless the Laburnums wilt as Steeton score twice more. Clarkson gets his second, thrashing home from close range after the replacement keeper tips shot onto the post, and then Andy Briggs strokes the ball into the corner for 5-2.

Mukendi then completes his perfect hat trick (one left foot, one right foot and a header) for the Panthers in the closing moments after captain Martyn Parkinson's header is spilled.

So 5-3 to the Chevrons at the death and the man in the middle again the villain of the piece according to the away fans 'Get back in that cracker where you came from'......

Not Heys' Heyday In Ridge of High Pressure

And so to the Mike Riding Ground on Inglewhite Road in Longridge for the North West Counties Division One North fixture between Longridge Town and Prestwich Heys.

Longridge Town FC was formed in 1996 when the two main clubs in the town, Longridge United and Longridge St Wilfred’s, amalgamated. Both clubs had histories dating back to the 19^th century when Longridge St Wilfred’s and Longridge St Lawrence were established.

Both clubs were based on sectarian grounds and played in their respective religious leagues. That situation existed to 1929 when Longridge St Lawrence became a non-sectarian club and changed name to Longridge United.

The new club started in the Preston & District League and subsequent promotions saw The Ridge elevated to the West Lancashire League Division Two in 2008. A runners up spot in their first season took them to Division One, where they were crowned champions in 2012.

The 2016/17 Premier Division title was clinched with a last day 1-0 win at closest rivals Blackpool Wren Rovers. Last season Town finished third and successfully applied to join the North West Counties Football League Division One North.

The Heys’ origins can be traced to February 9th 1938 when a meeting was called at the Music Room of the Heys Road Boys School with the idea of forming an Old Boys Association - the football arm becoming Heys Old Boys AFC. The Heys gradually progressed through the Bury Amateur League and South East Lancashire League, changing their name to Prestwich Heys AFC in 1964. The team joined the Lancashire Combination for the 1968/69 season.

Thousands flocked to see the Heys play in the FA Amateur Cup, with the victory over Sutton United in 1969 attracting nationwide coverage, coming a week before their opponents were due to meet Leeds United in the FA Cup. Truly the Heys' heyday !!

The club became a founder member of the North West Counties League in 1982 but were demoted to the Manchester League in 1986 due to ground grading issues. Under manager Adie Moran the Heys were champions for three successive seasons between 2005 and 2007. Tragically Moran was killed in a swimming accident in Sri Lanka at the age of 43 in June 2007 which left the club reeling.

After relegation battles, the club renamed the ground to Adie Moran Park in honour of their late manager and in 2016 won the Manchester League Premier Division - thereby returning to the North West Counties Football League after a 30 year absence. An 8^th place finish on their return was followed by third last season and play off elimination by Cammell Laird.

So on a grey warm afternoon I am passed by a pale blue VW Beetle with a plastic cow on its roof and a red cylinder marked 'Methane' on the boot (very odd), then it's signs for a lost parrot, Cowtown Grill and The Flamin' Chicken before that shuttered ELCTRICAL. TOILETORIES pound plus shop. Garvey's invite me to celebrate St Patrick's Day with them (17 March) - that's some advance warning...

The M60, Barton Bridge and a flurry of ambulances, the M61 (Incontinence Supplies at Internet Prices), a Highways Agency vehicle fitted with Acklea Scorpion and Botany Bay leads me to the M6 and struggling caravans.

Off at Junction 31a into massive industrial estates, a car dealership seemingly at every corner and a collection of stone buddhas outside the HA Fox Jaguar franchise. Then into Grimsargh and its Smile Clinic, past Alston Dairy and to Longridge 'The Gateway to the Ribble Valley'. Bypassing the town centre and choosing to eschew Quilters Quarters and Pristine Pooches I reach the Mike Riding Ground, named after the current club president, on Inglewhite Road at the northern tip of the town.

A very muddy and bepuddled car park awaits me and I fear the Abbey Hulton parking pandemonium is about to strike again - but I get the last encumbered spot to ensure a speedy getaway.

£5 at the turnstile includes a free programme and wonderful views of the Ribble Valley countryside. Only two sides of the ground are open - the popular side with a brand new 100 seater grandstand and its shiny red seats, next to the dressing rooms, clubhouse and then the Frank Jamieson Stand, a small four step covered terrace in the corner.

The other side open is behind the goal to my right, a path with warm up pitch beyond. The two closed sides are fenced off but more of that anon. The scale of new build housing developments – prices from a fiver less than £386,000 ‘Help Available To Buy’ and at those prices the help is sorely needed !! - at various stages of completion is immediately evident but the Alston Arms next to the ground and the unspoilt country views opposite both survive - for now.

The Ridge have won one, drawn one and lost one of their three league games thus far, with ten goals for and nine against. Strongly fancied Heys have won both league games and upset Abbey Hey from the league above in the FA Cup last week.

Town are all in red, Heys in light blue shirts and navy shorts. The first half is a wretched experience as a record bumper crowd of 211, the highest at this level in the whole country this weekend, have to endure a plague of blackfly, midges and wasps. The football is little better; not so much craft and guile, more graft and bile, a litany of free kicks and injuries, three yellow cards and much moaning and groaning.

The deadlock is scruffily broken midway through the half. Jay Hart, infamously sacked by Clitheroe FC for some after match hanky panky in the home dugout at Mossley, flicks on a Longridge corner, a deflected shot, appeals for a penalty, goal line scramble and Paul Turner scuffs in from a yard. Four minutes into stoppage time provides the only moment of quality in the first period. Tom Ince's perfectly flighted ball drops over Heys' Jacob Holt and Turner gorgeously lobs Mike Smith to make it 2-0 for the home team.

For the second half I seek solace on the opposite, fenced off, out of bounds, side. If nothing else I can watch the cricket match taking place in the valley below at Longridge CC....

There are no bugs, the sun breaks out briefly and the second 45 minutes proves rather incident packed. Within a minute Ridge lose the ball, Rio Wilson-Heyes is allowed to run and run before laying off to the burly Jamie Baguley whose left footer from 20 yards finds the corner of the net.

Heys hit the bar soon after and then come three incidents that enrage the away side. Theo Kidd is pushed in the penalty area, and with the linesman furiously flagging away, the referee waves play on. Then Town captain George Melling's dangerous tackle on Kidd receives a yellow card when it could, and maybe should, have been red.

Finally a woefully underhit back pass, indicative of some very nervy home defending is intercepted by Kidd. The ensuing melee sees the ball cleared off the line twice, twice apparently with the illegal use of a hand. Nothing is given and this prompts a torrent of abuse from the away bench. Both Heys' joint managers, Jon Lyons and Ryan Hutchinson, are banished to the stands in the aftermath.

Inevitably Ridge's next foray sees Alex Murphy upended in the box and the referee this time awards a penalty, which Richie Allen converts. Two minutes later Wilson-Heyes hits the crossbar for Prestwich, who must know by now it's not going to be their (hey)day.

A splendid piece of trickery sees Allen make space and curl a left footed effort which hits the underside of bar and inside of post and trickle along the line where fellow sub Joe Melling scrambles the ball home at the near post for 4-1.

And it's 5-1 with five minutes to go as an unmarked Dan Wilkinson heads in a free kick as Heys implode. To rub salt into their wounds Heys receive their third red card of the day at the death - Holt for a second yellow.

One final footnote - the referee today, the villain of the piece in Prestwich eyes, is called Mr Hay.......

Coar Blimey - Daisies Cut Down to Size

And so to The Riverside, and a first ever North West Counties game for Garstang FC – ‘The Town Team In The Heart of The Community’. Today’s visitors are Daisy Hill FC.

It is believed Garstang FC was formed in the late 1800s although the earliest documented records show the club won the Guildhall Cup in 1927 as a member of the Preston & District League. They remained in this league, moving from The Beeches to The Riverside, in the mid sixties. In 1994 the team stepped up to the West Lancashire League and, after a series of promotions and relegations, won the Premier Division title in 2008.

The following decade brought tragedy as four years later popular player Adam ’Jags’ Swanwick died of a heart attack at the age of 28. Then twice in eight months in December 2015 and August 2016 the adjoining River Wyre burst its banks and submerged the pitch.

However last season saw a thrilling league and cup double, and the club was accepted into the North West Counties Division One North as part of the nationwide restructure of non league football.

The Daisies, or The Cutters, were established in 1894 playing in the Wigan & District League. By the time of World War 1 the club had moved to the Leigh & District Senior Sunday School League and then the Westhoughton League, playing at New Sirs. The club folded before World War 2, but reformed in 1951 playing again in the Westhoughton League but now based at (the adjacent) St James Street & Cricket Ground - they moved back to New Sirs in 1957.

The Daisies then joined the Bolton Combination, which they won four times, before moving to the Lancashire Combination for 4 seasons and then becoming founder members of the North West Counties Football League in 1982.

The club was renamed Westhoughton Town during the period 1989-94, thereafter reverting back to Daisy Hill FC - they have never been promoted or relegated from the North West Counties, but only escaped demotion in 2014 because Leek CSOB and Formby resigned from the league, and last season because of the league restructuring, having finished bottom of the pile.

So on a warm sunny August afternoon it's past Mama’s Cakeria, Bake My Day, the shutters down on TOILETORIES ELCTRICAL at T & T Pound Plus and onto the M60 for Beyond Manchester (formerly known as The Chill Factore). Then the M61 and The Incontinence Shop (Incontinence Supplies At Internet Prices !!) and Botany Bay before joining the M6 and exiting at Broughton.

Then through Barton, sponsored by Kopper Kettle Furniture (oh dear !!), Myerscough and Bilsborrow, Catterall, and Barnacre with Bonds. That brings me to the pretty High Street in Garstang – the world’s first Fairtrade town – and some gorgeous floral arrangements.

The Riverside is on the High Street, through a council pay and display car park, and forms part of the Garstang Sports & Social Club - which also includes bowling, tennis and canoe and kayaking clubs amongst others.

£4 on the gate and a free teamsheet brings me into the three sided ground. At the near end is a small covered standing area in the corner behind which is the Wyre Way and the River Wyre - the club have a volunteer who stands outside the ground next to the river with a large net to retrieve wayward shots from the river.....and he does his job today !!

The popular side supports a narrow pathway looking down on a pitch that looks magnificent given the weather - green and lush grass. At the top end is the clubhouse with cricket pavilion adjoining, and behind it a raised walkway that hides Hudson Park, home of Garstang RUFC and Garstang Cricket Club Thirds in the summer.

There are no seats save for a couple of benches outside the clubhouse, which appear to have been commandeered by cricket spectators and, incongruously, a park bench on the banking side – and not forgetting the sole pensioner who brought his own deckchair…….

Opposite is a wire fence, all that separates the football pitch from the cricket field, where a game is in progress. Indeed both matches are interrupted by the wrong ball clearing the fence and landing on the opposite pitch...... In the distance are some lovely views of the distant hills and countryside.

Garstang are in red with black trim, the club badge woven into the lower half of their shirts. The Daisies, allegedly missing six players through holiday commitments, are in royal blue.

The first thirty seconds of the game define the first half. The sight of Cutters' keeper Craig Haynes lumbering across his box and unconvincingly tipping the ball wide with his wrong hand, having got his positioning all wrong, sets the tone.

Garstang only have to wait 8 minutes for their first North West Counties goal. Some sloppy play in midfield allows Billy McKenna to bypass a flatfooted defence and race down the wing and cross for Alan Coar to sidefoot home. The same player doubles the lead midway through the half with a free header from a corner.

Jake Salisbury's excellently struck effort just clears the corner of post and bar for Garstang, and the Daisies contribute nothing up front to trail 2-0 at the interval.

The half time break bizarrely lasts 20 minutes, and ends with Daisy Hill making a tactical substitution. Captain Jake Foster drops back into defence and Jamie Rimwell joins the fray. This certainly tightens things up and the away side fashion a couple of chances themselves. Danny Warburton's backflick loops just beyond the far post, and Rimwell, gifted a glorious opportunity from a poor goal kick, slices well wide when he should have done better.

That's as good as it gets for the Cutters as Garstang finish in the ascendancy. Haynes beats away a Jonny Hothersall piledriver and then Coar has a header cleared off the line by a combination of Haynes and Josh Fairhurst, as the home team comfortably see out the game as 2-0 victors in front of a slightly disappointing crowd of 83 – today’s Garstang Show competing for people’s attention perhaps?

Eccy Thump Old Boys - Eagles' Stags Party !

And so to Hawcoat and Rakesmoor for Holker Old Boys versus Eccleshall in the North West Counties Football League Division One - a fixture that on paper looks like an end of season dead rubber.....

Holker Old Boys AFC was established in 1936 as Holker Central Old Boys, initially as an under 16 side from the Old Boys of the then Holker Central Secondary School in Holker Street, Barrow-in-Furness. The school has long since closed, replaced by a Kwik Save supermarket which has also shut its doors.

 

The Cobs (Central Old Boys), also known as The Stags, joined the adult North Western League in 1939 and then entered the West Lancashire League in 1967. The club moved in 1971 to a new ground at Rakesmoor, formerly an isolation hospital and then allotments.

 

Holker won the West Lancashire League in 1987 ahead of local rivals Vickers Sports Club (now Hawcoat Park FC), and then moved to the North West Counties in 1991. The Cobs finished 3rd in 1994 behind Haslingden (now defunct) and North Trafford (now Trafford FC) but Haslingden failed the ground criteria so Holker were promoted to the top tier.

 

The Stags were relegated in 1999, after losing all 20 away games and scoring only 5 goals on their travels. They have remained at step 6 ever since, with a single losing play off appearance at the end of the 2014/15 season, defeated by Hanley Town.

Eccleshall Town FC was established in 1908 but the most successful local team of that era was Eccleshall Comrades, set up in 1918. The Comrades' most famous player was the FA Cup Final scorer and winner (for Wolves), and England amateur and full international, The Reverend KRG Hunt. The club also featured in a curious incident when Stone Christ Church were defeated 5-0. The game ended 10 minutes early when first one ball burst, then another and there were no more available.......

 

Both clubs became defunct and the current club was reformed in 1971 as Eccleshall Town Old Boys, the team made up of locals and staff from Eccleshall Secondary School, where they played their home games.

 

The Eagles joined the Staffordshire County League (North) in 1979, moved to Pershall Park in 1982 and ascended to the Staffordshire Senior League - now the Springbank Vending Midland League - in 1984. As Eccleshall FC championships were won in 1990 and then consecutively in 2001/02 and 2002/03. With work complete on the stadium the club moved up to the North West Counties Football League in 2003, but several seasons of inconsistency followed before two dreadful campaigns.

 

2015/16's 16th place finish owed much to the ineptitude of the two clubs below them - Atherton Laburnum Rovers and Whitchurch Alport. Last term the Eagles finished 21st with 18 points from 42 matches and conceded 145 goals. Relegation was only avoided because of an injury time equaliser in the 3-3 draw away at bottom club Ashton Town, who finished one point below Eccy, and the fact that only one club met the league's promotion criteria. A much improved season this time should see a below midtable finish and safety, and a bit more pride in their boast of 'We Play For The Badge & The Oat Cakes - We Are Eccy !!!'

So on an afternoon when the sun is cracking the flags, Washway Road sees Anti Abortion protesters and the continued closure of T&T Pound Plus - surely no more TOILETORIES and ELCTRICAL will be sold.....

 

The M60 then the M61, 'Incontinence Supplies at Internet Prices' and Botany Bay, then traffic gets sticky joining the M6. Off at the A590 and the chance to enjoy some magnificent views of the Cumbrian countryside, as I turn towards the coast at Brettargh Holt and the ospreys at Foulshaw Moss.

 

Ignoring signs to Canny Hill and Bobbin Mill it's through Newby Bridge, a house bisecting the A road (Cumbria's answer to the farm in the middle of the M62 ?), Greenodd and Arrad Foot. Then the Lakeland Motor Museum and into Ulverston, with its purple and pink houses and the Laurel & Hardy Museum at The Roxy.

Then Swarthmoor and Lindal-in-Furness, with its signs for Wax Lyrical, and finally a turn to Hawcoat and down a farm track, the single file Rakesmoor Lane which brings me to Holker Old Boys AFC. Lunch is spent overlooking Walney Island, shimmering in the Barrovian sun.

 

I park in the small club car park, full despite today's attendance of 40, swelled by the late arrival of a minibus and taxis - three fixtures in the same league have lower crowds today. £4 at the gate and inside Rakesmoor to the left, in the corner, is a covered stand, with fading red and white seats. To the right are the changing rooms and clubhouse - the men's toilets bearing a plaque 'The Jim Redfern Suite'....

 

Next to the clubhouse is a skeletal Heath Robinson style structure, providing intermittent cover and more suited for chaining bicycles to !! The rest of the ground is open with a single railing, surrounded by the edge of a housing estate, farmland and Barrow Golf Club - and some terrific rural views, notwithstanding the haze.

Holker are in green and white, Eccy in change all red with white trim on another pitch with a prodigious slope. It soon becomes clear that both sides have adopted a mullet hairstyle formation - the business up front, all party at the back.....

 

On 11 minutes home captain Philip Coombe skips past three limp challenges to confidently place the ball beyond away keeper Matt Johnson. The lead is doubled a quarter of an hour later, as from a flick on Brandon Collins outmuscles his marker and curls the ball with his left foot into the top corner.

 

Straight from the kick off and without the Stags touching the ball, a lovely Eccy move ends with Tom Wakefield crossing from the right and the ball eventually reaches Louis Downs who tucks it away. The Eagles are level two minutes later as Downs is set free down the wing, the covering defender collapses with a pulled hamstring and Downs sidefoots into the far corner.

 

Holker then have a goal disallowed and Eccy lead 3-2 at the break as Shay Finney's shot is poked home by Dan Needham. After a breathless first period half time arrives, and a chat with a thirtysomething groundhopper from Worthing - who will get home in the small hours and then travel to deepest Devon tomorrow for Witheridge v Sticker in the South West Peninsula !

 

No let up in the second half either - Wakefield's majestic through ball leaves Needham one on one and he scores imperiously, despite heated protests of offside. That goal is bettered shortly after by Bradley Hubbold's gorgeous strike from just outside the penalty box to bring it back to 4-3.

 

The game then goes into a lull, tempers get frayed and Johnson makes two fine saves to preserve Eccy's lead. The crescendo arrives when Jordan Bennion's crossfield ball is volleyed home by The Eagles' George Burslem with two minutes to go, and the home side strike bar and post in injury time.

 

Holker 3 Eccleshall 5 at the death - so much for a dead rubber !!!

Mariners All At Sea Then Net A Point - Unicorns Soon To Be Extinct

And so to Queen's Terrace, although I prefer its more commonly known name Dimple Wells, to a stadium and a club that effectively cease to exist in 3 weeks' time. It's the home of Ossett Albion AFC, 7 games unbeaten, and the visitors today are South Shields, 5 wins on the bounce, in the Evostik Northern Premier Division One North.

The home club was set up in 1944 during the Second World War for local Grammar School students. The Unicorns rose through the West Riding County Amateur League and West Yorkshire League before joining the Yorkshire League in 1957, where they were Division One champions in 1975.

In 1982 the Yorkshire League joined up with the Midland League to form the Northern Counties East League. Albion were Premier League champions in 1999 but were denied promotion to the Northern Premier League because one of their dressing rooms was too small !!

Two years later the Unicorns finished as runners up to Brigg Town but were promoted instead of the Zebras. That first season in the Northern Premier saw Albion finish bottom and relegation back to the Northern Counties East - but two seasons later the club were promoted as champions on a dramatic final day, pipping Eastwood Town by virtue of goals scored with both teams locked on the same number of points and goal difference.

Fourteen seasons later Albion remain in the same division, but this will be their last. In February it was announced that Ossett Albion will merge with near neighbours Ossett Town this summer to become Ossett United, with the new club playing at Town's Ingfield base under the stewardship of Albion's Andy Welsh.

A few references have been found to the origins of a town football club playing in the 1870s, but the first recorded public appearance of a named South Shields AFC was in 1888. Several other local clubs flickered but it was the South Shields Adelaide Athletic club, set up in 1899, that went on to be elected to the Second Division of the Football League in 1919 as South Shields FC.

Lack of public support meant only the sale of its best players and FA Cup runs kept Shields in business. Inevitably, without money to bail the club out of impending bankruptcy, the only possible viable alternative to closure was to move. In 1930 the club left the town and moved to Gateshead, where it was welcomed. 

A new club was established in 1936, nicknamed 'The Babes', before becoming 'The Mariners' in 1950 on its move from Horsley Hill to Simonside Hall. Shields played in several leagues until joining the Northern Premier League in 1968.

However 'insufficient' match attendances prompted the directors to sell Simonside Hall in 1974 with a view to returning to Horsley Hill. In a controversial and quite disastrous land fiasco both sites were transformed into housing sites. The club was penniless and homeless - and history repeated itself as the team went to Gateshead again, re-emerging as Gateshead United FC and taking Shields' place in the NPL.

A new club, South Shields Mariners FC, was formed immediately, based at the council's Jack Clark Park, and began a 17 year crusade for a home of its own. The club progressed through the Northern Alliance and Wearside League to the Northern League.

In 1992 the redundant and vandalised sports club and ground of Filtrona FC in Jarrow became available. It was purchased by club chairman John Rundle and the Mariners had a new home - Filtrona Park. Rundle was a volatile man, twice publicly threatening the club with closure, and (in)famously locking the gates at Filtrona Park ahead of a home match in 2006.

At the end of the 2012/13 season South Shields were relegated from Northern League Division One, and forced to move to Eden Park, Peterlee after their lease expired. Two seasons with average attendances of 69 and 70 meant the club faced a huge challenge to survive.

After being taken over by new chairman Geoff Thompson in the summer of 2015 he subsequently bought Filtrona Park, now renamed Mariners Park, and the club moved back. Under the captaincy of ex Sunderland and Middlesbrough midfielder Julio Arca the Mariners won Northern League Division Two title in 2015/16.

Last season saw a famous quadruple - the Northern League Division One title, after a 32 game winning streak, the Durham Challenge Cup, the Northern League Challenge Cup and a 4-0 victory in the FA Vase at Wembley against Cleethorpes Town. Average attendances increased to 1,226.

This season Shields are top of the NPL Division One North, three points clear with two games in hand. Darlington and York City, two steps higher, were both knocked out of the FA Cup.

So on a very wet afternoon it's onto the desperately potholed Washway Road with standing pools of water. Past the new Bake My Day and the old, execrable T & T Pound Plus 'TOILETORIES. ELCTRICAL' - open 7 days but now permanently shuttered, and to the M60.

From there through to the M62, and Saddleworth Moor, Rakehead Viaduct and Windy Hill - the M62 Summit, 'Highest motorway in England 372m (1221 feet)'. Then Scammonden Reservoir, Rainbow Bridge and Stott Hall Farm, the latter parked between both carriageways.

Beyond Hartshead Moor then off at Tingley, ignoring Woodkirk Valley Country Club and Bake 'n' Bites, past Dewsbury Rams stadium to the outskirts of Ossett - a town named after 'A fold of a man named Osla' or 'A fold frequented by blackbirds' depending on your fancy !

The Warehouse Systems Stadium is located through a small residential estate off Queen's Road, flanked on one side by the Ebenezer Particular Baptist Chapel and on the other by Dimple Well Lodge, where a wedding is in progress. A narrow entrance between the houses, one car width only, brings me to some crown green bowling, an AstroTurf pitch where several boys' football matches are coming to an end, the cricket club and then the football club.

£7 admission and inside Dimple Wells is a glorious old fashioned, slightly decaying non-league ground. Immediately to my right is the Tea Bar, rubbing shoulders with the cricket scoreboard and then an incredibly shallow two step terrace, the scene of much congestion during the afternoon. It's worth it for the picturesque views of the distant countryside as the sun beats down - for half an hour at least as the visiting Geordies remove layer after layer of clothing.

At the Orchard End is a small covered terrace behind the goal and across the way the main Barracuda Fisheries stand, with access via a narrow, bepuddled tunnel. Next to this is the Boardroom which resembles a mobile classroom.....

The near end supports more covered terracing, the clubhouse and Peter Eaton Bar, named after club stalwart Peter Eaton who played over 800 games for the Unicorns, plus the dressing rooms and press box. All four sides are taken over by magnificent and vocal away support.

The Unicorns are in gold and black and the Mariners in change white and claret on a pitch with a significant slope from side to side. After a tentative start Albion draw first blood on 13 minutes. A ball inside Shields' left back Darren Lough sees him hesitate, as does keeper Liam Connell, and centre forward Tom Corner nips in to score - although the ball should have been cleared off the line.

Thirty seconds later Mariners' Jon Shaw has a clearance charged down and the ball is played to Gibraltar international Adam Priestley who scores with a glorious finish in the top corner for 2-0. 'That's the game gone, man' is the pessimistic viewpoint from next to me.

As Shields toil, the Unicorns are clearly up for the fight and the game relies less on craft and guile, but rather more on graft and bile. The simmering undercurrent boils over seven minutes before half time. Arca is fouled for the umpteenth time, reacts and an ugly melee ensues, resulting in four bookings. Robert Briggs' scuffed shot wide in injury time is the Mariners' only real opportunity of the half.

The second half sees a rejuvenated Shields side, helped by a goal within the first two minutes. Louis Storey's shot into the ground is glanced home by Michael Richardson, and with Arca now running the midfield further chances follow. Lee Mason is denied by a wonderful fingertip save from Neil Bennett, Dillon Morse has an effort clawed off the line with substitute Graeme Armstrong heading the rebound over, and Storey fires wide.

Inevitably the Mariners equalise at the midpoint - Shaw atoning by heading home Arca's inswinging corner. Albion then soak up the pressure and, in a rare foray forward, Marcus Day shoots straight down Connell's throat. The final opportunity falls to Armstrong who heads wide in stoppage time when he should have done better.....

2-2 at the death then, and a bumper crowd of 502, two thirds from Shields at least, departs.....eventually as the housing estate cannot cope with the parking and traffic, and three supporters' buses clogging up the main road. The local residents probably can't wait for three weeks' time......

Purple Reign and Ashes to Ashes

And so to the TDP Solicitors Stadium in Bootle for this afternoon's North West Counties clash between City of Liverpool and Ashton Athletic.

The first meeting that led to the formation of City of Liverpool FC was in October 2014, and the club was officially established in May 2015. The club chose to play in the colour purple, as it is the civic colour of the city....and a mix of Liverpool red and Everton blue - leading to their nickname 'The Purps'.

The Purps applied to join the NWCFL in early 2016 but their application was rejected by the FA and COL were instead placed in the Liverpool County Premier League. However they took up the option to appeal the decision, especially as vacancies arose due to Northwich Manchester Villa's resignation and Rochdale Town's expulsion from the league. At Wembley Stadium on 8 June 2016 the appeal was successful.

Groundsharing at Bootle's (then) Delta Taxis Stadium, it was an extraordinarily successful inaugural season. Leading the way for much of the campaign, the Purps eventually finished fourth and overcame Whitchurch Alport 1-0 to reach the play off final. Litherland REMYCA were beaten 3-0 on their own turf to secure promotion to the Premier Division.

Added to this, COL beat Sandbach United to lift the First Division Challenge Cup, their first ever piece of silverware. The Purps also won the League Challenge Cup Final at Highbury (Fleetwood rather than Arsenal) on penalties against Barnoldswick Town, in a match soured by crowd violence. No wonder City of Liverpool FC was awarded the title 'Non League Team of the Year' by sports bookmaker Coral.

This season the club have won the Champions Cup against Atherton Collieries and currently lie seventh. Furthermore in their quest for a stadium of their own the Purps have been granted a period of exclusivity on a site at Fazakerley Playing Fields.

Ashton Athletic was founded in 1968 playing in the Wigan Sunday League, winning every Division in consecutive seasons before switching to the Warrington League on Saturdays where similar success was achieved. 'The Ashes' or 'Ash' developed Brocstedes Park and joined the Lancashire Combination at the start of the 1978/79 season.

Initially they struggled and finished bottom, and this struggle continued for three more seasons before The Ashes became founder members of the North West Counties in 1982 - and finished bottom. Having finished in last place twice more, Ash left the league in 1986 after failing a ground grading.

The club joined the Manchester League for the 1988/89 season and, after finding their place towards the bottom of the table, started to gradually improve. In 2006 they finished 4th and, following a two year campaign to reach the required ground standards, the Ashes rejoined the second tier of the North West Counties. A season later the club achieved third place and was promoted to the Premier Division.

This season their home FA Cup Third Round Qualifying tie with Chorley was televised live on the BBC, in front of a record crowd of 610. Currently the Ashes really are midtable, sitting 12th out of 23, but with 17 league games to fit into the final 6 weeks of the season - not a patch on 1874 Northwich who have 22 (half their entire league programme) to play in the same period !!

Through the outskirts of Altrincham, past a plethora of Indian restaurants (Delhi Alley anyone ?) to virtually the same route as last week's trek to watch AFC Liverpool. M56 then M6 via Thelwall, M62 adjacent to Sutton Manor, Griffin Wood and the Dream sculpture (below) and finally the M57 with an upturned armchair in the central reservation and a flatbed truck on fire...

The end of the motorway, PIES graffiti and Switch Island in chaos after an accident. Avoiding the signs for nearby Aintree racecourse, past Copy Lane police station then a left on to Park Lane, right into Bridle Street and left into Vesty Business Park. I park at Crazy Town, the only industrial unit open, and with some crazy parking to match......

This brings me to the TDP Solicitors Stadium, a football ground with its own wind turbine - much in keeping with the spinning wheels on the roofs of the other industrial units. £5 in and a very impressive match ticket which also allows me to claim a free shot at The Slaughter House pub. The vociferous Purps support is much in evidence with their banners 'Hated. Adored. Never Ignored.' 'Halfway Line Head Cases' and 'We Wear The Purple Jersey For The City By The Mersey'. Defiantly a single AAFC flag is hoisted in the opposite corner....

Inside to my left are two balcony areas, bisected by the entrance to a busy clubhouse. To the right is a refreshment bar, Frankie Andys, next to the Dodge Kop, a two step covered concrete terrace. On the opposite side are the dugouts and two mini all weather pitches while the far end holds two small covered stands in either corner.

The Purps are naturally in all purple, Ash in yellow and blue as the match gets underway in hazy sunshine but with an eye stinging wind. There follows a fairly forgettable opening save for an Ashton overhead kick which lands just wide of the post.

Then on 19 minutes Ashes' centre forward Dale Korie-Butler is played in down the left, and with no Purps' defender willing to close him down, advances to calmly pass the ball into the far corner of the net. The same player makes space for himself minutes later but his shot is hacked off the line.

Just before the half hour the Purps win a contentious free kick on the left. The ball is whipped in superbly at pace and Joe Camozzi heads in the equaliser past a motionless Matthew Pearson. 1-1 it stays until the interval.

The second half is a niggly, scrappy affair but the Purps are more up for the fight, and in Jack Hazlehurst, their 'Purple Messi', they have the game's stand out player. Pearson turns one of his efforts past the goalframe, shortly after pushing wide Tom Peterson's curling shot which seemed destined to give COL the lead.

Then with a quarter of an hour left, and with the home crowd still baying for a penalty, Hazlehurst picks up the loose ball on the edge of the penalty box and smashes it into the top corner. He then produces a gem of a cross that substitute John Connolly nods just the wrong side of the post.

A late Ash flurry produces one smart save and, after an inordinate amount of injury time, the Purps emerge victorious to the delight of the vast majority of the crowd of 447 – I count 3 Ashes supporters and, I assume, left back Bram Johnston’s parents….

Another Place - Congleton Do The Bear Necessities...

And so with the mini Beast from the East en route, West is best this afternoon. A trip to the coast and Rossett Park, or The Marine Travel Arena, in Crosby where tenants AFC Liverpool take on Congleton Town in the North West Counties Football League Premier Division.

AFC Liverpool (Affordable Football Club Liverpool) was officially formed in March 2008 as a not for profit organisation by Liverpool FC fans, increasingly frustrated at the cost of and difficulty in obtaining Premier League tickets. The Little Reds were accepted into the NWCFL, ground sharing at Valerie Park, home of Prescot Cables.

The club won the First Division Trophy in its first two seasons and in the 2010/11 season finished 4th in the league. However Rossendale United were expelled from the league and Formby were demoted to the First Division - both clubs are now defunct. Holker Old Boys, who had finished 3rd, declined promotion meaning AFC moved up to the Premier League.

The Little Reds moved to Marine FC's ground at the start of the 2014/15 season and have largely finished mid table, but this time lie in the relegation zone, 21st out of 23. Average crowds have dipped from 316 in their first season to less than half that, particularly with the advent of the new City of Liverpool FC.

Congleton Town FC was formed in 1901, starting life in the Crewe and District League where they were champions in their first three seasons. This prompted a move to the North Staffordshire & District League, and having conquered this in the 1919/20 season they were off again - this time to the Cheshire County League.

45 years later and yet to crack it, there was a brief 3 season foray into the Manchester League before joining the Mid Cheshire League. After winning this three times in 1974, 1976 and 1978, Town reverted back to the Cheshire County League and their last ever season there brought the Division 2 championship in 1982.

The restructuring of the leagues saw Congleton become founder members of the North West Counties League, and they moved up to the newly created Northern Premier League Division One in 1988. Perennial strugglers, Town were finally relegated back to the top tier of the NCWFL in 2001 - and continue to ply their football there, currently just below half way this term.

Congleton Town are known as the Bears, a throwback to the 1620s when bearbaiting was popular in the town and if historic lore is to be believed, in an attempt to attract more spectators, it used money set aside for a Bible to buy a more aggressive bear:

'Congleton Rare, Congleton Rare,

Sold the Bible to buy a bear. '

Consequently the town became known as Beartown....

So with alternating snow flurries and brilliant sunshine, it's motorways all the way. The M56 to the M6 (a becalmed Thelwall with speed restrictions due to the high winds), the M62 (IKEA and massive warehouses) and the M57 (an advertising hoarding for Velocity Ultimate Trampoline Park and elephant signs to Knowsley Safari Park). The end of the M57 sees the legendary 'The Pies The Pies Music Out Soon' graffiti.....

And then it's onward to the coast, past Liverpool Ramblers AFC and Thornton Gardens of Rest, where the traffic is at a standstill too. That leads to Great Crosby, Blundellsands and then into Crosby itself.

A stroll down to Crosby Beach in the glorious sun more than offset by the icy biting wind - Seaforth Freight Terminal to the south, and Formby to the north. I'm surrounded by ugly wind turbines, dog walkers, a passing ferry and Another Place and its Iron Men - the hundred cast iron sculptures of the artist's body facing out to sea, created by Antony Gormley (he of Angel of the North fame).

A quick walk back into town, past Lady Muck, The Lash Lounge and Moose Coffee brings me to the Marine Travel Arena. The stadium is located on a street full of shops with just the one turnstile open.

The other three sides are enclosed by terraced housing - one open raised end and one shallow three step covered terrace by the touchline. The opposite side has the pitch leading right up to back gardens with no spectator access - two dugouts, advertising hoardings and wire fencing, with helpfully house numbers signposted to aid retrieval of lost balls !!

The main Frank McKeown Wealth Management Stand is behind the goal, and supports a bar, The Galley, club shop and some terracing below and to the side. Gone are the dyslexic flags (NOTLOB REDS) and the bellringers chanting 'Bring out your dead', and there are just two old style rattles in evidence.

The Little Reds are naturally in all red with 96, commemorating Hillsborough, stitched into their shirts and Congleton in change yellow with black hoops - more Wasps than Bears !! The Congleton goalkeeper, Daniel Eccles, also has a different shirt sponsor, fieldfisher, to his teammates, Outpost......

The first half is dominated by the vicious wind, bobbly pitch, overhit passes and a real lack of quality. The Bears' Emini Adegbenro lashes wide, and AFC's Harry Avis steers his header across goal but beyond the far post. Billy Hasler-Cregg's curler beats keeper and goal for the visitors, but the first half hour is all about torpor.......

Then on 32 minutes Adegbenro plays in Dylan Bath who reaches the byline and crosses. His cutback hits the trailing leg of AFC's keeper, Jack Cookson, and trickles into the net - the goal incorrectly awarded to Bath by the stadium announcer. Bath has a better opportunity minutes later but dallies and the ball is cleared. Mason Nevitt somehow places the ball the wrong side of the post bang on half time with the Little Reds' best chance.

The second period starts better for AFC with Zach Hardacre's shot bamboozling a statuesque Eccles as it shaves the goalframe. But it doesn't last and just before the hour a ball lofted over the top is missed by the home defence and the pony tailed David Short has the simple job of tapping home to double the Bears' advantage. This prompts a one man walk out - 'Bloody Sh*te' his considered opinion.....

Into the last ten minutes the ball holds up in the wind and lets in AFC's Brad Owens, who beats Eccles but hits the post. The rebound falls kindly for him but he contrives to shoot straight at the man on the line. Hasler-Cregg is then felled in the penalty area, but nothing is given and he limps off, leaving the Bears to see out the remaining time with ten men.

This they do comfortably and substitute Steve Foster has the final chance, rounding Cookson, before missing the open net and poking wide. A thin crowd of 82 departs as the snow sets in, most wishing they were in Another Place....