Date: Saturday 10th January 2009
Competition: Unibond League Division 1 North
Venue: The Neil Rourke Stadium, Woodley, Stockport
Attendance: 245
Ticket In: £7.00
Programme: £1.00
Raffle: £1.00
---------------------------
Total: £9.00
Its official, this country is too cold for football. The freezing cold snap has once again given the schedulers a nightmare with matches being frozen off across the land. Even a Premiership venue in Fratton Park has been hit and Portsmouth and Manchester City will have to do it again another day. Checking websites frantically this morning saw the same two words featured repeatedly, match off. Match off, match off, it looked like it was going to be another football-less Saturday, until I was stunned when clicking on the Woodley Sports website and seeing the words match ON! I had to do a double take, but there is a match on today with just enough time for me to leave and get there as well. The match is Woodley Sports Vs Rossendale United. Woodley Sports play their home games at The Neil Rourke Stadium located in Woodley which is near to Stockport. They were formed in 1970 and spent most of their early years in the Lancashire and Cheshire leagues, before moving up to the Unibond Division 1 North in the 2004/05 season. Rossendale featured in the news bulletins over the Christmas period due to a gas explosion that cut many houses off from their gas supplies for Christmas Day. Sitting in the valley of the River Irwell, the borough of Rossendale comprises towns like Haslingden and Rawtenstall and sits in South East Lancashire. Excuse my poor knowledge of both of these areas but I didn’t have too much time for research if I was going to make kickoff on time. Now to win the god medal in the stating the obvious competition, its bloody cold! My thermometer reads it as fluctuating between 0ºC-1ºC, even the train conductor jokingly offers the passengers a discount for “making them travel in a fridge”. Right at this point I’m just hoping that last weeks debacle with Skelmersdale United isn’t going to repeat itself.
No such hardship! Approaching the ground the turnstiles are open and the players are warming up, the game goes ahead! And the reason for this probably lies on the pitch itself, as its carpet! Yes, the pitch is synthetic, which maybe also why it accounts for it being one of the best pitches I’ve seen in quite some time.
It’s superbly flat and the ball rolls on it like a dream as the players warm up, although the bounce of the ball is possibly a little bit exaggerated. None the less, it should make for an entertaining game with a home field advantage for Woodley Sports. The stadium itself looks fairly basic but yet surprisingly tidy. There is one seating stand down one side of the pitch that encompasses the players tunnel. Cover and more seats are provided behind 1 goal and the rest is open with tarmac standing.
So at a bitterly cold 3pm the teams emerge from the tunnel onto the field with Woodley Sports in their usual home colours of dark red and dark blue stripes with Rossendale United in their changed strip of yellow shirts and green shorts. The referee gets the game underway with Rossendale United getting the 1st half kickoff and producing the first meaningful effort on goal when a shot from decent range had to be alertly tipped around the post for a corner by Woodley goalkeeper Ben Connett. The resultant corner was delivered too deep into the penalty area and was played out for a goal kick. Rossendale had another chance 2 minutes later in the 7th minute when they won themselves a free kick in an attacking position. John Turner took the kick but sent the ball harmlessly over the crossbar.
I what was proving to be a rather slow and dull start to the encounter, Woodley had a half chance to score in the 13th minute when a long throw in was half cleared by the Rossendale defence and a Woodley striker tried his luck from range, but his effort failed to trouble the goalkeeper and resulted in a Rossendale goal kick. Woodley had another couple of chances in the 16th minute when first, a half cleared effort resulted in a shot from the angle in the penalty area went agonisingly wide of the far post, then Gavin Salmon got himself 1 on 1 with the keeper, but tripped over his own feet as a defender attempted to recover and Rossendale goalkeeper Ben Proctor gratefully gathered the ball. The game was now picking up a bit of pace and the game was becoming a bit more end-to-end. Woodley Sports should have taken the lead in the 18th minute but the crossbar denied Mike Clark from two yards out, before Woodley won themselves 2 corners in the 22nd minute, both of which were dealt with by the Rossendale United defence. Rossendale themselves then had a superb opportunity to take the lead when a brilliant long ball was played down the wing for Tom Williams to run onto. He squared the ball to Phil Eastwood who found himself crowded by Woodley defenders, but a superb pass found the completely unmarked Zach Clark 8 yards out from goal. But Clark scuffed his shot and it went harmlessly wide when Rossendale should probably have been in the lead. But after both teams had missed a glorious chance to take the lead, the deadlock was finally broken in the 29th minute when the pace of Gavin Salmon got him past the Rossendale defence and his pinpoint low cross into the box was met infront of goal by Sam Walker who tapped the ball into the net to give the hosts the lead. 
For the last 10 minutes and building up the goal, the game had definitely become more entertaining with Woodley Sports probably just about being worthy of their lead. The run into half time saw the game played at an electric pace but the teams were evenly matched. The ball seemed to travel at some speed on the synthetic surface which lead to many attackers being unsuccessful in chasing lost causes into the corners. Woodley Sports had so far demonstrated the sort of pace that was serving them well on this type of pitch, which you would somewhat expect with them playing on it every other week. The temperature is now so low that an Eskimo would be complaining and right at this second I’m convinced that this game should be moved to the summertime. Though after full time and I get warm again I’ll probably come back to my senses. The match is still anybodies in the 2nd half and is a long way from being over.
Half Time:
Woodley Sports 1 – 0 Rossendale United
I’m not sure exactly what Rossendale United manager Phil Eastwood said to his players during the half time break, but his side came out for the 2nd half like a team on a mission and went right after levelling the scoreline. In the 46th minute, Rossendale United won themselves a free kick from out wide on the wing. John Turner’s delivery from the free kick was deep to the back of the penalty area and was headed behind for a corner kick. The corner was taken short and flat to the edge of the penalty area where a Rossendale striker’s rasping shot appeared to be superbly tipped over the crossbar by Woodley Sports keeper Ben Connett, but the referee awarded a goal kick, obviously adjudging that the ball had hit the crossbar and not the hand of Connett. As the half wore on, Rossendale were struggling to adapt to their wind advantage with many through balls being played too heavy with a combination of the strong wind and lightening fast surface, meaning the Woodley defenders were having an easy time of shielding the ball out of play for goal kicks. Rossendale United won themselves another corner in the 58th minute after good pressure from the attack allowed the ball to be played off one of the Woodley defenders and out of play. The corner delivery was half cleared by the Woodley defence before falling to a Rossendale forward, who unleashed a powerful shot from the edge of the box that struck a Woodley defender on the arm in the penalty area.
To a man, the Rossendale attack appealed for a penalty to the referee, appeals that fell on deaf ears. From this, Woodley went on a break down the field when a beautifully played aerial long ball sent Gavin Salmon racing down the field under pressure from defender James Heywood. Rossendale keeper Ben Proctor advanced from his penalty area to attempt to clear the ball, but Salmon beat him to it and rounded the now helpless keeper before keeping his composure and slotting the ball into the empty net from the angle, doubling the hosts lead against the run of recent play. Rossendale looked visibly frustrated from the restart and were attempting long range and ambitious efforts to try and claw their way back into the game, none of which were successful. With Rossendale now having to get forward, Woodley were enjoying opportunities to get forward on the break away and they nearly added to their lead in the 68th minute when a break downfield saw the striker fire the ball just wide from the angle, but a good chance was created. The last 20 minutes saw the game level out as both teams had seemingly accepted the result of the game by this point. The next action of note came in the 81st minute when Woodley substitute Levi Kennedy played a low cross into the penalty area that was picked up by Gavin Salmon who turned and twisted trying to avoid the Rossendale defence, before firing off a low shot that Rossendale keeper Ben Proctor got down brilliantly to save low to his left and turn the ball away for a corner. The resultant corner being cleared away from danger with ease. It was then Rossendale United’s turn to cause a threat in the 86th minute when some good pace from the forward saw him win his side a corner kick. The corner was delivered dangerously into the penalty area and was met by the head of Kevin Brown, but keeper Connett met it with a smart save to preserve his sides two goal advantage. Ending the match on a flurry, Rossendale won themselves another corner in the 87th minute, but a foul in the area following the delivery removed any threat to the Woodley goal. Not long after that the referee brought an end to the match which was my merciful cue to try and find somewhere warm and to allow certain body parts to resume some feeling in them.
To sum up then, watching a game of football today was for the seriously foolhardy, so it suited me right down to the ground.
The temperature was below freezing and it was easy to understand how so many other games succumbed to the weather. But the game that was witnessed was although not a classic, certainly enjoyable and worth the entrance money. Woodley just seemed to have that extra touch of quality over their opponents this afternoon and just about deserved their win, although the difference between the two sides was not that much at all. Rossendale United’s efforts in pushing forwards towards the start of the 2nd half were not rewarded and after they were caught on the counter attack and went two behind, Woodley always looked like they were going to be the winners from that point. The two teams are separated by only the three points that Woodley Sports obtained from this match, although Rossendale United have two games in hand over the Stockport outfit. Congratulations to Woodley Sports.
Full Time:
Woodley Sports 2 – 0 Rossendale United
Competition: Unibond League Division 1 North
Venue: The Neil Rourke Stadium, Woodley, Stockport
Attendance: 245
Ticket In: £7.00
Programme: £1.00
Raffle: £1.00
---------------------------
Total: £9.00
Its official, this country is too cold for football. The freezing cold snap has once again given the schedulers a nightmare with matches being frozen off across the land. Even a Premiership venue in Fratton Park has been hit and Portsmouth and Manchester City will have to do it again another day. Checking websites frantically this morning saw the same two words featured repeatedly, match off. Match off, match off, it looked like it was going to be another football-less Saturday, until I was stunned when clicking on the Woodley Sports website and seeing the words match ON! I had to do a double take, but there is a match on today with just enough time for me to leave and get there as well. The match is Woodley Sports Vs Rossendale United. Woodley Sports play their home games at The Neil Rourke Stadium located in Woodley which is near to Stockport. They were formed in 1970 and spent most of their early years in the Lancashire and Cheshire leagues, before moving up to the Unibond Division 1 North in the 2004/05 season. Rossendale featured in the news bulletins over the Christmas period due to a gas explosion that cut many houses off from their gas supplies for Christmas Day. Sitting in the valley of the River Irwell, the borough of Rossendale comprises towns like Haslingden and Rawtenstall and sits in South East Lancashire. Excuse my poor knowledge of both of these areas but I didn’t have too much time for research if I was going to make kickoff on time. Now to win the god medal in the stating the obvious competition, its bloody cold! My thermometer reads it as fluctuating between 0ºC-1ºC, even the train conductor jokingly offers the passengers a discount for “making them travel in a fridge”. Right at this point I’m just hoping that last weeks debacle with Skelmersdale United isn’t going to repeat itself.
No such hardship! Approaching the ground the turnstiles are open and the players are warming up, the game goes ahead! And the reason for this probably lies on the pitch itself, as its carpet! Yes, the pitch is synthetic, which maybe also why it accounts for it being one of the best pitches I’ve seen in quite some time.
It’s superbly flat and the ball rolls on it like a dream as the players warm up, although the bounce of the ball is possibly a little bit exaggerated. None the less, it should make for an entertaining game with a home field advantage for Woodley Sports. The stadium itself looks fairly basic but yet surprisingly tidy. There is one seating stand down one side of the pitch that encompasses the players tunnel. Cover and more seats are provided behind 1 goal and the rest is open with tarmac standing.So at a bitterly cold 3pm the teams emerge from the tunnel onto the field with Woodley Sports in their usual home colours of dark red and dark blue stripes with Rossendale United in their changed strip of yellow shirts and green shorts. The referee gets the game underway with Rossendale United getting the 1st half kickoff and producing the first meaningful effort on goal when a shot from decent range had to be alertly tipped around the post for a corner by Woodley goalkeeper Ben Connett. The resultant corner was delivered too deep into the penalty area and was played out for a goal kick. Rossendale had another chance 2 minutes later in the 7th minute when they won themselves a free kick in an attacking position. John Turner took the kick but sent the ball harmlessly over the crossbar.
I what was proving to be a rather slow and dull start to the encounter, Woodley had a half chance to score in the 13th minute when a long throw in was half cleared by the Rossendale defence and a Woodley striker tried his luck from range, but his effort failed to trouble the goalkeeper and resulted in a Rossendale goal kick. Woodley had another couple of chances in the 16th minute when first, a half cleared effort resulted in a shot from the angle in the penalty area went agonisingly wide of the far post, then Gavin Salmon got himself 1 on 1 with the keeper, but tripped over his own feet as a defender attempted to recover and Rossendale goalkeeper Ben Proctor gratefully gathered the ball. The game was now picking up a bit of pace and the game was becoming a bit more end-to-end. Woodley Sports should have taken the lead in the 18th minute but the crossbar denied Mike Clark from two yards out, before Woodley won themselves 2 corners in the 22nd minute, both of which were dealt with by the Rossendale United defence. Rossendale themselves then had a superb opportunity to take the lead when a brilliant long ball was played down the wing for Tom Williams to run onto. He squared the ball to Phil Eastwood who found himself crowded by Woodley defenders, but a superb pass found the completely unmarked Zach Clark 8 yards out from goal. But Clark scuffed his shot and it went harmlessly wide when Rossendale should probably have been in the lead. But after both teams had missed a glorious chance to take the lead, the deadlock was finally broken in the 29th minute when the pace of Gavin Salmon got him past the Rossendale defence and his pinpoint low cross into the box was met infront of goal by Sam Walker who tapped the ball into the net to give the hosts the lead. For the last 10 minutes and building up the goal, the game had definitely become more entertaining with Woodley Sports probably just about being worthy of their lead. The run into half time saw the game played at an electric pace but the teams were evenly matched. The ball seemed to travel at some speed on the synthetic surface which lead to many attackers being unsuccessful in chasing lost causes into the corners. Woodley Sports had so far demonstrated the sort of pace that was serving them well on this type of pitch, which you would somewhat expect with them playing on it every other week. The temperature is now so low that an Eskimo would be complaining and right at this second I’m convinced that this game should be moved to the summertime. Though after full time and I get warm again I’ll probably come back to my senses. The match is still anybodies in the 2nd half and is a long way from being over.Half Time:
Woodley Sports 1 – 0 Rossendale United
I’m not sure exactly what Rossendale United manager Phil Eastwood said to his players during the half time break, but his side came out for the 2nd half like a team on a mission and went right after levelling the scoreline. In the 46th minute, Rossendale United won themselves a free kick from out wide on the wing. John Turner’s delivery from the free kick was deep to the back of the penalty area and was headed behind for a corner kick. The corner was taken short and flat to the edge of the penalty area where a Rossendale striker’s rasping shot appeared to be superbly tipped over the crossbar by Woodley Sports keeper Ben Connett, but the referee awarded a goal kick, obviously adjudging that the ball had hit the crossbar and not the hand of Connett. As the half wore on, Rossendale were struggling to adapt to their wind advantage with many through balls being played too heavy with a combination of the strong wind and lightening fast surface, meaning the Woodley defenders were having an easy time of shielding the ball out of play for goal kicks. Rossendale United won themselves another corner in the 58th minute after good pressure from the attack allowed the ball to be played off one of the Woodley defenders and out of play. The corner delivery was half cleared by the Woodley defence before falling to a Rossendale forward, who unleashed a powerful shot from the edge of the box that struck a Woodley defender on the arm in the penalty area.
To a man, the Rossendale attack appealed for a penalty to the referee, appeals that fell on deaf ears. From this, Woodley went on a break down the field when a beautifully played aerial long ball sent Gavin Salmon racing down the field under pressure from defender James Heywood. Rossendale keeper Ben Proctor advanced from his penalty area to attempt to clear the ball, but Salmon beat him to it and rounded the now helpless keeper before keeping his composure and slotting the ball into the empty net from the angle, doubling the hosts lead against the run of recent play. Rossendale looked visibly frustrated from the restart and were attempting long range and ambitious efforts to try and claw their way back into the game, none of which were successful. With Rossendale now having to get forward, Woodley were enjoying opportunities to get forward on the break away and they nearly added to their lead in the 68th minute when a break downfield saw the striker fire the ball just wide from the angle, but a good chance was created. The last 20 minutes saw the game level out as both teams had seemingly accepted the result of the game by this point. The next action of note came in the 81st minute when Woodley substitute Levi Kennedy played a low cross into the penalty area that was picked up by Gavin Salmon who turned and twisted trying to avoid the Rossendale defence, before firing off a low shot that Rossendale keeper Ben Proctor got down brilliantly to save low to his left and turn the ball away for a corner. The resultant corner being cleared away from danger with ease. It was then Rossendale United’s turn to cause a threat in the 86th minute when some good pace from the forward saw him win his side a corner kick. The corner was delivered dangerously into the penalty area and was met by the head of Kevin Brown, but keeper Connett met it with a smart save to preserve his sides two goal advantage. Ending the match on a flurry, Rossendale won themselves another corner in the 87th minute, but a foul in the area following the delivery removed any threat to the Woodley goal. Not long after that the referee brought an end to the match which was my merciful cue to try and find somewhere warm and to allow certain body parts to resume some feeling in them.To sum up then, watching a game of football today was for the seriously foolhardy, so it suited me right down to the ground.
The temperature was below freezing and it was easy to understand how so many other games succumbed to the weather. But the game that was witnessed was although not a classic, certainly enjoyable and worth the entrance money. Woodley just seemed to have that extra touch of quality over their opponents this afternoon and just about deserved their win, although the difference between the two sides was not that much at all. Rossendale United’s efforts in pushing forwards towards the start of the 2nd half were not rewarded and after they were caught on the counter attack and went two behind, Woodley always looked like they were going to be the winners from that point. The two teams are separated by only the three points that Woodley Sports obtained from this match, although Rossendale United have two games in hand over the Stockport outfit. Congratulations to Woodley Sports.Full Time:
Woodley Sports 2 – 0 Rossendale United
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