The Yellow Card

Abbey Hey 1 - 2 Barnoldswick Town

2010-07-11T14:32:00.004+01:00

Date: Saturday 10th July 2010

Competition: Preseason Friendly

Venue: Abbey Stadium, Gorton, Manchester

Attendance: ???

Some photos from the preseason friendly match between Abbey Hey and Barnoldswick Town.

Bootle 3 - 2 Newcastle Town

2010-04-11T20:45:00.004+01:00

Thursday 6th April 2010
Vodkat League Challenge Cup Quarter Final
Delta Taxis Stadium, Bootle, Merseyside
Attendance: 115

Cup football on a bright early summers evening, the good times are surely ahead as winter disappears. It’s still an extremely surreal feeling to be at an evening kick-off match in bright sunlight, as it always is at this time of year. But we’re up for the cup tonight as the League Challenge Cup reaches the quarter final stage, but extremely tough opposition block the progression route. Newcastle Town, runaway Premier Division leaders and almighty conquerors of most before them, come to the Delta Taxis Stadium looking for a semi-final place of their own, that is, when they eventually found the ground itself.

7:10pm and the phone rings, informing that Newcastle Town had somehow managed to get themselves lost somewhere in Birkenhead, Birkenhead of all places! Lord knows there were traffic problems outside the ground pre-kickoff due to the Grand National Meeting starting up, but whoever gave them those directions surely couldn’t have been a local. Somewhat understandably, kickoff was delayed 15 minutes to allow warm-ups to be completed, which just grew the sense of anticipation before the start of the game. Two very good teams going one on one in a cup scenario, this could be a night of cracking football entertainment.

So when everybody was finally ready and the two sides had made their way onto the field, referee Cropp called the two captains together to start the formalities. Bootle were in their home colours of all blur and Newcastle Town were in their third strip (I believe) of all yellow. On a perfect night weather wise, it would be “The Bucks” to get the match underway. The opening stages of the game were fairly even with both sides quickly settling into their rhythms, Bootle got forward a little more frequently than their visitors but the Newcastle Town defence stood up comfortably to what was thrown at them. The first real point of note in the match would be a significant one and it came in the 12th minute, Newcastle Town were reduced to ten men. Daniel O’Connor got the header on his defender Kelvin Mellor and the latter tugged O’Connor back and brought him to the floor when he was the last man. Referee Cropp awarded Bootle a free kick, but took the ultimate decision to show Mellor the red card, only after looking over at his linesman and mouthing the word “red” in his direction before giving a facial expression of acceptance. I’m not convinced he was entirely sure of his decision. O’Connor wasn’t in a position to have a clear goal scoring opportunity when he was fouled but the action had been taken and Newcastle Town now had the undesirable task of playing the rest of the match a man short. The resultant free kick was taken by Carl Dale but struck straight at the wall before being put wide of the goal.

Bootle looked to be spurred on by the sending off and began to apply pressure to the Newcastle Town goal, winning themselves a corner in the 14th minute after a shot from range was deflected behind goal by a Newcastle Town defender. The corner was taken into the danger area and Jamie Hay got his head to it, but the referee deemed he had climbed on a Newcastle defender in order to do so and he was penalised for this infringement, thus killing off the threat. Newcastle had a good effort on goal saved in the 19th minute when a cross from the wing was too strong for everybody waiting in the box but recovered by Matthew Platt. Platt was closed down by Mark Kilroy but managed to sidestep him and fire off a low shot at the near post, but keeper Mark Mawdsley got down well to make the required save. Another opportunity for the hosts came a minute later when some patient build-up play eventually saw a long range shot take a deflection on its route to goal, but Newcastle keeper Greg Smith managed to read it and get down low to make the save. Bootle had competed well to this point and looked the more likely to score, but it would be the visitors that would take the lead in the 26th minute after being awarded a free kick on the wing. Paul Donnelly delivered the set piece into the penalty area and Neville Thompson rose the highest to glance the ball towards goal with his head and beat the keeper to put Newcastle Town into the lead. Bootle didn’t let their heads drop though and were back on the attack in the 32nd minute when they won themselves a corner, the delivery of which was taken to the back of the penalty area where Jamie Hay met it with a header, but the Newcastle Town defence watched it all the way as it went wide of the left hand post. Another half chance for the hosts came in the 35th minute when a aerial ball into the penalty area was picked up by Daniel O’Connor but he was quickly closed down by Karl Espley and the ball deflected into the air. Jamie Hay came steaming in to try and get his head to it but took out Newcastle Town keeper Greg Smith in the process, which earned him a talking to from Referee Cropp. Newcastle Town had a chance to extend their lead in the 38th minute when a careless foul from Michael Carberry on Jonathan Sheldon saw the latter hit the floor. The free kick was in an attacking position and was taken by Paul Donnelly but was just too high and wide of the upright and the scores remained the same.

The half was to end in highly controversial circumstances though as in time added on, Daniel O’Connor made a rather reckless challenge on Newcastle’s Jonathan Sheldon. Referee Cropp then appeared to point to the penalty spot, before jogging over to where Sheldon lay stricken and then changing his mind to awarding a free kick right on the edge of the box. This did not please the Newcastle Town fans and somewhat understandably so, but after taking O’Connor’s name and producing the yellow card, Cropp then caused more controversy by blowing the half time whistle as Newcastle were lining up their set piece. Time on the half had run out before they were allowed to take it and the match officials left the pitch for the break receiving quite some stick from the supporters. Moments of controversy aside though, this has been an excellent game of football with some very good play, at least from my point of view. Bootle will possibly be the more frustrated of the two sides as they haven’t managed to take advantage of their extra man. But this cup tie is still very much in the balance and hopefully the entertainment value will continue in the 2nd half.

Half Time:
Bootle 0 – 1 Newcastle Town

Bootle’s start to the second half was emphatic as in the 47th minute the scores were brought level. Daniel O’Connor latched onto an aerial through ball on the edge of the penalty area and executed a perfect lob shot that left the keeper stranded and entered the corner of the net, the celebrations began amongst the home supporters and Bootle were back on level terms. The game approached the hour mark with the scores still level but Bootle were looking the more composed team, they were getting forward frequently but found their efforts frustratingly ruled out for offside on four consecutive occasions. But their pressure and good play was eventually rewarded in the 65th minute when Bootle took the lead.

Liam Loughlin held the ball on the edge of the penalty area before finding himself half a yard of space in which to shoot, and his effort had a slight curl that beat keeper Smith and entered the top corner of the net in a fine finish to give the hosts the lead for the first time, nothing really shot of what they deserved. Jamie Hay then had his name taken by referee Cropp in the 72nd minute for persistent fouling, before Newcastle Town began to turn on the pressure looking for the equaliser. The visitors won themselves a corner in the 76th minute and the delivery of this was headed behind goal by Jamie Hay for another corner. The delivery of the second one was much the same as the first but this time it was Newcastle’s Chirrs Boast that got his head to it, but he couldn’t keep it on target and the ball sailed away from danger for a goal kick to Bootle. But the pressure would tell in the 81st minute when the game took another twist in the 81st minute, Newcastle Town equalised. A corner delivery was sent into the penalty area and Andrew Bourne lost his marker to have a free header into the net as Bootle were undone from another set piece. Just under ten minutes to go then and it was all square again with extra time looming on the horizon. Referee Cropp then found another opportunity to brandish the yellow card as, after being penalised for a challenge, Newcastle’s Jordan Johnson said a little too much to the match official and his name was taken into the book. But as all cup ties have, the memorable moment from this one came in the 87th minute, when Bootle scored what turned out to be the winning goal. The ball was worked down the wing before coming to Jamie Hay on the edge of the penalty box, Hay struck a shot that took a slight deflection before hitting the back of the net to spark more celebrations amongst the home supporters, the realisation hitting home that Bootle might just very well have won the match. But even with all this action going on, there was still time for one last moment of controversy and one that could have seen the visitors draw level.

A flicked on header from an aerial ball struck a Bootle defender on the arm in the penalty area before being cleared by another defender and the Newcastle Town appeals amongst players and supporters went up to a man. My gut feeling was penalty, but referee Cropp waved away the appeals and Bootle survived the scare, much to the displeasure of everybody associated with Newcastle Town. But the full time whistle followed not long after and Bootle had done it, Newcastle Town had been defeated and The Bucks will advance into the semi-finals of the competition.

What an exceptional cup tie that was, if ever there was an advert for NWCFL football then this was it. Sending offs, penalty appeals, cards left right and centre, 5 goals and an absolutely cracking match that swung one way and then the other and back again. Referee Cropp failed to shadow himself in much glory and Newcastle Town are not a happy side because of this, but Bootle more than matched their shorthanded opponents for much of the game and are worthy winners of the contest, certainly not the result I was expecting before kickoff. Not that it needed it, but my faith in cup football has been well and truly bolstered tonight after witnessing a fantastic contest between two very good sides indeed. A trip to Manchester and Abbey Hey awaits in the semi-final, but its beck to league action before thoughts can be turned to that. A great game that I was glad I was there to see.

Full Time:
Bootle 3 – 2 Newcastle Town

Formby 1-0 Bootle

2010-04-05T21:07:00.005+01:00

Date: Monday 5th April 2010
Competition: Vodkat NWCFL Premier Div
Venue: Altcar Road, Formby, Merseyside
Attendance: ???

Derby day on Merseyside, no no, forget your reds and blues of Liverpool and Everton, it’s the NWCFL fixture between Formby and Bootle. And whilst this match may not have the coverage and glamour of the other mentioned fixture, both sides will be desperate to get the bragging rights over each other and more importantly, another three points on their league totals. Bootle will almost certainly be favourites in their current form and with Formby coming into this match off the back of a stinging 2-6 defeat against Congleton Town at the weekend. The pitch looks difficult, long untendered grass and boggy in the centre, it could be a tough and tiring encounter for the players this afternoon. The other notable weather condition here is the very strong wind that’s blowing from one end of the ground to the other, a definite advantage to the team with this at their backs.

So under sunny skies but blustery conditions, the two sides made their way out of the changing rooms and onto the pitch, Formby in their home colours of dark blue and fluorescent green whilst Bootle are in their away strip of yellow shirts and black shorts. The referee’s coin toss sees the two teams switch ends before kickoff, it would be Formby that would have the wind at their back for the first half. The gathered crowd didn’t have to wait too long for the scoring to be opened as the 4th minute produced the goal. Formby won themselves a free kick in an attacking position and Jon Lawless was tasked with taking the set piece, and he struck a curling effort with his left foot that bent around the wall and past the dive of keeper Mawdsley to hit the back of the net. Formby had the early impetus in the derby fixture then and were using the conditions well. Bootle got their first chance to threaten in the 8th minute when they were awarded a free kick on the corner of the penalty area when Kieran Dolan brought down Jamie Hay. Mark Kilroy’s delivery of the set piece into the box was met by the head of Jamie Hay unmarked, but the Bootle forward couldn’t keep the effort on target and the ball sailed wide of the post when he should perhaps have done a little better. Bootle captain Neil McQueen was then substituted in the 11th minute after picking up an injury and limping and Ian Johnson came on in his place, safe to say this wasn’t the best start to a match Bootle could have hoped for. And it should have gotten worse in the 15th minute when Formby’s William Williamson (I kid you not) headed a great cross over the crossbar from three yards out in what was a calamitous miss for the home side. Two minutes later, Formby went closer still to doubling their lead courtesy of Bootle defender Sean Coulton. A long ball forward from Liam Lane was headed backwards by Coulton and completely stranded his goalkeeper, the ball approached the goal in seemingly slow motion before hitting the post and rebounding back into play, allowing keeper Mawdsley to scramble back and recover it. Bootle were living slightly dangerously in these opening stages of the match, despite this though, they should really have equalised in the 19th minute when a header forward by Jamie Hay was picked up by David O’Connor and he only had the keeper to beat. O’Connor hit a shot that Formby keeper Adam Judge saved well, before the rebound fell to Ian Johnson with an open net and the forward couldn’t find the net with his effort. A great chance for Bootle then that they couldn’t take but they were now seemingly beginning to find their stride a little. The next chance would fall to Formby in the 23rd minute when they worked the ball to Paul Hopkins on the edge of the box and he struck an effort with his left foot, but unfortunately for him it went nowhere near the target and a long way wide. Both sides were finding the conditions tricky at this stage and a lot of the match was played out in the midfield where the passing game was being thwarted a little by the bog of a pitch, but Formby were the next to create a half chance when they won themselves a corner in the 31st minute. The corner delivery was recovered by the Bootle defence and they began to formulate their attack down the field, but this was cut short by a very nasty challenge from Joe Evans on Liam Loughlin and the referee promptly presented Evans with a yellow card. Bootle managed to get the ball into the net in the 33rd minute when Andrew Bailey played a through ball for Liam Loughlin and the latter beat keeper Judge at his near post, but the linesman’s flag had been raised and the goal wouldn’t stand due to an offside infringement. Neither side could create a killer opportunity in the remainder of the half and Bootle would enter the half time break trailing by a single goal, but I’m not sure they have too much to worry about at this stage as they have done as well as they can in the circumstances. They’ve been against the wind where long balls just hang in the air, on a pitch where players have been struggling to keep their feet. So both long ball and ground football have been difficult ventures. But with the conditions favouring Bootle in the 2nd half I can see the deficit they currently face being pegged back and I can’t see Formby coping with the conditions as well as Bootle have. Time will tell, but I suspect this match is a long way from over yet.

Half Time:
Formby 1 – 0 Bootle

Bootle got off to a good start in the 2nd half and were awarded a free kick in an attacking position when Jamie Hay was fouled by Joe Evans, however the delivery of the set piece was just too high and it went over the crossbar. Bootle continued their pressure in the 54th minute when a shot from range was parried in a good save from keeper Judge, before Kevin Black won Bootle a corner by clearing the ball against Danny Lyon. The delivery of this corner didn’t beat the first man at the near post though and Formby were able to clear their lines. Formby were the next to threaten in the 56th minute when Paul Hopkins recovered the ball from a Joe Evans pass and sent a low cross into the penalty area. Paul Jackson received the ball and shot on the turn but his effort was only just wide of the post and the score remained the same. Another half chance for Bootle came in the 62nd minute when they won themselves a throw in, the long throw into the box saw keeper Judge come to collect it but not gather it safely and it fell to the feet of Jamie Hay. Hay stabbed at it and his effort rolled not more than a foot wide of the post as Bootle came close again but failed to get level. The 68th minute saw Formby presented with another opportunity to further their lead in the 68th minute when Ian Johnson was penalised for a high foot on William Williamson, the shot from the free kick was taken by John Lawless but this time it was straight at keeper Mawdsley and he made the comfortable looking save. A minute later, Bootle should have levelled the match and Ian Johnson will still be wondering to this moment how he failed to score from such a fine opportunity. Liam Loughlin pressurised Formby defender Tom Bowden into rushing his clearance and he miss-kicked it straight into the path of Johnson six yards out from goal with the keeper stranded. Johnson struck the ball straight onto the underside of the crossbar and it bounced back into play off the line and keeper Judge gathered it. Bootle’s appeals to the linesman and referee that the ball had crossed the line fell on deaf ears and the match officials had got the decision spot on. But then an even more bizarre moment occurred in the 73rd minute when Bootle were denied the most stonewall of all stonewall penalties and the match officiating went from excellent to downright outrageous in the space of four minutes. Formby’s Tom Bowden was down injured off the pitch behind the goal line when Liam Loughlin crossed a ball into the penalty area and keeper Judge gathered it in. Kieran Dolan then verbally instructed his keeper to “put it out” behind the goal, but before he could, Dolan had taken hold of the ball in his hands from his keeper and thrown it behind the goal, the ball was never dead. Whilst treatment was being administered to Bowden, it began to dawn on everyone exactly what Dolan had done and Bootle insisted a penalty should be awarded for handball, quite correctly in my view. The referee consulted with his linesman and it was clearly heard that the linesman correctly explained to the referee exactly what had happened, the referee responded with the phrase “fair enough” and jogged back into his position, before restarting play with a corner kick. The utter bemusement surrounding the decision was compelled by the fact Bootle couldn’t create an opportunity form the corner they had been awarded, when there has never been a more clear cut case of handball ever seen in football. This bemusement was further compounded as the referee had everything explained to him correctly by his assistant and he still somehow managed to come to the conclusion that a corner was the correct decision. And if Bootle were not going to get a penalty awarded for that particular incident, they stood no chance in the 80th minute when it could be argued they should have had two. A headed flick on by Ross McDowell saw Liam Loughlin and Graham Tattershall chase it into the corner. Tattershall fluffed his clearance of the ball and Loughlin took possession and entered the penalty area. Skipping past a couple of players, Loughin was brought down from behind by Danny Lyon and the ball broke to Daniel O’Connor. Lyon then charged into the back of O’Connor elbow first and floored the Bootle forward, the referee waved away both appeals and play continued. Formby should have put the game to bed in the 81st minute when Craig Marley picked up the ball and crossed it into the penalty area, Paul Hopkins was unmarked but his attempted header made no contact with the ball and the Bootle defence was able to clear the threat. And as the match entered injury time, the hosts had another opportunity to kill the game when a free kick delivery was taken to Paul Hopkins, but his effort on the turn from close range was just over the crossbar. There was still enough time left in the match for the referee to look foolish though as Sean Coulton brought down Joe Evans in the penalty area and the whistle sounded immediately. It looked a foul and a penalty, but then the referee awarded Bootle a free kick suggesting that Evans had dived. No card was produced for the Formby player and the game should have been allowed to continue as Coulton was in possession of the ball at the time, just another inexplicable decision that I cannot for the life of me work out. The full time whistle sounded not long after and Bootle were left to reflect on a match that got away and a defeat to their derby rivals.

Well, I don’t know where to begin. Bootle had their chances, missed a couple of sitters and were denied further opportunities by the officials. The performance was poor on the whole though and they never really adapted to the 2nd half conditions well enough to use them in their favour. It’s a shock result for Formby who will be more than happy with the three points they have acquired from this contest, but after a bemusing contest, it will surely be Bootle that will be looking at the fixture and wondering where it all went wrong. Mad game, utterly mad game, but very enjoyable none the less.

Full Time:
Formby 1 – 0 Bootle.

Bootle 1 - 0 Maine Road

2010-03-20T19:13:00.005Z

Date: Saturday 20th March 2010
Competition: Vodkat NWCFL Premier Div

Venue: Delta Taxis Stadium
Attendance: 103

Cloudy skies, wet weather and a bitter cold greet the gathering that converge upon the Delta Taxis Stadium for this top of the table six pointer, some might argue that these are seasonal conditions for the time of year and region, others just wish it was warmer. Visiting Maine Road are currently having a fine season and occupy fourth spot in the league, two places above The Bucks before this afternoons games, a tough examination then is surely ahead. The two sides are not strangers to each other as they contested the 2007/08 League Challenge Cup final when Bootle were a First Division side, forcing their Premier Division opponents all the way to penalties before succumbing in the spot kick competition. A chance this afternoon to put this even further behind them perhaps?

Still struggling with some injury problems, the opening stages of the game were frustrating ones for The Bucks as a lot of close decisions were seeming to go against them from the match officials, their first real moment of threat not coming until the tenth minute of the match. A ball into the box from Daniel O’Connor took a deflection off a Maine Road defender and looped up into the air before defender Stephen Mason headed behind his own goal for a corner kick to the hosts. This corner was taken into the area where Bootle’s Daniel O’Connor and Maine Road’s Chris Crooks both went up for a header and missed it completely, before Anthony Miley attempted a shot that took a deflection off a defender for another Bootle corner. Mark Kilroy took this corner to the back post where Anthony Miley returned it into the middle via a header, but Maine Road keeper Andrew Jones read it well and was able to gather it rather comfortably. The 14th and 15th minutes of the contest would see both sides go equally close to opening the scoring but neither would accomplish it, Maine Road went first in the 14th minute when a cross into the box from Chris Crooks was headed onto the crossbar from close range with keeper Mark Mawdsley completely beaten. The 15th minute saw Bootle awarded a free kick in an attacking position when the referee adjudged that Stephen Cheetham had fouled Mark Kilroy. Chris Tyson stepped up to take the set piece and managed to beat the Maine Road defensive wall and keeper, but he couldn’t beat the frame of the goal as the ball rebounded back into play from the crossbar and the Maine Road defence cleared the danger. Bootle was then awarded another free kick in the 15th minute when Chris Hirst was rather harshly adjudged to have handled the ball. This free kick was taken to the edge of the penalty area where Andy Fowler attempted to lob Jones in the Maine Road goal but couldn’t keep his effort on target. The opening 20 minutes of the match had been a very even affair with both teams matching each other well and cancelling each other out, work rates were high on both sides and the defensive play was of a high standard. It would be Maine Road though that would go close next in the 23rd minute, a ball from captain Alex Jay found Edward Moran and he stranded the Bootle defence with a neat touch before advancing to cross the ball into the penalty area. His cross was met by a diving header from a Maine Road forward but it was glanced wide of the goal, a bit more direction would almost certainly have seen the visitors take the lead, Bootle could breathe a sigh of relief. Maine Road kept up their pressure though and won themselves another free kick in the 36th minute, James Rothel struck the ball powerfully but Carl Dale got a foot in the way to deflect it towards the edge of the penalty area. Stephen Cheetham recovered the ball from this block and struck a powerful effort towards goal that looked on target that was until Kevin Black jumped in front of the ball and appeared to block it with his arm. The Maine Road players to a man appealed for a penalty but the referee waved away their claim; this must have been frustrating for the visitors as they had a much softer looking handball decision go against them earlier in the match. Another chance for the visitors came in the 38th minute when a pass from Daniel Self found Chris Crooks on the wing, Crooks then sent in a low square cross that Mark Mawdsley got down well to block. However, the keeper couldn’t hold the ball and Daniel Self was poised to pounce on the spills, but Michael Carberry made a vital challenge on the ball and allowed Carl Dale to clear the ball away from danger. Neil McQueen then had his name taken by the referee in the 39th minute after a slightly late challenge and from the resultant free kick Maine Road won themselves a corner which was taken short but the eventual cross into the box hit the side netting and created no danger. Bootle got back onto the offensive themselves in the 42nd minute and after a shot had been cleared off the line, a cross into the box was picked up by Josh Inyang and after taking a touch to control it, struck a powerful volley with his right foot but couldn’t keep it down and it sailed over the crossbar. Half time followed not long after and there it very little to choose between the two sides at the break, it’s a very even contest indeed. You can’t even split the sides in the hit woodwork statistic. The match is anybodies for the taking in the 2nd half and it might only take a moment of brilliance or calamity to decide it.

Half Time:
Bootle 0 – 0 Maine Road

The 2nd half got underway with Maine Road having another appeal for a handball in the penalty area waved away by the referee. Daniel Self drilled the ball towards goal and it hit Michael Carberry in the chest from point blank range and the ball deflected away. The Maine Road appeals went up again and again the referee waved them away, probably more rightly in this case than the last one. In the ‘how many yellow cards can one referee administer in one match competition’, this afternoons official made another stride towards the title in the 56th minute, when Maine Road’s Daniel Self had his name taken when he floored Carl Dale with a late challenge, the card count was rising steadily. Maine Road was then penalised for another soft handball on the hour mark that gave Bootle a free kick in an attacking position, much to the understandable frustrations of their players. Andy Fowler drilled a low effort from the set piece that evaded the Maine Road defensive wall and had keeper Jones scrambling to his left, but the shot was just wide of the right hand post and went agonisingly wide. But Bootle forged another good opportunity in the 64th minute when Daniel O’Connor found a teammate on the wing and he crossed it into the penalty area. The ball was allowed to travel to the other side of the penalty area untouched and Andy Fowler picked it up and in an attempt to side-foot it into the top corner of the net, sent it over the bar and Maine Road survived again. Another chance for the home side came a minute later when a square pass from the wing was picked up by Jamie Hay. Hay took a neat touch to strand his marker and hit a powerful left footed shot on target, but keeper Jones saw it all the way and made a fine save to cling on to the ball and prevent the deadlock being broken. Both sides then had chances to take the lead in the 70th minute, Maine Road’s opportunity coming from a Chris Crooks shot from the edge of the penalty area that keeper Mark Mawdsley got down well to his left to save. Bootle’s chance came when Andy Fowler picked the ball up on the wing and turned infield before finding Ian Johnson with a pass to the edge of the penalty area. Johnson tried a shot on goal that took a deflection off a Maine Road defender and into the path of Kevin Black. Black hit a first time shot with the goal at his mercy but skied it over the crossbar and still the deadlock remained. But the inevitable happened in the 74th minute when the referee’s card habit caught up with Steven Cheetham, he cynically brought down Kevin Black on the wing and having been booked earlier in the game, the referee dismissed him from the field and Maine Road would have to see out the rest of the game with ten men. The resultant free kick was delivered into the penalty area but it was headed clear by Chris Crooks. Bootle were using their man advantage well and created another opportunity to take the lead in the 79th minute, Josh Inyang inadvertently played the ball to Daniel O’Connor and he hit a shot that was deflected behind goal by defender Edward Moran, the Maine Road defence dealt well with the resultant corner. Bootle then had a handball appeal of their own turned down in the 82nd minute when Tom Obasi managed to shake off his defenders and cut the ball back from the goal line. Jamie Hay received the ball and struck a shot towards goal that hit the hand of Richard Gresty before keeper Jones gathered it in, the appeals were waved away by the referee once again despite the fact that very similar offences were being penalised when they were being committed outside of the penalty area. But Bootle would soon forget this as a minute later; they would take the lead in the match and score what would prove to be the decisive goal. Jamie Hay flicked on a deflection to Ian Johnson in the penalty area, who in turn flicked the ball centrally for Daniel O’Connor who’s first time volley beat the keeper and hit the back of the net to give The Bucks the lead with only seven minutes remaining on the clock. There was still time enough though for the referee to award yet another yellow card, this time to Maine Road’s Edward Moran for flooring Daniel O’Connor. Bootle were able to hold on for the remaining time though and collect a very hard earned three points to close the gap on Maine Road in the league standings.

I suppose a draw would probably have been a fair result, Maine Road were far from outdone in the contest and the game was very even on the whole. However, Bootle took the chance when it was presented to them and this turned out to be the only deciding factor. Not the most exciting game ever seen, but a good contest played by two teams that showed a high level of technical football.

Full Time:
Bootle 1 – 0 Maine Road

AFC Blackpool 1-0 Irlam

2010-01-18T13:51:00.001Z

Rhyl FC 1-1 Prestatyn Town

2010-01-04T12:52:00.001Z

Lancaster City 3-1 Bamber Bridge

2010-01-02T20:48:00.000Z

Marine AFC 0-2 Nantwich Town

2009-12-28T12:02:00.003Z

Woodley Sports 3 - 1 Wakefield FC

2009-12-19T21:25:00.007Z

Date: Saturday 19th December 2009
Competition: Unibond 1st Div North
Venue: Neil Rourke Stadium, Woodley, Stockport
Attendance: 098

Firmly into December and with Christmas on the horizon, winter has bitten the North West of England and bitten violently. Temperatures below freezing and a blanket of snow across the region have given league fixture secretaries a headache each as entire leagues worth of fixtures are postponed. Watching the updates come in on the various league websites, the letter P appears next to everything on the screen and it looks like a rather depressing weekend of no football might be on the cards. However, I was saved the cold turkey by the artificial pitch at Woodley as their game against Wakefield FC goes ahead despite the conditions.

It could be a wacky match on the artificial surface as players slip and slide all over the place whilst the ball zips and skids along the surface, but it’s a game of football at the end of the day and that isn’t happening in too many other places today. On arrival at the ground, a degree of warmth and shelter from the freezing temperatures in the stylish looking clubhouse, and the sight of Portsmouth beating Liverpool on the big screen certainly warms the heart. The pitch is still covered in a dusting of snow as kickoff approaches; all that’s missing now is the orange ball.

So into the bitterly cold temperatures come the players from the warmth of the dressing rooms and onto the pitch, Woodley Sports in their home colours of dark blue and claret and Wakefield in a combination of orange shirts and black shorts, at least we’ll be able to see them through the snow. Captains and match officials meet in the centre to complete the pre match formalities and it would be Wakefield FC to get the match underway. The opening half our would belong to the hosts as they adapted to the conditions the quicker and created all of the chances whilst Wakefield were finding their feet, the first of these chances coming in the 5th minute of the match. A neat turn and through pass saw a Woodley forward receive the ball on the edge of the penalty area and hit a thunderous effort that was heading for the top of the net, but the Wakefield keeper pulled off a fine save to parry the ball back into the box and the linesman’s raised flag for offside killed the attack stone dead when another Woodley forward attempted to follow it up.

Wakefield’s keeper was very nearly responsible for the hosts taking the lead in the 8th minute when he scuffed a clearance straight to a waiting forward on the edge of the box. The Woodley forward then evaded a defender before hitting a powerful drive that the keeper managed to save low to his right to keep the game scoreless. Woodley kept up this pressure in the 13th minute when they won a corner after an attempted cross had been deflected behind goal by a defender. The delivery of the corner was deflected behind goal by a defender for another corner and this corner delivery was punched away by the Wakefield keeper and this resulted in a 3rd corner for the hosts. This corner delivery was headed away by a Wakefield defender which sent the visitors on a break downfield however they couldn’t turn this into a goalscoring chance. Another good chance for the hosts came in the 15th minute when a neat through ball set a forward free in the penalty area with only the goalkeeper to beat from an angle. But the keeper advanced and narrowed the angle well and made the required save from the shot and the defenders cleared the spills away. But the lead Woodley had been threatening finally came in the 25th minute and they could probably consider it an early Christmas present from Wakefield FC. The keeper bowled the ball out looking for his defender but failed to see Kristian Dennis in his way. Dennis picked up the ball and advanced towards goal before beating the keeper from the angle to give the hosts the lead they deserved in the contest. Wakefield attempted to get themselves level in the contest again when they won themselves a corner in the 29th minute, the delivery of which was claimed by the keeper after a headed attempt and he distributed the ball out to the wing to send Woodley on a quick break forward.

The winger advanced the whole length of the pitch before managing to send a cross into the penalty area that was turned over the bar by another Woodley forward. Wakefield then created half a chance for themselves in the 38th minute when they worked the ball out wide to the wing before a low cross into the box required a touch to send it goalwards, but no Wakefield forward was on hand to apply this touch and the ball rolled harmlessly out of play for a Woodley goal kick. The final action of the half would occur when a Wakefield cross was deflected behind goal by a defender for a corner, the delivery of which was right into the danger zone but the forward couldn’t get any direction on his header and it glanced wide of the goal creating no threat. Half time then arrived in a game that had been fairly uninspiring but where Woodley had deserved the lead they held, even if the goal had come from an error from the keeper. It’s literally freezing cold and the match has done little to make the supporters feel any warmer. Wakefield were creating more chances for themselves as the half wore towards its conclusion so maybe a comeback is on the cards for the 2nd half.

Half Time:
Woodley Sports 1 – 0 Wakefield FC

As the start of the 2nd half approached the weather took another downwards turn as another snow storm dropped in, but Wakefield were not cooled off by this and won themselves a corner in the 47th minute. The delivery of this corner was punched clear by the Woodley keeper before Wakefield secured themselves a throw in on the far side, the throw was taken long but headed away by a defender and the danger passed. Another chance came for the visitors in the 50th minute when a cross from the wing headed over the entire defence and was almost touched home by a Wakefield player that was ghosting in at the back post, but the player couldn’t get enough of a touch on the ball and it went wide of the post.

But a minute later Wakefield got their equalising goal when a through ball saw the Woodley defence appeal for an offside flag that didn’t arrive. Chris Howarth picked up the ball and finished with aplomb with a powerfully struck low drive that gave the keeper no chance and brought the game level. They very nearly took the lead in the 58th minute when a square ball across the box had Woodley stranded and the sliding effort from the Wakefield player arriving at the back post was just off target. Woodley regained the lead in the match in the 61st minute when they were awarded a free kick in an attacking position, the delivery of the set piece was headed half clear by a defender before it was crossed back into the box and over the defence before Kristian Dennis scored from an acute angle to give the hosts the lead once more. The game was now becoming a far more entertaining affair as Wakefield once again pushed for a goal to get them level in the match again, they went about this in the 65th minute when a low cross into the box was looking threatening until a Woodley defender stuck out a foot and turned the ball behind goal for a corner to the visitors. The corner delivery was right into the danger zone again but the keeper was able to punch half clear and the defence was able to do the rest.

Woodley then had the chance to further their lead in the 67th minute when they were awarded a penalty after a Woodley forward had got passed the Wakefield defender and had been pulled down inside the box. But the game was kept interesting as the Wakefield keeper guessed the right way and saved the spot kick. Wakefield were then reduced to 10 men after one too many protestations from a certain player saw the referee lose patience and dismiss him from the field, the player having to be restrained by his teammates after squaring up to the referee on two separate occasions. As the match drew towards its conclusion neither team was really able to dominate the other and a weak effort from range for the home side in the 81st minute failed to trouble the keeper. But the points were made safe for the home side in time added on when they scored a third goal when Antoni Sarcevic picked up a pass on the edge of the penalty area. Sarcevic then sidestepped two defenders before coolly slotting the ball into the net to double their advantage and secure the points. This would be the full time score as Woodley defeated Wakefield 3-1.

Well there was far more entertainment in the 2nd half than the first provided and in the end it had a little bit of everything. Appalling weather, missed penalty, some great goals, bad tempers, red cards, there really was something for everybody by the time full time arrived. Woodley were probably just about worth their victory on the whole despite the slight resurgence Wakefield showed after a poor first half performance. From my personal point of view though it wasn’t the greatest game I’ve ever watched, but given the state of the weather at the moment, it was a game of football and I’m going to appreciate it just for that fact. Congratulations to Woodley Sports.

Full Time:
Woodley Sports 3 – 1 Wakefield FC

Replay, Or Go Away!

2009-11-11T16:41:00.003Z

It’s struck me recently that there has been a change to a well established rule in the non league football circles, either that or it is simply being ignored. The punishments and consequences for playing an ineligible player in a match used to be fairly straightforward, if it was a league game then the team would lose points off their league total and if it was a cup game, the team would be expelled from the competition had they won the match, their defeated opponents would take their place in the next round and receive any prize money that was at stake.

However, in recent times when this has happened, these outcomes haven’t been the case. There was inconsistency in this last season when two seemingly identical crimes were punished differently, admittedly by two different authoritative bodies. When Droylsden played a player against Chesterfield in the FA Cup that was supposed to have been suspended in that particular match, they were kicked out of the competition after winning the tie and Chesterfield advanced to the next round. But in the same season, Silsden played Ossett Town in the West Riding FA Senior Cup competition and won the match. However the subsequent discovery of an ineligible player in the Silsden team didn’t see the Keighley based club expelled, but the West Riding FA ordered the match to be replayed. Silsden, then fielding a side that wasn’t cheating, were resoundingly beaten in the rematch. At the time though, it struck me as strange because the usual punishment for this type of infringement was competition expulsion.

This season, there have been two instances of teams fielding an ineligible player in a match and winning the game, neither have been dealt with in the expected manner. When Daisy Hill and AFC Liverpool met at New Sirs earlier in the season, they produced a match of cracking entertainment and edge-of-your-seat stuff with the final score being 5-4 to Daisy Hill.

None of the nine goals scored in that contest or the points that Daisy Hill received now have any relevance. Daisy Hill had played a player in that match that has been suspended having played Sunday league football and apparently hadn’t informed the club, Daisy Hill were unaware that he should have been suspended. The league disciplinary committee elected not to deduct the points from Daisy Hill but to declare the match null and void, it will have to be replayed at a later date. Then just this week, news that New Mills FC played an ineligible player who was on loan from Northwich Victoria in their 1-0 FA Vase victory over Bourne Town of the United Counties Football League Premier Division.

Playing a loan player in the FA Vase contravenes FA Law and the player is therefore ineligible. Recent seasons would have seen the offending club expelled from the competition, but that is not the case this time around. Whilst the other successful teams will be competing in the 2nd round of the FA Vase this weekend, Bourne Town and New Mills will be doing it all again in the first round after the FA took the decision not to expel New Mills from the competition, but ordered that the match be replayed to a conclusion. The FA have said that extenuating circumstances have led to them using discretionary powers and no fine has been imposed.

Now if the rules have changed at FA Headquarters for dealing with this sort of thing and I just haven’t heard about it, I’m more than happy to accept that. But it does seem odd that this ruling has changed and teams are getting second chances to atone for earlier errors. If this becomes a thing of consistency across the FA and the regional FA’s then I suppose there is little grounds for complaint here, but I have to say I preferred the system the way it worked before. If teams realise that the only thing that will happen to them if they play ineligible players in games is that they will get another stab at it later on, they might very well play that top striker of theirs that has picked up one too many yellow cards in previous games, in the hope that the opposition won’t find out and they’ll get away with it. But if the opposition do find out the fixture secretary is going to have a serious headache with re-scheduling the games. In my view if you play an ineligible player then that should be it, no second chances. Appeal the decision by all means, but don’t expect a 2nd bite of the cherry!

AFC Liverpool 2-0 Oldham Town

2009-10-01T13:39:00.000+01:00

Date: Saturday 26th September 2009
Cometition: Vodkat NWCFL Div 1
Venue: Valerie Park, Prescot, Merseysde
Attendance: 115

A NWCFL Division One match between AFC Liverpool and Oldham Town. There’s little much else I know about this fixture as it wasn’t the one I was originally heading to, so no research completed on those grounds. However, I know from having my finger on the pulse (and if you believe that you’ll believe anything) that the dream and enthusiasm that pushed AFC Liverpool into their existence has firmly disappeared and is slowly dying altogether. Crowd figures are dropping off to normal NWCFL levels and the surging rise up the league that was predicted simply hasn’t happened. A total and utter flop has become of the team who are better known as AFC Pizzahut in these parts, and really there’s a pleasing feeling about that. Maybe other supporters of Premiership clubs who are disillusioned with their team will think twice about littering the non-league game with their rip-off teams, AFC Liverpool are proof that it doesn’t always work. Now that is off my chest, onto today’s match. I’ve never seen Oldham Town play before and have only seen AFC Liverpool play on two previous occasions since their formation, so I don’t really have any idea who is going to win this match, yes I’m on form with this one there’s no doubting that. The AFC Liverpool “Kop End” is empty bar a few people, on small banner is on display hanging from the main stand, it’s a far cry from what AFC Liverpool are used to and evidently the average kopite is no longer poor these days.

So as kick-off time rolled around the two teams emerged from the tunnel and onto the field, AFC Liverpool in their home colours of all red and Oldham Town in their blue shirts and black shorts. Referee and captains complete the pre-match formalities and just on 3pm Oldham Town got the match underway. The game started in an even fashion with neither side really managing to get on top of the other, the first half chance of the game took until the 7th minute to arrive and it fell to the visitors. Nicholas Alexander finding some space on the edge of the penalty area before pulling an effort across goal and wide for a goal kick to the hosts. Oldham Town then came within an inch of taking the lead in the 9th minute when a free kick was delivered into the box and the AFC Liverpool defence failed to pick up James Curley. Curley’s header had Paul Willis in the AFC Liverpool goal beaten but his effort skimmed the top of the crossbar and the game remained scoreless.

AFC Liverpool then had a chance to open the scoring in the 14th minute when they won themselves a corner, Ryan Wignall’s corner delivery was headed goalwards by defender Mark Bloxam but Oldham Town keeper Daniel Pearson made the comfortable save required to keep the hosts at bay. Oldham Town were the next to attempt a threat on goal when then won themselves a corner in the 25th minute, the delivery of which was to the near post but the AFC Liverpool defence managed to cope with the threat and headed the ball away to safety. Another chance from a corner this time came from the hosts in the 30th minute and the delivery into the penalty area saw Mark Bloxham have an unchallenged header on goal that brought a punching clearance from keeper Pearson. But this clearance came straight back to Bloxham and he sent in a powerful volley back on goal but it was blocked by a defender and eventually cleared. In what was turning out to be one of the dullest games I’ve watched in a long time, Oldham Town hit the woodwork for the 2nd time when a long ball down the wing was crossed into the penalty area but hit the crossbar and bounced of play for an AFC Liverpool goal kick. Oldham Town worked themselves another opportunity two minutes later though when some patient build up play saw an effort disappear over the crossbar after Nicholas Alexander was brought down in the penalty area by River Humphreys, no appeals from either the Oldham Town players or supporters came though and the referee took no action.

Little else of action occurred in what was a bloody awful half of football and the referee’s half time whistle left me feeling somewhat short-changed of the £2 I’d paid to get in. Very few moments of excitement and even fewer goals, lets hope the 2nd half holds far more entertainment than the 1st.

Half Time:
AFC Liverpool 0 – 0 Oldham Town

AFC Liverpool made a vastly improved start to the 2nd half and won themselves a free kick in the 46th minute. The kick was taken short and worked into the corner where the home side managed to win themselves a corner. Ryan Wignall’s corner delivery was sent into the danger area but the Oldham Town defence was able to clear the danger. Another good passage of play from the home side saw them work another opening in the 48th minute when patient play down the wing saw a cross into the penalty area and a headed effort heading goalwards until the Oldham Town keeper made the required comfortable save. With the home side now having the far better and more frequent of the forward exchanges and Oldham Town managing to get forward only rarely, the deadlock in the game was broken in the 70th minute, just when it looked like the game was going to be a scoreless one.

A seeking pass was picked up by Todd Bamber who turned and fired the ball into the corner of the net past the outstretched keeper. Oldham Town were then left with no option but to go for broke and AFC Liverpool were finding ways to get forwards when Oldham Town lost the ball on their attacks. The match was settled in injury time when Todd Bamber scored another goal to give AFC Liverpool a two goal unassailable lead, a loose Oldham town pass was picked up and the player advanced towards goal before squaring the ball to Todd Bamber in a central position and he beat the keeper in very similar fashion to the way he scored his first goal. The full time whistle followed minutes later and the match was thankfully brought to an end.

A very dull match for the neutrals in the crowd but I’m sure that what is left of the rapidly dwindling AFC Liverpool support will have enjoyed the end result. I suppose at the end of the day I got two goals for my £2, but these were the only value for money items experienced on the whole day. A very disappointing day indeed. Congratulations to AFC Liverpool.

Full Time:
AFC Liverpool 2 – 0 Oldham Town

Footnotes: AFC Liverpool's highlights.

Prescot Cables 3-1 Colwyn Bay

2009-09-22T22:00:00.000+01:00

Date: Tuesday 22nd September 2009
Competition: Unibond League Challenge Cup 1R
Venue: Valerie Park, Prescot, Merseyside
Attendance: 091

A taste of the cup this evening, well the Unibond League Challenge Cup at least. Not a competition that will be tremendously high up on the priorities list of its competitors, but it’s an opportunity of silverware for a side lower down the standings. This particular clash is between Prescot Cables and Colwyn Bay, both sides being in the Unibond First Division North and having already met once this season when Colwyn Bay ran out 3-1 winners in a league match at Llanelian Road. Prescot will be keen to gain revenge for this result and also halt a string of poor results with a victory this evening.

Colwyn Bay have had a few erratic results this season themselves, their 3-1 victory over Prescot then saw them dumped out of the FA Cup in the Preliminary Round stage of the competition with a 2-4 home defeat by St Helens Town. The next match they travelled to then unbeaten Radcliffe Borough and hammered them 7-0. So the question is what sort of Colwyn Bay side will turn up this evening? This competition is often used by managers to try out players that don’t often get league games and some more youthful members of the squad, so it’s possible we may not get full strength squads for tonight’s match but hopefully we will get a good dose of cup knockout football. Prescot’s current position of 16th in the division and Colwyn Bay’s 2nd would seem to indicate that the Welshmen are the favourites tonight, but as we all know anything can happen in cup football.

Kickoff time rolled around and the two teams exited the dressing room and made their way onto the pitch, Prescot Cables in their home colours of amber and black and Colwyn Bay in turquoise and claret. The team captains and match officials conclude the pre-match formalities in the centre circle and Colwyn Bay get the match underway. Both teams were quickly settled into their games and were getting forward attempting to create chances, Colwyn Bay’s early penalty appeal was turned down by the referee after a challenge saw a Colwyn Bay player hit the deck from a Dave Challinor throw in. Prescot then had an opportunity to take the lead in the 6th minute when a long downfield clearance was held up well by a forward before being played to Aaron Rey. Rey created a yard of space between himself and his defenders before turning a shot across the keeper from the edge of the penalty area that rolled just wide of the left hand post. But the 9th minute would see the home side go one better when they took the lead, a keepers clearance was brought down poorly by a Colwyn Bay defender and Paul Lundon recovered the ball. From 25 yards out on the volley Lundon turned the ball goalwards and his sweetly struck curling effort hit the inside of the net with the keeper stranded to give the home side the lead. Colwyn Bay attempted to get back into the match with a neat move in the 15th minute culminated with a good run at the Prescot defenders and a square pass that saw a shot deflect harmlessly to Andy Paxton in the Prescot Cables goal.

A moment of brilliance then saw Prescot Cables double their advantage in the 16th minute when a patient build up looked to be continuing when the ball was played to Che Morgan. From all of 45 yards and noticing the keeper off his line, the defender struck the ball with parlance and power as it sailed straight over the head of Chris Sanna in the Colwyn Bay goal and into the top corner of the net in one of the most spectacular goals I’ve seen for a while, worth the entrance money on its own! Colwyn Bay looked rocked as Prescot Cables looked to further turn the screw on their struggling beleaguered opponents. The 18th minute saw another good opportunity when another long shot was fired off and keeper Sanna made an impressive save to turn the ball behind for a corner. The resultant corner in the 19th minute saw a pinpoint delivery right into the middle of a static Colwyn Bay defence headed thunderously into the net by Prescot captain Rob McIntosh and Prescot were three goals up and not 20 minutes had been played. Colwyn Bay were now staring down the barrel and had to quickly pick up their game or face elimination of the competition, they created an opportunity for themselves when a ball over the top of the Cables defence from a midfielder saw a forward have a good chance, but his attempted volley was scuffed and the ball trickled comfortably into the arms of the keeper. Cables should then have had a fourth goal in the 27th minute when Aaron Rey picked up a throw in and evaded the advancing keeper. With an open net at his mercy but a tight angle to shoot from, Rey’s effort across goal trickle agonisingly wide of the far post and out for a Colwyn Bay goal kick. Colwyn Bay’s efforts to get themselves back into the match almost brought reward in the 28th minute, a long throw in from former Tranmere Rovers professional Dave Challinor was allowed to bounce in the penalty area and an overhead kick from a forward had everybody beaten but the effort struck the woodwork and the chance passed. Cables had the last real chance of the half in the 37th minute when they quelled a Colwyn Bay attack and broke down the field at speed. A through ball beat the Colwyn Bay defence and was picked up by a forward but his effort from the corner of the penalty area sailed over the bar when a little bit more composure might have seen him hit the target.

The first half ended having seen nothing short of a Prescot Cables domination, Colwyn Bay look disjointed like a team that has never played together before. Prescot have scored three very good goals and it would take a comeback greater than Lazarus for Colwyn Bay to get back into this match from this position. Here’s to hoping the game doesn’t get boring from here on in, which is a distinct possibility with the score being what it is.

Half Time:
Prescot Cables 3 – 0 Colwyn Bay

Colwyn Bay came out for the 2nd half like a team that knew they had their backs to the wall and had to seriously battle hard to retain their place in the competition. They won themselves a free kick in the 50th minute when a player was felled by a loose challenge. The delivery of the free kick was sent into the penalty area and a Prescot defender was only able to half clear the ball with a header. It then fell to a Colwyn Bay forward on the edge of the penalty area and his volleyed effort was blocked by a defender before another forward struck a powerful effort that was also blocked before the defence cleared the ball away. Prescot then had a gilt-edged opportunity to further their lead in the 55th minute, some great work down the wing saw a low square cross into the penalty area that evaded every player, an untracked Prescot forward blasted the ball goalwards from 6 yards out but a brilliant save from Chris Sanna in the Colwyn Bay goal turned the ball behind for a corner. The resultant corner was eventually dealt with by the Colwyn Bay defence by kicking it against a Prescot forward and deflecting it out of play for a goal kick. Colwyn Bay’s efforts to get themselves back into the match were being met with horrendous luck as in the 59th minute, another long throw into the penalty area saw a Colwyn Bay forward rise the highest to head the ball but his header hit the bar from close range and the ball rebounded back into play, the Prescot defence managed to deal with the rebound and clear the ball away to safety.

Another chance in the 65th minute saw Colwyn Bay work another opening when a forward forged a path through several defenders before creating a yard of space for himself to fire off a shot, however his effort was pulled across the face of goal and wide for a Prescot goal kick, but there were now many more encouraging signs coming from the visitors. A Prescot Cables cross into the penalty area in the 68th minute was headed over the bar at the back post, before a slightly nervous finish was threatened when Colwyn Bay got a goal back for themselves. A long throw in in the 81st minute was half cleared back to the wing, when a cross into the box left the Cables defence motionless and Rob Hopley drifted in to touch the ball past the keeper and into the net. Colwyn Bay continued to press for another goal but time was not on their side and the full time whistle signified the end of their participation in the competition after a 3-1 score line.

Although showing some significant improvement in the 2nd half, Prescot’s goals and the lacklustre display from the visitors meant they had too much to do in the 2nd half to recover. Prescot thoroughly deserved the victory and were far the better side on the night, they will be looking for this result to kick-start their season and get them onto winning ways in their new division, whilst it’s another first hurdle exit for Colwyn Bay. Congratulations to Prescot Cables.

Full Time:
Prescot Cables 3 – 1 Colwyn Bay

Bootle 3 - 0 Winsford United

2009-09-02T14:56:00.004+01:00

Date: Tuesday 1st September 2009
Competition: Vodkat NWCFL Premier Div
Venue: The Delta Taxis Stadium, Bootle, Merseyide
Attendance: 115

A late intervention from mother nature means my intended destination for a football match had to be changed at the last minute this evening, but only 10 miles down the road where the weather will almost certainly have been the same yet the pitch at the Delta Taxi’s Stadium has held up fine. The aforementioned stadium is the home to Bootle FC, newly promoted to the Vodkat League Premier Division as champions of Division One and making a fantastic start to life in a higher flight.

From their opening four league games they have acquired 10 points from a possible 12 and will surely be challenging at the leagues summit come the end of the season. I make them favourites to win tonight as their opponents are Winsford United, who currently lie in the lower half of the table and have made a far harder time of things in their start to the season. Pre match predictions are for a heavy Bootle victory this evening.

Kickoff time rolled around and the two teams followed the match officials out of the tunnel, Bootle in their home strip of all blue and Winsford in their changed strip of orange shirts and black shorts. The game got underway in none too surprising circumstances as Bootle made the better start and were quickly on the attack, and after blasting a ball over the bar from the edge of the penalty area and a good opportunity passing them by, they won themselves a corner in the 5th minute. The delivery of the corner was taken low and hard to the back of the penalty area but the Winsford defence was able to half clear the ball to safety and the chance passed for the home side.

Another good chance was created by Bootle when they won themselves a throw in the 10th minute. The ball eventually being crossed into the penalty area from this possession and the Bootle forwards header was over the bar. Winsford then had a chance themselves when they won a corner in the 20th minute and the delivery was right into the danger area but a Bootle defender managed to head the ball away from danger and concede a throw in. The throw in was taken long and back into the penalty area but the Bootle defence wasn’t stretched in dealing with the attack. With the game rapidly becoming a stale and dour affair from the neutrals point of view, Bootle tried a long range effort in the 22nd minute but the Winsford keeper made the comfortable looking save and the match remained scoreless. But as they had been threatening to do for the majority of the match, Bootle broke the deadlock in the 34th minute. Andy Fowler received the ball in the penalty area as the Winsford defence appealed for an offside flag that was not forthcoming. Fowler then evaded his defender and drilled the ball past the keeper at his near post to give his side the lead. This lead was doubled in the 39th minute when an appalling gaffe by a Winsford defender allowed Bootle to regain the ball in an attacking position. The ball was then worked out wide and Andy Fowler delivered a pinpoint cross into the penalty area where Hardwick’s diving header had the keeper stranded and the ball in the net to double the hosts advantage.

This would be the score at halftime in a game that had been dull and uninspiring for those of a neutral perspective. It’s been all one way traffic so far and it was only a matter of time before Bootle took the lead, although the overall entertainment value has been poor. Winsford now have to score to make this game even remotely exciting but they don’t look likely to do that at all, it’s hard to see anything other than a comfortable victory for Bootle at this stage.

Half Time:
Bootle 2 – 0 Winsford United

The first chance of the 2nd half fell to the visitors in the 50th minute when a great piece of control on the edge of the box saw a Winsford United forward bring the ball under control and fire a shot at the near post that was kept out by a combination of both Bootle keeper and post before being cleared away from danger. But after this Bootle were right back on the attack and in the 52nd minute an effort from range sailed over the crossbar. The home side then had the ball in the net on another two occasions in the 58th and 61st minutes but both goals were disallowed with a raised flag from the referee’s assistant. A Winsford United corner in the 63rd minute gave them a chance to get back into the match, the delivery was returned to the kick taker from the near post and his second cross into the area was headed clear by a Bootle defender and the chance passed.

But another chance for the visitors two minutes later came when a Winsford forward won some space from his defenders, but with the goal at his mercy he blasted is over the crossbar and a glorious opportunity for Winsford to get back into the match was wasted. Bootle wrapped the contest up in the 71st minute when they scored their third goal of the match when a cross to the back post was flicked back to the unmarked Jamie Hay and his header beat the keeper at his far post to put the match to bed and confirm Bootle’s victory. A late Winsford United flurry wasn’t enough to get them on the score sheet and the referee’s full time whistle signalled another victory for Bootle.

It was a very dull game for the neutral, Bootle never really looked uncomfortable or troubled at any time and were unfortunately dragged down to Winsford United’s level at the start of the match, neither team looked like they were wanting to keep possession and the passing game was sloppy. The goals Bootle scored killed the game off as a spectacle as Winsford were not able to match their standard of play. Bootle march on with their undefeated start to the season and congratulations to them on their victory.

Full Time:
Bootle 3 – 0 Winsford United

Prescot Cables 2 - 1 Skelmersdale United

2009-09-01T16:24:00.005+01:00

Date: Monday 31st August 2009

Competition: Unibond League 1st Div North

Venue: Valerie Park, Prescot, Merseyside

Attendance: 243

Bank Holiday Monday means football day and usually matches with something of a great local rivalry between the sides playing due to traffic jams and reduced public transport. Today is no exception. It’s the ever grand Valerie Park this afternoon where Prescot Cables take on Skelmersdale United in a Unibond League Division 1 North match. Cables start to life in their new league hasn’t been the smoothest with some sporadic results in their opening games.

A 0-5 hammering by Lancaster City on the opening day of the season has been followed up with an encouraging draw and win against Trafford and Ossett Albion respectively. But recent defeats to Colwyn Bay and Atherton LR make this match somewhat crucial for Cables this afternoon. Skelmersdale United have made an unbeaten start in the league to this point with two wins and two draws in their opening four matches, so they will be looking to extend that run today against the league’s new boys.

The players made their way out from the changing rooms and onto the pitch with Prescot in their home colours of amber and black stripes and Skelmersdale in their changed strip of all red. Captains and match officials meet in the centre circle and after a brief delay whist the referee makes the Skelmersdale keeper change his shirt to one of a correct colour, the match gets underway with Prescot Cables kicking off. The first real chance of the half fell to the visitors in the 5th minute when a cross from the wing was flicked on towards goal and produced an absolutely fantastic save from Andy Paxton in the Prescot goal to turn the ball away for a corner. Skelmersdale were now showing early signs of confidence and after some good work from a forward to create himself some space in the penalty area from the angle, his shot hit the side netting in another early warning shot for the home side.

Cables managed to get forward themselves in the 14th minute when the won themselves a corner that was delivered right into the danger area and the Skelmersdale keeper initially dropped but managed to recover at the second time of asking. The match then took on an even view with neither side really managing to get on top of the other, until the 24th minute when the deadlock was broken. Prescot forward Aaron Rey slipped his two defenders and made a break forwards, upon reaching the goal line he executed a sweet cross to the back post where the unmarked Phil Green leaped like a salmon trying to get upstream to send a looping header over the keeper and into the top corner of the net to give the hosts the lead. Some eight minutes later Cables lead was doubled when they won themselves a corner in the 32nd minute. The delivery was once again to the back post and Mark Calland rose the highest to win the header and send the ball past the keeper and into the top corner once again. Prescot now hold a commanding lead in the encounter and Skelmersdale United must surely be disappointed to have conceded two very similar goals in a short space of time, leaving them with a considerably uphill battle for the rest of the match.

Although they made a good stab of trying to get themselves back into the game a minute later when a headed effort on goal went wide of its target. The half would end with Prescot holding a two goal advantage after taking their opportunities and it’s a lead that they deserve. If Skelmersdale can pick up their game a little and go all out hell at the Cables defence, the 2nd half could see this game become a gripping encounter.

Half Time:
Prescot Cables 2 – 0 Skelmersdale United

Skelmersdale’s response and start to the second half was what was hoped for, they immediately went after the Cables goal with serious intent. The would have halved their hosts lead in the 49th minute had it not been for Andy Paxton in the Cables goal, the keeper pulling off an impressive double save from two close range Skelmersdale shots to keep his clean sheet intact. Another good opportunity for the visitors came in the 51st minute when Cables half cleared a cross into the box for it to fall to the feet of a striker on the edge of the penalty area, but he couldn’t keep his shot down and it sailed over the crossbar. But the breakthrough for Skelmersdale that they had been threatening came two minutes later when a cross from the edge of the penalty area found a completely unmarked Stephen Burke. Burke’s header on goal was saved by Paxton but he couldn’t hold it and Burke tapped in the rebound to bring Skelmersdale right back into the encounter. The visitors could now smell blood and Andy Paxton was the hero again in the 56th minute when a powerful shot was drilled form the edge of the penalty area and he made another wonderful save to turn the ball behind the goal.

The match then became Skelmersdale trying in vain to break down the Cables defence and the hosts attacking on the break when they got the opportunity. A few messy challenges and yellow cards were produced as the match wore towards his conclusion. Skelmersdale were continuing to come forward relentlessly and Cables were digging their heels in waiting for the full time whistle. The nerves of the home supporters were not eased much when the announcement came over the tannoy “there will be a minimum of six added minutes”, Skelmersdale must have been encouraged by this news though. Five of the six added minutes had gone when a last ditch Skelmersdale effort hit the crossbar in a massive stroke of unfortunate luck and the full time whistle sounded not long afterwards. Cables had hung on for a brilliant victory.

It proves to be Skelmersdale United’s first defeat of the season and promotes Prescot Cables to 9th place in the division, surely the locals must be getting nosebleeds at the sight of their team so high up the league after recent seasons at the bottom of the league. Cables fans will now be hoping for a bit more consistency from their side and Skelmersdale will look to move on after getting that first defeat out of their system. Congratulations to Prescot Cables.

Full Time:
Prescot Cables 2 – 1 Skelmersdale United

Atherton Collieries 0 - 1 Daisy Hill

2009-08-25T15:31:00.005+01:00

Date: Monday 24th August 2009
Competition: Vodkat NWCFL Division 1
Venue: Alder House, Atherton, Lancashire
Attendance: 072

Monday, often considered the worst day of the week and famously not popular with The Boomtown Rats. But the Monday blues are removed when there’s the prospect of a pint and football match in the evening. Tonight brings that prospect with what I suppose you could call a derby match between Atherton Collieries and Daisy Hill. It’s not the proper derby really because Atherton Collieries were relegated from the Premier Division of the Vodkat North West Counties League last season, thus separating them and Atherton LR. But with the two towns being separated by just 2 miles, there are local bragging rights at stake this evening that both teams will be keen on acquiring. Atherton Collieries start to life in Division 1 of the Vodkat League hasn’t been the smoothest as they have acquired only one point from their opening three league games, an enthralling 5-5 draw against Ashton Town in which they led twice and conceded the equalising goal in the depths of injury time.

Daisy Hill have had a far better time of it as they currently sit 7th in the league having acquired five points in their four league games, so tonight’s match is a pretty tough one to call. Atherton will be eager to bounce back from the victory they threw away on Saturday and Daisy Hill will be looking to continue their solid start, throw in the local bragging rights and this match has the prospect to be a cracker. Let’s hope it turns out that way. The setting sun manages to evade the few wispy clouds as kickoff approaches, absolutely perfect conditions for a game of football. I’m actually quite excited for a change as I can watch a game from a neutral perspective, it’s been a bit stressful watching the team I support of late so it’ll be great to be neutral for a match.

So as kickoff time approached the two teams and the match officials made their way out onto the pitch, Atherton Collieries in their home colours of black and white shirts with black shorts and Daisy Hill in their home colours of all blue. The necessary is completed and it would be Daisy Hill to get the match underway. And what a way to get it underway, only three minutes into the match and the visitors had the lead. Westwell received a through ball on the edge of the penalty area and got behind the Atherton Collieries defence before shooting the ball past the keeper and into the corner of the net to get the deadlock broken early and send the visitors into a very quick lead.

Daisy Hill kept up this early pressure and came forward again in the 4th minute when they won themselves a corner from a well timed defensive challenge. The delivery of the corner was right into the danger zone but the Collieries keeper made a great punch on the ball to clear it from danger. Atherton Collieries then got a chance for themselves in the 14th minute when a run down the wing brought a low square cross that was turned behind the goal by a Daisy Hill defender for a corner. The resultant corner was played back into the penalty area and squared across goal with the keeper beaten but nobody could apply the crucial touch required to turn it into a goal. Approaching the 20 minute mark in the match it was a fairly even game, Atherton Collieries hadn’t allowed their heads to drop after the early concede and had done well to get themselves back onto a level footing with their opponents. On the 20 minute mark Atherton Collieries had another opportunity when they were awarded a free kick some distance out, the delivery was into the penalty area and an Atherton forward was able to get his head to it but he steered it wide of the target, but Collieries were now looking up for the match. Daisy Hill were the next to come forward though and in the 22nd minute they forced a save out of the Collieries keeper when some good hold up play on the wing saw a cross into the penalty area that was just palmed from danger and the Collieries defence was able to clear the ball away. Collieries then won a free kick in the 27th minute and the delivery into the penalty area was headed from danger from the Daisy Hill defence before being cleared downfield. Collieries kept the forward play coming though and won themselves another corner just after the half hour mark when some good play down the wing saw an eventual shot deflected behind his own goal by a Daisy Hill defender. From this Collieries forced another corner when a forward returned the ball to the penalty area and the keeper came to punch the ball away from the waiting forward, conceding another corner in the process. This corner was headed half clear before another Collieries shot deflected off a defender and another corner was awarded, but this corner was eventually dealt with by the Daisy Hill defence and they had weathered the storm well to preserve their lead. As the half drew towards its conclusion both sides had corners that failed to make a serious threat on goal and the referee sounded the half time whistle not long afterwards.

Atherton Collieries have done well to not let their heads drop after the early concede and have competed well since it occurred. But Daisy Hill have just edged the first half for me as they’ve looked the more fluent and composed on the ball, and thus more likely to score. Collieries will have hill advantage in the 2nd half so let’s see what they can do with it.

Half Time:
Atherton Collieries 0 – 1 Daisy Hill

Both teams came out for the 2nd half in determined fashion and the first chance of the half fell to the hosts in the 46th minute, but the forwards shot was tame and an easy save for the Daisy Hill keeper. Daisy Hill then had a chance in the 50th minute but the strikers effort from range was considerably wide of the target and of no threat to the keeper. Daisy Hill should have extended their lead in the 60th minute when they missed an absolute sitter, the linesmans flag went up and the Atherton Collieries defence seemed to stop but the referee waved play on. The Daisy Hill forward took the ball to the touchline and squared it for his teammate only for it to be put wide from six yards out. Things then got worse for Daisy Hill as they were reduced to ten men after a rash challenge and this allowed Atherton Collieries to start pushing forward in search of the equaliser. Daisy Hill were then awarded a free kick right on the edge of the penalty area as an attacking player was upended by an outstretched leg of a defender, an infringement that also earned the perpetrator a yellow card. The delivery was taken straight into the Collieries defensive wall and they were able to clear the remaining danger.

Atherton Collieries were now looking really likely to score the equalising goal and they came close in the 76th minute when a shot from the edge of the penalty area hit the post and the rebound couldn’t be turned home by the waiting forward as the Daisy Hill defence cleared the danger. It was at this point I thought it might not be Atherton Collieries night. Daisy Hill very nearly put the match to bed in the 82nd minute when a close range shot was brilliantly saved by the Atherton Collieries keeper before the ball broke across goal with the keeper still recovering from the save, the rebound was fired back in towards goal but a last minute block on the line from a Collieries defender kept his team in the contest. Collieries continued to come forward but found themselves being thwarted by the linesmans flag, but as hard as they tried they just couldn’t break through and the full time whistle sounded with the end result as a victory for Daisy Hill.

I felt for Atherton Collieries at the full time whistle, the toil and effort they put into the fight back deserved some reward that they probably would have had were it not for their bad luck, but Daisy Hill’s defence was resolute and stood up to the task even with a man disadvantage. Daisy Hill’s great start to the season continues whilst Atherton Collieries continue to struggle to adapt to life in Division 1. Congratulations to Daisy Hill.

Full Time:
Atherton Collieries 0 – 1 Daisy Hill

Bamber Bridge 1 - 4 Preston North End

2009-07-16T13:45:00.006+01:00

Date: Tuesday 14th July 2009

Competition: Preseason Friendly

Venue: QED Stadium, Bamber Bridge, Lancashire

Attendance: 1,200 (approx)

An opportunity to spring in some midweek football presents itself this evening as a local derby match takes place between Bamber Bridge and Preston North End. It’s always a useful and exciting occasion for non league sides when they have a football league club come to play on their ground and by all accounts Preston North End are likely to send a strong squad to this evenings game. However they are playing another match down the road in Chorley tonight aswell, so the squads are likely to be bolstered with some youth players. It is a derby match, but am not sure there will be too many Bamber Bridge supporters expecting a victory this evening. Tonight for them will probably be more about getting a big gate on and watching their team going up against league players. Have to hope this evening’s changeable weather will hold out and contribute to a good game of football. However the pre-kickoff sky turned very angry, heavy rain moved in and a backdrop of thunder and lightning danced on the horizon.

The walk down to the ground surprised me a little, there were many people walking in the same direction as me which isn’t a usual occurrence for my football trips. I reach the turnstile and there is a queue with 45 minutes still to go before kickoff. The stand is filling up nicely on the far side and the covered stands behind the goal become more popular as the rain sets in. This game is obviously taken far more seriously than I first thought.

The deluge of rain just eased up before the two teams emerged from the tunnel and onto the pitch, Bamber Bridge in their new home kit of white shirts and black shorts with Preston North End in their all new red away strip. Officials and captains conclude the formalities and the match gets underway with Preston North End kicking off. The difference in quality between the two sides was quickly apparent as Preston settled into a short sharp passing game, keeping the ball on the floor and attempting to work openings through the Bamber Bridge defence. This enabled them to create the first opening in the match n the 6th minute when Jamie Proctor drew a sliding challenge from a defender and the ball fell into the path of Ross Wallace, who from an acute angle blasted the ball inches over the crossbar in a close effort. Preston then went close again two minutes later when Bamber Bridge keeper Mike Hale was called upon to make a superb double save as a ball through the defence had set Jamie Proctor free behind the defence.

His low shot was saved well by Hale before Proctor tried to slot the rebound home, but Hale made a 2nd good save to turn the ball away for a corner. Bamber Bridge should have taken the lead in the 21st minute when a superb through ball from Ashley Dunn saw Phil Denney through on goal after beating the offside trap. Denney advanced into the penalty area and fired off a shot on goal, but Andy Lonergan in the Preston goal pulled off a fine save with his leg to keep the game scoreless. Preston then broke down the other end via Jamie Proctor on the wing and after forcing his way into the box his low cross was gathered by Hale in the Bamber Bridge goal. But as they had been threatening to do for most of the half, Preston broke the deadlock and opened the scoring in the 26th minute. A throw in was picked up once again by Jamie Proctor and he made another run into the penalty area. His square ball then found Jon Parkin and he side footed the ball past the outstretched keeper and into the corner of the net to give the visitors the lead. Preston now had the foundation to build on and went after extending their lead as they went close again on the half hour mark. Richard Chaplow tried his luck from the edge of the penalty area but Hale was there again to deny him with a low save that he gathered at the 2nd attempt. Another effort from Preston in the 32nd minute saw some patient build up play result in the ball being played to Ross Wallace who made an advancement towards goal before trying his luck with a powerful shot from range. However his effort was too high and ended up over the crossbar but Preston were now showing more ambitious signs after spending most of the half keeping the ball on the floor. Bamber Bridge went close in the 36th minute when Phil Eastwood dragged a shot wide across the goal, but Preston were being rarely threatened at the back. Bamber Bridge’s resilient defence was broken in the 40th minute when Preston doubled their advantage, a ball down the wing by Paul McKenna to Michael Hart saw the latter send in a cross that zipped through the penalty area and found Neal Trotman luring at the back post.

Trotman then had the task of placing the ball into the unguarded area of the net to double Preston’s lead. Preston kept on applying the pressure for the remainder of the half but couldn’t add to their tally before the half time whistle sounded. So it had been pretty much as expected then, Preston North End are comfortable and Bamber Bridge have been made to work hard. Preston have kept it on the floor and attempted to work their openings through the Bamber Bridge defence whereas the hosts have had more success with the aerial ball over the top of the defence. Their one chance of the half was a killer one but a good save prevented a goal. The Bamber Bridge keeper has been far the busier of the two and has kept his side in it. It’s hard to look past Preston now but Bamber Bridge might have a comeback in store yet.

Half Time:
Bamber Bridge 0 – 2 Preston North End

Preston came out for the 2nd half in a similar fashion to the way they ended the first and created the first chance of the half in the 50th minute. A one on one effort saw yet another good save from Hale in goal, before Bamber Bridge would go straight down the other end and score. I can’t tell you anything about it because I missed it completely, but from what I can gather it was a curling effort on the turn. So when the score should probably have been 0-3 and game over it was now 1-2 and game firmly on. Preston weren’t phased by this though and continued their standard of play, the 57th minute seeing some great work from Ross Wallace in playing a great ball to Jamie Proctor whose flick up and volley was saved well by Hale in the Bamber Bridge goal.

Preston got their 3rd goal on the hour mark after a great run and pass by Danny Mayor to Michael Hart saw the Bamber Bridge defence stop to appeal for offside, the linesman didn’t oblige their appeal. Hart passed the ball back into the penalty area and Jamie Proctor finally scored the goal he’d been threatening to as his soft side footed effort took a deflection in the penalty area and trickled into the corner of the net with the keeper stranded. Preston then poured on the pressure when they won themselves five corners on the bounce in the 61st minute. But after successfully defending the first four, Preston would score their fourth goal of the game from their fifth successive corner. A through ball down the wing was crossed in and flicked on into the top corner of the net by Tom Smythe for the best finish of the night. The match was still pretty much all Preston with Bamber Bridge managing to only get forward sporadically, and Preston might well have furthered their lead in the 72nd minute when a cross into the penalty area saw John Parkin get his head to it but he couldn’t keep it on target and he headed it wide for a Bamber Bridge goal kick. The hosts could have had a goal back for themselves in the 83rd minute when two Preston players collided and hit the deck, this set Lee Pryers free to advance down the wing and draw a fine save in a 1-on-1 position from Preston keeper Lonergan, only after this did the referee stop play. Preston had another spell of pressure towards the end of the match but couldn’t find another goal as the referee brought the match to a close.

Well the faint look of a comeback from the home side was quickly extinguished by Preston North End. After they missed the 1-on-1 opportunity and Bamber Bridge managed to get a goal back it looked like a comeback was possible. But Preston kept up the standard of play they demonstrated from the start and simply had too much for Bamber Bridge. They looked confident and comfortable on the ball and passed it around neatly denying Bamber Bridge much of the possession. Bamber Bridge will have been happy with the account they gave of themselves and the bumper crowd through the turnstiles will have boosted their finances nicely. All in all a good match with a good following. Congratulations Preston North End.

Full Time:
Bamber Bridge 1 – 4 Preston North End

View more pics at:

http://s375.photobucket.com/albums/oo198/YellowCardPhotos/Bamber%20Bridge%20Vs%20Preston%20North%20End/

Rhyl FC 4 - 1 Denbigh Town

2009-07-06T17:39:00.005+01:00

Date: Saturday 4th July 2009

Competition: Preseason Friendly

Venue: Belle Vue, Rhyl, Wales

Attendance: ???

Ticket In: £5.00

------------------

Total: £5.00

Football is back, and its preseason friendly time. Having had only the Confederations Cup on the tele to keep me going over the offseason break (serious commiserations to the United States of America there), it’s going to be fantastic to actually get back into the grounds and see the action close up. The first match of the season for myself then is the preseason friendly match between Rhyl FC and Denbigh Town, a workout for everyone on the pitch to get back into the swing of things and a chance for me to shake out some of the journalistic cobwebs that might be lying within. Rhyl FC are the current Welsh Premier League champions and will be using this game as a warm up to their more serious Champions League encounter against Partizan Belgrade in 10 days time. Local rivals and Cymru Alliance side Denbigh Town provide the opposition. Results in these sorts of matches are not the most important thing, but with a local rivalry to play for both teams will probably be keen for a win, but it’s hard to look past Rhyl FC this afternoon if you are having a flutter on the result. Arriving at the ground and seeing the freshly cut grass in the muggy summers air was a refreshing sight and sensation after the time away from the game. Muggy heat, overcast, light rain, football is back, and the Michael Jackson songs that come blaring out of the grounds PA system further adds to my theory that there is seemingly nobody untouched by his death a few weeks ago. Time to drink in a bit of atmosphere before the kickoff in half an hour’s time.

So after the seemingly long break, two teams emerged from a football ground dressing room and onto the field, Rhyl in their home colours of black and white and Denbigh in their red and white. Captains and match officials complete the pre match formalities and the match gets underway. The first five minutes of the contest was contested in steadily increasing rain and muggy heat, which aren’t easy conditions for football and both teams spent this period keeping the ball on the floor sizing each other up. In a forward venture in the 7th minute, Rhyl thought they should have had a penalty when a bouncing ball was flicked on by one of their forwards and he was brought down by the Denbigh defender who was attempting to clear it. The appeals were waved away much to the relief of Denbigh Town as in my view they were lucky not to have the spot kick awarded against them. As expected, Rhyl were the faster team to settle and they created another attack when a ball out wide to the wing was crossed into the penalty area and was flicked on to the unmarked Matthew Williams, but the striker could only send his header over the crossbar and didn’t trouble the goalkeeper. But Rhyl were settling into their stride well and were causing Denbigh Town plenty of problems with their play, keeping the ball on the ground and looking to prise open passages to goal. In the 10th minute Denbigh hurriedly defended a ball which eventually broke to a waiting Rhyl forward on the edge of the box but his shot was blasted over the crossbar. Rhyl’s dominance of play saw them almost take the lead in the 13th minute when they worked the ball to the corner of the box form an attacking throw in. The ball was then crossed into the area and an unmarked glancing header from the edge of the 6 yard box had the keeper beaten but couldn’t find the target as it sailed agonisingly wide. But Rhyl’s persistence would eventually pay off in the 15th minute when they would deservedly take the lead. A ball over the top of the defence saw Neil Roberts rush onto it and catch the advancing Denbigh keeper in no man’s land. The keeper continued to advance and Roberts skipped around him and slotted the ball into the net from an acute angle to give the hosts the deserved lead. Five minutes later and Rhyl doubled their advantage from a well taken goal when a cross from the wing was flicked on to the back post and Neil Roberts scored his 2nd goal of the game as he blasted the ball over the keeper and into the roof of the net. Rhyl were now completely dominant and almost furthered their lead 2 minutes later when a looping header from the edge of the box was dipping underneath the crossbar until a great tip over the crossbar from the Denbigh keeper prevented another goal, although he was denied a good save by the linesman on the far side who ruled that the ball had gone over the bar untouched for a Denbigh goal kick. Rhyl increased their lead to three goals in the 27th minute when some neat and patient build-up play saw a perfect lofted ball over the Denbigh back line and Matthew Williams latched onto it and beat the keeper at his far post to put Rhyl firmly in control of proceedings. Rhyl kept up the relentless pressure when they won themselves a corner in the 33rd minute, the delivery of which forced another corner when the Denbigh keeper came to collect the cross and missed it completely, resulting in a defender having to put the ball over his own bar. The result form this corner was yet another corner as the same defender put the ball over his own bar yet again with the keeper coming to gather, before the pressure came to an end when the resultant corner was played short and crossed into the penalty area, a Rhyl forward being penalised for an infringement and Denbigh could breathe a sigh of relief after weathering the storm. The 38th minute saw Denbigh Town awarded a free kick in the penalty area after Rhyl goalkeeper Lee Kendal picked up a back pass, although he was adamant he had done nothing wrong in his eyes. This didn’t move the referee though and Denbigh took full advantage to get themselves on the scoresheet. A short roll of the ball to Lee Craven saw the striker beat the wall and hit the underside of the crossbar before seeing the ball nestle in the corner of the net, Denbigh Town on the scoresheet and the back pass mistake thoroughly punished. But before the half was out Rhyl would restore their three goal advantage by getting a fourth goal with the last kick of the half. A challenge between forward and defender on the edge of the penalty area saw the ball scoot forward to the waiting Luke Holden who fought off the attentions of two defenders before slotting the ball past the diving keeper and into the corner of the net in a neat finish. Straight from the kickoff the referee blew the half time whistle and the players headed into the dressing rooms for their team talks. As pretty much expected then, it’s been a thoroughly convincing half of football from the reigning champions, passing the ball about and playing neat ground football in attempts to work ways through the Denbigh Town defence. All four of the goals have been very well taken and Denbigh have been pretty much outclassed. Rhyl keeper Kendal hasn’t had a great deal to do in the half, apart from pick the ball out of the back of his own net after he picked up the back pass. Rhyl are comfortable though and more goals are expected in the 2nd half.

Half Time:
Rhyl FC 4 – 1 Denbigh Town

After Rhyl had made a cautious start to the 2nd half and they didn’t really need to make a start that was anything other after obtaining themselves a comfortable lead, Denbigh Town had half a chance to get a goal back for themselves when they went on a break downfield in the 52nd minute. A neat pass inside found a Denbigh forward with the target a t his mercy, but his shot on goal bought out a good save from Kendal in the Rhyl goal, turning the ball away for a corner kick. The resultant corner was cleared away from any danger by the Rhyl defence though and the threat passed. The next chance fell to the hosts a minute later when they got the ball down the other end and a forward managed to hold the ball up, evading the challenges of the Denbigh defenders. Creating some space for himself, his shot was wide of the target from an angle in an unlucky effort. The 56th minute saw Rhyl coming forward again and after working the ball out to the wing, a low cross was turned behind his own goal by a Denbigh defender, the outswinging delivery of the corner saw the Denbigh keeper just get enough of a hand to it to divert it from the waiting Rhyl forwards and send it behind for yet another Rhyl corner. This corner’s delivery was to the back post and headed wide. Rhyl were looking the more comfortable and competent of the two sides at this stage, 68 minutes into the match and resorting to long range pot-shots that were not causing any problems to the target or the Denbigh keeper. The last 20 minutes of the match were played under sunlight as the clouds obliged the supporters and parted as Rhyl were still pushing on for another goal. They came close in the 77th minute when a deflected shot saw the Denbigh keeper do brilliantly well to re-adjust his body and make the low save, but that left the goal open for the fast approaching Rhyl forward, his shot from 6 yards out hit the crossbar and bounced away from the goal as a Steve Stone like miss was the rather embarrassing outcome from the attack. The game became a little more even at this point with both sides enjoying a similar number of chances, but they were not taken and the referee brought the game to a close.

So there were no more goals to follow in the 2nd half, which was slightly disappointing considering how freely they came in the first half. Not that Rhyl didn’t come close to scoring more and really should have done when that sitter was missed, but the woodwork and some sensational saves from the Denbigh keeper denied them an even bigger victory. But the expected outcome was the eventual outcome and Rhyl won by a 3 goal margin. Quite an entertaining game as they go, but after a month and a half away from the grounds it was just nice to get back pitchside and see the best game in the world in action. Rhyl will face tougher opposition before long and all the best to them for their upcoming Champions League qualifier. Congratulations to Rhyl.

Full Time:
Rhyl FC 4 – 1 Denbigh Town

View more photos at:

http://s375.photobucket.com/albums/oo198/YellowCardPhotos/Rhyl%20FC%20Vs%20Denbigh%20Town/

Unibond League Responds to Newcastle Blue Star Resignation

2009-06-25T13:45:00.003+01:00

The UniBond League is disappointed with the timing of Newcastle Blue Star's withdrawal just three days after the formal constitution of the League at its AGM on 20th June 2009.
The decision will leave the Premier Division one club short and prevents a club being moved to bring the top tier up to its full complement of 22 clubs, a situation the UniBond League believes could easily have been avoided had the club not failed to communicate either with league officers or the Football Association.
In light of the well-documented rumours surrounding the possible demise of Newcastle Blue Star the League has been seeking clarification of the club's future intentions since the end of the 2008/9 season. This was not forthcoming so, on 21st May the League wrote to Newcastle Blue Star explaining the impact of delaying any decision or announcement on Newcastle Blue Star's fellow member clubs and the League itself.
The UniBond League also notes the content of the official statement on Newcastle Blue Star's website, and wishes to correct a number of inaccuracies.
1. The figure of £61,713 referred to in the Newcastle Blue Star statement as the full amount given to the club in grant funding by the Football Stadia Improvement Fund (FSIF) is incorrect. The League holds correspondence confirming that the full amount totalled almost £150,000.
2. At a meeting between Newcastle Blue Star, the FSIF and the FA on 27th May 2009, the FSIF indicated they would be prepared to consider staged repayments in order to help the club, and the Football Association personnel present at the meeting supported this position.
3. Following the meeting on 27th May, the League was informed by Secretary Jim Anderson that an announcement on the club's intentions would be made on Sunday 31st May. The club subsequently refused to provide any such clarification to the UniBond League.
4. On 16th June, Jim Anderson notified the League a statement would be issued prior to the AGM. All further efforts to communicate with the club proved abortive and the club failed to send a representative to the AGM.
Following the AGM the League was again unable to communicate with Mr Anderson until he forwarded a copy of the club's statement withdrawing from all football on 23rd June.
The UniBond League would like to express its regret that a member club should withdraw from the competition, and wishes the supporters of the now defunct Newcastle Blue Star a brighter future.

Newcastle Blue Star Widthdraw

2009-06-24T09:19:00.002+01:00

The following is a press release from Newcastle Blue Star, released to the media on 23/06/2009:

"Following on from a meeting in Soho square London where Bob Morton met up with representatives from the Football Association, the FSIF (grants) and a member from the financial regulations department of the FA, Bob submitted mitigation as to why the club should be shown compassion with regards to the claims for full repayment of £61,000 which the club received towards development of the Wheatsheaf Sports Ground, Bob Morton pleaded with the members to forego their claim of the full amount of this money and allow the club to continue with their progression and keep the club in existence, however it was to be fruitless as the FSIF were demanding full payment prior to the 2009-10 season commencing..
Club Secretary Jim Anderson states that although all parties confirm and endorse that the grants which were awarded and have been correctly utilised over the period 1999-2004 in which they had been claimed, it is the fact the senior club no longer play their games at the Wheatsheaf ground that has instigated this claim even though their relocation to Kingston Park was urged and commissioned by the same authorities.
Taking this into account, Newcastle Blue Star would like to confirm that they are officially withdrawing from all competitive football, having announced at the end of the 2008-09 season their concerns over their future, both Bob Morton and Jim Anderson have worked vigorously in an attempt to prevent the closure of such a great club attempting to attract investors in what is an unstable economic climate.
Finally Jim Anderson would like to thank all of the support received from all since the club was founded back in 1930, there have been many folk associated with this club and I am sure they will have fond memories that they will cherish."

Atherton Collieries Reserves 0-1 Atherton LR Reserves

2009-05-07T22:46:00.006+01:00

Date: Monday 4th May 2009
Competition: VodkaT NWCFL Reserves Div
Venue: Alder House, Atherton, Lancashire
Attendance: ???

Ticket In: Free
-----------------
Total: Free

May Day football, it certainly wasn’t supposed to be this way, the football season was supposed to be long over by this point. But with the snow and rain in the winter months causing a rather large backlog of fixtures that need to be played, it gives the more hardy football supporters a chance to extend their season. Today is the “mini derby” between the reserve sides of Atherton Collieries and Atherton LR, two teams separated by roughly 1km. Local rivalries don’t come much stronger than this, well, except for when the first teams play each other of course.

A scanning of the league tables throws up something interesting (well something I thought was interesting anyway), whilst Atherton Collieries first team have had a woeful season and have been relegated to Division One of the North West Counties League after finishing right at the bottom, their reserves have had a far better time of things in mid table. Atherton LR’s reserves currently lie at the bottom of the league whilst their first team haven enjoyed a comfortable season in mid table, which makes you wonder if Atherton Collieries might have had a better time of things if they’d fielded their reserve side in the top division a little more often. It’s overcast and rainy as most British Bank Holidays are, but being at a football ground somehow takes away the misery. Apologies for the lack of player names in this report, but possibly due to my somewhat poor observational skills I haven’t seen a teamsheet anywhere.

So in front of a larger than usual crowd the two teams emerge from the portakabin dressing rooms at the top of the ground, Atherton Collieries in their home colours of black and white with Atherton LR in their home colours of yellow and blue. No dedicated linesmen for this afternoon, that job will be completed by two men in tracksuits at the side of the pitch that barely leave the technical areas near the dugouts, so the lone referee will have to be calling the offside decisions himself. The captains shake hands and switch ends so it will be LR that kick down the hill in the first half and the match gets underway. The start to the game couldn’t really be described as electrifying as both teams struggled to get going straight from the kickoff, the first action of note not coming until the 7th minute when LR won themselves a corner. The delivery was to the edge of the box and cleared by the Collieries defence. Collieries were having a problem or two getting behind the LR defence and in the 13th minute, when they ran out of ideas they conceded possession and a long ball over the top set an LR winger free down the wing, but some good covering defence by a Collieries defender saw the ball deflect for a corner. The delivery of the corner wasn’t properly dealt with by the defence and an LR forward was allowed a shot on goal, but the Collieries keeper made a good save with his feet and the rebound was blasted wide from outside the penalty area to relieve the danger. There had been a limited number of chances in the half to this point and none of them had really troubled the goalkeepers, another such chance like this one came in the 22nd minute when an LR forward picked up a clearance from the Collieries keeper and from all of 45 yards tried his luck on goal, his effort going a long way wide of the target and giving the Collieries defence no concerns. Collieries then had a chance in the 29th minute when they won themselves a free kick on the left wing. The delivery into the box caused the LR defence some issues but the ball eventually took a kind deflection off a player and was gathered by the goalkeeper. Collieries then had a shot deflected for a corner kick on the half hour mark and the delivery of the corner to the back post brought a good punch out of the LR keeper to get the ball clear and send LR down the other end of the pitch on the break, the Collieries defence however was alert to the danger and dealt with the threat. Collieries finished the half off well with a late rally when the referee awarded them a free kick in the 39th minute, however the delivery of the kick wasn’t going to trouble the goalkeeper being as far over the bar as it was. Another free kick 2 minutes later after a careless and casual challenge from an LR defender saw much the same result as the delivery was a long way over the crossbar. The last chance of the half also fell to Collieries when a cross into the box saw both forward and keeper collide in the air, the keeper winning the battle as his punch clear reached a Collieries player just outside the penalty area and his attempt on goal hit a defender and deflected to safety. Soon after this, the referee brought the half to a close with Collieries late rally the only really meaningful action in an otherwise dull half of football. An ice cream van passing the ground playing the Match of the Day theme tune in the style that only an ice cream van can produces some amusement amongst the larger than usual crowd, the action on the pitch having not provided much (at least from the neutral point of view). There had been few chances for either side so here’s hoping that the teams will compete a little more determinedly for the bragging rights in the 2nd half.

Half Time: Atherton Collieries Reserves 0 – 0 Atherton LR Reserves

Collieries made an encouraging start to the 2nd half when the won themselves a corner in the 50th minute. A free kick from on the wing on half way was delivered to the edge of the box and headed on into the penalty area before being put behind his own goal by an LR defender. The delivery of the corner was punched clear by the LR keeper but only as far as the wing where it was crossed back into the box and a headed effort was easily gathered by the LR keeper. The game was now finally starting to open up as in the 51st minute both sides had a shot on goal, LR having theirs well saved before Collieries broke down the other end and saw their effort on goal go wide. Just as the game was starting to open up, LR blew the game wide open by taking the lead against the flow of play. A 54th minute free kick for Collieries was headed clear and played through to Ryan Dunne who made a brilliant run up the field before firing the ball across goal from the edge of the penalty area, beating the Collieries keeper and finding the corner of the net to give the visitors the lead. This may only have been a reserves match, but the reactions on the player’s faces showed exactly what that goal meant. With a difference in scores, the game really came to life as Collieries had to push on to get themselves back into the contest. They won themselves a free kick in the 56th minute when a rash challenge from behind floored a Collieries forward, the delivery of the free kick skimmed through the penalty area but nobody could get the required touch on it and it went for a goal kick. Collieries were now applying great amounts of pressure to the LR defence but they were able to deal with the threats they were posed. LR managed to relieve some pressure when they won themselves a corner in the 71st minute, the delivery of which was punched clear by the keeper and Collieries won the ball back. As the game wore towards its conclusion, Collieries made one last gargantuan effort to get on the score sheet. A fabulous tip over the crossbar and a disallowed goal for offside in 2nd half injury time were all to conspire against Collieries though as time eventually ran out on them and despite the almost great completed comeback, they had been defeated 0-1 by their local rivals.

Well a fantastic end to a match that showed little promise in the 1st half. Though I would support LR over Collieries any day of the week, I actually found myself hoping that they could equalise because of the fightback they staged. A match that needed the goal to come alive and boy did it ever. It was a thoroughly enjoyable towards the end and congratulations to Atherton LR Reserves on winning the game.

Full Time:Atherton Collieries Reserves 0 – 1 Atherton LR Reserves

View more pics at:
http://s375.photobucket.com/albums/oo198/YellowCardPhotos/Atherton%20Collieries%20Reserves%20Vs%20Atherton%20LR%20Reserv/

Prescot Cables 0 - 5 Hednesford Town

2009-04-20T13:39:00.006+01:00

Date: Saturday 18th April 2009

Competition: Unibond League Premier Division

Venue: Valarie Park, Prescot, Merseyside

Attendace: 274

Ticket In: £7.00

Programme: £1.50

Golden Goal: £1.00

Half Time Draw: £1.00

Monthly Lottery: £1.00

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Total: £11.50

For once this season the sun shines on Prescot, but it’s all too little too late as sadly the Cables are relegated. So for the last time this season, and for the last time for at least a season, Prescot Cables take to the pitch in the Unibond Premier Division. I hope for their sake there’s a party atmosphere in the ground this afternoon and their fans cheer them on after what has obviously been a difficult season for the squad. For the fans sake I hope the team wins, as Prescot Cables have yet to register a home victory on a Saturday afternoon all season, this afternoon obviously being their last chance to do so. With Cables having nothing to lose this afternoon, all the pressure will be on opponents Hednesford Town to collect the three points they badly need to keep their faint hopes of a playoff place alive. So on an early summers day it’s time to sit back and enjoy some football.

And after being stung for about every lottery Prescot Cables run when sitting in the clubhouse, I decide to head out into the ground before I need to remortgage my flat, reminder to self to never go into the Cables clubhouse prematch again. The two teams exit the dressing rooms and make their way out onto the pitch, Cables in their usual home colours of amber and black and Hednesford Town in their all sky blue away kit. The referee completes the coin toss with the captains and it would be Hednesford that got the match underway. The first chance of the game fell to the visitors in only the 2nd minute of play when an angled cross from the edge of the penalty area came close to being turned home by Sam Hall, but the midfielders outstretched leg couldn’t quite make the required contact and the ball went harmlessly for a goal kick. Hednesford would take the lead in the 7th minute when a powerful shot was hit at Prescot keeper Phil Hunt which he could only parry, the rebound falling to the feet of Hednesford’s Tyrone Barnett who made no mistake from close range with the keeper stranded. Things got doubly worse for Cables in the 12th minute when Hendesford extended their lead, Ross Dyer managing to skip around the advancing keeper and slotting the ball into the net from the angle he had worked. Prescot had really failed to get going in the match and now found their already difficult task somewhat monumental. They did manage to get an effort on goal in the 16th minute when a free kick had been half cleared by the Hednesford defence and a long range effort was hit comfortably wide of the target. Hednesford got back on the offensive in the 20th minute though when a cross from the wing resulted in a corner kick as Prescot defender Sean Bowden-Davies headed the ball behind his own goal. The resultant corner eventually fell to the feet of Hednesford forward Tom Marshall who blasted his effort over the crossbar, the first real thing the Prescot fans had to cheer about. Hednesford has another really good opportunity go begging in the 27th minute when Captain Danny Harvey’s long ball towards the box was headed over his own defence by Prescot’s Karl Bell, which left Tyrone Barnett with just the goalkeeper to beat but his volleyed effort went wide of the target when he was well placed. The half failed to produce much else of excitement until right at the very end when Hednesford would deliver a sucker punch goal right before the halftime whistle. A long ball over the defence by Sam Hall found the Prescot defence napping and Tyrone Barnett found himself with only the keeper to beat. Showing a great deal more composure than he did with his last effort he brought the ball under control, drew the keeper and slotted the ball past him to give Hednesford a third goal in what had been a dominating first half display for the visitors. The half had just enough time left for both sides to have a penalty appeal turned down by the referee, Prescot’s coming when Darren Byers hit the deck after some faint contact by Hednesford defender Cedric Abraham and from this, Hednesford would break down the other end of the pitch and Ross Dyer would be brought down in the penalty area by Prescot keeper Phil Hunt. Both penalties in my view correctly turned down as there was only minimal contact on Byers and Hunt won the ball in his challenge. So the half time whistle was a chance for all to catch their breath and the home fans made their opinions of the match official loudly known. Hednesford have looked very comfortable whilst Prescot have looked all at sea in this first half. It would seem amongst a section of the home support that they cannot wait to get this season over with and behind them, however there are another 45 minutes for Cables to get this match turned around, though at this present time I can’t honestly see it happening.

Half Time:
Prescot Cables 0 – 3 Hednesford Town

Any hopes that Prescot might have had of putting the first half behind them and starting afresh in the 2nd were quickly stopped in their tracks as Hednesford extended their lead in the 48th minute through some calamitous Cables defending. An attempted clearance seemed to deflect of a Hednesford player that was on the floor after an earlier challenge and enter the net somewhat embarrassingly for the home side, Elliot Durrell the man credited with the goal. Prescot worked themselves an opportunity on the hour mark when a good ball through to the wing was crossed into the penalty area and the keeper spilled it into the penalty area, the Prescot forwards effort at it however looped over the bar and Hednesford got away with a nervous moment. To their credit Cables didn’t give up on the match and they created themselves another half decent chance three minutes later when some good work from Darren Byers allowed the ball to be fed through to Jamie Croxton in the penalty area, but his first time shot was well saved by Stuart Brock in the Hednesford goal. Prescot keeper Phil Hunt had to be alert in the 65th minute when a Hednesford corner was headed towards goal and started dipping under his crossbar, the stopper doing well to palm the ball away to the relative safety of another Hednesford corner. Hednesford rounded off a perfect day from their point of view in the 86th minute as yet another chipped ball over the top off the defence allowed substitute Matthew West to cross the ball low into the penalty area and Elliot Durrell was on hand to tap the ball into the net to score his 2nd of the match.

It had been a disastrous end to Cables home league campaign, one only hopes that when the entire season comes to a close at the end of next week that the Cables fans have something to cheer about at the end of a long and miserable season.

Full Time:
Prescot Cables 0 – 5 Hednesford United

Chorley 2 - 2 Salford City

2009-04-11T22:50:00.003+01:00

Date: Friday 10th April 2009
Competition: Unibond First Division North
Venue: Nissan Chorley Victory Park, Chorley, Lancashire
Attendance: 366

Ticket In: £7.00

Holiday time in the UK once again, hence the reason I’m able to work a full time job and watch some football on a Friday at 3pm, a rare thing indeed! It’s back to the heart of Lancashire this afternoon and the match between Chorley and Salford City, a local-ish match between two North West sides. The last time I visited Chorley they pulled out a last gasp winner against Rossendale United after twice being behind, I’m pretty sure their fans would accept a similar outcome this afternoon. Salford City’s current position leaves them in severe danger of being relegated, having occupied the bottom spot in the league for the majority of the season and now finding themselves 4 points adrift. A half decent recovery effort after being a lot further than that behind for most of the season. As it typical of a British Bank Holiday, the trains are delayed and the weather is downright unpleasant, “that fine rain that soaks you through” as the star of the fictional Chorley FM station might call it falls over the stadium as kickoff looms less than half an hour away.

The teams came out of the dressing room and onto the pitch at just before 3pm, Chorley in their home colours of black and white striped shirts and black shorts, Salford City in their changed strip of all sky blue. Referee and captains complete the pre-match necessary and the match gets underway.

The first 5 minutes of the match belonged to Salford City as they applied plenty of pressure onto the Chorley defence, who were struggling to cope. Salford won themselves a corner in the 15th minute when a great run by the winger resulted in the Chorley defender putting the ball behind. The delivery of the corner was met in the penalty area by the head of a Salford forward and it deflected off a Chorley defender for another corner, the Chorley defence was able to deal with the threat however. The Chorley defence was seriously beginning to struggle with the pace and trickery of the Salford winger, and he demonstrated this once again in the 17th minute as he left two Chorley defenders in his wake and played the ball to a more central teammate, whose shot was low along the ground and gathered by the Chorley keeper. The half hour mark saw Salford City still on top in the match and Chorley were now resorting to long and hopeful shots from range that were not troubling the goalkeeper. But one of these eventually paid off in the 33rd minute when after being under pressure for almost the entire half, Chorley took the lead when after some well thought through build up play on the wing, the ball came to the feet of Adam Farrell and he drilled the ball into the bottom left corner of the net from 25 yards to emphatically give Chorley the lead. Salford nearly levelled the match straight afterwards when an attempted Chorley clearance deflected off another defender and almost went into the net for a calamitous own goal. As half time rapidly approached, Chorley were awarded a free kick in a dangerous attacking position just outside the penalty area.

Goalscorer Adam Farrell stepped up to the challenge in an attempt to double his tally as he curled the ball over the top of the wall and with the goalkeeper stranded it hit the post and deflected to safety, Salford escape. The referee’s halftime whistle followed not long afterwards and a half that Salford had dominated came to an end with them somewhat inexplicably trailing. Chorley will be partly happy and partly very unhappy with that half of football as they produced nothing of major threat to their visitors. An opportunist strike is what separates the teams at the break and Chorley may be left to hang on if the 2nd half continues in a similar manner. At the moment the better side is losing.

Half Time:
Chorley 1 – 0 Salford City

Chorley started the 2nd half in blistering form and in the opening seconds of the match came close to doubling their advantage. A long ball over the defence was picked up by a Chorley forward and his sidefooted effort beat the keeper but went an inch the wrong side of the post.

After Salford City had managed to waste a couple of good chances, Chorley won themselves a corner in the 54th minute and the delivery was taken to the back of the penalty area and subsequently crossed back in but over the heads of the waiting attackers and the chance passed by. The Salford keeper then had to be alert as a cross from the wing in the 64th minute was dipping under the crossbar, the keeper watched it all the way and palmed it over to safety and a Chorley corner. Chorley came close again in the 67th minute when a free kick was delivered into the penalty area and was half cleared by the Salford defence, before it fell to the feet of a Chorley striker some 25 yards out from goal and he rifled a shot just wide of the goal with the keeper beaten. Goals against the run of play seemed to be the theme of this match as Salford levelled the match in the 70th minute after facing a lot of pressure. An attempted clearance deflected off a Salford player and he embarked on a run into the penalty area. His square pass into the penalty area was cleverly left by one attacker and Steve Foster drilled the ball into the net to bring Salford level. But parity lasted all of seven minutes as the 77th minute saw a run into the penalty area by a Chorley forward cut short by the Salford City keeper and the referee was left with little option but to award a penalty kick. Michael Eckersley was the player tasked with scoring the penalty and he obliged his duty as he slotted the ball into the bottom right corner of the net to restore Chorley’s lead.

Last ditch Salford defending in the 86th minute prevented the game being wrapped up as a through ball split the Salford defence and a forward latched onto it. His shot was saved but palmed back into the penalty area where another shot was hit on goal and blocked on the line by a Salford defender before the rebound was put over the crossbar as Chorley couldn’t make the killer blow and kill the game off. And they were made to pay for this in the 2nd minute of added time when a ball down the wing was latched onto by Salford’s Steven Moore and his shot from the angle beat the keeper and sailed into the net to break the home fans hearts and bring Salford level in the dying moments. The game was to have an explosive end as two Salford teammates had a disagreement on the pitch and a head butt and karate kick to the face was the end result. The referee left with no alternative to issue a red card and Salford would end the match with 10 men in highly unnecessary fashion. “Typical Salford” comments one Chorley supporter. But that was the way the game was to end and the point were shared.

This match closely resembled a game of two halves. How Salford managed to enter the halftime break trailing I’ll never know, the dominated the half but couldn’t find the net whereas Chorley were presented with one half chance and they took it. The 2nd half was a far more even affair although Chorley made the far stronger start and could have had the game buried in the opening quarter. But it was to be a late sting in the tail from Salford, leaving Chorley to surely look upon this game as two points dropped. An explosive end to a good game of football, 2-2 the final score.

Full Time:
Chorley 2 – 2 Salford City

Veiw more pics at:
http://s375.photobucket.com/albums/oo198/YellowCardPhotos/Chorley%20Vs%20Salford%20City/

Holyhead Hotspur 3 - 1 Mold Alexandra

2009-04-08T13:07:00.005+01:00

Date: Saturday 4th April 2009

Competition: Cymru Alliance

Venue: The New Oval, Holyhead, Anglesea, Wales

Attendance: 123

Ticket In: £3.00

Programme: £1.00

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Total: £4.00

My first competitive match from the Cymru Alliance league and after days of having my spelling corrected by online search engines, spelling Cymru is now 2nd nature to me. The Isle of Anglesea is the intended destination for the match between Holyhead Hotspur and Mold Alexandra at Holyhead’s The new Oval Ground. Although often thought of as part of Anglesea Holyhead actually lays on Holy Island, connected to Anglesea by “Four Mile Bridge”, a causeway that carries the railway line and road. The ferry port at Holyhead is one of the busiest in the country as it handles 2 million passengers a year on its routes between Wales and Ireland. Welsh international footballer Tony Roberts was born in Holyhead, as was comedienne and actress Dawn French. On the pitch, Holyhead are enjoying a successful season and they currently sit in 3rd place in the league having won 16 of their 24 games played. Their opponents this afternoon, Mold Alexandra, lie 9th in the league with 12 wins from 29 games in their first season in the Cymru Alliance after winning promotion last season, so you would expect the hosts to be favourites to win this afternoon but anything can happen on the day. It’s an absolutely gorgeous day on the west coast of Wales, bright sunshine and warm temperatures that vaguely resemble a summers day. So the first stop is the Hotspur clubhouse to try and escape the heat for a while. It’s a spacious affair with plenty of seating, two television sets and a well stocked bar with plenty of selection and reasonable prices, a very tidy facility indeed. Holyhead have recently moved grounds, covering a distance of about 100 yards as their old ground lies right behind the new, complete with nets on the goalposts. Something of a good memorial to the days it was played on. The new ground is a very nice setup with a large seating stand along one side of the pitch next-door to the clubhouse and the pitch looks in fine condition. One issue of note is the fallen floodlight at one corner of the pitch, apparently some contractors suffered a hydraulics failure and broke the thing clean away, Holyhead having to play their last midweek match at local rivals Llangefni Town’s ground.

The teams emerge from the dressing rooms and onto the pitch, Holyhead in their home colours of blue and white shirts with blue shorts and Mold in their changed strip of red and black striped shirts with black shorts. Captains and match officials complete what needs to be done and Mold Alexandra get the match underway at just on 02:30pm. The first chance of the match fell to Hotspur in the 4th minute when a through ball beat the offside trap and saw the forward have only the keeper to beat, but Ryan Roberts in the Mold goal made a fine save to palm the ball away from danger and allow his defence to clear the ball. But the opening spell of pressure paid dividends for Holyhead as the deadlock was broken in only the 7th minute when they took the lead. Another silly free kick was conceded by Mold and the delivery into the penalty area saw Hotspur’s Mark Evans rise the highest to send a looping header towards goal that the Mold keeper misread completely and it dipped embarrassingly under his crossbar to put the hosts into a deserved lead. Things got quickly worse for Mold as in the 13th minute they found themselves two behind through the fault of their own defender Sam Roberts. A break down the wing from Holyhead saw a low cross fired into the box and turned into the net by Roberts who tried to turn it wide, Holyhead now in cruise control with Mold still floundering. Hotspur turned the screw again in the 20th minute when Mold were powerless to stop the forward from getting behind the defensive line with the ball, but the forward lost his composure and shot wide of the target when he was well placed. Mold managed to get themselves a couple of chances at the 25 minute mark, the first coming from a cross from the edge of the box where a Mold forward’s attempt at an overhead kick saw the ball just go wide of the target. This was followed by a great run down the wing which saw the Mold player enter the penalty area before his attempted chip over the keeper went over the crossbar and the score remained the same. Mold did get themselves back into the game in the 32nd minute when they scored. That’s all I can tell you about the goal as I missed it completely whilst writing, but the score was now 2-1. The rest of the half belonged to Holyhead as they blasted a ball over the crossbar, forced a good low save from the Mold keeper and had a corner in injury time cleared at the 2nd attempt by the Mold defence. It had been a half of football that wasn’t really allowed to flow. Referee Griffiths has been dishing out yellow cards with Graham Poll like regard, but to be fair to him he’s had little choice but to, due to the petulant nature of the Mold players and bench. If I was refereeing I wouldn’t have put up with it, so why should he?! Holyhead started far the stronger and deserved their two goal lead, but Mold have started to get back into it as the half was drawing to its conclusion, so one would surmise that this game is far from over.

Half Time:
Holyhead Hotspur 2 – 1 Mold Alexandra

Holyhead made the better start to the 2nd half and within the first minute had a good chance to further their lead when some encouraging and patient build up play saw a Holyhead forward send his shot wide of the target from the angle. The hour mark saw another good opportunity for Holyhead to further extend their lead when a well delivered corner to the back post was headed just over the bar, another good chance missed as Holyhead were becoming wasteful in front of goal. Holyhead had another corner in the 62nd minute which resulted in the ball being put over the bar from 3 yards out as yet another great chance to kill the game went begging with Mold failing to get themselves into the contest. Holyhead had another chance in the 64th minute when they won a throw in an attacking position, the ball was crossed to the far post but was once again headed wide. But the pressure finally told in the 66th minute when Holyhead finally scored the goal they’d been threatening. A cross from the wing to the back post was headed towards goal by Curt Williams and was palmed into the top of the net by the Mold keeper. Things then went from bad to worse for Mold Alexandra as they were reduced to 10 men as a deliberate handball brought a 2nd yellow card from referee Griffiths. Four minutes later and Mold should have been back in the contest when a Mold forward beat his defender on the edge of the penalty area and played a brilliant square ball which left an open net for the advancing Mold player, he missed in embarrassing fashion and it was at this point that you were convinced that Holyhead were going to hold on for the win. Holyhead thought they had added a fourth goal to their tally in the 85th minute when a neat through pass and low cross was turned into the net, but after initially awarding the goal the referee disallowed it after noticing the linesman’s raised flag on the touchline. The last two useful chances of the half came the way of Mold, the 87th minute saw the Holyhead defence sit off the striker and allow him to fire a shot that worried the goalkeeper but sailed wide, and a minute later a superb aerial ball brought offside appeals from the Holyhead defence that were not returned by the linesman and the forwards shot beat the keeper but went agonisingly wide of the post. The full time whistle followed not long after and with leaders Bala Town losing yesterday, Holyhead keep up the pressure at the top of the league.

Mold Alexandra never really looked in the match in the 2nd half as they failed to match the standard of play of their opponents. Holyhead’s 3rd goal was the killer as Mold never looked like getting back into the contest. Holyhead were also the far better disciplined of the two sides and on the balance of the match were very worthy winners. Congratulations to Holyhead.

Full Time:
Holyhead Hotspur 3 – 1 Mold Alexandra

View more pics at:

http://s375.photobucket.com/albums/oo198/YellowCardPhotos/Holyhead%20Hotspur%20Vs%20Mold%20Alexandra/

Prescot Cables 1 - 2 Marine

2009-04-03T16:36:00.004+01:00

Date: Tuesday 31st March 2009

Competition: Unibond League Premier Divisioin

Venue: Valarie Park, Prescot, Merseyside

Attendance: 259

Ticket In: £7.00

Programme: £1.50

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Total: £8.50

Well as matches go, this one is so appealing on the eye that it leaps out from the fixture list like a jack in the box that hasn’t seen daylight in five years. Prescot Vs Marine is the closest thing to a league derby for the two sides so the importance of winning will be further magnified, not that it wasn’t important in the first place as both teams seemingly couldn’t win a tombola at this present time. Despite an encouraging start to the season, Marine have dropped like a stone to a lowly (by their standards) 13th position after a long streak of defeats and narrowly missing out 2-3 against FC United of Manchester at the weekend. Prescot’s disastrous run of results continued at the weekend with a 0-3 defeat to promotion hopefuls Ilkeston Town. So if the rivalry somehow wasn’t enough, both teams badly need to put the brakes on their respective skids and Marine will be out for revenge after their 3-6 defeat by the hosts on Boxing Day, Prescot Cables last away win!

Entering the ground this afternoon, it’s still daylight and mildly warm with the fresh smell of spring in the air, summer football is just around the corner and what a welcome return that will be. The sides make their way out onto the field to raucous noise from the supporters, Prescot Cables in their home strip of amber and black with Marine in a changed combination of their usual white shirts but green shorts. As the match got underway it was clear this was going to be a fairly open match as both sides had chances within the first 10 minutes. Prescot won themselves a corner kick in the 4th minute when a free kick was delivered into the penalty area on the ground and a great sliding challenge from a Marine defender at the last minute sent the ball behind the goal, the resultant corner was taken short but was eventually dealt with by the Marine defence. Marine’s chance came a lot closer to producing a goal as after some patient build up play, a neat cross into the penalty area from Karl O’Donnell was turned away for a corner after just missing the far post. Whilst all this was going on, a battle of the fans was emerging off the pitch as a lone Prescot drummer and a group of Marine fans attempted to outdo one another, Marine coming out as knockout winners as Prescot’s lone one man band was lost in the noise. At the 20 minute mark approached, the game became a lot scrappier as a Marine player was booked for diving and Prescot over hit a pass when a neat one would have created a great opportunity to break the deadlock. Marine then laid a mini siege to the Prescot goal when a Karl O’Donnell shot was put out for a corner by Cables’ Steve Williams. The delivery of this corner was headed towards the back post where it was put out for another corner, which was delivered in and hit the post directly from the delivery, going behind for a goal kick and Cables had successfully weathered the storm. The Marine fans were appealing for a penalty kick in the 32nd minute when a cross from the wing by Joe Doyle bounced around like a pinball in the penalty area before a Marine player hit the deck claiming a push. Well, maybe a gust of wind blew him over or something, but in any case referee Duncan was correct in not awarding the spot kick. But the deadlock would eventually be broken in the 37th minute when some calamitous Prescot defending would see Marine take the lead. A bursting run into the penalty area saw Prescot keeper Andy Paxton pull off an impressive save from close range, but he could only deflect the ball back into the penalty area as two Prescot defenders attempted to clear the ball and Andy Paxton couldn’t gather the spill. A great overhead kick from Peter Cumiskey sent the ball goalwards and Prescot defender Lee Smith headed the ball into his own net to give Marine the lead. But Smith atoned for his blunder at the other end straight away as he latched onto a loose ball 30 yards out from goal and thundered the ball past Marine keeper Sean Lake to level the scoring in emphatic fashion. Right at the end of the half, Cables keeper Andy Paxton had to be alert when a free kick from out wide was played into the penalty are heading for the corner of the goal. No player in the penalty area managed to get a touch and Paxton made a fine save to his left to turn the ball behind for a corner kick. The two goals had been the only real highlights in a somewhat flat derby match, both sides having been fairly average but with Marine looking slightly better. A sloppy goal cancelled out by a blinding shot, but otherwise little to report.

Half Time:
Prescot Cables 1 – 1 Marine

The first chance of the 2nd half fell to Cables in the 52nd minute when a long ball was picked up and crossed into the box. The ball was nicely headed to Cables forward Steve Williams, who blasted his powerful shot just wide of the post. Prescot had another chance in the 57th minute when Jamie Croxton got beyond the Marine defence and fired off a shot only for the outstretched leg of a Marine defender to deflect the ball over the crossbar for a corner. The delivery of the corner couldn’t be cleared by the Marine defence and Cables ended up winning another corner, which Marine managed to get under control. As the half wore on, Prescot launched an assault on the Marine defence that was well withstood, but Prescot sensed the win was there for the taking, only for it to be cruelly dispelled from them as the match entered the last seconds of injury time. After Andy Paxton had made a brilliant save to deny the visitors the lead minutes earlier, Marine won a free kick after Paul Woolcott beat three Cables defenders before being brought down by Karl Bell. The free kick was delivered in to the penalty area and Tony Davies rose the highest to head the ball past the outstretched dive of Paxton and into the net to send the travelling supporters into ecstacy and break the hearts of the home crowd. Not 30 seconds later, the full time whistle sounded and the match was over.

It’s an exceptionally cruel way to lose a football match, but a fantastic way to win it! The sheer extremes of emotion that will have been felt around the ground and the fans put through, for Marine’s jubilation there will be Prescot’s agony. The game on the whole was nothing spectacular as both sides were pretty level throughout spells of the game. Its somewhat hard to focus on anything other than the closing seconds of the match as this will be the talking point, but the soft goal that Prescot conceded in the first half has cost them dearly at the full time whistle. Congratulations to Marine.

Full Time:
Prescot Cables 1 – 2 Marine

Chorley 3-2 Rossendale United

2009-03-30T14:47:00.006+01:00

Date: Saturday 28th March 2009

Competition: Unibond League First Division North

Venue: Nissan Chorley Victory Park, Chorley, Lancashire

Attendance: 284

Ticket In: £7.00

Chorley, proper Lancashire lad! Located slap bang in the middle of God’s real county, it’s an iconic Lancashire market town. Visited this afternoon by another Lancashire side in Rossendale United, making this afternoons match a proper battle of the county. Although the weather is distinctly un-Lancastrian with cool temperatures and cloud cover with the threat of a rain shower ever hanging in the air, the winds must be coming in from the Manchester direction. The town of Chorley, somewhat unsurprisingly known as the home of Chorley cake, made its name from cotton during its industrial days, the chimney by the towns Morrisons supermarket serves as a testimony to the many demolished mills that used to dominate the skyline. In footballing terms this season both Chorley and Rossendale find themselves in the bottom half of the table, but with Salford City looking more than a little bit doomed at the bottom of the league in the only relegation spot, both should be safe from the dreaded drop. So hopes for a good game this afternoon are high, especially with county bragging rights at stake. Chorley’s home ground of the Chorley Nissan Victory Park Stadium (try saying that three times fast after two pints of lager) as a stadium at this level of football is an excellent facility. A large seating stand adorns one side of the pitch whilst covered standing is provided behind both goals, this is sure to develop some atmosphere with one or two raucous fans underneath it. The condition of the pitch looks ok, not brilliant but ok, should be fine for a passing game.

So the teams exited the dressing rooms and made their way onto the pitch, Chorley in their home colours of Newcastle United like black and white stripes with black shorts, and Rossendale United in their home colours of all red. The referee and captains complete the pre-match necessities with Chorley deciding to switch end to have the strong wind advantage in the first half, allowing Rossendale United to get the match underway. The first score of the game wasn’t long in coming as in the 14th minute and after a poor start from the home side, Rossendale took the lead. A throw in from the right wing was crossed to the back of the penalty area by John Turner and was picked up by Danny Ellis, his low cross into the box was turned home from close range by Zach Clark and Rossendale had the lead. Chorley almost equalised in the 20th minute when some patient and intricate build up play saw the ball crossed into the penalty area where Rossendale keeper Ben Proctor could only palm the ball back into the penalty area before the defence mopped up the spills. But Chorley would draw the match level three minutes later in a well worked move that saw a through ball take a deflection off a Rossendale defender before leaving a Chorley forward 1-on-1 with the keeper. But his ball into the penalty area beat the keeper from the angle and allowed Chris Ward to tap the ball into the open net to restore parity to the scoreline. Chorley had now come alive after a slow start and were now putting pressure on the Rossendale defence, looking the team that was far more likely to score. Although in the 32nd minute they had keeper Peter Collinge to thank for keeping the scoreline level as he made a smart low save at his near post from Zach Clark. But Collinge was to be beaten in the 37th minute when Rossendale United were awarded a penalty after a Chorley defender handled in the penalty area and the referee awarded a spot kick. Danny Ellis stepped up to take the kick and sent the keeper the wrong way to restore the visitors lead. Chorley had a chance to restore parity in the 43rd minute when they won themselves a corner, taken short and crossed into the penalty area, Gavin Lee Ellison just diverted the ball the wrong side of the post with his header and the chance passed. In an end-to-end finish to the half, Chorley had their keeper to thank once again as he pulled off a blinding one handed close range save from Phil Eastwood, before they went down the other end and won themselves a corner. The delivery of which was met by a bullet header from Chorley’s Chris Smalley but it went just the wrong side of the post and the half would end not long afterwards. It hadn’t been the best half of football I had ever witnessed, but it had been far from the worst. Chorley’s choice to play with the wind in the first half now doesn’t look too inspired of a decision as they enter the halftime break trailing and Rossendale will have the wind behind them in the 2nd half. The half had featured some great midfield battles and sound tacking with still all to play for in the 2nd half.

Half Time:
Chorley 1 – 2 Rossendale United

Chorley almost levelled the match early on in the 2nd half when a thunderous dipping volley from 35 yards out had Proctor in the Rossendale goal worried as he scrambled back to tip the ball over the crossbar to concede a corner, the delivery of said corner was cleared by the Rossendale defender at the front post. The Rossendale defence was under pressure once again on the hour mark when a cross into the box wasn’t properly dealt with and the ball had to be headed over the crossbar from off the defenders own goal line. The corner Chorley were awarded from this would lead to them levelling the game. Rossendale couldn’t get the ball away and it fell to the feet of Adam Farrell who thundered a volley across the goal and into the corner of the net. Two all and game on once again. The match would take a hostile edge in the 72nd minute when the Chorley players and fans would become increasingly frustrated with the referee over decisions they perceived to be going against them. But Chorley would have the last word on the match as in the 90th minute they stole the winning goal when a long ball down field was latched onto by Chorley’s Steve Burke and he squared it in front of goal. The Rossendale defence was nowhere to be seen as Adam Farrell stormed in and blasted the ball into the roof of the net to give the keeper no chance and put Chorley into the lead for the first time in the match with only seconds remaining on the clock. The terraces were a sight to behold as they Chorley fans had a party behind the goal. The full time whistle wasn’t long in following and Chorley had robbed a victory from the jaws of defeat.

Well what an ending that was for the home supporters, but you have to feel a little for Rossendale who will be devasted not to have come away with at least a point after twice leading the contest. A draw would more than likely have been a fair result as neither side was really better than the other on the whole, yet both dominated the other in spells of the match. On the whole it was a match that was worth its entrance money, but nothing more than that. Congratulations to Chorley!

Full Time:
Chorley 3 – 2 Rossendale United

View more pics at:

http://s375.photobucket.com/albums/oo198/YellowCardPhotos/Chorley%20Vs%20Rossendale%20United/

Prescot Cables 0 - 1 Kendal Town

2009-03-25T15:22:00.006Z

Date: Tuesday 24th March 2009

Competition: Unibond League Premier Division

Venue: Valarie Park, Prescot, Merseyside

Attendance: 172

Ticket In: £7.00

Programme: £1.50

Half Time Draw: £1.00

----------------------------

Total: £9.50

Another Tuesday night, another pint in the pub and another trip to a football match. Can life get any better than this? Well, of course it can, but for now at least a pint and a match on an evening is king. Now, there have been some incredibly vicious rumours doing the rounds that I have become a Prescot Cables supporter, rumours I am very quick to dispell. However I suppose the old saying of there's no smoke without fire applies here as I've recently taken in quite a few of their matches. But I honestly attend each match as a neutral, keen on seeing a good game of football between two sides. I somehow fear though that I may soon be banned from entering the ground as three out of the four times I have seen them play this season, they have suffered defeats. They will be keen to avoid that eventuality this evening against a Kendal Town side that 7 days earlier inflicted a 1-5 thrashing on the Cables in the reverse fixture. The quite stunningly beautiful town of Kendal lies in Cumbria in amongst the Lake District National Park. Famous for its Kendal Mint Cake and tobacco, Kendal was registered in the Doomsday Book as part of Yorkshire, how thankful they must be that they are now part of one of the best Counties in England and away from the worst. Another random note of no particular interest, Kendal is twinned with Rinteln in Germany and Killarney in Ireland. Kendal Town are currently flirting with the playoffs in the Unibond League Premier Division and three points this evening would go a long way to aiding them in securing a playoff position. For Prescot Cables, it’s realistically a case of win today or hammer the final nail into the coffin of almost certain doom.

Pre kickoff though, the weather took a nasty turn for the worse as heavy showers drenched Prescot and the surrounding area, leaving the pitch looking a bit sticky and heavy. Not the best set of circumstances for playing an important game of football. The two sides emerge from the players tunnel, Prescot in their home colours of amber and black and Kendal in their changed strip of all blue. The match gets underway with the first opportunity falling to Kendal in the 2nd minute, a long clearance from the keeper wasn’t dealt with by the Prescot defence and a neat square ball was just turned past the near post by the waiting striker. After Prescot had mustered a half chance themselves, Kendal Town came close again in the 7th minute when they won themselves a corner kick. The initial delivery was cleared but the ball was crossed back into the penalty area and in the ensuing tussles for the ball, Prescot keeper Zak Hibbert made a fine low save at his right hand post to turn the ball behind for a corner. Cables then had a chance themselves down the other end when Darren Byers fought off the attentions of several Kendal defenders on his way into the penalty area, but his last tough was just too heavy and the Kendal keeper made a brave low save at his feet as the ball rebounded back against Byers and out for a goal kick to Kendal. Safe to say the excitement level hadn’t been risen much by the football that was on display and the cold rainy conditions did nothing to pass the time any faster. The next real opportunity came seemingly after a year, but it was actually only the 26th minute when Prescot’s Steve Williams got behind the Kendal defence and rifled off a low shot that beat the keeper but just went wide of the post. Three minutes later in the 28th, Kendal had a chance when a tame effort was fired directly at the Cables keeper, but he made the simple save and the opportunity passed. Little else of note happened until right at the death of the half when a Prescot forward was brought down right on the edge of the penalty area by a Kendal defender after he slipped on the wet turf and went into the back of him. The Prescot fans appeals to the referee for the Kendal player to be sent off were quite rightly ignored and a yellow card was produced. Prescot nearly took the lead from the free kick anyway, as the superb delivery beat the top of the wall but cracked the crossbar square in the centre and the ball rebounded away to safety. But on the whole it had been a dire half of football that only managed to spring to life a little bit right at the end as both the heat and players tempers rose. The 2nd half will now be crucial for both sides as its there for the taking and it might very well come down to either a mistake or a moment of brilliance to make the difference.

Half Time:
Prescot Cables 0 – 0 Kendal Town

The 2nd half got underway with Cables almost making the perfect start. A cross from the wing was headed over the keeper and into the back of the net, but the home supporter’s celebrations were cut short by the raising of the linesman’s flag and the goal was ruled out. Having already hit the woodwork and how having a goal disallowed, its looking like another match where Prescot are to have no luck whatsoever. Kendal’s first opportunity of the half came in the 54th minute when a rasping volley was hit from the edge of the box and brought a fine diving save from the keeper to turn the ball away from danger. But the Cables keeper was to find himself helpless and let down by his defence in the 62nd minute when a ball over the top of the defence caused the entire Prescot team to stop assuming an offside decision was coming, it wasn’t. David Foster pounced on the ball and slotted the ball under the keeper’s legs and into the back of the net, a moment of slackness costing Prescot and now they had everything to do to get themselves back into the match. Three minutes later in the 65th, Prescot almost conceded a penalty for a handball in the area that went unnoticed by the referee, it was beginning to look like Kendal might run away with the match in a similar fashion to seven days ago. In the 70th minute, Cables had a handball appeal of their own turned down before the match pretty much petered out. Cables had to throw everything at the Kendal goal and because of this, Kendal were managing to get forward on the break but were unable to convert the forward play into goals. A last nervous moment for the travelling supporters as their keeper comes to collect a cross and fumbles it at the feet of a Prescot forward, but he manages to re-gather himself and collect the ball to kill any impending danger before the final whistle blew and further condemned Prescot Cables in the relegation zone.

Well my half time prediction turned out to be right, it was a mistake that settled the match and it came from the home side. The slack piece of defending in not playing to the whistle cost Cables a very attainable point from this fixture as despite being at different poles of the league, there didn’t look a great deal to separate the sides on the pitch, although the awkward conditions probably acted as at least a partial leveller. The game wasn’t overly exciting, nor technically sound, but its a job done by Kendal Town who further challenge for a place in the playoffs. When your luck is out its completely out for Cables and if there was any hope of a Roy of the Rovers type recovery from them it must surely have been extinguished now. With Leigh Genesis picking up a point against Frickley Athletic tonight, Cables are now bottom of the league outright, unfortunate for them, but its congratulations to Kendal Town.

Full Time:
Prescot Cables 0 – 1 Kendal Town

Bootle 4 - 0 Darwen

2009-03-24T10:05:00.004Z

Date: Saturday 21st March 2009

Competition: VodkaT NWCFL Division One

Venue: The New Bucks Head, Bootle, Merseyside

Attendance: 067

Ticket In: £3.00

Programme: £1.00

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Total: £4.00

A match of contrasts this afternoon, and one that a while back looked unlikely to happen. After the impressive midweek victory over AFC Liverpool, Bootle closed the gap to three points at the top of the division and return to their home ground of The New Bucks Head to take on a Darwen side that many thought wouldn’t be playing football at this point. Back in early February, Darwen were facing a winding up order from the courts for the unpaid debts the club had accrued under previous management, publicly saying they were not going to contest it. However at the 11th hour, the decision was made to step in and the club survived after being awarded an extension. I have never seen Darwen play before yet bizarrely I have visited their home ground. They groundshare with the East Lancashire Lions rugby league side and I witnessed the match between themselves and the Liverpool Buccaneers last season. I know very little about Darwen FC other than they were founder members of the football league and did quite well in the FA Cup in 1890-something, so I hope to learn a little more about them this afternoon. The New Bucks Head is one of those typical non league grounds where you can get right up close to the action no matter where you choose to view it from. A short covered seating stand features down one side of the ground with a small covered hut behind one of the goals, the rest of the ground is open air and in semi good nick. The pitch looks a little bit cut up but easily playable. The clubhouse is spacious but incredibly barren, most of it still having that untreated wood finish. The selection of drinks is incredibly limited and little is stocked. Fans are able to enjoy the Portsmouth Vs Everton game pre-match, but only on the radio as the television is turned off. A strange pre-match environment, but still, it’s better than the cold outside.

The blue of Bootle and the red of Darwen make their way onto the pitch from the dressing rooms just before 3pm with Bootle knowing that a healthy win this afternoon would put them top of the league with AFC Liverpool in cup action. The match was to start in an even fashion as the opening quarter of an hour would see little between the two sides, except for a few wasted chances by Bootle. The 23rd minute saw a half chance for the home side when a long throw into the penalty area eventually fell to the feet of a Bootle forward who slammed his shot against a defender and it deflected for a corner kick. Continuing from their midweek success from the tactic, Bootle played a short corner and worked a good opportunity for a cross, but the Darwen keeper was alert at his near post to pluck the cross out of the air and relieve the danger. A reckless challenge from a Bootle defender gave Darwen an opportunity when they were awarded a free kick some 30 yards out from goal in the 25th minute. The initial delivery was hit low and easily cleared by the Bootle defence and although recovered by Darwen, their efforts to create another opening on goal were stifled and Bootle won themselves a free kick in the process. The delivery of the free kick was just an inch too high for the waiting forward in the penalty area as it sailed over his head and harmlessly out for a goal kick to Darwen. To this point the half hadn’t looked like producing a goal, Darwen’s efforts to get an opening to shoot were proving fruitless and Bootle were not hitting the target with the few chances they were creating. But the last 10 minutes of the half would see the floodgates open for the home side as they would put three in the net before half time. The first of which came in the 35th minute when a free kick from right out on the touchline was met by the head of Neil McQueen at the back post and he headed home from close range for Bootle’s somewhat deserved lead. Seven minutes later the lead was doubled when the Darwen defence went absent without leave and a low square cross was allowed to pass through the penalty area unhindered and new signing Tom Obasi tapped the ball home unchallenged to double the home sides advantage. Two minutes later in the 44th, Bootle were awarded a free kick from some distance out, but the delivery was weighted perfectly for Bootle’s Jamie Hay who rose the highest in the box to loop the ball over the keeper and into the net. Two goals in three minutes and Bootle now led by three. Half time soon followed and the match as a contest looked pretty much done and dusted. A half that didn’t look like producing a goal from either side had produced three in the closing stages and Bootle will be very satisfied with the outcome. The referee hadn’t really allowed the game to flow and the stop start whistle happy nature of said official wasn’t making for a game of football that was pleasing on the eye. But the goals for Bootle had made the match pretty much safe and it would now be time for Darwen to respond in the 2nd half.

Half Time:
Bootle 3 – 0 Darwen

The 2nd half was pretty much business as usual from the home side as the first real chance fell to them in the 50th minute. Darwen’s keeper came to punch clear a long ball into the penalty area and subsequently got nowhere near it as a Bootle forward beat him to it. Falling to the feet of another Bootle forward on the edge of the penalty area, his first time powerful volley missed its intended and open target when a glorious opportunity to score was presented. The next chance would fall to Darwen in the 56th minute when they picked up the ball from a goal kick and some neat interplay gave a striker half a chance from range, but his effort was nearer to the corner flag than the goal as Bootle keeper Mark Mawdsley’s afternoon showed no signs of becoming uncomfortable. Bootle added another goal in the 65th minute when some slack defending by Darwen gave the ball away and the Bootle striker was brought down right on the edge of the penalty area. The referee awarded Bootle a penalty kick, despite the fact that the initial challenge took place outside the box. Carl Dale was tasked with scoring the penalty and he obliged by sending the keeper the wrong way and increasing Bootle’s lead to four goals. Bootle took their foot off the pedal for the remainder of the game as the match was safe and Darwen’s forward efforts were absorbed without too much trouble by the defence. Keeper Mark Mawdsley had to be alert in the 85th minute to make a solid low save at his near post to preserve Bootle’s clean sheet, but little other threat was posed by the visiting side and the full time whistle blew to a sound job well done by the home side.

Bootle had the job done at half time and clearly took their foot off the pedal for the 2nd half. Darwen never really proved to be too much of a threat to Bootle and the game looked just a little bit too easy after the stern midweek examination that they passed. The victory was sizable enough that Bootle now go top of the league on goal difference and have three games in hand on 2nd placed AFC Liverpool. It’s looking very rosy around these parts, once again congratulations to Bootle!

Full Time:
Bootle 4 – 0 Darwen

View more pics at:

http://s375.photobucket.com/albums/oo198/YellowCardPhotos/Bootle%20Vs%20Darwen/

AFC Liverpool 0 - 1 Bootle

2009-03-20T20:02:00.004Z

Date: Wednesday 18th March 2009
Competition: VodkaT NWCFL Division 1
Venue: Valarie Park, Prescot, Merseyside
Attendance: 541

Ticket In: £5.00
Programme: £1.50
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Total: £6.50

It feels like Valarie Park is becoming my 2nd home of late with this being my 3rd visit to the grand old ground in the space of 10 days. Well with it being just down the road from where I live it’s always a logical destination to take in a football match. However this evening it is not Prescot Cables that will be playing, but the team that they now have as tenants at their ground. I’m referring to AFC Liverpool, who were formed at the beginning of this season as a supporters run club by Liverpool FC fans. However, unlike their counterparts at FC United of Manchester, AFC Liverpool have been quick to state that they wish to be associated with their Premiership namesake and for the two clubs to have a relationship. Affectionately known as AFC Pizzahut by the locals, the idea behind the club was to allow those who had trouble getting tickets or couldn’t afford the high price of the Premiership to come and support a team, as one supporter put it at their first ever match against St Helens Town “it’s all about the return of affordable football to Liverpool”. Well I’m sorry to have to inform him that affordable football in Liverpool has always been there with teams like Marine and Bootle playing in the area. The whole club comes across as a vanity exercise and the non league game is in severe danger of becoming littered with this type of club, something I’m really keen to not see happen! Unlike FC United of Manchester, who at least have a message about them if nothing else, AFC Liverpool’s formation is a pointless one. They carry no message, no statement and no individuality. They basically exist to allow the poorer Kopite a place to watch a football match, a solution that has already been in existence for now over a century. Revolution? Not a chance.

Despite this, this evening’s match has the potential of being a cracker as the opponents are Bootle. A local-ish derby then between the teams in 1st and 2nd in the North West Counties League first division. AFC Liverpool currently sit atop the division with a 6 point advantage over their opponents this evening, although Bootle have 4 games in hand. So the match this afternoon could go a long way to deciding the eventual league champions.

The two teams made their way out onto the field from the tunnel, AFC Liverpool in their all red strip with Bootle in their home colours of all blue. The referee completes the pre-match formalities with the two team captains as the teams switch ends and Bootle get the match underway. Both sides had an early shout for a score in the 6th minute, the first opportunity falling to Bootle after a superb through ball allowed a shot on target to be put in but a deflection took it for a corner. AFC Liverpool’s chance came from a penalty appeal when a forward fell over Bootle keeper Mark Mawdsley after he had spilled the ball, referee M Green correctly refusing to award the spot kick. Bootle were then awarded a free kick after a reckless challenge from the AFC Liverpool winger, however the delivery of the kick was easily dealt with by the AFC Liverpool defence. The next chance would fall to the home side in the 11th minute when they themselves won a free kick after a clumsy challenge from a Bootle player. The kick was taken to the edge of the penalty area and headed back into the box where AFC Liverpool’s Andrew Olsen attempted an overhead scissors kick that went wide of its intended target.

The opening quarter of the match had been exciting with end to end football, pretty much what you would expect of a top of the league derby encounter and both sides looked like they were seriously up for it. But after this period the game settled down a little and there were few other chances of note as both teams cancelled each other out. AFC Liverpool managed to win themselves a corner just before half time, the delivery of which was cleared as far as the edge of the box where a Bootle player committed a foul that resulted in the referee awarding AFC Liverpool a free kick. The kick was drilled in low but across the face of goal and wide and the chance passed without reaping any rewards. So the half tailed off towards its conclusion after an electric start, but from the chances that have been created Bootle look the better and more aggressive of the two sides. The space that AFC Liverpool have afforded Bootle may well come back to bite them on the backside before full time. One side must surely step it up and go for it in the 2nd half.

Half Time:
AFC Liverpool 0 – 0 Bootle

The 2nd half got off to a frenetic start much like the first did as both teams began to apply the pressure early. Both teams won themselves a corner in the early stages of the half, Bootle’s effort was eventually cleared by the AFC Liverpool defence after some good closing allowed the Bootle forward no space to work in.

AFC Liverpool’s corner was half cleared in the first instance by the Bootle defence, but then the forward managed to pick the ball up on the wing and skip his was past 2 Bootle defenders before warming the gloves of Bootle keeper Mark Mawdsley at his near post. Referee Green then had a bit call to make in the 51st minute as a Bootle forward hit the deck in the penalty area in close proximity to an AFC Liverpool defender. What looked like a decent shout for a penalty saw referee Green award AFC Liverpool a free kick as he adjudged that the Bootle player had dived in the penalty area, a yellow card was also produced for the forwards trouble. But the breakthrough that had been threatening to arrive for a while came in the 55th minute when Bootle won themselves a corner kick. The corner was taken short and played to Andy Fowler, who worked himself some space on the edge of the penalty area and drilled a powerful shot through the bodies in the penalty area and into the net to get the Bootle fans celebrating in the stands and silence the home supporters. However this seemed to spur AFC Liverpool on and they started to inflict some pressure on the Bootle defence themselves. The 58th minute saw an absolute scramble in the Bootle goalmouth with the ball somehow not ending up in the net and in the 62nd minute another good chance went begging as the striker blasted an effort wide of the target, but AFC Liverpool were now looking the far more dangerous of the two sides at this point. The pressure almost told in the 64th minute when Bootle had their custodian Mawdsely to thank for preserving their lead, a long ball from the wing completely evaded the Bootle defence and left the AFC Liverpool striker free to fire off a shot from the angle, Mawdsley got down brilliantly well to make the save at his near post and deflect the ball back into the penalty area where a challenge from a Bootle defender had the home fans appealing in vain for a penalty kick. Bootle thought they had doubled their lead in the 67th minute when they got the ball in the back of the net again. An initial shot from the angle on the edge of the penalty area was parried back into the penalty area by the goalkeeper and a square pass right in front of goal found the waiting player half a yard offside as he tapped it into the open net.

The lineman’s flag went up and the visiting supporters celebrations were cut short. But the momentum had now begun to swing the way of Bootle again and this was becoming evident in their play. They were stronger in the midfield and were muscling AFC Liverpool off the ball with relative ease and although they found themselves on the back foot on occasions, they were more than adequately coping with the threats the AFC Liverpool attack threw at them. AFC Liverpool staged a mini fight back as the match drew to a close but it wasn’t enough to break down the Bootle defence and the joy on the players and supporters face when referee Green sounded the full time whistle was testimony enough, a massive win for Bootle.

So as the home supporters board their busses back to the City of Liverpool, they can ponder how they were beaten by a much better side in a defeat that throws the division championship race wide open again. The gap will now be three points with Bootle having four games in hand and after the performance they turned in tonight, they must surely be considered favourites to win the league. A game that was absolutely worth its money as the AFC Liverpool fight back towards the end nearly brought them a share of the spoils. It was largely a match of momentum swings but on the whole Bootle were deserving winners of the Derby tie. It should make for a very interesting and exciting conclusion to the Division One race this season. Congratulations to Bootle!

Full Time:
AFC Liverpool 0 – 1 Bootle

Prescot Cables 2 - 3 Ossett Town

2009-03-16T16:16:00.000Z

Date: Saturday 14th March 2009
Competition: Unibond League Premier Division
Venue: Valarie Park, Prescot, Merseyside
Attendance: 157

Ticket In: £7.00
Programme: £1.50
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Total: £8.50

The bizzarest of days here in the North West of England, a bright yet breezy day that almost verges on warm! A day like this is so rare that it’s really something to be cherished. So how am I choosing to mark this momentous occasion in the British meteorological calendar, well the only way I know how of course, a beer in hand and a football match around the corner, the perfect combination! However, in the town of Prescot, football hasn’t been a happy thing after a recent string of defeats see that “the Cables” firmly rooted to the bottom of the table, 10 points away from safety after defeats to both Worksop Town and Boston United in relegation “six-pointers”. As the threat that Prescot Cables Unibond Premier League life hangs by becomes ever thinner, they grace the Valarie Park pitch this afternoon against an Ossett Town side that although sit in mid table, will be looking over their shoulders being just 8 points above the drop zone themselves. That on its own sounds comfortable enough, but with only 5 points separating the 6 teams below them a slip up this afternoon could see them put into the mire. So it should be another corking afternoon of football with Prescot hoping that another nail isn’t hammered into their rapidly shutting coffin. Upon buying a match programme on arrival at the ground, the referee’s name jumps out at me, Mr A. Clayton of Hyde. Now, I’ve seen this “muppet” referee three previous matches this season, each time he’s ruined the game and in the case of Bamber Bridge Vs Trafford, made the players play on under floodlights in some of the densest fog I’ve ever seen where you couldn’t see one goal from behind the other. Frankly any hope of a well officiated match had gone out of the window even at this early stage. I wandered my way onto the terraces, hoping that there had been a late change, but not to be, the sight of a bald head in a black shirt was there. I was fearful that his name might be the one on everybody’s lips come full time, but at full time even I was amazed at the influence over the match he created.

The teams emerged from the tunnel at just before 3pm, Prescot Cables in their home strip of amber and black, Ossett Town in their Bristol Rovers like blue and white squares shirt with blue shorts. Before the match, a minutes silence was perfectly observed in memory of Frank Lloyd from Ossett Town and just on 3pm the match got underway. The first 10 minutes of the encounter were somewhat lifeless, neither team really got to grips with each other or the pitch and as a result a stalemate ensued. But these 10 minutes were to prove the only dull ones in the match as in the 13th minute, referee Clayton got the controversy underway. Prescot thought they had taken the lead when Jamie Croxton fired off a 40 yard ball into the penalty area that beat the Ossett Town keeper in flight and sailed into the back of the net. However, Prescot’s celebrations were cut short when referee Clayton disallowed the goal for an offside on Cables Darren Byers when he was totally uninvolved in play. A calamitous decision that had cost Prescot taking the lead in the match. But the Cables were not to be done down by this and they continued to apply pressure on the Ossett defence. A long range daisy cutter shot didn’t really trouble the goalkeeper in the 22nd minute, but it triggered a 10 minute spell of pressure that should have seen the hosts take the lead. A powerful volleyed effort in the 28th minute saw the ball deflect for a corner when it could have gone anywhere, the resultant corner had very credible Prescot appeal for handball waved away before being deflected out for another corner and the resultant delivery eventually ended up in the arms of the keeper. It would seem for poor old Prescot Cables that when your luck is out then it’s really out! Though not having had a great deal to do down the other end, Cables keeper Zak Hibbert produced a fine save in the 33rd minute when a thunderous 20 yard plus volley was turned around the post for an Ossett corner in a fine display of goalkeeping. Take centre stage once again Mr Clayton in the 38th minute when a long throw Ossett Town throw into the penalty area saw a striker hit the deck under an inconspicuous looking challenge from Prescot’s Tommy Taylor, referee Clayton pointed to the spot to award Ossett Town a penalty much to the displeasure and disbelief of the Prescot defence, there certainly looked nothing wrong with it from where I was stood anyway. Ossett Town’s Adain Savory stepped up and competently dispatched the ball past the diving keeper to give the visitors the lead. This was a lead that would last all of 3 minutes as Prescot struck back immediately as a long ball was picked up by Darren Byers on the edge of the penalty area and he shrugged off the attentions of an Ossett defender to volley the ball emphatically past the keeper and bring the scores deservedly level again. And this was pretty much how the first half would end and after a slow opening, the match had eventually come to life. Both sides had looked pretty evenly matched and if it hadn’t been for Mr Clayton’s poorly timed interventions, the score would almost certainly be different. But as it stood at this point, everything was still absolutely to play for. An exciting 2nd half lay in prospect.

Half Time:
Prescot Cables 1 – 1 Ossett Town

The first half began with yet another moment of controversy as in the 49th minute, referee Clayton awarded Ossett Town another penalty when Cables Rob McIntosh tugged on the shirt of an Ossett Town forward in the penalty area. That wasn’t the controversial bit, that was yet to follow. Adain Savory, scorer of the penalty in the first half steps up again but this time keeper Hibbert is up to the shot and saves the effort. The Prescot fans in the stand celebrate, only to be brought down to earth once again as referee Clayton orders the kick to be retaken, the reason for this still remains unclear. Savory doesn’t change his mindset or the direction of the kick and at the 2nd time of asking, he buries the ball past Hibbert to restore Ossett’s lead and the Prescot fans really start to get on Clayton’s back. But Prescot managed to draw themselves level yet again in the 69th minute after they’d enjoyed a spell of pressure on the opponents defence. After some aerial ping pong in the midfield, Darren Byers ghosted in to round the keeper and sidefoot the ball into the empty net, game level again and Prescot now started to believe they could go on to win the tie after the pressure they had applied. But the game was to have a very sour end for the home side as after Ossett went close to re-taking the lead in the 83rd minute when they hit the woodwork and then had the ball headed off the line by a defender, they got the ball in the back of the net in the 85th minute. Darren Byers lost the ball in an attacking position and Ossett’s downfield break left Prescot standing still and an aerial ball reached the edge of the penalty area. Zak Hibbert advanced to clear it but Ossett’s Tom Greaves beat him to it and launched a deft chip over the stopper that seemed to take an age to drop and roll, but it eventually trickled into the net and the Ossett players celebrated on the pitch as they were now 5 minutes away from an unlikely looking victory. In fact Ossett Town would have the ball in the net again before full time, but this time referee Clayton chalked it off for offside. The full time whistle blew not long after and the end of the match brought plenty of analysis from the home supporters.

The Prescot fans are understandably frustrated post match, and believe me I’m not the biggest Prescot Cables fan there is out there, but they were very hard done to indeed by a referee that should have his whistle taken from him for the good of the game. So the key moments were this, Prescot’s disallowed goal should never have been disallowed, Ossett Town’s first penalty award was incredibly suspect and if these decisions had been awarded correctly, Prescot would almost certainly have entered the halftime break leading. Although I did think the Prescot lad tugged the shirt of the Ossett forward for the 2nd penalty, I saw absolutely no reason whatsoever that the penalty should be retaken. Cables keeper Zak Hibbert did not appear to encroach off his line, nor did any players enter the penalty area too early. So had that not been retaken, Prescot would still have been leading. After an afternoon like that when you’re bottom of the league, you must feel that the football gods are against you as nothing went the way of the home side and the officiating was absolutely the worst that I’ve seen for many a match. Maybe now is the time to rename Hope Street to Give Up Hope Street!

Full Time:
Prescot Cables 2 – 3 Ossett Town

View more pics at:
http://s375.photobucket.com/albums/oo198/YellowCardPhotos/Prescot%20Cables%20Vs%20Ossett%20Town/

Prescot Cables 0 - 1 Worksop Town

2009-03-10T15:56:00.000Z

Date: Saturday 7th March 2009
Competition: Unibond League Premier Division
Venue: Valarie Park, Prescot, Merseyside
Attendance: 227

Ticket In: £7.00
Programme: £1.50
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Total: £8.50

A hastily arranged visit to Valarie Park this afternoon after a late change of mind as to which game to take in. Prescot Cables Vs Worksop Town is pretty much a must win encounter for the home side this afternoon as their relegation worries become even deeper, finding themselves 5 points from safety as the season begins its run in. Worksop are not completely safe themselves at this present stage, being just three points above the relegation zone going into todays game. Prescot’s results have been mixed coming into todays encounter with two very impressive draws against Eastwood Town and Bradford Park Avenue but also a heavy defeat to Guiseley. This is in contrast to Worksop who have come into this match on the back of a 3-1 victory over Frickley Athletic. Both teams badly need the points so this match has all the makings of an absolute cracker!

The two teams made their way onto the pitch at just before 3pm, Prescot in their home colours of amber and black, Worksop in green and white. The two sides change ends after the coin toss and it would be Worksop Town that would get the match underway. And they got it underway in some style as they very nearly took the lead within the opening two minutes of the match. A shot hit at the goal had the Worksop Town fans behind the goal celebrating, but it hit the inside of the post and rolled along the line before being cleared at the last by a desperate defender. But Worksop would lead after 10 minutes when they won themselves a corner. The delivery was played into the middle of the box where Gareth Holmes took the ball of a Prescot defenders chest and sent the ball into the net to give the visitors the lead. Prescot had yet to get going in the match and soon found themselves under pressure again when some good work from a Worksop forward won his team a corner. The delivery of this corner was cleared by the Prescot defence before an injury to a Prescot player brought a temporary halt to proceedings. Worksop were not keen to relent on their opposition and when a free kick was delivered into the Prescot half in the 20th minute, the ball eventually fell to the feet of Alex Callery whose shot through a mass of players was comfortably saved by Prescot keeper Zak Hibbert. Prescot’s first half decent chance in the match came in the 25th minute when the offside flag stayed down and a cross into the box was headed on by Karl Connolly and drilled wide of the target by Karl Carney when he would have done well to hit the target. Some ten minutes later, Prescot came within a lick of paint of levelling the match then Worksop carelessly gave away a throw in and a Prescot forward entered the penalty area with the attentions of three Worksop defenders. Under extreme pressure, the forward managed to get a daisy cutter shot away that had Worksop keeper Adam Ogden scrambling to his left hand side to attempt a save, but he was well beaten as the ball brushed the outside of the post before going harmlessly for a goal kick. But just before half time Worksop nearly struck a deadly blow to Prescot’s hopes when they won themselves a free kick right on the edge of the penalty area. The delivery into the box from Chris Adam was met superbly by the head of Tom Jones whose effort thundered against the crossbar and was pounced upon by Hibbert in the Cables goal, well, it’s not unusual! Sorry, I just couldn’t resist that little bit of unoriginality there. So as the half time whistle sounded from referee Bartlett, Worksop took a deserved one goal advantage into the break. The Prescot Cables fans seem far from happy with the level of performance from their team so far and with probable just cause. Prescot have created very little and Worksop have been the better of the two sides. There is work to do for Prescot if they are to recover in the 2nd half.

Half Time:
Prescot Cables 0 – 1 Worksop Town

The 2nd half would start the way the first ended, with Worksop Town looking the more likely of the two sides to score. The 51st minute saw a good run from Ben Tomlinson turn into a powerful low shot that Zak Hibbert had to get down well to save before his defence managed to clear the danger. Prescot then almost levelled the match in the 55th minute when a shot from range by Cables substitute Cameron Dalton had the keeper worried, but it sailed just wide of the far post and the scores remained the same. As the half wore on, Cables came more into the match as they searched for this elusive levelling goal, winning themselves some free kicks in the process, but failing to threaten from any of them. The next best chance Prescot had came after a sustained spell of pressure towards the end of the game but without making that killer breakthrough that would level the scores. It would be added on time at the end of the match that would see a long ball played into the penalty area eventually fall to the feet of Cameron Dalton after the Worksop Town defence had failed to clear. Dalton’s first time volley sailed over the crossbar though as Cables once again failed to turn an opportunity into a score. This was pretty much the story of the half as despite the large amount of pressure they were put under, Worksop held out and the full time whistle sounded to give the Tigers back to back victories in the league campaign.

Cables huff and puff couldn’t blow the Tigers house down and they now find themselves in real trouble indeed as they were defeated in this “six-pointer”. Now joint bottom of the league with Leigh Genesis and seven points from safety, Cables have it all to do if they are to survive the drop this season, I’m sure their fans will not want another uncomfortable end to the season like the one they were forced to endure last season. The victory for Worksop however sees them jump a league position and move four points clear from the relegation zone, but with things still being very tight at the bottom we could be in for another exciting conclusion to the Unibond League season come April. Congratulations to Worksop Town!

Full Time:
Prescot Cables 0 – 1 Worksop Town

View more pics at:
http://www.photobucket.com/prescotcablesworksoptown

Rochdale Town 1 - 1 Irlam

2009-02-17T10:26:00.000Z

Date: Saturday 14th February 2009
Competition: Vodkat NWCFL Div 1
Venue: Mayfield Sports Park, Castleton, Lancashire
Attendance: 030

Ticket In: £.400
Programme: £1.00
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Total: £5.00

Valentine’s Day falls across the UK and what better way to spend it than with your first love, football! Well, several better ways spring to mind now I come to think about it, but football is the choice! Today’s choice of contest is in Division 1 of the North West Counties League as Rochdale Town take on Irlam. Rochdale Town are playing their first season under than name after being formally known as Castleton Gabriels prior to this season. Formed in 1924, the clubs main honours include winning the Manchester League 1st Division and Murray Shield in 1986-87. The club have had difficulties in the last few seasons when they finished bottom of the league after large points deductions. They have also been badly affected by vandals as their ground is surrounded by public parks and they cannot close off access to the ground. This season has also seen them struggle as they currently lie in 15th position in a league of 18 with 5 wins from their 20 games played. Irlam are having a much happier time of things in their inaugural season in the North West Counties League as they currently lie in 7th position. I saw Irlam play a few weeks back against Bootle in the Vodkat Cup where a Jekyll and Hyde performance saw then lose 1-3 to arguably the best side in the league. It should be a very interesting to see if Irlam can turn it on against a team lower in the league. Rochdale Town play their home matches in the Mayfield Sports Centre, which also plays host to Mayfield ARLFC, so the spacious clubhouse is a hive activity prior to the kickoff as both teams have home matches this afternoon. The ground is right next to the ongoing match of rugby league, so referees whistles might become easily confused this afternoon. Also, the football pitch is double marked for rugby league, let’s just see how many players slightly lose their bearings a little bit. The pitch itself looks a little bit cut up and rough with some sandy patches, so it will be interesting to see how well the ball rolls.

The teams make their way out onto the pitch from the dressing rooms, Rochdale Town in their home strip of black and white striped shirts with black shorts and Irlam in their home strip of all blue. The captains sort everything out with the match officials in the middle and just on 3pm the match gets underway. And the action began right from the kickoff when Rochdale Town should have taken the lead after just 40 seconds of play. A ball down the wing was turned into the penalty area via a low cross and found a Rochdale Town striker just 6 yards out from goal unobstructed. When it looked easier to score, the striker blasted the ball over the bar in an absolute sitter miss. “Thats a real let off that Irlam” screamed the manager as he tried to rally his troops. Rochdale came forward again in the 3rd minute and won themselves a corner, the delivery of which was to the back of the penalty area and headed dangerously towards goal, but the waiting forwards header didn’t get the required amount of purchase and the Irlam keeper gathered the ball unpressured. Rochdale had made a very encouraging start to the match quickly putting their visitors under pressure, but their defence had to be alert in the 10th minute as Irlam got forward themselves. Rochdale Town’s keeper having to make a great parrying save from a shot from range in the 10th minute and allow his defence to clear the ball for a corner. But this proved to be only a brief moment of rest bite for the Irlam defence as Rochdale Town came at them again in the 13th minute, making a great run from the wing, the Rochdale Town winger fired in a powerful low shot from the angle that produced a fine save from the Irlam keeper for another corner, the Irlam defence standing up to their task manfully. But a slip up in the 15th minute would break the deadlock in favour of the home side when the ball managed to bounce over the Irlam keeper and Rochdale Town’s Whitehead rounded the stranded stopper and sent the ball goalwards from the angle. Irlam’s defenders desperately tried to scramble back to clear the ball, but one slipped over in his efforts and the ball rolled into the corner of the net in slow motion to give Rochdale Town what was a deserved lead on the balance of play so far. Irlam looked a little shell shocked by the way the game had started but nearly got themselves back into the match in the 25th minute when they won a free kick from out wide. The delivery beautifully curled into the box but avoided the heads of any of the players that had gathered within it, just blending wide of the far post and the score remained the same. The next opportunity would fall to Rochdale Town in the 28th minute when they won themselves a free kick in a dangerous position, however the delivery was skied over the crossbar without troubling the Irlam goalkeeper. Half an hour had now gone and the game was being conducted at quite some pace, Rochdale Town were looking the better of the two sides at this time with Irlam having to resort to long range pot shots that rarely hit their intended target. Although Irlam should have levelled the match in the 36th minute when they won themselves a corner. This was taken short before being looped into the penalty area with some height. The Rochdale Town keeper came to collect the ball but missed it completely and it fell to the feet of an Irlam striker with the goal at his mercy, but when it looked easier to score the striker blasted the ball over the bar and Rochdale Town escaped punishment for their keepers mistake, both sides now having missed an absolute sitter. Irlam had a couple more shots that were saved before the half drew to a close and the home side would have been happy with the 45 minutes work they had put in. Rochdale Town were deserving of their lead having made an impressive start to the match and should have been leading after just 40 seconds. But they have looked better in the midfield than Irlam and have created the more positive of the chances. Irlam have also had their chances but not taken them, so the match is far from over yet. An interesting 2nd half ahead.

Half Time:
Rochdale Town 1 – 0 Irlam

The second half started with just as much action as the first had contained and another good goalscoring opportunity occurred within the opening few minutes. It fell the way of Rochdale Town after a clearance from the goalkeeper landed beautifully over the Irlam defence and at the feet of a Rochdale Town player, who managed a great shot from the angle that went just inches wide of the post as Rochdale Town came agonisingly close to doubling their lead. The next major chance also fell to Rochdale Town as one of their midfielders became unlucky not to score one of the goals of the season. A 40 yard bullet shot was unleashed and had the entire defence beaten but not the frame of the goal as it cracked the post and deflected to relative safety. Rochdale then poured on yet even more pressure when they won two corners in quick succession, but neither came to any threat on the goal, Irlam were having everything but the kitchen sink thrown at them. But after this point, the momentum began to swing the way of the visitors and Irlam went after an equalising goal. A run from midfield in the 58th minute saw an Irlam effort from range deflect for a corner, the delivery of which was headed clear by a Rochdale Town defender. Massive Irlam shouts for a penalty were then turned down by the referee in the 61st minute when a great run down the wing and cut inside into the box saw the Rochdale Town winger be brought down in the penalty area, the referee waved away the claims and the match continued, much to the Irlam managements displeasure. But Irlam were not to be deterred and came at the Rochdale Town defence again in the 62nd minute and another good run from the wing saw the Irlam forward cut back and fire a powerful shot straight at the keeper, whose quick release of the ball saw a quick break down field by Rochdale Town and cross just being palmed away by the Irlam keeper, end to end action that you just couldn’t take your eyes off. Irlam continued to turn the screw in the 67th minute when the Rochdale Town defence couldn’t touch the Irlam forward as he made a great run across the box and fed his teammate brilliantly, the low shot that was fired in was saved well and the ball went for a Irlam corner. The corner was delivered to the near post but the Rochdale Town defence dealt with the ball fairly easily and the danger was cleared. But in the 74th minute the danger returned when more patient build up play on the wings saw a cross into the penalty area spilled by the Rochdale Town goalkeeper, but the defence collected themselves and managed to half clear the danger before a long range Irlam shot went a long way wide of the target. But Irlam’s patient play and persistence would be rewarded in the 77th minute when they would equalise. Once again, the route taken was down the wing where Irlam had enjoyed much success, a neat pass into the penalty area had the Rochdale Town defence appealing for offside, appeals that were rejected, and another neat layoff pass saw Irlam’s Palmer evade the attentions of two defenders and slot the ball past the keeper to deservedly bring Irlam level. But this wasn’t enough for Irlam and they now had the impetus to go after a winning goal. Winning themselves a corner in the 80th minute, the delivery was punched half clear before eventually being gathered by the keeper after a 2nd cross into the box. But right at the end of the match the momentum would swing again after Irlam were reduced to 10 men after a professional foul and the Rochdale Town keeper would pull off two world class saves to prevent Irlam taking in the lead. But deep into injury time, it looked like Irlam’s efforts and toils would all be undone when Rochdale Town were awarded a penalty for a push in the box. The striker stepped up and sent the ball low and to the keepers left, but the keeper got down well guessing the right way and saved the effort. However the relief amongst the Irlam players and supporters was short lived as the referee ordered a re-take of the kick, leaving the Irlam bench to verbally lambast the referee as they had done for periods during the match. But the relief was back soon after as the re-take was blasted wide of the left hand post and Irlam escaped a last minute concede and escaped with a point, as the full time whistle blew not long after.

Where to start when describing that 2nd half and finish. Another Jekyll and Hyde Irlam performance that saw them fail to get going until the 2nd half, but when it came they were right on the money. Rochdale Town will have been disappointed not to have been further than 1 goal in front by half time with the chances they had and in the end it cost them dearly. Irlam looked like they were going to win the match after they equalised, and they would have done had the Rochdale Town keeper not been in brilliant form at the end of the match, he certainly kept his team in the match. The penalty at the end looked like putting a massive slant of irony on the match, but despite help from the referee, Rochdale Town couldn’t convert and a draw that neither side will be satisfied with was the conclusion. Quite how the match ended in a draw I’m not sure but both teams will be grateful for a point at the end of the day. A game that was worth its entrance money and an absolutely enthralling conclusion, well done to both sides.

Full Time:
Rochdale Town 1 – 1 Irlam

View more pics at:
http://www.photobucket.com/rochdaletownirlam

Daisy Hill 0 - 4 Norton United

2009-02-08T16:28:00.001Z

Date: Saturday 7th February 2009
Competition: VodkaT NWCFL Div 1
Venue: New Sirs, Daisy Hill, Lancashrie
Attendance: 024

Ticket In: £4.00
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Total: £4.00

Some rare sunshine in the North West was a pleasant addition to a day that was forecast to be freezing cold. But let’s give the forecasters their due, matches across the leagues are being called off with rapidity as the cold temperatures and the recent snowfall take their toll on the pitches across the land. Ringing around the local grounds, I was met with the same response “no, it’s been called off I’m afraid mate” until I checked with Daisy Hill FC, more out of hope than expectation, but my hopes were unexpectedly answered, the match was on. Daisy Hill lies in Lancashire near to Bolton and Westhoughton and the football team plays at the New Sirs ground. Perpetual strugglers in the 2^nd tier of the North West Counties League, this season appears to be no different as despite a good start to the season, Daisy Hill find themselves at the wrong end of the table again having won only 4 of their 17 games this season. This should make Norton United favourites for the match this afternoon as the Staffordshire based side currently sit in mid table with a 6 point advantage over their hosts this afternoon. I attempted to view this Daisy Hill Vs Norton United fixture a few weeks back, but a postponement here at the New Sirs meant a hastily re-arranged trip to Robin Park Arena to see Wigan Robin Park play Chadderton. The bar/clubhouse at New Sirs is quaint, an old wooden building lovingly converted for accommodating two football teams worth of people. There is a newspaper article posted on the wall with the headline “Why Daisy Hill are the Best Team in the World”, curiosity eventually got the better of me.

If you base the argument on Scottish Logic, as the Scotland fans declared their national side World Champions when they were the first to inflict defeat on England’s actual World Champions in 1966, Daisy Hill beat a team last year that could eventually be traced to a team that beat Manchester United, the Premier League, Champions League and World Club champions. This makes Daisy Hill better than Manchester United, therefore the best club in the world, despite the fact that they only managed to win 2 games last season. Well I was sold to the fact that I was watching the best team in the world play Norton United this afternoon. The clubhouse is cosy except for the smell of the gas heaters. Reassuringly, the pitch looks in good condition, certainly the best I’ve seen it looking on my trips here. The ground comprises a seating stand behind one goal and a small covered stand down one side of the pitch. There would be many that would scoff at such a facility, but it’s this type of ground that lets you get right up close to the action and provides a community with a football team. Call me a basket case, but I prefer a place like this to 40,000 seaters, I’d choose this any day of the week. Weather conditions prior to kickoff are bright and breezy, not as strong as last week so it shouldn’t have an influence on the match.

3pm rolls around and the two teams take to the field. Daisy Hill in their all blue kit and Norton United in their changed strip of Aston Villa like maroon strip with sky blue. The captains meet with the referee in the centre circle and not long after Norton United got the match underway. The match was off to a good start with both teams able to spend time in each other’s half and work some good play, the first real moment of note coming in the 9^th minute when a Daisy Hill forward was brought down in the penalty area under a good challenge. The loud shouts for a penalty from the boys in blue were in my view rightly ignored by the referee . Daisy Hill were able to keep the pressure up in the early going and in the 15^th minute they won themselves a free kick in a dangerous position. The delivery from just outside the penalty area was sweetly dipping below the crossbar until the Norton goalkeeper superbly tipped it over to concede a corner. Daisy Hill failed to threaten from this set piece and Norton had ridden the storm. The game became a fairly end to end encounter with Norton United finding plenty of success down the wings with pacey breaks from their own defence, but the next chance would fall to Daisy Hill in the 27^th minute when a mix up in the Norton defence saw the keeper come to collect a through ball shielded by his defender. The keeper failed to gather and the defender failed to clear, the waiting Daisy Hill forward managed to steal the ball but the Norton keeper recovered in time to make the necessary save. The deadlock was broken just after the half hour mark when Norton United took the lead. A superb aerial through ball to the wing was played from the midfield and was picked up by Paul Rutter on the wing. Rutter took the ball into the penalty area and beat the keeper at his near post to put the visitors into the lead and put the smiles on the small travelling contingent. Sadly after this point, the match officiating took a dramatic turn for the worse as Daisy Hill thought they had levelled the match straight from the restart, only for the referee’s assistant to incorrectly chalk off their goal. A cross from the wing was volleyed into the net in emphatic fashion by a player who was never standing in an offside position, an inactive player was judged to be offside and the goal was chalked off much to the disbelief and displeasure of the Daisy Hill players. To their credit though, they didn’t let their heads dropped and when they were awarded a free kick in the 36^th minute, the delivery beat the waiting defenders and needed a smart save from the goalkeeper to prevent the scores from becoming level. The last chance of the half once again fell to the hosts right on the stroke of halftime when a cross into the penalty area was only half cleared by the Norton defence, but blasted over the bar by the Daisy Hill forward. Half time soon followed. It had been an entertaining half of football with both teams going for it. Norton had proved very dangerous down the wings when breaking at speed, where Daisy Hill were missing that last telling touch in front of goal. In my opinion, they should be level having had a goal disallowed wrongly, but their heads never went down and they continued to battle well. With the pitch beginning to cut up a little, the game is still open for anyone.

Half Time:
Daisy Hill 0 – 1 Norton United

Daisy Hill made the better start of the two sides in the 2^nd half when they forced some encouraging chances early on. A foul by a Norton defender in the corner conceded a free kick and the delivery into the box was cleared as far as the edge of the penalty area where a Daisy Hill forward sent a superb curing shot towards goal that beat the keeper, but also beat the far post by inches and the scoreline remained the same. Another free kick in another dangerous position two minutes later saw the delivery just dip over the crossbar as opposed to under it as Daisy Hill looked threatening but were unable to score. Ten minutes later however, Norton United extended their lead when an aerial ball over the Daisy Hill defence had the Daisy Hill keeper coming to clear the ball outside of his area, but the Norton United forward beat him to it and had an open net to shoot into with the keeper now in no man’s land. A great last ditch challenge by a Daisy Hill defender prevented the striker from scoring, but this only delayed the inevitable as Michael Machin applied the touch to send the ball into the empty net and double Norton’s lead, much to the delight of their supporters. There was a bad tempered undercurrent to the match that was slowly beginning to bubble up to the surface, not helped in the 66^th minute when a very rash challenge by a Daisy Hill midfielder resulted in a free kick for the visitors, the player lucky to escape a yellow card. A mistake by the referee by not issuing the card was then followed by another mistake by the referee two minutes later when Norton United should have been awarded a penalty kick, a challenge from behind in the penalty area by a Daisy Hill player brought down the forward but the referee regrettably kept up his low standard of officiating and didn’t award the spot kick. Come the 71^st minute, Norton United were getting into a dangerous habit of giving away silly free kicks in dangerous positions when they didn’t need to, Daisy Hill almost clawing a goal back from one of these but the short delivery was just turned wide of the near post and the danger passed. But the game was over as a contest in the 76^th minute when Norton United extended their lead to three goals. Norton worked the ball to the left hand edge of the penalty area before a cross was played in across the face of goal which the Daisy Hill defence just allowed to pass through, not seeing a lurking Norton forward waiting at the post and his effort goal wards hit the crossbar and bounced out to the waiting Lee Talbot who had an open net to score Norton’s third of the game. Game over, Daisy Hill’s efforts being completely eradicated. With the points in the bag, Norton United put an impressive finish on the game as they came forward with intent, drawing a fine save from the Daisy Hill keeper from a range shot and adding a 4^th goal in the depths of injury time. Some great work down the wing from the Norton winger saw him fight off the attentions of the Daisy Hill player and put a pinpoint cross into the box for the diving head of Lee Talbot to loop the ball over the keeper and into the net to round off a fine display from Norton United. The fixture would sadly end on a sour note when the card happy, spotlight loving referee who had spoiled the contest on several previous occasions, decided for no apparent reason to brandish a red card to a Norton player, at least I can’t figure out how letting the ball go for a goal kick is a sending off offence! It would be an interesting referees report to read as that poor unfortunate player will now have to serve a ban after committing no obvious offence, but maybe the referee had his own reasons. However Norton weren’t playing with 10 men for long as full time soon followed and the three points were off down the motorway to Staffordshire.

A decent game of football that was let down by some very poor officiating. The match could have been a very different game had the officials not wrongly ruled out a perfectly good score for Daisy Hill, but to the teams credit, they battled away valiantly to try and get themselves back into the match. Comparing the two teams, Norton definitely looked the more comfortable of the sides and were able to find ways past the defence that faced them. Daisy Hill looked for much of the game like they were trying to walk the ball into the net as opposed to shooting when they had good chances to. In the end though, the scoreline just about reflected the balance of play on the whole, congratulations Norton United!

Full Time:
Daisy Hill 0 – 4 Norton United

View more pics at:
http://www.photobucket.com/daisyhillnortonunited

Lancaster City 3 - 3 Durham City

2009-02-01T20:10:00.000Z

Date: Saturday 31st January 2009
Competition: Unibond First Div North
Venue: The Giant Axe Ground, Lancaster, Lancashire
Attendance: 204

Ticket In: £7.00
Programme: £1.50
Golden Goal: £1.00
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Total: £9.50

The tale of two cities, forget Paris and London, this story is about Lancaster and Durham. Non-league sides that represent their city are few and far between, usually they pale into insignificance behind the big money professional sides that boast the “City” title. But today the best teams that two cities have to offer will be pitted against each other in a battle for Unibond League First Division North supremacy.

Both sides currently lie in the playoff positions of the league and are competing for the title, Durham being so far undefeated in the league and having played 22 cup games. Lancaster City are a team currently in re-building after they entered freefall two seasons ago when playing their football in the Conference North. Massive points deductions meant they spent time at the foot of the league on a negative points total, before eventually being relegated somewhat unsurprisingly. Things got worse though as they also entered administration at the end of that season, meaning they were relegate by two divisions to the level where they currently find themselves playing. But the club has come through all of this adversity and survived when it looked like they might not and are back challenging for league titles. Durham have had a far easier time of it of late and their league position reflects this. Promoted from the Arngrove League as champions last season, Durham have settled into Unibond League life well, and with Durham CCC winning their first ever cricket county championship last season, it’s certainly a city for winners. Looking at all that’s available about today’s game, I fully expect Durham to be the favourites. The pre-match is spent wandering into Lancaster City Centre and spotting a pub with one of the best names I’ve seen, Ye Old John O’ Gaunt. Try saying that when you’re leaving there at closing time. You know you’re in a classy establishment when there’s a photograph of the morris dancing team on the wall and poetry such as “I love it when it’s raining when I’m leaving public hooses, cause nobody can tell when I’ve piddled down my troosers”.

Lancaster’s Giant Axe ground is a very tidy ground offering a covered seating stand as well as raised terracing behind one goal. Problems with posts do exist though as obstructed views from the seats cause some problems. The surface of the pitch looks smooth enough though a bit barren in the goalmouths, nothing unusual in that from a non league pitch. Conditions pre-kickoff are blustery and cold with a very strong side wind, football in the raw.

So the referee and his assistants lead the teams out of the changing rooms and onto the Giant Axe pitch, Lancaster City in blue shirts and white shorts with Durham City in yellow shirts and blue shorts. Formalities are concluded, the teams switch ends and Durham City get the match underway.

The gathered supporters didn’t have to wait long for the first goal of the game, it came after only six minutes, but it wouldn’t be one that would please the home supporters. After receiving a neat pass, a great run and some superb skill from Durham’s Gavin Cogden allowed him to lay off a neat pass to Matty Moffatt, who hit a first time shot straight at Lancaster City keeper Mark Thornley. Thornley couldn’t stop the ball despite getting down to it and it trickled into the goal via the right hand post to give the visitors the perfect start to the match. Lancaster then mustered the first effort on goal when they were awarded a free kick on the wing. The ball played into the box was headed half clear and Lancaster’s Danny Mahoney volleyed the ball straight at goalkeeper Craig Turns in the Durham City goal. Durham then had another good chance to score in the 12th minute when some neat football allowed a through ball to be played to the goal line and crossed back in front of goal. The waiting Durham strikers diving header just went wide of the post and the chance passed. Lancaster then had another go at the Durham goal when a long range shot in the 15th minute deflected off a defender and Durham City goalkeeper Craig Turns was at full stretch as Lancaster won a corner. Durham extended their lead in the 22nd minute when a cross into the box was half cleared by Lancaster defender Guy Heffernan. Calvin Smith picked up the ball and when facing pressure from the Lancaster defence, he played the ball to Matty Moffatt who executed a perfect shot over Mark Thornley in the Lancaster goal and into the net to double Durham’s lead and his own personal goal tally.

Durham remained on the attack and in the 28th minute they won themselves a corner. Played short, the ball eventually broke to a Durham forward on the edge of the penalty area and he drilled the ball wide of the target. The match was deprived of any real further goal threats until the end of the half, but Durham were having the better of the play keeping the ball on the ground whilst Lancaster’s aerial efforts were being caught in the wind. That scoring chance came right at the death of the half when another one of Gavin Cogden’s untouchable runs saw him lay the ball off to Shaun Bell in the penalty area, Bell fired the ball low and hard at the near post but found Mark Thornley in the way to make a fine low save to concede a corner. The half time whistle followed soon after and as the teams headed into the dressing rooms, Durham had a two goal advantage over their hosts. Durham look head and shoulders above their opponents, playing brilliant on the deck football that is not typical of teams from the North East, their keeper only having looked really nervous on the one occasion as Lancaster had failed to severely threaten the goal. The first half evidence would suggest that Durham are heading for a comfortable win this afternoon.

Half Time:
Lancaster City 0 – 2 Durham City

For a team with their backs to the walls at the break, Lancaster came out in aggressive style as they managed to halve their deficit just 2 minutes into the half. After winning themselves a free kick, Aaron Helliwell delivered the ball to the back of the penalty area where Lancaster’s Andrew Teague managed to turn the ball into the net to get Lancaster off to the best possible start in the 2nd half.

The wind was still playing its part in this encounter and wasn’t favouring Lancaster City as a defenders hooked clearance got caught in the wind and blew behind for a Durham corner, though Durham couldn’t capitalise on this and regain the two goal lead they once held. A lead that was soon to be wiped out completely as Lancaster levelled the match in the 67th minute, Alan Coar managing to get a diving header from a cross from the wing to creep across the front of goal and nestle inside the post to bring matters in the match completely level. Despite the setback from Durham’s point of view, they still looked the more likely of the two sides to score, but Lancaster were defending resolutely and weren’t allowing Durham through. Lancaster had a chance to take the lead in the 82nd minute when a free kick was headed half clear and subsequently blasted over the bar. But an enthralling finish to the match was upcoming when Durham thought they had won when they scored in the 86th minute to retake the lead. The ball was worked wide to the wing and the cross was perfectly placed to evade the Lancaster defence and find the head of Matty Moffatt six yards from goal, Moffatt turning the ball into the net to complete his hat-trick and send the Durham supporters into celebration as only 4 minutes remained on the clock. But Lancaster had put too much effort and toil into the fight back to throw it all away this late and although looking down and out, they levelled the match a minute later. Alan Coar picked up a long ball played to him and found Mark Jackson behind the Durham defence. Jackson teed himself up from the edge of the penalty area and drilled the ball low and hard past Turns in the Durham goal to bring the match level yet again. Durham had a final flurry as the match entered injury time but neither team could conjure up another goal and the sounds of the final whistle brought a share of the points.

A gripping end to a contest which certainly picked up in the 2nd half. Durham looked to be on easy street after a comfortable first half, but Lancaster kept the ball on the ground in the strong wind and got themselves right back in it. It looked very much like all of Lancaster’s hard work was going to be undone when Moffatt completed his hat-trick late on in the match, and some degree of thought has to go to him as a player. Scoring a hat-trick away from home and not being on the winning side must be a slightly bitter pill to swallow. All in all, an entertaining enough match with plenty of goals, despite the main winner being the windy conditions. Lancaster City move up two places to 3rd, one place behind Durham City.

Full Time:
Lancaster City 3 – 3 Durham City

View more pics at:

http://www.photobucket.com/lancasterdurham

Prescot Cables 2 - 4 Whitby Town

2009-01-30T16:38:00.000Z

Date: Tuesday 27th January 2009

Competition: Unibond League Premier Div

Venue: Valarie Park, Prescot, Merseyside

Attendance: 177

Ticket In: £7.00

Programme: £1.50

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Total: £8.50

Another bottom of the league encounter for Cables, the 2nd in 7 days. This time around against Whitby Town, another team struggling at the wrong end of the division. I attended this fixture last season on the penultimate weekend of the season when both teams were well and truly in the mix for relegation. Prescot Cables won that afternoon, a bobble on the pitch sending the ball over the diving goalkeeper, the rest as they say is history as that result aided in their eventual survival. The two teams face each other slightly earlier in the season this time around but the fixture holds no less importance than last season’s encounter. Whitby will surely not be thrilled with the prospect of a 412km round trip on a Tuesday evening, especially when the players have probably had a full day at work before the trip and will be returning late to a full day at work tomorrow, especially with as much at stake in this evenings match as there is. The town of Whitby lies on Yorkshire’s east coast close to the popular seaside resorts of Scarborough and Bridlington. A vital shipping port for trade with the Scandinavian countries, 3,000 ton cargo ships are not a rare sight off its coastline. Whitby is also home to Betty Schofield the legendary jazz singer. Also being home to a Dracula Museum, Whitby Town will be hoping that they don’t have a horror show on the pitch tonight. The Turnbull Ground is the home stadium of Whitby Town who are otherwise known as the seasiders. I’m also a massive fan of their kit as it is distinctly similar to that of my favourite Italian side Sampdoria. Previous honours for the club include winning the Northern Premier League First Division and being six times winners of the Northern League Cup, but their most prestigious honour came in the 1996/97 season when they defeated fellow Northern Premier League side North Ferriby United 3-0 at Wembley to lift the FA Vase.

This evening’s match seems a world away from trips to Wembley and silverware glory as two sides battle for their league survival. Emerging onto the field from the dressing rooms, the fans create the atmosphere just to give this game a little more edge and spice. Prescot Cables are in their usual amber and gold whilst Whitby Town are in their Sampdoria like white shirts and blue shorts with a red and black stripe. Straight from the kickoff the match sprung into life when Whitby almost took the lead. An on target header from close range was tipped behind the goal by Cables keeper Zak Hibbert in the very first minute to give Whitby a corner kick. The Cables defence was able to deal with the resultant corner and the danger was cleared. Whitby were still in the mood for attack in the 7th minute when a dangerous cross was played into the area and it took a superb diving header clearance by the Prescot defender to win Whitby Town another corner. This corner was half cleared by the Prescot defence but the ball eventually ended up in the safe grasp of the goalkeeper. Prescot Cables won themselves a corner in the 9th minute from which they should have taken the lead in the match. The corner delivery was cleared to the edge of the penalty area where a beautiful ball into the box saw the Whitby defence stop in their tracks expecting an offside flag that never came. The waiting attacker had only the goalkeeper to beat from 8 yards out, but blasted the ball onto the underside of the crossbar Whitby goalkeeper Liversedge recovered to gather the ball. An absolute sitter missed and a great opportunity to take the lead disappeared for the home side. But 4 minutes later in the 13th minute, Prescot Cables were in the lead in embarrassing fashion. A long throw in was played into the box and bounced in front of Whitby keeper Liversedge. His effort to palm the ball away bounced off his arm and trickled into the net to give Prescot the lead. Ironically, if Liversedge had not touched the ball, the goal wouldn’t have stood. Prescot now had a look of determination about them and went about extending their lead. They came very close to doing just that in the 18th minute when referee Bartlett awarded them a free kick for handball just outside the penalty area. The delivery of the free kick had the defensive wall beaten, Liversedge in the Whitby goal beaten, but for the 2nd time in the game the woodwork stood firm as the ball thundered against the crossbar and back into play. An incident that Prescot would soon be cursing as, having had all the opportunities to be three goals ahead at this point, after 23 minutes the game was level. A Whitby aerial ball was played over the Prescot defence and Karl Charlton sent a thunderous volley towards the Prescot goal, the sheer speed of which had Hibbert beaten as it crashed against the underside of the crossbar and nestled in the net to bring Whitby level in the tie. 4 minutes later in the 27th, things got doubly worse for Prescot as Whitby took the lead. After defending resolutely, Whitby broke down the field at lightning pace when a beautiful touch from the midfielder set him free from the defenders and he had a free path to goal. Reaching the edge of the penalty area and spotting Michael Rae in the penalty area without a marker, the midfielder executed a perfect cross and Rae obliged his effort by heading the ball over the keeper and into the back of the net to put the visitors into the lead for the first time. Cue the celebrations on the pitch and in the crowd for the visitors. And they were nearly celebrating again in the 29th minutes when the Prescot defence was breached again, but this time keeper Hibbert produced a fine low save from the angle to force a corner. But things were all square again in the 31st minute when Prescot were awarded a free kick just outside the penalty area. Ben Parsonage took a long run up to the ball and drilled it low and hard. Taking a slight deflection, the ball flew past the diving Liversedge and into the bottom corner of the net to bring the match level once again in emphatic style. The match was now becoming an incredibly end to end contest with both sides having chances to get onto the score sheet. Corners zipping wide, thunderous sliding challenges on the muddy and slick surface, this really was entertainment. After Whitby had failed to make anything materialise from a couple of corners they won, Prescot went on a break out of defence and after a neat pass, a Prescot striker was through on goal only to be brought down by a Whitby defender, which left the whole contingent of home fans screaming at referee Bartlett to produce a red card. He didn’t, only a yellow, my only theory is the defender that was in the vicinity could have been considered as a “covering defender”, but in my personal view the defender was a lucky lad to still be on the field. The delivery of the free kick bounced awkwardly in front of Whitby keeper Lambert, but he got his body behind it and allowed his defender to clean up the spills for a corner kick. The next close chance to scoring came the way of Whitby in the 41st minute when a throw in was taken quickly and played into the penalty area. A short lay off pass was then drilled by Leon Scott off the frame of the goal and away for a Prescot throw in, the Valarie Park woodwork was taking a hammering. A minute later Whitby went close again when a cross from out wide was headed just over the bar from close range. Having had a few chances to take the lead just before half time, Whitby finally struck in added on time when vociferous penalty appeals from Whitby players and fans alike were ignored by referee Bartlett, but Whitby persisted to get the ball out wide and Michael Rae hit a low angled shot that keeper Hibbert got his hands to, but he couldn’t keep it out as the ball rolled into the left hand corner of the net to give Whitby the lead. An absolute sucker punch for Prescot as seconds later the half time whistle sounded. The half time whistle gave me a chance to breathe in and blink, what a half of football from the neutral point of view, full of action and momentum swings. After conceding a very soft goal early on, Whitby will be encouraged to be leading at the end of a see-saw half in difficult conditions on a heavy pitch and it will be interesting to see how Prescot respond to this late blow. This is more of what I was expecting from the Prescot Vs Leigh encounter last week, but I’ll take it now! A great 2nd half is in prospect.

Half Time:
Prescot Cables 2 – 3 Whitby Town

The 2nd half began with a fairly even 5 minutes before Prescot managed to apply a small spell of pressure when they won themselves a couple of corners, but Whitby were soon making chances of their own and in the 57th minute, a throw in was played to the edge of the penalty area from where it was blasted over the crossbar. Whitby had another good opportunity to increase their lead in the 65th minute but failed to take it when some good holding work by Michael Rae allowed a low cross to be played to the other side of the box where Sam Garvie was waiting for it, but he could only perform an air shot and Prescot were able to clear the danger. The 2nd half was failing to match the excitement and action level of the first half as the pitch became a mud bath and tired legs began to fade, Whitby defenders were defending desperately as if their lives depended on it, slide challenges and robust play to match that of their opponents in the first 45 minutes. Whitby had a great chance to put the match to bed in the 79th minute when the ball broke kindly for Michael Rae and he found himself with only the goalkeeper to beat to complete his hat trick, but he pulled his shot wide of the post when he should have done better and Prescot were still in with a chance. The 87th minute saw Prescot coming forward desperately for the equaliser when the ball struck a Whitby defender on the arm in the penalty area, the appeals from the Prescot fans and players alike created the loudest noise the match had seen, but referee Bartlett was unmoved and the appeals fell on deaf ears. Two minutes later, the whole thing was over as in the 89th minute Whitby put the match to bed and ensured they’d be taking the points on the long trip home. A free kick was awarded to the Seasiders some 35 yards out from goal. Michael Rae shouldered the responsibility for taking the kick and drilled his effort hard and low. Splitting the Prescot defensive wall like the red sea, Prescot keeper Zak Hibbert did well to get down low and stop the ball but he couldn’t collect it, Tom Raw being the quickest to react and he sent the ball into the net despite a valiant effort from Hibbert to keep it out, celebration time for the Seasiders as they would be returning to the beach with all the points on offer. Full time quickly followed and it was Whitby that had won the 6 pointer.

From a neutrals point of view, that match was absolutely fantastic and well worth the entrance money that was paid to see it. It’s been quite some time since I’ve seen a half of football quite like that first half this evening. A poor night in Prescot weather-wise was well and truly compensated for by the performances on display. The win sends Whitby Town up to the dizzying heights of 13th place in a bottom half of the Unibond Premier that sees 11th place to 22nd place separated by only 11 points. Prescot Cables remain in deep trouble firmly in the relegation zone. Congratulations Whitby Town!

Full Time:
Prescot Cables 2 – 4 Whitby Town

View more pics at:

http://www.photobucket.com/prescotwhitby

Irlam 1 - 3 Bootle

2009-01-25T21:07:00.000Z

Date: Saturday 24th January 2009
Competition: Vodkat Challenge Cup 3R
Venue: Silver Street, Irlam, Manchester
Attendance: 092

Ticket In: £3.00
Programme: £1.00
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Total: £4.00

Ah that old chestnut, cup football. With the FA Cup gripping the nation this weekend, what better way to spend it then to take in some live cup football. But the FA Cup has now sadly reached that boring stage where it’s full of overpaid professionals that dive about the place and roll about clutching their shins when they’ve taken a slight knock to the back, not for me thank you! So the next best thing is obviously the Vodkat Challenge Cup, and the match between Irlam and Bootle that will have a bit of added spice due to the Liverpool and Manchester rivalry. Irlam are a fairly unknown entity to me at the moment as I have never seen them play before today. They, like Wigan Robin Park and AFC Liverpool, were accepted into the North West Counties League at the start of this season, hence this will be their first time in this competition. Bootle on the other hand have, of course, been in this competition before and last season were 1 kick of the ball away from lifting the trophy. They were defeated in an epic final 3-5 on penalties after a 2-2 draw against Premier Division side Maine Road, who lifted the trophy for the first time. They got their ultimate revenge in this seasons competition however as they were drawn against Maine Road in the opening round and after a replay, knocked the holders out of the competition.

Irlam’s ground is called Silver Street, for seemingly no other reason than it lies on a road called Silver Street in Irlam, reason enough to name a ground as far as I’m concerned. The clubhouse is a cosy little place with a few tables and seating options in a converted portakabin. Both drinks, alcoholic and soft are available along with a good selection of food. The big screen TV, although having seen better days itself, gives the early birds in the ground the chance to see the conclusion of the Hartlepool United against West Ham United FA Cup fixture. On the whole, Silver Street is a tidy looking ground with a pitch that looks in frankly superb condition, give or take a few boggy patches that have obviously suffered with the weather. Two small stands offer shelter from the elements and attempt to encourage a bit of atmosphere, one of which offers a small amount of seating. The rest of the ground offers 92million miles of headroom. A short sum up would basically say basic, but polished.

A cup tie feel washes over the ground as the two teams emerge from the changing rooms and onto the pitch, Irlam in their home kit of all blue with Bootle in their colours of all yellow. Formalities are concluded with the match officials prior to kickoff and Irlam get the match underway. But they got underway in disastrous fashion and after three minutes were trailing. A long ball was played downfield and Irlam goalkeeper Lee Lambert came to head it away from outside the penalty area, but the ball bounced over him and Bootle’s Andy Fowler pounced, picking up the loose ball and slotting it into the empty net from the angle to give Bootle a very quick lead. Bootle continued to press forward and a run down the wing in the 12th minute saw them almost extend their lead when a low cross was allowed to run to the penalty area and a fierce low shot was driven in, but keeper Lambert atoned for his earlier error by producing a fine low save and allowing his defence to clear the danger. However the danger was only cleared temporarily as from the resultant throw in, an initial effort on goal cracked the woodwork and rebounded back to Mark Kilroy, who was on hand to tap the ball into the net with the keeper stranded to double Bootle’s lead with only 13 minutes on the clock. Bootle nearly extended their lead even further in the 18th minute when a free kick was delivered dangerously into the penalty area and headed on towards goal by a Bootle forward, just to see the ball strike the foot of the post and allow Irlam to clear. The first 20 minutes of the match had seen Bootle totally dominate proceedings and they would probably be disappointed to only be two goals in front as Irlam hadn’t threatened the Bootle goal as of yet. Another chance for Bootle fell in the 26th minute when another aerial ball was headed half clear by the Irlam defence and recovered by a Bootle player, who tried his luck from range and Irlam keeper Lambert just managed to get his body behind it to divert it for a corner kick. Irlam’s first real threatening chance came just after the half hour mark when they won themselves a free kick, the delivery of which was played dangerously into the penalty area but headed wide by the waiting Irlam player. The half drew to its conclusion with Bootle still looking the better of the two sides, although they were unable to further add to their lead before half time. The match had gotten off to an electric start, but when Bootle got their two goals they quickly turned it down a gear, but were still the better looking of the two sides. It looks like a simple passage through to the next round for Bootle at the moment, Irlam have a lot of work to do to recover this.

Half Time:
Irlam 0 – 2 Bootle

Quite what the half time break did to the two teams is unclear. Perhaps Bootle thought they were already through and took their foot off the pedal completely, or Irlam got a rollicking off their manager and decided that they weren’t quite ready to exit this competition yet. In any case, the return from the half time break saw the momentum chance completely as Irlam looked like a side possessed and went after the Bootle goal with determination. Two early efforts zipped wide of the post before the half became slightly more even in the 54th minute. But Irlam’s efforts and pressure were rewarded in the 61st minute when they deservedly blew the game wide open again. Referee Salisbury awarded Irlam a free kick in a dangerous position. The delivery was only half cleared by the Bootle defence before being sent right back into the box and defender Chris Hilton rose the highest in the box to head the ball into the corner in the net and give Bootle keeper Mark Mawdsley no chance, game on once again. Irlam continued to apply pressure for the equaliser but Bootle were now beginning to show signs of life again. And in the 71st minute they ended the match as a contest when they were awarded a penalty kick. Mahooney was chopped down right on the edge of the box and referee Salisbury awarded the visitors a penalty kick. Andy Fowler accepted the responsibility and drilled the ball low into the left hand corner after sending Lambert the wrong way to restore Bootle’s two goal lead, back to the drawing board for Irlam. Who almost responded immediately when two minutes later they were awarded another free kick in a dangerous position. This time going for the direct route to goal, the Irlam striker sent a superb delivery towards goal that beat the keeper, but couldn’t beat the crossbar, the rebound was headed over the bar. It was at this point you began to think that this perhaps wasn’t going to be Irlam’s day. And so this proved as Bootle managed to close the game out with a degree of comfort and progress into the next round of the competition as a valiant Irlam bowed out.

In short, this match was an absolutely cracking cup tie. In many ways, I prefer fixtures like these to league matches. Irlam were left with little choice but to go hell for leather after conceding twice early on, but it looked as if they weren’t going to be able to manage it based on their first half performance as Bootle coped with everything that was thrown at them. The 2nd half though was a completely different story and Irlam looked the stronger of the two sides, whatever the manager said at half time it certainly worked. Irlam’s goal was well deserved and brought the game back to life again, especially when they continued to press forward for the equaliser. But you sort of thought that it wouldn’t be Irlam’s day when they conceded the penalty and then struck the crossbar from the restart. But for £3.00, the fans there today well have easily gotten their money’s worth in a very entertaining match indeed. Irlam bow out of the competition despite a credible fightback, whereas Bootle march on to what they must surely hope is a 2nd successive final. Congratulations to Bootle.

Full Time:
Irlam 1 – 3 Bootle

View more pics at:
http://www.photobucket.com/irlambootle

Prescot Cables 2 - 0 Leigh Genesis

2009-01-22T21:43:00.000Z

Date: Tuesday 20th January 2009

Competition: Unibond League Premier Divsion

Venue: Valarie Park, Prescot, Merseyside

Attendance: 196

Ticket In: £7.00

Programme: £1.50

Raffle: £1.00

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Total: £9.50

A rivalry of an evening, what a mouth watering prospect! Especially when you consider that this match counts as a relegation dogfight, just to add a little bit of spice to the occasion. Prescot Cables, named after the towns most famous industry, play their home matches at Valarie Park or as its more affectionately known to its supporters, Hope Street. An age old ground that Cables have called home for over a century. Formed in 1884, football in Prescot has always been a feature and with some successes. After three seasons of being runners up, Cables won the Lancashire Combination in 1957. Other successes include the winning of the league cup in 2002. Recent seasons have seen Cables face struggles on the field though as going into this match they find themselves at the bottom of the league. Last season saw Cables struggle equally as much, having to win their last two games of the season against Whitby Town and Lincoln United to survive, they managed it! Their opponents tonight are Leigh Genesis, a team you could argue are paying their first season after changing their name from Leigh RMI at the start of the season. Hailing the change as “A New Beginning”, things haven’t gone quite so well as they could have done for Genesis as they too find themselves in the relegation zone, although they do have a considerable number of games in hand on their close rivals. Off the field, things took a downward turn for Genesis as they found themselves without a home ground when Hilton Park became condemned and they struggled to meet the financial demands of playing at the newly constructed Leigh Sports Village. But after awhile of playing at the home ground of Radcliffe Borough Stainton Park, they hope to be playing in the Leigh Sports Village a week from today when they host FC United of Manchester in the league.

There really is a lot to be said for the durability of Prescot’s pitch as after recent bad weather and the fact that a 2nd team uses it in AFC Livepoool (or AFC Pizzahut as they are affectionately known amongst supporters), tonight’s match still goes ahead whilst others are postponed. Valarie Park is a ground that would be considered rubbish by those of today who are used to modern superdromes, but for a non league supporter it’s a fine ground, filled with tradition and a century’s worth of football. The main stand down one side of the pitch, the grass verges that sadly the health and safety people have erected signs saying you can’t stand on them anymore, a somewhat sad sign of the times. But you can still get right up close to the action and feel part of the game, something Valarie Park does very well indeed.

Approaching kickoff time, the weather takes a nasty turn for the worse and rain starts to fall as the teams make their way from the dressing rooms onto the pitch. Prescot Cables in their home strip of amber and black, Leigh Genesis in blue and white. The first chance of the match fell to Leigh Genesis when in the 6th minute, an attempted Prescot clearance took a deflection off a Leigh forward and it needed an alert stop from the Prescot keeper to tip the ball away for a Leigh corner. The resultant corner was dealt with by the Prescot defence without any dramas. Leigh had another chance in the 10th minute when the won a free kick from out wide on the wing, the delivery from which was headed just over the crossbar and the Prescot goal survived again. Cables won themselves a free kick in the 13th minute when a Cables player was barged off the ball in an illegal fashion in the opinion of referee Mr B.J. Robinson. The delivery was a direct attempt on goal but straight at Danny Morton in the Leigh Genesis goal who made a comfortable save. By the 20th minute, it was Leigh Geneis that were looking the slightly more creative of the two sides but without really creating any major threats on their opponents goal. Prescot then tried their luck from range in the 27th minute but the effort produced failed to seriously trouble the Leigh keeper, who gathered the daisy cutter with ease. Leigh had the best chance in the game so far in the 34th minute when a long ball was played over the top and evaded the Prescot defence with the Leigh forward in hot pursuit of the ball. The advancing Prescot keeper just beat the forward to the ball and pulled off an impressive save to remove the danger and clear the ball. Leigh got the ball back from the clearance and put the pressure back on again with a quick run down the wing where they were awarded a free kick after a clumsy challenge from a Prescot defender. This free kick quickly turned into a corner, the delivery of which was headed half clear by the defence before falling to Scott Sephton, whose shot on the turn just evaded the left hand post with the keeper beaten. Leigh were then nearly punished for a defensive lapse when they carelessly gave the ball away on the edge of their own box, but the Cables forward showed no composure and blasted the ball wide of the target. But in the 42nd minute Prescot Cables did take the lead, but that’s all I can tell you. Sadly when the goal was scored I was attending to a call of nature and didn’t see it. But from all accounts it was a 30 yard screamer that beat the keeper into the top corner of the net. That’ll teach me to have an extra pint before kickoff if I miss goals like that, well, until next week anyway. So Cables entered the half time break in the lead in a match where neither keeper had been overly busy. Incredibly frustrated that I missed the goal, especially when you consider that the first half didn’t really look like producing many and that might be the only one that goes in all game. Still, Prescot Cables won’t be complaining if that turns out to be the case. Here’s hoping I can get somebody dry and that the 2nd half holds more entertainment.

Half Time:
Prescot Cables 1 – 0 Leigh Genesis

The 2nd half started with Prescot extending their lead when a Leigh Genesis defender left his leg out in a challenge and caught Prescot player Mick O’Donnell in the penalty area, Referee Robinson awarding the home side a penalty kick. Prescot’s Karl Bell accepted the responsibility and drilled the ball down the middle of the goal. Leigh keeper Danny Morton managed to get a hand on the ball but could only palm the ball into the roof of the net and Prescot’s lead was doubled. Leigh now had their backs to the wall and needed to start pushing forward in an attempt to get themselves back into the game. In the 56th minute they won a corner which eventually resulted in a shot from long range by the Leigh winger. His effort constantly dipping and Cables keeper Zak Hibbert was forced into a save to tip the ball over the crossbar for another Leigh corner. The delivery of this corner was headed over the crossbar by a Cables defender for another Leigh corner as they kept up their spell of pressure on the Prescot goal. The corner that resulted from this was eventually gathered by the keeper to relieve the pressure. After this little spell, Leigh never really threatened with any amount of sustained pressure and often found themselves on the back foot, their breaks forward producing little in the way of serious threat. The game somewhat petered out from a neutrals point of view until the last 10 minutes when Prescot attempted to further extend their lead. They won themselves a corner in the 84th minute when Muktar Mahama put in some great shielding work down the wing. The resultant delivery was met by the head of a forward at the near post and just glanced wide of the far post. Into injury time and Prescot had another good chance to score from a low cross when there was an open net to aim for, but a Leigh defender was alert enough to just turn it behind for a corner. The final whistle came not long after and Prescot Cables had picked up three very valuable points.

My honest sum up, I’m a little disappointed in the match I just watched. Considering that both teams were desperate for the points and bragging rights from a local rivalry were at stake, I expected a little bit more bite and passion from the match. But I suppose the conditions and the slightly uneven pitch didn’t really allow for and passing styles of play to be executed with any ease. Leigh Genesis were disappointing in the 2nd half and this view was expressed by their manager after the match as he kept his side on the pitch after the final whistle for a very public tongue lashing, but Prescot Cables did the job that needed to be done and cancelled Leigh out well with the mediocre threat they posed, although I can only remember Hibbert in the Prescot goal having to make 2 saves in the match. Prescot rise from the bottom of the league to 19th position, above Leigh Genesis who fall to 21st position, and will go into their next match against Ashton United with renewed confidence after securing the rivalry bragging rights this evening. Congratulations to Prescot Cables.

Full Time:
Prescot Cables 2 – 0 Leigh Genesis

View more photos at:

http://www.photobucket.com/prescotleigh

Wigan Robin Park 1 - 0 Chadderton

2009-01-18T20:31:00.000Z

Date: Saturday 17th January 2009

Competition: Vodkat NWCFL Div 1

Venue: Robin Park Arena, Wigan, Lancashire

Attendance: 042

Ticket In: £3.50

Programme: £1.50

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Total: £5.00

A late change of plan and a postponement at Daisy Hill sees a re-arranged trip to the Robin Park Arena to see newly installed NWCFL team Wigan Robin Park take on Chadderton. As facilities for NWCFL teams go, Robin Park Arena is one of the better ones around. But for watching a game of football, it’s one of the worst. The pitch is surrounded by an athletics track, meaning that spectators must view the game from a distance away and the players look like ants. Ok, maybe a slight exaggeration there, but you certainly don’t feel part of the action from that distance away. Before their promotion into the NWCFL, Wigan Robin Park played their games in the Manchester Premier League, becoming champions in the 07/08 season. In their maiden season at this level, Robin Park are sitting near the top of the league after impressive results against AFC Liverpool and other teams near the top. They had three points deducted for fielding an ineligible player earlier in the season which has dented their promotion hopes slightly, but they still find themselves as contenders for the title at this point. Their opponents are Chadderton, who lie 6th in the league only three points behind their opponents this afternoon, therefore both teams should be eager to pick up all available points this afternoon.

Due to the ever clouding and cooling conditions prior to kickoff, the pre-match was spent in the aptly named Red Robin Pub on the nearby entertainment complex, quite a nice looking establishment if you are ever in the area. My personal thanks must go to Wigan Robin Park secretary Mr Taffy Roberts at this stage, for allowing me to stand pitch side to do my photography efforts, this was just one of the signs of the helpful and welcoming club that Wigan Robin Park are, something that is sadly missing from others. As the players emerge from the dressing rooms, Wigan Robin Park in their home colours of red and white striped shirts with black shorts and Chadderton in their changed strip of fluorescent orange, the strange observation was made that there were only two officials. The referee was only joined by one of his assistants and in a bizarre twist, the other officials role would be filled by some bloke in a tracksuit. My guess is that the other official got stuck in traffic or got lost or something. Both the goalkeepers were the captains this afternoon and after all the formalities with the match officials had been completed, it would be Chadderton to get the match underway.

The first action of note came just 20 seconds in as a challenge in the penalty area caused the Chadderton players to appeal to the referee for a penalty with just cause, but the appeals fell on deaf ears as the referee refused their request and play continued. Down the other end in the 3rd minute, Robin Park won themselves a free kick in an attacking position, but the delivery was hit straight at the Chadderton keeper and without too much effort he gathered the ball. After this though, the game really stagnated with no real moments of excitement, both teams pretty much cancelled each other out and no clear cut chances were created. The next real moment of note came in the 31st minute when Robin Park thought they should have had a penalty for handball, but the referee thought otherwise. Though they had a very good chance to take the lead in the 36th minute when a Mark Evans free kick was played beautifully back into the box and Ryan Small managed to head the ball wide of the target from close range and a good opportunity to take the lead went begging. But right on the stroke of half time, Robin Park did take the lead when a great through ball by Ben Kay found Mark Evans out wide on the wing. His cross into the box was headed on to the back post and looped back into the danger area by Andrew Miller. With the Chadderton defence not knowing what to do, Danny Worthington executed an improvised overhead kick to send the ball looping up and over the helpless Chadderton keeper into the net to break the deadlock. Not long after, the referees whistle sounded and the half was brought to a close. A sucker punch for Chadderton in a half really devoid of much excitement and action, just the odd glimpse here and there. Neither team has managed to dominate the other in the windy conditions and both teams look fairly evenly matched, although Robin Park will be encouraged to be leading. Here’s hoping for a more action packed 2nd half.

Half Time:
Wigan Robin Park 1 – 0 Chadderton

The 2nd half started in a far more open fashion than the entire first half and Chadderton almost levelled matters when great work down the wing saw a low cross blasted over the crossbar from close range. Chadderton had the next chance when in the 60th minute, a forward broke through the Robin Park defence but could only hit his shot into the side netting of the goal and his opportunity passed. Chadderton at this point were looking the more threatening of the two sides and in the 66th minute, another effort from range forced Robin Park keeper Jason Foulds into a low save. An injury break occurred in the match in the 69th minute after a challenge left a Robin Park player on the ground in some apparent discomfort. It took him a while to get to his feet before having to be helped off the pitch. 75 minutes left to go in the match and the rain began to fall, one of the most exciting things to happen all afternoon, but Chadderton were still not giving up. Though Robin Park almost extended their lead in the 78th minute when a ball was played into the box and headed on towards goal by Ryan Small. Small’s header was dipping under the bar until the Chadderton keeper was alert to tip the ball over the bar for a corner. Chadderton’s last effort on goal came in the 88th minute when a quick goalkeeper clearance was pounced on by a Chadderton striker, but Robin Park keeper Jason Foulds was equal to the shot. The referee called the match to a halt not long after that and Wigan Robin Park could celebrate their victory.

As a game of football, this match didn’t set the stadium alight. The two teams pretty much cancelled each other out and prevented any sort of flowing football. The only breakthrough came from an overhead improvisation, though it was pretty impressive to watch. The result will keep Wigan Robin Park in contention with the leaders of the pack in the division. Nothing really much else to say, other than congratulations to Wigan Robin Park.

Full Time:
Wigan Robin Park 1 – 0 Chadderton

News: Non League Football Documentary

2009-01-15T20:20:00.000Z

Featuring the match between Bamber Bridge and Chorley, this excellent short documentary highlights the differences between non-league and top league football. Narrated by Dead Ringers star John Culshaw and created by YouTube user Ritcheeeeey.

Link: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=-eITOxJCgtQ

Woodley Sports 2 - 0 Rossendale United

2009-01-14T15:35:00.000Z

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
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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

View more photos at:

http://www.photobucket.com/woodleyrossendale

The Cold Adventure: Skelmersdale United P-P Rossendale United

2009-01-03T15:40:00.000Z

My old bad luck returns to me. There was a period a few seasons back where a Saturday wouldn’t pass where I’d make my way to a football match to arrive at the ground and find the match postponed. Although with the cold snap currently doing the rounds across the country, there is less of an element of surprise in it happening today. I knew the likelihood of my indented match for today going ahead was very slim so I made myself a list of possible alternatives, 7 of them in all. Then watched as my intended match was called off, then one by one all of my alternatives fell victim to the weather. Though my hopes were raised when a phone call to Skelmersdale United confirmed that their match against Rossendale United was still going ahead. So I understandably set out with some confidence to Skelmersdale, until I arrived at the ground when the turnstiles were shut and a small congregation of people were having a rather disgusted sounding discussion. Yes, the game was off. The only thing I can assume is the match referee turned up and decided the pitch wasn’t playable, despite the fact that the players were already warming up on it. So I got one step further than I did on New Years Day, though I am still yet to see a football match in 2009. Roll on the summer, when it’ll probably be colder than winter time having known our recent summers.

New Year Frost

2009-01-01T16:13:00.001Z

Football in 2009 got off to somewhat of a false start as the New Years Day schedules in the North of the country was decimated by the weather. The cold snap over the New Year period, which also brought dense overnight fog, caused several postponements due to frozen pitches. The whole of the Unibond League schedule was postponed due to frozen pitches, 21 matches in total. The Welsh Premier league saw only the match between Port Talbot Town and Neath going ahead after the initial pitch inspections, but the match referee then called that match off as Neath raised their concerns with the playing surface when they arrived, so another division with all of its matches called off. The Blue Square North had few fixtures that were played, but on the whole the weather took its toll on the matches today. With the forecast suggesting no let up in the cold weather, this also throws some of this coming Saturday’s matches into doubt.

Rhyl FC 7 - 2 Prestatyn Town

2008-12-29T17:27:00.000Z

Date: Saturday 27th December 2008
Competition: Principality Welsh Premier League
Venue: Belle View, Rhyl, Wales
Attendance: 2,126

Ticket In: £7.00
Programme: £1.50
Christmas Raffle: £1.00
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Total: £9.50

Boxing Day falling on a Friday certainly has its advantages, in this case its being able to take in two matches in two days. This being the 2nd of them and my choice of contest is the local derby between Rhyl and Prestatyn on the North Wales coast. I’m slightly trepadous at this point however as I have to start my journey now (10:30am) and the overnight frost remains on the ground. I’m hopeful that the bright sun will eradicate this and the match will go ahead. Rhyl and Prestatyn are separated by only 7km but this is the first time the derby will take place in the Welsh Premier League after Prestatyn Town were promoted from the Crymu Alliance as last season’s champions. Both teams are quite dear to me as during my youth they provided holiday destinations on several occasions as my family was never the richest, plus I also have relatives that live in Prestatyn. But Rhyl would be my Welsh team if I had to pick one, having gone to see them twice before and them having won on both of these occasions, defeating Carmarthen Town and Gap Connahs Quay Nomads.

Rhyl currently lie top of the Welsh Premier League, tied on points with last season’s champions Llanelli whilst Prestatyn Town lie in semi-comfortable mid table having acquired 19 points from the 17 matches they have played. Looking at everything that’s available you would suggest that Rhyl FC would be the favourites for the match this afternoon. Arriving in Rhyl, I might have underestimated how big this match is going to be. There’s a real buzz around the town, police stand at the train station as if they were expecting Milwall fans, the kit of “The Lillywhites” can be seen throughout the town and the Millbank pub is awash with Rhyl FC supporters. The TV gantry has cameras set up and as the crowd slowly filters its way through the turnstiles, a real big match atmosphere builds up. On arriving at the ground, the turnstile operators are handing out what looks like a press release, detailing a FAW (Football Association of Wales) ruling clearing Rhyl FC of failing to control its spectators in a match against Bangor City, finding Bangor City guilty of the same charge. I suppose it just goes to show that every team, no matter what league they play in has their idiot supporters. The team I support probably considers me as an idiot fan more than likely. Rhyl’s ground is called Belle View and it’s a very tidy but honestly excellent facility. Large amounts of seating and more of the ground is covered than isn’t. With the exception of one or two spots, the pitch is in fine condition and with just over half an hour to go until kickoff, the atmosphere is building nicely.

A raucous bunch of Prestatyn fans behind the goal, calling themselves “The Local Lads” are the ones making all the noise before kickoff and as the teams emerge from the tunnel, a real party atmosphere gets going with supporters of both sides making the noise. Rhyl in their home strip of predominantly white shirts with black shorts and Prestatyn in their all red kit. The man with the unenviable task of keeping order in today’s game by refereeing is Deganwy’s Mark Petch and just on 2:30pm he gets the game underway with a fantastic atmosphere around the ground. It quickly becomes apparent that there is a gulf in ability between the two sides as Rhyl are quickly all over their visitors and look very threatening going forward. It came as no surprise that after 10 minutes of sustained pressure on the Prestatyn goal, they took the lead when a cross from Trinidad & Tobago international Josh Johnson was not dealt with by Prestatyn defender Russ Jones. Rhyl’s Jamie Reed pounced on the error to hit a fine shot into the far corner of the net past the helpless Prestatyn goalkeeper Jonathan Hill-Dunt. The Rhyl party starts in the stands. Rhyl didn’t let up on the pressure they were applying and were coming forward in waves. Josh Johnson missed a great opportunity in the 20th minute when the Prestatyn defence lost the ball and it broke to him, but he fired his effort over the crossbar when he should have at least hit the target. But the turning point of the game occurred in the 24th minute when Rhyl’s Carl Owen made a break into the Prestatyn penalty area and was taken out by keeper Dunt. The officials then clearly worked as a team as referee Petch looked over at his far side assistant to see him with his flag across his chest signifying a penalty kick. Petch duly followed his linesman’s advice and awarded Rhyl the spot kick. Petch had little alternative available to him and he brandished the red card for denying a clear goal scoring opportunity, much to the disbelief and displeasure of Dunt and the Prestatyn fans but neither of them could have any argument with the decision. Neil Gibson was the poor unfortunate that had to sacrifice his midfield role to don the gloves and face the resultant penalty, which Matthew Williams slotted into the net to double Rhyl’s advantage. You began to fear the worst for Prestatyn and these fears were confirmed a few minutes later when Josh Johnson went on a break from the halfway line and avoided the Prestatyn defence, reaching the edge of the penalty area and hitting a shot that beat the stand in custodian to his left and put Rhyl three goals to the good. Prestatyn looking like a team that are dead and buried, even at this relatively early stage in the match. Prestatyn’s best chance of the half came in the 36th minute when they got forward and had 2 shots rebound off the Rhyl defenders before putting their 3rd effort over the crossbar. Rhyl were just playing at a counter, looking like a team that was fully in control of proceedings and to be fair they were. The further extended their lead in the 39th almost with a swagger as a long ball was played over the top and then squared to the unmarked Gareth Owen. The Prestatyn defence wasn’t in attendance and Owen had all the time to draw stand in keeper Neil Gibson and lob the ball over his head into the net in an audacious fashion. Rhyl now up by four. They tacked on a 5th goal right on the stroke of half time when a low cross from Jamie Reed was allowed to travel along the ground to the back post where it was hammered home by Gareth Owen for his second goal in six minutes to put Rhyl 5 goals up before halftime. I expected Rhyl to be the slightly stronger of the two sides, but the amount of one way traffic surprised me. Prestatyn simply haven’t recovered from the dismissal of their goalkeeper and Rhyl have just put them to the sword in front of their largest crowd be far of 2,162, and what a show they are putting on for them. Seemingly the only consolation for Prestatyn at the moment is that the journey home won’t be too long or too far. Things at the Prestatyn end of the ground seem far more sombre than before kickoff, but I think if I were in their position I’d be pretty sombre myself.

Half Time:
Rhyl FC 5 – 0 Prestatyn

Rhyl’s start to the 2nd half was pretty much where they left off the first as they set about opening up an even bigger lead over their opposition. They won themselves a corner in the 53rd minute but the delivery was headed over the crossbar by George Horan. Rhyl then entered their comfort zone as with a 5-0 lead they started to slow the pace of the game down and just play sensible passing football in their own half, making Prestatyn come onto them and chase them down. This was probably a wise tactic from their point of view but it wasn’t half boring to watch from the neutrals point of view. But there was a brief change in tactics from Rhyl when Josh Johnson picked up the ball in his own half and made a run at the Prestatyn defence, reaching the edge of the penalty area before finally being dispossessed. Either through boredom or frustration, the Prestatyn fans had decided to get on the back of Rhyl goalkeeper Lee Kendal, referring to him as certain things I don’t feel it’s acceptable to put into print. Quite what Kendall had done to the fans to receive this treatment was unclear, I imagine it was just frustration on the part of the Prestatyn fans but it didn’t show them up in a fantastic light. Prestatyn managed to get hold of the ball and get forward in the 78th minute and won themselves a corner when a shot from substitute Ethan Woodfine deflected off a Rhyl defenders arm, but the Prestatyn fans appeals for a penalty to referee Petch fell on deaf ears and a corner was the only award. The resultant corner was headed wide by Prestatyn captain Russ Jones. But the last 10 minutes of the match would see it come alive again, starting in the 82nd minute when a Josh Johnson cross was headed into the net by Jamie Reed for his 2nd of the match and Rhyl’s 6th. Straight from the restart though, Prestatyn got themselves on the scoresheet when a run at the Rhyl defence by Ian Griffiths saw him fire off a powerful shot that deflected off Rhyl keeper Lee Kendal and into the back of the net to cue the celebrations amongst the Prestatyn fans, some celebrating too much and ending up on the pitch leaving the stewards to do some clearing up. Rhyl didn’t seem too happy about the fact they conceded and went about re-gaining their 6 goal lead, they came close in the 84th minute when they had an effort cleared off the line. But went one better in the 85th minute when they netted their 7th of the match, I don’t know what happened as I didn’t see it, I was too pre-occupied watching the police move in on the unruly Prestatyn fans as it happened. But it would be Prestatyn that would have the last word in the match when they won themselves a free kick in the 90th minute. Ian Griffiths took the kick and forced a fine save out of Kendall in the Rhyl goal, but Steve Harris was right on hand to pounce on the rebound and get Prestatyn their 2nd goal. At least it was something for the Prestatyn fans to sing about in an otherwise miserable afternoon for them. Rhyl should have been reduced to 10 men right at the death but referee Petch failed to bring the red card out of his pocket when Jamie Reed straight elbowed Prestatyn’s Dave Hayes in the face when involved in a tackle. The referee had a perfect view of the incident but inexplicably decided to take no action against Reed as once again Prestatyn’s appeals fell on deaf ears. Full time was not long in following and the first ever Denbighshire derby was won by Rhyl FC by a score of 7-2.

It’s seriously hard to know where to begin with that, what a match! Simply unbelievable to experience. Rhyl were always the better of the two sides from the get go and as soon as Prestatyn lost their goalkeeper to the red card, you feared the worst for them. 9 goals for £7.00, an atmosphere I haven’t experienced much like before and the fact that I’ve seen less passion amongst supporters in derby matches in the English Premiership. The fans from both sides really made for a great atmosphere around the ground, even if it did become a little but ugly towards the end with the Prestatyn fans. Rhyl’s clearing of charges and some fans behaviour this afternoon makes me wonder just how much bad behaviour goes on at Welsh Premier League games. The majority of the action took place in the first half where it was a case of blink and you’ll miss it. The 2nd half was distinctly lacking in entertainment value by comparison, until the last 10 minutes when it really came alive again. Rhyl had earned the right to play possession football in the 2nd half when they were leading 5-0 at the time, Prestatyn were slightly improved in the 2nd half but the job ahead of them was just too steep and Rhyl’s lead scarcely looked like being threatened. Brilliant atmosphere from a massive crowd and my being a good luck charm for Rhyl continues as once again they win with me in attendance. The teams will meet again on New Years Day, but for now its congratulations Rhyl!

Full Time:
Rhyl FC 7 – 2 Prestatyn Town

View more photos at:
http://www.photobucket.com/rhylprestatyn

News: Droylsden Kicked Out

2008-12-29T14:15:00.000Z

The FA have taken the decision to expel non-league side Droylsden from this seasons FA Cup sponsored by E.On competition after it was alleged that they had played an ineligible player in their 2-1 win over Coca Cola League Two side Chesterfield.

The player in question is Shaun Newton who scored both of “The Bloods” goals in a giant killing 2-1 shock win against the Derbyshire professionals. Chesterfield raised this issue with the FA as they believed that Newton should have been serving a one match ban on December 23rd. Droylsden had informed the FA that as far as they were concerned, Newton would serve his one match suspension when they played Vauxhall Motors on Boxing Day. But the FA found Droylsden guilty of the charge of playing an ineligible player and have reinstated Chesterfield, who will now progress to the third round of the competition and take on Ipswich Town on January 3rd.

Droylsden still have the opportunity to appeal and according to the FA, must lodge this appeal no later than 9am on Tuesday 30th December 2008 with the hearing taking place the following day. The FA also state that the £30,000 prize money must be redirected to Chesterfield and that Droylsden will not be fined or have their further participation in FA competitions compromised.

The FA cup fixture was played on four separate occasions with fog, floodlight failures and a draw all conspiring to bring the teams together 4 times. But unless their appeal is successful it looks like it’s an expensive and disappointing end to this seasons FA cup competition for Droylsden.

Parts of this article have been researched from:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/fa_cup/7799125.stm

Update: Droylsden did appeal against the decision to expell them from the competition, but the FA upheld their original decision.

Burscough 4 - 1 Everton

2008-12-03T20:52:00.000Z

Date: Tuesday 2nd December 2008
Competition: Liverpool Senior Cup Quarter Final
Venue: Victoria Park, Burscough, Lancashire
Attendance: 250

Ticket In: £9.00
Programme: £2.00
Golden Goal: £1.00
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Total: £12.00

The North West’s weather is at it again, snow and freezing temperatures closing schools across the region, but that’s alright because football goes ahead! With the old man being an Evertonian, persuading him for a lift to see them didn’t prove to be too difficult of a task to complete. Burscough FC are my sort of 2nd team so there will be a family difference in support this evening, but my pre-match thoughts are that its my father that will have the bragging rights come the end of the match. Burscough ply their trade in the Blue Square North, not bad for a team in a village the size of Burscough. The club can boast a lot of recent success as in the 2006/07 season they won a treble of trophies. They picked up the Unibond Premier Division title on the last day in a deciding match against AFC Telford United, along with the Co-Operative Lancashire Trophy and the Jack Kirkland Trophy, more impressively though, all these trophies were picked up in the space of just 10 days. But the clubs finest day came back in 2003 when they defeated Tamworth against the odds to lift the FA Trophy in front of a packed Villa Park. Onto their visitors tonight and in the Liverpool Senior Cup, Everton have been the most successful team in the competition having lifted the trophy 45 times in the 113 completed competitions, 7 successes clear of 2nd most successful team and arch rivals Liverpool. The team news read over the tannoy suggests that the Everton squad on display this evening is largely comprised of their under 18’s, so they will be in for gaining some good experience. Burscough’s ground is Victoria Park and various signs around the place inform you of the fact that it is celebrating 100 years of football being played on its turf. It’s a compact little ground and due to Burscough’s rise up the footballing non-league pyramid, the ground has had to face some minor changes. The age old main stand still sits proudly down one side, whilst most of the rest of the ground has erected temporary stands to ensure the ground can hold enough people for Conference North standards. A small amount of cover is provided behind one goal and down one side of the pitch, and on a cold and wet night like tonight it will probably be in demand! The weather just before kickoff is on and off rain with occasional hail and its bloody cold too!

As kickoff time approached, the crowd I had expected to turn up simply failed to materialise. Having been to the semi final of this competition last season between Prescot Cables and Liverpool where the kickoff was delayed by 15 minutes to ensure that everybody got in and the crowd figure eventually reached over a thousand, only 250 wandered their way in through the Victoria Park turnstiles. This couldn’t be an excuse used to explain the slight delay to kickoff that the match suffered, but before long the teams emerged onto the pitch to the 633 squadron anthem looking to fly their way into the next round. Burscough in their traditional green shirts with white shorts and Everton in their all royal blue. The referee was finally stratified everything was in place and it would be Everton to get the quarter final underway. The first 5 minutes saw both sides signal their intentions towards the game as they set about getting forward and putting pressure on their opponents early, the weather conditions at this point were perfect. Burscough won themselves a free kick in the 6th minute but the delivery from out wide on the wing was taken well by Everton goalkeeper Stubhaug under pressure. Not long after, Burscough nearly took the lead when in the 9th minute, the Everton defence failed to deal with the winger and he sent in a pinpoint cross which was met powerfully by the head of the Burscough forward and was turned away for a corner by Stubhaug in a fantastic close range save. The resultant corner though would bring Burscough a deserved lead as Craig Davies delivered the ball to the near post it hit an Everton defender before striking the goalkeeper on the legs and entering the net. Davies was accredited with the goal straight from the corner kick. The goal seemed to spur Burscough on and they came forward with intent once again in the 13th minute and another powerful shot was deflected for another corner. This one though was half cleared by the Everton defence before a long range Burscough effort was sent considerably wide of the right hand post. The Burscough fans down the side of the pitch were clearly enjoying themselves as they were making all the noise in the ground and creating an atmosphere I had not experienced at Victoria Park before, imagine the atmosphere that was created 1 minute later in the 16th minute then, when Burscough doubled their lead. More good play in midfield saw another through ball played to the wing and the Everton defence was slow to respond. The cross into the box was cleared as far as the edge of the penalty area where Jonathan Goulding met it with a bullet drive that beat the keeper to his left and Burscough were two goals to the good. Now the place was bouncing as the Burscough fans were witnessing a rampant performance from their side. 20 minutes in and the rain began to fall again, not that it was going to dampen that atmosphere in the ground. Come the 28th minute, Burscough were still looking the better side as Everton were still content to sit off their attackers and not apply much pressure. This cost them on the half hour as Burscough scored another, a wing ball was played in low to Jordan Stepian who could have shot but instead passed to Peter Heler which stranded all the defenders and the goalkeeper. With an empty net at his mercy from 6 yards out, Heler made no mistake and the party really started in the stands amongst the gathered “green army”. Chants of “Premier League, you’re ‘avin a laugh” ring around the stadium. Everton worked themselves a chance in the 37th minute when some great running by Lewis Codling found his teammate on the wing. He then squared the ball back to his defender, who turned one Burscough player before working himself some space to shoot, but his effort was skied over the crossbar when he perhaps should have done a little bit better. Then immediately down the other end, Burscough were unlucky not to extend their lead further when a long free kick was delivered to the edge of the penalty area and headed on to the feet of Jordan Stepian, and this time he had an effort on goal himself. His effort beat the keeper but couldn’t beat the far post and as the ball rebounded back into the penalty area it was put over the bar from close range by another Burscough forward. This action would be the last meaningful action of the half and Burscough were worthy of their lead having dominated the game, the full time gloating rights may unexpectedly be mine come full time. Everton just didn’t show up in that half a team largely consisting of youth must grow up quickly in the 2nd half or they will end up crashing out of the competition.

Half Time:
Burscough 3 – 0 Everton

The 2nd half started with Burscough turning up the heat again as they won themselves a free kick in a dangerous attacking position. The delivery was sent towards goal but it just faded away from the top left corner of the net, missing the post by what must have been an inch. Burscough nearly added to their lead again in the 50th minute when a long range shot was saved well low down to his right by Stubhaug in the Everton goal. But it would be Everton that would get the next goal in the game and it came in the 59th minute. A Burscough clearance was met in the midfield and a superbly weighted aerial ball was played over the heads of the Burscough defence and into the penalty area. The Everton winger squared the ball to the centre where it was met by Lewis Codling on the edge of the 6 yard box and he turned it into the net to keep the hope of a revival alive. 2 minutes later and Everton very nearly got another goal back in similar circumstances. Everton made a quick break away down field after clearing a Burscough corner, after working a good position down the wing a neatly played ball was then squared in front of goal but this time the ball hit the Everton forward and deflected over the bar. Had that gone in the game would have looked a very different prospect indeed. But the game did change in the 63rd minute when Burscough would round off the games scoring when a corner was floated into the Everton penalty area and half cleared. Falling to the feet of a Burscough player, a pass was executed that found Craig Davis and had the entire Everton defence stop and appeal for offside, the linesman’s flag stayed down. This left Davies the simple task of beating the keeper from 6 yards out and in the process giving Burscough an unassailable lead as the momentum swung back in the direction of the home team. The 66th minute saw Everton have a chance as a long ball from a free kick was delivered into the penalty area, headed back across the box to a waiting striker, but his effort went wide of the post from close range. Burscough went close in the 70th minute after the Everton defence were powerless to stop the Burscough forward as he drew in 4 defenders leaving his teammate unmarked on the edge of the box. After receiving the pass though, the unmarked teammate’s chipped effort beat the keeper but also beat the crossbar and the opportunity passed. By the 77th minute the game had settled down and the chances were becoming fewer and fewer, both teams seemingly settling for the inevitable result, though Burscough were still looking dangerous and still causing Everton problems down the wings. Everton had a free kick in the 86th minute which was delivered into the penalty area and headed on towards goal. Under pressure from an Everton forward, Steve Dickinson in the Burscough goal gathered it at the 3rd attempt. Another free kick a minute later for the blues but this one was cleared by Burscough, falling to an Everton player some way out, he tried his luck from range and his effort took a deflection and went out of play for a corner. The resultant corner though was headed over the bar. Soon after the final whistle blew and it was Burscough that would be going on to the semi finals of the Liverpool Senior Cup and Everton that would bow out at their first hurdle.

Before the season started, if you’d have told any Burscough fan that the first team they would beat on their own ground this season would be Everton, you’d have been laughed all the way to Hoscar. But Burscough deserved it, they were more physically able that Everton’s youngsters and battled them out of the game. For the money paid out it was fantastic entertainment and worth every penny. The weather threatened to ruin the encounter but the players on the pitch kept the fans warm with some very entertaining football. Burscough go through to the semi-final as the youngsters of Everton will have learned a lot from this encounter. Cup football eh, nothing quite like it! I came expecting Burscough to be beaten and was surprised that they won so easily, hopefully this result will kick-start their league campaign and see them rise from the foot of the Blue Square North. Congratulations to Burscough.

Full Time:
Burscough 4 – 1 Everton

View more photos at:
http://www.photobucket.com\burscougheverton

So It Couldn't Be Done

2008-12-01T00:11:00.000Z

It took one weekend away, one trip away from the usual team for me to discover that it’s not the right thing to do. It would seem that when you invest yourself and your time in a football club, it’s not something you can turn your back on and walk away from. What has to change is my own personal viewpoint on watching their matches, the way in which I go to and watch the matches. But I have now realised this and with this comes the realisation that I must continue to watch their matches, because it is just the natural thing to do. I will still continue to run this blog for the times that they don’t have a match and I visit some other ground just to take in a football match, but I can’t abandon the regular team.

Bamber Bridge 2 - 0 Trafford

2008-11-30T00:53:00.000Z

Date: Saturday 29th November 2008
Competition: Unibond League Div 1 North
Venue: QED Stadium, Bamber Bridge, Lancashire
Attendance: 173

Admission Price: £7.00
Programme: £1.50
Raffle Ticket: £1.00
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Total: £9:50

The fog descends over the North West, postponing football matches left right and centre. The Bamber Bridge Vs Trafford fixture was my original choice of match, but upon discovering a beer festival on in my home town, I tried to look for a match nearer to home, alas the fog had killed that off. Knowing my luck, I’ll step off the train in Bamber Bridge and the fog will have got the better of there too, but as of now (12:25pm) their website live update feature says the match is going ahead. Last night’s weather forecast suggested the fog wouldn’t stretch that far north anyway, but we all know how reliable they can be. (02:12pm) Arriving at Bamber Bridge FC’s ground, the QED Stadium or more commonly known amongst the locals as Irongate, they’re letting people in but the turnstile operator advises me to “keep hold of my ticket, incase it gets called off before 3pm”. The fog is present and to worrying levels. Sat by one corner flag, you can only just about see the other corner flag in the opposite corner. My camera has no such luck! The slightest hint of more fog and the match will more than likely be postponed. I recognise the referee immediately, Mr A. Clayton, last time I saw him he had an absolute horror show, it will be in interesting to see his performance this afternoon. The ground is a tidy looking facility with a main stand down one side and an impressive looking what I guess it a directors area behind one of the goals. It’s a better option than standing behind the other net as many posts will obscure your view from moist angles. Large nets are hoisted like flags down the other side to prevent balls from flying into the housing estate next door.

From my position at the side, I could just about make out the two teams as they emerged from the tunnel under the main stand and onto the pitch. Bamber Bridge in their home colours of white shirts with navy shorts and navy socks, Trafford are in their changed strip of all yellow. The game started at a frenetic pace with both teams getting chances to open the scoring in the opening exchanges. A Trafford corner in the 7th minute was delivered into the penalty area but the header it was met with was weak and it looped into the arms of Bamber Bridge keeper Andy Banks. Trafford had another chance 1 minute later when the attacker proved too strong for the defender and shook him off the ball, but the required composure was missing as the shot was blasted over the crossbar. The next clear cut chance was fall to Bamber Bridge in the 13th minute when a great break out of defence saw the ball carried to the edge of the penalty area and held up well whilst support arrived. When it did the cross was played in superbly but the header was agonisingly wide when it should have hit the target. Bamber Bridge then won a free kick in the 15th minute but the delivery was sent wide of the right hand post. Come the 20 minute mark, the fog was getting thicker and I was struggling to see down the other end of the pitch. This point proved itself on the 29th minute when the amalgamation of Trafford fans behind the goal appealed for a penalty. I couldn’t tell you why, or if they were unlucky not to get the decision or not, I simply couldn’t see it. However I could see Bamber Bridge’s next good chance when they won a free kick in a dangerous position on the half hour mark. The delivery was met well by the head of Anthony Murt but he could only manage to direct the ball wide of the post and another chance went begging. 5 minutes later down the other end of the pitch, Trafford had an opportunity was a great run to the edge of the box was made by Scott Barlow, he then rounded his defender and had his shot saved by keeper Banks but the parry was played back to Simon Woodford but he snatched his shot in front of goal. Another Bamber Bride free kick in the 39th minute, this time it was met with a good low save by Trafford keeper Damien Rooney, and Rooney had to be alert right at the end of the half as he pulled off another fine save from a close range shot to force a corner. That was to be the last action in a fairly evenly matched half. A game that started quickly and settled to a steady pace. I’ve been unable to see the other end of the pitch for about 10 minutes and with the light fading this isn’t going to help the problem. I would stake a small wager that this match will not go the full 90 minutes before being abandoned.

Half Time:
Bamber Bridge 0 – 0 Trafford

Referee Clayton was out on the pitch at half time examining the rapidly worsening fog situation. He kindly took the time to have a chat to me and explain the “must see net to net” rule. His personal opinion was the situation wasn’t great and with fading light and the floodlights making the fog denser, the 2nd half will start but it may not finish. My opinion was that it looked impossible as I had to strain to see the goal at the other end. The 2nd half did get underway and Trafford had a very good early chance in the 47th minute when a superbly weighted ball was played into the penalty area evading the Bamber Bridge defence and falling to the feet of Scott Barlow, who unleashed a powerful volley straight into the back of a defender and the danger passed. In the 53rd minute, I think Bamber Bridge went close to scoring, the only indication I had of this was the crowd noise coming from the Bamber Bridge fans, the agonising gasp of a team that had just missed its target. The game would change in a 4 minute spell when Bamber Bridge would score two goals, both from the foot of striker Alex Porter and both from set pieces. From what I could make out through the thick fog, Bamber Bridge won a free kick in a dangerous position and Porter’s delivery clipped the underside of the bar and nestled in the net to give the home side the lead. This occurred in the 55th minute and then in the 58th minute Bamber Bridge were awarded a penalty. Alex Porter converted from the spot and Bamber Bridge now had a healthy 2 goal lead. Bamber Bridge could have had a third goal not long after this time as I think they came close again on the hour mark. A Bamber Bridge winger went on a great run down the left wing and then disappeared into the fog. I could just about make out him square the ball and then a large groan came from behind the goal as the ball went dead, it was on this evidence that I assumed the Bamber Bridge forward had missed the target. Trafford then got themselves a slightly strange free kick when keeper Andy Banks came to collect a long aerial ball played into the penalty area, he gathered it but then slightly overshot the edge of his penalty area. Referee Clayton awarded Trafford a free kick and took no further action against the goalkeeper, much to the displeasure of the Trafford fans in the stand that were baying that the keeper be sent off. The free kick was eventually sent a long was over the crossbar. After this point, trying to complete a report became an impossible task as visibility was just too poor. Chants from the Trafford fans of “we can’t see a bloody thing” were probably an encouragement to referee Clayton to abandon the match, but the fact of the matter is you couldn’t see a thing, but with just under 10 minutes left, the game was going to finish, and it did with no further scoring, Bamber Bridge coming out 2-0 winners.

The game ended in zero visibility and to the letter of the law, referee Clayton should probably have abandoned the match about 4 minutes from time. Something the Trafford fans let the referee know about as he left the field. The two sides looked evenly matched on the field and the two set piece goals were the only things to separate the two sides. The football itself was enjoyable to watch, well, what I could see of it anyway! Was glad to find a pub after the match, my hands returned to a normal colour after 10 minutes of being in the warm. Interestingly, the Preston North End Vs Bristol City match happening just down the road from Bamber Bridge was suffering from the same fog problems but still went ahead. So the first stop on the footballing adventure has been a bizarre one, but in many ways enjoyable. Roll on the next match and congratulations to Bamber Bridge, as this victory took them to the top of the Unibond League Division 1 North.

Full Time:
Bamber Bridge 2 – 0 Trafford

View more photos at: http://www.photobucket.com/bamberbridgetrafford

For Nothing More Than Football!

2008-11-28T19:21:00.000Z

I suppose it’s quite hard to give up your football team after four years of watching them, but when you realise that you’re actually enjoying watching football more when your own teams match has been postponed and you’ve gone to another game, maybe that’s a sign that becoming a ground hopper might be the thing for you. A situation I currently find myself in. I’ve grown tired of putting my efforts into a football club that doesn’t care when they get onto the pitch, so I’m going to just try and enjoy football from now on, the way I used to when I started watching the game 4 years ago. So, this is my first attempt at being a ground hopper and at doing a ground hopping blog. The intention is to see football from different leagues, played in previously unvisited grounds. To just watch football, because its football! To possess the ability to cast a neutral eye over refereeing decisions without the kit coloured tinted glasses, to watch the fierce rivalries from afar. Will I miss following the team I have for the past 4 seasons, only time will tell, but I’ve missed enjoying my trips to football matches, something I’m eager to reclaim. So here goes, the big footballing adventure, beginning tomorrow!