Anyone for the FA NLS Cup?

It got to 1910h. Do I stay in and watch Tv football or go down the road and see a not very well publicised amateur cup game. Heads go, tails stay in. It was heads twice so in the car for a two mile drive....
Lancashire & Cheshire AFL 4-2 Birmingham & District AFL
FA National League Systems Cup
Brantingham Road, home of Maine Road FC; attendance about 40
If you were not familiar which team was in which colours then the accents of the players gave it away. Home team in yellow & bright blue, visitors in light blue and black. Home team had the best of the first twenty minutes that is until Birmingham scored. After that it was pretty evenly matched. At the break the players trooped off which isn't always the case in amateur games but tonight we have a 15 minute break. Fortunately it's not cold and I spend the time sending text messages.

Second half and the home side score within a couple of minutes of kick off. Looking much better now playing two up front and another two just behind. Goes to 2-1. Perhaps I should start making notes just in case I forget to keep an accurate tally. Later a great solo effort by Birmingham's No.8, possibly a lad called Tony Johnson, gets it to 2-2.

I hear a rumour that these games go to extra time and penalties. There are about five minutes left, it's getting colder and I'd like a drink. Do I stay or slope off at 90 minutes? No need. Home side blast in two more goals within a minute of each other. I read later it's Rob Kinsella from Whalley Range who netted these. The game is won and I'm home before 2130h.

Admission £2 and that includes a programme. It's two sides of A4 printed on quality card and some of it is in colour. No refreshments there is a bottle of red wine waiting at home. Weather : 17 degrees dropping to 14 degrees, slight breeze force one from the north, good visibility.

That's another FA competition I've seen this season. Maybe next it will be the Trophy, Vase and Saucer...

Does Easter Pass You By..

Langley Celtic 1-0 Oyster Martyrs
North West Sunday Champions Cup
semi-final at Manchester County FA Ground; attendance est. 260
A fixture on a Good Friday morning. Just manage to get up just before 1000h. By 1100h I've got a lift down to Brantingham Road in Whalley Range to see a cup clash that caught my reading eye. Oyster Martyrs are from Liverpool, and have Thomas Rooney, that's Wayne's cousin, in the forward line. I think his uncle is the manager. They've reached the final of the national FA Sunday Cup so they must be a half decent side.

Langley look a half decent side too. They are from the rough side of north Manchester where I never venture. First half not much in it between them and only a few chances on goal. I stand near the dug-outs and there is a bit of argueing with the 4th official and the Oyster bench with too many people standing in the technical area.

Too many gobby experts in the crowd giving instructions, shouting at the officials and generally whingeing. But there you go, football even at this level in a passionate game.

Second half and Oyster get stuck into attacking. Langley go down to 10 men. Didn't see the incident but the Scouse supporters were baying for "off, off, off" and ref obliged. This spurred Langley on. They packed the midfield, and used two players up front. Got the only goal even though always out numbered in attack. Hung on in there, creating a few more chances and lasted out at least 10 minutes of added time.

Good game, glad I made the effort to leave the house. The final is on Monday 4th May but I'll be away in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Game 62 this season, admission £2, cup of hot chocolate £1, bus fare home £1.40

Get another match in

West Didsbury & Chorlton 2-0 Manchester Juniors
Manchester League Division 1; attendance about 23 plus pets
I don't set off for Old Trafford until 1615h so a chance to watch to fill the time with another match. It's easy. The pitch is over the road, nip through my friends garden, get a cup of tea in the clubhouse and stand about letting on to people.

The club started out as Christ Church FC 100 years ago, playing on a farmer's field in Didsbury. Now they have ambitions to be a successful community club in Chorlton. Recently spent £8,000 on drainage to the pitch turning a winter quagmire into a playable grass surface.

Like the look of Manchester Juniors, only because they play in red shirts and white shorts, where as Wests are in their white and black uniform. Both teams are doing a lot of shouting, and chances on goal are few so no score at half time. I nip back to the clubhouse and check the Hartlepool v. West Ham match on Tv.

Second half West Didsbury score on their first attack. They arn't making it easy for themselves but they do manage a second. Apparently not a full strength side with a few Reserves on the field and as subs. By this time I'm joined by the Biffa herself, the neighbour, the little lad and the friend from over the road. A cat appears on the banking near the corner flag which attracts a few small children. There is a collie dog knocking about, and the manager's dog is bobbing about looking for any food that's about.

It's soon all over, West Didsbury do their warm down bit which is a few laps of half the pitch. Manchester Juniors troop off talking about the crosses and passes that went astray. We drift off home for a sandwich and a trip to a seat in the Stretford End.

Follow this league - the FA.com do an excellent results service, oh the wonders of SMS and the web has transformed lowest level football communications.

Low Cost Local Football

Whalley Range 5-0 Morecambe Royals
Lancashire FA Amateur Cup 3rd Round; attendance about 32, plus a dog.
Whalley Range have been kicking about these parts since 1900 as an amateur club, that's long enough to have records in the National Archives which they do. Currently in the Lancashire & Cheshire Amateur League Division 1. They have their own ground with two pitches and a club house. Morecambe Royals play up in Lancaster in the North Lancashire & District League Premier Division which is sponsored by Honda.

It was raining when I set off, and it kept on raining through most of the match. Fortunately there was shelter in front of the clubhouse. Could even park my cycle along with someone else's in the dry part. Watched the end of the Sunderland v. Newcastle game at the bar before the delayed kick-off. Might come here again - satellite Tv, bar, tea, coffee, pies and you get served straight away. Snug and bijou with a big window facing the pitch.

Range did most of the attacking and got three good goals every ten minutes in the first half. Second half Royals battled away but didn't really threaten to get back into the game. A long range shot from Range made it 4-0. Then a solo effort from the Range No.6 weaving his way around the muddy pitch as the the Royals defence looked for the lay-off. There wasn't one, he knocked it past the keeper.

Friendly crowd of regulars, young and old. A good afternoon, and with it being a 1400h, or more like 1420h kick-off and only ten minutes break at half time you get to cycle home whilst it's still light. Good job there are no floodlights.

Game 46; admission free, no programmes, freshly made cup of tea 60p. Now I've been to all four local grounds within 3kms of home and this is the best one for me.

Local Game Before A Biggish Game

South Manchester 2-3 Mellor
Lancashire & Cheshire Amateur League Premier Division : attendance 10-ish.
A gaping void in the afternoon was filled by a 3 minute cycle ride to Chorlton Sports & Social Club to see South Manchester take on Mellor. Quietly supporting Mellor, it's a village that dates back to the iron age, plus I modelled my herb garden on the one that's in their rectory at the top of the hill.

Arrived late, but the game had started late so didn't miss anything. Mellor soon scored from their many chances, and for once I had the camera ready to record the goal. It has appeared on the Mellor website as I emailed it to Graham who making video sequences and a match report for the club. You can pass the time of day to anyone at these little games, the squandered chances in front of goal, the flaky defence or the weather.

Anyway South Manchester bounced back. I saw the Mellor goalie drop a high catch into a scramble of legs and it had goal written all over it. Half time the home side were 2-1 up and the teams retired to the side of the pitch for a break. The Mellor manager gave a lecture in the Gordon Ramsey style. He was at the half way line and I could hear every f-word just stood in front of the clubhouse.

It paid off as Mellor attacked and attacked - eventually getting the equaliser. Bad luck for South Manchester in the last minute when the ball bounced up and hit a defender on the hand. The following penalty was tucked away and I cycled home.

Video on YouTube by georgefromfooty
Match Report at Mellor FC

Not So Good Elsewhere

West Didsbury & Chorlton 1-2 Stand Athletic
Manchester League Division 1: Att: 12
By the time I got here Wests where a goal down. Get your priorities right I had to finish the Liverpool v. United match. Wrong result at Anfield - impose a news blackout, blank it from your mind and get on with something else. Pleasant day in the sunshine watching the very local team going it's 6th successive league win. It's so local I nip through a neighbours garden to get to pitch side. So local that I know the parents of half the Wests team and the manager and the lady behind the bar. But I'm a hoodoo and after Wests equalised, and someone in the crowd got a lecture from the referee for use of language their No.7 banged a cracking shot to win the match.

Normally I go back in the club house for a bevvy, the players get changed and everyone watches the scores come in on the Tv. I remembered my news black out, and as nearly everyone here are City supporters I went home. Not before being a witness to West Didsbury doing some warm down exercise with a few laps of half the pitch. What was that about? But this club is serious about getting up to the next level.

Game 37: Free entry, no programme, no expenses.