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.