Train (Stockport-Stoke): £13
Tea: 80p
Entrance: £4
Programme: £1
Bovril: 80p
Total: £19-60
The last time I came to Stoke was way back in November for my trip to Market Drayton. That feels like a long time ago now we're edging out of winter. Hanley was an ideal one on a slightly bleak February day - we are in that weird Hinterland where it's not quite Spring but not exactly in the depths of Winter. The ground was about a 40-minute walk from the station, off a barely noticeable track off Abbey Lane. If it hasn't been for a tiny sign on a gate, I would have missed it altogether.
Hanley are relative newcomers to the NWCFL, having joined a season or two ago. The ground was simple and straightforward, with a portakabin forming the turnstile and a couple of small stands along either touch line. After the obligatory tea in the small but cosy bar, I sat down in the small seated stand bang on halfway. The ground had suddenly seen an influx of visitors with lots of kids and WAGs milling about.
The away side were Rochdale Town, who almost scored immediately when 9's attempted lob drifted just wide on 2 minutes. Hanley responded with a left footed free kick from Stair flying wide, and now we had a game - albeit a scrappy one - on our hands. Hanley repeatedly fell foul of the offside rule, with Price and Stair caught off in quick succession. The opener came for Rochdale almost bang on the half-time whistle, when Bradbury chipped over the keeper when through. Hanley were not to be outdone, and nearly equalised when a near-post effort from their own 10 (Stair) was saved.
After the usual warming Bovril, I took up my place standing next to where I'd been sat before. My notes suggest this was a game of the 10s, with both players threatening for their sides. Hanley's Stair attempted an awkward shot with what I would call a 'bicycle header' - i.e leaning back whilst heading the ball with the back of your head. The technique is nigh on impossible to perfect, so I'm not surprised it didn't really work! After Rochdale's 10 had fired wide on his left foot, Hanley equalised when Stair slotted in from inside the 6-yard box, and rattled the post with a header shortly after. Rough tackles began flying in, with a particularly contentious one from Rochdale's left-back, and a running battle (verbal and physical!) between Hanley's 3 and Rochdale's 2.
Despite gradually seizing control of the game, Hanley could not force another breakthrough. I have to add that they seemed to have an aversion to crossing the ball from either flank, which wasn't an ideal attacking move. As the game drew to a close, three young lads (maybe aged 9-10) appeared next to me, asking who was playing and what the score was. Evidently they'd decided to drop in for the closing stages. Their conversation about football (Premiership, the game in front of them etc) made me think of three old men pontificating on the game. I wonder if they'll be here in a few decades time?!
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