Abbey Hey 0 – 4 Bootle
(NWCFL), 25th January 2014
Entrance: £5
Tea (x2): £1-60
Total: £6-60
Abbey Hey in the
East Side of Manchester, and accessible by train from Sheffield, was an ideal
closer target on a grey winter day. Luck was on my side today, with this one
surviving the wet weather (unlike most in Manchester and Yorkshire). As I
travelled across on the train to Reddish North (using my trans-Pennine season
ticket to keep costs down), I was feverishly checking the NWCFL website for
updates. Even FC United and Droylsden had been called off, so I was sceptical
about this one. No back-up plan today, as I’d be arriving close to kick off.
After a short walk through the picturesque surroundings of Gorton, I reached
the ground at Goredale Avenue. The pitch was set up and there were people
milling about – good signs! Once I’d paid the £5 entry, I noticed why this one
had survived the weather – the pitch was actually elevated several feet above
the nearby road, probably allowing excess water to drain away.
There was an icy
breeze in the air, so I went inside the clubhouse and up the stairs into the
warmest bar I’d been into all year. I had a tea from the bar, and have to say
it was the best I’d tasted all season…and it was served in a proper china mug!
With the ITV FA Cup coverage of Bournemouth-Liverpool finishing in the
background, and the general warmth of the bar, I was beginning to slowly relax
and forget the cold weather. I was tempted to watch the game from the windows
of the clubhouse, but decided to brave the cold to get a better view of the
match. The pitch was in a reasonable state considering the weather – the only
area which looked like a mud-bath was around the dug-outs and along the
touchline.
I had no idea of
where the teams were in the table (in my haste I had forgotten to get a
programme), but Abbey Hey started more strongly. They played some neat passing
football, and had clearly come with the intention of playing the ball on the floor.
In spite of their possession, chances were few and far between, with their
number 11 hitting a scuffed shot wide on 14 minutes. Bootle, despite Abbey Hey’s
good start, looked tough and bullish, and opened the scoring on 18 minutes when
a low dipping cross was touched on by the keeper into the path of number 9 for
an easy tap-in. The home side could and perhaps should have scored when they
had a low and fast cross fired just inside the 6-yard, but nobody could quite
latch onto it. Just like Gazza’s close miss in Euro ’96 extra time!
After another
warming cup of tea, I took up my place in the covered area for the second half.
I noticed that on the tiles of the building opposite, you could faintly make
out ‘Abbey Hey FA’. I was glad that they had a fairly big terraced area as the
weather started off badly in the second half – torrential rain and biting rain.
The players seemed oblivious to it, and continued to fight out a tough and
entertaining game. Bootle’s number 11 scored the second on 58 minutes, before
the back post header from number 8 made certain of the points. On 86 minutes,
Bootle’s keeper pulled off a terrific flying save, and almost immediately,
Bootle’s number 10 chipped in at the other end to make it 4-0. A deserved win
from the Liverpool side, who had looked superior over the 90 minutes. Credit to
Abbey Hey for getting the game on today, and to both teams for putting on an
entertaining game of football on a miserable day.
No comments:
Post a Comment