Another Bank Holiday "Treble Header"

There were plenty of games a long way from home with a lot more riding on them but I simply couldn't be bothered facing up to the the Bank Holiday traffic on the motorways. However I did manage to find myself a treble about an hour from home. Start the engine... 

1100 Warrington & District League Guardian Cup Final @ Cantilever Park, Warrington 
Billinge 2-0 New Street 
Att: 120 (h/c)

The Guardian Cup is the flagship Cup Final of the Warrington and District League. The game was played at Cantilever Park, the home of Warrington Town. This was my first visit there in 12 years.

On a baking hot morning, Cheshire League Billinge were two up at the break thanks to goals from Ryan McCabe (28) and Steve Taylor (30) and they really should have been further in front. After the interval New Street, also from St Helens, applied the pressure but simply couldn't find a way through and gradually wilted in the heat. 

From Cantilever Park it was a straightforward 10 minute journey across town for... 

1400 Cheshire League Premier Div.
Tetley Walker Sports Ground
Greenalls Padgate St Oswalds 0 
Altrincham Reserves 4 
Att: 55 (h/c) 

The fantastically monikered Greenalls Padgate St Oswalds, who were founded in 2003 by a merger of Greenalls FC and Padgate St Oswalds FC, were hosting Altrincham Reserves at the Tetley Walker Sports Ground. It is a great set up with a covered stand on the halfway line. The ground was once home to Tetley Walker FC who were members of the NWCFL from 1994 until they folded in 2001. 

It was a comfortable victory for Altrincham, whose youngsters played some good football and scored some quality goals. Dylan Scanlan put Alty ahead (pictured right) before Joel Swift made it 2-0 with a tap in. Scott Smith then beat four GSPO defenders before slotting home the third goal and a late penalty from Darius Palma completed the scoring.

The final game of the day saw me head back down the M56 and across the border into Wales for...

1830 Welsh National League Div.1
The Gwyn 
Maesgwyn 2-5 New Brighton Villa 
Att: 32 (h/c)

Maesgwyn are in their second season at this level, having been founded in 2002. The ground is on Lilac Way, just down the road from Wrexham's Racecourse Ground, where you can see the floodlights in the distance. The Gwyn is a railed off pitch with no spectator facilities but on a balmy evening there was no need for any cover!

There was a minutes applause pre-match for Martin Ford, the Queens Park manager who died suddenly earlier in the day.

The match was a comfortable win for New Brighton, who in all honesty missed enough chances to at least double their score. The Gwyn goalkeeper was not a happy bunny as despite making several fine stops to keep the score down, he was certainly expressing his displeasure at the defence in front of him!

The New Brighton Villa goals came courtesy of Matty Williams (2), Jordan Dorrington, Ben Hughes and a Pete Morris free-kick rocket. Dan Roberts replied twice for the home side.

BRICKFIELD RANGERS (Clywedog Park)

WELSH NATIONAL LEAGUE (WREXHAM AREA) PREMIER DIVISION, BRICKFIELD RANGERS 1- 2 MOLD ALEXANDRA, ATTENDANCE: 48 (h/c)

No programme today
but I did get an issue on
my visit to Court Road
in 2005

After the madness (and expense) of an Easter Weekend groundhopping in the North East, I opted to stay local (and cheap) by heading to the outskirts of Wrexham town centre.

This season Brickfield Rangers have a new home at Clywedog Park having moved from their spiritual home of Court Road, where they had been based since their formation in 1976. This was where a very young Robert William Savage started his playing career.

When I began my groundhopping odyssey many years ago, Court Road was one of the first grounds I visited. The ground was simply a roped off pitch and it is fair to say that Clywedog Park is a vast improvement. 

The pitch is fully railed off and there is a tea bar behind the goal. There is no football furniture but the club are hoping to install changing rooms as currently they are using the adjacent secondary school.

Today Brickfield (playing in unfamiliar orange instead of their usual green and white) were taking on Mold Alex, the result today having implications at both ends of the table.

At the beginning of play, Rangers were third bottom whilst Alex were top of the table. However Mold have second placed Hawarden breathing down their necks, just a point behind but with a game in hand.

Mold scored two first half goals, the opener was from Lewis Buckley after a well work free kick routine and Buckley also added the second , this time a tap in after a goalkeeping error.

Brickfield manager Peter Gabriel had clearly urged his side to don't give up and they had more of the ball in the second period. They did pull a goal back late on through Ryan Nelson but Mold were able to see the game out to claim the victory.

CHIRK AAA (Holyhead Road)

FAW TROPHY QUARTER FINAL, CHIRK AAA 9-0 PENLAN CLUB AFC, ATTENDANCE: 150 (est)

With the storms that have been battering the country over the past few days (and weeks for some people) I had little desire to travel any great distance for a game this weekend. However, when every game in the Cymru Alliance, Welsh Alliance and Mid Wales League fell victim to the weather I feared it was going to be a day in front of the TV watching Sunderland v Southampton bore me in the FA Cup.

The New Stand

However, a ray of light appeared in the form of a tweet saying that the Chirk v Penlan Welsh Trophy game was definitely going ahead after a pitch inspection , so a revisit to Holyhead Road was an absolute no-brainer.

I last visited Chirk back in 2004 (also for a Trophy game in which they lost 2-5 to Denbigh Town) and it is fair to say the ground has improved dramatically since then. There is now hard standing down two sides of the pitch and a smart seated stand next to the changing rooms/tea bar.

Founded in 1876, Chirk Amateur Athletic Association are one of Wales' oldest clubs and, in the year of their formation, were also founder members of the Football Association of Wales. They were a hugely successful club in their early years, winning the Welsh Cup on five occasions. 

..and we are off!!

Welsh footballing legend Billy Meredith began his career at Chirk before going on to play for both Manchester clubs and being instrumental in the formation of the Players Union (the forerunner to today's PFA).

In this last eight trophy clash, Welsh National League Chirk were hosting undefeated Swansea Senior League leaders Penlan, who caused an upset by knocking out higher-ranked Garden Village in round 5.
. 

Celebration as Aron Blackwell's
effort hits the net

Today, however, there was never any likelihood of an upset once Chirk had raced into a 2-0 lead within the first ten minutes. Aaron Blackwell gave the home side the lead after 5 minutes before Nicky Williams made it two after 10 minutes.

Congratulations after Nicky
Williams scores his first goal

As the rain began to relent and the sun appear, Williams (34) scored his second from a free kick to make it 3-0 before Khos Jones (39) made it 4-0. 

Penlan were reduced to 10 men when Robert Jenkins was sent off for a professional foul and, from the resulting free kick, Blackwell was played through to make it 5-0 just before half time.

Nicky Williams' free kick makes
it 3-0 to Chirk

As you can imagine, the tempo of the second period was not as intense, as the work had been done in the opening period, but The Colliers added to their tally thanks to further goals from Williams, completing his hat-trick (65) a superb long range strike from Jason Williams (68) and two late efforts from Shaun Morris (85) and Ben Jones (88). Penlan's misery was also compounded midway through the second half when substitute Keiran Meredith was given a red card for dissent.

Chirk will now go on to face South Wales Amateur League side Ton & Gelli BC for a place in the Trophy final.

Aron Blackwell makes it 5-0

Spot the ball

The Chirk team line up pre-match