Boxing Day Opponents: New Mills

Cheadle Town will be travelling to the birthplace of confectionery classics such as the Drumstick lolly, the Double-Dip, the Parma Violet and the Love Heart on Boxing Day as they travel to New Mills, a place that has as much connection with Swizzels-Matlow as Eindhoven has with Philips...or Macclesfield with Astra Zeneca.

As is normal in non-league circles, local "rivals" get paired together on Boxing Day, hence Cheadle's short trip down the A6.

New Mills FC have been knocking around since the pre-war days. They won the Manchester Amateur League a number of times (seven, in fact) in their post-war existence and moved up via the Cheshire League to the North West Counties League in the early 80s. However, it wasn't the best of starts as the club started to suffer financially, resulting in a suspending in play.

Local team Birch Vale FC were looking for a ground to use at the time and they became tenants at Church Lane, eventually taking over the running of the club and changing their name to New Mills FC. The Millers were admitted to the NWCFL Div 2 for the start of the 2004-2005 season, finishing an impressive 9th in their first season at this level.

One thing that instantly hits you about New Mills is their average attendance. If it weren't for Runcorn, then New Mills would be the best-supported club in this division - by a country mile - with an average crowd of 157 so far this season; very impressive for this level, it has to be said. Polardin and I have rounded up two carloads of Cheadle-ites for this one (well, Polardin, myself and press-ganged individuals!) to cheer the boys on because they'll need us. I'm looking forward to it...I just hope that the weather doesn't intervene and deny us a Boxing Day classic.

Come on Cheadle!