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Results Round-Up: Saturday 4th September 2010

2010-09-06T07:21:54Z

We'll start with the FA Vase where it was a bad weekend for those NWCFL Division One sides taking part.

Only one such team guaranteed their place in the next Qualifying Round and that was Holker Old Boys with a 2-1 win away to Chadderton; Holker will now play NWCFL Premier Division side Colne at home. Facing a replay are Ashton Town who will bring Maltby Main back to Edge Green Street following a 2-2 draw; the winners of that will travel to Flixton.

Joining our very own Cheadle Town as fallers at the 1st Qualifying Round hurdle were Daisy Hill (lost 2-3 at home to Whitehaven); Wigan Robin Park, who I hope had a better day out at Dinnington Town than we did a couple of seasons ago despite going down 0-2 and Leek CSOB who lost 1-2 at Pershore Town.

There were a handful of league matches and all this weekend.

AFC Liverpool prevented AFC Blackpool cementing their position at the top by going to the seaside and winning 2-1. Top spot is now occupied by Irlam who stopped Runcorn Town's recent goalscoring spree in a 1-1 home draw. AFC Darwen and Oldham Boro drew 0-0, Eccleshall beat Rochdale Town at home by a 2-0 scoreline and Atherton Collieries clocked up the result of the day by going away somewhere and dishing out a firm 6-1 licking.

Our very own Cheadle Town are in 4th position with 10 points from 4 games.

Cheadle Town 1-2 Worsbrough Bridge Athletic

2010-09-04T16:27:31Z

Cheadle's fortune in the FA cup competitions ended today as Worsbrough BA got the better of us again in this disappointing 1-2 home reversal.

An essay on this match could easily be broken down into the following four sub-headings: 'The Tale of Two Halves'; 'Questionable Refereeing', 'The Fine Lines Between Success and Victory' and 'The Tribulations of a Goalkeeper: Steve McDonagh'.

In the 'Tale of Two Halves' it was us that owned the first period of play. We could have gone one-up with just 60 seconds on the clock but James McDonagh was unlucky to see a close-range effort blocked at his feet. Around eleven minutes later we would take the lead that our possession deserved: Paul McCormack won a header in midfield that found its way to Ben Brooks on the left of the penalty box, who finished superbly with a curling effort struck with the outside of the boot.

The first half also saw Ben Brooks in the centre of two incidents that bring the 'Questionable Refereeing' aspect onto the table. He was clattered with a horrible challenge that only saw the offender get a yellow card and also had his ankles audibly clipped when steaming in on goal for a stonewall penalty that wasn't given. What makes the first of those moments more galling is that Scott Clarke was sent off towards the end of the game for a challenge that was - whilst a touch agricultural - no worse than the one committed on Ben.

Within the first fifteen minutes of the second half we had witnessed the remaining two chapters of our essay.

With the scoreline delicately poised at 1-0 the next goal was always going to be crucial. Six minutes into the second half we almost got it: Paul Whalley crashing a shot off the post following a lovely team move....

...but ten minutes later our world would fall apart as what could have been 2-0 quickly became 1-2. Steve McDonagh had already awkwardly clawed a cross-shot onto the crossbar before he was picking the ball out of the net on 56 minutes when a cross was poked home from close-range. On the 64th minute he then made a dreadful hash of a free-kick, spilling the ball such that a Worsbrough attacker had the simplest of tasks of tapping home from centimetres out.

I've seen us respond in situations like this but it didn't happen today. Worsbrough came out with more purpose in the second half and just did enough to walk away with the victory, even if we did gift it to them somewhat. That said, I hope Steve McDonagh isn't too downhearted after today; these things happen to goalkeepers from time to time and he has sure saved our necks enough times in the past.

With the greatest respect to Worsbrough Bridge Athletic, I think I'm getting a bit sick of the sight of them in the FA Vase! Best of British to them at St Helens Town in the next round.

TEAM: S McDonagh, Clarke, B Roberts, Lindon, A Roberts, Whalley, D Brokenbrow (Riley), McCormack, J McDonagh, Clorley (B Brokenbrow), Brooks (S Hall). Subs: S Hall, Riley, Wood, B Brokenbrow.

Saturday's Opponents: Worsborough Bridge Athletic

2010-09-03T06:00:33Z

For the second time in as many weeks, an FA cup competition has presented us with an opportunity for rancor.

There have been many frustrating and utterly baffling moments following Cheadle Town, but none more so than on a cold and wet Tuesday evening back in September 2008 when we travelled to Worsborough Bridge Athletic for an FA Vase tie, battered them with more shots-on-target than you can shake a stick at but still came away with a 2-5 defeat to our names.

Now it's their turn to come to us.

Worsborough Bridge Athletic are - as they were two seasons ago - in the Northern Counties East League Division One, thus pitting them at the same theoretical level as us in the football pyramid. We find them in mid-table with 7 points from 5 matches, all of which have been played away from home...for which there must be some legitimate reason. Being so used to playing away from home makes our opponents a prepared bunch and renders this contest another interesting test...although hopefully not as foot-stampingly annoying as the previous encounter!

The spoils for the victors is an away match at St Helens Town or Brodsworth Miners Welfare in two weeks' time.

Come on Cheadle!

Match report will be on here by midnight Saturday
Live score updates available via Twitter from 3.00pm onwards

Player of the Month: August 2010

2010-09-02T06:00:25Z

As September is upon us it is time to announce this website's choice for Player of the Month for August 2010.

He may not occupy the top spot on the Goalscoring chart but this player's overall contribution to the excellent start that we have made has been conspicuous. His constant hectoring and probing of the opposition defences has opened the door to a majority of the goals that we have scored this season...on top of the two that he has already bagged for himself.

So, a big well done to Ben Brooks. He'll be getting his box o' beer before this Saturday's FA Vase match.

Results Round-Up: Saturday 28th August 2010

2010-08-31T16:07:48Z

Plenty of action over the weekend where we'll start with the FA Cup.

There's just the one NWCFL Division One side that is definitely through to the First Qualifying Round. Eccleshall pulled off a major scalp by travelling to Northern premier League side Leek Town and coming away with a 1-0 win. They now travel to Coalville Town.

Facing a replay are Atherton Collieries. They drew 2-2 at home to Prescot Cables and will get to play Ashton United at home should they win.

Along with our very own Cheadle Town, other fallers at the Preliminary Round hurdle were Holker Old Boys (0-2 at home to Trafford) and Chadderton (1-3 away at New Mills).

Whilst all of that was going on, there were five league matches. Abbey Hey finally got their season up-and-running with a 3-0 home win over Wigan Robin Park; ditto AFC Liverpool as they beat Oldham Boro 4-1 at home; Irlam went into 3rd spot with a 1-0 home win over AFC Darwen; Rochdale Town got their first point of the season with a 3-3 home draw against Daisy Hill and Runcorn Town went hatstand away at Ashton Town, running in an 8-0 win.

Our very own Cheadle Town are in 2nd spot with 10 points from 4 matches.

Cheadle Town 1-3 Ramsbottom United

2010-08-31T16:00:53Z

Out, but certainly not down. Going off what I was texted by Polardin and what I have read elsewhere, we made a fairly good account of ourselves last Saturday as we fell to a 1-3 home defeat to Ramsbottom United in the FA Cup.

Many thanks to Stuart Crawford for supplying the following match report:

Cheadle Town’s F.A. Cup adventure was ended for another season following defeat at Park Road Stadium against Ramsbottom United.

With Cheadle missing a few key players due to injury, it was Ramsbottom from the Premier Division of the Vodkat League who controlled the game from an early stage. Their early pressure was rewarded after 10 minutes when a Mickey Saunders header found the back of the net. Luckily for Cheadle, goalkeeper Steve McDonagh was in great form and denied Ramsbottom on numerous occasions for a chance to increase their lead.

Cheadle did attempt to put more pressure on the Ramsbottom defence in the second half, but it was the visitors who increased their lead when Joel Pilkington fired home from 15 yards after 52 minutes. The tie was technically wrapped up by Ramsbottom on 67 minutes when Jon Robinson tucked home a cross at the far post.

Cheadle finally got their reward on 77 minutes when Phil Clorley hit home a close range shot following a well taken free-kick by Andrew Lindon. This goal gave Cheadle some impetus as they put pressure on the Ramsbottom defence. And it was Clorley in the last minute of the game who had a great chance to reduce the deficit, but he somehow shot over the bar from 2 yards out.

TEAM: S McDonagh, Clarke, B Roberts, Cotterill, A Roberts, Whalley, D Brokenbrow, McCormack, Lindon, Clorley, Wood. Subs: S Hall, B Brokenbrow, Atkinson, Jackson (gk), Street

You can also read a match report from the Ramsbottom United website here

Saturday's Opponents: Ramsbottom United

2010-08-26T06:00:07Z

In this year's FA Cup, fate has offered us a shot at redemption.

At the Extra Preliminary stage last year the anticipation and excitement of "ooh, an away-day at Premier Division Ramsbottom United" was shot-to-shit within the first ten minutes of the match as we found ourselves 0-3 down before we'd even started to find our feet. Thankfully the floodgates were shoved shut for the remaining eighty and we came away with a 1-5 battering instead of something much, much worse.

So here we are, twelve months on, where the footballing gods have decreed that we are given a chance - win or lose - to give a better account of ourselves this time around.

Going into this game we find Ramsbottom United in 5th spot in the Premier Division with 2 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses - the most recent being a none-too-shabby 1-2 home loss to title favourites New Mills - to their name. The person to watch up front is obviously John Robinson who has netted five times for the Rams already in all competitions.

Unfortunately I'm missing this one as I'm away for the weekend, which means there will be no Twitter updates from me on the day. However, Rammy have their own Twitter-er who usually attends their matches: if he's there he'll be posting updates on www.twitter.com/RamsbottomUtd

Not sure about a match report. If Paul Lynch is going I'm sure he'll cough one up for me. Failing that I'll send a link to one on Rammy's website next week.

A trip to Northern Premier League outfits AFC Fylde or Skelmersdale United in the First Qualifying Round awaits the victors. Come on Cheadle!

Results Round-Up: Saturday 21st August 2010

2010-08-23T07:37:54Z

Stop the league now. Our very own Cheadle Town are top of the Division One table following this weekend's fixtures.

In 2nd spot, a point behind and with a game-in-hand are Wigan Robin Park. They claimed a 1-0 home win over Irlam. In 3rd place are AFC Blackpool who continued Abbey Hey's miserable start to the season by going there and winning 4-1.

Elsewhere, there were 1-1 draws between AFC Darwen and Leek CSOB, Atherton Collieries and Eccleshall and for AFC Liverpool; Daisy Hill got their first win of the season with a 1-0 home win over Chadderton; Ashton Town defeated bottom-of-the-pile-already Rochdale Town by two goals to nil and Runcorn Town kept up their 100% win rate with a 3-1 victory at Oldham Boro.

Cheadle Town 1-0 Holker Old Boys

2010-08-21T16:37:43Z

Ben Brooks' last-gasp penalty extended Cheadle Town's unbeaten run as another three points were collected over Holker Old Boys.

If Lady Luck exists, she was wearing a white-and-black scarf today. Holker Old Boys certainly had the better of the goalscoring opportunities (particularly in the first-half) and can count themselves somewhat unlucky not to be going into the interval with at least a 2-0 lead to their names.

On 14 minutes Steve McDonagh had to make a superb block from a green-shirted attacker who was put clean through and - if the resulting attempts on goal would have been on target - would have been helpless on 23 and 28 minutes as Holker found themselves in equally good scoring positions.

That said, we top-and-tailed the first period with chances: Joe Wood going just wide with just one minute gone and then Andy Lindon striking the crossbar with a cross-shot just before the break. We nearly uprooted the woodwork again with 5 minutes of the second half gone; Ben Brooks robbing a Holker defender in the penalty box but only finding the post instead of the net.

We limited Holker to just the one decent second-half chance on the hour mark when a shot was deflected and came back down off the crossbar; given that plus our difficulty in breaking the stubborn Holker defence down a 0-0 looked on the cards....

...until the 90th minute. Aaron Riley - who had done a sterling job as stand-in centre-back for the injuted Barry Cotterill, screwed his attacking head on for one last push, cut inside the penalty box from the left and was up-ended for his efforts. Ben Brooks stroked home the penalty, the referee blew his whistle from the re-start and a collective bead of sweat was wiped from the brows of all watching Cheadle-ites.

I alluded to it on Tuesday's match report but we'll take any scraps of luck that are being handed out at the moment as it is sure to even itself out at some point.

Not playing your best but still winning. Not a bad trait to have, that....

TEAM: S McDonagh, S Hall (Clarke), B Roberts, Riley, A Roberts, Whalley, D Brokenbrow, Lindon, J McDonagh (Clorley), Brooks, Wood (B Brokenbrow). Subs: Clarke, Clorley, B Brokenbrow.

Saturday's Opponents: Holker Old Boys

2010-08-19T07:45:51Z

Cheadle will be looking to continue their good start to the season as Holker Old Boys make the long trip down to Park Road.

Casting an eye over the results from the past five seasons (see below) would seem to suggest that we are almost guaranteed to walk off the pitch with at least a point to our name. However, bar the 5-0 drubbing we dished out two seasons ago, they have always been closely-fought contests with the best Holker side I have seen coming to Park Road last season only being denied by a last-minute Paul McCormack penalty.

With an eye on their third top-ten finish on the trot they have made a suggestive start to their 2010-2011 campaign with a 0-0 opening day draw at a certain Staffordshire-based club, a 4-0 licking of newcomers AFC Darwen and a 1-0 away FA Cup replay win at Abbey Hey (following a 1-1 draw where they were denied by a last-minute Abbey' equaliser).

So, only one goal conceded in four matches thus far....against us who have conceded just the two. This could be a close one....

Come on Cheadle!

Match report will be on here Sunday lunchtime
Live score updates will be available via Twitter from 3.00pm onwards

Last five seasons at Park Road:
2009-2010: drew 2-2
2008-2009: won 5-0; lost 1-2 (FDT2)
2007-2008: won 2-1; won 3-1 (FDT2)
2006-2007: drew 3-3
2005-2006: lost 3-4