Villages and Towns

 

A cold but clear winter's day at the Stockport Sports Village, a bustling facility topped off by the home of Stockport Town FC.

The home side earned a hard-fought 1-0 victory against West Didsbury & Chorlton on Saturday afternoon, disappointing a healthy number of travelling supporters.

Admission was good value at £7 for adults and there was a friendly welcome in the bar with a good-looking range of pies to go with your drink.

If you are reading this on Sunday 25th then North West Counties Premier Division leaders Wythenshawe visit Stockport on Monday evening.

The 'Dale Way

'Who won the National League Cup in 2024/25?' One of the more niche football questions for a competition that has attracted a fair bit of negativity and is likely to pass by largely unnoticed again in the new season.

Not all National League clubs have opted to participate in 2025/26 but Rochdale are in and offer a really clear explanation on their website as to why they are doing so.

Their four matches at Spotland will all be free admission, including the opening fixture against Burnley on August 12 which the club are looking at making a daytime kick-off as a good summer holiday activity.

England Take Stock

I caught a glimpse of Edgeley Park on Wednesday evening, from a train that had just pulled out of Stockport station on its way to Sheffield.

When I was home, I was pleased to read that the ground would be hosting England's Men's Elite League Squad (formerly the Under-20's) in a game against Romania on Tuesday 10th September.

Having battled back from the brink in recent years, Stockport County are currently testing themselves in League One following promotion last season.

More than that, however, they have become a focal point in the local community and, from a distance, look like they will be able to survive, and thrive, on their own terms in the years to come, enjoying success when it comes but not needing to chase the dream to the point of financial meltdown.

Tickets for the England game, which kicks off at 7pm, are priced at just £5 for adults, £3 for concessions and £1 for those who are 13 and under.

Boundary Changes

Good to see some positivity back at Oldham Athletic in recent times under the chairmanship of Frank Rothwell, currently in the midst of fundraising huge amounts for Alzheimer's Research UK.

The last time I was at Boundary Park was in the inaugural season of the Premier League as Bobby Gould's Coventry edged past the Latics by a single goal.

Many years later and Oldham's ambitions are currently concerned with reaching the National League play-offs and taking that first step back towards their previously dizzy heights.

With Chairman Frank due back in town ahead of the home game against Kidderminster Harriers on Saturday 24th February, all tickets for the game have been priced at just £1 with proceeds going to his chosen charity and the option to donate more when buying your seat for the match.

Old Trafford Nights

Following on from the previous article about the FA Youth Cup, it is good to see that Manchester United will play their 3rd Round tie against Derby County at Old Trafford, rather than farming it out to Leigh Sports Village as they could have done.

The players from both teams, together with their family and friends, will remember the occasion forever no matter what their future careers hold.

Kick-off on Tuesday 19th December is at 7pm and tickets are priced at just £3 for adults and £1.50 for under-16's. 

More details on the game can be found by clicking here 

Park Life

How many people over the last hundred-plus years have made their way to famous old grounds such as Brunton Park, Prenton Park and Edgeley Park, frequenting the local pubs whose continued existence may largely be due to the presence of those stadiums that have always been, and remain, rooted in their local communities.

If it is a game under the lights then even better and the First Round of the FA Youth Cup provides an affordable opportunity to do so.

Carlisle United host Barnsley on Tuesday 31 October (kick-ff 6pm) with admission priced at £3 and £2 for over/under 18's respectively.

The following evening Tranmere Rovers take on Bradford City in a 7pm start. Tickets are priced at £5 and £2 and are available both on line and on the gate.

Then Stockport County welcome Farsley Celtic on Wednesday 8th November, also at 7pm. Tickets are priced at £3 for adults and £1 concessions.

Five Alive

 

It's been too long since I was at Moss Lane, or the J.Davidson Stadium as it is now known, the home of Altrincham FC and a cracking place to watch football with the perfect blend, for me, of a big enough crowd to create an atmosphere while still being to move around to different vantage points if you so desire.

Tickets for the National League game at home to Kidderminster Harriers on Tuesday 24th October have been reduced to £5 for adults, £2.50 for children aged 5-11 and £1 for under-5's.

The Harriers themselves are offering £10 terrace tickets (purchased in advance) when they host Wealdstone on Saturday 7th October.

A Shawe Thing

 

It's been a while since I have been to Shawe View, home of Trafford FC, but it's a nice place to watch a match with a knowledgeable Manchester crowd in attendance.

The club are offering free admission to all for Saturday's (2nd Sep) home game against Bootle FC in the Northern Premier League.

International Window

Good to see the England C team, representing the best players from outside of the Football League, back in action shortly as they take on their Welsh counterparts at Altrincham FC on Tuesday 21st March.

Tickets are priced at £7 for adults and £2 for under-18's with club Co-Chair, Bill Waterson telling the official website: "Altrincham FC is delighted to be hosting this fixture as our connections with the England C team go back to its inception in 1979, when club legends John Davison, Jeff Johnson & John Rogers regularly represented their country."

Some other opportunities to watch England teams in action coming up, include:

Monday 20 February: Women's Under 23's versus Belgium at Prenton Park, 7pm. Tickets £5 adults, £2.50 children.

Wednesday 22 March: Men's Under 19's versus Hungary at the Bescot Stadium, Walsall, 7.30pm. Tickets £5 adults, £2.50 children.

Saturday 25 March: Men's Under 19's versus Iceland at the New York Stadium, Rotherham, 2pm. Tickets £5 adults, £2.50 children.

Tuesday 28 March: Men's Under 19's versus Turkey at the Technique Stadium, Chesterfield, 7.30pm. Tickets £5 adults, £2.50 children.

Ticket info for all the above can be found by the FA ticket page. 

And England Under 18 Schoolboys take on Northern Ireland in the Centenary Shield on Friday 14 April. Tickets for the 7pm kick-off, to be held at Billericay Town FC, are available priced £7 adults and £3 for concessions and under 18's.

A Deal At 'Dale

Proud members of the Football League since 1921, when many others have had spells out of the league (with some never making it back), Rochdale AFC continue to be a focal point for the local community and also the inspiration for some fantastic books, such as 'Kicking in the Wind' by Derick Allsop and 'The Overcoat Men' by Mark Hodkinson who has also a new book out now, called 'The Longest Winter' which details the 1973/74 season at Spotland against the backdrop of inflation, industrial unrest and more (so very timely).

With many of their near neighbours in the Premier League and Championship set for a winter break once the World Cup begins, 'Dale are offering four games for the price of three between the visit of Mansfield Town on Saturday 12th November and the Boxing Day game against Hartlepool.

Harrogate Town also have a ticket offer for upcoming matches against Leyton Orient on the 12th and Mansfield on the 19th of November and Northampton Town on 10th December.

The 'Festive Football 3 for 2' deal does exactly what it says on the tin and lets supporters watch the third game for free.

Affordable Archive

                            

Two years ago today I joined a big crowd at the home of Radcliffe FC as they defeated Leek Town in the Evo-Stik West play-off final, earning promotion in the process.

Much has changed since then, of course, but a recent website post from Radcliffe chairman Paul Hilton painted an encouraging picture despite all of the hurdles that have been placed in the club's way since then.

All season tickets from the truncated 2020/21 season are being rolled over to the new campaign at no extra cost and the Neuven Stadium will host the final of the Bolton Hospital Cup on 17 May, the first day that spectators are allowed back into grounds.

After that Radcliffe game I took the tram into Bury where the pubs were getting busy with fans who had been at the Shakers game that afternoon, a 1-1 draw with Port Vale in the final league fixture of the campaign.

It had been an exciting season on the pitch, with promotion to League One having been secured by Ryan Lowe's side, but the club's financial issues were already well-known at this point and the game would turn out to be the last played by Bury FC.

Thanks to the hard work of many people involved at Bury AFC, a vibrant, supporter-owned club looks to be on the rise and hopeful of bringing the game back into the town, playing their games at Radcliffe in the meantime.

Altrincham v Chester – Fan Powered Play-Off

Moss Lane, home of Altrincham FC and a place I know well, would usually be bustling for a meeting between the Robins and Chester FC.

A fairly short distance between the two places, direct train links and supporters able to stand on terraces make for what you might call a ‘proper’ football occasion.

Things will be different next Sunday (19 July), ironically given that it will be a hugely important game with plenty at stake in the National League North play-offs.

The J.Davidson Stadium, as it is now known, will be closed to all but the players and key officials in a scene we have become familiar with over the past few weeks.

But the fact that the game is being played at all is a triumph in itself, firstly on the part of clubs in both the National League North and South who managed to get an original decision that play-offs wouldn’t be taking place overturned and on the part of supporters who have raised funds to help their respective clubs take part and help meet the costs of testing and increased safety measures.

Both Altrincham and Chester, already strongly rooted in their respective communities, have had very successful fundraising campaigns since the suspension of football in March, money that will go a long way to securing each club's future, but that has not stopped their fans from rallying around again in the past week or so to give them a shot at promotion.

It is hoped that the game will be available on a pay-per-view platform and I'll put details on Twitter as and when they are known.

Game of the Week: Manchester United v Wigan Athletic

This season's FA Youth Cup is at the quarter-final stage and there is a great opportunity to watch a match under the lights at Old Trafford on Friday at 7pm.

Surprisingly for a club where young players are such a part of the fabric this is the first time Manchester United have been in the last eight of the competition since 2012.

Wigan have looked impressive in defeating Tottenham Hotspur and Birmingham City to get this far and now have a great opportunity to shine in front of what should be a big crowd.

No tickets are required and admission is free.

In other quarter-finals Manchester City host Burnley at the Academy Stadium on Wednesday 4th March (7pm, admission £3/£1) while Ewood Park is the venue for Blackburn Rovers against Arsenal on Friday 6th (7pm, admission £4/£2).

Boxing Day Football In Wigan

Type 'Wigan Boxing Day' into your search engine and a myriad of revellers in fancy dress will pop up on your screen, celebrating the town's traditional big day out.

Going to the match is another fine tradition the day after Christmas and Wigan Athletic are looking to get their biggest crowd of the season through the DW Stadium turnstiles for the visit of Derby County.

Advance ticket prices have been reduced to £10 Adults, £5 for Under 18's and £2 for Under 12's. 

Just up the road there is also a special Christmas ticket bundle offer at Rochdale with four games for the price of three, starting on Boxing Day when Fleetwood are the visitors.

Genuine FA Cup Magic At Irlam FC

No need for cliches ahead of this Saturday's FA Cup Second Qualifying Round tie between Irlam FC of the North West Counties League and National League North heavyweights York City.

Quite simply this is the biggest game in Irlam's history with BBC Red Button live coverage and a visit from a club steeped in Football League and FA Cup history, Keith Houchen's penalty against Arsenal and all.

Kick-off is at 12.30pm and the club are urging people to get there as early as possible but there's no price increase from the usual admission costs of £5 Adults, £3 Concessions, £1 Under 16's and free for Under 11's.

A Big FA Cup Tie For A Fiver

Regulars on these pages over the past few seasons, West Didsbury & Chorlton FC of the North West Counties Football League have maintained admission prices for the current season at £5 for Adults, £3 Concessions and free for Under 12's.

And they will be the prices on the turnstiles this coming Tuesday, September 3rd, for arguably the biggest game in the club's history.

Stalybridge Celtic, a famous name in non-league circles, are the visitors to Brookburn Road for an FA Cup Preliminary Round replay after being held to a goalless draw by West in last Saturday's original tie despite a three-division gulf between the two sides.

Kick-off is at 7.30pm to cater for the possibility of extra-time and penalties and the club are also asking for volunteers to help with what will hopefully be a bumper crowd.

Before then there is a very local derby in the Women's FA Cup at Brookburn Road on Sunday at 2pm as West Didsbury & Chorlton take on Didsbury FC. 

Admission is free to the game.

Postscript: Salford City

Following on from last weekend's National League Promotion Final, where I saw Salford City gain a place in League Two with a comfortable win against AFC Fylde, the Ammies have announced their season-ticket prices for 2019/20.

There's some good value on offer at Moor Lane with an Adult season-ticket (purchased after this week's early-bird window) priced at £175 and Concessions costing £87.50.

As they look to build on their existing fanbase it means League Two football for well under £10 a game for an adult next season.

However (and this is presumably nothing to do with Salford as such but more to do with the requirements of the EFL), as the article on the club website makes clear, season ticket are being sold specifically for each of the various home areas of the ground and supporters will no longer be able to roam freely around on a matchday.

Salford themselves say that 'this is a big change' for the club, at a stroke some of the informality that attracts people to the Non-League game being lost.

As the top-flight, and the top clubs within it, move further and further away from view (witness Saturday's FA Cup Final) there surely has to be more leeway for teams in Leagues One and Two to try and attract more supporters through the gate even if they don't have much scope for reducing admission prices.

In footballing terms Salford's leap isn't a giant one. In the season just gone they have welcomed the likes of Leyton Orient and Wrexham to their ground, teams with large away followings and League Two visits from Cheltenham and Crawley aren't suddenly going to present huge logistical difficulties.

Why not, for such run of the mill fixtures, let people take a beer into the stands onto the terraces or allow them to switch vantage points at half-time, the more vocal fans swapping ends to cheer their boys on from behind the goal they are attacking?

Going Up! Radcliffe Recover To See Off Leek

Saturday's Evo-Stik West promotion play-off final between Radcliffe FC and Leek Town went with home advantage as Radcliffe, known as 'The Boro', recovered from being a goal down at half-time to win 2-1, surviving the obligatory nervy moments in the final few minutes but overall being worthy of their win.

Promotion to the Premier Division of the Northern Premier League, for the first time in 16 years, has also been confirmed in a post-season where not all of the clubs going into the play-offs at various non-league levels actually had a chance of going up.

A restructure of the pyramid has reduced the number of available promotions around the country and although I will always look to defend the FA, in terms of the difficulty of getting the geographical balance of non-league football correct, having play-offs without the possibility of going up does make something of a mockery of things.

A fairly raucous atmosphere at Radcliffe saw flares being lit and supporters thronging the pitch after the game but I never felt that it crossed the line in terms of what is and isn't acceptable.

At non-league level you always have the chance to move yourself to a different area of the ground and, although they were vociferous in support of their own team, both sets of fans were able to change ends at half-time without issue. 

As Radcliffe players and supporters celebrated at the end the Leek team were able to go to their own fans and applaud them and in a way it summed up the best of football at this level.

Football For A Fiver At Boundary Park

It's been a season where managers have brought Oldham Athletic to national attention, one of them unknown and one being one of the most famous English footballers of his generation.

Lifelong supporter Pete Wild had been the interim academy manager at Boundary Park when he was made caretaker boss following the sacking of Frankie Bunn in late December and celebrated with the Latics fans at Craven Cottage after knocking Fulham out of the FA Cup a short time later.

The next permanent manager was another Oldham fan albeit a more celebrated one as Paul Scholes took what was assumed to be the first step of his managerial career.

31 days later he had resigned and Wild was given the reins again until the end of the season.

The BBC story announcing that news ends by saying the Latics are '15th and heading for a mid-table finish' but four wins and two draws since then mean a play-off spot remains a possibility at the time of writing.

Looking at the bigger picture and there is seemingly a constant struggle for survival for the likes of Oldham, and neighbours Bury (currently experiencing a financial crisis), as they try and square the circle of competing in the professional game with two major powers just along the road and a crowded Non-League scene below them but they remain proud members of the Football League and with good people behind the scenes trying constantly to keep the club as a focal point of the community.

A 'Football for a Fiver' offer against Mansfield on Easter Monday drew in over 6,000 through the gates and the club are repeating the deal for the final home match of the season against Northampton on Saturday 4 May with prices as follows, Adults £5, Concessions £3 and Under 18's just £1.

Flat Caps & Dogs Welcome

Two Non-League matches well worth publicising on Saturday 23 March take place at Spennymoor Town and West Didsbury & Chorlton respectively.

Spennymoor entertain Alfreton Town in National League North and will be celebrating the region's industrial heritage on Miners' Day.

Lady Elsie Robson (wife of the late Sir Bobby) will be the guest of honour while there will also be a memorabilia display and a collection for the Friends of Durham Miners' Gala.

Supporters are encouraged to wear flat caps and admission prices have been reduced to £10 Adults, £8 Concessions and £3 Juniors (accompanied Under 10's free).

In the North West Counties Football League the call has gone out from West Didsbury for people to bring their dogs along to Brookburn Road for the visit of Padiham and bring the record for the number of four-legged friends at a game back to Manchester after Maltby Main attracted 78 to their ground last season.

There's always Football for a Fiver on offer at West but bring your dog along next week and you will qualify for the Concession rate of £3.