2pm 3 May 2021
Chester & District FA, Challenge Cup, Quarter-Final
Waggon and Horses 3 Newton Athletic 1 (att 30)
By my reckoning there are four divisions between these two teams, making this one of the biggest cup upsets I've ever seen.
It was a deserved win for Waggon and Horses. They showed more determination from the start, while Newton Athletic looked as if they'd rather spend the bank holiday anywhere other than a wind and rain-lashed park in Blacon.
It was a horrible afternoon for watching football, and playing can't have been much fun either, especially as Covid rules mean changing rooms remain out of bounds. I don't know where the changing rooms were, I didn't see any within sight of the pitch.
Waggon and Horses had the wind behind them in the first half, but their 2-0 lead owed more to good football than the conditions. Their opening goal, a 14th minute free kick, was worthy of a higher level.
The team from the third tier of the Chester and Wirral League had their lead halved shortly before half time, and I assumed the tie would swing in favour of Cheshire League Newton.
But despite second half in which the pressure on the home goal grew ever greater, the only addition to the score was a third Waggon and Horses goal. The home keeper and defenders were heroic towards the end, but a two goal deficit always looked too much for Newton.
Waggon and Horses is a pub in the Chester suburb of Blacon. The football team was only formed last summer, and plays home games at the tree-lined Queen Elizabeth Playing Fields. There's a single pitch, with shallow grass banking bordering three sides.
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