10.15am 18 January 2025
Manchester Saturday Morning League, Division Two Championship
Withington Hope CF 1 AFC Stockport Hatters 6 (att 12)
I needed to stay fairly close to home which meant options for a new ground in the morning were limited. But with three games scheduled at Manchester's Hough End, albeit one hosted by a reserve side, I was confident of at least a new pitch.
Two previous visits had yielded a match one of the pair of recently-added 3Gs and, back in 2019, a game on a grass pitch that's now mostly covered by an extension to the car park.
Both artificial pitches were busy with children's football, so all three adult games were on grass. I chose the Manchester Saturday Morning League fixture over South Manchester and Cheshire Christian League games because it kicked off 15 minutes earlier.
The home side began the game well, and the visitors' early opening goal was against the run of play. That set the tone for a first half where the biggest difference between the sides was in front of goal.
AFC Stockport Hatters, going well in the league and the Saturday morning offshoot of a club whose first team plays in the Lancashire and Cheshire Amateur League, were clinical when chances came their way.
By half time they had a 5-0 advantage. The better side had the lead, but the size of it was a little harsh on Withington Hope.
The away side were less effective in front of goal after the break. They added just one more, early in the half. Withington Hope, although well beaten, had the consolation of getting a goal back with what was, literally, the game's final kick.
Comments
Post a Comment