6.30pm 25 August 2021
Lancashire Amateur League, Division Two
Saddleworth 3Ds 1 Blackburn Eagles 2 (att 34)
Way back before any of us had heard of coronavirus I'd began to think about a landmark venue to visit for my 5,000th football ground. A trip to Buenos Aires to watch Boca Juniors was high on the list.
Then covid stopped football, made international travel next to impossible and left me with little idea when I might reach that figure. And so it transpired that my 5,000th football ground was an amateur game on a hill above Oldham.
While it's not quite a match for Boca's La Bombonera stadium, Saddleworth 3Ds' Counthill Road ground isn't without charm. The views across to Manchester are memorable, with city centre skyscrapers visible in the distance.
It's a new venue for Saddleworth 3Ds, a club with a focus on youth as well as senior football. The 3Ds in the name are Delph, Dobcross and Denshaw, the communities from where the club originally drew its players.
The football pitch is on a plateau above rugby pitches. It's a nice place to watch a match on a warm and sunny August evening, although I'm sure it'd be different with a cold wind blowing in winter.
It was a competitive and enjoyable game. Blackburn Eagles' first half opener was soon cancelled out by a home equaliser, but the visitors just shaded the second half and a late winner earned them all three points.
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