2pm 25 June 2022
Pre-season friendly at Thornleigh Salesian College, Bolton
Bolton United 1 Prestwich Heys 2 (att 42)
I only spotted this game, or more precisely the unusual venue, earlier in the day. So instead of a rare Saturday afternoon at home I decided to begin my 2022/23 season a little earlier than planned.
The start and end dates of a season are the subject of much discussion among groundhoppers. I usually consider July to be the start of a season, but it's flexible depending what games I'm watching.
It might still be June, but this was a pre-season friendly so it seems a logical point to draw a line under the old season (well, it's actually a border on an Excel spreadhseet these days), and begin the new one.
It's no surprise that pre-season games are starting earlier each year, with many non-league teams playing their opening competitive fixtures before the start of August. Bolton United haven't had much of a break, as it's only three weeks since I saw them in a cup semi-final.
I rarely travel far for friendlies but this was close to home and a chance to visit a venue that, as far as I'm aware, isn't used by any club side on a regular basis. It's a standard artificial pitch, floodlit and inside a high fence, but its tree-lined setting gives it more charm than many such set-ups.
Bolton United won the third tier of the Manchester League last season, while Prestwich Heys are several divisions higher in the top flight of the North West Counties League. It was no surprise then that Bolton spent much of the match defending.
But it was far from easy for Prestwich against resolute opponents who had a particularly good goalkeeper. Bolton United shocked their visitors by scoring the opening goal, against the run of play and in the second half.
Eventually the higher ranked team turned the game around, equalising with five minutes left and then getting a winner in the final seconds. There was barely time to restart the match after Prestwich's decisive goal.
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