2pm 29 April 2023
Lancashire Amateur League, 1st XI Cup, 2nd Round
Oldham Hulmeians 3 Radcliffe Town 5 (att 40)
It's been quite a season for Oldham Hulmeians, having completed their Lancashire Amateur League division three campaign unbeaten and champions.
Adding the first eleven league cup to their trophy cabinet was always unlikely, but they gave premier division Radcliffe Town a very tough game before bowing out in the second round.
A cup upset looked on the cards when the home side scored twice in the first half. Radcliffe started slowly but, importantly, pulled a goal back shortly before half time.
Just two minutes into the second period the visitors scored again to level the tie. I thought they'd take control from there, but Hulmeians weren't beaten and soon after they went back in front.
Radcliffe's better quality eventually showed, as they equalised again and then went in front for the first time. The home side piled on pressure in search of a leveller, but were hit on the break for a fifth goal in the closing minutes. As a neutral, it was a terrific cup tie.
The last time I saw Oldham Hulmeians, in 2016, they played at Oldham Hulme Grammar School. Before then, in pre-blog 2003, I visited their then home at Tate Street in Glodwick.
They're currently playing home games in Rochdale, at the town's Kingsway Sports Centre. It's a tired-looking 3G pitch, and some patches of artificial turf have had to be replaced with rectangles of newer and longer fake grass.
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