2pm 4 November 2023
Cheshire FA, Amateur Cup, Third Round
Winsford Town 1 AFC Alsager 0 (att 102)
With plans for the evening this was a day when I needed to stay local. Once my first choice game, on grass, was unsurprisingly postponed this attractive cup tie, on an artificial surface, looked like a good plan B.
Winsford Town are new to senior football and have made a strong start in the third tier of the Cheshire League. The visit of AFC Alsager, unbeaten in a league two levels higher across the border in Staffordshire, would be a tough test.
There was little between the sides over 90 minutes and, despite some good football, there were few clear chances. The goal that earned Winsford something of cup upset was headed in from a corner early in the second half.
Alsager will have been frustrated to lose, but having gone behind they only occasionally looked likely to equalise. Winsford came closest to getting the game’s second goal when a shot from distance came back off the crossbar.
Winsford Town recently announced an agreement to play some of their future home matches at nearby Witton Albion’s ground. It’s a wise move as the club are attracting a good level of support for this level, and it’s testing the capacity of their current home.
It’s a standard 3G pitch at Winsford Academy. Inside the fence spectators are accommodated along about two-thirds of one touchline, but sections of high fencing further limit places for a good view.
Such venues are usually more than adequate for the numbers likely to be watching football so far down the pyramid, but for a three figure crowd, many wearing Winsford Town branded hats, it’s a squeeze. They’re certainly a club on the up.
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