Cheadle Town 1-1 Holker Old Boys

Big smiles from our match mascot Freddie

On balance, a draw was probably about right. Both sides had their chances with the more gilt-edged ones falling to us, you could argue.

Both goals came in the second half but how we, in particular, went in at half-time with a "nil" to our name is baffling.

Holker had the first decent chance of the match after just five minutes; the ball worked down the right and cut across for an unmarked player on the edge of the box, only for him to lash the effort wide.

On 13 minutes Rick Whyatt went on a journey down the left, evading a couple of challenges before suddenly finding space, only for him to toe-poke it over the bar.

Five minutes later Ryan Allcock did well to tip a snap header over the bar before a Chris Sherrington cross-shot bounced off the crossbar with the loose ball hammered back in and blocked by the keeper.

A better chance fell our way on 22 minutes. Again, Chris Sherrington's work down the left was key as he laid a perfect cross for Liam Delaney to meet it with a rising header. Unfortunately, under pressure from the Holker defence, his header was misdirected wide.

Josh Harrison. Plus evening sun.

Just four minutes into the second half Holker opened the scoring.

We failed to effectively clear the ball from the box and when it was returned to Brandon Collins on the edge of the area, he turned and fired it past Ryan Allcock in-off the post.

It wasn't until the hour mark that we started to apply the pressure once more.

Liam Delaney set Tom Ratican free down the right with a searching pass with Tom firing a drive across the face of goal and just wide of the post.

Three minutes later and we were level. Tom Ratican turning provider this time, drilling the ball in from the right for Jake Ambrose to turn sharply in the box and smash home into the roof of the net.

Another three minutes later we should have been 2-1 up. Jake Ambrose's drive from range was parried by the Holker keeper and invitingly into the path of the onrushing Rick Whyatt, who somehow managed to lift it over the bar from a yard out.

In the final ten minutes Holker tried to make their one-man advantage count (we had James Dunn sent off for a second yellow card).

Seven minutes from time they broke free down the right only for the resulting shot to fly just wide of the post, before we then stabbed it inches wide following a corner.

For those interested in statistics we now can't match the points total of 61 (but we can get damned close) that we managed last season and we are guaranteed of finishing between 10th and 14th inclusive. Not at all bad considering the limited resources plus the congested end to the season.

And there's more. Two more, starting tomorrow night at Park Road as play-off candidates Sandbach United are the visitors.

TEAM: Allcock, McLaughlin, Harrison, Delaney, Shaw, Dunn, Ratican, Wood, Ambrose, Whyatt, C Sherrington. SUBS: Jones, Holt, Cotton, Collinson, Whiting (gk).

Committee member Karl with MCWFC's Georgia Stanway and Izzy Christiansen. Georgia was at Park Road to watch her brother play for Holker.

Cheadle Town 3-1 Holker Old Boys

Manager Terry Hincks handed a debut to keeper Adam Rigby in the absence of Dane Smith and Reserve Team regular Kieron Crosthwaite made his first start in the first team following Matthew German’s one game suspension.

Cheadle made a positive start to the game and broke the deadlock as early as 7 minutes when a short corner found the feet of Rhys Webb who slotted the ball into the net.

Cheadle soon doubled their lead on 14 minutes as George Blackwell played an inch-perfect pass to Justin Pickering on the edge of the area, and the striker advanced a few yards before firing low into the corner of the goal.

Holker were awarded a penalty on 16 minutes when Jack Lever was adjudged to have fouled a player in the box. Luckily for Cheadle debutant Adam Rigby pulled off a spectacular save with his legs to deny Holker a goal.

Cheadle continued to press for another goal and Pickering and Webb were both unlucky with efforts. Then on 28 minutes a fumbled corner by the Holker keeper presented Liam Tongue with the easiest of volleys at the back post to give Cheadle a 3-0 lead.

HT: Cheadle Town 3 Holker Old Boys 0

Holker must’ve received the ‘hairdryer’ treatment at half-time as they came out in the second half looking more of a threat going forward.

Holker were rewarded for their efforts on 62 minutes when their striker headed home from close range.

The match then seemed to lack the quality of the first half as Holker players seemed more intent on arguing with the match officials over decisions made against them.

Regardless, whilst the second half may not have been a pretty affair, Cheadle did enough to claim the points from their first half performance and managed to ride out the second half to claim all three points.

FT: Cheadle Town 3 Holker Old Boys 1

Holker Old Boys 2-5 Cheadle Town

Hallelujah.

With the ghastly September out of the way we were all hoping that a new month would bring a new start. Not that that should make any difference whatsoever but we were all clinging onto any strand of superstitious nonsense possible.

It seemed to do the trick.

Granted we rode our luck a little, particularly at 2-2 when our collective batteries looked like they were dying on us, but it was a measured performance that brought its deserved reward.

This match took a while to really get going. The first half hour saw a few half-hearted knocks on the door from both sides with nothing really of note to report.

The first decent chance fell to us as the 31st minute ticked over when Chris Sherrington's cross from the left found Luke Hincks in space on the edge of the area with his side-footed effort going just wide.

Steve Piggott was called into action two minutes later as Holker's lively no6 charged down the left and rifled one in from the angle.

Back down the other end Luke Hincks' neat footwork on the edge of the area saw him make a neat change of direction before forcing the keeper to tip over the crossbar with a fierce drive.

Reece Webb then buried a header from a corner but it was disallowed for a foul in the area before Luke Hincks troubled the Holker keeper again, seeing his shot bobble under the keeper's body before rolling inches wide.

Our increasing pressure finally told with what would prove to be the last kick of the first half.

Reece Webb found space on the right before driving to the byline to fizz the ball across the face of goal straight onto the feet of Sam Noar who had the simplest of tasks to guide it home from close range.

Just two minutes into the restart Holker drew themselves level. They counterattacked from deep in our half and their no10 Samuel Joel was put through on goal to finish easily past Steve Piggott.

Four minutes later Reece Webb tested the keeper with a rasping shotbefore finding himself through on goal once more a minute later, this time firing low into the far corner to restore Cheadle's lead.

Both Liam Tongue and Reece Webb saw good efforts blocked before Holker drew level once more on 56 minutes; we couldn't clear our lines in the box and Samuel Lightfoot eventually turned the ball home from close range.

And that's when we lost our way in the match for a while.

A crucial double-block from both Piggott and our defence prevented Holker taking the lead on the 68th minute with them then striking the crossbar after we yet again failed to clear the danger effectively from a corner.

With the mini storm ridden we then rallied superbly to put the match well out of sight in the final ten minutes.

A wayward Holker arm in the penalty box meant that Luke Pearson was given the chance to restore our lead from the penalty spot on the 82nd minute - a chance duly taken - with us extending the lead just two minutes later.

Reece Webb was put clear on the left and could have had a crack on goal himself but chose to roll the ball into the path of the onrushing (and unmarked) Chris Sherrington who swept it home into the corner with a first-time effort.

Three minutes later we got our fifth with a well-worked effort.

Neat one-touch interplay down the right was ended with a deft cross by James Dunn and capped by the head of Reece Webb to nod home.

Liam Tongue could have got a sixth but saw one of his long-rangers stopped well by the keeper.

Not one single win at Holker Old Boys since 1999 and then two on the trot. There's an analogy about buses in there somewhere.

No rest for the wicked as we host high-flying Alsager Town this Wednesday in what will be another tough encounter. With a renewed confidence in the air anything is possible.

October 2016. I'm beginning to like it already.

TEAM: Piggott, Todd, Pearson, German, Shaw, Waldron, Hincks (Dunn), Tongue, Noar (Tosum), Webb, C Sherrington. SUBS: Jupp (gk), Dunn, Tosum, McLaughlin.

Holker Old Boys 1-3 Cheadle Town

There is a manufacturer of a famous stout, based in the Republic of Ireland, whose advertising strapline has centred on all good things coming to those who wait.

Two minutes for a pint of stout. Mere small fry in comparison to the sixteen years that Cheadle Town Football Club have taken to register a win at Rakesmoor Lane.

The cheers at the final whistle were long and loud, not only in celebration of the hoodoo being buried but for the fact that these are three points that might prove vital in the play-off picture come the end of next month.

In a match played in torrential conditions, the words "wet and windy" don't really do it justice, we made the perfect start.

After two minutes a Mike Sherrington ball across the face of the goalmouth was tucked home at the far post by Liam Tongue.

Would this be the year where we finally got a win at Holker?

We went on the attack again six minutes later. James Horan's good work down the left seeing the ball squared for Mike Sherrington in the box but he just couldn't shape his body in time and his effort sailed wide.

The conditions were that bad that yours truly, usually holed up next to the dugout, was sent scurrying to the covered stand behind the goal that we were attacking.

A good standpoint, though, to then see Mike Sherrington clean through on goal just after the half-hour mark but denied by an excellent last-ditch tackle.

With three minutes of the half remaining, we extended the lead.

The referee played a good advantage as we advanced down the left, allowing Luke Pearson to continue a run in on goal and smash home from inside the area.

Would this be the year where we finally got a win at Holker?

The second half was more to and fro.

Rick Whyatt had a golden opportunity to put the game to bed within a minute of the restart but somehow scooped his shot wide when put clean through.

Steve Piggott then had to make a really smart save down and low to his right before Rick Whyatt missed another chance, getting his head to a Liam Tongue free-kick but shaving his effort just wide.

Liam Tongue then decided to test the keeper himself on 55 minutes, forcing him into an excellent stop from a fiercely-struck free kick before we went 3-0 up from the resulting corner, Anthony Trucca powering home a header.

Would this be the year where we finally got a win at Holker?

Just two minutes later Steve Piggott was on hand again, reacting quickly to smother two close-range efforts but he could do absolutely nothing about the penalty on 71 minutes that was struck high into his net to reduce the arrears.

A mix-up in the Cheadle defence almost let Holker in yet again which then heralded a final ten minutes where we should have put the game out of sight.

The Holker keeper denied Mike Sherrington (twice) and Josh Stevenson with good stops, with Anthony Trucca and Josh also squandering glorious chances.

There was time right at the end for Steve Piggott to cap an excellent match by tipping a free-kick onto the crossbar.

And so onto this Wednesday with another crucial match when promotion-chasing Irlam come to Park Road. All we can do is win our matches and see what happens as others complete their games-in-hand; it's going to make for an exciting end to the season.

Would this be the year where we finally got a win at Holker?

Yes...yes it would.

TEAM: Piggott, McLaughlin, Pearson, Trucca, Moore, Dunn, Smallwood, Tongue, M Sherrington, Whyatt (Stevenson), Horan (Nsimbe). SUBS: Stevenson, Nsimbe, Halliwell.