Charnock Richard 6-1 Cheadle Town

Let's start with the positives.

At one point, early in the second half, we looked as though we were on for a fightback.

Having reduced the arrears to 1-3 thanks to Chris Sherrington tucking a loose ball home at the far post on the 52nd minute, Matt German then found the ball at his feet at the edge of the box just two minutes later. The idea was right - placing it high into the top corner - but the execution was all wrong, and high and wide it went.

It was a gilt-edged chance to make the home team panic a little and just might have made a difference. But as I have written on here ad nauseum such are the fine margins in football.

For sixty seconds later Charnock Richard made it 4-1 and you had the feeling that that was pretty much that in terms of a comeback.

Other positives? Charnock Richard FC are a well-run club, well-organised and a credit to the Hallmark Security League and we thank them for their hospitality, approach and attitude; if only all clubs at this level were like that.

Last one. On the way out of the ground I overheard a Charnock regular say that Cheadle Town "certainly weren't the worst they've had come and visit this season by any stretch of the imagination". So I suppose that's something.

The negatives? Well I suppose that fairly obvious. Six of them, as Charnock Richard went for the jugular with six different goalscorers. To wit:

8 mins - Oliver Evans picks up a through ball in midfield, advances on goal and emphatically smashes it past Piggott.

33 mins - a flowing one-touch passing move from midfield is finished off by Nathan Fairhurst as he volleys in from close range.

38 mins - a free-kick from the right is headed onto Josh Norgate who is all alone to head home.

55 mins - we don't clear a Charnock corner and Ashley Young smashes it home from close range.

59 mins - a backpass is short, Piggott is rounded and the ball is cut back for Carl Grimshaw to finish from a yard out

90 mins - a shot in from the left spins up off Piggott to Alex Porter at the far post who tucks home from close range.

Forgive me for ending the particulars relating to this match here. If you require further embellishments along the lines of the host of other chances that Charnock Richard had then I'm sure the match report on their website will duly oblige.

Let's focus on us.

We're only 13 league games in on a 42 game season but, man alive, it feels like more. Perhaps that's what a bad run of form (one win in ten in all competitions now) can do to your state of mind.

It's still relatively early days yet. The league table doesn't really start to take shape until Christmas and New Year so there's still time to turn things around. As we have seen in a couple of the FA Cup matches and more recently at Holker we are capable of a decent performance; string a couple of those together and who knows.

Failing that and it's wishing that we could Ctrl+Alt+Delete this season, reboot, and start all over again.

Next up is a trip to Atherton LR this weekend.

TEAM: Piggott, Todd, Pearson, German, Dunn, Shaw, Whyatt, Tongue (Russell), Noar (M Sherrington), Tosum (Hincks), C Sherrington. SUBS: Smith (gk), M Sherrington, Russell, Magida, Hincks.

Cheadle Town 1-2 Alsager Town

A tale of two halves, of sorts.

A first half of some hesitant, nee shambolic defending on our part; a second half of a resilient comeback, continual forays into the opposition box sprinkled with some ill fortune.

One Cheadle player who will be scratching his head wondering how he didn't net in this match will be Joe Shaw. On at least three occasions during the second half the ball came to him on the edge of the area, following a corner or whathaveyou, and three times his worthwhile efforts were blocked by some resolute defending and/or goalkeeping.

Ditto Rick Whyatt. He was fed the ball by Liam Tongue on the hour mark only to see his shot saved, headed over from close range from the resulting corner and, if he was blessed with another couple of inches of height, would have got his header to a Chris Sherrington cross on the 75th minute.

In saying that, Rick Whyatt probably would have got more sleep than Joe Shaw as he set up the goal in the second half that reduced the arrears and got us back into the match.

His floated cross from the right was met by the head of Liam Tongue who did well to get ahead of his marker and bury the ball from inside the box.

As mentioned, that reduced arrears as a lot of the damage had already been done in the first 45 minutes. It wasn't all Alsager as we had chances of our own in the first period, but we certainly gave them a helping hand towards their 2-0 half-time lead.

Alsager's opening goal on 10 minutes was a gift via some hesitant defending from a corner; Michael Lennon didn't have to move an inch to simply connect with a corner from the left and nod home from a yard out. Even more galling was the fact that the corner came as a result of Steve Piggott mis-firing a clearance.

Ten minutes later on they went two up, again via an unforced error as a cross wasn't cleared correctly, instead being shinned onto our own post with Alsager's Grice there to then gobble up the loose ball.

Alsager almost profited twice more from unforced errors in the first half. On 25 minutes a loose backwards header almost saw Lennon advance on goal and round Steve Piggott, but he was denied by a good recovery from our keeper. Just three minutes later a clearing header fell straight to a red Alsager shirt with the resulting effort being cleared off the line.

Seconds after Alsager went 2-0 up we almost cut the deficit thanks to Sam Noar after he burst through on the right only to see his strike cannon off the crossbar.

Sam also forced the Alsager keeper into a good block early doors, with Liam Tongue also testing his custodial skills and Nathan Tosum heading wide from a Chris Sherrington cross.

We're on the road again this Saturday (at high-flying Charnock Richard) which perhaps isn't such a bad thing. Our record at Park Road isn't pretty thus far: played 9, won 1, drawn 1, lost 7. In the league we're unbeaten away from home (granted we've only played 3 league matches away) so perhaps that is something to build on as we look to get more points on the table.

There has been plenty of promise shown from the last two matches to suggest that Charnock Richard won't have it all their own way this weekend.

Aux armes!

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

Prize Draw Winners

Here are the latest prize draw winners:

1st Prize
A. Platt, Wilmslow
Ticket number: 01381

2nd Prize
R Smith, Edgeley
Ticket number: 03576

3rd Prize
A Beech, Edgeley
Ticket number: 01663

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.

October Preview

Saturday 1st
Holker Old Boys (away)
Hallmark Security League First Division

The folklore that used to surround this fixture is no more.

Last season we famously broke a long-running hoodoo by winning for the first time at Rakesmoor Lane since 1999 with a comfortable 3-1 win in atrocious conditions.

My God do we need to repeat the dose this season.

At the time of writing Holker are mid-table with two wins from their last six matches with the vast majority of their points being gained on home turf.

Last five seasons at Rakesmoor:
2015-2016: won 3-1
2014-2015: lost 2-4
2013-2014: lost 1-4
2012-2013: lost 0-3
2011-2012: drew 3-3

Wednesday 5th
Alsager Town (home)
Hallmark Security League First Division

Yet another midweek fixture (they start to tail off come the end of October) and it's against high-riding opposition as Alsager Town - relegated from the Premier Division last season - visit Park Road.

Alsager have made an impressive start to life in the First Division. They haven't been out of the top six all season and are, at the time of writing, undefeated in the league with seven wins and three draws from ten matches.

Saturday 8th
Charnock Richard (away)
Hallmark Security League First Division

Another team doing well thus far are NWCFL newcomers Charnock Richard.

Formed in 1955 they spent most of their formative years in local Preston & Chorley leagues before finally making the step up to the West Lancashire League in 1993.

They won two promotions in their first five years in the WLL to reach the Premier Division, winning the title for the first time in 2003, going on to do so five more times before being admitted to the NWCFL for the start of this season.

By all accounts it's an impressive set up at Mossie Park; everybody at Cheadle Towers likes somewhere new to visit so we are looking forward to it.

As mentioned they have done well so far and have gained some impressive results, including a home win over City of Liverpool.

Saturday 15th
Atherton LR (away)
Hallmark Security League First Division

Atherton LR will have been sick of the sight of us last season: a 1-4 defeat on their home patch was then followed by a 1-10 reversal in the away fixture, with Cheadle Town being 8-0 up at half-time.

They made a fairly reasonable start to the season but recent results have seen them drop near us in the league table.

This has been tempered somewhat by results in the FA Vase. A week after they host us they will be welcoming Chester-le-Street Town from the Northern League in the 1st Round of the FA Vase, having disposed of NWCFL Premier Division outfit Cammell Laird on the way.

Last five seasons at Crilly Park:
2015-2016: won 4-1
2014-2015: lost 1-2
2013-2014: lost 1-4
2012-2013: won 2-1
2011-2012: did not meet

Wednesday 19th
Litherland REMYCA (away)
Hallmark Security League First Division

A chance to avenge the 0-3 defeat that we suffered for our first league match of the season.

Again, REMYCA are another side that have made a really decent start to the season. They're in cracking form (at time of writing) and haven't been out of the top six all season thus far with an inexplicable 0-4 defeat at Stockport Town the only noticeable blot on their copybook.

Last five seasons at Litherland Sports Park:
2015-2016: lost 1-2
2014-2015: won 3-1
2013-2014: did not meet
2012-2013: did not meet
2011-2012: did not meet

Saturday 22nd
Prestwich Heys (home)
Hallmark Security League First Division

And another NWCFL newcomer to face in October. I use the word "newcomer" rather loosely there as Heys are anything but new to the NWCFL scene.

Founded back in 1938 they started off in the local Prestwich & Whitefield League, progressing through the Bury Amateur League and South East Lancashire League before joining the Lancashire Combination towards the end of the 1960s, becoming champions in the 1970-71 season.

They then spent the 1970s in the Cheshire County League before becoming founder members of the NWCFL in the 1982-83 season.

Despite finishing mid-table in what was then the NWCFL Division Three they left to join the Manchester League, winning the title six times (three times on the trot in the mid 2000s) with the sixth one claimed at the end of last season before they were rightfully allowed back in (after an unsuccesful attempt the previous summer) to the NWCFL.

Saturday 29th
Widnes or Alsager Town (away)
Macron League Challenge Cup 2nd Round

The 1st Round match between Widnes and Alsager will be played out as we face Holker Old Boys. Watch out for the Twitter feed to find out where we will be travelling to on the 29th.

Cheadle Town 1-4 Widnes

All good things come to an end, right? How about all bad things coming to an end? Please.

This club has had worse runs. I personally remember Cheadle Town going eleven games without a win towards the front half of the 2006-2007 season, broken by an Aaron Riley (remember him?) strike midway through the second half to give us a 1-0 home win over Chadderton.

This latest defeat makes it seven matches without a victory in all competitions. Yes, not as bad as 06-07 but, and I say this with the utmost respect to Mssrs Riley, Hussain, Martin, O'Keefe, Roberts & Roberts et al, more galling as the current squad is the best I've seen tread the turf for Cheadle Town FC.

This squad will come good. It has to. It's too good not to and until it does there's nothing else we can do but wail and gnash a few collective teeth.

The first half of this particular encounter was breathless and provided good value for the everyday neutral.

With just 50 seconds gone Sam Noar dispossessed the Widnes keeper and put in a cross only for it to end up going out for a corner, from which Nathan Tosum struck the crossbar with his effort at the far post.

Straight up the other end Ben Jupp was forced into making a good block before Sam Noar made the Widnes keeper do the same down the other end.

Ben Jupp was on hand again to prevent the first goal, recovering well to save after a shot had taken a nasty deflection before we then went straight up the other end and took the lead, Sam Noar latching onto a through ball on the right and drilling home.

Sam was inches away from making it 2-0 on 18 minutes as he just failed to connect with a cross before Widnes got themselves on terms three minutes later when Jack Graham rifled home from the angle.

On 25 minutes Rick Whyatt's cross from the left was set for the head of Sam Noar but the keeper managed to snatch it away from him just at the last moment before said keeper then gifted the ball straight to Sam and then making a decent recovery to deny him what seemed to be an easy opportunity to score.

Nathan Tosum and Liam Tongue tried their luck from distance to no avail before Ben Jupp made another good block just before half time, coming out to smother.

Arguably Widnes had the better of the second half as they continually pressed the ball in our own half ('gegenpress', if you will) and put us under considerable pressure.

Joe Shaw was forced to make a key block in the area on 53 minutes with a (debutant) Waldron backwards header finding the feet of a Widnes forward whose attempted lob over Jupp was weak.

In the blink of an eye the match was over as a contest as Widnes bagged three goals in a seven-minute spell.

Chris Lomax got the first of a brace on 67 minutes with a neat finish into the top corner, struck from the angle on the right on 71 minutes with brother George sending in a looping drive on the 74th minute.

Sam Noar looked like he was going to reduce the deficit on the 83rd minute but was felled on the edge of the area before substitute and debutant Reece Webb charged in from the right on 86 minutes and forced a good stop from the keeper.

Thence went the final whistle and the accompanying bewildered looks, all-to-common of late.

And off we go to Barrow-in-Furness tomorrow [Saturday] for an away trip to Holker Old Boys and with it the start of a new month which is something to look forward to, because the one that has just passed has sure been bloody unpleasant.

Onwards.

TEAM: Jupp, Todd, Magida, German, Shaw, Waldron, Whyatt (Pearson), Tongue, Noar, Tosum (Webb), C Sherrington (Hincks). SUBS: Hincks, Pearson, McLaughlin, Webb, Horan.

Cheadle Town 3-5 Eccleshall

<shrug of shoulders>

I honestly don't know what more we can do to try and win matches at the moment. The wise cracks amongst you may retort with "scoring might help!" but that doesn't help in the slightest, thank you very much. Take your unwanted "banter" elsewhere.

Accepting defeat is part and parcel of football but when you are in an elongated run of coming away from matches with nothing to show for it despite dominating and/or creating enough chances to run up a cricket score then it makes it that much harder to bear.

Eccleshall troubled our penalty area five times, giving them a rather admirable strike rate of 100% on the day and their first league win of the season.

They also bagged the quickest goal to be scored at Park Road this season, Mitchell Brown taking only a minute to collect a through ball on the right, getting past Ben Jupp and slotting home into an unguarded net. Chance number one.

We responded admirably. Sam Noar struck the foot of the post with a header on the 12th minute before we got the equaliser some five minutes later after Matt German refused to give up a lost cause on the right before squaring the ball across the face of goal for Mike Sherrington to tap home from close range.

Sam Noar then forced the Eccleshall keeper to smother from close range on 22 minutes, Thabiso Magida's turn-and-shot in the area squirmed just wide of the post two minutes later, Sam Noar saw a shot deflected wide after chaos in the Eccleshall defence before Rick Whyatt launched an effort into the proverbial Row Z with nobody around him.

On the 39th minute our relentless pressure told. Luke Pearson sent in a corner from the right and Matt German stole in ahead of his marker to emphatically nod home from close range.

On the stroke of half-time Eccleshall snatched an equaliser when Bennett was offered a free header from a corner from the right. Chance number two.

Seven minutes into the second half the visitors regained their lead.

We seemingly had umpteen chances to clear the danger in the area with the ball falling to the feet of Eccleshall's Wakefield who punished us by clipping an excellent effort over Jupp and into the far corner of the net. Chance number three.

Chris Sherrington was then introduced from the substitutes' bench which then heralded a manic twenty minutes where we tried to force an equaliser.

Chris and Liam Tongue combined well down the left-hand side to cross for Mike Sherrington to side-foot just wide from inside the box.

Mike Sherrington then tried his luck from distance with his brother Chris driving into the penalty box only to send his effort into somebody's garden on Tennyson Road when he looked set to score.

Liam Tongue then skied one of his specials from range before he got his head onto a corner at the far post only to see it hacked off the line...with Matt German then blasting the loose ball over.

Chris Sherrington then cut the ball across the face of goal with it flying just wide of the post before a drilled ball into the box got stuck under Mike Sherrington's feet and he just couldn't dig it out to bundle home.

With eight minutes of the match remaining we finally got the equaliser we richly deserved when Sam Noar's fierce drive from the edge of the box took a useful deflection on its way into the net.

Unfortunately the siege seemed to end there as the match then appeared to be drifting harmlessly towards a 3-3 draw, but, as stoppage time loomed, there would be one last twist as Matt German gave away a free-kick right on the edge of the area....

...a free-kick that was swept home by Shelley. Chance number four.

With all manner of green-shirted bodies committed up front, a breakaway for Eccleshall resulted in them sealing the victory with Wakefield the man over on the edge of the box; with his coaching staff screaming at him to "finish", he rifled the ball into the roof of the net. Chance number five.

Simply nothing more for me to say in terms of a round-up. I'm all out of banal platitudes at the moment.

Next up is the visit of Widnes on Wednesday evening. 7.45pm KO.

TEAM: Jupp, McLaughlin (Russell), Pearson (C Sherrington), German, Dunn, Shaw, Whyatt (Horan), Tongue, Noar, M Sherrington, Magida. SUBS: Piggott (gk), Horan, Russell, C Sherrington, Connolly.

Chadderton 1-1 Cheadle Town

Thabiso Magida scored five minutes from time to earn Cheadle Town a share of the points in a game that the visitors will be disappointed not to have claimed all the points.
 
The midfielder fired home from close range after a being set up by James Horan who controlled the ball on his chest before releasing it to the oncoming Magida.
 
It was a worthy reward for Cheadle Town, who had fallen behind on 55 minutes when Nicholas Alexander fired home at the far post following a defensive mix-up.
 
Cheadle Town were to be left frustrated after a dominant first-half that saw good scoring chances falling to Sam Noar, Liam Tongue and Richard Whyatt.
 
This was followed by an equally frustrating second-half which saw Tongue have a number of good scoring opportunities and a Matthew German header rebound off the bottom of the post before Chadderton took the lead against the run of play.
 
Cheadle continued to press forward for the equaliser and should have taken that opportunity on 78 minutes when Tongue broke the off-side trap but could only fire his shot straight into the arms of the Chadderton keeper.
 
Magida finally got the equaliser on 85 minutes to earn Cheadle Town a deserved share of the points. 

Cheadle Town 1-5 City of Liverpool

Safe to say that this - in terms of what happened on the pitch - wasn't the best of nights for all associated with Cheadle Town FC.

Five goals conceded (we're yet to keep a clean sheet in all competitions this season), a player sent off and a further two injured...which actually resulted in us playing with eight men towards the latter stages of the match.

Full credit to City of Liverpool who had their clinical heads on and, when presented with an opportunity to score, rarely wasted it; some of the finishing was superb.

They hit us with a two-goal salvo in the space of two minutes early in the first half.

On the 12th minute we lost the ball in midfield and Daley Woods was put through in a flash to advance on goal and slot home with Thomas Peterson then smashing home from the edge of the area to double the visitors lead.

Peterson got his second - and City of Liverpool's third - on 37 minutes when he latched onto a raking diagonal pass and found the top corner.

Their fourth came soon after the restart when a daisy-cutting ball from the right was slid home by Francis Barry at the far post before Peterson got his hat-trick on the 66th minute after he received the ball with his back to goal, turned and rifled home from the edge of the area.

This is not to say that we didn't have our chances. Far from it. In the first half we had enough opportunities to have had some sort of a foothold in the game.

As early as the 5th minute Mike Sherrington went down the left, pulling the ball back for Luke Hincks in space to fire home but his shot hit a CoL defender and had the sting taken out of it, making it easy for the keeper to collect.

Sam Noar headed just over from a corner shortly after CoL had gone two up with an incredible incident three minutes later.

With the CoL keeper stranded after coming out to clear, Chris Sherrington went for the audacious lob. His brother Mike latched onto it near the goal and looked set to score with his effort but the CoL keeper somehow managed to recover and claw the ball back from the goal-line.

Sam Noar then clattered the crossbar midway through the second half but by then a considerable amount of damage had been done: we were 0-5 down and a man down after Mike Sherrington had received a straight red card on the hour mark.

Sam got his reward for his efforts on 74 minutes, albeit in slightly comical fashion, having all of the time to roll home into an empty net after the CoL keeper had completely missed a kick and ended up on his backside.

Both Liam Tongue and James Dunn had to hobble off injured after all three substitutes had been used, CoL had the ball in the net twice more but were thankfully called for offside and Ben Jupp - having received his Goalkeeper of the Month Award before kick-off - kept the scoreline sane with a couple of key blocks.

We've had better nights.

The squad will have to draw a line under this and pick themselves up for the trip to Chadderton on Saturday. The perfect opportunity for a quick response.

Off the pitch our thanks to the City of Liverpool fans who boosted the crowd, contributed to a lively atmosphere and no doubt had a very enjoyable evening. We prepared the best we could to host a large crowd and I think we got it right on the night.

Onwards.

TEAM: Jupp, McLaughlin, Pearson (Magida), German (Russell), Shaw, Dunn, Hincks (Whyatt), Tongue, Noar, M Sherrington, C Sherrington. SUBS: Piggott (gk), Whyatt, Russell, Magida, Tosum.

Ben Jupp receiving his Goalkeeper of the Month Award from the Hallmark Security League's Ian Williams before kick-off

Staveley Miners Welfare 1-0 Cheadle Town

Nearly 48 hours on, I'm still baffled as to how we have come away from Inkersall Road without a goal to our name.

The latter stages of the game was like the proverbial Alamo as we laid siege to the Staveley net.

Liam Tongue curled one of his specials onto the foot of the post; Rick Whyatt had a header cleared off the line; Mike Sherrington was put clean through only to be thwarted by the keeper...with the loose ball then being struck off the post by his brother Chris; Luke Hincks forces the keeper into a good save; a Chris Sherrington cross drops into the middle of the area but nobody can dig it out to score....

...all of this in the final twelve minutes of play. It was relentless. It was also relentless bad luck.

Enough of the wailing for the time being as we are in danger of doing the hosts a disservice.

They played their part in what must have been an excellent FA Vase match for the neutral. Staveley were arguably the better side in the first half and gave Ben Jupp in net plenty to do.

They were let in as early as the 8th minute after a wayward defensive header but fortunately the loose ball was lashed wide.

Their towering no4 then caused problems from set pieces, heading just over the bar twice from successive corners on the 15 minute mark.

Staveley should have been ahead just two minutes later. Ben Jupp made an excellent save to beat out a header from a corner with the loose ball falling at the feet of a Staveley forward merely a yard from goal; luckily he (somehow) chose to send it on its way to Chesterfield.

We carved out our first effort on 18 minutes when a fiercely-driven Luke Hincks ball from the left cannoned off the back of Chris Sherrington and hung in the air for Mike Sherrington to try and nod home. Alas, his effort sailed wide of the upright.

And just as we were starting to get a foothold in the game, Staveley went ahead. Adam Lee's run starting on the edge of the area, avoiding challenges galore before resulting in him keeping his head and rounding Ben Jupp to slot home.

Chris Sherrington then volleyed over from the edge of the area before we should have been on level terms. Chris' free-kick was almost inch-perfect, cannoning off the underside of the bar and bouncing temptingly for Nathan Tosum to surely head home from close range....

Staveley made a brisk start to the second half, forcing Ben Jupp to make an excellent stop down low before Nathan Tosum had another chance to level matters, agonisingly getting the ball stuck under his feet after meeting a Chris Sherrington cross.

Nathan then returned the favour for Chris with a flicked header going just over this time before a surging Liam Tongue run saw the ball squared to Luke Hincks on the edge of the area forcing the keeper into making a decent stop.

Staveley then enjoyed a good spell just after the hour mark, heading over when well placed, causing havoc with their no8's long throws into the box and forcing Ben Jupp to scramble down and claw away on the 68 minute mark.

On 76 minutes they then cracked a header off the crossbar, and that was their last foray on goal before all manner of frustrating silliness down at the other end.

All the best to Staveley in the 2nd Qualifying Round where they get to be (excellent) hosts again versus Grimsby Borough.

For us, the focus now sharpens back onto the league as City of Liverpool come to Park Road this coming Wednesday before a trip to Chadderton this Saturday. Two tricky encounters but, if a performance akin to what was witnessed at Inkersall Road is repeated, there shouldn't be any concern.

TEAM: Jupp, McLaughlin, Magida, German, Todd (Whyatt), Dunn, Hincks, Tongue, Tosum (Russell), M Sherrington, C Sherrington. SUBS: Piggott (gk), Whyatt, Russell.

Trafford 5-2 Cheadle Town

When you're at Level 10 of the footballing hierarchy the FA Cup is something that is handed out to the privileged few, based on league position and/or points-per-game the previous season. This renders it as something of a bonus; nothing more, nothing less.

Get a couple of wins under your belt. Make good the prize money. Get to the Qualifying Rounds. Pit your wits against non-league's higher and mightier. Visit new grounds. Meet new people. Embark on something of a mini adventure.

Which this season's FA Cup has been for us, for sure.

After some three seasons away from the competition it has felt good to be back. The win at Penistone in the Extra Preliminary Round was the perfect start to the season; the win at Northwich Victoria in the Preliminary Round - unexpected by those who regard themselves as non-league pundits - thoroughly deserved.

And so onto this 1st Qualifying Round tie where another team from the Northern Premier League Division One were allowed to try and have their wicked way with us.

And ultimately they did, but not before we made them sit up and notice.

The game was only a minute old when Sam Noar went after a lofted ball into the box and managed to make a goalbound connection with his head; the ball rolled wide with Sam getting a hefty clattering for his troubles.

Trafford then contrived to shoot over the bar from close range following a corner before we were slightly let off the hook when James Moore slipped on the greasy surface, allowing a Trafford forward a run at goal (grabbing a chunk of James' shirt in the process) with Ben Jupp thankfully making a block.

Mike Sherrington then just couldn't make a connection to a left-wing cross before Ben Jupp was at it again, making an excellent block just as Trafford's towering no10 - Mark Derbyshire - looked set to score.

With 28 minutes gone, Cheadle's FA Cup caper took another interesting turn.

Mike Sherrington's sheer persistence was key as he hectored Trafford's Jacobs for the ball before bearing down on goal and coolly slotting home from the edge of the area.

Mike Sherrington wheels away in delight after putting Cheadle 1-0 up

However, in the time that it took to say "just hold on for the next fifteen minutes or so and take the lead into half-time", Trafford were level; Ben Jupp did all he could to excellently keep out a header from a cross but could do absolutely nothing about Horrocks being on-hand to smash home the loose ball from close range.

Trafford had awoken, for nine minutes later they were ahead when Derbyshire was put through to slot past Jupp with them extending their lead further just before half-time with the same player firing home from the edge of the box.

Ben Jupp had to make another stop once more on 53 minutes before Sam Noar fired just over from inside the box.

On 64 minutes the tie was effectively over. Ben Jupp seemed to have the ball smothered and under control but in the blink of an eye it had squirmed out to the feet of Derbyshire who planted home from close-range to collect his hat-trick.

With twelve minutes to go Trafford got their fifth after Bryant's drive took a deflection off the backside of one of our back four; Ben Jupp doing well to still get some fingers to it to try and keep it out.

We were given the opportunity to make the scoreline a bit more respectable with seven minutes remaining. Last time we were handed a penalty at Shawe View in an FA Cup tie the ball ended up on its way to Stretford. Thankfully Luke Pearson didn't repeat that this time.

Sam Noar almost reduced arrears even further right at the death but he side-netted after controlling a Luke Pearson cross.

So there goes another adventure for another season...with another one starting this Saturday as we travel to Staveley Miners Welfare (again) for the start of our FA Vase campaign. But first, and always first, league matters this Wednesday evening as Sandbach United come to Park Road.

All the best to Trafford in the 2nd Qualifying Round and our heartfelt thanks for their superb hospitality.

TEAM: Jupp, McLaughlin, Pearson, German, Moore, Dunn, Hincks, Magida (Horan), Noar, M Sherrington, C Sherrington (Tosum). SUBS: Piggott (gk), Horan, Tosum, Flowers.

September Preview

Saturday 3rd
Trafford (away)
Emirates FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round

Our September starts with an FA Cup tie at Trafford, earned thanks to our exploits away at Penistone Church and Northwich Victoria.

We've been here before...in two respects. We haven't been as far as the 1st Qualifying Round of the FA Cup since the 2007-08 season (when we defeated Atherton Collieries 5-2 on their own ground before falling 1-2 at Dinnington Town) and we visited Shawe View for an FA Cup tie more recently in 2011-12 when the hosts ran out rather comfortable 3-0 winners...after which they were then eliminated by Northwich Victoria. Small world.

We're hoping to give them a closer run for their money this time around.

Shawe View - one of the Northern Premier League's better grounds
(image: Wikimedia Commons)

They're back at the footballing level they were for that 2011-12 match: the Northern Premier League 1st Division which places them two levels above us - the same as Northwich Victoria - after being members of the NWCFL as recent as 2007-08.

Since their win in the last round at Prescot Cables they have suffered two defeats so we're hoping we have caught them on a slump. This is cup football; anything can happen.

If a replay is required it will be at Park Road on Wednesday 7th.

Wednesday 7th
Sandbach United (home)
Hallmark Security League First Division

Assuming no FA Cup replay is required then we will be facing another of the new clubs to the Hallmark Security First Division.

Founded in 2004 they started their life in the Staffordshire County League before transferring to the more geographically-apt Cheshire League in 2011.

Promoted to the Cheshire League Premier in time for the 2014-15 season, they were then admitted to the NWCFL in time for this season.

At the time of writing they have made a decent start and find themselves in the top six.

Saturday 10th
Staveley Miners Welfare (away)
FA Vase 1st Qualifying Round

Deja vu.

At exactly the same time of year last year we were preparing to make the same journey in the same round of the FA Vase.

And hopefully it will be with the same result after we came from 1-3 down to clinch the tie 4-3 with a late Rick Whyatt goal.

Result aside everybody connected with Cheadle Town FC really enjoyed the visit to Inkersall Road last year because of the wonderful facilities on offer. The clubhouse is first-rate - as is the fayre that is served - and Staveley's own clubshop, located separately in the far corner of the ground, is also worth a look.

Staveley Miners Welfare FC clubhouse - we like it a lot
(image: facupgroundhopper.blogspot.com)

The victors will be rewarded with a home tie versus Barton Town Old Boys or Grimsby Borough on Saturday 24th in the 2nd Qualifying Round.

Wednesday 14th
City of Liverpool (home)
Hallmark Security League First Division

...and yet another of the league's new clubs makes the visit to Park Road this month.

City of Liverpool FC were founded as recently as 2015 with an initial remit of providing non-league football within the boundaries of the City of Liverpool (hence the name). As things stand that hasn't been possible due to lack of facilities (they are groundsharing with Bootle this season) but their search continues.

The club is officially registered as a Community Benefit Society and is owned completely by its supporters.

They have made a rare start to their life at this level, topping the First Division at the time of writing.

Saturday 17th
Chadderton (away)
Hallmark Security League First Division

From new faces, to the very familiar.

Once the final whistle sounds that will be Chadderton dealt with as far as league matches are concerned for 2016-17, having been part of a fascinating 5-4 win only a couple of weeks ago in the reverse fixture at Park Road.

Andrew Street - we know it well
(image: Chadderton FC official website)

Recent matches at Andrew Street haven't been as lavish where goals are concerned. We have come away with two 1-0 wins in our past two visits there but, if the other week is anything to go by, a 1-0 might be a long shot....

Last five seasons at Andrew Street:
2015-16: won 1-0
2014-15: won 1-0
2013-14: won 2-1
2012-13: drew 1-1
2011-12: won 8-2 (FA Cup); lost 1-2

Wednesday 28th
Widnes (home)
Hallmark Security League First Division

And onto the final league game of the month, a potentially testing home one versus a much-fancied Widnes side.

Any squad that has Kevin Towey on its roster is guaranteed goals, and that has proven to be the case with him netting in wins over Sandbach United and a hat-trick versus Oswestry. However, these have been tempered by losses at home to Chadderton and Alsager.

We will face them again in the Macron Challenge Cup should they overcome Alsager Town in their First Round tie.

Last five seasons at Park Road:
2015-16: won 2-0
2014-15: lost 3-5
2013-14: won 5-2
2012-13: did not meet
2011-12: did not meet