Insanely Bad Elf - Merry Christmas indeed!
Sunday 25 December 2011
Monday 19 December 2011
Northwich Victoria FC
FC United lose out to Northwich Vics by 2 goals to 1, NPL Premier Division, 17th December 2011
Saturday 10 December 2011
Thursday 8 December 2011
Wednesday 30 November 2011
Monday 21 November 2011
Sunday 13 November 2011
Tuesday 1 November 2011
Sunday 23 October 2011
FC United Youth away at Morecambe 'A'
North West Youth Alliance, 23/10/2011, Lancaster and Morecambe College
Thursday 20 October 2011
Wednesday 19 October 2011
Me, a bow tie and the Championship trophy
See, I can scrub up well when I want to. ;-)
I attended Lancashire's Player of the Year dinner on Monday night. A rare excuse to get dressed up to the nines!
It was a superb evening and a pity I had to leave not long after the last award was presented. Full credit to Lancs and The Point for putting a good do on.
Now, about the Championship Celebration Dinner...
Monday 17 October 2011
Wednesday 5 October 2011
Sunday 2 October 2011
Thursday 22 September 2011
Lancashire are the County Champions
Subtitle:- Never in my lifetime - Part 2
1934. Adolf Hitler has just become Head of State/Chancellor of Germany as the Nazi Party take a stranglehold over the country. Manchester city have won the FA Cup. Donald Duck makes his debut appearance in "The Wise Little Hen". And on the 28th August, eleven Lancashire county cricketers walk off the pitch at the Oval on a dank, dull afternoon after just winning the County Championship.
It seemed a pretty unremarkable win. It was Lancashire's fifth title in nine years, which has included a hat-trick of titles in 1926, 1927 and 1928 and the Second XI had won the Minor Counties' title in the same season. There was an air of confidence around the club and it seemed certain that Lancs had many more years of County Championship success ahead of them.
And so we move onto the 22nd of September 2007. Once again, Lancashire are playing at the Oval and it is the last day of the season. The club has had plenty of one day successes but, aside from a joint title with Surrey in 1950, the County Championship has eluded them ever since 1934. There have been plenty of times when the side finished second and could feel aggrieved that they had not won the whole thing, however this was the closest they had genuinely been for some time. Going into the game top of the table, a win was all that was necessary to end the wait for the title. Surrey didn't read the script, however, and set Lancashire 489 runs to win. They fell just 25 runs short.
Myself and a few others were there that day. Whilst it was one of the most amazing days' cricket you will ever see and an absolute privilege to have been there, it was a heartbreaking experience and one that left you wondering if we were ever going to win it again. Excuses were trotted out each year, it's the weather, we're improving, we've lost England players and so on. But in reality, we all knew that we just were not good enough. Batting points usually let us down and we had a tendency to lose or draw games that should have been wrapped up.
In 2009 Lancashire recruited Peter Moores as Head Coach. The move was greeted with cautious optimism as Moores had previously won the title at Sussex, who had never previously won the Championship. That season saw Lancashire finish fourth as they then did in 2010, albeit with slightly more points. Moving into 2011 the club was suffering from the prolonged legal battle surrounding the redevelopment of Old Trafford and, with no money to spend, the squad was made up of mainly home-grown players, with the majority of the side coming from Lancashire. The only real superstar in the side was Jimmy Anderson and his appearances were limited due to England duty. As it was, most people were hoping for a similar year to the previous two, with some quarters tipping Lancashire for the drop.
Due to the redevelopment issues at OT and the square being turned most games were to be played at Liverpool Cricket Club in Aigburth with one game at Blackpool CC and the other at Southport. The one game scheduled to take place at OT ended up being at Aigburth, although that did turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Because of these arrangements, the thinking was that, playing on result pitches rather than a flat Old Trafford, this could be the best chance we'd have of winning the Championship.
Halfway through the season and the only defeats had come in both games against Durham who, on paper, looked to be the best side in the country. But Lancs kept winning and, even when they slipped and drew, or even after the loss to Notts at Southport, Durham slipped up as well meaning Lancs were top of the table with three games left. Defeat to Worcestershire away, however, after being bowled out for 80 in the second innings, meant people were ruefully looking back to earlier results. Not finishing off Sussex at Hove. Not beating Warwickshire at home. The loss to Notts. Just missing out on a bonus point here and a bonus point there. It looked like yet another "if only" season.
As the penultimate game of the season at home to Hampshire drew to a close it looked like Warwickshire had been handed the title on the plate. Injuries and other setbacks had pushed Durham near enough out of the race, with Hugh and his Bears making a last gasp charge for the line. As the last day at Aigburth rolled on and Hampshire stubbornly held onto their last remaining wicket, it looked like it was near enough over. Until, with eight balls to go, Simon Kerrigan took his ninth wicket of the match and sent everyone associated with the club into rapture. The dream was still on and we went down to Taunton just three points behind Warwickshire.
It was more hope than anything else. Lancs were playing well, but Warwickshire had put on a huge total. Hampshire batted admirably, but missed out on avoiding the follow-on. At the end of the third day Hampshire were 3 down for not a lot, already relegated and looking doomed. It seemed the only celebration to be had was that of Yorkshire's relegation and the ensuing rant from their Chairman! Once again it was a case of what might have been as everyone attempted to keep their spirits high. It had been a good and eventful trip regardless and it was a season that we could look back on with pride.
On the fourth day we'd been invited up into an executive box by a couple of Somerset fans. A great view of our game and, more importantly for the day itself, the Hampshire v Warwickshire game on the telly. It looked like Lancy would roll Somerset over quite early and we'd be watching events in Southampton for the rest of the day.
It seemed, however, that neither Hampshire nor Somerset had read the script. Whilst Lancashire toiled in the field at Taunton, Hampshire batted resiliently throughout the day. At the end of the first session they were still only three wickets down and looking comfortable. Eventually, wickets did fall, but at 5 o'clock, with 11 overs remaining and with Hampshire leading by 158, Warwickshire gave up and shook hands on the draw. So the destination of the title rested purely on Lancashire's result.
After toiling for quite a while, Somerset were eventually eight wickets down after a frustrating partnership, but that was followed by Trego and Kartik piling on even more runs. Eventually Trego was dismissed before a Keedy run out sparked a huge outpouring of emotion as Lancs prepared to chase down 212 to win the game.
I missed the run out as I'd gone into hiding by this point. A combination of the last three days of excess and the tension/emotion surrounding the day had meant I'd cracked. As Keedy hit the stumps I was looking around the Somerset cricket museum in an attempt to calm my nerves. Eventually I decided I'd better be there watching what was happening and headed off to the box again.
The runs ticked down slowly... In typical Lancs style, despite a great opening partnership, a couple of wickets fell just to leave you with that twitchy feeling. Until Steven Croft hit the winning runs around 15 minutes after Warwickshire had shook hands with Hampshire. What followed was an outpouring of relief, joy and all sorts of other emotions as the monkey was finally lifted from our backs. Lancashire were the County Champions.
I lost myself. One minute I'm jumping around screaming "we've won it, we've won it, we've fucking won it!" and the next I'm doing some strange crying/laughing hybrid, tears streaming down my face. It was a brilliant moment with no words capable of doing it justice. It was, quite frankly, the best day of my life. The celebrations spilled onto the outfield. People met up with friends that had been dotted around the ground, the joy shared amongst young and old. There were people there who have followed Lancashire home, away and even overseas for a number of years. The weight lifted from all us, something that was plainly visible as you looked around the ground.
The trophy was lifted. Karl Brown had a good go at breaking the base. We ended up on the wicket where it had all happened. I even got my hands on the bloody trophy! The rest of the night is a touch blurry, as you could imagine. Players were spotted around town and some even ended up in a nightclub with them. The next morning I shook hands with Kyle Hogg and Glen Chapple - you could see exactly what it meant to him, too. This was our United in 1993 moment and Glen Chapple was our Bryan Robson.
It was a wonderful experience that topped off a fantastic trip. Can we now go on and win it more often? That remains to be seen, there is still room for improvement, but we do have a young side hungry for success. Something tells me there'll be no complacency with them.
Once again - Lancashire CCC are the County Champions.
Some photographs from the day.
1934. Adolf Hitler has just become Head of State/Chancellor of Germany as the Nazi Party take a stranglehold over the country. Manchester city have won the FA Cup. Donald Duck makes his debut appearance in "The Wise Little Hen". And on the 28th August, eleven Lancashire county cricketers walk off the pitch at the Oval on a dank, dull afternoon after just winning the County Championship.
It seemed a pretty unremarkable win. It was Lancashire's fifth title in nine years, which has included a hat-trick of titles in 1926, 1927 and 1928 and the Second XI had won the Minor Counties' title in the same season. There was an air of confidence around the club and it seemed certain that Lancs had many more years of County Championship success ahead of them.
And so we move onto the 22nd of September 2007. Once again, Lancashire are playing at the Oval and it is the last day of the season. The club has had plenty of one day successes but, aside from a joint title with Surrey in 1950, the County Championship has eluded them ever since 1934. There have been plenty of times when the side finished second and could feel aggrieved that they had not won the whole thing, however this was the closest they had genuinely been for some time. Going into the game top of the table, a win was all that was necessary to end the wait for the title. Surrey didn't read the script, however, and set Lancashire 489 runs to win. They fell just 25 runs short.
Myself and a few others were there that day. Whilst it was one of the most amazing days' cricket you will ever see and an absolute privilege to have been there, it was a heartbreaking experience and one that left you wondering if we were ever going to win it again. Excuses were trotted out each year, it's the weather, we're improving, we've lost England players and so on. But in reality, we all knew that we just were not good enough. Batting points usually let us down and we had a tendency to lose or draw games that should have been wrapped up.
In 2009 Lancashire recruited Peter Moores as Head Coach. The move was greeted with cautious optimism as Moores had previously won the title at Sussex, who had never previously won the Championship. That season saw Lancashire finish fourth as they then did in 2010, albeit with slightly more points. Moving into 2011 the club was suffering from the prolonged legal battle surrounding the redevelopment of Old Trafford and, with no money to spend, the squad was made up of mainly home-grown players, with the majority of the side coming from Lancashire. The only real superstar in the side was Jimmy Anderson and his appearances were limited due to England duty. As it was, most people were hoping for a similar year to the previous two, with some quarters tipping Lancashire for the drop.
Due to the redevelopment issues at OT and the square being turned most games were to be played at Liverpool Cricket Club in Aigburth with one game at Blackpool CC and the other at Southport. The one game scheduled to take place at OT ended up being at Aigburth, although that did turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Because of these arrangements, the thinking was that, playing on result pitches rather than a flat Old Trafford, this could be the best chance we'd have of winning the Championship.
Halfway through the season and the only defeats had come in both games against Durham who, on paper, looked to be the best side in the country. But Lancs kept winning and, even when they slipped and drew, or even after the loss to Notts at Southport, Durham slipped up as well meaning Lancs were top of the table with three games left. Defeat to Worcestershire away, however, after being bowled out for 80 in the second innings, meant people were ruefully looking back to earlier results. Not finishing off Sussex at Hove. Not beating Warwickshire at home. The loss to Notts. Just missing out on a bonus point here and a bonus point there. It looked like yet another "if only" season.
As the penultimate game of the season at home to Hampshire drew to a close it looked like Warwickshire had been handed the title on the plate. Injuries and other setbacks had pushed Durham near enough out of the race, with Hugh and his Bears making a last gasp charge for the line. As the last day at Aigburth rolled on and Hampshire stubbornly held onto their last remaining wicket, it looked like it was near enough over. Until, with eight balls to go, Simon Kerrigan took his ninth wicket of the match and sent everyone associated with the club into rapture. The dream was still on and we went down to Taunton just three points behind Warwickshire.
It was more hope than anything else. Lancs were playing well, but Warwickshire had put on a huge total. Hampshire batted admirably, but missed out on avoiding the follow-on. At the end of the third day Hampshire were 3 down for not a lot, already relegated and looking doomed. It seemed the only celebration to be had was that of Yorkshire's relegation and the ensuing rant from their Chairman! Once again it was a case of what might have been as everyone attempted to keep their spirits high. It had been a good and eventful trip regardless and it was a season that we could look back on with pride.
On the fourth day we'd been invited up into an executive box by a couple of Somerset fans. A great view of our game and, more importantly for the day itself, the Hampshire v Warwickshire game on the telly. It looked like Lancy would roll Somerset over quite early and we'd be watching events in Southampton for the rest of the day.
It seemed, however, that neither Hampshire nor Somerset had read the script. Whilst Lancashire toiled in the field at Taunton, Hampshire batted resiliently throughout the day. At the end of the first session they were still only three wickets down and looking comfortable. Eventually, wickets did fall, but at 5 o'clock, with 11 overs remaining and with Hampshire leading by 158, Warwickshire gave up and shook hands on the draw. So the destination of the title rested purely on Lancashire's result.
After toiling for quite a while, Somerset were eventually eight wickets down after a frustrating partnership, but that was followed by Trego and Kartik piling on even more runs. Eventually Trego was dismissed before a Keedy run out sparked a huge outpouring of emotion as Lancs prepared to chase down 212 to win the game.
I missed the run out as I'd gone into hiding by this point. A combination of the last three days of excess and the tension/emotion surrounding the day had meant I'd cracked. As Keedy hit the stumps I was looking around the Somerset cricket museum in an attempt to calm my nerves. Eventually I decided I'd better be there watching what was happening and headed off to the box again.
The runs ticked down slowly... In typical Lancs style, despite a great opening partnership, a couple of wickets fell just to leave you with that twitchy feeling. Until Steven Croft hit the winning runs around 15 minutes after Warwickshire had shook hands with Hampshire. What followed was an outpouring of relief, joy and all sorts of other emotions as the monkey was finally lifted from our backs. Lancashire were the County Champions.
I lost myself. One minute I'm jumping around screaming "we've won it, we've won it, we've fucking won it!" and the next I'm doing some strange crying/laughing hybrid, tears streaming down my face. It was a brilliant moment with no words capable of doing it justice. It was, quite frankly, the best day of my life. The celebrations spilled onto the outfield. People met up with friends that had been dotted around the ground, the joy shared amongst young and old. There were people there who have followed Lancashire home, away and even overseas for a number of years. The weight lifted from all us, something that was plainly visible as you looked around the ground.
The trophy was lifted. Karl Brown had a good go at breaking the base. We ended up on the wicket where it had all happened. I even got my hands on the bloody trophy! The rest of the night is a touch blurry, as you could imagine. Players were spotted around town and some even ended up in a nightclub with them. The next morning I shook hands with Kyle Hogg and Glen Chapple - you could see exactly what it meant to him, too. This was our United in 1993 moment and Glen Chapple was our Bryan Robson.
It was a wonderful experience that topped off a fantastic trip. Can we now go on and win it more often? That remains to be seen, there is still room for improvement, but we do have a young side hungry for success. Something tells me there'll be no complacency with them.
Once again - Lancashire CCC are the County Champions.
Some photographs from the day.
Thursday 15 September 2011
Monday 12 September 2011
Sunday 11 September 2011
Tuesday 2 August 2011
Lancashire County Cricket Club 1934
The last Lancashire side to win the County Championship outright, all those years ago. And such a pity it is that it no longer seems likely that this year's side will end the long wait. Still, perchance to dream and all that...
A proper update to appear on here shortly. I've been slacking, I know.
A proper update to appear on here shortly. I've been slacking, I know.
Saturday 14 May 2011
On Top of the Hill - – Colwyn Bay v FC United, Evo Stick Premier Division Playoff Final
This was written with the intention of it appearing elsewhere, but as it never did, it's making a belated appearance on here.
In the years I spent watching Manchester United home, away and abroad I never thought I’d be looking forward to a trip to Wales, let alone Colwyn Bay. But I’d never considered the thought that I’d be giving up grounds such as the San Siro to go to grounds such as Llanelian Road, either, so there I was on Monday morning bounding out of bed and headed for a train to the Welsh town.
Although the journey itself was less than easy. I was travelling from Preston, which required changing at Warrington and meeting the train from Manchester headed down to the Bay. Only the points somewhere north of Warrington had failed meaning we were crawling into Warrington with the Manchester train still scheduled to get in before us. Plans were being made to kill an hour in Warrington until we pulled up alongside another train just before the two lines merged. A quick phone call and a wave through the window confirmed it was the train I was meant to be meeting and, thankfully, we set off first and pulled into Warrington before it.
The rest of the journey was a lot more pleasant with a lot of expectant FCers enjoying the scenery and the glorious sunshine. The mood was good and that continued in the pub before the match and in the streets around the ground. Eventually the 2,000 people with tickets drifted inside with a few hundred people without plotting up on the overlooking hill. Eventually 3pm rolled around and the biggest game of FC United’s existence was off and running.
There was a strange feeling around once inside the ground, though, mainly amongst the FC supporters. The atmosphere, whilst still loud and continuous, felt a bit nervous and more flat than usual. The match itself didn’t help as it was a scrappy affair which had ‘one goal win’ written all over it from the start. Sam Ashton sliced an attempted clearance early on with a Colwyn Bay player closing him down and David Chadwick almost headed the ball into his own goal instead of directing it straight back to Sam. Thankfully, for us, the ball went past the post.
FC had their own chances, Roca having the best of them, failing to connect properly with a Wolfenden cross, but just couldn’t apply that finishing touch. When moving the ball around on the deck and attacking down the right wing, United looked dangerous. However, the final ball and other long balls towards Deegan were invariably dealt with comfortably by the two imposing Colwyn Bay centre-halves. As the game went on, you began to get the feeling whoever scored first would just nick it.
On 69 minutes, Colwyn Bay broke forward with a ball over the top of the defence. Jon Newby calmly put the ball past Sam Ashton into the goal leaving people with a resigned feeling of “that’s that.” Aside from one shot into the side netting, I struggle to recall any real chance being created. Colwyn Bay went close to adding a second on a couple of occasions but the game ended 1-0 and Bay were promoted to the Conference North. There’s no complaints on my behalf, they deserved to go up and I feel it would have been too early for FC United as a club anyway. I just hope we’re not looking back in ten years’ time thinking “that was our moment.”
The pub was a bit more subdued after the match, as was our part of the train home. However, people were not too disheartened as there’s much more to this club than the football. Hopefully before too long we will have our own ground built whilst continuing to build greater links with Manchester’s communities. As long as we carry on as we are, we’ll still be upbeat about the club regardless of results like today’s.
Friday 29 April 2011
Playoff Bound
I typed this out as a post on a United forum I go on, decided it'd also do as a blog post - save me re-typing things!
Well, this season just continues to get more and more surreal as each week goes on.
A 1-0 win to Northwich at Gigg Lane followed by a 4-1 thumping of Frickley at Stalybridge saw FC creeping into the playoff positions. The win against Northwich deserves a special mention as Sam Ashton was sent off at 0-0 for an 'elbow' on the opposition striker. Centre forward Ben Deegan came off the bench, went in goal... and saved the penalty. Fifteen minutes later Mike Norton scored the only goal of the game to push FC up to third in the table.
McManus also received marching orders in the game against Frickley. The record continued in a shocking 2-0 defeat away at Chasetown which saw Mike Norton and Jerome Wright sent off. Just to add further misery onto the result later in the day down at Wembley. A day to forget all round.
The lads then came back from a goal down against Marine at Stalybridge to win 2-1 before one of the strangest football matches anyone had ever seen.
Away at Matlock, Sam Ashton's ban had started and reserve keeper Grant Shenton was at a wedding. Both Youth Team keepers are registered with other Evo-Stick clubs, so... Ben Deegan was in goal from the start. The defence was magnificent, leaving him very little to do and when the final whistle went we'd somehow managed to win 2-1. A win which guaranteed a play-off place for FC United. From second bottom in January, we'd crept up into second place and just needed to win two games to get promotion. Crazy.
Kendal came to Gigg Lane and won 2-1 in the final league game of the season, meaning we finished in 4th. Colwyn Bay finished 2nd behind Champions Halifax, Bradford Park Avenue were 3rd and North Ferriby in 5th. So came a cold Thursday night in Bradford where optimism wasn't exactly in abundance. Still, 2,758 people saw FC United win at the Horsfall Stadium for the first time and book a place in the playoff final on Monday May 2nd. Unbelievable. From a season that was written off a few months ago to being 90 minutes away from the Conference North.
The opponents will be Colwyn Bay, who won 2-0 against North Ferriby United. The game will take place at Bay's Llanelian Road ground, kick off 3pm. It's all ticket, with FC receiving 1,000 tickets which will go on sale tomorrow from the office at 10.30am to Members who also have Season Tickets before being opened up to both Members and ST holders.
Whatever happens, it's been one hell of a season.
Well, this season just continues to get more and more surreal as each week goes on.
A 1-0 win to Northwich at Gigg Lane followed by a 4-1 thumping of Frickley at Stalybridge saw FC creeping into the playoff positions. The win against Northwich deserves a special mention as Sam Ashton was sent off at 0-0 for an 'elbow' on the opposition striker. Centre forward Ben Deegan came off the bench, went in goal... and saved the penalty. Fifteen minutes later Mike Norton scored the only goal of the game to push FC up to third in the table.
McManus also received marching orders in the game against Frickley. The record continued in a shocking 2-0 defeat away at Chasetown which saw Mike Norton and Jerome Wright sent off. Just to add further misery onto the result later in the day down at Wembley. A day to forget all round.
The lads then came back from a goal down against Marine at Stalybridge to win 2-1 before one of the strangest football matches anyone had ever seen.
Away at Matlock, Sam Ashton's ban had started and reserve keeper Grant Shenton was at a wedding. Both Youth Team keepers are registered with other Evo-Stick clubs, so... Ben Deegan was in goal from the start. The defence was magnificent, leaving him very little to do and when the final whistle went we'd somehow managed to win 2-1. A win which guaranteed a play-off place for FC United. From second bottom in January, we'd crept up into second place and just needed to win two games to get promotion. Crazy.
Kendal came to Gigg Lane and won 2-1 in the final league game of the season, meaning we finished in 4th. Colwyn Bay finished 2nd behind Champions Halifax, Bradford Park Avenue were 3rd and North Ferriby in 5th. So came a cold Thursday night in Bradford where optimism wasn't exactly in abundance. Still, 2,758 people saw FC United win at the Horsfall Stadium for the first time and book a place in the playoff final on Monday May 2nd. Unbelievable. From a season that was written off a few months ago to being 90 minutes away from the Conference North.
The opponents will be Colwyn Bay, who won 2-0 against North Ferriby United. The game will take place at Bay's Llanelian Road ground, kick off 3pm. It's all ticket, with FC receiving 1,000 tickets which will go on sale tomorrow from the office at 10.30am to Members who also have Season Tickets before being opened up to both Members and ST holders.
Whatever happens, it's been one hell of a season.
Friday 15 April 2011
Site of the Royal Hotel, Manchester, where the Football League was founded.
Site of the Royal Hotel, Manchester, where the Football League was founded., originally uploaded by MichaelGT.
This plaque is situated in Manchester City Centre, directly across from Piccadilly Gardens on the corner of Mosley Street and Market Street. Yet you can guarantee most people will walk past it without even realising that it is there.
The League was founded at a meeting at the Royal Hotel on the 17th April 1888. The hotel is long since gone and a Santander branch now stands in it's place. This plaque stands as a reminder that, even then, Manchester was at the heart of football.
Sunday 30 January 2011
Thursday 6 January 2011
Jupiter
The planet Jupiter taken from our street. Took me ages to get a photo I was happy with, glad I persisted.
Always used to be into the planets and that when I was a kid, but I lost touch with it all. BBC Stargazing over the past few nights has awakened something in me - so when the skies finally cleared over Preston (this blog didn't get it's name for nothing, y'know) I took the time to get this little snap.
To think that little bright dot is the biggest planet in our solar system... Makes you realise how insignificant we really are in the grand scheme of things.
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