19th December 2015
Northwich Manchester
Villa 2
Litherland Remyca 1 (North West Counties League – First Division)
The story of football in Northwich is both a
complex and controversial one.
At one time it was relatively straightforward,
Northwich Victoria were the main team and played at the Drill Field just South
of the town centre, whereas Witton Albion were arguably the slightly lesser
team, and they played right in the town centre at the Central Ground.
The Central Ground was sold to Sainsburys so
Albion had a purpose built ground developed for them in Wincham, and with the
surplus funds they created a side that were suddenly on a par with their deadly
rivals. It didn’t last of course and over the last few years they have yo-yo’d
between the upper and lower divisions of the Northern Premier League.
Northwich Victoria on the other hand is a very
different tale. To cut a long story short, they also moved to a purpose built
stadium in Wincham, but that has now been demolished. They had a spell of being
owned by various unfit individuals, entered administration twice, played for a
season in Stafford, one in Flixton, and now sit in the lower division of the
Northern Premier League, with their neighbours the Albion.
While all this was going on, the supporters
became disillusioned and set up a club called 1874 Northwich who play in nearby
Winsford, and that is where the hardcore of the Vics support now remains. The
current Victoria side in the NPL is poorly supported, ironically ground shares at
Witton Albion, but is doing pretty well due to being bankrolled by Jim Rushe, a
Manchester based individual who’s business practices and reputation has been questioned by some.
Rushe also set up a feeder club a couple of
years ago called Northwich Flixton Villa, playing at the old Flixton FC ground
in Urmston, they entered the North West Counties League and with no history,
identity or support base, quite frankly no one cared. It is also worth noting
that Woodley Sports, a Stockport based club were involved in the equation
somewhere, they ended up being swallowed up in the mess.
But, at the start of this season something
happened whereby the NFV club were taken over by a gentleman called Bill
Prendergast, Bill ran a soccer academy in Manchester called Diamonds, and he
wanted an outlet for his young players to perform on a semi professional stage.
He took out the ‘Flixton’ name, added the
‘Manchester’ name, and in a surprise move, obtained the use of the Manchester
Regional Arena, which is effectively an athletics stadium smack bang next door
to the Etihad Stadium.
It was met with both curiosity and scepticism,
how was it going to work? Many of the fixtures were scheduled on dates when
Manchester City had home games, and very quickly they started playing certain
games elsewhere. No midweek home games were scheduled, and as we moved into the
wet weather, games started to get postponed with alarming regularity. I for
one, felt this was a move that wasn’t going to last.
I’d planned to go on several occasions in
recent weeks, but postponements put paid to that, and in all fairness as I
stepped out of bed on the morning of this game, I fully expected to be making
plans to go elsewhere. However, I was both surprised and a touch concerned when
they tweeted to say the game was definitely on. I didn’t have a Plan B in the
area, and with the heavier rain forecast for around kick off, it was pretty
much a case of keeping my fingers crossed.
The journey was simple enough, Buxton, Glossop,
Hyde and then via Gorton into the Etihad Complex, which I have to say is a
superb set up thanks to the oil money that has poured into the club. I was
early, so had a little wander around, only to meet Bill, and it was then that stuff
started to become a bit clearer.
Firstly he took me on the pitch, it was fine,
but the problem was in two areas, if it rained heavily and consistently the
water sat as opposed to drained. It tended to be a problem if the rain came in
the run up to the game, but if it came during, he felt it wouldn’t be an issue.
The midweek game issue was also quickly
explained, the stadium is hired out virtually every night of the week for
athletics, as it’s now a community facility and has no connection to Manchester
City, so quite simply they could not get access to the stadium in an evening.
Finally, the Northwich connection is completely
gone, he had to keep the majority of the name as it had to be seen by the
league and the FA as a continuation of the club that previously existed, as
opposed to a completely new entity. But now he has control and ownership, he
plans to change the name to Manchester Diamonds next season, therefore totally
cutting all connections with Northwich.
The stadium is very good, it is an all seater
arena, with the stands curving round the track in an oval shape, it was access
all areas, but the crowd tended to gather in the main stand area that backed
onto the Etihad Stadium car parks.
Safely in situ, I had a wander into the nearby
Bradford Estate and found a pub, it did remind me a little of the Chatsworth
Estate from Shameless, not least because it was set nearby, but despite its
appearances, it was absolutely fine inside the ‘Townley’.
The forecast pre-match rain never materialised,
and a very sparse crowd were treated to a pretty good encounter between Villa
and Litherland Remyca. Villa took the lead just before half time, and then
scored a second early in the second period. The visitors pulled a goal back
later on in the game but it was the hosts that held on for the points.
I spent the second half chatting to an old
groundhopping friend, Mike Latham, who I had not seen for a few years. He is
now the Chairman of Cumberland County Cricket Club, a Director of Leigh
Centurians Rugby League Club and also runs his own accountancy business, talk
about a busy man, it’s no surprise our paths very rarely cross these days. He
is a lovely bloke though, and a real mine of information, especially about
non-league football in the North and also in Wales and Scotland. It was great
to chat to him, and I was able to give him a few pointers on possible future
trips he’s got in mind for the Midlands area.
Midway through the second half the rain started
to pour down, the pitch, as Bill said, was absolutely fine, the journey home
was a simple one, and with this ground now ticked off, my original list from
the start of the season of places to visit had finally been completed,
something of a satisfying achievement!
I did think about the future of the football
club though, they have no identity as such in the community, they pay rent of
three hundred and fifty quid a game, but have virtually no match day income,
and the chances of staying at this level and developing a ground in Manchester
is probably years away. So it begs the question as to why? Well Bill obviously
see’s it as a way of enhancing his Soccer Academy in Manchester, but not only
that, by talking to Bill it became clear he has a passion for the game and a
passion to develop players.
Sadly, as another Northwich footballing name is
set to disappear from the map, albeit a pretty inconsequential one, the same
can’t be said for many of the individuals who were allowed custody of one of
the biggest names in Non League football.
Northwich Victoria have been destroyed by
egotistical and unfit business men, but that is just one story from an ever
increasing list of examples. Maybe though, as an ex-girlfriends Dad one said to
me, and they lived in Northwich, the town simply isn’t big enough for two
football clubs to prosper, one, or indeed both, will inevitably suffer. He was
quite prophetic at the time as both clubs were then in the Conference, a place
neither are likely to return to….
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