Moonlight Shadow

New Mills  2  Derby County U23  1

Derbyshire Senior Cup – Quarter Final

There are many misconceptions in the World, a good example would be that Mike Oldfield’s song “Moonlight Shadow” was written about the death of John Lennon.

Oldfield admits himself that it wasn’t the case, but not only that, the song contains some factual differences. For example, the line ‘shot six times by a man on the run’ is incorrect, Lennon was shot four times, and Mark Chapman, who pulled the trigger, was certainly not on the run.

Also, ‘4am in the morning, carried away by a moonlight shadow’, two problems with that, Lennon was shot just before 11pm, and meteorological evidence demonstrates that indeed the night of his death was not in fact a moonlit one!

Another common misconception that us Southern Derbyshire types have is that if you draw New Mills, or Glossop North End, away in the Derbyshire Senior Cup, the chances of the game being played between November and February are pretty much non-existent as the place stays permanently three feet under snow and largely inaccessible.

Of course, that’s tripe, it might be a touch colder in the High Peak, but it isn’t markedly different to anywhere else in the Shire weather wise. So that was why I was confident to make the trip across from my work base in Sheffield to watch the Millers game against a Derby County side that was supposedly Under 23’s.

Friends and colleagues may have questioned my sanity, suggesting I take a blanket and a shovel to survive the night, but those ignorant types who have little or no knowledge of the playing surface at Church Lane, were to eat their words, and despite solid rain from 5.30pm, right through to around 9pm, all was good in the World. Stick to Mike Oldfield and John Lennon references……..

I first went to watch a game at New Mills in 2004, the club had just gained promotion to the North West Counties League after finishing next to bottom in the Manchester League (yep – not sure either!), and had a home game at the excellently appointed Church Lane ground against Oldham Town.

I didn’t go again until around December time in 2010 to watch Belper Town win 4-1 in a Derbyshire Senior Cup tie, the season when New Mills won the top flight of the NWCL and made it to the Northern Premier League.

We now need a potted history lesson.

There was a New Mills side that joined the Cheshire County League in 1974, competing in the top flight until 1978 when they dropped to the second tier. They were part of the newly formed North West Counties League in 1982, competing in the second tier, but after finishing bottom, they disappeared from the league completely due to financial pressures.

A new incarnation of New Mills re-appeared, competing in the Manchester League, where they stayed until the ‘promotion’ back to the NWCL in 2004. Crowds were always good at Church Lane and in 2007-08 they were crowned champions of the Second Division and with it came promotion to the top flight. 

They finished runners-up in consecutive seasons (2008-09 / 2009-10) before the title winning campaign I referred to earlier. The 2008-09 campaign was a notable one as the club set the record for the most consecutive wins in the league with 21, and they ended up losing the title to AFC Fylde who beat them on the final day, 5-0, to win the title on goal difference.

They were placed in the First Division South of the NPL (which I seem to recall was not their preferred option) finishing ninth, before a lateral switch to the North section the following season saw them finish third and enter the Play-Offs. They lost to Trafford in the semi-final.

Two seasons of struggle followed before they found themselves back in the NWCL, only to be relegated again to the second tier, where they remain today. It seems the heady days of the NPL took their toll financially, and the club is having to re-build again.

What they haven’t got to rebuild is the ground at Church Lane, which is a great facility, and the eagle eyed will spot that it was the setting for Sky’s comedy programme ‘Rovers’, whihc was about a fictional non-league football club and the characters that surrounded it.

When I first went they had a stand on each side of the pitch, but nowadays, the side opposite Church Lane is no longer accessible for spectators, largely due to a floodlit five-a-side court having been built towards the clubhouse end of the ground.

The Church Lane side has a covered standing area up to the half way line, and then stretching down beyond the half way line is a more modern seated stand. Behind the East goal is the clubhouse and the dressing rooms, with hard standing in front, elevated up above the pitch level. It’s flat standing behind the West goal, while the ground is floodlit, and has been for a good number of years.

It’s a really nice ground, and does evoke memories of the days of the Cheshire League when the likes of Marine, Chorley, Stalybridge Celtic, Rhyl, Hyde United and Witton Albion were regular visitors.

The weather was rubbish, and as a result it did impact on the attendance. The club were clearly hoping for more than the 92 that paid to get in, with a fair few of the hard core Rams fans having made the journey up, including the legendary Mick Derby, the DCFC mad taxi driver who barely misses a game at any level.

The game was very good to watch, the Rams took the lead in the 12^th minute through Josh Shonibare, but the hosts pressed, tackled and harried, and on balance of play at half time could feel a touch unfortunate not to be level.

That all changed in the second period when I thought New Mills were quite superb. Two goals in a minute from Darren McKnight and Shelton Payne turned the game on it’s head and the onus was on Derby to find the equaliser. Granted, they had plenty of possession in the closing stages but New Mills were well marshalled at the back and defended superbly to keep the Rams at bay.

The final whistle was greeted with joy, and the Millers make the semi-finals of a competition they’ve never won. It will be a hard trophy to win with the likes of Belper Town, Matlock Town, Alfreton Town and Glossop North End still in the mix, but they’ve already won at Ilkeston Town this season, and one thing they won’t be short on is effort and indeed confidence.

It took an hour to get back home, no road closures, no snow drifts, no need to get the flask out. The High Peak, I am pleased to say, is functioning quite normally under the current climatic circumstances, and Mike Oldfield is still trying to convince the World that John Lennon was not in his thoughts the day he penned those lyrics….