Memories of a non-league reporter

In the last edition of North West Side Stories, BBC Radio Lancashire's Simon Sandiford looked back at his early days watching FA Cup games involving NWCFL sides. He picks up the story from where he left off last time…..

In September 2002 I made my first and only visit to The Showground – home of the now disbanded Great Harwood Town. Their dramatic penalty shoot-out win in the Preliminary Round had not gone un-noticed – although both the home game against Winterton Rangers and the replay had both finished 0-0.

 

Having reported live from Clitheroe in the last round (they lost 3-1 to Radcliffe) and on Bamber Bridge’s replay (they lost to Abbey Hey on penalties), I was hoping it would be third time lucky for me in reporting some positive news to the listeners. This game was disappointing in one respect – of all the FA Cup games I’ve ever been to; this was the only one I didn’t get a programme, or at least a teamsheet for.

 

This was the season that a 16 year old Matt Derbyshire started playing for Harwood before his move to Blackburn Rovers, although I can’t remember if he played any part in this game. Manager John Hughes went on record afterwards to say that he had been missing a number of players. Glen Smith (suspended) and John Eastham (work ommitments) had been unavailable and so they had looked a bit light up front.

He also stated that a lot of players in the squad were youngsters who were gaining experience throughout the season. Matt Derbyshire didn’t start to get the goals until the latter part of the 2002/03 season, so I would guess that it may have been a bit early in the season for him in September. Although with the FA Cup meaning that you can name five substitutes, he may have been on the bench – as indeed he was for a later game at Harrogate Town, although he didn’t get brought on.

 

I remember arriving at the Showground a bit later than I would normally expect to as I had a bit of trouble finding it. These were the days before sat navs (well cheap ones anyway!) and I had worked out how to get to Great Harwood but not where the actual ground was. I did find it eventually and arrived with only minutes to spare, heading off to find out the teams and anything important that I should be aware of (web sites for this level of football were still a bit of a novelty then!).

While trying to find the secretary, I went into the clubhouse, and it contained just a couple of elderly gentlemen. When they found out who I was, rather be some help to me by pointing me in the right direction, they appeared to have decided that I was personally responsible for the lack of media attention given to Great Harwood Town throughout its entire history. Not the welcome I was expecting and I had to just go on air with what information I had.

 

Crook Town were from the 2nd Division of the Northern League, as they still are, and were expected to be difficult opposition, especially as Great Harwood had not been playing so well at home. For most of the match I was relaying less than positive news as Crook led, despite Great Harwood having the better of the chances. Shaun Bursnell got a late equaliser to save the day though and send the game to a replay back in County Durham.

The replay also ended 1-1 sending the game to penalties, and Great Harwood duly won it 6-5. Goalkeeper Bobby Harris was the hero with a couple of crucial saves in the shoot-out. It was a deserved win after John Eastham had put Harwood ahead and seemingly in control, but for a dodgy penalty decision that gifted Crook an equaliser just before the break.

As well as a place in the 2nd Qualifying Round, that game earned Great Harwood £7500 in prize money. Interesting to note that this season, six years on, teams winning 1st Qualifying Round ties won £3000 (last year it was £2250). Two days later, Great Harwood had to play Oldham Town in a league fixture. Despite it being a Friday night, it attracted the biggest home gate of the season of 138 fans – 44 more than the average home gate for 2002/03.

 

As well as the cash boost, the win set up a nice trip to Harrogate Town, and my first ever visit there. If Great Harwood could pull off one of the big FA Cup shocks of the round, they would also achieve their best ever run in the cup, as they had previously also gone out at the 2nd Qualifying Round stage in 1998. With three divisions separating the sides, this was always going to be the toughest possible test for John Hughes with his young squad.

 

The talk before the game was all about how many Harrogate would win by. Hughes said that he spoke to former manager and now Accrington owner Eric Whalley about Harrogate. The words of advice were that they should watch out for the front two of Clint Marcelle and Robbie Whellans. Marcelle was an experienced striker having played for Barnsley when they were in the Premier League.

Whellans was a prolific striker playing for his home town team. Good advice then on the face of it, although in actual fact neither of them played any part in the game. Whellans was an unused sub, and Clint Marcelle was not on the teamsheet at all.

 

Looking at the Great Harwood team for that match, it is interesting to see what has become of them. Matt Derbyshire was named on the bench – of course, 12 months later he would be at Blackburn Rovers. Steve Pickup was at number 2 – I saw Pickup just the other day playing for Padiham against AFC Liverpool and he still seems to be going strong.

John Eastham was Great Harwood top scorer that season with 20 goals, having opened his account in the FA Cup replay at Crook Town. He stayed with the club right through the end becoming a legend to the fans with his goalscoring exploits, before moving to play again for John Hughes at Whinney Hill, in the West Lancashire League. Bobby Harris was the keeper, and again he stayed until the demise of the club before signing for Nelson.

 

As for the game itself, I didn’t have much good news to relay as Great Harwood conceded twice early on, although they did have some good chances throughout. They had come back from 2-0 down just a few days earlier against Colne, but they couldn’t get out of jail again and so the FA Cup journey was over for Great Harwood. So despite equalling their best ever FA Cup run, and being just a couple of rounds away from the big time – they did it without actually winning any games outright.

 

That wasn’t the last I had seen of Harrogate though as fellow Unibond Premier League side Accrington Stanley drew them at home in the next round. I remember that game as being a particularly disappointing 0-0 draw. That was annoying as it is rare that a non league game gets top billing on the Saturday sport programme, but due to a lack of league games because England were in Slovakia for a Euro 2004 qualifier, my game at the Crown Ground was the main match.

So lots of airtime talking about all the chances on goal was on offer, but there wasn’t any and I barely had anything written on my notepad. Yet when time is tight and I have to squeeze updates into less than a minute, it always seems to be an 8 goal thriller.

 

After that non-event in Accrington, Harrogate won the replay 3-2. They went on to beat Wisbech Town and then played Farnborough Town in the 1st Round proper, and lost 5-1.

 

The next time I saw a NWCFL side in action in the FA Cup was not until August 2004 when I went to see Bacup Borough play their Preliminary Round game against Chorley. It was bright and sunny and we were all set for a great game. I arrived in good time to find that no programmes existed. Not a good start then. I did manage to get hold of a team sheet – at least that is what it appeared to be.

However on closer inspection it was just a squad list numbered 1 to 17 that didn’t bear any resemblance to the actual team playing on the day. Interestingly Chorley manager then was John Hughes –who had just left Great Harwood to step up to the Chorley job. Having not been able to track down the real team sheet, I had to listen to the tannoy announcements and quickly make notes as to who was playing where.

The match finished with an expected victory for Chorley 3-0, but the memory for me was getting toothache during half time that got worse and worse throughout the rest of the game, so much that I could hardly speak when doing the full time report on air.

 

So the next game of note was the 1st Qualifying Round replay that I went to that saw the then NWCFL side Fleetwood Town play host to Spennymoor United. This was the season that Fleetwood were champions of the NWCFL and it was clear early on in the season that this may be the case. In the first month of the season they had already beaten Tadcaster 5-2 (extra preliminary round of the FA Cup), Abbey Hey 7-0, Alnwick Town 6-0 (preliminary round of the FA Cup), Formby 5-0 and Glossop North End 6-2.

Spennymoor were two divisions higher than Fleetwood, and the original tie had finished 1-1. Alex Porter had scored in the first half and Fleetwood were looking comfortable. Spennymoor got a penalty, defender Phil Robinson was sent off, and so Tony Greenwood brought on Damien Dashti to replace him, with scorer Alex Porter being sacrificed. Fleetwood then had to defend resolutely to take the game back to the Highbury Stadium.

 

The match turned out to be quite dramatic with the winner coming in extra time from Nathan Pond. I was on air doing what was to be the final update from the game because the programme finishes at 10.00pm and we were into the second half of extra time. I was explaining how it was 2-2 with earlier goals from Adam Tong and Alex Porter and then out of the blue Nathan Pond broke and scored just as I was about to hand back. I jumped up with the rest of the crowd trying to describe the scenes and hoping that I could still be heard with all the noise.

A great way to end the programme anyway! Luckily they held on for the win and went on to play Runcorn Halton, who they would eventually lose to after a replay. For Spennymoor this game was their last ever FA Cup tie as they folded just before the end of the season.

 

I saw two NWCFL FA Cup games in the following season, both involving Skelmersdale United. Firstly it was a 1st Qualifying Round trip to Runcorn FC Halton at their Prescot Cables home. For Robbie Holcroft it was to be a big day, as the Runcorn keeper was playing against the side that he had made an amazing 333 consecutive appearances for.

Skelmersdale had keeper Mark Andrews in goal making his debut and he made some crucial saves throughout the match. Skelmersdale had already knocked out Liversedge and Colwyn Bay in the earlier rounds and now faced a team two divisions higher, with Runcorn newly relegated from the Conference North. It was another high scoring game for me with Skelmersdale coming out on top 3-2, meaning that there were regular visits to Valerie Park interrupting the main commentary match on air.

Twice the visitors were behind. Tommy Taylor put the home side ahead despite apparently being miles offside. Michael Cole equalised with 6 mins to the break, but no sooner had I announced to the listeners that it was all level than Runcorn scored another as just before the break Shaun Whalley tapped one home. So this was a big ask to come back in the second half. Skelmersdale got a penalty from a handball in the box and Carl Osman made it 2-2. With about 10 mins left, Stuart Rudd showed his class with the winner, turning and shooting in the area.

 

No longer being bad luck for NWCFL sides in the FA Cup, I now was very bad news for their opponents. Just as I saw Spennymoor play their last ever FA Cup tie, this was also to be Runcorn FC Halton’s last ever FA Cup game before they finished bottom of the Unibond Premier and folded.

 

Skelmersdale actually knocked out four teams in this year’s cup – all from leagues above them, but they couldn’t make it five against Conference North side Vauxhall Motors – but it was close! Vauxhall are a former NWCFL side, having two spells in the league. Many years earlier (in April 1992 to be exact!) I watched them play at Ashton United when they were still known as Vauxhall GM.

That was their last season in the league as they dropped back to play only in the West Cheshire League after that, but returned to the fold in 1995. By 1999 they were known as Vauxhall Motors and started their climb back up the leagues. Now in the Conference North, they wanted to try and match the FA Cup run the previous year when they played Bury in the 1st Round proper, or even better the 2003 run when they beat QPR and were unlucky to lose to Macclesfield live on Sky TV.

 

This was another day that England were playing on - a qualifier for World Cup 2006 was taking place at Old Trafford. So again it was a truncated league programme which meant that the FA Cup could get some decent coverage, and it was another goal fest for me. Peter Cumiskey put Vauxhall ahead in the first half and it could have been more, but for some wastefulness in front of the Skelmersdale goal.

Six second half goals meant that it seemed I was barely off air. That goal machine Stuart Rudd grabbed the equaliser just after the break, slamming one into the corner of the Vauxhall net. The home side quickly took the lead again from the penalty spot – Peter Cumiskey getting his 2nd. Skelmersdale got back on level terms again from Stuart Rudd when he played a one two with Michael Douglas and Rudd got his 2nd. So with two players on a hat-trick, there were bound to be more goals in this one. And it was Peter Cumiskey who put Vauxhall back into the lead after a Steve Dee back pass had been intercepted.

Cumiskey scored from the rebound after a save and it was obvious that he was delighted to have scored it. There was more to come from him as he made it 4-2 by lobbing the keeper. By this time I was nearly out of breath with the amount of live reports I had to do – and just as it looked all over, Stuart Rudd got his hat-trick with 7 mins left to set up a desperate charge to equalise, but it wasn’t to be.

Overall it was an amazing game – 7 goals from only two scorers. I had to fit that action-packed game into a brief report as I had already been told off about the amount of time it was taking me to detail the events throughout the earlier reports. Vauxhall’s cup run didn’t get much further as they went out 3-0 at Hednesford in the 4th Qualifying Round.

 

The next time a NWCFL FA Cup game was featured live was at the start of the next season, in August 2006. Blackpool Mechanics played host to Northern Counties East League team Armthorpe Welfare. It was the Extra Preliminary Round – not the Preliminary Round as the front of the match programme stated. This game was significant – not particularly on the day, but two weeks later when Blackpool Mechanics were thrown out of the FA Cup for playing Craig Worthington, who was supposed to be suspended.

It had all seemed so positive as well. I drew the picture of the sunny August afternoon with the FA Cup being played to a handful of excited spectators and Blackpool Airport in the background. The match finished 2-0 with Worthington scoring the second goal. A trip to Maine Road in the next round was taken away from Mechanics by the FA, although they did get to play them at Jepson Way in the year after’s competition instead, losing 3-1. Armthorpe got past Maine Road but got knocked out at home to Burscough in the 1st Qualifying Round.

 

So it was Padiham’s turn to host me in the Preliminary Round as well as local rivals Colne. This was the first time that I had ever reported on a NWCFL local FA Cup derby. Again I got a goal fest as Division 2 side Padiham progressed 3-2 against their Division 1 rivals. Colne had already thrashed Norton United 5-1 in the Extra Preliminary Round and so must have been confident that they could go on a bit of a run.

 

It started well for Padiham when Marin Parkes put them ahead after 15 mins with a classic shot that looped over the keeper and just under the crossbar into the back of the net. It got better when Paul Fildes converted a Steve Pickup cross to make it 2-0 at the break and a shock really was on the cards. A Liam Steele header made it 3-0 with half an hour remaining and it wasn’t just a win but a comprehensive win by Padiham.

Alex Heap came on for Colne though and scored twice late on to almost provide a major comeback. But the day was Padiham’s and they could look forward to the 1st Qualifying Round and a trip to Unibond Premier League side Ashton United.

 

This was Padiham’s big day in the FA Cup playing against a team three divisions higher. The game was at Hurst Cross in Ashton-u-Lyne and as usual I set off in good time. There was no way I would have trouble getting to this ground, as I used to be there in the early 1990s watching Ashton United win the North West Counties League and attempt to get out of the 1st Division of the Northern Premier League. So it was just a simple trip round the M60 – but things are never that straightforward!

 

I was planning to arrive at the ground about 1.30 to give me enough time to prepare, and so around 1.15 I was coming off the M60 towards Ashton-u-Lyne. All fine so far, and then all of a sudden, I heard a strange rubbery noise - a flat tyre. No problem, I’ve changed a tyre before – I made sure I learnt after I got stuck in a snowstorm in Liverpool one New Year’s Eve night at about 1.00am with a flat tyre. This car was relatively new to me, so I had not had to do anything more complicated than put petrol in it so far.

So I carefully parked at the side of the road and went to check if I actually had a spare wheel in the boot. Good news – it was there and all looking well. So all I had to do was loosen the bolts, jack up the car and swap the tyres. So I got out the jack and it worked – excellent. Now where is the wheel brace? Despite extensive searching, it appeared that there was none. The time was approaching 1.25 now so no panic just yet. I was just across the road from a big petrol station – they were bound to have a wheel brace.

So I go across the road and ask. No, they didn’t sell any. But hang on, the assistant has one in his car I can use. Excellent. So I went back to my car with this old looking thing and attempt to get the wheel nuts off. The brace though was so old that it no longer had any grip to loosen any nuts, so back to square one, although time is now getting on.

 

So I now have no choice but to phone the RAC and get them to do it for me. Helpfully I am told that someone will be there “in up to an hour”, which puts my chance of getting a live preview from inside the ground before kick off unlikely. Rescue did arrive at approx 2.25 which put it within the promised timescale. He did seem like he was the slowest mechanic ever in the world but he sorted it (and yes I did go out and buy a wheel brace the following week in case it ever happened again).

So, almost 2.40 and I updated the radio studios to let them know that I was never going to get there in time to find the teams info and do a live preview before kick off, so that bit was abandoned and I would report on the goals as they went in as normal.

 

So with the time now 2.55 I was just getting into the ground as the teams were coming out onto the pitch. Luckily the tannoy announcer had the teamsheet and all I needed to do was confirm that I was at last in place in the pressbox. As for the game, it was another 6 goals for me to report on. Cieran Kilheeney (who would later do so well at Burscough) scored twice as did the other Ashton striker Garry Kharas. Padiham had started off well, but Ashton led from Kilheeney after 15 mins, prompting my first appearance on air.

It was 2-0 five minutes before the break but Padiham pulled one back on the stroke of half time from Paul Fildes, running onto a long ball and lobbing the keeper. Ashton scored twice in the second half before Fildes joined the brace club getting his second near the end putting the ball into the top corner. There were brief thoughts of a comeback but it was not to be.

 

This was significant for Ashton United in that this was the last time they managed to win an FA Cup tie. They lost to Gainsborough in the next round, and got beat at the first attempt in the next two seasons. It was also my final FA Cup game involving a side from the NWCFL until the journey to Sheffield to see Bacup – the game that prompted this very article.

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