AFC Liverpool from Yesteryear

AFC went into this clash with St Helens Town 14 points clear of Saints, having played four games less.   A win would have been a first for the Reds at the fifth time of asking.   A win on this night would have also put us on 38 points, which would have represented safety, with half of the league matches still to play! Saints took the lead in an otherwise uneventful first half with a header, which was judged to have gone over the line.   Alan Williams and I had started rattling, thinking that the defence had just about cleared the ball away!   The first half was difficult to watch in Shetland-like conditions, and according to Steve Fraser it was not much better in the announcer box of the Valerie Park stand.   Steve was in the box along with Chairman Chris Stirrup and Match Announcer Alan Harrison.   The topic of conversation in the box had apparently been about funeral songs. Alan Williams came up with an inspirational move for the second half,...

This matchday was almost a full day event, as I met up with my best mate Kevin.  We have been friends since going to College together in Southport in the early nineties.  Kev has lived in Stockport now for over 15 years.  Due to his family roots, he does support Liverpool, and he was probably a much better footballer than I ever was.  However, I wouldn't say he is as fanatical a football fan as I am.   We met up for a pint in his local, which is an establishment I completely appreciate, due to it's range of cask ales.  Then after a short bus which went past Fred Perry's old house, we arrived in Woodley.  Before heading to the Stockport Sports Village, we had another pint in a Woodley pub.  However, the ale was of an inferior quality here.   The Reds made a very slow start and were fortunate to be just 1-0 down inside the first 15 minutes or so.  Their goal came about when Ryan Jones ...

I caught the club coach to Darwen, which was organised by a fellow supporter, who picked me up from Lime Street with her now husband, before we all caught the coach from the Jolly Miller at 12.30. Before the match, all of the travelling contingent from the minibus watched Man Utd v Newcastle in the Anchor Pub.  That match ended 0-0, but Man Utd did go close a few times.   In the final moments of Utd v Newcastle, one of our supporters Kenny used a certain famous phrase of his, which has been very often heard on the terrace at times when AFC have been hanging on.  The phrase is something like "Blow your whistle Titch!" Although, the real word rhymes with titch, but begins with the letter b. I started the first half of the main event on the balcony of Darwen's modernised clubhouse, having a pint with two of our supporters.  As I joined up with the Rattlers, Darwen seemed to be in the ascendancy. After a goalless first 29 minutes, Ryan Cox put us in front...

It was a Pre-Season friendly, and a reunion with ex-Reds Boss Paul Moore. On arriving at Wincham Park, I got chatting with Chris Brooks, along with Lynn and Ade.  I watched a few minutes of Liverpool's 2-1 win over Leicester in the Premier League Asia Trophy, courtesy of Chris's tablet. As Dave The Rattler and I made our way to the other side of the ground to where we were attacking, we both shook hands with our old Manager Mooresy.   It was a first half hour dominated by the home side, who created chance after chance.   Some efforts were cleared off our line, whilst others went wide.   There was the odd save by Ben Morrow in the AFC goal.   For all their dominance, Witton were only 1-0 up. As the first half drew to a close, AFC started to find a bit of confidence, and a couple of decent chances were created.   The home side could have once more extended the lead on the stroke of half time.   But one of our defenders was able to back h...