AFC Liverpool from Yesteryear

In September 2010 AFC Liverpool took on Daisy Hill at Valerie Park in a midweek league fixture. The Reds were looking to extend a six game unbeaten run that started in the wake of their FA Cup elimination at the hands of Hemsworth Miners Welfare. Early on, it was the visitors who took the game to AFC. We were given a real scare as Daisy Hill hit the bar following a header from a free kick. Reds' Keeper Jack Baker was left rooted. AFC striker Aaron Stafford could have also scored at the other end, missing a one on one against Daisy Hill Keeper Craig Holmes. The game changed to 10 a-side following dismissals for River Humphries and Daisy Hill's Darrell Gavin. I have to confess that I did not see the incident myself, but was told that both players got into a punch-up. We took the lead via an Aaron Stafford tap in after Steve Jones' shot was miscued. Further goals followed in the second half from Joe Gibbons, Steve Jones, and two for substitute Jack Sinnott to complete a 5-0 wi...

Having lost 7-1 to Whitley Bay in the FA Vase the previous week, the Reds now had only one priority for the season. There was at this point a crowded promotion pictureat the top of the North West Counties League First Division with AFC Blackpool and Runcorn Town both going strong. Wigan Robin Park, the Reds' opponents on 15th January 2011, were another threat at this point to the Reds' ambitions. Although we started well enough courtesy of an early Aaron Stafford goal, Wigan drew level almost immediately with a header from a corner. As the first half wore on, the feeling on me rose that Wigan would gain the upper hand as the Robins were always first to the loose ball. That sinking feeling got worse after the break, despite AFC Liverpool creating more chances. This dismissal of Shaun Chart was always going to make it very tough and what made it worse was that at times it seemed like we were playing ten against twelve, as the referee seemed more inclined to take action against ou...

 AFC Liverpool travelled to Colne's XLCR  stadium on 7th January 2012 without having recorded an away league win for the seaason so far. A challenging train journey for me was further complicated by a 1pm pitch inspection. Had the game at Colne been called off, my plan B would have been to head to Bamber Bridge, who were playing at home that day. I knew from a previous trip to East Lancashire a couple of years previous (possibly when we travelled to Barnoldswick Town) that Bamber Bridge's ground was next to the railway. Thankfully, Colne's pitch passed inspection and the game went ahead. More than thirteen years on, I still await my first trip to Bamber Bridge! AFC were very much on top in the opening ten minutes, with this period including a disallowed goal and an Anthony Brown cross coming back off the crossbar, as the Reds were clearly benefiting from a strong wind behind them. That all changed though on eleven minutes, as following a long ball which split open our defen...

It was on the last day of October 2009 that I watched my first Vodkat (North West Counties League) League Cup match with AFC Liverpool. It is possibly not the first match that I ever watched in that competition as over twenty years previously I had watched one Formby match which I recall had been in a Cup Competition against a team from Greater Manchester. If I did purchase a programme from that game, and I think I may have done, I have unfortunately been unable to find it. One reason the game against Alsager sparks a little memory is that it was very rare at that point to have a League Cup match played at home due to the Groundshare arrangement we had back then with Prescot Cables. Fixture clashes with Cables had often meant our home ties got switched. Luke Hebblewhite, Alsager's keeper was very shakey early on, so it came as no surprise when his fumble presented David Ojapah with a simple tap in on twenty four minutes to give the Reds the lead. However, we were sloppy just before...