AFC Liverpool from Yesteryear

When I look back at opening games of the season following AFC Liverpool, one match I often look back fondly is going to the now defunct Rochdale Town, and winning 5-0 at the start of the 2009/10 season. That would partly be because I could not make the first ever game twelve months earlier at home to Darwen. Having missed out on promotion in the inaugural season, I was hopeful that the previous season's disappointment could be a blessing in disguise. Despite starting well enough, we could have found ourselves a goal down as Anthony Whitehouse shook off Phil Stafford to shoot past Paul Willis, only for captain dependable Liam Coyne to get back and clear off the line. When we did take the lead through David Ojapah on 38 minutes, it had been on the cards. He beat the offside trap to play the ball past stranded Rochdale keeper Mark Canning, who ran out of his goal, and slot into the net with a defender trying desperately to get to the line. Ojapah himself should have already been...

AFC Liverpool made their FA Vase debut on Sunday 20th September 2009. The opposition were Dinnington Town, a team from the Northern Counties East League Premier Division, effectively one step higher in the Non-League Pyramid. With Liverpool not playing that day, hope was high that a healthy attendance could be achieved. As it was, the attendance was 181. The Yorkshire side probably should have taken an early lead after an unconvincing Phil Stafford clearance fell to Dinnington's Michael Blytham, who shot for the top corner, only to be denied by the brave face of Mark Bloxham, but it was the home side who took the lead on twelve minutes as Matty Williams poked home a Ryan Wignall cross. A moment earlier Wiggy had another cross blocked, but persisted to win the ball back and subsequently set up the opening goal.  The lead was to last 18 minutes as Liam Morris slotted home on the half hour after a cross from the right. I certainly felt at this point that Dinnington didn...

A very scrappy first half was brought to life by a 25 yard screamer from right back Mike Girvan.  It didn't half swerve on route to the top corner, and is right up there with the best ever goals scored by AFC Liverpool. Until that point, we had probably had the better of the half, forcing a couple of corners.  Whereas their best moment came in the first few minutes when Midfielder Nathan Valentine just about avoided an own goal, by skying over our own crossbar. With a few minutes to go before half time, there were a few signs that Runcorn Town were getting back into it.  Then Paul Shanley beat our keeper Ryan Jones to the ball, with Jones in no man's land, enabling Shanley to proceed in bringing Town back on level terms. However, we did regain the lead in first half injury time.  After a relatively quiet first half, Franny Barry scored following a goalmouth scramble. The second half was dominated by sustained attacks from the visitors.  On a ...