AFC Liverpool from Yesteryear

This post looks back to the Spring of 2011 and our last trip to the now-defunct Rochdale Town, who sadly folded in the first few weeks of the 2016/17 season. It is particularly sad that we are talking about a non-league club who had strong ties to their Town's senior football league side. AFC Liverpool had visited the Rochdale non-league club on four occasions in our first three seasons. Our first league match there saw us edge a nine goal thriller. Then there was the cup tie in the fog, which we won 1-0. Our second league campaign got off to the best possible start with a 5-0 win at Rochdale Town. When we headed to the Mayfield Sports Centre in April 2011, we were hoping to continue our 100% record. But as they say, things don't always go to plan. We travelled to Rochdale Town knowing that the form of AFC Blackpool and Runcorn Town would almost certainly condemn AFC Liverpool to a fourth season in the North West Counties League Division One. The hosts meanwhile only ...

After I got settled into my seat, they got a penalty.   I didn't properly see the incident which led to the penalty, but fortunately their lad ballooned it.   Over the mic, Alan Harrison commented that we would be most grateful if someone on Crosby beach could retrieve the ball! Despite that let off, Darwen were soon in front.   It was a well taken strike which beat Ryan Jones into his bottom right corner. For our part, we had started very sluggish.   Early indications suggested that Reds' fans would not be in for a very enjoyable evening.   When Ryan Cox got played in via Route One, he failed to beat the keeper, and that miss only reinforced that feeling I had. Ryan Cox was through on goal again on 25 minutes.   I just had that feeling he would miss again.   This time he shot low, and the ball trickled into the net, and we were level. Myself, Steve Fraser, and Dave The Rattler were heading down to the bottom of the stand with half time fast a...

To say that ex-Reds striker David Ojapah was not the favourite player of Dave The Rattler would be a big understatement.  He left AFC Liverpool in the summer of 2010, and AFC's fixture against Ashton Town marked Ojapah's return to Valerie Park. It was a game in which I feel Ojapah did not do too badly against his ex-teammates.  He held the ball up well at times, but was often isolated up front.  I also felt that Ashton had only turned up to try and get a point that day. Ultimately, we did win 1-0 courtesy of a second half Kieran Quinn shot from the edge of the box which took a deflection.  We always showed more than Ashton Town.  The reaction of two of their players who went to the floor when the ball was in the net, confirmed my feelings that the visitors were here to try and get a point. Predictably, the visitors did show more urgency going forward after our goal.  Thankfully, they never seriously looked threatening.  Due to bad...