AFC Liverpool v Alsager Town, 31st October 2009

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 and after half time to enable the visitors to first equalise, and then take the lead, with both goals scored by Stuart Tulloch. Alsager then went on to dominate the large periods of the second half, and created a string of chances which were all fortunately missed. But then, a quiet Ryan Wignall suddenly came alive and tested the Alsager keeper.

John Kennedy equalised for AFC on seventy one minutes, and the momentum moved back to the men in Red. The equalising goal was scored following good tracking back by David Ojapah, who in turn found Steve Corris. Corris ran at the Alsager defence, and then played in JK to slot home. Personally, it was a timely reminder that experiencing your team scoring in the flesh at first hand, rather than in front of a TV screen is very special, irrespective of what level you are watching. We almost scored an unlikely winner in normal time, but Hebblewhite was suddenly not as shaky as he had been earlier, saving from a Phil Stafford header.

The AFC faithful were lifted in the first period of extra time by Mark Bloxam stepping forward for the second consecutive week to score the winner, having snatched a last-gasp goal at Wigan Robin Park seven days earlier. Like the two previous AFC goals, Bloxam's header on one hundred and two minutes also had an Ojapah input as a Lee Mullin cross from the left was headed across goal by the centre forward for Blocko to nod home. Alsager had their fair share of chances during the second period of extra time as they pushed for the equaliser and substitute Tim Drohan forced a match winning save by Paul Willis from six yards out.

There seemed to be a fair bit of injury time added at the end of extra time. I had an uncontrollable urge to shout to the ref about my need to catch a bus home. A chap called Bill shouted that he was waiting for his tea! When I did finally get on the bus towards St Helens, I had the pleasure of a drunken passenger cheekily asking me to give him a quid because it was his birthday! I refused. With the Reds safely over the line to face Glossop North End in the next round, it was not the kind of celebration I had in mind!

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