Wythenshawe - Hollyhedge Park

Wythenshawe FC

Community Stadium

Hollyhedge Park

Altrincham Road

Sharston

Wythenshawe

Manchester 

M22 4US

0161 428 0517

Official Website

Twitter

Ground Number: 1450
Saturday 19th July 2025

Wythenshawe 4-1 Wythenshawe Town

Friendly

WYTHENSHAWE FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 1946 under the name Wythenshawe Lads Club. They joined the Manchester Federation of Lads' Clubs League. In 1949, the players became too old for the league, leading the club to form an adult side that entered the South Manchester and Wythenshawe League. The club also changed its name to Wythenshawe Amateurs. After a series of promotions, the club became Division One champions in 1953. Following this, Wythenshawe joined the Altrincham & District League, where they played for one season before switching to Division 3A of the Lancashire & Cheshire League. They won this and were runners-up in Division 3 the following season, to win promotion to Division 2. A third consecutive promotion followed in 1957, and they then went on to win the Division 1 title in 1962.

In 1972, the club joined Division 1 of the Manchester League and won it at the first attempt. In 1985, Wythenshawe were Premier Division runners-up to Maine Road before winning the title in 1990. A further title followed in 1993, along with a colossal nine runner-up spots. After the final one of these, promotion was secured to the North West Counties League in 2018. Five good seasons were enjoyed in Division 1 South before they won the title in 2023, following a loss in the playoffs to FC Isle of Man the previous season. That summer, they dropped the 'Amateurs' suffix to become Wythenshawe. In 2024, they made it two titles in a row as they won the North West Counties Premier. However, they only lasted one season in the NPL D1 West, being relegated back to step 5 long before the season ended.

A few unsuccessful FA Cup campaigns have been embarked upon. The 1984/85 season saw them have their best run in the FA Vase as they beat Rylands, Chadderton, Emley, Buckingham Town and Rushall Olympic before a defeat to eventual winners Halesowen Town in the 5th Round. Local cup wins include the NWCFL Division One South Champions Cup in 2023, seven Manchester League Gilgryst Cups and the Norman Noden Memorial Invitation Cup, as well as many Lancashire & Cheshire League cups. Their biggest attendance of 1,450 came against local rivals Wythenshawe Town for a league match on Boxing Day 2023. Around three miles separate the two rivals' grounds.

 

MY VISIT

This game was the whole reason that I was going on this trip. A noon kickoff allowed me to get a double in, and it was a cracking local derby too. It had always been high on my list, as Groundhop UK had done it on a previous hop. Combined with the fact that I was in Silsden the previous evening, this meant that it was the perfect time to go. We got back to our campsite around ten. The nearby road was still very noisy, so a couple of pints hardly made a dent in my consciousness. I could have got blotto, but I wasn't really in the mood, and I'd had enough to shake off the rust. It was a lousy night's sleep, though with the traffic noise and sharing a tent with a gorilla but I must have got a few hours in. I woke up to see a brown stain on Colin's leg that most definitely wasn't fake tan. Rather than clean himself, he said his trousers would cover it up and he'd sort it out when he got home. 

Around 7, I got up and freshened up and spent an hour relaxing before packing everything away and leaving at 8.45. It was a slow journey at first, which killed the fuel economy, but we soon got on the motorway. We were at Eccles at 10.05 and I tried to do the right thing by paying to park. However, the machine was not working properly, and the Ringo app wouldn't let me register. I spent ten minutes cursing at the machine before giving up and parking in Morrisons. I'm fearful of a fine turning up as it's probably deliberately set up to catch people out with ANPR, and the DVLA give details out to any old shyster. The Eccles Cross was a smallish Spoons but a good place for a breakfast muffin with an energy drink. By luck, I'd already filled up with petrol on the way at Sainsbury's and it was by far the cheapest in the area. From there, it was 20 minutes drive to Wythenshawe with us parking in a side street for a quick getaway and paying £7 to get in. I then went to the bar, getting a pint of Strongbow Dark Fruits for the souvenir glass. Colin had another entitled whine at the bar lady using coarse language as if the world revolves around him. I thought it was a lovely place, albeit it would have been nice to get some extra merch.

The game kicked off 22 minutes late for whatever reason. I was hoping it wasn't anything bad, but no communication was offered by the club, which was disappointing. They'd been excellent on Twitter but had clammed up once lineups had been announced. Town dominated early on, but the Ammies had the first chance, having a close-range finish disallowed for an infringement. On 24 minutes, the home side took the lead, a good charging run forward and a shot in the top of the net from outside of the area by Darius Palma. I had taken shelter at the back of the stand by now, and with the late kickoff, was considering giving it a miss. Just before half time, it was 2-0 with a low shot from Steven Hewitt from just inside the area. The second half kicked off at 1.24. On 58 minutes, it was 3-0, another low shot. It was then 4-0 on 73 minutes, a curling shot in off the post. Town reduced the arrears to make it 4-1 on 78 minutes, netting a penalty.

 

Usually, the one time I never have issues finding a game is Saturday at 3 PM. But this week was different, with me coming from the Wythenshawe derby at 12. But for some reason, they were scarce this week, despite Futbology giving me false hope. First off, I had Middlewich Town v Alsager Town down. That would have been perfect on the way home with a 3 PM kickoff, but Futbology had it wrong. Next up was Atherton Laburnum Rovers, which was in the wrong direction, but I already had a blog done, thanks to the weather ruining my previous two visits. They were scheduled to kick off at 2:30 against Ashton Town in the Atherton Charity Cup. But that proved to be incorrect, too, clarified by their helpful and friendly Twitter. I was really hoping for Eccleshall or Sandbach to further catch up with Groundhop UK in the North West Counties League. But it wasn't happening with so many sides resting their pitches at this time of year. I had to settle for a 2 PM game and have to miss the first few minutes. Futbology had it listed as Poynton, which was perfect, as I had already done a blog for them. I was due to visit back in March, but I switched to Whalley Bridge at the last minute because the public transport links were better. However, even that turned out to be a false hope, with the game being played at Whalley Range. But with little else on, I decided to stick with it as it was also a cup final. But in the end, it was not to be, with the late kick-off and other factors, I decided to head home instead. It was frustrating, but I welcomed the relaxing evening at home.

 

THE GROUND

HOLLYHEDGE PARK is a fairly basic venue but has a good vibe to it. The ground is open aside from a decent stand along the side. Thr comprises a mixture of benches and seats for 200, plus room for another 100 behind standing. The bar is a lovely place for a pint, and they have branded plastic cups. Not the greatest range for cider drinkers, but an excellent-looking food menu was available. More simple food and hot and soft drinks were available outside. Sadly, no merch was available. Parking was decent, though chargeable. Free street parking was also available, and buses ran close by. It is a friendly club to visit and well worth a hop.