Everton Women - Walton Hall Park

Everton Women FC

Walton Hall Park Soccer Centre

Walton Hall Avenue 

Liverpool 

Merseyside

L4 9XP

Official Website

Twitter

Ground Number: 1367
Sunday 13th October 2024
Everton 1-1 West Ham United
Womens Super League

EVERTON WOMEN FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club started life as Hoylake WFC in 1983. It merged with Dolphins YC to become Leasowe, then added Pacific to its title in a sponsorship deal. In 1988, they won the North West Women's League which they went on to win five times in a row. When the league expanded, they won Division 1 North at the first time of asking and joined the FA Womens Premier League. In 1995, they became Everton Women. In 1998, they won the Women's Premier League for the only time but they have been runners-up for five consecutive years from 2006 until 2010. In 2015, they were relegated to the WSL 2, finishing third in both seasons. Due to Notts County's demise, they won promotion back to the top flight in 2017. The women's football calendar shifted at this point and won the 2017 FA WSL 2 Spring Series in the interim. They have been in the rebranded Women's Super League ever since.

The club won the Women's FA Cup in 1989, beating Friends Of Fulham (now AFC Wimbledon Women) 3-2 and then again by the same scoreline against Arsenal in 2009. They also won the FA Women's Premier League Cup in 2008 and three Liverpool County Cups. Previous home venues have included the Cuemasters Ground in Upton Road, Moreton, Wirral until 1998, Marine FC's Rossett Park (1998 - 2013), Widnes Viking RFC's Select Security Stadium (2013 - 2018) and Haig Avenue, Southport (2018 - 20). Since February 2020, they have played at Walton Hall Park though some games are staged at Goodison Park owing to the small capacity.

MY VISIT

Back when Colin and I planned this weekend in Liverpool. I knew that he would be going to Anfield if he could. This was a consideration for me as I'd love to do a revisit there and get some proper photos. When I went there for a memorable visit against Zenit St Petersburg in 2013, my phone crashed and I lost the photos. No Dropbox automatic upload back then so I had to make do with the photos I took on a ground tour in 2008. But with me needing to visit Everton Women to complete the Women's Super League in terms of grounds, it was always going to be high on the list. Even seeing that the ground wasn't great didn't after my plans so on Tuesday, I purchased my ticket for the game. 

I'd really enjoyed my visit to Goodison Park over a decade ago and wouldn't have minded a revisit but options were few and far between with limited time off work. For as long as I've been watching football. Everton have been largely unsuccessful for a club of their size with just a 4th-place finish and the 1995 FA Cup win to their name. It must be painful watching their local rivals do fairly well in comparison but it's not since the mid 80's that they've had anywhere near a top team. My main memory of Everton was in 1994 when they were 2-0 down against Wimbledon at halftime on the final day and staring relegation in the face. However, a second-half recovery and goal from Barry Horne and Graham Stuart saw them recover and stay up by the skin of their teeth.

From our game at South Liverpool, we made our way to Walton Hall Park with the drive taking half an hour. The plan was to go to Jenny's Cafe. Despite being listed as open, it was not unreasonably, closed on a Sunday. I put my faith in Google again and it directed me to a place called Kitchen King. This was just the ticket but cash only. I was glad of the money I got out earlier as I was able to get a chilli hotdog. It came with seasoned fries and was superb and huge for £5.95. I ate it as I walked to the game, getting there 20 minutes before kickoff. They were playing some great tunes including one of my favourites, Forever Everton. The atmosphere was nice and friendly and although not perfect, the ground didn't deserve the slagging that Northern Lights fan Daniel gave it. It was a little crowded as half the crowd was fenced off but I still got a decent view.

 

It was a clash between the bottom two clubs with Everton sitting bottom and West Ham second bottom. Both had one draw to their name, Everton gaining theirs in a 0-0 draw at Liverpool in the Merseyside Derby whilst West Ham United drew at home to the same opponent. Everton started brightly but it was West Ham that took the lead through Anouk Denton on ten minutes. The rest of the half was quite dull, though I met up with Everton fan Ollie and got a match badge. The second half continued in the same dull fashion but Everton equalised with a deflected Melissa Lawley shot on 72 minutes. That was it as goals were concerned, the quality in the final third somewhat lacking even if the passing was decent. I headed back to my car and cracked on with my blog whilst I waited for Colin to come back from the Liverpool game. With the game kicking off an hour later and his slow pace, I was expecting a fair wait but I had lots to keep me busy.

THE GROUND

Walton Hall Park is probably the smallest venue in the top flight of the women's game. The only cover is a 500-seater stand whilst the rest of the ground is open. The crowd of around 450 had enough space for it to be comfortable, though it was a mystery why they closed off half of the ground as it would have been nicer to spread out. There was no bar but a couple of food stalls were brought in. There was also a face painting stall and a table selling various bits of merch. The atmosphere was good in one corner of the stand thanks to people singing and a drummer. It had a more family atmosphere than the men's game with a larger proportion of kids and parents than usual. Overall it was a positive experience.

South Liverpool - Jericho Lane Hub

South Liverpool FC

Jericho Lane Sports Hub

Otterspool Drive

Liverpool 

Merseyside

L17 5AR

South Liverpool FC Website

MBHSL FA Full-Time

South Liverpool FC Twitter

AFC Aigburth Twitter

Ground Number: 1366
Sunday 13th October 2024

AFC Aigburth 3-1 Pristine

MBHSL Division 2

SOUTH LIVERPOOL FC & THE LBH LEAGUE

The prime tenant of the Jericho Lane Sports Hub is South Liverpool FC. The hub was opened in 2019 and is owned by Leisure United, which has many similar venues nationwide. The club previously played on the same site when it was a basic pitch known as North Field, The current incarnation of South Liverpool FC was established in 1991 and was the third version of the club. A youth team at first, they merged with Cheshire Lines FC within a couple of years and for a couple of seasons were known as Cheshire LInes South Liverpool. They joined the Liverpool County Combination in 1995, winning the Division 2 title in their first season. They advanced to the Premier Division and finished a high of 4th in 2005. The following year, the County Combination merged with the I Zingari League to create the Liverpool County Premier League.

Due to their low finish in 2006, the club was placed in Division 1 but they won the title the following year. Back in the Premier Division, they finished 4th in 2009 but were relegated to the West Cheshire League Division 3 in 2011. They won that and Division 2 in the next two seasons and spent a while in Division 1. They won the title six times, the last of which came after the Jericho Lane facility opened. That allowed them promotion to the North West Counties Division 1 North. After a couple of unremarkable seasons, they finished 5th last season and qualified for the playoffs. Despite being outsiders they overcame Atherton LR and Ashton Town to reach the Premier Division.

The Merseyrail Business Houses Sunday League was founded in 1922 by a group of businessmen who wanted to provide a competitive football league for their employees. The league has grown steadily over the years and now has 75 teams competing in 5 divisions, plus a 10-team youth division. The league is sponsored by Merseyrail, a public transport operator in Merseyside. The current champions are Home Bargains, who won the Premier Division in 2024 and are regularly amongst the best teams in the FA Sunday Cup.

MY VISIT

As with Saturday, I was keen to make the most of my time on Merseyside and so the Merseyrail Business Houses League was the obvious candidate. This included teams such as Home Bargains, established in 1988 and five-time league winners. They were also regular competitors in the FA Sunday Cup which draws in big crowds in the latter stages. However, I wanted to take the opportunity to visit the ground that South Liverpool uses. That turned out to be the game between AFC Aigburth and Pristine. As with my Saturday morning game, it was reassuring that the home club had a good Twitter feed which sealed the deal.

As usual, I woke early on the day of the game due to being used to getting up for work. I felt OK though, but not about it being my last day off for some time. It would be another 138 days until I got more than one day off in a row, plus the living hell of Christmas in retail to look forward to. We got our things together and left just after 9, planning to stop at Spoons for breakfast. We had to get petrol first, the 24-hour Asda was closed so we went to Morrisons in Widnes where it was 7p a litre cheaper than home. It was then to the Childwall Fiveways Hotel, my 369th Wetherspoons. A breakfast muffin and energy drink were £3.99 and the parking was reasonable at 50p. The only pain was paying by cash as the antiquated system didn't take cards. I was happy I could get some at the bar with none on me. Breakfast was great and it was only ten minutes drive to South Liverpool FC. The car park was packed, but there was plenty opposite. We took a brief stroll down to the Mersey before walking across to the game.

 

AFC Aigburth were 5th in the league and unbeaten having won two and drawn two of their games so far. Pristine were 7th having won one, drawn two and lost two. AFC Aigburth were in red shirts and black shorts and Pristine were in an all-blue Argentina 2024 away kit. The visitors had the ball in the net after a couple of minutes, hitting the post and then the rebound into the roof of the net. However, it was ruled out for an infringement. AFC Aigburth took the lead on 6 minutes, with a rocket from just outside the area. A low shot from the edge of the area made it 2-0 on 20 minutes but it had been fairly even. After a four-minute halftime, the second half kicked off at 11.49 on 59 minutes, Pristine pulled a goal back, latching onto a long ball and finishing well. They certainly deserved it. However, on 80 minutes, Aigburth made it 3-1 on the break with a low shot.

 

THE GROUND

THE JERICHO LANE SPORTS HUB is a decent place to watch a game. The pitch area is a fairly decent cage with one seated stand and one area of cover holding around 75 each. Otherwise, it's three-sided open standing. The hub itself is nicely kept and has a cafe. There is lots of parking including opposite and buses run to near the ground. 

Litherland REMYCA - Litherland Sports Park

Litherland REMYCA FC

Litherland Sports Park

Boundary Road

Litherland

Liverpool

L21 7LA

07738 782607

Official Website

Twitter

NWCFL Page

Ground Number: 1365

Saturday 12th October 2024

Litherland REMYCA 1-0 South Liverpool
North West Counties Premier Division

LITHERLAND REMYCA FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 1959 as St Thomas FC and were initially based in Seaforth. They were later renamed Bootle Church Lads Brigade, with Bootle YMCA becoming the club's base. In 1967 they became REM Social after a local working men's club started financing the club, before being renamed REMYCA United the following year, the name reflecting links with the REM social club and the Bootle YMCA. Under the new name, the club joined Division Three of the I Zingari Alliance, winning it at the first attempt. After winning higher divisions in successive seasons, the club entered the I Zingari League. They saw a great deal of success, winning the title four times. They had a brief spell in the Liverpool County Combination but returned to the IZL which later merged with the LCC to form the Liverpool County Premier League. They won Division 2 in 2007 before finishing 3rd behind Essemmay Old Boys and Stoneycorft in 2010 to earn promotion from Division 1 in 2010. In 2013, they changed their name to Litherland REMYCA. In 2014, a 5th place finish in the Premier Division was good enough for promotion to the North West Counties League. In 2018, they finished as Division 1 runners-up to Silsden to win promotion to the Premier Division. Their best finish here of 10th came in 2023.

Litherland REMYCA reached the FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round, losing 7-2 at Tadcaster Albion. They also have three FA Vase 1st Round appearances. Local cup wins include the Lancashire Amateur Cup in 1991 and the I Zingari League Challenge Cup on five occasions. The strange name means 'the gypsies' in dialecticised Italian, and I Zingari was the name of an English amateur cricket club formed in 1845, and an Australian one formed 40 years later. The Liverpool Football League’s name invokes their spirit of amateur competition. The club had its record attendance of 1,303 v City of Liverpool in the 2017 North West Counties League Division One Playoff Final.

 

The town of Litherland is situated five miles from Liverpool and has a population of just over 22,000. Litherland remained a poor area until the arrival of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal in 1774, this brought the area into the modern world, originally providing a safe route through Lancashire from Liverpool to Wigan, and eventually in 1816 through to Leeds. The route became very busy primarily for goods and later for the transportation of passengers. The outcome of all this activity was to bring prosperous businessmen from the city to the countryside, where they had a desire to live. The canal was crossed by a mechanical lifting bridge built in 1934 (replacing an earlier swing bridge) which was demolished in 1974.

MY VISIT

As you would expect, by far the biggest choice of games for my trip was on Saturday afternoon. However, the choice of grounds in Liverpool at step 6 and above is pretty poor once you have done the likes of Prescot Cables and Marine. The collection of 3G cages at the likes of South Liverpool and Lower Breck were pretty uninspiring but the good thing was, I could do them for the morning games on Saturday and Sunday as they were regularly rented out. to local teams. That left just Litherland REMYCA, a pretty uninspiring venue with a huge running track and other assorted rubbish around the pitch. I did briefly consider dropping down to a step 7 league but there was nothing amazing there either. I reasoned that I needed the ground with Groundhop UK having already included it on their hop. I also thought that at least for photos, it would be better to do it in the day rather than at night.

 

From my game at Lower Breck in the morning, I hopped straight on the bus that dropped me near the Thomas Frost Wetherspoons, in between the current grounds of Liverpool and Everton. My opener was a pint of Stowford Press, a bland and functional drink in a bland and functional pub. It was the usual superb value though, £1.99 a pint so I had another. Also the excellent chicken wings, five for £2.49. Service was superb and warm-hearted which sums up the wonderful city of Liverpool. From there, I walked 15 minutes to the required bus stop. It was five minutes late but I was still well on schedule. I was at the ground half an hour before kickoff, entrance was a well-priced £6. I had a walk around and the pitch seemed so distant, not just the running track but other dead space around the track. I decided to position myself behind a shed thing near the pitch and managed 15 minutes of the game before I was asked to move. Seen as they were friendly and apparently, it was the league whining. I had no issue and stood pitch side.

 

Litherland REMYCA were 20th in the league but their form was not terrible. Out of their last six, they had won three, drawn one and lost two. It was a real relegation battle as South Liverpool were 21st, having won one, drawn two and lost three of their last six, They did have a midweek game at home to Pilkington on Wednesday though. From what I could make out, it was a fairly even game with no real chances. But as the game progressed, both teams had good spells, firstly Litherland with a shot cleared off the line and then a good spell for South Liverpool with a series of corners. Litherland came close again but the shot was tipped over the bar by the South Liverpool keeper on 50 minutes. The scoring was opened on 65 minutes, James Hamill giving REMYCA the lead on 65 minutes as q quick break presented him with a one-on-one which he put past the keeper. There were not many other chances and the most notable point was strong wind which blew the goal over a few minutes from time and the referee ended the game soon after.

 

I was happy to be on my way and to have the ground ticked. It was one that I needed to catch up with Groundhop UK on the North West Counties hop, though they appeared to be doing the same as I only needed two of the seven on the upcoming hop. It was a short walk to the bus stop, just under ten minutes wait for the bus and half an hour into Liverpool. I'd not had a lot of luck with cider pubs, the cider pub of the year, the Augustus John, closed at weekends. The Baltic Fleet only had some crappy fruit cider rather than the one I fancied. I walked instead to the Beatles Statue and the docks where I got some great pictures. The Ship and Mitre is always good in Liverpool and so I headed there for a pint of Delirium Red, fruit beer fine for me, but I prefer my cider pure apples. It was a cracking pint whilst I waited for Colin at one of my favourite places in Liverpool. We then met up with Sean, getting another couple of Spoons ticked. The Fall Well was excellent for food and drink but the Welkin was pretty ropey on the service. For that reason, we scrapped plans to go to the one in Birkenhead as we couldn't guarantee the buses. The 9.47 was five minutes late but was pretty full, showing that there is demand for a reasonably decent bus service. We were back just after 11 and I caught up with my blog.

THE GROUND

LITHERLAND SPORTS PARK is as bad as it gets in terms of grounds at this level and even below. The running track is bad enough but when other athletics crap is dumped in front of a stand that might as well be a sofa for the glorified school sports day that is athletics it makes you feel distant from the pitch with no elevation.

It is not the club's fault though and they are friendly and welcoming. There is a decent club room, although small there is a lot going on in there and a decent range of food and drink is available. Card payment is available too and it's probably better to do in the daylight. Parking is plentiful and the bus route runs right outside the ground.