Abbey Hey - Abbey Stadium

Abbey Hey FC

The Abbey Stadium

Goredale Avenue

Gorton

Manchester

M18 7HD

0161 231 7147

Official Website

NWCFL Page

Ground Number: 1392

Sunday 2nd March 2025

Abbey Hey 0-0 Prestwich Heys

NWCFL Premier

ABBEY HEY FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 1902 and was originally known as Abbey Hey WMC. During their formative years and through the two World Wars, the club was disbanded and reformed on several occasions. Starting in the Church Sunday Leagues, they progressed through the Manchester Amateur Leagues during the intervening years, culminating in a title win in 1965. The South East Lancs League was then won in 1967 & 1969. They joined Division 1 South of the Manchester League and were promoted to the Premier Division within a couple of years. They then went on to be champions five times and runners-up twice. In 1998, Abbey Hey were accepted into the North West Counties League. Starting in Division 2, they finished as runners-up to Fleetwood Freeport to win promotion to Division 1. Later renamed the Premer Division, Abbey Hey would remain here until 2010 when they finished bottom. It would take them until 2013 to win promotion back as runners-up to Formby. Aside from a 10th-place finish in 2016 though, the side struggled and were relegated again in 2019. They missed out on promotion in 2022 after finishing 4th and losing to New Mills in the playoff semis. Another 4th-place finish last season saw them beat Sandbach United and Stockport Town in the playoffs to win promotion back to the Premier Division.

Abbey Hey have twice reached the FA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round. Their 2017 run was also notable as they needed three games to get past Maine Road following an abandonment and they the took comparative giants Altrincham to a replay in the 1st Qualifying Round following a 3-3 draw at home, they narrowly lost 2-1 away. During the 2021 season, they beat Ashton Athletic, Hall Road Rangers, Parkgate, Carlisle City, Bury and AFC Liverpool prior to losing to Loughborough Students in the FA Vase 5th Round. Local cup wins include the NWCFL Challenge Cup in 2010, three Manchester League Open Trophies, two Manchester League Gilgryst Cups, the South East Lancs League Shield and the Manchester United Memorial Cup in 1966 as well as three Manchester County Amateur Cups. Their record attendance of  1,461 came in the 2006/07 season when they played FC United of Manchester. The most famous player to play for them is Deane Smalley who had a good career in the Football League before a spell at Abbey Hey during the 2019/20 season.

 After joining the Manchester League, the club were required to have an enclosed ground and moved to St Werburghs Road in Chorlton-cum-Hardy. However, two years later they were required to leave, this time moving back to Abbey Hey to a ground named after councillor Godfrey Erman. After eighteen years at Godfrey's, the club were told to move out. They spent two seasons playing at the English Steel ground, during which they negotiated the purchase of land on Goredale Avenue in Gorton and built a new ground, the Abbey Stadium.

Abbey Hey is an area of Gorton, in the city of Manchester, England. It is known mainly for Debdale Park, Wright Robinson College, Parkstone Park also known as Cat Valley Field, the donkey sanctuary & Delamere Park. Gorton has a population of 36,000. According to local folklore, Gorton derives its name from Gore Town, due to a battle between the Saxons and Danes nearby. This has been dismissed by historians as "popular fancy". The name Gorton means "dirty farmstead", perhaps taking its name from the Gore Brook, or dirty brook, which still runs through the township today. The brook may have acquired that name because of the dirty appearance of its water, perhaps caused by discolouration due to peat or iron deposits. Manchester City F.C. was founded as St Mark's (West Gorton) in 1880. The club was formed to bind the local community and combat a form of gang warfare called scuttling that existed in the 1870s.

Myra Hindley, convicted of taking part in the Moors Murders in 1966, grew up in Gorton. She and Ian Brady lived there at the time of the first three Moors murders, before moving to Hattersley in 1964 when Hindley's family home was included in a local demolition programme. Brady and Hindley committed two further murders after moving from Gorton before they were finally arrested in October 1965. Their first victim, Pauline Reade (who died in July 1963 aged 16, but whose body was not found for 24 years), was a Gorton resident and a neighbour of Hindley. The third victim, Keith Bennett, whose body has never been found, was also from Gorton. Other famous people from the area include actor John Thaw and footballers Tommy Johnson and Nicky Butt.

MY VISIT

Out of all the games on the hop, this was probably the one I was looking forward to the most. I visited the ground on Wednesday 13th September 2008. I had seen Wycombe Wanderers draw 2-2 up at Bury the previous night and we had an overnight stop. The wazzock that I was meant that I didn't go hopping at the time and was satisfied with just getting pictures of grounds. In this case, only the outside and a rustic-looking homemade sign. I remember doing the Old Trafford tour that day as it was my friend Sue's birthday and I'd gone up to Manchester with her and husband Paul for a short break. Thanks to the power of the Windows search, I can see that I visited: Oldham Town (sadly disappeared before I could visit the original venue), Stalybridge Celtic (went on the Oxford City team coach), Hyde United & Mossley (later visited as a double in 2014), Droylsden (redoing the second game as booze meant hazy memories of my first visit). Aside from that, I guess I must have headed home after that but can't be 100% sure unlike now with Google Maps timeline.

New Mills really had pulled it out of the bag to be brilliant hosts. I was also in fantastic company with fellow hopper Dave although Ollie who I'd spent most of the day with disappeared into thin air or so I thought until he popped up near the end. I walked up to the station with fellow hopper Paul and we got the 19:10 train to Stockport. I got a good deal on the app, £1.30 with a voucher but it issued me with a paper ticket. The old Northern boneshaker took its time but we were there just after 7.30. I visited the excellent Petersgate Tap where I had a couple and then a couple more at another strange pub called the Spinning Top. The Yarde's cider was strong stuff but I managed to meet up with Colin despite being the worse for wear. We got the 23:16 train back to Handforth and checked in. I dropped off pretty quickly and had a good night's sleep. I woke up around 6 am and did some work on my blog as well as getting ready. The 9.27 train was in Stockport 15 minutes later and it was a short walk to the Calverts Court Wetherspoons for a breakfast muffin, energy drink and pint of Stowford Press for £4.98. From there, it was a short walk to the bus stop and a 20-minute ride where we met Charlie on the bus before a ten-minute walk to the ground. It was £6 in, lucky I had cash as Colin had come unprepared and there was no card payment.

 

Abbey Hey sat 14th in the table. In their last six, they had won three and lost three. Last time out, they beat struggling Squires Gate 3-2. Prestwich Heys were 23rd in the league. They had won two, drawn one and lost three of their last six games. Last week, they lost 3-0 at AFC Liverpool. The first half was a dull contest with few chances. The fussy referee did not help with the flow of the game but the first real chance came on 73 minutes when Abbey Hey hit the right hand post from three yards out following a goalkeeper fumble. Prestwich Heys were awarded a penalty on 80 minutes but the effort was well saved. The post was then hit again by Abbey Hey from close range. The game deservedly ended 0-0 and was the most disappointing of the weekend.

 

From there, Richard kindly gave us a lift to Droylsden although we were delayed due to a vehicle blocking the road. It was a crap journey, the three miles taking 35 minutes to drive. We met fellow hopper River at the turnstile where it was £6 to get in. A pint of Strongbow was £4.50 at the quick-serving bar. The food had the biggest queue taking around ten minutes. The award-winning Balti pies had sold out, so I got gravy and chips for £5, quite pricey. The game was the best of the hop, 3-2 to Droylsden and a real end-to-end contest. The fans were excellent too. From there it was a short walk to the tram stop to get into Manchester. My ticket was a bargain £6.65 thanks to the rail sale. Clumsy Colin only picked his ticket up this morning but had already managed to lose it. He had to buy a new one, getting it for a decent £28.55 thanks to River's advice. Not bad for someone he'd been slagging off afternoon and calling him ratboy.The train left at 5.30, the only drawback was an hour's stop in Crewe but we got the 19:13 train back to Euston from there, due to get back in London just before 10.

THE GROUND 

THE ABBEY STADIUM is a decent setup for the level. There is one stand, a combination of standing and seating holding a good few hundred. The rest of the ground is open with the clubhouse on the far side. This has a kitchen downstairs which was selling breakfast rolls and a bar upstairs which has a small range of merchandise.

New Mills - Church Lane

New Mills FC

Church Lane
New Mills
High Peak
Derbyshire
SK22 4NP

01663 747435
Official Website
Twitter

Ground Number: 219
Monday 8th October 2012
New Mills 2-1 Curzon Ashton
NPL D1 North

NEW MILLS FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

Various versions of the club have existed. New Mills from 1886 until 1898 played local football, mainly in the Manchester League. The second, New Mills St George, played from 1903 until 1914 when they were disbanded due to the outbreak of war. Club number three, New Mills was established in 1919 and would join the Manchester League the following year. They won titles in 1924 and 1926 with a runners-up spot in between. As well as winning the league, New Mills also won the Derbyshire Cup three seasons out of four. The club was extremely well supported and had regular gates of around 3000. This was a very successful few seasons for the club, and at least half a dozen players moved on to clubs in the Football League. Following a break during the Second World War, they returned to action in the Manchester Amateur League, progressing to the Manchester League which they won for a third time in 1956 and ten times overall. In 1974, the club joined the Cheshire League but found the step up tricky. When the league was expanded in 1978, New Mills would spend three seasons in Division 1 until they were relegated in 1981. They struggled in Division 2 in their single season there before the league was merged into the North West Counties League. A bottom-place finish in Division 2 was officially the last season for this version of the club.

Birch Vale and Thornsett FC joined the Manchester League in 1977 and were seeking a new ground. Therefore, in 1983, they took over the running of New Mills FC. They were promoted to Division 1 of the league in 1987 and would remain there until 2001 when they won promotion to the Premier Division after finishing as runners-up to Leigh Athletic. Three seasons were spent here before they were admitted into the North West Counties League's second tier in 2004. New Mills were champions in 2008 and would go on to twice finish as runners-up in the Premier Division before winning the title in 2011. Five seasons would be spent at step 4, the nightlight coming in 2103 when they finished 3rd in the NPL D1 North before losing to Trafford in the playoff semis. A bad few seasons started in 2014/15 when they only avoided relegation due to a reprieve. The following season they did not win a game all season and were relegated. The 2016/17 season saw relegation again, this time to the NWCFL Divison 1. Since 2018, they've been in the regionalised Division 1 South. Their best finish of 3rd came in 2022 and they beat Abbey Hey in the playoff semis only to lose to FC Isle Of Man in the final.

New Mills have made two appearances in the FA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round. They also reached the FA Trophy 3rd Qualifying Round in 2012. During the 2009/10 season, they reached the FA Vase 5th Round beating Bourne Town, Tividale, West Auckland Town and Witney United before losing 2-0 at home to Norton & Stockton Aincients. In terms of local honours, New Mills have won the North West Counties League Challenge Cup in 2009, the North West Counties Division 2 Trophy in 2008 and the Open Trophy eight times as well as a host of honours in their former guises.

New Mills was first noted for coal mining, then for cotton spinning, bleaching and calico printing. It was served by the Peak Forest Canal, three railway lines and the A6 trunk road. Redundant mills were bought up in the mid-twentieth century by sweet manufacturer Swizzels Matlow. The population is around 13,000. Tony Audenshaw, actor (Bob Hope in Emmerdale), singer and marathon runner, lives in the town. New Mills is twinned with Alsfeld, Germany, and a road is named in honour of its twin town called Alsfeld Way. It is located around eight miles from Stockport and thirteen miles from Manchester.

MY FIRST VISIT

For my week off I had decided to have a few days up North, along with some football games as I had done back in March. So after looking at the best week to do it, I booked the holiday with work and also found a Travelodge Hotel in Bury for £19 a night, a really good deal and just about the cheapest I could find. I then started to make a list of matches that I could attend, changing them several times and only finalising my plans the night before I left. I was originally planning to go up at lunchtime and go straight to my first game. But after seeing that Barnsley were at home in a youth game at 1PM, I decided to go up early. I had actually been to Barnsley twice before, but the stewards were really awkward and I didn't get any pictures of the ground. Add to that the fact that my mate Nathan said he would be able to meet me if only briefly, and I decided to take the plunge. I left home at 9am, stopping for breakfast at Subway on the way and after a fairly decent journey, I was in Barnsley at 12. After stopping at ASDA for lunch, I made my way to Oakwell for the 1pm kickoff. It was a decent game and though Barnsley took the lead and dominated early on, they were made to work hard for their 3-2 win. I suddenly realised I had two hours to kill and so looked for a nearby town to visit. I settled on Hyde. As with High Wycombe, Hyde has a Morrisons near the town where you can park for free. After a look around the shops, where I bought a few random bits of food and drink for my time away, I made my way to New Mills.

I got there at 6.50 and feeling hungry went to the local Chinese takeaway for some curry sauce and chips. After eating them in my car, I went in, paying a very reasonable £6.50 to get in, plus £1.50 for a programme. I had arranged to meet my mate Aaron in the ground. He is the son of current Curzon Ashton manager John Flanagan, his team were providing the opposition tonight. With both teams doing well in the league, it was expected to be a tight game and so that proved to be the case. I was supporting Curzon on the night. As well as the fact that I was standing with some of their fans, the club had been really friendly when I had visited back in March and had one of the best programme shops in Football. And a good result looked on the cards as Curzon took an early lead through Sam Walker on 6 minutes. They dominated early proceedings, in fact, most of the first half. But gradually New Mills got back into it. They had a much better second half and ended up turning the game on its head, winning 2-1. The first goal came a couple of minutes after the restart through Chris Young. Their second goal, nine minutes was excellent. After the Curzon wall blocked the initial free kick, the rebound was drilled into the top corner by Dan Grimshaw for what turned out to be the winner in front of a crowd of 201.  Having seen a decent game and made some good friends, I said my goodbyes and made my way to my hotel in Bury. Thanks to my Sat Nav, I ended up about 4 miles from where I needed to be. Eventually, though, I got to where I needed to be just after 11pm. After a couple of cans of cider, I got into bed and watched some episodes of Dream Team, the old Sky football drama, before going to sleep.

MY SECOND VISIT 

2-0 v Cheadle Heath Nomads (01/03/25)

Out of all the five potential revisits on this hop, I was going to revisit here and Droylsden. The latter was for convenience as I could get on the tram back to the train station. New Mills, however, was the one that I was looking forward to. I had gone pretty early in my hopping career back in 2012. This was when my blog was in its infancy and so I had written nothing about their history. This meant most of my Monday afternoon was spent researching this, something I enjoy. I also wanted to get some daytime pictures as the views were supposed to be fantastic. It would mean an Uber from my replacement second game at Denton but it was planned that fellow hoppers Colin & Ollie would hopefully be sharing the burden of the cost. The club were fantastic on Twitter and put out loads of info as well as interacting, not always a given in my experience.

 

From our game at Whaley Bridge, a friendly hopper called Dave gave us a lift to New Mills. It was £6 to get in and I was glad that I'd revisited. I had a couple of pints of Strongbow and an excellent pulled pork bap and chips, the best food of the hop by far. I visited the excellent merchandise stall but was disappointed that a book I wanted had sold out. I still got a scarf, a history booklet and some old programmes for £12. It was very busy but it was good to catch up with people. I could have done with more time before kickoff, even though we'd arrived well before the hoppers coach.

 

New Mills were 10th and had won one, drawn two and lost three of their last six. In their last game, they lost 2-0 at Eccleshall. Cheadle Heath Nomads were in 5th place but had drawn three and lost three of their last six. Last time out, they drew 0-0 with Sandbach United.  New Mills started brightly and they had a penalty awarded on four minutes for a trip. It was well saved by the Cheadle Heath Nomads keeper who went on to see his side have a good spell. However, on the break the New Mils 10 had a good run down the right. A great cross found Ash Woods who netted with a low shot from around ten yards. A not-too-dissimilar move allowed Chris Pauley to make it 2-0 on 19 minutes. That was how it stayed for the rest of the game, despite chances for the visitors.

THE GROUND - 2012

CHURCH LANE is a fairly basic ground, even for this level. But it more than does the job for the crowds that they get. I'd imagine that there is some great scenery to be seen from the ground, but as it was dark, I couldn't tell for sure. Only one side is covered, that being a combination of seating and standing and the rest of the ground is all open. There is a good bar with big screen TVs and Sky Sports, but nothing really special on the cider front. The chips that I had from the tea bar were pretty mediocre, but you can't really complain for a quid and all the other food is keenly priced. There was no club shop that I noticed either, though they do sell stuff on their website and presumably somewhere on matchdays. The programme was well worth £1.50, it apologised for a reduced size issue on the front page, but there was still plenty to read, including "The Rock And Goal Years", looking back at a certain season and featuring New Mills FC, football as a whole and the music of the day, 1971/72 on this occasion.

GROUND PHOTOS 2025