FC Parson Drove - Main Road

FC Parson Drove
Main Road
Parson Drove
Wisbech
Cambridgeshire
PE13 4LA

07947 149310
Official Website
Twitter (inactive)

Ground Number: 887
Friday 11th October 2019
FC Parson Drove 3-2 Moulton Harrox
Peterborough & District League Premier Division






 
FC PARSON DROVE - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 1921 by the headmaster of the local council school. They've played in the Peterborough & District League for the majority of their history. They won Division 1 in 1949 and 1959 (as Parson Drove FC) but the most successful period was in the late 60s and early 70s when they won the majority of their seven Premier Division titles whilst playing under the name of Parson Drove United. The club applied to join the Eastern Counties League in 1988 but after being rejected, players lost interest and the ground fell into disrepair so they disbanded shortly after. When the cub was resurrected in 1992, they started out in Division 6. They worked their way back up the leagues, winning Division 1 in 2004 and returning to the Premier Division. The club folded midway through the 2013/14 season but was re-established in 2017 when Wisbech St Mary Saints moved into the ground and changed their name. They started out in Division 2, winning the title in their debut season. They followed that up last season, winning the Division 1 title and losing just once all season. This season sees them sitting in mid-table after a solid start to the season.

As Parson Drove United, the club had a couple of memorable runs in the FA competitions. The 1979/80 season saw them reach the FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round. After beating Chelsmford City, Felixstowe Town and Kings Lynn, they lost out in a narrow 1-0 defeat at Burton Albion. They'd reached the FA Vase 3rd Round in 1976/77 - beating March Town United, Holt United and City Of Norwich School Old Boys United before going out to Peterborough Rovers after a replay. In local cups, Parson Drove are two-time winners of the Cambridgeshire Invitation Cup and completed a treble in 2018 when they won the Cambridgeshire Junior Cup and North Cambridgeshire Junior Cup.



MY VISIT

I was originally intending to stay in and watching the England game on this day. A lot of non-league clubs had organised games for this night, which seemed strange with the England game on the night and Non-League Day the following day. Chris suggested Parson Drove and I told him I'd let him know. I made my decision on Wednesday morning after a boozy Tuesday night in Manchester, figuring that getting out to a game would be far healthier than staying in with a few cans in front of the TV. The day of the game came and my body clock woke me up at my usual work time and so I had loads of time to kill. Rain thwarted my plans to walk down town, so I was glad when 3pm came and it was time to leave. The journey over to Chris was a pain. I left at 3.10 as I wanted to go to a shop to get a drink. Usually, it takes under an hour, but on this occasion, I wasn't with Chris until 4.45. He used his local knowledge to help us avoid the worst of the jams. We were at the ground by 6.30. The local advertised 'Red Bus' takeaway was nowhere to be seen, so we had to settle for some crisps and a pint from a local pub, The White Swan. It was a shame it was under an hour until kickoff as the food looked great. We got back to the ground just after 7, but no hot food was available, so we just went outside. 

Both sides were on inconsistent form. Parson Drove were 6th in the table and though they'd started September well with a 9-0 win over ICA Sports and a 4-2 win at Tydd they'd drawn 3-3 at home to Long Sutton and lost 3-2 at home to Uppingham since. Moulton Harrox were third, they'd beaten Oakham United in their last game which was their first league win since August. The game kicked off at 7.25 and the hosts were ahead within 4 minutes. No team details were available, but a good through ball found #7 who finished well from an acute angle. On 24 minutes it was 2-0 when a cross was headed home and the game looked over when Parson Drove made it 3-0 on 41 minutes,a low shot from the edge of the area with the visiting keeper stranded. The hosts were well on top and Moulton Harrox's players were getting frustrated with one booked for kicking the ball away. Parson Drove came close to making it 4-0 ten minutes into the second half, crashing a shot against the bar from well outside the area. With around twenty minutes to go, Moulton Harrox grabbed what looked like a consolation goal from an excellent free-kick which I got on camera. They made a real fist of a comeback in the remainder of the game, a low shot from just inside the area four minutes later sparking a few scares for the hosts in the remainder of the game though.

View this post on Instagram

Good free kick from Moulton Harrox. Looks like a consolation as Parson Drove were already three up with 20 minutes to go.

A post shared by Russell Cox (@russ_wwfc) on Oct 11, 2019 at 12:59pm PDT

In the end, though, it was the majority of the 80 or so crowd that went home happy. Chris and I headed for home. Listening to the radio on the way home, we heard of England's 2-1 defeat in the Czech Republic. Of course, with it being our first qualifying defeat in ten years, there was the usual hyperbole. There was even a call to bring back Wayne Rooney into the national side. We stopped for food at KFC on the way home, having a daredevil bites box each which was OK, but nothing special. There was the usual fun and games with road diversions and closures and as a result, I didn't drop Chris off until around 11.25. I needed a few bits of shopping, so stopped at Tesco, getting home around 12.40. I stayed up for just over an hour typing this blog amongst other things, getting to sleep around 2am.

THE GROUND

Main Road is an excellent venue for step 7 football. There are the usual dull 'Arena' metal stands, there are two of these seated units, holding 50 people each. There's also a more attractive wooden stand on the other side, this also holds around 50. The ground is one of the few to be floodlit at this level. The tea bar is quite basic with no hot food and the only pub is around 10 minutes walk away, albeit, The White Swan appears to do good food in a good atmosphere if you have time to spare. 

Stockport Town - Stockport Sports Village

Stockport Town FC

Stockport Sports Village

Lambeth Grove

Woodley

Stockport

SK6 1QX

Official Website

Twitter

Ground Number:886
Wednesday 9th October 2019
Stalybridge Celtic 2-1 Chorley
National League U19 League Cup






A HISTORY OF FOOTBALL AT SSV

The first records I can find of anyone playing at the venue is 1970 when Woodley Sports FC was formed. They played at the ground which was then known as the Neil Rourke Memorial Stadium or Lambeth Grove. They started out in local football before moving to the Manchester League in 1988. Champions of Division 1, they won promotion to the Premier in 1992.  They were runners-up in their first season before leaving to join the North West Counties League in 1997. Starting in the second tier, they were champions in the year 2000. A 4th place finish in Division 1 in 2005 was good enough for promotion to the Northern Premier League. They stayed in Division 1 for the entirety of their stay, a highlight being the 4th place finish in 2006 when they went on to lose to Gresley Rovers in the playoffs. An expected windfall from the sale of striker Liam Dickinson to Stockport County never materialised due to the league club going into administration, though they also produced Anthony Sarvevic. However, in 2012, a name change to Stockport Sports coincided with them dropping back down to the North West Counties League, despite finishing 8th. They remained here until 2015 when they were thrown out of the league after failing to fulfil a number of fixtures. There were never any great runs in the national cups, but a number of local cups were won. Most notable was the Cheshire Senior Cup win in 2004 when they defeated Witton Albion 2-1. They remain the lowest-ranked team to ever win the cup.

A new club, Stockport Town was established in 2014, joining the North West Counties League a year later. They finished 4th in their debut season and have enjoyed three consecutive 10th place finishes, all in the lower tier. They are yet to enter the FA Cup, but reached the FA Vase 1st Round in 2016, beating Alsager Town before losing out to Sunderland Ryhope Colliery Welfare. The stadium has a capacity of 2,384 and has a number of smaller outer pitches. It’s based in a suburb of Stockport, called Woodley. It’s been home to several mills over the years, and also has four pubs. These formed part of the ‘Ring Of Death’- a pub crawl consisting of 20 pubs, traditionally undertaken by locals during the festive period.



MY VISIT

Though there was plenty to do and see in Manchester, I fancied an afternoon game. There was plenty of choices and I eventually plumped for the 2pm game between Stalybridge Celtic and Chorley, being played at Stockport Sports Village. On the day of the game, I awoke early and spent a few hours in my hotel room before leaving at 8.45. I'd just missed a bus, so had to wait 15 minutes for the next one. Whilst checking if the game was still on, I noticed that FC United had an 11.30 kick-off that would have been doable by car, but sadly public transport would mean that I'd not get to my planned game in time. I had a brief look around the shops before heading to the National Football Museum. I'd been a few times before for free and wasn't going to go now they were charging a tenner. But in the end, I was glad I did as they'd got a whole load of new stuff and I got my picture taken with the trophy. I had an early lunch at Taco Bell before getting the bus to Stockport. After picking up some drinks, I got the bus to near the ground, arriving at 1.40.



Both sides had enjoyed difficult starts to the season with Stalybridge having lost 5-1 at Marine and 9-2 to Preston North End Myerscough. Chorley had lost 8-1 at home to Wrexham and 7-2 at Warrington, so I was hoping for some goals. The first real chance came for Stalybridge on 4 minutes, Joe Doran forcing the visiting keeper into a great save with a shot from outside the area. Stalybridge were the better side early on, but even so, Chorley had the ball in the net on 15 minutes, only for it to be ruled out for offside. They started to come into the game more and on 21 minutes, they took the lead. It was a lovely strike by #9 from 20 yards that found the top right-hand corner. A passing storm came over at this point, wind and rain with even the people in the top row of the stand getting drenched. I sheltered in the turnstile until it passed. There were plenty of chances for either side, but nothing really clear-cut. Stalybridge Celtic would equalise on 63 minutes, a good through ball found #8 who finished from just inside the area. I was hoping that the game would go to penalties at this point, but Chorley came close with 15 minutes to go, hitting the post from outside the area. It would be Stalybridge that got the winner with a minute to go, another good through ball finding #8 who finished with an angled shot from 10 yards. It had been good entertainment for the 12 present and the best game of the three that I saw on the trip.



THE GROUND

The STOCKPORT SPORTS VILLAGE is a smart venue and well-kept. There's the main stand with 192 seats and a bit of cover beside this thanks to the overhang from the sports centre. There's a metal stand with a mixture of sitting and standing behind the goal with a capacity of around 200. The rest of the ground is open and has a capacity of 2,384 overall. The facilities at the ground were not open when I went, though there are vending machines plus other shops and pubs within a ten-minute walk.

Droylsden - The Butchers Arms

Droylsden FC
The Butchers Arms
Market Street
Droylsden
Manchester
M43 7AY

0161 370 1426
Official Website
Twitter

Ground Number: 885
Tuesday 19th March 2019
Droylsden 1-0 Ashton United
Manchester Premier Cup



DROYLSDEN FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

The club was established in 1892 by Joseph Cropper, landlord of the Butchers Arms Pub from which their home ground takes its name. They spent their early days in local leagues such as the Ashton & District and Manchester League, Cheshire League & Lancashire Combination. In 1982 they became founder members of the North West Counties League, starting in the second tier. Finishes were mixed here but by 1987 they were champions. Rather than being promoted to Division 1 they were invited to join the NPL Division 1. The coped with the step up well and were champions by 1990, earning promotion to the NPL Premier. Their first spell here saw them struggle with a high of 13th in their first season before being relegated in 1996. By 1999 Droylsden were champions again and this time they were a lot more successful in the NPL Premier. A runners-up spot behind Hucknall Town in 2004 saw them admitted to the newly-formed Conference North. A series of top 4 finishes culminated in them finishing as champions in 2007. Promotion to the Conference North followed with Droylsden surviving just one season in the Conference National where they finished bottom. The first four seasons back in the Conference saw top-half finishes but the 2012/13 saw financial difficulties and a second-bottom finish. The issues worsened the following season in the NPL Premier with the side finishing bottom, conceding 182 goals and gaining just 9 points all season. From 2012 until 2018, they were in the NPL D1 North, with mainly mid-table finishes. This has continued with the switch to the West Division, Droylsden sitting 11th at the start of play.

Droylsden have reached the FA Cup 2nd round on three occasions.  In 1978 they defeated Football League side Rochdale on a long run but ended up losing 2-0 at Altrincham. Thirty years later they actually beat Chesterfield 2-1 in a replay after the original game finished 2-2. However, they were thrown out of the cup due to their two-goal scorer Sean Newton playing while he was supposed to be serving a suspension. This was the culmination of a four-game marathon with two games being abandoned due to fog and floodlight failure and the original game seeing Droylsden being allowed to walk the ball into the net after Chesterfield had scored after Droylsden had kicked the ball out so an injured player could receive treatment. The FA Trophy (twice) and FA Vase 3rd Rounds have also been reached. Local cup wins include the NPL Division 1 Cup (1999), NPL Challenge Cup (2004), NPL Presidents Cup (1999), Manchester Junior Cup (1923), Manchester Senior Cup (three times) and the Manchester Premier Cup (on twelve occasions). The town of Droylsden itself has a population of 22,689 and was once part of Manchester. It produced the first woven tea towel - the Terry Towel in 1851 and was also one of the birthplace of Speedway as the first meeting was held in the town back in June 1927. 



MY VISIT

Droylsden was a ground that I’d fancied visiting for ages, having popped in to get pictures before a Wycombe game at Bury some years ago. I’d planned to visit in March with fellow hopper Chris, but his train back from Devon was severely delayed and so I went to Brockenhurst instead. Having already started my blog though, I was keen to get it ticked. Chris didn’t fancy the late night before work in the morning, so I looked into doing it on my own. Bargain travel was secured with National Express, the return coming in at under £15 despite only booking Saturday evening. A lot cheaper than the exorbitant train prices. The accommodation was a bit trickier, the cheaper end of the market tend to have dreadful reviews. Really I should have realised that after a few pints I’d not give a monkeys but in the end, I secured a bed in a newly opened place around 4 miles out of town at £25 for the night. With travel in and around London and Manchester added, as well as getting to the station, the total costs were around £65 for what I hoped would be three games.



I’d set my alarm for 7 am on the train, figuring that I’d need to catch a train between 8 and 8.30 to make my coach. Typically for me, after stopping at Tesco and driving to Chalfont, I got the last possible train. Despite the so-called ‘fast train’ making several stops for safety reasons, a few trains later I was at Victoria. It was around 10 minutes walk to the coach station and I was at my departure point with 15 minutes to spare. The coach departed on time and I was pleased to bag a double seat to myself, as had pretty much every passenger. It was a slow journey out of London with an unexpected stop at Golders Green where a couple of stragglers got on. I pretended to be asleep which ensured that I didn’t have to share a seat with anyone. Good progress was made on the journey once we hit the motorway until we stopped at Norton Canes Services, thankfully only a stop to buy a toll pass and for a driver change. To pass the long journey, I keep up to date on social media, read ‘The Card’ - a book about a Chester fan doing every single game in the 2016/17 season and listening to a number of podcasts.

 

Happily, we arrived into Manchester ten ahead of schedule with no sign yet of the forecast rain. I make my way through Manchester where I pop into Cash Generator where there are a couple of things I fancy, but can't be bothered to lug around for the next couple of days. I then head to the Crown and Kettle, which turns out to be a great pub and on my bus route to boot. Pints of Moss Cider All In Hand and Ross 2017 Oak Cask were enjoyed in this pleasant venue, but even with no check-in details provided as promised, I headed towards my accommodation. I was there by 4.30 and after communications with the owner, made more difficult by the road noise, I was in. Basic but clean accommodation was provided, though it was a bit out of town. At 5, it was back into Manchester and then onto Droylsden. The Silly Country was an exceptional Micropub where three new ciders in half-pints were tried in a convivial atmosphere. To the ground I headed, stopping for samosas and chips at a local takeaway. £8 was a reasonable entry fee and I was hoping to write a bit about the game. But it was very disappointing, a scuffed own goal by Simon Woodford deciding the game in Droylsden’s favour. On the balance of play, they deserved it though. Little to write home about and so underwhelmed by the game, I was back at my room by 11. Slightly beneficial health-wise, but not the night out that I’d envisaged.



THE GROUND

The Butchers Arms is a smart and tidy ground with cover on three sides. The seated stand offers great views and holds around 500 whilst there is covered terracing along one side and behind one goal, capacity of around 1500. The ground holds 3000 in total. There’s a spacious bar, though I didn’t try out any of the facilities. With the town being close by, there’s plenty of choice food and drink wise. The pick of which is the excellent Silly Country with a wide range of real ales and ciders.