Matchday images (16) https://picasaweb.google.com/footballgroundsinfocus/UnicornAthleticFC 

With kick-off approaching, and Unicorn only having eight players warming up on the pitch, I heard the Macclesfield lads saying that Unicorn had asked for the game to be postponed. Not the sort of thing you want to hear when there would be no chance of detouring to another game in time for a 3pm ko! Luckily a couple more lads turned up and Unicorn started with 10, and all this against the top of the table side who needed a win here for promotion.

Unicorn have moved to the old Flixton FC ground this season. As I never got to see Flixton in the NWCL or Northern Premier League before they folded in 2013, this was an ideal game to watch for me. Facing a weakened team, both the Macclesfield lads and I could see nothing further than an easy win the visitors, and plenty of goals to boot. How wrong we were. Whether they were too complacent or just out of sorts, Macclesfield were unable to break Unicorn down in the first half, with the home team actually wasting several chances of their own. Half time came with the score still 0-0, and Unicorn having been boosted by two more players turning up to start the second half with a full eleven.

A severe talking to for the Macclesfield lads at the break resulted in normal service very quickly being restored. They scored four and missed several other chances as Unicorn were run ragged, and Macclesfield were able to celebrate promotion at the final whistle.

The crowd at Valley Road was just 9. One of these was the chap who owns the ground and he was telling me that Flixton eventually gave up through a lack of support. With just 9 people here today, it doesn’t look as if Unicorn have grabbed the public’s attention either. Shame really, as the ground is very good although starting to fade a bit due to lack of investment.

Also good to see that Unicorn issue a super 12 page full colour programme. Sadly, with so few attending their games they have stopped printing copies for games, and instead put the programme on their web site, from where I was able to download a copy when I got home.