TT No.18: Andy Gallon - Tue 26th August 2008; Stockport Georgians v Prestwich Heys; Manchester League; Res: 0-3; Att: 46 (h/c); Admission: Free; Programme: None; FGIF Match Rating: *** 

                                                                                                                                              Cromley Road could not be more deviously hidden if a squirrel had treated it as a nut being saved for a mid-winter snack. The Georgians ground is a wooded glade amid the red-brick monotony of suburban southern Stockport - not quite the cash-laden Cheshire stockbroker belt but pleasant nonetheless. With no satellite navigation to call upon in my gadget-free world, successfully negotiating town centre one-way systems, rush-hour traffic, dodgy directions and lookalike residential thoroughfares proved a demanding task. Thankfully, Georgians chairman Ged Newcombe answered my SOS phone call and kindly plotted a way through the urban jungle so I could arrive in good time for a 6.30pm kick-off.

Georgians, so named because they were formed as a team annexed to a St George's church, are celebrating their centenary this year. Having begun life in the Stockport League, they progressed into the Lancashire & Cheshire League and now play in the Manchester League. They share a clubhouse with Cheshire County Leaguers Stockport Georgians Cricket Club, whose ground abuts the football facilities. Once located, you'll find Cromley Road basic but surprisingly verdant. Parking isn't a problem because a wide area of badly pot-holed crushed aggregate fills the near side of the ground. In the far right corner, a building bearing the scars of many extensions and positioned at an angle to the tip-top pitch houses the dressing rooms and the clubhouse. This structure is made from several different materials and has a mixture of roof lines but liberal use of cream and blue paint just about ties the whole thing together. The single-storey clubhouse, entered by a door to one side, is a cosy hideaway. It contains a kitchen/refreshment counter - on this night serving sought-after hot pies - and a bar. The team photographs on the walls mostly depict cricketers from yesteryear.

Outside again, a metal five bar gate gives access to the adjacent cricket ground, which is attractively fringed by trees and, to be honest, appears rather tidier than their neighbours' home. A bit like Tom and Barbara Good living next door to Jerry and Margo Leadbetter. However, it's only fair to say the cricket club have benefited from National Lottery funding. They put the cash to good use by building a smart new pavilion, very tidy in a honey brick. In this corner, a few paces from the dressing room doors, is the sole area of cover at Cromley Road. This is a 20-yard long propped cantilever stand over a couple of steps of terracing. The metal framework is painted blue and its rear wall white. A concrete hardstanding path runs round the pitch, which is surrounded by a metal post and rail barrier painted white. Breeze block dugouts, also painted white, face each other across the halfway line, with the home club bagging the one furthest from the dressing rooms. This distant touchline is lined with mature trees. The gardens of small red-brick detached homes are to the rear of the parking area. There is a floodlit five-a-side court to the right of the near goal, with this end otherwise an unkempt tangle of shrubs and undergrowth. As you've probably guessed from the early start, there aren't any floodlights. The scheduling of this fixture prompted much muttering from the Prestwich Heys camp, who'd had to battle their way from one side of Manchester to the other at the busiest time of the day.

Darkness had begun to fall on an overcast evening by the time Heys scored twice in the last 10 minutes to emphasise their overall superiority and maintain an unbeaten start to the season. But at least the Manchester rain which so irritated Nemanja Vidic held off. The visitors, probably the most famous name in the Manchester League after earlier spells higher up the non-league ladder, were on top throughout but struggled to make the most of their chances. The final flourish cheered their voluble band of supporters, among whom were 'Last of the Summer Wine'. This is an in-joke the Heysians shared with everyone else. As one of their number said: "You'll know what we mean when they get out of the car." Hilarious. Three old blokes. Three spits for Foggy, Compo and Clegg. Another Heys fan, vowels flatter than Cambridgeshire, then turned up with a plastic bag stuffed with chicken wings which he happily handed round. Just like Old Trafford, eh?

I've watched only a handful of games in the Manchester League but they've all been like this one - brimful of vim and vigour, with plenty of Anglo-Saxon encouragement from the technical area. Come to think of it, this is the first match I've seen in this competition in which fists were not thrown. It's so much better to see lads who can play a bit concentrating on the football rather than trying to show how hard they are. Heys looked a little sharper and fitter from the first whistle. They saw Matt Jolly (22) find the sidenetting with only Dave White to beat after a slick route one move and Ashley Oparah (40) sting the hands of the Georgians keeper with a powerful low drive from the edge of the box. For the hosts, Rick Newbold (18) aimed straight at Paul Murphy with a fizzing effort on the run and then sent an even better attempt (27) whistling narrowly over the crossbar.

White made two excellent scrambling saves to push aside efforts from Jolly (48) and Andrew Morrissey (51) but could do nothing to prevent Heys breaking the deadlock a minute short of the hour when Daniel Murray diverted an Oparah shot to leave the keeper hopelessly wrongfooted. With the fading light making it difficult to read shirt numbers (I almost expected someone's mum to turn up and tell her kid it was time to come in), Heys added two more. Jolly (80) fastened on to a long ball down the inside right channel, pushed it past the onrushing White and netted cutely from a very tight angle. Ash Davies (84) forced an impressive diving save from Murphy with a crisp 20-yarder but the visitors had the last word when, with players queuing up to score, substitute Michael Hoggard (88) rammed firmly past the exposed White from 12 yards to round off good approach work by Jolly and Oparah.

Georgians did not, unfortunately, issue a programme for this game. They had for the previous Tuesday evening's visit of East Manchester and copies were available in the clubhouse. It was a decent photocopied 20-pager tucked inside superbly produced full colour covers. Having not issued last season, the club do, however, intend to produce programmes throughout 2008-09. 

contributed on 27/08/08