Cheadle Town 2-0 West Didsbury & Chorlton

The eagle-eyed spectator who knows WD&C's squad like the back of their hand would be quick to tell you that it wasn't a full-strength outfit but nonetheless this was still a decent victory over a team that gave us a good workout; at full-time the cheeks were puffed out that little bit fuller and the sweat glistened on the foreheads that little bit more markedly.

There was no five-goal haul this time either, but that was largely down to the performance of the WD&C keeper in the first half; easily the man of the match in the opening 45 minutes.

He was first called into action in the 9th minute. Liam Tongue's cross from the left was met first-time by Mike Sherrington and 'West's custodian was there to parry with an excellent reaction stop.

Liam was instrumental again just after the quarter-hour mark, driving in from the left to Tabby Magida who stabbed his effort inches wide.

The WD&C keeper then kept out two efforts in quick succession. First he came out quick to thwart Sam Noar who was bearing down on goal and then beat away a fierce Liam Tongue piledriver.

On the half hour Tab Magida then cut in from the left only to shoot straight at the keeper with our pressure finally counting on the 34th minute.

Again the keeper made an excellent save. He somehow managed to get his hands onto Sam Noar's header after he had connected with a Luke Hincks cross from the left but he could do nothing about Liam Tongue gobbling up the loose ball and tapping home from close range.

Just three minutes later and the 'keeper was rounded by Tab after he had latched onto a delightful through ball from Luke Hincks but then made a great recovery to deny a goalscoring opportunity.

There was time before the break for Liam Tongue to be denied twice, once by an excellent save and the other by his slight innacuracy.

The second half couldn't have been any different from the first. Chances were at a premium and it ended up being a scrappy affair, with the only chance of note coming nine minutes from time that saw our lead extended; Liam Tongue collecting a looping through ball and tucking home from close range.

The final pre-season workout comes tomorrow evening [Tuesday] when Northern Premier League 1 side Glossop North End come to 'Town. And then it starts for real....

STARTING XI: Jupp, McLaughlin, Pearson, Russell, Moore, Shaw, M Sherrington, Tongue, Noar, Hincks, Magida. SUBS: Ward, Dunn, Connolly.

Knutsford 1-5 Cheadle Town

First of all, something of an appeal.

If a Knutsford resident who isn't short of a bob or two and is suddenly feeling in a philanthropic mood could buy a handful of things for their local football club that would be great: a set of floodlights, some hard standing to go around the ground and a perimeter fence.

Those three things would mean that they'd be in a position to join the North West Counties League, a league that they would grace and be more than welcome in.

Knutsford FC's clubhouse - not at all bad if we say so ourselves

A massive thank you to all at Knutsford FC for their benevolent hospitality last night and for opening our eyes as to what can be achieved clubhouse-wise with simple resources.

Onto the match itself and it was another useful 90 minutes of match fitness for all involved, with some eye-catching performances to boot.

As the cliche goes, it's a nice problem for any manager to be spoilt for choice squad-wise; it is looking more likely that Terry will have such a problem this season as some new faces marked their debuts in impressive style.

Sam Noar a case in point. It only took him three minutes to open his Cheadle account, latching onto a through ball on the edge of the box and deftly wafting the ball past the onrushing keeper with the outside of his boot.

Ex-Cheadle striker Dean Nolan - now wearing the red of Knutsford - was in busy mood all evening. His first moment of note came in the 8th minute, fashioning himself some space on the edge of the area before firing just over.

On 11 minutes we increased our lead. Luke Pearson's free-kick from the right was mishandled by the Knutsford keeper and pounced upon by Joe Shaw who stabbed home.

Sam Noar was in the action again just two minutes later, shooting just over the bar after some excellent work by Luke Hincks and Mike Sherrington.

A superb acrobatic effort by a Knutsford forward was kept out by Piggott just after the quarter-hour markbefore Jordan Milne - another one that provided a promising debut - gave a display of neat footwork before providing a cross that Luke Hincks was a matter of inches away from connecting with.

A superb playing surface contributed to an excellent match with neat passing play from both sides

Five minutes before the break Sam Noar was at it again, rounding the keeper before checking back and trying a cheeky clip over the stranded keeper, only for his effort to unluckily bounce off the underside of the crossbar.

Just two minutes later and our lead was extended as Luke Pearson's penalty squirmed under the keeper's body; he later admitted that he had committed the cardinal sin of changing his mind right at the last minute. He got away with it. Just.

Steve Piggott was called into action just before half-time, doing well to get down sharply and push away a shot.

Just three minutes after the re-start we got our fourth. Jordan Milne deservedly getting himself on the board by hooking home a Luke Hincks cross from the left.

Sam Noar was denied at close range by an excellent save before Knutsford went up the other end and should have reduced arrears when offered a free header from a free-kick.

The usual pre-season game of "musical substitutes" then started but the flow wasn't disrupted that much to deny us any more goals.

Sam Noar got his second of the match on 66 minutes, collecting a pass from the right before shifting the ball onto his right foot and hammering home at the near post.

Knutsford's overall neat play was rewarded with six minutes of the match remaining with an easy finish via a through ball on the edge of the box.

Just two more pre-season matches remain and two tough tests to go with them: NWCFL Premier Division outfit West Didsbury & Chorlton this Saturday followed by Northern Premier 1 side Glossop North End.

STARTING XI: Piggott, McLaughlin, Pearson, Moore, Shaw, Russell, Hincks, Tongue, Noar, M Sherrington, Milne. SUBS: Jupp (gk), Ward, Horan, Whyatt.

Poynton 0-5 Cheadle Town

On arrival to Poynton Sports Club on Saturday afternoon you could have taken your pick of things to watch: tennis, a spot of leisurely bowls, a batting collapse on the cricket field or five football goals in this professional pre-season victory.

The starting eleven find out whether they are in the starting eleven or not

You'd have been forgiven for allowing your eyes to wander elsewhere for the first 20 minutes of this match as there was only one thing of note to speak of: Jonathan McLaughlin's drive from the edge of the area tipped over the bar on the 5th minute mark.

Tweeter's curse, Sod's Law, call it what you will, but after reporting that "nothing much had happened" on the 20 minute mark Mike Sherrington then broke the deadlock, evading the attention of two Poynton defenders to fashion himself some space in the box and fire home.

Liam Tongue went close with one of his trademark efforts before Tom Russell extended our lead on 35 minutes, dealing with a bouncing ball around the edge of the area with a deft flick of the outside of his boot.

Luke Hincks quashed any Poynton comeback early in the second half by finishing off a nice move from the edge of the box before Mike Sherrington was in on the action twice more, catching the keeper off his line only to see his lob sail inches over the bar and then profiting from good work by Liam Tongue only to see his effort saved brilliantly by the Poynton keeper.

Poynton looked set to reduce the arrears with ten minutes remaining but a last-ditch saving tackle by Joe Shaw meant we would keep a clean sheet.

As the game drew to its 90th minute we netted twice in quick succession. Liam Tongue latching onto a pass from Matthew German to roll home from the edge of the box before an unmarked Luke Pearson nodding home from close range to give the scoreline an emphatic sheen.

A good work out against energetic opposition and a bit more match fitness for those involved; in a pre-season game you can ask for no more.

Onto Knutsford this Thursday.

STARTING XI: Piggott, McLaughlin, Pearson, Shaw, Moore, Russell, Hincks, Tongue, M Sherrington, Tosum, Magida. SUBS: Connolly, German, Dunn, Rigby (gk)

Squad Update: Registered Players

Pre-season is just around the corner and we've been busy updating our playing squad in time for the big kick-off.

Here is a full lost of those who are registered to pull on the green-and-black for next season, be it for the First XI or the Reserves squad:

Zach CLARKE
Ben CONNOLLY
James DUNN
Jude GILBERT
Seb GROARKE
Luke HINCKS
James HORAN
Ben JUPP
Andy LINDON
Chris McGREEVY
Jonathan McLAUGHLIN
James MOORE
Conor NAUGHTON
Arnold NSIMBE
Luke PEARSON
Stephen PIGGOTT
Michael PRICE
Adam RIGBY
Tom RUSSELL
Mike SHERRINGTON
Liam TONGUE
Nathan TOSUM
Jack WARD
Richard WHYATT

More updates to this list as and when we have them.

League Cup & First Division Trophy Draws

The distant sound of the forthcoming season can be heard. We now know who we will face in both of the "domestic" cup competitions.

League Cup (Macron Challenge Cup)

We will enter this competition in the Second Round, facing an away trip to the winners of Widnes v Alsager Town. This match will be played on Saturday 29th October.

First Division Trophy (Reusch First Division Cup)

Again, we enter this competition in the second round and have been drawn away to NWCFL newcomers City of Liverpool. The date of this tie has yet to be determined.

Volunteers Needed at Cheadle Town FC

We are always on the look out for volunteers here at Cheadle Town FC.

Have you always wanted to get involved with non-league football? Always wanted to be regarded as a volunteer in any capacity and contribute to a local cause?

We could do with a few extra helping hands here at Park Road, be it to help out with minor tasks on matchday (behind the bar, matchday preparation etc.) or helping with the upkeep of Park Road Stadium itself outside of matchday (painting, general DIY jobs etc.).

If you are interested then please contact the chairman Chris Davies on (0161) 428 2510

Prize Draw Winners

First Prize
Mr S Sibbien, Hazel Grove
Ticket no: 02356

Second Prize
Mr B Dale, Edgeley
Ticket no: 01472

Third Prize
Mr D Higginbotham, Bredbury
Ticket no: 02927

Ex-Player Returns as Assistant Manager

It will be interesting to hear the views of new Reserves Team Assistant Manager David McGreal when he takes up his new post.

Not so much on his opinion of coaching, but what he thinks of Cheadle Town FC thesedays as he returns to the club that he played for in the days of Larry Gaffney as manager (in the 1990s).

Watch this apace as we will seek an interview with David to recall his days at the club and how he is looking forward to returning.

WANTED: Reserves Team Assistant Manager and Coach plus First XI Goalkeeping Coach

We have three coaching/management opportunities at Cheadle Town FC.

The first and second are related to the Reserves Squad. We are looking for a Coach and an additional Assistant Manager to assist Chris Woods on matchdays and help out with training where possible.

The third opportunity is a Goalkeeping Coach. The primary remit will be to assist with the First XI on matchdays but to aid with overall coaching duties during training as well.

Interested? Please contact First Team Manager Terry Hincks on 07976 725399

NWCFL AGM Round-Up

Once again the Imperial Hotel in Blackpool was the destination for this year's NWCFL Annual General Meeting.

The day serves as an excellent way of meeting and catching up with your peers as well as officially putting the season just gone to bed and opening the next.

Committee member Stuart Crawford: designated driver for the day

There was a handful of key points from the meeting but the main ones, that affect us directly, were as follows:

• we officially said goodbye to Hanley Town, Irlam and Barnton from the First Division as they were promoted to the Premier Division
• the relegation of AFC Blackpool, Alsager Town and Silsden from the Premier Division to the First Division was confirmed
• representatives from the six new clubs - City of Liverpool, Charnock Richard, Prestwich Heys, Oswestry Town, Sandbach United and Carlisle City - all got their moment to say hello to the NWCFL
• it was confirmed that Northwich Manchester Villa had resigned from the league
• Rochdale Town are appealing the decision to relegate them from the NWCFL. This meant that the draws for the League Cup and First Division Trophy could not take place. Once the outcome of the appeal is known, the league will commence with the draws and publish them.

A slightly more detailed breakdown of the news from the AGM can be seen by clicking here.

This means that we are definitely in a 22-team division next season and could quite possibly be in a 23-team one. Whatever happens it is going to be a busy season.

After the meeting was closed at 11.45am there is some time to kill before the dinner and presentation part in the evening.

There'll be a tram to Fleetwood any minute now. Any. Minute. Now.

Yours truly, Stuart Crawford and the chairman got "adventurous" and hopped on a tram to Fleetwood in search of lunch and to discuss a few operational matters relating to next season; the preparation for 2016-2017 starts now!

Back at the hotel there was time to take in Wales' excellent 2-1 win over Slovakia in the bar before the evening event: the dinner and the awards/presentations.

The early birds getting ready for dinner

We were sat on the same table as the committee members from First Division stablemates Litherland REMYCA and they were great dinner company; we look forward to seeing them again for the league fixtures this season!

The hotel had very kindly provided a big screen so that we could watch the England v Russia match and spirits were high when Eric Dier's free-kick flew in; such a shame that England couldn't hold on.

It seems that a dinner is not a dinner without some sort of "jus" on the menu thesedays....

Cabaret act Bernie Flint did his best to lift spirits once more before the denouement of the presentations and awards; congratulations to everybody that had the privilege of walking up to the stage when called by the league's Ian Williams. All richly deserved. A full list of who-won-what can be seen by clicking here.

Having set off from Cheadle at 9.00am we were finally back home at 1.00am, demonstrating what a long, but enjoyable, day the AGM can be....

If you want a selfie with the chairman (on the left in the picture), you have to catch him somewhat unawares....

Presentation & Awards Evening 2016: The Winners

The full list of winners....

FIRST XI
Manager's Player of the Season
James Dunn

Players' Player of the Season & Leading Goalscorer
Liam Tongue

RESERVES
Manager's Player of the Season
Daniel O'Donnell

Players' Player of the Season
Mitch Caldicott

Leading Goalscorer
Barry Lawson

UNDER 21s
Manager's Player of the Season
Tyrone Allen

Players' Player of the Season
Rory King

LONG SERVICE AWARDS
Paul Fitzgerald - Committee Member

Karl Florczak - Committee Member

Steve Piggott - Goalkeeper

SPECIAL CLUBMAN OF THE YEAR AWARDS
Stuart Crawford - Committee Member

Mike Derbyshire

Our thanks to everybody that turned up, and to club president Alwyn Thompson for presenting the awards to the winners.

Club Chairman Chris Davies

First XI Manager Terry Hincks

First XI Asst Manager Anthony Trucca

Club President Alwyn Thompson

Appointment of Cheadle Town Development Squad Management Team

Cheadle Town Football Club are pleased to announce the appointment of Tony Hancock, Ged Farrell and Phil Cork as their new Development Squad Management Team.

Tony, Ged and Phil will be responsible for overseeing the development of young players with the prospect of feeding players into the Reserve and First Team squads.

Everyone at Cheadle Town Football Club would like to welcome Tony, Ged and Phil to Park Road Stadium and we look forward to watching the Development Squad have a successful future.