Cheadle Town 1-2 Oswestry Town

Match report courtesy of David Figg from Oswestry Town FC.

Cheadle Town's hopes of moving up into the play-off places were dashed after they lost 1-2 at home to FC Oswestry Town in their Hallmark Security League Division 1 fixture at Park Road on Saturday.

Town had gone into the game in 8th place in the table with a record of 4 wins, 2 draws and 3 defeats from their 9 league games so far.

With results elsewhere being what they were, a win for Town would have seen them move up to 6th place level on points with 5th placed Whitchurch Alport but with an inferior goal difference.

Meanwhile, FC Oswestry had gone into the game in bottom place in the table without a point after losing their first 8 league games plus suffering an early exit from the FA Vase at the first hurdle.

The visitors were dealt a blow even before kick off when new keeper Louis Mackin injured a calf during the pre-match warm-up and sub keeper Gary Tinsley drafted in from the bench.

With numerous planes coming in to land at the nearby Manchester Airport during the afternoon, it was visitors Oswestry who got off to a flying start when Jamie Hands' long ball over the top on the left found Brendon Price who ran on before pulling it back low from the left edge of the box for Sam Thomas to send his left foot shot from 25 yards into Town keeper Daniel Whiting's top left hand corner for a stunning strike with just 39 seconds on the watch.

It was the first time Oswestry had scored first in a competitive game all season and the joy shown by the players and bench was there for all to see.

The Shropshire side went close to doubling their lead in the 11th minute when Thomas won a challenge with Liam Delaney on the right with the ball running to Joe Newton, whose cross from the right was half cleared by Luke Hincks to Hands who fired his low left foot shot from 18 yards not far wide of Whiting's left hand post.

Then at the other end in the 18th minute, Town went close to equalising when Mike Sherrington picked up a loose ball in midfield and made a driving run towards the edge of the box before having his right foot shot from 20 yards turned just past his right hand post by Tinsley.

The hosts went close again in the 21st minute when Rob Brocklehurst's corner from the right found Richard Whyatt who sent his right foot shot wide of Tinsley's left hand post.

Another chance came Town's way in the 29th minute when George Clarey sent his shot from some 25 yards not far wide of Tinsley's left hand post.

Then with exactly 30 completed minutes played, it was 2-0 when Jack Harris played a one-two with Brendon Price on the left before sending his right foot shot from 25 yards over Whiting's head into the keeper's top left hand corner.

Town went close in the 32nd minute when Whyatt's cross from the right found Mike Sherrington who sent his glancing header from 9 yards past Tinsley's right hand post.

Town pulled a goal back in the 42nd minute when Hincks's through ball on the left found Jake Ambrose who cut in before laying it back to Chris Sherrington, whose cross to the far post evaded everyone before running to Whyatt who fired his right foot shot from 6 yards into Tinsley's left hand corner to give his side a lifeline.

The first chance of the second half came Oswestry's way just into the 48th minute when Harris's through ball on the left found Brendon Price who cut in past his man before seeing his left foot shot deflect off a Town defender on its way to hitting the near post before the ball was cleared.

Then at the other end, Town went close in the 54th minute when Brocklehurst ran forward before having his right foot shot from 25 yards superbly tipped away to his left by Tinsley.

A flurry of substitutions took place with Town bringing on Luke Pearson for Clarey in the 65th minute and Oswestry bringing on Jacob Farleigh for Thomas in the 67th minute before Town made a double change in the 71st minute with Daniel Jones replacing Mike Sherrington and Daniel Wood replacing Delaney as the hosts looked to get back into the game.

The next chance came Town's way seconds later (still in the 71st minute) when Brocklehurst's corner from the left found Joe Shaw, who sent his header from 12 yards close to the penalty spot wide of Tinsley's left hand post.

Then at the other end a minute later, Oswestry went close when Newton's cross from the left found Farleigh at the far post who pulled the ball back into the middle for Brendon Price, whose left foot shot from 6 yards was cleared off the line by Wood.

Oswestry made their second change in the 75th minute when Oliver Jones came on for Josh Sumner.

Town went close in the 80th minute when Hincks picked up a loose ball and ran forward before firing his low right foot shot from almost 40 yards wide of Tinsley's right hand post.

Oswestry made their final change a couple of seconds into added time at the end when Tse Yue came on to replace Newton.

The visitors went close to adding to their lead just over 90 seconds into added time when Yue ran down the right before having his cross cleared with the ball running out to the in-running Jones, whose right foot shot from 25 yards took a deflection off Hincks before being held at head height by Whiting.

Then 3 seconds into the 4th minute of added time, Town had a great chance to equalise when Jones's long throw in from the left into the box was flicked on with his head by Hincks to Shaw, whose right foot volley from inside the 6 yard box produced a brilliant reflex save by Tinsley before the ball was cleared by Jamie Price.

The final blast of Abid Hussain's whistle a couple of seconds before the end of the 5th minute of added time confirmed Town's 4th league defeat of the season and saw Oswestry finally achieve their first league points at the 10th attempt.

Town: Daniel Whiting, James Dunn, Chris Sherrington, Liam Delaney, Joe Shaw, Rob Brocklehurst, Jake Ambrose, Luke Hincks, Mike Sherrington, Richard Whyatt, George Clarey.  Subs: Daniel Jones (for Mike Sherrington 71), Daniel Wood (for Delaney 71), Luke Pearson (for Clarey 65), Stephen Piggot (not used).

FC Oswestry: Gary Tinsley, Sam Pickering, Brendon Price, Rob Shone, Alun Morris, Jamie Price, Josh Sumner, Sam Thomas, Jack Harris, Jamie Hands, Joe Newton.  Subs: Oliver Jones (for Sumner 75), Tse Yue (for Newton 90+1), Jacob Farleigh (for Thomas 67), Daniel Tinsley (not used), Louis Mackin (GK) (not used).

Training Arrangements for Autumn/Winter

Now that the days are getting shorter there are new arrangements for training during the Autumn and Winter months.

It will now take place on Thursdays ONLY at the Platt Lane Sports Complex in Fallowfield. The time slot is the same: 7.00pm - 8.00pm

If you don't know where the Platt Lane Complex is then please see the map below. Feel free to use the zoom in and out buttons on the map to get an idea of where it is.

For those of you using sat-navs, you will need to use the postcode M14 7UU

 

Cheadle Town 2-2 Chadderton

We still haven't managed to set the world alight with our home form, yet.

We were wasteful at times in front of goal for this one and yet grateful for the presence of Danny Whiting between the sticks who came up with some key saves when it mattered. All things considered, a draw was probably a fair result.

And one that we should be happy with. Chadderton were better than their 14th place would suggest, stroking the ball around comfortably and gaving us plenty to think about.

We put a shot across their bows as early as the first minute - Rick Whyatt hammering a Jake Ambrose cross over the bar - but for the next 15 minutes or so the visitors easily had the better of it.

They got Danny Whiting working early, forcing him to palm away an awkward daisy cutter on the 6th minute and then getting our defence to put in a series of blocks as they worked their way into our penalty area shortly afterwards.

Alas, as the 19th minute ticked over, and in the blink of an eye, we were 1-0 up.

Mike Sherrington collected a loose ball on the halfway line before using his pace to power forward, draw the keeper and finish from the edge of the box.

It was then our turn to dominate.

A minute later Rick Whyatt shot over after a rebound fell to his feet on the edge of the box with a glorious chance to go 2-0 up then wasted shortly after; Mike Sherrington seeing a close-range shot saved with George Clarey somehow firing the rebound wide.

Liam Delaney tried his luck from range and George Clarey caused all sorts of chaos with a well-delivered ball from the right before the pendulum swung once again and Chadderton were level: the ball was cut back from the right to find Luke Heron at the far post, his shot being too powerful for those stood on the line.

Chadderton went on to finish the half the stronger. Danny Whiting made two more excellent saves, the latter of which from a snap shot in the box that he will have seen late, with a last-ditch tackle preventing them taking the lead on the stroke of half-time.

Start of second half, start of another Cheadle spell, one which would see us re-take the lead.

Just three minutes into the restart a corner in from the left was spilled by the Chadderton keeper to the feet of Luke Hincks who swivelled and swept it home from close range.

Just five minutes later Mike Sherrington saw a shot spin off a defender and straight to the feet of George Clarey on the left who looked set to score but was denied by an excellent stop from the onrushing keeper.

On 63 minutes Chadderton struck the crossbar and it heralded another dominant period from the visitors. They drew level once more on the 68th minute when Aaron Holton danced his way to the edge of the area before drilling low to Whiting's right.

The match continued to ebb and flow as both sides went for the win.

Mike Sherrington forced a save from a tight angle, Chadderton then side-netted from a good position, saw a free-kick whistle just wide of Whiting's post, Rob Brocklehurst placed a free-kick of his own over the bar and Danny Jones sent in a skidding cross from the right which caused all manner of mayhem after the keeper had parried it but had nobody to slam it into the net.

And then, with a minute remaining and the match well-and-truly in "next goal wins" territory, the final act from our very own Danny Whiting, somehow managing to keep a point-blank header out with an excellent reflex stop.

Onto Saturday and the visit of Oswestry Town.....

TEAM: Whiting, Dunn, Fleming (Shaw), Delaney, Brocklehurst, Harrison, Ambrose, Hincks, M Sherrington, Whyatt (Jones), Clarey. SUBS: Shaw, Jones, C Sherrington, Russell, Piggott (gk)

Fundraising Night to Replace Ground Equipment

Sorely missed from Park Road

Come along on Saturday 23rd to play your part in funding a replacement....

As you may know by now, the club had a break-in a couple of weeks ago where a significant amount of ground maintenance equipment was stolen.

Running to an approximate value of £2,000 the thieves made away with a sit-on mower and other vital pieces of equipment that went with it, leaving our groundsman Phil Mottershead with absolutely no means of maintaining our pitch.

Naturally we would like to make a start in funding replacements for Phil so that he can continue to do the excellent work he does for the club.

Therefore we have decided to have a fundraising night at the clubhouse at Park Road.

Starting at 7.30pm on Saturday 23rd September there will be various raffles etc. for everybody to participate in.

Three of the prizes on offer are

• a round of golf for two people with Matt Nixon from the European Tour at Withington Golf Club
• a Barcelona shirt signed by Messi, Xavi and Van Bronckhorst
• a karaoke machine

The clubhouse bar will, of course, be open as well so come along for what should be an enjoyable evening that will try and raise as much money as possible.

The First XI will be at home to Oswestry Town that afternoon so why not make a day of it and take in the match beforehand, too?

We hope to see you there!

Cheadle Town 1-0 Abbey Hulton United

Job done...

The players warm down after their victory

Not only a first win at home but, in the face of the rather erratic start we had made, the first consecutive victories.

Again it was a result that was earned in the second half, again we had Daniel Whiting to thank for some excellent stops and again it was Rick Whyatt popping up with the goods when it mattered.

His sixth goal of the season came with just two minutes of the match remaining. By then the game was well and truly into the "one goal will win it" stage and we're glad to say that it was us who bagged it.

As the ball was lofted into a crowded penalty area substitute Robbie Robertson did a splendid job in holding it up. Steaming in with intent was Rick Whyatt to blast home Robbie's pass from close range.

In a match that could have gone either way the chances had swung to-and-fro.

Hulton made the better start and forced us into clearing danger as early as the 3rd minute and had a decent chance headed wide just two minutes later.

Our first opportunities came soon after. Danny Jones latched onto a loose header across the face of our area only to plant his shot wide with him then getting on the end of a Whyatt cross from the right only for him to shovel his effort hopelessly wide.

Danny Whiting then came to the rescue on 14 minutes as we lost possession in midfield and Hulton's no3 charged down the right, sending a teasing cross to the far post for what looked like a certain goal only for Danny to pull off another great block.

A Danny Wood wayward effort and a Jake Ambrose header straight at the keeper took us to half-time with the deadlock yet to be broken.

It was us that made the better start to the second half.

George Clarey sent in a cross from the right straight to Whyatt's feet but his effort was straight at the keeper before George had a go himself, skidding a shot in from the angle on the right which the keeper had to scramble away.

Danny Whiting made another great block from close range just before the hour with George Clarey providing for Rick Whyatt again from the right, sliding in at the near post this time only for it to go over the bar.

An awkward long-range daisy cutter which Danny Whiting managed to claw away came inbetween two Rob Brocklehurst free-kicks, the latter of which was spilled with nobody nearby to capitalise.

In the wake of Rick Whyatt's ultimate winner there was still work to do as Hulton pushed for an equaliser but we managed to keep them at bay, even having time for Robbie Robertson to charge down the field and force the keeper into a save.

A decent three points - Abbey Hulton United are a decent outfit - which takes us up to the lofty heights of 5th place.

We can turn our attentions away from league matters this weekend as we travel to Rossington Main for the FA Vase.

TEAM: Whiting, Dunn, Harrison, Russell, Shaw (Delaney), Brocklehurst, Ambrose (Ratican), Wood, Jones (Robertson), Whyatt, Clarey. SUBS: Delaney, Ratican, Robertson, Piggott (gk), Marsden.

Sandbach United 1-3 Cheadle Town

Can we play away from home every week?

Maintaining our 100% start on the road and a win where we conceded first - statistically rare for us - made it a useful weekend for our First XI.

Our latest 'W' in the form column came down to two things: yet another rousing second half performance and a Mr Daniel Whiting between the sticks, who did everything he could to ensure that we didn't have the same mountain to climb as we did against Prestwich in midweek.

My Twitter notes recorded at least five occasions where he stopped what the Opta statistics bods would class as "clear goal-scoring opportunities", or something.

The pick - or should I say picks - of his custodial heroics came on 22 minutes when he blocked a far post effort at close quarters, did the same again on 35 minutes when a Sandbach player was clear through, just before half time when he palmed away an awkward effort at his near post and then on 56 minutes when he had to race out to deny another one-on-one situation.

With Mr Whiting making more than a decent fist of doing what is expected of him, the onus fell on those at the other end of the pitch to do the same.

It took them a while to get going. It wasn't until the 22nd minute that we had our first decent effort on goal; Rick Whyatt nipping in at the near post to connect with a Danny Jones cross only to see the keeper nip it off his toes.

As the first half started to draw to a close we began to find ourselves in half-decent positions, especially Jake Ambrose, but our reluctance to shoot and/or the final ball was letting us down.

A poor start to that half meant that we were going into the break a goal down.

Sandbach's ruse of direct balls to their good-in-the-air front two allied with their pacey no10 paid dividends as early as the 3rd minute.

They had already struck our crossbar before they broke quickly from our free-kick, worked the ball down the left channel before pulling it back for an easy tap-in for Pearson.

We definitely had a goal in us in this match. Fortunately after coming out for the second half we managed to bag three!

Our first breakthrough came just before the hour mark when Danny Jones slotted Rick Whyatt in for a calm finish into the far corner.

At this point it was pretty much anybody's game: end-to-end stuff but, oddly enough, nothing clear-cut for either team.

And then came one of those "sliding doors" moments around the 72 minute mark.

Coming out to collect a lofted ball Danny Whiting's heart must have been in his mouth as he was met by the sight of Joe Shaw coming towards him and heading the ball past him. Both could now do absolutely nothing about the ball's final resting place. Thankfully for us, it was wide of the post.

A minute later Sandbach clipped our crossbar from where we went up the other end and got ourselves a corner...

...which was struck in, daisy-cutter style, from the left to Joe Shaw at the near post whose attempt to flick it in managed to distract everybody enough to allow Rick Whyatt the easiest of goals from a yard out.

Rick Whyatt (centre) lies in wait....

Hugs all round!

Sandbach, perhaps having run out of gas, luck or just tacit admission that whatever they did was going to be foiled by Whiting, didn't feature for the remainder of the match.

Joe Shaw powered a Wood free-kick just over the bar before we extended our lead with eight minutes of the match remaining.

Not for the first time Jake Ambrose found himself in a good position on the right where his effort was blocked. The loose ball found the feet of Danny Wood in the area who, with Sandbach bodies in his way, was patient enough to pick his spot and plant home.

Back to Park Road we go this Wednesday where we seek that (thus far) elusive home win against NWCFL newcomers Abbey Hulton United.

TEAM: Whiting, Dunn, Fleming, Russell, Shaw, Brocklehurst (Delaney), Ambrose, Wood, Jones, Whyatt, C Sherrington (Clarey). SUBS: Clarey, Hincks, Delaney, Allcock (gk)

Cheadle Town 2-4 Prestwich Heys

In short, a spirited second half performance that didn't do enough to repair the damage that was done in the first.

0-3 to Prestwich Heys in the first half, 2-1 to us in the second. If you want to look at it that way.

For the latter 45 minutes we had much more of a "presence", getting our foot on the ball - and our bodies in the way - a lot more.

Just three minutes into the restart Jake Ambrose had whipped a teasing cross in from the right that unfortunately nobody was around to benefit from.

Just six minutes later and we reduced the deficit with a well-worked goal by George Clarey, cutting inside from the left channel and maintaining his run square until he found the right moment to pop the ball under the Heys keeper's body.

Jake had been inches away from putting Danny Wood through just after the hour mark before disaster struck on the 66th minute, proving just how much of a chasm there is between a scoreline of 2-3 and 1-4; Heys' tricky no11 (Rio Wilson-Heyes) had sent in a cross from the left with the initial effort blocked by Whiting only for the rebound to be slammed home by Dominic Slaven.

Despite the disappointment we kept going.

Some incredible footwork from Jake Ambrose got him within range of the goal but his effort was hacked off the line with a Rob Brocklehurst free-kick being clipped square across the face of goal by Rick Whyatt that was desperate for somebody to nod it home from a yard out!

We got further reward with ten minutes to go when James Dunn reduced arrears once more with a well-placed header from a corner before the towering presence of substitute Danny Jones almost gave Heys a fretful ending: latching onto a flick-through he saw the keeper slightly off his line and went for the lob...only to see it creep inches wide.

As alluded to earlier, the mountain to climb as we came out for that second half was too much as Prestwich had raced into a three-goal lead.

As early as the 6th minute Malachi Slaven's drive from the left had taken a nasty bump off one of our defenders and sailed over Whiting's head with Lee Bruce netting the second on 18 minutes, latching onto a header from Jamie Baguley before advancing on goal and flicking the ball past Whiting.

Up until that point it had been Prestwich all the way in terms of possession and chances but we then started to show some signs of life with our best opportunity falling to George Clarey who just couldn't dig the ball out from under his feet after a Luke Hincks cross had put him in a great position to shoot.

Prestwich benefited from another deflection just before half-time for their third goal, with Lee Bruce offered the simplest of tap-ins after an initial shot from the left had cannoned off the heels of one of our back line.

There was still time for Heys to hit the post from a corner at the end of that most damaging of opening 45 minutes for us.

Five matches in, a varied start to say the least but plenty of positives to draw upon, not least the way in which we battled back hard in the second half of this particular encounter.

Onto Sandbach this Saturday....

TEAM: Whiting, Dunn, Ratican, Wood (Russell), Shaw (Delaney), Brocklehurst, Ambrose (Jones), Hincks, Clarey, Whyatt, C Sherrington. SUBS: Russell, Piggott (gk), Jones, Delaney.

Oswestry Town 2-3 Cheadle Town

Phew.

Three points, yes, but fingernails well-and-truly chewed down to the quick as we willfully allowed our hosts a foothold.

For 65 minutes we were well in control and good value for our 3-0 lead, but as soon as Rick Whyatt had scored that third we had stopped doing the stuff that had served us so well and got us into this position in the first place.

A bright opening by us saw Chris Sherrington test the keeper early on and put a free-kick just over.

On the 12th minute we should have opened our account. Great running by Mike Sherrington down the right saw him slot Rick Whyatt in on goal but to no avail.

Two minutes later Rick made amends, albeit with some fortune; picking the ball up on the edge of the area he went for power, with the shot taking a wicked deflection off an Oswestry defender, wrong-footing the keeper and spinning into the opposite corner of the net.

On 21 minutes Danny Whiting was called into action as he did well to palm away a well-struck long-range effort before we went straight down the other end and extended our lead.

It was the Mike Sherrington/Rick Whyatt combination working again, with Rick feeding Mike in down the right this time for a cool finish into the far corner.

Oswestry had evidently received the proverbial rocket up their rear ends at half-time as they came out with purpose in the second half and were arguably the better side for the final 45 minutes.

Their first chance came six minutes in when a cross in from the left found their player in space in the area, only for him to lash it over the bar.

Danny Whiting was forced into another good stop just after the hour mark before sending the ball down the other end where we would extend our lead even further.

On the edge of the box once more, Rick Whyatt turned inside and out before unleashing a left-footer that didn't need any deflection to help it on its way this time.

And that should have been that. Feet up. Game won.

But no. Two minutes later a poor header out of our defence fell straight to Oswestry's Farleigh who belted home from the edge of the area.

We simply couldn't keep hold of the ball from this point onwards and found ourselves having to fend off repeated waves of Oswestry attack, with Danny Whiting on-hand to rescue us again on 79 minutes with a good stop.

We crafted ourselves a chance to wrap it up once and for all with two minutes to go when George Clarey was through on goal but a moment of hesitancy meant the opportunity was gone.

In the blink of an eye the ball was sent up the other end where Tinsley's turn-and-shot from close range at the near post ensured a very nervous finish and one that would have been even more disastrous for us had Danny Whiting not come out bravely to clear a dangerous cross deep into stoppage time.

Onwards we go and thick-and-fast the fixtures come. A strong-looking Prestwich Heys are the next to visit Park Road this Wednesday evening....

TEAM: Whiting, Dunn, Fleming, Wood (Russell), Brocklehurst, Shaw, Ambrose (Clarey), Hincks, M Sherrington, Whyatt (Delaney), C Sherrington. SUBS: Piggott (gk), Clarey, Delaney, Russell.

Cheadle Town 0-0 Daisy Hill

How do you trudge away from a football ground twice with the same feeling of disappointment despite witnessing two different results?

Wednesday evening vs Alsager: a defeat that should have been a draw.

Saturday vs Daisy Hill: a draw that should have been a victory.

Only ourselves to blame. A host of more-than-decent chances were squandered in the first half that should have seen us retiring to our collective teas and sandwiches at the break in a comfortable position.

Just 40 seconds had passed before Chris Sherrington found himself with the loose ball at his feet on the left and with clear sight of goal, only for him to drill just wide.

He had another pop on 10 minutes, stinging the palms of the keeper before his brother Mike flashed a decent effort over the bar just five minutes later.

On 23 minutes we thought we had gone head. Rob Brocklehurst's free-kick from the right caused all manner of angst in the Daisy Hill defence with a close-range effort somehow being hacked off the line.

Two minutes later George Clarey went clean through on the right. A square and unmarked Mike Sherrington looked to be the best option but George went for the shot which unfortunately whistled wide of the mark.

Just before the half-hour mark Rob Brocklehurst went just wide with a free-kick before George Clarey went on a mazy run, cutting inside from the left to force a decent save from the keeper.

Mike Sherrington did the same a minute later but shot over with an exact reversal of the Sherrington-Clarey situation occuring on 40 minutes; this time Mike squared for George who looked set to score but the keeper was able to smother the danger.

To be fair Daisy Hill also had their chances in the first half; they just weren't as plentiful.

Ryan Allcock did well to palm away an awkwardly-bouncing long-range effort on the 8th minute, gathered a curling effort on the quarter-hour but then was motionless as a hooked shot from a corner beat him just before half time. Thankfully it bounced harmlessly off the post.

The second half saw a lot less in terms of decent chances from either side.

Ryan Allcock prevented the Daisy no10 with a decent block when he was through on goal. His opposite number then produced a good reflex save to beat away a deflection from a free-kick before George Clarey saw himself through on the right as stoppage time was upon us but was beaten by a last-ditch tackle.

There was time for a heart-in-mouth moment as Daisy could have snatched all three points but their substitute's air-shot from about two yards out ensured a share of the spoils.

Still early days yet and no grounds for any concern but the OPTA statistics bods would have had a field day with our chance-conversion percentage rate, or whatever it is they calculate.

At least we are creating the chances but there might just come the odd game here and there where those opportunities are going to be at a premium. It's never too early to develop a clinical streak.

Onwards to Oswestry this Saturday.

TEAM: Allcock, Dunn, Harrison, Russell (Delaney), Brocklehurst, Shaw, Clarey, Wood (Hincks), M Sherrington, Whyatt, C Sherrington (Christopher). SUBS: Christopher, Delaney, Hincks, Piggott (gk)

Cheadle Town 1-2 Alsager Town

The bitterest of pills to swallow.

With just two minutes to go Alsager's Remeece Brown took off on a gallop towards our goal, twisted this way and that before opening his body up and placing a well-taken effort past Ryan Allcock.

Such a shame and all as we had done everything to haul ourselves back into the match in the second half - after a rather indifferent first - and can probably count ourselves a tad unlucky not to come away with at least a point.

That first half.

From a Cheadle point of view probably the less said about it the better. With only an early Rick Whyatt effort and a Rob Brocklehurst free-kick - both of which were straight at the keeper - to speak of we really didn't get going and offered little in terms of troubling the Alsager keeper.

Down the other end the first real significant effort on goal after a turgid 19 minutes saw Alsager go ahead thanks to a Joshua Glover looping header from a left-wing cross and Ryan Allcock doing very well to tip away a curling effort on 35 minutes.

He made one more decent stop early in the second half before the introduction of Luke Hincks gave us a bit more bite on the pitch.

This paid dividends on 69 minutes. James Dunn's run down the right into the box resulted in him shovelling the ball into the area for Mike Sherrington to finally - after a bit of persistence - prod home for a deserved leveller.

Mike was then through again on 76 minutes but the pace of the ball - and the keeper - thwarted him with George Clarey then through in a similar situation on 80 minutes with the keeper being equal to matters once more.

Neither team were settling for a draw, so who would win it? Unfortunately for us Alsager won that particular toss of the coin.

A cheerless result but still plenty of promise. Again, as it was in Atherton over the weekend, patience played a part. We stuck to our guns re our manner and style of play against a robust Alsager outfit and it (almost) paid off.

Two matches in. No major concerns as yet. Can't complain.

TEAM: Allcock, Dunn, Fleming, Brocklehurst (Delaney), Harrison, Shaw, Ambrose, Wood (Hincks), C Sherrington (Clarey), Whyatt, M Sherrington. SUBS: Piggott (gk), Hincks, Clarey, Delaney.

Atherton LR 1-2 Cheadle Town

If only we could start seasons every week.

I make no apologies for the oxymoron; we haven't lost our opening competitive fixture for the past ten seasons now.

The casual observer might have put sound money on that run being ended at Atherton LR today. Us with the spine of last season's squad now elsewhere and going into this match with LR - themselves boasting a whole new raft of players - on the back of a mixed bag of results in pre-season.

But hey, we won.

What we may have lacked in pace, height and chance-to-goal conversion today we made up for in spades with patience, measurement and organisation.

The match was evenly-balanced with very little to write home about for the first 26 minutes until the two Sherringtons fashioned the first clear-cut chance; Chris' run to the edge of the box seeing his effort blocked with the loose ball running to an unmanned Mike who blazed over with the goal almost at his mercy.

Chris was instrumental in opening our account just six minutes later.

His cross from wide out on the left was gathered by Rick Whyatt in the box who had time to adjust his feet and plant home into the corner of the net.

Mike Sherrington then really should have made it 2-0 seven minutes later. He was put in on goal and had rounded the keeper successfully but somehow took too long to decide what to do thus allowing the LR defence to smuggle away the danger.

The disappointment didn't last long.

From the resulting corner Aaron Fleming rose at the near post to power in an unstoppable header.

And then it should have been 3-0 shortly before half-time.

Rick Whyatt found himself all alone in the area with the ball at his feet after everybody else had stopped, waiting for an offside flag that never came. Perhaps he had to much time to think as his effort was skied harmlessly.

LR applied more pressure in the second half but they were gifted their foothold back into the game on 58 minutes.

Ryan Allcock placed a clearance straight to the feet of an LR forward who then had the simple task of squaring it for Kidd for an easy tap-in.

Straight after that Ben Christopher almost restored our two-goal advantage but the LR keeper made a wonderful fingertip save over the bar.

Substitutes came and went for both sides as they both went for the all-important next goal with us having two more gilt-edged chances to wrap it up; both George Clarey and Ben Christopher were clean through on goal only to be thwarted by some excellent keeping.

Creases to iron out but the perfect start. Onwards to our next task: the visit of Alsager Town this Wednesday evening.

TEAM: Allcock, Dunn, Fleming, Brocklehurst (Delaney), Harrison, Shaw, Christopher (Caldecott), Wood, M Sherrington (Clarey), Whyatt, C Sherrington. SUBS: Piggott (gk), Clarey, Delaney, Caldecott.

Prize Draw - Results & Important Information

A lot of you will have been aware of our Prize Draw that has taken place quarterly where tickets have been sold door-to-door throughout the Stockport area.

At this point last year we did mention the fact that we were looking to phase this draw out; we are now at that point.

The results from what is the final draw are as follows:

First Prize (£1000)
Ticket no: 01964
I Johnson, Bredbury

Second Prize (£500)
Ticket no: 02487
D Massey, Offerton

Third Prize (£250)
Ticket no: 01321
I Wild, High Lane

However, from this point onwards ANY tickets sold door-to-door bearing the name of Cheadle Town Football Club are no longer valid as the club is no longer participating in this particular Prize Draw.

Many, many thanks to those of you who have supported the club via the draw over so many years and congratulations to those who were lucky enough to have paid for a winning ticket!

We are looking at alternative and more modern ways of raising funds for the club. Please watch this space for future developments.