Up Ended

For those whose interest in the FA Cup extends only to the Preliminary Rounds, there are things we look for in the draw. Aside from a winnable home tie, an away game should provide a good day out, and be somewhere we would not normally visit. Glossop North End answers the first requirement, being nestled in the Peak District, and in any of the last ten years would have answered the second, except that this year they joined us in the league, so we played them at home last week, and will be visiting again later in the season.

A small but select group from our Train Crew travelled on our traditional 10.22. On arrival in Glossop, the other members of the party had some local hostelries they wanted to try. I went for a walk in the hills, so stayed on the train to Hadfield, and took a circular route taking in the old Woodhead railway route and two of the Longendale reservoirs, rejoining the away support in the excellent Star a couple of hours later.

The ground is one of the more picturesque in the division - provided you keep the chimney out of view, although it helps you see where the ground is from miles around.

This was the first match in charge for Andy Paxton.

Having started the season with three poor performances, there was a feeling that some of the new players were not as good as those who finished last season. Whilst that may be the case for some, of whom we may not be seeing much more, others were potentially good players who had not been seen to their best advantage.

There was just one completely new face in the starting XI.

Josh Nicholson (foreground)

This picture allows us to play "FA Cup spot the difference". Most clubs at our level have a kit suitable for league games, i.e. a starting XI plus five substitutes. In the Cup we can name seven, so it is not uncommon for one or two players' kits to be colour matched, but slightly different in detail. Comparing Josh with Shane Glean in the background, we can see Josh has drawn the slightly different shorts and socks.

Team captain James McCulloch was back from holiday, a welcome return for his leadership and organisational ability on the field.

James McCulloch

We started well, with a goal from Rob Doran ...

Rob Doran lines up his successful free kick

... and held on to our lead for the first half with a disciplined team performance.

At half time it was time for food, in the shape of the local Mettrick's pies. Richie, our leader in beer and pub choices, visited last season, and reported that Mettrick's shop had a banner indicating their pies had been sold at last season's FA Cup final, possibly because of the Hill-Wood family's connections with Glossop North End and Arsenal, or because the pies have won several awards. Either way, I suspect they were sold at Wembley for a somewhat higher price than the reasonable £2 (including peas and gravy) at Surrey Street.

The hosts better organised start to the season started to show in the second half.

Joe Herbert in defence

Some were keeping tight hold of the ball.

Jazz takes a rest

Unfortunately we could not keep the lead until the end, with the equaliser coming in the 89th minute, and the winning goal for Glossop from former Cables player Jamie Rainford in injury time.

Obviously it was disappointing to lose having led all game, and the prize money would have been handy for club funds but there were positives to take. The team played as one, and some of those who looked lacklustre in the previous three games gave a much better performance under the new management.

The rest of the pictures from the game can be seen here.

Final score: Glossop North End 2 Prescot Cables 1 (Doran).