All fields round here

I had thought the North West Counties League Division 1 playoff at Barnton would be my last game of this football season. I trundled off to the rugby union County Championship the following week, and had no Saturday plans after that. However, Matt from the Lost Boyos tweeted that his 100th game of the season would be Sandbach United's Cheshire League game at home to Greenalls Padgate St Oswalds and issued a general invitation. Sandbach have been accepted into the North West Counties League, so it would be interesting to see their preparations.

I arrived in Sandbach intending to take a few pictures and have a pint before walking to the ground. As I was inspecting the Saxon Crosses in the Market Place, a cheery wave from the beer garden of the Lower Chequer told me I had found Matt. I joined him and his travelling companions: Emil, the Secretary at Atherton Collieries, whose father admired the Czechoslovakian runner Emil Zátopek; and Joseph Gibbons, universally known as Gibbo, who combines being part of the Atherton Collieries media team with York based ground hopping.

I selected a pint of Joule's Shropshire Hop, and was concerned about breaking the Geneva Convention.

Joule's red cross is one of the oldest registered trade marks in the world, and is covered as an existing trade mark in the legislation that brought the Convention into UK law.

A consensus emerged that we would go to the ground in the town's taxi (we can offer no evidence of the existence of any others). We therefore visited the Saxon Grill, where the barmaid told us that, as they were mainly a food establishment, we would find a better beer range in the Market Tavern, along with a more eccentric landlord, although she did not mention that.

The club play at the Sandbach Community Football Centre, a large facility on the edge of the town, with five or six pitches. The main pitch sits on the highest ground, which should help with drainage, and has a wooden perimeter fence. Opposite the clubhouse and the entrance, the ground slopes away at the edge of the pitch, giving a good low vantage point for the photographer. The ball can travel some distance out of play, so spectators need to be nimble.

Gibbo returns the ball

Hard standing is in place behind one goal, with neat, new wooden cover. The unusual barrier at the front made me think of shooting butts, but use as such might make it difficult to clear up the gizzards, or whatever the inside of a clay pigeon is called, ready for a game. Still, I could not get rid of the image of gentlemen in flat caps shooting away.

Matt tries the covered standing

Seats have arrived, from the Britannia Stadium, and I assume a modular stand to accommodate them is on its way.

Once, and possibly future, Prescot Cables players were represented by the visitors' Lee Novak, who I understood from a brief snippet of conversation after the game is returning to playing after some time being unavailable due to work commitments.

Lee Novak

Ground grading regulations specify that the ground perimeter should be designed to prevent the viewing of the game from outside the ground. The reverse is not required, so we were surrounded by greenery, which might feel a bit open on a wet Tuesday night in November.

I have always been puzzled by the tendency of some players in contact sports to stick their tongues out in play, although I have never seen anyone left with an inability to pronounce their Ls as a result of an accidental collision. The habit is spreading to the match officials.

I do not think the result had a great deal of consequence, as the hosts had been accepted for promotion regardless of position. I was confused by what I assumed to be final the table on the League website. Knutsford were in top position with 43 points from 18 games, but others had played anything from 15 to 29 , with no suggestion of allocating position by the Duckworth-Lewis method.

Back in Manchester, I made a first visit (for me, not for my companions) to the Piccadilly Tap which has appeared in Piccadilly Station Approach since I last had need to leave the station. The beer was in tip top condition, on what looked like electric dispense, but they may live to regret not having anything to open at the back of the bar for through ventilation.

The rest of the pictures from the game are available here. Matt's account, in which I appear as a well spoken hipster, is available here.

Final score: Sandbach United 1 Greenalls Padgate St Oswalds 2.