Damage in the Box!: ATHERTON LABURNUM ROVERS (Crilly Park)

It was a trip on the choo-choo train to Atherton today and a visit to Crilly Park, cue lots of Father Ted related puns and even a Father Jack look-a-like checking the tickets on the train. Crilly Park is actually named after Jack Crilly, a former Chairman of Atherton Laburnum Rovers who was instrumental in the development of the club in its early days. Today they were playing bottom of the table Abbey Hey

It was a bitterly cold day but the game was given the go ahead, however the pitch did look very, very heavy. Atherton have had quite a few postponements due to the recent heavy rain. Combine this with a sloping pitch and today looked like it was going to be a tough slog of a game.

Actually, the game proved to be an absolute corker and a fantastic advert for the North West Counties league. Abbey Hey, belying their lowly position, dominated the first half. Playing down the slope they attacked with pace and found themselves two goals up by the break. After 23 minutes John Hardy side footed home a cross and then, 6 minutes later, Daniel Cocks picked himself up, after being tripped in the box, to convert a penalty. Atherton rarely troubled Jon-Paul Lewis in the Abbey Hey goal and the visitors thoroughly deserved their interval lead.

Whatever Atherton manager Dave Hughes said at Half Time it certainly did the trick. After 52 minutes Louis Edwards fired home from close range to halve the deficit and the game became a real blood and thunder battle, with the tackles flying in, just staying on the right side of the law! Wayne Welbeck, younger brother of United's Danny, nearly made it 3-1 to Abbey Hey but his lob over the stranded 'keeper was cleared by a defender just as it was about to cross the line.

On 77 minutes substitute Jon Stephenson surged through the Abbey Hey defence and toe poked home to level the game. The match then could have gone either way but, in the last minute, Ashford Blake was played through and he cooly slotted past the advancing 'keeper to grab the three points for Atherton.