Damage in the Box!: WEST DIDSBURY & CHORLTON (Brookburn Road)

With the English non-league season getting underway this weekend, with Step Five and Six leagues kicking off, there were a few decent options to be considered this particular Saturday, with plenty of clubs making their debut at Step Six.

I opted to stay relatively close to home and head off to watch West Didsbury & Chorlton make their North West Counties League bow against Formby. I wasn't the only one who decided on this fixture and there were plenty of familiar 'groundhopping' faces amongst the crowd.

The club, as mentioned in the programme, was formed in 1908 as Christ Church AFC and began life in the Manchester Alliance league until the first world war. After the war the club changed it's name to West Didsbury and joined the Lancashire and Cheshire Amateur League, remaining in that league until 2006 when the switched to the Manchester league. They won the title in 2011 and were elected to the North West Counties League in 2012.

The club played at Christie Playing Fields from 1914 onwards before the ground was sold of in the 1980's. They led a nomadic existence until 1997 when they secured the facillities at Brookburn Road. In 2003 the club changed it's name again to incorporate Chorlton, the area of Manchester where the club is based.

Chorlton is a great area for GBG listed pubs and pre-match today was spent a bar called, err, Bar. They had 8 handpulls on offer and the Phoenix "Honey Bee Porter" went down an absolute treat!

As you would expect on a first day of a season, the sun was cracking the flags at Brookburn Road, this was despite yours truly being armed with a brolly as the forecast was for heavy showers!

Formby started the brightest and, after squandering plenty of chances, it was no real surprise when the Squirrels took the lead, Michael White (28) prodding home a rebound after a header crashed back off the crossbar.

West Didsbury had a great chance to level but two efforts were kicked off the line with the Formby 'keeper stranded.

Formby then went into the break with a two goal advantage when, right on the stroke of half time, Kyle Hamid raced clear to fire home. In all fairness it was no more than the visitors deserved.

Within seven minutes of the restart though West Didsbury got a goal back, Liam Beckford scoring their first competitive goal and this level.

Formby had a chance to restore their two goal advantage from the penalty spot but White blazed his kick over the bar (pictured right) and, if it wasn't for the presence of netting behind the goal, the ball would still be in orbit now!

This seemed to galvanise the homesters and with just five minutes left on the clock Tommy Walsh grabbed what seemed to be an unlikely equaliser.

This should have left Formby ruing their profligacy in front of goal but deep in stoppage they nicked a deserved winner, when White made up for his penalty miss by flicking home Hamid's free kick.

Ironically it was a sending off for West Didsbury that led to this extra time, Scott Jones receiving his second yellow card of the game after 89 minutes.

Despite their loss I feel, based on what I seen today, West Didsbury have enough in their locker to make an impact in the season ahead and I heartily recommend a visit to South Manchester.