Dream Academies

Stoke City U18s v Liverpool U18s, U18 Premier League.

Manchester City U23s v Reading U23s, Premier League 2.

Hollinwood V Wakefield City, Pennine Rugby League.

Chadderton v Daisy Hill, North West Counties League.


A more local feel to the day, but still starting in darkness.

My first steed was the 0733 off Sowerby.

Formed of a 155, still showing its bus heritage.  These were removed when all but the 9 West Yorks PTE units were turned into single car 153s.

Into Manchester Victoria, having being joined at Mills Hill by a large contingent of Oldham fans on their way to Oxford, fortunately before they started singing that bloody Wham song.

A short walk to the cashpoint, and as I needed an all-day tram ticket anyway, I decided to hop on one to Piccadilly, seen here emerging from between the buildings that comprise the Co-op head office.

Into the dark dungeon that are the tram platforms at Picadilly.

Up into the main station, the trainshed roof doing a great job of keeping in the stench of stale piss that is a feature of the station.

Football grounds visible from the railway – Stockport’s Edgeley Park.

Football grounds visible from the railway – Macclesfield’s Moss Rose ground.

Into Stoke and passing Electro Motive.  In the centre can be seen the body shell of 66048, which was damaged when it derailed at Carrbridge in January 2010 and ended up down an embankment.  DB Schenker stored the locomotive, and after only 11 years service, it never returned to traffic. It was sold to C F Booth's earlier this year, but then re-sold to EMD. Its bogies have been retained by DB it is understood.

Into Stoke.  The fact that it is a conurbation of six towns, meant generations of school kids have had to learn about polycentrism, despite it not really existing anywhere else and human geographers having to make up places like Randstad or Gold Coast.  If it was that important, then people would actually know the six towns.  Obviously there is Stoke, as it has the town hall.  

I hopped on a bus from outside the station.  I’ve changed buses in Hanley before so that’s number two.

Beyond this carefully constructed shot of a Sainsbury car park, is some waste land.  This was the site of the Victoria Ground, Stoke City’s old ground.  It doesn’t say much for the prosperity of the area when the ground has been vacant for 15 years and it hasn’t been redeveloped.  Hmm, talking of football, Port Vale are from Burslem so that’s one, and they used to be sponsored by Tunstall insurance so that’s probably another.  So only two more to get.

Off the bus on the outskirts of Trentham, which doesn’t jog any memories of being one of the towns.

I was heading for Stoke’s training complex, and my arrival witnessed the opulence that the BRC’s youth team are accustomed to.  Not for them a long wheel base Transit.

The complex is actually the staff club of Michelin, who have a large tyre producing plant in the town.  The plant is large, not the tyres that are made.  Bloody split infinitives.

Out the back of the complex sits the rather modest Stoke City facility.

Stoke City U18s 1 v Liverpool U18s 5, U18 Premier League

V

In comparison to other training complexes, Stoke’s was rather modest.  Even club’s such as Fleetwood having much better facilities.  This was the main pitch, with a couple of temporary stands.

On a grand scale though, was the vats of energy drinks being prepared.  Before John Barnes invented the word ‘isotonic’, this would have been a tray full of tea cups and maybe some water for the foreigners.

Bearing in mind recent revelations in this part of the world, it is fair to say that the club were being extremely wary about access to the kids games that were going on adjacent, which is understandable.  This involved prohibiting any photography at this game, so I don’t have any pictures.  Instead take my word for it; Stoke were appalling and were thrashed by a very ordinary Liverpool side.


I headed back to the bus stop, for a bus with a festive message.  Oh, the world darts championship used to be played at Jollees Cabaret Club in Longton, so that’s five.  One more to get.

Our route back was diverted by road works.  Since when did the Highways Authority start employing medieval sign writers?  Public Realm???

Back to the station, where the previous hoardes of Stoke supporters heading for Arsenal, had been replaced by middle aged, spray tanned, divorcees, heading to the Christmas markets in Manchester, to get wankered on mulled wine, and bitch about the one in their group who couldn’t make it.

With the accompanying clientele in mind, I flagged the rammed five car voyager, instead jumping on the empty 11 coach Pendo, which was three minutes behind.

As we entered Manchester, my next destination was on the sky line.

Into Piccadilly and this adjacent Northern Pacer shows why they have so many engine fires.  Clean your radiators boys.

I headed for the undercroft, with a tram in the turnback centre-spur.

Mine then arrived into the gloom.

Heading east and a closer view of the Etihad.

Off at the Velopark.  Which isn’t actually that close to it.

But it is right next to the Man City academy.

Walking over the footbridge that spans the main road, all around are legacies of the Commonwealth Games.  The main Eastlands stadium that is now the Etihad…

…the aquatic park that has become the academy complex…

…and the trampolining centre which was converted into an Associated Dairies outlet.

All around the site were academy pitches.  At least four here, all with stands.

And another couple here, just for good measure.

The main academy stadium looks like it is a bowl construction, but is actually four stands, with a circular wall around them.  This means that all the vehicles look like they are parked in the stand.

There are also a number of viewing windows.

At one end is a large mural…

…some more detail here.

I don’t know any other grounds with automatic ticket machines, let alone reserve team stadiums?

I opted for the low tech option.

EDS stands for Elite Development Squad, which is all a bit Elite Selling Crew.  I don’t know if they have a 19% discount at Homebase, Ripleys Believe it or Not, The Monkey and ape rescue centre in Dorset, and all branches of Claire’s, formerly known as Claire’s Accessories.

I was unsure if this would be at rip-off prices, but was pleasantly surprised to see it was a token £3.

Manchester City U23s 2 v Reading U23s 1, Premier League 2.

Premier League 2  replaced the Under-21 Premier League this season, with the age limit for players rising to Under-23.  The league has two tiers of 12 teams in each, this being tier 1.

 V 

The ground was built in 2014, as the centrepiece of the 80 acre academy complex.

We were housed in the main stand, but opposite was a smaller seated stand but with the same roof height, which made it pretty infective.

Even more so the terraces at each end

If Man City are looking at reducing costs to pass the FFP, they may want to look at stadium staffing.  There were four counters open at the ticket office, for a crowd of 80.  There were five people giving out team sheets, and four people waving flags when the teams came out.

Another five people filming the game.

Big brother looks on in the corner.

Reading took an early lead.

But city scored a couple of second half goals to win 2-1.

I headed off passed the main stadium, with its bespoke, engraved spotlights.

I was thoroughly impressed by the set-up, but at the same time, this is the massive investment that is required, just to get you a hopeful shot at the last 16 of the champions league, and the Capital One cup.  That’s not to devalue the WSL Continental cup.

Back to the tram, this time at the Etihad Campus stop.

I was off at Picadilly Gardens, which was awash with shopping weary men, the day finally coming when they had to go and choose Christmas presents that their partners will agree to them having.  Wanted a pinball machine, will actually be getting a chunky roll-neck sweater.

Bus planning in Manchester is atrocious, the roads are just not set up for bus use, as GMPTE want everyone to use their Metro system.  Inevitably, anywhere within a mile of the bus station was gridlocked, including this jam outside the Arndale..

A walk down to Victoria to get a Rochdale bound tram, as these come from the new station at Exchange Square on the soon to be opened second city crossing.

There was actually some red pen action, as I hadn’t done the connecting chord from the Bury line on to the old Red Bank loop line.

The tram then crosses the original Lancashire and Yorkshire route in from Rochdale.  This gives a unique view as on the right is the Newton Heath railway depot, the works team of which became Manchester United, whilst on the left, can be seen the top of the stand and lights of Broadhurst Park, home of FCUM.  Incidentally, this is completely the opposite end of town to Old Trafford.

I departed at a station who’s name I can’t now remember but it is where I’d been before to get to Oldham’s training ground for an academy game.

This was my next destination.

The previous open playing fields are now encased with security fencing, to deter repeat instances of joy riding, travellers, arson.  That sort of thing.

Hollinwood 18 v Wakefield City 22, Pennine Rugby League.

Hollinwood have been going since the 1980s, mainly as a result of one bloke who seems to do almost every role at the club.  They focus on the winter league, winning it in 2015.  They are one of only a couple of teams to compete in it on this side of the hills, it mostly being Yorkshire based.  This year they have lost all of their 10 games.

Wakefield City are the winter league outfit for the area.  They are based in Sandal, in the south of the city.

I arrived with the game already underway.

The ground was dominated by the embankment carrying the adjacent tram line.  Ten years ago, this would have been a 142.  25 years ago, a nice 108.

Looking the other way, a selection of terraced housing and mill buildings.

The smallest recorded refreshment outlet, knocking out cakes from a Tupperware box on a square table.

After having the ball passed to him a good few times, the ref relented and covered up his black top.

I arrived with the game 6-4, but the away side scored just in time for the passengers onboard a double set of M5000 stock to be able to witness it.

Hollinwood then retook the lead with this try.

Which was duly converted.

However, Wakefield came back into it with a couple of second half scores.

It ended 18-22 to Wakefield.

I headed into Chadderton.  The town grew up due to its location on the Rochdale canal.  It then became a thriving populous based on its coal mining and mill activity.  It then moved on to making Lancaster bombers.  Famous people from the town are David Platt,a nd the keyboard player from D;Ream, whatever he might be up to after leaving the band.

A short walk from the centre took me here.

And £5 later, and I was in.

Chadderton 5 v Daisy Hill 4, Hallmark Security North West Counties League, Division One.

Chadderton were established in 1946 as Burnley Lane Estate Juniors, playing in the Middleton Youth League.  After a move, they were renamed Millbrow, before another move saw another name, North Chadderton Amateurs.  They moved through the Oldham Amateur League, to the Manchester Amateur League.  By 1980, the club had become Chadderton, and were playing in the Lancashire Combination, which became the North West Counties League.  They have played there since, switching between the divisions fairly regularly.

Daisy Hill are from Westhoughton, inbetween Bolton and Wigan.  The original Daisy Hill club were established in 1894, but folded some time before World War II.  They re-formed in 1951, playing in the Westhoughton League, then the Bolton Combination.  In 1978 they joined the Lancashire Combination, which you know what happened to.  They did change their name to Westhoughton Town for a few years, before reverting back to Daisy Hill.

Andrew Street is the clubs fourth ground.

The main feature if this very long wall.  It used to be bare breeze block, which gave it a cold, grey look,  It has recently been repainted, and the club have chosen to paint it a nice breeze block shade of grey, which I am sure you will agree, really livens it up.

There is a central area of seating.  Notice the dedicated officials area at the far end, which is a couple of breeze blocks higher than the rest.

At the far end is a grass bank, showing how the pitch has been levelled.

Down the other touch line is hard standing, with changing rooms at the far end, bought off plan from Barrat Homes.

To separate the parking from the terrace, the club appear to have recycled the old Krypton Factor assault course.

A very low @keepers_towel on display.  He was an extremely chatty keeper, foregoing the more usual activity of actually watching the game, to instead turn round and tell me exactly how attacking the teams were and how he was looking forward to an exciting game.

There was also  a @non_leaguedog in a festive jumper.

The away team got an early penalty….

…which they duly converted.

The view from the stand, kicking off after Chadderton had pulled one back.

A clear message to the dog owners out there.

Daisy Hill scored another, though I think Chadderton may have already equalised by then.

Unusually, a very orderly arrangement of groundsman’s equipment.

Fortunately, a complete 3g pitch had been dumped behind one goal.  Fuck you Football Foundation Funding, this is how the Mancs do it.

This bloke resolutely read the Daily Star racing supplement for the whole game.  I am sure it was a “I can’t come Christmas shopping with you love, I’ve agreed to watch Jason play” move.

If football was based on the ability to have a lone supporter to constantly shout ‘absolute she-iiiite’ in heavy regional dialect, this bloke would put Chadderton in the Champions League.  Who’d have thought non-league football would attract a lone middle aged male with a carrier bag?

You may mock, but in the past, this place….

….has produced this hall of fame.  From world cup finals last minute toe pokes, to the perhaps least tax avoiding member of Take That.  This was taken from the excellent programme.

There was then a flurry of goals.  I think this made it three all.

Half time and heading for the tea bar, and yet more evidence of the rampant commercialism that is taking over football.

It then got to four all.

Before Chaddy nicked it at the end to win a thoroughly excellent game 5-4.  As the teams left the pitch, I remarked to the away keeper that his prediction was right.  Strangely, he didn’t seem that chatty any more.

Due to the shared use of 3g pitches, I had another game to go to, and jumped on the bus outside the ground.

We passed Boundary Park.

I left the bus at Royton.

My intended game was Royton Town v Springhead in the Manchester League.  It was being played at the Oldham North Academy.  I could see the pitch but as with all schools these days, have the appearance of remand centres with 15 foot security fences everywhere.

Eventually I found the entrance.  There is an old Chinese proverb that goes “He who arrives at football ground when lots of cars are leaving, is probably fucked”, so the sight of a traffic jam at the exit was of concern.

As I got to the pitch, it was occupied by kids having a kick around.  A quick ask found that sure enough, it had been moved to a 1400 kick off, with me not being the only one caught unaware, judging by the twitter comments.

So it was back to the bus stop, where a smart move onto a 402…

…made a -4 at Rochdale, the train running late with all the brow beaten husbands trying to extract their new knit ware from luggage racks.

So back to Sowerby in time to not listen to 606, but to instead google that the sixth town is Fenton, birthplace of Frank Bough.