As Prestwich prepare to embark on their third season in the Lancashire Amateur League, it promises to be another journey in to the unknown for the club.
Realising our aim of getting in to the top division in just two seasons was a fabulous achievement. Add that to the success our Reserve and A Team’s have both enjoyed in that same time just illustrates the talent we have at the club.
Due to us being new to the league back in 2009, our teams were placed in whatever divisions had room to accommodate them. Some might say that the sides were playing in levels below their ability but no opposition team wants to go in to a game and lose, so you have to be as professional as possible, work hard and secure the points in each game if you want to succeed. This they did.
With the new season brings more new challenges. The First Team, A Team and Sunday Team have new managers, all the teams have some new players and all the Saturday teams will be playing in an improved division come kick off time on Saturday.
It’s all change for the Sunday team with a number of players opting to retire from Sunday football and concentrate on the Premier Division challenges in the Saturday league. Jamie Comiskey comes to the club to take over from Peter Lorenzini as manager and brings 8 or 9 new players to the team in its biggest single overhaul since we started it back in 2005.
The A Team finally get a crack at a higher level after finishing first and second in essentially the same division these last two seasons. New manager Aaron Saunders will lead his team out in Division Five with the long trip up to Hesketh Casuals.
The Reserves have a couple of new defenders in Jamie Campbell and Adam Fitzsimons but other than that, Liam Morrissey’s squad remains the same following their promotion to Division Four. Their season starts with the visit of Rochdale St Clements A to Heys Road this Saturday.
Ex-player and A Team manager Craig Howarth has took over running of the first team following Lee Metcalfe’s departure at the end of last season. Originally partnered with Darren Buckley in the dual- manager role, “Bucko” soon after decided to concentrate on playing, thus opening up an opportunity for injured player Danny Smith to help out coaching the team. A trip to Rochdale St Clements will start the new campaign on Saturday.
However, there’s already been a fair amount of action this summer as the lads came back to start pre-season in late June.
The A Team started off their preparations well, drawing 3-3 with Waggon Athletic before winning games with Ainsworth Reserves and Old Standians Reserves. Progress was abruptly halted in a heavy defeat against Fothergill and Whittles from the Rochdale Alliance Premier Division before the team clawed back some pride from a 5-3 reverse against Little Lever B. A 5-4 win against Radcliffe Town B ensured their pre-season ended on a high note (interestingly refereed by former Prestwich player Lee Russell).
The Reserves started with a 4-2 win against Abacus Media before the standard pre-season defeat to Hooley Bridge Celtic. Further impressive friendly wins followed as Roach Dynamos, Avro Reserves and Old Mancunians all came out second best.
A busy summer schedule for the first team started with a 2-2 draw with Walshaw Sports of the Manchester Premier Division before a 2-1 defeat to neighbours Prestwich Heys in the first Kenyon Cup game. Wins against Radcliffe Town and Little Lever ensured we qualified from our Kenyon Cup group as runners-up. An undeserved 1-0 defeat to newly formed AFC Bury was sandwiched in between those two cup wins closely followed by a 3-1 win at Old Standians. A trip to Manchester League runners-up Avro was next and although we enjoyed some periods of dominance, the home side’s class shone through in a 5-2 win.
But pre-season ended on a superb high as Prestwich came away from Walshaw Sports in the Kenyon Cup Quarter Final with a 2-0 win. A floodlit semi-final awaits later in the year against Heywood St James.
Goalkeeper Alex Blake has joined the squad along with defender Luke Smith and forward Stuart Napier. New striker Ashley Hoolighan has also settled in well, grabbing five goals in six pre-season starts. Anthony Roberts has rejoined the first team ranks while striker Shaun Jackson kicked his first ball in anger since his horror leg break a year ago with a late cameo appearance against Walshaw.
So with the squads strengthened and mostly positive pre-season’s under their belts, the start of the serious action can’t come soon enough.
• Don’t miss a kick this season with extensive coverage on this website, facebook, twitter and in the Prestwich & Whitefield Guide. Better still, why not come and support any of our teams this term. They’ll be either a First Team or Reserve Team game on Heys Road every Saturday afternoon while the A Team will play their home games at Drinkwater Park.
• You can keep up to with all the results and tables from the Lancashire Amateur League here: http://www.lancsam.fsnet.co.uk and the Bury Sunday League here: http://www.freewebs.com/buryfootball
