With all three Saturday teams starting the season in new divisions of the Lancashire Amateur League, their accomplishments this term would probably be seen as satisfactory. However, all teams will look back on the weeks at the end of the season with a sense of what might have been.
The FIRST TEAM got on the pre-season Kenyon Cup trail with a narrow 2-1 loss to Manchester League neighbours Prestwich Heys but wins against Radcliffe Town and Little Lever ensured new manager Craig Howarth’s side, assisted by the injured Danny Smith, progressed to the knock out stages. A quarter-final win away at Walshaw Sports meant the team were just 90 minutes away from a prestigious Gigg Lane final.
The bread and butter of the league started on the 20th August but Prestwich’s Premier Division life got off to a losing start with a 1-0 loss at Rochdale St Clements.
Two further defeats to Rossendale Amateurs and Chaddertonians left the team bottom of the division as they prepared for the visit of Champions Failsworth Dynamos.
However, Prestwich put in a great performance to sweep the champions aside 5-0 and followed it up with a further three points from a league win against Old Mancunians before progression in the League Cup with a 5-0 win over Radcliffe Boys.
A loss at home to Carnforth Rangers in the Lancashire Cup followed and then just one point from the next three league games left Prestwich bang in the middle of the Premier Division table.
These inconsistent runs of results would come to trouble the team throughout the whole season.
Nine points from nine followed as Old Boltonians and Hesketh Casuals (in a double-header) were swept aside. Chadderton also losing out to Prestwich in the league cup.
Defeats to would-be champions Castle Hill and a revenge result from a wounded Failsworth meant more dropped points although successes against Chaddertonians and Little Lever ensured the team finished on a high as the bad weather set in for the winter.
December’s calendar was completely wiped out but early January saw two fixtures staged – a win and a loss against Old Mancunians and Horwich Victoria respectively.
The remainder of January and most of February brought no official action with pitches either too wet, too muddy, too frozen or just covered in snow. A couple of friendy’s on the 3G at Our Lady’s at least gave the lads something to do.
Competitive action returned on the 25th Feb in a two-all draw with leaders Bury GSOB before another draw of the same score line with Rochdale St Clements.
A 6-0 romp under the floodlights at Atherton Collieries’ ground against Howe Bridge Mills was backed up with a 2-1 win over Old Boltonians. However, a disappointing defeat against bottom club CMB Sports left the teams hope of a top four finish hanging by a thread.
Tyldesley United fell in the next round of the league cup before a 4-0 win over Horwich Victoria got April off to a winning start.
But as end of season midweek games started coming thick and fast, the team’s form took a worrying nose dive. Struggles with player availability, coupled with some extremely dubious decisions from officials in key games, ultimately saw Prestwich fail in three competitions in the space of just a couple of weeks.
A 1-0 league cup quarter final defeat at Rossendale Amateurs was followed with a 3-1 league reverse to Howe Bridge Mills.
The three-times re-arranged Kenyon Cup semi-final against Heywood St James was finally played, although not at Ramsbottom as originally planned but at Heywood’s home ground instead. A couple of bizarre decisions by the men in black contributed to a 2-1 loss to the eventual competition winners.
A 3-2 win over West Lancashire league bound CMB followed and that left just one fixture remaining – the visit of champions Castle Hill.
A win over the visitors would see Prestwich, currently in 8th place in the table, jump up to either 5th or 4th depending on other results. The task wasn’t helped with a number of players out either injured or unavailable but they found themselves actually leading 2-1 on the hour mark. However, the visitors turned on the style in the latter stages as Prestwich fell apart, losing out in the end 6-2.
Annoyingly, the other results went our way too!
Prestwich FC First Team – 2011/12
League Finish: LAL Premier Division 8th
League Record: P 26, W 12, D 3, L 11, F 63, A 47, GD +16, PTS 39
LAL First Team Cup: Quarter Finalists
LFA Cup: Second Round
Kenyon Cup: Semi Finalists
Top Goalscorer: Ashley Hoolighan (25)
Most Appearances: Tom Walsh (30, 5 sub)
Most Starts: Paul Taylor (32)
The RESERVE TEAM continued under the management of Liam Morrissey and Brian Clegg and started with a 6-2 win over Rochdale St Clements A and a 3-0 win over Accrington Amateurs Reserves as they looked for another promotion at the first time of asking.
Consecutive 7-0 triumphs over Broughton Amateurs Reserves and Bolton Wyresdale Reserves, followed by a 4-2 win over Mostonians Reserves kept up their 100% start ahead of cup progression in the first round against Rochdale St Clements Reserves.
October brought yet more wins as Dobbies, Astley Bridge, Horwich Victoria Reserves and Old Blackburnians A all collected nothing in the league while Old Boltonians Reserves went down 2-1 in the next round of the cup.
A relentless succession of wins continued before the enforced winter break as Old Standians Reserves, second placed Oldham Hulmeians Reserves, Accrington Amateurs Reserves, Mostonians Reserves and Dobbies all had no joy in halting the team’s progress.
Action returned some 12 weeks later near the end of February but the Reserves hadn’t lost any sparkle as the wins kept on coming. Five of them in fact.
But all good things come to an end and nearest challengers Oldham Hulmeians Reserves finally got the better of Liam’s men in a narrow 1-0 win at Heys Road.
Despite that small setback, mathematically ensuring the league title was only a few games away and further 13 points from the next 15 available sealed the Division Four Championship by quite some margin. Their final game against Rossendale Amateurs B wasn’t even played and recorded as a 0-0 with playing time in the season fast running out.
All that was left was cup glory and a 3-1 Quarter Final win over Broughton Amateurs Reserves was followed by a nervy 6-5 win on penalties following a 3-3 draw against Thornleigh Reserves in the semi-final.
The postponed final against Horwich Victoria Reserves was played at Castle Hill’s ground after the waterlogging at the original venue of Old Blackburnians. Unfortunately a disjointed first half performance left the team with a 2-0 deficit at the break and a bit of a mountain to climb.
A much improved display in the second half gave Prestwich hope, especially after leading scorer Jordan Clegg pulled one back from the spot with ten minutes to play.
However, Horwich broke up the field with minutes left to confirm the victory and destroy Prestwich’s dream of a league and cup double.
Cup disappointment aside, the league campaign was a marvellous success and brought the club yet another trophy in their fledgling existence.
Prestwich FC would like to thank Liam, Brian and his team for their efforts over the last couple of seasons and wish them well for the future as they look to play at a level a bit better suited to their ability.
Prestwich FC Reserve Team – 2011/12
League Finish: LAL Division Four 1st
League Record: P 26, W 23, D 2, L 1, F 93, A 22, GD +71, PTS 71
LAL Second Team Cup: Runners-Up
Top Goalscorer: Jordan Clegg (32)
Most Appearances: Andrew Morrissey (28, 0 sub)
Most Starts: Andrew Morrissey (28)
The A TEAM started out life in Division Five under the new management of Aaron Saunders and wins over Hesketh Casuals A and Rochdale St Clements B sandwiched a 0-0 draw at home to Bury GSOB A in a promising start to the season.
A loss to Radcliffe Town A brought September to a close and also Aaron’s short tenure as manager as he left for personal reasons.
Andrew Howarth, brother of First Team manager Craig, stepped in to take over running of the team and got off to the best possible start with a 7-1 win over Ashtonians Reserves at Drinkwater Park.
A draw with Roach Dynamos Reserves was followed by a disappointing cup exit to Old Boltonians A. Another high scoring win over Lymm Reserves was backed up by a high scoring defeat to Howe Bridge Mills Reserves and a narrow loss to Rossendale Amateurs C.
But the team found a bit of form either side of the winter break as Bury GSOB A, Radcliffe Town A, Ashtonians Reserves and Rochdale St Clements B all left empty handed.
Thornleigh edged out Prestwich 3-2 to end February but a further three league wins over Hesketh, Ainsworth Reserves and Old Mancunians A kept up the teams promotion challenge.
However just a point from games against Roach and Ainsworth put things back in the balance before three wins on the bounce fired the team to the top of the division with just four games left to play.
Unfortunately, squeaky bum time got the better of the team and just a single point from those last games completely derailed their season and scuppered any chances of promotion in a fourth placed finish.
But hopefully that experience should benefit them in future seasons as they look to continue progressing through the Lancashire Amateur League ranks.
Prestwich FC A Team – 2011/12
League Finish: LAL Division Five 4th
League Record: P 26, W 14, D 4, L 8, F 72, A 53, GD +19, PTS 46
LAL Third Team Cup: First Round
Top Goalscorer: Daniel Frappola (10) & Daniel Ingham (10)
Most Appearances: Roberto Monetti (24, 0 sub)
Most Starts: Roberto Monetti (24)
The SUNDAY TEAM saw big changes for the new season with an almost entire new squad coming in under the management of Jamie Comiskey.
And the team struggled to get to grips with the Bury Premier Division with big defeats being dished out by Wagonmakers (8-1) and Crown (5-1).
But a 2-2 draw against Staff of Life gave the team some confidence as they embarked on a decent run up to the Christmas and New Year period. Wins over Huntley Mount, Ostrich and Duck came either side of a loss to The Cave during that run.
But upon the return to action, three defeats and elimination from the Millennium Cup in the first round saw the gloom return as the reality of a relegation battle set in.
A remarkable 14-0 loss at home to the Wagonmakers brought about the dishing out of some home truths which seemed to have an effect with seven points from nine gained in the next three matches.
The bottom two clubs were having no joy at all and Prestwich looked all but safe with a healthy points gap separating them and the drop zone.
A couple of defeats to strong Lizzy sides followed but at least the team managed to finish the season on a high with a 6-1 win at home to The Cave last week ensuring another season of Premier Division action on Sunday mornings.
Prestwich FC Sunday Team – 2011/12
League Finish: BDSL Premier Division 8th
League Record: P 18, W 6, D 2, L 10, F 46, A 77, GD -31, PTS 20
Millennium Cup: First Round
Top Goalscorer: Declan O’Shea (9)
Most Appearances: Mark Broderick (14, 1 sub)
Most Starts: Mark Broderick (14)
