AS we welcome in the new year, there’s hope of actually getting some competitive football action next weekend now since the recent thaw.
The first teams Lancashire Cup exit on an artificial pitch a few weeks ago was the only action of note since the end of November, before the arctic conditions took hold and decimated the December calendar.
So let’s take this opportunity to look back on the first half of the 2010/11 season.
FIRST TEAM
A pre-season exercise in the Kenyon Cup provided an opportunity for early competitive action which saw Lee Metcalfe’s team finish top of Group A with two wins and a draw from fixtures against Hargreaves, Prestwich Heys and Little Lever. A quarter final exit to Manchester League Premier Division side Walshaw Sports was no disgrace as the new Lancashire Amateur League season loomed.
The side were rocked though with two long term injuries as last season’s leading scorer Shaun Jackson suffered a horrific leg break at Little Lever while defender Mark Moir sustained knee ligament damage in our Sunday team friendly against Staff of Life.
Following promotion as Champions from Division Two the previous season, Prestwich kicked off the new campaign in style with a 9-0 demolition of Little Lever Reserves. Further wins over Tyldesley United and Mostonians meant a superb placing of second place in the division by the end of August.
The only low point of the month being the league cup exit at home to Roach Dynamos in a disappointing 3-1 loss.
But there were happier times in the Lancashire Amateur Cup as Prestwich embarked on the road to their eventual quarter-final appearance with successes over Leigh Phoenix, Aspull, Jacks House and Castle Hill. The 6-5 defeat to Rossendale Amateurs a few weeks back ended our run in the cup and although the side have definitely got the ability to go one or two steps further, it was a valiant effort nevertheless.
Back in the league, form was good with points only dropped from away draws with Mostonians and Thornleigh plus a suprise home defeat to Broughton Amateurs in October.
With the lengthy cup run coupled with the many recent postponements, Prestwich to date have only completed 10 league games out of 26 and sit in second place in Division One, two points behind Prairie United but have three games in hand on the leaders.
Old rivals Hesketh Casuals are unbeaten in third place having only played eight games so far and only three points behind us, making this coming Saturdays trip to Southport all the more crucial in the promotion race.
Leading Scorers (League & Cup): Danny Smith 10 apps 12 goals; Sean Haslam 13 apps 12 goals; Lee Bushell 16 apps 11 goals.
RESERVES
Prestwich welcomed Liam Morrissey, Brian Clegg and their team to the club in mid-July and although their pre-season results were nothing to shout home about, the fact that most of the games were used to assess the 30 or so players available to him made the results pretty much unimportant.
But when it mattered, the team delivered and started their league season with an 11-0 thumping of Bury Grammar School at Buckley Wells.
Further wins over Old Bolts, Ainsworth, Roach Dynamos and Bolton Ambassadors meant a 100% start ahead of their first round cup success over Chaddertonians Reserves of Division Two at the end of September.
Draws against Howe Bridge Mills and Oldham Hulmeians sandwiched wins over Oldham Hulmeians and Hesketh in October while cup progress waited around the corner with a 4-1 win over Ashtonians Reserves.
Another 11-0 goal glut brushed aside Mostonians and a 3-2 win at Ainsworth the following week was the side’s last action of 2010 before the unscheduled winter break.
The team are currently top of the tree in Division Five ahead of this weekend’s visit of Old Boltonians B to Heys Road where Liam and Cleggy will be looking to continue where they left off an incredible 7 weeks ago!
Leading Scorers (League & Cup): Jordan Clegg 13 apps 28 goals; Kieran Doherty 8 apps 7 goals; Danny Jones 12 apps 7 goals.
A TEAM
Following the influx of players in the summer, we quickly set up a third team who entered Division Six North under the temporary management of Peter Lorenzini assisted by injured first team striker Shaun Jackson.
A slow start brought just one point from the first three games before the team finally recorded their first win following a 6-2 success up at Hesketh Casuals.
That result kick-started their season and three more wins followed before a 1-1 away draw at then league leaders Rossendale Amateurs C at the end of October.
With no cup competition for the third team due to their last minute entry in to the league, there were no additional fixtures to worry about as the team looked to get amongst the leading pack in the division.
But their progress was hampered by the wet weather which resulted in their first three November fixtures being postponed.
In the meantime, Craig Howarth decided to become the team’s full time manager with Jackson staying on as assistant.
And Howarth’s tenure started in the best possible fashion with a 10-1 drubbing of Tottington United Reserves at Drinkwater Park on November 20th which again turned out to be their last action of the year.
Hesketh Casual’s visit to Drinkwater Park is next for the A Team this coming Saturday.
Leading Scorers (League): Anthony Roberts 8 apps 9 goals; Daniel Frappola 7 apps 7 goals; Daniel Ingham 10 apps 7 goals.
SUNDAY TEAM
Following last season’s third place Premier Division finish and Millennium Cup runners-up, management team of Peter Lorenzini and Steve Clarke were hopeful of another successful season ahead.
But the fixture computer dished out a tough trip to Waggonmakers for the opening game of the season and a 4-2 defeat got the season off to a bad start.
A narrow win over Duck Club followed before a trip to Rochdale to take on the impressive Copper Pot in the Lancashire Sunday Trophy the week after.
Despite slipping to a 6-2 defeat, the team could take encouragement from their display especially seen as the opposition was made up of a number of semi-professional players plus one lad who we were told had recently spent three years full time at Football League side Rochdale!
Anyway, a 5-5 draw at Bowlee against new team Inter Alliance followed to end September and that turned out to be the last bad result of 2010 as Prestwich then embarked on a run of six straight victories.
Manchester Limos were despatched 4-0 before a rematch of the previous season’s cup final as the team travelled to Goshen to take on AFC Woolpack.
With five defeats from all their previous meetings, Prestwich were well overdue a win as Darren Buckley’s four goals finally got that particular monkey off their back in a 4-3 success.
A 5-1 win at Huntley Mount got Prestwich’s new Millennium Cup campaign up and running before a 7-0 home win over Staff of Life in the league.
Further high scoring wins over Eastbury and Commercial followed in November before the snow set in. Manchester Limo’s at Drinkwater Park await on Sunday 9th January in the second round of the cup.
Leading Scorers (League & Cup): Darren Buckley 7 apps 10 goals; Anthony Roberts 8 apps 10 goals; Curtis Ward 3 apps 5 goals.
