28th August 2018 - Denton Town 0 v 3 Altrincham Reserves - My second dabble of late into the Cheshire League and my second foray to Denton Town. I had turned 53 today, an aging punk bastard still digging in and doing things the best way - with passion. Alas 40+ years of listening to the noisy wonderstuff (prior to that it was rock and roll and then some glam) has taken its toll and a visit to the doctors on the morn of the match reinforced that I had lost a bit of hearing in my right lug and was suffering from the buzzoid bastard known as Tinnitus. Tis too late to stop listening to the music, ear plugs may be needed at gigs to quell the vibrations, the love of the tune though is in the blood - bah. A day at work was done, tea chomped and out me and the missus headed to meet up with STP Stu again and enjoy some good old football. The weather was decent tonight after several days of shroom-inducing rain and I expected a fair and well-contested match. The guests are playing well, topping the league and obviously looking to continue the roll, the last time I saw Denton Town they had much to admire, I reckon tonight though they would be under the cosh and have to work darn hard to get a result. The joy of the non-league though is the uncertainty hence the reason many are just plain old hooked. Just prior to the game it came to light that there was no milk in the clubhouse and tea slurping was on hold, I was stunned, depressed, aghast at the prospect of 45 minutes without a belly full of leaf borne liquid - oh man. On the plus side, there was a nice troop of Psathyrella candolleana growing on the pitch as well as numerous Mottlegills - you see, shroom inducing rain for sure.
So, dehydrated and with clouds of depression hanging over my tea-starved head I watched the two teams come out and take to the turf that was lush and perhaps a trifle lenghty. The ball rotated, I swallowed spittle and tried to forget my love of the bag (no not Hilda) and noted Altrincham starting in a controlled and organised manner with Denton buzzing about like Haemorrhoid addled wasps. The guests had a regimented passing set up and looked to build slowly and steadily but Denton had the first chance at causing a thriller killer when a throw in went to No 9 (Offe Gideon) who attempted an impudent overhead pass that fell to No 7 (Fabio Goncalves) who turned and shot and hit the inside of the post. It was a finger on the prostate gland for the arse of Alt and they reacted with a racing run by their No 10 (Joel Swift) who beat the dashing keeper to the ball and put in a cross. As the goalie scampered back he must have been mightily relieved to see that the ball in was lacking in spunk and failed to find any in-rushing bod - what a lucky bugger. Soon after, 2 more forays forward came by the visitors with Swift and No 11 (Dylan Scanlan) both having digs that lacked power or direction. The same unit rampaged again with a stunning cross finding the galloping No 9 (Reece Coley) who was mere feet from the goal and only needed the most delicate touch to bring up the first goal. The player arrived on time, swung the shank and boom, the ball went over - a stinking miss and one that was laden with potential post-match hauntings.
The avalanche that was building was put on temporary hold as the hosts found reserves of resistance and produced a couple of sorties into territory rarely trod. No 11 (Franciso Costa) worked hard to cultivate a genuine chance but the guests remained well-drilled all over the park and mopped up the trouble like a washerwoman on speed. It looked as though Denton would have a chance at scraping their arses into the break with a scoresheet void of goals when an innocuous looking push in the box somehow led to a penalty being awarded to the purple-clad Alt Army. It seemed a ruddy strange call to me, my good lady and mate Stu seemed equally bewildered - was the referee on the nest with the Mayor of Altrincham? Was indeed the man in black about to give birth to the Mayor's love-child or, was it a correct decision and I was just being a blinkered twat? Either way No 7 (Rhain Davis) stepped up, placed the ball, struck with focus and bagged the lead for the purples - now Denton had to come out fighting! Alas for the trailing team another assault came, No 5 (Sam Heathcote) knocked a delicious ball to the angle that saw Denton scramble like a nest of disturbed fire-ants and somehow hang on to just the 1 goal deficit. From here the Town built, No 6 (Myhun Woong Seol) wriggled and turned like an eel having an epiphany. The ball was released, Gideon had a rush of triumph-seeking blood and tried the most improbable overhead imaginable. It came closer to killing next doors cat than hitting the goal - hey ho. The half progressed into the latter minutes, the game was held up as all balls were lost and a few players had to go on a mooch. 2 balls were in gardens, 2 in the brambles, 1 in the trees at the back of the dug-outs. The game soon resumed, I spied a man with a warm drink in his hand and yearned for the break. Before I could ponder the world of PG or the heady zeniths of Mount Typhoo I saw Alt have two more surges. The first ended in a shot that skimmed inches wide of the upright, the second finished in a free-kick that was belted in, parried by the keeper and followed up by the keen Swift who bagged the 2nd of the night right on the call for half-time. It was a harsh blow for a team who had done well to cling on but, at the end of the day, it was a fully deserved scoreline.
Half-time, a mist fell over the eyes, I wandered in pre-programmed fashion to the clubhouse, there to be informed that milk had been acquired and tea was available - I purchased 3 cups, film evidence may later prove that a trio of non-league onlookers had been baptised in sweetened waters of tan - God bless the great British drink.
Back to the touchline, the game was soon back underway, a rough and tumble start was had, Coley was being mightily competent for the guests except when he found space, sprinted away and picked his target only to push the ball agonisingly wide - it was a marks-mans misfire, time to reload sir. More bustle, a few emboldened tackles and then, after a delay for an injury a cross for Altrincham. The kick came in was pumped out by a desperate defensive header, another cross followed and Scanlan finalised with a very poor header. Within a fraction another sortie at The Town's back pack came, a cross eventually found Coley who poked out a toe and made minimal contact. Time stood still, the ball trickled towards the goal and kissed the inside of the net and left the home team heads hanging. From here one expected a dam to burst and raging waters of success to foam over and drown Denton's desire. A knife-through butter move could have exacerbated the situation and sent them reaching for the life-jackets but the end shot was wild, The home lads stayed afloat - just.
The skies now grew leaden, night was advancing with chilled breath as well as the threat of precipitation. Coley still glowed, worked the flanks, put in a peach of a cross for No 2 (Lloyd Bannister) to gather and have time to set his sights. The shot went off target, another poor finish to say the least. Free-kicks followed at each end of the pitch, deliveries were average, end touches below the expectation level, into the dog ends we travelled. From here, despite the scoreline and the repetitive pressure, Denton Town showed a sound resilience that kept things on the cusp of half-decent. Towards the last Altrincham had a few more attacks, the final one seeing Davis latch onto a quick pass, shoot and force the keeper to sprawl and save. A corner was given, the ball came and went out and a shot rattled the bar before the whistle ordered the end of matters. The players left the turf, the game was only destined to go one way and Altrincham always looked to have too much in the tank and were sharper throughout. Man of the Match for me goes to their No 9 (Reece Coley) who, has an abundance of skill, an overspill of good pace and an eagerness to work forward and create many a glowing chance. On another night he could have bagged 3 or 4 goals instead of the lone strike - one to watch for sure.
FINAL THOUGHT - There is something earthy, DIY and very, very real about what is going on at Denton Town FC and the struggle to stay above the surface is there for all to see. Tonight one man ran himself ragged, the team turned up and dug in and a few heads came and watched what was a pretty one-sided affair with Altrincham FC looking to be the more coordinated and well structured team who seem destined to stay at the top of the Cheshire League table from here on in and make much misery for many teams along the way. They have one or two players who really catch the eye with some who graft and graft and keep things perpetually moving. My heart though is forever with the underdog and for me Denton are worthy of more support throughout the year. I like their approach, attitude and the fact that, even though their arses were against the wall tonight, they battled to the death and showed enough potential on which to build. They are a physical yet fair outfit and with a bit more space used and general organisation in the ranks they can climb from the second-bottom slot and get due reward for their tenacity - here's hoping. My travels around the North-West keep me busy but I'll be back here several times this campaign, I hope a few who are reading this can make the effort too and if you do, bring some fucking milk.
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