Ashton Town

ASHTON TOWN 0-8 RUNCORN TOWN

Saturday 28th August 2010

North West Counties League Division 1

Edge Green Street

Part of two of our North West double sees us make the seven mile journey eastwards to the town of Ashton-in-Makerfield and more specifically Edge Green Street, home of Ashton Town Football Club. Ashton is part of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan in Greater Manchester and in 2001 had a population of just over 28,500. The town is located half way between Liverpool and Manchester (16 miles to the west and east) while Wigan is four miles to the north and Warrington 7 miles south east. The town used to be known as Ashton-le-Willows and has long been a centre for the manufacture of locks and hinges. The town also sits on the Lancashire coal field.

Ashton Town Football Club were formed in 1953 as Makerfield Mill FC and initially joined the Wigan Sunday School League before switching to Saturday football when they joined the St Helens Combination (SHC) in 1955. Three seasons were spent in the SHC and they lifted the division two title in 1958 before switching to the Warrington & District League (WDL). The club won six WDL championships during their time in the league, and it was while in the league they changed their name to the present title of Ashton Town in 1962. In 1971 they made the step up to the Lancashire Combination and after seven seasons in the Combination they joined the Cheshire County League in 1978. Four years were spent in the Cheshire League until 1982 when the league merged with the Lancashire Combination and they became founder members of the North West Counties League (NWC). They have remained ever present in the NWC apart from the 1985/86 season when they played their football in the Manchester League. Opponents Runcorn Town are new to the NWC this season having been promoted from the West Cheshire League (WCL) in the summer. The club were previously known as Mond Rangers and they joined the WCL in 1985, changing their name to the present title five years ago. At the start of play the two sides sat next to each other in the table on six points though Runcorn had played a game less and had three points deducted.

The game was about as one sided as you will see as the visitors took the game to their hosts from the start. Runcorn opened the scoring on eleven minutes with a peach of a goal when James McShane curled the ball into the top corner from twenty yards or so out. Not to be out done teammate Marvin Molyneux scored an even better goal just six minutes later when he hit an unstoppable shot from fully thirty yards plus that flew into the top corner. If Wayne Rooney or Didier Drogba had done this Sky and the BBC would be drooling over it for weeks!!!! Runcorn continued to dominate and they added a third five minutes from time through Warren Bellew who cut inside from the right and slotted the ball under the Ashton keeper. Into the second half and it was Greg Byrne who headed home number four from a corner on the hour mark, while the fifth came just five minutes later with a simple sided footed finish from Emini Adegbenro. The final three goals came in the last five minutes with two from Jason Carey (80 and 87 minutes), the second of which was a superb low drilled shot past the keeper. Warren Bellew completed his brace with Runcorn’s seventh of the afternoon with a header past the beleaguered home keeper.

Overall I was very impressed with Runcorn and for the second consecutive Saturday I have seen a team that should win their divisional title with room to spare.

Admission: £4

Programme: £1

Badge: £2.50

Attendance: 15 (official) 34 (head count)

Match rating: 4*

links:

official Ashton Town website: http://www.clubwebsite.co.uk/ashtontown/