Manchester Walking Football December 2024

All Reports By Kevin Williams

Week 1 – Over 70s Division 1 & Over 60s Divisions 1 & 2

Over 70s Report

Someone said to me on Wednesday that this Division 1 should be renamed ‘The Grumpy Old Men’s League’. I’d tell you who it was, but there were so many, and I couldn’t possibly reveal my sources!

It is true that a few lads had their argumentative heads on, but in the end Bury Relics rose to the top despite suffering their one and only defeat of the season at the hands of mid-table Rochdale AFC Strollers, for whom Terry Williams had a tremendous day terrorising the keepers.

Normal service was later resumed, and the trophy went deservedly to a great bunch of lads. Well done Bury! Manchester Corinthians couldn’t quite muster the challenge that they needed, and the 1-0 defeat in the penultimate game sealed their fate. Still, runners up spot is not to be sniffed at, so well done to them too.

Tameside Striders Blues were comfortable enough during the season, and bottom club Burnley Clarets kept two clean sheets to give John Walton and his men some hope for next season, down a division.

Over 60s Report

Bolton Wanderers Blues enjoyed another unbeaten day at Heywood Sports Village to win the 1st Division title by an impressive 7 point margin, denying Fleetwood Town Flyers. Playing 16 games at this level and only being on the wrong end of the result on ONE occasion really takes some doing, so congratulations to everyone connected to the club!

The Cod Army’s big chance to topple the leaders came too late, with that fixture kicking off at 12.40, the last slot of the day. However, a worthy 1-1 draw will have been a little consolation for them. Despite picking up five points on the day, Kingsmaid will know they needed a bit more to survive, and will be eyeing a return next season. Both Wakefield Wanderers and Blackpool Senior Seasiders have enough experience to know that their 3rd and 4th placings respectively are not to be sniffed at in this company.

With Winstanley Walkers powering their way through 16 unbeaten games in Division 2, and wrapping up the title some time ago, most eyes were on the bottom half of the table where things were far less clear cut. Rochdale AFC Strollers started the day in bottom place, one point away from long time friends and rivals Bury Relics Whites. However, a disappointing day for Panthers WFC almost saw them sucked into the quicksand too.

Bury Relics Whites started with a bang beating Panthers WFC, with Rochdale AFC Strollers falling only to a last minute goal from Kevin Mooney of Manchester Corinthians Reds. The Dale then got the breaks against Bury to secure three invaluable points, before a quite amazing performance by the Panthers keeper denied them, saving all 10 shots that were on target. The Relics scored very early on in the match with Corinthians and that pretty much sealed the deal, with Rochdale AFC Strollers slipping into Division 3 for the first time.

But we must go back to the top of the table to congratulate a very strong Winstanley outfit, who will do very well in the top tier next year, have no doubt.

Week 2 – Over 70s Division 2 & Over 60s Divisions 3 & 4

Over 70s Report

Wednesday morning’s final session in Division 2 began with a bang as 3 penalties were awarded in the Bolton Arena – Winstanley Walkers match. Uncharacteristic errors by the Bolton defence handed the Wigan outfit a 2-goal lead early on. The Walkers then tried to help Arena themselves, conceding another spot kick, again converted, but it wasn’t enough for a recovery.

This was the perfect springboard for the Winstanley lads to march onto the title, which they did with a flourish, taking maximum points on the day to go three clear of Preston North End Senior Whites, that particular fixture proving to be decisive in a 1-0 win.

Blackpool Senior Seasiders chief Steve Hyde was searching through the record books trying to recall when his side last scored on a Wednesday at Heywood. He had a bit of a trawl too, as it was 16 matches ago. Previously they had only managed 4 in 32 games, and 6 in 48 games! However, as Steve says, it was mission accomplished for the Seasiders as they condemned Bolton Arena to the drop.

Salcom were never too far away from the top two, and will be looking forward to next season already, but the last word must go to the top team, Winstanley Walkers, well done lads!

Over 60s Report

In Division 3 today, the spotlight was on the battle between Burnley Clarets and Moston Brook FC; the North Manchester side had it all to do, but it was far from an impossible task, such is the quality of their playing squad. However, the Clarets can also boast an impressive outfit, and it proved strong enough today, as the Lancashire lads stretched to a 7-point winning margin, courtesy in part to another set of clean sheets and a season long unbeaten record.

My regular Burnley correspondent John Walton, thanks John, gave keeper Tony Fort a lot of credit for today’s points haul, along with goal scorers Dave and Pete Gregory, but as John would agree, it’s a team game and Burnley have strength right across the board. Congratulations to everyone at the club.

Bury Relics Blues and Bolton Wanderers Whites each had a comfortable season, all told, but Preston North end Senior Whites could never get going and finished winless in 16. Hopefully they will enjoy themselves a little more in calmer waters next season.

Wakefield Wanderers Whites 10 points from a possible 12 merely confirmed their position at the top of Division 4 today. They suffered just the one defeat in a campaign that saw them canter to an 11-point winning margin. Salcom finished a good distance clear of both Ribble Valley WFC and Bolton Arena in this, the basement league of the age group. Those two clubs just finishing ahead of a depleted Rochdale AFC Striders side, who prop up the table with nowhere to go next season.

So, it’s another trophy for the Wakefield cabinet, which must be groaning under the weight of the successes of this, and recent years. Well done to everyone at the West Yorkshire club!

Week 3 – Over 70s Division 3 & Over 65s Divisions 1 & 2

Over 70s Report

Moston Brook FC enjoyed a fine finale on a cold wet Wednesday in Heywood to press home their advantage, racking up 3 wins, 2 draws, and 5 clean sheets. Congratulations to the North Manchester outfit on winning the Division 3 championship.

Tameside Striders Greens, Ribble Valley WFC, Wigan Walkers and Panthers WFC weren’t far behind, in a tight division separated by just 12 points.

Rochdale AFC Striders 6 defeats from 20 games equalled that of the runners up Tameside, but a lack of firepower condemned them to pick up the wooden spoon, albeit by a meagre two points.

Over 65s Report

With the November games pushed back to January due to frost on the pitch, today saw the third round of games in Divisions 1 and 2 take place. Wakefield Wanderers secured the Division 1 title with a quite magnificent clean sweep of victories on the day, conceding not a solitary goal on their way to building an unassailable 17-point lead. Well done to everyone at the club.

It’s still all to play for on the 16th January though, as the remaining four clubs are split by just 5 points. Manchester Corinthians will be hoping for a better day next month than they endured today, despite fielding a very good squad in their bid to finish second. Another return of just three points will make for a nervous day; similarly, a repeat Bury Relics seven points could see some silverware heading their way.

Preston North End Senior Whites and Bolton Arena will know that just a couple of good results could turn things around too. Pitches one and two will host some fascinating games come January.

In Division 2 an outrageous back heeled goal by Rochdale AFC Strollers Bob Hartley secured a crucial victory against Blackpool Senior Seasiders today, fooling everybody on the pitch, including yours truly who was waiting for a killer pass. Two further wins, narrow ones but they all count, meant that the Dale go into January’s showdown with a three-point advantage over Winstanley Walkers who inflicted the leaders only defeat of the day.

Panthers might justifiably feel that a five-point cushion over Moston Brook FC might be enough to keep them safe from relegation. However, the boys in green and black have a very useful side there and it might be closer than people think on the day.

Steve Hyde was ruefully mentioning yet another blank day in front of goal for a Blackpool side who have actually suffered one less defeat than the league leaders, this coming from a guy who has spent years successfully preventing people from scoring, me included!

Until my final reports for this season, in mid-January, I’d like to wish you all the very best for the Festive season, and a Happy New Year!

Week 4 – Over 65s Divisions 1 & 2

Over 65s Report

On a beautiful January day in Heywood, the drama was unfortunately focused off the field for a while, as Bury player Paul Webster suffered a medical incident during play. It goes without saying that the thoughts of everyone involved in the GMWFL are with Paul and his family, and we all wish him a speedy recovery; hopefully we’ll see you back at Heywood very soon Paul.

Thanks, and appreciation should also be given to all of the excellent staff at the Heywood Sports Centre for their swift assistance, along with of course our magnificent NHS ambulance crews.

Update: Paul is in Fairfield hospital currently undergoing tests, which of course we all hope have a good outcome. [Ed].

On the pitch in Division 1, Wakefield Wanderers continued to lead the procession that they started back in September, their only blip coming at High Noon when surprisingly forsaken by Preston North End Senior Whites. Congratulations to the West Yorkshire club once more; if anyone has a cabinet trophy to spare, I believe their current one is full.

Manchester Corinthians only lost four games in this, one of the toughest leagues around, to deservedly finish runners up. That they held such strong teams as Bolton Arena and Bury Relics at bay speaks volumes.

Preston North End Senior Whites finished bottom, but only just, they’ll have enjoyed springing that shock defeat on the Champions, and will have the opportunity to repeat that feat next season, as the new extended Division 1 means there will be no relegation for them.

Division 2 was about as nail biting and exciting a finish to a season as I, and I am certain many others, can remember. Again, it is a division full of good quality teams and nothing was clear cut at either end of the table until the very last games.

Table topping Rochdale AFC Strollers took a very early lead against bottom club Moston Brook FC, and then decided to play kamikaze football against a good side. That approach cost them a 2-1 defeat, and gave hope to not just the North Manchester outfit, but hot-on-their-heels Winstanley Walkers too.

Both sides then picked up points, Blackpool Senior Seasiders in particular suffering an unfortunate defeat to the Dale as they battled to avoid the drop. Rochdale AFC Strollers v Winstanley Walkers, the key game in the race to the title, ended in a 0-0 stalemate, which meant that Winstanley would need to better Rochdale’s result to win it in their final game.

The two games were played alongside each other at the end of the day’s play. Rochdale missed a number of chances against Panthers WFC before taking a crucial lead. Moments after Winstanley equalised, Rochdale scored again to secure the title, their first in quite some time, but congratulations should go to both teams for providing such an enthralling season long battle.

The drama didn’t end there though, in the dying embers of the Winstanley match, they were awarded a penalty that could send Blackpool down, but Seasiders keeper Duane Playforth had other ideas, he saved the spot kick, and promptly condemned unlucky Moston Brook FC to the drop.

As I said – exciting stuff!

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