Main Again

1st Qualifying Round

Maltby Main (L9) v Ramsbottom United (L8)

Saturday 7th September 2019

It was another warm, sunny day as we headed back to Muglet Lane. I had picked up Samuel and his best mate, Isaac, from football training and we arrived at the ground in plenty of time.

Rotherham had kicked off early and, despite playing well, conceded late to lose 2-1. A lot of the spectators at Maltby were grumbling again. Can't blame Portsmouth this time though.

This game had the added element of bringing together those old adversaries, Yorkshire and Lancashire, as Ramsbottom United came from Bury. It wasn't quite Manchester v Leeds or Henry v Richard, but any Roses battle has an extra edge. We, as neutrals, were looking forward to it.

We again presumed that Maltby won the toss, as they played down the slope in the first period. As before, they dominated possession and were rewarded early in the match. In a carbon copy of the previous round, a long ball was met by Anthony Wilson, who finished perfectly. 1-0.

We sat in the small covered stand behind the dugouts and were, again, entertained by the comments of the coaches.

"Would you have a word with number 9, ref?" shouted one.

"Yeah, about his fringe!" added his assistant.

Although playing uphill, Ramsbottom quickly adapted to the conditions, far better than the University lads had done. It was a physical encounter, with both sides well matched.

20 minutes into the game, Ramsbottom drew level, with a neat finish from Nic Evangelinos. 1-1.

They were forced to make a substitution shortly afterwards, when the impressively named Anointed Chukwu replaced the injured Reuben Jerome. It was a shame as Jerome had been playing well.

Ramsbottom were really starting to show their higher league status, much to the delight of the small party of fans who had travelled from Bury, setting up camp alongside the cricket field.

They were in fine voice, and were rewarded on the half hour, when a clever through ball found Mason Fawns, who turned the ball across goal for Evangelinos to finish, claiming his brace. 1-2.

Ten minutes later, Chukwu made his mark by finishing clinically to give the Ewes a deserved 1-3 lead, announced over the tannoy in very sombre Yorkshire tones.

Right on half time, Ramsbottom collected their second yellow card, but went into the break in a comfortable position.

Half time Maltby Main 1 - 3 Ramsbottom United.

As it was such a lovely afternoon, we left the confines of the stand, grabbed a drink and watched a bit of cricket. Behind us stood the United fans, who were clearly enjoying the afternoon's proceedings.

With Ramsbottom playing downhill, we felt there would only be one winner, and this was confirmed halfway through the second period.

United broke down the right, sent the ball across the box where Chukwu, with a delightfully cheeky back heel, doubled his tally. 1-4.

A flurry of changes followed but, despite the fresh legs, Maltby were unable to recover. Less than ten minutes later, Ramsbottom made it 1-5 with a rasping 25 yard strike from Jamie Rother.

To their credit, the Maltby fans stayed until the bitter end, although some chose to watch the cricket instead.

The final whistle was greeted with as much of a cheer as 30 Lancastrians could muster, celebrating another victory over the old enemy.

Full time Maltby Main 1 - 5 Ramsbottom United

Isaac had enjoyed joining us on our journey, and as we headed for the car, Samuel had one burning question.

"Where will we be going in the next round?"

Ratings - food 6/10 (not as much choice as last time); facilities 4/10; atmosphere and entertainment 6/10.

Attendance 120

Round trip 100 miles

Jack and Alex

Haringey Borough 3 - 0 Herne Bay