Match 32. Stalybridge Celtic v Brackley Town

Saturday 19^th March 2016 @3pm

Vanarama National League North

STALYBRIDGE CELTIC 3-1 BRACKLEY TOWN

Bower Fold, Mottram Road, Stalybridge SK15 2RT

Admission: £12

Programme: £2 (40pp)

Attendance: 401

Refreshments: Steak Pie with gravy, £2.30. Peroni, £3

With a cheap day rail travel courtesy of Virgin trains it was off to a ground I have been wanting to visit for many seasons. A 12 minute journey from Manchester Piccadilly and a further 5 minutes bus ride to outside the ground. The car park is situated off Mottram Road and the nearest turnstiles are in the corner of the ground where the social club is located.  There is also turnstiles for the main stand with is for executive club members only. Inside the turnstiles is a toilet block one side and the snack bar on the other, which has a good selection of hot food.  The ground has a main seated stand and a raised seated stand with a standing paddock in front located opposite the aforementioned Main stand.  There is terracing behind both goals also partially covered. With another toilet block and a disused building with disabled area in front, this completes one of the best non-league grounds I have been to.

Both sides have been struggling this season and 3 points would help in the pursuit of staying in this league.  This was a game that the Celts just edged but both sides struggled in periods of the game and was not pleasing on this neutrals eyes.  Brackley started the better of the teams and came close on 3 occasions before Stalybridge took the lead after 15 minutes.  Chris Sim cut on from the run to the goal line and shot across the goal and hit the inside of the far post and judged to be over the line before the keeper clawed the ball to safety. Stalybridge had the better of the rest of the first half and had a shot clipping the crossbar before a goalmouth scramble just before half time allowed Brackley to level through a deflected shot resulting in an own goal.

The home side brought on 2 substitutes at half time and ten minutes into the 2^nd half, Stalybridge restored their lead when a cross was struck first time by one of the subs but well parried by the visiting keeper but Joyce reacted quickest to turn in the rebound.  The home side had their best spell of the game and went further in front with 15 minutes left when a throw was flicked on and sub Mudimu tapped in with the keeper stranded.  Brackleys heads dropped and the Celts played out the win in comfort.  The return to Manchester was quick and so I had 80 minutes to kill before my train back to London so I had a walk around Piccadilly Gardens and popped into the tired looking but cheaply priced Bar Rouge, part of the Britannia Hotel.