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I can only conclude that Thomson really likes the look of Barrow's club blazer....

Bloody hell, you had me worried there....

....I expected to read that we'd given a contract to Andy Scott!

Easter Monday, 1988...

It was an ideal time to play Enfield, as they were playing Barrow in the FA Trophy semi-final legs either side of this fixture and, therefore, they played a weakened team at Moss Lane.

Just think, had they named their first choice XI and beaten Alty 1-0 with a stuffy 89th minute goal, a disheartened and disillusioned young Gary Warrington may have trudged home disconsolately and never set foot in Moss Lane again....!     

Here's the match report from The Altrincham Guardian:

Makeshift Robins Held

Macclesfield Town...1   Altrincham...1

An "experimental" Altrincham line-up was held to a draw in the first round of the Cheshire Senior Cup at Macclesfield on Monday night, after Phil Wilson had levelled the score with a superb equaliser.

The former Runcorn star crashed the ball in from well outside the area with a shot which bent round ex-Robins keeper Mike Sherlock in the 51st minute.

The shot cancelled out an own goal by Birtles only sixty seconds earlier, when the young back four player deflected a shot by Paul Marsden.

But the makeshift Robins side could well have gone on to win the tie in the final half hour.

Brian LeBoutillier sent Jeff Johnson's brother Craig** through with only the keeper to beat but he shot over from close range. And then in the final minute, LeBoutillier missed a golden opportunity to clinch the tie when he had only Sherlock to beat but saw his shot well saved.

Goalkeeper Billy Phillips became the first American to play in the Senior Cup and Ivan Crossley had a fine game in defence for the Robins.

But the good news for Robins was that striker Jeff Johnson, sent off in Saturday's cup tie against Orient, served his automatic one match ban, which meant he was eligible for the replay at Brisbane Road last night (Wednesday).

Altrincham team:
1. Billy Phillips
2. Ivan Crossley
3. Mickey Brooke
4. Steve Birtles
5. Graham Tobin
6. Dave Kelly   
7. Graham Heathcote
8. Phil Wilson
9. Brian LeBoutillier
10. Stan Pearson
11. Craig Johnson.
Sub: Steve Thompson (for Heathcote in 30th minute)

** Is this correct? Was Craig Johnson another of Jeff Johnson's brothers?

Why keep on having a go at Northwich?

Well, from a purely personal point of view....

Jeff Forshaw clattering Alex Stepney at Moss Lane in December 1979.

That time at Moss Lane in 1993, when they didn't give Alty the ball back after we had kicked it out of play when one of their players was injured.....and then went on to equalise.

Albie Nieman.

Mike Talbot-Butler's anti-Altrincham reports in the Northwich Guardian.

Bloody Dave Ryan having his annual 'blinder' against us.

Nigel and Tony, those hugely irritating gits who used to present the pre-match 'entertainment' at The Drill Field.

The Drill Field.

Phil Gee.

Mike Connett.

Oh, and did I mention Jeff Forshaw?




 

Hughesy,

We did have a Reserve side in the Mid Cheshire League once, long ago but the standard was so poor that it didn't represent a challenge for our Reserve team and players were unwilling to come and play at that level.

I'm on the Assistant Referees panel for the Mid Cheshire League and to be honest I couldn't say that anything has changed much since then in terms of quality

Well then, we can safely assume that the quality of Assistant Referees in the Mid Cheshire League hasn't improved....!

Sorry!

On their letters page, a regular correspondent from Tameside describes Stalybridge Celtic as:

"A sleeping giant."

Well, I'd certainly agree about the sleeping element...