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[TheCultOfIanTunnacliffe]

Terry Bailey was really good and part of a great Stafford side of that era .

Yes. I went to watch them beat Barnet at Wembley in the FA trophy final win against Barnet. When you were not on the other end of their famous 'owzat!' well drilled offside trap game, it was very entertaining! 😉

Let's not forget that the successful Tony Sanders Alty teams of the late 1970s/early 1980s were also pretty effective practitioners of an 'offside trap'!

[TheCultOfIanTunnacliffe]

Terry Bailey was really good and part of a great Stafford side of that era .

I also recollect his familiar bald head amongst the Northwich Victoria midfield during the late 1970s/early 1980s.

[Steve from Sale]

Interestingly enough, the shout then for the offside trap was 'ON YOUR TOES.' That meant, move your backsides out and leave the forward offside; coming from the manager's bench.

When I was a manager at Unicorn, the coaching of our team that our Alex played in, was taken over by none other than Graham Tobin. I moved to manage our Chris's team. When we wanted our players to beat the offside trap, Graham taught them this with the shout of 'on your toe's' We managed this quite successfully, and when I asked Graham where he got his code from, he said it was from the Kingy/Tony Saunders era at Altrincham.

[hsmith1]

see ronaldo is a free agent now,he does not need the money so maybe we could do a spepney deal with him?

[CRT Butty]

see ronaldo is a free agent now,he does not need the money so maybe we could do a spepney deal with him?

Is there room in the changing rooms for his ego?

[hsmith1]

lol there is that

[distancetraveller]

see ronaldo is a free agent now,he does not need the money so maybe we could do a spepney deal with him?

I’d rather watch Ryan C

[Hugh]

Interestingly enough, the shout then for the offside trap was 'ON YOUR TOES.' That meant, move your backsides out and leave the forward offside; coming from the manager's bench.

When I was a manager at Unicorn, the coaching of our team that our Alex played in, was taken over by none other than Graham Tobin. I moved to manage our Chris's team. When we wanted our players to beat the offside trap, Graham taught them this with the shout of 'on your toe's' We managed this quite successfully, and when I asked Graham where he got his code from, he said it was from the Kingy/Tony Saunders era at Altrincham.

Weren't Unicorn (or their youth team) quite good at one time, along with Hale Barns United? I remember I used to frequently read about one or two lads from my school in SAM who played for HBU.

[FromAltyToAshford]

Weren't Unicorn (or their youth team) quite good at one time, along with Hale Barns United? I remember I used to frequently read about one or two lads from my school in SAM who played for HBU.

Not sure I ever played against Unicorn. I remember getting thrashed by Hale Barns United, as well as Flixton and Stretford Vics...

Would have been late 80s.

[Mick]

When I was at Timperley Villa (boys teams 2006-2011), Unicorn were the side to beat, although most of their age group teams seemed to play in the top two divisions so my teams avoided them most years.
HBU got swallowed up I think when Altrincham FC created all their youth teams.

To be fair there were many well run clubs that each had their day e.g. Broadheath Central, Urmston Meadowside, Flixton, Stretfordians, Partington, Irlam. It was a thankless task at times, the kids were never any real bother, the problem was nearly always dealing with adults over various trivial issues and the usual mouthy parents at away games.

[Hugh]

There were one or two decent Sunday league teams as well. I think both Chris and Danny Adams played for Packet House. I remember one time when Packet got to the quarter finals of the Cheshire Junior cup, watched by around 200 people against some team from the Wirral (transported here curtesy of Happy Al's well scouse bus company - or that's how I remember them anyway!). I remember George Heslop, God rest him, used to look in on them sometimes with his little dog and his "broad Timperley accent".

That reminds me, there was a supporters match once, Altrincham against Runcorn. Apparently Runcorn roped in a bunch of Sunday league players who absolutely battered us. They kept lofting balls into the box, with which our defenders simply could not cope.

For me, the HBU merger made sense, though perhaps some would see it differently. Certainly it's great to have so many people involved with  the club now.

[JD]

Interestingly enough, the shout then for the offside trap was 'ON YOUR TOES.' That meant, move your backsides out and leave the forward offside; coming from the manager's bench.

When I was a manager at Unicorn, the coaching of our team that our Alex played in, was taken over by none other than Graham Tobin. I moved to manage our Chris's team. When we wanted our players to beat the offside trap, Graham taught them this with the shout of 'on your toe's' We managed this quite successfully, and when I asked Graham where he got his code from, he said it was from the Kingy/Tony Saunders era at Altrincham.

Weren't Unicorn (or their youth team) quite good at one time, along with Hale Barns United? I remember I used to frequently read about one or two lads from my school in SAM who played for HBU.

Hale Barnes United were THE team when I was a lad. One of my junior school mates, Alan Richardson played for them.

[Steve from Sale]

Unicorn are still a big club in Junior Football, they competed with Broadheath Central as the local derby when I was there from 2000-2008 with my two boys Chris and Alex. Alex was there from under 7's to under 14's. I was his manager from under 7's to under 10's. Three teams merged into two when they went to under 11's but Chris's team lost their manager at under 14's, and I took over until they finished under 17's. When Alex started under 11's, Graham Tobin was his coach.

I was club secretary at Unicorn for 3 years from about 2003-2006. They had a good reputation as they taught kids to play football the way it should be played. George Heslop told be this when I sounded him about Chris and Alex starting Junior Football. He told me he had quite a few ex Unicorn players, they always knew the game and just needed general coaching to bring them to youth standard. It was on his recommendation that my kids played for them.

Even now they still have a good reputation, I did take Lacie as a player to Unicorn. but she joined the Altrincham FC Black Kites as Unicorn did not have an under 9's team at the time, and she had to train with boys. Our younger foster daughter is now well established as a defender with the Black Kites, and considers the first team players to be her colleagues in a roundabout sort of way. It is nice to be involved in Junior football again, and the Black Kites are unbeaten so far this season. All our children, foster or otherwise played because I wanted them away from the TV and computers. It is surprising  how much Lacie picks up from our right backs in the 1st team since she started playing. 

[brisbane_alty]

Hale Barnes United were THE team when I was a lad. One of my junior school mates, Alan Richardson played for them.

JD, was Alan Richardson a builder in Hale Barns? Or more accurately, was his Dad a builder?

I played for Melrose Wanderers and we would lose every game heavily - unless we played Partington, when we usually won. Melrose Wanderers were based at Halecroft Park.

[Ballers]

Weren't Unicorn (or their youth team) quite good at one time, along with Hale Barns United? I remember I used to frequently read about one or two lads from my school in SAM who played for HBU.

Not sure I ever played against Unicorn. I remember getting thrashed by Hale Barns United, as well as Flixton and Stretford Vics...

Would have been late 80s.

I played for Hale Barns at that time and Flixton and particularly Stretford Vics were very good sides.

Charles Heathcote played for Stretford Vics I remember