Match Information
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Abbey Hulton United 1-2 Eccleshall
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When: Boxing Day Tuesday 26th December 2023
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Kick-off: 2pm
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Where: Drayton Beaumont Park, Birches Head Road, Abbey Hulton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire ST2 8DD
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Competition: North West Counties League First Division South
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Attendance: 170
Boxing Day local derbies have always been a true highlight of the football calendar dating right back to my childhood.
People traditionally tend to overindulge on food, drink and old movies throughout Christmas Day and subsequently can’t wait to get out into the fresh air to watch some live action 24 hours later prompting a browse of the online betting markets.
However, I planned my match of choice harbouring nervous trepidation due to heavy rain widely forecast. So I was wary of travelling far afield before suffering the frustration of a late postponement.
Anyway – as I outlined in considerable detail during my Christmas Eve broadcast slot on TalkTV – I devised crafty contingency plans.
I wanted to see a fixture in the North West Counties League and I knew Burscough FC were at home on their 3G artificial surface which would definitely be playable if all the surrounding clubs were rained off amidst predicted monsoon outbursts.
I duly set off up the M1 and M6 Motorways prior to stopping off at Stafford Services around lunchtime for an internet check on what matches had survived. It wasn’t actually raining and therefore football prospects seemed pretty good.
Thankfully, Abbey Hulton United messaged me on Twitter confirming pitch conditions were absolutely fine. Being less than half an hour away, this suited my needs perfectly.
Abbey Hulton itself houses 10,000 residents and is an area of Stoke-on-Trent three miles north east of the city centre. Overall, it was a 300 mile round trip for me. Consequently, Burscough are still on my groundhopping list to visit another time.
Ground Description
Two prefab grandstands hug one touchline accommodating 100 spectators under cover.
One of these is named the ‘John Wightman Stand’ in recognition of more than 65 years of unstinting dedication by John as an Abbey Hulton United player, manager and now secretary/groundsman whereby he spends a minimum of 20 hours a week beavering away at Drayton Beaumont Park.
His father formed the club in 1947. Their current venue was acquired in 1985 on a 99 year lease. They have been members of the NWCL at Step 6 of the national Non-League Pyramid since 2017/18 following promotion via the Staffordshire County Senior League.
Additional facilities include a car park, the cosy clubhouse, the dressing rooms, a food hut and a hospitality cabin.
Programme Details
An online edition that I printed out for my extensive Non-League memorabilia collection.
The contents incorporated histories of both teams, players’ stats, fixtures and results, a player Q&A interview, the NWCL table and matchday line-ups. Furthermore, an up to date printed teamsheet was distributed to those present at the game.
The People
I received a very warm welcome from the lads at the entry gate. This set the tone for my whole day out because everyone I met at Abbey Hulton United was really friendly.
The Match
Fourth versus 16th in the NWCL First Division South standings between two sides based 17 miles apart. Football odds would have suggested a hard fought contest.
Accordingly, crunching tackles repeatedly flew in whilst two nearby rivals locked horns. Indeed, most of the players appeared to know each other by first name terms. Eccleshall forged ahead on eight minutes when Aidan Blaise looped home a well-directed header.
Then after melodic Christmas songs resonated over the public address system at half-time, Abbey Hulton drew level through Jamie Turner’s crisp penalty in the 54th minute.
But with 19 minutes to go, Daniel Shelley mustered an unstoppable long range swerving shot to give Eccleshall victory.
*Credit for the photos in this article belongs to Tony Incenzo*
