Glossop NE vs Trafford - I Didn't Go !!!!

Come on .. it's 2026 - ergo I'm not there - I'm sure there will be a few from Mossley down at Surrey Street mind - and I must also say "Well Done" to Tony Coyne if only via the web. I'm going for the "big one" this week - and apologies to any Curzon Ashton fans homing in here - have you ever ever tried to get to Skem via public transport ???? It's a "new town" - ergo you will find the "Church of the Immortal Combustion Engine" and almost as many roundabouts as Telford/MK etc etc.

Meols Cop on the other hand is a railway station "fairly adjacent" to Haig Avenue - so it's Wednesday for me this week for the Southport v Stalybridge Celtic 1st leg ...

But now - I'm going to mess about in the kitchen having been on uktvfood.co.uk, typing in "vegetarian tapas" - Mrs Smiffy at work until maybe 2100 - our Michelle on her way back from a day "at the mixing desk" in Stoke - me, potatoes, tomatoes, garlic, other stuff - and maybe a Breed77 album for that authentic Spanish feel (even though they're from Gib and spend most of their time in London !!!)

Adios ... for now ..
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Vince Brockie - Vindication ...

Step 1 - Read today's "Non-League Paper" - page 18.....

Step 2 - I refer you to my blog post way back in January this year - i.e.

http://sixtamesides.blogspot.com/2008/01/vince-brockie-in-short.html

Case proved m'lud ....

"Super Saturday"

Well that's the sort of crap title that Sky would come up with ....

So what can we say about today ??? Took our Michelle to work @ Ikea @ 0815 - took our Peter for haircut/style/advice in Ashton @ 1000 (I had a trim too !!) Lovely sunny morning - so I get the job of sorting out the electric socket behind the dishwasher - cost - £1-95 for a new switched single socket - pain in arse to fit mind !!

Next - towards Mossley, stopping at Highland Laddie on way for a "real" Robbies, before hitting the Social Club to see Chelsea put one over the "Reds" - obviously a conspiracy by Murdoch/Sky/CIA/MI5 to keep the season going for another 7 days ...

Mossley game - can only say the usual "nowt to play for", "end of season fayre" and similar platitudes.....the "Player of the Season" forms were handed out - I know who I've voted for - but my guess is that - after a recount - our Player of the Year will be .........

.... Robert Mugabe ....

Here are the Mossley game pix by the way ..

http://s146.photobucket.com/albums/r272/mossleysmiffy/MossleyWakefield2008-2/

OK so we finished 0-0 - we must be top of the form table in the "Last Three Games" section ... not too much of a party atmosphere in the club after the game - but probably a collective sigh of relief - we started the season - we finished the season - we ain't gone down - and we're still afloat.

I sloped off to the "Britannia" to grab some Setanta - watching Alty grab a 2-2 draw at Weymouth - not enough to keep 'em up mind. Did anyone else watching Sultana notice - when the Alty equaliser went in - they flashed up scores from the "top" of the table - rather than keeping us informed about the Halifax game - if they want to do "Non-League" - they've got just a little to learn I feel..

At the end of the game though they did come up with the full results thingy - which enabled me to see that Stafford Rangers had avoided the "Spoon de Wood" by slaughtering Droylsden 2-1 - godammit I'll see em both next season.

Stalybridge won 6-0 against Redditch giving them a first leg playoff away at Southport next Wednesday - maybe just maybe...

Curzon are at Skem next Tuesday - then maybe @ Gigg Lane in the Final next Saturday...who knows ..

..and if our Pedro doesn't fancy ju-jitsu on Monday - there's always Glossop v Trafford ...

Tidy up Baby Camera

A couple of daft ones from the Fuji.

First I give you a lovely juxtapostion of shops in downtown Belper which was taken last Saturday - it reminded me of the Eddie Izzard "Guns'n'Banjos" sketch ...



Next - downtown Mossley...this building was originally a bank before it became a doctor's surgery - in fact (I kid you not) it was once "raided" by an imbecile as in "Give Us All Your Money" - "Sorry sir - this is a doctor's surgery" - "Oh - goodbye then". However due to falling letters, it may now start to attract the local "hungry people" ....



This weekend - I'll be honest (honest Carlf !) - the plan was to go down to Stafford early doors, go and see my Mum and Dad - maybe even "little sis" before going down the Marston Road to see the "Battle of the Giants" viz Stafford Rangers v Droylsden for the Conference National "Spoon of Wood" Trophy. HOWEVER - evil nasty commercial Sultana Sports have pulled off a trick oft used by their bigger brother (Sky) and changed ALL the kick-offs to 1715 - and as the (wedding anniversary) weekend goes - it causes issues. So with great regret, that plan has been knocked on the head.

Stalybridge are at home to Redditch - but, short of Harrogate winning 17-1 or something daft like that, they're in the play-offs anyway. So yes it's the "old faithful", the "old reliable" - Mossley v Wakefield - let's see if the Lilywhites can finish the season with three wins on the trot ... it'll certainly make up for the previous (fill in as applicable).

...and then - we start looking at play-offs - be they Stalybridge or Curzon Ashton or even some bugger else - Mrs Smiffy calls it "Football Season Prolonging Mode" - and don't we all try our best .... !!!
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A Jolly Good Tuesday All Round !!!

Mossley - back-to-back wins after the 2-1 defeat of Brazil - sorry Garforth Town last night ....

Stalybridge Celtic - looking good for the play-offs after last night's results ......

...and Belper Town win the Derbyshire Senior Cup !!

I shall expand this evening - still haven't even got last night's pix onto the pc yet ....

Wednesday Night - 2030 - well here's the pictures from last evening ....

http://s146.photobucket.com/albums/r272/mossleysmiffy/MossleyGarforth2008/
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Belper Town v Alsager Town - UPDATED

Some pics for starters ....

http://s146.photobucket.com/albums/r272/mossleysmiffy/BelperAlsager2008/

to be updated/added to/modified/tweaked etc etc ad nauseam .....

And Mossley won at Brid !!!

And I got my DragonForce/Turisas Ticket ordered !!

Some words.....

Started early on Saturday – heading for IKEA in Ashton-under-Lyne at 0715 – honest!! It was the world’s best kept secret – not – the “21% off everything” day. The car park(s) were already full, with a large proportion of self-drive “white vans” – hmmm……hey-ho, we got two chests of drawers / chest of drawers / OK “Malm” and a swivelly ‘puter chair. Home, brekkie then off to Belper (we’ll do the assembly at a later date).

A pint in the “George & Dragon” before the game (Storm Brewery “Hurricane Hubert” – do you want to know the price - £2-80 - eek – methinks ‘tis getting rather silly down there…). Price in the Social Club (“Pedigree” from the jug - £2-60 – cheaper, but still a bit … (for us Northerners anyway !)

The game – Alsager Town may have been handed the “enforced relegation” ticket, but they don’t look like a team that’s “going quietly”. They started the better team and took the lead after 20 minutes.

This acted as the wake-up for Belper and after a period of pressure Wilson headed in an equaliser after a cross from the right - 1-1 at half-time. I missed the second goal – Iwas being mithered by a small child for a marker pen – which I didn’t have anyway. There’d been a bit of a community/fun day affair before the game and there were children everywhere !! Anyway – Rushbury got the goal ! 2-1 is never the safest of leads (but then again I wasn’t watching Mossley !!!) – but the Nailers held out inspite of a couple of scares at their end – and some missed chances up t’other. Three points – and that play-off place remains a possibility – distant, but mathematical ….

After the game I had a couple in the Social Club before wandering off towards Somerfield for an “evening drink supply”. I chose to go via the cricket pitch – game on – let’s have a play with camera … furthermore the Club Bar had some rather nice bottled beers !

Quiet evening in - “Shawshank Redemption” and “Air America” – Sunday saw us walking in the Youlgreave area, through Lathkill Dale. The weather was crap ! Who’d have thought it was the end of April ??? It was like a damp, cold, misty October day, so we kept it down to about 6.5 miles. Back to Mossley and – end of weekend....
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Grumpy Old Git Post ....

Several tales from this week...

ONE - our local paper (plus the "Manchester United Evening News") has featured the tale of the Stalybridge lady who parked her car illegally - then returned to find the words "CANT READ" spray painted all over it - plus tyres slashed. Don't get me wrong - the wanton vandalism is the work of total d*ckheads, be they from the adjacent premises or not. My point is that the story turns said lady into a martyr-cum-hero - whoa !!!!! Parked illegally I believe - but let's turn the story round and emphasise the "missing apostrophe" amongst the spray paint - helps to hide the fact that the car was parked ...... illegally....

TWO - Tuesday morning at Mossley Station - I need a new weekly pass - therefore I nip down to station several minutes early to purchase said ticket from "our Graham". I also noticed some "ticket checker dudes" at both entrances to the Manchester-bound platform. Train arrives at 0724 - two women are still trying to get on platform - on the train, they're moaning like f*ck to the guard with such phrases as "I always buy my ticket on the train" and "They should put notices up". FACT - Travelling on a train without a ticket IS AN OFFENCE .... If you need a ticket, whether a daily or a weekly, get there 5 minutes before the train arrives rather than 30 seconds. Once again people making excuses - sorry but I lump 'em in with the "fare dodger" crew - of which there are MANY on our line into Manchester. As far as I'm concerned you should not be allowed on any bloody platform without a ticket. They've installed barriers at Manchester Oxford Road - early indications are that ticket sales have gone up ..... hmmm .....

THREE - the binge drinking 12 year old in the "Metro" this week - Mummy blamed "advertising" - I blame Mummy for giving girlie too much pocket money .....

FOUR - There's a protest in Ashton on Saturday 26th April about the proposed Manchester "Congestion Charge" - I'll be there - because for me, the charges being mooted are FAR TOO LOW ....

FIVE - All grumped out - bugger off and leave me alone !!
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..and the Gig of 2008 WILL be .....

DragonForce and Turisas - 26th September 2008 @ Manchester Academy.

In true "Pete Doherty's judge" style - DragonForce will once again be given "another chance" to emulate their Manc Academy gig of December 2006,

..... while Turisas were one of my "hits" from Download last year.

No new 'DragonProduct' I'm afraid - a remastered "Valley of the Damned" doesn't count in my book anyway (remastered often = overproduced !!) - need to check on Turisas as I got the "Varangian Way" for my 51st !!

Tickets on sale tomorrow ....save one for me ....
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Glossop NE v Trafford

"Arse" is the word - turn up at 1930 to find ...

Sums it up really .....

The beer to come @ the "Star" in Glossop...

Oh sod it !!! Now it's "Try to Wangle Wednesday Time" - Ossett v Mossley maybe - or the Youth Cup Final at Man City ...we'll see ..

..

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Stalybridge Celtic v Vauxhall Motors - UPDATED

Pictures at

http://s146.photobucket.com/albums/r272/mossleysmiffy/BridgeVauxhall2008/

(I do have "something " of the Celtic 3rd goal but .....)

Well we got a game up at Bower Fold - heroics once again by the ground staff and volunteer "forkers" - and the pitch does seem to drain well. Caught the "baby bus" from Mossley over to Stalybridge - a quick "tincture" in the Buffet Bar - purely to check whether it was worth my while going up to Bower Fold - it was according to Trefor (resplendent in his "Huddersfield Hussies" - or whatever they're called - rugby tunic) something to do with fast cars after the Celtic game and over to ... Huddersfield I guess !!). just the one pinta before walking - yes walking - up to Bower Fold - it's only about 20 minutes - ooh, just time for a pint of Black Sheep in the H&H !!

Aah football - Celtic looking to consolidate a play-off place, Vauxhall Motors in "last chance saloon" mode. However the game was all but over very early one. Celtic were two up in the first 20 minutes, and if it wasn't for the heroics of the Vauxhall keeper - Lloyd Rigby - it could easily have been more - check out my piccies for some of his saves - having watched Mossley's finest - viz. Ashley Connor - doing exactly the same this season - viz keeping defeats "respectable" vis-a-vis goals conceded. he'd earned my MOM award in the first half-hour !! Within minutes of Celtic going 2-0 up there was a "lapse of concentration" at the back allowing Vauxhall to halve the deficit...

2-1 - and the Vauxhall faithful are well chuffed !!

This was only a temporary respite mind as a third goal went in on the half-hour mark, which for me effectively ended the contest. The second half was not as fraught - Celtic relaxed, Vauxhall had "a bit of a go" - but there was only ever going to be one winner. The fourth goal - some said oggy, I note the "BensonMeister" gives it to Celtic's Steve Payne - was the proverbial "icing ...." results at Hinckley and Hucknall made Vauxhall's relegation "official".

Mad rush back to Mossley ensued after the game as we had to be on the 1757 train back to Manchester for a trip to the Royal Exchange Theatre to see "The Glass Menagerie". On the way past the Urbis we somehow slipped into what looked like a "tented village" with a swimming theme (for those who don't - they've rigged up a giant paddling pool in the MEN Arena for the FINA World Short-Course Swimming Champs) - spotted a bar (plastic glasses - groogh - a jazz band and what can only be described as an "aquatic dance troupe" ... see for yourself ...

Hmm .... had time for a drink, so went somewhere different, "The Living Room" on Deansgate - didn't spot any superstars/footballers etc but enjoyed the "floor show" from the cocktail waiters, fling their bottles around and cutting up strawberries for the archetypal "fruit-based drink for the lady". Glass of wine + bottle of "Tiger Beer" = £8 - you have been warned !

The play - pretty good - second half went on a bit mind(plus theatre was a bit warm !). Just time for a quick beer afterwards before running through the rain to catch the 2300 "Pissheads Express" (viz. last train home).

Today - tidy house, buy new duvet (yep, cat was sick on the old one last night/early this morning !), a walk around "Pots and Pans" (local landmark) and finally this .....

This weeks football - Mossley are away at Ossett on Wednesday, so I'll be "at home" !! Fingers crossed to get down to Glossop on Tuesday night to see them against the new Champions of the North West Counties League - viz Trafford, managed by ex-Lilywhite Tony Coyne.... everything naturally contains the rider "weather permitting" .....

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Spring Weather - My A*se !

Mossley - off
Droylsden - off

Fingers now crossed for Stalybridge Celtic - I might have given Woodley v Bridlington Town a go (two teams around the Mossley level eh !!!) but with giving it some Tennessee Williams tonight -need to get homw sharpish.

Fingers still crossed (1315) - making a move now ......

Saturday Preview ....

.....hmmmm...

If Stalybridge beat Vauxhall Motors - guaranteed play-off for one I believe - guaranteed relegation for t'other I believe .... go Celtic - for me, play-offs = season extension e.g. more football - plus it would be nice to see a Tameside replacement for the Bloods ... talking of which ..

Droylsden - deffo to beat Ebbsfleet - a team run by the web users - ho ho ho (as in we'll have your £35 but you'll have NO SAY IN ANYTHING - talking of which - I wonder where my Mossley AFC Share Certificate is ???????????????????????)

Mossley v Brazil ? Well Garforth are as much like Brazil as Tofu representing a carnivore's delight .... Mossley to win ?? Bloody hope so - and hoping the crowd breaks three figures ...despite Newky Blue Star taking voluntary relegation - I've little faith in the Unibond "committee" - who may well come to some agreement with NWCFL viz "We'll take three but we'll give you back one" - it could still happen - and it scares me .......

Nantwich v Belper - were I not giving it some Tennessee Williams tomorrow night at the Royal Exchange (yes the "Glass Menagerie" you heathens) I may have been tempted away from Seel Park - fingers are well and truly crossed for a Nailers victory.

Hednesford v Ashton United - I've NEVER found out what happened to Denise Rowley - went to school with her back in the 20th century - she was a Hednesford fan - fingers crossed for the Robins natch - it's still soooo tight in the mid-range of the Unibond Prem.

Hyde @ Hinckley - Hyde appear to have totally blown any chance of a play-off place - Hinckley need to get out of that bottom three - not been to Hinckley since the Matt Gadsby Memorial Game - I see draw here...

Curzon Ashton - away at Starbeck Loco Club (aka Harrogate RA) - should win - should take another giant step towards promotion - but NO-ONE CARES - it's crazy isn't it ???

And that - is that ...
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Look at the Size of his ....Lens !!

Home tonight - pouring with rain - I noticed that football was being played on the playing field on the other side of the valley/Egmont Street. So - experiment with that dobber lens again out of the bedroom Velux ....two unadulterated pictures....

One at 170mm ..



And one at 500mm



Well - it beats doing stuff ...
.

Thoughts from Yesterday ...snow, football etc

Woke up Tuesday morning to this …

Football tonight ?? Driving “over the tops” ?? Hmmm – naturally the 0724 train was cancelled, so I was half-an-hour late for workies. By the time I reached the “Deep South” of Cheadle Hulme though, most of the snow had disappeared so “game on” was the thought for the rest of the day. A “complimentary lunch” at the “Penny Black” – the pub across the road from work (hmmm not a great advert for the kitchen I must say – and they’re still struggling to get to grips with the real ale) – and a bit more graft (oooh don’t you just luuuurve Access Databases !!!!)

Out of work at 1625 – home by 1725 – on the “clear” roads to Alfreton by 1745 with my trusty AA internet route which took me “my usual way” towards Chapel-en-le-Frith, and then on to the southern fringes of Chesterfield before down into Alfreton on the A61 arriving about 1920. It was good listening on the radio to what appeared to be “total gridlock” on the M62 both sides of Manchester and on the M60 in between. You started to wonder whether players would get caught up in such problems – oops sorry that was the previous round (the Buxton v Alfreton “problems” are well documented elsewhere !!) Parking outside the Impact Arena/North Street – a nightmare (and this with only a crowd of 248 – curse that TV footy – again !!!). Cheap in – think it was £7 - £2 prog (which incidentally was all I spent all night apart from one £1 coffee – thinking it through – even with petrol it was probably a cheaper night out than me walking up the hill to a Mossley home game – something to do with the drinks bill no doubt !!!).

Belper, playing down the slope, were first out of the blocks with a goal from Walker, and for a good chunk of the first half you’d have been pushed to choose which was the Conference North team and which was the Unibond 1 South outfit. A second goal from Middleton was no more than the Nailers deserved – and 2-0 was the half-time score, despite Belper losing two players (Colliver and Middleton) to injuries.

Second half started pretty the same as the first, with the team going downhill grabbing an early goal. Now it was time for Belper to put most of their eggs in the defending basket as Alfreton came down the hill at will. However Kotylo scored a third for Belper from a quickly-taken free kick – Alfreton were still “trowelling their wall together” as the ball hit the net. Not over yet mind – Alfreton got a second goal with about 6 minutes to go and continued to bombard the Belper defence. However for all the perceived Alfreton pressure in the second half, there were very few clear-cut chances – one off the bar, one off the line from Rushbury and a lot of good defending around the edges of the penalty box and some dominant clearances from the many corners.

The better team won – no doubt about it. I didn’t hang around after the game – got back to Mossley for about 2330 and had a bit of a tickle on’t’web and the photo bucket. Bed for 0130 – in work today for 0815.

Just not enough hours in a day ……

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Alfreton Town v Belper Town

(Derbyshire Senior Cup 1st Leg)

Yes I went in the end - and saw a well-deserved 3-2 for the so-called "underdogs" from Belper - I've managed to do some pix ..

http://s146.photobucket.com/albums/r272/mossleysmiffy/AlfretonBelperDSC2008/

...now I'm going to sleep - so many words (and not just on tonight's game) - this morning's weather (and train cock-ups), the lurid tales of former Mossley 'keeper Ashley Timms in today's "Manchester United Evening News" - all to come another time - as it's 0113 by my clock !

Odds and Sods from Yesterday...

Me messing with monochrome.....ish ...



Sylvia's posh cake ....



Happy April (from the footbridge at Greenfield) !!!

Couldn;t do Ashton v Marine tonight - ju-jitsu taxi service kicking in after skool hols - by all accounts - I did well to miss !! Tomorrow - I'm being very silly and going for Alfreton Town v Belper Town in the Derbyshire Senior Cup Final 1st Leg - driving down etc etc etc......

If only it had been Glossop .... !

Sunday - The "Cotton Mill Express"

All thoughts of football suitably banished for a while at least. Up early and on the 0932 from Mossley down to Stalybridge to try to emulate Bishop Eric Treacy !! (if you don't know - Google him...). As it was a clean and sparkly morning, I thought I'd give that 170-500mm "loan lens" an outing. Anyway... here are the pix from not 90 minutes ago - ain't technology wonderful !!

http://s146.photobucket.com/albums/r272/mossleysmiffy/CottonMillExpress/

Now off to the kitchen to "slow-cook" tonight's beef in some ale - tidy up before the return of Mrs Smiffy - and then return to Stalybridge Buffet Bar - because today Sylvia reaches the big six-oh - and there's a "bit of a do" this afternoon - with nibblies I hope.

Having picked a "wrong 'un" in yesterdays FA Cup semi-final - today I am going for Cardiff ...
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Mossley - the Saturday Choice ...

Pix at

http://s146.photobucket.com/albums/r272/mossleysmiffy/MossleyHarrogate2008/

Please expect no words - it's taken until now to make the pictures look good. Roll on season end ..

If there's any anoraks still awake - 45407 - Lancashire Fusilier - through Mossley about 1000

Friday Night ....with Saturday to come...

In the words of that little ginger brat Annie ..

"Tomorrow, Tomorrow, There's Football Tomorrow, And only a walk away".

Yes folks, Mossley are at home to Harrogate RA - also known as "Famed Cup Fighters Harrogate RA" - or to the more cynical - Starbeck LocoShed.

2008 for Mossley is well-documented elsewhere - although the crux of the matter is 5 points from 42 - the finances may be safe for now, at least until the end of this season - but I'm still facing a quandary that was faced not 7 days ago (because it was in fact 8 days ago when the decision was made to kick the Newcastle Blue Star away game into touch). One point from that game - see this pic - tkt courtesy of Jules..

There is a number 442 on the left - the attendance was 73 ... hmm ...

Anyway to my "real" point - I've been asked a number of times this last seven days "Are you going on Saturday" - however this is Stalybridge fans referring to their final away game this season at Boston United. There's three coaches going I believe - and fancy dress is optional. Following my trip to Hurst Cross on Monday, the point has been made "Why not go to Ilson with the Robins on Saturday to see them play the Robins ??" I've not been to Ilkeston this season - I've a number of good friends down there, some of whom were met at Stalybridge Buffet Bar earlier this season when they came up for the Ashton game (and they then spent most of the game in the Ashton club - Ilkeston were "on a downer" at the time !!).

With it being "skool hols" Mrs Smiffy is off touring - last weekend it was Bristol, this weekend it's Oakham - I had thought at one stage she'd be in Belper this weekend - the Nailers have a vital game at home to Nantwich Town in their quest for the Unibond 1 South Play-Offs - but she ain't so neither am I - shame there as well...

Another local option is Curzon Ashton's "quest for promotion" - they're at home to Bradford Park Avenue for the second time this season - I saw the previous home evening game between the two teams when BPA won 1-0 with a late Tom Baker effort - that will be an interesting one, with both teams looking to grab the automatic promotion place - Skem are at home to Clitheroe while poor old FCUM (34 games in 12 days or something) are away at Wakefield. It's between this lot - plus Bamber Bridge who are up Rawtenstall way tomorrow.

They all sound so much tempting than the game that is but a mere "cockstride" away ... don't they ???

Forget Football - for FIVE whole minutes ...

Check out....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/indiesingles.shtml

See those tunes at 1, 3, 4 and 5 ???

Engineered by my daughter .......

Yes tonight is a VERY VERY VERY proud father moment - and Mrs Smiffy too is "glaising a rass" !!

So feel free to go out and buy ...

http://www.hmv.co.uk/hmvweb/advancedSearch.do?ctx=12;2;65;-1&searchType=12&label=SOULOFNORTHSTAFFS

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Ashton United v Matlock Town

Again we're reduced to pictures - viz

http://s146.photobucket.com/albums/r272/mossleysmiffy/AshtonMatlock2008/

...to the best of my knowledge - Tuesday night = f**k all on - then - maybe then - I'll get some "write up" sorted on both Stalybridge from Saturday, Ashton tonight/last night - and naturally bang in some words about Mossley's latest capitulation up at "Newcastle Brown Trousers" (their new name - daren't stay in the Unibond etc etc etc).

One for Tameside Eye -this weeks bin liner from Tameside MBC was this effort ...wow ....

And another for Tameside Eye - the so-called "renovation" of Stalybridge Station appears to have stopped/stagnated etc etc - demolition done, there's now some kind of "planning permission" problem I'm told - no doubt including including Tameside Council, Network Rail, Trans-Pennine, British Rail Property Board (or whatever they're called these days) and probably about 235 other privatised "fingers in the rail pie"... what a shambles...