A (late) Catch-Up ...

... since the "April 1st Incident", things have been somewhat 'terse' on this 'ere blog ! Time appears to be something in short supply at the moment (my excuse anyway). Went back to Oldham on Saturday for work - heard that Ashton were still "short of bodies" but remained where I was (Oldham were also "short" !). Got round as fast as poss before dashing home, grabbing a bite and heading straight for Belper, arriving 20 minutes into the first half (this is where the earlier terse thread kicks in - one interesting point - Belper's 5-1 win was their first home league win since mid-November !). Sunday saw us head over to Stafford to see the other half of the Mothers Day equation (plus a Birthday for my Dad) before getting back to Mossley, sorting out the Saturday pix and having the third half of the Mothers Day (Mrs Smiffy is a Mother too !!!) involving chocolates, wine (OK beer for me !) and a take-away.

Today saw the start of my week in Ashton - and I find myself delivering in Mossley all week (bit of a bugger - spent £19 on a weekly bus ticket, only to find I'm finishing literally minutes from my own front door ...). Tea cooked and then settled down to some virtual football. Stafford grabbed a vital point (for them anyway) at Worcester which now sees them two points clear of Hyde FC having now played the same number of games - meanwhile Hyde FC were busy "relieving" Manager Neil Tolson of his duties with immediate effect !!! A very strange move with five vital games to go in their season ... one thing I've never understood about the Hyde situation at the moment is why a "Record Seller from Melton Mowbray" has got involved with the club - it's been a season of turmoil for the Tigers with a number of the behind the scenes "old guard" calling it a day, further rumours about further debts, and the battle against relegation. Now players Scott McNiven and Steve Halford have been given the unenviable task of seeing out the remnants of what has been an awful season down at Ewen Fields.

Other stuff from tonight - and it's a big "Well Done" to Ashton United who beat Matlock Town 1-0 in the League Cup Semi-Final tonight. They'll be meeting the winners of the Northwich Vics v Bradford Park Avenue game which is being played this Thursday. Matlock Town's is another season that seems to be on the slide at the moment - as well as tonight's defeat, a play-off place which looked a certainty not that long ago is rapidly disappearing - can't be anything to do with the "Ross Hannah Saga" can it ? (will he leave, where will he go etc etc etc) - incidentally he did NOT feature in tonight's game at Ashton United. Curzon Ashton got a bit of a jolt tonight in their quest for a play-off place. 5th placed Curzon lost 2-0 at home to 6th placed Warrington Town - although the gap is still 9 points with only 7 games remaining and Warrington are the only team with a realistic chance of knocking them out of the top five.

Tomorrow - I was hoping to get over to Witton Albion to see the Presidents Cup Final betwixt Belper Town and Lancaster City ... however a "transport problem" has rather put the mockers on that option. So ... it's a five minute walk up the hill to see whether Mossley can do something about this awful run they're on at the moment (1 point out of the last 30 !). Have just checked the league table - and one point will make relegation a mathematical impossibility (Ossett need to win their remaining 6 games and turn a 55 goal deficit around ... but maths is maths !) - such talk would have been unthinkable a couple of months ago. The phrase "The Season can't end quick enough" applies to many at the moment ...
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