Runcorn Linnets 1-2 Clitheroe- 2022/23 Matchday Blog #47
Joe Marshall- @AllSportJoe
The run-in. The business end. Squeaky bum time. There are plenty of phrases used in footballing circles to describe the time of year that is more commonly known as ‘spring.’ The final Saturday before daylight saving begins and the light lasts longer saw me with an almost free pass to travel to pretty much any game in the area. With my progress towards “completing” the Nothern Premier League West going fairly well, I thought I would venture out to Runcorn, for a playoff race six-pointer between the Linnets and Clitheroe.
Ahead of the game, the hosts sat in 4th, one place and three points ahead of their visitors from Lancashire, so I was expecting a tension-filled game with a lot at stake.
APEC Taxis Stadium
After pulling into Runcorn East station, it was a short walk through the Murdishaw area of the town to get to the APEC Taxis Stadium, a tidy and welcoming ground that opened in 2010 and boasts a capacity of around 1600.
The turnstiles are located directly behind the clubhouse, so once you enter and make your way round, you are greeted with a small covered terrace to your left, and the clubhouse and snack bar to your right. My first port of call was the clubhouse, which was large and well stocked with the lager of choice in 2023, Madri.
The small terrace next to the clubhouse stands directly behind one goal. The space behind the opposite goal at the far end is also covered, however this area is without elevation and remained sparsely popualted during the match. The pitch is flanked on one side by a seated stand that covers the central third of the pitch, and across from that is all standing, with shelter provided by a couple of upcycled bus shelters.
The stadium’s crowning glory though, is its pitch. The hybrid, part-plastic, but mainly-grass surface looks incredible, especially given the time of year and the recent weather. After speaking to a couple of supporters before the game, I was startled to learn that they have only suffered one weather-related postponement in the past four years! The pitch at the APEC Taxis Stadium was funded and installed thanks to a project that involved the FA and the Premier League, however if any non-league club ever has access to the required funds, a surface like this appears to be a no-brainer. Not only is there the obvious long term benefit of getting games on in the winter months, but also the added bonus of making it much easier to play a good brand of football, meaning a higher calibre of player may want to come and play there.
The APEC Taxis Stadium Experience
If you fancy a pint beforehand, the Queen of Hearts pub is located just a stones throw from the ground, but equally, there are plenty of opportunities for fans to get themselves well stocked on food and drink once inside the stadium.
As touched on, the clubhouse is spacious and welcoming, and stocks Madri, Carling, fruity Carling and spirits. A particular highlight was the Madri-ometer, although I have no idea why they are tracking Madri like some challenge 25 Blue Peter challenge, I love it!
Admission was a league-standard £10 and the insightful 30+ page programme was good value at £2.
I had a steak pie and chips which was an outstanding choice, and it also came with some of the friendliest service I’ve ever been fortunate to receive, with a unique queueing system that involves ordering outside and collecting inside the clubhouse, a system that relies on a dependable level of honesty from the punters.
The Teams
Runcorn Linnets
The hosts, Runcorn Linnets, have developed a strong following among the Runcorn locals, with bright yellow bucket hats adopting somewhat of a cult status in the fanbase, and the ‘Murdishaw Massive’ constantly making their presence known. Whether that is through their vocal support behind the goal, or more subtly with their Heineken-style stickers that are dotted around most Northern Premier grounds, you will know if the Linnets have been to town.
Runcorn Linnets were established in 2006, after the demise of Runcorn AFC due to financial reasons. The former club left behind a wealth of proud history, including a trip to Wembley for the final of the 1986 FA Trophy and four runs to the Second Round of the FA Cup. They were also very nearly a football league club, only denied a route out of non-league by the old voting system.
In April 2006, Linnets were formed by a group of supporters, and the club remains fan-owned to this day. They were immediately granted a spot in the football pyramid, starting life in the North West Counties Division Two. They spent their first few seasons playing at Witton Albion’s Wincham Park, a ground that still serves as home to two teams today, with Northwich Victoria sharing Witton’s facilities
Their inaugural season at North West Counties level proved to be successful, under the leadership of Steve Carragher, they won promotion to the First Division by finishing runners up behind Winsford United.
They then spent several years in the top level of the NWCFL, now known as the Premier Division, coming extremely close to promotion on several occasions. Although their first few seasons in the ninth tier ended in mid-table obscurity, they began to accumulate some stronger finishes towards the middle of the 2010s. They were runners up in 2014, 2015 and 2016, finishing on 98 points in the latter, just two points behind champions Colne. After finishing what probably seemed a lowly fourth in 2017, Linnets finally broke the glass ceiling and got themselves into the Northern Premier League Division One West by winning the title the following year, amassing 100 points in the process.
Linnets celebrate winning the 2017-18 NWCFL Premier title. Credit: Runcorn Linnets FC
After missing out on the playoffs on goal difference in their first season, they fell into mid-table a year later, in the season in which Covid stepped in and curtailed the nation’s non-league action. 2020-21 never really got going due to the ongoing effects of the pandemic, so when Linnets were finally able to participate in a full season, they gave a strong showing, finishing as losing play-off finalists, going down 2-1 against Marine in front of a full house at the APEC Taxis Stadium.
As well as the NWCFL Premier League title in 2018, the Linnets also have a NWCFL League Cup trophy to their name, an achievement they managed in the 2012-13 season.
So far this season, Runcorn look a good bet to repeat their playoff berth that they achieved last year, siitting in 4th place on 52 points prior to this crunch match against Clitheroe. Dave Wild’s side were looking to bounce back from a spirited yet disappointing defeat against league leaders Macclesfield the previous weekend.
Clitheroe
Formed in 1877 as Clitheroe Central, the visitors from Lancashire have a rich history. They began life playing in local Lancastrian Leagues, before joining the Lancashire Combination in 1903.
It was in this league that Clitheroe remained, and for most of their early history, success was hard to come by, with only a Lancashire Combination Cup in 1935 and a league title win 1980 to their name. Times changed when the NWCFL was formed in 1981, and the Blues took their place in the Third Division of the competition.
In three consecutive years from 1984 to 1986, they were crowned champions of the three NWCFL divisions, earning promotion on the first two occasions, but could not complete the step up to the next level due to the lack of floodlights at their Shawbridge ground.
Throughout the mid-to-late 1990s, Clitheroe became regulars in the latter stages of the VA Vase. They got a taste of Wembley in 1996, losing to Brigg in the final by three goals to nil after defeating Mangotsfield United in front of 2000 fans in the semi. The Blues then reached the quarter finals and semi finals in 1999 and 2001 respectively, at the same time experiencing more cup success in the slightly less prestigious NWCFL Floodlit Trophy, by winning the competition in 1999.
The match programme from the semi-final of the 1996 FA Trophy. Mike. Riley. the referee.
Clitheroe finally got their move into the Northern Premier League in 2003/04, winning the NWCFL First Division on the last day of the season. This success was a long time coming, especially considering that they finished runners up the season before. In their first few seasons in the Northern Premier League Division One, the Blues demonstrated steady progress, with some lower-mid table finishes to begin with, but slowly climbing higher as the years went by. A sixth place finish was the club’s highest finish in their history, finishing one place (but 11 points) outside the playoff spots. They equalled this points tally of 70 in 2017, however this time this meant they missed out on the playoffs by just two points.
Since then, Clitheroe began to fall back into a pattern of consistent, if not slightly predictable mid-table finishes. The abruptly curtailed 2020-21 season actually showed signs of promise, with 18 points from the 9 games they played, but no one will ever know how that season would’ve finished. However, last season gave us some idea how they may have fared, as they finished another agonising sixth, this time reaching 71 points, three points outside the playoffs, missing out on that elusive sixth place to eventual playoff winners; Marine.
This recent history of just missing out means that Clitheroe went into this huge game against their playoff rivals with a lot at stake. With only a handful of games left this season, a defeat could well spell another season of coming so close, yet so far, whereas a victory could help tee themselves up to finally mount a playoff charge.
The Match
The tense nature of the game was obvious from the start. The beautiful blue skies and the luscious green pitch did not give rise to a feast of total football. Neither goalkeeper was tested in the opening exchanges, but it could be argued that if one side shaded it, it was Clitheroe.
The first half came to life on the half hour mark, with Runcorn ‘keeper Danny Taberner forced into making a good save from a Sefton Gonzales effort. Taberner was to be called into action again shortly after, saving another effort by Reece Webb-Foster. Clitheroe had now grown into the game, and Linnets looked off the pace. This was confirmed when Sefton Gonzales, the tall striker that always looks like a handful for defenders, was allowed to turn and find Webb-Foster, who drilled a low shot into the bottom corner to give Clitheroe the lead.
Just before half time, I did my bit for the Madri-ometer by heading to the outdoor bar, a useful feature that was situated to the left of the terrace behind the goal, allowing fans to nip away from the chanting for a couple of minutes, lubricate their vocal chords and head back.
No amount of Madri though could disguise how lacklustre the first half had been for the Linnets. Not only were they a goal down when the referee blew for half time, they hadn’t shown anywhere near enough attacking intent to at least indicate they could get back into the game in the second half.
The start of the second half wasn’t much of an improvement for the hosts, with Clitheroe rarely panicking and actually looking a threat themselves. It didn’t appear that Dave had given a particularly Wild team talk.
The first chance that Runcorn mustered in the second half was a header from Sean O’Mahoney that fell wide. Following this, the ball did begin to spend more time in the Clitheroe half, and in comparison to the flat first half, Linnets began to look a little more like a team that have genuine promotion ambitions. However, despite growing into the game, they lacked a cutting edge to fashion any major chances.
They were punished for their mediocrity with around 20 minutes left to go, when the until-then-impressive Taberner in the Linnets goal, gave the ball away to Gonzales in the worst possible place, and he unselfishly laid the ball on to team mate Abimola Obasoto to tap in to make it 2-0.
Runcorn then upped the tempo, and attacked with a bit more urgency. With my West Didsbury & Chorlton fan hat on, I despaired a little at the tactical decision to throw former West captain Sam Heathcote up front by himself to be the Linnets version of Gonzales. Despite numerous hopeful pumps into the box, the game wore on and it looked like Linnets would limp to a disappointing 2-0 defeat. As the teams entered stoppage time, Runcorn got their consolation. Heathcote jumped to challenge for a header and the ball made its way goalwards. To my eyes, and to the eyes of many of the Clitheroe players, goalkeeper Chris Thompson clawed the header away, however the linesman signalled that it had crossed the line. Runcorn had a goal back, but it was unanimously accepted that it was too little, too late. Heathcote was credited with the goal though, so that at least made me smile.
Less than a minute later, and the referee had blew his whistle for the final time, and Clitheroe were ecstatic with a vital away victory. Runcorn fans probably had every right to feel like this playoff six pointer had an anti-climactic feel about it, with Linnets seemingly leaving it far too late to play a serious part in the contest. The defeat also saw the end of Dave Wild’s tenure, as Linnets moved quickly to remove him as manager, dismissing him on the following Monday.
Regardless, from a neutral point of view, I really enjoyed my trip to Runcorn. The location of the ground in comparison to the train station makes it a viable option for groundhoppers and a potentially brilliant away day. The ground itself is compact, but tidy and smart. In my opinion, it is certainly ready for the Northern Premier League, should the team go one better this season and have a successful playoff campaign (given they make it). What is most rewarding though, is that when you visit a fan owned club, with every penny you spend, whether that is on your admission fee, your programme, your pie or your pint, you can be satisfied in the knowledge that your money isn’t helping to line the pockets of some fat cat.
Final Score: Runcorn Linnets 1-2 Clitheroe
Attendance: 697
Admission: £10
Programme: £2