Author: Ronaldo Brown

In what was a slightly earlier kick off this weekend, Stretford Paddock continue their red hot as they dispatched an in form Abacus Media side 4-2 to go two point’s clear at the top of the table. As what has often been the case in recent weeks, Paddock have looked unassailable in games, looking like a very cohesive and well organised unit who don’t have to be at their absolute best to win matches; which was again the case on the weekend because although it was a comfortable victory they were definitely not at their swash-buckling best.

Paddock started the game slowly and an incident involving key player, Omar Sinclair, seemed to further knock the stuffing out of the team as he suffered a sickening head injury colliding with an opposing player and momentarily loosing consciousness, but all updates surrounding Omar are positive, but he will be likely to miss a couple weeks through concussion.

Following the injury it took a little while for the game to get back up to speed as Paddock then proceeded to blow Abacus Media away just before half time, scoring 3 goals in 10 minutes to finish the half. The first goal was a notable one though, as it was a goal scored by captain Will Hobson who broke the record for club appearances with 20 appearances and marked the milestone with a goal and a stand out Man of the Match performance. He added to his goal with an assist breaking forward on the overlap before sliding a cross along the six yard box for Tom Jones to tap home. The other two goals came from the usual culprits as Kieron Molloy and Josh Smith added to their growing goal tally this season, Josh’s goal now put him just 1 goal behind the club record held by Jay Phillips. This means that the patented front three of Josh Smith, Tom Jones and Kieron Molloy have 27 goal contributions between the trio in just 9 games, insane.

In usual fashion, Howson wasn’t completely satisfied with the performance overall, voicing his displeasure with the two goals conceded late in the second half as he felt like they took their foot off the gas, he did however state how impressed he was with Baboucar Jenkins who he thought put in a Man of the Match performance and likened his game to “Ngolo Kante” and “Yaya Toure”.

All in all it was another three points for Stretford Paddock who saw themselves not just extend their win streak but go top of the league as well.

Stretford Paddock face a stern test against an Abacus Media side who are currently unbeaten in their last 5 games and are in a great run of form themselves, in fact, they have only lost one game all season and a win on the weekend would take them 2 points behind Stretford Paddock with a game in hand. Therefore they’ll be going into this game with a great deal of incentive and see it as an opportunity to sky rocket up the league standings and make a statement.

Stephen Howson is fully aware of the test that lies, ahead stating in the week that, “We can’t afford to be complacent, it will be a tough game and I’m not just after the points but a performance as well, I want us to keep going up a level weak to week.”

With Stretford Paddock joint top they have absolutely no intention of slowing down and with the team looking like they are going from strength to strength, all signs point towards another victory on the weekend. There are a few things to watch and keep an eye on this weekend, as there is opportunity for Paddock history to be made as Will Hobson will look set the record for most Stretford Paddock appearances and Josh Smith currently sits 2 behind the all time Stretford Paddock goal scorer Jay Phillips; he needs a brace to level it and a hat-trick to break it. With the form he’s currently in, you wouldn’t put it past him.

On the back of a mounting unbeaten run and win streak, Paddock will go into the game believing nothing but a win will do whilst having every bit of confidence that they can get the job done. The game will be played at Cardinal Langley RC High school, Rochdale, M24 2GL where the game will kick off at 2pm

After the victory from the firsts the attention turns to the reserves and development squad. The ressies got a hard fought 3 points against South Manchester 1sts winning 3-2 at turn moss. A brace from Adam Ashton and a stunning free kick from Ollie Clarke secured the victory in a sluggish but hard working performance. The reserves really stepped it up in the 2nd half to get the 3 points and keep us in contention for league silverware this season.

Coming into this game against a winless Rochdalians side, nothing less than 3 points would suffice for Stretford Paddock as they looked to continue their title charge. It turned out to be a very one sided display where Rochdalians AFC were thoroughly outclassed, one of the more commanding performances from Paddock this season. Sentiments echoed by the manager Stephen Howson who described the performance as, “Dominant” and “Superlative”.

Paddock were out of the traps fast as Tom Jones broke away down the right hand side, sliding the ball across to Kieron Molloy who netted his 6th goal of the season as the goals continue to flow for Molloy. The undoubted star of the show on the day however was Mike Burke who was outstanding on the day and a constant threat throughout the game, he’s been in good form lately but hit a whole new level on the weekend – as in the first half, he cut in from the right side and curled in a wonderful effort on his weaker left foot leaving the keeper with no chance. He was relentless down the right side all game, rightly finishing the match with a goal and an assist in the game to show for it. Following on, in the dying embers of the game Josh Smith was alert as ever almost finding the net himself but was unlucky to not do so as he has his eyes set on becoming all-time Paddock goal scorer, a title currently held by former Paddock midfielder Jay Phillips. He was extremely unlucky as he nicked the ball passed the keeper, just to see it ricochet back off the defender, back into the keeper and then into the net – a goal which will unfortunately go down as an own goal as his wait continues to match and beat the record currently held by former midfielder Jay Phillips. A feat I won’t bet against him surpassing with the form he’s in, whilst only being two goals away with much of the season still remaining.

Swindell also managed to grab his first goal for the club with a sublime volleyed finish after a searching cross from Mike Burke who was sensational on the day, very deserving of his Man Of The Match honours.

Stephen Howson was rather underwhelmed with the victory, being the perfectionist he is, voicing his expectations coming into the game of extending goal difference as he anticipates it could be a deciding factor come the end of the season; and although a 4 goal victory isn’t too shabby by any means, he believed their was plenty opportunity for even more. He will be looking for his side to not take their foot off the gas, take each game as they come and continue the momentum going into next week.

Stretford Paddock are in a rich vain of form, they should go into this game with a sense of belief having overcome some decent opposition in the past few weeks. It was only a few weeks ago that Paddock played against Rochdalians in a reverse fixture with Paddock coming away with the 3 points after 2 second half goals from Paddock cancelled out the 1-0 lead Rochdalians took into the half time break. It was a game where the lads were far from their best and will look to win a lot more comfortably against a team that are winless so far in the league this season and only have one point to their name. Stephen Howson will want a stronger and much convincing performance and victory from his team, as he wasn’t satisfied with their showing last time out against this opposition. It is also an opportunity for Paddock to go level on points with the league leaders and keep the pressure on.

The match will be played at Crompton Avenue, Milnrow, Rochdale, Greater Manchester, OL16 4PB at Springhill Playing Fields. The game kicks off slightly earlier than usual 2pm, make sure to make your way down and support the lads.

Stretford Paddock had a bounce in their step coming in to the game and were carrying a certain confidence and bravado that stood them in good stead coming up against fellow title challengers, knowing that victory would also continue to heighten the belief that a legitimate title charge is just over the horizon. Milton were also high flyers coming into this game as it was budded as a 2nd vs 3rd clash and one of Paddock’s biggest games of the season so far; and the game was every bit the spectacle it was anticipated to be. The Paddock lads went on to win the game right at the depth for the second week in the row as in the dying embers of the match, Mohammed Al-Masri rose highest in the box to brilliantly head home the winner to score the 7th goal of a 4-3 thriller, catapulting the hosts to victory. It could be argued that the result flattered the visitors as Paddock had a bulk of the possession and opportunities but Milton made the most of the few chances they received were able to make Paddock pay, but the quality of the hosts told in the end. The game also marked a debut goal for young starlet Baboucarr Jenkins lash home a wonder strike from outside the box and Josh Smith continue his rich vain of form with his 7th goal of the season in just 6 games.

It’s now onwards and upwards for Stretford Paddock as they continue to maintain pressure on the leaders, if there is one thing for sure, it looks like the lads will be there or thereabouts come end of the season. They have the makings of a very special squad indeed.

Stretford Paddock FC are pleased to announce a few strategic partnerships that will see PlayerData become our new Innovation Partner. With technology playing an increasingly critical role in every aspect of sports, we recognize the need to accelerate the club’s development of digital solutions to ensure they remain on the competitive vanguard.  

The agreement brings together Stretford Paddocks’ excellent coaching and management expertise and PlayerData’s revolutionary GPS tracking technology. Together we believe we can improve the on-field performance of the team while providing key insights for PlayerData as they develop their product.  

Stretford Paddock are looking forward to showcasing what PlayerData can do for the club and the performance of the players, and also bringing this to our audience of football fans and clubs. We can’t wait to show how we integrate PlayerData into our match preparation and the additional analysis we will gain using the GPS trackers.  

“I’m delighted to announce this partnership with PlayerData as our innovation partner. I’ve got a fondness for data and analysis and I am a firm believer in improving performance and understanding in all areas of the pitch, regardless of the level. I’m excited to see what we can do with this system added to our already extensive preparation and analysis.” said Stephen Howson, Manager of Stretford Paddock FC.   

“We are striving to make GPS technology accessible to all clubs so that everyone in the ecosystem has the same chance at success. We are extremely glad to align with Stretford Paddock FC, a grassroot club aiming to integrate sport science and technology into their club culture. With Stretford Paddock FC, it was clear from the start that these criteria would be met and we are looking forward to having them as our anchoring partner in the Manchester area.” said Mark Kirkup, Partnership and Commercial Manager at PlayerData. 

Stretford Paddock go into this game with a spring in their step, buoyed by their last minute cup victory against cup specialists East Manchester FC last weekend, as Kieron Molloy netted his 5th goal of the season as he curled a beautifully struck free-kick in the top corner to send Paddock through to the next round of the Manchester County Cup. Now, the focus turns to the league where Paddock will be looking to keep up with the early pace setters De La Salle Reds by beating a tough Milton FC side who currently sit in 3rd place, one point being Stretford Paddock with a game in hand. Therefore Milton come into the game with the incentive of winning the game and leapfrogging Paddock in the league standings, Milton will be confident of doing so, having only lost 1 of their 4 games thus far.

Stretford Paddock will be looking to make this 4 wins in a row and keep up their title hopes, the game will be again be played at Nicholls Community Football Centre at Dalberg St, Manchester M12 6BN at 3pm on October 16th.

Stretford Paddock came into the game with a spring in their step having built up momentum from back to back victories and coming into the game with the knowledge that the visitors have historically been cup specialists, particularly in the Manchester County Cup, as they have featured in the last two finals in the competition so they came into this game carrying a fair amount of pedigree, and were not to be taken lightly. As expected, it was a tight and cagey affair for the most part, where paddock were able to manufacture good opportunities in front of goal but were just lacking the cutting edge. The visitors looked to sit back, soak up pressure and create opportunities on the breakaway and they almost punished the hosts on a couple occasions against the run of play, but for the most part Paddock controlled the game and always looked the most likely.

There were several near misses throughout the game but man of the moment Kieron Molloy came closest in the second half after a low driven cross from Josh Smith was met by Molloy and turned onto the post from close range. The match was edging towards a stalemate and it looked for all intent and purposes that the game was going to have to be decided in a nervy penalty shootout, but that wasn’t to be the case. As in the dying embers of the game, Molloy was controversially taken down just outside the penalty area and after a few deep breaths, Molloy curled a beautiful free kick over the wall and into the top corner with virtually the last kick of the game. The Paddock faithful erupted in celebration as the game had been won with the last kick of the game and the lads go marching on into the next round of the cup and make it 3 wins on the bounce.