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On the back of a title crushing defeat at the hands of Moston Brook a fortnight ago, Paddock look towards a weekend of possible redemption as they take on title challenging foes De La Salle Reds in the semi-finals of the Rhodes Cup. 

It’s a final grudge match against a side that is odds on to come away with the league title after an imperious season. The side from Salford are one of the 111 remaining unbeaten sides in non league football with an impressive record of 15 games unbeaten which is one of the best records in the country. Paddock will need to be at their absolute best if they want to knock out an in-form side that have scored 16 goals in their last three games, carrying all the momentum going into the semi final.

Howson has been chomping at the bit since the disappointment of the of the Moston Brook defeat, and has since been trying to instil a sense of urgency back into his team. Demanding a reaction, reiterating to his players to not dwell on the disappointment of the league defeat and realise this is the last opportunity to win some silverware this season as well as get one over on their bitter rivals that have already defeated them twice this season. Kieron Molloy still sits on 14 goals, one shy of breaking the all time goal scoring record at the club, and Paddock will need him fit and firing as he has been in red hot form this season. He did have to hobble off at half time against Moston Brook due to a groin issue but the weekend off came as a welcome surprise, giving him the time to regain fitness before the biggest game left this season.

Everything is at stake for Howson and his men; pride, dignity and glory. With a place in the Rhodes Cup Final at stake, it’s a game where nothing but Paddock’s very best will do if they are to come away with the spoils.

Stretford Paddock’s title hopes come crashing down as they are beaten comfortably 3-1 at home to Moston Brook FC. It was a must-win game for the reds but they came up short, all but securing a 3rd place position having had the title in their sights. Stretford Paddock have now failed to beat title-chasing rivals Moston Brook and De La Salle in six appearances against the sides, losing four of them and drawing the other two – it’s the failure to win when it mattered most against who it mattered most that has been the undoing of Paddock’s season, sending them to a likely rightful third-place finish.

Stretford Paddock started the game on their heels and were 2-0 in under five minutes, giving them a mountain to climb against the sturdiest defence in the league. After a hellacious start from the visitors the game settled down, and the game continued to lack any real quality on a difficult surface, making it increasingly difficult for Paddock to get back into the game. Instead, it was Moston Brook who then came closest to extending their lead with a well-directed header hitting the inside of the post before being scrambled away to safety.

The second half was very much the same, in what became a very scrappy and low-quality game. However, Paddock were able to knick a goal back courtesy of Bouba Jenkins with a tap-in from close range after a strike from Cam Watters. Giving Howson’s men a glimmer of hope, but the lads were unable to capitalise or gain any momentum as Moston Brook extended their lead late on from a moment of brilliance, it was an exquisite touch and finish from their forward, all but sealing Paddock’s fate and putting the game to bed.

Paddock’s only hope at silverware for the rest of the season will be the Rhode’s cup where the lads will be hoping they can learn from the loss and use it to fuel them to potential cup glory.

In what is arguably the most anticipated game in Stretford Paddock’s short time as a football club. Howson’s men will face off against Moston Brook on the weekend in a title-defining clash. The build-up to the game has been intense as there is no love lost between the two sides, it’s a game that carries enormous weight, and with the end of the season in sight, it could very much be a game that will determine who ends the season empty-handed.

The last time these two teams met, they shared the spoils in a match that ended 2-2, in a very even game that was hotly contested, and this match promises to be no different. As things stand, Paddock still sit top of the league on 37 points, with Moston Brook perched just one point behind them with three games to go. De La Salle are still in prime position as they are three points off the top with a game in hand, all but securing the title if they win out the rest of the way; such is the difference in goal difference between Paddock and De La Salle.

Kieron Molloy goes into the game level with Josh Smith as the all-time Stretford Paddock goal scorer on 14 goals with the chance to break it in the biggest game of the season; he’s been in red hot form and will need to continue it against a very stout Moston Brook defence. A player for Paddock to keep an eye on however will be Moston Brook striker Jack Ward who is the league’s top scorer with a staggering 29 goals this season in just 18 games. An attacking side that boasts the best goal difference in the league, Paddock’s defence will have to be on red alert this weekend if they are to come away with the victory. Howson has reiterated that it’s the biggest game he’s ever managed and nothing but 100% from his players will do.

The overall importance of this game can’t be understated, a season of blood sweat and tears all comes down to this on Saturday afternoon. The match will be held at Valley Road, Flixton, Manchester, M41 8RQ in a ground that holds upwards of 2000 people. Make sure to make your way down and show support for the boys as it’s a match that definitely won’t disappoint.

Stretford Paddock ran riot on the weekend, dismantling Old Stretfordians 9-1 this weekend to progress to the semi-finals of the Rhodes Cup, to aid Paddock’s pursuit of silverware this season. This victory was Stretford Paddock’s biggest margin of victory in their short history and one of the most impressive performances ever. Seven of the nine goals came in a ruthless second-half display, representing the difference in fitness between the two sides. Setting up Paddock for a potential collision course with fellow top of the league rivals De La Salle in a highly anticipated semi-final clash.

Paddock had several different scorers on the day, but the story was Kieron Molloy, who continues to blaze up the all-time scoring charts with a brace, taking him level with Paddock all-time goal scorer Josh Smith with14 goals. A record he has a chance to break this coming weekend against Moston Brook. Tom Jones also returned to the lineup after a long injury layoff with a goal and assist off the bench, further strengthening this Paddock side for the final few weeks of the season. Bouba Jenkins also notched himself a brace as the midfielder continues his red hot form in front of goal. This victory was the fifth victory in a row for Stretford Paddock.

Postgame, Howson described how delighted he was with the performance of his side and the ruthlessness they showed, something he has often been critical of this season.

However, attention now turns to the huge league clash next week against Moston Brook, where nothing but a victory will do in the toughest league game remaining this season, and we’ll have all the build-up to the game later on in the week.

Stretford Paddock were again victorious as they defeated Manchester Polonia 2-0 on the weekend. They continued to keep up their title-winning pace with just three league games left in the season. Paddock still sits atop the tree with 37 points, three points ahead of De La Salle, who successfully kept up the chase with an impressive 7-3 victory against North Walkden on the weekend, as it looks to be almost certain that the title race will go down to the wire. With the goal difference heavily favouring De La Salle, Howson’s men are still relying on the team from Salford slipping up before season end.

It was once again a lacklustre and underwhelming performance from Paddock, who left it very late, which has often been the case this season. Manchester Polonia made their intentions clear from the beginning of the game: damage limitation. They set up deep, looked to soak up pressure and be difficult to break down. It took a header from Will Hobson to break the deadlock late in the game after an inviting corner from Kieron Molloy, a goal that never felt like it was going to come as Paddock’s season hung in the balance. It went on to be a set-piece clinic from Paddock. It was two goals from two set-pieces on the day that were the difference as Abdullah Saeed marked his first goal for the club wonderfully as he lofted a glorious one-touch volley over the head of the oncoming keeper. As it looks like the goal of the month for February will be one of the very best so far, but most importantly, it was 3 points for Paddock, which was nothing less than required.

Stretford Paddock take a break next week from league action again as they play Old Stretfordians in the Rhodes Cup before the clash of the titans a week later against Moston Brook, as from here on out, every game for Howson’s men is a cup final.

After a scrappy 3-2 win last week for Stretford Paddock against Trafford United, where they progressed into the next round of the Rhodes Cup with a goal from full-back Mikey Burke and a brace from Bouba Jenkins. The cup game worked as a momentary reprieve from what has been a helter-skelter league campaign. Still, Paddock will be returning to league action against Manchester Polonia this weekend as the pursuit for championship glory continues.

Manchester Polonia sits second from bottom, where they have only won one game in their last seven and will come into the game as heavy underdogs. However, they are coming off an impressive 1-1 draw against Abacus Media, one of the stronger sides in the division. Therefore, as we’ve seen lately, Paddock shouldn’t take them lightly, and Howson has made his men aware that complacency could be why Paddock don’t walk away with the silverware at the end of the season. Performance withstanding, Paddock have won six of their last seven games as they have a knack for grinding out results when they aren’t at their best, but there’s always a risk of that sort of luck running out.

Stretford Paddock remain top of the league on 34 points, three points ahead of De La Salle, who are on 31 points with a game in hand. Paddock do have a lengthy disadvantage on goal difference to the team from Salford, making results even more vital as it seems that if Howson’s men are going to walk away with the title, they are going to have to do it outright, which means no slip-ups and no dropped points.

The match will be held at Nicholls Community Football Centre, Dalberg St, Manchester M12 6BN, with kick-off at 3 pm.

Stretford Paddock  progress to the next round of the Rhodes Cup, but they did make hard work of it, only being able to settle the tie in the dying embers of the game, something that has become a force of habit for Howson’s men this year. The playing conditions were far from ideal as it was touch and go, whether the game was even going to go ahead, the combination of rain and wind made conditions an absolute nightmare, and it showed during the game. Paddock struggled to find any real patterns of play and playing rhythm. The conditions were a massive equaliser in what was anticipated as being a comfortable game for the visitors. However, in what was an unconvincing performance, Paddock did scrape through with a 3-2 win and will be eager to put the performance behind them and be satisfied with the result.

Howson did reiterate, “The conditions were awful, and we did have to adjust from how we usually play, but we do have to up our performance level if we are going to achieve what we want to achieve by the end of the season.”

In what was a scrappy and disjointed game throughout and it took a couple of moments of brilliance to get Paddock over the line. The deadlock was broken in what should already be locked up as the goal of the season, with a 40-yard screamer from Bouba Jenkins, a goal that was later almost matched in the game by Mikey Burke, who cut inside from the left and lashed home a superb strike into the top corner. Two instances of class in a game that largely lacked quality as the hosts soaked up the pressure and were able to break clinically on two occasions to score their goals. Paddock would score the winner in the end through Bouba Jenkins, who scrambled home a cushioned header from Paul Arrowsmith to complete his brace and send Paddock through into the next round of the cup.

A performance that will need to improve as Stretford Paddock takes on Polonia next week as they look to secure league glory.