News

By Casey Evans

The honours were even between Stretford Paddock and Urmston Town, in a match that provided Stephen Howson’s men with their first challenge against a team that they will play again in league competition this season.

Paddock went close early on with a number of free kicks played into the box. Midfielder Cameron Watters hit the post from distance and had the best chance of the half in the 28th minute as Nosa Imayu, who was playing upfront in this game, backheeled a pass to him on the outside of the box but he unfortunately put it just wide.

The first half was marked with many contentious events, Urmston’s number 11 was sent off for a second yellow card after a heavy challenge on Ronaldo Brown in the 14th minute. Ronaldo Brown was involved in an off the ball incident eight minutes later, which saw Paddock’s number 11 and Urmston’s number 10 sent off by the referee.

Paddock’s last chance of the half came when Louis Fitzpatrick went close, breaking through 1-on-1 in the 42nd minute but the opposition keeper got down and stopped the low shot. The teams went into half time goalless, and the lack of chances was a cause for concern for manager Stephen Howson who made his displeasure known.

In the second half, Paddock found it hard to get going, with a number of fouls stopping them from creating many chances. Substitute Ayo Akinlade looked bright down the left-hand side linking well with Nosa Imayu and Ritchie Adjei.

Paddock’s goal came from a fantastic individual bit of skill by Nosa Imayu, flicking the ball over his head and beating his defender before slotting it low into the net to make it 1-0. Imayu looked dangerous through the half, especially when moved back into his more natural number 10 position, allowing him more time on the ball.

Paddock had chances, but never seemed to capitalise on them. Urmston’s long ball game left them constantly at threat of a counterattack and the opposition’s chance came when they seized on a mistake in the 80th minute, Jake Carr played a ball back to substitute keeper Nathan Carr who wasn’t in position and Urmston scored off the loose ball.

The game ended with a draw and though positives could be taken from the performance, the inability to finish the game off will leave the team and the coaches frustrated.

By Casey Evans

The sun was surprisingly shining as Stretford Paddock FC faced Chorlton FC. Both sides came into this fixture off the back of defeats, so were looking to bounce back with a win.

Disaster struck early on in the game as Paddock goalkeeper Hinchcliffe was involved in a collision with the Chorlton forward, which saw him take a kick to the face. The blood was pouring and after a short delay he had to be replaced by Jonny Hart.

Numerous tackles and fouls marked the first half as both sides struggled to get a foothold in the game. Chances were limited with Rivaldo and Ronaldo Brown trying their best to break down the opposition defence with their skill and pace.

Despite the best efforts of either side, the first half ended 0-0.Chances started to fly as the second half began, with Rivaldo breaking through early on and cutting inside on his man and trying to get a shot off, but the Chorlton defender put in a good tackle and nipped the chance in the bud.

The deadlock was broken finally in the 74th minute as Adam Ashton won a high ball and touched it down to Paddock’s number 10, Nosa Imayu. Imayu then proceeded to beat his man and get through 1-on-1 with the keeper, slotting it into the left hand corner of the net and making it 1-0 to the Paddock.

Ronaldo Brown came close to making it two, being played in by Cameron Watters down the right hand side but his shot was well saved by the keeper.

Ronaldo finally got his goal in the 85th minute, winning the ball back from the Chorlton midfielder down the left hand side, cutting inside and slotting it under the keeper at the near post.

The full time whistle blew soon after and Paddock had recorded their first ever win and clean sheet. The end result was 2-0.

Goalkeeper Jonny Hart was named Man of the Match for keeping the clean sheet with numerous important saves throughout the game, keeping Paddock in the game at times.

The threat of rain was ever present on Sunday afternoon as Stretford Paddock FC faced a tough fixture in their second friendly against Jolly Carter FC. 

The combative nature of the game was clear from kick off as both sides showed no reservations about letting their opposite number know they were there. Hard tackles and close-fought 50/50s were ever present throughout the match.

Disaster struck quickly for Paddock as a two minute set-piece salvo by Jolly Carter put the opposition two goals up. The opposition took advantage of their experience and physicality over the young team to overload the box from set pieces and put the ball in the back of the net.

Throughout the first half Paddock were dominant going down the wing with both Louis Fitzpatrick and Ronaldo Brown causing constant problems for their fullbacks. 

The breakthrough came after Ronaldo’s tricky dribbling saw him brought down the in the box by the Jolly Carter defender and the referee pointed to the spot. Ronaldo stepped up to take the spot kick and converted.

Paddock’s first ever goal had been scored. A historic moment.

A few good chances followed in the first half with a good ball across the box finding Fitzpatrick in space in front of goal, however he was unable to get his correct foot in the correct position and shot wide. 

Paddock FC went into half time 2-1 down but very much still in the game. 

As the first half started, Jolly Carter’s years together as a team began to show. They adopted a classic 4-4-2 formation and began to counter Paddock’s high press. Paddocks chances began to be limited, with the closest chance of the early stages coming from a free kick by Cameron Watters that went just wide.

Within 10 minutes Paddocks dreams of a comeback were over, with Jolly Carter scoring three in quick succession, the pick of the goals coming from a chip over substitute keeper Jake Moore who had misjudged a ball forward and ventured too far away from his goal line.

Paddock continued to try and get forward but saw their chances limited. Ronaldo continued to be a bright spark throughout the half, at one point dribbling past four defenders. The Jolly Carter defenders were unable to deal with him, resulting to multiple fouls to stop the winger.

Overall it was a disappointing defeat for Paddock FC against a team which will be of the similar standard and mentality that they will be playing week in and out in the league. Stephen Howson will be hoping his men don’t get disheartened and bounce back next game with a better performance.

By Casey Evans

Today marked the historic first ever fixture of Stretford Paddock FC as they took on Manchester Premier League side Dukinfield Town in a friendly. Stephen Howson’s side unfortunately fell to a 3-0 defeat, but the scoreline was not truly reflective of the game.

Stretford Paddock FC was a long-time dream of Stephen Howson, he wanted to create a team that could compete and that translated his passion onto the pitch. The team today did that in spades.

From kick off, Paddock did not look like a team that would be starting seven leagues below Dukinfield in non-league next season. The team pressed well and challenged for every ball. The midfield trio of Ieuan Evans, Aaron Hopley and Cameron Watters were very important in the early stages, stopping Dukinfield gaining an early foothold in the game.

In fact, it was a very even game with neither side giving the other any clear cut chances. However, experience played a factor early on, with Dukinfield’s Mitch Andrew seeing Paddock keeper Jake Moore too far off his line and chipping him from 40 yards out to make it 1-0 to the home side.

The rest of the first half was a hard-fought affair, with neither side giving the other an inch. Ronaldo Brown and Jav Hussein tried to break down the Dukinfield defence with some intuitive dribbling but it held strong.

The performances of Jay Wong during this first half were very impressive. The player was filling in at right back despite having never played there before, but you were unable to tell. As Dukinfield tried to exploit his lack of height and stature to break through, he defended exceptionally to stop any attackers who tried to pass him.

As half time came and past, Dukinfield fully rotated their team, bringing on a completely new eleven, this would prove a difficult test for the Paddock side, however they had youth on their side.

The Stretford Paddock team is made up of many young players eager to impress. Right back Luke Zakian and substitute Mason Royales are only 16 years old, with midfielder Aaron Hopley only being 17. The majority of the players are around 20-21 and against a side like Dukinfield who have been playing together for years, you would have excused the cliché that ‘it was men against boys’ at kick off, however this was never the case.

The second half started out much like the first, with a hard-fought battle between the sides. The centre back partnership of James Oatt and Conor Knowles was imperious, cutting out chance after chance as Dukinfield’s fresher legs began to show.

Disaster struck for Paddock when a clash between Dukinfield forward Ben Fox and substitute goalkeeper Johnny Hart resulted in a loose ball heading towards the net. Oatt showed no urgency to collect the ball, certain that it had not crossed the line. Much to the surprise of everyone on the pitch however the referee gave the goal and made it 2-0 to Dukinfield.

Paddock had many chances throughout the second half, but none better than when a long ball from deep by Paddock was misjudged by the defensive line allowing Ronaldo Brown to break through 1-on-1 with the keeper. He tried to place his shot bottom corner but it unfortunately hit the post.

Not 30 seconds later, Dukinfield countered up the pitch and Ruben Abreu scored the third and final goal of the game to cap off a 3-0 win for the home team. ‘And that’s football’ remarked manager Stephen Howson as it went in.

Stretford Paddock may not be happy with the result but there were a lot of positives to be taken from the match, they faced the top side in the Manchester Premier League and gave them a game, created many chances and showed a willingness to fight that they will hopefully take into their next game.

Stretford Paddock FC returned to training on Thursday evening after exactly days 100 since our last training session. We are working in socially distanced pods of 5 with a coach each. A lot has happened since our last session back in March, it goes without saying. The big thing is our acceptance to the Lancashire & Cheshire league. A fine local league with a good pedigree of both teams, and players. We await our confirmation of division, but considering our ambitions, I do hope it’s one of the higher divisions. I want that test.

Speaking of a test! Sunday evening we held a coaches meeting, where we planned out the next six weeks of training. That six week block culminates in a friendly with Dukinfield Town, the team currently top of the Manchester Premier Division. Or were, before, you know. That’s a right test. It’s probably a right kicking, but honestly, I want it. I want to see how far off we are going to be. As where they are, we want to be. That’s pencilled in for Thursday 30th of July.

That date, of course relies on the government and the FA giving us the nod that contact is allowed and games can be played. But we need to have something to work towards, and that is it. Immediately after the friendly we’ve also pencilled in our second trial. The location is to be confirmed, but we’d like to ideally hold it on the 1st of August. The trial will be limited to 100 places – if you want to come along, please fill out the form on the following link – http://eepurl.com/g2WIGL – please ensure you fill out the experience section in detail, as there’s over 200 currently on the waiting list. We’ll be selecting based on experience and calling some on the list to verify their credentials.

In lockdown we’ve also interviewed and appointed several staff members; Nairobi, as reserve manager, Pete as a scout, Matt as a reserve coach, Sam Keane as a sports scientist, Josh as a goalkeeping coach and Janine to look after the merch and branding. So a warm welcome to all of those who have joined. 

We still have a couple of vacancies. If anyone is interested in taking charge of a 3rds or a position as welfare officer, please get in touch, we also require a kitman, so please get in touch if you’d like more information for any of those roles or the others available at the club – hello@stretfordpaddockfc.com

We have had several enquiries for sponsorships that we’ve had to turn away. We are looking for club partners that are able to help us with opportunities, access or help with the logistics of running the club. There are still availabilities to work with the club commercially, but we are being selective about who we work with. If you’d like more information email – sponsorship@stretfordpaddockfc.com

We are currently wrapping up our final episode of Stephen Howson; Football Manager for it’s first season, we’ve got daily content planned starting very soon. We’re just getting it filmed and edited.

Feels a little like progress.

Ste