News

After Paddock’s 6 game win streak came to an end last Saturday, an opportunity to get back to winning ways arises this weekend against Hartford. Having beaten Hartford already this season, Stretford Paddock will walk into Saturday’s fixture with confidence. If Howson’s men want to have a title challenge this season, a victory this weekend seems like a must.

Opposition Watch

In the reverse fixture, back in August, Stretford Paddock sealed a 3-1 against Hartford with a memorable solo effort from Kayode Adewale – deep into injury time. That important victory would go on to be the second victory on Paddock’s impressive 6 game League win streak.

Since then, Hartford have had quite a mixed time in the League. They currently sit in 11th place with 16 points, only 3 points behind Paddock. 2 good wins away at Mersey Valley and Pilkington followed there defeat to Paddock, but in their latest 2 league games, they walked away with only a point and 7 goals conceded.

The danger man for tomorrow’s visitors is, no doubt, Sam Dickenson. The Hartford forward has scored 13 goals in only 9 games this season in the Cheshire League. Should he be playing tomorrow, there’s no doubt the boys at the back will be busy.

Game Guide

Hartford are one of the only other teams in the league to have a handful of games in hand. Just like Paddock, they have only played 10 games so this season. A win tomorrow would but them ahead of Stretford Paddock on goal difference.

A win for Paddock, however, would make things interesting at the top of the league. Paddock, with an extra 3 points to their name, could go as high as 5th place – and thats with between 2 and 5 games in hand on their upper table opponents. Paddock will be desperate to win and keep a promotion challenge alive.

Team News

Stretford Paddock will be without there manager, Stephen Howson, until after the World Cup. Ste will be in Qatar for the duration of the tournament helping coverage for the YouTube channel, FIVE. Paddock forward, Ronaldo Brown, will be out there also and therefore not available, but for only 2 weeks.

Stepping in for Howson will be Paddock’s Director of Football, Bill Prendergast. Bill is a man with decades of experience in and around football including over 40 years of coaching. It’s safe to say that Paddock will be in safe hands.

After returning from his suspension last week against Upton, Joao De Andrade will be hoping to be back in the starting lineup again this weekend. With Ronaldo Brown out of the squad, an opportunity for De Andrade arises to cement himself back in the starting 11.

🚨𝗙𝗜𝗫𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 🚨

After the disappointment of last weekend, we welcome 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗙𝗖 to MEA after a close game the last time we played each other.

📅 Sat 19th Nov
📍 Manchester Enterprise Academy, M22 9RH
⏲️ 2:00PM
🏆 @CheshireFL
🎫 FREE#UpThePaddock pic.twitter.com/nXFecbDUGb

— Stretford Paddock FC (@SPaddockFC) November 18, 2022

By Andre La Barbera

Welcome to another issue of the paddock round up! Our aim is to provide an insight into how our other teams, alongside the Stretford Paddock first team, have got on in their respective matches. Read on to find out how our Development and Amateur sides matches played out this weekend…

Abacus Media Reserves 3 – 2 Stretford Paddock Development

The development side produced a spirited performance and were unlucky to be on the receiving end of a 3-2 loss this week against Abacus Media Reserves.

Fresh of a 4-0 defeat last weekend, Paddock were up for the fight and looking to amend their recent form.

Abacus started the game with a sense of security in possession, however Paddock’s numerical overloads caused problems on the transition and the Development side’s hard work paid off with an excellent opening goal.

A cluster of quick passes drove the ball into the feet of Adam Magdi, who calmly finished into the bottom corner.

Paddock forced further chances on the counter, but their lack of ruthlessness in front of goal cost them as Abacus drew level shortly before the break.

The away side’s problems soon furthered; a lapse of concentration in the Paddock backline was punished by the Abacus attackers who gained the lead early in the first half.

The home team’s momentum started building, and their attacking threat was rewarded with a sublime volley to provide a 2 goal cushion for the hosts.

Paddock, in spite of their recent performances, produced an admirable fighting spirit with Sean Colbert and Travis Robinson, in particular, causing major problems in the second half.

Paddocks tenacity resulted in an eventual goal, with Colbert setting up Robinson for a sublime finish.

The final 10 minutes saw Paddock throw caution to the wind, but a fine performance from the opposition goalkeeper saw the game slip away despite the late fightback.

A disappointing result no doubt, yet, there were plenty of positives to take away for our Development team.

Rochdalians AFC 6 – 0 Stretford Paddock Amateurs

A dismal day saw our Amateurs concede 6 against Rochdalians AFC.

Paddock started brightly and on the front foot, with chances being plentiful for the Amateurs in the opening exchanges.

The first 20 minutes saw the opposition mainly restricted to their own half, but miscommunication in defence gifted a goal to Rochdalians; further providing them with the momentum that would see them claim the three points.

Two more goals before half time seemed to have put the game beyond Paddock, but the message at half time was to be positive and offer more options ahead of the ball.

The offensive minded team talk proved effective, and the second 45 saw the amateurs have plenty of chances, but a reluctance to pull the trigger cost them dearly.

The 65^th minute saw a wayward cross loop over the Paddock goalkeeper, and the fortuitous goal all but condemned Paddock to defeat.

The Amateurs’ attacking spirit was plentiful, but the bodies pushed forward ultimately cost the side another two goals to take the scoreline to 6-0.

Despite the scoreline, Stretford Paddock had some positives to take, with Brandon Munemo stepping up in only his second game to cause several problems to the Rochdalian AFC backline.

By Billy Powis

This Saturday, Stretford Paddock will be looking to get back to winning ways after last weekend’s Manchester Saturday Challenge Trophy exit. Their 3-2 away loss to Heyside FC marked the end of an impressive 6 win streak but more frustratingly, ended an opportunity for Ste’s men to get their hands on some silverware. A home fixture against F.C. St. Helens Reserves provides not only a chance to bounce back, but to restore some confidence.

Opposition Watch

F.C. St. Helens Reserves currently sit 3rd in Div 2 of the Cheshire League – 9 points ahead of Paddock (they have also played 4 more matches). Saturday’s away side have had a fantastic start to the season, having won 8 matches, drawn 1 and only losing 3.

It was last weekend however, where St Helens showed the rest of the league what they are truly capable of. With a 2-0 win away from home, St Helens became the first team to beat league leaders, Upton JFC – a result which psychologically opens up the title race.

The main man for St Helens this season has been Thomas Scarborough. With 10 goals in 6 appearances, theres no doubt that the Paddock defence need to be on it, should he feature on Saturday.

Jack Gibney and Callum Leonard have also been dangerous in front of goal this season registering 5 and 7 goals respectively.

Game Guide

Saturday’s fixture is another must win for Paddock. As they were slow out of the blocks this season, getting as many wins as possible prior to Christmas is vital – especially against opposition higher in the table.

A win against St Helens would mean that Paddock would only be 6 points behind the promotion challengers, and that is with 4 games in hand on them. The longer Stretford Paddock can continue to win in the league, the more likely a title/promotion challenge will become.

A win for the visitors also holds importance. If St Helens manage to win all 3 of their games in hand, they would go 2nd.

Team News

Yet again, there are questions in regards to availability for Paddock. After coming off injured against Heyside, it looks like Dom Molloy will be unavailable this weekend. Joao De Andrade is also unavailable, having to serve a ban for one more game.

The man who’s already thrown his hat into the ring for player of the season, Kieron Molloy, was sorely missed last weekend. Paddock will be hoping that he will be back available this weekend.

Let’s hope Paddock can keep this league win streak alive!

🚨𝗙𝗜𝗫𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 🚨

We return to League action up against 𝗙.𝗖. 𝗦𝘁. 𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝘀 who currently sit 𝟯𝗿𝗱

📅 Sat 5th Nov
📍 Manchester Enterprise Academy, M22 9RH
⏲️ 2:00PM
🏆 @CheshireFL
🎫 FREE#UpThePaddock pic.twitter.com/CYhdjukzmw

— Stretford Paddock FC (@SPaddockFC) November 4, 2022

We will be playing at the Manchester Enterprise Academy again this Saturday. With entry being free, why not come down and cheer on the boys?

Welcome to the second issue of The Paddock Roundup! Our aim is to provide you with a weekly insight into how our other three teams, alongside the Stretford Paddock first team, have got on in their respective matches. Read on to find out how the Stretford Paddock First’s, U21’s, the Amateurs and the Development side all performed this week!

First’s

Heyside 3-2 Stretford Paddock

After winning 6 games on the bounce, Paddock’s quite brilliant winning streak came to an end this weekend with a 3-2 loss to Heyside FC. Paddock were back in action in the Manchester Saturday Challenge Trophy facing a Heyside team playing 2 divisions above them (In the Manchester Football League, not the Cheshire League).

Despite going ahead twice, Ste’s boys failed to pull away from Heyside and were eventually punished. Omar Sinclair gave Paddock the lead in the 7^th minute with a sublime knuckleball freekick – the perfect start. It was mistakes that proved to be costly this week for Paddock, however.

Not long after scoring, Paddock failed to clear a Heyside corner and the home side headed the ball home. With the scores level at the break, it was vital that the away started the second half just as they did in the first.

That’s exactly what they did. Ronaldo Brown linked up well with Tom Jones who lifted the ball over Heyside’s keeper to restore Paddock’s lead just seconds into the half. Despite the great start to the half, another defensive mistake allowed to Heyside to level things up, once again.

It proved to be a day where Paddock quite simply were not at the races. After a handful of half chances from Stretford Paddock, another mistake granted Heyside their winner. An outswinger of a cross into the Paddock box was, yet again, not dealt with. Heyside, gifted with a free header, found the back of the net and a spot in the next round of the Manchester Saturday Challenge Trophy.

U21’s

Hyde United 6 – 0 Stretford Paddock U21’s

Having conceded 7 the previous week, another tough challenge faced our U21 side with the team on the receiving end of a 6 goal margin.

The trip to Hyde United for game day 7 was always going to be a challenge with the home side having won all of their league games so far this season, and this past weekend’s fixture showed the hosts quality once again.

Hyde started the game on the front foot and quickly found themselves 2 goals to the good. The fast pace of the game proved to be a problem for Stretford Paddock.

Despite the game settling down, a further two goals were added before half time to ensure that any threat to Hyde United’s lead was snuffed out. A half time scoreline of 4-0 proved to be too much of a mountain for our u21’s to climb.

The second half saw a change of formation for Paddock. This vastly improved our lads’ performance, but the hosts were eager to settle any nerves and finished the match with a 6-0 score line.

The defeat serves as a learning opportunity for both the players and coaches alike, and the side is raring to battle it out once again in the North West Development League – Championship A.

Amateurs

Mill Hill 5-1 Stretford Paddock Amateurs

Our amateurs tasted defeat in the North West Inter League Cup in what proved to be a difficult contest.

Blackburn based side Mill Hill provided a clinical display, finding the net five times in what was a high scoring affair.

The amateurs started the match brightly, with Paul Arrowsmith a standout performer in the early stages of the game. Despite this, Mill Hill’s counter attacking prowess got the better of the Paddock defensive line.

The speed of the opposing front three proved to be the difference between the sides, with a 3-0 score line at halftime providing a tough challenge to overcome for Paddock.

Despite pulling back a goal, Paddock ended up on the receiving end of a 5-1 defeat and will look to turn around the recent run of seven defeats next weekend against Milton.

Development

AFC Oldham 2005 4 – 0 Stretford Paddock Development

Despite a promising performance away from home, our development team couldn’t get the better of AFC Oldham 2005. For the second week in a row, Paddock conceded 4 goals away from home.

The away side were unlucky to not be in front in the first half. Paddock’s Sean Colbert proved to be the difference however, a deflected own goal at the end of the first half gave the hosts a 1-0 lead going into the break.

Oldham started the game only three points ahead of Paddock in the table, so a fight for a crucial three points was seemingly imminent as the second forty-five got underway.

The start of the second half saw a surge of attacking play from both sides and chances were plentiful, however, the large number of players pushed forward proved to play into the hands of Oldham. With the home side managing to take advantage of the game stretching out, they managed to add three further goals to an ultimately disappointing scoreline.

By Billy Powis and Andre La Barbera

After last week’s massive win against title challengers Bollington Town, Stretford Paddock take part in the Manchester FA Saturday Challenge trophy on Saturday against Heyside First team. Now, with a sixth consecutive win under their belts, Paddock are looking ahead to a challenging game in the quarter final of the cup.

Opposition Watch

Heyside Firsts have not had the best start to their campaign, currently sitting at 15th in the Premier Division of the Manchester Football League. Paddock are no doubt in for a tough game tomorrow, but that is to be expected in the quarter of any cup, especially in a cross-league format.

Despite Heyside playing in a higher tier than Paddock, they’ve not had the best start to their League campaign and sit second from bottom. They have only won one league game this season so Paddock have every reason to fancy their chances.

Two players Paddock will need to watch out for are James Horan who has scored three goals in seven appearances. Additionally there is Celestino De Oliveira Bratanhe Nunes who has also scored 3 goals in 7 games. Despite Heyside being out of form, Paddock cannot take anything for granted.

Game Details

A win for Paddock in the cup will mean a spot to the semi final of the Manchester FA Saturday Challenge Cup.

The last time Paddock played in the cup they won 5-2. Paddock will have a challenging game tomorrow but a good chance to give their best shot at getting their hands on the cup.

Playing against a team two divisions above presents challenges to Paddock but nothing they aren’t prepared for. After six consecutive wins Paddock are facing tough opposition at the best possible time – when confidence is high.

Heyside and Stretford Paddock have no previous match history but Paddock proved against Denton Town that they can really show up against opposition that should be better on paper.

Team News

Manager, Stephen Howson, has confirmed there will be no Joao De Andrade due to his three match ban from a subsequent red card two weekends ago.

The squad this weekend is full of confidence and ability. Joint man of the match performances from Tom Jones and Kayode Adewale should make them undroppable going into this weekend.

Manager Stephen Howson has plenty of options in all three sections of the pitch. Despite not starting last week, Callum Kilroe, Dom Molloy and Thomas MacFarlane have all made great accounts of themselves in recent weeks. Whether any of these boys can make it back into the starting 11 however, waits to be seen.

🚨𝗙𝗜𝗫𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦🚨

We face 𝗛𝗲𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁𝘀 in the 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 of The Manchester FA Saturday Challenge Trophy

📅 Sat 29th Oct
📍 Crompton House, OL2 7HS
⏲️ 2:00PM
🏆 @Manchester_FA
🎟️ FREE#UpThePaddock pic.twitter.com/wbkv8MXC05

— Stretford Paddock FC (@SPaddockFC) October 28, 2022

Get down to the game tomorrow, if you can – It’s a huge game for The Paddock!

By Libby Baker

Welcome to the first issue of The Paddock Roundup! This midweek release aims to give you guys an insight into what’s going on amongst our other teams within the club. As most of you will be aware, as well as our first team, we are very proud to also have 3 other teams wearing the Stretford Paddock badge.

Our Amateur side play their football in the Premier Division of the Lancashire and Cheshire AFL, our Development side play in the same league but in Division 2 and our Under 21’s are part of Championship A of the North West U21 Development League.

Let’s delve into how our boys got on last weekend!

U21s

Stretford Paddock U21’s 3-7 Warrington Rylands U21’s

Paddock’s U21 side remain in 7^th spot in Championship A of the North West U21 Dev League after a 7-3 loss to Warrington Rylands.

Going into the fixture, Paddock and Warrington Rylands both sat on 4 points. A great opportunity  presented itself for one side to create some breathing space over the other. It was Warrington however, who took the opportunity with both hands.

Despite Paddock registering 3 goals via Daniel Bakare (2 goals) and Sean Colbert, the visitors managed to impressively bag 7 goals to subsequently take all three points with ease.

This coming weekend, our U21’s will be looking to bounce back with 3 points against promotion challengers, Hyde United. It will certainly be a tough game but even a point would give the boys a huge confidence boost going into the heart of the season.

Amateurs

Stretford Paddock Amateurs 0-2 North Walkden Open Age

It’s been a tough start to life in the Premier Division of the Lancashire and Cheshire AFL for Paddock’s Amateurs. The side were handed a sixth straight loss last weekend against title challengers, North Walkden.

There were however, plenty of positives to take from the game for Stretford Paddock. Despite North Walkden being 14 points ahead of Paddock, all that separated the sides was a North Walkden goal from the spot and another goal which was aided goalward by a wicked deflection.

There was a long list of absentees this week which allowed a great opportunity for Aram and Brandon to step up from the U21’s and get some minutes. First team keeper, Victor Gimenez, also featured for the Amateurs last weekend; imposing some of his experience and quality amongst the whole squad.

This weekend, the Amateurs will be hoping to play up in the cup. They face Mill Hill, in the North West Inter League Cup. Let’s hope we can take last week’s positives and build on them in the cup!

Development

Kartel Sports First 4-1 Stretford Paddock Development

It was top vs bottom last weekend in Division 2 of the Lancashire and Cheshire AFL. Paddock’s Development side have struggled so far this season and were dealt another blow with a 4-1 away defeat to Kartel Sports First Team. It was always going to be a challenge to defeat the league leaders and they showed Paddock just what they were capable of doing.

Just like the Amateurs, the Development side were depleted due to injuries and other commitments from players – the reality of grassroots football.

Despite the loss, Paddock were pleased to see the return of their goalkeeper, Jay Phillips and were impressed, yet again, by U21’s star, Sean Colbert.

The Dev’s face AFC Oldham 2005 this weekend. AFC Oldham are only 3 points ahead of Paddock so one hell of a game should be in store. It feels like it could be a great opportunity for Stretford Paddock’s Development side to get off the mark this year in the League.

After a big win last week, Stretford Paddock returned to the Manchester Enterprise Academy to face title challengers, Bollington Town. A Tom Jones hat-trick, a further goal from Kayode Adewale and a 30-yard screamer from Dom Molloy, was enough to secure Paddock a 5-3 victory to continue their impressive winning run.

Paddock started strong by mounting lots of pressure on the away team through waves of possession. This was the first time Paddock faced Bollington, so with no previous result history, all was to play for. After a dominant 8 minutes for Paddock, Tom Jones put them ahead. After a pass from Janiero Salmon-Harris, Jones did just enough to slot the ball past the Bollington keeper.

Bollington began to apply pressure and scout an opportunity to score an equaliser. Paddock’s adrenaline continued and energy was high after their first goal with defender’s pressuring the opposition when out of possession. A sweetly struck Bollington free kick at 18 minutes flew into the back of the net to level the scores. Paddock were left fighting to regain their lead.

Paddock kept their heads up with Tom Jones responding with a second goal for Paddock one minute later. Some good defending from both sides resulted in a steady rest of the first half. It looked like 2-1 would be the half time score however, just 3 minutes until the break, Jones completed his hat-trick. A foul on Ronaldo Brown just inside the box meant Jones would have the opportunity to complete his hat-trick from the spot – he took his chance it brilliantly.

HT: Stretford Paddock 3-1 Bollington Town

The second half began with Paddock leading and Bollington seeking revenge. Not long after a pause in play due to a head injury on Omar Sinclair, Bollington got their second. A Bollington corner was only cleared as far as their man on the edge of the box. He controlled the ball and hammered it home sweetly in the 51st minute.

Three minutes later a shock equaliser from Bollington put both sides level at 3 goals each. Paddock now had to fight to regain the upper hand after 55 minutes. A scrappy first 15 minutes from both sides proved that everything was to play for. Not long later however, Paddock midfielder, Kayode Adewale put Paddock back in the lead. Some great link up play ended with the ball at the feet of Adewale. He finessed the ball first time from the edge of the box to put Paddock ahead for the second time in the match.

5 minutes later and there was another screamer for Paddock. Dom Molloy smashed the ball from 30 yards away and caught Bollington’s keeper completely off guard. Some breathing room again for Paddock. After two moments of magic, the rest of the half was fairly quiet.

FT: Stretford Paddock 5-3 Bollington Town

Stretford Paddock: Daniel McKenna, Michael Burke, James Oatt (C), Ryan Pickering (76′ Thomas MacFarlane), Omar Sinclair (76′ Alan Kay), Kayode Adewale (GOAL 63′), Nosa Iyamu (61′ Dom Molloy (GOAL 67′)), Jainiero Salmon-Harris, Ronaldo Brown, Kieron Molloy (71′ Aftab Jan), Tom Jones (GOAL 9′, 20′, 41′) (76′ Will Hobson)

By Libby Baker

After last week’s win, Stretford Paddock return to the Cheshire League with another home fixture against Bollington Town. This will be Paddock’s first game against Bollington Town. A match with no history means it is any team’s game. Paddock are now on a 5-win streak but facing the side that sit second-place team in the league, Paddock will have their work cut out.

Opposition watch

This weekend’s opponents are currently in the runners up spot in the league. Bollington Town have only lost two of their games since July and currently have 27 points compared to Paddocks 13 points.

Joshua Connolly is one to watch out for with 10 goals in 8 appearances.

Paddock have now won five games so far this season. A narrow scoreline yet dominant victory against Newton-Le-Willows last weekend meant that paddock gained three more vital points in the league.

The Paddock have a strong chance against runners up Bollington Town. With an incredibly successful start to the season, Paddock VS Bollington should be a fairly even contest.

Game Guide

3 points for Paddock could see the club move up as far as 2 places in the table. A sixth win on the bounce in all competitions would set Paddock up nicely for the rest of the 2022 fixtures.

Bollington have a chance tomorrow to go top of the league. If Upton fail to beat Haydock and Bollington win, they’ll slip into top-spot. Upton do have a game in hand on Bollington but they’ll also have the pressure in their hands.

The Gaffer

Paddock boss, Stephen Howson shared his thoughts ahead of this week’s match:

“We have four players missing but a strong team regardless. We are looking forward to playing Bollington, they are a new club like us. Both teams have had a successful go at things so far and this game will be a big test for us.

“We don’t know much about how they play but as always we will be focussing on what we do and how we play and if we play to our potential, I think we can come away with three points.”

Team news

Manager, Stephen Howson, has confirmed that there will be no Joao De Andrade due to his three-match ban from a subsequent red card last weekend. In addition to this, Cam Watters is also unavailable due to work commitments.

For the first time in a while, the gaffer has all four of Dom Molloy, Kayode Adewale, Nosa Iyamu and Jainiero Salmon-Harris available for selection. Who he decides to bench will be a tough decision but one he’d rather have than not. Dom Molloy was not available last week but he is back in contention and has been performing well.

🚨𝗙𝗜𝗫𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦🚨

We face 𝗕𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗼𝘄𝗻 for the first time, who currently sit 𝟮𝗻𝗱
Captain 𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗢𝗮𝘁𝘁 returns to the side

📅 Sat 22nd Oct
📍Manchester Enterprise Academy, M22 9RH
⏲️ 2:00PM
🏆 @CheshireFL
🎫 FREE#UpThePaddock pic.twitter.com/XrmrhuW9yl

— Stretford Paddock FC (@SPaddockFC) October 21, 2022

Get to the game tomorrow if you can, entry is free and we’d love to see you down there!

By Libby Baker