Matchday #16: Results and Updated League Tables

Championship

Blyth Spartans 1  Gainsborough Trinity 1
Dynamo Burnley 2  Wrexham 1
Hartlepool Petrochemical 1  Audenshaw Dynamo 1
Hungaria 2  Spartak-Slavia 3
Liverpool St Helens 6  Excelsior Marlow 1
Locomotive Crewe Alexandra 3  Marine 2
Northwich Victoria 3  Manchester Central 1
Stalybridge Celtic 7  Red Star Mossley 2

Second Division

Bohemians 6  Caledonia Thistle 0

Bradford Park Avenue 3  Hendon Hotspur 2

Crystal Palace 2  Torpedo Tranmere 4

Excelsior Benelux 1  Marxist Polytechnic 1

Inter-Italiano 6  Atletico Espanol 2

Manchester Newton Heath 1  Sheffield Wednesday 2

Newcastle-Gateshead Dynamo 0  Merthyr Tydfil 3

South Liverpool Red Star 1  Newcastle Blue Star 2

Welcome, dear reader, to the resumption of league action after the Football Alliance’s mid-term recess.

The only place to begin is, of course, at Stalybridge, and the hosts' 7 - 2 derby demolition of neighbours Red Star Mossley, Celtic exacting brutal revenge for the opening day defeat in the reverse fixture which somewhat spoiled their maiden appearance as reigning champions, ace marksman Eoghan Money’s four-goal haul being the individual highlight of a magnificent team performance.

For those, like yours truly, statistically-inclined, the scoreline breaks a couple of all-time records, being the first time Stalybridge have scored seven goals against Mossley, home or away, and also constituting the largest winning margin achieved by Celtic in the fixture, although they did once win 6 - 0 at Mossley, in the 1985 - 86 post-regular season play-off round - not the only occasion Stalybridge hit their next door neighbours for six on their own patch, however, also considering a 6 - 5 win during 1987 - 88 (which was followed the next season by a 5 - 5 draw, then 5 - 3 and 5 - 4 wins for the home side in a succession of goal-fests). For their part, and in the interests of balance, Mossley’s biggest home successes over Celtic occurred during the first two seasons of the national Football Alliance, with a 5 - 0 victory margin in the inaugural one, 1980 - 81, being followed the very next term by a 7 - 3 tonking: away, their best return is a 4 - 1 win in 1984 - 85.

Overall, in a total of 47 face-offs between the local rivals in the history of the Alliance, now in its 36th season, Stalybridge narrowly lead Mossley by 22 wins to 19, with six drawn matches (14 - 3 - 6 in favour of the home team at Stalybridge, 13 - 3 - 8 at Mossley), so honours are pretty even. In the matter of local versus national pride, though, Mossley have achieved five Championships compared to Celtic’s two, which seems considerably more significant unless one is being particularly parochial, although that of course is the preserve of local rivalries.

Back to the present, that remarkable 7 - 2 result takes the ‘Bridge joint top of the table, with Liverpool St Helens, who lead by virtue of away points garnered thus far and who kept pace with an impressive five-goal winning margin of their own, 6 - 1 against Excelsior Marlow. With Spartak-Slavia emerging victorious from the battle of the ethnic clubs at Hungaria, gaining revenge for their opening-day reverse, Marine, who began the day in pole position, slipped down to fourth after a surprise 2 - 3 defeat at Locomotive Crewe Alexandra (a direct inversion of the matchday #1 result), although only a single point separates the leading quartet - the victors did their prospects at the opposite end of the table no harm with those welcome two points, particularly with second-last Dynamo Burnley also earning themselves a ‘win bonus’ against Wrexham. With Audenshaw Dynamo and Blyth Spartans both drawing 1 - 1 - the former at bottom club Hartlepool Petrochemical, only their 6th point of the campaign after a disastrous first semester - Crewe have leapfrogged the pair and Burnley have drawn level on 13 points, so the relegation situation has intensified from the very off, a good sign for competitiveness at both ends of the table.

In the Second Division, another draw for Marxist Polytechnic enabled Sheffield Wednesday, 2 -1 winners at Manchester Newton Heath, to establish a three-point lead at the summit, whilst Torpedo Tranmere’s fine 4- 2 victory at Crystal Palace moves them level with the students and signifies the strength of their promotion credentials whilst simultaneously undermining the prospects of the losers. Fellow-winners Bradford Park Avenue and Bohemians are three and four points behind, in fourth and fifth place, respectively.