Monday 28th August 2023 ko 15:00

National League, Premier Division

AFC FYLDE 3 (Haughton 58p Omotayo 79 Davis 90+9)

Haughton penalty saved 58

ALTRINCHAM 3 (Linney 33 Angus 35 Conn-Clarke 87p)

Att 1,819

Entry £16 (home terrace)

Programme £3

Teamsheet FREE

Robyn and I were at a loose end. With the Welsh hop and its replacement in the Central Midlands Alliance cancelled we were in the unusual position of having August Bank Holiday sat at home in Oxford. So when the pieces didn’t fall into place, I simply dipped into that imaginary pot of grounds I wanted to visit.

You may recall me visiting AFC’s former ground Kellamergh Park back in 2016. The new ground was under construction then, but the former home of Kirkham & Wesham was all about being upwardly mobile. This is, of course the club that won the FA Vase in their final game under their old name and is very much the project of chairman David Haythornthwaite and the idea was to reach the Football League by 2022. Who could forget the flag, with the legend, “2022, stop us if you can?”

They failed of course, the flag is now nowhere to be seen, and I remember walking into Kellamergh Park fully expecting an arrogant nouveau riche club and getting, fortunately the exact opposite. The club moved to the Mill Farm Sports Village in 2016 and I drove there wondering what I’d find there. Would it be a monument to Haythornthwaite largesse, or an investment in a club’s future?

AFC Fylde’s meterioc rise up the leagues, may well have hit an impasse at the National League Premier, they’ve been relegated from here and promoted back after all. If you listen to the detractors you could walk in almost looking forward to hating the place, but I’d argue you’d have a hard task leaving still doing so.

The fact is there’s a lot to like here. “Bradley’s” Bar in the main is huge and with the bonus of the garden area outside, and there’s even another bar in the home stand behind the goal. Elsewhere the motif is clearly curves, I even found myself remembering the triangle motifs at Brentford‘s new ground. We deliberately organised ourselves so that Robyn would be in the main stand, and I’d go in the terrace to take photos back at them!

But day proved to be about more than motifs, facilities or even the price of a beer. I’d wondered whether the friendly nature of the club I’d seen at Kellamergh had transferred over to Mill Farm? I’d remembered our trip to York City where I’d been told by a steward I couldn’t bring in my camera, the second I retrieved it from the car! Here in contrast the steward at the turnstile hoped I’d take some good photos and wished me luck! Rich Fylde may be, but they still are friendly.

The game took time to spark into life; it was clear why Fylde are finding national football difficult. Playing a flat looking 5 at the back with a low press allowed Altrincham too much space two counterpunches through Regan Linney and Dior Angus saw the visitors deservedly lead at the break. And yes, before you ask, Dior Angus is the son of Fulham legend Terry Angus.

Fylde found a way back into the game in bizarre fashion. Nick Haughton was hauled down in the box but saw his penalty saved by Lewis Banks, but seconds later Danny Whitehead was fouled for another penalty. Haughton had both the presence of mind and the skill to send Banks the wrong way this time. Gold Omotayo was thrown on and the ruse worked, he headed home to equalise, but there was more to come.

With three minutes left Emeka Obi brought down Justin Amaluzor in the visitors’ box, and Chris Conn-Clarke stroked home the penalty for what I’m sure everyone thought would be the winner. Well clearly not everyone, clearly Fylde believed as in the 99th minute Harry Davis found room in the melee to nod home. Even this neutral grinned at the preposterousness of it all, as i took a couple of final photos