Cookie Privacy Preferences
We utilize essential cookies to ensure our website operates effectively and remains secure. Additionally, we'd like to request your permission to use optional cookies. These are intended to enhance your browsing experience by offering personalized content, displaying advertisements that are relevant to you, and helping us to further refine our website.
Choose "Accept all cookies" to agree to the use of both essential and optional cookies. Alternatively, select "Let me see" to customize your preferences.
Privacy Preference Centre
Our website utilizes cookies to enhance your browsing experience and to present you with content tailored to your preferences on this device and browser. Below, you will find detailed information about the function of cookies, enabling you to make informed choices about which cookies you wish to accept. Please note that disabling certain cookies might impact your user experience on our site. It's important to remember that cookie preferences need to be set individually for each device and browser you use. Clearing your browser's cache may also remove your cookie settings. You have the freedom to modify your cookie preferences at any point in the future.
For a comprehensive understanding of our use of cookies, please refer to our complete cookies policy.
These cookies are needed for the website to work and for us to fulfil our contractual obligations. This means they can't be switched off. They enable essential functionality such as security, accessibility and live chat support. They also help us to detect and prevent fraud. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but it means some parts of the site won't work.
These cookies allow us to measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know how popular pages are, and to see how visitors move around the site. If you don't allow these cookies, we won't know when you've visited our site, and we won't be able to monitor its performance.
These cookies enable us to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we've added to our pages. If you don't allow these cookies, some or all of these services may not work properly.
These cookies collect information about your browsing habits to show you personalised adverts. They may be used to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They don't store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you don't allow these cookies, the adverts you see will be less relevant.
RECREATION GROUND | BROOKBURN ROAD | CHORLTON | M21 8FE
by Matthew Durrant · 22/01/2020
Wythenshawe Town | 2-2 | West Didsbury & Chorlton |
Liam Crellin-Myers (13) Kial Callacher (17) | HT: 2-0 Att: 235 | Joshua Tinker (65) Billy Matthews (77) |
Starting XI | Starting XI | |
Callum Jakovlevs | 1 | Andrew Jones |
Connor Brotherton | 2 | Callum Jones |
Jerome Wright | 3 | Dontai Gabidon |
Lee Gregory | 4 | Joshua Tinker |
Jan Palinkas | 5 | Matthew Cook |
Kial Callacher | 6 | Sam Heathcote |
Matthew Bryan | 7 | Curtis Miller |
Jack Timmons | 8 | Lee Gavin |
Liam Crellin-Myers | 9 | Joel Swift |
Steven Yarwood | 10 | Jack Ryan |
Jordan Burton | 11 | George Blackwell |
Substitutes | Substitutes | |
Matthew Roberts | S1 | Billy Matthews |
Dominic Smalley | S2 | Jamie McLellan |
Fenton Reeves | S3 | Rhain Davis |
Tom Wilson | S4 | Dylan Moloney |
Brad Byrne | S5 |
West returned back up the Airport Metrolink line with a point against fellow South Manchester side Wythenshawe Town – but that’s far from the full story of a game that saw Chris Rowley’s side experience 45 minutes of agony, and 45 minutes that fell just short of ecstasy.
Much water has passed under the bridge since the originally slated fixture – abandoned due to injury – and even more so since these two sides met at Brookburn Road back in August. West went into that game as slim favourites following a summer of stellar recruitment under then-manager Brad Cooke; this time out, Chris Rowley had an injury-ravaged, depleted squad to select from. Meanwhile, home team supporters predicted emphatic Wythenshawe Town victories on social media after their own recent additions to the squad, and fine form leading into the game.
Well resourced and with ambitions beyond the North West Counties, Wythenshawe Town had the added motivation of gaining three points that they felt had been earned when the first game was called off. Town were two goals to the good, but would’ve had 15 minutes to hold out with only 10 men having received a first-half red card. Still, their own match report suggests “this was a game which should have been won a long time ago” – a mentality that seemed to permeate through their side during the first half. West had a half-chance early on – a low cross eluding Curtis Miller – but Wythenshawe took control through a quickfire double either side of the quarter-hour mark as they looked to put the game to bed as quickly as possible.
Opening the scoring was Crellin-Myers, who took advantage of chaos created by his teammates to acrobatically hit home from close range. A ball from deep to the far post met a Wythenshawe head in space, and Jones could only parry when recovering across his goal. With work still to do, Crellin-Myers beat two West defenders to the ball to find space and hit the net.
Another aerial bombardment resulted in the second goal just 5 minutes later – a good corner kick found Kial Callacher, who nodded home before running to celebrate with the bench. At that moment, it looked as though the home team would be able to win by whatever amount they fancied, with West looking both leaden and fragile. It was Wythenshawe who would have the majority of the play for the remainder of the half too, forcing Jones into a few regulation saves but never doing much to make their pressure show.
Curtis Miller – a bright spark in the first half, sadly robbed of impetus by West’s inability to get the ball into the final third with any real menace – was withdrawn at the break, with Rhian Davis his replacement. Serenaded by a new Englishman in New York themed song in his honour, he would perhaps be the most important player of the second period. Joel Swift, who had ploughed a lone furrow up top with little support as West struggled to attack over the opening 45, was taken off shortly after as Rowley looked to gain control of the midfield through the addition of Dylan Moloney.
On 65 minutes, West had their breakthrough – a corner offered two bites of the cherry, with Tinker being the one to profit after a first header hit our own player with the ball goalbound. Popping up to Josh, he made no mistake as he forced the ball home and sent the travelling support – vociferous throughout, as has become the norm – into raptures, and giving hope of an unlikely comeback.
Moloney, who had made a positive impact on the game immediately, wouldn’t last much longer after the goal, pulling up with a hamstring tweak. Billy Matthews took his place from the bench, and generating the game’s one moment of true quality to level the scores. Davis, the ball-playing Australian, found space in the middle of the park, deftly chipping in behind the defence for Matthews to chase. In a battle he seemed destined to lose, he somehow gained control, taking a touch to settle himself before chipping home over the prone Wythenshawe Town keeper from 20 yards. The emotion of the moment was evident, with the majority of the West side rushing to celebrate with the travelling support.
Though both sides pushed, there were few chances in the remaining 10 minutes: a softly earned free-kick had to be brilliantly saved by Jones late on, and West earned a few corners that were wasted. Still, the full time whistle was greeted by cheers from the away support, who made up a sizeable proportion of the reported 235 attendance and certainly accounted for the entirety of the game’s atmosphere. In fine voice throughout, they greeted the team after the game with a chant of Allez Allez Allez before shaking hands, hugging, and heading for the tram home with a well-earned and much deserved point and several new additions to the songbook.
Rob McKay gives reaction to Tuesday night’s draw