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Sports News
South return to action
After three months without kicking a ball due to lockdown, South Liverpool FC finally returned to action at the end of March.
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Some of the club’s teams decided to start matches straightaway but most have had some friendlies and training before competitive football.
South’s first team, looking for promotion to the North West Counties League, started with a hard-won point at Vauxhall Motors Reserves. Taking the lead through a Kevin Cringle goal, South were pegged back with a late equaliser but the league title is still in their hands after the league decided to continue the league campaign with a truncated programme in order to finish by the end of May. The reserves restarted their league games with a 4-2 home defeat to South Sefton Borough. A late penalty by Gerard Forde was insufficient despite an improved final half-hour. The youth team started their league cup group game with a 3-2 home defeat to Litherland Remyca. An improved second half saw the team earn parity after being two goals down with goals from a Gabriel McGinn penalty and Alfie Cunningham. However, a very late winner was achieved by Remyca after South went down to ten men.
The club’s four veterans teams have been far more active. The
April - May 2021
Saturday first team won their first two games without conceding a goal, 3-0 to Waterloo GSOB and 2-0 to Shakespeare United. The top of the table clash with St Aloysius was lost by 2-1 and this puts the Allys in pole position for the league title. The Saturday seconds have a 100% record from three games and have consolidated second place behind runaway leaders, Litherland Remyca. The Sunday veterans teams have only played one match each but both achieved 2-1 wins.
South’s efforts to gain promotion to the National League System are now dependant on passing the ground inspection, the FA’s decision to allow promotion after this pandemic-affected season and whether the restructuring of the football pyramid will take place. For South, it is a case of keeping the collective fingers crossed!
Football’s back but it’s not a happy return for ‘Croft
To the delight of millions, grassroots football returned on 29th March heralding a new dawn as we slowly start to come out of lockdown.
For players, officials and spectators (although not quite yet), the opportunity to return to the game they love was received with delight. For the past year, the unprecedented circumstances have seen participation come to a complete stop impacting on physical and mental wellbeing. So it was that the announcement that the season was to resume was greeted with relief and euphoria. The hopes and dreams usually associated with the beginning of a new season were all in place at the recommencement. For many, those hopes and dreams were quickly put in perspective after an inauspicious start for Stoneycroft. A competitive opening fixture against Garston should have, if chances had been taken, sealed all three points but in the end, Stoneycroft had to settle for one with the game ending all square at 1-1. This was followed by a disappointing 5-0 thrashing by Empress. With key players missing, ‘Croft were seemingly lacking in every department and were lucky not to have conceded more. On a positive note, it is often said you learn more from a defeat than a win so let’s hope lessons have been learned and they can quickly get back to the standards they were achieving before the disruption. Whatever the results, however, the sheer pleasure of being back on the playing pitch cannot be denied. Welcome back to the agony and ecstasy of the beautiful game. Long may it continue.
