Stocksbridge Park Steels 2-3 Irlam
It was like it was written in the stars. In an FA Cup Preliminary Round tie, debutant 17-year-old Brandon Whitfield had come off the bench to rescue threadbare Stocksbridge Park Steels who had trailed by two goals to North West Counties outfit Irlam.
Bursting onto the Non League scene, it was a ‘remember the name’ moment. Whitfield, defying his age, had bulldozed his way to the sensational equaliser, sparking his massive entourage of over 15 family members to jump for joy. Some were holding back the tears.
Unfortunately Whitfield was not the overall hero, but he was a massive shining beacon. Within 60 seconds later, Irlam went up the other end and got their winner to cause an upset and continue Chris Hilton’s FA Cup hoodoo. The Steels have not won an FA Cup tie during Hilton’s long tenure.
Stocksbridge had known for some time that this tie was an accident waiting to happen, with half their normal side missing. Irlam are no mugs and they deserved their victory, but a disastrous start of epic proportion from Stocksbridge played a major part.
The Manchester-based side got to the FA Vase fifth round last season, losing to eventual winners Chertsey Town and without Michael Trench, Ross Goodwin, Kurtis Turner, Josh Nodder it was always set to be a tough afternoon for Hilton’s youthful patched up team.
All experienced lads and core players, all unavailable. That’s not even taking into account the injury absences of Kane Swinburn and local hero Danny Frost.
No-one is likely to dwell on it and you could argue that the defeat was actually a victory in some respect. Stocksbridge, a community club which prides itself on developing and playing young players and a club desperate for a new name to add to the roll of honour which includes Lee Mills, Simon Marples, Harrison Biggins and Jamie Vardy. The very fact that a host of young players were given a real opportunity to play – in some cases their first – competitive semi-professional football ranks as a major positive.
Based on his introduction after coming on as a first half substitute for the injured Dec Slater, Whitfield certainly has the desire to succeed. He is in the right hands too. Hilton oversaw Biggins rise from the NPL to the Football League. He’s also turned Luke Mangham into a Non League world beater.
Whitfield was the first Steels player to get stuck in. Two minutes into his competitive, Whitfield launched himself into a fair blood and guts tackle on Jordan Southworth. The Steels were two down and that showed Irlam that the tie was far from over. They were back climbing the proverbial mountain.
Adding to the absentees, talismanic captain Liam McFadyen was only 60% fit so defensively Stocksbridge were not fully at the races. Southworth hit the opener with a strike from outside the penalty area. Marcus Perry then scuttled away down the left and caught Stocksbridge napping to add the second in the sixth minute.
The Steels came alive after the break and Irlam buckled under the pressure. Like a stereotypical Hilton outfit, the tempo was extremely high and with the Steels boss and the cheerleader Frost giving great encouragement, the crowd got behind the home side and you could sense a comeback.
Lewis Whitham was the catalyst for it. He cut in on the left and sent a magnificent curling effort into the far top corner. Game-on to say the least.
Irlam hardly got out of their half and the equaliser was inevitable. From sustained pressure and Whitfield forced his way into the box and sent a very cool finish into the net.
With 25 minutes to go, Stocksbridge had floored their visitors and had the momentum to go and get the winner. But it was not to be.
The Steels went to sleep and Jordan Buckley was left unmarked to score a header past on-loan Manchester United goalkeeper Jacob Carney.
Bracken Moor fell silent, you could hear a pin drop.
The Teams
Stocksbridge Park Steels: Carney, Foulkes (Wain HT), Greaves, Ludlam (Shaw 82), McFadyen (captain), Fielding, Slater (Whitfield 24), Lemon, Mangham, Ruthven, Whitham. Subs unused: Walker, Hall.
Irlam: White, Dulson, Meredith, Doyle (captain), Ledson, Cassell, Perry (Farrelly 62), Eyres (Pollitt 71), Buckley, Nicholas (Morrison 87), Southworth.
Who Was In Charge
Neil Allsop (5.5/10)
How Many Were There
150
Man of the Match
Brandon Whitfield (Stocksbridge)