'Around the Grounds' returns this week after a week off and it's Abbey Hey in the spotlight this time! Based in Gorton, an area of east Manchester, Abbey Hey have played at The Abbey Stadium since 1984, back when they were still in the Manchester League. A number of successful years followed before eventual promotion into the NWCFL in 1998. The club have spent time in both Premier and First Divisions in the intervening years and recently won promotion from the First Division South via the play-offs last season, ending a five-year spell at Step 6.
The stadium is situated on a sizable plot of land just off Goredale Avenue. There is a slight curiosity here as the turnstile paybox is at the entrance to the car park. I arrived early so there was no trouble finding a parking spot, although there is ample space even if I arrived later. Over at the far touchline is a decent sized covered stand, with seated areas on the ends and a standing area straddling the halfway line. Opposite this stand is the main 'pavilion', with the food hut and the dressing rooms downstairs and the clubhouse upstairs. The clubhouse is a good sized facility and interestingly there was an 'Abbey Hey FC Pilsner' on tap on the bar! I didn't sample this one myself but I was reliably informed by a friend that it was quite nice!
I visited for the fixture against Colne on Saturday 7th September. The two clubs have had contrasting starts to the season, with Abbey Hey sitting in mid-table while the visitors languish at the wrong end of the table. The Red Rebels wasted no time in setting the tone for the game ahead as they put themselves two goals to the good inside the first 15 minutes. A fantastic strike from Abbey's number 10 Rhys Clooney was met by the fingertips of Colne keeper Alfie Smith but he could only tip the ball onto the underside of the bar and into the back of the net. Just four minutes later and Saul Henderson caught the Colne defence sleeping - he won possession on the edge of the box and made no mistake with just the goalie to beat. Colne really struggled to gain any sort of hold on the game and before half time it was 4-0; Rhys Clooney got his second of the game as he got the better of the offside trap and left Alfie Smith with no chance. Jordan Barnett sent a teasing ball into the box on 41 minutes and Moses Yoak got the slightest of touches before the ball crept just inside the far post.
The visitors improved in the second half and kept the score the same until 75 minutes when Jake Forshaw sent a cross back towards the six-yard box for Joshua Dickin to rifle the ball home to give Abbey their fifth of the afternoon. They weren't done yet however as Clooney turned provider this time with a brilliant through ball to Forshaw to coolly slot the ball into the bottom right corner just as seven minutes of added time was announced over the PA. Jamal Crawford came within a lick of paint of scoring a seventh goal late on but the ball was adjudged to have not crossed the goal line by the officials after it clattered the underside of the bar.
