Trafford FC

Trafford 4 Skelmersdale United 2 - North West Counties League, Division One

The Metropolitan Borough of Trafford has a population of 211,800, covers 41 square miles and includes the towns of Altrincham, Partington, Sale, Stretford, and Urmston. The borough was formed on 1 April 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 as a merger of the boroughs of Altrincham, Sale, and Stretford, the urban districts of Bowdon, Hale, and Urmston and part of Bucklow Rural District. All were previously in Cheshire, apart from Stretford and Urmston which were in Lancashire. The Trafford area has a long heritage, with evidence of Neolithic, Bronze Age, and Roman activity. Amongst the relics of the past are two castles – one of them a Scheduled Ancient Monument – and over 200 listed buildings. The area underwent change in the late 19th century and the population rapidly expanded with the arrival of the railway.


Trafford F.C. are a football club based in Flixton, Greater Manchester, founded in 1990 as North Trafford FC. Their home ground is Shawe View. The Pieman was in Manchester for work and was delighted to be able to visit Shawe View to take in the match. An easy short train journey from Oxford Road took me to Chassen Road, the nearest station, only 5 minutes walk from the ground. A decent encounter between two sides on opposite sides of the Mersey/Manc divide proved good entertainment with the home side displaying just enough to claim the points.

Crawley Town FC

Crawley Town 1 Tottenham Hotspur 3 - Friendly

Crawley is a town and local government district with Borough status in West Sussex. It is 28 miles south of London. The area has been inhabited since the Stone Age, and was a centre of iron making in Roman times. Crawley developed slowly as a market town from the 13th century, serving the surrounding villages in the Weald; its location on the main road from London to Brighton brought a passing trade, encouraging the development of coaching inns. It was connected to the railway network in the 1840s. Gatwick Airport, now one of Britain's busiest international airports, opened on the edge of the town in the 1940s, encouraging commercial and industrial growth.

Queen's Square

After the Second World War, the British Government planned to move large numbers of people and jobs out of London and into new towns around the South East England. The New Towns Act 1946 designated Crawley as the site of one of these. A master plan was developed for the establishment of new residential, commercial, industrial and civic areas, and rapid development greatly increased the size and population of the town in a few decades.


Broadfield Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Crawley, England. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of Crawley Town F.C.. The stadium has a capacity of 4,996 people, and is owned by Crawley Borough Council.


The Pieman walked from Crawley station to the ground and although his leisurely stroll took a detour via a wonderful Hall and Woodhouse pub, 20 minutes is all that was required. A fine stadium is the Pieman's verdict on Broadfield. The young Spurs side took time to settle into the match, but once the did some fine passing led to goals from Slabber, McKie and Marney.



The Pieman's earlier visit to Town Mead