Moston Brook FC (History). the ‘Old Boys’ Are Born
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Moston Brook FC (History). The ‘Old Boys’ are born. The idea of an ‘Old Boys’ Soccer Club was first brought about in 1969 by a group of teachers at ‘Moston Brook High School’ on Northampton Road. They applied for membership of the ‘Lancashire and Cheshire Amateur Football League and had to play a number of friendlies against League opposition before being formally accepted for the season of 1970/71. They had a small Management Committee of Alan Manship (Chairman), John Wallis (Secretary), Tony Scott (Assistant Secretary), and Glynn Levis (Treasurer). Moston Brook High School Old Boys were born. Senior Section: The Club ran 2 teams in its first season in the League, a mixture of Teachers and Ex Pupils, all of whom purchased their own kit of White shirts and Black shorts. The next season saw them start with what is today our Club colours of Green and Black, when the Club purchased their first sets of Green and Black Striped shirts and introduced a 3rd XI. The first success came in 1975-76 when the 1st XI were Runners up in Division 3, which was followed in 1976-77 with our 3rd XI being Runners Up in Division E, scoring 92 goals in 20 games. The first Cup Final came in 1979-80 when the 1st XI were Runners Up in the ‘Whitehead Cup’. There was a distinct lack of silverware in the Eighties. The 1990-91 was to become the saddest in our Clubs history with the deaths of 2 stalwarts. On 16th November 1990 John Wallis while attending a Lancashire and Cheshire League meeting suffered a brain haemorrhage from which he never recovered. John was one of the original Members and served as Chairman, Secretary, and 1st XI Team Manager. He made 183 appearances for the 1st team. He was the very soul of the Club. Then on the 31st May 1991 after a short illness we lost Dave Webb our 1st XI Captain. Dave had been with us since 1974 making 237 appearances for the 1st team and winning Player of the Year on 4 occasions. Both John and Dave are sadly missed both on and off the field of play. In the 1992-93 season the club re-launched the 4TH XI for the first time since 1978 and in 1995-96 season they were Runners Up in Division F. Silverware at last came in 1996-97 for the Seniors when the 4th XI did the League & Cup Double, supported by the 1st XI who were Runners Up in Division 3 under Steve Ritchie’s Management. In 1997-98 we ran a 5th XI for the first time, and in 1998-99 the 3rd XI were Runners Up in the Whitehead Cup. In the 1999-2000 season the 2nd XI score 8 against Romiley only to lose 8-9. Mike Cahill scored 6 for Moston. In 2000-01 we revert-back to 4 teams and the 2nd XI finish Runners Up in Division B, losing only 2 games all season, and are promoted to Division A for the first time in the Clubs history. In 2001-02 we finally move following the closure of Moston Brook High School. For the next few years we play our home matches at Mellands Playing Fields in Gorton. Our only success this season was the 4th XI winning the Hellawell Shield. We would then go until 2007-08, now playing on Smedley Playing Fields in Crumpsall before attaining anymore silverware. But what a season with both the 1st & 2nd XI’s winning their Leagues and acquiring the prestigious S.E.Woollam League Aggregate Trophy in the process. It meant the 1st XI would be in the Premier League for the first time and the 2nd’s would be promoted into Division A. This would be the start of regular honours for the Seniors over the next six seasons. In 2008-09 following promotion into the top 2 divisions of the Lancashire and Cheshire AFL both the 1st & 2nd XI’s moved to a 3G surface at Nichols Ardwick, with the 3rd & 4th XI’s remaining at Smedley. The 1st XI finished a creditable 5th in their first season in the Premier Division. The 4th XI were Runners Up in both their League (Division F) & Cup (Hellawell Shield). 2009-10 saw the 1st XI relegated on the last day of the season following a creditable 3-3 draw against the League Winners Whalley Range. However, the 4th XI went one better than the previous season by actually-winning Division F. In 2010-11 we moved back nearer home to our current venue of the ‘Manchester Creative & Media Academy’. In 2011-12 the 3rd XI were League Champions in Division D and Whitehead Cup Winners under the Management of Dave Birch and Mike Melia. The 4th XI were League Champions in Division F. The 1st XI returned to the Premier League following a successful 2012-13 season by being League Champions of Division 1 with Joe Ryan at the helm. The 3rd XI ended up Division C Runners Up and Whitehead Cup Winners which meant the Club had retained the Cup for a second season. 2013-14 and the 2nd XI were Runners Up in Division A. This was the second season of success for this team having been the 3rd XI the previous season under the stewardship of Charlie Mac and Mike Heffernan. Since then the Senior Section of the Club has had a baron time in-regard to trophy winning, but it still operates 4 teams. This season has seen the introduction of a Vets team as our 3rd team in Division B bringing back a number of playing member’s who were part of the most successful period in the Clubs history. Junior Section: In 1989-90 Charlie MacMillan with the backing of John Wallis (Club Chairman) and Sammy Parrin (Manchester Youth League Committee Member) started our Junior Section. The intention was to start with an Under 10’s (Eleven-a-side) team, but before the start of the season Charlie was approached by a group of boys who weren’t getting regular football at their Club, so he started an Under 14’s as well. He got 2 Dads Steve Harrison (who later served on the Club Management Committee) and Billy Buckley (Ex Player) to run the Under 10’s and he talked Graham Brown (Snr) (Ex Player and future Chairman) into helping him with the older boys. From then on it was just a matter of getting Senior Player Dads involved with sons, or Parents to help grow the Club which is what happened. Our first Cup Final came in our second season (1990-91) with Dave Grayson’s Under 10’s playing at Ashton United’s Ground, but they unfortunately lost 1-3. In 1992-93 and 1993-94 our original Under 10’s (who were now U13 & U14) reached both their Manchester Youth League Cup Finals unfortunately being losing finalists on both occasions. First to Fletcher Moss 0-4 who had Wes Brown and Richie Wellens in their team and secondly against Glossop Juniors after extra time 1-2. In 1994-95 Moston’s Under 13’s playing in the Rochdale Youth League won both the League and the Cup Managed by Charlie MacMillan and Glen Barnes-Gott. They repeated the feat in 1995-96 as Under 14’s and the Under 16’s the original first team finished their Youth football by being League Runners Up and Cup Winners in the Rochdale Youth League. Then in 1996-97 Steve Hamlet (Snr) did the double in the Manchester Youth League at Under 12’s. In 1997-98 the Under 16’s now in the Bury and Radcliffe JFL won their League Cup before most of the boys progressed into the Seniors the following season. Around the turn of the Century Mini-Soccer starting at Under 7 was growing and Moston took full advantage playing teams in the Manchester Youth and Mini-Soccer League at Ten Acres Lane. There was now a bit of a gap until the 2002-03 season before our next awards came with our Under 15’s being Manchester County Cup Runners Up and Bury and Radcliffe League Runners Up and Cup winners. The 2003-04 season saw the first trophy arrive for our most successful Junior team to date under the Team Management of Michelle Woodall and Paul Hughes. At Under 10 they won the Manchester Youth and Mini-Soccer League. Then at Under 11 they did the same (2004-05). In 2005-06 at Under 12 they moved to the Reddish and District JFL where they won the League, were Runners Up in the Cup but also were prestigious winners of the Lancashire County FA Cup. Also, in that year, our Under 8’s won the Manchester Youth and Mini-Soccer World Cup. It continued in 2006-07 at Under 13 they won the Lancashire County Cup, the Reddish and District JFL Under 13 League and were Runners Up in their Cup. Our Under 9’s won the Manchester Youth and Mini-Soccer League and Mini-Soccer World Cup. The 2007-08 season was the most successful in the Clubs history with 10 Junior and 3 Senior awards. Starting at Under 10 they won the Manchester Youth and Mini-Soccer League, Intermediary Cup, and Mini-Soccer World Cup. The Under 11’s were League Cup Runners Up in the Tameside JFL. The Under 12’s were League and Subsidiary Cup winners in the North Bury JFL. Our Under 13’s were Runners Up in the Tameside JFL League Cup and finally our Under 14’s were League and Divisional Cup winners in the Reddish and District JFL also enjoying winning the ‘Catalonian Trophy’ whilst on tour in Spain at Loret de Mar.