Today I'm going back seven years to 2016 and my first (and so far only) ever visit to Broadhurst Park, home of FC United of Manchester (FCUM), the breakaway club for the disenchanted supporters who refused to put any more of their money into the pockets of the owners of Manchester United. Also visitors to Broadhurst Park that day were Stalybridge Celtic in the National League North (the sixth tier of the English Football pyramid) and the game was attended by a very healthy crowd for that level of 3,451. The attendance included both myself and my visitor from Iceland who confesses to an affection for United and so was interested to see what the FCUM upstarts were all about. Incidentally, if you want to know more about FCUM, unless you enjoy wading through porn websites, it's probably not a good idea to type FCUM into your search engine of choice!
Broadhurst Park is a magnificent 4,400 capacity stadium located in the Moston area of Manchester and had only opened the previous May, It was built at a cost of £6.3 Million, the funding having been raised via a combination of grants and a community share scheme. The stadium is a lovely facility for the level.
Since their formation in 2005, FCUM had enjoyed almost continual success and had risen up the pyramid from their starting point in the North West Counties League Division 2 (the 10th tier at the time) via four promotions into the National League North. FCUM fans were therefore rather spoiled by success and a visit by FCUM was the cause of a major payday for most of their opponents along the way. All this success meant that, once FCUM found their level (essentially based on revenue), their supporters would have a rude awakening as the routine of winning almost every Saturday came to an end. In season 2015/16 FCUM flirted with relegation and tensions within the club increased as the club began to consider what it could do to attract better players without destroying the non-commercial ethos which was a key part of the breakaway from Manchester United. Between September and November 2015, FCUM had lost seven consecutive games which was their worst ever losing streak but the club eventually recovered to finish 13th (out of 22) and in 2018/19 they were relegated back into the Northern Premier League where they remain to this day.
The game started in bright sunshine but a bright day was replaced by light flurries of snow before the end. Snow in April! The only goal of the game came early in the second half and went to Stalybridge's Danny Wisdom. FCUM could feel aggrieved to finish up on the losing side given the number of good chances that they managed to squander. Stalybridge, thanks to the three points from their win in Moston finished one place higher than FCUM on goal difference in 12th place. Promoted that season were champions Solihull Moors and they were accompanied by Play-Off winners North Ferriby United. Relegated from National League North were the three Towns of Lowestoft, Hednesford and Corby.
CRB Match No. 2092
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