Saturday 11th November 2023, Kick-off 18.00
North West Counties League Premier Division
King George V Bowl, Douglas
Admission: £10.00
Programme: £2.00
Attendance: 761
Following my afternoon game in the northern town of Ramsey, and with that game running on longer than anticipated, I had to rather swiftly make my way to Ramsey bus station to catch the 4.10 bus service back down to Douglas, taking about 45 minutes, for the main event of my stay. After booking my plane tickets in mid September, I did have something a scare when the original opponents for this evening's game, Ramsbottom United, won an FA Vase tie, meaning that their next tie in that competition would take place this evening instead. But to my immense relief, FC Isle of Man's game against Pilkington, originally scheduled for early January, was brought forward to this evening.
From the centre of Douglas, the King George V bowl is about a 20 minute walk to the western outskirts of the city. The football stadium is part of quite a large sporting complex, with the National Sports Centre adjacent offering plenty of other sporting facilites to the island's inhabitants. Entry to The Bowl is gained behind one end, through a gate with pre-purchased tickets scanned in front of a ticket office window. Programmes are available on entry, or from a table further inside, from where various merchandise can also be purchased. Whilst not particularly pulse-racing to look at, the ground nevertheless is quite unique and very smart, offering continuous seating all the way around the pitch, with a little more than one length covered by interesting looking white roofing. It is possible to stand behind the seats, and refreshments can be obtained from a van or a tent close to the entrance.
Formed in 2019 to give the island's footballers a chance to test themselves in the English pyramid, FC Isle of Man did not actually play their first competitive game until the 2021-22 season due to Covid restrictions. But they started well, promoted as runners up from the North West Counties League Division One South at the first attempt, and settled into a reasonable 13th place in the Premier Division last season. And they have made a good start to this season, coming into this game in tenth place, following nine wins and two draws from their opening 19 league games, with 13 of those being away from home. With five consecutive home games to come from late November up to Christmas, there is a real opportunity for FC Isle of Man to climb towards the summit of the table. Pilkington were promoted as champions last season, and have had a very similar start to the season as FC Isle of Man, one place and one point behind them in the table, following seven wins and seven draws from their 19 league games. The two clubs have already met in the league this season, with Pilkington winning 3-1 in early September.
A match report can be read by clicking here, also copied and pasted below
MATCH REPORT: FC Isle of Man 1 – 0 Pilkington FC
Under the lights and in cold conditions, at the Bowl, FC Isle of Man asserted their dominance, clinching a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Pilkington in front of an excited home crowd in the North West Counties Premier Division.
Pilkington kicked off proceedings, but FC Isle of Man’s relentless forward press quickly set the tone. The first opportunity came as early as the 4th minute when Jacob Crook drove towards goal, but the Pilks defence stood firm. Ravens goalkeeper Ben Wilkinson, then showcased his shot-stopping abilities with a spectacular save on the 13th minute to keep the game level. Crook and Dean Pinnington continued to be thorns in the side of the of The Pilks, but were unable to to provide that final ball through their defensive line.
The game defining moment arrived in the 26th minute when Pinnington orchestrated a moment of brilliance, delivering a pinpoint free kick to Captain Frank Jones. The skipper’s powerful header at the back post propelled FC Isle of Man to a 1-0 lead and was met by rapturous celebrations from the ravens fans. Pilkington then looked to respond quickly but Taylor Prescott’s audacious volley sailed narrowly over the bar and the half then fizzled out as both teams began to cancel each other out.
As the second half began, the Ravens continued with their dogged determination. The returning Dan Simpson provided pace down the wings, but his crosses failed to trouble Jake Hilton in The Pilks goal, who dealt with them comfortably. Ste Whitley then cut in from the right and sent a chance from range, over the bar.
Tactical substitutions injected fresh energy to a squad who had played only 48 hours earlier, with Simpson making way for Michael Williams in the 62nd minute and Danny Gerrard & Eoighan Sherrard for Kyle Watson and Frank Jones in the 68th minute. During this flurry of changes, Pilkington also came close to equalising as Prescott hit the post. Alex Maitlaind and Callum Sherry had been two staunch defensive pillars at the back all night for The Ravens.
In the latter stages of the game, further changes saw Charlie Higgins replacing Ste Whitley, and Furo Davies stepping in for Sean Doyle. The Ravens held firm in the face of Pilkington’s offensive waves, as Gerrard’s outstanding tackle late on once again denied The Pilks of a way through on goal. As six minutes of added time were announced, FC Isle of Man maintained their composure, and cleverly kept hold of the ball in the corner with Davies. This ultimately secured all three points with a 1-0 win.
A couple of further observations from me. It was pleasing to see the really good support from the locals in this game, not just in terms of impressive numbers, but the loud and enthusiastic support that they gave from the stands. It was a very cold evening, although perhaps I was caught out and was slightly underdressed for the occasion. A half time cup of tea was most welcome, although it was quite breathtaking how long it took to put a tea bag into a cup and add water to it, causing long queues and ensuring I would miss the first couple of minutes of the restart. It was not a great evening for the caterers it has to be said, who had sold out of hot food by half time. Nevertheless, the tea certainly did the job in warming me up for the second half, and at the conclusion of this game, I made my way to check in at my hotel for the evening, a 45 minute walk, and at about 9pm, it was certainly a relief to hit the sack! What should have been a great night's sleep was disturbed at about 2am thanks to inconsiderate loud people in the corridor - at breakfast the next morning, it seemed that the most likely culprits were from Pilkington FC.
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