TT No.124: Mike Latham - Monday 22 January 2007: Conference North.  Hyde United 5-0 Lancaster City.              Attendance: 301; Admission: £9; 48pp programme: £1.50; FGIF Match Rating: 3*

There are few better appointed non league grounds on the circuit than Ewen Fields, home of Hyde United and, as a confirmed ‘Monday’ club they are even more popular with travellers, though since their promotion into Conference North there seem sadly far fewer midweek home fixtures than in their days in the Unibond League.   Located close to Hyde town centre, next to the leisure centre and within easy walking distance of the excellent GBG rated Sportsman public house on Mottram Road (next door to Morrison’s supermarket), where the Bantam bitter from Rochdale brewers Phoenix is particularly recommended, there are a lot of factors weighing heavily towards a visit to the ground.  Even on a bitterly cold evening with snow on the ground.   Hyde United give the impression of being a well-run club with a vibrant and loyal supporter base.  Their website is excellent, the programme full of reading matter and they look after the small things, like having a pre-recorded message on the club number assuring callers that, despite the unpromising weather conditions, the game is definitely on.  It is simple, but effective.   Hyde’s manager, Steve Waywell, worked wonders on a small budget at Leigh RMI, once leading them into a famous FA Cup tie with Kevin Keegan’s Fulham that went to a replay.  Small wonder then, that Waywell’s team, with Tony Ellis as his assistant, play neat, attractive attacking football and score goals by the bucket-load.  Ellis, who started out a long time ago at Horwich RMI, where his skills were extraordinary at non-league level, went on to forge a successful league career with the likes of Preston and Oldham.   Having scored 18 goals in their last five games Hyde were on top form and they romped to a predictably comfortable win against struggling Lancaster.  Prolific strikers Dave Johnson and Gareth Seddon each added one to their tally in a game dominated almost totally by the home side as they moved up to third in Conference North.   Beset by financial problems and currently in administration, Lancaster have used well over 60 players this season.  But to their huge credit they are fulfilling their fixtures and doing the best they can in the circumstances as new manager Barrie Stimpson gives a chance to many players from lower leagues at this high level of the non-league pyramid.  Lancaster certainly competed spiritedly and their outstanding goalkeeper, Mark Brindle, kept the score down even though he was lucky to avoid a red card for bringing down a Hyde forward midway through the first half.   The Ewen Fields, which also hosts Manchester United Reserves, is a superbly maintained ground with cover on all four sides.  The smart main stand straddles the half-way line and has an old covered standing terrace to its right.  Many of Hyde’s stalwart fans are to be found on the far side, on the terrace behind the dug-outs while the views from behind both goals are also excellent.   With two snack bars (the minestrone soup comes highly recommended), a club house and souvenir shop there are no shortage of facilities and the playing pitch, despite its heavy use, is flat and well grassed.  Hyde briefly flirted with one of the first plastic pitches in the 1980s but thankfully reverted back to grass.   Competition for patronage in this part of the world is fierce with fellow Conference North clubs Droylsden and Stalybridge Celtic in close proximity and Curzon Ashton, Ashton United and Woodley Sports also near-by as well as the obvious Football League clubs.  But a visit to Hyde, even on a freezing cold evening is always an uplifting experience where the heartbeat of grass-roots football is strong and this evening was no exception.

contributed on 23/01/07