Match Report

Alderley Juniors narrowly beat New Mills Juniors in near arctic conditions. The snow flurries did not detract Alderley Juniors from pressing their advantage after going behind 1-0 early on in the match. Andy Metzelaar saved the first shot, but the rebound was tucked away with aplomb by the New Mills forwards. Alderley bombed forward, but could not find the right rhythm after weeks without a competitive match. Matt Dobson levelled with a well-timed header just before the interval and this gave Alderley Juniors the confidence to press on in the second half. Great individual goals were scored by Sam Jafarian and Oliver Jones and the Alderley defence stood firm for the remainder of the match. This was a hard-fought victory which sees Alderley Juniors climb to third place in the table with 3 games in hand!

Alderley Juniors made hard work of beating a solid Chapel Town side. The first half was very even with Chapel Town just shading it on possession. Alderley Juniors lacked a cutting edge, but the introduction of Sam Jafarian in the second half changed all that. Alderley Juniors scored in quick succession through Chris Imiolek and Sam Jafarian and then had four goals disallowed for off-side. The defense was solid as usual and reduced the Chapel Town forwards to very few real scoring chances. Alderley Juniors then closed out the game and picked up another two very valuable league points.

Alderley Juniors made beating Cherry Tree look easy and they were never in danger of losing this match. However, putting the ball in the back of the net was again the problem. To Alderley Junior's credit, they were patient and the goals eventually did come. After a few good chances were missed, a quick breakaway on the right gave Oliver Jones to chance to slot the ball home with precision. Apart from a few corners, Cherry Tree did not threaten and Alderley's defense stood rock solid. The second half was more of the same, with Alderley Juniors carving out some good opportunities to score. A long run on the right from Oliver Jones was followed by an accurate pass to Sam Jafarian, who could not miss from two yards out (2-0). The remainder of the game was mainly a midfield battle with Alderley having the upper hand in most challenges. This win puts Alderley Juniors in serious contention for the Division 3 title and if the remaining 4 games are won, promotion to the 2nd Division will become a reality.

Alderley Juniors were below par in the first half of this game played in heavy mud and rain. Alderley created a few half-chances in the early stages, but could not find a killer punch. Half-time 0-0. Super sub Sam Jafarian came on after the break and it took him only 60 seconds to get on the score-sheet. A great shot from the wing completely deceived and beat the Reddish keeper. The goals then kept coming and Oliver Jones and then John Ashall increased Alderley's lead to 3-0. Reddish heads dropped and in the last ten minutes, Matt Dobson, Alex Cohen and Dan Imiolek made the final score 6-0 to Alderley Juniors. With 3 matches to play, Alderley have excellent prospects on both promotion and the championship. Goal difference may be the key, so let's keep scoring!

5-1 victory over Chapel Town takes Alderley Juniors within touching distance of promotion (9 April 2006)

Alderley Juniors took a giant step towards promotion by beating Chapel Town 5-1 at Chorley Hall Lane. Against the run of play, Chapel Town took an early lead through a mix-up in the Alderley defense. Alderley then pressed for the equaliser, which came 5 minutes before half-time. Alex Jackon's stinging shot could only be parried by the Chapel Town keeper into the path of Dan Imiolek, who slotted in coolly. Alderley then had a goal disallowed on the stroke of half-time, apparently due to a foul on the keeper. The second half was one-way traffic with Alderley bombarding the Chapel Town goal. First John Ashall flicked the ball in from close range, then Max Penney put a pile-driver just under the bar and Alex Jackson and Sam Jafarian finished great individual moves. This win put Alderley joint top of the table with two home matches to play.

Man of the Match was Dan Imiolek for his tireless running.

Alderley Juniors crush Spurley Hey 17- 0 (23 April 2006)

After this one-sided match against bottom of the league Spurley Hey, it is two to play and win for Alderley Juniors to gain promotion and clinch the Division 3 title. Scorers today were Chris Imiolek (8), Max Penney (3), Sam Jafarian (2), Alex Jackson (2), John Ashall and Andy Metzelaar (Pen).

Alderley Juniors waltz past Moor Celtic 8-2 (27 April 2006)

This match against Moor Celtic was a bit of an afterthought by the Stockport Metro League, as this team left the division sometime in February. Regardless of the controversy, this was a match that needed to be won and Alderley started the game with some smart passing moves. Goals remained elusive until Chris Imiolek cleverly chipped the Moor Celtic keeper for the first goal. The second from Oliver Jones followed swiftly after a brilliant individual run. Shortly before half-time, Alex Cohen pounced on a rebound and smartly finished. Half-Time 3-0. Moor Celtic had not managed a shot on goal in the first half, but began the second-half brightly. Changes to the Alderley team temporarily unsettled Alderley Juniors and Moor Celtic pulled a goal back 10 minutes after the break. This spurred Alderley Juniors on and in the next 15 minutes the score was increased to 8-1 after good finishes from Sam Jafarian (2), Matthew Dobson (great header), Alex Jackson and Oliver Jones (after running the whole length of the pitch!) Moor Celtic scored just before full-time with a swerving shot that deceived goalie Andy Metzelaar. Final score: 8-2.

Man of the match was Sam Butterworth for his great cover and running at the back.

Alderley Juniors clinch Championship of Division 3 by beating Reddish Vulcans 7-2 30 April 2006)

This was a must-win game for Alderley Juniors to clinch the Championship of Division 3. Anything less than a win and Cherry Tree Celtic would walk away with the trophy. Alderley started brightly and passed the ball well. After 10 minutes a great flick by Sam Jafarian set up Chris Imiolek for the first goal. The second goal was something special. A good combination up-front brought the ball to Alex Cohen who accurately passed to Chris Imiolek to score his second. A few minutes later, Alex Jackson was alert to slot in the third. A long ball over the Alderley defense produced a great strike from a Reddish forward, giving Andy Metzelaar in goal no chance. Minutes later, a collision between Andy Metzelaar and a Reddish forward in the Alderley box saw the ball bounce away from goal until Max Penney tried a clearance which ended up in the Alderley goal. Half Time 3-2 to Alderley Juniors. The second half was plain sailing for Alderley Juniors with Alex Jackson scoring two more goals and John Ashall (after a superb run and finish) and Sam Jafarian adding to the score-line. Alderley Juniors then consolidated their advantage and the game finished 7-2 to Alderley Juniors.

Cherry Tree Celtic beat New Mills 6-1 which means that Cherry Tree and Alderley Juniors are joint champions with Alderley Juniors just shading it on goal difference.