THE 1874 COLUMN – A different perspective, by Matt Waters

THERE has been plenty going on this past seven days - another busy week in the life of 1874.

First of all, 1874 Northwich FC Community team were pleased to present the final instalment of monies raised for Joshua Tree following their entry in Leeds International Triathlon this summer.

Some supporters of the club had entered the Triathlon to raise funds as part of their support of the Northwich-based charity that provides support for families affected by childhood cancer.

And after a successful event they were delighted to be able to pass over a total of £920.

Club Vice Chairman and Community Development Officer Steve Richardson said: “Entering the Triathlon was a real challenge that involved a significant amount of preparation.

“We are delighted that our supporters backed us fully and we are delighted to be able to support such a worthy cause.”

After this, the club was getting ready to face its biggest test of the season against the Bet Victor league leaders Whitby Town in the FA Cup second Qualifying Round.

After beating two higher ranked teams earlier in the competition, confidence was high in the club that we could secure yet another cup upset.

With us being one of three North West Counties sides left in the competition, we knew it would have to be a superb performance for us to compete with a side playing so well in their league.

On the Thursday before the game I caught up with Co-Manager Wayne Goodison to discuss our chances ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup Clash.

When I spoke to him, he described the game as a “Free Hit,” and that “we can play with no fear because in games like this, 9/10 we don’t go through and if we play our best, we can compete with anyone.”

Looking back on the game this couldn’t be truer.

On the morning of the game, it was revealed that experienced and versatile footballer Mark Jones was unavailable making our defensive numbers even shorter, so one of our Under 21s Bobby Turner was given the nod to make his debut in a game of such magnitude.

Despite making a slight error for the Whitby goal, one of the most pleasing things for us as supporters, was to see a young player step up into a game like this and deliver an outstanding defensive performance.

He showed great character against an experienced Whitby attack.

Despite not being able to take one of the many chances we had, it showed just like Wayne said, if we play to our best, we can compete with anyone.

To force a team flying high in their league to defend right until the final whistle shows exactly what 1874 is all about.

That is fight, determination and grit to fight until the very end putting in an excellent performance where, it felt in some ways, that the best team lost.