Turn Right at Mottram Roundabout - Week 13
Tue 1st November 2016 | General | By Stewart Taylor
The club we were visiting last week was Abbey Hey and I’m still no nearer knowing if the ground is in Abbey Hey or Gorton but there we are.
The photo shows a view back towards a rare example of a “drive through” turnstile and is very recognisable to regular visitors to the ground.
The quick link referred to several gentlemen who were Members of Parliament and shared the distinction of being Father of the House of Commons which relates to the longest serving MP. The current Father of the House of Commons is Sir Gerald Kaufman who is MP for Manchester Gorton which includes Abbey Hey.
On to this week and we start with a question - does anyone remember the Paleolithic Era? No, thought not, and, even though a fair number around the league reckon I’m getting on a bit, neither do I.
From what can be “discovered”, “guesstimated” or whatever word may be appropriate for descriptions of the time, we are told that this merry isle of ours was far from being merry back in those days.
Did you think that climate change was a modern day invention? Whatever, it isn’t although if we prefix with the term “man made” we may have a different debate. Anyway, back in the Paleolithic. Regularly during these times ice sheets extended across the whole of Europe. In between these episodes of pretty severe cold were times when the climate was a bit more benign as warm ocean currents came in from what became the Americas.
Add to this idea of a fairly cold climate, in general, and the presence of assorted species of animal which could be considered as less than friendly, think sabre-toothed tigers, packs of rampaging wolves and woolly mammoths in this context, and we end up with a pretty tough place to live for the developing species called homo sapiens today. As we know, homo sapiens translates into wise man, a description which could certainly be challenged today as the expression of wisdom could be said to be somewhat lacking in certain circumstances and football is not excluded from that.
So how does this relate to the town we are visiting this week? The link comes from the discovery of an elk skeleton in the town in 1970. This skeleton was dated to approx. 11,000 BC and was found with man made spears made of bone. More recent history takes us to the idea of a town developing from a series of hamlets which were eventually drawn together into the coherent town we see now due to the area becoming fashionable for the wealthy of Manchester.
Unlike many of our towns, there is no record of traditional industry here. If we put that together with a significant population growth which has increased 10 fold in the last 100 years or so we need to consider the nature of a town which has such attributes.
To move on to football, this is another of our towns with a hugely meritorious football history with a professional club which has graced the top flight of English football and, famously, won the FA Cup one year.
Moving on to our club and we find a team formed just after the Second World War playing under a different name from the one they are known as today. The joining together of two other clubs with this one led to the change of name for which they needed, and got, the permission from the neighbouring professional side. The club have been a continuous member of the NWCFL since the formation of the League back in 1982 although they started in the NWCFL under the original name.
But, before we finish, let’s go back to the description of the area in Paleolithic times when the climate was sometimes less than clement and occasional packs of wild animals roamed and ask the question, has anything changed?
Quick link - What links Mike Rutherford, a founder member of the rock band Genesis, with this club?
Turn Right at Mottram Roundabout - Week 13
Tue 1st November 2016 | General
By Stewart Taylor
The club we were visiting last week was Abbey Hey and I’m still no nearer knowing if the ground is in Abbey Hey or Gorton but there we are.
The photo shows a view back towards a rare example of a “drive through” turnstile and is very recognisable to regular visitors to the ground.
The quick link referred to several gentlemen who were Members of Parliament and shared the distinction of being Father of the House of Commons which relates to the longest serving MP. The current Father of the House of Commons is Sir Gerald Kaufman who is MP for Manchester Gorton which includes Abbey Hey.
On to this week and we start with a question - does anyone remember the Paleolithic Era? No, thought not, and, even though a fair number around the league reckon I’m getting on a bit, neither do I.
From what can be “discovered”, “guesstimated” or whatever word may be appropriate for descriptions of the time, we are told that this merry isle of ours was far from being merry back in those days.
Did you think that climate change was a modern day invention? Whatever, it isn’t although if we prefix with the term “man made” we may have a different debate. Anyway, back in the Paleolithic. Regularly during these times ice sheets extended across the whole of Europe. In between these episodes of pretty severe cold were times when the climate was a bit more benign as warm ocean currents came in from what became the Americas.
Add to this idea of a fairly cold climate, in general, and the presence of assorted species of animal which could be considered as less than friendly, think sabre-toothed tigers, packs of rampaging wolves and woolly mammoths in this context, and we end up with a pretty tough place to live for the developing species called homo sapiens today. As we know, homo sapiens translates into wise man, a description which could certainly be challenged today as the expression of wisdom could be said to be somewhat lacking in certain circumstances and football is not excluded from that.
So how does this relate to the town we are visiting this week? The link comes from the discovery of an elk skeleton in the town in 1970. This skeleton was dated to approx. 11,000 BC and was found with man made spears made of bone. More recent history takes us to the idea of a town developing from a series of hamlets which were eventually drawn together into the coherent town we see now due to the area becoming fashionable for the wealthy of Manchester.
Unlike many of our towns, there is no record of traditional industry here. If we put that together with a significant population growth which has increased 10 fold in the last 100 years or so we need to consider the nature of a town which has such attributes.
To move on to football, this is another of our towns with a hugely meritorious football history with a professional club which has graced the top flight of English football and, famously, won the FA Cup one year.
Moving on to our club and we find a team formed just after the Second World War playing under a different name from the one they are known as today. The joining together of two other clubs with this one led to the change of name for which they needed, and got, the permission from the neighbouring professional side. The club have been a continuous member of the NWCFL since the formation of the League back in 1982 although they started in the NWCFL under the original name.
But, before we finish, let’s go back to the description of the area in Paleolithic times when the climate was sometimes less than clement and occasional packs of wild animals roamed and ask the question, has anything changed?
Quick link - What links Mike Rutherford, a founder member of the rock band Genesis, with this club?
