Fearless Flixton fancy their chances

Flixton will have no fear when they come to Gigg Lane on Wednesday night having taken four points off FC United last year with a 2-1 victory in the corresponding fixture and a 1-1 draw at the Valley on Boxing Day. John Freeman provides this preview"¦

The 2005-06 season was one of the most successful in the recent history of Flixton Football Club. Not only did they win promotion to the NWCFL Division One by finishing second to FC United, but they also won the Division Two Trophy, beating Winsford United 2-1 in the final at Gigg Lane. On top of that they reached the semi-finals of the League Challenge Cup losing to a strong Cammell Laird team.

Flixton’s success was built on a stunning late-season charge, which saw them lose only once after Christmas; a run of 12 victories out of their last 13 matches in the league.

Their great run included a memorable 2-1 victory over FC United at Gigg Lane in March. Chairman Phil Greenhalgh remembers the match fondly: "It was probably the highlight of the season for us. For a club of our limited resources to go to Gigg Lane and win was special. It really made us believe that we could win promotion."??

One of the key players during Flixton’s promotion charge was Alex Mortimer whose performances caught the eye of Karl Marginson @ and the marauding left-back joined FC United during the summer.

There are other connections with Flixton; Margy himself was the assistant manager to Paul Wright before joining FC United whilst midfielders Matt Haley and Ryan Gilligan, once of United, went the opposite way in 2005. During the summer, Joz Mitten, forever immortalised in the ‘Boots Aloft’ photograph also made the move to Valley Road.

Finally, Flixton’s Valley Road ground will always be remembered as the scene for a particularly significant moment in FC United’s history. On the 2nd August 2005 in a pre-season friendly Steve Torpey scored a 25-yard left-foot screamer @ our first ever goal.

With FC United performing well with five straight victories out of five and a crop of new signings, the Reds will be hoping to finally get one over their Manchester rivals in a competitive match for the first time.

To find out why Flixton were once called the ‘Manchester United of the North West Counties Football League’ and why they have had to bounce back from a number of problems in recent years, get the matchday programme on Wednesday priced £2.

FC United V Flixton is this Wednesday 30th August kick off 7.45pm at Gigg Lane. Tickets are available on the gate priced £7 adults, £5 concessions and £2 for under-18s.