Paddy puts Avro in pole position

Photo: Chris Sunderland

PASS AND MOVE... Shane Goldrick (left), of Old Alts, moves the ball past Avro’s Daniel Grimshaw in their Manchester League Premier Division clash.

Avro 4, Old Alts 2
FOOTBALL: TWO goals from Paddy Garmory helped in-form Avro to victory against Old Alts in the Bridgewater Office Supplies Manchester League Premier Division.

With two matches remaining, Avro’s fate is in their own hands as they bid for a second successive title.

Both of their matches are against Hollinwood, starting with tomorrow’s away clash before the return fixture at the Lancaster Club on Tuesday, May 3.

Avro boss Phil Brown, who will surely see his side to a successful defence of the title, had a word or

two of sympathy for Hollinwood, his former club who have been relegated.

“I feel very sorry for them,” he said. “I am sure they will come straight back up next season.

“They’re an ambitious club and it was a good place to be at. But we need two results to clinch the title and we are all focused on doing just that.

“We got the result against Old Alts, but we didn’t have it all our own way at times.”

And it was the visitors who opened the scoring inside the first five minutes, followed by the first of Garmory’s strikes — a delightful 20-yard chip shot — to pull his side level less than 10 minutes later.

Danny Murray’s header gave Avro the lead on 26 minutes, before Garmory, nephew of former Mossley star Vinny, extended the lead with a clinical finish just before the hour mark.

Old Alts pulled another goal back to narrow the margin with 72 minutes on the clock.

But when substitute James Hampson rounded the goalkeeper and slotted the ball home with nine minutes left, the points belonged to Avro.