Despite being held to a draw away from home, New Manchester United quickly made their opponents understand, the moment they returned home, that the title of "Devil's Home Ground" in the North West Counties League Division Two was not just for show.
With passionate fans, a fierce home atmosphere, and a resilient home side, New Manchester United beat Ashton 3-0 in a clash between the top two teams in the North West Counties League Division Two, without leaving any doubt about the result.
Although the semi-professional team from Ashton-under-Lyne in East Manchester brought more than 500 fans with them, they could barely make a sound amid the roar of over 3,000 home supporters at Butcher's Arms. Or rather, the moment they tried to make any noise, they were completely drowned out.
New Manchester United's home ground had yet to be breached this season. Their proud unbeaten home record, together with the passion of their supporters, always placed immense psychological pressure on visiting teams. That was why New Manchester United's Butcher's Arms had earned the nickname "Devil's Stadium."
After almost every match, David Pace would smile wryly and complain to Ethan, saying that many people nowadays no longer knew the truth and mistakenly believed Butcher's Arms was New Manchester United's home ground, completely forgetting about his Droylsden team.
Of course, it was only a joke between friends, but Ethan had to take it seriously.
On one hand, there had been no breakthrough in the purchase of the stadium. On the other hand, the capacity of Butcher's Arms could no longer meet the attendance demands of New Manchester United's fans. Their average attendance of 3,200 per match kept Butcher's Arms packed every time, and it had even drawn the attention of The FA.
An average attendance of 3,200 was something many teams in the National League, or even the Second Division, could not achieve, yet New Manchester United had done it in their very first season of existence.
Now, a Manchester television station broadcast a half-hour football program every week dedicated to discussing New Manchester United. In one episode, the reporters wanted to know whether there were really that many people attending amateur league matches, so they went to Butcher's Arms and waited outside.
After interviewing several fans and receiving clear answers, they met an elderly man in his seventies. The man, named John, claimed to be a lifelong Manchester United fan, but now he only watched New Manchester United matches because he simply could not afford the expensive tickets at Old Trafford.
As if worried that others would not believe him, the old man even took the reporters to his home to see the collection of Old Trafford tickets he had kept over the years. It turned out that he had not missed a single year.
"Although the government has blocked Murdoch's takeover of Manchester United, I have already transferred my feelings for Manchester United to New Manchester United. So no matter what happens in the future, I believe I will only support New Manchester United until the day I die!"
That episode of the television program was extremely well made and moved countless fans. Ethan specifically asked someone to obtain the tape from the television station, made a copy, and decided to seal away the original as a keepsake.
Aside from Manchester television stations, journalists from outside England could also be seen from time to time outside Butcher's Arms and the Newton Heath training ground, all curious and eager to learn about New Manchester United.
Precisely because of the media coverage, combined with New Manchester United's outstanding performances in the North West Counties League Division Two, the number of fans had been steadily increasing. By now, the club had nearly 10,000 officially registered members, a large portion of whom came from the areas around Manchester.
It was exactly because of this fan base that Ethan dared to say they would move to a bigger stadium.
"Bury's home ground, Gigg Lane, can hold 12,000 people. Their club is in financial trouble and is interested in renting out their stadium, but the rent is not cheap. They are asking for £100,000 per season," Walsh said with a bitter smile.
"Bury? That's still quite far from Manchester," Bruce said with a frown.
New Manchester United's fan base was mainly in Manchester. If the team moved its home ground to Bury, it would certainly affect New Manchester United's attendance.
"Apart from Maine Road and Old Trafford, there are no stadiums near Manchester with a large enough capacity. The only stadium that meets our capacity requirements and is willing to rent is Bury's Gigg Lane," Walsh explained.
Ethan also felt a headache coming on. In the long run, the team definitely needed to own its own stadium. He was determined to buy the regional sports stadium, but Manchester City Council had been somewhat lukewarm toward New Manchester United's proposal, always delaying and refusing to give a clear answer.
It was easy to guess that this was because of New Manchester United's status.
Selling a regional sports stadium to a team playing in the lowest tier of English football made it hard for anyone to believe that the club could afford to buy it. After all, the money needed to purchase the stadium could almost be used to buy a professional team in a higher division.
However, staying at Butcher's Arms was definitely not a long-term solution, because the stadium did not belong to them. At present, out of gratitude and obligation, New Manchester United gave one-third of their ticket revenue to Droylsden as stadium maintenance costs, but this could not continue forever.
In the end, owning their own stadium was the only permanent solution.
"Andy, go to the council again and find out whether the regional sports stadium is for sale or not. Then check the planning maps and see whether there is any land in the Newton Heath area suitable for us to build a stadium," Ethan said with a frown.
If they could not secure the regional sports stadium, then Ethan had decided he would build one himself. Even if the location was not as good as the regional sports stadium, it would still be better than having to beg others to rent one.
"Also, have a proper talk with Bury and find out their lease terms. After all, even if we find a place to build a stadium, it cannot be completed overnight. Unless there is a breakthrough in the purchase of the regional sports stadium, we will definitely have to rent a home ground next year!"
Walsh nodded in agreement and wrote down the tasks Ethan had assigned in his notebook.
After that, the group discussed several other matters concerning the club.
At present, the team's performances in the North West Counties League Division Two were excellent. They were 17 points ahead of second-placed Salford City. With 18 rounds remaining in the league, New Manchester United could already be said to have one hand on the North West Counties League Division Two title for the season. The real challenge now was to break the two records for most goals scored and fewest goals conceded in the tenth tier of English football.
New Manchester United had scored 99 goals in 24 league matches, averaging 4.1 goals per game. They were the highest-scoring team among all tenth-tier sides, and also the team with the most goals at this stage in the history of the tenth tier. They were only 10 goals away from the all-time record of 109 goals, which was not too difficult for New Manchester United in their current form.
As for the defence, New Manchester United had conceded 14 goals in 24 matches, while the historical record was 25 goals conceded, leaving them a margin of 11 goals. However, considering there were still 18 league matches left, it would still be quite difficult.
However, when speaking to the team, Bruce did not care about the so-called records at all. He only told the players to keep their feet on the ground and beat every opponent in front of them. As for those so-called records, they were merely things losers used to console themselves.
Even so, New Manchester United still beat their next league opponent 3-0, taking one step closer to the historical record. After that, they eliminated their opponent 2-0 at home in the North West Counties League Challenge Cup, successfully reaching the semi-finals of the Challenge Cup.
Since New Manchester United had successfully entered the main draw of The FA Cup, reached the second round, and now reached the semi-finals of the Challenge Cup, two of the three conditions in Ethan's bet with Scarlett had already been fulfilled. The third condition no longer seemed to be in much doubt either. So now, every time Ethan saw Scarlett, he would strike a victorious pose, which infuriated her.
After playing the Challenge Cup match, New Manchester United earned a narrow 2-1 away win, then returned to Butcher's Arms to await their FA Cup second-round opponents from the southern coastal city of Bristol.
As a League Two side, Bristol City had been performing very well in League Two this season. They were currently top of the table and had a good chance of returning to Division One. Because of that, they did not attach much importance to this FA Cup trip. Furthermore, since their opponents were a team from the tenth tier of English football, they felt they had been handed a very favourable draw.
But in reality, the moment they stepped into Butcher's Arms, they were shaken by Manchester's legendary "Devil's Home Ground," because what greeted them was an overwhelming chorus of boos.
Scattered boos might not affect anyone, but when more than 3,000 fans booed in unison, it was absolutely intimidating.
Because they had a key top-of-the-table clash on Saturday, Bristol City clearly held something back for that match. However, even with a half-rotated lineup, they still put New Manchester United in a very difficult position.
Although they fought until the end, New Manchester United eventually won narrowly 2-1. But they also paid a heavy price, as left-back Roy Williams suffered a muscle strain and would be sidelined for at least a month.
It should be known that, due to fighting on three fronts, New Manchester United had suffered constant injuries this season, especially since entering 1999. Now, aside from Roy Williams, Rhodri Giggs and substitute defensive midfielder Ben West were also recovering from injuries.
Williams' absence would leave Evra to carry the burden alone. The 17-year-old youngster, apart from his eye-catching performance in that match at the beginning of the season, had fallen into a long slump and had only shown slight improvement recently. Whether he could independently support New Manchester United's left flank was still unknown.
But as the saying goes, when it rains, it pours. In the very next league match, New Manchester United's starting defensive midfielder, Carl Makinson, was also injured. This midfield mainstay was the player with the most appearances for New Manchester United this season and played a key role in the team. His absence was a huge blow to New Manchester United.
And it was precisely under these circumstances, with injuries piling up and the squad stretched thin, that New Manchester United welcomed the draw for the third round of The FA Cup.
The media across Manchester, and even across all of England, were watching this draw. Everyone had the same question in their hearts: Could New Manchester United, who had fought their way painstakingly from the qualifying rounds to the third round, meet Manchester United as the fans wished and stage a Red Devil Derby?
(To be continued.)