The football family were out in force to pay farewell to Chris Davies, a giant in the game locally, who has died aged 86.
Fittingly Chris’ funeral service was in the 1883 Suite at Stockport County where he had been a volunteer since the early 1980s.
And Chris was still working until the end of the 2024/25 season at Edgeley Park where for many years he hosted the match officials.
But it was the extraordinary story of Chris and Grasmere Rovers, the club he formed in 1961, for which he was acclaimed.
Celebrant Lauren Henshaw, who delivered a fabulous tribute to Chris, explained how the club, named after the street where he lived all his life, came into existance.
Lauren, whose audience included former players Peter Barnes, Paul Jones, Rob Clare and Fred Eyre and ex-Premier League referee Roger Dilkes, told how Chris, who was a stockbroker, had a knock on his door one day by a 14-year-old called Barry Dean asking him to form a football team.
He told Barry he would manage it if he found the players and, within 24 hours, the U16s team came into existence.
It was a journey which went from the muddy pitch at Cringle Playing Fields to the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.
As Grasmere Rovers evolved, Chris started taking his team on tour as Manchester AFC.
It was his ambition for the team to play 100 matches overseas and this was achieved four days after his death in Seattle, USA.
Manchester AFC played in 30 countries and got to step out at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, Barcelona’s Nou Camp and the international stadium in New Delhi where the match was televised live. And the next day, the team was invited to meet Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
They also became the first English team to play in Cuba and only the second in China at that time.
In Brazil, they played Fluminense and Botafogo and he became friends with 1970 World Cup winner Jairzinho who, when he visited England, accepted an invite to attend a soccer school at Cheadle Town.
Chris, who was humble and modest about his achievements, managed to find a permanent home for Grasmere Rovers when Manchester City vacated their Park Road training ground in Cheadle.
There was a name change in 1982 when they became founder members of the North West Counties Football League and needed a new identity with their new location and became Cheadle Town.
Chris accepted the club had change its name to grow, but it almost broke his heart that they were no longer Grasmere Rovers.
He remained the club’s elder statesman until 2017 when there was a takeover of the club, and he relinquished his involvement.
There were also tributes at the funeral service from ex-Grasmere Rovers player Gary Connor and Steve Bellis, Stockport County’s club president, who spoke about his voluntary work with the Hatters.
Chris, who died after battling pancreatic cancer, was taken inside Edgeley Park for one final time before being buried at Southern Cemetery with the wake hosted by Stockport County.