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Sunday 30 March 2008
KIRKHAM & WESHAM ARE WEMBLEY BOUND
Kirkham & Wesham booked a dream trip to Wembley with a dramatic last gasp
win in the FA Vase semi final second leg down in
A goal ahead from the
first leg, Kirkham stood firm in the face of a determined second half
onslaught from Needham Market, and sealed their Wembley date against
A swirling wind and a heavy pitch made life difficult for both sides, and
both sides created little in the way of clear cut chances in an edgy opening
period.
Sean Paterson had Kirkham & Wesham’s first real chance on 27 minutes when he
latched onto a long clearance and advanced in on goal, but Needham Market
keeper Liam Jones made a fine blocking save.
Three minutes later Jones was in action again, this time tipping a Paul
Eastwood volley from the edge of the box over the bar.
Needham Market enjoyed plenty of possession but it wasn’t until after the
break that they began to threaten the visiting goal.
Seven minutes in, the impressive home skipper Mark Bailey had a shot held
right under the crossbar by Kirkham keeper Pete Summerfield.
Five minutes later Danny Thrower was denied by a last ditch challenge from
Kirkham’s Tony Keefe, and from the resultant corner Thrower’s volley from 10
yards was cleared off the line.
With 20 minutes to go, there was another heart stopping moment for the
visitors when Needham Market’s Nathan Szyszluk shot wide from 12 yards when
through on goal.
The home side’s increasingly desperate efforts to create chances left them
vulnerable to the counter attack, and as the game entered the closing
stages, Kirkham substitute Matt Walwyn had two efforts saved by the keeper
in the space of five minutes.
As the game entered stoppage time, Kirkham & Wesham wrapped up the tie with
a clinching winner.
A long through ball found Richie Allen in space on the left, and as the
keeper advanced he unselfishly squared the ball to Matt Walwyn who had the
simple task of tapping into the net.
There was enough time left for Needham Market’s Glenn Snell to be red carded
for a shocking challenge on Kirkham’s Tony Keefe before the referee blew the
final whistle and the celebrations began in the visitors camp.
President David Haythornthwaite said: “I thought our players were
absolutely magnificent. We defended superbly under pressure, to play like
that in the second half against the wind. I think they thought they would
get a goal, but I always fancied we could get one.
“When we won away at Crowborough in one of the earlier rounds, from that
point on I felt we could go all the way, and now we have. We can now look
forward to a great day at Wembley against
“I got everyone at the club together last week and told them we needed to
plan for success. A few people said “hang on, we haven’t won yet”. I said
I knew that, but we had to be ready to push the button straight away if we
did win, because the final is only six weeks away.
“We now need to get all our merchandising in place, sort out ticket
arrangements and so on. It’s a big task but they are all good problems to
have.
“Everyone in Kirkham and the surrounding area now knows we’re serious about
taking the club forward. I think they’d have already known that even if
we’d lost, but we just hope now that the people of the town will come down
to Wembley, enjoy watching us there and then carry on watching us afterwards
as well”.
Chairman Dai Davis said: “I can’t really find the words to describe my
feelings. Coming here today our dream was to get to Wembley, but you don’t
dare to believe it until it happens.
“Everyone’s ecstatic. We’ve had brilliant support, everybody behind the
scenes has worked really hard and tirelessly to get us where we are. It’s
bee a tremendous adventure and we’ve still got one step to go.
“Now the hard work begins, and we have to make sure we maximise the revenue
streams that are available, as this could set us up for years.
“I’m really proud to be at the helm of this club, and hopefully now the
whole town will go Wembley mad”.
Manager Mick Fuller said: “It’s a fantastic achievement for everyone at the
football club, it’s a fairytale. I’m waiting for Peter Pan to turn up!
“There isn’t a better way to finish a game than to score in the last
minute. They did threaten us, and it wasn’t comfortable with 15 minutes to
go, we had one or two scary moments.
“It was difficult in these conditions to protect a one goal advantage, and
if Needham Market had equalised that could have turned the game on its
head. We could have been going home saying “What if?”.
“We’ve come a long way, and this morning I couldn’t contemplate what it
would be like to lose. I thought about it and then quickly I had to put
that to the back of my mind. The thought of what emotions the players would
have, what it would be like travelling back home having lost, just made me
think that we had to come here and achieve the win.
“A big thing today was getting the substitutions right. That was key in the
first leg and was key in us recovering a two goal deficit. I think it would
have been very difficult today it we had come here trailing by a goal or two
goals. They threw everything but the kitchen sink at us, and we led a
charmed life at times, but we’ve got strong lads in there who stood up to
the job mentally and physically. There were a few tears shed out there at
the end of the game. It hasn’t fully hit me yet, but I’m pretty sure it
will.
“I feel for the Needham Market lads because it’s not nice to lose in a semi
final in such a big competition. They had a lot of expectancy to deal with,
people expecting them to overcome the one goal deficit.
“A guy from one of the
“The next objective now of course is to win the Vase, and I’m not going to
make any predictions but we’ve got a fighting chance if we play the way we
know we can. When the Vase trophy came to our ground in September for the
club’s first game in the competition, I said then that I might never see it
again. Then when we got the team of the round award for our display against
Newcastle Benfield, it came back to the ground again, and I thought then
that it would be good if the third time I saw it was at Wembley. So who
knows?
“Nationally we’ve put the town on the map. Kirkham and Wesham aren’t big
places, but the town has got right behind us. We had a great support today,
a lot of youngsters came down to support us and made a lot of noise. I’d
like to think that Kirkham and Wesham will be desolate on May 11th
and that there will be nobody there, and everyone will be at Wembley
cheering the lads on because I think they deserve it. It’s a fabulous
achievement for everybody at the club, and I’m so proud of the players”.
Saturday 29 March 2008
ANTHONY IS UP FOR A MANAGERIAL CHALLENGE
He’s a manager who knows his position is going to be reviewed at the end of
the season – but far from feeling under pressure, Padiham boss Anthony
McCluskey is loving every minute of his new role in the manager’s chair at
the Arbories.
32 year old Anthony stepped up to take the managerial reins when previous
boss Steve Wilkes left to take charge of Runcorn Linnets in January. With
Padiham out of all the cup competitions and in a mid table position, the
committee took the decision to appoint him until the end of the season and
the new boss is delighted to have been given the opportunity.
“I was assistant to Steve Wilkes from the start of the season, and when he
left it seemed logical for me to take over until the end of the season”, he
said. “I didn’t expect to get a managerial opportunity this early, I
expected to play for another couple of years before moving into management.
“Getting involved in management is something I’ve always wanted to do. I’m
interested in football management generally, not just the playing side but
all the other bits as well, and so far even though results haven’t gone our
way generally I’m really enjoying it. I’m getting good response from the
lads, my telephone never stops ringing and my mobile phone bill is
unbelievable, but I love the job. It’s a big step moving from playing to
managing but the dressing room I’ve got has made it easier for me.”
Although any new manager will look to bring new players in to improve the
squad he inherited, Anthony says that getting players in has been a problem.
“We’re only really playing for three points in each game, we’re not in any
cups or in contention for the league, and that has been a problem in
attracting new players. The players that I’ve tried to bring in have been
playing at clubs in contention for promotion, or looking forward to cup semi
finals, so persuading them to come to the club at this stage of the season
has been difficult. But I’ve brought in Paul Barrett from Barnoldswick and
he scored a hat trick against Darwen, and the lads I’ve brought in from the
reserves have done well so they have been massive positives”.
A Padiham player for several years, Anthony has resisted the temptation to
select himself in the starting line up. “I’m still registered as a player,
and I put myself on the bench for the first few games as a few players left,
so I named myself as a sub then. I feel I don’t need to play at the minute
as I feel the guys in possession of the jerseys are doing a good job. If I
don’t get the job in the summer maybe I’ll get the boots out again for one
last campaign but for now I’m just focussed on managing the club over the
remaining few games of the season.”
As for next season, Anthony has no doubts about where he wants to be.
“It’s a difficult situation to be in when you don’t know for sure if you’re
going to be in charge next season. People ask me if I’m going to take it,
and I have to tell them it’s out of my hands. Obviously the committee will
get together at the end of the season to decide who the best man is to take
the club forward and I hope I am that person.
“I’ve been at the club for a number of years and I’d be more than happy to
put myself forward for the job, based on what I’ve experienced so far. All
I can do for now is make sure I do the best I can in each game for Padiham
Football Club between now and the end of the season and we’ll see what
happens from there.”
NEW PARTNERSHIP AT CHEADLE TOWN
Cheadle Town are pleased to announce that they have formed a partnership
with Inter Cheadle Junior Football Club.
The partnership will allow Inter Cheadle the use of the facilities at Park
Road Stadium for some of their seven teams. Inter Cheadle runs teams from
under 8 through to under 13 and are a progressive club that was formed just
eight years ago by Peter Hartley. The partnership will assist Cheadle Town
in their application for funding in relation to the planned new development
at Park Road.
Liam Edge, Chairman of Inter Cheadle said: “All our players come from the
Cheadle area and to have a base at Park Road is really appropriate. With
the development of the ground and the planned new astro turf pitches, it
gives us the opportunity of getting in on the “ground floor” of an exciting
new project.”
Cheadle Town Chairman Chris Davies welcomed the move, saying: We have been
wanting junior football at Park Road for some years now and this seems to be
the perfect partnership. All the Inter Cheadle players live in Cheadle, and
it will be good for eth community that they have a ground in Cheadle of
which they can be proud.”
The partnership will commence in the next couple of months, and come to
fruition fully when the development work has been completed.
ATHERTON COLLIERIES MERCHANDISE
Atherton Collieries now have a new range of merchandise available for sale
at Alder House. The range includes replica jerseys, t-shirts, polo shirts,
hats, tracksuits and holdalls, and badge collectors may be particularly
interested in new club badges which are priced at just £2. For more
information or to place an order e-mail the club at
info@athertoncollieries.co.uk
or see one of the club officials on match days.
ANOTHER FAN OF THE WEEK NOMINATION
A few weeks ago, we reported in the newsletter that Silsden follower Rob
Grillo had published a book called “Anoraknophobia”, which contains stories
and anecdotes about his tie spent watching the Cobbydalers. The book has
become a favourite with groundhoppers, anoraks, Non League afficionados and
football fans throughout the country, and recently led to club stalwart Jim
Rosser enjoying some nationwide media coverage.
A couple of Fridays ago, Jim had his evening meal interrupted by a call from
Stuart Croll, who writes for the Non League Today newspaper and is involved
with the BBC London Non-League Programme. Stuart had read Rob Grillo’s book
and had got Jim’s name from the Silsden website.
Jim said: “We had a long chat about football in general (at the end of
which my tea was stone cold), which led to me being nominated as the fan of
the week, a feature that is reproduced both in the newspaper and on the
show’s website. I am nothing special and I am sure there are many others
out there who have dedicated much of their lives to “The Beautiful Game”.”
Jim now follows in the footsteps of our very own Newsletter Editor Rob
Hurst, who was featured in the same slot a couple of months ago. You can
read the stories featuring both Rob and Jim on the BBC London Non League
Show website, just follow this link:
www.bbc.co.uk/london/radio/nonleague/nl_fan_of_the_week
NEWS FROM SILSDEN
As well as writing his recent book “Anoraknophobia”, Rob Grillo is also the
editor of the Silsden fanzine “We’re Not Playing On That Pitch”. Rob’s
efforts have now been recognised with the news that the fanzine has reached
the last five in the nominations for the National Fanzine awards. The
Silsden production will line up against the following other fanzines:
Burton Albion - “Clough The Magic Dragon”
FC United of Manchester – “Under The Boardwalk”
Scarborough – “Abandon Chip!”
Stevenage Borough – “The Broadhall Way”
On the playing side, there are two stories to report from the Cougar Park
dressing room this week. Silsden keeper Martin Foulger is taking part in
the London Marathon in April. He is running to raise funds for The Multiple
Sclerosis Society as his mum has suffered from the disease for many years.
Martin, a six-foot three giant, says that even the training for the Marathon
is harder than standing between the sticks for an hour and a half, never
mind the event itself.
The Cobbydalers pride themselves in bringing players through
the ranks from their junior teams, and their junior ranks now comprises a
set up of 15 teams. Last week Sam Rooke became the latest graduate from the
junior ranks when he made his first team debut at Abbey Hey. He earned his
place in the squad after he scored a hat-trick in the semi-final of the
Yorkshire Under 19’s cup. His strikes earned Silsden a 3-2 win, two of the
goals coming late on against Yorkshire Main FC who were unbeaten to date.
It was a classic match and would have been a credit to the final. Silsden
had previously beaten Glasshoughton Welfare, Pickering and Whitby on the way
to the semi final.
MATCH OFFICIALS EXPENSES
We’ve had a few responses to our article on
match officials’ expenses in last week’s newsletter. As with the ground
grading debate a few weeks back, we’ve decided to give it another week to
give more people the chance to air their views on the subject. One
respondent has commented that the article came across as being critical of
match officials, which certainly wasn’t the intention. We’d like to hear in
particular from referees on the topic, so if you have any comments on the
piece that was published last week, e-mail me at
ian@nwsidestories.co.uk.
PLAYER MOVEMENTS THIS WEEK
Transfers
Craig Coote
Ashton Town to Trafford
Jamie Pointon
Stone Dominoes to Newcastle Town
Matthew Woods
Padiham to Darwen
Registrations
Ashton Athletic Nick Bowen, Alan Fitzpatrick
Atherton Collieries Jonathan Waterworth
Atherton L.R. Jonathan Green, Tony Lancashire, Greg Travers
Blackpool Mechanics Carl Gerrard, Chris Jackson
Chadderton Craig Large, David Lewis
Flixton Carl Ball, Fintan Edward Doran, Fintan Edward
Doran Jnr, Carlos Logan, Perry Morrisey
Formby James Miller
Glossop North End Jonathan Hyde
Nelson Jake Anderson
Padiham Peter Crossley
Trafford Liam Wright
TOP ATTENDANCES
Monday 24th March 2008
Trafford v Flixton 343
Congleton Town v Newcastle Town 194
Glossop North End v Abbey Hey 135
Silsden AFC v Nelson 126
Thursday 27th March 2008
Bootle v Chadderton 171 Division Two Trophy
Saturday 29th March 2008
Needham Market v Kirkham & Wesham 1275 FA Vase
Newcastle Town v Salford City 220
Winsford United v Trafford 130
Silsden AFC v Glossop North End 119
VODKAT LEAGUE LANDMARKS
Monday 24th March 2008
Oldham Town’s 1-0 defeat at Chadderton was their 900th League
game.
Squires Gate 1-0 home victory against Formby was their 200th
League victory.
New Mills first goal in their 4-0 away victory at Leek CSOB was their 100th
away League goal, and their second goal was their 250th League
goal, both goal were scored by Kenny Mayers.
Saturday 29th March 2008
Castleton Gabriel’s second goal in their 3-2 defeat by Ashton town was their
1000th League and was scored by Christian Evans.
Tuesday 25 March 2008
JIMMY ARMFIELD OBE – GUEST OF HONOUR AT KIRKHAM & WESHAM
The first leg of the FA Vase semi final between Kirkham & Wesham and
Needham Market provided terrific entertainment for the watching spectators,
and among the crowd at Kellamergh Park who enjoyed the occasion was a very
special guest of honour.
Jimmy Armfield OBE is rightly regarded as one of football’s most
distinguished servants. He spent his entire playing career at Blackpool FC,
making 690 appearances in an 18 year playing career, during which he also
made 43 appearances for England, 15 of them as captain.
Moving into management he managed Bolton Wanderers, before taking over at
Leeds United, whom he led to the European Cup final in 1975 when they lost
2-0 to Bayern Munich in Paris.
In more recent times his voice has become familiar to millions as a
summariser on BBC Five Live’s football coverage, and he has held down key
advisory roles at the FA, being involved in the appointments of Terry
Venables and Glenn Hoddle as England managers.
Over the past year or so, Jimmy’s footballing commitments have had to take a
back seat as he has had to overcome a challenge of a different kind,
fighting a battle against throat cancer. However, he is now much better and
back doing what he loves best – being involved in football. And although his
focus will continue to be the professional ranks, he took time out to attend
the Vase semi final first leg – and that gave me the opportunity to catch a
few minutes with him at Kellamergh Park.
After dealing with numerous autographs and picture requests, the last thing
he probably wanted was to have his half time cuppa interrupted by some bloke
wearing a League anorak who stuck a tape recorder under his nose. But the
man known as "Gentleman Jim" lived up to his name and patiently agreed to
speak to me for a few minutes. I began with the most important and obvious
question to ask – how is he feeling now?
"I’m doing OK, I’m all right", he said. "I’m still going back and forward to
the hospital, but I’m a damn sight better than I was at this time last year.
"I’ve done about five broadcasts on Five Live now, and I’m working the next
couple of weekends. This is the first Easter for many years I’ve not been
working at a Premiership game, but I’d made my mind up to come to the
Kirkham game."
Jimmy then explained that his decision to come to the game was one based on
both personal and professional reasons.
"I’ve known (Kirkham & Wesham President) David Haythornthwaite, and his
mother and father, for many years. With this being an FA Vase game in the
area in which I live, when I was asked to come as a guest I was delighted to
accept.
"I’m still a Technical Consultant at the FA and we have a responsibility to
all grades of football. From my point of view it’s nice to see a match like
this every now and again. It’s a good thing every so often to, you might
say, dig down into non-league football and see what’s going on."
Picking up on his last point, I then asked Jimmy how he felt non-league
football fitted in to the overall picture of football in this country.
"You will always have the top players at the big clubs, and those are the
people that the whole world sees, but there’s a lot more playing lower down.
And every now and again it’s nice for those clubs playing in the likes in
the FA Vase and the FA Trophy to taste a bit of atmosphere in their matches,
and speaking from an FA viewpoint that’s very important to us and something
we like to encourage.
"What is on offer in non-league football, or in general outside the
professional ranks, is the enjoyment of playing football. It’s a sport after
all, and you can talk all you like about the money in football, but for the
majority of people playing football in this country, from young children up
to adults, they are playing for enjoyment. We must never lose sight of that
fact.
"We are all hoping to see more British players coming through into league
football. There’s no reason why young players coming into football aged
around 15 or 16 shouldn’t aspire to play in professional football. I’d like
to see players of that age working at their game, and I’d like to think that
non-league clubs can play a part in that, perhaps by getting in more
qualified coaches in, trying to lift skill levels and working on improving
the individual skills of young players they have in their ranks."
As we were speaking just a few days after the announcement that the FA had
pledged to invest £200 million in grass roots football, I then asked Jimmy
if there were any specific areas that he felt needed attention.
"I personally would like to see more football played in schools. I’m always
a bit dubious when I hear it said that people don’t have time now to
organise schools football.
"You can always make time for what you want to make time for, I’ve
discovered that as I’ve gone along over the years. Everybody has time, if
they want to make time they’ll find time, and I’d like to schools become
more focussed on playing football.
"The difference in schools is that the boys all grow together, and they grow
up with an ethos of winning and losing games together. It teaches them about
team spirit, and the strengths and weaknesses both of their colleagues and
people they are playing against. That’s a big part of football, and if they
can get that experience at a young age, it will stand them in good stead as
they mature."
By this point the half time interval was drawing to a close, and I was
starting to feel guilty that Jimmy’s half time cuppa was still untouched.
There were so many more questions I wanted to ask, but reluctantly I thanked
him for his time, and confirmed he’d be OK to speak to me again at full time
to give his thoughts on the game.
As we know, Kirkham & Wesham staged a dramatic second half comeback to win
the game 3-2, and against a backdrop of cheering home supporters, seconds
after the final whistle I asked Jimmy for his thoughts on the game.
He said: "It was a fantastic game. I had to select a man of the match and I
could have chosen five.
"I thought Kirkham & Wesham just shaded it overall, but Needham Market
played very well for the first 20 minutes, and when they went two up I
thought it was going to be a landslide.
"Man for man I felt Kirkham had a bit more ability, and to come back from
2-0 down shows that they had a bit of spirit too.
"They kept the ball better, especially Ged Smith who I nominated man of the
match. Every time he got the ball he looked to use it. In windy conditions
like these, teams often resort to the big boot, but that’s wrong. Controlled
football is the way to play.
"It was just great cup football and I’ve really enjoyed it."
Sunday 23 March 2008
MORE VASE DRAMA FOR KIRKHAM &
WESHAM
Kirkham & Wesham’s Wembley dream is still alive after a thrilling last
gasp win over Needham Market in the first leg of the FA Vase semi final at
Kellamergh Park on Saturday.
Two goals down after 14 minutes, Kirkham’s hopes of progress in the
competition looked bleak.
But a spirited comeback, topped by a stoppage time winner from Mark Wane,
put Kirkham in the driving seat for the second leg down in Suffolk on
Saturday.
On a windy afternoon punctuated by snow showers, Needham Market started well
and opened the scoring from the first clear cut chance of the game on six
minutes.
Daniel Thrower’s through ball found Jay Denniss in space, and he advanced
into the box and fired a low shot under Kirkham keeper Pete Summerfield.
It got worse for the home side eight minutes later, when they fell further
behind.
Summerfield came to collect a cross into the box, but collided with a
defender and spilled the ball at the feet of Needham Market’s Craig Parker,
who had the simple task of tapping into the empty net.
On 25 minutes Summerfield was in action again, tipping a powerful James
Evans header over the bar.
But Kirkham gradually came back into the game, and pulled a goal back a
minute from half time.
James Sheppard floated a free kick into the box, and Ged Smith rose to power
a header into the net off the post.
After the break, Kirkham & Wesham dominated and home keeper Summerfield was
virtually a spectator as his team mates camped in the opposition half.
Ritchie Allen, Phil Blackwell, and Sean Paterson all had chances, but it
wasn’t until three minutes from time that Kirkham drew level.
A cross into the box found substitute Matt Walwyn in space, and his shot on
the turn crept just inside the far post.
But there was still more excitement to come, and as the game entered the
third minute of stoppage time, Kellamergh Park erupted when Kirkham &
Wesham’s leading scorer Mark Wane grabbed the winner.
Ged Smith’s cross to the far post was nodded back into the path of Wane, and
the striker pounced to fire home from close range and complete an amazing
comeback from his side.
Lancashire football legend Jimmy Armfield OBE was guest of honour at the
game. Afterwards he said:
"It was a fantastic game. I had to select a man of the match and I could
have chosen five.
"I thought Kirkham & Wesham just shaded it overall, but Needham Market
played very well for the first 20 minutes, and when they went two up I
thought it was going to be a landslide.
"Man for man I felt Kirkham had a bit more ability, and to come back from
2-0 down shows that they had a bit of spirit too.
"They kept the ball better, especially Ged Smith who I nominated man of the
match. Every time he got the ball he looked to use it. In windy conditions
like these, teams often resort to the big boot, but that’s wrong. Controlled
football is the way to play.
"It was just great cup football and I’ve really enjoyed it. "
Kirkham & Wesham President David Haythornthwaite said:
"It was an awesome game of football, everyone who came down today saw an
unbelievable game.
"I thought we absolutely battered them. We showed great character too, after
going two down early on and coming back like that.
"Even at 2-1 down, I thought we would be capable of going down there and
winning, and now the lads will be full of confidence for the second leg.
"We’re not far away now, we just have to go down and finish the job on
Saturday."
KIRKHAM & WESHAM REDUCE COACH
TRAVEL COSTS
Kirkham &
Wesham
have reduced the cost of coach travel to Needham Market for next Saturday’s
crucial second-leg of the FA
Vase in a bid to fill the ground with fans of the Lancashire club (writes
Howard
Jones).
President David Haythornthwaite said:
“Saturday’s support at Kellamergh
Park was beyond belief again.
“And I’d like to thank each and every one of our fans for coming along and
supporting the side, on what was in the end a fantastic result for us.
“But next Saturday is crucial to our plans for the future and should we get
a result down there of any kind then we will be at Wembley on May 11 and l
want as many people from the Fylde and in particular Kirkham & Wesham to be
there to experience the euphoria that will bring.”
Coach prices to the game in Suffolk next Saturday have been cut from
£30 to £10 and from £10 to £5 for OAPS and children in a bid to get as many
fans to travel.
Haythornthwaite added: “As a club we really do appreciate their support and
we want to give the fans something back.
“This is our way of saying thank-you and l hope as many of them as possible
will make the trip to support the side.”
Fans now have until Thursday at 5pm to register their intent to travel and
seats on the coach can be booked by calling 01772 686264 or 01772 685049.
Tickets for the game are also available at £6 (adults)
and £3 (OAPS &
Children) and will be pay at the gate.
Saturday 22 March 2008
CLUBS COUNT THE COST OF MATCH OFFICIALS
As previously reported in the newsletter dated 1st March 2008, Geoff
Wilkinson attended the Contributory Leagues Review Board Referees meeting on
behalf of the Vodkat League at FA headquarters in London on the 21st
February 2008.
At the meeting, Geoff presented a summary of feedback from our clubs, which
was based on questionnaires that were sent out on behalf of the League
Management Committee. This activity was undertaken in advance of an
anticipated proposed increase in match officials fees and expenses, which as
it turned out, was tabled for discussion at the meeting.
Each of our clubs was invited to respond to a series of questions about
match officials, and a summary of our clubs’ responses was handed over to FA
representatives by Geoff at the meeting. At the time, we stated in the
newsletter and on the League website that it was hoped answers to some of
the points raised would be given before the start of next season.
Since then, there has been some interest expressed from various quarters in
the nature of the responses collected. The information was not originally
collected for general publication, but we believe it is worthwhile giving
some feedback, while protecting the anonymity of the respondents. The main
reason for this is that in the main, most of the responses were very
similar, which leads inevitably to the conclusion that the general feeling
from clubs around the league is much the same.
To set the scene first of all, the questionnaire sent to all clubs contained
the following two questions:
What would your opinion be regarding The FA proposing an increase to Match
Officials Fees?
What would your opinion be regarding The FA proposing an increase to Match
Officials Expenses?
Clubs were also invited to add any other comments, both positive or
negative, on match officials that had not been covered by their answers to
the two questions.
First of all, here are some responses to question one on match officials’
fees.
“It is likely that at most games in our league, the referee and the two
assistants will already be the best paid participants involved in the game –
and now they are going to get paid even more!”
“With regard to the ever increasing costs of running a football club I do
believe some common sense needs to be applied with proposed increase of
fees. The year on year increase should not be more than current rates of
inflation, and not a fixed amount as experienced this year. As you can
appreciate, a £5.00 increase to all the officials’ means that the clubs have
to find 3 more seats to be filled”.
“I think the FA should wake up to the fact that small clubs are fighting
tooth and nail every week just to keep afloat. We as a football club over
the last two games had a gate of 45. If you assume 5 of those people are
officials from the opposition club, that leaves 40 paying. 19 of those paid
the concessionary rate of £2, and the other 21 paid £4 that makes a total
of £122. Referee and assistant fees are already a total of £105 plus
expenses and we have in the past had mileage charges of over 100 miles at
27p mile. 100 miles for three people, whether sharing or not, is not that
unusual now. So the game with a gate of 45 would cost us £132 in match
fees, a loss of £10, and they want to put it up!”
Responses to question two included the following.
“Many officials we have had this season failed to take any heed of the
Saturday mandatory group travel and all claimed expenses. In that situation
you are reluctant to question them, as it is likely to put a spanner in the
works and you run the risk of not getting any of the borderline decisions in
the match”.
“We understand that officials should have a fair pence per mile cover.
However an increase could only be accepted if a guarantee was in place that
all match officials would travel together and would all be appointed on the
grounds that they live geographically close to each other, and are based
within a reasonable distance of the home club.”
Finally, some of the other general comments submitted included the
following:
“It would be a bit more difficult to argue against increased fees if the
standard of officials had improved, but I don’t see any evidence of that. I
don’t know what goes on when referees assessors put reports in, but when we
as a club put in a report about an official we weren’t happy with, nothing
ever seems to get done, and a few weeks later we get the same guy back
again.”
“We believe that if any additional cost for match fees is put on the member
clubs, this should be specifically ‘ring fenced’ for referee development
only. Referring to recent reports that many officials are leaving the game,
is this because of the fees or because of a feeling of lack of
support/infrastructure/development?”
“When the FA first mooted the idea of a central contributory league panel, I
attended one of the meetings and asked what would we (as clubs) be getting
for the increase in costs. The same question applies still, as we seem to
see increases over and above rates of inflation and no apparent improvement
in standards. There must be a growing feeling among clubs at our level and
in our region, that the match officials’ fees are a massive proportion of
match day expenses. The more that increases, the greater the expectation
clubs will have from the official’s performance and the lower the markings
could go as clubs demand a better standard. (The Premiership is the top
level example where the referees have had to become professional in all
senses of the word).”
“When the argument goes that there are fewer referees around, and
competition from small sided games is taking its toll, we fuel a never
ending inflation between the two. I have long argued that the FA would be
better to help fund refereeing at local level to get the numbers in the game
in the first place and help ease the overall pressure on numbers.”
“The FA, I am sure, could easily apply an 'in the interests of the game
overall' policy, to limit the amount payable to officials by affiliated
small sided competitions to prevent the escalation in costs.”
“The standard of Match Officials in the main is extremely poor. There are
many reasons for this but in my opinion the main reason is due to a shortage
of people wanting to take up the position of a Match Official. To this end
the FA seem to be fast tracking the better of a bad bunch through the
system. Equally, it now seems that due to this shortage, an increase in
fees is proposed in the hope that this will encourage more people to give up
their time to become a Match Official.”
Some fairly strong views there, and if you were to summarise the views in a
few words, the general impression seems to be that the new appointments
system that was implemented in 2002 has not delivered the anticipated
benefits to clubs.
League Development Officer Geoff Wilkinson said: “We have had more
complaints about the cost of match officials’ expenses this season than we
have in any other season, and the commonest complaint is that some officials
have travelled fairly long distances from opposite directions to officiate
in games, thereby inflating the cost of expenses for the home club.
“There are, of course, instances where last minute changes will have to be
made. We accept that, and it is not these instances that are the problem.
Everyone can accept late changes due to unforeseen circumstances, it’s the
principle behind the original appointments in the first place that is under
question.
“Familiarity could breed contempt if you kept getting the same officials
week in week out to referee one club’s games, but some of the expenses clubs
have to pay out now are ridiculous”.
League Chairman Dave Tomlinson added:
“There is a commonly used phrase these days when I attend FA meetings that
keeps getting quoted: ‘If you can’t afford to play at this level, then you
shouldn’t be here’.
“That is very easy to say, but the problem is that the people making those
statements forget one very important point. The people who are running
clubs are not only volunteers, but are in many cases putting their hands in
their pockets to make sure that games take place on Saturdays.
“I know that the commonly levelled accusation is that clubs are paying
players, so they should be able to afford to pay officials as well. What
people don’t realise is that in many cases clubs pay their players and then
take a chunk of that money back from selling raffle tickets, beer and so on.
“We are not prepared to see our clubs suffer because of a system that we all
believe is flawed, and we are watching with interest to see how the FA react
both to our responses, and also to those of other league representatives who
have similar concerns”.
The FA has reiterated that representatives from the leagues and clubs will
be invited to a series of regional meetings to discuss the appointments
system. The idea is that the FA will explain what improvements have been
made and how beneficial the new system has been at our level of football.
In the meantime, we’ll keep everyone up to date through the website and
newsletter of any further developments on what is proving to be one of the
most emotive issues that the League Management Committee has had to address
this season. Also, we wouldn’t want this to be seen as a “referee bashing”
exercise, so if there are any match officials out there who would like to
respond to any of the points raised above, contact League Media Officer Ian
Templeman at
ian@nwsidestories.co.uk.
NEWS
FROM DARWEN
Dennis Hill has been appointed as the new player/manager at Darwen, taking
over from Wayne Watkins.
The 34-year-old started the season at Darwen and made ten appearances before
moving to Nelson. After another nine appearances and one goal in Division
One, he returned to the Anchor Ground on the 13th March to take over as
manager, becoming the third occupant of the manager’s chair this season
after Steve Mullen and Wayne Watkins.
The new boss wasted no time in securing the services of former Great Harwood
Town and Chorley boss John Hughes as his assistant, and is looking forward
to the challenge. He told the Lancashire Telegraph:
"Darwen's a good club. It's a good place for me to start my managerial
career, and I can't wait to get started. There's no pressure on me this
season, I'm building for next year. I've spoken to the chairman and he's
got big plans for the club. He wants this club back in Division One and
it's my job to get them there."
Dennis wasted no time in making his mark on his return, scoring a last
minute goal to earn his new charges a 3-3 draw in his first game in charge
at Cheadle Town.
Meanwhile, a top footballing name from the late 60’s and early 70’s is
scheduled to visit the Anchor Ground at the end of the season.
The former West Ham United and Bermuda international Clyde Best, along with
a group of young Bermudan players, have been invited to the club by Darwen
chairman Ted Ward who met Clyde during a recent holiday on the island.
Ted Ward told BBC Radio Lancashire: "I was in Bermuda recently and bumped
into somebody who knew him. I expressed an interest in meeting him and a
couple of days later he actually picked me up and took me to his club. It
was to simply say hello, but we then started talking about our mutual
interest in football.
"He feels Bermudan footballers are as good as anybody up to the age of 15 or
16. After that they don't have many opportunities to play decent teams.
Clyde told me that he has connections with a number of teams in the country
as well as the national side and that he's been looking for a link with a UK
club to send talented players over to England."
The current plan is that Clyde Best will hold training sessions for the
Bermudan players at the Anchor Ground, as well as offering advice and
support for groups of local youngsters too.
LINNETS LEND A HELPING HAND TO AFC LIVERPOOL
Following a similar model to Runcorn Linnets FC, AFC Liverpool is a new
independent football club owned and run by fans. Whereas Runcorn Linnets
were born from the desire to keep the name of Runcorn alive within
Non-League football, AFC Liverpool is aimed at those Liverpool fans priced
out of Premier League football.
AFC Liverpool are in the process of putting their team together, and hope to
start next season in Division 2 of the Vodkat League, just like the Linnets
did in 2006. The Linnets, who were offered help from a number of sources as
they were starting out, including another new fan's club, FC United of
Manchester, were happy to offer practical help and advice to the AFC
Liverpool Board, as they try to pull together all of the different pieces
that are needed to create a football club from scratch.
Tony Waddington, Club Secretary of Runcorn Linnets said: "An exciting time
lies ahead for the fans behind AFCL. There's a lot of work involved, but
this will all be worth it at the beginning of next season when they see
their new team".
The volunteers of AFCL will have the opportunity of first hand training to
see how a club is run on the 19th April, when they will shadow their Runcorn
counterparts at the Linnets’ home game with Silsden at Wincham Park. Alun
Parry, one of the key figures in the AFC Liverpool organisation, said: "It's
great that Runcorn are helping us out in this way. To be able to shadow
their operational staff at a match will give us a great insight into what
lies ahead".
Tony Waddington added: "This opportunity will allow the new volunteers the
chance to see for themselves how their match-day operations will work. It
will also give them scope to adapt what they see to what will work for their
club, as opposed to being thrown in at the deep end at the beginning of
season 2008/09".
Steve Pritchard, Press Officer, Runcorn Linnets FC
PLAYER MOVEMENTS THIS WEEK
Transfers:
Christian Adams Trafford to Abbey Hey
Mark Armstrong Daisy Hill to Castleton Gabriels
Anthony Cobain Ashton Town to Bootle
Aaron Swift Salford City to Ramsbottom United
Marc Taylor Ramsbottom United to Nelson
Richard Dunn Salford City to Ramsbottom United
Sam Fairhurst Nelson to Darwen
Ashley Flood Stone Dominoes to Leek CSOB
James Greenhalgh Castleton Gabs to Ramsbottom United
Sam Hall Maine Road to Cheadle Town
Jason Jones Darwen to Nelson
Registrations:
Abbey Hey James Brown, Gerrard Clarke, Kyle Shaw
Ashton Athletic David Senigla
Ashton Town Calum Jeffrey, Lee Woollam
Atherton Collieries Matthew Chapman, James Cotton, Jason Holroyd
Atherton LR Daniel Foy, Ben Lenders, Lee Unsworth
Bacup Borough Jason Finch
Blackpool Mechanics Kyle Heys, Leonard Reid, Matthew Walton
Bootle
Stephen King, Philip Symes
Castleton Gabriels Elliott Schofield, James Thompson
Cheadle Town Kieran Murray
Darwen Craig Banks, Dale Bullen, Mark Hine, Neil Kennedy,
Matthew Pendergast, Oliver Telford
Eccleshall Timothy Buckley, James Hackney
Flixton Liam Mooney
Glossop North End Gareth Baker
Holker Old Boys Lloyd Eastham
Nelson Kevin Brown, Chris Byrne, Keith Taylor, Jonathan
Holden
Newcastle Town Russell Gibbons
Norton United Andrew Boulton, Mark Kuhwald
Padiham Kieran Carroll
Squires Gate Russell McKenna
Stone Dominoes Thomas Booth, David Cooper, Adam Smith
League Registrations Secretary John Cowley would like to remind clubs that
the deadline for player registrations (except the Reserve Division) is 5pm
on 31st March. Players signed before noon by 31st March are eligible to
play on April 1st. Players registered between noon and 5pm will only be
eligible to play from April 2nd.
TOP ATTENDANCES
Tuesday 18th March 2008
Kirkham & Wesham v Ashton Athletic 150 League Cup
Glossop North End v Newcastle Town 144
Saturday 22nd March 2008
Kirkham & Wesham v Needham Market 1053 FA Vase
New Mills v Holker Old Boys 148
Bacup Borough v Runcorn Linnets 133
Ramsbottom United v Atherton LR 117
Colne v Trafford 115
Winsford United v Bootle 105 League Cup
VODKAT LEAGUE LANDMARKS
Tuesday 18th March 2008
Newcastle Town’s 1-0 victory at Glossop North End was their 200th
away league victory.
Saturday 22nd March 2008
James Singleton’s goal in Abbey Hays first goal in their 2-1 victory over
Silsden AFC was the First Divisions 1000th league goal.
Trafford’s 2-0 victory away at Colne earned them their 702nd
league point.
Tuesday 18 March 2008
SPECIAL
GUEST AT KIRKHAM & WESHAM
Former Blackpool and England
captain, Jimmy Armfield OBE, will be guest of honour at Kirkham & Wesham’s
nail biting FA Vase Semi-Final, First-Leg against Needham Market at
Kellamergh
Park
Kirkham president David Haythornthwaite said: "Jimmy and my dad are old
friends and I'm delighted he is coming along to watch us on our big day.
"It’s great to see him looking so well again after his recent illness – he
is most welcome."
Armfield capped 43 times for his country, and many of those as skipper, also
made a mammoth 569 appearances for the Seasiders between 1954 and 1971.
And Kirkham will be hoping to impress their honoured guest in the best
possible style by taking a vital first-leg lead down to
Suffolk
Manager Mick Fuller said: "I’ve had a look at
Needham
"I can’t comment on our performance against New Mills as l was down in
Suffolk (Kirkham lost 4-0 at home
for the first time this term to table topping New Mills) but what l will say
is that l will have made it clear to the players in no uncertain terms what
we have to do."
The club are calling on the local community who backed their attendance in
the previous round against Coventry
President Haythornthwaite added: "Many of the fans enjoyed a great day out
last time, whether that was in our Hospitality area or just soaking up the
rather special FA Vase atmosphere.
"We are so close now that you can almost touch Wembley and I'm hoping the
fans will again back us in the right way - by coming along on Saturday. We
need their vocal support.
"It should be quite an occasion."
Corporate Hospitality places are still available in the tented village
behind the main stand at Kellamergh Park on Saturday from 12noon and these
can be reserved by calling 01253 667431.
Tables are priced at £350 for 10 plus vat, or £40 per head +vat, where
former Burnley
star Steve Kindon will be the resident guest in attendance in hospitality.
Tickets for the big game itself are selling fast and these too should be
reserved in advance to avoid disappointment at the gate as a 1,500 crowd
limit has been set.
Fans should call at Escape ‘On The Hill’ in Kirkham or at Kirkham Sports to
buy tickets, or call 01772 685049.
A free park & ride scheme has been set up with BAe Systems at Warton and
fans going to the game are advised that there will be no parking at the
ground, but to use Car Park T at BAe in
Mill Lane
There are also coaches set to leave Kirkham Town Centre at regular intervals
during the early afternoon from: Lane Ends at 2.00pm, The Swan Hotel at 2.05
pm and Market Square at 2.10 pm. Tickets cost £2 return and MUST be booked
in advance at Kirkham Macs taxis on 01772 683003.
No coach tickets will be available on the day.
Saturday 15 March 2008
AFC LIVERPOOL–STATEMENT FROM DAVE TOMLINSON
As media interest and coverage of AFC Liverpool continues to grow, it’s
timely for the Vodkat League to make a statement as to the latest situation
as far as we are concerned.
The founders of AFC Liverpool have been in contact with the FA, to establish
first of all if there would be any issues concerning them applying to become
members of the Vodkat League at the start of next season. The FA has stated
that as long as promotion and relegation issues are settled and there are
vacancies, it is up to the Vodkat League to either accept or reject the
application.
As reported in last week’s newsletter, the Vodkat League has received three
applications up to now from clubs wishing to join our League next season.
AFC Liverpool is not one of those clubs, but the League has had contact from
them, and has been given an indication that the club do intend to submit an
application. We also understand that they are in negotiations with another
club in the Merseyside area to ground share next season, and that these
plans are at an advanced stage.
We will continue to be in dialogue with the club, with a view to assisting
them in their plans to join our League. The League Management Committee
would like to point out that any application for membership of our League is
made through the League Secretary John Deal, and presented for approval by
our member clubs at the AGM in June. Until then, comments in the media and
elsewhere stating that the club will be playing in our League next season
are premature.
When more news becomes available we will publish it through the usual
channels of our website and newsletter. In the meantime, anyone requiring
any more information about the club may be interested in visiting the
official AFC Liverpool web site, which can be found at
www.afcliverpool.org.uk.
Dave Tomlinson, Chairman, The Vodkat League
AFC LIVERPOOL ADVERTISE FOR A MANAGER
On Friday 14th March AFC Liverpool released an advert seeking a
manager for the new club.
Club spokesperson Alun Parry said: "We are looking for an experienced
footballing person to manage AFC Liverpool. We believe this will be a hugely
interesting and high profile job for the successful candidate."
"The ideal candidate will be somebody with a wealth of footballing
experience who will be committed to making AFC Liverpool a success on the
pitch. Those with a knowledge of the non league scene are particularly
welcomed.
"We'd obviously encourage former Liverpool FC players and staff to throw
their hat into the ring too if they'd like an exciting managerial challenge
with the support of fellow Reds!"
“However, experience of LFC is by no means essential and all candidates who
are well equipped to lead AFC Liverpool to success are requested to apply
for the role.
AFC Liverpool are accepting CV submissions online via their website from
interested candidates, and the website can be found at
www.afcliverpool.org.uk
The deadline for applications is Monday March 31st.
NEW MANAGER AT ATHERTON LR
On Tuesday 11th March, Atherton LR announced the appointment of
Stuart Humphreys as the new first team manager.
Stuart is an ex player at the club and has recent experience of managing
Leigh RMI in the Conference North. Malcolm Anderton, who has been caretaker
manager since the resignation of Roy Sweeney, made the following statement.
"I would like to thank Atherton LR for giving me the opportunity over the
last few weeks to be Caretaker Manager. This has enabled me to get to know
the players on a more personal level. They have always given their full
support and I wish them well with the new manager."
Everyone at Atherton LR would like to thank Malc for all his hard work since
taking over the position. He has been involved with the club at every level
from the first team down to the Junior sides for a number of years and has
helped the club on numerous occasions both on and off the pitch. We are
extremely grateful to him and trust we will be fortunate enough to retain
his services for many more years.
Meanwhile, LR Chairman Alan Grundy has gone into hospital for an operation
and will be out of action for a while. Deputy Chairman Jane Wilcox will be
taking over his responsibilities until further notice. We all wish Alan a
speedy recovery.
Tim Lees, Atherton LR
COACHING VACANCY AT ASHTON TOWN
Ashton Town are looking for a First Team Coach. Duties will include the
taking & organising of training twice a week on a Tuesday & Thursday, taking
warm ups on match days and providing general assistance & support to the
First Team Manager. Applicants must be qualified to at least level 2. Any
interested parties are asked to contact the Manager Dave Hughes on 07710
905194.
UPDATE FROM CHARNOCK RICHARD FC
The recent call from the Vodkat League Chairman, Dave Tomlinson for views on
current ground grading standards led to a response from Charnock Richard FC
of the West Lancashire League. Keith Reader, the Vice Chairman and
Programme Editor at Charnock Richard FC got in touch with us to give us an
update on their present situation and future intentions with regard to
applying for membership of our League, and his report is as follows.
The committee for Charnock Richard Football Club wish to make the League
Management Committee aware of their progress regarding a possible
application for them to join the Vodkat League.
For several years now Charnock Richard have been developing a new ground on
Charter Lane which would give them the option of moving up to Step 6 level.
The pitch was laid and drained several years ago, and is fully established
and now in its second season of use by the first team in the West Lancashire
League.
Last year the club applied for a grant from the Football Trust and received
just under the maximum £20,000 available at Step 7 level. The ground is now
enclosed with a 3m high fence, the pitch surround is solid plastic fencing
to the latest specification, and in January a 100 seater grandstand was
delivered and erected. The pitch has hard standing (minimum 1.2m) all the
way around it, there is a large car park capable of holding 100+ cars being
developed in front of the new ground and we have a very successful social
club on the opposite side of the road to the new ground which is open seven
days a week.
The club have planning permission for a new changing room block within the
confines of the ground fencing but they are still seeking the funds
necessary to construct this building. A grant application to the FA for up
to £10,000 towards the cost is in the process of being made. Meanwhile the
teams change in the dressing rooms at the nearby cricket pavilion.
The planning application to build the new ground included floodlights but
this item was turned down by Chorley Council. The club intend to go back
with another application for floodlights when funding to erect the lights is
available.
With a considerable amount of money still needed to complete the new ground
to "FA National Ground Grading - Category G", we seem to be running out of
possible grant monies. Obviously election to Step 6 would give us access to
increased grant money from the Football Trust and possibly other sources.
We hope to have the new changing room block completed within the next twelve
months so depending on the outcome of the discussions that your Chairman has
prompted, we may be in a position to make an application for the 2009/10
season.
NEWS
FROM NEW MILLS
The second issue of a new monthly newsletter from New Mills has just been
released. The newsletter is full of all the latest news on events at Church
Lane, and we’ve plucked out a few snippets from the latest edition.
On Thursday 8th May, the club have organised a Sporting Evening. Guest
Speaker is Jan Molby (Ex Liverpool and Denmark), and the comedian is Lee
Roberts (Ex Halifax RLFC player). Individual tickets cost £30, with table
bookings costing £300 (seating 9 people and includes programme advertising
for the evening). Also on the night there will be the usual stand up bingo,
and auctions for numerous football memorabilia items.
With the club chasing promotion from Division Two manager Tony Hancock
recently bolstered his squad with three new signings.
Utility player Kenny Mayers signed in early February but only made his debut
during a substitute appearance in the recent defeat against Ashton Athletic.
He has played for numerous clubs (Horwich RMI, Bamber Bridge, Chorley,
Morecambe, Lancaster City, Stalybridge Celtic, Hyde United, Stalybridge
Celtic, Barrow, Kendal Town, Fleetwood Town, Padiham, Mossley, Charnock
Richard), his last port of call being UniBond League Chorley.
Shaun Roscoe is a defender who came from UniBond Division One North club FC
United. He has made 26 appearances for the Manchester club, scoring three
goals during the current season.
Also added to the playing squad is left sided player Ryan Shaughnessy. Ryan
signed from Division One club Maine Road and made his debut as a substitute
in the recent 4-0 win against Ashton Town.
Anyone wishing to subscribe to the Millers newsletter should contact
newmillsfc@aol.com.
Meanwhile, the 2000th
spectator in league games this season passed through the Church Lane
turnstiles for the home game against Ashton Town on the 8th
March. The Millers are once again the best supported side in the division
and not surprisingly there has been an increase on last season’s figure.
With five more home league games still to play the club are optimistic that
they will break through the 3000 barrier for the first time since joining
the League back in 2004.
More good news is that work is underway on a new stand at the ground which
will eventually seat around 160 fans. It is all part of a drive to upgrade
facilities if, as is hoped, the club win promotion at the end of the
campaign although they are keen to stress that they are taking nothing for
granted as the run in looks likely to be very close. The club is also due
to announce a major fundraising fortnight of activities due to be held in
May. Watch this space for more details.
PLAYER MOVEMENTS THIS WEEK
Transfers:
Joseph Abedini Norton United to Eccleshall
Robert Brocklehurst Cheadle Town to Runcorn Linnets
Peter Bromley Stone Dominoes to Eccleshall
Liam Denning Nelson to Darwen
Anthony Hargeraves Flixton to Runcorn Linnets
Dennis Hill Nelson to Darwen
Ross McNair Ashton Town to Atherton LR
Danny Morton Atherton Collieries to Daisy Hill
Paul Posteraro Nelson to Squires Gate
Richard Sharpe Ashton Town to Ashton Athletic
Louis Wilkes Padiham to Darwen
Registrations:
Abbey Hey Rico Colulo, Daniel Doherty
Atherton LR Matthew Eckersley, Anthony Filipek, River Humphries,
Chris McDonagh, Andrew Roscoe, Michael Scully
Blackpool Mechanics Adam Pennington, Martin Smith
Cheadle Town
Adam
Gardner
Colne Philip Webster
Darwen Dean Clarke, Philip Fogarty, Andrew Gregson, Daniel
Holroyd, Michael Newton
Eccleshall Ben Buckley, Dean Stokes
Flixton Christopher Burke
Glossop North End Jonathon Regan, Tom Streets
Kirkham & Wesham Adrian Hunt
Maine Road
James
Woods
New Mills Adam Morning
Newcastle Town
Alistair Brown, Steven Elks
Oldham Town Gavin Burke
Runcorn Linnets Michael Morrison
Salford City
Adam Edwards
Stone Dominoes James Shufflebotham
TOP
ATTENDANCES
Tuesday 11th March 2008
Trafford v Abbey Hey 109
Saturday 15th March 2008
Kirkham & Wesham v New Mills 283
Glossop North End v Salford City 231
Runcorn Linnets v Flixton 163
Nelson v Trafford 105
VODKAT LEAGUE LANDMARKS
Tuesday 11th March 2008
Formby’s second goal in their 4-2 defeat at St Helens town was their 600th
away goal and was scored by Paul Lamb.
Saturday 15th March 2008
Formby celebrated their 900th league game with a 2-0 victory at
Bacup Borough.
Ashton Athletic recorded their 200th league goal in their 3-1
away victory at Padiham and was score by Paul McVeigh.
Thursday 13 March 2008
THE WEMBLEY DREAM CONTINUES FOR KIRKHAM & WESHAM
A Sean Paterson goal four minutes into the second half clinched a semi
final place in the FA Vase for Kirkham & Wesham on a windy afternoon in the
The Wembley dream continues for the Fylde club, and the focus now is on a
two legged semi final against Needham Market of the Ridgeon Eastern Counties
League Premier Division. The first leg is at
The quarter final replay in the rather spartan surroundings of the Coventry
Sphinx Sports & Social Club never hit the heights of the first game,
although in fairness that would have been difficult. The swirling wind and
bumpy pitch hampered both sides’ attempt to play football, and despite a
crowd of 774 containing plenty of local support, a rather muted atmosphere
matched a dull first half which produced only two chances of note, one at
each end.
A great challenge from Sphinx’s Terry Ward denied Mark Wane as he shaped to
shoot early on, and on the half hour mark Kirkham & Wesham keeper Pete
Summerfield made a smart stop from Sphinx striker Rob Stevenson’s 20 yard
effort.
The game sparked into life four minutes after the restart, when Kirkham &
Wesham grabbed what proved to be the only goal of the game.
Phil Blackwell’s through ball sent Sean Paterson clean through on goal, and
as the home defenders appealed for offside, the former Blackpool man tucked
the ball into the net under the advancing keeper.
Within 90 seconds Sphinx almost equalised, Kirkham keeper Summerfield
recating quickly to push a Jack Cudworth header on to the bar.
On the hour mark, Mick Horsfall almost grabbed a second for Kirkham, when
his shot after a mazy run was blocked by the outstretched foot of Sphinx
keeper Ashley Hooker
As the game wore on, the home side began to exert more pressure, and with 13
minutes remaining Kirkham & Wesham had a lucky escape when Richie Allen
tripped Sphinx striker Rob Stevenson as he headed for goal.
The offence appeared to take place inside the penalty area, but to the fury
of the home players and spectators, the referee awarded a free kick outside
the area.
In the last minute, there was a similar incident at the other end when
Kirkham’s Mark Wane was halted by a challenge from behind on the edge of the
box when he was through on goal.
After a tortuous seven minutes of stoppage time, the referee’s final whistle
signalled the commencement of celebrations in the visiting camp.
Chairman Dai Davis said: “The conditions made it a very poor football game,
the difference was we produced a quality finish and then we ground a result
out.
“I thought there were more nervous moments in the first game at our ground.
We defended well, the back four and the goalkeeper were excellent, and
generally I was very happy with the way we performed”.
“As for the semi final, Needham Market are obviously going to be a good
side, and we’ll have to be up for it. We’ll have to have them watched, and
see how they play, but we have nothing to fear. It’s been a tremendous day
for the club”.
Manager Mick Fuller said: “It was a great performance from us. We did what
we set out to do, we knew what their strengths and weaknesses were, and we
were very disciplined in our approach. It wasn’t a great game, nothing like
last week, and I think the difference was that we stopped their flair
players playing.
“I never got too worried at any time today, as I always felt we were capable
of beating them. At half time, after what I’d seen in the first half, I
thought to myself that we would never have a better opportunity of moving
into the semi finals of this competition.
“When they took their striker off with 20 minutes ago, a player who was a
handful in the first game, that said it all for me about the way we
controlled the game.
“They did had a good penalty shout towards the end, and one of our lads said
the foul was inside the box. One of their guys came straight over to me
immediately after the final whistle and said they had the incident on film.
I just said “See you later and thanks for your hospitality”.
“But you have to remember we had one at the other end when Mark Wane got
pulled down right on the edge of the box when he was right through on goal,
so that evened things out anyway.
“You have to give every credit to the players who took part. It’s a great
result when you look at the teams Coventry Sphinx have knocked out in the
competition, and they are formidable at home. The players have done a great
job today and who knows where it’s going to end.
“Today was only the second time they’ve not scored in a game this season and
the other occasion was in midweek when they fielded a reserve side in a cup
competition and lost 6-0, so that shows how seriously they took the game.
“Looking ahead to the semi final, Needham Market are a league above us and
will obviously be a decent side. We’ll have them watched and prepare
properly, but in the end it’s down to us. Hopefully we can steer clear of
injuries and maybe bring a couple of new signings if we need them, but I
won’t upset the camp just for the sake of it. The current squad has got us
this far and they can take us still further”.
COACHING VACANCY AT
Ashton
Wednesday 12 March 2008
WEBSITE UPDATES
Due to a serious problem at the Telephone Exchange that provides the
internet connection for the League's Website Editor, updates to the site
will not be as regular as normal. The problem has left him with no internet
connection, fax machine or landline telephone, this means no-one is able to
get information to him, there are steps being taken to get information
passed on and he is doing his best to get the information onto the website
as soon as he is able by travelling some distance to get to an internet
connection.
The site will be updated as and when possible. the League apologies for this
disruption but the problems are out of our control.
The seriousness of the problem my mean disruptions until April.
NEWSLETTER PUBLICATION
The above will also disrupt the publication of the weekly Newsletter, anyone
who receives the Newsletter via email will not receive it until late Monday
morning until the problem is rectified.
Saturday 8 March 2008
RESPONSE TO DAVE TOMLINSON’S MESSAGE
A few weeks back, through the League website and newsletter, League Chairman
Dave Tomlinson invited comments and suggestions on some points he raised on
league restructuring and ground grading.
We promised we would share a selection of the more interesting responses
with everyone, and we are now in a position to do so. These have been
collated into a Word document and can be accessed through the current issue
of the League’s online magazine, North West Side Stories. It’s been saved
in Word version 6 in rich text format, so hopefully that should mean that
most people will be able to open and read it. Go to
www.nwsidestories.co.uk, click on the
current issue, and then from the menu, click the article entitled “Response
to Dave”. From this page, the document can then either be displayed on
screen or printed off.
The general flavour of the comments suggests that most people are reluctant
to relax the standards set for ground grading, and that while a Division Two
North and South might have merits, it is something that would need careful
consideration. The responses make very interesting reading, and overall
it’s been a very worthwhile exercise, so thanks to everyone who took the
time to send in their thoughts.
The comments will now be considered by the League Management Committee at
their next meeting, and will assist them in formulating a plan to both
preserve and enhance the status of our League and its member clubs within
the Non-League Pyramid. Interesting times may lie ahead, as the FA has
begun looking at ways of improving the flow of Step 7 clubs from the feeder
leagues into Step 6 and beyond. League Secretary John Deal explains:
“It is important to bear in mind that we may have no choice with regard to
the ground grading standards at Step 6, as the FA are reviewing grading
standards in order to make promotion and relegation with the Step 7 Leagues
work.
“Our League is now 2 Steps lower than it was when the original grading was
set. More to the point, the Step 7 Leagues in general are miles away from
automatic promotion and relegation, and the FA will be looking very closely
at how Step 7 Clubs can be encouraged to bring their grounds up to
standard.
“Lowering the standards would be one way to help Step 7 clubs, but since it
appears that our Clubs are not in favour of this, the League Management
Committee will look to preserve the current ground grading criteria within
our League for the foreseeable future”.
SO WHO’S APPLIED TO JOIN OUR LEAGUE?
We can now update everyone on the number of applications and enquiries we
have had from Step 7 Clubs with a view to joining our League next season.
Forget the rumours and speculation, this is the actual list as it stands
right now.
To date the following 3 Clubs have applied:
Middlewich Town (Cheshire League)
Runcorn Town (West Cheshire League)
Wigan Robin Park (Manchester League)
Late applications are expected from:
Irlam (Manchester League)
AFC Liverpool (not an actual football club as things stand at the moment,
but more on that in due course)
Other Clubs who have enquired but have not applied:
Charnock Richard, Barnoldswick Town, Blackpool Wren Rovers (West Lancashire
League)
Gregorians, Hollinwood, Prestwich Heys (Manchester League)
South Liverpool (Liverpool County Premier League)
Wolstanton United (Staffordshire County Senior League)
Brighouse Town & Marsden (West Riding County League)
Wem Town & Shifnal United (Shropshire County Premier League)
Any changes, new applications or further information will be communicated
through the League website and newsletter in due course. With regard to AFC
Liverpool, representatives from that organisation have been in contact with
the League and we are hoping to have an update on their situation in the
next week or two, so watch this space.
VODKAT PLAYER OF THE MONTH AWARDS FOR FEBRUARY
DIVISION ONE – MATT HADDRELL OF CONGLETON TOWN
Matt’s form has been consistently good throughout the season, and he turned
another series of excellent performances during February. He scored a hat
trick against St Helens Town inside the opening 16 minutes, including a goal
after just 15 seconds, and then added to his tally with a further two goals
against Maine Road towards the end of the month. In addition to the five
goals he scored, he contributed four assists and could easily have scored
more goals but was denied on a number of occasions by excellent goalkeeping.
DIVISION TWO – DANNY WILLIAMS OF DAISY HILL
Danny’s commitment to Daisy Hill is second to none. He never shirks
responsibility, never misses a training session and generally sets an
excellent example to his team mates and everyone at the club. Over the past
few months, a number of clubs have made enquiries about his availability but
he has always turned the opportunity to move as he wishes to remain at New
Sirs and assist the club in their attempts to move up the table. Danny
played in five matches during February and his performances were
outstanding, a fact recognised by opposing teams who awarded him Man of the
Match nominations on three occasions during the month.
SAFE HANDS GOALKEEPER OF THE MONTH AWARDS FOR FEBRUARY
Sponsored by Sameday
DIVISION ONE – GREG HALL OF MAINE ROAD
Greg’s form during the season has been excellent, and his performances were
recently rewarded when he was given the club captaincy. During the month of
February he only conceded two goals, both of those in an away win at Salford
City where he turned in an outstanding performance to help his side to an
important away win.
DIVISION TWO – JOE CLAYTON OF ASHTON ATHLETIC
17 year old Joe has spent most of the season playing in the Athletic youth
team, but was drafted into the first team at the start of February. He kept
clean sheets against Kirkham & Wesham in the Division Two Trophy semi final,
and in his side’s important 1-0 win at home to top of the table New Mills.
In the one game he did concede, against Oldham Town, he turned in an
excellent performance and made several good saves, and made an excellent
overall contribution to his side’s good run of results during the month.
NEWS FROM BOOTLE
They’ve led a nomadic existence in recent years, but after returning to the
Vodkat League at the start of last season, everyone at Bootle FC is now
looking forward with confidence to the future. A new ground is in place,
the first team and reserves are doing well, and as ever, the Doran family
continue to be at the centre of the club’s activities.
When it comes to footballing families, you’d go a long way to find one that
has been so immersed in one club for so long, as John Doran explains.
“My dad Frank is the club President and received his 50 years long service
award from the FA a couple of years ago, my brother Frank junior is the
Chairman, my brother-in-law Bobby is the Treasurer, and my nephew Joseph is
Secretary and a first team player. In addition, my three kids come and
watch every game - my son Francis plays for one of the club’s junior sides -
and my mother Margaret, sisters Julie and Helena, and my niece Emma work in
the canteen on match days and wash the kits.
“I’m the ‘minister without portfolio’ at the club for the moment, although I
have done most of the main jobs in the club over the years. I played a few
games for the first team in the late 70’s but as I was based up in Blackpool
then I played more games for Fleetwood Town than I did for Bootle. Since
then I’ve been Chairman, Treasurer, and managed the reserves and the first
team.
“Although people think it’s just the Doran family who run the club, there’s
others who have been involved for a long time too. Ben Roberts was my
assistant when we were in the County Combination, and his two sons have
played for the club, and he’s now Vice-Chairman, but there’s a lot of other
people involved who have Bootle FC’s interests at heart”.
Just to recap for anyone not aware, Bootle left the league in 2002 after
their temporary home at the Kirkby Sports Centre was closed down, leaving
them without a home ground. The club was forced to drop down into the
Liverpool County Combination for four years, and John says it was a struggle
at times to keep the club going.
“In that last season in the NWCFL, we had a good run at the end of the
season, and finished sixth. But when we dropped out of the league we lost
that team and the manager and had to start from scratch again and that was
hard. In our second season in the Liverpool County Combination we finished
second bottom, and that’s a big fall in the space of two years. Myself and
Ben Roberts managed the team and we wanted just to keep the team playing
football and keep the name of Bootle FC going. We knew we had the resources
to secure another ground, it was just a case of finding the right site, so
we knew we would rise again but that would be more difficult if we stopped,
so it was important to keep the club going”.
The efforts bore fruit once a new site for a ground was found, and the
familiar name of Bootle FC was back in the league for the start of last
season, with the basic facilities required to meet league standards.
“When we came into the League we were working out of portacabins but we have
since then completed the changing room section of the new club house
building”, John explained. “There are changing rooms, committee rooms, a
referees’ room and there is a temporary canteen.
“We have got a Committee Room, Sponsors Room and Secretaries Office all
completed in one part of the building. The other part of the building has
been set aside for a clubhouse and a social side which is taking its time.
We had some problems with the contractor earlier on and it seemed to be
taking for ever to be built, but the weather didn’t help on a number of
occasions with the foundation work.
“However, we’ve got to a point now where we are ready for the second big
push. We did what we needed to get into the League and we are ready to move
on from there. The next phase includes plans for a shop and a small gym.
We have just acquired a contribution of about £10,000 worth of gymnasium
equipment and rehabilitation equipment from Everton FC, which was a great
gesture on their part. It will just be for the club use at the moment but
we are looking for eventually it to be open to all the community.
“You hear every week of the clubs at our level worrying about money and
trying to raise funds, and we see the gym as another revenue stream from
us. We have a fully qualified physio here, Liam Royle, who was physio at
Tranmere and was at Bamber Bridge for a while too. We are hoping that other
clubs in the area who don’t have facilities, certainly for the
rehabilitation of injuries, will come and perhaps use Liam and his services
and the gym. It all helps, you can’t just rely on selling beer or
programmes to raise money.
“Anyone who has been to the ground will have seen the development that is
going on around the ground, with lots of brand new industrial units being
built. There is about £17m being spent in the area and we are hoping to get
a bit of a spin off from that when the club house is up and running, from
lunch trade, evening trade and support for the team”.
The club’s focus will, of course, always be football and John says the aim
is to make New Bucks Park a major football centre for the area. “There is
enough area around the ground to have an all weather practice area, and five
a side pitches on it. That was part of our bid to the Football Foundation
when we first started, but because of the mountains of paperwork that we had
to go through, it was going to delay us even further and it meant that we
would not be able to get back into the League when we actually did.
“If we can get that sorted, it means a group of lads from the local
Industrial area could, for example, come in and start a little five a side
league. That way they are getting into the place and raising the profile of
the club, and using the facilities, and who knows, we might get a few of
them coming to watch on a Saturday afternoon”.
Promoting the club within the local community is another task that is about
to be given more attention. “So far we haven’t made a concerted effort to
get someone out there selling the club, but we’re working towards that now”,
said John. “We’re putting a brochure and a DVD together at the moment with
some history of the club. Bootle is a big area, and is a hotbed of
football, and when you look at how the likes of Skelmersdale and Burscough
have reached the level they are playing at, you can’t help feeling that
Bootle should have a club up there too.
“We’ve had a settling in period and now we’re trying to push it on to the
next step. We’re going to need support from the business community and we
want to get out there and get support from them, so that if we got promotion
we’d have a base of support to build on”.
Talk of promotion takes us to discussing the team’s performances this
season, and John is upbeat about the way that things are going on the field.
“When we came back in the league we’d planned on a couple of years of
consolidation, and we’ve had that now. We didn’t have strength in depth
last year so we faltered a bit, but last season was always going to be a
year of getting back in and finding our feet. I do believe, though, we are
one of the best teams in Division Two this season. New Mills look like they
are out of sight, and although Kirkham & Wesham will be favourites to go up
too, they’ve had the big distraction of the FA Vase and have a heavy run in,
so you never know there could be chance for the likes of us, Ashton Athletic
or Chadderton to sneak in.
“But one of the most pleasing developments on the playing side has been the
performances of the reserves, which we got going this season. Alan Mitchell
came across to look after the team from Formby, along with his assistant
Philip McComish, whose father was club chairman and treasurer in the 1970’s.
“Their contribution this season has been fantastic. You see so many clubs
where the reserves and first team are run almost like independent teams, but
not with us. A few weeks ago when the first team game was postponed, Alan
gave up the reserve team fixture to the first team, so that the first team
players got a game in, as they hadn’t played for a couple of weeks. Alan is
also happy to sacrifice his own best reserve team players to accommodate
first team players coming back from injury who need to get a game in, and
his and Philip’s attitude is fantastic.
“Not only that, they are having a great season, it’s between them and
Glossop for the league, they are in the quarter final of the Reserve League
Cup, and they reached the semi final of Liverpool County FA Cup, only losing
in extra time to a team that had previously beaten our first team. It’s a
tremendous achievement considering that Alan has chopped and changed the
team to accommodate both first team players, and players from the youth team
we want to have a look at”.
The “footballing family” theme is a feature right through the club, and one
that John is keen to emphasise. “There are now eight teams playing under
the auspices of Bootle FC. We’ve got an over 35’s veterans team, and the
rule is that anyone who plays for them must have played for Bootle in the
past. They are doing well, they are the current LCFA Champions in their
league.
“As well as the first team and reserves, we’ve got under 18s, under 17s, two
under 16s and under 15, so eight teams in total. The current under 17s, run
by my brother Frank, have been together since they were under 7s, and have
largely stayed together as a team ever since. We want kids to play for us,
stay with us and progress right through to the first team, and create a real
football family at the club. For example, one of the players in the vets
team runs one of the under 16s teams.
“There’s nothing better after we’ve had a first team game, and we’re in the
clubhouse afterwards, to have the reserves and vets coming back in from
their games and everyone asking how the other teams have got on, and talking
about forthcoming fixtures. Hopefully once the clubhouse and other
facilities are completed, that spirit will be fostered even more”.
So, all in all, there’s a positive mood all around New Bucks Park at the
moment, and John says their next main aim is success on the pitch.
“Our short term aim is promotion. Hopefully we’ll be in a real position to
challenge next season, but you never know it could maybe happen this
season. Medium term, I’d like to see us back where we were when I played
for the club, which is in the top five or six in Division One. Then, if
things are going well off the pitch financially by then, we would be in a
position to take another step up. But we need to get promotion first and
take it one step at a time from there”.
BOLTON HOSPITAL CUP
On Monday 3rd March, the draw took place for this season's Bolton Hospital
Cup and the ties are as follows:
Turton v Bolton County
Tempest United v Ramsbottom United
Stoneclough v Breightmet United
Eagley v Atherton LR (to be played at Atherton)
In the semi-finals, the winner of game 1 will play the winners of game 2 and
the winner of game 4 will host the winner of game 3
No dates have been arranged yet, but the first round is to be completed by
23rd April. Semi finals are to be played w/c 28th April and the final will
be held at Bolton Wanderers’ Reebok Stadium on Monday 12th May, with a 7pm
kick off. There will be no extra time in the final, if the scores are level
it will go straight to penalties.
The Bolton Hospital Cup was started in the 1930’s, initially to raise money
for cables to be laid to allow people in hospital to listen to commentaries
on Bolton Wanderers games. Since then, many thousands of pounds have been
raised by clubs for local charities.
Current holders of the trophy are Ramsbottom United, who beat Tempest United
5-1 in last season’s final.
LINNETS ANNOUNCE NEW GROUND PROJECT
Runcorn Linnets officially announced the launch of their new ground project
at their Sportsman’s Dinner on Saturday night. The project, which will see
a new stadium built at Halton College’s Runcorn Campus, will require funding
to a minimum of £250,000. The playing facility will be built initially to
UniBond Premier League standard, and able to hold around 2000, but it can be
adapted in future to conform to the standards that a league further up the
pyramid would demand.
The location of the proposed new ground is ideal, with excellent road and
rail links and right at the heart of the local community. The proposed lease
deal with the college will allow for College use of the facilities, and the
plans include all weather facilities which will allow multi sport use for
local sporting organisations and groups.
The club has a number of ways that individuals can get help raise funds:
1. Become a Runcorn Linnets FC Ground Founder £500
Your name will be permanently displayed on a Decorative Runcorn Linnets FC
Ground Founder Board within the clubhouse at the new ground.
2. Purchase a Commemorative Brick or Paver £50
A fine display of Commemorative Bricks or Pavers will be on show at the new
ground for all to see ! Suitable for individuals, families, friends or
businesses, why not take this opportunity to have your name permanently
etched into one of the bricks or pavers.
3. Sponsor a Seat £100
You can have your very own seat plaque on a seat of your choice at the new
ground (subject to availability). The plaque will carry your own choice of
wording and will stay on your chosen seat for all to see on a permanent
basis.
4. Runcorn Linnets FC Ground Fund Roll of Honour £25
A Runcorn Linnets FC Ground Fund Roll Of Honour will be incorporated into
the official Runcorn Linnets FC website to help the club in its fundraising
efforts to bring the club back to Runcorn. For a donation of £25 to the
Runcorn Linnets FC Ground Fund Appeal, your name will be permanently
displayed on the Runcorn Linnets FC Ground Fund Roll of honour within the
website.
Donations can be made directly into the Ground Fund Account using the sort
code 30-99-14 and account number 7840359. You can also get more information,
and make a donation online on the club’s website at
www.RuncornLinnetsFC.co.uk.
There are collection boxes in a number of pubs and shops in the town, and
the club would be delighted to receive memorabilia, old programmes, etc,
from the old club to be sold to raise money for new ground. Any other offers
of help are also much appreciated, including introductions to local
companies that may be interested in sponsoring the project in some way.
If you or your organisation feels able to support the club, please do not
hesitate to contact us for further information.
Please contact either Hedley Edwards (Tel: 01928 575529) or Stuart White
(Tel: 01925 602505), who will be delighted to answer your questions.
Steve Pritchard, Press Officer, Runcorn Linnets FC
NORTON UNITED “GENTLEMAN’S EVENING”
Norton United are holding a "Gentleman's Evening" at the club on Friday 4th
April at 7.30pm. Main guest is former Liverpool and Republic of Ireland
great John Aldridge. He will be supported by the fantastically funny Steve
Tandy. There will be a photo opportunity and autographs available.
Tickets for the function cost £25 and can be ordered through the club on
01782 838290, mornings or evenings.
PLAYER MOVEMENTS THIS WEEK
Transfers
Denny Khan Nelson to Squires Gate
Daniel Stubberfield Atherton Collieries to Trafford
Registrations
Ashton Town Jonathan Harrison, Daniel Timson
Blackpool Mechanics Mark Johnson, Gary Peck, Kyle Webster
Cheadle Town Anthony O’Keeffe
Holker Old Boys Phil Coombe
Leek CSOB Joel Dawson
Padiham Paul Barrett
Silsden Matthew Everard
Winsford United James Roberts
TOP ATTENDANCES
Tuesday 4th March 2008
Runcorn Linnets v Trafford 156
Kirkham & Wesham v Blackpool Mechanics 131
Saturday 8th March 2008
Coventry Sphinx v Kirkham & Wesham 774 FA Vase
Glossop North End v Congleton Town 173
New Mills v Ashton United 150
Trafford v Maine Road 136
Padiham v Darwen 106
VODKAT LEAGUE LANDMARKS
Monday 3rd March 2008
Chadderton’s 2-0 victory over Stone Dominoes was their 200th home
league victory.
Saturday 8th March 2008
Bootle’s 1-0 victory over Leek CSOB was their 300th league
victory.
Padiham’s second goal in their 5-0 victory over Darwen was their 500th
home league goal and was the second of by Paul Barrett’s hat-trick.
Sunday 2 March 2008
VASE
DREAM STILL ALIVE FOR KIRKHAM & WESHAM
Kirkham & Wesham’s Wembley dream is still alive after a thrilling FA Vase
Quarter Final tie against Coventry Sphinx of the Midland Football Alliance
ended in a 3-3 draw after extra time.
Both sides played their
part in a terrific game that was watched by a record crowd of 1093
spectators at
After absorbing some early
Six minutes into the second half, Kirkham went ahead once more, this time
from the penalty spot. Ged Smith was tripped by
Mark Wane and Mike Walwyn had further chances to increase Kirkham’s lead,
before
That took the game into extra time, and
Six minutes into the second period of extra time, Kirkham drew level
courtesy of an awful mistake from Sphinx keeper Ashley Hooker. He appeared
to safely gather a Matt Walwyn shot, but then spilled the ball at the feet
of Kirkham striker Mark Wane, who had the simple task of chipping the ball
into the net from close range.
After the game, Kirkham & Wesham officials and management reflected on the
afternoon's events.
President David Haythornthwaite: “For us to come this far in the
competition is a great achievement but we want to go further. I’ve spoken
to the players and they are confident we can go down there for the replay
and still win it. We had a record crowd of 1093 here, they saw a terrific
game of football that was a great advert for the league and our club, so all
round it’s been a good day”.
Chairman Dai Davis: “Anyone who came had terrific value for money, and I
thought it was a really good game to watch. When we went 3-2 down I said
I’d settle for a draw, and we kept going and got one back. I don’t think we
played as well as we have done at times this season, and if we play to the
standard I know the lads are capable of, I’m sure we can get a result this
Saturday “.
Manager Mick Fuller: “We didn’t start particularly well, but when we went
2-1 up I didn’t think they were going to cause us any problems. They scored
a good goal late on to take the game into extra time, but even then I
expected us to go from there and win. Then, they had one chance in the
first period and took it, so that was us on the back foot again.
“I was pleased with the way we responded, the lads gave everything they had
and in the end I do think 3-3 is a good result. There will be some changes
made to the side for next week, and we’ve got some players who are ready to
come back into the side who didn’t play today. It will obviously be a
difficult game but I’m looking forward to it”.
Saturday 1 March 2008
VODKAT LEAGUE MANAGER OF THE MONTH AWARDS - FEBRUARY
DIVISION ONE – GED KIELTY OF TRAFFORD
Results:
09.02 - Ramsbottom United Home Won 2-0
16.02 - Atherton LR Home Won 3-0
23.02 - St. Helens Town Away Won 1-6
26.02 - Silsden Home Won 3-0
DIVISION TWO – PAUL BUCKLEY OF CHADDERTON
Results:
02.02 - Cheadle
Town Away Won 0-2
(Division Two Trophy Quarter Final)
16.02 - Oldham Town Away Won 0-3
(Vodkat League Cup Quarter Final)
18.02- Ashton Athletic Home Won 2-0
23.02 - Bootle Home Won 1-0
(Division Two Trophy Semi Final 1st Leg)
Congratulations to both managers on their awards.
CONGLETON TOWN SPORTSMAN’S EVENING
Congleton Town are holding a Sportsman’s Evening with memorabilia auction at
the North Stafford Hotel in Stoke on Wednesday 9th April 2008.
Manchester United and England legend Nobby Stiles is the guest speaker, and
there is a ‘Photo Reception with Nobby’ at 6.30pm. This gives everyone the
chance to have their photograph taken with Nobby, autographed and
personalised. This is followed by the main Sportsman’s Dinner at 7.30pm.
There will also be a comedian on the night, and a fantastic array of
football memorabilia to be auctioned. All proceeds from the evening will be
for Congleton Town Football Club.
For further details or to book, contact Michelle Buckle on 07921075647 or
see her on match days at the club.
FROM ASHTON ATHLETIC TO BLACKBURN ROVERS
Ashton Athletic player Alex Marrow has been snapped up by Blackburn Rovers
having impressed during an extended trial period with Rovers since the turn
of the year.
Having previously made a number of first-team appearances for Ashton
Athletic in Vodkat League Division Two, and starred throughout the last two
seasons in the Club’s youth team, Marrow will now look to follow in the
footsteps of Rovers striker Matt Derbyshire, who was plucked from now
defunct North West Counties League outfit Great Harwood Town several years
ago after slipping through the local scouting network as a schoolboy.
The 17-year-old midfielder - a part-time plasterer from Astley, Greater
Manchester - has already played for Blackburn's Under 18s, and he earned a
20-minute run-out in the reserve team victory over Manchester United last
Thursday. Blackburn have moved quickly to offer Marrow a contract until the
end of the season
Teenager Marrow was handed his big chance at Rovers by manager Mark Hughes
after commendations from Blackburn’s scouting network and a recommendation
by Rovers reserve team boss Glyn Hodges. With Rovers fighting against the
Premier League's top clubs for the best local talent, Blackburn have
admitted that they are being diligent to explore every opportunity to
uncover a potential hidden gem.
Ashton Athletic General Manager David Powell said: “From our Club’s point of
view Alex will be sorely missed, especially by our youth team who have made
it to the final of the Lancashire FA Youth Cup at the end of the season, and
are still currently pushing for League honours.
“Alex has also shown his prowess in the Vodkat League and came on as sub and
scored our equaliser in the derby game against Ashton Town last Easter. He
has been playing in the youth team on Sundays in the NWYA and representing
the Lancs FA in their rep side on Saturdays, and as a result he has not
played for the first team this season, much to our disappointment. He will
be a loss to the Club in the future as we endeavour to climb the league
pyramid. “
“However, he is a great lad and his team mates and managers, John Bentley
and Paul Cunliffe have supported him all the way. Everyone at the Club is
delighted for him and are keeping fingers crossed that he gets a full
contract in the summer”.
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