Saturday 30 August 2008
NEWS FROM SQUIRES GATE
After steering Squires Gate to their highest ever league finish last season, manager Andy Clarkson is now looking to build on the foundations laid last year. 
The Gate boss spent the close season planning the next steps in the team’s development and says he is happy with the way things are going.
“We had a great season last time out, finishing the highest we’ve ever finished in the league”, he said.  “We exceeded our own expectations and probably other people’s too, especially as I was in my first season as a manager at this level.
“We had a great pre–season, and in our practice games I took the opportunity to try a few things out that I hadn’t tried before, playing different players in different positions and that all went well too.
“I’ve brought in five new players, three from a higher level who want to play regular first team football, after being squad players in the UniBond League – Nigel Taylor and Russ McKenna from Clitheroe, and centre forward Tom Barlow.  Andy Richards from AFC Fylde has joined us too, and has been playing really well, he’s had a new lease of life since coming to us.
“In addition, I’ve got one or two irons in the fire, and I’m waiting to see how they turn out.  We may need some additions as we have some long term injuries to deal with. At the moment my squad’s down to about 15 from a possible 22, but we’ve got some young lads signed on and playing for other clubs in the West Lancashire League who we could call on if need be.  However, they are more for the future, rather than challenging for places now.”
Andy also has an eye on the future, and has been using his contacts in recent months to develop links with local junior clubs.
“Our juniors from last season have left and gone over the road to AFC Blackpool for various reasons, and in the close season we tried to get an under 18 team in but that didn’t come off”, he explained.
“My son plays for Clifton Rangers, a local junior team in Blackpool, and I coach the 6, 7 and 8 year old age groups and run the under 8s team, so I approached the chairmen of Clifton Rangers and Squires Gate to arrange a meeting to talk about a possible link up.  From there we have now arranged that the under 13 and under 15 teams from Clifton will be playing their games at Squires Gate.
“Moving forward, we are looking now at getting some of the other age groups from Clifton playing their games on a Saturday at our ground when we have no game at School Road.  For these younger age groups we’re also looking at the possibility of having a few mini football festivals on the pitch, perhaps at bank holidays or Sunday afternoons or other convenient times, to give other youngsters a chance to see where they could be playing if they progress through the age groups.
“Being realistic, we know all these youngsters won’t be professionals, some might play for Squires Gate or on Sunday mornings, and some will drop out all together.  But by getting them down to the ground it  gives them a chance to see a top class pitch, floodlights, and good dressing rooms, and gives them the opportunity to see what they can look forward to if they keep playing for the Clifton junior teams.”
With plenty happening on and off the field Andy is optimistic about the footballing future at the club.
“Squires Gate is a terrific club to be involved with.  We’re lucky in that we have a great team of people in place already. The committee are superb, they do a fantastic job, and bend over backwards to help, as do the groundstaff and tea ladies.  Everyone does their bit and as a result it’s a great family atmosphere at the club.
“From a personal point of view, I’ve just passed my level two coaching badge, which I did at Lytham a month ago, and next year I’ll be doing my UEFA B badge.  Hopefully what I’ve learned, and will learn, will rub off on the squad and help us move forward on the playing side and I’m looking forward to giving that experience to the players.”
But despite his side’s good campaign last year, Andy is cautious about making predictions as to what he is hoping to achieve this time around.
“First and foremost, I’m looking to build a togetherness in the squad.  We’ve got a great team spirit and we want to build on what we achieved last year.  That will be difficult as there are two more teams in the division this year, and if we can finish in the top eight or nine, that would be a good season for us on our budget. 
“But we’ve got to look to improve, and maybe this year we can get some cup runs in the Vase and the other competitions too, which we didn’t do last year.  If we can do that, and maintain our position in the top eight or nine, I’d see that as progress for us.”
One other development over the summer at the club was the creation of a new club website, which can be found at www.squiresgatefc.co.uk
Also on the subject of websites, regular readers of the League’s online magazine North West Side Stories will be familiar with the photographic exploits of Albert Cooper, the Squires Gate club photographer.
Now retired, Albert was one of the country’s top sports photographers in his working life, during which he spent many years working for The Sun and the Daily Mirror.  Albert has now set up his own website showing a selection of his pictures from his long career, as well as up to date shots from the latest Squires Gate games.
Albert’s website can be found at www.albertcooper.co.uk
NON-LEAGUE COVERAGE ON BBC RADIO MANCHESTER
Over the past few weeks we’ve mentioned a number of radio stations who feature both our league and non-league football in general.  One station we haven’t given a mention is BBC Radio Manchester, and non-league football features prominently every Friday evening during the “Manchester Sports” show which starts at 7.05pm.
Once again this season, the non-league slot will be presented by Mike Pavasovic, and the current season is the 14th that Mike has been overseeing the station’s non-league coverage.  As ever, non-league football from the Blue Square Premier to the Vodkat League First Division is covered during the non-league section of the show.  The timing of the non-league slot can vary because of live sport, but at the moment it usually starts at about 8.04pm, straight after the 8 o’clock news, through to half time in the Super League games being covered that evening. 
BBC Radio Manchester is available on 95.1FM, or 104.6FM in Saddleworth and East Tameside, and of course you can listen online at www.bbc.co.uk/manchester
NEWS FROM NEW MILLS
Unfortunately for New Mills, there will be no FA Cup glory this season after the home defeat against Friar Lane and Epworth on the 16th August. 
It was a disappointing result for a club that has enjoyed some high profile FA Cup ties in the past, and the Millers’ record in the competition in the 1970’s includes ties against the likes of Mossley, Stalybridge Celtic and Northwich Victoria among others.  The match programme for the recent tie against Friar Lane told an interesting story about one of their games from that era.
In season 1976-77 the Millers overcame Brereton Social at Church Lane in the first round before being drawn away to Long Eaton United.  They lost 3-0, but the Millers’ management team were so impressed with the performance of the Long Eaton centre forward they tried to sign him.  After their attempt was unsuccessful, they tipped off Ken Barnes, who at the time was the Chief Scout at Manchester City. 
City were beaten in their attempt to sign him by Nottingham Forest, and only a few months later, Gary Birtles was a regular in the Forest side that went on to win the League and two European Cups.  A case of the one that got away for the Millers.
Returning to the present, a busy close season off the field has seen the club make a number of improvements to the facilities at Church Lane, with work still ongoing.  The club has obtained turnstiles from Preston North End, and a complete new entrance is being constructed from the Church Lane side. 
The canteen has been moved from inside the club to a new outdoor position, which makes it more accessible for fans to get refreshments.  This also creates more space in the clubhouse for people to get served at the bar.  The old kitchen is being converted into a storage area, and that in turn will provide more space around the old kitchen area for additional tables and chairs, and the clubhouse has been redecorated and recarpeted.
On the playing side, the club has announced that the reserve team manager Gareth McClelland and his assistant Eddie Haslam have tendered their resignation, which has been accepted by the Club's Committee.
Coupled with increased work commitments, both Gareth and Eddie have a desire to manage at a first team level and whilst they have yet to find a suitable position at another Club, they felt it was the right time to leave New Mills to pursue this ambition.
Gareth and Eddie wish to place on record their special thanks to the players for all their hard work and commitment and to everybody at the Club for their fantastic support of the reserve team during their managerial reign.
In return, New Mills AFC would like to thank Gareth and Eddie for all their hard work and effort in running the reserves, which ended with victory over Glossop North End in The North West Counties Reserve Divisional Cup Final in May, and wish them well in their future careers.
Assistant Matt Reeves, who has been involved with the reserves during pre season, has agreed to take temporary charge of the team.  A permanent replacement is sought and anyone wishing to apply for the position should in the first instance contact Duncan Hibbert, Club Secretary, New Mills AFC, Church Lane, New Mills , High Peak, SK22 4NP or e-mail duncanhibbert@newmillsafc.co.uk
CELEBRATIONS AT ASHTON ATHLETIC
Ashton Athletic will be holding a get together for former and current Players, Managers and Officials to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the formation of the Club.
Current Club president Jim Witherington, one of several founder members still involved at the Club said: “We are hoping to welcome back some old and not so old faces for what promises to be a terrific opportunity for renewed connections between former team mates. 
“We are trying to make contact with as many of the players and managers that have been involved with the Club as possible, but many contact details have been changed or lost, so we are having to rely heavily on word of mouth”.
The event will be held in the Clubhouse at Brocstedes Park on Friday 19th September 2008 from 7.30 pm onwards.
All queries and confirmation of attendance should be made to Jim Witherington on 07780 955396/01744 894376.
NEWS FROM ATHERTON LR
After two years in charge at Ashton Town, Dave Hughes is relishing the new challenge of improving the fortunes of Atherton LR.
Dave made the short trip from Edge Green Street to Crilly Park in the summer, and although he had other offers to consider, the opportunity to manage in the Vodkat League Premier Division was the one that caught his attention.
“I was originally going to take up an Assistant Manager role elsewhere, but when I got the call from LR, it was a challenge I couldn’t resist”, he said.  “I’ve been involved in football in the area for a number of years and have plenty of contacts, so I felt that the opportunity was too good to turn down”.
Dave then set about building his squad, which now includes a number of players who followed him over from Ashton Town.
“Virtually everyone in the whole squad has stepped up a level, and in some cases lads have stepped up two or three levels from local football”, he explained.  “The squad is a bit thin in certain areas, we’ve got a first team squad of about 18 but I’d like to get that up to about 20 if possible.  I’m trying to develop a squad mentality, so that players feel a part of things although they may not get a first team shirt every week. 
“I keep emphasising to players that it’s about a 60 game season when you throw in local cup ties, so everyone will get opportunities.  We can’t pick the phone up and offer an experienced player a lot of money to come down, but we can give promising young lads a chance to play in the Vodkat League Premier Division and hopefully that will attract the best of the local young players.
“We’ve not got much of a budget, so we’ve channelled the money we do have into creating a good environment for the players, which will hopefully be an attraction for others to come down here.  The backroom team I’ve got around me have been fantastic.  I’ve got John Brannigan as my assistant, Franny Egan and Glenn Moses as coaches, and Keith O’Brien as Physio.  The work they do in training in midweek is terrific and I can’t speak highly enough of them.”   
After building such a new squad over the summer, Dave was delighted with the start his new charges enjoyed.
“I was really pleased at our performances in the first two games.  To get a winning start in the league and then follow that with an FA Cup win was a great way to begin the campaign.
“In the FA Cup at Dinnington we came back from 1-0 down to win 2-1, which was a great result.  They were a physical side and I thought for a while they would just be too strong for us.  But we kept playing football, and in the end deserved to win, and really we could have won by more.  It was a very mature performance from a young team.  In addition, it was good to get an away tie at Chorley to look forward to after that result, as it gave us a good test against a side a league higher than us and with a bigger budget.
“We played well against Squires Gate the following midweek after the Dinnington game but lost, and in some ways that was the best performance of the three games.  But that will happen at times, where we will come up against sides with a bit more experience than our lads who can grind out a win against us.
“The aim for this season really is just to make sure we finish higher than last season and try to make sure we don’t get involved in a relegation battle again.  The committee haven’t set any targets for me, we just want to make sure we stay in the division and establish a base to move forward.  I do have a target in mind myself, but I’m not going to put pressure on the players by talking about points totals at this early stage in the season.
“We are realistic about where we are and what we can achieve this season, but if players can see there’s a good coaching and backroom set up here, hopefully that will encourage them to stay and develop, and be a part of the future of the club.” 
Meanwhile, if you can’t get down to Crilly Park to see Dave’s side in action, you can still see the ground itself from the comfort of your own armchair on Thursday evenings over the next few weeks.
The ground was used earlier this year as a centrepiece for a new BBC2 drama called “The Cup”.  The programme is a documentary style story of parents obsessed with their sons’ success on the football pitch, and stars Phoenix Nights’ Steve Edge as a Bolton dad who bickers with rival parents and sulks in his shed when things go wrong.  The sequences involving games played at Crilly Park begin from next week.
FA CUP HIGHLIGHTS
Don’t forget that once again, a number of FA Cup Preliminary Round ties involving teams from our league have been selected for coverage by ITV as part of the new television deal for the competition.  Highlights of games between Newcastle Town and Skelmersdale, FC Halifax Town v Silsden and AFC Fylde against Sheffield will be shown online at www.nonleaguedaily.com.
PLAYER MOVEMENTS THIS WEEK
Transfers
Michael Howarth             Nelson to AFC Blackpool  
Denny Khan                       AFC Blackpool to Darwen  
Marlin Ormesher             Ashton Athletic to AFC Liverpool 
Michael Scully    Wigan Robin Park to St Helens Town
Benjamin Walker             Colne to Nelson
Registrations
Abbey Hey          Carl Maylett, Stuart Schofield
AFC Fylde            Danny Rowe, Ryan Dodd, Craig Burke, Adam Cartwright, Nathan Cook, Jack Cookson, GlenMartland, Daniel Monckton, Jack Needham, Matthew Rowe, Kieran Taberner, Jack Watson, Lucasz Jarosiewicz
AFC Liverpool    Jonathan Alcarlo-Daly
Alsager Town     Vincent Francis, Matthew Hall
Ashton Athletic                 Michael Burke, Philip Ducker, Adam Hodgson
Ashton Town     Matthew Khalili, Phil Mooney, Martin Rennox, Craig Jones, Josh Wright, Paul Moores
Atherton Collieries          Paul Watson
Atherton LR        Peter Collis, Nathan Da Silva, Lee Green
Bacup Borough Kyle Harrop, Paul Horridge
Bootle                   Mark Brown, David Coggins, Michael Joyce, Dale Mawson, Kieron Sloan
Chadderton        Marvin Walters
Cheadle Town   Dean Martin, Jordan Dwyer, Tommy Greally, Sam Jones, Luke Wilkinson
Congleton Town               Charlie  Reeves, Chris Smith
Daisy Hill              Daniel Dale, Sean Ferguson, Danny Morton, Melvin Pampila, Michael Smith, Chris Gregory, Graham Leigh, Martin Irvine, John Fairhurst
Darwen                Michael Green, Ashley Higgins, Paul Posteraro, Daniel Stubberfield, Daniel Wisdom, Michael Cheetham, Jason Jones, Tony Roscoe
Eccleshall             Simon Blanchard, Michael Marrow
Flixton                  Steven Tobin, Craig Hindley, Daniel Killilea
Formby                Daniel Atkinson, Eric Farrington, Simon Hill, Shaun King, Craig Malley, Thomas Martin, Shaun McNicholas, James Moulsdale, Carl Peers, Ian Rimmer, Phil Stancombe, Ben Williams, Michael Woodhouse
Glossop North End          Nicholas Allen, Stefan Fielding
Holker Old Boys                Derek Birrell, Steve Forbes, Wayne Hill, Jonathan Newby
Irlam                      Mark Dwyer, Shane Davies, Jonathan Lowe, James Holt
Nelson                  Craig Redhead, Sean Thompson
New Mills            Lee Bromley, Aaron Broadley, Michael Kennedy, Steven Jackson, Peter Band, Chris Royle
Newcastle Town              Matthew Sargeant
Oldham Town    Wayne Ware, Thomas Matley
Ramsbottom United       Andrew Dawsdon, Sean Kelly, Martin Middlehurst
Rochdale Town Paul Davies, Nathan Finnigan, Toby Iloba
Silsden  Lewis Barker, James Dunn
Squires Gate      Michael Booth, Matthew Muscroft
Stone Dominoes              Christopher Rowley, Andrew Sage
Wigan Robin Park             Jamie Jeffers, Christopher Donnelly, Paul Williams, Gary Bickerstaffe, Alan Greaves, Amin Khalaf
Winsford United              Joseph  Gibiliru
VODKAT LEAGUE LANDMARKS
Saturday 30^th August 2008
Nelson’s first goal in their 5-0 victory over Atherton Collieries was their 1300^th league goal and was the first of Sam Heap’s hat-trick.
TOP ATTENDANCES
Monday 25^th August 2008
New Mills v Runcorn Linnets 294
Saturday 30^th August 2008
FC Halifax Town v Silsden AFC 833 FA Cup
AFC Fylde v Sheffield 291 FA Cup
Glossop North End v Belper Town 247 FA Cup
Norton United v Leek Town 235 FA Cup
Chorley v Atherton LR 208 FA Cup
Ashton Town v AFC Liverpool 202
Mossley v Ramsbottom United 202 FA Cup
Curzon Ashton FC v Runcorn Linnets 139 FA Cup
Congleton Town v Squires Gate 136 FA Cup
Newcastle Town v Skelmersdale United 117 FA Cup

Wednesday 27 August 2008
NEW MILLS RESERVES MANAGER RESIGNS
With regret, New Mills AFC wish to announce that the reserve team manager Gareth McClelland and his assistant Eddie Haslam have today tendered their resignation which has been accepted by the Club's Committee. 
Coupled with increased work commitments, both Gareth and Eddie have a desire to manage at a first team level and whilst they have yet to find a suitable position at another Club, they felt it was the right time to leave New Mills to pursue this ambition.. 
Gareth and Eddie wish to place on record their special thanks to the players for all their hard work and commitment and to everybody at the Club for their fantastic support of the reserve team during their managerial reign. 
New Mills AFC would like to thank Gareth and Eddie for all their hard work and effort in running the reserves which of course ended with victory over Glossop North End in The North West Counties Reserve Divisional Cup Final in May and wish them well in their future careers.    
Assistant Matt Reeves who has been involved with the reserves during pre season has agreed to take temporary charge of the team starting with Saturday's home fixture against Cheadle Town. 
New Mills AFC will be advertising for a permanent replacement and anyone wishing to apply for the position should in the first instance contact Duncan Hibbert, Club Secretary, New Mills AFC, Church Lane, New Mills , High Peak, SK22 4NP or e mail
duncanhibbert@newmillsafc.co.uk

Saturday 23 August 2008
A BUSY CLOSE SEASON FOR AFC FYLDE
After the highs of the FA Vase win at Wembley in May, the close season saw plenty of activity at Kellamergh Park as the board at AFC Fylde set their plans out for the new season.
One of the main developments saw the club appoint their first ever full employee in Martin Booker, who arrived to take on the role of Business Development Manager.  Martin’s brief is to grow the off field activities at the club, using the experience he has gained in the leisure industry and for the past 3 and a half years at Stockport County as Commercial Manager.  However, as he explained, swapping Edgeley Park for Kellamergh Park was not exactly a journey into the unknown, from both a personal and professional viewpoint.
 “I’m originally from the area, and I was keen to relocate back to the Fylde earlier this year after leaving Stockport County at Christmas”, he said.  “I had been doing some consultancy work at the club for about three months and I helped them pull all the commercial activities for Wembley together.  On the back of that, we had discussions about continuing my involvement, and things moved quite rapidly over a short space of time, to the point where we agreed that I would be become full time.” 
Martin can look back on ten years experience in the football and leisure industry.  He spent a number of years opening five-a-side soccer centres all around the country, starting with one in Blackpool, and rolling out the opening of new facilities all over the country, before joining Stockport County.  He believes that the combination of commercial and community based experience will stand him in good stead for his new role. 
“I’ve been brought in to look after the off field activities, and my brief is to try and maximise all the opportunities available on the back of the publicity the club has had on the back of the FA Vase win.  On the field the club has made huge strides on the field in the last couple of years, but off the field there’s a lot of work to do and that’s where I come in. 
“Basically we are looking to build solid foundations that will allow the club to grow.  We want to be a community club in every sense of the word and we want to develop that by working with local junior clubs, schools, and colleges, in order to attract bigger crowds from the locality.  A big part of my job in the next few months will getting involved with local schools and getting families down to games to build our local support base who are on the doorstep, through family fundays at home games and other initiatives.
“On the commercial side we’ve got a lot of interest from people wanting to get involved with the club.  We will be looking at putting together matchday sponsorship packages for local businesses, and I have plenty of contacts in the area to follow up.  I have a number of ideas to bring to the club that will help them to develop off the field, although it’s a big challenge and I’m not expecting it to be easy.  One deal we have secured recently is a new kit deal with Just Sport who are national agents for Nike. The image of the club is important, and this development coupled with our new retail partnership with local sports shop Kirkham Sports to sell all official merchandise, will be of great benefit to all concerned.”
Another area that Martin will be involved in is the development of facilities at the club.  “Over the next eight weeks, work will be completed on new catering facilities, a club shop, Directors Lounge and Sponsors Lounge at Kellamergh Park, along with some new standing areas in the ground.  It’s already been announced that longer term, the club will be looking to relocate to a purpose built site not too far from where we are now.  There’s no timescale for that at present, and we will be at Kellamergh Park for at least another couple of years, which won’t be a problem as we believe the facilities we are putting in place will be excellent for this level.
“But the club is ambitious and the aim is to get up to the Unibond League as soon as we can.  To do that you need to have a ground that meets the grading criteria, so we’ve just got to try and raise the standard of the facilities if we are to progress in the next year or two. 
“Looking ahead to the new development, that will comprise a stadium, a soccer complex and other sports facilities for the community to use.  It’s at the concept stage at the moment, there are plans drawn up but that’s where it’s at for now. But our aim as a club is to achieve Football League status by 2022.”
With so much to go at, it’s not surprising that Martin is upbeat about the club’s future.
“The club has had a fantastic last few years, and as everyone knows, the club has great backing from President David Haythornthwaite and Chairman Dai Davis, who have big plans for the club.
“Although the club has only just come up to the Premier Division, there is a real ambition to be promoted to the next level.  There are a lot of good sides in this league, but if we can get things going off the field with a good sponsorship base, and lots more people involved in supporting the club, that will help to build foundations on which we can progress.”
Meanwhile on the playing side, team manager Mick Fuller is enjoying being back in the dugout and on the training field, after a hectic summer of planning for the new season.
Mick enjoyed plenty of national media exposure before, during and after Wembley, but once the close season began there was little opportunity for him to have a long break.
“Within days of coming back from Wembley, the President said to me that it was in the history books now, and we had to begin planning for the next stage.  It never really stopped in the close season,  I was having meetings with the President, Chairman and other people within a week of coming back from Wembley.  It’s been a difficult pre season, keeping all last season’s players while looking to bring new ones in.
“I found it a lot harder this time around than I have done in any other pre season.  I was spending time with club officials on various things two and three nights a week, and I felt as though I missed out on the first couple of weeks pre season training.  I was thinking that this was not really what I wanted to be doing, as I wanted to be keeping an eye on the squad, but it all settled down and I was just pleased to be back involved in games again.
“We’ve done all the hard work now and hopefully all that time will stand us in good stead for this season, and that I’ll be able to focus on team affairs rather than spending time in the President’s office.  There’s been a lot going on behind the scenes over the summer and I’m just glad we’ve started playing football now, and we can get on with our business and let our superiors get on with their business.” 
Once he got back to the pre-season training sessions, Mick began the job of integrating new signings with the existing squad.  “I’ve signed six new players, but the squads I’ve picked so far in competitive games have largely comprised players who were with us last season.  A lot of that is due to the pre-season games, when we played sides from leagues above us.  We had some good performances but I felt the balance wasn’t quite right and we struggled in a game against Bamber Bridge when I had eight players out for different reasons and had a lot of new faces in.
“So we decided before we played a game against Curzon Ashton that we would pick a side we knew, with one or two additions and we put in a good performance, so that was the squad we went with for the opening games.  It was a case getting back to what we know.  People sometimes think you’ve got to make wholesale changes when you move up a league, but we had a good togetherness last year, and although the addition of one or two may well improve the side, that remains to be seen.  The new lads are going to have to be patient. 
“But in the early games we have played some new faces.  Joe Booth is a central midfielder, although we’ve played him out of position on the left, and he’s done well.  Steve Palmer is a good solid performer in central midfield, what you see is what you get with him, and we brought in Martin Moran at the back as well.  Overall I feel we’re a little stronger than last season.” 
Looking ahead to this season’s campaign, Mick is cautiously optimistic about his side’s chances of success.
“We know this season is going to present a new challenge to us, after our achievements last season.  It’s going be tough with the likes of Newcastle Town, New Mills, and Maine Road, and Runcorn Linnets have made a good start too.
“Hopefully we will have learned some lessons from last season because early doors we struggled away from home, but we learned quite quickly.  We also learned from the pre season games by playing sides from a level above as they punished us for mistakes a bit more.  There’s a lot of things we’ve picked up along the way that will hopefully make the side stronger.
“I think we are capable of getting into the top two but we need to feel our way as we go along.  We won our first game at Nelson which was a very important game to win after having our opening game against Maine Road called off 20 minutes before kick off.  I’m sure we face some tough challenges along the way, but I’m not looking to consolidate.  I’m aiming for the top half of the table and hopefully challenge for promotion.  I think if we can keep the squad happy we can achieve that, but it’s a long season and we need to keep our feet on the ground.”
In the meantime, while his side wait to defend the FA Vase, Mick is hoping that the FA Cup might bring some more publicity for the club.
“Hopefully we can look forward to a bit of media attention in the next round of the FA Cup, after winning 4-1 at Leek CSOB in front of the ITV cameras.  We play Sheffield in the next round, who I believe are the oldest football club in the world, so that might help to get us a bit of publicity again.  It’s nice to get through and obviously the prize money at each round helps us too, it keeps the President happy and the wolves from the door a bit, and hopefully we can make some progress in the competition.”
NEWS FROM LEEK CSOB
Leek CSOB Chairman Chris McMullan has set the twin targets of progress on and off the field as The Old Boys plan for the season ahead.
In recent years, a lot of time and effort has gone into looking for a new permanent base for the club, and Chris says that the project is progressing well.
“We have obviously been sharing Harrison Park with Leek Town for a number of years, but we are still actively looking for our own ground”, he said.  “If we do get a ground, initially it will not be of the standard to allow us to play at Vodkat League level so we will still be playing at Harrison Park for the foreseeable future.  The important thing it will give us is a base for our club, which is something the club has never had.  We have always shared grounds with other clubs in the 60 odd years we’ve been going.
“People might wonder why we are looking for a ground after all this time sharing, but the stage we are at now means it is key to our future progression.  We need to get a base for our junior teams to play at, so that they have a ground and facilities to identify with.  At the moment our teams play in a number of different locations from North Staffordshire to Stoke, so it would be nice to get them all together in one place with one home ground.
“As a club we are looking to put foundations down on the youth side of things, and put a lot of emphasis on the junior teams, which will hopefully support the first team further down the line.  We’ve got 11 sides in total, two girls teams for under 14s and under 12s, and the boys start at under 7s through to under 18s.  From that stage we will hopefully be producing players for our first team, so it’s important that the youngsters have the proper facilities to develop their skills.”
In recent years the club has had difficulties with the local council in moving the project forward, but Chris says there are now definite signs of progress.
“We are working very closely with the local council and consultants who are experienced in building new sports facilities.  At every meeting we’ve had so far, we’ve moved on a stage.  We’ve been up to Curzon Ashton to see how they went about getting their stadium built and down to Rugby Town too, as they have a fantastic facility there.  It’s all about picking the best ideas from places like these and hopefully putting those ideas into our project.
“We have no timescale set in stone at the moment, but as a rough guideline we are tentatively looking at around two years, by which time we should have a facility in place that we can call home for our club.  I believe that is a realistic target to aim for from where we are at the moment.
“Like most projects of this nature, the Football Foundation will provide the bulk of the funding.  We have been working with Eamon Farrell from the Foundation for what seems like ages, certainly it’s been about four or five years since we first made contact.  He has stuck with us, and continues to stick with us, and we can’t thank the likes of him and Andy Weston at the Staffordshire FA enough for what they have done for us.  Without their support and guidance we wouldn’t be where we are today, looking at finally having a home.”
Another piece of positive news to emerge recently is that the club has signed a new deal with club sponsors Moss Builders, from Stoke. 
“We’ve retained our sponsors from last year and we’re delighted that they have backed us again”, said Chris.  “We’ve got a good relationship with Richard Moss, he’s looked after us brilliantly, and we want to repay him by wearing his logo on our shirts while winning some games.  Although we went out of the FA Cup to AFC Fylde, the ITV cameras were here filming the game so that was some good publicity for the company and ourselves, while wearing the new kits with the Moss logo.”
Turning to playing matters, it’s perhaps forgotten that up until early last season, Chris combined the Chairman’s role with being first team manager, before handing over the managerial reins to John Loton.  After a tricky opening to the season, the team put a good run of results together in the second half of the campaign, and Chris is hoping that form can be carried on this season.
“From the first team point of view we have got be looking to build on what we achieved last time around.  We had a good second half of the season and eventually finished seventh, and if you look at our form in the latter half of the season, we were probably up along side the clubs in the top three.  So we want to try and build on that, although we didn’t have the best of starts, losing our opening two league games and going out of the FA Cup to AFC Fylde.
“But it’s early days yet, and once we get everybody in the squad fit we will be looking to string a few results together and improve on our finishing position from last season.  If we can get into the top five that would represent a good season for us.”
MAJOR ROAD CLOSURE NEAR LEEK
Anyone planning on visiting Harrison Park to attend games hosted by Leek CSOB in the next couple of months should be warned that one of the main routes into Leek – and the route to the ground listed in the league handbook and website - has been closed due to road works.  The A523 that links Leek with Macclesfield is closed a few miles south of Macclesfield at the junction of the A54.  Following the diversion from there takes you through the Derbyshire National Park along winding roads to Buxton, before sending you back across on the A53 to Leek.  It’s a diversion that provides glorious scenery but adds about 12 miles and at least half an hour to the journey.  The road closure began on the 4^th August and is scheduled to last ten weeks so it’s worth checking for alternatives. 
There are a number of those depending on where you are travelling from, either down the M6, down the A6 through Buxton or taking a chance through country lanes if you have a good atlas, sat nav, a decent sense of direction or a willingness to acquaint yourself with rural Cheshire and Staffordshire.  Whatever way you choose, it’s worth allowing a bit longer than usual if you are heading for Harrison Park.  
FARNY AT THE FAR POST – AN EARLY SEASON BLAST
Welcome back, everyone, and I hope you all enjoyed your summer break.
While I’m a cricket fan, it’s good to be back watching the footie again, but having been to half a dozen games so far, I’ve noticed bad habits seem to be creeping into our games already.  So I’d like to send out both a reminder and a warning to all our clubs and their supporters.
It’s only a few days since the clubs’ regional meetings, when everyone was warned about the number of people in the technical area.  Also, at the AGM in June I spoke to everyone present about bringing alcoholic drinks on to the ground, children in the dug outs, and children on the pitch at half time.
You are all reminded, for the last time, these are all a no-no.  These are not just rules but laws of the land!  This is a semi-professional league run in a professional manner.  If you don’t want to comply then fine, just don’t complain when the fines drop on the mat. 
All League Management Committee members have been instructed to police these matters, and we are determined to get this part of our game right.  We would rather do it with your help, but if it continues then we as a League shall act accordingly.
Another point that needs to be brought to everyone’s attention is the content of some websites.  Whilst some comments are written tongue in cheek, some are causing offence and no matter which way the cat jumps, as clubs you are responsible for anything that appears under your club banner, and will be dealt with as appropriate.
So what of the brighter side of life?  Well, all three new clubs have wins under their belts, so they are showing that they are settling in nicely.  Last Saturday we saw 18 of our clubs progress to the next stage of the FA Cup, earning themselves £750 in the process.  Well done boys – that should help to pay the fines.
It’s good to be back.  See you “at the far post”.
Farny
GOLDLINE TROPHY UPDATE
Once again clubs in the Bolton area began their pre-season preparations in the Goldline Trophy, but only two of our Vodkat League clubs progressed through the qualifying rounds.
For anyone not aware, the competition is sponsored by Bolton Wanderers, and involves clubs from within a 20 miles radius of Bolton.  Round robin qualifying rounds involving four teams in four groups are played in July and early August, with later rounds played during the season.  The final is staged at the Reebok Stadium.
From our league, representation this season – as in previous years – came from Ashton Athletic, Ashton Town, Atherton Collieries, Atherton LR and Daisy Hill.  However, despite an impressive showing from a number of our clubs in recent competitions, only the two Atherton clubs progressed through the qualifiers into the quarter finals this time around.
Daisy Hill finished bottom of their group which comprised Euxton Villa, Stoneclough and Elton Vale. The two Ashton clubs were drawn together in a group along with Eagley and Tempest United of the West Lancashire League, and somewhat surprisingly, it was the latter two who occupied the qualifying spots in the group.
Atherton LR, Charnock Richard and Prestwich Heys all finished level on six points in group A, but it was Prestwich who missed out on goal difference.
The most comfortable passage through the group stages was enjoyed by Atherton Colls, who won all three of their group games against Atherton Town, Bolton County and Breightmet United.
Remaining interest in the competition from the Vodkat League viewpoint is therefore provided by Colls and LR, and as luck would have it the draw matched the two clubs together in the quarter finals, with the game scheduled to be played at Alder House on Monday 1st September.
However, LR are due to play at Chorley in the FA Cup on Saturday 30th August, and if that game ends in a draw, the FA Cup replay will take precedence, and the Goldline game will be rearranged.  When the derby game is played the victors will join Stoneclough, Euxton Villa and the winners of the other quarter final tie between Charnock Richard and Atherton Town.
PLAYER MOVEMENTS THIS WEEK
Transfers
Craig Corneille   Chadderton to Bacup Borough
Sam Holt                              Darwen to Ramsbottom United
Graham Vaughan             Bacup Borough to Flixton
Registrations
Abbey Hey                          Phil Newton
AFC Fylde                            Stephen Betteridge, Curt Smith
Ashton Athletic Karl Atherton
Ashton Town                     Bkoray Calcalli, Pavlos Lambrianides, Andrew Kelly
Atherton Collieries          Daniel Baker, Daniel Hannah
Atherton LR                        David Beazant, Bambo Ogunlowo, Luke Vaughan
Bacup Borough Phil Melville
Chadderton                        Jonathon Shaw
Cheadle Town                   Joseph Dalton
Congleton Town               Ryan Greene, Triston Hamilton
Daisy Hill                              Adam Thomas
Darwen                                Liam Denning, Joshua Eastwood, Stephen Johnson
Eccleshall                             James Hackney, Liam Kerrigan
Maine Road                        Daniel Self
Padiham                              Jamie Edmondson, Ben McGinty, Reece McGovern
Ramsbottom Utd             Aaron Grundy
Squires Gate                      Andrew Speight
St Helens Town John Fletcher, Kevin Woods
Wigan Robin Park             Lee Atherton, Matthew McCoy
Sunday 17^th August 2008
Runcorn Linnets v Rossington Main 170 FC Cup
Ramsbottom United v Hallam 135 FA Cup
Monday 18^th August 2008
Chadderton v Rochdale Town 103
Tuesday 19^th August 2008
Nostell MW v Winsford United 135 FA Cup
Ramsbottom United v Glossop North End 114
Wednesday 20^th August 2008
Colne v Nelson 143
Silsden AFC v AFC Fylde 142
Saturday 23^rd August 2008
Glossop North End v Silsden AFC 166
Chadderton v AFC Liverpool 145
AFC Fylde v Alsager Town 139
Runcorn Linnets v Colne 139
Congleton Town v Ramsbottom United 103
Winsford United v Squires Gate 103
VODKAT LEAGUE LANDMARKS
Wednesday 20^th August 2008
Nelson’s 2-0 victory at Colne earned them their 1000^th league point.
Saturday 23^rd August 2008
Daisy Hill celebrated their 900^th league game with a 1-0 victory over Eccleshall.
Cheadle Town’s 5-0 victory over Holker Old Boys was their 300^th league victory.
Bootle 0-0 draw at home to Padiham earned them their 1000^th league point.
Formby’s third goal in their 4-0 victory over Atherton Collieries was their 750^th home league goal and was scored by Rob Dutton.
Stone Dominoes second goal in their 2-2 draw against Wigan Robin Park, scored by John Brown, was their 300^th home league goal.

Saturday 16 August 2008
OPENING DAY POSTPONEMENTS
All of us who live in the North West are used to the variable weather conditions, but the rain which swept across the region on the opening Saturday of the Vodkat League season produced the unusual outcome of two postponements on the opening day of the season.
The Division One clash between Holker Old Boys and Oldham Town was the first game to fall, followed by AFC Fylde’s match at home to Maine Road.  As far as anyone can recall, this is the first time that situation has ever arisen, although if it has happened before I’m sure someone will let us know. 
For the clubs concerned, their preparations were undone by the sheer volume of rain that fell in a short space of time.  Holker Old Boys Chairman Dick John said that they first realised there might be a problem around lunchtime.
“I was at the club from 9.30 on Saturday morning, and while the rain had started a short time before that, around 10 am it became a downpour.  But the pitch has been in excellent condition and even though the forecast was not good, we still thought we would be OK as the forecast was for the rain to ease up later on in the day.
“We then looked at the ground at about 11.45 and it was starting to hold water, and still it was raining as hard as ever.  My colleagues Derek Birrell & John Adams decided the game was in doubt between about 12 noon and 12.15, and then contacted both the referee and Oldham Town, who were all on their way.
“The referee told us he was due to arrive about 1.15, and Derek along with some of the other boys at the club were brushing water off the pitch when he arrived.  However, he said they were wasting their time and called the game off as it was still raining.  The rain eventually stopped about 3.30 in the afternoon.
“It was very unfortunate as the pitch is in good condition, but you can’t legislate for six hours continual rain of that degree.  I apologise to everyone concerned for any inconvenience caused.  As a club that travels a long distance every other week, we realise better than anyone how annoying it is to make the effort to travel, and not get a game out of it.”
Meanwhile, further south, the rain hit the Fylde Coast around lunchtime, as AFC Fylde’s Martin Booker explained.  “When the rain arrived, at that stage the pitch was fine.  The officials checked the pitch at 2.15 pm and again it was fit to play on.  The rain began to get heavier on the lead up to kick off, and the officials checked again but by this time the pitch was deemed waterlogged and the game was postponed 15 minutes prior to kick off.  Surface water in one particular area of the pitch was the main problem.
“Obviously the club is disappointed that the game was called off, as about 100 fans had already entered the ground.  We were expecting a good crowd for our opening fixture but the conditions will have affected that.”
AN EVENTFUL SUMMER AT DARWEN
Following the much publicised ownership issues at Darwen FC over the summer, Darwen Chairman and owner Kevin Henry is now focussing his efforts on establishing some stability at the club once more.
After regaining ownership of the club after a court case, Kevin says the short term aim is simply to ensure the club fulfils its fixtures and obligations, rather than concentrate on projects such as the new stadium development that previous owner Ted Ward had planned.
“If the £20 million stadium development is available we’ll certainly look at that”, he said.  “For now, though, it’s all about making sure that we can get a team out on the pitch in a decent kit and that we’ve got enough pies and peas on sale at home games for the first team and reserves.  It’s not a jaundiced view, just a realistic view of where we are and where we are going.”
As previously reported, Kevin regained control of Darwen FC in July after court action against previous owner Ted Ward, to whom he sold the club early in 2007.
“I had to go to great lengths and great expense to regain control of something I actually owned”, he said, “and when I went down on the Saturday morning, the day after the court case, I was greeted by the local press who began asking me questions.  One of those was concerning a £20 million stadium in Darwen, but I told them at that stage I didn’t even have a set of keys for the Anchor Ground.”
Kevin then began work on picking up where he had left off previously, and quickly realised there was plenty of work to be done.
“We were two weeks away from the start of the season, and I had to start virtually from scratch.  We didn’t even have a proper new kit, and played our opening day fixture at AFC Liverpool in an old away kit we found in a cupboard.
“We also had a situation in the week leading up to the start of the season where the Anchor Ground was marked out for rugby, and we were let down by our groundsman who walked out on the job.  We had to cancel a friendly game, and in the meantime lined up a local firm to take over the pitch maintenance.  They were able to get the pitch playable, for the game against Holker Old Boys on the first midweek of the season but it was in doubt for a while.”
One point Kevin is keen to emphasise is that, while the proposed new stadium development is on the back burner for now, it is certainly still an option he is pursuing.
“I am led to understand that Blackburn with Darwen Council does have a piece of land that would accommodate a new stadium, and we don’t want to be either in it or out of it at this stage.  We will be interested in it if it is available, and if not, we have to make our long term home where we are now. 
“I believe that the land may not necessarily be ideal for housing development but would be suitable for a sporting facility.  Therefore, the Council would be receptive to us taking the opportunity to move there, and we will explore that.
“Ted Ward was talking about being in the Football League within ten years, and it would be nice to think that’s possible.  I’ve always believed that it could be achievable in a town such as Darwen.  Morecambe is slightly smaller than Darwen and Accrington is slightly bigger, and they have clubs in the Football League, so there isn’t any reason why Darwen as a town couldn’t go there too. 
“However, what I am saying is that you have to be realistic.  When I was at Darwen previously, I can recall us playing a game in the week leading up to Christmas when there were about 28 people in the ground.  You can’t look at spending £20 million on a stadium to accommodate events for 28 people. 
“So, although we are keen to look at the possibility, the message for now is we’ve no specific plans for £20 million pound stadiums or getting to the Football League for the time being, although we are actively working at moving the club forward.”
During Kevin’s previous tenure he brought rugby league to the Anchor Ground, and he says that the rugby club will continue to play an important part in the activities at the Anchor Ground.
“Originally Darwen FC played the original game of rugby league, and then changed codes in the 19^th century.  Rugby League returned to Darwen three years ago when I was there and it still forms a big part of what we are doing at the club.
“We are a community based club, and out in the community there might be young people who aren’t attracted by football but would be attracted by rugby league so it’s important to keep it going.
“I am motivated by business, and we have had paydays through the summer from rugby league which we wouldn’t have had if we had just concentrated on football.  So it’s been a good business venture and we are now talking seriously about professional rugby league being played on the Anchor Ground next summer, with another team coming in and playing games there.” 
Back on the footballing side, Kevin is focussing his efforts on gearing up for the season ahead in Division One.  “Since I came back I’ve been down at the ground mopping the clubhouse floor, tidying the kitchen and bar, and organising to get all the other jobs done that needed doing.  When you are at a club at this level, no one is on an ego trip, and you need everyone to pull together.
“I was pleased to find that there were some good people already at the club when I came back.  We have a good management team with Dennis Hill and his backroom staff, and there are plenty of initiatives taking place elsewhere.  We are seriously looking for a Commercial Manager, and we are in discussions with a national food manufacturer with a view to them getting involved in sponsoring the club. 
“The solicitor we used for the court case is a football fan, a Stoke City fan as it happens, and he is interested in possibly putting some financial support Darwen’s way too.  We are also in discussions with a local junior football club which has six teams, and at the moment they are considering moving their operation to the Anchor Ground.
“I’ve personally put some more finance into the club’s bank account, and we are just concentrating now on moving Darwen forward.  No pie in the sky, just living in the real world.”
Meanwhile, on the playing side, Darwen player-manager Dennis Hill is focussing his efforts on building a squad to challenge in Division One this season.
35 year old Dennis was appointed by previous owner Ted Ward towards the end of last season, and has been focussing his efforts on gathering a squad together for the new season rather than be sidetracked by other events.
“I’ve kept out of all the off the field developments in the summer, but I’ve had a few meetings now with the new Chairman”, he said.  “He has promised he will do his best to help us out.  We’ve got a squad of 25, but my assistant Jimmy Khan and myself have got a lot of contacts and we’ll be looking at bringing more players in when we can.”
35 year old Dennis may be taking his first steps in management but he has an impressive footballing CV.  He started out in the professional ranks at Burnley, and then went down to Torquay and had a full season down there.  A spell up at Airdrie followed, where he played in the Scottish Premier League, before coming back to Lancashire.  He played for Clitheroe in the FA Vase Final at Wembley in 1996, and since then has played at a number of clubs including Lancaster and Bamber Bridge, as well as a number of North West Counties League clubs.
However, although he has started the season in the Darwen side he is looking at restricting his appearances as the campaign goes on.
“I don’t know how long my legs can keep going.  I don’t really want to play much now, I’d rather just watch, but I did start in our opening game against AFC Liverpool.  A couple of years ago I played for Great Harwood Town against FC United at Gigg Lane when we beat them 1-0 in front of over 6,000 people and knowing our first game was against AFC Liverpool I had a chat with Jimmy and he thought it might be best if I played. 
“He thought it might be better to go with experience, although I wasn’t too keen. But I don’t expect to be playing regularly, not any more.  I’ve had a good career,   I’ve managed to keep myself fit and still playing at 35 so I can’t grumble.  I plan to play more games for the reserves than the first team, just to keep myself ticking over. 
“It’s a good chance for me to have a look at the young lads in the reserves who are coming through.  We’ve got some good young players at the club, and hopefully they will be pushing for a place in the first team before long.”      
Looking ahead to the rest of the season, despite the opening day defeat against AFC Liverpool, Dennis is cautiously optimistic about the months ahead.
“It was maybe a bit unfortunate that we had AFC Liverpool away in our first game with a new team.  Sometimes it can work in your favour when you play a game against a new club, sometimes not, and it didn’t for us.
“But I think we’ll do OK this season.  I was only in charge for the last seven games last season, and we finished 11^th eventually, so obviously we’ll be looking to improve on that.  We’ve got to keep building as the season goes on, because it’s almost a brand new team, but if we can finish in the top five or six, I’d be reasonably happy with that.”
A GREAT START FOR AFC LIVERPOOL
AFC Liverpool’s winning start in their opening Vodkat League game left everyone involved with the club on a high.
After watching his team win 5-0 against Darwen, club founder Alun Parry was understandably in upbeat mood after the game.
“It was fantastic, you couldn’t hope for a better start.  We just wanted people to come in, have a good safe day and go home again having seen a good game and that’s what happened.  It would have been nice to have had a sunny day and maybe had a few more people in, but that’s the only thing I would have changed.
“Every week brings a new challenge for us, especially every home game, when we’ll be wondering what the attendance will be.  Is it going to be more in better weather?  Who knows, it’s a journey into the unknown, but we’ll enjoy it no matter what. 
“No matter what the result was today, we’ve achieved something simply by being here, something is here that wasn’t there before, and let’s hope it’s going to be here for a long time to come.
Alun said that while he obviously hopes the team will do well, it’s just as important for the club to establish a fan base this season, to enable them to progress.
“We hope to be challenging for promotion obviously, but the main hope is that people enjoy what they see and want to keep coming back.  If we can finish with some sort of honours, that would be great, but it’s a new league and we don’t know what we’ll be up against.  We’d like to challenge but we want to entertain, if we entertain then as far I’m concerned we’ve done our job.”
Up until the opening game, Alun had been fulfilling the role of Chairman at the club, but from now on he will be Vice-Chairman with specific responsibility for certain projects.  The new Chairman is Gary Langley, who has been involved with the club almost from the word go. 
Gary shares Merseyside roots and a love of football with many others at the club, and these qualities are coupled with experience of being a director of a football club.  However, it may come as a surprise to many that his previous involvement was as a director of Scottish League club Stranraer.  Gary takes up the story.
“I have family in Newton Stewart, in South West Scotland, and when I was young I used to go up and visit my aunt there.  Stranraer is the nearest local team, so I used to ask my dad to drop me off at the football.  As you do, you get to know some other lads there and we used to meet up on the terraces and watch the games together. 
“As you get older, you start work and don’t get up so often although I always tried to keep in touch with what was going on.  Then in 2001, I saw that Stranraer were advertising for someone to spare an hour or so a week to look after the club website.  I contacted the Secretary and told him I would do it, and it steamrollered from there. 
“I began commuting up more regularly to see games, and before long started doing the match programme too.  Then, I began submitting reports and stories to the local press as well.  Games in the Central Scotland area were no problem for me as I work on the railways and get free rail travel, which was a great help.  Eventually I was invited last season to take up a position on the board at Stranraer, which I was delighted to accept.
“However, I decided to step down at the end of last season, as I felt I was involved in so many things that I was running the risk of other people at the club beginning to suffer from “Langley fatigue!”.  I was having an input in a lot of different areas and I thought perhaps it was time to step back and let someone else have a go, as I’d been involved at the club for a few years. 
“The programme and website were established and at a stage where someone else could take them forward, and I also felt that maybe it was time to look for a fresh challenge anyway.  The AFC Liverpool concept grabbed my attention, and I found it very appealing.  Of course, it had the benefit of being on my doorstep rather than me having to commute to Stranraer or Glasgow or wherever at weekends, so that was an attraction too.
Gary approached Alun Parry shortly after the AFC Liverpool concept had been established, and it didn’t take long before he was involved.
“I got involved with the club after it had been going about a month.  As a football fan I was very interested in the concept from the word go, and followed things virtually from the moment word came out.  I was very interested to see how a team could evolve from scratch into a league side in a short space of time and I wanted to see how everyone would go about that and get a team together.
“I saw the advert saying that they were looking for help in a number of areas, and offered my services.  Alun Parry got in touch quite quickly to ask if I would be interested in getting involved at board level, to utilise my experience in football over the years, which I was very happy to do.  I considered it a great honour to be involved from such an early stage.”
“So far it’s been a great experience being involved and a big learning curve for everyone too.  There are obviously differences between the Scottish Football League and the Vodkat League, but the principles are the same.  There are rules that must be adhered to, and practices that have to be observed, but I like to think I’ve had some positive input for the club on that side of things. 
“I’ve been used to visiting the boardrooms of Scottish League clubs, so I am aware of certain etiquette issues that can arise when dealing with other club officials, and making our other board members aware of certain situations that they may encounter.
“Now, getting the Chairman’s role as well, it’s a massive honour I didn’t expect to get anywhere near the job when I first got involved.  Hopefully I can head up a board that represents the club well, promote the club well and wherever we finish we can look back at the end of the season and feel that we’ve done a good job.”
However, Gary is keen to emphasise that Alun Parry will continue to have an important role to play in the development of the club.
“Alun will take up a Vice Chairman’s role from now.  He is obviously a founder member of the club and wants to stay involved but he also wants to sit back and watch the football a bit more.  He is comfortable about the board side of things but he is a terraces man at heart.
“He has built up a huge number of contacts over the last few months, and to build on that he will be doing a lot of press and PR work.  In addition, he will be involved in liaising between the board and the team, and looking at the new stadium project.  Although we are happy to be playing at Prescot Cables ground, and are very grateful to them for accommodating us, we don’t see ourselves as camping at other people’s ground for ever.
“A few years down the line we’d like to think we could have a stadium to call our own.  Whether that will be a brand new facility or an existing stadium that could be renovated for our use we don’t know at this stage, but Alun will be heavily involved in getting that project moving.
“Alun’s been very proactive on that side of things already, and we have earmarked a few sites worthy of investigation.  However, there are a lot of proposed projects that we’d like to get involved in and the stadium project is part of that.  But we are keen to make a start on looking for a permanent home.  You can’t easily put a time scale on it, but I’d like to think that say, five years from now, we’ll either have or be close to having a stadium of our own.
Looking ahead to the coming months, Gary is hopeful that AFC Liverpool will continue to build on their good start.
“I’d like to think we will be there or thereabouts this season, and with such a good manager on board we should be able to challenge for promotion.  So, as long as we are in the frame for promotion at the end of the season, I think that would represent a good season for the club.  Anything else that comes along would be great.
“Comparisons are obviously made between us and FC United, and when they came into the league they didn’t really make any secret of the fact that they expected to gain promotion fairly quickly.  Our aim is to put on a good show, learn about the league we are in and try and do well.  Rafa Benitez has said he wants us to score plenty of goals so hopefully we can do that too, but it’s about results too, and hopefully we’ll be there or thereabouts at the end of the season.
“We are very realistic as a board and as a club generally.  I’m sure if you asked some of our supporters they would tell you that they want us to go all the way through to the Football League, getting promoted every year, and sure, we want to go as far as we can. 
“But you have to remember we’ve only been going a few months, the board has been put together from a very diverse set of backgrounds and we need to make sure we can all work together and run the club effectively.  The team are a good team but they need the support of the board to progress.  Once we get the first few games out of the way, and we are all up to speed with what needs to be done on matchdays, how we prepare and organise, we’ll have a better idea of how we are going to fare this season.
“Sitting here now at the start of our first season, if in five years time we can be at the top end of the Unibond League or in Conference North that would be a dream come true.  But we need to get there properly, playing football the right way, and we don’t want to step on anyone’s toes in the process.  We need to be sure we take all the experience on board that other clubs have offered us, and if we do that, I’m sure we’ll do OK.”  
FA CUP ACTION ON ITV LOCAL
A quick reminder that ITV are showing highlights of FA Cup ties involving our clubs at the ITV Local website.
Cameras were at 16 ties in the Extra Preliminary Round, including the games between Formby and Emley, Leek CSOB and AFC Fylde, and Darwen and Penrith.  Highlights of these and other games is at www.itvlocal.com.
NEW PARKING ARRANGEMENTS AT SQUIRES GATE
Squires Gate have advised us of changes to the car parking arrangements for visitors to School Road.
Chairman Stuart Hopwood explained:  “Due to the development of the adjacent school, we have lost - possibly permanently - the facility to park on their playground.  Part of the planning permission included the requirement for the school to provide a carpark, which could be used also by ourselves and Blackpool Wren Rovers next door.
 “However, in their wisdom, the planners decreed that there should be more landscaping, and even though this cannot be seen through the fence, it has reduced capacity from approx 100 to 56 - not enough for one club, let alone two. Therefore, we need to advise visitors of alternative car parking arrangements when they come to our ground.”
The new details are as follows.
At the end of M55 (Junction 4), carry straight on along the dual carriageway (A5230) and bear left at the major roundabout.  Stay on the A5230, and turn left at the second set of lights, onto B5231, signposted Lytham St Annes. Pass the Shovels pub on the left after 400 yards, then turn immediately left at the lights, on to School Road.  There is a car park 50 yards on left.  If full, parking is currently permitted on the road, or alternatively use the public car park back through traffic lights, or on Shovels car park.
The full address of the club (for sat nav) is: School Road, Marton, Blackpool, FY4 5DS
YOBS ATTACK ALDER HOUSE
It’s often said that there are only two things that are certain in life – death and taxes.  But unfortunately for the committee at Atherton Collieries, you can add local yobs vandalising the facilities as being a fact of life that has long been a bugbear they have had to live with.
The latest attack happened on the Saturday before the season began, after a team of 10 volunteers, including local tradesmen, had given up their Saturday to work on the ground and spend time re-concreting the dugouts.  Everyone left at around 4 pm, but when some of the group returned later that day they found that the yobs had written in the concrete, gouged it with sticks, removed the signs from the dugouts, and then for good measure smashed some windows in the clubhouse.
Colls Chairman Ian Williams said: "We have made a big effort over the summer to try and improve the facilities at the ground.  We have spent a lot of time and money, and a lot of people have worked very hard.  It really is depressing when you come down to the club and see that everyone’s hard work has been ruined by mindless idiots.”
PLAYER TRANSFERS THIS WEEK
Tod Bamber           AFC Liverpool to Holker Old Boys
Vincent Braine       Runcorn Linnets to New Mills
Robert Drummond Newcastle Town to Norton United
Lee Edmunds         St Helens Town to Ashton Athletic
Andrew Hargreaves Padiham to Colne
David Harper         Newcastle Town to Norton United
Michael Howarth    Squires Gate to Nelson
James McMullen     Runcorn Linnets to Atherton Collieries
Andrew Pickard     Nelson to Colne
PLAYER REGISTRATIONS THIS WEEK
AFC Blackpool                      
Shaun Couch         Louie   Shields
AFC Fylde                  
Kyle Barrow      Carl Butler               Mark Caven   Steven Drew            Robert Edwards       
Michael Evans     Matthew Ponde         Peter Fenton            Ben Stott       Alain-Eddine Lengliz   Thomas Lofthouse    Sam Nightingale  Lee Riley                 Hugh Sneddon          Nathan Worrell
Alsager Town                      
Timothy Drohan        Lee Duckworth        
Ashton Athletic                   
David  Whitter         
Ashton Town                       
Jamie Livingston     Neil McCormack   Jonathan Parkinson  Aiden Thomas        Steven Fawcett   Michael Atherton   Craig Jerrard         Rouuan Nosser    Bradley Wilkie       
Atherton LR             
James Thompson   Simon Thompson
Bootle                                                  
Shaun Sandison     Adam Peterson   
Chadderton                                         
David Gallagher      Barry Harrison     Craig Large 
Michael Pine         
Cheadle Town                                     
Joseph Brooks       Phillip Clorley       Anthony Fannon     Adam Gardiner      Brian Hodkinson   Jonathan Quinn     Matthew Smith (JR)Mathew Smith SNR      Ryan Wilkinson      
Colne                                                    
Thomas Calvey      Gareth Hargreaves      Benjamin Mousley
Congleton Town                                 
Graham Molloy      
Daisy Hill                                             
Patrick Gaughan     Robert Houghton  James Iliff  James Quadrio       Craig Thomas     
Darwen                                                
Mark Andrews       David Annar        Gareth Woods       
Formby                                                
Joseph Grice          Robert Hardwick  Ryan Liggett  Andrew Lucas        Chris Mitchell       Nathan Robinson   Andrew Wooding   
Glossop North End                                     
Kelvin Lugsden       Pierce Morrison    Sam Clarke Bradley Gooding     Keil O'Brien        
Irlam                                                    
John Coady           Ryan Shaughnessy      Richard Whyatt
Leek CSOB                                           
Craig Sigley           Matthew Anderson       John Powell   
Maine Road                                         
Daniel Thomas       Ian Walker                 Mark Rogers 
Nelson                                                  
Stephen Hobin       Mark Wilson              
New Mills                                             
Richard Chattoe     Scott McGowan           Suriya Sriraksa    Billy Gallagher        Elliot Marshall             Jake Taylor   Thomas Byrne      
Padiham                                              
James Davies        Ben Wharton              Robert Batty  Robert Grimes       Andrew Haworth         Darren Rigby Michael West        
Ramsbottom United                                   
James Morley        Jonathan Stephenson  
Runcorn Linnets                                 
Jay McKane           Liam Page         
Silsden AFC                                         
Matthew Bland       Chris Parnham    
Wigan Robin Park                              
Abdusalam Ben Musa Mark Nolan             Michael Scully    Stephen Wood      
VODKAT LEAGUE LANDMARKS
Tuesday 12^th August 2008
Ashton Athletic played their 200^th league game.
Newcastle Town’s 2-0 away victory at Maine Road was their 450^th league victory.
Colne’s second goal, scored by James Crocken, in their 3-3 draw away at Squires Gate was their 750^th league goal.
Norton United fourth goal in their 6-0 home victory over Irlam was their 200^th home league goal and was scored by Lee Talbot.
TOP ATTENDANCES
Monday 11^th August 2008
Atherton Collieries v Ramsbottom United 103
Tuesday 12^th August 2008
Congleton Town v New Mills 151
Wednesday 15^th August 2008
Nelson v AFC Fylde 145
Glossop North End v Alsager Town 115
Silsden AFC v Bacup Borough 108
Friday 15^th August 2008
Silsden AFC v Eccleshill United 173 FA Cup
Saturday 16^th August 2008
New Mills v Friar Lane & Epworth 184 FA Cup
Rochdale Town v AFC Liverpool 173
Winsford United v Nostell MW 130 FA Cup

Saturday 9 August 2008
A FITTING MEMORIAL TO DANNY STEVENS
Eccleshall FC would like to thank all of the people who have contributed to the Danny Stevens Memorial Fund, which has been established following his tragic death during the close season. Over £4,300 has been donated so far.
Many of you will have already paid your respects at the funeral, which over 500 people attended. Additionally, however, in conjunction with Danny’s family, Eccleshall FC have decided that the first home games of the new season for both the 1st and 2nd teams, on Saturday August 9th against Rochdale Town in the Vodkat League and on Saturday August 16th against Alsager Town in the Staffs County Senior League, will also be used as an opportunity for the club to publicly recognise the great role Danny played within the club, both as a player and as the Club captain.
Eccleshall FC would like to take the opportunity to invite all of Danny’s friends and colleagues who attended the funeral to join us at either of those games as a fitting tribute to the memory of Danny. The players will all be wearing black armbands as a sign of respect and before each of these matches there will be a fitting tribute to Danny’s memory.
All proceeds from both games will be put to the Memorial Fund.
At a recent meeting of the Eccleshall Committee, and all other football related people whom Danny was involved with, including representatives from Danny’s Sunday side, Woodseaves FC, it was decided to put the proceeds of the Memorial Fund towards a new all-weather training facility at the Eccleshall ground as well as making improvements to the clubhouse at some time in the future.
Additionally it was decided to rename the Player of the Year award as the ‘Danny Stevens Award’ and purchase a new trophy as a lasting memory to a great servant and dedicated player whose memory will remain forever.    
Richard Marsh, Eccleshall FC
FA CUP COVERAGE FEATURES VODKAT LEAGUE CLUBS
Leek CSOB’s Extra Preliminary Round FA Cup Tie at Harrison Park against AFC Fylde on Saturday 16th August 2008 is to be filmed by ITV Local.
The last time the Old Boys had TV coverage was for the very first official game of FC United of Manchester at Harrison Park back in August 2005, and the coverage forms part of the new deal between the FA and ITV for featuring FA Cup highlights.
For the first time in history, FA Cup matches involving Non-League Clubs will be filmed and available to a large audience thanks to a partnership between ITV Local, ITV.com and The Football Association.  Last week it was announced that Formby’s tie at home to AFC Emley will also be covered.
ITV and FA camera crews will capture early round FA Cup action on camera from the first weekend of the E-On sponsored competition, when over 400 Clubs begin their bid for glory.
A number of matches have been selected for filming on each FA Cup weekend during August, September and October. Highlight packages will be made available to watch on ITVlocal.com, itv.com and TheFA.com.
Clubs that aren’t covered by an ITV Local camera will be given access to an exclusive area on ITV Local’s Grassroots Sport website where they can upload their own videos for all to see.
ITV Local’s Director of Content, Lindsay Charlton, said: “For the first -time in the history of the FA Cup, dozens of Preliminary and Qualifying Round matches will be captured on camera, thanks to ITV Local. What makes the FA Cup exciting is those small Clubs that manage to smash their way through from the early rounds to face Premier League giants. With a little luck ITV Local will be able to follow some of this year’s ‘giant killers’ all the way.”
Head of Content at ITV.com, Marc Webber, said: ”With this development, we’re bringing the big match atmosphere to the smallest Clubs. Everyone that plays in the FA Cup should have their day in the sun and we’re proud to be the first broadcaster to cover FA Cup from the very first kick.”
The Editor of The FA.com website, Jamie Bradbury, said: “The FA Cup is such a unique competition and the early rounds can really inspire the players and fans involved, with a chance to meet the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool a possibility. Last season TheFA.com featured highlights of games in every round of the competition, but the link with ITV .com and ITV Local means we’ll be going even further this time round.”
The 2008/09 FA Cup season sees a record 762 clubs enter the world’s greatest domestic cup competition. It all kicks-off on 16th August with the Extra Preliminary Round.
All FA Cup videos from early round matches will be hosted at: http://www.itvlocal.com/facup
For full coverage of all the FA Cup from news and views and video go to: http://www.itv.com/football
For the tie between Leek CSOB and AFC Fylde on 16th August, entrance to the game will be £4 and £2 for concessions, and Match Programmes will be £1. There will be no extra time, and should a replay be required this will take place on the following Tuesday at Kellamergh Park, with a 7-45 p.m kick-off.
The winners of the tie will not only win £750, they will also play the world’s first Football Club, formed in 1857, Sheffield Football Club, at home in the Preliminary Round on Saturday 30th August.
A NEW ERA BEGINS FOR ROCHDALE TOWN
As announced on the League website over the summer, the club formerly known as Castleton Gabriels will now compete in the Vodkat League Division One as Rochdale Town FC.
It’s one of a number of changes that has taken place at the club over the summer, and Secretary Jim Picken says that everyone at Butterworth Park is looking forward to a brighter future.
“It is well known that our football club has had a very hard time in recent seasons.  We almost folded at the end of the 2004/5 campaign when our ground failed the grading criteria, and after overcoming that problem we provisionally resigned from the League in December 2007.  The decision was taken at the time because of our uncertain future, not to mention the constant financial battle to make ends meet. 
“More importantly, despite our manager Mark Canning working miracles in putting together a team week in and week out without fail, it was proving impossible to attract quality local players who wanted to play for Castleton Gabriels.  Therefore, some serious decisions had to be made about the club’s future.”
With the club’s position at the Castleton Sports Centre already being secure, Jim says that a plan was drawn up to look at ways of bringing in more finance, which in turn would then attract the better players from the area to play for the club.  The name change was one of the first decisions made as part of that process. 
“We felt that including the town name of Rochdale in the club name would be one way of hopefully bringing in some extra fans to watch the games and support the team”, he said.  “After only a short discussion our new name was agreed, but we hit a problem when the town’s professional football club, Rochdale AFC, initially objected to the change.  The reason given was that they were originally known as Rochdale Town and felt that another team in the town with that name would cause confusion.
“However, Mark Canning knows one of the board members at Spotland and he got in touch and explained what we were trying to do.  The club immediately agreed to back us and since then, we have had an incredible response from them.
“They donated some training kit to us, they have agreed to wash all our playing kit this season and will be sending some of their club coaches down to help us in training sessions.  To further strengthen the links between the two clubs, we have decided to abandon our traditional blue and white strip for black and white stripes, which were the original colours of Rochdale AFC.  We are also looking at other ways in which the two clubs can work together for the benefit of football in the area.”
Another change made is a new club badge, although the design has only just been agreed.  “The new badge will not be on the shirts at this stage”, explained Jim, “but we are having a pin badge made of the new design which will ready for our home game with AFC Liverpool on Saturday 16^th August.”
Off the field, the club is also looking to strengthen its efforts in fundraising, and Jim says plans are at an advanced stage to bring more manpower on board.  “It is looking very much better on the financial front, and we are in discussions with a well known local individual to join us and look after the financial well being of the club, in short raising cash for us.  He has a good track record in this role and knows the local area, so if we can bring him on board that will be a major boost.
“In the meantime, Mark Canning has now become Chairman and I have returned as Secretary after taking a break last year.  Mark has appointed two coaches to help him run the team, Paddy Revelles and Paul Taylor, both of whom were at the club in the past, and the squad’s preparation for the new season has gone very well.  Already we are finding that the previously elusive local players now want to play for the club.
“We are a small club which has been run by two or three people for years, working our socks off, putting in whatever finance we could, to make sure the club survived.  Now we have six or seven people involved, still working very hard but now with a clear view of an exciting future for Rochdale Town Football Club.”
NEW SPONSORS FOR ALSAGER TOWN
Alsager Town have signed up two new kit sponsors for their forthcoming Premier Division campaign. 
The first team kit will be bearing the logo of Calor Gas and the training kit has kindly been provided by Blue Arrow Recruitment.  Club Press Officer David Armstrong said:  “Alsager Town are delighted to have acquired the support of two well known national companies.”
The club has also announced that they have enlisted the services of a local photographic company to become the official club photographers.  Kingfisher Photographic have joined forces with the club and were present at the recent friendly game against FC Halifax Town.  Team and action shots from the game can viewed at the Kingfisher website, which is at www.kingfisherphotographic.com. 
HIGH PEAK RADIO FOOTBALL SHOW
Non-League fans in the High Peak area can once again keep in touch with all the local news on High Peak Radio this season.
Football Fantime, the show focused on the fortunes of three local non-league clubs, has returned to High Peak Radio for a second season. The programme is one of only a few in the country to focus on the local non-league football scene, and on the opening programme last week, presenter Ben Price's live guests were New Mills Manager Tony Hancock and new signing Rhodri Giggs.
Buxton and Glossop North End are also featured on the show, and fans are encouraged to get involved in the show by emailing fantime@highpeakradio.co.uk.
Football Fantime will be broadcast on Wednesday evenings between 7 and 9 pm on High Peak Radio on 106.4 & 103.3 FM, or online at www.highpeakradio.co.uk.
NON LEAGUE FOOTBALL COVERAGE ON CITYTALK
Liverpool based radio station Citytalk have been in touch with us to tell us about their coverage of non-league football in the coming season.
Citytalk broadcasts across Merseyside, Lancashire, Cheshire and North Wales, and have a regular non-league show covering teams through the Blue Square Leagues and the UniBond Leagues.  Due to the formation of AFC Liverpool they are now taking more of an interest in the Vodkat Leagues, and AFC Liverpool manager Derek Goulding has been a guest on previous shows.  The “Through The League” shows are broadcast on Monday and Friday evenings between 7-10pm.
Citytalk broadcasts on 105.9 FM around the North West as well as on-line at www.citytalk.fm
NEW ABBEY HEY WEBSITE
Abbey Hey now have a new club website which can be found at www.clubwebsite.co.uk/abbeyheyfc01.
LEAGUE SPONSORSHIP NEWS
The League Management Committee is pleased to announce that we have teamed up with online shop Skinny Jonz to offer discounts on products available from their online shop.
Skinny Jonz offer competitively priced men’s designer underwear, and as part of the deal they are offering a 10% discount to customers who visit their website from the links on the home pages of the main league website and from the League’s online magazine North West Side Stories.
Simply click on the link on the home page of either site, and when you reach the checkout page, enter the discount code SJNWCL to receive the 10% discount on items ordered.

Turning to the Vodkat deal, as most people will be aware, the company has renewed the deal for another season.  To further promote the Vodkat name around our league, each club has been issued with 15 match balls bearing the league logo and sponsor’s name.  The balls were manufactured in China and arrived on Tuesday 5^th August, meaning that they could be distributed to clubs at the Regional Meetings which took place during the course of the week in time for the opening games at the weekend.
BUSY SUMMER OF NEWS FROM PADIHAM
Awards, new managerial appointments and sponsorship deals all formed part of a busy close season for Padiham FC.
Congratulations were in order in May when Secretary Alan Smith was recognised for his services to sport in the Burnley Community Sport Awards.
Anyone involved in grassroots sport within the Borough of Burnley can be nominated for one of three awards, and Alan won the Vicki Taylor Special Recognition Award for services to sport in the area. 
Alan explained:  “Each award requires nominations from a number of people, and then each individual nominated is visited at their home sports ground or facility by a film crew.  At that stage you have to give an outline of the role you have and the schemes you are involved in, and the films are then taken to a panel of judges”.
The films were shown to the invited audience in a ceremony held at the Burnley Youth Theatre, following which the winners were announced.  The engraved glass award that Alan received now sits in his trophy cabinet alongside the ‘Thwaites Lancaster Bomber Grassroots Sports Personality of the Year’ trophy, a national sports award open to anyone who has made a major contribution to grass roots sport, which he won in 2007.
Meanwhile on the playing side, a familiar figure will be back in the dugout at the Arbories for the coming season.  Graham Howarth is back for a second spell as manager, having previously spent eight years at the club before leaving to take charge at Nelson and more recently at Barnoldswick in the West Lancashire League.  Alan Smith says that the close season appointment suited the club in several ways.
“When Steve Wilkes left in the middle of last season, Anthony McCluskey took over for the remainder of the campaign with a view to the position being reviewed over the summer.  When we spoke to Anthony in the summer he was interested in continuing in the job, but also felt that he wanted to keep playing for another year or two and might regret giving up playing too early to concentrate on management.
“Once we were aware of Anthony’s position we wanted to ensure that we appointed someone who was local and had good local contacts, which in turn would attract local players to the club.  We want to attract the best young players in the Padiham and Burnley areas, and them a chance to play for their local non-league football club.  By appointing Graham Howarth we feel we have a good chance of doing that.
“What’s more, while Anthony McCluskey will continue playing for the club, he will also be heavily involved in coaching and assisting Graham, and of course that also provides continuity and a link to players from last season.”
“We also have a new reserve team manager in Paul Hargreaves, who is another former Padiham player.  He takes over from Ian Whittaker, who has left to over as manager of Burnley United in the West Lancashire League.  Ian was in charge of the reserves for three years and did a good job for us, and we wish him all the best for the future.”
There was more good news in the close season when local firm Avon Insurance confirmed that they would continue as main sponsors for the coming season.
Alan said:  “Avon have been with us for a number of years now, and everyone at the club is delighted that they have decided to continue to support us.  Everyone knows that sponsorship at our level of football is vital to the survival of clubs, and we are very grateful to Avon Insurance for their support.”  
RESULTS COVERAGE IN THE SUNDAY PEOPLE
In last week’s newsletter we announced that the results from our games and other leagues at Step 5, 6 and 7 would be carried in the Sunday People during the coming season.
This has now been put hold, as The People’s Will Price told us earlier this week: “I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but we are going to have to put our plans for the new season on the back burner because of staffing difficulties and lack of a positive response – not from the Vodkat North West Counties Football League, let me hasten to add.  I will be back in touch should the situation change.”
COMMERCIAL MANAGER REQUIRED BY DARWEN
Darwen FC and its associated company East Lancashire Lions Rugby League Club seek a Commercial Manager to represent their interests in the Darwen and East Lancashire area.  Prospective applicants must already have had experience as a Commercial Manager with a sporting club and have a proven, successful, track record.
Applications by way of covering letter and c.v. should be sent by email to:
K. Henry, Chairman, Darwen Football Club/East Lancashire Lions Rugby League Club
Email: khenry@darwenfc.org.uk
VODKAT LEAGUE LANDMARKS
Saturday 9^th August 2008
New Mills 2-1 home victory over Formby earned them their 250^th league point.
Glossop North End’s 1-0 away victory was their 150^th away league victory.
Stone Dominoes also earned themselves their 150^th away victory with a 5-2 win at Chadderton.
TOP ATTENDANCES
Saturday 9^th August 2008
AFC Liverpool v Darwen 442
New Mills v Formby 202
Runcorn Linnets v Silsden AFC 150
Padiham v Ashton Town 131
Ramsbottom United v Squires Gate 104
Newcastle Town v Atherton Collieries 101

Friday 8 August 2008
NON LEAGUE FOOTBALL COVERAGE ON CITYTALK
AFC Liverpool manager Derek Goulding will be talking about his hopes for the season on Liverpool radio station Citytalk tonight (Friday 8th August).
Citytalk broadcasts across Merseyside, Lancashire, Cheshire and North Wales, and has a regular non-league show covering teams through the Blue Squares, the UniBond and the Vodkat Leagues, broadcast on Monday and Friday evenings between 7-10pm.
Citytalk broadcasts on 105.9 FM around the North West as well as on-line at www.citytalk.fm

Tuesday 5 August 2008
HIGH PEAK RADIO FOOTBALL SHOW
Non-League fans in the High Peak area can once again keep in touch with all the local news on High Peak Radio this season.
Football Fantime, the show focused on the fortunes of three local non-league clubs, returns to High Peak Radio for a second season this week. The programme is one of only a few in the country to focus on the local non-league football scene. This Wednesday (6th), presenter Ben Price's live guests are New Mills Manager Tony Hancock and new signing Rhodri Giggs.
There'll also be a closer look at the comings and goings at Buxton and Glossop North End over the summer. Fans are encouraged to get involved in the show by emailing fantime@highpeakradio.co.uk
 Football Fantime will be broadcast on Wednesday evenings between 7 and 9 pm on High Peak Radio on 106.4 & 103.3 FM, or online at www.highpeakradio.co.uk
A Fitting Memorial to Danny Stevens
Eccleshall FC would like to thank all of the people who have contributed to the Danny Stevens Memorial Fund, which has been established following his tragic death during the close season. Over £4,300 has been donated so far.
Many of you will have already paid your respects at the funeral, which over 500 people attended. Additionally, however, in conjunction with Danny’s family, Eccleshall FC have decided that the first home games of the new season for both the 1^st and 2^nd teams, on Saturday August 9^th against Rochdale Town in the Vodkat North West Counties League and on Saturday August 16^th against Alsager Town in the Staffs County Senior League, will also be used as an opportunity for the club to publicly recognise the great role Danny played within the club, both as a player and as the Club captain.

Eccleshall FC would like to take the opportunity to invite all of Danny’s friends and colleagues who attended the funeral to join us at either of those games as a fitting tribute to the memory of Danny. The players will all be wearing black armbands as a sign of respect and before each of these matches there will be a fitting tribute to Danny’s memory.
All proceeds from both games will be put to the Memorial Fund. At a recent meeting of the Eccleshall Committee, and all other football related people whom Danny was involved with, including representatives from Danny’s Sunday side, Woodseaves FC, it was decided to put the proceeds of the Memorial Fund towards a new all-weather training facility at the Eccleshall ground as well as making improvements to the clubhouse at some time in the future.
Additionally it was decided to rename the Player of the Year award as the ‘Danny Stevens Award’ and purchase a new trophy as a lasting memory to a great servant and dedicated player whose memory will remain forever.    

Monday 4 August 2008
MORE SILVERWARE FOR AFC LIVERPOOL
AFC Liverpool clinched their second trophy of the pre season on Saturday with a 4-1 win away to Runcorn Linnets securing the Fans Club Trophy.
The trophy is contested between two of the Vodkat League's fan-owned teams, and was introduced this year for the first time as a mark of friendship between the two clubs.
In one of AFC Liverpool's finest displays yet, even a sending off failed to derail the Reds.
The first goal came on 33 minutes when another ex-LFC reserve, Ryan Wignall, opened the account for AFC Liverpool. The second followed shortly afterwards when Wignall set up a Dean Thurston finish.
Two minutes into the second half it was Wignall again in the thick of the action, this time for the wrong reasons, when he was sent off for dissent following a penalty appeal.
Yet the one man disadvantage failed to show, and the reds went three up after winning a penalty of their own, with winger Andy McCoy slotting home.
The third penalty of the game was awarded to Runcorn following a corner kick. This time Willis was beaten despite guessing the right way, and David Thompson gave Linnets some hope.
Yet it proved to be just a consolation when forward Dave Eaton secured the win for AFC Liverpool.
All eyes are now on Saturday August 9th when the league season starts with a home game for AFC Liverpool at Prescot Cables' Valerie Park ground against Darwen FC.
FA CUP COVERAGE TO FEATURE THE OLD BOYS
Leek CSOB’s Extra Preliminary Round FA Cup Tie at Harrison Park against AFC Fylde on Saturday 16^th August 2008 is to be filmed by ITV Local, The Old Boys learned at the weekend that their game against AFC Fylde has been selected for filming and the cameras will roll at Harrison Park.  The last time the Old Boys had TV coverage was for the very first official game of FC United of Manchester at Harrison Park back in August 2005.
For the first time in history, FA Cup matches involving Non-League Clubs will be filmed