Friday, 10th October 2008

News Archive

20th October 2007
Review Of The Week

An Adam Warlow hat-trick on Tuesday evening left Witton Albion six points clear at the top of the Premier Division although second place club Gateshead do have two games in hand on the leaders.

The North East side had a stoppage time goal to thank for keeping them within six points of Albion after they had failed to break down Ossett Town on Wednesday and the "Tynesiders" are now two points clear of both Guiseley and Fleetwood Town with Marine a further point away in fifth.

The "Mariners" would have been third had they continued their winning streak of five victories on the bounce but they were held to a draw by Prescot Cables who were finishing all square for the first time this term.

Other midweek highlights saw Stamford record their fourth successive win when getting the better of a nine goal thriller against Ilkeston Town for whom it was the second time this season they had gone down 5-4 whilst Matlock Town's win at Eastwood Town was their first three point haul in six games dating back to 8th September.

Frickley Athletic were left still searching for an elusive first win after going down 2-0 at home to Whitby Town but Buxton maintained their unbeaten away record in the league with a 3-1 success at Hednesford Town on Monday. A 3-0 win over Lincoln United kept Worksop Town out of the bottom three but North Ferriby United's home point against Ashton United was not sufficient to move them out of the relegation spots.

In the few games to be played in either of the two First Divisions FC United of Manchester moved into the North Division play-off spots with a 3-0 win at Clitheroe in midweek whilst second place Ossett Albion failed to close the gap on leaders Curzon Ashton when losing at home to Garforth

Town who had also beaten them in midweek in the League Challenge Cup. In the one other game in this Division Rossendale United kept a first clean sheet since the opening day of the campaign and were rewarded with a first three pointer in six outings with Woodley Sports the victims.

In the Southern section Quorn failed to pick up a point for the fifth game in succession when going down 1-0 at Goole for whom it was a fourth successive home league success. In the one other game Belper Town registered a first home league win of the season when beating Kidsgrove Athletic who haven't picked up a point on their travels since the opening day.

Bamber Bridge enjoyed a good week in FA competitions winning their FA Cup replay against West Auckland Town 5-1 before travelling to Premier Division Eastwood Town to pull off the result of the day in the FA Trophy with a 1-0 victory.

Neither Radcliffe Borough nor Frickley Athletic do league games and are without a win between them in more than twenty attempts but both enjoyed away wins in the Trophy. The individual performance of the day was Peter Cumiskey's hat-trick in Marine's 5-0 demolition of Lincoln United whilst Witton Albion ran in six at home to Ashton United. In the five First Division North v South ties it was the latter who came out emphatically on top with four wins and a draw.

Draw Looks Kindly On UniBond Survivors

The draw for the fourth and final qualifying Round of this season's FA Cup looked kindly on three of the four UniBond survivors with only Bamber Bridge, 5-1 winners in Tuesday evening's replay against West Auckland Town, drawn away.

They will visit Conference National club Histon next Saturday as they attempt to reach the First Round Propersince 1999/2000 when they beat St Albans City to earn a 2nd Round tie against Cambridge United losing at the Football League club by the only goal of the game. "Brig" face a tough task giving away three Divisions in addition to ground advantage if they are to make the 1st Round again but will doubtless be relishing the challenge.

Like Bamber Bridge, Kendal Town have also drawn Conference National opposition in Altrincham but with home advantage and the "Robins" at the wrong end of the Conference table the Lake District side will have aspirations of producing an upset.

It must have been long odds against Harrogate Railway Athletic receiving a dream home tie against arch rivals Harrogate Town but that is exactly what the draw produced and already there is a buzz around the town with a gate of 1,500 being predicted by some people.

The last time the two clubs met in the FA Cup was in 1993 when the tie was featured on Football Focus with Town getting the better of that one winning 2-1 at Station View. It is Railway's third visit to the 4th Qualifying Round losing 3-2 to Morecambe in 2001 before beating Marine 4-2 a year later when they went on to beat Slough Town in the 1st Round Proper to land a home tie against Bristol City that was shown live on Sky TV with Railway eventually losing 3-1.

Bradford Park Avenue also have to give away two Divisions when they face Gainsborough Trinity. Although the pair have met four times before in cup-ties it is the first home draw for Bradford and the first time the two have met in the FA Cup.

The clubs have met twelve times at Bradford in league games with Trinity's only success coming in a 3-0 win when Avenue were struggling against the drop from the Conference North in 2004/5 season so the omens are good for the UniBond League side. The last time Bradford reached the 1st Round Proper was in 2003 when they lost 5-2 to Bristol City who had a certain Leroy Lita causing havoc for Avenue defenders.

In having four clubs through to the 4th Qualifying Round the UniBond League has doubled its number of clubs through from last season when only Marine and Fleetwood Town survived that far with Fleetwood going on to reach the 1st Round Proper.

Blue Star Land Armstrong

Newcomers Newcastle Blue Star have captured Darlington striker Alan Armstrong. The 32 year old has made around four hundred appearances in the full time game scoring almost a century of goals. He started his career with Newcastle United but didn't make a first team appearance before signing for Stockport County. He then moved back to his native North East to join Middlesbrough before transfers to Ipswich Town, Rushden & Diamonds and Doncaster Rovers plus two spells at Darlington along with loan spells at Huddersfield Town and Bradford City.

Red Hot Debut For Burns

Former Manchester United junior Aaron Burns made a red hot debut after signing for FC United of Manchester on Tuesday. He scored twice in a 3-0 win over Clitheroe that put his new side in to the play-off spots.

Another debutant to score on his first appearance was Karl O'Donnell who earned Marine a point with his goal the same evening at Prescot Cables. The 22 year old spent three seasons at Marine manager Alvin McDonald's old club Vauxhall Motors after stints with both Everton and Tranmere Rovers as a youngster.

A third debutant scorer on Tuesday was Matt Rhead who completed his transfer from Kidsgrove Athletic to Eastwood Town in time to play and score in a 2-3 home defeat at the hands of Matlock Town

UniBond League Challenge Cup Draw

Nine of the eleven First Division clubs to join the 21 Premier Division clubs in the 3rd Round of the UniBond League Challenge Cup were decided during midweek with perhaps the biggest shock being the demise of South Division leaders Retford United at home to Quorn who have been experiencing a tough time since winning the August "Club of the Month" award. More than half of the ties went to extra-time with the game between Goole AFC and Sheffield FC going to penalties where Goole captain Brad Hill hit the post with the only failed attempt. The draw is as follows with ties to be played week commencing 12th November -

Bridlington Town v Guiseley
Ilkeston Town v Grantham Town
Colwyn Bay or Kendal Town v Kidsgrove or Skelmersdale
Bamber Bridge v Witton Albion
Leek Town v Buxton
Curzon Ashton v Nantwich Town
Marine v Prescot Cables
Eastwood Town v Matlock Town
North Ferriby Utd v Stamford
Fleetwood Town v Warrington Town
Ossett Town v Frickley Athletic
Garforth Town v Whitby Town
Sheffield FC v Lincoln United
Gateshead v Newcastle Blue Star
Worksop Town v Quorn
Hednesford Town v Ashton United

Having been drawn against one another in both the FA Cup and FA Trophy this season Buxton and Leek Town now face one another in the UniBond League Challenge Cup! There are five all Premier Division ties with just one all First Division clash which is at Northern section pace setting Curzon Ashton where South Division promotion contenders Nantwich Town will be the visitors.

Frost Retires

Leek Town striker Carl Frost has been forced to retire from the game through injury aged just 24. The former Crewe Alexandra trainee first made his mark in the UniBond League with a very successful loan spell at Witton Albion before then joining Leek on loan in January 2004 with the move being made permanent two months later

UniBond League Television
Forthcoming Games

Sat 27th Oct Sheffield FC v Cammell Laird Match of the Week
Tue 30th Oct Fleetwood Town v Witton Albion Live Game
Sat 3rd Nov League Game subject to Trophy fixtures Match of the Week
W/c 5th Nov Live Game subject to FA Trophy Live Game
Sat 10th Nov Warrington Town v Belper Town Match of the Week
Sat 17th Feb North Ferriby Utd v Fleetwood Town Match of the Week
Tue 20th Nov Nantwich Town v Cammell Laird Live Game
Sat 24th Nov Leek Town v Ilkeston Town [subject to FAT] Match of the Week
Sat 1st Dec Eastwood Town v Prescot Cables Match of the Week
Tue 4th Dec Buxton v Fleetwood Town Live Game
Sat 8th Dec Guiseley v Ashton Utd or Ossett Albion v FC United [subject to FAT] Match of the Week]
Sat 15th Dec Gateshead v Witton Albion Match of the Week
Tue 18th Dec To be confirmed Live Game
Sat 22nd Dec Hednesford Town v Fleetwood Town Match of the Week
Wed 26th Dec Marine v Leek Town Live Game

All games can be accessed through the banner link on www.unibondleague.com and are subject to change.

Hednesford Sign Montserrat Hero

Hednesford Town have signed Wayne Dyer who is something of a national hero in the tiny Caribbean island of Montserrat for whom he holds the honour of scoring their only World Cup goal ever. The 29 year old has also captained Montserrat and had full time experience with Birmingham City, Oxford United and Walsall.

Warrington Appoint Angell As Coach

Warrington Town boss Ian Street has appointed former Stockport County, Everton and Sunderland striker Brett Angell as first team coach. Another former big name player joining Warrington is former Manchester City midfielder Gary Owen who takes up a role as ambassador for the club.

Now Pele Joins In Sheffield FC's 150th Anniversary Celebrations

Probably the world's number one football icon, the legendary Brazilian Pele, is the latest big name to join in Sheffield FC's 150th Anniversary celebrations. He will officially open a display on the 150 years of history that is Sheffield FC which will include the first public showing in forty years of the original hand written rules of football which have been sitting in the City of Sheffield archives for the past four decades.

John Garret from Sheffield United's Legends of the Lane museum where the documents will be exhibited said "The rules are the Holy Grail of football. They are recognised as the original rules of the game handwritten by members of Sheffield FC at the Adelphi Hotel - now the world famous Crucible Theatre - in April 1857. They are priceless as the first coherent and legible rules that are the basis for the modern game".

The exhibition, which will run alongside one on black footballers and their impact on the game, will also contain a player's medal from the only occasion Sheffield FC won the FA Amateur Cup in 1904.

After opening the exhibition on 8th November Pele will then be introduced to the crowd prior to Sheffield FC's Anniversary Match against Italian giants Inter Milan at Bramall Lane later that evening.

Sheffield FC are also set to launch their official 150th Anniversary Commemorative book at the Legends of the Lane event. The book takes a look at the entire history of the world's oldest football club including detailed insight in to how the club was formed and its influential role in developing the game we know today.

FC United Sign Colin Bell

FC United of Manchester have signed Colin Bell but he isn't the 61 year old former England star who was as close to being a legend in his own lifetime as you can get in the blue half of Manchester but a 24 year old ex Rochdale trainee who has also played for Bury and Chester City Reserves as well as appearing in the Welsh Premier League for TNS and The New Saints.

Mossley Re-Sign Two "Players Of The Year"

Mossley have re-signed two of their former "Players of the Year" with 26 year old Steve Sheil returning from Curzon Ashton whilst Nicky Thompson, also 26, has signed again after a short spell out of the game. Sheil begins his third spell with the club having signed originally in 2002 before moving to Flixton and then returning to Seel Park in 2003. He has made 179 appearances for the "Lilywhites" at either left back or central defence scoring 19 times and winning the fans' Player of the Year award in the 2003/4 season.

Thompson, a defender who was formerly with Bury before injury put paid to his full time hopes, originally signed for Mossley in 2005 and went on to make 69 appearances scoring once. He earned the Mossleyweb "Player of the Year" award last season being one of a very few consistent performers in an otherwise poor campaign.

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