Sunday, 12th October 2008

News Archive

17th November 2007
Review Of The Week

WITTON ALBION maintained their 100% home record with a 2-0 win over OSSETT TOWN to go ten points clear at the head of the Premier Division table as both their nearest challengers before play began, GATESHEAD and GUISELEY, lost. Having beaten Gateshead last Saturday WORKSOP TOWN turned their attention this week to Guiseley and made it four wins from five games with a 3-0 success.

Gateshead, meanwhile, were slipping up again this time at ILKESTON TOWN for what was their first away defeat of the campaign. The major beneficiaries were FLEETWOOD TOWN who came from behind to edge out next to bottom NORTH FERIBY UNITED and move in to second place.

Occupying the final play-off spot are MARINE who were without a game and Derbyshire sides MATLOCK TOWN and BUXTON both took advantage to move to within overtaking distance of the "Mariners".

Matlock won at managerless LINCOLN UNITED who were failing to score for the fourth league game in a row whilst Buxton kept their unbeaten away record with a win at STAMFORD. At the opposite end LEEK TOWN moved out of the bottom three for just about the first time this season when they scored a fine 5-1 victory at ASHTON UNITED who were unbeaten in five.

Rock bottom FRICKLEY ATHLETIC are still searching for a first league win but at least they picked up their first point on their travels when drawing at EASTWOOD TOWN whilst KENDAL TOWN replace Leek in the relegation places after losing at home to HEDNESFORD TOWN. The comeback of the day belonged to PRESCOT CABLES who were three down at WHITBY TOWN before forcing a draw.

First Division leaders CURZON ASHTON suffered their first league defeat of the season on Monday when losing to BRADFORD PARK AVENUE but recovered at the weekend to record a home win over ROSSENDALE UNITED.

That kept their three point lead over Avenue who also won on Saturday to move three points clear of FC UNITED who crashed at BAMBER BRIDGE. Fourth and fifth placed GARFORTH TOWN and OSSETT ALBION also had set backs with Garforth going down at home to FA Cup heroes HARROGATE RAILWAY whilst Albion could only take a home point off WAKEFIELD. Their failures mean Bamber Bridge are very well placed to move into the play-offs with their games in hand.

Sixth place NEWCASTLE BLUE STAR kept their unbeaten home record but dropped two points to RADCLIFFE BOROUGH who are still looking for a first league win and another side unbeaten at home are SKELMERSDALE UNITED who hit five without reply against CHORLEY.

Elsewhere there was a first win in nine league games for WOODLEY SPORTS whilst CLITHEROE came from behind to beat MOSSLEY.

Apart from COLWYN BAY who hit six at bottom club SPALDING UNITED and leaders RETFORD UNITED who managed four without reply at next to bottom BRIGG TOWN there were few goals and even fewer surprises in the First Division South.

CAMMELL LAIRD maintained their 100% home record with victory against QUORN, GOOLE are unbeaten in eight after drawing at fellow play-off hopefuls SHEFFIELD, GRANTHAM TOWN got their show back on the road with a home win over WARRINGTON TOWN and KIDSGROVE ATHLETIC took their first point in seven games with a goalless draw at home to SHEPSHED DYNAMO who survived a last minute penalty miss from Michael Lennon.

HARROGATE SELECTED FOR LIVE TIE

First Division North Harrogate Railway Athletic have been selected for the BBC's live match in the 2nd Round Proper of the FA Cup with their home fixture against Mansfield Town now being played on Sunday, 2nd December.

This comes as superb compensation for narrowly missing out on a possible dream draw against Leeds United when the former Premiership club were one of the last four balls left in the draw along with Harrogate. Admittedly Leeds still have to overcome Hereford United but when the Leeds ball came out there were then only three others left but Harrogate's stubbornly remained in the bowl leaving them and Mansfield as the last pairing.

The UniBond club will pocket £75,000 as their share of the TV money taking the club's earnings to £113,000 in addition to their share of the gate money. To reach this stage Railway have despatched Esh Winning, Chester Le Street, Leigh RMI, Matlock Town, Harrogate Town and Droylsden.

The club will not equal its highest attendance of 3,500 set when they last reached the 2nd Round Proper in 2002 and played Bristol City in what again was a live televised match. The capacity this time will be somewhat reduced as the club no longer have the open spaces for all the temporary stands they erected for that game although some will be built.

There are some amazing coincidences in Railway's run to the 2nd Round this season compared to their 2002 FA Cup campaign as they then also beat Esh Winning away and Chester Le Street in a replay before gradually beating clubs from a higher status in each round just as they have done this time round.

HENKEL RECOGNISE SHEFFIELD FC CELEBRATIONS

Henkel, parent company of the UniBond brand, has recognised the level of added publicity the company has received thanks to Sheffield FC this season celebrating their 150th Anniversary as the oldest football club in the world. The League's sponsors are extremely appreciative of the level of publicity generated by the club's celebrations and the excellent manner in which the club co-ordinated and presented the month long events. To mark Sheffield FC's efforts Henkel have made a special donation of £250 to the club.

FC UNITED TAKE INVITED INTO EUROPEAN COMPETITION

A request from newcomers FC United of Manchester to be allowed to play in a competition in Germany over the first weekend in January when they do not currently have a scheduled fixture was agreed by the League's Board last Sunday. The event is an annual competition televised and broadcast across Germany with three lower level Bundesliga clubs plus Lech Poznan from Poland and Lok Leipzig making up the six clubs involved along with FC United. Henkel, parent company of League Sponsors UniBond, is of course a German business and it was considered beneficial to allow the request in the light of this.

RETFORD WIN "CLUB OF THE ROUND" TROPHY AWARD

Retford United have been chosen as the FA "Carlsberg" Trophy Team of the Round for their 5-1 replay victory over high flying Premier Division Fleetwood Town in the 2nd Qualifying Round of this season's competition. Retford will be presented with a plaque from the FA prior to the start of their 3rd Qualifying Round tie against Radcliffe Borough next Saturday plus twenty complimentary tickets for the Final on 10th May along with four crates of Carlsberg Lager.

RAMSHAW OUT AT LINCOLN

The number of managerial changes in the UniBond League became a dozen in the season and four in one week when John Ramshaw parted company with Lincoln United after he tendered his resignation on Monday. His side had lost four games on the bounce without scoring a goal and had won only one of their last eleven games under his stewardship prior to his departure with that solitary victory being a 1-0 success against struggling North Ferriby United.

His short reign after being appointed in May started impressively enough with Lincoln winning four of their opening seven games including a victory that, going in to today's fixtures, is the only league defeat so far inflicted on table topping Witton Albion. Ramshaw's record was Played 20 Won 6 Drawn 4 and Lost 10. Taking over in a caretaker capacity is player / assistant manager Chris White.

Ramshaw, however, quickly resurfaced as Assistant Manager to Paul Cox at Eastwood Town although he is soon due to take a sabbatical as he is banned from all football and football activity for three weeks commencing 19th November. He takes the place of player-assistant manager Richard Cooper who had previously informed Cox that he wanted to concentrate on the playing side of his career.

HANCOCK LASTS SEVEN GAMES

Another managerial casualty this week was Mark Hancock at the Premier Division's bottom club Frickley Athletic who, with just three months of the campaign gone, will be in to their third manager of the season when they announce a replacement. Hancock had been in charge for only five weeks having taken over from previous incumbent Billy Heath but had been unable to turn things around winning just one and drawing another of his seven games in charge. One of the club's senior players Chris Hilton took charge of team affairs for the League Challenge Cup tie at Ossett Town on Tuesday evening and was promptly rewarded with Athletic's second victory of the campaign. Former boss Heath, however, then agreed to take training on Thursday and to become caretaker-manager until such time as a replacement can be appointed.

QUORN'S LAW GOES

Another managerial departure in the last week was Marcus Law at Quorn who resigned for personal reasons. He had taken over at the start of last season and guided Quorn to third place in the Midland Football Alliance and promotion to the UniBond League. During his first season he also took Quorn on their best ever FA Cup and FA Vase runs. Law again started his second season well as his side landed August's UniBond First Division South "Club of the Month" award and after then experiencing a lean spell the newcomers had returned to form at the time he left. Also departing with Law are his Assistants Paul O'Brien and Pat Pattison. With Club Chairman Stuart Turner currently on holiday no replacement is likely to be named in the short term and the reserve team management duo of David Powell and Paul Thwaites will take charge on a temporary basis helped by one or two senior players.

WHEATLEY STEPS IN TO THE BREACH YET AGAIN

The fourth manager to finish was Shepshed Dynamo's Martin Rowe who stood down immediately after his side's 1-1 draw with bottom club Spalding United last Saturday which left him with four wins in his twenty games in charge following his appointment during the summer. Dynamo's Board are conducting interviews on Sunday and in the meantime Club Secretary Dave Wheatley, who has had a fair amount of success during his numerous stop gap stints as manager, stepped once more in to the breach to take charge of team affairs for today's game at fellow strugglers Kidsgrove Athletic

PREMIER DIVISION CLUBS TAKE FIRM GRIP ON LEAGUE CHALLENGE CUP

The First Division clubs may well have held their own this season against Premier Division clubs in FA competitions with a 50% success rate against their higher tier opponents but the Premier Division clubs look like dominating the UniBond League Challenge Cup after this week's Third Round ties. Of the twelve ties now completed the only First Division club through to the last sixteen are Sheffield FC who beat managerless Lincoln United. They will be joined by one other First Division side when Curzon Ashton and Nantwich Town play their tie but Colwyn Bay (at home to table topping Witton Albion) and Warrington Town (away at promotion hunting Fleetwood Town) both look to have difficult tasks leaving Skelmersdale United as perhaps the lower tier's best hope of causing an upset. This season's League Challenge Cup winners will take home £2,250 with the beaten finalists pocketing £750.

CLITHEROE REMOVED FROM FA TROPHY

First Division North Clitheroe were this week removed from the FA Trophy for fielding Kieran Fletcher in their drawn game at Rushall Olympic when the player was under suspension. Rushall had lodged a protest before the replay could take place and their appeal was upheld this week by the FA. Ossett Town will now therefore travel to Rushall next Saturday in the final qualifying Round of this season's competition.

WHO ATE ALL THE PIES?

Cammell Laird are going head to head with Goole who are reckoned by many to be the champions of the non-league's staple diet of pies. When they played one another last week BBC Radio Merseyside presenter Alan Jackson heard about Goole's reputation for pies and is organising pies from the two clubs to be tasted in a blind tasting competition to be covered live by the radio station next Wednesday evening. Perhaps the winners should then take on Chorley who gave Belper Town a "pasting" last season when they too had a pie tasting challenge.

FERRIBY SIGN UNDER 20 INTERNATIONAL

Premier Division strugglers North Ferriby United have signed 21 year old Russell Fry from York City. The midfielder made a couple of first team appearances for Hull City before joining York and whilst with Hull won England Under 20 international honours. He is the second international with Ferriby as Michael Price, now aged 25, captained Wales Under 21's during his thirteen cap career at Under 21 level that began when he was at Everton.

UNIBOND LEAGUE TELEVISION

Forthcoming Games

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 Frickley Athletic v Kendal Town Match of the Week
Sat 1st Dec Eastwood Town v Prescot Cables Match of the Week
Sat 8th Dec Guiseley v Ashton Utd or Ossett Albion v FC United [subject to FAT] Match of the Week]
Tue 11th Dec Buxton v Fleetwood Town Live Game
Sat 15th Dec Gateshead v Witton Albion Match of the Week
Sat 22nd Dec Hednesford T 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

Click here for a printer friendly version

Discuss this story on the Fans Forum.

Rovers Make A Point On The Road

Lincoln Pre-match News

At home to:
Willenhall Town (UniBond President's Cup 2nd Round)

Tuesday 14th October, 7.45pm

View previous encounters with Willenhall Town