Thursday, 28th August 2008

News Archive

24th November 2007
Review Of The Week

The League enjoyed a good day in the final Qualifying Round of the FA Trophy with only BUXTON losing to outside opposition whilst GATESHEAD despatched former Football League club Boston United and GUISELEY removed Worcester City. In addition, WITTON ALBION and OSSETT TOWN both earned home replays. In the all UniBond ties First Division North BAMBER BRIDGE got the better of top tier ILKESTON TOWN, high flying First Division South club RETFORD UNITED beat RADCLIFFE BOROUGH who are now the only club in the league without a win whilst COLWYN BAY and SHEFFIELD will try again on Tuesday.

FLEETWOOD TOWN cut WITTON ALBION's lead at the top of the Premier Division to seven points with two games in hand thanks to a 3-0 win over ASHTON UNITED whilst MARINE move in to third after winning at sixth placed MATLOCK TOWN courtesy of a Karl O'Donnell hat-trick. Both the bottom two, FRICKLEY ATHLETIC and NORTH FERRIBY UNITED, enjoyed home successes with Athletic's win over KENDAL TOWN being their first three pointer of the campaign. The big game of the day in the First Division North saw BRADFORD PARK AVENUE beat FC UNITED of MANCHESTER 4-3 whilst leaders CURZON ASHTON, after dropping two points to next to bottom CHORLEY in midweek, returned to form with a 4-1 victory over neighbours MOSSLEY. New club NEWCASTLE BLUE STAR's Lee Novak scored all his side's goals in a 3-1 win that moved them to within a point of their victims OSSETT ALBION and a play-off place. CAMMELL LAIRD claimed top spot in the South section but will have been disappointed to lose two points at CARLTON TOWN whilst GOOLE made it 26 points from 30 with a 4-0 success against GRANTHAM TOWN who conceded ten goals in the week having lost 6-3 at QUORN in midweek

Dolan Unlucky Thirteenth

High flying Guiseley have parted company with manager Terry Dolan with Club Chairman Phil Rogerson saying "Basically we were disappointed at the progress that has been made in the last twelve months and felt we needed a change. We've lost two games on the trot and are out of the FA Cup and odn't seem to have made the progress we expected. It isn't a crisis but our last three wins were all by the odd goal some of which were very late on. Also the style we played wasn't attracting the amount of support we expected for a team challenging for honours and that is another disappointment. We've not been playing in the style we used to expect at Nethermoor". Assistant manager Mark Ellis took charge for today's FA Trophy tie against Blue Square North outfit Worcester City.

BBC Cameras At Ossett Albion

BBC TV cameras were at the Ossett Albion v Mossley game last Wednesday evening with the angle being that even when England are playing a crucial qualifying match that football in the rest of the country carries on. Coverage of the game appeared on BBC's "Look North" the following evening with the presenter highlighting the similar 0-2 scoreline at half-time. The only difference was that whereas England, of course, lost 3-2 Ossett came back to win 4-2. Perhaps Steve McLaren could have done with Albion manager Eric Gilchrist doing his half-time pep talk for him!

League Vice Chairman Passes Away

It was with great sadness that the League heard of the death of its Vice Chairman Tom Culshaw last Saturday evening at the age of 84. In addition to the role he had played in helping the League develop since his election to the League Management Committee in 1982 Tom was truly a stalwart of his club Marine having been involved with them in various capacities for well over forty years having first appeared for them as a player in the early 1950's. He later became the club's Secretary and was its Chairman from 1977 to 2003 before standing down to become Life President. It was during this period that Marine, with Tom as Chairman and Roly Howard as manager, enjoyed its most successful era winning back to back Northern Premier League titles, reaching the 3rd Round Proper of the FA Cup and two FA Trophy semi-finals in addition to a host of County and League cups. He was also the inspiration behind the development of Marine's College Road ground.

UniBond League Chief Executive Duncan Bayley said "Tom was respected by all who knew him for his honesty and integrity whilst he was also one of the finest ambassadors the game has known. He made a significant contribution to the development of the game at non-league level being a leading advocate in the introduction of a pyramid system that is now well established".

The League sends its deepest sympathy to Tom's widow Betty and his daughters Barbara and Fiona and their families.

Death Of Ilkeston Chairman

The death was also announced last weekend of Ilkeston Town Chairman Paul Millership who passed away on Sunday afternoon aged just 59. Mr Millership had risen from very humble beginnings being one of ten children. He left school at 15 to start work at Beauvale Furnishings and after his first day vowed to one day buy the company and arrive at work in a Rolls Royce. He eventually achieved this ambition and became Ilkeston's largest employer with more than one thousand people in his workforce.

He took over the ailing Ilkeston Town Football Club in 1989 and during the following eighteen years took them from the Central Midlands League to within one promotion of Conference football. He was also responsible for the development of the club's New Manor Ground which opened in 1992 on the site of an old Victorian rubbish dump. He leaves a widow Sylvia and son Alex.

Colwyn Bay's Sad Loss

In what was the saddest week for many years within the UniBond League community Colwyn Bay lost Club Director Margaret Jones who passed away on Wednesday after a short illness. She had made a massive contribution to the Welsh club over five decades having been a key member of the committee that built the club back up from its ashes following major problems in the 1960's. She was in many ways a trailblazer for female involvement in football as it was certainly not the norm for women to hold senior positions in football clubs at that time.

She was the one constant at the club throughout various changes in the Boardroom retaining a dignity that had to be admired. It was only in recent years that she stepped down from many match day duties to concentrate on serving teas in the Boardroom. Her funeral will be held at St John's Church, Old Colwyn on Wednesday, 28th November at 10.00am.

League Cup Draws

There were goals galore in the midweek domestic cup competitions as both the UniBond League Challenge Cup and the President's Cup move towards completion of the last sixteen places. In the League Cup the current holders Fleetwood Town were 6-1 up at the interval against First Division Warrington before winning 7-3 but Skelmersdale United hit back for the lower tier by beating Kendal Town 5-3. Colwyn Bay and Witton Albion shared four goals before the Premier Division leaders moved through on penalties. It was more sedate in the President's Cup where Bradford Park Avenue won with the only goal of the game coming late on. Avenue are the only club left in the President's Cup to have won it before and it will be a similar tale in the League Cup after the Fourth round ties as the only two previous winners of that competition still left in, Fleetwood Town and Marine, are paired together.

Just Nantwich Town and Curzon Ashton remain to play their 3rd Round League Challenge Cup tie whilst following the postponement of Tuesday evening's President's Cup tie between Newcastle Blue Star and Wakefield just two ties are outstanding before the last sixteen is complete with the other game being between Radcliffe Borough and Warrington Town.

The draws for the last sixteen of the two competitions are as follows with ties to be played on or after Saturday, 5th January -

UniBond League Challenge Cup - 4th Round

Fleetwood Town v Marine
North Ferriby United v Worksop Town
Gateshead v Sheffield FC
Skelmersdale United v Leek Town
Guiseley v Eastwood Town
Whitby Town v Frickley Athletic
Ilkeston Town v Hednesford Town
Witton Albion v Curzon Ashton or Nantwich Town

UniBond League Presidents Cup - 3rd Round

Brigg Town v Bradford Park Ave
Newcastle Blue Star/Wakefield v Belper Town
FC United of Manchester v Rossendale United
Ossett Albion v Colwyn Bay
Goole AFC v Stocksbridge Park Steels
Retford United v Sheffield FC
Nantwich Town v Cammell Laird
Skelmersdale United v Radcliffe Borough or Warrington Town

UniBond League Television

Forthcoming Games
Sat 1st Dec Eastwood Town v Prescot Cables Match of the Week
Sat 8th Dec Ashton United v Guiseley Match of the Week
Tue 11th Dec Buxton v Fleetwood Town Live Game
Sat 15th Dec Ossett Albion v FC United 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
Sat 29th Dec Curzon Ashton v FC United Possible Live Game *
Tue 1st Jan Frickley Ath v Guiseley Possible Live Game * * If not live then Match of the Week.

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

Shepshed Name Wilson As New Manager

Shepshed Dynamo have named Lee Wilson as their new manager following the recent departure of Martin Rowe. The 35 year old was a striker in his playing days having been a full time professional with Mansfield Town before moving into the semi-pro game with Telford United, Halifax Town, Tamworth, Grantham Town and Kings Lynn. His first managerial appointment was in 2003 as player-coach at Tamworth before moving on to take charge for two years at Glapwell in the Northern Counties East League. He then had a spell with Sutton Town before he was appointed manager at Gedling Town earlier this season. He is employed by the FA and the Football Foundation as a Football Development Officer at a college in Nottingham and is joined at Shepshed by Jim Albans who was his right hand man at Gedling.

Curzon And Retford Bow Out Of FA Youth Cup

The last two UniBond League clubs with sides left in this season's FA Youth Cup bowed out on Wednesday evening with Curzon Ashton coming agonisingly close to adding a second Football League scalp to their name when only going down in a penalty shoot out to Chester City who converted six of their spot kicks against five from Curzon's youngsters after a 1-1 draw. Curzon had earlier knocked out Chesterfield. The other survivors Retford United again attracted an attendance of well over two hundred to their tie against Shrewsbury Town but missed out on a trip to Premiership giants Newcastle United when they lost 2-0.

Fleetwood Sign Youth International

Fleetwood Town have signed former England Youth international Jerome Watt from Southport. Now aged 23 the midfielder spent five seasons on contract with Blackburn Rovers without breaking in to the first team and last season moved to Northampton Town for whom he made ten Football League appearances.

Lairds Taste Shock Success In Mid-Season Pie Off

The pie tasting contest organised by BBC Radio Merseyside mentioned in last week's Press Release between Cammell Lairds and Goole, who for a long time have been acknowledged as having the best pies on the northern non-league scene, surprisingly went the way of Lairds when it was held last Wednesday. However it soon became apparent that the only reason radio presenter and expert pie taster Alan Jackson had ruled in favour of the Laird pie during the blind tasting contest was that he considered the Goole entry as being far too succulent to be a commercially made pie!

Hednesford Duo Return To Former Clubs

Hednesford Town's Linden Dovey and Tom Ward have both returned to the clubs from where the "Pitmen" signed them. Dovey has gone back to Shifnall Town after he found travelling to the club's training venue outside Burton a problem due to attending College in Worcester whilst Ward is rejoining Market Drayton Town also because of travelling difficulties. He had been brought to the club by former Assistant manager Jimmy Mullen and used to travel with him from Shropshire but, with Mullen now employed by Walsall, Ward now has to make the trip on his own and with a young family cannot give the level of commitment required at this level of the game. Hednesford are retaining both player's UniBond registrations.

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At home to:
Alvechurch (FA Cup Preliminary Round)

Saturday 30th August, 3.00pm

View previous encounters with Alvechurch