Tuesday, 14th October 2008

News Archive

10th December 2007
Review Of The Week

The weather played havoc with Saturday's fixtures across the North of the region with a total of just seven fixtures in both the Premier Division and the First Division North surviving the deluge although the First Division South did somewhat better with only two games falling victim.

In the top tier WITTON ALBION extended their lead to ten points when winning 2-1 at WORKSOP TOWN and the leaders remain unbeaten in the league since the opening day of the campaign. MARINE stay third after winning 5-3 at home to ILKESTON TOWN who provide great entertainment for the fans having already lost two other games this season 4-5. The remaining action was at the opposite end of the table where FRICKLEY ATHLETIC won for only the second time this season but still remain bottom after beating 18th placed LINCOLN UNITED.

Dropping in to the bottom two are KENDAL TOWN whose game at MATLOCK TOWN was abandoned after twenty minutes with the score 1-1 leaving the Lake District side to be overtaken by NORTH FERRIBY UNITED who inflicted a surprise defeat on BUXTON who could have gone fourth with a win. It was Buxton's first defeat in nine outings.

All four top sides in the First Division North were rained off but NEWCASTLE BLUE STAR fell out of the play-off positions when they surrendered an interval lead at SKELMERSDALE UNITED allowing OSSETT ALBION to occupy the last play-off spot after a 4-1 success against GARFORTH TOWN. The only other game to take place in this Division saw WAKEFIELD beat WOODLEY SPORTS 2-0.

RETFORD UNITED have now gone eight points clear on level games from CAMMELL LAIRD in the South section after putting a halt to STOCKSBRIDGE's run of four straight wins and have now conceded only one goal in their last five league outings. The next four in the table below Laird's also all won as GOOLE made it just one defeat in their last dozen games, NANTWICH made it twelve goals in their last three games with a 5-1 win at CARLTON TOWN, GRANTHAM TOWN came from behind to win at KIDSGROVE ATHLETIC and BELPER TOWN hit six without reply against WARRINGTON TOWN who have lost their last five league games without scoring and have conceded fifteen times in the three games under new manager Paul Moore.

BRIGG TOWN are now seven games without picking up a point after losing at COLWYN BAY whilst next to bottom SPALDING UNITED got off to a flyer when Danny Hargreaves netted after just 42 seconds but that was as good as it got for them with visiting ALSAGER TOWN running in four later in the game.

Spalding's Hargreaves Just Misses Out

Spalding United haven't been setting the world on fire in the First Division South but their popular midfielder Danny Hargreaves only just missed out in a Footballer of the Year contest in a Sports Awards ceremony organised by local newspapers. He finished a highly creditable runner-up after polling enough votes to land a top three nomination with the eventual winner being Danny Matson of Eagle Bitter United Counties League champions Deeping Rangers. The other finalist was Peterborough United's young full back Danny Andrews.

Harrogate Bow Out In Style

UniBond League interest in the FA Cup is over for another year but the League's last survivors Harrogate Railway Athletic bowed out in style last Sunday when they were somewhat unlucky not to earn a replay in their televised encounter against Mansfield Town. The Football League club edged Harrogate out 3-2 but had their fair share of frights before managing to do so.

Harrogate had to work hard to even get the game started as a deluge was in danger of leaving the ground waterlogged until the local Fire Brigade came to the rescue pumping lots of rainwater from the playing surface to enable the game to go ahead live on BBC 1. The amount of coverage given to the UniBond brand in front of the cameras prompted the League's sponsors Henkel to award a discretionary special award of £250 to Harrogate who became the second club this season to so benefit. Earlier in the campaign Sheffield FC were also awarded a special payment of the same amount for the amount of extra coverage their 150th Anniversary as the oldest club in the world had created for the UniBond brand.

Kittrick In Shock Switch

The number of UniBond League managerial changes went past the 25% mark this week when Ossett Town were shocked to learn their manager for the past two years Steve Kittrick and his Assistant Wayne Benn were quitting to move to fellow West Riding club Guiseley. The pair, who became the fifteenth managerial change of the UniBond season, tendered their resignation out of the blue after Ossett's defeat in their midweek County Cup tie against Bradford Park Avenue. Kittrick was in his fourth season with the club having been Assistant to previous boss Steve Richards. When Richards left, Kittrick became caretaker manager and did so well that he landed the job. He brought Benn in as his Assistant in July 2006.

Ossett wasted no time in finding a replacement even though Reserve team boss Phil Thompson would have taken charge of team affairs had today's game against Eastwood Town gone ahead. With that game postponed however Simon Collins, who ironically was signed as a player by Kittrick earlier this season but never featured before being released, will now take over assisted by former Wakefield manager Gareth Stoker for next week's FA Trophy tie at Stafford Rangers.

Collins enjoyed a long career in the full time game appearing for Huddersfield Town, Plymouth Argyle, Macclesfield Town and Shrewsbury Town before playing abroad in Hong Kong and Australia. He has plenty of UniBond playing experience with Frickley Athletic for whom he made well over a century of appearances. Stoker, too, is very experienced having played in the Football League with Hull City, Hereford United, Cardiff City and Rochdale after starting out as a trainee with Leeds United. After his Football League career finished he moved in to the Conference with Scarborough and then Leigh RMI before signing for Wakefield last season. He later took over as player-manager in January when Paul David stood down and guided the Yorkshire side to a Chairman's Cup Final appearance.

Guiseley, meanwhile, despite having recruited Kittrick and Benn have retained the services of Mark Ellis as first team coach.

It was the second week in succession that a manager had quit without notice to move elsewhere in the League following Paul Moore's resignation last week from his post at Leek to switch to Warrington Town.

Sheffield Make Hall Of Fame

UniBond club Sheffield FC this week added another bit of history to their illustrious past when they became the first ever club to be elected in to the Hall of Fame at the National Football Museum in Preston. The club were added to the list, normally reserved for players, managers and officials, as a mark of recognition for their 150th Anniversary. Also being initiated alongside Sheffield at the event held at Old Trafford were Mark Hughes, Glenn Hoddle, Graeme Souness, Terry Venables, Niall Quinn and Nobby Stiles.

Sheffield Chairman Richard Tims, who collected the award along with manager Dave McCarthy, said "It is a great honour for Sheffield FC to become the first ever club to be elected in to the National Hall of Fame. Football fans from all over the country will now be able to learn more about our small club which has played such a massive role in the development of this world wide game".

UniBond League Cup Draws

Wins after extra-time for Curzon Ashton, who also needed penalties to oust Nantwich Town from the League Challenge Cup, and Radcliffe Borough in the President's Cup at home to Warrington Town completed the last sixteen of this season's two domestic knock out competitions. The revised draws are as follows with the ties to be played in early 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

UniBond League President's Cup - 3rd Round

Brigg Town v Bradford Park Avenue
Ossett Albion v Colwyn Bay
FC United of Manchester v Rossendale United Retford United v Sheffield FC
Goole AFC v Stocksbridge Park Steels
Skelmersdale United v Radcliffe Borough
Nantwich Town v Cammell Laird
Wakefield FC v Belper Town

Marine Stage Second Christmas Community Day

Following a hugely successful Christmas Community day last season Marine FC repeated the event at today's game against Ilkeston Town. England player Jamie Carragher sent a signed pair of boots for the half-time raffle prize.

UniBond League Television

Forthcoming Games

Tue 11th Dec Buxton v Fleetwood Town Live Game
Sat 15th Dec Ossett Alb v FC United Match of the Week
Sat 22nd Dec Hednesford Town 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.

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Willenhall Town (UniBond President's Cup 2nd Round)

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