Monday, 8th September 2008

News Archive

1st March 2008
Review Of The Week

PRESCOT CABLES, with just one win in their previous dozen league outings, came up with one of the shocks of the season when they beat runaway Premier Division leaders WITTON ALBION to give the chasing pack some hope.

After losing in midweek FLEETWOOD TOWN consolidated their second place with a win over OSSETT TOWN but left it late whilst third place GATESHEAD were even later with their leveller at home to fifth spot EASTWOOD TOWN which was a good result for BUXTON in fourth as they edged home against joint bottom LEEK TOWN.

Just outside the play-off spots are GUISELEY but they look well placed to be involved in the end of season promotion battles despite being held at ASHTON UNITED. At the other end of the table bottom club LINCOLN UNITED made things very interesting with a win over KENDAL TOWN and amazingly OSSETT TOWN in thirteenth place are just two points clear of the drop zone!

There was a crowd of more than 3,300 to watch FC UNITED of MANCHESTER draw with BAMBER BRIDGE in a game that the visitors twice led but couldn't hold on for more than two minutes on either occasion.

That was a good result for the top two SKELMERSDALE UNITED and CURZON ASHTON who both had home wins to go six points clear of the rest whilst fourth place BRADFORD PARK AVENUE lost ground when losing at HARROGATE RAILWAY.

At the bottom, the once beleagured RADCLIFFE BOROUGH have given themselves a fighting chance of avoiding the drop with a victory over ROSSENDALE UNITED and are now within touching distance of BRIDLINGTON TOWN who picked a point up at OSSETT ALBION.

In the First Division South RETFORD UNITED went eight points clear after CAMMELL LAIRD lost at STOCKSBRIDGE whilst third place GRANTHAM TOWN also lost going down to CARLTON TOWN after missing a penalty.

Bottom club SPALDING UNITED lost further ground when going down at NANTWICH TOWN whilst the four clubs above them all picked up a point.

UniBond "Fair Play" Awards

The UniBond "Fair Play" awards for February have gone to MATLOCK TOWN, WOODLEY SPORTS and CARLTON TOWN respectively.

It wasn't the best of months for discipline in the top flight and although Fleetwood Town technically had a better record in the Premier Division than Matlock they played only three games with the minimum required being four leaving the "Gladiators" to pick up the prize with seven yellows in five matches.

Despite having their first dismissal of the season WITTON ALBION still comfortably lead the top tier's season to date table. Woodley had an unblemished record in their four games and have shot up to second place overall in the First Division North season to date tables replacing Mossley who dropped to fourth after picking up eight cautions and one red in three games to spoil their hitherto good record.

The First Division South award was a tie between CARLTON TOWN and SPALDING UNITED with Carlton taking the prize courtesy of their better record over the season to date.

UniBond "Club Of The Month" Awards

The UniBond "Club of the Month" awards for February have gone to FRICKLEY ATHLETIC, BAMBER BRIDGE and GRANTHAM TOWN respectively.

Frickley, having struggled against relegation all season, finished January with two wins and carried on with their winning streak throughout February with four victories from as many games which saw them keep three clean sheets and score ten goals.

Unlike Frickley BAMBER BRIDGE have been there or thereabouts all season in the First Division North and their consistency in remaining unbeaten in five matches in February landed them the prize. Two of their games were against a couple of their main rivals Bradford Park Avenue and January's Club of the Month winners FC United of Manchester. It is the second occasion in the current campaign that "Brig" have won the accolade.

First Division South winners GRANTHAM TOWN went in to February having lost four of their previous six matches but got their play-off hopes back on track with four straight successes against Brigg Town, Quorn, Sheffield FC and Colwyn Bay scoring fourteen goals along the way.

Sheffield FC Feature On Antiques Roadshow

Sheffield FC are to be featured in tomorrow's edition of one of BBC 1's most famous television programmes The Antiques Roadshow. The club was invited to attend the show as Sheffield's 150th Anniversary coincides with the TV programme's own 30th Anniversary and producer Michael Burgess said: "When we heard about Sheffield's anniversary and it coinciding with our own we were very keen to have them on the show. For them to bring the oldest printed football club rule book in the world was a real bonus and a key part of the programme".

Sheffield Director Paul Hancock added: "We thought this would be an ideal opportunity to take a piece of the club's heritage to a wider audience but we never expected Michael Aspel himself to be so interested in the rule book which dates from 1859." The programme is on air tomorrow (Sunday, 2nd March) at 7pm.

Sheffield FC's printed rule book is currently on display along with the first ever hand written one at Sheffield United's Hall of Fame Museum Bramall Lane - the special showcase cabinet having been unveiled by Pele last November.

The club are also due to appear on another TV programme sometime in April / May with TV cameras having covered their recent game against Retford United for the programme Street Doctor.

Nantwich Disqualified From President's Cup

Nantwich Town were removed from the semi-finals of the UniBond League President's Cup at a meeting of the Cup's Committee convened on Thursday to consider the matter of the club having fielded Josh Hancock when he was not a registered player with the League against FC United of Manchester in the quarter-final tie on Monday evening that Nantwich had won 5-1. Whilst Hancock is a regular member of the club's youth team he had not been registered with the League making him ineligible to participate in the tie. FC United of Manchester will now visit Goole AFC on the 8th March in the semi-final.

UnBond League Television

Forthcoming Games
Tue 4th March Leek Town v Whitby Town Live Game
Sat 8th March UniBond League Challenge Cup Semi Finals
Eastwood Town v Frickley Athletic Match of the Week
Skelmersdale Utd v Gateshead Match of the Week

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

FC United's Kit Aid Appeal

FC United of Manchester are asking football supporters in the North West to support their Kit Aid day which they are holding this year on 15th March when they play Newcastle Blue Star at Gigg Lane, Bury. General Manager Andy Walsh said: "We are delighted to be supporting Kit Aid once again and we are appealing to our supporters and anyone else interested to clear out their cupboards and donate any clean unwanted football kit (shirts, shorts and socks) to the appeal. In 2006 our supporters donated over 300 shirts to the Charity whose Patron is former England manager Graham Taylor".

Kit can be dropped off at the collection points which will be set up around Gigg Lane on 15th March or can be handed in during the week previous at the club's offices at Hope Mill, 113 Pollard St, Ancoats, Manchester M4 7JA. Kit Aid donates unwanted football kit to children and adults across Africa, India, Eastern Europe and other developing countries and in 2007 delivered 17,500 shirts to thirty different countries.

Leek Striker To Undergo Major Operation

After almost a four month wait Leek Town striker Darren Alexander is to undergo a major reconstruction of his knee after he snapped his cruciate ligament as well as tearing both his medial ligament and cartilage in a League Challenge Cup tie at home to Buxton in November. The 24 year old, who is half way through a three year PE teaching course at Manchester Metropolitan University, will face a ten month spell of rehabilitation following his operation which is scheduled for next Thursday.

Spalding To Move To New Stadium

Spalding United are hoping to move in to a new home by 2012 after South Holland District Council announced an ambitious £17m project to house all their leisure facilities on one site creating a sports village about one mile from Spalding's current ground. The redevelopment scheme will, in addition to providing a new football stadium, include two other full size pitches one of which will be an all weather surface plus a further six junior pitches, a swimming pool, sports centre, badminton hall, and tennis courts along with outdoor and indoor bowling centres.

Globetrotters

Warrington Town's latest signing is 6ft 6ins Argentinian goalkeeper Diego Bassanini who holds an Italian passport. He has played for both Boco Juniors and Botafogo in the Rosarina League in Argentina whilst Curzon Ashton have signed Andrea Russo who was born in Australia but, like Bassanini, holds an Italian passport with his last club being Apia Leichardot who play in Australia's New South Wales Premier Division

Former Chorley Player-Coach Dies

Former Chorley player-coach (equivalent to player-manager at the time) Cyril Fairclough has died aged 84. A long serving Bury player in his full time playing days he guided the "Magpies" to a Lancashire Combination and Lancs FA Trophy cup double in 1958/59, the Lancashire Combination title in 1959/60 and the league title and Lancs FA Trophy in 1960/61. Three more Cup Finals and a league runners-up spot completed his haul in five memorable years and he certainly started a family playing dynasty as his son Neil was a member of the Chorley side that won the Lancashire FA Trophy in 1976 whilst his grandsons Matt and Joe Taylor were in the Burscough squad that shocked non-league football in 2003 to land the FA Trophy.

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At home to:
Quorn

Tuesday 9th September, 7.45pm

View previous encounters with Quorn