Tuesday, 14th October 2008

News Archive

29th March 2008
Review Of The Week

Having lost their unbeaten home record on Easter Monday Premier Division leaders WITTON ALBION made bottom club LINCOLN UNITED suffer on Saturday as they hit six past their visitors without reply.

The Division's leading goalscorer Adam Warlow helped himself to a hat-trick and Albion's joy was compounded when nearest challengers FLEETWOOD TOWN were held to a home draw by fifth place GUISELEY to leave the Lancashire club ten points adrift albeit with three games in hand.

GATESHEAD consolidated third place with a third win on the bounce their victims this time being MATLOCK TOWN. Two defeats in a week with six goals conceded and none scored have left League Cup finalists and last season's First Division play-off winners EASTWOOD TOWN in danger of missing out on the top tier's play-offs.

Saturday's home loss to fellow play-off rivals BUXTON was a particular blow. At the opposite end it is a real dog-fight with OSSETT TOWN, FRICKLEY ATHLETIC and MATLCOK TOWN in 11th, 12th and 13th only five points off the relegation slots from which NORTH FERRIBY UNITED extracted themselves with a 4-2 win at the previously in form ILKESTON TOWN.

Replacing them in the bottom three are WHITBY TOWN who went down at home to WORKSOP TOWN. Next to bottom LEEK TOWN gave themselves hope with a 1-0 win over Ossett Town whilst other contenders for the drop ASHTON UNITED and KENDAL TOWN battled out a 2-2 draw.

First Division North leaders SKELMERSDALE UNITED grabbed a last gasp point at OSSETT ALBION but the two points dropped enabled BRADFORD PARK AVENUE to join them at the top on 71 points with Avenue having two games in hand.

Avenue are on a fine run with their latest win over GARFORTH TOWN making it seven league wins on the bounce with just one goal conceded.

After a limp spell CURZON ASHTON seem to have got their show back on the road and their 4-2 win at HARROGATE RAILWAY was their third victory in as many games and they stay third ahead of FC UNITED of M/CR who were stunned with a late equaliser by LANCASTER CITY.

That game was almost abandoned at half-time by a downpour of tropical proportions but the fixture just up the M66 at ROSSENDALE UNITED where BRIDLINGTON TOWN were the visitors did succumb.

In the drop zone RADCLIFFE BOROUGH moved to within two points of next to bottom WOODLEY SPORTS and the two meet next Saturday.

The First Division South title race is all but over after leaders RETFORD UNITED beat nearest challengers CAMMELL LAIRD to go seventeen points clear but the battle for the play-off spots is certainly interesting with everybody down to COLWYN BAY in ninth having a chance.

GRANTHAM TOWN's prospects, however, were dented by a GRESLEY ROVERS side who hadn't scored in four games whilst GOOLE were surprised at next to bottom KIDSGROVE ATHLETIC who hit four.

Athletic's win left the prospects of bottom club SPALDING UNITED, who are still looking for a first home win of the season, looking distinctly bleak whilst the turn around of the day came at QUORN who were two up against CARLTON TOWN before losing 6-2.

New Deal Is Sure Bet Winner For Unibond League Clubs

The UniBond League has signed a deal with Chester based Corbett Bookmakers to become the League's official betting partner under the Betterbetcorbett brand. Over the last sixty years Corbett Bookmakers has become one of the largest betting businesses in the UK with sixty betting shops in addition to being online through www.betterbetcorbett.co.uk

The agreement will see Betterbetcorbett offer odds on all UniBond league and cup games across the three Divisions and is the first such sponsorship to be secured by a by a Step 3 competition. Under the deal all official UniBond club websites as well as the League's own website will be linked to a dedicated UniBond League page at www.betterbetcorbett.co.uk where fans can place bets on their teams each week.

Michael Corbett, Managing Director of Corbett Bookmakers welcomed the partnership with the UniBond League saying: "Football is an increasingly popular sport from a betting perspective but non-league football represents an un-tapped market. As a North West based company a partnership with such a well run competition makes perfect business sense".

League Chairman Peter Maude commented: "We are delighted to have clinched this new deal which is a direct result of the tremendous level of traffic the league's website receives with over 200,000 unique users relying on it for news about UniBond League football. This is something we are harnessing with a series of commercial partnerships that provide extra relevant services for fans whilst generating additional income for our clubs".

Crooks For Guiseley

Guiseley have signed former England Youth international Lee Crooks who began his career with Manchester City as a trainee and went on to make around eighty first team appearances for them. After a loan spell at Northampton Town he moved on to Barnsley, Bradford City, Notts County and Rochdale - his last club prior to signing for Guiseley. The thirty-year-old midfielder made around 250 appearances in the full time game.

Witton Sign Second Thornley

With Manchester United and England masseuse Rod Thornley already on their books title chasing Witton Albion have now signed his more famous footballing brother Ben. The elder of the two brothers Ben earned England Under 21 honours in his time at Manchester United where he started his career after winning England schools recognition.

He played in the 1992 and 1993 FA Youth Cup Finals alongside such famous names as Gary Neville, David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Nicky Butt beating Crystal Palace but losing to Leeds United a year later. He went on to play in United's first team on a dozen or so occasions before signing for Huudersfield Town where he clocked up more than a century of appearances. He then moved North of the border to play for Aberdeen and finished his full time career back in England with Blackpool and Bury.

Macron "Safe Hands" Awards

The UniBond League's official kit suppliers "Macron" this week confirmed that the overall season winner of their "Safe Hands" award would be travelling to Italy to spend a week pre-season training with Italian Serie B club Piacenza. Leading contenders for the prize include amongst others Witton Albion's Jon Kennedy, Piotr Skiba of Guiseley and from the lower tiers Jon Worsnop of Bradford Park Avenue.

Zico In The Black Book

Lancaster City's out of favour striker Ryan-Zico Black was released by the Giant Axe club just in time to sign for First Division North rivals Bamber Bridge before the transfer deadline on Thursday. He had made slightly over a of century appearances in two stints for Lancaster scoring 33 goals. He has just published a book titled ZICO which is the autobiography of the Northern Ireland Youth international and his life as a semi-professional footballer attempting to live up to the name that his father, a fan of the Brazilian legend Zico, had landed him with.

Spalding Link Up To Create New Football Academy

Spalding United have created a partnership with Peterborough Regional College to start a new Football Academy beginning next September. The Academy will provide a two year programme and will offer the opportunity to gain a BTEC National qualification with the set-up also entering a side in the Conference Youth League. Its aims will be to provide students with visible pathways in to professional and semi-professional football.

UniBond "Club Of The Month" Awards

The UniBond "Club of the Month" awards were an exact repeat of November's with the Premier Division prize going to FLEETWOOD TOWN, BRADFORD PARK AVENUE picking up the First Division North and Champions elect RETFORD UNITED taking the First Division South accolade. In another coincidence it was the second time all three clubs had picked up the awards this season.

Fleetwood's month saw them go unbeaten in five games winning five which included a victory that lowered Premier Division leaders Witton Albion unbeaten home record.

In the First Division North Bradford Park Avenue began the month with defeat at Harrogate Railway but after that it was plain sailing all the way with eight straight wins in which they conceded only one goal.

Retford United's domination of the First Division South continued unabated during March in which they enjoyed the perfect record of seven wins in as many games.

UniBond League Television

Forthcoming Games

Sat 29th March Ashton United v Kendal Town Match of the Week
Tue 1st April Skelmersdale Utd v FC United of Manchester Live Game
Sat 5th April Buxton v Eastwood Town Match of the Week
Sat 12th April Grantham Town v Goole AFC Match of the Week
Tue 15th April Witton Albion v Frickley Athletic Live Game
Sat 19th April Curzon Ashton v Clitheroe Match of the Week
Mon 21st April Eastwood Town v Skelmersdale Utd ULCC Live Game
All games can be accessed through the banner link on www.unibondleague.com and are subject to change.

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Rovers Make A Point On The Road

New Signing

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

This evening, 7.45pm

View previous encounters with Willenhall Town