News

Having served Gainsborough Trinity FC in numerous capacities over many years after beginning as a player Ken was a leading figure in the formation of the League in 1967 and was also very active in the formation of the Alliance (now the Football Conference) twelve years later.

He served as Chairman of the League from 1976 until his retirement due to ill health in 2002 during which time he proved to be a great leader with a warm and friendly disposition but he never shirked the unpopular decisions he sometimes had to make in carrying out his responsibilities to the sport he lived for. Ken was an ambassador to the semi-professional game for almost forty years and served on the Football Association from 1991 to 2001 when he stepped aside due to his health problems. In addition, he was a Life Member of both the Northern Premier League and the Football Conference.

Ken's passing is a great loss to the game in general and to semi-professional football in particular but what he gave to the game over many, many decades will be remembered for years to come.

Welcome To The New Season

Welcome to another season of Northern Premier League action that will yet again be sponsored by UniBond taking one of the longest and most successful partnerships in the game to a thirteenth campaign.

The League welcomes no fewer than seven new clubs with Hednesford Town relegated from the Conference and Grantham Town transferred from the Southern League. They replace last season's champions Blyth Spartans and promotion play-off winners Farsley Celtic both of whom will ply their trade during the coming season in the Conference North.

Joining Hednesford and Grantham in the Premier Division will be Mossley and Fleetwood Town who both return to the top flight after an absence that has been far too long for their supporters whilst First Division play-off winners Kendal Town also step up in class. Relegated to the First Division to make way for the promoted clubs are Bradford Park Avenue (for whom it was a second successive relegation) and Wakefield whilst Runcorn FC Halton sadly folded just after the end of last term.

One of the vagaries of restructuring during the summer sees the First Division increase from 22 to 24 clubs. With Bishop Auckland relegated and Spalding United transferred to the Southern League five new clubs were required and making the step up are Alsager Town, Cammell Laird (who continue their remarkable rise through the Pyramid) and Skelmersdale United from the North West Counties League whilst emerging from the Northern Counties East League are Buxton and Harrogate Railway Athletic. All the action starts on Saturday, 19th August.

Lawson Back On UniBond Scene

Tommy Lawson is back on the UniBond scene after a brief absence having been appointed manager at First Division newcomers Skelmersdale United. Out of the game since January when he parted company with Clitheroe, Lawson replaces previous manager Paul Gallagher who may well consider himself unfortunate having taken the club to promotion just a month previous to his departure.

However United felt they required somebody with experience of the UniBond League and in Lawson they have just that as he managed Congleton Town during their time in the League but it was at Prescot Cables where he really made a name for himself taking them to the Premier Division play-offs in 2004/5.

Lawson has appointed another well known face on the UniBond circuit as his number two having persuaded Paul McNally to join him as his Player/Assistant manager. McNally won back to back Premier Division titles in the mid-nineties with Marine and has also appeared for Runcorn, Clitheroe, Oswestry, Southport, Stalybridge Celtic, Warrington Town and Burscough.

Ward Returns To Kidsgrove

Kidsgrove Athletic are yet another club to kick off the coming season with a new management team. They were aware prior to the end of the last campaign that joint managers Anthony Buckle and Darren Twigg were calling it a day and they have gone for another joint pairing in Paul Ogden and Peter Ward.

For the latter it is a return to the club he managed early in his career after being in charge at Nantwich Town and prior to him moving on to Leek Town, Stalybridge Celtic, Southport and Lancaster City. Ogden will double up as Commercial Manager having performed both roles for his previous club Leek Town with whom he was associated for many years prior to his departure last season.

England International Takes Over At Colwyn Bay

Welsh club Colwyn Bay have turned to former England International striker Peter Davenport as their new manager to take over from the departed Adie Jones.

In his playing career Davenport appeared for Nottingham Forest, Manchester United, Middlesbrough and Sunderland playing under such famous managers as Brian Clough and Sir Alex Ferguson. On the management front he has been in charge at both Macclesfield Town and more recently Bangor City.

In his managerial roles Davenport has built a reputation for spotting and developing players who have moved on to higher levels. The club have also landed their biggest ever sponsorship package with the one year deal plus another year's option being described as a five figure sum with additional benefits linked to performance.