Ashton Town AFC v AFC Liverpool - 3/8/19 - NWCFL First Division North

PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAWN MARSHALL GROUND SPONSOR

Charity No:

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1151548

ASHTON TOWN AFC The Scott Rees & Co Stadium, Edge Green Street, Ashton in Makerfield, Wigan, WN4 8SL

# Onward Onwards s & Upwards

COMMITTEE

President - Jimmy Cahill Chairman - Mark Hayes Vice President - Stephen Barrett Secretary - Stefan Ochwat Clubhouse Manager - Clare Peters Committee Member - Peter Williams Committee Member - Kieran Johnson Committee Member - Joanne Round Committee Member - Joanne Bourne Committee Member - Jayne Watkinson Catering - Denise Brady Advertising & Programme Editor - Ian Pomfrett All Advertising enquiries - i.pomfrett@yahoo.com Welfare Officer - Gordon Johnson Grounds Team - David Bourne, Jimmy Cahill, Keith Peacock

www.facebook.com/ashtontownafc Twitter - @ashtontownafc Life Member - Billy Pomfrett Club Photographer - Dawn Marshall

This Club is Unincorporated PHOTO BY JOHN MCKIERNAN

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WELCOME TO OUR CLUB Good afternoon, and welcome to the Scott Rees & Co Stadium for this North West Counties First Division North fixture against AFC Liverpool.

Wow. What a pre season. Dave Dempsey and his team have really excelled themselves again by getting some fantastic results, and putting together a really strong squad over the summer. The key for me too is that we havenâ€&#x;t lost anyone too. I feel a lot of games are also won and lost by comradery and consistency of a squad, and Dave has really got this to a tee. Since Christmas really we have been in fantastic form, and Dave has a huge headache today I am sure as to who to leave out. However what a strong position that is.

Like every year though, nothing is won or lost in pre season, and its now that the business starts. AFC Liverpool will come here today with the exact same thoughts as us as regards doing well, so may the best team win come 445pm.

Off the field we also welcome four new faces. Chris Stammers and Karl Bell have come in as first team coaches, Dave Billington has returned to the club after 10 years away with ladies football, and is our new goal keeping coach, and Kaydrion Drimmie has come in as the first team physio.

Commercially we have also been busy working with world darts star Stephen Bunting over the summer, with our club badge being seen all over the world via Sky Sports with Stephen kindly wearing our badge at the recent World Matchplay in Blackpool.

All in all it comes down to today. This truly is our season to shine, and with four teams to go up, we will never have a better chance to fulfil our dreams.

Strap yourselves in. We are in for a cracker !

Enjoy the game Mark Club Chairman Ashton Town AFC 3

@northernpromise

Set up in August 2012 and based at The Ashton Town Football Club, the Radio Club was formed with a view to promoting the fascinating world of Amateur Radio to the wider community. The club is open for training and is also an Examination Centre, as you will need a licence to transmit on the Amateur Radio Frequencies.

As of now our club can boast contacts in the following countries as well as many others: USA, Brazil, the Azores, Falkland Islands and Tasmania.

For more information please visit: Website: www.aimarc.co.uk Or contact us on: Email: mx0htr@gmail.com

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WORDS FROM THE MANAGER Good afternoon Welcome to the first game of the season where we host AFC Liverpool. I am sure that AFC will be coming here today expecting the same outcome as my dressing room will be expecting. That taken into consideration we will be anticipating a really tough test and a close encounter.

During the closed season I have recruited a few new faces that you will see out on the pitch today. Everyone that has been added to the squad have improved us and the lads have gelled really well with last seasons squad. I feel we are currently the strongest we have ever been and the pre season performances back that up. Off the pitch we have recruited and our back room staff has grown. Chris Stammers has come in as 1st Team Coach along with Karl Bell.

Dave Billington has been added to the group as a goal keeping coach and Kaydrion Drimmie as the 1st Team Physio.

The management staff and players have been working with each other closely since the 20th July getting ready for today‟s game. The lads have been working very hard embedding a new style of play adopting a new intensity In how we approach the game pre season. We have some excellent results against teams higher up the pyramid than we are.

We just need to take this form into today‟s game we are hoping we can entertain you all and be on the end of a right result.

In terms of expectations for the season, I honestly don‟t have any. Do I think we can push for promotion, absolutely. However we will be taking the season on game by game and going at it 3pts at a time. The group know exactly what is expected and they are fully aware we are expecting them to get off to a quick start. It is a long season and they all seem to have ups and downs involved in them, as long as we have more ups than down I certain it will stand us in good stead.

As a football club we have never been in the NWCFL Premier Division and we have also not managed to play in the FA Cup for many a year. For me and my players we know that the people behind the scenes, the committee, the fans and the general public deserve to see this club grow. There are a lot of people who really care for this club and we are hoping to put a smile on everyone faces by the end of April 2020.

I hope you all enjoy the opening game of the season and we can have a relaxed drink with a smile on our faces afterwards.

Thanks for your support.

Dave Dempsey 1st Team Manager 5

By Dave Dempsey

HALF TIME QUIZ QUESTIONS

By Gordon Johnson 1. Which Premier League winner‟s father played rugby for Wales?

2. What year did the Premier League start?

3. Who was the first sponsor of the Premier League?

4. In what season did Roman Abramovich take over Chelsea?

5. Which player holds the record for the most goals in consecutive Premier League games?

6. Kevin Phillips won the Golden Boot in 1999/2000, who was the next English player to do so?

7. Which player holds the record for most consecutive Premier League appearances (310)?

8. What was significant about Mario Balotelli‟s only assist in the Premier League for Manchester City?

9. Who scored the first „perfect hat-trick‟ (left foot, right foot, and header) in the Premier League?

10. Which player scored four goals in 12 minutes after coming on as a sub versus Nottingham Forest?

NEWS Huge thanks also to Haydock Hurricanes U10's who proudly led out the team Tuesday night.

Please DM us if you are a team and are interested in leading us out this season.

Free entry, juice, and half time crossbar challenge. #UpTheTown #DareToDream 6

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FIXTURES NWCFL FIRST DIVISION NORTH Saturday 3rd August 2019 KO 3pm

NWCFL FIRST DIVISION NORTH Tuesday 6th August 2019 KO 7:45pm

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NWCFL NEWS On Tuesday afternoon 23/7/19, NWCFL Chairman Paul Lawler was invited onto Matt Jones' Radio City Talk Full-Time show to discuss the recent partnership with State of Mind and the 2019/20 season ahead.

"It‟s a partnership that we‟re really delighted to be involved with", Paul commented. "They first approached us towards the end of last season to see if we‟d be interested in a partnership. It followed on from a number of suicidal players who actually played in our League and it‟s something that we‟ve been very conscious of supporting, over the years.

"Sadly there was a death later in the season of one of our players and State of Mind got involved with their club and did some mental health training there. We just thought what a great idea to bring a charity like State of Mind into all of our clubs and help try to promote positive mental health in those clubs. It‟s not just about players; it‟s about officials and supporters. At the end of the day we want to start talking and, if this partnership actually saves a life, I think it will be truly successful."

Paul was asked if he was excited about for forthcoming season, "It‟s exciting and it‟s also a busy time of the year. When most people look at the fixture list and say, “You‟ve got the summer off!” it doesn‟t‟ really work that way! Unfortunately, it‟s a really, really busy time for both leagues and clubs. There‟s a lot of preparation that gets under way on the very last day of the season and carries right the way through the summer, Once the season starts, I think we all breathe a bit of a sigh of relief and get to enjoy the football again, whereas in the meantime, in the summer months, there‟s a lot of work involved."

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PRESEASON REPORTS Saturday 6th July 2019 - West Didsbury & Chorlton 2-3 Ashton Town AFC The game was a great introduction to our pre season calendar. West Didsbury and Chorlton will be extremely competitive next season and they proved a stern test for my players. We managed to play 18 players and have a little look at a few players in different positions. It really was the perfect start and we got a lot out of our visit to Didsbury. (Goal scorers - Daley Woods, David Moores, Jesse Dowling) Saturday 13th July 2019 - Atherton Collieries 5-0 Ashton Town AFC My players actually performed excellently against an extremely strong Atherton Collieries side who are 3 divisions above us. We created a lot of chances and didnâ€&#x;t manage to execute any of them. The players left the ground knowing what was expected from them going forward and this gave us a really good platform to set our standards high.

Thursday 18th July 2019- Burscough Richmond 1-2 Ashton Town AFC We arrived at Burscough Richmond on a hot Thursday evening. This was the game where we had to play against lesser opposition and the only game we should be expected to win. With that comes a little bit of pressure. The players didnâ€&#x;t perform well but we managed to win the game and Jesse Dowling managed to score a brace. (Goal scorers- Jesse Dowling x2) Saturday 20th July 2019 - Ashton Town AFC 2-4 City of Liverpool Ashton Town once again played really well competing against a team 2 divisions above that had previously just earned promotion. Against a full strength COL side it was always going to be a test of character for my side. At 2 goals down we managed to dig in and score to make it 2-1 at half time. We played some really good football in the 2nd half and managed to score another. This was the game we felt it clicked and we could see the boys take a lot of confidence from this game.

(Goal scorers - Bradley smart, John Edgerton)

Tuesday 23rd July 2019 - Ashton Town 1-0 Bangor City On a really hot evening we attacked this game right from the start. With only having 14 players available for one reason or another it was always going to be a struggle to get a result against a full time outfit with 21 players available on the night of the game. My players pressed well from the start and managed to outperform Bangor keeping them at an arms length for the first 45mins. Going in 1-0 at half time from a back post tap in off a set piece gave us the distance we needed due to Bangor putting fresh legs on at half time. As the game progressed we defended well and earned the win through resilience and discipline in our defensive display. This was a really good test and a fantastic win taking all the factors into account. (Goal Scorer - Jason Carey) Saturday 27th July 2019 - Ashton Town AFC 3-1 Burscough Last Saturday saw the visit of a team in the division above. The performance our players put in was excellent. We outplayed, out-battled and out worked Burscough in all departments and in the second half we were clinical in-front of Goal. This was a great team performance as a whole and the goals we scored were testament to efforts the players put in. (Goal scorers - Dylan Glass, John Edgerton, Charlie Duke) Tuesday 30th July 2019 - Ashton Town AFC 5-4 Widnes FC Our final test in pre season was when we hosted a full strength Widnes side. Widnes started the brighter of the 2 teams and went a goal up in the first 10 minutes. Ashton of old would of conceded more and more but not this side. The lads stuck to the game plan and believed in what we asked them to do. We continued to play the right way and created many chances. Going in 3-1 at half time against an Evo Stik East side we knew they would come back at us. The game got to 3-3 on the 60 minute mark but a brace from Jason Carey in the 2nd half won us the game and got the lads a well earned win. This was a great team effort and put us in the perfect place moving into the season. (Goal scorers - Alex McMillan x2, Dylan Glass, Jason Carey x2)

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By Dave Dempsey

NWCFL NEWS With the opening weekend of the 2019/20 NWCFL season, one of the hot topics at the moment is promotion and relegations and just how they will work.

In the past, there have been one, two or more teams promoted and relegated but with the re-organisation of the Non-League pyramid taking place, this is how the 2019/20 promotions and relegations will work.

From the 2020/21 season onwards, each Step shall have the following maximum number of Clubs: Step 1 – 24, Step 2 – 48, Step 3 – 88, Step 4 – 160 (a change from 140), Step 5 – 320 (a change from 280), Step 6 – 340 (a change from 400).

In addition to the above, the remaining second-placed Clubs will be ranked on points per game (then goal difference, then goals scored if required) with the four highest placed Clubs also receiving automatic promotion.

The remaining seven second-placed Clubs will take part in the Step 4/5 Play-Off matches on a single match basis at the ground of the Step 4 Club they are drawn against. Where possible, the draw for the Play-Off matches will be regionalised.

The winners of these Step 4/5 Play-Off matches will be allocated to Step 4.

The Clubs to be promoted from Step 5 will be allocated to the most geographically appropriate division at Step 4.

So there you have it the top 3 teams in the North West Counties League Premier Division at the end of the season will be promoted to Step 4.

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NWCFL NEWS Now its starts to get interesting with relegation from Step 5 and promotion from Step 6.

The Clubs in the bottom place in each of the fourteen divisions at Step 5 at the end of the Regular Season will be ranked on a points per match basis (then goal difference, then goals scored if required) - the twelve lowest will be relegated and placed in the most geographically appropriate division of Step 6.

Promotion from Step 6 (NWCFL First Division North/South to NWCFL Premier Division) The relegated clubs at Step 5 will be replaced by the Clubs placed in first, second, third and fourth positions from the leagues at Step 6 (excluding the two divisions operated by the South West Peninsula League as only first and second place will be promoted from those leagues) at the end of the Regular Season.

Using the two scenarios below there is a considerable probability that a number of clubs could be moved from the North West Counties for the 2020-21 season, anywhere from 4 clubs to a possible 7.

1. 3 promoted to Step 4, nobody relegated. Bottom team relegated at Step 5, net loss 4 teams. 8 promoted from Step 6. That would mean 4 teams to be moved.

2. 3 teams promoted to step 4, 2 teams relegated via the Step 4/5 relegation play offs (NPL Step 4 Divisions bottom clubs being in our area), bottom team (Step 5) not relegated. 8 promoted from Step 6, with a net loss of 1 club that would mean 7 teams to be moved.

Relegation from Step 6 (NWCFL First Division North/South to Step 7) At the end of the Regular Playing Season, the Clubs in the bottom two positions of each of the twenty Step 6 divisions will be liable to relegation.

Promotion from Step 7 (Step 7 to NWCFL First Division North/South) All Step 7 Clubs seeking promotion to Step 6 must make an application using the prescribed form direct to The Association, copied to their existing League, by 31st December in the relevant year. In order to be considered for promotion Clubs must finish in 1st position in their Step 7 league.

If the Club finishing in 1st position does not wish to be promoted or fails to meet the entry criteria then the club finishing in 2nd position will be eligible for the promotion.

If the club in 2nd position does not seek promotion or fails to meet the entry criteria then clubs down to 5th position may be considered for promotion provided that they meet the appropriate entry criteria. Clubs finishing below 5th position may not be considered for promotion and, for this season only, more than one club may be considered from each League.

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LADIES TEAM NEWS

HALF TIME QUIZ ANSWERS 1.Ryan Giggs 2.1992 3.Carling 4.2003/04 5.Jamie Vardy 6.Harry Kane 7.Brad Friedel 8.It was for Sergio Agueroâ€&#x;s title-winning goal vs QPR 9.Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink 10.Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 13

By Gordon Johnson

ASHTON TOWN AFC SP

Sponsors are a vital part of our team here at Ashton Town, w This club is unincorporated, meaning it is owned by no-one and is Pitchside signs are available to businesses for ÂŁ150 yr1 followed by a r and social media sharing, not to mention the signs featuring in photographs

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PONSORS AUGUST 2019

without their financial support we would simply not survive. s held in trust for the community of Ashton in Makerfield forever. renewal fee of ÂŁ100 yr thereafter. This includes a spot on our website and being shared far and wide. Interested ? Contact i.pomfrett@yahoo.com

afc.co.uk/sponsors

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NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK Four new clubs have been welcomed into the NWCFL for the 2019/20 season and we look a little into their history and where they have come from.

First up is Skelmersdale United who were relegated from the Northern Premier League. Originally Lancashire's Skem was one of the founding members of the NWCFL in 1982-83. In 1986 they were promoted to the NWCFL Division One. After a nine-year stay, they were relegated to Division Two but bounced back two seasons later.

From then, they went from strength to strength and eventually were promoted to the Northern Premier League Division One in 2006 following a second-place finish in the NWCFL top flight.

After flirting with promotion to Step 3 for a number of the season (three play-off finals losses), Skem won promotion in 2012 to the Northern Premier League Premier Division.

Their stay lasted four seasons, before relegation in 2016-17, then again last season back to the NWCFL. Manager: Paul McNally, Ground: Volair Park, Hope Street, Prescot, Merseyside, L34 6HD Website: http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/skelmersdaleunited, Twitter: @skemutdofficial Huddersfield based Emley AFC have been renamed after been known as AFC Emley for the last 14 years and plied their trade in the North East Counties Football Division One for the last thirteen seasons. Having nearly been promoted on three occasions, once missing out on goal difference, then losing the play-off final, Emley have been in a transitional period for the last two seasons and have recently appointment two new managers as late in May their lateral transfer was announced.

Managers: Mark Wilson and Richard Tracey, Ground: Fantastic Media Welfare Ground, Off Upper Lane, Emley, Huddersfield, HD8 9RE, Website: http://www.emleyafc.co.uk, Twitter: @Emley_AFC Manager trio at Pilkington consists of best friends Dave Murphy, Peter Edwards and Stephen Palfrey. Having originally formed back in 1938, the club has a long history Mid-Cheshire league stretching back decades. However, they have recently had an upturn in fortune and gain promotion on goal difference last season as they enter Step 6 football and the Buildbase FA Vase for the first time in their history.

Managers: Dave Murphy, Peter Edwards and Stephen Palfrey, Ground: The Arcoframe Stadium, Ruskin Sports Village, Ruskin Drive, St Helens, Merseyside, WA10 6RP, Website: http://www.pilkingtonfc.com, Twitter: @pilkingtonfc Last but not least is fellow promoted side Golcar United, who won the West Riding County Amateur League Premier Division last season, earning a promoted into the NWCFL First Division North. Originally formed back in 1904, Golcar have enjoyed a healthy history in the West Riding leagues, which has included back-to-back league titles for the last two seasons.

Managers: Ashley Connor and Gavin Connor, Ground: WMS Entrance Systems Park, Longfield Avenue, Golcar, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD7 4AZ Twitter: @golcarunited And there we have it, a little bit about each of the four new clubs ready to grace the NWCFL this season.

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www.versatileliftcompany.co.uk 18

WIGAN CUP FINAL 2019 Ashton Athletic 1 v 3 Ashton Town Town beat Ashton Athletic in a fantastic finale to the 2018-19 playing season to bring some silverware home to the Scott Rees & Company Solicitors Stadium.

Ashton Town and Ashton Athletic Development squad met in the Wigan Cup Final on Wednesday 1 st May 2019, with Town coming out on top 3-1 in the game played at Garswood United FC Simms Lane ground.

It was Ashton Town who opened the scoring when Jack Richards finished a move started by a great free kick from Dylan Glass.

Ashton Athletic keeper Jay Foulds could only parry to Matty Johnson who headed forward and captain Jack Richards scored.

Matty Johnson was then on hand to add Townâ€&#x;s second before Athletic pulled a goal back.

But in injury time, man of the match, John Edgerton scored Townâ€&#x;s third to seal the win, giving Ashton Town the Bragging rights following the first meeting of the two teams for a number of years to cap a fantastic finale to the season for Dave Dempsey and the team, along with bringing home the Wigan Cup Trophy which was last won by Ashton Town in 1961.

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ANNUAL CHARITY Ashton Town once again hosted the annual charity fundraising game on behalf of Joseph’s Goal on Saturday 25th May 2019 when the Latics Legends team this year entertained a Manchester United Legends team led by none other than former England and Manchester United captain Bryan Robson.

Latics led by Emmerson Boyce and Arjan De Zeeuw were determined to see off the challenge of the United side which also contained 1990 FA Cup winning goal scorer Lee Martin, former Premier league winner Quintin Fortune and local lad Russell Beardsmore.

De Zeeuw it was who opened the scoring with a bullet header into the top corner of the United goal just before the half time break, which couldn‟t come soon enough for United as Jason Jarrett nearly doubled the lead with a thunder bolt shot that rattled the United crossbar moments later.

United bolstered their ranks in the second half by introducing the Mayor on Manchester Andy Burnham into the game and they began to pile the pressure back on the Latics Legends. The pressure soon told as our own manager, Dave Dempsey, playing as a “Ringer” in the United side equalised with a terrific finish, cutting in from the right hand side of the Latics penalty area.

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Written by Gordon Johnson, Photo

Y MATCH 25/5/19 The final few minutes were played out to a draw so with scores level at one all the winner of the Joseph‟s Goal Cup was for the second year running to be decided by kicks from the penalty mark.

Charity No: 1151548

Jason Jarrett, Barry Knowles, Paul Scharner and Emmerson Boyce all duly dispatched their spot kicks and with United then missing first it fell to former Latics and last season‟s Ashton Town player, Pascal Chimbonda to score the vital winning penalty for the Latics Legends.

All funds raised on the day were donated towards research into NKH, the rare genetic disorder from which Joseph Kendrick, Wigan Athletic‟s lucky mascot from the 2013 FA Cup Final, suffers.

Full team line ups on the day were as follows: Latics Legends: Emmerson Boyce, Arjan De Zeeuw, Paul Scharner, Graeme Jones, Pascal Chimbonda, Kevin Sharp, Barry Knowles, Jason Jarrett, Neill Rimmer, Isidro Diaz, Darren Sheridan, Ian Kilford, Don Page, John Doolan, Nick Chadwick, David Jones.

Manchester United Legends: Bryan Robson, Quintin Fortune, Lee Martin, Russell Beardsmore, Ben Thornley, Pat McGibbon, Danny Webber, Nick Culkin, Deniol Graham, Guilano Maiorana, Phil Marsh, Chris Casper, Derek Brazil, Marco Miltenberg, Dave Dempsey, Andy Burnham.

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os by Dawn Marshall & Ian Pomfrett

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WHO’S PLAYED AT EDGE GREEN ST Michael Robert Brown was born on 25th January 1977. A former England under-21 international midfielder, his hardtackling style sometimes caused him to take criticism from others in the game. He began his career with Manchester City having come through their youth ranks, and was named as the club's Player of the Year in 1998, before featuring in their Second Division play-off final victory in 1999. He also spent time on loan at Hartlepool United, Portsmouth and Sheffield United, before he was sold to Sheffield United for a £400,000 fee in January 2000. He scored 36 goals in 174 appearances during a four-year stay in Sheffield, being named as the club's Player of the Year in 2002 and named on the PFA Team of the Year the following year. Brown signed for Wigan Athletic on a three-year deal in July 2007. The manager who signed Brown, Chris Hutchings, was sacked not long after taking charge and replaced by manager Steve Bruce. Under Bruce, Brown formed midfield partnerships with Lee Cattermole and Wilson Palacios. He went on to make 56 Premier League appearances for the "Latics" in the 2007–08 and 2008–09 campaigns. However, he fell out of favour at the DW Stadium under new manager Roberto Martínez.

In August 2009, he joined fellow Premier League side Portsmouth for a nominal fee. On 11 April 2010, Brown helped the club to reach the FA Cup final with a 2–0 victory over his former club Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley. He scored his first goal at Fratton Park in a 2–1 defeat to Aston Villa seven days later. On 15 May, Brown was in the Portsmouth side that lost 1–0 to Chelsea in the FA Cup final after a 59th minute Didier Drogba goal. With Portsmouth in serious financial trouble and many players leaving the club, Brown was a constant throughout the side. Although Portsmouth were relegated at the end of the season, Brown opted to stay at Fratton Park. Manager Avram Grant also left the club and was replaced by Steve Cotterill.

As an international, Brown made his debut for England under-21s in a 1–0 defeat to Croatia at Roker Park on 23 April 1996. The next month he also played against Belgium, Angola and Portugal.

In relation to appearing here at Edge Green Street, Brown has appeared here now on three separate occasions, he first appeared here for the Latics Legends team that beat the Dutch Masters in the second Joseph‟s Goal charity game in May 2016 and returned a year later in May 2017 again featuring for the Latics legends against the Dutch Masters. In 2018 Michael Brown made his third appearance here at Edge Green Street, starting out in the Manchester City Legends team against the Latics Legends but then changed in the second period and came back on for the Latics team in the same tie, commemorating the fact that during his professional career he has in fact played for both Manchester City and Wigan Athletic.

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By Gordon Johnson

HISTORY OF ASHTON TOWN AFC Ashton Town Association Football Club originally joined the Div 2 of the Lancashire Combination in 1903 and were promoted Div 1 in 1st season.

However, relegated back to Div 2 after finishing 16 in first season of Div 1. Towards the end of 1910/11 season club withdrew from league and fixtures taken over by Tyldesley Albion. The Club was reformed in 1953 as Makerfield Mill FC and after a short spell in the Wigan Sunday School League, they played in the St Helens Combination League for three years before joining the Warrington and District Amateur League in 1958. The founder was a persistant man named Derek „Mick‟ Mycock.

In 1962 the Club was forced to move from its original ground at Windsor Road because of land development and it was at this point the Club name was changed to Ashton Town AFC. Home games were played on a public park pitch at Whithill Street Recreation Ground in Bryn until 1964, at which point the Club purchased a piece of land at Edge Green Street, previously the home of Stubshaw Cross Rovers. This became the Club`s new home, and development of the ground began. In 1969 the Clubhouse was completed, and was opened by Liverpool and England star Roger Hunt, and in 1975 the present dressing room facilities were built. During this period the Club joined the Lancashire Combination in 1971, and then in 1978, they left to join the Cheshire County League for four years.

The formation of the North West Counties Football League 1982 saw Ashton Town join as founder members, and the Club has remained in the league since then with the exception of season 1985-86, when they played in the Manchester League while essential ground maintenance work was carried out to bring the ground up to stringent ground grading requirements for the NWCF League.

Throughout the years there have been many custodians of the club, owned by no-one, powered by volunteers. I‟ll surely miss out a host of names here but….Notable is the involvement of Jack Longstaffe, Pat Dooney, Barry & Sandra Longstaffe, Gordon Ellis,, Les Bailey, Len Riley, Malcolm Magrath, Billy Pomfrett and Jimmy Cahill. The latter two who have clocked up over a hundred years service to Town and Jimmy is still here on a daily basis.

In more recent times, Clare and James Horner made a massive boost to the club with the long overdue formation of a Junior section. As did the arrival of our current Chairman, Mark Hayes, who has helped build the profile of the club both locally and nationally. Other volunteers to mention are Steve, Stefan, Denise, Peter, Clare and more recently, Keith (Kitman/Physio) whose dedication and workrate is second to none on quite often a day to day basis. It would go amiss if I didn‟t mention at this point Brian Cunliffe, who has on and off, over the years worked behind the scenes painting, digging or mending often without the right resources for the job…..it‟s people like this who really make a place what it is. So Many to mention, others to forget, but we are here and that wouldn‟t exist if it weren‟t for those who give up their time and effort to keep the club alive. Our motto „Onwards & Upwards‟ sums us up as we now strive for promotion.

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HISTORY OF AFC LIVERPOOL AFC Liverpool was formed in 2008 by 1,000 Liverpool FC fans who had become increasingly frustrated at the cost and difficulty in obtaining tickets for Premier League matches. The mooted „39th game‟, in which Premier League fixtures would be played in different parts of the world, proved to be the final straw as it clearly highlighted that those who ran top flight football were more concerned with money than its fans.

A website was created and, with the response being positive, work began to move to the next stage and create a steering group to make the club a reality. At the beginning of March 2008, AFC Liverpool was officially formed and it was made clear that the club was not in any way a response to the contentious ownership issue at Anfield or as a protest against Liverpool Football Club. It was a response to issues at the top end of football in general.

The new club's spokesman, former Radio Merseyside commentator, Alun Parry explained: "This has nothing to do with the ownership issue (at Liverpool FC), it's about affordability. I've been going to Anfield since the late Seventies when I was six years old. A season ticket in the Kop cost £45 in 1985, today it's £650, which I know is a lot cheaper than some other Premier League clubs, but in inflation terms Eighties prices should equate to £98 today.” Parry added: "Far from wishing to be estranged from the club, we are hoping that Liverpool will look upon us as a little brother."

By May, AFC Liverpool had appointed its first manager in Derek Goulding. The following month the club arranged a ground share with Prescot Cables and had been accepted into the North West Counties Football League. Liverpool's little brother entered the world on 16 July 2008, playing out a 1-1 draw with St Helens Town in a friendly, in front of a crowd of nearly 600 at Edge Green Street, the home of Ashton Town.

The club began its first league season extremely well, beating AFC Darwen 5-0 in their opening competitive game which heralded a run of ten wins in the first eleven games. However, they failed to keep this momentum going, eventually finishing a creditable fourth in the league. The season did prove fruitful though as a 1-0 victory over Padiham in First Division Trophy Final at Ashton Athletic provided the club‟s first piece of silverware.

The 2009/10 season began with three successive victories but after this became indifferent at best. After a 5-2 home defeat to Atherton Collieries on Easter Monday, Derek Goulding left the club and ex- assistant and goalkeeping coach Paul Moore was appointed caretaker manager.

Under Moore‟s stewardship the club had a strong end to the campaign, winning five out of their last seven league games and achieving a fifth place finish in the league. They also retained the First Division Trophy, coming from behind to beat Cheadle Town 2-1 in the final at Flixton. In doing so, AFC Liverpool became the first club to win the Trophy twice and to successfully defend it.

The 2010/11 began in promising fashion with the Reds going on a ten game unbeaten run after an opening day loss at AFC Darwen. However, promotion never looked likely because of the form of would be champions AFC Blackpool and second placed Runcorn Town. The Reds eventually finished fourth, narrowly missing third place on goal difference. There was further disappointment in the First Division Trophy when they reached the final for a third successive season only to lose to Atherton Collieries 3-2 after extra time. In the FA Vase, steady progress was made to the third round, where their dreams of Wembley were dashed by a defeat at holders and eventual winners, Whitley Bay. However, at the League AGM in July 2011, there was a surprise when Rossendale United were expelled from the league and, in what was a travesty of justice, Formby FC were demoted to the First Division.

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OUR CHOSEN CHARITY Joseph Michael Kendrick was born on the 9th May 2009, after an unremarkable pregnancy at 42 weeks. After his birth, although Joe was very quiet, he was thought to be otherwise healthy by the doctors. However, over the next couple of days, Joe rapidly deteriorated, and fell into a coma. Joseph was immediately taken to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit where they began to test him to find the cause of his lethargy and low muscle tone. After six days, the Kendrick family found out that Joseph had a severe form of a very rare genetic disorder known as NKH. The Kendricks received the devastating news that Joseph was unlikely to live past 10-days old, and almost certainly wouldn‟t reach his first birthday. Luckily for the Kendrick‟s, they were surrounded by a very supportive family who helped get them through the dark first few days. Paul, Emma, and the family waited every day around Joseph‟s cot, praying that he would wake up, open his eyes or cry.

The family was informed of a special medicine (sodium benzoate), which may help Joseph to wake up, and remove some of the glycine from his brain, but not from his cerebral fluid. On day 13, to the relief of his family, Joseph finally „woke up‟, started to cry and act more like a „normal‟ little baby. Joe‟s parents were able to change his nappies, feed him through his tube and cuddle him, which meant everything to Paul, Emma and the family. Paul and Emma were told that he was very jerky due to a seizure called a myoclonic jerk, and if he lived, they would turn into other types of seizures. Joe managed to fight through the horrible days in hospital and was able to go home for the first time with his family around a month after his birth. Paul and Emma had a very worrying year waiting for him to fall very unwell as they were told by doctors and to stop breathing, but thankfully Joe never did. Joe is doing really well despite his condition. Joe still has frequent seizures but takes medicine to help control them. Having ate orally until he was 4-years-old, Joe now has a gastrostomy for milk and medicines which is much easier to feed him through. Joe still manages tasters of food when he‟s well, and really enjoys yoghurt and ice cream in the summer months. Joe is also a very proud big brother to Sam and Tom and is doing really well at school.

Joe‟s parents are very proud of their “strong and resilient” little boy and are proud on how well he has done to exceed all expectations. Joe made it very clear to his parents in showing that he wants to fight all the way, and his parents were inspired from this to fight on his behalf to help create awareness of this heart-breaking condition, find better treatment for him, and one day find a cure for NKH. Parents, Paul and Emma Kendrick formed the Joseph’s Goal charity in 2012 and have raised over £700,000 since their foundation just seven years ago. Joseph‟s Goal are fighting to find better treatments and hopefully, a cure for NKH, with raised funds being sent to Dr Johan Van Hove at Colorado University, Denver, USA, and Professor Nick Greene at UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health in London for further research into the condition. Both doctors have presented their research findings to NKH families at conferences in the North West organised by Joseph‟s Goal, and trustees of Joseph‟s Goal have twice attended NKH conferences at Harvard University in Boston, USA. The many varied defective genes that have been found in different children/families in the brain that causes NKH have been identified, and the task now is to find a route to replace it with a healthy gene. There is finally some light at the end of a very dark tunnel, with real grounds for optimism that better treatments for NKH are not far away.

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JOHN COURTNEY BEN PURDHAM JOHN EDGERTON LUKE EDWARDS JAY TOMO MICHAEL WHITE ANTHONY SHINKS ALEX NOONAN ANT POTTS JAMES SIGSWORTH JESSE DOWLING JOE WHITTINGHAM ALEX MCMILLAN JACK RICHARDS CHRIS HILL BRAD SMART TOM MOLYNEUX DAVID MOORES CHARLIE DUKE DALEY WOODS DYLAN GLASS JASON CAREY Manager: David Dempsey Asst. Manager: Lee Bignell Head Coach: Chris Stammers Coach: Karl Bell GK Coach: David Billington Physio: Kaydrion Drimmie Colours: Red & White Shirts, Red Shorts, Red Socks GK: Purple

LEE CARR PHIL HERON BRAD OWENS MARC STEPHENS JONATHAN CROASDALE FIDAN HAJDARI RHYS HARDACRE JAY HOWELL (C) ANTHONY LYONS CALLUM SCHORAH JAY MCGRANE Manager: Chris Anderson Asst. Manager: Matt Potter Coach: Dave Innelli Physio: Kathy Huyton Equipment Manager: Adrian Cork

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Colours: Grey Shirts, Grey Shorts, Grey Socks GK: Green

Referee: Andrew Daniels, Assistant 1: George Dennis, Assistant 2: David Bradley

NEXT GAME HERE: TUES 6TH V DAISY HILL FC 7:45PM