FOUNDING MEMBERS OF THE NORTH WEST COUNTIES FOOTBALL LEAGUE & LIVERPOOL COUNTY FA
MATCHDAY PROGRAMME
ONWARDS & UPWARDS SEASON 2018 - 2019
PRICE - £1.50
HALLMARK SECURITY FIRST DIVISION NORTH
Saturday 27/4/19 KO 3pm
ASHTON TOWN AFC V CHADDERTON FC
PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAWN MARSHALL
GROUND SPONSOR
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ASHTON TOWN AFC The Scott Rees & Co Stadium, Edge Green Street, Ashton in Makerfield, Wigan, WN4 8SL
President - Jimmy Cahill Chairman - Mark Hayes Vice President - Stephen Barrett Secretary - Stefan Ochwat Clubhouse Manager - Clare Peters Committee Member - Peter Williams Committee Member - Keith Peacock Committee Member - Kieran Johnson Committee Member - Nikki Dean Committee Member - Joanne Round Committee Member - Joanne Bourne Catering - Denise Brady Advertising & Programme Editor - Ian Pomfrett All Advertising enquiries - i.pomfrett@yahoo.com Welfare Officer - Gordon Johnson Groundsmen - David Bourne, Jimmy Cahill, Keith Peacock www.ashtontownafc.co.uk 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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www.ashtontownafc.co.uk
WELCOME TO OUR CLUB Good afternoon and welcome to all to this North West Counties First Division North game against Chadderton. Well, what a season, and oh how we have grown. Not one of us underestimated how hard it would be stepping back into the Counties, but boy has the standard stood out. I go back to the opening day quite often in my head against Avro, one of the new teams, and they absolutely destroyed us, both on and off the pitch in terms of standards and professionalism. This is where I cant speak highly enough of Manager Dave Dempsey and his team. They have upped their game several times over the season because as a club we have had too., and to stand here today, with a win away from finishing in the top half and a trophy to play for next week is amazing. This season was all about adjusting and learning but for me we have exceeded that. Behind the scenes we have stepped up, and on the pitch we are just a few players away from really competing next year. Its very exciting times at the club. Thank you so much as always for your support through the turnstiles. We have certainly taken you on a journey this year with the likes of Pascal, but thatâ€&#x;s what I want this club to be known for, the little club that turns heads. Onwards and upwards as always. Mark Club Chairman 3
@northernpromise
HALF TIME QUIZ QUESTIONS
How Well do you know your North West Counties League grounds? Who plays at the following venues? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.
The Abbey Stadium Silentnight Stadium Mossie Park Potteries Park The Ambitek Stadium Mechanics Ground Vestacare Stadium The Riverside Cougar Park Little Wembley The Anchor Ground Park Road Stadium Woodpark Stadium Ericstan Stadium Church lane Pershall Park Beech Grove Stadium Arbories Memorial Sports Ground The Recreation Ground Hollyhedge Park 4
By Gordon Johnson
FIXTURES & FORM
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www.hallmarksecurityleague.com
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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A FEW WORDS FROM THE MANAGER
Good Afternoon. Thank you for attending today‟s game which unfortunately is the last game of the season. I would firstly like to thank all of you for your support throughout the season and hope we can repay that today with another win. The bank holiday weekend was one to remember, winning both games and moving into the top half of the league. The players attitude has been really good this weekend and they have come together excellently after the league defeat away at Carlisle with 3 big wins. Today isn‟t the final game for us as a squad as we have the small matter of the Wigan Cup Final against our neighbours on Wednesday. That is a 6:15 ko at Garswood Football Club for those interested! The reverse fixture of today‟s game was towards the start of the season where we left with all 3 points winning 3-2. That game was a lot more comfortable than the score suggests but we are not expecting the same today. Both clubs form is decent and we hope it will be a good game to finish the season. We wish Chadderton an enjoyable stay and a safe journey home. Finally I would like to take this opportunity to thank my Players, Coaching staff and everyone behind the scenes for all their hard work and time given to this fantastic club this season. A win today gives us our 4th highest points total as a club in 34 years in the NWCFL on 55. That is the aim and will certainly stand for a half decent campaign, a cup win to go with that would be perfect way to finish it off. Thank you all once again, hopefully see you all in the bar afterwards!!! Dave Dempsey 1st Team Manager 7
By Dave Dempsey
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1ST DIV NORTH FIXTURES
HALF TIME QUIZ ANSWERS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.
Abbey Hey Barnoldswick Town Charnock Richard Hanley Town Irlam AFC Blackpool Avro Garstang Steeton Nelson AFC Darwen Cheadle Town Alsagar Town Wythenshawe Town New Mills Eccleshall Ellesmere Rangers Padiham West Didsbury & Chorlton Wythenshawe Amateurs
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By Gordon Johnson
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SPONSORS
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www.ashtontownafc.co.uk
PHOTOS V AFC BLA
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By Dawn
ACKPOOL 20/4/19
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Marshall
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V ST HELENS 22/4/19 PHOTOS BY JOHN MCKIERNAN
FT St Helens Town 1 Ashton Town 2
REPORT BY Mark Hayes
Despite a late rally, Ashton comfortably win the end of season derby with former St Helens player Luke Edwards scoring from the spot, and stiker Rob Lamont getting the second. The home side scored a late goal to cause a little panic, however the result was never in doubt.. 2 to go. 1 a final. #UpTheTown 15
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VOLUNTEERING AT THE NAT
In this concluding article, we look at that with a few personal reminiscences of the last 18 mo
The concept of volunteering is well known and is often described as “giving something bac which organisations they are involved in run much deeper than that. We can look at this from the points of view of what the museum can offer a volunteer and w The National Football Museum offers an opportunity for individuals of all ages to interact wi the increasing isolation of individuals within modern day society, and contributes significant In addition, the wealth of expertise at the museum - not only in terms of the exhibits, but all, our national sport. What a volunteer can offer, in addition to their time, is their relevant experience. This is n actions with visitors to meet the overall objective of enhancing the visitor experience. In m within a structured framework to discuss many subjects with the wide variety of visitors who experiences whilst volunteering, which I hope will give an impression of the attraction of the The museum often acts as a ticket collection point for supporters of visiting clubs to the E sticks in my mind which relates to the supporters of Feyenoord before the Champions League It is often suggested that the tallest Europeans are the Dutch, and all of the supporters of their tickets, many of them assembled for pre-match drinks outside The Old Wellington an meet many of them on the day - just don‟t mention Ajax! As can be imagined, the National Football Museum has a tremendous number of internatio sented. Amongst the most memorable are the South Koreans. who are incredibly keen to fin polite, but lacking language skills – to be fair, how many of us speak Korean? - they have t to present questions on a mobile phone. This is fine but it becomes difficult to give any understandable answer except a simple yes that football is the universal language of the world and, certainly to a point, that is true. Somewhat closer to home, we have visitors who educate us locals on matters which are not interactions nonetheless. The chap who was a neighbour of George Best in Belfast was George. On a completely different, level I recall a conversation with a former Manchester Corporati to the well-known local question: why did the 53 bus not complete a full circuit of Manch those of us who travelled the 53 bus route back in the day. There are many, many interactions on a weekly basis but there we just have a few exampl in part, the diversity we see at the museum. The overall conclusion and an answer to the question at the beginning of this article: I volun From time to time, volunteer opportunities become available at the museum. Details are po
The photo shows Stewart in volunteer mode at the Handling Table, which is one of th museum for interactions with the visitors. 16
By Stewa
TIONAL FOOTBALL MUSEUM
the role of a volunteer and get to illustrate onths or so of my direct involvement with the museum.
ck”. This description is really only skin deep, as the reasons why individuals volunteer and
what a volunteer can offer the museum. ith people in an environment which is safe. This aspect is hugely important to many, given tly to improved mental health. also the staff and visitors – gives a massive opportunity to learn more about what is, after
not simply restricted to knowledge of football, as it includes social skills which allow intermany ways, the true experts are the full-time staff, but a volunteer has a certain freedom o visit the museum. I‟ll end this short series of articles by sharing with you some of my own e National Football Museum. Etihad or Old Trafford for European matches. These are busy times and just one of many e Group Stage match against Manchester City last season. Feyenoord that day seemed to bear that out - they were mostly very tall. After collecting nd Sinclair‟s Oyster Bar in Shambles Square, creating a great atmosphere. It was good to
onal visitors and, during my time, just about every country of the world has been reprend anything related to South Korean players playing for Premier League teams. Unfailingly the tendency to use a translator function or no. Having said that, it has been said always relevant to football but valuable great to talk to about the early life of
ion bus driver who explained the answer hester? A hugely significant question for
les which perhaps demonstrates, at least
nteer because its fun! osted on the website
he most interesting places to be in the
art Taylor
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LEAGUE TABLE 1ST DIV NORTH
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www.hallmarksecurityleague.com/league-tables.php
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 are 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. 20
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HISTORY OF CHADDERTON FC Chadderton FC was originally formed in 1946 under the name of Burnley Lane Estate Juniors, who joined the Middleton Youth League and played on Parkway on the Parkway Estate. In 1947, an Open Age team was also formed and both teams moved to Mill Brow and adopted the name Millbrow Football Club. They played at the side of the canal at Mills Hill and changed at the Rose of Lancaster Pub. Later they moved to Broadway changing their name to North Chadderton Amateurs, and changed at the Chadderton Arms Pub. The Club adopted its present name, Chadderton FC in 1957. The Club started life in the Oldham Amateur League, winning the Challenge Cup in 1954/55. The following season 1955/56, the Club joined the Manchester Amateur League and won the League Championship in their first season. After winning the League Championship again in 1962/63, Chadderton then joined the Manchester League winning the Second Division title in their first season 1964/65 and gaining promotion to the First Division. The Club won the League`s Murray Shield in 1965/66, their first season in Division One, and then the Div 1 League title in 1966/67. 1969/70 Chadderton FC won the Manchester League Gilgryst Cup. During the 1970`s the Clubs only honours came in the form of the Manchester Challenge Trophy which they won in 1971/72, but failed to retain it in the following season, finishing runners-up. Chadderton made the step into a higher grade of football in 1980 when they joined the Lancashire Combination. The Club made a good start in this league, finishing runners-up in 1981/82. In 1982, Chadderton became one of the founder members of the North West Counties Football League, following the merger of the Lancashire Combination and the Cheshire County League. The Club gained promotion to Division One in 1989/90 after finishing third in the league, but were relegated the following season. Promotion came once again in 1992/93 but, after failing to meet ground grading requirements, were relegated in 1998/99. Chadderton`s proudest moments have come in seeing the progression of its former players, such as former England captain David Platt, Former Leeds United and Crystal Palace player, John Pemberton and Northern Ireland International, Steve Jones.Former player Mike Ford forged a successful career in both codes of Rugby and Mark Owen of Take That also once pulled on the red shirt of Chadderton FC! Off the field in 2007, the Club was the subject of a take-over by local businessmen Craig Halliwell and Tony Bhatti, the joint owners of The HB Property Group Limited (previously The Halliwell Bhatti Group) which is the parent company of the local property development company Hillstone Developments Limited. The members of Chadderton voted overwhelmingly in October 2006 for the take-over to go ahead and after 10 long months the legalities were finally completed in August 2007. In August 2009 Chadderton's association with The HB Property Group Limited was terminated and Chadderton Football Club reverted to a members club run by the people for the people. In 2013 Paul Buckley, Chadderton FC Manager since December 2005 was forced to retire as the Manager due to ill health after steering the Club to a number of top 5 positions, in his time at the Club, also reaching the semi finals of the League Cup and the Divisional Cup. Steve Patterson and Mark Cook were appointed as Joint Managers from 2013-2014 season together with Ben Greenidge as Player/Assistant Manager and Matthew McNeill as Team Coach. The duo led Chadderton to a good run in the FA Vase in 2014/15 as well as reaching the NWCFL Division One Play-Offs in the same season where they were defeated by AFC Darwen. At the end of 2015/16 the duo stood down due to family and work commitments.In May 2016 ambitious Mark Howard was appointed as manager, bringing with him as his assistant Ian Hulme. Mark joined the club after a 3 year spell at Royton Town in the Manchester League, where he had achieved success including the Gilchryst Cup and an appearance in the Lancashire FA Amateur Shield Final. In 2016/17, his first season at the club, Mark led the team to a final league position just outside the play-offs, and a narrow defeat on penalties to City of Liverpool FC in the semi-final of the Macron League Cup, scoring a club record 128 goals along the way. With a new playing surface being laid in the 2017 close season, and lots of plans for the development of the club, the future looks very bright indeed. 21
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OUR CHOSEN CHARITY The Joseph’s Goal charity was set up in October 2012, by Paul and Emma Kendrick, to raise funds for research into NKH, (Nonketotic Hyperglycinemia), the life-limiting genetic condition that their son, Joseph, was born with. NKH is caused by an excess of glycine on the brain. Joseph was given five days to live but reached his ninth birthday in May this year. He is severely disabled and suffers from seizures. But he is resilient and is a fighter, and we, in turn, are fighting to find better treatments and, hopefully, a cure for NKH, which is very rare, with only fifteen children still surviving in the UK, and less than five hundred worldwide. Joseph’s Goal is a Wigan-based charity, run by a small group of family and friends, who all volunteer their services. No-one is paid. We have received support from Wigan Council, Wigan Warriors and Wigan Athletic, as well as schools, local organisations and the business community. In four years we have raised over £340,000, largely from charity balls, football matches, bike rides, marathons and 10-Ks, swimathons, spinathons, Xmas jumper days, numerous other fundraising events, and hundreds of donations from generous people. The funds raised have been 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. Both 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, at last, some light at the end of a very dark tunnel, with real grounds for optimism that better treatments for NKH are not far away. Since Joseph‟s Goal began, Joe has become a little celebrity locally: - in 2013, he was the mascot for Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup Final and was carried out onto the pitch at Wembley by the captain, Emmerson Boyce, which resulted in television appearances on BBC NW, Granada, and Sky News; - in 2013, Joseph‟s family were the WISHFM „Local Heroes Family of the Year‟; - in 2014, Joseph switched on the Xmas Lights in Wigan Town Centre; - in 2014, Joseph‟s Goal was recognised by Wigan Council as contributing to the „Believe in Wigan” campaign; - and in 2016, Joseph‟s Goal was a Finalist in the GM Chamber of Commerce Wigan Business Awards. If you are looking for a charity to support, then please consider our charity, and help Joseph to achieve his Goal. 22
www.josephsgoal.org
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JOHN COURTNEY JACK BROMILOW ANTHONY POTTS ANTHONY SHINKS LUKE EDWARDS JOHN EDGERTON CHRIS HILL CHARLIE DUKE BRADLEY SMART DALEY WOODS DYLAN GLASS JAMES SIGSWORTH JACK RICHARDS BRAD ASPINALL MATHEW JOHNSON ALEX NOONAN Manager: David Dempsey Asst. Mgr & Coach: Lee Bignell Coach: Michael Smith Coach: Lee Thompson Physio: Keith Peacock Colours: Red & White Shirts, Red Shorts, Red Socks GK: Purple
JORDAN HADLOW AIDAN YOUNG JOSEPH RICHARDS JORDAN BUTTERWORTH DEVON MATTHEWS NATHAN TAYO LEON ILUOBE DILLAN OCONNOR CONNOR BERRY COREY KELLY LIAM CHAMBERS SAMUEL RILEY KARL DEAN OUMAR CAMARA DANIEL CRYER KYLE MCGOVERN Manager: David Fish Colours: White Shirts, Black Shorts, Black Socks GK: Green 24
Referee: Joseph Wareham, Assistant 1: Paul Ellison, Assistant 2: Archie Banks