ASHTON TOWN AFC PROFILES PARK,
# Onward Onwards s & Upwards
Edge Green Street, Ashton in Makerfield, Wigan, WN4 8SL
COMMITTEE President - Jimmy Cahill Chairman - Mark Hayes Vice Chairman - Gordon Johnson Vice President - Stephen Barrett Secretary - Stefan Ochwat Clubhouse Manager - Clare Peters Treasurer - Peter Williams Committee Members - Kieran Johnson, Joanne Round, Joanne Bourne, Alison Sinnott Catering Manager - Denise Brady Commercial Manager - Jonathan Southward All Commercial Enquiries- marketing.atfc@outlook.com Programme Editor - Ian Pomfrett Welfare Officer - Gordon Johnson Grounds Team - Jimmy Cahill, David Bourne, Keith Peacock, Kit Manager - Keith Peacock Club Covid Officer - Mark Hayes
www.facebook.com/ashtontownafc Twitter - @ashtontownafc This Club is Unincorporated
www.ashtontownafc.com
Welcome to our club Good evening and welcome to Profiles Park for this afternoons North West Counties North tie against one of our neighbours, Pilkington. Due to my boozer being 2 mins away from Pilks this is now a fixtures that I look forward to more than most, and they have had a cracking start to the season, only dropping 2 points against the fancied Daisy Hill. Pilks will want to crack on with their journey into the Counties this year after having everything hindered by covid since they joined from the Cheshire League. They have lost a few players this term but replaced with quality from rivals FC St Helens. Here's hoping it will be a great game.
Gerard Arms team to help structure and strengthen. Huge praise also on that note to striker Liam Stanley, stepped up, has become vice captain, and smashed a hat trick on Saturday ! Well done Liam !
After a stuttering start we have got back to back wins, and the 3 goals scored on Saturday were outstanding. LR are a much changed side from what we used to know, and that's not just on the pitch, around the ground it is also 10 times better.
Thank you so much again to all whom are watching today, your support means a hell of a lot to all of us at the club and the players can certainly tell the difference with the growing fan base. The twelfth man is key at any level, and in any sport.
Huge praise also goes to David Taylor and the Reserves who on Saturday got their first win at Cheshire League level. It's a huge step up from U18s and it's took a bit to adjust, including an influence from my
Stay safe, Mark Club Chairman Ashton Town AFC
@northernpromise
HISTORY OF ASHTON TOWN Ashton Town Association Football Club originally joined the Div 2 of the Lancashire Combination in 1903 and were promoted to Div 1 in their 1st season. However, quickly relegated back to Div 2 after finishing 16th. Towards the end of 1910/11 season the club withdrew from the league and fixtures were 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.
Street which was 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. Then 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 ever since with the exception of season 1985-86, when they The founder was a persistent played in the Manchester man named Derek League while essential „Mick‟ Mycock. In ground maintenance work 1962 the Club was was carried out to bring the forced to move ground up to stringent from its original ground grading requirements ground at Windsor for the NWCF League. Road due to land development and Throughout the years there it was at this point have been many custodians the Club name was changed of the club, owned by noto Ashton Town AFC. one, powered by volunteers. Home games were played on I‟ll surely miss out a host of a public park pitch at names here but….Notable is Whithill Street Recreation the involvement of Jack Ground in Bryn until 1964 Longstaffe, Pat Dooney, when the Club purchased a Barry & Sandra Longstaffe, piece of land at Edge Green Gordon Ellis, Les Bailey, Len
Riley, Malcolm Magrath, Billy Pomfrett R.I.P 5/5/20 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, Ian, Dawn, Peter, Clare, Joanne and more recently, Keith whose dedication and work rate 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.
www.ashtontownafc.com
HERE IT IS !! THE LAUNCH OF THE OFFICIAL JOSEPH‟S GOAL LATICS LEGENDS SHIRT All sizes available. Postage within the UK £3.50 extra. First order will be going in tomorrow, Sunday 8th August 2021, and it‟s a 14 day turnaround. #wafc #latics #nkh #ProudToBeTown
HOT & COLd FOOD & DRINKS O N S A L E Inside ou
C L U B H O U S e
r
HISTORY OF PILKINGTON FC The club was officially founded in 1938 but it has history dating back many years before their official formation. The team's origins come from the Pilkington glass factory in St Helens, which had numerous workers teams that have been around for almost as long as the company has been making glass in the 19th century. The early teams that played are thought to have been representatives of their individual works, like the 1907 Sheet Glass Makers team. Works teams in St Helens were amalgamated to form a Pilkington Amateurs AFC in 1933, however, because of the 5 years lost during the war it is officially registered as being 1938 when the club was formed. Records show the 1st team being drawn against „Liverpool „A‟ at Anfield in the Liverpool Challenge Cup and that the game was played before a crowd of 2,000. The club played its first games at Crossley Road and moved to Ruskin Drive at the start of 1948/49 season under the management of Mr W.Fish. In 1972, ex-Crewe player, Brian May, took over the reign‟s at the club. It was his gruelling training sessions and the regular goal exploits of centre forward Ian Lancaster that helped the 1st team hold its own in the very competitive Liverpool Combination. John Delves followed Brian as 1st Team manager before Jack Potter took over around 1975. At this time the club was running three teams with the 1st team in the Liverpool County Combination and the other two teams competing in the St. Helens Combination. In 1983/84, the club was the first local side to successfully join the Mid-Cheshire League and finish in 14th place in their first season. Under the stewardship of Geoff Barlow, the 80's saw the first team struggle with the competitiveness of the Mid-Cheshire and were regularly finishing in the bottom half of the table. 1989/90
saw the arrival of Brian Yates as manager of the 1st Team but again he struggled to make an impact in what was a very competitive league. The club decided that it would be in the best interests of the club if the Reserves also joined the Mid-Cheshire League. They entered Division Two in 1990/91 and although finishing 8th, the 1st Team finished at the bottom of Division One and were relegated meaning the Reserves consequently lost their place. It was at this time that Lol Stanton and Jon Dawson arrived at the club and in the 1991/92 season they narrowly missed out on promotion, finishing fourth in their first season in charge of the 1st Team. The 2019/20 season was historic for the club as the First Team started life in the Non-League Pyramid and competed in the North West Counties First Division One North for the first time. After a slow start, we finished a creditable 8th in a campaign that was declared null and void by the FA due to the Coronavirus pandemic. With our Reserves in the Cheshire League Division Two, our Ladies‟ first team in the Liverpool County FA Women's League, plus our Sunday men's social team and a thriving juniors section with 14 teams, we are looking forward to the resumption of football in the 2020/21 season with great optimism. Prior to the start of the 2020/21 season Stephen Palfrey was relieved of his duties as First Team Manager and David Tickle, was appointed Manager of Pilkington FC. He will be joined by Lee Jenkinson and Phil Marsh, as his Assistant Manager and Coach, along with his father Steve who started his footballing career at Pilkington FC before becoming a professional at Preston North End FC.
www.pilkingtonfc.com
Who’s played at edge green st Jon Otsemobor was born in Liverpool on 23rd March 1983; he is an English retired professional footballer who played as a right back. Otsemobor began his career with hometown club Liverpool F.C. but also went on to play for Hull City, Bolton Wanderers, Crewe Alexandra, Rotherham United, Norwich City, Southampton, Sheffield Wednesday, Milton Keynes Dons and Tranmere Rovers. He made headlines at the age of 20 when as an innocent bystander he was shot in the buttocks by an armed gang-member gunman in a Liverpool nightclub. As a footballer, he gained cult-hero status at the MK Dons for his "Heel of God" goal and upon leaving the club he described it as "one of the only clubs I‟ve thoroughly enjoyed being at". Otsemobor progressed through Liverpool's youth system and signed a professional contract with the club on 23 March 2000. After impressing in the reserve side, he made his debut in Liverpool's 3–1 win over Southampton in the League Cup. He was loaned out to Hull City for the rest of the season to gain some first team experience. Otsemobor scored his first career goal for Hull in their 4–2 defeat to Rushden & Diamonds. Otsemobor also scored a further two goals in Hull's 2–0 win over Shrewsbury Town and the 2–1 defeat at Wrexham. Following his loan spell at Hull City came to an end, Otsemobor signed a new contract with Liverpool, keeping him until 2005. In the 2003–04 season, Otsemobor played five more games for Liverpool, making appearances in the 1–1 draw with Newcastle United and the 3–1 win over Bolton Wanderers. He also appeared in the newspapers in October 2003, when he was shot in the buttocks during a gun incident in a bar. He was then loaned out
again, this time to Bolton Wanderers where he only played one game, which was their 3–1 defeat to Manchester City. However, before the end of the season, Otsemobor's loan spell with Bolton Wanderers came to an end, though he wasn't allowed to play for Liverpool throughout the 2003-04 season. Otsemobor was then loaned out to Crewe Alexandra on a month loan. Six days later after signing for them, He made his debut for Crewe in the 3–0 win over Watford. He scored one goal during his loan at Crewe, which was in the 2–2 draw with Leicester City. Ostsemobor's loan spell with Crewe extended on a season long deal. This came after he turned down a contract with Liverpool, which was due to expire at the end of the 2004-05 season. Otsemobor said he was keen to stay at the club on a permanent basis; ironically, he said his loan spells would help him earn a first team at Liverpool. By the end of December, Otsemobor's loan spell with Crewe ended, with fourteen appearance and scoring once. Having rejected a long term contract from Liverpool, Otsemobor was released by the club at the end of the 2004-05 season, he went on to play for a number of clubs already mentioned before he subsequently retired from football and became involved in property management and development in 2014. Otsemobor‟s one appearance here at Edge Green Street came in March 2017 when he was a member of the Kevin Davies Select XI who took on the GB Deaf International team in a fund raising game for the GB team.
By Gordon Johnson
FAIRCLOUGH R O O F I N G SPECIALIST
We have been working in and serving St Helens and surrounding areas over 15 yrs All our work is carried out to a high standard and comes with a guarantee. Fairclough Roofing Specialists are highly experienced in installing and fitting all types of roofing and rooflines, all to a very high standard. All employees at Fairclough Roofing Specialists are fully qualified and are highly skilled. We have a vast knowledge and experience of installing new flat roof systems such as; GRP fibreglass roofing, Firestone epdm and other traditional flat roofing systems.
All our work comes with extensive guarantees. 49 Knowles House Avenue, St Helens, WA10 5AY
01744 625500
07807 330002
MATCH REPORT V SOUTH LIVERPOOL 4/8/21 On Wednesday 4th August Town made our first ever trip to South Liverpool FC's new Otterspool home ground on their return to the non league football pyramid having gained promotion to the North West Counties League during the 2020-21 playing season.
In front of a large crowd numbering 302, with many ground hoppers in attendance to see the South Liverpool return, South Liverpool started the stronger and saw Town having to scramble a ball off our own goal line in the 13th minute of the game. The boys responded well to the early scare though and after 15 minutes Rustam Stepans broke down the right and delivered an inch perfect cross which was volleyed home by Tommy Grindrod to give Town a one nil lead.
possession and under pressure a rash challenge gave the hosts a penalty kick which was duly dispatched to draw the home side level at 2-2. The game then flowed end to end with both sides again having chances to take the lead until the 75th minute of the game when poor defending from a corner kick again allowed a free header this time at the near post to give South Liverpool a 3-2 lead. Town were now chasing the game and a tactical move of pushing centre half Daley Wood s forward as an additional attacking option was quickly punished by the home side who extended their lead to 4-2.
From the restart following the fourth goal for the hosts South Liverpool respondTown ed well though and parity again was resumed ten minutes pressed forward but a header from Daley Woods was later as Cameron Dalton collected on the goal line by the home keeper. rose unmarked to head South Liverpool held on to their advantage to see the home an equalising goal game home but the 4-2 scoreline did flatter with for the hosts. The score Town deserving of a share of the spoils on the night. remained level until the half time break with both sides having chances to take the lead on the run up to the interval.
The second half started much the same as the first had ended with chances being spurned by both sides early on in the half. Then on 51 minutes Jay White broke free of his marker down the right flank before playing the ball through to Rustam Stepans who smashed it home past the advancing South Liverpool keeper to restore Town's one goal lead. Five minutes later however whilst trying to play out from the back Town lost
By Gordon Johnson
HALF TIME QUIZ 1.
Which football governing body was founded in Basel, Switzerland in 1954?
2.
Which German club did Danish striker Alan Simonsen play for when he won the Ballon d‟or in 1977?
3.
Which London club won the UEFA Cup in 1972?
4.
In1982 when Bobby Robson became England Manager, who did he replace?
5.
At which club did Johan Cruyff finish his playing career in 1984?
6.
Which fellow Brazilian was often dubbed the “White Pele”?
7.
Who in 1996 was the last German player to win the Ballon d‟or?
8.
Which club did Arsene Wenger join as manager in 1987?
9.
For which club did Peter Shilton make the most appearances?
10.
In what year was George Best named the FWA footballer of the year?
ANSWERS
Monaco Leicester City (286) 1968
8. 9. 10.
Zico Matthias Sammer
6. 7.
Tottenham Hotspur Ron Greenwood Feyenoord Rotterdam
3. 4. 5.
UEFA Borussia Monchengladbach
1. 2.
By Gordon Johnson
STATISTICS - FIX
www.profilesbrickwork.co.uk
XTURES & RESULTS
Photos v Ilkley Town AFC 7/8/21
www.profilesbrickwork.co.uk
On this day 17th august 17th August 1964 Liverpool won 5-0 away to KR Reykjavik in a European Cup Preliminary Round tie, this was Liverpool's first match in a European competition. Those were the days before clubs chartered their own aircraft for away European ties and they had a long -winded journey to Iceland. They first of all flew from Liverpool to London, then from London to Prestwick in Scotland. Having a few hours to spare whilst in Scotland, manager Bill Shankly put the players on a bus to show them the area he grew up in and that included a visit to the Butlins holiday camp! Followed by more excitement with the third flight of the trip from Prestwick to Iceland.
as GM Vauxhall Conference champions in 1990/91. Their first Football League match on 17th August 1991 saw them lose 4-7 at home to Crewe Alexandra and three days later they drew 5 -5 with Brentford in the League Cup, both games being played at their original Underhill ground Not long after they won 6 -0 at Lincoln in the Fourth Division before eventually finishing their firs football league season in seventh spot.
17th August 1996 17th August 1991 An amazing start to Barnet's life in the Football League after they became the fifth club to win automatic promotion to the League after finishing
On the opening day of the Premier League season a 21-year-old player by the name of David Beckham hit the headlines when he scored for Manchester United with a lob over Wimbledon goalkeeper Neil Sullivan which was hit from the half-way line. Two weeks later Beckham also made his England debut.
By Gordon Johnson
VLC have been providing lifts and specialised access products for over fifteen years. We’re absolutely passionate about what we do and how we can help people. We’ve built our professional reputation on quality and the level of service that we provide: we do that by working as a team from start to finish; all of us committed to giving our best.
STAIRLIFTS, HOISTS LIFT SALES AND PLATFORM LIFTS SALES,SERVICE SERVICE & REPAIR & REPAIR COMPETITIVE MAINTENANCE COMPREHENSIVE RANGE OF PACKAGES PACKAGES 24 HOUR EMERGENCY BREAKDOWN 24 HOUR EMERGENCY HIGHLY TRAINED ENGINEERS BREAKDOWN RAPID RESPONSE
FREE SURVEYS & ADVICE STAIRLIFTS PLATFORM LIFTS CEILING TRACK HOISTS THROUGH FLOOR LIFTS MOBILE HOISTS STEP LIFTS
www.versatileliftcompany.co.uk
MaNAGERS NOTES Good Evening. Firstly, let me welcome Pilkington FC this evening. I am really looking forward to this one, as it always serves up a great game with plenty of goals. I know a lot of the Pilks players and also management but friendships go out of the window for tonight and we will do everything we can do to win the game. After a hectic few weeks we find ourselves with 6 points from a possible 12. The last 2 games have been brilliant after a frustrating start to the campaign and we are looking for another win tonight.
My players are hitting a little bit of form and the mood around the dressing room is somewhat optimistic the lads are just eager to go. Thank you for all your support so far. The attendances have been good and your support doesn’t go unnoticed. Keep supporting the lads and they will hopefully be able to repay your support with 3 points this evening. Hope you all enjoy the game. Demps.
MATCH REPORT V ilkley town afc 7/8/21 On Saturday 7th August Town welcomed league newcomers Ilkley Town for their first ever visit to Profiles Park following their promotion to the North West Counties League from the West Yorkshire Football league. Like ourselves Ilkley had begun their season with two defeats in two games so somebody had to get off the mark on the day and with home advantage Town were hoping to be that team. The omens weren't good though when, after only seven minutes of play, a Jack Richards throw in back to keeper James McClenghan took an awkward bounce away from the keeper and was duly slotted home by a visiting Ilkley striker to give the visitors a one nil lead. The early disappointment seemed to resonate through the team as Town struggled to cope with eth visitors for the most part of the first half. It took until the 32nd minute when a free kick in a promising attacking position was awarded to Town. This was quickly taken and played out wide on the right to captain, Jack Richards, who's cross the visitors struggled to clear and Kian Bell duly smashed the ball home to make the score one all. Within five minutes though the visitors restored their lead as the Town defence were caught flat footed claiming for an offside decision which wasn't given and the visitors went 2-1 in front, a lead that they held onto until the half time interval. Bizarrely when asked who had played the goal scorer onside the response from the officials was "Your number 5" which totally confused the lads as Daley Woods, wearing number 5 on the day, was still well inside the opponent's half of the field of play having gone forwarded for a corner kick to Town just a few moments earlier !!!! In a game of two halves though Town came out the stronger and despite some questionable decisions going against them during the second period, Town were head and shoulders above the visitors from West Yorkshire. On 51 minutes dave Moore fired a shot just over the Ilkley Town crossbar and on 67 minutes Rustam Stepans had a chance cleared off the line by the visitors left back with their keeper having been well beaten. Town's pressure finally paid off after 71 minutes though with Rustam Stepans scoring his second goal in two games to level the match at 2-2. Four minutes later the comeback was complete following some fantastic work down the right by Jay White who duly played the ball into Leon Wright who coolly placed the ball into the side of the goal and give Town a well-deserved 3-2 lead. The drama didn't end there though, after 83 minutes and following on from a number of bizarre decisions by the match referee Jack Richards frustration boiled over and he was duly "Sin Binned" by the referee which meant Town had to see out the remaining seven minutes plus stoppage time with only ten players. The lads dug deep though and hung on to record a well-deserved first victory of the season.
By Gordon Johnson
OUR CHOSEN CHARITY Joseph‟s Goal is a Wigan-based charity, ran by a small group of family and friends who all volunteer their services. The charity has received support from Wigan Council, Wigan Warriors and Wigan Athletic, as well as schools, local organisations and the business community. Joseph‟s Goal have raised most of their funds through 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. Ashton Town AFC now host an annual charity legends football match, after the huge success of the inaugural match in May 2015, with the Latics Legends thumping a Hollyoaks XI 10-0 with a sensational performance. Town chairman, Mark Hayes was touched by Joe‟s story and has been actively involved in the charity‟s fundraising efforts for several years. This years event is the fifth annual Joseph‟s Goal legends game and is set to be another classic with the likes of Bryan Robson, Emmerson Boyce and Arjan De Zeeuw gracing the Ashton Town turf. Since Josephs story was shared publicly, the 10-year-old has become a little star in the local area and recognised throughout the United Kingdom for his fantastic story in defying all the odds. Joseph‟s Goal has
also received support from multiple football, rugby and television stars over the years including Pep Guardiola, Harry Redknapp and Joe Calzaghe.
lights in Wigan Town Centre. Joseph‟s Goal was recognised further in 2014 by the Wigan Council for contributing to the “Believe in Wigan” campaign. In April 2019, Joe returned to his role as Wigan Athletics‟ lucky charm as he featured pitchside at half-time during Wigan‟s shock victory against Leeds United. This was after more than 70 Latics fans heroically walked 58-miles over three days for the charity from Wigan‟s Euxton training ground to Elland Road, In 2013, Joe was the mascot organised by Martin Tarbuck for Wigan Athletic in the FA from the Mudhutter fanzine. Cup Final and was carried out Joseph‟s story has inspired onto the pitch at Wembley by thousands of people to help skipper, and charity fundraise for NKH and ambassador Emmerson Boyce, contribute to their bid in which led to television finding a cure for the very rare appearances on BBC North condition. West, ITV, Granada and Sky News. Many Latics fans believe Help us to raise money for that Joe was a lucky charm as further research and hopefully Wigan defied the odds to edge closer to the end goal of beat Manchester City 1-0 and helping Joe and other children claim their first major trophy in with the same condition. the club‟s history, similar to how Joe managed to defy all the odds given by the doctors to reach his 10th birthday on Thursday May 9th 2019. Joe‟s father Paul Kendrick, a life-long Wigan Athletic sup-porter and the Latics correspondent for Wigan Today, was gobsmacked that Joe was given the opportunity to be a mascot. In 2014, Joseph‟s family were the Joseph's Goal is a registered charity in WISH FM “Local Heroes Family England and Wales of the Year” and Joseph Charity number: 1151548 switched on the Christmas
www.josephsgoal.org
BRICKWORK - BLOCKWORK -STONEWORK
NEW BUILD - REFURBISHMENT
01695 682 181 Hewitt House, Winstanley Rd, Wigan, WN5 7XA
email: profilesbrickworkltd@outlook.com
www.profilesbrickwork.co.uk
KIERAN ALLEY KIAN BELL JOHN EDGERTON THOMAS GOODWIN (GK) THOMAS GRINDROD CHRISTOPHER HILL CARL LOWNSBROUGH JAMES LUDGATE JAMES MCCLENAGHAN (GK) THOMAS MCNAMARA DAVID MOORE ALEX NOONAN THOMAS PARRY JACK RICHARDS NOAH ROBSON LIAM SMITH JAMES STANLEY RUSTAM STEPANS JAMIE WHITE DALEY WOODS LEON WRIGHT David Dempsey - Manager Karl Bell - Asst. Manager Adam James - Coach Daley Woods - Asst. Coach Richard Eaves - Physio Colours: Red Shirts, Red Shorts, Red Socks GK: Grey
SAM CAMPBELL ANDY PRESHO CHRIS COTTINGHAM DEAN CURTIS ADAM HOWARD MARCUS GIGLIO DANNY BATE PHIL MARSH CALLUM LAIRD ADAM GILCHRIST (C) NATHAN QUIRK JAKE BICKERSTAFFE DOMINIC WHELAN BEN MADDOCKS PAUL WATSON WADE RUTHERFORD ADAM NEILL Manager: Dave Tickle Asst. Manager: Lee Jenkinson Colours: Green Shirts, Green Shorts, Green Socks GK: Yellow or Orange
Referee: Joseph Hind, Assistant 1: Matthew Allen, Assistant 2: Suzanne Monaghan
NEXT HOME GAME V HOLKER OLD BOYS AFC - 3PM - 21/8/21