COLFC VS LITHERLAND REMYCA

hallmark security league premier division cityof Liverpool v LITHERLANDREMYCA Tuesday 25th September 2018 kick off 7:45pm club sponsor

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Welcome to the TDP Solicitors Stadium for our fifth home league match of the season against Litherland REMYCA.

me!

ga e th joy n e ll a ou y e Hop

#UpThePurps

CONTENTS 5 - CHAIRMAO Paul Manning welcomes us to the fifth home league game of the season…

7 - ROBBO SAYS Meet the new manager…

9 - WELCOME TO OUR VISITORS A brief history of Litherland REMYCA… 11 - UP-COMING FIXTURES Get your fixture diaries up to date…

17 - THE NEW CAPTAIN Meet the new Captain…

23 - REGENDA - SILVER SURFERS Lottery Grant helps residents leave a legacy for the future via computer training…

24 - SID OGWIN A brilliantly funny article about a remarkable man…

28 - KITS 4 KIDS A feature on a fantastic initiative…

29 - TEAM LINE UP

Don’t miss any action if you can’t get to the match!

Keep updated with live commentary on…

A REASON TO BELIEVE...

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CITY OF LIVERPOOL FC 427 Smithdown Road, Liverpool, L15 2JL Chairman: Paul Manning Deputy Chairman: Peter Furmedge Club Secretary: Peter Manning Club Welfare Officer: Mike Caulfield Club Director: Cathy Long Supporters Council Chairman: Paul McGrady Supporters Council Secretary: Fran Stanton Programme Design & Production: David Marsh at Artomattic PURPS FM: Ste Martin, Jay McKenna Flok Information: Paul Squires Gatehouse: Peter Furmedge, Howard Klarfeld, Paul Manning Hospitality: Leanne Brady, Amanda Manning, Maria Manning Stewards: Mark Howard, Owen Manning, Peter Manning, Ste Martin, Paul Squires, Lee Thwaite, Seana Thwaite, Gary Walthew, Colin Wilcox, Howard Klarfeld, Stephen Hesketh.

Volunteer Co-Ordinator: Mark Howard Website: Paul Manning, Paul Squires COLlotto: Andy Lavin, Lisa Lavin Purps TV: Jason Morland Merchandise Table: Sue Roberts, Amanda Manning, Olivia Manning, Robyn Manning Charity Co-Ordinator: Amanda Manning First Team Craig Robinson (Manager) Tony Dunne (Assistant) Tom Spearritt (1st Team Coach, physio) GK Coach: Craig Horner Phil MacDiarmid (Coach) Dean Jones (Kit Man) Reserve Team James Walsh (Manager) Sam Hoare & Danielle Rutter (Coaches) Ladies Team Harriet Miller (Manager) U19’s Dave McDiarmid (Joint Manager) Dave Rowe (Joint Manager) Cover and Robbo photo credit Karl Brooks Photography

oFFICIAL GoALKEEPING PARTNER oF THE HALLMARK SECuRITY FooTBALL LEAGuE. prouD SpoNSor oF THE rEuSCH CHAMpIoNS Cup, GoALKEEpEr oF THE MoNTH AND GoALKEEpEr oF THE YEAr AWArDS

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hallmarksecurityleague.com Official Website of The Hallmark Security League

For the latest League & Club News & Info, Fixtures, Results, Cup Info, Stats & Archives Follow us on social media Search ‘Hallmark Security League’ on Twitter & Facebook 4

CHAIRMAO Notes from the little Purple book of COLFC Chairman, Paul Manning.

Welcome to everyone from Remyca for tonight’s match in the Hallmark Security League Premier Division.

at 1806 beat the previous record which of course was 1303 for the play off final against…..Litherland Remyca!

A win tonight would see us return to the top of the league and that is obviously what we are hoping to do, but in a derby all bets are off and we have to earn the right to play our football.

The game at Chester was close until that mad couple of minutes where they somehow squeezed two goals past us just before half time, when we had been comfortable up to that point. It would have been interesting to see how they coped with the pressure of going into Half Time at 0-0. Their crowd was virtually silent up to that point which I think is a sure sign of nerves and if that had been felt by their players then who knows what would have happened, but anyway its gone now.

The party that ensued at the Slaughterhouse was a sight to behold and everyone had a great time. Craig Robinson asked for that to happen “Win, Lose or Draw” and what a brilliant idea it was. A great laugh was had by all and is yet another “Purple Day” that will live long in the memory.

Season 2018/19 promises much, but it is games like tonight that have to focused on in order to keep ourselves on track. It is no good looking too far forward but I know Robbo has his squad totally focused on the job in hand, so here is to a great performance from the lads tonight and hopefully three points.

The Remy had a great last season, finishing second and gaining promotion to the Premier League, where they have been competitive without really getting the results as yet, its up to us to make sure that they don’t get them tonight!

Paul McNally was in charge for their 1st Division title near miss and we know Paul very well, as he was very close to being appointed our 1st ever manager when we formed the club and we know he is a good coach with good local contacts.

Paul was actually instrumental in our signing Craig Cairns this season and so I suppose he can also claim some of the credit for signing Joe Holt as well, as we ended up signing both of them in a package deal. Both lads have come in and done a great job for the Purps and we love having them both with us and Paul will be doing some scouting for us this season too.

We’ve had a very pleasing start to the season only tasting defeat on Saturday to Chester in the FA Cup, which was only to be expected really. The lads have had a great FA Cup run and deserve all of the credit in the world for the performances.

Its been our best start to a season to date and has already broken the club’s record for winning consecutive games (now seven) and our attendance record as the game at Chester

#UTP

Paul Manning 5

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PressBoards MFC Logo A1P.indd 1

08/02/2010 11:31

managers notes It was a day we should all be proud of as a club and our supporters certainly showed what this club is all about and why it is so special!

We’ve had a busy two weeks since the last home game against Whitchurch which we’ve took maximum points from in the three league games we’ve had.

FA Cup run come to an end against Chester, which there is no shame in as Chester are a good side and are on a good run of form winning their last five games in a strong Conference North league. It was a day we should all be proud of as a club and our supporters certainly showed what this club is all about and why it is so special. The singing and support after the game had finished is something i’ll remember and makes the management staff and players even more determined than we already are to go out and win every game for the supporters and this great club. We couldn’t thank you enough. Tonight we welcome Litherland REMYCA a local derby were we want to get back on track and keep our unbeaten run in the league going. It will be another tough game competitive game and one we’re looking forward to and I’m sure the fans are too, now let’s get that shed bouncing tonight.

They have all been difficult in there own way with going down to ten men against Whitchurch, the game against Ashton Athletic away where Ashton made it difficult at times and then the long trip to Barnoldswick on a Tuesday night which is never an easy place to go as was shown with them beating Runcorn Town 5-1 on Saturday. This squad has shown that they can not only blow teams away with scoring goals but they have character and they are building a spirit between them where they will fight for each other and can win ugly when they need to.

Saturday seen us lose our first game of the season which also seen our

Robbo 7

Regenda Homes has been one of the main sponsors of City of Liverpool Football Club for the past three seasons. It is a housing association with 10,000 properties across the North West.

this type of support in Liverpool.

At today’s match you will see collection buckets to help raise money for Centre 56.

Any funding will help to support the centre deliver its key childcare and resiliencebuilding activities, while ensuring that services are maintained and grown into the future.

For more information about Centre 56 and the incredible work it does, visit: www.centre56.org.uk facebook.com/Centre56 @Centre_56

In early 2018 Centre 56 joined The Regenda Group. Established in 1973, Centre 56 provides childcare, information and support for families who have suffered, or are at risk of suffering from, domestic abuse or a crisis situation.

The services it provides are so important to some of the most vulnerable people in the local community, as it is only nursery to offer

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litherland REMYCA Litherland REMYCA FC began life in the Seaforth area of Liverpool as St Thomas F.C. (1959) Players were recruited mainly from Seaforth and Bootle, and the team later became known as Bootle C.L.B. (Church Lads Brigade). Links were formed with Bootle YMCA which provided a club base and facilities to train. In 1967, a local working-man’s club offered to finance the running of the club.

One year later, REMYCA UTD F.C. came into being, the name deriving from connections with both REM Social Club and Bootle YMCA. The team, after successive championships and earning a reputation for playing attractive football, were accepted into the I Zingari League. The founder members of REMYCA Utd, Bill and Ken Edwards, acted as managers having recently given up their playing careers. The I Zingari Challenge Cup was claimed in the 1975/76 season as REMYCA Utd began to establish itself as a force within amateur football on Merseyside. The formation of a Premier League led to the club being invited to become inaugural members. This demanded improved playing facilities and the club left its spiritual home at Moss Lane, Litherland to move to Maghull High School. A former player, Steve Smith, became manager and began building a squad capable of competing with the best amateur sides in the region. The club applied, and secured a league position worthy of promotion to the NWCFL in 2014. In their first season, the club finished 9th and reached the semi final of the Reusch Cup, only to be beaten by Atherton Colls. A first ever appearance in the LCFA Senior Cup saw the club beaten by Skelmersdale United. REMYCA went on to reach the semi final in three consecutive years after this. In 2015, Phil Stafford was given the job as first team manager following a successful stint at Maghull. In his second season, he led the club to a thrilling battle for promotion, which culminated in defeat at the final hurdle - the playoff final. That game holds the attendance record in NWCFL history, with 1303 supporters flocking to LSP. In March 2016, the quarter final of the LCFA Senior Cup saw Everton travel to LSP and fall to a solid, containing REMYCA by a goal to nil. This game put the club on the map, and boosted their profile and reputation. REMYCA Utd became the I Zingari League Champions in the 1987/88 season and in

1991 became one of the few Merseyside Teams to win the all Lancashire FA Amateur Cup. The 1990’s was a significant period in the club’s history, and the most successful, as both Premier League and Cup doubles were achieved in seasons 1993/94, 1994/95 and 1995/96 followed by again winning the Challenge Cup in the 1998/99 season. This period of dominance and success resulted in REMYCA Utd seeking entry to the Liverpool County Combination League to test itself at a higher level again. REMYCA are now based at Litherland Sports Park. Our midlong term aims are to work with local councils to identify a site and build a community facility for all sides under the REMYCA banner as well as the local area. In 2013, the Management Committee of REMYCA began exploring the potential to grow and develop the club. The aim is for a sustainable club - a community based model offering football opportunity with good coaching to all ages from seven years upwards. The first stage of the new development plan was to add Litherland to the club name so as to identify with the local area and enhance the community ethos of the club. A key appointment was Colin Begbie as head of youth development, who’s experience and network of football contacts has proven invaluable. Ultimately, at the end of that season, Stafford decided it was time to move on along with Andy Olsen, and, after a search for a new gaffer, Paul McNally was handed the task of leading REMYCA from the beginning of the 2017/18 season. McNally put his own stamp on the team, and under huge expectations, guided the club to its first ever promotion and the highest level of football in the history of Litherland REMYCA. Along the way, REMYCA made their first ever appearance in the FA Cup, beating AFC Liverpool 2-0 in a game live streamed across the BBC iPlayer.

In a shock turn of events, McNally left the club by mutual consent at the end of 2017-18, and left the club manager-less for the second straight summer.

James Olsen was chosen to be the man to take over in the summer of 2018 and lead the club in its first ever season in the NWCFL Premier Division.

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#UTP

up-coming fixtures september 18 barnoldswick town A HSL 22 Chester fc A FAC 2Q 25 Litherland REMYCA H HSL 29 Winsford United h HSL october 2 silsden a hsl 6 W Dids & Chorlton h HSL 20 ashton athletic h mc1 Watch city of liverpool this season adults £6 concessions £3 under 15’s free!

TDP Solicitors Stadium, vesty road, bootle l30 1NY

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PLEASE SUPPORT OUR PARTNERS

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Shirt Sponsors 1

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1

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Keppie Massie

Jim Price

Adam May

Kevin Short

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2

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Ste Quinn

Ronnie Mellor

Cathy Long

Patrick Manning

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Sam Pearson

Ross Flemington

Gary Johansen

Dean Jones

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Michael Meadows

Kevin Short

Norman Hartley

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5

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Matt Comber

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Andrew Baker

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Ste Martin

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Wavertree Ultras

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Paul McGrady

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Mark Howard

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Halfway Line Headcase

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Gary Mellor

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Come On La… Support The Purps… Sponsor A Shirt for only £30 Send payment via PayPal to contact@colfc.co.uk (state Home or Away & shirt No) and you will receive your chosen shirt at the end of the season 14

colfc merchandise

https://colfc.myshopify.com

P COLLECTION The new P Collection from COLFC is a range of stylish and timely clothing for Adults and children to be worn to the match and branded exclusively to City of Liverpool FC COMING SOON!!

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captains notes It’s been an historic week for the club and it’s been a pleasure to be apart of it three more wins in the league and then the big game against Chester.

at when I stop playing football and remember it as a brilliant day despite the result.

Derby day today and it’s vital we carry on winning in the league, Robbo has set us targets to hit this month in the league and it’s up to us as players to keep achieving them.

My mum is collecting for Claire House tonight at the game so if you see her remember to dig deep an put some money in the bucket for a good cause.

The league is the priority for us so to get the three wins before the Chester game allowed us to enjoy the occasion and give it a good go. I thought we done well against a good Chester team but they just had a little bit more than us in the end.

The support was unbelievable and we could hear the songs for the full 90 minuets. The scenes at the end and at the slaughterhouse afterwards are memories that I will look back

Denno

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Photo: Stuart Roy Clarke

Stories about football are stories about life.

Stuart Roy Clarke’s The Game, on display until 17 March 2019 nationalfootballmuseum.com @footballmuseum /NationalFootballMuseum

Open daily, 10am - 5pm Cathedral Gardens, Manchester: M4 3BG 0161 605 8200

National Football Museum is a registered charity no: 1050792

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FIXTURES & RESULTS 2018/19 Date Comp Opponent Att Result Goalscorers 04/08/18 HSL A 1874 Northwich 433 W 6-3 Cairns (3), Forbes, Clair, McGrath 08/08/18 HSL A Northwich Vics 298 W 2-1 McDonald, Holt 11/08/18 FAC H SILSDEN 630 W 3-1 Holt, McGrath, McDonald 18/08/18 HSL H IRLAM 406 D 2-2 McDonald, McGrath 25/08/18 FAC H GLOSSOP NORTH END 462 D 1-1 Hazelhurst 27/08/18 HSL H BURSCOUGH 404 W 3-0 Peterson (3) 31/08/18 HSL H RUNCORN TOWN 649 W 4-0 McGrath (2), Williams, Hazelhurst 04/09/18 FAC A Glossop North End 348 W 3-2 McGrath, Hazelhurst, Forbes 08/09/18 HSL A Squires Gate 255 W 5-1 Cairns (3), Denson, McGrath (p) 11/09/18 HSL H WHITCHURCH ALPORT 505 W 1-0 Cairns 15/09/18 HSL A Ashton Athletic 154 W 4-0 Peterson, McGrath, Clair, Cairns 18/09/18 HSL A Barnoldswick Town 135 W 3-2 Peterson (2), McDonald 22/09/18 FAC A Chester FC 1806 L 0-4

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purple statistics 2018/19 appearances/scorers League apps Goals inc playoffs

League League Apps (sub) Goals

Cup Apps (sub)

Ben Ascroft

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Craig Cairns

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5

3(1)

Karl Clair

4(4)

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3(2)

Danny Dalton

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Alex Davies

0(2)

Luke Denson

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David Forbes

5(3)

Francis Foy

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Jack Hazelhurst

5(3)

Joe Holt

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Chris Lester

3

Jamie McDonald

4(2)

Kevin McEllin

6(1)

John McGrath

6(2)

Adam Pepper

0(3)

Tom Peterson

4(3)

Craig Robinson

0(1)

Paul Williams

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Anthony Brown

1(1)

Cup Goals

Oppo Rocket Twitter Total Ben Ascroft Craig Cairns Karl Clair Danny Dalton Alex Davies Luke Denson David Forbes Francis Foy Jack Hazlehurst Joe Holt Chris Lester Jamie McDonald Kevin McEllin John McGrath Adam Pepper Tom Peterson Craig Robinson Paul Williams Anthony Brown

5 3

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man of the match

yellow & red cards Cup games in brackets

p = penalty

Ben Ascroft Craig Cairns Karl Clair Danny Dalton Alex Davies Luke Denson David Forbes Francis Foy Jack Hazlehurst Joe Holt Chris Lester Jamie McDonald Kevin McEllin John McGrath Adam Pepper Tom Peterson Craig Robinson Paul Williams Anthony Brown Correct as of Chester on 22/09/18

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0(1) 1(2) 0(1) 2 3

0(1) 1 2(1) 3(1) 0(1)

PREMIER DIVISION TABLE

Premier Division

1 Silsden 2 CITY OF LIVERPOOL 3 Congleton Town 4 Runcorn Town 5 Barnoldswick Town 6 Padiham 7 Northwich Victoria 8 Squires Gate 9 Bootle 10 Charnock Richard 11 Hanley Town 12 1874 Northwich 13 Irlam 14 Burscough 15 Litherland REMYCA 16 Whitchurch Alport 17 West Didsbury & Chorlton 18 Winsford United 19 Abbey Hey 20 Ashton Athletic

P

W

D

L

F

A

GD

Pts

GD

Pts

10 7 3 0 25 11 14 24 8 7 1 0 25 8 17 22 7 7 0 0 17 2 15 21 9 7 0 2 20 13 7 21 9 5 1 3 23 16 7 16 9 5 1 3 19 16 3 16 9 4 2 3 22 17 5 14 8 4 1 3 14 7 7 13 7 3 3 1 14 8 6 12 7 3 1 3 14 10 4 10 9 3 1 5 10 20 -10 10 9 2 3 4 11 18 -7 9 6 1 4 1 11 11 0 7 7 2 0 5 12 19 -7 6 6 1 2 3 11 12 -1 5 7 1 2 4 7 11 -4 5 9 1 2 6 11 24 -13 5 8 0 2 6 10 24 -14 2 8 0 2 6 6 24 -18 2 6 0 1 5 1 12 -11 1

FIRST DIVISION (N) TABLE

First Division North

1 Carlisle City 2 Longridge Town 3 Avro 4 AFC Liverpool 5 Lower Breck 6 Cleator Moor Celtic 7 AFC Darwen 8 AFC Blackpool 9 Prestwich Heys 10 Steeton 11 Garstang 12 Shelley 13 St Helens Town 14 Chadderton 15 Ashton Town 16 Nelson 17 Bacup Borough 18 Atherton LR 19 Daisy Hill 20 Holker Old Boys

P

W

D

L

F

A

10 8 0 2 20 13 7 24 9 7 1 1 42 15 27 22 10 7 0 3 33 15 18 21 8 6 0 2 26 17 9 18 9 5 2 2 21 7 14 17 9 5 2 2 23 11 12 17 10 5 2 3 21 21 0 17 7 4 2 1 10 5 5 14 8 4 1 3 14 15 -1 13 9 4 1 4 17 22 -5 13 9 4 0 5 17 19 -2 12 9 3 3 3 17 19 -2 12 9 3 2 4 22 14 8 11 11 3 2 6 20 30 -10 11 7 3 0 4 10 16 -6 9 10 2 3 5 10 16 -6 9 10 2 2 6 15 20 -5 8 9 1 1 7 9 21 -12 4 8 0 3 5 11 26 -15 3 9 0 1 8 7 43 -36 1

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Retired Residents set to improve their skills and leave lasting legacies Residents of a Regenda Homes Independent Living scheme in Liverpool are set to use their past to improve their computer skills in the present, thanks to a £10,000 National Lottery Grant.

The money will be used to improve the IT facilities at St Peter’s Court in Aigburth and pay for an oral and local history project, which aims to allow over 20 residents to document their own life stories, leaving a lasting legacy for their families.

Dr Paul Otterson and Colin Robinson, lecturers at Liverpool John Moores University, will deliver the programme, concentrating first on IT skills and then on the history project.

Dr Paul Otterson said: “There is lots of evidence that people learn new skills more efficiently when the task is relevant and meaningful to them. This is particularly so in the case of IT and so this project is a great way to help older residents improve their IT proficiency.

If you would like to get involved in the project visit www.regenda.org.uk for further information.

The project takes its inspiration from the work of New York Times bestselling author and education expert, Sir Ken Robinson, whose younger brother John is a resident at St Peter’s Court.

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Sid

Sid Ogwin – He’s seen things we’ll never see!

Close your eyes and try and walk from your front door to your back door without demolishing half of your house…

Now try and imagine getting from your house in Lucerne Street, Aigburth to the 27 bus stop on Lodge Lane (0.8 mile according to Google maps) to catch the bus to Anfield every other week on your own with the absolute minimum of eyesight, and later completely blind! Well, this is exactly what Sid Ogwin did for many years during the late 50’s and early 60’s following his beloved Liverpool Football Club. He would then listen to the clicking of the Kop turnstiles to fight his way in, and rely on the goodwill and feedback of his fellow Kopites to see how the game was going. At the end of the game, he would go through it all again to get back to the Masonic on Lark Lane to have a couple of bottles of guinness, before going home.

Sid did this for every single game at Anfield.

Missing a game was simply out of the question, it was his life! Sid was born with

sight but due to a genetic condition he sadly started losing his sight around the age of ten, and had lost his sight completely by the age of 20. By this time he was already a fanatical Liverpool fan with his hero in the early years being Billy Liddell. Liverpool at this time were an average second division team and the poor relation of their neighbours across the park, Everton. Around 1965 Sid met Billy Stove. Billy would go on to be Sid’s life-long friend, hero, match going companion and commentator. Sid got his first Kop season ticket around 1966. He believes this was the first year you could get a season ticket on the Kop. Billy would accompany Sid to the match and commentate the game to him.

Sometimes Sid would travel to the match on the back of Billy’s motorbike. They travelled home and away following their beloved reds.

Sid was devastated to miss out on a ticket for Liverpool’s first FA Cup Final in 1965, but remembers doing the conga down London Road celebrating the victory that night. Sid said him and his mates sat on the wall of Ian Callaghan’s house into the early hours of the morning waiting to welcome him

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home, unfortunately he was no doubt still in London celebrating. Sid would not miss another cup final at home or abroad until the 2007 Champions League Final in Athens. God help Rick Parry if Sid ever bumped into him!

Just before the 1977 FA Cup Final, Billy had an operation on his leg which resulted in him being on crutches for both the Wembley Final and the European Cup Final in Rome a couple of days later. This meant Sid had to hang onto one of Billy’s crutches as he guided him around London and Rome - very slowly!

Sid jokes that it was like something out the bible ha ha!

I personally got to know Sid in the late 90’s working together in the Delco in Kirkby. For many years, before a lift was finally sorted, he would get a train and bus from Aigburth to Kirkby on a daily basis on his own – that’s another story in its self! His tales of following the reds at home and abroad amazed and enthralled me, and we’ve been good mates ever since.

Sid has become part of our family now and his arguments with my old fella about who’s been following the reds the longest are legendary. It was my job after every victory to read every column inch of the morning papers to him. If we didn’t have time in work, I was under orders to do it that night on the phone. God help any journalist or ex-player that slagged us off! I always remember a camping trip we went on not long after the Istanbul final in 2005 when he made me read the same story about the final, from the Daily Mirror, about 20 bloody times! Each time he’d give a little jig in the middle of this Welsh field when I got to the end. God know what the other campers thought!

Sid’s home is a shrine to Liverpool with his walls covered in photos of his heroes and past glories. Sid also has various fans awards presented to him down the years by the likes of Ian Callaghan and Ian Ayres. I’ll never forget the occasion when he picked up the Liverpool Echo fan award at the Moat House Hotel. The winner of the main award for that particular year was David Moyes who along with Philip Carter come up to congratulate Sid. Sid shook his hand and said, ‘David, if you’re still looking for a goalie mate, I’m ya man!’ Philip Carter nearly choked on his cocktail. They were both in tears laughing!

They were actually two really nice fellas but Sid still refused to get his photo with them ha ha. One of his most memorable days was when Rafa Benitez popped in for ten minutes and stayed for over four hours. It was brilliant listening to him and Sid exchange stories of their beloved Liverpool. Some of Rafa’s stories had Sid rolling on the floor and others fuming.

Rafa was already a big hero of Sid before the visit, he’s even more so now. What a great fella!

Sid’s biggest hero though is Kenny Dalglish.

God help anyone who says he wasn’t our greatest player ever! Sid’s devotion to him is as a player, manager and a man is on another level to anything else. Mind you, Jurgen Klopp is running him close at the moment, but Kenny will always be his King!

There are so many funny stories from Sid’s trips following the reds. I’ll never forget legendary red Bobby Wilcox serenading Sid with the Johnny Barnes song on the way back from a friendly in Villarreal whilst everyone else was asleep. Another three that

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really stand out are the times we drunkenly left him on a bus in Nice, his shorts going on fire in Mainz Cathedral and Sid getting lost going for a piss in a German hotel!

The bus incident happened on the way to the 2005 Super Cup Final in Monaco when we got off the public bus in Nice to find our hotel. We were all a bit worse for wear as we’d been drinking from early morning. We’d only walked about 20 yards from the bus stop when I heard those fateful words which sent shivers down my spine and immediately sobered me up, ‘Where’s Sid!?’ I turned around hoping it was a wind up, but Sid was nowhere to be seen! I thought Ste had him, Ste thought Phil had him, Phil thought my old fella had him, my old fella thought I had him, but no, we’d left him on the bloody bus! I turned around to see the bus disappearing into the distance and in sheer panic I set off like Forest Gump!

God knows what the locals thought as I ran in and out of traffic shouting ‘Stop that fucking bus!!’ After what seemed an eternity I finally caught up with the bus at a red light.

I was totally knackered as I banged on the door of the bus. The driver looked terrified to open the door, but he eventually did. I tried to control my breathing as I made my way towards the very concerned looking Sid at the back of the bus. I was going to try and blag him that we were all still on the bus and it was time to get off. I put my hand on his shoulder and said ‘It’s time to get off mate’ to which he shouted ‘Ya bastards, you left me on the fuckin bus!’ There’s no kidding Sid. I got

him off the bus and I’m still getting slagged off for it ‘til this day!

The ‘shorts’ incident happened during a pre-season trip to Mainz in Germany, when Klopp was their manager. Every pre-season trip it became a bit of a ritual for Sid to go to a local church so he could light a candle.

When most people light a candle they pray for their families health and happiness, but not Sid, he prays that we win the league and cup in May. I know this because he’s told me. Mind you, I suppose that does mean my family’s health and happiness! We’d been drinking all day before a gang of us set off for Mainz Cathedral so Sid could light his candle. It was a really hot day and we were all in shorts.

Whilst the others marveled at the amazing building, me and Sid made our way towards the candles by the altar. The candles were in a stepped formation like most churches. All the candles at the front were already lit so I took a candle from the back and handed it to Sid. I guided his hand to light our candle and then guided his hand to put our candle on the back step of the holder. It wasn’t easy as Sid was fidgeting and there was a bit of smoke in my view. Next minute Sid drops the candle and starts shouting ‘I’m on fuckin fire!!’ to which I looked down in horror and see his shorts ablaze! I’d been concentrating that much on not burning his hand, that I hadn’t realised his shorts had caught fire on the bottom row of candles. His cheap shorts had gone up like the Liverpool Echo! Now I knew why he was fidgeting and where the

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smoke was coming from! I start slapping at his shorts to put the flames out. After a couple of slaps the flames were out but the whole front of his shorts had gone, except for the netting and his meat and two veg were on show to the world! I quickly dragged him to the corner and checked he was ok, which he was. I then realised that the whole church were looking at this commotion in the corner. The lads come over wondering what the fuck had gone on. The laughter when they realised what had happened and they saw Sid’s shorts will stay with me forever. We quickly surrounded Sid and got him outside.

We desperately needed a pair of shorts for him and made for the nearest clothes shop we could see. Unfortunately the only shorts they had were the wackiest multi-coloured shorts you’ve ever seen. The type you see on Germans all over Majorca. We had no choice but to get them though. It seemed funny at the time but I then realised it was me who had to guide him about in them. The looks and stick we got of fellow reds! We didn’t tell Sid about them being multi-coloured until the plane home. I’ll never forget him saying he was gutted cos the pockets were great ha ha.

The last story which stands out is the time a drunk Sid went for a piss in the middle of the night in our Dortmund hotel and got lost! I was woken in the middle of the night by Sid shouting my name. He sounded miles away though and it was only a normal size twin room. I went sick when I realised he wasn’t in the room and the front door was open. I jumped up and ran outside and there was Sid at the far end of the corridor completely bollocko feeling along the wall! I ran down the corridor calling him every soft bastard under the sun to which he replied “Thank God for that, how big is this fuckin’ room!”. It was one of the funniest things I’d ever heard.

God knows how many people had opened their doors before I got there. You could certainly hear the whispering when we went for breakfast next morning!

Sid continued to go to all the home games with Billy until 2014 when Billy had to go into hospital for a routine heart operation.

Billy hadn’t been feeling well for a while but he was determined to keep going to Anfield for the sake of Sid. Out of loyalty to Billy, Sid refused to let anyone else take him the game and missed his first games at Anfield since the late 50’s. No amount of persuasion could get him to Anfield. Tragically Billy never recovered from his operation and sadly died.

Sid was totally devastated about his hero and best mate. We all thought he’d never go another game again. It took a long time but eventually with the persuasion of his family and Billy’s wife, Sid started going back to Anfield with Charlie, his sisters grandson.

It’s certainly what Billy would have wanted.

Charlie has a lot to live up to because you could have a conversation with Sid after any match and he never missed a thing! Billy was obviously brilliant at what he did.

Recently Sid has had a personalised granite stone laid outside the new main stand at Anfield. It is inscribed with the words ‘Sid Ogwin – He’s seen things we’ll never see’.

These very apt words were chosen by my son Conor, who is also Sid’s God son. Sid is just made up that he will have a presence at Anfield forever.

Sid has followed the Purps from virtually day one and tries to get to as many games as possible as long as its not clashing with his ‘other’ team. He loves the banter and wit from the crowd and is made up that everyone lets onto him and are so friendly even though he hasn’t a clue who they are!

His highlight was being on the pitch in Fleetwood holding the Macron Cup above his head in the first season. Danny Dalton will always be his favourite player after that. A few tears were shed that night I can tell ya! Who knows he might have a plaque outside the City of Liverpool FC stadium one day as well! …now where the fuck is that back door!!!

R.I.P. Billy Stove 27

With the ongoing success of our football for everyone project and our brand-new walking football initiative we are starting to put the wheels in motion for our next scheme, Kits4Kids, a scheme which aims to provide children in the local area with the equipment and kit needed to participate in football.

Families are struggling to put food on the table and keep a roof over their head never mind forking out £40/£50 for a pair of boots every year plus shin pads, kit etc, if you have more than one child you’re suddenly looking at spending a few hundred pounds, and that’s before any subs need paying.

An analysis by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) reveals cuts to benefits and tax credits under the Tory government will see children hardest hit, forecasting that around one and a half million more under-18s will live in households below the relative poverty line by 2022. The research, which analyses the

impact of welfare reforms between 2010 and 2018, shows households with lone parents and children are set to lose an average of £5,250 – almost one-fifth of their total net income, compared to a loss of £3,000 for couples with children. This will see the child poverty rate for those in lone parent households increase from 37 per cent to over 62 per cent.

These children are of great risk of being isolated and abandoned socially. The life skills learned through football help empower individuals and enhance mental wellbeing, such as increased resiliency, self-esteem and connections with others. These features of football are beneficial to people of all ages, but they are especially vital to the healthy development of young people. We must do more to increase engagement and encourage young people into football, not stand by while they are priced out of the game through no fault of their own.

This is where the fantastic City of Liverpool FC Supporters come in! If there are any old kits, boots or shin pads that your son/ daughter has grown out of then please do not hesitate to contact us and we can arrange a collection or drop them off at one of the home games where one of our Community team will collect them from you.

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LINE UPS colfc

(GK) Ben Ascroft Craig Cairns Karl Clair Daniel Dalton Alex Davies Luke Denson David Forbes Francis Foy Fidan Hajdari Jack Hazlehurst Joesph Holt Chris Lester Jamie Mcdonald Kevin Mcellin John Mcgrath Adam Pepper Thomas Peterson Criag Robinson Aubrey Rogers Thomas Spearritt Jeremy Tunzele

Manager - Craig Robinson Assistant - Tony Dunne Coach - Craig Horner Coach - Tom Spearritt

litherland remyca Gerard Walker Jake Connor Jack Riley David Crist Stephen King Declan Gregson Chris Tyson Ashton Clements Jason Mcshane Colin Quirk Warren Jevons Spencer Myers Paul Foy Anthony Cato Alex Ryan Ritchie Cowderoy Ryan Dobson

Manager - James Olsen Assistant - Micheal Laffy Coaches - Lee McEvilly Therapist - Sian Pagan-Gray Fitness - Anthony Lipson

Referee - Peter Shacklady Assistants - Neil Farrow & Andrew Daniels

WILL YOU COLlaBORATE? COLlaborate is how you join with City of Liverpool Football Club to bring football back to its roots in Liverpool, linking you to a network of businesses, social enterprises, community organisations and other agencies who are committed to working locally and proving that good business is good for our communities.

City of Liverpool Football Club doesn’t want to sell you an advert or a sponsorship package. We want you to join with us in making our community owned football club a vehicle for social value and wider community benefit - delivering your social value through the city’s passion for football.

Social Value is the wider financial and non-financial impact of your work, including the well-being of individuals and communities, social capital and the environment.

COLlaborate will engage businesses alongside community and social enterprises, social landlords and others who share our community focused values and see the value of City of Liverpool Football Club as a means of selling this collective message to a wider audience.

Please visit colfc.co.uk for more information

Thanks to all The Partisans for your support this season - #UpThePurps

community owned… asset locked… scouse forever!

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