Fleet
EBBSFLEET UNITED
V NEWPORT COUNTY
A U D I T . TA X . A D V I S O R Y
2. |£
Steve East & Alan Mitchell
50
Life
021
Tuesday 23 August 2011 Kick-off 7.45pm
Season 2011/12 - Blue Square Bet Premier
PROUD SPONSORS OF THE FOOTBALL CONFERENCE JD158 FOOTBALL CONFERENCE AD GENERIC_LHP.indd 1
26/07/2011 10:15
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Good evening and welcome to tonight’s fixture against Newport County. I’d like to wish all those travelling from South Wales a pleasant stay and a safe trip back home. I’d also like to welcome Newport’s manager Anthony Hudson, his staff and players, and wish them a successful season. We welcome another exleague club tonight who, judging by the calibre of who they have signed in the summer, look to have serious aspirations of being in and around the play-off spots come April. I myself believe our visitors tonight will be in the mix for promotion. I am writing these notes on Sunday morning after our long trip back from Stockport County where we managed to secure a good and well earned point. Our trip home on Saturday was a lot better than last Tuesdays journey back from Tamworth, where we didn’t perform to a standard to deserve something out of the game. I don’t think Tamworth really served up much more than two 4
shots on target on the night but that was more than what we did so I suppose they deserved the points. Away at Stockport and it was a totally different performance from us and a display we can hopefully draw confidence from. We know how tough this league is and the challenge we are up against, but if we can remain positive, confident, fit and single minded of what we want to achieve then it will go a long way this season. On Saturday the squad all played a part in getting that point. We had sixteen available players, including young Lanre Azeez and Scott Ginty who had completed his first ninety minutes of pre-season on Wednesday night in the reserves. It shows our fragility squad wise, two injuries in Paul Lorraine and young Adam Williams and one suspension in Tom Phipp – which is hardly a crisis – left us down to the bare bones. Tonight will be another tough test against an experienced side, and we
will need to draw on our experience at Stockport to try and get something out of the game. We had given the game our all and that, as a manager, is fleet life
a p r t t t
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liam daish
all you can ask from your players. Hopefully we will remember how we felt in the dressing room after that game and replicate that tonight. issue 02
Thanks for your support as always, the players appreciate it and you will make a difference to our season. Enjoy tonight’s game and see you all on
Saturday for the visit of Forest Green. Believe, Liam
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DIRECTOR’S DIGEST Good evening and a warm welcome to our visitors to Stonebridge Road. I hope you enjoy your evening with us and have a safe journey back home. It has been a full-on opening to the season with trips away already to Tamworth and Stockport, so for those who had forgotten the joys of travelling the M25 and M1, welcome back to the world of cones and traffic snarl ups. It is good to have registered our first point and will make everyone feel as though our season has got underway. I was under no illusion how tough it was going to be, but I think once the team has bedded in we will hold our own in this very competitive league. Life at the football club continues to be as hectic as ever and twenty four hours is never long enough. Getting back into the pattern of matches however will make us more settled as the close season is always so very busy. Add to that the fact that I have recently moved home after leading a somewhat nomadic existence since February of this year. I must pay tribute to everyone who has worked so tirelessly at the club over the past months, going over and above what could normally be expected. Our ground is a very old lady in stadium terms and takes a lot of tender loving care. Ground inspections and health and safety are quite rightly taken very seriously and sometimes the task is daunting, but we get there, sometimes by the seat of our pants. The board room was still being worked on up until 21.00 on the Friday before kick-off, shirts were still being printed on the Friday as well and the away strip only arrived at the ground at around 18.00 on fleet life issue 02
// jessica mcqueen
the Monday prior to the Tamworth game, adding real pressure to those involved. My sleeping patterns have been rather chaotic of late but I am glad things are finally settling and I can stop being so stressed, at least for the time being. The club continues to progress and although it was sad to see Barry Wicks leave the club, we have a team of people working now that are adding a fresh view of things. We now have Hannah Saunders working at the football club and she is proving to be invaluable already. She has in work speak that “can do“ attitude and what is more she actually admits to loving her job! So that is an added bonus. It was funny really how her coming to the club came about. Once Wicks had made his decision we realised we needed someone to help out on the commercial side and I saw on Facebook that Hannah had finished university and was job seeking. A casual conversation in the office the next day reminded me of that and the rest, as they say, is history. Welcome aboard Hannah. We have taken over the ownership of everything in the learning zone and I am working on ways of ensuring this building is used to its full potential. I have meetings next week regarding a new football in the community initiative and am working with other partners to utilise what is a wonderful learning area. We have started recruiting for our third year academy students and once all is in place I will write a full article about what this will add for the students and the club, and hopefully unveil our new tutor. Enjoy the game,
Jessica 7
Roaring on the Fleet!
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A WEEK IN THE LIFE OF THE FLEET
// carlos pressentin
Good evening Fleet fans! The new season has started, and it obviously comes packed with news – I will be here following the news heading into each home match, so let’s start with a recap of what happened this season so far.
Tuesday, and replaced the suspended Tom Phipp with Calum Willock. The Fleet lacked inspiration that evening and lost their second match of the season 1-0. Liam mentioned to BBC Kent after the match that “we need to dictate games”.
The opening day started with the new shirt sponsor announcement. It was a very popular subject among Fleet fans over the weeks heading into the season, with even a “guess the new sponsor” game being held on the club’s official fans forum, so holding this event was a very clever idea from the club board and the new sponsors to keep momentum into the opening match. The new shirt sponsor is Adams & Moore, a Dartford accountancy firm.
In the meantime, the Fleet reserves started the new season with a 1-0 win against Braintree last Wednesday. Both Scott Ginty and Preston Edwards played, with Ginty scoring the Fleet’s goal. With Ginty recovered from injury, Paul Lorraine and Adam Williams are the only Fleet players on the shelf right now.
The starting XI for the opening match against York City had Joe Welch as the goalkeeper; Johnny Herd at left back; and Liam Enver-Marum over Calum Willock up front. Also noteworthy was the choice of Ian Simpemba as the team skipper in Paul Lorraine’s absence, which speaks volumes about the former Havant & Waterlooville captain’s leadership skills. Although the Fleet lost the opening match 1-2 (Calum scored for the Fleet) in a heart-breaking finish, the team had some good moments, especially in the first half. Tom Phipp’s red card was costly, and some argued that was not a foul hard enough to deserve a red card. This included Liam, who questioned why the referee waited until the complaints of York City players to show the red card. The truth is that the Fleet were 10 minutes away from a 1-0 win, playing 10-on-11, against one of the league’s promotion favourites. Liam chose to start Alex Stavrinou over Giannoulis Fakinos against Tamworth last
fleet life issue 02
Liam had some strong words on Thursday to try to motivate the team, urging the players to get in better shape, be stronger, and take the initiative during the matches. It paid off, as the team showed a new attitude against Stockport County. More changes came on the starting XI for the Fleet’s third match on Saturday – Preston Edwards back between the sticks, and Giannoulis Fakinos replacing Ricky Shakes. In the end, the Fleet got their first point of the season after a very good performance. Michael West scored for the Fleet in a 1-1 tie. The first week of the season ended with the Fleet occupying 21st place in the table, with the team heading home for two straight matches at Stonebridge Road. Up the Fleet! Carlos
You can keep up-to-date on everything Ebbsfleet United related on Carlos’ blog, www.upthefleet.com.
9
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AWAY DAY REVIEW
// thomas dixon
Now away days are a bit of a lottery. You can spend a lot of time travelling up to some humdrum town that’s so far up north you’re pretty sure you’re in Scotland and come away with nothing, or you can hop in the car and travel a few miles down the road and be joyous with a vital win over a local rival. So the long ones are often spent trying to cram as much of a laugh and banter as is possible, for the trip back might be spent in long periods of deep depressive silence. There is one thing that certainly wasn’t missed during pre-season and to be honest the majority of last season too: the early starts. Myself and Ian have travelled together to away games for about 3 years now. I say travelled together, what I really mean is I’ve been sponging lifts off Ian for about 3 years. For those of you that know
Ian and I, you will be aware that on the journey we tend to do a fair bit of ground hopping, meaning that what is usually an early start has to be even earlier. For a man who likes a lay in on his Saturdays I really didn’t enjoy being informed that I was being picked up at 7am for the trip up to Stockport County. 7 o’clock came, and a phone call from an annoyingly a surprisingly lively sounding Ian letting me know a very long day was about to start. Fortunately I wasn’t the only person who had to suffer Ian’s unnatural chirpiness, as for the journey Hannah was joining us. I could kind of sense that Hannah was equally as happy about being up as I was, her pillow still attached to her head as she walked out of her house was a bit of a giveaway. With all three of us now in the car, with a goody bag of treats kindly provided by Hannah’s mum (thanks for the fruit pastels Mrs Saunders), we were off. If you’ve ever tried to sleep in a car that has other occupants you would of quickly learnt that it is fraught with hazards. It is at this point that I feel I should probably apologise to Hannah for attempting
12
fleet life
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v stockport county
to draw a tiny moustache on her with a biro. She didn’t look best pleased when she woke up to me trying to do my best Tony Hart impression. The main talking point for the way up was the excitement of playing a new team, in a ‘new’ stadium and what would constitute a good result. The resounding consensus was that it was going to be an incredibly difficult game where to come away with any results would be seen as a bonus, but also that the team had it in them to pull something out of the bag. As some of you will know Ian and I tried to visit Stockport’s ground last season on the way to Droylsden, a trip that would ultimately end in failure and a bus ride to ensure we made it in time for the FA Trophy tie. As we parked up in Stockport County’s car park we nonchalantly wandered off to see if we could get in to take a few photos only to return to the car being “accidently” impounded by the groundsman who had since disappeared. With this in mind we set off to find a car park that didn’t have a gate. For the game itself I felt strangely nervous, but it became apparent after 15 minutes with what appeared to be a game plan of suffocating any available options of a pass for their midfield, we were more then a match for Stockport. Some great saves from Preston combined with excellent workmanship
issue 02
of the defence and midfield meant a 0-0 score line at half time was fair to both sides. In the second half it was clear that Stockport are very good team and an early spell of dominance was only matched by our defence’s resoluteness in not conceding. The work rate put in by The Fleet meant that you couldn’t help but feel gutted for the team when they conceded after 70 minutes. Thankfully the feeling of pity turned to jubilation as little as 8 minutes later when Michael West volleyed in a shot from about 12 yards that crept in to the bottom right corner to send us travelling fans into celebration. The Fleet closed out the games expertly, and nearly took the lead when Ricky Shakes had a shot tipped agonisingly past the post. When the final whistle went, a feeling of relief took over from the nerves as we took a well earned first point of the season. In the end it was a long but rewarding day which reminded me of why so many of us make the effort of getting up early on our weekends off to watch The Fleet, often travelling several hundred miles for the pleasure. The journey home was a long one that seemed to go on forever but on this occasion it was nice for the silence to be that of 3 very tired people.
13
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THOUGHTS OF A SILHOUETTE So, we find ourselves at the wrong end of the UNPL. IT’S EARLY DAYS FOLKS! Stop the bleating – no, that isn’t aimed at our famous Sheep – and the moaning and realise that it’s gonna take time for us to get used to being back upstairs. Sure, the York game was a sickner in so many ways, but as we knew to our cost last season against the Wombles, teams in this league play right to the end of Sir Alex Time, and we’re gonna have to do the same. It was such a shame that the match put a dampner on an otherwise glorious day. Beautiful weather, great pitch, new sponsors in Who[A&]M(?), and a real good atmosphere about the place. I think I even saw Phil Moss crack a smile at one point, although that may have just been wind. The North-South Divide As someone who knows that the North begins with those signs immediately you get on the M1 directing you to ‘The North’, and you see flat caps and whippets dotted around the countryside, I was interested to read The Chairman’s notes in the York programme proposing a regional merger of League 2 (it’s still the bloody 4th Division) and the Conference Prem (UNPL). As I had nothing better to do, apart from write these words, I thought I’d look at how this would work using this season’s 48 teams (see to your right...) So the farthest North the Fleet would have to travel would be Lincoln BUT we’d have to go all the way to Plymouth (assuming the Monkey Boy’s team are still Pilgriming as you read this). Would it work? Well of course it would, in theory, and for the established Prem clubs it would be great as they’d be a Football League club a tier early. But what of the Conference? Would it be happy to simply run the current North & South divisions? I doubt it. And I’m certain that Alan Algorithm and Blue Sq Bet would veto any such proposal. Finally, and from a purely selfish point of view, what of a team like the Fleet? The start to this season has been tough enough. Imagine if one of our first games had been against Swindon
fleet life issue 02
Town? Under this idea, it could’ve happened. They got relegated from the 3rd Division – OK, League One – and we got promotion from the BSBS. That’s one hell of a jump in standards, playing budget, crowds, facilities, etc. Interesting idea Mr Chairman, but much more thought required I feel. This has been the thoughts of me, a Silhouette. You ain’t seen me, right!
NORTH AFC Telford Accrington Stanley Alfreton Town Barrow Bradford City Burton Albion Crewe Alexandra Darlington Fleetwood Town Gateshead Grimsby Town Hereford United Kidderminster Harriers Macclesfield Town Mansfield Town Morecambe Port Vale Rotherham United Shrewsbury Town Southport Stockport County Tamworth Wrexham York City
SOUTH AFC Wimbledon Aldershot Town Barnet Bath City Braintree Town Bristol Rovers Cambridge United Cheltenham Town Crawley Town Dagenham & Redbridge Ebbsfleet United Forest Green Rovers Gillingham Hayes & Yeading Kettering Town Lincoln City Luton Town Newport County Northampton Town Oxford United Plymouth Argyle Southend United Swindon Town Torquay United
CHALLENGE CHAS So did they use the York word? Anyone? Lord Chas? The Tervet? Even a bloke from Yorkshire? Nope, I have no idea either. Anyways, undeterred, here’s today’s phrase for commentators and twitters to insert as they please…
Lorro’s massive bandage 15
2 MINUTES WITH... PRESTON EDWARDS
16
// #1
fleet life
e
Personal Full Name:
Preston Matthew
Edwards
D.O.B:
05/09/89 (Age 21)
Height:
6” 1’
Previous Clubs:
Millwall, Dover, Grays
Footballing Inspiration: Pepe Reina Favourite... ...food:
Mum’s chicken pie
...film:
City of God
...team:
Spurs
...music artist:
Tyga, Chris Brown, Drake
...place
Home and faces
Best... ...attribute:
Communication
...ground played at:
Liberty Stadium
...player played against: Luka Modric ...footballing moment: Millwall debut (got MOTM
against Southampton)
...advice given to you: Graft hard, get rewards Either/Or iPhone or Blackberry? iPhone (have both) Comedy or horror?
Comedy
Night in or night out?
Night out
Ski resort or beach?
Beach
Xbox or PS3?
Xbox 360
In the Squad Best dressed?
Michael West
Worst dressed?
Stoney
Funniest?
Clint Easton
Longest in the mirror? Lorro Braniac? issue 02
Cesc 17
FLEET TWEETS
// trending topics
Over 200m tweets are sent each day globally, and some of them are about The Fleet or by Fleet players. So here at Fleet Life HQ, we decided to choose a representative sample of the messages and reproduce them for you in this cunningly-titled column called Fleet Tweets. Genius. Here we go… Saturday 20 August Gary Rozanski @Gary_Rozanski Mighty Ebbsfleet get their first point of the season. A come from behind draw against Stockport, not to be sniffed at! @myfootballclub #eufc
Saturday 20 August Phil Moss @philmoss5 Great point for Ebbsfleet at Stockport. First of many this season. Two home games now to build upon today. #eufc
Liam Enver-Marum @liamenver_marum Thursday 18 August It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us
Thursday 18 August Scott Ginty @Gint_ST @JackWilshere its all about miracles in cockfosters
Tuesday 16 August Keith Handley @Yorkfox Purple away looks Very smart, a must have when they come in the shop. #eufc
Monday 15 August Paul Charnock @LordCharnock Charnock vs Washing Machine Door Seal Door Seal 1-0 up after a poor performance by Charnock leaving him in frustration, anger & pain
Sunday 14 August Liam’s Beard @LiamsBeard “@Jeff_Chick: streetwiseness” - You’re not wrong. For once! Saw you mentioned in Fleet Tweets in yesterday’s programme. #mediastar
fleet life issue 02
19
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COMMERCIAL CORNER Welcome to Stonebridge Road for our second home game of the season, and our first evening game. I hope everyone enjoys what is the start of a number of Tuesday night games for us this season. I know some people wish we had more Saturday games here rather than midweek, but I for one really enjoy the night games. Shirts Thanks to the sterling efforts of Mike et al, you can now purchase the replica shirts, with our new sponsors Adams & Moore on the front, in the Club Shop and online through the Fleet Trust. It was great to see so many of the new shirts being worn straight after the launch at 2pm on the opening day.
// phil moss
as continuing to help the club in other ways, and I’m sure their 2011/12 ball will sit well alongside all the others they’ve accumulated from previous seasons! Thanks for your continued support of the Fleet. If you’d like to sponsor a game, or simply buy a matchday pass to the Fleet Lounge, please get in touch with me via fleetlounge@gmail.com Enjoy the game! Phil Moss
Adams & Moore Mentioning our new corporate sponsors, it was great to host some of their representatives in the Fleet Lounge for the match against York. One of their party, whose identity I will keep hidden to save him from some difficult questions, said to me “I’ve been going to Dartford’s matches for 18 months through work but I feel more welcome here [Stonebridge Road] and I’ve only been here an hour.” Lovely! Ball Sponsors I’m delighted that two of our extremely supportive supporters, Steve East & Alan Mitchell, are ball sponsors this evening. They’ve become Fleet Lounge members this season as well fleet life issue 02
Thanks again to Rob Ballantyne and his friends for sponsoring the opening game against York City. Rob is pictured presenting the Man of the Match bottle to Clint Easton, and I was delighted that he said it was the best matchday experience he’d enjoyed, despite the result. 21
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WE’VE MET BEFORE
// with paul harrison
Meetings between us have been few and far between with just the two seasons in the mid 1990s in the Southern League Premier where our paths have crossed. In the 1995/6 season Mark Munday hit a hat-trick in a convincing 4-0 win with Jimmy Jackson completing the tally. The away tie is featured in our memory match. The season finished with Fleet 11th and the Exiles 14th. The following season saw Fleet finish 14th with Newport relegated in 21st, not helped by conceding a double to us. Once again a clear cut victory came at Stonebridge Road with Jimmy Jackson scoring twice and Ian Gibbs adding to the total in a 3-0 win, whilst in South Wales we produced one of our best performances of the season running out 3-1 winners with player manager Steve Lovell, Dave Arter and Jimmy Jackson – who seemed to like playing Newport – scoring giving a record of P4, W4, D0, L0, F11, A1.
Memory match: Newport County 0-1 Gravesend & Northfleet, March 23 1996 This was Fleets first trip to Newport since the 1957/8 season and the days of Lovells Athletic competing in the Southern League. An even game was decided in the 40th minute when Colin Blewden slipped past two tackles only to see goalkeeper Jon Roberts block his shot. The ball rebounded to new signing Richard Newberry who saw Roberts block again but the ball ran loose this time to Mickey Cotter who made no mistake by lifting the ball into the roof of the net. Play continued to be evenly balanced with Newport coming closest when Ryan Nicholls saw his shot clip the bar. Team: Turner, Harrop, Jackson, Mortley, Gibbs, Walker, Powell, Cotter (Gooding 87), Blewden, Newberry, Munday.
SIX DEGREES OF SEPARATION
// ed miller
Six degrees of separation refers to the idea that everyone is at most six steps away from any other person or place on Earth. We discover what links Craig Stone and one of the men he has to prevent scoring tonight, former Fleet loanee and namesake Craig McAllister...
fleet life issue 02
Craig Stone...
...named in 1586 by English naval legend Sir Francis Drake...
...made his league debut aged 16 against Hartlepool United...
...who famously played bowls while awaiting the Spanish Armada in Plymouth...
...the town being twinned with Muskegon, Michigan, birthplace of Iggy Pop...
...whose greatest local rivals in football are Exeter City, the first Football League side...
...who currently lives in the Cayman Islands...
...that Craig McAllister ever played for.
23
DATE
24
COMP. OPPOSITION
SCORE
ATT.
A U D I T . TA X . A D V I S O R Y
A U D I T . TA X . A D V I S O R Y
Sat
13 Aug
BSBP
York City
H
1-2
1,522
Welch
Stone
Tue
16 Aug
BSBP
Tamworth
A
1-0
921
Welch
Stone
Sat
20 Aug
BSBP
Stockport County
A
1-1
3,674
Edwards
Stone
Tue
23 Aug
BSBP
Newport County
H
Sat
27 Aug
BSBP
Forest Green Rovers
H
Mon 29 Aug
BSBP
Braintree Town
A
Sat
3
Sep
BSBP
Barrow
H
Sat
10 Sep
BSBP
Kidderminster Harriers
A
Sat
17 Sep
BSBP
Fleetwood Town
H
Tue
20 Sep
BSBP
Cambridge United
A
Sat
24 Sep
BSBP
Alfreton Town
A
Tue
27 Sep
BSBP
Bath City
H
Sat
1
Oct
BSBP
Wrexham
A
Sat
8
Oct
BSBP
Gateshead
H
Tue
11 Oct
BSBP
Luton Town
H
Sat
15 Oct
BSBP
AFC Telford United
A
Tue
18 Oct
BSBP
Grimsby Town
H
Sat
22 Oct
BSBP
Kettering Town
A
Sat
29 Oct
FAC4Q TBA
Sat
5
Nov
BSBP
Newport County
Sat
12 Nov
FAC1
TBA
Sat
19 Nov
BSBP
Darlington
H
Sat
26 Nov
BSBP
Lincoln City
A
Tue
29 Nov
BSBP
Kidderminster Harriers
H
Sat
3
Dec
BSBP
Barrow
A
Tue
6
Dec
BSBP
Cambridge United
H
Sat
10 Dec
FAT1
TBA
Sat
A U D I T . TA X . A D V I S O R Y
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A U D I T . TA X . A D V I S O R Y
A U D I T . TA X . A D V I S O R Y
A U D I T . TA X . A D V I S O R Y
Simpemba
Easton
Herd
Phipp
Simpemba
Easton
Herd
Shakes
Simpemba
Easton
Herd
Fakinos
A
17 Dec
BSBP
Grimsby Town
A
Mon 26 Dec
BSBP
Hayes & Yeading United
H
Sun
1
Jan
BSBP
Hayes & Yeading United
A
Sat
7
Jan
BSBP
Wrexham
H
Sat
14 Jan
FAT2
TBA
Sat
21 Jan
BSBP
York City
A
Tue
24 Jan
BSBP
Tamworth
H
Sat
28 Jan
BSBP
Mansfield Town
H
Sat
4
Feb
BSBP
Fleetwood Town
A
Sat
11 Feb
BSBP
Alfreton Town
H
Sat
18 Feb
BSBP
Bath City
A
Sat
25 Feb
BSBP
Southport
H
Sat
3
Mar
BSBP
Gateshead
A
Tue
6
Mar
BSBP
Stockport County
H
Sat
10 Mar
BSBP
Luton Town
A
Sat
17 Mar
BSBP
Darlington
A
Sat
24 Mar
BSBP
Kettering Town
H
Sat
31 Mar
BSBP
Mansfield Town
A
Sat
7
Apr
BSBP
Forest Green Rovers
A
Mon 9
Apr
BSBP
Braintree Town
H
Sat
14 Apr
BSBP
AFC Telford United
H
Sat
21 Apr
BSBP
Southport
A
Sat
28 Apr
BSBP
Lincoln City
H
fleet life
Shakes
Fakinos
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Fakinos 1
2
1
Stavrinou Stavrinou
issue 02
2
A U D I T . TA X . A D V I S O R Y
A U D I T . TA X . A D V I S O R Y
Marwa
West
Shakes
Marwa
West
Willock
Marwa
West
Willock
A U D I T . TA X . A D V I S O R Y
2
1
A U D I T . TA X . A D V I S O R Y
A U D I T . TA X . A D V I S O R Y
E-Marum
Edwards
Willock
E-Marum
Edwards
Fakinos
E-Marum
Shakes
Ginty
1
A U D I T . TA X . A D V I S O R Y
A U D I T . TA X . A D V I S O R Y
Howe
2
2
A U D I T . TA X . A D V I S O R Y
Azeez
Howe
3
Azeez
Howe
2
Welch
Stavrinou
A U D I T . TA X . A D V I S O R Y
A U D I T . TA X . A D V I S O R Y
1
Williams
1
Azeez
Home
Away
W
Points
Phipp
A U D I T . TA X . A D V I S O R Y
GD
A U D I T . TA X . A D V I S O R Y
Played
A U D I T . TA X . A D V I S O R Y
1
Gateshead
3
1
1
0
4
1
1
0
0
3
2
4
7
2
Wrexham
3
0
1
0
1
1
2
0
0
4
1
3
7
3
Fleetwood Town
3
1
1
0
1
0
1
0
0
2
0
3
7
4
Tamworth
3
2
0
0
2
0
0
1
0
1
1
2
7
5
York City
3
1
0
1
3
2
1
0
0
2
1
2
6
6
Kidderminster Harriers
3
0
0
1
2
3
2
0
0
3
1
1
6
7
Forest Green Rovers
3
0
1
0
1
1
1
1
0
7
2
5
5
8
Stockport County
3
1
1
0
2
1
0
1
0
1
1
1
5
9
Braintree Town
3
1
1
0
6
1
0
0
1
0
1
4
4
10
Luton Town
2
1
1
0
6
2
0
0
0
0
0
4
4
11
Newport County
3
1
1
0
4
0
0
0
1
2
3
3
4
12
Kettering Town
3
1
0
0
3
2
0
1
1
1
2
0
4
13
Cambridge United
3
1
0
1
2
2
0
1
0
1
1
0
4
14
Darlington
3
1
0
0
1
0
0
1
1
0
1
0
4
15
Barrow
3
0
1
0
1
1
1
0
1
2
3
-1
4
16
AFC Telford United
2
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
1
1
1
0
3
17
Hayes & Yeading United
3
1
0
0
3
1
0
0
2
0
5
-3
3
18
Mansfield Town
3
0
1
0
1
1
0
1
1
1
4
-3
2
19
Southport
3
0
1
0
2
2
0
1
1
1
5
-4
2
20
Lincoln City
3
0
0
2
1
3
0
1
0
2
2
-2
1
21
Ebbsfleet United
3
0
0
1
1
2
0
1
1
1
2
-2
1
22
Bath City
3
0
0
2
0
3
0
1
0
1
1
-3
1
23
Alfreton Town
3
0
1
1
1
6
0
0
1
1
3
-7
1
24
Grimsby Town
3
0
0
1
0
2
0
1
1
0
5
-7
1
L
D
F
A
W
L
D
F
A
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Good evening everyone and welcome to Stonebridge Road for tonight’s clash against Newport County. Tonight is the first of three home games in quick succession which could prove pivotal come the end of the season. It does make me laugh how games really do come in fits and starts throughout the season. We’re obviously in one of those little peaks now and not only do they take their toll on the team but also pretty much everyone else connected with the club. Lots of people cannot attend games on both Saturdays and Tuesdays and/or in quick succession – especially after two long away games – thus affecting them and the club in lost income. There are of course many more arguments to this case but I would be covering ground already explored so I shall leave it…! Tuesday saw us travel to Tamworth and visit the place where we fell through the trap door the season before last. Unfortunately the team could do little to rid us of any lingering ghosts as we went down 1-0 losers and in truth it could have been more if Tamworth had brought their shooting boots. Having said that
Ebbsfleet United Football Club Stonebridge Road,Northfleet, Kent, DA11 9GN T: 01474 533796, F: 01474 324754 E: info@eufc.co.uk www.ebbsfleetunited.co.uk www.myfootballclub.co.uk Chairman: Phil Sonsara Club Secretary: Peter Danzey Matchday Secretary: Richard Hills Director: Jessica McQueen General Manager: Cheryl Wanless Office Assistant: Hannah Saunders Safety Officer: Richard Hills Programme Editor: Ian Dickety Bar & Catering Manager: Jo Wilson
fleet life issue 02
// ian dickety, editor Liam hit the bar and West had the rebound cleared off the line and if either of those went in then who knows what could have happened. Saturday was a trip to a slightly larger club in the form of Stockport County. As you may have read in the away day review I had certain ghosts lingering here too but managed to oust these simply by parking in a different car park, which in hindsight I should have done on my previous visit… Again Stockport were wasteful and Preston made a couple of top-notch saves but despite this we were still well worthy of our hard earned point. Westy’s goal, though not the cleanest, was nonetheless a real gem. It was a shame that the level of stewarding at Edgeley Park was not representative of everyone else I met in Stockport, their policy was to enforce ridiculous rules instead of letting common sense prevail – a policy adhered to at many ex football league clubs – but I suppose that is something which comes with stepping up a league… swings and roundabouts I guess! Enjoy the game, Ian
Caretaker: Colin Stevens Groundsman: Peter Norton Club Photographer: Dave Plumb Webmaster: Ed Miller 50/50: Harry Houckham Tannoy: Graham McQueen Programme Printing: Bishops Printers Head Steward: Duncan Cole Vice Presidents: Roly Edwards, Jason Botley, Adrian Felstead, Mick Ward, Duncan Holt, Mark Lindop, Phil Sonsara, Charles Webster, David Holden, Peter Hammond, Gary Russell, Steve Sullivan, Alan Roberts, Alan Parker, Carol Parker, Barry Stevens, David Rutnam, Brian Kilcullen
1st Team Manager: Liam Daish 1st Team Assistant Manager: Paul McCarthy Goalkeeping Coach: Ron Hillyard Head Sports Therapist: Stuart Phazey Club Doctor: Dr Langley Kit Manager: Rob Mucci Reserves Manager: Paul McCarthy Academy: Ian Docker/Mick Chatwin Youth Section Chairman: Ray Tuffield
Club Directory 2011/12
THE HALF WAY POINT
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MEET THE ENEMY
// chris shingler
Name: Chris Shingler Age: 48 Length of affiliation with Newport County: 40 years Q: This will be Newport’s second season in this spell inside non-league’s top flight. How do you envisage it going, where are you expecting or hoping to finish? A: I think most fans expect to be in the playoff’s this season and I would go along with that, I have predicted a 4th place finish. It’s a very competitive league with a strange mix of clubs really. Q: Have there been many incomings and outgoings at Newport this summer? What do you think of the new players who Anthony Hudson has acquired in the transfer window to date? A: I was disappointed to lose Chris Todd to Forest Green and Eddie Odihambio to Gateshead and loan players like Charlie Griffin, Yemi Odubade and Kerry Morgan left as well as the excellent Jamie Collins who went to Aldershot. However, the quality of players coming in has been good. Experience has been added in Ismail Yakubu
28
(Wimbledon), Tommy Doherty (Bradford), Danny Potter (Torquay), Craig McAllister (Crawley) and Ryan Gilligan (on loan from Northampton), as well as younger lads who have jointed such as Elliott Buchanan (Hayes & Yeading), Paul Rodgers (Northampton) and a couple of lads from overseas in Guillame Velez Paul Robson and Felino Jardim. I think overall the squad is probably stronger. Q: Talking of Anthony Hudson, how do you rate him as a manager since he took the reins in April? Do you think he’s as good as the reputation Harry Redknapp has given him and has he got the potential to manage higher up the football pyramid? A: It certainly didn’t hurt Anthony having someone like Harry Redknapp champion your cause and from what I have seen yes he does have the potential to manager higher up, I just hope it’s with the County! So far overall I can’t really fault him. He likes to get us playing football on the deck. Q: Going back to last season, were you happy with your 9th place finish? It seems like a very strong finish for a side who had just been promoted. A: To be honest in the end it was a disappointment! After the Kidderminster away win just after Christmas we were 2nd, but then a couple of strange away defeats and last minute penalty defeats after leading and looking comfortable at Southport then Tamworth coupled up with losing Dean Holdsworth to Aldershot meant we lost our way. I really felt for Tim fleet life
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Harris having to take over as caretaker but things soon picked up again. Then Anthony came in and we finished strongly but by then we had blown it. Before we kicked off last season I think pretty much everybody would of settled for 9th to be honest, but if we carried on the way we were going we could of finished as high as 2nd or 3rd. Q: What were your best and worst moments of last season? I’m guessing your biggest victory in 12 years (7-1 v Gateshead) is one of your best? A: Worst was our away performance at Kettering (losing 2-0) which was a real low and an awful performance. Also the two games mentioned earlier at Southport and Tamworth where defeats hard to take. Gateshead was a superb result but until their ‘keeper was sent off we actually were struggling a bit. A couple of home games spring to mind for highs such as Kidderminster and Barrow but overall my performance of the season was the 1-0 win at Cambridge, we were excellent that day. Q: What are you most looking forward to this season? Do you get to many away games and travel a bit or do you look forward to some of your ex-league opponents visiting the Newport Stadium? A: I certainly wasn’t looking forward to travelling on the M25 this evening getting here! But yes I travel to pretty much every game, either in the car with my son or for longer journeys on the coaches. I only missed two last season both due to work commitments but wouldn’t of got to one of the games in Fleetwood anyway as the M5 was shut due to the snow and the coach had to turn around near Birmingham. When we play the likes of Grimsby, Darlington, York etc it does take me back to the 70’s and 80’s when we played these sides issue 02
regularly in the 3rd and 4th divisions (leagues 1 and 2 these days). I am looking forward to visting Stockport County this season as I never got there years ago so like tonight another new ground to visit. Q: What do you think of the Exiles’ start to this season? Was the 2-3 reverse against Kettering unjust and were you happy with the 4-0 dispatching of Hayes & Yeading? A: Kettering was the classic game of two halves, we were awful in the 2nd half but when the ref awards an 89th minute penalty at 2-2 when not one home player or fan has appealed for it you know it’s not going to be your day! The Hayes and Yeading game was a strange one as we could have won by six or seven but on the other hand we could have been behind in the first half, but some of our football once we went 2-0 up was superb. Q: I know it’s hard to guess right now – especially as the season has just started – but who do you think will be in the mix at both ends of the table come the end of the season? A: At the top you got to fancy the likes of Fleetwood, Luton, York with Wrexham and ourselves (hopefully!) but then you see names like Darlington, Cambridge and Stockport as well as established teams at this level such as Kidderminster who can all no doubt challenge. Bath did really well to finish where they did last season but might find it tougher going this time around. I think Barrow and Southport will struggle. Not sure how yourselves, Braintree, Telford or Alfreton will do yet to be honest. Q: What’s your prediction for today? A: I’ll go 2-0 to the ‘Port!! (sorry!!)
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HALF TIME TEASERS
// by paul jarvis
1. What year did Newport County get relegated from the Football League? 2. The father of Newport County’s current manager, Anthony Hudson, used to play for which Premier League Cub? 3. In what year did Newport County play in the European Cup Winners Cup reaching the Quarter Final? 4. Which East German team beat Newport County thus knocking them out of this competition? 5. Which Norwegian team have both the Fleet and Newport County played?
11. What did video footage show Jose Mourinho do to one of the back room staff at Barcelona? 12. What is Arsene Wenger’s percentage win rate as manager of Arsenal? 13. Which game recently became the first game ever to be shown live on the social networking site Facebook? 14. Which Spanish team recently had a friendly with Havant and Waterlooville? 15. Which two BSBP teams are known as The Hatters?
fleet life issue 02
Answers on page 33
6. When was the last time the Fleet won on the opening day of the season? 7. What year did the Fleet win the Southern League? 8. How many clubs are there in this seasons BSBP that the Fleet have never previously payed? 9. Who scored the first ever goal for “Ebbsfleet United”? 10. What is the Fleet’s highest ever Conference finish?
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ALAN PARKER Hello everyone, The start of the season hasn’t gone quite as well as we might have wished although we were just one minute away from picking up a point against York City. These notes are being compiled before out trip to Stockport so I can only hope we have opened our account. We then look forward to games here against Newport County and Forest Green, and of course Saturday 3rd September is non-league day 2011. This is the day that there are no Premiership or Championship games being played and with England’s match in Bulgaria being played on the Friday evening it is to be hoped that many football fans will decide to get their weekly fix by turning out to watch their local teams. Now we are at home to Barrow that afternoon so we need to get that
message across on the various websites and also in the local press. There’s a great chance to get some extra supporters even if it’s only for one game. I don’t think you can ever have too much publicity. The new replica shirts are now available in the club shop, also DVDs of the play-off final at Farnborough and our Wembley final. May I again remind you that you can park your cars in car park C at Ebbsfleet International station. You can keep up with the non-league scene by tuning in to the non-league football show at 9pm on Monday evenings on BBC London 94.9FM. Let’s have lots of vocal support today and always. Up the Fleet Alan Parker
This page is sponsored by Billy Snowdrop Promotions
HALF TIME TEASERS ANSWERS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
1988 Chelsea 1980-1981 Car Zeiss Jana Hauger
fleet life issue 02
6. 2007 v Northwich 7. 1957-1958 8. 6 9. Luke Moore 10. 5th
11. Poke him in the eye 12. 53% 13. Ascot v Wembley (FA Cup EP) 14. Real Betis 15. Luton Town and Stockport County 33
NEWPORT COUNTY 1912-1989 Newport County, originally nicknamed “The Ironsides” due to Newport being home to John Lysaght’s steel works, started out in the Southern League in 1912 at Somerton Park. The official name of the club was The Newport & Monmouth County Association Football Club, although the shorter Newport County was soon adopted. The club were reformed in 1919 and were first elected to the Football League in 1920. They were not reelected after the 1930–31 season but rejoined for 1932–33. After almost twenty years in the Third Division South, the club finally clinched promotion to the Second Division as champions in 1939. Hopes were high that the championship-winning side could prosper in the Second Division, but only three games were played of the 1939–40 season due to the outbreak of World War II. Newport County managed a 1–1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur and a 3–1 win over Southampton, finishing joint 9th out of 22 in the abandoned season. The War League operated for the remainder of the 1939–40 season and County finished 10th in the South-West Division. On the resumption of national league football after the war, the club reformed but didn’t fare so well as a re-shaped team suffered a host of defeats – including a joint Football League record 13–0 defeat at Newcastle United. Newcastle player Len Shackleton remarked “they were lucky to get nil”. Despite victories over Coventry City, Sheffield Wednesday and Fulham, the club needed four wins out of the last four games to have any hope of safety. Despite a revenge victory over Newcastle United, defeats to Birmingham City, Luton Town and Manchester City sealed their fate. County finished rock bottom of Division 2 and were relegated. However, during this lean period Newport did reach the 5th round
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// club history
of the FA Cup in 1949, the furthest they have gone in the competition. They only narrowly lost the game 3–2 away to Portsmouth, the eventual FA Cup semi-finalists and First Division champions that season. After eleven further seasons in the Third Division South, the club narrowly avoided another effective relegation with the creation of the Fourth Division for the 1958–59 season. The bottom twelve teams from the Third Division North and South were placed in the new division, with the remainder forming the revived Third Division. County avoided this fate by a mere four points. However, in 1962, with only seven wins all season, the club were relegated to the Fourth Division — their home for the next 18 years. In the 1959–60 season, County were drawn with Tottenham Hotspur – a top English side – in the FA Cup third round. The game was played in heavy snow at White Hart Lane, and although County lost 4–1 their goal came from an incredible 35-yard effort by Ken Hollyman. This forced the score-line to 1–2, giving County the hope that they could force an upset and inflict a replay or even defeat upon Bill Nicholson’s men (who were double winners a year later). However, two late goals for Tottenham ended County’s hopes of pulling off a shock result. In January 1964, County took on another high-profile side – Burnley, the 1960 Division One champions and 1962 double runners-up – in the FA Cup fourth round, but again suffered defeat. In the 1970–71 season Newport set an unwanted Football League record by not winning any of their first 25 matches. In the same season Newport equalled the worst defeat of a Football League club by a nonleague club when they lost 6–1 to Barnet in the FA Cup First Round. Results improved in the following season and in the 1972–73 season
the Newport team managed by Billy Lucas missed out on promotion only on goal average. The 1980s heralded both the brightest and darkest moments in Newport County’s history. Len Ashurst was manager from 1978– 1982, the club’s most successful period in its history and under the Chairmanship of Richard Ford. In 1980, promotion was finally achieved from the Football League Fourth Division, the club being only five points from being crowned champions. County sealed promotion in the last match of the season with a 4–2 win at high-flying Walsall. Walsall finished second in the league and were also promoted. The team included a young John Aldridge who later became one of the most prolific goal-scorers in English football history, most famous for helping Liverpool win the First Division title in 1988 and FA Cup in 1989, as well as helping Oxford United win two successive promotions and the Football League Cup. Also in the promotion-winning team was Tommy Tynan, one of the leading lower-league strikers of his era, who scored the all-important goal that sealed County’s promotion. Steve Lowndes and Nigel Vaughan went on to attain international caps for Wales. This was also the year that County won the Welsh Cup, entitling them to play in the 1980–81 season European Cup Winners’ Cup. In the 1982–83 season Colin Addison, in his second spell as manager, led Newport County to their highest post-war league finish – just four points behind third-placed Huddersfield Town in the Third Division. Huddersfield were promoted to the Second Division, along with champions Portsmouth and local rivals Cardiff City. County had actually gone top of the table in early April after a win over Cardiff in front of 16,052 fans at Somerton Park, but a
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return of only four points from the last seven games meant County missed out on promotion. County faced FirstDivision team Everton in the third round of the 1982–83 FA Cup. After a 1–1 draw at Newport, Everton won the replay 2–1. Newport appeared in the Welsh Cup final again in 1987, this time losing 1–0 to Merthyr Tydfil after a replay. The decade ended in a rather less glamorous way. County were relegated from the Third Division in 1987 and in 1988 finished bottom of the Fourth Division with a mere 25 points, meaning that their 68-year stay in the Football League was over. They failed to finish their first season in the Conference and finally went out of business on 27 February 1989 with debts of £330,000. They were then expelled from the Conference for failing to fulfil their fixtures. Their record (four wins, seven draws and 19 points from 29 games) was expunged. The BBC Wales current-affairs programme Week In Week Out broadcast a documentary in 1989 about the winding up of Newport County and its controversial owner at the time, American Jerry Sherman. In June that year, the club was reformed and elected to the Hellenic League (four divisions below the Football League). Since then, the club’s main aim has been to regain the Football League status lost in 1988.
1989-present The new club adopted the nickname “The Exiles”, as a result of the need to play their inaugural season in the north Gloucestershire town of Moreton-in-Marsh at which venue they won the Hellenic ‘League and Cup double’, winning promotion to the Southern League. After two seasons back home in Newport at Somerton Park, football politics consigned them to a further two
issue 02
seasons of exile at Gloucester and the club was forced to resort to legal action to protect themselves from being forced out of the English football pyramid by the Football Association of Wales. That litigation proved successful, a landmark High Court verdict enabling them to have a permanent home in Newport at the then newly-built Newport Stadium. The club’s first season back in Newport, in 1994–95, saw them promoted to the Southern League Premier Division by winning the Midland Division Championship by a 14-point margin; on the way to that championship, the club set a then Southern League record by winning 14 successive league matches. In the 2001–02 season the team managed by Tim Harris reached the first round proper of the FA Cup for the first time since the club was reformed, drawing Second Division side Blackpool. Holding them to a 2–2 draw away, County lost the home replay 4–1 after extra time. The following season, then managed by Peter Nicholas, Newport reached the final of the FAW Premier Cup beating Swansea City and Cardiff City along the way before losing 6–1 in the final against Wrexham. Subsequent reorganisation of the upper divisions of non-league football saw County take their place in the inaugural season of Conference South, one of the two feeder divisions into the Football Conference. Peter Beadle was appointed manager in October 2005 and in the 2006–07 season Newport again reached the first round proper of the FA Cup but lost 3–1 to fellow Welsh side Swansea City. In the same season, Newport reached the final of the FAW Premier Cup for the second time, beating Wrexham along the way but losing 1–0 to TNS in the final. 2006–07 also saw an improvement in league form by Newport with the team consistently in the top half of the league and challenging for a playoff place (top 5), having one of
the best home records in the league. In the end, Newport finished just one position below the playoffs after losing 2–1 to Cambridge City on the final day of the season. In the 2007–08 season, Newport won what may be the last-ever FAW Premier Cup beating Llanelli 1–0 in the final, making a total of one win out of three finals. For the second consecutive season a last-day defeat prevented County reaching the Conference South playoffs. In April 2008 Peter Beadle was sacked as club manager, and was replaced by Dean Holdsworth. In his first full season in charge, Holdsworth led Newport to a 10th place finish in the league for the 2008–09 season. Newport went top of the league in September of the 2009–10 season and held onto the top spot for the rest of the season. The league title was won in March 2010 after beating Havant and Waterlooville 2–0 at Newport Stadium with seven league games remaining. The win made them the first team in the English football leagues to achieve promotion in the 2009–10 season. County finished the season with a Conference South record 103 points, 28 ahead of nearest rivals Dover Athletic. They were promoted to the Conference National for the 2010–11 season, the level they played at prior to bankruptcy in 1989. Holdsworth left Newport County to become team manager of Football League Two team Aldershot Town on 12 January 2011 with Newport County in fifth place in the Conference National table. Tottenham Hotspur reserve team coach Anthony Hudson was announced as the new manager on 1 April 2011. The team finished their first season back in the Conference National league in 9th place.
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// player profiles
anthony hudson
NEWPORT COUNTY
Anthony arrived at Spytty Park as an ambitious young boss after a ringing endorsement from his previous employer at Tottenham, Harry Redknapp; where Anthony was part of the North London giant’s illustrious coaching set up. The son of the iconic former Chelsea player Alan, his playing career began at the famous West Ham United academy before later spells with both Luton Town and Dutch First Division outfit, NEC Nijmegan. A career in coaching followed in 2005 when he became ‘Player / Assistant Head Coach’ of professional United Soccer Leagues team Wilmington Hammerheads in the US, having spent the previous two years working as an ‘Academy Coach’ at AC Diablos SC. Three years later, Anthony was selected for the Real Maryland manager’s job at the youthful age of just 27. Holding a UEFA ‘A’ Licence, having studied with the English Football Association, Hudson became the youngest manager (head coach) in America. In his very first season as boss he led the club, which had the worst record and finished bottom of the table in 2008, to the Quarter-finals of the 2009 Play-offs. The same year Hudson was also nominated for the 2009 ‘Coach of the Year’ Award; before he returned to the UK to coach under the guidance of Harry Redknapp at Spurs, working alongside Les Ferdinand, Tim Sherwood and Chris Ramsey. Anthony is currently undertaking his UEFA Pro Licence with the English FA.
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#1 DANNY POTTER Goalkeeper Goalkeeper Danny Potter began his footballing life as a Chelsea trainee, before heading to Exeter City in 1998 where he was to make his league debut. Spells with both Chelmsford City and Weymouth followed, before a move to Canvey Island in March, 2003, where he racked up more than a century of appearances as part of the powerful Canvey team that won promotion to the National Conference. After Canvey’s Conference dream unfortunately ceased in 2006, Danny enjoyed a brief stint with Stevenage before signing for Cambridge United in May of 2007. He went on to enjoy a fruitful stay at the Abbey, totting up another century of appearances as part of the team that contested successive play-off finals. 32year old Danny arrived here at Newport County via Torquay United, with whom he spent last season. #18 GLYN THOMPSON Goalkeeper Glyn signed for County from Hereford United in July 2007 and he has been a huge success in his first three seasons, establishing himself as one of most consistent keepers in non league football. He started his career at Shrewsbury Town, for whom he has played in three spells, and he was signed by Fulham for a substantial fee in November 1999. However he did not get a first team chance at Craven Cottage though he has also played for Mansfield Town, Northampton Town and Chesterfield, making a total of 37 Football League appearances, and he had a spell playing in Denmark. He was ever-present last season and was chosen for the Conference South Select eleven. #2 PAUL ROBSON Defender Defender or midfielder Paul began his career on the books of Doncaster Rovers as a youth in 2001. His career then took a nomadic twist following spells at Charlton Athletic and Northern Premier League side Bridlington Town; before heading across the pond to the USA in 2005. Here he signed for the Long Island Rough Riders in the USL Second Division, before moving on to Crystal Palace Baltimore in 2008. It was whilst he was here that Paul attracted the attention of current County boss Anthony Hudson, as he made 58 appearances and enjoyed a trial with the team’s parent club here in Britain. #3 LEE BAKER Defender Lee is a left-back who completed a scholarship at West Bromwich Albion before joining Kidderminster Harriers, initially on loan, at the start of the 2008-09 season. He played regularly in the Conference Premier for two seasons for Harriers, but turned down the offer of a two year contract with them in the summer in order to sign for County. An unfortunate injury sadly decimated Lee’s 2010/11 campaign, not making his full league debut for County until the club’s final game at Gateshead, which he marked in style by scoring one our seven goals that afternoon.
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#4 GARY WARREN Defender Gary joined County in May 2009 after two successful seasons in central defence for Team Bath. He had joined the students in the summer of 2007 from Mangotsfield United for whom he had played more than 200 times, and he captained them to promotion to Conference South. He showed his leadership qualities for County and enjoyed a fabulous first season in which he wore the captain’s armband with distinction, earning both supporters’ and players’ “Player of the Year” awards, and being chosen for the ‘Conference South Select XI’ for 2009/10. He has made 85 appearances for County, scoring eleven times. #6 ISMAIL YAKUBU Defender Ismail Yakubu is a former England Semi-professional international and the nephew of the former Portsmouth and Everton striker. He arrives at Spytty Park having been an integral part of the AFC Wimbledon team that clinched a place in the Football League last season, with a play-off final victory against Luton in which Ismail was one of the Dons successful scorers in the nervy penalty shoot-out. Originally from Nigeria, he was raised in England and joined Barnet as a schoolboy, making his Bees debut as a 17-year old whilst still studying for his A-Levels. He quickly became a huge favourite at Underhill, going on to make 297 appearances and scoring 15 goals, before he moved to AFC Wimbledon in July of 2010. A regular figure in their successful campaign, Ismail chalked up 27 games last season, scoring twice. #8 ANDREW HUGHES Defender Andrew spent the previous two seasons progressing through the County youth development system with his tenacious displays at left-back earning him Welsh Schoolboy international recognition - he was selected for seven matches - and he was also chosen to represent the Wales Colleges side. Nicknamed ‘Tiger’ for his tackling ability, he was with the Cardiff City junior set-up prior to joining County. Highly rated Andrew scored his first league goal for Newport County against Gateshead last season and was immediately engulfed by the entire Exiles team, such is Tiger’s popularity with his team mates. #17 WAYNE HATSWELL Defender A left-sided defender, Wayne joined County in December 2010 to add his extensive experience of both playing and coaching, having run coaching schools for Arsenal. He signed for Dundalk in January 2010 where he was player coach and played for them in the Europa League earlier this season. He started his career with Swindon Supermarine and Witney Town before joining Forest Green Rovers, where his form persuaded Oxford United to pay £35,000 for him in December 2000. He made 52 appearances before moving to Chester City in the summer of 2002, staying 17 months and making 42
issue 02
appearances before Jan Molby’s Kidderminster Harriers paid £8,000 and he was both team captain and Player of the Year at Aggborough, before moving to Rushden & Diamonds in January 2006. He stayed for a further two seasons, playing regularly and Cambridge United parted with £20,000 to secure his signature in January 2008 and he had two seasons as a regular before crossing the Irish Sea. #25 PAUL RODGERS Defender Former Arsenal trainee Paul is a tenacious defensive player comfortable at both centre-half and full-back. He joined the Gunners in 2005 aged 15 and was rewarded with a professional contract two years later in 2007. He made his full competitive debut for the North London giants in a League Cup tie away at Burnley, in December 2008. In the summer of 2009, Paul signed for Northampton Town after previously enjoying an extended loan spell at Sixfields and went on to make 67 appearances before arriving at Newport County this summer. This versatile defender has also been capped by England at both U16 and U17 levels. #4 TOM MILLER Midfielder From Littleport to Newport is a trip that has been undertaken by defender or midfielder Tom, who began to attract firm interest whilst at Norwich City having previously enjoyed spells at both Ipswich Town and Littleport Town. In 2008 he was voted ‘Young Players Player of the Year’ by his peers at Carrow Road, which resulted in him being whisked away to Glasgow Rangers after being highly recommended by former Canaries Assistant Manager Jim Duffy. Tom decided to leave Ibrox and signed for League of Ireland side Dundalk in February 2010 and made his debut on 5 March. He quickly became a favourite at Oriel Park, making thirty two appearances and scoring once before arriving at the Newport Stadium during the January transfer window of 2011. #7 DANNY ROSE Midfielder Danny quickly became an integral part of the County side with his intelligent probing from midfield, and in his first two seasons he played 92 first team games scoring 19 times, having signed from Oxford United in the summer of 2008. He strted with Manchester United. progressing through the Old Trafford ranks to become a professional and he captained the United reserve side in the first half of the 2006-7 season, before joining Oxford on loan in January 2007. He became a regular in their first team during that season and returned the following season after leaving Manchester. He was chosen for the “Conference South Select X1” in 2009-10 and was last season prestigeously named “Conference Young Player of the Year”. Danny
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NEWPORT COUNTY
// player profiles
has also become a regular England “C” international since arriving at Newport County. #8 SCOTT ROGERS Midfielder Scott signed permanently for County in May 2009 after impressing in six appearances while on loan from Bath City during the previous season, and he was an integral part of the promotion side, missing just one Conference South game. He started as a schoolboy with Exeter City, for whom his father Peter had played, before serving a spell as a trainee at Bristol City. He then spent six years at Tiverton Town where he also had family connections as the nephew of manager Martyn Rogers, and he scored a late winner as the Devon side retained the FA Vase at Wembley in 1999 against Bedlington Terriers. He moved on to Forest Green Rovers in 2003 and, following a spell on loan for Weston-super-Mare, signed for Bath City in March 2006, playing regularly for the following three seasons. He experienced a brief loan spell at Weymouth last season whilst recovering from injury. #12 RYAN GILLIGAN Midfielder 24 year-old midfielder Ryan is the son of former County loan striker, Jimmy Gilligan, who played briefly for the old Ironsides during the club’s 1986/7 Division Three campaign. Highly regarded, Ryan began his career as a youth graduate at Watford in 2003, before moving on to Northampton Town two years later where he made his mark in league football, initially as a striker before converting to his current central role. Whilst at Sixfields he amassed over 200 games for the Cobblers, proving to be a midfielder with a sharp eye for goal as he netted 23 times. Ryan also enjoyed a loan spell with Torquay United in February of last season, where he made six appearances and joins up with County initially on a sixmonth loan deal from Northampton.2010 and scored on his debut. He later went back on loan to Maidenhead but returned to Bootham Crescent in the closing weeks of the season when he impressed at centre back. #14 TOMMY DOHERTY Midfielder Former Northern Ireland International Tommy was another shrewd summer capture from manager Anthony Hudson, arriving here from Bradford City in early June. Bristol born Tommy, a busy midfielder and a cute passer of the ball, began his career at his local club; making some 189 league appearances in nine years at Bristol City before heading to QPR in 2005. In September of 2006, Tom joined Wycombe Wanderers on loan and was named the Chairboys “Supporters’ Player of the Year” for 2006/07, as well as featuring in the PFA League Two ‘Team of the Year’; an honour that was replicated for the 2008/09 season. In January of 2010, he enjoyed a stint playing in Hungary with Ferencvarosi TC, before returning home in May 2010 to sign on with Bradford City. 32 year-old Tommy has nine full caps and has also appeared briefly for Yeovil Town whilst on loan.
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#24 TROY GREENING Midfielder Former Spytty Park Academy graduate Troy, has progressed to the club’s senior set up on the back of an impressive couple of seasons with the Newport County Youth team. Attacking midfielder Troy made his full County debut in October, 2009, and has since caught the eye during various Gwent Senior Cup and first team friendly outings. #29 GUILLAME VELEZ Midfielder Toulouse product Guillame joined the ranks at Spytty Park this summer after a successful trial period with the Exiles. The young Frenchman had been on the books of his home town club prior to making the switch across the Channel and is regarded as a cultured midfield player with a keen eye for a defence-splitting pass. Described by manager Anthony Hudson as “capable of providing something different; somebody who is excellent on the ball and always looking to make something happen”, 19-year old Guillame joins an ambitious squad looking to make their mark in this season’s Blue Square Conference promotion race. #10 SAM FOLEY Striker Sam, who was capped for the Republic of Ireland at Under 18 level, was on the books of Cheltenham Town as both a scholar and as a professional, and it was for their reserve side that he first established a partnership with Craig Reid. He was released at the end of 2007-08, following a period on loan at Bath City and spent most of the following season with Kidderminster Harriers, having a loan spell at Redditch United before signing for County, also on loan in February 2009. He made a big impact in both midfield and attack with his cultured play, persuading then manager Dean Holdsworth to secure his services on a more permanent basis for the 2009/10 season when he proved to be yet another golden signing with 17 goals scored, and many more created. Undoubtedly one of the most talented players at the club, 2011/12 will be a big season for Sam #11 DARRYL KNIGHTS Striker Darryl started his professional career with Ipswich Town, making his Football League debut at the age of 16 and winning England Schools and Youth international honours. He played for Yeovil Town on loan in 2006-07 and joined the Somerset club the following season before a loan move to Cambridge United. It was not until he joined Kidderminster Harriers, initially on loan in January 2008 however, that he had regular first team football. He made 63 appearances as a creative forward in the Conference Premier for Harriers, plus another 30 as substitute, scoring nine times and joined County in July 2010, making a big impact with the fans during his first season in amber.
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#23 JAKE HARRIS Striker Jake is a versatile attacking player who joined County in July 2010 after playing his football previously for his home town club. He scored at more than a goal a game for the Seagulls under-19 side and earned a call-up to the senior squad towards the end of last season, making a favourable impression with a goal for Weston when County played there in April 2010. Considered one for the future, Jake spent last season on loan with Gloucester City where niggling injuries sadly limited his game time. #26 ELLIOT BUCHANAN Striker 22 year-old striker Elliott arrives at Spytty Park having plundered an impressive 12 goals in just 21 full appearances for Hayes & Yeading United in the Blue Square Premier last season. A speedy front-runner formerly with Stevenage, his fledgling career has also seen him appear for AFC Wimbledon at Wembley Stadium no less; when he marked his Dons debut with a brace of goals against Corinthian Casuals at the legendary venue. Elliott has also enjoyed stints with
Concord Rangers, Slough Town and Northwood where he scored 23 goals in just 26 games during 2007/8, which led to him being snapped up by former England U21 manager, Peter Taylor for Stevenage. #27 FELINO JARDIM Striker Dutch midfielder Felino joined Anthony Hudson’s County revolution this summer having experienced Conference football with Cambridge United during the 2008/9 campaign. Previously capped by the Netherlands at both U17 and U19 levels, the skilful wide man began his career on the books of Feyenoord in his homeland, before moving firstly to RKC Waalwijk and then latterly to Sparta Rotterdam in 2006. Felino marked his Cambridge debut in August, 2008 with a goal away to Northwich Victoria before heading back to Holland at the end of that season to sign for RBC Roosendaal, where he played his football last season.
ONE TO WATCH ONE TO WATCH ONE TO WATCH ONE TO WATCH ONE TO WATCH ONE TO WATCH ONE TO WATCH ONE TO WATCH ONE TO WAT
#9 | Striker
craig mcallister Scottish centre-forward Craig arrives at Newport County boasting a wealth of experience. As part of the hugely impressive Crawley Town side that romped to the league title last season, the industrious striker bagged 15 goals and played a large part in the league and FA Cup success that the Sussex side enjoyed. Described as “an explosive front man”, Craig began his career with Eastleigh before moving onto Basingstoke Town in 2002, where he plundered some 66 goals in just 112 games. A move to Stevenage followed, before Craig took in various spells with Woking, Grays Athletic, Oxford United and Exeter City. He also enjoyed loan spells with the likes of Gravesend & Northfleet, Rushden & Diamonds, Barnet and Rotherham United. Despite Crawley’s elevation to Football League status for this season, Craig rejected the offer of a new contract and Anthony Hudson was delighted to ward off several fellow admirers to capture his signature.
issue 02
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MATCH RECALL Fleet’s Conference dream ended at Tamworth back in April 2010 and it was at The Lamb Ground this evening that Liam Daish’s side opened their away campaign on their first season back in the top flight. Daish made a couple of changes, Alex Stavrinou replacing Giannoulis Fakinos and Saturday’s goalscorer Calum Willock coming in for the suspended Tom Phipp. The visitors, resplendent in their recently-arrived purple away kit, gained the upper hand early on, Michael West forcing a corner and then Johnny Herd’s shot cannoning off Patrick Kanyuka for another corner as the Fleet pressed home their advantage. Fleet enjoyed plenty of possession but their application often seemed lacking with the ball fired straight back to Tamworth on too many occasions and this pattern soon ate away at their confidence, allowing Tamworth back into the game. After a quiet start, the home side warmed up on 19 minutes with a Jay Smith free kick that Joe Welch had to be alert to and striker Ashley Cain posed the chief threat as Tamworth exploited gaps down the Fleet left. Kanyuka and Richard Tait were also giving the Fleet defence plenty to think about and the former headed over from a corner when well placed. On 38 minutes, he was wasteful again, somehow firing wide from inside the box, though
TAMWORTH 1
justice was served as he controlled it with his hand. But Fleet were treading a fine line as they struggled to get the ball to their front men and former Stevenage and Kettering striker Iyseden Christie had three bites at the cherry in the final five minutes of the half, twice heading across goal and once shooting wide as the visitors looked ever more eager for the half-time whistle. The second half was a lethargic affair to begin with, Herd’s forward movement and snap shot all Fleet had to show, while Tamworth had an effort off target – again – on the hour mark as Daniel Bradley got into the box and struck wide. But Fleet’s best chance arrived out of the blue on 63 minutes, Stavrinou and West combining for Enver-Marum to squeeze behind the home defence and his shot hit the crossbar to the dismay of the travelling fans. That brief Fleet revival lasted little more than seven minutes, however, as with 20 minutes to go Craig Stone’s clearance fell for Bradley and he blasted past Welch from 18 yards to put Tamworth into the lead. Enver-Marum and West tried to haul Fleet back into proceedings as Tamworth sat back but there was little to cheer for the Fleet fans in attendance as their side’s season has yet to yield a point.
0 EBBSFLEET UNITED
Bradley 71’
Tuesday 16 August Mr D Ford 921 fleet life issue 02
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MATCH RECALL Ebbsfleet United chalked up their first point of the season as they came from behind to stop Stockport County celebrating a second home win on the trot. Having been relegated from League Two last season, the home club, who promised a refund to fans were they to lose the match, were up against a Fleet side who a year earlier were playing in the quieter surrounds of Bishops Stortford. Liam Daish recalled Preston Edwards for this trip north, while Ricky Shakes made way for Giannoulis Fakinos as Fleet lined up with a strong midfield line, Liam EnverMarum and Michael West tucking in behind Calum Willock. And that midfield line made its presence felt within two minutes of the kick-off as Alex Stavrinou got an early caution after upending Danny Rowe after a surging run forwards. Fleet were the first to get a clear sight on goal when Michael West’s driven shot was turned over by Matt Glennon on 14 minutes, though before that Stavrinou had a half-chance hastily cleared by the Stockport defence while the home side’s Carl Piergianni headed wide. It was a relatively even affair after that as the home side threatened, mainly through Rowe’s powerful running, but the Fleet were steady if unspectacular and held Stockport at bay. And the visitors could have taken the lead on 39 minutes when Enver-Marum showed poise and close control to get a shot in that hit the crossbar as it cleared Glennon. But that sparked a resurgence in County and they should have gone in with the advantage at the break. First, Euan Holden found Sam Sheridan in the box and he flashed a shot at goal that Edwards reacted to brilliantly to parry. And then seconds later, the returning Fleet keeper executed another fine stop, tipping Piergianni’s header over from a corner. With the half-time whistle ready to blow, Fleet
STOCKPORT COUNTY 1 Chadwick 68’
sprinted upfield and West and Enver-Marum both had efforts cleared in a hectic finish to proceedings. The second half failed to produce the decisive moment early on that the first half’s late flurry of chances had promised. Ian Simpemba twice denied the home side, throwing his body into the path of danger and then former Everton striker Nick Chadwick sprang through the Fleet defence on 57 minutes but blasted high over the bar. Four minutes later, the luckless Chadwick saw Rowe’s effort bounce off the back of his heel as County poured forward with purpose. But Chadwick’s luck changed immediately after a flurry of substitutions when, on 68 minutes, Holden ran into space and crossed from the left and Chadwick headed home from close range with Edwards stranded. Fleet responded within two minutes when Simpemba headed across to substitute Joe Howe and his effort was just pushed away by goalkeeper Glennon. But a buoyant Edgeley Park was silenced on 75 minutes when Howe found Marwa and his delivery fell nicely for West who, despite being off balance, diverted the ball goalwards for the equaliser. Moments later it could have been two for the Fleet as Howe supplied Shakes through on goal but his shot bounced agonisingly wide courtesy of Glennon’s deflection. On-loan Leicester man Elliott Chamberlain came close for Stockport on 82 as he burst through but Edwards foiled that chance as the County substitute loosed off a poor shot under pressure. Edwards was again in the thick of the action, four minutes from time, saving well from Elliott’s header and in the rather lengthy five minutes of time added-on again thwarted Chamberlain.
1 EBBSFLEET UNITED West 76’
Saturday 20 August Mr W Barratt 3,674 (86 away) fleet life issue 02
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MYFOOTBALLCLUB UPDATE It was a pleasure as always to make my first trip down of the season for the York game. It’s always good to come home and catch up with friends and to say hello to a number of members at the game. It’s obvious that some very hard work has been put into the ground by the volunteers, thank you for your big effort on that. The new chairs, tables and pool table in the bar are more small steps forward – they must have been comfortable as we didn’t get out of the bar until after 9.30pm! It was good to see the Fleet Lounge busy on the day thanks to the work of Phil Moss and his colleagues. During the summer, new away gent’s toilets have been installed at the ground. This was paid for by a fund raising drive by MyFC led by Upduck where just over £800 was raised. Not a very glamorous subject but one that was important to help the club achieve ground grading requirements. A further £300 was raised towards new training equipment which you will see being used on the pitch before the game. Thanks to Rob Mucci for bringing this matter to our attention. You will have read in last week’s programme that MyFC are on a big fundraiser to boost the budget and help the size of the playing budget. Another small amount was added to that as a cheque of £100 was presented to chairman Phil Sonsara by Mike Keep for funds raised on a new member drive in July. This idea was a proposal by Huntdog04 (Andy) in the States. The highlight of the York game for me was to meet member Gianfranco from Italy who had flown over for the game. Anybody who flies home at 7am Sunday
fleet life issue 02
// keith handley
morning deserves a mention, especially as he is a season ticket holder. You may have seen his small Italian flag with ‘Forza Fleet’ on near the corner of the pitch by the food hut. Hope to see you again Gian, say hello if you see him about. The achievement of the team getting promoted has been a factor in a rise in the number of members of the society. We hit a low in April of around 1,340 whilst we are now around 1,390. As members are due for renewal nearly every day of the week, to add 50 in the period has been a positive. Another major factor has been a push on the social media of Twitter, Facebook etc. It’s important to get the name of the society and club out there to boost their profiles. Another important area not to forget is the positive effect the media can have in getting the name out there. We are fortunate to have had great support from BBC Radio Kent and the local papers such as Kent on Sunday. Thanks Charles and Steve, also the others that I haven’t met yet. Remember if you are a full season ticket holder you can get a free years membership of MyFootballclub if you are not currently a member. Simply email membership@myfootballclub.co.uk with your name, desired user name and season ticket number, and Lorraine will sort it for you. Same email address for any society queries, or just to say hello :-) Good Luck to Liam and the team tonight, let’s hope we can get our first win of the season under our belts.
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Ebbsfleet United
Newport County
Colours: Red & White
Colours: All White
M. Liam DAISH AM. Paul McCARTHY
M. Anthony HUDSON AM. Lee HARRISON
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.
Preston EDWARDS (GK) Craig STONE John HERD Giannoulis FAKINOS Clint EASTON Paul LORRAINE (C) Michael WEST Ranbir MARWA Calum WILLOCK Ricky SHAKES Tom PHIPP Scott GINTY Joe HOWE Liam ENVER-MARUM Ian SIMPEMBA Joe WELCH (GK) Lanre AZEEZ Adam WILLIAMS Alex STAVRINOU
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 14. 16. 17. 18. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 29.
Danny POTTER (GK) Paul ROBSON Lee BAKER Tom MILLER Gary WARREN (C) Ismail YAKUBU Danny ROSE Scott ROGERS Craig McALLISTER Sam FOLEY Darryl KNIGHTS Ryan GILLIGAN Tommy DOHERTY Andrew HUGHES Wayne HATSWELL Glyn THOMPSON (GK) Jake HARRIS Troy GREENING Paul RODGERS Elliot BUCHANAN Felino JARDIM Guillame VELEZ
Last Out v Stockport County (1-1)
Last Out v Grimsby Town (0-0)
Welch, Stone, Simpemba, Easton, Herd, Fakinos, Stavrinou, Marwa, West, Enver-Marum, Willock.
Potter, Baker, Miller, Yakubu, Rodgers, Rose, Rogers, Doherty, Jardim, McAllister, Buchanan.
TONIGHT’S GAMES AFC Telford United v Lincoln City Barrow v Fleetwood Town Darlington v Alfreton Town Ebbsfleet United v Newport County Forest Green Roverts v Braintree Town Grimsby Town v Cambridge United
Referee Graham HORWOOD
(Luton)
Hayes & Yeading United v Bath City Kettering Town v York City Kidderminster Harriers v Stockport County Mansfield Town v Luton Town Southport v Gateshead Wrexham v Tamworth
Assistant Referee
Assistant Referee
Fourth Official
Lloyd WOOD
Stuart FRANKLIN
Nolan WILDE
(Dagenham)
(Wickford)
(Maidstone)