HEYS ONLINE REVIEW 4
#PrideOfPrestwich @PrestwichHeysFC
RESTWICH
Ground – Adie Moran Park, Sandgate Road, Prestwich, M45 6WG 1st Team Manager – Jon Lyons 2nd Team Manager – Jeff Kavanagh
CLUB SPONSORS
HEYS’ NEXT FIXTURE Wednesday 1st April 7.30pm KO @ Thomasson Fold, Edgworth, Bolton, Lancs,BL7 0PD
Turton Vs Prestwich Heys
PROGRESS… (With a little help from our friends….) Well this is will be the last Heys Online Review before our ground grading by the North West Counties. There’s been some seriously hard work, an immense amount of dedication and great support by the Heys Community. We’ve done all we can and are extremely hopeful that we have done all we needed too… We’ll soon find out Below are snaps from inside the new changing rooms.
You’re our friends Prestwich folk, you!!
& MORE PROGRESS…
With yesterday’s game called off. The lads got stuck in. We got the stand frame work erected. Mat Jolly was superb at watching & talking us through Thursday nights goal
SMITH SINKS SPRINGHEAD A 20th minute Lewis Smith header proved decisive as Heys got back to winning ways with a 1-0 win at Springhead. On a terrible playing surface Heys had to battle all the way for the points which keep them top of the table and on course for promotion. Heys dominated the opening half but had only Smith's strike to show for their efforts. However, the second half proved a different story as a spirited Springhead penned Heys back Heys were quick out of the blocks to put their hosts under pressure as the pace and movement of Conor Landers and Ashford Blake stretched the Springhead defence. Blake found himself with an opening in the 10th minute but as he wrestled to control the bobbling ball on an uneven surface, Springhead ‘keeper Osman Busara was able to come out and save at the striker’s feet. With Brad Lyons and Shaun Johnson dominant in midfield Heys continued to press and their pressure told in the 20th minute. It was a more direct route that paid dividends as a deep free kick from half way by George Powell was met by Smiths’ flashing header. The direction of play continued to be towards the home goal and Heys had the ball in the net again in the 28th minute. A Powell free kick smacked against the crossbar before falling at the feet of Landers to slot home but the Heys striker was adjudged offside. The failure to secure a second goal almost came back to bite Heys in the 40th minute. As the hosts enjoyed their first real spells of possession a corner on the left flashed across the face of goal, untouched, but heading for the corner until Powell intervened to clear. It was a warning to Heys that their work was far from done and Springhead came out all guns blazing at the start of the second period to force Heys onto the defensive. With the impressive Ryan Hudson causing problems, Heys struggled to get any meaningful possession but they showed great relish for their defensive responsibilities to prevent any real threats on their goal. It was to be the 65th minute before Heys broke the siege when a Powell free kick forced Busara to drop to his left.
It was brief respite as Springhead pressed with increasing numbers matched equally by a determination not to concede by a defence in which Smith and Phil Woodcock dominated in the air whilst all around dug in and tidied up. It was the 86th minute before Springhead found a clear opening and when they did Rob Sadler was the equal to it dropping at the foot of the post to keep out Frankie Byrne’s shot. With the home side throwing everyone forward Heys had chances to settle matters but Landers, Blake and Wills’ efforts were all saved by Busara. Ultimately, it mattered little as Heys collected another big three points to maintain top spot
84th minute volley defeats Ashton Town Matt Jolly struck a stunning 84th minute volley as Heys booked their place in the Atherton Charity Cup Final with a 2-1 win over NW Counties 1st Division Ashton Town Thursday night. In a match played in a strong, bitingly cold wind Jon Lyons team were good value for their success, controlling the 1st half for long periods and then battling against the wind in the second half they more than held their own. Heys started the brighter and it took a double save from the Ashton 'keeper to keep out a George Powell free kick and deny Phil Woodcock on the rebound. Ashton hit the post shortly after with a cross come shot but by and large it was Heys asking all the questions on the back of some slick football. Shaun Johnson twice went close before Heys took the lead in the 39th minute when from a free kick driven into the box Woodcock seized on a loose ball to slot home. Ashton almost responded and it took a great save by Rob Sadler on the stroke of half time to preserve the lead. Despite playing into the fierce wind Heys made a strong start to the second half with Lewis Smith heading wide and Jon Lyons being denied from a free kick by a great save. However, Ashton then had their best spell of the match and broke Heys resistance just after the hour. After a great save from Sadler from the ensuing corner the ball found its' way into the net , it appeared off a Heys player. With the match in the balance a moment of magic settled it in the 84th minute. Great work down the flank by Ryan McGreevy saw him get to the line before pulling back a super cross where substitute Jolly finished with a superb volley that beat the keeper all ends up. Heys had some nervous moments to see out as Ashton threw everything forward with Boyle hitting the crossbar but in the end there was to be no denying them a deserved win.
Inside Heys – Mat Jolly It’s been a good week for the club on the pitch. Following on from a poor loss and performance to Walshaw a fortnight ago. Saturday’s game against Springhead was always going to be a tough test of character against a team in a relegation dogfight on a quite frankly, disgraceful playing surface, but the lads played well and although the score doesn’t suggest so, it was a relatively comfortable win. The defence never looked like being breached and they also provided us with our goal, Lewis Smith bagging a great header. Tuesday’s training session was really good, it was mixed up a bit and we also missed the hill run off which was a bonus. I think the gaffer had half an eye on Thursday’s cup game so didn’t want to flog the lads too hard! On to Thursday’s cup Semi Final which was a memorable night for both the club and myself personally. After looking good for a fairly comfortable victory against a team a division above us, Brad Lyons decided to make things interesting, scoring a quite exquisite header into his own net! As the game moved towards penalties I was thrown into the mix for the last 10 minutes, I suspect because of my excellent penalty taking record. Then, Ryan swung in a great cross, I connected beautifully on the volley from 25 yards (editor notes - this seems a tad elaborate) out it thundered in off the underside of the crossbar! In all fairness it would have been a bit of a travesty had we not gone on to win the game as the lads had performed really well and have another cup final to look forward too. Off the pitch things are moving forward with work being carried out at Adie Moran Park and it’s great to see the progressing. I've always thought it had potential for at least the North west Counties and the management team, committee and supporters/sponsors have worked wonders this season trying to get things finalised. Come on the Heys!!
#PrideOfPrestwich……..
continued….
Keep your eyes peeled as there’ll soon be a #PrideOfPrestiwch beer available!! Our friends at Beer Nouveau – England’s smallest commercial Brewery, based in Prestwich, are in the early stages of developing the brew. Suggestions on beer types can be sent to their twitter handle @BeerNouveau Catch up with Beer Nouveau at the Prestwich Beer Festival
Stockists Browton's Bottle Shop 8 Fletcher st. Ashton-Under-Lyne, OL6 6BY – TEL: 0161 343 8720 & BarBeerian 84 Bury Old Road, Manchester
FBT MANCHESTER LEAGUE – PREMIER DIVISION
Princess Elle Tierney's Fund UPDATE #10 Hi everyone, 4 weeks tomorrow is the big event, Saturday 18th April 2015, 9am outside Heaton Hall, The Heaton Park Royal 'parkrun'. Come dressed up in your finest royal attire and walk, jog or run to help raise money for Elle. We have raised a significant amount to date but there is still work that can be done. 1. Register for 'parkrun' (not compulsory)http://www.parkrun.org.uk/heaton/ 2. Share this update on social media or create your own status updates www. http://www.gofundme.com/PrincessElle to help raise sponsorship for your run. 3. Think of other ways to fund raise or add to this event.
IF YOU CAN HELP AT ALL, PLEASE DO. THANKS, ALL AT HEYS
ALL JUST A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY REPEATING…
Formation
The origins of Prestwich Heys A.F.C. can be traced back to February 9, 1938 when a meeting was called at the music room of the Heys Road Boys' School at which Elgar Lumsden put forward the idea of forming an old boys' association. Attending that first meeting were messrs Bridge, Stott, Foster, Taplin and Alan Proctor Bell, who was to become a central figure in the club’s history and whose progress he was to report on in the Prestwich Guide under the guise of ‘Touchliner’. Despite the onset of the Second World War a year later, the association flourished under the chairmanship of Bell, who also acted as secretary of the football arm, known as Heys Old Boys' AFC and was acknowledged as one of the region’s best. The club went on to win its first honours in 1943 in the Prestwich and Whitefield League with the Woodward Shield – a success which was repeated for the next three seasons.
The glory years The team gradually progressed through the Bury Amateur League and into the South East Lancashire League claiming championships in 1960, 1961 and 1964. Under the guidance of Peter Gilmore in the 1960s, Heys won the prestigious Lancashire Amateur Cup in 1967 followed by the one and only Lancashire Combination Grand Slam in the 1970–71 season with Heys bringing all four trophies available back to Grimshaw's. The club also changed its name in 1964 to Prestwich Heys AFC, an acknowledgement of the fame achieved by the club as they proved one of the nation’s top amateur clubs. Thousands flocked to see Heys play, and beat, the likes of Sutton United, Ferryhill Athletic, Finchley and Highgate United in the FA Amateur Cup with the club's best run taking Heys to the last 8. The victory over Sutton United in 1969 ranks as one of Heys’ most famous moments, attracting nationwide coverage, coming a week before their opponents were due to meet Leeds United in the FA Cup.
Restructuring and a new home These were heady days but with the 1970s came the onslaught of professionalism and the club struggled to maintain its winning ways. After claiming the Manchester Amateur Cup in 1972, the trophy cabinet remained bare as Heys negotiated the gradual restructuring of semi-professional football, moving from the Cheshire County League into the newly formed North West Counties League in 1982. Ground grading problems saw the club drop into the Manchester Football League in 1986 but the club went on to gain its first trophy for over a decade when the First Division title was claimed in 1988. 1991 saw Heys moved by Bury Council off their Grimshaw's home on Heys Road for a new base at Sandgate Road, just over the border in Whitefield.
After relegation in 1996, the club bounced back with the Manchester League double of First Division Championship and Murray Shield built on the back of a record 19 league wins from the start of the season.
Former skipper Lee Connell in action for Heys in 2006
Present day The 2004–05 season saw Heys finally take the major prize of their first Manchester League Premier Division title. They followed this up by retaining their crown the following season with a 2–0 victory in their penultimate game of the season at Hindsford. In 2006–07 Heys made it a hat-trick of Premier Division titles and also lifted the Goldline Trophy after defeating Charnock Richard on penalties at the Reebok Stadium. Tragically, Manager and Chairman Adie Moran died on June 27 2007, whilst on holiday in Sri Lanka at the age of 43. Assistant Manager Jason Dormer took over first team duties until he was replaced by Peter Freakes and Andy Whiteman in February 2008. However, Freakes and Whiteman's spell in charge was to last only nine games with the club citing differences of opinion in the future strategy of the development of the club as the reason for their dismissal. Reserve team management duo of Liam Morrissey and Paul Taylor took over the running of first team affairs during the summer of 2008. Morrissey led the team to a 12th-place finish in the 2008–09 season, some 29 points behind league champions Manchester Gregorians. On 8 October 2009, with Heys sitting third from bottom in the table, it was announced that Morrissey was standing down from his position as first team manager. Morrissey moved to manage the reserve squad and was replaced by former Heys player Mark Slater, who was taking on his first managerial role. Former players Jon Lyons & Karl Kavanagh took charge of 1st team affairs in December 2012 with another former player, Jeff Kavanagh taking charge of the 2nd team Heys continue to work on their redevelopment plans as they look to get their Sandgate Road ground up to a standard that may possibly see a return of North West Counties League football to Prestwich for the first time since 1986. Planning permission for pitch floodlights was granted in November 2007. Working under the Shared Access Agreement to help with costs for floodlight installation Heys' push for a move back into The North West Counties Football League has taken great strides in early 2015. Installation of new changing facilities are taking place to meet league Ground Grading criteria
NOW TO THE FUTURE… #PrideOfPrestwich