HEYS ONLINE REVIEW 6
#PrideOfPrestwich @PrestwichHeysFC
RESTWICH
Ground – Adie Moran Park, Sandgate Road, Prestwich, M45 6WG 1st Team Manager – Jon Lyons 2nd Team Manager – Jeff Kavanagh
CLUB SPONSORS
SALES@GRANDADSAUSAGES.CO.UK
HEYS’ NEXT
FIXTURE SATURDAY 11th April, 2pm KO @ Adie Moran Park, Sandgate Road, Prestwich
Prestwich Heys Vs Hindsford
GAFFER’S VIEW Heys Online Review caught up with 1st team manager Jon Lyons ahead of Saturday’s home fixture against Hindsford “We've had a few testers of fixtures in the past few weeks and we could safely say it didn't all go to plan. From a tough away fixture vs a struggling but hard fighting springhead where our lads came out on top, I thought we shown real heart and we defended really well, a goal from the rock of our defence Lewis smith was enough to grab us the 3 points. Next up was Stockport away You could say our biggest test looking at the current positions in the league table, we again defended well thought out and only by the only mistake of our own we conceded, for once we struggled with our quality in the final 3rd, we pressed up field for the majority of the 2nd half but we lacked massively with our final ball, deep down I think Stockport deserved the points as probably at least 90% of our crosses either went out of play or was easily collected by there keeper! We then travelled to Turton in the hospital cup looking to get back to winning ways but it wasn't that simple. The 1st half we weren’t at the races and we dropped our standard, lacked our discipline and creativity, but the 2nd half we changed our game and could easily have scored 3/4 times, but due to Turton’s hard work and constant defending we struggled and failed to hit the net! Another lesson learned, the disappointment alone from losing on penalties will surely kick us on! With 3 league games remaining and 3 cup games it's now crucial we pull together as a playing unit, I think if we win our remaining league games we will be eligible for the NWCFL.
I'd also would like to thank everyone involved in the work ongoing off the pitch for the past few months, the club is really moving fast in the right direction, it's great to see friends
family and staff down belong. ”
WELCOME TO THE HEYS FAMILY… GRANDAD (SAUSAGES) Prestwich Heys are pleased to announce our latest sponsor is local sausage makers, Grandad Sausages. Located right here in Prestwich, it’s another fantastic opportunity for both of us to grow the pride in Prestwich. Grandad Sausage’s 7” bangers will be available at tomorrow’s home game BBQ and the whole gang will be in attendance for the Adie Moran Memorial day on Sunday 10th May. Where their wider range of products will be available. Can’t wait to try them!! Matthew, co-founder of Grandad Sausages said of the collaboration with Heys “As our business has started to grow, we have found that reaching out and collaborating with local people in the community is fundamental to understanding our customers and the opportunity to join up with Prestwich Heys was something we couldn’t refuse. Sausage making has been in the family over 50 years, originating in Bury, with our Grandad Bernard. His legacy of providing high-quality sausages to the hungry folk of Prestwich and beyond, lives on. So keep an eye out for us over the summer at Adie Moran Park, cooking up Grandad’s finest giant hotdogs in a range of Grandad’s mouthwatering flavours. Come on Heys”
Inside Heys – Brad Lyons Well its been mixed week for Heys on and off the field. A top of the table clash with Stockport Georgians for the 1st team and the reserves fighting for league title honours The football was always in the forefront of the players minds although there was much tension surrounding the ground being assessed by the North West Counties ahead of our potential jump to the next level. Off the field all the club has Pulled together really well to get the changing etc up to spec with some of the seniors members of the club, as well as the management team, spending many hours at Adie Moran Park trying to get the work done (although after speaking to Graeme Powell it sounds like it was a lads lash up). As always the mid week training was enjoyable with a good high tempo being reached by the lads. So we went into the game against Stockport full of confidence knowing that a win could give us an outside chance of winning the league. On the morning of the game we had a visit from the North West counties to Adie Moran Park for our ground grading so the emphasis was firmly on the lads getting the 3 points and securing a top 5 finish in the league to secure promotion. As usual the banter was flying around the clubhouse with Wooders as always, for obvious reasons, was being the scapegoat. Always turning up worrying whether he was going to make the starting 11............. As per Daz and Lewis turned up late with the latter looking worst for wear. This resulted in the hair dryer treatment from the gaffer and Lewis was told to watch from the stands. I've got a feeling that his lesson has been learnt. In a season where Lewis has been a very bright spark progressing from the reserves being one of Jeff Kavanagh’s prodigies early in the season to first team regular. Stockport is renowned for being by far the biggest pitch in the league so we went with 3 in centre midfield to match Stockport in the middle of the park where they have been effective in recent meetings. In a game that created few chances it was always going to be a mistake that would prove costly and unfortunately it came from a mix up at the back for us and the Stockport striker had an empty net. For the majority of the game we controlled the play and looked comfortable in possession with the work rate being top draw from the lads. It seemed the final ball was lacking with us squandering many chances to create something in attack against a ridged Stockport defence.
Inside Heys Continued‌ On Tuesday we travelled to Turton in the hospital cup looking to put our weekend defeat behind us. The gaffer being forced to make some changes with injuries to the likes of 'new captain Bradley Lyons' . Mark Powell was brought into defence and he had a solid game but was lucky to stay on the field although his dad said he won the ball. With the game panning out in a similar fashion to the weekend with us dominating the game but lacking end product it went to penalty's with George scoring the first in which apart from 1 that ended up on the motorway he has been prolific this season. Turton took some quality penalty's and misses from youngster Liam Dunn and club marksman Matty Joll. Mat’s miss was probably due to the added pressure of having to wear the captains armband. We went out which we feel was very undeserved due to the hustle style of play from Turton in which we feel there was only one side trying to play football. On the whole it was a disappointing week on the field but very positive off the field. Even though the results didn't go our way the attitude and commitment from the players and the support from the whole club has been fantastic I feel we can get over the final hurdle and put Heys back where we belong and possibly picking 1 or 2 trophy's up along the way. BRADLEY LYONS (CLUB CAPTAIN) below getting skinnnnnned!!!!
Penalty shoot out defeat at Turton Heys bowed out of the Bolton Hospital Cup at the first hurdle tonight as they suffered a 4-2 penalty shoot out defeat at the hands of Turton. Heys enjoyed the better of the game but failed to make their possession count until George Powell scored from the penalty spot in the 40th minute after Conor Landers had been brought down. However Turton, who included former Heys player Damion Keegan in their ranks, responded straight away to level matters by half time. The second half was scoreless before in near darkness the teams went into a penalty shoot out with the West Lancashire League side emerging victors. .
FBT MANCHESTER LEAGUE – PREMIER DIVISION
Princess Elle Tierney's Fund
IF YOU CAN HELP AT ALL, PLEASE DO. THANKS, ALL AT 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
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