rammy news V DARLINGTON 07.09.13
EDITORIAL - ROB MOSS First of all I’d like to offer a hearty Lancashire welcome to the players, officials and hardy supporters who’ve made the long trek down to Ramsbottom for tonight’s match... and to their army of fans who’ve sent £2 with their mates for buying them a programme. You’ve had it harder than most football supporters over the last few years, and I think that we’ve all been very impressed with the way you’ve continued to support your team through such tough times. We all hope that you continue your rise through the leagues, and put Darlington FC back on the league football map, where it rightly belongs. We’ve had our own share of suffering over the last few weeks, particularly with the crushing defeat in 90 (+2) minutes at Mossley on Saturday. I think we were hoping for a repeat of the euphoric drubbing we gave them towards the end of last season, with the game all done and dusted by about 20 minutes in, so to go 3-1 behind, then draw level, and then lose it in injury time was pretty horrible. More concerning though was the struggle at the back without our fantastic longserving captain Andy Dawson. It’s great to see Flanners back, but you could tell that he was knackered. Jon Robinson is doing his best back there, as you’d always expect from Jon Robinson, but he’s not Andy Dawson. Later on in the programme we’ve started a brand new column from physio Katy Brooks, so you can find out more about Dawson’s injury and all the other stuff that’s going on behind the scenes. We’ve got a few big games coming up, including the FA Cup trip to Conference North side Barrow next Saturday. The club are running a coach, which is £10 and leaves the ground at 10:30am (talk to Harry if you’re interested), and brace yourself for the £13 admission, or £14 if you want to sit down. We’re over in Scarborough so will be missing it - see if you can take it to a replay on Tuesday for us lads! We’ve also got the short trip to Radcliffe coming up, so even if you’re not normally one to do the away games thing, I’d urge you to come along and support the team. We easily outnumbered the home fans last time we were there, and it’d be nice to do it again - albeit for a bottom of the table clash! Just one last thing, and that’s about the club’s brand new website. I’d like to say a big thankyou, on behalf of everyone, for the fantastic job that Alan’s done with the redesign. It’s always been nice to have a great site that isn’t just a standard Pitchero one, and it’s now looking even better than before. I know that Richard’s often a little bit behind on updating things, and I’m writing this column today because he’s gone awol, so perhaps this is something we need to address, but there’s no doubting we have one of the best looking websites in football. So “Well Done” Alan. Enough wittering from me, let’s get down to business and see if we can lift ourselves out of the relegation zone with a win against the team hotly tipped to run away with the league title - God help us! - Rob
President: J Smith Chairman: H Williams Secretary: G Shuttleworth Treasurers: H Williams, C Woolfall Committee: C Woolfall, A Edmundson, G Lay, D Wolfenden, K Topping Life Members: FA Rothwell, L Read, A Whalley, F Rothwell, J Wolfenden, P McSherry, A Mcleod Programme Editors: R Isaacs, P Newhouse, R Moss Hospitality Manager: I McCool Catering Manager: S Fletcher Team Managers: A Johnson, B Morley First XI Coaches: J Hunter, G Moses, D Green Physio: K Richardson Recent Honours: NWCFL Champions 2011/12 Premier Runners Up 2010/11 2nd Div Champions 96/97 2nd Div Trophy 95/96 Bolton Hospital Cup Winners 2005/06. 2006/07, 2007/08 The Harry Williams Riverside, Acre Bottom, Ramsbottom, Lancashire Tel: 01706 822799 www.rammyunited.co.uk
two huge games
We welcome Darlington to the Harry Williams Riverside Stadium tonight for what we expect to b a very tough test...it goes without saying that as a group we let not only ourselves but the whole club down on sat at mossley...theres no getting away from it..it simply wasn’t acceptable and we can assure each and every one of you that we will put it right. As a group we are very close knit, and believe me when I tell you there were a lot of very upset bodies in the dressing room at 4:45 on Saturday. The focus and belief within the camp is as strong as ever and tonight couldn’t come quick enough for us to have the opportunity to right a few wrongs. Now that’s out of the way we'll focus all our efforts on tonight’s game. This is the start of a very important week for us with the game tonight and then the f.a.cup fixture up at Barrow next Saturday. Two huge games for us, but these are the games that we all look forward to - the type of games that we’re all in it for. The support weve had so far this season has been unbelievable and the part each and every one of you has to play tonight is vital. So please get behind the lads and cheer us on to hopefully three massive points tonight... COYR cheers, Glenn
wem-ber-ley... bring on the barrow After the late but deserved reprieve at Stocksbridge on Saturday, Ramsbottom United comfortably cruised into the next round of the FA Cup with a comprehensive victory on Tuesday night. The home side played some attractive passing football, as they rarely looked troubled by their higher league opponents. The three goal margin saw off Stocksbridge, although the visitors could have taken an early lead when a mis-directed back header from Andy Dawson had keeper Grant Shenton scrambling for the ball before a Steels forward could poke it home. That aside, Shenton had a quiet evening as the hosts continued to take the game to their opponents. Dominic Smalley’s fine run and goalbound shot took a wicked deflection off a team-mate to the relief of Steels, before the industrious Grant Spencer foraged 40 yards before firing inches wide. Smalley’s well-directed cross found Joel Pilkington, whose flick on to Phil Dean saw the winger fail to find the target with his head. It was almost one-way traffic, and it came as no surprise when the Rams took the lead on 23 minutes. Pilkington’s race into the area was unceremoniously halted just outside the box. Owen Roberts lined up the free-kick and planted it firmly past the wall and in by the left-hand post. In a rare attack, Steel’s Matthew Hamshaw placed a free-kick over the bar, but at the other end Smalley’s fine run ended with an effort easily gathered by Jack Ward in the visitors’ goal.
Smalley was then denied, again, this time when he was inches away from connecting with a Gary Stopforth cross. The need for a second goal to kill the game off was discussed at half-time, and it took just five minutes of the second half for that to happen. A superb floated ball into the area from Owen Roberts saw Lee Gaskell sneak behind the defenders to flick the ball home by the near post. Danny Warrender then headed a corner over before grabbing the home side’s third on the hour mark. He gathered the ball outside the area, before racing past a static defence to place the ball under the body of the advancing keeper, and put the game out of reach of the Yorkshiremen. The visitors did have a couple of opportunities to get on the score-sheet. Substitute Alec Denton found space in the right hand side of the penalty area, but instead of firing goalwards, he chose to pass the ball to a colleague, giving Dawson the opportunity to clear. Alex Callery then beat the offside trap, but Shenton, on a night when he was under-worked, came flying off his line to throw his body in front of the ball, and the danger was cleared. Jon Robinson could have added a fourth in the final minutes, but as he broke through, he fired straight at Ward. A fine team performance, marred only by the sight of influential skipper being carried off late on with an ankle injury, sees the Rams looking forward to a trip to former League side Barrow in the next round of the FA Cup.
3-0
Harry Williams Riverside Stadium 17th September 2013 Att: 127 Rammy Goals: Roberts (23), Gaskell (50), Warrender (60)
TONY CUNNINGHAM AND THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF NON-LEAGUE FOOTBALL
Welcome to the HWRS for tonight’s league game against Darlington. A special welcome to everyone who has made the journey down from county Durham, probably all of whom will be visiting Ramsbottom for the first time. What can you say about Darlington? Without a doubt, I expect them to win this league, as they strive to regain their position higher up the football pyramid. My sympathies, as usual, are with the supporters who have had to endure some horrific times over the last few years. It’s amazing to think that just two years ago the “old” Darlington won the FA Trophy at Wembley, whilst not long before that they were in League’s One and Two. I suppose we can look back to the stewardship of George Reynolds as the turning point within the club’s history. I can still remember television pictures of him walking around the white elephant stadium that he built, adorned with club scarves and applauding the fans. I doubt whether those fans would be applauding today. I used to love going up to Feethams. I’ve been there as a supporter with Bury, and as a committee member with my former club Mossley, and have great memories of the place. A small, lower league ground full of character. That unusual walk through the gates and around the cricket ground, in a centrally situated area, ideally suited to League football. To move out, for me, was the start of the decline. The atmosphere in the new stadium, which I have never visited, must have been sterile. Darlington, traditionally, have never been one of the more successful league sides. I well remember a television documentary back in the 1970’s (?) when they were bottom of the old Fourth Division. The cameras boarded the club coach for an away game to show us how life was at the wrong end of the league. A car load of four Darlo fans passed the coach, and it was inferred that they were the only supporters driving down to support the team! Probably the club’s best player at the time, Don Burleraux, was interviewed but allin-all it was quite a patronising programme from what I can remember. From then on, I have had quite a soft spot for the club. To have watched their recent problems come to the fore, has not been pleasant. They were not happy to have been told that the FA regarded them as a “new” club, and as such placed them in level five of the non-league game. However, the Northern League it was, that greeted them last season, and whilst it may have been a culture shock for many of their supporters, I’ll bet they enjoyed last year. New grounds, new experiences and an eventual championship-winning campaign, despite Spennymoor’s valiant efforts, have given Darlo’s fans something to smile about. They are experiencing more new grounds this season – including the HWRS – and will once again fancy their chances of silverwear. I wish them well in their quest to return to the Football League. I expect them to do it, although I sincerely hope that tonight “little ol’ Rammy” manage to snatch three points off them! Enjoy your non-league football!
inancial Planning Financial F Designed F or For YOUR YOUR LIFESTYLE F For or a confidential initial xpense one to one at our eexpense please contact us... on 01706 822622
advice@northernstarifa.co.uk advice@nor thernstarifa.co.uk
P rofessional F Professional Financial inancial Planning here in Ramsbottom. Ramsbottom.
Northern Nor thern Star Financial Financial Management Limited 52 Bolton Street, Ramsbottom, Lancashire,BL0 9HX
TONY’S NON-LEAGUE TEASERS 1
What was the previous name of Telford United?
3
What colours do Thackley play in?
2
4 5 6 7 8 9
Answers: 1 Wellington Town 2 Colwyn Bay 3 Red and White 4 England and Wales- the border dissects the pitch! 5 The Boro 6 Barnet 7 Luton Town and Stockport County 8 True 9 Hoddesdon Town 10 Harrogate Town
10
Which club did AFC Fylde manager Dave Challinor previously manage? In which country does Chester’s Deva Stadium reside? What is the nickname of Stafford Rangers?
With which non-league club did Jimmy Greaves end his career? Name the two non-league clubs with the same “Hatters” nickname
True or false? Stalybridge Celtic were once members of the Football League. Who were the first ever winners of the FA Vase?
Who plays at Wetherby Road?
Darlington Football Club was formed in July 1883 when a number of representatives from several teams in the town met in a local grammar school and decided to form one club to represent the town. Feethams became the home for the new club, and it would stay there until 2003, when the club moved across town to a new 27,000 seater arena. Feethams was leased from local businessman John Beaumont Pease in 1866 and the first turf came from the nearby Park ground cricket pitch. Two years after its formation the club ventured into the FA Cup for the first time but was beaten 8-0 by Grimsby. Darlington were one of the original founder members of the Northern League in 1889 and went on to win the title twice in 1896 and 1900. The club turned professional in 1908 and decided to join the newly formed North Eastern League – although it would return to the Northern League most unexpectedly a century later. The opening day in the North Eastern League saw the club beaten 5-1 by Sunderland, but the club went on to better things in that league, winning it in 1913. The club reached the last sixteen of the FA Cup in 1910/11. They started in the first qualifying stage and played eleven games in eight rounds beating first division giants Sheffield United along the way before finally bowing out against Swindon Town by 3-0 in the last 16. The First World War had a big impact on Darlington and the club ran into money problems. Another Darlington team, the Forge Albion, took them over, and the new chairman, Mr J.B Haw, paid off the debts and also built the east stand at Feethams. In 1920 the club finished runners up in the North Eastern League and won the Durham Senior Cup against the other professional teams in the county. The following season Quakers went one better and won the North Eastern League, and during the summer won election to the newlyformed Third Division North of the Football League. Quakers performed well in the new league, and after going through the home campaign unbeaten in their second season, they won promotion to the Second Division in their third. The second division campaign started with a 0-0 at home to Nottingham Forest with over 13,000 people inside the ground. They also played against Chelsea and Wolves, who they would en-
counter again in the FA Cup in the 1950s. They finished 15th in the table, above Fulham and Stoke City, but the following season Quakers finished second bottom and were relegated back to the Third Division North. The club won the Third Division North cup in 1934, on the one and only occasion when they have played at Old Trafford. Quakers beat Stockport County in the final by 4-3. The club remained in the Third Division North until the Second World War which had a major impact on football in the country. Only a limited amount of football was played however since the army was based at nearby Catterick, Darlington played regularly in one of the wartime leagues and attracted some big name players, one of whom was Bob Thynne who was capped for Scotland against England in 1944. In November 1955 the club made history. At St James Park, Newcastle, Darlington played Carlisle United in the first ever FA Cup match to be played under floodlights in a second round replay which Darlington won 3-1. In 1958 the team became members of the new national Fourth Division – they had finished in the bottom half of the Third Division North the season before -- and started to encounter teams that they had never before played at Feethams like Coventry City, Watford and Crystal Palace. Quakers enjoyed one of their best ever FA Cup runs in 1958 when they became one of the giantkillers of the competition. After beating Rochdale, Boston and Norwich, they came up against First Division Chelsea. After drawing 3-3 at Stamford Bridge, Quakers beat the Londoners 4-1 in the replay at Feethams in front of 15,150 fans. In the next round they were drawn away to Wolves, who included England captain Billy Wright, but lost 6-1. The sixties saw a couple of improvements to Feethams. Flood lights were installed in November 1960, and were opened for a game against Millwall that Quakers won 5-2. However an electrical problem set the West stand on fire. The stand was gutted and it was later rebuilt in the exact same style. The town end also had a roof put on it and soon afterwards got the nickname, the Tin Shed. The third round of the 1960-61 League Cup saw Bolton Wanderers, with England striker Nat Lofthouse in their team, come to Feethams. Crystal Palace and West Ham had both suffered defeats
today’s visitors
darlington
at the hands of the Quakers and 21,023 packed Feethams hoping to see a similar result. It was not to be and Bolton ran out 2-1 winners. In 1966 Darlington finished runners up to Doncaster and gained the club’s first promotion in forty years, but the glory didn’t last long as they were relegated back to the fourth division the following season. Quakers had another good run in the League Cup in 1967-68. They beat York, Southend, Portsmouth and Millwall before losing to first division Derby County, managed by Brian Clough, at the Baseball Ground by 5-4. After just missing out on promotion in the 196970 season, the club’s fortunes nosedived. Between the 1969/70 and the 1979/80 seasons Darlington had to apply for re-election to the Football League no less than five times, but fortunately every time the club was successful, probably because Darlington was easy enough to reach on the motorway and rail network, unlike other clubs such as Barrow and Workington. The club’s plight was also featured on a documentary by famous broadcaster Sir David Frost. The eighties saw the club in a financial mess and fans were forced to raise £50,000 in just six weeks. The fans and people of the town rallied round and the money was raised to save the club. In 1985 the team won promotion to the third division under manager Cyril Knowles and stayed there for two years. But then successive relegations followed, and in the 1988/89 season the club finished bottom of the fourth division and were relegated to the Vauxhall Conference. Former Aston Villa striker Brian Little became manager and he led the club back into the league at the first attempt with a last day win at Welling and the season after that the progress was maintained and the club was promoted again as Fourth Division champions. However, after Little left for Leicester City, the club struggled in the Third Division and was relegated again. Playing at Wembley had always been a pipedream for Quakers until 1996, when they reached the third division play off final against Plymouth Argyle. They finished fifth in the regular season after suffering only one away defeat in the league all season – they missed out on automatic promotion on the last day at Scunthorpe – and then they defeated Hereford United home and away in the play off semi final to reach Wembley. However, despite the backing of 13,000
travelling fans Quakers were beaten by a second half goal. In 1997 the east stand at Feethams, which had stood for many years, was demolished and a new one built in its place, but soon after the chairman, Mike Peden, resigned. Local businessman George Reynolds took over, paid off the club’s debts and started construction of a new 27,000 all seater ground elsewhere in the town. In the 1999/00 season Darlington were in the thick of the promotion hunt, but slipped up in the closing weeks and finished in the play off spots, facing their nearest rivals Hartlepool. Again, Quakers won both legs to set up a final against Peterborough at Wembley. Despite creating more of the chances in the game, Quakers were beaten by another second half goal. The following season, Quakers lost in the FA Cup, but were then reprieved thanks to Manchester United. Darlo lost in the second round of the FA Cup to Gillingham, but when Manchester United withdrew to participate in the World Club championship and indirectly help England’s bid to stage the World Cup, the FA held a draw for a lucky second round loser, and it turned out to be Darlington. They were drawn away at Aston Villa, and only just lost by 2-1. At the end of the 2002/03 season the club said goodbye to its home at Feethams and moved into the new ground at Neasham Road. In the last game at Feethams Darlington played out a 2-2 draw with Leyton Orient on an emotional day, which also saw many former Darlington players return to the club as guests, one of them from as far away as California. The opening match at Darlington’s new home saw a huge crowd of 11,600 people attend but Kidderminster Harriers won 2-0. However, crowds slowly dwindled, and within months the club was placed into administration. On the pitch Darlington were struggling as well and facing relegation. However David Hodgson, who had enjoyed two previous spells as boss, returned as manager and helped guide the club away from the drop zone, and in the spring of 2004, the club was rescued but the problems continued under several new owners. The club reached the play off semi finals in 2008 but lost to Rochdale, and the following year, even though the club was in the promotion positions at the time, chairman George Houghton put the club into administration for the second time.
today’s visitors
darlington
Consequently, the club had points deducted, promotion was missed, and almost all of the players and management team left. Despite being under new ownership the following season, the club was relegated out of the Football League into the Conference for the second time in its history. The fans thought that there was a bright new beginning when Quakers battled through to Wembley for the third time in the FA Trophy – overturning a two goal deficit against Gateshead in the semi final along the way – and on this occasion the previous despair turned into sheer delight when Chris Senior headed a last minute winner against Mansfield. Unfortunately the win was not a springboard for success, and by the turn of 2012, the club was back into administration for the third time. After overcoming several difficult hurdles and negotiating for many hours, a supporters group took control of the club with the aim of making it stable once again, but the FA controversially ruled, de-
spite an appeal, that Quakers should be demoted from the Conference back to the Northern League - -an unprecedented drop of four divisions. The new look club, now under fan ownership, wisely decided to leave the costly Arena and agreed a groundshare with Bishop Auckland at Heritage Park twelve miles away. Despite the relegation, the fans stood by the club, and an average attendance record for the Northern League of over 1,300 – around three times the previous best – saw Quakers win the Northern League title and promotion to the Evostik League First Division North with a triple hundred of points, goals and goal difference ahead of previous champions Spennymoor Town. The club is now the strongest it has ever been, with volunteers taking on many roles as it aims to climb the national system back to the Football League. The future is the brightest it has been for many years, and it is now playing a central role in the community.
DATE Sat 17th Aug Tues 20th Aug Sat 24th Aug Mon 26th Aug Sat 31st Aug Sat 7th Sept Tues 10th Sept Sat 14th Sept Tues 17th Sept Sat 21st Sept Tues 24th Sept Sat 28th Sept Tues 1st Oct Sat 5th Oct Tues 8 th Oct Sat 12th Oct Tues 15th Oct Sat 19th Oct Tues 22nd Oct Sat 26th Oct Tues 29th Oct Sat 2nd Nov Wed 6th Nov Sat 9th Nov Tues 12th Nov Sat 16th Nov Sat 23rd Nov Sat 30th Nov Wed 4th Dec Sat 7th Dec Sat 14th Dec Sat 21st Dec Thurs 26th Dec Sat 28th Dec Wed 1st Jan Sat 4th Jan Sat 11th Jan Sat 18th Jan Sat 25th Jan Sat 1st Feb Sat 8th Feb Sat 15th Feb Sat 22nd Feb Sat 1st Mar Sat 8th Mar Sat 15th Mar Sat 22nd Mar Sat 29th Mar Sat 5th Apr Sat 12th Apr Sat 19th Apr Mon 21st Apr Sat 26th Apr
H A A H H H A A H A H A A A H A H H H A H A A H H A H A A A H A H H A A H H A H A H A A H A A A H A H A H
OPPOSITION CURZON ASHTON Ossett Town Warrington Town PADIHAM AFC Liverpool - FA Cup NORTHWICH VICTORIA Ossett Albion Stocksbridge - FA Cup Stocksbridge - FA Cup Mossley DARLINGTON 1883 Barrow - FA Cup Radcliffe Borough Warrington Town FAT prel LANCASTER CITY Wakefield ATHERTON LR Lancs Trophy (WORKSOP) (FAT1Q) PRESCOT CABLES Harrogate Railway Athletic OSSETT ALBION (FAT 2Q) Darlington 1883 NEW MILLS FC UNITED Doodson cup Cammell Laird BURSCOUGH Kendal Town (Doodson Sport Cup) Curzon Ashton OSSETT TOWN Bamber Bridge SALFORD CITY FARSLEY Padiham Northwich Victoria MOSSLEY RADCLIFFE BOROUGH Clitheroe WAKEFIELD Lancaster City HARROGATE RAILWAY (Doodson Sport Cup) Prescot Cables CAMMELL LAIRD New Mills (Doodson Cup SF) Burscough KENDAL TOWN Farsley WARRINGTON TOWN Salford City BAMBER BRIDGE
RES 1-3 0-2 0-1 1-2 5-0 2-2 2-1 2-2 3-0 4-3
ATT 254 100 192 309 238 212 73 129 127 173
STARTING ELEVEN Shenton Warrender Shenton Warrender Shenton Warrender Shenton Warrender Shenton Warrender Shenton Warrender Shenton Warrender Shenton Warrender Shenton Warrender 1 Shenton Warrender
Pilkington Pilkington * Pilkington * Pilkington Roberts * Roberts * 1 Pilkington Pilkington Pilkington Pilkington
Stopforth + Drew Drew + Drew + Stopforth + Pilkington Morley + Stopforth Stopforth Stopforth
Dawson Dawson Dawson Dawson Dawson Dawson Dawson Dawson Dawson + Robinson
Hulme Hulme Hulme Spencer * Robinson Robinson Robinson Robinson * Robinson Flannery #
Morning * Morning + Smalley Smalley Smalley Smalley Smalley Smalley 1 + Smalley # Smalley
Spencer Spencer Stopforth Stopforth Spencer Spencer Spencer # Spencer Spencer Spencer
Robinson # Robinson Robinson Robinson Gaskell 2 Gaskell Gaskell 2 Gaskell Gaskell 1 Gaskell
Brooks 1 Brooks # Gaskell # Gaskell Brooks # 1 Hulme Hulme Hulme # Roberts * 1 Roberts
Dean Dean Dean Dean # Dean 1 Dean 1 Dean * Dean 1 Dean Dean 1*
66/7: Parks Cup Runners-Up 67/8:Parks Cup Runners-Up 67/8: Kenyon Cup Winners 71/2: Cornall Cup Winners 72/3: Bolton Combination Div One Champions 74/5: Bolton Hospital Cup Winners 76/7: Bolton Combination Premier Division Champions 76/7: Bolton Combination Open Cup Winners 79/80: Bolton Combination Jackson Cup Winners 81/2: Bolton Combination Jackson Cup Runners-Up 82/3: Bolton Combination Second Division Cup Runners-Up 82/3: Bolton Combination Second Division Runners-Up 83/4: Bolton Combination Open Cup Winners 84/5: Bolton Combination First Division Runners-Up 84/5: Bolton Boys Federation Under-16’s League Champions 85/6: Bolton Combination Jackson Cup Runners-Up 85/6: Bolton Boys Federation U18’s League Runners-Up 85/6: Bolton Boys Federation U18’s Jubilee Cup Winners 86/7: Lancashire FA Under-18’s Cup Winners 86/7: Bolton Boys Federation U18’s Jubilee Cup Winners 86/7: Bolton Boys Federation Under-18’s League Champions 87/8: Bolton Combination Open Cup Runners-Up
SUBSTITUTES Drew + Smalley * Warburton Smalley * Warburton * Brooks # Edghill * Morley Pilkington * Bradbury # 1 Bradbury Edghill Toth * Prickett Roberts + Flannery * Flannery # Morley Hulme # + Brooks * 2
Gaskell # Gaskell # Spencer + Johnson + Edghill + Prickett Johnson Brooks # Prickett Toth +
Toth Toth Toth Brooks 1 # Drew Toth Toth * Bradbury # Morley Toth Brooks * Prickett
Bradbury Bradbury + Bradbury Roberts Warburton Morley Warburton + Prickett Toth+ Hulme Edghill
90/1: Manchester League Division One Cup Winners 90/1: Manchester League Division One Champions 93/4: Yorkshire Cup Runners-Up 93/4: Bury & Radcliffe Junior Under-16’s Cup Winners 93/4: Bury & Radcliffe Junior Under-16’s Champions 94/5: Gylchrist Cup Winners 94/5: Manchester Festival of Football Runners-Up 94/5: Manchester County FA Youth Cup Winners 94/5: Bolton Boys Federation Jubilee Cup Winners 94/5: Bolton Boys Federation Cup Winners 94/5: Bolton Boys Federation Premier League Champions 95/6: North West Counties Division Two Cup Winners 96/7: North West Counties Division Two Champions 97/8: North West Counties Reserve Division Cup Winners 98/9: Bolton Hospital Cup Winners 98/9: North West Counties Reserve North Champions 2000/01: Bolton Bys Federation Jubilee Cup Runners-Up 01/2: Bolton Boys Federation Premier League Champions 01/2; Bolton Hospital Cup Runners-Up 05/6: Bolton Hospital Cup Winners 06/7: Bolton Hospital Cup Winners 07/8: Bolton Hospital Cup Winners 10/11: North West Counties Division One Runners-Up 11/12: North West Counties Division One Champions
rammy club honours
seven goal thriller 4-3
Seel Park 21st September 2012 Att: 173 Rammy Goals: Dean (19), Brooks (74, 89) Mossley Goals: Carroll (48), Welbeck (58), Anderson (58), Keogh (90)
Ramsbottom United’s unbeaten five match run came to an end in Tameside on an afternoon of frenetic action, but, ultimately, disappointment. This was a game that had the supporters of both sides experiencing ups and downs over the ninety minutes, as the game swung from one end to the other. The Lilywhites started the brighter, and Tom Pratt, on loan from Bury, should have done better when a left wing cross found him unmarked near the far post, but he completely missed the ball. Ian Flannery had to shepherd Wayne Welbeck away from goal after he had rounded Rams’ keeper Grant Shenton, before the visitors responded with an angled drive from Lee Gaskell which flew over the Mossley bar. Flannery was again in the right place to block a close range shot, before Jon Robinson went close for the Rams, as his header from a Grant Spencer corner was flicked over by home keeper Russ Saunders. Seconds later, Spencer, himself, was denied when his header came crashing back off the bar. The home side came back when a fierce volley from Andy Keogh was superbly turned round for a corner by Shenton, who was then lucky to escape when he appeared to make contact with Danny Broadbent in the area, but the referee waved play on. Charlie Anderson was wide with a free-kick, whilst an in-swinging free-kick from the right missed everyone in the area and sailed inches wide of the far post. Keogh created another chance as he turned on the edge of the box, but he placed his effort wide of the post as the Rams were riding their luck. On 19 minutes, however, it was the visitors who took the lead, thanks mainly to some good refereeing. The linesman was flagging for a foul on Joel Pilkington, but seeing the ball spray out to Dominic Smalley on the right wing, he waved play on, allowing Smalley to progress to the by-line before sending in a perfect low cross for Phil Dean to convert at the far post. Pratt should have done better when, under no pressure, he placed his close range header over the bar, whilst Lewis Nightingale tried to level matters but saw his fierce free-kick tipped over by Shenton. Shenton was then sold short by a headed back pass from Robinson, and his hurried clearance struck the back of a lurking attacker only to cannon away for a goal-kick. A left wing cross from Dean floated inches over the bar and onto the top netting, as both sides looked to add to the scoreline. Half-time arrived with the Rams one goal in front, thanks mainly to the wastefulness of the home side. Mossley soon made up for that, though, as the second half began. Within 13 minutes they had turned the game on it’s head. On 48 minutes Welbeck timed his run to per-
fection as he sliced the Rams defence wide open, and he crossed for substitute Douglas Carroll to level matters from close range. Barely had the celebrations died down when the Lilywhites added a second. Again the Rams defence was caught flat-footed as the home side raced through. The linesman kept his flag down, despite appeals, and the ball was crossed to Welbeck who had the simplest task of crashing the ball home. Amazingly, just minutes later, they could have had a third, when yet again the home side beat the offside flag, only to see Pratt fire over when he should have at least tested Shenton. On 58 minutes, Mossley did notch a third. A corner from the left caused all sorts of confusion in the box. Carroll was twice denied from close range at the far post, but the ball eventually broke for Anderson, and he made no mistake from ten yards, to open up a two goal gap. The Rams looked shell-shocked, and the home side continued to inflict punishment. Nightingale’s free-kick was fumbled by Shenton for a corner, whilst Pratt was unlucky to see his 30 yard blast sail inches over the bar. John Bennett then struck a post as Mossley looked to put the game beyond the Lancastrians. It was all Mossley as chances galore fell to Bennett, Nightingale, and Pratt before Shenton had to be alert once more, to tip over a wicked bouncing header. Totally against the run of play, Ramsbottom gained a foothold. A Smalley cross from the right found Brooks at the far post and he bundled the ball in, to reduce the arrears. Suddenly the Rams sensed an opportunity to get something out of the game, and Lee Gaskell was unlucky to see his header from an Owen Roberts cross well held by the diving Saunders. In the 89th minute, the Rams managed to level the scores. A free-kick from the right was headed goalwards by Brooks, allowing the predatory Jon Robinson to poke it home from close range. If the visitors thought they had done enough, they were sadly mistaken. The five minutes of added on time belonged entirely to the home side. Louis Horne saw his back-header from a right wing corner sail inches wide of the post, before Nightingale sent in a 20 yard screamer which Shenton tipped over the bar. From the resultant corner, the Rams defence had obviously not learned their lesson from a minute earlier, and Keogh was granted sufficient space from the corner kick to plant a header firmly into the back of the net to snatch a dramatic late winner for Mossley. Whilst a bitter blow for the Rams, had the home side taken more of their chances, such a late strike would hardly have mattered.
EDITORIAL - GRAHAM SHUTTLEWORTH It's certainly no time for the feint hearted as the team struggle to kick-start their league campaign after what can only be described as a ten minute second half capitulation at Seel Park on Saturday, and with games coming thick and fast it's no time either for players to walk round with their heads down! I'm not one for singleing out players in a game, after all it should be a team effort, but on this occasion it would be wrong if I didn't mention the performance that Grant Shenton put in at Mossley. I hope we can all agree that a if we had a lesser keeper then the scoreline would have been something of an embarrassment. But there is another opportunity this evening to redeem some pride as we welcome Darlington 1883 to the HWRS, who must have suffered something of a shock themselves after their goal-less draw at home to Harrogate Railway Athletic on Saturday, and in front of an impressive crowd of 1,253. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It's 'Up For The Cup' for the next two Saturdays, and for those who may not have seen the impressive and newlook website, the admission charge at Barrow will be their usual Conference North charge: Seating - adults £14.00, concessions £11.00; Terrace adults £13.00, concessions £10.00. Under 18's and under 11's can go anywhere in the round for £5.00 and £1.00 respectively. Should the scores be level after 90 minutes then the replay wil be on Tuesday 1 October when our usual admission charges will apply. We make the relatively short trip (again) to warrington Town on 5 October when we compete with the Wires in the FA Trophy, and the right to host Worksop Town in the First Round Qualifying 14 days later. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Please note that our Lancashire Trophy fixture against Atherton LR has been put back 24 hours to 16 October in order to avoid a clash with the England v Poland World Cup Qualifying game on the Tuesday evening. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ And finally, congratulations go to youth team members Liam Skinner and Tom Hartley who have been selected to represent Lancashire FA in the County Cup fixture against North Riding County FA, and to Danny Vincent who is one of the named reserves.
EDITORIAL - OUT OF ACTION With a busy September with two games per week we have picked up a few bumps and bruises which are more of an inconvenience than an actual threat to keeping one of the players out of action. Jordan Hulme picked up a severe haematoma which kept him out of the FA Cup Replay but recovered enough to allow him to feature in the Mossley game. Gary Stopforth has struggled with a bad dead leg for over two weeks and also keeps getting a re-occurrence of an old Jordan Hulme in action at Stocksbridge ankle injury. Both seem to have vastly improved but prove to be very sore after matches leading to him not being able to train midweek which obviously affects his conditioning and sharpness. This is a similar problem for Grant Spencer (knee) and John Robinson (ankle) who both aggravated old injuries in the last few weeks which, although manageable to get them through games, cause pain and discomfort and hinder their ability to make training. Whilst Ian Flannery has returned from the hamstring strain which has limited his match time, he continues to work on his fitness and conditioning and as such is building up his playing minutes hence coming off the bench and getting substituted in our last two fixtures. Last week Andy Dawson got carried off during the FA Cup replay with Stocksbridge with an ankle injury. Following this we did fear the worst, especially as this was the same ankle which saw Andy miss ten weeks of last season. The injury has responded well to treatment and whilst we were hopeful that he would return for the Mossley game unfortunately he didn't pass a pre-match fitness test. Andy and I are working hard to get him back and are hopeful that he should return to action this week. Following on from his suspension Phil Edghil is now available for selection again, and apart from the above mentioned injuries, we should have a full squad available. It has been a testing few weeks for all the squad and staff. Whilst we have found some form in our FA Cup exploits we are still struggling to find continuity in the league. The mood remains positive amongst the players and coaches as we know our ability and potential and the overriding mood is one of continued optimism that the small injuries and fitness issues, which are plaguing our top players, will work themselves out and allow us to reach the level which we always strive to achieve. - Katy
DARREN GREEN - UEFA COACHING BURSARY I would like to thank the Evo-Stik League and its officials, with special thanks to Mark Oggley who recently presented me with a cheque towards my UEFA B coaching award, this was presented before the 3-0 FA cup win against Stocksbridge Park Steels on the pitch before the game. Over the last 10 years I have been working through my coaching badges and this is the next step in improving my own learning as a coach and also to hopefully progress the players that I work with especially at Ramsbottom United. This is now my third season at Ramsbottom and I am grateful to Jonno and Bernard for asking me to come in and work with them at such a great club which has seen a League title, promotion and a highest ever league position finish for the club in the EVO-STIK narrowly missing out on a play off place. This UEFA B coaching award can hopefully go some way towards ensuring that the clubs progress does not stop there and as a club we can keep moving forward and myself and fellow coach Glen Moses can continue to help improve the players to maximise their ability and potential on the pitch, it is a credit to the managers that they have created such a talented squad of players to work with, these players are a pleasure to coach and deal with at training and on match days, also it is pleasing to see some of our youngsters from last season’s youth squad now training with our first team and hopefully we can progress them to be excellent first team players in the coming seasons. The UEFA B course began on the 19th August at Myerscough College and I have so far completed two full weeks of the course with a further 8 support days on Fridays from now until April when I will have a final assessment by running a 45 minute coaching session with a coaching topic allocated to me from an FA tutor, this will be assessed on many different aspects of coaching, such as technical coaching detail, organisation and if the session is realistic to a game and its outcomes. Again many thanks to Mark Oggley and the EVO-STIK League, Jonno and Bern for giving me the opportunity to work at this level, and the players at Ramsbottom who are a credit to coach. Thank you for your continued support Darren
Darren receiving his bursary from league representative Mark Ogley prior to the Stocksbridge match
rammy squad Joint Manager and midfielder Bernard Morley Joint Manager and striker Anthony Johnson
Coach Darren Green
Coach Glenn Moses
Coach John Hunter Physio Katy Richardson
Coach John Hunter
Goalkeeper Grant Shenton
Right-back Jordan Hulme
Centre-back and Captain Andy Dawson Right-back Dan Warrender Right-back Dan Warrender
Right-back Left-backJordan Owen Hulme Roberts Left-back Left-backJoel JoelPilkington Pilkington
Midfielder Tom Toth Midfielder Mark Drew
Midfielder Grant Spencer Midfielder Midfielder Phil Phil Edghill Edghill
Midfielder Gary Stopforth Left-wing Phil Dean
Right-wing Right-wing Dom Dom Smalley Smalley Striker Tom Brookes
Striker Jon Robinson Striker Lee Gaskell
Striker Matty Warburton Midfielder Tom Toth
Striker Luke Bradbury Striker Adam Morning
EDITORIAL - SUPPORTERS CLUB The FA has just officially registered “England’s” interest in hosting Euro 2020 matches. EUFA has, for the first time, awarded the championships not to a single country, but to the whole of Europe, which means that countries such as Belgium, Bulgaria and Belarus could finally play host to a handful of matches. With their registrations of interest, countries have been invited to also submit their choice of host stadia. Spain has gone for the new stadiums in Bilbao and Valencia, as well as Madrid’s Olympic Stadium and the lesser known Estadi Cornella el Prat in Barcelona. Italy has selected Rome and Milan as possible hosts, with Ukraine going for Kiev and Donestsk. Have a guess which is the single host city “England” has selected... go on, give it a guess. And what about the stadium? Which stadium do you think “England” has selected... Do I even need to give you the answer? It’s the same bloody answer it always is. It’s the same answer we got when us country-bumpkins out in the sticks had the audacity to bid to host the new national stadium, or to bid for the Olympics: “Get back to your Northern Slums and stop trying to punch above your weight.” Yet we watched an “England” match played out in front of a half-full stadium last week, with the whole top tier virtually empty, the corporate seats virtually empty, and “our” national anthem being sung by the usual load of laird-marfed cockneys. England = London = money = Wembley. The rest of us can just scrabble around for the sparse crumbs of ‘legacy’ that might just fall off the table while the corporate prawn-sandwich-eaters are looking the other way. Perhaps, as with the tennis and the cricket, we’ll even get to see David Cameron’s smarmy face yet again surrounded by JP Morgan adverts (the company that’s just received another in a long line of enormous fines from regulators for their continuing misdemeanors). The corporate bulls**t has seen the death of real football at any kind of high level in this country. It’s also seen the death of British industry and invention, and is now starting to sound the death-knell of our country and society as a whole. What better reason to throw that lovely new clubhouse open to us, the supporters, who follow Rammy home and away through snow, rain and 4-0 defeats? Forget the prawn-sandwich brigade Harry, what have they ever done for you? They’re ripping us off, stealing our money and lording it over the lot of us. Stick with the real fans who have a real interest in real football, and in the success of Rammy United. We’ll even help you run the thing! Let them eat their prawns at Wembley and The Emirates, and all of those other soulless characterless plastic stadiums that their ill-gotten gains have paid for. Rammy’s a real club, with real players and real fans. Not a prawn in sight! By the way, if any corporate muppets are reading this and rubbing their hands together then just be aware that these views are mine (and admitedly 90% of the country’s), not the views of Ramsbottom United Football Club. If you want to cause some trouble please be my guest though as we could really go some of that “Big Bully Corporate Scumbags Beat Up Little Football Club” headlines. Bring it on!
Managers: Anthony JOHNSON Bernard MORLEY
Grant SHENTON Danny WARRENDER Joel Owen PILKINGTON ROBERTS Gary STOPFORTH Andy DAWSON Jordan Ian FLANNERY HULME Dominic Mark SMALLEY DREW Adam GrantMORNING SPENCER Grant Jon ROBINSON SPENCER Jon ROBINSON Phil DEAN Tom LeeBROOKES GASKELL TomPhil BROOKS DEAN Phil Lee GASKELL EDGHILL Dominic Joel PILKINGTON SMALLEY Jordan TommyHULME TOTH Luke BRADBURY Tom TOTH Phil Mark EDGHILL DREW Luke Owen BRADBURY ROBERTS Matthew Callum RUSSELL SMITH Matthew Adam WARBURTON NUTTALL Matthew SamPRICKETT HOWELL Bernard Callum MORLEY SMITH Anthony JOHNSON
Manager: Martin GRAY Assistant:
Mark BELL Chris HUNTER Alan WHITE Jonny DAVIS Jordan ROBINSON Leon SCOTT Chris MOORE Craig GOTT Steve JOHNSON Stephen THOMPSON David DOWSON Paul ROBINSON Craig TURNS Kerry HEDLEY Amar PUREWAL Sean GREGAN
Referee: MartynReferee: Rawcliffe (Manchester) Assistants: Ryan Watson (Manchester), Assistants: Christopher Bega (Manchester) Next home game: Saturday Next 28th home September game: 3pm, Rammy v Clitheroe