45 Ramsbottom United v Burscough

rammy news v BURSCOUGH 25-11-14

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glenn moses

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Good evening and welcome to the Harry Williams Riverside Stadium for this evening’s League Cup fixture against Burscough. We’d like to offer a warm welcome to everyone connected with the club and hope you all enjoy your visit and have a safe return journey home later.

To still be involved in three cup compertions at this stage of the season for us is a positive as we feel winning becomes a good habit to get into, as well as giving us the chance to get minutes for all the lads. e main thing is that when you get a good draw, like we have had this last week in all three competions it brings a welcome escape from the bread and butter of the league. Don’t get me wrong the league is of massive importance to us, but we also look forward to the cup games..

With us being drawn away at Banbury next Saturday, Atherton Colls in the Lancashire trophy, and with the winner of this evening’s game getting

the chance to pit their wits against the new Salford City - a fixture which is very appealing for us as it holds many connections - I’m sure the lads will be giving everything to proceed this evening.

Saturday we welcomed Grantham Town to 'Little Rammy' and it was another test as it was 5th v's 6th. Overall we were made up with the result - we went in at the break 0-1 down but the message was to stay patient, keep playing the football, and we felt that with a little more quality in the final third we would win the game. Fair play to the lads as we looked a slicker, well oiled machine in the second half, scoring three really good goals. e only blot was the late penalty miss which would have capped a really pleasing half for us..

Again the support on Saturday was class and there is an atmosphere really building at home these days. Let’s hope for some of the same tonight. I hope you enjoy the game

p Sat 16th Aug Tues 19th Aug Sat 23rd Aug Mon 25th Aug Sat 30th Aug Tues 2nd Sept Sat 6th Sept Wed 10th Sept Sat 13th Sept Tues 16th Sept Sat 20th Sept Tues 23rd Sept Sat 27th Sept Sat 4th Oct Sat 11th Oct Sat 18th Oct Tues 21st Oct Sat 25th Oct Sat 1st Nov Tues 4th Nov Sat 8th Nov Tues 11th Nov Sat 15th Nov Sat 22nd Nov Tues 25th Nov Sat 29th Nov Sat 6th Dec Mon 8th Dec Sat 13th Dec Sat 20th Dec Fri 26th Dec Sun 28th Dec Thu 1st Jan Sat 3rd Jan Sat 10th Jan Sat 17th Jan Sat 24th Jan Sat 31st Jan Sat 7th Feb Sat 14th Feb Sat 21st Feb Sat 28th Feb Sat 7th March Sat 14th March Sat 28th March Sat 4th April Mon 6th April Sat 11th April Sat 18th April Sat 25th April

H KING’S LYNN TOWN A Workington A Rushall Olympic H NANTWICH TOWN A FC United of Manchester H MARINE H STAMFORD A Whitby Town A Buxton FAC 1Q H WITTON ALBION A Ilkeston H CURZON ASHTON A Frickley Athletic A Trafford H BELPER TOWN H BUXTON H WHITBY TOWN A Marine A Whitby Town FAT 1Q H WORKINGTON A Halesowen Town H WEST DIDS Lancs Cup A Nantwich FAT 2Q H GRANTHAM TOWN H BURSCOUGH Lg Cup A Banbury United A Matlock Town A Atherton Collieries Lancs H RUSHALL OLYMPIC A King’s Lynn Town H ASHTON UNITED H SKELMERSDALE A Nantwich Town A Curzon Ashton H TRAFFORD A Belper Town H FRICKLEY ATHLETIC A Buxton H BLYTH SPARTANS A Stamford A Stourbridge H ILKESTON A Skelmersdale United H STOURBRIDGE A Grantham Town H FC UNITED OF MCR A Ashton United H HALESOWEN TOWN A Barwell H MATLOCK TOWN

2-3 0-1 4-2 1-4 1-3 3-2 3-1 0-2 2-3 3-2 4-2 1-1 2-4 1-0 4-2 2-0 4-0 3-1 2-1 1-1 0-2 3-0 3-1 3-1

322 Shenton 415 Shenton 161 Shenton 365 Shenton 1917 Shenton 250 Shenton 357 Shenton 265 Shenton 261 Shenton 231 Shenton 422 Shenton 309 Shenton 215 Shenton 294 Shenton 371 Shenton 470 Shenton 237 Shenton 366 Shenton 233 Shenton 250 Shenton 358 Shenton 132 Shenton 238 Shenton 351 Shenton

Smalley Smalley Smalley Smalley Smalley Smalley + Smalley Smalley Smalley Smalley Smalley Grayson * Pilkington Smalley Smalley Smalley Smalley Smalley Smalley * Smalley Smalley Smalley Smalley Smalley 1

Pugh Pugh Pugh Abadaki * Pilkington Pilkington Pilkington Pilkington Pilkington # Pilkington Pugh Pugh Grayson + Pugh Pilkington Pilkington Pilkington Pugh Pugh Pugh Pugh Pugh Pugh Pugh

Spencer Spencer * Spencer * Spencer + Spencer Spencer Spencer + Spencer Spencer Spencer * Spencer * Spencer 1 Stopforth Stopforth Stopforth Stopforth Stopforth Stopforth Stopforth Stopforth Stopforth Spencer 1 Stopforth Stopforth

Howson Howson Howson Howson Howson Howson 1 Howson 1 Howson Howson Howson Howson Howson Howson Howson Howson Howson Howson Howson 2 Howson Howson Howson Robinson + Howson Howson

Priestley Priestley Priestley Priestley Warrender Krou Warrender Warrender Warrender + Krou 1 Krou 1 Krou Krou Krou Krou Krou Krou Robinson Krou Krou Krou Krou Krou Krou

fixtures & results 2014/15

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Hulme 1 Hulme Hulme 1+ Hulme Warrender Abadaki + Abadaki Warrender Abadaki Warrender Abadaki Warrender + Abadaki Abadaki Abadaki + Abadaki # Mota 1* Abadaki * Abadaki 1 * Abadaki 1 * Abadaki + Abadaki 1 Abadaki # Abadaki + Robinson # Abadaki * Williams 1* Williams *

Burton Burton Burton Burton Slaven Burton * Burton Burton Burton Burton Burton 1 Stopforth Burton Burton Burton Burton Burton Pilkington * Burton Burton Burton Williams Burton Burton

Gaskell Gaskell Robinson 1# Robinson 1 Robinson * Slaven 1 Slaven * Slaven + Krou Mota # Pilkington Pilkington Spencer Mota + Hulme # Hulme Hulme 1# Hulme Hulme + Hulme 1 Hulme Gaskell 1 Hulme # Hulme 1

Robinson 1* Robinson + Pilkington Pilkington Hulme 1# Hulme 1 Hulme 1# Krou Hulme Hulme 2 Hulme 1 Hulme Hulme Hulme Spencer + Spencer # Spencer * Spencer # Spencer 1 Spencer * Gaskell * Mota # Spencer 1+ Spencer +

Dean + Dean # Dean 2 Dean Dean Dean # Dean 1 Dean Dean * Dean + Williams 1# Williams + Robinson 1# Spencer # Dean 2 Dean 1 + Dean 1 Dean + Dean Dean # Pilkington + Dean 1 Dean 1 Dean

Pilkington Pilkington * Abadaki * Williams Williams + Williams # Williams + Mota + Mota * Pugh Dean + Burton + Williams * Robinson 1# Williams * Williams + Williams * Williams + Williams Pilkington Dean + Howson + Abadaki * Abadaki

Slaven Slaven + Slaven + Slaven Krou * Robinson * Robinson # Cook Williams + Williams # Mota # Dean * Cook + Williams + Mota Mota * Mota Mota # Mota Williams # Abadaki # Piacentile Gaskell + Gaskell +

Abadaki + Abadaki Ahmadi # Cook * Cook # Cook + Cook Williams Pugh # Irwin Irwin Mota Dean # Slaven Slaven Slaven Gaskell + Gaskell Gaskell # Mota Spencer * Burton * Robinson # Robinson 1*

Ahmadi * Cook Ahmadi # Cook Cook Williams Krou + Morley Morley Johnson Morley Johnson Morley Krou * Johnson Morley Johnson Morley Slaven * Cook + Slaven * Cook Robinson # Cook Morley Abadaki Pilkington Dean * Robinson 1+ Gaskell # Robinson # Pugh Robinson #1 Pugh Slaven * Piacentile Robinson + Pilkington * Gaskell + Robinson * Mota Piacentile Hulme # Mota Piacentile Kuba-Kuba Piacentile

Our MATCHBAL Club Needs Our Help If you can spare as little as half an hour to help Harry Williams keep Rammy’s pitch and ground in the impeccable condition that we’ve all become so proud of then please just come down and help, any day of the week from 11am onwards.

fixtures & results 2014/15

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tony cunningham and the wonderful world of non-league football Welcome to the Harry Williams Riverside Stadium, and a special welcome to today’s match officials and our visitors from West Lancashire, Burscough.

A tasty fixture awaits tonight’s winners, a trip to “money-bags” Salford City, and a tie that we all would look forward to here in Rammy, as we have had many an entertaining battle with the Ammies over the years.

But first of all, there’s the little matter of Burscough to be dealt with! I suppose it all depends which Burscough side turns up tonight. ey lost at home to Farsley on Saturday, yet just seven days before, as I was away from work too late to make it to Nantwich, I popped down to in-form Droylsden to see Burscough deservedly come away with all three points. e Greens impressed me that day, so if they turn up here with that attitude, then we had better be on our guard. Let’s hope for an entertaining encounter, with the Rams hopefully venturing down to Moor Lane in a couple of weeks time.

3G OR NOT 3G e on-going saga relating to artificial pitches continues to rumble.

After refusing to accept them last season, Conference clubs have now had a change of

heart, and recently voted to accept them into the competition. is was apparently done on the understanding that the Football League would follow suit (pointless allowing clubs with 3G surfaces into the Conference if they could go no higher, was the supposition). e other week, the Football League did vote on the matter….and confirmed the ban! I have no doubt a further vote will be taken soon, and as this one was so close, I expect a “Yes” vote will be the outcome next time.

Many still remember the original surfaces laid in the 1980’s at such places as Luton Town, Preston North End and Oldham Athletic. ey were bad! But today’s versions are miles better.

I watch a lot of Welsh football, and two Welsh Premier League clubs have installed the new 3G pitches this summer – Newtown and Airbus UK – and to watch games being played there, you could not tell the difference between artificial and turf.

Now that the improvements have become so realistic, the financial benefits, along with the lack of postponements, really do embrace a future where such surfaces will almost become the norm.

Yet ironically, grass pitches have also experienced the massive strides forward too. Bury’s pitch for years suffered criticism (when I was a lad – OK many years ago! –

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Everyone loved Deepdale’s plastic pitch - especially when the seams starting pulling up like at QPR

the Gigg Lane pitch under the stewardship of the Marshall brothers, was recognised as one of the finest in the land), but this summer a new grass pitch was laid, and it looks magnificent.

When England was on TV last week, I had to get out of the house, so went to see some proper football as Accrington Stanley knocked Notts County out of the FA Cup. It wasn’t that long ago that Stanley took deserved criticism for the state of their playing surface. I have to say, last week it looked amazing.

Strange isn’t it, that as progress is made with

the artificial playing surfaces, the “real thing” has also undergone a massive transformation.

Looking at old clips of football from a generation ago, playing surfaces that were acceptable then would not only be frowned upon today, but probably banned!

Whilst I expect there to be many more 3G pitches laid in the years to come, it’s good to know that those who wish to continue to play on grass will also enjoy the benefits that modern horticultural technology can bring.

Enjoy your non-league football!

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3-1

î Łe Harry Williams Riverside Stadium 22nd November 2014 Att: 351 Rammy Goals: Smalley (53), Hulme (64), Robinson (90) Grantham Goals: Bilyk (11)

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Cedric rampages through the Grantham midfield to fire just wide

It will be interesting to see in the coming weeks how the Rams carry the weight of expectations from this result because this was an assured win over a team on a good run.

Let it be clear that on this form the Rams are serious challengers for promotion. ey dominated possession throughout, but having fallen behind after only 11 minutes to the visitors only effort on target for the next 50 minutes, it looked as if Grantham would take the long and winding road back to Lincolnshire with all three points. .

As is too often the goal was a function of self inflicted harm. Grant Shenton failed to heed Steve Howson's shout to come and get it and was fortunate to see the referee award a corner rather than a penalty as he barrelled in to Paul Grimes. e Rams then should have known better than to leave a diminutive Stefan Bilyk free as a bird on the 6 yard line with the easiest of headers.

For the remainder of the half with Tom Williams and Phil Dean well shackled down the flanks most of the Rams play came through Grant Spencer, but the final ball and first touch too often went astray. He could have worked the keeper harder when clean through only to see his shot saved, and Phil Dean went for power rather than direction and sliced wide from a promising position. Apart from that, for all theirt intricate play, the Rams did not look like scoring.

Jordan Hulme was given little help and no time at all on the ball by a pair of towering defenders and crosses went either direct to their head, the goalkeepers hands, or for no one at all. ere is something about the Rams refusal to give up though. What was looking like a very hard day turning into a sorry night suddenly changed into renewed optimism when seven minutes into the second half Scott Burton's instant pass found Dominic Smalley flying into acres of space wide on the right to send a beautiful dreamer of a shot across the keeper and in to the corner of the net.

All of a sudden Jordan Hulme broke the chains and was here there and everywhere. e crowd were saying that it won't be long before a second goal and ten minutes later Jordan Hulme obliged them with a low shot inside the near post having wriggled and wormed his way into space on the edge of the area.

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î Łe Harry Williams Riverside Stadium 22nd November 2014 Att: 351 Rammy Goals: Smalley (53), Hulme (64), Robinson (90) Grantham Goals: Bilyk (11)

Robbo bags another we reckon he would probably score even if he didn’t take the field

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Grantham abandoned their deep sitting approach in search of an equaliser but failed to bring any sustained pressure. On 90 minutes they were unable to get back in response to a quick break. Hume found Jon Robinson in the box who, untroubled by any semblance of marking, made no mistake. î Łere was still a chance in added time for more misery to be heaped on the visitors with Lee Gaskell being unceremoniously upended in the penalty area but Jordan Hulme's penalty ballooning over the stand leaves the Rams searching for someone consistent from the spot. A fourth goal would have been unfair on the visitors who in the end were glad all over to hear the ďŹ nal whistle.

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Dom’s beautiful dreamer of a shot finding the net

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the backroom boys we talk to rammy’s accomplished backroom coaching team Can we start by running through where you fellas have worked before joining Rammy.

Glenn Moses - “I started as coach at Chadderton, then Oldham Town. Just before joining Rammy I was managing Atherton LR for a season. It was difficult at LR as there was no budget, but we managed a top ten finish which I was really pleased with. Johnno phoned me when John Hunter was struggling with work commitments, and asked if I fancied the job, so here I am!”

Darren Green - “I came in for the game after we lost at Runcorn Town in the first promotion season. I’d been coaching at Glossop and had a disagreement with the gaffer there. I got in touch with Johnno and he asked me to go and do a scouting job for him up at Bootle. I came down to the next home game, met the lads, and that was it.”

John Morrey - “I’ve been managing Maine Road for the previous two seasons. We finished second and then fourth, but the frustration of losing player after player to other teams who wave the cheque book around is just too much. All bar two of our promoted side got tempted away closeseason.

You’re Osebi constantly rebuilding

Abadaki, the

and getting nowhere. e lads deserve the chance to progress and you can’t stand in their way, but it is very frustrating. Regarding Rammy, I saw an advert on the Evostik website for a goalkeeping coach and I got in touch. It’s something I used to do at Maine Road as I used to be a keeper myself.”

With the wealth of experience you’ve all got, is it hard to work for a couple of young upstarts like Johnno and Bernard?

John - “Not at all. My mate up at Mossley asked me why I was going to work with the two angriest managers in football, but when you see how they are in the dressing room you know straight away that they’ve got something really special here. It’s very different to how I’ve ever seen it done - they really get the lads playing for them because of who they are and the way they are.”

Glenn - “We’re a team, and we all work together. ey listen to what we have to say and they value our opinion on stuff.

Bernard and Johnno are just like us.”

Darren - “ey’re learning on the job just as we are, and we’re all improving as we go along. ere’s no ‘us and them’, we all work together. It’s like a big family and we all go to everything - players’ christenings and parties and things, it’s lovely and very different.”

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Glenn Moses casts his expert eye over the lads warming up pre-match

John, you’re obviously responsible for the goalkeeper coaching, but Darren and Glenn, how do you split the jobbetween you, or do you just work together?

Darren - “We get together over summer and get the pre-season all sorted out. We’ll have a talk with Johnno and Bernard and see if there’s anything special that they want us to do. Training sessions we concentrate on being fast and expansive, which we can do with the small training facilities that we have. We split the warmup between ourselves, but on the whole we work together.”

Glenn - “ere’s no magic formula for what we’re doing. ere’s a hell of a lot of ability in that dressing room, and coupled with the work that we get them doing, the teams gets the results. e season we won the Northwest counties we had them in training Christmas Eve and New Years eve that commitment from the squad is what

gets the results, and that’s the kind of work ethic that we try to instil in the players, and that comes down from the top.”

We’re finding a lot of teams coming to Rammy with pre-prepared set pieces. Do you think that the lack of a full-size training pitch is a big issue?

Darren - “It’s not ideal, but when we have just a couple of hours to work with the lads, we have to work out where the priorities lie.

At the moment we have so much to work on that set pieces are not a huge worry, for me at least.”

John - “Being a goalkeeping coach I can look at it from the other side. I think we do need to put some work into how we, for example, run short corners so that we can make sure players time their runs to take players out of the game. ese things will become more and more important the higher we climb up the leagues.”

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“If we manage some consistency then why can’t we inish top three this season?”

Glenn - “ere’s no doubting that as we begin to face teams like Stockport etc we’ll need to get things like set-pieces really nailed, but our priority at the moment, with the limited time and facilities we have, is to keep our football quick, tight and dynamic. It’s that approach which is frightening teams that we come up against.”

Darren - “Another important thing for us is fitness. We put the lads through a really tough pre-season, and their fitness is right up there with full-time UEFA B trained coach Darren Green, part of Rammy’s expert backroom team

professional players. at’s a very big thing at this level, particularly with the ability that these lads have got.”

John - “Johnno said to me, and you can see it, that the footballing side of the club has come a very long way in a very short time, and the club infrastructure has quite a bit of catching up to do - I think that’s probably true. Decent training facilities has to be part of that catching up, even if it’s just now and again.”

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John Morrey, formerly manager at Maine Road now coaches Grant Shenton at Rammy

Predictions for the finish of the season where do you think Rammy will finish up come May? Glenn - “Beginning of the season I would have said that we could be looking at the playoffs. e way the season is going now, I can see us more than capable of making the playoffs. We’ve got no-one to be scared of in this division.”

John - “Relegation and playing Bacup in a couple of years! Nar - I expected us to come up against a couple of sides that would have us thinking, ‘that’s what we need to aspire to this year,’ but we haven’t.

We’ve not really had a lesson off anyone we’ve played over 90 minutes. Curzon gave us a good run, but they didn’t teach us anything. I think that we’re definitely top eight. It’s a long season and a lot can happen, but we’re looking at top eight.”

Darren - “Injuries have been the main issue, but I think we’ve got through the worst of that already. We have 24 fit players

turning up to training and have last season’s top strikers only just returned to fitness over the last couple of weeks. We’ve also got really good players coming in for trials and joining the squad. e strong squad will make a huge difference over the length of the season. I thought coming into this season that it’d be really tough, but it’s not. It’s about consistency, and about putting together a run of games. Anyone can beat anyone in this league so a couple of wins or defeats can make a huge difference. If we manage some consistency then why can’t we finish top three this season.”

John - “I’m going to give a note of caution.

Disciplinary is really important as there are lots and lots of yellows, and that means we lose consistency in the team and have to turn-out with slightly weakened sides.

Disciplinary is the main lesson that we need to learn to make sure we’re up there at the end of the season.”

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burscough fc an amazing history for a non-league club e first Burscough Association Football Club was formed in 1880, playing in Liverpool & District League football before folding in 1900. en, in 1905 Burscough Rangers were founded and moved to the present Mart Lane ground in 1908. ey established many of the traditions carried on by the current club, including playing in green and being known as the Linnets. In the 1920s they had tremendous success winning the Liverpool County Combination Championship three times. In 1926 Rangers purchased a grandstand from Everton and erected it on Victoria Park. e following year they joined the Lancashire Combination but never experienced the same level of success and began to run into financial difficulties, finally folding in 1935.

Following the Second World War the present Burscough club was founded in 1946, starting life in the Liverpool County Combination and by the end of the decade had made a major impact in the non-league soccer world. In only their second season, 1946/47, they achieved a unique treble, winning the Lancashire Junior Cup, George Mahon Cup and the Liverpool Challenge Cup. Another milestone was reached in 1959 when they reached the First Round Proper of the F.A. Cup for the first time before going down 3-1 to Crewe Alexandra in front of a 4,200 gate at Victoria Park. e Linnets reached the F.A. Cup First Round Proper on three other occasions. In

1977, a 1-0 defeat at Blyth Spartans, in 1979, a 3-0 defeat at Sheffield United in front of 14,000 spectators and in 1980, a 2-1 defeat against Altrincham.

In 1982 the Club became founder members of the North West Counties Football League and had the distinction of becoming the Leagues first ever Champions under Bryan Griffiths.

A new grandstand seating 250 was built in 1986 to replace the old wooden stand which had stood for 60 years and no longer met ground safety regulations.

In 1992/93 Burscough lost 2-1 to Conference bound Southport in the Liverpool Senior Cup Final at Goodison Park before 2,000 spectators. Success was achieved by winning the League Challenge Cup with a 2-1 victory over Nantwich Town.

1993/94 was one of the most eventful seasons in Burscough’s history as three players, Gary Martindale, Kevin Formby and Alex Russell, joined Football League clubs for substantial fees. Further covered standing accommodation for 500 spectators was erected at Victoria Park during the close season.

In the 1997/98 season, after finishing runners-up in the North West Counties League the club made history by being promoted to the Unibond League. ey also won the League Floodlit Trophy and reached the final of the Liverpool Senior Cup against Liverpool. Promotion to the dizzy heights of the Unibond League Premier Division in

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1999/2000 season exceeded most supporters wildest dreams as Burscough went through the season unbeaten away from home, and lost only two games in total.

Following the resignation of John Davison the club appointed Shaun Teale as player/manager in May 2002 and the exAston Villa defender went on to sensationally lead the club to its greatest ever achievement as Burscough became the smallest club to ever win the FA Trophy following a tremendous 2-1 victory over Tamworth at Villa Park on Sunday 18th May 2003. Played in front of a crowd of 14,296 spectators and televised live on Sky it was the Linnet’s twelfth game in an unforgettable cup run that had included one incredible result as the 400-1 outsiders shocked the non-league world by beating runaway Conference winners Yeovil Town 2-0 at Huish Park in the quarter-finals. ere were incredible scenes as almost

2,000 fans welcomed the team home to Victoria Park that evening but celebrations were dampened less than six weeks later as the club found it necessary to relinquish Teale of his managerial duties. Former Liverpool, Galatasary and West Ham United midfielder Mike Marsh was appointed manager but after a poor start to the season Marsh resigned and exSouthport defender Derek Goulding took over in October 2003.

An incredible end to 2003/04 season saw Burscough finish with a remarkable run of victories that saw them claw their way out of the bottom three into the play-offs for Conference North. Despite playing all their games away from home the Linnets went on to reach the play-off final where they only went down at Bradford Park Avenue following extra-time. During the summer Frank Parr stepped down after 30 years as chairman with local businessman Chris Lloyd taking over at the helm.

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burscough fc an amazing history for a non-league club e following season ended in controversy as the Linnets were denied a play-off place following a widely ridiculed decision to award three points for unplayed games against Spennymoor United who could not complete their fixtures.

Season 2005/06 was another historic one for Burscough F.C. as they went on to reach the Second Round proper of the F.A. Cup for the first time in their history. In reaching that milestone they defeated League One side Gillingham 3-2 on a never to be forgotten day at Victoria Park. Further excitement was to follow as a postponed 2nd round tie at Burton Albion allowed Burscough to appear in the ird round draw. at draw, should they have overcome Burton Albion, would have given the Linnets a home tie against the mighty Manchester United. Sadly that further dream never materialised as Burton Albion overcame the Linnets in the rearranged tie. Having started the season impressively, with Burscough being amongst the favourites for promotion, the season unfortunately never quite reached the heights of the F.A. Cup run and long term injuries to key players meant the team finished 7th.

Derek Goulding`s tenure as manager ended in June 2006 when he was replaced by former Southport manager, Liam Watson. e 2006/07 season was Burscough F.C`s Diamond Jubilee and one of the ways the club marked the event was by playing in a predominantly white kit with a specially designed badge. e season was one of the

most succesful in history when the Linnets won the Unibond Northern Premier Division and the Lancashire Co-Op Trophy, formerly the Lancashire Junior Cup, for the first time in 40 years when neighbours Marine were defeated. e league success was only confirmed after a thrilling climax. On the last day of the season the Linnets won at A.F.C. Telford United in front of nearly 6,000 fans. e victory meant they overhauled the New Bucks Head side at the top of the table and won the title on goal difference by just 1 goal from Witton Albion. Further and final success came when Unibond First Division champions Buxton were defeated 3-1 in the Peter Swailes Memorial Shield to round off a great season and confirm Burscough as Treble Winners.

In their first season in Conference North, Burscough finished in a very creditable 8th position but manager Liam Watson and many of the players departed during the close season. Assistant manager Joey Dunn took over as manager.in July 2008, but was replaced by Andy Mutch at the beginning of October. Burscough finished next to bottom of the league and were relegated back to the Unibond Premier with Andy Gray taking over as manager for the start of the 2009-10 campaign. e season was completed under difficult circumstances after chairman Chris Lloyd stood down and withdrew all funding. e Supporters Club accepted the raising of funds to complete the seasons fixtures, and were successful in this objective.

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Remember this fella back in 2012?

He booked almost everyone on the pitch during a good-natured tie!

During the close season the ground was sold to Chequer Properties Ltd who in turn leased the ground back to the football club at a peppercorn rent, at the same time the property company purchased Chris Lloyd’s majority shareholding, but did not wish to be involved with the day to day running of the football side of the business, and asked Frank Parr to return as chairman and form a committee to carry out these duties.

New Chairman Gary Wright appointed at the end of the 2010-11 season to oversee the temporary move to groundshare with local neighbours Skelmersdale United. e groundshare however would be short-lived, and the club would move back to Victoria Park half way through the season.

One of Wright's first major decisions during his tenure was to find a replacement for manager Chris Stammers, who's tenure ended

with his resignation after a poor start to the 2011-12 season. After many applications, former manager Derek Goulding would make a return to the club.

Goulding started to galvanize the side during the season, but his efforts would not be able to stop the inevitable, and despite a promising end to the season the Linnet's were relegated from the NPL Premier division.

August 2012 would see renewed optimism for Burscough. It would see the Supporters Club get back on board and help in the rebuild of the club. Goulding would spend the summer rebuilding the team on the pitch, and a hard working Football Club committee would start to rebuild the club off it.

Although in Season 2013-2014 the team found itself in midtable the future of the club is bright with the club now on a sound footing.

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points total

rammy

league position

points total

burscough

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tony’s teasers 1.

Name the six former Football League sides currently competing in Conference North

2.

Which is the odd one out of the six and why?

3.

What League do Dorchester Town play in?

4.

Which Welsh club had to cancel a game due to a fire below their main stand?

5.

Which Evo-Stik League club plays at the Aspire Stadium?

6.

Neville Southall has joined the coaching staff at which club?

7.

Who knocked Trafford out of the Doodson cup by 6-0?

8.

What colours do Mickleover Sports play in?

9.

Name the head coach of Lancaster City?

10.

By what name were Kendal Town known as for many years?

ANSWERS: 1. Barrow, Stockport County, Boston United, Gainsborough Trinity, Bradford PA, Stalybridge Celtic 2. Bradford PA – they were reformed when the original club folded 3. Southern League Premier 4. Rhyl 5. Newcastle Town 6.

Bangor City 7. Droylsden 8. Red and Black 9. Darren Peacock 10. Netherfield

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Gary Stopforh

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If your face is featured then congratulations, you’ve just won yourself a cup of tea and a Mars Bar courtesy of Rammy United Supporters Club. Visit the tea bar now to claim your magniďŹ cent prize!

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rammy in exile sky sports statto richard isaacs Good evening everyone, hope you are all keeping well and keeping warm too ... its pretty chilly down here in the deep south so it must be pretty cool up there in the frozen north! Oh ... and I see we won again on Saturday and I wasn't anywhere to be found! I can see posters appearing around the town ... keep this person away from the Harry Williams Riverside Stadium. I am going to get a complex, you know!

It has been quite a busy week as I prepare for the first of the seven one-day internationals between Sri Lanka and England, which start at 8.30am tomorrow morning (live on Sky Sports 2 ... plug plug!!!) so have been up to the Sky studios to ensure all is ready and we have all that is required. It is going to be a very interesting series as Sri Lanka have just been mauled 5-0 by India and England's record in the sub-continent isn't exactly the best. But then, the weather on that beautiful island in November is more Colne on a Tuesday night than Colombo (rain wise, not temperature!!). I worked out that in the last 10 one-day internationals played in November in Sri Lanka ... only 36% of the overs have actually been bowled! So what the bloody hell are they doing there in the Asian mid-winter!?

Whatever happens, I will be confined to the studio throughout, offering assistance to the producers and the 'talent' all the way through to December 16th. But, while I was in the office on Friday last week, I did find out that our scheduled off air time is 1pm on Saturday. e AA website says it is 71.2 miles from Osterley to Banbury and will take 1hr 25mins.

Sooooooooooo .... need another shouting voice for the game?! If I am allowed in, of course!

Dad and I have also watched a handful of rugby games over the last few days and I saw something that I never really thought I would on a rugby field, certainly not at the age or level that it was. It was Sunday afternoon and the third round of the National Colts Cup competition, played by players aged around 19 or so and it was a match between Winchester, the only remaining club in the competition from Hampshire and Cobham, a small town in Surrey. On a very sticky pitch, courtesy of the heavy rains of the last few days, Winchester won the match quite comfortably by 38 points to 12.

It is always said in oval-ball circles, that it is footballers who are the 'fairies', whilst rugby players are made of sturner stuff.

We have all seen the pictures (and seen it in evidence) of players rolling around on the ground in 'agony' on the football pitch

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whilst rugby players continue to play with broken limbs, re-arranged noses and cauliflower ears - England coach Graham Rowntree being the perfect example of the delightful mauling the face and particularly the ears can receive.

But on Sunday afternoon, as Winchester ran in their fourth and fifth tries in quick succession in the second half, this strapping young lad from Cobham - a fly-half - strolled around behind the goal line, kicking and cursing, swearing and chuntering and then .... began to cry! Yes, honestly!! It was absolutely unbelievable. He has already got into a bit of a punch-up after Winchester's first try and tried again as they crossed for a second but as his team proceded to get further and further behind, his emotions overflowed and he was subsequently replaced with a comforting shoulder around him. Wow, have never seen anything like it.

I guess that is how much sport effects some people. I know I have cried as a supporter - I was pretty damn close at Bamber Bridge back in May and on occasion at big cup finals when watching Hampshire Cricket back in the day. But as a participant, well, that was something new to me and bless him - it was actually quite sad to see.

Enjoy the match tonight, it should be a very interesting match as Burscough are

Suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous rugby

on a bit of a good run but they will want to right the last time they came to the HWRS, just a year and two days ago in the the league as we tucked into a 7-1 victory with a couple of goals for Warrender and Spencer as well as Gaskell, Pilky and Dean. I won't be there ... so we are likely to win!!

See you on Saturday, all being well.

COME ON YOU RAMS!!!!!!

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spot the ball and win a customised rammy mug Simply email your chosen grid reference to qy@dr.com and the winner will be chosen at random from those submitting the correct answer. You can then have your very own personalised rammy mug.

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rammy united meet the lads

Grant SHENTON Born in January 1991, this 6ft 2” goalkeeper joined Rammy from FC United at the end of August 2010. He was number two at FC United, but a superb season in 2010/11 saw him win Player of the Year for the Rams. He Signed full-time with the club at the start of 2011/12.

Grant SPENCER Battling midfield who signed for the club in 2011 following the demise of Rossendale United, for whom he scored a hat-trick in the ridiculous 7-5 Rammy win the previous season. Won the NWCFL title with the club and was offered terms with Conference Premier side Hyde but returned to the club on loan, eventually signing full terms.

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Steve HOWSON Signed from local rivals Radcliffe Borough after a spell playing in Australia, the big man is equally at home in the heart of the defence, or up front poaching goals.

Tom WILLIAMS Wing man Tom came on as a sub in the playoff game for our opponents Bamber Bridge. e Rams management team acted swiftly in the summer to bring him down to Ramsbottom

Dominic SMALLEY Signed for the club after impressing the managers when he played against the Rams for Atherton LR. Adds a whole new dimension to the Riversiders’ squad, and equally at home on the right side as either a defender or attacking winger.. Brother of Plymouth Argyle’s Deane Smalley.

Scott BURTON It has taken some two years for the management to finally get Scott to join the Rams. Bernard and Jonno have followed Scott’s career with Runcorn Town and he finally joined the club in late January 2014.

A hard-working midfielder, similar in style to Gary Stopforth, and an integral part of the promotion winning team.

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Jon ROBINSON Experienced striker Jon was signed from New Mills and despite plentiful interest from other clubs has remained loyal to the Rams for a number of seasons now, and always finishes near the top of the goal-scoring charts. Regarded as a “Rammy legend” in east Lancashire..

Phil DEAN A constant threat in attack, a solid performer in defence. Awarded Clubman of the Year award in 2011. Continues to cause plentiful problems to defences around the leagues.

Lee GASKELL Signed at the end of August 2011 from Manchester League side Walshaw Sports and has taken his opportunity with some relish.

Last season the 29 year old won the Golden Boot accolade for being the highest scorer in the Division One North.

Jordan HULME Joined the club in December 2011 from Clitheroe via Padiham. Son of a former 1990s Rammy favourite Martin, midfielder Jordan is highly rated and scored 8 goals for the Storks before going to Clitheroe. A versatile player – he can play anywhere from defence to striker.

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Gary STOPFORTH A skilful battling midfielder who signed full time with the Rams during the summer of 2012 after coming on loan from AFC Fylde the previous season and dominating the midfield. In his third season with the club he was a vital member of the promotion set-up last term.

Osebi ABADAKI e speedy wingman joined the Rams at the beginning of the 2014/15 season, having spent the previous campaign at fellow EvoStik Premier club Nantwich Town.

Lee PUGH e talented left full-back rejoined the club from Chester during the 2013/14 season having had a short spell here a couple of years earlier. His long throw-in is always a dangerous piece of his armory.

Cedric KROU Cedric joined the club in January 2014 having impressed the management team during his time with rivals Trafford FC. Essentially a defender, Cedric has the ability to fit in other positions for the team.

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Nelson MOTA A 24-year old forward player who signed for the Rams in the middle of September.

Previously with FC United of Manchester and Salford City. Prior to that he had spells at Niort, Lilas, DH Saint-Maur and Paris DC in France, as well as Tercera in Spain.

Alex PIACENTILE A left-back who signed for the Rams in the middle of September. Previously with C.E.Principado De Andorra, a second division Andorran team with whom he experienced Champions League football.

John MORREY

George GRAYSON

John is the goalkeeping coach at Ramsbottom, and was formerly manager at NWCFL side Maine Road, where he constantly had them pushing for promotion.

A 20 year old player who joined from Conference side Tamworth early in the 2014/15 season. George is a highly rated fullback capable of playing on either ank, giving the Rams additional defensive exibility.

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Darren GREEN A highly respected coach who has experience at all levels of the game, from local football with Walshaw to League One time at Bury. Highly respected coach and a coup for the club to have secured him. Also a holder of a UEFA B Coaches badge.

Anthony JOHNSON Appointed joint manager at the start of the 2009/2010 season and took the club to the NWCFL title in 2011/12 season, despite missing much of the season through injury.

He has helped guide the club through another promotion via the play-os into the Evo-Stik Premier League in May 2014.

Glenn MOSES Former manager of Atherton LR, leading them to 10th place in the NWCL in 2010/11.

Resigned from his post with the Crilly Park club and joins Ramsbottom United as a highly rated coach.

Bernard MORLEY Re-joined the club in January 2009 and became joint manager at the start of 2009/2010. A Rammy man to his core, a combative and hard-working midfelder who has occasionally taken over with some prowess in goal. Successful in guiding the Rams to two promotions in three seasons.

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from the darkside darren comer reports on the latest rammy ultras adventures e Rams’ road to cup glory continued recently with a trip to take on Nantwich Town. It was our shortest journey since our visit to Trafford in early October and the Hulme-mobile pulled up at e Darkside’s Kay Brow residence a little after 1.00. With a belly full of Mrs Darksides full English I was more than ready for the day ahead and had a good feeling about our chances of progressing to the next round.

Talk in the car soon turned to the day’s main event and it turned out we were all feeling confident that this would be the day we saw the team back to their true form. e M62 was a little busy, but we were due to turn off before hitting e Trafford Centre and we were soon making good progress crossing over the Cheshire border.

As the conversation turned away from football, Geoff got bored and started treating us to some whistling like he was some kind of Lancastrian Roger Whittaker.

Before we knew it we were pulling into the Nantwich car park, just behind Harry and Sophie, and Paul and Karol, and judging by the cars already there it seemed that we had another

healthy following of Ultras already inside the ground. is was confirmed when we walked into the rather spacious bar they have at Nantwich and were met by around 30-40 familiar faces.

Before joining the Rams Army I went to the bar and ordered myself and Martin a couple of beers, and so begins my only moan of the day. If I want to pay nearly £7.00 for a couple of pints I will go along to e Etihad or some trendy little bar, but I don’t want to pay that. One of the many advantages of watching football at this level is that you rarely pay over the odds for refreshments, so please take note Nantwich.

I had a bit of a chat with e Carlsberg Family and UkePunk while downing my drink and we made our way out onto the terraces to welcome the lads onto the pitch. We waited to see which way we would be kicking and, just as our luck would have it, we were going to be attacking the far end of the ground, so a mass exodus started to make its long trek around the perimeter. e majority of Ultras were soon in place behind the goal, but I stood down the side with a few others, which was quite good as we were soon singing songs back to each other throughout the first half. Our singing seemed to wake up the Nantwich fans who, backed by a drummer, were soon joining in

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from the darkside

Now we know what they spend the beer takings on...

with a few of their own (I particularly enjoyed their humorous and selfdepreciating we’ve got more flags than fans). It was a close-run sing off between both sets of supporters, although the same cannot be said about the contest on the pitch. Rammy looked up for it right from the start and after several forays forward we eventually took the lead on the quarter hour, much to the Rams Army’s pleasure, with a goal from Tom Williams.

With a lead behind us it looked like it was only a matter of time before we extended it and just as I was making my way round back to the bar, Whizz scored a Marco Van Basten style special to make sure we went in at half time with a well-deserved two goal lead.

As Martin went to get the overpriced half time pints in, I went to the refreshment kiosks where they were serving some rather

tasty looking chips and curry which seemed to be going down well with the Rammy faithful. I opted to go for the, rather dry, chicken balti pie, served by a rather surly teenager who had been having etiquette lessons from Harry Enfield’s, Kevin the Teenager character (check out the Nantwich post on the forum to see Carlsbergs snapshot of the aforementioned dry chicken Balti pie). e massed ranks of the Ultras assembled behind the goal for the 2nd half and luckily for me I had on my new Winter coat as it seemed to be a little chilly in this particular spot. We were joined by Richard for the 2nd half and, for those who know Hampshires finest, he made sure we drowned the Nantwich fans and drum (A special mention to Richard’s Mother who was making her Rammy watching debut).

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from the darkside darren comer reports on the latest rammy ultras adventures I did speak to her after the game, without realising who she was, so a special Darkside hello to you, Mrs Issacs and welcome to e Rammy Family). Richard’s late arrival was due to a puncture on the M62 and we were worried that his presence might lead to Rammys downfall as his recent appearances have coincided with our recent dip in form. is fear was soon dispelled when Spenner added a third goal early in the second half and the Rams progress into the next round was signed, sealed and delivered.

Although Nantwich pulled a goal back twenty minutes from the end we never really looked like letting the lead slip and the celebrations on the terraces had begun in earnest. Chairman Harry left his seat in the stand to have a stroll round and a chat with the Ultras (eat your heart out, Mr Abramovich). is saw a new song added to our repertoire and we burst into a chorus of “Harry’s going to Wembley, His knees have gone all trembly,” and lets hope this song will be ringing around e Cow Field End at Banbury this coming Saturday.

At 90 minutes it

was a very happy, and quite hoarse, bunch of Rams fans celebrating and as always the players came over to celebrate with us. On the rare occasions that I watch football from the English Super-Dooper Corporate Premier League, I often wonder, when the players applaud their supporters if they are just paying lip service to them. I think we can safely say that when our players, and management, come over to us it is with genuine passion and that they love playing for this club as much as we love supporting them.

We had a quick post match pint back in the clubhouse, leaving before having to endure any of the England - Slovenia game that was about to start on the big screen.

We also had to get Geoff home for his Saturday night ritual of Tommy Toppings finest sirloin steak cooked by his wonderful wife, Annie.

We were so interested in the England game that we didn’t even put 5Live on the radio until just before half time, and why would we when we had our Rams to chat about. Now, this might be a bit controversial and feel free to argue with me on it, but I actually like Alan Green’s commentary on 5Live. e England game sounded woeful and who else but the BBC’s Mr Cantankerous to commentate on it. Yes, I know he moans a lot, but I would much rather have him than the majority of awful

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from the darkside

A slack handful of Ultras, just a few of the thousands that made the trip

TV Commentators, especially on ITV. Myself and Mrs Darkside were dropped off back at e Kay Brow residence at 6.15, and after a quick change we met up again with Martin and Joanne for a hastily arranged Ultras night out in Radcliffe and Prestwich. We made our way to e Sparkling Clog in Radcliffe where we met up with Paul and Cheryl Whizz, e Gaz and Mary Chain, Uncle Dave, Young Dave and later, Jordan and Whizz. Unfortunately, Carlsberg could not make it, but next time we will kidnap him so that he has no choice in the matter. As you can imagine we were all in high spirits after another great victory on the road and the beers (or brandies in

Paul and Dave’s case) were flowing. We ended up going for an Italian at Peradas in Prestwich, which is well worth a visit, before ending up with a couple of more beers in the White Room. At close to 2.00 we arrived back in town as very tired, but once again very happy travelling Rams.

So, we were back to our true form on and off the pitch and if you couldn’t manage to be there Rob soon had the highlights on RammyTV. is was the first away game for Stephen and David in their roles as RammyTV camera operatives and I have to say that the footage was extremely impressive, so massive thanks to you both from all the Rammy faithful.

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the boogie bus on the road with rammy Well, if the travelling Rammy support do not know Derbyshire like the backs of their hands yet they certainly will by the end of season. Already we have had trips to Ilkeston and Buxton and we play away at Belper in less than two months’ time. To that list we can also add Matlock, who e Rams visit on the first Saturday in December.

Matlock Town, or e Gladiators as they are known, play at Reynolds Stadium, although I prefer to call it by its original, and more evocative, name of Causeway Lane. e ground has undergone renovation in recent years and now has a main stand that holds 500, as well as a large social club for the thirsty Ultras. ey were formed in 1878 as plain old Matlock and added the Town to their name in later years. eir current manager, Mark Atkins, is well known in our little corner of Lancashire as he was a member of the Blackburn Rovers side who famously lifted the Premier League in 1995 (in the days when a Harry Williams type of person could take his local side to national glory and not have to rely on dodgy Russian roubles or Eastern oil cash to win silverware). e Gladiators have had success of their own, although not on such a grand scale, winning the F.A. Trophy in 1974-1975 with a 4-0 win over

Scarborough in the final.

Two years later they had their best ever run in the F.A. Cup by reaching the

3rd Round, beating the then Division 3 side Mansfield Town along the way. is was a golden era for Matlock and they followed up their cup exploits by lifting the Northern Premier League Cup in 1978, meaning they qualified for European football in the, then semi-professional, Anglo-Italian Cup. ey lost 2-1 to Chieti and Pisa over in Italy but managed to beat Juniorcasale and Cremonese 2-0 at home and only just missed out on the final by coming 2nd in the English group to eventual winners Sutton United (a few ideas for Tony and his Non-League Quiz section in the Rammy programme there).

It should make for good away trip and I am sure many of you reading this have already visited Matlock before on more than one occasion. An early start should be in order for this one and the town has a range of real ale pubs and fine dining in one of the most beautiful areas in the U.K. If you get there early enough, Matlock Bath is just up the A6 and it is an amazing little town that Mrs Darkside recommends highly. e Peak District around Matlock is such a beautiful area that is has been used as the setting for several films including Ken Russell’s, 1969 Academy Award winning Women in Love and more recently Shane Meadows 2004 classic Dead Mans Shoes, which I highly recommend you check out some time.

So, with plenty to see in Matlock and the mighty, mighty Rammy being in town there is no excuse not to be there on December 6th (sod the Christmas shopping, have you not heard of online shopping?), especially when the journey is only around 90 minutes and takes you through the heart of the stunning Peak District.

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“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the managers, players and staff, the fans and everyone involved with the club for making my time with Ramsbottom United FC a thoroughly enjoyable and rewarding one.

“I have decided to retire as I feel I no longer have the consistent desire and hunger needed to perform at the level that I expect of myself and feel everyone involved has the right to know and understand the reason, instead of being left wondering what's happened.

“I am immensely proud and honoured to have been Jonno & Bernard's first signing and been a part of Rammy's history, rising through the leagues to their highest level yet. Let's hope we continue this progression, playing the way everyone has come to love and expect.

“I have played for a few clubs at a decent level but can honestly say that playing at Rammy for the last six seasons has been by far the best time of my career. is is thanks to Jonno & Bernard, all the players and staff, the fans and everyone connected to this great "little" club, for all of whom I have a huge amount of respect and affection.

“I now look forward to watching games at the Riverside (don't worry Harry I'll pay my £9 to get in!!), cheering the lads on their march to another promotion.

Wishing everyone connected to the club all the very best, and one more massive thank you!”

- Joel Pilkington

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supporters club on the terraces of rammy You might have noticed that in amongst Saturday’s 351 supporters we had a good number of children, many of whom have never been to a Rammy match before.

Most of this is due to the incredibly hard work put in by Karol over the last couple of weeks as she’s been out and about around the schools of Rammy helping to promote the club.

As a child, football for me was always a family thing - traditionally for the blokes and a bit of male bonding. I was born in Liverpool and my Uncle Freddie thankfully got to me first as I left the maternity ward, flinging my first ever Liverpool scarf around my neck before I was even two days old - I dread to think the years of childhood misery if Uncle Al had got to me first! I’m not even sure I can spell ‘Gwladys Street End’!

Uncle Bill took me to my first ever match, and I’ll never forget walking up the steps of the Kop before emerging into the ground for the first time. e pitch was a neon green, just like it is on Sky Sports and amazingly small - it looked huge on the telly! ere in the middle of the pitch was a big Crown Paints advert - a pot of paint that was about 8ft tall. I remember the (pretty unpleasant) smell of drunk bloke, the rolling, billowing smoke escaping the

enormous kop roof, and the moment I was presented with my first ever programme, before getting it nicked.

How many kids of 5-6 get the opportunity that many of us had when we were that age - the chance to physically go to a match every week, or even get a season ticket? How many get the chance, not only to talk about players or collect stickers, but have their heroes within touching distance. Most think football is something that happens elsewhere, on the telly, or at best is a thing that you go to now and again. With Rammy football is real, local, and it comes with the exact same extremes of emotions that I felt watching Liverpool, or Preston: the despair of relegation, or of losing to the cockneys, the joy of Ian Rush banging home the winner in injury time at the Kop end, or of Northend going three up against the donkey lashers after only twenty minutes.

I think that I have a tendency to harp on about this subject, and for that I’d like to apologise, but I really do feel that we desperately need kids and families down at Rammy. e kids need heroes - real, local heroes that they can identify with, not plastic heroes that they see on the telly. ey need an identity - to be able to say that they’re from somewhere, that they belong somewhere (have you noticed how we’ve all started to feel a little bit of pride when we say we’re from

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The future of Rammy: a huge proportion of Saturday’s gate was youngsters - the way it should be.

Rammy?). ey also need the chance to spend a bit of time with their families, doing something together and bonding, just like I did with Uncle Bill and Uncle Freddie, it’s an important part of growing up.

On the reverse side, Rammy need these kids to keep coming, and tell their mates. e atmosphere on Saturday was fantastic, and this is what we need in order for the club to progress off the field. We need these kids, and we need their families.

I’ve looked everywhere for a photo of Joanne Hulme’s that I scanned, which

shows a very young Jordan Hulme kicking a football around on the terraces while his dad Martin ‘Tommy’ Hulme turned out for the first team on the pitch. ere’s no more stark illustration of the continuity that a club gets from the kids than you can see in that photograph - the fact that a young lad can grow up to become the team’s top scorer.

And so I’d like to finish by saying “Well Done” to Karol. She did a brilliant job striking up relationships with the schools, and I hope that it’s just the start of a long and rewarding partnership for all of us.

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grant shenton shouting from between the sticks ere was a great buzz on the terraces after the fantastic second half performance on Saturday. Was it the same in the dressing room?

It was exactly the same in changing room all the lads were on a high. It was a very good second half performance against a physical side, something that’s caused us problems this season, so it's a good result and the last league game for a couple weeks which is very important.

What changed in the second half? First-half we created the better chances in a tight game, but in the second we steam-rollered them!

Well it was just a case of being patient. We had the chances first half, we just didn't convert them. e second half was a result of the hard work we are putting in at training - you could see how fit we were compared to them. Plus we kept the ball very well.

John Hunter said to me after the game that he's seen twelve Rammy matches this season, and all twelve have been wins. It feels to the fans as though we're invincible at the moment, is confidence through the roof in the team too? e whole team including management know how good this squad is. I believe there aren't many teams in nonleague that can pass a ball and attack the way we do. It's just a case of taking every game

as they come and beating the eleven men in front of us. We have a lot of games coming up and two games a week is what we want as a team.

Billy Priestley came along on Saturday to watch, and there was speculation that he might fancy coming back to Rammy. As good as he is though, we can't see him deposing Howson and Cedric. Are you as happy with the current back four as we are?

I'm very happy with our back four. Each player brings something different to the table and I think they compliment each others very well.

Ste is very strong and has got bags of experience, Cedric is so calm and has unbelievable feet and recovery for a big lad.

Dom has shown for me why he is arguably the best right back in the league, and Lee is very solid at left back, gives us a great out ball down the left and is very strong in a challenge. If billy was to come back (which would be great for the team) he would have his work cut out getting back in.

e atmosphere at games is starting to get better and better as we get our head round some Rammy songs. Is that coming across?

Yes 100%. It's great to hear the songs from the fans and I sing along to most of them if I'm not shouting or trying to thwart an attack. So keep it up with the songs and get banging that drum more, it's great to be playing with that being banged!

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Burscough are reputedly playing some very good football at the moment, and we've always found them to be tough opposition. Do you think that we'll have a tough game on our hands tonight?

I think so. It's going to be a good game tonight as they’re a good side who like to play football. And I'd agree with you there not an easy team to play so it's got makings for a good game. And here’s hoping we come away with a win.

A big, big game away to Banbury on Saturday in the FA Trophy. Is the distance likely to affect our performance or will the great mood on the coach spur the lads on to bigger and better things?

It’s all dependent on how much money some lads lose playing cards, but it shouldn't affect us to much haha. But no we are starting to adapt to the long journeys before games. It does make it a bit more difficult but not enough to lower our quality and mentality. I would never use a long coach journey as an excuse for not winning. So we are travelling and looking to come back with our name in the hat for the next round. And an unforgettable journey home!

COYR!

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Managers: Anthony Johnson, Bernard Morley

Grant SHENTON Dominic SMALLEY Lee PUGH Gary STOPFORTH Steve HOWSON Cedric KROU Osebi ABADAKI Scott BURTON Jordan HULME Grant SPENCER Phil DEAN Jon ROBINSON Tom WILLIAMS Lee GASKELL George GRAYSON

Manager: Derek Goulding

Calvin HARE Joe CAMOZZI Paul WILLIAMS Nick RYAN Anthony BROWN Wade JOYCE Michael MANAGHAN Eddie TONER Will JONES Mark BEESLEY Jordan WILLIAMS Danny DUNLEAVY Matty DEVINE Phil QUIRK Ryan SCHOFIELD Danny SMITH

Referee: David Fisher Referee’s Assistants: Mark Hughes, Abid Hussain

Next home game: Saturday 13th December 3pm, Rammy v Rushall Olympic