rammy news v STAMFORD 06-09-14
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I'd like offer a warm welcome to all travelling from Stamford to the Harry Williams Riverside Stadium. We hope you enjoy our small town and facilities for the day and have a safe journey home. To say I'm happy with Tuesday’s performance against Marine would be a massive understatement. e way we took the game to them from minute one was very pleasing. We took the lead for the fifth time in six matches and had plenty more efforts during the first half. We were actually in the same position as the week before when we were leading 1-0 at halftime against Nantwich Town but thankfully the boys went out in the second half the same as they had started the first half and got their rewards with another two goals. en for the remainder of the game we controlled the possession and kept our shape very well. 3-0, happy days, or so you'd think. What happened next was one of the most bizarre five minute spells of officiating I've ever seen. First the liner flagged to say the whole ball had crossed the line despite being at least ten yards behind the play. e players of both teams were staggered by this decision and even the brutally honest Marine fans behind the goal were laughing at the decision. en, which for me the most ridiculous thing ever was how Robbo ran with the ball from 20 yards out, riding a few tackles and smashing the ball into the net only for it to
be disallowed! How on earth that decision could even be questioned was unthinkable but unbelievably his decision stood. As it happened neither of these decisions cost us the three points but the fact it could and should have been 4-0 as opposed to 32 left a bit of a sour taste, as the lads defended excellently and fully deserved a clean sheet for the first time this season. Malachi scored his first goal for the club which was an absolute beauty - this lad has got all the tools to be a top class player for us and at 20 could be a mainstay in the team for many years. Osebi also had a very good game out wide and is now starting to settle into how we play - his pace and strength were a constant threat to Marine’s back line as he constantly broke through them. But the most pleasing performance of the night was that of Cedric,. We took a bit of a chance by playing him at centre half in place of the injured Danny Warrender but the way he played was outstanding. He has given me and Bern a massive selection headache with that performance, but it was certainly something we knew he had in his locker. We know how difficult a game this is today as Stamford have had a great start to the season. We had them watched at Ashton last week and are fully aware of the dangers they possess. We will show them the utmost respect but will continue to try to play the way we always do. -
Jonno
jonno bernard
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tony cunningham and the wonderful world of non-league football Welcome to the Harry Williams Riverside Stadium. A special welcome to our match officials and our visitors from Lincolnshire, Stamford who are making their first ever visit to the Harry Williams Riverside Stadium. Hopefully they will have had a good journey here, and enjoy our hospitality, at least OFF the pitch! Stamford have made an good start to the campaign, and will arrive here full of confidence, although that may have been knocked a little after their midweek defeat. We would have liked a better start, but injuries have certainly hit us hard. I know every club suffers from the same, but ours have come early and involve influential team members. Hopefully we’ll soon see the Physio’s room empty with those same players making a swift return to the pitch, as we attempt to get to grips with life at this new level. e weakened team put in a sterling performance against title favourites FC United, but ultimately went down to a 31 defeat in front of another large crowd (We are getting used to those, aren’t we!) en came Tuesday night! A thoroughly deserved three points eventually eked out in
controversial circumstances. ose last eight minutes were bizarre to say the least, but there was no doubting the team thoroughly deserved the victory. Let’s hope it acts as a springboard. KEEP IT CLOSED As if Malky Mackay had not inflicted enough self-harm with his emails and texts, another case of “I wish I’d kept my mouth shut” appears just days later. Enfield Town’s experienced manager George Borg was fired in the wake of a report that he had directed comments involving Adolf Hitler at a bunch of Wingate and Finchley fans. Predominantly Jewish, the fans took exception to this, and it was reported by the referee. Never mind that Borg had allegedly been subjected to comments himself from those very same supporters referring to his late mother, and, basically, suggestions that he follow suit. Not very nice is it, and yet players and management teams are supposed to accept such nonsense whilst failing to fall into the trap of daring to respond. We are all human beings, and when such taunts are directed personally, it’s not the easiest of things to ignore them. Yet fans will shrug their shoulders and proclaim “I’ve paid my money, I can do
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Jon Robinson’s solo run saw him adjudged offside
“free speech in this country is not, and never will be, the same again “ what I like”. What a dreadful attitude, and one which, fortunately, we rarely see in the much more welcoming world of non-league football. However the MacKay and Borg issues merely highlight the fact that free speech in this country has been diluted to a point where certain subjects are taboo. We all know that the PC brigade have been extremely busy over the years attempting to shift the populations attitudes to various aspects of life. Whether we agree or not, we now live in a country where various actions and words
are carefully dissected and frowned upon to such an extent that the law becomes involved. Even comments which were meant to be private can be uncovered, so the likes of these two managers must learn that there are certain things you cannot do or say. ese issues, not for the first time, have been brought into the public domain. Malky and George have paid a high price for their actions, and should prove to be a warning to others that no matter how we may dislike it, free speech in this country is not and never will be the same again.
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grant shenton shouting from between the sticks ...and so the rammy roller coaster continues. We put in a poor second half of football on Bank Holiday Monday followed by a poor mistake in the FC United game when we were on top, but despite a nervy finish we ended up with a deserved win on Tuesday. e Nantwich game is one that all the lads have put to the back of their memory as the great first half was followed with a horrible second half - mainly due to a lack of focus, and all lads under-estimated what Nantwich were going to throw at us. We showed an element of naivety and it definitely cost us, not only the game but also Jordy and Robbo who will miss games through suspension, both picking up red cards. ey will certainly be missed as they have really stood out at the start of this new campaign. But everyone's heads are still high as we are playing great football, though we know that little mistakes are costing us. I don't want to talk too much about the games as we feel your frustrations on the pitch, we can hear some of them from the sideline - uncle Dave in particular - but as a squad nothing has changed. Training is still done how it always has been, and the determination is just the same. After Tuesday’s good result we
look to get a run of wins under our belts. Stamford will be a tough challenge and one all the lads are looking forward to today’s game. is is what this league is all about, and against the higher teams in the league we always tend to up our game and show the attacking, flowing football you all love to watch. With Lee and Dan injured, and Gaz awaiting results of a scan you would think we would be a bit worried, as these are quality players who would walk into any team in this league with ease, but the lads who have taken their shirts are going to make them fight to get them back. e players in the changing room all have a positive view on this season so far even though we know we should be higher, and for it's only going to get better. ere's a lot of talent in this squad and we know what we are capable of. Team spirit is really high, and all the new lads gave us a song on the journey back from Rushall - they were all terrible but fair play to lads for trying. We also found out one new lad who settles disputes with by wrestling. I'll leave it to the fans to guess who? (For those who didn't join us in the coach) Enjoy today’s game and we hope we can give you the result you all deserve for your great support COYR!!
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“ ere’s a lot of talent in this squad and we know what we are capable of “
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A game that was seemingly progressing to a comfortable Ramsbottom United victory suddenly exploded with controversy as the final few minutes were played with a series of decisions that had the home crowd mystified and the away supporters wondering if a miraculous escape was on the cards. e Rams had controlled the match and were looking good value for their three goal lead when the deserved three points were almost snatched away in a bizarre display of officiating. Fortunately, the whistle finally blew with the three points still intact, but questions were raised afterwards as the fans streamed out with a certain amount of anger. Both sides settled down early, with Cedric Krou going close for the home side after a penalty area scramble, before Andy Fowler saw his shot on the turn fly past the far post for the Merseysiders. e Rams took the lead in the ninth minute after some terrific work from Dominic Smalley. He gathered the ball just outside his own area before setting off down the right. He played a one-two before sending Jordan Hulme through, and the youngster held off a challenge from a defender to fight his way into the area and flick the ball neatly past the advancing keeper. e home side were seeing more of the ball although Karl Clair and James Foley both went close for the visitors. e home side looked menacing, though, and Phil Dean from fully 30 yards, and Hulme from close range, were both denied by Matthew Cooper in the Marine goal. e Rams took a firm grip on the game within three minutes of the restart. Malachi Slaven gathered the ball out on the left before skipping past a couple of defenders as he raced across the pitch to create the space to fire home an unstoppable volley from just inside the box. A superb solo effort. Tom Owens shot straight at Shenton as the visitors looked for a response, but it was the home side that was to grab the next goal. On 56 minutes, a shout for a penalty for hand
ball was ignored by the referee, who otherwise pointed for a corner. From the kick, Steve Howson jumped highest to power a header into the back of the net to render the penalty claim irrelevant. e bar came to the Rams rescue as the three goal cushion remained in tact, and as the minutes ticked down, a well-deserved three points looked like a fair reward for a good night’s work. en the entertainment began. On 87 minutes, a loose ball in the area was desperately cleared off the home side’s goal-line. e players looked on aghast as the linesman raised his flag to indicate a goal, despite the lack of appeals from the visitors. After much heated debate and a couple of yellow cards, the “goal” was given, and Marine sensed an opportunity for an unlikely comeback. As the game entered stoppage time, the referee pointed for a corner despite the assistant flagging for a goal-kick. From the corner John Shaw headed the ball in, and suddenly it was panic stations in the home defence and optimism on the visitors’ bench. Five minutes of added time were announced as the home side pushed forward to attempt to keep hold of the points. Cedric Krou went on a solo run where he was brought down with a bump in the area. Again, despite confident appeals for a penalty, the referee pointed for a corner. en to the relief of the home fans, Jon Robinson gathered the ball, strode forward before hitting the back of the net. e joy was amazingly curtailed when, for some inexplicable reason, the linesman on the far side decided to raise his flag for offside, which had everyone on the ground scratching their heads in disbelief. e final whistle finally blew on a game that for 87 minutes had proceeded with no controversy, but one which will long be remembered for a bizarre last eight minutes. As it was, the Rams gained their first home points of the season, and despite the scoreline, it was a comfortable and well-deserved victory.
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3-2
î Łe Harry Williams Riverside 2nd September 2014 Att: 250 Rammy Goals: Hulme (9), Slaven (48), Howson (56) Marine Goals: Owens (87), Shaw (90)
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Is it or isn’t it? Even Rammy’s sophisticated goal-line technology can’t figure it out!
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We think it is!
He thinks it isn’t!
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In lieu of a signing on fee, Paul Cropper presents Grant Shenton with his ďŹ rst pair of gloves. î Łe Supporters Club has sponsored Grant to the tune of eight pairs for the season.
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tony’s teasers 1.
Who is the owner/manager of Droylsden?
2.
Which Evo-Stik League club plays at the Dual Seal Stadium?
3. 4. 5. 6.
Greg Strong is manager of which Welsh Premier League club? Barnton have just joined which League? Booth Street is the home of which Cheshire non-league club? Before moving to their present home on Sandgate Drive where did Prestwich
Heys play? 7. Name the club nicknamed the Bees who play at the Hive 8. True or false? FC United of Manchester once played a home game at Radcliffe Borough. What colours do Halesowen Town play in? Barwell are members of which local FA?
ANSWERS: 1. Dave Pace 2. Brighouse Town 3. Rhyl 4. North West Counties 5. Congleton Town 6. e Hetys, on Heys Road! 7. Barnet 8. True 9. All Blue 10. Leicestershire and Rutland
9. 10.
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Rammy supporter Peter “Captain” Taylor presents Joel Pilkington with a copy of ‘e Pilkie Issue’ of the Rammy programme, along with an envelope containing over £100 (raised by a fans whip-round) to celebrate his 200th appearance for the club. A big ank You to everyone who chipped in.
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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 SKELMERSDALE UTD A Trafford H CURZON ASHTON H BELPER TOWN A Frickley Athletic H BUXTON H WHITBY TOWN A Blyth Spartans A Marine A Whitby Town FAT 1Q H WORKINGTON A Halesowen Town H BURSCOUGH LGCUP A Witton Albion H GRANTHAM TOWN H BARWELL A Matlock Town H RUSHALL OLYMPIC A King’s Lynn Town H ASHTON UNITED 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
322 Shenton 415 Shenton 161 Shenton 365 Shenton 1917 Shenton 250 Shenton
Smalley Smalley Smalley Smalley Smalley Smalley +
Pugh Pugh Pugh Abadaki * Pilkington Pilkington
Spencer Spencer * Spencer * Spencer + Spencer Spencer
Howson Howson Howson Howson Howson Howson 1
Priestley Priestley Priestley Priestley Warrender Krou
Hulme 1 Hulme Hulme 1 + Hulme Abadaki + Abadaki
fixtures & results 2014/15
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Hulme 1 Hulme Hulme 1 + Hulme Abadaki + Abadaki
Burton Burton Burton Burton Slaven Burton *
Gaskell Gaskell Robinson# 1 Robinson 1 Robinson * Slaven 1
Robinson 1* Robinson + Pilkington Pilkington Hulme 1 # Hulme 1
Dean + Dean # Dean 2 Dean Dean Dean #
Pilkington Pilkington * Abadaki * Williams Williams + Williams #
Slaven Slaven + Slaven + Slaven Krou * Robinson *
Abadaki + Abadaki Ahmadi # Cook * Cook # Cook +
Ahmadi * Ahmadi # Cook Krou + Morley Morley
Cook Cook Williams Morley Johnson Johnson
Ramsbottom United Football Club Chairman: Harry Williams Vice Chairman: Chris Woolfall Secretary: Tony Cunningham Matchday Secretary: Andy Edmunson Treasurers: H Williams, C Woolfall Committee: Harry Williams, Chris Woolfall, Andy Edmundson, Kevin Hitchen Recent Senior Honours: Bolton Comination Div 1 Champions: 1972/73 Bolton Comb. Premier Champions 1976/77: Bolton Comb. Div2 cup runners up: 1979/80,1982/83 Bolton Comb. Div2 runners up: 1982/83 Bolton Comb. Cup winners: 1976/77, 1979/80, 1983/84 Bolton Comb. Div1 runners up: 1984/85 Bolton Comb. Cup runners up: 1985/86, 1987/88 Manchester League Cup Winners: 1990/91 Manchester League Champions: 1990/91 Yorkshire Cup runners up: 1993/94 Northwest Counties Div2 Champions: 1996/97 Northwest Counties Div2 Trophy: 1995/96 Bolton Hospital Cup winners: 1974/75, 05/06. 06/07, 07/08 Northwest Counties Premier runners Up 2010/11 Northwest Counties Premier Champions: 2011/12 Northern Premier League Div1 playoff winners: 2013/14 The Harry Williams Riverside, Acre Bottom, Ramsbottom, Lancashire Tel: 01706 822799
ďŹ xtures & results 2014/15
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Chairman Harry Williams shares his views on pilfering and cantankerous young managers withthe presenter of BBC Radio Lancashire’s non-league roadshow, hosted by Rammy on Wednesday night.
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Stamford AFC is a club with a long and illustrious history, with their nickname “e Daniels” going back even further, being the name of the heaviest British man ever - Daniel Lambert from Stamford, who died in 1809 weighing 52 stone. Evidence of football in Stamford goes back to 1870, though this incarnation of the club dates back to 1896. 1909 saw the club field a professional team for the first time, though by the 1930s they were experiencing financial troubles which saw them take a season’s break to put things in order. Spells in the United Counties, Midland and Central Alliance Leagues followed, with a 1973 foray to the 4th Qualifying Round of the FA Cup followed by a trip to the FA Vase semi-final the season afterwards. 1976 saw the club win the UCL league and cup double, progressing to the FA Case final only to lose 10 to Billericay in extra time. Another league title came in 1978, followed by three more in quick succession, with the team lifting the 1980 Fa Vase after win over Guisborough. e Lincolnshire Senior Cup enjoyed a long residence in the Stamford trophy cabinet, though the club suffered another FA Vase final defeat in 1984, losting 3-2 to Stanstead. 1994 and the appointment of Steve Evans as manager brought Stamford further successes, lifting the UCL league title for an eighth time, which saw them promoted to the Southern League. e club was transferred to the Northern Premier League Premier Division in 2007 after nine years playing in the Southern Leaug, but suffered instant relegation to Division One South after just one season, though a return to the premier division came in 2013 after a playoff win over Chasetown. Manager Wayne Hatswell departed for League Two side Newport County, leaving his deputy David Staff to take over the reigns in his first mangerial position. His first season in charge saw the Daniels yet again lift the Lincolnshire Senior Trophy. ough finishing just 18th in the table last season, Stamford have made a blazing start to this season and will be extremely tough opposition for the Rams.
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Emeka Nwadike: Experienced midfielder signed in January 2014. Started his career at Wolverhampton Wanderers before joining Shrewsbury Town where he played over 50 times. His other clubs include Grantham Town, Worcester City and AFC Telford Utd.
four to watch
Richard Jones: Captain and centre half signed from Corby in June 2012 having previously played for Blackstones and Peterborough North Star in the United Counties League. Won the accolade of Supporters Player of the year in both the previous seasons.
Jon Challinor: Experienced midfielder who can also play as a defender signed in August 2013. Started his career at Rushton and Diamonds before joining Stamford in 2000, has also played at Cambridge City, Aldershot Town, Exeter City, had a stint at an American club and also York City where he played in the 2012 FA trophy final and also gained promotion to the football league via the play-offs. In January and February 2014 he was on a dual registration with us and Halifax Town.
Ryan Clarke: Defender signed in the summer of 2014. Ryan joined the Daniels from rivals Kings Lynn Town. Mainly plays at right back but is also capable of playing centre back or in midfield. Started his career at Notts County before joining Boston Utd where he had loan spells at both King's Lynn and Leigh RMI. He joined Alfreton Town in 2005 before moving on to Worcester City in 2007. He rejoined Boston in 2008 before moving onto Eastwood Town, Grantham Town, Ilkeston, Northwich Victoria and Worksop.
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rammy united 49 years of football under harry williams e Ground that Time Forgot ATHERTON COLLIERIES.............................1 RAMSBOTTOM UNITED...........................4 Saturday 16th April 2004 Making excuses for your team losing are legendary, but it’s not often a football manager makes exuses for his side not winning as well as it should have! Well, that’s ujst what Rams’ boss Vince Overson did, after seeing his side eventualy brush Atherton Collieries aside, winning 4-1. “I have never been there before and I never want to go back atain,” was his reaction to Colls’ Alder Street ground. “e pitch was like a ploughed field, I was looking out for the cows going back on it. “e ice cream van was belting out the theme tune from ‘e Good, the Bad and the Ugly,’ and that’s what it looked like, a deserted western town. “It was no surprise there was
no football played on it - you couldn’t, which made winning that much harder, but we should have had even more.” Despite the playing surface, Iain Dyson hit the opener for the Rams on 11 minutes, when his hopeful flick was
Rammy Manager Vince Overson
fumbled by the Colls’ keeper, it then trickled over the line. e league’s bottom club then equalised in the 25th minute, when poor
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covering from the Rams allowed Colls’ Lee Bowles to break through and beat Paul Eatock in the Rams’ goal. “I had a go at the lads at half-time,” confessed Overson: “We didn’t get out of first gear in the first half so I changed things around. “I got Liam Boden to sit in front of the back three and Luke Hardman to sit in front of him, that gave Dyson the opportunity to get forward. “We were giving them too much respect, half getting there to close down, half getting there to tackle. “But on that pitch you had to be down their throats, beacuse it was taking three touches just to get the ball down, so if you got on top of them quickly it gave you time to win it off them, which we hadn’t been doing in the first half. “So I had a pop at them about work rate and commitment, and the second half they went out there, battered
them and won everything.” After allowing the home side to dominate possession for the opening 20 minutes of the second half, the Rams then punished Colls’ inability to score. Dyson completed his hat-trick before Chris Clarke netted the Rams’ fourth from the penalty spot in injury time. Next the Rams face third-placed Clitheroe on Tuesday night at the Riverside, and Overson can’t wait. “I want them to go out and show what they are really capable of against one of the best teams in this league, because I still believe we are capable of beating anyone at this level,” said Overson. Ramsbottom Squad: Eatock, Raywood, Rispen, Walsh, Goodall, Boden, Smith, Dyson, Clarke, Buggie, D.Gardiner. Subs: McCool, Stewart, Hardman - article take from the Bury Times, 2004
In stark contrast the Riverside back in the early 80’s. Even then there was no sign of a cow anywhere near the pitch! Photo courtesy of Ramsbottom Heritage Society.
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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.
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.
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.
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
Joel PILKINGTON Former Burnley professional player who is a model of consistency, wherever he is picked. A previous Player of the Year award-winner, Joel is a firm favourite with the fans at the Harry Williams Riverside Stadium, and has played over 200 games for the club.
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 Boat 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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Sam COOK
Malaki SLAVEN
Having spent time at University, the youngster spent last season with Shepshed Dynamo before moving back to the northwest, where joint-managers Bernard Morley and Anthony Johnson snapped him up for the Rams.
Joined the Rams in the summer of 2014, this midfield player spent last season as a member of the struggling Droylsden side which changed places with e Rams at the end of the campaign.
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.
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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the boogie bus on the road with rammy Arm yourselves with a cross and a few bulbs of garlic next Wednesday (10th September), as the Rams embark on another long midweek journey to take on Whitby Town in North Yorkshire. After our Workington a couple of weeks ago it would seem the Evo-stik league fixture computer is not a Rammy fan, and we find ourselves with a near 250 mile round journey for this game. e journey should take around 2 hours 30 minutes each way, but I would suggest leaving enough time to beat the rush hour and also the roadworks on the M62 and M1 if you are going to take that route. Whitby Town were formed in 1892 and play at the Turnbull Ground (YO21 3HZ) I have never visited the Turnbull Ground, or Whitby for that matter, but I am informed it is a traditional ground with a modern main stand and an open terrace behind one goal. e club have played at this level of non-league football for many
years and perhaps had their best seasons in the mid 1990’s, winning the Northern League Division One in 1996-97, which they followed up by claiming the Northern Premier League First Division the following season. e 1996-97 season also saw e Seasiders take a visit to the old Wembley Stadium (before it became just another corporate football stadium blasting music over the P.A. system) where they beat North Ferriby United 30 to lift the F.A. Vase. ey also reached the final of the (then prestigious) Amateur Cup in 1964-65 where they lost to Hendon by 3 – 1 at Wembley. Whitby itself is famous for being the town that inspired Bram Stoker to write his 1897 novel , Dracula, after visiting the town a few years previously. is has led in recent years to the town becoming the Goth capital of the world. e Whitby Goth Weekender takes place annually and this sees thousands of Goths and
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other outsiders descend on the town for a music festival and other activities related with the darkside (pun intended) is year e Goth Weekender, runs from October 1st to November 2nd and will see the town overrun as usual. e only problem with this is that there is also a football game in the town on the Saturday when Whitby play in the F.A. Vase against…………….Ramsbottom United !!!! Doh, there goes the Rammy Ultras’ plan for a weekend away in Whitby and will most probably see us going to the hit the bars of Scarborough that weekend instead. Although, with ex-Stranglers front man Hugh Cornwell headlining on the Saturday you might just see me and UkePunk dressing in our blackest outfits, applying the eye liner and heading down to the moshpit as the oldest swingers in town
Whitby Goth Weekend - get a free Goth with every pie
On a final note there are links between the Goth Weekender and this particular part of Lancashire where we live. Money raised by people attending the Goth Weekender in 2007 was used to erect a memorial bench on Whitby seafront dedicated to Sophie Lancaster, who I am sure you all know was attacked by a group of youths in Stubbylee Park in Bacup and later died from her injuries. It might be a nice touch to leave some Ramsbottom United related item in tribute to her if you are passing.
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rammy in exile sky sports statto richard isaacs
Hello everyone again! Two games in a row, well, one and a half ...!!! It was great to be able to see the better of the two halves on Tuesday night when we defeated one of the well established sides in this league in Merseysiders Marine, although it did come with quite a scare towards the end when it looked for a little while that our well deserved three points would be reduced to one, courtesy of some rather bizarre officiating by all three of the men in charge. Up to that point of the 42 minutes that I saw, they were doing fine but then they decided to make the last few minutes more than interesting by awarding a goal no-one expected, presenting them with the opportunity of a second and ensuring the game remained tight by ruling out Robbo's perfectly fine strike in injury time. e only good thing the referee did in those final frantic few minutes was blow the final whistle! As David Lloyd, one of our fine
commentators always says .... "GET ON WITH THE GAME"!!! e amount of wasted time talking to all and sundry was frustrating to say the least and didn't help the general mood around the place given he had thrown Marine a massive lifeline into the game. Anyway, we won the game so all was ok in the end. And it was well worth my dash up the M6 to get there for half-time, it was very good to see that the game was slightly delayed to enable me to get as much of the game as possible in. Whilst the dash up the M6 wasn't quite as urgent as the dash down it back in May from Durham to Bamber Bridge, the end result was still the same - I got to watch a much needed win. And I needed cheering up after England's mightly fine humiliation at the hands of the Indians at Edgbaston earlier in the day. If I had had my kit, I would have asked for a game as I can smack it a bit off the spinners. Ok ok, I used to be able to! Back to more important matters and
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our Rammy. I was so pleased to see and hear the crowd starting to make a little bit more noise, which is something I mentioned in my last column. It makes a difference, the lads have said so themselves and with an impressive 250 on for a pleasant Tuesday evening, hearing some of them cheering the lads on does have an effect. I know I helped once I got there!! So today and Stamford. Amazingly, I was down near Stamford on Monday evening before going to Edgbaston. I was visiting Peterborough Town Cricket Club, which, I am pretty sure is classed as a southern sort of place. ey play in the southern sections of the Johnstones Paint Trophy so they
must be southern. Which still makes you wonder just how 'northern' this league really is!!!!! I digress. ey have had a very good start to the season - excluding the surprising 4-0 home loss to Ilkeston on Tuesday night - so we can expect an instant response. But our lads have shown a response of their own on Tuesday night so it should be a cracker. I will be there - fresh from watching England lose again yesterday and before I go and watch them lose again tomorrow at Edgbaston again in the Twenty20. COME ON YOU RAMS!!!!!!!! - Richard
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supporters club on the terraces of rammy What a fantastic win! I don’t think there were many of us at the Marine game who didn’t leave with a big smile on our face (I’ll come back to the officials’ shennanigans in a moment). e Marine officials (who were a lovely bunch, by the way) were telling me that the vast majority of their squad played Conference North football with Vauxhall Motors last season, and so they were astonished at what a great job we did in beating them so comprehensively. You could see that they were good players who can move the ball confidently and fluidly, but as one of their fellas confessed, they are really struggling to get going in this division. e reason, he asserted, is that this division is faster, tighter and more physical than the Conference. Pre-season Marine held their own against a Liverpool FC XI (winning 4-0), and things were looking good for the season - but Liverpool gave them space and time on the ball. e likes of Buxton, Witton Albion and Barwell just don’t do that - they’re up and at you before you even get the ball under control. From what we’ve seen so far this season, he’s absolutely right. FC united played their football right on
the edge of giving away fouls, and Nantwich definitly made sure in the second half that we knew they were there, closing us down very quickly. ere’s no denying that this is a tough division and, although I draw heart from the win on Tuesday, I don’t think we’re out of the woods yet - if anything, Marine’s style of football is the exception, not the rule. at’s not to detract from the quality of this division - all the games that we’ve seen so far have been very high quality, entertaining football spectacles, and even if we don’t achieve a great finish this season, I think we’re in for a fantastic ride. Now, onto the refereeing decisions... I’m going to stick my neck out and dare to defend the two controversial decisions of the officials on Tuesday night. e offside that was given against Robbo was bizarre in the extreme, but the linesman confessed after the match that he’d made a mistake and that the goal should have counted. I’m alright with that. ese fellas have to make snap decisions in the heat of the moment and he admits he got it wrong. Fair play to him, he’s only human. With the earlier ‘incident’ I was lucky enough to click the camera shutter right at the moment that Spenno cleared the ball off the line, infact you can see that photo on page 11.
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I’m pretty sure that, at the time, the only person in the ground who thought that ball had crossed the line was the referee. Even the linesman, who was dead in line, signalled no goal - his decision being over-ruled by the referee. However, looking back at the aforementioned photograph, the only thing I can conclude is that it’s inconclusive! I heard a number of Marine fans say that the ball was a foot away from the line, an opinion backed up by Grant Spencer, who cleared the ball. If you look at the photo though, you can see that at least some of the ball has crossed the line. So we’re then talking a matter of millimeters between it being a goal or not - if it was bowls then we’d be asking for a measure! e ref gave a goal. I think we just shrug and say, “Fair enough!” We’ve seen much more contentious decisions, particularly in the dark days of the Northwest Counties. If it had affected the final result however, I’d have been jumping up and down like a maniac though. Next, I’d like to thank everyone who pitched in for Pilkie’s collection. We raised over £100 to thank him for his loyalty to the Rammy cause (playing over 200 games), and Pilkie was surprised and delighted by the collection. e supporters club also decided to sponsor Grant Shenton’s gloves for the season. Players at other clubs get a signing-on
fee, but as you’d expect, we don’t do that kind of thing at Rammy. e gloves are pretty expensive, and he normally gets through eight pairs in a season, so we decided to help him out. ese are the kind of things that help keep the Rammy family intact, and help us retain this fantastic squad of brilliant players - it’s a lot more than just a simple whip-round or sponsorship, so thank you, and if you haven’t yet joined up then please give us a shout. You even get access to rammy.tv and a special limited edition fixture list and map thingie.
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Managers: Anthony Johnson, Bernard Morley
Grant SHENTON Dominic SMALLEY Lee PUGH Grant SPENCER Steve HOWSON Dan WARRENDER Tom WILLIAMS Scott BURTON Jon ROBINSON Lee GASKELL Phil DEAN Jordan HULME Sam COOK Osebi ABADAKI Gary STOPFORTH Malachi SLAVEN Cedric KROU
Manager: David Staff
Richard KNIGHT Ellis MYLES Nathan FOX Lewis CARR Richard JONES Cameron POWELL Jon CHALLINOR Dan LAWLOR Nabil SHARIFF Jordan SMITH Matt COTTOM Ryan ROBBINS Emeka NWADIKE Shawn RICHARDS Dalton BETTLES David STAFF
Referee: Matthew Donohue Referee’s Assistants: Richard Cooper, Daniel Scott
Next home game: Tuesday 16th September 7:45pm, Rammy v Witton Albion