Squires Gate v North Shields FA Cup by SquiresGateFC

THANK YOU CLUB DIRECTORY Chairman: Tony Jo President: Brian Addison Club Secretary: John Maguire Committee: Tony Jo, Brian Addison, Steve Bellamy, Micky Farrer, John Maguire COVID Officer: John Maguire Media Manager: Jay Hayden Media Assistant: James Ashton Commercial: Dan Hayden Photographer: Albert Cooper Assistant Photographer: Ian Moore Shirt Sponsors: Central Insurance, Open Recruitment Limited, Taylors Fish & Chips, Global Football Network Home Short Sponsor: Marsden Plastering CLUB CONTACT Website: www.squiresgatefc.co.uk Twitter: @squiresgatefc Instagram: @squiresgatefc CLUB MANAGEMENT: Manager: Luke Evans Assistant Manager: Andy Baker Goalkeeper Coach: Des Christie TALK OF THE GATE Editors: Dan Hayden, James Ashton, Jay Hayden Front Cover: @GraphicBomb Printing: Moulton Printing CONTRIBUTORS: @mattjohns01, @kitforbrains, @theshirtunion, @footybookreviews, @TobyHill980, @leaguelyblonde @chloebear5329, @liamhjourno, @ABSportsJourno

Squires Gate FC Entity Status: Unincorporated

WELCOME Good afternoon, and welcome to another FA Cup fixture against North Shields! A warm welcome to the travelling fans, as well as the home supporters! Our first of three home games on the bounce, as we look to continue our fantastic run of form!

I hope you enjoy our matchday magazine, and as always, enjoy the game! Dan Hayden

CONTENTS PAGE 4: GAFFER’S NOTES The Gaffer looks ahead to today’s game.

PAGE 6: JOSH WESTWOOD Captain Josh Westwood’s notes.

PAGE 8-11: MATCH REPORTS James Ashton reports on our previous matches against Macclesfield and Litherland REMYCA.

PAGE 15: AWAY DAYS Come behind the scenes with our media team on our most recent away trip to Litherland REMYCA

PAGE 19-23: NORTH SHIELDS All the information on today’s visitors, North Shields.

PAGE 25: HER GAME TOO It is #HerGameToo

PAGE 26-28 MEDIA DIARIES An interview with Altrincham’s media manager, Ed Painter, formerly of North Shields.

PAGE 42: QUIZZES

AND MUCH MORE… @squiresgatefc

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Please note, all articles throughout our matchday magazine are not the opinions of Squires Gate FC, and are only those of the contributors.

GAFFER’S NOTES

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GAFFER’S NOTES

LUKE EVANS

Good afternoon everyone, and welcome back to I’d also like to give a quick mention to Robbo and The Brian Addison Stadium for our FA Cup First his U23’s side who put ten goals past Kendal Town Qualifying Round fixture against North Shields. Reserves last week. To score 10 in any game is brilliant. Going into the new month with so much positivity around the club is a great feeling, and we look to All that leaves me to say is keep supporting us like continue our fantastic form. I think we have shown you do and we will always try to deliver what you what we are capable of in recent games, and we want. Our goal is your goa;. Stay safe and I hope will look to continue to entertain for our supporters. you enjoy the game! Last time out we hosted Macclesfield FC, in what Up the Gate! was a great day all round for the club. I would like to say a massive thank you to the volunteers at Gaffer Squires Gate who made it all possible, as we also broke the club attendance record. On the pitch, we were on the good end of a 10 goal thriller, in a highly entertaining game. It’s always good to come away with them sort of wins. Litherland REMYCA last weekend was another good performance from us, we dominated the game and I think we were unlucky not to score more. Another clean sheet though, which takes us up to three for the season - last season we kept one in 10 games and that was against Maine Road! Looking ahead to today’s game, we welcome a very good side in North Shields. We have done our homework, and we know what they are about. They have some history behind them, having won the FA Vase in recent years, and they currently sit 4th in their division. It’s a winnable game, but we know we need to be on top of our game if we are to progress into the next round. I’m delighted to welcome to the club, Sope Awe who joins us from Stalybridge Celtic. Sope played a few games with us during pre-season; one of note being the game against Bury AFC where he caused all sorts of problems. He is a superb player who offers so much to this team so I look forward to working with him over the season. We still have a couple of injuries, Oli Orr will be out for the remainder of the season.

JOSH

WESTWOOD

@squiresgatefc

JOSH WESTWOOD

Hello everyone, and welcome to todays game at The Brian Addison Stadium between Squires Gate and North Shields in the First Qualifying Round of the FA Cup! Whether you’re a Gate regular, a visitor from North Shields, or a neutral simply coming to enjoy a good game of cup football, we welcome you with open arms and hope you all have a fantastic day with us. It’s been a good run for us in the FA Cup so far, knocking out two of our NWCFL Premier Division rivals in Ashton Athletic and Macclesfield FC. The first win over Ashton Athletic was a really professional performance from all the lads, especially playing the last half an hour with ten men. First half goals from myself and James Boyd had us in control at the break, and in truth we should’ve had a couple more. Nevertheless we still had to dig deep to see out the victory, which we did really well, seeing us into the Preliminary Round of the FA Cup.

That spirit and motivation was clear in our most recent game, as we returned to league action to travel to Litherland Remyca. We won the match 3-0, but in no way exaggerating we could’ve had double digits. The amount of chances we created was unbelievable and to put in such a good performance and also keep a clean sheet at the other end has lifted the mood inside the camp even further. We know how tough today is going to be though, with North Shields also at Step 5 level, sitting in a very strong 3rd place in the Northern League Division One, with four wins and three draws from their opening seven games. We’re going to have to be at our very best today if we want to progress into the next round, but I’m more than confident in our ability and motivation to get the job done! A huge thank you to everyone attending today’s game, we hope you all have a fantastic day!

We reached that stage last season, losing Cheers for reading, out 2-0 away to higher level opposition in Westy Ashton United, so we were hoping to improve on last season’s success. We hosted Macclesfield FC, with the visitors coming in their hundreds to watch what was one of the most entertaining games of football you’re ever likely to see. A crazy match ended with us winning the game 6-4 and sending us through to the next round. It was an all round amazing day for everyone involved at the club and the motivation and spirit we’ve taken from that performance has really spurred us on since.

#WeAreGate

GATE

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MACC’FIELD 4 21.08. 21 / Brian Addison Stadium Words by James Ashton The game got off to an electric start which set the tone for the rest of the match. James Boyd was denied inside the first minute by the Macclesfield goalkeeper, before the visitors opened the scoring after just three minutes. Aaron Dwyer found space inside the Gate area and smashed in past Mike Hale.

effort though, as Dwyer netted his second of the game on 39 minutes with a superb volley from outside the area. Macclesfield then took the lead on 50 minutes as Kielen Adams tapped home a cross from the right hand side. Ing got his goal though on the hour mark. Riley played a ball in behind, with Ing showing great power to muscle his way in behind and find the top corner with a clinical finish. Ing then made it 4-3 just two minutes later, pouncing on a great ball from Jacob Ridings to fire past the goalkeeper.

The visitors were down to ten men though after 11 minutes, as Ekow Coker denied Boyd a clear run on goal. Gate took advantage of the extra man, as Kieran Feeney netted his first of the season on 13 minutes from close range after a great cross from the right hand side. It was then five on 70 minutes, with James Boyd brilliantly firing Gate made it 2-1 just eight in off the far post from just minutes later as captain Josh inside the box. The visitors then Westwood header emphatically got one back just four minutes past the goalkeeper after a later, as Westwood headed into Nathan Bartram headed back his own net. across goal. Just as it looked Macclesfield The visitors looked to get were back in the game, themselves back in the game substitute Jack Iley brilliantly though, and only an excellent volleyed into the top corner after block from Ryan Riley denied a punch from the goalkeeper them an equaliser on 35 landed to him on the edge of the minutes. There was nothing area. Gate could do about the next

SQUIRES GATE Hale (GK) Ridings Riley

Welsh Bartram Westwood © Burgess Webster Feeney Ing Boyd

MACCLESFIELD Pierce (GK) Stead

Sekouba Kennedy Coker Ajayi Dwyer Mendy Clare Valera-Pinto-Maieco

Adams

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PICS BY IAN MOORE

REMYCA

GATE

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28.08. 21 / Litherland Sports Park Words by James Ashton t was Gate who started on the front foot, and after a couple of half chances, took the lead after eight minutes through Mekkaoui -Abouzaid. The midfielder beat his man on the edge of the area and fired a great strike into the top corner to put Gate one up.

The hosts had their best effort of the game on the hour mark against the run of play, as a half volley from distance clipped the top of the bar. Evans’ men got themselves back in control though, firstly with Feeney cutting inside and having a curling effort tipped over the bar. The second goal finally came on 73 minutes through Ing, who received the ball from Riley and dispatched into the bottom corner giving the goalkeeper no chance.

Gate continued to create, and had a goal from James Boyd ruled out for offside on 19 minutes. Kieran Feeney then had a great chance, jinking past his man to break in on goal but had his effort well saved. The striker then hit wide just four minutes later from just inside the Substitute Max Rogers, who area. was looking sharp on his return from a three-match suspension, Dean Ing then volleyed just wide then built on his midweek hat after brilliantly taking own a trick for the U23’s with Gate’s loose ball inside the area, while third goal of the day on 80 Feeney headed a difficult minutes. The winger beat the chance off target. offside trap and the rounded the goalkeeper confidently, tapping Gate started the second half in into the empty net. the same dominant fashion, with Ing rattling the post from a tight Gate continued to dominate the angle after a shot from Boyd remainder of the game, with a was pushed away by the couple of half chances going keeper. Ridings then fired over begging in the latter stages. from point blank rage after a brilliant ball across goal from Ryan Riley.

LITHERLAND REMYCA O’Loughlin (GK) Harper Nevitt Moran King Clements Hammill Cato Ball Long Owens

SQUIRES GATE Hale (GK) Ridings Riley Welsh Abankwah Gourley Mekkaoui-Abouzaid Webster © Feeney Ing Boyd

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PICS BY IAN MOORE

SUMMER CAMPS

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587 unique visits

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PL and EFL scouts visited to cast their eye over all the young footballers.

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70+ children took part in goalkeeper specific training.

We would like to thank the young players, parents, coaches, scouts, professional and semi professional players, referees and ground staff for making sure we had the best first summer camp we could have asked for!

AWAY DAYS

We take you behind the scenes with our media team to give you an insight into how we prepare for away matches, and our journey for each ‘away day’. In this weeks edition of Away Days, I take you behind the scenes of the media team’s trip to Litherland REMYCA last Saturday. It was me & Jay who took the trip down, joined by Jay’s mum (and loudest supporter ever) Helen, as well as supporters Harry and Clayton. I got myself to Jay’s for midday, where we left his house in his brand new car that had finally arrived a few days prior. The brand new Seat Ibiza seemingly a slightly safer and comfier choice for an away trip than my 19 year old Mini. We picked up Harry & Clayton from the Velvet Coaster and we were off! I was navigating from the back seat, with Harry on music duties. We went for a bit of Catfish and the Bottlemen fresh from their brilliant headline set at Reading the previous night - Me, Harrry

and Dan are seeing them tomorrow at Neighbourhood Weekender and it’s going to be class! We also had to put on a bit of YMCA for Jay to have a sing along. We arrived at Litherland just before 2pm with some heavy traffic seeing us arrive slightly later than initially planned, but we still had more than enough time to get ourselves ready for the game. Jay took footage for our Instagram reels, while I did my pre-match interview with manager Luke Evans and took some snaps around the gtound for the socias. The game itself wa an entertaining one, but was frustatring at times for us on the sidelines. We were 1-0 up at the break but in truth it should’ve been four or five, but it was encouraging stuff nonetheless. A can of coke and a sausage roll at half time was

enjoyed before the lads made their way back onto the field. The second half took on the same pattern, with Gate creating tons of chances. Dean Ing finally got us our second goal on 73 minutes before Max Rogers made iit 3-0 with ten minutes to go. Me and the other Gate supporters made our way towards the tunnel at full time to give the players and coaches a much deserved standing ovation after an excellent performance that made it six games unbeaten. A quick post-match interview with Luke Evans was recorded and uploaded onto the socials before we were back on the road to Blackpool, with ‘Just Can’t Get Enough’ blaring through the speakers to celebrate the win. I completed my match report when I got home and prepared the next day’s tweets! #WeAreGate

FIRST-TEAM SPONSORS MIKE HALE

MATTHEW GARRETT

JOSH WESTWOOD (Capt.)

SPONSORED BY DENISE GIBSON ISAAC ABANKWAH

JACOB RIDINGS

JAKE HIGHAM

LUKE HOLDEN

JOSH POLLARD

ALEX WELSH

OLLIE BURGESS

AVAILABLE TO SPONSOR NATHAN BARTRAM

SPONSORED BY @THESHIRTUNION CHRIS WEBSTER

RYAN RILEY

AVAILABLE TO

SPONSOR

JACK WYERS-ROEBUCK

MATTY FINNEY

AVAILABLE TO

SPONSOR

MAX ROGERS

JACK ILEY

KIERAN FEENEY

JAMES BOYD

DEAN ING

LUKE EVANS - MANAGER

THE VISITORS NORTH SHIELDS North Shields Athletic was originally formed in 1896, and played initially in the South Shields & District league. They progressed through the Northern Combination, Northern Alliance and North Eastern League and became a major force in North East Football, outside the Football League, moving to play at Hawkeys Lane around 1900. At least two players, Alan Grenyer and Harry Chambers went on to play for the full England team after starting their careers with North Shields Athletic.

Having moved into the national pyramid by joining the Northern Counties East League, North Shields earned promotion to the Nothern Premier League by winning the title, but financial problems resulted in the club losing the Appleby Park Ground and then reforming to play in the VAUX Wearside League. Since then “The Robins” have enjoyed considerable success, winning the treble of League, Shipowners Cup and Northumberland Senior Bowl in 1998/99. In 2000/01 they finished runners-up to Nissan but won the Monkwearmouth Cup and the Senior Bowl for the second time. They won the Wearside league by eight points in 2002 and the Monkwearmouth Cup again in 2003.

After joining the Northern league they won the F.A. Amateur cup by beating Sutton United in front of 47,000 spectators at Wembley Stadium. Shields were a goal down after only four minutes but won with second half strikes from Richie Hall and Brian Joicey – both laid on by Orrick, a shipyard worker from Byker. “The Robins” finally gained promotion back into the Northern League in 2004 and were promoted to The Club, which also won the Northern League Division 1 in 2014 under the guidance of Graham Championship and Challenge Cup that same year, Fenton. were declared joint holders of the European Amateur Cup the following season when the two The club won the FA Vase Final in 2015 as the atteams against Italian side Almas resulted in a level tacking and never-say-die team assembled beat aggregate score. Glossop North End at Wembley 2-1 after extra time after falling behind early in the second half. BainIn 1982 “The Robins” won 1-0 at Halifax Town in bridge’s header evened things up and Adam Forthe F.A. Cup 1st Round, Bede McCaffrey scoring ster wrote himself into the clubs history with the the all important goal that year. Walsall were the winner. visitors to Appleby Park in the next round and left with a 3-0 victory. CURRENT POSITION

BIGGEST HOME WIN 21/22

DEFEATS THIS SEASON

GOALS SCORED 21/22

AWAY GOALS 21/22

4th

7-0

NORTH SHIELDS: THE SQUAD GREG PURVIS Previous Club: Sunderland AFC Supports: Newcastle United Greg signed from Team Northumbria after spending time at Sunderland AFC Academy. Greg has also spent time in America playing for Limestone College. The goalkeeper commands his area and is confident between the sticks. A real fan favourite with his match winning performances lead to Greg being Supporters player of the year.

ANDREW CARTWRIGHT

NICK CASSIDY

ROBBIE CHRISTIE

DEFENDER

New recruit joins The Robins from spending 2 years in Perth Australia playing for Western Knights Soccer Club. The former Sunderland AFC youngster shone through the ranks before joining Blyth Spartans. Cartwright has also played for England C.

Joined from Consett, after spending time on loan at Belle View in 2016-17 from Gateshead, where, despite arriving as a midfielder, he showed his versatility by turning out at right-back. Suffered an injury which needed an operation that kept him out for the rest of the season. Signed for Consett and was a part of the DCC-winning team.

Robbie is a player we would have signed at the start of last season if it wasn't for him taking a scholarship at Newcastle University. Once we knew he was available we were interested as young, left footed players of that quality are few and far between. He can play in defence and also higher up and with his pace he can cause teams problems.

CHRIS MCDONALD

ANTHONY MYERS

TOM BEXTON

DEFENDER

McDonald is a strong and versatile defender/ midfielder with experience from captaining Whitley Bay to playing for Berwick Rangers in Scottish League Second Division more recently playing for Morpeth Town. Chris has scored some spectacular goals in his playing career. Chris was voted as the player of the Season for 2019/20 season.

The versatile and no nonsense defender is powerful in the air, a great passer of the ball and strong in the tackle. Can also play in the centre of midfield.

JACK WALKER

LEWIS BRENNEN

DEFENDER

Jack returns to the club for his second spell being reunited with North Shields and Marc Nash who he started his footballing journey with.

Lewis joins us after his release from Newcastle United. A highly composed defender that reads the game well and is a great tackler which is something of a dying art these days.

Former clubs include Seaham Red Star, Jarrow Roofing and Hebburn Town.

DEFENDER Former Wolves, South Shields and Whitley Bay defender. Comfortable in possession which is what attracted him to us. Spent some time at Spartans during pre season but we are delighted to have secured him. He has been a great addition so far this season with top performances at the back.

ADAM FORSTER

RYAN CARR

CAMERON CUNNINGHAM

DEFENDER

MIDFIELDER

Nippy forward with a keen eye for goal Extremely talented young player that who has progressed through the ranks burst onto the scene last season at at AFC Farsley. Now playing in his Whitley Bay. Made the transition from native North East, he scored the last- junior into senior football with ease and minute winner in the 2016 Senior Cup is tipped to go very far if he continues to Final. Not only good with his feet but progress at a rapid rate. can score great goals with his head. Vice captain of the squad.

CAPTAIN Adam ‘Skip’ Forster rejoins the club for his second spell. The former Blyth Spartans midfielder has been given the captains armband for the Robins and was a vital member of the North Shields side that won the FA Vase and Senior Cup. Adam scored the extra time winner against Glossop North End in the FA Vase Final in 2015.

GARY ORMSTON

DAVD ROBINSON

MIDFIELDER

A goal scoring midfielder who is Another quality addition to the midfield comfortable across the centre of the area. The former Seaham and Blyth park. AFC captain is a box-to-box midfielder that will leave everything out on the His experience will bring on the pitch for the team and is a player that younger players and his 100% attitude will certainly chip in with goals and will always be a huge plus. assists throughout the season.

CRAIG SPOONER

BRAD HIRD

PAUL VAN-ZANDVLIET

MIDFIELDER

FORWARD

DEFENDER

Former Newcastle United midfielder rejoins the Robins after leaving for Blyth Spartans in the summer. Short periods with Whitley Bay and West Auckland Town followed before he returned to NE29.

Recently signed this week. A new addition to the Robins’ squad. Brad signed from Ryhope, and has also played for Whitley Bay amd Shildon.

A dynamic midfielder who can play anywhere across midfield and even in defence.

DAN WILSON

JOSH WALKER

TOP GOALSCORER

MIDFIELDER

Wilson is a very powerful centre-forward that certainly knows where the back of the net is. He can hold the ball up with ease, but is also capable of driving at the defence too.

Josh is another product of Tyne Met Academy. His composed play and simplicity has impressed everyone. Left footed centre midfielders are quite a rarity and he gives that balance in those areas.

Returning for his second spell at the club after a stint at Seaham Red Star. Josh has a great range of passing and we expect him to progress into the first team set up permanently quite quickly at the rate he is currently improving.

MIDFIELDER Local lad Paul is another product of Tyne Met College. He was a member of the Northern Counties Championship winning squad with Northumberland Schools County and was also the captain of the NFA representative side last year. His performances last year attracted the attention of Sheffield United where he played twice for the youth team in victories over Hull City and Leeds Utd. Paul's box to box and powerful style will no doubt propel him to be a fans favourite in time, especially coming from North Shields.

CALLUM SMITH FORWARD Previous Club: Hull City, Dunston UTS Supports: Arsenal

Callum is an exciting left winger who came through the Newcastle United setup, impressing as a member of their under 23 squad. Has played for Hull City and Dunston UTS.

LIAM BROOKS

KONNER LAMB

JAMIE NORVELL

FORWARD

Liam joins the Robins from Alnwick Town, having previously played for Whitley Bay and Dunston UTS. The talented forward scored 18 goals across two seasons with Dunston, before departing for the Magpies at the start of the season. Another quality addition to a talented group of forwards.

Konner joins from Killingworth FC. He can excite the fans with his pace and direct style and will complement the other forwards. It may take a little time to adjust to the extra training and the faster tempo of games but we feel this is the perfect opportunity for him to flourish and develop as a player.

Jamie has made massive strides through TyneMet Academy following in the footsteps of Cam Cunningham and Paul Van-Zandvliet. He is an exciting attacking player with bags of potential.

ADAM

FORSTER First of all, can you give us a brief insight into your career and how long have you been at the club? My senior career I've played for Blyth Spartans, South Shields, Blyth AFC and North shields where I'm coming up to 300 apps for the club. Now we usually ask what players favourite moments are but we did a bit of research and actually saw you scored the winner in the FA Vase final for North Shields. Just how surreal was that moment, and it being scored at Wembley? Obviously it's been the best moment in my career so far. Just the whole occasion playing at Wembley and the whole of North shields coming to watch was something I'll never forget. At the start of the tournament I don't think anyone outside the club thought we were in with a chance of winning it so actually winning the trophy just made it more special. How did you prepare for such a big occasion, and on the other hand how do you prepare for a usual matchday? For the Vase final it was a bit of a strange preparation. I got injured in the last game of the season before the final so I was devastated that I was going to miss probably the biggest game in my career. I had a fitness test in the morning before the game what involved running around the hotel car park and block tackling the manager in the hotel room to see if my knee wouldn't give way. Luckily I managed to be fit enough to be in the squad and came on at about the hour mark. However, in extra time my knee decided to stop working so after scoring the goal I just had to hobble about the massive pitch what is Wembley.

As captain of the club, what is the last thing you say to the team before leaving the dressing room, and do you have any superstitions before a match? As a team we know what we're capable of when everyone is on their game so it's just a case of reminding everyone to do the right things and go and play our game. In terms of superstitions I always put my right boot and shin pad on before my left. Although most people say I have two left feet so it probably doesn't matter too much.

My mate our current LB Macca can play in defence and Cam Cunningham is the ultimate 5 a side player so he has to be in there.

Your prediction for the game? We're always confident if we play our game to the standard we know we can produce we will be ok. But it's going to be a very difficult game so we will have Who is the best opposition you have to see on the day. played against? In terms of player, and team? TEAM MATES There's two players that stick out. One was Dwight Gayle when I was playing for Worst dress sense? Blyth Spartans. The other was when I That’s a toss up between Woody's was playing in the European tournament flairs or Swinny's Shumper. for the uk in the fire service tournament. Best and worst taste in music? There was a 38 year old centre mid who Paul Van has to be up there for worst played for the German national team taste in music. Craig Spooner loves a who was technically the best player I've banger so he can have the best. ever played against. He was taking cor- Worst jokes? ners and free kicks with both feet and for I don't think there's a lad who produces his age you couldn't get near him. After the worst jokes. But Ryan Carr is the the game we found out he made over silent assassin so he can have that 100 appearances in the bundesliga be- title. fore joining the fire service. Who controls the music before the game? On the other hand, who is the best For some reason we've never listened player you have played with? to music before games. Craig Spooner I've played with a lot of great players in usually is singing something so or my career it would be hard to just pick making some strange noises. one. And I don't want to upset anyone 100m race, who wins and who who I might leave out! comes last? Cam or Cal for the win and Dan Wilson If you were to make a 5 a side team, and his Caravan wouldn't run 100m so with you as the manager. Pick 3 North he'd be last. Shields players from your time at the Who gets fined the most? club, and 2 players from the team you Our club fine man, Dan Wilson, is support. determined for us to go to Benidorm at The two players from the team I support the end of the season so everyone is would have to be Callum Wilson and getting hit hard with some questionable Allan Saint Maximin. I'd give Greg our fines at the minute. current GK the place in goal.

JESSICA

FURNESS HerGameToo tweeted a powerful video in May 2021 and received an equally powerful response. 3 months have now passed and they now have the backing of numerous professional clubs throughout the UK! Who are 'HerGameToo' and what do they stand for, I hear you ask? Well, let me tell you everything - as I am one of the twelve passionate co-founders! We are aiming to highlight the horrendous sexist abuse that women face every day JUST for being a football fan. This is a topic that I have been passionate about throughout the whole of my life whilst being a huge football lover. Verbal and physical abuse towards us has always just been brushed aside in the 'men's' game and we are campaigning to make sure nobody has to ever go through that. We are doing it for our nieces, cousins, our future daughters and all of the little girls that have a passion for football but do not feel like they belong. Why are we classed as 'tomboys' at a young age for liking football? I remember being told a few years ago that I only pretend to like football "for male attention" which was both frustrating and actually kind of hilarious to hear.

*Alan Partridge Voice* Can I just shock you? Not everybody is straight. I have liked football since a very young age, I became "one of the lads" in primary school due to my knowledge of football and even went on to studying Football Business and Media at University at the age of 18. This certainly wasn't a cheap stage of my life! I've racked up a huge amount of student debt and fully dedicated 3 years of my life to getting the best grade and gave up my free time volunteering at football clubs in their media departments. I have wanted a career in Football Media since primary school and I am very lucky to say that I am now in my dream job in which my male colleagues support and uplift me every day and don't ever make me feel of lesser value for being a woman. That's a pretty huge life-long effort to go to for somebody that just wants a bit of male attention, huh?

"just the tea ladies" and the mothers that are anxious to take their daughters to a football game. We have just recently gathered support and praise from Calum Best which is pretty surreal! He has told us that our powerful movement inspired him to become to the Chairman of Dorking Wanderers Ladies which is amazing to hear. Having male allies is absolutely vital for sexism to finally be eradicated from the beautiful game. The Beautiful Game belongs to everybody, no matter what your sex, religion, age, race or sexuality is. The latest addition to our website (www.hergametoo.co.uk) is a Report Feature that enables female football fans to report sexist incidents at football matches/travelling to and from football matches. This is a vital tool that means so many women in the UK now finally have a voice and a supportive group of girls that are devoted to listening to them and taking action.

Sometimes we get told we need to stay away from the male game as 'we could never understand it' This is for the women that feel which is incredibly frustrating to like they don't belong. hear. We will never stop the fight, #HerGameToo is for the @HerGameToo ambitious little girls that get told they don't belong on a football pitch, the talented media assistants that get mistaken for

Firstly, how was your time at North Shields? What was your most memorable moment, and how vital was your time there in terms of moving on with your career? I loved every second of my time at North Shields, a club that I now consider myself to be a fan of. If it wasn’t for the time and patience they invested in me across the three years I spent with them, I am confident in saying that I would not be in the position I am in now today.

BEHIND THE SCENES AT ALTRINCHAM FC

MEDIA DIARIES

PAINTER

There are a couple of standout moments that immediately spring to mind. One being the NFA Senior Cup Final appearance at St. James Park in 2019. We might have lost the game 2-1 only moments before a dreaded penalty shootout but I came away from that game glowing with pride, knowing that the sky is the limit for this club.

What does your usual matchday routine involve? How do you prepare yourself for content? The day before any game, I tend to do as much as I humanly can in terms of getting ready, just to try and make my matchday as easy as possible. Whether that be updating player sponsors, making sure all my Instagram & Twitter graphics are good to go, and everything else in between.

Come matchday, there is always one or two things that spring out of nowhere, but I have come to learn that they are to be expected. If I had a pound for the amount of times my WiFi would drop moments before kick off, I could retire a very happy man!

We have Press/Media Officer who does match reports so once a game is done, I upload my final score graphic, and watch all the comments pour in, both the good The other memory, a more and the bad aha. recent one, was our FA Vase First Round tie last season My role at Altrincham has been against Bridlington Town. David different as I started with the club Robinson’s absolute screamer in midway through the global the last ten minutes took the pandemic, meaning a lot of my game to penalties, before we work gets done remotely and I won the shootout 5-4, courtesy of have relied on streams and radio a brilliant Greg Purvis save. I coverage to do my job. With might just go and watch those restrictions having eased, I am highlights yet again! incredibly eager to kick on with even more live football.

Having worked at a range of top non league clubs in York City, Dag and Red, and Altrincham. Just how different are the set ups at that level in the pyramid? There is a massive difference, which should come as no surprise to anyone. There is a healthy mixture of pro and semi pro clubs at that level, but I have been fortunate enough to mostly work for clubs who operate on a full time basis. Altrincham are slightly different in that they are in the middle of transforming into a full time outfit, but their off the field work has always come across just as professional as any club I have had the fortune of working alongside. While at a club like North Shields, there is a lot of weight put behind their match coverage, whereas at a club like Altrincham, or any club in the National League, so much time and effort gets thrown behind commercial activities.

My favourite part about being a media manager is also what I think helps make a good club social media account, Fan Engagement. As a football fan, someone who has followed Southend United through thick and thin, I was always frustrated that my club would never really interact with their supporters. It felt very much a them and us kind of situation, if that makes sense.

For example, since I started at the J. Davidson Stadium, about 70% of my role has been advertising merchandise on social media, everything from bumper stickers, replica kits, or even Altrincham’s very own I always said that if I were to ever brand of Gin. get into a position where I managed a club’s social media accounts, I would do whatever I It was certainly a learning curve could to make the fans feel as when I first started, but now I though they were a big part of have settled into my role, I take things, that means regular as much joy from selling player feedback to fan enquiries, some sponsor packages as I do exe- more casual posts aimed at cuting good match coverage on generating fan engagement, and Twitter. everything else in between.

performances on the pitch, is feeling as though they are being ignored by their team. These are the people who spend their hard-earned money on the club, the least I could do is treat them like human beings and show how important they are to the club. Are there any non league clubs that impress you with their social media? The one club that immediately springs to mind is Caversham United. They do an excellent job of finding that balance between serious matchday posts and humorous posts designed to create a buzz around their brand. It is something I am looking to adopt in my own work.

As for programmes, what makes a good programme for you? Something that isn’t just block Could you tell us your The biggest reason as to why after block of writing. I like a favourite part of being a media supporters get frustrated by their programme that offers variety manager? clubs, aside from poor and when I used to edit the North

Shields programme, that was letting him walk out onto the pitch What do you know about something I tried to do. in front of a packed Old Trafford. Squires Gate? To be honest, I don’t know too For example, I would have two No unnecessary announcement much about Squires Gate. I do columns from the chairman and video, no ridiculously complicat- know you have come up against manager, a feature interview ed graphic, ust the raw emotion Northern League teams in the from a player, a history piece, a from the crowd and newly signed past, the most recent being data piece, a fun casual piece, player. Beautiful. Birtley Town if my memory and a few extras. I knew serves me correctly, but aside programme editors during my What grounds do you enjoy from that, I am at a loss. Makes time at uni that would visiting the most? the game against North Shields oversaturate their programmes I really liked visiting Bishop all the more exciting in my eyes. with one element, and it made it Auckland when I was volunteeran unenjoyable read. A bit of ing with North Shields. It is a As you have worked at North balance does go a long way! seriously nice looking ground Shields, I’m guessing you will which would not look out of place be keeping an eye on today’s Which Premier League or in the National League. game and wanting an away Football League clubs stand win!? Can we get a score out for you in terms of impres- Aside from that, Penrith is always prediction? sive content? Any clubs that a great ground to visit, purely I have got to back the boys, inspire your content? because it is located in the haven’t I? I am going to go for a They are the new boys in the hillside and the views are 2-1 North Shields win. I am Premier League, but I really like absolutely spectacular. concerned about our ability to what Brentford have been doing keep a clean sheet but the one so far this season. Their work is Further up the football pyramid, I advantage we have over other not overly complicated, and it did enjoy the Kassam Stadium teams is that we have goals comes across really well on when Southend played there a across the pitch this season. social media. fair few years back. I am hoping to check off a few new ones, my So far, Shields have ten different A further example of simple yet first being Wealdstone) in the goal scorers in their team. I am effective social media output. next few months. hoping that will be the difference Recently, I really loved how in this game. Manchester United announced the Raphael Varane signing, just

Macclesfield

PTS

2021/22 SEASON SUMMARY (ALL COMPS) W

Wythenshawe Town

Pld

Congleton Town

Barnoldswick Town

Charnock Richard

Avro

Northwich Vics

AFC Liverpool

Winsford United

-6

Skelmersdale United

Lower Breck

Longridge Town

-1

Vauxhall Motors

-3

Irlam

Squires Gate

Prestwich Heys

-6

Ashton Athletic

-13

Runcorn Town

-4

Padiham

-4

Burscough

-3

Litherland Remyca

-13

LEAGUE

FA CUP

*CS: Clean sheet **FS: Failed to score

2021/22 MINUTES ON PITCH: Mike Hale 630, James Boyd 630, Josh Westwood 540, Kieran Feeney 573, Chris Webster 550, Ryan Riley 558, Dean Ing 503, Nathan Bartram 435, Jacob Ridings 429 ,Isaac Abankwah 360, Josh Pollard 252, Ollie Burgess 192, Jake Higham 188, Jack Iley 170, Max Rogers 118 , Mekkaoui -Abbouzaid 121 , Alex Welsh 104, Oli Orr 0, Luke Holden 0, Matty Finney

2021/22 DOMESTIC BOOKINGS Nathan Bartram 5, Josh Pollard 1, Chris Webster 2,

FA VASE

Apps

Goals

Apps

Goals

Apps

Goals

Mike Hale

Jacob Ridings

Jake Higham

Nathan Bartram

Luke Holden

Josh Westwood

Josh Pollard

Dean Ing

James Boyd

Jack Iley

Kieran Feeney

Ryan Riley

Ollie Burgess

Alex Welsh

Chris Webster

Isaac Abankwah

Matty Garrett

Jack Wyers

Oli Orr

Max Rogers

Mekkoui-Abouzaid

CLUB APPEARANCES (2018-PRESENT) A big thank you to Kevin Lawton from Congleton Town for the stats from the past few seasons.

Dean Ing 93, Ryan Riley 70, James Boyd 80, Joshua Pollard 51, Josh Westwood 51, Jake Higham 48, Jack Iley 26, Luke Holden 19, Kieran Feeney 14, Ollie Burgess 14, Jacob Ridings 12, Chris Webster 9 , Mike Hale 7, Nathan Bartram 4, Isaac Abankwah 3, Max Rogers 3, Alex Welsh 5, Matty Garrett 2, John Maguire 1, Oli Orr 1, Mekkaoui-Abbouzaid 2 CLUB GOALS (2018-PRESENT) James Boyd 40, Dean Ing 37, Josh Westwood 8, Ryan Riley 5, Jack Iley 4, Kieran Feeney 4, Jake Higham 2, Josh Pollard 2, , Luke Holden 1, Mike Hale 1,Max Rogers 1, Mekkaoui-Abbouzaid 1

FOOTBALL BOOK REVIEWS

MONEY CAN’T BUY US LOVE Words by @footybookreviews Gavin Buckland is Everton’s official statistician, so the book is almost certain to be factually accurate and it is clearly a labour of love for the author. So far so good. And, although it is possibly too detailed at times, it is an enjoyable read. Evertonians of a certain vintage will surely lap it up; a chronicle of a time when the club won two Championships and the FA Cup, an era when stars like Alan Ball and Alex Young were in their pomp. Plus a nostalgic look back to when Toffee fans led the country in smashing up football train specials… But the ‘so far so good’ point is that there is way too much detail for the less devoted fan and the book’s title is simply not accurate. When we reach the end of the 1960s, Buckland decides, since he’s enjoying himself so much, to simply keep going and we get not just the bonus of 1970 (which makes some sense as it is the completion of Everton’s second title winning season) but then 1971 sneaks in. Ok, room for one more, but what’s this? 1971 says, ‘Can my pal come, too?’ so we get 1972. And guess what? 1972 wants his pal so we get 1973 before finally calling a halt to the ‘sixties’. There is some reason for all this. The central pivot of the book is the contribution made to the club’s success by chairman John Moores, founder of Littlewoods

Pools, in combination with manager Harry Catterick. Each of them still wielded strong influence in the early years of the 1970s making a neat cut off point extra difficult. But this also brings another problem.

There is plenty of gossip such as how the unhappy former goalkeeper Albert Dunlop alleged that Everton players tried to bribe the opposition. His case was not proven but they say some mud always sticks…

The central premise is that Everton bought their success and it made them very unpopular, hence the title and word play on the Beatles’ hit ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’. The author clearly proves his case going into bagfuls of detail and quoting extensively from the press, especially the quality press. The second championship, centred on the famous ‘holy trinity’ of Ball, Howard Kendall and Colin Harvey. However, they were noted for the fine football they played and that central premise no longer holds true.

And first team coach Stewart Imlach earned himself a punch in the face for his dismissive treatment of misfit striker Bernie Wright. Not a good idea to treat a moody reject so badly then run past him in training, it seems. Too many times, Buckland slips into straightforward reportage of game after game but his details of the battles fought out between Everton and Leeds United are fascinating and he tells with relish of the confrontations between two very hard men Jack Charlton and Johnny Morrissey. Among the excellent photographs is the famous one where the referee had to take both teams off the pitch to let things cool down.

Trying to pour too much into a pint pot? For sure and I fear it therefore narrows the likely audience which is a shame because there are tons of really interesting stories and facts within, for instance the Football Bribes Scandal of the early sixties is Former Everton hero (and another dealt with expertly. hard man) Bobbie Collins, by then at Leeds, and Everton’s Brian Labone Everton were the innocent victims of are walking off side by side and it as they lost a real star in Tony Kay Labone is literally head and who had accepted a bribe whilst still shoulders above Collins. at Sheffield Wednesday and was banned from football for life. A great picture about a time in football that the author recounts pretty well. It deserves a wider audience because there is so much in the book to enjoy.

S O U T H A M P T O N:

SMART BUSINESS Words by Aiden Boyer It has been a hectic transfer window for Southampton so far, with star players moving to the Midlands, and a plethora of young talent heading down south to St Mary’s. From the outside looking in, it may seem like the Saints have declined in squad quality, and that they will be fearing for their Premier League lives, but when you dig deeper into their transfer business this summer, things may actually be on the up for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men. Let’s start with the departures. Everyone has understandably been talking about the sale of star striker Danny Ings to Aston Villa, a deal which came about out of nowhere. The 29-year-old had enjoyed a successful spell on the south coast, racking up 41 league goals since his loan-tobuy move from Liverpool in 2019. A goalscorer like Ings doesn't come about too often, so to lose him to a fellow Premier League team is pretty damaging, even if you’re bringing in over £30m in the process. Two other departures that are fairly significant are Ryan Bertrand, who moved on a free transfer to Leicester, and Jannik Vestergaard, who also moved to Leicester, for an approximate fee of £15m.

This defensive duo were a big part of Southampton’s survival in the top flight in recent years, but with Bertrand now in his 30s, and Vestergaard close to joining him, it may not be the worst idea to move these players on. All that chat may make it look like doom and gloom for Southampton, but when we take a look at the arrivals, we’ll get to see why the Saints may be heading in the right direction. Youth has been the focal point when it comes to new signings this summer, with five arrivals being 23 or under. The biggest purchase was left back Romain Perraud, who traded northern France for southern England as arrived from Stade Brestois for £10m. Perraud brings with him top flight experience, enjoying a successful spell at Brest where he looked very capable on the left hand side. Let’s switch to the right hand side of the pitch to talk about a very exciting signing in the form of Valentino Livramento. The 18-year-old was picked up from Chelsea for £5m (with a buy back option in place). Livramento was highly impressive for Chelsea’s U23 side, and brings a lot of pace and excitement that’ll give fellow right back Kyle Walker-Peters some stiff competition.

The defence was strengthened further with the signings of centre backs Lyanco and Dynel Simeu. Lyanco signs from Serie A side Torino for close to £7m, while Simeu follows in the footsteps of the aforementioned Livramento, joining from Chelsea for just over £1m. Lyanco, at the age of 24, will provide instant quality in the middle of the defence, while Simeu at 19 is an option for the future, and a good looking one at that. A replacement for Danny Ings was quickly picked up, as Hasenhuttl dipped into the Championship to pick up Adam Armstrong from Blackburn for £16m. Armstrong, still only 24, scored a very impressive 28 league goals last season, and already looks comfortable as a Premier League striker.

All of this, along with the fact that Southampton’s architect in midfield James Ward-Prowse looks set to stay at St Mary’s, gives Southampton an opportunity to move forward as a club. The future looks pretty promising down south, and if these younger acquisitions can hit their potential in the next few years, both the bank balance and the league table could be a very pleasing sight for all connected to Southampton Football Club.

This demonstrates how being in Europe’s top competition has commercial benefits as well. The commercial income through sponsorship deals that comes with Champions League football provides the club with more money to reinvest into the club, HOW HAS NO CHAMPIONS LEAGUE demonstrating further that once a club falls from the top spots it FOOTBALL AFFECTED THE GUNNERS makes it even harder to reclaim Words by Toby Hill them without huge financial With Arsene Wenger not being This has meant that the club only backing, something which the able to lead Arsenal to the has few star players compared to club have not had. Champions League for the first Manchester City or Liverpool, time in 16 years, it was always where they are able to have a Arsenal’s main shareholder Stan set to have a massive financial larger wage bill and to evenly Kroenke has divided opinions impact on the club. The Gunners spread it around the club. about his investments into the crashed out of the cup to Bayern club. From 2018 to 2019 Munich, with an aggregate score This is not the only setback for Arsenal’s net assets dropped of 10-2, and have since spent the North London side; there is a from £530.415m to £511.404m, years trying to regain their spot huge inability to attract the top this is a 3.5% decrease. This has amongst Europe’s elite. echelon of players that accumulated as Kroenke has not Champions League clubs can. invested into the club as other Arsenal received £56.3m in This has been shown with owners have. Arsenal’s main broadcasting revenues from their Arsenal’s recent transfer history, rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, have poor Champions League the club just does not have the increased their net assets by campaign. However, even though same attraction to players that it 20% - from £335.172m to they reached the semi-finals of used to. Signings such as Martin £403.724m during this time. This the Europa League the next year, Odegaard will give the Gunners was the effect of Tottenham they only acquired £34.4m this faithful hope, but this does not being in the Champions League, time. This is only 61.1% of the compare to the other Premier the club has been able to see previous year’s broadcasting rev- League giants. Romelu Lukaku their net assets continue to grow enue. This demonstrates the vast to Chelsea, Jadon Sancho to whereas Arsenal have not been difference between the Europa Manchester United and Jack able to and are seeing a gradual League and the Champions Grealish to Manchester City are decline. League’s financial earnings. all signings which Arsenal fans will be worried about their club With Manchester City seeming to Arsenal have been operating at a being unable to match. spend big every season, ‘Champions League wage bill’ Liverpool continuing to impress without the funding from the Surprisingly, Arsenal’s match day under Jurgen Klopp and Chelsea competition. Therefore, placing revenues have increased since bringing in Lukaku, Arsenal are huge amounts of pressure on the in not being in the Champions facing a massive struggle to club. With players such as League. They recorded a turno- reclaim their position in the Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre- ver of £86.1m in 2017 and Champions League. All of these Emerick Aubameyang on some £99.8m in 2018. However, the reasons just share the of the highest wages in the commercial income dropped importance financially for Arsenal league, not having Champions from £116.4m to £106.5m, this is to re-join Europe’s elite again. League football will mean that a drastic 8.5% decrease. this will take up an extremely large chunk of the wage bill.

ARSENAL:

The history of Unió Esportiva Sant Andreu can be traced back to the formation of Club de Futbol Andreuenc in 1909. Two years later, a group of players split from the club and formed L’Avenç del Sport and it was this club that achieved relative success by competing in the Campeonato de Cataluña in 1920-21 & 1921-22. In June of 1925, the two clubs merged to form the current club. The club played at Campo de la Calle Santa Coloma (Camp de Santa Coloma), a ground occupied by L’Avenç del Sport since 1914 and this would remain their home until 1969. Sant Andreu worked their way through the Catalan regional leagues and the Tercera to reach La Segunda for the first time in 1950-51.

There followed the longest period of sustained success with eight seasons in the second tier and the highest finish of sixth in 197273. The club dropped to the newly formed Segunda B for the start of the 1977-78 season, and three seasons later found itself back in the Tercera. On 7 December 1980, the ground was renamed Estadi Municipal Narcis Sala in honour of the club president who oversaw the building of the new After an eighth-place finish in ground. 1952-53, the club resigned from La Segunda due to financial After spending the whole of the difficulties and returned to the 1980s in the Tercera, Sant Anregional Tercera. dreu returned to Segunda B in 1990, and at the start of the 1991 The club spent the next 16 years -92 season, the club played 8 in the Tercera, but at the end of matches at Estadio Olímpico the 1968-69 season, after Lluís Companys, but the work winning the league, the club that the local municipality had entered to the playoffs and promised to conduct on Narcis beat CA Osasuna and CD Sala never materialised, so the Alcoyano to seal promotion to La club moved back home to an Segunda. unchanged stadium.

The new stadium was named Campo de Fútbol del C.D. San Andrés and was inaugurated on 19 March 1970 with a friendly against FC Barcelona. Floodlights were switched on in April 1972 and the ground was full to its 18,000 capacity in 1972 when the club held Real Madrid to a The first season saw them finish 1-1 draw in the Copa del Rey. fourth and miss out on a playoff berth by one place and 3 points.

In December 2010 Narcis Sala underwent a makeover and whilst it now looks like it has been constructed out of Duplo bricks, it is an improvement for a stadium that seemed destined to be beige forevermore. In September 2013, a new artificial surface was installed at Narcis Sala, so the club decamped to the Camp de Porta in the neighbouring district of Can Dragó for a couple of matches.

WANT TO GET

INVOLVED? Words by Dan Hayden At the start of this season, as we started the rebrand on our matchday magazine, I wanted to give people the chance to get articles featured, providing a range of articles for our home and away supporters to read, as well as increasing interest from people all over social media.

WHAT NEXT FOR DOVER?

A massive thank you to those who have wrote a piece for us already this season. We have a wide variety of articles submitted, covering a whole range of topics. Words by Liam Hampton Fans of National League side Dover Athletic will have to wait a If you are interested in writing an little bit longer to see their team article to be featured in our grace the field again after COVID matchday magazine, here are -19 forced their game with some details: Solihull Moors to be postponed, meaning Dover haven’t played a competitive fixture since 30th • It can be on any topic you January 2021. wish, as long as it is football related, and preferably non The global pandemic has caused league. havoc for Dover Athletic, the • Ensure it isn’t controversial 2020/21 season was cut short for • It is voluntary, but you will them and a fine of £40,000 put get a digital copy of the the club on its knees with programme that you feature only four part time players and zero full time players as of May in. 2021. Club chairman Jim • 600 words to fit an A5 page. Parmenter said in February; “I have run the club for 15 years You can message me on Twitter without debt and I do not intend to change that now”. - @dhwfc or email me: haydendan@live.co.uk #WeAreGate

amongst us this looks like very bad news as clubs such as

Halifax and Chester folded after administration-based points deductions in the conference. Despite the grim outlook of their current situation there are reasons to be hopeful for Dover, Parmenter’s commitment to running the club without accumulating debt is not only admirable, but a huge relief for a club who has had folded on five previous occasions to 1983 (the official founding of Dover Athletic).

It is currently too early to tell how Dover’s off the pitch problems will impact them on it, but one thing is certain, the last thing anyone wants is another proud club sadly Another issue for Dover is they folding. were given a points deduction and will be starting the season on -12 points. For the superstitious

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R E T U R N O F T HE

WOMEN’S SUPER LEAGUE Words by Chloe Reynolds The Woman’s Super League Kicks off on the 3rd of September, with three out of the six games being played at their male counterparts stadiums. The first game of the season comes from Leigh Sport Village as Manchester United take on Reading, United, who finished 4th last season under Casey Stoney just missed out on that 3rd place table spot and a chance at the Champions league, Manchester United also have a new coach in Marc Skinner, who previously coached the Orlando Pride In the NWSL. Reading finished 7th and lost veteran Fara Williams who announced her retirement at the end of last season. Aston Villa will play newly promoted Leicester City at the Bescot stadium, Leicester City where promoted into the WSL after they came top of the championship last season. Aston Villa came 10th and are hoping to get higher than that this season.

Everton will be taking on Manchester City at Goodison park, this is only the second time that Everton have played at Goodison, the last time out was against Chelsea, where the toffees won 2-1, Manchester City will be hoping to do better than 2nd place this season as they missed out on the top spot by three points. Tottenham Hotspur are hosting Birmingham City at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, Birmingham City Narrowly missed out on relegation by two points, thankfully for them it was Bristol City that where relegated down to the championship. Birmingham starts this campaign with a new manager, former Glasgow City boss Scott Booth. Rehanne Skinner will also be hoping for a higher finish, skinner took over as the head coach in 2020, and this will be her first full season in charge.

The first London derby takes place in the first week at the Emirates Stadium as Arsenal host last season’s champions Chelsea. Arsenal have a new manager as well, Jonas Eidevall joins from Swedish side Rosengard after they reached the semi-final of the champions league. Chelsea on the other hand aimed to achieve the Quadruple last season, not only did the win the WSL, they also won the league cup. As well as this the Women’s team has won the league 4 more times, the FA cup twice and one community shield. The final game of the opening weekend comes from Broadfield Stadium as Brighton and Hove Albion face West Ham, Olli Harder hopes his first full season in charge of West ham will see them in the top five and in contention for those champions league places. Brighton finished in 6th place last season and are more than capable to get higher this season.

Words by Chris Stewart Considering the 'special relationship' the UK has traditionally had with America, its strange that they've not fully adopted arguably our biggest sport - football. They have the MLS of course, but thats mostly a retirement home for players who made their name in Europe. Instead, they have an adulterated version of football in the NFL where men in crash helmets and shoulder pads that would make Joan Collins jealous run at each other for five seconds and then have a rest for 30 minutes on the gridiron. You might think theres nothing we can take from this, but I've been doing some analysis and I reckon theres some things we can learn from our American cousins... HALF TIME SHOWS Prince. Beyonce. The Who. Paul McCartney. What do they have in common? They've all played the half time show of the Superbowl. We're used to mascot races, people awkwardly shuffling past to go to the toilet, or if you're watching at home Peter Crouch (Roy Keane if you're lucky) will

GAME LENGTH Now, in a game of American football the actual gameplay time only clocks in at around 60 minutes, however with stoppage time they manage to stretch this out for 3 hours, a bit like the average Burnley match. But because the rules of association football aren't as complex we won't need to pause the game as much. Two 30 minute halves sounds quite good doesn't it, over the course of an average Premier League season you'll save a whopping 19 hours. Especially good news if you've sat through a Brighton v Watford game at any point in your life, get in, get out. appear and talk about players utilising the space. How much better would things be if Stormzy did a set? This will of course necessitate clubs erecting giant television screens but it will benefit the people at Newcastle or Everton away who will finally be able to see what’s going on during the match. THE KITS I don't want to sound like I'm living in the past, but I'm old enough to remember when teams had a home and an away shirt (usually kept for a couple of seasons) and that was it. Now teams have home, away, third and sometimes fourth shirts every year. If you have kids, that cost can add up very quickly. Teams in the NFL can keep the same shirt designs for fifteen years or more without change, meanwhile everyone gets a white fixture? away shirt which negates the need for the kit change merry go round that goes on in our leagues every year. Shirt clashes will become a thing of the past and you'll save a fortune.

SUBSTITUTIONS Two words: Unlimited substitutions. That’s right, in the NFL you can rotate players in and out as much as you like. Your team 2-0 up? Don't just park the bus, park the entire bus depot by throwing on 8 defenders. Or if you're the losing team swap out your formation from 4-4-2 to 0-0-10 and start firing more shots than an Uzi. The transfer window might be even more chaotic than it already can be though and we'll see how teams like Manchester City get on with FFP when they sign 13 new centre backs in one season. Thinking about it though, we've already adopted some American culture, I'm thinking things like Halloween, Black Friday sales, prom nights. So maybe we should scrap our plans to change English football and instead look to improve the American game. They might have fireworks, light shows and cheerleaders, but have they ever known the pleasure of a Boxing Day

LUKAKU Will the Belgian lead Chelsea to Premier League glory? Words by Matt Johns Romelu Lukaku began his journey in English football back in 2011, joining Chelsea on a fiveyear contract. It didn’t go to plan on that occasion, but it is fair to say that the Belgian is a completely different animal these days, becoming one of the most sought-after centre forwards in the world.

Spells at West Bromwich Albion, Everton and Manchester United have enabled the powerful Belgian to get to this total, with the centre forward spending most of his first tenure at Chelsea on the reserves or on loan.

Onlookers are expecting him to become the golden boot winner, but he will face fierce competition from the returning Cristiano Ronaldo, as well as the always prolific Mo Salah and Harry Kane.

Lukaku has already scored more goals for Chelsea this time round, after getting his first for the Blues in his second debut, in a 2-0 win over Arsenal at the Emirates.

Lukaku will be hoping for good service from new teammates Kai Havertz and Mason Mount, as he is likely to cause havoc for Premier League defences all season long.

The European Champions have looked a force since the arrival of It is fair to say that moving away Thomas Tuchel, with the German from England for a couple of thrusting them onto Champions years has done the Belgian a League glory last season. world of good, but it is not as if he hadn’t already had an exemplary The Blues look set to be a real career. front runner for the league title this season, with the squad being The forward has played for four strengthened under Tuchel’s indifferent Premier League clubs fluence. over eight years and is already part of the allusive Premier They will face strong competition League hundred club. from the likes of Champions Manchester City, a vastly imBefore re-joining the Blues, proved Manchester United side Lukaku had 113 Premier League and a reinvigorated Liverpool. goals and is arguably already in the conversation as a legend in A lot of pressure is on the back English football. of Lukaku, after Chelsea made him their record signing with a fee of £97.5million.

The Pensioners have made a decent start to their campaign, kicking off the season with two wins over Crystal Palace and Arsenal, followed by a resilient draw against Liverpool.

Lukaku is returning to Chelsea after a two-year spell in Italy, under the very decorated manager Antonio Conte. Conte appears to have raised the strikers’ level, with the 28-yearold netting 24 goals last season to help Inter Milan win their first title in 11 years.

Following the international break, Chelsea host an exciting Aston Villa side who have made many new signings themselves, despite losing star player Jack Grealish to Manchester City. Lukaku and co will be looking to get back to winning ways, before beginning the defence of the Champions League trophy against Russian Champions Zenit Saint Petersburg.

FIXTURES/RESULTS 2021/22 JULY 31

Lower Breck

3PM

0-1

18th

Hale

Riley

Higham

Abankwah

Bartram

AUGUST 3

Barnoldswick Town

A 7:45PM

2-2

221

13th

Hale

Riley

Rogers

Abankwah

Higham

Ashton Athletic (FA CUP EP)

3PM

0-2

N-A

Hale

Ridings

Riley

Abankwah

Bartram

Padiham

3PM

1-1

107

16th

Hale

Ridings

Riley

Welsh

Bartram

Burscough

H 7:45PM

0-0

15th

Hale

Ridings

Riley

Welsh

Bartram

Macclesfield (FA CUP P)

3PM

6-4

738

N/A

Hale

Ridings

Riley

Welsh

Bartram

Litherland REYMCA

3PM

0-3

13th

Hale

Ridings

Riley

Welsh

3PM

SEPTEMBER 4

North Shields (FA Cup 1Q)

AFC Liverpool

H 7:45pm

Garforth Town (FA VASE)

3PM

Skelmersdale United

7:45PM

Charnock Richard

3PM

Avro

H 7:45PM

Ashton Athletic

Longridge Town

H 7:45PM

3PM

OCTOBER 2

Prestwich Heys

3PM

Congleton Town

7:45PM

Runcorn Town

3PM

Macclesfield

3PM

Vauxhall Motors

3PM

Northwich Victoria

3PM

NOVEMBER 5

Winsford United

3PM

Wythenshawe Town

3PM

Abankw

Westwood

Pollard

Webster

Iley

Ing

Boyd

Welsh

Burgess

Rogers

Feeney

Garrett

Westwood

Pollard

Webster

Feeney

Ing

Boyd

Welsh

Wyres-Roebuck

Garrett

Burgess

Iley

Westwood

Pollard

Webster

Feeney

Ing

Boyd

Rogers

Wyres-Roebuck

Welsh

Garrett

Burgess

Westwood

Pollard

Webster

Feeney

Ing

Boyd

Iley

Mekaoui-Abouzaid

Holden

Garrett

Burgess

Westwood

Burgess

Webster

Feeney

Ing

Boyd

Iley

Mekaoui-Abouzaid

Holden

Pollard

Higham

Westwood

Burgess

Webster

Feeney

Ing

Boyd

Holden

Mekaoui-Abouzaid

Pollard

Higham

Iley

wah

Gourley

Mekaoui

Webster

Feeney

Ing

Boyd

Rogers

Garrett

Burgess

Pollard

Iley

MILLIE THE MASCOT Young Squires Gate fan Millie Marsden was mascot for our game against Lower Breck. Thank you for your support, Millie!

GUISELEY SHOLING NORTH SHIELDS TAUNTON TOWN WHITLEY BAY

HALF TIME TEASER

THE NUMBERS GAME Words by Ben Wright @ben_wrightyy14

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

LIVERPOOL

Champions League Final, 2019 1

Won the 2018 World Cup

13 Joined from Roma in 2018

Now at Atletico Madrid

66 At the club since he was six

114 Caps for Belgium

32 Joined on a free from Schalke

Spent 8 years at Spurs

Represented GB at London 2012

26 49 Caps for Scotland

Recently signed for Watford

14 Signed from Sunerland in 2011

110 appearances for Spurs

Brazilian defensive midfielder

Left for Inter in 2020

Midfielder now at PSG

Signed from League 1 MK Dons

11 Also played for Chelsea & Basel

Captain of South Korea

Englands top scorer at Euro ‘20

10 Senegalese international

MANAGER: MAURICIO POCHETTINO

Captain of Dutch National Team

67 goals in 214 games for L’pool

MANAGER: JURGEN KLOPP

THE TEAMS SQUIRES GATE NORTH SHIELDS Manager: Luke Evans Manager: Marc Nash

Mike HALE (GK) Jacob RIDINGS

Greg PURVIS (GK) Nick CASSIDY

Jake HIGHAM

Chris MCDONALD

Luke HOLDEN

Gary ORMSTON

James BOYD Dean ING

Tom BEXTON Robbie CHRISTIE Cam CUNNINGHAM Adam FORSTER Dan WILSON

Ryan CARR Liam BROOKS

Matthew GARRETT (GK)

Callum SMITH

Oliver BURGESS

Konner LAMB

Jack WYERS-ROEBUCK Oli ORR Isaac ABANKWAH Josh POLLARD Alex WELSH

David ROBINSON Andy CARTWRIGHT Craig SPOONER Jack LEONARD Lewis BRENNAN

Matty FINNEY

Paul VAN ZANDVLIET

Max ROGERS

Jack WALKER

Kieran FEENEY Cameron GOURLEY Saad MEKKAOUI-ABOUZAID Mosopeoluwa ‘Sope’ AWE

Jamie NORVELL Anth MYERS Josh WALKER Lewis BRANNEN

FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round / Date 21.08.21/ The Brian Addison Stadium Referee: Joe Cunningham Assistant Referees: Natasha Wilson; Alexander Walker