Squires Gate v Vauxhall Motors

We would like to thank our sponsors for their continued support. It is very much appreciated. Enjoy the match!

CLUB DIRECTORY

President: Brian Addison

Club Secretary: John Maguire

Committee: Brian Addison, Steve

Bellamy, Ian Moore, Micky Farrer, John Maguire

Head of Media: James Ashton

Social Media Manager: Dan Hayden

Club Photographer: Ian Moore

Media Officer: Jay Hayden

Media Assistant: George Moore

KIT SPONSORS

Shirt Sponsors: Central Insurance, Open Recruitment, Taylors Fish & Chips, Global Football Network, Short Sponsor: Marsden Plastering

CLUB MANAGEMENT

Manager: Luke Evans

First Team Coach : Liam Robinson

U23’S Manager: Josh Strachan

TALK OF THE GATE

Editors; James Ashton

Dan Hayden

Jay Hayden

Front Cover: Chris Stewart

@kitforbrains

Printing: Moulton Printing

CLUB CONTACT

Website: www.squiresgatefc.co.uk

Twitter: @squiresgatefc

Instagram: @squiresgatefc

Email: squiresgatefc@hotmail.com

Good afternoon and welcome to The Brian Addison Stadium for today’s game against Vauxhall Motors.

Just two home games remaining of the 2022/23 season, which means just one more matchday programme after today. We do hope you have enjoyed reading each issue, and we have to say a massive thank you to our front cover designer Chris Stewart (@kitforbrains). An award or two would be perfect this season, so please vote for us if you can.

On a personal level, this could be my last home game of the season as I am moving to Manchester this week. I’m doing some social media work for The Humane Research Trust so anyone that could follow the page, it would be appreciated.

Come on Gate!

Dan Hayden

Hello everyone, and welcome to this afternoon’s game as we host title-chasing Vauxhall Motors here at The Brian Addison Stadium.

A warm welcome to the visiting fans and committee, as well as of course our loyal home supporters.

Hopefully there’s a few of you that joined us last week for Non League Day who are back again today!

It was an excellent day all round for us on Saturday, as we showcased who we are as a club and as a team as we beat Prestwich

Heys5-2.

They’ve been one of the best sides in the league this season and

are in with a great chance of winning the league.

We’re confident that we can put in another strong performance though this afternoon and grab another big three points.

Ahead of next season, a few roles have opened up at the club: Coach, Club Physio, Commercial Manager, Club Secretary and Committee Member. If you are interested in any of the roles, please speak to me, anyone behind the bar, DM us on social media or email us on squiresgatefc@hotmail. com

A big thank you once again for all your brilliant support this season.

Gaffer

LUKE EVANS

Q&A RYAN MOORE

Ryan! You’re our ‘Cover Star’ for today’s programme! Are you looking forward to the match? Yeah the match should be a good game and a good test for us. I know they’re pushing high up in the table and we’re trying to grab as many points as we can till the end of the season to hopefully carry momentum into next season, so this will be a good test to see if we can compete where we want to next season.

We face a tricky test in Vauxhall Motors this afternoon, what are you expecting from our visitors? To be honest not too sure what to expect from them I wasn’t here when they first played them earlier in the season.

Obviously they are a good team near the top of the table but that doesn’t mean anything to us, we know we can beat teams that are up there as we’ve done it numerous times this season.

You joined the club a couple of months into the start of this season, and have been an

excellent addition to the club both on and off the pitch - how have you settled in and enjoyed your time at Gate so far?

I’ve really enjoyed being here all the boys made me settle in, I think it helped as I knew a couple of them already. I’d say I’m quite quiet at first in new surroundings so probs took me a couple training sessions to feel confident but I think when I got my chance I’ve proven it and I’m good enough for this level.

Are you happy with how the season’s gone for the team? Personally I think we could have done a little better. If you offered us FA Vase 3rd round & a cup quarter final before the season we would probs take that but going out to teams who we probably should of beat (on paper) is disappointing, so we need to learn from that and not underestimate anyone.

In the league we’ve struggled to find consistency after picking up good results here and there so plenty to improve on next season.

You’ve been a really strong addition to the Gate midfield and

chipped in with a couple of big goals too, have you been happy with your own personal performances?

Personally I think I’ve done well since I’ve come in I’ve chipped in with a couple goals and a few assists which is what I feel I’m best at.

Would like to have contributed a few more in that department but overall I feel like I’ve helped the squad since I’ve come in.

Squires Gate have a growing fan base, as well as a strong social media presence. Has the support this season both at matches and online given the squad a boost? The supports always there, we are only a small club so you see the same faces supporting us home & away which is class.

The club wouldn’t be trying to achieve the things it wants to without the people that are here working behind the scenes which all the boys are grateful for.

1. . PENNINGTON

2. GRAY

3. H. WEBSTER

4. MOORE

5. BARTRAM

6. WELSH

7. RILEY

8. C. WEBSTER ©

9. BALL

10. PETT

11. RALPH

Words by Brian Addison

It was good to see two of our vice presidents, who are regular supporters of Squires Gate, at the match against Prestwich Heys; George Diggle Westhead

George joined Squires Gate in 1954 and played 733 competitive games for the club plus many representative and friendly games which I think must be some sort of a record. He would have played a lot more games but he was serving 2 years National Service. Within them two years, he only played 4 games. He is probably the best player to play for the club in a lot of people's opinion.

George served over 50 years on our committee and raised thousands of pounds for the club.

Roy Westhead joined Squires Gate in 1962 after many years at Blackpool Mechanics, and played 247 games for Gate before injury forced retirement. He then helped to run the teams as trainer assistant, manager of first team and he was the first programme editor for many years.

Most importantly he became treasurer for many years, serving over 50 years on the committee. We like to recognise both George and Roy as well as Baz for their efforts for Squires Gate Football Club.

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY SAM!

We’d like to wish young Squires Gate supporter, Sam a belated Happy 12th Birthday.

Sam turned 12 on 17th March and he usually attends the Brian Addison Stadium with his brothersandhisDad,Jason.

His favourite player is Josh Westwood and a quote from Sam himself:

“Squires Gate are the best local football club”

We agree Sam, and we appreciate your support, and we hope to see you at The Brian Addison Stadium again next season!

#WeAreGate

Here is the latest news from behind the scenes of your favourite non-league club!

disallowed for offside after a low ball across goal was tapped in at the back post. It was Gate who took the lead though, with James Boyd marking his return to the starting lineup with his 11th goal of the season. Ryan Riley showed excellent vision to switch the play from a free kick, which found Boyd in behind after a mistake in the Heys back line. Boyd composed himself well and found the net with the aid of a touch from the Heys keeper.

Gate’s dominance paid off, as Nathan Cliffe doubled the advantage with his 20th goal of the season on the half-hour mark. Moore and Sandle linked up beautifully outside the area and threaded Cliffe in behind, with the striker poking cleverly underneath the

Evans’ men did restore their two goal advantage on 53 minutes through Westwood. Riley was again the provider with a deep corner kick that was missed by the keeper and headed into the empty net at the back post by the Gate skipper. Prestwich refused to lie down though, and pulled another goal back on 65 minutes.

Gate did well to weather the storm though, and finally killed the game off on 76 minutes with Alex Ralph grabbing his first goal for the club on just his third appearance. The icing on the cake came for Gate on 89 minutes, with centre-back and skipper Josh Westwood doubling his tally for the afternoon, firing home from close range after a low ball in from Boyd.

2. GRAY

3. RILEY

4. MOORE

5. WELSH

6. WESTWOOD ©

7. BOYD

8. MOORE

9. SANDLE

10. CLIFFE

11. RALPH

VAUXHALL MOTORS

LAST SEASON

Premier Division: 8th

FA Cup: Extra Preliminary

FA Vase: 1st Round

A BRIEF HISTORY OF MOTORMEN….

Vauxhall Motors F.C. was founded in 1963, shortly after the opening of the new Vauxhall Car Plant in Ellesmere Port. Early in its history, they played in the Ellesmere Port League and the Wirral Combination, but soon grew too strong for those leagues. In 1987 the motormen opened its own ground, Rivacre Park, where theclubplaystoday.

On the pitch, the club also started finding some success, winning its first West Cheshire League championship in the 1985–86. Soon after, they reached their first Cheshire Amateur Cup Final and triumphed in the Wirral Senior Cup.

In 1994–95, the club won both divisionsoftheleague,onlythe

third time any club had achieved that in the 125-year history of the league and accepted back into the North West Counties League.

The next season was even better, with the team reaching the FA Vase semi-finals and winning the NWCL title, thus earning a spot in Division One of the Northern Premier League. The club enjoyed considerable success in the Northern Premier League as well, earning promotion to the Northern Premier League Premier Division in their first season, and finishing in second place in that division.

The team continued to play well, with its high point coming when they defeated QPR in their first appearanceintheFACupfirst

before losing in the next round in a televised match against Macclesfield Town in November 2002.

In the 2009–10, the club finished 20th However, due to the earlier resignation of Farsley Celtic and the to financial troubles, Northwich Victoria, the club was again given a reprieve.

In March 2014 the club announced its intention to withdraw from the Conference North due to "ever-increasing costs" leaving the club with no alternative but to return to the West Cheshire League to stabilise and rebuild the club once again.

Taking over the reins at the Syncreon Arena as the club re-joins the NWCFL was Mick McGraa.

THE MOTORMEN: SIXTY

SECOND GUIDE

BEN TOLLITT

Former Portsmouth and Oldham player, Ben Tollitt once featured for Vauxhall Motors.

STEVE MCNULTY

Also featuring for Vauxhall Motors was former Fleetwood’s Steve McNulty.

MEDIA MEMOIRS

FA CUP 1ST ROUND

Vauxhall Motors beat QPR in the first round of the FA Cup in 2002/03.

FROM THE PRESS BOX

Alex! Thank you for taking your time out to speak to us. Firstly, how did you get involved with Vauxhall Motors, and could you give us a rundown of your role at the club?

Dan, thank you! I first got involved with Vauxhalls in 2021 as we entered the first season back after COVID. Prior to this I was at Cammell Lairds and Tranmere Media, and came over toVauxhallsthatsummer.

My role at the club is to do matchday programmes and graphics, as well as organise a team of photographers, videographers, presenters, commentators, reporters - all of which help to produce the best content possible.

What is your matchday routine? Do you prefer home or awaygames?

WITH ALEX GARBE

I prefer home games... I think it's easier from a media view as everything’s organised and you don’t have to rely on late arrivals etc and rush to organise! But I do love visiting new groundsespecially that trip to the Isle of Man!

It's been a fantastic season for Vauxhall Motors. Do you fancy your chances to go up? What do you think has been the main motivation behind the success this season? It's obviously going to be tough now until the end of the season.

At the time of writing, we've got 2 games against Bury and a game against Avro which will be crucial - but it's in our hands and the lads need to keep performing at the levels which we have done so for so long this season, and hopefully it comes with a reward.

We're up there with 5 or 6 teams who have challenged and I think that's why it will be so good when play offs come in next season.

I think a stronger squad and when we look at players which we have Lewis Buckley, James McCulloch, Adam Hughes, Sam all who have played at much higher levels have really pushed us to the position which

Who is the one to watch for

I think the main one to watch is Lewis Buckley. Any one of the front three which starts today can be lethal at times but Lewis with 22 goals this season is still in the race for NWCFL Top Goalscorer, but Lewis is a great talent!

Working on the media side of the club, what makes a good social media platform to you? Which clubs inspire you and are there any that impress you in the NWCFL?

I think that a good media platform is one who mixes the general style 'marketing' to promote games, with a bit of an insight to the club which fans wouldn’t usually get to see on a matchday - behind the scenes, extended highlights and more - and more inside of a non league club - from the fans, players, volunteers and more.

Bury's is very good and the Isle of Man - but your programme has got to be up there with one of the best in non league!

Q&A

Footy scran now. What is your go to matchday scran? Who has the best in the NWCFL?

Footy Scran - I dont think we can say anyone but Avro. Last season was belter - think we had 3 burgers each!

But usually away from Avro I think the classic pie peas and gravy. I couldn't make Gate away last season so will be looking forward to trying it there - but Charnock Richard do a great pie aswell.

In terms of matchday programmes, again are they any that have stood out to you? What makes a good programme?

A Matchday Programme I think again has to link in with those who make the club - fans, volunteers etc. - who can give more of an insight. I think it also has to be 'personal' - with interviews where the reader thinks that they are talking to the interviewee. As I said, I think yours does that perfectly!

Your all time 5 a side for VM?

All time 5-a-side - I think our co-commentator would be fuming if I didn't put him in there from his Vauxhalls 'glory' days so Steve Hilton in goal.

Danny Collins and Steve McNulty at the back, Mark Duffy in midfield and Paul Mullin up top. All of which have played in the EFL!

The best match for VM in your time at the club?

Best match for Vauxhalls. A few are up there - the weekend in the Isle of Man this season, as well as the game at home to Runcorn

season. Although losing 5 was a great day and a great experience for the lads in front of such a big crowd.

Any memorable moments?

Memorable moments as mentioned above - Isle of Man, Winsford, Runcorn Linnets and also Tranmere Rovers away in the CSC last season where we won 2-0 at Prenton Park, once again as underdogs.

How do you prepare your weeklycontent for the

We usually put together our Next Graphics for the following month at the start of the month, and then Patrick prepares his commentary notes the week prior to the match, and I also do the programme the week before the match. Ethan, our reporter, will do a preview piece too, but the big pieces of content come after match report, match gallery, Match Coverage (highlights, commentary, interviews, talking points etc.), and our TikTok Match in a Minute which is a mini highlights package.

Prediction for the game?

Coming towards the business end of the season now, hopefully we can get another 3 points so I'm going to have to go with 2-0 Vauxhalls - a win and a clean sheet.Sorry!

FIXTURES & RESULTS // 2022-2023

FROM THE AWAY END Q&A WITH DANNY BEDDOWS

Firstly, what encouraged you to get into football and more importantly VM?

I have been into football since a very early age as my dad got me a season ticket for Everton aged 4, and I then played myself up until I was 24 for Sunday teams.

What makes non league unique to you?

I love the small grounds, low priced tickets, and still some quality football gets played despite lower level, always entertaining games, big tackles and no VAR to ruin anything.

Can you give us your all time 5 a side for Vauxhall Motors?

Ciaran O’laughlin

Marcus James

Craig Mahon

Michael Burke

Leighton Mcgivern

Your first VM match? And your most memorable ones?

First match was at home to Solihull moors in 2011.

Most memorable would have to be Fc Isle of Man away in January this year 3-0 win or

congelton away last season we won 2-0 and was a good day out.

Favourite grounds to visit?

Goodison Park, The Vaneupen arena

What's your matchday routine? Do you prefer home or away games?

My match day routine is to get to the ground about 45 mins before KO to get a pint and a sausage butty & soak up the atmosphere.

I prefer away games as love visiting new grounds but you can’t beat home games at the vaneupen.

Best footy scran in the NWCFL? Your go to matchday scran?

The pies at FC ISLE OF MAN were unreal, pinewood social club get onit!

Pie or sausage butty, although the ones at vauxhalls aren’t the best unfortunately.

Players to watch today?

Micheal Burke, tricky winger and always scores worldies & Big Marcus James nothing gets past him at the back.

VM are in with a chance of going up, especially after beating Bury on Tuesday. Do you think you can do it? What positions do you think you'd need to strengthen next season if you were to go up?

I think we have a great chance although we do still have 5 tough games but the team is probably the best I’ve seen at vauxhalls for years so I have faith that we will go on to win it now.

I think the team we have this season would still be good enough at the level above, maybe just a few for depth.

Prediction for the game?

3-0 to motors hopefully.

Words byJames Ashton

Our most recent away trip came a couple of weeks ago as we took the short trip to face Longridge Town. Well, actually we travelled to Clitheroe FC where the game took place due to floodlight issues at Longridge’s ground.

Dan picked up Laura & I after work before picking up Helen on the way, before we set off on the short trip up the M55 and on towards Clitheroe. Dan turned into what was a very small and full car park, so had to reverse out and find a space just a few yards down the road outside a nearby shop.

We got in all okay and made our way towards the Food hut, which thankfully had some shelter from the heavy rain that continued to pour all night. I grabbed a sausage roll for myself and a coffee for Laura, while Helen got herself a cheese burger. It was very decent food, but as it was at the home of Clitheroe, we can’t credit Longridge in their Away

Day score as youll see on the next page!

We made our way inside to the very smart and comfortable bar/ clubhouse, before I braved the rain again to meet Luke to find out the Team News and conduct my pre-match interview.

I edited down the video and made my Team Sheet graphic while I sat in the sheltered dugout, before getting set behind the goal for kick off. Dan joined us - Pie, peas & Gravy in hand, as a disappointing first half saw us trail 2-0.

We nipped inside for the half time hospitality and had a warm welcome. We discussed the first half performance and what changes we would make, although we don’t really hold that power.

Me and Laura went behind the other goal for the second half, which turned out to be a bad move in retrospect as 4 young Clitheroe fans were chanting

Longridge songs non stop for 50 minutes and laughing at themselves.

A disappointing evening ended with a 3-0 defeat. The continuing rain summed up a pretty miserable night all told, but a Maccies on the way back and looking ahead to the upcoming Non League Day brought a bit of positivity back on the car ride home.

Onto the next one!

Jay and Dan are going to Longridge tomorrow so the score may be amended for the next game in terms of the food & drink available, programme and stadium*

Sorry Longridge, this is 0 points.

and didn ’ t see anyone with a copy.

SCORE: 0/10

one.

was a programme. No one asked at the turnstile

As it was hosted at Clitheroe, I wasn ’ t sure if there

SCORE: 8/10

food and drinks were pretty decent so I think it ’ s worth a 6/10 on this

The committee we saw at half time were friendly and the selection of

nice cup of tea.

Some friendly people in hospitality who were part of Longridge, and a

PROGRAMME HOSPITALITY

SCORE: N/A

SCORE: N/A

leagues above and had plenty of seating.

nice little ground though, expected for a team

really give Longridge the points for this. It was a

As it was played at Clitheroe, I ’ m not sure we can

and it was fantastic. Also got a reusable cup with Clitheroe on. 9/10.

get hold of them. Settled for a meat and potato with peas and gravy

I proper fancied a Chicken Balti pie; however, they said they couldn't

there was some great choice of food available in the food hut.

Score for Clitheroe8/10. Again, we can ’ t really give points to Longirgde for this one either but

STADIUM FOOD & DRINK

RATING: 13/30

frustrated trip back after a 30 defeat.

6/10

tunes and Gate chat on the way down but a bit of a SCORE:

there wasn ’ t much to complain about. The usual

Accompanied with Helen, James and Laura and

and easy one for a midweek game.

JOURNEY

THE BUNDESLIGA RELEGATION

Words by

One of the most exciting relegation battles in recent memory is raging in the German Bundesliga as we enter the final section of the season. Just nine matchdays remain and the bottom five teams are separated by just five points, while 13th place Köln and 12th place Augsburg are by no means safe yet.

Just two matchdays ago (MD23), Stuttgart, Hoffenheim, Schalke and Bochum were all level on points – something that had never happened before this late into the season during the three points for a win era. Two teams will be directly relegated to the second tier, while 16th place will only be enough for a two-legged relegation play-off against a 2. Bundesliga club.

HOFFENHEIM HERTHA BERLIN

After MD10, Hoffenheim would have been forgiven for starting to think about qualification for European competition this season. They were in fourth position with 17 points, just two points away from second-place Bayern Munich and six off league leaders Union Berlin. Then Hoffenheim went into a tailspin. A 14-game winless run in which they lost 12 times and picked up just two points saw them drop down the table. That winless run was their longest in the Bundesliga, while they also set another record within this sequence of results, by losing seven games in a row.

Heading into their final Bundesliga game before the March international break, Hoffenheim found themselves bottom of the league table, a point behind both Schalke and Stuttgart and two points behind their next opponents Hertha BSC. Luckily for Hoffenheim and Matarazzo, they put an end to their awful run and secured a vital 3-1 win at home to the Berlin side on 18 March.

Much of Hoffenheim’s problems stem from their weak defence, one that hasn’t kept a clean sheet in 15 league games now – the longest current run of any Bundesliga team.

Much of their hopes for survival will hinge on the form of star striker Andrej Kramarić, who is their record goalscorer in the German top-flight with 95 Bundesliga goals. He proved his worth with two crucial penalties in their win over Hertha on the last matchday and will undoubtedly be the man to provide the goals that may keep them out of trouble. Their key games to come are their next home game – on MD27 – against Schalke 04, while the final game of the season could be absolutely huge.

Hertha BSC only narrowly avoided relegation last season by securing their Bundesliga status in a relegation play-off versus Hamburg.

After going the first four games without a win (D1 L3), the Berliners went on a five-game unbeaten run (W1 D4) but since then the poor form has returned with 11 losses in 16 Bundesliga matches seeing them average only 0.8 points per game. Despite this, Hertha have stuck with coach Schwarz and are the only team within the bottom five to have kept with the same manager all season so far.

Since the turn of the year, Hertha’s defence has been the major issue. They have conceded 26 goals in the Bundesliga post-World Cup, which is more than any other team, while that total is more than they conceded before the winter break (22) in five games fewer.

Regular goalkeeper Oliver Christensen hasn’t been able to keep out the goals. His goals prevented tally of minus 8.9 is the worst of any Bundesliga keeper in 2022-23, conceding 48 goals (excluding own goals) from an expected goals on target total of 39.1.

Hertha’s survival will probably come down to how many points they can pick up from their remaining four home games this season. So far in 2022-23, the Berlin side have picked up a league-high 81% of points in home games (17/21), while two of their last four games at the Olympiastadion Berlin are against direct relegation rivals: Stuttgart on MD31 – the only team yet to win an away game in the 202223 Bundesliga – and Bochum on MD33, who have lost the most away games in 2022-23 (11).

RELEGATION BATTLE: WHO WILL SURVIVE?

For a long time, Schalke seemed to be suffering a similar decline to that of 2020-21, when they proved competitive in the Bundesliga and ended the season with just 16 points – the lowest of any team in the three points for a win era. Across the first half of this season, they’d picked up only nine points – just two more than their disastrous 2020-21 campaign (seven). However, the second half of the campaign has seen a transformation.

They are currently on an eight-game unbeaten run, which began with four goalless draws – the first team in Bundesliga history to do this. Since then, two wins (both against relegation rivals Stuttgart and Bochum) and two more draws have given them a fighting chance of survival in 2022-23. Since the halfway point of the season (17 games), the only other Bundesliga side to go undefeated are rivals Borussia Dortmund.

Since the halfway point of 2022-23, Schalke have posted league-best tallies for goals conceded (four) and expected goals against (8.5), which is a remarkable turnaround from the first half of the campaign in which they conceded a league-high 41 goals from 17 games.

Matchdays 27 and 28 could well decide their fate, with games against relegation rivals Hoffenheim and Hertha BSC. They’ll need to pick up positive results in those games, as their last three league fixtures of 2022-23 see them face difficult matches against three of the current top six sides: Bayern Munich away, Eintracht Frankfurt at home and RB Leipzig away.

SCHALKE STUGGART

VfB Stuttgart set a club first in 2022-23 by going nine Bundesliga games without a win to start the season, which saw Pellegrino Matarazzo depart as head coach and replaced by interim manager Michael Wimmer. Whilst Wimmer enjoyed three wins in six games in charge, Bruno Labbadia took over the club for the first time in nearly 10 years.

However, Labbadia hasn’t been able to steer the Stuttgart ship clear of danger, with just one win and six points (D3 L6) collected across his 10 games in charge of the club. With their 1-0 defeat to Wolfsburg before the international break, VfB fell to the foot of the table for the first time in 2022-23. A worrying trend for Stuttgart has been their inability to stop the opposition from scoring, despite not presenting them with the easiest chances this season.

On average, Stuttgart’s expected goals against per game of 1.30 is bettered by only five Bundesliga teams in 2022-23, while it’s exactly the same as league leaders Borussia Dortmund. However, they have conceded nearly 10 goals more than expected (42 from 32.5 xG), which is the second worst difference in the Bundesliga (-9.5) behind only FC Köln (-11.2).

Stuttgart fans should be worried about finishing in the bottom three this season. Whilst the Opta supercomputer gives Schalke and Hertha a bigger chance of finishing in the bottom two, and only Hertha and Hoffenheim have a bigger chance of appearing in the relegation play-off, Stuttgart’s inability to pick up a win on the road could harm them.

As the only club yet to win an away match in 2022-23 (D5 L7), it’s concerning for Stuttgart that five of their last nine games come away from home, with two of those against rivals for the drop – Bochum on MD27 and Hertha BSC on MD31.

The final game of the season will also be a grudge match, with former coach Matarazzo returning to the Mercedes-Benz Arena with his current side, and fellow relegation threatened outfit Hoffenheim. That game as the potential to be the ultimate relegation showdown.

HAPPY HATTERS

LUTON’S QUEST TO GO FROM NON-LEAGUE TO PREMIER LEAGUE

Words by Matt Furniss

I’m a Watford season ticket holder of 25 years. There, I said it.

With that in mind, writing a positive data analysis of what makes Luton Town’s crop of 2022-23 so good is something that’ll undoubtedly make me a pariah to many Watford fans in a normal week (sorry dad), let alone in the week leading up to a crucial M1 derby match at Kenilworth Road.

But the fact is, this Luton team are very effective. Not just that, they are one of the strongest Championship teams of the season – arguably the best if you were to generate a club ‘resources to points won’ calculation.

If you’d have told a fan of either club at the start of the season that Watford’s newly appointed manager would be in charge of Luton a month before Christmas, nobody would have believed you. But it’s happened and Rob Edwards is proving his old club wrong as he sends Luton soaring up the table. Here’s how he’s doing it.

THE UNORTHODOX PATH TO LUTON

There really isn’t much love lost between Luton and rivals Watford, so for a manager to cross the divide (albeit after being sacked by the other) is very rare and usually unwise. So far though, it’s a move that has worked wonders for Rob Edwards.

Edwards was picked as the man to lead Watford into a new era – a young, progressive head coach who would be backed ‘come hell or high water,’ but it turned out that hell and high water came quicker than expected at Vicarage Road and the panicked board dismissed him after just 10 league games in charge and three wins on the board. In truth, the partnership rapidly looked incompatible, and it was best for both parties to split.

The former Welsh international was picked by the Hornets following a fantastic season at Forest Green Rovers, where he won the League Two title and was named the 2021–22 EFL League Two Manager of the Season. At the Gloucestershire club, Edwards

embedded a fast, dynamic style that produced outstanding results for a team that weren’t expected to be challenging for promotion. Now he’s doing the same at Luton.

Replacing Nathan Jones was always going to be a difficult act. Jones had made Luton a force to be reckoned with, getting them promoted from League Two in his first full season at the club and getting the club in a great position to get promoted from League One before moving to Stoke City in January 2019. After things didn’t work out at the Potters, he returned 16 months later, saved them from relegation and eventually led Luton to the Championship play-offs last season, where they lost to Huddersfield in the semis.

Their rise to the play-offs was massively unexpected, considering Luton had (and still have) one of the most modest budgets in the second-tier. So called ‘smaller’ clubs have got the Championship play-offs before but have never been able to sustain their promotion challenge over more than a single

campaign – Barnsley are a case in point going from fifth in 2020-21 to bottom the subsequent year.

After Jones was plucked from Kenilworth Road to begin his disastrous 14-game tenure at Southampton, Luton were quick to appoint Edwards following his departure from Watford seven weeks earlier. They haven’t looked back.

Since he arrived at the club on 17 November, Luton have picked up 34 points in 17 matches at a rate of two points per game. Only runaway leaders Burnley (42) and automatic promotionchasing Middlesbrough (40) have won more points across this period, while he’s improved on Jones’ start to 202223.

By installing a familiar style from his Forest Green season – which he was hamstrung from embedding at Watford – Edwards has made Luton serious contenders for promotion to the Premier League this season.

PUMP IT UP

Luton don’t rely on having possession, it’s not a hugely important point to their gameplan. Overall, this season their average possession figure in the Championship is 44.8%, which 18thlowest out of the 24 clubs. It’s been slightly higher under Edwards (46.7%) than it was under Jones (42.7%) this season, but keeping the ball isn’t vital to Luton. Getting the ball into the final third of the pitch is much more important.

Field tilt is a metric to show the territorial dominance between teams. Put simply, it measures the share of possession a team has in a game, considering only touches or passes in the attacking third. It can be useful when trying to understand which team is more dominant in games, rather than looking at overall possession, mainly as it looks at how teams are able to get the ball into areas that matter.

Under Edwards, Luton are one of only four Championship sides to have averaged less possession than their opponents but have a field tilt percentage higher than the opposition (52.8%). Essentially a philosophy of not keeping possession for the sake of it deeper on

the pitch, but quickly getting in areas that can harm the opposition.

Getting the ball into the final third of the pitch without taking many passes to do so isn’t anything new, and Watford fans certainly can’t accuse Luton of having an ugly style of play – their best ever manager in our best ever era gleaned success from these methods, after all.

Luton haven’t been as direct under Edwards as they were under Jones in 2022-23, but Luton are still one of the most direct and fast-paced sides in the Championship this season. The Hatters still average under 2.5 passes per open -play sequence of play under their new boss, but they have become less direct in the speed at which these sequences are launched upfield.

Since Edwards was appointed, Luton are one of only six teams to have played over 20% of their passes long (30 yards or more), while only Rotherham (43.8%) have seen a higher proportion of their open-play passes end in the attacking third of the pitch than they have (39.7%).

Their strikers are the usual target of these, with only Andry Carroll and Tom Bradshaw being involved in more aerial duels per 90 among forwards in the Championship since Edwards came in on 17 November than Carlton Morris (8.8) and Elijah Adebayo (8.9).

THE FRONTMEN

Ask most Championship defenders which forwards they wouldn’t be looking forward to playing against at the weekend and there’s a fair chance that Morris and Adebayo would be regular mentions.

Both are strong and aerially dominant strikers that can bully opposition defenders, but are also intelligent at finding space inside the box to maximise scoring opportunities.

Their role in the team hasn’t differed too much between Jones and Edwards, although since the new manager came into the club, both strikers have seen more of the ball outside of the box than under Jones. But this hasn’t affected their goal outputs, with both averaging a better minutes PG ratio under Edwards.

Despite that drop, both Morris and Adebayo are strikers who thrive on receiving the ball inside the 18-yard box. Of players to have played at least 1,500 minutes of Championship football this season, Adebayo averages the fifthmost touches inside the opposition box per 90 (5.7) and Morris the sixth-most (5.4).

Another example of Luton’s excellent recruitment, Morris joined from relegated Barnsley in the summer for a reported fee of just £1.8m. He’s already repaid Luton with a seasonal careerbest 16 goals in league competition, equalling Adebayo’s Championship tally from last season at the club. He needs just four more goals in the Championship this season to become the first Luton player to reach 20 league goals in a second-tier campaign since Brian Stein in 1981-82 (21), a year in which the Hatters won the title and secured a spot in the top-flight.

Both Adebayo and Morris were quite very quiet in Watford’s 4-0 rout of Luton earlier this season when Jones was still in charge of the club, attempting just three shots and one on target between them. With Edwards looking to prove Watford wrong and Luton hurt from that thrashing in October, there’s little chance they’ll be as quiet on 1 April.

Luton Town have never been a Premier League club, and should they end up being promoted this season, they’d be the first team to play in the non-league and work their way up to the top-flight in the Premier League era. Of course, football began before the invention of the Premier League and Luton know that better than anyone, as they were relegated from the top-flight the season before in 1991-92.

With the Bedfordshire club in such a rich vein of form with only eight games left to play before the play-offs, there’s every chance that the side with the smallest budget in the league could show the richer owners how it can be done sustainably.

AN ODE TO FRANCESCO

Words by Stefano Faccendini

Tuesday marked the 30th anniversary of Francesco Totti’s debut for Roma. No player is ever likely to be adored as much by their fans as he was and still is.

It’s the 1992-93 season and Roma are not having fun. Vujadin Boskov replaced Ottavio Bianchi as manager in the summer but the team, despite the presence of some illustrious names, are not performing. The Giallorossi will go on to finish the season with 31 points (in the two points for a win era), just four more than the four teams relegated to Serie B.

When Francesco Totti replaces Ruggiero Rizzitelli, he is only 16. There have been rumours about how good he is but for most people he is just one of the many promises, possibly forgotten in the space of a few seasons or loaned out to a Serie B or C club in the summer. That away win at Brescia is Roma’s last league win of the season.

The following season there is another managerial change. In his three years at Roma, Carlo Mazzone trusts the young Totti more and more. He gives him eight appearances in his first season in charge. Then 21. Then 28.

one would dare dispute it. It is based on facts, on numbers. While others have been able to deliver or impress for a few years, he has been able to enchant the crowds for a quarter of a century.

Totti has scored the most goals for a single team in Serie A history (250 goals). Of course it’s exactly 250. How stylish.

Those 250 goals rank him second overall in the all-time Serie A goal scoring charts. He’s third for all-time Serie A appearances, behind a goalkeeper (Gianluigi Buffon) and a defender (Paulo Maldini) who were far less likely to be kicked off the pitch.

His career in the capital spanned 25 Serie A seasons – this is a joint-record at a single club, tied with Paolo Maldini. He is also the oldest player to have scored in the modern Champions League (versus CSKA Moscow aged 38 years, 59 days) and the oldest player to score a brace in Serie A (versus Torino aged 39 years, 206 days).

On 28th March, Roma are away at Brescia – one of the four teams who will finish in the drop zone. They are already out of Europe but they are through to the semi-final of the Coppa Italia. Roma are winning 2-0 and Boskov decides to give a few minutes to one of the youngsters on the bench. Roma’s youth system is famous for nurturing young talents but sometimes the pressure is so intense that not many are able to make the grade and establish themselves in the first team.

Totti’s first goal comes on the first matchday of 1994-95, a home draw against Foggia – an instinctive leftfooted strike, lashed into the bottom corner. His last goal is a penalty against Cesena in the Coppa Italia quarter-final on 1st February 2017. 25 years. With the same club. The shirt, the badge, the faith.

Without any doubt Francesco Totti is Roma’s greatest player of all time. It’s not an opinion – although if it was no-

When he won the Serie A title in 2001, Totti was not even 25. Approaching his prime, many thought he was destined to fill Roma’s trophy cabinet with silverware. But glory never settles by the Tiber, at least in footballing terms. Roma failed to win another title and Totti – who in the meantime had turned down the Galacticos at Real Madrid, decided to keep trying with his beloved club until the end of his playing days.

Sadly, his last few seasons were marred by a difficult relationship with manager Luciano Spalletti, who actually had an excellent connection with him during his first spell at the club. Totti felt others took the decision for him to stop playing and while he would have loved to carry on, there was no chance he would have done so wearing a different shirt.

Which of these are not in the Womens Champions League Semi Finals?

A. Arsenal

B. Barcelona

C. Chelsea

D. Real Madrid

E. Wolfsburg

Which of these is not currently in the relegation zone of the Premier League?

A. Bournemouth

B. Everton

C. Southampton

D. West Ham

Who is currently the top scorer intheChampionship?

A. Chuba Akpom

B. Viktor Gyokeres

C. Nathan Tella

D. Carlton Morris

E. Tom Bradshaw

SANDLE CLIFFE WESTWOOD

PETT CHAMBERS BALL MOORE

Spot The Ball

………………………………………………………...

ANSWERS

Spot the Ball: B Shirt Season: 1999/2000

Wordle: Yates, Madine, Willock

Quickfire: 1. D, 2.B, 3.A

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