St Helens Town v Barnton by John McKiernan

CLUB INFORMATION Honorary Life President: Alan Wellens Vice Presidents: Jim Barrett and Steve Ball Chairman: John McKiernan (07713 339682) Vice Chairman: Glyn Jones Hon. Secretary/Treasurer: Jeff Voller (07843 692695)

Saturday 12th Sept 2015, 3.00pm NWCFL, First Division St Helens Town

Barnton

Red & White Shirts White Shorts, Red & White Socks No

Graham McLoughlin

Gls Y R

Orange Shirts Orange Shorts & Socks No

Adam Judge

Gls Y R

Matty Davidson

Jesse Robinson

Sean Kelly

Joe Fielding

Matty Lennon

Kevin Pollard

Dale Sealey

Dan Meadowcroft

Graeme Begley

Michael Burke

Warren Twist

Daniel Laverty

Johan Du Toit

Jason McShane

1st Team Joint Managers: Alan Gillespie & Nick Matthews

Andy Gillespie

Robert Kinsella

Alex Nwachukwu

Colin Quirk

U21s Team Manager: John McLaughlan

Jack Marshall

Chris Lomax

U21s Assistant Manager: Billy Davies

Marcus Perry

Jordan Stafford

Luke Gibson

Ryan Malone

U18s Team Manager: Ellis Hawksworth

Jack Golding

Andrew Morgan

David Baines

George Webster

U18s Assistant Manager: Alex Jardine

Tom Bradley

George Lomax

Sunday Team Manager: David Platt

Managers: Alan Gillespie and Nick Matthews

Manager: Leon Knight Assistant: Andy Burgess

Full Committee: John McKiernan, Jeff Voller, Jim Barrett, Ste Ball, Paul Wood, Margaret Wood, Chris Ford and Glyn Jones. Hospitality: Margaret Wood and Paul Wood Trustees: John McKiernan and Eric Bond

Club Email: sthelenstownfc@hotmail.co.uk Main Club Sponsor: Johnsons Toyota Liverpool

Referee: Mr A Sawicz (Rossendale) Assistants: Mr K Kay (Bury) & Mr L Lever (Stockport)

Match Sponsor

Shirt Sponsor: EcigUK St Helens Legal: St Helens Town Limited Private Limited Company Company No. 04392840 Date of Incorporation 12.03.2002 Company Director: Jim Barrett Parent Company: A wholly owned subsidiary of Sporting Club St Helens Limited

Cover Photograph: Matty Davidson in action v Irlam on Saturday 29th August 2015

Match Ball Sponsor

Next Home Game: Saturday 19th September 2015 St Helens Town v Cheadle T NWCL, Division One Adults £5, Concessions £3

Good afternoon and welcome to Brocstedes Park for this North West Counties Football League, First Division contest against Barnton. May I open by welcoming our visitors I hope they enjoy the short time they will spend with us and have a safe journey home after the game. It has been a fortnight since we were last here at Brocstedes Park when we hosted Rochdale Town and came into the game with the only 100% record in both divisions of the North West Counties League. We started off well going a goal in front early on when Johan Du Toit sent a thunderbolt into the top right hand corner of the net before the visitors came into the contest dominating possession and looking likely to level until we went up the other end of the park and doubled the lead when Andy Gillespie collected a knock down and fired home. This was to be papering over the cracks in what was a below par performance and when we gifted the visitors a goal just before the interval giving the ball away in our own final third which allowed Liam Bennion to score and 15 minutes after the restart the hosts were 3-2 down as Jonny Thompson and Bennion added goals which secured the spoils for the visitors.

We then had a week to wait to put things right as we took the long trip to Scunthorpe to take on Winterton Rangers. Again we started off quickly opening the scoring with just 9 minutes on the clock, Matty Davidson sent the ball in from the right and Warren Twist got a touch before the ball broke to Ste Rigby and he curled the ball home. Andy Gillespie was able to profit from good pressure by Twist which saw the ball given away in a dangerous area which the skipper latched onto before rounding the keeper and firing home past a defender on the line to make it 2-0. The only surprise of the remainder of the half was that Town didn’t add further to their tally. The start of the second period saw the hosts come at Town but they produced little of note until the 70 the minute when Tom Corcoran’s well struck effort from the edge of the box was well saved by the previously redundant Graham McLoughlin in the Town goal. The game was ended as a contest when Town added a brace of goals in a two minute spell as a pair of swift counter attacks first saw Du Toit feed Lionel Agbodjan who slotted home and Agbodjan then turned provider when he linked with fellow substitute Marcus Perry who found the net to round off the scoring and secure Town a visit to Rochdale Town in the next round. We then took the relatively short trip to Litherland Sports Park to take on Litheland REMYCA on Wednesday but we were no where near the level we needed to be to get something out of the contest and it was a former Town man Karl Bergqvist brace which was to prove the difference between the two teams in the final outcome. The hosts took an early lead when a training ground corner saw Chris Tyson volley home from the edge of the box and their lead was doubled when Bergqvist netted a penalty before Twist reduced the arrears steering a Gillespie cross home with the aid of a deflection before Bergqvist netted his second in the 2nd half to secure the victory for the side from Sefton. We welcome league leaders and title favourites Barnton to Brocstedes Park this afternoon, all the experts have given the nod to “The Villagers” after their moves in the transfer market over the close season and also retaining the vast majority of the team who just missed out on the play off’s last term. They have started the season off well winning 6 of their 7 games so far only losing narrowly at fellow contenders Hanley Town and Town will have to up their game from midweek as this will be the biggest test of Town’s credentials so far.

Let’s get behind Town this afternoon and hopefully cheer them onto victory. Enjoy the game . . . Jeff Voller

Barnton Football Club was founded in 1946 and in 1948 they became a founder member of the Mid-Cheshire League. They have played in that league ever since and are one of two clubs to have been in this league throughout its 68 year history, the other being Knutsford (the league was renamed the Cheshire Association Football League in 2007). As of the mid-2000s the club has won the league on eleven occasions, including seven consecutive league titles between 1996/97 and 2002/03. The pinnacle of the club's success came with the winning of the National League Systems Cup while representing the Mid-Cheshire League in the inaugural competition of 2003/04, beating West Cheshire, Liverpool Combination and South Western League opposition along the way before defeating the Cambridgeshire County League 2-0 on their home soil in the final. As a result of this they went on to represent England in the UEFA Regions Cup in Slovenia and Bosnia where they won four, drew one and lost one of their games, narrowly failing to reach the final stages of the competition. The club has also participated in the FA Cup on two occasions (1948/49 and 1949/50) and the FA Vase on one occasion (1985/86) failing to get past their extra preliminary round games on each occasion. The club submitted an application to join the North West Counties Football League for the start of the 2014/15 season. They were successful in their application and were confirmed to take their place in the First Division on May 29th 2014. The Club finished seventh in their inaugural season in the North West Counties Football League finishing just outside of the newly formed North West Counties League Division One Playoffs. Year Formed: 1946

Record Attendance: 260 v Bramwell, 25th April 1998

Honours: Mid-Cheshire League Champions: 1979–80, 1982–83, 1988–89, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999– 2000, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004–05.

Cheshire League Division Two Champions: 2012–13. Mid-Cheshire League Challenge cup: Winners: 1979-80, 1980-81, 1981-82, 1982-83, 1983-84, 198990, 1990-91, 1991-92, 1994-95,1997-98, 1998-99, 1999-00, 2000-01, 2003-04, 2013–14. Cheshire Amateur Cup: Winners: 1949, 1969, 2002, 2004.

Cheshire Senior Cup: 1981.

Records FA Cup First Qualifying Round: 1948–49

FA Vase Extra Preliminary: 1985–86

Season 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15

League M CHES-1 M CHES-1 M CHES-1 M CHES-1 M CHES-1 M CHES-1 M CHES-1 CHES-1 CHES-1 CHES-2 CHES-2 CHES-2 CHES-2 CHES-1 NWC-1

P 30 28 30 30 30 30 30 32 30 30 26 24 26 30 36

W 23 18 21 19 20 7 11 10 4 11 6 2 21 17 18

D 2 7 6 3 8 9 8 6 2 5 4 4 2 6 5

L 5 3 3 8 2 14 11 16 24 14 16 18 3 7 13

F 82 65 61 67 69 42 52 46 39 60 35 25 101 92 77

A 28 25 18 33 23 77 45 64 87 68 70 83 50 48 66

GD 54 40 43 34 46 -35 7 -18 -48 -8 -35 -58 51 44 11

Pts 71 61 69 60 68 30 41 36 14 38 22 10 65 57 59

Position 1/16 1/15 1/16 3/16 1/16 13/16 9/16 11/17 16/16 10/16 13/14 13/13 1/14 5/16 7/19

Pre-season Friendly at Townfieds July 2014

at St Helens Town NWC-D1

Previous Meetings 2000-01

at Barnton M CHES-D1

NWC-D1

2001-02

M CHES-D1

NWC-D1

2002-03

M CHES-D1

NWC-D1

2003-04

M CHES-D1

NWC-D1

2004-05

M CHES-D1

NWC-D1

2005-06

M CHES-D1

NWC-D1

2006-07

M CHES-D1

NWC-D1

2007-08

CHES-D1

NWC-PD

2008-09

CHES-D1

NWC-PD

2009-10

CHES-D2

NWC-PD

2010-11

CHES-D2

NWC-PD

2011-12

CHES-D2

NWC-PD

2012-13

CHES-D2

NWC-PD

2013-14

CHES-D1

NWC-PD

2014-15

NWC-D1

12/09/2015

2015-16

30/04/2016

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Good afternoon and a very warm welcome to Brocstedes Park for this NWCFL First Division game with current league leaders Barnton FC. We extend a first time welcome to their players, officials and supporters along with our own followers and today’s match officials. Many thanks to today’s match sponsors Toast Café, St Helens who are also associate shirt sponsors of both our U18s and U21s teams - Lisa Bulman’s support over the past couple of years has been excellent. I would also like to thank one of our newer sponsors LM Travel, St Helens who are today’s match ball sponsors. It’s been a mixed bag of results over the last week with an excellent FA Vase win in Scunthorpe as the lads put on a superb performance to run out 0-4 winners over Winterton Rangers to set up a game at Rochdale Town in the next round. However, it was back to earth with a bump on Wednesday evening as Litherland REMYCA proved too strong and ran out 3-1 winners at the Litherland Sport Park in what was a hugely disappointing effort across the park from Town.

We will have to be much better this afternoon as Barnton have started their campaign extremely well and are among many people’s promotion favourites this season. It’s our first competitive game between the two sides, although we did have a friendly with the ‘Villagers’ back in July 2014 and our visitors have one or two players who have previously donned the red and white of Town including Colin Quirk and Chris Lomax. Town travel to Rochdale Town next Tuesday evening 7.45pm looking for revenge following the 2-3 reverse here a couple of weeks ago before we entertain Cheadle Tow next Saturday. Incidentally, we are looking for a match ball sponsor for the Cheadle game - just £50 for two VIP guests with hospitality, etc. Please contact me on 0771 339 682 for more details. We’re also looking to boost members of our Goldline Lottery - it’s just £1 per week with weekday prizes of £500 plus an Extra Draw jackpot each Friday fo up to £5000. See any club official at today’s game for more details or an entry form. Enjoy the game and see you next time . . . John McKiernan Chairman St Helens Town AFC

The First St. Helens Town 1901-1928 The current St. Helens Town Football Club is the second to bear the name. The first was formed in 1901, initially to rival the St. Helens Recreation club, which had only a few years earlier changed from rugby to football, under the patronage of the glass company, Pilkington Brothers. The first meeting between the clubs took place before a crowd of over 5000 at Pilkingtonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ground at City Road in February 1902 and resulted in a 2-2 draw. Based at the Primrose Ground in Park Road (subsequently a dog track behind the Primrose Vaults and now the site of Mulcrow Close), Town entered the Lancashire League Second Division in 1901-02, alongside Barrow, Workington, Haydock, Earlestown, Prescot and Chorley.

St Helens Town 1901

Promotion was attained in 1904 and the following seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fixtures in the Lancashire Combination First Division included the Reserve sides of Everton, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Bolton, Bury and Preston North End. Although relegated later that season, Town bounced back to their former status in 1909 and, in between times, helped out the Recs, sharing their Park Road facilities whilst the City Road ground was re-built. St. Helens Town had ambitions to join the Football League and an application was made to join the new Third Division 1911, but this was unsuccessful. The senior clubs reserve sides set up the Central League in 1912/13 and Town became one of the leading lights in the revamped Lancashire Combination. At the end of that campaign, Recs. resigned and reverted to the handling code, joining the Northern Union (later the Rugby League) as a professional club, rivalling the Saints for success throughout the 1920s. This all-consuming local rivalry was one of the reasons for the failure of St. Helens Town and the club disbanded in late 1920s. It was to take a further 23 years and another World War to revive interest in the association game, by which stage St. Helens Recs. had themselves thrown in the towel, having nearly brought about the bankruptcy of Saints during the depression of the 1930s. Famous players for the first Town club included Oliver Ellaby, father of Alf, who went on to great deeds with Saints and Wigan, Jack Bamber (Liverpool) and Albert Fairclough (Manchester City, Bristol City and Derby County). The programme for the Chester v St. Helens Town game in the Lancashire Combination on 13th September 1913 referred to the reverse fixture the previous week, which Town won 2-1. The editor said: The St. Helens ground is not one of the best, the surface being very uneven and against accurate footwork. St. Helens Town have a very strong side and, if their Saturday's form is kept up, other teams will go the same way home from there. For the record, Town were represented by: Talbott, Hall, Kelly, Platt, Hosker, Hunter, Ryder, Kelly, Jones, Benyon and Barton.

PRE MATCH RITUALS I am pretty certain that all of us who are reading this have at some time or other had a pre match ritual. When you are playing, which sock goes on first, do you put your boot on next before your other sock? Shirt last thing before you leave the dressing room, or are you last out? I once saw two opposition players come to blows over who would be last out, yes honestly. These little things can grow, players wearing shorts back to front, all kinds of stuff and in my experience it always seemed that keepers and strikers were the worst of the lot, though I could swear I have played with the odd centre-half who thought they were having a bad day if they hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wellied the forward in the first 10 minutes. As fans we also have the pre-match ritual business going on, do you go to the same pub or chippy when you are on a run? Drive a particular way to the ground? Altering them if you lose, even though you might not like the beer or chips or the new route can take far longer that it would otherwise. Do you ditch a scarf or even change where you stand to end that barren run, I am sure we have all done it at some point or other. Being a neutral and groundhopper, I almost feel a little lost at times as to no longer being party to such rituals. Or am I starting my own? No, I do not often care who wins just so long as I see an entertaining game, yes, I like goals but my last two 0-0 draws have both been very entertaining matches and I am happy. I have noticed seeing certain clubs, home or away, give far more value for money than others and sometimes not in the way they would like. My inspiration for this article comes from one of my close friends, a few years ago during a particular barren spell and after one of the worst performances he had ever seen from his team, he threw his shirt into the corner of his bedroom in disgust. Living on his own, he left it there. A couple or so weeks later, against all odds his team won a local derby, you already know what he gave credit to for this change of fortune, yes, the shirt in the corner. His team then won the following week away and again against a rival towards the wrong of the table, this was it, his shirt was to blame and by banishing it to the corner the form of the 11 players had changed, so what if they didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know him, let alone know that his shirt was lying gathering dust in the corner. His favourites went on a little run and pulled themselves away from the relegation zone, he was on cloud nine. Even more so when he finally managed to get a date with a lady he had been chasing for some time. A few weeks into the relationship as things were progressing he had invited his girlfriend, now his wife, round for a romantic meal. Now came the quandary, the shirt had still not moved, but it also smelled. What should he do? Love won the day and he moved and washed the shirt. As he told us all in the pub we shook our heads and warned him of the impending doom and right enough his team lost on the Saturday, and the week after and the week after that too. They got relegated. He shouldered the blame from his fellow fans, even though privately to me he did at first blame his girlfriend. It was a few years before he told his wife, she then told him she could smell something that first time in the bedroom and even considered calling it a day too! So the next time you change the way you go, the pub you drink in when you are in the middle of a good run, just think on, will you be responsible for changing your clubs fortunes?

Andy Gillespie

Following local government reorganisation in 1974, it was decided to apply to the College of Heralds for a new Coat of Arms, to incorporate those areas joining together to form the new Borough of St Helens.

A design brief was prepared by Councillor G R Parr, a Councillor for East Sutton who had training in graphic design. This was accepted and highly commended by the College of Heralds, with only a small amount of alteration. The silver shield contains:

  



   



The black cross of Haydock and Eccleston and the two blue bars of Parr In the top left hand corner is the red diagonal cross of the Gerards, representing Ashton and Seneley Green. In the top right hand corner is the black griffin of Bold, representing Rainhill, Bold and also Whiston RDC. (These were displayed on the previous County Borough of St Helens Coat of Arms issued in 1876). In the bottom left hand corner is the red cross of Pilkingtons, representing Windle. In the bottom right hand corner is the red crosslet of Billinge. The crest above the helmet is that of Lord Newton, representing Newton UDC and Haydock UDC. There is also the addition of two red fleur de lys on the body of the Ram. The supporters, a golden lion and a black griffin are differenced by seven red fleur de lys on the lion and seven black bars on the wing of the griffin, to denote the seven authorities which make up the Borough. The motto "PROSPERITAS IN EXCELSIS" is taken from the Rainford Council badge of office and means "Flourishing Well".

In recent times, and particularly since the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics, some local people had advocated that the motto on the St Helens Coat of Arms be changed from 'Prosperitas in Excelsis' (Flourishing Well), to 'Ex Terra Lucem' (Out of the Earth - Light). The Ex Terra Lucem motto had been particularly prominent in 2012 due to the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics. The writer of the Opening Ceremony was Frank Cottrell Boyce, born locally in Rainhill, who attended local schools. Frank Cottrell Boyce had made it clear that Ex Terra Lucem was a significant influence on the development of the Opening Ceremony. It appeared to be particularly relevant to the development of the cauldron idea from which the Olympic Flame was lit. The Opening Ceremony captured the imagination of people worldwide, but had also led many people locally to question whether we should adopt Ex Terra Lucem as the motto on our Coat of Arms in place of Prosperitas in Excelsis. It was felt that it was more appropriate to the town's history and had more meaning for local people, representing hope for the future. A number of people had raised this and requested that the Council consider replacing the motto. A public consultation commenced on 17 January 2013 and at its meeting held on 17 April 2013, Council resolved to revert back to the original motto of 'Ex Terra Lucem'. The Coat of Arms remained the same.

DIVISION ONE - KEVIN TOWEY OF BARNTON 6 goals in 4 games, including an opening day hat-trick against Daisy Hill has been an excellent return in Kevin's opening few games since returning to Barnton. The former Runcorn Linnets striker hit a nineteen minute hat trick at Daisy Hill, superbly taking all three goals to put the icing on a 6-1 victory. Towey then was the match winner against Irlam, when in the 86th minute his fantastic run and finish gave Barnton a 1-0 victory.

His final two goals of the month were scored on the road at Holker Old Boys, when again a quirk fire double propelled Barnton to a richly deserved 4-1 win. Towey's goal scoring excellence has been coupled with his excellent all round link up play, and he also created a further three goals for team mates throughout the month of August.

DIVISION ONE - JOE CLEMENTS OF ASHTON TOWN Joe has played for the club for a number of seasons and is currently vying for the regular keeper position with Shaun Dailey. Town manager John Brownrigg has told them both that they will be playing for the number one position on form, and Joe played in the first league game away at Widnes and did well in a game that Town won 3-2. However, the manager wanted to blood both keepers early in the league campaign to ascertain strengths and weaknesses, so although Joe did well in the first match, Shaun Dailey took the shirt in the home defeat against Irlam. However, during that game Shaun broke a finger and this gave Joe his opportunity. He played in the 5-1 home win to Northwich Manchester Villa, the 2-0 win at Litherland REMYCA and in the thrilling 4-3 win at home to Eccleshall, and he was solid in supporting the back line and barking out instructions in all three victories. Other news . . . Chadderton - an unusual stat from Chadderton's 5-1 win over Daisy Hill last Saturday is that all three of their substitutes that came on scored in their 5-1 win. Gareth Morris (68 minutes), Nathaniel Martin (75) and Benjamin Fletcher (78) were all on target, top and tailed by goals from James Curley in the 45th and 83rd minutes. Whitchurch Alport - the club has benefitted from the generosity of staff at the Tesco store in Whitchurch, who raised ÂŁ500 from sales of second hand books, and kindly donated it to the club. The club will put the money towards replacement floodlight bulbs.

1874 Northwich - the Greens hit the three figure mark on sales of season tickets, with 104 sold up to the last Saturday in August.

We are looking for additional sponsors on match-days with a host f benefits for both match (£100) and ball (£50) sponsors including free entry & programme; hospitality, programme and social media advertising; pre-match photos, man of the match awards. Contact John McKiernan on 07713 339 682 for more details. Date

Opponents

Match Sponsor

Match Ball Sponsor

Tue 11/08/15

Atherton LR

PC Problems St Helens

John Cahill

Johnsons Toyota Liverpool Wheel Pro - Alloy Wheel Repairs & Refurbishment

Anthony Hall - Exiled Geordie on Merseyside LM Travel

Sat 22/08/15

Irlam

Sat 29/08/15

Rochdale Town

Sat 12/09/15

Barnton

Toast Café, St Helens

Sat 19/09/15

Cheadle Town

Paul Pritchard

Sat 10/10/15

Chadderton

Mike Cole Web Design

KA Davies Electrical

Conor McGinn MP

Toy World St Helens & Rylance Fishmongers CelebLook Ladies & Girls Fashion

David O’Keefe & Gary Shaw Kiera’s Occasions Venue Dressing & Balloons Airborne Batjroom Services Danny’s Window Cleaning

Tue 13/10/15

Widnes

Sat 21/11/15

Daisy Hill

Sat 05/12/15

Hanley Town

Stillia

Sat 19/12/15

Eccleshall

Northern Rags

Sat 16/01/16

Stockport Town

Michael Allison

Invisible Heroes

Sat 06/02/16

Bacup Borough

Mon 28/03/16

Ashton Town

Extra Time Academy

Sat 16/04/16

Northwich Manchester Villa

Rylance Fishmongers & Toy World St Helens

Sat 23/04/16

Whitchurch Alport

Wilf Marshall & Finding Furever Homes

All sponsorship fixtures are subject to confirmation (Litherland REMYCA, Holker OB dates tbc)

Warrington Motors Man of the Match Awards Andy Gillespie (v Atherton LR), Dale Sealy (v Atherton LR) and Matty Lennon (v Irlam)

Warrington Motors Fiat and Nissan

201 Winwick Road, Warrington Cheshire WA2 7PE Telephone: 01925 669 401

Man of the Match Awards 2015-16

Town v Atherton LR Andy Gillespie/Dale Sealey Town v Irlam Matty Lennon Town v Rochdale Town Graham McLoughlin

Between 1946 and 1962 the club, like many, didn’t have a ‘manager’. Town officials would liaise with first and reserve team captains over team selection. In 1962-63 ‘First Manager’ Pat Murphy came from Burscough with a nucleus of his team which won the Lancashire Combination Division One title for Burscough but the formulae didn’t work for Town despite financial backing of a brand new 200 seat supporters club opened by John Connelly in spring of 1962. 1963-64 Sam Cottingham came after success with Pilkington's in a move to rebalance the squad with more local players. 1964-66 Jimmy McKiernan became the club's first commercial manager and team boss after arriving from Earlestown via a successful playing career which included a spell on the North Wales circuit. 1966-68 Jackie Dewsnip, cousin of Town player Jimmy Dewsnip who along with the latter’s son Neil meant the Haydock based family served Town well over a couple of decades. 1968-71 Peter Jones took the reigns in the wake of the Northern Premier League being formed which reduced Town’s league (Lancs Combination) to one division. He moved on after three years to a position on the staff of Preston North End. 1971-77 Alan Hampson arrived from South Liverpool after a distinguished playing career at Holly Park and became a mini ‘Messiah’ as Town won the Lancs Combination title in 1972 along with the Bass Charrington and Watson trophy in quick succession. He also oversaw Town’s step into the Cheshire County League in 1975 as by then, the Lancashire Comb had become a pale imitation of its former self. 1977-79 The aforementioned Jimmy Dewsnip took the reigns after ‘Hampy’ had moved on and became the first ex Town player to become manager. He combined this with work for the Liverpool County FA with the latter eventually claiming his services after two years. 1979-80 Player manager Geoff Robinson hailed from the new overspill at Laffak where he also ran the increasingly successful ‘Starting Gate’ pub team in the blossoming new Sunday League. Many of his squad were ‘Town’ players but the ‘conflict’ of interests was seen as detrimental to the senior club. 1980-82 Jack Prytherch had been at Wigan Athletic and he brought in players from that area including new club skipper, his son in law, Steve Murfin. Jack’s reign saw the formation of the North West Counties League and Town’s first season was a struggle in the new league’s top flight resulting in a change in mid-term. 1982-84 Peter Rutherford. After the success of Alan Hampson a decade earlier, the Town board returned to South Liverpool again for their next appointment. Peter Rutherford was number two at Holly Park at the time but he also found it hard going in the NWCFL inaugural season and his charges only escaped relegation on a ‘technicality’. Things got a little better the following season and he bowed out just before glory arrived. 1984-87 Alan Wellens had skippered Town’s Lancs Combination title team and went on to become the club’s top appearances holder after making his debut at Great Harwood in 1966. His playing career was ended by a broken leg against Hyde in 1981 at Hoghton Road.

Allan Wellens receiving the Lancs Combination Championship Trophy from Wesley Bridge in 1972

Alan went on to Town history with the club’s historic journey to Wembley in 1987 before he and the vast majority of the FA Vase winning side sought pastures new. 1987-92 Alan Aspinall (pictured opposite) took over the mantle of manager following the departure of the Vase squad and management team having been Reserve team boss and spent a successful five seasons in charge.

1992-93 Mick Holgate (left) presided over just one season at Hoghton Road before moving on to Leigh RMI. 1993-2002 Jimmy McBride stepped up from his position as Reserve team boss to take the reigns of the first team for almost a decade which saw the club’s move from Hoghton Road to Saints. Took the club to its first cup final since the visit to Wembley but lost out in the League Cup and Floodlit Trophy finals in the mid 1990s. 2002-2003 John Davison and Peter King arrived from Burscough having presided over a very successful period in the ‘Linnets’ history. After a disappointing first campaign despite significant financial backing the club’s need to tighten the purse strings led to the pair’s departure at the start of the 2003 campaign, along with most of the squad. 2003-04 Ex-Everton professional Paul Lodge became Town manager as the club reeled from financial cuts but unfortunately his youthful side struggled at the bottom of the league and he was replaced in January 2004. 2004-05 Former Town ‘keeper Joe Paladino took over the reigns from Lodge and secured the club’s safety from relegation before going to challenge for the title during most of 2004-05. Joe resigned in March 2005. 2005-06 Assistant to Paladino, Joe Gibiliru took over the manager’s position and presided over a period of on the field stability for the club before resigning in September 2006. 2006-07 Alex Wright, who had previously been assistant manager to Paul Lodge returned to the club as manager but his tenure was short-lived as family commitments led to him stepping down in September 2007. 2007-08 John Fletcher, Wright’s assistant, was given managerial responsibility and he steered the club away from the relegation battle with a 19th place finish at the end of 2006-7. Despite the club’s off the field problems and financial difficulties the following season saw Fletcher’s charges finish fourteenth after only one defeat in the last nine games. However Town remained rooted in a relegation spot for most of the following season and Fletcher departed with weeks of the season remaining. 2009 – 2010 Gary Bickerstaffe was appointed in March 2009 and secured the club’s safety with some ease recording six victories from the final eight games. Bickerstaffe’s fine form as manager continued throughout 2009-10 eventually finishing in 9th place. 2010 – 2011 Lee Riley steps up from assistant manager when Gary Bickerstaffe steps down at the end of the 2009-10. Lee resigned in March 2011 due to work commitments and Iain Dyson took over the managerial reigns before he too stepped down at the end of the season. 2011-12 season saw Jimmy McBride make a return to Town but it proved a difficult season and Town parted company with him as we narrowly avoided relegation. 2012 - 2013 Ian Granite became manager following success with neighbours Wigan Robin Park FC. A challenging 2012-13 season saw Town eventually steer clear of relegation, in doing so maintaining their unique 30 year stay in the North West Counties League top division. Despite an excellent start to the 2013-14 season Ian stepped down at the end of November due to business and family commitments and Ian Price took over the managerial reigns. The end of the 2014-15 season culminated in relegation for Town and Ian Price had already informed the club of his intention to step down. U21s boss Alan Gillespie and Ian Price’s long time assistant Nick Matthews were promoted to the joint managers Nick Matthews Alan Gillespie position. Many thanks to Jim Barrett and Eric Bond for their input in compiling the information.

Date

Opponents

Comp

Result

Aug 08

Chadderton

NWCFL

3.00

1-3W

McLoughlin

Davidson

Kelly

A.Whelan

Sealey

Baines

AUG 11 ATHERTON LR

NWCFL

7.45

4-1W

Bradley

Davidson

Kelly

A.Whelan

Sealey

Baines

Aug 15

FAC EPR 3.00

2-1L

McLoughlin

Davidson

Marshall

Lennon

Sealey

A.Whelan

AUG 22 IRLAM

NWCFL

3.00

3-1W

Bradley

Davidson

Marshall

Lennon1

A.Whelan

Agbodjan1

AUG 29 ROCHDALE TOWN

NWCFL

3.00

2-3L

McLoughlin

Davidson

Marshall

Lennon

A.Whelan

Griffiths

Sep 05

Winterton Rangers

FAV 1QR

3.00

0-4W

McLoughlin

Davidson

Marshall

Lennon

Sealey

Begley

Sep 09

Litherland REMYCA

NWCFL

7.45

3-1L

McLoughlin

Davidson

Kelly

Lennon

Sealey

Begley

NWCFL

3.00

Maine Road

SEP 12 BARNTON

NWCFL

7.45

SEP 19 CHEADLE TOWN

Sep 15

Rochdale Town

NWCFL

3.00

Sep 26

MUC 1R

3.00

OCT 10 CHADDERTON

NWCFL

3.00

OCT 13 WIDNES

NWCFL

7.45

Oct 17

Stockport Town

NWCFL

3.00

Oct 27

Holker Old Boys

NWCFL

7.45

Oct 31

Daisy Hill

NWCFL

3.00

Nov 14

Atherton LR

NWCFL

3.00

NOV 21 DAISY HILL

NWCFL

3.00

Nov 28

NWCFL

3.00

DEC 05 HANLEY TOWN

NWCFL

3.00

DEC 19 ECCLESHALL

NWCFL

3.00

Dec 26

Ashton Town

NWCFL

3.00

Jan 09

Northwich Manchester Villa NWCFL

3.00

Hanley Town

Bacup Borough

JAN 16 STOCKPORT TOWN

NWCFL

3.00

Jan 23

Eccleshall

NWCFL

3.00

Jan 30

Cheadle Town

NWCFL

3.00

FEB 06 BACUP BOROUGH

NWCFL

3.00

Feb 13

Whitchurch Alport

NWCFL

3.00

Mar 05

Hanley Town

NWCFL

3.00

Mar 12

Widnes

NWCFL

3.00

MAR 28 ASHTON TOWN

NWCFL

3.00

Apr 02

NWCFL

3.00

APR 16 NORTHWICH M.V.

NWCFL

3.00

APR 23 WHITCHURCH ALPORT

NWCFL

3.00

Apr 30

Barnton

NWCFL

3.00

TBA

HOLKER OLD BOYS

NWCFL

TBA

LITHERLAND REMYCA

NWCFL

TBA

Chadderton or Bacup Bâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

FDC 2R

TBA

Irlam

St Helens Town Pla Matty Lennon Sean Kelly Dale Sealey Jordan Lorde David Baines Johan du Toit Tom Bradley Dom Whelan Graham McLoughlin Alex Russell Alex Nwachukwu Marcus Perry Matty Davidson Ant Whelan Andy Gillespie Gavin O'Keefe Declan Gregson Charlie Duke Jack Marshall Alan Gillespie (Manager) Nick Matthews (Manager)

Lorde1

Du Toit

Andy Gillespie

Nwachukwu

Marshall1

D.Whelan

Duke10

Russell21

Perry11

Bradley

Lorde1

Du Toit

Andy Gillespie2

Nwachukwu

Marshall

Lennon

Russell11

Perry71

Duke10

McLoughlin

Baines

Du Toit

Andy Gillespie1

Lorde

Kelly

Perry10

Nwachukwu7

Duke

D.Whelan3

Bradley

Duke

Griffiths

Andy Gillespie1

Nwachukwu

Golding

Lorde6

Perry11

Rooney

Rigby10

McLoughlin

Perry

Du Toit1

Andy Gillespie1

Rigby

Agbodjan

Golding10

Lorde7

Nwachukwu

Duke11

Rooney

Twist

Du Toit

Andy Gillespie1

Nwachukwu

Rigby1

Perry91

Agbodjan111

Golding10

A.Whelan

Rooney

Twist1

Du Toit

Andy Gillespie

Nwachukwu

Marshall

Perry12

Gibson11

Golding

Baines10

Bradley

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Name1

Player name and number of goals scored

Name

Player name and CAUTION

Name

Player name and DISMISSAL FOR 2 CAUTIONS

Name

Player name and DISMISSAL

Name10

Player name and number of replaced player

Widnes

Whitchurch Alport

Stockport Town

St Helens Town

Rochdale Town

Northwich Man Villa

Litherland REMYCA

Irlam

Holker Old Boys

Hanley Town

Eccleshall

2-3

2-1

0-2

2-2

4-1

3-0

3-2

5-2

1-6

1-4

1-6

Barnton

Daisy Hill

Chadderton

1-1

2-1

Daisy Hill

2-2

4-0

5-1

0-3

4-2

1-2

0-3

3-1

2-1

1-0

1-3

3-0

2-1

1-1

2-3

1-2

3-1

1-3

1-0

1-2

2-1

4-1

3-3

1-0

5-3

Whitchurch Alport

Cheadle Town

Bacup Borough

0-0

Hanley Town

0-1

4-2

2-1

St Helens Town

Chadderton

Cheadle Town

5-5

0-2

Stockport Town

Barnton

Atherton LR

2-3

Holker Old Boys 3-2

Litherland REMYCA

Bacup Borough

Ashton Town

1-1

5-1

Rochdale Town

Atherton LR

Eccleshall

0-1

Irlam

4-3

Northwich M Villa

Ashton Town

North West Counties Football League Division One Season 2015-16 Wednesday 09/09/15

2-2

4-1

4.3

Widnes

ST. HELENS TOWN AFC â&#x20AC;&#x201C; A STATISTICAL HISTORY by Glyn Jones Part 57 - Season 2003-04 North West Counties League Clitheroe Mossley (-3) Fleetwood Town Woodley Sports Warrington Town Newcastle Town Curzon Ashton (-3) Skelmersdale United Alsager Town Stone Dominoes Congleton Town Atherton L.R. Nantwich Town (-3) Bacup Borough Salford City Trafford Ramsbottom United Glossop North End St. Helens Town (-3) Squires Gate Abbey Hey Atherton Collieries (-4) Opponents Abbey Hey Alsager Town Atherton Collieries Atherton L.R. Bacup Borough Clitheroe Congleton Town Curzon Ashton Fleetwood Town Glossop North End Mossley Nantwich Town Newcastle Town Ramsbottom United Salford City Skelmersdale United Squires Gate Stone Dominoes Trafford Warrington Town Woodley Sports

P 42 42 42 42 42 42 42 42 42 42 42 42 42 42 42 42 42 42 42 42 42 42 Home Sep 13 Nov 11 Sep 2 Jan 31 Feb 21 Mar 2 Apr 6 Oct 11 Feb 17 Nov 8 Oct 7 Aug 30 Apr 10 Oct 28 Apr 1 Jan 3 Mar 23 Aug 26 Apr 3 Nov 18 Nov 4

W 29 28 26 26 20 21 19 19 16 18 15 17 15 15 14 14 12 9 10 7 7 6

D 5 8 8 5 10 6 10 6 15 8 16 7 11 8 11 8 12 9 6 12 8 9 Result Won 3-0 Lost 1-2 Drew 1-1 Lost 0-3 Won 2-1 Won 2-0 Lost 1-3 Lost 1-3 Lost 3-4 Lost 1-3 Lost 2-5 Drew 1-1 Lost 1-2 Won 2-1 Won 2-0 Lost 0-2 Won 3-0 Lost 1-2 Lost 0-1 Drew 0-0 Lost 1-2

L 8 6 8 11 12 15 13 17 11 16 11 18 16 19 17 20 18 24 26 23 27 27

F 88 109 84 99 72 94 84 79 54 57 62 77 73 68 62 72 71 51 51 52 46 48 Away Oct 25 Oct 15 Sep 29 Nov 29 Sep 27 Dec 13 Apr 20 Dec 20 Mar 6 Sep 23 Sep 6 Sep 9 Mar 13 Nov 15 Aug 16 Oct 22 Feb 14 Mar 16 Dec 26 Mar 30 Oct 4

A 55 54 51 56 59 67 79 64 47 60 50 76 66 72 66 91 92 95 81 83 90 99

Pts 92 89 86 83 70 69 64 63 63 62 61 58 53 53 53 50 48 36 33 33 29 23 Result Won 1-0 Lost 0-1 Lost 0-2 Lost 0-1 Lost 0-2 Lost 1-5 Drew 1-1 Lost 0-2 Lost 0-4 Won 3-1 Lost 2-5 Drew 2-2 Won 2-1 Lost 1-2 Lost 0-3 Lost 2-3 Lost 1-3 Won 5-0 Lost 1-3 Lost 0-3 Drew 1-1

FA CUP TRAFFORD Home FA VASE Sep 20 2nd Qualifying HEBBURN TOWN Home Oct 18 1st Round WILLINGTON Home Nov 22 2nd Round West Allotment Celtic Away NWCFL CHALLENGE CUP Nov 1 2nd Round HOLKER OLD BOYS Home Dec 6 3rd Round WARRINGTON TOWN Home *St. Helens Town were disqualified for fielding two ineligible players LIVERPOOL SENIOR CUP Mar 9 2nd Round RUNCORN FC HALTON Home Aug 22

Preliminary

Player Aganayibi, M Allen, Paul Alston, Andy Anderson, Terry Bagnall, John Dahl, Paul Duffy, Michael Dunne, A (Tony) Eatock, Paul

App 5 33 41 3 15 28 16 1

Sub 2 3 2 1 3 3

Total 7 3 35 42 3 15 31 19 1

Evans, Mark Fairbrother, Brian Flood, Andy

6 25 9

4 -

6 29 9

Gallagher, B Gedman, James Gelling, S Glynn, Paul Griffiths, Mark Grogan, Paul Gwinnett, Mike Hamill, Lee Hilditch, Darren Hughes, Danny Iro, Anthony Kelly, Phil Kenny, Gary McAllister, John

15 2 6 11 13 2 1 2 14 1 28 2 6

1 1

1 15 2 6 11 13 3 1 2 21 3 29 5 11

7 2 1 3 5

Goals 3 1 22

1 1

McAuley, Scott McEvoy, Andy McGuire, Neil McKeown, Keith McMahon, Ryan Maddocks, Ste Madin, Lee Melling, Danny Miller, Paul Millett, G Milson, Jordan Murphy, S Nocton, Lee Obong, Ben Owens, Michael Pegram, Lee Raven, Liam Robertson, Ian Smith, Lee Smith, S Thompson, Lee Thorpe, P Turner, A Vahid, Ed Varns, Andy Wright, M Own Goals Totals

Lost

0-2

Won Won Lost

3-2 AET 2-1 0-1

Won Won*

5-4 4-3

Lost

1-2

8 2 16 24 12 5 8 7 4 1 38 14 1 13 3 18 26 1 10 3 1 10 27 2

1 1 1 12 3 3 1 5 1 18 2 1 8 3 1 4 -

9 3 16 25 12 5 8 19 7 1 41 1 19 1 1 31 5 18 27 1 18 6 2 10 31 2

533

103

642

5 1

3 1 6 1 1

8 1 66

Provisional appearances v Runcorn (LSC) at home on 9.3.04 (incomplete team given in match report)

The original St. Helens Town club was formed in 1901 and played at Park Road, behind the Primrose Vaults public house. Although it was known as the Primrose Ground, the players changed further down Park Road at the Black Horse pub. Playing in the Lancashire League and Lancashire Combination, the team enjoyed some early success, but struggled after the Great War and appears to have folded midway through the 1928/29 season. The club was re-formed by George Fryer and a group of local businessmen in 1946. They took out a lease of the former cricket ground at Hoghton Road, Sutton, adjacent to the St. Helens Junction railway station and, although it entered in the FA Cup in the 1946/47 season, a team could not be raised in time to fulfil its tie with Prescot Cables. Friendly games were played, then local team Derbyshire Hill Rovers were taken over in April 1947, those players forming the nucleus of the team which entered the Liverpool County Combination at the start of the 1947/48 season. St. Helens Town soon began to prosper and early results included a sensational 10-4 win over Everton “A” on 6th December 1947. Former German prisoner-of-war Bert Trautmann joined the club in the Summer of 1948, the strapping goalkeeper helping the team to win its first trophy, the George Mahon Cup, which was secured with a 2-1 win over Runcorn at Prescot on 7 th May 1949. Crowds averaged over 2000 that season, peaking with a league record attendance of 3102 against Burscough Tommy O’Neil in October 1948. Wembley,1987 The following season, 1949/50, Town entered the Lancashire Combination and, despite losing Trautmann to Manchester City in October 1949, they won the Second Division title in some style the following season, three players, Albert Leadbetter (36), Harry McCann (32) and Terry Garner (31) all netting over 30 goals apiece. An all-time club record attendance of “between 8000 and 9000” witnessed a friendly game against Manchester City, arranged as part of the Trautmann transfer deal, in April 1950 and another 4000 witnessed a second match with City the following season. Although relegated by a slender margin from the First Division in 1951/52, the club continued to look forward, even contemplating Football League status and, in order to further their ambitions, it moved to the former St. Helens Recs. ground at City Road. Initial crowds were encouraging but, despite success, the club decided to move back to Hoghton Road in October 1953, where they remained until April 2000. Town produced a number of fine players who joined Football League clubs, including Bill Foulkes (Manchester United), John Quinn (Sheffield Wednesday) and John Connelly who joined Burnley, later transferring to Manchester United and who played in the England 1966 World Cup winning squad. More recently, Dave Bamber scored goals in all four divisions of the league with a host of different clubs, starting and ending his league career at Blackpool and Karl Ledsham is now playing his football at Conference level, initially with Southport, then at Lincoln City. Following a second relegation in 1956, St. Helens Town continued to play in the Lancashire Combination, winning the Championship in 1971/72, by nine points ahead of Accrington Stanley. However, the formation of the Northern Premier League in 1968 led to a gradual drain of stronger clubs from the Combination and St. Helens joined the Cheshire League in 1975, becoming founder members of the North West Counties League seven years later. They held the

St Helens Town 1948

proud record of being the only club to play in the NW Counties’ top flight every season until they were relegated in April 2015, conceding an injury-time equaliser to Silsden in the last game of the season, a match they had to win to stay up. Town enjoyed a golden era in the late 1980s, just missing out on an appearance in the First Round proper of the FA Cup in 1985/86, losing to Morecambe in a Fourth Qualifying Round Replay, but they obtained ample compensation by winning the FA Vase at Wembley in 1987, beating near neighbours Warrington Town 3-2, with two goals from Phil Layhe and one from Brian Rigby. They were regular promotion candidates for many years, largely due to the scoring exploits of Steve “Pellet” Pennington, who grabbed 216 goals in 351 games, his season’s best hauls of 45 in 1993/94 and 46 in 1997/98 just failing to beat the club record of 47 scored by Phil Stainton in 1963/64. This season is a momentous one for St. Helens Town: not only do they have to fight to regain their Premier Division status, but also they are looking to return to a new base, back in the town at Ruskin Drive. The Hoghton Road facilities had fallen into disrepair and the site was sold for housing in 2002, Town having gone into partnership with Saints Rugby League club, ground-sharing at the old Knowsley Road ground for 10 years, but the intended relocation to the new Langtree Park ground did not materialise and the club embarked on a nomadic existence, first at Ashton Town, now at Ashton Athletic. Construction work at the Council-owned multi-sports facility at Ruskin Drive has been delayed, but is now under way and Town are looking to move in at the start of the 2016-17 season, hopefully back in the Premier Division.

Club Honours: 1949 George Mahon Trophy Winners 1951 Lancs Comb Division 2 Champions 1972 Lancs Combination Champions 1973 Bass Charrington Cup Winners 1974 Watson Trophy Winners 1978 St Helens Hospital Cup Winners 1979 St Helens Comb Div 1 Runners Up 1979 St Helens Hospital Cup Runners Up 1980 St Helens Comb Div 1 Champions 1985 NWCFL Reserve Div 2 Runners Up 1986 NWCFL Reserve Div 1 Runners Up 1987 FA Vase Winners (Wembley) 1994 League Challenge Cup Finalists 1994 NWCFL Reserve Division Runners Up 1995 NWCFL Reserve Division Champions 1996 NWCFL Reserve Division Runners Up 1998 Floodlit Trophy Finalists 1999 REALCO Fair Play Award Winners 2009 Bert Trautmann Trophy Winners Record Appearances: Alan Wellens Record Goal Scorer: Steve Pennington Record Attendances: 4000 at Hoghton Road v Manchester City 1723 at Knowsley Rd v FC Utd Manchester 9000 at Prescot Cables v Runcorn (1949)

Programme Awards 1993-94 NWCFL Programme of the Year 1995-96 NWCFL Programme of the Year 1997-98 NWCFL Programme of the Year 1998-99 NWCFL Programme of the Year 1999-00 NWCFL Programme of the Year 2000-01 NWCFL Programme of the Year 2009-10 NWCFL Premier Division 2010-11 NWCFL Premier Division 2011-12 NWCFL Premier Division 2012-13 NWCFL Premier Division 2013-14 NWCFL Premier Division 2014-15 NWCFL Premier Division Wirral Programme Club National Survey 1996-97 NWCFL Programme of the Year 1997-98 NWCFL Programme of the Year 1998-99 NWCFL Programme of the Year Programme Monthly 2007-08 NWCFL Programme of the Year Soccer Club Swap Shop National Awards 2010-11 Placed 28th 2011-12 Placed 8th 2012-13 Placed 7th 2013-14 Placed 8th 2014-15 Placed 5th

Welcome everybody to Brocstedes Park today as we face the current league leaders Barnton in what will be a very tough fixture.

It is well known that our opposition today have managed to secure some very good players during the summer and will be the team to catch this season so it will be a great test for our side. Our last home fixture v Rochdale Town was very disappointing in terms of both the performance and the result.Despite being outplayed for long periods of the 1st half we got ourselves into a great 2-0 lead with some swift counter attacks and 2 good finishes from Johan du Toit and Andy Gillespie but after failing to convert a great opportunity created by Jack Marshall to go into 3-0 lead we then gifted Rochdale a way back into the game right on HT and they took full advantage with 2 more goals right after half time.. Last Saturday we made the long trip East over the M62 to Winterton Rangers in the Vase where we put in a good 1st half performance with some great wide play by our 2 youngsters Warren Twist and Ste Rigby to take a 2-0 HT lead.After the break we struggled to regain our dominance in the game and Winterton pressed hard to get back into it but with some good defending we kept them out and hit them late on with 2 quick breaks from substitutes Lionel Agbodjan and Marcus Perry. This result restored the confidence in the team after the Rochdale reverse and on Wednesday we faced the short trip to local rivals Litherland REMYCA who were currently in 2nd place. The squad was strengthened by the return from suspension of Sean Kelly, â&#x20AC;&#x2122;keeper Tom Bradley and Davey Baines from holiday plus new recruits Graeme Begley from REMYCA and Luke Gibson from Ashton Athletic. We started the game very slowly and allowed REMYCA to dominate proceedings for the 1st 30 minutes and they took full advantage of our slack marking from a corner to go 1up and we then gifted them a silly penalty to go 2-0 ahead. To our credit we fought back strongly to get a goal back with a great finish from Warren Twist and were very unlucky not to go in level. We made some changes to our shape second half to try and win the game as we honestly felt we had our opposition on the back foot but after applying pressure we conceded a 3rd and never really looked like getting back into it as the oppositions confidence was restored. The squad has been working hard in training and has a strong team spirit despite only being together since June and has shown flashes of what we are aiming for but we need to start games quicker and learn lessons from our 2 defeats Alan Gillespie

DISAPPOINTING TOWN SLIDE TO A SECOND LOSS Litherland REMYCA 3, St. Helens Town 1 by Glyn Jones A disappointingly flat performance at Litherland Sports Park on Wednesday night left St. Helens Town nine points off leaders Barnton (whom they meet on Saturday at Brocstedes Park) where former Town wingman Karl Bergqvist was the chief architect with two goals and a corner kick which led directly to the opening goal. This was the first meeting between Town and Litherland REMYCA, who finished last season in ninth position in their debut campaign. St. Helens, without several of their early season regulars, began in sluggish fashion, going behind to a 13th minute strike from Chris Tyson, who gave Graham McLoughlin no chance with a daisy cutter of a shot from Bergqvistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s corner. There was an early opportunity for Town to level, when Jack Marshall outpaced several home defenders, only to pull his drive just wide of the left-hand post and they were soon further behind, following a shove by Graham Begley at the edge of the penalty area on 20 minutes, Bergqvist making no mistake from the spot. Town reduced the arrears to 2-1 three minutes later when Warren Twist met an Andy Gillespie cross and his shot was deflected past Dave Potter in the home goal by one of his own defenders. Just before the half-time whistle, Begley almost made up for his earlier misdemeanour, when his low, dipping drive from fully 40 yards, brought out the best in Potter, who rose majestically to tip the ball over his bar. From the resultant corner a shot, then two ricochets almost brought an equaliser for Town, who were very much in the ascendancy as the referee blew for the interval. St. Helensâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; spectators were anticipating a second-half revival, but they did not produce a decent effort on goal after the break. The nearest they came was when captain Gillespie threatened to let fly from the corner of the home box, but had his legs taken from under him in a hefty challenge which the referee evidently did not see and which left the skipper in obvious discomfort for the rest of the game. REMYCA wrapped up the points in the 63rd minute when substitute Connor Murphy shot along the Town goal-line and although McLoughlin made contact with the ball, it spun back to Bergqvist, who tapped it into the empty net.

Town will have to bounce back on Saturday and take three points from promotion favourites Barnton, if they are to regain their early-season momentum in the push for the promotion places and they face another stiff challenge on Tuesday evening when they pay a return visit to Rochdale Town, seeking revenge for a 3-2 home defeat in August. Ste Rigby

FA Vase 1s Qualifying Round Saturday 5th Sept 2015

TOWN EASE THROUGH IN VASE Winterton Rangers 0, St. Helens Town 4 by Glyn Jones This was the third FA Vase meeting in 15 years between Winterton and St. Helens Town, but both sides have had to endure relegation since Town’s 2-0 win in 2010 and the Scunthorpe side have fared much worse in recent years, currently sitting rock bottom of the North East Counties League First Division, without a win all season. St. Helens eased to a 4-0 victory, earning a Second Qualifying Round tie away to Rochdale Town on 3rd October, but they had to endure a few anxious moments before making the game safe in the closing stages. Town began strongly, ripping the home side’s defence to shreds down the right flank almost at will and it came as no surprise when Jack Marshall turned his opposite number on the by-line before crossing to find striker Andy Gillespie at the near post. The Town captain was fouled as he passed the ball along the goal-line to Ste Kelly, who netted at the far post, to put the visitors a goal up on nine minutes and almost immediately afterwards, Gillespie rattled the cross-bar from 20 yards. Gillespie added the second goal after 26 minutes when, breaking clear, he drew the home keeper Sam Wood, then beat defender Jack Start, before burying the ball in the empty net and the lead could well have been three goals before the interval after Gillespie set up Rigby again, only for Wood to save the winger’s spinning header at the foot of the post. This was one of a number of great saves by Wood, which kept his side in the game when all before him were crumbling in defence. Gillespie failed to reappear at the re-start, due in no small part to the number of heavy challenges he had to bear in the first half and, as a result, Town lost much of their thrust up front. Indeed, Winterton came back into the game during the next 40 minutes and on more than one occasion, St. Helens had to thank keeper Graham McLoughlin to preserve their two-goal lead. Town made the game safe in the last 6 minutes with further goals from substitutes Lionel Agbodjan and Marcus Perry, each setting up a chance for the other with their lightening pace to beat the offside trap and 4-0 just about summed up the visitors’ supremacy in the final assessment. Next midweek Town travel Rochdale Town on Tuesday (7.45pm start), which presents St. Helens with the opportunity to gain revenge for last month’s 3-2 home defeat Rochdale, who ground-share with amateur Rugby League outfit Mayfield, will be playing their first home game of the campaign. They had to surrender home advantage to Parkgate in the FA Vase at the weekend, making the trek to Rotherham before prevailing 6-5 after extra-time. Although the three league points will be the immediate aim, the Vase clash in three weeks’ time represents an important opportunity to make further progress on the way to Wembley, picking up more valuable prize money along the way.

Jack Marshall

Q1. Which team scored the fewest goals in the Champions League group stages last season? Q2. Who was the top scorer in League Two last season? Q3. Where was the 2006 Conference play-off final played? Q4. Which Spainish top flight side as nicknamed “The Anchovies”? Q5. At which club did Chelsea starlet Patrick Bamford spend last season out on loan? Q6. Which German sides mascot is a horse named Junter? Q7. What makes Palermo, Catania & Messina unique in the history of the Italian top-flight? Q8. Which two French teams compete in the “Derby du Rhone”? Q9. Which English seaside club were formed in the West View Hotel?

Q10. Which former Premier League Centre Half was the first African player to compete in four World Cup Finals tournaments? Q11. Which player holds the record for the most England appearance from the bench with 34 out of his 55 international caps between 2004 & 2013 seeing him come as a substitute? Q12. Who are the only three Premier League managers whose surnames start with the letter “O”? Q13. Which on-loan player scored Sunderland’s goal in their 3-1 defeat at the hands of Manchester City in the 2013-14 League Cup Final? Q14. Who was the last player to be transferred between Everton & Liverpool?

Q15. What do the winning managers of the FA Cup winning teams from 2011, 2012 & 2013 have in common?

1) APOEL with 1 goal 2) Matt Tubbs 21 for Wimbledon & Portsmouth 3) The Walkers Stadium home of Leicester City 4) Malaga 5) Middlesbrough 6) Borussia Monchengladbach 7) They are they only Sicilian teams to have competed 8) Lyon & Saint Etienne 9) Morecambe 10) Rigobert Song 11) Jermaine Defoe 12) David O’Leary, Martin O’Neill & Egil Olsen 13) Fabio Borini 14) Abel Xavier 15) The first name “Roberto” Mancini, Di Matteo & Martinez.

Goalkeeper Graham McLoughlin joined the club this summer and includes former NWCFL outfit Formby FC among his previous clubs. At 30 years old Graham is a vastly experienced stopper with a great kick and superb distribution skills. The lads in front of ‘Grumpy’ will gets lots of talk and direction as the season progesses. Matthew Davidson one of a small number of players returning from last season’s squad. The 23 year old, who hails from Standish, is a strong right back with a superb engine and a good passing range. Formerly with Warrington Town Youth and Reserves. Twenty year old Jack Marshall joined the club at the back end of last season and he will be looking to terrorise opposition defences with his pace and crossing ability. Based in Astley, Manchester his former clubs include Atherton Town (part of their promotion winning season) and Runcorn Linnets. Living in Rainford Anthony Whelan is one of our local players who has broke into the first team having been captain of last season’s Cheshire FA U21s Championship winning side. He can play at the heart of the defence or in central midfield and he is a great competitor. Anthony’s former clubs include Ashton Athletic, Burscough, Wrexham (1 year) and Tranmere Rovers (3 years).

Andy Griffiths is strong in the air and will chip in with his fair share of goals either from right back or central midfield. The twenty two year old joins from Prescot Cables but includes Stafford Rangers and Clitheroe among his former clubs alongside Skelmersdale United where he won the Evostik North title and Atherton LR where he was captain at 17 years old. Twenty two year old Matty Lennon joins this season from Widnes FC where he was part of the team that sent Town crashing out of the League Cup last season. He is a great organiser and great in the air from his position at centre half. Matty is a former captain and championship winner with Burscough Youth. Davey Baines in the elder statesman of the side at 29 years old and joins from St Helens outfit Penlake FC. A hardworking, energetic player with lots of composure and a great passer of the ball either a right back or central midfieldh. His former clubs include Kirkby Town and Kennelwood. He was in the Liverpool Echo Team of the Year in season 2013-14 having been Kennelwood Manager’s Player of the Year in the same season; a feat he repeated with Penlake last term.

Alex Nwachukwu (Chu) is another youngster joining the club this season. He hails from Preston and includes Burscough, Burnley FC and Across College among his previous clubs. 20 years old Alex is a strong midfield player with lots of skill and power with an eye for the long pass as the basis of his game. He captained the Lancashire Colleges U18s side. Whiston based Sean Kelly arrived at the club this summer from Waterloo Dock where he had been for three seasons along with high flying Sunday outfit Canada FC. While ferocious in the tackle the 21 year old also has an eye for goal, even from left back and will bag two or three spectacular efforts in a campaign. Twenty four year old Johan du Toit joined this summer from the Wigan League and is already proving to be a popular edition to the team. The Wigan based player has a superb engine and is strong in the air and in the tackle with a deft touch and great vision. Coppull United an Standish St Wilfrid’s are among Johan’s previous clubs; winning the League and Cup double and Wigan League Player of the Year last season with the latter. Another youngster making his debut for the club is 18 year old Stephen Rigby. Good with both feet he can play on either side of midfield and has excellent fitness levels

and is known to take the odd penalty. Most recently been with Marine Youth but also includes Lydiate FC, Blackpool FC and Ormskirk West End among his previous teams. Stephen was top scorer for Lydiate FC for ten consecutive seasons and represented Merseyside Schoolboys U18s last season and the Liverpool County FA side during 2013-14. Twenty one year old Jordan Lorde is another new face at the club this season. He can play up front or our out on either wing and has impressed during the pre -season games. A dead ball specialist with great pace and engine his recent clubs include Burscough Richmond, Ashton Town, Maghull and Burscough FC. Jordan has also played at Youth level for Everton, the Lancashire County side and represented his University 1st team. Tough tackling full back Sam Stock joined in the summer having previously been with Tideswell United, Tintwistle Athetic and his hometown team Glossop North End Reserves. The twenty one year old has a fine left foot and pace.

Skelmersdale based Dale Sealey is nother new recruit who includes Ashton Town, Skelmersdale United, Ashton Athletic and Wigan Athletic among his previous clubs. The 28 year old is able to play at centre half or in midfield and is very strong in the air and on the floor with a good touch for a big unit. Dale is a former England Schoolboy trialist. Alex Russell joined from Winsford United in the summer and includes Burscough, Port Vale, Burnley and Middlewich Town on his list of former clubs. Another strong player who is only twenty years old but has shown he can be an all-rounder with pace, good use of both feet and a decent strike. Alex has played and scored for Port Vale in the FA Yoth Cup and represented Cheshire at County level. Club captain Andy Gillespie has been the club’s top scorer for the past two seasons. A strong centre forward who gives defenders a tough time; Andy looks sharp after a good pre-season and will be looking to lead the scoring charts again this term. A seasoned campaigner despite only being 24 years old and includes Ashton Athletic, Atherton LR and Burscough among his previous clubs. Twenty five year old Gavin O’Keefe joined in the summer from Oldham Boro. A strong central midfield player who has great positional awareness and good passing skills. Includes Wigan Robin Park, Cammel Laird and Burscough as previous clubs. Twenty two year old goalkeeper Tom Bradley hails from Liverpool and is another player joining from St Helens based Penlake FC. A great shot stopper who has previous experience with Litherland REMYCA and Lower Breck FC.

St Helens based 17 year old Charlie Duke joins the club this summer on work experience from Torquay having previously been with Port Vale. He is a holding central midfield playmaker with a career in the professional game ahead of him. Charlie is a former winner in the St Helens Cultural Awards. Nineteen year old Jack Golding returns this summer having broken into the first team last season. Great from the dead ball situation with good pace and delivery from wide, Jack is a former Everton, Notts County and Skelmersdale United player. 22 year old Declan Gregson is another new face at Town and he includes Billinge among his former clubs along with Waterloo Dock and Canada FC where he was last season’s Player of the Year. Declan, who hails from Whiston has a great touch and pace giving defenders a tough time from his midfield position. Lionel Loick Agbodjan is another new recruit who can play on either side of midfield or as a powerful attacking central player. He has previous NWCFL experience with AFC Liverpool and had has five years with Liverpool and a season at Bolton Wanderers. Lionel also won the Liverpool Echo Cup in 2008 and played alongside Ross Barkley.

How has pre-season and the start of the season been for you David? "Pre-season was as enjoyable as preseason can be really, we came back at the end of June, we worked hard on our fitness to make sure we were ready for the season. As well as working on our fitness we also got the balls out from day one and got used to the way Ell and Al wanted us to work and the system which they wanted us to play' With three wins and a draw from your opening four games whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pleased you most? "I think together as a group we've all been very happy with the start we've made, the first two games were both 3-1 victories and we probably were a bit disappointed to have conceded two late soft goals but the main thing was to get points on the board early on and to be up the right end of the table. The game against Marine although it was not our best performance we showed good character and passion to come from 2-0 and 4-2 down to win the game 5 -4, and our most recent fixture against Chester we showed how solid we can be at the back after working on certain things in training after the Marine game but that has to be the first of many clean sheets this season"

Tell me about training and how you work with Ell and Alex? "Working with Ell an Al David Jones has been very enjoyable they both bounce off each other well and work well as a duo. We all get along with them well and as a team which is important because it makes us want to work hard for them because of the relationship we've all built up together. It has also been good working with Ell outside of training he has put in extra time with me in pre-season to get me ready for the challenge of the season ahead" What are you most looking forward to this season? "Personally I'm looking forward to improving my game as the season goes an growing in confidence as one of the youngest in the squad an learning off some of the older players, I think as each game has gone on my personal game has got better an better with my best performance yet coming against Chester last week end in the 0-0 draw, However as a squad I think were looking forward to seeing how high up the table we can finish because we have already showed how much quality we have in the side an it's just getting the right formula in place to kick on an keep ourselves fighting at the top but we've made a very good start with a unbeaten run in our opening 4 games" Also on a personal note from me I'm looking forward to my second season playing for the football club after spending 4 years previously at Wigan athletic, I really enjoyed my first season last season playing in the u17s and I'm looking forward to trying to make the No.1 shirt my own this season for the u18s, I also believe Nick and Alan will give opportunities to the youngsters at this club, and I am personally grateful they have already gave me several opportunities already to train with the first team players which is good experience and also working with the first team keepers Graham and Tom has been good an they have made me feel very welcome around the place"

In addition to our North West Counties League side the club has an U18s team playing in the North West Youth Alliance League Division One and an U21s team playing in the Cheshire FA U21s League Premier Division (both Sunday Leagues) U21s L L L L L L L L Cup L Cup L L L L L L

DATE RES 23/08/2015 W 2-1 30/08/2015 P-P 06/09/2015 W 6-1 13/09/2015 12:00 20/09/2015 12:00 27/09/2015 12:00 04/10/2015 14:00 15/10/2015 19:45 18/10/2015 12:00 25/10/2015 11:00 01/11/2015 12:00 08/11/2015 11:00 15/11/2015 14:00 22/11/2015 11:00 29/11/2015 14:00 06/12/2015 12:00 20/12/2015 12:00

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DATE RES 16/08/2015 W 1-3 23/08/2015 W 3-1 30/08/2015 W 4-5 06/09/2015 D 0-0 13/09/2015 14:30 20/09/2015 14:30 27/09/2015 14:30 04/10/2015 14:00 11/10/2015 14:30 18/10/2015 14:30 25/10/2015 14:00 01/11/2015 14:00 08/11/2015 14:00 15/11/2015 14:00 29/11/2015 14:00 06/12/2015 14:00 13/12/2015 14:00 20/12/2015 14:00 10/01/2016 14:00 17/01/2016 14:00 31/01/2016 14:00 07/02/2016 14:00 21/02/2016 14:00 28/02/2016 14:00

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St. Helens Town 2, Rochdale Town 3 by Glyn Jones St. Helens Town lost their 100% record on Saturday when, having led 2-0, slipped to a disappointing 3-2 defeat to a lively Rochdale side, in the first league meeting between the teams. The visitors have so far had to play all their matches away from home, because they ground-share with Mayfield Rugby League club and their league standing, just on the heels of the leading clubs in the First Division, gives a rather misleading impression of their ability. Maybe this contributed to Town’s lacklustre performance, as they went two goals up, but they came up short once Rochdale found their stride, pulling back one goal just before half-time. St. Helens went ahead in spectacular style on 6 minutes, when Marcus Perry set up Johan du Toit twenty yards out and the midfielder netted his first goal for the club with a tremendous drive. Captain Andy Gillespie doubled the home side’s lead after 35 minutes when he lashed home an unstoppable shot from 15 yards and minutes later, Jack Marshall hit the left post with another shot and just failed to bury the rebound, hit attempt going wide of the far post. At that stage, Town appeared to be cruising, but the game turned on its head in the closing minute of the first half, when a defensive error set up Liam Bennion, who lobbed St. Helens’ keeper Graham McLoughlin with a perfectly placed drive into the top corner of the home net. The sides went in with Town leading 2-1, but only Rochdale emerged after the break. St. Helens looked heavy-legged and clueless in attack and it was only a matter of time before Rochdale took advantage. The equaliser arrived six minutes in, following another defensive mistake and Jonny Thompson latched on to a failed clearance and his trickling shot found the inside of McLoughlin’s left post, just out of his reach. The visitors stepped up their game and, shortly afterwards, Matty Lennon had to clear another shot off his line with McLoughlin beaten. Rochdale took the lead for the first time on the hour mark, when Bennion strode through a huge gap in the home defence to finish just inside the other post. St. Helens simply had no answer. They looked like a racehorse, clear of its field and seemingly easing to victory, only to be caught and passed in the closing stages, then finding it impossible to regain its stride and claw back the lead. Rochdale themselves spurned two glorious chances to make the points safe before Town began to wake up in the closing minutes. With time running out fast, Marshall broke through and set up Gillespie who tried to lob Michael Smith, but the visitors’ keeper plucked the ball out of the air to deny the leveller and, with only seconds remaining, with Smith way out of his goal, Jordan Forde reacted quickly and shot from 20 yards towards the open net, but his last-ditch attempt rolled agonisingly past the right hand post. Town will learn much from this setback. Although they have dropped down a level, there are many teams in this division more than capable of giving them a game and promotion will be no easy matter. Nevertheless, a quick return to winning ways will be needed to get the club back on course.

NWCFL First Division Saturday 29th August 2015

Runcorn Town manager Simon Burton is looking for his side to maintain their recent good form. After three defeats in their opening four games, Saturday’s victory over Litherland REMYCA in the FA Vase now means it’s just one defeat in the last five for Town, and that was against Evo-Stik league side Northwich Victoria in the FA Cup. While Simon is now happy that his side is showing a bit of form, he explained that there have been a number of reasons behind his side’s slow start to the season. “We freshened things up in the summer as I was disappointed with the league finish last year”, he said. “Obviously we had a great FA Cup run, and I think that took a little bit of the attention away from our league form. Not from our point of view, but other people tended to remember that. “For me though, the league is where it's at, we spent two or three seasons pushing for promotion and that is where we need to be. Last year we did have a lot of injuries, I don't think in the previous five seasons I remember having as many injuries as we did, and hopefully this year will be better.

“We have brought in probably six or seven new faces, and when that happens it takes them a little bit of time to gel, and understand how each other play, and how we play as team. It is difficult to make so many changes but as manager I felt it was needed, we needed to freshen things up a bit and that is what we have done, and touch wood we are starting to find our feet”. Aside of new faces, Simon also believes that the early fixtures presented a tougher than normal start to the campaign. “I think we had a really tough start, I think it is probably the toughest start we have ever had since we have been in the division. The first five teams we faced were all strong opposition, although we should have taken more out of those games than we did. We were working hard, but we didn't take our chances and got punished. I hold my hands up, we were terrible on the opening day (against Nelson when Town lost 40). We just weren't at it at all.

“During the game we had chances at vital times where we could have taken the lead but we didn't take them, and Nelson were clinical and deserved the three points. Since then though, we have played some good stuff and just not had any luck, but things have started to turn since we got a 2-2 draw at Colne. “On that day, we should probably have been two or three up, but conceded two poor goals ad didn't get the rub of the green we needed. Of course, if you had offered us a 2-2 before the game we would have taken it, so you have to focus on the positives”. So, with momentum now picking up, Simon is now looking to keep the good run going. “Slowly but surely, we have been starting to find our feet and thankfully starting to hit the back the net, which is good as we have been creating the chances. “Against Litherland REMYCA (in the FA Vase on Saturday) we didn't play that well, but scored four goals, so you have to be happy that at long last the ball is hitting the back of the net. Hopefully the lads have started to click and we can push on now”.

Premier Division Table as at Wednesday 9th September 2015 Premier Division

W D

A GD Pts

Saturday 29th August 2015 AFC Darwen 2-2 Wests Dis & Chorlton Barnoldswick Town 3-0 Squires Gate Cammell Laird 1907 3-1 Bootle Nelson 0-0 Ashton Athletic

Barnoldswick Town

15 18

Runcorn Linnets

Colne

13 14

Nelson

18 10

1874 Northwich

AFC Liverpool

Abbey Hey

13 13

Bootle

13 17 -4 11

Atherton Collieries

13 14 -1

Winsford United

13 17 -4

AFC Darwen

21 28 -7

Silsden

11 10

Ashton Athletic

Padiham

13 15 -2

Cammell Laird 1907

15 16 -1

Maine Road

14 18 -4

West Didsbury & Chorlton

11 17 -6

Wednesday 9th September Padiham 1-3 Colne

Congleton Town

AFC Blackpool

10 15 -5

Friday 11th September 2015 Nelson v Barnoldswick Town

Runcorn Town

12 -5

Squires Gate

14 -7

Alsager Town

16 -11 1

* points deducted for a breach of league rules

Monday 31st August 2015 Winsford United 2-2 Cammell Laird 1907 West Dis & Chorlton 2-3 1874 Northwich Tuesday 1st September 2015 Abbey Hey 4-1 Bootle Alsager Town 0-1 Runcorn Town Runcorn Linnets 2-1 AFC Liverpool Silsden 2-2 Ashton Athletic Squires Gate 2-2 Nelson Wednesday 2nd September 2015 AFC Darwen 7-4 Maine Road Padiham 3-3 AFC Blackpool

Saturday 5th September 2015 1874 Northwich 0-1 Runcorn Linnets Alsager Town 2-4 Nelson Barnoldswick Town 5-2 Winsford United Bootle 3-2 AFC Darwen Colne 1-1 Abbey Hey Monday 7th September 2015 Maine Road 0-0 Congleton Town Winsford United 2-0 Alsager Town Tuesday 8th September 2015 Abbey Hey 0-4 Runcorn Linnets AFC Blackpool 2-3 AFC Darwen Bootle 1-2 West Didsbury & Chorlton Cammell Laird 1907 4-4 AFC Liverpool

Saturday 12th September 2015 AFC Darwen v 1874 Northwich Atherton Collieries v Bootle Maine Road v Cammell Laird 1907 Silsden v Runcorn Town Squires Gate v Ashton Athletic Winsford United v West Dids & Chorlton Monday 14th September 2015 Atherton Collieries v Barnoldswick Town Maine Road v Padiham Runcorn Town v Congleton Town Winsford United v Runcorn Linnets

First Division Table as at Wednesday 9th September 2015 Saturday 29th August 2015 Ashton Town 4-3 Eccleshall Bacup Borough 4-2 Northwich Man Villa Barnton 4-1 Stockport Town Chadderton 5-1 Daisy Hill Irlam 4-1 Widnes Litherland REMYCA 2-1 Cheadle Town St Helens Town 2-3 Rochdale Town Whitchurch Alport 2-2 Atherton LR

Division One

W D

A GD Pts

Barnton

17 18

Litherland REMYCA

Ashton Town

16 10

Cheadle Town

21 14

Irlam

Atherton LR

12 17 -5 11

Chadderton

Stockport Town

13 15 -2 10

St Helens Town

Holker Old Boys

13 10

Hanley Town

Rochdale Town

Bacup Borough

15 18 -3

Eccleshall

12 15 -3

Saturday 12th September 2015 Ashton Town v Cheadle Town Eccleshall v Bacup Borough Hanley Town v Atherton LR Holker Old Boys v Chadderton Irlam v Rochdale Town Litherland REMYCA v Stockport Town Northwich Manchester Villa v Widnes St Helens Town v Barnton Whitchurch Alport v Daisy Hill

Northwich Manchester 6 Villa

16 -7

Monday 14th September 2015 Daisy Hill v Ashton Town

Whitchurch Alport

11 19 -8

Daisy Hill

Widnes

12 17 -5

* points deducted for a breach of league rules

27 -20 4 3

Tuesday 1st September 2015 Atherton LR 1-1 Ashton Town Wednesday 2nd September 2015 Whitchurch Alport 1-6 Barnton Saturday 5th September 2015 Atherton LR 2-1 Holker Old Boys Barnton 2-1 Northwich Manchester Villa Daisy Hill 2-1 Stockport Town Eccleshall 1-1 Chadderton Widnes 3-3 Whitchurch Alport Tuesday 8th September 2015 Chadderton 2-1 Rochdale Town Stockport Town 2-1 Ashton Town Wednesday 9th September 2015 Cheadle Town 4-2 Eccleshall Litherland REMYCA 3-1 St Helens Town

Tuesday 15th September 2015 Hanley Town v Whitchurch Alport Rochdale Town v St Helens Town Stockport Town v Northwich Man Villa

Wednesday 16th September 2015 Barnton v Widnes Saturday 19th September 2015 Ashton Town v Barnton Atherton LR v Stockport Town Bacup Borough v Hanley Town Chadderton v Litherland REMYCA Daisy Hill v Irlam Northwich Manchester Villa v Eccleshall St Helens Town v Cheadle Town Whitchurch Alport v Holker Old Boys Widnes v Rochdale Town