St Helens Town v Carlisle City 2016-17 by John McKiernan

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Celebrating 70 years, 1946-2016

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Team Line-Ups Saturday 15th October 2016, kick off 3pm The Hallmark Security League, First Division

CLUB INFORMATION Honorary Life President: Alan Wellens Vice Presidents: Jim Barrett and Steve Ball Chairman: John McKiernan (07713 339682)

St Helens Town

Gls Y R

Vice Chairman: Glyn Jones

Hon. Secretary/Treasurer: Jeff Voller (07843 692695)

Hospitality: Margaret Wood and Paul Wood Trustee: John McKiernan 1st Team Joint Managers: Alan Gillespie & Nick Matthews

Martin Purdie Peter Allison

Jamie Heath Michael Slack

Stavros Tserpes

David Wallace

Danny Greene

Junior Green

Ste Rigby

Craig Cherry

Andy Gillespie

Mark Worrall

Stuart McDonald

Mark Graham

Dale Korie-Butler Ant Whelan Lee Novak Managers: Alan Gillespie and Nick Matthews

Gls Y R

Kyle Armstrong

Andy Webster

Jacob Ball

U21s Team Manager: John McLaughlan

Paul Carney

Paul Cliff

1st Team Physiotherapists Ellie Hayes & Paige Marcus

Sky Blue Shirts Sky Blue Shorts & Socks

Andy Presho

Luke Edwards

1st Team Coach Lee Jenkinson

U18s Team Manager: Nick Matthews

Gage Walsh

Eddie Pegler

Full Committee: John McKiernan, Jeff Voller, Jim Barrett, Ste Ball, Andy Langley Paul Wood, Margaret Wood, Kieran Ford, Chris Ford & Glyn Jones

U21s Assistant Manager: Lee Jenkinson

Carlisle City

Blue Shirts Blue Shorts, Blue & White Socks

Ryan Errington Daniel Greenslade Jonathon Allan Carl Carr James Tose Adam Coward Manager: Jimmy Tose Assistant: Jonny Allan

Referee: Mr N Eaves (Thornton-Cleveleys) Assist: Mr C Sharples (Lostock) & Mr S Iqbal (Blackburn)

U18s Assistant Manager: TBC Sunday Team Manager: David Platt

Match Sponsor

Club Email: sthelenstownfc@hotmail.co.uk

Johnsons Toyota Liverpool

Main Club Sponsor: Johnsons Toyota Liverpool

60 Rimrose Road, Bootle, Merseyside L20 4TX

Shirt Sponsor: Freestart plc Legal: St Helens Town Limited Private Limited Company Company No. 04392840 Date of Incorporation 12.03.2002 Company Director: Jim Barrett

Match Ball Sponsors

Next Home Game:

EXCELL Painter & Decorators

The Reusch First Division Cup Sat 5th November 2016

Parent Company: A wholly owned subsidiary of Sporting Club St Helens Limited

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Tel: 07765 396548

Town v Daisy Hill

Volair Park, Prescot Cables FC

Cover Photograph: Stu McDonald and Luke Edwards

Celebrating 70 years, 1946-2016

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Talk of the Town Good afternoon and welcome to the Kensite Stadium for this Hallmark Security League, First Division contest against Carlisle City. 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 an interesting fortnight since we last hosted a first team game when we welcomed Premier Division AFC Darwen to Volair Park. Proceedings couldn’t have got off to a worse start as we were 2-0 down after 6 minutes. The first goal came with just over a minute on the clock as a hopeful ball was sent into the box and the hosts could not clear the danger with Nick Hepple collecting the ball and firing past debutant stopper Gage Walsh. It looked like it was going to be a long afternoon when a couple of minutes later as Connor Gaul latched onto a long ball and slotted home to put the higher ranking visitors firmly in the driving seat. With half an hour on the clock the comeback began in earnest with two more debutants linking Luke Edwards sprinted past his defender before crossing towards Stuart McDonald and his flick on was dispatched by skipper Andy Gillespie. Before the interval parity was regained when Danny Greene’s centre was volleyed home in some style by McDonald to send the sides in level at the break. Midway through the second period Gillespie headed home a pin-point Greene cross and advancement into the next round of the competition was secured late in proceedings when McDonald beat the visiting stopper to a through ball and rolled the ball into the unguarded net to set up a visit to Eccleshall at the end of the month. Last Saturday saw a visit to the only First Division side who could boast an unbeaten start to the league campaign and it ultimately proved to be a fruitless afternoon for the visitors. St Helens started the contest brightly but we denied by some good goalkeeping by Chris Fletcher in the home goal and it was to be the hosts who broke the deadloack when a surge down the flank saw Leigh Skellern find Josh Glover and he was able to find the net. The lead was doubled with a contentious penalty converted by Mark Grice and the same man made it 3-0 before the break effectively resolving the debate about the outcome of the game. The visitors continued their record of having scored in every contest so far this season who McDonald was felled in the box and stepped up to convert a consolation from 12 yards. We then moved on to Tuesday evening and a trip to the seaside against another side who fell through the Premier Division trap door in AFC Blackpool. The tangerines haven’t had the best of starts to the season and this continued as Town had essentially won the contest with a five minute spell at the end of the first half Luke Edwards opened the scoring on 40 minutes before Andy Gillespie added a second a couple of minutes later, taking his tally for the season to 10 and Andy Presho netted a third in added on time at the end of the half. The hosts pulled one back 10 minutes after the restart but Town were able to hold firm and secure all three points came back down the M6.

On to today’s contest as we host a Carlisle City side who we visited on the opening day of the season and went down 4-3 to in an entertaining contest and we will be looking to avenge that reverse this afternoon and gain all three points! Let’s get behind Town this afternoon and hopefully cheer them on to victory! Enjoy the game . . . Jeff Voller

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Celebrating 70 years, 1946-2016

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In Town Today Carlisle City was formed in 1975 by two ex Carlisle United footballers, George Walker and Ron ‘Ginger’ Thompson in order to "give local lads somewhere to play". In 1976 a reserve side was formed, followed by a third senior team in 1977. The Club maintained 3 teams for about 13 years then in 1990 set up a junior section. An under 18 team was the first junior team formed and by 2000 we had grown significantly to 2 senior teams, 10 boys teams and 4 girls teams. Today the club has 3 senior sides, 14 boys teams and 4 girls teams and have nearly 300 players all of whom are required to complete a membership form. The 2009/10 season saw a City ladies team compete in the Cumbria Women’s league for the first time. The senior side joined the Northern Alliance league in 1975 and played continuously at that level until 2015/16 when promotion to the Hallmark Security League was secured for the following season. In the Northern Alliance, City were often the bridesmaids and never the bride, as they finished league runnersup on no fewer than nine occasions. Incredibly, City finished second on four occasions in their first five seasons in the Alliance. In more recent times, the side were also runners-up in successive seasons in 2013/14 and 2014/15. Carlisle City competed in the FA Cup between 1976/77 and 1980/81. Their best performance was in 1979/80, when they took Bishop Auckland to two replays in the first qualifying round. They also played in the FA Vase during the same period, and reached the third round in 1976/77 City have enjoyed plenty of cup success over the years, winning the Northern Alliance League Cup four times, and the Challenge Cup on six occasions. The last season in the Northern Alliance also saw a trophy collected as City beat Percy Main in the Final of the Bill Gardner Trophy.

After taking over the lease of Gillford Park from Celtic Nation in 2015 the club revealed ambitions to play at a higher level. They applied to join North West Counties Football League for the 2016/17 season and in April 2016, it was confirmed that Gillford Park had passed the FA ground grading with their destination being confirmed as the North West Counties League Division One in May. The club installed former Penrith manager James Tose as City's new Manager for the 2016/17 season and he will be assisted byJonny Allan who has played for Northwich Victoria and Carlisle United and was Assistant Manager at Celtic Nation before the club folded in 2015.

Season 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 2015-16

League NTH ALL-P NTH ALL-P NTH ALL-P NTH ALL-P NTH ALL-P NTH ALL-P NTH ALL-P NTH ALL-P NTH ALL-P NTH ALL-P NTH ALL-P NTH ALL-P NTH ALL-P NTH ALL-P NTH ALL-P

P 28 30 30 30 30 28 30 32 32 32 30 30 28 28 28

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W 14 20 15 13 18 12 8 11 11 15 16 19 16 18 16

D 6 6 2 7 5 9 7 13 11 5 4 3 6 4 3

L 8 4 13 10 7 7 15 8 10 12 10 8 6 6 9

F 49 64 53 68 68 54 50 65 46 57 64 78 57 104 56

A 33 29 48 49 31 37 60 61 53 54 37 39 33 42 39

GD 16 35 5 19 37 17 -10 4 -7 3 27 39 24 62 17

Pts 48 66 47 46 59 45 31 46 44 50 52 60 54 58 51

Position 4/15 2/16 8/16 5/16 3/16 5/15 13/16 6/17 10/17 6/17 5/16 3/16 2/15 2/15 3/15

Celebrating 70 years, 1946-2016

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Stu McDonald in action v AFC Darwen on Saturday 1st October 2016

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Celebrating 70 years, 1946-2016

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Chairman’s Notes Good afternoon and a very warm welcome to the Kensite Stadium, home of Atherton Collieries who have kindly agreed to host our fixture this afternoon as our temporary home at Prescot has a fixture clash with our ‘landlords’. Similarly, our planned home fixture with Chadderton has been postponed and we will now travel to Bacup Borough next Saturday. Many thanks to today’s match sponsors Johnsons Toyota Liverpool and our match ball sponsors Excell Painters and Decorators.

Three very different performances since my last programme notes with a Macron Cup win over AFC Darwen saw some great football and take out the opening 10 minutes when we found ourselves 0-2 down we dominated proceedings. Last Saturday we lost 3-1 at Alsager in a game which we had plenty of chances and the home stopper had an excellent game - on another day our performance may have earned the full spoils. It was said at the Alsager game we’ll play much worse and win and so it happened on Tuesday evening and a trip to AFC Blackpool. We started very well and then drifted out of the game before a blistering spell just before the break saw three goals without reply. The second period saw our hosts hit a solitary reply while Town never really got out of second gear - but three points is three points. There have been a number of new additions to the squad and a couple of players returning from enforced absences so with a bit more time to gel I am sure we can reach a level of consistency we are all looking for. Our quest for more points continues this afternoon as we entertain Carlisle City - we met on a sunny opening day of the season and in the superb surroundings of Gillford Park the league newbies made a great start with a 4-3 victory.

Our congratulations go to committee member Kieran Ford who has picked up the St Helens Council Sports Development team nomination for the Young Volunteer of the Year and he will now represent the club and the borough next month at the Merseyside Sports Awards dinner at Aintree Racecourse. Progress is a little slow at Ruskin Drive with the main pitch now complete but we are awaiting the completion of the new car parking (part of the planning conditions) and for work to start on the new changing rooms. Our target date has been reviewed and it looks like first team football will have to wait until December at the earliest. However, the club’s U18s, U21s and Sunday teams will hopefully be using the playing facilities early in November at which time we should also be able to train on site. Tuesday evening sees the lads travel to FC Oswestry Town for a first meeting between the clubs - please try to get along to support the team. See you next time . . .

John McKiernan Chairman St Helens Town AFC 07713 339 682

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Celebrating 70 years, 1946-2016

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The world this week This Week in the World of... I take a trip down memory and discover what events happened in the history of St Helens Town, sport in general and provide a reminder of any historical world events that occurred in this week in history. The week of 9th October – 16th October Last Season: St Helens Town – 10th and 13th October 2015 – St Helens record their 1st victory in 6 games with a 3-1 home victory over Chadderton. Town would return to Brocstedes Park 3 days later as they defeated Widnes 3-2. Sport – 9th October 2015 – England make it 9 wins from 9 in their Euro 2016 Qualifying Group with a 2-0 victory over Estonia at Wembley. World – 10th October 2015 Bombing at a peace rally in Ankara, Turkey kills at least 95, injures 200.

10 Years Ago: St Helens Town – 11th and 14th October 2006 - Town make their first trip to Bury’s Gigg Lane as they face FC United of Manchester, however are handed a 3-0 defeat. They then suffer a 5-0 away loss against Curzon Ashton 3 days later. Sport – 14th October 2006 Chelsea goalkeepers, Petr Čech and Carlo Cudicini, both received head injuries during their match against Reading. Čech underwent surgery for a depressed skull fracture and is expected to be out for six months, while Cudicini was treated and released. World – 9th October 2006 North Korea allegedly tests its first nuclear device. 20 Years Ago: St Helens Town - 12th and 16th October 1996 – Town defeat Chadderton 1-0 before managing a 2-2 draw against Maghull in the North West Counties League Cup 2nd Round at Houghton Road. Sport –14th October 1996 Sheffield Wednesday sign Italian midfielder Benito Carbone from Inter Milan for a club record £3million. World – 13th October 1996 "Big" closes at Shubert Theatre NYC after 193 performances The Vase Year – 1987: St Helens Town – 10th October 1987 Town bow out of the FA Cup at the 3rd Qualifying Round stage with a 3-2 away defeat against Northwich Victoria. Sport – 16th October 1987 Mike Tyson defeats Tyrell Biggs in “The Clash For The Crown” to stretch his undefeated record to 32-0. World – 12th October 1987 George Harrison releases "Got My Mind Set On You"

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Celebrating 70 years, 1946-2016

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How We Compare? St Helens Town - last 6 matches All Competitions

NWC-D1

Previous Meetings 2001-02

at St Helens Town

Most recent

at Carlisle City NTH ALL-P

Home

NWC-D1

2002-03

NTH ALL-P

Away

NWC-D1

2003-04

NTH ALL-P

NWC-D1

2004-05

NTH ALL-P

NWC-D1

2005-06

NTH ALL-P

NWC-D1

2006-07

NTH ALL-P

Collated

Carlisle City - last 6 matches All Competitions

Most recent

NWC-D1

2007-08

NTH ALL-P

NWC-PD

2008-09

NTH ALL-P

Home

NWC-PD

2009-10

NTH ALL-P

Away

NWC-PD

2010-11

NTH ALL-P

NWC-PD

2011-12

NTH ALL-P

NWC-PD

2012-13

NTH ALL-P

NWC-PD

2013-14

NTH ALL-P

NWC-PD

2014-15

NTH ALL-P

NWC-D1

2015-16

NTH ALL-P

15/10/2016

2016-17

06/08; 3-4

Collated

St Helens Town games since...

Carlisle City games since...

All Competitions

Clean sheet

Goal Scored

Loss

No score draw

St Helens Town Scores First Games Played

St Helens Town Wins

Draws

Carlisle City Wins

St Helens Town Goals

Carlisle City Goals

Percentage Town Wins

0.00

Score draw

Win

Previous Meetings All Competitions P

Win %

Home

Away

0.00

-1

0.00

Collated

-1

0.00

Collated

111

42.65

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Celebrating 70 years, 1946-2016

Ruskin Update

Celebrating 70 years, 1946-2016

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Tea Break Teasers Q1. Who are the only country to have reached a Copa America Final but never to have lifted the trophy? Q2. Which former Manchester United manager said “Management these days is more like nuclear war no winners just survivors”? Q3. Which Bundesliga side play their home games at the WWK Arena? Q4. Whose record did Zlatan Ibrahimovic break last October becoming Paris Saint-Germain’s alltime top scorer? Q5. Which Italian defender played in four World Cup Final tournaments but never in a World Cup qualifying game? Q6. With which Spanish team did Stan Collymore make three appearances in 2001? Q7. Who was Player of the Tournament at Euro 96? Q8. How many goals did former Liverpool striker Fernando Morientes score for Spain? Q9. Which duo had a top 10 hit with the 2002 World Cup anthem “We’re on the ball”? Q10. Which three managers have taken charge of both Southampton & Spurs in the Premier League? Q11. Which player scored Scotland’s last full international hat-trick in 1969 prior to Steven Fletchers pair against Gibraltar home and away in the Euro 16 qualifying campaign? Q12. Which team won the Gold Medal for Men’s Football at the London 2012 Olympics? Q13. Which current Premier League midfielder is the last non-Dutch player to win the Eredivisie’s young player of the year in the 2010-11 season? Q14. Which Morecambe player got the most assists in League Two last term? Q15. Which La Liga club play their home games at “Anoeta”? 1) Mexico 2) Tommy Docherty 3) Augsburg 4) Pauleta 5) Giuesppe Bergomi 6) Real Oviedo 7) Matthias Sammer 8) 27 9) Ant & Dec 10) Glenn Hoddle, Harry Redknapp & Mauricio Pochettino 11) Colin Stein 12) Mexico 13) Christian Eriksen 14) Jamie Devitt

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Celebrating 70 years, 1946-2016

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John Quinn John Quinn was born in St. Helens on 30th May 1938 and played for St. Theresa’s FC in Sutton Manor before signing for St. Helens Town at the same time as John Connelly in 1956. An outside left or half-back, he played a number of games for Town before moving to Lancashire Combination rivals Prescot Cables and it was from Hope Street that he signed professional for Sheffield Wednesday on 29th April 1959. Quinn went on to make his debut for Wednesday against Luton Town on 26th September 1959 and he scored 20 goals in 174 league games for the Hillsborough club. He toured with the Army XI in 1962 and appeared at no. 11 for Wednesday in the FA Cup Final against Everton in 1966, when the Owls lost 3-2 after going two goals up. He was transferred to neighbours Rotherham United in November 1967, then managed by Tommy Docherty, where he was appointed captain. In 1968 during his time at Rotherham United Johnny Quinn had his own song that echoed from the Millmoor terraces. Manfred Mann's version of the song "Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)" was a hit in 1968 and was adopted by Rotherham supporters as a tribute to Quinn. John scored 7 goals in 114 league games during a 5-year spell at Millmoor, before taking up the player-coach position at Halifax Town in July 1972. When George Mulhall resigned in September 1974, Quinn became caretaker manager and was appointed full manager until Alan Ball Senior took over in February 1976. By the time he retired from league football, he had played 92 times (1 goal) for Halifax. On leaving The Shay, John played for Worksop Town and also opened a sportswear business in the shadows of Hillsborough, which he ran successfully for many years. After the end of Johnny’s professional football career he formed his own charity football team “Johnny Quinn’s All Stars” featuring former professionals from around the South Yorkshire area such as Emlyn Hughes, Lawrie Madden, Imre Varadi and Mel Sterland. The All Stars have raised huge amounts of money for charity over the years and are still going today although Johnny Quinn announced he was pulling out as the figurehead of the All Stars in May 2006 with former Wednesday player Mel Sterland taking over. Sterland said at the time, "Johnny should get an MBE for what he's done for charities; the money raised must run into millions."

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Club News

Congratulations to Danny Greene Town’s Kiera’s Occasions Man of the Match v FC Oswestry Town pictured with First Team Manager Nick Matthews. Many thanks to ABBEY Plastering & Construction shirt sponsor of our Sunday outfit side who have recently started their third season in the Liverpool & District Sunday League. Do you see our weekly coverage in the St Helens Star newspaper which is available on line or the more traditional printed version. Our thanks to sports editor Mike Critchley who ensures plenty of page space and lots of photos are used on a regular basis.

Our new club mugs are available at all home games - just £5.00 raising funds for the club. We also have official club pin badges on sale at £3.00. Our Freestart UK sponsored home and away shirts are on sale from Macron Store Cheshire (online) Juniors £30 and Adult £35. Don’t forget we are selling tickets for the Ruskin Comedy & Curry Night - tickets are £15 and a great night is planned. Please see any club official for details.

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Celebrating 70 years, 1946-2016

Andy Gillespie in action v FC Oswestry Town on Saturday 24th September 2016

Celebrating 70 years, 1946-2016

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Match Sponsors We are looking for additional sponsors on match-days with a host of benefits for both match (£100) and match 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

Thu 18/08/16

Sandbach United

Beer EnGin, Whiston

Johnsons Toyota Liverpool

Thu 01/09/16

Prestwich Heys

Johnsons Toyota Liverpool

Cuncannon

Sat 10/09/16

Chadderton (FAV)

Top Car Detailing

Cuncannon

Thu 15/09/16

Widnes

Thatto Heath Tech Shop

Beer Engin, Whiston

Sat 26/11/16

FC Oswestry Town

Toast Café

Live Wire Electrical

Sat 01/10/16

AFC Darwen (Macron Cup)

Johnsons Toyota Liverpool

MLR Heating Supplies

Sat 15/10/16

Carlisle City

Johnsons Toyota Liverpool

Excell Painting & Decorating

Sat 05/11/16

Daisy Hill

Beechley Stables, RDA

Thu 10/11/16

Cheadle Town

Invisible Heroes

Thu 17/11/16

Ashton Town

Sat 19/11/16

Eccleshall

Connor McGinn

Thu 01/12/16

Alsager Town

The Track King

Sat 10/12/16

Bacup Borough

Stillia

Kiera’s Occasions

Mon 26/12/16 Litherland REMYCA

Action Coach NW

Kiera’s Occasions Britannia Taxis

Sat 07/01/17

Holker Old Boys

Sat 21/01/17

AFC Blackpool

Action Coach NW

Sat 28/01/17

Whitchurch Alport

Invisible Heroes

Sat 11/02/17

Silsden

North West Dog Rescue

Sat 18/03/17

Daisy Hill

Invisible Heroes

Sat 25/03/17

Stockport Town

Stuart Pyke

Sat 01/04/17

Atherton LR

John Cahill

Sun 16/04/17

City of Liverpool FC

The Boar’s Head

Sat 29/04/17

Charnock Richard

Toast Café

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Michael Allison

LM Travel

Celebrating 70 years, 1946-2016

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Team Fixtures St Helens Town Sunday Liverpool &District Sunday League Results 08/09/16 18:30 Hunting Lodge 3-0 Town 11/09/16 11:00 Fulwood Arms 2-0 Town 18/09/16 11:00 Birkdale United 4-3 Town 25/09/16 13:00 Fazakerley Athletic 3-2 Town 02/10/16 12:45 Town 3-2 Mr Smiths 09/10/16 12:45 Western Approaches 1-4 Town

Fixtures Lge 16/10/16 12:45 Town v The Claremont FC St Helens Town U21s Cheshire FA U21s League Premier Division Results Lge 24/08/16 Manchester Central Reserves 0-4 Town Cup 21/08/16 Atherton Town 2-2 Town (Town won 1-3 on pens) Lge 18/08/16 Southport 2-2 Town Cup 11/09/16 11:00 Glossop North End 1-9 Town Cup 18/09/16 11:00 BRNESC Reserves 4-7 Town Lge 25/09/16 14:00 Atherton Town 1-6 Town Cup 02/10/16 12:30 Abbey Hey 2-0 Town Cup 09/10/16 12:45 Town 6-3 MSB Woolton Fixtures Lge 16/10/16 12:30 Abbey Hey v Town Lge 23/10/16 12:45 Town v Stockport Town Lge 30/10/16 11:00 Malvern v Town Lge 06/11/16 12:45 Town v Atherton Town Lge 13/11/16 12:45 Town v Southport Lge 17/11/16 19:45 Irlam v Town Lge 20/11/16 12:45 Town v Manchester Central Lge 27/11/16 12:45 Town v Malvern Lge 04/12/16 12:45 Town v West Kirby Lge 11/12/16 12:30 Stockport Town v Town St Helens Town U18s North West Youth Alliance League Results Lge 21/08/16 14:30 Town 3-5 Chester Colts Lge 04/09/16 14:30 Chester Colts 1-3 Town Cup 08/09/16 19:45 AFC Blackpool 3-4 Town Lge 11/09/16 14:30 Town 2-8 Marine Lge 18/09/16 14:30 Witton Albion 1-3 Town Cup 21/09/17 19:30 Chadderton 1-2 Town Cup 25/09/16 11:00 Prescot Cables 1-2 Town Lge 02/10/16 14:30 West Kirby & Wasps 1-2 Town Cup 07/10/16 Town 1-2 Newcastle Benfield Fixtures Lge 16/10/16 14:30 Town v Vauxhall Motors Cup 23/10/16 14:00 Chester FC v Town Lge 30/10/16 14:30 Tranmere Rovers v Town

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Celebrating 70 years, 1946-2016

Guest Writer Of course there’s an alternative: the struggle for the soul of non-league football Those with a long memory may remember that Margaret Thatcher famously pointed out a number of times that there was no alternative to her economic policies. Thatcher was not known to be a fan of the Beautiful Game, so what relevance does this have for non-league football? Let’s go back the best part of a century or so before Thatcher came to power. Many non-league teams had been established in the late nineteenth and first half of the twentieth century as works teams. Some were based in mining communities such as Frickley Colliery (established 1910, later Athletic), Ryhope Colliery Welfare (1892) and Easington Colliery (1913). Others were teams associated with the railways, for example, Horwich Railway Mechanics Institute (1896) and Shildon (1890); the chemicals industry, such as Billingham Synthonia (1923); others still with steel, for example, Consett (1899); and various other industries. They played at grounds often close to the local works and sometimes which were provided by the employer. The names of the grounds often captured this: so many of which were called the Welfare Ground, the Recreation Ground, or some derivative or adaption of these. The local workforce often contributed to the development of these grounds. At my own home town club, Horwich RMI, the local Mechanics Institute, according to Mike Latham’s excellent history of the club, sponsored the building of the main stand and other facilities in the 1920s. The terraces under the Scratching Shed, the popular terrace for RMI fans, were railway sleepers. At Consett, the club’s original ground was provided by the local steelworks and its replacement was built by the labour of local people on waste land that was also given to them by the local steelworks. Many grounds were built, literally, by the graft of local people. The backdrop to many grounds – the coal slagheaps, the pit head winding gear or shipyard cranes – gave the strong feeling that they were part of their local community and economy. Many clubs were part of dense networks of community infrastructures of football clubs, cricket clubs, bowling clubs, running clubs and brass bands. This was the infrastructure of a paternalist form of welfare capitalism. Non-league football, as one of these assets – because that’s what they were, community assets – was an indicator of both the strength of and tribulations faced by local communities. Clubs were rooted in their local communities. This is not a simple, romantic story of success. Many clubs struggled – and some failed – to keep their heads above water throughout the decades. Some even disbanding in the ‘golden years’ of the 1950s, while other clubs showed remarkable resilience just to continue existing. By the 1950s, though, many clubs had been established for 30, 40, 50 years or more. Massive local workforces, just beginning to move beyond post-war austerity, were the source of large crowds. Yet a decade on, by the late 1960s, there were signs that all was not well. With hindsight, what we were seeing was the early stages of deindustrialisation – the decline of large industries in the UK that had supported the birth and life of many non-league clubs. Economic crisis in the 1970s, alongside deindustrialisation, resulted in a double whammy of a new economic reality and a weakening of the influence of employers who had provided support to clubs since their founding. With these structural changes in the economy, not only were the industries on which many communities were built under threat but, in some cases, so too were their community assets, including their football clubs. Deindustrialisation was already under way when Margaret Thatcher came to power in 1979. This was a massive structural change that provided an existential threat to many communities. One political response would have been to help, to ameliorate the worst effects of deindustrialisation. The approach of the Thatcher government of the time was to accelerate it, to stick the boot in on those most damaged and affected by these changes. As she said, ‘there is no alternative’ to the economic medicine she was proposing. The effects of this for many non-league clubs were stark. The most important shift was one that was difficult to visibly see; that was an attempt to weaken the sense of welfare (in the best sense of the

Celebrating 70 years, 1946-2016

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Mike Hodson word) in the organisation of non-league clubs and to expose clubs to Thatcher’s economic medicine. The harsh versions of entrepreneurialism and competition, promoted by Thatcherism, began to seep into non-league football from the 1980s. The footballing authorities, the FA and the non-leagues, started to embrace this. Organised as a patchwork of local and regional leagues, the non-league game began to be organised into a national pyramid from 1979. The idea being that a club from the lowest level of non-league could theoretically rise right to the top of the football pyramid. On the face of it, this is reasonable. Who could be against progress of this sort? Inherently, though, the premise of the pyramid was to promote a particular form of competition and aspiration – another buzzword of the era – in non-league football. This resulted in a new kind of entrepreneurial owner, making grand ‘vision’ statements that their clubs would be in the Football League in the future. This can be seen recently in the example of AFC Fylde. Previously Kirkham and Wesham FC, the club’s name was changed in 2008-9 as part of a ‘vision’ of reaching the Football League by 2022. From the 1980s leagues also used their ground standards grading committees to enforce competition. In some cases, if a club’s ground was a bit quirky – if it had, say, a steep hill, or it was three sided – then this became a threat to refuse promotion. The grading of grounds became a form of control, used to police mobility up the pyramid. This created problems for a number of non-league clubs; the authorities were suggesting that some historic grounds were effectively a block to ‘progress’. Alongside this the predators of capitalism, supermarket chains and housebuilders, were ready to pounce and buy up grounds. A not insignificant number of clubs saw their town centre grounds, often in prime locations, sold off. From the 1980s, ‘innovations’ from the professional game also trickled down in to non-league; this included shirt sponsorship in the 1980s, but subsequently naming rights to grounds, with pretty much anything available to sponsor. Some clubs also began to mirror the Premier League, fielding weakened sides in county cups and league cups. Wage inflation from the top of the pyramid also fed down and some ‘aspirational’ non-league clubs started to pay excessive salaries and others greater salaries than they could afford. It is the case that the fortunes of non-league clubs have always ebbed and flowed. It is also clear that deindustrialisation caused serious problems for the wider non-league game and for specific clubs. But beyond this, from the 1980s, non-league football has had to respond to a set of political values, of commodification and a warped version of competition, that seem alien to its historic mission as a community asset. Non-league clubs have faced the twin threats of the industries that gave birth to them going and a political ideology that saw the price of everything and the value of nothing. Some clubs and owners have embraced this new world. Many clubs, though, were forced on to the back foot. The view, which emerged in the 1980s, of football as a commodity is still widespread. But in recent years we are seeing some challenge to this through a new spirit of non-league clubs as community assets. This is nothing less than a struggle for the soul of non-league football. The struggle can be understood through two approaches to non-league football. The first of these promotes a hyper version of aspiration and competition. Visions and business plans for a rapid rise up the pyramid are set out by heroic owners, many of whom appear to be relatively new converts to the non-league game. The second, is an alternative to this vision of non-league football. This alternative approach to the organisation of non-league clubs is much more fragmented. There are new fan-driven, cooperatively owned clubs. FC United of Manchester are a very visible example of this approach. But clubs have also challenged rampant commercialism and exercised community values in other ways. The recently formed City of Liverpool FC have a foodbank collection point at their home games. Many clubs have tried experiments with ‘pay what you can afford’ matches. Others have have institutionalised admitting young people for free or for a nominal amount. Sources of revenue that are grounded in community activities are another alternative to rampant commercialism being pursued by some non-league clubs. This has seen clubs using grants and local authority funding to install new generations of synthetic pitches for community use outside of the handful of times a week that the club may need it. These two approaches are extremes of the struggle in some senses. Most non-league clubs sit in between these positions and are about maintaining a club in the ways they’ve been since they were established. This is as a community asset and it has required a huge amount of resilience. There is hope in this shear resilience. There is also hope in the experiments in alternatives being undertaken by many clubs. Clubs do not have to succumb to warped notions of competition. Non-league football tells us Margaret Thatcher was wrong. There are alternatives. They need our active support.

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Celebrating 70 years, 1946-2016

Match Statistics 201 Date Aug 06 Aug 13

Opponents Carlisle City Cheadle Town

Comp NWCFL NWCFL

KO Result GK 2 3 4 3.00 4-3L Novak D.Brady Williams Rawsthorne 3.00 3-3D Novak Presho A.Whelan Falconer

5 Falconer Rigby

6 Presho A Sheen G

AUG 18

SANDBACH UNITED

NWCFL

7.45

L2-4

Novak Greene

Rigby

Presho

Aug 20 Aug 27

Litherland REMYCA Charnock Richard

NWCFL NWCFL

3.00 3.00

W1-2 Novak Greene W1-3 Novak Greene

Rigby Rigby

Webster Webster

Falconer Falconer

Presho Presho

SEP 01

PRESTWICH HEYS

NWCFL

7.45

2-2D Hodge Greene

Rigby

Webster

Falconer

Presho

Sep 03

Atherton LR

NWCFL

3.00

4-2L

Hodge Greene1

Rigby

Falconer

Webster

Presho

Sep 06 SEP 10

City of Liverpool CHADDERTON

NWCFL 7.45 FAV 1QR 3.00

5-1L 3-5L

Hodge D.Brady Taylor D.Brady

Presho Presho

Falconer Webster

Webster Donohue

Ashton Davies

Andy Gillespie Pegler D

SEP 15

WIDNES

NWCFL

7.45

1-1D

Taylor D.Brady

Rigby

Pegler

Webster

Donohue

Sep 17

Daisy Hill

NWCFL

3.00

2-2D

Taylor D.Brady

Rigby

Ball

Ogden

Pegler

SEP24 OCT 01

FC OSWESTRY TOWN AFC DARWEN

NWCFL 3.00 2-1W Taylor Greene1 TMC 1R 3.00 4-2W Walsh Presho

Rigby Rigby

Donohue Pegler

Falconer Donohue

Ball Carney

S G

Oct 08

Alsager Town

NWCFL

3.00

3-1L

Walsh

Rigby

Pegler

Donohue

Carney

Oct 11

AFC Blackpool

NWCFL

7.45

1-3W

Walsh Presho1 Carney

Presho

Pegler

Webster

Tserpes

OCT 15 Oct 18

CARLISLE CITY FC Oswestry Town

NWCFL NWCFL

3.00 7.45

OCT 22

Bacup Borough

NWCFL

3.00

Oct 29

Eccleshall

TMC 2R

3.00

NOV 05 NOV 10

Daisy Hill CHEADLE TOWN

RFDC 2R 3.00 NWCFL 7.45

Nov12

Silsden

NWCFL

3.00

Nov 16 NOV 19

Litherland REMYCA ECCLESHALL

LSCup NWCFL

7.45 3.00

DEC 01

ALSAGER TOWN

NWCFL

7.45

Dec 03

Ashton Town

NWCFL

3.00

DEC 10 Dec 17

BACUP BOROUGH Whitchurch Alport

NWCFL NWCFL

3.00 3.00

DEC 26

LITHERLAND REMCYA

NWCFL

3.00

Dec 31

Prestwich Heys

NWCFL

3.00

JAN 07 Jan 14

HOLKER OLD BOYS Eccleshall

NWCFL NWCFL

3.00 3.00

JAN 21

AFC BLACKPOOL

NWCFL

3.00

JAN 28 WHITCHURCH ALPORT

NWCFL

3.00

FEB 11 Feb 18

SILSDEN Sandbach United

NWCFL NWCFL

3.00 3.00

Mar 04

Chadderton

NWCFL

3.00

Mar 11

Holker Old Boys

NWCFL

3.00

MAR 18 MAR 25

DAISY HILL STOCKPORT TOWN

NWCFL NWCFL

3.00 3.00

APR 01

ATHERTON LR

NWCFL

7.45

Apr 08 APR 16

Widnes CITY OF LIVERPOOL

NWCFL NWCFL

3.00 TBC

Apr 22

Stockport Town

NWCFL

3.00

APR 29

CHARNOCK RICHARD

NWCFL

3.00

Celebrating 70 years, 1946-2016

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16-17

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

7 8 9 10 11 12 Ashton Pegler1 Andy Gillespie1 C.Lomax G.Lomax1 Greene10 Greene1 Pegler Andy Gillespie1 G.Lomax1 C.Lomax Williams10

.Whelan Sheen1

Williams

G.Lomax1

C.Lomax

Threlkeld

14 15 Alex Gillespie6 Threlkeld3 C.Banasko Al Gillespie Tingay

C.Banasko

Alex Gillespie Mavers9

D.Whelan S.Brady

Tingay11 Ball2

Hodge1

Mavers

D.Brady

S.Brady

Al Gillespie

Pegler7

Ball

Dutton

Williams Threlkeld10 Williams2 Davidson

Sheen

Ashton

C.Lomax1

G.Lomax

Williams1

Ashton

Sheen

G.Lomax1

C.Lomax

Williams

Williams Pegler

Sheen Sheen

Andy Gillespie Andy Gillespie2

Pegler Greene

Rigby Rigby

Greene7 Ball

C.Lomax Williams71

Sheen

Davies

Andy Gillespie

Presho

Williams1

Greene10

Rowe2

Sheen1 Greene

Pegler Sheen

Greene

Andy Gillespie S.Brady Andy Gillespie2 McDonald2

Threlkeld11

Alex Gillespie

Pegler1 Andy Gillespie1 G.Lomax Ashton C.Lomax G.Lomax1

Presho Andy Gillespie2

Sheen Sheen

Sheen

16 D.Whelan D.Whelan2

Ball

D.Brady6 Andy Gillespie11

Williams

Al Gillespie

Presho Edwards

Hoult10 D.Brady

Bradley

G.Lomax61 Ball4 Donohue Rowe5 Rawsthorne10 Hodge S.Brady11

Mavers

S.Brady4

Alex Gillespie Williams S.Brady Rawsthorne

Novak Ball

Jones Jones

Greene

Cliff

Andy Gillespie

McDonald1

Edwards

Tserpes8

Ball5

Falconer

Al Gillespie

Jones

Greene

Rigby

Andy Gillespie1

McDonald

Edwards1

Cliff8

Ball2

K-Butler11

A.Whelan

Novak

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Celebrating 70 years, 1946-2016

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The Early Years It will be remembered that the original St. Helens Town club was formed in 1901. What is less clear is how long the club survived. Some accounts state that Town folded in 1923, but research in the local press shows the club struggled on until at least 1928. St. Helens had two newspapers, the St. Helens Reporter and the St. Helens Newspaper, both of which published twice weekly, on Tuesdays and Fridays, until the mid-1950s. Between the wars, local sport was dominated by the town’s two professional Rugby League, St. Helens and St. Helens Recs. There was also a thriving local football competition in the St. Helens Combination. All three entities commanded most of the space on the sports pages in the 1920s and, as a consequence, very few column inches were devoted to “Town Notes”. Town’s position was further squeezed from 1927 onwards, after rivals Prescot Cables were promoted mid-way through the season to replace Fleetwood in the Lancashire Combination and from that point onwards, the Cables were the principal local football club, Town appearing only occasionally in the local press. League tables featuring St. Helens Town appeared only once every few weeks in the local press for 1927/28 and 1928/29. Indeed, very few match reports appeared at all, so it is impossible to say definitively what matches were played and when the club finally ceased to function. “Town Notes” for 4th May 1928, under the heading “Will the Club continue?” provide interesting reading: “The future of the Town club is very problematical. Some of the officials, feeling that the public have refrained from giving the club their necessary support during the last three seasons, have decided to retire. It is now a question whether or not there can be found a few enthusiasts with sufficient interest in Association Football to take their places. “Thanks to the generosity of a few friends, the club is less embarrassed financially than at any stage of its career so that, should anyone offer to come along and help run the club, they will have the benefit their predecessors have not enjoyed. Mr. T. Wall, 217 Derbyshire Hill Road, Parr, will be pleased to hear from anyone willing to take up office.” The 1927/28 season saw the transfers of five star players: Fairhurst and Thomas had signed for Liverpool, although Thomas was placed with Runcorn to gain experience; Tunstall went to Aston Villa, via Prescot, Peachey signed for Bradford City and Bromilow joined Bolton Wanderers via Atherton. Nevertheless, the club’s finances were under pressure, as it was stated that in one home game that season, although four of these stars played, the gate was insufficient to cover the referee’s fee. The beginning of the 1928/29 season saw two trial games take place at Park Road and players were asked to meet at the club’s headquarters at the Black Horse. The opening game of the season in the Senior Division on 1st September, produced a draw against Bryn Celtic (no match report could be found). Manchester North End visited Park Road in the FA Cup on 15th September and, in a goalless game, Town were represented by: Milligan, Taylor, Gutteridge, Smith, Flaherty, Anders, Fairclough, Pilkington, Whitley, Aspinwall and Middlehurst. The replay, at Blackley, four days later was described as a “scrappy game” which Town lost 3-4, goals coming from Middlehurst and Anders (2). That appears to be the last Town match report in the local press. Another league game was played that month, which was won, then there was a gap of several weeks until early November, when a game was lost and this appears to have been the last before the club folded. That sad event does not appear to have been worthy of even a mention in either of the local papers.

Eighteen years on and, following the end of the Second World War, George Fryer and several other local businessmen, decided upon re-forming the Town club and acquired a lease of the former Sutton Cricket Club ground at Hoghton Road. Filled with undue optimism, the club was entered into the FA Cup but, drawn against Prescot Cables, they failed to fulfil the fixture. Embarking upon a different course, Town took over the Derbyshire Hill Rovers club in the St. Helens Combination during the 1946/47 season. Several of that team’s players formed the nucleus of the Town club, which joined the Liverpool County Combination at the start of the 1947/48 season. The first game, on 27th August, away to Prescot BI, resulted in a 0-0 draw. Town’s team was: Holmes, Jones, Gaskell, Burrows, Farrar, Jackman, Collins, Hughes, Dillon, Burke and Fairhurst. A crowd of around 2000 saw Town’s first home game the following Saturday, against Newton YMCA. The game finished 1-1, Boon scoring the first goal for the YMCA and Hughes opening Town’s account. The first win was obtained in the return game against Prescot BI on 3rd September, Town storming to a 4-0 success, thanks to goals from Collins, Fryer (2) and an own goal by Hobbs. The first season’s highlight was a sparkling 10-4 victory over Everton “A”. There were two goals apiece for Hughes, Pheasant, Northey, Burke and Gregory.

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Celebrating 70 years, 1946-2016

Andy Gillespie in action v AFC Darwen on Saturday 1st October 2016

Celebrating 70 years, 1946-2016

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Celebrating 70 years, 1946-2016

A Brief History 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 7th May 1949. Crowds averaged Tommy O’Neil over 2000 that season, peaking with a league record Wembley,1987 attendance of 3012 against Burscough in October 1948. 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 alltime 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 its ambitions, moved to the former St. Helens Recs. rugby league 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 in the last few years, Karl Ledsham, who had a productive career at conference level with Southport, Lincoln City, Barrow and Stockport County before moving to the USA. 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 proud record of being the only club to play in the NW Counties’ top flight every season until they were relegated in April

Celebrating 70 years, 1946-2016

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of St Helens Town

St Helens Town 1948 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. The 2015/16 season saw St. Helens Town in the First Division of the North West Counties League and despite some inconsistent mid-season form, they finished the season with an outside chance of making the promotion play-off places, only to fall short in the final match, losing at home to eventual champions Hanley Town in a game they needed to win thereby missing out for the first time on a place in this season’s FA Cup competition. Nevertheless, team captain Andy Gillespie landed the First Division Golden Boot Trophy with 29 league goals, 34 in all matches. At the start of the 2016/17 season, Town are looking to return to the borough and the new ground at Ruskin Drive will at last be ready in early October. In the meantime, early -season games will be played at Prescot Cables and with nearly all of last season’s squad staying on, boosted by new signings in key areas, they will be hoping to be among the front-runners for promotion in the club’s 70th year since their reformation, coincidentally, the 30 th year since their FA Vase success. The nomadic years since the loss of their Hoghton Road base in 2000 are now behind them, the return to their traditional blue and white colours herald a new beginning and the future once again looks bright.

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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 2014-15 South Lancs League U17s Cup Finalists 2014-15 Cheshire FA U21 League Champions Record Appearances: Alan Wellens (448) Record Goal Scorer: Steve Pennington (216) Record Attendances: 3012 at Hoghton Road v Burscough (1948) 8000 at Hoghton Road v Man City (1950) 1723 at Knowsley Rd v FC Utd Manchester (2006) 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 2015-16 NWCFL First 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 2015-16 Placed 8th NWCFL 2015-16 Awards Player of the Month Oct Andy Gillespie ‘Keeper of the Month Nov Matthew Hodge January 2016 Team of the Month ‘Keeper of the Month Jan Matthew Hodge

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Match Report AFC Blackpool 1-3 St Helens Town by Kieran Ford An 8 minute spell puts AFC Blackpool to the sword as St Helens return to winning ways. After the defeat to unbeaten Alsager Town at the weekend, St Helens Town, on paper, would have been counting their lucky stars that their next match was against 3rd bottom AFC Blackpool. However, this luck was to continue as on another day St Helens may have fared a lot differently as regards to the final result. Due to the 3 day turn around between games, and the result against Alsager on Saturday, Nick Matthews and Lee Jenkinson made some changes to the line up. Andy Webster returned from a 3 week absence to replace Adam Donohue, and Stavros Tserpes replaced Paul Cliff in central midfield. Partnering him in the middle of the park was Ste Rigby, who swapped positions with Paul Carney who played at left back. The game started at a frantic pace, as both sides needed a victory to better their league positions. However, St Helens had territorial advantage for the opening stages as they dominated the play due to their high pressing in all areas of the pitch. The only chance they could muster was an effort from Stuart McDonald that went well wide of the post.

AFC Blackpool were always a threat on the counter attack, but their main outlet, right winger Aaron Fleming, was well marshalled by Paul Carney. Soon afterwards, the seasiders now started to have a foot hold in the game, but they couldn’t really take advantage of their dominance either, as a wayward shot from Josh Smith is all they could produce. Although St Helens had been under the cosh for most of the first half, they managed to create chances of their own through Stuart McDonald and Luke Edwards, either side of an effort from early AFC Blackpool substitute Ryan Charnley who forced a smart save from Gage Walsh. The team in tangerine fell behind against the run of place as a Danny Greene freekick was expertly placed onto the head of Luke Edwards who helped the ball into the far post to score his first goal for the club. St Helens doubled their lead 4 minutes later as terrific strength from Andy Gillespie allowed him to turn his defender in the box, his toe-poke evaded the grasp of AFC Blackpool goalkeeper Callum Kirkland and the hosts were now two goals down. The 8 minutes of misery was compounded as a Gillespie lay off found right-back Andy Presho, who cut in from his right hand side and struck a looping effort that caught Kirkland off guard meaning he couldn’t react quickly enough. It was a rather fortuitous strike that summed up the first half proceedings. HT: AFC Blackpool 0–3 St Helens Town (Edwards, 40) (Gillespie, 44) (Presho, 45+3) Similarly to the Alsager match on Saturday, the side that was 3-0 to the good sat on their lead and looked to play on the counter attack. This was duly the case as AFC Blackpool again carried on to play the long ball game that they had attempted in the first half. This allowed the hosts to utilise the pace of Jack Williams who looked to get in behind the Town defence at every opportunity. This paid dividends as a lofted ball up field found Williams, who composed himself on the corner of the box before lobbing Gage Walsh with a well struck effort. This gave the home team a slender chance of salvaging something from the match. St Helens performed admirably making sure this wasn’t the case, with some gritty defending and good positioning. As well as this, the blues also had an attacking outlet in Danny Greene. The right midfielder was arguably man of the match, as he made the contest look like a video game with some mesmerising skill to beat his defenders. Town’s positive attitude and work rate throughout ensured that no meaningful chances were created after this point, as they held onto their lead well and saw out the victory. FT: AFC Blackpool (Williams, 55) 1–3 St Helens Town (Edwards, 40) (Gillespie, 44) (Presho, 45+3)

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Celebrating 70 years, 1946-2016

Match Report v A Debut to Remember By Kieran Ford A brace from new signing Stuart McDonald secures impressive comeback victory. St Helens Town seemed to be on the up after a recent 3 game unbeaten streak, the most recent of these results being a 2-1 victory versus Oswestry Town last week. However they were to take a break from league action as they faced Premier Division side AFC Darwen in the Macron Challenge Cup 1st Round. Darwen were in opposing form, having not won in their previous 3 Premier Division matches, which most notably included a 6-0 home defeat to Maine Road.

St Helens fielded 4 debutants for this match, as Nick Matthews and Lee Jenkinson looked to bolster their squad due to some key departures in the previous few weeks. These included central midfielder Paul Carney, as well as two attacking threats of Stuart McDonald and former Widnes man Luke Edwards. Another debutant for this game was goalkeeper Gage Walsh. The Aussie barely had time to fasten his gloves before his team were a goal behind. An aimless header from Darwen number 11 Conor Gaul wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t dealt with by Town defender Ed Pegler, this allowed Nicholas Hepple to seize the opportunity

Celebrating 70 years, 1946-2016

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AFC Darwen and slot past Walsh to put the visitors ahead with 2 minutes played. 1 soon became 2 a few minutes later when a hopeful ball found Gaul who beat Ste Rigby in the air. This knock down was fired in from a tight angle as Gaul doubled Darwen’s advantage and compounded a horrific start from the hosts. St Helens needed time to recover from this and a 10 minute lull ensued with a forgetful period. However Town did start to create chances that tested the Darwen backline. One of these was through ever present forward Andy Gillespie; he turned his defender well but couldn’t get the ball out of his feet. Also a cross turned shot from Ste Rigby grazed the top of the bar as Darwen keeper Daniel Jackson was given a “hairy” moment in goal. Town 4-2 AFC Darwen

The game became end to end at this point, as Macron Challenge Cup Sunday 1st October 2016 both teams capitalised on the stretched team shape from both sides. This allowed for Conor Gaul to continue his impressive performance for Darwen as he was given space to run at the Town defence. However, it was the blues who created the best chances as a pick out from Andy Gillespie was fired over the bar by McDonald.

St Helens did eventually pull one back through Gillespie, as Luke Edwards outpaced Martyn Hillier before crossing for McDonald, the number 10 nodded back across goal for Gillespie to head in from close range. Town got back on level terms just before half time, as an early cross from Danny Greene was expertly volleyed home by McDonald, which caught the attention of all in attendance. HT: St Helens Town (Gillespie, 30) (McDonald, 42) 2 -2 AFC Darwen (Hepple, 2) (Gaul, 6) The game continued as an end to end contest as the second half progressed, with noteworthy chances from both sides. However, Town always looked the more confident of the two sides at this point, and coupled with some tough tackling by Sam Sheen in midfield, the hosts could create a plethora of chances. St Helens completed their comeback just before the hour mark as a Danny Greene claimed his second assist of the game; his cross was perfectly weighted for Andy Gillespie to guide his free header into the corner to notch his 9th goal of the season. Even though they were now ahead, Town showed terrific work rate in order to ensure they did not let another lead slip that had been the case so many times this season. Everyone “put a shift in” all over the field, which ensured they were still creating chances through the spearhead of McDonald. He joined Gillespie on a brace with minutes to go, as a long ball found him through on goal, he managed to beat the keeper to the ball, composed himself and rolled the ball home. This goal typified his and the team’s performance, hard working and never willing to give up. FT: St Helens Town (Gillespie, 30, 67) (McDonald (42, 86) 4-2 AFC Darwen (Hepple, 2) (Gaul, 6)

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Celebrating 70 years, 1946-2016

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Town 4-2 AFC Darwen Macron Challenge Cup Saturday 1st October 2016

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Celebrating 70 years, 1946-2016

Match Report v Alsager maintain unbeaten record as Blues fall to defeat. By Kieran Ford A brace from Mark Grice hands St Helens a first loss in five. Saturdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s match at Woodland Court was always going to be a tough ask for St Helens Town. Although they had not lost in their previous 4 matches, their opponents, Alsager Town, had not tasted defeat in the league all season. Even though they were defeat 5-3 by fellow First Division side Widnes the Saturday prior, the trip to Stoke-onTrent was always going to be a challenge for Nick Matthews and Lee Jenkinsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s side. St Helens made 1 change from the side that were victorious in impressive style against AFC Darwen last week. This change was in central midfield as Paul Cliff made his second debut for the club, after a number of years away from the club. He replaced Sam Sheen, who has departed the club to join Widnes. New signings Stuart McDonald and Luke Edwards made lasting impressions on their debuts last week. The latter was looking to continue this form as St Helens started brightly as the Bullets failed to shoot out the blocks, in the first minute he drove through the Alsager defence, but his shot forced a good save from Alsager keeper Christopher Fletcher. The away team looked completely on top from the start of the game, and created chances through Paul Carney, who send a curling shot wide of the post, before a layoff from Danny Greene on the right found Andy Gillespie, but his driven shot was well saved.

However, the opening goal came against the run of play. Alsager took the lead as good work down the right from Leigh Skellern saw him drive towards the by-line. His cross was tapped in by Josh Glover as the home side took the lead. That goal seemed to knock the wind out of St Helens sails, as Alsager began to dominate the game at this point. Their physical presence was simply too much for St Helens to handle, as they

Celebrating 70 years, 1946-2016

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Alsager Town won the midfield battle hands down. The Bullets added to their lead through more good work down the right. This tempted Ste Rigby into fouling Skellern as the referee pointed to the spot. Mark Grice smashed home the resulting penalty to ensure Alsager went 2 up. 5 minutes later the home team added a third as a long ball towards Grice saw him beat St Helens keeper Gage Walsh in a foot race to the ball, he composed himself and fired in to put Alsager 3 goals to the good at half time. HT: Alsager Town (Glover, 16) (Grice, 35, 40) 3-0 St Helens Town Seeing as the hosts were 3 goals ahead, they decided to sit on their lead. However, they managed to create some chances of their own as the danger man Skellern saw his well hit effort impressively heald by Walsh. Skellern was again the architect as he skipped round multiple St Helens defenders but his effort was again saved by Walsh, this time at the near post. However, apart from Grice being denied his hat trick due to an offside flag, St Helens Town were to create the better chances from here on out. The first of these saw Andy Gillespie through on goal but his attempted lob had no real power or accuracy to test Fletcher. Gillespie was sent through again, and decided to square to an onrushing Stuart McDonald but his effort was saved by the goalkeeper. Even the addition of debutant Stavros Tserpes from the bench couldn’t bring Town any luck. Town did get the chance to appear on the score sheet as the workhorse Stuart McDonald was brought down in the box by Alsager’s Taylor Attrell. McDonald stepped up himself and scored from the spot, but this couldn’t stop Town suffering defeat. FT: Alsager Town (Glover, 16) (Grice, 35, 40) 3-1 St Helens Town (McDonald, 90+2)

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Celebrating 70 years, 1946-2016

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Alsager 3-1St Helens Town Hallmark Security League 1st Division Saturday 8th October 2016

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Managerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Notes Hello again; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s that time of the week when I have to jot down a few words that reflect us since our last home game. We can start by welcoming all the new signings. I will add a little piece to each signing: Gage Walsh Australian goalkeeper, great handling, good talker who has played in NWCFL previous with Ashton Town and Widnes. Paul Carney Left hand sided player , comfortable on the ball , likes a tackle , brought in from Lairds . Luke Edwards Left winger, great dribbler of the ball, close control, good set piece delivery, gets goals too. Previous club Widnes. Dale Korie-Butler Can play either wing, quick, good feet. Previous club Widnes

Stavros Tserpes Is an Australian centre mid who is currently training with Accrington Stanley, great engine, good feet. Paul Cliff Busy little midfield player, likes a tackle, never shuts up. More clubs than Rory McIlroy. Stu McDonald Hard working CF , strong and determined, scores goals , looks like the perfect partner to skipper Andy Gillespie. Four of the above stared in our great comeback game vs NWCFL Premier Division side Darwen. 2-0 down after 10 mins we managed to go on to win 4-2 with Stu McDonald being the pick of the new recruits with two goals and an assist. I have no doubt in my mind that a month or two earlier we would have been on the end of a hiding. This shows how much this young group of lads have matured and grown as a team.

Saturday was at a ground that sadly I personally have never won at. We lost 3-1 against the unbeaten Alsager Town; but in truth if we defended better we could have and should have won the game. Our second half performance was superb, apart from some unbelievable goal keeping we may have got at least a point after going in at halftime 3-0 down. Midweek we travelled to AFC Blackpool, we gave a debut to Stavros; he partnered Ste Rigby in a very young midfield, the plan was to give us a bit more pace and energy in there. A great first 10 mins followed by a poor 30 until we got our first goal. A great header from Luke Edwards, his first for the club. A crazy three minute spell saw us score another 2, first a great turn and shot by Skipper Andy Gillespie and then a wonder goal by the versatile Andy Presho! I thought Danny Greene was excellent again , he is starting to show the spectators what he shows us week in week out on the training pitch , the kid oozes class and no doubt the vultures will be flocking over to catch a glimpse of this great talent . We have a young side and our hopes are still to reach the playoffs although we take each game as it comes. I would also like to welcome back Andy Webster from Stateside and also both Lee Novak and Ant Whelan from longer than first expected injuries. All three lads are valuable to this young group. Onto today's opponents, they beat us in a thriller first game of the season. I am sure the spectators wouldn't mind another bag full of goals; but I would be more than happy with a 1-0 win. Thanks for the support , keep the faith Nick Matthews #BlueBoys

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League News Fylde coast reprise for City It's often said that lightning never strikes in the same place twice except, that is, when AFC Blackpool host Carlisle City. In the first ever meeting between the two teams in a Division One clash in September, the Cumbrians won 3-2 at the Mechanics Ground and when they returned to the same venue on Saturday in the Reusch First Division Cup, they headed back home up the M55 and M6 having bagged the same result. What's more, in both games the winner arrived in the last ten minutes. Another clash is imminent between the two on the 1st November in the return league fixture at Gillford Park - anyone willing to bet on the final score? Town starting to fire After reaching the Division One play offs last season, Stockport Town made an unexpectedly slow start to this season's campaign, losing four of their first six games. However, the return of striker Nathan Neequaye gave them a boost when they needed it most, and with the striker chipping in with another two goals in the 7-1 Reusch cup win at Eccleshall on Saturday, Town have now won three of the last four games and scored 16 goals in the process. Town still have a bit of ground to make up to get within touching distance of the play off places, but if that form continues, they will once again be a force to be reckoned with in the promotion chase this season. Dan's the man of the moment at Hanley Town A hat trick from Dan Cope helped Hanley Town to a 4-2 win at home to Squires Gate on Saturday, a result which continues a good run of form that has seen Town lose just once in the last six games. Their leading scorer has played a leading role in that run, with eight goals, including two hat tricks, and with Hanley now sitting in sixth place in the Premier Division, Dan and his team mates will pose a test to anyone on their current form. Storks away days prove fruitful A quirk of fixture scheduling and cup draws have conspired to land Padiham with five away games and just one home in their last six, but away days have not proved to be a problem for Steve Wilkes' men. They have delivered four wins and lost just once in the five games on the road, and the defeat was a narrow 2-1 reverse at second placed Atherton Collieries, and the latest win was an impressive 6-1 triumph at Barnton on Saturday. With a run of three home games in their next four now on the agenda, the challenge now for the Storks is keeping the away day momentum going on their return to the YESSS Electrical Arena. Charnock Richard's goal threat One team well and truly on fire at the moment are Charnock Richard, whose 6-1 win over Cheadle Town on Saturday extended their current run of form to ten wins in eleven games. In addition, the wins have been achieved with no shortage of goals, and in their last three games, the 14 goals they have scored have been shared around eight different players. It's often the case that a team chasing promotion will rely on one main striker to hit the back of the net, but in Charnock's case it appears goalscoring threats are scattered throughout the squad.

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League News Charnock Richard manager Andy Westwell is relishing the new challenge of competing in the Hallmark Security League, after the club made the step up from the West Lancashire League last season. There’s no doubt that the team has quickly found its feet, as their current second place position in Division One confirms, and as Andy explained, the club’s move upwards is something that has been planned for some time after they enjoyed continued success in the West Lancashire League. “Coming into the North West Counties is something we wanted to do, but we always wanted to have everything in place correctly, and get the ground and the infrastructure of the club right”, said Andy. “That is why it took so long, the club waited until it was the right time, and we have moved on from there. Last season I spoke to the players and told them what the club was considering doing and asked if they all wanted to make that step up, and they all said yes apart from a couple who couldn't because of work commitments. So we started looking at it then to decide what we were going to do, and from then we had our eye on this season. But maybe it took a little bit of focus off the end of last season for us, because we tailed off a bit towards the end”. Although promotion was always on the cards from early on last season, Andy says each game now presents a challenge to him and his squad as there is still an unknown element involved with regard to the teams they are now facing. “It is like a new adventure for us to meet all these new teams and new people, and playing at all the different grounds”, he said. “In the West Lancs League, if we were drawn against a team in a cup game we didn't know much about, we would try to watch them before, but we haven't so far in this league, because you haven't got time to do anything with games Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday. “I never got to watch any North West Counties games myself last season, although I did send someone to watch a few games in Division One to give me an idea of the standard, what the pitches were like and so on, so we had a look in that sense. “I have looked at match reports on teams we are about to play, but we haven't done much on the scouting side, we've just taken it as it comes”. It’s certainly been an approach that has worked for Charnock Richard so far, although Andy believes that the best is yet to come from his squad. We've done very well away from home, although the home form has been a bit of a concern”, he admitted. “I think that maybe sometimes teams have come here and seen we have a nice setup and good pitch, and thought 'we can have a go here'. It's taken us a bit of time to adjust because in the West Lancs, teams would come here to sit in and we would get at them and they were 1-0 down before they knew it. But teams aren't like that in this league, and we have to get our mindset right and stop teams playing here. So if we can sort our home form out, I don't think we'll do badly.

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Celebrating 70 years, 1946-2016

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League Tables First Division Table as at Wednesday 12/10/2016 First Division

W D

A GD Pts

City of Liverpool FC

16 11 2

47 23 24 35

Charnock Richard

16 11 2

45 23 22 35

Whitchurch Alport

16 11 1

38 20 18 34

Alsager Town

12 9

31 12 19 30

Litherland REMYCA

13 8

35 24 11 26

Sandbach United

14 8

30 22

Widnes

12 7

33 24

Prestwich Heys

11 6

31 17 14 20

Silsden

12 6

32 23

Stockport Town

12 6

36 29

Bacup Borough

13 5

17 18 -1 17

Holker Old Boys

14 5

24 26 -2 17

FC Oswestry Town

13 4

25 27 -2 16

St Helens Town

13 4

27 32 -5 16

Chadderton

14 4

28 34 -6 15

Daisy Hill

12 4

22 31 -9 14

Atherton LR

14 4

22 37 -15 14

Carlisle City

12 3

24 31 -7 11

Cheadle Town

13 3

26 42 -16 11

AFC Blackpool

12 1

14 35 -21 6

Eccleshall

12 1

19 46 -27 5

Ashton Town

12 1

11 11 41 -30 3

St Helens Town Player Sponsors 2016-17 Anthony Whelan Focus Windows & Doors Limited Luke Edwards Airborne Bathroom Services Andy Gillespie Arcoframe Danny Greene Danny’s Window Cleaning Jake Ball Kiera’s Occasions Andrew Presho Total Building Care Eddie Pegler Gibney’s Jewellers Lee Novak Howdens, Leigh

Phil Williams Kreative Kirsty Ste Rigby Kealshore Ltd Hamish Falconer Live Wire Electrical Alex Gillespie Walton Carpets Dom Whelan Walton Carpets Stu McDonald Beer Engin, Whiston Cole Ashton MLR Heating Supplies Andy Webster Johnsons Toyota Liverpool We are still looking for a number of additional Player sponsors. Contact John McKiernan on 07713 339 682 for further details

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Celebrating 70 years, 1946-2016

League Tables Premier Division Table as at Wednesday 12/10/2016 W D

Premier Division Atherton Collieries

16 10 3

42 17 25 33

1874 Northwich

15 10 3

34 17 17 33

Runcorn Town

15 11 0

35 21 14 33

Runcorn Linnets

34 14 20 31

Bootle

14 10 0

41 26 15 30

West Dids & Chorlton 13

A GD Pts

38 22 16 25

Hanley Town

35 23 12 24

AFC Liverpool

32 24

Irlam

19 25 -6 20

Barnoldswick Town

29 26

Squires Gate

33 36 -3 19

Abbey Hey

18 24 -6 19

Maine Road

31 23

Padiham

24 26 -2 17

Congleton Town

28 33 -5 15

Winsford United

17 22 -5 15

Ashton Athletic

24 27 -3 14

New Mills

25 34 -9 13

AFC Darwen

12 36 -24 10

Nelson

15 20 -5

Barnton

12 14 51 -37 7

Cammell Laird 1907

11 15 48 -33 4

8 3

24 19

Saturday 15th October 2016 Premier Division Abbey Hey v Nelson AFC Liverpool v New Mills Bootle v Hanley Town Cammell Laird 1907 v Maine Road Congleton Town v AFC Darwen Padiham v Runcorn Linnets Runcorn Town v Ashton Athletic Squires Gate v Barnton West Didsbury & Chorlton v 1874 Northwich Winsford United v Barnoldswick Town First Division Ashton Town v Litherland REMYCA Atherton LR v Cheadle Town Bacup Borough v Sandbach United Chadderton v Holker Old Boys Charnock Richard v Eccleshall Daisy Hill v Widnes Prestwich Heys v City of Liverpool FC Silsden v FC Oswestry Town St Helens Town v Carlisle City Stockport Town v Alsager Town Whitchurch Alport v AFC Blackpool Monday 17th October 2016 First Division Daisy Hill v Stockport Town

Tuesday 18th October 2016 Premier Division 1874 Northwich v Congleton Town Ashton Athletic v Nelson Cammell Laird 1907 v Runcorn Town Hanley Town v Winsford United Irlam v Bootle Runcorn Linnets v AFC Liverpool West Didsbury & Chorlton v Atherton Collieries First Division AFC Blackpool v Holker Old Boys Alsager Town v Ashton Town Carlisle City v Silsden Charnock Richard v Atherton LR City of Liverpool FC v Widnes FC Oswestry Town v St Helens Town Manchester Premier Cup 1st Round Chadderton v FC United of Manchester

Celebrating 70 years, 1946-2016

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Celebrating 70 years, 1946-2016