Eccleshall FC vs Brocton FC

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Brocton FC Tuesday 3rd August 19:45 pm Kickoff ///master.unites.education

Admission Adults - £6.00 Concession - £4.00

www.eccleshallfc.co.uk

Eccleshall FC

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Eccleshall Football Club - Season 2021/22 Pershall Park, Chester Road, Eccleshall, Staffordshire. ST21 6NE

Telephone 01785 851351 (match days only) Club Entity: Eccleshall FC is an unincorporated association.

Club Officials:

Chairman: Neil Washington Vice-Chairman: Antony Johnson Secretary: Jim Tunney Treasurer: David Heelis Programme Editor: Shaun Rogers Clubhouse Management: Bill Grinham Club Welfare Officer: Jim Tunney Commercial Manager: Dave Dale Media Officer: Shaun Rogers

Committee / Directors

Neil Washington, Antony Johnson, Jim Tunney, Bill Grinham, David Heelis, Paul Cox, Ernie Jackson, John Martin, Harvey Collins, Colin Leese, Diane Washington, Richard Marsh, Sid Kelly, Andy Gough, Paul Heler, Liz Leese.

Fundraising Sub-Committee Neil Washington, Antony Johnson, John Martin, Jim Tunney, Colin Leese First Team Management: Dave Dale, Jake Robinson, John Hamnett Junior Section Chairman: Andy Gough Secretary: Gareth Davies Under 15s Team Manager : Paul Heler Under 13s Team Manager: Dave Hislop Under 13s Team Manager: Jon Edensor Under 12s Team Manager: Andre Parcian Under 9s Team Manager: Kieran Healey Members of the North West Counties League, Midland Junior Premier League, North Staffs Junior Youth League, Mid Staffs Junior League.

Affiliated to Staffordshire FA Eccleshall FC is an England Accredited Club

UP THE EAGLES Hello and welcome back to football here at Pershall Park, and to football in general, my word have we missed you.

It's been a very long time since we had league football here at Pershall and today we express our thanks to everyone involved with the leagues and the FA for allowing us to get back to what we all love which is playing league football.

The Pandemic has hit every person hard and we would like to express our deepest condolences to any supporters that have lost loved ones during these last 18 months to the pandemic and today before kickoff we will be holding a minute's silence so that we can remember those who are no longer with us.

Tonight we welcome Brocton FC and all your supporters, club officials, players, and management and hope that you have an enjoyable and safe visit to us tonight for our NWCFL Division 1 South fixture.

Eccleshall FC Club Honours 1973-74 Mid Staffs Div.3 Cup Winners 1973-74 Mid Staffs Div.3 Runners-up 1975-76 Mid Staffs Div.2 Cup Winners 1980-81 Staffs County (N) League Div.2 Champions 1981-82 Staffs County League (N) Premier Division Champions 1981-82 May Bank Cup Finalists 1982-82 May Bank Cup Winners 1982-83 Mid Staffs Div.2 Cup Winners 1983-84 Staffs County League (N) Premier Division Champions 1983-84 May Bank Cup Winners 1983-84 Staffs FA Vase Finalists 1984-85 Staffs FA Vase Finalists 1986-87 May Bank Cup Finalists 1987-88 Mid Staffs Borough Cup Finalists 1989-90 Staffs Senior League Champions 1999-00 Springbank Vending Midland League Runners-up 1999-00 Staffs County League Champions 2001-02 Springbank Vending Midland League Champions 2002-03 Springbank Vending Midland League Champions 2002-03 Staffs FA Vase Winners 2002-03 Staffs County League Champions 2002-03 Sentinel Cup Winners (under 18s) 2002-03 Sentinel Shield Winners (u/16’s) 2002-03 Leek Cup Finalists 2005-06 Staffs FA Vase Finalists 2017-18 Staffs FA Youth Cup Winners (Under 18s) 2017-18 Potteries Junior Youth Cup Winners (under 18s)

Reformed 1971 Nickname The Eagles Ground Pershall Park Chester Road Eccleshall ST21 6NE Telephone 01785 851351 (Matchdays Only)

Record Attendances: League - 2,011 vs FC United 5.11.05 Cup - 368 vs Wisbech Town FA Vase Rd2 11.91 Previous Leagues Mid Staffs League Staffs County League (N) North Staffs Alliance Midland League (formerly known as Staffs Senior league, Refuge Assurance Springbank Vending)

Proud members of

The Dugout View Good Evening, and a massive welcome back to football and of course to Pershall Park.

Without question the last nine months have been very strange times, difficult and mentally challenging for everyone. Our everyday lives have taken a bashing, families have been kept apart, local and international business has been pushed to unprecedented limits.

We have had a tough time, lets hope now that worst is over and we can all return to a more familiar way of life and begin to enjoy some of the simple pleasures we may have taken for granted.

On my return to Eccleshall some nine months ago feel I have to express the warm reception I received from everyone associated with Eccleshall Football Club, it was like coming home, a comment often stated by players who return here, confirmation of the genuine people associated with the club, in fact it was quite humbling.

The challenge ahead has been and still is a big one, with around twenty new faces being recruited to the squad of which six have returned for a second spell. There is on going development to individual players as well the philosophy of play which we are still in the early stages of communicating to the squad, this will take time and is always fluid, however the signs are good.

I have been fortunate to have Jake Robinson alongside me, in the short space of time we have been working together there is a common bond between us on both standards and football intelligence. It is so important to have good people around you who have knowledge of the game and are not afraid to pick you up and suggest alternatives that you may not have thought of. John Hamnett is also in the Management team, he is currently doing his UEFA B badge and offers the team great input.

I am sure you will all be impressed with the ground developments that have gone on during the summer, So much hard work is going into these improvements from so many people who have a great passion for our club. I often wonder where the next generation of these fantastic characters and hard-working people will be coming from to ensure clubs like ours will survive the many changes and challenges that lay ahead I could not sign off without touching on our opening game at Rocester on Saturday, for sure a disappointing performance. We failed to control the game during the first half, a penalty gave the hosts a 1-0 halftime lead due to three areas of sloppy play which led up to the penalty. Their second goal was a deflection, having said that their build up play prior to the goal was decent. We missed seven very good chances during the game, five of these were in the last twenty minutes of the game simply not a good day at the office I hope you enjoy this evening's game, another local derby with Brocton FC, lets hope we can get back to the form we have been used to playing.

MICHAEL WINCOTT PHOTOGRAPHY www.michaelwincottphotography.com

Eccleshall FC There has been football in the town of Eccleshall for over 100 years but very little archive material is available from those early years. However, we do know that Eccleshall Football Club was reformed in 1971 with the team being made up of locals and staff from the Eccleshall Secondary School which also provided training and playing facilities. At that time, the club was called Eccleshall Old Boys Football Club.

In 1974, the team won their first trophies; the Mid-Staffs 3rd Division Cup and were also runners-up in that division, gaining promotion to Division 2.

Old Boys was dropped from the club’s name and in 1979 the first team joined the Staffordshire County League (North) and a third team was formed.

In 1981, with the help of grants, fund raising and a loan, a four-acre field was purchased at Pershall. Then manager, Ted Dickinson, was the driving force behind the fund raising. In the same year, the first team moved into the Premier Division of the Staffordshire County League (North). Work began converting the field into a football ground. In 1982, a building was purchased from British Telecom and, with a lot of hard work over the next couple of years on the building, car park and pitch, Pershall Park, as it was christened, was ready.

In the 1983-84 season, the first team won the Staffordshire County League Premier Division Championship, the Premier Division Cup and the May Bank Cup. During the 1989-90 season, the first team won the Staffordshire Senior League title and the 1990-91 season saw the club entering the FA Vase for the first time.

In 1991-92, the club reached the FA Vase 2nd round having gone through all the preliminary stages but lost at home to Wisbech Town 2-0 in front of a then record crowd of 368.

The first team fared well in the league in the mid to late 90’s, finishing 3rd (97-98), 6th (98-99), 2nd (99-00) and 3rd (00-01). Eccleshall reserves won the Staffordshire County League (North) in 1999-2000 moving to the West Midlands (Regional) League Division One (North) for the start of the following season. In the 2001-2002 season, the first team won the Springbank Vending Midland League Championship.

Eccleshall FC In 2002-2003 Eccleshall’s first team joined the North West Counties Football League after securing both the Springbank Vending Midland League title and Staffordshire FA Vase. In probably the most successful season in the club’s history, our second team were also Staffordshire County League champions and our Under 18s won the Sentinel Cup. For good measure, our Under 16s won the Staffordshire FA County Cup, the Mid-Staffordshire League Cup and the Sentinel Shield. Regarding the Sentinel competitions, the last time a club had won both trophies in the same season had been some twenty five years previously – a great achievement.

The 2012-13 season marked the completion of 10 years in the North West Counties League and saw the club achieve its highest ever placing of sixth in Division 1.

In 2017-18, our Under 17s had a very successful season, winning the Potteries Junior Youth League Cup, Staffordshire FA Youth Cup and finishing runners up in the league.

Over the years since 1981-82, significant work has been undertaken to develop both the ground and the facilities to the required standard of the National League Pyramid which the club now enjoys. This includes enclosing the ground, the installation of floodlights, building a covered seated stand and pitch levelling. In 2019, a new toilet block was installed and previously the clubhouse was refurbished and upgraded with the addition of a treatment room and a security system. Prior to the 2018/19 season, a new kitchen and refreshments bar was added. For the 2021-22 season the team dugouts have been replaced and more spectator improvements made. Further developments to the ground are planned for the future. All of this has been achieved by a strong committee management team behind the scenes, a number of which have given many years of service to Eccleshall FC together with the addition of new members who are helping to take the club forward.

The club has now added a number of junior teams as we look to develop a junior section. Our second pitch has been upgraded and improved to accommodate this.

2021 sees Eccleshall Football Club celebrate its 50th anniversary and, as can be seen from the above, much has been achieved over that time. We look forward to seeing what the future brings. We consider ourselves a friendly club and look forward to welcoming you to Pershall Park in the future and hope you will enjoy the facilities and the football.

Welcome to Brocton FC The present Brocton F.C was founded in 1937 when Arthur Mayer the owner of the Chetwynd Arms pub gave a football to the boys of Brocton and the neighboring village of Bednall and asked them to form a football team which they did.

Matches were played on the pitch alongside the pub and although records before the war were lost they started life playing in the Stafford Youth League.

When football resumed after the war in 194647 the club joined the Rugeley & District League and were League Champions in the first two seasons.

At the start of the 1949-50 a move was made into the Cannock Chase League where we stayed ( other than a 6-year spell in the Lichfield League) for the next 30 years and with the legendry Secretary Charlie Holt as the driving force, the club flourished winning 6 League Championships 5 times Runners Up numerous internal and league cups were also won along with the Walsall Challenge Cup twice Lichfield Charity Cup 3 times and the Stafford Pageant Cup 3 times In 1979-80 we moved into the Staffs County League (South) for the next 12 years in which time we were Runners Up in Division 1 twice Runners Up in the Premier Division twice also during this time we won the Premier Division Cup and also the Stafford Pageant Cup again and the Penkridge Charity Cup.

A decision was then made to join the Staffordshire Senior League where we remained (under its various guises) for the next 12 years to enable us to do this we had to move from our pitch at the Chetwynd Arms to Rowley Park Stadium in Stafford in order to meet League requirements.

During this period we won the League Challenge Cup in our second season and went on to win the coveted Staffs F.A.Vase twice and also the Leek Charity Cup 2 years running. At the start of the 2002-03 season, we moved to Cannock Stadium as this had the benefit of floodlights and this proved vital when we were elected into the Midland Combination Premier Division for the start of 2003-04 after 1 year Cannock Chase Council decided they no longer wanted us leaving the club in limbo but fortunately, we managed to secure an excellent ground share at Heath Hayes this also coincided with us obtaining the 30-year lease on our present ground at Silkmore Lane.

After 4 very happy years at Heath Hayes during which time the team established themselves in the league and the committee were working hard on raising the monies for the new ground and spending many hours getting things done, we finally move into our new facility at the start of 2008-09. It was the former Staffordshire Police Sports Ground which had not been used for a few years and had become derelict.

The team continued to improve and in 201112 reached the final of the Walsall Senior Cup losing to the much more experienced Rushall Olympic 3-0 at Bescot Stadium undeterred we returned to the same venue the following season to win The Les James Challenge Cup was our first success in the Midland Combination and topped that the next year 2013-14 by winning the League Championship. We moved into the Midland Football League Premier Division (formerly Midland Football Alliance) and really enjoyed our first season but are under no illusions on how hard it will be to get established and stay in the league as the standard is excellent.

After 3 seasons in the Premier Division unfortunately we were relegated back into Division 1 which is probably stronger now than when we left three years ago. Our old Manager David Berks has reverted to just playing and Sam Norton has taken over assisted by Matt Skinner and Alex Molloy Our first season back in Div 1 was something of a struggle at times we eventually finished 17th with a late surge in form producing the results which saw us pull clear of the relegation zone.

We have had a further change in Management for the 2018-19 season Kevin Weldon has taken over as Manager with Matt Allman as his Assistant and Tom Scott as Coach. With a very young side we finished a creditable 11 th in the League and had good runs in both the FA Vase and JW Hunt Cup. The same Management Team are staying with the addition of David Weldon to the coaching team.

The 2019-20 season was something of a non event, in the end, the team started well and were in the top four from the start also reaching the later stages of the League Cup when the season was curtailed in line with football in all of the Country and all records expunged due to Covid 19 we can only hope that things will return to something like normal as soon as possible and the season once started can go through to a conclusion 2020-21 was even worse due to the Pandemic and in hindsight (a wonderful thing) it would have been better not to have started it as it became somewhat farcical some clubs being able to play some not and some wanting to and others not which to be fair was understandable.

It all ending around Christmas time. We just missed out on promotion to Step 5 on the Points Per Game system and in the FAs Restructure we have been laterally moved into pastures new the North West Counties Football League for the 2021-22 and let us hope everyone and everything will be allowed to get back to something like normality.

STAY UP TO DATE

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www.eccleshallfc.co.uk

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Player Profiles Josh Moreton (Goalkeeper) In his 2nd season with the club previously played for Stafford Town.

Kenny Devoir (Defender) Came through the Youth and Reserve teams a strong defender who is our longest-serving player.

Jack Arrowsmith (Defender) Experienced Defender in his 2 nd spell at the club. Previously played for Heath Hayes and Lichfield City.

Adam Weldon (Defender) Been with us 4 seasons joined us from Heath Hayes along with his 2 cousins.

Jamie Weldon (Defender) Also came to us from Heath Hayes 4 seasons ago. A quick skillful player.

Dan Evans (Defender) Another who joined from Heath Hayes 2 seasons ago both seasons being disrupted by Covid unfortunately.

Josh Small (Defender) Came to us last season from Heath Hayes shortly before the season was curtailed.

Ben Powell (Defender) Has come through our Youth system and U21s first season in the First Team squad.

Jake Thomas (Midfield) In his 4th season was previously a youth player at Port Vale.

Jack Partridge (Midfield) Another in his 4th season with us experienced player previously been with Heat Hayes, Stafford Town and Chasetown.

Josh Mousley (Midfield) A quick player who has become something of a utility man filling in in several positions.

Ben Haddaway (Midfield) A young player who joined the First Team squad last season after 2 seasons in the U21s His Dad and older brother both played for the club before joining Chasetown.

Player Profiles Todd Pryor (Midfield) A young player who has just joined us who was with Shepshed Dynamo last season.

Jac Weldon (Forward) Like his twin brother Jamie Starting his 4th season with us. Quick and skilful with a good eye for goal.

Dean Williams (Forward) A skillful hard working player who lists Heath Hayes Chasetown and Atherstone Town from whom he joined us his former clubs.

Cameron Jackson (Forward) Joined our U21s 2 seasons ago left to go to Stafford Rangers Youth before returning this season Brad Rolston (Forward) Joined early last season from Lichfield City but the curtailment curbed his chances to shine.

LAST TIME OUT

2-1

Eccleshall’s new North West Counties League season got underway with a short journey to league newcomers Rocester. The Eagles were hoping to get off to a good start in the first of three local derbies in a month in front of a decent opening crowd. The opening minutes of the match were even and Eccleshall forced a couple of early corners.

However, Rocester drew first blood on thirteen minutes when a back header by Liam Tomlin to Eagles ‘keeper Zak Noble fell way short and as the Rocester forward advanced into the box he was brought down. Referee Kilgallon had no hesitation in pointing to the spot and Alex Cimino converted to give them the lead. Moments later, the same player forced a save from Noble following a free-kick. Following good work by Kas Azam and Jack Dundas, Harvey Collins headed over the bar from a corner. Then, good play by Tomlin and Luke Lewis led to Dundas firing just over the bar. Eagles were looking for an equaliser but then an Elisio Francisco low cross beat Noble and had to be cleared from danger. An Azam through ball found Louis Downs running clear but he was flagged offside. With half time approaching, Jordan Benton cut inside before finding Lewis who fired wide of the far post with Rocester keeper Charlie Wood well beaten.

Half time: Rocester 1 Eccleshall 0

Eagles were out of the blocks quickly and a Downs cross was found by Lewis under the bar but Wood held the header. Sustained Eagles pressure led to three efforts being blocked before the danger was cleared by the Rocester defence. Dundas had another effort blocked before Rocester went further ahead on 62 minutes. A neat move up the pitch led to Jordan Dodd threading a ball to Cimino and he slotted the ball past Noble into the corner of the net. Now chasing the game, a Downs corner found Jake Langdridge at the back post and he headed over. Manager Dave Dale brought on Tom Riley and a couple of minutes later, Dundas pulled one back when his neat, dinked shot from the edge of the box found the top corner, giving Wood no chance. With ten minutes to go, a Collins free kick was headed back across the box and Lewis put his header wide. Eagles continued to push forward and another Collins effort was held at the foot of the post by the diving Wood before sub Pete Murphy headed wide from a Downs cross. With time ticking away, it got a little feisty with Langdridge cautioned and Rocester’s Stevens sent off.

Full time: Rocester 2 Eccleshall 1

Eagles: Noble, Tomlin, Dunn, Azam, Langdridge, Collins, Lewis, Benton, Dundas, Flanaghan, Downs.

Subs: Riley, Lovatt, Murphy, Hall, Wakefield.

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First Division South

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(Info taken from www.nwcfl.com)

NEXT UP ///master.unites.education

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Zak Noble Liam Tomlin Lewis Dunn Samir Azam Jake Langdridge Harvey Collins Luke Lewis Jordan Benton Jack Dundas Jack Flanaghan Louis Downs Thomas Riley Jay Lovatt Peter Murphy Jordan Hall Thomas Wakefield

Manager : Dave Dale Coach : Jake Robinson

Josh Moreton Kenny Devoir Jack Arrowsmith Jamie Weldon Dan Evans Adam Weldon Josh Small Ben Powell Jake Thomas Jack Partridge Ben Haddaway Josh Mousley Todd Pryor Jack Weldon Cameron Jackson Dean Williams Brad Rolston Manager : Kevin Weldon

Today's Match Officials Ref: JAMES OWEN Asst A: KRISS SPENCER | Asst B: ANDY MARTIN