Eccleshall FC vs Rocester FC | Matchday Programme

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Rocester FC Saturday 4th December 3:00 pm Kickoff

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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) Legal Entity: Company limited by shares - Eccleshall Football Club Limited (c/n 13365015). Subsidiary of Eccleshall FC Sports Foundation Limited (c/n 13359263) - company limited by guarantee.

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: Media Officer: Shaun Rogers

Directors

Neil Washington, Antony Johnson, Paul Cox, David Heelis, Bill Grinham, Richard Marsh, Jim Tunney.

Committee

John Martin, Colin Leese, Sid Kelly, Ernie Jackson, Diane Washington, Harvey Collins, Liz Leese, Andy Gough, Ben Gamble, Liz Leese Fundraising Sub-Committee Neil Washington, Antony Johnson, John Martin, Jim Tunney, Colin Leese First Team Management: Liam Kelly, Nathan Wilkes, Tom Farr, Evans Ofori, Phil Bruce, Harry Pickering 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

VIEW FROM THE DUGOUT Good afternoon and welcome to Pershall Park for what is an incredibly important game for this football club against Rocester FC. I wish all players, management, committee members, and supporters of Rocester a safe journey across to us.

After some impressive performances and results in recent weeks, the lads let themselves down away at Maine Road FC last week and didn’t meet the standards we have set on and off the field. In the position we are in we can’t afford to have those types of afternoons and it’s important today that we put that right in what is a “6 pointer”.

Although we may sit 9th in the form table, our actual league position doesn’t lie and shows just how important this game is. I think everyone who comes to watch us regularly can agree we have made huge improvements over the last couple of months but it’s a results business and the next 4/5 games will have a huge impact on us surviving.

We have added a couple of new faces to the squad to provide competition and freshen things up, something I think has been needed over the last week or two.

Thank you for your continued support and I hope you’ll get behind the boys today. I promise they’ll give you a performance to be proud of

Liam Kelly

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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)

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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 ROCESTER FC Rocester F.C.’s lengthy history dates back to 1876 when a number of friendly matches were played against teams from the surrounding area.

As founder members of the Dove Valley League, Rocester played their first competitive football in the 1892-93 season, but it wasn’t until 1911 when the Ashbourne News Cup provided the club with its first ever trophy.

Several more honours followed during the 1920s and 1930s in local competitions before the club disbanded in 1939 due to the outbreak of World War II. Reformed in 1946, Rocester were soon among the honours again, and a move into the Stafford Amateur League in 1953 brought unprecedented success when no less than eight trophies were won in just three seasons.

The club stepped up into the Staffordshire County League (North) in 1957, and remained in membership with varying degrees of success until the formation of the Staffordshire Senior league in 1984.

The appointment of retired Black Country businessman Don Hill as Chairman led to a rapid rise, and under the guidance of former player Alan Beaman the club won its first senior honours when both the Senior League title and the Staffordshire F.A. Vase were annexed in 1986.

Further success followed in 1987 when the Senior League title was retained, and only a penalty shoot-out defeat in the Staffordshire F.A. Vase Final prevented a repeat of the ‘double’ achieved a year earlier.

1986-87 proved to be a memorable season in the F.A. Vase, which Rocester had entered for the first time.

Starting in the Extra Preliminary, they reached the last 16, knocking out the holders and hot favourites Halesowen Town along the way before a club record attendance of 1,026 at Leek Town’s Harrison park ground.

During the summer of 1987 Rocester moved from their old home, in truth no more than a field with wooden changing rooms, to the present ground, named at the time as Riversfield. The new ground was built on the site of an ancient Roman fort, which led to the adoption of their nickname ‘The Romans’.

At the same time the club joined Division One of the West Midlands (Regional) League where they remained unbeaten in their first 22 games before going on to claim the championship with some ease. The Romans also won the League Cup and the Staffordshire F.A. Vase to complete a magnificent treble.

Rocester took their place in the Premier Division and following an initial mid-table finish they made a challenge for the title in 1989-90 only to be edged into 2nd place by Hinckley Town on goal-difference.

In 1994 Rocester became founder members of the Midland Football Alliance, and in 1998 claimed second place behind Bloxwich Town.

However the following season promotion to the Southern League was achieved as MFA Champions. The ground, now renamed ‘Hillsfield’ in memory of Don Hill who died in 1996, had already met the required grade.

The Romans reached the Staffs Senior Cup final for the first time in 2001, but struggled in the Southern League until being relegated back into the Midland Alliance in 2003 after four seasons away.

Welcome to ROCESTER FC However that disappointment was quickly forgotten when the Midland Alliance title was won at the first attempt, this time with promotion into the Northern Premier League.

The move north signalled a big downturn in fortunes and the Romans went through a complete season without a league victory in 2004-05.

Once again relegated back into the Midland Alliance, the downward trend proved difficult to reverse and although performances improved, it wasn't until January 2006 that the team finally recorded its first league win, a 3-1 success at Quorn, to end a run of 67 league games without a win. After finishing bottom, a second successive relegation was only avoided due to league restructuring.

After two disastrous years the club began to move forward again and a respectable 12th place finish was attained in 2006-07 along with a run to the 3rd Qualifying Round of the F.A. Cup where the Romans lost narrowly at Kettering Town in front of over 1000 spectators.

The Romans continued to improve during 200708, and the season ended on a high when Kidsgrove Athletic were beaten 3-0 in the Staffs Senior Cup Final at Vale Park – the first and so far the only time Rocester have won the prestigious trophy.

Former player Dave Langston proved the most successful of several managers over the next seven years, but his departure in 2013 decimated the squad and a complete rebuild was required.

Following a poor start the team failed to recover sufficiently, and after finishing in the bottom three the Romans were spared relegation only after Gornal Athletic were deducted points and Highgate United failed to attain the necessary ground-grading - meaning the club could begin the 2014-15 campaign in the Premier Division of the newly-formed Midland Football League.

Mark Wilson’s appointment as Manager in September 2014 saw fortunes improve dramatically, and in his first season in charge his team finished 12th and reached the final of the League Cup. Wilson resigned in January 2015, but under his successor Danny Martin the club were relegated into the MFL Division 1 in 2017. Andy O’Connor returned to steady the ship before former player Paul Wright took charge in September 2019.

Following F.A. restructuring in the summer of 2021, the Romans were laterally moved into the North West Counties League Division One South, and begin a new chapter in their long history.

Rocester FC | Player Apperances & Goals Players Name

4 14 9 1 0 0 16 6 1 6 9 7 0 9 0 5 0 7 1 0 9 5 0 10 5 1 2 5 5 3 1 2 5 2 4 0 0 0 0 2 3 2 2 8 6 12 1 7 5 0 2 14 1 0 4 3 5 21

Sub 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 7 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 2 3 0 0 0 0 5 0 0 3 3 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 11 2 1 0

Goals 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 6 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

* Indicates player is no longer a member of the squad

# Indicates player is awaiting International Clearance

David Adeyeye Carl Allen David Bailey Dario Barros Charlie Batho * Hayden Brown * Alexander Cimino Tommie Cooke * Sean Crean * Derry Creighton * Lewis Dawson Jordan Dodd * Michael Dunn * Jacob Evans Aaron Eyre * Kevin Fernandes Taylor Fletcher * Elisio Francisco Ruben Gardner-McIntosh Jordan Godfrey Oliver Griffiths Jack Grimshaw * James Handley * Cavan Holford Jayden Hunter Ishaq Ibrar Challis Johnson * Garrett Kelly Reuben Lal * Charles Leybourn Ethan Lowe * Jack Lucas-Higginbotham Oliver Marsh George Mealey * Seedorf Mendes Kenrick Miller * Kaileb Mincher Liam Morris * Ben Moses (GK) Jaydn Mundle (GK) Reward Mwakona Henry Nash David Ndene Julius Ndene Brandon Newell * Matthew Nutt Joshua Oultram * David Pereira Rory Regan Ali Salim Elijah Sawyers * Alexander Scott * Christopher Smith Luke Smith * Jack Stevens Xavier Watts Max Williams Charlie Wood (GK)

Starts

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4-0 27.11.2021

LAST TIME OUT

ATT :108

AWAY DAY WOES FOR THE EAGLES

Eccleshall welcomed back skipper Harvey Collins, George Woodroffe, Lewis Dunn and Callum Feeney to the squad for the journey to Manchester to meet Maine Road. New signing Ben Chesters was on the bench.

Eagles started brightly and forced a corner in the first minute of the game, but nothing came of it. Moments later, Jack Flanaghan was easily knocked off the ball by Maine Road skipper Ben Mooney and, from his rising shot, Eagles keeper Eric Merner could only watch as the ball came back off the bar. He then had to make a good save from Youssef Bellatar.

His opposite number, Conrad Betton, who was with Eccleshall earlier in the season, had to save from an effort by Jay Lovatt. Maine Road began to take hold of the game and a free kick into the box by Jamie Roe found Reece Lyndon, but he failed to convert the chance.

Merner was then forced to block a Sajjad Elhassan effort with his legs before the home side took the lead on 25 minutes. Dunn failed to clear, and Elhassan curled the ball past Merner into the corner. Eagles went further behind nine minutes later when burly striker Lyndon received the ball outside the box and his powerful drive gave Merner no chance. With five minutes of the half left, Elhassan, who had tormented the Eagles defence on the left flank, had to be subbed after injury. In added time, Woodroffe beat three players before cutting to the by-line and crossing low into the six-yard box, but no-one was able to make the finishing touch to pull one back before the break.

HT: Maine Road 2 Eccleshall 0 Manager Liam Kelly signalled his intent as both Feeney and Chesters were introduced at the start of the second half. However, it was the home side adding to their tally on 53 minutes when Niall Fallon headed home from a corner. Merner managed to get a hand to the ball, but he could not keep it out. In reply, Chesters ran forward but his scuffed shot was wide of the post before Merner had to tip a Mooney effort around the post. Luke Lewis then worked his way through the Maine Road defence and Betton tipped his shot over the bar. Liam Tomlin was brought on for Lovatt but, on 68 minutes, it was 4-0 when the Eagles again lost the ball and Bellatar curled his strike into the top corner giving Merner no chance. Trying to pull one back, Jordan Benton fired wide and then Jordan Hall ran onto a through ball and his shot was tipped for a corner by Betton. Eagles’ woes were complete when they were reduced to ten men after Collins was sin binned by referee Perkin. Lyndon missed another gilt edged chance before the visitors were back to a full complement with just two minutes to go.

FT: Maine Road 4 Eccleshall 0 After an early good start, it finished as a below par performance for the Eagles, who have now lost by the same score line both home and away to Maine Road this season. Manager Kelly now has to lift his men as they face successive local derbies against Rocester and Brocton to try and get back on track.

Eagles: Merner, Lovatt (Tomlin), Dunn, Benton, Rowe (Chesters), Collins, Lewis, Carr, Hall, Flanaghan (Feeney), Woodroffe.

Unused subs: Taylor, Downs Referee: Mr Alex Perkin Attendance 108

SATURDAY'S FIXTURES Abbey Hulton United v Stockport Town Cammell Laird 1907 v Barnton Cheadle Town v Brocton Eccleshall v Rocester Maine Road v Abbey Hey Sandbach United v West Didsbury & Chorlton St Martins v New Mills Stafford Town v Cheadle Heath Nomads Wythenshawe Amateurs v Ellesmere Rangers FC Isle of Man v Alsager Town

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Eccleshall FC | 2021/22 Fixtures and Results

Eccleshall FC | 2021/22 Fixtures and Results

Eccleshall FC | Player Apperances & Goals Players Name

Sub

Goals

6 0 20 1 3 5 0 0 17 1 1 3 2 17 10 9 14 7 0 3 5 0 3 15 16 0 7 4 3 4 6 1 2 5 0 5 1 9 16 0 0 13 8 0

3 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 2 1 2 0 3 4 2 1 1 0 3 7 0 1 0 1 1 3 0 2 2 0 0 5 4 1 0 2 1 3 3 0 1 0 0

2 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 7 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 4 0 0 0 0 0

* Indicates player is no longer a member of the squad

# Indicates player is awaiting International Clearance

Samir Azam Tyler Barnes * Jordan Benton Conrad Betton (GK) * Ryan Brown (GK) Bradley Carr Benjamin Chesters Ashley Colclough Harvey Collins Callum Collinson Conor Docherty Andrew Dodd Lewis Doughty Louis Downs Jack Dundas Lewis Dunn Callum Feeney Jack Flanaghan Christopher Gilpin Kyle Goodwin Jordan Hall Joshua Hall Kyle Johnson Jake Langdridge Luke Lewis James Lindop Jay Lovatt Eric Merner (GK) Joel Mills Peter Murphy Zak Noble (GK) Callum Parker * James Redford Thomas Riley Liam Robinson Ryan Rowe Louis Sherwin Daniel Taylor Liam Tomlin Thomas Wakefield Andrew Walklate (GK) George Woodroffe Aaron Woolrich (GK) Owen Yewdall

Starts

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CHARLIE WOOD JAYDN MUNDLE REWARD MWAKONA OLIVER MARSH RORY REGAN HENRY NASH GARRETT KELLY JACOB EVANS CAVAN HOLFORD JACK LUCAS-HIGGINBOTHAM CHRIS SMITH CHARLES LEYBOURN SEEDORF MENDES OLIVER GRIFFITHS JAYDEN HUNTER XAVIER WATTS DAVID NDENE MATTHEW NUTT ALI SALIM

Manager : Liam Kelly

Manager : Mark Grimley

Today's Match Officials Ref: Kenneth Dowling Asst A: Adam McCready | Asst B: Wayne Atherton

Both Managers will select from the following players

AARON WOOLRICH ERIC MERNER HARVEY COLLINS CALLUM FEENEY JAKE LANGDRIDGE LIAM TOMLIN DAN TAYLOR JAMES LINDOP CALLUM COLLINSON JORDAN HALL JACK DUNDAS JORDAN BENTON KYLE JOHNSON ASH COLCLOUGH RYAN ROWE BRAD CARR JACK FLANAGHAN LOUIS DOWNS JAMES REDFORD JAY LOVATT LUKE LEWIS LEWIS DOUGHTY GEORGE WOODROFFE TOM WAKEFIELD LEWIS DUNN TOM RILEY