Eccleshall FC vs St Martins FC

on as Se /22 6 21 1 20 e : u Iss

vs

St Martins Saturday 22nd January 2022 3:00 pm Kickoff

Admission Adults - £6.00 Concession - £4.00

www.eccleshallfc.co.uk

Eccleshall FC

FREE ONLINE MATCHDAY PROGRAMME

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 what is another crucial game for us in our quest for survival.

We host St Martins today at Pershall Park, a side that has had a difficult season results wise. This isn’t a game we will be taking lightly and we will be ignoring the league table and form book and making sure we finish this afternoons game with nothing less than 3 points. I firmly believe there are no easy games in this league and I expect another tough 90 minutes ahead for the lads.

I’m incredibly proud of the group and the work they have put in over the last few weeks to turn things around. I’m sure everyone who watches us regularly will agree that we look a completely different side to the one I first took over in early October. Hard work on the training ground and in the gym plus some new additions to the group have given us a new lease of life and our changing room is in great spirits at the moment. We know we are a long way from getting the job done but I certainly feel we are heading in the right direction. We have set certain standards of professionalism off the field that have had a huge impact on the pitch.

Our last two results have been exactly what we needed. A much needed 3 points at home to Alsager Town followed by a tough battle at Stafford Town where we took a much-deserved point. Two games that at times we had to dig deep but showed the commitment and desire in this group.

Enjoy this afternoon's game and I strongly believe that at 5pm tonight, we will have another three points on the board.

Liam Kelly

TUESDAY 1ST FEBRUARY 2022 KICKOFF : 7:45 PM

STAFFORDSHIRE SENIOR CUP QUARTER FINAL

BITS & PIECES Farewell Eric…

Goalkeeper Eric Merner, who joined us back in November when regular stopper Aaron Woolrich sustained an injury at work, this week left Eccleshall to re-join former club Sandbach United.

When he joined, there was a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ with Sandbach that they could look to re-sign him at some point in the future – of course, as a non-contract player, the decision was always his to take. .

With his former club now needing a keeper, the approach was made, and his transfer was completed on Wednesday. He proved to be a ‘fans favourite’ in his nine matches with us and everyone present at our Staffordshire Senior Cup match against Port Vale will always remember the penalty shoot out at the end of the game and how he drew headlines by saving all five efforts to take us through to a quarter-final against Stoke City. He bought into what our club is all about and manager Liam Kelly commented that Eric was leaving us on a good note and will always be welcome back to Pershall Park. We feel sure that all connected with the Eagles have appreciated his efforts in his short time with us and wish him well for the future

Welcome back Aaron…

With Eric leaving us, we are fortunate to welcome back Aaron Woolrich who was our regular goalkeeper this season until a serious hand injury sustained at work which required an operation, put him out of the game towards the end of last year. Thankfully, Aaron appears to have made a good recovery and will be back between the sticks for today’s match against St Martins. We equally wish Aaron well on his return and hope that he quickly gets back to showing his previous good form.

Eccleshall v Stoke City – Staffordshire FA Senior Cup Quarter Final Supporters will now be aware that our quarter-final match against Stoke City has been arranged for Tuesday 1.

February and will have a 7.45pm kick off. Following a recent club committee meeting, it has been decided that admission on the evening will be ‘pay on the gate’ with our usual charge of £6.00 and £4.00 concessions. We are also investigating additional catering arrangements for the match. When we hosted Stoke City a couple of years back in this competition, we had a crowd of just under five hundred on the evening, so we are making the necessary preparations for a possible similar attendance. All at the club are looking forward to what should be another challenging, and hopefully successful, game at Pershall Park, both on and off the field.

BITS & PIECES FC Isle of Man v Eccleshall – Sunday 13. February

Arrangements are now being finalised for our away match at FC Isle of Man which will take place on Sunday 13. February. With the lack of any blank Saturdays between now and the end of the season, the Sunday date was the only available option. It will be a busy weekend for the Islanders as they will be playing two games in twenty-four hours to get the fixture in – meeting Cammell Laird 1907 on the Saturday before playing the Eagles the following day.

The suggested travel arrangements have already had to be changed due to issues with the airline and it is now likely that we will be flying out from Manchester on the Saturday morning and the match kick-off time being brought forward to 1.30pm on the Sunday. Our team will then be returning on the Sunday evening with a flight into Liverpool. We are now having to investigate the travel arrangements to take into account using two different airports by necessity. As part of the agreement when the Islanders joined the league, they will be funding the accommodation costs for our players, management and some travelling committee members as well as transfers to and from their airport. We have to meet the costs of travel to and from the airports on the mainland. With attendances for home games regularly in four figures, the travelling, match atmosphere as well as facing a team which have more than proved themselves at this level will prove a stern test for our lads. That said, they will be looking forward to the challenge.

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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.

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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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Welcome to ST MARTINS FC The name of St Martins Football Club has been respected throughout Shropshire and the borders of Wales for many years but more recently throughout the West Midland as the club enjoys their position playing at the highest level of the club’s long illustrious history. Before the 1914‐18 war specific details about the club are vague but as early as 1897 the village had a team competing in the Oswestry & District League and local competitions.

After the 1914‐18 war the club was reformed under the chairmanship of the late Mr. James Lowe, secretary Mr Ern Evison and treasurer Mr. Joe Lindup and won the Oswestry & District League in 1919‐1920.

In 1930‐31 one of the best teams ever to represent the village captained by Tom Vaughan won the Village Cup beating Traflach in the final which was graced by the skills of Don Hopley, who later played for Shrewsbury Town and Wellington.

In the early 30’s the name of the club was changed to St Martins United, and then in 1935‐36 to the Greyhound Rangers, with matches being played on the field adjacent to the Greyhound Inn. In 1936‐37 the club made a successful impact across the border in Wales winning the Cefn & District League Cup but interest declined after this brief spell playing in Wales and there was no organised football in the village from 1937 to 1939.

Between the years of 1939‐45, that included the bleak years of the last World War, the villagers were treated to some top‐class football for under the auspices of the local Home‐Guard, the club entered a team in a local league comprising of various forces units stationed in the area. These services teams had several Football League players in their ranks so a very high standard of soccer was enjoyed.

At the end of the war the club was reformed and entered the North Shropshire League, later to be known as the Oswestry & District League when Mr Eddie Lindup was secretary of the unbeaten League Champions in 1945‐46.

St Martins won the Oswestry League again in 1953 and 1955 and in the years to 1966 won the Village Cup 10 times enjoying an unbeaten run in the competition of 25 consecutive matches during this period.

In 1955‐56 the club enjoyed a fair share of success in the very competitive Whitchurch League, winning the championship on two occasions, gaining second place twice and third position six times.

They also won the Whitchurch League Cup, the Consolation Cup and reached the final of the Ethelstone Cup Final four times in five seasons winning at the fourth attempt in 1962 and once more in 1969.

The Championship wins were gained in consecutive seasons and they only lost two games during those successful campaigns.

The Whitchurch League folded in 1972 so the Saints as they are popularly known locally decided to enter the West Shropshire League in 1973‐74 and in their first season won the 3rd Division without losing a League match and thrashed Hanwood F.C. then a Premier League side in the League Cup Final by 5‐1. Their prolific marksman, Michael Smout scored a phenomenal 45 goals that season.

From that 3rd Division Championship the club won successive promotions entering the top division in 1976.

The club then joined the Shropshire County League winning the Challenge Cup in 1993‐94 and promotion into the West Midland League Second Division in 2010/11. In their first season St Martins won the 2nd Division and promotion into the WMRL’s 1st Division for 2011/12. They have subsequently finished in the top half of the WML 1st Division One every year, coming close to promotion to the Premier Division on several occasions.

Various local competitions have been and gone over the years but what has remained is the name of St Martin’s FC that has graced each one of these competitions as winners and runners up. In 1971 the Tyre Cup tournament was started and the Saints figured proximately in the early years, winning the cup in 1971, 72‐73, 74‐75 and losing in the final to Weston Rhyn in 73‐74 and 78‐79 and to Morda in 79‐ 80 after a replay. The Saints lifted the Sid Roberts Memorial Cup in 1988 beating Gobowen Celtic 3 – 1.

The club has been a stalwart of the Graham Edwards Memorial Completion making their contribution towards the thousands of pounds raised by the competition over the years since its inception in 1975. The club won this coveted Competition in 2015 beating Oswestry Oak 2 – 1 in an exciting final with Shaun Melusi scoring the winning goal in the last minute of the game.

Over the years the club has been blessed with some dedicated servants. Cecil Rogers was secretary and the treasurer was Douglas Leach who both worked tirelessly for the club. Stan Faulks was president or vice president for 30 years. His generous contributions to the club were typified when he purchased the land behind his supermarket and placed a covenant stating that the land can only be used for recreation purposes that will always include football. Sadly, Stan passed away in 1988 but his legacy will always live on in St. Martins and within the broader football fraternity in Shropshire. Stan’s Grandson Andrew has enjoyed periods as President and has been the most consistent Sponsor for the club.

The ultimate stalwart and longest serving member of the club is Derek Stokes, who played for the Saints at the tender age of 14, won over a 100 trophies maintaining a healthy appetite for football playing his final game for the Saints as a 60 year. Derek’s dedication to the club included every possible role, from player, manager, treasurer, secretary to marking the pitch out and washing the kit. Derek played a significant role in negotiating the transfer of accommodation for the club to The Venue (Home of TNS FC) that enabled the club to function within the expectations of the West Midland League. Sadly, Derek passed away on Sunday 22nd January 2017 but has set a firm foundation for the Club and he will be sadly missed by the football fraternity of the West Midlands, and his beloved St. Martins.

At the beginning of season 2016/17, St Martins FC struggled in the WMRL as the loss of the Club Manager and several key players to Oswestry Town disrupted the team but new Manager Dan Stevens transformed the clubs fortunes in the latter half of the season leading the team to a commendable mid‐table finish in the league. Supported by an active and vibrant management committee Dan set our goal for the following season to gain promotion for the club to Step 6 for the first time in their long and fascinating history.

Photographs in the press at the conclusion of 2017‐18 football season captured the exuberance of the St Martins F.C. players, committee and fans as they defied early season apprehension to finish a creditable 4th place in the ‘West Midland League’ Division One and grasp the League Cup beating ‘Wren’s Nest’ 5‐3 in a final that was described by the ‘League Officials’ as the best final witnessed for many a long year.

Following another troublesome start influenced in no small part by the absence of the Saint’s Manager Dan Stevens because of injury, and having to play a progression of away games, the Saints turned their fortunes around by playing some of the most attractive football the fans have ever seen. The team beat each of the teams that finished above them in the league, begging the question of what might have happened if the Saints had experienced a more balanced start to their season.

The club was fascinated by the excitement of how the ‘threat of failure’ at the start of the season was transformed into the utopia of winning the ‘West Midland Division One League Cup’ and securing promotion into the ‘North West Counties League’ Division One South. This heralded an exciting step up to level 6 of the ‘Football League’ system, the highest level that the club has ever played.

The club also explored new avenues during the 2017/18 season, playing in the coveted ‘FA Vase’ competition for the first time in their history and following promotion to Step 6 the possibility of playing in the FA Cup one day in the future gets ever closer!

The wonderful football the Saints played the previous season and the manner in which they despatched teams that actually finished above them in the league provides the perfect platform for the club to enter the ‘North West Counties League’ for season 2018‐19. The season went well with a mid-table finish, well ahead of local rivals Ellesmere Rangers and even beating eventual league winners Rylands during the campaign. The highlight of the season was a last-minute winner against our ground share neighbours, Oswestry Town.

Season 2019/20, we approached our second season at 'Step 6' with renewed excitement and optimism. An enforced management change saw a new manager Paul Moore and Dave Smith take over the mantle and start the season with three wins from three. But it was downhill from there and the team all but disbanded as the results deteriorated. 13 straight loses and a record defeat in the cup saw the exit of Paul Moore and ex-manager Ryan Butcher came back in to the club to try and steady the ship. The season ended with two ex-St Martins players scoring against the bottom of the league St Martins side for local rivals Ellesmere Rangers. The club was in a difficult position and but for a league reprieve would have been relegated.

Season 2020/21 saw the appointment of another manager – James Etherington. With an exprofessional player pedigree and a lot of local contacts, the task of rebuilding the team was well underway once the season started. However, COVID took its toll and the league was ended prematurely. With only a few local cup games and a handful of league games, the lack of continuity made the rebuilding process nearly impossible.

And so, we go in to this 2021/22 season and we are looking to expand our playing squad whilst continuing to play the attractive football with which we are associated. Off the fields plans for a new Step 5/6 facility within St Martins are continuing with Planning Permission being sought and funding all but secured, St. Martins Football Club continues to build on solid foundation together with the selfless efforts and commitment of its unsung heroes and volunteer’s

Alsager Town FC| Player Apperances & Goals Players Name

Sub

Goals

3 1 10 4 4 4 0 13 8 2 0 3 0 3 8 0 1 2 0 1 0 20 2 12 2 9 1 1 2 1 1 14 12 2 8 2 17 2 1 2 1 9 0 1

1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 2 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 1 4

0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

* Indicates player is no longer a member of the squad

# Indicates player is awaiting International Clearance

Adedayo Adekoya * Jeffrey Agyeman Thomas Ash * Fraser Aubrey-Williams (GK) Joshua Aubrey-Williams George Austin (GK) Samuel Banigo * Adrian Barnett * Craig Barnett * Jordan Batchelor * Ryan Butcher Alberto Canache Jason Clarke * Noel Clarke Stelvio Da Silva * Josh Davies Rhys Dean Alfie Dickens Adam Dimba Ayanyaki Jake Eastwood (GK) James Etherington Daniel Fati Cande Danny Feeley Elson Fernandes Reinaldo Forbes Mark German Josh Gough (GK) Callum Graybrook * Finley Gunn (GK) Jamie Hands Tom Hanna Jordan Harper * Daniel Harrington Joseph Hingira Sean Holt Kai Hurdman Ezequiel Incaque Sharif Islam Deans Mussa * Harvey James Taylor James Lewis Jenkinson (GK) Jack Jones (GK) * Jordan Joseph Aaron Kaya

Starts

Alsager Town FC| Player Apperances & Goals Players Name

Sub

Goals

1 3 3 1 6 4 5 1 2 2 6 3 10 2 4 8 5 4 0 9 4 3 1 12 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 6 2 1 0 8 0 0 2 6 0

0 4 0 0 0 2 2 0 3 0 0 1 2 0 6 0 0 5 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 6 3 0 0 0 3 0 0 3 0 0

0 0 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0

* Indicates player is no longer a member of the squad

# Indicates player is awaiting International Clearance

Luke Kirby Sam Klower Ashley Leather * Mattias Lokuta Riccardo Longato (GK) * Rahuf Mak * Emanuel Mateus Ferandes Ross McFall David Moreno * Jethro Munianga Callum Jeff Murphy Dylan Murphy Harry Murray * Steve Ombougno Affonga * Nelson Onwusiri * James OReilly * Michael OReilly * Fernando Osagie Tomos Otter Kieran Price Gareth Ratcliffe * Scott Ravenscroft * Logan Richards Samuel Roberts * Owen Robinson Joseph Salter Claudio Santos Ethan Short Owen Skelton (GK) William Smith Max Sulivan Prince Taiwo Emmanuel Tenawa Umar Wahid Tyler Ward Robert Weir William Wells Daniel Whittall (GK) Mikey Whitter Jonathan Wilkes Joseph Wilkinson

Starts

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1-1 15.01.22

LAST TIME OUT

ATT :102

HONOURS EVEN IN LOCAL DERBY

After last week’s win over Alsager Town, Eccleshall travelled the short distance to Stafford Town in good spirits, hoping to continue where they left off. However, victory came at a cost as Jake Langdridge, Louis Downs and Callum Feeney were all unavailable through injury, leaving manager Liam Kelly having to shuffle the squad.

Eagles got off to the worst possible start, going behind after just two minutes. A cross from the right by Josh Wilson found Declan Arber on the edge of the six-yard box and his header gave keeper Eric Merner little chance. Stunned by this they immediately came back, and Lucas Green-Birch set up Liam Robinson, whose effort was well wide. Town striker Morgan Payne then found Arber again, but his shot was blocked. As the half progressed, the pattern of play balanced out before a cross from the right was sliced for a Stafford corner by Sam Marsh. From this, Christopher Anderson’s header back across goal saw the ball hit the angle of post and bar before going over. Luke Lewis then looked to test Town keeper Henry Smith, but his shot flew just wide of his far post. However, the equaliser came on 44 minutes when a free kick by Robinson to the back post was headed back by Eagles skipper Harvey Collins and Lewis stabbed the ball home. In added time, Town skipper Charlie Swingwood was sin-binned by referee Perkin, meaning they would start the second half with ten men.

HT: Stafford Town 1 Eccleshall 1 Eagles were quickly out of the blocks with two early efforts on goal. Collins fired in from 20 yards and Smith tipped it away for a corner. Then, a cross by Taylor Draper was knocked the wrong side of the post by Robinson. James Lindop was brought on for Green-Birch and then George Woodroffe missed a gilt-edged chance on 57 minutes when a cross found him free at the back post, but he headed weakly wide. Town came back and sub - Karen Danilian, flashed a shot wide of the post with Merner beaten. Manager Kelly brought Jack Flanaghan on for Lewis Doughty before Wilson fired in from outside the box and Merner held the ball at the second attempt. Then, a ball fed across the edge of the box was fired high over the bar by Ben Wood before Merner held a free kick by Wilson. With five minutes to go, Lewis brought a good diving save out of Smith at the near post to prevent Eagles taking the lead. Eccleshall’s Marsh picked up a late caution before another Wilson free kick went over the bar, referee Perkin then calling time on the proceedings.

FT: Stafford Town 1 Eccleshall 1 With six wins and a draw from their last seven home league matches, the visit to near neighbours Stafford Town was always going to be a tough task for an Eccleshall side looking to battle their way out of the relegation zone. However, decent performances and back-toback wins have given Eagles new purpose and they were good value for a hard-earned point at Evans Park. More importantly, the draw put them on level points with the team immediately above them, Alsager Town. They now need to take this recent form into Saturday’s match against bottom side St Martins at Pershall Park. The great escape could be on!

Eagles: Merner, Draper, Dunn, Benton, Collins, Marsh, Lewis, Doughty (Flanaghan), GreenBirch (Lindop), Woodroffe, Robinson.

Unused subs: Johnson, Chesters, Taylor.

Referee: Mr Alex Perkin Attendance: 102

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

The definitive podcast covering the North West Counties Football League!

Rocester Brocton Stockport Town Sandbach United Ellesmere Rangers Cammell Laird 1907 Barnton Stafford Town Cheadle Heath Nomads St Martins Stafford Town

Sat 18/09/21 Tue 28/09/21 Wed 02/10/21 Fri 09/10/21 Sat 16/10/21 Sat 23/10/21 Sat 30/10/21 Fri 06/11/21 Sat 13/11/21 Tue 16/11/21

New Mills Wythenshawe Amateurs Abbey Hey FC Isle of Man Maine Road Abbey Hulton United Alsager Town West Didsbury & Chorlton Cheadle Town Port Vale

The Buildbase FA Trophy 1Q

Staffs Senior Cup 2 (1-1 after 90 mins, Eccleshall won 1-0 on pens)

Sat 20/11/21 Sat 27/11/21 Mon 04/12/21 Fri 11/12/21 Sat 18/12/21 Mon 08/01/22 Sat 15/01/22 Sat 22/01/22 Sat 29/01/22 Sun 01/02/22

Ellesmere Rangers Maine Road Rocester Brocton Cheadle Heath Nomads Alsager Town Stafford Town St Martins Abbey Hey Stoke City Staffs Senior Cup QF

Mon 05/02/22 Sun 13/02/22 Tue 15/02/22 Sat 19/02/22 Sat 26/02/22 Tue 05/03/22 Sat 12/03/22 Tue 15/03/22

Abbey Hulton United FC Isle of Man West Didsbury & Chorlton Wythenshawe Amateurs Barnton Stockport Town Cheadle Town Stafford Town Macron Cup 1

Sat 19/03/22 Sat 26/03/22 Fri 02/04/22

New Mills Cammell Laird 1907 Sandbach United

A H H A A H A H H A A

A H H H H H A A H H

H A H A A H A H A H

A A H A H A A A

H A H

L 1-2 W 3-2 L 0-2 L 1-2 L 0-3 L 1-2 L 1-5 L 0-1 D 2-2 W 3-1 Postp

L 0-3 W 6-4 L 2-3 L 0-4 L 0-4 L 0-1 W 1-0 L 0-5 W 3-2 WON

L 2-3 L 0-4 D 1-1 L 1-4 W 3-2 W 2-0 D 1-1

Eccleshall FC | 2021/22 Fixtures and Results

Date Sat 31/07/21 Mon 03/08/21 Thu 07/08/21 Sat 14/08/21 Tue 17/08/21 Sat 21/08/21 Fri 27/08/21 Mon 30/08/21 Fri 04/09/21 Fri 07/09/21 Tue 11/09/21

Eccleshall FC | Player Apperances & Goals Players Name

6 0 25 1 3 6 0 0 22 1 0 1 3 4 21 4 11 14 18 0 7 0 3 2 6 0 2 1 3 16 19 0 7 3 0 9 3 4 6 1 2 5 3 5 0 1 11 16 0 0 14 8 0

Sub

Goals

3 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 2 0 1 2 2 3 0 6 2 1 0 2 0 3 0 8 0 0 0 1 0 1 4 3 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 5 4 2 1 0 2 2 3 3 0 2 0 0

2 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 8 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 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 Jordan Darlington Conor Docherty * Andrew Dodd * Lewis Doughty Louis Downs Taylor Draper Jack Dundas * Lewis Dunn Callum Feeney Scott Finon Jack Flanaghan Christopher Gilpin * Kyle Goodwin * Lucas Green-Birch Jordan Hall Joshua Hall Ashley Hodkinson Calum Huxley Kyle Johnson Jake Langdridge Luke Lewis James Lindop Jay Lovatt Samuel Marsh Kobe McWilliams Eric Merner (GK) Joel Mills * Peter Murphy * Zak Noble (GK) * Callum Parker * James Redford Thomas Riley Liam Robinson Ryan Rowe Lewis Rowley Louis Sherwin * Daniel Taylor Liam Tomlin Thomas Wakefield * Andrew Walklate (GK) George Woodroffe Aaron Woolrich (GK) Owen Yewdall *

Starts

Libra FMC Ltd is an industry leading supplier situated in Stokeon-Trent, equipping individuals and businesses with the products and services they need.

JAKE EASTWOOD CLAUDIO SANTOS JOSHUA AUBREY-WILLIAMS ADAM DIMBA AYANYAKI DANIEL CANDE JONATHAN WILKES DAN HARRINGTON ELSON FERNANDES ROBERT WEIR CALLUM MURPHY ALBERTO CANACHE MATTIAS LOKUTA TOMOS OTTER KAI HURDMAN DYLAN MURPHY SAM KLOWER ALFIE DICKENS OWEN ROBINSON

Manager : Liam Kelly

Manager : Darren Wildman

Today's Match Officials Ref: Joel Buckle Asst A: Roger Firmstone | Asst B: Carl Watson

Both Managers will select from the following players

AARON WOOLRICH HARVEY COLLINS CALLUM FEENEY JAKE LANGDRIDGE LIAM TOMLIN DAN TAYLOR JAMES LINDOP JORDAN HALL JORDAN BENTON KYLE JOHNSON ASH COLCLOUGH RYAN ROWE BRAD CARR JACK FLANAGHAN LOUIS DOWNS JAY LOVATT LUKE LEWIS LEWIS DOUGHTY GEORGE WOODROFFE LEWIS DUNN SAM MARSH CALUM HUXLEY LUCAS GREEN - BIRCH LIAM ROBINSON TAYLOR DRAPER LEWIS ROWLEY