St Helens Town v Alsager Town

North West Counties Football League Premier Division Programme of the Year 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12 & 2012-13

Executive Programme Sponsor





Today’s Teams . . .

Cover: Michael Sykes-Wright in action v Silsden last Saturday

No Gls St Helens Town

Ciaran Gibson

Chris Tingay

Shaun Judge

Andy Mawdsley

Lewis Coyle

Cole Ashton

Mike Sykes-Wright

Danny Owens

Adam Storey

Andy Gillespie

Connor Sanderson

Nathan Parish

Lee Crompton

Neil Weaver

Sam Pullinger

Stephen Milne

No Gls Alsager Town

Steve Dryden

Aaron Best

Liam Prince

Angleo Errico

Chris Lunn

Nathan McDonald

Reiss Lee

Jordan Flattley

Adam Bettley

Daniel Brown

Jed Davies

Michael Kennedy

Jordan Stafford

Kyle Wilding

Chris Smith

Alex Hedley

CLUB INFORMATION

Honorary Life Presidents: Bert Trautmann OBE and Bill Foulkes

Vice President: Jim Barrett

Chairman:

John McKiernan (07713 339682)

Vice Chairman: Glyn Jones

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

Commercial Manager

Darryl Picton (07908 833554)

Full Committee: John McKiernan, Jeff Voller, Jim Barrett, Darryl Picton, Ste Ball, Chris Ford and Glyn Jones.

Trustees:

John McKiernan and Eric Bond

Club Manager: Ian Granite

Assistant Manager: Ian Price

Coaches: Paul Jones and Nick Matthews

Physiotherapist: Nicole Garner

Reserve Team Manager

Nick Robinson

Assistant Manager: Paul Piert

Youth Team Managers: Vacant

Email:

[email protected]

Main Club Sponsor: Johnsons Toyota Liverpool

Legal:

St Helens Town Limited Private Limited Company

Company No. 04392840

Date of Incorporation 12.03.2002

Company Directors: Jim Barrett & Gordon McDonald

Parent Company:

A wholly owned subsidiary of Sporting Club St Helens Limited

Sat 29th October 2013, kick off 7.45pm North West Counties League, Premier Division

Manager: Ian Granite Assistant: Ian Price

Manager: Andy Turner Assistant: Mick Hathaway

Referee: Mr J Dowd (Ellesmere Port) Assist: Mr D Jones (West Kirby) & Mr K Johnson (Ormskirk)

Today’s Match & Match Ball Sponsor:

St Helens Town Red & White Shirts

White Shorts, Red & White Socks

Alsager Town White & Black Shirts

Black Shorts & White Socks





Talk of the Town . . . Good afternoon and welcome to Brocstedes Park for this North West Counties Football League, Challenge Cup 2nd Round tie against our friends from Alsager Town. 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. As we continue this mammoth run of home matches we come into this afternoon on the back of a hard fought 1-1 draw with League form side Congleton Town here on Tuesday evening. The visitors set their stall out in the first half and played some excellent football but were mainly restricted to trying their luck from distance and failed to cause too much trouble for Ciaran Gibson in the home goal. We took the lead not long after the half hour mark when good play saw Nathan Parish released by a through ball and he made no mistake to notch his first goal in the red & white stripes of St Helens Town. We became a bit disjointed as two substitutions, one either side of half time saw scorer Parish and Connor Sanderson leave the field with injuries and the visitors had a bright start to the second period finally levelling when Griffith Jones headed home an excellent left wing cross 10 minutes after the restart. Both teams had chances to secure all three points the best of them falling to the St Helens strikers as neither Andy Gillespie or Adam Storey could turn the

loose ball home after visiting stopper Martin Pearson had been beaten to a set piece by Lewis Coyle. The draw for the First Round of the Liverpool Senior Cup has taken place this week with Town give a difficult task as we host Evo-Stik Division One North outfit Cammell Lairds with a date for the tie yet to be agreed but must be played before the end of November. Keep an eye on the usual media avenues for the date when agreed. We also have a date in the clubs social calendar this evening when we hold a Race Night at Windleshaw and there are still a few tickets

available should you be able to attend tonight, please see either Darryl Picton or John McKiernan this afternoon for more details. We take a break from league action today as we start on the League Challenge Cup trail by hosting an Alsager Town side who have already recorded a 3-0 victory here at Brocstedes Park in the league encounter at the end of August and Ian Granite and the squad will be looking to continue their fine form and avenge that reverse this afternoon. If this afternoon’s tie is level at the end of 90 minutes then two 15 minute periods of extra time will be played and if the sides can still not be separated then the tie will be replayed on a date to be decided by the North West Counties Football League. Let’s get behind Town this afternoon and hopefully cheer them onto a victory and a place in the hat for the third round. Enjoy the game . . . Jeff Voller





In Town Today . . . No previous history can be found at present about the club before the 1971/72 season when Alsager FC joined the Mid Cheshire League and they finished 12th in their first two seasons. Following the 1972/73 season the club changed their name to Alsager Town and thirteen years later they were still members of the Mid Cheshire League and for most of that time had competed in Division One. For the start of the 1986/87 season they changed their name again, this time to Alsager United. They finished runners up in their second season under the United banner but for some reason they disbanded.

Twelve months elapsed before the club re-formed for the 1989/90 season as Alsager United joining the Crewe League Premier Division. After two seasons the club moved back to the Mid Cheshire League Division 2 back under the Alsager FC banner, for the start of the 1991/92 season, They remained there until the end of the 1997/98 season when they moved to the Springbank Vending Midland League. Alsager finished runners up in their first season and were promoted to the North West Counties League Division 2 for the start of the 1999/2000 season. After just two seasons they again decided to change their name back to Alsager Town. The name change proved to be lucky for them as they finished in the runners-up spot with promotion to Division One. They remained in that league until the end of the 2005/06 season when they finished in third place. Due to changes being made by the FA to the non-league pyramid system Alsager were invited to step up to the Northern Premier League Division One which they did, finishing their first season in a creditable 14th place. Further changes were to be made by the FA to the non league system which saw Alsager Town move side ways in to the Unibond League Division One South. Another 14th place finish was the outcome but the club fell foul to the ground grading regulations and with required work not completed they were relegated back to the North West Counties League Premier Division. Due this set back the top management of the club walked out. Former chairman Peter Clegg stepped in taking control of the club . Clegg appointed former Witton Albion reserves coach, Neil Gill as manager. For two seasons Neil Gill did a good job in keeping Alsager Town in the N.W.C.F.L Premier Division and then in early 2011 with finances tight the players expenses budget had to be cut and then later stopped completely. This was followed by the news that there were to be major changes at the club at the end of the season. Neil Gill, his assistant, the players and the committee walked away. Acting Chairman Mike Cross had to act quickly and Alsager’s remaining committee voted for change. Terry Greer the former Chairman of Biddulph Victoria was elected to be the new Chairman. A new management team and playing staff had to be found. Stepping into the fray were Damian Grocott and Andy O’Connor they began the job of keeping Alsager Town in the N.W.C.F.L. Premier Divison. They worked hard to keep the status of the club secure which they did with three games in hand. For the 2011/12 season the club looked to move forward with a new committee which was installed at the AGM in May their aim being to improve the club in all aspects on and off the pitch.





. . . Alsager Town With things going well off the pitch, new showers had been installed, the dressing rooms and some of the club house re-decorated. The ground in general had been given a face lift when on the night of the Monday 11th July a catastrophic fire destroyed the office and part of the dressing rooms and clubhouse, the whole building had to be demolished due the asbestos construction. The electricity was cut off due to the damage caused with the switch boxes etc. Following the disaster the committee have worked tirelessly to get things in to place so that football could return to The Town ground. The committee of the N.W.C.F.L. were superb in the way they switched fixtures for The Bullets due to their problems, 99% of their games were played away from home until the November. A rebuilding programme got underway and things went well both on and off the pitch for the 2011-12 season due to the massive help from BAE Systems and their contractors, who helped in rebuilding the changing rooms so that football could return to the Town ground. At the end of the season John Brown, manager of the first team resigned as did the manager of the reserves. Chairman Terry Greer soon had replacements with former Tottenham Hotspur player and Kidsgrove coach Andy Turner taking over the reigns of the first team and Andy Ratcliffe Congleton Towns former Reserves Manager taking over the reserves who had just been promoted by invitation to the Staffs County Senior League Premier Division. Andy’s retained the previous seasons backroom staff and the majority of the players with the addition of some new faces the squad was strong enough to be in no danger of the drop and finished the campaign in a comfortable 15th place.

Season League P W D L F A GD Pts Position

1998-99 MIDL 38 28 6 4 94 18 76 90 2/20

1999-00 NWC-2 34 11 8 15 48 64 -16 41 12/18

2000-01 NWC-2 38 19 8 11 48 42 6 65 7/20

2001-02 NWC-2 40 24 9 7 77 31 46 81 2/21

2002-03 NWC-1 42 15 11 16 61 67 -6 56 11/22

2003-04 NWC-1 42 16 15 11 54 47 7 63 9/22

2004-05 NWC-1 42 19 11 12 65 47 18 68 7/22

2005-06 NWC-1 42 27 7 8 87 43 44 88 3/22

2006-07 NPL-1 46 18 7 21 72 75 -3 61 14/24

2007-08 NPL-1S 42 12 7 23 58 88 -30 43 14/18

2008-09 NWC-P 42 18 5 19 66 72 -6 59 7/22

2009-10 NWC-P 42 11 7 24 60 79 -19 40 18/22

2010-11 NWC-P 42 10 8 24 57 94 -37 38 20/22

2011-12 NWC-P 42 16 9 17 63 65 -2 57 13/22

2012-13 NWC-P 42 14 8 20 66 78 -12 50 15/22





How We Compare . . . St Helens Town - last 6 matches

All Competitions Most recent

Home L L D W W D

Away L L D W D W

Collated D D W W W D

Alsager Town - last 6 matches

All Competitions Most recent

Home L L L L L L

Away W D L D D L

Collated L D L D L L

St Helens Town games since...

Alsager Town games since...

All Competitions All Competitions

Clean sheet

1 Clean sheet

2

Goal Scored

0 Goal Scored

1

Loss 8 Loss 0

No score draw

19 No score draw

2

Score draw

0 Score draw

4

Win 1 Win 9

Previous Meetings Since 1949/50

All Competitions

P W D L F A GD Win %

Home 12 1 4 7 13 24 -11 8.33

Away 9 6 0 3 15 10 5 66.67

Collated 21 7 4 10 28 34 -6 33.33

at St Helens Town

Previous Meetings

at Alsager Town

NWC-D1 1998-99 MIDL

NWC-D1 1999-00 NWC-D2

NWC-D1 2000-01 NWC-D2

NWC-D1 2001-02 NWC-D2

22/03; 1-1 2002-03 19/10; 1-0

11/11; 1-2 2003-04 15/10; 0-1

22/03; 1-1 2004-05 14/08; 2-0

16/08; 1-4 2005-06 28/02; 1-0

NWC-D1 2006-07 NPL-1

NWC-D1 2007-08 NPL-1S

22/11; 0-1 2008-09 09/08; 3-2

02/03; 1-1 2009-10 13/04; 3-1

27/04; 5-1 2010-11 07/08; 1-2

28/02; 0-3 2011-12 05/11; 2-3

20/10; 2-2 2012-13 19/03; 0-2

31/08; 0-3 2013-14 01/02/2014

St Helens Town Scores First

Games Played 19

St Helens Town Wins 6

Draws 4

Alsager Town Wins 9

St Helens Town Goals 25

Alsager Town Goals 30

Percentage Town Wins 31.58





Chairman’s Notes . . . Good afternoon and a very warm welcome to Brocstedes Park, for this NWCFL League Cup 2nd Round encounter with our friends and rivals Alsager Town. Let’s hope their players, officials and supporters along with our

own followers are treated to an entertaining game. Many thanks to today’s match and match ball sponsors Freebets.co.uk who are also our home and away short sponsors this season. It’s only a few weeks since our two teams last met here at Brocstedes Park, on that occasion our visitors ran out 0-3 winner and I am sure Ian Granite and the players will want to put that right this afternoon. Tuesday’s evening’s 1-1 draw with Congleton saw Town extend their unbeaten run to 9 games and despite being under plenty of pressure the point earned was fully warranted. While our form has been excellent since we were defeated by the ‘Bullets’ our visitors have suffered a huge dip in form and are without a win in nine games which has seen them suffer five league defeats, bow out of the FA Vase and collect just three league points from draws with Bacup, Winsford and West Didsbury. One player missing from Tuesday’s game was Cole Ashton who has left the club to join fellow NWCFL outfit Runcorn Linnets. While disappointed, I can understand Cole’s reasons

for the move and we wish him well with the exception of when our two sides meet. I am sure he will be a hit with the Linnets faithful. Plans for the Bert Trautmann game are progressing well and this week WA12 Radio have agreed to cover the event. There will be a feature in the build-up and live coverage and interviews on the day. We are also delighted that The One Glove Company are the latest sponsor of the event and they will be supplying four pairs of specially designed commemorative gloves which will be auctioned after the event. Tonight is the club’s Race Night at Windleshaw Sports Club, please try to get along for what should be a great night. Admission is £2 and includes a hotpot supper. There’s also some great raffle prizes on offer courtesy of our main sponsors Johnsons Toyota Liverpool. Enjoy the game. John McKiernan Chairman, St Helens Town AFC





Town v Congleton Town . . . Draw stretches Town’s unbeaten run (Photo courtesy of Pete Barton) St Helens Town 1-1 Congleton Town

A 1-1 draw at home to Congleton Town on Tuesday extended St. Helens Town’s unbeaten run to nine games, assuming they are granted the win over Silsden in the recent abandoned game and they were full value for a share of the points in a thrilling game.

Congleton have a good record against Town in recent years, so a home draw is a good measure of the progress the team has made over the last month. The game began slowly, with no clear cut chances for either side in the first half hour. If anything, Congleton were the better side, exerting pressure on the St. Helens defence, which held firm. Keeper Ciaran Gibson did well to keep the score-sheet blank with a good reaction save following a Congleton attack on 30 minutes. Suddenly, however, Town seized the advantage and, from that point onwards, they stretched the visitors’ defence with a series of raids, the first of which brought the opening goal. St. Helens surged forward and Nathan Parish was fouled from behind by Congleton centre-half George Whiteoak, who escaped a booking for his misdemeanour. A few moments later, Parish exacted his own revenge, when a defence-splitting pass found him unopposed on the edge of the box and he drilled in a low shot which went under keeper Martin Pearson’s dive to put Town one up on 33 minutes. Connor Sanderson had a good chance a few minutes later, which Pearson saved and, the stopper was called into action again just afterwards to deny Adam Storey twice, then Lewis Coyle, in the lead up to half-time. Sanderson pulled a hamstring in the closing stages of the half and was replaced by Sam Pullinger, with Shaun Judge moving from full-back to midfield. Congleton again started the stronger in the second half and went close on 50 minutes, Gibson seeing a shot go just past his right post. He was not so lucky a few minutes later, when Griff Jones was allowed to score from a free header. Town hit back and Judge hit a powerful shot, which Pearson could only parry, but neither of the Town forwards following up could get in a touch before the keeper re-gathered. Another Congleton effort was just wide on the hour, but St. Helens came forward again, this time Storey breaking from 30 yards out before crossing into the box, where the ball hit a defender’s hand, but the referee turned down the appeal for a penalty. Storey had another chance on 70 minutes, but Congleton’s luck held and the Town striker could not get in the decisive touch. With 15 minutes remaining, St. Helens surged forward again. Coyle hit a great shot against the Congleton bar, but neither of the forwards following up could connect with the rebound and, once again, Pearson was grateful to smother the chance. The final chance of the game fell to Andy Gillespie, but his drive was deflected behind by the defence, but no corner was given. All in all, another good performance, and with the young Town side fearing nobody at this stage of the season, the only question is how long the unbeaten run can continue.

Glyn Jones





Action from our last game v Alsager Town on Saturday 31st August which

saw the ‘Bullets’ run out 0-3 winners

Town v Alsager Photos . . .





Town v Congleton Photos

North West Counties Premier Division action from St Helens Town’s 1-1 draw

with Congleton Town on Tuesday 22nd October 2013

Photographs courtesy of Pete Barton (Ashton Athletic Photographer)



A Brief History . . . The original Town club was in existence from 1901 to 1928, but George Fryer and a number of local businessmen decided to re-form the club in 1946. They obtained a lease on the Hoghton Road ground in Sutton, adjacent to St. Helens Junction station on the Liverpool to Manchester railway line, took over a local St. Helens Combination team, Derbyshire Hill Rovers, signing a number of players from other clubs and entered the Liverpool County Combination in the 1947/48 season, playing against Everton “A” and Liverpool “A” and several reserve sides from the leading non-league clubs in the Merseyside area. Success was first attained in May 1949 when Runcorn were defeated in the final of the George Mahon Cup, played at the Prescot Cables ground. The following season, 1949/50, Town were elevated to the Second Division of the Lancashire Combination and they were promoted as Champions in only their second season to the First Division, where they ran up against teams such as Ashton United, Nelson and New Brighton, newly relegated from the Football League. Sadly, Town were themselves relegated in their first season and although promoted briefly again in 1955/56, they spent most of their early years in the Second Division. Improvements were quickly made to the facilities at Hoghton Road in the early years, but in November 1952 the decision was taken to re-locate to the former St. Helens Recs’ rugby league ground at City Road in order to further their ambitions of reaching the Football League. Initially, the move resulted in some encouraging crowds, but the club had a change of heart and returned to Sutton in the October 1953. The ground was purchased and further developed and a social club and floodlights were added in later years. Town were Champions of the Lancashire Combination in 1971/72 season, losing only one game, finishing 6 points clear of Accrington Stanley. 1975 brought a switch to the Cheshire League, where they remained until the formation of the North West Counties League in 1982 and St. Helens Town is the only club to feature in the top division of that league throughout its existence although, after a very good start, they very nearly lost that proud record last

season. The club’s major achievement was victory in the FA Vase at Wembley in 1987. After a stuttering start in the Preliminary Round with a 5-4 extra-time win over Colne Dynamoes, further home successes over General Chemicals, Wren Rovers, Guisborough Town and Wythenshawe Amateurs, led to wins at Wisbech Town, at home to Rainworth Miners Welfare, away to Falmouth Town (after a replay) and in the away leg at Emley when, following a 1-0 home defeat in the first-leg, a 2-0 win in Yorkshire secured a Wembley Final against local rivals Warrington Town, who were dispatched 3-2 with goals from Phil Layhe (2) and Brian Rigby. St. Helens Town boast an impressive “Hall of Fame”, including legendary goalkeeper and former German Prisoner-of-War Bert Trautmann, who signed for Manchester City over 60 years ago and who went on to play the game of his life in the 1956 FA Cup Final,

despite breaking his neck in the latter stages. Bill Foulkes was transferred to Manchester United, where he had a glittering career, surviving the Munich Air Disaster in 1958, in which



. . . of St Helens Town AFC

he bravely rescued some of his stricken team-mates. John Connelly, an England squad member in the victorious 1966 World Cup campaign, was sold to Burnley and he later moved to join Foulkes at Old Trafford. Other future stars, groomed at St. Helens Town, included John Quinn (Sheffield Wednesday), Geoff Nulty (Burnley, Newcastle United and Everton) and, most recently, ace goal scorer Dave Bamber, who began and ended his league career at Blackpool and who played in all four divisions of the Football League. Captain of the FA Vase winning team was Tommy O’Neil, who began his league career playing alongside George Best, Denis Law and Bobby Charlton at Manchester United. Town sold their Hoghton Road ground in 2000 to move in with St. Helens Rugby League Club at their Knowsley Road base. Their farewell appearance at Sutton produced a 1-0 win over Champions Vauxhall Motors and the initial campaign at Knowsley Road got off to a cracking start, with Town leading the table for most of the season, before finishing in a rather disappointing fourth place. Recent seasons have been more of a struggle, ninth place in 2009/10 being the best finish since. Season 2010-11 saw Town slide to 16th and in 2010/11 next to bottom, when they would have been relegated, but for Flixton’s decision to resign from the league. Town began the 2012-13 season under new manager Ian Granite, who brought in a new team and coaching set-up who battled well to avoid relegation. Though the club have the benefit of an 80-year ground-sharing agreement with Saints, they have been unable to re-locate to the new stadium at Langtree Park and having spent over two seasons sharing Ashton Town’s ground at Edge Green Street a new ground share agreement has been brokered with fellow Premier Division side Ashton Athletic to cover their immediate future as plans for a return to St Helens continue.

Club Honours: 1949 George Mahon Trophy Winners

1951 Lancs Comb Division 2 Champions 1972 Lancs Combination Champions 1973 Bass Charrington Cup Winners 1978 St Helens Hospital Cup Winners

1979 St Helens Comb Division 1 Runners Up 1979 St Helens Hospital Cup Runners Up 1980 St Helens Comb Division 1 Champions 1985 NWCFL Reserve Division 2 Runners Up 1986 NWCFL Reserve Division 1 Runners Up

1987 FA Vase Winners (Wembley) 1994 League Challenge Cup Finalists

1994 NWCFL Reserve Division Runners Up 1995 NWCFL Reserve Division Champions 1996 NWCFL Reserve Division Runners Up

1998 Floodlit Trophy Finalists 1999 REALCO Fair Play Award Winners 2009 Bert Trautmann Trophy Winners

Record Appearances: Allan Wellens Record Goal Scorer: Steve Pennington

Record Attendances:

4000 at Hoghton Road v Manchester City 1723 at Knowsley Road v FC Utd Manchester 9000 at Prescot Cables v Runcorn (1949)

Programme Awards

1993-94 NWCFL Programme of the Year 1995-96 NWCFL Programme of the Year 1997-98 NWCFL Programme of the Year 1998-99 NWCFL Programme of the Year 1999-00 NWCFL Programme of the Year 2000-01 NWCFL Programme of the Year

2009-10 NWCFL Premier Division 2010-11 NWCFL Premier Division 2011-12 NWCFL Premier Division 2012-13 NWCFL Premier Division

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



Hearts and Goals . . . St Helens Town has a new high-profile national charity partner for the 2013/14 season after joining up with Hearts & Goals, a lifesaving campaign for which Fabrice Muamba is ambassador. The club has forged a new partnership with Arrhythmia Alliance, the charity behind Hearts & Goals,a national campaign to tackle the UK’s biggest killer sudden cardiac arrest, by helping communities place lifesaving public-access

AEDs (automated external defibrillators). The campaign’s ambassador, former Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba, suffered a sudden cardiac arrest on the football pitch in March 2012 and went on to make a remarkable recovery thanks to prompt treatment with CPR and an AED. Everyone at the club was so moved by his experiences and the work he and the charity has done through Hearts & Goals, Town want to raise as much money as possible for the campaign by holding a series of fundraising events throughout the season and beyond, as well as dedicating a percentage of all incoming sponsorship deals to the charity. Sudden cardiac arrest claims 100,000 lives in the UK every year and AEDs, like the one used on Fabrice on the pitch at White Hart Lane, increase a person’s chance of surviving from just 5% to 50% if they suffer a sudden cardiac arrest. The devices do not require training and can be used by anyone to shock a person’s heart back into its normal rhythm in the event of someone suffering a sudden cardiac arrest. Arrhythmia Alliance has already helped communities up and down the UK place public-access AEDs as part of Hearts & Goals. The devices are placed in secure cabinets which are logged with local ambulance services and available to anyone in the community 24/7. In the event of an emergency anyone who phones 999 is then given immediate access to the lifesaving defibrillator. St Helens Town Commercial Manager, Darryl Picton, said: “The idea to forge this partnership came from Fabrice’s story. “Never before have I witnessed such an event that has brought football fans, clubs and



. . . Our Charity Partner players together in support of one man as what happened on that horrific day at White Hart Lane. The story touched the hearts of everyone and transcended sport. Those events really hit home to everyone at St Helens Town how quickly and unexpectedly tragedy can strike in a community and having access to this essential equipment will save hundreds of lives. “We are proud to be associated with Hearts and Goals and with Fabrice, and we will work tirelessly throughout the year to raise every penny possible for the campaign.”

Trudie Lobban MBE, Founder and CEO of Arrhythmia Alliance, said: “We are absolutely delighted St Helens Town AFC have chosen our Hearts & Goals campaign as their official

charity campaign. “Hearts & Goals focuses on tackling the UK’s biggest killer, sudden cardiac arrest, which kills 100,000 people in the UK every year. We have already been able to help communities up and down the country place lifesaving AEDs (automated external defibrillators) and with partners like St Helens we can continue this work. “It is clear all involved at the club are very passionate about the campaign and we are delighted to welcome them on board.” A host of fundraising events are already planned throughout the year, including a a Race Night on Saturday 26th October and Comedy & Curry Night on Saturday 7th December. For full details of events or to make a donation to the campaign contact Darryl Picton on 07908 833 554 or by email at [email protected] Visit www.heartsandgoals.org for more information.



Date Opponents Comp KO Result GK 2 3 4 5 6

Aug 3 NORTON UNITED NWCFL 3.00 3-3D Clark Mawdsley Harrison Williams(C)1 Coyle Cooper

Aug 6 Squires Gate NWCFL 7.45 3-0L Clark Mawdsley Harrison Wright Crompton(C) Williams

Aug 10 Winsford United NWCFL 3.00 2-1L Clark Mawdsley Judge Williams(C) Coyle Ashton

Aug 13 WIGAN ROBIN PARK NWCFL 7.45 4-1W Taylor Mawdsley1 Harrison Williams(C) Coyle Chesworth

Aug 17 ASHTON ATHLETIC FAC EPR 3.00 2-2D Taylor Mawdsley Harrison1 Williams(C) Coyle Ashton

Aug 17 Ashton Athletic FAC Rep 7.45 1-0L Taylor Mawdsley Harrison Williams Crompton(C) Ashton

Aug 24 MAINE ROAD NWCFL 3.00 0-5L Taylor Mawdsley Harrison Crompton(C) Williams Ashton

Aug 27 Barnoldswick Town NWCFL 7.45 1-2W Taylor Mawdsley Judge1 Crompton(C) Coyle Wright

Aug 31 ALSAGER TOWN NWCFL 3.00 0-3L Taylor Tingay Judge C.Williams Coyle Sykes-Wright

Sep 7 Pontefract Collieries FAV 1QR 3.00 2-0L Taylor Tingay Judge Barber Coyle Chesworth(C)

Sep 12 AFC Liverpool NWCFL 7.45 3-0L Gibson Pullinger Judge(C) Curzon Coyle Ashton

Sep 21 Abbey Hey NWCFL 3.00 1-1D Gibson Pullinger Harrison Coyle Curzon Ashton

Sep 24 Bootle NWCFL 7.45 1-2W Gibson Pullinger Harrison Coyle Crompton(C) Parish

Sep 28 BACUP & ROSS BORO NWCFL 3.00 1-1D Gibson Sykes-Wright Harrison Mawdsley(C) Coyle Parish

Oct 1 Runcorn Linnets NWCFL 7.45 1-1D Gibson Tingay Judge Mawdsley(C) Coyle Ashton Sykes

Oct 5 Glossop North End NWCFL 3.00 2-3W Gibson Tingay Judge1 Mawdsley(C) Coyle Ashton Sykes

Oct 8 SQUIRES GATE NWCFL 7.45 5-0W Gibson Tingay Judge1 Mawdsley(C) Coyle Ashton Sykes

Oct 12 W DIDS & CHORLTON NWCFL 3.00 3-0W Gibson Tingay Judge Mawdsley(C) Coyle Ashton SykesOct 19 SILSDEN NWCFL 3.00 2-0A Gibson Tingay Judge Mawdsley(C) Coyle Parish Sykes

Oct 22 CONGLETON TOWN NWCFL 7.45 1-1D Gibson Tingay Judge Mawdsley(C) Coyle Parish1 Sykes

Oct 26 ALSAGER TOWN Lge Cup 2 3.00

Oct 29 BARNOLDSWICK TOWN NWCFL 7.45

Nov 2 Bacup & Ross Borough NWCFL 3.00

Nov 9 AFC BLACKPOOL NWCFL 3.00

Nov 12 WINSFORD UNITED NWCFL 7.45

Nov 23 STOCKPORT SPORTS NWCFL 3.00

Nov 26 BOOTLE NWCFL 7.45

Nov 30 West Didsbury & Chorlton NWCFL 3.00

Dec 3 Wigan Robin Park NWCFL 7.45

Dec 7 COLNE NWCFL 3.00

Dec 14 Silsden NWCFL 3.00

Dec 21 TBA NWCFL 3.00

Dec 26 Ashton Athletic NWCFL 3.00

Jan 4 RUNCORN TOWN NWCFL 3.00

Jan 11 Norton United NWCFL 3.00

Jan 18 ABBEY HEY NWCFL 3.00

Jan 25 Runcorn Town NWCFL 3.00

Feb 1 Alsager Town NWCFL 3.00

Feb 8 RUNCORN LINNETS NWCFL 3.00

Feb 15 Stockport Sports NWCFL 3.00 Mar 1 Colne NWCFL 3.00

Mar 29 AFC LIVERPOOL NWCFL 3.00

Apr 12 AFC Blackpool NWCFL 3.00

Apr 19 GLOSSOP NORTH END NWCFL 3.00

Apr 21 ASHTON ATHLETIC NWCFL 3.00

Apr 26 Maine Road NWCFL 3.00

Name1 Player name and number of goals scored

Name Player name and CAUTION

Name Player name and DISMISSAL

Name10 Player name and number of replaced player

Name Player name and DISMISSAL FOR 2 CAUTIONS

2013-14 Fixtures, Facts and Figures . . .



14 Fixtures, Facts and Figures . . . 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 15 16 17

Weaver Wright Milne Sanderson Judge Pullinger Ross Bowen Owens61 Edwards71

Ashton Judge Edwards Milne Sanderson Pullinger Weaver11 Coyle5 Cooper Bowen9

Cooper1 Wright Milne Sanderson Etchells Pullinger Bowen7 Ross11 Chesworth Weaver9

Ashton Judge Cook-Hannah Sanderson1 Milne2 Pullinger10 Wright Bowen Weaver11 Edwards9

Cooper Judge Milne Cook-Hannah Etchells Finlay Pullinger Edwards10 Weaver71 Ross

Weaver Judge Cook-Hannah Sanderson Milne Pullinger/Ross Cooper/Wright Sykes-Wright Edwards9 Coyle10

Weaver Judge Cook-Hannah Sanderson Milne Pullinger Edwards Etchells Coyle Wright9

Weaver Parish Bergqvist Cook-Hannah1 P.Williams C.Williams4 Edwards Sanderson Milne10 Ashton7

Weaver Parish Bergqvist Cook-Hannah(C) P.Williams Edwards10 Chesworth6 Sanderson11 Milne Ashton

Weaver Parish Bergqvist Cook-Hannah Ashton Edwards9 Sanderson10 Milne11 C.Williams Sykes-W

Sanderson Parish Storey Wright Weaver Sykes-Wright10 Cook-Hannah Bergqvist7 Milne Barber

Sanderson Wright Cook-Hannah Milne1 Judge(C) Mawdsley2 Sykes-Wright7 C.Williams Weaver Crompton

Judge1 D.Owens Milne Cook-Hannah Ashton Sykes-Wright Wright Storey101 Mawdsley5 Sanderson8

Ashton D.Owens1 Cook-Hannah Milne Judge Tingay C.Williams Storey9 Weaver10 Sanderson8

Sykes-Wright D.Owens Storey1 Gillespie Sanderson Cook-Hannah Curzon Weaver11 Barber Wright10

Sykes-Wright1 D.Owens Storey Gillespie1 Sanderson Parish8 Wright7 Bailey Weaver11

Sykes-Wright D.Owens Storey Gillespie1 Sanderson3 Parish6 Pullinger Weaver Wright8 Milne9

Sykes-Wright D.Owens Storey Gillespie3 Sanderson Parish7 Weaver11 Crompton Pullinger Milne10

Sykes-Wright D.Owens Storey Gillespie2 Sanderson Milne Pullinger Wright Weaver Crompton

Sykes-Wright D.Owens Storey Gillespie Sanderson Milne Wright6 Pullinger11 Weaver Crompton



St Helens Town AFC . . . St Helens Town Statistical History by Glyn Jones

Part 16 – Season 1962/63 - LANCASHIRE COMBINATION DIVISION 2

Final League Table P W D L F A Pts

Crompton’s Recs. 38 29 5 4 138 52 63

Droylsden 38 27 6 5 124 31 60

Morecambe Reserves 38 23 6 9 93 46 52

Barrow Reserves 38 24 3 11 91 52 51

Great Harwood 38 22 7 9 121 77 51

Horwich RMI Reserves 38 21 6 11 100 58 48

Chorley Reserves 38 21 5 12 94 63 47

Accrington Stanley Reserves 38 19 7 12 99 66 45

Glossop 38 15 9 14 75 73 39

St. Helens Town 38 16 6 16 59 58 38

Blackpool Mechanics 38 14 10 14 67 84 38

Rolls Royce 38 13 8 17 82 101 34

Netherfield Reserves 38 11 10 17 72 84 32

Wigan Rovers 38 10 10 18 73 98 30

Northern Nomads 38 10 8 20 64 93 28

Padiham 38 11 6 21 70 109 28

Lancaster City Reserves 38 9 6 23 67 111 24

Nelson Reserves 38 8 4 26 47 114 20

Vulcan Institute 38 9 1 28 74 137 19

Prescot Cables Reserves 38 5 3 30 40 143 13

Opponents Home Result Away Result

Accrington Stanley Reserves Apr 25 Won 5-1 Dec 26 Lost 0-1

Barrow Reserves Nov 3 Won 3-0 Mar 9 Drew 0-0

Blackpool Mechanics Apr 13 Lost 0-1 Oct 13 Won 2-0

Chorley Reserves Dec 1 Drew 1-1 Apr 6 Won 2-1

Crompton’s Recs. Aug 25 Won 3-1 Apr 17 Lost 0-3

Droylsden May 23 Won 2-0 Sep 15 Lost 2-5

Glossop May 4 Won 3-1 May 11 Lost 1-2

Great Harwood May 20 Lost 1-3 May 6 Lost 1-3

Horwich RMI Reserves Mar 16 Lost 1-4 Nov 10 Lost 0-2

Lancaster City Reserves May 2 Won 3-0 Apr 27 Lost 3-5

Morecambe Reserves Oct 20 Lost 0-1 Feb 22 Lost 0-3

Nelson Reserves Mar 30 Won 3-1 Nov 24 Drew 0-0

Netherfield Reserves May 9 Drew 0-0 Dec 8 Lost 2-3

Northern Nomads Nov 17 Won 4-1 Mar 23 Lost 0-3

Padiham Apr 12 Won 3-2 Apr 15 Lost 0-2

Prescot Cables Reserves May 16 Won 3-0 Oct 13 Won 1-0

Rolls Royce Sep 29 Won 5-2 Feb 16 Lost 0-3

Vulcan Institute Dec 15 Won 2-1 Aug 18 Won 1-0

Wigan Rovers May 18 Drew 2-2 May 13 Drew 0-0



. . . Season 1962-63 Player App Goals

Barnes, R (Dickie) 19 3

Berry, Eddie 18 5

Boardman, Stan 22 8

Cooke, John 20 1

Critchley, John 43

Fairweather, Ray 37 8

Farley 10 1

Formby 2

Forshaw, Jack 1

Gaskin 1

Gilliker, Arthur 10 3

Green 43

Gregson, Terry 29

Hawkins 1

Holden, Brian 2

Ireland, Ronnie 6

Lonergan 8 2

McLaughlin, Andy 1

Maloney, Derek 41 9

Morrison 2

Payne 4 1

Pennington, Joe 12

Pennington, W (Bill) 21

Robertson, Dave 18

Sharples, Gerry 19 8

Slade 30

Smith, Ron 23 9

Thomas, Roy 8

Underdown, Ivan 1

Williams 10 5

Woods, Alan 11

Own goals 1

Unknown 4

Totals 473 68

FA CUP

Sep 8 1st Qualifying Round Earlestown (A) Won 3-1

Sep 22 2nd Qualifying Round South Liverpool (H) Won 2-1

Oct 6 3rd Qualifying Round Altrincham (H) Lost 1-3

LANCASHIRE JUNIOR CUP

Jan 26 1st Round Morecambe (A) Lost 2-5

LANCASHIRE COMBINATION CUP

Sep 1 1st Round Droylsden (A) Lost 1-2

LIVERPOOL NON-LEAGUE CUP

No records available





Reserve Team News . . .

DATE TIME HOME AWAY VENUE

Cup 26/10/2013 14:00 St Helens Town Res Kirkby Town Railway Windleshaw Sports Ground

Cup 02/11/2013 LCFA Junior Cup 3rd Round TBC

L 09/11/2013 14:00 Belfry St Helens Town Res

DIVISION THREE P W D L F A 1 Hales Res 10 8 2 0 32 13

2 South Liverpool Res 11 8 1 2 40 16

3 St Helens Town Res 12 7 4 1 26 17 4 Rainhill Town 11 6 4 1 38 10

5 Capenhurst Villa Res 12 7 1 4 29 18

6 Bootle Res 11 7 1 3 24 17 7 Ford Motors 11 6 3 2 31 15

8 Belfry 10 6 0 4 24 16

9 Kirkby Town Railway 9 4 4 1 33 18

10 Chester Nomads Res 13 5 1 7 23 31 11 Widnes Vikings Res 11 3 2 6 18 33

12 Neston Nomads 11 2 1 8 23 38

13 Christleton Res 11 2 0 9 13 34 14 *Marshalls Res 12 3 0 9 22 43

15 Merseyside Police 10 1 0 9 11 37

16 Upton A.A. Res 11 1 0 10 6 37

GD Pts 19 26

24 25

9 25 28 22

11 22

7 22 16 21

8 18

15 16

-8 16 -15 11

-15 7

-21 6 -21 6

-26 3

-31 3

St Helens Town Reserves After a series of ‘top of the table clashes’ for Town Reserves which have seen them take four points from South Liverpool Res and suffer their only defeat of the campaign losing 1-3 at home to Hale Reserves it’s cup action at the moment. The Reserves travelled to St Helens Combination outfit Clock Face FC in Liverpool Junior Cup 2nd Round last Saturday running out 1-3 winners with goals from Joe McKeegan and Adam Owens (2). Saturday they host Kirkby Town Railway in the West Cheshire League Shield 1st Round.

DATE TIME HOME AWAY

L 21/09/2013 15:00 NESTON NOMADS 1 - 2 ST HELENS TOWN RES

L 14/09/2013 15:00 KIRKBY TOWN RAILWAY 3 - 3 ST HELENS TOWN RES

L 07/09/2013 15:00 ST HELENS TOWN RES 3 - 3 CHESTER NOMADS RES

L 04/09/2013 18:15 MARSHALLS RES 2 - 3 ST HELENS TOWN RES

L 30/08/2013 18:15 ST HELENS TOWN RES 2 - 1 BOOTLE RES

L 27/08/2013 18:15 MERSEYSIDE POLICE 1 - 3 ST HELENS TOWN RES

L 19/08/2013 18:30 ST HELENS TOWN RES 2 - 2 WIDNES VIKINGS RES

L 16/08/2013 18:30 CHRISTLETON RES 0 - 2 ST HELENS TOWN RES

L 09/08/2013 18:30 ST HELENS TOWN RES 3 - 0 RAINHILL TOWN

L 28/09/2013 15:00 ST HELENS TOWN RES 2 - 1 SOUTH LIVERPOOL RES

L 05/10/2013 15:00 ST HELENS TOWN RES 1 - 3 HALE RES

L 12/10/2013 15:00 SOUTH LIVERPOOL RES 0 - 0 ST HELENS TOWN RES

C 19/10/2013 14:00 CLOCK FACE FC 1-3 ST HELENS TOWN RES





Head to Head Results . . . NW Counties

Football League

Premier Division

RESULTS GRID

Up to Wed 23.10.13

Abbey Hey

AFC Blackpool

AFC Liverpool

Alsager Town

Ashton Athletic

Bacup & Ross Boro

Barnoldswick Town

Bootle

Colne

Congleton Town

Glossop North End

Main Road

Norton United

Runcorn Linnets

Runcorn Town

Silsden

Squires Gate

St Helens Town

Stockport Sports

West Dids & Chorlton

Wigan Robin Park

Winsford United

AFC Blackpool

3-3

1-0

1-3

3-0

1-1

1-2

3-2

AFC Liverpool

4-0

1-1

2-0

2-3

0-4

3-0

6-0

Alsager Tow

n 1-3

0-1

1-4

0-4

1-2

2-0

Ashton Athletic

0-1

1-2

1-1

2-1

2-2

4-0

Bacup & Rossendale Borough

0-0

1-2

1-1

0-2

0-2

1-1

0-4

3-0

1-2

Barno

ldsw

ick Tow

n

1-2

1-1

2-3

1-1

0-2

4-0

1-2

2-1

Bootle

2-1

4-0

2-0

2-1

2-4

1-2

5-0

5-0

0-1

Colne

2-0

2-0

0-4

1-0

1-2

0-1

3-1

5-1

Congleton Tow

n

4-2

1-0

3-2

2-1

3-1

4-2

2-3

Glossop

North End

0-1

3-2

0-1

2-3

1-0

5-0

Maine

Road

3-1

0-1

1-0

7-0

0-0

2-2

2-1

1-1

5-0

3-0

Norton United

2-0

3-1

4-2

3-1

0-2

4-1

4-2

1-0

Runcorn Linne

ts

1-3

4-2

3-1

2-1

1-5

1-1

2-1

Runcorn Tow

n

2-1

4-1

4-2

4-1

4-1

2-0

1-1

Silsden

4-1

3-2

0-2

1-3

1-3

1-0

2-2

1-0

Squires Gate

2-2

1-1

4-0

2-1

0-1

3-2

3-0

0-2

St H

elen

s Tow

n

0-3

1-1

1-1

0-5

3-3

5-0

3-0

4-1

Stockpo

rt Sports

1-1

2-1

0-2

0-3

5-5

0-2

0-0

1-1

3-0

West D

idsbury & Cho

rlton

2-0

1-3

0-0

0-1

1-0

1-3

2-2

1-2

Wigan Robin Park

0-8

2-3

2-4

3-2

0-1

1-1

3-4

1-3

Winsford United

1-2

0-2

1-1

1-1

0-3

2-1

2-1

Abbey Hey

1-4

2-2

2-1

1-2

1-3

2-1

0-3

1-1

0-3





Tea Break Teasers . . .

Player Profile Ciaran Gibson (Goalkeeper)

Date of Birth: 13th July 1994 Height: 6ft 4 inches Weight: 92kg Still only 19 years old Ciaran Gibson has had an impressive football career to date. As a youth he was selected for both the England Schools u18 FA national squad and the Northern Ireland u17 national training squad. En route Ciaran disregarded Pro Club Scholarships in favour of completing his A Levels and the reason he is now a Sport Scholar at the University of Liverpool. At 16 he made his debut in non-league football in the Northern Counties East League and was soon signed by FC Halifax Town. On moving to Liverpool he played for local rivals Prescot Cables but is currently on loan at St Helens Town as the ex Man United keeper Nick Culkin returned from injury. Ciaran has also been scouted by pro clubs and after a trial at Tranmere Rovers, in a development arrangement; they invited him to train with them

Q1. Michael Owen won the Ballon d’Or when with Liverpool in 2001 but who was the last Liverpool player before him to win it back in 1979?

Q2. Who is the only non-Englishman to have worn the Number 8 Shirt for Liverpool in the Premier League?

Q3. Who is the only non-Englishman to have worn the Number 2 Shirt for Everton in the Premier League?

Q4. Which two players did Liverpool receive British record transfer fee’s for?

Q5. Which is the only club to have appeared in an FA Trophy Final and played in the Premier League?

Q6. Which West Ham United manager signed Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano?

Q7. Who was the first Spanish player to win a Premier League Winners medal?

Q8. Which club won the FA Cup three times in the 1950’s?

Q9. Which two clubs supplied the most players for England’s 1970 World Cup Finals squad?

Q10. Which midfielder moved from Liverpool to Chelsea for £5.5m in July 2010?

Q11. Who moved from Everton to Sunderland for just over £1m in August 2003?

Q12. Which four teams have won all three of UEFA’s club competitions, European Cup/Champions League, Europa League/UEFA Cup & Cup Winners Cup?

Q13. What record does England’s Peter Shilton share with France’s Fabien Barthez?

Q14. Who joined Liverpool from Newcastle United in July 1999 for £8m?

Q15. Which player did David Beckham kick when he got sent off for England against Argentina in the 1998 World Cup?

1) Kevin Keegan 2) Oyvind Leonhardsen 3) Alec Cleland 4) Keegan £500k from Hamburg in 1977 and Ian Rush £3.2m from Juventus in 1987 5) Wigan Athletic 6) Alan Pardew 7) Jose Antonio Reyes 8) Newcastle United 51,52 & 55 9) Everton & Leeds supplied 4 each 10) Yossi Benayoun 11) Gavin McCann 12) Juventus, Ajax, Bayern Munich & Chel-sea 13) Record number of clean sheets in World Cup Final Tournaments 14) Dietmar Hamann 15) Diego Simeone



St Helens Town AFC . . . Between 1946 and 1962 the club, like many, didn’t have a ‘manager’. Town officials would liaise with first and reserve team captains over team selection. In 1962-63 ‘First Manager’ Pat Murphy came from Burscough with a nucleus of his team which won the Lancashire Combination Division One title for Burscough but the formulae didn’t work for Town despite financial backing of a brand new 200 seat supporters club opened by John Connelly in spring of 1962. 1963-64 Sam Cottingham came after success with Pilkington's in a move to rebalance the squad with more local players. 1964-66 Jimmy McKiernan became the club's first commercial manager and team boss after arriving from Earlestown via a successful playing career which included a spell on the North Wales circuit. 1966-68 Jackie Dewsnip, cousin of Town player Jimmy Dewsnip who along with the latter’s son Neil meant the Haydock based family served Town well over a couple of decades. 1968-71 Peter Jones took the reigns in the wake of the Northern Premier League being formed which reduced Town’s league (Lancs Combination) to one division. He moved on after three years to a position on the staff of Preston North End. 1971-77 Alan Hampson arrived from South Liverpool after a distinguished playing career at Holly Park and became a mini ‘Messiah’ as Town won the Lancs Combination title in 1972 along with the Bass Charrington and Watson trophy in quick succession. He also oversaw Town’s step into the Cheshire County League in 1975 as by then, the Lancashire Comb had become a pale imitation of its former self. 1977-79 The aforementioned Jimmy Dewsnip took the reigns after ‘Hampy’ had moved on and became the first ex Town player to become manager. He combined this with work for the Liverpool County FA with the latter eventually claiming his services after two years. 1979-80 Player manager Geoff Robinson hailed from the new overspill at Laffak where he also ran the increasingly successful ‘Starting Gate’ pub team in the blossoming new Sunday League. Many of his squad were ‘Town’ players but the ‘conflict’ of interests was seen as detrimental to the senior club. 1980-82 Jack Prytherch had been at Wigan Athletic and he brought in players from that area including new club skipper, his son in law, Steve Murfin. Jack’s reign saw the formation of the North West Counties League and Town’s first season was a struggle in the new league’s top flight resulting in a change in mid-term. 1982-84 Peter Rutherford. After the success of Alan Hampson a decade earlier, the Town board returned to South Liverpool again for their next appointment. Peter Rutherford was number two at Holly Park at the time but he also found it hard going in the NWCFL inaugural season and his charges only escaped relegation on a ‘technicality’. Things got a little better the following season and he bowed out just before glory arrived. 1984-87 Alan Wellens had skippered Town’s Lancs Combination title team and went on to become the club’s top appearances holder after making his debut at Great Harwood in 1966. His playing career was ended by a broken leg against Hyde in 1981 at Hoghton Road. Alan went on to Town history with the club’s historic journey to Wembley in 1987 before he and the vast majority of the FA Vase winning side sought pastures new. 1987-92 Alan Aspinall

Allan Wellens receiving the Lancs

Combination Championship Trophy



(pictured below) took over the mantle of manager following the departure of the Vase squad and management team having been Reserve team boss and spent a successful five seasons in charge. 1992-93 Mick Holgate (pictured right) presided over just one season at Hoghton Road before moving on to Leigh RMI. 1993-2002 Jimmy McBride stepped up from his position as Reserve team boss to take the reigns of the first team for almost a decade which saw the club’s move from Hoghton Road to Saints. Took the club to its first cup final since the visit to Wembley but lost out in the League Cup and Floodlit Trophy finals in the mid 1990s. 2002-2003 John Davison and Peter King arrived from Burscough

having presided over a very successful period in the ‘Linnets’ history. After a disappointing first campaign despite significant financial backing the club’s need to tighten the purse strings led to the pair’s departure at the start of the 2003 campaign, along with most of the squad. 2003-04 Ex-Everton professional Paul Lodge became Town manager as the club reeled from financial cuts but unfortunately his youthful side struggled at the bottom of the league and he was replaced in January 2004. 2004-05 Former Town ‘keeper Joe Paladino took over the reigns from Lodge and secured the club’s safety from relegation before going to challenge for the title during most of 2004-05. Joe resigned in March 2005. 2005-06 Assistant to Paladino, Joe Gibiliru took over the manager’s position and presided over a period of on the field stability for the club before resigning in September 2006. 2006-07 Alex Wright, who had previously been assistant manager to Paul Lodge returned to the club as manager but his tenure was short-lived as family commitments led to him stepping down in September 2007. 2007-08 John Fletcher, Wright’s assistant, was given managerial responsibility and he steered the club away from the relegation battle with a 19th place finish at the end of 2006-7. Despite the club’s off the field problems and financial difficulties the following season saw Fletcher’s charges finish fourteenth after only one defeat in the last nine games. However Town remained rooted in a relegation spot for most of the following season and Fletcher departed with weeks of the season remaining. 2009 – 2010 Gary Bickerstaffe was appointed in March 2009 and secured the club’s safety with some ease recording six victories from the final eight games. Bickerstaffe’s fine form as manager continued

throughout 2009-10 eventually finishing in 9th place. 2010 – 2011 Lee Riley steps up from assistant manager when Gary Bickerstaffe steps down at the end of the 2009-10. Lee resigned in March 2011 due to work commitments and Iain Dyson took over the managerial reigns before he too stepped down at the end of the season. 2011-12 season saw Jimmy McBride make a return to Town but it proved a difficult season and Town parted company with him as we narrowly avoided relegation. 2012 - present Ian Granite (pictured left) became manager following success with neighbours Wigan Robin Park FC. A challenging 2012-13 season saw Town eventually steer clear of relegation, in doing so maintaining their unique 30 year stay in the North West Counties League top division.

Many thanks to Jim Barrett and Eric Bond for their input in compiling the information.

. . . Managers 1946-Present





Alsager Town Stats . . .

Date Opposition H/A KO/Score Goalscorers

Sat 03/08/13 Silsden H L 1-2 Leigh Skellern (2)

Tue 06/08/13 West Didsbury & Chorlton H W 2-0 James Hampson (43)

Leigh Skellern (89p)

Sat 10/08/13 Wigan Robin Park A W 3-2

Chris Lunn (22)

Chris Lunn (65)

Reiss Lee (88)

Tue 13/08/13 Norton United A L 2-4 Own Goal (7)

Chris Lunn (44)

Sat 17/08/13 Atherton Collieries (FA Challenge Cup EP)

H L 1-3 Joel Mill (75)

Tue 20/08/13 Ashton Athletic A Postp

Sat 24/08/13 Bootle H L 1-4 Ryan Connor (8)

Tue 27/08/13 Runcorn Linnets A L 2-4 Ryan Connor (40)


Sat 31/08/13 St Helens Town A W 3-0

Nathan McDonald (42)


Cameron Mitchell (89)

Sat 07/09/13 Bacup & Rossendale Boro A D 1-1 Leigh Skellern (52)

Sat 14/09/13 Abbey Hey H L 1-3 Tom Parkes (12)

Sat 21/09/13 Chadderton

(FA Carlsberg Vase 2Q) H L 0-1

Sat 28/09/13 Stockport Sports A L 1-2 Nathan McDonald (63)

Tue 01/10/13 Winsford United A D 1-1 Reiss Lee (86)

Sat 05/10/13 AFC Blackpool H L 0-1

Tue 08/10/13 West Didsbury & Chorlton A D 0-0

Sat 12/10/13 Silsden A L 2-3 Jordan Flattley (15)

Own Goal (80)

Sat 19/10/13 Colne H L 0-4





NWCFL News . . . NWCFL resident blogger and Atherton Collieries Secretary Emil Anderson takes a nostalgic look back to a famous footballing institution . . . I was at home bored. I was sat on my trusty settee watching Sky Sports News. Natalie Sawyer was on, I am sure you will agree she is always good viewing but the News was on its usual loop. I could act the various interviews and news clips. I flicked the internet on and Googled The Bolton Football Combination. As a kid of the ‘70s, my first interaction with The Bolton Comb was when my dad briefly managed Eagley Mills before going back to his life long love Atherton Collieries FC. I also voraciously read the back page reports of the day’s games in the much missed Buff (the Saturday evening sports paper produced by the Bolton Evening News). The reports only lasted 20/30 words and were only up to half time but then there were the final scores in the stop press. Seminal reading for amateur players and supporters around the Bolton conurbation. Where did it all go wrong for the Bolton Combination? I have the 1996/97 Handbook in my mitt and there were 37 teams listed over 3 divisions, plus 13 Reserve Teams in the North West Alliance Division. Big non league names like Altrincham and Chorley are amongst the number. I don’t have the answer. I appreciate clubs like Colls, LR, Daisy Hill, Ramsbottom United and Eagley jumped ship to play in other leagues which stretched beyond the Bolton area but to see the league disappear all together was not on the agenda in 1996/97. In fact, in the Chairman’s Handbook notes, he states he is justly proud of the league which goes from strength to strength and the endeavour was to recapture the glories of the past. From 1912-13 when Turton were the first Comb team to win the prestigious Lancashire Amateur Shield to 1989/90 when Walkden Town fetched the silverware home, the Comb won it 24 times. Fourteen different sides from the league won the competition including the evocatively named Back Street Rovers. That will be the name of my next fantasy football outfit. In the 20’s and 30’s, the league won the competition 6 times in each decade. The league was feared all over the North West. As I said I don’t have the answers to the demise of The Comb and various other leagues. This is more of a small celebration of the Bolton and District Amateur Football Combination, to give it the full title. To finish I take it back to the top, my Google search basically came up blank. As far as the worldwide web is concerned, The Bolton Comb is virtually invisible. In a world where you can find anything and everything on your computer/tablet/phone within seconds, the lack of info on a once mighty league is astounding and very sad. Maybe one day somebody will write a definitive history of the competition, but where to find the info would be a conundrum.

Emil





We’ve Met Before . . .

Action from last season’s home fixture (Edge Green Street, Ashton) v Alsager Town



Back to Business . . . It’s been another eventful week on and off the pitch at St Helens Town and it is often said in football that cup games come as a welcome distraction from the league campaign. But with our recent rich run of form, in many ways breaking away from league action is a real shame. But the League Challenge Cup is a great competition and one that in our current vein of form we can realistically progress, and that’s exactly what I hope we can do today. First, I would like to welcome our visitors from Alsager to Brocstedes for the second time already this season. Our last meeting was a disappointing 0-3 defeat for us at a time when we were struggling to gain any momentum and I would hope we can put that right today with a strong performance and a reversal of the last result. Confidence is high and credit must go to our manager Ian Granite. Ian has endured some difficult periods during his time as manager but he has always dug in and fought to improve the clubs fortunes when many may have walked away and he richly deserves the plaudits for our current form. Unbeaten in nine games with some stunning victories he must surely be a candidate for October’s Manager of the Month award for the NWCFL Premier Division. Last Saturday saw some very surreal scenes at Brocstedes as Town took on our visitors from Silsden. With just 5 minutes remaining and Town 2-0 to the good and well on top, a torrential thunderstorm caused the match to be abandoned. After the rain passed over the pitch was in no state to continue and the officials had no choice but to call off the game with the result in the balance. We must now wait to see if the leagues panel will award us the result. Tuesday night however was a different affair altogether. A very physical and well drilled Congleton side came to Brocstedes and gave us a real fight. Our visitors played some slick football and dominated possession for significant periods but Town soaked up pressure resolutely and always looked a threat in the final third. In the end a 1-1 draw was a satisfactory point in the bag. Away from the pitch the club has a number of events in the pipeline starting this very evening with our annual Race Night back home in St Helens. Then on Sunday the 17th November we will be taking part in The Bert Trautmann Memorial Game against a Manchester City Former Players XI at Hope Street, Prescot. This game will be a great occasion to mark the passing of our legendary Club President and we invite supporters and officials of all our NWCFL friends to join us to celebrate the contribution to English football of this iconic man. This past week would have been Bert’s 90th birthday and he and his family remain in our thoughts. Enjoy todays game and have a safe journey home.

Darryl Picton Commercial Manager







League Standings . . .

Premier Division P W D L F A GD Pts

1 Maine Road 17 11 4 2 37 16 21 37

2 AFC Liverpool 17 11 2 4 42 16 26 35

3 Runcorn Town 16 11 1 4 38 19 19 34

4 Norton United 15 9 3 3 37 19 18 30

5 Runcorn Linnets 13 9 1 3 25 20 5 28

6 Bootle 17 8 3 6 38 25 13 27

7 Colne 15 8 0 7 27 23 4 24

8 Congleton Town 14 7 2 5 26 22 4 23

9 St Helens Town 16 6 5 5 27 28 -1 23

10 AFC Blackpool 17 6 3 8 23 29 -6 21

11 Glossop North End 12 6 2 4 25 12 13 20

12 Squires Gate 16 6 2 8 25 31 -6 20

13 Barnoldswick Town 17 6 2 9 25 34 -9 20

14 Stockport Sports 17 4 7 6 26 29 -3 19

15 Silsden 15 5 4 6 21 25 -4 19

16 Ashton Athletic 14 5 3 6 22 18 4 18

17 Winsford United 14 5 2 7 15 28 -13 17

18 Abbey Hey 17 4 5 8 21 36 -15 17

19 West Didsbury &

Chorlton 16 4 3 9 15 28 -13 15

20 Bacup & Rossendale

Borough 15 3 5 7 13 21 -8 14

21 Alsager Town 15 3 3 9 20 31 -11 12

22 Wigan Robin Park 19 3 2 14 21 59 -38 11

Premier Division Table as at Wednesday 23rd October 2013

* points deducted for a breach of league rules

Monday 21st October 2013

Premier Division

Runcorn Town 2-0 Squires Gate

Tuesday 22nd October 2013

Premier Division

AFC Blackpool 1-3 Barnoldswick Tn

Alsager Town P-P Ashton Athletic

Bootle 0-1 Winsford United

Norton United 0-2 Runcorn Linnets

St Helens Town 1-1 Congleton Town

Stockport Sports 1-1 Silsden

West Didsbury & C 1-2 Glossop NE

First Division

Atherton LR 2-3 Nelson

Cheshire Senior Cup First Round

Hyde FC 5-0 Cheadle Town

Wednesday 23rd October 2013

Premier Division

AFC Liverpool 6-0 Wigan Robin Park

Bacup & Ross B P-P Maine Road

Colne 2-0 Abbey Hey

First Division

Formby 7-1 Daisy Hill

Saturday 26th October 2013

League Challenge Cup Second Round

Abbey Hey v Eccleshall

AFC Darwen v Colne

Atherton Collieries v Bacup & Ross B

Bootle v Norton United

Chadderton v Ashton Athletic

Congleton Town v Ashton Town

Glossop North End v Maine Road

Irlam v Runcorn Town

Rochdale Town v Holker Old Boys

Runcorn Linnets v Barnoldswick Tn

Silsden v Formby

Squires Gate v 1874 Northwich

St Helens Town v Alsager Town

West Didsbury & C v AFC Liverpool

Wigan Robin Park v AFC Blackpool

Winsford United v Stockport Sports

First Division

Cheadle Town v Daisy Hill

Leek CSOB v Atherton LR

Nelson v Hanley Town

Widnes Vikings v Oldham Boro



League Standings . . .

Division One P W D L F A GD Pts

1 1874 Northwich 16 10 4 2 31 15 16 34

2 Hanley Town 15 10 3 2 35 18 17 33

3 Nelson 15 10 2 3 51 28 23 32

4 Atherton Colls 14 9 4 1 43 23 20 31

5 Formby 13 7 3 3 34 17 17 24

6 Irlam 15 5 6 4 22 22 0 21

7 Ashton Town 14 5 5 4 30 28 2 20

8 Widnes Vikings 16 5 5 6 28 30 -2 20

9 Atherton LR 16 6 2 8 28 34 -6 20

10 Cheadle Town * 13 6 4 3 25 20 5 19

11 Chadderton 13 4 4 5 22 31 -9 16

12 Daisy Hill 17 5 1 11 27 46 -19 16

13 Holker Old Boys 10 3 4 3 22 20 2 13

14 AFC Darwen 13 3 4 6 23 25 -2 13

15 Oldham Boro 14 3 4 7 25 37 -12 13

16 Leek CSOB 11 3 3 5 18 16 2 12

17 Northwich Flixton Villa

15 2 3 10 24 54 -30 9

18 Rochdale Town 11 2 2 7 13 20 -7 8

19 Eccleshall 13 2 1 10 12 29 -17 7

Division One Table as at Wednesday 23rd October 2013

* points deducted for a breach of league rules

Monday 28th October 2013

Premier Division

Runcorn Town v Congleton Town

First Division

Oldham Boro v Atherton LR

Tuesday 29th October 2013

Premier Division

Abbey Hey v Winsford United

AFC Blackpool v Bootle

Alsager Town v Runcorn Linnets

Glossop North End v Stockport Sports

Norton United v Maine Road

St Helens Town v Barnoldswick Tn

West Dids & Ch v Ashton Athletic

Wigan Robin Park v Colne

First Division

Ashton Town v Atherton Collis

Holker Old Boys v AFC Darwen

Irlam v Cheadle Town

Leek CSOB v Eccleshall

Wednesday 30th October 2013

Premier Division

Silsden v Bacup & R Boro

Saturday 2nd November 2013

First Division Trophy First Round

Daisy Hill v Nelson

Eccleshall v Hanley Town

Formby v Atherton Colls

Premier Division

AFC Blackpool v Stockport Sports

Alsager Town v AFC Liverpool

Ashton Athletic v Glossop NE

Bacup & R Borough v St Helens Town

Barnoldswick Town v Abbey Hey

Bootle v Silsden

Colne v West Dids & Ch

Congleton Town v Runcorn Linnets

Maine Road v Squires Gate

Norton United v Wigan Robin Pk

Runcorn Town v Winsford United

First Division

Atherton LR v Cheadle Town

Chadderton v AFC Darwen

Holker Old Boys v Ashton Town

Oldham Boro v Northwich F Villa

Rochdale Town v 1874 Northwich

Widnes Vikings v Leek CSOB





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St Helens Town v Alsager Town

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