45 Ramsbottom United v Burscough
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Transcript of 45 Ramsbottom United v Burscough
prammynewsv BURSCOUGH25-11-14
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Good evening and welcome to the Harry
Williams Riverside Stadium for this evening’s
League Cup fixture against Burscough. We’d like to
offer a warm welcome to everyone connected
with the club and hope you all enjoy your visit and
have a safe return journey home later.
To still be involved in three cup compertions at
this stage of the season for us is a positive as we
feel winning becomes a good habit to get into, as
well as giving us the chance to get minutes for all
the lads. e main thing is that when you get a
good draw, like we have had this last week in all
three competions it brings a welcome escape from
the bread and butter of the league. Don’t get me
wrong the league is of massive importance to us,
but we also look forward to the cup games..
With us being drawn away at Banbury next
Saturday, Atherton Colls in the Lancashire trophy,
and with the winner of this evening’s game getting
the chance to pit their wits against the new Salford
City - a fixture which is very appealing for us as it
holds many connections - I’m sure the lads will be
giving everything to proceed this evening.
Saturday we welcomed Grantham Town to 'Little
Rammy' and it was another test as it was 5th v's
6th. Overall we were made up with the result - we
went in at the break 0-1 down but the message
was to stay patient, keep playing the football, and
we felt that with a little more quality in the final
third we would win the game. Fair play to the lads
as we looked a slicker, well oiled machine in the
second half, scoring three really good goals. e
only blot was the late penalty miss which would
have capped a really pleasing half for us..
Again the support on Saturday was class and
there is an atmosphere really building at home
these days. Let’s hope for some of the same
tonight. I hope you enjoy the game
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Sat 16th Aug H KING’S LYNN TOWN 2-3 322 Shenton Smalley Pugh Spencer Howson PriestleyTues 19th Aug A Workington 0-1 415 Shenton Smalley Pugh Spencer * Howson PriestleySat 23rd Aug A Rushall Olympic 4-2 161 Shenton Smalley Pugh Spencer * Howson PriestleyMon 25th Aug H NANTWICH TOWN 1-4 365 Shenton Smalley Abadaki * Spencer + Howson PriestleySat 30th Aug A FC United of Manchester 1-3 1917 Shenton Smalley Pilkington Spencer Howson WarrenderTues 2nd Sept H MARINE 3-2 250 Shenton Smalley + Pilkington Spencer Howson 1 KrouSat 6th Sept H STAMFORD 3-1 357 Shenton Smalley Pilkington Spencer + Howson 1 WarrenderWed 10th Sept A Whitby Town 0-2 265 Shenton Smalley Pilkington Spencer Howson WarrenderSat 13th Sept A Buxton FAC 1Q 2-3 261 Shenton Smalley Pilkington # Spencer Howson Warrender +Tues 16th Sept H WITTON ALBION 3-2 231 Shenton Smalley Pilkington Spencer * Howson Krou 1Sat 20th Sept A Ilkeston 4-2 422 Shenton Smalley Pugh Spencer * Howson Krou 1Tues 23rd Sept H CURZON ASHTON 1-1 309 Shenton Grayson * Pugh Spencer 1 Howson KrouSat 27th Sept A Frickley Athletic 2-4 215 Shenton Pilkington Grayson + Stopforth Howson KrouSat 4th Oct A Trafford 1-0 294 Shenton Smalley Pugh Stopforth Howson KrouSat 11th Oct H BELPER TOWN 4-2 371 Shenton Smalley Pilkington Stopforth Howson KrouSat 18th Oct H BUXTON 2-0 470 Shenton Smalley Pilkington Stopforth Howson KrouTues 21st Oct H WHITBY TOWN 4-0 237 Shenton Smalley Pilkington Stopforth Howson KrouSat 25th Oct A Marine 3-1 366 Shenton Smalley Pugh Stopforth Howson 2 RobinsonSat 1st Nov A Whitby Town FAT 1Q 2-1 233 Shenton Smalley * Pugh Stopforth Howson KrouTues 4th Nov H WORKINGTON 1-1 250 Shenton Smalley Pugh Stopforth Howson KrouSat 8th Nov A Halesowen Town 0-2 358 Shenton Smalley Pugh Stopforth Howson KrouTues 11th Nov H WEST DIDS Lancs Cup 3-0 132 Shenton Smalley Pugh Spencer 1 Robinson + KrouSat 15th Nov A Nantwich FAT 2Q 3-1 238 Shenton Smalley Pugh Stopforth Howson KrouSat 22nd Nov H GRANTHAM TOWN 3-1 351 Shenton Smalley 1 Pugh Stopforth Howson KrouTues 25th Nov H BURSCOUGH Lg CupSat 29th Nov A Banbury UnitedSat 6th Dec A Matlock TownMon 8th Dec A Atherton Collieries LancsSat 13th Dec H RUSHALL OLYMPICSat 20th Dec A King’s Lynn TownFri 26th Dec H ASHTON UNITEDSun 28th Dec H SKELMERSDALEThu 1st Jan A Nantwich TownSat 3rd Jan A Curzon AshtonSat 10th Jan H TRAFFORDSat 17th Jan A Belper TownSat 24th Jan H FRICKLEY ATHLETICSat 31st Jan A BuxtonSat 7th Feb H BLYTH SPARTANSSat 14th Feb A StamfordSat 21st Feb A StourbridgeSat 28th Feb H ILKESTONSat 7th March A Skelmersdale UnitedSat 14th March H STOURBRIDGESat 28th March A Grantham TownSat 4th April H FC UNITED OF MCRMon 6th April A Ashton UnitedSat 11th April H HALESOWEN TOWNSat 18th April A BarwellSat 25th April H MATLOCK TOWN
fixtures & results 2014/15
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Hulme 1 Burton Gaskell Robinson 1* Dean + Pilkington Slaven Abadaki + Ahmadi * CookHulme Burton Gaskell Robinson + Dean # Pilkington * Slaven + Abadaki Ahmadi # CookHulme 1+ Burton Robinson 1# Pilkington Dean 2 Abadaki * Slaven + Ahmadi # Cook WilliamsHulme Burton Robinson 1 Pilkington Dean Williams Slaven Cook * Krou + Morley
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MATCHBAL
fixtures & results 2014/15
Our Club Needs Our Help
If you can spare as little as half an hour to
help Harry Williams keep Rammy’s pitch and ground
in the impeccable condition that we’ve all
become so proud of then please just come down and
help, any day of the week from 11am onwards.
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Welcome to the Harry Williams Riverside
Stadium, and a special welcome to today’s
match officials and our visitors from West
Lancashire, Burscough.
A tasty fixture awaits tonight’s winners,
a trip to “money-bags” Salford City, and a
tie that we all would look forward to here
in Rammy, as we have had many an
entertaining battle with the Ammies over
the years.
But first of all, there’s the little matter of
Burscough to be dealt with! I suppose it all
depends which Burscough side turns up
tonight. ey lost at home to Farsley on
Saturday, yet just seven days before, as I
was away from work too late to make it to
Nantwich, I popped down to in-form
Droylsden to see Burscough deservedly
come away with all three points. e
Greens impressed me that day, so if they
turn up here with that attitude, then we
had better be on our guard. Let’s hope for
an entertaining encounter, with the Rams
hopefully venturing down to Moor Lane in
a couple of weeks time.
3G OR NOT 3G
e on-going saga relating to artificial
pitches continues to rumble.
After refusing to accept
them last season,
Conference clubs have
now had a change of
heart, and recently voted to accept them
into the competition. is was apparently
done on the understanding that the
Football League would follow suit
(pointless allowing clubs with 3G surfaces
into the Conference if they could go no
higher, was the supposition). e other
week, the Football League did vote on the
matter….and confirmed the ban! I have no
doubt a further vote will be taken soon,
and as this one was so close, I expect a
“Yes” vote will be the outcome next time.
Many still remember the original
surfaces laid in the 1980’s at such places as
Luton Town, Preston North End and
Oldham Athletic. ey were bad! But
today’s versions are miles better.
I watch a lot of Welsh football, and two
Welsh Premier League clubs have installed
the new 3G pitches this summer –
Newtown and Airbus UK – and to watch
games being played there, you could not
tell the difference between artificial and
turf.
Now that the improvements have
become so realistic, the financial benefits,
along with the lack of postponements,
really do embrace a future where such
surfaces will almost become the norm.
Yet ironically, grass pitches have also
experienced the massive strides forward
too. Bury’s pitch for years suffered criticism
(when I was a lad – OK many years ago! –
tony cunninghamand the wonderful world of
non-league football
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the Gigg Lane pitch under the stewardship of
the Marshall brothers, was recognised as one
of the finest in the land), but this summer a
new grass pitch was laid, and it looks
magnificent.
When England was on TV last week, I had to
get out of the house, so went to see some
proper football as Accrington Stanley knocked
Notts County out of the FA Cup. It wasn’t that
long ago that Stanley took deserved criticism
for the state of their playing surface. I have to
say, last week it looked amazing.
Strange isn’t it, that as progress is made with
the artificial playing surfaces, the “real thing”
has also undergone a massive transformation.
Looking at old clips of football from a
generation ago, playing surfaces that were
acceptable then would not only be frowned
upon today, but probably banned!
Whilst I expect there to be many more 3G
pitches laid in the years to come, it’s good to
know that those who wish to continue to play
on grass will also enjoy the benefits that
modern horticultural technology can bring.
Enjoy your non-league football!
Everyone loved Deepdale’splastic pitch - especiallywhen the seams startingpulling up like at QPR
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3 - 1e Harry Williams Riverside Stadium
22nd November 2014
Att: 351
Rammy Goals: Smalley (53), Hulme (64), Robinson (90)
Grantham Goals: Bilyk (11)
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It will be interesting to see in the coming weeks how the
Rams carry the weight of expectations from this result
because this was an assured win over a team on a good run.
Let it be clear that on this form the Rams are serious
challengers for promotion. ey dominated possession
throughout, but having fallen behind after only 11 minutes
to the visitors only effort on target for the next 50 minutes,
it looked as if Grantham would take the long and winding
road back to Lincolnshire with all three points. .
As is too often the goal was a function of self inflicted
harm. Grant Shenton failed to heed Steve Howson's shout
to come and get it and was fortunate to see the referee
award a corner rather than a penalty as he barrelled in to
Paul Grimes. e Rams then should have known better than
to leave a diminutive Stefan Bilyk free as a bird on the 6 yard
line with the easiest of headers.
For the remainder of the half with Tom Williams and Phil
Dean well shackled down the flanks most of the Rams play
came through Grant Spencer, but the final ball and first
touch too often went astray. He could have worked the
keeper harder when clean through only to see his shot
saved, and Phil Dean went for power rather than direction
and sliced wide from a promising position. Apart from that,
for all theirt intricate play, the Rams did not look like scoring.
Jordan Hulme was given little help and no time at all on the
ball by a pair of towering defenders and crosses went either
direct to their head, the goalkeepers hands, or for no one at
all.
ere is something about the Rams refusal to give up
though. What was looking like a very hard day turning into
a sorry night suddenly changed into renewed optimism
when seven minutes into the second half Scott Burton's
instant pass found Dominic Smalley flying into acres of
space wide on the right to send a beautiful dreamer of a shot
across the keeper and in to the corner of the net.
All of a sudden Jordan Hulme broke the chains and was
here there and everywhere. e crowd were saying that it
won't be long before a second goal and ten minutes later
Jordan Hulme obliged them with a low shot inside the near
post having wriggled and wormed his way into space on the
edge of the area.
Cedric rampages throughthe Grantham midfield tofire just wide
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Robbo bags another -we reckon he wouldprobably score even ifhe didn’t take the field
3 - 1e Harry Williams Riverside Stadium
22nd November 2014
Att: 351
Rammy Goals: Smalley (53), Hulme (64), Robinson (90)
Grantham Goals: Bilyk (11)
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Grantham abandoned their deep sitting approach in
search of an equaliser but failed to bring any sustained
pressure. On 90 minutes they were unable to get back in
response to a quick break. Hume found Jon Robinson in
the box who, untroubled by any semblance of marking,
made no mistake. ere was still a chance in added time
for more misery to be heaped on the visitors with Lee
Gaskell being unceremoniously upended in the penalty
area but Jordan Hulme's penalty ballooning over the stand
leaves the Rams searching for someone consistent from
the spot. A fourth goal would have been unfair on the
visitors who in the end were glad all over to hear the final
whistle.
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Dom’s beautiful dreamer of a shot finding the net
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OsebiAbadaki, the
Can we start by running through
where you fellas have worked before
joining Rammy.
Glenn Moses - “I started as coach at
Chadderton, then Oldham Town. Just
before joining Rammy I was managing
Atherton LR for a season. It was difficult
at LR as there was no budget, but we
managed a top ten finish which I was
really pleased with. Johnno phoned me
when John Hunter was struggling with
work commitments, and asked if I
fancied the job, so here I am!”
Darren Green - “I came in for the game
after we lost at Runcorn Town in the first
promotion season. I’d been coaching at
Glossop and had a disagreement with
the gaffer there. I got in touch with
Johnno and he asked me to go and do a
scouting job for him up at Bootle. I came
down to the next home game, met the
lads, and that was it.”
John Morrey - “I’ve been managing
Maine Road for the previous two
seasons. We finished second and then
fourth, but the frustration of losing
player after player to other teams who
wave the cheque book around is
just too much. All bar two of
our promoted side got
tempted away close-
season. You’re
constantly rebuilding
and getting nowhere. e lads deserve
the chance to progress and you can’t
stand in their way, but it is very
frustrating. Regarding Rammy, I saw an
advert on the Evostik website for a
goalkeeping coach and I got in touch. It’s
something I used to do at Maine Road as
I used to be a keeper myself.”
With the wealth of experience you’ve
all got, is it hard to work for a couple of
young upstarts like Johnno and Bernard?
John - “Not at all. My mate up at
Mossley asked me why I was going to
work with the two angriest managers in
football, but when you see how they are
in the dressing room you know straight
away that they’ve got something really
special here. It’s very different to how I’ve
ever seen it done - they really get the lads
playing for them because of who they
are and the way they are.”
Glenn - “We’re a team, and we all work
together. ey listen to what we have to
say and they value our opinion on stuff.
Bernard and Johnno are just like us.”
Darren - “ey’re learning on the job
just as we are, and we’re all improving as
we go along. ere’s no ‘us and them’, we
all work together. It’s like a big family and
we all go to everything - players’
christenings and parties and things, it’s
lovely and very different.”
the backroom boyswe talk to rammy’s accomplished
backroom coaching team
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John, you’re obviously responsible for the
goalkeeper coaching, but Darren and
Glenn, how do you split the jobbetween
you, or do you just work together?
Darren - “We get together over summer
and get the pre-season all sorted out. We’ll
have a talk with Johnno and Bernard and
see if there’s anything special that they
want us to do. Training sessions we
concentrate on being fast and expansive,
which we can do with the small training
facilities that we have. We split the warmup
between ourselves, but on the whole we
work together.”
Glenn - “ere’s no magic formula for
what we’re doing. ere’s a hell of a lot of
ability in that dressing room, and coupled
with the work that we get them doing, the
teams gets the results. e season we won
the Northwest counties we had them in
training Christmas Eve and New Years eve -
that commitment from the squad is what
gets the results, and that’s the kind of work
ethic that we try to instil in the players, and
that comes down from the top.”
We’re finding a lot of teams coming to
Rammy with pre-prepared set pieces. Do
you think that the lack of a full-size training
pitch is a big issue?
Darren - “It’s not ideal, but when we have
just a couple of hours to work with the lads,
we have to work out where the priorities lie.
At the moment we have so much to work
on that set pieces are not a huge worry, for
me at least.”
John - “Being a goalkeeping coach I can
look at it from the other side. I think we do
need to put some work into how we, for
example, run short corners so that we can
make sure players time their runs to take
players out of the game. ese things will
become more and more important the
higher we climb up the leagues.”
Glenn Moses casts his
expert eye over the lads
warming up pre-match
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Glenn - “ere’s no doubting that as
we begin to face teams like Stockport etc
we’ll need to get things like set-pieces
really nailed, but our priority at the
moment, with the limited time and
facilities we have, is to keep our football
quick, tight and dynamic. It’s that
approach which is frightening teams
that we come up against.”
Darren - “Another important thing for
us is fitness. We put the lads through a
really tough pre-season, and their fitness
is right up there with full-time
professional players. at’s a very big
thing at this level, particularly with the
ability that these lads have got.”
John - “Johnno said to me, and you can
see it, that the footballing side of the
club has come a very long way in a very
short time, and the club infrastructure
has quite a bit of catching up to do - I
think that’s probably true. Decent
training facilities has to be part of that
catching up, even if it’s just now and
again.”
“If we manage some consistency then whycan’t we inish top three this season?”
UEFA B trained coach
Darren Green, part of
Rammy’s expert
backroom team
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Predictions for the finish of the season -
where do you think Rammy will finish up
come May?
Glenn - “Beginning of the season I
would have said that we could be looking
at the playoffs. e way the season is going
now, I can see us more than capable of
making the playoffs. We’ve got no-one to
be scared of in this division.”
John - “Relegation and playing Bacup in
a couple of years! Nar - I expected us to
come up against a couple of sides that
would have us thinking, ‘that’s what we
need to aspire to this year,’ but we haven’t.
We’ve not really had a lesson off anyone
we’ve played over 90 minutes. Curzon gave
us a good run, but they didn’t teach us
anything. I think that we’re definitely top
eight. It’s a long season and a lot can
happen, but we’re looking at top eight.”
Darren - “Injuries have been the main
issue, but I think we’ve got through the
worst of that already. We have 24 fit players
turning up to training and have last
season’s top strikers only just returned to
fitness over the last couple of weeks. We’ve
also got really good players coming in for
trials and joining the squad. e strong
squad will make a huge difference over the
length of the season. I thought coming into
this season that it’d be really tough, but it’s
not. It’s about consistency, and about
putting together a run of games. Anyone
can beat anyone in this league so a couple
of wins or defeats can make a huge
difference. If we manage some consistency
then why can’t we finish top three this
season.”
John - “I’m going to give a note of caution.
Disciplinary is really important as there are
lots and lots of yellows, and that means we
lose consistency in the team and have to
turn-out with slightly weakened sides.
Disciplinary is the main lesson that we
need to learn to make sure we’re up there
at the end of the season.”
John Morrey, formerly
manager at Maine Road
now coaches Grant
Shenton at Rammy
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burscough fcan amazing history for a non-league club
e first Burscough Association Football
Club was formed in 1880, playing in Liverpool
& District League football before folding in
1900. en, in 1905 Burscough Rangers were
founded and moved to the present Mart
Lane ground in 1908. ey established many
of the traditions carried on by the current
club, including playing in green and being
known as the Linnets. In the 1920s they had
tremendous success winning the Liverpool
County Combination Championship three
times. In 1926 Rangers purchased a
grandstand from Everton and erected it on
Victoria Park. e following year they joined
the Lancashire Combination but never
experienced the same level of success and
began to run into financial difficulties, finally
folding in 1935.
Following the Second World War the
present Burscough club was founded in 1946,
starting life in the Liverpool County
Combination and by the end of the decade
had made a major impact in the non-league
soccer world. In only their second season,
1946/47, they achieved a unique treble,
winning the Lancashire Junior Cup, George
Mahon Cup and the Liverpool Challenge
Cup.
Another milestone was reached in 1959
when they reached the First Round Proper of
the F.A. Cup for the first time before going
down 3-1 to Crewe Alexandra in front of a
4,200 gate at Victoria Park.
e Linnets reached the F.A. Cup First
Round Proper on three other occasions. In
1977, a 1-0 defeat at Blyth Spartans, in 1979,
a 3-0 defeat at Sheffield United in front of
14,000 spectators and in 1980, a 2-1 defeat
against Altrincham.
In 1982 the Club became founder members
of the North West Counties Football League
and had the distinction of becoming the
Leagues first ever Champions under Bryan
Griffiths.
A new grandstand seating 250 was built in
1986 to replace the old wooden stand which
had stood for 60 years and no longer met
ground safety regulations.
In 1992/93 Burscough lost 2-1 to Conference
bound Southport in the Liverpool Senior Cup
Final at Goodison Park before 2,000
spectators. Success was achieved by winning
the League Challenge Cup with a 2-1 victory
over Nantwich Town.
1993/94 was one of the most eventful
seasons in Burscough’s history as three
players, Gary Martindale, Kevin Formby and
Alex Russell, joined Football League clubs for
substantial fees. Further covered standing
accommodation for 500 spectators was
erected at Victoria Park during the close
season.
In the 1997/98 season, after finishing
runners-up in the North West Counties
League the club made history by being
promoted to the Unibond League. ey also
won the League Floodlit Trophy and reached
the final of the Liverpool Senior Cup against
Liverpool. Promotion to the dizzy heights of
the Unibond League Premier Division in
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1999/2000 season exceeded most
supporters wildest dreams as Burscough
went through the season unbeaten away
from home, and lost only two games in
total.
Following the resignation of John Davison
the club appointed Shaun Teale as
player/manager in May 2002 and the ex-
Aston Villa defender went on to
sensationally lead the club to its greatest
ever achievement as Burscough became
the smallest club to ever win the FA Trophy
following a tremendous 2-1 victory over
Tamworth at Villa Park on Sunday 18th
May 2003. Played in front of a crowd of
14,296 spectators and televised live on Sky
it was the Linnet’s twelfth game in an
unforgettable cup run that had included
one incredible result as the 400-1 outsiders
shocked the non-league world by beating
runaway Conference winners Yeovil Town
2-0 at Huish Park in the quarter-finals.
ere were incredible scenes as almost
2,000 fans welcomed the team home to
Victoria Park that evening but celebrations
were dampened less than six weeks later as
the club found it necessary to relinquish
Teale of his managerial duties. Former
Liverpool, Galatasary and West Ham
United midfielder Mike Marsh was
appointed manager but after a poor start
to the season Marsh resigned and ex-
Southport defender Derek Goulding took
over in October 2003.
An incredible end to 2003/04 season saw
Burscough finish with a remarkable run of
victories that saw them claw their way out
of the bottom three into the play-offs for
Conference North. Despite playing all their
games away from home the Linnets went
on to reach the play-off final where they
only went down at Bradford Park Avenue
following extra-time. During the summer
Frank Parr stepped down after 30 years as
chairman with local businessman Chris
Lloyd taking over at the helm.
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e following season ended in controversy
as the Linnets were denied a play-off place
following a widely ridiculed decision to
award three points for unplayed games
against Spennymoor United who could not
complete their fixtures.
Season 2005/06 was another historic one
for Burscough F.C. as they went on to reach
the Second Round proper of the F.A. Cup for
the first time in their history. In reaching that
milestone they defeated League One side
Gillingham 3-2 on a never to be forgotten
day at Victoria Park. Further excitement was
to follow as a postponed 2nd round tie at
Burton Albion allowed Burscough to appear
in the ird round draw. at draw, should
they have overcome Burton Albion, would
have given the Linnets a home tie against the
mighty Manchester United. Sadly that
further dream never materialised as Burton
Albion overcame the Linnets in the re-
arranged tie. Having started the season
impressively, with Burscough being amongst
the favourites for promotion, the season
unfortunately never quite reached the
heights of the F.A. Cup run and long term
injuries to key players meant the team
finished 7th.
Derek Goulding`s tenure as manager
ended in June 2006 when he was replaced by
former Southport manager, Liam Watson.
e 2006/07 season was Burscough F.C`s
Diamond Jubilee and one of the ways the
club marked the event was by playing in a
predominantly white kit with a specially
designed badge. e season was one of the
most succesful in history when the Linnets
won the Unibond Northern Premier Division
and the Lancashire Co-Op Trophy, formerly
the Lancashire Junior Cup, for the first time
in 40 years when neighbours Marine were
defeated. e league success was only
confirmed after a thrilling climax. On the last
day of the season the Linnets won at A.F.C.
Telford United in front of nearly 6,000 fans.
e victory meant they overhauled the New
Bucks Head side at the top of the table and
won the title on goal difference by just 1 goal
from Witton Albion. Further and final
success came when Unibond First Division
champions Buxton were defeated 3-1 in the
Peter Swailes Memorial Shield to round off a
great season and confirm Burscough as
Treble Winners.
In their first season in Conference North,
Burscough finished in a very creditable 8th
position but manager Liam Watson and
many of the players departed during the
close season. Assistant manager Joey Dunn
took over as manager.in July 2008, but was
replaced by Andy Mutch at the beginning of
October. Burscough finished next to bottom
of the league and were relegated back to the
Unibond Premier with Andy Gray taking
over as manager for the start of the 2009-10
campaign.
e season was completed under difficult
circumstances after chairman Chris Lloyd
stood down and withdrew all funding. e
Supporters Club accepted the raising of
funds to complete the seasons fixtures, and
were successful in this objective.
burscough fcan amazing history for a non-league club
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During the close season the ground was sold
to Chequer Properties Ltd who in turn leased
the ground back to the football club at a
peppercorn rent, at the same time the
property company purchased Chris Lloyd’s
majority shareholding, but did not wish to be
involved with the day to day running of the
football side of the business, and asked Frank
Parr to return as chairman and form a
committee to carry out these duties.
New Chairman Gary Wright appointed at
the end of the 2010-11 season to oversee the
temporary move to groundshare with local
neighbours Skelmersdale United. e
groundshare however would be short-lived,
and the club would move back to Victoria
Park half way through the season.
One of Wright's first major decisions during
his tenure was to find a replacement for
manager Chris Stammers, who's tenure ended
with his resignation after a poor start to the
2011-12 season. After many applications,
former manager Derek Goulding would make
a return to the club.
Goulding started to galvanize the side
during the season, but his efforts would not
be able to stop the inevitable, and despite a
promising end to the season the Linnet's were
relegated from the NPL Premier division.
August 2012 would see renewed optimism
for Burscough. It would see the Supporters
Club get back on board and help in the
rebuild of the club. Goulding would spend
the summer rebuilding the team on the pitch,
and a hard working Football Club committee
would start to rebuild the club off it.
Although in Season 2013-2014 the team
found itself in midtable the future of the club
is bright with the club now on a sound
footing.
Remember this fella back in 2012?
He booked almost everyone on the
pitch during a good-natured tie!
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1. Name the six former Football League sides currently competing in Conference
North
2. Which is the odd one out of the six and why?
3. What League do Dorchester Town play in?
4. Which Welsh club had to cancel a game due to a fire below their main stand?
5. Which Evo-Stik League club plays at the Aspire Stadium?
6. Neville Southall has joined the coaching staff at which club?
7. Who knocked Trafford out of the Doodson cup by 6-0?
8. What colours do Mickleover Sports play in?
9. Name the head coach of Lancaster City?
10. By what name were Kendal Town known as for many years?
ANSWERS: 1. Barrow, Stockport County, Boston United, Gainsborough Trinity, Bradford PA, Stalybridge Celtic
2. Bradford PA – they were reformed when the original club folded 3. Southern League Premier 4. Rhyl 5. Newcastle Town 6.
Bangor City 7. Droylsden 8. Red and Black 9. Darren Peacock 10. Netherfield
tony’s teasers
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If your face is featured then congratulations, you’ve just won yourself a cup of
tea and a Mars Bar courtesy of Rammy United Supporters Club. Visit the tea
bar now to claim your magnificent prize!
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rammy in exilesky sports statto richard isaacs
Good evening everyone, hope you are
all keeping well and keeping warm too ...
its pretty chilly down here in the deep
south so it must be pretty cool up there
in the frozen north! Oh ... and I see we
won again on Saturday and I wasn't
anywhere to be found! I can see posters
appearing around the town ... keep this
person away from the Harry Williams
Riverside Stadium. I am going to get a
complex, you know!
It has been quite a busy week as I
prepare for the first of the seven one-day
internationals between Sri Lanka and
England, which start at 8.30am tomorrow
morning (live on Sky Sports 2 ... plug
plug!!!) so have been up to the Sky studios
to ensure all is ready and we have all that
is required. It is going to be a very
interesting series as Sri Lanka have just
been mauled 5-0 by India and England's
record in the sub-continent isn't exactly
the best. But then, the weather on that
beautiful island in November is more
Colne on a Tuesday night than
Colombo (rain wise, not
temperature!!). I worked out that in
the last 10 one-day internationals
played in November in Sri Lanka ...
only 36% of the overs have actually
been bowled! So what the bloody
hell are they doing there in the Asian
mid-winter!?
Whatever happens, I will be confined to
the studio throughout, offering assistance
to the producers and the 'talent' all the
way through to December 16th. But,
while I was in the office on Friday last
week, I did find out that our scheduled off
air time is 1pm on Saturday. e AA
website says it is 71.2 miles from Osterley
to Banbury and will take 1hr 25mins.
Sooooooooooo .... need another shouting
voice for the game?! If I am allowed in, of
course!
Dad and I have also watched a handful
of rugby games over the last few days and
I saw something that I never really
thought I would on a rugby field, certainly
not at the age or level that it was. It was
Sunday afternoon and the third round of
the National Colts Cup competition,
played by players aged around 19 or so
and it was a match between Winchester,
the only remaining club in the
competition from Hampshire and
Cobham, a small town in Surrey. On a
very sticky pitch, courtesy of the heavy
rains of the last few days, Winchester won
the match quite comfortably by 38 points
to 12.
It is always said in oval-ball circles, that
it is footballers who are the 'fairies', whilst
rugby players are made of sturner stuff.
We have all seen the pictures (and seen it
in evidence) of players rolling around on
the ground in 'agony' on the football pitch
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whilst rugby players continue to play
with broken limbs, re-arranged noses and
cauliflower ears - England coach Graham
Rowntree being the perfect example of
the delightful mauling the face and
particularly the ears can receive.
But on Sunday afternoon, as
Winchester ran in their fourth and fifth
tries in quick succession in the second
half, this strapping young lad from
Cobham - a fly-half - strolled around
behind the goal line, kicking and cursing,
swearing and chuntering and then ....
began to cry! Yes, honestly!! It was
absolutely unbelievable. He has already
got into a bit of a punch-up after
Winchester's first try and tried again as
they crossed for a second but as his team
proceded to get further and further
behind, his emotions overflowed and he
was subsequently replaced with a
comforting shoulder around him. Wow,
have never seen anything like it.
I guess that is how much sport effects
some people. I know I have cried as a
supporter - I was pretty damn close at
Bamber Bridge back in May and on
occasion at big cup finals when watching
Hampshire Cricket back in the day. But
as a participant, well, that was something
new to me and bless him - it was actually
quite sad to see.
Enjoy the match tonight, it should be a
very interesting match as Burscough are
on a bit of a good run but they will want
to right the last time they came to the
HWRS, just a year and two days ago in
the the league as we tucked into a 7-1
victory with a couple of goals for
Warrender and Spencer as well as Gaskell,
Pilky and Dean. I won't be there ... so we
are likely to win!!
See you on Saturday, all being well.
COME ON YOU RAMS!!!!!!
Suffering the slings and arrows ofoutrageous rugby
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Simply email your chosen grid reference to [email protected]
and the winner will be chosen at random from those
submitting the correct answer. You can then have your
very own personalised rammy mug.
spot the balland win a customised rammy mug
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A B C D E
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Born in January 1991, this 6ft 2” goalkeeper
joined Rammy from FC United at the end of
August 2010. He was number two at FC
United, but a superb season in 2010/11 saw
him win Player of the Year for the Rams. He
Signed full-time with the club at the start of
2011/12.
Battling midfield who signed for the club in
2011 following the demise of Rossendale
United, for whom he scored a hat-trick in the
ridiculous 7-5 Rammy win the previous
season. Won the NWCFL title with the club
and was offered terms with Conference
Premier side Hyde but returned to the club
on loan, eventually signing full terms.
Grant SHENTON Grant SPENCER
rammy unitedmeet the lads
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Signed for the club after impressing the
managers when he played against the Rams
for Atherton LR. Adds a whole new
dimension to the Riversiders’ squad, and
equally at home on the right side as either a
defender or attacking winger.. Brother of
Plymouth Argyle’s Deane Smalley.
Signed from local rivals Radcliffe Borough
after a spell playing in Australia, the big man
is equally at home in the heart of the
defence, or up front poaching goals.
Wing man Tom came on as a sub in the play-
off game for our opponents Bamber Bridge.
e Rams management team acted swiftly
in the summer to bring him down to
Ramsbottom
It has taken some two years for the
management to finally get Scott to join the
Rams. Bernard and Jonno have followed
Scott’s career with Runcorn Town and he
finally joined the club in late January 2014.
A hard-working midfielder, similar in style to
Gary Stopforth, and an integral part of the
promotion winning team.
Dominic SMALLEYSteve HOWSON
Scott BURTONTom WILLIAMS
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Experienced striker Jon was signed from New
Mills and despite plentiful interest from
other clubs has remained loyal to the Rams
for a number of seasons now, and always
finishes near the top of the goal-scoring
charts. Regarded as a “Rammy legend” in
east Lancashire..
A constant threat in attack, a solid
performer in defence. Awarded Clubman of
the Year award in 2011. Continues to cause
plentiful problems to defences around the
leagues.
Signed at the end of August 2011 from
Manchester League side Walshaw Sports and
has taken his opportunity with some relish.
Last season the 29 year old won the Golden
Boot accolade for being the highest scorer in
the Division One North.
Joined the club in December 2011 from
Clitheroe via Padiham. Son of a former
1990s Rammy favourite Martin, midfielder
Jordan is highly rated and scored 8 goals for
the Storks before going to Clitheroe. A
versatile player – he can play anywhere from
defence to striker.
Jon ROBINSON Lee GASKELL
Phil DEAN Jordan HULME
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e speedy wingman joined the Rams at the
beginning of the 2014/15 season, having
spent the previous campaign at fellow Evo-
Stik Premier club Nantwich Town.
Cedric joined the club in January 2014
having impressed the management team
during his time with rivals Trafford FC.
Essentially a defender, Cedric has the ability
to fit in other positions for the team.
Osebi ABADAKI Cedric KROU
A skilful battling midfielder who signed full
time with the Rams during the summer of
2012 after coming on loan from AFC Fylde
the previous season and dominating the
midfield. In his third season with the club he
was a vital member of the promotion set-up
last term.
Gary STOPFORTH
e talented left full-back rejoined the club
from Chester during the 2013/14 season
having had a short spell here a couple of
years earlier. His long throw-in is always a
dangerous piece of his armory.
Lee PUGH
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A 24-year old forward player who signed for
the Rams in the middle of September.
Previously with FC United of Manchester
and Salford City. Prior to that he had spells
at Niort, Lilas, DH Saint-Maur and Paris DC
in France, as well as Tercera in Spain.
A left-back who signed for the Rams in the
middle of September. Previously with
C.E.Principado De Andorra, a second
division Andorran team with whom he
experienced Champions League football.
Nelson MOTA Alex PIACENTILE
A 20 year old player who joined from
Conference side Tamworth early in the
2014/15 season. George is a highly rated full-
back capable of playing on either flank,
giving the Rams additional defensive
flexibility.
John is the goalkeeping coach at
Ramsbottom, and was formerly manager at
NWCFL side Maine Road, where he
constantly had them pushing for promotion.
George GRAYSONJohn MORREY
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Appointed joint manager at the start of the
2009/2010 season and took the club to the
NWCFL title in 2011/12 season, despite
missing much of the season through injury.
He has helped guide the club through
another promotion via the play-offs into the
Evo-Stik Premier League in May 2014.
Re-joined the club in January 2009 and
became joint manager at the start of
2009/2010. A Rammy man to his core, a
combative and hard-working midfelder who
has occasionally taken over with some
prowess in goal. Successful in guiding the
Rams to two promotions in three seasons.
Anthony JOHNSON Bernard MORLEY
A highly respected coach who has
experience at all levels of the game, from
local football with Walshaw to League One
time at Bury. Highly respected coach and a
coup for the club to have secured him. Also
a holder of a UEFA B Coaches badge.
Darren GREEN
Former manager of Atherton LR, leading
them to 10th place in the NWCL in 2010/11.
Resigned from his post with the Crilly Park
club and joins Ramsbottom United as a
highly rated coach.
Glenn MOSES
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e Rams’ road to cup glory continued
recently with a trip to take on Nantwich
Town. It was our shortest journey since our
visit to Trafford in early October and the
Hulme-mobile pulled up at e Darkside’s
Kay Brow residence a little after 1.00. With
a belly full of Mrs Darksides full English I
was more than ready for the day ahead and
had a good feeling about our chances of
progressing to the next round.
Talk in the car soon turned to the day’s
main event and it turned out we were all
feeling confident that this would be the day
we saw the team back to their true form.
e M62 was a little busy, but we were
due to turn off before hitting e Trafford
Centre and we were soon making good
progress crossing over the Cheshire border.
As the conversation turned away from
football, Geoff got bored and started
treating us to some whistling like he was
some kind of Lancastrian Roger Whittaker.
Before we knew it
we were pulling
into the Nantwich
car park, just
behind Harry and
Sophie, and Paul
and Karol, and
judging by the cars
already there it
seemed that we
had another
healthy following of Ultras already inside
the ground. is was confirmed when we
walked into the rather spacious bar they
have at Nantwich and were met by around
30-40 familiar faces.
Before joining the Rams Army I went to
the bar and ordered myself and Martin a
couple of beers, and so begins my only
moan of the day. If I want to pay nearly
£7.00 for a couple of pints I will go along to
e Etihad or some trendy little bar, but I
don’t want to pay that. One of the many
advantages of watching football at this level
is that you rarely pay over the odds for
refreshments, so please take note
Nantwich.
I had a bit of a chat with e Carlsberg
Family and UkePunk while downing my
drink and we made our way out onto the
terraces to welcome the lads onto the
pitch. We waited to see which way we
would be kicking and, just as our luck
would have it, we were going to be
attacking the far end of the ground, so a
mass exodus started to make its long trek
around the perimeter. e majority of
Ultras were soon in place behind the goal,
but I stood down the side with a few others,
which was quite good as we were soon
singing songs back to each other
throughout the first half. Our singing
seemed to wake up the Nantwich fans who,
backed by a drummer, were soon joining in
from the darksidedarren comer reports on the latest
rammy ultras adventures
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from the darkside
with a few of their own (I particularly
enjoyed their humorous and self-
depreciating we’ve got more flags than
fans). It was a close-run sing off between
both sets of supporters, although the same
cannot be said about the contest on the
pitch. Rammy looked up for it right from
the start and after several forays forward
we eventually took the lead on the quarter
hour, much to the Rams Army’s pleasure,
with a goal from Tom Williams.
With a lead behind us it looked like it was
only a matter of time before we extended
it and just as I was making my way round
back to the bar, Whizz scored a Marco Van
Basten style special to make sure we went
in at half time with a well-deserved two
goal lead.
As Martin went to get the overpriced half
time pints in, I went to the refreshment
kiosks where they were serving some rather
tasty looking chips and curry which
seemed to be going down well with the
Rammy faithful. I opted to go for the,
rather dry, chicken balti pie, served by a
rather surly teenager who had been having
etiquette lessons from Harry Enfield’s,
Kevin the Teenager character (check out
the Nantwich post on the forum to see
Carlsbergs snapshot of the aforementioned
dry chicken Balti pie).
e massed ranks of the Ultras assembled
behind the goal for the 2nd half and luckily
for me I had on my new Winter coat as it
seemed to be a little chilly in this particular
spot. We were joined by Richard for the
2nd half and, for those who know
Hampshires finest, he made sure we
drowned the Nantwich fans and drum (A
special mention to Richard’s Mother who
was making her Rammy watching debut).
Now we know what they spend the beer takings on...
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I did speak to her after the game, without
realising who she was, so a special Darkside
hello to you, Mrs Issacs and welcome to e
Rammy Family). Richard’s late arrival was
due to a puncture on the M62 and we were
worried that his presence might lead to
Rammys downfall as his recent
appearances have coincided with our
recent dip in form. is fear was soon
dispelled when Spenner added a third goal
early in the second half and the Rams
progress into the next round was signed,
sealed and delivered.
Although Nantwich pulled a goal back
twenty minutes from the end we never
really looked like letting the lead slip and
the celebrations on the terraces had begun
in earnest. Chairman Harry left his seat in
the stand to have a stroll round and a chat
with the Ultras (eat your heart out, Mr
Abramovich). is saw a new song added
to our repertoire and we burst into a
chorus of “Harry’s
going to Wembley,
His knees have
gone all trembly,”
and lets hope this
song will be ringing
around e Cow
Field End at
Banbury this
coming Saturday.
At 90 minutes it
was a very happy, and quite hoarse, bunch
of Rams fans celebrating and as always the
players came over to celebrate with us. On
the rare occasions that I watch football
from the English Super-Dooper Corporate
Premier League, I often wonder, when the
players applaud their supporters if they are
just paying lip service to them. I think we
can safely say that when our players, and
management, come over to us it is with
genuine passion and that they love playing
for this club as much as we love supporting
them.
We had a quick post match pint back in
the clubhouse, leaving before having to
endure any of the England - Slovenia game
that was about to start on the big screen.
We also had to get Geoff home for his
Saturday night ritual of Tommy Toppings
finest sirloin steak cooked by his wonderful
wife, Annie.
We were so interested in the England
game that we didn’t even put 5Live on the
radio until just before half time, and why
would we when we had our Rams to chat
about. Now, this might be a bit
controversial and feel free to argue with me
on it, but I actually like Alan Green’s
commentary on 5Live. e England game
sounded woeful and who else but the BBC’s
Mr Cantankerous to commentate on it. Yes,
I know he moans a lot, but I would much
rather have him than the majority of awful
from the darksidedarren comer reports on the latest
rammy ultras adventures
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from the darkside
TV Commentators, especially on ITV.
Myself and Mrs Darkside were dropped
off back at e Kay Brow residence at 6.15,
and after a quick change we met up again
with Martin and Joanne for a hastily
arranged Ultras night out in Radcliffe and
Prestwich. We made our way to e
Sparkling Clog in Radcliffe where we met
up with Paul and Cheryl Whizz, e Gaz
and Mary Chain, Uncle Dave, Young Dave
and later, Jordan and Whizz. Unfortunately,
Carlsberg could not make it, but next time
we will kidnap him so that he has no choice
in the matter. As you can imagine we were
all in high spirits after another great victory
on the road and the beers (or brandies in
Paul and Dave’s case) were flowing. We
ended up going for an Italian at Peradas in
Prestwich, which is well worth a visit,
before ending up with a couple of more
beers in the White Room. At close to 2.00
we arrived back in town as very tired, but
once again very happy travelling Rams.
So, we were back to our true form on and
off the pitch and if you couldn’t manage to
be there Rob soon had the highlights on
RammyTV. is was the first away game for
Stephen and David in their roles as
RammyTV camera operatives and I have to
say that the footage was extremely
impressive, so massive thanks to you both
from all the Rammy faithful.
A slack handful of Ultras, just a few of the thousands that made the trip
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Well, if the travelling Rammy support do not
know Derbyshire like the backs of their hands yet
they certainly will by the end of season. Already
we have had trips to Ilkeston and Buxton and we
play away at Belper in less than two months’
time. To that list we can also add Matlock, who
e Rams visit on the first Saturday in December.
Matlock Town, or e Gladiators as they are
known, play at Reynolds Stadium, although I
prefer to call it by its original, and more
evocative, name of Causeway Lane. e ground
has undergone renovation in recent years and
now has a main stand that holds 500, as well as
a large social club for the thirsty Ultras. ey
were formed in 1878 as plain old Matlock and
added the Town to their name in later years.
eir current manager, Mark Atkins, is well
known in our little corner of Lancashire as he
was a member of the Blackburn Rovers side who
famously lifted the Premier League in 1995 (in
the days when a Harry Williams type of person
could take his local side to national glory and
not have to rely on dodgy Russian roubles or
Eastern oil cash to win silverware).
e Gladiators have had success of their own,
although not on such a grand scale, winning the
F.A. Trophy in 1974-1975 with a 4-0 win over
Scarborough
in the final.
Two years
later they had
their best ever
run in the F.A.
Cup by reaching the
3rd Round, beating the then Division 3 side
Mansfield Town along the way. is was a golden
era for Matlock and they followed up their cup
exploits by lifting the Northern Premier League
Cup in 1978, meaning they qualified for
European football in the, then semi-professional,
Anglo-Italian Cup. ey lost 2-1 to Chieti and
Pisa over in Italy but managed to beat
Juniorcasale and Cremonese 2-0 at home and
only just missed out on the final by coming 2nd
in the English group to eventual winners Sutton
United (a few ideas for Tony and his Non-League
Quiz section in the Rammy programme there).
It should make for good away trip and I am sure
many of you reading this have already visited
Matlock before on more than one occasion. An
early start should be in order for this one and the
town has a range of real ale pubs and fine dining
in one of the most beautiful areas in the U.K. If
you get there early enough, Matlock Bath is just
up the A6 and it is an amazing little town that
Mrs Darkside recommends highly. e Peak
District around Matlock is such a beautiful area
that is has been used as the setting for several
films including Ken Russell’s, 1969 Academy
Award winning Women in Love and more
recently Shane Meadows 2004 classic Dead
Mans Shoes, which I highly recommend you
check out some time.
So, with plenty to see in Matlock and the
mighty, mighty Rammy being in town there is no
excuse not to be there on December 6th (sod
the Christmas shopping, have you not heard of
online shopping?), especially when the journey
is only around 90 minutes and takes you through
the heart of the stunning Peak District.
the boogie buson the road with rammy
p
“I would like to take this opportunity
to thank the managers, players and
staff, the fans and everyone involved
with the club for making my time with
Ramsbottom United FC a thoroughly
enjoyable and rewarding one.
“I have decided to retire as I feel I no
longer have the consistent desire and
hunger needed to perform at the level
that I expect of myself and feel
everyone involved has the right to
know and understand the reason,
instead of being left wondering what's
happened.
“I am immensely proud and
honoured to have been Jonno &
Bernard's first signing and been a part
of Rammy's history, rising through the
leagues to their highest level yet. Let's
hope we continue this progression,
playing the way everyone has come to
love and expect.
“I have played for a few clubs at a
decent level but can honestly say that
playing at Rammy for the last six
seasons has been by far the best time
of my career. is is thanks to Jonno &
Bernard, all the players and staff, the
fans and everyone connected to this
great "little" club, for all of whom I have
a huge amount of respect and
affection.
“I now look forward to watching
games at the Riverside (don't worry
Harry I'll pay my £9 to get in!!), cheering
the lads on their march to another
promotion.
Wishing everyone connected to the
club all the very best, and one more
massive thank you!”
- Joel Pilkington
p
You might have noticed that in amongst
Saturday’s 351 supporters we had a good
number of children, many of whom have
never been to a Rammy match before.
Most of this is due to the incredibly hard
work put in by Karol over the last couple
of weeks as she’s been out and about
around the schools of Rammy helping to
promote the club.
As a child, football for me was always a
family thing - traditionally for the blokes
and a bit of male bonding. I was born in
Liverpool and my Uncle Freddie
thankfully got to me first as I left the
maternity ward, flinging my first ever
Liverpool scarf around my neck before I
was even two days old - I dread to think
the years of childhood misery if Uncle Al
had got to me first! I’m not even sure I can
spell ‘Gwladys Street End’!
Uncle Bill took me to my first ever
match, and I’ll never forget walking up the
steps of the Kop before emerging into the
ground for the first time. e pitch was a
neon green, just like it is on Sky Sports
and amazingly small - it looked
huge on the telly! ere in
the middle of the pitch
was a big Crown Paints
advert - a pot of paint
that was about 8ft tall. I
remember the (pretty
unpleasant) smell of
drunk bloke, the rolling,
billowing smoke escaping the
enormous kop roof, and the moment I
was presented with my first ever
programme, before getting it nicked.
How many kids of 5-6 get the
opportunity that many of us had when
we were that age - the chance to
physically go to a match every week, or
even get a season ticket? How many get
the chance, not only to talk about players
or collect stickers, but have their heroes
within touching distance. Most think
football is something that happens
elsewhere, on the telly, or at best is a thing
that you go to now and again. With
Rammy football is real, local, and it comes
with the exact same extremes of
emotions that I felt watching Liverpool, or
Preston: the despair of relegation, or of
losing to the cockneys, the joy of Ian Rush
banging home the winner in injury time
at the Kop end, or of Northend going
three up against the donkey lashers after
only twenty minutes.
I think that I have a tendency to harp on
about this subject, and for that I’d like to
apologise, but I really do feel that we
desperately need kids and families down
at Rammy. e kids need heroes - real,
local heroes that they can identify with,
not plastic heroes that they see on the
telly. ey need an identity - to be able to
say that they’re from somewhere, that
they belong somewhere (have you
noticed how we’ve all started to feel a
little bit of pride when we say we’re from
supporters clubon the terraces of rammy
p
Rammy?). ey also need the chance to
spend a bit of time with their families,
doing something together and bonding,
just like I did with Uncle Bill and Uncle
Freddie, it’s an important part of growing
up.
On the reverse side, Rammy need these
kids to keep coming, and tell their mates.
e atmosphere on Saturday was fantastic,
and this is what we need in order for the
club to progress off the field. We need
these kids, and we need their families.
I’ve looked everywhere for a photo of
Joanne Hulme’s that I scanned, which
shows a very young Jordan Hulme kicking
a football around on the terraces while his
dad Martin ‘Tommy’ Hulme turned out
for the first team on the pitch. ere’s no
more stark illustration of the continuity
that a club gets from the kids than you can
see in that photograph - the fact that a
young lad can grow up to become the
team’s top scorer.
And so I’d like to finish by saying “Well
Done” to Karol. She did a brilliant job
striking up relationships with the schools,
and I hope that it’s just the start of a long
and rewarding partnership for all of us.
The future of Rammy: a huge proportion ofSaturday’s gate wasyoungsters - the way itshould be.
p
ere was a great buzz on the terraces after
the fantastic second half performance on
Saturday. Was it the same in the dressing room?
It was exactly the same in changing room all
the lads were on a high. It was a very good
second half performance against a physical side,
something that’s caused us problems this
season, so it's a good result and the last league
game for a couple weeks which is very
important.
What changed in the second half? First-half
we created the better chances in a tight game,
but in the second we steam-rollered them!
Well it was just a case of being patient. We
had the chances first half, we just didn't convert
them. e second half was a result of the hard
work we are putting in at training - you could
see how fit we were compared to them. Plus we
kept the ball very well.
John Hunter said to me after the game that
he's seen twelve Rammy matches this season,
and all twelve have been wins. It feels to the
fans as though we're invincible at the moment,
is confidence through the roof in the team too?
e whole team including
management know how
good this squad is. I
believe there aren't
many teams in non-
league that can pass a
ball and attack the way
we do. It's just a case
of taking every game
as they come and beating the eleven men in
front of us. We have a lot of games coming up
and two games a week is what we want as a
team.
Billy Priestley came along on Saturday to
watch, and there was speculation that he might
fancy coming back to Rammy. As good as he is
though, we can't see him deposing Howson and
Cedric. Are you as happy with the current back
four as we are?
I'm very happy with our back four. Each player
brings something different to the table and I
think they compliment each others very well.
Ste is very strong and has got bags of
experience, Cedric is so calm and has
unbelievable feet and recovery for a big lad.
Dom has shown for me why he is arguably the
best right back in the league, and Lee is very
solid at left back, gives us a great out ball down
the left and is very strong in a challenge. If billy
was to come back (which would be great for
the team) he would have his work cut out
getting back in.
e atmosphere at games is starting to get
better and better as we get our head round
some Rammy songs. Is that coming across?
Yes 100%. It's great to hear the songs from the
fans and I sing along to most of them if I'm not
shouting or trying to thwart an attack. So keep
it up with the songs and get banging that drum
more, it's great to be playing with that being
banged!
grant shentonshouting from between the sticks
p
Burscough are reputedly
playing some very good
football at the moment, and
we've always found them to be
tough opposition. Do you think
that we'll have a tough game
on our hands tonight?
I think so. It's going to be a good
game tonight as they’re a good
side who like to play football. And
I'd agree with you there not an easy
team to play so it's got makings for
a good game. And here’s hoping we
come away with a win.
A big, big game away to Banbury on Saturday
in the FA Trophy. Is the distance likely to affect
our performance or will the great mood on the
coach spur the lads on to bigger and better
things?
It’s all dependent on how much money
some lads lose playing cards, but it
shouldn't affect us to much haha. But no
we are starting to adapt to the long
journeys before games. It does make it
a bit more difficult but not enough to
lower our quality and mentality. I
would never use a long coach
journey as an excuse for not
winning. So we are travelling
and looking to come back with
our name in the hat for the
next round. And an
unforgettable journey home!
COYR!
p
Grant SHENTON
Dominic SMALLEY
Lee PUGH
Gary STOPFORTH
Steve HOWSON
Cedric KROU
Osebi ABADAKI
Scott BURTON
Jordan HULME
Grant SPENCER
Phil DEAN
Jon ROBINSON
Tom WILLIAMS
Lee GASKELL
George GRAYSON
Calvin HARE
Joe CAMOZZI
Paul WILLIAMS
Nick RYAN
Anthony BROWN
Wade JOYCE
Michael MANAGHAN
Eddie TONER
Will JONES
Mark BEESLEY
Jordan WILLIAMS
Danny DUNLEAVY
Matty DEVINE
Phil QUIRK
Ryan SCHOFIELD
Danny SMITH
Managers: Anthony Johnson,
Bernard Morley
Manager: Derek Goulding
Referee: David Fisher
Referee’s Assistants: Mark Hughes, Abid Hussain
Next home game: Saturday 13th December 3pm, Rammy v Rushall Olympic