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13 to 16 May 2005 |
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13 to 16 May 2005 |
Above: The scenes after the award of the medals and play-off trophy. Picture from Gavin Rathbone; copies can be bought from GR Photos on whose website more pictures are available. Coming soon to this site, more pictures from Gavin and from Andy Boyers.
Altrincham returned to the national division of the Conference after an absence of 5 years with a well deserved victory over Eastbourne Borough at The Britannia Stadium, Stoke in the Promotion Play-Off on Sunday. Congratulations to the management, players and everyone at the club for a wonderful achievement on a shoestring budget and thanks to the fans for their magnificent support all season.
A word of commiseration for Eastbourne; to have got so close to Conference National football must be hugely disappointing but hopefully they will get there next season. Their supporters, too, were a credit to their club and it was a great pity that segregation prevented us mixing with them.
Rod Thornley and Colin Potts with chairman Geoff Goodwin.
The Sunday Pink has a half-page on today's game, which quotes Graham Heathcote: "I know some people might say we're lucky to be where we are now but ... we've had a particularly tough route through the play-offs. That being the case, I believe we're there on merit... I've said all along that, if we could only reach the play-offs, we'd be on equal terms with all the other qualifiers... Eastbourne are also through to the final by right". Graham added. "We've earned any good fortune which has come our way.. I consider it a magnificent achievement to have qualified for the play-offs... For us to have beaten two of the biggest names in non-legaue on their own grounds, with a patched up side is something we can always feel proud of, whatever the outcome of the final". Graham reasserts that if Alty were promoted they would remain part-time, "We wouldn't overspend... Our chairman, Geoff Goodwin, and his directors are far too sensible to risk undoing all the hard work they've undertaken... I fully support the board's policy of keeping a tight rein on things". But Graham adds that promotion is "still a million miles away". The Pink also has a letter from longstanding Alty fan Peter Hennerley about Graham Heathcote which concludes, "Graham has earned the right to be called a great and very conscientious manager indeed".
The NL Paper interviews Eastbourne's Yemi Odubade and Alty's Colin Little. Odubade says, "I feel really fresh because I didn't play much at [former club] Yeovil... I feel sharp, ready to score and my confidence is very high". Colin responds by saying "It would mean a great deal to me to help my local side get promoted... I'm expecting to score at Stoke and we fancy our chances... We feel we're on a roll and we've got an honest team and we can still grind out results even when things aren't going our way".
When this team photo was taken on 2 September few would have expected Altrincham to be in the promotion play-off eight months later. In that time, nine of the players have either left the club (Kielty, Band, Hardy, P. and S. Wright, Shuttleworth and Smith) or are long-term injured (Rose, Hallows). At least 1,500 Alty fans will be travelling to Stoke to cheer the team on and thank them, the management and the board for such a great season.
In Saturday's Manchester Evening News, Paul Hince nominates Graham Heathcote as his Manager of the Year "in recognition of total dedication to the club he serves". Hince chronicles Graham's career at the club from a 16 year-old apprentice midfielder in 1970 to today, as manager concluding that "Heathcote in a nutshell IS Altrincham FC. He's the club secretary, the manager and the voluntary handyman. He mows the pitch, he sweeps the terraces and is not averse to cleaning the toilets. When he added managing the team to his other duties a couple of years ago, he took charge of a club which bore no resemblance to the free-spending, successful outfit he joined as a teenager... Not only did The Robins survive, they prospered to the point of qualifying for the promotion play-offs... That feat, win or lose, is the work of a REAL manager".
Also in the MEN, Tony Glennon talks to Colin Little who, on Monday,flies out to Mexico to get married. His sons Lewis (12) and Brodie (6), regulars at Moss Lane, will be page boys. "Colin and his longtime partner Catherine Mannion booked the trip a year ago, believing his season would be over by now". Colin said, "It's a good job the playoff final is the day before we leave. I don't think the gaffer at Alty, Graham Heathcote, would have been too pleased if I'd have had to miss the game. In fact, he'd probably have ordered me to play and cancel the wedding!". Tony Glennon adds that Colin "has yet to lose in a promotion knockout decider and until joining Altrincham had scored in every one he'd appeared in barring Crewe's victory... at Wembley in 1998, in which he was voted man of the match". Colin says, "I don't suffer from nerves" and went on, "I'm desperate to go up but, at the same time, there's no massive pressure on us because I think everyone accepts that we've had a fantastic season, no matter what the outcome... But that doesn't mean the lads won't be giving it everything, because I can assure you we will". He is keen to score twice tomorrow to reach a season's total of 40.
Brian Flynn will be updating the Alty Clubcall every 15 minutes on Sunday. So, if you can't get to Stoke, ring 09066 555902. Brian says that he "will also be doing one or two updates for BBC GMR (FM95.1) during the second half......& beyond if necessary! GMR's sports programme doesn't start until 2pm, therefore there will be no first half coverage".
"Danny Bacon, Andy Todd and Steve Palmer look set to leave FA Trophy finalists Hucknall Town after rejecting contract offers from the Nationwide North outfit. Mark Smith has not yet accepted an offer of a new deal, although manager Dean Barrick remains confident he will. But Simon Brown, who is in his benefit season, and Nathan Winder have not been offered new contracts and will leave Watnall Road after the Trophy final". Manager Barrick told This is Nottingham "I think Mark Smith will stay, and I haven't given up on Andy Todd yet. Southport have made inquiries about him, but that might be too far for him to go".
On GMR last night (FM95.1), which will have match updates on Sunday from Alty's match at Stoke, Graham Heathcote (left) paid tribute to his team's two play-off performances at Nuneaton and Kettering. He expects to have a full squad to choose from this Sunday, apart from Kirk Hilton and the two broken leg victims, Marcus Hallows and Stephen Rose. Graham said the pitch at Stoke was "beautiful" and he expects some good football to be played on it. The Alty boss also revealed that tickets for the match can be bought on the day after 11am at Stoke - The Conference had not wished this to be known until Friday. Meanwhile, you can also get tickets today (Saturday) at Moss Lane between 10am and 2pm. Click the link above for full details of ticketing and travel. Graham is keen that whatever the outcome on Sunday, the club enhances its reputation. He indicated that 12 coaches would be taking Alty supporters to the game - and many more will be travelling independently.
In Friday's Manchester Evening News, Tony Glennon reports that "Altrincham are paying for their assistant manager Dalton Steele (right) to fly back from a business trip to Bermuda so he can be ... at Sunday's play-off final. Steele is away... in his job as a health and safety expert". Also keeper Stuart Coburn has turned down the chance of a two-week trip to the Far East ... Coburn had been chosen to go on tour with Middlesex Wanderers, the unofficial England non-league team, but has rejected the invitation... in favour of a trip to The Potteries". Graham Heathcote said, "I know some people are making a big deal out of Sunday and I fully understand why. But the thing I've impressed on the lads is that this isn't a day out in Blackpool, it's our chance to win a match which will take this club back into the Conference. We'll be preparing no differently than we do for any other game. Let's go there and get the job done... then we can think about celebrating. After all, we've all summer for that. Eastbourne wil be as desperate to win as we are and we'd be naive to think otherwise".
SAM's Mike Crockett has done Alty proud with substantial coverage of Alty's game on Sunday, including a piece on the paper's front page where Graham Heathcote says, "This club has a fantastic history and it's time to write a new chapter. We need the whole town to support us if we are to achieve that aim". In his report on the win at Kettering, Mike writes, "More than 400 Altrincham fans cheered their team on at Rockingham Road on Saturday and you can be sure more than three times that [number] will be doing the same this Sunday... Another thing you can be sure of is that this Altrincham side will never, ever give up and, if they don't make it to The Conference, it certainly won't be because they didn't try".
At Nuneaton Borough "manager Roger Ashby will announce his list of retained players on Monday".
On the Conference North forum are reports that "Kettering Town have re-signed seven members of last season squad. Keeper Mark Osborne, defenders Wayne Diuk, Craig McIlwain and James Gould, midfielders Ollie Burgess and Brett Solkhon (who rejected a move to Hinckley) and striker Chris Difante have all signed for next season. Deals have been offered to Derek Brown, Martin Matthews and Jamie Paterson, but Paterson is also in talks with his hometown club Halifax Town where he will also be football in the community officer next season... Rob Gould, Matt Harris, Adam Bridgeford, Scott McCafferty and Dan Bulley have all been released".
Harrogate Today says that "Town look set to be without crowd favourite James Turley and record-signing Lee Morris next season. Both players have this week announced their intention to leave Wetherby Road during the summer - and have already been courted by potential new suitors. Out-of-contract winger James Turley, who has spent four years at Town, is mulling over a string of offers - including one from former boss John Reed at Stalybridge Celtic. And Lee Morris, who is thought to have cost a substantial four-figure price tag last summer, is also understood to have been given permission to find a new club - though he is likely to command a fee... The likely departures come as Town look to cut back on expenditure ahead of the new campaign, with loan signings rather than big-money buys likely to be drafted in as replacements. But... top scorer Marc Smith... joined winger Colin Hunter in pledging his immediate future to the club".
Our squads have many broad similarities. Both Eastbourne Borough, known as The Sports (as the club was called Langney Sports till 2001) have used 33 players in cup and league games this season. But both squads have a core of regular players. Alty and The Sports both have 6 or 7 players who have made 45 or more appearances (inc. sub appearances) this season; for Alty the six are Adams, Aspinall, Hussin, Little, Potts and Scott for Altrincham and for Eastbourne, the seven are Baker, Hook, Ramsay, Rowland, Simmonds, Smart and Tuck. The Sports have 3 current players who have more than 200 club appearances under their belts (Baker 643, Crabb 231, Stevens 340), Alty have four (Coburn 264, Maddox 316, Scott 210 and Talbot 234).
One link between Alty and Eastbourne is Marc Whiteman, the former Manchester United reserve striker who played 3(+3) games for us in 2002-02 and played for Eastbourne four times this season on loan from Lewes.
After failing to win any of their first 5 league games this season, The Sports have finished strongly, losing once in their last 9 games and scoring in all of their last 16 games. Alty have lost 1 of their last 10 games and have scored 103 goals this season in league and cup, with Colin Little hitting 38.
The Eastbourne side which beat Cambridge City last Saturday was:
Hook, Warner,Tuck, Smart, Playford (Chapman), Austin, Odubade (Williams), Crabb, Ramsay (Fazakerley), Simmonds, Atkin. Unused subs were Featherstone & Lightwood.
The manager is Scotsman Garry Wilson formerly the Hastings boss. He has been at Eastbourne since 1999.
The special play-off T-shirts (right), supplied by Ian Senior's Sensports company, are now available for collection at Moss Lane. If you have ordered one, please call at the club after 10am tomorrow to collect it. Otherwise, please collect before 2pm on Saturday or let the club know that you want the shirt retaining for later collection. Any unsold or unclaimed t-shirts will otherwise be sold on the coaches on the way to Stoke.
Confguide describes Sunday's Alty v Eastbourne Borough game as "arguably the ultimate north v south battle!". Neutrals can get tickets by calling Stoke City on 0178 259 2204". By lunchtime Thursday, Alty had sold 800 tickets but the local newspaper has only just appeared today with the details for those who don't use the internet.
"Hinckley United’s central defender Adam Willis has decided to retire from the game to spend more time with his family... Manager Dean Thomas said of Willis: 'I think Adam has become disallusioned with the game and wanted to spend more time with his daughter. I thought that sometimes during the season he looked a little bit uninterested", as their website reports.
