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January, 2008 |
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January, 2008 |
He said: 'What's going to be key now is putting together three or four wins on the bounce. If we can do that it will change the picture dramatically. This current batch of games is the best chance we have to achieve that. "Our performance level has increased since New Year's Day but everyone is improving their team so they will all be thinking they have a good chance of staying up. There's an intriguing battle going on at the bottom of the table where you have a a group of mainly part-time teams battling it out to stay in this division. There's still 18 games left and that's a lot of football so anything can happen'".
As for defeat at Cambridge, Graham said "It was a really difficult one to take because it was one of those games you know you should've got something out of. We stayed in the game right until the end and it loked like we'd got a point when we equalised late on... We didn't have the luck but you get those games throughout the season, we just need to come back from it".
Amongst these league games, Alty will play their Cheshire Senior Cup semi-final against Vauxhall Motors at Moss Lane, next Tuesday (February 5th). The other semi-final is between Nantwich and Cammell Laird, which will be played on the same night, after being postponed last Tuesday.
Cards fans can see distinct signs that Frank Gray’s young side is on an upward path... In particular, the new front pairing of Jason Norville and the rejuvenated Marvin Morgan (who has scored in three games in succession) are looking lively... Back to the more mundane matter of Altrincham away (sorry, Robins fans)! With no injury worries and no suspensions, Frank can be expected to play the same side that began against Crawley Town on Saturday, although if he wanted to tighten things up a bit he could restore Adam Green to the starting line-up in place of Gez Sole. Tom Hutchinson and Bradley Quamina picked up their fifth yellow cards on Saturday but their one-match suspension won’t kick in until the Setanta Shield game at home against Forest Green Rovers next Monday evening... Alty’s prize asset, however, is striker Colin Little: without his goals in recent seasons the Robins would have been dead and buried... We have won all four games played against Altrincham since they were promoted"
The Woking site quote manager Frank Gray on the decision to play Gez Sole rather than Adam Green against Crawley last Saturday 'I thought it went OK. For that particular game, at home, I wanted to increase our attacking options', he said... He confirmed that he had gone into the referee’s dressing room at half-time to ask him about a couple of decisions. He explained that this is perfectly normal and that it would have been open to Steve Evans to do the same rather than going on the pitch... Frank confirmed that there had been no further movement in the transfer window and said that he wasn't expecting anything to happen before it closed. There is good news on the injury front, with Matt Ruby passed fit to play and no one on the treatment table, so Frank has the full squad to choose from for tomorrow night’s trip to Altrincham. Frank is expecting it to be a tough encounter. 'Altrincham have had some better results recently and only lost narrowly at Cambridge', Frank said. 'We need to try to put them on the back foot'".
Thursday 31st
BSP:
The BBC says that "Brighton have signed their second new striker during the January transfer window by bringing in Aldershot striker Jonny Dixon for £56,000. The 24-year-old ex-Wycombe Wanderers front man will sign a two-and-a-half year deal, subject to a medical... Aldershot manager Gary Waddock... told BBC Southern Counties Radio: 'Of course it's a blow. We've lost a talented player. It gives a chance to someone else either inside the club or outside'. Waddock has also ended all speculation about a move for Woking defender Tom Hutchinson, admitting: ''ve got no interest in him, good player as he is'. As for the loss of Dixon, Aldershot chairman John McGinty says the club win on two fronts. 'His contract would have ended in June, and he could have walked away', said McGinty. 'And it's unfair to block the lad's progress to League One'. Waddock also confirmed that funds from the deal will be made available if required. 'Time is against us a bit', he said. 'But I don't blame Brighton for that. Danny Hilton has put himself in the frame, and we've still got leading scorer John Grant'".
However, "Gillingham boss Mark Stimson insists he will not increase his offer for Rushden & Diamonds' striker Simeon Jackson. The Gills have already put in a bid for the 20-year-old, who has scored 18 goals this season. Stimson said: 'We keep getting calls that they want more money but we haven't got any more money'. Stimson has told BBC Radio Kent he wants to sign two new strikers before Thursday night's transfer deadline... 'They are probably thinking that if we lose another game we'll go mad and offer that little bit more', said Stimson. 'But we can't. We've got a budget to play with and I've always said it's no good shopping in Harrods if you've got Asda money and that's what we have'. Meanwhile Stimson has also quashed rumours that he wants to bring striker Steve Morison to Priestfield from his former club Stevenage Borough. Stimson has already signed four of his old players from Stevenage - Adam Miller, John Nutter and this week's two latest additions, Barry Fuller and Stuart Lewis".
"Doncaster Rovers have recruited Lee Butler from Halifax Town as their new goalkeeping coach" according to the BBC.
Blue Square Football says that "Dorchester Town have completed the signing of goalkeeper Martin Horsell and Salisbury midfielder Danny Clay".
York City "striker, Paul Brayson, and midfielder, Chas Wrigley, have been released from their contracts by mutual consent and will be leaving the Club. Paul and Chas were not set to be part of Colin Walker’s plans moving forward".
At Torquay United "Chief Executive Colin Lee is pleased to announce that Danny Stevens has signed a new two and a half year contract with the club".
Leaving Stafford Rangers is "midfielder Steve Hopkinson who has joined Unibond League side Leek Town on loan".
This is Exeter reports that "The Grecians announced yesterday that - after more than a year of investigation by commercial property consultants Drivers Jonas - they are looking to stay at their historic home for the foreseeable future. The initial report Drivers Jonas produced recommended that a ground-share with Exeter Chiefs or building a new stadium in Pinhoe would both be preferable to staying at the Park. But the club and the consultants have since carried out additional research that City's commercial director Paul Morrish thinks proves that they should stay put". On the pitch "Paul Tisdale showered praise on his Exeter City players after they became the first side to win at Cambridge United's Abbey Stadium this season".
According to the Northwich Guardian, "Former Vics' forward Paul Brayson is a free agent after York City released him from his contract today, Wednesday. The Guardian has learned that the Geordie striker would love a return to Northwich, for whom he netted 18 times last term, if he was asked. And, with Lee Steele struggling for fitness and Lucas Akins due to return to Huddersfield Town shortly, Dino Maamria may just be in the market for another front runner. The 30-year-old has no shortage of suitors, including Blyth Spartans and Gateshead, but they can't offer him top flight non-league football. Indeed he is believed to have turned down a loan move to Gateshead in the past week. 'Paul was not set to be part of manager Colin Walker's plans moving forward and has therefore been released... City boss Walker told the York Press: 'He wants to play first-team football. He does not want to be sat on the bench or playing in the reserves, so hopefully he can get a new club'".
Heading out of Northwich is Paul Tait who "has severed ties with Northwich Victoria. The 33-year-old striker agreed to cancel his contract at the Marston's Arena [on] Monday. He has not joined another club. 'I'm glad it's finally sorted', Vics' boss Dino Maamria told the Guardian. 'It's been dragging on for a long time, too long in fact'... Tait was transfer listed along with Kevin Townson and Chris Williams following a row with Maamria after Vics' FA Cup defeat at Oxford in November. He has stayed away from the club at Maamria's request since... Bizarrely he remains the team's top scorer so far this season with five goals".
This is South devon believes that "Torquay United will try to persuade Southampton to let them keep on-loan goalkeeper Michael Poke. But Gulls' boss Paul Buckle is worried that Saints' managerial situation could complicate matters... Poke appears to be third-choice at St. Mary's, behind Kelvin Davis and Bartosz Bialkowski. But Saints recently lost manager George Burley, who agreed to Poke's initial one-month loan at Plainmoor, to the Scotland job... 'I don't think it's a surprise that we'd like to keep him for longer', said Buckle. 'It's just our luck that the manager should change at Southampton at this moment. A new man may want to have a look at all the players first-hand'... Ideally, United may want to keep Poke, who has another 18 months left on his Saints contract, until the end of the season. But they would settle for extending the loan for a second month... Buckle is still chasing another signing before the January Transfer Window closes... There's a chance that United, who now have 22 players on their books, might let one out on loan".
Tuesday's Daily Telegraph says of Adam that "Gilchrist is, quite simply, the most exciting batsman in world cricket". He holds the record for the fastest century in Ashes history - just 57 balls were needed for Adam to reach three figures at Perth in 2006. He is, as the paper states "the greatest wicketkeeper-batsman in the history of the game... perhaps only W.G. Grace himself has ever torn into opening attacks like him, right from the start". Adam will continue to play 20/20 cricket but once he fully retires, he knows that "Popeye" Goodwin and Altrincham FC will always give him a warm welcome if he comes down to Moss Lane.
Meanwhile, Geoff's England Cricket Board coach was put to good use last weekend, taking Havant & Waterlooville from Hampshire to their match at Anfield against Liverpool.
Bullsnews confirms that "Wrexham have lodged a five figure bid for Chester [and former Alty] winger Kevin Ellison (right). Chester have acknowledged the bid and will issue a response - a reaction that has caused concern amongst their fans. Ellison took some prising away from Tranmere last summer, and he is their current top scorer."
Monday 28th
Tuesday 29th
BSP:
Gautrey said he felt all the targets on his business plan were realistic in the timescale he had set out. And he estimated United's net losses would drop from more than £541,000 last season down to between £300,000 and £350,000 by May this year as the club starts to get back on an even keel...He said: 'We're non-profitable and we've been short-term decision makers. Decisions have been made based on short-term cash needs and we've thrown money away as a result because we've always been desperate. We need to change that. It's not easy to do, but we've got to take a long-term decision, which is what this plan is about. We've all got to pull together and put behind us what happened last week and move onwards and upwards... By 2011-2012, my overall vision is for the club to be at the forefront of the community and regarded as a business that delivers unrivalled standards of performance on and off the field'. Meanwhile, business development director George Rolls said he was hopeful of finding a major firm to sponsor the Abbey. He said: "We've got a couple of offers on the table already that would potentially be very good for the club'".
The BBC adds that "Cambridge United have appointed Philip Law as the new chairman of the Blue Square Premier club. Law replaces Lee Power who resigned from the position last week after being in the role since August 2006. 'It's not something I coveted. I a tremendous privilege and I'm massively delighted but it was completely unexpected', Law told the club website. Fans'-elected director Brian Attmore is named vice-chairman and director Jonny Hon has stepped down from the board'.
From the BBC we hear that "Crawley Town defender Ronnie Bull has left the club after being told he is not part of their future plans. The 27-year-old joined in January 2007, making 44 appearances and scoring twice, but he has not started in their last two Blue Square Premier matches. Bull's departure means only two of manager Steve Evans' regular starting line-up were at the club before his appointment in May".
"Forest Green have had a £15,000 bid for Crawley Town's 25-year-old captain Tyrone Thompson rejected. The midfielder, who joined the [Sussex] side in the summer from Halifax Town, has played 31 times this season, scoring two goals. Crawley manager Steve Evans confirmed that he had spoken to Forest Green boss Jim Harvey on Tuesday morning. 'It did not meet my valuation, I cannot speculate if the offer will be increased', he told his club's website. 'I told Tyrone this morning of the offer and that it had been refused. He told me he wants to stay and be a part of what we are trying to achieve'" states the BBC.
The Terras confirm that "The Board of Weymouth Football Club is delighted to announce the appointment of John Hollins, MBE, as the Manager of Weymouth Football Club... Chairman, Malcolm Curtis, said: 'After speaking to numerous candidates [though news of Jason Tindall's sacking only emerged 24 hours earlier] , John was absolutely our first-choice for the post. His appointment is tremendous in every way for the club - not only does he bring us experience, professionalism and a passion for the game, but he's also a great ambassador, not only for our club, but the game as a whole. Myself and the Board were well aware that there was a lot of other interest in John'... John Hollins said: 'I've been patiently waiting for the right job and the chance to take over at Weymouth was too tempting a challenge for me to turn down'".
NL Daily says that "Forest Green Rovers has announced that striker Mark Beesley has moved to promotion rivals Cambridge United for an undisclosed fee allied to further conditional agreements, one of which means he is not eligible to play against Rovers for the rest of this season. The transfer, which went through in the space of an hour, means that he will be available to play against Exeter City on Tuesday evening, the second time he will have faced the Grecians in 72 hours. Manager Jim Harvey had thwarted several attempts from Jimmy Quinn, to keep the 27-year-old at the New Lawn but an offer which will see him tied to the Abbey Stadium until 2010, was destined to go through when the player made it known that he wished to take up this opportunity at this stage in his career. Beesley was part of the country’s most prolific striking duo, when alongside Stuart Fleeetwood, who himself only last week turned down a £200,000 move to Crewe Alexandra. They had bagged a staggering total of forty-three goals between them this season".
Meanwhile, "Jim Harvey, manager of Rovers, is weighing up a move for former Bristol City and Bournemouth left back Callum Hart. The 22-year-old is a free agent after being released by Rovers' league rivals Weymouth.. Harvey is also hoping to secure Swindon Town defender Chris Blackburn on loan and could look to bring in temporary goalkeeping cover after Ryan Robinson sustained a back injury at the weekend. Harvey said: 'If we want to be ambitious and push hard for the play-offs then perhaps we need another one or two players, but we'll see what happens this week. I've got my mind on quite a few but trying to get them in could be another problem. I'm fairly confident with the squad that we have, who've done extremely well and are still very much in the hunt, but if we were to add something then it could well give us a fresh impetus. I'll talk to the board and we'll see how we can get on'" reports This is Glos.
"Much-travelled Jefferson Louis has probably played his last game for Maidenhead United" according to NL Daily. He expects to sign for Football League strugglers Mansfield Town, where he has been on trial... Louis started his career with Thame United and then had spells with Chesham United, Forest Green Rovers, Woking, Oxford United and Stevenage Borough... Louis spent the opening part of the 2006/07 season with Eastleigh but... he then had a spell with Weymouth that ended at the beginning of January when the Terras` former boss Jason Tindall vowed Louis would never play for them whilst he was in charge".
"Cambridge Unitedhave received a bid for leading scorer Scott Rendell from an unnamed Football League club. The offer was rejected by the Board of Directors. Scott, 21, joined the club on a free transfer from Crawley Town last summer and has scored 17 goals in the Blue Square Premier and 22 in all competitions so far this season". However, This is Staffs says that "Cambridge United have scotched rumours linking leading scorer Scott Rendell with Crewe. New Us' chairman Phil Law has revealed a bid tabled for 20-goal Rendell, which he rejected yesterday, was from League Two Rochdale",
"Exeter City Football Club are delighted to announce that midfielder Liam Sercombe has signed a two-year extension to his current contract".
Grays Athletic "have announced that John Yems has left the club by mutual consent, Chairman, Mick Woodward, would like to thank John for stepping into the Head Coach position and for all the time and effort he has given during his time with the club". Yems was previously caretaker at Craw;ey Town.
And for Alty's record on this date:
The aim of the supporters' coaches is to get as many fans as possible to games and break even at the end of the season. It is not possible for it to lose money and this money would have to be found from somewhere and the travel club must be self sufficient. In terms of our home support our away support is amongst the best in the league on a percentage basis and is very much appreciated by the players and management. This was evident at Cambridge when players and fans alike applauded each other to a man (or woman!) after our battling performance.
We currently have 15 people on the coach and this is a tremendous number to start off with as it is a ridiculous journey (496 mile round trip) for a Tuesday evening. This same 15 and more will then spend another large sum of money getting to Exeter on the Saturday. If we manage to run the coach then Geoff Goodwin has kindly offered to reduce the price by £100 which is a start. So firstly we need people to travel with us....
If anyone would like to travel on the coach the travel details are here. The current price is £35 this may increase or decrease by a few pounds, dependent on numbers.
I believe that the people travelling down are representing the club as well as the fans who can't make it and should be applauded and helped to do so if they can show such commitment. Many of the fans booked on the coach do not have alternative ways to get there and some could miss their first game in years if no coach runs. With this in mind, STAR would like to ask if anyone would consider making a donation towards the cost of the coach to ensure it can run. Maybe the entrance fee you would have spent if you had gone or any amount would be a help. We appreciate that this is an unusual request but there is no harm in asking.
If you can help, you can pass your pledge your money on the Forum or by private message and I'll arrange to collect it from you or tell you where to send it".
In their most recent game "the Cards turned in a lively and committed performance against a skilful Crawley side... The display confirmed recent signs that this Woking side is improving as Frank Gray’s young charges gain confidence and experience at this level. The only change from the line-up at Weymouth a week before was that Giuseppe Sole started on the left of midfield in place of Adam Green. Matt Gray kept the right-back slot but was given a torrid time by the pacy, tricky Mustapha Carayol... The Morgan/Norville partnership up front continues to look promising – the rejuvenated Marvin had an outstanding second half in particular – and the central defensive pairing of the immaculate Tom Hutchinson and Jay Gasson looks as good as any in this league. Gez Sole worked hard and gave us more of an attacking edge, although Goma Lambu’s impact was blunted by his defensive duties: we could still do with a specialist right back!".
It does not sound as if Woking are expecting many of their fans to travel to Altrincham on Thursday as the club reminds its fans, "Don’t forget to head down to Kingfield on Thursday evening for the televised Altrincham v Woking game. The Cardinals’ Bar opens at 7pm, with kick-off at 7.45pm. Draught Stella and draught Guinness at £2 a pint!".
On the BBC site is an interview with Alty's new assistant manager, Graham Barrow. "The last time Graham Barrow was at Altrincham, he was a non-league national champion. Now, almost 30 years on, he is back at Moss Lane with his focus at the other end of the table. Much has changed in the intervening period, but Barrow is delighted to be working again with a club that were champions of what was then called the Alliance Premier League - now the Blue Square Premier - in 1980 and 1981. He told BBC Sport: 'I thought we were going to get into the Football League but at the time it was the voting system. The first time we lost to Rochdale by one vote, and the next time we were miles away. I then got the chance to go to Wigan but this is still a good club in every sense and this is an opportunity to help give it a lift'.
Right: Standing in front of an appropriate hoarding before the recent York City game, Graham Barrow oversees the pre-match warm-up.
Barrow was 27 when he forced his way into League football, but he still found time to play over 500 games for Wigan and then Chester City as an effective and popular midfield man. His later games came in a player-manager's role at Chester and Barrow also went on to manage Wigan, Rochdale, Chester again, and Bury with a promotion and a Conference League Cup punctuating the hard toil of the north-west's less-heralded managerial circuit... After a spell of scouting he was the man former Altrincham team-mate Graham Heathcote called to help him try and win the Robins' latest relegation battle. 'We weren't bosom buddies but we played in the same team and we have kept in touch. I have worked around this area and we have always been on the phone', said Barrow... 'Graham has had to carry this club for the last few years. and through his work it is on a sound financial base. I was happy to help him... You miss that more than anything, the training ground and particularly the dressing room. That nervous feeling you get on a Saturday morning, whether you are a manager, assistant manager, coach or player. You get a real kick out of it'.
Barrow's arrival coincided with an improvement in results which has seen Altrincham climb out of the bottom four, although he is taking none of the credit. 'It's not down to me. He (Heathcote) did something about it and got some players in to shake up the dressing room a bit', he said. 'I help him on the training ground and my role is to talk straight with him in the office and then when we walk out be 100% behind him....If we carry on with our recent progress we might do better than that but we don't want to be greedy. Looking at the fixtures, February could be a big month for us'... added Barrow, who will be helping prepare Altrincham to play both Droylsden and Farsley in the space of four potentially vital days...
When you look at it now, it (the Blue Square Premier) is so close to the Football League. Certainly the top half would hold its own in the Football League, there are that many ex-League players in it', he said. '"The biggest thing is that we are part-time playing against full-time teams and I would be a liar if I said that sometimes it doesn't show. But everything else the club does is as good as any League club in the country and we are trying to bridge the gap. The main aim this year is to stay up, and then who knows?'".
And Cambridge United explain how they brought in new faces to the Abbey Stadium. "The curtain is coming down on the Happy New Year Promotion Fund. The initiative has been a great success, raising just over £20,000. This figure has been matched by the Board and allowed the Manager the luxury of a £41,000 investment in new players. It should be explained that this sum has to include items such as transfer fees, relocation costs and the extra wage bill. Had the fund not raised this amount, we would not be watching the likes of Wayne Hatswell, Paul Carden, Lee McEvilly and Ben Farrell. Each of these players has already shown their worth and the expectation is that they will play a big part in the promotion push. Jimmy Quinn commented, 'It is fantastic that the fans have shown their commitment to the Club and raised such a lot of money. It is a great endorsement of the playing squad and my management team and I am sure the new lads will make a difference'. The donations have ranged from four-figure sums to small change. Junior U's, some as young as four, have given pocket money, whilst their mums and dads have all dug deep. Every penny collected will be put to good use.
The Gaffer continued, 'There are no easy games and you need strength in depth. You cannot expect the same eleven to produce the goods week in, week out'. Fans' Elected Director, Brian Attmore... is delighted with the outcome...'We have seen the quality of Paul Carden and in Ben Farrell we have acquired a young man with huge potential',he said. 'Lee McEvilly is a strong player... and in Wayne Hatswell we have a proven defender'".
The BBC says that "Teenage Crawley defender Jamie Stevens has been handed a three-day trial by Ipswich. The 18-year-old only joined the Reds in the summer after leaving relegated Boston United to link up again with his former manager Steve Evans. Crawley have described interest in Stevens during this month's transfer window as 'intense'".
"Striker Marvin Robinson has left Oxford United by mutual consent. The 27-year-old joined Oxford last season from Macclesfield but was hampered by injury and went on loan to Cambridge United in September 2007. Robinson was involved in a car accident in October 2007 and is still recovering from the injuries he sustained. Oxford boss Darren Patterson said: 'We are sorry for what has happened to Marvin. We hope he recovers and is able to resume his career'. Robinson scored three goals in 30 appearances for United but he started just 12 games".
The exodus from Stevenage to Kent continues as "Gillingham have completed the signings of defender Barry Fuller, 23, and midfielder Stuart Lewis, 20, from Stevenage Borough for undisclosed fees. The pair have signed deals that take them to the end of the 2010 season. 'Both are good players and will enhance our playing squad', said Gills [and ex-Boro] boss Mark Stimson".
Arriving at Broadhall Way is "20 year old Sammy Moore from championship side Ipswich Town... The energetic midfielder was given a professional contract by Ipswich after being released by Chelsea and was a member of their FA Youth cup winning side. He has appeared on loan for Brentford this season and has chosen Boro even though Ipswich had interest from 2 league clubs. Phil Wallace said 'Peter didn't hang around replacing Stuart Lewis. Sammy is a very similar player... I think the fans will love his energy, determination and commitment and we're looking forward to seeing him in a Boro shirt". he told the Stevenage Borough site.
According to This is York "City captain Manny Panther will not be leaving the club before the transfer window closes on Thursday. The Press understands that a clutch of Blue Square Premier promotion contenders are interested in securing the 23-year-old midfielder's services... Panther will be out of contract this summer and free to leave KitKat Crescent under the Bosman ruling, but he has no plans to jump ship at this moment in time. He told the Press: 'I definitely know I will be here this time next week. I've not heard of any interest myself and I am happy at York. I want to win something for the club and I'm not going to walk away when things are going so well. The longer our run goes on, the better and the happier I am'". But "York City striker Chris Beardsley has signed for Blue Square North leaders Kettering Town. Beardsley has signed a permanent deal with Kettering after a successful one-month loan spell. Although the striker has moved on a free transfer, City have secured a sell-on clause. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Josh Mimms has signed for City until the end of the season and striker Alex Rhodes has joined Whitby Town on loan".
The Cambridge Evening News claims that "Robbie Nightingale has decided to stay and fight for his place at Histon after rejecting a loan move to Nuneaton Borough... Erkan Okay is now manager Steve Fallon's first choice on the right wing and Nightingale has had to be happy with a place on the bench and reserve-team football... Fallon said: 'Nuneaton have enquired about taking Robbie on loan, but he feels he's close to getting into our side and he wants to be part of this club'... Meanwhile, goalkeeper Mark Osborn has turned his loan spell at Halesowen into a permanent deal. The shot-stopper, who arrived at the Glass World from Kettering in the summer, lost his place to Danny Naisbitt at the end of September and has not featured since".
Alty Youth drew 2-2 on Sunday against Daisy Hill
Most of the staff at Altrincham FC, including the players, have more than one job. One such man, who has three varied occupations is Neil Brown (right), the former Altrincham FC reserves manager. Not only is Neil still the groundsman at Moss Lane, where he is currently planning his latest mowing design for the Setanta TV cameras who are covering Alty's game with Woking this Thursday, but he is also a coach driver for his cousin and Alty chairman Geoff Goodwin, and the manager of Vodkat NW Counties club Abbey Hey FC! Neil celebrated his first win as manager of the Gorton (Manchester) side on Saturday, a result which lifted them level with two other clubs at the bottom of that league. The NW Counties football league has a feature on Neil which includes the following...
"New Abbey Hey boss Neil Brown... took over in early December... 'In the three years before this season, I was Altrincham’s reserve team manager', he explained. 'Pre season I went to Leek Town in the Unibond Premier League as assistant to Paul Ogden. He took ill during one of the games, so I stepped into the breach and took over as manager. However, there were various things going on behind the scenes that I wasn’t happy with, so after just five games I resigned... When the Abbey Hey manager’s job came up I was immediately interested... In the first two games I was in charge, I just went with the existing squad to have a look at them, but it was obvious that I needed to bring new players in... I’ve not had to get rid of any players, any who have left did so of their own accord. The players I’ve brought in so far are lads who played for me in Altrincham Reserves. I know them, they are all young lads, and they are good quality players who like playing football, but so far we’ve been let down by silly mistakes. Our keeper Steve Downs was with me at Altrincham and he trains with their first team so when I needed a keeper I spoke to Graham Heathcote about him. As he wasn’t getting a game with them Graham agreed to let him come to us. He’s not the biggest but he’s quality... He’s made a difference to us and we are a bit tighter at the back now... Some people in my position might make excuses that if you bring a few new players in like we have, all of whom are young, it will take them time to find their feet and gel as a team. But I’m not interested in doing that because I know they are good players who can do a job for us... I’ve managed to bring in a sponsor, Go Goodwins Coaches which is owned by my cousin, and that has given us some money. We’ve used it for new playing kit, tracksuits, training kit and in the dressing room we provide Lucozade, sugar sweets and other food and drink before the game, just little things to make everything a bit more professional and organised... We are improving but we are not improving enough... I feel we have enough quality to get out of trouble. Next year, if we keep this group of players together and get a good pre season, I know these players are good enough to play against the top five teams in this league. Right now though, they’ve got to settle in quickly".
On Saturday, Danny Heffernan scored as Abbey Hey beat St Helens Town 4-2.
"Torquay United have completed the signings of Swindon duo Steve Adams and Kaid Mohamed as well as Accrington striker Roscoe D'Sane. Midfielder Adams, 27, has signed a two-and-a-half year deal after snubbing a new short-term Swindon contract. Adams preferred the long-term security of Torquay's contract offer. Forward Mohamed, 23, has signed on loan for a month. And 27-year-old former Southend and Aldershot frontman D'Sane joins for the rest of the season for an undisclosed fee from Stanley"
Altrincham fans were housed in the terace rather than the South Stand at the Abbey yesterday and Cambridge United's website explains why. "Junior U's and their parents are reminded that the league match against Altrincham at the Abbey Stadium... has been designated a 'Junior' South Stand Initiative fixture, and all current members of the Junior U's are invited to attend the game free of charge in the South Stand... In addition to all Junior U's being invited to attend the match free of charge, each member will be eligible to bring along three friends (under 16s) to accompany them to the match, introducing them to their local family football club free of charge... and almost 1,000 applications for tickets have been received so far. The application forms also enable parents/adults to accompany Junior U's and their friends in the South Stand at the discounted cost of just £10, as well as providing the facility for existing Junior and Adult season ticket holders to request transfer into the South Stand for this match at no cost".
Meanwhile, on the pitch "Jimmy Quinn made one change to the side that won 5-0 at home to Droylsden on Tuesday night, restoring Mark Convery to the centre of midfield in place of the injured Danny Brown (ankle)... Cheered on by over 1,000 Junior U's and their friends and families in the South Stand, United started brightly". Later Alty's "their offside trap was sprung again when United took the lead in the 23rd minute. The flag stayed down as Scott Rendell scampered down the right and then picked out Lee McEvilly in the middle of the area, and he struck a low finish into the bottom far corner... McEvilly and defender Ryan Shotton had clashed repeatedly throughout the half and on 32 the striker was flattened off the ball, protesting afterwards to the referee, and he was involved again three minutes later when he rounded Altrincham captain Darren Tinson and was pulled down a yard outside the area... Half-time summary from match commentator Mark Johnson: 'An entertaining half between two well-matched sides. United have scored the goal, they could have had more but Altrincham look a threat going forward themselves'...
Altrincham were far from out of this game... Lawton crashing a scorching shot off the underside of the bar, which was clutched gratefully by Potter... but then United were made to pay when Altrincham scored. It came from a counterattacking move down the right, Joe O'Neill rarely getting the better of Morrison to release Colin Little behind the defence, and as Potter came off his line Little rounded the keeper to calmly place a low shot from the centre of the area... It was Mark Convery who finally beat Coburn, although it took a deflection to make sure. The midfielder's 22-yard shot was aimed inside the far post but diverted off both Shotton and Lane and flew inside the near post, giving the previously unbeatable goalkeeper no chance as he tried to change direction... After five minutes of added time the final whistle signalled a hard-earned three points for United ".
Elsewhere the site adds that "Cambridge United continued their return to winning ways... this time against Altrincham whose performance belied their fifth-from-bottom position in the table... 'We played some really good football today but we came up against an inspired keeper', acknowledged U's boss. 'I thought we were only going to get a point out of it but we had a little bit of luck in the end. We've been encouraging Mark Convery to shoot and he pulled the trigger and it took a deflection, and I think that was the only thing that was going to beat them today... Last year that would have been a game that we'd probably have drawn or lost. You can see the difference, and the difference here is the supporters. I can't believe what I'm hearing and seeing - they're sticking behind the team right until the last minute'... Quinn credits the Robins' keeper [Stuart Coburn] for setting up a tense finale: 'I think if we'd have got that second goal their heads would have dropped and we'd have got a few more, but all credit to Altrincham. I thought they competed and the lad O'Neill came on at the end and caused problems with his runs, they competed in the midfield and they put a man on Courtney in the hole so you'd have to say Graham (Heathcote) has done well with his tactics, but I thought that on overall play we did enough to win it... Whereas last year it all used to go quiet, the fans are still sticking behind the team and as a player that gives you a massive boost. That second goal was sucked into the net by the fans behind the goal".
In the NL Today paper there is an interview with Colin Little (right) in advance of Thursday's televised game against Woking. He says of this season,"We've not been good enough. The game at home to Northwich was the perfect example. We were doing well and coasting and then conceded two goals, letting ourselves and the fans down". But things are on the up, "The manager made a few changes. Some left, new lads came in and we were all playing for our places. There is a positive feel about the place now and for the first time in ages we all look forward to going to training and playing matches. If we carry on our good form then the likes of Halifax, Weymouth, Rushden and Woking will all sit up and take note. I'm surprised to see Woking struggling actually. They are a big club with a strong fan base. I thought they would be up there challenging for honours... Psychology plays a big part and our poor record could play on our minds if we concede an early goal [to Woking]. But the way we have been playing in recent weeks fills me with belief".
The UniBond League says that Steve Aspinall (left) has signed League forms for Ashton United, as has former Alty Youth and Reserve, Ben Deegan, who has joined from Flixton. Ashton boss Danny Johnson said "I have brought in Steve Aspinall from Altrincham this week and I am sure he will bring lots of experience and quality to the back four. He has played nearly 200 times for Altrincham over the past 4 years so his experience will be vital at a time when we are looking to improve defensively...'Steve will start on Saturday in what I believe is a must win game for us'". A poster on Ashton's forum said of United's 1-1 draw with Stamford: "Debut for Steve Aspinall on loan from Altrincham at right back, looked steady until substituted near the end. Also a debut for Ben Deegan upfront, given the last few minutes as a sub and looked a handful".
Altrincham have no match next Saturday so a good alternative for Robins' fans is the Ashton United v Marine match on that day. As well as Chris Adams, Steve Aspinall and Ben Deegan, Marine have popular ex-Alty captain Eddie Hussin on their books.
NL Daily says that "Fleetwood Town edged out Ilkeston Town... Nathan Pond gave Fleetwood the lead 3 minutes before half time at Highbury but recent signing Chris Timons [ex-Alty captain] pulled the Reds level with 17 minutes to go". Meanwhile "Witton were held to a 2-2 draw at Hednesford Town, who were indebted to an 86th minute own goal from Liam Brownhill [ex-Alty trialist] after Ross Dyer had given them a 44th minute lead. [Ex-Alty striker]Rod Thornley grabbed two for Albion on 45 and 63 minutes". Elsewhere "a goal right on half time by Terry Bowker earned Buxton their win" whilst in their game Stalybridge Celtic"managed a second through the on-loan James Dean", formerly also an Alty loanee. Former Alty Youth keeper Tom Read was sent off yesterday, playing for Trafford.
Above: Alty celebrate their goal as the referee dramatically points to the centre spot.
In terms of pressure, Cambridge probably deserved to win but Altrincham were unlucky to be beaten by one offside goal and an own goal, which came just five minutes from the end. Alty's bad luck also saw Robbie Lawton's shot come out off the underside of the bar and both their centre-halves, Darren Tinson and Greg Young, taken off injured. After the physical McEvilly had put Cambridge ahead in the 22nd minute from a pass by the offside Rendell, Stuart Coburn kept Alty in the game with several excellent saves. Nine minutes from time, O'Neill's good work allowed Little to jink round keeper Potter to level the scores before Convery's speculative shot hit Lane and was diverted past Coburn (85 mins).
Howard Watts's record of Alty games, Through the Years, is now on the site for Saturday (26th January).
"And Barrow believes Robins' boss Heathcote deserves to take much of the credit for his team's turnaround despite recently coming in for some criticism from fans. He said: 'I was disappointed by the reaction of some fans (to poor results this season) but having been a manager, it doesn't surprise me in today's game. Often people don't even know the full facts when they criticise managers but you just have to be big enough to take it on the chin and get on with your job. Graham's big enough to take the criticism and he's not laid down, he's gone out and done something about it. A lot of credit has to go to him for that. But that said, I've not just come here to say yes Graham. He's a very strong character but I have my own ideas as well. You don't survive in football by being pig-headed and Graham's certainly not. He takes any advice I give him on board... I'm delighted to be back here because it's probably come at the right time for me. I have put in for one or two jobs but it's getting tougher and tougher with the standard of candidates out there, so i was delighted when Graham gave me this chance'".
Quinn included Courtney Pitt behind the front two on Tuesday and he may continue with that formation tomorrow: 'I'll look at it but Altrincham will pose a different threat; they've got different types of players. I thought overall Courtney did well on Tuesday, although I would like to see him get more shots away'... Quinn was also pleased to see Rendell score his first hat-trick, and loanee Lee McEvilly get off the mark with his first goal for the club...
Quinn expects the Robins to present a sterner test than Droylsden did on Tuesday, but he believes Tuesday's 5-0 win provided a big boost to the players' confidence following four defeats... 'Altrincham will have looked at our home record and they might come here and pack the midfield and play one up front and try and nick something. Droylsden only played one up front the other day... our plan was to get as many shots away and as many crosses into the box as we could and we did that. It's important that we try to entertain the fans and that involves chances and shots around the box, whether it's Altrincham or anybody else'...
Commented Quinn, 'I know they've brought five or six young lads from League clubs, and one or two of them are particularly good and they've got a lad with a long throw that causes problems, so they've got a better team this time around than they did earlier in the season. They have 22 points compared to Droylsden's ten so you'd have to say they'll be better opposition than Droylsden, but we're at home and it's all about what we do... Altrincham will want to keep it tight and try to frustrate our fans and hope that our fans get on our backs, but our fans have been brilliant'".
I was surprised and disappointed when the Chairman [Lee Power] discussed his intentions with me prior to the Droylsden game on Tuesday night. It was quite clear during our meeting that he had been fed incorrect information from within the club as well as being unable to provide me with some information that I had requested of him. It is a concern of mine that at Cambridge United, like many football clubs, there is far too much rumour mongering.
Lee is a successful businessman away from football and his time is always at a premium. My role has been to manage many of the functions that a full time Chairman might otherwise deal with. Invariably there have been occasions when I have had to take the lead on certain issues. An example of this was the new contracts for the manager and his assistant, and I was as delighted as everyone else when these were finalised. I have spoken to Jimmy [Quinn] this morning, obviously concerned that our good working relationship (except when he beats me on the golf course!) has been tarnished; thankfully it has not... I have a good relationship with the players as I see them on a day to day basis and they have been tremendous with me, although I generally try to stay out of team affairs.
During my discussion with the Chairman I offered to resign, so as to facilitate a situation whereby he felt able to remain at the Club. This offer was declined. I have been a supporter of this football club since 1971 and always will be. Should the board wish me to stay on I will do so. However we need to dramatically improve our off field activities if we are to get them to the standards that I would expect... Finally, I personally would like to thank Lee Power for all the work that he has done for this Football Club. He may not have been around much during my time at the Club, but he did stick by the manager in our darkest hour and this has reaped dividends. I would like to clarify my position in terms of ambition at the Club. I made it very clear upon my appointment that I do not wish to be on the Board. I have held senior roles at multi-million pound companies and my time with Cambridge United is a labour of love, not a rung on the career ladder".
However, amidst this upheaval United's "Stephen Smith has joined Cambridge City on a one month loan".
Meanwhile the same source says that "Aldershot pair Louie Soares and Anthony Straker have received the highest call-up an international footballer could wish for. The duo have been asked to represent Barbados for a World Cup qualifier next month. The youngsters will miss up to two fixtures for their club, but Shots boss Gary Waddock insists he would never hold back a player who has been called up to play for his country".
NL Daily says that ex-Alty striker "Ken McKenna, manager of The New Saints, has boosted his strike force with the acquisition of frontman Kevin Townson from Blue Square Premier strugglers Northwich Victoria".
The Manchester Evening News reports that "Droylsden boss Dave Pace is set to make sweeping changes to his playing staff... He could field as many as five new signings [on Saturday]... Pace is almost certain to give debuts to Wrexham pair Conall Murtagh and Levi Mackin and is also hoping to tie up deals with Chester duo Paul Rutherford and Chris Holroyd plus Halifax's Darryn Stamp. He has already snapped up Adam Dugdale, Luke Morgan, Sean Taylforth and Ian Wood but it isn't likely to end there as he's also planning further reinforcements... Pace said, 'I'm doing my utmost to get us out of this mess and it's clear to me that more heads have to roll. Everyone has written us off but people should never underestimate Dave Pace'". Droylsden later stated that "Robbie Talbot and Gavin Salmon have gone on month loan to Leigh RMI [and] Danny Ellis signed on loan till end of season from Stockport County".
Kidderminster Harriers have "completed the signing of Oxford United left-back Alex Jeannin on loan until the end of the season. The 30 year-old arrives at Aggborough in time to go straight into the squad for tomorrow's league match at Droylsden". At the same time "Justin Richards has left Aggborough to join Oxford United on loan until the season's end. Richards, who joined Harriers in the summer... The former Peterborough United man has started 25 games in a red shirt this season, scoring seven goals... 'After going out of the FA Trophy we just felt that we needed to freshen up the squad a little bit and players coming in means that one or two need to go out', boss Mark Yates [said]. 'There has been a little bit of interest in Justin and he's not been playing a lot here lately so it's a deal that suits everyone."
"Northwich Victoria have released Jake Johnson" claims the Northwich Guardian. "The former Leek CSOB midfielder managed just one substitute appearance in the league this season. He joined the club on non-contract terms in the summer after impressing former boss Neil Redfearn. His departure means Dino Maamria's promised clearout is gathering pace, with Simon Rusk, Richard Battersby, Chris Williams, Kevin Townson and Adam Morning all leaving the Marston's Arena in the past few days". Meanwhile, "Vics have called in a favour to solve their keeper crisis. Blackpool custodian Lewis Edge could go straight into the starting line up for tomorrow's crunch clash with Halifax. He has signed on a month-long loan. Scott Tynan faces a scan on his knee today to discover the extent of the damage done during Tuesday's Setanta Shield game at Barrow... Tynan's understudy Ben Connett is also struggling with a sprained wrist picked up during the warm up at Burton last weekend". And confirmation of one player's destination comes with a report that "Witton have swooped to sign Adam Morning from neighbours Northwich". Later the Guardian added that "Vics have continued their clearout by parting company with Chris Williams. The 22-year-old midfielder signed for UniBond Division One North outifit Bradford Park Avenue".
NL Daily says that "Plymouth Argyle have signed Exeter City`s leading scorer Jamie Mackie after weeks of speculation linking the striker to the Pilgrims. The initial fee of £145,000 will rise with add-ons depending on appearances and international call-ups. 'I'm absolutely delighted. I'm over the moon with the move. I can't wait', said Mackie. Mackie has scored fourteen goals this season... The Grecians agreed to let Mackie go after the 21-year-old requested a transfer... 'A lot of people helped me there. It was a brilliant club for me. It's helped me develop my game to get me back to this level, so I leave thanking them a lot', he said. Plymouth manager Paul Sturrock says Mackie is one for the future, 'I'm not expecting him to come charging into the team but if you talk to Jamie he's going to be playing next Saturday and that's the kind of attitude I want to bring to this side', he said".
The takeover saga continues at The Shay where Halifax Town have issued a "Joint Statement. The Business Consortium and Board of Halifax Town Supporters Trust recognise - and indeed share - the degree of frustration currently being experienced by the Club's valued supporters in achieving the successful takeover of Halifax Town. All fair-minded followers of the Club will however appreciate that it is fundamentally essential for the future stability and structured development of the Club that all historical business issues are professionally and thoroughly resolved prior to any formal takeover announcement...
Work in this respect continues and may we assure you again of our absolute determination to clear the remaining admittedly particularly difficult hurdles, specific details of which cannot understandably be brought into the public domain... It is to be hoped that, the developed East Stand should also realise significant income streams that have not previously been available to the Football Club... Over the last 13-14 months, financial support for the footballing side of the business has been excellent, the squad is gradually being strengthened, if necessary transfer fees have been paid, short and long term loans have been supported. The season is at a very important stage, we would ask you to get 100% behind the manager and his players, for the whole 90 minutes of each game...
Over the last few months - and with no security whatsoever - the investment made by the Business Consortium in Halifax Town AFC has been at a significantly high level. It is a reasonable assumption that the Club would not have survived without it, and it also represents an unequivocal endorsement of the Business Consortium's commitment to Halifax Town AFC... Further large sums are also needed in the short term, to continue the ongoing survival of the Club".
Thursday 24th
York City now have a match report on their draw at Moss Lane last Saturday. "Setting out for Altrincham, news filtered through that games at Macclesfield, Bury, Rochdale and Accrington were all off. Would Altrincham survive the downpours affecting the rest of the Manchester metropolitan area? Eventually, yes it would, but it was a close run thing, with the bounce and run of the ball proving untrustworthy. For the fourth game running, City had to come from behind to get something out of the game and preserve the unbeaten run. And again, there were opportunities to have won the game, meaning it was difficult to tell whether it was a point gained or two lost... With five minutes of the first half remaining, an aimless ball found itself at Little's feet. He turned Danny Parslow inside-out on the edge of the box and almost tripped over the ball before scuffing a shot beyond the wrong-footed Evans to open the scoring... With the City defence statuesque and Evans rooted to his line, the ball fell to Little who lashed a volley into the roof of the net for 2-0.... [before] Altrincham somehow held out for their second 2-2 draw with City this season. 'I've got to be happy with a draw, but there's a touch of anger in there too' was Colin Walker's summary. 'If it was a boxing match, then it would have been stopped in the first half. We were poor in the final third, but we had an ace up our sleeve and that was Martyn Woolford'. Credit where it's due to Altrincham though, they worked hard to get themselves into pole position and did just about enough to hang on at the end. 'They give most teams a game' said the City supremo, 'but we played some terrific football in the second half - some of the best since I've been here'".
From IC Cheshire comes confirmation that "Northwich Vics' manager Dino Maamria brought his signings up to 10 in three weeks and declared he can’t wait for the turmoil to end. His latest signings are defenders Cortez Belle from Halifax Town and Danny Meadowcroft, from Ossett Town, midfielder Matthew Crowell (Wrexham) and winger Jamie Mullan (Rochdale)... Out goes the versatile Richard Battersby (left). Maamria said: 'Richard has got a new job and could not meet our training schedule, while we could not afford a full-time contract for him. [He has now joined Altrincham, of course]. There are no offers yet for transfer listed midfielder Mike Carr nor any moves to find other clubs by Chris Williams, Paul Tait and Kevin Townson, who continue to be paid in full during their absence. It is dead money and swells the already over-budget wage bill, which Maamria is expected to trim with further departures. Mike Byrne, another hero from two years ago, is another likely to leave. The Vics' boss said: 'There have been so many comings and goings and I will be glad when it comes to an end. I just want to focus on games and getting the points we need. I am delighted with all my signings and I hope the fans come along to see just how high quality they are'". In Tuesday's Setanta Shield match, Vics won 2-0 at Barrow, with Aaron Burns one of the scorers, though Barrow claimed his effort was offside.
The BBC says that "Members of fans' website MyFootballClub have approved the takeover of Ebbsfleet United. More than 18,000 members cast their votes in the past week on the £635,000 takeover, with 95.8% deciding on the purchase of the Kent club. Fleet manager Liam Daish was backed by the same percentage of members to carry out any plans he has for the January transfer window. MyFootballClub has 27,278 members who had until Wednesday to cast their vote. The first "internet" team selection is scheduled for March. 'It's a wonderful opportunity for the club', said Brian Kilcullen, who will take over as interim chairman from club chairman Jason Botley... Daish's contract will be extended by a year to the end of the 2008/09 season as part of the deal and the Ebbsfleet boss backed the buyout. '"This will enable us to carry on at this level', Daish told BBC Radio Kent. 'I don't envisage getting £20,000 for a player, but I hope to be able to get a couple of bodies in and secure the players who are here already. Barring John Akinde everybody's contract is up at the end of the season. It will secure the services of these players and help them to push on to the next level'. But Daish urged members not to treat team selection as a computer game. 'They're dealing with a bunch of players whose livelihoods are at stake. They support their families with what they earn here, they don't earn anything else', he added. 'As long as everyone takes it as seriously as the players, and I and the coaching staff do, then I don't see any problem'". "Liam Daish cannot wait to sign the new contract he's been promised as part of the MyFootballClub takeover prior to opening talks with his players" claims the Gravesend Reporter. "'I have not signed it yet - it's all being put in place', the 39-year-old confirmed. 'I've spoken to the new owners about securing existing players' contracts, opening negotiations with them and I've already put feelers out to certain players. Yesterday's vote simply could not happen quickly enough as far as I'm concerned and, now, I can start tying things together player-wise and give our supporters great news about rewarding good players that have done well with longer contracts'... A number of current fans and shareholders have grown increasingly disenchanted with the Fleet's foray into web ownership, believing they have not considered their views before making such a groundbreaking judgement. The name change, from Gravesend and Northfleet to the more commercially-viable Ebbsfleet United earlier this year, left many hardcore followers infuriated at not being consulted over another key facet of their club's history and identity".
The Cambridge United unofficial site comments on how "Lee Power shocked the Cambridge United fanbase tonight by revealing he had resigned before [last night's] game against Droylsden. In a blast at the boardroom, he claims people undermining his decisions persuaded him to hand in his resignation this afternoon... He refused to go into particular detail about who these detractors were, although the only recently appointed board members have been George Rolls as a director and Norman Gautrey as Chief Executive. Lee made clear that he'd tried to speak to the clubs main benefactor Paul Barry about 'certain individuals that needed to be addressed' but Paul was overseas at his home in Seattle. Power also disclosed he'd let Jimmy Quinn know of his decision that afternoon and Quinn was said to be upset with the news... It is unclear who will now takeover the stewardship at the Abbey Stadium, although 'Fans Director' Brian Attmore has filled that role in a temporary fashion previously".
Meanwhile the official Cambridge United site says following Power's resignation , "There was some concern among supporters that manager Jimmy Quinn might consider his position. However the U's boss told cambridgeunited.com this morning that he's staying, while also paying tribute to the outgoing chairman. 'I would personally like to thank Lee Power for all the help and support he gave me in his time here. He's been the best chairman I've ever had', said Quinn. 'There were three or four times last season where I felt like packing it in because of results but he saw the bigger picture and he wouldn't let me do that, and that's all credit to him... He's made the decision to go but I can tell the fans and the players and everybody connected to the club that I love my job and I love Cambridge United and I want to finish the job off... We have some nice people on the Board and it's all about making the right decision and putting the right people in charge now so that they can go forward together''".
The Cambridge Evening News reports that "Lee Power rode into the Abbey as a potential knight in shining armour when Cambridge United were at one of the lowest ebbs in their history in August 2006. Just a year after coming out of administration, the club was racked with more than £100,000 of losses from the ill-fated Abbey Aid concerts while running losses ran at £400,000. Meanwhile, the boardroom was falling apart with chairman Terry Baker and finance director Nick Pomery both quitting as a result of the fall-out from Abbey Aid, while vice-chairman John Howard was ousted by his colleagues due to the perceived conflict of interest between his ownership of United's ground and role as a director. Power was brought in as a new broom and immediately announced £600,000 would be stumped up to cover the cost of renting the Abbey for three years while cash would be provided for two new strikers prior to the 2006-07 campaign... By last January, Power admitted the club was still being crippled by heavy running losses, not helped by the rent commitments to Howard's firm Bideawhile nor poor home gates as United continued to struggle.... Warned the club could go bust if changes were not made to United's constitution, Power oversaw, among other issues, the lifting of the 20 per cent cap on shareholdings at an extraordinary general meeting last March. It prompted vice-chairman Johnny Hon, major shareholder Paul Barry and American businessman Adrian Hanauer, soon to become a director, to pledge an injection of £600,000 into the club over two years. On the pitch, United avoided the drop on the final day of the season... Cash was splashed to help Quinn put together the squad he felt was needed to get the club back into the Coca-Cola League while there was a unity behind the scenes that had rarely been seen in recent times... New faces appeared behind the scenes with United taking on their first chief executive for three years in Norman Gautrey last October and introducing George Rolls to the board as business development director". The News adds that "Power resigned at a board meeting just two hours before the U's 5-0 demolition of lowly Blue Square Premier outfit Droylsden...It is believed chief executive Norman Gautrey also walked out following the meeting. However, he refused to comment. The turmoil could not have come at a more awkward time for United. The club's annual meeting is in five days and because Power is in charge of transfers, it may cause problems for Quinn in making moves in or out of the Abbey before next week's deadline. But Power said 'I've just had enough', he said. 'I won't name names, but there are certain individuals who have come in lately to the football club who want to do this and that and are undermining things. You can see by the results we've had over the last couple of weeks that it's affecting everyone. It's been going on for the last month to six weeks. Either people can come in here and do things the way I want to do it or there's no reason me being here. So that's why I've chucked it in'"... Power runs a successful publishing company after a professional football career that took in many clubs including Norwich City".
And the official site adds that "Droylsden manager Dave Pace was generous in defeat after seeing his side beaten 5-0 at the Abbey Stadium.. It was the Bloods' second 5-0 defeat in four days, following their trip to Stevenage on Saturday, but he felt there was no comparison between the two games and praised 'fantastic' Cambridge United. 'Everyone in the dressing room is down', he admitted. 'It could be said that against Stevenage we were unlucky to lose 5-0, but tonight we were battered by a very good side from start to finish. We deserved what we got - absolutely nothing. The one plus point is that it can't get any worse! Putting my name to that result tonight was embarrassing, and I'm better than that. That performance didn't reflect anything like we can play, but I'm not taking anything away from Cambridge - they were fantastic from start to finish'". Wrexham report that "Droylsden must be looking forward to including Wrexham midfield pair Conall Murtagh and Levi Mackin in their ranks for the weekend home game against Kidderminster Harriers, after suffering a 5-0 loss to Cambridge United... The Bloods have reached agreement with Brian Little to take the duo on an initial month's loan from this Friday". Murtagh played for Altrincham Reserves a couple of years ago.
Surprising news comes from NL Daily that "Forest Green Rovers have announced that Stuart Fleetwood has turned down a move to Crewe Alexandra and in the process committed himself totally to help Rovers reach the play-offs... The 21-year-old striker, after visiting Gresty Road and discussing personal terms with Crewe, has made the decision to remain at the New Lawn, after considering all his options, with his family and his agent". Manager Jim Harvey stated: “Whilst neither the board nor myself, would ever stand in the way of any player progressing up the football ladder and that on this occasion we may have missed out on a massive windfall, it shows how genuine Stuart is and knowing the lad as I do, I know his word is his bond". Fleetwood himself added “It is a decision I have reached along with my family. Everyone at Rovers has made us so welcome from the Boardroom to the supporters on the terraces. My mother in particular has a genuine affection for the club and everyone she meets each match day. The club is now part of my family as well and I am committed with my team mates to making this the best ever season that the club have experienced in their history. Obviously I have been kept informed by the club of all the interest shown and I can honestly state that even if any other clubs come in with a late bid before the transfer window closes, I am not interested. The summer may be a different matter [when he is out of contract] but I owe a debt of gratitude to the gaffer". And Kent Online admits that "Gillingham's hopes of luring hot-shot Stuart Fleetwood to the club have failed. The 21-year-old striker was a transfer target for Gillingham manager Mark Stimson but League 1 rivals Crewe looked all set to bag the player after winning the bidding war. But Fleetwood turned down the move to Gresty Road last night and insisted he now wants to stay put in a bid to help his current club Forest Green Rovers gain promotion".
Farsley Today says that "Leeds United have given Farsley Celtic's relegation battle a helping hand by allowing promising young midfielder Scott Gardner to join their neighbours on loan. The 19-year-old England age group international has penned an initial one-month deal at Throstle Nest". And according to NL Daily, "Farsley Celtic have signed two new defenders in Georges Santos and Scott Gardner. Luxembourg-born Gardner has signed from Leeds United on an initial month`s loan. He has made one appearance for Leeds....Santos, 37, is a permanent signing from FA Trophy opponents Alfreton Town. He is a defender but two weeks ago played as a striker against Celtic. Santos has bags of Football League experience, most notably for Tranmere Rovers, West Brom and Sheffield United"
Rushden & Diamonds "have signed 21 year-old Dale Roberts, on an initial month long loan from Nottingham Forest, who will report on Thursday... The 6' 3" promising young Goalkeeper is a product of the Forest youth system and has been a regular on the first team bench for Forest during their current 2007/08 campaign. Dale also spent last season on loan at Alfreton Town, where he made 47 appearances. 'Dale is highly rated at the City Ground, with first choice keeper, Paul Smith commenting 'I'm not planning on relinquishing my place in the side but I reckon Dale would more than cope if he got the opportunity to play in our first team'".
According to IC Surrey "New signing Kevin James has admitted he has a battle on his hands to break into the Crawley Town side.James, who signed for the Reds last week from Woking... made his debut against Rushden last Saturday coming on as a second half substitute... and admitted afterwards he will find it tough to warrant a starting place against Woking... 'I'd already spoken to the gaffer and it was nice to get on and get a taste of it. But they are playing well at the moment and I'm going have to work hard to get into the team', he said. The striker, who lives in Lewisham, south London, also revealed Crawley's location and Woking's financial state had influenced him in choosing to move to Sussex in favour of Oxford or Histon, who were also reported to be interested in signing him. 'Woking were not in a position [to offer a contract] as they are struggling a bit with money', said James. 'I was going to leave them earlier but they managed to find some money to pay me towards the end of my contract there. I've been at Crawley all week and it has been decent. The set-up is good and in non-league football you can't ask for a better stadium'. Another influential factor in his move to Crawley was a chance to work again with manager Steve Evans, who he played under at Boston United. 'The simple fact is I have worked with him before, he knows what I'm about and I know what he's about', James added... The Crawley manager has been speaking to Huddersfield Town, of League One, about signing one of their players but no deal had been reached at the time of going to press. The discussions with Huddersfield also led to the Yorkshire club coming down to train at the Broadfield Stadium last week, ahead of their game at Brighton. 'We won't bring in anyone else this week', said Evans. 'We need to have players in on the Monday as we get ready for Saturday's game. There are a couple we have had discussions with but nothing will happen until next week'. Crawley have also been allowed to extend the loans of MK Dons pair Kieron Murphy and Mustapha Carayol until the end of the season. The Reds are paying £100 per week towards the duo's wages, with the League Two club paying the rest and Evans said it was a good deal for Crawley... 'We have to make sure the numbers (on wages) balance and now we have got every big earner out of the football club', he said.
Also, "Cambridge United returned to winning ways with an emphatic 5-0 win against bottom club Droylsden. Scott Rendell was the star of the show with a hat-trick to take his league tally to 17 and his total in all competitions to 22, but Rob Wolleaston produced another of his special thunderbolts and Lee McEvilly got off the mark on his home debut, while new signing Ben Farrell came off the bench to make a promising first appearance. Assistant manager Alan Lewer [said], 'I thought we played some great stuff tonight... So let's hope that's given us a little bit of a gap now going into the play-off places, which is always nice, and we have to cement that again on Saturday' [against Altrincham]'... Lewer felt that Droylsden couldn't deal with United's front three - Rendell and McEvilly with Courtney Pitt playing just behind them - and added, 'Willy (Wordsworth, Chief Scout [who recently tipped Alty for relegation in the non-league press]) watched them last weekend and he said that if we got at their back line we had every chance... That's what happened and the rest is history... Every team has a blip and this is not an easy league, but if we go and win the next three or four games - and I believe Aldershot have got to play all the top sides in the next month - and if we look after ourselves, then I think we've got every chance of being promoted'. On tonight's sudden resignation of Chairman Lee Power, the U's assistant manager commented briefly, 'I'm shocked. I don't know anything about it so I can't comment about it''".
Before the Bloods' game, the club website said "It's the first of four successive home games as first bottom club Droylsden and fifth-from-bottom Altrincham come to town, then play-off chasing Exeter and second-placed Stevenage... Lee Boylan definitely misses out due to the hamstring strain he suffered at Histon a week ago, although he may be fit to play by Saturday when Altrincham are the visitors". Chairman Lee Power added, "If anyone ever wanted to understand why we all do what we do, as Chairman, supporters or players, it was encompassed in the game at Wolves. That's why we all want to be in football. We had 4,000 fans there, the support was unbelievable, and when Scott Rendell put us in front that's the feeling why you go to football. You wait for that feeling all year. The lads did fantastically well and we were really unfortunate not to come away with a draw. No disrespect to the Blue Square Premier clubs, but we want to be going to places like Molineux every week and that's why we're all working hard to try to achieve that goal of getting back into the Football League."
United report, too, that "Ben Farrell joined Cambridge United from Bedford Town last week but had to sit on the sidelines for both games - cup-tied for the FA Trophy match and suspended for the league match at Grays - so this evening's match at home to Droylsden is his first chance to make his debut in amber and black. The 21-year-old midfielder has signed a deal to the end of this season with the club having the option of another year, and no transfer fee is involved because he was on non-contract terms with The Eagles this season... 'I'm really pleased to sign and I'm very impressed with the club, especially the ground and the pitch, and the coaching staff seem nice'", he said.
Right: Paul Roberts's camera catches Stuart Coburn in action against York City last Saturday.
The Sale & Altrincham Messenger says that "Graham Heathcote was delighted with a point against York City, even though his side threw away a two-goal second half lead... But the Alty boss believes the fact that Alty even took a point against a team who had won their previous seven games away from home showed the extent of their recent transformation. 'I hope people aren't disappointed with a draw against York because that's their 11th game unbeaten so I hope people take the positives out of it', said Heathcote. 'The positives for me were that we were very competitive and we got ourselves two good goals against a decent side. Four weeks ago they beat us reasonably comfortably. On Saturday we dug in and got a point'".
Monday 21st
Tuesday 22nd
Mewanwhile, "Crawley Town are keeping MK Dons duo Kieran Murphy and Mustapha Carayol on loan for the rest of this season. Irish under-21 defender Murphy and winger Carayol had initially arrived on a month long deals, with Carayol scoring on his debut against Aldershot".
"Aldershot manager Gary Waddock has backed his young side to rise to the increasing pressure of the title race. Saturday's home defeat by Forest Green saw their lead at the top of the Blue Square Premier reduced to six points... Waddock told BBC SCR: 'The side have got us this far, and deserve the chance to finish the job. It's not good on the nerves, but that's the way it is'. Waddock also rejected the suggestion that the team needs a new centre-half... Left-back Antony Straker admits the club are aware of the closing pack. 'When you're at the top you've got to keep your sights on where you want to be, and not worry about who's behind you. If you keep collecting your points, you'll get there'. Straker is enjoying the tough task of replacing club captain Darren Barnard. 'I'm really enjoying it. The crowd get behind you. They have their moans and groans when we're not doing well but they're fine when we're flying'".
"Former Oxford United captain Chris Hargreaves says his old club will come right - but it will take time. Hargreaves left the club at the end of last season and joined Torquay... He said: 'Darren needs time to change this around. I think it's over for Oxford for this season, the important time for him will be in the summer'... It's a fantastic club with fantastic supporters who have a real passion. You might worry about some clubs in Oxford's position, but I don't fear for them. It will get the good times back. Unfortunately now Oxford fans are going to have to suffer. But there's a good man at the helm and I am sure he can turn it around'".
Meanwhile the Cambridge United quotes Grays' manager Justin Edinburgh after the game. "I thought we were value for our win today... It was a tough game on a very heavy pitch that would have taken enough out of them without losing the two lads to red cards... I told the three strikers that we should have had at least two goals by half-time". Indeed, "Edinburgh revealed that he changed his side's formation for this game to counter United's wingbacks. 'When we played at Cambridge we were a little bit out-muscled and out-fought, particularly in midfield', he said. 'So we played a 4-3-3 because we thought that, although we could get exposed by the wing-backs, we could cope with that threat, particularly as Courtney Pitt wasn't in the starting eleven. He's one of the best attacking players in this league and will always pose a threat, so to see him on the bench justified the tactics we took into the game... Although there's a disappointment in the lack of cutting edge with the strikers, I have to praise how they closed Cambridge's defence down from the first whistle. They had little time on the ball and the threat of the quality from back to front was fairly nullified, leaving McEvilly and Rendell with little to. That's saying nothing against the ability of Cambridge because that was down to Grays Athletic's work rate today. Saying that, I expect Cambridge to be in the top five at the end of the season," concluded Edinburgh, "and hopefully if we can continue to perform like we have today we'll have another shot at them in the play-offs."
"Michael Standing's double strike saw Grays take another high-flying scalp at the New Rec" reports the Thurrock Gazette. "Grays remain undefeated at home since October 9 and it is easy to see why. They don't panic, they keep going and are always looking for the chance to score... Cambridge have had a real dip in form since they beat Torquay and Aldershot back to back in November. They came into this game on the back of being dumped out of the FA Trophy by local rivals Histon... They were as muted as their bench and with four changes and two debuts, at times they looked like strangers... Cambridge attacked in flourishes. Newcomer from Accrington Stanley Lee McEvilly pulled players out of position and Stephen Reed used the free space on the left well but... Cambridge boss Jimmy Quinn was in sombre mood after the game. He said: 'I'm disappointed for everyone especially the fans but we will keep our heads up and go into four home games determined to halt this slide'".
The referee for Saturday's game at Cambridge is Mr R. Fletcher
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At last night's STAR AGM meeting, chaired by Brian Flynn, a board comprising Brian, Steve Raftery, Dawn Abbott and Paul Daine was elected by a large majority. By a similar margin of 52 for and 3 against, the accounts for the last two completed years were approved. Likewise the STAR members approved a motion proposed by Altrincham FC director Andrew Shaw and vice-chairman Grahame Rowley. This proposed that STAR accept an offer of £1 a share for 2,500 of STAR's shares in the Football Club. STAR will retain 529 shares. Andrew Shaw confirmed that the money for the shares would find its way back to the Football Club
As well as the end of season Race Night, STAR is also organizing representation in the Altrincham Festival and is also hoping to organize an event to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Alty's first triumph in the FA Trophy in 1978, Brian Flynn indicated that the STAR board had been considering mothballing the Trust and operating a supporters' association instead. Current membership of STAR is 169. There was some discussion of the relative merits of discount fares for STAR members on the supporters' coaches before Grahame Rowley expressed his and the other members' gratitude for the STAR board's hard work.
Pictured, right, is the latest piece of Altrincham FC merchandise. Devised by Sarah Rowley it is a see-through plastic keyring into which you can have inserted a photo of the current Altrincham FC player of your choice. The version shown, right, depicts Chris Senior. The reverse of the keyring is inscribed "The Robins". For just £2 you can order yours by e-mailing the club.
Walker said he was disappointed City had not beaten Blue Square Premier strugglers Altrincham but added that, following events during the match, he had to be happy with a point. He also praised skipper Manny Panther's second-half display... Walker added: 'The plan to play three in midfield was to allow Manny to get forward. I just didn't think he timed his runs well enough in the first half. But, in the second period, I thought he was excellent... The two runs he made for the two goals were absolutely outstanding. He might not shout a lot on the pitch, but he certainly leads by example. I thought he was awesome in the second half'".
This is Staffs states that "Crewe's torturous pursuit of marksman Stuart Fleetwood could be over after they had an improved bid accepted by Forest Green Rovers. The non-league outfit turned down an initial £175,000 offer for the 30-goal marksman. However, they finally agreed a package over the weekend which, with appearance-related cash, could take the deal over the £200,000 mark. Crewe are now discussing personal terms with the 21-year-old, although the move is unlikely to be sealed in time for him to make his debut at Swansea tomorrow". According to This is Glos adds that "Stuart Fleetwood will decide whether to join Crewe Alexandra on Wednesday. The 21-year-old is travelling back to Gloucester this evening after he and his agent discussed terms with the League One side".
The Northants Evening Telegraph claims that "Rushden & Diamonds are holding out for more money before selling star striker Simeon Jackson. Chairman Keith Cousins is considering a bid – believed to be around £125,000 – from Gillingham who have officially joined the race to sign the 20-year-old hotshot. Jackson, who has scored 16 goals this season, was previously among the youth ranks at the Kent club where former Stevenage Borough boss Mark Stimson... confirmed: 'We've put a bid in for him... At the moment they're just saying they want more money. We're not going to give any more. We have put our b