JAMES RECALLED BUT TWO RENEWED

On a happier note, it has also been announced that Rotherham United have agreed to extend the loan periods of midfielder Liam King and striker Tom Cahill till 2nd April, which will be the last day permitted under the loan rules which only permit a 93-day period in total.

GEOFF WINS A RENEWAL

DEVON REFLECTIONS

Right: With a ban on match photography rigorously enforced at Plainmoor, the adjacent pre-match image is the best we can produce. It shows the good array of Alty banners on display at the game.

Tuesday's draw at Torquay means that Altrincham have extended their haul to 13 points from 10 games in 2008.

This is South Devon says "You can NEVER take anything for granted, and Torquay United let lowly Altrincham off the hook on a night of frustration at Plainmoor. Chris Zebroski's 44th minute goal - a rasping shot for his 14th goal of the season - seemed to point Paul Buckle's Gulls towards all three points.But their failure to turn almost non-stop pressure into more goals, plus one mistake in defence, let Altrincham back into the game. The Cheshire side, which played with only one man up front all night, was never going to score from open play. But Mark Ellis' push on substitute Joe O'Neill gave Warren Peyton the chance to score from the penalty spot in the 72nd minute, and he took it. Almost the only thing that debutant goalkeeper Mikkel Andersen had to do all night was pick the ball out of his own net...

The Gulls also rotated the captaincy yet again - loan signing Kaid Mohamed becoming the 13th man to wear the armband this season. Altrincham... made their intentions clear when they lined up with a lone striker, Tom Cahill, and five men in midfield... Referee Andy Halliday didn't help matters by giving 17 fouls in the first 28 minutes, many of them harsh decisions... When Altrincham defender Greg Young [it was actually Ryan Shotton] booted the ball away in a blatant display of time wasting, Mr. Halliday called him over - and then let him off. United's pressure was relentless, with Altrincham intent only on not conceding a goal...United finally broke through in the 44th minute... Zebroski... slammed a right-foot shot from the edge of the area just inside the left-hand post 1-0. Coburn had no chance... Altrincham stuck to their 4-5-1 formation at the start of the second half, so it was clear that they weren't about to throw caution to the wind... And by the 65th minute Buckle was ready to give his attack some fresh legs, Lee Phillips for Mohamed on the right. Phillips also took the armband. Seconds later Altrincham reminded everyone that the game was not over by nearly equalising. Liam King got round the outside on their left, floated a good cross to the far post and Richard Battersby's header deflected off Nicholson's head and behind for a corner... In the 72nd minute, with the ball running out of play for a goal kick, Ellis needlessly pushed O'Neill over and referee Halliday had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Peyton stepped up and drilled the penalty low to Andersen's right hand, while the Dane went the other way... Altrincham were hanging on desperately, but in the 84th minute Ellis' concentration slipped again, allowing O'Neill to get away again on a simple long ball. But Ellis did make amends with a good recovering tackle just when it looked as if the visitors might snatch the lead...All United's pressure was to no avail".

CSC OPPONENTS

NEXT OPPONENTS

OLD BOYS

BSP NEWS

NL Daily reports that "Weymouth have signed young striker Jake Hyde on loan from Swindon Town until the end of the season... Swindon boss Maurice Malpas said: 'He needs to go out and get some experience. Weymouth could be the ideal place for him to get some games under his belt'". Meanwhile, "Weymouth chief executive Gary Calder has confirmed that the club is hoping to release a statement in response to speculation surrounding Wessex Park Limited's expected takeover of the administration of the land at the Wessex Stadium in the next 24 hours", according to This is Weymouth. The Terras' manager John Hollins "has revealed that striker Gavin McCallum is wanted by Havant & Waterlooville. The Terras' boss made the admission after his side were dumped out of the quarter-finals of the Setanta Shield by Woking... To make matters worse for Hollins' struggling side, Altrincham claimed a draw at high-flying Torquay United in the Blue Square Premier to leapfrog the Terras into 19th place. Hollins... said, 'Things did not go our way again. I could not see whether the ball went over the line or not for their first goal but the assistant referee said it did. A couple of the lads told me at half-time that it hadn't but that is just the way things are going for us at the minute. 'Their second goal was also a bit fortunate because it came from a headed clearance that hit the back of one of their forwards' heads and put them through. We made three of four great chances but did not take them and in the end they got a third from a free-kick into the box that found one of their strikers, who put it through Jason Matthews's legs'. Hollins made two changes to his starting XI, drafting in Scott Doe and Anton Robinson for Justin Roberts and Simon Weatherstone, but he stuck with the 4-5-1 system that he adopted in Saturday's defeat against Histon. He then went three up front in the early stages of the second half by bringing on Michael Malcolm and Swindon Town youngster Jake Hyde, who has signed on until the end of the season. Hollins said: 'It is important we stay positive and keep working hard and creating because if we do that sooner or later something will break our way'... Hollins is still looking for new blood but as yet he has not found the type of player he is after... The Terras have now not found the net in their last three games and since the turn of the year have fallen to defeats in eight of their 13 encounters".

And Crystal Palace confirm that "Moses Swaibu has gone on a month's loan to Weymouth. The young defender, who was an unused substitute in the Championship game against Watford in October 2007, hopes to gain first team experience with the Conference club".

"Darren Patterson, manager of Oxford United, has signed midfielder Jamie Hand on emergency loan from Lincoln City until the end of the season. Hand played in the friendly at Witney United on Tuesday night and is in contention to start in Saturday`s trip to Forest Green Rovers. It will be Hand`s second spell with the U's, having played a dozen times on loan from Watford in 2004". Hand made a "permanent move to Chester in the summer of 2006... He becomes Patterson`s fifth loan signing, along with Matt Green, Justin Richards, Michael Howard and Michael Blackwood and the United boss was delighted to have him back at the club". The nature of the "emergency" is not clear especially as manager Patterson told the Oxford Mail, "He'll be another good addition to the squad, in an area I felt we needed strengthening".

IC Cheshire will, at least, have to redigest its words after reporting that "Northwich Vics’ survival hopes could be franked Made in Devon. And Surrey, of course. It was in injury time at Woking on Saturday that skipper Mike Welch fired a goal that might inspire a revival at last. It enables manager Dino Maamria to declare 'the fightback starts here' – and mean it. And if it started in the home counties then it may well be given impetus in Devonshire. Vics have to catch fifth-from-bottom Altrincham who were at Torquay last night and then return to Devon on Sunday to play Exeter City. Both are chasing promotion and the Robins could return from their 1,000 mile ventures and not be a single point better off. Vics, meanwhile, host beatable Ebbsfleet on Saturday and will find themselves favourites to win on Tuesday at rock bottom Droylsden. By this time next week Vics could be just three points behind their neighbours and have a game in hand".

Cambridge News which reports that "Steve Fallon believes Histon are still genuine promotion contenders despite seeing his side throw away a two-goal lead and draw 3-3 with Stafford Rangers last night. The Stutes' boss was distraught after Steve Bull's men made it 3-2 from a contentious 89th-minute penalty following an alleged push by Roscoe Hipperson, and Djoumin Sangare bagged a stoppage-time equaliser... Fallon said: 'We had three points and we've ended up with one - we're gutted and our play-off hopes have been dented, but it's not the end of them... The referee's seen a foul for the penalty near the end which was a real mystery. And their guy's just swung a boot at it and it's gone in for their third goal, but we should have put our chances away before that and won the game. At 3-1, they looked dead and buried, but we just didn't kill the game off and got ourselves stretched, although we looked comfortable before the penalty'".

The Halifax Courier confirms that "A winding-up petition has been brought against Halifax Town Football Club by Raymond Moreland, of Market Drayton, Shropshire. Mr Moreland is a former chairman of the club. The Stoke solicitor who was at the helm for three-and-a-half months until resigning in March 2004... Mr Moreland became a Town fan aged 11 when his family moved to Halifax and joined the club as a director in the summer of 2002. The petition will be heard at Manchester Civil Justice Centre, on March 17... Halifax Town Football Club said it would be issuing a statement later".

There is news of another Yorkshire club embroiled with officialdom from Farsley Today, which says that "A housing and sports ground development scheme drawn up to help secure the long-term future of Farsley Celtic has been rejected by councillors. The Blue Square Premier League outfit and Bellway Homes wanted permission to build 26 houses and 31 flats on part of the club's Throstle Nest ground and use the proceeds to redevelop the clubhouse, main stand, sports hall, outer pitches and car parking areas. A report to the council's West Plans Panel recommended the application be approved but the councillors voted to reject it. Coun. Colin Campbell, panel chairman, told the Yorkshire Evening Post that members had a number of concerns, including allowing land designated as greenfield to be built on. He said: 'Council policy is not to allow building on greenfield sites unless there is no alternative'. Coun Campbell added that the panel considered the design of the proposed homes was poor and that car parking should not be allowed to intrude on green spaces. A petition signed by 26 people objecting to the proposal had been sent to the council, which had also received 11 letters of support.

The report to the panel said that despite Farsley Celtic's recent promotion to the Blue Circle Premier League, the club's financial position remained diifficult. It wanted to go ahead with a development scheme to ensure its long-term future. The report acknowledged that as an existing sport and recreation site, the land was designated greenfield and it was council policy that previously developed brownfield sites should be built on first... But it added: 'However, the scheme will enable the long-term retention and improvement of a sport and recreation use on this site'... The club does have the right to appeal against the councillors' decision and is now considering its next step. Chairman, Andy Firbank, said: 'As a football club and major community partner we are very disappointed in the decision that was reached. A large part of the area we wanted to develop is just unused land. Under our proposal we would put something like £1.5m into sports facilities in west Leeds'".

"Grays Athletic have signed 24-year-old left sided midfielder, Marlon Patersson, on one month's loan from Dagenham & Redbridge" says the Thurrock Gazette. "Pattersson joined [the] Daggers in the close season on a non-contract basis and has played five times. Previously he joined Yeading at the start of summer 2006 from relegated Carshalton Athletic. His former clubs include Fisher Athletic, Dulwich Hamlet, Billericay Town and Crawley Town. He began his career in the youth ranks at Millwall then Chelsea, also had a brief spell in Eastern Europe".

From The Argus we learn that "Crawley boss Steve Evans accused his side of defending like a pub team following their Setanta Shield extra-time capitulation. Reds scored a late equaliser... before conceding four goals in the added 30 minutes. Evans said: 'The defending in extra-time was totally unacceptable. We thought we defended poorly at times against Torquay (last Saturday) and we did it again.. We looked like a pub team defending like that... Sometimes you have to say it was totally unacceptable. We apologise to our supporters for our extra-time performance and we will go back to the training ground, that is all we can do'. Shots boss Gary Waddock had insisted before kick-off that his title-chasers would take the game seriously... But it was not reflected in his team line-up as he made eight changes from the side that secured their place in the FA Trophy semi-finals on Saturday... Crawley also tinkered with the team who were dumped out of the Trophy by Torquay three days previously. James Krause replaced defender Bradley Thomas in the back-four and winger Mustapha Carayol returned at the expense of Josh Dutton-Black... They swapped a 4-3-3 approach for their more familiar 4-4-2 and looked more of a cohesive unit".

TORQUAY UTD 1 ALTRINCHAM 1

Match report here.

The Torquay United website has a match report, too, which ends with the Gulls' manager's post-match comments. "'I was delighted with the players at half-time but I did say to them that with all the possession we were having and all the attempts on goal we had to be careful not to be countered. One slip up, one ball down the side, I'm not even sure it was a penalty but there you go, Altrincham have had two shots on target all night and they get a goal. The performance level was there, we were becoming desperate at the end because we want to win the game. The effort, work rate and quality in the first half was ten out of ten. I asked the players to come out quickly at the start of the game and we did that. I thought the lads did brilliantly to break them down and we should probably have been two goals up at half-time. It was a great finish from Chris (Zebroski) and Roscoe (Dsane) hit the bar, I thought we had a real go; we mixed things up well and caused them all sorts of problems. All the while the score is one nil and you are pushing for a second you leave yourself slightly vulnerable and that proved to be the case tonight'".

THIS WEEK

BSP

Setanta Shield 5

Setanta Shield QF

SHIELD

PLAYER MOVEMENTS

Stalybridge Celtic have confirmed that "winger Carlos Roca has left the club. Roca has joined Blue Square Premier strugglers Altrincham, and Celtic boss Steve Burr is sorry to see him go. 'Carlos has been with me for three years and hasn't been a moment's bother. I've enjoyed working with him and I'd like to thank him for what he's done while he's been with me. I'd like to wish him all the best at Moss Lane, and hope to meet up with him in the Blue Square Premier next season".

BSP NEWS

TORQUAY UTD 1 ALTRINCHAM 1

Match report here.

The Torquay United website has a match report, too, which ends with the Gulls' manager's post-match comments. "'I was delighted with the players at half-time but I did say to them that with all the possession we were having and all the attempts on goal we had to be careful not to be countered. One slip up, one ball down the side, I'm not even sure it was a penalty but there you go, Altrincham have had two shots on target all night and they get a goal. The performance level was there, we were becoming desperate at the end because we want to win the game. The effort, work rate and quality in the first half was ten out of ten. I asked the players to come out quickly at the start of the game and we did that. I thought the lads did brilliantly to break them down and we should probably have been two goals up at half-time. It was a great finish from Chris (Zebroski) and Roscoe (Dsane) hit the bar, I thought we had a real go; we mixed things up well and caused them all sorts of problems. All the while the score is one nil and you are pushing for a second you leave yourself slightly vulnerable and that proved to be the case tonight'".

THIS WEEK

Tuesday 26 February FAT QF Replay Ebbsfleet U. 1 Burton A. 0 aet BSP Histon 3 Stafford R. 3 Torquay U. 1 ALTRINCHAM 1 Setanta Shield 5 Kidderminster H.1 Rushden & D. 3 Nuneaton B. 0 Halifax T. 1 Setanta Shield QF Crawley T. 2 Aldershot T. 6 aet Woking 3 Weymouth 0

Colin Little and Chris Senior, Alty's leading scorers this season.

Saturday 1 March Aldershot T. v Kidderminster H. Burton A. v Histon . Cambridge U v York C. Exeter C. v ALTRINCHAM Forest Green R. v Oxford U. Grays A. v Torquay U. Halifax T. v Weymouth Northwich V. v Ebbsfleet U. Rushden & D. v Woking Salisbury C. v Droylsden Stafford R. v Farsley C.

SHIELD

PLAYER MOVEMENTS

Stalybridge Celtic have confirmed that "winger Carlos Roca has left the club. Roca has joined Blue Square Premier strugglers Altrincham, and Celtic boss Steve Burr is sorry to see him go. 'Carlos has been with me for three years and hasn't been a moment's bother. I've enjoyed working with him and I'd like to thank him for what he's done while he's been with me. I'd like to wish him all the best at Moss Lane, and hope to meet up with him in the Blue Square Premier next season".

BSP NEWS

GEOFF TO STAY AS ALTY STAY IN THE BLACK

Testimony to the success of the current board was that they declared a profit of £70,336 over the year to 31 May 2007. As manager Graham Heathcote said, "You can't let Geoff resign, he must be the only chairman in non-league to have produced a profit!" Vice-chairman Grahame Rowley underlined how well the Board worked together. He and Geoff Goodwin were both re-elected for a further three-year period whilst the remaining members of the Board (Andrew Shaw, Barry Pond, Derek Wilshaw, David Burns and Carole Hassan) all remain in office.

It was confirmed that income in the 2006-07 financial year had included the £75,000 sell-on monies for Ian Craney's transfer whilst this year, the club had already received the monies owing from the development of the Moss Lane car park. Outgoings had included the new floodlights, the new toilet block which is taking shape, the payment of historic debts as well as a small increase in the playing budget. The Board revealed that it had held a special meeting to consider going full-time but had concluded it was not viable. Graham Heathcote referred to one unnamed player who had recently moved between two BSP clubs and was on a weekly wage of £1,700.

Tribute was paid to Barry Pond, the club's commercial director, who is retiring but who pledged to remain "in the background" to support his successor. Without Barry's hard work the club's financial statement would not be so healthy. A welcome attendee at the AGM was former Altrincham and Liverpool chairman, Noel White.

After the formal meeting there was time for a brief question and answer session. Asked why the club had no reserves team, Graham Heathcote reiterated his belief that the standard of the local reserve leagues was not at a high enough level. He also pointed out that a reserve side cost money to run and its games added to the wear on the pitch which he described as one of the best in the league. Graham preferred to organize ad hoc games against good-standard local sides instead. He believes that youth team players should show their potential by the age of 18 and therefore future first-teamers should be spotted at that stage or picked up from other local non-league teams. As for keeping first-teamers fit after injury or lay-offs, he preferred to loan them out to local teams in competitive leagues as had happened with Pat McFadden at Radcliffe and Steve Aspinall at Ashton United. Graham had good relationships with a number of local managers where our players could be accommodated for loan periods.

Graham was particularly proud of the rise on the club's community profile, with teams now operating at all school ages. He was also pleased that an Easter Summer School was taking place at Moss Lane this year and that the Saturday morning skill sessions had been so successful.

Graham indicated that the football authorities were threatening to be tighter on ground improvement deadlines this season, with 31 March the date when a number of clubs have to have works completed. He also stated his belief that 10 points as a deduction for going into administration was far too little a punishment. He believes that relegation is the most appropriate sanction for going into administration.

Asked about new signing Carlos Roca, Graham said he had "genuine pace" but had not enjoyed the best of times since dropping into non-league after spells at Oldham Athletic and Carlisle United. Hopefully the move to Moss Lane will benefit both the player and the team. In terms of team-building Graham thought we had gone backwards as we are now reliant on five loan players and will have to rebuild this summer again. However, he paid tribute to the commitment shown by the loan players who had done well since arriving.

TORQUAY TONIGHT

Torquay's last game was a 4-1 win over Crawley in the FA Trophy. The Argus says that "Crawley were given a rude awakening from their Wembley dreams after some dozy defending at Torquay. But manager Steve Evans blamed the FA Trophy exit on a nightmare decision by the referee early in the second half. Reds were 1-0 down in the quarter-final at Plainmoor when Gulls defender Lee Mansell fouled debutant Josh Dutton-Black. The right-back had already been booked for a similar misdemeanour... Mansell escaped with a telling off ... Evans said: 'We are disappointed. Torquay are a good side and if they get 3-0 up against you, they are going to pass it and move you around. They have good players and they pay fortunes for them at this level in terms of wages'". Mansell has a one game ban starting this Saturday so is eligible to play Altrincham tonight.

This is South Devon says that "Torquay United manager Paul Buckle will tell his players to forget all about the FA Trophy and a trip to Wembley after today's semi-final draw... 'The Trophy is put to bed', said Buckle in the wake of United's 4-1 quarter-final win over Crawley Town... 'And I'm not interested in talking about any double'. United now face a spell of three crucial BSP games in the space of seven days - Altrincham at home tomorrow night, Grays Athletic away on Saturday and then the key 'six-pointer' against leaders Aldershot a week tonight. 'We have to put all our focus into Altrincham', Buckle stressed. The Gulls' boss is also trying to strengthen United's hand in the goalkeeping department, either by persuading Southampton to return loanee Michael Poke or by going elsewhere. With Simon Rayner out on loan at Boston United, United have only one 'keeper, Martin Rice, at the club... Tomorrow's match against Altrincham is one of the two that United have in hand on Aldershot and most of their promotion rivals. Victory over Crawley stretched the Gulls' current unbeaten run to eight league and cup games, a spell which has seen them concede only three goals. Mohamed's two second-half strikes made it four goals in the last two games for the Welsh-born Swindon forward, who has just agreed a second month on loan. And although leading scorer Tim Sills appeared to walk off the field a little stiffly when he was substituted in the 68th minute at the weekend, Buckle said: 'Tim will be fine for Tuesday'. There was one 'casualty' against Crawley - right-back Lee Mansell's yellow card was his fifth of the season, and he will now be suspended for next Saturday's trip to Grays".

EXETER ON SATURDAY

BSP NEWS

The Halifax Courier says that "Having called for his side to keep a clean sheet – and seen them achieve it - it was almost inevitable that Chris Wilder's Town side would fire blanks in attack. It has been that kind of a season. It is true to say that Stafford were not the most adventurous away team to be seen at the Shay in recent months. But they always kept two men up and anything they could muster was easily diffused by Halifax's new-look back four. In attack themselves, Town had more than enough chances to have wrapped up the game with something to spare. Their problem was a combination of poor quality delivery into the box, some disappointing finishing, the woodwork and Rangers keeper Danny Alcock. It is not uncommon for players making their debuts to catch the eye. And loan centre back Tom Clarke certainly did just that with an assured display in the heart of the Town defence. The former Sowerby Bridge youngster only arrived at the Shay on Friday. But the Huddersfield Town defender looked like he had been here all season as he slotted in next to Adam Quinn".

This is Staffs tells us that "Stafford Rangers produced a gusty defensive performance as Steve Bull's managerial reign started with a point and a rare clean sheet at Halifax. The draw extended Rangers' unbeaten run to three games, following victories in the two previous outings, and took them to within 10 points of fifth-from-bottom Altrincham... 'Overall I'm pleased with the performance and they way the lads responded today. I can live with seven points out of nine', said Bull. 'We've had some bad parts of the game when we didn't close the ball down and there were good parts as well. We could have nicked it 1-0. Streety picked the team because I haven't really got involved. He's been looking after the players for the last three months. I've not taken a training session. I'll see the game on Tuesday, then I'll take training on Thursday ready for Saturday... I've got to get these strikers hungry. You've got to throw the kitchen sink at it', he added".

The FA Trophy Semis will be two-legged on 8th and 15th March. The first legs are:

NL Daily says that "Harrogate Town have completed the permanent signing of striker Gareth Grant. Grant returns to Wetherby Road from Farsley Celtic, and was on the bench for Saturday`s 1-0 win at Gainsborough Trinity".

ALTY SIGN ANOTHER CARLOS

TORQUAY FOCUS ON 3 POINTS

CSC OPPONENTS

PAT GETS AROUND

YOUTH UPDATES

OLD BOY

WELL DONE, LEE

LOCAL SPORTS NEWS

Plans for the new facility include the demolition of the existing single-storey building and the erection of a two-storey health and fitness club with a swimming pool, gym, treatment rooms and changing rooms. There will also be additional car parking and a cycle storage area. Existing access to the club will be closed and the new access will be shared with the adjoining Bowdon rugby club... Peter Noble, regeneration manager for the Altrincham town centre partnership, objected to the plan. He said: 'Clearly I'm supporting retail in Altrincham and don't want to see this competition from the Timperley area. The development is out of town and I support Total Fitness in the town centre, Trafford Community Leisure Trust and a new centre we're building within Altair. To have competition so nearby is a bit worrying'".

ALTY 1951 - AND STANLEY MATTHEWS!

Players of 1951-52:

Brian Parkinson: Left-back, who played for Altrincham (Reserves), Hyde United, then Altrincham (1951-52 36 games), Hyde United (52/53)

Harold (Alf) Rawding: Right-back, who played for Oldham Athletic, Altrincham (1950-51, 51-52 (53 games 3 goals). He was 24 years old on joining Alty.

Adam Wasileski: Centre forward. A 6ft 2inch Pole, who was born on 8th April 1925. He played in the Manchester League and was recommended to the club by Kon Kapler (see below). He played for Altrincham in 1951-52 but only in four games, in which he scored once. He was also at Rochdale (from July, 1953 for 1953/54 season). He died tragically young in 1956. See also Polish Players in Terry's Altrincham A to Z.

Robert 'Bob' Barrie: Born in Scotland, Bob was a goalkeeper who played for Torquay United, Hyde United (1948/49), Altrincham (1949-50, 50-51, 51-52). He was released at the end of the 51/52 season after 126 games for the club and then played for Mossley (1952/53, 4 appearances)

Brian Phillips Centre half - see details in the news below for 23 February 2008.

Gordon Smith: Born at Bowdon in 1923, Gordon had been with Witton Albion (1947/48-48/49) before joining Altrincham for 1949-50 where he stayed until the 1953-54 season. He amassed 151 appearances, and scored 25 goals. Gordon then joined Mossley (1954/55-55/56 39 games-1goal), Linotype Trainer (56/57) Then became Manager of Linotype till end of 59/60 season. Altrincham reserve team manager 67/68. Left Half or inside left.

Kon Kapler: Born at Tychy, Poland on 22nd February 1925. A left-winger, Kon was a Polish schoolboy International who arrived in Scotland with the Polish armed forces in the Second World War and started playing for Third Lanark (wartime) and later Forres Mechanics before he joined Glasgow Celtic for two seasons 1947/48-48/49 playing 7 first team games. However, he failed to establish himself in the first team and headed south and joined Rochdale (May 1949) and in 1949/50 season he played 4 games for them. He then signed for Morecambe (1950/51), playing 37 league games and 10 cup matches, scoring two league goals. After a spell at Congleton, he joined Altrincham uhere he played from season 1951-52 to 1956/57 inclusive, making 258 apperances. He then moved on to Stalybridge Celtic (1957/58), Mossley (1958/59). He died at Rochdale on 23 October 1991.

Robert 'Bob' Dale: Born at Irlam on 31st October 1931, Bob was an inside-right and another player to have joined Alty from Lancashire Steel. He joined Altrincham in December 1950 and played a total of 33 games, scoring 5 goals.. In September 1951 he joined Bury where he stayed until 1953/54 season, making 15 appearances and scoring twice. Next came a move to Colchester United in December 1953, where he stayed until the 1956/57 season, during which his career was ended by tuberculosis after 127 games and 11 goals for the Essex side. He died of cancer on 17th January, 2007.

Alf Morris: Born at Cadishead, Alf was a right-half who weighed 12stone and stood 5ft10 and a half inches tall. He played for Accrington Stanley (as an amateur) from 12 May 1945 and then as a professional from 18 October 1945. In 1946/47 season he played 7 legaue games for Stanley, in 1947/48 he played in 8 league matches before he joined Altrincham in 1948-49, staying till 1951-52 and appearing in 168 games for the Robins. He then moved to Hyde United (1952/53).

Cyril Barclay: An amateur player and club captain, Cyril started at Altrincham in 1946-47 and stayed until 1955-56, making 359 appearances. He then became player/trainer for Altrincham Reserves in 1956/57. By profession he was involved in banking and later retired to North Wales.

Walter Jones: An Altrincham FC Legend.

Terry adds that "The key individual to Altrincham in the late forties and fifties was Arthur Gale, who was brought in to coach the reserves and later the first team and eventually became the assistant manager to Jimmy Morris. He had been a forward with Chester, WBA and even Altrincham in the 1939 and 1940 war leagues. He was a school teacher and headmaster at a school in Lower Kersal and had a tempestuous relationship with the Altrincham board, resigning more than once (e.g. Feb 1953). He was the one that found hidden talent (Lancashire Steel [Irlam] being a particularly rich source and was referred to as "Altrincham's pet nursery club"). He had strong ties with the Northern Nomads.The talent that Gale found was often sold on to league clubs and it was this revenue that helped keep Altrincham afloat. One particular fall-out concerned Joe Kennedy who went on to be regarded by many as the best un-capped centre half of his generation whilst at WBA. He was played almost exclusively in the reserves much to Gale's chagrin (similar to Tommy Mort in the post First World War period- who went on to be a full England International but only played for Altrincham's reserves and quickly moved to Rochdale, then Aston Villa). Arthur Gale himself once scored 102 goals in a season for Chester - in their last season in the Cheshire County League before joining the Football League. In the league alone, Gale hit 73 League goals in 39 games before moving on to WBA.

Another notable figure from the period was Frank Hart who came to Altrincham in 1952/53 as a 20 year old. The previous season he had played for Manchester United's 'A' side and Linotype. He played the 1952/53 and 53/54 seasons at Moss Lane prior to National Service. He was again at Alty for 1956/57 and 57/58 but only had one full season at Moss Lane, playing 52 games in 1952/53 before adding 5 games at the start of the 53/54 season and 20 games in the 56/57 season but just 1 game the season after.

And last but not least, Ronnie Matthews, Sir Stanley Matthews's younger but less famous brother, played for Altrincham in the 1950s!

BSP NEWS

YOUTHS LEAVE IT VERY LATE

A 90th-minute goal from Charlie Weir, who dispossessed an opponent on the half-way line before running into the box to score, secured a deserved 1-0 home win for Altrincham Youth on Sunday afternoon against Woodley Sports. Report to follow.

Next Sunday (2nd March), Alty are again at home, this time in the Neil Thomason Memorial Cup Quarter Final against FC United of Manchester. Kick off, at Wythenshawe Town, is at 2pm.

AGM

HAPPY 50TH

GAME GOES AHEAD

OLD BOYS

BSP NEWS

Maidenhead United boss "Johnson Hippolyte has signed 27-year-old left back Narada Bernard from Weymouth... Bernard is a Jamaican international who started his career with Tottenham Hotspur before moving to North London rivals Arsenal. He then spent three years at AFC Bournemouth... He then moved into non-League football... before arriving at the Wessex Stadium in January 2007" according to NL Daily.

ALTY IN THE FIFTIES

Keith who now manages the catering outlet at the away end at Moss Lane, adds that "The building in the background is the old changing rooms which later became the supporters' building and social club at Moss Lane. It was demolished in the 1960s by Ken Robinson (groundsman), John Broughton (assistant groundsman) and Keith Davey to make way for the new turnstiles adjacent to the Red Robin Club".

Coincidentally more recollections of the same era came to the website recently from Steve Hann, whose mother was joint secretary of the Altrincham FC supporters' club in the 1930s. He recalls attending matches in the 1950s and seeing "Brian Phillips [pictured above] who went to Middlesborough. He is the one that got involved with 'match fixing' and went to prison". He adds "Brian Phillips was a talented centre half who attracted some interest,and was eventually sold to Middlesborough for £1,000 (a lot of money in those days). He got involved with others and went to prison. This scandal was before the Peter Swann, Tony Kay scandal at Sheffield Wednesday".

Terry Rowley, a fount of knowledge on Alty past and present, adds that "Brian Phillips was born in Cadishead, Manchester. He was 5'11" and weighed 13st. and played for Lancashire Steel before he joined Altrincham (in December, 1950). He played for Alty in seasons 1950-51, 51-52, 52-53 and 53-54 before he was transferred to Middlesborough in June 1954. Brian played on Teesside from 1954/55 to 1959/60, making 121 appearances and scoring 2 league and 1 FA Cup goals for Boro' before joining Mansfield Town in June 1960, where he stayed till 1962/63. He was given a lifetime suspension for his part in illegal betting and bribery and was sentenced to 15 months in gaol at Nottingham Assizes in 1965. He was re-instated in 1971 and became the manager of the Notts FA representative side from 1975-78. He was also manager and general manager of Rainworth Miners' Welfare who were FA Vase finalists in 1982.

Another player of the 1950s was, says Steve, "Frank Hart - the ever present goalkeeper in the early 1950's - went in the Army (national service) after his ever present season and couldn't displace Billy Marshall when he returned". Terry adds that "Frank Hart got called up to do National Service in the Army. As playing for Altrincham was not his main job he did not get the preferential treatment that full time footballers got. Therefore he disappeared for nearly two years". Other players of the time included the former German prisoner-of-war, Konrad Kapler "who played on the left wing. If I remember, people said if he was younger he probably would have gone further. There was a right half Gordon Herrick", whilst Alf Lythgoe, the manager at the time, played with Steve's father at Stockport".

SATURDAY

Altrincham have no game due to Crawley's involvement in the FA Trophy.

BSP

FA Trophy QF

BSP NEWS

The Cambridge Evening News says that "Jack Jeffery was today (Friday) snapped up by Cambridge United on loan from West Ham and will go straight into the squad for tomorrow (Saturday)'s home match with Forest Green. The 18-year-old striker has been drafted in on a month-long deal from the Premier League club to help fill the gap left by top scorer Scott Rendell's move to Peterborough. Jeffery was a prolific scorer for the Hammers' youth team and has been a regular in their reserves this season, but has yet to feature in the first team at Jimmy Quinn's former club. The teenager has already had a successful spell on loan at Blue Square South side Hampton & Richmond this term".

The Telegraph & Argus says that "Farsley Celtic were left bemused by reports that three of their players had been signed on loan by Bradford Park Avenue and categorically refuted any such moves had taken place. Farsley's matchday secretary Alan Hirst, a former Avenue employee, is part of the team that deals with administration at Throstle Nest and he said: 'Two of the players mentioned are in our squad for tomorrow's game at Exeter City so they would have to be pretty light on their feet to get from Exeter in time to be involved at any stage for Avenue at Horsfall Stadium'. The speculation appears to have begun on a fans message board but Farsley say there is absolutely no truth in the rumours. Former City striker Gareth Grant, Simeon Bambrook and Roy Stamer were the Celts linked with loan moves to Avenue. 'We are not going to allow players of their calibre to go out on loan when we are fighting to maintain our status in the Blue Square Premier League', added Hirst".

"Grays Athletic continue to rebuild their coaching structure following the departure of Justin Edinburgh, with the appointment of ex-Woking captain and Wellong manager Neil Smith" states the Thurrock Gazette. "Smith had a long and distinguished football career including stints with Gillingham, Fulham and Reading. Smith played 142 games for Woking where as captain he was fondly remembered as a committed, hard working,no-nonsense midfielder. He was released in May 2007. In July, he took his first steps into full-time football managment, taking up the reins at Blue Square Conference South side Welling United. It was to be short-lived. He was sacked last month after a run of heavy defeats saw the Kent side hovering above the relegation zone".

Sadly, "Grays midfielder Ernie Cooksey has been diagnosed with cancer. The 27-year-old utility player has battled cancer in the past but a recent scan showed it had returned. Cooksey joined Grays in the summer after stints with Crawley, Oldham, Rochdale and Boston... At Rochdale he played 64 games scoring 8 goals and was a firm favourite among the fans... A Grays Athletic press spokesman said: 'The chairman, board and staff of Grays Athletic wish Ernie all the very best and hope he has a speedy and full recovery'". Meanwhile, "Dagenham and Redbridge striker Jamie Taylor has become the first signing of the new Mick Woodward regime. 25-year-old Taylor has signed on a one-month's loan. Taylor's career has seen stints at Horsham, Woking, Aldershot as well as the Daggers. In six-and-a-half years he has scored four goals in 28 appearances".

The Halifax Courier reports that "Town have boosted their defence ahead of tomorrow's clash with Stafford Rangers at the Shay by signing Tom Clarke from Huddersfield Town and ex-Chesterfield right back Gareth Davies. Halifax-born Clarke, a former England under 19 international, joins the Shaymen on a month's loan from the Terriers while Davies joins to the end of the season having been released by the Spireites in January. Centre back Clarke, who is 20, has made 38 appearances for Huddersfield with just four of them from the bench. But recovery from injury has restricted him to just one Johnstone Paints Trophy game this season".

From the Oxford Mail there is news that "Rob Duffy has played his last game for Oxford United. Wrexham have confirmed that the Welsh striker will be signing a new loan deal with them next week, when his current agreement runs out on Wednesday. It was originally thought, because the Conference season finishes a week earlier than the Football League campaign, that Duffy would return to Oxford for a week and then go back to Wrexham for the rest of the season. But Wrexham manager Brian Little believes it's more important to have the tall forward around now with the Red Dragons, seven points adrift of safety... Oxford have agreed to Duffy staying at Wrexham, but it will mean him missing the final week of the season at the Racecourse Ground".

According to This is Staffs "Wolves legend Steve Bull has admitted Stafford Rangers are taking a gamble in appointing him as their new manager. The former England star, who has been involved in PR work at Molineux... was honest enough to admit Rangers were taking a punt on someone who has never managed a club before. 'Stafford have given me the chance', he said. 'They're taking a bit of a gamble and I'm taking a bit of a gamble, but no-one is going to lose. If Rangers can help me and I can help them, we'll both end up winners'... The fine details of his contract have yet to be signed and sealed, but it will be a full-time posting - and nothing will hinge on Rangers' fate this season. 'There is no pressur' he added. 'The attitude seems to be Stafford are going down and beating the drop would be a bonus. Well, it's not impossible and I'll be telling the players: We have a chance of stopping up and only you can do it'. Bull has not yet seen Rangers play and plans to be just an observer at both tomorrow's game at Halifax and the re-arranged game at Histon on Tuesday night.

'I'm going into the dressing room before the game at Halifax to introduce myself and talk to the players. I will tell them 'you are either playing for yourself, the club or your contracts, but all I want from you is 100 per cent'. It'll be the same at Histon'. In the meantime, Bull will be relying on former caretakers Neil Grayson and Kevin Street to organise the team... 'I think we have done enough for Steve to have faith in us, to start off with, but we have to impress him if we want to continue to work with him in the future'" said Street. A club statement added "Steve has a profile which, we believe, will bring supporters, both old and new to Marston Road"

This is Weymouth reports that "boss John Hollins has snapped up Dagenham & Redbridge defender Magnus Okuonghae on a month's loan. The former Fulham trainee, who is six-feet-three-inches tall, will go straight into tomorrow's squad for the clash against Histon... Hollins said: 'I always look forward to home games and tomorrow will be another opportunity to keep our run going because we are unbeaten here in our last two... John Beck is their manager. I have known John since he was just a little lad at QPR and he has got a different style of play. It's very similar to Torquay in terms of trying to push you back and getting in people's faces so we will have to come out and go for it because we need the three points'... Hollins added: 'We have got games in hand on most of the teams below us and the other major advantage we have is that we have - more home games in the run in than away but we have to get out there now and make that count'... Ashley Vickers and Marcus Browning are both recovering well from injuries but are not expected to be involved tomorrow while Stuart Douglas, who was suffering from a throat infection earlier this week, remains suspended.

"Swindon midfielder Kaid Mohamed is set to extend his loan at Torquay United by a further month" according to Confguide. "The 23-year-old has failed to hold onto a first team place with the Robins since signing from Carmarthen in 2007".

Forest Green Rovers report that "Following his excellent performances so far this season for the Reserves and an outstanding game... when we loaned him across to Gloucester City, 18 yr old Ben Ashford has signed forms for the Blue Square Premier. He will feature in the 1st team squad at Cambridge United and has been allocated Squad No 15. Ben has already represented English Colleges in 10 internationals and is considered by the management team to be a very bright prospect and now ready to be involved with the 1st team on a regular basis".

FromCambridge United announce that "Gavin Hoyte has joined Southern League promotion chasers King's Lynn on loan for the rest of the season, although after the first 28 days of the loan we have the option of recalling him at 24 hours notice".

ON THE ROAD

Howard Watts's Through the Years record for 26th February, the date of our next match, is here.

ALTERNATIVES

Blue Square North

UniBond

Vodkat League (NWCFL)

BSP NEWS

There is bad news for Farsley Celtic who report that "The application for planning which would result in the long term financial stability of Farsley Celtic was rejected this afternoon when the Leeds City Council Planning Committee chaired by Mr C Campbell turned down the application for redevelopments of the Throstle Nest site". Meanwhile, Farsley's Forum announces that Celtic's "Simeon Bambrook, Roy Stamer and Gareth Grant [have gone] to Bradford PA on loan". The BBC adds that "Scott Gardner's loan spell at Farsley Celtic will come to an end after this weekend's game at Exeter".

The Halifax Courier says that "Town have signed former Chesterfield defender Gareth Davies. The 25-year-old made 121 Football League appearances for the Spireites before being released from his contract last month".

Meanwhile the Halifax Town Supporters' Trust reports that "Plans to begin redevelopment work at the Shay Stadium are on course to start at the end of June. Calderdale Council has agreed to complete the Stadium’s East Stand through a joint funded project with the Shay Stadium Trust. The completed stand will include a number of community facilities... All tenders for the project have to be back in by March 28. Calderdale Council intends to recoup the majority of funding put into the project by renegotiating the existing lease with the Shay Stadium Trust and marketing land surplus to the operational needs of the stadium. Land has been identified at the site which could be used for offices and residential buildings. Councillor David Kirton said:' We hope to have completed the work by the end of this year'".

From the BBC comes news that "Southend United striker Charles Ademeno has joined Rushden & Diamonds on loan until May... Ademeno has previously had spells on loan at Welling United, Bishop Stortford and Cambridge United".

"Stafford Rangers have appointed former Wolves and England striker Steve Bull as their new manager. Bull takes over from caretaker managers Kevin Street and Neil Grayson... Bull told BBC Radio Stoke: 'I'm excited but also a little scared as I've got a big job ahead of me, but I feel confident that I can succeed... It is going to be a long, hard road and it is a daunting job but at the end of the day it is a challenge and I love challenges', he said. 'The fans are so loyal here, and in many ways they are similar to the Wolves fans. I hope to strike up a relationship with the fans like I had at Wolves, and that they will warm to me as I produce the goods for the team'. Chairman Jon Downing was delighted... 'To get a name like Steve Bull is massive for the club and we hope it will raise the profile of the club', he added. Bull has signed a contract at Marston Road until summer 2009".

"Promotion-chasing Aldershot have secured three of their promising youngsters until the summer of 2010. Striker Danny Hylton, central defender Dave Winfield and full back Antony Straker have all signed new deals after earning regular first-team football. Aldershot chairman John McGinty told BBC Southern Counties Radio: 'We are trying to be sensible at this football club and we are working in stages. This is a base that we can build upon. They are young, and want to learn. We haven't finished yet and we can only do so much at a time. John Grant recently extended his contract which is encouraging too', he said".

This is Exeter says that "Paul Tisdale has two major selection decisions to make for Saturday's home game against Farsley Celtic.Tisdale has been handed a defensive dilemma after George Friend replaced the suspended Matt Taylor for last weekend's 2-0 win over mid-table Grays Athletic. And the City boss has a straight choice to make between Steve Basham and Richard Logan, as to who will start up front alongside the rejuvenated Adam Stansfield... 'We brought Richard Logan in because he has been training really well and I thought with the way the pitch was up at Grays then it would be ideal for him', said Tisdale...'At the beginning of the week I wasn't expecting to play Richard but when Rob came back and reported the state of the pitch that tipped the balance'... With Rod Edwards coming through the Grays game unscathed after passing a late fitness test, housemates Friend and Taylor face a straight battle for the right to partner Danny Seaborne in central defence. Friend has proved his versatility this season having played both at left-back and at centre-half. But with nine goals to his name already Taylor's threat from set-pieces might just earn him the nod. The Grecians go into Saturday's game... having extended their unbeaten run to seven league games. And with back-to-back home games against Farsley Celtic and Altrincham, Exeter are handily-placed to step up their pursuit of a top-five place... 'Our biggest regret is that we had three long-term injuries during the first 15 games of the season and that led to an imbalance in our playing style because of that... I had a lot of offers in January to bring players in but I kept away as I have faith in the players I have got. That's not to rule out a loan signing here or there, though'" said Tisdale.

The Thurrock Gazette reports that "Following yesterday's departure of manager Justin Edinburgh, quickly followed by news that chairman Mick Woodward is to take over that role, Grays Athletic have appointed Tim O'Shea as a senior coach. Pimlico-born O'Shea, 41, was a Tottenham youth player who went on to make three first-team appearances. He also won two Ireland Under-21 caps and was part of the 1985 Under 18 squad which included the likes of Niall Quinn, Terry Phelan, Pat Dolan and Martin Russell who beat England. O'Shea has also played for played for Leyton Orient and Gillingham, where he made more than 100 appearances, before spending seven seasons in Hong Kong. He was club captain at Farnborough Town, but was on loan to Welling at the time of their glamour tie with Arsenal in the FA Cup in 2003 O'Shea has also been involved with the Millwall FC Academy".

According to the Kidderminster Shuttle "Harriers' manager Mark Yates is hopeful that loan signings Matthew Bailey and Luke Jones will be able to stay at Aggborough for the rest of the season. Jones, from Shrewsbury Town, and Bailey, from Wolverhampton Wanderers, both joined Harriers on January 31 for a month's loan. Yates is eager to keep duo until the end of the season so he can run rule over them and is set to talk to their respective clubs in the next two weeks... The manager also did not rule out the possibility of signing up the duo and fellow loan signings Chris MacKenzie and Darryl Knights for next season. Former Ipswich youth academy striker Knights has joined on loan for the rest of the season from League One side Yeovil Town... The manager also called on the rest of his squad to end a disappointing season on a high note and earn new contracts for next season. Only Russell Penn, Paul Bignot, Michael McGrath and striker Justin Richards are contracted to the club for next campaign and the manager admitted he would like to keep up to 12 of the current squad as part of his summer rebuilding plans. Yates said: 'To be successful you need to stick with 11 or 12 players each season and build from that steady base'".

Stafford Rangers "is delighted to announce that Steve Bull MBE, the Wolves ‘legend’, is to take up the position of Team Manager with immediate effect... Steve has a profile which we believe will bring supporters both old and new to Marston Road. He passionately wants to get back into the sharp end of football. He believes Stafford Rangers is the ideal environment for him to prove himself as a manager in the same way as a player, leading from the front and giving everything to the job in hand... Steve will be spending the next couple of weeks looking carefully at the strengths of all the playing staff and trying to improve the standing of the club in the league by picking up some points... Whilst we believe that Steve Bull will be great for Stafford Rangers, we want to express our thanks to Neil Grayson and Kevin Street for the magnificent job they have done in stepping in as caretaker managers at our hour of need". Steve Bull himself said 'I am delighted to fulfil a long-held ambition to begin a career in managemen... but as I developed my own events company, I suppose I didn’t actively seek out another role in football. It was during a recent appearance on Sky Soccer’s ‘Soccer AM’ programme that I acknowledged that I need ‘a kick up the backside’ if I am to follow a career in football management and this prompted a number of approaches from club chairmen. I met with the Directors of Stafford Rangers and there was an almost immediate understanding that both parties would benefit from me becoming their new Manager.I know I don’t start officially until 1st March... I will continue in my role as a Patron of Promised Dreams, the Wolverhampton-based charity that helps sick and terminally ill children. I am also proud to say I will also remain a Vice President at Wolves, and will be attending as many games as possible when not managing my new team'".

CUP FINAL DATE

OLD BOY SCORES

NEXT GAME

Mr Halliday was also the man who called off the originally planned game between Torquay and Altrincham back in December 2007 and was also an assistant referee for the Grays Athletic v Hucknall Town FA Trophy Final in 2005.

This is South Devon confirms that "Torquay United are poised to keep Swindon Town forward Kaid Mohamed for a second month on loan. Cardiff-born Mohamed's first month at Plainmoor expires after Saturday's FA Trophy Quarter Final against Crawley Town. But United manager Paul Buckle revealed: 'Kaid has done well, and we will be looking to extend the loan'... After giving him four successive starts, Buckle dropped Mohamed, 23, to the subs' bench for last Saturday's BSP game against Ebbsfleet. But the former Cwmbran, Llanelli and Carmarthen player went on after only four minutes, replacing the injured Lee Phillips, and scored twice in Torquay's 3-1 win... The Gulls' boss watched last night's Championship match between Southampton and Plymouth Argyle at St. Mary's, where he was hoping to firm up arrangements for Saints goalkeeper Michael Poke's return to Plainmoor on loan.... but the situation there has also been slightly clouded by the appointment of a new manager in Nigel Pearson". Meanwhile "Young striker Elliot Benyon gave Gulls' manager Paul Buckle a selection nudge with a busy two-goal display in Torquay United's 3-3 draw against Bristol Rovers in a reserve friendly at Plainmoor yesterday".

GRAHAM LOOKS FOR REINFORCEMENTS

Alty have no game this weekend... When they return to action, they face two tough trips in the space of five days, first travelling to Torquay on Tuesday and then Exeter on Saturday... Heathcote believes his side must aim to pick up something from both games... He said: 'I'm disappointed with our return from the past four games, picking up just five points. I thought we would've done better and I basically said to the players that we have wasted the first half of the past two games. We didn't play enough football and then left ourselves with more to do in the second half. We have two tough games now but the way I look at it is that we have to pull something back from these two games to put ourselves back on track'. But the good news for Alty is that combative midfielder Val Owen is well on the road to recovery after undergoing an operation on his problematic knee. The 37-year-old should be back in action by mid to late March".

JAMES'S VIEWS

James said, "Things are going well down at Alty and I am enjoying my time there both on and off the pitch. I have played 11 games already for them and we are picking up points and I have managed to climb out of the relegation zone. I didn't realise the rivalry until signing for them. To be fair the fans have been quite supportive, I think they are surprised really that I took the chance to play there with such rivalry between the clubs"..

Asked - Playing alongside a Macc legend in Darren Tinson must be helpful to your game? Are you learning a lot from him? James replied, "Yes, Tinno is a great pro. I was aware of what a legend he was at Macc and what a good player he was. But to play with him is a great experience as you can learn a lot from him especially playing along side him. He's very experienced and all the lads look up to him on and off the pitch... I heard through a friend that Alty were interested in me and that they were keen to take me on with my contract expiring at the end of the year (2007) however Macc decided to extend my contract and both me and the club decided the best thing for my progress was to go on loan, and it all went from there... I have been just training most days with the lads at Macc, and training twice a week with Alty in the evenings which is new to me... I went on loan at Altrincham for 3 months and with my contract at Macc expiring at the end of the season, I still hope there is time for me to make an impression and feature for Macclesfield...

I think my most natural position would be left back... I began my career playing for my local team Reddish Vulcans (Stockport) before being picked up by Man City by Gordon Hill where I played for 7 years. This was a great experience and time for me as I was captain for 5 of them years which included trips to Holland, Spain, Italy and Germany playing against teams like Barça, Real Madrid, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Ajax and many more. It was also a good experience training full time time in the summer and playing and training every day with the likes of Micah Richards, Michael Johnson and Stevie Ireland". At Macc. "I made a dozen appearances in 2006/2007... but found it hard to cement a place in the team"

Asked whether both Macc and Alty will survive relegation this season, he said "Hopefully yes, I think we both have the quality and strength to survive and to stay in the leagues they are in. There is still plenty of time".

MAY GAMES

The Scots utilise players from the Highland, East of Scotland and South of Scotland Leagues. The English National Game side is drawn from the Blue Square leagues, while Wales mix English-based players with some from the Principality Welsh Premier. The full match schedule is as follows:

Tuesday 20th May 2008

Thursday 22nd May 2008

Saturday 24th May 2008

Admission prices for the matches will be: Adults £3 / Senior Citizens & Juveniles (Under 16) £1.

This will be the seventh year of the Four Nations Tournament. In the past, the Republic of Ireland has been involved, but this year they were not able to take part. An invitation was therefore made to the Gibraltar FA and they were very happy to accept".

BSP NEWS

The Thurrock Gazette. adds that "Within an hour of the initial annoucement [of Edinburgh's departure] the club issued a second statement, saying Woodward would take over the hot seat... Woodward briefly held the role last season before stepping down, saying he didn't have enough contacts in the game". Meanwhile, "Grays Athletic captain Jamie Stuart will stand trial accused of breaking another player's jaw during a game. Stuart is alleged to have struck York City Striker Chris Beardsley during a Blue Square Premier League match. Beardsley was left with a broken jaw after the incident... Stuart, 31 of Knole Gate, Sidcup, in Kent was charged with causing grievous bodily harm. He appeared at Basildon Magistrates' Court today (Thursday) to face the charge. Stuart, who was dressed in a suit, answered only to confirm his name, address and date of birth. He pleaded not guilty to the charge and was released on unconditional bail. Stuart will reappear at Basildon Crown Court in April for a plea and case management hearing where a trial date is likely to be set".

"Rushden & Diamonds have once again loaned out goalkeeper Martyn Margarson" states NL Daily. "Margarson has joined Soham Town Rangers for a month. Margarson has had loan spells with Long Buckby and Rugby Town this season".

According to Confguide "Wrexham duo Conall Murtagh and Levi Mackin have had their loan periods extended at Droylsden until the end of the season... The midfielders have both made four appearances for the Bloods... Having already served more than 28 days on loan, the Dragons can recall either player within 24-hours if they are needed at the Racecourse ground".

According to Farsley Today, "Farsley Celtic striker Damien Reeves says he is in the dark over talk linking him with a possible move to Port Vale – but admits he is flattered by talk of a Potteries switch. The one-time Leeds United apprentice is eager for a second crack at the big time, with ex-Celts' boss and Vale chief Lee Sinnott reportedly in the hunt for the 23-year-old, who he brought to Throstle Nest from the comparative obscurity of Wakefield-Emley – now Wakefield FC – a few seasons ago. Reeves has fully vindicated Sinnott's decision to take the plunge and sign him since, firing 23 goals in the Celts' Conference North promotion campaign last term and continuing to impress this season... Reeves said: 'I honestly couldn't say whether there is any truth in it or not. I don't know anything, but we'll see what happens. Of course, I'm flattered as anyone would be when a League club is linked with them. To play in the League is my ultimate aim... I think I'm good enough, but we'll have to see'...

Celtic – set a 45-point safety target by boss John Deacey – still having crunch games coming up against Weymouth, Rushden and Droylsden and winnable matches at the likes of Northwich and Stafford. The 22-year-old [Reeves] said of the Altrincham game: 'Tuesday was a game of two halves. With the way they played in the second half, we couldn't grumble (with a point). We had the better of the first half and they performed better in the second and it could have gone either way... we've got to look at it as a point gained. We didn't lose any ground on Altrincham. We still have to play a few teams around us and at the minute have got two games in hand... In the last few games, our performances have picked up a bit, but we've not been picking up wins... I've got eight goals in the league.. but I've got 12 altogether and I'm fairly happy with that".

Still in Yorkshire, the Halifax Courier reports that "Halifax Town have been kicked out of the West Riding County FA Cup - and fined £1,500 - for fielding no fewer than five ineligible players in their quarter final clash with Ossett Albion. Twelve months ago the Shaymen were expelled from the competition when it emerged that youth teamer Simon Rawnsley, who bagged one of the goals in a remarkable 14-3 win over Pontefract Collieries, had also scored for Bradford Park Avenue in a previous round. This time the entire bench for the game with Ossett - Adam Legzdins, Tom Sharpe, Craig Nelthorpe, Anthony Griffith and Simon Ainge - were ineligible as they were on loan and temporary signings are not allowed under the competition rules. All five would have been allowed to play in either an FA Cup or FA Trophy tie... 'We were disappointed with the outcome despite our letter to the Committee, providing what we believed were and are more than reasonable reasons for choosing and playing the team that we did in the game against Ossett Albion', said a club statement. 'There is no right of appeal'. The statement went on to suggest that it was a fault with the West Riding County FA Cup rules which had led to this latest expulsion". Town were left with "just 11 other registered full-time Town players, all of whom played in the 4-1 win... 'What we do hope is it will allow the County FA to re-assess and if need be, bring certain rules in line with the modern game', the statement continued. 'To ask senior clubs to play in the West Riding County Cup and not play their fully registered (both with the FA and The Football Conference), regular first team players in the competition is most unusual'". There is an unfortunate side-effect for Alty, however, as "Town's expulsion will at least ease the potential fixture chaos looming with the semi-final against Bradford Park Avenue originally scheduled for March 3 - 24 hours before the Shaymen are due to travel to Altrincham in the Blue Square Premier".

A potential recipe for success comes from the Oxford Mail which says that "One of the country's top sports nutritionists could be coming in to Oxford United to try to help them achieve better results on the pitch. Manager Darren Patterson was interviewing Jon Williams last night in the hope of getting him involved at the club... He said yesterday: 'He's a leading sports nutritionist who has worked with some of our leading Premier League clubs and been involved with gold medal-winning athletes. It's more looking at pre-season and ways of improving our diet ahead of next season, but it's an important area'... Williams is at the top of his field and works with the Welsh Elite Rugby squad as well as Chelsea, Tottenham and Reading, providing nutritional advice. He runs a national company with Olympic athlete Darren Campbell [who was brought up in Sale] and all their recommended supplements are both registered and World Anti-Doping Agency tested at a WADA laboratory in Cambridge and approved... Coventry Rugby Club brought Williams in once a month... [after] their owner, Andrew Green... was horrified to discover that his players were gorging themselves on doughnuts before matches". Apparently now Coventry are running rings round their opponents and it is the opposition who are getting their just desserts...

SHIRT AUCTION

EASTER FUN WEEK

The course runs from 10am to 3.15pm (registration is from 9.30am daily) and the cost for the full week is just £55, with a discount applying for any brothers and sisters who register.

The week's activities will include

For an application form or further details, please contact Chris Bullock, either on (0161) 962 2369 or by e-mail. Alternatively you can e-mail Altrincham FC.

FRIENDS' DRAW

To join this important fundraising scheme for Altrincham FC and have the chance of winning £100 in the process, please click the above link to the Friends scheme.

NEXT OPPONENTS

BSP NEWS

And the NL Daily confirms that "Ebbsfleet United`s shareholders met on Monday night to agree the takeover of the football club by the 28,250 members in 72 countries of MyFootballClub, to become effective on Tuesday (19th February)... MyFC, which launched on 26th April 2007, has purchased a 75% stake in the club and members have so far contributed £1m. The 75% stake in the football club will cost £625,000, with £400,000 paid upfront and the rest spread over two years. Almost 2,000 members have already renewed their membership beyond the first year. That money being ringfenced until the season of that extended membership begins".

On the field, Blue Square Football reports that "Ebbsfleet United goalkeeper Lance Cronin has committed to his future at the club by penning a contract extension... that will keep him at the Kent-based club until the end of the 2009/10 season. Cronin was originally drafted in as cover for long-term injury victim Craig Holloway in August, 2006 and has gone on to make the number one jersey his own".

"Veteran Burton Albion goalkeeper Kevin Poole expects to be out of action for at least a fortnight after injuring his hamstring in the defeat at Salisbury. 'I took a goal kick and my standing foot slipped', Poole, 44, told BBC Radio Derby. "I felt my hamstring go - it's going to be two weeks at least'. Saul Deeney will come in for Saturday's FA Trophy tie at home to Ebbsfleet". From the The Burton Mail comes news that "Albion boss Nigel Clough is hoping to bolster his depleted squad by signing a goalkeeper this week... The Brewers have an able deputy in Saul Deeney - but no other goalkeeper cover... Clough told Mail Sport: 'The reason we signed Saul a few months ago was because we wanted a ready-made replacement