BLUE SQUARE NEWS

Hebden Bridge firm Fat Cat Trading Company, which provides promotional banners and ground boards, is owed £169 and owner Craig Mitchell said he had been stung twice over the years by Halifax Town. 'I wouldn't touch the club with a barge pole now', he said. 'It is not worth the hassle... With the best will in the world it does not seem to matter who is running the club. People probably give 100 per cent but it seems to happen every few years. It is a shame. 2.5p is not worth a light. I have learned my lesson and I bet there are a lot of people like me'".

According to Blue Square Football "Stevenage Borough striker Steve Morison is currently the Blue Square Premier's hottest property with league clubs Plymouth and Crewe said to interested in acquiring his services. His performances have certainly not gone unnoticed with Plymouth boss Paul Sturrock said to interested in the highly-rated striker. Crewe are the latest team to be linked with a move for Morison, whose future looks increasingly uncertain after the news that manager Peter Taylor is leaving Broadhall Way".

Meanwhile, "Brighton and Hove Albion are reportedly preparing to make a summer swoop for Salisbury City goalkeeper Ryan Clarke. The Seagulls have a number of shot-stoppers on their summer wish list and Bristol-born Clarke is said to be high on that list".

NL Daily says that newly promoted Conference North side "Fleetwood Town have announced that redevelopment work commenced at Highbury Stadium on Monday. Clearing work at the rear of the Park End stand is underway and will be shortly followed by the demolition of both that stand and the 'scratching shed'. This is the first part of a £1 million project that includes the replacement of two stands, Football League standard floodlights and a new supporters` bar. Work is due to continue through the close season and the completion date is set to coincide with the start of the new season. Chairman Andy Pilley said: 'It`s been an extraordinary few days for Fleetwood Town. Seeing the stadium redevelopment start straight off the back of Saturday's promotion'".

"Kidderminster Harriers have offered six players new deals for next season. Strikers Iyseden Christie and Matthew Barnes-Homer and wingers Brian Smikle and Simon Russell have been offered contracts at Aggborough. Goalkeeper Dean Coleman and midfielder Andy Ferrell have also been told that they are wanted by manager Mark Yates. But defender John Munday and winger Michael Blackwood have been told they can leave, while Johnny Harkness will join Northern Irish side Linfield. Yates has also said that he is also looking at new additions to his squad. 'We've got a number of targets and we'll be trying to make sure that we can sort something out'".

"Woking FC announce that Goma Lambu and Matt Ruby have both agreed terms and have now signed contracts to keep them at Kingfield for a further season".

According to the BBC "Cambridge United have announced plans to rename the Abbey Stadium as The Trade Recruitment Stadium from 1 May in a five-year sponsorship deal. United's next home game is the Blue Square Premier play-off semi-final first leg against Burton next Tuesday. U's chief executive Norman Gautrey said: 'The board deliberated long and hard about the stadium-naming deal. The deal will help considerably towards paying the rent and [will] underpin the finances of the club'. Trade Recruitment are a Cambridge-based recruitment agency. The club have struggled to stay on top of rent payments for the stadium, which is owned by property developers Bideawhile 445 Ltd. Gautrey said: 'The circumstances in which the club finds itself, relating to the ground ownership and the level of the rent payable, meant that the board could not turn it down. Sadly this is the way that football is moving these days. [Directors] Paul Barry and Adrian Hanauer have committed large sums of money to the football club for which we are all grateful, however this will not last forever so we need to get into a situation where the club can stand on its own two feet'".

"Wrexham Football Club chairman Neville Dickens has denied speculation that the board is trying to sell the club. Dickens, who led a takeover of the stricken north Wales club in August 2006, did confirm to BBC Sport Wales that new investment is being sought. However, it is understood that the club has yet to receive any firm offers."

Before their relegation was confirmed last night, Mansfield Town's manager "Paul Holland has said his side must bounce back if they drop out of the Football League. The Stags will be relegated on Tuesday night if Chester draw with Stockport. He told BBC Radio Nottingham: 'We've got to look how teams like Doncaster and Colchester bounced back into higher leagues and try to emulate them. We've not been good enough over the season but we've got to stick together because if we do go down it's very important we go straight back up'. The Stags are currently three points off safety with one game to go in League Two. Holland, 34... has been associated with the club for 20 years. And he says, 'I'm man enough to admit there's been a few tears shed in the manager's office'"..

In BS North, the Yorkshire Evening Post reports that Harrogate Town boss "Neil Aspin will hold talks with the Town board this week about his budget for next season – after admitting that a host of players could leave. Town just missed out on the play-offs for the second year running, with poor home form in the second half of the season proving costly for Aspin's troops, who finished sixth. Aspin, due to sit down with chairman Bill Fotherby early this week, said: 'I don't know what sort of finance I'm going to have to work with, so there could be a lot of players that have to leave the club'".

"Grays Athletic have announced that defender Jamie Stuart has today agreed a one year contract with the club" states the Thurrock Gazette.

Even before they are promoted to the BSP the Sussex Express states that "Lewes Football Club have confirmed that Kevin Keehan IS to be installed as new first team manager at the Dripping Pan. The Sussex Express today met with board members at the club, who confirmed that the outgoing commercial manager at Brighton & Hove Albion would be replacing Steve King in the Rooks hot seat. It was also confirmed that Aston Villa star Gareth Barry, who used to play for Albion, had visited the club and was to be one of a potential number of sponsors to put cash into the club. But directors Martin Elliott and Kevin Powell refuted claims that there had been any sort of 'takeover' or 'buy-out' of the club. 'Kevin Keehan will be an employee of the club', said Mr Powell".

"Weymouth boss John Hollins has begun trimming his squad with the release of Franklin Anzite" states This is Weymouth. "The midfielder joined the Terras in February but made just five appearances in his time at the club as well as missing a penalty in the 2-1 defeat to Burton Albion... Hollins said: 'Franklin Anzite has gone. He was out of contract at Swindon when we got him but he's gone back to France to look for a new club I think. We won't be having a reserve team next year and, unlike when I arrived, we won't be having 25 or 26 players in the squad, more like 17 or 18 with a few young ones as well".

According to the Daily Post "Fans of Wrexham FC have re-opened talks with the club about investing more than £300,000 in next season’s drive to reclaim the Dragons’ Football League status. Wrexham Supporters' Trust recently rejected a request from Wrexham co-owner Geoff Moss to donate the cash, maintaining that it had been ring-fenced to buy a stake in the club, whose relegation to the Blue Square Premier was confirmed last week. Last night WST acting chairman Rob Griffiths revealed a meeting was held with Racecourse chief executive Anthony Fairclough last week. 'It looks as though we are making some progress because for the first time the club says it has no issue about selling equity, which is something of a breakthrough', he said. 'We are not taking anything for granted and we would like to get this money into the club, but we are not giving it away for nothing'... Grifftiths said there would be an advantage if the Trust’s £300,000 was made as a capital investment in the club because the cash would not appear on the annual profit and loss account – the basis on which the salary cap regulations are based. 'I’m still hopeful we can come to some arrangement with the club and I’d like it to happen before the Trust’s annual meeting in June', added Griffiths".

Meanwhile on This is Nottingham "Paul Holland today promised a swift clear-out of the Mansfield squad if he remains in charge beyond the end of the season - regardless of which division they are in. The Stags made few changes last summer, with many players already on the books at Field Mill offered fresh terms. But boss Holland will not be following previous manager Billy Dearden's example should he remain at the helm. He is promising a revolving door - getting rid of players who have not performed to make room for new blood. 'I see the squad being much changed, with numerous players coming in and out', said Holland. 'But I don't think that will be a bad thing. I have ideas who to keep and who to let go - and that doesn't change too much whether we stay up or go down.. If we go down, we are a league club playing in the Blue Square Premier next season. That is the time to attract players. Players who have been released by Premiership and Championship clubs who know we are going to play attractive football and have a chance of getting back into the League'. Holland is keen to give the club maximum time to land their targets and prepare for the 2008-2009 campaign... He said: 'I think it's important that we know what's happening next season. That we know what my future is and the players know what contracts will be offered. Nothing is in place yet, but other teams have done it. Wrexham have offered their manager a two-year contract and so have Chester - and that helps the continuity of the club. I would hope to get things finalised and sorted this week. If the result goes for us tonight, it may be they wait until after the weekend, which doesn't help the club... I think it's important to look at Doncaster and Colchester and how they did it and I will be speaking to people who did it with those clubs. It's vital that you get back straight away because if you dwell in that league, as Oxford have done, now it's the norm', he said.

"Barrow AFC top scorer Nick Rogan is set to stay with the Bluebirds" claims the NW Evening Mail. "The 24-year-old striker is out of contract this summer and was considering his options. A student in his graduating year at Liverpool University, Rogan was torn between furthering his academic studies down south and playing a third season for Barrow... 'I think it’s more than likely that I’m going to stay at Barrow, I can’t really leave a club like this when we’ve been doing so well', said Rogan, who has scored 37 goals in 108 appearances for the Bluebirds, including 20 this season. 'I’m in my final year at Liverpool doing a degree in oceanic sciences. I’m now thinking about doing a masters at Liverpool next year, so everything will carry on as normal. Maybe then I’ll do another degree after that.. Telford will feel they have a point to prove. They’ve come runners-up in the league and we’ve beaten them over a 6-0 aggregate in the league, so they’ll want nothing more than to put a few goals past us'... Manager Dave Bayliss, who gives Rogan a lift to training... states: 'Nick is not going to anyone else, he knows this is the biggest non-league club [???] and he knows what the fans and club think of him'".

From the Sports Echo we learn that "Boston United manager Tommy Taylor says Tony Crane will decide his own destiny at the club after the big defender walked out of York Street on Saturday... Taylor, who yesterday allowed Ashley Nicholls - who has joined Maidenhead - and Jon Stevenson to leave the club, has revealed that he would like to see the big defender stay with the Pilgrims. 'Craney put his gear on and left just after the game', said Taylor. 'He has not played and he just left after the match and he probably thought that was it. That's Craney for you... Everyone is welcome to come back'".

At Gainsborough Trinity "Steve Charles is now looking forward to next season. The Trinity boss... revealed former Manchester United youngster Ross Greenwood and holding midfielder Danny Anson have both agreed on new offers".

There is trouble at Alty's former Conference rivals Nuneaton Borough where "director Ian Neale will hold a series of meetings this week as the club looks to stave off administration... He said: 'I would like to make a decision on the direction of the club as soon as is possible... It may be that we will be able to release a more detailed statement in the next few days'... The Heartland Evening News exclusively revealed last week that the club was up to £1 million in debt, meaning administration is a near certainty. Former and current directors are owed up to £450,000 while other money is owed in taxes and to various construction companies. Despite the debts there is no doubt of any financial impropriety".

"Ryan Clarke looks set to be one of the major casualties if Worcester City are switched to Blue Square South next season. Although the St George's Lane club will not find out until next month if they are to be moved, manager Richard Dryden expects it to happen" claims the Worcester News. "With four northern-based teams having been relegated from the Blue Square Premier, the odds are that City will have to move to free up space in Blue Square North. As a result, Clarke, who still has a year left on his contract, could well follow George Clegg and captain Chris Smith out of the club. Twenty-four-year-old Clarke, winner of both the players' and supporters' player-of-the-year awards, is not prepared to take on the increased travelling commitments from his Lincolnshire home. Clegg, who lives in Manchester, is in a similar position, while Smith has already indicated this was likely to be his swan-song season at the Lane. Dryden is also looking to off-load Rapinder Gill, who arrived from Bromsgrove Rovers last summer, while Jon Munday is seeking a return to the professional game despite being released by Kidderminster Harriers. The City boss said: 'Clegg knows the situation. It was sad to see him go because he has been fantastic since I have been here and he's going to be a massive hole to fill'".

NW NEWS

HOW DO THEY DO IT?

It may also surprise those who hark back to the glory days to learn that Alty's average gate this season was actually 41 more than in the 1985-86 season when Altrincham actually won the FA Trophy at Wembley for the last time. For a full record of Alty's average gates since they joined the national level of football in 1979, click here.

BSP NEWS

Wot, no news from Mansfield Town? Actually there is, as making its first appearance on this page is the superbly named Mansfield Chad which reports on the BSP-bound club. "MP Alan Meale has called for an immediate fresh start at Mansfield Town Football Club - before it is too late. He has warned that a strategy has to be put in place for the club's future very quickly, 'otherwise there may be no Mansfield Town FC and no Field Mill stadium at all'. The MP said that the stadium and surrounding land would be very attractive to people looking for business opportunities and there needed to be a plan to preserve the football club. And he called for a new chairman, who did not have a conflict of interest, and a new board to be installed Mr Meale spoke out in the aftermath of Saturday's chaos at Field Mill, which saw the club almost certainly relegated to non league football after a proud 77-year history in the Football League - and owner Keith Haslam attacked by fans. Mansfield's MP told local radio station 103.2's Tony Delahunty that he had not been in contact with Stags' owner Keith Haslam since mayor Tony Egginton was installed as chairman recently. But he said he would do everything he could to keep the club alive - and that he would fight any plans to close the Stags by Mr Haslam, who says he has yet to be convinced any would-be buyers have the necessary funding in place for a takeover.

Mr Meale said: 'We have to have a fresh start . . . there has to be a new tomorrow and it needs to happen very quickly, otherwise there may be no Mansfield Town Football Club and no Field Mill stadium at all. After Saturday you wouldn't blame him (Keith Haslam) for closing the club down. And people have to understand this is a site just off the town centre and there are people looking for business opportunities... I have worked with the devil before to try to get things done for the benefits of my constituents... What everyone forgets is that people are employed there other than footballers . . . there are many other people, cleaners, office workers and ground staff. They don't know where their future lies. I feel for them and the fans. Fans must be totally bewildered by the on and off the field activities at the moment... I urged the then chief executive (Keith Haslam) to step aside and he did eventually, but all to no avail... It needs a new chairman and a new board, someone not tainted by this and who has a good grasp on business'".

The BBC confirms that "Stevenage Borough manager Peter Taylor will leave the club this week after failing to guide them to a play-off place. The former England caretaker boss took over in November after Mark Stimson resigned to become Gillingham manager. Boro chairman Phil Wallace told the club website: 'It's been difficult for all of us, but now we need to regroup, rethink and go again next season. We expect to make an announcement very quickly - hopefully within 10 days'".

But, "Forest Green manager Jim Harvey says he is staying in Gloucestershire despite the rumours linking him with the vacant manager's job at Stevenage Borough. Harvey led Rovers to eighth place this season - their highest ever finish. 'We've started something off here and it's promising. I just hope that we can keep everybody together and improve on it', he told BBC Radio Gloucestershire. 'The first year we were 14th and we've improved. We've got a wee bit of ground to make up, hopefully we can do it'".

Nearer to home, NL Daily says that "Ryan Brown has become manager Dino Maamria's first signing of the summer for reprieved club Northwich Victoria. The full back agreed terms today on a new two-year deal to stay at the Marstons' Arena. 'I`m delighted', Maamria told those present at the official supporters' club's awards evening. 'There were a few clubs on the phone hoping to sign him during the January transfer window but I made him a promise that if the club stayed up then we would look after him. I'm glad to say I've done my bit and that's happened and Ryan wants to be a part of our future'. Brown, 23, joined the club from Leek Town in 2005. He struggled to hold down a regular place under Steve Burr last term but has been first choice full back under all three Vics' managers this time around".

"With the battle against the creditors seemingly won, Blue Square North club Boston United now find themselves in a fight with the Football Conference. Pilgrims chairman David Newton has warned the club is still in breach of Conference rules and that action could yet be taken against the York Street club. It is what Newton has described as his next battle after he and vice-chairman Neil Kempster had finally secured the financial future of the club last week, subject to a legal arrangement. Newton brought cheers to United supporters everywhere at the weekend when he revealed they had finally brokered an agreement with the Inland Revenue regarding the paying off of their Company Voluntary Agreement (CVA).... 'It is a relief to have agreed the CVA, but it is just one hurdle we have to deal with', said Newton. 'Our next issue is with the Conference. They can throw us out. That would be unfair, but we are ready to have some discussions with them'", he told the Sports Echo.

The coming week sees the play off semi-finals in the three Blue Square leagues. Three of the four teams vying for promotion to the Football League have been there before with Burton being the exception. In the Northern play-offs all four teams (if one counts Telford's predecessor club), are ex-Conference teams. However, in the South, only Fisher Athletic are a club with previous Conference experience. Eastbourne Borough would have got to the national level in 2005 but were beaten in the one and only North v South promotion play-off final by Altrincham.

Blue Square Football says that "play-off contenders Cambridge United have extended the loan stay of Crawley Town striker Magno Vieira until Sunday 18th May".

And confirming yesterday's news from Bullnews, the Blue Square site adds that "York City have decided to release skipper Emmanuel Panther after three seasons with the club. Panther (23) originally rejected the offer of a new deal last January and this has since been withdrawn. The Glasgow-born midfielder is joined on the departures list by Ross Greenwood, Alex Rhodes, Chris Hall, Leo Fortune-West and Anthony Lloyd, who is thus released for the second time in twelve months. The club have also exercised their right of extending the deals of eight players : Ben Purkiss, Mark Robinson, Nicky Wroe, Onome Sodje, Richard Brodie, Danny Parslow, Jimmy Beadle and Josh Mimms. Striker Craig Farrell has also been offered new terms but is yet to agree, while Martyn Woolford, David McGurk, Darren Kelly and Simon Rusk are already contracted until next summer. Youngsters Andy McWilliams, Liam Shepherd, Josh Ratcliffe and Danny Stimpson have each been awarded first-year professional contracts. Manager Colin Walker had previously notified Tom Evans, Darren Craddock and Stuart Elliott that their services were no longer required".

A WEEK OF "REFLECTION"

AWAY TRAVEL

SCOTTY DESERVES SOME LUCK

WELL DONE, NEIL

BSP NEWS

After all the goings on at Sussex-side Crawley Town, more strange goings on are emerging from that county. Even before they can enjoy their promotion after previous bids have stalled on ground grading of their Dripping Pan ground, outgoing Lewes boss "Steve King talked of his sadness" to theSussex Express " on what should have been a special day as the Rooks were presented with the Blue Square South trophy at a sunny, if emotional, Dripping Pan... An emotional King said, "I'll release a statement, probably next week. I don't think I've been through emotions like that in my life, apart from when my dad died recently... It should be the happiest day off my footballing career so far, but it's not. It's sad. I've built the club on the pitch, that's how I feel. And the support the fans showed me today was something else.. I'll just reflect on things, go out with the boys tonight, have a meal - be with my wife who's been a tower of strength for me. All my family were there today, all my wife's family were there... Some of those players take three hours to get to training, some of those players take three hours to get to a game - not once a week, twice a week three times a week. Probably half of their wages are going in travelling yet they still stuck with it. They've got a tremendous attitude. To dig in like that and to win the title - I'm just lost for words'. Captain Steve Robinson added, 'It's an unbelievable situation - which came to light earlier in the week. He (King) didn't say too much. We kind of drew our own conclusions only this morning. Without saying too much, it affected us. It's something that has never happened to us - and hopefully will never happen to us again... His record speaks for itself; he's well respected. As a manager it's a very difficult line where you bond with them (the players) but you've also got to be a disciplinarian. I think he did that perfectly and he's held in very high regard. I'm devastated really. As a team, it's all going to be broken up. Probably a few of us will go together and do other things. But to achieve something like that and not be able to continue it is disheartening'".

So the ever informative Argus has more good sports copy as it reports that "Steven King's departure as Lewes boss now appears certain... Speculation began on Friday that the Rooks were parting company with the most successful boss in their history. The club are still refusing to comment and say they will make a statement, probably on Tuesday. However, representatives of the Supporters Club met with directors Martin Elliott and Steve White on Saturday morning and later issued a statement saying they had been told King's contract was not being renewed and the Weston game was his last in charge... There was also no comment from the club about our story in Saturday's Argus that new investors were getting involved who wanted to bring in their own manager. Albion commercial manager Kevin Keehan, who is quitting his job with the Seagulls [Brightopn & Hove Albion] at the end of the season, is believed to be part of that consortium... Fans chanted Sack the board' and 'Stevie King's barmy army' as the players emerged on to the pitch. When skipper Steve Robinson scored Lewes's second goal he and Gary Holloway ran towards King and lifted their shirts to reveal T-shirts reading The King is gone, long live the king'".

Alty were dumped out of the Setanta Shield by Nuneaton Borough whose forum has a statement from the Club "Following recent speculation amongst fans and in certain sections of the media regarding the current position at Nuneaton Borough Football Club my fellow directors and I would like to clarify the situation regarding the club’s future. We must stress that the club’s present financial problems have been inherited from the past. We have stepped in to help save the club but we have been absolutely shocked by the poor standard of administrative and commercial systems which have obviously been a contributory factor towards the club’s current financial plight. We are currently looking at all options to take the club forward on a sound financial footing. Professional advisors have been appointed to review the club’s position and we will take on board their recommendations when they have completed their review. No decision has been taken with regard to taking the club into administration or on any other route. That may be only one of several options for consideration following the advice of our advisors. I can assure the fans that we have their interests at heart and the future of Nuneaton Football Club is our first priority. We have to work together to create a positive future for the club to create solid foundations in order to move forward with confidence".

Given the threatened regrouping of Blue Square North and South, Boston United may be moved to the south and the Pilgrims report from Boston Today that "United have beaten off the threat of liquidation. Chairman David Newton announced the news to the Pilgrims supporters 10 minutes before the final game of the Blue Square North season. Taking to the York Street microphone, he said that a deal had been agreed in principle with the Inland Revenue - who control Boston United's Company Voluntary Agreement as the major creditors. Although Newton did not say so, this basically means that he and vice-chairman Neil Kempster have dipped into their own pockets and/or the funnds of their company Chestnut Homes to pay off the CVA at a new agreed rate. Boston had debts of more than £3 million when they entered the CVA last year. This news brought the day's largest cheer from the 1,700-strong home support".

Bullsnews reports that "York have released club captain Emmanuel Panther. The influential midfielder rejected a new deal in January, and turns 24 in May so would be a free agent. The club have handed a new deal to ex-Bull Mark Robinson, but have released a total of nine players after a poor season".

GOING DOWN WITH A FIGHT

Above: Before the game Alty distributed the team shirts of players who had left the club during the season to their travelling supporters.

Above left: Alty defend a Weymouth attack; right: Greg Young tries to spot the ball as it arrives through Douglas's enormous flapping ponytail.

Above left: It's Gary Scott's turn to try and see through Douglas's flowing mane; and right: Gary Scott and Kyle Critchell walk off after seeing their red cards.

In the NL Paper, there is an interview before the match with Weymouth boss John Hollins. He claims his secret includes developing a feeling of "Hey, don't get pushed around, don't get bossed". After the Alty game he admitted "That was a real tough game".

BSP NEWS

Also according to the NL Paper, "Under Appendix E of the conference Rulebook, the Shaymen must agree a deal to repay their creditors AND come out of administration before Saturday, May 10 or face being kicked out of the Conference set-up [into the UniBond]... However, creditors will not vote on the matter until May 7 and any deal must then be approved by the football authorities. To make matters even worse, the consortium bidding to take control at The Shay... will complete its takeover only once a CVA agreement has been reached. That will give the club just three days to reach an agreement, have it ratified and complete the takeover needed to exit administration - an extremely unlikely scenario. The issue was discussed at a Conference board meeting on Thursday and Halifax will be notified of the rules in writing this week. Conference General Manager Dennis Strudwick said, 'We're in discussions with the administrator at the moment and I can't compromise my position by commenting any further. All I will say is that the competition will apply its rules'".

PAPER TALK

MATCH REPORT

From the above picture you might not guess that the final whistle had just gone and Altrincham had been relegated but this is the rousing reception the travelling support gave their team yesterday at the end of the game. As can be seen, the players threw their shirts into the crowd.

The website's match report on the Weymouth game is now here.

COMPARISON

WEYMOUTH 2 ALTRINCHAM 2 - ALTY GO DOWN

Right: Alty players throw their shirts into the crowd after the game. Above them the Setanta cameraman looks on.

Saturday 26 April

A JOB TO DO

The home team [Weymouth], meanwhile, will be without midfielder Mark Convery, who is still serving a suspension, although Marcus Browning and Paolo Vernazza should return after overcoming injury problems... The Terras are unbeaten in five and manager John Hollins is determined to extend that run at Alty's expense".

For those unable to get to Weymouth the Orange Tree pub in Altrincham's Old Market Place is believed to be at least one place where the game will be shown on Setanta TV.

DECISION DAY

Almost everything in the Conference is decided - the champions, the play-off qualifiers and two of the four relegation places. The three contenders for those two final places are Halifax Town (42pts GD-8), Altrincham (40 GD-26) and Farsley Celtic (39 GD-39). So Setanta TV has chosen the Weymouth v Altrincham match as its live game tomorrow (k.o. 5.15pm) and that final piece of the jigsaw could be decided in one of the following ways:

Altrincham FC physio, Sean Riley, reports that "Val Owen had another scan on Friday afternoon to try and find out why he is still experiencing pain at the site of his operation. Apart from Val, we will be taking a fully fit squad down to Weymouth". In the MEN, Stockport County boss Jim Gannon said, "We did consider bringing back Paul Turnbull from his loan at Altrincham but we didn't want to do that with them having such a big game at Weymouth. But Paul and Greg Tansey will both be back at the club on Monday'".

Likely to be facing Alty today is former loan striker Matthew Bailey who had a spell at Moss Lane, helping us to qualify for Conference North in 2004. From This is Weymouth we learn that "Weymouth manager John Hollins wants his side to stretch their unbeaten run to six games by condemning Altrincham to relegation at the Wessex Stadium tomorrow (5.15pm). Despite the Terras having secured their Blue Square Premier status... the upbeat boss has insisted that it will be business as usual for the televised clash. Hollins said: 'Nothing less than a win will be enough for Altrincham but we want to finish on a high note as well. We are unbeaten in our last five and we want to finish with three draws and three wins, which always sounds better. We have been aiming to find consistency and picking up points from six games against very different opposition would be exactly that and it will give us something to build on for next season. I think the draw at Aldershot on Tuesday showed how far we have come. Everyone did their jobs to the maximum and it really was a fantastic performance... The Setanta Sports cameras are coming down for a reason but we have got our own goals to play for. Tomorrow is not a charity match, we went to Aldershot meaning business and we will go into tomorrow exactly the same, looking to pick up points'...

Hollins said: "Everybody has a threat at this standard and Little is Altrincham's threat. 'You can't afford to take it easy against anyone and like I said, tomorrow we want to keep our rhythm going'. On-loan sensation Chris Blackburn could have played his last game for the Terras. The centre-back missed the Aldershot game and is unlikely to be risked tomorrow. Hollins added: 'Chris will want to play but like with Paolo Vernazza and Marcus Browning we have to be careful. Chris has done his work and there is no real need to risk him. He has got to go back to Swindon Town and I am sure they would not be happy if we sent him back with a three-to-five-week injury. Justyn Roberts came in against Aldershot and did very well alongside Scott Doe, who again was exceptional. [Goalkeeper] Stephen Henderson has also had a calf strain that we have had to keep an eye on but we have got Jon Stewart so that will be another decision we will need to make'".

BSP NEWS

According to theBBC "Wrexham are parting company with 14 players in the wake of relegation from the Football Championship [??League Two??] to the Blue Square Premier League. {Ex-Alty man] Phil Bolland, Josh Johnson, Mark Jones and Jeff Whitely will not be kept on. Sam Aiston, Richard Hope, Michael Proctor, Silvio Spann and Anthony Williams are transfer listed. Loan signings not offered contracts are Drewe Broughton, Richard Duffy, Paul Hall, Stuart Nicholson and Danny Sonner. A statement on the Dragons website read: 'After the sad events of the past week, manager Brian Little has made his intentions clear about reshaping the team for next season. It really goes without saying that the club's finances will have to be revaluated as we step down from the Football League and many aspects of the club's operations will have to be reviewed'".

Meanwhile the Crawley Observer says that "Bungling footie chiefs were left red faced after dozens of fans had to fork out for postage on their renewal season ticket forms. Crawley Town sent out letters to season ticket holders asking them to renew their tickets – but the fans ended up having to fork out £1.06 just to receive the letter because the club had not affixed adequate postage. One Crawley Town fan said: 'You'd think with this club's history of financial problems that they would find out the correct price of a stamp. I've forked out a quid for a letter I didn't want. The guy at the post office told me this has happened to dozens of people – we should all go down to Broadfield Stadium and get our money back from the club'. But footie bosses say it was just a mistake and they have now sorted out the blunder. Andrew Dodd, commercial manager from Crawley FC football club, said: 'We went and saw the post office about this yesterday and we have paid the difference and the rest of the letters are being delivered today. Supporters who have had to pay the £1.06 can come along to the club, with their Royal Mail receipt, and we will happily refund the postage they have had to pay'. Crawley are putting up their prices to £16 and £14 next season, The club have frozen prices on adult, concession and junior season ticket prices for supporters who take advantage of their early bird offer".

The Halifax Courier claims that "The third man in the consortium taking over Halifax Town has been revealed as Stuart Peacock. The businessman... said the consortium had pledged their backing to the club through heavy investment and it was now awaiting on two important results - Saturday's game and the creditors' meeting on May 7. 'We are trying to put the club on a professional footing and that is no disrespect to what has gone before;, said Mr Peacock, a Bradford businessman who is working alongside David Bosomworth and Bobby Ham, to turn the struggling club's fortunes round'... Mr Peacock said bigger attendances and business support would be needed and the new owners would be putting in place commercial activities. The businessmen are prepared to take over the club which is losing up to £30,000 a month and fund a continuing shortfall until the club breaks even. 'We hope to get the club on a better footing off the field as soon as possible with stronger management - but we do need help from fans and the business community. We can't do it alone and we hope fans recognise an awful lot of time and money has been put in by the consortium'. Mr Peacock is the founder of Caterleisure Ltd, of Wilsden, Bradford. Its business involves operating licensed bars, catering, and retail shop services across the UK including airports and tourist attractions... Mr Peacock is part of the consortium which includes Wakefield BMW dealer David Bosomworth and retired building firm owner Bobby Ham. They have put over £400,000 into the club since January 2007 and are hoping to take full control'".

Meanwhile "Calderdale Council will press ahead with completing the Shay regardless of whether the Stadium Trust has the money for fully fitting it out. With a contractor about to be appointed, the council has confirmed that it will put up to £2.7 million into finishing the east stand and creating space for spectators, changing facilities, bars, hospitality rooms and toilets. The trust is continuing its efforts to raise up to £1 million so that it can develop the new accommodation to make the stadium economically viable.... The council is negotiating with the trust to release parts of the 13-acre site for other developments... Work is due to begin on the stand on June 25, it should be completed by December 19 and ready for use on January 12 2009".

HALIFAX FACE DEADLINE

The club owes in excess of £2 million... and it is losing up to £30,000 a month. Providing creditors agree, and the deal is also backed by the football authorities, a consortium led by businessmen David Bosomworth and Bobby Ham, will then take over the club. The consortium believes, despite the club's repeated financial problems, it could eventually break even, and the businessmen have spent £400,000 trying to takeover the club before it went into administration.

'This proposal represents an opportunity for the club to be put on a proper stable financial footing and for the creditors to finally receive a dividend from the company towards the sums that they are owed', said administrator Rod Sadler. He warned failing to accept the proposal was likely to lead to the club being forced into liqudiation - and no payout... Its only assets are equipment of minimal value.>. The administrators had the added problem of coping with the previous CVA. That had been breached on a number of occasions and the administrators decided that creditors bound by that agreement were also entitled to receive the 2.5p dividend under the terms of the new proposal.

Mr Sadler said the club receives too little income from gate receipts and was reliant on benefactors and its fans' generosity. The last accounts filed in June 2006 showed a deficit in excess of £2 million and that is believed to have grown in the last two years. Without the support of the consortium agreeing to fund costs in administration the administrators believe the club would have been wound-up at a court hearing scheduled last month...

If the Football Association or Football Conference fail to back the deal - once it has the approval of creditors - the contract will fail. Creditors will vote on May 7 and any decision by the football authorities is not expected until June. The taxman is owed nearly £500,000 and former directors are also owed significant sums".

In addition to this, details of a communication from the Administrators to the Club's creditors have been posted on the Shaymen Forum. A quote from that communication is that "Unless the approval of creditors and members can be achieved by 10th May 2008, with or without modification, the club faces the prospect of being expelled from the Conference".

MESSAGE FROM THE VICE-CHAIRMAN

Is Football so different – or should it be?

Looking back on the season that we have just endured I asked myself exactly that question – what’s the difference between a successful company and a successful football club?

Both need good leadership from a Board of Directors, both need good managers to oversee the business and both need loyal workers who produce the goods. So, where did we go wrong this season – if relegation equates to failure?

Firstly, we started the season unsure of our standing in the football pyramid. Teams around us were signing up the players in preparation for the season and by the time we had received our reprieve at the beginning of June, the cream had been cropped and the manager was left with the unenviable task of putting together a team to compete in this league with less than a month to achieve it. The early season form, and lack of points gained, especially at Moss Lane, has been the prime reason for our demise this season – no one is denying that.

Then, we also had our debts to pay back. Not of our doing but saddled with them, this Board has had to work extremely hard to eradicate them. You won’t believe how difficult it is to work week in week out just to service someone else’s debt. It gets demoralising after a while and I can honestly say towards the end of last season, the pressures were such that I thought more than once of stepping down from the Board and becoming “just a supporter” again. It would be great to just watch the team, go home after the game and not have to worry about where the money was going to come from to improve the team. That may sound like I’m feeling sorry for myself but just like everyone else I do have feelings and they can be hurt by unfounded comments – I’m just glad that when I feel down there is always someone around the club who’ll pick you up and put a smile back on your face because that’s what this club is all about – a family of people working together, doing their best.

Part of that “family” is our present Manager, Graham Heathcote. A past player, coach and secretary of this football club. Over the years he has had to deal with the many problems that have befallen this club. No manager is popular with every supporter and Graham is no exception here. There are people who are quite vocal in their dissatisfaction with his leadership over the last few years but very few look at both sides of the story. For the first two years in the Conference National it was a struggle. Debts still played a big part in our thinking and we were unable to finance a team strong enough for this league. I also think that Graham couldn’t believe how much the Conference National had moved on in the time we were out of it. Fortunately we survived both years but only at the AGM and were therefore unable to plan properly for the following season. I believe that supporters understood our struggles in those first two seasons but this year I think the expectations were raised. Firstly because of the experience gained from our previous two seasons and secondly because we cleared our debts during the season and therefore expected more money to be available for team strengthening.

It would be easy to blame the manager for our predicament and I’m sure Graham would be more than happy to take some of the blame but calling for his head and that of the Chairman is not constructive – it’s destructive. Graham Heathcote hasn’t become a bad manager overnight. He has great knowledge of non-league football and over the years has done an excellent job for the club. He does not deserve the abuse which certain people feel free to dish out. He, like I, on numerous occasions has made himself available for anyone to ask questions face to face. Don’t hide behind pseudo names – take these opportunities to pose your questions and get your answers. At the end of each season, the Board meet and review the position that the club is in. I would hope that the supporters have the faith in the Board to make the right decisions for the club and to stand behind those decisions. It’s extremely easy sitting in your chair at home calling for this person or that person to be sacked but as in business decisions made by Boards of Directors are not always popular but are certainly taken with the best interests of the company at heart. What company do you know which allows its workers to dictate policies?

I’m sure that it hasn’t gone unnoticed that the four clubs relegated this season are all part-time. Is this an indication of the level that this league has reached – probably? But it may also show that players in full-time sides have the desire to preserve their employment status whereas players in part-time sides can always rely on their full time employment and then move on to another club and pick up a part-time income. Is the desire still there, is the camaraderie there? Only the players can tell you that. But the days of players being at the same club for years on end have surely come to an end for the majority – unfortunately. This is now the challenge that the club faces – to find a “team” of players.

I believe that the Board of this football club have done a tremendous job over the last six years – people soon forget the mess that the club was in back in 2002. Geoff, Andrew and myself, who all had full time jobs, took on the challenge to get this club back to the highest level that its supporter base could sustain and to eradicate the debts that were crippling it. I think that we were successful in that mission and along with the recent additions of Barry, Derek, Carole and David the club has moved on further with the addition of a junior section and the association with numerous local teams/clubs. The club have also made essential ground improvements and brought the catering “in house”.

However, now that the club has achieved its initial aims, it is now time to take stock and plan for the future. What the future holds, no one knows but what we can promise you is that we will do our very best to keep this club debt free and play in the highest league possible. We will not however, put this club back where it was 6 years ago. If people want the club to spend money it does not possess then perhaps it is time that we stepped down and let another Board take control of the club. If supporters know anyone who would like to plough money into the club then get them to get in touch – our door is always open. However, it is quite wrong for people to say that we should be ploughing our personal money into the club. No one, besides our fellow Board members, knows what each individual puts personally into this club and that’s the way it should be. You can be assured that each and every Board member is working his/her hardest to raise finance for this club be it from personal means or fundraising events.

So, in answer to my initial question, I do not think that there is any difference between a successful business and a successful football club. Spending money we do not have is not an option. I believe that we have the right mix on our Board of Directors; I believe we have the right manager to oversee our progress and I believe we have the nucleus of a good side. The challenge, as in business, is to move onwards, increase income and build a team capable of winning games in whichever league we are in. With your support, I believe this club can once again become a successful one. Let’s work together and achieve this aim.

Grahame is happy to discuss any of the above points with any supporter who cares to contact him.

YOUTH TEAM GOES TOP

Full details of these fixtures are in the Youth section. In their last five league and cup games the team has now scored 22 goals.

The Youth Team Presentation Night is now to be on Friday, May 23rd at Moss Lane. As well as the player presentations, the Altrincham & District FA will be making a special award for winning the Cheshire County FA's District Youth Cup for the third successive year,

GET BEHIND THE PLAYERS

Last season Altrincham went to Weymouth and secured their first away win of the season with a brace from Colin Little. Above, Alty celebrate after the first goal, scored in first-half injury time.

SAM says that "The fight will go on right till the death. Although the odds for survival are stacked heavily against Alty, Graham Heathcote has pledged his team won't concede defeat until they absolutely have to. The Robins' boss knows survival is not in his side's own hands but insists that will not change preparations for their final game against Weymouth... Alty must win at Weymouth on Saturday and hope Halifax lose at home to Stevenage, who have nothing left to play for ... Heathcote told SAM Sport: 'You can't do anything about other results. The problem is that we let ourselves down with a very lacklustre performance against Ebbsfleet last Saturday and we have paid dearly for it. I can't explain last Saturday and neither can the players. Ebbsfleet were just sharper than us all over the pitch. But we have one game left and we have to go and win at Weymouth and then hope that the result at Halifax goes our way. It's a slim hope because Halifax are in a false position. They're a midtable side really, if you take away the 10-point deduction. We know what we have to do and we just have to go down there and create a rousing finish. We have to be focussed on getting a performance and it has to be a lot better than last Saturday'

But Heathcote also confirmed that whatever happens on Saturday, the club will conduct a post-season inquest. 'Everyone needs to get behind the players at the weekend and then we can look at things once the season has ended', he added. 'We will sit down on May 5 no matter what happens and decide what the best course of action is for the future of this football club. It's different reasons why we have struggled this season than in previous seasons but that's to be discussed at the end of the campaign. It's been a difficult three years and this league wears you down. It's no surprise that the current bottom four are the proper part-time teams in the league. It's extremely difficult to complete. There are a lot of teams who have shown serious financial intent but the board here has made a decision to pursue long-term stability over short-term success. Whatever happens, we'll have a stronger club next year with a stronger base of youth and stronger community presence'".

Thursday 24 April

ROBINSONS WIN

I would like to thank everybody for attending the Game on Monday night and for Grahame Rowley and his Alty team for making such a good game. It was a very good game which ended at full time as a nil all draw. Despite the score there was plenty of action and it had been end to end for the 90 minutes with the rolling subs used through the game. Chris Rowley had played well to keep a clean sheet, although he had been beaten by a shot by Danny Biggins which was disallowed for an alleged hand ball. Charles Heathcote conceded a penalty mid way through the second half and this was blasted over the bar by Matt Day.

It was only the outstanding display of Robinsons' keeper Steve Power (who has played non-league for several teams including Radcliffe Borough) that had kept us in the game with a string of fine saves that won him Man of the match award. The game went to a pulsating penalty shoot out and Robinsons won 5 - 4. A great night was capped with a few beers and curry in the bar afterwards.

Unfortunately [former Alty defender] Vernum Rowland was unable to play as he was on call from work and he watched the game from the main stand, he was replaced by Ollie Needham who was drafted in at the last minute.

Best wishes to Graham Heathcote and the team for Saturday and I will be looking forward to a weekend in Weymouth and being with the several hundred Alty fans cheering on the boys in our final game. Thanks, Neil Faulkner.

OLD BOYS

Former Alty Youth and Reserve, Ben Deegan again played for Ashton United at the weekend. The Ashton forum says that "Deegan worked his socks off as ever".

BSP NEWS

There is some interesting information on Bullsnews about clubs relegated to the Conference (BSP). "Relegated Wrexham are hopeful for a quick return to League Two but as Hereford United, when they were relegated in 1997, soon found out it's not always that easy. Below is an edited list from icwales of how long some clubs took:

According to the BBC "York City manager Colin Walker has begun his preparations for next season by telling three of his players they will be released. Goalkeeper Tom Evans, defender Darren Craddock and midfielder Stuart Elliot have all been told they will not be offered new deals. All three will be released after the final game of the season at Salisbury. Evans and Craddock have both spent two seasons at Kit Kat Crescent, while Elliot has been there for only one".

"Burton Albion have been dealt a blow by the news that defender Mark Greaves will miss their play-off matches because of injury. Manager Nigel Clough told BBC Radio Derby: 'Mark has a broken jaw and is out for the rest of the season and Andy Corbett has a badly twisted ankle'".

The Halifax Courier says that Halifax Town "might only need a point at home to Stevenage on Saturday to be certain of securing Blue Square Premier safety but striker Jon Shaw says the team will be gunning for all three as the Shaymen look to end a difficult campaign with back-to-back wins... It is a straight race between Halifax and Altrincham for the final relegation place. The Manchester side have to win at Weymouth to put pressure on the Shaymen whose massively superior goal difference means one point would be enough to put them in a position of safety. 'You have to go out and be positive', said Shaw. 'You can't go out there and hope for a draw... We know that Stevenage cannot get in the play-offs. Whether that makes them more relaxed or they are upset and want to get back at us is out of our hands... If we win, we know we are safe and that's what we have to look to do'".

Meanwhile, The Comet says that "The way ahead for Stevenage Boro will become clearer in the next few days. Boss Peter Taylor and chairman Phil Wallace are meeting on Monday to discuss plans for next season. This is after Boro's failure to reach the play-offs this season following a run of four defeats in five games, and six defeats out of eight. Taylor said: 'We're going to get Saturday out of the way first and then I'll be meeting Phil Wallace on Monday. I see myself being here next season... I'm very disappointed to miss out on the play-offs... Even if we had got a draw, we would still have been in with a shout in our final game on Saturday. You've got to have consistency to get into the play-offs and we haven't shown that... I never dreamed we would lose the players we did when I joined, although I understand the reasons why... [Against Northwich onTuesday], there are no excuses; we weren't good enough.. We owe it to Altrincham and ourselves to put out our strongest available side', added Taylor".

THE BIG DAY APPROACHES

This time Altrincham have to win and also rely on Halifax Town being beaten to survive in the division.

According to This is Weymouth Terras' "manager John Hollins is now looking forward to building a squad for next season after his side secured their Blue Square Premier status with a 0-0 draw at champions Aldershot Town. The Terras stretched their unbeaten run to five games despite conceding a second-half spot-kick that was missed by John Grant... Hollins' men are now five points clear of the bottom four. The relieved boss said: 'It was a very tough game. Having already won the title and done everything, they started really fast as they normally do. Chris Blackburn has been playing with a knock and could not play for us and Stephen Henderson was a bit sore but thankfully came through it. We played four across the back with [former Alty loanee] Matt Bailey and Stuart Beavon up front and Justyn Roberts coming in, and although our defence had not played together much in the past they got to grips with it really well... We got a bit tired towards the end with all the hard work that we had done so we changed it, bringing on Nick Crittenden, Marcus Browning and Stuart Douglas.... We are now starting to look like a team... There is now a lot of thinking to be done about what we are going to do in preparation for next season but one thing is for sure and that is we do not want to be in this position ever again'... Weymouth's final day opponents Altrincham require a victory at the Wessex Stadium on Saturday to stand any chance of avoiding the drop. Hollins said: 'We have got one game left to play and we want to win it. We have got to finish the season on a high. Yes, Altrincham need to win but we are on a good run and we want to keep that going'".

30th ANNIVERSARY

BLUE SQUARE NEWS

According to Farsley Today "Farsley Celtic manager John Deacey is determined to stay in charge at Throstle Nest and try to lead the club back into the Blue Square Premier next season after their relegation was confirmed with a derby defeat at York City last night. Celtic's one-season stay in the top flight of non-league football ended with a fifth successive loss combined with wins for Halifax and Northwich which pushed the possibility of a last-day escape beyond Deacey's men... Deacey said: 'I want to stay with Farsley Celtic but it's up to the board to see what they want to do'. Deacey looked as though he would maintain Celtic's premier status earlier this month when back-to-back wins lifted the club to 18th in the table. But failure to take a point since proved costly and despite a brave effort by his side at York, when it looked at one stage as though they might force a draw to keep the dream alive, Deacey was unable to stop the rot. He added: 'I am gutted. The whole dressing room is gutted but we have got to bounce back. It's character building. We had the success last year and we've got to learn. We haven't disgraced ourselves in this league. We have given it our all, especially in the second half last night, but it just hasn't worked out this year. We have had a lot of complications but I feel we've given a good account of ourselves and the players should be proud, along with the committee and the supporters'".

From the Halifax Courier comes news that "Town climbed out of the Blue Square Premier relegation zone with a 4-0 win at Crawley last night and immediately set their sights on completing their escape in the final game of the campaign against Stevenage at the Shay on Saturday... as the Shaymen moved two points clear of their solitary rivals for the drop Altrincham... 'The players have shown over the past month that they want to stay in this division', said boss Chris Wilder. 'We will prepare right for Saturday's game knowing we need to take something out of it. We will need all the help going because it will be difficult as Stevenage will want to finish on a positive note... I thought we were excellent against a very good Crawley side who have beaten teams here all season', said Wilder... 'We knew we would have to do it the hard way, but we were positive with three up front. We matched them head on and it has been a long time since we scored four away from home'".

The Northwich Guardian "found Dino Maamria stuck for words... The Vics' boss, clearly still emotional after seeing his side preserve their Blue Square Premier status with a pulsating victory at Stevenage Borough, said he had been on the phone all day... 'I was up at 8.30 this morning talking to managers and players about next season', he said. 'There is a list of names I have already and now I know where we will be playing I thought I'd get started'... On hearing the final whistle: 'I didn't believe he had blown up at first. - the way the second half was going I thought he would add on another 10 or 15 minutes!... On Vics' travelling support: 'What more can I say? There were outstanding last night for us... There were two ways to approach the game; come here and sit back hoping to hit them on the break or go on the offensive. I think you know by now what a Dino Maamria team will do. It was clear we took their players by surprise because we were the team wanting to keep the ball and wanting to score the first goal. They didn't know what had hit them in the first half... Every corner, free kick and 50/50 was given to Stevenage... I hold Stevenage in very high regard and I do have a soft spot for them after the time I spent there. It's a shame that losing to us means they miss out on the play offs but that's football. I get on well with chairman Phil Wallace and chief executive Bob Makin and the pair of them have been texting me the past couple of months to say good luck' for the remaining matches'. On what he would like to see happen on Saturday: 'We win 4-0 with a hat trick by Dino Maamria and a fourth goal by Jonny Allan! I haven't though about whether to play myself or not but it's something I will talk to Marshy about and we'll see. The players will probably talk me out of it. Come to think of it I think they've hidden my shirt anyhow so I'll need a new one of those first'".

From the other side, The Comet claims that for Stevenage "The final nail in the coffin was a particularly painful one. The anger and disbelief on Tuesday night which greeted the end of Boro's play-off aspirations were in marked contrast to the wild celebrations enjoyed by the Vics' players and supporters as they ensured another season in the Blue Square Premier. This will also be the case for Boro, although how many of the management and players will start the new season in August with them is open to debate. Boro's fourth defeat in five games - and their 15th league reverse for the season - was made even more hurtful with the news that play-off rivals Burton had been soundly beaten at Kidderminster... Boro had fallen behind in another insipid first-half display... After 12 minutes of stalemate, Vics grabbed the initiative out of the blue. Michael Carr's snapshot from the edge of the box looked innocuous but Masters looked anything but as the ball crept in... Boro's young keeper showed his jangling nerves when he spilled a routine save from Matty Crowell. Luckily the ball was cleared but catcalls from the crowd would have done little to improve his already frayed nerves... Willock and Morison (twice) threatened an equaliser before spoiling tactics from the Vics came into play as their side started dropping like flies".

ALTY ON TV

TURNBULL TO STAY

BAD NIGHT FOR ALTY

Tuesday 22 April

BALL CANCELLED

GOOD NIGHT FOR YOUTH TEAM

DECIDING THINGS

Meanwhile, Torquay United, Exeter City, Cambridge United and Burton Albion were confirmed as the four play-off teams after Stevenage lost last night at home to Northwich Vics.

Finally, congratulations to Weymouth and Northwich Vics who have confirmed their survival in the BSP for next season.

BSP NEWS

One might think the Blue Square site would know who the Shaymen are but apparently not, as they reported yesterday that "Farsley Celtic face a must win encounter against York on Tuesday after falling back into the relegation zone thanks to a defeat to Forest Green on Saturday. The Shaymen are also in danger of relegation, a fact that turns this West Yorkshire derby into a potentially fascinating affair. 'We certainly need something now don't we?' Farsley manager John Deacey told the Telegraph & Argus. 'We should have more people available for Saturday's final game but unless we get something tonight it could be too late by then'".

"Oxford United midfielder Jamie Hand, on loan from Lincoln, says he is keen to make the switch permanent. Hand has been in fine form for the U's of late and told BBC Oxford: 'It's a performance that I know I am capable of week-in week-out. I am enjoying my football and I'm happy. I will be giving my all until the end of the season. It's a club I am very fond of, but we will sit down at the end of the season and take it from there'".

Farsley Celtic’s "player/coach Steve Torpey has said in the wake of the Forest Green [game], Celtic can still survive.... 'Of course we can, you look at the league table we have plenty of chances to survive. We should have got something out of the Forest Green game, but it makes it more difficult to survive'. Torpey came on as late sub against Forest Green said that Tuesday’s game at York is a must-win game just like Grays: 'We haven’t got to win but it would be nice to win, we don’t want to leave it till Saturday" Grays Athletic "have recalled Danny Knowles from his loan spell at Fisher Athletic following the injury of Nicky Eyre at Northwich Victoria last Saturday"

"Histon chairman Gareth Baldwin has said he is keen to make extra transfer resources available for next season. With the current campaign drawing to a close, the club are already planning their summer recruitment. 'We're obviously looking to try and get more money to spend on our playing budgets' Baldwin said. 'This year we have tripled our turnover, being in the Blue Square Premier has meant that we've three times the level of income'" reports the BBC.

However, The Cambridge Evening News says that "Gareth Baldwin will not be held to ransom when Histon enter the transfer market in the closed season... Baldwin said: 'We've been given permission to talk to two players who are at League clubs and are currently on loan at non-league clubs. We've got a track record in the Blue Square Premier now, they can see that our facilities are improving and we're an attractive proposition. But we're quite frugal and I don't want to attract players just because they're being paid a lot of money. They've got to come here as winners and I'm not interested in journeymen who would come here for £600 (a week) and not care if they win anything for the club'. And the chairman is backing manager Steve Fallon and coach John Beck's eye for a bargain in the transfer market. Baldwin said: 'Steve and John can spot a player and tell if they want to win things. Whenever we make a signing, that player always improves what we've got'".

This is Glos said yesterday that "Forest Green boss Jim Harvey fears hanging onto his best players this summer will not be as easy as he had hoped. Rovers play their final home game of an outstanding season against Ebbsfleet United tonight, when supporters have a chance to bid farewell to scoring sensation Stuart Fleetwood. Left-back Anthony Tonkin is another who will definitely be leaving the New Lawn after Saturday's trip to Histon, but Harvey had been publicly confident of keeping most of his squad together.... 'I will probably have to lose some more boys that I'd have liked to keep', said Harvey. 'It will be a case of taking stock at the end of the season, trying to keep as many as I can and looking to recruit again. That's not ideal - I would have liked to keep everybody and add to that - but finances are tight. What the chairman and board of directors have done for this club, with regards to the new stadium and staying in the Conference, has been remarkable. This year I hope I've helped the club go up a stage further with regards to results on the pitch. But I do know we're at full stretch to keep the budget healthy, and next year will be just as difficult'".

OLD BOY AND PRE-SEASON

And if you are keen for some pre-season action in July, as well as the above games, Welsh Premier confirms that "Bangor City will play their Uefa Cup ties ties this summer at Wrexham's Racecourse Ground. City's recent European games in the InterToto Cup - against Gloria Bistrita and FC Dinaburg - have been staged at Rhyl's Belle Vue Stadium, but the club beat Sartid Smederevo of Yugoslavia at Wrexham in 2002, before going out 2-1 on aggregate.The Citizens have qualified for the Uefa Cup again by reaching the Welsh Cup final, as opponents Llanelli are in the Champions League after lifting the Welsh Premier title. The first round is due to be played over two legs on 17 and 31 July... Four Welsh Premier clubs now qualify for European competitions. Champions Llanelli entered the Champions League. Welsh Cup finalists Bangor City qualified for the Uefa Cup along with the next highest placed league club, The New Saints. The next highest-placed league club, Rhyl FC, entered the Uefa InterToto Cup".

MAN IN CHARGE

According to This is Weymouth "Weymouth manager John Hollins has insisted that his side still have work to do in their quest to secure their Blue Square Premier status... Weymouth travel to champions Aldershot Town tomorrow evening before wrapping up their campaign with a home clash against fellow strugglers Altrincham on Saturday. Hollins said: 'As I have said many times we can only do what we can do. As soon as you start looking over your shoulder hoping another team loses they usually don't so it is important that we go into our last two games looking to keep our recent good form going. We have now won our last two and are unbeaten in our last four, and we want that record to continue."

MY SQUARE

Ian Rosendaal, coordinator of the MySquare scheme at Moss Lane reports that the winner in the draw for those who sponsored squares of the Moss Lane pitch is Margaret Whitfield from Timperley. Ian would like to thanks to everyone who took part in the scheme. The final figure raised for the club was just under £700 and the squares' ownership is shown above. Congratulations to Ian for administering this excellent fundraising scheme.

BSP NEWS

"'A monent of magic' - that was how Dino Maamria described Michael Carr's winning goal against Grays" to the Northwich Guardian. "The Vics' boss admitted the midfielder's first goal of the season had been long overdue... 'I think it was a test of our character today', he said... 'It's a huge psychological boost... Of course the result is the most important thing but I'm disappointed with how we played. There was a lot of pressure on young shoulders again today and I'm not sure we coped too well with it. The players were nervous and I think the crowd were too'".

According to Farsley Today "Boss John Decaey says tension gripping Farsley Celtic on the season's last lap is their biggest enemy... Deacey was speaking after watching his side fall to a fourth successive defeat against Forest Green at Throstle Nest. Deacey must now lift his men for tonight's Yorkshire derby at York and Saturday's final game, at home to Grays Athletic. The Celts have been cruelly hit by injuries and suspensions over the last few weeks...He said: 'The players looked tense. They didn't look relaxed on the ball and that has to change. I am not blaming injuries. I am just blaming it on the performancesof a few people who were below average and it cost us. We started poorly and it was an absolutely garbage goal to concede. We had been working on set-pieces from about 11 o'clock to 12 on the morning of the game but that didn't work, did it? We have to get something out of the remaining two games. It is as simple as that. We still have a fighting chance'".

The Halifax Courier says that "Town's bid to beat the drop will go down to the wire after Saturday's battling draw with champions Aldershot... 'I don't think that performance equates to a team that is low on belief and thinks they are going to be relegated', said manager Chris Wilder. 'They have shown their true colours for the football club. We would like to be in cruise control, but we are in the thick of it and we have to get on with it... There were a lot of weary legs out there and some are playing on auto pilot, but they gave it a go and that is all I can ask. A lot of things have gone against us over the last month, but the spirit and performance of the players speaks volumes about what they are about... We are in charge of our own destiny and not doing too badly at the moment in terms of the way we are playing... Two teams around us get late goals and win, two are beaten. Will it be our turn to score a late goal on Tuesday and Saturday?'".

In the Kidderminster Shuttle "Harriers' manager Mark Yates bemoaned a series of errors which allowed Weymouth back into the game in Saturday's loss... 'I'm disappointed - it's a game we controlled and should have won', commented Yates. 'We scored and were on top for the next ten minutes but we got a little bit complacent... that's dissapointing to take because we've been on a good run and brought a lot of support with us'".

Simon Russell put the Harriers ahead at the Wessex Stadium but the Terras then staged a fantastic comeback in the final 20 minutes with Chris Blackburn levelling before substitute Stuart Douglas netted the winner with two minutes to go... 'That is the first time we have come back and won from being a goal down since I have been here and that shows the belief we now have as a squad'" said Hollins. "I thought when we made the changes and brought on Nick Crittenden and Stuart Douglas it opened things up for us and we began to deliver more quality balls into the box... I also thought our fans made a big difference. They supported us throughout and were absolutely fantastic... I also thought Stuart Beavon's ability today was fantastic. His touch is good enough to be in the Premier League and the way he was taking balls out of the air was excellent. He was beating people, moving, bringing others into play and to be fair he has been awesome ever since I have been here. He has lost a bit of weight and sorted himself out and we are now beginning to see the best of him... "Chris Blackburn was also excellent again along with Scott Doe. Scott is not the biggest physically but he won his headers'" added the manager.

"Grays Athletic are currently looking for an emergency loan goalkeeper following the injury to Nicky Eyre during Saturday's fixture against Northwich Victoria, Nicky sustained ligament damage to his ankle and will be out for the remainder of the season."

Kidderminster Harriers report that "Jeff Kenna has admitted that his Wembley appearance whilst a Kidderminster player last season was 'beyond his wildest dreams'. The former Republic of Ireland International left the club after taking up the vacant managerial hot-seat at Galway United".

WEYMOUTH TRAVEL

Above: Altrincham in action at Moss Lane against Weymouth on 17 November 2007. Alty won 3-2 and their side that day was: 1. Stuart COBURN; 4. Karl MUNROE, 5. Darren TINSON (capt), 16. Ryan SHOTTON, 3. Gary SCOTT; 19. Chris SENIOR, 6. Jake SEDGEMORE, 7. Robbie LAWTON, 11. Warren PEYTON; 9. Colin LITTLE, 12. Joe O'NEILL. Subs: 13. Richard ACTON, 2. Steve ASPINALL, 8. Val OWEN, 18. Pat McFADDEN, 22. Carlos LOGAN.

On the Alty Fans' Forum, STAR travel coordinator Tom Jacobs writes "Just to inform you there are 35 on the coach already for next Saturday's trip to Weymouth (k.o. 5.15pm), so please book on early to avoid disappointment. Please only book (by ringing the Club on 0161 928-1045) if you are definitely coming to the game. We may run a second coach but this is solely dependent on sufficient numbers. Details of fares and times are on the Away Travel page.

Apparently the away bar at Weymouth is unavailable to away fans on Saturday as it is, due to the change of kick-off time, booked for a function. Because of segregation the home bar is also unavailable, therefore anybody who is travelling on the STAR coach and needs refreshment will be dropped off at the nearby Jon Gregory pub. Other passengers who wish to go directly to the ground will then be taken there. The Jon Gregory Pub is a restaurant/pub located at 113 Radipole Lane, Weymouth, DT4 9SS and is 0.6 miles from the Wessex Stadium. It has adjacent free parking, in the shopping centre car park. Meals are served from noon until 2pm, and from 6pm until 9pm and the pub also has a pool table, dart board, and for those that need a laptop, an 802.11b wireless internet connection. From the pub, turn left out of the car park, take the first turning on the right, then the fourth exit at the Wessex Roundabout. You will see the Wessex Stadium entrance on your left.

TENSE TUESDAY

YOUTH TEAM WIN 7-1

STILL THERE IS HOPE

If Altrincham can win their final game at Weymouth, they will have 43 points. That is a lower maximum number of points than any of the other four teams currently have and means that Alty already cannot catch Weymouth, who have 44 points. Next Tuesday's games do not involve Alty and the worst-case scenario is that Weymouth, Northwich, Halifax and Farsley all win that night; the best-case is obviously that they all lose. Those contrasting situations would leave Alty going into their final game as follows, with the target being to finish 20th or higher to stay up.

Worst-case scenario: The situation would be out of Altrincham's hands, but a win could keep us up...

Best-case scenario: The situation would be in Altrincham's hands and a win on Saturday would guarantee safety.

Halifax have a far superior goal difference to any of the other teams involved in the dog-fight.

FLEET VERDICTS

Meanwhile Ebbsfleet United has a very fair report on "Another relegation-threatened visiting side, another win for Liam Daish's men... It might have been the Fleet's 16th game since March 1st but with a few changes to freshen things up, the home side looked anything but lethargic as they coasted to a 2-0 victory... With Chris McPhee, Luke Moore and John Akinde part of a three-pronged attack and with a quartet of central defenders playing in the back four, there was an unfamiliar shape to Daish's side.. On 38 minutes they should have taken the lead. Chris Senior and Colin Little exchanged passes down the left and as the Fleet defence raced to cover they opened a gaping hole for Greg Tansey to run into down the right but his header was scrambled away by Darius Charles... Within two minutes the Fleet made Alty pay... McPhee slid in to beat Greg Young to the loose ball which he somewhat fortuitously prodded past Coburn.

Seven minutes into the second half and the visitors' diminutive but prolific strike force carved out a golden opportunity for an equaliser when a long ball was nodded on by Little to Senior but he blasted it over the bar from 16 yards. Again Alty were made to pay for a missed chance as Warren Peyton made an absolute hash of a back pass to his goalkeeper which Akinde intercepted but the young Fleet striker dwelt far too long on the ball with only the keeper to beat and the ball was cleared. Much to Altrincham's chagrin it went only as far as Stacy Long who, arriving in from the edge of the box, buried a rasping drive in the back of the net. Despite stepping up a gear and enjoying more possession, the visitors rarely found opportunities and those chances they did have were wastefully sent over the bar... After the visitors' best spell of the match had petered out, the Fleet coasted towards full time without looking in much danger".

OLD BOYS AND THE NORTH/SOUTH DIVIDE

At the bottom of BS North, Hucknall Town were relegated and Hinckley made themselves safe yesterday.

Elsewhere in the BS North, Paul Ellender netted for Boston United.

BSP NEWS

EBBSFLEET UTD 2 ALTRINCHAM 1

Above: Colin Little has just been fouled in this picture from today's game.

Altrincham could have no complaints after they lost to an Ebbsfleet side showing few signs of their taxing fixture schedule. Ebbsfleet went ahead in the 39th minute when McPhee scored after Alty failed to clear Charles's cross from the left. Warren Peyton gifted Ebbsfleet their second with an underhit backpass which was picked up by Akinde. When he made a hash of his chance, Long sidefooted the loose ball home (53 mins). Little and Senior each wasted a great chance to pull a goal back, but in the final stages Alty rarely looked like getting back in the game. Match report here

A BIG SATURDAY

Saturday 19th

The Gravesend Reporter says that "Ebbsfleet United's energy-sapping sequence of frequent run-outs could have been avoided with a bit of foresight by the Conference fixture planners, according to manager Liam Daish. 'There's been little thinking at the beginning when we had another cup competition brought in and the end of the season was brought forward to April 26', he said. 'So, we've had more fixtures, less time to play them in and runs in Cup and Trophy competitions - which I would not swap for the world. But, with the size of the squads you've got and the limited money you can spend on your preparations, it makes it all a mockery'". The Fleet have been ringing the changes as their team against Farsley last Tuesday was "Cronin 8, Ricketts 8, Smith 8, Charles 7, Hawkins 7, McPhee 7, Barrett 7 (Bostwick 59), Hearn 8, Moore 8 (Eribenne 86), Akinde 8 (Nade 83), Purcell 7. Subs not used: Mott, MacDonald", compared with the team on Thursday at Droylsden which was "Mott, Ricketts (Hawkins 63), MacDonald, Smith, Bull, Bostwick, Hearn, Barrett, Purcell, Nade, Eribenne (Akinde 71). Subs Not Used: Stubbs, Maskell, French". So only Smith, Hearn and Purcell played the full 90 minutes in both games and 17 different players were used in the two games.

"The Fleet will have little time to prepare for this Saturday's home encounter against Altrincham. That meeting with Graham Heathcote's Cheshire outfit will see Ebbsfleet play their sixth match in a fortnight... 'It's relentless and ridiculous', Daish said. 'You have got to think about professional players' welfares here too - you cannot just keep expecting them to go out and play games for the sake of it. It's fulfilling fixtures for the wrong reasons. Supporters are asked to dip into their pockets twice or three times a week and you cannot do it. So, now, when everyone should be looking forward to this part of the season, they are trying to get through it instead of enjoying it. It becomes a labour of love and the quality of football could go down'".

COLIN'S RECORD

VERNUM'S BACK AT MOSS LANE

1978 REMEMBERED

Above: Courtesy of Campbell McLay of the Robins' Shop is the above nostalgic photo of Altrincham FC stepping out at Wembley for the FA Trophy Final against Leatherhead in 1978. From front to back the line-up is Tony Sanders (manager), John King (captain), Stan Allan, Peter Eales, John Owens, Jeff Johnson, John Davison, Graham Heathcote, Ian Morris, Ivan Crossley, Malcolm Bailey, Joe Flaherty and John Rogers.

STAR has confirmed that "To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of our first trip to Wembley (v Leatherhead in the FA Trophy) the Club is having 'An evening with the team of '78' on Saturday 10th May 2008 at 7.30pm in the Noel White Suite. A hot supper will be provided and the cost is just £10 per person (including a souvenir programme). Many of the 1978 FA Trophy Final Team will be in attendance. Tickets for this event are limited, so please see Mike Ainsworth at the Ebbsfleet or Weymouth games or call in to the offices at Moss Lane next week". For details of the 1978 squad visit the Past Players section.

OLD BOYS

"Darren Edmondson is braced for interest from rival clubs for Workington`s three star strikers. The Reds` boss expects over the summer to field enquiries about Michael Reed, Matty Berkeley and Jonny Wright, though he would like to keep the trio at Borough Park. Said Edmondson... 'Matthew’s possibly the most gifted of the three but is young and lacks confidence in his own ability. He doesn`t believe he`s a good enough footballer, and we just tell him to keep doing what he does in training and take that in to games. He has bundles of pace and is always a threat, so people will always be sniffing around'" reports tha News and Star. Matt made 3 sub appearances for Altrincham at the start of this season before being released.

BSP NEWS

Above: Alty take to the field at the Grade A "Glass World Stadium" last November (see below).

"Histon have received official confirmation from the FA that the Glass World Stadium has been awarded its Grade A certificate" confirms the Cambridge Evening News. The news means the Stutes would be able to participate in the Blue Square Premier play-offs next season and take their place in the Football League if they secured promotion".

From Farsley Today we learn that "Chairman Andy Firbank is calling on the city of Leeds to get behind Farsley Celtic as they kick off a week which will decide their Blue Square Premier fate. The Celts are targeting six points from their remaining three matches, at home to Forest Green tomorrow, at York on Tuesday night and then against Grays Athletic at Throstle Nest next Saturday... And Firbank said: 'I want to appeal for the people of Leeds to get behind Farsley Celtic... We want them to come in droves because there is no doubt about it, the volume of noise behind the team does help the lads immensely. We as a board are confident we will stay up – but we do need points from our last three games'". Celtic play FGr on Saturday and "Farsley boss John Deacey said: "They are a good side... But we have got to do a job. We're at home, we haven't done bad against the sides at the top end of the table, and we have got to be looking for three points'... Deacey's hopes of landing a victory which would take Celtic within three points of his safety target of 45, will be vastly enhanced if skipper Amjad Iqbal makes a return to action after missing the last three games. The Pakistani international has reported feeling 'okay' following a hamstring injury. Fellow centre-half Georges Santos has been undergoing intensive treatment at former club Sheffield United on a thigh strain... On Tuesday evening veteran striker Simeon Bambrook dropped back into the defence and gave a sterling display... 'I ended up with six centre-forwards on the pitch on Tuesday' said Deacey. 'We had Bambrook, Colin Heath, Lee Tuck, Steve Torpey, Damien Reeves and David McNiven'... Andy Watson could stay in the centre of midfield tomorrow as James Knowles completes his two-match ban... But there was some good news for the Celts in midweek as they managed to keep hold of striker David McNiven... after parent club Stafford Rangers had threatened to recall him from his loan spell".

The Oxford Mail says that Oxford manager "Darren Patterson is already making plans for pre-season and one of those seems likely to be staying at the Royal Navy base in Portsmouth. 'The facilities there are fantastic', said Patterson after he and Mickey Lewis were given a tour when an Oxford United Under 23 side recently took on the Navy Under 23s there".

STEVENAGE GO FOR A BURTON

AVOIDING RELEGATION

REASONS TO BE OPTIMISTIC

SAM quotes Graham Heathcote as saying, "There's two games to go and if we win them both, we should stay up. I don't think the other results will really matter if we do that. I'm glad the end's near now because it's been such a difficult season on so many levels. But we've done really well of late. We've had a few unlucky results, like losing to a last-minute goal at Burton and a wonder strike at Aldershot, and could quite easily have been higher in the table. We have done well away from home and, if you look at the performances since the start of the year, you would say we have been better than a relegation side. We've had a very unfortunate season and there are a few games we could quite easily have won. I was very pleased with the supporters against Salisbury. They turned out in numbers and were very vociferous in their support. If the season comes down to the last day, I'm sure we'll have strong support down there with us. I wouldn't push people to go down because it's a big trip but I'm confident we'd take a few hundred. Our fans have been fantastic and the team appreciates that'".

On Thursday Kentish Football said that "Wembley-bound heroes Ebbsfleet United continue their hectic schedule with a trip to already relegated basement club Droylsden tonight... The Kent side have played fifteen games since the first day of March and after tonight’s trip to the Manchester area return to Stonebridge Road on Saturday when Altrincham visit... Boss Liam Daish... isn’t pleased that his side are forced up and down the country in a hectic last couple of months. 'It’s going to be difficult again', he said. 'We’re up at Droylsden (on) Thursday, we’ll probably get back in our beds (at) 3 o’clock Friday morning and then we’ve got another game on the Saturday against Altrincham. It’s absolutely crazy and it’s not fair on players. It’s their livelihoods and we’ve been doing it now, this isn’t a one-off, we’ve been doing this now for the last six weeks, Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday. We’ve been doing Thursday’s as well - it’s a tall order'. James Smith, who netted the equaliser against Farsley Celtic with a 55th minute header, believes his team-mates can cope with their hectic schedule. 'We’ve got the squad to cope... we’ve been looking after ourselves and that’s the important thing, (we’ll) make sure we’re eating well, drinking well and then I don’t think we shouldn’t have a problem....Maybe players who aren’t playing can come in'".

"Meanwhile, acting chairman, Mr Brian Kilcullen revealed that the Stonebridge Road club have sold over 18,000 tickets for the FA Carlsberg Trophy Final"

FIVE YEARS OF TENSION!

Altrincham FC was founded in 1891 as Broadheath FC. From then until 1997 the club never experienced a relegation. Since then the club has changed division five times:

GATES

RYAN PRAISED

He told SAM Sport: 'He's been fantastic and I can't speak highly enough of him. I'm always wary of bringing in loan players because you're not sure how they'll fit in, but his attitude has been fantastic. He showed he can be a handful up front. I've said since January that we would play him up there if we needed to and he's produced a few goals. He's a good footballer and good footballers can play wherever you ask them to'...Heathcote said that doesn't necessarily mean Shotton will find himself starting in a new role in the final two games of the season. 'There's a difference between being thrown up there and starting up there', he said. 'When you're thrown up there you don't have the pressure to produce, it's just a case of nick something if you can. Starting up front, you're under serious pressure to score goals, especially considering the position we're in'".

BSP NEWS

The Cambridge Evening News says that Cambridge "United round off their league campaign with a trip to the Vics, who could still be battling relegation, on April 26. Meanwhile, Quinn is set to take a further look at ex-Weymouth midfielder Sido Jombarti after he impressed for United in a 1-0 friendly defeat at Norwich City yesterday. Jombarti, 20, played in the second half of the game at the Canaries' training ground against a strong Norwich reserves side. The Portuguese midfielder left the Terras last week by mutual consent after failing to make an appearance under John Hollins, who took charge of Weymouth with former United No 2 Alan Lewer in January. Quinn said: 'Jason Tindall, who has been doing some scouting for us, had him for a little while when he was managing Weymouth. He's 6ft 1in tall and it looked like he had a bit of skill. We're going to have another look. There was also a Brazilian lad that Dan Chillingworth knows and he was a good defender, getting tight on people, so we'll give him another go in training, too".

And now a story raising as many questions as it answers from the ever informative Crawley Observer which reports that "Crawley Town have released a statement saying that [they] want to make sure they are in 'knowledge of all the facts' before unveiling the new owners. Chairman Vic Marley said that the club are not taking too much time over revealing details about the new owners after fans voiced their disappointment this week. The club announced that they had been bought by Prospect Estate Holdings Limited from the SA Group on April 1. But the club have not held a press conference despite saying they would be ready to unveil the new owners on April 18 (Friday). This week Crawley Town fans group, the Devils' Trust, spoke out about the lack of information from the club. Spokesman, Phil Agius, said: 'It's disappointing that fans still haven't been informed who the new owners are, what their roles will be and what their plans are'. A final date of May 7 has been set by the club at which time they should ready to release information to the public. But details are still hazy as to who owns Crawley. In the new statement released by the football club there is no mention of John Duly, who was originally said to be leading the consortium. The statement from chairman Vic Marley, writing on behalf of Crawley Town Football Club and co-owner of Prospect Estate Holdings Limited, reads: 'It possibly seems to some that the takeover of Crawley Town Football Club was quite some time ago. The fact is, it has only been a few weeks, documentation is still being completed and it is disappointing to note that one newspaper in particular publicly wants us to release information before we have finalised the detail.

That is not going to happen. It could not be further from the truth that we are taking too much time; to the contrary, we are being most diligent. A number of people are working extremely long hours so that when we do speak publicly, we will do so in complete knowledge of all the facts. That is how I believe we should conduct our business and I take the view that is what our supporters and indeed the people in the town of Crawley want. We have stated on record that we will be as open and transparent as we can, but we must ensure when we speak or comment it is only factual information, it is imperative that we keep to this criteria [i.e. criterion]. I am now in a position to confirm a number of things to you. In respect of the football club, I can confirm that as of Friday, 11th April 2008, we have formally put in place a new board of directors. I can further add at this juncture that those connected with the SA Group [the Majeeds] have now formally resigned their respective directorships and all this documentation has now been forwarded to Companies' House by our newly appointed accountants. It is also important for me to confirm that we have meetings scheduled in the diary with the Football Association, the Football Conference and our landlords, Crawley Borough Council... Moving on to Prospect Estates Holdings Limited, I am pleased to confirm the documentation has been completed...I can further confirm that as of today, Wednesday 16th April 2008, Prospect Estates Holdings Limited has appointed three directors and they are Mr Philip Jarman, Mr Tom Scott and I... Discussions with a number of local business people, who have a love for this football club, can be described as progressive and talks with those individuals are at an advanced stage... I have, as of today, called a football club board meeting for Thursday, 7th May 2008. I would anticipate at this time that we would then be in a position to meet with the press and the supporters the following week. I have to accept that the meeting with the press and the supporters is later than we all anticipated, but I cannot reaffirm enough that we have to be aware of the full facts before we address the most important people of all and that of course is the employees and the supporters of this proud football club. No further comment will be made".

"Councillors have axed plans to spend taxpayers' cash on new pitches at Northwich Victoria" according to the Northwich Guardian. "The club's former owner had been hoping to count on a £50,000 handout from Vale Royal Borough Council to help pay for two all-weather pitches next to the stadium... ''The Northwich Victoria scheme is one of three projects to have had Rural Delivery Programme funding withdrawn', said a council spokesman... Not a penny had been handed over. Mike Connett, who sold the club to a consortium of Manchester businessmen in December, said last summer that the pitches would be ready by the end of the year but work has never started. He originally asked for £195,000 from the public purse through the one-off programme, set up three years ago to part fund improvements to countryside amenities. Mr Connett's plans, which also included floodlights and changing rooms, met with opposition from the outset. 'I'm resolutely against it', said Councillor Frank Dolphin, who chairs the steering group that decides which projects the council should support. 'Never in my wildest dreams did I envisage a semi professional organisation asking us for such a massive amount of money'... Vics' new owners can do nothing to save the scheme. The club is a tenant at the Marston's Arena, with Mr Connett's company Beaconet Limited acting as landlord at the nine-acre site. At the moment Vics have no say about what, if any, redevelopment work takes place. However planning permission, granted last May, remains valid until 2009 by which time the consortium hope to have secured a deal to buy the ground back off Mr Connett".

According to The Comet "Stevenage Boro are entering the make or break final week of the league campaign. Boro have three games in just over a week... Boss Peter Taylor said: 'We've three matches to go and we feel we need at least two wins. We're fifth at the moment and if we win all three, we will definitely be in the play-offs'".

Woking report that "David Taylor has revealed that Colin Lippiatt offered to resign in the wake of Frank Gray’s sacking — and that newly appointed assistant Justin Edinburgh has no more chance of getting the vacant manager’s job than any other prospective applicant. The Cards’ chairman turned Lippiatt’s offer down flat — then made him caretaker boss... Edinburgh was then installed to help out and Taylor insisted: 'Colin and Justin have done wonders with the team in a short space of time but Justin is in no way in front of anyone else in the queue. We will view all of the applicants and treat them on their merits... Colin appointed Frank Gray and felt responsible but I turned his offer down. He was placed in a very difficult situation when he first came back to the club a year ago and was thrust in at the deep end to appoint a new manager. He had to recruit him in secret, with all the paranoia going on about boardroom leaks, so it was difficult for him. I’m delighted that Colin is going to play a part in finding the new manager. The selection process will be down to me, Colin and Chris Ingram, with the board being consulted. Ultimately, it will be my choice... I’ve had lots of emails from fans telling me who I should approach and my answer to that is I won’t be contacting anyone', he said. 'I will also be expecting applications in writing and they must include what that manager thinks he can do to take Woking FC on to the next level. In that way, applications will be credit scored. It’s going to be slightly different in that I’m not going to appoint a manager purely on what he has achieved. He has to fit in to the ethos we have and be someone who is right for us and what we want to achieve. ‘I’ve had plenty of emails from managers. But less than 20 applications where people have bothered to apply in the right way. Others have emailed me with a CV attached, telling me how good they are and that we should talk. I’m afraid they won’t be considered if they can’t apply in the correct way. I’ve also been asked why I am having an HR consultant present at interviews. That’s because we are doing it properly, in a businesslike manner, with references taken and followed up, and for someone outside of football to give a different perspective in terms of things like the personality of the individual'.

Taylor will also ensure assistant managers — which was not done in Gerry Murphy’s case — are interviewed, with references taken, should the manager wish to bring his own man... The business guru also explained his reasons for telling a national newspaper he would resign if he messes up with the appointment — something that could leave the ship without a rudder if things happen to go wrong quickly. 'I’ve found that there’s not enough accountability in football', he explained. 'I said that because I want to be accountable, although I have been overwhelmed with support from people telling me they wouldn’t want me to resign even if I got the wrong manager. At the moment it’s hypothetical. It just means I will choose wisely... My main ambition in life is to lead Woking to the Football League as chairman'...

.“There will be no favouritism',said Lippiatt... 'I’m not saying I was stupid enough, or naïve enough to think Justin wouldn’t apply. And I would say this. He has been absolutely superb. I personally believe that in the short time I’ve known him, he has got the attributes to do the job'... Ten of the present squad are contracted for next season, while three Bosman players, Danny Bunce, Jerome Maledon and Giuseppe Sole have been offered terms, and Matt Ruby will speak to Lippiatt this week. Jason Norville, Goma Lambu, Adam Green and Damian Batt are the others Lippiatt will talk to — probably before the new man is appointed... 'David Taylor has backed me to make signings if I need to'" said Lippiatt. "Former Cards’ skipper Neil Smith is believed to be among the many names to have applied — prompting thoughts of a possible Edinburgh/Smith combination".

NL Daily says that "Two of Forest Green Rovers` key players have hinted they would like to stay with the club next season. In a timely boost to manager Jim Harvey, utility man Alex Lawless and forward Adriano Rigoglioso appear ready to spurn any advances from rival clubs this summer. Harvey is already resigned to losing top scorer Stuart Fleetwood and left-back Anthony Tonkin... But Lawless, unquestionably the club's most improved and consistent player in 2007/08, has no immediate plans to jump ship. He said: 'I`m confident I should be around next year'... Former Morecambe man Rigoglioso has endured an injury-hit campaign, but he is a long-time Harvey disciple and keen to make up for lost time next term. 'As long as the manager is still here then I`d love to be here', said Rigoglioso... 'We'll have to wait and see who stays and who goes in the summer, and sometimes a few changes can be a good thing to freshen things up... As players we've been disappointed with the crowds, considering the way we've been playing and the season we've had. Those who have turned up have been fantastic, but small crowds obviously affect the size of the squad.'"

From Cambridge United we learn that "Former U's star Dion Dublin has turned down the invitation to extend his playing career by one more year at Cambridge United. The Norwich City centre-forward is determined to see out this season at Carrow Road and then retire from playing, and U's boss Jimmy Quinn admitted today that he was unable to tempt him back to the Abbey either on loan or on a final one-year deal. 'I asked him but he's definitely going to retire at the end of the season', Quinn confirmed. 'I tried to get him on loan to the end of the season but he's got commitments to Norwich and he's totally made his mind up to go into media work. I tried to convince him to play for another year and come back to Cambridge where it all started and he thanked me for asking but said he had made his mind up. There would have been a contract on offer for him here, without a shadow of a doubt'. Dublin, who will turn 39 next week, was part of the John Beck side that carried all before them in the early 90s with two successive promotions and FA Cup quarter-final appearances in a run that lifted United from the bottom division to the brink of the inaugural Premiership".

MIDWEEK

YOUTH TEAM NOT AT MOSS LANE!

YOU CAN HELP THE CLUB...

For the cost of £50, your name will appear throughout the coming season in the matchday programme as a Patron of Altrincham Football Club. At the beginning of the season, every member will be entered into a prize draw, with the winner being match sponsor for an appointed game, along with nine guests. Second prize will be hospitality for five people and third prize will be hospitality for three people in the Sponsors' Lounge.

If you are interested in becoming a Patron for next season, please forward a cheque for £50, payable to Altrincham Football Club, for my attention. If you require any further information please speak to me (Grahame Rowley) on 07720-606897 or e-mail me. Thank you for your support.

Details of all of the Club's fundraising schemes are here.

NEXT GAME

According to Kentish Football "The Leeds visitors stunned the low Stonebridge Road crowd by grabbing a 35th minute lead - against the run of play - but three second half goals from James Smith, Luke Moore and Charley Hearn sealed the points for the Wembley bound Kent club. Ebbsfleet United, playing their fifteenth game since the first day of March, had claims for a penalty as early as the third minute... were stunned to silence as Farsley Celtic grabbed the lead from their first chance after 25 minutes... Seeing that England C goalkeeper Lance Cronin had advanced off his line, McNiven sent a right-footed lob over the goalkeeper from 25-yards, which dropped into the empty net... Fleet boss Daish was pleased that his side came from behind to defeat their opponents [said] '“They sat very deep, played one up front and if you don’t score early sometimes you leave yourselves open. A defensive lapse or a lack of concentration or a referee decision, so it’s important to get in front. We played better against Woking and Aldershot. e weren’t given as much space and that might sound strange but sometimes when we’ve got too much time on the ball we start taking too much time if you like and it can cause us problems. But we had a lot more urgency in the second half. We played at our tempo and how we like to play'... Daish’s men travel up to basement club - and already relegated - Droylsden on Thursday before returning to Stonebridge Road to meet Altrincham on Saturday afternoon... 'I just want to win the majority of our remaining games', said Daish.'I want to get more points than what we had last year. It doesn’t matter if you’ve got a Wembley appearance to look forward to, losing a game of football hurts and you want to go and finish the season on a high... The last five or six games you don’t want to end up being in the lower reaches of the form table'".

BSP NEWS

This is Weymouth tells us that "Weymouth boss John Hollins hopes Tuesday's 'well deserved' 2-1 win over Droylsden will see their fortunes improve from now until the end of the season. The Terras climbed out of the bottom four and now sit three points above the Blue Square Premier drop-zone having started the night in 21st place... A good night for the hosts was marred somewhat in the 80th minute when Mark Convery was dismissed for raising his hand to the Bloods' Chris Denham. Hollins said: "Droylsden pulled a goal back after a great goal from us. We then went for it and had a good spell in the second half where we hit a post. It was a great cross from Trevor Challis and [former Alty loan player] Matt Bailey had to stretch down a long way but he made good contact. When it hit the post I thought it wasn't going to be our night but James Coutts broke through, his shot hit the keeper and fortunately fell to Robinson... It was a tough game but a well deserved three points... Perhaps we have turned a wee corner now'. Of the sending off, Hollins added: 'Like Arsene Wenger says I didn't see it, the ball had gone. What it was though, was Mark flapped his hand up and the Droylsden lad made a meal of it, but if you raise your hands you can get sent off. It was a silly thing because he'll get a three-match ban'" and will therefore the former Cambridge man, who scored against us earlier this season for United, will miss the last match of the season against Altrincham... Hollins added: 'Credit to the opposition because they could have turned up here and thought that it doesn't matter but I've seen them twice now and they have the ability to play teams off the park. They played three up front, were quick and looked a threat... [Results have] gone in our favour, perhaps for the first time I think. But like anything else it's no good looking at what other people do, if we were to win all our remaining games then there is no problem whatsoever'".

According to This is South Devon "The blue boots of Chris Zebroski took Torquay United to a virtually guaranteed play-off place in a tight and uncompromising match at Plainmoor last night... It was Zebroski who scored the game's only goal with a delightful shot just before the break... With the match already in injury time Northwich defender Michael Welch - himself a candidate for the man of the match title - was left with just Gulls keeper Simon Rayner to beat from eight yards after an awful mistake in the home defence. But Rayner made himself big, Welch hit the ball straight at him and the three points were safe for the Gulls... There were changes in the Northwich team, still smarting from a defeat at Exeter on Saturday that brought an end to their 11-match unbeaten league run. Manager Dino Maamria gave reserve goalkeeper Scott Tynan the gloves, sending first choice Ben Connett to the bench, while centre-back Danny Meadowcroft came in for the suspended Cortez Belle. Midfielder Michael Byrne and defender Danny Williams could only make the bench on their return from suspension and injury respectively. Starting up front for Vics alongside top scorer Lee Steele was ex Manchester United forward David Brown, who played twice for the Gulls during a brief spell in Devon back in November 2001".

Meanwhile, former Alty trialist "Cayne Hanley is spending the remainder of the season on loan at Leigh RMI" says the Northwich Guardian. "The winger-cum-forward actually departed the day before Vics' trip to Oxford United last month although no official announcement was ever made. Hanley, 19, switched to the Marston's Arena during the January transfer window from FC United of Manchester. He made nine appearances - six as sub - in league and cup for Northwich, scoring twice in a Setanta Shield tie against York City. So far he has made four substitute appearances for the Railwaymen, scoring once, that the winner against Burscough".

The Halifax Courier claims that "Creditors of Halifax Town will find out this week how much money is being offered in settlement of debts... If creditors agree, businessmen David Bosomworth and Bobby Ham will have control of the club... The intention is to offer a lump sump rather than have a creditors' voluntary arrangement running for several years. The club owes £300,000 to creditors and £800,000 in loans of which £400,000 has been put in by the consortium headed by the two businessmen".

On the pitch "'Don't be too down on yourselves'. That was manager Chris Wilder's message to his players as they prepare for the biggest week in the club's recent history. The Shaymen slipped back into the Blue Square Premier relegation zone as they went down 2-1 to Burton... in their fifth game in 11 days. 'I thought it was a magnificent effort from the players', said Wilder. 'They have to give me that until the end of the season and make sure they don't beat themselves up. We have given Burton possibly one of their hardest games of the season. We rocked them and I am disappointed because I don't think we have got the rewards we deserved'. Town's cause was not helped by the 72nd-minute dismissal of central defender Simon Ainge who saw red for a second bookable offence... 'I thought we were playing against 12 men', said Wilder. 'I spoke to the assessor and he can't talk to me about the referee's performance. I tried to discuss it with him and he said he will get better with experience... We had every decision go against us'... Town now face Aldershot, who clinched the title with a 1-1 draw at Exeter City last night, at the Shay on Saturday before travelling to Crawley next Tuesday and finishing by entertaining Stevenage on April 26. 'People will say we are doomed, but we were doomed last Tuesday', said Wilder. 'I think a performance like that does not suggest that we are down and out. We are on an upward curve. We could not get any lower after Kidderminster, got a good result with an okay performance against Ebbsfleet, improved at Grays on Saturday and I think last night was the best performance out of all the games... We just have to make sure we keep our cool. There are nine points to play for and I think we can go and win all three games'". Andy Campbell and Lewis Killeen were forced to sit out last night's game with injuries and Wilder will be checking on Daryl Taylor in training tomorrow after the winger suffered a back spasm at half time".

ALTY WIN NEIL THOMASON CUP

Right: Altrincham Youth's captain, Jack Kimber, raises the Neil Thomason Cup..

A match report and more pictures from Altrincham FC Youth team's 3-1 win in theNeil Thomason Memorial Cup Final at Chorley last night are on the Youth Page.

FREDDIE PYE

COLIN STAYS LOYAL

Left: Colin Little in action against Salisbury City last Saturday. Photo courtesy of Gavin Rathbone, whose GR Photography site has many more excellent images.

Today's Manchester Evening News has a big article on Colin Little which says that he "has vowed to stay at Altrincham even if they slide to a third successive relegation" - though quite what they mean by third successive relegation is questionable as we have stayed in the same division since 2005! Colin told the MEN "It's like being married. You don't leave your wife if you're going through a bad patch, do you? I've had offers to leave Alty and return to the professional game but as long as the club want me, I'm happy to stay here. My aim is to carry on playing for as long as possible. I'll be 36 this year and can see myself going until I'm 40". Speaking of his goalscoring feats this season - 20 league goals and 3 more in cups, Colin said, "I'm making a real effort to stay in shape so diet and fitness have become really important. I'll have a Chinese meal on a Sunday but, apart from that, everything I eat is healthy and I'm in the gym twice a week on top of the two training sessions I have with the club. That little extra sharpness makes a big difference at this level. I've also become more relaxed with age and there is less worry in my head when I'm on the pitch. That has definitely helped my goalscoring. Overall, I'm delighted with how the season has gone on a personal level. Without sounding big-headed, the side has relied on me to score our goals and that is a responsibility that, as a striker, I accept. To be honest, though, I'd rather not be scoring and winning than be scoring and losing, which is happening a lot at the moment".

"We haven't got the established players that most clubs in this division have. We've practically gone all season without a recognised central midfielder or wingers who can cross the ball. It would have helped Graham Heathcote if he could have brought our loan signings in earlier. Most of them have been excellent, especially Ryan Shotton. He has been a revelation. Without Ryan, we would have been relegated by Christmas".

Colin added, "I have always been interested in coaching but, until recently, management has never appealed to me. I see now that managing is coaching except you also get to pick the players. As a manager, I really admire Roy Keane".

Finally Colin stated, "Relegation for this club would be absolutely dreadful. We're only a small club and losing the money that comes from being in the Conference could potentially have a devastating effect. There's a lot of gloom and doom around this place at the moment but all we can do is keep going. I, for one, will not give up".

KEEPING TRACK

MADDOG'S GOOD CAUSE

SALISBURY VERDICTS

The BBC reports that "Salisbury City manager Nick Holmes says his side have to prove they can bounce back following Saturday's 3-1 defeat at Altrincham... But Holmes told BBC Radio Wiltshire that under-par performances have been a rarity for the Whites this season. 'Since Christmas I can't remember a performance where I've had a little dig at them', he said. 'This was poor, but we've got three more games to jump back. We've done it before and we can do it again'". And the Salisbury Journal adds that "City have recalled striker Nick Eastham from his loan spell at Blue Square South side Dorchester Town... With the injured Robbie Matthews and Andy Sandell unlikely to feature again in this campaign and the return of on-loan striker Ashley Barnes to Plymouth Argyle, Whites' attacking options for their final three games were somewhat limited".

BSP NEWS

Altrincham play Ebbsfleet on Saturday and Kent Online says that "Defender James Smith could return to the starting line-up when Ebbsfleet United face Farsley Celtic at Stonebridge Road tonight. Smith has recovered from a hamstring injury while strikers Chukki Eribenne (ankle) and John Akinde (ankle) are both back. Sacha Opinel will miss out as he starts a three-match ban for his sending-off against Halifax". The Fleet beat Farsley 3-1 last night.

Meanwhile before that game Farsley Today reported that "Battle-weary boss John Deacey has sounded a last-ditch rallying cry after a seven-day 'nightmare' which has left Farsley Celtic's season in turmoil... Farsley looked to have a huge advantage in the battle to avoid the drop from the Blue Square Premier when they followed up a home win over Weymouth with a magnificent 1-0 victory at Torquay United on April 5. But by last Saturday it had all gone horrendously wrong. Craig Bentham went back to Bradford City following his loan spell and Dominic Krief, Amjad Iqbal and Mark Jackson were all struck down by injuries. Back-to-back defeats against Droylsden and Oxford were thrown into the mix, with James Knowles harshly sent off in the latter. And just when he thought things couldn't get any worse, relegated Stafford recalled striker David McNiven from his loan spell yesterday to leave Deacey reeling. 'It's an absolute nightmare – I can't believe what is happening to us', said the Celtic boss... 'It's gone from having a fantastic result at Torquay to losing virtually half the side, but we have to fight on, we really do have to battle now. Everyone is going to have to fight, and I mean the whole club – the board, the management, the physio, the players and the fans... Everything seems to be against us at the minute but we all have to muck in together. When things conspire against you leaders tend to come to the fore. And that's what we need now because we have four games left to save our Conference lives'. Deacey is definitely without Jackson, who was stretchered off with an ankle injury in the 2-1 home defeat to Droylsden a week ago. It is not believed to be broken, as first feared, but the swelling still hasn't gone down. Fellow centre-half Iqbal needs a few more days to shake off a hamstring injury, while Krief is struggling to play on with a thigh strain. But the boss is hoping to persuade Stafford, who have said they want to look at the player with a view to next season, to let them keep McNiven. And Celtic have appealed Knowles's red card which was dished out when he conceded a contentious penalty in Oxford's 5-1 win at the weekend. If the appeal, due to be heard this afternoon, is unsuccessful Knowles will miss the next two games. Deacey said: 'All I am doing is trying to find loopholes in all sorts of things so we can get a side out. It was a controversial decision – I don't think it was a penalty, let alone a sending-off. The kid got the wrong side of James to be fair but Knowlsey got back really well and got the tackle in. I've got everything crossed for the appeal, but the way our luck's going at the moment I don't hold much hope'". It was later reported that the appeal over James Knowles's ban failed.

Before Tuesday's game from the Northwich Guardian we learned that "Vics will face Grays at the weekend without two first choice central defenders. Michael Welch picked up his tenth caution of the campaign against Exeter City on Saturday to earn a two-match ban. His suspension starts on Saturday. Defensive colleague Cortez Belle misses the match for the same reason although he also sits out tomorrow night's tussle with Torquay at Plainmoor. It could reopen the door to Danny Meadowcroft and Nat Kerr, both out of favour since the arrival of Mark Roberts on loan from Accrington Stanley".

From This is South Devon, before Tuesday's game, "Three goals against the Vics at Plainmoor this evening would take the Gulls over the 100-goal mark in all competitions for this season, and Buckle is buoyant ahead of the match. The Gulls' boss said: 'In the last couple of games, the players have shown fantastic commitment levels and have had a real work ethic about them... I like us when we're scoring goals. We've got a reputation for scoring goals and entertaining. We've scored 80 league goals and, with the amount we've scored in the cups as well, we're near the 100-goal mark, which is a fantastic achievement. We like to attack, and we've really found our feet again and have been attacking teams'".

MIDWEEK

Tuesday 15th

VAL REPORT

THANKS TO ALL

Another important fundraising scheme for the club is the Friends of Altrincham FC monthly draw. The latest winners are:

YOUTH TEAM

Right: Last Sunday, when Alty Youth scored six against Ashton Athletic, it was not just the strikers who played well. Pictured here are left-back Declan Wakefield (foreground), central midfielder Danny Browne (no.8) and right-winger Daniel Killilea (no.7).

The latest Altrincham FC Youth team league table is here. Alty Youth play Nantwich Town tonight (Tuesday) at Chorley FC (7.30pm kick off) - come along and help them in this Neil Thomason Memorial Cup Final match.

Youth team manager George Heslop has kindly updated the NWYA Premier Division results grid.

BUSY FLEET

Ebbsfleet United say that "The Fleet's visit to Droylsden, postponed because of a waterlogged pitch on Saturday, will now be played on Thursday April 17, kick-off 7.45pm. The game follows 48 hours after the Fleet's clash with Farsley Celtic at Stonebridge Road on Tuesday". Ebbsfleet's Sasha Opinel will be suspended for the Altrincham game having received a three-match ban for his sending off in his last game.

BSP NEWS

From This is York we learn that "Crewe Alexandra director of football Dario Gradi ran the rule over York City winger Martyn Woolford on Saturday. Gradi, who has watched Woolford previously this season, was among the crowd during the 3-2 home defeat to Woking. Should the League One strugglers target a summer swoop for the wide man, then they would need to stump up a transfer fee with Woolford contracted at KitKat Crescent until the summer of 2009. But City boss Colin Walker said: 'Martyn Woolford got in some fantastic positions during the first half, but gave the ball away. I don't want to ridicule him because he's had a fantastic season for us, but he was getting in the same areas where he did ever so well against Stafford on Tuesday and didn't seem to grasp it'".

The Burton Mail confirms that "Albion dropped out of the play-off places as a result of Exeter City claiming fifth spot by beating Northwich Victoria at St James Park. But home defeats for Cambridge United and Stevenage Borough softened the blow - the latter losing at home to Torquay United... Albion can climb above the pair if they win their game in hand against relegation strugglers Halifax Town at the Pirelli Stadium tomorrow... But that was of no consolation to Clough as his frustration came to the fore. He said: 'The only thing we are playing for at this stage of the season is points - how many have we got today? When you miss chances of the quality we've had, then I don't think there's an element of bad luck at all... If this game had been five games into the season and we'd have lost 1-0 despite playing well against one of the top sides, then you would have said the signs look good for the rest of the season. But, with only four games to go, I'm not sure the signs are good when you miss those chances'".

Another disgruntled manager has spoken to This is Gloswhich reports that "Jim Harvey has questioned the attitude of some of his Forest Green players after their flickering play-off hopes were finally extinguished by Rushden and Diamonds.The Rovers' boss pulled no punches in his assessment of Saturday's defeat at the New Lawn,... 'It looked like an end-of season game and some of the boys had gone on holiday', he said. 'We had a really good first half and could have been three-up in the first 20 minutes, when (Stuart) Fleetwood had some opportunities and didn't take them. I think we suffered for that in the second half, when we lost our way completely and were pretty disappointing. The pitch was bobbly, but more important than that was the attitude, the will and the drive - there weren't too many leaders out there. Maybe only (captain) Michael Brough showed the attitude I would expect, the rest of them were pretty much off it. Some of the boys are still playing for contracts, and it's not a good time of year to be playing with such a lacklustre approach'. Forest Green went into the game without the injured Darren Jones, John Hardiker and Simon Clist, while Anthony Tonkin was suspended and Chris Giles and Jamie Pitman deemed fit enough only for emergency bench duty. All six could return at Farsley Celtic this weekend, but Harvey has urged those who replaced them to take more personal responsibility. 'It can't be down to me to motivate them all the time, they've got to go out and perform', he said. 'In the second half (against Rushden) I didn't see too many who wanted to be out there'".

According to theThurrock Gazette "Grays Athletic Football Club have announced plans to move to a new home in Aveley. With their existing ground at Bridge Road in Grays about to be redeveloped, the club has been looking for a new site for some time and now appears settled on a new development at the Aveley Sports & Social Club Ground on Purfleet Road. The move would mean Aveley playing host to three non-league sides as long-established Ryman Division One North Aveley and Blue Square South Thurrock are also within the town boundaries. The site on Purfleet Road was originally the club and sports ground for the Thames Board Mills factory, before being sold to the London Fire Brigade. They in turn sold it into the private sector and previous owners include boxing Billy and George Walker, who had ambitions to mine the site. That was blocked and the land was sold on and is now run as a private club, though the link with the fire brigade is continued by firefighters and ex-firefighters who use its bowling greens. Grays' spokesperson Kevin Lamb gave a brief outline of the club's hopes, saying: 'The proposals are based upon the redevelopment of the existing site to form a new twenty-first century sports/leisure park with combined community and residential accommodation... The proposals are conceived to form an exemplar model of regeneration based upon high levels of sustainability and inspired architectural design throughout all aspects of the site... Plans for the site also include housing, local shops and health centre'". And "Both Stuart Thurgood and Barry Cogan have agreed to extend their loan deal with Grays Athletic until the end of the season"

SUPPORT NEEDED!

Altrincham's last two games of the season are both away, at Ebbsfleet (19th, 3pm) and Weymouth (26th, 5.15pm). STAR is running its usual executive coach service to these vital matches and booking are now being taken (928-1045). Details of times and fares are here. The home support was a vital ingredient in Saturday's win over Salisbury as this excellent shot from Gavin Rathbone of GR Photographyshows. Your support could be equally vital away from home in helping the team stay in this division.

Altrincham have no midweek game but their supporters will be glued to Ceefax, teletext, the internet and other media as they pray for other clubs' results to go Alty's way. At worst, Alty could drop four places after Tuesday's game and at best all four rivals (Farsley, Halifax, Weymouth and Northwich) could use up one of their two games in hand against Altrincham without overtaking us.

TENTH ANNIVERSARY

OLD BOYS

GOAL OF THE SEASON

Chris Senior was the first winner of Jimmy McKiernan 'Goal of the Season' award for his excellent strike against Millwall in the FA Cup earlier this season. He is seen, above, having just received his trophy from the McKiernan family on Saturday. Though not an Altrincham player, Jimmy was a non-league legend who frequently attended matches at Moss Lane. Amongst his clubs were Runcorn, Earlestown and St Helens Town and Jimmy also managed clubs including Pwllheli. Jimmy sadly died of cancer in 2007 and it is fitting that such a renowned goalscorer should have his name given to this particular award.

BALLBOYS AND GIRLS AWARDS

The Altrincham FC Ballboys of the Season for 2007-08 (pictured above by Darren Gregory) were coordinated by Mike Antrobus and Ray Armstrong. The awards were distributed according to the number of games at which each worked and presented by Ray Armstrong to:

1. 26 games: James Antrobus, who received a Pod men's watch - James is seen (below) receiving his award from Ray Armstrong.
2. 25 games: Matthew Jamieson and Jack Bowyer, who received an Avia watch.
3. 24 games: Daniel Gregory, who received a Reflex watch.
4. 22 games: John Gill, who received a Parker Silver Jotter pen.
5. 19 games: George Carr, who received a Parker Frontier black pen.
6. 18 games: Tom Ottaway, who received a grey ballpoint pen.
7. 17 games: Aaron Leaff, who received a grey Parker pen.
8. 16 games: Aaron Howarth, who received an Alty mug.
9. 15 games: Joseph Hilton, Chris Ottaway and Thomas Hilton, who each received an Alty mug.

The Club would like to record its appreciation to all of the boys and girls who have worked as ballboys and ballgirls this season. Their dedication is much appreciated as is that of the coordinators Mike Antrobus and Ray Armstrong. Visits to away ground underline just what an asset we have at Moss Lane as many so called "big clubs" fail to provide a ballboy/girl team.

YOUTHS HIT LEADERS FOR SIX

Altrincham's first team may have completed its home and midweek programme but Altrincham FC Youth have a cup final this Tuesday for which support would be very welcome. That night (15th April) they play against Nantwich Town, whose first team beat ours in the CSC Final recently. The two clubs' youth teams now meet in the final of the Neil Thomason Memorial Cup at Chorley FC's Victory Park; kick off is at 7.30pm. Neil was a much respected coach of the Alty Youth team until his untimely death three years ago and winning this trophy in his honour would mean a lot to the Club and especially to Youth team manager George Heslop. So, please do come along and lend your support if you possibly can.

BSP NEWS

PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2007-08

Colin moved so quickly to get his www.altyfans.co.uk Internet Player of the Year trophy from Gary Warrington (centre) and George Heslop, that the camera barely caught him. Perhaps he feared that George was going to kiss him like they do at the Oscars!	Colin receives his Players' Player of the Year award from Stuart Coburn. Stuart himself is a past winner of the award and with 348 starts for the club he is the current player with the most appearances for the club.
Colin Little receives the Tom Earley Memorial Trophy as Clubman of the Year from Tom's widow and daughter as Graham Heathcote looks on.	Goalkeeper Stuart Coburn receives third prize in the STAR Player of the Year awards.
Warren Peyton stands in for Colin Little to receive the striker's runner-up prize in the STAR Player of the Year awards.	Ryan Shotton receives his STAR Player of the Year award from Graham Heathcote.

The 2007-08 Player of the Year Awards were won as follows:

Graham Heathcote paid tribute to Colin Little not only for his ability and tremendous goalscoring record but for his loyalty to Altrincham despite better offers from other clubs.

He was also fulsome in his praise of Ryan Shotton, who becomes the first on-loan player ever to win the STAR Player of the Year award. Defender Ryan has, so far, played 38 games for Altrincham and scored 7 goals whilst on loan from Stoke City. It was good day all round for Ryan as not only did he score twice for Alty, win the Man of the Match award, find himself named as STAR Player of Year award and see his employers go top of the Championship, he even won a horse race! This website's sponsored "horse" in Race 6 of last night's STAR Race Night, named "Shotton Sight" romped home to bring its owner a bottle of bubbly!

ALTRINCHAM 3 SALISBURY CITY 1

Above: Ryan Shotton and Chris Senior celebrate Altrincham's third goal. Picture courtesy of Gavin Rathbone's GR Photography.

Trailing to Matt Tubbs's tapped-in goal after 15 minutes and having lost left-back Ryan Lynch to injury, Altrincham looked to be in deep relegation trouble till a tactical switch five minutes after the break saw striker Joe O'Neill withdrawn and defender Ryan Shotton sent up front. The change worked as Shotton levelled the scores just six minutes later when he got the better of a three-way aerial duel with keeper Clarke and defender Cook. The on-loan Stoke defender hooked the ball in whilst on the ground. A superb dribble up the left by Paul Turnbull laid on a second goal for Shotton at the near post after 61 minutes. Just after Turnbull had hobbled off injured, a fine run from Chris Senior brought the striker Alty's third goal in the 77th minute. The win lifted Alty four places to 18th- their highest placing this season- as Farsley and Northwich lost and both Weymouth and Halifax drew. But all four have games in hand on the Robins.

Match report here.

After yesterday's win, Graham Heathcote told NL Today, "At this stage of the season results are all that matter. I have no worries about finishing my season with two games on the road. We [have] played well away from home and generally have had more trouble on our own patch'. Speaking to the NL Paper, the Alty boss added, 'We've been playing like this for some time... I'm not putting anything on our being out of the bottom four. This could all change by Tuesday'".

ALTRINCHAM YOUTH HIT SIX

LIGHT RELIEF

MRS ADSHEAD

ALTRINCHAM 3 SALISBURY CITY 1

Right: Ryan Shotton celebrates with Ryan Toulson at the final whistle.

TODAY'S GAMES

Saturday's games:

BEFORE THE GAME

Altrincham will be looking to repeat their first-half performance at Salisbury, where they took a three-goal lead earlier this season - only to throw it away in the last 20 minutes and draw 3-3.

The BBC says that "Salisbury City coach Tommy Widdrington believes a strong finish to the season could attract a better calibre of player to the club in the summer. 'A season and a half ago we wouldn't have been able to attract people who played at League Two or Conference level', he told BBC Radio Wiltshire. 'We are establishing ourselves. We have been able to match the top six lately, and players are aware of that'. The Blue Square Premier club are aware of interest from possible new signings. 'Both players coming down the levels and players striving to go up the levels', explained Widdrington, who helped the Whites gain promotion to the Blue Square Premier last season. 'Without giving too much away, players do phone people and ask if they would have a look at them in pre-season'".

DAGGER IN THE HEART

The Burton Mail says that "The 2-1 win over Alty courtesy of Daryl Clare's stoppage time goal gave fresh impetus to Albion's challenge for a place in the promotion play-offs... Said Clough: 'As much as the lads were euphoric at getting back into the top five, they were a tired bunch in the dressing room after the game. One or two of them were on their knees and we have to be mindful of the fact that we need to send out a side fresh enough to beat Halifax at home on Tuesday'. Goalkeeper Kevin Poole is expected to return to the starting line-up after a near two-month absence with a pulled hamstring. And Tony James will be back on defensive duty alongside John Brayford".

OPINEL OUT

BSP NEWS

According to the BBC "Brian Little has signed a new two-year deal to remain as Wrexham manager. The Dragons are facing relegation from League Two and are seven points from safety with five games remaining. But whether Wrexham avoid the drop to the Conference or not this season, Little has vowed to turn around the fortunes of the north Wales club".

According to Histon "Histon FC mid-fielder John Kennedy has recently signed a new two year deal to keep him at the Glass World Stadium after a series of top quality performances befitting the club which has performed so well playing at their highest ever level. Manager Steve Fallon is delighted John has committed his future to the club; 'His performances in the past two seasons has been exceptional, such a high level of consistency. As a local youngster who has progressed so well in the game he is a great role model highlighting all that is good about Non League footballers'".

Halifax Town boss " Chris Wilder was in good spirits after seeing his side beat Ebbsfleet United tonight. He said after the game, 'We've gone through the mill again. It was unfortunate that Jon Shaw missed the penalty but that seems to be part of the course [par for the course?] at the moment. There were a lot of tired legs out there and I thought the attitude of the players was first class. They threw themselves in front of challenges. It was a difficult time to play and it didn't make it any easier for us them going down to 10 men. The most important thing is the result. I think we can play better, pass the ball better, move it better and make better decisions.There is a big difference between how I felt on Tuesday night and how I do now. Hopefully the players will use this as a springboard to stay out of the bottom four. I thought the sending off was a tight one. I thought both players were committed and went for the ball. Their lad did go high but Griffith didn't pull back. Jon Shaw is our penalty taker and has been successful on many occasions so unfortunate he didn't score. The young boys at the club are feeling the pressure. Simon Heslop is not our player and he is still feeling the pressure out there.There were players on Tuesday night who didn't take responsibility and Heslop was one of them, he turned down shots. So we got into his head that he had to take responsibility and have some shots. You saw the reaction of the players and supporters to the goal. The pitch doesn't make it easy for us, I would like to have seen us play on Rushden & Diamonds pitch against Ebbsfleet tonight and I think we would have opened them up more. I thought the support the players got here tonight was first class. I thought it was a great atmosphere inside the ground and it was a good effort when we got stuffed 6-1 on Tuesday night. There reaction to the players tonight was superb. We are all in this together, not just the players, me, it's the club which includes the supporters as well. It's the whole club that is in this situation and we need to stick together. They gave the players a lift when they needed it especially in the final 10 minutes when there were a lot of tired players out there. Griffith had cramp, Gareth Davies first game back and it gave them a real lift and I hope it continues. To come back from 6-1 takes a lot of commitment and desire and it speaks volume for the players. There will be changes to the side on Saturday, the fixture list has been scandalous, playing Thurs, Sat, Tues, Thurs, Sat and Tue. The players are tired but we will see how they are tomorrow and see what happens."

Despite the very poor state of their pitch (see picture below) Burton Albion report that "Two fixtures have today been added to the Pirelli Stadium list with the announcement that the Blue Square North play-off final will take place at the home of the Brewers on Friday 9th May. The kick-off time for this game has yet to be confirmed. The Pirelli Stadium has hosted this game for the last two seasons seeing both Stafford Rangers and Farsley Celtic promoted to the Premier Division in previous finals. Burton Albion can also announce their first pre-season friendly in anticipation of the 2008-2009 season. Derby County are the first confirmed pre-season visitors to the Pirelli Stadium on Wednesday 16th July".

From the Argus we learn that "Former boss John Hollins insists he has no hard feelings towards Crawley. Hollins will return to Broadfield Stadium tomorrow with his current club Weymouth for the first time since he was surprisingly sacked in 2006... He said:'A lot of water has passed under the bridge since I was there. There are different people in charge and different players. I had a good time at Crawley, they were difficult times but we got through it and I like to think we helped to keep them where they are today. But that has all gone by the board now and I'm at a different club. The supporters were always good to me and it will be quite strange going there and standing in the away dug-out. But I will go there as I always do and want to win. Not because it is Crawley but because I want to win every game... I was at Crawley when we were fighting to get out of the relegation zone and I'm doing it again so nothing has changed there. We got them (Crawley) out of it and had a brilliant run and hopefully we can do the same thing at Weymouth'... Weymouth defender Trevor Challis said: 'If we can fight and battle and show a bit more belief we will stand a good chance of getting something because Crawley have been a bit gung-ho of late. They either score a lot of goals or concede a load. Hopefully it will be the latter on Saturday'".

"Beleaguered Farsley Celtic are facing an injury crisis at the worst possible time" claims Farsley Today "but boss John Deacey is backing his troops to come out fighting. The resurgent Celts are struggling to fill the bench for tomorrow's tough trip to Oxford United following a Tuesday night horror show which Deacey described as 'a disaster from start to finish'. Celtic went down to a shock 2-1 home defeat to a Droylsden side who are all-but down and out.But it only came after Farsley, already without influential midfielders Craig Bentham and Dominic Krief and centre-back Amjad Iqbal, lost Andy Watson to a back injury in the warm-up and then Mark Jackson to a suspected broken ankle after just 41 minutes. Bentham won't play for the Celts again this season after returning to parent club Bradford City following his loan spell, while Krief (thigh strain), Iqbal (hamstring) and Jackson are also ruled out of tomorrow's trip. Deacey said: 'We are completely down to the bare bones. I can't sign anyone because we're not allowed to, either on loan or permanently. We are down to 15 fit players and we just have to regroup and get on with it. What makes it worse is we are without four players who have been vital to us, two midfielders and two defenders. They have been in the team all the way since we have picked up a bit. We have got a real scrap on our hands now, but we will come through. We have had our backs to the wall before and come back and I am hoping this can be another one of those occasions... It was a disaster from start to finish on Tuesday, things just went from bad to worse. I'm still fuming now. I had to change the side one minute before kick-off because Andy Watson hurt his back in the dressing room just as we were about to go out, and then we lost Mark Jackson. Everything went completely wrong and then after all that we didn't play particularly well. We still had enough chances to get something out of the game but we didn't take them. But we have got five games left now and we will be okay. We're still in the best position out of the five teams who are down there so we just have to get on with it'... Things could ease, however, for Tuesday's trip to Ebbsfleet with both Krief and Iqbal targeting a comeback in time for that game".

But Blue Square Football say that "Injury-hit Farsley Celtic have received a welcome boost with news that Leeds United have offered the Blue Square Premier club the use of their medical setup. Celts boss John Deacey has a number of injuries concerns ahead of the crunch clash with Oxford United on Saturday and Leeds boss Gary McAllister has offered Farsley the use of his medical staff. 'They have given us the okay to get our lads down to Elland Road to be worked on by their physio', Deacey told the Bradford Telegraph and Argus. 'The benefits of using the facilities there could mean we have at least one of our players back before we run out of games. I know Gary McAllister well and he has been brilliant'. Mark Jackson is nursing a suspected broken ankle while Andy Watson and Amjad Iqbal are struggling with hamstring complaints. Dominic Krief is sidelined with a thigh strain and Craig Bentham has returned to Bradford City. Farsley are currently embroiled in relegation scrap with just five matches left and Deacey believes they need just two more wins to secure their safety".

"Striker Michael Malcolm could return to the frontline in Weymouth's battle to beat the drop sooner than expected" claims This is Weymouth. "The 22-year-old had to be carried off on Tuesday after a sickening collision with Grays Athletic keeper Nicky Eyre, which left him with concussion and a huge black eye. Boss John Hollins said: 'I have spoken with Michael and he is feeling okay. His jaw is sore and he cannot chew but he is feeling confident that he will be back sooner rather than later. We have still got to take precautions with him and I very much doubt he will be fit enough to be involved on Saturday but he could be available for Tuesday'... Trevor Challis made his first outing since suffering a groin strain at Cambridge United last month in the 1-1 draw against Grays and Hollins reckons midfielders Marcus Browning and Paolo Vernazza are also close to returning. He added: 'Having Trevor back is a massive plus for us. He has fantastic character that rubs off on the rest of the team and he is also a natural left footer, which is something we have not got a lot of. Paolo and Marcus are also getting closer and now it is just a case of when do we risk them?... We are relying a bit on their experience as to when to bring them back in... Crawley's form shows exactly what this league is about. It proves what they can do and what can happen when you turn up in the wrong frame of mind or play below par... This stage of the season is all about battling qualities and character, and even if you are not that kind of player you have got to stand up for yourself. You cannot afford to lose the ball easily and if you do, you have got to go and get it back, not just rely on someone else to do it for you. If the whole team is fighting then you will get everything back'. Meanwhile midfielder Sido Jombarti has left the Terras by mutual consent".

AWARDS AND RACE NIGHT

The annual presentations to the ballboys and girls who do such a great job under the guidance of Mike Antrobus and Ray Armstrong. Please do stay behind immediately after the end of the game to show your appreciation to the boys and girls who keep the game flowing and save us a fortune in lost balls with their work in all weathers. Details of last year's event are here.

The annual Race Night and Player of the Year event arranged by STAR and the Football Club and which will be in the bar from 7.30pm - first race is 8pm and the awards are mid-way through the evening. Last year's winners were:

"THERE'S HOPE FOR US YET"

MORNING AFTER THE NIGHT BEFORE

Before the Halifax game, in which the Fleet played for 10 men for more than an hour after Opinel was sent off, the BBC reported that "Ebbsfleet manager Liam Daish has praised striker Luke Moore for his performances this season. The 19-year-old, who joined the club in July 2006, scored the opening goal in Tuesday's 2-2 draw with leaders Aldershot. Daish told BBC Radio Kent: 'As long as I'm here I'd have Luke Moore with me. He's one of those players that's going to get better. He's got a great attitude and I think he's now starting to show a bit of strength as well'".

Meanwhile the Gravesend Reporter says that "Ebbsfleet United produced a sparkling display on a bitterly cold night as they earned a late draw against runaway league leaders Aldershot on Tuesday. Stand-in captain Chris McPhee secured the point when he smashed Mark Ricketts' cross into the roof of the net with just two minutes remaining.... He told the Reporter: 'We were the superior team. Lance Cronin barely had a save to make all night and we missed one or two chances. I felt that we deserved to win it. We are a really decent side. We are young, inexperienced and we don't have a lot of players, but we have played well recently... I have been a striker since I started playing football and it was nice to be given a start up front', he added. 'People are starting to realise what a good squad we have and that we play some nice football. We have been a bit unlucky of late'".

BSP NEWS

This is South Devon says that "Torquay United are to play Premiership giants Chelsea in a pre-season friendly in the summer... on Saturday, July 26... A game against Western League champions-elect Truro City in Cornwall is another date in the summer diary. United are talking to FA Cup Finalists Portsmouth and Championship Play-Off contenders Crystal Palace, managed by former Gulls' boss Neil Warnock, about possible friendlies. And the Gulls are also planning to take part in North Devon's pre-season Errea Tournament in late July, based at Bideford and Barnstaple FCs....United's chief executive Colin Lee spent seven years as a player at Stamford Bridge (1980-87), and he retains close contacts there. 'Chelsea will be staying at Nigel Mansell's Woodbury Park Golf & Country Club, in preparation before they go off on a pre-season tour abroad', he said. 'They asked us first for a game, and we couldn't turn down an offer like that'".

At Woking "David Taylor insists Frank Gray was not the man to help realise his own personal ambition of taking Woking into the Football League within the next three years. Gray was sensationally sacked on Tuesday night after The Cards’ gutless 2-0 home surrender against arch-rivals Stevenage Borough, with The Cards’ chairman acting swiftly to remove the former European Cup winner just 341 days since he took control of the managerial hot-seat vacated by Glenn Cockerill. His assistant Gerry Murphy has also left the club, with both men signing an agreement not to talk about their departure, while physio Steve Snelling's future is also in the balance, although the club want him to stay. Colin Lippiatt will be in charge for the remaining four matches... while insisting he has no ambition to put his hat in to the ring to do the job again permanently. While mutual consent is the official line, it is clear Gray was pushed — and that it was a unanimous board decision made prior to Tuesday night. Fans voiced their disgust in the second half of the Stevenage shambles but it has become clear that even if The Cards had won 5-0, Gray's fate had been sealed ... Incredibly, Gray has become the sixth manager to lose his job at Kingfield in the past 10 years at a club that employed just one, Geoff Chapple, between 1984 and 1997. 'Frank and Gerry achieved a great deal while they were here but we didn't feel the club have made enough progress in our consolidation year', said Taylor. 'We do not think they are the men to achieve the ambitions of this football club which, be in no doubt, is to take us into the Football League. I had to put the needs of the club first even though I have personal friendships with them'. The decision to jettison the pair — whose remit was to keep the club in the Blue Square Premier — demonstrates Taylor’s ruthless streak in his bid to put his club back on the map, with falling attendances and just 10 wins in 42 league games so far considered not good enough despite a cut in the playing budget. There may have been pressure from above for Taylor to take action, with owner Chris Ingram’s body language at recent home games failing to hide his disgust at certain aspects of Woking’s play that sees them 17th in the table.

The search now begins for a new manager and Taylor added: 'I said I would run this club as a business and we are going to find a replacement as a business would find a chief executive. We are going to run a proper advertising campaign and have two people at every interview plus a human resources consultant. We invite anybody who feels they can help this great club achieve our ambition to come and talk to us. Applications will close at the end of this month and interviews will commence in May. We’re not going to rush, we’re going to make sure we get the right person'. Gray’s players were visibly shocked by events and he admitted he had no inclination was about to happen. 'That's football', he said. 'I had players lined up to come but that will all be different now'. Taylor had walked in to the supporters’ bar after the deed was done to announce the shock news to fans".

YOUTH TEAM GAME OFF

ALTY DROP TO 22nd

LYNCH LOAN EXTENDED

EASTER SOCCER SCHOOL

Gavin Rathbone of GR Photography has kindly supplied the accompanying photo from the succesful Easter Soccer School held at Moss Lane. More pictures can be found on the GR Photography website.

LATE KICK-OFF

CHILDREN'S COMPETITION

THANKS

Thank you all at Alty for your cards and those awesome flowers for Gary's (Skipper's) funeral,and for the turnout of people. It was pretty overwhelming but very nice to think Gary had touched so many people's hearts. Thank you so much. Martin, Gail, Carole Wright".

PAT

OLD BOYS

BURTON GAME

Above, As Nigel Clough admits (below) the pitch at Burton is not good, as can be seen from this shot of Tuesday night's game.

Burton Albion report that "It was another nerve jangling finish at the Pirelli Stadium as the Brewers plucked victory what almost felt like a defeat as Daryl Clare’s scrambled effort in stoppage time grabbed a crucial three points to get Albion’s promotion push back on track with victory over relegation threatened Altrincham and as Nigel Clough remarked afterwards it was a close run thing. 'It was a hard fought victory and they made it very difficult for us. They had two banks of four and I thought they defended exceptionally well, led by Darren Tinson. We certainly deserved a goal though and the first one we got was an absolute cracker and we thought it was going to be enough but it didn’t prove that way and we had to wait until the 91st minute to get the winner but I think over the whole game it was a deserved victory. We played some reasonable stuff in difficult conditions again with the pitch bobbling around which maybe didn’t suit Keith but he still put some quality crosses in and the most important thing, as always, was to get the three points. Even a point tonight would have felt like a defeat really'.

Clough praised the efforts of his team following successive league defeats and also praised his defence after two leaky performances, the defence taking on a new look with Tony James away at the birth of his son and John Brayford and Aaron Webster forming a new central defensive partnership. 'There was an awful lot of effort went in and there are some very tired bodies in the dressing room but I think it was the disappointment of the last two games that got us through tonight... We know that is John’s position eventually and tonight he showed a little bit more maturity and I think it helped him being away from right back... It is back in our hands now... because we have the game in hand and we still have to play Exeter... Matthew Williams will be a major doubt with a sore Achilles after getting a kick on it on Saturday but it was lovely to get Darren Stride and Mark Greaves back on the pitch even just for short periods tonight... We are delighted for Shaun to score tonight... and I think you could see the relief when he scored... Even Daryl Clare, by his own admission, isn’t playing anywhere near what he can at the minute but we leave him on because we need a goal and... again tonight he has got one for us'".

And the Burton Mail confirms that "Daryl Clare gave Burton Albion's sagging promotion hopes the kiss of life in a dramatic finish at the Pirelli Stadium... Clare popped up with a stoppage time goal to clinch a 2-1win over Altrincham... Relieved Albion boss Nigel Clough said: 'It was hard-going and a very hard-fought victory'... Clough said: 'Shaun's goal was a cracker, which we thought would be enough to win us the game. But it didn't prove that way and we had to wait until the 91st minute'". It adds that "Clare's 23rd goal of the season will hardly go down as a masterpiece... Just when it seemed a glaring error by goalkeeper Saul Deeney had cost the Brewers a much-needed victory, Clare scrambled the winner against relegation battlers Altrincham in the first minute of added time... Mark Greaves and club skipper Darren Stride were both left on the bench, but the big surprise was the absence of Tony James whose wife gave birth to a baby boy yesterday afternoon... Matt Williams was switched to the right side of midfield to make way for Harrad's return up front in an attacking line-up... Generally it was an untidy and anxious start with Albion unable to string enough passes together to build a head of steam, while the visitors showed all the ambition of a team looking for a point... Albion were starting to look more comfortable than at any stage of the game only to tamely surrender their hard-earned lead in the 80th minute. After a throw-in had by helped on by Robert Lawton, the ball was flicked seemingly harmlessly into the air by Little. Deeney had only a routine catch to make but allowed the ball to slip from his grasp, leaving Young to shoot into an empty net".

THIS SATURDAY

BSP NEWS

After their 1-6 home defeat it is something of an understatement for Halifax Town to say that "boss Chris Wilder was not happy with his side's performance against Kidderminster. He said after the game, 'It doesn't feel any better in the changing room. It was an horrific result and performance. We have obviously bottomed out and we need to show a reaction on Thursday night. The only positive thing from tonight, the others teams around us at the bottom haven't done fantastic. So we're still in and amongst it. Tonight's result is a definite low point in recent times for the Football Club. I though we deservedly got beat. Their lad smacked one in from 25 yards but I thought it was men against boys tonight for the majority of the game. They showed a reaction just after halftime but then decided to go gung ho and do ridiculous things and we get beat 6-1. I have no complaints about the result or score-line. We have to change it and get a result now on Thursday night. I have always said we don't [get] relegated on the 8th April, it would happen towards the end of the month. Tonight is obviously a massive blow to us, we have to get off the canvas and show what we are all about. They'll only do that by turning the tables round and getting a result. The gap between being decent on Saturday to being awful tonight was too big. Players were making individual mistakes technically. We were weak all over the pitch both mentally and physically tonight. Our Centre forwards were caught offside, midfielders not tracking runners, defenders not getting tight enough. We lost battles all over the pitch physically, getting dragged all over the place...

There may be wholesale changes on Thursday, there may be minimal changes, there may be changes in formation but we have to do miles better than we did do tonight. It was horrific for myself, the players and the supporters tonight who didn't deserve a performance like that. I take the responsibility for it. I am at pains to fathom how we can be decent on Saturday to tonight. There has been an obvious deep in confidence since we went into administration; I think a lot of players are playing with one foot on the break [?brake]. That doesn't legislate a performance like that and it won't be tolerated. The players have let a lot of people down. Whatever happens in the summer players, manager or chairman wise we give it the full tilt for the next six games to give us a chance to get out of this. I am contracted until the end of next season and I am here until someone tells me otherwise. I think my record stands up in this league. There aren't any other managers who have had to put up with what I have had to. Speaking to other managers, other clubs have not had 10 points whipped off in March. I think teams go overboard when they are doing well and when things aren't doing so well. You always carry out the can, it's not the way I wanted to go about it. There is no hiding place out there for the players or myself. In terms of my own position, I don't know if they expect me to walk away or another manager to come in when we are in administration and 10 points off. I don't know if there would be any takers out there. I am committed until someone tells me otherwise.... If the club was in a different situation I would guess my position would be in review but would that be with or without the ten points knocked off ? Is that with the blow of going into administration after three wins and a draw. I am trying to lift the pressure off the players. When you lose 6-1 at home, your job will be under review. However I think this is a unique club. How can you judge myself with Mark Yates, Nigel Clough, Dino Maamria or Graham Heathcote? The only positive was it was only three points lost. We have to get over this and make sure we are brave, strong and positive for Thursday night".

"Droylsden have been relegated from the Blue Square Premier - despite winning 2-1 at Farsley Celtic on Tuesday" reports the BBC. "The result left the Bloods with 22 points from 41 games - 15 points from safety, with five games remaining. But Weymouth and Altrincham - who both have 37 points and are 20th and 21st respectively - still have to play each other, on the final day of the season. And whatever that result, at least one of those clubs will reach the 38-point mark, beyond Droylsden's reach... Droylsden join fellow strugglers Stafford, who were relegated on Tuesday after losing 4-0 at home to York".

On Tuesday Woking issued a press release confirming that the club "has agreed to part company with manager Frank Gray and his assistant Gerry Murphy, by mutual consent". Also "Woking Football Club confirms that Justin Edinburgh has been appointed as assistant to Colin Lippiatt for the remaining four games of the season". Both Edinburgh and Gray have previously been managers of Grays Athletic. Woking added thet their "Football Club has a proud history of over 100 years, not only in football but also at the heart of the community. Our renewed ambition is to win promotion to The Football League in the near-term, and we now invite applications for a 1st team manager who can deliver this. You should begin your application with a paragraph on how you would achieve promotion for the club, based on your past experience. In addition, we will be looking for evidence of strong motivational skills; of your approach to discipline (on and off the pitch) and your experience of working within a highly successful Academy/Youth structure. Please provide specific examples of each of these, with references to support your application. Note that we will also interview any preferred coaching assistant, at second interview stage".

"Former Boston United money man Justin Rushworth helped set up the Crawley Town consortium, the Crawley Observer can reveal.Rushworth was club accountant at the Lincolnshire club and also brokered the deal between Boston FC and holding company Lavaflow shortly before Reds' boss Steve Evans became manager. But Evans insists the man who used to control the purse strings at his old club is simply an accountant who helped open Prospect Estates Holdings Ltd last week. The Observer understands that Evans put Jarman in touch with Rushworth after the SA Group [the Majeeds] set a Tuesday deadline to have rid of the club. Evans said: 'Phil Jarman was responsible for setting up a holding company for the shares and decided he didn't want to use previous accountants and asked us if we knew anybody who could form a base. He's (Justin) got nothing to do with it. He's got about 300 businesses that he's opened for people, that's what he does. People will find that Prospect Estates will be coming to Sussex in a few weeks and it's not going to be remaining in Boston. Justin is just an accountant like any other accountant. There is no connection with Boston United'".

Farsley Today reports that "Mark Jackson was taken to hospital with a suspected broken ankle as Droylsden snatched their first away win of the season to stun the hosts... Ex-Leeds and Huddersfield defender Jackson, wearing the captain's arm band in the absence through injury of Amjad Iqbal, was carried off after falling awkwardly in the 41st minute... It just wasn't Farsley's night from the moment winger Andy Watson injured his back during the warm-up... With Craig Bentham back at Bradford City on completion of his loan spell and Dominic Krief missing with a leg strain, the Celts are left short at a crucial stage of the season. Manager John Deacey said: 'We just didn't perform. It's not good enough if we want to get out of this relegation battle. We have five matches left to sort it out and we will have to do that... After picking up so many injuries I need to have a long hard think before Saturday's game at Oxford but we may have Amjad Iqbal back for that'".

"A final ignominy for Rangers was the fact that Droylsden moved above them in the table after last night's 2-1 win at Farsley Celtic, leaving the Marston Road outfit rock bottom" says This is Staffs. "Manager Steve Bull did not mince his words afterwards. The bottom line is these players were not good enough. I am not a miracle worker. I had a short space of time to do something. Perhaps if I had come in before Christmas it might have been different. You could have got Arsene Wenger or anybody down here and I don't think they would have been able to turn it around in less than two months. Next season is going to be a different ball game altogether".

"On-loan trio Stephen Henderson, Chris Blackburn and Matt Bailey received huge praise after last night's 1-1 home draw against Grays Athletic" says This is Weymouth. Alty fans will recall that Henderson was the York keeper when Chris Senior nipped in to score only for this Saturday's referee at Moss Lane, Mr.Webb to rule it out. Chris Blackburn is the formerly pony-tailed Morecambe defender and Matt Bailey had a spell at Alty on loan from Crewe when he was a striker rather than a defender as he is now. The point has lifted the Terras out of the Blue Square Premier's bottom four on goal difference and boss John Hollins reckons his side thoroughly deserved their share of the spoils... Hollins said: 'In the first half we got in their faces and were unlucky not to get in front... I have been on at Stuart to shoot more and that proved how it can make things happen. At that point we were playing well and looking in control but then they scored. Was it offside? It looked like it was but our luck does not always work that way... We then had to take off Michael Malcolm and put Matt Bailey up front. We also put Trevor Challis on and I was pleased with how we got our shape back and in the end I thought we deserved the point for our energy and work rate. I also thought our keeper was outstanding... Saturday's game at Crawley is another massive one for us... Chris Blackburn relishes the challenge. He pulls people around him and lets them know what he thinks but it is his composure and ability to relieve pressure that makes him stand out. I also thought Matt was a revelation when he went up front after being brilliant at the back. The fact that he can play in two positions is a nice little ploy to have'. One negative that came out of the game was the injury sustained by Malcolm... Hollins said: 'He has got a dead leg on his head. That is the best way to describe it really. He has got heavy bruising under his eye and is feeling a bit groggy so we can't take any risks with him. We certainly won't have him for Saturday, as for next Tuesday we will have to see'. The Terras received five bookings on the night and the visitors were particularly annoyed about Weatherstone's early challenge on Gross, which some people thought could have been interpreted as a red card offence".

FromThe Guardian comes a cautionary tale of the man who wants to takover troubled League Two relegation candidates MAnsfiled Town and who formerly was involved with York City. "John Batchelor first rolled into football in March 2002 when he bought York City for £1 from the then majority owner Douglas Craig, who was threatening to withdraw the club from the Football League and sell the ground for housing. Craig wanted £4.5m for Bootham Crescent and the supporters' trust agreed to back Batchelor's takeover because he said he had the money to buy it. He also promised he would give the trust a decisive 25.1% of the club's shares. Batchelor whipped up some headlines for his idea to "brand" York City together with his motor racing team, but that was froth on impending financial meltdown and in December 2002 he put the club into administration. The fans' sense of betrayal that he never came through on his promises was then deepened by the discovery that he had made more than £300,000 from his association with the club...

Little was heard publicly of Batchelor after that - until now, when he has thundered back as the man most likely to take over Mansfield Town...They are another struggling club, on sale for £1 by a profoundly unpopular owner, Keith Haslam, and in danger of relegation from the Football League.

Batchelor's business record, available for scrutiny via Companies House, will not reassure any Mansfield fan that he has greatly changed. Of 24 companies of which he has been a director, 14 have been or are about to be struck off the companies' register, six have been insolvent, three are still going but he is no longer involved...

Of his original promises to the York City supporters' trust, Batchelor acknowledges: 'Basically, I was lying to them. There is no way of dressing it up'. He says he worked for many years selling hygiene products, then had a midlife crisis aged 38 and decided to chase excitement, which led him to chance his luck in football. 'When I walked through Douglas Craig's door', he recalls, 'I really was a toilet-roll salesman with nothing more than a load of debt'. He admits to having cleared £120,000 personally from the York sponsorship money and spending some of it on his racing team. Of his line of business he says openly: 'I do asset-strip. I have realised if you follow the right procedures you can borrow against a company's assets to take it over. I target companies in financial distress. We try to fix them - some of my companies have gone on to do very well and I have sold them. Where I can't, I can arrange a 'pre-pack', agreeing beforehand what I will pay for assets, then put the company into insolvency. The suppliers and creditors fall away and I am left with a clean company'...

Batchelor is plain: he says: 'I have always worked, brutal though it sounds, within the boundaries of what is legal'. His plan for Mansfield is to make money by selling the club on to the fans, and - with marketing of a similarly outlandish vein to the Harchester United idea - take for himself 25% of any profits the club then make. Haslam, Mansfield's sole director for 15 years, bought the club originally for £1, then was responsible for redeveloping Field Mill between 1999 and 2001 in a deal with the builders Bowmer & Kirkland. However, he enraged many supporters later by taking out £585,142 in personal loans from the club, of which £239,297 was "written off"...

Both Batchelor and James Derry, a businessman who has tried to buy the club, say Haslam is offering Mansfield Town for £1 but wants to keep Field Mill and charge £275,000 annual rent to the club, or £175,000 if Mansfield are relegated to the Conference... Most depressing to many Mansfield fans is that the football authorities are apparently powerless to act... The Football League has a 'fit and proper persons test' for football club directors and substantial shareholders but it does not bar from involvement people, such as Haslam, who have committed breaches of company law, or those with serial insolvency records, in and out of football, such as Batchelor. The disqualification applies to any person with unspent convictions for dishonesty, anyone who is bankrupt, and anyone who has run a football club into insolvency twice.

The chairman of Rotherham United has become the first director of any English football club to be disqualified under the 'fit and proper persons test'. Denis Coleman took the Millers over in March 2006, and quickly cut its losses via a company voluntary arrangement. However, the club, whose former chairman, Ken Booth, owns the ground, still struggled, Coleman could not secure investment, and last month it went into administration. That constitutes a second 'insolvency event' while Coleman has been on the board, so under the test he cannot be a football club director or 30% shareholder. 'I am a lifelong fan', Coleman complained. 'I took over because the club was in trouble. We had to do the CVA to save it. Being involved has cost me money, I have not had a penny out, unlike people at some other clubs, yet I am barred and they can be involved. That's ludicrous'".

IT'S 5.15PM

BURTON ALBION 2 ALTRINCHAM 1

Match report here.

NW NEWS

Portchat adds that "With just three wins in their last thirteen league games, the Southport board did the right thing and took swift and decisive action after Saturday's defeat at Solihull by replacing the failed management team of Peter Davenport and Huw Griffiths with ex-Haig Avenue favourite, Gary Brabin... After rumours of increasing dissent in the dressing room with several players allegedly ostracised by the management, going right back to Chris Lane [now at Altrincham] and Mark Boyd... it would be no surprise if the confidence of the players, many of them youngsters, was shattered... Southport need the five wins that would give them 80 points to make sure of the play-offs".

BSP NEWS

Last week new director Phil Jarman said that improving the relationship with supporters is high on the list of priorities. But they made a bad start with the way the takeover was presented and need a major PR offensive to bring people round. The club has yet to reveal details of the buy-out to supporters and many remain suspicious and concerned. Evans, though, believes fans are more worried about what happens on the pitch than off it... He said: 'A lot of people who were not there (on Saturday) would have looked at the result and wished they had been. But we need to do it more consistently. That will bring the supporters back'... He said: 'We have not been involved in a lot of it [the takeover] and it doesn't affect a lot of us so we just turn up and get on with it... When we allow these youngsters to relax a bit rather than be involved in having to win a game to get that magical 50 points on the board, they have shown they can play'".

Salisbury City visit Moss Lane this Saturday. This is Exeter reports that "Salisbury City boss Nick Holmes admitted that his side have comfortably exceeded his pre-season expectations... Although their play-off hopes have fizzled out in recent weeks, Holmes still views the current campaign as one of huge success. 'To have over 60 points at this stage of the season has way exceeded pre-season expectations', he said. 'We have had a good season and we are hoping to finish the campaign strongly'. A large part of their success has been the 24 goals Matthew Tubbs and Marvin Brown have scored between them... Salisbury have got injury problems heading into Tuesday night's contest, with Andy Sandell and Mike Fowler both doubtful. 'Andy twisted his knee on Saturday and he may well be out for the rest of the season, while Mike has gone down with a bug', added Holmes".

"Dino Maamria has warned his defenders to fear a Forest Green shorn of the league's finest forward" states the Northwich Guardian. "The Vics boss reckons Stuart Fleetwood's absence through suspension is not a reason for relief ahead of Tuesday's clash. 'Tonight is the last throw of the dice for them', he said. 'If they want to make the play offs they must beat us so you can be sure that whoever plays up front will be fired up'... And the Vics' boss knows Northwich will have a tough tussle with Jim Harvey's men. 'They like to play nice, tidy football', he said. 'They get the ball down on the ground and knock it around, which is what we like to do, so it should be a good game to watch... They are a team who had been struggling yet under a good manager have been in the top half of the table all season this time. I'm sure with some of the players they have that Forest Green have a bigger budget than Northwich at the moment, but their club is no bigger than ours and so they are proof of what can be achieved in this league'".

MIDWEEK GAMES

Tuesday 8 April

BURTON PREPARE

Meanwhile, "Manager Nigel Clough has admitted Burton Albion's promotion dream could end in heartbreak this week. The Brewers face relegation battlers Altrincham at the Pirelli Stadium tonight, kick-off 7.45pm, not daring to contemplate a third successive defeat in the Blue Square Premier after slipping out of the play-off places. Clough said last night: 'If we don't get three points against Altrincham, it will make it very, very difficult for us to finish in the top five'. The prospect of a trip to champions-elect Aldershot Town on Saturday puts Albion under even more pressure to return to winning ways against Alty".

Clough said, "Hopefully, we'll get the three points against Altrincham and other results will be favourable so that things swing back our way... But first and foremost we have to make sure that we do ourselves a favour by getting the three points against Altrincham... We certainly can't afford to drop any more points ahead of Saturday's game at Aldershot... Altrincham are fighting for their lives, especially as Saturday's results weren't particularly helpful in terms of them staying up because Farsley and Northwich both went above them in the table". The Mail adds that "The Brewers' boss is again expected to make changes to try to shore up a defence that has leaked six goals in two games, with John Brayford possibly switching to centre-back if Andy Corbett is fit enough to return on the right. He said: 'We simply can't afford to give away goals like we have been doing. There have been individual mistakes but what we now need is a collective effort to try to get us a clean sheet'... Clough is hoping Matty Williams will continue the promising form he has shown since joining the Brewers on loan from Tamworth. The Brewers boss said: 'Hopefully, with a bit of help from those around him, he'll give us more of the same against Altrincham'".

YOUTH FIXTURES

EX-ALTY KEEPER IN COURT

Magistrates made an order banning publication of the name of the Premier League footballer. Mr Timms' solicitor David O'Reilly said he would ask for the order to be lifted at the next hearing so that the footballer can be identified. He confirmed that his client is a non-league footballer who has been at a number of clubs since he was 17. Manchester-born Mr Timms has played for local sides including Altrincham, Curzon Ashton, Mossley and Atherton L.R. and had trials at Manchester City, Bolton Wanderers, Oldham and Macclesfield. He also had brief spells at Shrewsbury Town, Accrington Stanley and Runcorn. Last year, he had trials at Norwich City and Fulham and in January joined Cambridge City in the Blue Square South League on non-contract terms. He played 15 matches for Cambridge but was released last week and is now thought to be without a club".

Ashley had a brief but unusual career at Altrincham in 2003-04. His first game was for Alty's first-team in the UniBond League before appearing in the Cheshire Senior Cup and the youth team in an 11-day period. He made his Alty debut at Vauxhall on 9 September in the UniBond Premier. He then played in the Cheshire Senior Cup against Stalybridge six days later and on 19 September he kept goal in the FA Youth Cup. Ashley had trials with Oxford United in late November 2003 but moved back to Man. City in February 2004. Alty released him to join Runcorn in late 2004 after he had made two first-team appearances and eight for the youth team.

SKIPPER'S SEND OFF

SATURDAY

Yesterday (Monday), the Brewers had a game and the Burton Mail reported that "Midfielder Andy Corbett could return to action at St Andrew's tonight against Birmingham City in the final of the Birmingham Senior Cup, kick-off 7.45pm. The timing of the fixture could not be worse from Albion's point of view only 24 hours before the crucial league game against Altrincham. As a result, manager Nigel Clough will not risk several key players but welcomes the chance to get Corbett back on the pitch after a three-match absence with a foot injury. Clough said: 'Hopefully, Andy will have a least half a game against Birmingham and then we'll assess his chances of playing against Altrincham. We would very much like to have him in the side for that game because we've missed his energy and honesty'. Veteran goalkeeper Kevin Poole also makes his comeback almost two months after pulling a hamstring and Clough may also feature after playing in all the previous rounds of the competition. He said: 'We'll put out the best side we can to try to win the cup, but we have to have one eye on what is a more important fixture 24 hours later'. Albion, from: Poole, Corbett, Webster, James, Stride, Goodfellow, Edwards, Gilroy, Holmes, Harrad, Austin, Brayford, Farrell, Hall, Clough, Simpson, Liversage, Hancock".

Burton lost the game against Birmingham 5-0 as the City website reports: "Blues Reserves this evening clinched some silverware courtesy of a comprehensive 5-0 win over Burton Albion at St. Andrew's in the Birmingham Senior Cup final... O'Connor started the romp as his glancing header from a Daniel de Ridder cross beat former Blues keeper Kevin Poole in the Burton goal... Schoolboys Jordon Mutch and Ashley Sammons again impressed in the Blues midfield where they found themselves up against former Liverpool star Nigel Clough, the Burton boss".

LAST TO VISIT

BSP NEWS

"Crawley manager Steve Evans insists there is nothing wrong with his father-in-law being on the new board of directors" according to The Argus. "Evans claimed last week he had no personal involvement in the consortium who bought the club from Chas and Azwar Majeed's company The SA Group. But a club statement about the takeover revealed his wife's father Tom Scott was among the new investors. Evans said: 'Tom has been watching us up and down the country most weeks and he has never taken a complimentary ticket, he has always paid his way. He is a quiet man, he hasn't got lots of money to throw at a football club and he sees himself as playing a minor part. (New directors) Phil Jarman and John Duly have met him many times and thought he made an informed decision and had a balanced approach about life and asked him in the interim period to be part of something. It is only for an interim period and I think you'll find that when the board is up and running and we go through the months of the summer, my father-in-law will not be involved. I didn't know it was a crime for anyone related to Steve Evans to be involved. When it is all unveiled and John Duly opens up and talks to the media and supporters, it will become apparent to supporters that he is in it for the right reasons. But you will not see a lot of Tom Scott, he comes to games but he quite happily doesn't live in this area and doesn't want to live in this area and doesn't want to be sitting making decisions every day. They have done it so he could be part of the vehicle to move out The SA Group and end the association with the Majeeds'.

Evans claims he was responsible for persuading former owner Duly to return to Crawley. Duly, who owns a coach company [Geoff Goodwin, pleaase note!] in East Grinstead, bankrolled Reds to promotion into the [Conference] in 2004. His role in the consortium is believed to be related to money owed to him from the previous takeover. He sold the club to the Majeeds in 2005 and was still waiting for a considerable amount of the deal.

Evans said: 'I worked hard to get people into the consortium and the main one, the massive one, I convinced was John Duly. I was told by the SA Group that they would be moving out and it would be sooner rather than later and I immediately thought of John Duly. I knew him from the Southern League days as the man who ran Crawley Town. I spoke to him and asked if he could jangle his mind and probably ultimately jangle his wallet and be part of it. A few supporters wanted the SA Group out and wanted change and they could not get any more positive change than the main man who is heading this up. I am really proud I have played a part in bringing John Duly here. I think you will find there will not be many people who would be able to disagree with Mr Duly if he threw his dummy out to use an expression. He will be the main catalyst who makes decisions at this football club and so he should be with what he has done'".

From This is Glos we learn that "Forest Green boss Jim Harvey is adamant there will be no mass exodus of players from the New Lawn this summer. Speaking after Saturday's 1-1 draw at Halifax Town... Harvey reaffirmed his desire to keep the bulk of his squad together following a season of remarkable progress. Top scorer Stuart Fleetwood and left-back Anthony Tonkin have already confirmed they will be seeking moves back to the Football League at the end of impressive campaigns, but the manager is confident he will be able to persuade the majority to stay put. 'I don't anticipate too many more changes, but I'll deal with that in the coming weeks', he said. 'There are some playing for places next season, but I've already said I'd like to keep a settled squad and hopefully build on it'... With Fleetwood suspended and Darren Jones still struggling with a groin problem, Harvey could be severely short of players for tomorrow night's trip to Northwich Victoria".

ROBBIE'S CENTURY

Colin Little's goal at Kidderminster was his 20th in the league making him the second highest scorer in the league behind Stewart Fleetwood of FGR. It was also Altrincham's 50th league goal this season. Colin has only started 30 league games this season though he has also made 5 appearances from the bench. His total for this season is now 23 goals if his three cup competition goals are included. In his Alty career he has made 175(+8) appearances and scored 91 goals. Colin has scored 10 in his last 9 league games and has netted in the last four successive BSP matches. He has also scored all of Altrincham's last seven goals in the league. This weekend Colin was named as runner-up in the BSP Player of the Month awards for March.

Alty's second leading scorer this season is Chris Senior with 6 league and 5 cup goals.

BURTON BUSY

KIDDY GAME

Above: Alty defend a Kidderminster freekick last Saturday.

FRIENDS' DRAW

Please click the above link to see how you can join the Friends and win £100 in the draw.

NANTWICH AGAIN

So, Alty Youth now face Nantwich in the Final at Chorley's Victory Park on Tuesday 15th April, k.o. TBA. The Altrincham first team were beaten by Nantwich Town last week in the Cheshire Senior Cup Final.

BSP NEWS

After their 6-1 mauling at Crawley, York City ask themselves, "What to say after a performance like that? 'It's difficult to say something pleasing" was the first understatement of a clearly shocked Colin Walker's post match interview. The 160-odd fans that travelled made their feelings known and I can't blame them. I can't believe that's the same team as played in Tuesday night. I'm very angry', added Walker, 'and I can't express how I feel without going loopy. We got back into the game and before you knew it, shot ourselves in the foot... We crumbled and it's unnacceptable and won't be tolerated. Totally embarrassing'. Walker kept the players in the dressing room for half an hour before facing the media. 'We've had a big, serious chat about it and we'll get back to the hard work again'. Lamenting the defence, he said 'the back three have done really well, but got taken to the cleaners today', while he had words for young keeper Josh Mimms who has now conceded nine times in his first two games. 'I felt for Josh as he had no help in front of him. People didn't mark, people didn't pick up and people let people run off. We need a response on Tuesday' said the boss in summary. 'Nine of the starting eleven started the game against Aldershot and they've got to remember that'".

Ebbsfleet United report that "central defender James Smith has agreed terms with the club and signed a new contract just before yesterday's game against Woking. The deal keeps him at Stonebridge Road until the end of the 2008/09 season. James has established himself as a first team regular this season, making 22 starts along with 2 substitute appearances, scoring one goal before recently being niggled with a hamstring injury".

IFS AND BUTS

NEXT OPPONENTS

KIDDERMINSTER COMMENTS

This site's match report is here.

Meanwhile, Kidderminster Harriers' "manager Mark Yates admitted that his side were sloppy from the warm-up against Altrincham after Saturday's 1-1 draw. The home side were very slow out of the blocks against Graham Heathcote's strugglers and soon found themselves behind after just eight minutes. They managed to get back in it just before the break but never really looked like going on to pick up all three points. Speaking after the game, Yates hit out at some of his squad for treating the pre-match warm-up as a 'jolly-up'. 'We were sloppy in the warm up and we carried that through into the first-half in particular', said the Aggborough boss. 'We should have dealt with the goal and that just summed us up; we didn't play well and we didn't compete enough. We got a point out of it but it wasn't a good performance today. We didn't apply ourselves properly. One or two have got to learn that you can't just have a jolly-up and then come out and play a team who are fighting for their lives, and one or two of ours got sucked into that'. Yates went on to admit that he may make changes to his side ahead of Tuesday night's away tie at another side now struggling around the bottom four, Halifax. 'It's going to be a tough game - but we're better than what we've shown today', he continued. 'You've got to have the right attitude and we need to learn that we can't turn it on and off like a tap.If it takes something a little bit different then so be it, but we need a little bit more professionalism from one or two'".

The club website added that "A lacklustre performance from Harriers saw their winning run come to an end as they drew 1-1 with a hungry and battling Altrincham side at Aggborough.... [Kiddy's] woeful start to this [game] saw them deservedly go behind as Alty dominated the opening stages; Greg Tansey went close with one effort before the scores were opened. Paul Turnbull put a great ball into the box and the Harriers defence were left static as Ryan Shotton headed down for LITTLE, who finished well past Dean Coleman from close-range. Backed by a noisy following of close to 150 fans, Altrincham stayed the strongest as the half wore on, and after getting past Mark Creighton Tansey should really have done better with his shot along the face of goal... On 74 minutes, Harriers were almost caught on the counter as Altrincham raced forward after having all men back - they almost certainly would have scored, having a two v two situation going towards goal, but Little and sub Chris Senior seemed to confuse one another with their movement and the back-tracking defence was able to clear... In injury time, a massive scramble in the box almost saw the visitors snatch it, but Senior scuffed his shot at the last, and a grateful Coleman was able to gather".

The Kidderminster statistics show possesion as "K 55% A45%, Fouls :K 13, A7, Most Fouls Christie 4, Turnbull 2, Yellow Cards :K 0 A 3".

The unofficial Harriers site says that Kidderminster "came up against a resilient Altrincham side... and we can help them further by beating Halifax at the Shay this Tuesday... With time running down Alty had a great chance to take all three points when a goal-mouth scramble ended with Jeff Kenna blocking a shot from Tansey and then Coleman somehow managed to get down to the loose ball on the goal line".

PUTTING THEIR SHIRTS ON ALTY

CURRENT PLAYERS

OLD BOYS

As Ilkeston Town drew 3-3 with Ashton United, former Alty youth and reserve player Ben Deegan scored for the Tameside outfit. Mark Quayle scored for Colwyn Bay. Chris Adams played for Abbey Hey, for whom Danny Heffernan scored, in a game against Salford City ruined by the referee sending off two of the Manchester club's players. Salford won 2-1. Former Alty reserve Scott Metcalfe scored as Trafford won 2-1 to get within touching distance of promotion back to the UniBond League One. Trafford boss Ged Kielty has been named as the VodKat Manager of the Month whilst former Alty Youth player Tom Read of Trafford was Goalkeeper of the Month for Vodkat League One. At least three of Alty's 1999 UniBond championship side, were in action yesterday. Phil Power turned out for FC United whilst Paul Ellender helped Boston to beat Stalybridge 3-1, with Steve Torpey netting for Celtic. And Kevin Ellison netted a last-minute penalty to salvage a point for Chester City at Hereford.

BROTHERS IN NEWS

NORTHERN NEWS

"Defiant Blue Square North club Workington reiterated they would not move from Borough Park after Tesco’s go-ahead to build a new supermarket paved the way for a super stadium in the town. Allerdale Council is expected to pocket an £18 million bonanza from the sale of land to Tesco and is looking at two options to transform the town’s sporting landscape. One would see a new 10,000-seat stadium on the current Derwent Park site, to be shared by the Reds and Workington Town Rugby League Club. The second would lead to the existing football and RL stadiums being developed to a high standard – and it is this option that Reds are keen for the council to adopt. Chairman Humphrey Dobie said: 'We are not going to groundshare'... as it would mean Reds no longer had control over their own affairs....'It would be a recipe for disaster,” he said, citing the example of Doncaster Lakers RL Club, who went out of business last year following their move with Doncaster Rovers'... Workington are urging the council to instead plough investment in to Borough Park and neighbouring Derwent Park... Under detailed plans already drawn up, Borough Park`s capacity would expand from the current 3,100 to over 4,000. A 4,000 capacity would be required for entry to Blue Square Premier, and Dobie added that there would then be the potential to take it to the Football League requirement of 6,000" according to the Times & Star.

"The announcement of the sale of Blue Square North club Worcester City`s St George’s Lane ground last Thursday is something that the club`s Supporters Trust steering committee welcomes with cautious optimism. A statement from the trust read: 'We believe that many questions remain unanswered and that the sale of the club’s existing ground is only part of the overall picture. Planning permission is yet to be granted to Carey’s, which was already a preferred bidder. Surely the value of the land to the developer depends on the type of housing they can construct on the site and no details regarding the price of the sale of St George’s Lane have been released. It is difficult to judge whether this makes the ground move a viable option for WCFC. Indeed, there is no news regarding planning permission being granted for the proposed new stadium at Nunnery Way".

According to the The BBC reports that "Accrington chairman Eric Whalley has revealed why he rejected an attempt by former Blackburn-based businessman John Batchelor to buy the club. Batchelor had tabled an offer of £1.5m for the League Two side as well as proposing moving a newly-formed Lancashire United to Leigh. 'He made us an offer and I told him we weren't interested', Whalley told BBC Radio Lancashire. 'I would have been stupid to consider taking it as a franchise to Leigh'. Batchelor, former owner of Blue Square Premier side York City, recently had a separate bid to buy struggling Mansfield turned down. He also made his intentions clear he wanted to re-brand them Harchester United after the "Dream Team" television programme. 'Mr Batchelor initially came along about six months ago, but I told him to come back with another offer', said Whalley. 'He came back and offered us £1.5m, but our second meeting was very short because there was no way I would have ever let anybody change the name of Accrington Stanley... I think he's a dreamer. I mean to take a franchise, you're not talking about America... I think you can't beat the 1,200 fans who come regularly [to Stanley]. They've had to put up with two years of fighting for survival and hopefully we can do better next year', he added".

KIDDERMINSTER HARIERS 1 ALTRINCHAM 1

Right: Robbie Lawton (right) tracks Harriers' Russell. Saturday 5th April

ALL CHANGE

BEFORE THE GAME

"It will be a battle of in-form strikers at Aggborough when Harriers take on relegation battling Altrincham" claims the Kidderminster Shuttle. "Iyseden Christie has played a key role in Harriers' return to form by bagging eight goals in as many matches and as a consequence has been nominated for March's player of the month award. Altrincham forward Colin Little, who is also up for the award, is also in potent form in front of goal and his nine goals in as many matches has given the Cheshire side hope of escaping the drop. Manager Mark Yates will stick with the same line-up which has carved out four wins in a row during the last week. The manager is eager for his side to avenge a 2-1 loss in Cheshire, where Harriers squandered a 1-0 lead and may freshen up the side after they played five games in 11 days. Dean Coleman is set to keep his place in the side if goalkeeper Chris MacKenzie has not recovered from the thigh problem he sustained at Crawley last week... New loan signings Michael Wylde and Jake Moult may also be included in the squad, both are yet to kick a ball in anger for Harriers... Altrincham have struggled away from home in recent weeks, losing four of the last five away games".

NEXT TUESDAY

BSP NEWS

Statement reads as follows: 'For the sake of clarity I can state that the SA Group and the Majeed family have now severed all connections with the football club. Therefore, I can confirm that the entire shareholding in Crawley Town Football Club has been transferred to the new owners. It is expected that the newly formed consortium will grow in numbers as discussions with a few private local individual businessmen are at an advanced stage... Mr John Duly, Mr Phil Jarman, Mr Tom Scott, Mr Barry Munn and I, believe there is much work to be done prior to meeting with the press and supporters, as we feel it is imperative that we can talk in full knowledge of all the facts. The consortium will have a strategy to be open and transparent with everyone, but we must remind all that it is a private commercial business, so we must have a degree of privacy in relation to certain aspects... We have set-up a further meeting with our legal advisors and booked diary dates with the Football Conference, and of course, our landlords, Crawley Borough Council... The finances of the football club can be described at best as stable but we have to address some immediate issues. We are confident that these issues can be dealt with to everyone's satisfaction. It would now be prudent of me to [ac]knowledge the support of the Duly family, who take the greatest of plaudits for their extreme generosity and it is fantastic to have them back involved at Crawley Town Football Club. I have no doubt that had John Duly not stepped forward the takeover would have failed. Also joining us on the board here at Broadfield Stadium is local businessman Mr Phil Jarman and Mr Tom Scott, the father-in-law of our team manager, Mr Steve Evans... He will play only a minor part as we go forward as Mr Duly and Mr Jarman are the key drivers to take the football club forward... We are confident that by Friday, 18th April 2008, we will be ready to introduce the consortium, its plans and strategies for Crawley Town Football Club'".

Blue Square Football tells us that "Jimmy Quinn is determined to turn Cambridge United's recent run of poor form around and has hired a sport psychologist to aid his efforts. The U's have lost their last two encounters and have claimed just one point from their last four fixtures... United made use of a sport psychologist last season and the club firmly believes it was the key to saving them from the dreaded drop-zone... He told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire: 'I haven't been disappointed with performances but we haven't been putting the ball in the net. I've brought in a mate of mine who's a sport psychologist to help us get over the finishing line'. Meanwhile, U's skipper Danny Brown returns to the squad for the Droylsden clash along with goalkeeper Danny Potter. Quinn said: 'I've been very careful because I want Danny [Brown] chomping at the bit and he is. He's been fantastic in training, he's my captain and he'll go in to the team on Saturday because communication hasn't been what it should have been'".

"Forest Green Rovers boss Jim Harvey has revealed that striker Stuart Fleetwood is looking to leave at the end of the season. Fleetwood is leading the Blue Square Premier goalscoring charts with 27 goals and has also found the back of the net four times in three FA Cup appearances. 'Stuart has said that he will be off in the summer', Harvey told BBC Sport. 'And Anthony Tonkin would like to try and get back into the league, so there will be a couple of boys leaving and we will need to recruit again". Harvey finished by making the quote of the year "If we don't make it this year it'll be for the reason that perhaps we weren't good enough".

Setanta TV's latest fixture list of televised BSP games covers the usual mix of clubs:

According to the Cambridge Evening News "Matty Haniver has cut short his loan spell at Cambridge City and returned to Histon as he fights to secure his future at the club. The right-sided player made eight appearances for the Lilywhites in just under two months after enduring a frustrating time at the Glass World Stadium. But he has decided to quit Milton Road and try to force his way into Stutes' boss Steve Fallon's plans for next season and earn himself a new deal".

This is Staffs says that "Stafford Rangers manager Steve Bull has warned old rivals Northwich to expect no favours from his relegation-threatened side in tomorrow's Blue Square Premier clash. While Rangers' own fate could be sealed this weekend, the Vics are still embroiled in a desperate struggle for survival with four other clubs. But Bull said: 'I know it looks like they need the points more than we do, they have a realistic chance of stopping up, but there is no chance of us taking it easy. I don't feel sorry for teams that are threatened with going down. You don't say it until it is all over, but it looks that way for us'. Defeat tomorrow could formally seal Rangers' fate. They are 17 points adrift with seven matches to go. And Bull has indicated that he intends to experiment between now and the end of the season. Defender Jimi Sangare will return to the squad following a two-match ban, but former caretaker bosses Kevin Street and Neil Grayson are still struggling with injuries".

RELEGATING ALTY "THE PROPER WAY"

The unofficial Harriers Online site says "I expect us to get another three points from this game and put another nail in Alty's coffin that could see them getting relegated the proper way this time". The site also says ""We'll be looking for a good result against relegation threatened Altrincham tomorrow. Even more so after that diabolical defeat to them at the turn of the year when we lost 2-1 after going into the lead in a storm ravaged match. In that game both teams were taken off the pitch for their own safety when, within minutes of the game starting, a massive thunderstorm swept in over Manchester and stopped the game for ten minutes. When the teams came back on we had lost all interest and eventually all the points. Back then we were a team low on confidence but now it's all changed. We are a team on a high now and it's going to continue tomorrow. With the majority of the side rested since the Ebbsfleet win on Tuesday we should almost be at full strength with the only doubt being Chris MacKenzie. His thigh injury wasn't as bad as first feared and a scan earlier this week showed that there was no tear but I don't think he'll be risked just yet. That means Dean Coleman will continue between the sticks for while longer and also hope that his good form, now he's been given his chance, carries on.

Altrincham should be at full strength for this game, apart from loan player Liam King who has now returned to Rotherham. There are no suspensions either. They might include former Harrier Jake Sedgemore in the side but at the moment he seems to be out of favour and is expected to leave at the end of the season. Strangely he turned down a loan deal to struggling Worcester City this week in a move that would have seen him getting first team football".

Worcester City confirm that "City manager Richard Dryden had agreed terms on a deal to bring in 30-year-old Altrincham central midfielder Jake Sedgemore on loan till the end of the season but unfortunately the deal fell through at the last minute".

21 TODAY

Pat shares his birthday with two other young players, formerly on Alty's books, Kieran and Kelvin Lugsden. But the Lugsdens are exactly one year older than Pat. So, congratulations to them too. Kieran has reportedly just rejoined Leigh RMI from Glossop NE, where Kelvin is still playing.

FINAL REACHED

SKIPPER'S FUNERAL

GARY STEVEN WRIGHT: Suddenly in hospital on Saturday 22 March 2008 as the result of a tragic accident, Gary, aged 47 years and of Sale. Dearly loved son of Carole and the late Cy, loving brother of Gail and Martin and a loving Uncle to his nieces and nephews, a good and loyal friend to many at the Altrincham Football Club. Funeral service at the Altrincham Crematorium on Monday 7 April at 3pm. Family flowers only please. Donations, if desired, for the benefit of Hope Hospital (cheques payable to Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust) would be gratefully appreciated and may be sent to Kenneth Dewey and Sons (Funeral Directors), 2 Grove Lane, Hale, Altrincham, Cheshire WA15 8JE. Tel: 0161 980 7010

GOOD LUCK, LIAM

Altrincham will have the five players (Lynch, Turnbull, Tansey, Roca and Battersby) ineligible for the CSC Final on Tuesday available for selection on Saturday but loan player Liam King has returned to Rotherham United after the completion of a successful loan spell at Moss Lane. The best wishes of all at the Club go with him. Liam made 17 appearances for the Robins.

Meanwhile "In-form Kidderminster Harriers can win stay-away fans back to Aggborough with their sparkling football, according to manager Mark Yates. The red-hot side are brimming with confidence after winning four games in a row over the last week. With attendances averaging just over 1,500 this season, among the club's lowest in the last decade, the manager is well aware that it's up to his side to maintain their winning streak until the end of the campaign in order to attract more fans through the turnstiles. He has also challenged his players to win the final six games of the season, starting with Saturday's Blue Square Premier clash at home to Altrincham" according to the Kidderminster Shuttle. 'We're a good team and we know we've under achieved. There's no one more disappointed than me, my staff and hopefully the players', said the manager. 'All we can do is win the next six games... I want us to get to 77 points and we'll see what happens then. It would take the teams above us to really lose their way so I don't think it will happen... The team is playing with a lot of confidence at the moment and long may it continue', commented Yates... The manager may shake-up his team for Saturday's home clash and could call upon new loan signings Michael Wylde and Jake Moult, who both joined before last Thursday's deadline. Cheltenham defender Wylde, 19, joined as cover for centrebacks Mark Creighton and Gavin Hurren, while Plymouth Argyle utility man Moult, 19, can play anywhere in midfield. Keeper Chris MacKenzie may miss Saturday's game after sustaining a thigh injury in last Thursday's win over Crawley. If so Dean Coleman, who has deputised in the last two games, will stay in the side".

JACK RECOVERS

ASA WANTED

LACK OF CONFIDENCE

Shotton admitted that one eye had always been on Saturday's crucial Blue Square Premier game at Kidderminster Harriers...and Shotton is confident they can get something at Aggborough. He added: "'We did well at home against them and I can't see why we couldn't do it again. We picked up a brilliant point against Torquay on Saturday. We fought all the way, we were strong and we deserved the result in the end. Hopefully we can carry that into the Kidderminster game'"

SAM adds that "The Robins seemed to be cruising when they led 1-0 with 20 minutes to go thanks to Chris Senior's first half strike. But they hadn't accounted for Nantwich supersub Pavol Suhaj. The Slovakian striker caused havoc from the moment he entered the field of play, winning every ball lobbed up towards him, outmuscling the timid Alty defence with his giant frame and out-thinking them with his intelligent running. Suhaj scored twice in in normal time and once in the extra period to complete a stunning hat-trick and if the Robins are looking for a targetman, they could do worse than give the former Crewe player a trial. Alty only survived to force penalties thanks to their own surprise saviour, makeshift striker Ryan Shotton - the only man in red and white to do himself any kind of justice... Nantwich clearly wanted it more than the Robins, playing with passion, heart and no shortage of skill to cause them a string of problems... In the greater scheme of things, it was a defeat that mattered little but victory would have been welcome to lift some of the gloom that surrounds a tiring relegation battle".

BSP NEWS

The Northwich Guardian reports that Northwich Vics "open a new shop in Northwich town centre this week. Fans will be able to buy merchandise, ranging from replica shirts to mugs, car stickers and pin badges all bearing the club's crest. 'It's a step into a new era', said owner Jim Rushe. 'The shop is a further indication of the progress Northwich Victoria have made in recent months and we want to be back in the hearts of both the town and local people'. Vics have been based at their Marston's Arena home since its completion in 2005 and had planned to move [a shop?] into a space under the Danebank Stand when Rushe and his consortium bought the club from then owner Mike Connett at the end of last year. But Rushe sees the benefits of having a visible presence in the town centre... 'We want it to be somewhere that supporters can keep up to date with what is happening', added Rushe. The shop, at 86 Witton Street, will be open Monday to Saturday from 10am until 2pm. Next Monday, April 7, marks the first day of trading".

According to the BBC "Ebbsfleet United defender James Smith has agreed a new contract... The 21-year-old becomes the fourth Fleet player to agree terms for next year following Lance Cronin, Stacey Long and John Akinde".

The BBC confirms that "Kevin Hales has resigned as first-team coach of Rushden and Diamonds. Hales has left Nene Park with immediate effect after failing to agree terms on a new contract for next season. Chairman Keith Cousins told the club website: 'Kevin's current deal with the club expired at the end of this season and he was offered a new deal. Kevin decided to turn the offer down and subsequently resigned. It is important as a football club that we now move on'".

The Cambridge Evening News says that "Cambridge United's bid to bring Leo Fortune-West back for Saturday's trip to Droylsden has fallen through because of red tape. Jimmy Quinn hoped to call the veteran striker back from his loan spell with York... following the loss of Lee McEvilly to an ankle injury. York had no problem letting Fortune-West return to the Abbey and he trained with the squad on Monday. But it was discovered that as his temporary move in January was deemed a long-term loan, and under Conference rules the player could not return to United unless he was to be sold to the Minstermen. If a short-term loan move been agreed between the two clubs, Fortune-West could have been recalled by United any time after an initial 28-day period. Quinn was disappointed... 'We asked about Leo coming back because it would give us another option with a bit of height up front, which might do us good. He has been in and out of it as well at York and Colin (Walker, York boss) didn't have any problem with it. We thought because he was our player we could get him back, but the wording in the agreement meant he had to go back, which is unfortunate'. But if United make it into the play-offs, Fortune-West will be able to return to boost the squad. Despite his search for a big striker, Quinn denied United were one of the two Blue Square Premier clubs that made a move for Histon striker Danny Wright... He said: 'I don't think Histon would let us borrow any of their players, so it was a case of not even asking the question'".

Before the Bloods' excellent draw at St James Park, This is Exeter reported yesterday that "Droylsden boss Dave Pace claims he is nursing a major selection headache ahead of tonight's clash with Exeter City after his strikeforce was ravaged by injury. With Terry Fearns hit by flu, the Bloods have been decimated by injuries to fellow frontmen Steve Daly and Dale Johnson. And with Jamie McGuire, Jamie Tandy, Kevin Lynch and Lee Roche all struggling, the section's rock bottom side are hardly in good shape ahead of tonight's contest. Add into the equation the fact they have played eight games in the last month and all the signs suggest they will struggle to derail the City play-off bandwagon this evening. 'We will just have to do the best we can', said Pace. "I have got major selection issues and at the moment we have got real problems up front. Steve Daly, Dale Johnson and Terry Fearns are all out and that is the not the best situation to be in when you have to go to Exeter City. [Fearns actually started against Exeter]. It is not ideal, that's for sure, but we will take it on the chin and get on with it'... Although his side are doomed to the drop, Pace is clinging on to the fact that his side might be granted a reprieve in the same way that Altrincham have been in the last two seasons. 'Exeter are a class side and they play good football', he said. 'We have just got to finish the season as best we can and you never know. At the end of the day Altrincham have had several reprieves and at Halifax you don't know what is happening with the finances of certain people so we will try and finish as high as we can and see what happens'...

But their three-game unbeaten run came to an abrupt halt on Tuesday when promotion-chasing Torquay United sentenced them to a 2-1 defeat... However, Pace was not impressed by the Gulls' route one brand of football, adding: 'I didn't rate them at all. We played Aldershot last Thursday and they were a far superior side. They don't play a lot of football, it is just back to front stuff and playing off Tim Sills. You could say they had one eye on the Trophy and come up with all sorts of excuses. But seeing we were without five players and had no centre forward I just thought they should have punished us a hell of a lot more. I had a makeshift striker in Adam Dugdale up front and he caused them all sorts of problems... The fact that we have had so many games recently means this one is a bit of a nightmare for us.... We managed to beat Oxford live on Setanta when they were going well, so that is proof that anyone can beat anyone on a given day', he said. 'We are a part-time club in a full-time league but you won't hear me groan about it. We know where we are, it is where we want to be and I would rather get beaten three or four nil by a team of Exeter's calibre than be top of Conference North'".

The Argus says that "Crawley manager Steve Evans has dismissed suggestions he is involved in the club takeover but admits he did persuade investors to join the consortium. Speculation has linked Evans to the Lincolnshire-based company Prospect Estates Holdings Limited who bought Reds this week along with former owner John Duly. Local hairdresser Phil Jarman and businessman Tom Scott have been named as part of the consortium but Crawley are yet to reveal the identities of the other investors. The company was only officially registered on Tuesday and shares its address with Boston United Football Club Business Promotions Limited. Evans had two spells over nine-years in charge of Boston United, where he was strongly rumoured to be involved in the running of the club along with money-men Jon Sotnick, Jim Rodwell and Michael Chinn. Evans said: 'It is suggested because the newly formed company, who only have a portion of the ownership, was formed by an accountants in Boston, Lincolnshire. I can understand where people are coming from but it's no one who has been involved at Boston. It's no Sotnick, it's no Chin, it's no Rodwell, it's nothing to do with the company who owned Boston. But people can jump to whatever conclusions they want, I've been used to that in the last five or six years. I'm not involved. People don't believe me when I keep saying I've got no money to be involved. But at the end of the day I have helped convince some people to join the consortium. They have asked me my opinion and I believe Crawley is a great opportunity. Between Brighton and Crystal Palace there is no other club at Football League level and it is crying out for it'.

He said: 'It is not the consortium which was around at the top of the year who we all thought was going to take control. They didn't complete and when it looked like they weren't going to and the club was going to be in a bit of limbo, I understand these new boys came in. It is great new for the club. People like the Jarmans and the Dulys will back us and it will give us stability at a time when we really need it... (Former owners) The SA Group have gone and to be fair they have left us in a reasonable state, they have not left us penniless. The new owners are willing to invest some money but it's not going to be fortunes that people associate with takeovers. There is no Roman Abromovich, no shining white knight but there are a lot of people who work hard for their money and if they do invest they want to make sure they get a good return'.

Evans says the new owners have already wielded their power over him following Crawley's Sussex Senior Cup semi-final on Tuesday. Evans named a strong side in a 1-0 win over Eastbourne Borough, having previously said he would name a weakened team because he does not care about the competition. Evans said: 'I was intending to play the kids from the start but one or two of the new owners made the decision that for the sake of the fans and especially John Duly, who is back at the club, they would like us to get through to the final. They left the decision to me but we all have bosses and when they tell you to do something you have to do it, don't you?'. Winger Kevin James has joined Blue Square south play-off contenders Eastleigh following his release from Crawley. James quit Broadfield Stadium last week after he was allegedly a target of racist abuse from Reds fans during a game".

"New Crawley Town consortium member Phil Jarman has promised fans they will be a force for positive change. The hairdresser has been a Crawley fan for 20 years and he told BBC Southern Counties Radio: 'There are a lot of fans out there who will be sceptical. We can understand that. But I can't stress this enough, this is a positive thing for the club... it will be good to get the stay-away fans to come back again'. Jarman is joined by former owner John Duly on the new board, alongside some as yet unnamed other investors. 'I don't think John Duly [who sold to the Majeeds] would have come on board if there was anything untoward going on', added Jarman. 'He's a very clever man, a good businessman and a true Crawley Town fan too'. The controversial reign of former owners the Majeeds is now over and Jarman says the new regime must learn from the past. 'The new board has got to be open. We really want to be a community club too... Hopefully the future is looking bright for Crawley Town football club'".

RELEGATING ALTY "THE PROPER WAY"

The unofficial Harriers Online site says "I expect us to get another three points from this game and put another nail in Alty's coffin that could see them getting relegated the proper way this time". The site also says ""We'll be looking for a good result against relegation threatened Altrincham tomorrow. Even more so after that diabolical defeat to them at the turn of the year when we lost 2-1 after going into the lead in a storm ravaged match. In that game both teams were taken off the pitch for their own safety when, within minutes of the game starting, a massive thunderstorm swept in over Manchester and stopped the game for ten minutes. When the teams came back on we had lost all interest and eventually all the points. Back then we were a team low on confidence but now it's all changed. We are a team on a high now and it's going to continue tomorrow. With the majority of the side rested since the Ebbsfleet win on Tuesday we should almost be at full strength with the only doubt being Chris MacKenzie. His thigh injury wasn't as bad as first feared and a scan earlier this week showed that there was no tear but I don't think he'll be risked just yet. That means Dean Coleman will continue between the sticks for while longer and also hope that his good form, now he's been given his chance, carries on.

Altrincham should be at full strength for this game, apart from loan player Liam King who has now returned to Rotherham. There are no suspensions either. They might include former Harrier Jake Sedgemore in the side but at the moment he seems to be out of favour and is expected to leave at the end of the season. Strangely he turned down a loan deal to struggling Worcester City this week in a move that would have seen him getting first team football".

Worcester City confirm that "City manager Richard Dryden had agreed terms on a deal to bring in 30-year-old Altrincham central midfielder Jake Sedgemore on loan till the end of the season but unfortunately the deal fell through at the last minute".

21 TODAY

Pat shares his birthday with two other young players, formerly on Alty's books, Kieran and Kelvin Lugsden. But the Lugsdens are exactly one year older than Pat. So, congratulations to them too. Kieran has reportedly just rejoined Leigh RMI from Glossop NE, where Kelvin is still playing.

FINAL REACHED

SKIPPER'S FUNERAL

GARY STEVEN WRIGHT: Suddenly in hospital on Saturday 22 March 2008 as the result of a tragic accident, Gary, aged 47 years and of Sale. Dearly loved son of Carole and the late Cy, loving brother of Gail and Martin and a loving Uncle to his nieces and nephews, a good and loyal friend to many at the Altrincham Football Club. Funeral service at the Altrincham Crematorium on Monday 7 April at 3pm. Family flowers only please. Donations, if desired, for the benefit of Hope Hospital (cheques payable to Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust) would be gratefully appreciated and may be sent to Kenneth Dewey and Sons (Funeral Directors), 2 Grove Lane, Hale, Altrincham, Cheshire WA15 8JE. Tel: 0161 980 7010

SATURDAY

Altrincham will have the five players (Lynch, Turnbull, Tansey, Roca and Battersby) ineligible for the CSC Final on Tuesday available for selection on Saturday but loan player Liam King has returned to Rotherham United after the completion of a successful loan spell at Moss Lane. The best wishes of all at the Club go with him. Liam made 17 appearances for the Robins.

Meanwhile "In-form Kidderminster Harriers can win stay-away fans back to Aggborough with their sparkling football, according to manager Mark Yates. The red-hot side are brimming with confidence after winning four games in a row over the last week. With attendances averaging just over 1,500 this season, among the club's lowest in the last decade, the manager is well aware that it's up to his side to maintain their winning streak until the end of the campaign in order to attract more fans through the turnstiles. He has also challenged his players to win the final six games of the season, starting with Saturday's Blue Square Premier clash at home to Altrincham" according to the Kidderminster Shuttle. 'We're a good team and we know we've under achieved. There's no one more disappointed than me, my staff and hopefully the players', said the manager. 'All we can do is win the next six games... I want us to get to 77 points and we'll see what happens then. It would take the teams above us to really lose their way so I don't think it will happen... The team is playing with a lot of confidence at the moment and long may it continue', commented Yates... The manager may shake-up his team for Saturday's home clash and could call upon new loan signings Michael Wylde and Jake Moult, who both joined before last Thursday's deadline. Cheltenham defender Wylde, 19, joined as cover for centrebacks Mark Creighton and Gavin Hurren, while Plymouth Argyle utility man Moult, 19, can play anywhere in midfield. Keeper Chris MacKenzie may miss Saturday's game after sustaining a thigh injury in last Thursday's win over Crawley. If so Dean Coleman, who has deputised in the last two games, will stay in the side".

JACK RECOVERS

ASA WANTED

LACK OF CONFIDENCE

Shotton admitted that one eye had always been on Saturday's crucial Blue Square Premier game at Kidderminster Harriers...and Shotton is confident they can get something at Aggborough. He added: "'We did well at home against them and I can't see why we couldn't do it again. We picked up a brilliant point against Torquay on Saturday. We fought all the way, we were strong and we deserved the result in the end. Hopefully we can carry that into the Kidderminster game'"

SAM adds that "The Robins seemed to be cruising when they led 1-0 with 20 minutes to go thanks to Chris Senior's first half strike. But they hadn't accounted for Nantwich supersub Pavol Suhaj. The Slovakian striker caused havoc from the moment he entered the field of play, winning every ball lobbed up towards him, outmuscling the timid Alty defence with his giant frame and out-thinking them with his intelligent running. Suhaj scored twice in in normal time and once in the extra period to complete a stunning hat-trick and if the Robins are looking for a targetman, they could do worse than give the former Crewe player a trial. Alty only survived to force penalties thanks to their own surprise saviour, makeshift striker Ryan Shotton - the only man in red and white to do himself any kind of justice... Nantwich clearly wanted it more than the Robins, playing with passion, heart and no shortage of skill to cause them a string of problems... In the greater scheme of things, it was a defeat that mattered little but victory would have been welcome to lift some of the gloom that surrounds a tiring relegation battle".

BSP NEWS

The Northwich Guardian reports that Northwich Vics "open a new shop in Northwich town centre this week. Fans will be able to buy merchandise, ranging from replica shirts to mugs, car stickers and pin badges all bearing the club's crest. 'It's a step into a new era', said owner Jim Rushe. 'The shop is a further indication of the progress Northwich Victoria have made in recent months and we want to be back in the hearts of both the town and local people'. Vics have been based at their Marston's Arena home since its completion in 2005 and had planned to move [a shop?] into a space under the Danebank Stand when Rushe and his consortium bought the club from then owner Mike Connett at the end of last year. But Rushe sees the benefits of having a visible presence in the town centre... 'We want it to be somewhere that supporters can keep up to date with what is happening', added Rushe. The shop, at 86 Witton Street, will be open Monday to Saturday from 10am until 2pm. Next Monday, April 7, marks the first day of trading".

According to the BBC "Ebbsfleet United defender James Smith has agreed a new contract... The 21-year-old becomes the fourth Fleet player to agree terms for next year following Lance Cronin, Stacey Long and John Akinde".

The BBC confirms that "Kevin Hales has resigned as first-team coach of Rushden and Diamonds. Hales has left Nene Park with immediate effect after failing to agree terms on a new contract for next season. Chairman Keith Cousins told the club website: 'Kevin's current deal with the club expired at the end of this season and he was offered a new deal. Kevin decided to turn the offer down and subsequently resigned. It is important as a football club that we now move on'".

The Cambridge Evening News says that "Cambridge United's bid to bring Leo Fortune-West back for Saturday's trip to Droylsden has fallen through because of red tape. Jimmy Quinn hoped to call the veteran striker back from his loan spell with York... following the loss of Lee McEvilly to an ankle injury. York had no problem letting Fortune-West return to the Abbey and he trained with the squad on Monday. But it was discovered that as his temporary move in January was deemed a long-term loan, and under Conference rules the player could not return to United unless he was to be sold to the Minstermen. If a short-term loan move been agreed between the two clubs, Fortune-West could have been recalled by United any time after an initial 28-day period. Quinn was disappointed... 'We asked about Leo coming back because it would give us another option with a bit of height up front, which might do us good. He has been in and out of it as well at York and Colin (Walker, York boss) didn't have any problem with it. We thought because he was our player we could get him back, but the wording in the agreement meant he had to go back, which is unfortunate'. But if United make it into the play-offs, Fortune-West will be able to return to boost the squad. Despite his search for a big striker, Quinn denied United were one of the two Blue Square Premier clubs that made a move for Histon striker Danny Wright... He said: 'I don't think Histon would let us borrow any of their players, so it was a case of not even asking the question'".

Before the Bloods' excellent draw at St James Park, This is Exeter reported yesterday that "Droylsden boss Dave Pace claims he is nursing a major selection headache ahead of tonight's clash with Exeter City after his strikeforce was ravaged by injury. With Terry Fearns hit by flu, the Bloods have been decimated by injuries to fellow frontmen Steve Daly and Dale Johnson. And with Jamie McGuire, Jamie Tandy, Kevin Lynch and Lee Roche all struggling, the section's rock bottom side are hardly in good shape ahead of tonight's contest. Add into the equation the fact they have played eight games in the last month and all the signs suggest they will struggle to derail the City play-off bandwagon this evening. 'We will just have to do the best we can', said Pace. "I have got major selection issues and at the moment we have got real problems up front. Steve Daly, Dale Johnson and Terry Fearns are all out and that is the not the best situation to be in when you have to go to Exeter City. [Fearns actually started against Exeter]. It is not ideal, that's for sure, but we will take it on the chin and get on with it'... Although his side are doomed to the drop, Pace is clinging on to the fact that his side might be granted a reprieve in the same way that Altrincham have been in the last two seasons. 'Exeter are a class side and they play good football', he said. 'We have just got to finish the season as best we can and you never know. At the end of the day Altrincham have had several reprieves and at Halifax you don't know what is happening with the finances of certain people so we will try and finish as high as we can and see what happens'...

But their three-game unbeaten run came to an abrupt halt on Tuesday when promotion-chasing Torquay United sentenced them to a 2-1 defeat... However, Pace was not impressed by the Gulls' route one brand of football, adding: 'I didn't rate them at all. We played Aldershot last Thursday and they were a far superior side. They don't play a lot of football, it is just back to front stuff and playing off Tim Sills. You could say they had one eye on the Trophy and come up with all sorts of excuses. But seeing we were without five players and had no centre forward I just thought they should have punished us a hell of a lot more. I had a makeshift striker in Adam Dugdale up front and he caused them all sorts of problems... The fact that we have had so many games recently means this one is a bit of a nightmare for us.... We managed to beat Oxford live on Setanta when they were going well, so that is proof that anyone can beat anyone on a given day', he said. 'We are a part-time club in a full-time league but you won't hear me groan about it. We know where we are, it is where we want to be and I would rather get beaten three or four nil by a team of Exeter's calibre than be top of Conference North'".

The Argus says that "Crawley manager Steve Evans has dismissed suggestions he is involved in the club takeover but admits he did persuade investors to join the consortium. Speculation has linked Evans to the Lincolnshire-based company Prospect Estates Holdings Limited who bought Reds this week along with former owner John Duly. Local hairdresser Phil Jarman and businessman Tom Scott have been named as part of the consortium but Crawley are yet to reveal the identities of the other investors. The company was only officially registered on Tuesday and shares its address with Boston United Football Club Business Promotions Limited. Evans had two spells over nine-years in charge of Boston United, where he was strongly rumoured to be involved in the running of the club along with money-men Jon Sotnick, Jim Rodwell and Michael Chinn. Evans said: 'It is suggested because the newly formed company, who only have a portion of the ownership, was formed by an accountants in Boston, Lincolnshire. I can understand where people are coming from but it's no one who has been involved at Boston. It's no Sotnick, it's no Chin, it's no Rodwell, it's nothing to do with the company who owned Boston. But people can jump to whatever conclusions they want, I've been used to that in the last five or six years. I'm not involved. People don't believe me when I keep saying I've got no money to be involved. But at the end of the day I have helped convince some people to join the consortium. They have asked me my opinion and I believe Crawley is a great opportunity. Between Brighton and Crystal Palace there is no other club at Football League level and it is crying out for it'.

He said: 'It is not the consortium which was around at the top of the year who we all thought was going to take control. They didn't complete and when it looked like they weren't going to and the club was going to be in a bit of limbo, I understand these new boys came in. It is great new for the club. People like the Jarmans and the Dulys will back us and it will give us stability at a time when we really need it... (Former owners) The SA Group have gone and to be fair they have left us in a reasonable state, they have not left us penniless. The new owners are willing to invest some money but it's not going to be fortunes that people associate with takeovers. There is no Roman Abromovich, no shining white knight but there are a lot of people who work hard for their money and if they do invest they want to make sure they get a good return'.

Evans says the new owners have already wielded their power over him following Crawley's Sussex Senior Cup semi-final on Tuesday. Evans named a strong side in a 1-0 win over Eastbourne Borough, having previously said he would name a weakened team because he does not care about the competition. Evans said: 'I was intending to play the kids from the start but one or two of the new owners made the decision that for the sake of the fans and especially John Duly, who is back at the club, they would like us to get through to the final. They left the decision to me but we all have bosses and when they tell you to do something you have to do it, don't you?'. Winger Kevin James has joined Blue Square south play-off contenders Eastleigh following his release from Crawley. James quit Broadfield Stadium last week after he was allegedly a target of racist abuse from Reds fans during a game".

"New Crawley Town consortium member Phil Jarman has promised fans they will be a force for positive change. The hairdresser has been a Crawley fan for 20 years and he told BBC Southern Counties Radio: 'There are a lot of fans out there who will be sceptical. We can understand that. But I can't stress this enough, this is a positive thing for the club... it will be good to get the stay-away fans to come back again'. Jarman is joined by former owner John Duly on the new board, alongside some as yet unnamed other investors. 'I don't think John Duly [who sold to the Majeeds] would have come on board if there was anything untoward going on', added Jarman. 'He's a very clever man, a good businessman and a true Crawley Town fan too'. The controversial reign of former owners the Majeeds is now over and Jarman says the new regime must learn from the past. 'The new board has got to be open. We really want to be a community club too... Hopefully the future is looking bright for Crawley Town football club'".

FREDDIE PYE

As Terry Rowley in his Altrincham A/Z wrote, Freddie Pye was a "Flamboyant individual appointed manager by Noel White and Peter Swales in the belief that he could create the championship winning side they so desired. It could be said that Pye was the man responsible for finally putting Altrincham AFC on the national football map. Fred was appointed manager in April 1963, after a successful playing career, most notably with Hyde United and after management experience with Nantile Vale, Pwllhelli and latterly Stalybridge Celtic. He held the manager's post until February 1969 when he moved up to become a director and general manager of the club, though he held the post again in a temporary capacity in August 1969 and again in September 1970. During nearly 6 years in charge he built his and the clubs reputation as a force in non-league circles, taking Altrincham to back-to-back championships in 1965/66 & 66/67 (followed by 2nd place in 1967/68) and Cheshire Senior Cup and League Cup victories as well as FA Cup ties against Wrexham, Scunthorpe and Wolves".

After leaving Altrincham Freddie Pye was Honorary President and Chairman at Stockport County. He was a colourful character both inside and outside football where he built up a very successful scrap-metal business which allowed him to drive a Rolls Royce. A fuller biography of Freddie can be found in Terry Rowley's Legends profile; part two of the profile is here.

KIDDY CONFIDENT

The Kidderminster Shuttle reports under the headline "Four-midable Harriers aiming to shoot down Altrincham" that "Kidderminster's recent form has been more like that of a promotion chaser than a mid-table side with little to play for; their four straight victories...At home to struggling Altrincham, Mark Yates' men should make it five wins in five and the bookies concur... Only four teams in Blue Square Premier have accrued fewer points on the road than the Robins and their away day difficulties perhaps point towards a relatively straightforward Harriers triumph".

The same paper says that "Red-hot Harriers' hitman Iyseden Christie believes his impressive goal-scoring form isn't as important as the team's all round performances. Christie made it 14 goals in all competitions on Tuesday night when he opened the scoring for Harriers in the 2-1 victory over Ebbsfleet United. The forward has hit top form in recent weeks, scoring eight goals in as many games and believes playing alongside Darryl Knights and Matthew Barnes-Homer has been one of the main reasons why Harriers have carved out a four-game winning run in the Blue Square Premier. 'I think the performance level has been upped in the last seven or eight games', said Christie. 'Our performances were good during the whole of March and the boys are on top form. The formation has been a massive help. Obviously Darryl is up with me and Matt and it has created a lot more space'... Harriers' potency in front of goal has also been matched by a new solidity in defence, which has seen the team only concede six goals in the last nine games. Despite feeling the effects of playing their fifth game in 11 days on Tuesday, the Aggborough side produced a gritty performance in defence to keep Ebbsfleet at bay... Harriers have little time to rest before Saturday's home league clash against Altrincham at Aggborough. 'I could do with a little bit of a rest now, if Saturday's game was called off it would be brilliant', joked the striker. 'Obviously when you're winning you want to keep playing and me and the boys are no different. It would be good to get another win on Saturday. They beat us at their place so we want to rectify that. I think they'll come here and try not to get beat, so we have to break them down and continue what we have been doing in the last four or five games'".

The referee for Alty's game on Saturday at Kidderminster is Mr S. Creighton. Next Tuesday at Burton the referee is Jock Waugh whose Altrincham matches include:

QUIZ NIGHT OFF

CSC FINAL

Right: Joe O'Neill in action against Nantwich in the CSC Final on Tuesday - as pictured by Gavin Rathbone whose GR Photography site has more.

Match report here.

The Crewe Chronicle says that "Nantwich Town defied the odds to lift the Cheshire Senior Cup on Tuesday night. The Dabbers lifted the trophy for the third time in 110 attempts with a stunning victory over the Blue Square Premier [side] at Witton Albion. Pavol Suhaj scored a hat-trick as the game went into extra time, but the sides could not be separated and spot kicks were needed. Keeper Lee Jones made a heroic save and Andy Kinsey, Ashley Carter, Richard Smith, Nick Linford and Danny Griggs made no mistake. Boss Steve Davis said: 'That is the first piece of silverware we have brought to the Weaver Stadium since it opened and I’m very proud to have been a part of the achievement'".

BSP NEWS

The winner will be announced before kick-off during the coverage of Stevenage Borough v Exeter City on Saturday 5th April (live on Setanta) - voting closes at 3pm that day".

"Forest Green manager Jim Harvey has told BBC Radio Gloucestershire he is surprised that more fans in the Stroud valleys are not backing his team. Less than 1,000 watched Monday's 3-1 home win over Burton, which left Rovers six points off the play-off places. 'It was a very good performance and the goals were excellent, but the one disappointment was the crowd', he said. 'Despite the football that we are producing, we don't seem to be able to get the locals to catch on'. He added: 'I think the players deserve more support... We had four players unavailable but the lads in the midfield - Lawless, Brough, Pitman and Clist - got the ball down well and that enabled Adriano (Rigoglioso) and Les (Afful) to do some damage... We've got six games left and to make the play-offs will be tough for us. We are capable of getting results in all the games, but it will depend on how the other teams do. There can be some very funny results with so much pressure'".

The BBC says that "Salisbury midfielder Danny Clay will stay on loan at Blue Square South side Dorchester until the end of the season. This follows Monday's announcement that Salisbury striker Nick Eastham would be extending his loan at the Magpies... Whites midfielder Ian Herring, 24, has also extended his loan period at Blue Square South side Weston-super-Mare for the rest of the season".

FAREWELL TO 'THE SKIPPER'

ALTY LOSE SENIOR CUP

Match report here.

RESULTS

Monday 31st March

Tuesday 1st April

BSP NEWS

A statement was issued by Altrincham yesterday... United chairman Alex Rowe welcomed the statement and said: 'I will wait until I receive the letter [from Altrincham] and we have completed our own discussions about what went on before making an official comment'".

The BBC says that "Northwich Victoria boss Dino Maamria has been named the Blue Square Premier manager of the month for March... after guiding the Vics to a seven-match unbeaten run which has given them a chance of staying up".

"Exeter City Supporters' Trust has increased its funding of the club by 8% to £65,000 for the 2008-09 season. The trust, which became the majority shareholder of the club in 2003, is also anticipating putting in £75,600 in 2009-10 and £78,000 in 2010-11. It means the trust will have paid over £850,000 to City since it formed. 'If the Trust had not provided significant financial support in recent years, Exeter City might not exist today', said treasurer Nigel Banks. On top of the cash contribution the trust is also looking to repay £20,000 to fans who lent it money when it bought its majority shareholding in 2003" reports the BBC.

The Argus reports that "Crawley manager Steve Evans is facing four FA charges after being hit with three new counts of improper conduct. Evans has until April 9 to respond to a charge related to his behaviour during a Blue Square Premier Division game at Northwich Victoria three weeks ago. He has been handed two further charges after he was sent to the stands twice in three days at Burton and against Aldershot over the Easter weekend. He has until April 11 to respond to those charges. Evans is also waiting for a date of a personal hearing at the FA after admitting a charge of improper conduct for comments made in the post match interview following a game against Woking in January. The Reds boss was fined £500 earlier in the season for improper conduct during a game against Altrincham".

the Crawley Observer says that "John Duly and local hairdresser Phil Jarman have been named as part of the consortium taking over Crawley Town - as exclusively predicted by the Crawley Observer last week. The SA Group has sold its controlling interest in the club to Prospect Estates Holdings Limited and former club owner Mr John Duly. Chairman Victor Marley has confirmed a new board of directors have been put in place. The appointments will include Marley, John Duly, Phil Jarman and Tom Scott, while it is expected that a number of further appointments will be made within a short timescale. Marley said: 'It is an exciting time for everyone at Crawley Town Football Club. The newly formed board of directors, once finalised, offer local businessman who have a real desire to take this Football Club forward [not sure what this means?]. It leaves me now to thank and acknowledge the SA Group [Majeeds] for all they have done for Crawley Town Football Club'. Marley will meet with his new directors on Friday, and put in place a strategy for the immediate future, including a press conference, meetings with Crawley Borough Council and the Football Conference respectively".

The Observer adds that "The company taking over Reds [is] based in Boston... The company that has taken over Crawley Town are Boston-based Prospect Estates Holdings Ltd. The Lincolnshire firm, officially registered only today, now control the Reds' purse strings. Manager Steve Evans has firm links with Boston after guiding them to the conference title in 2002. Speculation had linked both Evans and other Boston money-men Jon Sotnick to the buy-out deal, a claim strenuously denied by the Crawley manager and the club".

Crawley Town itself adds that "Crawley Town Football Club can confirm that it has been sold to new owners. The SA Group has sold its controlling interest in the club to Prospect Estates Holdings Limited and former club owner Mr John Duly. Chairman Victor Marley has confirmed a new board of directors have been put in place. The appointments will include Marley, John Duly, Phil Jarman and Tom Scott, while it is expected that a number of further appointments will be made within a short timescale".

Bullsnews According to Farsley Today "Farsley Celtic are hoping the path to the Football League will open up for them tomorrow when Throstle Nest is re-graded by the football authorities. Farsley have carried out essential work at their ground and are confident they will receive an A Grade from the Football Association's ground grading committee... Chairman, Andy Firbank, said: 'We have done the work we needed to do, we have put in extra turnstiles, done some Tarmacing and a few other bits and we are not expecting any issues with the ground grading. That should get us the A Grade, which would be suitable for League Two for instance, and that obviously fits in with our plans of continuing to move forward. As I have said before, we believe there is room in Leeds for two Football League clubs and we fully intend to be that second club. We are confident from a ground view nothing is going to stop us'. And Celtic haven't given up hope of a more complete overhaul of Throstle Nest, despite the planning setback 12 days ago.

They were hoping to sell off the old cricket pitch at Throstle Nest to Bellway Homes – who proposed to build 26 houses and 31 apartments on the site – and use the funds generated to redevelop the main stand and clubhouse and improve car parking.... Firbank said: 'What they [the Council] are saying is they are quite happy to work with the club to get the right development on the site that benefits all parties, but we have been doing that for the last four-and-a-half years... Every time they have asked us to jump we have jumped that bit higher... But if we have to re-submit then that's what we will do'".

"Halifax Town have recalled striker Darryn Stamp from his loan spell at rivals Northwich Victoria" confirms the Halifax Courier. "Boss Chris Wilder has made the move to bolster his strikeforce because all three frontmen at the club - Jon Shaw, Andy Campbell and Nathan Joynes - have missed games in the past couple of weeks".

NL Daily reports that "Grays Athletic chairman Mick Woodward has said he intends to continue as the Blue Square Premier club's manager... He said: 'If the results had been a little bit iffy and I couldn''t get the desire out of the players I would have really had to look in the mirror. But as someone's said to me just recently, no-one's seen that desire in a Grays shirt for a long time'. Woodward (pictured) took over the managerial duties at the New Recreation Ground following the departure of Justin Edinburgh in February, since when the side has lost just once in eight games... He said: 'I'm not going to take the credit for this, my backroom staff have been absolutely outstanding. I'll manage the people, and they'll coach them to the ability I know they can coach them. Maybe I'm a little bit exuberant on the pitch, but that's my desire and that's how I want my players to be... Next season with the likes of Danny Kedwell, Jeff Goulding and other people in the side, watch out. I'm not saying we're going to win it next year, but we'll be a force to be reckoned with'".

TONIGHT

NEW BOY

Right: Gavin Rathbone captures Alty's Paul Turnbull getting to grips with Torquay midfielder Chris Hargreaves. Visit the GR Photography website for more excellent photos.

TRAVEL PROBLEM

YOUTH CHANGES

SUMMER SCHOOL

SATURDAY AFTERMATH

But yes, the game - let's get back to that!.... [In the first half,] the only real danger from Altrincham, who started with Little on his own up front in a 4-5-1 formation, came from long balls over the top which either skidded off the greasy turf or held up in the surface water which eventually gathered in one half... United took charge early in the second half... Hill... finished with as cool a lob-volley from 12 yards as you could wish to see. Tinson got the final touch into the roof of the net, but the ball was going in any way, 1-0. Heathcote promptly made an attacking change - Joe O'Neill for Lynch - and reshuffled his formation to 4-4-2. O'Neill had done well as a substitute in the 1-1 draw at Plainmoor last month, and he was to do so again... O'Neill beat Mark Ellis on United's left, crossed low, Todd appeared to block a first shot, but the ball fell into the path of Little, who scored from just beyond the penalty spot...

Above: Before last Saturday's game, Alty boss Graham Heathcote welcomes the visitors from Benchill Celtic JFC, who were at Moss Lane as the club's guests under their Featured Club Scheme.

"Gulls' boss Paul Buckle said: 'I was pleased with the performance. I felt we dominated the game. What was it - 18 corners to us? In some ways, it was the same in the game against them at our place... I thought 1-0 would be enough in the second half'.... Altrincham manager Graham Heathcote declined to comment on the after-match scenes and said briefly: 'We competed with a very good team - simple as that'".

"Torquay United's chief executive Colin Lee could take action against Altrincham manager Graham Heathcote after the extraordinary touchline scenes which followed Saturday's 1-1 Blue Square Premier draw at Moss Lane. Heathcote appeared to lunge at Lee in the angry scrum which developed on the touchline after the final whistle. Spectators looked on in astonishment as players from both sides and Altrincham stewards tried to separate the warring factions. Both clubs are almost certain to face a Football League [i.e. FA] inquiry in the incident. But Lee, who watched the game from the directors' box, said last night: 'I went down to try and defuse the situation because I could see it escalating. Without going into too much detail, their manager tried to punch me. I have to consider my actions now. Neither I nor Torquay United want to be involved in that sort of situation. It was avoidable. I told him (Heathcote) to grow up and get into the dressing-room. I never threw a punch. I didn't go down there for that. It was an embarrassing situation created by an opposition manager'. Lee added: 'Paul (United manager Paul Buckle) was trying to get away, saying "Let's go and thank the fans for coming". The referee will have no choice but to report the incident, but I have to say that I believe our management staff were in control of themselves throughout'.

Buckle said later: 'There was obviously a scuffle. It was a passionate game, but we don't want to see that'. Heathcote commented: "'Maybe they (Torquay) think we should just lie down, but the game's there for both sides. Some teams think it's just about them because they are at the top of the league'... And, with West Midlands referee Andy Hendley, his assistants and the referee's assessor all on hand to give evidence, both clubs could end up on the FA's Solo [Soho] Square carpet... One player who wasn't involved at Altrincham was United's leading scorer Tim Sills, who stayed at home in Torquay because his wife Hannah has just given birth to a baby boy".

OLD BOY

BSP NEWS

And "Crawley boss Steve Evans says the proposed club takeover will be completed this week. Reds announced last week that an unnamed consortium had finalised the details of the purchase and were set to tie up the deal by the end of the season. Evans said: 'The new owners have done their due diligence and people can now wait for the big announcement in days rather than weeks I believe. I think people will be pleased with some of the people on the consortium, they have the real interest of Crawley at heart'... Evans has confirmed that Crawley's players were forced to travel to a recent game by car because the club failed to pay a bill to the company who drove the team bus. Evans originally claimed there was a 'mechanical fault' with the coach after Reds drove themselves to an away day at Altrincham. It has since been revealed that coach firm, D&K coaches, refused to take the team because the club owed around £13,000. Evans said: 'When I arrived at the ground the coach was there and it was said it was not going and we had problems. I assumed we had mechanical problems. I know there was a meeting where the amount owed was agreed. It was significantly less than £13,000, we must travel by first class British Airways for it to be £13,000. I wrongfully thought that when they said there was a problem it was a mechanical problem, I didn't think we hadn't paid the bus company so I apologise if anyone thought they were misled'".

Before Monday's game, the Burton Mail said that "Albion have the chance to take their play-off push to a new peak tonight. Victory over Forest Green Rovers... will lift Albion to a best-ever second place in the table". Alty travel to Burton next Tuesday... Manager Nigel Clough said last night: 'All along, we've be looking at finishing fifth in the table as the bottom line. To now have the chance to go second with seven games remaining is a huge incentive for us to go and put on a show at Forest Green in front of the TV cameras'... Clough said: 'It's going to be very tight, but we're hoping to avoid the scramble for points in the last couple of weeks of the season'". Burton lost 3-1.

The Cambridge Evening News says that "As Cambridge United's bogey teams go, Kidderminster take some beating. Anyone looking at the omens - only one win over Harriers in 13 previous attempts and that almost half a century ago - would have feared the worst before kick off... United had only themselves to blame on Saturday for slumping to a worrying fourth defeat in six games. There is no doubt the scoreline flattered the visitors, who were under the cosh for much of the second half... against a Harriers side on a high after spanking Crawley 4-0 away just 36 hours before the Abbey clash". Alty travel to Kidderminster next Saturday.

Farsley Today says that "Farsley Celtic chairman Andy Firbank has vowed to fight on after seeing his club's application to sell off a section of land for housing which would in turn have provided capital to upgrade facilities at Throstle Nest rejected. Leeds City Council stressed there was 'still hope' for a revised scheme to get the go-ahead after turning down the plan last week... He said: 'All we seem to do at Farsley Celtic is jump over obstacles people put in our way. This is just another hurdle and we are very determined we won't allow this decision to overrule the belief that this is the right thing for the football club and for sport in west Leeds... Some £100,000 of the money was going to develop football pitches in Calverley, and more was going to develop the community sports centre on our land and to provide all-weather pitches which would have been available for community use. Farsley Celtic are not the only losers in this. But we will be meeting our partners in this scheme, Bellway Homes, tomorrow and we will fight on'. It is believed Celtic would receive £1.36m from Bellway Homes for the sale of a section of their land which is an old cricket pitch. Bellway proposed to build 26 houses and 31 apartments on the site in a move which would have financed the redevelopment of the main stand at Throstle Nest, the club house, car park and outer pitches which are used by some 300 junior players. Last month the Leeds West Plans Panel said the proposal to build the homes on a greenfield site was contrary to council policy, the design was poor and it was minded to refuse it".

According to the Halifax Courier "Town are bracing themselves for a massive run of three home games in six days as they fight for their Blue Square Premier futures. The Shaymen dropped into the bottom four after suffering a fourth successive league defeat since entering administration when they lost 1-0 at Exeter City on Saturday... And, after playing four matches in eight days, they have a full week to prepare for the first of the games at the weekend. 'The players will look at the table and it will hurt', said boss Chris Wilder. 'I think the schedule we have had to put up with has been an absolute disgrace. I could see players out there at Exeter who had given their all and were dying on their feet. There were players out there who had played another full game on top of 90 minutes on Thursday. They are giving their commitment to the football club - everyone is giving it their bundle... We will benefit from the week off... We are not a side that is hanging off our own crossbar - we are creating chances. I still think there is plenty of life in us'... Town are set to bring back striker Darryn Stamp from his loan spell at Northwich Victoria. 'We are going to look to recall Darryn this week', confirmed Wilder after the game at St James's Park. The big striker has made six appearances for the Vics, scoring three goals. And during his time at the club they have won four games and drawn the other two".

The Kidderminster Shuttle says that "Matthew Barnes-Homer's brace ensured Harriers recorded their first back-to-back wins in the Blue Square Premier this season as they got the better of Cambridge United on Saturday... The result was even more impressive as this was Harriers' fourth game in seven days... Rookie goalkeeper Dean Coleman was handed his first league start in six months after first choice shot-stopper Chris MacKenzie suffered a thigh tear on Thursday. Right-back Paul Bignot replaced the experienced Jeff Kenna, which meant striker Darryl Knights started against his former side... Yates brought on Brian Smikle and Andy Ferrell to freshen up his tiring side and it had a profound effect on the game".

The Morthants Evening Telegraph says that "Charles Ademeno's loan spell at Rushden & Diamonds has ended early. The 19-year-old striker was recalled by Southend United following Diamonds' goalless draw against Droylsden at Nene Park on Saturday."

From This is Weymouth we learn that Terras' "boss John Hollins was lost for words after his side's 4-2 defeat at fellow strugglers Farsley Celtic on Saturday. The Terras took the lead twice... but ended up throwing away the three points with some lacklustre defending. Hollins said: 'Words can't express how disappointed we are. We should have won by six or seven. We went 1-0 up and 2-1 up, we also hit a post through James Coutts, missed three or four one-on-ones and should have had a penalty when Tony Bedeau got a whack when he was just about to score. It was unbelievable really and after the game people kept saying how they could not believe we did not win but now we must put that behind us and move on to the next game... Our marking for their four goals was poor. Sometimes you can get away with it but today Farsley took their chances and punished us'... Hollins has been rocked by Torquay's request for Bedeau to return to Plainmoor. He said: 'It is disappointing that Tony has been called back but there is not much we can do about it... Stuart Beavon came on towards the end and he should be back to full fitness for next Saturday'".

"Stafford Rangers have released a trio of players with Matt Hazley, Keenan Meakin-Richards and Courtney Shaw all leaving the club".

Rushden & Diamonds say that "Following discussions between Rushden & Diamonds and Aldershot Town last week the Club have managed to secure free entry for Diamonds fans at the Setanta Shield Final as a way of saying thank you for the brilliant support the Club has received throughout the course of the season, and particularly throughout the previous rounds in the Setanta Shield. To obtain free entry, fans simply have to come to the Rushden & Diamonds Club Shop... They will then be given a voucher... There will be no free admission on the night at Aldershot without the relevant Rushden & Diamonds voucher. Those who do not have a voucher on the night will be charged £10 Adults, & £5 Concessions. Manager Garry Hill commented 'We hope as many Rushden & Diamonds fans as possible can make the journey to Aldershot to get behind the team in the first National Cup Final in the Club's history".

At Kidderminster Harriers "Mark Yates insists that his side want to go out and win their remaining seven league fixtures after amassing three straight victories... [He] remained adamant that winning games is their number one aim between now and April 26. 'We're learning the art of defending and soaking up pressure as well as creating chances at the other end. We've just got to carry that on until the end of the season. Goals change the course of games and we're decent when we've got a lead'... Young goalkeeper Dean Coleman put in a solid performance between the sticks for Harriers in the absence of Chris MacKenzie through injury. Yates was full of praise for the former Walsall stopper's effort; and admitted that even though there's still hope MacKenzie will recovery from his injury with scan results due tomorrow, the chance to impress is all Coleman's".

Exeter City have published full details of their matchday income for every match this season. They took £23,000 for Altrincham's visit.

Ebbsfleet United report that "Setanta Sports has selected the Fleet's April 10th fixture at The Shay for live viewing, making it the fifth time this season that Liam Daish's side will play in front of the TV cameras". Meanwhile Burton Albion's "home game against fellow play-off rivals Stevenage Borough has been moved to Friday 18th April with a 7.45pm kick off with the game to be shown live on Setanta Sports".