Above, during the first half, Robbie Williams outjumps everyone to head towards goal. Gary Silk (Mansfield no.4) scurries back and, moments later, heads the ball off the line with the keeper in no man's land.

After Saturday's game, Mansfield Town report that "Merciless Mansfield surged to the summit of the table, sweeping aside a hapless Altrincham side... The win was no less than Stags deserved after enjoying total domination against their struggling hosts... as Mansfield recorded back-to-back wins for the first time in 11 months. Altrincham looked short on confidence throughout the contest, reflecting their rock-bottom league position...

Gary Mills prevented Altrincham from reducing the deficit on 21 minutes, clearing off the line from a Rob Williams header after Alty had won a free kick mid-way inside the Stags' half...

Altrincham had the perfect chance to pull a goal back just 38 seconds after the restart, but Damian Reeves placed his shot wide from inside the area after a Ryan Brown assist from the left... James McCarthy hit a rasping shot at goal but was denied by the fingertips of Alan Marriott. It was a rare highlight in a game in which the home side were second best throughout... a peerless Stags' display".

Monday, 30 August

Before Saturday's game This is Nottingham reports that "David Holdsworth has warned his players they must come down quickly from the high of Saturday's win over Cambridge United and steel themselves for a testing Bank Holiday encounter at Altrincham...

Holdsworth remembers last season's fiery clash, when Mansfield won 2-1 after Altrincham had two players sent off. And he expects the Robins to push his side all the way again. 'Graham Heathcote's teams are always well prepared and tough to beat and I'm sure nothing will be different this time. But that's nothing to be scared of. It's up to us to do the right things and play our own game... We were victors there last year and I expect a tough battle. We have done our homework on them as best we can'...

Meanwhile, "Keigan Parker... against Cambridge... netted a 62nd minute penalty... Parker insisted he had no hesitation in taking the spot kick, despite missing one in Mansfield's second game of the season against Fleetwood... 'The gaffer let me stay on the penalties and I stepped up with a bit of pressure on me'". Parker netted twice at Moss Lane; one of them a penalty.

YORK'S VIEW

OLD BOYS

OLD FOES

ALTRINCHAM 0 MANSFIELD TOWN 4

Reeves almost made it 2-1 in the first minute of the second half but after the first 10 or 15 minutes of the half the impetus went and the game drifted uneventfully. But in the closing stages Parker made in 3-0 with a tap in from Medley's cross (81 mins). Then in the third minute of added time, Parker got past Danylyk to the right by-line where the Alty midfielder brought him down to concede a penalty. Parker himself made it 4-0 from the spot to send Mansfield to the top of the table.

UPDATES

Alty should have new signing, striker James McCarthy, available after suspension. Four players were out of the side at York through varying degrees of injury; Lawton, Doughty, Clee and Denham - with the latter two the most likely of the quartet to play against Mansfield.

BALLOON GOES UP AT ALTY

BANK HOLIDAY TREAT

All the following are 3pm kick-offs except where shown.

Right: Marc Joseph and Robbie Williams in the thick of it at York last Saturday, as Matty Crowell awaits the outcome.

TASC MINUTES

BSBP NEWS

Meanwhile, "Kidderminster Harriers' manager Steve Burr has hailed the efforts of Tom Shaw in standing in for Lee Vaughan at right-back. Vaughan, a summer signing from AFC Telford United, has had to sit out the first four matches of the season through a suspension carried over from last season. Shaw has been an excellent replacement but Vaughan’s return will allow the ex-Tamworth man to bolster the midfield".

Last week Crawley Town signed Ben Wright who had been on loan at Hayes & Yeading United from Peterborough. In return Crawley offered Hayes loan players. From Blue Square Football we learn that "Hayes & Yeading have clinched the services of striker Michael Malcolm on a loan agreement from rivals Crawley Town. The ex-Stockport County frontman joins United on a short term deal... 24-year-old Malcolm signed a new contract with the Red Devils at the start of July and can count also count Kettering Town, Rushden & Diamonds and Weymouth amongst his former clubs. Hayes & Yeading boss Garry Haylock told the Uxbridge Gazette: 'Ben (Wright) was just one player in our squad and we will just have to cope without him'".

Welsh Premier tells us that "Wrexham loan duo Leon Clowes and Nick Rushton will boost Airbus manager Craig Harrison's squad for the home game with Aberystwyth on Saturday. Central defender Clowes has now completed a four-match ban incurred with the Dragons, while striker Rushton is a new addition on a six-month deal".

Still at Wrexham we learn that "There was an obvious sense of relief all round the ground following our 95th minute equaliser against Barrow and that was refelected in Dean Saunders's post match comments. 'It was nothing more we deserved', said the boss. 'It could have been the most one-sided game I have ever been involved with! I had a stats man counting for us, and he recorded 37 balls played into their box, 16 corners and 21 crosses... Even on the final whistle it's an obvious penalty, as the referee blew so he didn't have to make a decision. At the end we have come away with a point and yet it feels a bit like we have won... I actually felt more pleased for the fans than myself when the goal went in, because they were trying to stay behind us, even though they were frustrated'".

According to Luton Town "Boss Richard Money hopes his side can bounce back to winning ways at home to Hayes and Yeading United on Bank Holiday Monday at Kenilworth Road following Saturday's disappointing defeat at Tamworth... But Money isn't expecting a repeat of last season's 8-0 hammering his team dished out to United last March.

'I'm really expecting nothing other than a difficult match', Money said. 'It is tough every time we take to the pitch and anyone who thinks differently is living in cloud cuckoo land'... Money revealed his frustration at the number of fixtures the Conference have crammed into the first three weeks of the campaign... He believes their schedule has been far too hectic. 'We look a tired group of players on Saturday, we've put a lot into the five first games and we've got another one', he said. 'Six games in 16 games, who thought that one up? He must be Einstein. We started a week late. Can anybody tell me why that was? Why didn't we start the same time as the Football League? Then they ask you to play six games in sixteen days. They're human beings, not robots'". If Luton's players are tired, think how our part-timers feel after the same number of games and full-time work!

YORK'S VERDICT

Despite languishing at the bottom of the table with one point from their opening four games it was Altrincham who started the brighter. After only five minutes Michael Ingham was pressed into action as he tipped wide Matty Crowell’s ambitious 40 yard dipping effort with a superb save. If that wasn’t an early warning then two Robbie Williams headers certainly gave City cause for concern as Ingham twice denied the defender...

The Minstermen carried on their dominance at the start of the second half... Ten minutes after coming on Rankine struck the opening goal with an unstoppable effort across Coburn... Straight from kick off Altrincham almost levelled the score but Ingham was to the rescue once again to tip over Shaun Densmore’s mis-hit cross from the right.

Four minutes after the opening goal City had the chance to wrap up the game from the penalty spot as Brodie was brought down in the area by Marc Joseph who was unaware that the striker was behind him. Last season’s top scorer dusted himself down and calmly sent Coburn the wrong way from the spot to give City a two goal advantage".

This site's match report is here.

FANS' FORUM

NEW RECRUITS

Altrincham FC "New Recruits" evenings are always entertaining and popular events. The event is compered by Graham Heathcote. Players Danny Holmes, Marc Joseph and Matty Crowell, who have joined or re-joined Alty in 2010-11, are the guests, for a hot meal in the Manchester Glass Sponsors' Lounge, along with supporters. The meal is provided by Richie Bentley, the club's excellent official caterer. After the meal, Graham leads a question and answer session which is often very revealing and invariably humorous.

Alty vice-chairman Grahame Rowley writes,"For those who have come to a previous New Recruits event I don't have to tell you what a good evening's entertainment they are. For those who haven't been to one - shame on you - you've missed some cracking nights!!! We hope to have at least 3 of our new recruits in attendance along with our Master of Ceremonies, Graham Heathcote".

The event is on September 4th, after the Kidderminster game at Moss Lane, and the cost is just £15 per person - please e-mail or ring 0161 928-1045 if you wish to attend. The event starts at 7pm in the bar with the New Recruits itself beginning at 7.30pm.

Danny joined us from Burton Albion via Ilkeston, Marc was with Rotherham United and a number of other league clubs whilst Matty has returned to Moss Lane after a spell in Australia. So there is a wide range of backgrounds on which the players can draw.

REDUCED PRICE ENTRY

APPRENTICESHIP SCHEME

New and Exciting Apprenticeship Schemes at Altrincham Football Club!

Altrincham Football Club is about to launch two exciting new programmes which will allow it to employ up to 40 full time sport apprentices during the current season.

The club in partnership with the Sport For All Programme(SAP) have sourced matched funding that will help develop and educate young people in a variety of sports and at the same time provide a core base of sporting qualifications.

The scheme is open to both male and females who are aged between 16-24 years old and they can choose between two programmes both of which will be based at the Football Club;

The Football Education Programme is for any young footballer who is looking for an opportunity to develop over a season to work, initially, towards a standard for semi-professional football. It is ideal for any late developers or young players who have been at professional clubs but have missed out on being given a scholarship. It will allow the young apprentice to work over a season to further develop their football skills and abilities through a programme of training sessions and matches against both professional and semi-professional youth teams. The programme will be led by qualified former professional footballers and Altrincham manager Graham Heathcote.

The Sport For All Programme is a programme for any young person who wants to develop towards a range of multi-sporting qualifications. It is a chance to learn new skills for a range of different sports and fitness training techniques and will allow participants to work over a period of up to 40 weeks to further develop their sports skills and abilities through a schedule of training programmes.

Each programme will allow students to increase their education by working towards their NVQ Level 2 followed by NVQ Level 3 in Sport Recreation and First Aid and Child Welfare qualifications.

All the apprentices will be paid a weekly wage and will combine their professional coaching and education over a three-day week.

Graham Heathcote is excited about the schemes stating, 'It is an excellent opportunity for a club like ours to run both projects. The Football Education Programme allows us to try to train and develop young footballers and give them an insight into the level to aspire to and I am really looking forward to attending the training sessions and having an input. The Sport for All Programme will help youngsters develop and learn new skills in various sports, whilst working towards sporting qualifications. We recognise that we are a sporting focal point for our community and as such we are delighted to give the young people of Altrincham a positive opportunity'”.

The club will be holding an enrolment day at their Moss Lane Ground on Monday 6th September between the hours of 12.00noon – 1.00pm and 6pm – 7pm. To book in please call 07817-914622 or e-mail.

There are only limited places available on each course, so please make contact as soon as possible".

ALTY WALLETS

"I have a new batch of the Alty wallets (see picture) available. These will be on sale in club shop at Monday's game with Mansfield Town at Moss Lane. The wallets hold cards, cash and have a compartment for change and are priced at only £6.00. All proceeds go to Altrincham FC".

OLD BOYS

Winsford United announce that "One of the North-West's most prolific strikers over the past few years has agreed to join Winsford. Carl Furlong has been a much sought-after striker for a long time and has played for clubs such as TNS, Altrincham. Leigh RMI and Cammell Laird. Although 34-year-old Liverpool-Based Carl has now reached the veteran stage, he still has much to offer in the way of ability and experience".

BSBP NEWS

YORK CITY 3 ALTRINCHAM 0

Right: A York freekick hits the Alty bar in the first half at Bootham Crescent.

URGENT - YORK GAME

Prices for this trip are exceptionally good value (see below) and if you can possibly travel by coach tomorrow, then I would urge you to do so. Tom Jacobs has done an outstanding job setting up the coach travel this season, however TASC are unable to subsidise Supporters' Travel going forward and a significant loss at this stage will mean that we will need to review whether organised travel is viable for every game this season.

If you can go, please either contact me by e-mail or by phone (07860 561011). Thanks".

Full details of times and fares are on the Away Travel page.

SATURDAY GAME

The referee on Saturday is Mr R. M. Clark (at York) and on Monday it is Mr P.C. Wright. Mr Wright did the Alty v Histon game at Moss Lane, last season.

The York Press reports that "Late goals have been the scourge of Altrincham this season... Goals conceded by the Robins in the last ten minutes of matches have already lost them six points – after smash and grabs from Darlington (a last minute Tommy Wright goal in a 2-2 draw) and Luton Town (Matthew Barnes-Homer two minutes from time in a 2-1 opening day defeat). Alty have also lost 1-0 to Crawley in the meantime so, like York, are still waiting to pick up their first three point haul of the campaign.

They have not been helped by a crippling injury list which, for the Southport game, meant former Minstermen transfer target Michael Twiss, Matt Doughty, Robbie Lawton, midfielder Anthony Danylyk and England ‘C’ international Shaun Densmore were all out. Manager Graham Heathcote... [had] just 14 of his 20-man squad for the Southport trip. Danny Holmes and Kevin Holsgrove both made their first starts for Altrincham and Heathcote’s injury situation is not likely to clear up any time soon.

Doughty has a cruciate ligament problem, Twiss is still troubled by an ankle injury he picked up in pre-season while Lawton’s bruised ribs mean he is likely to be missing for a further fortnight... They lost defensive talisman Greg Young to York, while Chris Senior left for Darlington and main scorer Colin Little left at the end of last season to coach Manchester United Under-13s. The early signs are that Altrincham are finding them hard to replace.

York, too, have problems with manager Martin Foyle commenting on striker Richard Brodie, who has yet to score this season, 'At the moment, he probably doesn’t feel wanted. We will put an arm around him and try and work him. Of course Richard wants to be here. We love him to bits. When you get that negativity and people making up rumours and stories (about proposed transfer moves) it makes it very hard. Maybe his head has been turned a little and we will get him back down to basics'...

Foyle is convinced the Lancashire [Cheshire!] outfit will mimic midweek visitors Barrow in looking for a draw... 'They will come for the draw, will drop off deep and we have got to break it down. They will come to frustrate us and we have to have that finish. The lads are buoyant. They know they have played well'".

SUPPORT NON-LEAGUE DAY

There will also be a balloon race with the winner getting a £100 prize if his or her balloon goes the farthest. Everyone is asked to buy one or more balloons, costing just £1 each, starting on Monday at the home game with Mansfield Town. A share of the proceeds goes to the Children's Adventure Farm Trust at Millington, Cheshire.

After the match with Kidderminster there is a "New Recruits Evening" at Moss Lane for which a number of Alty's new players will be the guests. Compere Graham Heathcote will be on hand as supporters ask the players questions about their careers and opinions on footballing matters. A cash bar service will be available. Tickets are just £15 and include an excellent hot meal prepared by resident caterer Richie Bentley and his team.

Please ring the club (0161 928-1045) or send an e-mail to book your seat either in the Sponsors' Lounge for the match or for the New Recruits' evening, or both.

BANK HOLIDAY SPECIAL

'I still think we are two quality players short of having what we need to fight for a place in the play-offs', said Holdsworth. 'But it's probably a case of players going out before we bring any in because we have to juggle things financially. Some of the players may wish to go out on loan... It may look like we have a lot of players kicking their heels, but that's only because almost everyone is fit'...

Meanwhile, chairman Andy Saunders says the club will not know until next week if they have broken even on last Saturday's Westlife gig. It is understood the club needed to sell in the region of 10,000 tickets to ensure they didn't make a loss".

ALTRINCHAM UP FRONT

"'Altrincham need help up front' - Heathcote

Altrincham boss Graham Heathcote has warned the Robins risk losing their cherished top-flight status unless he’s given the means to boost his strike force.

The ailing Moss Lane outfit currently prop up the Blue Square Bet Premier after scoring only three times in an opening four match spell which has seen them suffer three odd-goal defeats and register just one point from a draw with Darlington.

And, as Alty prepare for tomorrow’s visit to a York City side similarly still chasing their first win, Heathcote - who lost main strikers Colin Little and Chris Senior in the Summer - admits the Robins’ lack of firepower is already giving him real cause for concern.

He said: 'I’ve tried to replace Colin and Chris without spending but it’s already apparent the strikers I’ve brought in are not good enough for this division. I feel so sorry for our defenders who have done well so far but if things carry on this way, we’re simply not going to score enough goals to keep our heads above water. It’s an awful thing to be saying in August but I’m already thinking in terms of a survival fight'”.

OLD BOYS

Little scored 112 goals for the Robins during a six year spell and Margy is happy to have the veteran striker on board this season. He said: 'It’s unfortunate to lose Ben but it gives us a chance to have a look at Colin. It’s a bit more rushed than we would have liked, Colin’s not fully fit and I think he knows he’ll probably never be able to put in a full 90 minutes but he has the quality to see him through'".

OLD FOES

BSBP NEWS

Brian Cook on behalf of the VP Club stated: 'In recognition of the world of football below the Football League our gesture in sponsoring the game is a small contribution to all that clubs like Rovers bring to their respective communities. This idea first came about when City fans on their way to Doncaster recently met up with the Rovers Team Coach at Trowell Services on the M1 and Colin Peake, their secretary, who is never backward in coming forward leapt on our coaches and offered fans the chance to come to the match against Southport at reduced rates to celebrate a date which we feel should be an annual one in the football calendar. The least we could do was for our membership to officially recognise the great work that everyone puts in at the New Lawn to promote the game generally and we are only too pleased to respond in this fashion'.

Peake reciprocated the understanding existing between the two clubs and commented: 'This is another clear indication that whilst there will always be obvious rivalry between clubs, there is deep down strong bonds which link us. We wish to pay thanks to Brian and his colleagues in the VP Club at Ashton gate and assure them that their supporters and in fact any from other clubs, will be most welcome at the New Lawn on Non League Day'".

"Aman Verma is set to make his debut for Kidderminster Harriers debut at Newport County on Saturday" states the Football Conference. "The 22-year-old utility player has joined Harriers on a one-month loan from Leicester City... Verma, who made seven appearances on loan at Crewe Alexandra and also Harriers' league rivals Histon last term, featured throughout pre-season for the Foxes".

And "Goalkeeper Ross Atkins has had his loan spell with Tamworth from Derby County extended until January. The 20-year-old joined the Lambs on a month-long deal on August 10th and has impressed boss Gary Mills with his performances. He will now remain with Tamworth until January 8th".

According to the Uxbridge Gazette "Garry Haylock has claimed that Ben Wright turned down Crawley Town's first offer because he wanted to stay at Hayes & Yeading. But boss Haylock says he was powerless to prevent Wright - who signed on loan at Hayes & Yeading earlier this month - from joining Steve Evans's men as their second offer proved too good to turn down. 'He turned down their first offer because he wanted to stay here', said Haylock. 'But I would not have expected him to turn down their second offer. If we could have offered him more money, then he may have stayed here. He has done ever so well for us'.

Haylock has been offered players on loan from Crawley Town to soften the blow of losing Wright and he expects to have a replacement signed up before the men from Sussex visit on Saturday".

Luton Town say that "Club Captain Kevin Nicholls has left Kenilworth Road by respectful, mutual consent. In a show of typical Kevin Nicholls's loyalty to the Hatters, the decision comes after the 31-year-old volunteered to be released from his contract which was agreed after lengthy discussions...

As the Town failed to win promotion back to the Football League last term, Nicholls had a serious knee operation and as a result did not play again following the 2-1 defeat at Crawley at the end of February...

Managing Director Gary Sweet said: "In the modern era, the phrase 'by mutual consent' is tantamount to saying a contract has been terminated. In this situation, that couldn't be further from the truth... It was Kevin who originally approached us with the suggestion. In his time at the club he has seen us stand by a number of players who have had long term injuries and he did not want to take money out of the Club when he felt that he wasn't contributing... It is widely acknowledged that Kevin turned down offers from clubs in higher divisions and took a dramatic pay cut to come back to Kenilworth Road'".

Meanwhile "The Hatters can confirm that defender Alan White has left Kenilworth Road by mutual consent. Centre-back White, 34, rejoined the Town last summer from hometown club Darlington, for his second spell... He was loaned back to the Quakers until May... Gary Sweet said: 'Alan's decision to leave us was purely a football decision'".

From the Northants Evening Telegraph we learn that "Michael Corcoran has joined the 'horrendous' injury list at Rushden & Diamonds. The vice-captain will be missing for up to five weeks after suffering a torn hamstring at the end of the midweek win over AFC Wimbledon...

Strikers Aaron O'Connor, Craig Farrell and Sam Smith are already ruled out... Diamonds' boss Edinburgh said: 'The injuries have been horrendous and it's very frustrating at the moment... We need to get through this sticky period with limited numbers... But there's no need to panic because nothing is won or lost in the first month of the season'".

This is Grimsby says that "Neil Woods is hoping a virus around his squad won't hamper his selection plans ahead of back-to-back bank holiday fixtures for Grimsby Town... Skipper Lee Peacock hasn't started the last two games after suffering from the bug and now Michael Leary has been ruled out again... With Rob Atkinson (hernia), Nick Colgan (elbow) and Adrian Forbes (knee) already out, Lee Ridley has now joined the injury list after a groin strain forced him out early on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Peter Bore is suffering from a similar complaint and missed training yesterday".

According to Cambridge News "David Livermore is bidding to bring a player-coach with European experience to Histon. The Stutes’ manager... is good friends with the transfer target...

'I’ve spoken to the chairman (Russell Hands) and the budget’s pretty much spent, so I’d have to use my contacts and do some wheeling and dealing', said Livermore. 'I would like to bring someone else in and I’ve got someone in mind who could come and play, as well as coach. It all depends on his circumstances as he’s got a few contract offers on the table. I’ve known him for a long time and he’s got experience of European football. He’s the right type of person and player that could help us out'".

NEW SIGNING

Only two weeks ago on 10 August, the Crewe Chronicle reported that "Attacker Jimmy McCarthy has been released from his trial at Crewe Alex. The 25-year-old, spotted playing for a pub team, spent all summer training at Reaseheath and featured in a number of friendlies. But boss Dario Gradi said: 'Jimmy just didn’t quite live up to the expectation and standard he set himself but to be fair to the lad, he gave it a real go and worked hard. He has ability and everywhere we went in pre-season the people at the other clubs liked him... If we had more money in the budget then we may have given him a year and see where he could go with it, but I didn’t think that would be fair to him at his age'".

MATTY AVAILABLE

BANK HOLIDAY GAMES

For those travelling to York under their own steam, please note that the Leeds Music Festival is on this weekend and big jams are forecast on the roads round Wetherby (Branham Park).

ALTY FANS - TOP OF THE CLASS!

BSBP NEWS

Late last night (Wednesday) a transfer fee was finally agreed... Steve Evans said, 'He will compliment the strikers we have... I have been speaking with Barry Fry at Peterborough United for over a week but he has not been budging on his valuation and with young Ben smashing goals in I suppose he has had every right to be like that but we eventually got a fee agreed. Ben could have chosen to play his football at a higher level but it would have meant moving up north and he was happy to be joining our project and at the same time moving back home.

We are sympathetic to Hayes and Yeading who are losing a good player and after speaking with my directors we offered to assist Garry Haylock with a loan player or two to help soften the blow, I think he appreciated that and we will maybe hear from them shortly'.

After signing Ben spoke exclusively to www.crawleytownfc.com, he said, 'Crawley Town is a club going places and I wanted to be a part of it. I met Steve Evans for the first time this morning and he was so enthusiastic about the season and the club as a whole. I know Sergio Torres well and I spoke with him last night about Crawley Town, he gave a glowing reference, after that chat I just wanted to join'".

Meanwhile, The Argus tells us that "Crawley's Matt Tubbs insists he is trying to ignore speculation about his future after Reds turned down a £250,000 offer for the striker... Boss Steve Evans revealed that a League One club’s bid had been rejected. Evans then slapped a £700,000 asking price on the 26-year-old after club owner Bruce Winfield had asked him for a valuation. Tubbs said: 'I wasn’t aware of that £700,000 valuation. As players you accept that things are going on all the time so you have to forget about it'...

Tubbs had a brief spell in the Football League in 2008 when he played on loan at Bournemouth whilst with Salisbury but his chance of a dream move were scuppered when the Cherries changed manager. 'Jimmy Quinn had me and I was going to sign a permanent deal but he was sacked the day before it was due to happen', said Tubbs. 'It was a bit weird because one minute I League...

Steve Evans wouldn’t put together a squad with the calibre of players we have if he didn’t think we could get promoted so it would be great if it happened with Crawley'. Evans said: 'If the club concerned were going to pay £700,000 for him Tubbs wouldn’t probably agree terms! They quoted a figure of £250,000 but we said no and the owners asked me for my valuation. I only said £700,000 after telling our owners that he had no price. We don’t want Matt to go but we are not one of these clubs who say none of their players are for sale. Everyone is for sale at every club from Chelsea down to us if the buying club meets the valuation of the player'.

Evans has already signed 15 new players and spent £330,000 in transfer fees but a bid which would have broken the Conference transfer record for an un-named striker was turned down on Tuesday. Evans said: 'The good thing is that if I find a player that I think will improve is I know what the answer will be from Bruce Winfield and Sue Carter when I try and sign him. They will say ‘go and get him’... We have four strikers but it is not enough, you need five if we are going to challenge. If you want evidence of that have a look at Stevenage and Oxford’s squads last year. We are working so hard to get the right player in. That is testament to the owners and the two investors in Hong Kong who have been absolutely fantastic'”.

At Tamworth former Alty loan player "23 year old Ben Wilkinson (right) has signed for the Lambs and goes straight into the squad for the weekend games against Luton Town and Kidderminster Harriers. Ben who trained with his new team mates on Thursday will be wearing the number 20 shirt. The Sheffield based player was last on the books of Chester City and has played in the Scotland for Gretna whilst on loan from Hull City".

The Worcester News reports that "Steve Burr, manager of Kidderminster Harriers, is hoping to bolster his squad after they were hit by a host of injuries. Burr and assistant Gary Whild are trying to bring in at least one loan signing, thought to be a utility player at a Championship club, before the transfer window closes on Tuesday. John Finnigan is set to be absent for the Bank Holiday weekend matches after a reoccurence of his long-standing calf problem. Mark Albrighton missed Tuesday night’s draw at Wrexham with a hamstring injury...

'We’ve got a squad here and we weren’t hanging them out to dry after Saturday’s defeat to Mansfield, we brought them to the club and we’ll stick with them', commented Burr. 'If things don’t improve you have to change things in the team but I’ve got faith in these lads to do well this season'... Right-back Lee Vaughan will come into contention for Harriers after serving his four-match suspension and could make his Conference Premier debut for Harriers in South Wales. Loan striker Marc Williams is also available for selection after he was ineligible to play against parent club Wrexham. The hitman is set to miss the trip to Altrincham on Saturday, September 4th after being called up for Wales under-21s".

FORMER FOES

And, secondly, the Droitwich Advertiser reports that "Bromsgrove Rovers could be moving out of the Victoria Ground after the deadline for them to vacate expired. Fixtures and fittings from the ground were seen being removed from the site on Tuesday and put into a van and the gates left open. They included goalposts and other equipment from the ground. Meanwhile, the deadline for Rovers to appeal against their expulsion from the Zamaretto League was Tuesday. Chairman Mike Ward said he was going to appeal but a league spokesman said they were waiting to hear from the FA whether it had been lodged. A spokesman for Bromsgrove District Council this week said 'We are in discussions with the football club over them handing back the keys now their lease at the ground has expired'".

SUPPORT NEEDED!

"Altrincham Chairman, Geoff Goodwin, was under absolutely no illusions how difficult a season Altrincham are in for, after seeing his team go down by a single goal on Saturday to Crawley Town. The Sussex side are the Manchester City of the Blue Square Bet Premier with a reputed wage bill that is ten times the size of what the Altrincham players earn, but it was the puzzlingly low crowd of 766 that left the Robins’ Chairman scratching his head.

'We had almost 1100 here on Tuesday night against Darlington, which was great, but on Saturday, even taking account of the very small travelling support that Crawley had, we had 150 less Altrincham fans in the ground', said the bemused Chairman. 'Of course, lots of people are on holiday as we are still in August and Crawley is normally one of our poorest gates of the season, so I am really hoping that we get a bumper crowd for the visit of Mansfield on Bank Holiday Monday. We have to run such a tight ship here financially, that if we suffered a deficit in our budget so early in the season, then we would have to look at how we could deal with that very quickly'.

The recently announced television deal for the Blue Square Bet Premier is not likely to be Altrincham’s saviour either. Whilst the contract for ‘Premier Sports’ to screen 30 live games during the season is good for the league’s exposure, it is not likely to swell the coffers of the clubs involved.

Goodwin feels that new blood is needed at Moss Lane in order to support the club in its attempt to compete in what is a highly competitive league. 'We’re crying out for new people to come in and help us financially, but they really would have to be coming on board for the right reasons. There is a lot to be proud about in terms of the way this club is run and we must maintain the ethos and principles that have stood us in such good stead for many years'.

The Robins went down to their second single goal defeat in four days on Tuesday night at Southport.Tony Gray scored a deflected winner eight minutes from time to send Altrincham to the foot of the league. Altrincham’s game against Mansfield Town at Moss Lane on Monday August 30th kicks off at 3.00pm and supporters are invited to attend a Fans' Forum with manager Graham Heathcote at 8.00pm on Thursday September 2nd in The Noel White Suite".

YOUTHS PLAY WELL

BANK HOLIDAY GAMES

York Press report that "York City’s players need to find a good luck charm quickly... They won’t believe today they are still waiting for their first win of the Blue Square Bet Premier campaign after a frustrating 0-0 draw with Barrow at Bootham Crescent. With the Bluebirds largely devoid of ambition, and clearly happy to settle for a point, the Minstermen bossed both territory and chances but just couldn’t get the breakthrough. The ball was cleared off the line, deflected off a post – it went everywhere but in the net.

It means last year’s play-off finalists are still to get on the winning trail, four games into the campaign. Having played 4-3-3 in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Bath City, Foyle reverted to 4-4-2 as Jonathan Smith came into midfield and Michael Rankine dropped to the bench – putting another body in the centre to counter Barrow’s 4-5-1...

The visitors were hardly ambitious, frequently stacking men behind the ball as they made their ambitions very clear – and tested the referee’s patience with some blatant time-wasting...

Martin Foyle said of Barrow, 'They have come here for a draw and they came with a very defensive formation... I usually stick up for my strikers but we have had some chances... we should have taken the points... Barrow kept dropping deeper and deeper. I am frustrated but the quality from back to front has to be better'” .

SOUTHPORT VIEWS

Left: Alty's starting eleven take to the field at Southport on Tuesday, with Danny Holmes and Kevin Holsgrove making their first starts for the club. Left to right: Holmes, Denham, Williams, Clee, Holsgrove, Johnson, Smith, Brown, Joseph, Welch and Coburn.

The Southport Visiter says that "Tony Gray's late strike proved the difference as Southport edged out Altrincham. The striker slotted past goalkeeper Stuart Coburn in the 82nd minute... A low key affair for much of the night, Port found the Robins a stifling opposition and found their usual set-piece dominance to be providing little joy.

With a lack of craft in the midfield, the game was heading towards a consecutive 0-0 for Liam Watson's men but Gray neat one-two with substitute Steve Daly carved Altrincham open and the summer recruit found the space to make it 1-0 in front of a jubilant Jack Carr stand...

The first half was edged by the home side who enjoyed the majority of possesion and created out the best chances... The visitors emerged a far more threatening prospect after the break but equally found clear cut chances hard to come by, despite the speed of replacement Damian Reeves

Southport FC has an audio link to Liam Watson's comments after the match with Alty on Tuesday, won by "An 82nd minute effort from close range which deflected in off defender Michael Welch - earned the Sandgrounders victory in a closely-fought encounter against a stubborn Altrincham side... There is a recognition that if the Sandgrounders are to consolidate their Blue Square Bet Premier status this season, these are the matches they must target a maximum return from.

For much of the evening it was a tight affair with little by way of goalmouth action, and although Southport saw more of the play, they struggled to find the guile needed to unlock the visiting defence. That was until eight minutes from time, when substitute Steve Daly completed a neat exchange of passes with Gray, whose goal provided Southport with reward for their persistence...

Altrincham proceeded to produce their best spell early in the second half. Kevin Holsgrove sent a rising shot wide, before Tony McMillan saved from Damian Reeves and Rob Williams headed over from a Nicky Clee corner".

YANKEE JACKPOT

BSBP NEWS

You can now sign up for Premier Sports' televised coverage of the Blue Square Bet Premier by clicking the logo (left). It is also permanently on the site at the top left of the home page.

The BBC says that "Crawley Town manager Steve Evans hopes to sign another striker before Tuesday's transfer deadline. The Reds have brought in 15 new faces for more than £320,000 over the summer but Evans is still hoping to strengthen his attacking options. He told BBC Sussex: 'We'd like to bring another striker in. We'll need five if we are going to challenge. We're talking about smashing the Conference record to try and get the right player in'.

He added: 'We're working so, so hard. That's testament to [co-owners] Bruce Winfield and Susan Carter. They've been absolutely fantastic. We might be in a position where we can freshen it up. It won't be for the want of trying... We've found a third Conference club who say they won't sell to Crawley Town', he said".

Amongst the attendance figures in the Conference on Tuesday night were:

Blue Square Football tells us that "Eastbourne Borough FC are flying high in the league at present - and the club is now offering free entry to one of two selected matches to those with vouchers from the recent Airbourne air show. It has teamed up with Eastbourne Borough Council's tourism team, which printed the vouchers in the 2010 Airbourne Souvenir Programme.

They were intended to be used against the first home game of the season, but are now also valid for the league matches with Darlington on Saturday September 4 and Altrincham on Saturday September 18. The voucher CANNOT be used for the fixture against AFC Wimbledon on Saturday August 28. Only one voucher can be redeemed per person per season, and the offer expires on September 18, 2010.

The match against Darlington, relegated from the Football League just last season, is in particular expected to attract a big crowd, with September 4 being declared 'Non-League Day', a campaign to persuade fans of professional football clubs to instead go along to watch and support their local side.

Last season's home match with Altrincham ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw and this year's match is anticipated to be another closely-fought encounter".

"Wrexham chairman Ian Roberts says there is still confidence in boss Dean Saunders despite a poor season start. A group of fans chanted 'Saunders out' after they let slip a 2-0 lead to draw their match at home to Kidderminster on Tuesday night...

'The fans don't see the hours he puts in on the training ground and other functions of the club but everything, like in any business, is under review'...

Roberts revealed that manager Saunders has had to operate under budget cuts of '30-35%' this season, but the Racecourse Ground side are still far from being the paupers of the Blue Square Bet Premier. 'It's a slower start to the season than we would have liked, obviously we're only 10 days into the season', Roberts said. 'We do have no divine right to beat anybody at this level and there's some tough teams in there, a lot of teams struggling to get out of the league as we are... The club has gone from year to year losing money and we had to cut budget. I think he's brought in experienced players, whereas last year we didn't have... and it's going to take a little bit of time for that team to gel... Our gate last night was 2,400 which I think was the second highest in the division, but we do need the people of Wrexham to support their football club... The supporters will say "well we want to see a winning side" but it really does centre around money unfortunately, sport today'".

From the Uxbridge Gazette we learn that "Hayes & Yeading have offered ex-Newcastle United striker Paul Robinson a chance to relaunch his football career. The 31-year-old, who made 15 Premier League appearances with Newcastle and Wimbledon, has been training with the club and boss Garry Haylock will run the rule over him in a reserve match...

Robinson, who also played for Hartlepool United, York City and Grimsby, finished playing professionally in 2006 with Torquay United and has since been playing non league football in the north-east. However, a move down South earlier this year for Robinson resulted in an unsuccessful spell with Maidenhead United. 'There is no doubt that he is quality', said Haylock. 'But he is way short of match fitness and needs matches'... The striker is famed in the north-east for being the man who Ruud Gullit selected in front of Alan Shearer for Newcastle's derby clash with Sunderland in 1999, a move which cost the Dutchman his job".

SOUTHPORT 1 ALTRINCHAM 0

Right: Alty defend a first-half corner at Southport.

For the third time this season a late goal cost Alty dear as Tony Gray's shot deflected off Michael Welch's back into the net in the 82nd minute to send Alty to the bottom of the table. Southport had had the better of an open game but Alty had their half-chances with Williams's header the nearest to a goal for the visitors. Reeves ended the game limping to add to Alty's injury list which saw Densmore, Danylyk, Twiss, Lawton and Doughty all unfit to play today and with Crowell's international clearance still delayed he, too, was absent. To add to the woe, Denham had to go off at half-time, too.

SOUTHPORT (Yellow and black): 1. Tony McMillan, 2. Kevin Lee, 5. Earl Davis, 3. Chris Lever, 15. Robbie Williams, 17 Liam Blakeman, 11. Matty McGinn, 8. Alan Moogan, 7. Ashley Winn, 10. Tony Gray, 16. Matty McNeil. Subs: 6. Michael Powell, 22. Steve Dickinson, 4. Adam Flynn, 14. Paul Barratt, 9. Steve Daly

ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts and red socks): 1. Stuart COBURN, 2. James SMITH, 5. Robbie WILLIAMS, 22. Michael WELCH, 4. Marc JOSEPH, 15. Ryan BROWN, 11. Nicky CLEE, 19. Danny HOLMES, 12. Kevin HOLSGROVE, 10. Chris DENHAM, 14. Dale JOHNSON. Subs: 8. Damian REEVES, 21. James COATES, 17. Tom McCREADY, 9. Michael TWISS, 7. Robbie LAWTON

TUESDAY SCORES

SPECIAL OFFER FOR MANSFIELD GAME

ALTY - "THE SORT OF TEAM WE NEED TO BE BEATING"

The 31-year-old has warned the Yellows they must learn to keep hold of possession better if they are to continue their decent form. 'We've got to be looking to win on Tuesday and if we can do then it has been a cracking start to the season. But these are definitely the sort of teams we need to be beating at home. That is one of the major differences when you come up from the Conference North in the Conference, because at the back we do need a rest at times. There were periods in the game when the ball seemed to come back too quickly, but we're still learning and still working on things though have made a very good start to the season. I just think we need to keep the ball a bit better because when we do that we instantly look an improved side'...

Playing a second game alongside Earl Davis at the heart of the Yellows' defence, Williams says... 'From set-pieces we looked dangerous and probably should've have done better there, but it must be said Cambridge have had some really good chances and there were times when we rode our luck... I feel alright at centre half and time will tell whether the partnership with Earl flourishes or not. I'm more used to playing a centre half but feel comfortable anywhere across the back four'".

BSBP NEWS

Meanwhile, "Rushden & Diamonds have brought in left-winger or forward Nathan Koranteng from Peterborough United on a month`s loan. The 18-year-old started his career at Peterborough’s youth team, signing a pro-deal in the 2009/10 season after impressing for the reserves. He has had loan spells at Spalding United, Boston United and Tamworth during the last season and has played three first-team games for the Posh".

According to the BBC "Former Millwall midfielder David Livermore has been given his first chance at management by Histon. The 30-year-old, who played 14 times for Barnet last season, replaces John Beck who left the club by mutual consent on Friday. Livermore told the Stutes' website: 'I am pleased, proud and excited to be offered this chance to move into football management... It is tremendous to be able to make my managerial debut at a club like Histon in the Blue Square Bet Premier', he added.

'I was most impressed with the attitude and commitment displayed by all the players at Newport County on Saturday and I can't wait to get working with them in training and preparing for another important game tomorrow night'. Livermore's playing career included a seven-year spell with Millwall, where he made 312 appearances. He began his career as an Arsenal trainee but never played a first-team game.

Histon chairman Russell Hands said, 'David has played at a high level, under some highly-regarded managers and coaches. We were impressed by the way he has assimilated the best approaches he has experienced to underpin his own organisation, communication and leadership skills and style. David's experience as a young professional within the Arsenal academy, one of the best in the country, is really valuable and relevant experience as it equips him to help us achieve one of our priorities, which is developing our own youngsters in the Histon academy'". x NL Daily says that "Evo-Stik League Division One North newcomers Chester FC have signed striker Nick Rogan on a month`s loan from Fleetwood Town. The 26-year-old started his career at Morecambe and where he pent three seasons before joining Lancaster City in the summer of 2005 and then Southport. In February 2006 he joined Barrow and won the Blue Square North`s player of the month award for April 2008... He moved to Fleetwood in the summer of 2009 and was a member of the Fylde coast side`s promotion-winning squad of last season".

NL Daily also confirms that former Wrexham midfielder Nathan Fairhurst, who played in one pre-season game for Altrincham this summer, has joined Chorley, his home-town club.

ALTY HIT BY INJURIES

The remaining players are goalkeepers Coburn and Coates and 12 outfield players; Smith, Joseph, Williams, Reeves, Denham, Clee, Holsgrove, Johnson, Brown, McCready, Holmes and Welch.

CRAWLEY GAME

YOUTH TEAM DRAWS

TOM KEARNEY SITUATION

"Graham Heathcote has moved to clarify the uncertainty over Tom Kearney's future and has assured Altrincham followers he has not given up hope of welcoming the stylish midfielder back to the fold later this year.

Anxious fans feared they had seen the last of Kearney (left) in an Alty shirt after noting his absence from the official team photograph and squad list for the new season.

But as the former Wrexham midfielder continued a recovery from a broken leg that is due to be completed in the next couple of months, Heathcote explained why he has been forced to play a waiting game.

'All the indications during the summer were that he was moving to the United States,' said the Alty manager. 'But there seems to have been a complication over that, and it is now far from certain he is going. 'It has left him in limbo a bit, and all we can do is wait and see what the situation is when he's fit again, probably in October.

'The point is that all the time Tom was trying to finalise arrangements for where he was going to be, I had to think about making sure we were ready for the new season. My priority had to be ensuring we had a squad ready and able to take on Luton on the opening day.

'I haven't forgotten about Tom, that's for sure, and if it does turn out he's staying in this country, we'll have a look at it when he's fit again. He will be a free agent, of course, and there's the financial aspect, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.'

Alty are still waiting for international clearance for Matty Crowell but may be able to call on him towards the end of the month, after it emerged the FA can grant temporary forms 30 days after an application has been submitted. The FA conveyed Alty's application to the Australian authorities at the end of July, meaning Crowell may be available for the York game on August 28, if clearance does not come through in the meantime.

As an added frustration, though, Crowell may not be considered ready to go straight into the starting line-up after so long without any match action".

THE ROAD TO MOSS LANE

Those interested in the story may also find the earlier page on Pollitt's Field, Alty's previous ground, of interest.

CAPTAIN'S LOG

Captain's log

An early glance at the fixture list left us in little doubt about the challenge facing us in the opening weeks, yet there is no question we should be unbeaten on four points, going into today's game with Crawley. Losing to an 88th-minute goal at Luton last Saturday was bad enough, but there was probably an even greater sense of frustration at Moss Lane on Tuesday at the way Darlington were allowed to nick a point after playing second fiddle to us for most of the night.

A club like Darlington are bound to have their sights on an immediate return to the Football League, but they are going to have to start putting teams under a lot more pressure, if they are to do it. Whether it was down to the way we defended so resolutely or set our stall out to press them high up the pitch, I'm not sure. But the fact is, we all sat down in the dressing room at half-time and said the same thing: 'This is a must three points.'

It looked like being, too, when we rightly went 2-0 up with a goal that said everything about our wholly committed approach and another that showed fortune does occasionally favour us, rather than the opposition. I thought Damian Reeves (right) looked at his sharpest against Darlington, but it was sheer persistence that brought its reward for our opener. We are always told to close down in groups of two or three, and when Damian applied good pressure on their defence and forced a mistake, Chris Denham was on hand to capitalise on it with a dink into an empty net.

If there was a slice of luck about the second goal, when a Ryan Brown free-kick fizzed across the face of goal and deflected in off Dale Johnson, no-one could argue it wasn't overdue. Unfortunately, we failed to make the most of it and were left kicking ourselves for letting Darlington snatch a point with two goals in the last eight minutes. It wasn't even as if they cut us open to force a draw. Far from it. The first was simply route one, a long ball from deep that started innocuously enough but somehow ended up with me flat on the deck, with the wind knocked out of my sails, and the ball in the back of the net.

I was backpedalling towards goal, alongside their striker, unaware that Stuart Coburn was travelling in the opposite direction, with only one thought in mind. Like any good keeper, Stuart's only concern was getting a fist on the ball, and if anyone got in the way, it was their tough luck. I did and was duly clattered in a collision that can't have helped Stuart's attempt to punch and may well have contributed to the ball crossing the line.

It has gone down as an own goal by Stuart, but let's get one thing straight. He has been our saviour so many times that no-one was in any position to start quizzing him about what had gone wrong. It was a bit like Pepe Reina's misfortune for Liverpool against Arsenal last Sunday, in that it just reminded us all that these incredibly consistent and high-performing guys are human after all.

A great ball dragged back from the by-line led to their headed equaliser in the last minute, and two more points had slipped away. I don't know whether those late lapses have been down to a lack of concentration or a bit of naivety, but I am sure it has nothing to do with fitness or sharpness.

There was no sign of anyone feeling the pace at half-time, and even at the end, none of the lads came off thinking they had been pulled all over the park. I just hope it's a case of swings and roundabouts and that, as the season progresses, we will have games where we have nicked something against the run of play.

Of course, my evening was cut short by that collision between Stuart's knee and my back. There was no way I could carry on, and it has left me with bruised ribs. I've been told to rest and wait for the bruising to settle down, and, as I write these notes, there must be a big question mark about whether I'll be cleared to play today.

I'll be out there if I can, because there are so many plus points about the way we've started such a difficult early run of fixtures. Crawley will be another tough one, but we have already shown we are up for a challenge. Robbie".

"COTE'S COMMENTS"

Cote's Comments: We Must Cut Our Mistakes

"One week in and it’s been a very frustrating week. We start today’s game with 1 point and it could, and should have been 4 points. Late goals and some silly errors have cost us dearly and I understand no one makes a mistake on purpose, and whilst it’s easy to point the finger, we have to collectively take responsibility just as we do when we score. I expect everyone, after this initial disappointment, to rally around the individuals and together focus on getting the next points which is never easy in this league.

Over the two games we have had there have been many pluses and we have shown ourselves that, as long as everyone is committed to the cause and is prepared to give their all, we are capable of competing with the rest of this league home or away. But we must be at full tilt every game, anything less and we will have difficulties.

The evidence so far has been very encouraging and whilst some players have still to get up to speed, most have done exceptionally well.

Today we must face our third game in a week and will have to monitor very carefully the effect this can have physically, and it is only physically why I have made substitutions so far. I think every player has done well in both games and they must look to continue this today against the big spending Crawley Town. Everyone sees it their own way of how to go about things; the financial way is certainly one but it is no guarantee. When anyone puts a squad together, be it Crawley or Manchester City, the cost is irrelevant because what it does not give you is any special time scale to suddenly gel.

You would expect in time good players will gel and that is why I think playing Crawley early is a good time; they don’t know each other’s game yet but they will, and when that clicks they will be a real force. Hopefully that’s not today. We must do what we have done so far and remain positive in our approach, and over the season that will reap rewards without any tears at the end, so you take your choice.

Finally I would like to thank everyone who attended my mum’s funeral; it was appreciated by me and my brothers. Alty somehow will never feel the same. So much of what I have been through here has been shared with my mum. She loved her football and was glued to the telly Saturday afternoons of late, watching for the scored and if we were losing or had lost she would say to our Chris 'I hope he’s behaving' - I must remember that".

BSBP NEWS

The Sandgrounders are at home to north west rivals Altrincham on Tuesday night kick off 7-45pm. The Robins under Graham Heathcote are experienced campaigners at this level. They have not started well picking up one point from three attempts...

Liam Watson reported after his sides resilient display at Cambridge that all his players are fit and available for Tuesday night's fixture against Altrincham. Southport after the first week sit twelfth in the table on four points. With a home double header this week versus Altrincham on Tuesday night and Fleetwood next Saturday, the Port at Haig Avenue harbour hopes of a maximum points return to ensure a very solid start to their Blue Square Bet Premier campaign".

Liam Watson said after the point at the Abbey Stadium 'It has been a very good week. We are learning a bit and getting street-wise at killing a game, which I think we need to do away from home. We performed well against a 2,500 home crowd, the journey here went very well. We do not need to come and sell ourselves against full-time opponents. We travelled to Kidderminster on Tuesday, the lads have been in work, got up early this morning to travel and performed. We need to be professional and get results. We have started well and I look forward to our two home matches'".

Their last opponents, Cambridge United report that "Martin Ling expressed his frustration after his side were held to a 0-0 draw by Southport. United dominated against Port for long periods, but were unable to make the breakthrough... Ling said: 'Frustrating is the word. They came here with their game plan to take their time at long throws for reasons they see fit. There's nothing wrong with that from their point of view, it's up to the referee to sort out. It's about us breaking them down. We needed to get one so we get them out playing then we might've got a few more, but it didn't happen...

The U's were dealt a further blow when Paul Carden was forced off just after half time with an ankle problem...

Ling said: 'With their big players, Southport are always going to be a danger, but we coped ok. It's a question of fine divides - we could have missed the first man out better".

NL News 24 says that "Chairman Russell Hands is adamant that Histon will not be going into administration. The claim comes amid fears Histon could be in trouble following the sudden exit of John Beck on Thursday night with his plans for the club at odds with their financial standing.

Hands told Cambridge-news.co.uk: 'We have no plans to go into administration. We’ve had some positive responses from various sponsors and I’m not talking about £50 here or there. We’re working really hard with people such as the bank. They’ve been really good offering us free advice which we’d normally pay for to help us get back on the straight and narrow.

It’s hard work and it’s slow, and apart from the players, the only person who gets paid here now is the secretary. That’s what we’ve had to do whereas before people were being paid £10 for doing this, £50 for doing that... It will take a while for us to fill all the positions to make the system run smoothly and that might have affected John’s opinion of how we’re running things'".

CRAWLEY GAME

Left: Steve Masterton's excellent freekick found its way past the end of the Alty wall to win Saturday's game for Crawley. This and many other photos are from Gavin Rathbone of GR Photography.

BBC Sussex has an audio interview with Crawley boss Steve Evans who told the interviewer that, "The free-kick scored by Steve Masterton was worthy of winning the Champions League final". In the NL Paper, he is quoted as saying "That was good enough to win the World Cup".

Alty's injured captain, Robbie Lawton, who sat out the game with bruised ribs, said of Altrincham "The mood is positive. We [have] put in three solid performances and just need that final push to cross the line. We have played some top sides and still have some key players to come back, so thinks look good. I felt we were a bit flat and leggy after Tuesday and, in truth, a point was all we could have reasonably hoped for but we restricted a big-spending club to mainly half chances".

ALL CHANGE 4 ALTY

WIN A DVD PLAYER

The first batch of Altrincham FC wallets have now been sold. £30 has been presented to the club for the sale of these. However another batch is being ordered so people can still reserve one via the club by leaving their contact details or seeing me on matchdays. I have also started to sell the names on a large football card on match days. Priced at only £1 a go you can win a new DVD player, (see pictured). I will be in the club shop at half time at home games and I also go into the bar with the card at the end of each home game".

PLAYER SPONSORSHIP

BUCKETS

OLD BOYS

Former Alty reserve Kwame Barnett got the last minute winner for Northwich Vics yesterday.

ALTRINCHAM 0 CRAWLEY TOWN 1

Right: Michael Welch started his first game of the season today and is here seen in first-half action.

Apologies, first of all, for the absence of live updates this afternoon. Normal service should be resumed on Tuesday.

Saturday 21st August

CRAWLEY RESPECT ALTY

New signing Kyle McFadzean will be included in the travelling squad with Reds manager Steve Evans hinting that he may make a couple of changes to his starting team. Steve said, 'Altrincham is always a difficult place to get points as Darlington found out in midweek. They have good players, an excellent management team in Graham Heathcoate and his assistant Kenny McKenna ;- those guys will have there team organised and efficient but it is another match we are looking forward to.

I may look into changing the team albeit only a couple of changes because the lads have been playing some great football but having had Altrincham watched in midweek it is something I am looking at. The team spirit here is excellent and the boys are enjoying their work, over a season that is massively important. We have worked on a few areas we were not happy with in our last match'".

The BBC says that "Altrincham midfielder Robbie Lawton (left)is a doubt after picking up a back injury in the midweek draw with Darlington. Striker Michael Twiss is still recovering from a knock picked up in pre-season. Crawley have goalkeeper Michel Kuipers available again after he served a one-match ban for his sending-off on the opening day of the season. Defender Sam Rents (facial injury) and midfielder Nick Carter (groin) are major doubts.

Crawley assistant manager Paul Raynor told BBC Sussex: 'Graham [Heathcote, Altrincham boss] is very astute and his hard work pays off. It's a hard place to go and we'll be ready. We don't fear going there but we need to be mindful. They're a good side. They're well organised and have got some good players. Performance levels in the last couple of games have been fantastic, we just haven't got the points we deserved'"

THE WAITING GAME

"Gavin Hurren is still awaiting the all-clear to begin his career with Zamaretto League Premier Division club Halesowen Town. The former Kidderminster Harriers and Tamworth midfielder has played for the Yeltz in pre-season and has signed forms. But after he had a spell playing in Australia Halesowen need international clearance and they have yet to get the go-ahead from the Football Association".

OLD BOYS

BSBP NEWS

For the fans’ benefit my background includes being a Kit Carson Academy Youth player at Peterborough Utd before becoming a professional player with Scunthorpe Utd. I have also played professionally in the USA and am a UEFA qualified coach. I will bring these experiences together for the limited time I am likely to have in this role whilst the club speedily make their future managerial plans... My plea to our fans is to unite behind our youngsters".

More on the situation cp=omes from the Football Conference which tells us that "Chairman Russell Hands explained the reasons for Beck`s departure from the Glassworld Stadium. He said that Beck`s medium to long-term vision required funding that the club, with strict financial measures in place to ensure survival, were unable to fulfil. He went on to explain that the sums involved were not particularly large, but nevertheless were out of reach of a club faced with a difficult financial situation left to it by 'previous regimes'.

This difference between the manager and the board had been an issue for several weeks but, only last night, was it decided by both parties that it was insoluble and that consequently John Beck would leave the club. He added: 'There is no more money. Everyone who works at the club now works out of love for the club, apart from the secretary and John'. Hands said that he was hopeful a new manager would be in place by Monday".

GRAHAM POSITIVE

Left: Nicky Clee battles for possession against Darlington on Tuesday night. This is just one of many excellent photos from Gavin Rathbone's GR Photography website.

The Sale & Altrincham Messenger reports that "Graham Heathcote shrugged aside the frustration of costly late goals in Altrincham's opening two games, and hailed a clear sign that they intend making their mark on this season's Blue Square Bet Premier campaign.

Despite facing two of the league's more illustrious names, Alty would have been heading into Saturday's home game against Crawley unbeaten on four points, but for conceding in the 88th minute at Luton and 90th against Darlington on Tuesday night. Luton's late winner came after Damian Reeves had headed an equaliser, while a point was scant reward for Alty's enterprise and endeavour against Darlington, who had trailed 2-0 12 minutes from time.

'If we can maintain that level of performance, we are going to be a very competitive side in what is a tough league', declared Heathcote. 'It was a terrific effort at Luton, and anyone leaving the ground on Tuesday would have been shaking their head and wondering how on earth we hadn't taken all three points. There was great movement, pace and ability against Darlington, and our defending, in general, was good. The fact remains we have conceded four goals in the two games and have to cut out silly mistakes, but there was a lot to be encouraged about. We're still working on fitness levels with one or two players, and which combinations might work best, and it will probably be six to eight games before we get a true picture of where we stand. But what I've seen so far has been very positive'.

Heathcote, who has an injury concern over Robbie Lawton for Saturday but may be able to include striker Michael Twiss on the bench, has urged FIFA to try and ensure there is no repeat of the fiasco over Matty Crowell's international clearance. 'It still hasn't come through, and I would hope our FA would make some sort of representation to FIFA, because it is unacceptable and unnecessary', he said. 'There is no way on earth it should take this long, especially as there are no complications with Matty's club in Australia. We are talking about people's livelihoods here, and it's not good enough'".

SUPPORT THE YOUTH TEAM AT FYLDE

We would encourage all AFC Fylde fans to come to this match and support the next generation of Fylde's players led by U18s' boss Paul Martland 'It's a fantastic tie for us at home. The U18s had a great season last season and this new crop of lads are looking forward to this game and the new season. The FA Youth Cup is a national competition and is regionalised at this stage".

Alty fans wishing to support the Youth team will find the AFC ground near Preston at Kellamergh Park, Bryning Lane, Warton, PR4 1TN.

ANOTHER "SIX-FIGURE" SIGNING AT CRAWLEY

Over the summer period and most recently, a number of Football League clubs have had offers for the player turned down but manager Steve Evans has landed McFadzean after weeks of negotiations. The Reds have paid a substantial undisclosed sum".

Yesterday The Argus reported that "A £100,000 deal for a central defender currently with a Conference club is set to be concluded" so presumably they paid Alfreton that sum or more.

The Club adds that "Manager Steve Evans said, "Kyle is a top signing for this football club. He is a player who was sought after by many and there will be a few disappointed Npower Football League managers when they hear he has joined us. I must thank Alfreton Town manager manager Nicky Law and their Chairman Wayne Bradley for the professional and confidential way they have dealt with our discussions. The boy leaves a very good football club and joins another who are very ambitious, Kyle is a young man we look forward to working with and he will certainly play a big part in us trying to reach our objectives over this season and beyond'.

Moments after signing and speaking exclusively to www.crawleytownfc.com he said, 'Over the last year there have been several Non League and League Clubs who made offers for me but I don’t think they could quite meet Alfreton’s valuation. Everyone in Non League is talking about Crawley Town F.C, The manager Steve Evans is of course very well known and I know Paul Raynor who I worked under at Sheffield United so it was easy for me to say yes... This is a great move for me to show everyone in the Blue Square what I am all about and hopefully next season the Football League".

YOUR CHANCE TO SCORE A GOAL AT MOSS LANE

Could you be the Moss Lane Penalty King or Queen??

Altrincham Football Club are offering all supporters the chance to take part in a penalty competition at Moss Lane this season.

This will take place during the half-time interval at the Robins’ Saturday Blue Square Bet Premier Fixtures.

Each penalty taker will have three opportunities to score against Altrincham Youth Team goalkeeper James Fossdyke, with the winner of each matchday shoot out progressing to the next round.

The overall winner of the competition will receive a trophy and this competition is open to everyone. Entry to the competition is just £5 per person so if you fancy your chances of becoming the Penalty Champion of Moss Lane, please contact Brian Flynn by e-mail or on mobile 07860 561011.

This competition is being organised by TASC (The Altrincham Supporters’ Club) with all proceeds going to Altrincham Football Club. The first round of the penalty competition will take place at half-time of the game against Kidderminster Harriers on Saturday September 4th!

FLYNNZINE

That’ll do for starters!!

Despite going down to a late goal at Luton on Saturday, there were a number of positives to be taken from our opening game of the new season. Most Alty fans who travelled to Kenilworth Road must have been quite pleased with the overall performance and whilst few could argue with the 2-1 scoreline, there will no doubt be many better resourced clubs who are on the end of a considerable beating when they visit this season’s ante-post favourites.

The Hatters were impressive when they had possession with Keith Keane and Adam Murray ferrying the ball quickly to Andy Drury and Jake Howells, the former Stevenage man looking to be a particularly good acquisition. They may go on to win the league, but I feel are certainly priced far too low at 7/4 to be champions. Richard Money has been waxing lyrical about the qualities of Zdenek Kroca in recent days, but I wasn’t that convinced by his performance on Saturday and it will be interesting to see how their defence copes under pressure during the next 45 games.

It was also good to see a high proportion of young fans travelling on the TASC Supporters’ Coach on Saturday. There is no doubt that there has been an increasing number of teenagers watching the Robins in recent years and these people are so important to the future of the Football Club. I wonder if any of those lads will be able to match Stan Riley in years to come, Stan first started coming to Moss Lane in 1944 and of course was there, as usual, on Saturday with his wife Isabel. As you may already be aware, Tom Jacobs is organising official coaches to this season’s away games and Saturday was a good day out all round for those of us who travelled, notwithstanding the rather curious tour of Luton and its environs just as the floodlights hoved into view!

I really like Kenilworth Road....it’s a bit different and whilst I am sure that there are many fans of Premiership and Championship clubs who probably think of it as a hovel, I have enjoyed each of our three visits there in the last two years. It’s only four years ago that Xabi Alonso scored there in the FA Cup from inside his own half and Liverpool were also the visitors in 2008 for a 1-1 draw in the same competition.....the Hatters’ next FA Cup visitors would be the mighty Alty ten months later!

The culinary delights of Luton’s snack bars cannot be praised highly enough and I couldn’t resist indulging in a Yorkshire Wrap......certainly a new one on me!! This was a flat Yorkshire Pudding rolled up and filled with Roast Beef and gravy!!!Brilliant.....and a must for the Moss Lane snack bars this season!

Such quality was not present alongside me in the Press Box as an irate Barry Pond rang me at half time to advise that the commentators from Three Counties Radio were awful and that you would hardly know that Alty were playing. These views are replicated on our Fans' Forum using slightly more colourful language and whilst I did not have the personal pleasure of hearing these two characters myself, I am able to vouch for the muppet announcer who tried to urge the home team on to a “hatful of goals” as we prepared for the start of the second half!

Sorry we couldn’t oblige there matey!!"

CHESHIRE NEWS

BSBP NEWS

Vital Football confirms that "Premier Sports have confirmed that they have secured the rights to screen Blue Square Premier games over the next 3 years. The league had been without a deal since the collapse of Setanta Sports last summer but have signed a contract with Premier. They aim to screen their opening game on the weekend of the 4/5th September. Premier Sports currently charges £6.99 a month for their service and earlier this week announced that it would screen live and exclusive coverage of Celtic's Europa League play-off match against Utrecht next week". Premier Sports is available via Sky TV.

Mansfield Town have issued a statement headed "Board set the record straight". It includes the following; "On 20 July 2010, it was announced that Andrew Perry had resigned from his position as Chairman of the club. As a Board of Directors, we would now like to add further to the original statement released at the time of his resignation. Andrew Perry was given a vote of no confidence from the Board and had little option but to resign. This was the consequence of a reneged financial agreement between the Board members.

Andrew Perry was part of a written agreement in which Board members put £125,000 into Mansfield Town Football Club. On the back of this, we took the huge step of booking Westlife and agreed subsequent budgets. It soon became apparent that Andrew Perry had no intention of coming up with the money after several requests and this led to financial hardship. We do have a signed written agreement and intend to pursue this through the legal courts".

The Stags also "announced at the Annual General Meeting that our Board of Directors are actively seeking fresh investment. The following statement was read out to shareholders by Andrew Saunders, who was elected as Chairman this evening: 'This season, we as a Board of Directors at Mansfield Town, believe our manager, David Holdsworth, has assembled a team capable of pushing for promotion into the Football League... The 2008/09 accounts show an operating loss of approximately £500,000. This same figure reflects the amount of money handed to Football League clubs on an annual basis.

Mansfield Town continues to be run like a Football League club which, in reflection, is the reason for these losses. In recent times, we have looked into all aspects of the club and have cut salaries by 50%, with inevitable redundancies. We have cut waste disposal by 60% and have almost halved electricity consumption. We are now operating with the 'bare bones' and the only area we have protected is the playing budget, to ultimately allow a realistic chance of gaining promotion.

The club has no major debt due to the fact that we cannot obtain an overdraft and cannot borrow against our assets. This all means that we, as directors, have covered all losses to the present date which comes to a sizable sum of over £1,000,000. This cannot continue forever. As a consequence, we will actively seek fresh investment to allow the club every chance of promotion.

Therefore, we welcome any potential new directors willing to put £100,000 into the club in exchange for a seat on the Board of Directors. Also, potential associate directors willing to pay £25,000 will receive the usual director benefits.

We will be looking issue a number of 500 gold shares priced at £1,000 for any fans/businesses wanting to help our promotion push for this season. Every fan can be proud to have the share certificate hanging on their wall in the knowledge that every penny we receive is initialised[??] by the club to support the team".

Meanwhile, This is Nottingham adds that "The Field Mill meeting confirmed the club lost £500,000 during the 2008-09 season... and a similar loss is expected for 2009-10".

On the pitch Blue Square Football says that "Mansfield Town keeper Alan Marriott could return to action sooner than expected. The 31-year-old former Tottenham Hotspur, Lincoln City and Rushden and Diamonds player looked set to be sidelined for up to six months after complaining of a stomach problem. It was felt that an operation was needed, however, recent reports intimate that the pain Marriott had been suffering was as a result of referred back pain. Marriott told The Chad: 'I have been given some tablets which seem to be doing the trick.. It was worrying as I had similar pain at Rushden which ended in a groin operation, so I was fearing the worst'".

The BBC reports that "Luton Town have been cleared of blame by the Football Association following the crowd trouble that marred their home game against York City in May. A group of Hatters fans invaded the pitch and threw coins and missiles at the visiting supporters, forcing York players to cower in the stands...

But an FA spokesman has told BBC Sport no action will be taken against Luton. Luton chairman Nick Owen said at the time that the behaviour of some fans had been 'appalling'. Police say they arrested seven people at Luton's Kenilworth Road ground and 30 more in connection with disorder in the local area. Officers were attacked with brooms and mops during violence near a DIY store. One man, from Norway, was later sentenced to 10 months in prison for violent disorder.

After receiving reports from both clubs and the police, it is understood the FA was satisfied Luton could not have done more to prevent trouble inside the ground. The Hatters will be given advice on stewarding at future matches in an effort to avoid a repeat of the scenes which happened on Bank Holiday Monday, 3 May".

"'The way that the Luton supporters went after our players was quite animalistic and I think it was very, very dangerous', said York chairman Jason Magill. Some players said they were struck by coins, although City manager Martin Foyle praised stewards for helping to escort them to safety". Only last Saturday, when Alty went to Luton, Alty's Damian Reeves was hit by a coin thrown from the crowd.

And NL Daily adds that "York`s communications and community director Sophie Hicks said: 'We are totally surprised by the Football Association’s decision not to penalise Luton Town for the violence which occurred at Kenilworth Road in May. The scenes after our play-off match were utterly frightening for our supporters and the team, who were attacked by the Luton fans who invaded the pitch. I have never witnessed such dreadful behaviour at a football match and I am astounded the FA has been so lenient. Does this decision really send out the right message to the wider football world and those mindless individuals who choose to use football as a vehicle for violence?

Although York City were blameless in this incident, the violent scenes displayed by the Luton Town supporters have directly impacted the football club. North Yorkshire Police have now classified our forthcoming home game against Luton in March as a `Category C` fixture, which could potentially lead to Police charges of £14,000. Also, as a direct result of the incident in May, Bedfordshire Police have requested that our fixture at Kenilworth Road in December is moved to a 12 noon kick-off and is an all ticket match. This will cause significant inconvenience for our fans and will result in an overnight stay for the team the team, which will lead to a further £1,500 of costs to York City Football Club.

We have raised all these issues with the Football Association and we await their comments. This decision is unjust for York City Football Club and our players and supporters who were subjected to this frightening ordeal'”.

"Wrexham are giving a trial to striker Mathias Pogba, who has trained with the club for the last two weeks. The Reds say Pogba is a free agent after contacting his last club, Quimper, to check his availability. Pogba, 20, is the brother of Manchester United's Paul, who moved to Old Trafford from Le Havre in 2008" reports the BBC.

ALTY'S SPORT APPRENTICESHIP SCHEME

"Altrincham Football Club is excited about two new programmes which will allow them to employ between 20 – 40 full time sport apprentices for the new season.

The club, in partnership with the SAP Scheme, have sourced matched funding that will help develop and educate young people in a variety of sports and at the same time provide a core base of sporting qualifications. The scheme is open to both male and females who are aged between 16-18 years old and they can choose between two programmes;

NOTE: SAP also has 15 places available for 19-24 year olds.

Manager Graham Heathcote is excited about the scheme stating, 'It is an excellent opportunity for a club like ours to run such a project. It allows us to try and develop and train young footballers and give them an insight and experience of the level to aspire to, I am looking forward to attending the training sessions and having an input'.

All the apprentices will be paid a weekly wage and combine their full time professional coaching and education over a three day week.

Manager Graham Heathcote commented, 'The Sport for All programme is also an excellent project and opportunity for a club like ours to be involved in, it will help youngsters develop and learn new skills, whilst working towards sporting qualifications, we recognise we are the focal point for our community and a such we are delighted to give the youngsters of Altrincham a positive opportunity'.

The club will be holding an enrolment day at Altrincham Football Club on Monday 6th September between the hours of 12.00noon and 1.00pm and also from 6.00pm to 7,00pm. To book, please call or email the address below.

Anyone interested in any of the above exciting programmes should contact 07817-914622 or send an e-mail. There are only limited places available on each course, so please contact us early".

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OLD BOYS

Colwyn Bay report that former Alty trialist "Dave Challinor, player-manager of Evo-Stik League Premier Division new boys Colwyn Bay, has signed 27-year-old former Morecambe midfielder Fraser McLachlan", who himself was a Moss Lane trialist this summer.

DARLINGTON GAME

Gavin Rathbone of GR Photographycaptures Dale Johnson's flick which diverted Ryan Brown's free kick from the left into the Darlington net.

Darlington report that "A spirited comeback saw Darlington fight back from two goals down to earn a draw at Altrincham on Tuesday evening... Salvation came with Tommy Wright playing a leading role... but the manager was no satisified with his team's performance for the bulk of the game.

He said: 'We might as well have not bothered turning up until half past nine because we didn't perform at all and that was not acceptable', he said. 'They've got to be able to deal with these situations at a Conference ground'"...

"Mark Cooper... pulled no punches in his post-match reflection... 'I've said I don't want to be in situations where in the last five minutes I'm having to play two at the back and eight up front, which was more or less the case... We managed to get one goal and keep the pressure on and we've sneaked the second one... We should never be in the position, with all due respect to Altrincham, where we found ourselves 2-0 down. Coming here we should be on the front foot, but it took us 70 minutes to get going, and that won't happen again. If you don't do things properly you can get turned over anywhere. We have to be more professional than we were here and the players have got to be better'... 'We've got a problem down the left side," he admitted. "But I want to get something straight, there's been no falling out with Dominik Werling. He wants to go back to Germany, but there's been no falling out'".

CHESHIRE NEWS

It has been of paramount importance to the club to ensure its facilities at the Weaver Stadium will continue to be enjoyed by future generations. The freehold of the Stadium, therefore, will be held by Nantwich Football Trust Ltd whilst the club will be run on a day-to-day basis by Nantwich Town Football Club Ltd which will take out a lease on the stadium.

Both companies are ‘Limited by Guarantee’. Therefore, there will be no shareholders and, hence, no opportunity for individuals now, or in the future, to make gain from the club or its assets".

BSBP NEWS

According to the Football Conference "Trialist winger Danny Racchi has signed non-contract forms in an attempt to earn a full-time contract with Wrexham. The former Bury man has been training at the Racecourse for two weeks now".

"Serge Makofo is back at Kettering Town... Makofo previously played for the club during Morrel Maison's reign as manager", report the Northants Evening Telegraph.

According to the Bedfordshire News "Question marks surround Tom Craddock’s future at Luton Town after Hatters boss Richard Money suggested the striker had been ‘tapped up’ by an unnamed Football League club. Craddock was omitted from the 16-man Luton squad that won at Kettering last night and was chosen behind Matthew Barnes-Homer, Kevin Gallen and Danny Crow in Saturday’s opening day clash with Altrincham...

Money said, 'We’ve been trying as hard as we can to sit Tommy down and discuss a new two year contract. As it stands at the minute he can walk out the club for nothing next summer... Tommy came to me yesterday morning and said he’d been tapped up by an unnamed Football League club and wanted to speak to them. I said when we get a bid from that unnamed Football League club we’ll discuss it with him'. The Teesider, who was brought to the club by Mick Harford from Middlesbrough in 2008, was the Hatters’ top scorer last season scoring 24 goals but Money isn’t phased by the interest in the forward.

'It doesn’t worry us. The simple matter is we want 20 players who want to play for Luton Town. There is always going to be some issues with people that are not in the team. If that issue has arisen early with someone like Tommy Craddock, we’ll deal with it'".

The Kidderminster Shuttle says that "Harriers' manager Steve Burr admitted his side would need to work on their defending of set-pieces after losing 4-3 at home to Southport on Tuesday night... While the hosts looked good going forward, they struggled to cope with Southport's direct approach...

'The goals tonight were tremendous, we just ran out of time in the end', commented Burr. 'We've got to do better from set pieces. I thought that Southport might have played a 4-5-1 but they lined-up like us'".

Kidderminster Harriers add that "Three of Southport's goals came from moves involving set pieces with the other a contentious penalty. A case of self-inflicted wounds for Harriers, then, with the gaffer admitting: 'We knew the strengths of Southport - we knew they would go long and batter us with throws and it was just a question tonight of trying to deal with their set plays. Unfortunately three of the goals have come from throw-ins [so] we have to do better at set-plays'".

From Sport Grimsby we learn that "Grimsby Town boss Neil Woods said last night’s performance against York City would have been good enough to win many games... 'The attitudes I don’t question, I know what type of people we have in the building. And York got in the play-offs last season but we’ve come away disappointed not to have won the game'...

On the direct, physical style of football his team are likely to face in the Conference this season, as they did against Martin Foyle’s York side last night, Woods said: 'Martin put three big lads upfront, which I take as a compliment. I think if teams make it a game of football we fancy ourselves to beat anyone in this league. We’ve got to deal, and we have done so far, with the direct football teams are playing, but ultimately you have to score goals and we didn’t unfortunately.”

The Cambridge News reports that "John Beck was sent off at half time as Histon suffered a last-gasp 2-0 defeat at AFC Wimbledon ... The Stutes' manager was not allowed to watch the second period after making comments to referee Mr Atkin as he walked off the pitch at the interval... Beck put his assistant Dean Greygoose on media duties. Danny Kedwell scored from the spot after Remy Clerima was adjudged to have brought him down inside the box in the second minute of added time... Greygoose was upset with the referee's decision to award the penalty after goalkeeper Joe Welch had made numerous fine saves... Said Greygoose. 'I felt the referee couldn't wait to give it and it didn't surprise me'".

The News adds that "Ling admitted he was delighted Cambridge United claimed a 2-2 draw after going two down early on at home to Crawley... Ling said: 'We just stood there and threw two goals away. It looked as if we'd never played together in our lives... Crawley have got the front four with Scott Neilson, Tubbs, Sergio Torres and Craig McAllister and a few on the bench as we'll, so they've got real money and real threat".

ALTRINCHAM 2 DARLINGTON 2

Right - Chris Denham and Darlington's Paul Terry, John Terry's brother.

CHRIS'S VIEW

'They’ll all get their chance', he insisted... 'They’ve got to be ready and if you’re going to be successful and have a strong squad when you get your chance you’ve got to make sure you take it'. In line to make his second start for the club this evening is Chris Senior, a summer recruit from Altrincham and the striker is looking forward to facing his former teammates.

'I want to play in every game but when the fixtures came out I looked for this one and couldn’t believe it was so soon', said Senior, who spent three-and-a-half years at Moss Lane. 'It’s probably a good thing to get it out of the way and hopefully we’ll get three points but I’m sure a few of my old friends will be trying to stop me. There’s been a few nice text messages from my friends there. I spoke to a couple of the lads on Friday, wishing each other luck for the season. Obviously come Tuesday I’ll be wanting to put one over them. I’ve been having bit of banter with Stuart Coburn, the goalkeeper. He was at my wedding in the summer and I’ve told him if there’s a chance I’ll be looking to put him in the back of the net! They’re a good club and do really well with the resources they’ve got. The manager hasn’t spent a penny on players for the last seven or eight years but it will be a tough season for them because there’s a lot of club clubs in the division and even part-time club are spending money now. I wish them well, but not on Tuesday'”.

OLD BOYS

"Northwich Victoria have added to their attack for the forthcoming campaign by signing... Northwich Villa pair Craig Flowers and Kwame Barnett... [on] non-contract deals". Barnett was an Alty reserve before moving to Welsh football.

BSBP NEWS

NL Daily says that "John Beck, manager of Histon, has added young trialists Edward Adjei, Jordan Pavett and Lamine Sagna to his squad. All three have signed non-contract terms... Former Peterborough United trainee Adjei, 18, came off the bench as a winger in last Saturday's win over Barrow. Senegalese forward Sagna, 21, was an unused substitute last Saturday. Sagna re-joined Welling United from Blue Square Bet South rivals St Albans City last March... Eighteen-year-old striker Pavett joins after leaving Chelmsford City in the summer".

News of a former Conference rival comes from Get Surrey, which anounces that "Shahid Azeem has dramatically quit as Woking FC chairman and director after the Kingfield board failed to back him. And with Chris Ingram now returning to the helm in a temporary capacity, it has emerged that only a further £200,000 handout from the Blue Square South club’s owner had prevented the Cards from possibly going bust amid gloomy forecasts of heavy losses.

Ingram, who first rescued the club from financial ruin eight years ago, recently sent in former financial director James Aughterson to cast his eye over the accounts with Peter Sheppard stepping down. And the new acting chairman explained, 'The club’s financial position has deteriorated substantially and following James’s appointment and a thorough examination, the board decided they were unsustainable unless outside help could be found. I stepped in with the funding, up to £200k, to cover that loss...

He [Azeem] has contributed a lot in a short time but the financial situation created an emergency and if I’m putting my money in I want it done properly. It’s a sad state of affairs in every respect but the financial situation is indisputable and the board agreed. I stood back for 15 months and the club lost money. I was concerned, and so was the board, that the club would go into administration'.

Azeem [said] 'I have been told by the board they have no confidence in me and I don’t want to bring the club down any more than it is'. The IT entrepreneur took control just over a year ago, making giant strides to restore Kingfield’s feelgood factor. Azeem has pumped in sizeable amounts of his own money... But he has grown ever more frustrated that Ingram chairman of the club’s holding company, which owns the ground had resisted relinquishing full control.

Azeem said: 'I gave it my best shot and if that wasn’t good enough for some of the people, I can’t do any more... I have really enjoyed it and there were some fantastic moments but you can’t change things round with one hand tied behind your back that’s the issue'".

TUESDAY SCORES

NEW RECRUITS EVENING

Alty vice-chairman Grahame Rowley writes,"For those who have come to a previous New Recruits event I don't have to tell you what a good evening's entertainment they are. For those who haven't been to one - shame on you - you've missed some cracking nights!!! We hope to have at least 3 of our new recruits in attendance along with our Master of Ceremonies, Graham Heathcote".

The event is on September 4th, after the Kidderminster game at Moss Lane, and the cost is just £15 per person - please e-mail or ring 0161 928-1045 if you wish to attend.

THIS WEEK

Right: Anthony Danylyk in action against Wigan in pre-season. Photo courtesy of Gavin Rathbone of GR Photography

Altrincham have Kevin Holsgrove available to make his competitive debut tonight after sitting out Saturday's game through suspension. But unless Matty Crowell's much-delayed international clearance comes through during the day, he will again be unavailable for selection. Otherwise, management duo Graham Heathcote and Ken McKenna have no injury worries apart from Michael Twiss, who may be available this Saturday and Matt Doughty, who continues his recovery from a cruciate ligament operation.

"Darlington won the battle of the Blue Square Bet Premier newcomers on Saturday – Newport County having walked Conference South last season – and this was very much Mark Cooper’s Darlington" reports the Sunday Soon...

The home side were organised and compact, swelling areas with numbers. The back-four headed away a second half aerial onslaught, Paul Terry underpinned a midfield diamond as though his life depended on it and when Darlington appeared somewhat looser when switched to 4-3-3, Sam Russell repeatedly and defiantly stood in County’s way.

Cooper said, 'We’re new boys in the league, with a fantastic pitch and stadium, which people want to come and play in. Newport were on a crest of a wave so it was as tough a game as we could have asked for. I think you got a glimpse of what Conference football is all about. You’ve got to defend well - you could see that we’ve done a lot of work on that'...

Cooper was disappointed the Quakers could not add to their tally. They should have done, on 17 minutes, when Chris Senior blasted Richard Offiong’s lay-off over the bar". For most of the second half "It was all Newport".

Before the game, the Northern Echo reported that "Darlington's first game of the season sees seven new players in the starting line-up... Sam Russell, Jamie Chandler, Liam Hatch, Danny Hone, Kevin Austin, Paul Terry and Richard Offiong. However, four of them – Russell, Chandler, Hatch and Offiong - are already familiar to Darlington fans having played previously for the club. Striker Offiong signed yesterday on loan from Carlisle United while midfielder Joe Clarke has joined from Solihull and is on the bench. Tommy Wright, another back at the club for a second spell, is on the bench having put in some disappointing performances in pre-season".

The Echo adds that "Under pressure for much of the second half at home to Newport County, Mark Cooper’s side began their Blue Square Bet Premier campaign by displaying enough defensive resolve to collect three points... 'I’m just disappointed we weren’t a bit better going forward... We’ll take the positives out of it and try to do better on Tuesday'.

That is at Altrincham where Cooper would be satisfied with another battling one-goal win, though the manner of Darlington’s start on Saturday suggested they were in for a higher margin of victory... Chris Senior, who started behind the front pairing of Hatch and Richard Offiong, lashed the ball over the bar...

Right, Mark Maddox heads Alty's goal in the 2001 match.

Cooper said: 'I wasn’t bothered so much about how we played, I was more bothered about getting three points'". His side adopted a 4-3-1-2 formation. Of ex-Alty man Chris Senior, the Echo said, he "Started with a free role behind the strikers and Newport found him difficult to pick up".

There have been five previous encounters between Alty and Darlington, with Alty yet to win!

Alty's side that day was 1. Stuart COBURN, 2. Gary SCOTT, 3. Dave SWANNICK, 4. Mark MADDOX, 5. Mark SERTORI 6. Steve HAWES (capt.) 7. Kevin HULME, 8. Ian CRANEY, 9. Lee POLAND, 10. Rod THORNLEY, 11. Danny MURPHY, 12. Paul TAYLOR, 13. Kurt EDGINTON, 14. Carl FURLONG, 15. Leon SMITH, 16. Anthony HARGREAVES.

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GRAHAM'S POSITIVES

From Bedfordshire, Luton Today reveals that, like Alty with Matty Crowell, "New Hatters' signing Pavel Besta is facing a race against time to make his Luton debut at Kettering Town. The 27-year-old wasn't in Town's squad for the 2-1 win over Altrincham on Saturday due to his international clearance not being finalised... The manager said: 'His clearance wasn't through, so he's unavailable for selection... Make no mistake about it, we've brought him here to play in our first team. The people in the team have got it all on to keep their place, but I have to say I thought Murray and Keane were excellent at weekend'".

YOUTHS' DEFEAT

Altrincham FC Youth's FA Youth Cup match away to AFC Fylde has now been set for Wednesday 8th September at 7.30pm

MEN IN BLACK

BSBP NEWS

From the Northants Evening Telegraph, we learn that "Dominic Green [has] signed a loan deal to complete Rushden & Diamonds' squad for the first half of the season. The left-winger officially arrived from Peterborough United after training at Nene Park towards the end of last week when former Kettering Town striker Rene Howe made the same move. Green – who will be given squad number 25 – has agreed a one-month loan with a view to extending his stay alongside Howe until the January transfer window. Diamonds' boss Justin Edinburgh said: 'We've got all the players we need now and, rather than adding anyone, we need to gel as a team with better performances'".

According to the Kidderminster Shuttle "Harriers are hoping to complete three-month loan signing of Wrexham striker Marc Williams... The 22-year-old, brother of Harriers defender Mike Williams, is awaiting international clearance after agreeing a short-term stay at Aggborough. The Wales under-21 defender scored 17 goals for the Dragons during the 2008-09 campaign but last season was blighted by the same foot bone being broken twice. Wrexham will have the opportunity to recall striker Williams at 24 hours notice after the first month".

"Dave Bayliss said there was only one positive to draw from Barrow AFC’s dismal opening day defeat at Histon – the nice cup of coffee he had prior to kick-off" reports the NW Evening Mail.

“'We never played well from start to finish', said Bayliss. 'We conceded three really poor goals from three long kicks down the field. Histon wanted it more than we did... Our defending was poor. We’ve worked hard this summer defending, but it seems the lads have been going home afterwards and forgetting what we’ve practised. For a lot of young lads, Histon wanted it more than we did. It’s frustrating. We’ve been beaten today by a team I feel will get relegated this season. If we don’t shape up we’ll end up in the bottom four with them. That’s how gutted I am. We are a good side and we’ve not shown a single thing today'.

Barrow – who gave competitive debuts to defenders Andy Nicholas and Andy Milne, as well as second half substitute Danny Forrest – took the lead on 12 minutes when Remy Clerima headed past his own goalkeeper. That, however, was as good as it got. Cambridgeshire-based Histon, playing an effective style of direct football long-associated with their manager John Beck, equalised on the half hour mark...

Some of the traveling Bluebirds fans booed their team on the full-time whistle. Bayliss said: 'This league is made up of all kinds of different types of teams. You have the likes of Histon who play direct and go for set-pieces and you have teams that pass the ball around well. You have to deal with them all... Today, however, the lads just basically got bullied. Their front two ran us ragged, if I’m honest. They put us under all types of pressure when they got the ball in behind and we never dealt with that... What happened is the consequence of not doing the basic things right... No disrespect to Histon, we have a decent squad and enough cover to come here and get a result'".

ALONE IN A CROWD

Right: As 6,564 home supporters in the 6,665 crowd look on in stunned silence, Alty's Michael Welch and Damian Reeves are alone in their celebrations of Alty's goal last Saturday at Luton. The 101 Alty fans behind the goal were a bit more animated.

GREAT NEWS FOR ALTY SUPPORTERS

Altrincham Supporters' Away Travel 2010 - 2011 Season

T.A.S.C are delighted to announce details of away travel for the 2001/2011 season. We have now agreed a deal to replace last season minibuses with coaches for each away game this season whilst still providing excellent value for money and greater comfort. For our longer trips we will be providing executive coaches whilst still maintaining great prices. We need your support to make this work.

As ever, the supporters' coaches will be alcohol-free (by law) and have a family friendly environment to encourage all supporters to attend. We plan to arrive at grounds around an hour before kick off to allow supporters to see the local area or enjoy a couple of pints in the social club. We leave just after the game to get people back to families or home for nights out etc.

Due to traffic problems in Altrincham Town centre, we decided to remove Station House from our pickups last season. However we have now added in a pick-up outside Altrincham Leisure Centre to allow easy access for people wanting to travel from the town or tram/railway station.

We have also introduced banded prices, with three categories based on distance to make things simpler. And based on feedback from last season we have now extended our junior price to include Under 18s and valid NUS members to cater for our ever growing student fan base.

We hope you will support us on as many journeys as you can and we look forward to another season of progress. Remember to book early at the club shop or by calling the club on 928 1045 during office hours.

Book on for Southport (on Tuesday 24th August) today! - Pick Up Times are below:

The details of each trip's category are below and will be permanently on the Away Travel page throughout the season.

OLD BOYS

Joe O'Neill played for Guiseley along with Ryan Toulson in BSB North and Kieran Lugsden scored for Buxton in a friendly game.

ATTENTION RUSHDEN FANS!

"M56 Closure In Early October... We have been made aware that the M56 will be closed at Junction 6 Westbound from 2200 hours on Friday 1st October until 0500 Monday 4th October, to facilitate the demolition of the bridge at junction 7 up to the A556 at Bowdon. Junction 6 will also be closed the following week on Friday 8th October from 2200 hours until 0500 hours on Monday 11th October to allow the new bridge to be put into place".

It is the intention to close junction 7 westbound on the main carriageway allowing traffic to leave via the slip road up to Bowdon roundabout, then re-joining the motorway by the entry slip at junction 7. This may[!] cause delays on Bowdon roundabout if coming down the A556.

It is worth noting that the official diversion route for the two Friday closures is via the M60, past the Trafford Centre, M62 Westbound to Liverpool to the M6, then south on the M6 to Junction 19 where the A556 joins the M56. Anyone who knows this stretch of motorway will understand this is a very lengthy detour and one to bear in mind when travelling to games on those two weekends".

BSBP NEWS

Darlington, our opponents on Tuesday, report that "Dominik Werling has told Mark Cooper he wants to return to Germany. The defender reckons he wants to leave the club to go back to his homeland due to his mother suffering an illness. Cooper said: 'Dom has told me he's not happy and wants to go, it's disappointing as he's a good player. But he's under contract with us so we're not letting him go for nothing. If he wants to go to another club in Germany, or any other club, then most managers have got my number or can get it and they're free to make an offer'.

Cooper told the media earlier this week of a slight fall-out with Werling during training. 'I was making sure Dom knows what I expect of my full-backs', explained the Darlo boss. 'With me, I'm pretty straight. If they do what is asked of them then fine, no problem. If they give me everything they've got they won't have a problem with me. I think that is the way it has got to be. When you play football whether it's the proverbial jumpers for goalposts you have to be 100% at it or there is no point in playing'".

The BBC confirms that "Kettering Town have signed former Bradford City midfielder Stephen O'Leary on non-contract terms. The 25-year-old featured for the Poppies in pre-season, having been released by the League Two club in May. He had limited first-team action least season, after breaking his toe in training in August. O'Leary started his professional career with Luton Town, where he made 73 appearances in five seasons. He also featured for Tranmere and Hereford".

The Football Economy reports that "The Conference is close to a television deal for the Blue Square Bet Premier, reveals the Non-League Paper. A contract is likely to be signed with satellite subscription channel Premier Sports within a week. The Conference has been without television coverage for a year since the collapse of Setanta.

Premier Sports will not provide as extensive coverage as Setanta with up to 30 games a season being shown but this will please supporters as there will be less disruption of fixtures to suit television schedules. The possibility of a Friday night or Sunday slot is being discussed.

Premier Sports is a relatively low profile channel that boasts Gaelic football and Australian rugby football league, but is looking to expand into the English football market".

Hayes & Yeading United announce that "Influential central defender and England "C" International Tom Cadmore has renewed his contract with United".

THE LONG AND THE SHORT OF IT

Both of Luton's goals were scored by six-footers and one of these was from a set-piece too. In fact, Alty's goal was scored from a header by 5ft 9ins Damian Reeves whilst the tallest man on the pitch was actually Luton's goalscorer Kroca, a 6ft 4inch Czech defender, who was thrown forward for a corner and, to use the above words, took advantage of "one good delivery from one set piece". Luton's used subs also included the six-foot plus Claude Gnapka, who like Welch replaced a shorter player.

In the NL Paper, Luton boss Richard Money says of his team's supporters, "I think they'd all agree they've seen an absolutely fantastic performance from their players". NL Paper reporter Stuart Hammonds adds, that Altrincham "may have offered little in an attacking sense but Heathcote's teams are always organised enough, despite their part-time status, to frustrate the top teams. A centre-half thrown on as an attacking substitute always helps and it was Michael Welch's header that set Reeves up for the equaliser".

Richard Money also said, "I've only one comment to make about Andy Drury. What is he doing playing at this level? Where has he been all his life? The boy has so much quality, it's unreal". Drury was at Stevenage last season and chose to leave to join Luton rather than go up with the champions.

The Altrincham website match report is here.

From the other side, Luton Town report that "The Hatters were fully in command in an opening half that oozed class and confidence... However, for all their creative invention the Town took 19 minutes to test Coburn in the Alty goal...

Money's men started the second half as they finished as they continued to wow the 6,665 inside Kenilworth Road with more stylish football. Gallen was becoming frustrated with the no-nonsense tactics by the Alty defence...

But football's a funny old game and on 70 minutes the equaliser duly arrived to shock Kenilworth Road. From their first corner of the afternoon, taken by Ryan Brown, substitute Michael Welch saw his header goalwards met by the head of Damian Reeves who stole in at the back-post to bring the score level... Forget the scoreline: this was an exceptional display"....

A delighted Richard Money praised match winner Matthew Barnes-Homer...'I thought we were fantastic... to have 6,500 here is superb. They will have gone away having seen an outstanding performance... Our play, our passing and movement meant we able to create numerous chances. We knew Altrincham would put up a real barrier and would be tight all over the pitch'".

DANNY LOVES IT HERE

'I'm delighted to be back in the Prem with Altrincham. It's a good, debt-free club, similar in many ways to the way chairman Ben Robinson does things at Burton. He always ran a tight ship when I was there and it seems to be the same here. What's also similar is the team spirit... All the lads [at Burton] stuck together whether we were in the side or not. From my first few weeks here, it looks as if Graham fosters the same kind of atmosphere'"...

Holmes still lives in Burton and will juggle his Moss Lane commitments while still working for... Nigel Clough in Derby County's academy, where he coaches the Under-11s.

'It's good that I can fit it all in around playing part-time... I meet Ryan Brown and Anthony Danylyk at Stoke and car-share from there... This is only an hour and 15 minutes'" he said.

OLD BOYS

BSBP NEWS

LUTON TOWN 2 ALTRINCHAM 1

Above: Michael Welch rises to head Shaun Densmore's corner; Damian Reeves arrives from out of the picture to head the ball home for Altrincham's goal.

A well-struck goal two minutes from time by Matthew Barnes-Homer prevented Altrincham from gaining a point against the title favourites. Luton dominated most of the attacking play and took the lead after 22 minutes when Czech defender Kroca headed in from close range after a far post corner had been headed back to him. Alty brought on three subs around the hour mark and one of these, Michael Welch nodded on a Densmore corner to Reeves whose header made it 1-1 after 70 minutes. But Alty could not hold out and when a bouncing ball deceived Williams, Barnes-Homer smashed home the winner (88 mins). Report here.

Saturday 14 August

THE SEASON STARTS

Whilst Altrincham struggle to raise a full 16-man squad, with Doughty, Twiss, Crowell and Holsgrove all ruled out for the opening match of the season at Luton, our opponents have no such problems.

Luton Town reports: "When your manager speaks with such positivity one wonders how far the Kenilworth Road feel good factor can be felt. Phrases like 'We don't think we could be a better place right now', 'We've got a fully-fit squad', 'We're looking forward to the game very much' and 'We've got a good squad that can cope" should be a warning sign to teams that the Town mean business. With, indeed, a squad only missing the suspended Adam Newton and long term casualty Kevin Nicholls, the Hatters' hand is significantly strong for Saturday's season opener at home to Altrincham.

Eight new faces were signed in the summer. All are fit, raring to go and hungry to stake a claim in a squad brimming with ability and experience...

'I'm sure there will be plenty of interest in the starting XI', manager Richard Money said... 'We'll be utilising the group we have with so many games in a short period... We've worked hard on fitness', Money continued. "We've shared out the players' minutes on the pitch with the net result being the fully-fit nature of the squad... It's been down to good planning from the medical team and sports scientists'...

Graham Heathcote's visitors frustrated Money's troops last season by grinding out a 0-0 draw in final home fixture of the regular campaign last April... So does Money think Alty will play with the same mentality on Saturday?

'I don't know, it's up to them how they approach the game,' he said. 'The first match is always difficult for everyone as nobody wants to get beat on the opening day. I expect them to be hard to break down but we know how we want to play and how we're going to go about it'...

The game marks the beginning of the club's 125th anniversary season with a near full house expected who will see the team sport the commemorative pink and navy blue halved shirts.... 'It will be fantastic to have 7,500 home fans inside Kenilworth Road', he said. 'It's a wonderful effort from the fans for us to have sold 4,000 season tickets. We want a good start but promotion won't be won or lost tomorrow... If there's 7,500 fans on our side it will make it a helluva lot easier'"

Luton's "special strip, which was first worn at Marlow in this summer's pre-season friendly, was also worn against Liverpool at Kenilworth Road in our opening home pre-season fixture... Following discussions with the Football Conference, the Town have been given the green light to sport the kit in the opening league fixture against Altrincham...

With eight new signings, a lovely green playing surface primed for action and a new-look programme what are you waiting for? It promises to be a fantastic season at Kenilworth Road".

GRAHAM INTERVIEWED

PREVIOUS MEETINGS

SATURDAY'S GAMES

BSBP NEWS

The BBC tells us that "Forest Green Rovers have signed six more players for the new season. Midfielder Jonathan Else played a handful of games in midfield last season while goalkeeper Zak Jones joins older brother Luke at the New Lawn. Striker James Norwood on a one-month loan from Exeter, while Ollie Cleaver, Yan Klukowski and James Baldwin have all impressed in pre-season. Central defender Lee Ayres has been released after failing to agree terms".

Southport say that manager "Liam Watson has signed teenage striker Alan Collins on the eve of the season. The Haig Avenue boss has heaped tremendous praise on the young striker. 'Alan has shown great promise from his first reserve match. He has got great potential and an excellent attitude. I am really looking forward to working with Alan and see him develop. I have put him on contract. He is an exciting prospect'".

From Blue Square Football we learn that "Darlington manager Mark Cooper has continued to strengthen his squad with the signing of Carlisle United striker Richard Offiong on a month's loan. The 26-year-old rejoins the Quakers on an initial one month deal...

Cooper told the Darlington and Stockton Times: 'Richard gives us that real pace that we don't really have at the top end of the pitch. And it gives us the opportunity to stretch teams. He is ready to play. He has had an injury from when he was on loan in Sweden at the end of last season. It was a thigh problem but all it stopped him doing was kicking balls in pre-season, otherwise he has done all of the leg work. He looks fit enough. His record suggests that he will score goals. It is the same with Liam Hatch and Chris Senior. So, if those three players are in the team then we look like we have goals at our disposal'. Offiong joined Darlington on loan from Newcastle in November 2002 and went on to make nine appearances, scoring four goals in the process".

Wrexham announce that "The latest player to arrive at the Racecourse is Trinidadian international centre half Marvin Andrews. A former League champion in Scotland with Rangers, the 6'2" defender moves south of the border after appearing in the SPL with Hamiton Accies last season. Due to a number of issues, including the acquiring of his international clearance, the big man is not due to make his debut for the Dragons until next week.

With over 100 international caps for his country in a variety of competitions, the 34-year-old comes with a tremendous amount of experience... Said Marvin, 'I grew up with Hector Sam, while also knowing both Carlos Edwards and Silvio Spann very well, and they all told me to sign. Even when I walked into the Racecourse and saw the Trinidad flag flying above the Kop, it made me very welcome. It is a great set up here and I'm very grateful to Dean Saunders and the directors for giving me this opportunity to play again'".

Meanwhile there is a long "Financial Update Wrexham FC - August 2010" from chairman Ian Roberts on the club's website. it includes the following:

"It saddens me to read in the local newspaper, articles concerning the possible sale of the Football Club to a fan-led consortium. I originally arranged for reconciliation talks with the Wrexham Supporters Trust, as I have made it public knowledge I wanted to try and improve the links between the fans and the Club and hopefully reach a stage where we could have some fan participation in the running of the Club.

The Club has been requesting some financial help for a number of years, to help towards the cost of running our Youth Academy which has now lost its funding, for replacement seats and more recently a request from Dean for financial help to bring some key players to the Club. A request was also made for manpower help in gaining sponsorship etc.

It however became clear at the meeting that there was to be no financial support but only the desire from the WST board members present to own and run the Club themselves.

I took the opportunity to tentatively discuss the likely price we at Wrexham Village would sell for, it must be stressed however at this stage that it was nothing more than exploratory talks and that both parties would need to discuss their position further...

During the administration period the Club made a profit (pre-administration costs) of circa 200K. However the administration costs and legal fees incurred during the administration amounted to approximately £1.62 million, this figure was part of the payment made by the Moss/Dickens consortium upon its purchase of the Club, and so in reality there was a £1.42 million loss.

As a point of reference, on exit from administration the Club owns the Stadium and Colliers Park Training Ground, but had debts of circa £3.3 million. Since then the debt has risen due to the Club trying to fund firstly its survival in the Football League, then two managers, two new teams and the attempt so far to unsuccessfully gain promotion back into the League...

The Club now owns the Stadium and Colliers Park Training Ground but is not burdened with any major debt or interest payments to make, unlike many other clubs both large and small... The losses in the Football Club have to be addressed and that has been partly achieved by reducing the player's budget and management costs, reducing the administration staff costs and further cutting unnecessary overheads and seeking to increase commercial income...

We the board firmly believe that the Racecourse Ground is best served by offering itself as a multipurpose sporting, entertainment and business venue for Wrexham and North Wales as a whole and not just as a football stadium, to this end we intend to continue to extend its promotion as a venue in many varied ways".

ALTY'S SELF-SELECTING SQUAD

Alty officials were still clinging to the hope that international clearance from the FA would come through in time, following the midfielder's spell in Australia, but they were forced to concede defeat when the offices in Soho Square shut for the weekend without it being granted.

'It really is so frustrating, especially after the time and effort that has gone into trying to get this resolved,' said vice-chairman Grahame Rowley.'We have bombarded the FA with phone calls and emails and were still trying to force the issue this afternoon (Friday).

'But the offices have shut and the last chance has gone, as far as the Luton game is concerned. To be fair to the FA, they say they have got a pile of similar applications to ours but are getting little response from the Australian FA. 'They claim that is where the hold-up is, so there's not much we can do, except continue trying to exert pressure on them to get it sorted out. What makes it all the more frustrating is that Matty is ready to play and desperate to, but our hands are tied'.

Recent signing Kevin Holsgrove (right) is also out of the reckoning for Kenilworth Road after having to serve a one-match ban left over from his time at Hyde last season".

Alty's remaining 16-strong squad comprises: 1. Stuart COBURN, 6. Shaun DENSMORE, 5. Robbie WILLIAMS, 2. James SMITH, 4. Marc JOSEPH, 11. Nicky CLEE, 16. Anthony DANYLYK, 7. Robbie LAWTON (capt), 15. Ryan BROWN, 10. Chris DENHAM, 14. Dale JOHNSON. 21. James COATES, 8. Damian REEVES, 19. Danny HOLMES, 17. Tom McCREADY, 23. Michael WELCH.

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

OLD BOYS

CHESHIRE NEWS

Chairman Mark Harris said: 'Like most clubs at our level, Witton is competing for limited editorial space in our local paper. As a result, we don't get the opportunity to tell the local community what we are doing, or why. So we've decided to make matters into our own hands'".

BSBP NEWS

As recently as January 2010, Crawley Town proclaimed, in an interview with Ms Carter that their manager Steve "Evans now operates with one of the smallest budgets in the Conference while expenditure elsewhere at the club has been slashed". Seven months later, with the same board in place, the Crawley Observer reported that "Crawley Town are continuing their efforts to add to their already expensive squad by making two huge bids for high ranking midfield stars.

They have had a £150,000 bid for Scottish League 1 winger Willie Gibson turned down by the player himself after his club Dunfermline agreed to sell. The Reds' assistant manager Paul Raynor said: 'Willie's girlfriend has started a new job and didn't want to move south. We have to respect that and move on'. Crawley have now launched an alternative bid for an unnamed League 2 midfielder which is believed to be around £200,000 and if it goes through will shatter the Conference record.

A £20,000 offer for a League 1 utility midfielder/defender has amounted to nothing, but the Reds are considering yet another bid to take its place. All this transfer activity is indicative of the concerted effort by Crawley's owners Bruce Winfield and Sue Carter, together with their investors, to mount a serious promotion challenge this season". Sky Sports News reports that Crawley Town's bid for Rotherham's Nicky Law amounts to £250,000.

Another club in the money is subject of a piece from the Northants Evening Telegraph which confirms that chairman "Imraan Ladak has confirmed Kettering Town have made a 'substantial offer' for a new striker just hours before the big kick-off... 'We made a substantial five-figure offer for a striker who we have been monitoring since last season', Ladak said. 'Our manager (Lee Harper) is in a situation where he has Moses Ashikodi not match fit and he wants to ensure he has different combinations of strikers available. This is something I agree with and he needs to have four quality strikers at his disposal...

'I am wary about putting too much pressure on our team because we are in the first year of a two-year plan we have set ourselves', he added. 'I firmly believe that if anyone finishes above Luton Town then they will win it. There are probably 10 or 12 teams apart from them who will compete for four play-off places and I am obviously hopeful that we are one of them. It's not been an easy pre-season because Lee has had a look at a lot of trialists. I am sure we will see a committed and ever-improving Kettering side competing with the best once the season gets underway'".

The South Wales Argus reports on another well-endowed club; "Newport County’s directors are all dreaming of a return to the Football League – and that means never saying never to boss Dean Holdsworth if he wants to sign new players. Chairman Chris Blight [who runs the local Crook & Blight estate agency] has underlined the policy of the Exiles board, who have already provided the biggest playing budget in the club’s history.

The chairman, who has been appointed to the board of directors for the Football Conference, has stressed: - Holdsworth has been told to never stop looking for players he wants to sign.

Blight explains: 'We will never say never to Dean. Our message to him in terms of player recruitment is a very simple one – never stop looking for players that can improve our prospects of going to where we all want to be... We will never over stretch ourselves financially and be irresponsible and jeopardise the club's future, but we appreciate too that sometimes you have go to that extra mile to get where you want to be. Sometimes we might have to say no to Dean because the priority is to keep us in the black, but we always want him to ask the question if he has a player in mind... We’ve all worked very hard to have a budget that is a good one but a responsible one. We’ve pushed the boat out a bit but that’s because we’ve got some excellent players', he said...

'We are beginning to dare to dream... Our biggest handicap in growing this club is the stadium and it’s something everyone here dreams of addressing'". Newport share their stadium with Llanwern F.C. and Newport Harriers Athletic Club.

Another club with newly found wealth are Forest Green Rovers but This is Glos reports that "Dave Hockaday will not be rushed into spending Dale Vince's money on new players. Forest Green have been the talk of the Blue Square Bet Premier following the arrival of Ecotricity supremo Vince as majority shareholder, who has pledged to back Hockaday in the transfer market...

Hockaday said: 'I've got a list of players, as I would always have, and I'm talking to a few people to see what can be done. It would be lovely to sign them all straight away but I'm not going to do that because it's Dale's money and the club's money... We need to make sure we sign the right players for the right wages at the right time. I've got a great bunch of players and there is no way I'm going to threaten or disrupt that, so I'm doing a lot of homework on players. Character is everything for me'...

As of last night Hockaday had only 13 registered players – bolstered by Hartpury College students – at his disposal. Former Bristol Rovers and Chippenham Town midfielder Yan Klukowki is expected to be on board in time for the trip to Field Mill, having impressed on trial spell this summer, but any spate of injuries would expose a severe lack of depth and experience in the squad. Multi-millionaire Vince's arrival has created huge excitement among supporters, particularly after last season's threat of winding-up orders and even extinction,

Rovers' chairman David Drew has already confirmed that the new investment will 'more than cover' the £250,000 debt which led to the Keep The Green Alive campaign launch in March, and he sees no reason why the club cannot shake off the tag of perennial relegation strugglers. Drew said: 'We want to be in the upper half of the table and the sky is the limit after that. This is Dale's show and he is the one bringing the initiative and investment which should see this club fulfil its potential. I don't think there is such a thing as wiping debts clear because football is a difficult business at the moment'".

In contrast to Crawley, Kettering, Newport and FGR where money is flowing, two of Alty's former Conference rivals are in financial trouble...

NL News 24 says that "HMRC has served a winding-up petition on yet another member of the Non-League fraternity, with Welling United this time being in the frame. The Wings are believed to owe a substantial five-figure sum and could be wound up later this month after a proposed takeover fell through". The Club says it will "remain optimistic that everything can be resolved with the backing of those who wish to see The Wings not only survive but prosper in the future".

Another ex-Conference opponent of Altrincham is in even worse trouble as the Bromsgrove Advertiser tells us that "Bromsgrove Rovers have received confirmation from the Southern League that they will not be allowed to play in the competition this season. Rovers could not meet the Southern League's requirement of having a suitable ground to play on by the start of the season. It now looks like Bromsgrove Rovers will not play football at all this season. Team manager Steve Daniels, who postponed training last night, has resigned from his position".

Earlier the Advertiser ecplained, "Rovers have reached a stalemate with Bromsgrove District Council who were expecting the keys to the ground to be handed over last Friday after the current lease expired. That didn’t happen, and Rovers officials spent Monday frantically trying to convince council and league officials they have the right to remain on the ground whilst the club is in administration. They are are basing their last-gasp arguments on a piece of legislation under the Insolvency Act 1986. It says a company in administration has the right to remain on the land they are occupying whilst the administrator allows it...

But Bromsgrove District Council issued a statement which said: 'The council can confirm that the lease of the ground to Bromsgrove Rovers has expired. The club will now need to vacate the premises and return the keys and the Council has written to the club to explain this. The council remain committed to the provision of football at the ground and the benefits that this provides for the community and will continue to work with all interested parties to achieve this'".

Back with current Conference clubs, we learn from the Express & Star that "Kidderminster Harriers manager Steve Burr admits it’s unlikely there will be any further signings before the season starts at York on Saturday. Burr is known to be after another striker to take his squad to 20 players... A target has been identified and the player is still available but, with a game to prepare for, the manager admits he will not be able to conclude his business before the trip to KitKat Crescent.

Not all of the playing budget at Aggborough has been tied up but Burr is mindful of the fact he has little left to work with, so is playing the waiting game in the hope a deal can be struck down the line. There’s also the situation with Gavin Caines, who appeared no closer to being ushered out of the door today with Stafford Rangers stalling over a loan move for the outcast defender. His high earnings would have given the Harriers boss slightly more money to play with but interested parties are baulking at his demands, leaving the club inreasingly likely to be stuck with him".

"Solihull Moors' pre-season planning has taken a blow with the news of the likely move by midfielder Joe Clarke to full-time football with Darlington... Clarke only joined the Moors in the close season from league rivals Redditch United" says NL Daily.

According to the BBC "Barrow have signed left-back Andrew Nicholas (26) on a two-year deal with defender Andrew Milne handed a short-term contract... Milne, 19, impressed on trial at Holker Street, having left Leeds at the end of last season... The two signings take Barrow's permanent summer arrivals to six, with defender Matthew Haywood, midfielders Ciaran Donnelly and Marc Goodfellow, and striker Danny Forrest also joining the squad. Meanwhile Barrow have also secured the services of goalkeeper Alan Martin on a six-month loan from Leeds United, and striker Andy Cook from Carlisle United".

And "Tamworth have signed former Lincoln City midfielder Stefan Oakes and goalkeeper Ross Atkins after releasing veteran Claus Jorgenson. Atkins, 20, has signed on a one-month loan deal from Derby County after David Grof was recalled by Notts County. Oakes began his career at Leicester City and he has penned a two-year-deal after his release from Lincoln City. The 31-year-old comes in to replace Claus Jorgenson and both players could feature on Saturday against Eastbourne. Oakes has plenty of football league experience with previous spells at Wycombe, Walsall, and Notts County making over 200 league appearances and scoring 13 goals".

JEAN HEATHCOTE

ALTY'S BATH TIME IS NOW LATER

NEW NUMBER

The squad numbers for 2010-11 are:

A GRAND DAY OUT!

Saturday, 4th September, has been declared England's Non-League Saturday, as the top-flight of the country's football takes a break for international football (England v Bulgaria). Altrincham FC will be playing its part with a grand balloon race and a New Recruits Evening.

Every supporter will be invited to bring £1 and launch a balloon in a race to see which balloon goes furthest. And after the game there will be another in the Club's entertaining series of New Recruits Evenings. At these events a panel of three or four new players at Moss Lane join manager Graham Heathcote and a roomful of supporters for a meal and a question and answer session. Graham usually coaxes out a few secrets from the players as he plays the compere role. And the excellent food, provided by Richie Bentley, is another feature of the evening. Details will be published soon and tickets will be available from a week on Saturday (at the game against Crawley Town).

All the above will be happening on the day that Altrincham welcome Kidderminster Harriers to Moss Lane (3pm).

GRAHAM'S ASSESSMENT

Left: Robbie Lawton (back row, third from right) was one of the players who gathered at Rushden last week when Blue Square Bet got together a representative from each Premier Division club for the 2010-11 season.

Meanwhile, Altrincham FC joint press officer, John Edwards, writes:

"Altrincham have re-signed Michael Welch but face an anxious wait over Matty Crowell's availability for Saturday's Blue Square Bet Premier opener against title favourites Luton at Kenilworth Road. Towering centre-back Welch was among the substitutes against Wigan on Tuesday night, after being released at the end of last season, and is in contention against a Luton side rated 'the team everyone is going to have to beat' by Alty manager Graham Heathcote.

But there was uncertainty over the involvement of Crowell, back at Moss Lane following a spell in Australia, after it emerged the club were still waiting for international clearance. 'It is in the hands of the English and Australian FAs,' said Heathcote.'We have been on the case for the past few weeks and have been badgering them non-stop. But there's only so much you can do. They determine when it is granted, and it hasn't been yet.

'We've worked hard to get Matty back to the club. He lives in Swansea, so travel was an obvious problem. But we have arranged for him to come up to training on a Thursday, then stop over until the game on Saturday. We're not sure yet whether it will be at someone's house or a hotel, but it shows the trouble we have gone to.

'Now we're not sure he's going to be eligible for the opening game. It's frustrating, but we just have to hope it does come through in time. Michael will add height and strength at the back and give us four centre-halves to choose from. If I'd known Greg Young was leaving, I probably wouldn't have released him in the first place. He has signed non-contract forms, so it's up to him now to seize the opportunity.'

Michael Twiss is still 'a couple of weeks' away from full fitness, but fellow-newcomer Damian Reeves pressed his claims by hitting the bar and post in the 0-0 draw with Wigan. 'Damian is looking sharper and can hopefully do a similar job to Chrissy Senior,' added Heathcote. 'All our preparations have been geared towards August 14. It's a tough start against a team with massive expectations, so it's going to be all about application and desire from the first whistle.'

With Grimsby and Darlington eager to make their Conference stay as brief as possible, and Fleetwood increasing the numbers seemingly intent on spending their way to the top, Heathcote is bracing himself for a harder time than ever trying to maintain the progress of the last two seasons.

He is not daunted by it, though, and is determined his players won't be, either.

'I saw Luton against Newcastle last week, and it is clear they are going to take some stopping,' he said. 'You look at the League clubs who have come down and the money being spent by Crawley and one or two others, and there is no doubt this division is going to be stronger than ever. But I will say to the players what I always tell them before a game. Never mind what the other lot have done in previous seasons, or whether they have spent a hundred grand or two hundred grand or whatever on signings. They are in the Conference, same as us, which means they are a non-League team with a non-League squad. You are up against 11 non-League players and have nothing to fear.

'It's going to be tough, but the great thing about this league is that any team on any given day are capable of putting one over any opponents you care to mention. Some teams may be better than others, but that can happen, and I'll be trying to make sure we take that mentality into each game.

'Some of the players still have a bit to do fitness-wise, but I saw signs against Macclesfield, Manchester United and Wigan that we are getting there. It's not going to be easy, because, in many ways, the fixtures are in reverse, compared to last time.

'I remember looking at the run-in last season and thinking we'd better make sure we're safe by the end of March. This time, it's the first half-dozen or so games that are going to really test us, so we've got to be ready for that. I wasn't anticipating such a massive overhaul of players, either. You try and build something, year on year, and just one or two additions would have been ideal. But I suppose it's the price you pay, as a part-time club doing well, that one or two of your top performers (Greg Young and Chris Senior) get snapped up. The predators bite, and with Colin Little retiring as well, we had to bring enough new faces in.

'That was a job in itself, with our budget, but we did it and are ready now for what it's all about - the serious stuff, with points at stake and fans turning out in numbers. There may have to be a bit of juggling around to begin with, to get pairings that are going to last 90 minutes, but I hope the players are ready to step up to the plate now and show what they are capable of.

'The aim will be to improve our home form and at least maintain what we did on our travels last season - and if we can do that, we won't go too far wrong'".

ALTY WILL BE "VERY NEGATIVE"

News of Alty's next opponents comes from the Bedfordshire News which tells us that "Richard Money is in confident mood ahead of the Blue Square Bet Premier curtain-raiser at home to Altrincham on Saturday. Luton Town, once again, start the non-league season as favourites for the title...

'I don’t feel any pressure at all, to be perfectly honest', said Money. 'I’d much rather be manager of Luton Town than any other club in the division... The only pressure that I feel is the pressure that I put on myself, nothing else'.The league’s sponsors Blue Square Bet have Town as 7/4 favourites for the league with big spending Crawley Town [who visit Moss Lane the following Saturday] second favourites at 5/1...

'I think there is more quality in the league this year and I don’t think there is any doubt about that, said Money. 'Two teams will replace the two that have gone up and the four coming up will undoubtedly be better the than the four going down and that’s no disrespect to any of those teams'...

Money strengthened in the close season with the captures of Czech pair Kdenek Kroca and Pavel Besta last week bringing his summer shopping spree to seven... 'We’re pretty pleased with the way pre-season has gone', said Money. 'Obviously it all depends on the way we start on Saturday but in terms of how you want things to go, we’re pretty much where we want to be. Early on, there are 15 games between the start of the season and October 9 and I think in that period you’re going to need a big squad, and one that can come on the pitch and play'...

The Hatters have only managed one goal in their last three outings against their opening day opponents Altrincham, and the manager is expecting similar tactics to the ones that resulted in a stalemate at the tail end of last term. 'We know that they are going to come and be very negative, I would suggest very defensive but they might surprise us', Money said. 'In some ways I hope they do but it’s about us being good with ball, being patient, everyone in the stadium being patient, and making sure we don’t leave ourselves open for the counter attack. That’s always the problem of having home games here. Everyone comes and puts 11 people behind the ball and I wouldn’t expect Altrincham to be any different'".

OLD BOYS

Northwich Vics drew 3-3 at Leek Town in a friendly this week. The Northwich Guardian tells us that VicS "fielding a team almost entirely made up of trialists – twice came from behind... Manager Andy Preece switched to a three-man attack in the second half, introducing Northwich Villa’s top scorer Kwame Barnett [A former Alty reserve]. It paid dividend[s]...

Barnett showed strength – and no little skill – to wait for the right moment to send ex-Everton junior Andy Fowler clear and his finish was expert when face-to-face with Ritchie".

And news of John Owens's son, Andy, who was himself at Moss Lane briefly last season, comes from NL Daily which reports that "Accington Stanley are considering offering a deal to Glenn Hoddle Academy graduate Andrew Owens. The 20-year-old centre back was at the Crown Ground to watch Stanley’s goalless draw with Aldershot Town last Saturday. The Reds are contemplating handing a week-to-week contract to the former Stoke City youth team player. Stanley are searching for a tall centre back, with their current central pair both under six feet, and 6` 3” Owens is looking to return to the Football League after spending time at Hoddle’s Academy in Spain. The Liverpudlian spent last season in the Blue Square Bet North with Stafford Rangers, Blue Square Bet Premier Altrincham and in the Principality Welsh Premier with Rhyl".

BSBP NEWS

Exeter City report that "It is with great sadness that Exeter City Football Club have to confirm the news that Adam Stansfield passed away on Tuesday evening. Our thoughts are with his wife, family and friends at this time. Adam was first diagnosed with bowel cancer in April 2010 and the 31-year-old underwent intensive treatment...

He got a chance to sign for Yeovil Town in November 2001 and made his debut in the Conference 24-hours later against Southport. He continued to regularly hit the back of the net for Yeovil, the sort of form that won him a place in the England semi-pro team. A broken leg kept him out of action, but he made a full recovery before signing for Hereford United at the start of the 2004/05 season, where he helped the Bulls into the Football League, as he had at Yeovil.

Adam's Exeter career began back in June 2006 and his successful first season included a double against Southport on the final day to help City into the Play Offs before scoring a memorable goal at Oxford in the Play Off Semi Final Second Leg which helped the Grecians to Wembley for the first time in their history.

He continued to score goals and create many more with his tireless running as City clinched back-to-back promotions".

Adam played against Altrincham several times and all at Moss Lane add their condolences to those of his former clubs.

One of the Wigan Athletic players against Alty on Tuesday night was ex-Newcastle United defender Callum Morris who had recently had trials at Gateshead but not been offered a contract.

According to the Football Conference "Cambridge United have completed the signing of Wayne Gray on a month-by-month basis, with an understanding between the club and player this will be reviewed after six months...

U's boss Martin Ling told cambridgeunited.com: 'Wayne is a player I know well, having had him for two seasons whilst at Leyton Orient. He had a disappointed season last year with injuries and had a bad knee injury whilst with me at Orient. The importance for me is on him proving he's still got the ability he had prior to his injuries which in pre-season I feel he has'. The 29-year old has recently enjoyed spells with Grays Athletic, Leyton Orient and Yeovil Town".

"Garry Haylock, manager of Hayes & Yeading United, has swooped to sign up three more players" says NL Daily. "None are completely new faces to fans at Church Road but securing them is likely to bring surprised smiles to many faces. After featuring as a trialist in early pre-season games, tall striker Ben Wright arrives on loan from Peterborough United to spearhead the attack for the start of the new season. Wright, who spent spells on loan last season with this season's division rivals Luton Town and Grimsby Town, is a proven goalscorer at non-League level...

Also signing for the new season is Sierra Leone international Ahmed Deen. Left-sided player Deen has featured heavily in United's pre-season programme impressing with his pace and versatility... The final new signatory is United favourite James Mulley. Having progressed from the Yeading reserves, Mulley went on to establish himself in the merged club's first-team, earning the supporters` player of the year award last season. After trialing with both Charlton Athletic and Dagenham & Redbridge this summer in the hunt for a Football League deal, he has returned to Church Road".

---

11 August 2010

ALTRINCHAM 0 WIGAN ATHLETIC XI 0

Altrincham were unfortunate not to win this game after a good performance against a young Wigan side. In the second half Damian Reeves could have had a hat-trick as he hit both the post and the crossbar, as well as being stopped by a last-ditch tackle. Report here.

ALTRINCHAM: 1. Stuart COBURN, 6. Shaun DENSMORE, 5. Robbie WILLIAMS, 2. James SMITH, 4. Marc JOSEPH, 11. Nicky CLEE, 18. Matty CROWELL, 16. Anthony DANYLYK, 7. Robbie LAWTON (capt), 15. Ryan BROWN, 10. Chris DENHAM. Subs: 12. Kevin HOLSGROVE, 14. Dale JOHNSON. 21. James COATES, 8. Damian REEVES, 19. Danny HOLMES, 17. Tom McCREADY, 23. Michael WELCH.

WELCH RETURNS

Following last night's friendly against Wigan Athletic, Michael Welch signed registration forms for Altrincham FC and joins the squad with number 22. Michael was released by Altrincham at the end of last season, a campaign in which he was only able to play 3(+13) games due to a leg operation. Michael came on as a substitute during the second-half against Wigan.

The squad numbers for 2010-11 are:

1. Stuart COBURN 2. James SMITH 3. Matt DOUGHTY 4. Marc JOSEPH 5. Robbie WILLIAMS 6. Shaun DENSMORE 7. Robbie LAWTON

8. Damian REEVES 9. Michael TWISS 10. Chris DENHAM 11. Nicky CLEE 12. Kevin HOLSGROVE 14. Dale JOHNSON 15. Ryan BROWN

16. Anthony DANYLYK 17. Tom McCREADY 18. Matty CROWELL 19. Matty HOLMES 21. James COATES 22. 22. Michael WELCH

TEAM PHOTO

Altrincham posed for their official team photo on Tuesday night and it will shortly be available for purchase via Gavin Rathbone's GR Photography website. In the meantime, this unofficial version (which may be enlarged by clicking on it) shows...