KEN AND THE MANAGERSHIP

Red Ken is Fan’s Choice!

There will be no imminent announcement of a permanent successor to Graham Heathcote as Altrincham’s manager, but there can be no doubt who the fans want to see at the Moss Lane helm.

Caretaker Manager, Ken McKenna, suffered the worst possible start with a humiliating 5-0 thrashing at Eastbourne less than two weeks ago, but five points from the last three thrilling games have put a smile back on the face of Alty fans, who had previously watched their side lose seven consecutive matches and take just a single meagre point from the first nine games of the season.

After snatching a point with a dramatic injury time equaliser against Grimsby on Saturday, the Robins came back from behind three times on Tuesday night at Kettering to ultimately share six goals in a hugely entertaining encounter at the Elgood’s Brewery Arena.

'In the first half, Kettering were as good as anyone we have played this season, but I was so pleased with the way the team kept its shape and discipline and in the end we could easily have nicked it. That’s five times in two games that we have been behind and fought our way back to equalise. We struggled at times defensively on Tuesday, but there was a lot to admire about us going forward and we scored some high quality goals', said the 50 year-old native of Birkenhead, who added that 'I haven’t sat down with the Board yet to discuss anything beyond a short-term solution to try to improve the club’s playing fortunes'.

Discussions between the Board and McKenna seem set to take place towards the end of next week with newly installed Chairman Grahame Rowley stating, 'After the Rushden game on Saturday, I am away for a for a few days on a short holiday, but we will meet with Ken to discuss the manager’s position before the trip to Histon on October 9th'.

Altrincham hope to continue their recent upturn in fortunes in their next fixture against Rushden and Diamonds at Moss Lane on Saturday. Kick Off is at 3.00pm".

KETTERING VERDICTS

According to theNorthants Evening Telegraph "Say what you want about Morell Maison but boy can his teams provide entertainment. Indeed, when you are hunting points at the wrong end of the table allowing a lead to slip on three occasions is far from ideal. Jean-Paul Marna's magical hat-trick wasn't enough for the Poppies as a spirited Altrincham side took the chances that were presented to them and, in the end having come from behind three times, the bottom side could have won it.

It was a cracking encounter for the neutral but the overriding factor is that this was two points dropped and it was a win that Kettering deserved but didn't get...

Altrincham levelled with their first real attempt when Nathan Abbey could only get a hand on the lively Chris Denham's fierce snap-shot... Denham turned provider as his cross landed on the head of the unmarked Damian Reeves who gave Abbey no chance... The inevitable third equaliser arrived with nine minutes to go. Denham was the architect again as his cross was flicked on and substitute Sam Hewson finished it off at the far post. From there, Altrincham could have picked up a remarkable win as Denham's strike missed the far post by inches".

The Poppies' Fans unofficial site reported on the game on Tuesday, under the banner "Wasteful Poppies pegged back three times at home to Altrincham" that "Kettering have wasted a golden opportunity to break their win-less run at home by failing to put away their opponents who are languishing at the bottom of the table. Three times in front and three times they allowed Altrincham to pull level and gain a point. It’s 3-3 at the final whistle and surely two points lost for the Poppies".

SATURDAY

OLD BOYS

LAST SATURDAY

BSBP NEWS

Chairman Dave Laing stated: 'Marcus has been talking to Kettering Town since a week last Thursday and last night announced that he had agreed to accept the position of manager with immediate effect. He will commence his duties there on Monday... Kettering Town have agreed to play a pre season friendly next year which will allow the supporters a chance to bid their farewells to Marcus on a more formal basis'.

Since his arrival during the 2007/2008 season the club has grown and improved eventually winning the Midland Football Alliance last year with an undefeated season and reaching the Semi-Final of the FA Vase. Barwell currently sit at the top of the Evo-stik Division One South having won their first eight matches and this can be attributed to the quality of play that Marcus Law has been able to encourage from his players".

According to the Football Conference "Forest Green Rovers have taken highly-rated midfielder Chris Flood on a month's loan from league rivals Crawley Town. Crawley signed Flood, 20, from Salisbury City for a five-figure fee in the summer. He made over fifty appearances for Salisbury, scoring five goals during his time at Raymond McEnhill Stadium. He joined the Whites in 2008 after a career including spells with Brentford, Queens Park Rangers, Winchester City and Farnborough.

Crawley manager Steve Evans said: 'Forest Green Rovers made an approach to take the lad on loan and after much consideration we thought it was a benefit to the lad and Crawley Town. Floody is now ready for first-team football and for him to show the talent he has. He joins Forest Green for a month and as we always do with any players who go out on loan we will have his performances analysed. The strength in depth we have in our first-team squad given we now have the likes of Dean Howell, Sam Rents and Jamie Cook back available for selection allows us to let Floody go and play some first-team football'".

The Conference also says that "Grimsby Town have signed Scunthorpe United midfielder Andrew Wright on an initial one-month loan deal. At over six foot, he is known to be a strong athlete and a fine reader of the game. Wright joined the Iron during the 2008 January transfer window. The former Liverpool trainee had been plying his trade in the USA, and was a central midfielder in his days at Anfield.

He has being playing for West Virginia University. Gaining a degree in physical education, he is described as completing 'one of the finest careers[?] in school history' and was called up to the College Men's MVP side - its version of an All-America team.

He finished his career there with eighteen goals to his name from eighty-three matches. His versatility has proven vital for United and he signed a new two-year deal last season".

Meanwhile, "Wrexham have signed striker Mathias Pogba, who has been on trial for the last few weeks. Pogba, who began with Celta Viga, is a free agent after Wrexham contacted his last club, Guinea outfit FC 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".

Blue Square Football reports that "Bottom-placed Altrincham earned a rare point in a 3-3 draw at fellow strugglers Kettering. Jean-Paul Marna (12, 20, 71) claimed a hat-trick but it was not enough as Chris Denham (19), Damien Reeves (30) and Sam Hewson (81) also got on the scoresheet. It was a similar [i.e. totally dissimilar] story for hapless Histon as they crumbled to a 3-1 loss to visiting Gateshead. The Tynesiders struck early through Gary Mulligan (7) before Craig Nelthorpe (35, 89) completed a brace. Omer Riza then pulled one back in injury time from the penalty spot".

"Kidderminster Harriers have revealed that defender Ollie Thorne has put pen-to-paper on a new deal that will run until the end of the current campaign. The promising youngster joined the Harriers on non-contract terms in the summer and a clause has been inserted in his new deal which gives the club the option to extend his stay for a further year. Kidderminster chairman Barry Norgrove told the club's official website: 'He was on a non-contract basis and we were a bit worried we could lose him but we wanted to keep him here'".

NL Daily says that "Luton Town have announced the signing of highly-rated England `C` international striker Amari Morgan-Smith. Morgan-Smith, 21, arrives at Kenilworth Road as a free agent following a two-year spell at Ilkeston Town and has put pen-to-paper on a two-year deal after two years with the Blue Square Bet North side in which he scored thirty-four goals in seventy-seven starts.

The fast and skilful frontman's impressive form for the Robins earned him a call-up to the England `C` squad at the end of last season... Wolverhampton-born Morgan-Smith started his career as a trainee with Wolves. He then signed for Crewe and then Stockport where he made one Football League appearance before moving to Ilkeston.

Before the season began the striker impressed in a trial for Derby County and has since gone on to score three goals in seven appearances for Ilkeston. Earlier this season his former boss Kevin Wilson hailed the striker, who scored twenty-three goals last season, as the 'hottest property in non-League football'. With huge interest in the forward, Town boss Richard Money was delighted to beat off competition from a number of Championship and League One sides for Morgan-Smith's signature".

KETTERING TOWN 3 ALTRINCHAM 3

On 30 minutes, Reeves headed in a great Denham cross to make it 2-2 after good work by Lawton. After 71 minutes Marna completed his hat trick with a header. But Alty continued to fight back before Hewson tapped in for 3-3 after 81 minutes and it was then Alty who went the closer before the referee ended the game after barely 90 seconds of the two added minutes. Match report here.

IN THE AIR

Altrincham Chairman, Grahame Rowley, said 'We have been surprised & delighted by the number of balloon tags that have been returned. The wind direction must have been pretty consistent that day as nearly all of them have come back from the same direction!'".

YANKEE

REF

BSBP NEWS

Wainwright, 32, joined Barrow at the same time last season and was instrumental in kick starting the Bluebirds season after the club had only taken 10 points form 13 games. Wainwright made 5 appearances last season".

I Love Bath City says that "City have signed experienced midfielder Alex Russell. The 37-year old has made over 500 appearances with a number of league clubs including Torquay United, Bristol City and Exeter City. He was released by the Grecians in May 2010 and has been unattached since then. He has signed on non-contract terms and goes straight into the squad."

from the Football Conference comes news that "Newport County have signed striker Charlie Clough after the Bristol Rovers youngster agreed a one-month loan deal at Spytty Park. Clough progressed through Rovers’ Centre of Excellence and made one League appearance in 2008. He has since spent periods on loan with Mangotsfield United and Chippenham Town...Clough is a true utility player as he can play in defence, midfield or attack."

And "Grimsby Town have agreed with npower League One side Sheffield Wednesday to extend the loan of keeper Richard O'Donnell by another month."

TUESDAY'S GAME

The referee at Kettering is Mr R. Whitton, who is based in Essex. He does not seem to have reffed Altrincham before.

Monday 27th Sept.

Tuesday 28th Sept.

Last Tuesday, Alty played Barrow, the current Conference team against whom they have played most games over the year. Mike Garnett's statistics reveal that Kettering are our second most played-against club amongst the current Conference teams. Altrincham have met Kettering Town 55 times winning 20 times, drawing 21 and losing 14, with 94 goals scored and 90 conceded.

Our opponents, Kettering Town say that "The Poppies host struggling Altrincham on Tuesday, aiming to complete back to back victories for the first time this season. Altrincham have made a poor start to the campaign, a 2-0 victory against Barrow last week saw them finally end a seven-game losing streak. During this time the Club only scored one goal and also departed [parted] with manager Graham Heathcote. Since their 5-0 drumming [drubbing] at the Eastbourne Borough acting manager Ken McKenna has started to turn things around, a victory over Barrow was followed up with an impressive 2-2 draw against Grimsby. Chris Denham and Shaun Densmore lead Altrincham’s scoring charts with two goals each. [Damian Reeves has three].

In May 2005 Altrincham beat Kettering 2-1 after extra time in the Conference North Play Off Final to set up a fixture against Eastbourne Borough. Again they ran out 2-1 winners and secured themselves promotion to the Conference Premier. Life hasn’t been easy since then and Altrincham went into the final game of the 2006/2007 season 2 points clear of relegation. A 0v0 draw against Aldershot and Tamworth’s 1v0 defeat to Cambridge secured their league status. The following season they went into the final game only 1 point outside of the drop zone. A 2v2 draw against Weymouth combined with Farsely Celtic’s 3v1 defeat to Grays Athletic again secured their status. Altrincham have improved since then and finished in 15th and 14th respectively over the last two seasons.

Altrincham have a slightly better head to head record against the Poppies... Since our return to the Conference Premier, The Poppies hold a 100% record at home to Altrincham winning 2-0 last season (5/9/2009) and 3-1 the season before (3/3/2009). Altrincham haven’t won at Rockingham Road since 2005 where they ran out 1-0 winners (19/2/2005)...

Supporters will need to purchase a ticket prior to entry from the club shop/ticket office under the main stand, which will be open on the day of the game from 1pm till kick-off. Everyone is welcome. Altrincham fans will be accommodated in the away section of the main stand - turnstile A, next to the away ticket office window. The Rockingham Road terrace will not be open. Prices for this fixture are just £10 for adults & concessions and £1 for Under 16's (evidence of age may be asked for)".

DIGGING DEEP

YOUTHS WIN

"WE SHOULD BE WINNING THESE TYPES OF GAMES"

His team lie eleventh in the table after Altrincham's Shaun Densmore's stoppage time header gave the bottom-placed Robins a shock 2-2 draw against the Mariners on Saturday. Now Woods is calling for unity as the club looks to end a winless run of four games when Wrexham visit North East Lincolnshire on Tuesday night.

He said: 'The players are beating themselves up. They know they should be winning these types of games... We know we're going to get a bit of criticism – that comes with the territory... The players are trying. They work extremely hard. Yes they make mistakes but they are making mistakes because they want it so much... There's an anxiety because they know the quality and the size of the club and the league we're in, and they know where we should be'...

Woods feels there is more to come from Bury loanee Danny Carlton, who made his Town debut at Moss Lane. He said: 'Danny played okay. It was different for him with Altrincham playing so deep. I think against a 4-4-2 with defences playing higher up you'll see his pace in behind'"...

In the same newspaper, "Woods described the Robins' late equaliser at Moss Lane as a 'tough pill to swallow' after his team's dominance for much of the match. His tactical switch to a 4-3-3 formation when Lee Peacock come on as a second-half substitute reaped dividends when Alan Connell's stunning strike put Town 2-1 up... Woods said: 'We changed the formation to get Alan in the hole and it worked immediately. It worked because it was a terrific finish and it gets Alan facing the right way up the pitch...

'They didn't look like scoring until we gifted them their first goal. We've talked a lot about dealing with pressure and I felt we did that in the first half and came back well when they equalised. Their keeper made two world class saves and then we get done with seconds to go at the end when they weren't even putting us under any particular pressure'".

Meanwhile, "Wide man Peter Bore admitted Altrincham's stoppage-time equaliser overshadowed any joy from opening his goal-scoring account for the season at Moss Lane.... Bore said: 'Everyone was really devastated to lose the victory in the last 30 seconds of the game... We should have defended a lot better. Their penalty appeal just before the last goal wasn't a distraction; it was just about us being men and defending well... The manager knows we are all a lot better than that.

It's two mistakes that cost us. The players never mean to make two mistakes in a game but it happens and it happened at Altrincham. We're all gutted'...

The home fans were unhappy they weren't handed a penalty on 14 minutes when a pass between the Town backline from James McCarthy wasn't cleared after Darran Kempson and Peter Bore, reverting to right-back, left the clearance to each other and lively midfield man Densmore nipped in before crumbling under the closeness of Kempson. There may have been minimal contact but a spot-kick would have been harsh and, in fairness, the victim didn't appeal vociferously...

Connell saw a free-kick hit Carlton and come back out; the ball was pumped high back into the danger area by Hudson and Carlton got up early to distract Coates. It worked as the keeper's poor punch dropped to Bore 12 yards out and he hammered it home into the roof of the net... The Alty fans weren't happy with Cleveland referee Tony Harrington, however, complaining Carlton had impeded Coates from Hudson's delivery...

Lee Ridley misjudged the bounce and it left Town exposed. McCarthy did well to wait on half-way, with a two-on-one situation, before playing in strike partner Chris Denham. The only Town defender, Bore, tracked the run of the frontman but he had enough to get to the box, turn one way then the other and fire across O'Donnell into the far corner to level...

Then, out of nothing after one of his quieter games, Connell produced a bolt from the blue with another stunning strike on 77 minutes... Then, disaster struck, when Densmore was unforgivably left in space and found with an inch-perfect cross from James Smith and that was that".

Cod Almighty also has a match report. It ends, "Why did the Mariners not win? The dropping back too deep to defend a one goal lead is the classic sign of a nervous team: we've seen it often enough the last two seasons. Why the nerves? Perhaps because perfectly good bits of play by Town players went uncelebrated, while, after Altrincham's first equaliser, every error was howled down. There is a tendency, when things are going wrong, to make out that if a manager is not infallible, he is worthless...

Cod Almighty says about Altrincham... It's hard to see Altrincham doing anything other than struggle, but forget the pub team jibes. They tried to create chances, and when that failed, snaffled up the two chances they were presented with... One can describe countless details- the match balls with "Alty FC" marker penned on them, the hoarding for MUFC.com behind one goal, the broken bits of chipboard covering a pothole near the corner flag, the break in play to allow repairs to the linesman's flag – that highlight the modesty of the environment in which we are playing. It is because we have a lot to be modest about. The sooner we stop playing lip service to this and actually start meaning it, the sooner we might get behind our modest team and help it become a bit better...

Anyone thinking Town were lucky not to concede a first half penalty was not there, although a radio listener might be in a better position than someone in the away end to judge whether Carlton fouled the Altrincham goalkeeper before Bore's goal. He was fine".

BSBP NEWS

Blue square Football reports that "Forest Green Rovers manager David Hockaday admits there is no excuse for his side's under-par performance against Kettering Town at the weekend. A 2-0 defeat to managerless Kettering Town on Saturday afternoon saw Rovers drop into the relegation zone and Hockaday feels his side got what they deserved.

He told This is Gloucester: 'Apologies to all - we were nowhere near good enough in any department. Kettering have got some good players but we made them look like world beaters. I don't know where that performance came from. No excuses. We were listless, there was no energy and we looked physically and mentally flat. The pressure is now getting to us - the fact that we have lost four on the bounce - and we can't say we didn't deserve this result... When I came here we had two points from nine games, now we've got nine from 11... If people want to give me stick then so be it'".

At York City "The Club are pleased to announce the signing of striker David Dowson. Dowson (aged 22), joined the Club late last week and made his debut as a substitute in Saturday's 3 - 1 away victory at Tamworth. Dowson started his career at Sunderland and was Martin Foyles last signing for the Club".

Alty host Rushden and Diamonds next week where Paul Driver said, after a home loss to Crawley, "'It would be great to play like Spain, it'd be brilliant - to move the ball around the park, but that isn't going to work, you've got to start putting pressure on their back fours, playing balls into the big strong strikers so we can work off them. When you do that the opposition will drop back and then maybe you can play through the middle. But we haven't got that, midfield didn't affect the game at all. Set pieces were all put down the goalkeepers throat, he did well to come and get them - they were a side that conceded from two set pieces on Thursday night. We're just always always in there and its straight at the keeper, its not good enough...

We're losing a lot of 1-0's and the defence aren't doing badly, they're not shipping lots of goals. But its just becomes a bit of a mental thing, after a while you're 1-0 down and you think that's it, its down to the midfield to put crosses in and shots in and down to the strikers to start scoring goals".

At Mansfield Town, "Deadly striker Luke Medley has signed an extended contract until the end of the season... The 21-year-old originally signed a six month contract when putting pen to paper in the summer, with his wages being funded by supporters' group 'The 12th Stag'. He has since scored four goals in two starts and eight substitute appearances, including a magnificent solo effort against Eastbourne Borough on Saturday.

Said Luke: 'I've known the gaffer for a while. He has wanted to sign me until the end of the season for a while now, and this opportunity has now been enabled with the new owners'".

The local Northants Evening Telegraph adds that "Jamie Stuart admits Rushden & Diamonds' squad must learn quickly... Diamonds defender Stuart said: 'There wasn't much in the game but they showed more know-how than us. After conceding the goal we didn't cause them too many problems and we couldn't get back into it. I think that's down to naivety and inexperience...

We're competing at 100mph and running around without really creating chances... We've got players like myself and Tim Sills who did well enough in his first game... We've had a couple of wins and then another setback. We're too inconsistent'".

NEW LOAN SIGNING

The new face is Andrai Jones, an 18 year-old central defender from Bury. Andrai, a 5ft 11inch Liverpudlian (d.o.b. 1/1/92) has been signed on a one-month loan. As a youngster he was with Everton and Preston before graduating from Bury's Youth team to earn a professional contract at the end of last season. He has first-team squad number 21 at Gigg Lane and number 14 now at Moss Lane.

KEN'S VERDICT

Asked about his own position at Moss Lane, Ken said, "I honestly have not had the time to sit down and talk to the Board. I'm working [away from Altrincham] until three every day and then coming here afterwards. But there will have to be a time when we sit down and talk about our differ-ent aspirations. I've been working [as assistant manager] on a week to week basis for more than a year now, so it won't matter if it takes a little longer'.

'As for the squad, I'm assessing them and know there's a lot of character there. But I will probably have to dip into the loan market for a couple of players as we are a bit thin on the ground and have picked up a couple of knocks today'".

Opposite number Town boss Neil Woods claimed "We threw that away. We were comfortably the better side, particularly in the first half when we were in total control... it took two world class saves by their keeper to keep us out. We weren't really under any pressure but their first goal was down to an individual error and then we conceded in the last few seconds'".

NEXT GAME

OLD BOYS

The EvoStik League also reports that Colin Little's registration for that league has moved from FC United to Radcliffe Borough.

FLYNNZINE

Scotland, Wales, and ........... Liechtenstein!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When 29 year-old Kevin Miller from Edinburgh was looking for a match to go to on his stag weekend in Manchester, the obvious stadium of choice on the fixture list was Eastlands for Chelsea’s visit to Manchester City. But Kevin and his friends were looking for a ‘real football match’ and decided that today’s Blue Square Bet game between the mighty Alty and Grimsby was the one for them and our Sponsors’ Lounge will be filled with 32 Scotsmen this afternoon!

The stag party will already be in full swing by the time anyone reads this article as the group of Rangers, Aberdeen, Hibernian, Hearts and Montrose supporters will have headed over the border in a southerly direction on Friday, staying at Jurys Inn, Manchester last night. 12 of the party will be participating in a Penalty competition at half time as the stag’s family take on the stag’s friends on the hallowed Moss Lane turf!

Let’s hope that the game is a decent spectacle and whilst there won’t be a Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard or David Silva on show, if Alty can replicate the grit and determination of Tuesday night’s massive victory over Barrow, then I’m sure that we will be in for an exciting and close game as Grimsby make their first ever visit to Moss Lane.

Kevin’s next big fixture is a daunting away trip to the Dominican Republic, where he will marry Natasha in November and everyone at Altrincham Football Club wishes the happy couple countless seasons of marital bliss! As for this weekend, let’s hope that not too many of the party over indulge and end up with an unscheduled, early hours of the morning, appointment with Cardinal Chunder!!

Enjoy your stay lads!!!!!!!!

Rather strangely, but conveniently for this article, a small group of Altrincham fans made the opposite journey to today’s guests to take in the Euro 2012 Qualifier between Scotland and Liechtenstein a couple of weeks ago. Why.......I hear you ask? A couple of years ago my son, Niall, read a book called ‘Stamping Grounds: Liechtenstein’s World Cup Odyssey’. Author Charlie Connelly followed Liechtenstein's quest to qualify for the 2002 World Cup to find out what masochistic urge motivates the part-time players of a nation of 36,000 people [with one of the highest standards of living in Europe] to plug away despite the inevitability of defeat.

To answer this question Connelly sampled the delights of the principality where every year the sovereign invites the entire population into his garden for nibbles and a glass of wine! Since reading the book, my eldest has made two footballing trips to the Principality with two separate groups of friends and some of them have caught the Liechtenstein bug. Unfortunately for my lad, the game came three days before he returned from a ten-week trip to South America, nevertheless seven Alty diehards made the trip north for what turned out to be a fascinating game with Liechtenstein’s hearts broken by a winning Scottish goal seven minutes into injury time.......it was indeed the international version of watching Alty!!

There were about 200 travelling Liechtenstein fans, which, pro-rated against the national population, is the equivalent of England taking over 300,000 to an away game!! The famous Hampden roar is still very much alive up there but if ever there was a mismatch between the quality of the team and its supporters, Scotland has to be a role model example.

Finally today, yours truly, took in the Wales v England C international at Newtown’s picturesque Latham Park last week and it was nice to see Robbie Williams pick up his second welsh cap as a second-half substitute. England were looking comfortable with a two goal lead from the first half, when Robbie’s introduction for the last twenty minutes helped galvanise a determined fightback by the welsh side, who scored twice late on to force a draw that ultimately they deserved.

Let’s hope for more of the Barrow spirit today against our new fishy friends from the East Coast!

‘In Alty we trust’, Brian".

BEST WISHES

NON-LEAGUE NEWS

Gascoigne believes his appointment with the West Yorkshire side will not be a repeat of his previous management role, at Kettering. Owner Imraan Ladak sacked Gascoigne after just 39 days, claiming the former England international was drinking too much. Gascoigne explained: 'It went really well there. The chairman tried to blame it on the drink but it was totally untrue. He stopped me coaching and he wanted to become manager'.

Garforth owner Simon Clifford said: 'This is not a publicity stunt. When we signed Socrates and Careca, that was. Everyone says they love Paul but nobody does anything about it. I want him to be an inspiration to someone who might have depression or problems in their lives. He's walked through hell but he has kept on walking'".

SUNDAY GAMES

GRIMSBY GAME

Right: Altrincham welcomed a group of Scottish visitors to the Sponsors' Lounge as they made the Altrincham v Grimsby Town match an integral part of their stag-weekend celebrations for their friend Kevin Miller. They had decided they wanted to see a "real" football match rather than the rival game down the road at Eastlands and they were treated to a very entertaining ninety minutes. Photo by Gavin Rathbone of GR Photography.

After yesterday's game, Grimsby Town reported that "A fantastic strike by Alan Connell wasn't enough to give the Mariners a vital win against bottom club Altrincham this afternoon. Peter Bore had fired Town ahead on 28 minutes after the ball fell nicely for him in the box. Hudson pumped the ball into the area, Connell jumped with the keeper and as the ball dropped to the Town right-back he blasted the ball into the top corner..."

This is Grimsby adds that "Grimsby Town threw away three points at bottom-club Altrincham in stoppage time today to draw 2-2 and stretch their winless run to four matches... An unmarked Shaun Densmore dived to head home at the back post in the first of two added minutes to deny Neil Woods' men. Town went into the game as big favourites, despite a run of just one point from the last nine available.

New loan frontman Danny Carlton was handed a full debut and was involved in Town's controversial opener on 28 minutes. He jumped with home keeper James Coates and with the ball bouncing loose in the box, Peter Bore hammered home with home fans complaining about a possible foul on their number one.".

NEXT GAME

News of our next opponents comes from the Northants Evening Telegraph, which says that on Saturday "Kettering Town produced a dominant display as caretaker-manager Morell Maison led them to a much-needed second win of the season. Jean-Paul Marna's penalty on the stroke of half-time and Iyseden Christie's second-half strike settled it for the Poppies.

The news ahead of kick-off wasn't great for the Poppies as Maison confirmed striker Moses Ashikodi is facing a long stretch on the sidelines after further scans on his troublesome knee injury. Reading youngster Harry Harding was handed a place on the bench... with John Dempster justifying his move to his preferred position of centre-half".

GOAL RUSH

During October 2010 Altrincham FC are running a fund-raising event, involving the 92 football clubs in the Premiership and Football League. It is called "Goal Rush" and has a £100 prize.

For five pounds you simply select four random numbers (between 1 and 20 for a Premiership club, 21-44 for a Championship club, 45-68 for a League One club and 69-92 for a League Two club). At the end of the month, each team's goal average will be calculated (goals scored divided by the number of games played in all competitions).

The winner will be the person with the highest collective goal average for their four teams.

Teams will be allocated a random number by a draw to be held at the club on 30th September 2010. If you would like to join Goal Rush then simply send the details requested below to Altrincham FC, Moss Lane, Altrincham WA15 8AP with a cheque for five pounds made payable to "Altrincham Football Club".

Applications will be accepted until 30th September 2010.

Your entry should indicate:

Your contact name and telephone number and your four chosen numbers:

This is an important initiative for raising funds, so please do your best to support it.

GEOFF'S MESSAGE

"A long time ago when Graham Heathcote rang me advising me that Altrincham FC were going into oblivion, I knew nothing about football but offered to help out because I was frightened by the debts the club had. I was only supposed to be there for four weeks maximum, as the land was going to be sold and the debts would then be sorted... that was eight years ago!

Having eradicated the debts, and having a great time at Altrincham FC, sadly the time has now come for me to step aside. I plan to help my son with his karting, as he is now going to race in Europe. My business has took another level which is very demanding and with the recession still looming, I do need to dedicate more time to my business and do not feel therefore that I can give Altrincham FC the 100% commitment it deserves.

I hope that the club gets the good fortune it deserves. Everyone at the club is fantastic, from the fans to the people who help out at the ground, the stewards, the ball boys, the catering staff, the sponsors lounge, the boardroom and the groundsman. It is such a shame that so many people work so hard and don’t get paid, yet it is so near to an area that is affluent. I just hope that one day someone will see how great the club is and push it into the next phase... what that is I don’t know! Maybe the top of the Conference – who knows!

Altrincham will always have a place in my heart now, because ever since the coach broke down on its way to Scarborough the very first time the supporters used us, I got a phone call from Mark Ecky, I thought “Here we go, time for an ear-bashing”. However, Mark invited me down to the game on Saturday as a thank you – a thank you for breaking down!! However he was thanking me for sorting the breakdown out so quickly. I went to the club; I was treated fantastically and made to feel very welcome. I think that is why I decided to help the club; so really the fans are behind the reason why I got involved. If we can continue with the same attitude around the club, it will continue to be a great club.

I wish I could win the lottery and give loads of money for players, would that make us happier? I don’t know. I find football very difficult to deal with; I find the characters in it hard to deal with. There are some great people involved and some people not so great. I sometimes ask “what is it all about?” for me it’s about being solvent, having a club that will be there next year for the fans and for the future generations but, at the same time, try to compete at the best level you can. When we play against teams like Crawley, who were nearly out of the league last year, and are still spending money like it is going out of fashion, would we ever compete with that? Sometimes we need to take a step back to go forward again; it is a strange roller coaster ride. You can win with not a lot of money but, at the end of the day, money will always override anything.

I have got some fantastic memories from the club which will stay with me for the rest of my life. As a kid from Benchill living on a council estate, walking past the club, which to me as a child was like Manchester United - I can’t believe I was Chairman of that Club – sometimes I have to pinch myself to believe it is actually real and what I have achieved in my life. My eldest daughter is a doctor, all of my children have turned out well, and I have made a difference in people’s lives. It doesn’t matter to me how much money you have got, it is all about whether you have made a difference to someone’s life. We now need someone to come in who can make a difference, not be here for the short term, but in it for the long haul. It has been an honour to work at the club, I have made some good friends at the club and I take my hat off to Grahame and Karen Rowley and their family who work hard at the club. Graham Heathcote also worked hard, he has been at this football club a long time and taught me a lot, and all he wanted was the best for this football club. My friends have helped to raise money for this football club; Bryan Robson, Darren Leimann, Jason Gillespie, Glen McGrath, Darren Gough and last year Ricky Ponting (a massive legend). Ricky wanted to help again this year but unfortunately with the tight schedule he couldn’t fit it in. He thinks about the club and always asks about the club. I do question whether when there was £650,000 of debt here, should we have cleared the debt or gone into receivership? Everybody who helped at the club was paid back. I, at no time have ever put a loan into the club, and would never expect it back!

One memory is of the late David Burns, when he got involved it was like a breath of fresh air. Sadly his illness got the better of him; it was a sad, sad day when we lost David. If ever I was feeling low or down, or having a hard time, he used to put his arm around me. I used to say to him “I don’t think I am the right person to run this football club because I am a bit ‘rough’ and say the wrong things sometimes”, he would reply “Geoff, I have been at the highest level in football and you are one of the best Chairmen ever; you tell it how it is, and sometimes it is better that way”. For him to say that to me was an honour and if I am honest, I miss him. He came on board very experienced and really knew about football, it was an honour to have him associated with the club.

Another memory I have is of John King at a dinner when he did a speech saying that “Noel White was the best chairman this football club has ever had, but he (pointing at me) is equal to Noel” – that was overwhelming to me and at the time, I’ll be honest, it brought a chill to my spine, because to be honest I never thought that someone like John King would say something like that about me... what an honour.

We can’t forget that behind me is everyone else; people call me, people praise me, but when I am being praised it isn’t just me, they are praising everyone behind me. There is never a good time to leave the club but I am not going to leave the club in the lurch. I will stay on in some capacity and help; believe you me, when I come back to the club I will go through the turnstiles and pay – I want to stand in the stands with the fans, that is the way it generates money.

So, in conclusion, let’s get behind the team, the manager, the directors, the club and each other. We are all in it for the same thing – to play at the highest level we can.

Thank you again to everyone – I am not seen much around the club anymore, the club needs someone who is more pro-active and can sort out taking the club forward.

Fingers crossed for the rest of the season.

Geoff".

SUPPORTERS' CLUB - TASC

DVD WINNER

OLD BOYS

BSBP NEWS

Meanhwile, "Cambridge United have revealed that midfielder Adam Miller faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a serious ankle injury. The 28-year-old sustained the injury in Cambridge's 2-0 home win against Eastbourne Borough earlier this season and subsequent scans have revealed extensive damage which will require surgery. U's boss Martin Ling told the club's official website: 'He'll be out for months rather than weeks'".

Nearby, "Histon have bolstered their defensive options with the signing of Queens Park Rangers defender Danny Fitzsimons on loan. The left-sided defender joins the Stutes on an initial one-month loan... Fitzsimons can also operate in a central role and will provide competition for Histon's back four. Stutes' manager David Livermore told the club's official website: "We are grateful to QPR for agreeing to loan us Danny, a promising youngster... with a maturity well beyond his years'".

Mansfield Town rpeort that "Lifelong Stags' fan John Radford is the new owner of Mansfield Town Football Club, we are delighted to announce. Mr Radford, a multi-millionaire, has bought the club for £1 from previous owners, Andy Saunders, Steve Hymas and Steve Middleton, who will remain at Field Mill as non-executive directors.

A total sum of £250,000 will be immediately injected into the club and the same amount will be invested over the course of the season. Speaking to the club's official website www.mansfieldtown.net, Mr Radford said: 'I am ecstatic to be taking over at Field Mil. As a fan of the club and of the town I want to do right by both the Stags and their fans. I believe that we have a squad that is capable of returning to the Football League and a club that can once again inspire the people of Mansfield. It is time for an injection of new ideas and leadership which will secure the future of Mansfield Town'...

Mr Radford is a Mansfield lad through and through... Despite living in Doncaster for 10 years whilst he set up his business empire, Mr Radford has always remained a dedicated fan of the Stags. As a businessman, Mr Radford has achieved enormous success with the One Call Group which he founded in 1995 and employs over 200 people in its head office in Doncaster. It is also the main sponsor of Doncaster Rovers Football Club.

Over the last three years the Group has bucked the downturn and has enjoyed significant growth, with an annual turnover of £50million. As well as the One Call Insurance brokerage, Mr Radford is heading up the Maltese insurance underwriting firm, One Insurance Ltd which will see the brand position itself alongside some big names in the insurance industry... Meanwhile, local man Steve Barker is set to be appointed as Chief Executive".

ALTRINCHAM 2 GRIMSBY TOWN 2

Above: Gavin Rathbone's great picture of Shaun Densmore's equalizing goal. For more see Gavin's GR Photography website.

Altrincham earned a well-deserved point when Shaun Densmore headed home James Smith's cross from the right in the first added minute after the ninety. But it was referee Harrington who really decided the outcome when, in the first half, he failed to give a penalty when Densmore was clearly upended deep in the penalty area and then allowed a blatant foul on goalkeeper Coates to go undetected which gave Grimsby their first goal, by Bore, after 27 minutes.

Right: Alty players mob Shaun Densmore after his late equalizer.

Saturday 25 September

SATURDAY'S GAME

[Goalkeeper] Kenny Arthur (broken finger) is likely to be sidelined for up to three weeks after picking up the injury in the warm up against Fleetwood. The Mariners are hoping to extend the loan of Sheffield Wednesday keeper Richard O'Donnell. O'Donnell's current loan deal is due to end after the Wrexham game [next week]... Bury loanee Danny Carlton is likely to make his debut against the Robins at Moss Lane."

According to the BBC "Altrincham will hand a late fitness test to midfielder Matty Crowell who has been struggling with a knock. Winger Nicky Clee (groin) is doubtful, while striker Michael Twiss is lacking match fitness due to an ankle problem.

Grimsby... strikers Lee Peacock (flu) and Michael Coulson (foot) face late checks while Richard O'Donnell will continue in goal. Grimsby Town manager Neil Woods told BBC Radio Humberside: 'Danny's not been involved in the anxiety that's around the club when you don't win a couple of games. He'll be fresh and hopefully he'll add a spark that gets everyone else going. You don't become bad players overnight. We've had three disappointing results and just need to get going again'".

This is Grimsby adds that "Neil Woods says the only way for Grimsby Town to answer the critics is to win games. The manager... says wins and more consistency is the remedy, starting at bottom-club Altrincham tomorrow.

The boss said: 'We know we haven't been performing well and understand fans' frustrations. I don't read messageboards – but people who do tell me they were a lot quieter when we were winning games, and that's what you expect. The only way any of us can answer the critics is to win games and do it consistently. The players haven't lost any belief but have been hesitant and anxious in games and that has been our problem because I don't think we've seen the best of many of them yet.

'We need a bit more composure. Hopefully bringing in a fresh face like Danny Carlton will give everyone a lift this weekend'. Tomorrow's clash sees Town up against a side that registered their first win of the season in midweek and have just one other point. He knows the Mariners will be overwhelming favourites at Moss Lane but wants them to adopt a Manchester United-style approach to the match against the bottom club.

He went on: 'Of course we are favourites because Altrincham have won one and drawn one all season. We are going to be favourites in 90 per cent of the games we play, though, and have to deal with it better than we have so far. The expectation has possibly proved too much, but the players need to deal with that pressure. We have to adopt the approach like Manchester United did in midweek at Scunthorpe. They were massive favourites and went behind after Scunthorpe raised their game hugely. But the United players didn't panic, didn't let the weight of expectation affect their game and put in a professional performance to win 5-2. We'll have similar expectation, albeit at a different level'".

FROM THE BENCH...

"It’s been a difficult week for all concerned at Altrincham FC starting with the sad news that two Alty legends have both stepped down. I know how much the club means to both of them and I know how hard the decisions were, but we have to respect their reasons and wish them good luck for the future. For me personally, it’s been a difficult week; I was asked by Grahame Rowley to look after team affairs until the Board decided what to do next. It is a role I am happy and honoured to accept. As you can appreciate, there is a bit of work to be done for whoever takes on the job permanently whether that be me or someone else. We all have to be patient, as you know it takes time to build your own team and develop a playing strategy for the club.

Saturday was a massive disappointment and I want to apologise to the fans who made the long journey down to Eastbourne. They stuck with the lads right through to the end of the game and the encouragement they were giving to the lads on the way off the pitch was very uplifting. Unfortunately I was a bit too embarrassed to look them in the eyes. I have to accept responsibility for changing the system, which didn’t work.

The preparations for the game were good, we gave them enough information on the opposition; the build up and the mood of the lads was very positive. However, to concede a goal in first minute has knocked the stuffing out of them, and the game plan had gone out of the window. There is nothing we can do about that now, we have to learn from it and look forward to playing tonight in front of our own fans.

It will be a competitive game as Barrow are a decent side, but we have to be confident that we can get a result. We have shown enough in patches this season to suggest that we are a decent side also, and if we can work hard, do our jobs and believe in ourselves, we can get our season up and running tonight. Get behind the lads and enjoy the game

Finally I would like to extend a warm welcome to everyone associated with Barrow AFC, Darren and Bayls have done an excellent job over last couple of seasons and have had a couple of great Cup runs as well as winning the FA Trophy. They are a good club similar to our own, and a good example of what can be achieved.

We wish them all the best, but only after tonight’s game.

Kenny".

YOUTH TEAM NEWS

Meanwhile, the team which knocked Alty out of the FA Youth Cup this season, AFC Fylde Youth, have progressed further by beating Curzon Ashton 2-1 and they now play Bootle at home in next round of Cup.

TASC PREDICTIONS LEAGUE

All you have to do is pick:-

each week from the Saturday & Sunday fixtures in any of the following leagues:-

A maximum of one pick can come from the Barclays Premier League. Points are awarded as follows for correct predictions:-

The goals scored in home and away predictions are used to calculate goal difference with the goals-for column being calculated by adding together the goals scored by the teams predicted to win at home and away and goals-against being the total of the opposition teams' goals in those two games.

If you would like to enter this competition, please email Anthony Wright with the name of your team. Please also email Anthony should you have any questions about the competition.

The competition starts on the first weekend in October and finishes on the last weekend in April. Anthony will confirm payment options and request your first predictions next week. Good Luck! Brian Flynn".

BSBP NEWS

"The Football Conference is delighted to announce this season’s Blue Square Bet Premier Promotion Final will be held at the City of Manchester Stadium, the home of Manchester City FC. The final has moved from Wembley Stadium this season after a potential clash with the UEFA Champions' League Final. After some consideration, the Football Conference are confident that the venue chosen, with a capacity of 47,715, ticks all the right boxes.

The City of Manchester Stadium, which hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2002 and the UEFA Cup Final in 2008, has state of the art facilities for fans, excellent corporate facilities, large parking availability and easy access from all parts of the country. The showpiece, with the ultimate prize of a place in the Football League, will take place on Saturday 21st May 2011.

The Football Conference Chairman Brian Lee said: 'We are thrilled to have secured a world renowned venue of the quality of the City of Manchester Stadium. Having enquired about several Premier League venues it was unanimously agreed that Manchester City is the ideal stadium for our Promotion Final'...

Mike Summerbee, Manchester City’s Club Ambassador said: 'It is an honour to host this match at the City of Manchester Stadium. For as long as I can remember the Football Conference has been hugely important, particularly in the North. It provides an invaluable training ground for younger players, and we are very excited to host this event in Manchester'".

At Southport "Liam Watson is targeting a winger to give his squad more options. Watson can bring [in] a non contract winger under the transfer window regulations. While a winger is likely to appear soon defender Rob Marsh Evans looks like he is to end his association with the Port. Currently on loan at Vauxhall Motors two clubs, Harrogate Town and Chester City are seeking his signature. An impressive early season regular last term. the defender got himself sent off at Gateshead in the FA Cup last season after the half time whistle had blown and never recaptured his form or a permanent Port starting place. Watson said this week 'I am looking to freshen things up. We only have Paul Barratt as a wide option. So I need something else as well'".

I Love Bath City says that "Departing Twerton Park is midfielder Mark Badman after his contract was cancelled with mutual consent. The former Chippenham Town player made 94 appearances for the club in two spells but found his first team opportunities limited this year after missing the first three games due to a suspension... City have retained his Conference registration which could see him return as a non-contract player at some stage this season".

According to the NW Evening Mail "Barrow AFC star striker Jason Walker could be out of Saturday’s trip to Hayes and Yeading. The eight-goal top-scorer suffered an ankle injury in Tuesday’s defeat at Altrincham. Bluebirds' joint-manager Dave Bayliss said last night: 'Jason’s ankle has swollen badly, he’s doubtful for Saturday. Mark Boyd too, his ankle is swollen, he’s 50/50 for the weekend'. Barrow will also be without winger Simon Wiles, who was stretche[re]d off at Moss Lane.

Bayliss said: 'I spoke to Wilesy today and he’s obviously down and disappointed. He’s got to wait till Friday to have a scan, but it’s looking like his cruciate knee ligament. He’ll definitely miss the rest of the season if that’s the case. He went to block a pass, it’s hit him on the wrong side of the leg and I think it’s jarred his knee'".

YORK BOSS GOES

"Regrettably Martin Foyle will be leaving York City Football Club as Manager. The following statement has been issued by Martin; Press Statement from Martin Foyle;

'I would like to thank Jason McGill and his family for giving me the opportunity to manage York City Football Club. They have been fantastic with me from day one and have been very supportive. We have had an excellent working relationship. Andy Porter and I have lived up here in York six nights a week and worked tirelessly to change the fortunes of the club to get it back to its position of challenging at the top of the league. We have certainly achieved this. We have also reached the Promotion Play-Off Final and been to Wembley twice and these have been very proud moments in my career. We also reached the 3rd Round of the FA Cup and played against Premiership opposition. The club record of 10 consecutive wins was also a fantastic achievement for all my players. With the money from the cup runs, Wembley visits and the sale of Richard Brodie I know I leave the club in a much healthier position than when I arrived 20 months ago.

I would like to wish Jason & family, the players who have all been a pleasure to work with and all the staff a successful season. Hopefully the club will move on and regain league status in the near future'.

Andy Porter and Steve Torpey will be taking charge of the 1st Team fixtures on Saturday and Monday.

A further statement will be made next week".

BSBP GAME

CHAIRMAN'S APPEAL

Dear Fan,

I am writing to you at the beginning of the season as I want you to share in the benefits of some decisions that the Board has made recently.

As a consequence of hard work and dedication by everyone involved in the Club both on and off the field the Club is a better position than it has been for a good while.

We have decided to use the current more solid position to move the Club forward into the future and make an extra strong effort to progress the club. Any organisation has to move forward to survive. If we do not to do so we run the risk of stagnation and slipping backwards.

To achieve this goal the Club will need to invest in current and future players, in management and in infrastructure. Everyone likes to be associated with success. Altrincham Football Club is a success. We should be inviting as many people as possible to share that success with us by being associated with us. This is where you as a fan of the Club can start to share in the future. Growth should come from within.

The Board is pleased that Ian Mainman responded to our invitation to approach the Club and has agreed to assist with the drive to increase revenues by promoting the Club on a number of levels. Ian has lived in the Altrincham area for 30 years and consequently knows the local business community very well. Ian will be making a big effort to fire enthusiasm and pride in the Club within that community.

No, I am not asking you for money. You will know people, businesses and organisations who might be interested in joining the future of the Club by being associated with it in one of a number of ways.

If you do know of anyone who has a business in the area who might be interested, even at the most modest level, in being associated with the Club please let Ian know either by calling him on 07831 299547 or by contacting the office by e-mail or by ringing the club on 0161 928-1045.

Further, I believe that there are other non-football clubs or organisations who would like to use the Club premises for meetings or gatherings. You, the fans, may have ideas for the use of the Club premises as well.

If you have any ideas or contacts please can you contact Ian who is heading up this drive on behalf of the Board?

This is your Club and I ask you to enthusiastically share in this drive to promote it".

ALTRINCHAM WELCOME TARTAN ARMY

"When a diehard Rangers supporter chose Manchester as the venue for his stag party, there was no surprise that Football was an integral part of the weekend agenda. The obvious choice this weekend is the intriguing clash at Eastlands between ‘nouveau riche’ Manchester City and Premier League Champions, Chelsea, but Kevin Miller, a 29 year-old from Edinburgh, decided to shun the likes of Didier Drogba and David Silva in favour of the Blue Square Bet Premier fixture between Altrincham and Grimsby Town.

'My mates and I decided that we wanted to see a real football match and this game fitted the bill perfectly' said Kevin, who has a crucial away fixture of his own coming up when he travels to the Dominican Republic in November to marry Natasha.

The Moss Lane Sponsors’ Lounge will be packed with thirty-two Scotsmen on Saturday afternoon and a dozen of them will take part in a half-time penalty competition where Kevin and his family take on a group of his mates.

Altrincham Chairman, Grahame Rowley said 'This is a unique occasion for our Football Club and we will make sure that Kevin and his party get the warmest of welcomes and we really hope that they all enjoy their day with us'.

Altrincham are currently bottom of the Blue Square Bet Premier table, but will be buoyed by their first victory of the season against Barrow on Tuesday night, whilst Grimsby, who only seven years ago were just one division below the Premier League, lie in 12th place after a mixed start to life in their first season outside The Football League".

OPPONENTS' SIGNING

His form in front of goal brought a move to Carlisle United in June 2007, although it didn't really work out for him at Brunton Park. Only fifty-one appearances and three goals followed before he returned to Morecambe on loan in November 2008. After another nine games he moved again to Darlington on a three-month loan, but financial problems at the Darlington Arena saw his loan move cut short and he returned to Carlisle. Released at the end of the 2008/09 season, he was snapped up by Bury, signing a two-year deal at Gigg Lane".

Carlton scored against us in a 2-0 win for the Shrimps at Moss Lane in October 2006, when he partnered our own Michael Twiss up front. The other Morecambe scorer that night was Fraser McLachlan who trialled for Alty this summer.

Grimsby Town add that Carlton, a "26-year-old is described as a robust no-nonsense striker. Danny is expected to go straight into the squad which travels to Altrincham on Saturday".

And The Fishy says that "The hectic schedule in the BSP means that Carlton could play as many as six games before 23 October when he is due to return. He has made four substitute appearances for Bury in the current campaign. With Charles Ademeno a long term injury, Neil Woods, feels Grimsby need to add firepower alongside Alan Connell, who has scored nearly all of Grimsby's goals this season. Many fans however feel that Grimsby are weakest in central midfield rather than up front".

More comes from The BBC which reports that Carlton "needs match fitness after recovering from injury. Carlton joined Bury from Carlisle in July 2009 but snapped his Achilles in only his second game for the Shakers... Carlton has not started a game since being carried off half an hour into Bury's 2-0 Carling Cup defeat by West Bromwich Albion last August. He has made just four appearances from the bench this season, during which has has managed barely an hour's playing time".

And according to Blue Square Football "The Leeds-born striker is expected to feature for the Mariners in their league match against Altrincham".

OLD BOYS

And "Striker Peter Wright trained his sights on Saturday’s FA Cup tie against league rivals Warrington Town after pledging his future to Bamber Bridge. Journeyman striker Wright has linked up with Brig for a third spell and says he is ready for a starring role in their attack. 'I’m chuffed to be back at Bamber Bridge, hopefully I’ll be here for a few years now', said Wright".

BARROW GAME

Right: Gavin Rathbone's excellent shot shows Shaun Densmore and James McCarthy celebrating the opening goal against Barrow last Tuesday. More of Gavin's images are on his website.

YouTube has a video of Shaun Densmore's penalty against Barrow and the celebrations afterwards.

NEXT TUESDAY

It has left Kettering in real trouble at the wrong end of the Blue Square Bet Premier after just one win in 10 matches. But Maison, who has been brought in for the next two games at least while the club searches for a permanent replacement for Lee Harper, believes there are areas that he can improve ahead of Saturday's trip to Forest Green Rovers.

He said: 'If you have been here for a period of time and the team hasn't been doing well then it's easy to look at the team and say there are issues. I don't think there are. A lot of these players have enjoyed a good run of success at the club and they have played as a unit. But if you look at the names on the team sheet, it's a strong team. There are things that need fixing but I don't think they are huge things. There is a bit of tinkering that needs to be done and there need to be some confidence injected into them.

I worried for us when we went 1-0 down. I wanted to see what reaction we would get and how we would cope because at that point I didn't think we deserved to be a goal down... There is a lot of character in the dressing-room. Did we deserve to concede three goals? That was the score so maybe we did but I don't think we were that weak that we capitulated'".`

BSBP NEWS

NL Daily says that "Bath City have signed young Cheltenham Town winger Marley Watkins on a month's loan. The Whaddon Road youth team graduate has been an unused substitute in every Robins' game so far this season and manager Mark Yates is keen to see him get some regular first-team football under his belt".

Gateshead "have been frustrated in their attempts to extend their search for loan reinforcements to north of the border after missing out on their two main targets. Two experienced players at Oldham Athletic had been lined up, but the pair were not willing to drop down to Conference level. That forced Gateshead boss Ian Bogie to widen the net in an attempt to bring fresh blood...

However, Scottish FA rules prevent players from moving south of the border until the transfer window opens in January... Bogie said: 'Paul Dickov, the Oldham manager, was happy for the two players to go out on loan – but they have decided to stay at Boundary Park. Players, and some managers in the Football League don’t seem to realise how strong the Blue Square Bet Premier is. We host Luton Town on Saturday and they have graced the top flight of English football, and our last game was against a club who not long ago were in the Championship in Grimsby Town'...

Bogie was today hoping to contact Newcastle United boss Chris Hughton and has already touched base with Sunderland. He added: 'We have scoured the country looking for a midfielder and defender to bring in on a temporary basis and the search goes on'".

The BBC confirms that "A probe into Histon Football Club in Cambridgeshire has been closed with no action taken, police said. Cambridgeshire Police began investigating allegations of 'financial irregularity' at the club earlier this year. A police spokeswoman said: 'The investigation has closed with no action taken against individuals'. The probe started when the club carried out an internal inquiry following an audit of the club's affairs".

KENNY'S VIEWS

"Ken McKenna added his own apology to the dressing room remorse over Altrincham's 5-0 defeat at Eastbourne, then held up Tuesday night's stirring victory over Barrow as the ultimate example of how actions speak louder than words.

Alty's caretaker manager asked for a response from his crestfallen players and could hardly have wished for anything better than a thoroughly-deserved 2-0 scoreline that gave them their first Blue Square Bet Premier win at the 10th attempt and lifted them to within three points of fellow-strugglers Hayes and Yeading and Kettering.

Renowned for his infectious enthusiasm and innate ability for lifting everyone around him, he also revealed the contents of a dressing room address that clearly had the desired effect.

Right: At Eastbourne on Saturday, Shaun Densmore is involved in an aerial duel, along with Robbie Lawton, as Sam Hewson looks on.

'None of us could really express how disappointed we were at letting everyone down at Eastbourne on Saturday,' he said. 'Sometimes, people say they are sorry, and you wonder whether they really mean it, but the players left no room for any doubt whatsoever with their effort and determination on Tuesday night. That was a set of lads truly sorry for what had gone wrong and intent on putting it right.

'To be fair to them, they have been playing under a lot of pressure, in footballing terms. The breaks inevitably go against you when you are on a bad run, and a bit of fragility was creeping in.

'All I said before they went out against Barrow was: "I'm not looking at any league tables and I'm not interested in next week or what happened last week.All I'm bothered about is tonight and a performance that will show people you can play football and you have got pride in the shirt."

'The response was fantastic. To a man, they came up with effort, work-rate, discipline and focus, and I could not have asked any more of them. We rode our luck a bit at times, but no-one could begrudge us that.

'There was an exceptional level of discipline that shone through in the way they all stuck to their tasks and concentrated throughout. When you do that, you tend to get your fair share of breaks. Barrow are a strong side with no shortage of quality, but we outfought them at times and showed enough character to thoroughly merit the victory. We more than matched them in every department.'

Each goal was marked by a rush towards the dug-out as Alty's jubilant players made a point of sharing the moment with their popular boss.

'I was manager of TNS on some memorable nights,' he said. 'There were European ties and games against Football League teams that will live long in the memory. They were real highs, but what happened on Tuesday night, when the goals went in, is right up there with them. To see how much the goals meant to the lads, and how much we mean to each other, was very special.

'It is a week since Graham (Heathcote) left, and there has been a lot of upheaval, but it hasn't affected their determination to try and get away from the foot of the table. We all got together last week and got everything out into the open about why we had started so slowly. The general feeling was that we could do with a change of formation, so it was agreed we would try something different at Eastbourne.

'Clearly, it didn't work, but we learned from it as a group, and you could see the benefit of that against Barrow.'

Though relishing the challenge of restoring Alty's fortunes, McKenna is wary of being drawn on his caretaker tag or looking too far ahead, as he prepares the team for Saturday's home game with Grimsby.

'I don't really want to go round shouting my mouth off and saying I want to do this or that,' he said. 'The first thing that was needed was a positive response from the players, and we got that on Tuesday. But it has been so hectic, I haven't really had a spare moment to sit down with the board and discuss what they want and how they see things panning out.

'The only contact really was after Graham left last week. Grahame Rowley phoned me and said: "You're not going to leave us, are you?" I said: "Of course not." I assured him I was happy to look after the football side of things, and we will see how it goes. There's plenty of time to sit down and discuss the way ahead. To be honest, everyone is still reeling a bit from everything that has happened, so the priority was settling things down again and trying to pick up some points as quickly as possible.'

McKenna has had the assistance of Stuart Bimson for that task and couldn't speak highly enough of him.

'I played against Bimmo when he was with Macclesfield and Lincoln, and when I went down to Cambridge with Gary Brabin, he was part of the set-up there,' he said. 'He is a really good coach, a great character and a top football person.

'I needed someone to give me a hand, and I spoke to a few people, but I couldn't do better than Bimmo. He travelled up from Cambridge for Tuesday's game and didn't get back home until the early hours. Neither of us can say how things are going to work out in the long run, but that shows his commitment to us.'

Mindful of Alty's lack of goals, McKenna may let Michael Twiss go out on loan to improve his match fitness.

'It's a possibility, an option I am considering,' he said. 'He is not up to speed, after his ankle injury, whereas we've got lads like Chris Denham, James McCarthy, Damian Reeves and Kevin Holsgrove who all are. In an ideal world, I would let him get a couple of games under his belt somewhere else, then bring him back so we can reap the benefits. We've had a chat about it, and it would help him get fitter, but nothing has been decided yet'".

CHAIRMAN'S VIEWS

The new chairman did have a kind departing word for departing manager Graham Heathcote who ended a 40-year association with the club. 'I think it's been a massive change to everyone at the football club. No matter what is said about it I think Graham has been a superb servant to the football club', Rowley said. 'I can't sing his praises enough and it's a shame that we have to part ways now but these things happen in football don't they? He's left the club in a good state and we're debt free now and hopefully we can push on in the next few years'".

The above link also takes you to an audio interview with Grahame Rowley, in which he talks about Graham Heathcote, Geoff Goodwin, Colin Little and the situation at Alty.

SATURDAY'S VISITORS

Mitchell told the Chronicle Live: 'In both final thirds there wasn't enough quality and neither team created many clear cut chances... It was a good point. Grimsby Town are a big football club with good support but it shows how much progress we've made because we're now matching the big boys'".

Meanwhile, from the other side, This is Grimsby says that "Grimsby Town boss Neil Woods and his skipper Lee Peacock both admitted to being completely frustrated after the Mariners extended their winless run to three matches.

Speaking after Town's disappointing scoreless draw at Gateshead last night, the pair were scathing in their assessment of their side's performance, and called for more from the Mariners' squad. The result leaves Town 12th in the Blue Square Bet Premier table and searching for answers.

Peacock said: 'We're so disappointed and frustrated. I don't think we're creating anywhere near enough – we get the balls in areas but we are refusing to get it into the box at times. We've defended really well and have worked really hard but that should come as standard. Our standard on the ball wasn't great. Everything's going too long and too quick'...

A dejected Woods added: 'You have good spells and bad spells in a season and, at the moment, we're finding everything tough. We're in a bit of a dip, and it's about how quickly we can get out of it. Without being disrespectful to Gateshead, there wouldn't be one player from their side that would get into our side before we started the game. The game was very even. I think the only massive threat they offered was from corners and set pieces... The effort is there, the desire to do it is there, we work extremely hard on the shape but it just isn't clicking at the moment and we've just got to graft and get it right. At the moment there's not enough quality when we get possession of the ball. We're not dictating the game. That's aimed at everyone – our quality and real drive to go and make something happen isn't there.

The only one at the moment that's got something in him that's prepared to try something different is Alan Connell. He's got six goals out of our nine or ten, so it's up to the others to step forward... At times we play too safe, we get too static as a team'"...

The manager shuffled his team around after two successive defeats and made five changes from the side that slumped at home to Fleetwood at the weekend. As expected, Darran Kempson came straight back into the defence after his one-match ban, with the unlucky Scott Garner dropping to the bench. Bradley Wood was also part of the back-four at right-back as Peter Bore moved forward to fill the gap left by the injured Michael Coulson. Gobern came back in on the left for Rob Eagle, while Lee Peacock was over his back problem sufficiently enough to replace Tom Corner as Alan Connell's strike partner. The final change came in the much-debated midfield engine room as Michael Leary was given the nod over Hudson...

They've avoided a third straight defeat but it's still not the triumph they yearned for. Surely they must get that at bottom club Altrincham on Saturday or the pressure will increase on Woods and his boys if the winless run continues".

From This is Grimsby, we learn that "Goalkeeper Richard O'Donnell says he would 'definitely consider staying' with Grimsby Town after his initial one-month loan spell ends. The Sheffield Wednesday stopper, who celebrated his 22nd birthday earlier this month, was brought in by Grimsby Town boss Neil Woods following Kenny Arthur's hamstring injury at Rushden & Diamonds recently.

After solid performances against Luton Town and Tamworth the youngster was called upon again last Saturday against Fleetwood Town when the returning Arthur dislocated his finger in the pre-match warm-up...

'I would definitely consider staying beyond the month', he said. 'I'm really enjoying it, but all I'm trying to do initially is concentrate on that month. In all the games I'm trying to do as well as I can and making a good show of myself... It's exactly what I need at this age, and there's a lot of keepers in the same boat who need games', he explained. 'So I feel privileged to be here, and every day I look forward to coming into training because I'm enjoying my football – you can't beat playing'".

NEXT TUESDAY'S OPPONENTS

As usual TASC is running a coach to the game; details are here. Come along and help the team try to record its first away win of the season!

The Northants Evening telegraph says that as Cambridge beat Kettering Town it was "Another new era, a new caretaker-manager in charge but the same old story for Kettering Town. After holding their own for 71 minutes, the Poppies produced a late capitulation to give both Morell Maison and chairman Imraan Ladak plenty to think about.

For the first three-quarters of the game there was once again there was plenty of endeavour about the Poppies and, for the most part, the football was neat and tidy. But the old problem of a lack of real quality when that killer pass or finish was needed reared it's head again. One thing we know about Maison is that he is more attack-minded than most. And he certainly has some work to do in that department...

A capitulation like this and the one at Fleetwood Town not so long ago is mainly a confidence issue. Kettering simply don't have any at the moment and it will be up to Maison and whoever the new manager is to change that before they are sucked further into a relegation battle. The discipline is also still a problem as reflected by Ashley Westwood's uncalled for late two-footed lunge on Simon Russell, which earned him a straight red card... The Poppies were well and truly battered and Westwood's late x-rated challenge on Russell summed it all up. There are serious problems at the moment that need to be rectified quickly. Over to you Mr Maison and Mr Ladak".

The FA reports that the Poppies' "Ashley Westwood, start[ing] 21/09/2010 [is] suspended from all football until the Club have completed 3 first team matches for a Sending Off in a match played on 21/09/2010".

THANK YOU

BARROW VIEWS

Barrow, unbeaten in their last seven prior to kick-off, named the same starting XI for the third game running, following back-to-back wins over Eastbourne Borough (4-0) and Forest Green Rovers (3-0). There was no place on the bench for skipper Paul Jones, who was returning from a three-game suspension. Altrincham went into tonight's match bottom of the table and with only one point to their name".

Later, it adds, "Winger Simon Wiles could be out for the rest of the season after suffering a serious knee injury... The 25-year-old was taken to hospital in an ambulance after landing awkwardly in the fourth minute of the game at Moss Lane. Speaking after the defeat – which brought an end to Barrow’s seven-game unbeaten run in Blue Square Bet Premier – AFC joint-manager Dave Bayliss said: 'Wilesy has a suspected cruciate knee ligament injury, which is a massive blow in a season that’s been horrendously bad for injuries... [After] losing another winger in Marc Goodfellow, it’s a massive blow'...

The game was decided by two second-half goals, the first a controversial penalty scored by Shaun Densmore and the second a strike by substitute Damian Reeves...

Bayliss, whose side are still without an away victory this term and have slipped to 14th in the table, said: 'We passed the ball about really well and created some good chances in the first half, while (AFC keeper) Alan Martin had little to do. We were very comfy and then one long ball, which Eddy (Paul Edwards) hasn’t dealt with, and the officials give a penalty for handball. If someone is stood that close and boots the ball towards your arm, what chance have you got? That decision has changed the course of the game.

Boydy (Mark Boyd) then hit a free-kick that, if it goes in, we go on and win the game. But it didn’t, it hit the bar. We missed that little bit of luck tonight. We’re all really disappointed. Maybe we over-passed at times, but that’s what confidence does. You start to think you’re a Premier League player. You have to scrap and graft for every ball in this league, and Altrincham did that better than us. They were more resolute and also got that little bit of luck that you often need'.

Top-scorer Jason Walker, meanwhile, suffered an ankle injury in the first half but played on to complete the full game. Bayliss said: 'It was bad. He didn’t want to come off. It’s probably our fault, we should have really taken him off earlier. His ankle is really swollen'...

Nearly 300 Barrow fans cheered their team on last night, with Bayliss adding: 'They were fantastic, they were the only support we could hear singing'".

MOTTY AT ALTY

If you are interested in attending please contact the club by phone (0106 928-0145) or e-mail.

CSC

BSBP NEWS

ALTRINCHAM 2 BARROW 0

Right: Michael Welch leaves the pitch with his "Man of the Match" champagne.

Tuesday 21 September

CAPTAIN'S LOG

I went over and said sorry to all those who had made the long journey to Eastbourne on Saturday, and I want to say the same again now to everyone connected to Altrincham Football Club.

Apologies have been due once or twice before this season but never more so than after the defeat at Eastbourne Borough when we let down Ken McKenna and everyone else with a performance that cost us a 5-0 defeat.

I had my hands on my knees when the whistle went, and as I thought about what had happened, it occurred to me that while I was being paid to do something about our predicament, our fans had dug into their own pockets to come all this way and get behind the lads.

They had done their bit by giving us their support, and I just felt it needed saying how much we appreciated that and how sorry we were that we hadn't done our bit.

I went right up to the advertising boards, where our supporters were, and said: 'I'm very sorry. We are all really trying, but you shouldn't have to put up with something like that.'

I'll say it again now, ahead of tonight's game with Barrow, because all the players are distraught, not only at seeing another three points slip away and making it a miserable trip for our faithful followers, but letting down Ken. If we are going to give him a sound footing for a managerial career at this club, that's not the way to go about it.

What happened on Saturday was not his fault, and it is clear there are problems that need addressing. Basically, there is very little belief at the moment. Everything seems to be under a microscope. Every little error is being seized on by the opposition and turning into more of an issue than it should.

We have had numerous meetings to make sure we all stick together, and I can state categorically there is no division in the camp. I can assure everyone of that. But a bit of tension has crept in, and it has become more apparent with each disappointing result. Each mistake is being punished by the team we are up against, and the problem is being highlighted all the more.

I'm all in favour of keeping things in perspective and being wary of using the word pressure in football, when it should really be reserved for more serious matters in the world. But, believe me, when you are out there playing, and in the midst of a situation like ours, it does feel like pressure.

Left: Robbie leads out the Altrincham team at Eastbourne last Saturday and, as always, he helped to make the line-up ceremony a memorable event for the match's young mascots. Also pictured is Alty goalkeeper, James Coates.

I have been in the thick of a few relegation battles, here at Alty and with my previous club [Vauxhall Motors], but I have never felt as much pressure with any of them as I do at the moment. I consider myself a resilient character, but Eastbourne even knocked the stuffing out of me. Normally, I would like to think I could keep driving on the rest of the lads and making sure no-one gave up, but at half-time, I could feel the faith sapping out of me.

Quite simply, I can't allow that to happen again, because it's down to me, and some of the others who have been here a while, to do whatever it takes to keep us all together and give Kenny the best possible chance to turn things round.

The players all know and appreciate Kenny's influence during his time as assistant to Graham Heathcote, and we all want him to get the job. He doesn't have to win anyone over, because his methods are great and he knows the club inside out. He changed the system at Eastbourne, because he thought he needed to, as did just about everyone at the club. But, after a week of really good, thorough preparation, without the aid of an assistant until the morning of the game, we let him down. If I knew why, I would tell you. But I dont. I honestly can't put my finger on why everything was so good throughout the week, then so bad for the 90 minutes that mattered most.

I can't finish without a few words about Graham's departure. I spent five or six years with him, and he was always great to me, as a player and individual. I have contacted him and told him what he meant to me personally, as well as thanking him on behalf of all the lads.

The response was plain and simple. He just felt it was going to be too difficult for him to turn it round, and it was best for everyone if he went now. Typical Graham, putting the club's interests first. I'll miss him round the place.

Robbie".

YANKEE

FLYNNZINE

“What’s the scores....George Dawes”?

One of my favourite funny quotes is Vic Reeves’s hugely witty assertion that “88.2% of statistics are made up on the spot”. I often think of this particular piece of comedic genius when I hear people spouting figures that are clearly just bunkum. On ‘Dragons’ Den’ last week, I watched two people make a very credible presentation on their excellent foil insulating jacket, designed to prevent walkers and cyclists suffering from hypothermia in extreme weather conditions. The chances of investment were doomed from the moment that one of the presenters stated that there are 38,000,000 walkers in the UK. Duncan Bannatyne neatly turned this back on the unfortunate lady by stating that “What you are saying is that 65% of all people in the UK are ramblers!” and things were wrapped up neatly from that point as the presenter realised that her statistic was wildly off the mark!

Unfortunately, our current playing statistics are 100% real and accurate, reflecting the low ebb we have reached:-

Add to that, during the last week or so, we have lost our Chairman and Manager and most people will draw the inevitable conclusion that for Altrincham Football Club ‘The future’s dark......the future’s Blue Square Bet North’! That, of course, may well be the case, but right now, we need everyone believing that there is a route out of our very unhappy predicament. It’s been done before.......in February 1994, we were similarly marooned at the foot of the league and yet the new manager, John King, turned things around dramatically in just over two months and we finished comfortably in mid-table.

It is probably unrealistic to believe that things could change that dramatically this season, but there are still over 7 months of the campaign left and we are looking for about 50% of the improvement that was achieved 16 years ago! What made the difference in 1994 was that the right man was given the task to turn things around and the Board of Directors have a tough job on their hands in getting that one right. Whether it is Ken Mckenna or someone else, I am sure that all Alty fans will hope and pray that the new manager can lead the team into a new playing era!

Tonight, we take on Barrow, the current FA Trophy holders. The Bluebirds are picking up some momentum after a mixed start to the campaign and are now just 4 points off the play offs. Since promotion 2 years ago, they have won both league encounters here and no doubt will be well supported tonight. Dave Bayliss and Darren Sheridan will probably see this game as an ideal opportunity for the Cumbrians to gain their first away victory of the season and having disposed of Eastbourne 4-0 at Holker Street 10 days ago, the statisticians will almost certainly view this as an away banker after our capitulation on the south coast on Saturday. The beauty with Football though is that we never quite know what is going to happen!

Extra big support for the team tonight please! Brian".

GOOD NEWS FOR GEOFF

BSBP NEWS

BEFORE THE GAME

Courtesy of Mike Garnett, the statistics reveal that of the current Conference sides, Barrow are the club against whom Altrincham have played most games over the years - 67 in all.

Altrincham skipper Robbie Lawton's "Captain's Log" is always a well-written and informative feature of the "Robins' Review" matchday programme at Moss Lane. Alty joint press officer John Edwards tells us that in Robbie's column for tonight's Barrow game, the Altrincham FC captain (left) "provides a dressing room insight into all the main talking points of the week and expresses his views in a typically forthright way on the departure of Graham Heathcote, what the players think of Ken McKenna as a prospective replacement and his message to all those who made the long trip to Eastbourne". Get your copy at the match tonight - a good read at just £2.

According to Saturday's NW Evening Mail "Barrow AFC made it a magnificent seven unbeaten with a comprehensive 3-0 win over a poor Forest Green Rovers at Holker Street today. Winger Simon Wiles helped himself to two goals after Jason Walker had given the Bluebirds an early lead.

It was an easy victory for AFC, who have now won their last two games on the bounce, scoring seven goals in the process, while not conceding. The win moves Barrow up to ninth in the table... Barrow, unbeaten in their last six games prior to kick-off, named the same side which thumped Eastbourne Borough 4-0 last Saturday. Gregg Blundell returned to the bench in place of Andrew Nicholas, who did warm up with the squad. The game was the last of skipper Paul Jones's three-match suspension, while striker Nick Chadwick (knee) and winger Marc Goodfellow (ankle) remained sidelined.

Forest Green Rovers, missing suspended top scorer Reece Styche and midfielder Lee Fowler, both through suspension, handed a debut to on-loan Exeter City striker Ben Watson. The visitors, also without three other injured players, went into the game having not won - or scored - in their last four games.

Barrow AFC: Alan Martin, Simon Spender, Paul Edwards, Mike Pearson, Phil Bolland, Simon Wiles, Robin Hulbert, Mark Boyd, Paul Rutherford (Ciaran Donnelly 68), Danny Forrest (Andy Cook 73), Jason Walker (Gregg Blundell 83). Subs not used: Shaun Pearson, James Owen".

FIXTURES

Mr T. Harrington, who reffed the goalless Alty v Salisbury game in September 2008, is in charge this Saturday for Alty v Grimsby Town. He also oversaw Alty 2 Eastbourne 2 in April 2009, a match he had postponed in the previous December. More recently, he was the referee for Alty 3 Hayes & Yeading on 2 January 2010.

LAST GAME

Above: Alty caretaker boss Ken McKenna and his assistant Stuart Bimson walk to the dugout at Eastbourne before kick-off last Saturday.

The Eastbourne Borough official site has a match report and pictures from their win over Altrincham.

And Blue Square Football tells us that "Eastbourne Borough coach Nick Greenwood was full of praise for the way his players defeated Altrincham 5-0... While the club's supporters were able to imagine such a result prior to kick off, Greenwood felt the tie would be a lot closer. Greenwood told The Argus: 'Everybody was expecting it to be a formality today but we weren't expecting that at all. We thought it would be a very tight game so it was very pleasing to win in the way we did'".

NEXT SATURDAY

Woods said: 'We have to work hard now. We've lost two games in a row so we have to now win two games in a row. We cannot feel sorry for ourselves. We have to defend better and we have to be more ruthless. Between the penalty boxes both teams had spells where they controlled the game, but in both penalty boxes they were better than us. We are lacking a ruthless streak. We need to take the emphasis a bit more in areas. You can see that with Alan Connell. His goal was excellent. He always gets chances. He probably sticks four or five over the bar every game but then he scores as well. You don't score unless you are prepared to miss'.

Woods admitted his team were made to pay for losing too many important battles [against Fleetwood] at key stages of the game", according to This is Grimsby.

Meanwhile, the FA confirms that Grimsby Town's Ross Gardner will be "suspended from all football until the Club have completed 3 first team matches for a sending off in a match played on 11/09/2010". He will therefore miss the trip to Moss Lane this Saturday.

YOUTHS LOSE HEAVILY, TOO

BSBP NEWS

Bulls News reports that "Darlington's attempts to sign free-agent striker Leon Knight have collapsed after former club Rushden, who sacked Knight in 2008, demanded a £30,000 fee". The BBC adds that "Darlington's bid to sign former Brighton striker Leon Knight, who had been on trial with the club, remains on hold due to contractual reasons. Knight, 28, is unable to complete a move due to a clause in a deal signed with rivals Rushden & Diamonds in 2008...

'We're still hoping to tie up the signing of Leon very soon', Cooper told the Northern Echo... The former Chelsea trainee has represented 13 different clubs during his career spanning 82 goals in 288 league appearances. His most prominent spell came with Brighton between 2003 and 2006, where he netted 30 times in 106 league appearances, including 27 goals in the 2003/04 campaign".

OLD BOY

ANOTHER MANAGER GOES

Right: Robbie Williams outjumps the opposition to head clear at Eastbourne. Behind him are Robbie Lawton and Ryan Brown.

GEOFF MADE A DIFFERENCE

I can't split myself into so many pieces any more but I'm still the coach driver and sponsor. How about that for a come-down from Chairman?. When you die, it doesn't matter how many millions you've got. It matters if you've made a difference to somebody's life. I know in my heart that myself, the board and Graham Heathcote have made a difference to people's lives because they've still got a football club. I'm proud of that and I'll tell you, I shed a tear reading the [supportive] messages on the fans' forum about me. I'm pretty hard but it made me tearful.

I'm in London on Tuesday but I'm driving back so I can applaud those fans. I want to shake every one by the hand to thank them. I didn't have a lot as a kid. I grew up on a council estate in Benchill [Manchester], quite a rough area, and I used to look at Altrincham FC as a posh place. I never thought for one minute I'd be chairman of that club. It's given me a lot of enjoyment. We've made sure that we've made a profit every year and I am sure that will continue with Andrew Shaw and Grahame Rowley because Grahame's a fantastic person. That's why I'm going to keep helping because it's a great club'".

Speaking of Graham Heathcote, Geoff added, "Graham's done so well with the little money he's had, a credit to the club. It's time for someone else now. It's a bid sad with all those millionesires in Hale and not one of them could put their hands in their pocket. I don't understand it".

OLD BOYS

DATE CHANGE

UPDATES

KEN HAS LEARNED FROM SATURDAY

McKenna admitted he had made a mistake in changing the system from 3-5-2 to 4-4-2. 'We were second best all over the park today. We were not marking; we were not winning second balls. We were lucky we were only beaten by five. It was a hard lesson but I believe I have learnt all I need to know'".

UPDATES

GRAHAM KEEPS HIS COUNSEL

Hammonds next , recalls a conversation with Graham Heathcote in 2006, when the then Alty boss said, 'There'll be no CVAs or 10p in the pound jobs here'" referring to club's refusal to write off its debts by going into administration. Stuart also reminds us how Graham had said that "The problem I feel football has now is that if you have any sort of passion, it's seen as dissent. The game is for school teachers and pupils. I'd rather pack in than lose my passion'...

Maybe the love had gone, understandably considering his mother Jean died in the week before the season [began]... By finishing 14th last year, Heathcote massively over-achieved. On a budget of £6,300 a week, gross, over 38 weeks this term, expectations of a top half finish... were unrealistic. With just four teaaveir0ms - Histon, Tamworth, Southport and Bath- having less than that £240,000 [a year] to spend on players, fifth from bottom is their natural position.

We'll never know if 'Cote would have got them there again but he has achieved his real goals at the debt-free cut-your-cloth club that has been his home for 40 yars. A Moss Lane legend may be silent but he deserves to be sleeping well".

EASTBOURNE BOROUGH 5 ALTRINCHAM 0

Saturday 18 September

FIXTURES

EASTBOURNE'S SECOND SIGNING

Mambo is highly-rated by Addicks boss Phil Parkinson and signed a professional deal with the League One club in the summer. He made his senior debut as a late substitute in Charlton's Johnstone's Paint Trophy win against Barnet last October, and celebrated his first start in the Carling Cup defeat at Shrewsbury Town last month. The Kilburn-born teenager has spent time on work experience at Staines Town, Welling United and Dover Athletic...

[Manager, Phil] Parkinson told the official Charlton Athletic website: 'Conference football with Eastbourne is another step up for him and we'll be following his progress closely'".

RESULT

BSBP NEWS

The Wrexham boss... told The Leader: 'I spoke to Mark Evans (International Head of Department) on Sunday and he said Bryan was taking over for the two games. So I am not there any more. When John left, myself and Roy Evans went as well. I have to speak to the FA of Wales when the two games are over. But I knew when I took the Wrexham job I was taking a big risk that might affect me in the future. I am just getting on with the Wrexham job now. I am proud to be manager and am determined to do well, and we will.

We have just got to keep this run going and turn draws into wins... We are five games unbeaten but there are still a few missing links in the team. I know what is not quite right but I know we are more right than wrong'".

Altrincham do not figure in Premier Sports scheduled coverage of BSBP games:

"Crawley Town have confirm that striker Liam Enver-Marum has joined... Hayes & Yeading United on a month`s loan. Enver-Marum has fallen down the pecking order amongst the strikers at The Broadfield Stadium after the recent arrivals of Ben Wright and Richard Brodie, so the loan move will give the big striker an opportunity to get competitive matches at first team level....

Manager Steve Evans said: ''Liam is desperate to play football and this loan move should facilitate that. He is joining up with a good manager and obviously we will measure his performances very closely, he is still a player we like so let's see how he performs'” NL Daily.

OPPONENTS' NEW SIGNING

Terrace tickets for Saturday's match (kick-off 3pm) cost £14 for adults, £10 for concessions and £4 for under-16s. A seat in the stand will cost an extra £2.

Just in time for the 'Alty' fixture the club have this afternoon signed young defender Steve Cook on a month's loan from League One neighbours Brighton and Hove Albion. The 19-year-old, who can play at right-back or centre-back, will provide additional defensive cover and is expected to be in the squad... Cook made his senior bow as a substitute in Albion's Carling Cup victory over Manchester City in September 2008, and signed professional forms in summer 2009. He has made four appearances for the Seagulls' first team, all as a substitute...

Borough's assistant manager Nick Greenwood said: 'He can play in a variety of positions across the backline and has been in and around the Brighton first team squad all season'".

Right: Altrincham's Robbie Williams, seen in action for Wales U-23s against England C on Tuesday night.

YANKEE WON

SPECULATION

Others who could ultimately come under consideration by the Altrincham board include former Northwich boss Jimmy Quinn, ... and ex-Cambridge United manager Gary Brabin... Lower down the scale, the former City star, Gary Flitcroft... is also being tipped as a possible contender to fill the Alty vacancy. And an outsider in the race to follow Heathcote could be Mark Maddox, a hugely popular figure at Altrincham in his playing days...

Nevertheless, Altrincham's new chairman, Grahame Rowley is stressing that former Robins' striker Ken McKenna... is in pole position to become the Moss Lane outfit's next boss... He said, 'I've told both Kenny and the players that he's in the driving seat when it comes to us naming a permanent successor to Graham. We need a little bit of time to stabilise after the events of the last few days and so won't be rushing into anything. Both myself and the rest of the Board have complete confidence in Kenny's ability to hold the fort until we sit down with him to discuss the position at our next meeting a week on Tuesday".

BSBP NEWS

Singh told The Northern Echo: 'I've been talking to Gary for some time now about this proposition. He has often said that he's driven past The Northern Echo Arena so many times and thought "if someone could get hold of that club, it could go places", which had been my view for a number years before I took over a year ago.

'Well I've been trying to get him to buy into this idea for some time now so I'm extremely pleased he has agreed to come on board in an informal capacity. His role is strictly a business one. He'll meet sponsors when he can come to games at the Arena and he will meet potential new investors alongside myself'".

Meanwhile, "Striker Jason Walker would love to commit his long-term future to Barrow. The Bluebirds’ prized asset is out of contract next summer and talks over a new deal are taking place behind the scenes... Walker, whose twenty-two goals last season... has attracted plenty of attention from other clubs in the past, and in the summer of 2009 had a trial at Doncaster Rovers. If a new deal is not sorted, Walker could, potentially, leave for free next summer, just as midfielder Andy Bond – now making a big name for himself at Colchester United – did at the end of last season.

When not training, Walker, who has scored sixty career goals for his home-town club in 164 appearances, supports Barrow community officer Craig Rutherford and his team in delivering coaching sessions around the borough. Walker said: 'They haven’t offered me anything yet, but it is in the process. It’s just negotiating really. I love it here. I love all the fans, the lads and the two managers who gave me my chance. I’m just waiting to see what they offer and we’ll discuss it then when the time comes round. I do coaching on a Wednesday and Friday for the club, so I think that’s all going to be in there when we get it sorted. We’ll just see what they come back with and hopefully I can sign long-term'.

Barrow joint-manager Dave Bayliss said: 'We have got to do our job properly and get the lad signed up. It should have been done a while back. We don’t want Jason to go, he’s massive to what we’re trying to do, not just this season, but next season and in the future'", reports the NW Evening Mail.

EU Football says that "The English Football Association is taking proactive steps to combat any perception of corruption following the scandal of the Pakistan spot-fixing allegations in cricket, reports The Telegraph... FA will be reviewing its rules and it also is considering a ban on professional and semi-professional players from placing any bets on any matches. Currently the ban is only from betting on matches or competitions in which a player’s team is or has been involved.

FA has banned or fined 16 players in non-League and lower league football for violating its betting regulations in the last year".

Mansfield Town report that manager "David Holdsworth will be featured on Football Focus this Saturday, BBC Sport have informed us. Presenter Charlie Webster and her camera crew spent the best part of the morning shadowing the manager during today's training session at Field Mill. Holdsworth is being featured as part of the build up to Saturday's match at Newport County, where his twin brother Dean is manager. The feature is expected to be broadcast around 12.50pm on BBC One this Saturday".

DOING THINGS THE RIGHT WAY

"New chairman Grahame Rowley vowed to keep Altrincham moving in the right direction, despite having to cope with the loss of boardroom boss Geoff Goodwin and team manager Graham Heathcote in the space of a few hours.

Goodwin bowed to outside pressures and stood down as chairman on Monday afternoon, while Heathcote's eight-year reign as manager ended by mutual consent at a board meeting later that evening.

While many clubs may have been left in disarray by the departure of two such prominent figures, Rowley is convinced Alty are on a sound enough footing to maintain the progress of recent seasons on and off the pitch.

Confirmed as Goodwin's successor at a meeting which also handed temporary control of team affairs to Heathcote's assistant Ken McKenna, Rowley said: 'Geoff's decision has been coming for a while, because of pressure at work and the need to find time for some sort of home life.

'His company has been taking on more bus routes, as well as their luxury coach service, and he has been heading into his office at 5.30 every morning. His son has been making great strides at kart racing as well, and, naturally enough, he has taken a close interest in that. He told me he felt guilty about not being able to devote more time to Altrincham, but he has nothing to reproach himself over after all he has done for this club.

'When he took over in 2002, and formed a new board with me and Andrew Shaw, we inherited a debt of £650,000 and were on the point of going bust. We didn't know each other, and were different characters from different backgrounds, but the shareholders proposed us for the job, and we set about making it work.

'During the course of that, close relationships were formed. We all got on really well, and though the prospects looked extremely bleak at the outset, sheer hard work got us through. We sold advertising space round the ground and in the programme and organised fund-raising events, sporting dinners and Christmas do's, chipping away at the debt all the while. Selling the car park a couple of years ago for house building also made a big difference, and finally we managed to pay it all off.

'You see some clubs going into administration at the drop of a hat these days, then re-forming, but that was never our intention. It may have been the easy way out, but we can hold our heads high and say we repaid every penny to anyone we were in debt to. Everyone who played a part in getting us back on our feet is entitled to feel extremely proud about that.

'There were times when you wondered if you would ever reach the end of it, and it was a huge relief to be able to say "mission accomplished". It's what this club is all about, too, doing things the right way. It was sad to see Geoff go, after the times we've had together, but I share the same values as him and will try and ensure the club continues to be run within its means.

'I was voted in as chairman at the meeting on Monday, and I can't tell you how proud I am of that. I am Altrincham born and bred and have supported the club since I was six-years old. To be given the honour of taking up the mantle is something I'll never forget and has to be one of the proudest moments of my life. It's not going to be easy following Geoff, but at least this gives us some continuity. Geoff, Andrew and myself have always sung from the same hymnsheet, and the aim will be to carry on in the same sensible, hard-working way as before'".

TIME FOR STABILITY

"Ken McKenna is in pole position to become Altrincham manager on a permanent basis, following the shock departure of Graham Heathcote.

An era at Moss Lane came to an end on Monday night when Heathcote, who joined Alty as a 16-year old youth team player and has filled a variety of roles in the intervening 40 years, stepped down as manager by mutual consent.

A new-look Alty board, with Grahame Rowley voted in as chairman after the resignation of Geoff Goodwin, immediately handed temporary control to McKenna, who replaced Graham Barrow as Heathcote's assistant following a successful spell as boss of Welsh side TNS.

As he prepared to take charge for the first time, at Eastbourne on Saturday, former Alty striker McKenna was left in no doubt the job was his for the taking.

'Ken said he would love to do it, and it's clear he is in the driving seat,' said Rowley. 'We chatted again after training last night (Tuesday), and he is very keen, so let's see how things go. In a way, Graham paid the price for his success last season, when we started climbing the table and claiming one or two notable scalps along the way. People were suddenly taking notice of us, and we lost Chris Senior and Greg Young to full-time clubs, as well as Colin Little to retirement and Tom Kearney with a broken leg. The backbone of the team had gone, and it just seemed Graham maybe hadn't the battle left in him to have to build another team.

'I think he felt it was the right time to leave, that the gee-up of making a change might hopefully kick-start our season after a poor start. It is a clean break, but when you think of what Graham has done - starting out as a 16-year old 40 years ago and turning us round as manager when he led us to the Conference with a play-off win against Eastbourne at Stoke five years ago - he will go down as one of the great names in this club's history.

'We're not advertising the job, because it's time for some stability. Hopefully, Ken will help bring that'".

HUGHESY'S THE WINNER

The winner of the competition is none other than Mr Pete Hughes, one of Altrincham's best-known supporters; congratulations to him!

The Council and Premier Inn are also offering a special rate for all away fans of £39 per person for match ticket and overnight stay at Eastbourne Premier Inn (subject to availability).

LIVE FOOTBALL IN HD AT MOSS LANE

FRIENDS

August

September

BSBP NEWS

'It's a big blow and it's a position we will have to look at', Bayliss told BBC Radio Cumbria. 'He's a big player for us and was always our number one target in the summer'".

Meanwhile, "Bath City have revealed that summer signing Jake Reid has left Twerton Park by mutual consent. The former Team Bath frontman... impressed sufficiently during pre-season to earn a full-time deal but found his first-team chances limited as the season progressed. Bath manager Adie Britton will be looking to bolster his squad having already released defender Matt Coupe last week".

Chris Senior faces further competition as "Darlington have boosted their attacking options with the signing of striker Leon Knight on a free transfer. Hackney-born Knight has signed on with the Quakers after impressing manager Mark Cooper whilst on trial... He was released at the end of last season by Dumfries club Queen of the South and has also represented Brighton & Hove Albion, Swansea City, MK Dons and Rushden & Diamonds, amongst others. Cooper has drafted in Knight as a replacement for on-loan forward Richard Offiong, who is expected to return to Carlisle with an injury".

At Forest Green Rovers "Both James Norwood (on loan from Exeter) and Jamie Grimes (on loan from Swansea) have had their loan spells with Forest Green Rovers extended by a further month".

Crawley Town confirm that "Reds' stylish midfielder Steve Masterton has signed a one year contract extension which will see him be at Crawley Town Football Club until at least the summer of 2012".

According to the Uxbridge Gazette, "Former Grimsby Town winger Adrian Forbes will stake his claim to win a new deal with Hayes & Yeading when he plays for the reserves. Hayes & Yeading boss Garry Haylock says signing Forbes is 'a possibility'...

Forbes is not viewed by Haylock though as a player who can replace the suspended Adrian Patulea... 'He is a different type of player to Adrian', said Haylock... The 31-year-old, who started his career with Norwich City and went onto make 112 appearances for the Canaries before spells at Blackpool, Milwall and Swansea City, was released by Grimsby in the summer... Forbes will be joined in tonight's second string line-up by former Newcastle United striker Paul Robinson".

CSC DATE

CHAIRMAN'S COMMENTS

The Manchester Evening News today reports on the departure of manager Graham Heathcote from Altrincham FC and the temporary appointment of Ken McKenna (right). New chairman Grahame Rowley reportedly "Admits the former TNS boss is in the frame to take the job on a permanent basis, with a Board meeting to discuss the manager's position planned for a week on Wednesday. 'He's a candidate', said Rowley, 'He did well at TNS and we'd be foolish if we didn't consider him. But we don't want to make any knee-jerk decisions. We need some stability'".

As for Graham's departure, Grahame said 'He came to us and said he didn't fancy the battle of another campaign. It just seemed to get the better of him. He thought it was best for the club if he stood down now so whoever came in had time to to move us up the table. We as a Board were behind him and weren't looking to make a change. There was no pressure on him from us'.

Rowley, who revealed the departure of Heathcote has nothing to do with [chairman Geoff] Goodwin's exit, added, ' Graham has been a superb servant of this club and his commitment to Altrincham has been second to none'".

GRAHAM'S LONG SERVICE

Left: Graham Heathcote shakes hands with Ian Bogie, the Gateshead manager, before the Alty boss's last game in charge last Saturday.

In 2004-05, Altrincham finished fifth but won the play-off final against, ironically, Alty's opponents this weekend - Eastbourne Borough. Restored to the national stage in the Conference, Alty finished eighteenth before being deducted 18 points for playing James Robinson, who had been signed from Accrington Stanley but who did not have international clearance.

Alty were reprieved both in 2005 and the following two seasons when they finished in the relegation places. On each occasion they benefitted from the financial transgressions of other clubs, a situation which reinforced Altrincham's position as leading upholders of a policy of operating within their means. Indeed, Graham holds the unique record of managing for eight years at the upper end of non-League football without spending a penny on transfer fees.

In 2009-09 and 2009-10 Altrincham finished comfortably in mid-table and it looked as if the club had re-established itself at national level. But the departures of key players last summer, long-term injuries to three others and the arrival of new players, some of whom have not yet been at their best, plunged Alty to the bottom of the Blue Square Bet Premier this season.

Before becoming Altrincham FC's longest-serving manager since World War II, Graham had been a successful player at Moss Lane as well as assistant manager for many years to John King and, subsequently, he combined coaching with the role of Club Secretary. On the pitch he famously scored a penalty at the Kop End at Anfield in an FA Cup match against Liverpool.

In all, he made 502(+27) appearances for The Robins and scored 147 goals. A fuller account of his career, by Terry Rowley is in the Alty Legends section.

Off the pitch, Graham was also instrumental in bringing together the current Board at Moss Lane, having himself on more than one occasion had to deal with bailiffs seeking redress for the club's debts in the 1990s.

Though Graham leaves the club in less than happy circumstances, it is clear that Altrincham Fc and its supporters owe him a great debt for his almost 40 years of service as a player, administrator, coach and manager.

ROBBIE'S SECOND CAP

Brief match report:

WALES U-23 2 ENGLAND U-23 2 In Tuesday's friendly international between the Wales under-23 side and England C in an "International Under 23 Semi-Pro Challenge Match" at Welsh Premier club Newtown's picturesque Latham Park ground, the hosts scored two late goals to earn a deserved draw. The ground at Latham Park has a mixture of new and old stands and a modern club house. Behind one goal is a superb view of the local scenery - rolling, wooded hills and fields of grazing sheep.

England took a very early lead when, with barely two minutes elapsed, Crawley Town's Kyle McFadzean, the England captain, scored a well taken goal. Indeed, England had the better of the first half with the Welsh struggling to get any real shots at the England goal where Roberts was looking uncharacteristically shaky, dropping two routine crosses.

A couple of minutes before the interval, Tamworth's Alex Rodman made it 2-0 converting the loose ball after Welsh keeper Cann of Aberystwyth Town, had parried a shot.

England, who had subbed Matthew Barnes-Homer after half an hour, brought on all their remaining subs at the interval, whereas Wales just changed their keeper. The visitors' performance deteriorated in the second half with the front pairing of Crawley's Ben Wright and York's Michael Gash rarely threatening. Gash did create a great chance for himself with some good skill but then blasted over the bar.

Wales made three changes just before the hour mark and a further one half way through the final 45. But they saved the best till last as Robbie Williams of Altrincham came on in the 76th minute. Within four minutes a ball forward from Robbie prompted the attack which made it 2-1, Moses scoring after 79 minutes. Wales were now attacking in strength and levelled the game four minutes later when Lee Surman of Port Talbot Town scored.

The game was watched by a crowd of modest numbers which included managerial representatives from wrexham, Newport County and Barrow amongst other clubs. Indeed, Newport's Dean Holdsworth (pictured left), who once played for England B, was not the only international displaying his cap at the game.

Wales: 1. Stephen Cann (Aberystwyth T.), 2. Michael Pearson (Barrow), 3. Curtis McDonald (FGR), 4. Michael Johnston (capt)(Bangor C.), 5. Mike Williams (Kidderminster H.), 6. Ashley Williams (Airbus UK), 7. Jamie Reed (Bangor C.), 8. Chris Jones (Neath), 9. Luke Sherbon (Aberystwyth T.), 10. Alex Darlington (The New Saints), 11. Scott Barrow (Barrow). Subs: GK: Lee Idzi (Haverfordwest County), 14. Jack Christopher (Haverfordwest County), 15. Robbie Williams (Altrincham), 16. Craig Moses (Llanelli), 17. Lee Surman (port TAlbot Town), 18. Marc Williams (Kidderminster H.)

England C: 1. Dale Roberts (Rushden & D), 2. Sam Hatton (AFC Wimbledon), 3. Greg Taylor (Kettering T.), 4. Aiden Flint (Alfreton T.), 5. Stephen Gregory (AFC Wimbledon), 6. Kyle McFadzean (capt)(Crawley T.), 7. Charlie Henry (Newport C.), 8. Max Porter (Rushden & D.), 9. Matthew Barnes-Homer (Luton T.), 10. Jake Howells (Luton T.), 11. Alex Rodman (Tamworth). Subs: 12. Ben Wright (Crawley T.), 13. Seb Brown (GK)(AFC Wimbledon), 14. Michael Gash (York C.), 15. Danny Rose (Newport C.), 16. Brian Saah (Cambridge U.).

STATEMENT FROM CLUB

The club would like to thank Graham for his eight years as manager and for the many years he has devoted to the club undertaking many roles and wishes him every success with his future.

Mr Kenneth McKenna has agreed to take charge of team affairs on a temporary basis pending a permanent appointment.

The board also wish to announce that following the resignation of Geoff Goodwin yesterday, Mr Grahame Rowley has been appointed as Chairman of Altrincham Football Club.

ALTY'S DEBT TO GEOFF

Geoff Goodwin, owner of the succesful Eccles-based coach company Go Goodwins, became Chairman at Moss Lane in late July, 2002, with a new Board comprising current acting Chairman Grahame Rowley, Andrew Shaw and Geoff himself. They and subsequent members of the Board brought much needed stability to the club's operations, with a small operating profit being made in 2002-03 and each year since. They battled hard to pay off the club's debts, which they inherited and the local council's sale of the car park at Moss Lane brought a much-needed cash injection in 2007.

Geoff and his wife Suzanne's son, Jay, is an emerging talent in national kart racing, and in recent years Geoff has quite rightly dedicated much of his time to furthering his son's career. Go Goodwins has also been the offoicial coach company of the England and Wales Cricket Board and Geoff, personally, frequently drove touring cricket teams - notably Ricky Ponting's Australians - round the cricket grounds of Britain.

Geoff often pointed out that he was not the greatest fan of football but with his policy of financial prudence, he and his Board turned round Altrincham FC's financial position and, with other over-ambitious non-League clubs going bump almost monthly, his model of living within one's means has come by many to be seen for the sensible way forward that it is.

Everyone at Moss Lane wishes Geoff and Suzanne every success in the future and thanks him for his major role in the history of Altrincham FC.

"GREAT TO BE BACK"

TUESDAY ACTION

Curtis Osano has been replaced by Cambridge United’s Brian Saah, with AFC Wimbledon’s 'keeper Seb Brown called into replace Patrick Gamble.... Brown joins team mates Sam Hatton and Steven Gregory for the trip to Wales".

With no Alty game on Tuesday night, a local match which is being played features Trafford v Durham City at 7.45pm.

OFF THE MARK

MEN IN CHARGE

NEXT GAMES

According to The Argus "Manager Garry Wilson slammed Eastbourne Borough's second half display as they crashed to a 4-0 defeat at Barrow" on Saturday. "Borough were the better side in the first half but fell behind just before the interval and then conceded three goals in the space of 11 minutes in a disastrous second period. Wilson said: 'We were awful in the second half. That is the poorest we have been this season. I didn't even think Barrow were that good. We just gave the game to them. We were the better team in the first half but Matt Langston gave them a bad goal before half time and perhaps that knocked the stuffing out of us'.

Wilson also defended on-loan goalkeeper Liam O'Brien who was at fault for two goals on his debut". Regular keeper Rikki Banks returns after suspension this Saturday. However, "Striker Richard Pacquette [was] ruled out for the third game in a row for Eastbourne Borough's game at Barrow. Borough's top scorer [had] not recovered from a hamstring strain so Andy Atkin continue[d] up front alongside Jamie Taylor in a 4-4-2 formation".

Alty's next two opponents met on Saturday as the NW Evening Mail reports how Barrow thumped Eastbourne 4-0, a game in which Jason Walker "took his season’s tally to seven with three goals...and extended their unbeaten run to six matches... It was a rather fortuitous lead because it was the visitors who enjoyed the better of the half and hit the post through Ross Treleaven on 22 minutes. Eastbourne created further chances, but it was Barrow... who went into the break in the lead...

Walker wrapped up his hat-trick three minutes later when scoring the cheekiest of penalties. The striker won the spot-kick originally and then chipped it down the middle of the goal as O'Brien dived away to his right. The Bluebirds made three changes to the side which drew 1-1 at Bath City last Saturday. Scotland under-21 international Alan Martin returned in goal for understudy Shaun Pearson, with striker Forrest and winger Paul Rutherford in for James Owen and Ciaran Donnelly.... [in] a 4-4-2 formation. Eastbourne handed a debut to on-loan Portsmouth keeper O'Brien, who is the England under-19 number one."

LAST GAME

{Manager] Bogie said: 'This time last week we were in the doldrums... [Against Alty] We were not anywhere near as fluent as we had been in midweek against Southport, but we dug in and worked hard to gain another good result. We played decent stuff at times, but it was not a great performance and there have not been many occasions during my time at Gateshead where we have won ugly'...

Nelthorpe gave Gateshead the lead against the run of play with a 38th-minute finish after Shaw’s initial shot had been parried by James Coates. Mulligan immediately headed against the bar, with Curtis repeating the feat after the break before Shaw wrapped up victory eight minutes from time".

BSBP NEWS

The BBC reports that "Kettering Town chairman Imraan Ladak says there are no signs they will be able to extend their ground lease. Under Football League rules, the Poppies could not be promoted to the League without their own ground or a 10-year lease at Rockingham Road.

Ladak told BBC Radio Northampton: 'We have to be as competitive as we can be, regardless of the ground situation. But we wouldn't be spending money on the squad if we didn't think we could sort it out'. Having initially reduced manager Lee Harper's playing budget, funds were made available for the 2010/11 season.

The club hope to continue to play at Rockingham Road, but Ladak is unsure if the current land owner, developer Ben Pickering, will permit them to do so beyond 2013... 'We haven't got the funds to build a new stadium so it's in Ben's hands. If he doesn't do a deal, we will have to play somewhere else'" said the chairman.

GEOFF GOODWIN RESIGNS

"It is with deep regret that we have to announce that Geoff Goodwin (right) has stepped down as Chairman from the Football Club as well as from the Board of Directors due to mounting pressures at work and his involvement with his son's karting. We would like to offer our sincere thanks for everything that Geoff, and his wife Suzanne, have done for this Football Club over the last 8 years of his leadership. Geoff has agreed to continue his Sponsorship of the Football Club until at least the end of the current season. Mr Grahame Rowley will act as Chairman until the next Board meeting, scheduled for Wednesday 22nd September when the position will be discussed".

NEXT GAME

The pick up times are The Vine at 7.40am, Hare & Hounds at 7.50am, Altrincham Leisure Centre at 7.55am and Moss Lane at 8am.

Fares are £28 for adults, £26 for concessionaries and £18 for under-18s and those in full-time education. Adults and concessionaries who are non-members of TASC pay £1 extra for the trip. Please ring the club (928-1045) to book your place. Full details are on the Away Travel page.

Eastbourne Borough will have defender Neil Jenkins suspended for our game following his dismissal a week ago.

BSBP NEWS

Blue Square Football reports that "Histon FC have revealed that attacking midfielder Lee Smith has returned to the Glass World Stadium for a second spell. The midfielder has signed a deal that will keep him at Histon until the end of the season after failing to earn a permanent deal at Dagenham & Redbridge. Smith originally joined the Stutes from Bury Town in August last year and became a regular fixture in former manager Steve Fallon's side".

GATESHEAD GAME

Above: Alty had their backs to the wall at Gateshead yesterday.

This site's match report is here.

The Heedarmy site also has a match report and says that "Gateshead climbed to 13th in the Conference Premier after a deserved 2-0 victory over Altrincham".

TV AT MOSS LANE

Everyone is welcome to these free viewings in the bar at Altrincham FC.

COLIN'S MOVE

OLD BOYS

In Saturday's FA Cup matches, Kieran Lugsden netted twice as Buxton won 3-0 at Bottesford Town. Former loan striker, James Dean, scored as FC Halifax Town defeated Whitby.

Alty Youth striker from last season, Michael Linney, has signed for Curzon Ashton.

BSBP NEWS

GATESHEAD 2 ALTRINCHAM 0

Right: Nicky Clee contests first-half possession at Gateshead.

After a decent first half hour in which Altrincham had the better of the chances but failed, again, to take them, Gateshead went ahead in the 38th minute. Match report here.

FIXTURES

TODAY'S GAME

Courtesy of Mike Garnett, here is Alty's record against Gateshead, to date:

The above includes records against the club's forerunners, South Shields and also against them as Gateshead United...

BEFORE THE GAME

News of Alty's opponents today comes from the Chronicle which says that "Ian Bogie is still hoping to strengthen his Gateshead squad – but expects to do so after the weekend. The Tynesiders can sign unattached or loan players, and have been linked with an unnamed midfielder with Football League experience, while Bogie is also targeting defensive reinforcements.

But while they play host to Blue Square Bet Premier basement club Altrincham tomorrow, the International Stadium outfit are unlikely to conclude any business before then. 'We’re trying, we’re still speaking to a couple of managers so I’m just waiting on a couple of comebacks', said Bogie, who has Gary Mulligan and James Marwood available. 'We’re always trying to improve the squad. I like to think we’ve got a decent squad at the minute but I think we need a top-up in one or two areas, which we’re trying to do. It’s possible it might happen before the weekend, if I get a phone call there might be something happening. But more likely is that it will happen next week'.

Turning his attention to Tuesday’s 1-0 win over Southport, and tomorrow, Bogie added: 'It was a well-deserved win and a lot more convincing than the scoreline suggests. It was a game that we should have really been three or four-nil up at the interval...

When the lads are focused and up for it, we can be a match for anybody, and it’s my job to keep them at that level and that tempo – starting on Saturday against Altrincham... Hopefully we’ve lifted a few spirits around the place and we’ll get a decent crowd in... At his level of football, 470, 480 is not fantastic but we’ve got to make sure we do our part on the pitch'”.

BROTHERS UNITED AT MOSS LANE

JACKPOT

OLD BOYS

FOUR SUBS

CHESHIRE NEWS

According to the Northwich Guardian, "Vics start their FA Cup campaign this Saturday still without the prize money earned as reward for their run to the second round last term. The game’s governing body holds close to £200,000 owed to the club. 'It remains with us as we are still in negotiations with the club’s former administrator', said FA spokesman Mark Hooper.+ 'We continue to liaise with Northwich in relation to various matters, but I can’t comment any further as these discussions are confidential'. He was not able to say when, or indeed if, a resolution was likely. Nor could he confirm whether Vics would be paid the £3,000 on offer if they win their first qualifying round clash at Salford City.

Vics’ owner Jim Rushe revealed on Tuesday that he had been invited to attend a meeting with FA officials at Wembley next week. He said: 'We’re happy to sit around a table and talk through any remaining reservations the FA still has'. Neither party has been prepared to reveal what the remaining obstacles are, nor why it has taken so long to overcome them...

The FA did not pay out initially because the company that pays the players’ wages, Northwich Victoria Football Club (2004) Ltd, was in administration. A Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) to pay a 42p dividend for every pound of Vics’ six-figures debt was agreed with creditors before Christmas, but has not been ratified by the FA. In it Rushe proposes a new firm, Northwich Victoria Football Club (2007) Ltd, buys the old one and takes on the responsibility of paying off the remaining debts in monthly instalments over a fixed period.

NVFC (2004) Ltd’s membership of both the FA and the Northern Premier League would need to be transferred to the new company as a result. But to do that it needs the game’s governing body’s approval. Its criteria include shareholders’ approval of the transfer, no outstanding football creditor debts plus all other creditors ‘satisfied and evidenced’ as such. The new member club must come up with a forecast showing its ability to trade for the next 12 months, plus prove the sources of those funds are in place.

Vics’ period in administration came to an automatic end in May, but the club was given permission to carry on trading since while discussions with the FA continued...

Administrator Gary Pettit said 'The FA is just looking for comfort to make sure we’re not talking about Northwich again in the same terms 18 months down the line. It has not found comfort enough, yet'...

[EvoStik League] Chairman Mark Harris said: 'Our support for Northwich as one of our member clubs is moral but, like every other league competition, we must abide by any decision the governing body makes. However this situation started when Vics were still members of the Football Conference, so it’s fair to say we don’t have all the facts or know the whole back story'".

BSBP NEWS

If he is playing on the left he will no doubt be marked by team-mate Scott Barrow, who will lining up for Wales on the right. The call-ups leave the Lambs' squad short on numbers for the Birmingham Senior Cup fixture against Birmingham City on the same night and as a result Daniel Elliott has been signed on non-contract forms after his release from Nottingham Forest. He will take the number 16 shirt which was previously allocated to Aaron Farrell who was recently released".

Meanwhile, "Goalkeeper Craig Dootson has rejoined Fleetwood Town in a loan deal, having left at the end of last season, to cover for injured keeper Danny Hurst. Dootson, 31, departed Highbury by mutual consent due to the impact of the club’s new full-time status on his career in child welfare. The keeper joined Harrogate Town in June this year and has appeared in all seven Blue Square Bet North games so far, keeping two clean sheets in the process.

Hurst was stretchered off last weekend at Crawley Town and then faced an operation on Sunday which may keep him sidelined until next year. 'First of all, I’d like to say just how devastated I am for Danny', said Dootson. 'We speak often and I know he has been top drawer in the Conference this season. Full-time training is obviously doing him well and I’m just glad it isn’t me who was up against him as his form has been unbelievable'...

Dootson, who joined Fleetwood in November 2009, is pleased about his return to Highbury. 'I’m glad to be back but would prefer it to have been under better circumstances. I had a good chat with Danny about it all and he’s glad to see me back'. Former Morecambe keeper Scott Davies has been patient on the Fleetwood bench and impressed on his debut last Saturday when he substituted Hurst. 'Scott is top quality and he is a very good keeper', added Dootson. 'I’ve only seen him play once or twice and he looks the real deal. He’s rightly got his chance and it’s the same as last season. If you play well, you keep your shirt. If you don’t then someone is waiting. Scott and I have had a chat already and we both know what the script is between us...

'My work circumstances have changed slightly and I now have the time to spend at training although I will continue part-time with my job... I left Fleetwood on really good terms and it’s certainly a good example of never burning your bridges. That’s not normally been one of my fortes as I’ve been too quick to open the mouth without engaging the brain. But I quite rightly kept quiet when I left Fleetwood because there was nothing negative to say. It’s good to be back'”.

And Blue Square Football announces that "Bath City have decided to release experienced defender Matt Coupe in a bid to free up some wages for a new signing. The 31-year-old leaves Twerton Park after seven years of service, having made over 300 appearances".

"Newport County have signed defender Martin John on loan from neighbours Cardiff City until December 10th" reports NL Daily. "John has a varied background, being born in England and then living in Italy and Canada. He attended college in Ottawa, played for Maine Black Bears (University of Maine), and then Buffalo Bills (University of Buffalo). In 2008 he was with Ottawa Fury, and his most recent club was Argentinos Juniors with whom he played reserve team football. He was spotted by Cardiff in a July 2010 pre-season match playing for Welling United".

"Grimsby Town's loss in the last financial year was kept down to just over £40,000 thanks largely to the sale of former skipper Ryan Bennett to Peterborough – and by fans sticking by their club" says This is Grimsby. "Its statement of accounts just published shows a loss of £40,264 to the year ending in May in contrast to a £604,361 deficit in the previous 12 months. However, the figure would have been significantly higher but for the sale of Bennett pictured to Peterborough and other dealings which amounted to £556,675. It means the club are in the red by £2,637,427, an increase of £47,284 on 2009. The club's loss for the last year came on the back of a turnover of £2,266,213, almost £40,000 more than in the previous year.

Shareholders are told in the report that the club survives purely because of the backing of its directors... The report said: 'Support remained strong with total attendance for the year similar to the previous season, helping to keep overall revenues in line with the previous year... The loss has been reduced by success in the transfer market but this revenue cannot be expected to occur each year and at this point the company continues to remain reliant on the financial support of directors. The company's principle short term aim is to return to League football and since the end of the financial year the directors have invested in new players with the expectation of making a promotion challenge'.

Match receipts were up by almost £20,000 to £841,733, and television and broadcasting revenue were increased by just over £100,000 to £604,495. There was also a reduction in sponsorship to £359,270, retailing and merchandise to £150,010 and catering, £310,705. But there was a slight increase in wages and salaries, by just over £11,000 to £1,885,009.

The report will be presented to the annual meeting at Blundell Park on Thursday, September 30, when shareholders will be asked to vote on a streamlining of shares and loans. The club's main backers, chairman John Fenty and vice-chairman Mike Parker have agreed to a new loans to shares issue which would lead to them having a joint controlling interest of 80 per cent on an equal basis.

They have agreed Mr Parker will convert a £499,000 investment into shares and that Mr Fenty would do the same with £242,816 of his existing loans. A £44,295 shareholding of Mr Fenty's partner Helen Laight would also be transferred to the chairman as part of the equation... £500-worth of shares [are] held by each of the other three directors, Michael Chapman, John Elsom and Peter Furneaux...

Mr Fenty says in the report: 'Whilst I am so heavily committed to providing financial support, it is appropriate that I have effective voting control until such time other interested parties express a desire to assist with the financial burden of securing the long term future of GTFC'".

the Southport Visiter tells us that "Strike pair Matty McNeil and Steve Daly are in contention to lead the line against Mansfield Town tomorrow as Southport manager Liam Watson demands improvements following midweek defeat. The forwards were sorely missed as the Sandgrounders suffered a 1-0 defeat at Gateshead on Tuesday night.

Defender Chris Lever has also handed Watson a fitness boost but the clash comes too soon for hitman Tony Gray who continues to nurse a shoulder injury. Watson blasted his troops after their pitiful showing at the International Stadium but admits the lack of striking options were a factor as Craig Nelthorpe fired home the last minute winner. 'We were really poor on Tuesday night and even at the back we didn’t look as solid, though they were under incredible pressure especially during that first half...

We missed McNeil, Gray and Daly up front and though some people have said to me Simmo (Chris Simm) looked a threat, the reality is he wasn’t. He works very hard but we only notice the difference when any of the other three are playing. I’m going to sound like a broken record but this is one of the reasons we were willing to release him. Alan Collins, considering his relative lack of experience, has come on and done well'".

From this is Nottingham comes news that "Chairman Andrew Saunders today refused to put a price on taking over Mansfield Town. He and fellow directors Steve Hymas and Steve Middleton put the club up for sale yesterday, saying they had taken the club as far as they could... after revealing it is costing him and his fellow board members around £10,000 a week to keep the club running...

'I am not quite sure at his stage what a takeover would cost', said Saunders. 'We have made financial commitments to the club and come to a point where we can't make any further financial commitments. The directors have been putting an awful lot of money into the club – in the region of £10,000 a week... At this moment in time, we are third in the Blue Square Premier, so it's probably the best time to sell... We need to get back in the Football League, where the club should be and hopefully someone will have heard about this and is in a situation to step forward and buy the club...

Meanwhile manager "David Holdsworth hopes Mansfield Town can find the investment required to match his lofty ambitions after the club was put up for sale... Crawley and Forest Green are just two clubs who have benefited from fresh investment this summer and manager Holdsworth is willing for something similar to happen to help the Stags back into the Football League. 'The best thing would be if someone could come in and look at it and put some money in so I could develop the club as a manager', said Holdsworth".

COL'S BACK!

Colin has played 245+33 games for Altrincham, in which he netted 114 goals. Now 37, Colin made 220 appearances for Crewe Alexandra and scored 45 goals before going on loan to Mansfield in October 2002, where he played 5 games. He then went on loan to Macclesfield in December 2002, for whom he signed on a free transfer in May 2003. He made 26+8 appearances and scored 7 goals for Macc. before joining Halifax Town in March 2004, for whom he played 8 games and scored twice.

Colin was previously at Alty as a junior as well as being at Wythenshawe Town, Rossendale United and Hyde United before joining Crewe. He was Alty's top scorer each season from 2004-05 to 2008-09.

Colin's dedication to Alty was such that he played for the club despite receiving more lucrative offers from elsewhere. And now, once again, he is showing his willingness to help his local club, a gesture which will be appreciated by all at Moss Lane.

Meanwhile, Graham has also served "seven days notice of approach" for a striker in the EvoStik (Northern Premier) League.

NEXT GAME

Our next opponents, Gateshead report that "Manager Ian Bogie, delighted by his side's display in the midweek win over Southport, hopes to have further good news ahead of Saturday's home game against Altrincham. Ireland under 21 international Gary Mulligan and former Newcastle United trainee winger James Marwood should both be available after injury. Mulligan has missed the last two games with a groin strain and Marwood a knee injury but both returned to training on Thursday.

That will strengthen Bogie's arm against the Robins who have picked up just one point from their opening seven games and are five points adrift at the bottom of the table. Mulligan is likely to return to the starting line up to play alongside Jon Shaw for the first time in what could be the only change to the side that beat Southport.

Marwood, who started the season well, could be handed a place on the bench as Gateshead look to record consecutive wins for the first time this season. Josh Gillies, who made Tuesday's winner during a late cameo off the bench, faces a fight to be fit after picking up an ankle injury playing for the reserves on Wednesday.

'It will be good to see how Mulligan and Shaw go together', said Bogie. 'They are two experienced players in their mid-20s who will give us a physical presence up top... The reaction to Saturday's defeat at Cambridge was excellent, just what I was looking for, but we have to back that up against Altrincham. They have had a difficult start to the season but they will win eventually and as I keep saying there are no easy games in this league. We will have to produce the goods again against the Robins or we won't get the win we want, one that could take us into mid-table.

It was all doom and gloom after a trio of defeats but two wins in a week would put a different complexion on things... We certainly won't underestimate Altrincham. They were unlucky to lose against Kidderminster last weekend and they would have beaten Darlington but for two late goals which gave the Quakers a draw'.

Gateshead beat Altrincham 1-0 at the International Stadium last season, Craig Baxter deciding the issue with a long range thunderbolt. Bogie's men should have also won won at Moss Lane last September but they conceded two goals in injury time to turn victory into a 3-2 defeat...

Altrincham's only doubt for the trip to Tyneside is striker Chris Denham, scorer of the headed injury time equaliser at Moss Lane last season".

Saturday's referee at Gateshead is Mr A. Madley who officiated at Alty v Wimbledon in August 2009, which Alty lost 0-1. He also oversaw York 2 Alty 1, awarding Richard Brodie a late penalty, last Easter Monday.

The Chronicle tells us that "Former Doncaster Rovers winger Craig Nelthorpe scored a priceless last-minute winner against Southport to give Gateshead their first home win of the campaign. Nelthorpe, a revelation in the first half, swept home sub Josh Gillies’ low cross to give Gateshead their first goal in six-and-a-half hours of football. It was also the first goal Southport had conceded in 452 minutes and Gateshead’s first in front of their own fans this season.

But the Tynesiders should have been out of sight after a sparkling opening 45 minutes that saw them pepper the Sandgrounders’ goal... Delighted manager Ian Bogie said: 'Even Southport manager Liam Watson admitted we should have been four or five up at half-time but we eventually got the goal we needed late in the game'...

The return of James Curtis and Jon Shaw has been a timely boost and Irish striker Gary Mulligan should be fit for the visit of bottom club Altrincham on Saturday. Bogie, meanwhile, was lavish in his praise of Nelthorpe... 'I’m thrilled for Nelly because he has had a few personal problems', added Bogie... 'If we had lost again the fans would have been baying for my blood. I’m under no illusion that expectancy levels are higher than they have been and hopefully we will now kick on'”.

AMBITIOUS FYLDE FOIL ALTY

AFC Fylde reports that their "impressive youngsters won a pulsating FA Youth Cup tie at Kellamergh Park as they pulled off a fabulous 4-2 win. The Coasters new crop of Under 18's soon found themselves 2-0 down at the break with Altrincham halving the better of the first half and making their chances count and whatever Manager Paul Martland said at half time - it worked. They grabbed a lifeline when midfielder Danny Thompson pulled a goal back early on the give the home side hope. Then Josh Miller's pace put him in a great position to clip the ball beyond the Alty keeper to grab the equaliser to the 126 crowd's delight. It didn't end there and Danny Thompson curled in a free kick to make it 3-2 before he then added a fourth goal and completed an FA Youth cup debut dream hatrick with minutes remaining to see the new kids on the block get through to the 1st qualifying round. They will now play Curzon Ashton later this month in another home tie".

It is always interesting to visit a new ground and the welcome at Fylde was friendly. The story of the club's recent history is an interesting one and they hope that the coming years will make an even more remarkable tale as they aim for the Football League by 2022.

A fortnight ago, the Lytham & St Anne's Express reported that "Plans have been submitted for a new multi-million pound sports village in Fylde. The proposals for the complex – which will include a football stadium for AFC Fylde, an outdoor artificial grass pitch, a cricket pavilion and pitch, junior football pitches and a trim trail for local residents – have been submitted to the local council's planning department for consideration.

Left: Alty Youth in action at AFC Fylde.

The £10m development off Ribby Road in Wrea Green is the brainchild of Lytham businessman David Haythornthwaite through his charity Haythornthwaite Sports Foundation (HSF), and has been two years in the planning. The son of a Newton dairy farmer, the AFC Fylde chairman said he wanted to give something back to youngsters in the area... 'I was born and grew up in Fylde and the area's been good to me so I wanted to give something back... At the moment the land is a disused pig farm but we feel we've come up with something the whole borough can be proud of'...

The 2,500 capacity AFC Fylde floodlit stadium includes a large stand to hold 1,400 seats and include community facilities within. There are six further pitches with changing facilities".

AFC Fylde themselves write that "Club President David Haythornthwaite... brings ambition, drive and professionalism to the club in its long term bid to be in the Football League by 2022". Back in 2006 BBC Lancashire reported that "A local businessman says he hopes to buy Blackpool Football Club for nearly £7m. David Haythornthwaite has gone public with what is now his third bid to buy Bloomfield Road". After that bid failed he moved to finance Kirkham and Wesham, now AFC Fylde.

The Lancashire Evening Post in 2008 reported that if you "turn right at the entrance to British Aerospace's sprawling aircraft plant at Warton, and take the narrow road that twists and turns towards the picture postcard village of Wrea Green for about a mile. There, behind the Birley Arms public house, a well-worn track, opposite a dairy farm and a few hen houses, leads you to the doors of Kellamergh Park, Kirkham and Wesham's tiny stadium.

But for Lancashire entrepreneur and their proud as punch president, David Haythornthwaite, it is his very own field of dreams... Nobody could have dreamed that a couple of years ago when [opposition] was Charnock Richard, Fulwood Amateurs and Freckleton in the West Lancashire League, but this is a remarkable football tale that warms the heart.

'It is an incredible adventure, what has happened this season', said Haythornthwaite. 'You couldn't make it up could you? But I want this to be the first step on the ladder, because I have a dream. That dream is to get Kirkham and Wesham into the Football League in 14 years. I believe it can be done... There's a team called Villarreal in Spain, and they are known as 'the club from nowhere... Villarreal is a tiny place, about the same size town as Kirkham, but the owner started Villareal from scratch.... That's a true inspiration to me because it can happen if you believe in it enough'...

The club moved to their current ground in Warton in July 2006, at a cost of £150,000, after playing for years at Coronation Road in the heart of Kirkham. 'I think it is very sad that the town of Kirkham were not prepared to help us find land to build a new stadium in the town. So the chairman Dai Davis bought a farm field in Warton and we've gone from there. I've been surprised, though, how much money we've had to invest, even at this level. We hope to be at the new stadium in three years, though, and this will ensure the club's long-term future...

'There was a committee of 32 - but that was the first and only meeting I went to. I didn't want to be there for three hours to hear why somebody should have emptied a bin or something. Now we have an executive committee of five people... His association with Kirkham and Wesham goes back to the early 1980s, when he was the club's chairman...

Next season, on the club shorts, there will be a blue stripe to represent Preston and an orange stripe for Blackpool. We've already seen many Preston and Blackpool fans coming to watch us, and hopefully they will have a strong allegiance to AFC Fylde in the future... If we make it to the Unibond Premier League, and we are playing well with the right facilities, then I'm convinced we could attract 600 home gates...

I made two very serious attempts to buy Blackpool because I was convinced I could take them in a new direction.... I want people to come away from Kellamergh Park and for them to say 'What a wonderful little club that is'".

BSPB NEWS

The statement added: 'Anyone wishing to have the exciting prospect of owning an established club with a dedicated fanbase should approach the club'".

The BBC also reports that "Barrow want to sign an unattached winger to cover for injuries...to key players this season including wingers Marc Goodfellow and Paul Rutherford. Joint boss Darren Sheridan told BBC Radio Cumbria: 'He's got a lot of Football League experience and is a very good player. We're talking to the player at the minute and he's deciding whether to come... Sheridan says he is happy at securing striker Andy Cook on a second month's loan from Carlisle United".

From NL Daily we learn that "Eastbourne Borough have signed England under-19 international goalkeeper Liam O'Brien on loan from Portsmouth. The highly-rated 18-year-old signed for Pompey from Queens Park Rangers in 2008 but has yet to make his first-team debut. However, he made his international bow in March as a second half substitute against Holland under-19s. O'Brien will go straight into the Boro squad for Saturday's league clash at Barrow, with Rikki Banks suspended and Danny Knowles still recovering from a broken leg sustained in April".

Bristol City announce that "Joe Edwards has agreed to join non-league side Bath City on a youth loan. The 19-year-old will be in Bath's squad for Saturday's trip to leaders AFC Wimbledon on Saturday. Yet to make a first-team appearance for the club, Joe will benefit from regular match action with the local club. City have the option of a recall clause after the first 28 days of the loan has passed".

YOUTHS GO OUT

But Alty allowed Fylde to pull an early goal back in the second half which gave them the impetus. However, it took an excellent freekick from Thompson to beat Reid, the ball crashing down off the bar and off the keeper into the net (47 mins). It was 2-2 after 66 minutes when Fylde substitute Barber got in a shot, which Reid beat out and Miller, following up, converted from close range.

After 73 minutes Cunningham did well to cover as a Fylde player got free in the box but the ball ran to another opponent whom the Alty centre-back was adjudged to have brought down. From the resulting penalty Thompson scored to make it 3-2. AFC Fylde wrapped it up after 89 minutes when a freekick from wide left deceived Reid and entered the net. Report to follow.

GRAHAM UPBEAT

"Graham Heathcote delivered an upbeat appraisal of Altrincham's prospects and insisted they were 'not a million miles away' from reasserting themselves as a competitive force in the Blue Square Bet Premier.

Desperately unlucky to be left on just one point, after missing a string of chances and conceding a hotly-disputed penalty that handed Kidderminster an undeserved 2-1 win, the Alty boss is hoping for an overdue change of fortune at Gateshead on Saturday.

Confirming that he is as committed as ever to turning round Alty's fortunes, he said: 'The penalty was absolutely ludicrous, and I asked the referee afterwards how a defender (James Smith) is supposed to get out of the way, when the ball is blasted at him from six yards.

'The key word with any handball decision is "deliberate". In that split second, did a hand move to the ball? I've looked at the DVD, and there's no evidence of that whatsoever. Referees need to give themselves a moment to collect their thoughts and get a mental picture of what has happened, in these situations, rather than give a knee-jerk reaction. There is nothing wrong with delaying a decision for a second, if it means getting it right.

'The encouraging thing was we created chances. That's half the battle, but you've got to convert them, and we are still not showing enough composure in that department. It's the one area we are still falling down on. We are looking for answers, and there may yet be one within the camp.

'The danger is, it can become a mental thing with the players, the longer it goes on. But training went really well last night (Tuesday) and the atmosphere in the dressing room is fine. I've no worries on that score.

'I know Gateshead played on Tuesday night, and beat Southport in the last minute, but I'm not worrying about anyone other than ourselves. My focus is 100 per cent on preparing us for Saturday and making sure the players understand what we want from each one of them. It takes time to get the message across when you've got so many new faces, and the main thing, while you're doing that, is to make sure you keep them all positive.

'But I've never doubted my ability to get players up for 90 minutes of football, and I know Ken (McKenna) and I can take care of that side of things and make sure everyone remains motivated. The surest way to give everyone a lift is for some of our chances to start going in, and maybe we need the sort of break Kidderminster got with that penalty.

'When things aren't going your way, you tend to be on the receiving end of those decisions. One in our favour, and it could help turn round our fortunes. It sums up the whole situation for us, though, that you've got to dig deep for a striker whose going to give you 25 goals a season. Crawley are supposed to have paid York £275,000 for Richard Brodie, if you believe what you hear.

'That's a different world, but we will keep working with our players and hope they develop a better understanding of what is required in each position and, as a consequence, improve as the weeks go by.

'We have to find an answer to being more composed in front of goal, but we are not a million miles away from the teams above us, and when you look at the nucleus of what we are doing, it's not exactly disastrous.

'There was the added bonus against Kidderminster of James McCarthy making his full debut and doing well. He's got good feet, and an awareness and touch that bodes well for the rest of the season.'

Heathcote described his disappointment at Dale Johnson's failure to fulfil his potential in an Alty shirt after signing him two years ago and declaring he had the ability to attract the interest of Football League clubs. The big striker, a handful for any defence when the mood took him, was released and allowed to join Hyde United after scoring just six goals in 40 starting appearances, plus 18 as substitute.

'There is no doubt Dale is a good footballer and excellent target man on his day,' said the Alty manager. 'It was the "on his day" bit that was the problem, though. When you look at his scoring ratio, it wasn't his day often enough. You would also have to question whether the hunger and desire you want from your players came through often enough.

'If he gets that side of things right, then you've got some player. But we need to find an answer to our scoring problems, and I had to make a decision. For a striker in our division, his scoring record just wasn't good enough. If he had a prolific marksman alongside him, you might look at the way he holds the ball up for others and say ok, we can live with that. But he hadn't, and it was becoming a problem.

'I've always said with Dale that it's a case of whether he wants to make the most of himself and use his ability to reach the level he's capable of. It's a shame it hasn't worked out here, but I wish him all the best at Hyde.' Alty's injuries ae slowly but surely clearing up, with Chris Denham and Nicky Clee the only doubts for the trip to Gateshead. Clee is expected to be fit, while Denham will be assessed nearer kick-off time".

OLD BOY

TUESDAY RESULT

NEXT GAME

More than ever good away support is needed at present, so please sign up as soon as possible, especially for this Saturday's game.

From The Chronicle we learn that Gateshead's manager "Ian Bogie has warned his under-performing Gateshead stars [that] replacements will be sought if they continue to falter. The Tynesiders were hammered 5-0 at Cambridge United on Saturday. It was their third straight defeat in Blue Square Bet Premier, during which time they have failed to score, and plunged them to second-bottom in the table.

Bogie has demanded a reaction in Tuesday night’s home game against Southport – when he also hopes fans come to the International Stadium in numbers and get behind the team...

'We’re always looking to strengthen the squad', Bogie said. 'Just because we didn’t bring anyone in on a permanent basis before the transfer window closed, it doesn’t mean we won’t try to use the loan market when that opens in the next few days... we’re hoping to get something done. We’re looking at a couple of areas, defence and midfield, because we’ll run with the five strikers we’ve got'.

Bogie has a number of targets in mind, one of which is a midfielder with 150 appearances with four Football League clubs. Meanwhile, he has called on the town and surrounding areas to get behind his team tonight. The Heed’s game with Southport is the only fixture in the league, and though England play a Euro 2012 qualifier in Switzerland, Bogie wants his side to start attracting bigger crowds.

'It’s imperative the town of Gateshead gets behind us, it’s the only way forward. The chairman can keep putting his money in but there comes a point where the fans have to play their part too... We need their backing but we’ll only get that with positive performances and results... You need to make people sit up and take notice'”.

EASTBOURNE FIND APPEALS NOT ENCOURAGED

It means Banks will be suspended for the trip to Barrow on Saturday and with no other recognised goalkeeper in the squad Borough will look to bring somebody in on loan. Head coach Nick Greenwood said: 'The video quite clearly shows that although Rikki’s feet were over the line the ball was still inside the area. It also shows that Neil has got one foot on the ground and makes contact with the ball so we were keen to appeal both decisions. The way these things are done is that you present your preliminary evidence to the FA and they look at it before giving advice on whether to proceed with the appeal. Although our evidence supports the view that mistakes were made the FA’s response was that they didn’t think it was a serious error of judgement by the referee on either decision. That suggests we would not win any appeal and if you go ahead anyway there is the risk the players will have their bans extended as well as the cost involved".

The FA has since confirmed that Banks has a one-match ban, so returns versus Altrincham, whilst Jenkins is sidelined for three matches.

SUSSEX BY THE SEA - AND ALTY TOO!

With Eastbourne Borough looking forward to their third season in the Blue Square Premier this year, we are very excited about welcoming away visitors into the town and would like to offer Altrincham fans the chance to come to this away match and stay over and explore Eastbourne too.

We are also offering a special rate for away fans to the game of £39 per person for match ticket and overnight stay at Eastbourne Premier Inn (subject to availability) – click on the adjacent poster [now deleted] for details.

To enter the competition, please e-mail your details here.

FA YOUTH CUP MATCH ARRANGEMENTS

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

“MY SQUARE” PITCH SPONSORSHIP

OLD BOYS

BSBP NEWS

And "Barrow are to allow left-back Andrew Nicholas to go out on loan in order to get match fitness. Nicholas, 26, has not featured in the side since the return of Wembley hero Paul Edwards after defeats in the first two games of this campaign. Joint boss Dave Bayliss said: 'Nicho needs to get some games under his belt, so we are circulating his name to all League Two and Conference clubs. He is a very experienced Football League player'. Nicholas joined Barrow just before the start of the season, having been at Rotherham United last season". Blue Square Football adds that "Carlisle United forward Andy Cook has extended his loan spell with Barrow for a further month."

Meanwhile, the Conference says that "Dorchester Town have signed forward Giuseppe Sole from Newport County on a three-month loan deal".

Four games have had to be changed following the televising of one BSBP match. Tamworth report that "Due to Crawley Town's appearance on Premier TV on Thursday 23rd September their next two fixtures have been put back 24 hours. This means that our visit to their Broadfield Stadium will now be on Wednesday 29th September, kick off 7.45pm". For the same reason, Rushden and Diamonds say that their "home game at Nene Park against the Red Devils has been pushed back 24 hours to Sunday 26th September 2010". And it goes on... "As a consequence of this rearrangement, the away game at Eastbourne Borough has also been pushed back 24 hours, and will now take place on Wednesday 29th September 2010".

The Blackpool Gazette says that "After weathering an early storm the outlook is very bright for Fleetwood Town new boy Junior Brown. The left-back was named man of the match on his Fleetwood debut at Crawley... when the 21-year-old helped Town come back from a goal down to earn a draw...

Injuries to Alan Wright and Peter Cavanagh gave Brown a chance, but he had to overcome a stiff early test... Besides this new face in the back four, the Town defensive unit had to adapt to a change of goalkeeper after only two minutes, when Scott Davies became the afternoon's second Town debutant by replacing the injured Danny Hurst.

Brown, a summer signing from Northwich Victoria... said: 'My start has been a while coming after carrying the injury since the start of the season... We dealt with Crawley well. We were unlucky not to go away with all three points in the end'. Brown not only contributed at the back but caused Crawley problems with his forays forward down the left. His series of crosses posed a threat and the defender almost crowned his debut display with a second-half goal... 'I now have my chance and must try to stamp my authority on the pitch. Hard work will make the place mine'".

CHRIS DENHAM

LIVE FOOTBALL IN HD AT MOSS LANE

Altrincham F.C. in association with TASC and Ideas4Alty are pleased to announce the “My Square” pitch sponsorship for the 2010/2011 season.

The “My Square” pitch sponsorship scheme gives Alty fans the chance to sponsor their own little square of the Moss Lane pitch for a whole season, with prices slightly reduced from last season and starting at as little as £2!! What better way to be a part of your club and show your support for the Robins? Your name will appear on your square in the matchday programme all season or you could put your child’s name in for them.

The opportunity to sponsor a square will continue until October 31st when a draw will be made and the winner will receive an ALTRINCHAM SHIRT OF THEIR CHOICE (HOME OR AWAY AND SIGNED OR UNSIGNED) worth £35. Each pound spent by a sponsor will equate to one ticket e.g. sponsoring a normal square for £2 will be 2 tickets and sponsoring the centre spot for £15 will be 15 tickets.

HOW IT WORKS:

Squares are allocated all across the pitch. (The pitch diagram, showing the squares is here). Both penalty spots have seen their fair share of drama over the years and these are expected to be very popular.

Also available at a slightly higher price are squares in the penalty area, the centre circle and also the corner quadrants. In addition there is to be an auction square. To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Robins' incredible 1990/91 campaign it will be the square from which our current assistant manager Ken McKenna scored one of the legendary Alty goals of our time, his last minute winner against Kettering Town in January 1991 BRILLIANT – WHERE DO I SIGN? TASC member Steve Foster has acquired a whiteboard with the pitch squares on it. This will be in place at the TASC section of the club shop at all home games and brought into the Noel White Suite afterwards. Fans will be able to pay their money and take their choice there and then.

Anyone unable to get to matches should make alternative arrangements by either e-mail or phoning the club on 0161 928 1045.

Squares will be sold on a ‘first come, first served’ basis starting at the home fixture against Darlington on Tuesday 17th August 2010.

Prices:

BSBP NEWS

Meanwhile Crawley Town say that "Reds' boss Steve Evans has confirmed he has been tasked by the club owners with putting a nationwide scouting network in place as Crawley Town Football Club look to secure the cream of young talent from non-league football.

As the manager is keen to point out there was no particular skill in finding Matt Tubbs or Richard Brodie [and] Kyle McFadzean was already England C captain when we swooped but the task is now to find gifted players before they arrive at the likes of Alfreton Town and York City. Crawley Town Football Club want to be finding these type of players while they are teenagers.

In recent times what has gone unnoticed in the media is that the transfer monies spent by Crawley Town Football Club has been on young players and The Reds easily became one of the youngest squads expected to compete for the Blue Square Bet Premier League Championship.

A number of regional scouts are being put in place and the manager is keen to hear from any suitably qualified persons keen to find the very best of young non-league talent. The boss explained, ''We are putting an infrastructure in place that will help us have a chance of finding the cream of talent in non-league football. This Scouting System will compliment our existing in-house Youth Development Scheme run by Alan Kenworthy , which also holds some interesting prospects for the future. In the last month I have recruited a number of scouts around the country and Scotland but we need a few more.

The owners have put a budget in place that is very healthy because we need to be finding these good young players and bring them to our football club. In turn I welcome any CVs from any suitably qualified individuals, this is a further sign that our plan is not all about today but also about the medium and long term future of 'Crawley Town Football Club'.

Please address your correspondence to; -

Mr Steve Evans, Team Manager, Crawley Town Football Club, The Broadfield Stadium, Brighton Road, Crawley, RH11 9RX".

Team Talk confirms that "Dagenham's Femi Ilesanmi has extended his loan with Histon until November, according to the club's manager David Livermore. The 19-year-old defender signed a two-year deal at Victoria Road in July after a successful trial, but was allowed to join Histon on a one-month loan deal. Ilesanmi has since extended his stay for a further two months, although Stutes' boss Livermore is hoping to keep the defender even longer.

'We'd like Femi here for the rest of the season, he told the Cambridge News. 'At the moment, we're only allowed to bring him back for two months. Then he'd have to go back to Dagenham before we can bring him here again in January. It's one of those strange rules the FA have come up with'".

According to Blue Square Football "Cambridge United boss Martin Ling was a pleased man following his team's 5-0 hammering of Gateshead on Saturday... Ling told his club's official website after the game, 'All the goals have come from passing moves. If we keep passing the ball and moving it around then that's where the goals are going to come from. The strikers before today had one goal between them... For strikers it's always important that they get their first one. I've got four there, with Gray and Marriott the two subs today'".

URGENT NEED

LAST GAME

Right: Damian Reeves nets Alty's goal on Saturday, as captured by the camera of Gavin Rathbone of GR Photography.

Kidderminster Harriers report that "Second half goals from Callum Gittings and Chris McPhee helped Harriers pick up their second win of the season on Saturday as they won 2-1 away at Altrincham... "...

"Steve Burr was please to have come away from Altrincham with three points on Saturday but the gaffer has admitted that there's still plenty of work ahead for his side... The visitors made tough work of holding on to their advantage, and it was towards this the gaffer pointed when speaking after game... 'I thought we made hard work of it', he said... 'We've got to get used to hanging on to a lead - that seems to be a problem for us at the minute... I couldn't see whether [the ball for the penalty] hit his hand but we've spoken before about decisions evening themselves out... Danny pulled off two or three good saves towards the end there but that's what he is paid for - I knew for the last five minutes they would throw everything at us and we managed to hold firm which is pleasing'".

This site's match report is here.

LIVE FOOTBALL IN HD AT MOSS LANE

NEXT GAME

More than ever good away support is needed at present, so please sign up as soon as possible.

Altrincham's next game is at Gateshead where "A hugely disappointing display at Cambridge United saw Gateshead manager Ian Bogie pull no punches in a candid assessment of his side's display... Gateshead shipped four second half goals to end a well beaten side and Bogie was dismayed by the performance served up, with few players spared criticism.

'I was gutted by the display', said Bogie 'It was a real disappointment and we were second best all over the park. We make the same mistakes regularly so the players either don't listen or they aren't good enough and it is something I have to address. We gave away possession too many times, decision making was poor and there were elementary mistakes - it's there for everyone to see. It was something I didn't expect to witness after the Rushden & Diamonds scenario last season. We rolled over and folded like a pack of cards.

It is unacceptable. I am disappointed with the players and they have to be disappointed with themselves, though as manager I take full responsibilitry. They have let me, the chairman and the fans down, as well as themselves, and I expect a massive reaction in this week's two home games against Southport and Altrincham.

It is not a case of the players living on borrowed time, because the transfer window has passed though we're trying our best to bring better players in on loan or unattached. I have given the players a great opportunity to become full-time professionals and some of them are letting it pass them by. The lads are getting well looked after, on and off the pitch, the preparation and training is excellent so there can be no excuses.

If you can ask them man for man should they be playing on Tuesday against Southport and the majority would have to say no. Some players have had a chance too many... I'm shell-shocked but we live to fight another day... We can get ourselves out of the doldrums with another home game to come on Saturday so things can swing very quickly, but we've got to win the game on Tuesday. We have had a really bad ten days or so but we've now got the chance to make it a good four days this week so it's up to us'".

BALLOON GOES UP AT MOSS LANE

Right, we see the busy half-time scene at Moss Lane last Saturday. In the background the 481 balloons released in the Altrincham FC Balloon Race take to the air whilst in the foreground, youth team keeper James Fossdyke prepares to face the half-time penalty shoot-out competitors who had quite a bit of difficulty in beating him.

The club wishes to thank everyone who supported both events. The Balloon Race winner will win a prize of £100.

£58.66 was raised in Saturday's half-time bucket collection. The Club would like to thank all donors and collectors alike.

FIXTURES

Saturday 11 September

OLD BOYS

Kieran Lusgden scored two for Buxton at the weekend, whilst Kevin Ellison turned out for Rotherham United.

Welsh Premier reports on a former Alty reserve. "Witton Albion have turned to Hyde and former Bangor City striker Ashley Stott to score the goals to fire them towards the top of the Evo-Stik Division One North summit. Front runner Stott left the Citizens during the close season for Hyde, but has been unable to break into the first-team reckoning and could make his debut at Curzon Ashton tomorrow after switching to Wincham Park... Stott, 22, scored 36 goals in 70 starts at Farrar Road, either side of a spell for ex-Albion boss Jim Vince at FC Halifax Town two years ago. City paid a fee to secure his return to the club a year ago, but the former Preston North End junior failed to recapture the scoring form he showed after first arriving from Altrincham in July 2006".

The EvoStik League newsletter reports on another ex-Alty reserve; "Bank Holiday Monday saw Scott Barlow make his seasonal debut for Trafford when he came on as substitute in the 65th minute of his side’s game at Lancaster City but the game was more notable for Barlow than just that fact. When he netted only five minutes after coming on he broke the Trafford goalscoring record of 89 previously held by current manager Garry Vaughan.

Barlow has enjoyed an amazing rise having been spotted in local football by former Trafford boss Ged Kielty during the 2007/8 season and he promptly scored twenty goals to help get Trafford promoted from the North West Counties whilst in 2008/9 he found the higher level no problem netting an impressive forty times before scoring another twenty plus last term".

Ex-Alty players on the move include James Olsen who has moved from Colwyn Bay to join Mark Maddox's Leigh Genesis. Three ex-Alty men have recently joined Salford City, they are Chris and Jamie Baguley (from New Mills) and Danny Heffernan (from Woodley Sports).

A former Alty loan player, Tom Cahill, scored on Saturday for AFC Fylde.

A graduate from Alty Youth and a regular for Alty Reserves, is the Vodkat League's Premier Division Goalkeeper of the Month. "Dale Newbrook of St Helens Town came into the side during August and played five games. He has made an instant impression, marshalling his defenders well and giving plenty of direction to his team mates. He has made some excellent saves during the month and was a penalty shoot out hero in the FA Cup tie against Nostell Miners' Welfare, pushing a spot kick around the post in the shoot-out to secure Town's passage through to the next round".

When Padiham entertained Flixton on Saturday the home side's new signing Cayne Hanley scored as did Flixton's Astley Mulholland who netted twice but his side lost 5-3.

SPONSORS

FLYNNZINE

What the Dickens is going on!!!

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness”.

The opening lines of Charles Dickens’s novel ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ probably has some sort of resonance for most Altrincham fans at present. With just a solitary point from six games, it certainly feels like a ‘season of darkness’ at the moment and many supporters are finding it almost impossible to see even the slightest glimpse of light at the end of a tunnel that they are convinced ends in April with relegation to Blue Square Bet North.

The doom merchants may be right.......we’re marooned at the foot of the league, having suffered one of our most ignominious defeats for many years on Bank Holiday Monday as all six numbers and the bonus ball came up for Mansfield. What an afternoon it was for our Nottinghamshire buddies as we rolled over with barely a whimper and results elsewhere somehow catapulted David Holdsworth’s side to the top of the league. The ‘half empty glass’ merchants will point out that we need to win at least fifty points from the remaining one hundred and twenty, having taken one from eighteen.

They are right of course, but let’s look a little deeper. I’m sure we all groaned when we saw the fixture list at the beginning of July. A very difficult start was exacerbated almost immediately as within a week, the Crawley fixture took on a new perspective as the Sussex club started throwing money around like a lottery winner playing ‘Supermarket Dash’. “Never mind, we’ll give Southport a going over” thought many, yet The Sandgrounders sneaked past us with a solitary late goal and have been the surprise package of the season to date! From there we have seen a decent performance at York transformed into what looks like a bit of a beating with three goals in the final twenty minutes and then the Mansfield debacle.

Yet on August 17th at 9.20pm, Dale Johnson had just put us two goals up against a Darlington side that we had made look very ordinary and most people were settling down and looking forward to a really positive campaign. A poorly conceded goal and a late equaliser for our visitors that night turned out to be the thin end of our declining wedge of confidence.....let us hope and believe that last Monday was the thick end of it!

Perhaps not surprisingly, Graham Heathcote, seems to have been contemplating his own future this week, but at least he has taken action in releasing Dale Johnson and circulating clubs that other players are available. People, of course, will have differing views on whether this is the correct course of action or not and time as always will tell. I’ve always felt, in recent months, that Dale was a question mark in the manager’s mind, but he seemed to do reasonably well pre-season and opened his account with that goal....our last one.....in the second game of the season. In recent games however it has been déjà vu as Dale’s natural talent has not translated into meaningful outcomes and I feared the worst for him when he lost the ball unnecessarily leading up to the crucial first goal at York last Saturday and then wasn’t involved on Monday. I know most fans will wish Dale well in future.......he is a prodigious talent who for probably quite complex reasons hasn’t delivered to match that innate abiliy.

Going back to the opening quote of this article, this is still an excellent period in the history of Altrincham F.C. The club is very well run and many people volunteer their time, effort and skills in a bid to support the maintenance of top flight non-league football in the town. Realistically, in terms of resources, we benchmark as a mid table Blue Square Bet North club and we all need to accept that that could easily be a our future reality......but in the meantime we all have to do everything that we can to maintain Blue Square Bet Premier Football at Moss Lane.

I am sure that none of us will underestimate our opponents today. Despite lying just one place above us, they could be comfortably in mid table with a win today. Most of their problems this season have come at Aggborough and any team that can win at York must be respected.

Please do your bit to support the team today! Brian".

BSBP NEWS

'Danny was due in theatre on Sunday, although that wasn't definite as any emergencies cropping up on Sunday would take priority. If that was the case, he would need to wait until Monday for the op. He had a restless night even though his pain was being closely managed'", said Moore.

Hurst, 29, turned professional this summer with Fleetwood Town having given up his position in retail".

Not so long ago he was playing against Alty and now he is valued at £3 million... The Sunday Express says that "Millwall have slapped a £3million price tag on striker Steve Morison – just 15 months after they plucked him from non-league football for £130,000. The Championship pacesetters are hoping the demand will frighten off Blackburn Rovers and Championship rivals Crystal Palace, Norwich and Leeds when the transfer loan window opens on Tuesday. But his manager [Altrincham based] Kenny Jackett insisted they would not welcome any offers for the 27-year-old – even at £3m".

NEW RECRUITS

Left: Altrincham's Marc Joseph, Danny Holmes and Matty Crowell were on the top table, with Master of Ceremonies, Graham Heathcote, at Saturday evening's "Meet the New Recruits" evening.

It could have been a very uncomfortable evening for all concerned as Altrincham FC held its latest "Meet the New Recruits" evening at Moss Lane on Saturday. After all, Alty had just lost and were now seven games into the season without a win and four points adrift at the foot of the table. And, the three guests could not necessarily be expected to be in the best humour. For the game against Kidderminster, Marc Joseph had been dropped to the bench for the first time this season, Matty Crowell had been taken off after 55 minutes and Danny Holmes was not in the squad for the first time since arriving at Moss Lane.

But supporters who attended the evening came away impressed by the players' positive outlook and their portrayal of a squad which is pulling together to improve the club's position. As physio Sean Riley pointed out during the evening, in a squad which had eight new members at the start of the campaign, to lose one or two to injury would hamper the team's performances. But Sean has had up to half a dozen players on the treatment table at times since the season started.

All three players were asked about their previous clubs. Marc had played under such well-known names as Roy McFarland (at Cambridge Utd), Barry Fry (Peterborough), and Peter Taylor (Hull City) and had twice been in sides promoted through Wembley play-offs (Blackpol and Rotherham Utd). He also talked about his international experience for Antigua and Barbuda in World Cup qualifiers. Marc works with a social outreach programme in the Blackpool area helping to get kids off the streets by playing football. He now commutes to Alty from Lytham St Anne's.

Danny Holmes had played under Nigel Clough at Burton as well as Brian Horton at Port Vale. Still only 23, Danny is employed at Derby County's academy where, again, he is with Nigel Clough. He travels to Alty from Burton but his long journey is short by comparison with Matty Crowell's.

Matty is based in South Wales and such is the distance from Altrincham that he is accommodated at the Cresta Court Hotel in Alty after training on Thursdays until after the game on Saturday. This particular evening he was being put up by vice-chairman Grahame Rowley and his wife Karen in Hale. Matty spoke of his previous clubs which included Southampton under Glenn Hoddle. Indeed, the ex-Spurs man almost took Matty to White Hart Lane when he moved there.

As usual Graham Heathcote compered the evening impressively, with the players being the gentle butt of his humour on more than one occasion. Graham explained that he had withdrawn Matty on Saturday after 55 minutes as he had only played two competitive games since February and was tiring.

The players all explained why they had joined Alty. Marc had wanted to go part-time and knew a bit about Alty from Kevin Ellison, Tom Cahill and Liam King, who had all played for us and Rotherham. Danny had wanted to play at the highest level so coming here from Ilkeston town was a good move though he knew he would have to fight for a place. Matty said that the main reason he came to Moss Lane was that Graham Heathcote was manager. He had had better offers from Welsh Premier clubs but had chosen Altrincham.

The players all paid tribute to the team spirit. Danny, for example, said that at other clubs there had been cliques whereas everyone at Moss Lane got on well with everyone else. Asked about which of their team mates they felt were the best players, the most recurrent names were James Smith and Nicky Clee.

So, despite the club's current position, they all felt we could rise up the table once the injuries were out of the way and as Graham put it, he had found his "best eleven".

SUNDAY SCORE

ALTRINCHAM 1 KIDDERMINSTER HARRIERS 2

The BBC indicates that in this game Alty had 17 shots to Kiddy's 7 and won 9 corners against 3 for the visitors. But what the stats don't show is that it wasn't any of the 32 players in today's match day squads who decided the outcome of this game. It was Mr R Fletcher, the referee, who did so. He decided that a ball blasted against James Smith's chest, which he had no chance to avoid, was deliberate handball and awarded a penalty with the score at 1-1.

Match report here.

Right: Alty celebrate their goal.

TO FOLLOW...

SATURDAY GAMES

Saturday 4 September:

BEFORE THE GAME

Jimmy Wagg's "Manchester Sports" programme includes pre-match coverage from Moss Lane on BBC Radio Manchester today.

Alty hope to have injured duo Robbie Lawton and Chris Denham available whilst new signing Sam Hewson joins the squad.

LIVE BSBP AT MOSS LANE TODAY

BEFORE THE GAME

The bottom two in the early Blue Square Bet Premier table meet at Moss Lane on Saturday as Harriers travel to Altrincham... Manager Stve Burr said of his players, 'This week they've been upbeat in training and there is nothing wrong with the atmosphere around the place. The players are very positive and they feel themselves that we're not far from kicking on'...

Harriers will definitely be without defender Mark Albrighton on Saturday as he sits out a one-game suspension... whilst Marc Williams is away with Wales U21s. With Tom Sharpe still feeling the effects of a bang to the head at Newport last weekend, new signing Ollie Thorne could go straight into the side at the heart of the defence... Experienced midfielder John Finnigan is edging closer to fitness after a problem with his calf - he should be back in training by next week.

Winger Callum Gittings, who has missed the last two games through a shin injury, returning to training with the rest of the squad on Thursday and will be assessed ahead of the journey to Altrincham".

TASC's Brian Flynn writes:

Penalty Competition Starts on Saturday:

"At half time during the Kidderminster game, there will be the first round of the Penalty Competition that we are doing this season. There are four contestants as follows:-

Each contestant will take three penalties and the person who scores the most will progress to the next round. If there is a tie after three penalties have been taken, then the winner will be decided by sudden death" - not literally, we hope!

MORE ON SAM

Sam is no stranger at Alty having played for United several times at Moss Lane, including friendlies against Alty in July 2007 and 2008. Born on 28.11.88 in Bolton, he has had League experience having been on loan at both Hereford (2009) and Bury (2010). At Hereford he made 10 appearances and scored 3 goals. Sam made 1(+6) league appearances for Bury.

For Man. Utd Reserves he made 50+6 appearances, scoring 10 goals and for the Academy he appeared 51(+7) times, scoring 16 times. He joined United when only nine years old and made his debut for United's Reserves in September 2005. In 2006–07, he was captain of the Manchester United under-18 side which reached the final of the FA Youth Cup. In 2007 he signed professional forms and was a regular for the Reserves.

In December 2007, he was an unused substitute for United's first team in a Champions League match at Roma. Since his release by United this summer, he has had trials with Grimsby Town.

YOUTHS DRAW

OLD BOYS

BSBP NEWS

Gateshead who host Altrincham next Saturday, report that "manager Ian Bogie has hailed the return of fit again key pair James Curtis and Jon Shaw as 'like two new signings'. The pair last played a competitive game four months ago with Shaw a major summer signing and the long serving Curtis last season's Player of the Year. Both players are set to feature at Cambridge United on Saturday having come through the reserves win against Hartlepool United in midweek with no reaction.

Both will bring a physical presence and aerial prowess to the side though their return is offset by the loss of three players through injury. Irish front man Gary Mulligan is out with a groin strain, wide man James Marwood with a knee injury and striker Jonny Allan with a recurrence of his knee injury.

Bogie, yet to select from a fully fit squad, could hand left winger Craig Nelthorpe his first start depending on what system is employed at the Abbey Stadium... Said Bogie 'It's important we get back on track with two home games next week'".

At Southport "Striker Chris Simm has turned down move to Chester City and travels to Forest Green Rovers tomorrow. Simm was hoping to attract interest from Footblall League clubs before the transfer window closed".

NEW SIGNING

SATURDAY'S EVENTS

You can also book a meal and match-day hospitality in the Sponsors' Lounge at discounted rates of just £20 (Alty season ticket holders) or £30 for everyone else. This brings you one of a choice from Richie Bentley's hot meals, sandwiches, confectionery and a complimentary pre-match drink. At half time there is tea/coffee and biscuits, whilst before kick-off, manager Graham Heathcote will share his thinking on the game ahead. To assist the caterers, please e-mail or ring the club on 928-1045 as soon as possible today.

Everyone attending the Kidderminster game is urged to make a purchase of tickets for The Great Altrincham FC Balloon Race to take place at the game, for which the winner receives a £100 prize. If every Alty supporter sponsors at least one balloon (at £1 a time) the Club could raise a significant and much-needed four-figure sum.

And for the children (or young at heart!) there will be free face-painting, coordinated by Louise Gregory in or around the Robins'Shop.

After the match, Altrincham FC will be running a New Recruits Evening in the Manchester Glass Sponsors' Lounge (starting at 7pm in the bar with the event beginning at 7.30pm). 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. Further details of this event (tickets £15) are available from the club (by e-mail or on 928-1045).

On the pitch, Alty hope that both Chris Denham and Robbie Lawton (both pictured, right) may be fit for inclusion in the squad on Saturday.

CYCLING FOR ALTY

Dan and his fellow Alty fan Niall Flynn last season cycled from Altrincham to AFC Wimbledon, so 100 miles should be well within his compass! All at Altrincham FC wish him well and thank him for raising money for Alty in the process.

GRAHAM'S DILEMMA

Graham explained how the team in 2009-10 had finished comfortably in mid-table and, with the addition of one or two new faces, could have been expected to push on this season.

But, unexpectedly, key players in the shape of Greg Young and Chris Senior had moved on, Colin Little had gone into a coaching job and three other players were sidelined by long-term injuries. In the end, he had been faced with bringing in eight new players this season.

Graham repeatedly expressed his own doubts about the performances of his recruits and concluded that, whilst there were numerous good players in his squad, there were some who were "not good enough", particularly at the front end of the team. He explained his decision, 24 hours earlier, to release striker Dale Johnson who had scored seven goals in 69 appearances for Alty. Graham had received expressions of interest in Dale and decided to let him go - he has now joined Hyde FC in BSB North.

He has also circulated other clubs indicating that unnamed Altrincham "players in all areas" are potentially available for transfer. Given the limited budget of the club, Graham can only acquire new players if existing ones leave.

Graham several times indicated that it might be time for the club to consider a change of manager. The Alty manager responded to a question about whether he actually wished to stay as manager by saying, "I want to have the chance to win football games. I want to get some enjoyment from football. There is no enjoyment in fighting relegation and looking ahead to a season of struggle. I want to be given a chance to win a game of football".

He indicated several times that he saw the club in a phase of rebuilding, which might take four or five years. However, he Alty boss described the present situation of having played six games and sitting at the foot of the table as a "problem and not a disaster". There were enough good players, if they could all be fit, to suggest the team could more than hold its own. But his big worry was the team's inability to score goals.

He also explained how, with so many new players, it was difficult to get the team to follow pre-match instructions.By way of example, Graham alluded to several occasions in the game with Mansfield last Monday when players had taken freekicks who should not have been taking them.

Graham has also been concerned at the low levels of fitness of some of the new players as well as their goalscoring ability. Asked whether open criticism of the players was the best way to proceed, Graham stressed that he had always felt that he should be honest in his appraisals and that players should respond positively. "I believe in honesty", said the Alty boss.

Graham concluded that he would be holding discussions with the chairman and board about the way forward. His own future role would be part of those discussions. The manager added that he felt that a substantial increase in the budget of around £100K-£200K was necessary now to compete effectively at this level. Various suggestions were made from the floor about fundraising and improving publicity but there was felt to be no overnight solution to that problem.

KIDDY REGROUP

Despite being early in the season, they now face what is already seen as a huge game, when they take on bottom of the table Altrincham away on Saturday (3pm kick-off). Burr admitted the squad he assembled during the summer has yet to consistently perform during their disappointing start.

The players’ confidence was hit by Saturday’s 3-0 loss to Newport, although Burr and assistant Gary Whild took heart from their spirited display against Tamworth, where Harriers came from behind to draw 2-2, despite Mark Albrighton’s sending off. 'The team isn’t firing how I want them to and it’s up to Gary and myself to fix that', commented the manager. 'I don’t think it’s down to systems, I believe players win games and we’ll be looking at what we can do to change things around. This is the first time this has really happened to me and I want us to be up the top half of the table challenging. Anyone can see all the players are committed but at the moment things aren’t coming together how I want them. It’s important for everyone to know we’re working hard to sort things out.

'I thought we were unlucky against Tamworth but the players responded really well to the sending off and we got our rewards. Against Newport I thought we were unlucky to lose Tom Sharpe but we weren’t good enough and I also made a mistake with my team selection. I hold my hands up to that but we’ve got to look forward'”

Burr boosted his squad by bringing in Leicester utility player Aman Verma on a month’s loan and signed centreback Ollie Thorne on Tuesday after he was released by Newport. The 20-year-old stopper’s arrival will ease Harriers’ defensive problems going into Saturday’s vital clash. Albrighton misses the game with a one-match suspension, while Sharpe is a doubt after sustaining a facial injury at the weekend. Thorne’s presence will also allow keyman Chris McPhee to be used in a more advanced role. The versatile player featured in the back four in both Bank Holiday weekend matches...

Burr said: 'We’ve had Chris in defence and he’s done well but I want to utilise him further up the pitch, because I think he’s at his best when he’s playing up front or in midfield. He’s a great professional and when he was left out against Wrexham he took it on the chin'".

The Express and Star adds that "Kidderminster Harriers' new signing Ollie Thorne could make a full debut in Saturday’s game at Altrincham... The 20-year-old could be in team to face the bottom club at Moss Lane on Saturday, with Mark Albrighton serving a one-match ban and Tom Sharpe struggling after a blow to the head... Thorne had fallen out of favour with Newport just six games into the season, despite having only joined the club in the summer from Forest Green Rovers".

ROBBIE CHOSEN

The New Saints' midfielder Aeron Edwards, who has started all three matches at this level since being called into the squad 12 months ago, misses out with an injury and is replaced by Barrow's James Owen. Wrexham striker Marc Williams, who is currently on-loan at Kidderminster Harriers, is the only other change to the squad that travelled to Portugal for the last match in the International Challenge Trophy...

Three former domestic league players now plying their trade in the Blue Square Premier are also included - Scott Barrow, who made a summer move from the Steelmen to Tamworth, Curtis McDonald (ex-Carmarthen) of Forest Green and Rob Williams (ex-TNS) of Altrincham.

Newtown's Latham Park stages the game on Tuesday 14 September (kick-off 7.30pm). Admission is £6 adults and £3 concessions. Squad: Lee Idzi (Haverfordwest County), Stephen Cann (Aberystwyth Town); Lee Surman (Port Talbot Town), Michael Johnston (Bangor City), Kyle Critchell (Dorchester United), Rob Williams (Altrincham ), Curtis McDonald (Forest Green Rovers), Michael Pearson (Barrow); Scott Barrow (Tamworth), Craig Jones (The New Saints), James Owen (Barrow), Luke Sherbon (Aberystwyth Town), Ashley Williams (Airbus UK Broughton) Craig Moses (Llanelli AFC); Alex Darlington (The New Saints), Jamie Reed (Bangor City), Jack Christopher (Haverfordwest County), Marc Williams (Kidderminster Harriers). Stand-by: Craig Williams (Aberystwyth Town), Mike Williams (Kidderminster Harriers), Ryan Edwards (Airbus UK Broughton), Sion Edwards (Bangor City), Drew Fahiya (Port Talbot Town), Chris Jones (Neath FC), Jordan Follows (Llanelli AFC), Luke Bowen (Port Talbot Town)".

Alty have no game that night so why not go down and cheer Robbie on?

OLD BOYS

Former Alty midfielder Ally Pickering has been named Vodkat League Premier Division Manager of the Month after his New Mills side won seven games out of seven in August.

BSBP NEWS

Having just lost Richard Brodie to Crawley, York Press confirms that two other York strikers could be unavailable soon, too. "Two York City footballers and a former team-mate have been told they could be jailed for their part in a late-night brawl in the city centre. Striker Michael Gash and former winger Craig Nelthorpe pleaded guilty at York Crown Court yesterday to affray. Fellow player, striker Michael Rankine, 25, denied affray but pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.

Meanwhile, goalkeeper and former Northern Ireland international Michael Ingham’s not guilty plea was accepted after the prosecution said his involvement in the incident was 'minimal'. No further action will be taken against the 30-year-old. The court also accepted a not guilty plea from Nelthorpe to a count of assault causing actual bodily harm. Nelthorpe, 23, has since left Bootham Crescent and is currently with Gateshead.

The four players were involved in an incident in August 2009 outside the Subway sandwich shop near The Gallery nightclub, where the players had been celebrating the completion of pre-season training. Gash, 23, was signed by City for £55,000 only weeks before.

Shortly after the incident, Acting Chief Inspector Mark Iveson of North Yorkshire Police told how an argument had broken out between the players and two males. He said: 'The incident escalated in to violence and the two males were subject to a violent assault'... David Brooke, for the prosecution, told the court the incident involved 'a lot of drink” and said it had been caught on CCTV.

He said: 'Nelthorpe is by far the most involved and he was to admit in interview that he caused the injury to the defendant'. Nelthorpe, Gash and Rankine will learn their fate when they return to court for sentencing on October 6, for their part in the incident. Recorder Anthony Kelbrick told the three that 'all sentencing options, including custodial, would be open'".

At Grimsby Town "Adrian Forbes and Drew Rhoades have both had their contracts with the club cancelled by mutual consent".

Setanta Ireland are showing the Premier Sports BSBP games, with Grimsby v Luton being shown on Saturday. Meanwhile, "York City will make their debut appearance on Premier Sports TV against Darlington later this month. The club's Blue Square Bet Premier home game against relegated Darlington was originally scheduled for Tuesday, September 28. It has been brought forward 24 hours to Monday, September 27 (7.45pm) to allow the game to be screened live. Club secretary Nick Bassett said: 'The club apologise for any inconvenience this may cause, however we have no control over the selection and rescheduling of fixtures for TV coverage as this is a Football Conference agreement'".

"Gateshead are tracking an experienced midfielder with over 150 Football League appearances with four clubs after missing out on Republic of Ireland international Jim Goodwin" reports the Chronicle Live. The Tynesiders had offered Goodwin terms following his release from Huddersfield Town, but the 28-year-old is hoping to remain in the Football League.

Last month Gateshead made an unsuccessful bid to bring in Middlesbrough midfielder Josh Walker on loan, the player since moving to Watford on a free transfer... Manager Ian Bogie said: 'The calibre of player we are trying to attract shows the ambition of the club... I have also talked to a host of clubs about possible loan signings'. Bogie has spoken to Newcastle manager Chris Hughton and Black Cats boss Steve Bruce this week, while also contacting Hull City, Swindon Town and Sheffield Wednesday among others...

'I was delighted to see Jon Shaw and James Curtis come through the reserves’ 2-0 win at Hartlepool United yesterday, where Brian Wake scored both goals. They will be like two new signings as they have missed all of pre-season and the first five Conference games, and both will be in the squad for Cambridge on Saturday' said Bogie... Another close-season capture, Jonny Allan, however, faces another spell of inactivity after suffering a recurrence of his knee injury against Pools' second string".

All BSBP clubs have been advised that "As part of the Football Conference’s TV deal with Premier Sports TV, each Club is entitled to a free subscription for the Team Manager, and the Football Club for use in your bars/social facilities. This subscription is for these two areas of the your Club only and are not transferable to other members of your Club".

DALE GOES

Dale signed for Altrincham on 6 June 2008. After making his first start for the club on the opening day of the 2008-09 season, Dale suffered knee ligament damage in mid-September 2009 which was diagnosed in mid-October as a ruptured cruciate ligament. Dale sadly missed the rest of 09-10 season, as a consequence, but returned to the side at the start of the 2010-11 pre-season. In all, he made 49+20 appearances and scored seven goals for the club. Altrincham FC wish him well in his future career.

"IT HURTS"

Graham Heathcote reflected on Altrincham's plight at the foot of the Blue Square Bet Premier and spelled out a stark message about his side's shortcomings.

Looking back on successive defeats by York and Mansfield that left them with just one point from six games, four adrift of Saturday's visitors Kidderminster, Heathcote admitted they had been found wanting and that he had been in discussions with the board about all aspects of the season so far, including his own position.

'I couldn't possibly fault the players for effort,' he said. 'That's good in one way but worrying in another because, if they are giving their all and still falling short, you've clearly got problems.

'We have played some good stuff at times, and we have faced some of the top sides, but the fact remains we are bottom with one point from six games. I don't enjoy seeing Altrincham propping up the rest.

'I could bleat about injury problems, but I won't, because the plain truth is we haven't got the depth of quality required. Not on the evidence so far. Answers have to be found. I have been talking to people at the club, the directors, and decisions have to be made, because it feels like we are back to square one, in terms of rebuilding the team.

'We have played some decent stuff in general terms, and even against Mansfield, there were patches where we played OK. But I saw shoulders slumping when we went behind, and it concerns me that we are making it easy for opponents. Teams aren't having to work too hard for their goals, and that is a worry.

'It's not a disaster, but the aim at the moment seems to stretch no higher than trying to get out of the bottom four, and that's not the sort of target I want to be setting myself. Not after we came so close to establishing ourselves as a good Conference side before being decimated by retirement and players leaving to go full time during the summer.

'We needed replacements, and I went through a list as long as your arm, trying to entice players of the right standard. The same problem applies now. If you are looking to replace any of these lads, how do you find the required quality with the funds available?

'After the steady progress of recent seasons, I was hoping to add just one or two new faces but ended up having to bring in eight. That's almost like starting with a whole new team. It takes time for the players to gell and develop the team spirit you need, and when you are losing game after game, it doesn't help. Confidence inevitably takes a knock.

'You can analyse players in defeat, just as you can in victory. I'm not decrying their effort, but, in a way, that makes it even more clear cut. When they are giving their all and still struggling, in a league that is getting stronger all the time, then it tells you something. I brought them in hoping they would be good enough, but you only begin to find out once the games are underway.

'It hasn't helped that a few are still catching up fitness-wise, Michael Twiss being one, or that we seem to be up against so many teams who can send on quality strikers near the end who are capable of making a difference. We had that against Luton and Darlington, and at York on Saturday, when Michael Rankine came on and scored twice.

'My main concern is the attack, and I have said that to the players. Their answer is they are not getting the service, so if you add those two together, you've got problems. Attendances are a worry. It can't be a reaction to performances after three games, surely? And, anyway, the performances against Darlington and Crawley were decent enough. Maybe people are away on holiday, I don't know, but I keep going on about it because it has such a direct effect on the playing budget.

'We have fantastic backing from loyal supporters and local businesses, and from people working tirelessly within the club. Even so, we need more in through the gate, and we still haven't got that injection of cash from an investor that's so desperately needed.

'The repeated calls for substantial financial input continue to fall on deaf ears, and it makes it all the more difficult. You can't keep going to the freebie tree and finding freebies who are good enough for this level. You try and borrow players from wherever you can, but the point of management is to try and build a proper team, rather than take stop-gap measures all the time.

'I take 100 per cent blame, because I put the squad together and the evidence so far suggests the players I brought in may not be up to the mark. There have to be changes, whether it be myself or on the playing side, and I have been talking to the board about the way ahead, in all areas.

'I'm not burying my head in the sand over my own position. If there's someone out there who can conjure up seven or eight Premier players on the funds we've got, then fine. Good luck to them.

'It hurts, I can tell you, and I hope the players are hurting as much. One bright spot against Mansfield was the way James McCarthy showed some decent touches. You could tell he has spent some time at Crewe. He looked that type of footballer, good in possession and some promising touches.'

Robbie Lawton and Chris Denham remain doubtful for Saturday, and Nicky Clee is struggling with a groin problem. Kevin Holsgrove should be fit after a dead leg, while Matt Doughty is stepping up his rehab work. With internationals taking centre stage this weekend, £5 admission is available against Kidderminster for Premier League or Football League season ticket holders".

FANS' FORUM

With so many talking points, just six Blue Square Bet Premier games into the new campaign, it promises to be a lively evening, particularly with the Alty manager making a typically forthright promise not to duck any issues supporters may care to raise.

'This is an opportunity for them to come along and get things off their chest, and I will be there at eight o'clock, ready for any questions they might have,' he said. 'All they need to do is fire them at me, and they will get an honest answer back'".

SHAUN RESTED

Commenting on the season ahead, Fairclough said: 'The side had a successful season in 2009-10 culminating with the excellent performance and victory against the Republic of Ireland in Waterford. However, once again, that success has meant that the team will continue in the International Challenge Trophy without some of that squad. Sam Deering and Matt Green have moved into the League with Oxford United and will be joined at the Kassam Stadium by Tom Craddock who signed on transfer deadline day. In addition, Rossi Jarvis has moved to Barnet, Andrew Fleming to Morecambe and Darius Charles to Stevenage...

This leaves the door wide open for the next batch of hungry cubs who will be eager to impress... We have the opportunity to bring in fresh faces for the Welsh clash. We have been busy checking out new arrivals to gauge the standard of players who either dropped out of the league or have been snapped up from the lower leagues to play Conference football'".

The squad comprises:

OLD BOYS

One of several players to follow manager Neville Powell from Deeside to Farrar Road three summers ago, he appeared a further fifty-three times in Bangor City colours. He also won Welsh Cup winner's medals with the Citizens in the 4-2 defeat of Llanelli in 2008 and the 2-0 victory over Aberystwyth in 2009.

Swanick made his Robins' debut as a second-half substitute in Tuesday night's 4-2 League Cup defeat at Airbus UK Broughton".

BSBP NEWS

Transfer deadline day proved to be an extremely busy day for Reds` boss Steve Evans. A closed-door match with Peterborough United was on the agenda but the frenzy started when York gave permission for Brodie to talk to the Reds. At the same time discussions were ongoing with an experienced goalkeeper and as he is not affected by any transfer window restrictions, those negotiations will continue today...

Evans said: 'What a day that has been and despite the late hour it has not finished yet. We have tried to sign young Brodes since July but on several occasions we could just not make it happen for one reason or another. The deal became live again shortly after lunchtime when I received a call from the chairman at York City. I immediately spoke with Bruce Winfield, took instruction and we got the deal done.

'The lad is a terrific player, he works very hard for the team and gets a goal. Our supporters will love him. We are looking forward to working with him and he comes into a football club who are looking to progress over the next few years. Brodes was last season`s Conference Premier player of the year, that was voted for by all the managers and I was one of them. He won that by a landslide. The boy was also joint top goalscorer in the Blue Square Premier with our own Matty Tubbs. I am just delighted. He is a great signing'.

The manager also confirmed discussions with an experienced goalkeeper and said he will be looking to send a couple of Reds` players out on loan next week when the loan transfer window re-opens. Evans added: 'I am confident we will have secured an additional experienced goalkeeper but those talks will continue. I will look at our squad in further detail this week, look at all the possibilities and then sit down with Bruce Winfield to propose a couple of the lads need to go out on loan to get some first team football.'”.

As recently as January 2010, Crawley Town were in a very different situation as in an interview with joint owner Susan Carter the Club stated 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".

From the other side, York City confirm that they "have accepted an undisclosed fee for Richard Brodie from Crawley Town... It was a Club decision to accept the fee. Two months ago the Club offered Richard Brodie a new contact which was turned down. Richard Brodie was out of contract at the end of the season and would have been able to leave then for free. The Club did not want a similar situation to Clayton Donaldson, whereby he was 23 and left to play in Scotland for free. At that time the Chairman received criticism for not receiving a fee although his only aim was to get York City promoted. This time the Club had to let the player leave and accept a fee, bearing in mind that the player had asked to go. We all wish Richard well for the future".

According to Blue Square Football "Cambridge United boss Martin Ling has suffered a major set-back with the news that Adam Miller and Kevin Roberts will spend several weeks on the sidelines. Miller, picked up an ankle ligament injury against Eastbourne on Monday, while Roberts tore a hamstring at Mansfield on Saturday... Ling told Cambridge News, 'His [Adam's] ankle swelled up very quickly and it looked like there was substantial damage to the ligaments, so we're looking at weeks rather than days... It's something we'll have to keep tabs on, especially with Paul (Carden) playing with his ankle problem and Kevin being out for a few weeks as well with a second degree tear... I don't want to be fetching people in who aren't as good as what we've got here'".

Blue Square Football reports that "Eastbourne Borough boss Garry Wilson has defended his decision to throw an inexperienced side into the fray against Cambridge United on Monday. Borough lost the tie 2-0 with six changes to the team which were defeated at home to AFC Wimbledon on Saturday. Wilson told The Argus: 'We had five games in 14 days before today and there were a lot of tired legs after Saturday. It is a long season and as a part-time club we have got to manage our players properly. We perhaps didn't do that last year when we played almost the same team for every game and it took its toll. There is no point having these players at the club if we are not going to put them in. We have got belief in them and I think they showed the ability they have in open play. Maybe they were a bit naïve at times but I think they acquitted themselves well and that is a big positive for us'".

"Newport County boss Dean Holdsworth will make a move for a new centre-back once the loan window opens in a week after the departure of defender Ollie Thorne. The 20-year old struggled for game time and joined Kidderminster Harriers with further movements at the club expected. Tony Taggart and Giuseppe Sole could exit the club after the failed to secure their places so far this season. Holdsworth told the South Wales Argus: 'Ollie's had a really difficult time personally in recent weeks and so we changed the contract situation for him... Once the window opens again we can bring in another defensive option, a player who can play in a few different positions. We have Jamie Collins as well who could slot in if we had a problem with Gary Warren or Chris Todd'".

"Hayes & Yeading have failed in their bid to sign defender Lee Brown on loan from QPR" reports the BBC. "Brown was expected to join on a one-month loan but the relevant paperwork was not completed in time to beat the August transfer deadline... Brown spent most of last season on loan at Salisbury City, making 14 league appearances for the Whites".

A former Alty loan player and now a "Cambridge United defender, James Jennings has won his appeal against a red card for handball. The 22-year-old was given his marching orders in Saturday's 1-0 defeat by Mansfield after giving away a penalty, which Keigan Parker converted. He is now available for the weekend clash with Gateshead.

Boss Martin Ling told the club website: 'The decision has proven we were right to appeal and it's pleasing he'll now be available for Saturday. The disappointing things is the decision cost us the game against Mansfield'".

Following Richard Money's complaints about the toll on Luton Town of the fixture schedule, "Wrexham manager Dean Saunders has hit out at having to play their opening six Blue Square Bet Premier fixtures in the space of just 16 days" reports tha BBC.

"The Dragons won two, drawn two and lost two, and find themselves 12th in the table with eight points. But Saunders blamed the loss of three players in Monday's 2-0 win at Bath on the amount of fixtures played. 'It's a ridiculous schedule that they've had to go through', Saunders told BBC Sport Wales. 'Marvin Andrews has come off with a hamstring, Adrian Cieslewicz has come off with a hamstring, Frank Sinclair pulled his groin and it's just over-use of players'...

He says they should be higher in the table had they not been 'robbed' by two penalties in the 4-3 defeat at Eastbourne, and not conceded a two-goal lead in the 2-2 draw with Kidderminster. 'We should be sat top of the league really', added Saunders. 'We're doing all right, but I'm not getting carried away. I didn't when we lost a couple, I know we're going to lose games, but we're going to win more than we lose. I think the team I've got is better than the team I had last year. I'm hoping we're going to be in there at the end of the season'".

MORE BSBP NEWS: CRAWLEY SMASH TRANSFER RECORD

The Argus understands Reds have paid £275,000 for the 23-year-old England C international, who was signed three minutes before the transfer window shut last night.

The prolific Brodie has scored 53 goals in 135 appearances since joining York in 2007 including 26 last season in the Conference, one fewer than Matt Tubbs who is already at the Broadfield.

Brodie opened his account for the new season in Saturday's 3-0 win over Altrincham and on the same day Reds' co-owner Bruce Winfield revealed that the club had tried to sign Brodie last week.

Cash-strapped York agreed to the switch but the player himself was undecided. Boss Steve Evans switched to other targets and signed Ben Wright from Peterborough for £60,000 but the Brodie deal was resurected over the weekend.

He is the 16th player Evans has signed since Winfield gave him the green light to build a squad capable of challenging for a place in the Football League in July, six of whom are strikers".

SAUNDERS' SIGNING CONFUSION

PLEASE DO YOUR BIT FOR ALTY!

Current events and activities include:

Fundraising schemes, with benefits for supporters, include:

Please do support as many of these ventures as you can; the Club relies on your help in this respect.

“MY SQUARE” PITCH SPONSORSHIP

Altrincham F.C. in association with TASC and Ideas4Alty are pleased to announce the “My Square” pitch sponsorship for the 2010/2011 season.

The “My Square” pitch sponsorship scheme gives Alty fans the chance to sponsor their own little square of the Moss Lane pitch for a whole season, with prices slightly reduced from last season and starting at as little as £2!! What better way to be a part of your club and show your support for the Robins? Your name will appear on your square in the matchday programme all season or you could put your child’s name in for them.

The opportunity to sponsor a square will continue until October 31st when a draw will be made and the winner will receive an ALTRINCHAM SHIRT OF THEIR CHOICE (HOME OR AWAY AND SIGNED OR UNSIGNED) worth £35. Each pound spent by a sponsor will equate to one ticket e.g. sponsoring a normal square for £2 will be 2 tickets and sponsoring the centre spot for £15 will be 15 tickets.

HOW IT WORKS:

Squares are allocated all across the pitch. (The pitch diagram, showing the squares is here). Both penalty spots have seen their fair share of drama over the years and these are expected to be very popular.

Also available at a slightly higher price are squares in the penalty area, the centre circle and also the corner quadrants. In addition there is to be an auction square. To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Robins' incredible 1990/91 campaign it will be the square from which our current assistant manager Ken McKenna (right) scored one of the legendary Alty goals of our time, his last minute winner against Kettering Town in January 1991 BRILLIANT – WHERE DO I SIGN? TASC member Steve Foster has acquired a whiteboard with the pitch squares on it. This will be in place at the TASC section of the club shop at all home games and brought into the Noel White Suite afterwards. Fans will be able to pay their money and take their choice there and then.

Anyone unable to get to matches should make alternative arrangements by either e-mail or phoning the club on 0161 928 1045.

Squares will be sold on a ‘first come, first served’ basis starting at the home fixture against Darlington on Tuesday 17th August 2010.

Prices:

NEXT UP

Kidderminster Harriers say that "Consistency was again the buzzword for Harriers after the 2-2 home draw with Tamworth on Monday... The harsh decision to dismiss Mark Albrighton on 72 minutes was compounded eight minutes later when Tamworth smashed ahead... The home side rallied and got their just rewards in the dying seconds of the game when Jack Byrne rose at the far post to head home the latest of equalisers.

Speaking after the game, assistant boss Gary Whild was reflective... Harriers find themselves second bottom in the Bet Premier,- but can just as easily enter the top ten with an emphatic victory at Altrincham this coming weekend, such is the typical nature of a young League table...

He says, 'You can use the excuses that we have a lot of new players and that maybe they will be a bit inconsistent, but we're not brushing anything under the carpet... All the stuff we spoke about on Saturday, that we didn't do, was there today and more. To come back after going down to ten men... the lads showed some fantastic character. We have been in front a few times this season and today again we got our noses in front with a good goal at a good time and unfortunately we couldn't see it through until half-time'".

The Football Conference adds that "Kidderminster Harriers have completed one item of business on transfer deadline day with the acquisition of central defender Ollie Thorne from league rivals Newport County. The 20-year-old, born in Gravesend, began his career with MK Dons as a youth team player, moving on to Forest Green Rovers at the beginning of last season. He went on to feature on more than twenty occasions at The New Lawn...

Newly-promoted County's boss Dean Holdsworth made securing the youngster's signature one of his first priorities of the closed-season, though their impressive start to the new campaign has left the dominant defender out of the team. Thorne's deal at Newport County was cancelled to allow him to put pen-to-paper on a switch to Aggborough.

'Ollie is a young lad but he has experience at this level and is strong in the air', boss Steve Burr told harriers.co.uk'... Harriers have tied up his deal with the Football Conference and have requested International Clearance from the FA of Wales well ahead this afternoon's 6pm transfer deadline".

Right: Danny Holmes has started two games and been a used sub in four of Alty's matches so far this season, following his move from Ilkeston Town. Here he is seen on Monday against Mansfield Town.

YANKEE JACKPOT WON

LIVE AT MOSS LANE

BUCKET COLLECTION

OLD BOYS

NL Daily confirms that "FC United of Manchester were boosted by the news that former player Steve Torpey had re-signed for the club... Torpey had been a target for a number of clubs higher up the leagues after playing in the Conference for the last four years [including a spell at Alty] but has decided to rejoin the Reds following a successful pre-season campaign. The attacking-midfielder was a firm fan favourite during FC United`s inaugural season, scoring seventeen goals in thirty-two appearances before being offered a full-time contract by the then Conference Premier side Halifax Town. FC United have also signed Karl Munroe [also ex-Alty] from Leigh Genesis... Munroe started his career with Swansea City and has since seen service with Macclesfield Town, Halifax Town, Northwich Victoria and Hyde United, joining Leigh in the summer of 2009".

York Press tells us that "In for his first start of the season, it took Greg Young a few minutes to get to the speed of the game but, when he settled, he dealt well with the difficult to handle Curtis. The Fleetwood striker’s pace and movement put City under constant pressure but Young did as well as any of the Minstermen back-line to keep him under control. Young underlined his ability as an attacking presence when scoring the late goal which gave York hope".

ROBBIE'S LOG

"We all need a positive mindset.

As you can imagine, there was a pretty heated atmosphere in our dressing room after Tuesday night’s defeat at Southport. The mood was terrible and despite the fact that we are not a million miles away in many respects in terms of our performances over the first four games, perhaps something needs to change in terms of our mindset.

Whilst the first three games against Luton, Darlington and Crawley were all full blooded, very competitive affairs, the game at Haig Avenue didn’t feel like a Blue Square Premier game at all.....it was very low key for a lot of the match. It was so frustrating to have so many players sidelined for the first match of the season against a team that are expected to finish in a similar position to us and we were without a lot of experience on Tuesday and a lot of players who had been an integral part of our pre-season training.

I am sure that Graham and Kenny will have got a few things ironed out at training on Thursday night.....we need to, as two games against such stiff opposition as York and today’s opponents, Mansfield, will be no joyride. Two games in three days is always tough at this point in the season.....and especially so with this season’s fixtures.

We had some real dogfights with Mansfield last season....they are certainly a team that you have to roll your sleeves up and battle with.

It was particularly disappointing to not have Shaun Densmore (left) available against Southport....he has started the season really well and was brilliant last Saturday against Crawley. Graham was clearly short of options in midfield on Tuesday night but what isn’t so obvious, maybe, is the challenges that we face up front at the moment.

The way we play generally relies on seven or eight players doing a disciplined defensive or holding job, with three or four more attack-minded flair players taking responsibility for creating and taking chances. Most of the players who we rely on for this have had some sort of challenge to deal with since the start of the season.

Dale Johnson has not played competitive football for almost a year whilst both Damian Reeves and Chris Denham have not been 100% fit at times. Nicky Clee often looks like he could terrorise teams but he has had a few niggles and this can sometimes mean that we haven’t got the attacking options that other teams have.....certainly Luton, Darlington and Crawley all had plenty of attacking options on their bench.

Overall, we can take a view that we have done reasonably well in terms of our performances but it just hasn’t happened for us yet or we can curse our luck and blame injuries, late goals and unlucky deflections for our position. We need all of our supporters to get behind us even more at this point as winning three or four points this weekend could make such a difference to the way everyone feels about our start and the possibilities for the season ahead.

On a personal note, I am still in quite a lot of pain from the effects of Stuart Coburn’s knee taking on my ribcage in the incident that led to Darlington’s first goal last week. It is quite difficult to breathe properly and there is not too much that can be done apart from hoping that my bruised or cracked ribs will recover as quickly as possible.

I know you will give us great support today. Enjoy the match and let’s hope the league table looks a bit brighter by five o’clock this evening. Robbie".

ANOTHER "TAKE" ON YORK

"What to do at the weekend? Attend the Leeds Festival and watch Guns N''Roses with 100,000 people in a field, OR York City v Altrincham in The Blue Square Premier League at Kit Kat Crescent...

Kit Kat Crescent is no more! York City accepted £10,000 a few years ago to change the name of their stadium to that of the locally made chocolate bar. The fans didn't like that and changed it back to Bootham Crescent last season. Its a squeeze in the tiny press box with my friend Brian Flynn, the Altrincham PR chief, almost like a confessional pew, and City don't provide programmes for the press, or even a cup of tea!

Alty won the toss, and THAT WAS ABOUT ALL THEY WON, all afternoon! You don't see it often, but both goalkeepers, Michael Ingham of York and Stuart Coburn of Alty were the team captains... Fortunes changed when City manager Martin Foyle brought on Michael Rankine, who shot hard and low from a Michael Gash pass to open the scoring. Richard Brodie doubled the score from the penalty spot after he was brought down near the corner by Marc Joseph. Brodie is from Gateshead near the Angel of the North Statue next to the A1 and he celebrated with his arms extended, his usual trademark.

I thought that referee R. Clark of Morpeth was outstanding, despite the stick he received from fans. He was fair, and kept the game flowing".

FLYNNY GOES AUSSIE

We’re Playing Aussie Rules.....”Bad Call”!!

I received a call on Tuesday from a friend of mine, Gary Craven. He manages a Sunday team (The Buck...a pub in Ashton-on-Mersey) and was telling me that he had made a few new signings.......including Danny Adams and Colin Little. I understand that Danny has signed for Nantwich Town and Colin has a squad number at F.C. United of Manchester, but it seems they will also be playing some Sunday football down at Manor Avenue in Sale during the season.

Let’s move on to more concerning matters:-

E-mail to the Australian Football Association

Re:Matt Crowell-International Clearance.

Dear Sir,

Hi....it’s Brian from Timperley here.

You Aussies are renowned for straight talking so let me just share with you my current thinking regarding the still unactioned request for International Clearance for Matt Crowell.

I understand that Altrincham Football Club submitted the relevant International Clearance documents to enable Matt Crowell to play in England on July 28th 2010. Over four weeks later and still not a peep from your good selves!

For the first few days of this pantomime, our own, often much maligned, Football Association were top of the suspect list, but as the days wore on, it became clear that it was in fact the gross incompetence of their antipodean counterparts that was causing the issue. Why is it that, this time last year, you were able to process Central Coast Mariners’ request for International Clearance for the same player to play in the Australian A-League in three parts of a nano second, yet the reverse request seems to have just nestled comfortably for almost a month in one of your, no doubt, very nice in-trays in Sydney?

I know that you lot live out a laudable ‘work to live’ culture but how difficult is this? I am guessing that you have to complete one or two bits of paperwork and verify that the information provided to you is correct......a perfect task for a Friday afternoon, before your employees leg it off to Bondi Beach for a swim and a barbecue! Here in England, we have found that a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet Protocol Suite (TCP/IP) to serve billions of users worldwide, has been quite useful in these matters, but if scanning a couple of documents and emailing them within a matter of seconds is beyond you at this point, may I respectfully recommend the use of a facsimile machine.

Sadly, I fear that you may indeed eventually carry this out using the outdated and inefficient method of smoke signals! One of the best known jokes in your country is that when arriving at an airport in New Zealand, there is an announcement stating 'Welcome to Auckland....please put your watches back thirty years'.....it’s a real side splitter.....but I am sure that your Kiwi equivalents would have had this sorted weeks ago and we would have had Matt Crowell lining up against Luton Town, Darlington, Crawley Town and Southport.

But our current reality is that we sit at the bottom of our league at the moment, partly due to the fact that you lot couldn’t give a Castlemaine XXXX about this and are a bunch of incompetent descendants of former convicts!

Fortunately, I understand that our own F.A. are able to grant temporary international clearance if a request isn’t processed within thirty days and that whether or not the Australian F.A. do their job......and I am not holding my breath on this......Matt Crowell will be available for selection this weekend.

Lots of Worries, Mate.

Flynno".

BSBP NEWS

At Luton Town "The Hatters can confirm that Tom Craddock has joined League 2 Oxford United for an undisclosed fee".

According to the Football Conference "Peterborough United and Rushden and Diamonds have agreed an extension until January on the loan deal for Dominic Green. Since signing, Green has played five games. The left-winger initially signed at Nene Park on a month-long loan deal earlier in August, but will now stay with the Diamonds until January 2011".

Also, "Rushden & Diamonds and Peterborough United have agreed an extension on the loan deal for Nathan Koranteng until January 2011... He had initially signed on a month-long loan earlier in August, but will now stay at Nene Park until January".

From Bullsnews we learn that once the transfer window closed this Tuesday, "Clubs will have to wait a week before the 'emergency' loan window opens. Free agent players, those that have not been attached to a club since the window closes, can still move freely".

A couple of players who have played against Alty have moved between league clubs. John Akinde has moved from Bristol City to Bristol Rovers, on loan whilst Harlee Dean, sent off when we entertained Grays last season, has moved from Dagenham & Redbridge to Southampton for an undisclosed fee.

This is Nottingham reports that "Table-topping Mansfield Town cannot afford to get carried away by their flying start to the new season, says boss David Holdsworth. The Stags crushed Altrincham 4-0 at Moss Lane...

'I'm extremely pleased because we have come away and walloped a side who are gritty, aggressive and can cause problems', said Holdsworth. '"To come and play the way we did, with two wingers and adventurously, was extremely satisfying. We want to secure points early on because other teams have been slipping up... This is only a platform to build on... You could probably hear me shouting to make sure we were resolute. The centre halves have grown as a partnership. I thought Kevin Sandwith had his best game defensively and Gary Silk got forward very well'.