charnock richard football club 22 · 2020. 9. 6. · 9 squires gate 31 12 4 15 53 67 -14 40 10...

OFFICIAL MATCH DAY PROGRAMME SEASON 2019-20 £2.00

Charnock RichardFootball Club 22

V LITHERLAND REMYCANORTH WEST COUNTIES FOOTBALL LEAGUEPREMIER DIVISIONSATURDAY 14TH MARCH,3.00PM

Chorley Alliance League: 1947-48, 1956-57 | Gillett Cup: 1956-57, 1959-60, 1963-64 | Guildhall Cup: 1957-58, 1968-69, 1992-93 | Preston & District League: 1960-61, 1966-67, 1968-69, 1988-89 | Chorley Amateur Cup: 1960-61, 1961-62, 1964-65 | Hunt Cup: 1969-70 | Lancashire Amateur Shield: 1967-68, 2001-02, 2006-07, 2010-11, 2011-12 | West Lancashire League Division One: 1997-98 | West Lancashire League Premier Division: 2002-03, 2008-09, 2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15 | Richardson Cup: 2001-02, 2003-04, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16 | Goldline Trophy: 2000-01, 2005-06 | West Lancashire League Reserve Division Two: 1995-96 | West Lancashire League Reserve Division One: 1996-97, 1997-98, 2013-14

All editorial in this programme is copyright of Charnock Richard Football Club and may not be reproduced. The views of the contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of the club.

Information correct at the time of going to press.

ISSUE 22EDITORIAL...

CHARNOCK RICHARDFOOTBALL CLUB Unincorporated Association A Charter Standard Club Mossie Park, Charter Lane, Charnock Richard, Chorley, Lancashire, PR7 5LZ T: 01257 794288

CLUB OFFICIALSChairman: Shaun TootellVice Chairman: Geoff HaslamSecretary: Dave RowlandAssistant Secretary: Graham RandleTreasurer: Steve MawdesleyCommercial Manager: TBCClub Photographer: Alan WalkerWebsite Co-ordinator: Shaun TootellSocial Media Coordinator: Adam DonnellanGroundsman: Pleasant View GMGround Supervisor: Harold HeatonKit Man: Jim BibbyCommittee: Steve Porter, Dave Smith,Dave Dixon, Lewis Spensley, Brian Lowe, Ian Livesey, Alan Baron.1st Team Manager: Ryan Donnellan1st Team Assistant Manager: Dave Haslam1st Team Coach: Danny Nolan.Goalkeeping Coach: Gareth JonesFirst Team Assistant/Analyst: Lewis Spensley Team Physio: Kate SmithReserve Team Manager: Ian MountainReserve Assistant Manager: Paul CharnleyReserve Team Coaches: Tom Charnley, Paul Billington

PROGRAMMEProgramme Co-ordinator: Ian LiveseyContributors: Keith Reader, David Rowland, Shaun Tootell, Ian Mountain, Dave Smith, Gareth Jones, Ryan Donnellan.Design & Print: Andy Calvert www.matchdaycreative.co.uk

G ood afternoon and welcome to Mossie Park for today’s

game against Litherland REMYCA.

Our 4-2 win last week at Skelmersdale United was nothing short of brilliant. They are a side who are used to playing on their ‘plastic grass’, and we dominated the game in large periods and defended well.

Today we welcome a side to Mossie Park who are fighting to stay off the bottom of the table, a position they have held for the majority of the season. That said, if things are rightly to be believed, no NWCFL team will be relegated this season due to a high points per game ratio than other clubs in leagues up and down the country, who are in the same predicament.

I’d also like to pass on the thanks given to me by Dave Smith and Alan Baron for those who attended or gave prizes to the recent Sportsman’s Dinner. By all accounts it was a success and raised some vital funds for the club.

Ian Livesey, Programme Co-ordinator

03THE OFFICIAL CHARNOCK RICHARD FOOTBALL CLUB PROGRAMME

04 THE OFFICIAL CHARNOCK RICHARD FOOTBALL CLUB PROGRAMME

1ST TEAM PLAYER STATS SEASON 2019-20

League Cups Total Overall App Sub Goal App Sub Goal App Sub Goal App Sub GoalAinscough R 1 1 1 Ascroft B 26 8 34 34 Bennett J 12 6 2 1 3 13 9 2 38 37 6Bibby S 28 3 8 1 1 36 1 4 201 52 18Darr J 23 1 18 2 2 1 25 3 19 25 3 19Dashti D 400 156 26Davision M 20 4 2 6 1 26 5 2 84 16 22Eastwood J 4 1 5 7 Fairhurst N 22 2 2 8 30 2 2 158 4 18Green O 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 Griffith A 15 4 4 3 1 19 7 19 11 1Grimshaw C 28 21 9 6 37 27 415 22 455Haydock L 22 7 7 8 1 30 8 7 30 8 7Kay J 2 3 3 1 1 5 4 1 5 4 1Lindley N 2 2 3 McNally L 1 1 2 3 Morris O 2 2 2 2 3 4 Nickeas N 8 2 2 8 2 2 8 2 2O'Farrell R 20 4 1 5 2 25 6 1 172 44 8Oxley O 10 14 3 3 4 1 13 18 4 27 44 12Pilgrim L 1 1 4 Regan D 18 4 1 8 2 26 4 3 49 4 5Schofield R 2 2 3 5 2 96 13 2Turner O 6 2 4 10 2 22 7 Walker J 21 3 1 5 3 26 6 1 94 10 7Woods M 16 6 5 5 3 1 21 9 6 149 30 25Young A 24 1 1 7 31 1 1 163 5 24

Premier Division Table P W D L F A GD Pts1 1874 Northwich 28 22 4 2 79 27 52 702 Rylands 30 20 3 7 62 32 30 633 Bootle 28 19 2 7 67 39 28 594 Charnock Richard * 30 19 2 9 69 47 22 565 Ashton Athletic 29 16 5 8 64 38 26 536 Longridge Town 26 17 2 7 62 44 18 537 Runcorn Town 30 13 9 8 50 41 9 488 Irlam 26 12 4 10 46 40 6 409 Squires Gate 31 12 4 15 53 67 -14 4010 Whitchurch Alport 28 10 8 10 41 40 1 3811 Northwich Victoria 27 10 7 10 54 42 12 3712 Avro 30 11 4 15 49 55 -6 3713 Winsford United 29 9 5 15 51 57 -6 3214 Congleton Town 30 8 7 15 54 60 -6 3115 Skelmersdale United 31 8 6 17 50 61 -11 3016 Barnoldswick Town 26 8 3 15 40 62 -22 2717 Padiham 27 7 5 15 30 52 -22 2618 Burscough 29 7 5 17 25 62 -37 2619 Litherland REMYCA 30 5 7 18 27 73 -46 2220 Hanley Town 29 5 6 18 33 67 -34 21

W ith only playing two games in the past 5 or 6 weeks my notes

are very brief today.

We have done very well on the road the past two games collecting 6 points. We showed brilliant character Vs Northwich having gone behind 2-1 to then go and win the game 3-2 in the dying minutes. Always good to get one over on a team who think they are one of the ‘big teams’ of our league, sadly the league table doesn’t show that.

4 weeks after our win at Northwich we travelled to Skelmersdale United. Since we last played them they have had some good results after a massive overhaul of their squad. In our weeks off the lads had trained tremendously, this showed in our first half performance as we were relentless

which took us in 3-1 at half time. Instructions were to kill the game off and then manage the game well which was a task with the wind battering our deference. The early second half goal gave us a cushion and we saw the game out well apart from a late strike to make the game 4-2. Overall a very good performance, we now just have to take each game at a time and keep picking up the points!

My squad is pretty much at full strength apart from James Walker picking up a broken toe last week which will see him sidelined for at least two/three weeks.

Ryan Donnellan


THE MANAGER RYAN DONNELLAN

CHARNOCK RICHARD F.C. OFFICIAL PROGRAMME

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CHARNOCK RICHARD F.C. OFFICIAL PROGRAMME

G ood afternoon and welcome to Mossie Park for today’s NWCFL Premier Division fixture. We

welcome the players, club officials and supporters of today’s opponents Litherland REMYCA FC. We hope that you all have an enjoyable stay at our club and have a safe journey back home to Merseyside after the game.

It was good to get back to playing football again last weekend with a difficult fixture away at Skelmersdale United. It was interesting to see the recent ground developments which have taken place at the JMO Sports Park to enable them to meet the ground grading requirements for our level of football. It was around seven years ago when we last played on the 3G artificial surface at the JMO when we faced Southport Trinity in an LFA Amateur Shield Cup game. We took a while to get used to the pitch seven years ago, so there were some concerns ahead of the game regarding the unfamiliar playing surface.

On the day we put in another excellent performance in difficult windy conditions which made playing on the hard surface almost impossible at times during the game. The final 4-2 score line was fully deserved on the day and we defended particularly well late in the second half as the conditions started to deteriorate. After the game there was a lot of discussion amongst our supporters regarding the merits of 3G pitches and although I am not a particular fan of the surface, you can see that they do have a role to play in football, particularly at this time of the year when grass pitches are under severe pressure from the weather.

As I write this article, Italy has just gone into full lockdown regarding the spread of the

Coronavirus and there is now a very serious risk to the staging of sporting events around the world over the coming weeks. Only time will tell whether or not the effects of this virus will filter down to smaller sporting events at our level of football but with seven weeks of the season still to play, there has to be a very serious risk that local sport may become a casualty before we can complete the season – we will just have to wait and see how it all unfolds!

We were scheduled to host a USA U16’s Girls vs Blackburn Rovers U16’s Girls match here at Mossie Park on Tuesday evening but this match has now been cancelled to later in the year due to the Coronavirus. It would seem that the USA girls team would have been travelling to the UK without parents and there was some concern that they may end up in quarantine for a period of time in the UK without any parental support.

Last Friday evening we held a very successful Sportsman Dinner in the Clubhouse with guest speaker Curtis Woodhouse (former Pro Footballer and Boxer) and comedian Gary Marshall providing the entertainment. On the night we raised some significant funds for the club and I would like to thank Alan Baron, Dave Smith and Lewis Spensley for their superb efforts in organising such a successful event. Thanks also to the many of you who supported the event and hopefully you had a very enjoyable evening.

Enjoy today’s match and as always, please give the lads your very best support. We look forward to seeing you back here at Mossie Park in the near future.

Shaun Tootell


FROM THE CHAIRMAN SHAUN TOOTELL

THE BOARDROOM SHAUN TOOTELL

Good afternoon and welcome to Mossie Park for thisthird home league game of the season for CharnockRichard FC in the Hallmark Security League. On behalfof everyone here at Charnock Richard, I would like towelcome the management, players and committeefrom St Helens Town. We hope you all have a veryenjoyable day at our club and have a safe journeyback home.

Our first ever home league game two weeks ago againstAlsager Town was a bit of a wake-up call for us all andshowed everyone that we can expect to face some verydifficult opponents in this league. It is however veryencouraging that as I write this article, the team has sincebounced back with two excellent away wins at Silsden andWhitchurch Alport. We were advised by the league thatone of the management committee would be present at ourfirst home game to offer advice and support on the day andit was the league Ground Grading Chairman GeoffWilkinson who visited us on the day. Geoff is very wellknown to us all here at Charnock and has been offering theclub valuable advice on ground grading matters over anumber of years. It is fair to say that Geoff’s advice hashelped to save the club a lot of money which could havebeen spent unwisely as we developed the Mossie Parkfacility.

On the day, Geoff took the opportunity to update us on ourcurrent Ground Grading status. For those who are notfamiliar with the grading standards, grounds must initiallymeet the FA Grading Standard H to gain promotion into theNorth West Counties League. Following admission into theleague, all clubs must then meet Grading Standard G bythe 31st March in the following year (in our case 31stMarch 2017). The difference between Grade G and H isvery minimal - Grade H requires a minimum coveredspectator accommodation of 50, whereas Grade Grequires a minimum covered spectator accommodation of100 (of which 50 must be seated and located in onestand). Both Grading Standards state ‘All seating mustafford a good view of the pitch’ and whilst our currentseated stand holds just over 100 seats, only the higher 50seats meet this criteria due to the potential for standingspectators along the touchlines blocking the views from thelower seats. It is fair to say that we have visited othergrounds recently and the same argument could be raisedas to whether some ground level seating at other venuesafford a good view of the pitch but we will leave that forothers to debate.

At the end of the day we have a responsibility to complywith the Ground Grading Regulations, so we have apredicament which must be resolved within the next sixmonths. One option would be to raise the height of thecurrent stand to ensure all that all 100 plus seats afford agood view of the pitch - not an easy option but notimpossible. A second option would be to build a coveredstanding area to accommodate 50 or 100 spectators sothat we can meet the Grade G requirements. Theseissues will be discussed at the next committee meetingwhich will be held in a few days’ time and hopefully wewill agree our preferred strategy going forward. Oneissue we mustn’t forget is that should we be the fortunateposition to challenge for promotion to the PremierDivision next season, then the ground must the meet therequirements of Grade F which will almost certainlyrequire us to raise the height of the stand to allow all 100plus seats to give a good view of the pitch.

On a final note I would like to thank many of you whoattended our recent Reserve league game at home toWorkington Reserves. Not only did we get an excellentattendance on a Monday evening but it is fair to say thatit was a superb game of football played by two excellentyoung sides who were both a credit to the game. I lostcount of how many spectators came up to me after thematch to say that they had thoroughly enjoyed the game.

That’s enough from me for the time being, so pleaseenjoy your day and hopefully we can look forward toseeing you again at Mossie Park as the seasonprogresses.

Shaun TootellChairman

06

StHelensTown_27-08-16_Layout 1 25/08/2016 10:24

G ood afternoon and welcome to Mossie Park for today’s North West Counties League Premier Division game against

Litherland Remyca and an especially warm Charnock welcome to the players, club officials and supporters of our visitors from Merseyside. We hope that you will enjoy your day with us and have a safe and trouble-free journey home later on today. Also, we would like to give a warm welcome to our three match officials this afternoon in the shape of referee, Dane McCarrick, and his two able assistants Joseph Larkin and Curtis Wood. Gentlemen you are most welcome.

Remarkably, it is six weeks since our last home game on the 1st February when Burscough were our guests.

‘Remy’ have endured a difficult season in the Premier Division; having trailed in bottom spot for many months. However, the Merseysiders have shown a great deal of fighting spirit in recent weeks. Indeed, ‘Remy’ have won two and drawn one of their last five games in the league. After winning just one of their league fixtures in January, albeit an important ‘six pointer’ at home to fellow strugglers Hanley Town on the 11th, February proved to be a fruitful month for the Merseysiders. Indeed, a 3-0 victory over Congleton Town on the 29th lifted Phil Stafford's team off the bottom of the Premier Division on an afternoon marred by storms that decimated the fixture list.

Whilst it remains doubtful that there will be any side relegated from the Premier Division at the season’s end due to the FA’s National League Structuring, the fight to avoid the vulnerable bottom slot remains a priority for clubs in and around the relegation zone. It goes without saying therefore, that when facing a side from the lower reaches of the Premier Division as we move inextricably towards the end of term the match will be invariably well contested.

Our clubs first met on the 7th January 2017 here at Mossie Park in our first ever season in the North West Counties League in a 1st Division game. It was Litherland Remyca’s third season in the competition after gaining progression from the Liverpool County Premier League at the end of the 2013-14 campaign. ‘Remy’ went away with the three points following a 1-0 success after a 38th minute winner from their skipper Colin McDonald. Charnock avenged that defeat in the return game at the Litherland Sports Park on the 11th March; winning 3-2 with goals from Spencer Bibby via the penalty spot, Jonathan Hession

and Ash Young. Colin McDonald and Colin Quirk, with a penalty were on the mark for the homesters. At the end of that season, Charnock won promotion to the Premier Division as 1st Division runners-up whilst ‘Remy’, who finished third in the table, were denied promotion when losing 0-3 in the 1st Division play-off final against City of Liverpool. We did not meet in the following season. However ‘Remy’ gained promotion as 1st Division runners-up in 2017-18 and we were reacquainted with them in the ‘top tier’ of the North West Counties League in 2018-19. However, it was an FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round tie at the Litherland Sports Park on the 11th August 2018 that saw the next fixture against our two sides. The Merseysiders deservedly won the tie 4-2 with goals by Ashton Clements, Jason McShane, Warren Jevons and an own goal with Jack Sanders and an Ashley Stott penalty the Charnock scorers. However, Charnock went through to the Preliminary Round due to ‘Remy’ being found guilty of playing a player whilst under suspension. In the league games between the sides that season ‘Remy’ took the honours at home on the 17th October with a 3-2 win. Jake Connor, Warren Jevons and George Donnelly scored for the home team whilst a Carl Grimshaw penalty and an own goal sufficed for Charnock. The teams met for a third time that season on the 15th of December and Charnock this time came out as emphatic winners via a 4-0 success at Mossie Park following a Carl Grimshaw hat-trick and a goal from Joe Noblet. This season we met at Litherland Sports Stadium on the 4th December at a time when the Merseyside club were really struggling in the league with Charnock coming away with a 5-2 win following goals from Jordan Darr, who scored a hat-trick, Carl Grimshaw and Oliver Oxley. Ashton Clements and James Hammilll replied for ‘Remy’. In the six games contested between the sides to date therefore, each have won and three and lost three.

We are away to Barnoldswick Town in the Premier Division next weekend, Saturday the 21st and the reserve side have a home game in the West Lancashire League Division 2 against Chipping. On the following Tuesday we are at home in the re-arranged Premier Division game against Runcorn Town which was postponed on the 29th February.

Thanks for your support this afternoon and I hope to see you all at ‘Barlick’ in a week’s time. Also, thanks for purchasing today’s match programme. We hope that you will find it informative and an interesting read.

Dave Rowland, Secretary


SECRETARY'S REPORT DAVE ROWLAND

SECRETARY’S REPORT DAVE ROWLAND

Welcome to Mossie Park for this afternoon’s DivisionOne game against Sandbach United who are visitingus for the very first time and a warm Charnock welcome to all who have travelled up from deepestCheshire to be with us today. We hope that you willenjoy your stay and have a safe and trouble-free journey home after the game. The East Cheshire sideare a friendly and welcoming club as we found outwhen visiting them on that ill-fated fog-bound afternoon at the end of November. It is hoped that wecan return their excellent hospitality today.

I first met United’s secretary, John Clayton, and a coupleof their committee, at the Imperial Hotel on the NorthPromenade in Blackpool when attending the North WestCounties League AGM back on the 11th June. Applicantclubs were asked to remain outside of the meeting untilbeing summoned by League Chairman Paul Lawler whenthe representatives from each of the six applicants werecalled upon to give an introductory speech to the assembled throng before being voted in by the memberclubs. As we waited nervously in an adjacent room, SteveMawdesley and I got into conversation with the Sandbachcontingent and quickly found them to be a very sociablegroup. We got on with them immediately and it was andenjoyable exchange. That day we made our first friends inthe North West Counties League and long may it continue.

Sandbach United are one of the six newcomers to theNorth West Counties League this season and spent theprevious campaign at Step 7 in the Cheshire Leaguewhere they finished in 4th spot in the Premier Division.Like most of the newly promoted clubs they have made agood impression in their first season in the competitionand we wish them well. Today is of course our last homegame of the season not withstanding any play-off gamethat we may be involved in. To say that it has been a special one would be an understatement. We have enjoyed some wonderful football, been to many differentvenues for the first time, met some really great people andmade many new friends. When we left our comfort zone inthe West Lancashire League, we did so because the clubhad grown and developed to a point where new challenges and new horizons had become a necessity.

A new direction was needed if the club was to grow. Remaining stagnant was not an option. We have hadproblems to contend with. Finding funding for essentialground development and finding an appropriate level forour reserve side was only a couple of examples. The immediate aim was to consolidate at Step 6 level in theNational League System and to be in a position to sustain this in the long term. The players of our threesenior teams have had a fine season and once again thishas been due to the management skills and dedication ofthe management teams of all three. On the administration side, we have been joined by David Smithand Brian Lowe who have very kindly agreed to give oftheir precious time and for this we are very grateful.

For me, this is my fifth season as secretary and I canhonestly say, hand on heart, that the 2016-17 campaignis one of the best that I have enjoyed in football. At timesit has been hard graft and there are many individualswho have put in a good deal of that this term, literally. It isthe combined efforts of you all that make this, such aspecial football club and such a wonderful place to be.Of course, we do not know just how things will pan out asafter today. Indeed, we have three very difficult awaygames to negotiate. Whether we are in the play-offs ornot is anybody’s guess but it is a sign of the success thatwe have enjoyed, when we are still talking about wherewe will finish amongst the top group at this stage of affairs. Whatever occurs, well done one and all.

Dave Rowland | Club Secretary

“WE HAVE ENJOYED SOME WONDERFUL FOOTBALL, BEEN TO MANYDIFFERENT VENUES FOR THE FIRST TIME, MET SOME REALLY GREAT

PEOPLE AND MADE MANY NEW FRIENDS.”

07

SandbachUnitedl_17-04-17_Layout 1 10/04/2017 07:38

Litherland REMYCA FC began life in the Seaforth area of Liverpool as St Thomas F.C. (1959).

Players were recruited mainly from Seaforth and Bootle, and the team later became known as Bootle C.L.B. (Church Lads Brigade).

Links were formed with Bootle YMCA which provided a club base and facilities to train.

In 1967, a local working-man’s club offered to finance the running of the club.

One year later, REMYCA UTD F.C. came into being, the name deriving from connections with both REM Social Club and Bootle YMCA.

The team, after successive championships and earning a reputation for playing attractive football, were accepted into the I Zingari League.

The founder members of REMYCA Utd, Bill and Ken Edwards, acted as managers having recently given up their playing careers.

The I Zingari Challenge Cup was claimed in the 1975/76 season as REMYCA Utd began to establish itself as a force within amateur football on Merseyside.

The formation of a Premier League led to the club being invited to become inaugural members.

This demanded improved playing facilities and the club left its spiritual home at

Moss Lane, Litherland to move to Maghull High School.

A former player, Steve Smith, became manager and began building a squad capable of competing with the best amateur sides in the region.

REMYCA Utd became the I Zingari League Champions in the 1987/88 season and in 1991 became one of the few Merseyside Teams to win the all Lancashire FA Amateur Cup.

The 1990’s was a significant period in the club’s history, and the most successful, as both Premier League and Cup doubles were achieved in seasons 1993/94, 1994/95 and 1995/96 followed by again winning the Challenge Cup in the 1998/99 season.

This period of dominance and success resulted in REMYCA Utd seeking entry to the Liverpool County Combination League to test itself at a higher level again.

REMYCA are now based at Litherland Sports Park. Our mid-long term aims are to work with local councils to identify a site and build a community facility for all sides under the REMYCA banner as well as the local area.

In 2013, the Management Committee of REMYCA began exploring the potential to grow and develop the club. The aim is for a sustainable club - a community based model offering football opportunity with


IN OPPOSITION LITHERLAND REMYCA

good coaching to all ages from seven years upwards.

The first stage of the new development plan was to add Litherland to the club name so as to identify with the local area and enhance the community ethos of the club.

A key appointment was Colin Begbie as head of youth development, who’s experience and network of football contacts has proven invaluable.

The club then applied, and secured a league position worthy of promotion to the NWCFL in 2014.

In their first season, the club finished 9th and reached the semi final of the Reusch Cup, only to be beaten by Atherton Colls.

A first ever appearance in the LCFA Senior Cup saw the club beaten by Skelmersdale United. REMYCA went on to reach the semi final in three consecutive years after this defeat.

In 2015, Phil Stafford was given the job as first team manager following a successful stint at Maghull.

In his second season, he led the club to a thrilling battle for promotion, which culminated in defeat at the final hurdle - the playoff final.

That game holds the attendance record in NWCFL history, with 1303 supporters

flocking to LSP.

In March 2016, the quarter final of the LCFA Senior Cup saw Everton travel to LSP and fall to a solid, containing REMYCA by a goal to nil.

This game put the club on the map, and boosted their profile and reputation.

Ultimately, at the end of that season, Stafford decided it was time to move on along with Andy Olsen, and, after a search for a new gaffer, Paul McNally was handed the task of leading REMYCA from the beginning of the 2017/18 season.

McNally put his own stamp on the team, and under huge expectations, guided the club to its first ever promotion and the highest level of football in the history of Litherland REMYCA.

Along the way, REMYCA made their first ever appearance in the FA Cup, beating AFC Liverpool 2-0 in a game live streamed across the BBC iPlayer.

In a shock turn of events, McNally left the club by mutual consent at the end of 2017-18, and left the club manager-less for the second straight summer.

James Olsen was chosen to be the man to take over in the summer of 2018 and lead the club in its first ever season in the NWCFL Premier Division.


D espite not playing a game for four weeks Charnock showed that the lay-off had had minimum effect by

producing an excellent performance in difficult conditions to collect the three points with a 4-2 win over Skelmersdale United at the JMO Sport Park. Charnock had taken a 2-0 lead by the 22nd minute but their hosts pulled a goal back before the Villagers quickly restored their two goal advantage. An early goal in the second half increased Charnock’s lead but playing into a strong wind they conceded a second goal on 65 minutes; they then held on to record another excellent away win.

Following their 3-2 win over Northwich Victoria four weeks previously there was only one change to the Villagers starting line-up, Mark Woods replaced Matt Davison who dropped to the bench. Lewis Haydock and Oliver Turner made up the three substitutes.

Skelmersdale won the toss and decided to play into a strong westerly wind so Charnock kicked off. The kindest description possibly for artificial surfaces is that they are lively and that situation along with a strong wind blowing down the pitch made it very difficult to produce consistent good football on this occasion. Charnock with their style of neat, short passing football were better equipped to cope with the conditions and in the end fully deserved their win. It took a little while for the Villagers to settle to the surroundings. An early header from Young sailed over the bar before Bibby shot narrowly past a post. There was 12 minutes on the clock before Charnock began to make their mark on

the game but they struggled defensively with the long balls into the wind from the home side. Groughan on the right proved to be a danger and Ascroft had to save from him immediately before Charnock took the lead on 15 minutes. A neat build up saw Grimshaw poke the ball through for NICKEAS to run clear and beat Barnes in the home goal. Charnock had to survive another dangerous attack before Grimshaw exchanged passes with Darr before shooting wide. Again Skelmersdale threatened, as the game moved from box to box, but Charnock survived as Nickeas raced back to knock the ball into touch. After 22 minutes Ascroft saved from Groughan and again Charnock went up to the other end and scored. Once more some neat football resulted in DARR going clear and comfortably poking the ball past the advancing Barnes. The home side however came back into the game after 26 minutes when Ellis beat Ascroft with a fine shot just inside the post. However it only took a minute for Charnock to respond with BIBBY hitting a thundering wind assisted free kick from fully 35 yards that found the net via a post. It was a stunning effort. Fairhurst hit a shot just past the post into the side netting and on 34 minutes when Grimshaw produced a powerful header from close range from a right wing cross it looked a another goal but it hit Barnes on the line and the ball was scrambled away. Charnock had to be satisfied with a 3-1 lead at half time.

Skelmersdale had the benefit of the wind in the second half but it is not always an advantage. Charnock faced 45 minutes of determined defending if they were to hold on to their lead but they had an enormous early boost when after 49 minutes DARR put them further ahead with a fine individual goal. Played clear on the left the


SATURDAY 7TH MARCH 2020 SKELMERSDALE 2 CHARNOCK RICHARD 4

Teams: Skelmersdale United: Barnes, Tyrer, Staunton (Adegbenro 57), Hampson (Hold-en-Moakes 53), Murphy, Griffiths, Preston, Carey, Ellis (Jarrett 73), Osi-Efa, Groughan .

Charnock Richard; Ascroft, Bibby, Walker, Young, O’Farrell, Nickeas, Regan (Davison 77), Fairhurst, Grimshaw, Darr, Woods (Haydock 83) Sub: (Not Used) Turner

tall striker with his pace cut into the left side of the box and hit a tremendous left foot shot into the far corner of the goal. Three minutes later Nickeas had a great chance to score again, some neat football played him clear but he shot just beyond the far post. Skelmersdale endeavoured to freshen up their team with two substitutions as they took advantage of the conditions and began to put pressure on the Villagers’ defence. The ball ran away from Woods on 64 minutes and his challenge on Holden-Moakes resulted in a yellow card and a free kick. The Skelmersdale player required treatment before getting up and hitting wind assisted screamer, similar to the Bibby effort in the first half, into the top left hand corner of the goal. The home team were definitely back in the game. Unfortunately Ben Ascroft collided with the post trying to save the kick and it looked as if he would not be able to continue but despite limping he managed to last out the full ninety minutes. Skelmersdale now really applied the pressure and with conditions continuing to deteriorate it required a real team effort in the final 25 minutes if the Villagers were going to collect the three points. The Villagers had to defend a good number of corners but the struggling Ben Ascroft was not really tested due to some excellent defending. Matt Davison replaced Danny Regan after 77 minutes and Lewis Haydock came on for Mark Woods after 83 minutes. On 87 minutes Charnock almost increased their lead, Darr produced another fine run down the right and pulled the ball back to Haydock, Barnes saved his shot with a foot and then Grimshaw hit the rebound fractionally past the far post. The referee played almost six added minutes but Skelmersdale could not take advantage and the Villagers could be very satisfied with their three points. The win ensured that they remained in fourth place in the table.


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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 15 16 17A 3 Rylands a 2-3 131 Ascroft Griffith Walker Woods O'Farrell Bennett Davison Fairhurst 1 Grimshaw 1 Oxley Regan Haydock (6) Schofield (2) Kay (10) Ainscough 6 Barnoldswick Town h 2-1 164 Ascroft Bibby Walker Woods O'Farrell Bennett Davison 1 Fairhurst Grimshaw 1 Oxley Regan Haydock (6) Kay (10) Griffith Ainscough Schofield 10 Lower Breck FAC EPR h 2-1 185 Ascroft Bibby 1 Griffith Woods O'Farrell Haydock Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw Kay 1 Regan Bennett (4) Oxley (10) Morris Walker (6) 17 1874 Northwich h 0-5 216 Ascroft Bibby Griffith Bennett O'Farrell Haydock Davison Morris Grimshaw Kay Regan Ainscough (4) Oxley (10) Walker Schofield (8) 21 Longridge Town a 2-3 195 Ascroft Bibby Walker Haydock Schofield Morris Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw 2 Kay Regan O'Farrell (5) Oxley (6) McNally 24 Longridge Town FAC PR h 1-1 234 Ascroft Bibby Walker Turner Schofield O'Farrell Haydock Fairhurst Grimshaw1 Oxley Davison Morris Kay( ) McNally Young 26 Avro h 1-3 154 Ascroft Bibby Walker Turner Schofield O'Farrell Haydock Fairhurst Grimshaw 1 Oxley Regan Woods (6) Kay (10) Griffith Young 28 Longridge Town FAC PRr a 2-0 525 Ascroft Bibby Griffith Turner Schofield Young Haydock Fairhurst Grimshaw 1 Kay Regan 1 Woods (8) Oxley O'Farrell (6) Walker 31 Cammell Laird FAV 1QR a 3-2 103 Ascroft Bibby Griffith Turner Schofield Young Haydock Fairhurst Grimshaw Kay Regan 1 Woods (10) 1 Oxley O'Farrell (5) Walker (3)S 7 Irlam FAC 1QR h 0-4 209 Ascroft Bibby Walker Turner O'Farrell Young Haydock Fairhurst Grimshaw Woods Regan Davison (10) Oxley (5) Kay Griffith (4) 10 Irlam a 4-2 114 Ascroft Bibby Walker Haydock 1 Young Woods Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw 2 Oxley Regan Bennett (6) Darr (10) 1 Griffith 14 Prestwich Heys FAV 2QR a 3-2 117 Ascroft Bibby Walker Haydock Young Woods Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw 3 Oxley Regan Bennett (11) Darr (10) Griffith (8) Turner 18 Runcorn Town a 3-1 146 Ascroft Bibby Walker Haydock Young Woods Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw Darr 2 Regan Bennett (6) Oxley (10) 1 Griffith (4) O'Farrell 21 Winsford United h 4-1 110 Ascroft Bibby Walker Haydock 1 Young Woods Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw 2 Oxley 1 Regan Bennett (4) Pilgrim (10) Griffith (3) O'Farrell TurnerO 5 Burscough a 2-1 101 Eastwood Bibby 1 Walker Haydock Young Woods Davison Fairhurst Darr 1 Oxley Regan Bennett (4) Griffith (7) Turner O'Farrell (6) Pilgrim 12 Lower Breck FAV 1R h 2-5 185 Ascroft Bibby Walker Haydock Young Woods Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw 1 Darr 1 Regan Bennett (7) Griffith (3) O'Farrell Oxley (6) 15 Congleton Town h 1-3 131 Ascroft Bibby Griffith Haydock 1 Young Bennett Regan Fairhurst Grimshaw Darr Woods Davison (11) Oxley (4) O'Farrell (6) Walker 19 Bacup Borough MC 1 a 1-1 71 Ascroft Bibby Griffith 1 Haydock O'Farrell Young Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw Darr Regan Bennett Oxley (4) Woods (11) Walker (3) 22 Skelmersdale United h 4-0 128 Ascroft Bibby Griffith Haydock O'Farrell Young Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw 2 Darr Walker Regan (11) 1 Oxley Woods (7) 1 Bennett (8)N 2 Whitchurch Alport h 4-0 131 Eastwood Bibby Griffith Young O'Farrell Haydock Davison Fairhurst 1 Grimshaw 1 Darr Walker Woods (3) 1 Oxley (10) Regan Bennett (8) 1 5 Lancaster City LCT 2R h 1-5 161 Eastwood Green Walker Young O'Farrell Bennett Davison Woods Grimshaw Oxley 1 Regan Fairhurst Darr (7) Haydock (8) Bibby (9) 12 Bootle h 3-1 148 Ascroft Bibby Griffith Young 1 O'Farrell Haydock 1 Davison 1 Woods Grimshaw Darr Walker Morris Oxley (9) Green (8) Turner 16 Congleton Town a 1-3 195 Ascroft Bibby Griffith Young O'Farrell Haydock Davison Woods Darr 1 Oxley Walker Morris Regan (3) Green Turner 19 Padiham h 2-0 101 Eastwood Bibby Griffith Young O'Farrell Haydock Davison Woods Grimshaw 2 Darr Walker Morris (6) Oxley (10) Green Turner 23 Winsford United a 2-0 194 Ascroft Bibby Griffith Young Green Haydock 1 Davison Woods Grimshaw Darr Walker 1 Morris (8) Oxley (10) Bennett Turner 30 Hanley Town h 4-0 102 Ascroft Bibby Griffith Young O'Farrell Haydock 1 Davison Bennett 1 Grimshaw 2 Darr Walker Fairhurst (6) Oxley (11) Green Turner (3)D 4 Litherland Remyca a 5-2 51 Ascroft Bibby Turner Young O'Farrell Haydock Davison Bennett Grimshaw 1 Darr 3 Oxley 1 Regan (7) Lindley (8) Morris Fairhurst 7 Northwich Victoria h 2-2 132 Ascroft Bibby Turner Young O'Farrell 1 Haydock Davison Bennett Grimshaw Darr 1 Oxley Fairhurst (8) Green Griffith (7) McNally 14 Padiham a 1-1 108 Ascroft Griffith Turner Young O'Farrell Haydock Bibby Fairhurst Grimshaw Darr 1 Oxley Green Woods Bennett (6) McNally (11) Regan 21 Squires Gate a 1-2 81 Ascroft Griffith Turner Young O'Farrell Bennett Bibby Fairhurst Grimshaw Darr 1 Nickeas Woods (11) Oxley Haydock (6) Walker (3) Regan 26 Ashton Athletic h 3-2 133 Ascroft Bibby 1 Griffith Young O'Farrell Haydock Woods 1 Fairhurst Grimshaw Darr 1 Nickeas Turner Oxley Bennett Regan (11) Walker (7) 28 Whitchurch Alport a 3-0 248 Ascroft Bibby Walker Bennett O'Farrell Woods 1 Regan Fairhurst Grimshaw 1 Darr Nickeas 1 Turner (5) Oxley (8) MorrisJ 4 Irlam h 2-0 147 Ascroft Turner Walker Bennett Young Woods Regan Fairhurst Grimshaw 1 Darr 1 Nickeas Haydock (4) Oxley (7) Lindley (2) Davison 11 Rylands h 3-1 136 Ascroft Bibby Walker Bennett Young Woods Regan Fairhurst Grimshaw 1 Darr 1 Nickeas Haydock (6) 1 Oxley (4) Davison (7) Griffith 18 1874 Northwich a 0-5 321 Ascroft Bibby Walker Bennett Young Haydock Regan Fairhurst Grimshaw Darr Nickeas Davison (11) Oxley (7) Griffith O'Farrell (4) 25 Hanley Town a 1-0 106 Eastwood Bibby Griffith Young O'Farrell Haydock Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw Darr 1 Regan Walker (11) Oxley (10) Nickeas (7)F 1 Burscough h 0-1 146 Ascroft Bibby Griffith Young O'Farrell Haydock Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw Darr Regan Walker Oxley Woods (6) Turner Nickeas (11) 8 Northwich Victoria a 3-2 169 Ascroft Bibby Walker Young O'Farrell Nickeas Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw 1 Darr 1 Regan Haydock (7) Oxley Turner Bennett Woods (6) 1M 7 Skelmersdale United a 4-2 192 Ascroft Bibby 1 Walker Young O'Farrell Nickeas 1 Regan Fairhurst Grimshaw Darr 2 Woods Haydock (11) Davison (7) Turner 14 Litherland Remyca h 21 Barnoldswick Town a 24 Runcorn Town h A 4 Longridge Town h 11 Bootle a 13 Ashton Athletic a 18 Squires Gate h 25 Avro a

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 15 16 17A 3 Rylands a 2-3 131 Ascroft Griffith Walker Woods O'Farrell Bennett Davison Fairhurst 1 Grimshaw 1 Oxley Regan Haydock (6) Schofield (2) Kay (10) Ainscough 6 Barnoldswick Town h 2-1 164 Ascroft Bibby Walker Woods O'Farrell Bennett Davison 1 Fairhurst Grimshaw 1 Oxley Regan Haydock (6) Kay (10) Griffith Ainscough Schofield 10 Lower Breck FAC EPR h 2-1 185 Ascroft Bibby 1 Griffith Woods O'Farrell Haydock Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw Kay 1 Regan Bennett (4) Oxley (10) Morris Walker (6) 17 1874 Northwich h 0-5 216 Ascroft Bibby Griffith Bennett O'Farrell Haydock Davison Morris Grimshaw Kay Regan Ainscough (4) Oxley (10) Walker Schofield (8) 21 Longridge Town a 2-3 195 Ascroft Bibby Walker Haydock Schofield Morris Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw 2 Kay Regan O'Farrell (5) Oxley (6) McNally 24 Longridge Town FAC PR h 1-1 234 Ascroft Bibby Walker Turner Schofield O'Farrell Haydock Fairhurst Grimshaw1 Oxley Davison Morris Kay( ) McNally Young 26 Avro h 1-3 154 Ascroft Bibby Walker Turner Schofield O'Farrell Haydock Fairhurst Grimshaw 1 Oxley Regan Woods (6) Kay (10) Griffith Young 28 Longridge Town FAC PRr a 2-0 525 Ascroft Bibby Griffith Turner Schofield Young Haydock Fairhurst Grimshaw 1 Kay Regan 1 Woods (8) Oxley O'Farrell (6) Walker 31 Cammell Laird FAV 1QR a 3-2 103 Ascroft Bibby Griffith Turner Schofield Young Haydock Fairhurst Grimshaw Kay Regan 1 Woods (10) 1 Oxley O'Farrell (5) Walker (3)S 7 Irlam FAC 1QR h 0-4 209 Ascroft Bibby Walker Turner O'Farrell Young Haydock Fairhurst Grimshaw Woods Regan Davison (10) Oxley (5) Kay Griffith (4) 10 Irlam a 4-2 114 Ascroft Bibby Walker Haydock 1 Young Woods Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw 2 Oxley Regan Bennett (6) Darr (10) 1 Griffith 14 Prestwich Heys FAV 2QR a 3-2 117 Ascroft Bibby Walker Haydock Young Woods Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw 3 Oxley Regan Bennett (11) Darr (10) Griffith (8) Turner 18 Runcorn Town a 3-1 146 Ascroft Bibby Walker Haydock Young Woods Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw Darr 2 Regan Bennett (6) Oxley (10) 1 Griffith (4) O'Farrell 21 Winsford United h 4-1 110 Ascroft Bibby Walker Haydock 1 Young Woods Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw 2 Oxley 1 Regan Bennett (4) Pilgrim (10) Griffith (3) O'Farrell TurnerO 5 Burscough a 2-1 101 Eastwood Bibby 1 Walker Haydock Young Woods Davison Fairhurst Darr 1 Oxley Regan Bennett (4) Griffith (7) Turner O'Farrell (6) Pilgrim 12 Lower Breck FAV 1R h 2-5 185 Ascroft Bibby Walker Haydock Young Woods Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw 1 Darr 1 Regan Bennett (7) Griffith (3) O'Farrell Oxley (6) 15 Congleton Town h 1-3 131 Ascroft Bibby Griffith Haydock 1 Young Bennett Regan Fairhurst Grimshaw Darr Woods Davison (11) Oxley (4) O'Farrell (6) Walker 19 Bacup Borough MC 1 a 1-1 71 Ascroft Bibby Griffith 1 Haydock O'Farrell Young Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw Darr Regan Bennett Oxley (4) Woods (11) Walker (3) 22 Skelmersdale United h 4-0 128 Ascroft Bibby Griffith Haydock O'Farrell Young Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw 2 Darr Walker Regan (11) 1 Oxley Woods (7) 1 Bennett (8)N 2 Whitchurch Alport h 4-0 131 Eastwood Bibby Griffith Young O'Farrell Haydock Davison Fairhurst 1 Grimshaw 1 Darr Walker Woods (3) 1 Oxley (10) Regan Bennett (8) 1 5 Lancaster City LCT 2R h 1-5 161 Eastwood Green Walker Young O'Farrell Bennett Davison Woods Grimshaw Oxley 1 Regan Fairhurst Darr (7) Haydock (8) Bibby (9) 12 Bootle h 3-1 148 Ascroft Bibby Griffith Young 1 O'Farrell Haydock 1 Davison 1 Woods Grimshaw Darr Walker Morris Oxley (9) Green (8) Turner 16 Congleton Town a 1-3 195 Ascroft Bibby Griffith Young O'Farrell Haydock Davison Woods Darr 1 Oxley Walker Morris Regan (3) Green Turner 19 Padiham h 2-0 101 Eastwood Bibby Griffith Young O'Farrell Haydock Davison Woods Grimshaw 2 Darr Walker Morris (6) Oxley (10) Green Turner 23 Winsford United a 2-0 194 Ascroft Bibby Griffith Young Green Haydock 1 Davison Woods Grimshaw Darr Walker 1 Morris (8) Oxley (10) Bennett Turner 30 Hanley Town h 4-0 102 Ascroft Bibby Griffith Young O'Farrell Haydock 1 Davison Bennett 1 Grimshaw 2 Darr Walker Fairhurst (6) Oxley (11) Green Turner (3)D 4 Litherland Remyca a 5-2 51 Ascroft Bibby Turner Young O'Farrell Haydock Davison Bennett Grimshaw 1 Darr 3 Oxley 1 Regan (7) Lindley (8) Morris Fairhurst 7 Northwich Victoria h 2-2 132 Ascroft Bibby Turner Young O'Farrell 1 Haydock Davison Bennett Grimshaw Darr 1 Oxley Fairhurst (8) Green Griffith (7) McNally 14 Padiham a 1-1 108 Ascroft Griffith Turner Young O'Farrell Haydock Bibby Fairhurst Grimshaw Darr 1 Oxley Green Woods Bennett (6) McNally (11) Regan 21 Squires Gate a 1-2 81 Ascroft Griffith Turner Young O'Farrell Bennett Bibby Fairhurst Grimshaw Darr 1 Nickeas Woods (11) Oxley Haydock (6) Walker (3) Regan 26 Ashton Athletic h 3-2 133 Ascroft Bibby 1 Griffith Young O'Farrell Haydock Woods 1 Fairhurst Grimshaw Darr 1 Nickeas Turner Oxley Bennett Regan (11) Walker (7) 28 Whitchurch Alport a 3-0 248 Ascroft Bibby Walker Bennett O'Farrell Woods 1 Regan Fairhurst Grimshaw 1 Darr Nickeas 1 Turner (5) Oxley (8) MorrisJ 4 Irlam h 2-0 147 Ascroft Turner Walker Bennett Young Woods Regan Fairhurst Grimshaw 1 Darr 1 Nickeas Haydock (4) Oxley (7) Lindley (2) Davison 11 Rylands h 3-1 136 Ascroft Bibby Walker Bennett Young Woods Regan Fairhurst Grimshaw 1 Darr 1 Nickeas Haydock (6) 1 Oxley (4) Davison (7) Griffith 18 1874 Northwich a 0-5 321 Ascroft Bibby Walker Bennett Young Haydock Regan Fairhurst Grimshaw Darr Nickeas Davison (11) Oxley (7) Griffith O'Farrell (4) 25 Hanley Town a 1-0 106 Eastwood Bibby Griffith Young O'Farrell Haydock Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw Darr 1 Regan Walker (11) Oxley (10) Nickeas (7)F 1 Burscough h 0-1 146 Ascroft Bibby Griffith Young O'Farrell Haydock Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw Darr Regan Walker Oxley Woods (6) Turner Nickeas (11) 8 Northwich Victoria a 3-2 169 Ascroft Bibby Walker Young O'Farrell Nickeas Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw 1 Darr 1 Regan Haydock (7) Oxley Turner Bennett Woods (6) 1M 7 Skelmersdale United a 4-2 192 Ascroft Bibby 1 Walker Young O'Farrell Nickeas 1 Regan Fairhurst Grimshaw Darr 2 Woods Haydock (11) Davison (7) Turner 14 Litherland Remyca h 21 Barnoldswick Town a 24 Runcorn Town h A 4 Longridge Town h 11 Bootle a 13 Ashton Athletic a 18 Squires Gate h 25 Avro a

Goalscorers in BOLD | ( ) Indicates substitute was used


R ecent storms swamped much of the country with the North West of England not having escaped the

worst of the wet and windy conditions. Some Saturday’s we have seen a complete washout of fixtures due to waterlogged pitches, with the mid-week schedules also suffering from multiple postponements.

Tom Besford, a follower of Runcorn Town, recently did a poll on Twitter concerning peoples thoughts about the viability and practicality of future employment of third and fourth generation of artificial pitches in non-league football. At the end of the poll, he had received 687 votes with 43% of people said that they believed that more artificial pitches should be used with 57% of people saying they prefer football to be played on grass pitches. In the North West Counties League Avro, Skelmersdale United, Lower Breck, Pilkington, Oswestry Town and Stockport Town are the only clubs with an artificial playing surface. It was rightly pointed out that the cost is prohibitive with a full-size pitch initially costing between £350k and £500k, with the surface needing replacing every 10 years; an extraordinarily high amount of money for a club to try and find. This alone would price most clubs out of laying a new artificial playing surface. These surfaces still need constant maintenance and the facility would need a high level of rented usage to pull back even a portion of the initial outlay, let alone the on-going cost of administration to run the operation. A club cannot just lay any old artificial surface down as they please. The facility has to be of a certain standard and meet Football Association approval. Also, for me, the jury’s still out on the issue of injury risk with the newer artificial playing surfaces, but the traditionalist in me still thinks that football was meant to be played on a natural surface. Even if the risk of injury is, in time, proved to be no greater on an artificial surface, having watched football played on 3rd generation surfaces I can say that from my point of view the game never really looks

the same. What do our readers think?

Last weekend we played on Skelmersdale United’s artificial surface and won 4-2 despite the high winds that prevailed throughout the game. It was a strong performance by the boys against an improving ‘Skem’ side and congratulations should be given to both sets of players for putting on a decent display of football in very poor conditions on the day. I was protected throughout the game being huddled under the stand and only came to realise just how blustery it was down at pitch level when leaving the seated area to get to the clubhouse at full time. So, well done one and all; the result kept us in fourth place in the table.

On a matter of interest, the last time that we played at the JMO Sports Park at the Blaguegate Playing Fields in Skelmersdale was on the 13th of October 2012 when we met West Cheshire League Division 1 side Southport Trinity in the Second Round of the Lancashire FA Amateur Shield. Charnock were in the West Lancashire League at that time. I remember the game well. We came out on top following an impressive 5-0 victory over the seaside club. The ground was not as well developed as it is nowadays, but like now, the pitch was an artificial one. For the record our team lined up as follows. 1-Adam Stone, 2-Chris Benson, 3-Liam Hayton, 4-Craig Banks, 5-Ross Bain, 6-Mark Edmeads, 7-Damian Dashti, 8-Andy Roberts cpt, 9-Carl Grimshaw, 10-David Burrows, 11-Alex Porter. Subs: 12- John Sanderson (23-10), 14- Jamie Sanderson (84-11), 15-David Prout, 16-Spencer Bibby (68-2). Our goals on that day were scored by Carl Grimshaw 3, Andy Roberts and Jamie Sanderson with one each. I remember it being a bitterly cold October afternoon. In his match report of the game Keith Reader said “This was the first time that Charnock had played a competitive game on an artificial pitch. A shower of rain just before the kick-off made the surface particularly slick and Charnock struggled to adapt……” he later commented that “It had not been easy on an unaccustomed surface


ISN'T THAT A PIP? DAVE ROWLAND

SECRETARY’S REPORT DAVE ROWLAND

Welcome to Mossie Park for this afternoon’s DivisionOne game against Sandbach United who are visitingus for the very first time and a warm Charnock welcome to all who have travelled up from deepestCheshire to be with us today. We hope that you willenjoy your stay and have a safe and trouble-free journey home after the game. The East Cheshire sideare a friendly and welcoming club as we found outwhen visiting them on that ill-fated fog-bound afternoon at the end of November. It is hoped that wecan return their excellent hospitality today.

I first met United’s secretary, John Clayton, and a coupleof their committee, at the Imperial Hotel on the NorthPromenade in Blackpool when attending the North WestCounties League AGM back on the 11th June. Applicantclubs were asked to remain outside of the meeting untilbeing summoned by League Chairman Paul Lawler whenthe representatives from each of the six applicants werecalled upon to give an introductory speech to the assembled throng before being voted in by the memberclubs. As we waited nervously in an adjacent room, SteveMawdesley and I got into conversation with the Sandbachcontingent and quickly found them to be a very sociablegroup. We got on with them immediately and it was andenjoyable exchange. That day we made our first friends inthe North West Counties League and long may it continue.

Sandbach United are one of the six newcomers to theNorth West Counties League this season and spent theprevious campaign at Step 7 in the Cheshire Leaguewhere they finished in 4th spot in the Premier Division.Like most of the newly promoted clubs they have made agood impression in their first season in the competitionand we wish them well. Today is of course our last homegame of the season not withstanding any play-off gamethat we may be involved in. To say that it has been a special one would be an understatement. We have enjoyed some wonderful football, been to many differentvenues for the first time, met some really great people andmade many new friends. When we left our comfort zone inthe West Lancashire League, we did so because the clubhad grown and developed to a point where new challenges and new horizons had become a necessity.

A new direction was needed if the club was to grow. Remaining stagnant was not an option. We have hadproblems to contend with. Finding funding for essentialground development and finding an appropriate level forour reserve side was only a couple of examples. The immediate aim was to consolidate at Step 6 level in theNational League System and to be in a position to sustain this in the long term. The players of our threesenior teams have had a fine season and once again thishas been due to the management skills and dedication ofthe management teams of all three. On the administration side, we have been joined by David Smithand Brian Lowe who have very kindly agreed to give oftheir precious time and for this we are very grateful.

For me, this is my fifth season as secretary and I canhonestly say, hand on heart, that the 2016-17 campaignis one of the best that I have enjoyed in football. At timesit has been hard graft and there are many individualswho have put in a good deal of that this term, literally. It isthe combined efforts of you all that make this, such aspecial football club and such a wonderful place to be.Of course, we do not know just how things will pan out asafter today. Indeed, we have three very difficult awaygames to negotiate. Whether we are in the play-offs ornot is anybody’s guess but it is a sign of the success thatwe have enjoyed, when we are still talking about wherewe will finish amongst the top group at this stage of affairs. Whatever occurs, well done one and all.

Dave Rowland | Club Secretary

“WE HAVE ENJOYED SOME WONDERFUL FOOTBALL, BEEN TO MANYDIFFERENT VENUES FOR THE FIRST TIME, MET SOME REALLY GREAT

PEOPLE AND MADE MANY NEW FRIENDS.”

07

SandbachUnitedl_17-04-17_Layout 1 10/04/2017 07:38 Page 7

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but Charnock competed well and their will to win had shone through and they got the result that their efforts had deserved.” Keith was back at the JMO last Saturday and his comments back then in 2012 could have so easily applied to the events last weekend. Now isn’t that a pip?

As mentioned in my Secretary’s Notes we are at Barnoldswick Town next weekend. Our next home game will be the rearranged Premier Division home game against Runcorn Town which was postponed due to a waterlogged Mossie Park pitch on 29th February. This will take place at Mossie Park a

week on Tuesday the 24th March at 7.45pm.

Most of our West Lancashire League Division 2 fixtures have now been rescheduled and the updated list you will find on another page in today’s programme.

With next season in mind we have already started planning for pre-season fixtures and will I update you with dates etc. in the future programmes before the end of term.

Dave Rowland, Secretary.


Charnock Richard FC acknowledge that every young person or adult who plays or takes part in football should be able to do so in a safe and enjoyable manner. The club also acknowledges that all the above mentioned should be protected from poor practice and free from abuse be it verbal, physical or racial. The club will not tolerate any form of foul or abusive language from spectators, guests, visitors or club officials of both teams on the sidelines, especially abuse which is directed at an individual player or match official. Admission to the ground and the right to remain is on condition that spectators adhere to the above. Throwing missiles of any description or encroachment on to the playing area, climbing on boundary fences or buildings will not be tolerated. Alcohol must not be brought into or consumed in the ground unless it has been purchased in plastic glasses from the Clubhouse. By order of Charnock Richard Football Club.

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EUXTON VILLA 2 CHARNOCK RICHARD 3WEST LANCASHIRE LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION14TH MARCH 2015

Team: Gavin Bates, Spencer Bibby, Josh Norgate, Craig Banks, Liam Hayton, David Fisher, Jack Bennett (Jamie Sanderson 69), Andy Roberts (David Prout 78), Carl Grimshaw, David Burrows, Mark Woods. Unused Subs: Ross O’Farrell, Danny Nolan.

With nearest rivals Blackpool Wren Rovers going down 2-3 at strugglers Eagley, Charnock increased their lead at the top of the West Lancashire League Premier Division with this derby day success at the Jim Fowler Memorial Fields over local rivals Euxton Villa. The 3-2 victory extended the Mossie Park outfit’s impressive winning sequence to eleven games in league and cup and was especially poignant on a ground where the visitors have traditionally found things difficult in recent years. This was a typical derby with plenty of local pride at stake and was evenly fought out in the first period with the teams going in 1-1 at the break, although Charnock had what appeared to be, a reasonably good goal wiped out on 24 minutes. The second half was dominated by the visitors and the eventual score-line hardly reflected the overall balance of play.

Manager, Andy Westwell, made just one change to his starting line-up from the game at Bourne Park two weeks previously, bringing Craig Banks back into the centre of defence; replacing Ross O’Farrell, who took his place on the bench alongside Jamie Sanderson, David Prout and America-bound Danny Nolan.

The league leaders got their noses in front after 13 minutes when Villa goalkeeper, Struan Robertson fumbled a well-directed free-kick by Dave Burrows and full-back Josh Norgate was on hand to apply

the finishing touch from almost on the goal-line. The goal stunned Villa and for a time they struggled to get into the game. Indeed, they just escaped going two behind following a scramble in their penalty box on 15 minutes. The game then began to turn in Villa’s favour as they put the visiting defence under sustained pressure and a Danny Hogg pile-driver on 25 minutes smacked against the far post with Bates beaten before the ball bounced to safety. Villa equalised from the penalty spot on 35 minutes when the lively Hogg was brought down by Dave Fisher inside the box and full-back Mark Swift confidently swept home past Bates from twelve yards.

Things were to change dramatically after the break with Charnock dominating proceedings throughout. The visitors came out in determined fashion early in the second-half and a Grimshaw header hit the crossbar on 46 minutes following a well-directed Burrows cross after good work down the right by Mark Woods. Then on 51 minutes the visitors’ persistence paid off when a short free-kick found David Burrows just inside the right hand angle of the home penalty-box. Burrows manoeuvred to his left before deftly placing a looping shot beyond Robertson for arguably, the best goal of the afternoon. On 63 minutes Charnock scored a third, and as it turned out, vital goal. It stemmed from a neat, crisp three man move on the right which Woods instigated with an astute pass out to Grimshaw who had found himself some room on the right. Grimshaw quickly transferred the ball across the six-yard line and Jack Bennett moved in to slot home. Charnock swarmed all over the Villa defence but could not add to their account. It almost proved costly when Villa scored a second on 86 minutes, when following a needless foul given away just inside their own half, Andrew Leggett headed over Bates from the resultant Richard Wilson free-kick.

However, Charnock comfortably held out in the dying minutes. Dave Rowland

GAMES FROM THE PAST 5 YEARS AGO

AFC DARWEN 2 CHARNOCK RICHARD 0WEST LANCASHIRE LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISIONWEDNESDAY 17TH MARCH 2010

Team: Kevin Baldwin, Damian Dashti (Craig Banks 72), Andy Battersby, Liam Hayton, Jimmy King, Phil Jackson, Andy Roberts, Alex Randell (David Prout 65), Chris Robinson, John Sanderson (Martin O’Neill 75), Carl Grimshaw. SUB: (Not Used) Jordan Wilson.

This was a disappointing evening, after starting brightly Charnock failed to maintain any consistency and at the final whistle their performance was rewarded with the result that it deserved. Darwen took an early lead assisted by a deflection off the referee and after losing Carl Grimshaw to a red card on the half hour mark they failed to really trouble the home defence for the remainder of the game. Darwen confirmed their victory with another goal late in the game, and had their left back sent off in the final minutes.

The starting eleven was the same as that which had beaten Lostock St Gerards in the previous game. New signing Martin O’Neill replaced Mark Kerr, who was unavailable due to work commitments, on the bench.

It was a fine, mild evening which encouraged a decent crowd estimated at 90 as Charnock started their first league game played under floodlights kicking up the slope. Darwen had suffered a crushing 6-0 defeat by Vickerstown CC in their previous game and they looked decidedly short of confidence in the early stages of the game. Charnock were soon on the offensive and they dominated the opening 15 minutes. Darwen’s tactics were to rely on some nippy forwards by delivering the ball to them as directly as they could. The keeper could not hold onto a Carl Grimshaw’s 20 yards shot but recovered quickly to collect the rebound. Only the cross bar prevented Charnock taking the lead after 11 minutes, Roberts was fouled on the edge of the area and

King’s free kick beat the keeper but came back off the bar. Charnock were dominating the play but once again failing to score goals. King then scooped a good chance wide after a nice piece of attacking football down the left. The game swung Darwen’s way after 19 minutes, a pass deflected off the referee leaving Dashti beaten and two kicks later Baldwin was picking the ball out of the net. Really Darwen never looked back after this stroke of luck. Their confidence improved immensely and the visitors’ ability to produce neat passing football declined by the minute. There was further disappointment for Charnock after 32 minutes, Grimshaw contested with the right back to keep the ball in play on the bye line and as both players were getting up the right back punched Carl in the stomach, a wrestling match ensued but as often happens in these cases the perpetrator got off scot free and the retaliator was shown a red card. There is no doubt that the injustice seriously affected the visitors and from that point on Darwen rarely looked in doubt of losing the game.

Having kicked up the slope in the first half and initially looking the better side Charnock’s hopes of taking advantage of the conditions in the second half were severely dented by only having 10 men. There was a change around at half time, Liam Hayton moved up front and King slotted into the back three. Charnock again had most of the possession in the second half with Darwen again relying on quick breakaways to add to their score. Charnock however failed to produce little if any of their usual man-to-man football resorting to a more direct style that was easily dealt with by the home defenders. Jackson had the only real chance but his close range header was straight into the hands of the keeper. A free kick conceded by Charnock on the edge of their penalty area after 77 minutes was headed into the net and the game was over except for the red card for Smith, the home left back, for an attempted head butt on Roberts. The referee suffering from cramp handed over to the senior linesman for the final minutes of the game.


GAMES FROM THE PAST 10 YEARS AGO

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T he NWCFL 2020 Groundhope took place over the weekend with over 3,400 fans in attendance over

the three days and seven matches - an amazing few days.

The weekend kicked off on Friday evening with 455 fans in attendance as Sandbach United defeated Alsager Town 3-1 - after initially falling behind in the First Division South. In the Northern section, AFC Liverpool narrowly defeated Bacup Borough 1-0, whilst Steeton went off the bottom of the table with a 3-2 away win over Golcar United.

Saturday Rylands in the NWCFL top-flight narrow the gap to the summit to just four points as they defeated Whitchurch Alport 2-0 - a goal

in each secured an important win for David McNabb's side who are now unbeaten in their last nine league games.

An own goal in the fifth minute put McNabb's in control, then just after the break Andy Scarisbrick added a second taking three points back to Cheshire.

Bootle maintained their charge for promotion, Connor Millington, James Hoper and Rob Doran netted as they beat Irlam 3-0.

At the other end of the table, Barnoldswick Town recorded a 3-1 win over bottom side Hanley Town in a vital 6-pointer. Hanley initially took the lead - James Melhado getting himself on the scoresheet, but Barnoldswick rallied and fought back much to Endrit Shehu's delight.


NWCFL MATCHDAY REVIEW 2019/20 #57

CHARTERED FINANCIAL PLANNERSCHARTERED FINANCIAL PLANNERSTRUE BEARING

PeterAshcroft-TrueBearing-Ad-125x60mm-Oct19-081019-Paths.indd 1 08/10/2019 16:54

Chris Lomax cancelled out an early Declan Gallagher goal as Burscough and Ashton Athletic battled out a 1-1 drew, whilst Padiham and Avro recorded the same scoreline at the Ruby Civil Arena.

A topsy-turvy game between Longridge Town and Litherland REMYCA saw both sides lead at one point, but it was the hosts who snatched the three points with a 4-2 win as Andrew Howarth scored the winner.

In the NWCFL First Division North, a topsy turvy game at AFC Darwen saw the hosts come out the right side of a 4-3 win over Chadderton, whilst Ashton Town had an important 2-0 win against AFC Blackpool, and Shelley returned home pointless following a 3-1 loss to Cleator Moor Celtic.

Emley AFC continued their fine form with a 4-1 win over Prestwich Heys, whilst Garstang was on fire, defeating Daisy Hill 7-1.

Elsewhere, Holker Old Boys scored one in each half to defeat Pilkington 2-0, whilst the biggest winners of the day were Lower Breck who hit eight without reply away at St Helens Town - Will Dunne and Oscar Billington both scoring hat-tricks on a fine afternoon for Gary Moores side.

Charnock Richard stayed fourth with a 4-2 away win against a spirited Skelmersdale United, meanwhile, Runcorn Town fell to a 2-0 loss to Squires Gate.

In the early kick-off in the NWCFL First Division South, Wythenshawe Amateurs narrowly defeat West Didsbury & Chorlton with 546 watching on.

Just a few hours later 589 watch Wythenshawe Town come from behind to defeat Abey Hey 3-2.

In the 3 pm games, Abbey Hulton United and Cammell Laird 1907 thrashed out a 1-1 draw, whilst leaders Vauxhall Motors moved to within five points of promotion following a 4-1 win over Barnton.

New Mills turn the tie on its head against Eccleshall, bagging the three points thanks to a Benito Lowe double, whilst Stone Old Alleynians come from behind to put St Martins to the sword - winning 4-1.

Stockport Town won 5-1 in the 4:20 pm kick off with 342 watching over Cheadle Heath Nomads, whilst in the final game of the day, a Patrick Davin double gave Cheadle Town a 2-1 victory over Maine Road.

On Sunday, there where two NWCFL Premier Division games, with over 1,000 fans in the two games.

A Brandon Barski and Bradley Lynch double saw Northwich Victoria close the gap on those in front with a fine 4-2 win away at Congleton Town, whilst 627 fans saw league leaders 1874 Northwich run out 2-0 winners away at Winsford United.


CAR PARKTo prevent inconvenience to local residents on Charter Lane it

would be appreciated if all players, officials, visitors and supporters would PLEASE USE THE CLUB CAR PARK


FROM THE RESERVES IAN MOUNTAIN

T he reserve team management would like to extend a warm welcome to the players, officials and fans of

Litherland REMYCA, we hope you enjoy the hospitality this afternoon and a safe journey home later.

We also wish our first team good luck in building on a great away win last week by taking another 3 points this afternoon.

Since the last update we have been lucky enough to get a game in. We hadn’t been able to play on a Saturday for a month before that due to the weather so we were all really looking forward to the visit of Mill Hill St Peters.

We had beaten them at their place 0-3 earlier in the season and it was from the Mill Hill management’s actions after that game that we lost the 12 points for the season so there was a bit of needle between the sides before the start.

Credit to the groundsmen, the pitch has coped well with the weather but was still quite heavy at kick off. We also took advantage of the first teams inaction the preceding few weeks to get some minutes into players coming back from injury.

The first half saw us play some really good football in a very one sided game. Our opponents had set up to disrupt our play by whatever means and it partly worked. Chances came and went and we were unlucky not to convert so much possession into the goals we deserved, going into the break scoreless.

The second half started in a similar fashion, leading to us winning a penalty which Scott Hendy converted. That should have settled the team but 5 minutes later, against the run of play,a mistake dealing with a long ball led to an equaliser for Mill Hill.

We then looked shaken for 20 minutes and could have lost the game, our opponents grew in confidence and created a few chances, hitting the bar. It took a while and a couple of changes to restore a bit of composure and we got ourselves back into the game.

We created several half chances and a few clear cut ones. Towards the end, just after we should have got the winner, we were reduced to 10 men through the sin bin. The game then went as our opponents disrupting tactics got the better of our frustrated players. They had a man sent off and we were disappointed leaving the field with the draw.

On reflection, we again created a lot of chances and looked solid defensively. We have also lost similar games against similar opponents this season so the management team feel that we have hopefully learned better to recover from setbacks.

So while we didn’t get 3 points, hopefully this will serve the group well next season as we are intent on a promotion campaign. Unfortunately we have no game scheduled this week to get it out of our system quickly.

We will be using the gap instead to look at all the squad, including a few new additions, in a match situation, giving us a chance to try a few different things before ending the month with consecutive home games.Ian Mountain, Manager

West Lancashire League Division 2 2019-20 Aug S 3 Storeys a 2-0 Charnley, McNallyT 13 Burscough Dynamo h 3-2 Meite, Morris, TurnerS 17 Furness Cavaliers a 3-0 Meite, Pilgrim, C RigbyW 21 Rossendale a 0-3 S 24 Walney Island a 1-5 TickleS 31 Galgate h 7-1 McNally 2, Banks, Blackhurst, Hendy, McLoghlin, MorrisSep S 7 Chipping a 2-3 McNally 2S 14 Dalton United h 2-2 Hendy, McNallyW 18 Burnley United a 4-1 Hendy, Lindley, Tickle, TurnerS 21 Freckleton a 1-3 HendyS 28 Mill Hill St Peters a 3-0 Hendy 2, ColeyOct S 19 Furness Rovers LC1 a 3-3 Nolan 2, HendyNov S 2 Dalton United a 4-4 Hendy 4S 9 Garstang Reserve h 3-1 Hendy, Lindley, MeiteS 16 Kendal United h 3-1 Hendy, McNally, NolanW 20 Garstang Reserve a 4-0 Coley, Morris, Nolan, C RigbyS 23 Storeys h 1-2 HendyDec S 7 Burscough Dynamo a 5-1 Meite 2, Coley, Hendy, TickleJan S 11 Galgate a 3-0 Hendy 3S 18 Furness Cavaliers h 3-0 McNally, Nguethe, Tickle.S 25 Rossendale h 1-3 AshcroftFeb S 8 Furness Rovers h 5-0 Hendy, McNally, Morris, Nguethe, PilgrimMar S 7 Mill Hill St Peters h 1-1 HendyS 21 Chipping h 3.00pmS 28 Freckleton h 3.00pmT 31 Longridge Town Reserve h 7.45pmApr T 7 Longridge Town Reserve a 7.45pmS 11 Burnley United h 3.00pmM 13 Furness Rovers a 3.00pmS 18 Kendal United a 3.00pmS 25 Walney Island h 3.00pm date provisional

L ast Saturday Charnock put in a tremendous performance at the JMO Sports Park in Skelmersdale to beat

United 4-2. The home team were evicted by the landlord from their ground in the town several years ago and subsequently have played most of their fixtures since at Prescot Cables. The result of playing so far away from their fan base saw their attendances substantially reduced and they have suffered relegation. On Boxing Day they played their first game at their new ground after a frantic effort to erect a new seated stand and a covered standing area.

The ground which has a 3G artificial pitch is part of a large sports park which includes grass pitches and a further full size and several five-a-side artificial pitches. Charnock played a second round Lancashire Amateur Shield tie against Southport Trinity, on Saturday 13th October 2012, at this location after their own pitch in Southport was declared unfit due to waterlogging. Charnock won 5-0 with a hat-trick from Carl Grimshaw and goals from Andy Roberts and Jamie Sanderson.

One of the main criticisms from spectators is that artificial grass pitches are usually surrounded by a high netting fences which gives the impression that the game is being played in a cage with little space available for spectators. This was the case back in 2012 but the modifications made to accommodate Skelmersdale have largely changed this impression as the fence on two sides has been moved back considerably to allow the erection of a small covered standing area and a substantial seated kit grandstand. The fence has been modified so that the bottom six feet in composed of solid wood to prevent persons outside the ground being able to see the game. This is a ground grading requirement for clubs that play in Step 4 and above. Further work on the ground is on-going.

To come to the pitch surface this is, as evident from Charnock playing there in 2012, a third generation (3G) artificial pitch and consequently it provides a

very lively surface, the ball bounces exceptionally high and runs away quickly from players if the pass is not accurate. In the windy conditions on Saturday it was particularly difficult to produce good football. As in previous games played in strong winds this season Charnock’s style of neat passing football gave them the edge; the long-ball tactics employed by Skelmersdale are not usually very successful on artificial pitches but they have had some notable victories since they moved here.

There is a lot of controversy about playing league games on plastic pitches and in fact the EFL and Premier League will not accept teams that play on them. There are three teams at present in the National League that have artificial surfaces Bromley, Sutton United and Harrogate Town. The first two clubs are not in line for promotion this season but Harrogate are in second place at the moment and obviously face a difficult decision if they are to be accepted into Division 2 of the EFL should they become eligible for promotion.

In our first season in this league we played at Park Hall, the ground of New Saints (TNS), against Oswestry and this ground has an artificial pitch but it is a 4G surface. I was impressed when watching the Villagers perform on this pitch because from the stand it did look like normal grass and it appeared to perform in a similar fashion. The match in Division 1 of the NWCL was played on 17th December 2016 and Charnock won 5-0 with goals from Carl Grimshaw (2), Spencer Bibby, Mark Adams and Jon Hession who came on from the bench and scored on his debut for the club.

There is a rather strange quirk to the ground at Skelmersdale in that entering at the west end you have to walk around both the north and east sides to reach the grandstand on the south side. In the seats last Saturday we were relatively protected from the south-westerly wind but walking back out at the end of the game it became apparent how strong the wind was and it emphasised how well the lads had performed in the second half on such a difficult surface.

Keith Reader


THE LAST WORD KEITH READER

THE LAST WORD KEITH READER

Due to printing and editor deadlines I have to writethis final column of the season with four leaguegames outstanding so it is impossible to comment onCharnock’s final position in the table and, most importantly, where they will be playing their footballnext season. Will it be in the Premier Division by automatic promotion or through the play-offs ormaybe we will have to be satisfied with having a second season in Division One but whatever happensit has been a very successful and exciting first seasonin the North West Counties League.

This season saw Charnock make their debut in the FAVase and it has been very satisfactory but with a little bit ofluck it could have been even more successful. In the preliminary rounds we won at Whickham in the North Eastthen visited Yorkshire to beat Harrogate Railway Athletic.The First Round Proper saw a home tie against old opponents Barnoldswick Town which we won after extratime. The home defeat at Mossie Park at the hands ofStaveley Miners Welfare was largely due to having to fieldan understrength team; suspensions for Spencer Bibby,Josh Norgate and Mike Fletcher all made them ineligible,Ashley Young missed through a knee problem and thenlosing Danny Smith to injury before half time and a missedpenalty all contributed to the defeat. If we had won wewould have had a trip up to play South Shields of theNorthern League who are now through to the Wembleyfinal. At the time they were averaging gates of over 1200.Win or lose it would have been a bumper pay day for theclub with a share of the gate receipts and more FA money for reaching that stage of the competition. As it was Staveley made the journey, pocketed the money andlost 3-0.

Charnock were drawn away to Bamber Bridge in the firstround of the Lancashire FA Challenge Trophy, it was ourdebut in the competition and against all the odds cameaway with a 2-0 win. Drawn away at Ashton Athletic in thenext round we had plenty of chances to win the game inthe first half but in the end lost 1-0. Ashton went on to win2-1 against Radcliffe Borough in the final at the MacronStadium after knocking out Chorley in the semi-final. A littlemore accuracy with our shooting at Ashton and who knowswhat could have happened? In our league cup debuts wemade early exits in both competitions. In the Macron Cupwe were unlucky to lose 2-1 at Handley Town, the winningpenalty being awarded for the ball hitting Josh Norgate’sshoulder. We successfully negotiated our way through theReusch First Division Cup to the quarter-finals where welost 4-1 at home to Widnes.

Football squads inevitably evolve over the years and anumber of new signings were made for this season.Some players have fitted in well and have made regularappearances others disappeared; several did not evenmake one appearance. Over previous seasons CarlGrimshaw and David Burrows formed a successful goalscoring partnership for the club. Last season they totalled77 goals between them and there was the expectancythat they would score a similar number this season. Unfortunately domestic problems resulted in Dave making himself unavailable and he has been sorely missed.

In the 2015-16 season Damian Dashti passed the landmark of 500 appearances for the first team and hehas continued to feature in most match squads this season. He is now approaching 550 appearances whichis another remarkable record of dedication to CharnockRichard FC. There have been other impressive performances by players this season but for me oneplayer has stood out above anyone else - Ross O’Farrellhas had an outstanding season to date. Ross is anotherplayer that has been at Charnock for almost all his career first appearing in the ‘A’ team back in season2007-08 from where he has worked his way up to become a regular in the first team squad. He is mychoice as “Player of the Year”.

Finally I must mention the support that the club have enjoyed both home and away. To date home attendanceshave only dropped below 100 once and the average sofar is 140. Everyone at the club has put in a remarkableamount of time and effort and come May we will be looking forward to our second season in the North WestCounties League. I hope to be writing this column againnext season, many thanks for reading it.

Keith Reader

30

SandbachUnitedl_17-04-17_Layout 1 10/04/2017 09:38

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SQUAD LISTS

PROGRAMME DESIGN & PRINT BY MATCHDAYCREATIVE.CO.UK CHAPEL-EN-LE-FRITH, HIGH PEAK

Litherland REMYCA

Manager Phil Stafford

JOSH O'CONNELLRYAN GRIERMICHAEL WHITEDAVID CRISTWILLIAM DOHERTYASHTON CLEMENTSPAUL SPEEDJAMES LAWGEORGE DONNELLYJAMES MURPHYALEX RYANMICHAEL ORDISHNEIL MONAGHANCASEY LEEJACK RILEYEINAR WHITEBRADLEY SMARTJAMES HAMMILLLEE CARROLLPAUL FOYJAKE CONNORSTEPHEN KING

Charnock Richard

Manager Ryan Donnellan

BEN ASCROFTJAMES WALKER

SPENCER BIBBYROSS O'FARRELLASHLEY YOUNGOLIVER TURNERJACK BENNETT

MATTHEW DAVISONOLIVER OXLEY

LEWIS HAYDOCK MARK WOODS

AARON GRIFFITHDANIEL REGAN

NATHAN FAIRHURSTCARL GRIMSHAW

JORDAN DARR OWEN MORRIS

OWEN GREEN NATHAN NICKEAS

MATCH OFFICIALSReferee Dane McCarrickAssistants Joseph Larkin

& Curtis Wood

charnock richard football club 22 · 2020. 9. 6. · 9 squires gate 31 12 4 15 53 67 -14 40 10...

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