Tuesday, 6th January 2009

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6th September 2008
Review Of The Week

SKELMERSDALE UNITED surrendered the lead three times against GARFORTH TOWN in a 3-3 draw and with it their top spot as goal hungry NEWCASTLE BLUE STAR, MOSSLEY and CLITHEROE all took advantage with wins.

Blue Star were two down at WOODLEY SPORTS but came back with four of their own to make it twenty goals in their five games.

There was a hat-trick for Mossley's Mike Fish at bottom club SALFORD CITY whilst CLITHEROE virtually bagged the points in the first twenty minutes at home to WAKEFIELD scoring all their goals in a 3-0 win in an opening burst.

OSSETT ALBION occupy fifth after edging out LANCASTER CITY whilst DURHAM CITY kept their fifth consecutive clean sheet in league and cup when beating TRAFFORD to take sixth spot. The North East newcomers, along with "Skem, are the only undefeated sides after COLWYN BAY lost to BAMBER BRIDGE.

ILKESTON TOWN suffered their first defeat of the season on Tuesday when losing at WITTON ALBION but still managed to finish the week two points clear at the top of the Premier Division from GUISELEY and HEDNESFORD TOWN both of whom lost a game to the weather.

In the games they did play both those clubs maintained their unbeaten records with the "Pitmen" winning at home on Tuesday against BUXTON whilst the Yorkshire side twice lost the lead against BOSTON UNITED but held on for a point at the weekend.

Surprise package ASHTON UNITED stay fourth after winning at CAMMELL LAIRD in midweek whilst MARINE, who lost their unbeaten record when losing at home to Ilkeston, and LEIGH GENESIS dispute the final play-off spot.

Genesis made the most of FRICKLEY ATHLETIC's poor away record as did NORTH FERRIBY UNITED whose midweek win against Athletic was their first of the season. Frickley have now picked up just one point from twelve on their travels. The only club now without a win are PRESCOT CABLES after they lost on Tuesday to Leigh.

The First Division South's match of the day between SHEPSHED DYNAMO and STOCKSBRIDGE fell victim to the weather leaving RUSHALL OLYMPIC to go to the head of affairs despite being held to a goalless draw at home by LINCOLN UNITED.

A hat-trick from Mick Godber enabled RETFORD UNITED to join Dynamo and Stocksbridge on ten points whilst BELPER TOWN and LEEK TOWN, both of whom are still unbeaten, along with GRESLEY ROVERS are just a point further adrift.

At the opposite end QUORN grabbed their first win in convincing style hitting four past STAMFORD and also enjoying their first win were CARLTON TOWN who beat newcomers GLAPWELL leaving just GOOLE AFC and BRIGG TOWN as the only clubs in the Division still to taste success.

UniBond "Fair Play" Awards

The UniBond "Fair Play" awards for August have gone to NANTWICH TOWN, NEWCASTLE BLUE STAR and GRANTHAM TOWN respectively.

The "Dabbers" actually tied with Boston United for the Premier Division award with two cautions in their four games but edged the prize as they had three games without a caution to the "Pilgrims" two.

Newcastle Blue Star pocketed the sponsors' First Division North winners' cheque for £1,000 last season and they started off the new campaign as though they mean to win it again with just two cautions in four games.

Grantham Town were the real good boys with no cautions at all in their four league matches and they already have a clear lead in the First Division South table.

At the other end of the scale Buxton had three players dismissed in August but are not bottom of the top tier table with both Witton Albion and Worksop Town below them.

Garforth Town were the First Division's naughty boys with eleven cautions and one red whilst Goole AFC are bottom of the First Division South albeit with a better record than four clubs in both the other two Divisions.

The League Sponsors UniBond have put up six thousand pounds in prize money for the "Fair Play" awards over the whole season with each Divisional winner receiving a cheque for £1,000, the runners-up £650 and the third placed sides £350.

UniBond Groundsmen Sweep The Board

It was a very proud day indeed on Wednesday when the UniBond League swept the board at the Groundsman of the Year awards held at Windsor Racecourse with Garforth Town's Richard Cale and Phil Varney of Belper Town finishing first and second in the national awards section for Steps 3 and 4 of the game ahead of the Metropolitan Police FC groundsman Bryan Hyde.

The Football Association's Facilities Manager Steve Williams said: "A good pitch isn't just about money. Our judges (which included groundsmen from Spurs, West Ham United, Manchester City, Reading and Southampton) were looking at the experience of the groundsmen involved and the amount of time they spent on their work regardless of weather and budget".

Cale began working on the pitch for Garforth on a part-time basis in 2003 operating around the shifts in his full time job with Yorkshire Electricity. In addition to his work as a groundsman the 43 year old is a UEFA "B" qualified coach and used to coach children in and around the Leeds area until recently when he became more committed to Garforth. In the League's own category Skelmersdale United's Peter McGee finished third to Messrs Cale and Varney.

Bay Sign Corden

Colwyn Bay have signed 32 year old Wayne Corden who has well over three hundred appearances under his belt in the full time game. He began his career with his local side Port Vale playing around seventy matches for them before signing for Mansfield Town where he clocked up some two hundred appearances. He then moved to Scunthorpe United and after loan spells with both Chester City and Leyton Orient he signed a permanent deal with the latter who were his last Football League club together with a loan spell at Notts County.

100% Replay Success

UniBond clubs made up for a somewhat disappointing day last Saturday when they secured a 100% win record in the eight midweek replays.

That gave the League 25 wins out of 35 games against outside opposition and with the three winners from the all UniBond ties the First Divisions have 28 of their 41 clubs still standing as against 22 from 36 last season.

With the increase in prize money also helping it means that the successful clubs this time around have earned £42,000 - almost double the £22,000 at the same stage last year.

The Premier Division clubs enter at the next stage and the draw for the 1st Qualifying Round has thrown up four all top tier ties.

Nantwich Town have unfinished business to settle with FC United of Manchester when they meet on 13th September having comprehensively beaten United 5-1 in the UniBond League President's Cup last season only to be removed from the competition for playing a young substitute in the dying stages of the game when he wasn't a registered player.

United went on to win the competition! Worksop Town after conceding six on the opening day of the campaign at Marine will not relish a return trip there so soon whilst there is a tasty all Derbyshire "derby" at Ilkeston Town where Matlock Town are the visitors.

The final all Premier Division clash sees Ashton United host Kendal Town. There are six ties where First Division clubs will be attempting to lower the top tier's colours, four all First Division games and twenty-two ties against outside opposition.

UniBond League Launch "Boots For Africa" Campaign

The UniBond League and its sponsors Henkel, parent company of the UniBond brands, officially launched their "Boots for Africa" campaign on Friday.

The plan, first mooted at the League Sponsor's Presentation Day held at the Reebok Stadium on 25th July, swings in to action with the target set at 2008 pairs of boots.

The idea was originally the brainchild of the world's oldest club Sheffield FC and they will still be very actively involved particularly as the central storage area from where all the boots collected will be shipped to Africa.

UniBond clubs are being encouraged to participate in the scheme with the lure of £2,500 of incentives from the League Sponsors who are offering three cash prizes of £250 each to the club making the highest contribution to the scheme in each of the three periods ending 31st October, 31st January and 30th April.

In addition the sponsors are providing £1,750's worth of UniBond DIY and Repair products to the clubs that provide that most boots over the whole period.

Experienced Striker For Ferriby

North Ferriby United have signed the experienced striker Steve Torpey, a veteran of more than six hundred games and around 150 goals in a long Football League career that began as a trainee at Millwall.

The 37 year old Londoner only played a handful of games for the "Lions" but made around a century of appearances at his next club Bradford City and more than 150 for Swansea City.

He clocked up another seventy matches for Bristol City before becoming Scunthorpe United's record signing in February 2000 when £175,000 exchanged hands for him.

He repaid the "Irons" faith playing some 250 games and scoring sixty goals before moving to his last full time club Lincoln City from where he dropped in to the semi-professional ranks with Farsley Celtic last season.

Glapwell Appoint Hall

With former chief scout Jason Blunt deciding to continue his playing career at Goole AFC ambitious newcomers Glapwell have turned to former Mansfield Town chief scout Mark Hall to replace him.

Hall's playing career saw him appear for Leicester City, Halifax Town and Oxford United whilst he has scouted for Sheffield United, Yeovil Town and Derby County in addition to the "Stags".

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