pavspatch

[pavspatch]

Droylsden's Comeback Worth More than a Little Coverage

DROYLSDEN may no longer be the non-league powerhouse they once were, but there’s no disputing the fact that the Bloods are back.

Reports of the their death were exaggerated. After three years in suspended animation they have confounded the doom-sayers by not only returning to the field of play, but by enjoying a highly respectable first season.

And to make sure I didn’t overlook the fact — as if I dared — chairman/manager Dave Pace stopped me recently, pointing out: “A cup final, a cup semi-final and the play-offs in our first season back. I thought that might have been worth a little Pav?”

However, in another change from the old days, my offer to do an interview was declined. All I got was “I prefer to let the football do the talking these days”.

Time was when Dave Pace had a comment on anything and everything. Much of it was tongue-in-cheek, but if his intention was to hog the headlines he certainly succeeded.

He bought Droylsden FC from Dave Sterling in 1992 and spent his first four years signing and sacking a string of top-class managers. Then he decided to run the team himself. After 28 years in post, he has a claim to being one of the longest-serving managers of all time.

Back in 1997 his picture appeared beneath the back-page banner headline “promotion or I’ll quit”. He stormed: “I always said in the first instance I would only take on the job until the end of the season. If I decide to stay on, which is more than likely, I’ll make this promise — I’ll either take the team up or resign.”

It’s no wonder he used to be a popular guest on BBC Radio Manchester.

I attended the Bloods’ last NPL game, on the Saturday before lockdown was declared in March, 2020, and watched them lose 4-0 to Clitheroe. That was a club in serious decline, losing and conceding heavily, week after week. The only good thing about the day was the crowd of 350, but it was artificially swollen by the dearth of football that weekend.

Soon after, when Dave announced he was suspending operations and Droylsden resigned from the Northern Premier League most people must have thought that was that. How long would it be until the Butchers Arms was sold off and built on?

But somewhere in the darkness, Pace kept the flame flickering and it sparked back into life last summer.

Okay, the Bloods are now in the North West Counties League first division south rather than the Conference where they plied their trade less than 20 years ago. It could be many years until they’re playing another Football League club in the FA Cup. But the Bloods have made a more than promising start. The club has a future.

A cup final and a play-off spot offer a great deal of hope. Crowds are much higher than they were in 2020 and often around double the 350 of that drab March afternoon. That used to seem unthinkable.

So hats off to David Pace. Despite his well-earned Marmite status — you either like him or you hate him — his dedication to Droylsden has never been in doubt. Thanks to him they have lived to fight another day.

And having lost in the play-offs and the semi-finals of the Edward Case Cup, who’s to say the club won’t make it third time lucky in the final of the Macron (league) Cup on Saturday, May 11, when they face Barnoldswick Town at Accrington Stanley (3pm)?

A piece of silverware would be a great way to celebrate their rebirth. It would show that the Bloods are not only back. but back to stay.

[pavspatch]

The Twists and Turns of Curzon Ashton's 60-year Journey

WHEN I think back to the Curzon Ashton I first encountered, and compare them with the club that has just qualified for the National League North play-offs, I struggle to comprehend the change. 

It's been a long, long journey with many setbacks, but over the best part of 40 years the Nash have established themselves as Tameside's senior side and with one foot in what is still known among fans as the Conference.

My own association with Curzon was somewhat accidental. My intention, when I took over as the Ashton-under-Lyne Reporter Group sports editor in 1987, was to carry on watching Hyde United. However, I found myself "forced" to cover Curzon Ashton.

The lad who had been my Nash correspondent was, to put it bluntly, useless. And as successor to the infamous Martyn Torr I had to establish some personal credibility with the public and indeed my colleagues at the paper. I also dreaded another angry phone call from Harry Twamley, complaining that Ashton United received preferential treatment thanks to the venerable DCN Jones.

All seven of the paper's senior sides needed to be properly covered, so the only thing to do was to do the job myself.

I was confronted with a club that was struggling badly. Curzon's application for the new NPL first division had proved successful when those of more established neighbours such as Stalybridge Celtic and Ashton United had failed. But it was looking as though they had over-reached themselves.

They had tried to operate at the higher level with the same Sunday school/Sunday league methods that had served them so well in the Manchester League and Cheshire League, and taken them to the semi-finals of the FA Vase in 1980.

Players still paid subs and managers — men like Ronnie Capstick and Kevin Bryan — were promoted from within. 

In the NPL, which was a true semi-professional competition, that didn't work. Curzon started badly and there was little improvement after Dave Noble was summarily sacked and replaced with Steve Waywell. They finished the season second-bottom of the table.

Their ground at that time was National Park (also known as Brush Electric) the home of defunct inter-war Cheshire League club Ashton National. There was minimal cover and the clubhouse was a former RAF cadets drill hall.

Having decided to follow Curzon's fortunes I threw my heart and soul into it and reported on them home and away. This level of dedication from the local rag must have been something of a surprise. When I walked into Bootle's ground to watch an FA Vase tie in November, 1988, goalkeeper Ian Senior, who was warming up, gave me a look of amazement and shouted: "Pav, what the hell are you doing here?"

For some years things did gradually improve. Curzon started to look like promotion candidates (there were no play-offs then) and reached the quarter-finals of the Vase. But you would never have seen them as a potential National League club, only as an established NPL side. And then disaster struck.

If Harry Twamley has a failing — beyond his reluctance to spend money — it's that he has occasionally put his faith in people who have let him down. That happened in the mid-Nineties when Blackpool businessman Stuart Kerr was invited to join the board. 

Kerr's tenure, which started with great promise, ended in bitter recriminations and caused a huge split. Relegation followed, not to the North West Counties League, but to the Northern Counties East League. 

Curzon spent a season playing over the Pennines in Yorkshire and it didn't end well. They finished second-bottom of the table and were relegated again.

At least this time they were back in Lancashire, but it was still the NWCL second division. The Nash were so far behind their Tameside rivals that they needed binoculars to see them. There appeared to be no prospect of catching up on a highly ambitious and reputedly free-spending Ashton United, or newly-promoted Droylsden, let alone Hyde United or Stalybridge Celtic.

The one thing about hitting rock bottom, however, is that the only way is up. Curzon acquired a new ground, leaving National Park for the Tameside Stadium, and appointed two first-class managers in Gary Lowe and John Flanagan.

Within ten years they were not only back in the NPL, thanks to vacancies created by the reorganisation of the Northern Premier and National leagues, but had hit the national headlines as FA Cup giantkillers by beating Exeter City.

Yet the Nash were still regarded as plucky underdogs. They'd had their five minutes of fame and were expected to fade back into the shadows as quickly as Gary Lowe's phone had stopped ringing after they lost their second round tie at Kidderminster.

Even after they were crowned NPL first division champions at Harrogate Railway Athletic in 2014, Niall Cummins rising high to head a late winner, no one could have known what lay ahead. Within only 12 months they had won promotion to National League North via the play-offs, and in that first season finished one place above Stalybridge Celtic to claim bragging rights as Tameside's best.

Each summer, the prediction was that Curzon would be relegated. They were too small, too weak, and too poor to prosper at such a lofty level. They were punching far above their weight. Yet year after year, and with relatively little money at his disposal, John Flanagan did the seemingly impossible and Curzon not only survived but impressed.

Far from returning to the NPL, Curzon actually seemed to get better every season. When Flanagan was surprisingly sacked in 2018, it was thought the Nash might falter at last, but each succeeding manager has kept the blue flag flying. 

Most recently, Craig Mahon has proved a more than worthy successor. He manages as he plays, showing wholehearted commitment and effort.

It's hard to know what some of Curzon's founders would have made of their club's rise up the pyramid. Surely people like Pete Booth, Terry Spruce, Derek Lees, Ronnie Capstick, Glynn Wright, Maurice Rubin and even Harry Twamley could never have imagined it in their wildest dreams? 

Or maybe they could. After all, the Curzon Amateurs side that was created in 1963 — an amalgam of Curzon Road Methodists (Hurst Wesleyans) and Assheton Amateurs — was effectively a bunch of mates looking for a game. Did they see beyond those humble beginnings to the creation of an established semi-professional club?

Of course, I don't expect Curzon to achieve promotion this year. They're too small, too poor and too weak. They're punching too far above their weight. They'll never get through the play-offs.

But then considering how many times they've proved me wrong over the last 40 years, I'd be a brave man to bet against them doing it again.

[pavspatch]

“The Ridiculous Life of a Non-League Chairman”

WRITING a successful funny book on football is no easy task, as I know only too well. Something that raises a lot of laughs when it happens, or when recounted at the bar top over a few beers, often draws looks of total indifference sometime later when it appears in print.

And you’ll inevitably find it compared with the magnum opus that is Fred Eyre’s “Kicked into Touch”.

"Nowhere to Run", the new book by Ashton United co-chairman Jonathan Sayer, differs from the traditional style. Rather than being a collection of humorous anecdotes, it's a novel based on funny stories, many of which, by the author's own admission, have been embellished and exaggerated.

Names, on the whole, have been changed "to protect the innocent" but anyone who's familiar with Ashton United, or the Tameside non-league scene, should be able to work out who they are, even though the author insists none of his characters are faithful representations.

First-team manager Jamie Benshaw — a free-scoring striker with a mop of blond hair — has to be Jody Banim. Harry "Robbo" Roberts — a tall ex-police officer — chimes with Steve "Hobbo" Hobson. Club president Reginald Timpkins is the legendary Ronnie Thomasson. Tony Liverstout must be an amalgam of Terry Hollis and Terry Liversidge. You can work the rest out for yourself.

Interestingly, Mike Clegg gets his real name. His successor Steve Cunningham becomes Jamie Cunningham. I suspect the book was pretty much complete by the time Ashton changed managers at the start of the year

"Nowhere to Run" is a tale which does exactly what it says on the tin - well, cover. It recounts the ridiculous life of the chairman of a semi-professional football outfit. It's not uproariously funny, but it does make you smile and want to turn over the next page.

Its greatest success is how it allows the average supporter see a club through the eyes of owners. As fans, we know how we feel, and we have, or at least thinke we have, a good idea of the management and players. But what of the chairmen, the people so often viewed as inept and responsible for creating problems rather than solving them?

Jonathan gives us more than a peep behind the curtain. And he accepts the low-esteem in which directors are held. The book starts with a quote from Bill Shankly: "At any football club there's a holy trinity: the players, the manager and the supporters. The directors don't come into it. They are only there to sign cheques."

I'd often wondered what it was like to sack a manager. "Nowhere to Run" supplies a blow-by-blow account not only of what happens when the axe falls, but also the dilemma owners face when coming to their decision. Should they show faith and give the boss time to turn things round? Or should they act before things get even worse and it's too late?

Jonathan even admits to being scared of how the manager might react — something I've often wondered about considering some of the managers I've dealt with over the last 40-plus years.

We also get an inside view of the appointment process, which is something clubs tend to keep very secret in these days where they release news through anodyne social media statements rather than through a dedicated reporter from the local rag.

"Nowhere to Run" shows it really is true that people will askfor a job fully believing their success at the Football Manager video game is ample qualification to lead a Northern Premier League side. Sorting through dozens of applications is no easy task. The book also confirms that former Curzon boss John Flanagan was interviewed. He has to be Jim Finnigan who managed local rivals.

All the bitter disappointments and euphoric highs of running a non-league outfit are laid bare: buying (too much) kit, placating stroppy long-time supporters, dealing with the council, and the chaos that passes for wages and finances. The constant stream of phone calls, texts and WhatsApp messages, each on a different topic.

"Nowhere to Run" is a warm, gentle and funny read that underlines the Burke family's love for Ashton United and their genuine desire to see the club do well.

Anyone with knowledge of the semi-professional game should enjoy it. If you don't have knowledge, believe me, the stories are based on fact. I have personal experience of the mayhem that passes for everyday life in non-league land. I still bear the scars from meetings that have featured long, long arguments over buying an extra dozen pies for Saturday's derby match.

Whether Jonathan really drove to Bashley in Hampshire rather than Basford in Nottinghamshire, is another matter entirely.

"Nowhere to Run" by Jonathan Sayer, published by Bantam Books, will be published on August 10. 20 per cent of all proceeds will go to Ashton United in perpetuity.

[pavspatch]

Stability Not the Spectacular at Celtic

LOOK after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves. Give that old saying a football twist, and it pretty much sums up the philosophy of Stalybridge Celtic's new co-majority shareholders Nigel Jones and Paul Bowden.

There are no grandiose statements to win the attention and approval of supporters, no plans to win Football League status within ten or 15 years, and no huge infrastructure projects. Instead, there's plenty of talk of incremental progress starting with winning promotion from the Pitching In first division west back up to the premier division.

Mr Jones equates it all with what would be called the discovery phase in business — finding out what works, what doesn't work, and what could be done better.

"It’s a journey of continual improvement. You don’t get everything right at once but if you keep steadily improving things will follow from there. It’s all about improving the squad, governance, the matchday experience and the relationship fans. That’s how we’ll drive things forward," he explained.

"First of all we need to get the right squad in place and time is against us. We have to hit the ground running and although we've been co-owners less than a week we've already made some moves such as a fans' forum on Monday, June 5. The rest will come over the next few weeks and months.

"Paul and I believe the fans are ready for a change. It's been a difficult few years culminating in last season' relegation. Rob Gorski was at the club a long time and we need to show that the change people are demanding is taking place. They need to see we’re not just following the status quo.

"We’ve started the process by appointing a new manager. That’s no reflection on Chris Willcock’s abilities – I don’t actually know him at all – but Stalybridge Celtic needs a fresh start. We also need to maximise revenues. By doing that we’ll have more money for players. We need to have the best team we can.

"First and foremost we’ll look at the more straightforward things like sponsorship and increasing matchday revenues. Let's take things one step at a time, focus on the little things first and gradually build up."

After going through seven managers in ten years (eight including the Paul Phillips's partner Steve Halford), plus many other comings and goings, the new owners also believe the club craves and indeed requires a period of stability.

In James Kinsey, who was with Mr Jones at Wythenshawe Town, they believe they have a manager who can provide it. Their intention is to have him in charge for a lengthy period.

"We need stability 100 per cent. I know James well and have worked with him. We're looking for him to be with us for many years and that's something I think is very important at this level," said Mr Jones.

"He'll be given a budget and he’ll have full control of that. James can consult us if he feels he needs to but we’re more than happy to let him get on with it.

"James is young and he has that energy and drive that goes with youth. That energy he brings is fantastic and it will make a big difference, especially if we can get the fans with us."

One of the charges often levelled at Rob Gorski was that he treated Stalybridge Celtic as a hobby rather than a business. It was an accusation he utterly refuted, and Jones and Bowden insist it's the same with them.

Although Mr Jones willingly talks about fun and getting a buzz, he adds that he and his co-majority shareholder are determined to change the club's fortunes and turn it into a success.

He said: "We’re deadly serious. We accept it’s going to be very tough to take Celtic into profit but we want to win. I run a business that employs 500 people and that’s a challenge. There are good times and there are bad times.

"While Paul lives in Bristol, I live in Sale and represent the local face of our partnership. I’m planning to be at Bower Fold every week and we're going to put some good governance in place. We really want to do this properly.

"Stalybridge Celtic has a good name in the North West and that's why we were interested in buying it. There are also some good people at the club who put a lot of time in for no financial reward – just for the love of it."

And what of the much talked-about state-of-the-art 3G pitch and new social club Celtic have chased for so long? Mr Jones added: "Every non-league club will have researched 3G pitches and know the money they can bring in from things like midweek five-a-side leagues.

"There may be grants available from bodies such as from the Football Foundation, but these things take time and are a big commitment.

"We’re not going to promise A, B and C or say we'll suddenly transform Bower Fold. We’re going to start by concentrating on what happens on the pitch. Hopefully, we should be able to achieve promotion quite quickly – maybe even in the first season. We'll move on from there."

[pavspatch]

In an exclusive interview, Rob Gorski reveals that his majority shareholding in Stalybridge Celtic has finally been sold and he believes better days lie ahead for the club.

[pavspatch]

A Future for Celtic Fans to Embrace — Gorski

ROB GORSKI has issued the following statement regarding the collapsed sale of his majority shareholding in Stalybridge Celtic FC to Ian Whittaker:

"I have read, with great interest, the statement issued by either Mr Ian Whittaker or his representative. I would like to take this opportunity to correct a few comments.

“However, I have no interest in escalating matters and this will be my final statement on the issue.

"Separately, in a statement that will be exclusively forward-looking, I hope that there will be a second, wonderfully positive, announcement early this week with regard to the future of the club.

"For the record, I have absolutely no issues whatsoever with Ian. We communicated amicably throughout the whole process and I certainly wish him well in his future endeavours.

"1. I have been told that a member of Ian’s staff has claimed that I tried to change the contract near conclusion by including potential add-ons for me, should players ever get sold on, post the selling of my shares. Categorically, I refute such a suggestion. I have never, once, taken a solitary penny out of the club. Furthermore, as those on the ‘inside’ know, the reality is that I continually invested in the club — for two decades. 

"2. I vigorously deny any suggestions that I tried to force anybody’s hand. I was advised that Ian had decided to change his mind with regards to an email he sent me on February 7 with regard to a certain character being involved at the club. The board notified me of this change and they stated that there would be resignations should Ian proceed with that proposal. I agreed wholeheartedly with the board on this issue. 

"3. Moreover, without going in to somebody else’s personal finances, I was asked whether I could offer Ian financial assistance on our agreement as a financial transaction he was pursuing had fallen through. At that stage, I had thoughts about this whole deal. "In the interim, I was informed that a certain third party had expressed interest in acquiring my shares. I had an initial meeting with that party and discussions developed from there. I cannot say anymore at this stage, however, the two people involved are highly successful, highly intelligent, businessmen who I sincerely believe would be a fabulous fit for the football club.

"The chairman-elect is a football man, understands non-league football, and they both want to drive the club forward. These could be extremely exciting times for the club and its fans.

"Contrary to certain suggestions, I wish to make it very clear, that I personally shall not receive anywhere near as much for my shares as I would have under the previous agreement. However, it has been, remains and always will be, my strong desire to do what is best for Stalybridge Celtic Football Club.

"Consequently, despite my own financial ‘hit’, and purely for the benefit of the fans and the club, I have chosen to sell to people who I personally believe will be able to take the club where all the fans want it to be. 

"We all hope that an announcement can be made within the next 72 hours. It will be one that Celtic fans should embrace wholeheartedly and give the club the necessary backing everyone craves. Once contracts are signed, an announcement will be made.

“I’m sure that the new owners will then arrange a meet the fans forum where everyone can learn more about them and their ambitions."

[pavspatch]

Bid to Buy Celtic Collapses

LAST week I was contacted by the office of Stalybridge businessman Ian Whittaker saying he had negotiated a deal to buy the majority shareholding in Stalybridge Celtic from Rob Gorski and asking me to write a story.

I was told the sale would be formally announced after the weekend, after which I would be free to publish.

His office has been back in touch this afternoon to say the deal has fallen through, that Mr Gorski has found a potential new buyer, and issuing the following statement.

Rob Gorski has been contacted for his comments.

"As was known publicly, Ian Whittaker and Rob Gorski were in talks for Stalybridge Celtic Football Club and the sale of Mr Gorski’s shares. This deal had been discussed at length by both parties over the last three months.  

"An agreement was reached a month ago for a substantial six-figure sum, which was going to secure Stalybridge Celtic’s future. Mr Whittaker and his team have worked around the clock for the last month or so, organising plans for the football club going forward. The aim was to turn the club into a self-sustaining business that would eventually be profitable and not rely on anybody pumping endless amounts of money in an unsustainable fashion.

"A draft contract had been prepared and was being finalised by the legal teams of both parties. However, a number of issues cropped up in the last seven days. At the last minute Mr Gorski tried to add conditions to the contract which  Mr Whittaker could not agree to.

"Yet, while we waited for the contract to get to an agreeable stage, Mr Gorski had allowed Ian Whittaker and his team to introduce themselves to the board to outline plans and how the future looked for Stalybridge Celtic.

"The board were keen to work with Mr Whittaker and have him as the chairman once all was signed but were unhappy about one of his team being given a role. A plan was outlined in terms of a clean slate and that changes would be happening within the club, on and off the pitch, which it is believed some members of the current board may have had issue with and then informed Mr Gorski of what the plans were.

"Mr Whittaker was told that he should not have this team member involved or there would be resignations from the board, presumably to try and force his hand on this issue.  

"In hindsight, the meeting between the board and Mr Whittaker’s party should never have happened until the deal was agreed and signed but with Mr Gorski saying that he was happy for it to take place, as the sale would be announced as soon as the contract was signed, there appeared to be no issue, especially as it was believed at that time that agreed terms had been reached.

"Mr Gorski didn’t want to announce the sale until the contract was signed in case Mr Whittaker pulled out, which is ironic as Mr Gorski has now withdrawn from the deal and it is believed the reason for this is that he may have taken exception to the proposed amendments required to the contract documentation that would have been required to enable it to reflect the terms that had initially been agreed.

"The stated reason given for the withdrawal by Mr Gorski is that the buyers missed a purported deadline to exchange agreements of Monday, 15 May. Such a deadline date was never notified to Mr Whittaker or his solicitors and again the irony is that Mr Gorski’s solicitors had sent over Version 3 of the contract on Tuesday, 16 May, the day after the purported deadline.

"Further, the original documentation had only been provided on the afternoon of Thursday, 11 May, so there had certainly not been any delays on the part of the buyer. "We are extremely disappointed this has happened, and that Mr Gorski has gone elsewhere for a deal after Ian Whittaker and his team worked for three months to get the club into a position where the business was running smoothly and not on the verge of insolvency as we are led to believe it was or indeed it currently is.

"We couldn’t wait to work with the fans and the community of Stalybridge to restore the former glory of Celtic after the apparent decline of recent years. We had plans in place to triple the turnover of the football club and for a 4G pitch to be put down before the 2024-25 season. Work was meant to begin this week to knock down the old social club and build a new two-storey venue with a classroom to bring the academy on site. This was all part of a redevelopment of the ground which has been left to ruin for years.

"We had proposed to offer board seats to the supporters' association to build the link with the fans and we were keen on working with Stalybridge Celtic Juniors and all the schools in the Stalybridge area to make it feel like everybody’s club.

"It's fair to say that the dealings of Mr Gorski and a limited number of the current board members have left a bitter taste in many people’s mouths. We hope they don’t regret the way this has turned out.

"We would just like to thank all the people that have helped us in this journey and supported our bid."

[pavspatch]

What does the future hold for Stalybridge Celtic?

PEOPLE have been on at me over the last week, asking me to pen some thoughts on Stalybridge Celtic’s relegation.

Here goes . . .

THE pictures show thousands of people in Armentieres Square. They've gathered to salute their heroes — players like Steve Pickford, Martin Filson, Kevin Parr and Matty McNeill — who have just stepped off an open-top bus after a triumphant tour of the town.

In their hands, being proudly shown to the vast crowds, are the the Cheshire Senior Cup and the Northern Premier League championship trophy and President's Cup. A couple of months later a fourth piece of silverware will be added, the Peter Swales Shield.

That was 2001. Move forward 22 years and it's a completely different scene. Stalybridge Celtic have gone from being Tameside's most successful club, and membership of the National League, to relegation to the NPL's first division west — the lowest level of foot ball they have experienced since their North West Counties League days 40 years ago.

Ostensibly, Celtic's decline mirrors that of Mossley in the 1980s. However, while the Lilywhites collapse was sudden — two NPL titles and three runners-up spots followed by a plunge to bottom place in 1983-84, Stalybridge's decline has been much more gradual and painful.

As recently as 2008 they were facing Barrow, now members of EFL League Two, in the National League North play-off final. Four years later they spent the first half of the 2011-12 season vying for the championship with Hyde United who ultimately won it. In 2015 they reached the first round of the FA Cup.

At the same time, Celtic's slick commercial operation was the pride of the area. Every match seemed to be preceded by a packed sponsors' lounge. The club exuded professionalism from the moment you stepped through the doors and saw the trophy cabinets and team pictures. Other clubs could only look on with envy.

In my BBC Radio Manchester days I would regularly describe Celtic as among the most successful of sides. And then I'd get a phone call from my late friend Keith Trudgeon who would point out that Bridge hadn't actually won anything since 2001.

So what went wrong? Or should that be what didn't go right?

There have been plenty of false dawns, such as the plan to move the stadium to the town centre, which collapsed almost as soon as it was announced. The squad briefly went full time, and there have been personalities who arrived at Bower Fold promising great things and then quietly departed.

Many, perhaps even most, people would lay the blame for Bridge's steady decline at the feet of one man. Indeed an ex-manager I asked about Celtic's problems actually answered: "You can sum it all up in two words — Rob Gorski."

But not every former boss is of the same opinion. Another commented: "Whenever the resources were provided to bring good players in, it was down to Rob Gorski.

"At any level, if you have a big budget, you should be able to push for the top. The board all worked tirelessly to make it a great club.

"It's a long road back. Those days can return but without the money, and leadership on and off the park, the club will struggle. Hopefully they can bounce back."

I know from personal experience that when things aren't going well people fall out at non-league football clubs. Jobs that would normally be taken care of without fuss can be ignored or become the cause of arguments and ill-feeling. People are constantly quitting or threatening to.

The departure of one or two key people can also leave huge gaps to fill. At Hyde United, Steve Johnson is constantly mocked as a silly old duffer, but when he stands down in ten or 15 years' time, who will replace him?

Will there be another person waiting in the wings who wants to spend their every waking hour at Ewen Fields working in the tea bar and doing a host of other jobs from accounts to emptying bins, and for no payment? Such people are extremely difficult to find.

With any luck relegation will prove to be a catharsis and Celtic will indeed start to bounce back. It is possible.

In 2009, Hyde United were wound up in the High Court for a week. After their two seasons in the National League they suffered three consecutive relegations. Now, they're among the serious candidates for promotion from the Northern Premier League.

Curzon Ashton, Tameside's only National League North outfit, had a terrible time in the mid-1990s, falling from the NPL first division north into the Northern Counties East League and then the NWCL second division.

As Bridge manager Chris Willcock stated in his message to supporters, Celtic are at a crossroads but one where the club has the power to choose its path forward. The massive setback it has just suffered can be a catalyst for positive change. Energy needs to be channelled towards creating a brighter future.

At some point soon, the majority of fans will get what they want. Rob Gorski will find a buyer for his shares, he'll cut his links, and Stalybridge Celtic will have a new owner with a new broom and a new plan. Whatever people may think of Rob Gorski, and his methods and motives, he wouldn't risk the club's future by selling to a swindler. He genuinely loves Celtic.

There could be a bigger role ahead for the supporters and all manner of other possibilities.

While those who fail to learn history's lessons are doomed to repeat them, to paraphrase Winston Churchill, it's equally true that you can't fixate on the past. You have to look to the future and that's what Stalybridge Celtic need to do now as they pick themselves up off the canvas.

[pavspatch]

Hyde's place in the history of the penalty

IT'S amazing what sometimes makes its way into your inbox. Recently, and thanks to Mike Smith who is better known as Mossley Smiffy, I was alerted to the fact that the first penalty in the history of football was scored by a former Hyde player.

The man in question was James McLuggage who spent a season with the Victorian Tigers in 1889-90. He played at least 20 matches, scoring a dozen goals.

At the time Hyde FC were a very ambitious club, in fact one with ideas above their station, and it was this attitude that led to the famous FA Cup tie with Preston North End (who were quite a lot bigger).

In common with the Invincibles and other Football League clubs they began to talk of importing talent from Scotland — something that wasn't cheap. But the Athletic News said Hyde had a free purse and there was even talk of signing a player from Glasgow Rangers Reserves on wages of £3 a week (which would equate to about £270 in today's money).

That may even have been McLuggage, who made at least one appearance for the Ibrox first team, but he joined Hyde from Accrington.

Hyde spent lavishly in other ways too. They paid clubs like Belfast Athletic to come and play them. J Fairbrother and Son (Grange Road North was then called Fairbrother Street) started erecting a grandstand. They joined the Lancashire League and even sold photographs of the players.

Of course they couldn't afford it, and by the mid-1890s the original Hyde FC had folded. A new club was established by Charlie Barber, landlord of the Gardeners, Lumn Road.

But back to the famous Jim McLuggage. Here's how his historic penalty exploits are recorded on scottishsporthistory.com:

"One of the cornerstones of football was born in 1891, out of frustration at cynical fouls which prevented a goal. The penalty kick was launched at a meeting of the International FA Board, held in the Alexandra Hotel, Glasgow, on June 2, 1891.

"It was one of the most momentous changes to the laws of the game, and while it was intended for the following season it did not take long to make an impact. The first award of a penalty took place just four days later, on June 6, 1891, at Mavisbank Park, Airdrie.

"Larkhall side Royal Albert defeated Airdrieonians 2-0 to lift the Airdrie Charity Cup and one of their players made history. Around 2,000 fans witnessed 'what is in all likelihood the first case of a referee granting a foul under the new law for tripping, holding, or handling the ball within 12 yards of goal'.

"Few people, least of all the players, knew what to expect: 'That the new law was a puzzle to the players was evident, all appeared to think they could stand in front of the ball as of old, but imagine the astonishment of both players and spectators when Connor alone was left between the sticks, while his ten companions had to go six yards behind the ball along with the Royalists.

" 'In simple, the new law means that but two men settle such infringement, the kicker and opposing goalkeeper, and a goal is a moral certainty with half-good management'.   "The main protagonists in this little scene can all be identified. The referee was James Robertson of 5th King's Royal Volunteers, who lived in Partick and represented the Southern Counties on the Scottish FA committee. The goalkeeper was the veteran James Connor, who had a Scotland cap to his name.

"And most importantly, the scorer was James McLuggage.

"Born in Ireland around 1865, James and his family moved to Scotland when he was a small boy and at some stage dropped a letter from their original name of McCluggage. He started his football career with Cowlairs, and was good enough to be selected for Glasgow against Sheffield in 1886.

"When he moved to Larkhall he turned out for Royal Albert and the Motherwell Times in 1888 described how a howl of joy and triumph arose from the Larkhall supporters’ when he took the field.

"McLuggage also recorded occasional appearances for Third Lanark and Rangers before turning professional with Accrington in 1889. However, although he played in eight Football League matches, it was not a success.

"By the end of the year he had joined Hyde and he was back in Scotland with Royal Albert in 1891, where he remained for at least four years.

"His sole claim to football fame is that momentous penalty. He died in Larkhall on November 18, 1949."

[pavspatch]

Cunny’s aim is to build not bolt

STEVE CUNNINGHAM made an explosive return to the Northern Premier League on Saturday.

Barely three days after taking over at Ashton United, he led a demoralised side that had conceded ten goals without reply in two Christmas games to a 3-0 victory at play-off chasing Warrington Rylands.

But Cunningham — who won last season's championship with Buxton — doesn't want to be known as a flash in the pan and spurns any suggestion of new-manager bounce. His intention is to construct a squad that conforms to his footballing philosophy. One that makes progress this season ready to become promotion challengers in 2023-24.

"Since I left Buxton last May I've been watching two games a week at various levels, building my network, reflecting and learning so that I could hit the ground running when the right job became available," said Cunningham.

"I was very honoured to be offered four roles but turned them down as they weren't what I was looking for.

"While I'll admit Ashton hadn't been on my radar, when they rang me I liked what they said and what they were building. It was soon clear we were on the same page. They want to attract fans into Hurst Cross by playing entertaining football which is something I believe in and have achieved elsewhere.

"I realise there are people who say Buxton should have won last year's championship considering the resources they had. What I'd say to them is that despite those resources, Buxton had never managed it before and they had to finish ahead of South Shields. I know what it takes to win the Northern Premier League. "

The Robins' side at Rylands included four signings — André Mendes, Nathan Lowe, Jason Gilchrist and Jack McKay — and Cunningham promises more will soon follow. While he accepts that loans have their uses, he wants players who are committed to Ashton United rather than staying a week or two purely with the aim of putting themselves in the shop window as he puts it.

He explained: "I had to make signings as some players had reached the end of their loan spells and some had been approached by other clubs. For whatever reason things didn't work out but good players will always attract interest. That happens in football.

"What I want to do is create a sense of togetherness in the dressing room. That comes from having consistency in the squad and that's something we badly need if we're going to achieve things next season.

"I have to make changes to do that so we're going to have what you could call a bit of a mini pre-season.

"Regularly bringing in six or seven players won't work. I've got to sign players who accept my philosophy and the way I want to play.

"As for the Rylands game, it was important we won. Happy as I was with the way the new signings played, I was delighted for the lads who had suffered the defeats by FC United and Hyde.

"We were in a position in the table where if we lost a couple of games while those around us won, we could have been dragged into a relegation battle. If we can win again, we could move nicely up the table.

"But I've been put under no pressure by the co-chairmen, Dave and Jonathan. There's been no talk of hitting the play-offs. They want me to build a team."

Firm as he is about his commitment to Ashton United and his belief that he can do well at Hurst Cross, Cunningham is equally insistent he has nothing to prove to the Robins' neighbours, Curzon Ashton, who sacked him almost 18 months ago.

"There's absolutely no malice. I've been to the Tameside Stadium a few times to watch games and we all got on well. But I don't really care about Curzon. I'm solely focused on Ashton United," Cunningham commented.

"Wherever I've managed — Colne, Curzon or Buxton — I left them in a better place than I found them."

[pavspatch]

Selling to the "real fans" would be my Utopia — Gorski

ALL those fans who wanted owner Rob Gorski to leave Bower Fold have got their way. He has resigned as chairman and Stalybridge Celtic is up for sale.

The question now, is who will buy? Is anyone able to put their money where their mouth is?

In the midst of an unprecedented cost-of-living crisis, who has the funds to buy the controlling interest in a Northern Premier League club that is bound to come with an expensive price tag?

Will it prove possible to put together a supporters' co-operative? As you'll see below, that would be Rob Gorski's preferred option, but could it happen. My own experience suggests that while many people might be prepared to buy a single share for £10 or £20, far fewer would be willing to invest the kind of much sums needed for a realistic bid.

So what does the future hold? What are Rob Gorski's plans? What does he think of Celtic's current situation? Below, is a series of questions I asked him and the replies I received.

If someone wants to buy Stalybridge Celtic, how do they register an interest?

I haven't started to officially market the club externally, yet I’ve already had three parties showing an interest. I'll be asking all parties to submit their formal bids via the club’s accountants, David Lever at Warr and Co of Denton*. If they can't find his details they can also contact me directly.

In the past you've said you were prepared to consider selling Stalybridge Celtic but only to someone with the club's best interests at heart. Do you have some sort of fit-and-proper persons test lined up?

I'll perform my own due diligence on each interested party.

Most fans won't be aware of this, but I had a potential buyer from Singapore express interest about a year ago. For Rob Gorski personally, it was potentially a very tempting financial option. However, my research uncovered someone who had his own pure financial gain as his motive and he had taken over two other football clubs before only for him to close them both and capitalise on the land.

As a Celtic fan, notwithstanding potential large sums of money, I simply could not have lived with myself and so I closed that particular door.

I'll be vetting all potential new buyers to ascertain what they can bring to the club and what their motives and goals are. I'll then balance that with their financial proposal.

Do you have a price in mind? Are you looking to recoup what you've put in over the last 20 years or just a "serious" amount?

I do have figures in mind. However, I’ve already alluded to the fact that it will be an overall “package" and the intentions of the buyer that will also play a major role.

With national government changing housing legislation on building developments, I need to ensure that a potential buyer is not just going to take a 970-year lease on land worth maybe £7 to 8 million, and leave the club hoping to ground share with a Tameside neighbour.

I'll ensure there are some guarantees with regard to Celtic’s future. That will be written in to any legal document. 

While you look for a buyer, will you remain in charge or day-to-day affairs or have you stepped down and passed on the baton? If so to whom? A person, the board as a whole?

I have stepped down due to ill health. I need to have more tests and then maybe medical procedures, and that's why I stepped down, with immediate effect, a fortnight ago.

In fact, I have not been at a game for over two months now. I miss it terribly, but I have to look after myself.

Keith Smart has been taking care of everything in my absence and will continue to drive the club forward. Keith is simply an outstanding man. Professional, diligent and utterly honest.

Fans have no idea how difficult it is to run, (practically as well as financially), a non-league, part-time, football club. People like Keith and Gordon Greenwood are worth their weight in gold. I hope that other directors, who have been "less visible" step up to help them and others.

Has there been any sign of the much-talked-about fans' co-operative?

Not a word. Conceptually, that would be my Utopia — that the fans, the real fans, own Stalybridge Celtic. However, back on planet earth, Stalybridge, the town I love, is truthfully a town entering a depression that would be socially graded as D or E. Sadly, I suspect  I won’t be hearing much back on that.

In your time as chairman/owner you put a lot of blood and treasure into the club and appointed a string of managers who came with an impressive pedigree. Why do think you were never able to achieve any success?

That's a question I've asked myself many times.

Jim Harvey’s kids were technically outstanding, but sadly lacking in physicality. Liam Watson was a major disappointment — his football was 20 years out of date — and Simon Haworth was shockingly negative.

So really, only Steve Burr brought good times the first time he was at Bower Fold in 2007-2011. The quality of football was a real joy with Dave Hankin burning down one wing and Steve Torpey down the other, with a really strong 16-man squad. It very nearly got us back up punching above our weight in National League North.

However, we’ve seen more and more clubs come through the pyramid with money I simply couldn't compete with. Not just Salford, Harrogate, Fylde and Fleetwood, but ones that came and went like Shaw Lane Aquaforce. All paying simply stupid money.

Stalybridge Celtic does not have an asset like Ashton United’s Cross Bar Club, which is effectively one of Hurst's pubs, or Hyde United’s 3G pitch, so the club relied on directors putting their hand in their pocket or an ever diminishing fanbase that was no longer attending due to Premier League lunchtime/early evening screenings.

Then there was covid, and of course the lack of a challenging team, which brings us back to the fact we simply couldn’t compete financially.  

Will you remain a fan or are you stepping away from football for good?

I will always remain a Stalybridge Celtic fan. I was a fan in the Seventies, I was when I lived in London and abroad, and I shall be until I die.

I remember telling Pete Dennerly, my predecessor as chairman, that I had some bad news for him back around 2007 when Ken Bates had invited me to join the Leeds United board. Pete fell silent, only for me to tell him the bad news was that I would only ever be a Celtic director and that he was stuck with me.

I respect other people who have been a director at different clubs. However, personally, I could never relate to that. It was Celtic or nobody for me. I need to look after my health first and foremost, but nothing will give me greater pleasure than buying Chris Willcock (a top man by the way) or Keith Smart, a beer after a great win on a Saturday afternoon next year.

Will Celtic avoid relegation?

I desperately hope so. When you see or hear about wages up and down the Northern Premier League, it makes you wonder how clubs stay afloat.

Without an asset to milk, or hugely disproportionate fan bases, clubs rely on directors and fans to cover ever-increasing costs and because Celtic have struggled financially off the field, it makes achieving success on it, much more difficult.

I think Chris Willcock has now got a much better quality squad than he had early doors. He effectively had to build it from scratch and he quickly realised he’d have to make a number of changes to ensure we could compete.

I’ve not been well enough to attend of late, so I've missed recent performances. However, I gather they are much improved and I sincerely hope and believe the lads can continue to improve and that they'll get that little rub of the green that will see them start to climb the table. 

*Warr and Co, 76 Manchester Road, Denton, M34 3PS — 0161 336 2222 — https://warr.co.uk

[pavspatch]

Lakeland determined to add shine to dull FA Cup record

SUNDAY'S clash with Cambridge United is much more than a high-profile match against League One opposition for Adam Lakeland, it's a chance to prove himself as an FA Cup manager.

Speaking to Curzon Ashton's in-house media team on Tuesday, Lakeland revealed that a lack of cup success is something he views as a monkey on his back, and one which he plans to remove this weekend.

"As a manager you have your own aspirations and you’re self-critical and you want to be successful," he explained.

"I’m 38 soon, but I’ve been managing for quite a few years. In that time I've had quite a bit of personal success but I’ve always been rubbish in the FA Cup. That’s been one massive regret of mine as a manager. In fact when it comes to the clubs I’ve been at in the past, I feel like I’ve let them down a little bit by not getting them far."

Curzon have two doubts going into the tie — midfielders Connor Hampson and Devon Matthews. But Lakeland believes the extra 24 hours' rest offered by the game being played on a Sunday rather than a Saturday could prove crucial in their recovery.

He said: "They’ll be eager to play and that extra 24 hours will help us. In terms of the squad as a whole, we'll also benefit from having no midweek game and I'd like to thank the National League for their co-operation.

"I’m confident and optimistic we’ll have a full bill of health but we’ll have to assess the lads."

Cambridge go into the tie without striker Fejiri Okenabirhie who faces three months on the sidelines after tearing a hamstring against Wycombe Wanderers last month in his first start of the season.

Centre-back and skipper Greg Taylor, who was ruled out with possible concussion a fortnight ago was a substitute in last week's 1-0 defeat by Peterborough United.

Although uncomfortable with the suggestion his club are giants — at least in terms of facing a National League North club — U's manager Mark Bonner is well aware that Sunday's match has huge potential for embarrassment.

He told the Cambridge Independent: “We were giant-killers last year. I’m not for one moment suggesting we’re a giant but I understand that a non-league side against us is a big occasion. The atmosphere will reflect that.

“These games are always really challenging, really tough, but it’s a nice pitch and a really good environment up at Curzon and we’re looking forward to it. It’s one we’ve got to really relish and try to get the right side of because ultimately for us it’s about progressing in the competition. As much as they want to, we want to equally.”

“We’ve been able to get some good information and footage from people we know who have played Curzon recently. I believe we've got a basic understanding of what we can expect from them and players we think are a threat.

"But at the same time we’ve got to go there and take the game by the scruff of the neck. We have to make sure we find the very best of our competitive level, make it a really hard for Curzon, and make it difficult for them to be what they want to be in the game.”

Both clubs have an impressive FA Cup pedigree in recent times. Twelve months ago, Cambridge defeated Newcastle United while the Nash have twice reached the second round in the last 14 years. In 2008 they beat League Two Exeter City before losing at Kidderminster. In 2016, they were home to Wimbledon and ten minutes' from the third round before imploding and squandering a 3-0 lead.

Lakeland commented: "The benefits of a game like this for the club are massive.There's huge exposure and we should have a big gate and a good crowd. It pulls everyone in the community together, and it’s just great for pulling all the sections of the club together.

"It’s been a great ride so far and we’ve said to the players from the start of our journey that we wanted to create our own little chapter in the history of the club and try and do everything we could to get to the first round.

"We’ve managed to do that even though we’ve had really difficult draws along the way. But the lads have given everything to get here and now I think it’s important that they enjoy it although we’ll certainly be giving it absolutely everything.

"It’s going to be difficult for us playing against a team from League One but it’s a great challenge for myself, my staff, my players, and it’s one that we’re eagerly anticipating.

"Maybe I’ve got a little bit of a monkey off my back by having a half-decent FA Cup run but we’re not ready for it to end just yet."

[pavspatch]

Tigers and Nash seek FA Cup glory

CURZON Ashton and Hyde United should in the peak of condition for tomorrow (Saturday's) FA Cup fourth qualifying round ties. Both are rested and at full strength.

The Tigers' scheduled league game at Whitby was called off on Tuesday, which allowed for a rehabilitation session which manager Nick Spooner described as really useful. Two masseurs were brought in to assist physio Lucy Graves with stretching and recovery exercises.

Curzon faced neighbours Ashton United in the Manchester Premier Cup. But, making no secret of his priorities, boss Adam Lakeland fielded what was effectively a youth XI only to be delighted with their performance in holding the Robins to a 1-1 draw before losing on penalties.

Post-match, Lakeland told the in-house media team: "I thought we were outstanding. I think everybody connected to our club should be incredibly proud of all those who played tonight against a pretty-much full-strength line-up.

"It was a game we could have probably done without but the young lads who played needed the minutes and it was an opportunity for us to have a look at some of them. Now, I'm please that we played the game.

"The lads who weren't involved trained and worked hard and now we go into our final preparations. We've got to work hard and make sure we're ready to go come 3 o'clock on Saturday.

"It's a really important game, one that we're looking forward to, but one that we know will be very, very difficult for us. We're going there as the underdogs, but we're 90 minutes from the first round proper and we've got to go there and give everything we've got."

Earlier today, Lakeland tersely confirmed his squad's status for the trip to the Bee Arena as "full squad, full bill of health".

Peterborough Sports, who were promoted to National League North at the end of last season via the Southern League play-offs after finishing second in the premier division, go into the tie on the back of three consecutive victories and having won their last six home games.

Sports, nicknamed the Turbines, have centre-back Connor Johnson available after he completed a three-game ban last weekend. They are also hoping right-back Isaiah Bazeley will be fit to return after injury.

Manager Jimmy Dean has signed Australian right-back Luca Doorbar-Baptist on a two-week trial and the former Nottingham Forest youngster could be involved against Curzon. Former Italian Serie C midfielder Diadier Camara appeared for Sports in Tuesday's 4-0 Hillier Cup defeat of Wellingborough.

Dean told the Peterborough Telegraph: "Curzon will be tough. They are enjoying a similar season to us and they obviously have big performances in them as they’ve won at Kidderminster and knocked out Scarborough in the last round. "We have played well against good sides as well and we are on a great run at home so hopefully that will work in our favour."

The Turbines' top scorers are former Gainsborough Mark Jones, with seven goals, and winger Jordan Nicholson with six. Jones has an impressive pedigree having played for Peterborough United, Nuneaton, Barnet, Brackley and Darlington.

HYDE UNITED fans will be looking for a much more upbeat performance than their team provided last Saturday when they lost 3-2 to Colne at the Project Solar UK Stadium. The general feeling was that the players were distracted, with their minds on the FA Cup tie at Buxton rather than the FA Trophy tie they were involved in.

Questions were also asked about Spooner's decision to drop popular left-back Javid Neavin to the bench, replacing him with new signing Josh Askew. Craig Ellison came into the side for star keeper Gio Bellagambi who had been recalled by parent club Huddersfield who promptly loaned him to Spennymoor. However, this morning, the Yorkshiremen supplied the Tigers with a new loanee, 18-year-old midfielder Sonny Whittingham.

Spooner insists his full-strength squad are ready for the fray after their restful week, adding: "We're really looking forward to the cup-tie. We know we're underdogs but it's a great opportunity for the lads to win and go through to the first round where they could come up against a professional club from the EFL. They're raring to go."

When the draw was made, Buxton looked to be beatable opponents. Promoted last season as NPL champions, their form was mixed and they were hovering above the relegation places. However, a 1-0 win at Spennymoor — their first away victory of the season — has transformed the atmosphere at the Tarmac Silverlands and provided an injection of confidence.

A lot of the credit was given to former Notts County midfielder Sam Osborne who was making his first appearance after being signed from Fylde.

Manager Jamie Vermiglio, who admitted he was impressed by Osbone's debut, put the much-needed victory down to spirit, saying: "We weren't brilliant with the ball. There were moments when we were really sloppy, but fans could see the desire, the heart, the roll your sleeves up mentality, and that's what wins you football matches."

He sees the FA Cup as a means of providing the team with some momentum to propel them up the league table but has warned that Hyde mustn't be underestimated.

The tie will be segregated and Tigers fans should enter the ground by the Mill Cliff turnstiles. Given the importance of the match, Hyde and Buxton being relatively close to each other, and a history of meetings that dates back to 1891, a big crowd is expected.

Winning clubs receive £9,375 while losers get £3,125.

[pavspatch]

Back to the Bower Fold glory days

KEVAN KEELAN led the parade of Seventies and Eighties greats who gathered at Bower Fold for a day of reunion and reminiscences.

Keelan, who played 395 times for Stalybridge Celtic and managed them to the 1986-87 North West Counties League championship, was joined by two other men who made more than 300 appearances in the blue and white shirt: Steve Waywell (302) and Kevin Crumblehulme (301).

The event was the brainchild of Paul Mather, Celtic's most decorated player, who made his debut in February, 1978, and is remembered for some memorable derby clashes with Hyde United captain Tony Steenson.

Also present was Peter Wragg, who managed Bridge for 368 games in three spells, leading them to the Cheshire League championship in 1979-80 and helping them to escape what looked like certain relegation from the old Conference in 1994-95.

Others who attended were Billy Ash, Bob Barrass, Colin Booth, Kevin Booth, Dave Bourne, Peter Coutts, Alec Davies, Paul Garside, Bobby Grimshaw, Barry Lord, Pete Morgan and Dave Stewart.

Statistics were compiled by Celtic's sports therapist and club historian Dave Pover.

[pavspatch]

Cricketers recall days gone-by

LEAGUES of years gone-by were recalled when Hyde Cricket Club hosted a Seventies to Nineties reunion on September 16.

Old friends, delighted to see each other again, told ever-taller tales about runs scored, wickets taken and bruises sustained as they recalled classic encounters and professionals such as Ezra Moseley, Curtly Ambrose and Franklyn Stephenson.

One player, Russell Hamer, had travelled all the way from Kelowna in the west of Canada to be at the event which was organised by Mike Greaves, who was one of three former first-team captains to attend.

The gathering also included Gary Wilkinson, who took 19 wickets in a weekend when Hyde won the Central Lancashire League championship in 1981; Mark Stringer, who was also pro at Denton St Lawrence; and former Stalybridge skipper Phil Spiby.

Mike, who was also celebrating his 70th birthday, used the evening to present a Trevor Trueman print to the club which had been given to him by Hyde as a 50th birthday present. Based on a photograph, it depicts a typical summer scene at the Werneth Low Ground, with the receiving batsman believed to be Lee Brown who recently retired as a Hyde player after 51 years.

Noting that the picture deserved to be in the pavilion rather than his Anglesey home, Mike added: "For me, the Lancashire and Cheshire League days were the best. In the Central Lancs, with all their West Indian fast bowlers, you wondered if you'd be fit for work on Monday morning.

"The L and C had good cricket and a good social side. One game that particularly sticks in my memory is the 1978 Walkden Cup final when we made 104 all out — with Jim Allen incredibly failing to score — and then bowled out Lawrence's for 96.

"It was a very hard-fought match but both sets of players, and the Walkden Cup, ended up in a nightclub near Crown Point."

Plans are already in hand for a follow-up reunion.

[pavspatch]

FA Cup Previews: Hyde United and Curzon Ashton

WILL Jack Redshaw be fit is the question Hyde United fans are asking ahead of tomorrow (Saturday's) FA Cup third qualifying round clash with Darlington at the Project Solar UK Stadium.

Fans' favourite Redshaw, a pocket battleship who is the Tigers' top scorer with four goals, took a knock on his right ankle towards the end of the first half of last weekend's 2-1 defeat of Guiseley.

He came out after the break but was soon substituted and missed the midweek victory over Nantwich which put Hyde top of the Pitching In Northern Premier League.

Redshaw may not be manager Nick Spooner's only concern. Tom Pratt may also be carrying an injury.

Although Darlington play a division above the Tigers in National League North, the tie has plenty to interest the neutral as both clubs have won their last six matches. The Quakers, who are third in the table, are only a point behind leaders Kings Lynn.

Leading the line for them is 6ft 4ins striker Mark Beck, a former Scotland under-19 international who has scored ten goals including a hat-trick in the 3-2 victory over Southport in the last round.

While accepting the difference in status, Spooner says he is looking forward to the game, adding: "Both teams are in good form. It'll be a test playing a team from a higher division but it's the FA Cup and as we're all aware, the cup can deliver shock results."

Darlington boss Alun Armstrong, a former Stockport County forward, insists he is taking nothing for granted. He told the Northern Echo: “No doubt about it, it’s going to be a really tough game. Hyde have got some really good players who have played National League North, so people shouldn’t expect us to go there and expect it to be easy.

“We’ve got to be really up for it, really sharp, on the front foot and playing our game. We’ve got to make sure we’re doing our job and not thinking it’s going to be easy. Hopefully the lads have seen Hyde’s run and it's given them a little bit to worry about.

“Hyde are the underdogs, but it’s a big opportunity for them. We’re expected to win, but nothing is won by expectation – we’ve got to go and earn it.”

The Quakers can call on Dan Dodds, a right-back on loan from Middlesbrough. He's likely to start in place of Kallum Griffiths who sustained an injury in the 1-0 defeat of Blyth in midweek.

Former Oldham defender David Wheater came on as substitute for Griffiths, but Armstrong is said to be reluctant to use him on the 35 pitch at Ewen Fields. Tigers winger Adam Dawson, who scored the midweek winner against Nantwich, had a spell with Darlington on loan from Tranmere in 2017.

Curzon Ashton travel to Scarborough Athletic only days after beating the Yorkshiremen 2-0 at Tameside Stadium in midweek — a win that put them only two points behind their cup opponents who are sixth in National League North.

Nash manager Adam Lakeland says he will be relying on the same squad but with the addition of midfielder Sam Walker.

Reflecting on Tuesday's victory, he told the club's in-house media team: "We'll be preparing in the same way as we would for any game. I've been up to Scarborough a couple of times and we've done our homework. We have a really good understanding of them and what I've seen doesn't surprise me.

"Scarborough is a difficult place to go when they're going well, which they are. They've had success over the last 12 months and have started the season well. It's also a windy ground and of course it's an artificial pitch.

"It'll be tough but it's the FA Cup and in any case we should be going into every game now with confidence and belief. Even when we're not playing to our greatest we're winning or we're finding ways to get points and that's a good sign."

Scarborough should be close to full strength. Striker Jake Charles is out with a dislocated shoulder while there is a doubt over midfielder Kieran Glynn who limped off on Tuesday.

Their manager, Jono Greening, said after that defeat, the club's second in four days, that he was unconcerned even though he admitted his players were devastated and needed picking up.

Insisting that his side had dominated the second half against a team that was holding out for a 1-0 win, and that it had been one-way traffic until Curzon's injury-time second goal, he commented to Scarborough's media team: "The scoreline makes it look like we took a battering but we didn't. Today's defeat and the one against Banbury weren't for lack of effort.

"The effort was there, the attitude and application was there, the desire and work rate was there. If we were losing games and that wasn't there then I'd be worried. But I'm not worried one little bit."

Each winning side receives £5,625 while the losers get £1,875.

[pavspatch]

Phil Staley: A character who’ll be missed

PHIL STALEY was the kind of character you no longer seem to see in football. He was essentially a lovable rogue.

Whenever you rang him, as I did on a weekly basis for several years, he always sounded as though it was an honour to take your call. When he phoned you, he was your best friend, instantly enveloping you in bonhomie.

He was immensely likeable, at least he was for journalists like myself. I'm aware there are others who wouldn't share my view — especially some chairmen.

I've no idea if Phil was a salesman in real life but if he wasn't he ought to have been. He could have sold sand to Southport Council. I'm sure that was part of his success as a manager.

Phil was also the embodiment of a pre-internet age when people involved in semi-professional football focused more on football than the word "professional". That's not to suggest they were any less talented, knowledgeable  or committed than their present-day equivalents, but it was possible to blur the lines a little. Banned players, for example, were occasionally known to appear under a team-mate's name. That wouldn't happen now.

For all his characteristics, there's no arguing that Phil knew his football. His record proves that. In his first stint in management 40 years ago his clubs included Macclesfield Town. But he also had an impish glint in his eye that led him to take a few chances in his quest for success.

When he led Droylsden into the NPL premier division in 1991, they were promoted as runners-up because of a seven-point deduction for fielding ineligible players. Add those points to their total and they would have pipped Leek for the title. I recall Darren Lyons serving a lengthy ban for something that may not entirely have been his fault.

Phil also had an eye for talent. While at the Butchers Arms he discovered Tony Naylor, a diminutive forward who forged a highly-effective goalscoring partnership with big Bernie Hughes and was sold to Crewe. Naylor later moved to Port Vale, who were then in what we would now call the Championship, where he made the Bloods a tidy bonus thanks to a sell-on clause.

After leaving the Bloods in 1991, Phil took over at Accrington Stanley who were an ambitious NPL premier division outfit at the time. In 1992 he led them to the second round of the FA Cup.

Two years later, Phil moved to Ashton United having reputedly clashed with the Accrington chairman, Ashton accountant John Alty. And it was his time at Hurst Cross that stirs one of my most vivid memories of him.

It was a midweek game at National Park against Curzon. Matches between the two Ashton clubs are always taut affairs as anyone who was at the play-off game in 2015 will attest. It's something that goes beyond the usual derby rivalry and dates back more than 50 years to the days when the recently-formed Nash were sharing Hurst Cross.

Deep in the second half, one of the United players committed a foul that was sure to result in a sending-off. While the Curzon man was being treated, Phil tried to sub his own player and when prevented from doing so, voiced his frustration to the referee in the strongest terms.

The word could be heard around the ground and I think Phil was shown the red card. The following morning he rang me and asked if I would write to the FA on his behalf stating I had never heard him swear on a football ground.

To be honest I don't think I had heard him swear until then — me and 500 others.

Gaining and losing jobs quickly was something that seemed to come naturally to Phil. In his first spell at Ashton United, in the early Eighties, he was sacked and reinstated within a week, won the Manchester Premier Cup, and was then fired a few weeks later.

Phil beat that in 1994 when he held the Droylsden job for just an hour or two one Wednesday morning.

It was shortly after Dave Pace had become chairman at the Butchers Arms and was going through managers for fun as he looked for success, a search that ended in 1996 when he appointed himself as boss.

Dave rang me and said he had replaced Pete O'Brien with Phil Staley. And then a game of musical phone calls ensued. I rang Phil, O'B rang me, then I rang Dave, and so it went on.

Eventually O'B said to give him an hour and lo and behold he was reinstated, although he left soon after to be replaced by Roy Soule. I had never had to rewrite my back-page lead so many times and in so short a period.

After that I think Phil moved away — he may have got a job in Canada. On his return to Cheshire he would phone me occasionally. The last time we spoke was when there was a managerial vacancy at Hyde United, hoping I could put in a good word for him.

One of his proteges, Ashley Hoskin, was applying for the job but Phil stressed that if Ashley was appointed the Tigers would also get him and all his knowledge. He used all his charm, and I'm sure all the young players he mentioned to me were highly talented, but sadly my voice carries no weight in the Ewen Fields board room.

I always liked Phil Staley. He wasn't a data-crunching robot who'd read a library of coaching manuals. He was a character, but a character who knew his stuff. Time may have moved on and there may no longer be room for his style of management. But non-league football is the poorer for his passing.

As I said at the start — a lovable rogue.