Issue #13 - v Bacup Borough FC (04/02/2023)

SATURDAY 4 FEBRUARY 2023 NWCFL First Division North vs BACUP BOROUGH FC KO 3:00PM FREE ISSUE #13 THE STAG OFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME

WHAT’S INSIDE? 4 6 10 12 16 20 KEVIN WATKIN PARTNER FOCUS A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE EYES ON THE OPPONENT PLAYER SPONSORS SQUADS Produced and Edited by Glen Ritchie Official Club Photography by Ian Allington and Steve Miller To advertisie in this programme please email commercial@hobafc.co.uk All editorial content within this programme is the copyright of Holker Old Boys AFC and can only be used with the club’s permission. The views in this programme don’t necessarily reflect those of Holker Old Boys AFC. 4 16 3

4

“WE NEED TO KEEP OUR FOCUS AND NOT BECOME COMPLACENT”

THOUGHTS FROM THE DUGOUT

Good afternoon, and welcome to Rakesmoor Lane for this afternoon’s North West Counties Football League fixture against Bacup Borough FC.

Here we are again, four days after our home win against 2nd placed Ilkley Town AFC!

We knew Ilkley were in a good run of form, which is reflected in them being 2nd in the league, so if we were serious about being in those play-off places come the end of the season, we had to get a result, and the win was significant. The feeling amongst the lads in the changing room after the game was that the 1-0 hard-fought win is what team sport is all about, and it felt even better than the 6-0 win at Garstang last Saturday.

The last number of games have really put us back in contention, and we need to keep picking up points game by game. Today’s game against Bacup Borough FC is another opportunity to add 3 points to our total before the reverse fixture in just four days’ time.

We have just passed the halfway mark, so there are still a lot of games to go, and we need to keep our focus and not become complacent after four straight league wins. We must manage the squad effectively, with lads picking up and carrying knocks and not having much recovery time. It will be a good test for our group that we need to pass if we want to be in with a chance of bettering last season’s ending.

KEVIN WATKIN

5

GOLD PARTNERS

6

SILVER PARTNERS

7

A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE

10

MATCH FACTS vs Competiton Venue Date Result Skelmesdale United NWCFL Rakesmoor Lane Tuesday, 22nd March 2022 0-0 11

EYES ON

Black

Borough

NAME

View Stadium CAPACITY 3,000 RECORD ATTENDANCE 2,000 (vs FC United of Manchester - 2007)

POSITION 2nd

12

OPPONENT COLOURS White &

NICKNAME The

GROUND

West

LEAGUE

FACTSHEET

ON THE OPPONENT

THEIR HISTORY

Bacup Borough Football Club was established in 1879. Their first match to take place at their current Brian Boys West View Stadium was not until 1889 when one of the founder members of the English Football League, Accrington Stanley, played there in front of over 1,000 spectators.

Bacup’s proudest achievement was winning the Lancashire Combination Championship in the 1946/47 season and finishing runners-up after losing to Marine 2-1 in the Lancashire Combination Cup Final.

1972/73 season, the club finished runners-up in the league, losing out on goal average despite scoring 101 goals. In 1974/75, they reached the Lancashire Junior Cup Final losing 1-0 against Lancaster City, despite famous victories against Formby, Wigan Athletic, South Liverpool, and Morecambe. In the last ever Lancashire Combination Challenge Cup Final, Bacup were beaten 1-3 by Caernarfon Town in a two-legged Final.

In 1982 Bacup Borough became founder members of the North West Counties League following the amalgamation of the Cheshire League & the Lancashire Combination.

In the 1987/88 season, Bacup had to apply for re-election following finishing bottom of the Second Division.

In the 1988 /89 season under the Management of Gary Warburton, the club finished runners-up in Division Two and also finished Runners Up in the Lamot Pils Trophy, they also the same season, reached the Quarter Final of the League Cup and due to the Leagues re-organisation the club started the 1989 /90 season as a First Division Club. However, in the 1994 /95 season, Bacup Borough were relegated back to the Second Division & did struggle both on and off the field.

In September of the 1997/98 season, with no points on the board and following a humiliating 0-10 defeat by Tetley Walker, this prompted the Committee to part company with their then Manager. This then made way for the appointment of the former Doncaster Rovers Assistant Manager, Bury F.C Youth Team Coach, Accrington Stanley Director of Football, & Rossendale Utd & Glossop North End Manager Brent Peters to take over as Manager, a position he has held ever since.

Brent’s early record of achievement saw the club finish the 1997/98 season in 14th position, climbing in 1998 /99 to 11th position before in 1999/00, where they finished 5th in the league, the club’s highest league position in over ten years.

13

West View Stadium, Bacup

In Season 2000/01, the club reached the Second Division Cup Final but lost 1-0 to Squires Gate. Brent’s most significant achievement came at the end of the 2002/03 season when he guided the club to the Championship of the North West Counties League First Division, the first major success for the club in 56 years. This brought Brent Three Manager of the Month Awards and The Manager of The Year Award.

Season 2003/04, Bacup’s first season following the First Division Championship, the club finished 14th in the Premier Division and did win the North West Counties League Challenge Cup at Southport’s Haig Avenue Ground by beating Newcastle Town 3-0. Other cup runs saw Borough as NWCFL Challenge Cup Quarter Finalists in 2004/05 and Lancashire FA Cooperative Trophy Quarter Finalists in 2007/08. They finished in 8th position in the NWCFL Premier Division in the 2008/09 Season.

14th June 2004 brought another landmark for the club when Bacup’s late Secretary Frank Manning celebrated not only his 70th Birthday but also 50 years in the game, of which well over 40 years have been spent in administration at his beloved Bacup Borough FC. Frank was recognised with a gold award for this achievement on behalf of the Football Association by Mr Jim Kenyon, the Secretary of the Lancashire Football Association. This achievement brought Frank the position of Chairman of the club, a post he held until accepting the position of President of Bacup & Rossendale Borough FC at the re-branding on 17th June 2013.

EYES ON OPPONENT

It was a sad start to the 2011/2012 season with the sudden passing away of Kenneth Peters on 15th June 2011. Kenneth was also the club president and the father of our Manager. On the field of play, further success was to come with more silverware, this following a comprehensive 5-0 victory over Maine Road in the NWCFL Challenge Cup Final, which was played at the Tameside Stadium Ashton, in front of a big crowd, Davey Luker captained the team.

The 2012/2013 season was another difficult time at the club following the sad deaths of people dearly close to the club. Four came in the month of 12th October, from which the biggest shock was 27-year-old player Bryan Herbert. On the pitch, the team again did well by getting to yet another cup final, and this time it was the Lancashire FA Cooperative Trophy Final played at the Reebok Stadium at Bolton. Despite playing a team from two leagues above, Bacup gave an excellent account of themselves against a team from the Evo Stick Premier Division, AFC Fylde ran out 2-0 winners.

17th June 2013, Bacup Borough officially adopted the title of Rossendale; this came about following the sad demise of Rossendale United FC, thus leaving Bacup Borough as the Rossendale Valley’s most senior football club. They were now the sole flag bearers of the Rossendale Valley, and, for the commercial side, it made sense to add ‘Rossendale’ to the club’s name, making the club Bacup & Rossendale Borough FC. The new name also brings a newly designed crest to form its own identity, with a plan for progression in place and the words ‘Prosperity Through Endeavour’ prominently featured.

The 2013/2014 season was a nail-biter until the last game, but with BARB’s place in the Premier Division secured, the club is ready to progress with its ambitious plans as Rossendale’s number-one football club.

14

Brent Peters, Manager

ON THE OPPONENT

Sadly the 2014/2015 season did not turn out as we had wished. Injuries and other severe problems off the pitch resulted in more pressing important matters that Manager Brent Peters had to deal with, resulting in the team being relegated from the Premier Division. A decision was taken to relaunch Bacup Borough Football Club from the start of the 2015/2016 season.

The historic crest was brought back, and there were exciting developments on and off the pitch. Among those was the creation of two junior teams – an U15 team and an U18 team – who competed under the banner of Bacup Borough FC and had excellent seasons, both teams winning trophies. Season 2015/2016 was a season of rebuilding, and the first team finished the season very strongly, reaching the Division One play-off final, only to lose two nil in extra time of what had been a hard-fought and evenly balanced game.

2016/17 was the start of a rebuilding programme with a further introduction within our Youth Development with an u21 team. This was followed in the 2017/18 season by introducing an under-9s team. The Youth structure started to pay off with the senior squad introducing several boys into this side.

2018/19 Manager Brent Peters started with probably his youngest-ever squad, with the average age being 21 years old. The boys contributed to a very good season finishing 8th in the League, Semi-Finalist in the First Division Trophy, and winning the Team of the Month for April with five games, two home draws, and then three back-to-back away wins. The last two seasons have been highly disruptive to football. The club now has a fit and promising young squad keen to carry on from where they left off last season, challenging for promotion.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that our Manager, Brent Peters, is acknowledged by the BBC as the world’s longestserving club football manager. He has been at the helm of Bacup Borough for almost 24 years, clocking up well over 1.000 games.

Last season (2021/22) saw the first team narrowly miss out on a play-off place. Attendances increased, and there is a real buzz about the place as we continue to make progress on and off the field.

15

v Steeton AFC

2022/23

PLAYER SPONSORS

JAMIE HODGSON JOE AMISON SAM JOEL JAY BARKER HAKAN MCCRACKEN JOE MCGLADDERY TOM DAWSON WILL MCGLADDERY ELLIOT MOORE CALLUM FAWCETT LUKE MITCHELL

16

BRANDON COLLINS