Issue #07 - v FC Isle of Man (12/11/2022) [FA Vase]

CHAIRMAN’S CORNER

Good afternoon, and welcome to Rakesmoor Lane. Hopefully, the lads can build on the last few performances and start putting good results together now after an up-and-down start to the season.

We expect today to be a good day for the club as we welcome FC Isle of Man to Rakesmoor Lane. We hope they enjoy their visit, but naturally, I would like to see them leave emptyhanded and us progressing into the next round of the FA Vase.

I want to thank everyone who has turned out to support us this afternoon and so far this season. Your support plays a crucial role in helping us succeed.

MAURICE WATKIN

“IT’S AN EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITY AND EXPERIENCE FOR THE LADS AND THE CLUB.”

THOUGHTS FROM THE DUGOUT

We are going into the game on the back of 3 wins which is always positive, as momentum is a big thing in football. We are looking to build on that today and put us in a strong position for several important games in quick succession. We welcome Darwen FC on Tuesday evening and then travel to Darwen FC for the return fixture on Saturday.

FC Isle of Man will offer a tough test, as they proved in our contest last year, but if we do the things we work on and move the ball with quality and purpose, we have enough to create chances and get a result and put ourselves in the draw for the next round.

Unfortunately, we miss Tommy today as he serves the last game of his ban, which will be a significant loss. However, it allows us to bring Frankie Ellis into the squad to see what it’s like at this level and to play in competitions such as the FA Vase.

In these upcoming games, we will improve our ability to make the most of attacking situations, build on leads, and put games to bed earlier, taking some of the pressure off in the final stages of games.

We all collectively know how important each game is and that we must maintain our form between now and Christmas, as we feel this is a crucial time in the season. We need to keep ourselves in contention going into the New Year so we can push on to try and achieve the objectives we set at the beginning of the season.

KEVIN WATKIN

GOLD PARTNERS

SILVER PARTNERS

WILL MCGLADDERY

We are going into the game after picking up a bit of form with three wins on the bounce. After what wasn’t the best start to the season, we are finally picking up a bit of momentum, and with plenty of games coming up before Christmas, it’s the perfect opportunity to keep this run going.

Being in the FA Vase, this game offers something different, and all the lads are keen for another good run in the competition to keep us competitive on more than one front. We’ve already beaten a team from a higher league in the previous round. As such, we go into the game with complete confidence to cause another upset.

Facing FC Isle of Man is a reverse of the game in May when we travelled to them for the Edward Case Trophy. We know they’re a good outfit and will be a big test for the team, but hopefully, this time, we can get one back on them and progress to the next round.

“WE GO INTO THE GAME WITH COMPLETE CONFIDENCE”

HAKAN MCCRACKEN

After losing 2 cup matches in a row against South Liverpool and Burscough, we’ve dug deep and done well as a group to bounce back by beating a well-organised Whickham side in the FA Vase, then win back-to-back league games.

We showed real character Saturday, as we performed as a solid unit against a good Runcorn side in harsh conditions to grind out the win. This has filled us with plenty of confidence going into the run-up to Christmas, where we know it’s vital to take advantage of the games we have coming up in quick succession to take us back to where we expect to be in the league.

There’s a real buzz around the players and the fans with this Saturday’s fixture against FC Isle of Man as we look to carry on our good run of form in the FA Vase. It’s an excellent opportunity to test ourselves against the best oppositions at our standard across the country.

We were fortunate to play against the Isle of Man in a semi-final of a cup last season, so we know they will be a well-organised unit. Still, we know we can put together another strong performance to get the right result and put our names in the hat for the next round.

“WE CAN PUT TOGETHER ANOTHER STRONG PERFORMANCE”

A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE

ON THE OPPONENT

THEIR HISTORY

FC Isle of Man was founded in 2020 and is a communitybased football club. They are members of the North West Counties Football League Premier League.

The Ravens were officially accepted into the English nonleague pyramid for the 2020-21 season. However, due to Covid restrictions and border controls on the Island, the club was temporarily suspended from the league as it was impossible to fulfil all their fixtures by May 31, 2021, as required by the English FA. Resultantly, COVID suspended the season as a whole. Therefore, the 2021-22 season was their first in the Non-League System.

The club had played two prestige friendlies against Guernsey FC in August and September 2020, which were viable due to the air corridor agreement between the respective Isle of Man and Guernsey governments. Both games attracted crowds of over 2,000. At the time, due to the lockdown, these were the only games in the British Isles that fans were permitted to attend.

The Ravens play at the Bowl, situated in the Isle of Man’s capital, Douglas. The ground was originally built by the Isle of Man Government in the 1950s and was primarily used as the venue for the Isle of Man national team’s home fixtures and all local league cup finals.

In 2011, the stadium was redeveloped, transforming it into a 3,500 all-seater stadium with an artificial (4G) pitch for the Commonwealth Youth Games of that year. It remains the home venue for the National team and local cup finals, but it is primarily now known as the home of the Ravens.

The club finally played their competitive league games in the NWCFL Division One (South) at Maine Road FC on July 31, 2021, drawing 1-1. After a couple of back-to-back defeats at the end of August, the club started to find their feet in the league and went on a decent run of matches, winning six out of the next seven league games, plus a victory over Avro in its first ever FA Vase fixture.

The Ravens were delighted to be awarded the Division One (South) Club of the Month for September, a fantastic achievement for a club that had played its first competitive only two months before.

For much of the first part of last season, the Ravens had to play most of their games away from home due to the Isle of Man’s COVID entry regulations. However, on October 30, they played their first home league fixture, defeating Brocton 2-1 on a historic evening at the Bowl.

After that, the Bowl became somewhat of a fortress for the Ravens, and they dropped just nine in their 19 league games on home turf.

Despite going top of the division temporarily in February after a dramatic 4-3 victory over eventual league champions West Didsbury, the Ravens ultimately finished second in the league. Still, they were promoted at the first attempt after defeating New Mills in the Play-Off Final in front of more than 3,000 spectators at the Bowl.

In May, the club won its first official trophy, the NWCFL Division One Challenge Cup, with a 1-0 victory over Cammell Laird 1907.

Our most high-profile player is Sean Doyle. The ‘Man on Fire’ scored 40 league goals last season to win the division’s Golden Boot, but the whole squad of players performed magnificently in their first season in the English pyramid.

It’s a club that has captured the imagination of its local community and further afield. The Ravens attracted a great deal of media coverage during their inaugural season. As well as copious coverage from regional TV stations (BBC and ITV), both Four Four Two and The Athletic produced features on the club. The ultimate media accolade was appearing on BBC’s Football Focus in late March.

The Ravens

EYES ON OPPONENT

Paul Jones - Interim Manager

The Bowl, Douglas

First Division Challenge Cup Winners

ON THE OPPONENT

Luke Murray Celebrates

Furo Davies Lifts the Edward Case Trophy Sean Doyle - ‘The Man on Fire’

Reserves Fixtures

The Holker Old Boys AFC Reserve team are currently top of the West Lancashire Division 2 League with 39 points from a possible 48.

After three consecutive wins against Charnock Richard Reserves (7-0), Kendal United (6-0), and AFC Blackpool Reserves (6-0), they are set to play Burnley United away on 12th November, CMB in the Second Round of the Richardson Cup on 19th November, and then at home to Garstang Reserves on 26th November.

If you can’t make it to the away ties, we hope to have your support at Rakesmoor Lane on Saturday, 26th November.

2022/23

PLAYER SPONSORS

JAMIE HODGSON

JOE AMISON

SAM JOEL

JAY BARKER HAKAN MCCRACKEN

BRANDON COLLINS

SEAN PATERSON

TOM DAWSON

NATHAN REID

CALLUM FAWCETT

GARETH SMITH

ELLIOT MOORE

SPONSORS

KEVIN WATKIN

SAM STEPHENS

JASON WALKER

TYLER WOOD

JOSH WOODEND