THE MARSKMAN Official match day programme of St Helens Town AFC Issue 1 I £2.00
Saturday 31st July 2021, KO 3.00pm Charity Partner 2017-18
St Helens Town v Atherton LR
TALK OF THE TOWN Good afternoon and welcome to Ruskin Drive for this our first home North West Counties League, First Division North of the 202122 season. I would like to open by welcoming our friends and visitors from Atherton LR, I hope they enjoy the short time they will spend with us and have a safe journey home after the game. It has been a long time since we were last here in competitive action when we hosted North West Counties League, First Division South, Cammell Lairds in the FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round and advanced to the next round with a thrilling 5-4 shootout victory following a 1-1 draw. That was on Thursday 3rd September 2020 and that’s just the small figure of 331 days between home games for us! Whilst there was a much bigger pitch last season than football. We were definitely frustrated on many, many occasions. We exited the FA Cup at the Preliminary Round stage to for NWCFL outfit Mossley before we had to reverse our FA Vase, First Qualifying Round Tie and visit rather than host North Ferriby. We battled hard against a team many fancied for their division this season but we were eliminated 2-0, to a team who went on to defeat Northwich Victoria, Wythenshawe Town & Lower Breck in the next three rounds of the competition. Last seasons league campaign started belatedly on 3rd October as we took the trip to Chadderton, and we found ourselves 2-0 down with 15 minutes to play before a spirited comeback saw Town level at 2-2 and miss a golden chance to win the game in added on time. Various logistical and Covid reasons saw 10 days between match 1 & 2 a night game to forget at Ashton Town which we lost 3-1 and it was another 11 days to our next outing at Atherton LR. Town were quick out the blocks in
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this contest and raced into an early 2-0 lead It is fair to say that the pitch wasn’t in the best condition from the 35 minute mark and there was a debate if the match should restart after the interval but the referee started proceedings and LR reduced the arrears before the game was abandoned on 55 minutes with the pitch conditions farcical. We then had the small matter of a national lockdown before what turned out to be our last game of the season another wet afternoon this time at AFC Liverpool. A swift start saw Town 1-0 up but a good response saw the hosts 2-1 up at the break. The second half was best forgotten as several “soft” goals were conceded and despite a well worked team goal late on we went down 5-2. Pre-season has seen some impressive performances in defeat against higher ranked opposition in Runcorn Linnets, Prescot Cables & Warrington Town at home. With victories over FC St Helens & Eagle Sports of The Cheshire League Premier Division and a draw with AFC Knowlsey despite reduced numbers for much of the second half. Signs are promising as we have retained the vast majority of players from last season and added a few new signings here and there so as all the teams think on this the first day of the season it’s all to play for! On to this afternoon’s match as we host an Atherton LR side who last visited Ruskin Drive in December 2019 when Town came from two goals down to salvage a 2-2 draw. As mentioned above we did visit Crilly Park last season but the game didn’t go the distance due to torrential rain so that one isn’t quite in the record books but then are any games from the last two seasons??!! Let’s get behind Town this afternoon and hopefully cheer them on to a first victory of the season! Enjoy the game . . . Jeff Voller
GOLDLINE LOTTERY
CLUB INFORMATION
As you may be aware a few years ago St Helens Town Football Club joined forces with Bolton Wanderers Football Club as a Goldline lottery partner and throughout that time we have had great success with both our members winning prizes and raising monies for the Club.
Honorary Life President: Alan Wellens
Now as we start to get back to some kind of normality we are asking for supporters, family and friends to become Goldline members which will provide the club with a valuable source of income which will help us to achieve a bright future for the players, staff and supporters of the club. In addition, you will have the chance to win up to £1000 weekly, so we could all be winners! As a lottery partner, St Helens Town Football Club receives 70p of your £1 weekly subscription. Therefore if we could get 100 members that’s £70 per week or £3640 per year which would be fantastic for us! As a Goldline member you will receive your membership card which includes your membership number, 10 sets of Goldline draw numbers. Your 10 sets of Goldline draw numbers will be entered into the Goldline draw every weekday for your chance of winning. 1x £1000, 1 x £500, 3 X £250 and 25 X £25 every week! That’s a £2875 prize pot 52 weeks of the year! Goldline pays out over £149,500 in prizes every year to members. No claim is necessary. Prizes will be sent automatically by post. Club Representative John McKiernan said, “In the current climate as all sports look to recover from the impact of Covid-19 and it’s repercussions, this income raised through the Goldline Lottery is crucial to the our club. If people are able to give up £1 a week to enter then we think this is a great way to support the club – but also give yourself a real chance of winning some cash too!” For more information on how you can join download the Goldline form from the club’s website, complete and return or email sthelenstownfc@hotmail.co.uk for further details.
Charity Partner 2017-18
Vice Presidents: Jim Barrett, Steve Ball and David Watkins Hon. Secretary: Jeff Voller (07843 692695) Treasurer: Debra Voller Committee: John McKiernan, Jeff Voller, James Barrett, Steve Ball, Andy Langley, David O`Keefe, Stephen Lingard, Ashish Prabhu, David Watkins, Debbie Voller, Stacey Savage, David Morris, William Bowman and David Platt. Playing Staff: 1st Team Manager: David W Platt 1st Team Assistant Manager: David Potter Cheshire League Reserve Team Manager: TBC Liverpool County Prem Reserves: Darren Peers Sunday Team Manager: David J Platt U21s Team Manager: Luke Diggle U18s Team Manager: David Morris U18s Development Team Manager: James Kelly U16s Manager: Ian Woods U15s Manager: Dave Morris U11s Manager: Ashley Stone Main Club Sponsor: Prabhu Ventures Limited 1st Team Kit Sponsor: Unite the Union, St Helens Charity Partner: St Helens Mind Legal: St Helens Town Limited Private Limited Company Company No. 04392840 Date of Incorporation 12.03.2002 Parent Company: A wholly owned subsidiary of Sporting Club St Helens Limited Company Director: Jim Barrett Ground: Ruskin Sports Village, Ruskin Drive, Denton’s Green, St Helens WA10 6RP Website: sthelenstownafc.com Twitter: @sthelenstownfc Facebook: facebook.com/StHelensTownAFC Instagram: sthelenstownafc
Pre-season Friendly Ali Zeinalighaleh in action v Warrington Town Ruskin Sports Village, St Helens Saturday 17th July 2021 Match photos courtesy of @Jess_Photo1
FROM THE MANAGER Hello and welcome back to Ruskin Drive for our first home competitive match since our FA Cup game against Cammell Lairds at the start of last season, way back on the 3rd September 2020. A lot has happened since then and keeping a club like ours afloat financially and keeping the playing numbers during such a stop / start period has been a massive, labour intensive task and so my first mention is to the hardworking committee, and in particular Jeff Voller, without who we wouldn’t be here playing for you today. The club is on the lookout for more committee members and match day volunteers so if you come to watch regularly why not help out- and watch the game for free? The league now starts with a very intensive month of games where we play nearly a quarter of our total games by the end of August. A tough ask for the lads but we’ve prepared well and hopefully can use this to get some momentum, which is a big thing in this league where a lot of teams are of a similar level and momentum and application on the day can be the difference between winning and losing. Today’s line up sees a few new faces as we welcome Sam Hughes, Liam Keenan, Charlie McMahon and Josh Clegg to the club and welcome back Liam Diggle for his second spell at Town. All of whom have done well this preseason. Young Kyle Rugg comes through the youth and reserve set up to take a place on the bench as our sub goalkeeper. The management team has also grown with Callum Davison and Sean Robertson moving up from managing the U21’s last year to first team coaches, and they’ve already shown their quality in the sessions they deliver, a massive asset to us. Our opponents LR are familiar to us and have
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given us several tough battles over the last few years, most recently in the abandoned away game that ended in a mud fest. At least that shouldn’t be an issue today! We’ve seen on Twitter that they’ve signed some good players on so I’m sure today will be another difficult game against a side that never backs down. Finally, thanks to you the supporters - we’ve had some great crowds for pre season and now hopefully we can give you something to cheer for after a difficult two years for everyone. Welcome back . . . . Dave Platt NWCFL First Division North fixtures: AFC Darwen v South Liverpool Ashton Town v AFC Blackpool Bacup Borough v Cleator Moor Celtic Daisy Hill v Chadderton Garstang v Campion Holker Old Boys v Golcar United Ilkley Town v Bury AFC Nelson v Pilkington St Helens Town v Atherton LR
OUR VISITORS TO RUSKIN Laburnum Rovers were founded in 1956 by Joe Riley as an under 14s side and after a difficult first season in the local Briarcroft Junior League, they went on to enjoy much success in League and Cup competitions. Joe was persuaded to carry on into Senior football and after a brief spell in the Leigh League the club joined the Bolton Combination.
their double the following season as well as reaching the semi-finals of the FA Vase. This time the club was promoted to the Unibond League.
More success followed, but the ground at Hag Fold prevented further progress so a farmers field was found and despite footpath criss-crossing and duck ponds either side, hard work by everyone at the club turned this unpromising field into a football pitch. In 1966 the club moved into its new ground and were able to take their place in Division One of the Combination.
Three seasons of struggle back in the North West Counties League culminated with the relegation to Division Two. However, the appointment of Alan Lord as manager saw a remarkable turnaround in form and nine successive victories helped the club win back promotion to Division One at the first attempt. In November 2002 Tom Foster and Dennis Haslem took over as managers after having to rebuild the team from scratch, they secured Division One football for another season. Dennis moved on in the summer and Ian Street joined the club.
Jack Crilly succeeded Joe as Chairman and worked tirelessly for the club, supervising the erection of new changing rooms (an improvement on the old air raid shelters they had been using) and a small social club. Jack died suddenly in 1980 and as a tribute to the work he did the ground was renamed from Greendale to Crilly Park. In the summer of 1980 the club joined the non-league pyramid when their application to join the Cheshire County League was successful. A stipulation of the League was that the towns name had to be in the clubs title, so links with the past were retained with the new name of Atherton Laburnum Rovers. In 1982 the club became founder members of the North West Counties League, being placed in division two until the league was reorganised in 1987 when ongoing ground improvements saw them placed in division one. 1989 saw floodlights erected and the club enter the FA Cup for the first time, while in 1991 the changing rooms and clubhouse were completely rebuilt. Towards the end of 1990/91 season Dave Morris took over as team manager and it was the start of the best period in the clubs history. In 1992/93 the club won the League title with 106 points from 42 games and also won the League Championship Trophy. Promotion to the Unibond League was denied them because of grading requirements, but undaunted the club repeated
Two good seasons saw steady progress, but then financial troubles struck and the club was relegated for the first time in its history.
A period of stability and success followed but at the end of 2004/05 season Foster and Street left the club to be replaced by Mike Lester and Darren Ford, They set about building a new squad but, in February 2006, Lester and Ford resigned sparking a difficult time for the club on the pitch with no less than six managers at the helm over the next two years. The most successful period came in spring 2007 under Roy Sweeney when the club moved away from the relegation zone after doubling its points total from 21 to 42 in the final two months of the season, finishing in 16th place and having a record league attendance of 1,325 for the visit of FC United of Manchester. Sweeney resigned in December 2007, with Malcolm Anderton taking temporary charge for four months until ex-LR player and Leigh RMI manager Stuart Humphreys was brought in to ensure the club retained its top division status and it was fortunate that 21st place was enough. With changes elsewhere in the pyramid system, LR avoided relegation from Division 1 by finishing 19th at the end of 07/08 season. The club then brought in Dave Hughes as the new manager with a brief to keep the team in
the now rebranded Premier Division while the club was reorganised behind the scenes. Hughes brought in a very experienced coaching team and set about building a squad which has proved very successful. The season ended with one of the highest league placings for several years, victory in the Goldline Trophy and another Reebok appearance in the Hospital Cup final. This season the side had a promising opening to the campaign recording another FA Cup giant-killing before injuries took a severe toll, with the team battling in the relegation dogfight. Victory once again in the Goldline Trophy Final gave the team enough belief to collect the points they needed to stay in the Premier Division.
management duo of Craig and Adam Jones for the 2015-16 season and Shaun Lynch took over for the 2016-17 season.
Dave Hughes resigned as manager at the beginning of September 2010 and the position was immediately offered to the Head Coach Glenn Moses to ensure stability within the team. Moses led the club to its third Goldline Final in three years and our highest mid-season points tally for the past few seasons. Phil Priestley was appointed as manager at the start of the 2011-12 season and remained in charge until he resigned in the summer of 2013.
David Jones was appointed manager for the start of the 2019-20 season before returning to the USA in October 2019. David’s assistant Mark Robinson was promoted to Manager with the team competing at its most effective for 6 seasons.
The 2018-19 season proved to be one to forget, with a number of managers taking charge of the team and the team being reprieved from relegation from Division 1 North. However off field issues were being brought to a head towards the end of the season that resulted in significant positive changes in how the club was to be taken forward. Shaun Lynch was appointed Chairman and together with new committee members set about regenerating the club.
Robinson, steered the club to 17th position in the First Division North in the 2019/20 season prior to the competition being prematurely ended and stepped down in December 2020 for personal reasons with Warren Jones being reappointed First Team Manager. Jones had initially taken the reigns in a Caretaker capacity. He returns to the club for a third time, his second spell as manager having previous held the role in 2018.
One week before the start of the 2013-14 season the club appointed Michael Clegg as manager who took the team to a 7th place finish, but resigned as manager at the end of the same season to take up his the managers position at Atherton Collieries. The next four seasons saw new management teams each season with Ross McNair taking charge for the 2014-15 season, the Season
League
P
W
D
L
F
A
GD
Pts
Position
2006-07
NWC-1
42
11
9
22
65
106
-41
42
16/22
2007-08
NWC-1
38
5
9
24
38
86
-48
24
19/20
2008-09
NWC-P
42
12
15
15
70
77
-7
51
12/22
2009-10
NWC-P
42
10
7
25
53
96
-43
37
20/22
2010-11
NWC-P
42
19
6
17
75
72
3
63
10/22
NWC-P
42
5
6
31
36
116
-80
21
22/22
2012-13
NWC-1
34
8
11
15
37
55
-18
35
13/18
2013-14
NWC-1
36
17
3
16
66
66
0
54
8/19
2014-15
NWC-1
36
12
7
17
46
70
-24
43
12/19
2015-16
NWC-1
34
4
6
24
32
103
-71
18
17/18
2016-17
NWC-1
42
8
4
30
44
95
-51
28
20/22
2017-18
NWC-1
42
13
5
24
61
81
-20
44
18/22
2018-19
NWC-1N
38
3
5
30
30
136
-106
13
20/20
2019-20
NWC-1N
29
8
7
14
36
58
-22
31
17/20
2020-21
NWC-1N
3
1
0
2
3
5
-2
3
16/19
2011-12
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Season 2021-22
HOW DO WE COMPARE? St Helens Town - last 6 matches All Competitions
at St Helens
Previous Meetings
at Atherton
03/04; 1-5
2006-07
24/04; 4-3
15/12; 2-1
2007-08
14/08; 1-3
18/11; 3-6
2008-09
24/02; 0-4
08/09; 2-2
2009-10
16/03; 1-0
05/10; 3-0
2010-11
26/03; 0-1
02/01; 3-0
2011-12
09/08; 0-0
NWC-PD
2012-13
NWC-D1
NWC-PD
2013-14
NWC-D1
NWC-PD
2014-15
NWC-D1
11/08; 4-1
2015-16
27/02; 4-1
01/04; 3-0
2016-17
03/09; 2-4
07/04; 3-0
2017-18
29/08; 0-2
09/08; 3-0
2018-19
06/04; 3-0
21/12; 2-2
2019-20
07/09; 2-3
Most recent
Home
L
L
D
L
L
D
Away
L
L
L
D
L
L
Collated
D
L
L
D
L
L
Atherton LR - last 6 matches All Competitions
Most recent
Home
D
L
L
W
L
L
Away
D
L
L
W
L
W
Collated
W
W
L
L
L
W
St Helens Town games since...
Atherton LR games since...
All Competitions
All Competitions
2020-21 2021-22
31/07/2021 Clean sheet
22
Clean sheet
0
Goal Scored
0
Goal Scored
0
Loss
0
Loss
1
No score draw
35
No score draw
84
Score draw
2
Score draw
8
Win
15
Win
0
19/02/2022
St Helens Town Scores First Games Played
22
St Helens Town Wins
11
Draws
3
Atherton LR Wins
8
St Helens Town Goals
46
Atherton LR Goals
38
Percentage Town Wins
50.00
Previous Meetings P
W
D
L
F
A
GD
Win %
Home League
26
16
7
3
60
32
28
61.54
Away League
26
11
4
11
37
40
-3
42.31
Home Cup
3
2
0
1
5
3
2
66.67
Away Cup
2
1
1
0
3
2
1
50.00
Overall
57
30
12
15
105
77
28
52.68
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BRIEF HISTORY OF TOWN The original St. Helens Town club was formed in 1901 and played at Park Road, behind the Primrose Vaults public house. Although it was known as the Primrose Ground, the players changed further down Park Road at the Black Horse pub. Playing in the Lancashire League and Lancashire Combination, the team enjoyed some early success, but struggled after the Great War and appears to have folded midway through the 1928/29 season. The club was re-formed by George Fryer and a group of local businessmen in 1946. They took out a lease of the former cricket ground at Hoghton Road, Sutton, adjacent to the St. Helens Junction railway station and, although it entered in the FA Cup in the 1946/47 season, a team could not be raised in time to fulfil its tie with Prescot Cables. Friendly games were played, then local team Derbyshire Hill Rovers were taken over in April 1947, those players forming the nucleus of the team which entered the Liverpool County Combination at the start of the 1947/48 season. St. Helens Town soon began to prosper and early results included a sensational 10-4 win over Everton “A” on 6th December 1947. Former German prisoner-of-war Bert Trautmann joined the club in the Summer of 1948, the strapping goalkeeper helping the team to win its first trophy, the George Mahon Cup, which was secured with a 2-1 win over Runcorn at Prescot on 7th May 1949. Crowds averaged over 2000
that season, peaking with a league record attendance of 3012 against Burscough in October 1948. The following season, 1949/50, Town entered the Lancashire Combination and, despite losing Trautmann to Manchester City in October 1949, they won the Second Division title in some style the following season, three players, Albert Leadbetter (36), Harry McCann (32) and Terry Garner (31) all netting over 30 goals apiece. An all-time club record attendance of “between 8000 and 9000” witnessed a friendly game against Manchester City, arranged as part of the Trautmann transfer deal, in April 1950 and another 4000 witnessed a second match with City the following season. Although relegated by a slender margin from the First Division in 1951/52, the club continued to look forward, even contemplating Football League status and, in order
to further its ambitions, moved to the former St. Helens Recs. rugby league ground at City Road. Initial crowds were encouraging but, despite success, the club decided to move back to Hoghton Road in October 1953, where they remained until April 2000. Town produced a number of fine players who joined Football League clubs, including Bill Foulkes (Manchester United), John Quinn (Sheffield Wednesday) and John Connelly who joined Burnley, later transferring to Manchester United and who played in the England 1966 World Cup winning squad. More recently, Dave Bamber scored goals in all four divisions of the league with a host of different clubs, starting and ending his league career at Blackpool and in more recent times, Karl Ledsham, who had a productive career at conference level with Southport, Lincoln City, Barrow and Stockport County before moving to the USA. Following a second relegation in 1956, St. Helens Town continued to play in the Lancashire Combination, winning the Championship in 1971/72, by nine points ahead of Accrington Stanley. However, the formation of the Northern Premier League in 1968 led to a gradual drain of stronger clubs from the Combination and St. Helens joined the Cheshire League in 1975, becoming founder members of the North West Counties League seven years later. They held the proud record of being the only club to play in the NW Counties’ top flight every season until they were relegated in April 2015, conceding an injury-time equaliser to Silsden in the last game of the season, a match they had to win to stay up. Town enjoyed a golden era in the late 1980s, just missing out on an appearance in the First Round proper of the FA Cup in 1985/86, losing to Morecambe in a Fourth Qualifying Round Replay, but they obtained ample compensation by winning the FA Vase at Wembley in 1987, beating near neighbours Warrington Town 3-2, with two goals from Phil Layhe and one from Brian Rigby. They were regular promotion candidates for many years, largely due to the scoring exploits of Steve “Pellet” Pennington, who grabbed 216
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goals in 351 games, his season’s best hauls of 45 in 1993/94 and 46 in 1997/98 just failing to beat the club record of 47 scored by Phil Stainton in 1963/64. Former club captain Andy Gillespie won the NW Counties’ golden boot with 34 goals in the 2015/16 season and netted another 24 times the following season. Town moved from Hoghton Road in 2000 and ground-shared with Saints Rugby League club pending an intended move to their new
stadium, which took many years longer than anticipated and finally moved out of Knowsley Road when it closed in September 2010. Plans for the move were shelved following a disagreement and Town went on a nomadic existence, playing out of town at Ashton Town, Ashton Athletic, Prescot Cables and odd games at Atherton Collieries, before St. Helens Council redeveloped the Ruskin Drive multi-sports complex and St. Helens Town moved back home there in August 2017, playing on an artificial 3G surface. On the playing front the 21st April 2015 saw Town’s ever-present status in the NWCFL top flight end with relegation to Division One. A 1-1 draw a home to Silsden sealed their fate in a season when all three bottom clubs were relegated. 2021-22 sees Town in their eighth season at Step 6, now the NWCFL First Division North, aiming to put behind themselves a number of seasons of inconsistent performances. Under the stewardship of manager Dave Platt and assistant Dave Potter the club will be looking towards regaining their competitive edge.
Season 2021-22 Fixtures, Facts and F Comp
KO
JUL 31
Date
Opponents ATHERTON LR
NWCFL
3.00
Aug 04
Garstang
NWCFL
7.45
AUG 07
PILKINGTON
NWCFL
3.00
Aug 14
Cleator Moor Celtic
NWCFL
3.00
AUG 19
AFC BLACKPOOL
NWCFL
7.45
Aug 21
Steeton
NWCFL
3.00
AUG 28
DAISY HILL
NWCFL
3.00
AUG 30
SOUTH LIVERPOOL
NWCFL
3.00
Sep 04
Nelson
NWCFL
3.00
SEP 09
ASHTON TOWN
NWCFL
7.45
SEP 11
CHEALDE HEATH NOM’
FAV 1QR 3.00
Sep 18
Ilkley Town
NWCFL
3.00
SEP 25
HOLKER OLD BOYS
NWCFL
3.00
OCT 02
BACUP BOROUGH
NWCFL
3.00
Oct 09
Chadderton
NWCFL
3.00
OCT 16
BURY AFC
NWCFL
3.00
Oct 23
Campion
NWCFL
3.00
Oct 30
Golcar United
NWCFL
3.00
NOV 06
AFC DARWEN
NWCFL
3.00
Nov 20
Daisy Hill
NWCFL
3.00
NOV 27
STEETON
NWCFL
3.00
Dec 04
AFC Blackpool
NWCFL
3.00
Dec 11
AFC Darwen
NWCFL
3.00
DEC 18
NELSON
NWCFL
3.00
Dec 28
South Liverpool
NWCFL
3.00
Jan 08
Bury AFC
NWCFL
3.00
JAN 22
CHADDERTON
NWCFL
3.00
Jan 29
Bacup Borough
NWCFL
3.00
FEB 05
CAMPION
NWCFL
3.00
FEB 12
GARSTANG
NWCFL
3.00
Feb 19
Atherton LR
NWCFL
3.00
FEB 26
ILKLEY TOWN
NWCFL
3.00
MAR 05 CLEATOR MOOR CELTIC
NWCFL
3.00
Mar 12
NWCFL
3.00
MAR 19 GOLCAR UNITED
NWCFL
3.00
Mar 26
Holker Old Boys
NWCFL
3.00
Apr 02
Ashton Town
NWCFL
3.00
Pilkington
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Result
GK
2
3
4
5
S
Figures . . . 6
7
8
9
10
St Helens Town AFC Reserves Kit Sponsors 2021-22
11
12
14
15
16
17
Name1
Player name and number of goals scored
Name
Player name and CAUTION
Name
Player name and DISMISSAL FOR 2 CAUTIONS
Name
Player name and DISMISSAL
Name10
Player name and number of replaced player
HALF TIME QUIZ Q2. Which team came second to Reading in the 2005-06 Championship season when they recorded a record 106 points? Q3. From which club did Chelsea sign legendary African striker George Weah? Q4. Which two Serie A teams play their home games at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris? Q5. Which then First Division Club provided multiple players who featured in the football match in the 1981 film Escape to Victory? Q6. Who scored Brazil’s only goal in their World Cup 2014 Semi-Final 7-1 reverse at the hands of Germany? Q7. Who did Diego Simeone manage before his spell at Atletico Madrid started in 2011? Q8. Which English player won the Balon d’Or in 2001? Q9. Which island nation does Bristol City striker Nahki Wells play international football for? Q10. Which former Fulham manager completed
France’s magic square at the 1984 European Championship? Q11. Before their 3-0 loss at Watford in February 2020 which was the last non“big six” team to defeat Liverpool in a Premier League game? Q12. Which son of a former Premier League manager is assistant coach at Inter Miami? Q13. Former Aston Villa player Mbwana Samatta became the first player from which county to play in the Premier League when he made his debut for the Villains in February 2020? Q14. Who replaced Jack Ross as Sunderland manager in October 2019? Q15. In which English city was Borussia Dortmund’s Giovanni Reyna born? 1) Nikos Dabizas 2) Sheffield United 3) Milan 4) Genoa & Sampdoria 5) Ipswich Town 6) Oscar 7) Racing Club 8) Michael Owen 9) Bermuda 10) Jean Tigana 11) Swansea in January 2018 12) Tony Pulis’s son Anthony 13) Tanzania 14) Phil Parkinson 15) Sunderland
Q1. Which Newcastle Centre Back did Denis Bergkamp famously embarrass at St James Park in 2002?
Pre-season Friendly Joel Douglas in action v Prescot cables Ruskin Sports Village, St Helens Saturday 3rd July 2021 Match photos courtesy of @Jess_Photo1
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ST HELENS TOWN HONOURS 1949 George Mahon Trophy Winners 1951 Lancashire Comb Division 2 Champions 1972 Lancashire Combination Champions 1973 Bass Charrington Cup Winners 1974 Watson Trophy Winners 1978 St Helens Hospital Cup Winners 1979 St Helens Combination Div 1 Runners Up 1979 St Helens Hospital Cup Runners Up 1980 St Helens Combination Div 1 Champions 1985 NWCFL Reserve Division 2 Runners Up 1986 NWCFL Reserve Division 1 Runners Up 1987 FA Vase Winners (Wembley) 1994 League Challenge Cup Finalists 1994 NWCFL Reserve Division Runners Up 1995 NWCFL Reserve Division Champions 1996 NWCFL Reserve Division Runners Up 1998 Floodlit Trophy Finalists 1999 REALCO Fair Play Award Winners 2009 Bert Trautmann Trophy Winners 2014-15 South Lancs League U17s Cup Finalists 2014-15 Cheshire FA U21 League Champions 2015-16 Cheshire FA U21 Premier Cup Finalists 2016-17 Cheshire FA U21 League Cup Finalists 2016-17 Cheshire FA U21 Premier Div Runners Up 2017-18 NWYA U18s President’s Cup Winners Record Attendances: 3012 at Hoghton Road v Burscough (1948) 8000 at Hoghton Road v Man City (1950) 1723 at Knowsley Road v FC United of Man (2006) 9000 at Prescot Cables v Runcorn (1949)
Programme Awards: NWCFL Programme of the Year 1993-94, 1995-96, 1997-98, 1998-99, 1999-00, 2000-01 NWCFL Premier Division 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15 NWCFL First Division / First Division North 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20 Wirral Programme Club National Survey NWCFL Programme of the Year 1996-97, 1997-98, 1998-99 Programme Monthly NWCFL Programme of the Year 2007-08 Soccer Club Swap Shop National Programme Awards 2010-11 28th, 2011-12 8th, 2012-13 7th, 2013-14 8th, 2014-15 5th, 2015-16 8th, 2016-17 2nd, 2017-18 5th 2018-19 6th 2019-20 5th M60 Programmes NWCFL Division One North Programme of the Year 2019-20
St Helens Town AFC - Player Records 1946-2021 Goals in a Career
Goals in a Season
Career Appearances (250+ games)
216 Steve Pennington
47 Phil Stainton 1963/64
448 Alan Wellens (inc. 207 estimated)
118 Terry Garner
46 Steve Pennington 1997/98
359 John Critchley (16 estimated)
108 Gary Laird
45 Jackie Kendrick 1973/74
352 Steve Pennington
105 Lee Cooper
45 Steve Pennington 1993/94
346 Gary Lowe (1 estimated)
101 Glenn Walker
40 Bob Potter 1952/53
345 Glenn Walker
94 Iain Dyson
38 Terry Fearns 2000/01
327 Jackie Atherton (122 estimated)
84 Andy Gillespie
36 Albert Leadbetter 1950/51
300 Jackie Cooke (1 estimated)
83 Harry McCann
35 Arthur Tyrer 1957/58
287 Gary Laird
81 Ray Fairweather
34 Lee Cooper 2001/02
280 Kevin Grice (147 estimated)
72 Arthur Tyrer
33 Ronnie Rigby 1952/53
278 Jimmy Woodyer (67 estimated)
68 Phil Stainton
32 Harry McCann 1950/51
276 Iain Dyson
63 Mervyn Bull
31 Terry Garner 1950/51
272 Ray Fairweather (3 estimated)
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265 Larry Redmond (134 estimated)
ST HELENS MIND We aren't just there for people who are unwell
Volunteers! Help make it happen
You may think that St Helens Mind is somewhere that people access when they are unwell. That is only a part of our work. But much more it is about helping people to focus on staying well, what is important to them and their family. Of course we encourage people to think about when they are unwell, but we also help people to consider how they want to spend the rest of their lives.
Each and every one of them contributes to our success. Without them we would not have a service, an effective one at that!
We aim to improve the lifestyles of people living in St. Helens Borough regardless of their cultural, religious and lifestyle needs. Our services are non-judgemental and offer opportunities to develop self-esteem and confidence by encouraging and supporting involvement. We are an independent, user–focused organisation providing quality services for local people who are experiencing isolation and distress due to mental ill health. We do this by: Providing a range of services appropriate to the needs of people experiencing mental distress that enhances their self-worth as valued citizens. Promoting increased awareness and understanding of mental health issues within the community.
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Without their dedication, time, skills, experience, sense of fun, enthusiasm and willingness to represent St. Helens Mind we would not have a Befriending Service, Social Groups and the many other activities
· · · · · · · ·
Befriending Service Reading for Wellbeing Men's & Ladies’ Groups Mixed Social Groups Arts & Crafts Music & Singing Allotment Social Events
Want to find out more about our services or how to become a volunteer? Email: admin@sthelensmind.org.uk Telephone: 01744 647089
NWCF LEAGUE NEWS An exciting future for Stockport Town Division One South club, Stockport Town have had major changes behind the scenes that will see them provide a pathway for local footballers to find their way into the game as well as challenge at a competitive level. It also creates strong links with neighbours Stockport County although Town will be ran independently. Both Stockport clubs have released a statement today to clarify the changes. The Club can announce that owner Mark Stott has acquired a majority stakeholding in Pro Football Academy. The acquisition supports Mark’s passion for creating opportunities for everyone to get more out of football and create pathways for young footballing talent in Stockport and the wider region. Pro Football Academy is a Nationwide football coaching business, catering for footballers aged 4 to 16 years. It offers young footballers a range of coaching sessions from weekly group sessions to 1:1 coaching with FA/UEFA qualified coaches. Carlos Roca will remain as Managing Director of Pro Football Academy. Pro Football Academy owns Stockport Town, a semi-professional football club competing in the North West Counties League and are based at Stockport Sports Village. The FA, EFL and North West Counties League have all approved the transaction subject to conditions that ensure Stockport Town is operated independently from Stockport County. A dedicated team has been recruited with Matt Jansen appointed as Manager and will be joined by Mike Jeffries as his assistant. Jonathan Smith has been promoted as Matt Jansen’s replacement as Head of Recruitment at Stockport County. County legend Paul Turnbull has also signed from Curzon Ashton and will captain the team. The acquisition further strengthens the towns’
footballing credentials and will help to retain and provide pathways for promising local talent. The draw for the opening two rounds of the Buildbase FA Vase have been released. As we know, Warrington Rylands are the holders after a 3-2 win over Binfeld at Wembley in May. They played in our league last season but promotion means that they cannot defend their trophy. Can another NWCFL side emulate their feat this coming season. BUILDBASE FA VASE FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND SATURDAY 11th SEPTEMBER 2021 Padiham v North Shields West Allotment Celtic v Steeton Squires Gate v Garforth Town Barnoldswick Town v AFC Blackpool Campion v Newton Aycliffe Sunderland West End v Cleator Moor Celtic Ilkley Town v Penrith Litherland Remyca v Wythenshawe Town Avro v AFC Darwen AFC Liverpool v Charnock Richard Athersley Recreation v Chadderton Brigg Town v Cammell Laird 1907 Runcorn Town v Ashton Town Burscough v Hallam New Mills v Armthorpe Welfare Bacup Borough v Penistone Church St Helens Town v Cheadle Heath Nomads West Didsbury & Chorlton v Nostell Miners W Northwich Victoria v Bury AFC Skelmersdale United v Retford Winterton Rangers v Macclesfield Dronfield Town v Barnton Worsbrough Bridge Athletic v Maine Road Handsworth v Golcar United Cheadle Town v Irlam Abbey Hey v Ashton Athletic Dudley Town v Alsager Town Brocton v Boldmere St Michaels Winsford United v Stapenhill Atherstone Town v Abbey Hulton United AFC Bridgnorth v Rocester Stafford Town v Eccleshall St Martins v Hinckley
Pre-season Friendly Liam Diggle in action v Warrington Town Ruskin Sports Village, St Helens Saturday 17th July 2021 Match photos courtesy of @Jess_Photo1
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MATCH DAY SPONSORS We are looking for additional sponsors on match-days with a host of benefits for match (£75), match ball (£40) and programme (£40) sponsors including free entry & programme; programme and social media advertising; pre-match photos, man of the match awards. Opponents
Match Sponsor
AFC Blackpool AFC Darwen
Match Ball Sponsor
Programme Sponsor
Prabhu Ventures Ltd
St Helens Mind
St Helens Mind
Willow Printing
Prabhu Ventures Ltd
Ashton Town Atherton LR
Prabhu Ventures Ltd
Bacup Borough
Unite the Union St Helens Branch
Bury AFC Campion Chadderton
Prabhu Ventures Ltd
Cheadle Heath Nomads FAV 1QR Cleator Moor Celtic Daisy Hill
Prabhu Ventures Ltd Prabhu Ventures Ltd
Garstang
Prabhu Ventures Ltd
Golcar United
St Helens Mind
Holker Old Boys
Prabhu Ventures Ltd
Ilkley Town Nelson Pilkington
Unite the Union St Helens Branch Andrew O’Connor
South Liverpool Steeton
Prabhu Ventures Ltd
TOWN: ON THIS DATE It’s not the usual start to a new season and for Town Like many clubs, I imagine it’s likely this will be the first time they have played competitively in July of any year. According to Town’s extensive playing records stretching back to the 1901-02 season the club has never played in July and despite almost 350 competitive games in August we’ve never played on the 1st of August! Town’s earliest competitive fixture took place on the 2nd August 2014 when a trip to Brantingham Road, home of Maine Road FC, saw the team take three points on the opening day of the NWCFL Premier Division 2014-15 season. Goals from Aaron Morris and Chad Whyte secured the spoils in 1-2 win. It was an excellent start to that campaign with three wins from four league games including wins over AFC Blackpool (3-0) and Bacup & Rossendale Borough (2-6). Town would win only five more league games that season and suffered relegation to step 6. A season earlier Town played Norton United on the opening day of the 2013-14 campaign for what would be their earliest ever game at that point (Saturday 2nd August) 2013). The game took place at our temporary Ashton Athletic home and saw Town recover to hit two stoppage time goals to level at 3-3, the final effort from Adam Owens becoming a hot topic of debate in the immediate aftermath – ‘did it cross the line?’. The history books say it did and a point against the eventual Premier Division champions was not a bad start. The other scorers that day at Brocstedes Park were Chris Williams (72 mins) and Ste Edwards (90+1). More recently, Saturday 3rd August 2019 saw Town edged out in a five goal thriller at Andrew Street as Chadderton took the points in a NWCL Division 1 North encounter. Onuh and Sharpe were on the scoresheet for Town but it wasn’t enough on the opening day of the season which would be eventually deemed null and void.
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It was another early season start on Saturday 4th August 2012 when goals from Edwards and Fitzjohn were enough to secure three points away at Colne on the opening day of the NWCFL Premier Division season courtesy of a 1-2 win at Holt House. Just three days later Town would continue their good start with a 2-1 home win over AFC Liverpool, Edwards with the winner just after the break after Lee Crompton had hit a first half opener for Town. Saturday 4th August 2018 and Anfield Sports was the location for Town’s opening game of season as new boys and highly fancied Lower Breck were beaten 1-2 courtesy of second half goals from Liam Dodd (71 mins) and Liam Diggle (75 mins). This was followed by a midweek home fixture against today’s opponents Atherton LR who were dispatched 3-0 at Ruskin Sports Village. Richards, Dodd and Edwards were on the scoresheet for Town in the NWCFL Division One North. Town’s earliest fixture in a cup competition appears to be an 11th August 2012 FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round tie at home to Abbey Hey. After a bright start to the league campaign and previously described wins over Colne and AFC Liverpool it was down to earth with a bump as our visitors from Gorton ran out comfortable 1-5 winners. Back in season 1971-72 Town travelled to Dukinfield Town in the Lancashire Combination League Cup Group, losing 4-2. It seems the Lancashire Combination League campaign didn’t start until 2nd October that season with Town’s opening eleven games being played in the League Cup, Watson Cup and Liverpool NonLeague Cup. The eleven encounters saw a mixed bag of results with five wins, five defeats and 1 draw. The season saw Town crowned Lancashire Combination Champions for the only time in a campaign that saw them win 10 of their opening 11 games (the other being a 3-3 draw in the first league encounter with Nelson at Hoghton Road). The run extended to 19 wins and five draws before their only league loss; a 0-1 defeat away at Kirkby Town Reserves. John McKiernan
NWCF LEAGUE NEWS A review of the milestones that clubs reached during the curtailed 2020/21 season. Premier Division AFC Liverpool conceded their 400th away goal Ashton Athletic conceded their 60th home goal Avro scored their 100th home goal Barnoldswick conceded their 750th overall goal Charnock Richard conceded their overall 250th goal and scored their 100th home goal Irlam scored their 350th away goal Northwich Vics won their 50th game overall Padiham played their 950th game and conceded their 1600th goal Runcorn Town played 200th home and away games Skelmersdale Utd lost their 400th overall game Squires Gate conceded their 1200th away goal Winsford Utd played their 950th game and drew their 100th home game Wythenshawe Town scored their 100th away goal Division One North AFC Blackpool conceded their 1200th home goal AFC Darwen scored their 350th home goal and conceded their 500th away goal Garstang both scored and conceded their 150th goals overall Holker Old Boys scored their 1000th home goal Nelson played their 1200th game (600 at home and 600 away!) St Helens conceded their 1400th away goal and their 2650th overall Steeton conceded their 100th away goal Division One South Alsager Town scored 600th away goal Cammell Laird conceded their 450th goal, their 200th home goal and 250th away goal Cheadle Town lost their 300th away game Sandbach Utd scored their 150th home goal and lost their 50th game overall St Martins scored their 50th away goal Stockport Town won their 50th home game St Helens have played in every NWCFL season to date, playing 1,512 games, Bacup are next with
1,432. Squires Gate are the highest placed Premier side with 1,138. In total, 12 teams have each played over 1,000 games. Daisy Hill support local food bank Members of Daisy Hill FC’s first team squad spent last Saturday evening handing out food parcels at the Homeless Aid Bolton food bank in Bolton town centre. The visit was organised by the first team’s Assistant Manager Lee Hill, who has supported the Food Bank in the past through his business FitPRO Training Academy. The players gave up their Saturday night to help with the community initiative to support the operation at the HAB facility and found the experience as an opportunity for reflection, whilst also providing much needed support and manpower to a vital source of support for the Bolton Community. “With my company having established links with the Food Bank, I thought it would be great to bring that same support over to Daisy Hill and get the club involved too”, said Lee. “I had some surplus food available and asked some of the team to help me create food parcels, and give up their time to come down and help distribute the food parcels. Many of the squad volunteered, but we didn't want to take too many as it is important to maintain the dignity of the service users, and we didn't want to appear imposing. In the end, five of us went down with 40 food parcels and spent an hour giving out food and speaking to the service users. “It was great for the lads to experience this and they were truly touched by the work of the volunteers and the service users themselves. They have all asked if they can do it again sometime soon, and many of the other team members have also asked if they can be involved the next time we do it. “I think it’s great for the lads and the club to help out in the community where we can. Even if we play a small part in helping those less fortunate, it's those collective efforts that add up and make a huge difference.
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THE TEAMS St Helens Town
Atherton LR
Blue Shirts Blue Shorts, Blue Socks
Orange Shirts Black Shorts, Orange Socks
From: Jamie Apperley Stephen Brown Josh Clegg Paul Cliff Luke Colford Rhoss De-Andrade Christy Devlin Liam Diggle Luke Diggle Joel Douglas Sam Hughes Colyfa Kamara Liam Keenan Charlie McMahon John Morgan Tega Okeregha Matty Slevin Nathan Wooland
From: Joshua Abbott Jack Buckley George Chadwick Connor Comber Kaydn Craven Keiron Dale Justeace Holness Thomas Horner Sam Howell Connor Ikin Adam Lawrence Shereen Mahal Douglas McNulty Luke Nicholls Lucas Robinson Freddie Stevens
Manager: Dave Platt Assistant: David Potter Coach: Callum Davison Coach: Sean Robertson
Manager: Warren Jones Coach: Liam Marsh Coach: Steve O’Hara
Referee: Mr E Holman Assistant: Mr D Wood Assistant: Mr M Horlick Match Sponsors: Prabhu Ventures Limited Match Ball Sponsors: St Helens Mind Programme Sponsors: Willow Printing & Design Limited