Holker Street Newsletter 1480 - 3rd January 2005

Sunday’s games brought a mixture of good news and bad, Barrow’s opponents on Saturday, Bradford (Park Avenue) lost at home to Harrogate Town, but Ashton United beat Droylsden.

Neither result changed Barrow’s League placing of seventeenth, but it meant the Tameside club have started to close the gap on Barrow, it now stands at only three points, and they have a better goal difference than us. Ashton United are one of two clubs who have played the same number of games as Barrow in the bottom eight, the other is Runcorn FC Halton, but there are some who have played five games less than Barrow, although those below us have three games in hand.

A cursory glance at the League table would seem to indicate that both Bradford (Park Avenue) and Stalybridge Celtic are likely to be playing in a different League next season, but nothing can be taken for granted which means that it will be some months before the mathematical chances for these clubs to escape the spectre of relegation are eliminated, it’s only the first week in January after all. So, Barrow are seventeenth, which is infinitely better than twenty-first, where our next opponents, Bradford (Park Avenue) sit, but why can’t we be in fourth place? Because we are not winning enough games, simple as that. So Saturday’s game, like each one from here on in, is very important.

This one reaches 707 people around the Barrow empire.


FROM BBC RADIO CUMBRIA
Sunday 2 January 2005

Barrow's new year got off to a bad start with defeat in the Nationwide North against Lancaster City. Despite a 17th minute opener from Mike Kewley, Barrow conceded two goals in eight minutes to slip to a 2-1 score line at the Giant Axe.


GOOD HEALTH
From Dougie Howser

In September 2004, Barrow AFC provided members and fans with details of the club's financial health. Sadly, the prognosis wasn't good at all. Whilst the patient had been smiling it seems that behind the smile lay a serious health problem. The patient was seriously ill. The family were shocked as only a year or so earlier the consultant had given the patient a clean bill of health and sent him on his way to look after himself. So what went wrong the family asked? The doctors weren't quite sure it turns out. The puzzled look on their faces didn't do much to give the family hope for the present or the future. After some delay, the doctors told the family the root of the problem lay with a former doctor who they said, acting alone, had failed to diagnose the family member's serious health problem. The family weren't convinced at all. They couldn't understand how the doctor in question could be responsible when he merely an employee of the hospital. Surely they said it was the hospital not the doctor that was to blame? The family also questioned why the other doctor who worked closely with the doctor in question didn't seem to know anything at all about the patient or his health problems. Nevertheless, the hospital assured the family that lessons had been learned and that they wouldn't make the same mistakes again. What about the patient though the family asked? What of his health and life expectancy? A eerie and prolonged silence fell upon the room broken only by calls from certain members of the family for the hospital's manager to be dismissed. The family didn't receive any answer from the hospital.

The present position is that they take each day as it comes and just hope that somehow the patient makes a miraculous recovery from his illness. Maybe a faith healer will appear from the wings and cure his ills at a stroke? They wait. They hope. Amongst all of this the hospital is suffering from low attendance and is performing badly. It has major debts and no apparent means of paying them off. Once a jewel in the crown of the regional health board it now languished in the doldrums. What of the future the family ask? Only time will tell it appears.


NATIONWIDE NORTH
Ashton United 1 Droylsden 0 (425), Bradford (Park Avenue) 1 Harrogate Town 2 (506).

P W D L F A Pts GD
1 Southport 23 12 6 5 39 25 42 14
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
2 Kettering Town 25 12 5 8 37 30 41 7
3 Harrogate Town 23 11 6 6 36 25 39 11
4 Alfreton Town 21 11 5 5 35 24 38 11
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
5 Altrincham 23 10 7 6 37 26 37 11
6 Worksop Town 24 9 9 6 33 32 36 1
7 Nuneaton Borough 23 11 3 9 30 31 36 -1
8 Hucknall Town 22 9 8 5 34 27 35 7
9 Droylsden 22 9 7 6 41 34 34 7
10 Redditch United 23 10 5 8 35 27 32 8
11 Gainsborough Trinity 23 9 5 9 34 34 32 0
12 Lancaster City 22 8 7 7 35 35 31 0
13 Worcester City 21 7 9 5 34 29 30 5
14 Stafford Rangers 22 7 9 6 27 23 30 4
15 Hinckley United 19 7 8 4 28 25 29 3
16 Runcorn FC Halton 24 6 8 10 23 35 26 -12
17 BARROW 24 6 6 12 27 44 24 -17
18 Moor Green 21 5 6 10 29 37 21 -8
19 Vauxhall Motors 21 4 9 8 22 30 21 -8
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
20 Ashton United 24 5 6 13 26 39 21 -13
21 Bradford (Park Avenue) 21 3 6 12 23 33 15 -10
22 Stalybridge Celtic 21 2 6 13 23 43 12 -20
Redditch United deducted three points


THIS WEEK’S NATIONWIDE NORTH GAMES
Monday 3 January: Redditch United v Moor Green.
Wednesday 5 January: Bradford (Park Avenue) v Worcester City.
Saturday 8 January: Barrow v Bradford (Park Avenue), Droylsden v Kettering Town, Harrogate Town v Lancaster City, Hinckley United v Redditch United, Hucknall Town v Nuneaton Borough, Moor Green v Runcorn FC Halton, Southport v Alfreton Town, Stafford Rangers v Gainsborough Trinity, Vauxhall Motors v Stalybridge Celtic, Worcester City v Ashton United, Worksop Town v Altrincham.


FROM THE BARROW v LANCASTER CITY PROGRAMME (PART 3)
News From The North by Phil Yelland.

Hucknall Pair Head West: Slowly but surely, the Hucknall Town side that won the UniBond Premier Division title is breaking up. Now two more members of the team are on the move across the Pennines to link up, again, with the Nottinghamshire side's former manager Steve Burr who is now in charge at Northwich Victoria and trying to keep them in the Conference top flight. The players on the move are winger Danny Mayman who has been at Watnall Road for over five years and striker Gary Ricketts who joined Town in 2001 from Hinckley United. Vics are battling hard to maintain their status whilst it will be interesting to see how Town cope with the loss of two of their regular players.

Four Move On?: Ashton United have been struggling of late and now four of their players have signed forms for UniBond clubs. Goalkeeper Danny Trueman lost his spot as regular number one following the arrival of Ashley Connor from Harrogate Town. He has now signed for Wakefield-Emley. Three other players have signed forms for UniBond Division One side Mossley. They are much travelled striker Niell Hardy who had made only a handful of appearances for United following his arrival from Altrincham. The second player signing forms is former Radcliffe Borough defender Simon Carden who only arrived at Hurst Cross last month. Most surprisingly, however, top scorer Josh Mitten has also signed forms for the Lillywhites. It will be interesting to see if United boss Gerry Quinn is set to bring in any new faces. After these departures came the news that United had decided to dispense with the services of manager Gerry Quinn. When he took charge in 1999, United were in UniBond Division One. He won them promotion into the UniBond Premier Division and then Conference North as well as taking the club to success in the Manchester Premier Cup on three occasions. United were keen to announce his successor quickly but have now decided to advertise the post with a closing date of early January. Former Bluebirds goalkeeper Andy Johnston and senior player Andy Thackeray will take charge of team affairs meantime. It is rumoured that the club's favourite to take the helm is Lancaster City boss Phil Wilson. Off the field, the club may be changing their name to Ashton Tameside United. This decision seems to depend on agreement being reached with the local council to extend the lease of the Hurst Cross ground.

Two To The Nailers: Worksop Town have has a superb run which has seen the Tigers move into title contention but boss Ronnie Glavin has pruned his squad by allowing two players who were previously with him at Wakefield-Emley to join UniBond First Division outfit Belper Town. The first is winger Mickey Reynolds who does not appear to be the player he was a few years ago when then Scottish First Division side Ayr United paid a substantial five figure fee for his services. The second player on the move is versatile Lee Wilson.

Goddard Moves On: Alfreton Town are looking to return to the top of the table quickly and it looks as if manager David Lloyd will be able to add to his squad, shortly following the departure of striker Mick Goddard. The 26 year old had asked to move away from the Impact Arena after failing to hold a place in Town's starting line up. He has now made the short move to UniBond First Division neighbours Ilkeston Town who are well placed to claim Premier Division football next term.

United Delay Move: FA Cup heroes Hinckley United have announced that they will not now move to their new ground until 29 January. The intention had been to move from Middlefield Land in time for the Boxing Day visit of neighbours Kettering Town but the prospect of opening the new ground to a bumper gate seems to have gone. The visitors scheduled for a trip to the new ground on Leicester Road are 29 January are Ashton United.

Town Light Up: Back in late October, Conference North leaders Harrogate Town entertained Stafford Rangers at Wetherby Road. The match was abandoned due to floodlight failure and the game has now been arranged for January and fans who collect vouchers for the games at Wetherby Road on 26 December and 8 January will gain entry to the re-arranged game for nothing. The vouchers will be available in the match programmes as well as in the local paper. Town electricity's suppliers have agreed to sponsor the game.


Albion Look To Miller: Burton Albion are going through their worst run since joining the Conference and boss Nigel Clough is clearly of the view that his problems lie in defence. He has now moved to bring in former Woking and Doncaster Rovers defender Barry Miller to Eton Park. Miller has been battling away in Leigh RMI's defeat this term and he departure leaves the Railwaymen short of experience.

Celtic Look To Weller: As they look to climb away from the bottom of Conference North, Stalybridge Celtic manager Peter Wragg has gone for experience to try to boost his midfield options. He has signed 29 year old former Burnley midfielder Paul Weller. After over 200 appearances for the Turf Moor club, he left earlier this year and has played a handful of games this season for League Two side Rochdale. At the same time former Accrington Stanley winger Dean Calcutt who joined Celtic earlier in the season has been transfer listed after failing to make the expected impact.