Holker Street Newsletter 1511 - 13th February 2005

Barrow 2 Gainsborough Trinity 0, it was a score that would have passed most of the football world by, but to us it was significant, for it meant that out of the last twelve points on offer, we had managed to keep hold of ten of them. It also meant Barrow moved up to fifteenth place, and, whisper it, only twelve points from the play-off places.

The fight back started a wee while ago, we know that, but now it looks like the hard bit will be maintain the momentum. Things are getting better, or at least showing signs of it, we just have to hope that Barrow can continue to increase the gap between them and the relegation zone.

Talking of which, things are looking pretty desperate for both Ashton United and Bradford (Park Avenue) who both lost at the weekend, at the other end, Southport won again and must be favourites for promotion, I remember when Southport won the NPL title in the 1992-93 season and we finished quite a way behind them, well, in truth we had a mare of a season in eight place, but between us and Southport were names Winsford United, Morecambe, Marine, Leek Town, Accrington Stanley and Frickley Athletic, of which two play at higher level than us, and the rest have slipped a level. Barrow seem to have stood still, well, we were in the Conference for a wee while, but we are back where we were in the 1992-93 season. When we started this current season, hopes were high, and for a number of reasons things didn’t quite turn out the way we wanted, but with winning again, things are picking up, slowly, but surely. Perhaps as we have struggled so much this season, and others would have looked in some bemusement at the League table and seen Barrow at the bottom, now that we are climbing the table, the victories will be so much sweeter, each three points earned on the field allow us to regain our pride.

Barrow Reserves’ game on Friday away to Accrington Stanley Reserves was postponed because Gt Harwood Town’s ground, where Stanley Reserves play, suffered fire damage, but Barrow Reserves are back in action of Wednesday night when they travel to Moss Lane to take on their counterparts from Altrincham, kick off at 7.45pm.

Barrow AFC have announced details of the 2004 Sporting Dinner, and this will take place on Saturday July 2 at the Lisdoonie Hotel, two comedians have been confirmed for the evening’s festivities, Hal Nolan and Charlie Hale, and tickets are £30 each, with a table of for ten available for £300. More details are available from Jeff Keen at the Soccer Shop, 01229 823061 or Neil Chalker on 01229 466663 or 07971 921431.

I have heard from the club on the matter of the raffle ticket that was announced earlier in January, it’s going to be held later this year so it won’t clash with the fund-raising efforts of the BDF and the Grand National Draw, more details will be available in due course.


BARROW OVERCOME GAINSBOROUGH IN SECOND HALF
From Barrow Lad

A small but vociferous crowd of 721 encouraged Barrow to hold their own against a strong Gainsborough team in the first half. The weather probably kept people away, the cold, blustery conditions bringing in heavy sleet towards the end of the first half. Fighting against strong North Westerly gusts, it was not easy to mount attacks but Barrow's defence held strong. Knight came closest to scoring in the 13th minute, his shot after a Forde free kick bringing a good save.

In the second half Barrow played with the wind and renewed confidence in attack. It took Knight only 30 seconds to score from the restart and in the 58th minute, a fine shot into the left corner doubled his tally. Five minutes later he almost earned his hat trick when a header hit the bar. Up to the last 20 minutes of this period, Barrow were totally in control. Gainsborough then mounted a series of attacks and the game became increasingly scrappy with a number of bookings. Although they came near to scoring, Barrow's win never seemed in any doubt.

A very good team performance, plenty of good tackling, passing and control plus Knight's superb finishing resulting in a well-deserved three points.

Barrow: Bishop, Heffernan, Maxfield, Cotterill, Colley, Anthony, Ridley, Forde, Hill, Tarrant (S), Knight. Subs: Campbell (S), Wheeler, Warren, Simpson, Waite.


NATIONWIDE NORTH
Alfreton Town 0 Worcester City 0 (378), Altrincham P Runcorn P (due to waterlogged pitch), Barrow 2 Gainsborough Trinity 0 (721), Harrogate Town 5 Ashton United 1 (429), Hinckley United P Hucknall Town P (due to waterlogged pitch), Moor Green 0 Lancaster City 2 (206), Redditch United 3 Bradford (Park Avenue) 1 (356), Southport 3 Droylsden 0 (1008), Stalybridge Celtic P Kettering Town P (due to waterlogged pitch), Vauxhall Motors 0 Stafford Rangers 0 (246), Worksop Town 2 Nuneaton Borough 3 (506).

Home Away
P W D L F A W D L F A GD PTS
1 Southport 27 8 3 2 24 13 8 3 3 28 14 25 54
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
2 Nuneaton Borough 30 8 2 5 18 15 7 3 5 23 21 5 50
3 Harrogate Town 29 10 4 1 29 11 4 3 7 17 21 14 49
4 Kettering Town 28 8 3 5 19 18 6 2 4 22 19 4 47
5 Droylsden 29 7 3 4 31 23 6 4 5 23 21 10 46
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
6 Redditch United 29 8 3 4 24 17 5 4 5 21 16 12 43
7 Worksop Town 30 7 4 4 23 21 4 6 5 16 21 -3 43
8 Altrincham 26 8 3 1 29 11 3 6 5 13 16 15 42
9 Alfreton Town 26 6 4 4 20 14 6 2 4 18 15 9 42
10 Gainsborough T 30 6 5 5 21 18 6 1 7 22 26 -1 42
11 Stafford Rangers 27 6 7 1 22 11 4 4 5 12 13 10 41
12 Hucknall Town 25 4 5 3 17 17 5 4 4 20 16 4 36
13 Hinckley United 26 4 4 4 19 20 5 5 4 16 17 -2 36
14 Lancaster City 27 5 4 5 17 16 4 5 4 21 25 -3 36
15 BARROW 28 5 4 5 22 27 4 3 7 13 19 -11 34
16 Worcester City 28 5 5 5 21 21 2 6 5 18 21 -3 32
17 Moor Green 29 5 3 5 17 18 3 5 8 23 31 -9 32
18 Vauxhall Motors 26 4 7 2 13 10 3 3 7 17 24 -4 31
19 Runcorn FC Halton 28 5 4 5 13 15 2 5 7 13 24 -13 30
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
20 Stalybridge Celtic 28 2 5 6 20 29 3 4 8 14 24 -19 24
21 Ashton United 30 4 1 9 18 27 1 6 9 14 30 -25 22
22 Bradford PA 26 1 4 8 14 23 2 3 8 11 17 -15 16
Redditch United deducted three points


LEE TURNBULL’S NOTES
From the Gainsborough Trinity programme

Absolutely gut wrenching. There is no other way to describe our FA Trophy exit at Altrincham last Saturday. But I believe it will make us stronger mentally and I hope you see that today as we welcome Paul Mitchell and his Gainsborough Trinity players and officials. I don’t think I will have a problem clearing away the Trophy disappointment. Defeat was a bitter pill to swallow, particularly because I thought we have put in a very good performance. There were so many positive things to take from the game even though we lost in the fifth minute of added-on time from what was virtually the last action of the game. A Replay was the very minimum reward we should have got from our efforts, and the money that would have brought in would have come in very handy. But we wish Altrincham well and hope they carry Conference North hopes a long way in the competition. Over the last three or four weeks our spirit and character have been growing. There is a greater togetherness there now and we need to transform that into more points. I suppose having a fairly settled team has been a big help although I accept we have had to lose Mark Salmon because he is working abroad and a couple more players have been out through suspensions. But we have a good tightly-knit group of players who would run through brick walls for each other. We might need those qualities today because Gainsborough have just had back to back wins over Redditch and Worcester in their decent run of good results. They have half a dozen away victories in their record, showing they are capable of winning anywhere, and when they went down 2-1 to table leaders Southport it was only through a last minute goal. Today you non-travelling fans, by the way, thanks for the great support we were given at Altrincham, should get the first chance to see new boy Danny Forde. He has just turned 19 and had been with Oldham for six or seven years, coming through their youth system. He was given a one-year professional contract but didn’t make the first team. But there is talent there. He gave a good account of himself on his debut at Altrincham and I expect him to build on that.


DEJA VU FOR ALTRINCHAM
From www.thisistrafford.co.uk

Trophy fever took hold at Altrincham FC after the club qualified for the Fifth Round of the competition. Grays Athletic, League leaders in the Nationwide South, will travel to Moss Lane on Saturday, February 26 for the fixture, a fixture which echoes Alty's memorable trip to Weymouth a year ago. Grays are top of the Nationwide South and at the time, Weymouth were top of the Dr Martens Premier. Also similar to last year, national newspaper reports suggest Altrincham will pose little threat to a full-time side from a Southern League. Brian Flynn, chair of Altrincham supporters' trust STAR, said: "I think it is a very tough but interesting draw. "Altrincham are one of the top established non-League clubs whereas Grays are one of the up and coming sides. It will be a close game, they have only lost one away game and we have only lost one home game."

Despite squad depletion, the result of injury and suspension, Altrincham beat Barrow on Saturday with a last-minute goal from Colin Little. Alty manager Graham Heathcote said: "It was a great win as a result of the lad's 100 percent effort. "It was a difficult week there were a lot of injuries and problems getting a side out there. Going through is financially a massive result for the club. My priority is to win football matches and to progress but I know as a result of being secretary how hard it is financially." Altrincham earned £5000 from the win, a much needed boost to the club's coffers, which continue to balk under huge historic VAT debts. Looking forward to the next round Heathcote said: "Grays are a full-time team, they will have a fitness advantage and they are well clear in their League which is a bit of a deja-vu. Their position is similar to Weymouth last season. But we are at home and can't ask for any more. Hopefully there will be a good turn out, home support can quite often win you games." Last season more than 200 supporters made the trip to the south coast to support Altrincham in Weymouth, where the side won 2-0. For now, Altrincham must turn their attentions to the League, in which they are currently seventh.

Despite being suspended against Barrow, Robins defender Mark Maddox took to the pitch last Saturday. He was being presented with a memento to mark his 300th appearance for the club.


THE REST OF FEBRUARY’S NATIONWIDE NORTH FIXTURES
Tuesday, February 15: Hucknall Town v Alfreton Town, Stalybridge Celtic v Redditch United, Vauxhall Motors v Runcorn FC Halton.
Saturday, February 19: Ashton United v Redditch United, Bradford Park Avenue v Southport, Droylsden v Barrow, Gainsborough Trinity v Stalybridge Celtic, Hucknall Town v Moor Green, Kettering Town v Altrincham, Lancaster City v Worksop Town, Nuneaton Borough v Alfreton Town, Runcorn FC Halton v Hinckley United, Stafford Rangers v Harrogate Town, Worcester City v Vauxhall Motors
Monday, February 21: Ashton United v Alfreton Town.
Tuesday, February 22: Hucknall Town v Southport, Lancaster City v Worcester City, Moor Green v Vauxhall Motors.
Wednesday, February 23: Bradford Park Avenue v Hinckley United.
Saturday, February 26: Alfreton Town v Droylsden, Altrincham v Worcester City, Barrow v Stafford Rangers, Hinckley United v Bradford Park Avenue, Moor Green v Gainsborough Trinity, Redditch United v Nuneaton Borough, Southport v Lancaster City, Vauxhall Motors v Kettering Town, Worksop Town v Ashton United.


BDF SHOP PAYMENTS
From Richard Ingham on behalf of the BDF, in response to Bill Wood’s comments in a recent edition of the Newsletter

We cannot accept normal credit card payments (MasterCard, Visa etc) as neither we (BDF) nor the club have a card machine that can take them. For the last couple of years, both the webmaster of www.barrowfc.com and myself have requested Barrow AFC obtain such a machine but we have been advised that the cost of getting such a machine would not be financially viable for the relatively few transactions it would be used for. I understand that is still the case given the current circumstances so it is unlikely we'll be able to offer such a service in the foreseeable future unless people want to pay a hefty surcharge for the convenience.

Cheques may be old fashioned but they are still a reliable method of payment and along with Paypal offer our customers a reasonable number of payment methods (you can make a bank transfer to a Paypal account so you don’t even need a credit card), and they are certainly popular with supporters living outside of Barrow.


LANCASHIRE CUP SEMI-FINALS
Tuesday 1 March: Accrington Stanley FC v Bamber Bridge FC, Burscough FC v Skelmersdale United FC.

RUNCORN TO PLAY AT WITTON?
From http://iccheshireonline.icnetwork.co.uk, 11 February

Speculation is mounting that Nationwide North club Runcorn FC Halton's next home game will be their last at Halton Stadium. Unconfirmed reports are the Linnets will quit Widnes after the visit of Hinckley United on Saturday, February 19th, and move to UniBond League Premier Division Witton Albion. Wincham Park has been playing temporary host to Conference National side Northwich Victoria while their new stadium is built and Vics are to decamp early next month. Runcorn had the best part of a season in the 1990s as tenants of Witton when they were forced to leave Canal Street due to a main stand fire and pitch-perimeter wall collapse. Earlier this season, Albion hosted a Linnets FA Cup Replay against Fleetwood Town when Halton Stadium was unavailable due to pitch works. It would be a surprise if Runcorn's situation at Widnes wasn't discussed then. However, Witton say there has been no official approach with a view to groundsharing. Two obvious hurdles would be the ten-year lease that the football authorities now insist should be held by clubs playing at such a level and the problems which would be caused by immediate clashes with Witton fixtures. The club paid the latest £3000 installment demanded by the council on their £60,000-plus-VAT rent last Thursday after a supporter stepped in with the money. It is believed, however, the payment came a day late.

The Linnets Independent Supporters' Trust met with Dr Robertson last week and has reportedly been offered a bigger say in the running of the club. Fallon said the only person who could make a decision on the club's future was Dr Robertson, now one of only two Linnets directors after the resignation of Hedley Edwards for personal reasons. The other is vice-chairman Ian Burgess, the chairman's brother-in-law. But Fallon added: 'The Trust has approached Witton informally to ask would it be possible. 'They are happy for us to go there and we have let Dr Robertson know that. We're also going to be opening discussions with Pavilions as to whether it's feasible to move down there or not in the longer term. The Conference wouldn't let us move to Witton unless we are moving back to Runcorn eventually.' Runcorn have no assets and to move back to their hometown they would have to accept a big drop in playing standard or obtain funding. Pavilions in Sandy Lane, Weston Point has West Cheshire League standard facilities. But the complex's owners have their own problems, announcing last week its playing fields could close unless funding is secured for vital maintenance work. Grant applications to various funding bodies have been unsuccessful. Re-seeding and weed-control work on the Sandy Lane sports fields, now run separately to the Pavilions clubhouse by a not-for-profit company, was due to be carried out at the end of the season but has now been cancelled.