Holker Street Newsletter 28 - 23rd December 1997

If all goes to plan there should be another edition out tomorrow, but just in case there isn’t, Happy Christmas, and may everything be blue and white (or right) for you. If you are going to Barrow’s away game at Lancaster on Saturday and you see a chap in a Partick Thistle shirt or scarf say hello for me, he’s from Scotland and visiting our neck of the woods for Christmas. His name is Stephen Mulrine and he’s the chap who supplies me with the UniBond League table every week. It’ll make his day, and impress the young lady (ladies) he’ll be with. We could even claim an assist!

In this tome is some more meat on the bones of the groundsharing proposal which is back on the agenda, match reports and some other bits and bobs, oh yes, if you do see Barrow over the holidays, any chance of a match report?


AFC & RL GROUND-SHARING BACK IN THE SPOTLIGHT
'Let’s club together!'
Evening Mail, 22 December

Barrow AFC owner Stephen Vaughan is ready to meet Barrow rugby league directors for talks that may result in both clubs cohabiting at Holker Street. The subject of an AFC/RL ground sharing deal has been on and off both club's agendas for years. It is now back in the spotlight because of rumours that a £1.4 million offer is being tabled for the rugby league club’s Craven Park site. This bid is reported to be connected with the Hollywood Park Development, a project that will, during the course of 1998, transform the western park of Hindpool into a giant leisure complex. The Liverpool based soccer club businessman said he is aware of a cash offer for the rugby ground, and in typical, no-nonsense fashion, man-of action Vaughan said: "Let’s do it. I'm a doer, and if people want to talk, let's put it into practice, let's get contracts on the table. I'm prepared to bend to suit everyone involved, the rugby league and the soccer, we can all take a piece of the cake."

However, it is not yet clear who is involved, and even less certain if the 'cake' exists. At the weekend, Barrow RL chairman Alan Winward denied any knowledge of an offer for the stadium he and his fellow directors have been fighting to save for three years. "I have not seen any bid, nor have I any knowledge of an offer for Craven Park," he said. "Myself and my fellow directors have fought like hell for the club to stay at Craven Park. That ground and the memories that go with it are part of this town's sporting heritage, and we see it as our duty to protect that as far as we are able. "We have spent a lot of our own time organizing the current merger with Carlisle, and believe that when it comes to kick off time in the spring, the new Barrow Border Raiders will be ready to threaten promotion to the First Division. "We are not a blinkered or backwards looking board, and we will examine opportunities if they come our way. I will be speaking to Stephen Vaughan, but no concrete offer has been made to us."

To add to the mystery, businessman and magistrate Ray Gabriel, a partner with Positive Locations, the company undertaking the Hollywood Parks development, said it is unlikely his operation will make a cash bid for Craven Park. Despite all the uncertainties, the Evening Mail thinks that a ground sharing arrangement might be the best way forward for both clubs, providing all the details are revealed for a balanced judgment to be made.

WELCOME HOME WIN
Evening Mail, 22 December

AFC Boss Owen Brown breathed a huge sigh of relief on Saturday afternoon after his side finally managed to record a win in front of their own fans at Holker Street. Barrow have lost three consecutive home matches, but they put all that behind them with a convincing 2-0 victory over Gainsborough.

AFC's goals came from Coates and Cooper and the win maintained the six point gap at the top of the UniBond. "It's a relief ", said a smiling Brown after the game. “We were mean and resolute and we had concentration, commitment and discipline. All round I'm very pleased. The performance was greatly improved and we got what we deserved today. Of all the opponents we have played recently, I rate Gainsborough higher than all of them, yet we put them on the back foot from the off and we had a number of chances. We're very happy with the lads and when you look at the quality of the players we have missing from the side at the moment, it augurs well for us. That's the lads getting pay back from how hard they worked on Tuesday and Thursday night training. We had two good sessions on bitterly cold nights and we work on a couple of things and got back to what we were doing a month ago." Brown also thought that Cooper was unlucky not to see his prediction in Friday’s Evening Mail that Barrow would win 3-0 come true. If his header had gone in instead of hitting the post he said he would have got a job as Mystic Meg.


BARROW RISE ONCE AGAIN. BARROW FIRST HOME WIN IN FOUR GAMES
Evening Mail, 22 December

Some fans suggested that Barrow AFC should play in their away kit at home to try and improve results. That's exactly what happened on Saturday and for the first time in four consecutive Holker Street games AFC managed a win. Barrow came out in their normal home kits but the referee sent them back to their changing rooms to change as it clashed with the Gainsborough strip. It did the trick for AFC as they finally turned in a creditable performance in front of their home fans and deservedly won the game. There was plenty more commitment from AFC and a bit more fight than has been displayed recently. Hennigan started for the first time this season and he was very lively in the centre of the park and carved out some good openings for the front two, Cooper and Coates. Barrow more or less dominated the first half and both Robertson and Higgins came close to scoring with long range drives. At the back defensive trio Jones, Higgins and Johnston were on top of the game and snuffed out and the threat from Gainsborough.

For all Barrow's domination though, they had to wait to the second half before they finally got the goal they deserved. It came from a Bauress corner on the right at the Holker Street end. The ball was sent into the box and there was an almighty scramble before Coates finally managed to bundle it over the line. The goal brought Trinity out of their shells and they began to test keeper Farrelly, who was more than up to the challenge. Unfortunately AFC lost the impressive Hennigan after 58 minutes as he picked up yet another foot injury. Barrow's pressure continued as they went further ahead on 65 minutes. This time Robertson played the ball into the box and Coates went up with the keeper. He did enough to make the Gainsborough number 1 miss it completely and it fell kindly for Cooper who simply side footed it home.

THE PLAYERS :-

FARRELLY 8 - Made one really good save in the second half and dealt with everything else with his usual confidence and reliability.
McCAULEY 7 - Did ok in patches, tried to get things going down the right.
ROBERTSON 7 - Struggled to get passed the full back on a number of occasions, but did manage to get some good balls in.
HIGGINS 8 - Never gave Gainsborough an inch. Attacked the ball and cut out a lot at the back.
JONES 8 - Another good game from the talented youngster. Always looked in control.
JOHNSTON 8 - Solid performance, won a lot of the physical battle and was commanding in the air.
BAURESS 8 - Best game for Bauress for a while. Showed some passion for the game and got stuck in, also used the ball well.
MORAN 7 - Made his debut on loan from Southport. Didn't really do anything to make him stand out, but didn't look out of place also.
COATES 7 - Scored Barrow's first, but didn't really dazzle on the day.
COOPER 7 - Scored Barrow's second and came close with a great header.
HENNIGAN 8 - Very lively performance, disappointing that he had to go off early in the second half.

THE SUBS: MARGINSON for HENNIGAN 58 mins, GRUGEL for McCAULEY 80 mins, WRIGHT for COATES 86 mins.

THE STATS
GOAL - COATES 48 mins, COOPER 65 mins
YELLOW CARDS - COATES 50 mins
OFFSIDES - BARROW 4 GAINSBOROUGH 5
FREE KICKS - BARROW 9 GAINSBOROUGH 13
CORNERS - BARROW 2 GAINSBOROUGH 4
SHOTS
ON TARGET - BARROW 10 GAINSBOROUGH 2
OFF TARGET - BARROW 4 GAINSBOROUGH 2
ATTENDANCE - 963
REFEREE - Keith Millar (Blyth).


THE CASE FOR GROUND SHARING
UKP1.4 million on the table if RL quit their base
Evening Mail, 22 December

Time is fast running out for RL/AFC. Supporters of both clubs feel their team is on the verge of better times, but financially both clubs are on their uppers. The only chance is to forget old differences and agree to ground sharing. Fortunately the chance to save both clubs is now being dangled. If it isn't grabbed, the town's two semi-professional clubs must, inevitably, be on their way out. They cannot go on living from hand to mouth with repeated appeals to the general public for cash help. Year after year the clubs have turned to the supporters for financial aid. Now it is time for both sets of supporters to tell their directors to put their heads together and except the only way forward is by sharing the costs of one stadium and selling the other. The key to the future is by RL excepting the UKP1.4 million offer understood to be now on the table for Craven Park and moving to share the use of the Holker Street ground. The number of businesses wanting to move into Barrow is fast running out. If the UKP1.4 million is not accepted to turn Craven Park into a business park, another site will be found by the developers and there will be no further substantial bids for the rugby league ground. Holker Street will never attract a seven figure bid because of the contract they have with Asda who have paid for an agreement preventing any food outlet being built on the ground for the next 21 years. At the most the Holker Street ground will raise UKP425,000 if it was sold (last year’s valuation).

So how does the Evening Mail see the way forward? Firstly BRLFC should accept the UKP1.4 million offer on the table and use half of it to purchase a 50% share in the Holker Street ground. BRLFC could then pay off their debts of between UKP250,000 - UKP300,000 and be left with more than UKP300,000 to build a side that can start the club back on the road to the great days of past. BAFC would spend UKP400,000 of their UKP700,000 on buying back the ground from Stephen Vaughan's company Northern Improvement. Then, they would pay off the remaining creditors and have around UKP200,000 left to ensure they build a good side with eventually returning to the Football League. After that the two clubs must be willing to hand over the ground to a holding company or trust, administered by trustees, possibly representing both clubs, with an impartial chairman. All ground running costs would be shared by the two clubs and the trust owning the ground would be in a position to get grant to expand facilities to bring in other sporting activities.

We are not saying this is the only solution it appears a good starting point. The rugby league club could just sell their ground and buy Holker Street from Northern Improvements and then have the soccer club as their tenants, but if the ground is not put into administration by a trust then all the available grant monies could not be tapped. What drawbacks would there be for BRLFC moving to Holker Street? They would want a ground with a minimum 10,000 capacity as they aim for a place in the Super League. Also the pitch would need to be lengthened, that would mean major and expensive ground alterations, but that could be achieved if AFC win promotion to the Conference because that would immediately trigger a UKP250,000 grant for ground improvements. That sum would easily pay for the demolition of the Sports and Leisure Club and replace it with a stand built further back, allowing the pitch to be extended ten metres. That stand plus the installation of crush barriers on the Wilkie Stand side of the ground and a new UKP50,000 shelter at the Holker Street end, would stretch the ground capacity to the desired 10,000.

Rugby traditionalists will say it will be sacrilege to leave the Craven Park home, but if one-time all conquering Wigan are prepared to leave their Central Park home and move to share a new stadium with Wigan Athletic, why cannot Barrow RL quit Craven Park? There is far more tradition attached to Central Park than Craven Park. Wigan can look back on immediate glory years, success can only be remembered at Craven Park with those with long memories. Ground sharing does work now rugby league is a summer game. Leigh (formally Horwich) RMI share a ground with Leigh Centurions, saying they hardly ever see each other, with the season only just overlapping. Lancashire Lynx have moved in with Preston North End, Swinton Lions and Bury happily share a ground. Rugby league fans could see the selling of Craven Park like auctioning off the family silverware, but surely it is better to sell off at a decent price to ensure a future that at a give away figure just to clear debts. The chance has to be grabbed now. If the two sets of directors cannot see the only way forward, then supporters must make it clear to them. Unite and survive and forget about any mistrust lingering from the past. The town needs successful rugby and soccer teams. It will be better to go forward together then to both go under.


BARROW BEAT BLUES IN GREEN STRIPES
From the Gainsborough Trinity Web Site

Trinity failed to live up the challenge of playing the League leaders on Saturday as they were comprehensively outplayed at Holker Street. Trinity were never really in the game, missing Phil Brown in mysterious circumstances. It’s unlikely that he had been given the day off to go Christmas shopping, and rumours suggested that it was something to do with his move from Boston in the summer. Adam Solitt continued in goal in place of the injured Steve Sherwood and had another competent game. The only plus for Gainsborough seems to have been the return of Chris James, if only for a few minutes.

Trinity: Solitt, Hanby, Limber, Ogley, (sub James), Timons, Ellender, Morrow, (sub Maxwell), Circuit, Riley, Dennis, (sub Taylor) Price.


GOLA LEAGUE 1984-85

Pl W D L F A Pts
1 Wealdstone . . . . 42 20 10 12 59 40 62
2 Nuneaton Borough . . 42 19 14 9 85 53 58
3 Dartford . . . . . 42 17 13 12 57 48 57
4 Bath City. . . . . 42 21 9 12 52 49 57
5 Altrincham . . . . 42 21 6 15 63 47 56
6 Scarborough . . . . 42 17 13 12 69 62 54
7 Enfield . . . . . 42 17 13 12 84 61 53
8 Kidderminster Harriers 42 17 8 17 79 77 51
9 Northwich Victoria. . 42 16 11 15 50 46 50
10 Telford United . . . 42 15 14 13 59 54 49
11 Frickley Athletic . . 42 18 7 17 65 71 49
12 Kettering Town . . . 42 15 12 15 68 59 48
13 Maidstone United . . 42 15 13 14 58 51 48
14 Runcorn . . . . . 42 13 15 14 48 47 48
15 Barnet. . . . . . 42 15 11 16 59 52 47
16 Weymouth . . . . . 42 15 13 14 70 66 45
17 Boston United . . . 42 15 10 17 69 69 45
18 BARROW. . . . . . 42 11 16 15 47 57 43
19 Dagenham . . . . . 42 13 10 19 47 67 41
20 Worcester City . . . 42 12 9 21 55 84 38 Relegated to SL
21 Gateshead. . . . . 42 9 12 21 51 82 33 [-1] Relegated to NPL
22 Yeovil Town . . . . 42 6 11 25 44 87 25 Relegated to IL

New entries for 1985-86:

Stafford Rangers, promoted from the Northern Premier League
Cheltenham Town, promoted from the Southern League
Wycombe Wanderers, promoted from the Vauxhall-Opel (Isthmian) League

[2 points for a home win, 3 points for an away win, 1 point for a draw]
Copyright (C) Russell Gerrard and the RSSSF