Charnock Richard Football Club 21...Fairhurst N 21 2 2 8 29 2 2 157 4 18 Green O1 1 1 2 1 2 1 Griffith A 15 4 4 3 1 19 7 19 11 1 ... After a three week break from action, we return

OFFICIAL MATCH DAY PROGRAMME SEASON 2019-20 £2.00

Charnock RichardFootball Club 21

V RUNCORN TOWNNORTH WEST COUNTIES FOOTBALL LEAGUEPREMIER DIVISIONSATURDAY 29TH FEBRUARY,3.00PM

Chorley Alliance League: 1947-48, 1956-57 | Gillett Cup: 1956-57, 1959-60, 1963-64 | Guildhall Cup: 1957-58, 1968-69, 1992-93 | Preston & District League: 1960-61, 1966-67, 1968-69, 1988-89 | Chorley Amateur Cup: 1960-61, 1961-62, 1964-65 | Hunt Cup: 1969-70 | Lancashire Amateur Shield: 1967-68, 2001-02, 2006-07, 2010-11, 2011-12 | West Lancashire League Division One: 1997-98 | West Lancashire League Premier Division: 2002-03, 2008-09, 2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15 | Richardson Cup: 2001-02, 2003-04, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16 | Goldline Trophy: 2000-01, 2005-06 | West Lancashire League Reserve Division Two: 1995-96 | West Lancashire League Reserve Division One: 1996-97, 1997-98, 2013-14

All editorial in this programme is copyright of Charnock Richard Football Club and may not be reproduced. The views of the contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of the club.

Information correct at the time of going to press.

ISSUE 21EDITORIAL...

CHARNOCK RICHARDFOOTBALL CLUB Unincorporated Association A Charter Standard Club Mossie Park, Charter Lane, Charnock Richard, Chorley, Lancashire, PR7 5LZ T: 01257 794288

CLUB OFFICIALSChairman: Shaun TootellVice Chairman: Geoff HaslamSecretary: Dave RowlandAssistant Secretary: Graham RandleTreasurer: Steve MawdesleyCommercial Manager: TBCClub Photographer: Alan WalkerWebsite Co-ordinator: Shaun TootellSocial Media Coordinator: Adam DonnellanGroundsman: Pleasant View GMGround Supervisor: Harold HeatonKit Man: Jim BibbyCommittee: Steve Porter, Dave Smith,Dave Dixon, Lewis Spensley, Brian Lowe, Ian Livesey, Alan Baron.1st Team Manager: Ryan Donnellan1st Team Assistant Manager: Dave Haslam1st Team Coach: Danny Nolan.Goalkeeping Coach: Gareth JonesFirst Team Assistant/Analyst: Lewis Spensley Team Physio: Kate SmithReserve Team Manager: Ian MountainReserve Assistant Manager: Paul CharnleyReserve Team Coaches: Tom Charnley, Paul Billington

PROGRAMMEProgramme Co-ordinator: Ian LiveseyContributors: Keith Reader, David Rowland, Shaun Tootell, Ian Mountain, Dave Smith, Gareth Jones, Ryan Donnellan.Design & Print: Andy Calvert www.matchdaycreative.co.uk

G ood afternoon and welcome back to Mossie Park for

today’s clash against Runcorn Town.

It’s been a while since we’ve last played owing to our ‘winter break’. I hope the lads have remained at their best to take on our opponents today from Cheshire.

Furthermore, I’d like to welcome everyone involved with Runcorn Town, have an enjoyable stay at Mossie Park today, and have a safe journey home.

Our last game was a fine 3-2 win over Northwich Victoria. The winning goal from Mark Woods was worthy enough to win any game. The Facebook video on the Charnock page has been watched over 2500 times. Just shows how powerful social media can be for our Football Club.

Enjoy the game!

Ian Livesey, Programme Co-ordinator

03THE OFFICIAL CHARNOCK RICHARD FOOTBALL CLUB PROGRAMME

04 THE OFFICIAL CHARNOCK RICHARD FOOTBALL CLUB PROGRAMME

1ST TEAM PLAYER STATS SEASON 2019-20

League Cups Total Overall App Sub Goal App Sub Goal App Sub Goal App Sub GoalAinscough R 1 1 1 Ascroft B 25 8 33 33 Bennett J 12 6 2 1 3 13 9 2 38 37 6Bibby S 27 2 8 1 1 35 1 3 200 52 17Darr J 22 1 16 2 2 1 24 3 17 24 3 17Dashti D 400 156 26Davision M 20 3 2 6 1 26 4 2 84 15 22Eastwood J 4 1 5 7 Fairhurst N 21 2 2 8 29 2 2 157 4 18Green O 1 1 1 2 1 2 1 Griffith A 15 4 4 3 1 19 7 19 11 1Grimshaw C 27 21 9 6 36 27 414 22 455Haydock L 22 6 7 8 1 30 7 7 30 7 7Kay J 2 3 3 1 1 5 4 1 5 4 1Lindley N 2 2 3 McNally L 1 1 2 3 Morris O 2 2 2 2 3 4 Nickeas N 7 2 1 7 2 1 7 2 1O'Farrell R 19 4 1 5 2 24 6 1 171 44 8Oxley O 10 14 3 3 4 1 13 18 4 27 44 12Pilgrim L 1 1 4 Regan D 17 4 1 8 2 25 4 3 48 4 5Schofield R 2 2 3 5 2 96 13 2Turner O 6 2 4 10 2 22 7 Walker J 20 3 1 5 3 25 6 1 93 10 7Woods M 15 6 5 5 3 1 20 9 6 148 30 25Young A 23 1 1 7 30 1 1 162 5 24

Premier Division Table P W D L F A GD Pts1 1874 Northwich 26 20 4 2 74 25 49 642 Rylands 29 19 3 7 60 32 28 603 Bootle 26 18 2 6 63 37 26 564 Charnock Richard * 29 18 2 9 65 45 20 535 Ashton Athletic 28 16 4 8 63 37 26 526 Longridge Town 24 16 2 6 57 39 18 507 Runcorn Town 29 13 9 7 50 39 11 488 Irlam 25 12 4 9 46 37 9 409 Whitchurch Alport 27 10 8 9 41 38 3 3810 Avro 29 11 3 15 48 54 -6 3611 Squires Gate 28 10 4 14 47 64 -17 3412 Northwich Victoria 25 9 6 10 49 39 10 3313 Congleton Town 28 8 7 13 52 53 -1 3114 Winsford United 27 9 4 14 50 54 -4 3115 Skelmersdale United 29 7 6 16 46 56 -10 2716 Padiham 26 7 4 15 29 51 -22 2517 Barnoldswick Town 24 7 3 14 36 58 -22 2418 Burscough 27 6 4 17 22 60 -38 2219 Hanley Town 28 5 6 17 32 64 -32 2120 Litherland REMYCA 28 4 7 17 22 70 -48 19

I t seems like an eternity ago that we were last in action, securing

a 3-2 win away from home at Northwich Victoria in the dying stages after disappointingly finding ourselves behind.

The resilience and never say die attitude of the lads was epitomised by the great strike from Mark Woods to secure the win. A very satisfying win against a team many expected to challenge for the title this season but who have struggled to get anywhere near in reality.

It was disappointing to hear some of the comments from their management team after the game and win or lose, it’s always satisfying to know that here at Charnock we do things in the right spirit, manner and with professionalism.

After a three week break from action, we return today with a squad that is pretty much full-strength. As a manager, this gives me a few headaches as whoever is left out of the starting 11, or even the matchday squad, will be disappointed. But that’s the type of problem I would rather have. The last few games have seen us stretched at times in terms of the squad strength a depth and it hopefully means we will have strong competition for places for the coming weeks.

Today we look to return to action with another win, but know we will have to perform well to achieve that. As always, your fantastic support - so greatly appreciated down at Northwich last time out and all season long - will help us on the way and hopefully we can all enjoy 3 points at 5 o’clock.

Ryan Donnellan


THE MANAGER RYAN DONNELLAN

CHARNOCK RICHARD F.C. OFFICIAL PROGRAMME

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CHARNOCK RICHARD F.C. OFFICIAL PROGRAMME

G ood afternoon and welcome to Mossie Park for today’s NWCFL Premier Division fixture. We

welcome the players, club officials and supporters of today’s opponents Runcorn Town FC. We hope that you all have an enjoyable stay at our club and have a safe journey back home to Cheshire after the game.

It has been a very quiet month with regards to football, with us not having a scheduled fixture for the past three weeks or so. Saying that, I was expecting the clubs around us to have caught up with their fixtures by now but in recent weeks the weather has been very unkind with very few league games being played across the league.

In our last game, three weeks ago, we put in an excellent performance with two late goals sealing a 3-2 away win at Northwich Victoria, which is always a tough place to get a good result. The fighting spirit shown by the players that day was fantastic and sent us all away for our ‘Winter Break’ in very good spirits. Hopefully the enforced rest over the past few weeks will have done the players some good as we move into our final run of nine games until the end of the season.

Two storms in recent weeks have put a lot of pressure on grass pitches across the country and the pitch here at Mossie Park has been heavily waterlogged on a number of occasions which has meant that we were unable to play the scheduled Reserve home fixtures over the past two Saturdays. As I write these notes, a new storm named ‘Jorge’ is set to bring severe gales across a large swathe of the UK over this coming weekend, so the playing of this fixture may be in some doubt – we will just have to keep our fingers crossed.

Moving on to today’s game, we face a Runcorn Town side who are unbeaten in their last ten games

and like ourselves, we both need to win today if we are to have any chance of being in the mix for a promotion place at the end of the season. When the teams met earlier in the season, we put in a great performance to come away with a 3-1 win at Runcorn and no doubt we will have to be at our very best today to secure the points.

Our Reserves are scheduled to travel up to Barrow in Furness today to face Furness Rovers in a league match. Despite our 12 points deduction earlier in the season, the Reserves are holding a very creditable top six place in the West Lancashire League Division 2 and hopefully they can secure a top five place by the end of the season. We are now very hopeful that the rule which prevents our players with more than five first team appearances from playing for the Reserves for 21 days will now be scrapped at the end of the season. However, if that wasn’t to happen at the end of this season then we have a back-up plan for the Reserve team to move across to the Manchester League (which doesn’t adopt that rule) for next season.

Off the field we had an enjoyable fundraising evening in the clubhouse two weeks ago, so a big thank you to those of you who supported the evening. This coming Friday the 6th March we host our Annual Sportsman’s Dinner in the clubhouse with guest speaker Curtis Woodhouse (former Pro Footballer and Boxer) and comedian Gary Marshall providing the entertainment. We look forward to another enjoyable evening and hopefully we can raise some much needed funds for the club.

That’s all from me for now but as always, please enjoy today’s match and get fully behind the lads with your fantastic support.

Shaun Tootell


FROM THE CHAIRMAN SHAUN TOOTELL

THE BOARDROOM SHAUN TOOTELL

Good afternoon and welcome to Mossie Park for thisthird home league game of the season for CharnockRichard FC in the Hallmark Security League. On behalfof everyone here at Charnock Richard, I would like towelcome the management, players and committeefrom St Helens Town. We hope you all have a veryenjoyable day at our club and have a safe journeyback home.

Our first ever home league game two weeks ago againstAlsager Town was a bit of a wake-up call for us all andshowed everyone that we can expect to face some verydifficult opponents in this league. It is however veryencouraging that as I write this article, the team has sincebounced back with two excellent away wins at Silsden andWhitchurch Alport. We were advised by the league thatone of the management committee would be present at ourfirst home game to offer advice and support on the day andit was the league Ground Grading Chairman GeoffWilkinson who visited us on the day. Geoff is very wellknown to us all here at Charnock and has been offering theclub valuable advice on ground grading matters over anumber of years. It is fair to say that Geoff’s advice hashelped to save the club a lot of money which could havebeen spent unwisely as we developed the Mossie Parkfacility.

On the day, Geoff took the opportunity to update us on ourcurrent Ground Grading status. For those who are notfamiliar with the grading standards, grounds must initiallymeet the FA Grading Standard H to gain promotion into theNorth West Counties League. Following admission into theleague, all clubs must then meet Grading Standard G bythe 31st March in the following year (in our case 31stMarch 2017). The difference between Grade G and H isvery minimal - Grade H requires a minimum coveredspectator accommodation of 50, whereas Grade Grequires a minimum covered spectator accommodation of100 (of which 50 must be seated and located in onestand). Both Grading Standards state ‘All seating mustafford a good view of the pitch’ and whilst our currentseated stand holds just over 100 seats, only the higher 50seats meet this criteria due to the potential for standingspectators along the touchlines blocking the views from thelower seats. It is fair to say that we have visited othergrounds recently and the same argument could be raisedas to whether some ground level seating at other venuesafford a good view of the pitch but we will leave that forothers to debate.

At the end of the day we have a responsibility to complywith the Ground Grading Regulations, so we have apredicament which must be resolved within the next sixmonths. One option would be to raise the height of thecurrent stand to ensure all that all 100 plus seats afford agood view of the pitch - not an easy option but notimpossible. A second option would be to build a coveredstanding area to accommodate 50 or 100 spectators sothat we can meet the Grade G requirements. Theseissues will be discussed at the next committee meetingwhich will be held in a few days’ time and hopefully wewill agree our preferred strategy going forward. Oneissue we mustn’t forget is that should we be the fortunateposition to challenge for promotion to the PremierDivision next season, then the ground must the meet therequirements of Grade F which will almost certainlyrequire us to raise the height of the stand to allow all 100plus seats to give a good view of the pitch.

On a final note I would like to thank many of you whoattended our recent Reserve league game at home toWorkington Reserves. Not only did we get an excellentattendance on a Monday evening but it is fair to say thatit was a superb game of football played by two excellentyoung sides who were both a credit to the game. I lostcount of how many spectators came up to me after thematch to say that they had thoroughly enjoyed the game.

That’s enough from me for the time being, so pleaseenjoy your day and hopefully we can look forward toseeing you again at Mossie Park as the seasonprogresses.

Shaun TootellChairman

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W elcome to Mossie Park for this afternoon’s North West Counties League Premier Division game

against Runcorn Town and an especially warm Charnock welcome to the players, club officials and supporters of the Cheshire club who have travelled across the River Mersey to be with us today. We hope that you will enjoy your stay and have a safe and trouble-free journey home following the game. We would also like to extend a warm welcome to our three match officials this afternoon, referee Oliver Noonan and his two able assistants Javier Arto-Cuesta & Jacob Graham. Gentlemen you are most welcome.

The Cheshire side have enjoyed a good run in the League over recent months following, what for them, was a very modest start to their 2019-20 campaign in the Premier Division mainly due to a glut of cup ties, especially in September when Town had four cup ties to contend with out of the five games played. Success in the League Cup has seen the Cheshire side advance to the Semi-Final stage where they face promotion chasing AFC Liverpool from Division 1 North over two legs. We wish them well. Last weekend’s impressive 3-0 success at Hanley Town extended Runcorn Town’s unbeaten run to nine in the Premier Division, having won six and drawn three games. They lie just below us in the table; five points behind having secured 48 points from the 29 games played. The Cheshire side will be all out to avenge the 1-3 home defeat suffered against Charnock back on the 18th September and so we will be in for a very tough encounter this afternoon. On Wednesday Town should have played at home to Tranmere Rovers in the Quarter Final of the Liverpool Senior Cup. The outcome of this tie is unknown as our programme deadline is set on that day. However, looking at the dyer weather conditions during the week leading up to Wednesday, I doubt that the game ever took place.

It is three weeks since our last game with the first team not having a fixture for the past two weekends and the reserves having suffered two postponements over the same period. Our second team are up in Cumbria today, weather permitting, when they take on Furness Rovers in a West Lancashire League Division 2 fixture. It is hoped that everyone has enjoyed their break and come back refreshed this afternoon.

It has been reported that eleven clubs have applied for promotion to the Step 6 from within the North West Counties League geographical footprint - nine of them coming from Step 7 feeder leagues and two new clubs.

To be considered for promotion, a club MUST meet the entry ground grade H criteria by 31st March. They also must finish in 1st position in their Step 7 competition after the current season. If a club finishing in 1st position does not wish to be considered for promotion, or fails the entry criteria, then a club finishing in 2nd position may be considered. If the club in 2nd place does not seek promotion, or fails to meet the entry criteria, then clubs down to 5th position may be considered for promotion provided that they meet the appropriate entry criteria. Clubs finishing below 5th position MAY NOT be considered for promotion and, ordinarily, only ONE club will be promoted from each Step 7 competition. For this season only – owing to the Step 6 restructure, it may be necessary to consider additional promotion candidates on a geographical basis. The FA Leagues Committee reserves the right to promote more than one Club per Step 7 League and would enter consultation with Step 7 Leagues if this were required. The clubs who have applied are: Allscott Heath and Wellington Amateurs, both from the West Midlands Regional League, Crewe and Egerton, both from the Cheshire League, Ashville and South Liverpool both from the West Cheshire League, Foley Meir from the Staffordshire County Senior League, Ilkley Town from the West Yorkshire League and Stockport Georgians from the Manchester League. The two new clubs to have applied are Bury and FC Isle of Man.

As this topic is a major issue and talking point amongst non-league’s ‘chattering classes’ I have included the recent North West Counties League statement on the subject in my column ‘Isn’t That a Pip?

On behalf of the club I would like to make an appeal to those of you that hold the good name of Charnock Richard Football Club close to your heart. Inflammatory and ill-informed statements put out on social media by individuals not connected with the club should not be responded too in kind. All social media remarks are scrutinised by the North West Counties League Management Committee, and rightly so. Please do not put our club into disrepute by inadvisably using social media to counter provocative or intemperate nonsense published by others. It could have serious repercussions for the club. Thank You.

Please note that next Saturday the 7th March we are at Skelmersdale United’s new ground at the JMO Sports Park. Also, next weekend our reserves are at home in the rescheduled West Lancashire League Division 2 game against Mill Hill St Peters which kicks off at 300pm.

Dave Rowland, Secretary


SECRETARY'S REPORT DAVE ROWLAND

SECRETARY’S REPORT DAVE ROWLAND

Welcome to Mossie Park for this afternoon’s DivisionOne game against Sandbach United who are visitingus for the very first time and a warm Charnock welcome to all who have travelled up from deepestCheshire to be with us today. We hope that you willenjoy your stay and have a safe and trouble-free journey home after the game. The East Cheshire sideare a friendly and welcoming club as we found outwhen visiting them on that ill-fated fog-bound afternoon at the end of November. It is hoped that wecan return their excellent hospitality today.

I first met United’s secretary, John Clayton, and a coupleof their committee, at the Imperial Hotel on the NorthPromenade in Blackpool when attending the North WestCounties League AGM back on the 11th June. Applicantclubs were asked to remain outside of the meeting untilbeing summoned by League Chairman Paul Lawler whenthe representatives from each of the six applicants werecalled upon to give an introductory speech to the assembled throng before being voted in by the memberclubs. As we waited nervously in an adjacent room, SteveMawdesley and I got into conversation with the Sandbachcontingent and quickly found them to be a very sociablegroup. We got on with them immediately and it was andenjoyable exchange. That day we made our first friends inthe North West Counties League and long may it continue.

Sandbach United are one of the six newcomers to theNorth West Counties League this season and spent theprevious campaign at Step 7 in the Cheshire Leaguewhere they finished in 4th spot in the Premier Division.Like most of the newly promoted clubs they have made agood impression in their first season in the competitionand we wish them well. Today is of course our last homegame of the season not withstanding any play-off gamethat we may be involved in. To say that it has been a special one would be an understatement. We have enjoyed some wonderful football, been to many differentvenues for the first time, met some really great people andmade many new friends. When we left our comfort zone inthe West Lancashire League, we did so because the clubhad grown and developed to a point where new challenges and new horizons had become a necessity.

A new direction was needed if the club was to grow. Remaining stagnant was not an option. We have hadproblems to contend with. Finding funding for essentialground development and finding an appropriate level forour reserve side was only a couple of examples. The immediate aim was to consolidate at Step 6 level in theNational League System and to be in a position to sustain this in the long term. The players of our threesenior teams have had a fine season and once again thishas been due to the management skills and dedication ofthe management teams of all three. On the administration side, we have been joined by David Smithand Brian Lowe who have very kindly agreed to give oftheir precious time and for this we are very grateful.

For me, this is my fifth season as secretary and I canhonestly say, hand on heart, that the 2016-17 campaignis one of the best that I have enjoyed in football. At timesit has been hard graft and there are many individualswho have put in a good deal of that this term, literally. It isthe combined efforts of you all that make this, such aspecial football club and such a wonderful place to be.Of course, we do not know just how things will pan out asafter today. Indeed, we have three very difficult awaygames to negotiate. Whether we are in the play-offs ornot is anybody’s guess but it is a sign of the success thatwe have enjoyed, when we are still talking about wherewe will finish amongst the top group at this stage of affairs. Whatever occurs, well done one and all.

Dave Rowland | Club Secretary

“WE HAVE ENJOYED SOME WONDERFUL FOOTBALL, BEEN TO MANYDIFFERENT VENUES FOR THE FIRST TIME, MET SOME REALLY GREAT

PEOPLE AND MADE MANY NEW FRIENDS.”

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Runcorn Town have come a long way from their very first season in 1968 when the club were one of the

founder members of the Runcorn Sunday League. They were formed as CKD, a works team from 'D' section of the local Castner Kellner plant.

It’s fair to say that the club has had a few identities over the years. The club changed name to Mond in 1970, reflecting the Mond Division of ICI of which ran the Castner Keller plant, and three years later added the Rangers to their name. In 2005 came the latest name change to Runcorn Town in order to try and bring a more professional look to the club in general, as well as trying to improve facilities at the club with a view to joining the Non-League Pyramid. This they would achieve five years later but we are jumping ahead, so let’s start at the beginning.

The early years of the club were not that great with Runcorn having a thriving Sunday League at the time. So in 1973 the club made the decision to try Saturday football in the impressive Warrington and District League (WDL), joining in Division Five. At the end of that first season, they amalgamated with struggling ICI Weston who played in the WDL Division One, and became one of the strongest sides in the league. They remained in the WDL until 1984 when they were elected to join the West Cheshire League (WCL) Division Two.

The club established themselves as a solid mid-table team and in 1991/92 won their first silverware in the West Cheshire Bowl. The following two seasons saw third place finishes, also reaching two more Bowl Finals of which they won one. Promotion finally came in 1994/95 when they finished second in the league scoring

118 goals. They also reached the Final of the Cheshire Amateur Cup but lost to Poulton Victoria in a match played at Prenton Park, Tranmere.

Despite sharing the Bill Weight Memorial Trophy in that first season, Division One proved a struggle and they were relegated for the first time in the clubs history in 2001/02. Success returned in 2004/05 with the team finishing as runners up in Division Two, winning the Runcorn Senior Cup and reaching the final of the Bowl.

Back in Division One, the new season got off to a good start with the Bill Weight Memorial Cup won early on and the Runcorn Cup added, but on the final day of the season, they slipped into the relegation places for the first time to suffer a heart-breaking relegation. Town quickly regrouped and bounced back the next season by winning Division Two for the first time, this also being the club’s first Championship.

The following three seasons saw top four finishes, although the main progression was off the field as the ground was transformed. Hard standing, seating and floodlights were installed for the first time, with the dressing rooms also upgraded. This enabled the club to be elected to the North West Counties League at the start of the 2010/11 season, with the club also entering the FA Vase and the Cheshire Senior Cup for the first time in their history.

It is fair to say that the first season in the league exceeded all expectations under Simon Burton's leadership, with the team losing just two league matches as they secured promotion to the Premier Division as runners-up, with James McShane finishing as the league's overall leading scorer with 43 goals. The Quarter Final of the


IN OPPOSITION RUNCORN TOWN

Division One Trophy was also reached as well as the Semi Final of the Challenge Cup.

In the clubs' FA Vase debut season, the club also wrote headlines as they progressed through four successive away ties before bowing out in the in the Last 32 stage against Dunston UTS, the last remaining North West Counties League side in the competition.

The first season in the Premier Division saw Town continue in the same vein that they left Division One, with the team losing out on the title on the last day of the season to Ramsbottom United. James McShane once again topped the league scoring charts with Town scoring over 120 goals in all competitions.

The club were also once again the last remaining NWCL side in the FA Vase, this time reaching a replay in the Last 32 before bowing out, as well as making their debut in the FA Cup, winning two games before bowing out to Evo-Stik League side Ashton United.

The 2012/13 season saw Town finish fourth in the league, with the main highlight of the season coming in the FA Vase. This saw the club reach the Last 16 for the first time, losing in extra time to Walsall Wood. Another good scalp came in the Cheshire Senior Cup with a 5-0 away win at Warrington which earned the "Team of the Round" award.

A fifth place finish followed the next season, with the club disappointingly losing at holders Whitley Bay in the Second Round of the FA Vase, but the club had its first decent FA Cup run. Wins against Bootle, Goole and Witton Albion set up a tie at Conference North leaders Barrow, 83 places above them in the pyramid. Town shocked their

hosts with a 1-0 win thanks to Andy Potter's stunning goal, with Town losing in the Third Qualifying Round to Norton United.

Two poor seasons followed finishing 13th in both, with Chris Herbert appointed manager at the start of the 2016/17 season. It was an uphill battle to get a squad together, with only one player retained from the previous season. There were no real cup runs this year, but Town bounced back in the league to finish third, level on points with runners-up Bootle.

The 2017/18 saw the club get off to a record breaking start as they won their first 11 games of the season, with the first defeat coming in November. But the bad weather over winter saw momentum halted, playing just once in 35 days, and in ten league games until February, Town picked up just seven points. The end to the season was almost as good as the start, but they left themselves too much to do and finished third once more, albeit with a club record 93 points.

Last season saw Runcorn Town in and amongst the leading sides until Christmas, but midway through the season, Herbert left the club to take a full time role at National League side Salford City. Midfilder Paul McManus accepted the role on a caretaker basis, and was appointed as permanent player-manager prior to the final game of the season.

With many of the squad largely retained, Runcorn Town go into the 2019/20 season with renewed optimism, with the Holy Grail of promotion to the Northern Premier League still the ultimate aim for the club.


A goal conceded in the 89th minute saw Charnock Richard lose 1-0 to local neighbours Burscough. In a

game dominated by a strong wind both sides struggled to create chances; the Villagers had the balance of the possession but some strong defending by the visitors was the basis for their win.

Charnock’s starting line-up was unchanged from the side that took the field at Hanley the previous week. On the bench Turner and Woods both returning after injury joined Oxley, alker and Nickeas. Bennett was again unavailable due to work commitments. It was a fine afternoon but there was a very strong westerly wind that abated as the second half proceeded. As usual the pitch was in excellent condition for the time of the year and the attendance was 146.

Charnock won the toss and chose to play towards the Mawdesley Plantation end.

The visitors, full of running, made the better start to the game with Ascroft collecting a weak shot from Korie-Butler. Young found Regan on the right but his centre was collected by the keeper Jones. Then Bibby got his head to a right wing cross that really threatened the home goal. Salkeld shot over the bar before Ascroft beat away a powerful shot from the same player. The wind made it difficult for Charnock to get the ball forward but they were adopting the right tactics trying to work the ball forward with their neat passing game. As the half proceeded the Villagers began to dominate the

possession with the visitors repeatedly giving the ball away. Darr broke on 11 minutes but Gibson did well to stop him. Then Darr and Regan combined well but Grimshaw put the cross narrowly beyond the far post. On 25 minutes Pope was lucky to only see a yellow card after a really wild challenge on Grimshaw. Charnock kept plugging away and Burscough were now struggling to get into Charnock’s half after all their early enthusiasm. Grimshaw found the net on 36 minutes but the assistant referee ruled that the ball was over the bye-line before Regan centred it.

The Villagers continued to push forward and another decision went against them on 43 minutes when the referee failed to take action when Grimshaw was blatantly pushed in the back when he went to head the ball in the area. The half time whistle went with Charnock somewhat disappointed that they were not leading but pleased that they had not conceded when playing into such a strong wind.

In a similar fashion to the first half the visitors came out with plenty of zeal for the second 45 minutes and it took a little while for Charnock to regain their grip on the game. Ascroft produced a fine punch to a centre and Regan made a fine block with his backside as the Villagers defended in depth. Darr did well coming in from the right and Grimshaw’s volley was blocked as was Regan’s follow up. When Regan raced into the area it created a chance for Darr but he could not get much power in his shot and Jones saved. A last-ditch-tackle from Bibby prevented Pollard from shooting. On 59 minutes


SATURDAY 1ST FEBRUARY 2020 CHARNOCK RICHARD 0 BURSCOUGH 1

Teams: Charnock Richard: Ascroft, Bibby, Griffith, Young, O’Farrell, Haydock (Nickeas 79), Davison, Fairhurst, Grimshaw, Darr, Regan (Woods 79). Subs: (Not Used) Walker, Oxley, Turner.Burscough: Jones, O’Brien (Presho 45), Fleming, Gibson, Kinsella, Pollard, Christiansen, Pope (Ready 72), Korie-Butler (Joel Douglas 84), Salkeld, Lomax. Subs: (Not Used) Weston, Martland.

another good attack from Charnock finished with Fairhurst firing over the bar. Charnock, as in the first half, were seeing plenty of the ball but it was proving extremely difficult to break down Burscough’s defence. A Haydock centre found Grimshaw’s head but the effort was well wide of the target. Jones pulled off a fine save to thwart Grimshaw before Ascroft saved a Salkeld shot with his feet. Charnock made a double substitution on 79 minutes with Woods replacing Haydock and Nickeas coming on for Regan. It looked as if the game was going to be a 0-0 draw as the visitors looked to waste time at every opportunity.

On this occasion a draw would not have been too disappointing but when a Davison cross was turned out for a corner on 88 minutes too many players were committed in trying to win the game and when the corner was cleared Griffith was left one on one with Douglas. The substitute broke forward, charged into the area and beat Ascroft to win the visitors all three points on 89 minutes. The Villagers put in a late effort to get something from the game and Jones saved from Fairhurst before pulling off an excellent save from Nickeas’s volley which was destined for the top corner of the net.

It had been a rather frustrating afternoon for Charnock who had seen plenty of possession but at this time of the season matches against teams from the lower reaches of the table can be difficult as the fear of relegation spurs such clubs to produce some desperate performances.


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PLAYER SPONSORS SEASON 2019-20

Ryan DonnellanSponsored by:Kool Planet Ltd

Dave HaslamSponsored by:

Paul Derbyshire

Kate SmithSponsored by:

Janet Smith

Gareth Jones Sponsored by:

Available

Lewis SpensleySponsored by:

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Danny NolanSponsored by:Geoff Haslam

James WalkerSponsored by:

Doug Partington

Spencer BibbySponsored by:

Gary Young

Ross O’FarrellSponsored by:Alan Unsworth

Oliver TurnerSponsored by:

Dave Arrowsmith

Ash YoungSponsored by:Paul Makinson

Jack BennettSponsored by:

SCS Engineering Ltd (Hindley)

Mark WoodsSponsored by:

Graham Pennington

Nathan FairhurstSponsored by:

Alan Baron

Lewis HaydockSponsored by:Charter House

Kennels

Aaron GriffithSponsored by:

Fran Swarbrick

Danny ReganSponsored by:

Mercer and Douglas

Owen MorrisSponsored by:

SDT Design Services Ltd

Matt DavisonSponsored by:

Alan Walker Photography

Carl GrimshawSponsored by:

Smithills Open Farm (Bolton)

Oliver OxleySponsored by:

PV Storage

Jordan DarrSponsored by:

Adam Donnellan

Ben AscroftSponsored by:

Mount Auto Repairs (Wigan) &Dave Arrowsmith

Nathan NickeasSponsored by:

Available

If you would like to sponsor a player, please get in touch with either Dave Smith or Shaun Tootell, or email [email protected]

FO

OT B A L L L E A G

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FIXTURES & RESULTS 2019/20 SEASON

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 15 16 17A 3 Rylands a 2-3 131 Ascroft Griffith Walker Woods O'Farrell Bennett Davison Fairhurst 1 Grimshaw 1 Oxley Regan Haydock (6) Schofield (2) Kay (10) Ainscough 6 Barnoldswick Town h 2-1 164 Ascroft Bibby Walker Woods O'Farrell Bennett Davison 1 Fairhurst Grimshaw 1 Oxley Regan Haydock (6) Kay (10) Griffith Ainscough Schofield 10 Lower Breck FAC EPR h 2-1 185 Ascroft Bibby 1 Griffith Woods O'Farrell Haydock Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw Kay 1 Regan Bennett (4) Oxley (10) Morris Walker (6) 17 1874 Northwich h 0-5 216 Ascroft Bibby Griffith Bennett O'Farrell Haydock Davison Morris Grimshaw Kay Regan Ainscough (4) Oxley (10) Walker Schofield (8) 21 Longridge Town a 2-3 195 Ascroft Bibby Walker Haydock Schofield Morris Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw 2 Kay Regan O'Farrell (5) Oxley (6) McNally 24 Longridge Town FAC PR h 1-1 234 Ascroft Bibby Walker Turner Schofield O'Farrell Haydock Fairhurst Grimshaw1 Oxley Davison Morris Kay( ) McNally Young 26 Avro h 1-3 154 Ascroft Bibby Walker Turner Schofield O'Farrell Haydock Fairhurst Grimshaw 1 Oxley Regan Woods (6) Kay (10) Griffith Young 28 Longridge Town FAC PRr a 2-0 525 Ascroft Bibby Griffith Turner Schofield Young Haydock Fairhurst Grimshaw 1 Kay Regan 1 Woods (8) Oxley O'Farrell (6) Walker 31 Cammell Laird FAV 1QR a 3-2 103 Ascroft Bibby Griffith Turner Schofield Young Haydock Fairhurst Grimshaw Kay Regan 1 Woods (10) 1 Oxley O'Farrell (5) Walker (3)S 7 Irlam FAC 1QR h 0-4 209 Ascroft Bibby Walker Turner O'Farrell Young Haydock Fairhurst Grimshaw Woods Regan Davison (10) Oxley (5) Kay Griffith (4) 10 Irlam a 4-2 114 Ascroft Bibby Walker Haydock 1 Young Woods Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw 2 Oxley Regan Bennett (6) Darr (10) 1 Griffith 14 Prestwich Heys FAV 2QR a 3-2 117 Ascroft Bibby Walker Haydock Young Woods Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw 3 Oxley Regan Bennett (11) Darr (10) Griffith (8) Turner 18 Runcorn Town a 3-1 146 Ascroft Bibby Walker Haydock Young Woods Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw Darr 2 Regan Bennett (6) Oxley (10) 1 Griffith (4) O'Farrell 21 Winsford United h 4-1 110 Ascroft Bibby Walker Haydock 1 Young Woods Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw 2 Oxley 1 Regan Bennett (4) Pilgrim (10) Griffith (3) O'Farrell TurnerO 5 Burscough a 2-1 101 Eastwood Bibby 1 Walker Haydock Young Woods Davison Fairhurst Darr 1 Oxley Regan Bennett (4) Griffith (7) Turner O'Farrell (6) Pilgrim 12 Lower Breck FAV 1R h 2-5 185 Ascroft Bibby Walker Haydock Young Woods Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw 1 Darr 1 Regan Bennett (7) Griffith (3) O'Farrell Oxley (6) 15 Congleton Town h 1-3 131 Ascroft Bibby Griffith Haydock 1 Young Bennett Regan Fairhurst Grimshaw Darr Woods Davison (11) Oxley (4) O'Farrell (6) Walker 19 Bacup Borough MC 1 a 1-1 71 Ascroft Bibby Griffith 1 Haydock O'Farrell Young Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw Darr Regan Bennett Oxley (4) Woods (11) Walker (3) 22 Skelmersdale United h 4-0 128 Ascroft Bibby Griffith Haydock O'Farrell Young Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw 2 Darr Walker Regan (11) 1 Oxley Woods (7) 1 Bennett (8)N 2 Whitchurch Alport h 4-0 131 Eastwood Bibby Griffith Young O'Farrell Haydock Davison Fairhurst 1 Grimshaw 1 Darr Walker Woods (3) 1 Oxley (10) Regan Bennett (8) 1 5 Lancaster City LCT 2R h 1-5 161 Eastwood Green Walker Young O'Farrell Bennett Davison Woods Grimshaw Oxley 1 Regan Fairhurst Darr (7) Haydock (8) Bibby (9) 12 Bootle h 3-1 148 Ascroft Bibby Griffith Young 1 O'Farrell Haydock 1 Davison 1 Woods Grimshaw Darr Walker Morris Oxley (9) Green (8) Turner 16 Congleton Town a 1-3 195 Ascroft Bibby Griffith Young O'Farrell Haydock Davison Woods Darr 1 Oxley Walker Morris Regan (3) Green Turner 19 Padiham h 2-0 101 Eastwood Bibby Griffith Young O'Farrell Haydock Davison Woods Grimshaw 2 Darr Walker Morris (6) Oxley (10) Green Turner 23 Winsford United a 2-0 194 Ascroft Bibby Griffith Young Green Haydock 1 Davison Woods Grimshaw Darr Walker 1 Morris (8) Oxley (10) Bennett Turner 30 Hanley Town h 4-0 102 Ascroft Bibby Griffith Young O'Farrell Haydock 1 Davison Bennett 1 Grimshaw 2 Darr Walker Fairhurst (6) Oxley (11) Green Turner (3)D 4 Litherland Remyca a 5-2 51 Ascroft Bibby Turner Young O'Farrell Haydock Davison Bennett Grimshaw 1 Darr 3 Oxley 1 Regan (7) Lindley (8) Morris Fairhurst 7 Northwich Victoria h 2-2 132 Ascroft Bibby Turner Young O'Farrell 1 Haydock Davison Bennett Grimshaw Darr 1 Oxley Fairhurst (8) Green Griffith (7) McNally 14 Padiham a 1-1 108 Ascroft Griffith Turner Young O'Farrell Haydock Bibby Fairhurst Grimshaw Darr 1 Oxley Green Woods Bennett (6) McNally (11) Regan 21 Squires Gate a 1-2 81 Ascroft Griffith Turner Young O'Farrell Bennett Bibby Fairhurst Grimshaw Darr 1 Nickeas Woods (11) Oxley Haydock (6) Walker (3) Regan 26 Ashton Athletic h 3-2 133 Ascroft Bibby 1 Griffith Young O'Farrell Haydock Woods 1 Fairhurst Grimshaw Darr 1 Nickeas Turner Oxley Bennett Regan (11) Walker (7) 28 Whitchurch Alport a 3-0 248 Ascroft Bibby Walker Bennett O'Farrell Woods 1 Regan Fairhurst Grimshaw 1 Darr Nickeas 1 Turner (5) Oxley (8) MorrisJ 4 Irlam h 2-0 147 Ascroft Turner Walker Bennett Young Woods Regan Fairhurst Grimshaw 1 Darr 1 Nickeas Haydock (4) Oxley (7) Lindley (2) Davison 11 Rylands h 3-1 136 Ascroft Bibby Walker Bennett Young Woods Regan Fairhurst Grimshaw 1 Darr 1 Nickeas Haydock (6) 1 Oxley (4) Davison (7) Griffith 18 1874 Northwich a 0-5 321 Ascroft Bibby Walker Bennett Young Haydock Regan Fairhurst Grimshaw Darr Nickeas Davison (11) Oxley (7) Griffith O'Farrell (4) 25 Hanley Town a 1-0 106 Eastwood Bibby Griffith Young O'Farrell Haydock Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw Darr 1 Regan Walker (11) Oxley (10) Nickeas (7)F 1 Burscough h 0-1 146 Ascroft Bibby Griffith Young O'Farrell Haydock Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw Darr Regan Walker Oxley Woods (6) Turner Nickeas (11) 8 Northwich Victoria a 3-2 169 Ascroft Bibby Walker Young O'Farrell Nickeas Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw 1 Darr 1 Regan Haydock (7) Oxley Turner Bennett Woods (6) 1 29 Runcorn Town hM 7 Skelmersdale United a 14 Litherland Remyca h 21 Barnoldswick Town aA 4 Longridge Town h 11 Bootle a 13 Ashton Athletic a 18 Squires Gate h 25 Avro a

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 15 16 17A 3 Rylands a 2-3 131 Ascroft Griffith Walker Woods O'Farrell Bennett Davison Fairhurst 1 Grimshaw 1 Oxley Regan Haydock (6) Schofield (2) Kay (10) Ainscough 6 Barnoldswick Town h 2-1 164 Ascroft Bibby Walker Woods O'Farrell Bennett Davison 1 Fairhurst Grimshaw 1 Oxley Regan Haydock (6) Kay (10) Griffith Ainscough Schofield 10 Lower Breck FAC EPR h 2-1 185 Ascroft Bibby 1 Griffith Woods O'Farrell Haydock Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw Kay 1 Regan Bennett (4) Oxley (10) Morris Walker (6) 17 1874 Northwich h 0-5 216 Ascroft Bibby Griffith Bennett O'Farrell Haydock Davison Morris Grimshaw Kay Regan Ainscough (4) Oxley (10) Walker Schofield (8) 21 Longridge Town a 2-3 195 Ascroft Bibby Walker Haydock Schofield Morris Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw 2 Kay Regan O'Farrell (5) Oxley (6) McNally 24 Longridge Town FAC PR h 1-1 234 Ascroft Bibby Walker Turner Schofield O'Farrell Haydock Fairhurst Grimshaw1 Oxley Davison Morris Kay( ) McNally Young 26 Avro h 1-3 154 Ascroft Bibby Walker Turner Schofield O'Farrell Haydock Fairhurst Grimshaw 1 Oxley Regan Woods (6) Kay (10) Griffith Young 28 Longridge Town FAC PRr a 2-0 525 Ascroft Bibby Griffith Turner Schofield Young Haydock Fairhurst Grimshaw 1 Kay Regan 1 Woods (8) Oxley O'Farrell (6) Walker 31 Cammell Laird FAV 1QR a 3-2 103 Ascroft Bibby Griffith Turner Schofield Young Haydock Fairhurst Grimshaw Kay Regan 1 Woods (10) 1 Oxley O'Farrell (5) Walker (3)S 7 Irlam FAC 1QR h 0-4 209 Ascroft Bibby Walker Turner O'Farrell Young Haydock Fairhurst Grimshaw Woods Regan Davison (10) Oxley (5) Kay Griffith (4) 10 Irlam a 4-2 114 Ascroft Bibby Walker Haydock 1 Young Woods Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw 2 Oxley Regan Bennett (6) Darr (10) 1 Griffith 14 Prestwich Heys FAV 2QR a 3-2 117 Ascroft Bibby Walker Haydock Young Woods Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw 3 Oxley Regan Bennett (11) Darr (10) Griffith (8) Turner 18 Runcorn Town a 3-1 146 Ascroft Bibby Walker Haydock Young Woods Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw Darr 2 Regan Bennett (6) Oxley (10) 1 Griffith (4) O'Farrell 21 Winsford United h 4-1 110 Ascroft Bibby Walker Haydock 1 Young Woods Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw 2 Oxley 1 Regan Bennett (4) Pilgrim (10) Griffith (3) O'Farrell TurnerO 5 Burscough a 2-1 101 Eastwood Bibby 1 Walker Haydock Young Woods Davison Fairhurst Darr 1 Oxley Regan Bennett (4) Griffith (7) Turner O'Farrell (6) Pilgrim 12 Lower Breck FAV 1R h 2-5 185 Ascroft Bibby Walker Haydock Young Woods Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw 1 Darr 1 Regan Bennett (7) Griffith (3) O'Farrell Oxley (6) 15 Congleton Town h 1-3 131 Ascroft Bibby Griffith Haydock 1 Young Bennett Regan Fairhurst Grimshaw Darr Woods Davison (11) Oxley (4) O'Farrell (6) Walker 19 Bacup Borough MC 1 a 1-1 71 Ascroft Bibby Griffith 1 Haydock O'Farrell Young Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw Darr Regan Bennett Oxley (4) Woods (11) Walker (3) 22 Skelmersdale United h 4-0 128 Ascroft Bibby Griffith Haydock O'Farrell Young Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw 2 Darr Walker Regan (11) 1 Oxley Woods (7) 1 Bennett (8)N 2 Whitchurch Alport h 4-0 131 Eastwood Bibby Griffith Young O'Farrell Haydock Davison Fairhurst 1 Grimshaw 1 Darr Walker Woods (3) 1 Oxley (10) Regan Bennett (8) 1 5 Lancaster City LCT 2R h 1-5 161 Eastwood Green Walker Young O'Farrell Bennett Davison Woods Grimshaw Oxley 1 Regan Fairhurst Darr (7) Haydock (8) Bibby (9) 12 Bootle h 3-1 148 Ascroft Bibby Griffith Young 1 O'Farrell Haydock 1 Davison 1 Woods Grimshaw Darr Walker Morris Oxley (9) Green (8) Turner 16 Congleton Town a 1-3 195 Ascroft Bibby Griffith Young O'Farrell Haydock Davison Woods Darr 1 Oxley Walker Morris Regan (3) Green Turner 19 Padiham h 2-0 101 Eastwood Bibby Griffith Young O'Farrell Haydock Davison Woods Grimshaw 2 Darr Walker Morris (6) Oxley (10) Green Turner 23 Winsford United a 2-0 194 Ascroft Bibby Griffith Young Green Haydock 1 Davison Woods Grimshaw Darr Walker 1 Morris (8) Oxley (10) Bennett Turner 30 Hanley Town h 4-0 102 Ascroft Bibby Griffith Young O'Farrell Haydock 1 Davison Bennett 1 Grimshaw 2 Darr Walker Fairhurst (6) Oxley (11) Green Turner (3)D 4 Litherland Remyca a 5-2 51 Ascroft Bibby Turner Young O'Farrell Haydock Davison Bennett Grimshaw 1 Darr 3 Oxley 1 Regan (7) Lindley (8) Morris Fairhurst 7 Northwich Victoria h 2-2 132 Ascroft Bibby Turner Young O'Farrell 1 Haydock Davison Bennett Grimshaw Darr 1 Oxley Fairhurst (8) Green Griffith (7) McNally 14 Padiham a 1-1 108 Ascroft Griffith Turner Young O'Farrell Haydock Bibby Fairhurst Grimshaw Darr 1 Oxley Green Woods Bennett (6) McNally (11) Regan 21 Squires Gate a 1-2 81 Ascroft Griffith Turner Young O'Farrell Bennett Bibby Fairhurst Grimshaw Darr 1 Nickeas Woods (11) Oxley Haydock (6) Walker (3) Regan 26 Ashton Athletic h 3-2 133 Ascroft Bibby 1 Griffith Young O'Farrell Haydock Woods 1 Fairhurst Grimshaw Darr 1 Nickeas Turner Oxley Bennett Regan (11) Walker (7) 28 Whitchurch Alport a 3-0 248 Ascroft Bibby Walker Bennett O'Farrell Woods 1 Regan Fairhurst Grimshaw 1 Darr Nickeas 1 Turner (5) Oxley (8) MorrisJ 4 Irlam h 2-0 147 Ascroft Turner Walker Bennett Young Woods Regan Fairhurst Grimshaw 1 Darr 1 Nickeas Haydock (4) Oxley (7) Lindley (2) Davison 11 Rylands h 3-1 136 Ascroft Bibby Walker Bennett Young Woods Regan Fairhurst Grimshaw 1 Darr 1 Nickeas Haydock (6) 1 Oxley (4) Davison (7) Griffith 18 1874 Northwich a 0-5 321 Ascroft Bibby Walker Bennett Young Haydock Regan Fairhurst Grimshaw Darr Nickeas Davison (11) Oxley (7) Griffith O'Farrell (4) 25 Hanley Town a 1-0 106 Eastwood Bibby Griffith Young O'Farrell Haydock Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw Darr 1 Regan Walker (11) Oxley (10) Nickeas (7)F 1 Burscough h 0-1 146 Ascroft Bibby Griffith Young O'Farrell Haydock Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw Darr Regan Walker Oxley Woods (6) Turner Nickeas (11) 8 Northwich Victoria a 3-2 169 Ascroft Bibby Walker Young O'Farrell Nickeas Davison Fairhurst Grimshaw 1 Darr 1 Regan Haydock (7) Oxley Turner Bennett Woods (6) 1 29 Runcorn Town hM 7 Skelmersdale United a 14 Litherland Remyca h 21 Barnoldswick Town aA 4 Longridge Town h 11 Bootle a 13 Ashton Athletic a 18 Squires Gate h 25 Avro a

Goalscorers in BOLD | ( ) Indicates substitute was used


I n today’s ‘Isn’t That a Pip? Column we have selected part of a statement put out by the North West Counties

League regarding the impact of the FA’s restructuring programme which comes into effect next season.

Promotion & Relegation at the end of the 2019-20 season.The end of the 2019/20 season will see the implementation of the second phase of the FA's National League System restructure designed to create a pure Non-League Pyramid.This will see the creation of a new league at Step 4, which will be run by the Northern Premier League, with two new divisions at Step 5, these being in the Midlands (the United Counties League) and the West London/Thames Valley areas (the Combined Counties League). The effect of this is that there are many extra promotion spots available at the end of the 2019-20 season, with usual relegation also affected.Here we have a look at the changes for Promotion & Relegation that will come in at the end of this season. It is important to remember that if you are promoted / relegated at the end of a season, you are NOT promoted from one league to another. Instead, you are simply moved to another Step within the football pyramid. Once all of the promotion / relegation spots have been decided, the FA then meets in order to allocate clubs in each Step to the relevant leagues. This can also mean that current clubs in a Step can move leagues so that the number of teams fit, such as Silsden moving out of our league and Emley moving into our league at the end of last season. Historically speaking, we have had two divisions that pretty much sat on top of one another. However now that we have a Premier Division and TWO First Divisions, this is not the case, with the footprint of the two First Divisions larger than that of the Premier Division. This means that we are at a much greater risk of club's being moved to other leagues within the pyramid, which is known as lateral movements. This will be an important issue for our league both at the end of the season and in subsequent seasons. Step 5 Promotion - With a new Step 4 being introduced, extra teams are needed at Step 4. The

first way that the FA will be doing this is to do away with automatic relegation from the seven Step 4 leagues. Clubs finishing bottom could still go down, but that will be via a play-offs; more on that in a moment. Despite no automatic relegation from Step 4, there are still more teams needed which means extra promotion spaces this season. To address the North/South imbalance that has built up over the years, three teams are being promoted automatically from our Premier Division, the Northern Counties East League Premier Division and the Northern League Division One. In the remaining eleven Step 5 leagues, the Champions will be promoted automatically, but there are also opportunities for runners up. The four runners up with the best Points per Game (PPG) average will also be promoted automatically. The remaining seven runners up will go into a one of play off away at the seven teams who finish bottom of the Step 4 leagues. The winners of that will take a place in Step 4 next season, with the losers dropping to Step 5. From a NWCFL perspective, it is quite simple. The top three in our Premier Division will be automatically promoted at the end of the season. We could gain a club from the Northern Premier League for next season, but for this to happen they would have to finish bottom, lose the play off against a Step 5 runner up, and be in our area. Pickering Town are currently bottom who are not in our area, although Kendal Town are second bottom who are in our area.Step 5 Relegation - With so many teams getting promoted, and with two new Step 5 leagues being created, extra teams are needed for next season in Step 5. As a result the number of relegation spots has reduced to one for this season. However there is still a chance that we won’t relegate anybody. The side finishing bottom in each of the fourteen Step 5 divisions will be ranked on a point’s per game basis. The two sides with the best PPG will be reprieved; the other 12 will be relegated.Step 6 Promotion - Despite relegation from Step 5 being slashed, a lot of extra teams are needed for next season in Step 5. Therefore, the top FOUR teams from each Step 6 division will be promoted at the end of the season. The only exception is in the two South West Peninsula divisions which will promote two sides from each of their divisions. From a NWCFL perspective, it's simple. The top four in our First Division North and First


ISN'T THAT A PIP? DAVE ROWLAND

SECRETARY’S REPORT DAVE ROWLAND

Welcome to Mossie Park for this afternoon’s DivisionOne game against Sandbach United who are visitingus for the very first time and a warm Charnock welcome to all who have travelled up from deepestCheshire to be with us today. We hope that you willenjoy your stay and have a safe and trouble-free journey home after the game. The East Cheshire sideare a friendly and welcoming club as we found outwhen visiting them on that ill-fated fog-bound afternoon at the end of November. It is hoped that wecan return their excellent hospitality today.

I first met United’s secretary, John Clayton, and a coupleof their committee, at the Imperial Hotel on the NorthPromenade in Blackpool when attending the North WestCounties League AGM back on the 11th June. Applicantclubs were asked to remain outside of the meeting untilbeing summoned by League Chairman Paul Lawler whenthe representatives from each of the six applicants werecalled upon to give an introductory speech to the assembled throng before being voted in by the memberclubs. As we waited nervously in an adjacent room, SteveMawdesley and I got into conversation with the Sandbachcontingent and quickly found them to be a very sociablegroup. We got on with them immediately and it was andenjoyable exchange. That day we made our first friends inthe North West Counties League and long may it continue.

Sandbach United are one of the six newcomers to theNorth West Counties League this season and spent theprevious campaign at Step 7 in the Cheshire Leaguewhere they finished in 4th spot in the Premier Division.Like most of the newly promoted clubs they have made agood impression in their first season in the competitionand we wish them well. Today is of course our last homegame of the season not withstanding any play-off gamethat we may be involved in. To say that it has been a special one would be an understatement. We have enjoyed some wonderful football, been to many differentvenues for the first time, met some really great people andmade many new friends. When we left our comfort zone inthe West Lancashire League, we did so because the clubhad grown and developed to a point where new challenges and new horizons had become a necessity.

A new direction was needed if the club was to grow. Remaining stagnant was not an option. We have hadproblems to contend with. Finding funding for essentialground development and finding an appropriate level forour reserve side was only a couple of examples. The immediate aim was to consolidate at Step 6 level in theNational League System and to be in a position to sustain this in the long term. The players of our threesenior teams have had a fine season and once again thishas been due to the management skills and dedication ofthe management teams of all three. On the administration side, we have been joined by David Smithand Brian Lowe who have very kindly agreed to give oftheir precious time and for this we are very grateful.

For me, this is my fifth season as secretary and I canhonestly say, hand on heart, that the 2016-17 campaignis one of the best that I have enjoyed in football. At timesit has been hard graft and there are many individualswho have put in a good deal of that this term, literally. It isthe combined efforts of you all that make this, such aspecial football club and such a wonderful place to be.Of course, we do not know just how things will pan out asafter today. Indeed, we have three very difficult awaygames to negotiate. Whether we are in the play-offs ornot is anybody’s guess but it is a sign of the success thatwe have enjoyed, when we are still talking about wherewe will finish amongst the top group at this stage of affairs. Whatever occurs, well done one and all.

Dave Rowland | Club Secretary

“WE HAVE ENJOYED SOME WONDERFUL FOOTBALL, BEEN TO MANYDIFFERENT VENUES FOR THE FIRST TIME, MET SOME REALLY GREAT

PEOPLE AND MADE MANY NEW FRIENDS.”

07


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Division South will be promoted automatically. For those of you doing the maths, you can see the massive affect this will have on our Premier Division for next season. In the Premier Division we currently have 20 teams. We will lose three teams who will be promoted to the Northern Premier League, yet gain EIGHT clubs from our two First Division's. This will mean that at least FIVE teams will be laterally moved, or SIX if our PPG mean that we don't relegate anybody from Step 5. This is why it is important to remember that you actually get promoted / relegated from a Step to Step perspective, not from a league to league perspective.

Step 6 Relegation - All that can be said for Step 6 relegations is that the bottom TWO sides are liable to relegation to Step 7. At Step 7 there are 46 divisions, but it is not automatic promotion. Sides wishing to be promoted to Step 6 had to have applied by 31st December and also have to pass certain ground grading criteria. The numbers promoted / relegated is therefore unknown and won't be known until after the end of the season. Therefore the best that any team in Step 6 can do is to get as many points as they can. The reason for this is that if any reprieves are available, then sides starting with the best PPG will be reprieved.

Dave Rowland, Secretary.


Charnock Richard FC acknowledge that every young person or adult who plays or takes part in football should be able to do so in a safe and enjoyable manner. The club also acknowledges that all the above mentioned should be protected from poor practice and free from abuse be it verbal, physical or racial. The club will not tolerate any form of foul or abusive language from spectators, guests, visitors or club officials of both teams on the sidelines, especially abuse which is directed at an individual player or match official. Admission to the ground and the right to remain is on condition that spectators adhere to the above. Throwing missiles of any description or encroachment on to the playing area, climbing on boundary fences or buildings will not be tolerated. Alcohol must not be brought into or consumed in the ground unless it has been purchased in plastic glasses from the Clubhouse. By order of Charnock Richard Football Club.

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CHARNOCK RICHARD 7 THORNTON CLEVELEYS 2WEST LANCASHIRE LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION21ST FEBRUARY 2015

Team: Gavin Bates, Spencer Bibby, Damian Dashti, Ross O’Farrell, Liam Hayton, David Fisher (David Prout 79), Jamie Sanderson (Josh Norgate 60), Andy Roberts (Jack Bennett 70), Carl Grimshaw, Divid Burrows, Mark Woods. Unused Sub: Craig Banks.

For the second time in two weeks Charnock scored seven goals against Thornton Cleveleys. The first time Carl Grimshaw found the net five times, in this game he hit all seven goals. A feat that saw Charnock named as “Team of the Week” on Radio 5 Live and Carl was interviewed live on The 606 Show. Charnock took a 2-0 lead in the first two minutes but the early success made them complacent and it was not until Thornton equalised after 35 minutes that they picked up their game, regained the lead and went in at the interval leading 4-2. The second half saw Charnock dominate the game and Carl added another three goals as Charnock increased their lead at the top of the table to six points.

The starting eleven was unchanged from the side that won at Longridge the previous week. Banks was back but on the bench. It was a cold day with sunny intervals.

Thornton kicked off playing towards the Charter Lane end. Charnock went straight down and scored after 24 seconds, Woods fed Burrows who surged into the area squared to GRIMSHAW who scored easily.

A minute later GRIMSHAW hit a shot from the edge of the area and Charnock were two goals in the lead. Then Fisher got to the bye-line but his cross evaded Burrows and Grimshaw. After such a sparkling start Charnock became very complacent and the visitors came more and more into the game. After Sanderson gave the ball away on 19 minutes O’Farrell mis-timed his tackle in the

area and Slater scored from the penalty spot. In an isolated break on 25 minutes Burrows played Grimshaw in from a Dashti cross but his shot came back off the keeper. Thornton continued to play some tidy football and it was not too surprising when they got back on terms in the 35th minute. O’Farrell fouled 30 yards out and Dagger’s free kick found the net just inside the post. The goal finally woke Charnock up and they re-took the lead only a minute later, Roberts found Burrows who fed GRIMSHAW and his shot went in off the far post. Burrows then shot well wide from a good position and when Grimshaw headed Burrows in again he shot straight at the keeper. On 41 minutes Grimshaw went clear only to shoot over the bar. Only a last ditch tackle from Madden prevented Burrows getting a shot in. Charnock increased their lead just before the interval Woods had a great run down the left, Dashti crossed, Burrows’ shot spun to GRIMSHAW who converted from close in. In added time Burrows shot high over the bar from a great position.

The second half started with Khamby making a great run into the Charnock area where he fell over and Bates claimed the ball. The wind although not strong now favoured Charnock and they went on to dominate the half. Woods shot over the bar from the edge of the area and then Grimshaw could only turned the ball straight into the hands of the keeper when a free kick set up a chance for him. The same player then shot beyond the far post before Woods got clear but the keeper diverted his effort. Burrows was then in on Thompson but again the keeper got something on the shot. Charnock increased their lead on 67 minutes Woods got down to the bye line and GRIMSHAW scored at the near post. Two minutes later GRIMSHAW headed a cross from Bibby home at the back post. On 73 minutes Bates mis-judged a free kick and O’Farrell cleared off the line.

On 75 minutes a Bibby through ball saw GRIMSHAW thunder home a shot from the edge of the area. All the goals from the same player what a feat!

GAMES FROM THE PAST 5 YEARS AGO

EAGLEY 2 CHARNOCK RICHARD 2WEST LANCASHIRE LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISIONSATURDAY 27TH FEBRUARY 2010

Team: Kevin Baldwin, Damian Dashti, Andy Battersby, Liam Hayton, Alex Randell, Phil Jackson, David Prout (George Craddock 90), Andy Roberts, Chris Robinson, John Sanderson, Carl Grimshaw (Jimmy King 68). SUB (Not Used) Mark Kerr.

This was another game that Charnock should have collected all three points after producing some excellent football which had their hosts on the back foot for most of the game. Eagley took the lead in the first half but two goals in a minute for the second game running saw Charnock well in charge at the interval. They continued their dominance in the second half but failed to convert all their excellent play into goals. The game should have been over in Charnock’s favour well before Eagley headed home an equaliser in the 89th minute.

Manager Andy Westwell chose to re-organise his team for this game possibly bearing in mind that Charnock had fallen to a 2-1 defeat by Eagley earlier in the month.

He maintained a 3-5-2 formation but Dashti was the sweeper in the centre of defence with Battersby and Hayton either side of him. Randell was out on the right with Prout, Roberts and Jackson in midfield. Sanderson was up front with Carl Grimshaw.

An overcast afternoon saw the game start with Charnock playing towards the dressing room end. Grimshaw got his head to an early corner at the near post but the angle was too narrow. Baldwin did well in the 10th minute, Battersby sliced a clearance and put Eagley clear on goal, Dashti got back but it needed Kevin to come out to block the shot and then to grab the loose ball. Eagley took the lead after 20 minutes, Dashti was left one on one with the attacker and he appeared to be

pushed down, the advancing Baldwin got a good block on the shot but it had enough momentum to roll over the line. Charnock were seeing plenty of the ball and Sanderson was looking very lively up front. It was John who brought Charnock level after 28 minutes. A quick free kick in midfield saw the ball rolled out to Randell who drilled a diagonal ball to the back post where SANDERSON got up to head the ball home. It was Randell again who set up the second goal only a minute later, Alex got down the right and squared the ball to GRIMSHAW who thumped a great shot just inside the post. Charnock now turned on some great football, Grimshaw almost got on the end of a Robinson centre although the flag went up for offside and then Roberts saw his shot saved by the keeper’s foot as he dived the wrong way. Immediately Sanderson almost poked the ball past the advancing keeper which would have given him a clear run on goal. With a little more luck Charnock would have been leading by a larger margin at the interval.

The second half saw Charnock really dominate the play, twice the home keeper again saved with his feet. Robinson saw an overhead kick just drift by the back post. Eagley still carried a threat on the break and Baldwin made a good save to a goal bound effort half way through the second half. Grimshaw was replaced by King but Charnock continued with only three at the back. Sanderson had a good header but it was straight into the keeper’s arms.Eagley were defending well and in depth but they often had to rely on a little luck as the ball often dropped to their feet in the area rather than to a Charnock player. Robertson had another shot just over the bar but as the minutes began to run out Eagley pressed for an equaliser and it came in the 89th minute when a towering header from a left wing corner saw Eagley pinch a point. It was difficult to find any fault with the Charnock’s performance they moved the ball around well and on any other day they would have won by a considerable margin.


GAMES FROM THE PAST 10 YEARS AGO

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S even days previously Charnock Richard had been very disappointed to lose to a 89th goal from visitors Burscough but on

this occasion it was the Villagers who snatched a winning goal in the 88th minute to claim a 3-2 victory over Northwich Victoria after being 2-1 down with four minutes left. Charnock took the lead from the penalty spot before Northwich equalised just before the interval. The home team took the lead with 20 minutes remaining and it looked that Charnock were heading for their second successive defeat before the late goals sealed the three points.

There were two changes to the Charnock starting eleven, with Griffith unavailable Walker started in the back three. Nickeas was preferred in midfield to Haydock who was on the bench. Bennett was available again and he was on the bench alongside Oxley, Woods and Turner. The game was Spencer Bibby’s 200th start for the first team.

After another relatively fine week the pitch was in good condition but the bright afternoon had a chilly wind

Vics won the toss so Charnock kicked off playing

towards the North end with the breeze on their backs. Charnock started by conceding a number of free kicks 20 or 30 yards out which handed the initiative to their opponents. There was eight minute on the clock before the Villagers made any meaningful progress into the home half. Ascroft had to save a Kilifin shot after 13 minutes with the Villagers still looking to get a foot in the game. As the game approached the 20 minute mark Charnock began to dominate the possession with their neat passing game. It was Darr who won the penalty for Charnock on 22 minutes, he was tripped as he surged past a defender giving GRIMSHAW an opportunity from the spot and he found the corner of the net giving Hale in the home goal no chance. Darr then had a shot over the bar after Grimshaw had played him in before Charnock won a succession of corners. Yet another foul by Charnock in the danger area saw Bibby yellow carded. On 37 minutes Darr again showed his devastating pace to cut in from the left but his shot went beyond the far post. The Northwich equalising goal came on 41 minutes, substitute Burns hit a powerful shot, from maybe 25 yards, that beat Ascroft. The goal obviously gave the


SATURDAY 8TH FEBRUARY 2020 NORTHWICH VICTORIA 2 CHARNOCK RICHARD 3

TEAMS: Northwich Victoria: Hale, Henry, Barski, M. Clarke, Kenny,Forbes, Powell, Camozzi, Kilifin (Burns 32), Lynch, Henderson. Subs: (Not Used) P. Clarke, Robinson, Mannion, Grin-drod.Charnock Richard: Ascroft, Bibby, Griffith, Young, O’Farrell, Haydock (Nickeas 79), Davison, Fairhurst, Grimshaw, Darr, Regan (Woods 79). Subs: (Not Used) Walker, Oxley, Turner.

CHARTERED FINANCIAL PLANNERSCHARTERED FINANCIAL PLANNERSTRUE BEARING

PeterAshcroft-TrueBearing-Ad-125x60mm-Oct19-081019-Paths.indd 1 08/10/2019 16:54

home side a boost and they finished the first half very much in charge.

Charnock were facing the wind for the second half and as expected they came under some pressure from Northwich. Charnock’s style of play lends itself to playing against the wind and they produced some neat football but it was the home side that really looked the most dangerous. Henderson set up Lynch but he shot over the bar before Clarke became Charnock’s first opponent ever to be sent to the sin bin on 58 minutes. Charnock failed to take advantage of playing against 10 men and another foul this time close to the right bye-line ultimately set up Northwich to take the lead. The free kick saw Charnock concede a right wing corner from which Burns hit an in-swinging effort that found the net at the back post. Grimshaw hit an early cross that just eluded Darr sliding in at the back post. On 77 minutes Woods replaced Nicheas and Charnock won a free kick just outside the penalty area but Bibby hit it over the bar. When Regan burst into the area he was impeded enough to prevent him reaching the ball but the referee waved play on. Woods since his introduction had produced some important passes and on 84 minutes he played in Grimshaw from the right but he shot wide. Charnock equalised on 86 minutes, a great ball from Davison gave DARR the opportunity to use his pace cutting in from the right and he rifled a shot across Hale into the far side of the net. Two minutes later Reagan won a corner and when this was partially cleared WOODS ran to the edge of the area to hit a screaming shot past the goalkeeper. On 90 minutes Henry became Northwich’s second player to be sent to the sin bin. Haydock replaced Regan two minutes into added time as the Villagers had no difficulty in preserving their lead in the final minutes of the game and they could have added to it with both Haydock and Grimshaw shooting wide from chances.

It had been another amazing turn around in the closing minutes of the match and it was the second time this season that the Villagers have fought back from a losing position against Vics. In the home game, early in December, losing 2-0 Charnock scored twice to claim a point.


CAR PARKTo prevent inconvenience to local residents on Charter Lane it

would be appreciated if all players, officials, visitors and supporters would PLEASE USE THE CLUB CAR PARK


FROM THE RESERVES IAN MOUNTAIN

T he reserve team management would like to wish the players, officials and fans of Runcorn

Town a warm welcome this afternoon. We hope you enjoy the hospitality and a safe journey home his evening.

We wish the first team players and management good luck this afternoon In taking the 3 points after a couple of weekends with no scheduled games, which turned out to be perfectly timed given the recent weather...

The reserve fixtures in the same period were washed out and we have only had one game since the last update. In what seems an age ago, we welcomed Furness Rovers to Mossie Park, the team who narrowly knocked us out of the league cup at their place

This game was touch and go with a heavy storm forecast. We chose a formation that we could change if conditions got bad during the match as we had a couple of players missing and bought in a few returning players.

We started quite well and took the lead after 20 minutes. It was pleasing that the players responded to instructions really well and kept on pressing through the half, taking a comfortable 3-0 lead at half time.

Again, we asked the players to keep focus, shape and discipline as we sensed there were more goals in the game. They did this throughout the game, barely being threatened in defence. They missed several clear cut chances but did score 2 more.

It was great to get another clean sheet and there were 5 different goal scorers so plenty of positives to take into training. Plus the rain held off till the end of the game. There are still things that we can do better and hopefully we will improve through this season and build some momentum to start the next season.

We begin with the reverse fixture today, weather permitting. Furness will be up for it, judging from their reactions a few weeks ago. A Barrow trip in this weather is a tough test of the players characters the result will indicate how far they have progressed this season.

Ian Mountain, Manager

West Lancashire League Division 2 2019-20 Aug S 3 Storeys a 2-0 Charnley, McNallyT 13 Burscough Dynamo h 3-2 Meite, Morris, TurnerS 17 Furness Cavaliers a 3-0 Meite, Pilgrim, C RigbyW 21 Rossendale a 0-3 S 24 Walney Island a 1-5 TickleS 31 Galgate h 7-1 McNally 2, Banks, Blackhurst, Hendy, McLoghlin, MorrisSep S 7 Chipping a 2-3 McNally 2S 14 Dalton United h 2-2 Hendy, McNallyW 18 Burnley United a 4-1 Hendy, Lindley, Tickle, TurnerS 21 Freckleton a 1-3 HendyS 28 Mill Hill St Peters a 3-0 Hendy 2, ColeyOct S 19 Furness Rovers LC1 a 3-3 Nolan 2, HendyNov S 2 Dalton United a 4-4 Hendy 4S 9 Garstang Reserve h 3-1 Hendy, Lindley, MeiteS 16 Kendal United h 3-1 Hendy, McNally, NolanW 20 Garstang Reserve a 4-0 Coley, Morris, Nolan, C RigbyS 23 Storeys h 1-2 HendyDec S 7 Burscough Dynamo a 5-1 Meite 2, Coley, Hendy, TickleJan S 11 Galgate a 3-0 Hendy 3S 18 Furness Cavaliers h 3-0 McNally, Nguethe, Tickle.S 25 Rossendale h 1-3 AshcroftFeb S 8 Furness Rovers h 5-0 Hendy, McNally, Morris, Nguethe, PilgrimS 29 Furness Rovers a 3.00pmMar S 7 Mill Hill St Peters h 3.00pmS 21 Chipping h 3.00pmS 28 Freckleton h 3.00pmApr S 4 Walney Island h 3.00pmT 7 Longridge Town Res a 7.45pmS 11 Burnley United h 3.00pmtba Kendal United a tba Longridge Town Res h

O ver the years Charnock have had many long breaks between games that have been the result of inclement

weather but I cannot ever remember the schedules showing no fixtures for two consecutive Saturdays as has been the case for the last two weekends. So today we play our first game for three weeks and hopefully the two blank Saturdays have not been too disappointing for players, committee and supporters. Back on the Saturday afternoon of 8th February a 3-2 win over Northwich Victoria saw Charnock move up the table into the fourth place and with a considerable number of fixtures scheduled for the following 20 days it could be expected that we would have dropped a couple of places or so down the table by today’s game. The weather however has had a significant impact on the games played in the last two weeks. Only six games had been completed in the Premier Division since 8th February, so up to last Sunday Charnock were still in fourth position. If we were to have a mid-winter break it could not have come at a more convenient time for the team.

Ever since our first fixture in the North West Counties League at Eccleshall back in August 2016 I have been impressed how friendly the majority of clubs in the league have been. There has of course been plenty of good hearted banter with the odd occasion when things have gone a little too far but overall match days have been very enjoyable: a little less so if we have lost. However the comments that flew around social media after the win at Northwich Victoria were totally out of order. The best way to deal with statements, however inflammatory, made by opponents after they have lost a game is to treat them with disdain. The response to the adverse comments was found in our results against Vics; fighting back from being two goals down for a draw at Mossie Park and then scoring two late goals to record a 3-2 victory at Wincham Park.

There is no doubt about the influence some coaches have on tactics in football: Herbert Chapman initially very successful at Huddersfield Town was enticed to Arsenal and they became the dominant team of the early 1930s. It was Chapman who moved the centre half from a roving position in midfield to a stopper role and it changed formations from the previous 2-3-5 to 3-4-3 known as the WM formation. Sir Alfred Ramsey back in the 1960s introduced to the England team a formation that did not include any wingers and using these tactics he won the World Cup. I think that Pep Guardiola has had similar influence over English football since he arrived to take over Manchester City. One of the initiatives he introduced was to ditch Joe Hart because he wanted a goalkeeper who had ability with the ball at his feet. He initiated the tactic of playing the ball out from the back rather than just hoofing it downfield and by and large the system has worked at City. However, how many comical goals have been now conceded by teams trying to play the ball out from goal-kicks with players that are not skilful enough to attempt this tactic.

The game at Premier League level continues to be dominated by the newly introduced VAR system as it staggers along with a succession of strange decisions. As predicted, it is creating as many, if not more, controversial moments than it is solving. Now of course we have to wait for up to two minutes to be certain that a goal will stand and we had the farce last Saturday at Burnley when Bournemouth scored to supposedly level the game at 1-1 only to discover that a penalty had been awarded by VAR at the other end of the pitch and they finished up going two goals down. One of the criticisms is that spectators at the grounds have no idea which decisions are being overturned and why. I have been surprised that a number of so-called experts who previously showed enthusiasm for the introduction of VAR are now openly condemning it. The excuse is that it is still in its early stages and it will take time to settle down but as one sports commentator said the system is still based upon human interpretation so we will continue to get controversial decisions. Goalmouth technology has been very successful but of course that does not rely on any human input for a decision.

Keith Reader


THE LAST WORD KEITH READER

THE LAST WORD KEITH READER

Due to printing and editor deadlines I have to writethis final column of the season with four leaguegames outstanding so it is impossible to comment onCharnock’s final position in the table and, most importantly, where they will be playing their footballnext season. Will it be in the Premier Division by automatic promotion or through the play-offs ormaybe we will have to be satisfied with having a second season in Division One but whatever happensit has been a very successful and exciting first seasonin the North West Counties League.

This season saw Charnock make their debut in the FAVase and it has been very satisfactory but with a little bit ofluck it could have been even more successful. In the preliminary rounds we won at Whickham in the North Eastthen visited Yorkshire to beat Harrogate Railway Athletic.The First Round Proper saw a home tie against old opponents Barnoldswick Town which we won after extratime. The home defeat at Mossie Park at the hands ofStaveley Miners Welfare was largely due to having to fieldan understrength team; suspensions for Spencer Bibby,Josh Norgate and Mike Fletcher all made them ineligible,Ashley Young missed through a knee problem and thenlosing Danny Smith to injury before half time and a missedpenalty all contributed to the defeat. If we had won wewould have had a trip up to play South Shields of theNorthern League who are now through to the Wembleyfinal. At the time they were averaging gates of over 1200.Win or lose it would have been a bumper pay day for theclub with a share of the gate receipts and more FA money for reaching that stage of the competition. As it was Staveley made the journey, pocketed the money andlost 3-0.

Charnock were drawn away to Bamber Bridge in the firstround of the Lancashire FA Challenge Trophy, it was ourdebut in the competition and against all the odds cameaway with a 2-0 win. Drawn away at Ashton Athletic in thenext round we had plenty of chances to win the game inthe first half but in the end lost 1-0. Ashton went on to win2-1 against Radcliffe Borough in the final at the MacronStadium after knocking out Chorley in the semi-final. A littlemore accuracy with our shooting at Ashton and who knowswhat could have happened? In our league cup debuts wemade early exits in both competitions. In the Macron Cupwe were unlucky to lose 2-1 at Handley Town, the winningpenalty being awarded for the ball hitting Josh Norgate’sshoulder. We successfully negotiated our way through theReusch First Division Cup to the quarter-finals where welost 4-1 at home to Widnes.

Football squads inevitably evolve over the years and anumber of new signings were made for this season.Some players have fitted in well and have made regularappearances others disappeared; several did not evenmake one appearance. Over previous seasons CarlGrimshaw and David Burrows formed a successful goalscoring partnership for the club. Last season they totalled77 goals between them and there was the expectancythat they would score a similar number this season. Unfortunately domestic problems resulted in Dave making himself unavailable and he has been sorely missed.

In the 2015-16 season Damian Dashti passed the landmark of 500 appearances for the first team and hehas continued to feature in most match squads this season. He is now approaching 550 appearances whichis another remarkable record of dedication to CharnockRichard FC. There have been other impressive performances by players this season but for me oneplayer has stood out above anyone else - Ross O’Farrellhas had an outstanding season to date. Ross is anotherplayer that has been at Charnock for almost all his career first appearing in the ‘A’ team back in season2007-08 from where he has worked his way up to become a regular in the first team squad. He is mychoice as “Player of the Year”.

Finally I must mention the support that the club have enjoyed both home and away. To date home attendanceshave only dropped below 100 once and the average sofar is 140. Everyone at the club has put in a remarkableamount of time and effort and come May we will be looking forward to our second season in the North WestCounties League. I hope to be writing this column againnext season, many thanks for reading it.

Keith Reader

30


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Runcorn Town

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Charnock Richard

Manager Ryan Donnellan

BEN ASCROFTJAMES WALKER

SPENCER BIBBYROSS O'FARRELLASHLEY YOUNGOLIVER TURNERJACK BENNETT

MATTHEW DAVISONOLIVER OXLEY

LEWIS HAYDOCK MARK WOODS

AARON GRIFFITHDANIEL REGAN

NATHAN FAIRHURSTCARL GRIMSHAW

JORDAN DARR OWEN MORRIS

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Documents

Charnock Richard Football Club 21...Fairhurst N 21 2 2 8 29 2 2 157 4 18 Green O1 1 1 2 1 2 1 Griffith A 15 4 4 3 1 19 7 19 11 1 ... After a three week break from action, we return