Press Release
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Press Release News…Results…News…Results…Tables… ISSUE No. 38 WEEK ENDING 2nd May REVIEW OF THE WEEK Both Premier Division Play-Off semi-finals went to extra-time with ILKESTON TOWN edging out KENDAL TOWN in a seven goal thriller whilst NANTWICH TOWN, promoted via the play-offs last season, made the top tier Final when pipping GUISELEY 2-1. The Final also went to extra time to demonstrate just how competitive the Premier Division has been this season and after playing the role bridesmaid twice already this season ILKESTON TOWN finally made it to the altar beating Nantwich 2-1 in front of a crowd approaching 2,000. Just as in the top Division it was second and third place teams BELPER TOWN and STOCKSBRIDGE PS who made the First Division South play-off final with the latter having a convincing 5-2 win thanks to a Mark Ward treble against CARLTON TOWN whilst Belper needed just the one goal to oust RUSHALL OLYMPIC. In the Final it was third place Stocksbridge that came out on top thanks to one strike from Andy Ring. There was a big shock in the First Division North play-offs, however, when CURZON ASHTON knocked out second place SKELMERSDALE UNITED after finishing a massive eighteen points adrift of “Skem” whose manager Tommy Lawson must hate the end of season lottery having lost three times in it, twice with Skelmersdale in the last two seasons and once previously with Prescot Cables. NEWCASTLE BLUE STAR then set up the possibility of a North East promotion double following Durham’s success in lifting the title the previous Saturday when they beat COLWYN BAY on penalties on Wednesday and they duly obliged after Curzon failed to repeat their midweek heroics going down 4-1 at Blue Star. DURHAM CITY added the Chairman’s Cup to their silverware in midweek when they beat First Division South champions RETFORD UNITED but failed to make it a treble on Saturday when losing at EASTWOOD TOWN in the Peter Swales Memorial Shield. UNIBOND “CLUB OF THE MONTH” AWARDS The UniBond “Club of the Month” awards for the combined months of April and May have gone to GUISELEY, SALFORD CITY and STOCKSBRIDGE PS Guiseley landed the top tier spoils with seven straight wins including the League Cup Final against Ilkeston Town until losing for the first time in April in Tuesday’s play-off semi-final at Nantwich Town. It was the second time they had won the League Sponsor’s “Club of the Month” prize having picked up the first award of the season in August. The First Division accolade went to a most unlikely source with Salford City having propped up their Division from the start of the season until the very last day when they completed an escape to match anything Houdini ever thought of. They won five and drew one of their seven games in April to pinch the prize off champions Durham City who drew one and lost two. The First Division South award for April / May came down to a last day shoot out between Belper Town and Stocksbridge PS who had identical records of six wins and one draw in their eight fixtures prior to contesting the South Division’s Play-Off Final. That went the way of STOCKSBRIDGE PS who, like Guiseley, were winning it for a second time. Operations Manager League Secretary/Press Officer Alan Allcock Phil Bradley 5, Tree Way 7 Guest Road Knutsford NEWSLINE Prestwich Manchester Cheshire WA16 9AL M25 7DJ 09066 555 800 Telephone: 01565 634111 Telephone:0161 773 4959 (home) Fax:01565 640736 Telephone:0161 798 5198 (office) Mob: 07982 257211 Fax:0161 7730930 e-mail:[email protected] e-mail:[email protected] 1 RUSHALL OLYMPIC LAND SPONSOR’S FINAL “BOOTS FOR AFRICA” PRIZE The UniBond League are pleased to announce that Rushall Olympic FC, who have collected 137 pairs of boots over the past 3 months, are the winners of the £250 awarded by League Sponsors Henkel Ltd for the third stage of the season - joining Marine and Boston United the £250 winners of the first two stages. Rushall Olympic's excellent efforts leave them second over the season but Marine FC are the runaway winners with their magnificent total of 505 pairs. The number of pairs of boots collected by the member clubs for the season is currently 1019, with the Henkel sales staff adding a further 53 pairs. In addition to the cash prizes League Sponsors, Henkel Ltd, are also providing three prizes of UniBond products to the value of £1,000, £500 and £250 for the most boots collected over the season and these are won respectively by Marine (505 pairs), Rushall Olympic (137 pairs) and Stamford (59 pairs). UNIBOND LEAGUE HELP FOR CHARITIES The UniBond League this week made five donations of £100 each to charities. The money was given to the League by Belper Town to use for charitable causes and the Board agreed donations to the following charities – Ty Gobaith Children’s Hospice (a charity supported by Colwyn Bay FC), STEPS ( a children’s charity helping disabled children and supported by Shepshed Dynamo), Macmillan Nurses (supported by Gresley Rovers manager Gary Norton), the Lymphoma Organisation (supported by former Belper Town player Jamie Walker who is now in remission from Hodgkins Lymphona) and Prostate Cancer Research Foundation (a charity supported by Bruce Badcock, Secretary of the Isthmian League). JEMSON CALLS IT A DAY Former England Under 21 international Nigel Jemson, who will be forty later this year, announced after FC Halifax Town’s final game of the season that he was retiring from the playing side. Jemson, who made over four hundred appearances in his full time playing career scoring more than a century of goals arrived at the Shay last summer when appointed Assistant Manager and not expected to play many games. However, such was his form that he made twenty starts and added another dozen appearances from the bench. He said “I don’t think I have embarrassed myself with my performances but at my age it is tough to drive two and a half hours to train for two hours and then drive home again and still feel as fresh as a daisy” FINAL WEEK RESULTS Monday, 27 th April 2 009 Wednesday, 29 th April 2009 EAST RIDING COUNTY CUP – Semi Final FIRST DIVISION NORTH PLAY-OFF SEMI-FINAL NORTH FERRIBY UTD 3 Bridlington Town 1 NEWCASTLE Blue Star 2 COLWYN BAY 2 Cooke 33, Denton 51, Chilaka 15. Att.n/k Brayson 38, Gillies 97. Hammond 8pen, Fry 55. Canning 103. Att.163 (AET - Newcastle Blue Star won 4-2 on pens) Tuesday, 28 th April 2009 MANCHESTER PREMIER CUP FINAL PREMIER DIVISION PLAY-OFF SEMI-FINALS Droylsden 2 MOSSLEY 1 ILKESTON TOWN 4 KENDAL TOWN 3 Byron 46, Sorvel 53. Brown 65og. Att.n/k Sleath 32, Cahill 59pen, Hallam 2, Foster 44, Newsham 62, Murphy 118. Taylor 82. Att.653 SHEFFIELD & HALLAM SENIOR CUP FINAL (After Extra-Time) STOCKSBRIDGE PS 3 Brodsworth MW 0 NANTWICH TOWN 2 GUISELEY 1 Lovell 50, Powell 81,86. Att.623 Lennon 45, Walker 115. Muller 70. Att.940 (After Extra-Time) Saturday, 2 nd May 2009 FIRST DIVISION NORTH PLAY-OFF SEMI FINAL PREMIER DIVISION PLAY-OFF FINAL SKELMERSDALE UTD 0 CURZON ASHTON 1 ILKESTON TOWN 2 NANTWICH TOWN 1 Edgehill 84. Att.324 Pringle 10, Weaver 94. Lennon 31. Att.1794 FIRST DIVISION SOUTH PLAY-OFF SEMI FINALS (After Extra-Time) BELPER TOWN 1 RUSHALL OLYMPIC 0 FIRST DIVISION NORTH PLAY-OFF FINAL Hindley 69. Att.425 NEWCASTLE Blue Star 4 CURZON ASHTON 1 UNIBOND LEAGUE CHAIRMAN’S CUP FINAL Brayson 7, Webb 49, Norton 36. Att.307 DURHAM CITY 2 RETFORD UNITED 1 Convery 56, Southern 75. English 4, Dodds 75. Oldham 61. Att.122 FIRST DIVISION SOUTH PLAY-OFF FINAL DERBYSHIRE FA SENIOR CUP FINAL BELPER TOWN 0 STOCKSBRIDGE PS 1 BUXTON P MATLOCK TOWN P Ring 18. Att.801 (Match Postponed – Waterlogged Pitch) PETER SWALES MEMORIAL CHALLENGE SHIELD (At Derby County FC) EASTWOOD TOWN 2 DURHAM CITY 1 Todd 42pen, Rhead 70. Moffatt 90. Att.202 2 MANAGERIAL COMINGS AND GOINGS Whilst the managerial changes on the UniBond League scene this season have been slightly lower than normal things certainly heated up once the last games had been played with managers coming and going on a regular basis throughout the week following the end of the campaign. BOSTON UNITED Chairman David Newton confirmed that Steve Welsh’s managerial contract would not be renewed for next season but said he hoped “Steve will continue to work within the club and use his expertise on youth development and education programmes. Since being promoted to take control of first team affairs Steve has done an excellent job but we feel this is the right decision for the football club at the present time and we will now begin the search for a new first team manager who will give the club every chance to progress on and off the field with the aim of Conference football at the earliest opportunity”. Relegated ROSSENDALE UNITED and their player-manager Phil Eastwood have parted company by mutual consent. Chairman Steve Hobson said “Phil has given his all to the club and is as honest as the day is long. He has worked tirelessly with the squad but both Phil and the Board recognise that change is needed prior to next season”. Another club to part with their manager is STAMFORD with Dougie Keast and his Assistant Ian Pledger leaving by mutual consent.