36 Ramsbottom United v Stamford

prammynewsv STAMFORD06-09-14

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jonnobernard

I'd like offer a warm welcome to all

travelling from Stamford to the Harry

Williams Riverside Stadium. We hope you

enjoy our small town and facilities for the

day and have a safe journey home.

To say I'm happy with Tuesday’s

performance against Marine would be a

massive understatement. e way we took

the game to them from minute one was

very pleasing. We took the lead for the fifth

time in six matches and had plenty more

efforts during the first half.

We were actually in the same position as

the week before when we were leading 1-0

at halftime against Nantwich Town but

thankfully the boys went out in the second

half the same as they had started the first

half and got their rewards with another two

goals. en for the remainder of the game

we controlled the possession and kept our

shape very well. 3-0, happy days, or so you'd

think. What happened next was one of the

most bizarre five minute spells of officiating

I've ever seen.

First the liner flagged to say the whole ball

had crossed the line despite being at least

ten yards behind the play. e players of

both teams were staggered by this decision

and even the brutally honest Marine fans

behind the goal were laughing at the

decision.

en, which for me the most ridiculous

thing ever was how Robbo ran with the ball

from 20 yards out, riding a few tackles and

smashing the ball into the net only for it to

be disallowed! How on earth that decision

could even be questioned was unthinkable

but unbelievably his decision stood.

As it happened neither of these decisions

cost us the three points but the fact it could

and should have been 4-0 as opposed to 3-

2 left a bit of a sour taste, as the lads

defended excellently and fully deserved a

clean sheet for the first time this season.

Malachi scored his first goal for the club

which was an absolute beauty - this lad has

got all the tools to be a top class player for

us and at 20 could be a mainstay in the team

for many years. Osebi also had a very good

game out wide and is now starting to settle

into how we play - his pace and strength

were a constant threat to Marine’s back line

as he constantly broke through them. But

the most pleasing performance of the night

was that of Cedric,. We took a bit of a

chance by playing him at centre half in place

of the injured Danny Warrender but the way

he played was outstanding. He has given me

and Bern a massive selection headache with

that performance, but it was certainly

something we knew he had in his locker.

We know how difficult a game this is

today as Stamford have had a great start to

the season. We had them watched at

Ashton last week and are fully aware of the

dangers they possess. We will show them

the utmost respect but will continue to try

to play the way we always do.

- Jonno

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Welcome to the Harry Williams

Riverside Stadium.

A special welcome to our match

officials and our visitors from

Lincolnshire, Stamford who are making

their first ever visit to the Harry Williams

Riverside Stadium. Hopefully they will

have had a good journey here, and enjoy

our hospitality, at least OFF the pitch!

Stamford have made an good start to

the campaign, and will arrive here full of

confidence, although that may have been

knocked a little after their midweek

defeat.

We would have liked a better start, but

injuries have certainly hit us hard. I know

every club suffers from the same, but

ours have come early and involve

influential team members. Hopefully

we’ll soon see the Physio’s room empty

with those same players making a swift

return to the pitch, as we attempt to get

to grips with life at this new level.

e weakened team put in a sterling

performance against title favourites FC

United, but ultimately went down to a 3-

1 defeat in front of another large crowd

(We are getting used to those, aren’t we!)

en came Tuesday night!

A thoroughly deserved

three points eventually

eked out in

controversial circumstances. ose last

eight minutes were bizarre to say the

least, but there was no doubting the

team thoroughly deserved the victory.

Let’s hope it acts as a springboard.

KEEP IT CLOSED

As if Malky Mackay had not inflicted

enough self-harm with his emails and

texts, another case of “I wish I’d kept my

mouth shut” appears just days later.

Enfield Town’s experienced manager

George Borg was fired in the wake of a

report that he had directed comments

involving Adolf Hitler at a bunch of

Wingate and Finchley fans.

Predominantly Jewish, the fans took

exception to this, and it was reported by

the referee. Never mind that Borg had

allegedly been subjected to comments

himself from those very same supporters

referring to his late mother, and, basically,

suggestions that he follow suit.

Not very nice is it, and yet players and

management teams are supposed to

accept such nonsense whilst failing to fall

into the trap of daring to respond.

We are all human beings, and when

such taunts are directed personally, it’s

not the easiest of things to ignore them.

Yet fans will shrug their shoulders and

proclaim “I’ve paid my money, I can do

tony cunninghamand the wonderful world of

non-league football

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what I like”. What a dreadful attitude, and one

which, fortunately, we rarely see in the much

more welcoming world of non-league

football.

However the MacKay and Borg issues

merely highlight the fact that free speech in

this country has been diluted to a point

where certain subjects are taboo. We all know

that the PC brigade have been extremely busy

over the years attempting to shift the

populations attitudes to various aspects of

life. Whether we agree or not, we now live in

a country where various actions and words

are carefully dissected and frowned upon to

such an extent that the law becomes involved.

Even comments which were meant to be

private can be uncovered, so the likes of these

two managers must learn that there are

certain things you cannot do or say.

ese issues, not for the first time, have

been brought into the public domain. Malky

and George have paid a high price for their

actions, and should prove to be a warning to

others that no matter how we may dislike it,

free speech in this country is not and never

will be the same again.

“free speech in this country is not,and never will be, the same again “

Jon Robinson’s solo run saw him adjudged offside

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...and so the rammy roller coaster

continues. We put in a poor second half

of football on Bank Holiday Monday

followed by a poor mistake in the FC

United game when we were on top, but

despite a nervy finish we ended up with

a deserved win on Tuesday. e

Nantwich game is one that all the lads

have put to the back of their memory as

the great first half was followed with a

horrible second half - mainly due to a lack

of focus, and all lads under-estimated

what Nantwich were going to throw at

us. We showed an element of naivety and

it definitely cost us, not only the game

but also Jordy and Robbo who will miss

games through suspension, both picking

up red cards. ey will certainly be

missed as they have really stood out at

the start of this new campaign.

But everyone's heads are still high as we

are playing great football, though we

know that little mistakes are costing us. I

don't want to talk too much about the

games as we feel your frustrations on the

pitch, we can hear some of them

from the sideline - uncle Dave in

particular - but as a squad

nothing has changed. Training

is still done how it always has

been, and the determination is

just the same. After

Tuesday’s good result we

look to get a run of wins under our belts.

Stamford will be a tough challenge and

one all the lads are looking forward to

today’s game. is is what this league is

all about, and against the higher teams

in the league we always tend to up our

game and show the attacking, flowing

football you all love to watch.

With Lee and Dan injured, and Gaz

awaiting results of a scan you would

think we would be a bit worried, as these

are quality players who would walk into

any team in this league with ease, but the

lads who have taken their shirts are going

to make them fight to get them back.

e players in the changing room all

have a positive view on this season so far

even though we know we should be

higher, and for it's only going to get

better. ere's a lot of talent in this squad

and we know what we are capable of.

Team spirit is really high, and all the new

lads gave us a song on the journey back

from Rushall - they were all terrible but

fair play to lads for trying. We also found

out one new lad who settles disputes

with by wrestling. I'll leave it to the fans

to guess who? (For those who didn't join

us in the coach)

Enjoy today’s game and we hope we can

give you the result you all deserve for

your great support

COYR!!

grant shentonshouting from between the sticks

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“ ere’s a lot oftalent in this squadand we know whatwe are capable of “

A game that was seemingly progressing to a

comfortable Ramsbottom United victory

suddenly exploded with controversy as the final

few minutes were played with a series of decisions

that had the home crowd mystified and the away

supporters wondering if a miraculous escape was

on the cards.

e Rams had controlled the match and were

looking good value for their three goal lead when

the deserved three points were almost snatched

away in a bizarre display of officiating. Fortunately,

the whistle finally blew with the three points still

intact, but questions were raised afterwards as the

fans streamed out with a certain amount of anger.

Both sides settled down early, with Cedric Krou

going close for the home side after a penalty area

scramble, before Andy Fowler saw his shot on the

turn fly past the far post for the Merseysiders.

e Rams took the lead in the ninth minute

after some terrific work from Dominic Smalley. He

gathered the ball just outside his own area before

setting off down the right. He played a one-two

before sending Jordan Hulme through, and the

youngster held off a challenge from a defender to

fight his way into the area and flick the ball neatly

past the advancing keeper.

e home side were seeing more of the ball

although Karl Clair and James Foley both went

close for the visitors. e home side looked

menacing, though, and Phil Dean from fully 30

yards, and Hulme from close range, were both

denied by Matthew Cooper in the Marine goal.

e Rams took a firm grip on the game within

three minutes of the restart.

Malachi Slaven gathered the ball out on the left

before skipping past a couple of defenders as he

raced across the pitch to create the space to fire

home an unstoppable volley from just inside the

box. A superb solo effort.

Tom Owens shot straight at Shenton as the

visitors looked for a response, but it was the home

side that was to grab the next goal.

On 56 minutes, a shout for a penalty for hand

ball was ignored by the referee, who otherwise

pointed for a corner. From the kick, Steve Howson

jumped highest to power a header into the back

of the net to render the penalty claim irrelevant.

e bar came to the Rams rescue as the three

goal cushion remained in tact, and as the minutes

ticked down, a well-deserved three points looked

like a fair reward for a good night’s work.

en the entertainment began.

On 87 minutes, a loose ball in the area was

desperately cleared off the home side’s goal-line.

e players looked on aghast as the linesman

raised his flag to indicate a goal, despite the lack

of appeals from the visitors. After much heated

debate and a couple of yellow cards, the “goal” was

given, and Marine sensed an opportunity for an

unlikely comeback.

As the game entered stoppage time, the referee

pointed for a corner despite the assistant flagging

for a goal-kick. From the corner John Shaw headed

the ball in, and suddenly it was panic stations in

the home defence and optimism on the visitors’

bench. Five minutes of added time were

announced as the home side pushed forward to

attempt to keep hold of the points. Cedric Krou

went on a solo run where he was brought down

with a bump in the area. Again, despite confident

appeals for a penalty, the referee pointed for a

corner.

en to the relief of the home fans, Jon

Robinson gathered the ball, strode forward before

hitting the back of the net. e joy was amazingly

curtailed when, for some inexplicable reason, the

linesman on the far side decided to raise his flag

for offside, which had everyone on the ground

scratching their heads in disbelief.

e final whistle finally blew on a game that for

87 minutes had proceeded with no controversy,

but one which will long be remembered for a

bizarre last eight minutes.

As it was, the Rams gained their first home

points of the season, and despite the scoreline, it

was a comfortable and well-deserved victory.

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3 - 2e Harry Williams Riverside

2nd September 2014

Att: 250

Rammy Goals: Hulme (9), Slaven (48), Howson (56)

Marine Goals: Owens (87), Shaw (90)

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Is it or isn’t it? Even Rammy’s sophisticated

goal-line technology can’t figure it out!

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He thinks it isn’t!

We think it is!

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In lieu of a signing on fee, Paul Cropper

presents Grant Shenton with his first

pair of gloves. e Supporters Club has

sponsored Grant to the tune of eight

pairs for the season.

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ANSWERS: 1. Dave Pace 2. Brighouse Town 3. Rhyl 4. North West Counties 5. Congleton Town

6. e Hetys, on Heys Road! 7. Barnet 8. True 9. All Blue 10. Leicestershire and Rutland

tony’s teasers1. Who is the owner/manager of Droylsden?

2. Which Evo-Stik League club plays at the Dual Seal Stadium?

3. Greg Strong is manager of which Welsh Premier League club?

4. Barnton have just joined which League?

5. Booth Street is the home of which Cheshire non-league club?

6. Before moving to their present home on Sandgate Drive where did Prestwich

Heys play?

7. Name the club nicknamed the Bees who play at the Hive

8. True or false? FC United of Manchester once played a home game at Radcliffe

Borough.

9. What colours do Halesowen Town play in?

10. Barwell are members of which local FA?

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Rammy supporter Peter

“Captain” Taylor presents Joel

Pilkington with a copy of ‘e

Pilkie Issue’ of the Rammy

programme, along with an

envelope containing over £100

(raised by a fans whip-round)

to celebrate his 200th

appearance for the club. A big

ank You to everyone who

chipped in.

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Sat 16th Aug H KING’S LYNN TOWN 2-3 322 Shenton Smalley Pugh Spencer Howson Priestley Hulme 1Tues 19th Aug A Workington 0-1 415 Shenton Smalley Pugh Spencer * Howson Priestley HulmeSat 23rd Aug A Rushall Olympic 4-2 161 Shenton Smalley Pugh Spencer * Howson Priestley Hulme 1 +Mon 25th Aug H NANTWICH TOWN 1-4 365 Shenton Smalley Abadaki * Spencer + Howson Priestley Hulme Sat 30th Aug A FC United of Manchester 1-3 1917 Shenton Smalley Pilkington Spencer Howson Warrender Abadaki +Tues 2nd Sept H MARINE 3-2 250 Shenton Smalley + Pilkington Spencer Howson 1 Krou AbadakiSat 6th Sept H STAMFORDWed 10th Sept A Whitby TownSat 13th Sept A Buxton FAC 1QTues 16th Sept H WITTON ALBIONSat 20th Sept A IlkestonSat 27th Sept H SKELMERSDALE UTDSat 4th Oct A TraffordTues 7th Oct H CURZON ASHTONSat 11th Oct H BELPER TOWNTues 14th Oct A Frickley AthleticSat 18th Oct H BUXTONTues 21st Oct H WHITBY TOWNSat 25th Oct A Blyth SpartansTues 28th Oct A MarineSat 1st Nov A Whitby Town FAT 1QTues 4th Nov H WORKINGTONSat 8th Nov A Halesowen TownTues 11th Nov H BURSCOUGH LGCUPTues 18th Nov A Witton AlbionSat 22nd Nov H GRANTHAM TOWNSat 29th Nov H BARWELLSat 6th Dec A Matlock TownSat 13th Dec H RUSHALL OLYMPICSat 20th Dec A King’s Lynn TownFri 26th Dec H ASHTON UNITEDThu 1st Jan A Nantwich TownSat 3rd Jan A Curzon AshtonSat 10th Jan H TRAFFORDSat 17th Jan A Belper TownSat 24th Jan H FRICKLEY ATHLETICSat 31st Jan A BuxtonSat 7th Feb H BLYTH SPARTANSSat 14th Feb A StamfordSat 21st Feb A StourbridgeSat 28th Feb H ILKESTONSat 7th March A Skelmersdale UnitedSat 14th March H STOURBRIDGESat 28th March A Grantham TownSat 4th April H FC UNITED OF MCRMon 6th April A Ashton UnitedSat 11th April H HALESOWEN TOWNSat 18th April A BarwellSat 25th April H MATLOCK TOWN

fixtures & results 2014/15

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Hulme 1 Burton Gaskell Robinson 1* Dean + Pilkington Slaven Abadaki + Ahmadi * CookHulme Burton Gaskell Robinson + Dean # Pilkington * Slaven + Abadaki Ahmadi # CookHulme 1 + Burton Robinson# 1 Pilkington Dean 2 Abadaki * Slaven + Ahmadi # Cook WilliamsHulme Burton Robinson 1 Pilkington Dean Williams Slaven Cook * Krou + MorleyAbadaki + Slaven Robinson * Hulme 1 # Dean Williams + Krou * Cook # Morley JohnsonAbadaki Burton * Slaven 1 Hulme 1 Dean # Williams # Robinson * Cook + Morley Johnson

fixtures & results 2014/15

Ramsbottom United Football ClubChairman: Harry WilliamsVice Chairman: Chris WoolfallSecretary: Tony Cunningham Matchday Secretary: Andy Edmunson Treasurers: H Williams, C WoolfallCommittee: Harry Williams, Chris Woolfall, Andy Edmund-son, Kevin HitchenRecent Senior Honours: Bolton Comination Div 1 Champions: 1972/73Bolton Comb. Premier Champions 1976/77: Bolton Comb. Div2 cup runners up: 1979/80,1982/83Bolton Comb. Div2 runners up: 1982/83Bolton Comb. Cup winners: 1976/77, 1979/80, 1983/84Bolton Comb. Div1 runners up: 1984/85Bolton Comb. Cup runners up: 1985/86, 1987/88Manchester League Cup Winners: 1990/91Manchester League Champions: 1990/91Yorkshire Cup runners up: 1993/94Northwest Counties Div2 Champions: 1996/97Northwest Counties Div2 Trophy: 1995/96Bolton Hospital Cup winners: 1974/75, 05/06. 06/07, 07/08Northwest Counties Premier runners Up 2010/11Northwest Counties Premier Champions: 2011/12Northern Premier League Div1 playoff winners: 2013/14The Harry Williams Riverside, Acre Bottom, Ramsbottom, LancashireTel: 01706 822799

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Chairman Harry Williams shares his views on pilfering and cantankerous young

managers withthe presenter of BBC Radio Lancashire’s non-league roadshow, hosted

by Rammy on Wednesday night.

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Stamford AFC is a club with a long and illustrious

history, with their nickname “e Daniels” going back

even further, being the name of the heaviest British

man ever - Daniel Lambert from Stamford, who died

in 1809 weighing 52 stone. Evidence of football in

Stamford goes back to 1870, though this incarnation

of the club dates back to 1896.

1909 saw the club field a professional team for the

first time, though by the 1930s they were experiencing

financial troubles which saw them take a season’s

break to put things in order.

Spells in the United Counties, Midland and Central

Alliance Leagues followed, with a 1973 foray to the 4th

Qualifying Round of the FA Cup followed by a trip to

the FA Vase semi-final the season afterwards.

1976 saw the club win the UCL league and cup

double, progressing to the FA Case final only to lose 1-

0 to Billericay in extra time.

Another league title came in 1978, followed by three

more in quick succession, with the team lifting the

1980 Fa Vase after win over Guisborough. e

Lincolnshire Senior Cup enjoyed a long residence in

the Stamford trophy cabinet, though the club suffered

another FA Vase final defeat in 1984, losting 3-2 to

Stanstead.

1994 and the appointment of Steve Evans as

manager brought Stamford further successes, lifting

the UCL league title for an eighth time, which saw

them promoted to the Southern League.

e club was transferred to the Northern Premier

League Premier Division in 2007 after nine years

playing in the Southern Leaug, but suffered instant

relegation to Division One South after just one season,

though a return to the premier division came in 2013

after a playoff win over Chasetown.

Manager Wayne Hatswell departed for League Two

side Newport County, leaving his deputy David Staff

to take over the reigns in his first mangerial position.

His first season in charge saw the Daniels yet again lift

the Lincolnshire Senior Trophy. ough finishing just

18th in the table last season, Stamford have made a

blazing start to this season and will be extremely tough

opposition for the Rams.

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Emeka Nwadike: Experienced midfielder

signed in January 2014. Started his career at

Wolverhampton Wanderers before joining

Shrewsbury Town where he played over 50

times. His other clubs include Grantham

Town, Worcester City and AFC Telford Utd.

Richard Jones: Captain and centre half signed

from Corby in June 2012 having previously

played for Blackstones and Peterborough

North Star in the United Counties League.

Won the accolade of Supporters Player of the

year in both the previous seasons.

Jon Challinor: Experienced midfielder who

can also play as a defender signed in August

2013. Started his career at Rushton and

Diamonds before joining Stamford in 2000,

has also played at Cambridge City, Aldershot

Town, Exeter City, had a stint at an American

club and also York City where he played in

the 2012 FA trophy final and also gained

promotion to the football league via the

play-offs. In January and February 2014 he

was on a dual registration with us and Halifax

Town.

Ryan Clarke: Defender signed in the summer

of 2014. Ryan joined the Daniels from rivals

Kings Lynn Town. Mainly plays at right back

but is also capable of playing centre back or

in midfield. Started his career at Notts

County before joining Boston Utd where he

had loan spells at both King's Lynn and Leigh

RMI. He joined Alfreton Town in 2005 before

moving on to Worcester City in 2007. He

rejoined Boston in 2008 before moving onto

Eastwood Town, Grantham Town, Ilkeston,

Northwich Victoria and Worksop.

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ATHERTON COLLIERIES.............................1

RAMSBOTTOM UNITED...........................4

Saturday 16th April 2004

Making excuses for your team losing

are legendary, but it’s not often a football

manager makes exuses for his side not

winning as well as it should

have!

Well, that’s ujst what

Rams’ boss Vince Overson

did, after seeing his side

eventualy brush Atherton

Collieries aside, winning 4-1.

“I have never been there

before and I never want to

go back atain,” was his

reaction to Colls’ Alder

Street ground.

“e pitch was like a

ploughed field, I was looking

out for the cows going back

on it.

“e ice cream van

was belting out

the theme tune

from ‘e

Good, the Bad

and the Ugly,’

and that’s what it looked

like, a deserted western

town.

“It was no surprise there was

no football played on it - you couldn’t,

which made winning that much harder,

but we should have had even more.”

Despite the playing surface, Iain Dyson

hit the opener for the Rams on 11

minutes, when his hopeful flick was

fumbled by the Colls’ keeper, it then

trickled over the line.

e league’s bottom club then

equalised in the 25th minute, when poor

rammy united49 years of football under harry williams

e Ground that Time Forgot

Rammy Manager Vince Overson

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covering from the Rams allowed Colls’

Lee Bowles to break through and beat

Paul Eatock in the Rams’ goal.

“I had a go at the lads at half-time,”

confessed Overson: “We didn’t get out

of first gear in the first half so I changed

things around.

“I got Liam Boden to sit in front of the

back three and Luke Hardman to sit in

front of him, that gave Dyson the

opportunity to get forward.

“We were giving them too much

respect, half getting there to close

down, half getting there to tackle.

“But on that pitch you had to be

down their throats, beacuse it was

taking three touches just to get the ball

down, so if you got on top of them

quickly it gave you time to win it off

them, which we hadn’t been doing in

the first half.

“So I had a pop at them about work

rate and commitment, and the second

half they went out there, battered

them and won everything.”

After allowing the home side to

dominate possession for the opening

20 minutes of the second half, the

Rams then punished Colls’ inability to

score.

Dyson completed his hat-trick before

Chris Clarke netted the Rams’ fourth

from the penalty spot in injury time.

Next the Rams face third-placed

Clitheroe on Tuesday night at the

Riverside, and Overson can’t wait.

“I want them to go out and show

what they are really capable of against

one of the best teams in this league,

because I still believe we are capable of

beating anyone at this level,” said

Overson.

Ramsbottom Squad: Eatock, Raywood,

Rispen, Walsh, Goodall, Boden, Smith,

Dyson, Clarke, Buggie, D.Gardiner. Subs:

McCool, Stewart, Hardman

- article take from the Bury Times, 2004

In stark contrast -the Riverside backin the early 80’s.Even then there wasno sign of a cowanywhere near thepitch!Photo courtesy ofRamsbottomHeritage Society.

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rammy unitedmeet the lads

Born in January 1991, this 6ft 2” goalkeeper

joined Rammy from FC United at the end of

August 2010. He was number two at FC

United, but a superb season in 2010/11 saw

him win Player of the Year for the Rams. He

Signed full-time with the club at the start of

2011/12.

e talented left full-back rejoined the club

from Chester during the 2013/14 season

having had a short spell here a couple of

years earlier. His long throw-in is always a

dangerous piece of his armory.

Signed for the club after impressing the

managers when he played against the Rams

for Atherton LR. Adds a whole new

dimension to the Riversiders’ squad, and

equally at home on the right side as either a

defender or attacking winger.. Brother of

Plymouth Argyle’s Deane Smalley.

Battling midfield who signed for the club in

2011 following the demise of Rossendale

United, for whom he scored a hat-trick in the

ridiculous 7-5 Rammy win the previous

season. Won the NWCFL title with the club

and was offered terms with Conference

Premier side Hyde but returned to the club

on loan, eventually signing full terms.

Dominic SMALLEYGrant SHENTON

Lee PUGH Grant SPENCER

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Signed from local rivals Radcliffe Borough

after a spell playing in Australia, the big man

is equally at home in the heart of the

defence, or up front poaching goals.

Wing man Tom came on as a sub in the play-

off game for our opponents Bamber Bridge.

e Rams management team acted swiftly

in the summer to bring him down to

Ramsbottom

Former Burnley professional player who is a

model of consistency, wherever he is picked.

A previous Player of the Year award-winner,

Joel is a firm favourite with the fans at the

Harry Williams Riverside Stadium, and has

played over 200 games for the club.

It has taken some two years for the

management to finally get Scott to join the

Rams. Bernard and Jonno have followed

Scott’s career with Runcorn Town and he

finally joined the club in late January 2014.

A hard-working midfielder, similar in style to

Gary Stopforth, and an integral part of the

promotion winning team.

Steve HOWSON Joel PILKINGTON

Scott BURTONTom WILLIAMS

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Experienced striker Jon was signed from New

Mills and despite plentiful interest from

other clubs has remained loyal to the Rams

for a number of seasons now, and always

finishes near the top of the goal-scoring

charts. Regarded as a “Rammy legend” in

east Lancashire..

A constant threat in attack, a solid

performer in defence. Awarded Clubman of

the Year award in 2011. Continues to cause

plentiful problems to defences around the

leagues.

Signed at the end of August 2011 from

Manchester League side Walshaw Sports and

has taken his opportunity with some relish.

Last season the 29 year old won the Golden

Boat accolade for being the highest scorer in

the Division One North.

Joined the club in December 2011 from

Clitheroe via Padiham. Son of a former

1990s Rammy favourite Martin, midfielder

Jordan is highly rated and scored 8 goals for

the Storks before going to Clitheroe. A

versatile player – he can play anywhere from

defence to striker.

Jon ROBINSON Lee GASKELL

Phil DEAN Jordan HULME

p

Having spent time at University, the

youngster spent last season with Shepshed

Dynamo before moving back to the north-

west, where joint-managers Bernard Morley

and Anthony Johnson snapped him up for

the Rams.

e speedy wingman joined the Rams at the

beginning of the 2014/15 season, having

spent the previous campaign at fellow Evo-

Stik Premier club Nantwich Town.

Joined the Rams in the summer of 2014, this

midfield player spent last season as a

member of the struggling Droylsden side

which changed places with e Rams at the

end of the campaign.

Cedric joined the club in January 2014

having impressed the management team

during his time with rivals Trafford FC.

Essentially a defender, Cedric has the ability

to fit in other positions for the team.

Sam COOK Malaki SLAVEN

Osebi ABADAKI Cedric KROU

p

Arm yourselves with a cross and a few

bulbs of garlic next Wednesday (10th

September), as the Rams embark on

another long midweek journey to take on

Whitby Town in North Yorkshire. After

our Workington a couple of weeks ago it

would seem the Evo-stik league fixture

computer is not a Rammy fan, and we

find ourselves with a near 250 mile round

journey for this game. e journey should

take around 2 hours 30 minutes each

way, but I would suggest leaving enough

time to beat the rush hour and also the

roadworks on the M62 and M1 if you are

going to take that route.

Whitby Town were formed in 1892 and

play at the Turnbull Ground (YO21 3HZ)

I have never visited the Turnbull Ground,

or Whitby for that matter, but I am

informed it is a traditional ground with a

modern main stand and an open terrace

behind one goal. e club have played at

this level of non-league football for many

years and perhaps had their best seasons

in the mid 1990’s, winning the Northern

League Division One in 1996-97, which

they followed up by claiming the

Northern Premier League First Division

the following season. e 1996-97 season

also saw e Seasiders take a visit to the

old Wembley Stadium (before it became

just another corporate football stadium

blasting music over the P.A. system)

where they beat North Ferriby United 3-

0 to lift the F.A. Vase. ey also reached

the final of the (then prestigious)

Amateur Cup in 1964-65 where they lost

to Hendon by 3 – 1 at Wembley.

Whitby itself is famous for being the

town that inspired Bram Stoker to write

his 1897 novel , Dracula, after visiting the

town a few years previously. is has led

in recent years to the town becoming the

Goth capital of the world. e Whitby

Goth Weekender takes place annually

and this sees thousands of Goths and

the boogie buson the road with rammy

p

other outsiders descend on the

town for a music festival and

other activities related with the

darkside (pun intended) is year

e Goth Weekender, runs from

October 1st to November 2nd

and will see the town overrun as

usual. e only problem with this

is that there is also a football game

in the town on the Saturday when

Whitby play in the F.A. Vase

against…………….Ramsbottom

United !!!! Doh, there goes the

Rammy Ultras’ plan for a weekend

away in Whitby and will most

probably see us going to the hit

the bars of Scarborough that

weekend instead. Although, with

ex-Stranglers front man Hugh

Cornwell headlining on the

Saturday you might just see me

and UkePunk dressing in our

blackest outfits, applying the eye

liner and heading down to the

moshpit as the oldest swingers in

town

On a final note there are links

between the Goth Weekender

and this particular part of

Lancashire where we live. Money

raised by people attending the

Goth Weekender in 2007 was

used to erect a memorial bench

on Whitby seafront dedicated to

Sophie Lancaster, who I am sure

you all know was attacked by a

group of youths in Stubbylee Park

in Bacup and later died from her

injuries. It might be a nice touch

to leave some Ramsbottom

United related item in tribute to

her if you are passing.Whitby Goth Weekend - get afree Goth with every pie

pp

Hello everyone again! Two games in a

row, well, one and a half ...!!!

It was great to be able to see the

better of the two halves on Tuesday

night when we defeated one of the well

established sides in this league in

Merseysiders Marine, although it did

come with quite a scare towards the end

when it looked for a little while that our

well deserved three points would be

reduced to one, courtesy of some rather

bizarre officiating by all three of the men

in charge. Up to that point of the 42

minutes that I saw, they were doing fine

but then they decided to make the last

few minutes more than interesting by

awarding a goal no-one

expected, presenting them with

the opportunity of a second and

ensuring the game remained tight

by ruling out Robbo's perfectly fine

strike in injury time. e only good

thing the referee did in those final

frantic few minutes was blow the

final whistle!

As David Lloyd, one of our fine

commentators always says .... "GET ON

WITH THE GAME"!!! e amount of

wasted time talking to all and sundry

was frustrating to say the least and

didn't help the general mood around

the place given he had thrown Marine a

massive lifeline into the game. Anyway,

we won the game so all was ok in the

end. And it was well worth my dash up

the M6 to get there for half-time, it was

very good to see that the game was

slightly delayed to enable me to get as

much of the game as possible in. Whilst

the dash up the M6 wasn't quite as

urgent as the dash down it back in May

from Durham to Bamber Bridge, the

end result was still the same - I got to

watch a much needed win. And I

needed cheering up after England's

mightly fine humiliation at the hands of

the Indians at Edgbaston earlier in the

day. If I had had my kit, I would have

asked for a game as I can smack it a bit

off the spinners. Ok ok, I used to be able

to!

Back to more important matters and

rammy in exilesky sports statto richard isaacs

pp

our Rammy. I was so pleased to see

and hear the crowd starting to make a

little bit more noise, which is

something I mentioned in my last

column. It makes a difference, the lads

have said so themselves and with an

impressive 250 on for a pleasant

Tuesday evening, hearing some of

them cheering the lads on does have

an effect. I know I helped once I got

there!!

So today and Stamford. Amazingly, I

was down near Stamford on Monday

evening before going to Edgbaston. I

was visiting Peterborough Town

Cricket Club, which, I am pretty sure is

classed as a southern sort of place.

ey play in the southern sections of

the Johnstones Paint Trophy so they

must be southern. Which still makes

you wonder just how 'northern' this

league really is!!!!!

I digress. ey have had a very good

start to the season - excluding the

surprising 4-0 home loss to Ilkeston on

Tuesday night - so we can expect an

instant response. But our lads have

shown a response of their own on

Tuesday night so it should be a cracker.

I will be there - fresh from watching

England lose again yesterday and

before I go and watch them lose again

tomorrow at Edgbaston again in the

Twenty20.

COME ON YOU RAMS!!!!!!!!

- Richard

p

What a fantastic win! I don’t think there

were many of us at the Marine game who

didn’t leave with a big smile on our face

(I’ll come back to the officials’

shennanigans in a moment).

e Marine officials (who were a lovely

bunch, by the way) were telling me that

the vast majority of their squad played

Conference North football with Vauxhall

Motors last season, and so they were

astonished at what a great job we did in

beating them so comprehensively. You

could see that they were good players

who can move the ball confidently and

fluidly, but as one of their fellas confessed,

they are really struggling to get going in

this division.

e reason, he asserted, is that this

division is faster, tighter and more

physical than the Conference. Pre-season

Marine held their own against a Liverpool

FC XI (winning 4-0), and things were

looking good for the season - but

Liverpool gave them space and time on

the ball. e likes of Buxton,

Witton Albion and Barwell

just don’t do that - they’re

up and at you before you

even get the ball under

control.

From what we’ve seen

so far this season, he’s

absolutely right. FC united

played their football right on

the edge of giving away fouls, and

Nantwich definitly made sure in the

second half that we knew they were

there, closing us down very quickly.

ere’s no denying that this is a tough

division and, although I draw heart from

the win on Tuesday, I don’t think we’re

out of the woods yet - if anything,

Marine’s style of football is the exception,

not the rule. at’s not to detract from

the quality of this division - all the games

that we’ve seen so far have been very

high quality, entertaining football

spectacles, and even if we don’t achieve

a great finish this season, I think we’re in

for a fantastic ride.

Now, onto the refereeing decisions...

I’m going to stick my neck out and dare

to defend the two controversial decisions

of the officials on Tuesday night.

e offside that was given against

Robbo was bizarre in the extreme, but

the linesman confessed after the match

that he’d made a mistake and that the

goal should have counted. I’m alright

with that. ese fellas have to make snap

decisions in the heat of the moment and

he admits he got it wrong. Fair play to

him, he’s only human.

With the earlier ‘incident’ I was lucky

enough to click the camera shutter right

at the moment that Spenno cleared the

ball off the line, infact you can see that

photo on page 11.

supporters clubon the terraces of rammy

p

I’m pretty sure that, at the time, the

only person in the ground who thought

that ball had crossed the line was the

referee. Even the linesman, who was dead

in line, signalled no goal - his decision

being over-ruled by the referee.

However, looking back at the

aforementioned photograph, the only

thing I can conclude is that it’s

inconclusive! I heard a number of Marine

fans say that the ball was a foot away

from the line, an opinion backed up by

Grant Spencer, who cleared the ball. If

you look at the photo though, you can

see that at least some of the ball has

crossed the line. So we’re then talking a

matter of millimeters between it being a

goal or not - if it was bowls then we’d be

asking for a measure!

e ref gave a goal. I think we just shrug

and say, “Fair enough!” We’ve seen

much more contentious decisions,

particularly in the dark days of the

Northwest Counties. If it had

affected the final result however, I’d

have been jumping up and down like

a maniac though.

Next, I’d like to thank

everyone who pitched in

for Pilkie’s collection. We

raised over £100 to

thank him for his

loyalty to the

Rammy cause

(playing over 200 games),

and Pilkie was surprised and

delighted by the collection.

e supporters club also

decided to sponsor Grant

Shenton’s gloves for the

season. Players at other

clubs get a signing-on

fee, but as you’d expect, we don’t do that

kind of thing at Rammy. e gloves are

pretty expensive, and he normally gets

through eight pairs in a season, so we

decided to help him out.

ese are the kind of things that help

keep the Rammy family intact, and help

us retain this fantastic squad of brilliant

players - it’s a lot more than just a simple

whip-round or sponsorship, so thank you,

and if you haven’t yet joined up then

please give us a shout.

You even get access

to rammy.tv and a

special limited

edition fixture list

and map thingie.

p

Grant SHENTON

Dominic SMALLEY

Lee PUGH

Grant SPENCER

Steve HOWSON

Dan WARRENDER

Tom WILLIAMS

Scott BURTON

Jon ROBINSON

Lee GASKELL

Phil DEAN

Jordan HULME

Sam COOK

Osebi ABADAKI

Gary STOPFORTH

Malachi SLAVEN

Cedric KROU

Richard KNIGHT

Ellis MYLES

Nathan FOX

Lewis CARR

Richard JONES

Cameron POWELL

Jon CHALLINOR

Dan LAWLOR

Nabil SHARIFF

Jordan SMITH

Matt COTTOM

Ryan ROBBINS

Emeka NWADIKE

Shawn RICHARDS

Dalton BETTLES

David STAFF

Managers: Anthony Johnson,

Bernard Morley

Manager: David Staff

Referee: Matthew Donohue

Referee’s Assistants: Richard Cooper, Daniel Scott

Next home game: Tuesday 16th September 7:45pm, Rammy v Witton Albion

Documents

36 Ramsbottom United v Stamford