53 Ramsbottom United v Ilkeston

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rammynewsv ILKESTON28-02-15

Ilkeston Programme_Layout 1 25/02/2015 23:52 Page 1

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Sat 16th Aug H KING’S LYNN TOWN 2-3 322 Shenton Smalley Pugh Spencer Howson Priestley Hulm Tues 19th Aug A Workington 0-1 415 Shenton Smalley Pugh Spencer * Howson Priestley HulmSat 23rd Aug A Rushall Olympic 4-2 161 Shenton Smalley Pugh Spencer * Howson Priestley Hulm Mon 25th Aug H NANTWICH TOWN 1-4 365 Shenton Smalley Abadaki * Spencer + Howson Priestley Hulm Sat 30th Aug A FC United of Manchester 1-3 1917 Shenton Smalley Pilkington Spencer Howson Warrender Aba Tues 2nd Sept H MARINE 3-2 250 Shenton Smalley + Pilkington Spencer Howson 1 Krou AbaSat 6th Sept H STAMFORD 3-1 357 Shenton Smalley Pilkington Spencer + Howson 1 Warrender AbaWed 10th Sept A Whitby Town 0-2 265 Shenton Smalley Pilkington Spencer Howson Warrender AbaSat 13th Sept A Buxton FAC 1Q 2-3 261 Shenton Smalley Pilkington # Spencer Howson Warrender + AbaTues 16th Sept H WITTON ALBION 3-2 231 Shenton Smalley Pilkington Spencer * Howson Krou 1 AbaSat 20th Sept A Ilkeston 4-2 422 Shenton Smalley Pugh Spencer * Howson Krou 1 Aba Tues 23rd Sept H CURZON ASHTON 1-1 309 Shenton Grayson * Pugh Spencer 1 Howson Krou Aba Sat 27th Sept A Frickley Athletic 2-4 215 Shenton Pilkington Grayson + Stopforth Howson Krou Mot Sat 4th Oct A Trafford 1-0 294 Shenton Smalley Pugh Stopforth Howson Krou Aba Sat 11th Oct H BELPER TOWN 4-2 371 Shenton Smalley Pilkington Stopforth Howson Krou Aba Sat 18th Oct H BUXTON 2-0 470 Shenton Smalley Pilkington Stopforth Howson Krou Aba Tues 21st Oct H WHITBY TOWN 4-0 237 Shenton Smalley Pilkington Stopforth Howson Krou Aba Sat 25th Oct A Marine 3-1 366 Shenton Smalley Pugh Stopforth Howson 2 Robinson Aba Sat 1st Nov A Whitby Town FAT 1Q 2-1 233 Shenton Smalley * Pugh Stopforth Howson Krou Aba Tues 4th Nov H WORKINGTON 1-1 250 Shenton Smalley Pugh Stopforth Howson Krou Aba Sat 8th Nov A Halesowen Town 0-2 358 Shenton Smalley Pugh Stopforth Howson Krou Rob Tues 11th Nov H WEST DIDS Lancs Cup 3-0 132 Shenton Smalley Pugh Spencer 1 Robinson + Krou Aba Sat 15th Nov A Nantwich FAT 2Q 3-1 238 Shenton Smalley Pugh Stopforth Howson Krou Will Sat 22nd Nov H GRANTHAM TOWN 3-1 351 Shenton Smalley 1 Pugh Stopforth Howson Krou Will Tues 25th Nov H BURSCOUGH Lg Cup 5-1 140 Shenton Williams Piacentile 1 Slaven Howson 1 Krou AbaSat 29th Nov A Banbury United 3-0 235 Shenton Smalley Pugh Stopforth + Howson Krou 1 Will Tues 2nd Dec A Salford City Lg Cup 3-1 189 Shenton Smalley Dean Stopforth Howson Krou AbaSat 6th Dec A Matlock Town 1-1 257 Shenton Smalley Pugh Stopforth Howson Krou Will Mon 8th Dec A Atherton Collieries Lancs 1-2 120 Shenton Smalley Grayson Stopforth Howson Pugh Will Sat 13th Dec H STOCKPORT COUNTY 3-0 907 Shenton Smalley Grayson + Stopforth Howson Krou Will Sat 20th Dec A King’s Lynn Town 1-2 510 Shenton Smalley Grayson Stopforth Howson Krou Aba Sun 28th Dec H SKELMERSDALE 0-3 372 Shenton Smalley * Grayson Stopforth Howson Krou AbaThu 1st Jan A Nantwich Town 2-3 285 Shenton Hulme Grayson Stopforth Howson Krou Aba Tues 27th Jan H NORTHWICH VIC LgCup 3-1 158 Shenton Grayson Pugh Harrop Krou Jones AbaTues 10th Feb H HARROGATE RA LgCup 3-1 131 Shenton Slaven Grayson Kuba-Kuba Jones Pugh 1 Laz Sat 14th Feb A Stamford 1-1 319 Shenton Bowyer Grayson Harrop Frost Pugh Broo Tues 17th Feb H RUSHALL OLYMPIC 2-3 223 Shenton Bowyer Pugh Burke Heron Jones Aba Sat 21st Feb A Witton Albion 1-2 349 Shenton Bowyer Pugh Harrop Frost + Jones # AbaTues 24th Feb A Blyth Spartans 0-2 364 Shenton Bowyer Pugh Slaven Robinson Harrop AbaSat 28th Feb H ILKESTONTues 3rd Mar H TRAFFORDSat 7th Mar A Skelmersdale UnitedTues 10th Mar A StourbridgeSat 14th Mar H STOURBRIDGETues 17th Mar A BuxtonThurs 19th Mar H BLYTH SPARTANSSat 21st Mar A BelperTues 24th Mar H BARWELLSat 28th Mar A Grantham TownMon 30th Mar A Curzon AshtonSat 4th April H FC UNITED OF MCRMon 6th April A Ashton UnitedWeds 8th April H FARSLEY LgCup SemiFinalSat 11th April H HALESOWEN TOWNTues 14th April H ASHTON UNITEDSat 18th April A BarwellTues 21st April H FRICKLEY ATHLETICSat 25th April H MATLOCK TOWN fixture


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ures & results 2014/15

Our Club Needs Our Help

If you can spare as little as half an hour to help Harry Williams keep Rammy’s pitch and ground

in the impeccable condition that we’ve allbecome so proud of then please just come down and

help, any day of the week from 11am onwards.


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robbo

First of all I’d like to welcome to Rammy theplayers, supporters and officials from Ilkestonas well as tonight’s match officials. We hopeyou enjoy your short visit to Ramsbottomand have a safe journey home after the game.

Blyth Spartans was a very disappointingaway trip for us and, although we expectedit to be very tough, we didn’t really doourselves justice and played some very naivefootball. Given our current circumstances, adegree of naivety is to be expected, but weare better players than we showed onTuesday and will need to improve across theboard. It doesn’t help matters that I gotmyself sent off, but it was a very harshdecision based on two yellow cards that werearguably not even free kicks, never mindyellow cards.

I know that some are already gettingfrustrated with the way recent games havegone, and I have to admit that it is a bit of alearning curve for me and Edgy at themoment, but we’re learning very quickly (alot of it the hard way) and will have thingsright as soon as possible. ere is still a heckof a lot of football left for us this season, andI think that getting a first league win underour belts will help to give the lads the kind ofconfidence boost that will help themperform to their full potential.

George Grayson has sadly left us forpastures new. I had a chat with him duringthe week and he was frustrated at a lack ofgame time, so we agreed that it’s probablybest for us to release him. Chris baguley hasbeen away for a few days - a trip which wasplanned before he came to us - which is whyhe wasn’t available at Witton or Blyth. Someof the lads have picked up niggly injuriesduring the last couple of matches andhopefully we will have a few more availablein the squad for Saturday. We are constantlyon the look-out to strengthen, and if aquality player becomes available and isinterested in joining Rammy then we will givethem their chance.

I know these are difficult times for oursupporters, but I’d like to thank everyone forthe encouragement and support that you’regiving to the lads. It’s easy to forget the timethat went into building the excellent formersquad, and it’s really good to hear you allgetting behind the team in numbers, as yourencouragement is what’s desperately needed.To see and hear the huge number that madethe trip to Witton Albion, and the (muchsmaller) hard-core who trekked up to Blython Tuesday is the kind of thing that makesyou realise that you are part of the proudRammy Family for life!


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Welcome to the Harry WilliamsRiverside Stadium. A special welcome totoday’s match officials, and of course, ourvisitors, Ilkeston for their first ever visit tothe Harry Williams Riverside Stadium. Ihope all connected with the Derbyshireclub enjoy their visit, although I also hopethey return home pointless! eir formof late has been tremendous, althoughtheir unexpected hiding at CurzonAshton last Saturday will have themaching to return to form this afternoon,so we had better be at our best.

ree points would be welcome forour lads as the mid-season shenaniganshave seen disruption here at the HWRSthat hasn’t been experienced for many ayear. Much has been written and spoken,but it’s a new-look Ramsbottom Unitedthat our visitors face today. e old-looksquad ventured over the Peak Districtearlier in the season and returned homewith a fine 4-2 victory, but Ilkeston willrecognise very few of the team thatplayed that day.

It’s fair to say that Robbo and Edgy arestill on a learning curve as they graduallyrebuild the team. Some performances

have been disappointing,yet there are signs that the

quality of many of ournew signings is highenough for this level.

No victories in eight league games maywell dispute this. We just need thesenewcomers to gel as a team andhopefully the future will look a darn sightmore optimistic than of late.

Fortunately, looking at the forum, mostsupporters are appreciative of thesituation, and the position the clubfound itself in when our previousmanagerial team de-camped. Not manyclubs would have been able to deal withsuch an upheaval.

Whilst our position in the table doesn’tlook anywhere near as healthy as it didearlier in the season, we have acquired adecent amount of points, and have manygames left to add to the tally. Dreams ofa play-off place may be beyond us(although I have seen some great latecharges over the years), but it isimperative that we don’t get draggedinto a battle at the bottom. I can’t seethis happening, and after all theupheaval, a comfortable mid-table spotwould probably be regarded asacceptable by most people (Robbo maydisagree!)

No doubt, the closed season will be awelcome distraction, with breathingspace to re-adjust, but before then wehave a little matter of around 20 gamesto fit in! It’s a very heavy schedule witheveryone pulling together.

tony cunninghamand the wonderful world of

non-league football


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e supporters, it has to be said, havegenerally been very understanding. eRams fans have been superb over the lastfew years, no doubt encouraged by theexcellent entertainment provided. Butevery team has it’s rough patches, andthat’s when good supporters come to thefore. Our crowds have almost trebled overthe last five years, and the newcomersappear to be enjoying the camaraderiethat is involved with the non-league game,as much as we long-time supporters. I’vebeen following the club for around 20years, some of which have been rather

bleak, but it’s amazing how becoming afollower of one club takes you over. Enjoythe good times, by all means, but put upwith the bad times as well!

Hopefully, those days will stay away aswe continue on our journey with the new-look side. Football is a wonderful sport tofollow, and this club is a wonderful club tosupport. Blimey….if this sounds like arallying cry, I suppose it is!!!

Enjoy your non-league football!

Injuries, no-shows, a make-shiftsquad and sendings off. A truebaptism by fire for Robbo


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edgy

I would like to welcome everyone to theHarry Williams Riverside Stadium for thisafternoon’s game against Ilkeston Town.

e last seven days have been really testingfor us as a club with back to back awaydefeats. e game against Witton was agame I thought we could use to get ourseason started again, but other than the firstten minutes we were second best, and losingDonal Mcdermott and Alex Frost during thefirst half hour to injury hurt our chances.Was it not for Grant Shenton it would havebeen more than a 2-1 defeat.

Going down to ten men didn’t help ourcause second half, but in truth even witheleven we never got to grips with the game.

Blyth away on Tuesday is a long trip andwith a number of players out injured andRobbo having to step in at centre half it wasalways going to be a difficult task against astrong side. Losing Jamie Rother after tenminutes with a hamstring problem onlyadded to our troubles with him arguably ourbest player at Witton. Robbo then harshlyreceived his second yellow card on thestroke of half time, and being 2-0 down itwas a backs to the wall job from there on in.Credit to the lads for the hard work they putin second half under testing circumstances,but our discipline has to be better as playingwith ten men is hindering our chances ofgetting positive results from games.

We said to the lads after the game that weneed to stick together and show characterand bravery to play our way into some formbecause I believe we are better than theresults suggest. We have shown naivety incertain situations during games, and a lackof understanding on how to win footballmatches at this level. On a positive note weshould have a number of players returningfrom injury very soon which will give us amuch needed boost with games comingthick and fast.

is has been a very testing time - we aretrying to build virtually a new side havingseen the majority of the squad depart, whilsthaving to get points from games and dealingwith numerous injuries. Robbo and I areconfident that it will come together verysoon and with our next two games being athome we need to pick up points which willgive us confidence going into a busy monthof March.

Today’s opponents are a young side wholike to play football and currently sit in oneof the play off places so we are under noillusions: it will be a tough game. ese arethe sort of games our lads should be thrivingon, to go out and express themselves andshow everyone what they can do, and get awin for the fans.

Enjoy the game!


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e realistic assessment of this game, harsh but fair, isthat the result flattered an insipid Rams performance.A touch more precision from the home team wouldhave seen them at least double their goal tally and theRams goal, special as it was, literally came from nowhere.All that was needed to turn a poor show into a horrorshow would have been the appearance from the subsbench of Vincent Price and Peter Cushing!

Apart from Matt Burke who struggled manfully inmidfield often up against three opponents and JamieRother, the contributions of those in front of the backfour ranged from ineffectual through peripheral toanonymous, although they were certainly hampered bythe loss of Donal McDermott after only ten minutes .Asa result there was little if any sustained possession orcontrol of the ball and the back four found themselvesconsistently stretched and under pressure.

Such is the developing habit of the Rams concedingthe first goal on or around the quarter hour they willwant to start adopting a back to the future approachand jump straight from the tenth minute to thetwentieth. On this occasion both Rams centraldefenders were drawn like moths to the flame to LucasMolina's near post run to meet a low cross from theright. e Venezelan dummied extravagantly and JamieRainford had all the time and space he needed to shoothome from the six yard line.e fact that the centreforward had been off-side earlier in the build up wasneither mitigation nor defence to an accusation of poorcommunication between Alex Frost and Callum Jones.

2 - 1Wincham Park21st February 2015Att: 349Rammy Goals: Rother (44) Witton Goals: Rainford (16, 58)


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e Rams battled away but long high balls forwardare unlikely to be productive with a forward pairing ofLee Gaskell and Jamie Rother who in terms of heightand stature are on the slighter end of imposing andwhen the ball was got to feet the passing was oftensloppy. e Rams were fortunate not to go two downon the half hour Rainford taking advantage oflightweight tackling on the edge of the box andsending a lob onto the top of the bar with GrantShenton. And then almost on the half time whistleJamie Rother latched onto a bouncing ball barely 10yards inside the Witton half and setting a dipping shotpast a startled Ryan Swift and in just under the bar.

Unfortunately the equaliser, skillful and fortuitous inequal measure, did not presage a Rams revival. On therestart only a double point bank save by GrantShenton followed by a goal line clearance and thelinesman's flag when the rebound was fired inprevented Witton regaining the lead. en Molinashot wide from a promising position. e reprievelasted only 15 minutes. Rainford was cleverly sent looseinside the box by a clever pass from Joe Shaw andpassed the ball into the far corner. From then onWitton passed the ball in and around Burke whoperhaps more out of frustration than necessityclattered into Shaw and was sent off with 15 minutesleft. e Rams continued to lump the ball forwardmore in hope than expectation although Kyle Harropmight consider himself unlucky to see his shot divertedover having been set up on the edge of the area byJamie Rother with five minutes left..

at is now seven league games without a win andonly two points gained for the Rams. e darkesthours are just before the dawn but things are a morethan a bit stygian just now and with a long and difficultmidweek trip to Blyth next up and then a tricky homegame against Ilkeston it might be a little a few gamesyet before the sun begins to peep over the horizon.


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2 - 1Wincham Park21st February 2015Att: 349Rammy Goals: Rother (44) Witton Goals: Rainford (16, 58)


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ilkeston fcthe robins rise like a phoenix

In July 1945 Ilkeston Town were founded bya group of local football enthusiasts.Previously, senior football had been played inthe town since 1882, with teams carrying theIlkeston name succumbing to financialpressures, the last of which being Ilkeston FC.

During Ilkeston Town’s early years theyplayed in a number of different leagues andwon their first piece of silverware in 1947,picking up the Divisional Cup. Aftercontinuously stepping up in levels Ilkestonbecame a dominant force in the CentralAlliance during the 1950’s, winning theChampionship in four successive seasons.During the 1951/52 season they reached theFirst Round proper of the FA Cup, where theywere defeated by Rochdale. is game saw astrange occurrence when the only white ballthat Ilkeston owned became lodged in a tree;after various attempts to retrieve the ball,play continued with a regulation football,which became almost invisible due to thedeteriorating light.

e 1960’s saw the birth of a new nickname,when Ilkeston changed their home shirt fromwhite to red and they affectionately becameknown as ‘e Robins’. After securing theMidland Counties League Championship in1968 the club seemed to be on a high, butIlkeston’s history of financial problems wasabout to come back to haunt them. Adecision was made to step up to theSouthern League, but this only lasted a fewseasons before they were forced to resign anddrop back into the Midland Counties League.

Local millionaire businessman PaulMillership took control of the club 1989, andit was decided that the club could onlyprogress by moving to a new purpose builtground. e New Manor ground was openedin 1992 and it saw Ilkeston rise to theSouthern League Premier Division in 1995,after back to back promotions. e 1997/98season saw another great FA Cup run, with‘e Robins’ narrowly losing away toScunthorpe United in the Second Round, thevictors facing a trip to Premiership CrystalPalace.

With no success in the Southern League,Ilkeston Town transferred to the UnibondLeague in 2004, under the guidance ofmanager Phil Stant and his assistant NigelJemson. With Jemson top scoring, ‘eRobins’ gained promotion to the PremierDivision at the first attempt. Four years onand after a number of different managers,Rob Scott and Paul Hurst finally took IlkestonTown into the Conference North, via thePlay-Offs.

It was a tough start for ‘e Robins’ in steptwo of the non-league pyramid. emanagement duo moved onto to BostonUnited and players soon followed them outof the exit door. Former Chelsea, Derby,Ipswich and Northern Ireland internationalKevin Wilson took over the managerial reignsand set about rebuilding the squad.Unfortunately, matters off the pitch were toruin any chance of an immediate impact byWilson, as the club entered a High Court


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battle with Her Majesty’s Revenue andCustoms, over an unpaid £50,000 debt. iswas one fight that could not be won and inSeptember 2009 Ilkeston Town met thesame fate as their predecessors and wereliquidated

Two months after the liquidation ofIlkeston Town a new club was formedunder the name Ilkeston FC, and they tooktheir place in the Northern Premier LeagueDivision One South, at the start of the2011/12 season. Amazingly the clubfinished in 3rd position, clinching a place inthe end of season Play-Offs. After thrashingSheffield seven nil in the Semi-Finals theysealed promotion to the Premier Divisiondefeating Leek Town two nil at the NewManor Ground. is was a fantasticachievement for a club who in theory, hadonly been in existence for twelve months.Ilkeston’s success was backed up by a policyof developing young players through a

youth system, which was set up byChairman Dave Mantle.

Ilkeston’s first season back in theNorthern Premier League’s top tier saw arespectable finish of 12th place, with anumber or impressive displays throughoutthe campaign. e second year was a littletougher, with ‘e Robins’ eventuallyfinishing the season in 17th position, wellclear of the relegation places, although,Ilkeston did claim their first piece ofsilverware, with a win over Matlock Townin the Derbyshire Senior Cup.

Kevin Wilson’s men have started thisseason in great form and currently sitsecond in the league, with games in handover leaders Skelmersdale United. esquad is now blended with a mix ofexperience and youth and with several keyplayers signing contract extensions,Ilkeston are hoping for a real push to returnto the Conference North.


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four

to w

atch

Jordan Smith (Goalkeeper) Aged 20Previous Clubs; Nottingham Forest.On a season long loan from NottinghamForest. Highly rated goalkeeper, who hasmade a big impression during his timewith ‘e Robins’.

Joe Maguire (Defender) Aged 23Previous Clubs; Scunthorpe United.A rock in central defence, Joe is brother ofSheffield United defender Harry. Has beenFan’s Player of the Year for the past twoseasons and took over the captaincyduring the summer, a danger in theopposition box and has scored someimportant goals.

James Reid (Midfielder) Aged 25Previous Clubs; Nottingham Forest,Telford United.Fan’s favourite Reid started his career atNottingham Forest before dropping intoNon-League football. A set piece expert,with a dangerous left foot, is getting areputation for spectacular goals.

Rob Duffy (Striker) Aged 32Previous Clubs; Newport County,Wrexham, Oxford United, Kings Lynn.Experienced striker who has played in theFootball League for a number of years.Joined Ilkeston at the end of last seasonand has so far been on target sixteentimes in this campaign.


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meet the away fans‘matchman’ john attewell fills us in

What's the mood like in the camp at themoment?

e mood at the Club is one of optimism.We have a young side mainly made up ofplayers who have come throughour Academy or playerswho have been releasedfrom other Academies.

Ilkeston FC is only in itsfourth season sinceformation

following the

demise of Ilkeston Town FC in 2009 whoplayed in the Conference North. e newlyformed Ilkeston FC had to drop two levelsbut in our first season we got promotion

via the playoffs to the Evo StikNorthern Premier where we arenow. From the outset we had a fiveyear plan to return to theConference North. We needpromotion this year or next year

to achieve that goal.We are certainly hoping to to winpromotion this season and are on

course so far. We are currentlyunbeaten in our last 13

league games with 9wins and 4 draws.

Can you talk usthrough the lastcouple of results

please.Our last league game

was a 1-0 home winagainst Frickley. We were

not at our best but we gotthe win. e league gamebefore that was away toHalesowen which ended 0-0. Both defences were ontop and there were fewscoring chances.


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For you who are the players to watch?.We are very much a team but two quality

players in my opinion are James Reid andDavid Morgan.

How long have you been a supporter?I first went to watch Ilkeston Town when I

was ten years old. Since the formation ofIlkeston FC, I travel home and away and haveonly missed a handful of matches.

What are your most memorable times withthe club, and what sticks out for you thisseason?

is season has been really good resultswise. Our away record is better than ourhome record. Probably our bestperformances were a 4-1 win at Skelmersdaleand a 3-1 home win over FC United.

How would you change the club if you wonthe lottery?

I don’t do the lottery.

How would you describe your supporters?We have good vocal away support. e

Supporters Group run a 50 seater coach toevery away game. Unfortunately our homesupport is less loud.

What are your hopes for the rest of theseason?

At the end of last season when we finishedtowards the wrong end of the table we didn’t

expect to be pushing for promotion thisseason. However now that we are in thatposition we hope to make the playoffs at thevery least.

How would you describe the town for anyvisitors, and what one word would you use todescribe the ground catering?

Ilkeston is the third largest town inDerbyshire after Derby and Chesterfield.Unfortunately it is not the thriving town itused to be and has been in decline for severalyears. Inside the ground there are threeseparate stalls where hot drinks, burgers, pies,chips, curry, etc can be purchased. ere isalso a clubhouse where alcohol can beconsumed.

What's the best pub for a pre-match / post-match pint, and why's it a good one?

e nearest pub to the ground is e LittleAcorn on Awsworth Road, about five minuteswalk away. From the ground just go over thehumpback bridge and its about 400 yards onthe left.

What's your connection with the club?My involvement with the Club is as follows;

(a) I help with hospitality at home games, (b)I contribute to the Club’s monthly magazine,(c) I post live away match updates on theSupporters Group website, (d) I run theSupporter’s Group Match Prediction League.

“We are hoping towin promotion andare on course so far”


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If Saturday's performance had thenervous, and possibly the managers,peering apprehensively from behindthe couch this was full on WhenFrankenstein met Dracula .It is perfectlyreasonable to talk still of bedding inand players getting to know each other-one of the problems being consistentavailability. And on the night therewere extenuating circumstances notleast having no a recognised centre halfin the absence of Cedric Krou who ismaking a habit of disappearing withthe unexpected suddenness ofRosamund Pike in Gone Girl. Patiencewith him should now be depleted andit really should be a question of GoneBoy. en there was the earlier loss ofof one of the few inform players earlyinto the game - this time Jamie Rotherand then being reduced to 10 men atthe half time whistle Jon Robinsongetting the softest of two yellow cards.

But for all that this was a desperatelypoor performance albeit against aquick young and good team playingwell - or as well as they wanted orneeded to be. Even before going downto 10 men the Rams had beenoutnumbered and out manoeuvred inall areas but most of all down the wingswere Robert Dale on the left and

particularly Jarrett Rivers on the rightwere exceptional. Where in previousgames 15 minutes in has proved thewitching hour this time it took only 4minutes to concede Jarret shootinghome following Dale getting to the byeline and in fact could have been behindafter only 30 seconds through the sameroute.After that Blyth looked scoring inevery attack - which was constant andonce Mathew Wade headed homeunchallenged from a corner whateverhope there was of getting somethingout of the game, little as that was wasdoused with the ruthlessness of a fireextinguisher on a candle.

On 57 minutes Rivers repaid thecompliment to Dale. Picking up the ballwide he danced in side dummied andcurtsied his way across the 18 yard lineand set up Dale on the corner of thebox whose well judged swerving shotarced into the opposite top corner.After that Blyth tended to ease backalmost bemused by the amount oftime and space available until the lastminute when a firm shot ricocheted offtwo Rams defenders into the back ofthe net.

ese are dangerous times.Collectively the Rams are bereft ofbelief and confidence with even thebasics of a half decent first touch wellastray. It is not time to run around inCorporal Jones fashion not panickingbut a few more games like this andSteve MacQueen will be on his motorbike trying to jump over the barbedwire and the band will be playing eGreat Escape.

4 - 0Croft Park24th February 2015Att: 364Rammy Goals: Blyth Goals: River (4), Wade (20), Dale (57), Watson (88)


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goal

spon

sors

hip

We’d like to thank the following people who havealready pledged to sponsor the team for every goalscored for the remainder of the season.

Trigger £2 Stephen & David £2Ste, Angie & Ethan £4Maria £1Mr & Mrs Darkside £2TobyTrotter £1Little Katie £1smiffylad £1Rammy Blue £1Chris S £2Johnno & Bernard £2Tony Cunningham £1Lui Delverto £1Rob Moss £2John Ayers £2Richard Isaacs £2Emma James £2Ian McCool £2Frank Crook £2Paul Gaskell £5

If you’d like to join in (you get your name in theprogramme and receive your very own signed teamphoto as a thankyou) then please make your pledgeon the club forum, email [email protected] orcall Rob on 07944 038512

e Fans Fund total currently stands at £292


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If your face is featured then congratulations, you’ve just won yourself a cup oftea and a Mars Bar courtesy of Rammy United Supporters Club. Visit the teabar now to claim your magnificent prize!


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Kyle HarropKyle Harrop


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1. Name the four teams competing in this afternoon’s FA Trophy semi-final.

2. Garry Wilson was recently sacked by which Ryman League club?

3. e England non-league team was beaten 2-1 by which island’s under 21 side a

couple of weeks ago?

4. Who did Glossop North End beat in the FA Vase 5th round replay?

5. In which town are (answer to 4) they based?

6. Where are 1974 Northwich playing their home games?

7. Which club occupies bottom spot in the Welsh Premier League?

8. In which league do Shaw Lane Aquaforce play?

9. What colours do Market Drayton Town play in?

10. Which NPL club has so far conceded over 100 league goals this season?

ANSWERS: 1. Torquay United, Wrexham, Bath City and North Ferriby 2. Lewes 3. Cyprus 4. Dunston UTS 5. Gateshead 6. Winsford United 7. Prestatyn Town 8. Northern Counties East 9. All red 10. Brigg Town

tony’s teasers


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ANSWERS: 1. Torquay United, Wrexham, Bath City and North Ferriby 2. Lewes 3. Cyprus 4. Dunston UTS 5. Gateshead 6. Winsford United 7. Prestatyn Town 8. Northern Counties East 9. All red 10. Brigg Town

Retired RAF navigator John Ayersstarted watching Rammy about twoyears ago after being brought down to amatch by friend Dave Newby, though hisinvolvement in local football goes wayway back. We caught up with John, andasked him some questions about life,football, and how he views the futuredown at the Harry Williams Riverside.We started by asking about hisinvolvement with Edenfield FC.

“Edenfield was a club which Irestarted back in 1966, about the timethat Harry was managing Ramsbottom,and I’ve known him since back then. Hewon’t forgive me for saying it, butEdenfield did the league double overRammy, winning 11-0 and 5-0though due to us playing 9 gamesin 29 days they pipped us in thefourth round of the Kenyon Cup3-2. He seems to have forgivenme though as he trusts me onthe turnstiles now and again,and lets me have one of the hi-viz jackets when extra stewardsare needed.

“I’m also married to JackWolfenden’s sistster Edna, sothe connection with Rammydoes go way, way back.

“We returned toEdenfield when Iretired and Dave, whoI’d met playing golf,

brought me down to my first Rammymatch, which was a Tuesday night gamea couple of seasons ago. I was soimpressed by the standard of the footballand the commitment of the players that

my love andenthusiasm for

non-league wasre-kindled. Ihaven’t been toa football leaguematch since.

meet the home fansjohn ayers at the ewe camp

John sampling the healthyoptions on offer at Stamford


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“Already there have been so manymemorable Rammy moments, but forme the critical matches at the end ofthe season have stood out.Skelmersdale away - winning the matchlate-on, conceding a goal but still okwith a point, and then thedisappointment of conceding a late,late goal to miss-out on the play-offplace. It was heartbreaking!

“e play-off game againstDarlington, in front of a near capacityand hostile crowd, was probably thebest overall performance of thatseason. It brought our tally againstthem for the season to played 3, won 3,scored 6, conceded 0. Tremendous!

“en came Bamber Bridge in theplay-off final. It was an old script, likesomething out of Roy of the Rovers!e roller coaster of emotions that daywill be etched in my memory forever.

“My hopes for the rest of this season

are that we hold our own. Robboappears to have assembled a promisingsquad of players with a good level ofexperience. However, it may take a littlewhile to reach the level ofunderstanding and standard of footballthat we have become accustomed to.Fitness and player availability will becritical with the backlog of fixtures thatare building up.

“I’m really looking forward towatching the newly constructed teamstarting to gel - not necessarilyindividual players, but the team as awhole.

“I have to say a word about thesupporters that I’ve met over the pasttwo years, who are bothknowledgeable and passionate aboutthe game. Many have supported eRams for a long time, and withoutdoubt they have the best interests ofthe club at heart.

Andy Dawson seemingly bagging Rammya play-off place on ‘at Day In Skem’


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“After the promotion last season therewere concerns in some quarters aboutwhether the club could continue tofunction at the highest level that it hasever been at, and it was at a meeting ofconcerned supporters before the start ofthis season that I “volunteered” tobecome treasurer of the SupportersClub. I would say that the mood amongthe supporters at the moment isdefinitely one of optimism.

“If I won the lottery I would try tosomehow facilitate the resolution ofwhatever it is that is preventing thecricket club and the football club from

working together to develop AcreBottom and the Riverside Stadium forthe mutual benefit of both clubs. efootball club facilities have beendeveloped piecemeal over the years asthe club has climbed up the leagues. Itsort of works at the moment, but in myview could be so much better.

“All in all, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed beinga part of the Ramsbottom UnitedExperience over the last couple ofseasons, and I look forward to seeing thenew look squad start to performtogether well.”

A hat-trick for Robbo as Rammytook Darlington apart in thehome game

“I was so impressed by thestandard of football and

commitment of the players”


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rammy in exilesky sports statto richard isaacs

Good afternoon one and all and I hopemy column finds you fit and well.

As you are reading this, I am probablyeither asleep or watching yet another rugbygame to try and keep myself awake. isCricket World Cup malarky of overnights,late evenings and early mornings is playinghavoc with my body clock and I will be upthroughout the night tonight for England'slatest embarkation into the nation's psycheas we all hope that they might just pull offa shock and win a game (yes, I know theywon their last game but it was only againstScotland so doesn't technically count!).Tonight, it's Sri Lanka on Sky Sports WorldCup (that's channel 403, by the way ... getthe plug in - corporate lad that I am).

Apart from the World Cup keeping meawake until all hours, I have also beenventuring to quite a few rugby games withmy Dad. We are fortunate down here that,with the Inter Services Championshipstarting fairly soon, both the Army and theRoyal Navy have their sporting bases in

Hampshire - the Army inAldershot and the Navy in

Portsmouth. It does make melaugh though and I joke with Dad alot about it that Services life is aneasy world ... all they do is playsports! When do they get to dowar and stuff like that?

We have also partaken inregular matches on a Saturday

and a few Hampshire county games on aSunday as well - tomorrow it is HampshireUnder 15s.

Can you tell I am rambling about nothingin particular at the moment? I am ratherpurposefully avoiding the 'elephant in theroom' but I suppose it is so large that itneeds to be addressed.

I kind of did address it on the forumfollowing the disappointing Blyth Spartansresult but it is probably worth an airingagain given that our form of six points fromthe last 33 possible league points is amassive beacon of despair in the Rammycamp right now. Now, I appreciate that thisis virtually a whole new squad of players andthey are still getting to know each other but,despite not playing many games, it is edgingcloser to two months now of Robbo andEdgy's reign and that could be deemed asbeing long enough.

I have to say that I am very concerned.Not just the results, not just theperformances (which I obviously haven'tseen but have heard about and read about)but just the general feeling around theplace. I don't know what the situation waswith Cedric Krou, who apparantly 'didn'tshow up' for the long trip north. And withRobbo lasting just 45 minutes in defencebefore the referee deemed that he shouldtake no further part, it was a pretty toughlisten on Radio Northumberland.

But I am just not feeling the love for the


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team right now. Sorry, that sounds wrong - I willalways love Ramsbottom United and everythingabout it and when I do get to come up andwatch a game again, I will certainly be cheeringas loudly and as vociferiously as normal. But thegeneral feeling I am getting, all the way downhere, is that the whole club has been puncturedand is running on flat since the events of theearly days of 2015.

And it is a question I posed on the forum toowhich is, in no part, a slur or a slight uponanyone or anything. But I do just wonder howthe lads who took this club from the pit ofdespair to fourth in this league, the lads whoseplan was to get us into this league and whoknows where else in the future, are actuallyfeeling right now? For five and a bit years, theyworked themselves to the bone to drag our clubto where it is now. ere must be huge tingesof sadness and disappointment to see

Ramsbottom United falling like a stone,travelling to Blyth and receiving a 0-4 thumping.Or, will it be seen as 'just football'? I really don'tknow.

One thing is for sure, I am absolutely hatingseeing our Rammy United struggling like we are.Not in my shortish period of watching us haveI seen the club stumble like it is now. It was notvery long ago that we were dreaming of play-offs, of the excitement of possibilities of playingin Conference North and everything that goeswith that. Now we are peering cautiously overour shoulders, hoping that we don't get draggedinto the relegation fight.

We have every hope that this is just a blip onthe radar. Lets hope it is not a terminal decline.Because, and it hurts to say, what were the last5 years all about?

COME ON YOU RAMS!

A bit ofWednesday nightegg chasing


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Date of birth: 3rd January 1976Place of birth: SalfordPosition: CoachPrevious clubs: Scunthorpe United, Altrincham,Curzon Ashton, Salford, TraffordAn excellent and experienced coach with a classpedigree in league and non-league football.

Danny JONES

Date of birth: 4th January 1979Place of birth: BuryPosition: CoachPrevious clubs: Glossop, Bury, Bolton Wanderers A UEFA trained professional football coach whobrings a wealth of expertise to the club.

Darren GREEN

Date of birth: 28th December 1981Place of birth: SalfordPosition: Player Manager / StrikerHeight: 5ft 9insPrevious clubs: Salford, Flixton, New Mills, BacupA passionate and never-say-die striker whowould score goals by sheer hard work andenthusiasm alone. Took over the managerialreins in January 2015.

Jon ROBINSON

Date of birth: 13th September 1979Place of birth: OldhamPosition: Assistant Manager / MidfielderHeight: 6ftPrevious clubs: Rochdale, Ashton, Chadderton,Rossendale, Curzon Ashton, Hyde, SalfordA vastly experienced creative midfielder whoreturned to Rammy as assistant manager inJanuary 2015.

Phil EDGHILL

rammy united meet the lads


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Date of birth: 25th July 1991Place of birth: ParisPosition: Central DefenderHeight: 6ft 2insPrevious clubs: FC United, TraffordA calm and creative centre-back who has theskill to bring the ball out of defence.

Cedric KROU

Date of birth: 28th January 1991Place of birth: Newton HeathPosition: GoalkeeperHeight: 6ft 2insPrevious clubs: Maine Road, FC UnitedA fantastic goalkeeper whose vision plays asmuch a part in creating goals as his athleticismplays in denying them.

Grant SHENTON

Date of birth: 14th December 1985Place of birth: SalfordPosition: Creative MidfielderHeight: 6ft 1insPrevious clubs: Blackpool, Salford, Barrow,Vauxhall Motors, Hyde, Alfreton Town, AshtonUnited, Staffor RangersA hard-working and commanding creativemidfielder.

Matty BURKE

Date of birth: 10th May 1990Place of birth: SalfordPosition: Centre HalfHeight: 6ft 1insPrevious clubs: Hindsford, Ashton United,TraffordA no-nonsense centre half.

Callum JONES


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Date of birth: 22nd April 1987Place of birth: ChaddertonPosition: Full-Back / MidfielderHeight: 6ftPrevious clubs: Curzon, Trafford, Sorrento andMandurah (Australia), Ashton , NantwichA versatile and experienced player who isequally happy at full back or in a holdingmidfield role.

Kyle HARROP

Date of birth: 24th February 1996Place of birth: BuryPosition: Wing-BackHeight: 6ftPrevious clubs: Oldham Athletic,Trafford A versatile wide player who is happy on eitherwing, or in defence.

Date of birth: 26th May 1992Place of birth: RossendalePosition: Left-BackHeight: 6ftPrevious clubs: Bury, Hyde, Bacup, Clitheroe,ChesterA strong, no nonsense fullback with a pricelesslong throw. He also takes a mean free-kick.

Lee PUGH

Date of birth: 11th November 1990Place of birth: StockportHeight: 5ft 10insPosition: Full-BackPrevious clubs: Rochdale, Woodley, Mossley,Curzon Ashton, Bamber BridgeA determined and committed full-back wholikes to get forward.

George BOWYER


Date of birth: 27th September 1994Place of birth: SheffieldPosition: Left Wing-BackHeight: 5ft 11insPrevious clubs: Sheffield United, ScunthorpeUnited, TamworthFantastic young left wing-back with bags ofpace, skill and potential.

George GRAYSON


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Date of birth: 24th February 1996Place of birth: BuryPosition: Wing-BackHeight: 6ftPrevious clubs: Oldham Athletic,Trafford A versatile wide player who is happy on eitherwing, or in defence.

Luke HERON

Date of birth: 17th May 1994Place of birth: ManchesterPosition: MidfielderHeight: 5ft 11insPrevious clubs: Bury, Macclesfield, DroylsdenA decent quality midfielder who joined Rammypre-season but has been out on loan, onlyreturning to the club just before Christmas.

Malachi SLAVEN

Date of birth: 24th February 1986Place of birth: MiddletonPosition: MidfielderHeight: 5ft 7insPrevious clubs: Manchester City, Ashton United A creative attacking midfielder returning tofootball after a break to study at university.

Ian BENNETT

Date of birth: 8th March 1989Place of birth: MiddletonPosition: MidfielderHeight: 5ft 8insPrevious clubs: Oldham, FC United, Bacup,SalfordA hard working centre-midfielder who’s notafraid to get stuck in when necessary.

Jamie ROTHER


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Date of birth: 4th September 1990Place of birth: BoltonPosition: WingerHeight: 5ft 11insPrevious clubs: Bamber BridgeA class winger whose corners and crosses areexquisite.

Tom WILLIAMS

Date of birth: 11th November 1996Place of birth: RawtenstallPosition: Midfielder / StrikerHeight: 5ft 7insPrevious clubs: Blackburn Rovers, Moston,Ramsbottom United YouthA tough young attacking midfielder/striker whoprogressed through Ramsbottom United’syouth setup.

Tom HARTLEY

Date of birth: 29th September 1989Place of birth: BuryPosition: ForwardHeight: 5ft 6insPrevious clubs: Bury, Walshaw, BoltonWanderers, RadcliffeA fast and clinical striker who makes perfectlytimed runs off the last defender.

Tom BROOKS

Date of birth: 19th October 1989Place of birth: DublinPosition: ForwardHeight: 5ft 10insPrevious clubs: Manchester City, ScunthorpeUnited, MK Dons, Chesterfield, HuddersfieldTown, AFC Bournemouth, DundalkA classy and accomplished forward player witha great eye for goal.

Date of birth: 7th February 1985Place of birth: SalfordPosition: StrikerHeight: 6ftPrevious clubs: Morecambe, Trafford, Walshaw,Warrington An incredibly skillful and creative striker whoreceived the Evostik golden boot for season2013-14.

Date of birth: 1st September 1987Place of birth: SalfordPosition: MidfielderHeight: 5ft 8insPrevious clubs: Oldham Athletic, FC United,Mandurah, Leigh, Salford, New Mills,Rossendale, Ashton UnitedMidfield playmaker and support striker withgreat technical ability

Chris BAGULEY



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Date of birth: 22nd April 1991Place of birth: NigeriaPosition: WingerHeight: 5ft 10insPrevious clubs: Nantwich, HalifaxA speedy and tricky winger who can take ondefenders for fun and whip in a mean cross.

Osebi ABADAKI

Date of birth: 31st December 1991Place of birth: BurnleyPosition: Club PhysioPrevious clubs: Burnley, Blackburn Rovers,Accrington StanleyA first-rate physio, despite his nickname‘Rooney’ and his supporting Arsenal

Harun Bhatti

Date of birth: 19th October 1989Place of birth: DublinPosition: ForwardHeight: 5ft 10insPrevious clubs: Manchester City, ScunthorpeUnited, MK Dons, Chesterfield, HuddersfieldTown, AFC Bournemouth, DundalkA classy and accomplished forward player witha great eye for goal.

Donal McDERMOTT

Date of birth: 7th February 1985Place of birth: SalfordPosition: StrikerHeight: 6ftPrevious clubs: Morecambe, Trafford, Walshaw,Warrington An incredibly skillful and creative striker whoreceived the Evostik golden boot for season2013-14.

Lee GASKELL


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Finally, it looks like we might be gettingback to some sort of normality at Rammy(well, normal by Rammy standards, atleast). Not only have the last two monthsseen us losing players on an almost dailybasis, it has also seen the weather beingunkind, resulting in us falling behind withour fixtures. It has also meant that manyof our Saturday afternoons have beenspent watching other local non-leagueteams or, in my case, shopping with ourloved ones (I actually went to e Rock inBury with Mrs Darkside on one of our freeSaturdays and bumped into quite a fewpeople who are usually to be found downat e Riverside). At last, it would seemour Winter of discontent is finally comingto an end and we are getting back to whatSaturdays are made for, supporting ourbeloved Rammy United.

So, last Saturday saw us waking up to asunny, old Ramsbottom and getting ready

for a short trip intoCheshire to take onrelegationthreatened WittonAlbion. With MrsDarkside having aprior engagement(brassiereshopping, I kid younot) I had arrangedto drive over and togive a lift to e

Carlsberg Clan, Ste, Angie and Ethan astheir car was down at Oily Mick’s Garageon Kay Brow awaiting urgent repairs. Meand Mrs Darkside were spending theweekend in Edenfield, house/dog sitting.is meant I had to get the passport outto cross back over the Ramsbottom /Edenfield border, and after loading theflags into the boot of the car we wereheading out of town at 1.15 and makingour way to the M66. It was a prettystraightforward journey which took alittle over an hour to reach ourdestination.

Witton’s Wincham Park ground isactually based in Northwich and for overone hundred years the local braggingrights have been fought over with theirmore illustrious neighbours, NorthwichVictoria. Just to confuse matters a littlethere are now also two NorthwichVictorias, the original club and a fan basedclub and 1874 Northwich who were set upin protest against the mismanagement ofthe original club.

As we left the motorway, discussion inthe car turned to how lucky we arefollowing Rammy in that we get to visitsome lovely, little towns and villages onour away day jollys and, chemical worksnotwithstanding, Northwich was nodifferent. Anyone who has visited some ofthe new, out of town stadiums in thehigher leagues that are surrounded by

from the darksidedarren comer reports on the latest

rammy ultras adventures


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from the darkside

McDonalds and B&Q’s can surely testifyto this (has anyone visited Chester CitysDeva Stadium? - it’s an unpleasantexperience, to say the least).

We were in the ground before 2.30 andafter buying the match-day programme,from a very friendly and welcoming,young seller, we made our way to theterracing running down the side of thepitch to hang the flags up in a primeposition. Again, this was a traditionalground with three covered terraces anda main stand and it, rather uniquely, hada Witton Albion Museum in one cornerof the ground. Due to being thedesignated driver for the day I wasabstaining from alcohol for the day (but,not the evening!) so I grabbed a cup oftea, reasonably priced but, not as cheapas at Rammy, and went for a chat withUncle Harry and to arrange thetransport for the following Tuesday’sexpedition up to Blyth.

By the time 3.00 came round we had ahealthy following of Ultras on theterracing, all ready to try and cheer thelads on to their first league win underthe stewardship of Robbo and Edgy.Although we had the usual suspectswith us, we also seem to have attracteda few new faces over the past few weeksand this is always great to see. It is alsosomething that is much needed andhopefully we will have the newadditions to the Rammy Family singingloud ‘n’ proud before the season is out.

As with the first half of the recenthome game against Rushall Olympics,we started off superbly but, fell behindon the quarter hour, much against therun of play. Added to this was the earlysubstitution of Donal McDermottwhich really seemed to break up ourattacking momentum. However, thelads then showed some great spirit ingetting back into the game and when

Toying with going bra shoppingnext Saturday if things don’timprove - the ‘away end’ at Witton


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the equaliser came it was a moment of realbeauty, and one to match Osebi’s effort theprevious weekend at Stamford. JamieRother, who worked hard all afternoon andshowed plenty of attacking potential,picked the ball up, over 30 yards from goal,and pulled his foot back to shoot,prompting me to say “Oh, don’t try andshoot from there, you’ve no chance ofscoring!” en again, what do I know? eshot went flying into the roof of the Wittongoal, leaving their keeper with no chanceand setting off the celebrations from theUltras gathered behind that net.

e half time whistle saw us going in levelat half time and with me having a teetotalafternoon (but, not evening, remember) Iwent along with Uncle Harry, Sophie, Tonyand Andy to try and blag my way into theDirectors’ Lounge for a free drink and somefood. All was going well as I armed myselfwith a plate of food and a cuppa, that isuntil a Witton jobsworth noticed I wasn’twearing a tie and took great delight inasking me to leave (I’m sure it must havemade his weekend and justified hisposition on the Witton board). Mind you,it didn’t help that I was wearing a t-shirtwith e Clash looking all mean andmoody on it and I could almost hear theWitton Director thinking, “we don’t wantany of your punk rocker sorts in these partsyoung man.” On that bombshell I left, witha pocket full of ill-gotten food, and made

my way back to the terraces for the secondhalf.

e second half was a bit of a let-down inall honesty and although there was plentyof effort, there wasn’t much purpose to ourplay. Witton got the winning goal justbefore the hour mark and we never reallylooked like getting back into it after that,especially after the influential Matty Burkesaw a red card for a late tackle in themiddle of the park. Despite this, the playersgot a good round of applause at the finalwhistle which, as always, was reciprocated.

After taking down the flags we stoppedfor a quick chat with Stephen and Davidwho were filming for RammyTV (they evenmanaged to catch Jamie’s screamer in all ofits full glory and we may well have RupertMurdoch knocking on our door soon totry and poach them). We spoke to a few ofthe Witton supporters on our way out,who were obviously happy with threepoints in the fight against relegation, andas always they were a friendly bunch whowished us all the best for the rest of theseason.

e journey home was livened up byWacky Races style duel between eAnthill Mob featuring myself and eCarlsberg Clan and Dick Dastardly andMuttley, featuring Rob and Claire (sorry,Claire, journalistic licence. Robbie surelyhas all the traits of both Dick Dastardly andMuttley all rolled into one!) We landed

from the darksidedarren comer reports on the latest

rammy ultras adventures


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from the darkside

back in Ramsbottom just after 6.00 and,after dropping Angie and Ethan off, me andCarlsberg made our way up to Edenfield topick up Mrs Darkside who had finished her(unsuccessful) brassiere hunt by this time.We then made our way down to the cricketclub for a post-match inquest and a fewpints of Moorehouse’s White Witch with

UkePunk, Scott, Rob, Sir Paul of Cropperand the cricket club bar-fly himself, UncleHarry. We were even joined by the recentlydeparted Rammy favourite, Steve Howson,who had been playing for his new team thatafternoon, apparently some little outfitfrom just down the road whose name hascompletely eluded me for now.

Little Katie - even crap footieis great if work’s made youmiss the last three weeks


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2 - 3e Harry Williams Riverside Stadium17th February 2015Att: 223Rammy Goals: Rother (23), Gaskell (40)Rushall Goals: Williams (16), Reid (46, 73)

Lee Gaskell - created one and scored one


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What is to be made of this confounding and to no littleextent concerning result? From the Rams perspective thiswas not so much a game of two halves more a game oftwo teams. Such was the contrast in performance in thefirst and second sets of 45 minutes that a comparisonwith Dr Jeckyll and Mr Hyde would make the latterschizophrenic personality appear like a model ofnormality!

Despite again donating an early lead through carelessprotection of the ball in their defensive third of the pitch,the Rams serves up a first 45 minutes of vibrant dynamicfootball. Grant Shenton could count himself very harddone by to concede having dived bravely at the feet ofAaron Williams at point blank range only to see the ballricochet up and present the centre forward with theeasiest of headers in. at goal was very much against therun of play. For 20 minutes Donal McDermott on the lefthad threatened to eviscerate the Rushall defence withdarting runs and step overs (although sometimes a stepover too far). Osebi Abadaki had one of those purplepatches in which defenders are incapable of getting a legaltouch to him . On 23 minutes he was sent clear by a smartball inside the full back from Lee Gaskell and his pin pointcentre hit at pace was met with an imperious header infrom Jamie Rother.

For the rest of the half it was just a question of when theRams, driven on by an imposing Matt Burke would scoreagain. e second goal came on 40 minutes, Lee Gaskellprodding in almost on the line after the ball had somehowsquirmed to him following Rushall failing to clear a corner.All seemed set fair but the game and the evening turnedsour just a minute into the second half. Rushall launcheda rapid counter attack from virtually their own corner flagand sent a low ball down the left hand channel. From themoment George Grayson and Alex Reid set off in pursuitthe signs were ominous . Like Seb Coe reeling in SteveOvett in Moscow the inevitability of Reid getting to theball first was all too apparent and so he did neatly slippinghis shot past Shenton.


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Lee Gaskell tucked away Lee Pugh’scunning (accidental) back-heel


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2 - 3e Harry Williams Riverside Stadium17th February 2015Att: 223Rammy Goals: Rother (23), Gaskell (40)Rushall Goals: Williams (16), Reid (46, 73)

Deflating as the equaliser was it took a few minutesfor the deterioration in the Rams performance to setin. 10 minutes later a swerving dipping free kick fromMcDermott was virtually in the top corner only to bediverted onto the angle by a desperate finger tip fromRyan Price - a truly wonderous save. at was the lastmoment of optimism for the Rams. Rushall satdeeper, cut off any supply to the wings and throughCarl Palmer and Josh Craddock, two old fashionedoperatives in the middle, controlled the game. eRams were unable to provide any menace or presenceup front resorting increasingly to hopeless highballs.With 20 minutes left a clever free kick sent Reidclear again this time on the right and his shot acrossthe face of the goal found the inside of the post andin. A real sucker punch. And that was that - but for allthe disappointment there was enough in the first halfto give promise of better days as the weather andpitches improve - but clear signs of where theperformance needs to be strengthened.


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It’s easy to support a football team on theup, a team that’s winning everything or atthe very least being robbed of a result by acouple of dodgy decisions or a littlemistake or two. It’s easy watching Unitedor Chelsea, who you know will be there orthereabouts season upon season. We’vebeen lucky over the past 4-5 seasons inthat we’ve seen a Rammy on the rise, a tinyteam making huge strides forward intorealms that Harry could not even havedreamed of back in the 1960s. We’ve hadit easy... but now it isn’t easy. Last Saturdayat Witton, and Tuesday at Blyth were thekind of match where a few of us learntwhat it really means to support a team.Rochdale fans know it, and Bury fans knowit - how it feels to bounce back from thehigh of winning promotion only toexperience the crushing despair of a slowsinking towards relegation.

is week has seen Rammy struggle. Wehave witnessed a couple of reallydisheartening performances and a coupleof crushing defeats. As I look towards

today’s match against high-flyingIlkeston, and read about

the particular strengthsof their squad, I findmyself groaning withthe anticipation of apossible humiliation.

Already you can readthe rumblings on the

club forum, and you can

hear them around the pubs of Rammy. epessimists (or call them realists if you like)are already tempering their hopes of aplay-off finish in favour of trying to avoidrelegation. If this run of form continuesthen we will also see our constantlygrowing attendances start to dwindle.

So what’s the point I’m trying to make?My point is that supporting a footballteam is not all about the winning andabout the promotion. ose of us who’veseen Rochdale relegated or North End re-elected after finishing rock-bottom of theleague for a third time recognised the lastfive incredible years for what they were. Ifyou haven’t tasted the despair ofrelegation then you won’t recognise andenjoy the ecstacy of getting promoted. It’sa doddle to sing and dance when yourteam is winning everything, but to be ableto shout and encourage when things aregoing wrong is where the heart of the truesupporter comes to the fore.

Now I’m not saying that Rammy arestaring down the barrel of relegation,though recent performances see fatestarting to think about loading her gun.What I am saying is that if ever the teamneeds the supporters to do our jobs to thebest of our ability then it is now.

ere have been lots of discussions aboutthe new signings, and about those who aregood enough or too slow, who have abilityon the ball or shouldn’t really be on thepitch, but the truth is that these lads are

supporters clubon the terraces of rammy


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wearing a Rammy shirt, and they are givingit their absolute all for the cause. Maybesome aren’t good enough, but they’regiving it a go and they deserve every ounceof support that we are able to give them. Isuppose that I’ve been as guilty as anyoneof mouthing off about this player or thatplayer not being up to it, and as supporterswe’re entitled to our opinions. I guess thatthose opinions have a time and a place,and it’s up to us to save them for after thematch.

As a musician I’ve played to a whole loadof different audiences, but a particularweekend that really sticks in my mindinvolves a ska gig that we played in one ofthe roughest suburbs of Sheffield. Now anymusician will tell you that Yorkshire folkcan be a pretty strange crowd to play to atthe best of times, but this really weirdworking mens club was like something outof Star Wars - inbreeding doesn’t evencome close, it made even Bacup lookcosmopolitan!

We took the stage as Dave the Dodgy D.J.(rumour had it he’d just got out, but hadbeen put ‘on the register’) tried to whip upsome enthusiasm, but the audience justgawped at us in complete silence - aposture that didn’t really change all night.We got on with our set as the tumble-weed blew across the dance-floor and thescary looking Yorkshire folk sat with theirarms folded and a kind of “go on then,entertain us ya buggers” look on their

faces. To them clap was a disease, notsomething you did out of appreciation. Wetried our damndest, but God knows it wasthe hardest gig of my life and everythingjust seemed to go wrong. AfterwardsLyndsey, the club’s owner, told us we’damazingly gone down a storm and tried tore-book us, but we politely refused.

e next night we played at a scooterrally in Llandudno, performing to about6,000 maniacs who’d been drinking allweekend and just wanted to leap aroundto e Specials songs. e crowd washysterical as we took the stage, and madeus play ‘Message to you Rudy’ three timesbefore they’d let us finish two and a halfhours later, and we kept going and going,giving it every last drop of energy we had.We were the exact same band as played inSheffield the night before, but you wouldnever have believed it as we played out ofour skins.

I think you can probably see the pointthat I’m getting at. is squad of playersdeserves all the support andencouragement we can muster. ey maynot be the best, but they are Rammyplayers and they are willing to stick it outwith us. Our job is to help them realise howmuch we appreciate their commitmentand their effort. If we do our bit and theydo theirs then the Rammy we know andlove can settle and then continue thegrowth we’ve seen over the last few years.Come on you Rams!


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Jordan SMITHJames REIDLuke SHAWJoe MAGUIREMatt BAKERJack LANEDavid MORGANCallum CHETTLERob DUFFYMichael WILLIAMSRai SIMONSDanny GORDONAkil WRIGHTCurtis BURROWSEli BAKOLejaun SIMMONSBradley FORTNAM-TOMLINSONEddy SAMBA

Manager: Jon ROBINSON Manager: Kevin WILSON

Referee: Martyn RawcliffeReferee’s Assistants: Peter Maxson, Daniel Scott

Next home game: Tuesday 3rd March 7:45pm, Rammy v Trafford

Grant SHENTONGeorge BOWYER

George GRAYSONJamie ROTHERCallum JONES

Alex FROSTOsebi ABADAKI

Matty BURKELee GASKELL

Tom BROOKSDonal McDERMOTT

Chris BAGULEYLee PUGH

Kyle HARROPTom WILLIAMS

Luke HERONIan BENNETT

Jon ROBINSONMalachi SLAVEN

Cedric KROU


Documents

53 Ramsbottom United v Ilkeston