There will also be a bucket collection for the above purpose at Tuesday's game with Barrow; apart from making a donation, anyone who can spare any additional (ideally black) buckets for that night would be welcome!

YOUTH TEAM PROGRESS

NEXT OPPONENTS

BSP NEWS

According to the Chester Chronicle, "Yet another turbulent week at the Deva Stadium came to a head after the visit of Eastbourne was controversially abandoned following two on-pitch protests against Stephen Vaughan. The decision to abandon the game came on Cheshire Police advice after both teams and referee had exited the field moments after the Blues had gone in front, for the third time, in the 72nd minute. A second pitch invasion of a dramatic afternoon was said to have caused safety concerns to players and the 869 supporters in attendance.

A 20-strong first-half protest, when City led 2-1, had been dealt with by stewards. Protesters ran on to the pitch with banners calling for the removal of Vaughan from the crisis-hit club, accompanied by ‘Vaughan out’ chants from the Vaughan Stand. Stewards escorted the supporters off the pitch, placing them back in the Vaughan Stand before play resumed.

Although Vaughan declared in an interview before the match that he had effectively ‘retired’ from football but aimed to still put money into the club despite his 11-year director’s ban for an alleged VAT fraud, that did not deter protesters from expressing their anger at how the club has sunk to its lowest level in existence.

It is unclear what the repercussions will be from the protest and what effect it may have for tomorrow’s crunch meeting of the football authorities to discuss Chester’s footballing debts. The Blues, who are under a transfer embargo and have lost four key first-team players recently, have been threatened with expulsion from the Blue Square Premier if they do not come up with the money by tomorrow...

Chester manager Jim Harvey, whose rock-bottom side are 23 points from safety, said: 'As far as I was concerned there was no threat to the players on the field, but the referee said the police had come and said to call it off'... Blues' managing director Bob Gray said 'We are sympathetic, we don’t hold grudges. We understand their frustrations and why the demonstration has taken place but, next week, give them a slap on the wrist and don’t do it again'".

TROPHY PRIZES

TASC MINUTES

BSP FIXTURES

Wednesday 2 Dec.

Saturday 5 Dec.

DALE'S OP

we all wish Dale a rapid and full recovery.

ALTY PLAYERS SCOFF THE LOT!

To rub salt in the wounds, the Altrincham players must have heard that Wallie puts on a decent spread of food post-match, because they were in the clubhouse quicker than any of our team. They certainly made sure they'd be well fed for the journey back home. If it wasn't for the one lonely chip squashed in the corner of the tray, I wouldn't have known there were any at all. Jake [Sheridan] and Shawsy [Tom Shaw] had to scramble for the remaining mushy peas".

ALTY PLAYERS DON'T SCOFF THE LOT!

The evening was sponsored by Grahame Rowley's Tintagel pharmaceutical company and the food and service from the Cresta Court Hotel were, as usual, excellent. A good time was had by all with significant funds also being raised by the event and its accompanying auction and raffle.

BLUE SQUARE NEWS

SATURDAY

FA Cup 2R

Sunday 29 Nov, 1.45pm
FA Cup 2R

WREXHAM PRICES

On matchday:

In advance: Tickets will be available for purchase at the club offices at Moss Lane from Tuesday, 1st December, between 9.30am and 5pm on weekdays or at the Barrow game on Tuesday, 1st December.

On line:

SATURDAY

Right: Chris Senior has scored twice in three games since his return from suspension. The photo is one of many Alty images on Gavin Rathbone's GR Photography website.

OLD BOY

BSP NEWS

Blundell, 32, was prolific at Conference outfit Northwich scoring 39 times in 90 appearances before he won successive promotions with Doncaster Rovers... He moved to Chester for around £105,000 in July 2005... He has since been at Darlington and Accrington before re-signing for the Deva Stadium side in the summer. He joins on loan until Jan 1st when the deal will be made permanent.

Carlisle youngster, Gavin Rothery, 22, joins until Jan 5th, having had spells with Leeds, York and Harrogate before moving to Brunton Park in the summer".

From the Button Mail the Brewers' manager Paul Peschisolido said: “'It’s true that Marc has fallen down the pecking order, but I never write anyone off... He’s not getting a game with us and we’ve got very few reserve matches coming up, which is no good to him... Barrow is a good move for him because they train in Manchester so he won't have too far to travel, other than on a match day'. Goodfellow joins the Cumbrians on loan until January, but Peschisolido has insisted on a 28-day call-back clause in case the winger is needed for the busy festive programme".

"Liam Daish, manager of Ebbsfleet United, beat the deadline by just 15 minutes to sign 19-year-old Alex Stavrinou, who has represented Cyprus at youth level" reports the Football Conference. "He has featured in two games for Charlton Athletic's first-team, both this season".

Meanwhile "Maidenhead United's Will Hendry has ended weeks of speculation by moving to AFC Wimbledon. Hendry joined the Magpies in September after a move to Dagenham & Redbridge from Hayes & Yeading United went sour". And Ebbsfleet United themselves add that "Midfielder Scott Shulton - who joined the club in the summer from Wycombe Wanderers - has had his contract cancelled by mutual consent. Shulton, who has been on loan at Bishops Stortford, had now joined the Blue Square South club on a permanent basis".

The Football Conference also confirms that "Grays Athletic have signed Histon forward Bradley Hudson-Odoi on a one month loan deal" reports the BBC. "The 24-year-old former Hereford player, who scored Histon's equaliser in a draw at Eastbourne last week, spent time on-loan with the Essex side last season".

And "Salisbury City have signed Torquay United defender Chris Todd on loan for the second successive season. The centre-back started eight games for the Whites last term... Due to the club being in administration they were placed under a transfer embargo but were allowed to sign Todd because of injuries and suspensions... Todd was diagnosed with leukaemia in November 2008 but is now in remission".

From Non-League Football Live we learn that "Many of the top bookmakers have suspended betting on Chester City's match against Eastbourne Borough on Saturday after news leaked that Chester may have to field a weakened team. Rumours have been circling that Chester City players have refused to play over a pay row, whilst these reports are not confirmed, it has led bookmakers to suspend betting on the fixture as word spread on a number of forums... It echoes similarities to Weymouth last season when the they could not afford to pay the players wages. The players then left and found other clubs leaving the club to field a youth side which subsequently lead to heavy defeats".

However, "Histon have rejected an offer for Gareth Gwillim from Dagenham & Redbridge. Stutes' manager Steve Fallon revealed 'We've turned down an offer for Gareth from Dagenham', said Fallon. 'He's a big part of this football club and we've got to rebuild the club around our good players. We have got to cut the wage bill, but we don't want to do that to the detriment of the team, and Dagenham were nowhere near our valuation. If the offer had been too good to refuse then it would have been different, but it wasn't and Gareth is quite happy to stay here'" reports the Cambridge News.

As for Hudson-Odoi Fallon added "We'd agreed the deal before Tuesday and we could have pulled the plug on it... We've had a good game out of him before and then had nothing for three months, so this gives him a chance to train full-time and get himself sorted out. Hopefully he'll come back in a month's time and be ready to compete for us week in, week out. We've got to reduce the wage bill as well, and it was a good option".

But "Gareth Baldwin insists his resignation from Histon is not the end of his career in football. The former chairman and his wife Lisa, who was the Stutes' secretary, have drawn up a shortlist of three clubs they are considering getting involved with, but would not confirm whether Cambridge United is one of them. But Baldwin... said they would not make a decision until next spring. He said: "We're loving having the opportunity to have some quality time as a family, having been 24-7 at Histon for so many years... We've been flattered by the number of offers we've had from clubs at all levels, even a couple in the Football League... I work in Oxford during the week and live in St Ives, so what we decide won't change that dynamic in my life'. Baldwin attended United's 2-2 draw at Luton last Saturday, but said he was invited by former U's boss and current Hatters chief scout Gary Brabin and not, as rumoured, as a guest of the club's directors...

He will also be watching their FA Cup, second-round tie at home to York... Baldwin said: 'I've got a really good relationship with the York chairman, so that will be a chance to meet him... There are a lot of coincidences and people will make their own conclusions, but I can say here and now, we've got a lot of things to do before we decide what we do in the future'".

More signings are announced at Mansfield Town where "Manager David Holdsworth revealed the signings of Lee Morris and Andy Burgess will mark the end of our transfer activity for the time being. The squad's total now stands at 32, seven of whom are out on loan, with another six players on the treatment table. 'At the start of the week I knew who I wanted to bring in, and I've achieved my targets', said Holdsworth. 'I want to try to settle the squad down again now. The shake-up I've had to make is important in terms of our progression in the league, I want to win the division if I can... The capture of Andy Burgess says to me that we can be recognised as a force up there with the "big guns" in the division".

A DECENT SIDE

The availability of players at Tamworth was an important factor and the other big plus point was the way they [the players] adapted to a different system. We's had a few little problems with teams packing the centre of midfield and I wanted to combat that so we switched from 4-4-2 to 3-5-2. The effort the players put in to make it work was a credit to them and I was delighted with the way they knuckled down".

Meanwhile, TASC has launched a Strengthen our Squad campaign to raise £3,000 by the end of January. "We want to encourage supporters to contribute in any way they can", said TASC chairman Brian Flynn. Graham responded by saying that if TASC raise enough "even to fund a loan signing, [it] would be greatly appreciated".

NEXT UP

TAMWORTH REVIEW

After the game "Boss Gary Mills has called on his players to show a more ruthless side as they prepare for back-to-back away games. The Lambs travel to Grays on Saturday and then head to Kidderminster on Tuesday... Mills said: 'It was a bit disappointing on Tuesday because I thought we played some good stuff in the first half. We passed the ball around well and created openings but goals win games and we didn't take our chances... We have picked up six points out of nine now in the league and are 12th in the Conference. That's a great effort".

Tamworth FC quote their manager. "'We dominated the first half', Mills said after the 2-0 reversal at home to Altrincham... 'The wind didn't help matters at all but we weren't nearly on the ball as much as we should have been and gave away a free kick which they capitalised on. Altrincham really seem to thrive on dead ball set pieces and they took their chance when it came'".

SAD NEWS

BSP NEWS

"Richard Money, manager of Luton Town, has completed his first permanent transaction in the transfer market with the arrival of Matthew Barnes-Homer from league rivals Kidderminster Harriers. Prolific striker Barnes-Homer, 23, joins initially on a month's loan but after agreeing a two-and-a-half year contract he will make the move permanent when the transfer window re-opens on 1st January. The deal also sees young striker Ryan Charles go on-loan in the opposite direction for a month... An energetic talent, the front man began his career as a trainee at Wolves before going on to lead something of a nomadic life prior to finding his feet at Kidderminster".

Earlier, according to the Oxford Mail, "Oxford United turned down Kidderminster striker Matthew Barnes-Homer to get Franny Green this week. Ex-Peterborough striker Green, signed on loan from Kettering... Chairman Kelvin Thomas confirmed they had also had a conversation with Barnes-Homer's agent. But Barnes-Homer's wage demands and the cost of signing him would have been more than they felt he was worth".

And "Hayes & Yeading United have signed striker Steve Basham on a two-month loan deal from busy league rivals Luton Town. The experienced striker joined the Hatters on a one-year deal in August 2009 following his release from Exeter City... He signed for Oxford United in August 2002... The striker was on the move again in 2007, moving south to Exeter... He was released by the Grecians last summer. Basham... joins the Church Road outfit until the end of January.

Also, "Rushden & Diamonds have received a double boost of strikers today, ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup sponsored by e.on Second Round fixture against Brighton & Hove Albion. The two strikers Cliff Akurang and Sam Smith will join the squad for the cup tie. Akurang is set to travel to Brighton having now been given permission to play in the cup by his parent club Barnet... Smith has been recalled from his loan spell at neighbours Corby Town. The forward went out on loan to the Steelmen at the end of October".

"Mansfield Town boss David Holdsworth has fought off massive interest to sign talented midfielder Andy Burgess on an eighteen-month contract from Luton Town. The 28-year-old has played ten times for the Hatters since his summer move. The influential Burgess, who can play in central midfielder or on either wing, made his league debut for Rushden & Diamonds, after progressing through their ranks, in the 1999/00 season".

From the Football Conference we learn that "Gateshead will release giant French Striker Armand One after Saturday's game against Crawley Town". After his debut "the 26-year-old has made another seven starts, with eight more off the bench, without finding the net... One has played for four Scottish clubs as well as Cambridge United... 'One has yet to score a competitive goal for Gateshead and has not shown enough to take the month by month deal forward', said manager Ian Bogie... Irish front man Darren Forsyth, limited to two starts and three substitute appearances since he joined Gateshead in the summer, has been given an extra month on loan at Northern League neighbours Dunston UTS. On loan striker Daryl Clare, meanwhile, will not be allowed to play against parent club Mansfield Town on Tuesday".

From The Northants Evening Telegraph we read that "Kettering Town Football Club boss Imraan Ladak has said there are six weeks left to save the club. Unless there is a breakthrough in the search for a new ground he believes there will be no future for the Poppies in the borough. Mr Ladak has also called for a public meeting with council leader Jim Hakewill and chief executive David Cook to discuss the club's future and options.

The Poppies chairman said: 'I want to meet them and ask questions but I want to do it publicly. If they have nothing to hide then I would like to meet them at our social club on any day or any evening in the next two weeks. If they do care about the club then they will have no problem having this meeting'.

Mr Ladak insists he has not given up on the club and will outline in the next six weeks what options it is facing...Cllr Hakewill refused to commit to a public meeting and instead asked the club to attend 'professional business meetings'. Cllr Hakewill said the council has written to the club twice explaining this but has had no reply'...

Ladak has insisted he has not given up on Kettering Town and will outline in the next six weeks what options the club has left... He said: 'As it stands it's impossible for us to have a future at Rockingham Road unless something changes in terms of the council, the landlord or a beneficiary coming in. A ground share is impossible because we would lose all sorts of revenue... This council has never done anything in terms of real support. They have written one letter to us and that was after they were under severe pressure. Despite all the community ideas we have had, they have given us no help. They are not interested and just don't care...

The council want us out and they want houses on there. I feel they are deliberately making sure we get out of the borough... Is it the end? I don't like to give up but Kettering Town's future in Kettering has been taken out of my hands by people who don't understand what a football club means to the community. I haven't given up on the football club but there is one of me and thousands of supporters and in the next six weeks I will be putting the options to them'...

Cllr Hakewill said 'More than two weeks ago we wrote to Mr Ladak asking him to come along with his plans and talk through in some more detail. We've received no reply or acknowledgement to that letter. Last week we sent a further letter and to date have had no reply. We've had a very constructive meeting with the club's Supporters' Trust but the ball is now very much in the club's court'.

"Imraan Ladak believes the uncertainty over Kettering Town's future is affecting their chances on the field... And he feels off-field problems were part of the reason manager Mark Cooper and star defender Exodus Geohaghon left to join Peterborough United... 'We have lost our manager, we have lost Exodus Geohaghon as a direct result of losing our manager and we are unable to attract quality replacements because of the problem we have got'", added Ladak.

Nevertheless, from the BBC we learn that "Kettering Town have extended Barnsley midfielder Simon Heslop's loan spell at the club by another month".

In Kent, NewsShopper reports that "Members of the MyFootballClub website face an important month as they vote to remodel and float struggling Ebbsfleet United up the league. Launched in April 2007... A total of 53,000 registered their interest [in MyFootball Club], with more than 21,000 members being registered at the time MYFC took 75% ownership of Ebbsfleet United almost two years ago".

As for the financial situation, "While it’s not as bad as has been seen at Weymouth, Gretna or even Coleraine, a series of key votes running up to the end of the month will give everyone a clearer picture of where they stand... Pick[ing] the team itself has the potential to return MYFC to something close to the 32,000 members it once had".

And also Kettering announce that "Damian Spencer has gone out on loan to Kidderminster Harriers until January. Joining the Club on loan are until January are: Craig Dobson from Mansfield-a midfield player/wide man previously with Stevenage Borough, Kithson Bain from Tranmere Rovers- a Granadian International striker, Ritchie Partridge and Sol Davis from MK Dons.Partridge is a midfield player formerly on the books of Liverpool and Davis is a left back formerly of Luton."

From the Liverpool Daily Post we learn that "Chester City last night lost the services of influential midfielder Clark Keltie when they failed to renew the player’s loan agreement with Rochdale. Keltie becomes the third loan player whom City have failed to extend deals with in the past 10 days. Blackburn Rovers’ defender Jonathan Flynn and Barnsley winger Michael Coulson left the Deva Stadium earlier this month... The club’s obtuse financial affairs mean that a transfer embargo has been imposed on City. The under-achieving squad appears to be diminishing on a weekly basis and last night a player revealed to the Daily Post that certain members of the playing squad were considering refusing to play in this Saturday’s game against Eastbourne Borough if outstanding monies weren’t paid to them. City face possible expulsion from the Blue Square Premier League if outstanding football related debts aren’t satisfactorily addressed by next Monday".

Keltie has soon popped up elsewhere as NL Daily confirms that "Gateshead have signed Rochdale midfielder Clark Keltie and striker Jon Shaw on loan... Shaw made his name in the Conference as a free scoring striker for Halifax Town... Keltie spent seven years at Darlington where he made 173 appearances scoring ten goals, and has impressed on loan at Chester".

The Chester Chronicle says that "The crunch deadline for Chester City to pay their football debts is now just four days away with worried fans no nearer to knowing the club’s fate. Worse than that, they are being kept in the dark... The Chronicle was unable yesterday to contact anyone at the club to confirm whether or not the outstanding money will be paid. And as D-day approaches, there are real fears the Blues will now be thrown out of the Football Conference... City officials wouldn’t answer the phone – or even come to the door when our reporter called at the Deva Stadium...

Jeff Banks, of City Fans United (CFU), admits the newly-unified supporters group will be forced to 'step in' if the club is kicked out of the league. He said: 'We have no idea what Monday will bring. But if the worst happens the CFU will step in. The group is still in its early days, but it has around 300 members now, and some of our members are contributing their entrance fees to our fighting fund instead of attending games to fund the current owners'...

Wrexham and Vauxhall Motors were last night still waiting for the monies owed to them while The Chronicle understands Blues officials held talks with their main creditor, the PFA, in Manchester yesterday. Gordon Taylor, chairman of the PFA, said: 'We’ve lent a fair amount of money to the club in recent years... It is not a model of how to run a club'".

Luton Town "are set to complete the capture of Coventry City winger Ashley Cain on a month's loan.. The 19-year-old made his debut for City in the Championship at the tail end of the 2008/09 campaign... Since then, the wide-man has gone on to make a further seven appearances for Chris Coleman's side and made his full debut against Hartlepool United in the Carling Cup in August. Blessed with blistering pace, Cain... was rewarded with a one-year professional contract in the summer".

Bayliss said: 'We’re probably the only team in our league not to have four strikers... Clubs don’t want to let their best strikers go, so it’s very difficult. We will definitely have one in before Saturday, hopefully two... We’re also looking at getting a winger in as well'”.

The Cambridge News states that "Steve Fallon is refusing to rashly jump into the loan market and is backing his current crop of players to get Histon firing. The Stutes' manager terminated Tottenham youngster Sam Cox's loan deal... after being less than impressed with the midfielder. Ben Farrell failed to make an impact after being borrowed from Cambridge United, while Grays' Sam Long and Peterborough's Billy Crook are yet to feature regularly. And the boss, who is still mulling over bringing Posh striker Ben Wright to the club on a temporary basis, wants to be sure his next signing is a big success.

Fallon said: 'We've had a lot of loan players coming in this season and not all of them have worked out, so we don't want to keep rushing into things... If we bring people in then they need to be proven and be able to perform week in, week out... Lee Smith is getting stronger and should be returning soon, we've got Erkan (Okay) who could be fit within a week and Kieran Leabon could come back from Harrogate if we needed him".

The EXpress & Star says that "Kidderminster Harriers face a race against time to repel the clubs from the door looking to take star striker Matthew Barnes-Homer away from Aggborough before today’s loan deadline. The club are not interested in letting the England C international go on a temporary basis but a deal could be brokered with a view to a permanent deal as soon as January’s transfer window opens, albeit for a substantial fee...

Manager Mark Yates said: “There is interest in Matthew, in fact there are a couple of clubs more than interested... and we are trying to find them off... He won’t come cheap. We don’t want to sell him, but it might not be a simple as that if a serious bid comes in".

However, "Better news for Harriers is that the club are close to extending the loan terms of young Peterborough left-back Danny Andrew for another month, to take effect after next Tuesday’s game against Tamworth".

NW NEWS

TAMWORTH REPORT

Right: Before the match on Tuesday, the Tamworth mascot prostrates himself as the teams greet each other.

Tamworth have a very fair match report on their website.

YANKEE

BSP NEWS

And Oxford United "have made their second signing in 24 hours with striker Francis Green arriving on loan from Kettering with a view to a permanent deal. The 29 year old can play up front or on either wing. He began his career at Peterborough before a £75,000 move to Lincoln City in 2003. Green scored twenty times for the Imps... before joining Boston United and then Macclesfield Town... He joined Kettering this summer and has played in every game this season, scoring four times". Going the other way, "Winger Marcus Kelly has travelled to Kettering and is expected to join on loan until January. Marcus joined United in the summer but has found his chances limited, with a toe injury ruling him out for part of the season so far."

Further movement at Rockingham Road is announced by Kettering Town where "The club can confirm that Exodus Geohaghon has agreed to join Peterborough United on loan until January, with a permanent transfer for an undisclosed fee to follow. We can also confirm that Francis Green’s move to Oxford today was also subject to an undisclosed fee. The club is still in negotiations with four players and their clubs regarding replacements in addition to new loan signing Marcus Kelly".

Meanwhile, "Dan Smith looks to have played for Eastbourne Borough for the last time. The former Plymouth Argyle winger was transfer-listed following his red card during Boro’s FA Cup defeat at the hands of Tooting & Mitcham United last month. Smith was available for the 1-1 draw with Histon on Tuesday night after serving a three-game ban but manager Garry Wilson did not include him in the squad. The 20-year-old became Boro’s first full-time professional when he arrived at Priory Lane in the summer but has only started five matches this season", reports the The Argus.

Elsewhere in the same county, This is Sussex reports that "Steve Evans hopes to sign Millwall's Ashley Grimes before Thursday's loan deadline expires. The Reds boss is desperate to add to his depleted squad as he currently has no fit forwards, with Charlie Ademeno, Callum Willock and Danny Forrest all out injured and Jefferson Louis on loan at Rushden & Diamonds. Evans has been looking to add a striker in recent weeks, but has seen deals for Crewe Alexandra's Anthony Elding and former Brighton & Hove Albion forward Nathan Elder fall through.

He also had a bid for Salisbury City's Matt Tubbs rejected by the Whites last week. But Evans is hopeful a move for the Lion's 22-year-old hit-man will succeed and revealed he is in discussions with Millwall boss Kenny Jackett to bring him to the club. He said: 'Kenny is happy for him to come here and get a few games but it is just a question of getting a deal done in regards to the wages. We can only pay a small proportion of his wages and Kenny has come back with a different figure. I'll sit down with Bruce Winfield [today] and see if we can do something, but it's important as I don't have one fit striker at the moment... Callum [Willock] is a willing runner and a willing worker, but he's not a goal scorer... We made a move for the lad Tubbs through the proper channels and at this stage it has been turned down', added Evans. 'We have to accept that decision but we will watch the situation at Salisbury with interest'".

However, from NL Daily comes news that "Crawley Town have registered DR Congo international midfielder Mbive 'Peggy' Lokando. Lokando started his career at Arsenal in the youth team before signing for Southend United in July 2007... Lokando was loaned out to Dagenham & Redbridge in September 2008 but failed to make a League appearance and also had a trial with Oxford United. He has recently been turning out for Leyton in the Ryman League Division One North".

Meanwhile, "Welling United have signed Sam Cutler and Jack Obersteller, both previously with Grays Athletic".

A week on Saturday, Alty travel to Histon where "Steve Fallon felt Danny Naisbitt's penalty save was the turning point as Histon drew 1-1 at Eastbourne" according to the Cambridge News... Fallon said: 'Nessy did well to save it and justice was done. That seemed to lift us and we showed great character to get a point'... Sam Cox did not feature after his loan spell from Tottenham was brought to a premature end. Fallon said: 'We didn't feel Sam was ready to play football at this level, so he's gone back to Tottenham. Part of the deal was that we had to play him, but we expected a bit more from him. I'm sure he'll go on to become a good player'. Fallon also hinted that he may be interested in signing Peterborough striker Ben Wright on loan as cover for the injured Danny Wright, who is still a month away from returning from a calf injury".

The Argus confirms that Lewes, relegated from the BSP last season, "have been given another stay of execution. The Rooks were given more time to repay a tax debt at a winding-up petition in the High Court... The case... will now return to court on January 13. Since the first hearing Lewes have repaid £60,000 of a total tax debt in £107,000 in the space of three months. HM Revenue and Customs were demanding a further lump sum of £20,000 or the full remaining balance of £47,000 ahead of the court case.

However, a judge has agreed to the proposal of Lewes managing director Martin Elliott to continue paying off debt in monthly instalments of £10,000 while keeping the winding-up order in place... Elliott said: 'We keep battling on. We are getting there in lots of ways... One thing is for sure, if we don’t make any payment we will be toast'”.

TAMWORTH 0 ALTRINCHAM 2

CHRISTMAS SHOPPING AT ALTY

As well as the above stocking fillers, you will be able to purchase or order the full range of Altrincham FC merchandise.

YOUTH TEAM

CHESHIRE NEWS

BSP NEWS

Their court appearance follows an alleged incident in Clifford Street near the Subway takeaway at 3.50am on Sunday August 2 in which a man called Oliver Powell was allegedly injured. All four are charged with affray and accused of being part of a group that allegedly attacked Mr Powell as he was walking away from the late-night sandwich shop. Nelthorpe is also accused of hitting Mr Powell and causing him actual bodily harm.

After hearing details of the prosecution case from Sandra Potter of the Crown Prosecution Service and seeing a DVD of the alleged incident, magistrates decided that the case was too serious for them to deal with and ordered prosecution lawyers to prepare committal papers... Gash, 23, of Carrs Meadow, Escrick, Ingham, 29, of Long Ridge Lane, Nether Poppleton, Rankine, 24, of Weston Road, Doncaster, and Nelthorpe, 22, of Edgbaston Way, Edlington, Doncaster, only spoke to give their names, ages and addresses during the brief hearing, and all declined to enter a plea.

Their cases were adjourned until January 14 when they are expected to be committed to stand trial at York Crown Court and all four were released on unconditional bail".

News of an ex-Alty loanee comes from Chester First which states that "Ben Wilkinson is determined to play his part in helping Chester address a worrying trait. The Blues' midfielder hopes he can contribute towards a victory at high-flying Stevenage Borough... Wilkinson, the 22-year-old son of former England coach, Howard, is anxious to see his side turn things round and narrow the gap on sides immediately above them at the foot of the Blue Square Premier League table.

He said: 'We were all obviously disappointed about our 3-1 defeat on Saturday at home to Altrincham because we thought it was a game we could have got three points from... We were always chasing the game after Altrincham scored their first goal, but that has been the same story for all of our games in recent weeks... Stevenage Borough looked a very good side when they beat us 1-0 at the Deva Stadium earlier this season. They looked very organised, were very hard to beat, and they were well drilled, so it’s going to be a difficult game, but it may also be what we need... We’ve conceded a lot of early goals all season and every one of the lads in the squad has been bitterly disappointed with that statistic".

And from the Liverpool Daily Post we read that "Chester City manager Jim Harvey is under no illusions about the squad he inherited when he took over from Mick Wadsworth earlier this season, repeating at the weekend his view that certain Chester players don’t possess the required ability to compete at this level... One player who doesn’t fall into that category is midfielder Clark Keltie, who has turned in several man of the match performances over the past few weeks. Keltie, who is on loan from Rochdale, completes his temporary spell after tonight... The club’s directors haven’t yet indicated if they will sanction the much needed extension".

TUESDAY GAMES

Tuesday, 24 Nov.
BSP

FA TROPHY

The following FAT replays are also being played:

Wednesday, 25th

TAMWORTH v ALTY

It is hoped to provide news from the Tamworth v Altrincham match on Tuesday evening on the update page.

Right: John McAliskey made his debut up front for Alty at Chester last Saturday. He was one of four Alty players in the squad standing 6ft 3inches tall or more; the others being Greg Young, Robbie Williams and Andrew Owens.

The BBC confirms that "Tamworth manager Gary Mills has the luxury of a virtually fully-fit squad for the second week running. The only definite absentee is long-term injury victim Alex Rodman, who is still struggling to shake off a back injury.

Altrincham manager Graham Heathcote will welcome back Tom Kearney and James Smith from suspension, having completed three-match bans for violent conduct. Winger Chris Denham may also be available after missing the 3-1 away win at Chester through illness".

RAY TWIST

REFEREES

The referee for tonight's game at Tamworth is Mr R. Joyce who officiated at Altrincham 0 Rushden and Diamonds 4 on Saturday, 29 November 2008, when he sent off Shaun Densmore. He also reffed Newcastle Blue Star 1 Altrincham 2 on Sunday, 26 October 2008 in the FA Cup.

CHESTER AFTERMATH

Chester First also reports that "Jim Harvey [has] admitted that some of his players were just not up to the job... He said: 'I was very disappointed with Saturday’s game because I thought we lost it in the opening 30 minutes. We didn’t defend and our shape was atrocious. It looked like we didn’t know what we were trying to do. Altrincham came at us and put us under a bit of pressure and got a couple of goals which they rightly deserved. It didn’t really get much better up until half time, but we came out for the second half and we lifted our game a little bit and got back into the game to make it 2-1 and we probably had our best spell through the middle part of the second half...

It’s hard to shout and rant and rave at the players because some of the boys out there are just not good enough... I’ve no idea whether the club’s off-field problems are having an effect on the players. You’d need to ask the boys that question... All our games are going to be tough during the remainder of the season, but it’s not so much about the opposition, but more about ourselves... I had to change our formation on Saturday because of our personnel and it didn’t work out at all because we were all at sea...

As a team against Altrincham very few of our players stood up and did what was asked of them... I’ve now mentioned to the club owner that Clark Keltie’s loan deal with us comes to an end after tomorrow night’s match at Stevenage Borough... I would like to think that we could keep him for another month'...

Embarrassed Chester fans headed for the exits well before referee Darren Drysdale blew up for full time. Boos rang out from City supporters as the players trudged off at the break and the unhappy fans also vented their disillusionment when the final whistle sounded....

Saturday’s match day programme confirmed Stephen Vaughan Junior as club owner and director, rather than his father".

Radio station Dee106.3 has an interview with Stephen Vaughan Senior. Asked about selling the club, he says that he is not convinced that Paul Baker, who has enquired about acquiring City, has the money to effect a takeover. Mr Vaughan also asserts that at City "Ownership remains with Stephen Vaughan Junior" who has "100% control of club" and he insists that "that has always been the case from day one" when the new Chester City 2004 company was formed. However, Mr Vaughan confirmed that the club will now terminate the loan of Vaughan Junior to Northwich Vics to avoid any continuing conflict of interest. He also asserted that "Football debtors far outweigh creditors" at the Deva and insisted that "What we owe out, we will pay".

BSP NEWS

According to NL24 "Steve Fallon is confident Histon’s solid defence can keep them earning points... while they try to rediscover their cutting edge. Fallon saw his side draw 0-0 at home to Wrexham on Saturday...

The manager tells Cambridge-news.co.uk: 'As long as we keep it tight defensively, I’m sure the rest will come... With Danny Wright out and Josh Simpson gone, it’s a big ask. We’ve got to find players, whether from within the club or getting them on loan'. Fallon handed Andrew Tidswell a first start and brought on Bradley Hudson-Odoi, recently linked with a loan move away from the Glass World, as he searched for the magic formula". Of Hudson-Odoi, he said, 'He’s got a lot about him, but he flatters to deceive. He’s got to realise that it’s not just about him and that we want an end product'".

News of our Trophy opponents comes from the Daily Post which says that "Wrexham manager Dean Saunders praised his side’s resolute performance after Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Histon before admitting a lack of punch of up front continues to be a major problem for the Dragons... Saunders, who restored striker Marc Williams to his starting line-up after a four-match rest, said 'It’s all about confidence in Marc’s case and getting the break of the ball... I’ve got to solve the goal-scoring situation. We had 11 clean sheets in 55 games last year and we’ve already had 11 in, I think, 21 games this season. We’ve just got to solve it up the other end because we have missed bagfulls of chances...

Everybody thinks it’s going to be easy just to jump out of this league. Well, just ask Mansfield, Oxford, Hereford, Chester or Cambridge how easy it is. It’s as though it’s a disaster if we are not 2-0 up at half-time. I’ve played for some big clubs and if you are not winning 3-0 with 20 minutes left something’s wrong. I’m used to that and I’m trying to instil that expectation and mental strength into these players. But it’s understandable because we don’t want to be in this league and (in that respect) I’m the biggest Wrexham fan there is'".

Meanwhile, "Former Wales international Gareth Taylor has urged supporters not to give up on Wrexham less than halfway through a campaign in which the Dragons have so far failed to live up to pre-season expectations... The veteran striker, who heads the Racecourse goal-scoring charts with nine goals to date, admitted he and his team-mates had let down fans in their previous outing – a 2-0 home defeat to Hayes & Yeading... Speaking after Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Histon, he said: 'We're putting together a decent little run. Yes, of course, we want to be there at the top of the league and a club like Wrexham should be there... I don’t know if it’s easier to play away from home... It’s not an easy league and you come to places like this (Histon) and it’s their biggest game of the season. They want to beat us and turn us over and everyone puts in that little bit more...

[Histon] responded with a tried and tested route one formula that was devoid of any imagination and designed simply to force mistakes... An opening 15 minutes of aerial bombardment that resembled a game within a game of head tennis culminated in a let-off for the visitors".

Oxford United "have strengthened their squad with the emergency loan signing of striker Onome Sodje from Barnsley. Sodje began his career with Charlton before loans at Welling and then Gravesend and Northfleet. He then joined the Fleet permanently... before joining York City in 2007. He scored 22 times in 47 league starts for the Minstermen before joining Barnsley this summer".

TAMWORTH TIMES CHANGED

Altrincham and Tamworth last met in the Conference on 21 April, 2007, with the Lambs winning 1-0. It was Alty's penultimate game of the season and both clubs ended up in the bottom four - Alty finished 21st, Tamworth 22nd - but the Robins were reprieved from relegation, thanks to Boston's demotion. Alty's side that day was: 1. Stuart COBURN; 20. Stephen ROSE, 17. Karl MUNROE, 4. Peter BAND, 11. Warren PEYTON; 7. Robbie LAWTON, 6. Steve BUSHELL, 8. Val OWEN, 14. Lewis CHALMERS; 9. Colin LITTLE, 12. Joe O'NEILL. Subs: 2. Steve ASPINALL, 5. Gary TALBOT, 10. Rod THORNLEY, 13. Richard ACTON, 22. Andy SCOTT.

ANOTHER AWAY DRAW

Full draw:

AARON GOES

CHRISTMAS SHOPPING

CHESTER GOALS

This site's match report is here.

OLD BOYS

AFTER THE GAME

According to the Chester Chronicle "The gloom enveloping the Deva Stadium worsened as demoralised Chester crashed to a miserable derby defeat. A crowd containing just 842 home supporters watched on as Altrincham played their more illustrious neighbours off the park before the break before sealing their first win in six matches in injury-time after Glenn Rule’s goal of the season contender sparked hopes of a City comeback...

The damage had already been done by that stage, however, with a shocking first-half display giving rise to the theory that Jim Harvey’s players are now every bit as brow-beaten by the club’s never-ending off-the-field problems as much as the hundreds, if not thousands, of fans who are choosing to stay away". In the second half, "City were beginning to turn the screw yet the feeling remained that they would need something special to break down an Altrincham side who were now more than happy to sit on their lead". After making it 2-1 "Although hardly the Alamo, the momentum was now very much with the hosts and lively substitute Lloyd Ellams saw two half-chances come and go. But hopes of a grandstand finish were dashed when Densmore and Little combined to set up Senior for a sweetly-struck right-footed finish into the bottom corner".

OLD BOYS

Kevin Ellison scored for Rotherham at Torquay in League Two, whilst Danny Heffernan and Peter Band both netted in the FA Vase as New Mills beat Tividale 6-1. At his new club, Steve Aspinall scored for Bamber Bridge as they defeated Harrogate Railway 4-0. Ex-Alty loanee Jody Banim scored as Radcliffe Borough lost 1-2 to Prescot Cables.

FRIENDS

FA TROPHY

CHESTER CITY 1 ALTRINCHAM 3

Match report here.

Right: Alty celebrate Colin Little's opening goal.

Saturday 21 November:
BSP

SATURDAY'S GAME

TUESDAY'S GAME

GRAHAM ON THE RADIO

He also threw some light on the James Smith (right) suspension, which arose after Mansfield sent a video to the FA which led to the right back being suspended for an incident the referee had not seen. Graham confirmed that the club only received a copy of the video, which had caused Smith's ban, after the guilty decision had been reached by the FA. He also confirmed that Smith had been allowed neither representation nor the right to appeal and indicated that the video on which the suspension of the Alty player had been based was the version which had been edited to have a short gap before the incident which allegedly showed Smith raising his arm against Mansfield's Speight.

In this context, discussion moved on to relate this incident to the Thierry Henry handball for France v Ireland, a case in which FIFA has refused to take any notice of video evidence.

OLD BOY

BSP NEWS

Last season four Blue Square Premier clubs reached the 3rd Round of the world's most prestigious cup competition, the FA Cup. Already this season Blue Square clubs are fighting to better that score and create a new record. With 12 clubs from Blue Square divisions taking their rightful places, to surpass last season's number there does need to be a couple of headline shocks somewhere in the 2nd Round on Saturday 28th November.

Due to the make up of the 2nd Round ties, 3 of the 12 clubs will definitely be in the bag, for the possibility of pairing them against one of the Premiership giants, as six of them meet each other.

Blue Square Premier leaders Oxford United welcome Barrow who make a very long trip to the Kassam Stadium, whilst two ex-Football League clubs Cambridge United and York City go head to head in East Anglia. Across the other side of the country there is an massive and intriguing West Country derby, when Forest Green Rovers travel just a few miles to take on neighbours Bath City, who in turn will not be overawed by playing one division lower in Blue Square South, having reached the 2nd Round by disposing of Grimbsy Town. Adding to the spice of this match is the fact that six of the current Romans players recently played for Rovers.

Meanwhile the further 6 clubs from the Blue Square Premier, Blue Square North and Blue Square South will be facing, what on paper anyway, maybe classed as tougher opposition to get their numbered ball into the famous velvet bag. for a chance to take on the big boys. However, the Football League opposition who take on Northwich Victoria, Wrexham, Luton Town, Rushden & Diamonds, Kettering Town and Staines Town need to be afraid, very afraid. None of them should enter their respective tie with any complacency, for after all these six clubs deservedly reached this stage with some accomplished performances, as the likes of Charlton Athletic, Rochdale and Shrewsbury Town will testify.

Obviously Northwich Victoria and Kettering Town have the added bonus of live televised ties but any club under-estimating the strength of non league football at present in any of the three Blue Square divisions could be in for a nasty shock come the end of 90 mintes. And that is what the FA Cup is famous for. It is going to be an electric weekend!!

Certainly any of the 12 clubs mentioned will be hoping that this year it will be their turn to hit the headlines for all the right reasons, with Blue Square clubs having never been more prominent".

From the Football Conference we learn that "Forest Green Rovers have signed young striker Ben Joyce on loan from Torquay United. Twenty-year-old Joyce could not believe it when he was recalled by his parent club on Wednesday from his loan spell at Weston-super-Mare to be informed by manager Paul Buckle that he would be going to Rovers in time to be in their squad for the league matches against Stevenage Borough, Oxford United and then Bath City in the Second Round of the FA Cup. The Plymouth-born striker is seen by Rovers` boss David Hockaday as the ideal replacement for the departing Sean Rigg, who leaves the New Lawn after a very successful loan spell to return to Bristol Rovers... He was surprised at the speed of how it all happened and was driven north to Gloucestershire by his father late on Thursday night so he was ready to train and meet his new team-mates on Friday morning... Rovers also announce that the registration of defender Josh Ford has been cancelled as the player expressed his desire to seek an opportunity elsehwere, and that Marcus Palmer has been allowed to sign non-contract forms for Evesham United so he can get some first match action under his belt. The club, though still retains his registration". 'It is my clear intention and that of my co-owners to have Crawley Town Football Club debt free by the end of the current season. That remains very much achievable despite the current financial downturn and this will in turn enable the club to divert income and capital to the current year rather than serving old debts... We have not finalized next years budget but I expect revenues to rise by around £250,000 over this current year and I am pleased to confirm £150,000 of that is already secured.

We are fortunate in that we have sold players for decent monies, have a management team who work with the smallest squad and resources possible and without our managers’ transfer dealings in the summer I can tell everyone we would not be in the solid financial shape we are today. We as owners have had to refuse the manager a number of targeted new signings recently because we could not afford them in our budgets. I further accept we have substantially reduced the playing budget, we have sold players who the manager identified as being crucial to him but we will not be frightened to make the decisions that are right for this football club, he has to get on with the job in hand with the money available...

I accept we have a very frustrated management team at present but they are a very talented, hardworking and remain ambitious... Only last week another player had to go out on loan but at the end of the day the books have to be balanced, the alternative is an ever cycle of debt and that is not an option either. I will not jeopardize this football club financially, that has to be a thing for the past. If I have to make unpopular decisions that are in the best interests of this football club I alongside my co-owners will do so...

The club was in a seriously poor financial state when Prospect Estates took control... We have lost revenues this season these being approximately £250,000 from our original budget... This football club cannot be allowed to go back to the dark days of mismanagement, neglect of duty and another administration order... We need to keep our management team in place, despite me knowing there is interest from elsewhere, keep hold of our better players and reward them and our supporters with a player budget that in turn allows the team to have a chance in what is a very tough competition".

CAmbridge News says that "Steve Fallon insists Histon are as ambitious as ever despite the club's financial difficulties and the loss of some of their best players. With Danny Wright injured and Lanre Oyebanjo set to leave the club in January... Fallon said he is still setting his sights on reaching the play-offs, starting with the home match against Wrexham... 'After Christmas you never know, we can maybe push on from there. It's important we don't say "well we've lost players let's just make sure we stay in this league". That's not good enough for anyone at this football club'... Histon's squad is still troubled with injuries, with Craig Pope facing a prolonged spell on the sidelines following a setback in his recovery from a grass burn. The injury had become infected and the right-back had to return to hospital for treatment earlier this week and is now expected to be out of action for up to five weeks".

At last the FA has a report on the England C international in Poland. "After Tuesday’s fine win over Poland U23s, England C Manager Paul Fairclough could not hide his delight... 'I was aware of the strength of the Polish side... However, the players responded magnificently and I just wished that this side received the press coverage that their continued quality performances deserve'. The performance of the team was probably best summed up by a report in the local Poznan sports paper on Wednesday morning which, roughly translated, said: “We were not aware which players the English were sending to us. They played for clubs that only someone who played Championship Manager on their computer would be aware of. However, now we know. They outplayed us, outfought us and gave our players, some of whom are on the edge of the A team, something to think about”. England C: Dale Roberts (Rushden & Diamonds) (John Hedge (FC Halifax Town, 86), Shaun Densmore (Altrincham), Sean Newton (AFC Telford United), Tom Cadmore (Hayes & Yeading United), Darius Charles (Ebbsfleet United), Jake Howells (Luton Town), Max Porter (Rushden & Diamonds) (Jai Reason (Cambridge United), 73), Rossi Jarvis (Luton Town), Nick Wright (Tamworth) (Tom Shaw (Tamworth), 60), Chris Holroyd (Cambridge United), Richard Brodie (York City) (Matthew Barnes-Homer (Kidderminster Harriers), 66)".

Mansfield report that "Attacking midfielder Jon Challinor has signed for us on loan until January 2010 from rivals Cambridge United... The 28 year old will also sign until the end of the season on a permanent basis, when his loan deal expires in January... Cambridge United paid £15,000 for his services in the summer of last season... Challinor can also play as a stand-in right back".

Grays Athletic "announce the loan signings of Billy Bingham and Harlee Dean from Dagenham and Redbridge... Anwar Uddin has returned to Dagenham and Redbridge due to an injury".

He played against Alty for Colwyn Bay in a pre-season friendly and now NL24 announces that "Colwyn Bay are unveiling new signing Adriano Rigoglioso in their line-up for tomorrow’s crucial UniBond Division One North clash with Lancaster City at Llanelian Road. Rigoglioso, 30, who once played in the same Liverpool youth team as Michael Owen, Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard, can operate in either midfield or as a striker... Says Bay manager Neil Young 'It’s refreshing in this day and age that he’s not money-motivated and just wants to come here to play football'". Rigoglioso was recently with Grays Athletic and his other Conference clubs include Morecambe and Forest Green Rovers.

ALTY SIGN STRIKER

John had only joined Witton Albion in October 2009, having previously been at Salford City and Northwich Victoria. In September 2009 he had also registered with Alsager Town. He will wear squad number 17.

CHRIS OUT

TUNE IN TO GRAHAM

SENSE OF PERSPECTIVE

Graham Heathcote has called for a sense of perspective after seeing an early two-goal lead pegged back by Forest Green Rovers at a rain-swept Moss Lane. Atrincham seemed on course for a welcome win, following a Robbie Williams header and brilliantly-worked second goal from Chris Senior, but had to settle for a point after Forest Green hit back just before half-time and forced an equaliser near the end.

While there was some disappointment at the turnaround among a near-1,200 crowd, Heathcote had little difficulty identifying factors that had worked against a squad depleted by injuries and suspension.

'We set out to press high up the pitch and did it ever so well for the first half-hour or so,' said the Alty manager. 'But with so many players still working their way back to full fitness, we were never going to be able to maintain that for the full 90 minutes. Chris Denham, for instance, hardly trained all week and was told to give us a nod when his legs had gone. That's why he came off in the second half. It had nothing to do with tactics.

'You have to remember, as well, that Forest Green are a full-time outfit who have picked up significantly since Dave Hockaday took over. They are turning into a really good side, as shown by their FA Cup replay win at Mansfield. The players all came in on Monday night, and we sat through a video of Saturday. We discussed the game and analysed everything thoroughly, and though it was clear Forest Green undid us a bit with some of their football in the second half, it was still a great response from us, early on, to the Cheshire Senior Cup performance against Witton Albion.

The size of the crowd was another big plus point, given the weather and lack of away support. The schools initiative helped, and that is something we must repeat'. James Smith and Tom Kearney (right) complete their suspensions at Chester on Saturday, while Heathcote awaits a fitness update on Denham, who has had flu all week.

ALTY REACH FINAL

RETURN OF THE HARBINGERS

Following the success of their gig in April, TASC are delighted to announce that Harbingers....plus Support... will return to perform in The Noel White Suite on Friday December 11th at 7.30pm (doors Open at 7pm).

'Harbingers' are a band comprising a number of Altrincham supporters including the club's longest serving gateman........Nigel Hennerley and they will be performing songs from their debut album 'Falling off Roofs' and their recently recorded EP.

The full line up of the band is: MIKE BENSON - Guitars/Vocals IAN PRICE - Bass/Vocals JIM BENSON - Drums NIGEL HENNERLEY - Guitars

This is sure to be an excellent evening & you can listen to some 'harbingers' tracks here.

Tickets available by e-mail from Brian Flynn or on 07860 561011. £4 in advance, £5 on the door.

BE A SPONSOR!

NEW NON-LEAGUE MAGAZINE

Watch out for your copy in your local shops today/tomorrow/Saturday (depending on individual shelving procedures) or ask at your club about buying NonLeague24 – clubs who have signed up to sell the magazine will receive £1 for each copy sold, so the more copies you and your mates buy, the more money is pumped into your club".

Copies are available from Altrincham FC, so support the Robins by buying your copy there - it costs £3.95.

ALWAYS ON DUTY

Curiously this week's SAM has two pictures of the game against FGR. One, featuring Anthony Danylyk,is actually captioned as being Ian Senior, whilst the other, showing Greg Young and colleagues is headed Nicky Clee.

FA CUP

The FA TV fee is £6,750 for each club. The draw for the Third Round Proper will be televised LIVE on ITV1 on Sunday, 29th November 2009 at 3.55pm following the Kettering Town v Leeds United tie.

NEXT OPPONENTS

The situation is so bad, City’s unhappy players held crisis talks on Monday with chief executive Bob Gray to air their concerns over the direction the club is going in... Harvey, who has been told the club cannot afford to extend the loans of Blackburn Rovers centre-back Johnny Flynn and Barnsley winger Michael Coulson, must ready his rock-bottom Blues for Saturday’s visit of Altrincham.

'The lads have put in some good performances since I arrived, but I would still say the squad, as a whole, is not strong enough', said the impressive Harvey, who is working under a transfer embargo and without a physio following Ben Holt’s resignation...

'To lose Johnny and Michael is a massive blow. Johnny put in two or three really solid performances for us and he really helped shore up the defence. Michael, meanwhile, gave us a real threat and with each passing game he was becoming more and more of a handful. Their departure has made life very, very difficult for us. It’s not a case of other lads in the squad needing to step up now Johnny and Michael have gone – we are already using everything we’ve got and the lads are doing everything they can'".

And the Liverpool Daily Post adds that "Chester City's players return to training today to prepare for Saturday’s game against Altrincham... Manager Jim Harvey said: 'We have to tighten up defensively, and we will be sorting out the defensive problems in training. We gave cheap goals away against York City and Tamworth and we need to concentrate for the full 90 minutes of a match, and the players have been left with this thought in no uncertain terms. I have had some encouraging news on the injury front. Neil Ashton and Michael Lea who have both been suffering with groin injuries, have improved this week, and both have outside chances of being fit for Saturday’s game'".

BSP NEWS

Barrow have "clinched the signature of young Chesterfield striker, Jordan Bowery, on loan until January 9th. The eighteen year old is a speedy tall forward and replaces Andy Cook, who will be sidelined for up to three months with a broken foot... Bowery was a summer loan target for Barrow, with The Spireites managed by John Sheridan, brother of Barrow's Darren".

This is Tamworth says that "Tamworth boss Gary Mills says his players face one of their toughest games of the season as they travel to lowly Ebbsfleet this Saturday. The Lambs head to Kent having stopped a run of seven successive defeats by beating Chester City 2-1 last Saturday. But, despite confidence being lifted by last weekend's win, Mills is taking nothing for granted as his side travel south, before entertaining Altrincham at The Lamb on Tuesday night.

'We have a few games coming up now against teams below us in the league, or around us in mid-table', said Mills. 'They are big games, starting with Ebbsfleet. I have always thought that once we have everyone fit and available, we can beat anyone. But, at the same time, I won't be taking victory over Ebbsfleet for granted. It will be one of our toughest matches of the season.'...

Alex Rodman (back) is Tamworth's only absentee this weekend and, with former West Brom winger Simon Brown joining on loan from Wrexham last week and ex-Coventry striker Iseyden Christie also arriving, Mills has competition for places. 'It's great to have options on the bench', he said. 'Having Neil MacKenzie, Nick Wright and Chris Smith fit again has been massive for us... having them back was a reason why we got a result last week'".

NW NEWS

As fans launched the community fundraising drive to allow the club to battle on into 2010, a true picture of its off-field woes was laid bare... Manager Andy Gray has not been paid for thirteen weeks, but has vowed to continue, and the club’s three contracted star players could leave. Accounts have not been presented to shareholders since May, 2007, and 12 directors have resigned since Lloyd took over the club in 2003...

Chairman Richard Aindow said: “Since the start of this season, we estimate around £30,000 has come into the club through season ticket sales, sponsorship money, FA Cup prize money and gate receipts, and yet financially the club is now in its worst-ever position. 'We understand contracts entered into have not been honoured, rates and utility bills remain unpaid, and coach companies and programme printers are owed money, which has jeopardised the future of the club. This situation has arisen due to the way the club was run, where over-ambitious goals were set and the club has lived beyond its means. This has left a once-proud football club on the brink of going out of business'... The supporters’ club – which has already ploughed £20,000 into Burscough since forming five years ago – has set up a fundraising '100 Club'” reports the Liverpool Daily Post.

NEXT OPPONENTS

Right: Gavin Rathbone's image shows Anthony Danylyk giving his all against FGR last Saturday. the GR Photography website has many more Alty images.

Altrincham meet Chester City on Saturday and our opponents have figured in the national press this week...

The Guardian has two articles on Chester City. One of them says, "Chester City's Stephen Vaughan has become the first major scalp of the fit and proper person test. Chester City, losing £600,000 per year, are facing expulsion from the Conference over unpaid debts. Chester City supporters are hoping that a torrid period for their club can be brought to an end and a new beginning embarked upon by the requirement that Stephen Vaughan, the owner since 2001, must reduce his majority stake after admitting a £500,000 "carousel" VAT fraud and being disqualified as a company director for 11 years. Vaughan, a Liverpool businessman whose time in charge of City, and the Conference club Barrow before them, was marked by early success then insolvency and controversy, will become the first majority owner of any professional football club declared not 'a fit and proper' person while still in charge...

On the face of it, this will bring to an end Vaughan's eight turbulent years at City, although he is likely to transfer the shares to one of his sons, according to the club's managing director, Bob Gray. If that happens, the FA will have to be satisfied that Vaughan senior no longer exercises 'direct or indirect control' over the club's affairs as stipulated by the rules...

While at Barrow, Vaughan declared publicly that he had been arrested by HM Revenue and Customs as part of an investigation into Curtis Warren, the Liverpool drug dealer who had been sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment in the Netherlands for trafficking hashish, heroin, cocaine and ecstasy...

Vaughan's investment, which Gray puts in the millions, saw City promoted back to the Football League in 2004 under the management of Mark Wright, and comparative good times trickling back, although intrigue was never a stranger at the Deva Stadium. In November 2007, the fans were asked to honour a minute's silence for a man, Colin Smith, described as a friend of Vaughan's and a benefactor to the club. Supporters, bewildered about Smith's identity would soon read he was a major Liverpool cocaine dealer – although he was never actually convicted of any drug-related offences – who had been killed the previous month in a shooting widely described and reported as a gang execution...'We knew him as a lovely and very friendly man', Gray explained...

Vaughan bought the club from the administrator again, this time without a CVA being agreed or its debts paid in full as required by Conference rules. The Conference imposed a 25-point deduction, 10 for the club being insolvent, 15 for the failure to agree a CVA, but the FA still fined the league itself £5,000 for accepting City, a breach of the league's own rules... Budgeting to lose more than £600,000 this year with a wage bill including several players on about £1,000 a week, City have fallen behind with their payments again, and have been threatened with expulsion from the Conference if they do not pay money owed to the Professional Footballers' Association, Wrexham and Vauxhall Motors, by 30 November.

The club is seeking parachute payments from the Football League, which were withheld because of the administration... 'We hope the Football League will pay us', Gray said, 'But if they don't, we'll have to find it'".

The Guardian adds that "Current chairman Ian Anderson has confirmed to the local press he is talking to an unnamed local consortium, while an unnamed player told the Liverpool Daily Post that Chief Executive Bob Gray had told the players that he may not be with the club for much longer, hinting at a takeover. Former Bournemouth co-owner Paul Baker has confirmed approaching both Anderson and Gray on behalf of a consortium, telling the Devachat forum he was quoted £750,000 for a 'debt free' club but Vaughan refused to tell him the current financial state of the club.

Baker has called the valuation of the club 'too high', and suggests that former Accrington man Eric Whalley may also still be interested in the club. Whalley, who announced in the summer that he was to join Chester in an advisory role that never materialised, retains a majority ownership at the Crown Ground with monies still to be paid to him to transfer the shares, meaning he would have to complete that deal before he could turn to Chester".

Indeed, in the Liverpool Daily Post Anderson revealed 'I can confirm that I am in negotiations with a consortium who are showing interest in purchasing the club. It is an interesting proposition, and on the face of it, it looks good for Chester City Football Club'... A Chester City player who didn’t wish to be named, contacted the Daily Post yesterday and revealed that the club’s chief executive Bob Gray had met the playing squad... He said: 'One thing he did tell us was that he may not be with the club in the next week or so, and it could be that there may be a change of ownership'.

Chester are next in action on Saturday when they face Cheshire neighbours Altrincham at the Deva Stadium. Defender Neil Ashton is doubtful because of a groin injury while midfielder Michael Coulson has returned to Barnsley after his one-month loan deal wasn’t renewed".

From NL24 is a report that "Vauxhall Motors are shocked and angry following the news that Chester City FC have now been given until November 30 to pay off their football debts following the transfer of Paul Taylor in 2008. 'It is simply astonishing', comments chairman Alan Bartlam, speaking to the Birkenhead News. 'When we are given a deadline to meet certain criteria, it is set in stone. If we do not comply, we are penalised. It is as simple as that. But deadlines in respect of Chester City are seemingly not worth the paper they are written on. We have been owed money by this football club for over 12 months for a football-related matter, yet the so-called powers that be actually seem incapable of exerting any power whatsoever. It is a disgrace'".

SHAUN'S CAP

CHESHIRE NEWS

FUN DAY

Right: Action from Saturday's Fun Day at Moss Lane, as captured by Gavin Rathbone's camera.

BSP NEWS

Football Secretary, Russell Dodd said, 'It's a shame because, without the Setanta Shield this season, this is a very useful competition for us. We intended to use it to give first team players who haven't been getting a game recently, for whatever reason, some playing time and also as a way to have a look at some of the reserves or other trialists away from the fully professional environment of Blue Square Premier football. We also want to progress in this competition as we have a less cluttered midweek programme this season.'

Dodd continued 'The Rossendale game featured the likes of Phil Bolland, Mark Boyd, Carlos Logan and Darren Sheridan, all very experienced at Conference level and above. Dave Bayliss also got some playing time under his belt, which is useful for us. It might only be £75 but its disappointing all the same' There is no right of appeal against the punishment".

Better news for the Bluebirds is that "Barrow are hoping to clinch the signing of a new loan striker today after the news from Brunton Park, that Andy Cook has a broken foot... The as yet un-named forward is FA Cup-tied and... the pacey tall 18-year old is currently in the first team squad at a League Two side".

The NW Evening Mail adds that "Barrow joint-manager Dave Bayliss was last night tight-lipped as to the identity of the player, but said: 'We saw him in pre-season and liked him, but at the time he was playing first team for a League club so we couldn’t get him. He’s a young lad but he’s rapid and tall – not the type of striker we’ve had at our disposal previously... With Jon Shaw set to go back to Rochdale... we’re also looking to bring someone else in... Nine-goal Jason Walker – Barrow’s only contracted striker – has recovered from the knock he picked up on Saturday".

"Liverpool have paid an undisclosed fee for youngster Dave Moli from Luton Town" confirm Blue Square Football. "Fourteen-year-old forward Moli had been part of the Hatters' under-15 side but will now move with his family to Merseyside, where he will continue his schooling and train at the Reds' Academy". Meanwhile, "Luton boss Richard Money admitted that he is likely to add some more fresh faces to his Hatters' squad. The Hatters mentor recently snapped up the services of keeper Kevin Pilkington and striker Mark Nwokeji on loan, but is eager to bolster his squad even more. He told Dunstable Today: 'We have until Thursday and, no, it's probably not the end of people coming in... We are always on the look out to try and improve'".

The BBC tells us that "York City are targeting a variety of ways to increase their income to offset annual losses of up to £400,000. The accounts for the year ending June 2009 show a £30,000 profit, but only because of a run to the FA Trophy final and the sale of Martyn Woolford.

The club's finance director Terry Doyle said promotion would help. 'To run a competitive Conference club, (we face) a funding shortfall each year of between 300 and 400 thousand pounds', he said. 'By competitive Conference club, that means retaining a full-time squad, the training facilities we've got, the training ground and the infrastructure that we've fought so hard to retain since York were relegated... [If promoted] my understanding is that the central funding income would be around ten times what it currently is in the Conference... If the home support holds out at 2,500 that does take some of the pressure off".

"Kettering Town player-manager Lee Harper has set his sights on winning the Blue Square Premier this season. The 38-year-old oversaw a 2-1 win over Rushden & Diamonds in the Hillier Cup in his first match in charge. The keeper told BBC Radio Northampton: 'It's a fantastic opportunity for me. I set my standards as high as I can, and that means winning the league. I won't make changes too quickly but I want us to be balanced between defence and maybe for us to play a bit more... I don't have any fear of jumping into the manager's job. I've played at all levels of the game and worked with some good man-managers', added Harper.

He will also be devoting himself to the player-manager role full-time, having previously run a business alongside his playing commitments.... 'I'm here for the long haul, not just the end of the season, and I'm going to give it my all'. Since Harper will continue to play in goal for the Poppies, a decision on an assistant manager at the Elgood's Arena is expected shortly. 'The chairman has said that it's crucial for me to keep playing because we're solid in defence. It's only right we don't upset that too much. In an ideal world, I'd probably want to just manage. But there will be someone on the touchline with experience in the game, someone I trust. The guy [I've got in mind] in is an ex-forward'".

"Garry Haylock has confirmed that both Franck Padovani and Kraig Rochester have left Hayes & Yeading United to seek first team football elsewhere having failed to find a way into the United side. Both players leave with just a single first team appearance in the Middlesex Senior Cup against their records".

"Wrexham FC manager Dean Saunders gave his players a three-hour grilling in the wake of Saturday’s 2-0 home defeat at the hands of Hayes & Yeading, a match he missed because of his alternative job as a member of the Wales coaching team" reports the Daily Post. After the Dragons boss and his players sat through a recording of the match there was a lengthy meeting, before everyone finally went out to train more than three hours later than normal. Later Saunders... insisted it was business as usual.

'When I left here last Wednesday the lads were flying in training and if it was permitted I would have bet on us to win on Saturday',” he said. 'Now all hell has broken loose but everything had been going pretty well with a six-game unbeaten run before Saturday, so I thought about coming in today and carrying on as normal. But I decided it would be better to get everyone in a room and try to resolve what problems there were on Saturday. It clearly was not a lack of effort from the players, but we lost because of poor positional play... I’m not going to let one result affect what we are trying to achieve here... At this level defenders are going to make mistakes and strikers are going to miss chances and people need to remember in what league we are. My job is to put that right and if I can’t do it with these players I will change the squad around until I do'".

The Oxford Mail says that "Oxford United are set to strengthen over the next few days, with the likely target an attacking player. U’s boss Chris Wilder said 'We were looking to strengthen in and around Christmas anyway. But with Matt Green’s injury and with Alfie Potter having been out a long time with his illness, and Marcus Kelly’s injury, we might now do it earlier. The loan window closes on November 27, so if it’s a loan, it’s got to be done by then'. United currently have four loanees – Green, Ross Perry, Steven Kinniburgh and Potter".

From The Chad we read that "Mansfield boss David Holdsworth watched Forest Green Rovers steal FA Cup glory after a messy stoppage time goal sealed a 2-1 replay win... He said: 'I am not going to shout and scream. We will be constructive and see where we can improve... We are extremely disappointed to be out of the cup. It is a sickening blow for the players, the staff and the fans... We were too nice in midfield'...

Said delighted Rovers boss Dave Hockaday, 'Mansfield have been both magnanimous and gracious in defeat and said we deserved it... We have beaten a very good and honest team tonight'".

Sport4Salisbury says that "Salisbury City have issued a statement distancing the club from what they describe as ‘wild and unfounded’...

Holmes said: 'Matt’s a proven goalscorer and because of that he’s always going to be linked with other clubs. But there is absolutely no truth in the story that he’s going out on loan to Crawley... Would it really be in his interest to move sideways to Crawley, who are three places above us in the table?'...

A report on the Crawley News website quotes Town boss Steve Evans as saying he had targeted Tubbs and that City needed to reduce their wage bill. 'We’ve got one of, if not the smallest squad in the division. So why would we want to reduce it further?' added Holmes who confirmed that Crawley had made an enquiry about the striker last week, but it was by Evans’ assistant Paul Rayner and was immediately rebuffed by City first team boss Tommy Widdrington... Evans has not fielded a side that has beaten Whites in their four meetings...

Holmes added that Whites...are still confident they will reach an agreement with their creditors and be out of administration in the near future".

AWAY TRAVEL

JACKPOT

YOUTH REPORT

RESULTS

Tuesday 17 November
FA Cup 1R replays

International Friendly

BSP NEWS

From Blue Square Football, we learn that "Hayes & Yeading United have bolstered their firepower by bringing in two strikers in the past week. Former Havant & Waterlooville and Woking striker Craig Watkins has been drafted in by manager Garry Haylock after George Daly's loan from Wycombe came to an end. Meanwhile, Striker Staforde Palmer has returned to Church Road following his three month loan spell with Maidenhead United".

And "AFC Wimbledon have revealed that defender Nathan Ashton has left Kingsmeadow... Manager Terry Brown... told South London Press: 'After speaking to Nathan last week, it is apparent that he wants immediate first-team football. I could not give him that guarantee, so Nathan has left us. We have been playing Brett Johnson in the left-back role for the last couple of weeks, but we look better defensively with him playing in one of the centre-back positions. So our search for a left-back continues'".

The ever informative Bullsnews explains that "The deadline for setting up new loans ahead of January's transfer window is November 26th. After that date existing loans can be extended but new loans will only be permissable under 'exceptional circumstances'".

Liverpool's Daily Post revealed on Tuesday that "Chester City last night failed to find the money which would have enabled them to extend the loan signings of defender Jonathan Flynn and midfielder Michael Coulson. With a transfer embargo hanging over the club, because of previous financial problems, the only way City manager Jim Harvey could maintain a squad with an acceptable level of ability, was to extend the loan signings with continuity agreements of players already at the club. This latest news will come as a hammer blow to Harvey, who said at the weekend: 'I have asked for the loans to be extended, we just need to sort the financial side'”.

REARRANGED GAME

THE REF ON SATURDAY

A DAY IN THE LIFE....

The day starts before many spectators would imagine, at 9am. Keith Davey, our snack bar impresario calls to collect me and drive me to the ground. I enter the hallowed portals, de-alarm the building and then admit Keith to go about his duties in feeding the hungry hordes who we hope will be attending the match.

Then I open the offices ready for the day ahead. Having prepared the matchday paperwork at home the day before, I then proceed to draft out the turnstile log book for the match. Once this is done I go to the turnstiles and take the individual readings which is generally for 10 turnstiles but for the bigger games could be up to 13. Having photocopied the day's season ticket number this then has to be posted outside the relevant turnstiles - nos 5 & 7.

Once this is done, in the winter, the heating is turned on in the Boardroom and Bar. I then make my way back to the offices to start preparing everything for the catering staff, ballboys and girls, programme sellers, Jenny and her bar staff and the Club Shop. By this time, 10.30am, Darren Gregory, our safety officer arrives to start his day's duties.

I then go about routine office work, answering the phone to such enquiries as "Is the game on today as after last night's rain our lawn is flooded?" the general answer to that is" It's a good job that we're not playing on your lawn!" As soon as Graham Heathcote arrives which can be any time from 12.30 onwards I go and get the team sheet off him and enter it in the team book which has to be taken to the referee by the manager and captain for 2pm. This is where the ref's room becomes extremely overcrowded with opposing managers, captains, officials and assessors all together!

Prior to this I've welcomed the officials on arrival, arranged a drink of tea/coffee and left them with their expenses sheets to complete which I collect from the changing rooms once the game begins. In the meantime my trusty aide Phil Taylor (Alty Tunnel Steward to all & sundry) has arrived with my lunch. Once I have received a copy of the opponents team sheet (at 2pm) it is handed to Sarah or Grahame Rowley to produce the Match Team Sheet for distribution to the Boardroom, Manchester Glass Sponsors' Lounge guests, the press and vice presidents.

In between all the above happening, our turnstile operators arrive around 1.30pm to collect their floats before opening the gates at 2pm. We all gather in the office for our prematch banter which revolves around many subjects but they are certainly a great bunch to work with even though some of us look as though we have been doing the job for a very long time! In fact, I can't recount how many years it is but who's counting?

Once the turnstiles are manned I grab my lunch and then go to the Boardroom for a cup of coffee. Kick off arrives and I collect the expenses sheets from the referee's room. I then make my way back to the office to make up these expenses and wages for the Officials, turnstile operators, ballboys and girls, and programme sellers so that they are ready for collection on their return from duty.

During this time, Phil Taylor takes the turnstile readings, ready for when the attendance is calculated. This is compiled from the above readings plus Boardroom attendees, vice presidents, and Sponsors Lounge guests. This information is supplied by Dave Johnson who mans the Players and Officials entrance. The final figure to be added in is the unused season ticket numbers for that day. I am always amused by various contributors who go on the fan's forum doubting the validity of the attendance announced. The only attendees not recorded are the club scouts and press.

Then comes the first real break in the day when I retire to the Directors Box to watch the last 40 minutes of the game. At the final whistle I pay the club Doctor and the Match Officials. Finally, the last bits and pieces are completed and it's off to retire to the Noel White Suite. The end of the normal day comes when I lock up usually at about 8.30pm.

Obviously the day is always brighter if we've won! Let's hope it's a good day today.

BSP NEWS

On Thursday, 12th November, 2009, notification was received from the Board of the Football League that they required further time to enable them to seek and take legal advice on the award and distribution of possible payments to Chester City FC from monies held by the Football League Ltd.

As a consequence of this request, the Football Conference has agreed, in the interests of the competition as a whole, to extend the date of compliance to Monday, 30th November 2009 for Chester City FC to fully comply with the financial payments ordered against them.

The Board re-iterate their previous statement that any failure to make such payments in full by this date will lead to a move to call a meeting of member clubs to consider the club’s expulsion from membership in accordance with the rules of the Football Conference".

From Blue Square Football we learn that "Wrexham chairman Geoff Moss has moved quickly to defend manager Dean Saunders after the Dragons slumped to a... 2-0 defeat at the hands of Hayes & Yeading on Saturday while Saunders was on international duty for the Wales friendly against Scotland in Cardiff.

The club's supporters voiced their discontent at the final whistle with chants of 'Saunders out' but Moss... told Daily Post North Wales: 'When Dean was appointed it was with the proviso that his Wales duties would take precedence and we are honour-bound to respect that. It is only the second time that he has missed one of our games and to put what was a very poor performance by the team down to his absence is unrealistic. It's difficult to believe they were the same 11 players who had done so well at Kettering in their previous league game, so I can't defend them or the performance and I can understand why supporters were upset and annoyed'...

Wrexham captain Ashley Westwood echoed the comments of Moss, saying: 'It's no different if the boss is not here. What can the manager do when we cross that white line?... It's the players who've let the manager down, not the other way around. He can't get on the pitch and kick the ball for us'".

According to the Harrow Observer "Hayes & Yeading United boss Garry Haylock has accused Wrexham of showing a lack of respect to his side in the wake of their 2-0 victory at the Racecourse on Saturday... The hosts had Lamine Sakho sent off in the second for a brutal head-butt on Esmond James. Tensions were still high after the game and although delighted with the result Haylock was fuming with the attitude of Wrexham's players. 'I think they showed a lack of respect to us', he said today. 'Teams don't like getting beaten by us, especially the bigger ones. I don't think they approached the game in the same way they would against Oxford'". Referring to the sending off he added, "It was shocking, as was some of the behaviour of their players. They should have had another player sent off for punching Danny Allen-Page from behind".

The Liverpool Daily Post tells us that "Troubled Chester City have been handed a further extension by the games’ governing bodies... The club have now been given an extra fortnight to sort the matter out... It is understood that Chester are endeavouring to utilise monies from their discretionary Football League parachute payment, due following the club’s relegation last season to pay off their creditors. A transfer embargo still hangs over the club. However, if they can find the cash, Chester will be allowed to extend the temporary loan signings of defender Jonathan Flynn from Blackburn Rovers and Barnsley midfield player Michael Coulson, both players’ initial one-month loan deals finish this week.

On the field, sloppy individual errors consigned City to their second defeat in five days, as they went down 3-1 at Tamworth on Saturday... CHESTER CITY: Danby, Roberts, Ryan, Kelly, Meynell, Barry, Keltie, Kay (Blundell 63), Beesley, Coulson, Chadwick Subs: Murphy, Owen, Rule, Ellams"

"For the first time this season Crawley fans voiced their anger as their side slumped to a third home defeat of the season" reports the Argus. "There was no disgrace losing to a well-organised Mansfield side whose boss David Holdsworth hailed their best away performance of the season despite losing Matt Somner to two yellow cards in the space of four minutes... The play-off chasers defended superbly and always looked a threat on the break. On this evidence they are certainties for the play-offs.

But it was a huge anti-climax from a Crawley perspective after they appeared to have turned the corner when they beat York so impressively a fortnight ago. It is now one win in eight games. A section of the home crowd aimed some disparaging comments as their frustration grew in the second half although Evans’ assistant Paul Raynor shrugged it off as a little local difficulty.

He said: 'You always get a small minority who want to boo but they must have been very spoiled by previous managers here. Silly people will always want to make silly comments'. But the alarm bells must be ringing in the boardroom. There have been smaller crowds at the Broadfield but 177 on Saturday came from Mansfield which meant it was the lowest home contingent this season.

Evans referred in his programme notes to the 'hundreds of thousands' of pounds invested by directors Susan Carter and Bruce Winfield and you shudder to think where Crawley would be without their generosity on home gates averaging less than 1,000.

While the Stags can boast a first-team squad of 30 players Evans has been told he can only bring in a new striker by taking another player off the payroll. That is why he sanctioned Jefferson Louis’s loan move to Rushden and Diamonds, even though he is top scorer with five goals. Former Albion striker Nathan Elder, who is with Shrewsbury, was lined up as a replacement but that deal fell through... Reds were so toothless up front that Mansfield keeper Alan Marriott was never seriously extended"

"Stevenage Borough come to The New Lawn on Saturday, with Forest Green boss Dave Hockaday insisting his side are due to give someone a footballing tonking... Hockaday watched his side fight-back from a 2-0 deficit at Altrincham... 'Someone is going to get a tonking off us one day', said Hockaday. 'We are a force at the moment and no one really wants to play us' he told the Stroud Journal... He said: 'We were very poor in the first 20 minutes and conceded two bad goals. We dominated the remaining 70 minutes'".

From the Thurrock Gazette we learn that "Grays plunged further into relegation problems when they lost at 2-0 home in atrocious conditions to promotion-chasing Luton. The New Rec hosts are now third from bottom, but the 1,668 crowd — boosted by a large travelling contingent from the ex-Football League club — saw hope for the future from the home side.

Grays fielded three new players in midfield and one of them, Alsseny Cissoko, looked particularly assured... Host assistant manager Kenny Brown admitted: 'Cissoko may be the anchor that the team needs. The difference was a touch of experience that Luton had'”.

"Lee Harper has told Kettering Town fans he won't let them down as he begins his reign as the club's player-manager" reports the Northants Evening Telegraph. "Chairman Imraan Ladak appointed the 38-year-old goalkeeper as Mark Cooper's successor... It is Harper's first managerial role and he will continue to play but will also appoint a new assistant-manager later this week.

And Harper insists he is ready for the challenge. 'I am really happy that the chairman has shown his faith in me when he could have easily gone and got someone a lot more experienced', Harper said. 'There won't be a lot of tinkering. But I do have my own ideas and thoughts... I am 38 and there will come a time when I won't be able to play any more. This is a big chance for me. It may work, it may not but I can promise everyone that I will be giving it 100 per cent'".

YOUTHS REACH FINAL

NEXT UP

For details of the TASC supporters' coach, visit the Away Travel page.

CLUB EVENTS

We're less than 7 weeks away from Christmas and there's plenty to tell you about what's going on at the club in that time.

Finally, the "All Change for Alty" tins that were distributed at the end of last season for people to collect their loose change in has raised over £900 to date. If you still have a tin that needs counting or you'd like to start collecting please ask in the office for a tin - thanks to everyone who has handed their tins in to date and helped raise this fantastic sum.

COTE's COMMENTS

Well, yet again, I find myself apologising for another inept performance in the Cheshire Senior Cup. Add that to a woeful performance against Mansfield in the FA Cup and I clearly have some major problems with motivation and focus for our cup games. Players who have performed well in the league, despite our recent run of defeats, have simply not turned up in our cup games and I can only think that they are very short sighted. Cup games generate much needed income that maybe has not been budgeted for and therefore makes everyone's life that bit easier.

Without it, we walk a very precarious tight line and if that means cuts have to be made to make ends meet then so be it and whilst those with a contract may be safe until the end of the season it's no safeguard beyond that and indeed it's no safeguard before the end of the season. What if we turned round and didn't pay wages like so many other non-league clubs have done then the club would be the bad wolf, but what about doing your jobs? Too many players don't see football as a job and yet they are paid to do a job and if you turned up at your day job and didn't look as if you were bothered one iota you wouid be sacked, no question.

Footballers believe that they are some sort of protected species - well they're not and whilst the contract does safeguard to some degree you can make them earn their money, you can make them put in more time, there is no 'It's a Tuesday, Thursday night training and a game on a Saturday scenario'. The reality is, they can be brought in 7 days a week, no question, under the terms of their contract and I am going to ensure that the players here earn their money. I feel bitterly let down, embarrassed by our cup performances and need to do something about it. I'm becoming increasingly frustrated with the same old problems year in year out with players. They have become comfortable because they know we appear as a club to only have the ability to survive and not really push on, on the playing side.

The club is well run and people work really hard around it but, when players know that there is no real pressure on their places, that is very dangerous and complacency sets in. We need, indeed must find a way to push this team on. They have had a good start to the season in the league and now risk throwing it all away because the strength of our depth is not good enough - fact, and with the suspensions of late, mainly self inflicted, we have been exposed badly and we have to find an answer and stop meandering along and revisiting the same problems at this level of football year after year and that will take an increase in revenue above the resources we already raise.

You can't expect Geoff to raise any more he funds the place enough with his sponsorship and his Dinner each year that raises thousands. The Rowleys work tirelessly every week and do Dinners. Derek's in every day. Andrew operates within the hierarchy which is beneficial to the club. Everyone else around the club put in enormous effort to cover all areas and generate what we can and for what? To see the players perform in a manner that has become too often unacceptable in the cups. They need to take responsibility instead of just take, take, take. Too many modern day footballers just see the football club they are at as a pay cheque and nothing else. In no other walk of life could you not perform to the required level and still survive. Am I angry? You bet I am and also frustrated as I'm sure any woman would tell you who can only go window shopping, we need to buy something from inside the shop and I don't know how we are going to get that money.

We are trying to compete against teams who in some cases have FIVE TIMES our wage bill. But I'll tell you what, I bet every one of those Witton Albion players wish they were playing here. I look at the Northwich side that did brilliantly against Charlton with 100% effort and I think to myself no enough is enough. These sort of performances have happened too often especially in the Cheshire Senior Cup and it's time to put a stop to it and that will mean making changes either to playing staff or management staff. I know which has most feeling and desire for this football club. So we will see.

We have taken our eyes off the ball this last month and paid dearly and whatever time we need to put in on the training ground to get us back on track will be put in and whatever changes have to be made will be made as soon as it is possible. Love or hate this league and its problems, people tell me we must be at this level but playing at this level players demand a contract in most cases, not all. We were better off when we totally operated on a non-contract basis only. The players trusted me and the club and we have always done right by them. Now they hold the upper hand because they have a contract they seem to please themselves when they have a go and when they don't.

There is enough evidence this season that shows that when players are up for it and focussed and doing their jobs, there can be no complaints irrelevant of the result. Well, I only want players who are focussed and up for it every week no matter what the competition and I have told our players if they cannot do that or they are not happy here, ring me and we will sort it out. There are a lot worse places than Altrincham Football Club to play your football at - maybe a few need to go and experience some of these clubs to appreciate what a good club they are at here and an honest one at that too.

Enjoy today's game - it's a league one. Attitudes should be right.

Graham

DAY IN THE LIFE...

Terry Surridge, Programme Sales Co-ordinator.

For almost 25 years I have been responsible for programme sales at Moss Lane. Prior to taking on this role I organised programme exchanges with most clubs we played and helped David Thorpe and Ian Boardman in their excellent Programme Shop (which was then situated at the old Chequers End). I like to arrive about three hours before kick off to count the programmes and distribute as required.

Complimentary programmes are provided for the players (both home and away changing rooms), the match and club officials and Board Room. Added to these are programmes for the match and ball sponsors plus individuals who partake of the hospitality in the sponsors' lounge (which is highly recommended). The exact number of complimentary programmes is dependent on numbers in the Sponsors' Lounge but is reasonably constant whilst the actual attendance varies considerably - check this season's games against Histon and AFC Wimbledon.

The print run must reflect as accurately as possible these variations. The number of programmes printed depends on the opposition, the estimated number of away fans, whether a midweek or a Saturday game, the competition and our own current form. It is not an exact science but experience helps in determining the required number. About 6 unsold programmes from each game would be ideal to allow supporters who miss a game to fill in any gaps in their collections at a later date. In recent seasons we have fine tuned the print run to avoid too many unsold programmes, consequently many games are sell outs. If we print too many and have a lot of programmes left it is likely we will lose money as the cost of printing will exceed programme sales.

On match days, once complimentary programmes are distributed and postal requests (which are regularly received although numbers are small except for big games) are put aside, the remaining programmes are divided into four batches- one for each sales area (home turnstiles, away turnstiles, stands and the club shop). Sales then depend on the programme sellers - a very loyal and reliable team. Campbell is in the programme shop; Sarah and Dan look after the home end and Daniel is in charge of the away end sales once his extra large flag is in place at the Golf Road end. I attempt to keep up with the younger members of the team selling at the stand turnstiles.

We are quite competitive amongst ourselves. Sarah always claims I sneak some of my programmes into her box. I actually think it is the other way round. On days when I have national or international weightlifting competitions Sarah takes over my responsibilities and everything runs very smoothly!

Once programmes are sold, all the money returns for me to count and bag. This I do as quickiy as possible in order to (hopefully) see the last few minutes of the first half. I cannot finish without mentioning Sally, one of my longest serving programme sellers. Having been well indoctrinated from an early age to the delights of Moss Lane by Jenny and George Heslop, Sally wanted to sell programmes whilst still at primary school. My concerns that she was too young proved unfounded as her takings always matched the number of programmes sold.

OLD BOY

BSP NEWS

'We have known for quite some time that Lee Harper would be a future manager of Kettering Town and, although the opportunity has arisen earlier than expected, I am absolutely convinced that Lee is the outstanding choice to continue the incredible progress we made over the last two years with Mark Cooper. Lee has been a major part of our achievements on and off the field, especially in relation to our defensive and organisational successes and is hugely respected by the players, supporters and officials of Kettering Town. He has worked under a host of outstanding managers (including George Graham, Arsene Wenger, Gerry Francis, Colin Calderwood, and Mark Cooper) and having played in each of the first 6 tiers of English football, his knowledge and experience provides an excellent foundation to build upon.

In addition to the experience and qualities that Lee possesses, his understanding and knowledge of our club and players, at such an important time for the club, give him an advantage which no externally appointed manager could ever match. The club has worked very hard to get to the position we are in and despite the departures of Mark and Nicky (Eaden), strongly believes we need to maintain as much stability as possible'...

The club has already commenced the process of shortlisting for the role of Assistant Manager and expect to make this appointment by no later than Thursday".

Meanwhile, "Cambridge United are confident of receiving cash from crisis club Chester for Mark Beesley’s loan deal", reports the Cambridge News. "Chester could be expelled from the Blue Square Premier if they do not hit Monday’s deadline to pay a loan fee owed to Vauxhall Motors for player Paul Taylor and away ticket sale money from their derby at Wrexham in September. But... United are optimistic they will be reimbursed by Chester, who are paying 80% of Beesley’s wages during his loan spell, which was extended into a second month earlier this week. United continue to pay Beesley directly, but invoice Chester at the end of each month.

General manager Robert Smith said: 'It’s a judgement we had to make, but we’re confident that we’ll actually receive the money. Should Chester not be able to pay and are in administration, we’d have first claim as we’re a football creditor'. Director of football Jez George said, despite the risk of non-payment, it was a good deal for both United and Beesley from a footballing perspective. George said: 'For us, that will save the majority of his wages and we’re confident we’ll get the money'...

However, Beesley’s future with United remains uncertain with Adam Marriott staking his claim to move up the pecking order... Manager Martin Ling said: “People talk about physical presence and Chris Holroyd and Mark Beesley is the least physical partnership we’ve got... A decision on Beesley’s future hasn’t been made, that’s for sure'".

SCHOOLS' FUN DAY

Before the game with FGR and at half-time, local schoolchildren took part in the Altrincham FC Football in the Community project's "Primary Schools' Fun Day". Altrincham C. of E., Woodheys, St Vincent's, Tyntesfield, Heyes Lane, Cloverlea, Navigation Road and the Forest School all participated. Despite the atrocious weather before kick off, the children were able to play on the pitch, as is shown in the above photo. Many thanks go to Chris Bullock and his coaching colleagues for making the event a successful one.

FGR GAME

This site's match report is here.

INJURIES

TOMMY MAGUIRE

A great character, Tommy had himself been a part-time footballer in his youth and had played on several of the grounds that Altrincham visited in recent years. He had served in the Royal Navy during the War and, until his late eighties, he had been an accomplished cyclist, covering long distances in the saddle. In his latter years he had made use of a tandem. Tommy was also a regular at the Manchester casinos and had an appreciation of good food and of professional standards of service. Even when attending football matches he wore a smart suit, collar and tie.

Tommy will be greatly missed at Moss Lane.

OLD BOYS

ROCKY'S NEW LOOK

FLYNNZINE

Three Points and Value for Money please!

They run around chasing a lump of leather for 90 minutes on a Saturday...and every week they're paid way in excess of what teachers, nurses and soldiers earn. Some say footballers are finely-tuned athletes, entertainers, showmen... even ARTISTS. Others say they're boorish, pampered yobs who've lost their grip on reality - and that their wages are completely out of control.

Sounds like I'm talking about today, doesn't it? But I'm not.

I'm talking about the year 1886. At the end of the 1885/86 season - the first in which some clubs had become "professional" - Blackburn Rovers accounts showed that they'd paid two players, James Forrest and Joseph Lofthouse, £1 a week for their services. Yes, a whole POUND.

The papers had a field day, red-faced politicians huffed and puffed, claiming something needed to be done... and a huge can of worms was opened. Fast forward 123 years and we still haven't been able to close it. Chelsea (and England) captain John Terry recently signed a deal that will pay him around £169,999 MORE every week than his Victorian counterparts!

That, according to "footballerswages.com", is more in a single week than an NHS nurse would get for up to six YEARS of life-saving work... or what an Army private would expect to receive for serving almost seven years on the front line in Iraq or Afghanistan.

In fact, in June, annual wages in the Premier League exceeded £1 billion for the first time. Closer to home, following our exit from both the FA Cup and Cheshire Senior Cup with barely a whimper, Graham Heathcote has promised that his “well paid part-time players” will earn their weekly pay cheque in the coming weeks which will determine whether we go into 2010 looking to build on a positive start to the season or beginning to look nervously over our shoulders at the teams in the lower reaches of the Blue Square Premier.

We will find out who our opponents in the FA Trophy are, a week on Monday, and hopefully that will be a great opportunity to make progress in that important competition and earn vital funds to invest in the short term future health of the club.

I am sure that we will get a performance from the team today as we try to wipe out the bitter memory of that 5-2 defeat against Forest Green Rovers here earlier this year....a game where we were 2-0 up within 20 minutes and then snatched defeat from the jaws of victory!

Let’s get amongst them!

Brian

BSP NEWS

York received £250,000 - £300,000 for their cup run and another six-figure sum following Woolford's departure. Fellow forward Adam Boyes's move to the Iron won't appear until next year's accounts. Annual turnover had risen from £1.1 million to £1.7 million, while gate receipts were also marginally up, increasing from £494,000 to £516,000.

In addition, cost of ground repairs dropped from £33,000 to £18,000 and wages for all staff rose by £80,000 to a figure approaching £940,000. Doyle told The Press: 'The FA Trophy made a big difference... It was worth between £250,000 and £300,000 but we have still only made a small profit during what many clubs would consider a successful season by reaching Wembley. To run a competitive Blue Square Premier club on our basic level of income, you are going to incur losses of between £350,000 and £400,000, although moving to a new ground would obviously help things change in that respect'".

The BBC reports that "Crisis club Chester City have been given an extension until 30 November to repay debts owed to Wrexham and Vauxhall Motors. City, originally due to settle the matter by 26 October, had already had one extension to the deadline. They faced expulsion from the Conference if they failed to provide the repayments by 16 November. Without the new extension their final ever game could have been Saturday's clash against Tamworth at The Lamb".

ALTRINCHAM 2 FOREST GREEN ROVERS 2

Right: Greg Young tops the pile as Alty celebrate their second goal, scored by Chris Senior. Colin Little, Anthony Danylyk and Aaron Burns are the other players seen.

Saturday 14/11/09:

BEFORE THE GAME

Left: Gavin Rathbone of GR Photography here captures Alty captain Robbie Lawton in action against Witton Albion,last Tuesday.

The BBC says that "Altrincham will be without defender James Smith, who was retrospectively suspended after video evidence of a foul was uploaded on to the internet. Midfielder Tom Kearney is also banned, Dale Johnson (knee) is out but Chris Senior and Chris Denham could return. Joe O'Cearuill could make his Blue Square Premier debut for Forest Green. Lee Ayres (groin) and Jeffrey Imudia (knee) are out and Oliver Thorne (ankle) and Andy Taylor (hernia) are doubtful but Craig Rocastle is back.

Forest Green Rovers manager Dave Hockaday told BBC Gloucestershire: 'Box to box we are as good as anything in this league, but we have got to kill teams off and not make crucial errors... We had two points out of 24 when I arrived, but I couldn't do anything about that. Since then we've averaged a point a game. We've done OK but OK isn't good enough. I think we're a one-and-a-half points a game team. Do that and we'll end up in a healthy position'".

Forest Green Rovers "travel to Altrincham FC buoyed by last Saturday's good performance against Mansfield in the FA Cup. Manager David Hockaday will have Craig Rocastle back for this league match after he had been cup-tied for the last game. It also looks like Tomi Ameobi has recovered from his ankle injury and will be pushing for the starting line-up but both central defenders Lee Ayres and Ollie Thorne are still recovering, saying that, Thorne is close to returning.

Altrincham currently lie mid-table but have only won 2 of their 9 home matches, scoring just 8 goals in the process. This should be a good test for Rovers to see how their season, and the Manager’s, is progressing. Last season Rovers scored 5 second half goals to overturn a 0-2 half-time deficit".

This is Glos says that "Jonathan Smith would gladly swap plaudits for vital points when Forest Green Rovers tackle Altrincham... Rovers were the victims of an FA Cup hard-luck story against Mansfield last weekend, when an 88th minute equaliser denied them an outright place in the second-round draw. It was not the first time Dave Hockaday's side have been found wanting when it comes to killing a game, and midfielder Smith... said: 'This is my third season at Forest Green and there have been so many games we've dominated and not gone on to win... We're well capable of going to Mansfield and winning the replay', he said... 'We're not thinking about that yet though, it's all about Altrincham. It might be a battle up there and we'll be ready'. Smith is likely to be paired in central midfield with Craig Rocastle... For so long cast as relegation candidates themselves, Graham Heathcote's Altrincham have enjoyed a steady season so far and have 24 points to their name – twice as many as Rovers".

NUMBER 29

Born on 18 October 1989 and 6ft 3ins tall, Andy is the son of Altrincham and England semi-pro international, John Owens. A centre-half or left-back, his previous club was Stafford Rangers, whom he joined in in August 2009 from the Glen Hoddle Academy in Spain. However, he had started out as a youngster at Liverpool, before moving to Stoke City. In early 2008, a period of work experience was spent at Leek Town before he moved to Marston Road.

Stafford Rangers say that he is "A commanding centre half with an eye for goal from set pieces. Impressed in the pre-season friendly match against Port Vale. Signed from the Glen Hoddle Academy. Previous clubs Liverpool and Stoke City. Made his debut on the opening day of the season at Hyde United". He also appears to have a long throw in his armoury.

The Glen Hoddle Academy in southern Spain reveals that Andrew's two favourite players are "Steven Gerrard, he’s the best all-round player in attack and defence, plus I’m a Liverpool fan. Thierry Henry simply because of the stylish way he plays, simply superb". His sporting ambition is "To play in the professional game at first team level, to play at the highest possible level and to win as many honours and trophies as possible" whilst his career highlight to date was "Being a part of the first intake of players in the Glenn Hoddle Academy". Asked what he learned at the Hoddle Academy he said "I now know my potential as a footballer and also check over my shoulder before receiving the ball; the two second rule, even though the team may have the ball, we’re still defending!"

HOLIDAY CLUB

BSP NEWS

However, "Allen Soraff said Histon's directors will need to continue dipping into their own pockets to ease the club's financial crisis" according to the Cambridge News. "He also revealed that the club has debts with HM Revenue and Customs and Cambridgeshire Police, but added that plans had been agreed with both parties to settle the outstanding amounts. 'The directors putting their hands in their pockets and paying the bills is going to be the key to turning the finances around', said Soraff, who joined the board nearly three years ago as finance director. 'Even if you put 200 or 300 people on the gate, that brings in £3,000... I set a budget at the beginning of the season that didn't need directors to put their own money in. But gates haven't been at the level we hoped for, sponsorship hasn't been at the level we hoped for, and TV revenue has disappeared'.

Soraff said the club hopes to pay off its VAT bill, which currently stands at £20,000, and money owing to the police - £11,000 - within three months. 'We're very comfortable with the level of debt we've got and the arrangements we've got to clear it', he said. 'What we owe to HM Revenue and Customs is a very small amount of money in relation to what other clubs owe... Everything is under control'. Soraff said next year's playing budget is likely to be reduced".

On the field, "Steve Fallon faces a mounting injury crisis and is struggling to field a recognised striker... Danny Wright will be out for three to four weeks with a calf injury and Michael Frew is also a major doubt... With Craig Hammond and Bradley Hudson-Odoi struggling for fitness, the Stutes boss may have to play Nathaniel Knight-Percival or Jamie Barker in the forward role".

The Football Conference says that "Hyde United have signed defender Adam Dugdale from Barrow" and that "Hayes & Yeading United have signed striker Craig Watkins, who was recently released by Woking". Meanwhile, "Gateshead have clinched the loan signing of rising Blackburn Rovers star Andy Haworth... Lancaster-born Haworth is a regular in Blackburn's reserve side and made his first-team debut last season where he made two appearances... Gateshead have beaten Stockport County and Wrexham for the talented winger's loan signature".

Also, "Former Weymouth defender Stephen Reed has joined Grays Athletic on a month`s loan from Macclesfield Town. The left-back, who joined the Silkmen from the Terras in the summer, missed pre-season training through injury and has since struggled to break into the first-team".

"Tamworth manager Gary Mills has bolstered his under-performing squad with the signing of strike duo Simon Brown and Iyesden Christie on loan" reports Blue Square Football. "The Lambs have lost their last seven matches and Mills has brought in the strike double in a bid to get his side back to winning ways. Brown joins the Lambs from rivals Wrexham AFC, while Christie has been given permission to join Mills' side by Southern League side Farnborough Town. Former Kidderminster striker Christie has been training with Tamworth for the past few weeks and will be available for selection against Chester City on Saturday. Mills could also welcome Nick Wright back to the fold as the England C striker looks to recover from a heel injury in time to play".

"Luton Town manager Richard Money has bolstered his squad with the signing of Notts County goalkeeper Kevin Pilkington and Dagenham & Redbridge winger Mark Nwokeji on loan. 35-year-old Pilkington has been brought in on a month's loan after an injury to Mark Tyler... Shane Gore has staked his claim for the number one jersey in Tyler's absence and Money could be tempted to stick with him for Saturday's trip to Grays Athletic. 27-year-old Nwokeji just recently returned from a long-term injury".

The "Kettering manager Mark Cooper will be named Peterborough boss on Monday subject to a compensation deal being agreed, BBC Sport understands. The 40-year-old has had a successful spell in charge of the Poppies... Bournemouth had rejected an approach for their boss Eddie Howe and his assistant Jason Tindall... That led the search to Kettering".

The Northants Evening Telegraph adds that "Kettering Town chairman Imraan Ladak has confirmed Mark Cooper is in talks with Peterborough United about becoming their new manager". Poppies chairman Ladak said, "'It seems, unsurprisingly, that they were very impressed with him but no final decision has been made at this time... we will see what happens'. Any move will be subject to a compensation figure being agreed between the two clubs". A Peterborough spokesman said "The players will meet their new gaffer on Sunday".

"Martin Foyle, manager of Blue Square Premier club York City, has taken free agent Tyrone Berry on non-contract terms to boost his striking options" reports NL Daily. "The 22-year-old Londoner has signed for the club having been released by Grays Athletic at the end of last season. He began his career as a Crystal Palace trainee and has also played for Rushden & Diamonds, Crawley Town, Gillingham and Stevenage Borough as well as a short period on loan at Notts County". -

Barrow announce that "Carlisle United striker, Andy Cook, has signed another two-month emergency loan deal at Holker Street. The deal was resurrected late yesterday afternoon after Carlisle had initially wanted to keep the young striker at Brunton Park following his prolific goalscoring return during his initial one-month loan. However the Carlisle management had a change of heart... Cook has scored five goals in all competitions for Barrow from 2 starts and 3 late substitute appearances".

From the BBC comes news that "Crisis club Chester City head for Tamworth on Saturday once again fully aware that they are just one game away from even greater gloom. City face expulsion from the Conference if they do not repay debts to Wrexham and Vauxhall Motors by 16 November. Owner Stephen Vaughan claims that Chester are owed money too, by the Football League and the Conference...

City had strung three straight league wins together until going down 3-2 at York on Tuesday night - their first away defeat since losing at leaders Oxford in August. But City's upturn in form has been built around two key loan signings, Barnsley midfielder Michael Coulson and Blackburn Rovers' teenage defender Johnny Flynn. But their respective loan agreements run out after Saturday. And, unless City have the funds to extend them early next week, then they risk losing their services altogether".

From the Liverpool Daily Post comes news that "Cash-strapped Chester City may be playing their final Blue Square Premier match tomorrow when they travel to Tamworth. City could be expelled from the Conference next week if certain football-related debts aren’t paid on or before Monday’s extended deadline. It is understood that certain members of the Conference management committee are exasperated by the apparent slow progress being made by the club on certain outstanding payment issues. Another issue appears to be that a personal guarantee still hasn’t been honoured".

"Gateshead are still hoping to extend Peter Winn and Daryl Clare’s loan spells at the International Stadium" according to the Chronicle Live. "The pair – farmed out to the Tynesiders by Scunthorpe United and Mansfield Town respectively – arrived in October on month-long deals... Though Clare has yet to open his own account on Tyneside, Bogie has been fulsome in his praise of the striker. He said: 'Daryl is a prolific striker at this level and though he has not scored yet, he has brought a bit extra to the team. He did not come to us fully fit, but he has been working on that'...

Bogie added: 'It has been an all-round effort lately. I am forever telling the lads, they are all as important as each other. You don’t achieve anything with 11 men – it takes 21 or so. I have a big squad here now, and most are fully fit and champing at the bit. When I select a matchday squad I am still disappointing a few, but that is a sign of our progress at the club'".

According to the Birmingham Mail "Kidderminster Harriers manager Mark Yates came up against a dead-end this week when he tried to recruit some new players... Yates said: 'I tried one or two avenues – but got turned down. We’ll keep exploring to see what we can do. At the moment we’ve got what we’ve got and we’ll have to go with that'".

TUESDAY NIGHT

PETER'S FUNDRAISING

WHEN ALTY WERE KINGS

THROUGH THE YEARS

NW NEWS

BSP NEWS

An FA spokesperson said: 'All I can say at this stage is that we are aware of the decision and that we will be considering it in line with the requirements of our Fit and Proper Person Test'. One of the definitions of a director under the FA’s Fit and Proper Person Test is 'a person who exercises or is able to exercise direct or indirect control over the affairs of the club'. Vaughan is Chester’s 100% shareholder but does not serve on the club’s board of directors which includes his son Stephen Vaughan Jnr, currently on loan from the Blues with Northwich Victoria.

The City chief indicated to The Chronicle that his disqualification will not effect the club as he has no part in running it... Ade Daramy, of the Insolvency Service, said: 'If you are subject to this undertaking then you are banned from being in the shadows or someone acting as your proxy. It’s a complete ban from being a director of a limited company and any of those roles or duties'.

The latest twist in the soap opera that is Chester City comes just days before the club discovers whether they will be kicked out of the Football Conference. The Blues have been set a deadline of Monday to comply with a compromise agreement containing the club’s conditions of membership to the league, and pay off their football creditors, who include neighbours Wrexham and Vauxhall Motors. The Chronicle understands Chester aim to do this by using the money owed to them by the Conference and the Football League. As of last night, Motors were yet to receive the £2,500 they are owed for Paul Taylor while Wrexham are also still waiting for the away ticket sales from September’s Racecourse derby".

More on this comes from the Liverpool Daily Post, which says that "The next five days could prove to be a defining period in the history of Chester City. Monday is the deadline set by the Football Conference, which instructs the Deva Stadium outfit to pay the majority of their outstanding football-related debts while this weekend sees the loan transfers of two of their players coming to an end, and these temporary deals must be renewed early next week if the players are to don a City shirt again.

The Conference, who appear to have been extremely helpful during these troubled times for City, extended last month’s deadline for payment of the club’s football debts, but they will expect businesslike solutions to be forthcoming next Monday, otherwise they could carry out their threat to expel City from the Blue Square Premier League. It is understood that monies owed to Wrexham, Vauxhall Motors and the PFA are debts that need to be settled, on or before Monday’s deadline.

Blackburn Rovers’ central defender Jonathan Flynn and Barnsley midfielder Michael Coulson are the players whose temporary deals come to an end this weekend. The pair have played a major part in City’s recent playing renaissance, which has seen the side win three of its last four matches".

From Blue Square Football we learn that "Rushden & Diamonds have signed striker Jefferson Louis on loan from Crawley Town until January, with a view to extending the deal through to the end of the season".

According to NL Daily "Mansfield Town are to send striker Jason Bradley on loan to King's Lynn for the rest of the season, once he has returned from injury".

The Cambridge News says that "Tony Roach has revealed Histon have no financial agreement in place with businessman Raj Chodankar. But the Indian could invest in the club in the future if his son impresses during a forthcoming trial at the Glass World Stadium. The Stutes' former chairman Gareth Baldwin thanked Chodankar for investing in the club in an interview with the News in August, but the entrepreneur was never formally unveiled as a backer.

Histon's new supremo Roach, who replaced Baldwin at the helm at the end of last month, said: ' I think he'd like to invest in a football club, but whether it's going to be Histon is a different matter. His son plays football and he is supposed to be coming to have a trial at Histon at some point. It's pencilled in and it could depend on how he performs in that trial - if we were to sign his son then Raj may invest money in the club'...

Speaking to the News in pre-season, Baldwin thanked Chodankar and Roach for their financial support. 'The good Lord shined on us and Tony and Raj walked through the door and totally changed everything', said Baldwin. 'Without them, for sure, we'd have been in a spot of bother as we'd have had a very small squad. Thanks to Tony and Raj's funding, we're now going to be up and at them'".

From Wrexham we learn that "Winger Simon Brown is on the verge of joining rivals Tamworth on a month's loan. The necessary paperwork has been signed and despatched to the FA and FAW, to allow for international clearance to be granted".

Ebbsfleet United "have been boosted with the news that Canadian defender Ross Smith has returned to the club. Smith, aged 29, played for Montrose and Margate before joining the Fleet, and left Stonebridge Road in 2007 to join Dagenham & Redbridge... Smith returned to North America to play for the Rochester Rhinos in the USL First Division... He suffered complications arising from a previously undiscovered heart condition which has been with him since birth. 'Ross is now fully recovered', said Fleet boss Liam Daish... Smith has played 87 times for the Fleet, and scored six goals".

The Gravesend Reporter adds that "Liam Daish has revealed he is trying to recruit up to three players ahead of his trip weekend's trip to York. The former Birmingham and Coventry City defender has been handed a £6,000 kitty by MyFootballClub (MyFC)... to use for long-term loan signings. Daish had previously admitted he needs to add a striker to his ranks ,but has now indicated that he may also be able strengthen elsewhere...

'I am looking at bringing in two or three players, but nothing has been confirmed yet'," Daish told the Reporter... They have not played competitively since October 31... and Daish believes the break has done no harm... 'We did a lot of fitness work to ensure that the lads were 100 per cent ready for the upcoming games'".

According to tha BBC, "Salisbury manager Tommy Widdrington says the club are still being penalised for the previous regime's actions as a ban on him signing players continues. 'It's strange to punish people on the pitch for past people's discrepancies', Widdrington told BBC Wiltshire. 'I go to bed with my fingers, legs and toes crossed hoping that I get a call to say we can [sign players again]'. The club went into administration in September with debts of around £200,000 owing to HM Revenue & Customs. Although the Whites are under a transfer embargo at the moment they can extend loan deals and are hoping to keep QPR duo Lee Brown and Joe Oastler for a third month".

Elsewhere, "Peterborough have interviewed Kettering boss Mark Cooper as they search for a successor to Darren Ferguson, BBC Radio Northampton understands... Highly rated Brentford boss Andy Scott is also reported to be a target. Kettering chairman Imraan Ladak would not confirm or deny whether Cooper had been approached... However, Ladak said he would not stand in Cooper's way if he wanted to speak to Peterborough".

"Hayes & Yeading United's survival hopes have been given a major boost after league bosses confirmed only three teams face the drop if Chester are given the boot" states the Uxbridge Gazette. "A source said: 'We can confirm only three teams will be relegated if Chester are expelled from the division'. The news will be a boost to the likes of Hayes striker Scott Fitzgerald,.. The former Brentford striker has netted three times in as many games, and boss Garry Haylock wants the 29-year-old to continue his purple patch".

This is Nottingham says that "Kevin Pilkington has left Notts County to join Luton Town on loan. The Magpies' keeper has moved to the Blue Square Premier side on a one-month deal".

GRAHAM WANTS VALUE FOR MONEY

"Altrincham manager Graham Heathcote is determined to get their season back on track with a victory over Forest Green Rovers on Saturday. Despite a run of five consecutive defeats, it is the Robins’ form in cup competitions that is causing a serious amount of frustration at Moss Lane. 'The players have performed well against some of the best teams in the league during October but we have fallen a bit short at the end of the day, but we have gone out of both the FA Cup and Cheshire Senior Cup at the first hurdle with what I can only describe as diabolical performances', said Heathcote in the wake of Tuesday night’s Cheshire Senior Cup 2-1 reverse at the hands of Witton Albion, who ply their trade three divisions below Altrincham.

'It seems that some players are using their contracts as a safety valve and they need to understand that our early exit from these cup competitions just puts added pressure on everyone else involved in what is a very well run club. As part-time players, our lads are very well paid and they need to earn that money and, if that means extra training sessions, then that’s what we will do. The last month has been very difficult, but we have the opportunity to pick up a decent number of points in the next seven or eight games to ensure that the good start we have had doesn’t go belly-up!!' added the clearly annoyed Heathcote.

The Robins’ next assignment, against Forest Green Rovers, kicks off at 3pm at Moss Lane on Saturday. The Gloucestershire side are in the relegation zone, having won just two games all season, but have shown signs of improvement since the appointment of Dave Hockaday as manager. There is sure to be an excellent atmosphere as eight local primary schools will be present for a Fun-day which includes five-a-side matches and soccer skills demonstrations".

YANKEE JACKPOT

CSC

In addition, Stalybridge lost 1-2 to Chester City on Wednesday night; Joe O'Neill got Celtic's goal.

The quarter finals will be:

The Witton Forum has a match report on the game at Moss Lane on Tuesday. "A goal in the third minute of stoppage time saw Albion go through to the next round of the Cheshire Senior Cup... and on the balance of play there would be few who could argue with the result... Albion should have wrapped the game up well before the 90 minutes, as first John McAliskey beat the offside trap to leave himself in a one-on-one situation with Coburn, but it was the keeper who came off best, saving the ball with his legs. Moments later Heler had the chance to record his second goal of the night but from eight yards out he drove the ball well over the top.

It was then the turn of Jamie Tandy to fail to beat Coburn, this time from the 12 yard spot after Albion had been awarded a penalty for a foul on Brad Maylett. Once again it was Coburn who kept his side in the game, diving full length to his right to push the ball away... With extra time looming it was Heler in the right spot at the right time to benefit from a lose ball which had squirmed away from the hands of Coburn from a John McAliskey header to score from close range...

Overall, this was our best display of the season".

The Northwich Guardian adds that "The Robins, fielding former Witton bit part man Ant Danylyk, almost punished their neighbours when Lee Neville cleared an effort off the line".

PETER'S SUCCESSFUL FUNDRAISER

If you would like to help this good cause please visit Peter's Just Giving website.

FA CUP REPLAY

BSP NEWS

£1.50 from every ticket goes towards policing the game".

However, NL24 says that "Kettring Town chairman Imraan Ladak is promising to keep ticket prices for the Poppies’ FA Cup Second Round meeting with Leeds United as low as possible... 'We understand there’s going to be a huge demand for this game', Ladak tells BBC Radio Northampton. 'We’re trying to keep the pricing as reasonable as we can so everyone can attend, but we also want to do what’s right for the club’s coffers. We know that the match is on television, which is a huge financial benefit. I think we’re going to try and price it a little bit cheaper than the Fulham match [in the fourth round of the FA Cup] last season, even though we reckon it’s actually a bigger game than that one'...

Poppies' manager Mark Cooper highlights the importance of a FA Cup run to the club’s finances. 'We need to make progress to bring in some revenue', says Cooper.

There are recriminations at Histon where "Tony Roach is branding Gareth Baldwin’s behaviour 'disgraceful' after the former chairman quit Histon without telling him. Stutes' supremo Roach believed Baldwin, who stepped down as chairman last weekend, would be remaining at the club as vice-chairman. The Cambridge News tried to contact Baldwin on Tuesday, and he replied via a text message saying: 'I won’t be returning to Histon Football Club'...

'Gareth has told you guys and not me', says Roach. 'It’s disgraceful. The club has been left in an absolute mess and I can’t believe he and his wife (former secretary Lisa Baldwin) have just walked away. There are a lot of questions and I need some answers. Me and the other directors have been left to pick up the pieces and take the club forward, so that’s what we’re going to do'".

And NL24 adds that "Steve Fallon is confident Josh Simpson will complete his move from Histon to Peterborough in January, despite the Championship side parting company with manager Darren Ferguson... Simpson will now have to impress whoever takes the reins at Posh, with Peter Taylor and Steve Coppell amongst the names being linked with the job. Fallon tells Cambridge-news.co.uk: 'The assistant, scouts and Barry Fry (director of football) had seen him play a few times and I think Ferguson gave him the final seal of approval. Josh has agreed everything and I’m sure, once the January transfer window comes along, Peterborough will take up the offer'.".

And another disgruntled man at Histon is revealed by the Cambridge News which claims that "Neil Kennedy could quit as joint-manager of Histon reserves after not being paid for four months. The Stutes legend... is set to meet chairman Tony Roach... Kennedy would love to stay at the helm alongside Ossie Mintus, but he is seeking financial assurances before making a decision. 'There was talk of me moving on, but I spoke to Tony after the game on Saturday and we're in talks with regards to solving the issues I have'," said Kennedy. 'It's premature to say I'm leaving as nothing has been finalised and I'm positive things will get sorted out.... We've not been paid for four months. I enjoy what I do and so does Neil, but there's a lot of travelling involved and we're giving up a lot of time. We'd just like to be paid'...

'Me and the other directors always understood that Neil and Ossie were unpaid', said Roach. 'But they're on the payroll and haven't been paid for a long time, so they were frustrated and justifiably so... We've told him the money will be paid to him. He needs time to digest that and decide how he feels'. The chairman has also revealed former coach John Beck is still owed money by the club, but that both parties have come to a financial arrangement. 'I had a meeting with John Beck last week and I think he's a tremendous guy', said Roach. 'It wasn't me who pushed him out. He's been very, very professional, been loyal to the club and we've come to an agreement'".

According to NL Daily "York City have signed former Carlisle United and Yeovil striker Kevin Gall, who was released by Darlington last month... The 27-year-old originally began his career with Newcastle United and went on to earn Wales under-21 international honours... He replace[s] on loan striker Adam Boyes, who has returned to Scunthorpe United".

"Salisbury City boss Tommy Widdrington said he is indebted to QPR boss Jim Magilton and his assistant John Gorman after the Loftus Road club agreed in principle to extend the loan spells of Joe Oastler and Lee Brown to the maximum period allowed - 93 days. The duo will now remain with the Whites until the middle of December".

Another loan extension is reported by Mansfield Town where "Manager David Holdsworth [has] revealed that rivals Gateshead are to extend the loan of striker Daryl Clare until 1 January 2010. Clare, who originally signed for the North East side at the beginning of October, has yet to find the net, but has started in five consecutive league and cup fixtures". Meanwhile, "Scott Gardner has today been made available for a loan transfer... The boss said: 'Scott has expressed a desire to get first team football... He started the season as my first choice right back'".

From the BBC we learn that "Chester boss Jim Harvey believes his side failed to compete against York during their 3-2 defeat on Tuesday. 'For the best part of the first half I think we didn't compete and we didn't play. Defensively we looked weak through the middle of the team. Our central defensive paring couldn't cope with their two boys up front. We must start games better than we did in both halves. We have to compete for 10 or 15 minutes until it settles down and we get into our rhythm'".

Chester First says that "Michael Coulson is set to make the final appearance of his loan spell at Chester on Saturday against Tamworth.... Coulson... revealed he had enjoyed his spell at The Deva. He ssaid, 'We’ve produced a few good performances in recent weeks and everybody is looking forward to another important win this weekend... I think we’ll soon be out of our minus points situation the way that we’re playing, and then the club can think about pushing on. We believe we can get a result from every game we play at the minute. I don’t see why Chester can’t get themselves out of relegation trouble because everything seems to be going well at the moment'.

Coulson scored nine goals in 42 appearances for home town club Scarborough between 2004 and 2006, before signing for Barnsley, and added: 'When I came to Chester and I saw the type of football that the team plays it surprised me and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. The team have been getting the ball down and they are creating plenty of chances'...

Coulson... played six games on loan at Northwich Victoria in 2007... 'A few lads travel to Chester from Leeds and that helps. We have a good laugh in the car and I’m just enjoying my football again... If Chaddy (Nick Chadwick), and Bees (Mark Beesley), aren’t playing well then Gregg (Blundell) can come in, and that’s what’s needed at the moment'”.

In Sussex, The Argus reports that "Eastbourne Borough have made their second signing in the space of 48 hours by taking Southampton striker Kayne McLaggon on loan. MgLaggon has joined for an initial one-month period and follows the arrival of Joe Benjamin from Northampton on a similar deal. McLaggon is a Wales under-19 international and made eight appearances for the Saints last season, scoring one goal, but has not featured since rupturing his Achilles in February. The 19-year-old, who can also play on the wing, will go straight into the squad".

ALTRINCHAM 1 WITTON ALBION 2

Match report here.

TUESDAY BSP GAME

OLD BOYS

CHESTER TRIP

SATURDAY OFFER

BSP NEWS

The Holker St Newsletter adds that "Nelthorpe was one of the four York City players who were arrested after an incident at a Subway outlet in Halifax after York's final pre-season friendly... Nelthorpe asked for a loan move away from York City in late October".

The Chester Chronicle reports that "Chester City owner Stephen Vaughan has been disqualified from acting as a company director for 11 years following his involvement in an alleged VAT fraud at Widnes Vikings rugby league club. Vaughan has signed a disqualification undertaking after enquiries by the Insolvency Service's Public Interest Unit into his conduct while a director of the Vikings. Widnes Rugby League Football Club Limited entered into administration in October 2007 with liabilities of more than £1.6million.

According to the Insolvency Service the undertaking, which has only just been signed, contained details of alleged carousel fraud carried out by Vaughan, designed to prop up the finances of the club which was technically insolvent at the time. A statement from the service says that Vaughan arranged for the club to purchase three consignments of clothing from a UK company and on the same day sold the clothing to a company based in Spain. The transactions appeared to be part of a linked series of purchases between the UK and Europe.

He then attempted to reclaim VAT for the club, however Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs refused the repayment of the club's claim, the statement continued. Payment for the goods was made via the First Curacao International Bank, based in the Dutch Antilles. The bank was closed down by banking authorities when it was discovered that it provided banking facilities to a significant number of companies involved in carousel fraud.

The disqualification undertaking states that Vaughan caused Widnes Rugby League Football Club Limited to purchase clothing from a UK company, in three transactions worth a total of £2,877,228 plus VAT of £505,265. The clothing goods were sold on the same days of purchase to a Spanish company for a total of £3,002,855. The three transactions took place in June 2006. These transactions were carried out in a manner which involved Widnes in Missing Trader Intra Community (MITC) VAT fraud, also known as carousel fraud. He caused these transactions to take place when he knew the club was insolvent. Payment for the goods purchased was not made to the alleged supplier, but was instead made into a third party’s bank account in the Dutch Antilles.

Vaughan failed to inform the other directors of the club of these transactions and also failed to disclose to other directors a loan of £392,000 made to the club in August 2006. The Official Receiver of the Service’s Public Interest Unit in Manchester, Ken Beasley, said: 'Carousel VAT fraud is a serious offence which deprives the UK of billions of pounds of tax revenue each year'... Vaughan's disqualification takes effect on November 25. It means he will be banned from acting as a company director, or in any way controlling a company, until November 24, 2020".

OUT

CHESHIRE SENIOR CUP

CSC ties, Tuesday 10/11/09

Wednesday 11/11/09

THE MAN IN CHARGE

YOUTHS' REVERSE

OLD BOYS

And the NL Daily reports that "Steve Waywell, manager of Chorley, was active in the transfer market last week... Arriving at the club are Jamie Nay, Neil Brisco and Michael Garside. Garside,a midfielder, has seen action with Altrincham, Salford City and Curzon Ashton amongst others".

FA CUP

And, as the Revenue men ponder whether to accept Northwich Victoria's latest offer to repay some of their debts, the club is set to receive more television money, now that their First Round FA Cup tie against Lincoln has been chosen for broadcast. The FA confirms that "We can now confirm three more games that will be broadcast live on ITV. One replay will be screened on ITV4, with two Second Round matches live on ITV1... The live matches so far are;

BSP NEWS

GAME OFF

TASC LUNCH FOR PENSIONERS

"The Altrincham Supporters' Club (TASC) is organising a Christmas Lunch for Pensioners on Wednesday, December 9th at 12.30pm in the Sponsors' Lounge at Moss Lane. The menu is as follows:

This festive gastronomic delight will be prepared by Dave 'Can Cook, Will Cook' Johnson and the price is just £7.50, which represents superb value for money! TASC Chairman Brian Flynn said 'We started this last year and it was a huge success, particularly as it brings together local supporters and members of the local community who don't normally have any involvement with Altrincham Football Club'.

To make your reservation or for further information, please contact Derek Wilshaw (0161 928 1045 or by e-mail or Brian Flynn (07860 561011 or by e-mail".

SUNDAY RESULT

FA CUP

BSP NEWS

Kidderminster Harriers "could be boosted with the arrival of another new face in time for next weekend's game with Oxford United. Manager Mark Yates has admitted... it's likely he'll have to wheel and deal to make the move happen, and possibly lose a couple of bodies from his squad on a loan basis to accommodate it... Said the boss, 'A couple of players I'd like to bring in might cost a little bit too much so perhaps we have to get one or two out who are in the fringes who might need to go out and get some games. I've made a few phone calls and we're just waiting to see what happens. Hopefully if I can get them away, we might have a new face before Oxford'".

SUNDAY ENTERTAINMENT

CHESHIRE SENIOR CUP

RUSSELL SIGNS

OLD BOYS

The UniBond League reports that Leigh "Genesis boss Garry Flitcroft has been dealt a blow ahead... with the news that top scorer Chris Baguley has moved to league rivals Salford City. Baguley joined Leigh in June this year in a double signing with brother Jamie from FC United of Manchester, after previous spells with Oldham Athletic and Australian side Mandurah City".

NEXT LEAGUE OPPONENTS

And "FGR manager Dave Hockaday told BBC Radio Gloucestershire: 'We should have won that game. A mistake at the end has cost us. I'm delighted with the boys as they have been given a bit of a tough time by some people. We've come out with not what we deserved'. Mansfield Town manager David Holdsworth told BBC Radio Nottingham: 'We looked leggy in my opinion. A lot of the players have been on the road since 6am, so it's been a long day. It's not just around the corner [138 miles] but that's just what we've got to deal with'".

Meanwhile, This is Glos says that "A running battle between Mark Preece and Kyle Perry could easily have resulted in a penalty for Mansfield three minutes before half-time, but the officials failed to spot the defender’s manhandling of the giant frontman. Marriott was by far the busier of the two stoppers after the break... So it was an injustice when the leveller came with three minutes remaining. Burton failed to get enough distance in punching clear substitute Ryan Williams’ cross, and the ball was lofted back into the mix for Scott Garner to bundle home. Forest Green: T. Burton; J. Hodgkiss, M. Preece, J. O’Cearuill, C. McDonald; C. Platt, J. Smith, D. Brown, P. Stonehouse; T. Ameobi (S. Davies 77), S. Rigg; Subs not used: B. Pugh, J. Else, D. King, D. Powell, M. Palmer, T. Pass".

BSP NEWS

Money had made seven changes to the team that lost 2-0 to Rushden and Diamonds the previous week and was delighted with the progress his side had made, despite the fact they tossed away a 3-0 half-time-lead. He said: 'I didn't rest anybody. I wanted to give people who haven't had an opportunity an opportunity. It was an ideal opportunity for me to see what we do have and don't have. Before today people like Steve Basham, Shane Blackett and Andy Burgess have been pushed into the background. It would be very easy for a new manager to come in and say they are no use to us. People have to earn their place. If they earn their place they will stay in. Any manager when he comes in has to earn that respect. It's not a matter of being liked or disliked. If they give me what they've given me this week and for the majority of that performance I will be absolutely delighted'...

He said: 'Kevin Nicholls will be back next week after a hip injury, hopefully. Lewis Emanuel is not far away... We know we have some good players but we have got to have good players for 90 minutes'. Dale dominated the second half, but Money felt the Hatters had their chances... He said: 'There appears to me to be an awful amount of negativity around this club. I hope the first half performance went a long way to addressing that'"

According to The Chad "Boss David Holdsworth praised goalkeeper Alan Marriott for keeping Stags in the FA Cup... Stags appeared to be crashing out of the FA Cup as Forest Green, already leading the tie 1-0, piled on the pressure.... Relieved Holdsworth said: 'Alan Marriott kept us in the cup game. I talk about how one player can make a big difference and he did that today'...

Holdsworth also conceded Forest Green were the better side and spoke of his relief at earning a valuable replay. 'We have to give Forest Green credit, they were the better team today'".

SATURDAY SCORES

BSP

FA Cup Round 1, (BSP teams' ties only)

In 12 Round One ties, involving 13 BSP teams, every club except Salisbury City made it into the Round 2 draw.

CHRISTMAS IS COMING

And the Altrincham FC Christmas Party will be held at the Cresta Court Hotel, Altrincham, after our home game with Kettering Town. Most of the players and management will be there. Tickets are just £35 each or £60 per couple, or £300+VAT for a table of ten people. Vice-chairman Grahame Rowley says "Your support for this events would be greatly appreciated as the club strives to provide the management with extra resources to strengthen our squad". Ring the club on 928-1045 or send an e-mail to reserve your place.

NEXT GAME

Albion hope to score a third successive league in on the road at Carlton Town... Gary Finley’s depleted team were 3-0 winners at Willenhall Town in midweek... to move back up to second spot in the UniBond League’s Division One South... Lee Neville and Stuart Rudd are back after a one-match suspension. Brad Maylett... should return too. Finley handed a debut to former Northwich Victoria and Middlewich Town midfielder Ryan Broadhead at Willenhall to cover the expected exit of Steve Hall".

OLD BOYS

And the Northants Evening Telegraph conforms that "James Jennings is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines having suffered a serious injury. The Kettering Town left-back suffered medial ligament damage in the draw with Wrexham on Tuesday night... 'He looks like he will be out for a while'," the Poppies' manager explained. 'Greg Taylor can play as well at left-back as he can at right, for example, so we have some cover'".

CHESHIRE NEWS

Rushe revealed that he hopes to unveil a new, one-off shirt sponsor before the weekend. Most of the perimeter boards around the pitch should be sold to advertisers too. He said: 'I’m pleased Northwich Victoria are getting attention for the right reasons'... Vics’ three wins in the competition to date against Bardon Hill Sports, Chorley and FC United of Manchester, are worth £24,500. The victors on Sunday will pocket a further £18,000.

But FA Cup rules say Vics, who remain subject to a transfer embargo levied by the Football Conference last month, must agree a Company Voluntary Agreement (CVA) with creditors before they receive a cheque. This week Rushe submitted an improved offer to HM Revenue and Customs to pay off a larger proportion of the club’s six-figures tax bill... 'We’ve upped our offer', he said'... Administrators Refresh Recovery Ltd will need to arrange a another creditors’ meeting to rubber stamp the proposal should the tax man accept Rushe’s latest offer. Two others, one to pay off 25p of every pound owed to creditors and the other for 35p, have been rejected to date.

Rushe said: 'We have to be realistic and not get carried away. People coming to use the stadium, whether that is to watch a match or to use the facilities here for any other reason, will continue to be our main source of income'".

BSP NEWS

He elected through parental qualification to represent the Republic of Ireland at international level and has played for that country's under-17 and under-19 teams before being called up for their senior squad in May 2007 for an end of season tour to the United States, where he made two appearances under the then national manager Steve Staunton. He then moved to Barnet in August 2007, during which time he was again called up by the Republic of Ireland, though on this occasion for the under-21 squad, before going on to make nine appearances in total in that age group.

In January 2008 he moved to Ireland and signed for St Patrick's Athletic (Dublin) in the Irish Premier League. In September 2009 he returned to England... He signed for Harlow Town and then moved to Wood three weeks ago. He has signed on non-contract terms at the New Lawn".

And FGR "Manager David Hockaday has let one of his midfielders go out on loan for an initial 1 month period. Paul Lloyd joins Workington up to and including the 5th December 2009".

"Harrogate Town have signed former Ipswich Town striker Kieran Leabon from Histon. The Stutes signed Leabon in the summer from Boston United... At the beginning of September he was sent out on loan to Bury Town after making just two substitute appearances at the Glassworld Stadium".

Meanwhile, "MyFC members, together with Fleet vice-chairman Roly Edwards, have been successful in their pledge to fund the signing of a loan striker - with the full support of manager Liam Daish – having reached their appeal deadline nine days ahead of schedule. Similar to that which enabled the £20,000 signing of Michael Gash from Cambridge City in 2008, but obviously smaller in scope, the pledge aims to net 60 donations of £100 each to fund the estimated £6,000 to cover a loan striker's likely costs over three months... The Fleet are down to two main strikers in Scott Ginty and Magno Vieira following Elliott Charles's return to Barnet, though Ricky Shakes can also play up front if required", report Ebbsfleet United.

LIVE SOCCER AND PRIZES...

"To encourage more supporters to use the Noel White Suite when showing televised games on Sky Sports or ESPN, Noel White has kindly offered to supply a bottle of whisky for each game which will be won by one lucky memeber of the audience. Each person attending will be asked to fill in a form on entering and a draw will be made at half time. All tickets will be retained from each game and at Christmas a grand draw will be made with the prize being a meal for two at a local restaurant. Therefore, the more games that you attend, the greater the chance that you will win the star prize. Please support the club in this venture - and win yourself a bottle of whisky in the process".

Chelsea v Manchester United is being shown on Sky Sports HD in the bar at Moss Lane, this Sunday - 8th November. The bar opens 3.30pm, kick off is at 4pm. Everyone welcome!

ALTY IN THE COMMUNITY

WHEN ALTY WERE KINGS

BSP NEWS

The Football Conference says that "David Holdsworth, manager of Mansfield Town, has moved to sign versatile midfielder Michael Brough on a two-month loan deal from Torquay United. There is also an option to extend the transfer until the end of the season. Brough started his career at Notts County and made over ninety appearances in midfield for the Meadow Lane outfit. The 27-year-old had subsequent spells Stevenage Borough, Forest Green Rovers and his current club, Torquay United. Last month, he re-joined Stevenage in a short loan stint making six starts, but opted to join the Stags after the deal expired".

One of the mysteries of this season is partly solved by the Cambridge News which tells us that "John Beck will not be returning to Histon – because the club can no longer afford to pay him. Beck has not been involved in first-team affairs since being asked not to attend the match at Chester on September 5, since when the Stutes’ hierarchy have remained tight-lipped about his future.

Now new chairman Tony Roach has shed light on the affair by admitting the club cannot afford to pay the coach. Roach said: 'John works for a company called Premier Sports and we sat down with John, first of all, to try to reduce his wages, or invoices. We then had a private meeting with John and told him that we had to cease the services of Premier Sports as the salary was too big and we couldn’t afford it. So we’ve released John through his company, but that’s not to say that, once the finances of the club are stabilised, we won’t speak to him in the future'.

Beck joined Histon in August 2004 to help assistant manager Colin Vowden, who was concentrating on playing, while manager Steve Fallon was on holiday. And the former Cambridge United boss remained at the club and helped them climb from the Southern League, Premier Division to the Blue Square Premier in the space of three seasons.

Current coach Alan Lewer, who has been assisting Fallon for the last 10 matches, will stay at the club on a voluntary basis for the time being. Roach said: 'Alan Lewer is just with us on a temporary basis and we’re looking to try to bring one of the academy coaches through. Alan is not being paid and he’s just helping out until he gets an offer from elsewhere'...

The chairman also revealed... 'The players were always being paid, but they were being paid late. We’ve ploughed some money into the club and they’ve been paid now. I met the players at training on Monday night and they’re happy, 100 per cent behind the manager and want to move on'".

From NL24 we read that "Neil Taylor is flattered with speculation linking him with Swansea City – but the Wales under 21 international is just focusing on performing well for Wrexham" reports NL24. "Swansea manager Paulo Sousa is rumoured to be keeping tabs on the 20-year-old left-back... 'It was great to hear', says Taylor. 'Everyone wants to hear that clubs at a higher level are watching you... but I am a Wrexham player and I am just concentrating on that. When I go away with Wales, I concentrate on that'".

Down in Sussex, The Argus reports that "Boss Garry Wilson is confident of bringing in at least one new face before Eastbourne Borough’s next league game. Wilson is keen to freshen up his squad after a run of just one win in 12 games and hopes to release some cash by putting winger Dan Smith on the transfer list and making goalkeeper Michael Jordan and midfielder Simon Johnson available for loan on Monday...

He said: 'We’ve got a couple of things in the pipeline but we are not in any rush. I’m confident we could have one, possibly two in for next Saturday’s game'... Wilson admits the decision to bring Smith to Priory Lane after he was released by Plymouth in the summer has not worked out but is adamant both Johnson and Jordan still have big roles to play at Borough".

SKY ON SUNDAY

YOUTH REPORT

PRIMARY SCHOOLS' FUN DAY

Altrincham FC are still continuing to entertain children's groups at matches. At the Luton game, for example, Sale United FC and St Vincent's Infants were our guests and enjoyed the game. If you would like to bring a group to a match, please contact Karen Rowley or Dana Laidlar via the club on 0161-928-1045 and by email

YANKEE

BSP NEWS

"Striker Anthony Elding has rejoined Kettering Town on loan until January" reports the Football Conference. "The Crewe Alexandra striker had been told... that he could go out on a temporary basis after falling down the pecking order. The 27-year-old had a spell with the Poppies towards the end of the 2005/06 campaign before he returned to the Football League where he played with the likes of Stockport County and Leeds United". Elding scored in Tuesday night's draw with wrexham.

Gateshead goalkeeper Paul Farman is the winner of the Blue Square Premier "Player of the Month" award for October. The Conference adds that former Blyth Spartan keeeper "Farman has kept four clean sheets in five matches after making his debut in Gateshead’s clash with Rushden & Diamonds in late September, in which he also managed a shut out". However, in that fifth match, he did concede three goals at Moss Lane.

From the Cambridge News we learn that "Histon must show faith in their promising youngsters in order to cut costs and secure the club's long-term future, says new chairman Tony Roach... With Josh Simpson and Danny Wright heading to Peterborough United on trial and Lanre Oyebanjo already having trained with Darren Ferguson's team, the likes of Daniel Sparkes, Callum Stewart and Andrew Tidswell could all be thrust into regular Blue Square Premier action.

Roach said: 'We need to sell players, but the positive side of that is we can start bringing our academy players and the scholars through. My wife's been looking after the financial side of the academy for a little while now and that's going very well, so we want to bring those positives into the first team... I don't think you can have a three-year plan, for example, in football because it's a funny old game. We need to get the financial side of the club on an even keel so we can move on and plan for the future. You're never going to make money out of football - this isn't about money. It's totally about the children, the academy and the club going forward'".

Elsewhere the News adds that "Josh Simpson and Danny Wright could have played their last games for Histon. The pair are on trial at Peterborough United and, if they impress, a deal that would see them loaned out to the Championship club could be completed by the end of the week.... Said boss Steve Fallon, 'The financial situation has perhaps pushed things on sooner, but we knew there would be a lot of interest in them anyway'... Any move would initially be a loan, with a view to a permanent deal in January when the transfer window reopens.

Continued Fallon, 'If something does happen we'll look to see how Peterborough can do something to help us so we get something out of it as well as money'... Histon defender Lanre Oyebanjo also had a trial at Peterborough last week so, having lost four influential players in the summer - Mat Mitchel-King, Jack Midson, Patrick Ada and Antonio Murray- Histon could face another rebuilding job mid-season... 'If we could have kept those players we would have done and I'm sure we would have been up there with the best in the league'" said the manager.

TUESDAY GAME

BSP

JOIN UP!

The way the Pontoon game works is explained by Sarah Rowley... "Each of the clubs from the Premiership, Championship, League One, League Two and Blue Square Premier will be given a random number from 1 to 116. For a £10 stake, you can chose or you will be allocated one of these numbers and this will determine your team in the competition.

The idea of the competition is for your team to accumulate exactly 21 goals by the END of any particular sequence of games. The winner will receive a £100 cash prize, the holder for the number of the second team to reach exactly 21 goals will receive £50 and the third-place prize will be £10.

If more than one team attains 21 goals on the same day, the team that scored their 21st goal earliest in their game will be awarded 1st prize. Goals are tallied up at the end of each match and the totals adjusted accordingly. If by the end of any particular game, your team's goals total exceeds 21, then you will "go bust" and be out of the Competition. Only league goals will count towards your total.

You are not restricted to one number, so increase your chance of winning by buying a second team!

If you are interested in participating, please forward your name, contact number and payment along with your chosen number to the Club. Alternatively, you can e-mail Grahame Rowley. Weekly updates will be posted here on the Club's website and forum.

Thank you for your support".

RUN CONTINUES

OXFORD VERDICT

"Chris Wilder urged all Oxford United fans to enjoy the moment as the U’s beat Altrincham 1-0 at the Kassam Stadium on Saturday" claims the Oxford Mail... 'I can’t complain about anything at the moment', said Wilder. 'We’re in a fantastic position - and we should savour it and enjoy it... Maybe we should have put the game to bed earlier than we did, but we stuck to our task, and 1-0’s a great result where I come from. We’d have liked to have made it easier for ourselves, but the players try to pass it through the opposition and the referee made it hard because it was very stop-start. But we stuck to it, created numerous chances and on another day we go and win that game 5-0... I

And the Oxford United website has further quotes from the manager. "A win is a win, I don't care how we go about it. I thought we created enough chances to win three or four games. I thought we felt a bit sorry for ourselves after the penalty miss and went a bit flat, but apart from the last five minutes I thought we were always comfortable without putting them to bed... We have had things go across the face of goal, had the penalty and other little bits and pieces so we are creating chances... Really we should have killed it off...

I'm not one to state the penalty taker before the game. Things happen in the game, that player might get a whack on his foot or whatever, so the most confident one takes them. Greeny took it and I think if we score early we go on and win the game comfortably. We didn't do that, it got a bit stop start once again, we changed shape and brought Sam on, and we won, and that's the key".

OLD BOYS

Bill Masterson, who used to live in Wythenshawe, remains an Altrincham supporter despite having spent almost forty years living in Australia. He writes "I live in Melbourne now and follow the locals, Melbourne Victory, and thought I would just update you on two ex_Alty players. James Robinson is now at his third A League Club, The North Queensland Roar, and is getting regular starts there together with ex-Liverpool and England player Robbie Fowler. Robbie has scored a couple of real crackers in the last two games and is certainly paying off the investment in him. Also, Matty Crowell is playing at Central Coast Mariners. It took him a while to break in but he has played the last couple of matches and had very solid games. Unfortunately, he was sent off this weekend for two yellow cards. So, he is starting to get going, despite rumours that he is unsettled".

Former Alty "midfielder Steve Torpey completed his £4,000 transfer to Fleetwood Town" confirms NL Daily

BSP NEWS

Tony's major responsibility as Chairman of the Club is to secure the financial stability of HFC and to help do this in part, the club is actively seeking new investors and sponsors... Tony Roach has been involved with HFC for the past 3 years. He is a successful local business man starting JK Environmental and Sons Ltd in 1997, the company was then acknowledged as the 49th company in the Sunday Times Fasttrack 100 Companies in 2002. After selling JKE in 2007, Tony and his wife Julie, bought The Banyers Hotel in Royston... Tony then bought Omar Homes out of Administration. Omar Park Homes Ltd is now a major sponsor of the Academy and Club alike.

Tony added 'We want the buzz back at the club that we had last year and with some streamlining and forward planning there is no reason we cannot achieve this'".

But from the BBC there is confirmation that "New Histon chairman Tony Roach has admitted the club's accounts are a cause for concern. Roach has taken the helm at the Glass World following the departure of Gareth Baldwin after 17 years at the club. Roach told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire: 'I believe we've been very close to administration and I think that's why the board have voted me on. We're in a very distressed situation so hopefully my business experience can help us deal with that'...

But Roach has confirmed that the club are looking to cash in on their prize assets, adding that crowds must improve in future if the financial situation is to ease... He said 'Steve Fallon has got the side playing good football, so hopefully we can get supporters back into the ground'. Lanre Oyebanjo, Josh Simpson and Danny Wright are all trialling with Peterborough United, whilst Nat Knight-Percival is also generating interest. Roach says 'Histon needs to be about academy kids becoming scholars, coming into the first-team and moving on into the Football League. Steve Fallon will need to start listening to his academy directors and bringing scholars into the first-team because he soon won't have the pick of his big name players'".

And the Cambridge News adds that "Gareth Baldwin has dramatically quit as chairman of Histon.... Baldwin’s wife Lisa is leaving her role as club secretary on Friday, and vice-chairman John Webster has also decided to leave...

Baldwin said: 'Because of my work and the fact I’ve been ill recently, I’ve had the chance to reflect on everything and, as such, I’ve decided to stand down as chairman and we’ll see the club go in a new direction. I’ve been chairman for seventeen years and nine months... Tony [Roach]’s investing a lot of money in the club. I think he’ll be a really, really strong chairman and lead the club forward. The volunteers, the gaffer Steve Fallon, John Beck and Graham Eales are absolutely top people and I’ll take some wonderful memories with me. It’s the end of an era'...

Roach said: 'If it wasn’t for myself this year and club doctor Angelo Dama, I don’t think we’d have a football club. We’ve had to bail the football club out heavily and there’s a lot more to do. We’ve got to keep the wolves from the door. We’ve got to sell players and the fans have to understand that. The manager Steve Fallon understands that and knows what we need to do for the club’s future... Hopefully I can bring some stability to the financial side. My love is football and hopefully I can bring my success in business into the thing I enjoy... We’re in a bad situation financially. That’s not to be hidden or frowned upon... I took the business [Omar Homes] over and we’ve now got a £20million order book. So I’ve achieved a lot there and saved 170 jobs. That’s what I can offer Histon, and I’ve always been successful in everything I’ve done'.

Baldwin, who is looking forward to spending more time with his family, praised the work of his wife, 'My wife Lisa has been amazing and has been the club’s unsung hero'... Meanwhile, Cambridge United spokesman, Will Jones, has quashed speculation linking Baldwin to a position on the United board".

Meanwhile what exactly happened to former assistant manager John Beck remains unclear as he has not been present at matches for some time now after being instructed not to travel to the Histon game with Chester in September.

"Chester City chairman Ian Anderson says the club's dispute with the Football Conference will be resolved, reports BBC Radio Merseyside. City face expulsion from the Conference if they fail to pay money they owe to Wrexham and Vauxhall Motors. 'There is an undertaking from me as a solicitor to the Conference which will be resolved on the 16 November and the slate will be wiped clean', he said. Chester were given an extension as the first deadline passed on 26 October.

Anderson continued: 'Chester City Football Club is owed more money than it currently owes. Hopefully on the 16 November that situation will be addressed... If anyone wants to buy Chester City football club, contact me, show me you have the money, make me a sensible offer and we'll do the deal'".

The Conference announces that "Mansfield Town manager David Holdsworth has won the Blue Square Premier 'Manager of the Month' award for October".

And "Eastbourne Borough have put 20-year-old former Plymouth professional Dan Smith on the transfer list and the 5`8” midfielder is available for a permanent or loan move." The local newspaper, The Argus, says he is the Sussex club's only full-time player.

From NL Daily we learn that "AFC Telford United moved to secure the future of two players over the weekend. The club have agreed terms with Sean Newton and Shane Killock which will see them both remain at the club until 2011. Both players have been star performers for the Bucks since they joined on loan from their respective clubs Barrow and Oxford United".

FIXTURES

Saturday 7 Nov

BSP

FA Cup Round 1, (BSP teams' ties only)

Sunday 8 Nov. (BSN teams only)

WHEN ALTY WERE KINGS

OLD BOY

KEN ON OXFORD

Oxford United themselves have a report on how "United moved eight points clear at the top of the table as a Batt, fittingly, decided a tight game on Halloween. Damian Batt's low drive in the second half did the job and gave United all three points despite some stubborn resistance from their visitors... United... were good value for another three points, perhaps more comfortable than the scoreline suggests".

JAMES SMITH

"Thursday 29 October 2009. James Smith, Altrincham FC. Mansfield Town FC v Altrincham FC. The FA Cup Fourth Round Qualifying, 24 October 2009. FA Rule E3 – violent conduct.

The participant was offered the penalty of a three match suspension. Charge letter sent Tuesday 27 October 2009. Smith denied the charge. The charge was proved and Smith was given a three-match suspension with immediate effect".

The NL Paper has an editorial on the banning of James Smith following Mansfield's despatch to the FA of a video posted on YouTube. Whilst the NLP asks quite rightly, "Why should players lower down the Pyramid [than the Premiership] get away with it [foul play] just because there are no cameras present?", the paper makes no reference to the fact that the defendant had no access to the evidence before his sentence and no right of appeal afterwards. What is more, there were two different versions of the incident on YouTube, one of which appeared to have some frames missing. The incident occurs eight minutes or more into the clip.

WELL DONE, GRAHAM

Another letter in the NL Paper suggest Stuart Coburn should be called up for England C - "He must have been the most consistent in non-League for the past ten years and is worth 15 points a season" writes G.J. Turnbull.

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FRANK SIDEBOTTOM

OLD BOYS

Former Alty reserve Cayne Handley has joined Burscough; he was previously with Northwich.

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NW NEWS

The five points deduction will not be shown in league tables until such time as either the period for appeal has lapsed or, should an appeal be lodged by the club against the decision, the appeal has been heard.

The League will not be making any further statement on the matter.

It is the second points deduction to be suffered this season by Curzon who had three points deducted in September for playing an ineligible player".

The FA adds, "At a Regulatory Commission hearing this week, Curzon Ashton FC were deducted five points and fined £1,350. A further five point deduction and £1,350 fine were suspended. The club admitted 27 breaches of FA Rules relating to financial irregularities. The club admitted that certain payments to players between 2005 and 2008 were made with money provided by a third party benefactor without the club declaring those payments in its financial records or making them subject to PAYE or NI. The FA is concerned that illicit payments of this kind not only place clubs at risk of financial hardship but also distort competition between clubs...

Curzon Ashton Chief Executive Harry Twamley admitted nine breaches of FA Rules relating to financial irregularities. Twamley admitted knowingly having made false declarations regarding the payments to players. Twamley was fined £270 and warned as to his future conduct. He was also given a suspended 12 month ban from all football and football management and administration. This sanction will be suspended for a period of five years".