24 Ramsbottom United v Harrogate Railway Athletic

rammynewsV HARROGATE RAILWAY15.02.14

TONY CUNNINGHAM AND THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF NON-LEAGUE FOOTBALL

President: J SmithChairman: H WilliamsSecretary: A Cunningham07973 416580Matchday Secretary:A Edmundson07875 566261Treasurers: H Williams, C WoolfallCommittee: C Woolfall, A Edmundson, G Lay, DWolfenden, K ToppingLife Members: FA Rothwell, L Read, A Whalley, F Rothwell,J Wolfenden, P McSherry, A McleodProgramme Editor: R MossHospitality Manager: I McCoolCatering Manager: S FletcherTeam Managers: A Johnson, B MorleyFirst XI Coaches: J Hunter, G Moses, D GreenRecent Honours: NWCFL Champions 2011/12Premier Runners Up 2010/112nd Div Champions 96/972nd Div Trophy 95/96Bolton Hospital Cup Winners2005/06. 2006/07, 2007/08The Harry Williams Riverside, Acre Bottom, Ramsbottom, LancashireTel: 01706 822799www.rammyunited.co.uk

Welcome to the Harry Williams Riverside Stadium this afternoon and a specialwelcome to everyone who has made the journey over the hill from HarrogateRailway Athletic. No doubt, revenge will be on their minds after our comprehen-sive victory at Station View earlier in the season, but we view every game as ahuge challenge, so let’s hope for an afternoon of high entertainment.MADE ITI wonder how many of us regarded the play-offs, so tantalisingly snatchedfrom us last season, as a pipe-dream this time round?The horrendous start to the campaign, followed by the news that three pointswere, at some stage, to be deducted, probably made anywhere in the top half ofthe table an ambitious target.Well, last weekend, we slipped into those top five positions on a truly memo-rable run of results. The victory at Lancaster made it just two defeats (one unjustat Bamber Bridge, and one deserved at Cammell Laird) in twenty three games.Some record! And one which has allowed us to shoot up that league table intothe coveted spots.The secret now, of course, is to stay there. It’s going to require the same levelof consistency.Warrington Town, and Curzon Ashton seem certs for two of those spots, al-though I have to be honest and say that neither side has particularly impressedme this season. Farsley are an unknown quantity, for despite the fact they haveplayed more games than the others, they have gained the points with a consis-tent run, so they will probably clinch the third place. The reincarnation of formerFootball League side Darlington, were everyone’s pre-season favourites. Theyhave the support and financial clout to sail through this Division, but so far havenot had it all their own way (and we haven’t helped them much!) They shouldhave enough to stay in the top five.Which leaves just one other play-off spot up for grabs. I know there is stillmuch to be played for, and, as always, one team will lose form whilst another willarrive almost un-noticed. Our main rivals, at this point in time, appear to be Bam-ber Bridge and Lancaster City.So it’s almost like a mini-league for us between now and the end of April. Weneed to keep this amazing run going. I said at the end of August, that every sidehas a bad spell at some point in the season, and half-jokingly, added that wewere getting ours out of the way early. Let’s hope I was right! Whatever happens,the fact that this Rammy side has dragged itself up by it’s bootlaces despite thenegatives, proves, once again, just how much character there is in this team.Getting into the top five was the ambition. Staying there is now the target.ARTIFICIALI see that the Conference has voted down a proposal to allow 4G pitches inthe competition. Maidstone, looking for promotion from the Ryman League hadasked the Conference to debate the issue, but the ultimate vote went againstany such move. Hardly surprising, as the Conference are thebridge between the majority of non-league and the FootballLeague. Their sole aim, it would appear to me, is to groomclubs so that they are ready to make the move up to the “92”.If the “92” don’t embrace artificial surfaces, then what is the pointof the Conference doing so?Many of us remember the early examples at the likes of QPR,Preston North End and Hyde United. They were not good! Butthat’s over 30 years ago. Artificial surfaces have improved be-yond recognition. So much so that International and Europeanmatches have been staged on them.The Football League will at some point accept them as stan-dard. The conservative elements within the game will continue torepel such progress. But it will inevitably happen, and for me, thesooner the better. The advantages, as Maidstone, and a handful ofother clubs will gladly point out, completely outweigh the luddite at-titude currently adapted by many charged with looking after thegood of the game. Sadly, for the Maidstone’s ofthis world, they will remain frustrated until thelight is finally seen.

Enjoy your non-league football!

Saturday 15th FebruaryBamber Bridge v BurscoughCammell Laird v RadcliffeClitheroe v New MillsCurzon Ashton v FarsleyDarlington v LancasterKendal v PadihamMossley v NorthwichOssett Albion v PrescotRammy v HarrogateWakefield v SalfordWarrington v Ossett Town

jonno

First and foremost, a big welcome to the players, man-agement, staff and supporters from Harrogate Railway.Hopefully the trip over to the red rose county treatedyou well and you enjoy the game, result apart of course(Sorry Tony).This is our first Saturday home game in four weeks, thelast being the 8-0 win against neighbors and friendsRadcliffe Borough. Three consecutive away Saturdayspitted us with very tough opponents and on the wholewith the six points taken from nine we have to be rea-sonably happy. The Cammell Laird game stands out asthe only blip on that record. We of course were very dis-appointed with the defeat, especially finding out the daybefore that we had the three points deducted. What wasvery pleasing was the response we got from the lads onthe Tuesday night at home to Ossett Albion. We im-pressed on them how important it was to bounce backstraight away after a defeat so that we could 'get backon the horse'. We needed to be patient and at half timewe knew that if we upped the tempo our quality wouldshine through in the end. Saturday saw us travel to sixth placed Lancaster City

in what was the proverbial six pointer, again we knewthis was going to be a tough game. Their manager wasat the game against Ossett and he had been telling thepress how they knew how we were going to play andthat they wanted revenge for the 6-0 defeat they gotoff us earlier in the season. Our game plan was the sameas it always is, play to win. You see so often now thatmanagers set their teams up not to lose or to try to stopthe opposition, which I feel can play into your oppo-nents hands. I felt we we were very disciplined through-out the game especially in the second half when wecontrolled it very well despite the horrendous condi-tions. It was a great team performance and one thatBernard and I huge satisfaction from. I have to say also that the support was the best I have

seen from the traveling Rammy army. The noise was su-perb and you could see from the players’ celebrationsafter the goals that it is very much appreciated andneeded. It's an old cliche but you were definitely thetwelfth man on Saturday and deserve a huge congratu-lations on your own performance. Well done.Billy Miller and his staff have done wonders at Railway,

they have some very good results this season againsthigher opposition and are having a good season so far,so we know that we are going to have to be at our bestto get anything from the game. We have signed Scott Burton over the last couple of

weeks and he was involved in all three of last week’sgames making telling contributions in all of them. He'sa tenacious ball playing central midfielder and will com-pliment Gary and Joel perfectly. He is already loving ithere and once again that comes down to you support-ers in getting behind the team.Enjoy the game. - Jonno

DATE OPPOSITION RES ATT STARTING ELEVENSat 17th Aug H CURZON ASHTON 1-3 254 Shenton Warrender Pilkington Stopforth + Dawson HulmeTues 20th Aug A Ossett Town 0-2 100 Shenton Warrender Pilkington * Drew Dawson HulmeSat 24th Aug A Warrington Town 0-1 192 Shenton Warrender Pilkington * Drew + Dawson HulmeMon 26th Aug H PADIHAM 1-2 309 Shenton Warrender Pilkington Drew + Dawson Spencer *Sat 31st Aug H AFC Liverpool - FA Cup 5-0 238 Shenton Warrender Roberts * Stopforth + Dawson RobinsonSat 7th Sept H NORTHWICH VICTORIA 2-2 212 Shenton Warrender Roberts * 1 Pilkington Dawson RobinsonTues 10th Sept A Ossett Albion 2-1 73 Shenton Warrender Pilkington Morley + Dawson RobinsonSat 14th Sept A Stocksbridge - FA Cup 2-2 129 Shenton Warrender Pilkington Stopforth Dawson Robinson *Tues 17th Sept H Stocksbridge - FA Cup 3-0 127 Shenton Warrender 1 Pilkington Stopforth Dawson + RobinsonSat 21st Sept A Mossley 4-3 173 Shenton Warrender Pilkington Stopforth Robinson Flannery #Tues 24th Sept H DARLINGTON 1883 3-0 396 Shenton Warrender # Roberts Stopforth Priestley Flannery +Sat 28th Sept A Barrow - FA Cup 0-3 677 Shenton Hulme + Roberts Stopforth # Dawson WarrenderTues 1st Oct A Radcliffe Borough 1-1 241 Shenton Warrender Roberts Stopforth Dawson PriestleySat 5th Oct A Warrington Town FA Trophy 2-1 103 Shenton Warrender Roberts Stopforth Dawson * PriestleyTues 8 th Oct H LANCASTER CITY 6-0 241 Shenton Hulme 1 Roberts Stopforth # Warrender PriestleySat 12th Oct A Wakefield 3-2 64 Shenton Hulme Roberts Gaskell 1 Warrender PriestleyWeds 16th Oct H ATHERTON LR Lancs Trophy 3-1 69 Shenton Hulme Roberts Stopforth # Dawson * WarburtonSat 19th Oct H WORKSOP FA Trophy 1Q 7-2 355 Shenton Warrender Roberts Stopforth # Dawson PriestleySat 26th Oct A Harrogate Railway Athletic 4-0 124 Shenton Lomax Pilkington Stopforth Warrender PriestleySat 2nd Nov A Blyth Spartans FA Trophy 1-0 298 Shenton Lomax Pilkington Stopforth Warrender 1 PriestleyWed 6th Nov A Darlington 1883 1-0 899 Shenton Lomax Hulme Stopforth Warrender PriestleySat 9th Nov H NEW MILLS 1-1 292 Shenton Lomax Hulme Stopforth Warrender 1 PriestleyTues 12th Nov H FC UNITED Doodson cup 1-2 464 Shenton Lomax + Roberts Pilkington Warrender Priestley 1Sun 17th Nov A Worcester City FA Trophy 0-3 341 Shenton Lomax Roberts Stopforth Warrender PriestleyTues 19th Nov H Padiham Lancs Trophy 4-1 106 Chadwick Toth Roberts Stopforth # Warburton * PriestleySat 23rd Nov H BURSCOUGH 7-1 229 Shenton Lomax Roberts Stopforth Warrender 2 PriestleyTues 26th Nov H CLITHEROE 4-1 192 Shenton Dean Roberts Stopforth # Warrender PriestleySat 30th Nov A Kendal Town 3-2 167 Shenton Dean Roberts Stopforth Lomax PriestleySat 7th Dec A Curzon Ashton 2-2 233 Shenton Lomax Roberts Stopforth Warrender # PriestleyTues 10th Dec A Chorley Lancs Trophy 0-2 301 Shenton Toth Roberts Stopforth Edghill + PriestleySat 14th Dec H WAKEFIELD 3-1 181 Shenton Lomax Pilkington Stopforth Toth PriestleySat 21st Dec A Bamber Bridge 1-2 248 Shenton Lomax Roberts Stopforth Warrender 1 PriestleyThurs 26th Dec H SALFORD CITY 5-2 341 Shenton Lomax Roberts # Stopforth Warrender PriestleySat 4th Jan A Northwich Victoria 4-3 176 Shenton Fitzgerald * Roberts Stopforth Lacy PriestleySat 11th Jan H MOSSLEY 3-1 371 Shenton Hulme 1 Roberts Stopforth Lacy PriestleySat 18th Jan H RADCLIFFE BOROUGH 8-0 344 Shenton Hulme 1 Roberts Stopforth + Warrender * Priestley 1Sat 25th Jan A Clitheroe 4-2 373 Shenton Hulme Roberts Stopforth Warrender Priestley 1Sat 1st Feb A Cammell Laird 2-1 73 Shenton Hulme Roberts Stopforth 1 Pilkington PriestleyTues 4th Feb H OSSETT ALBION 2-0 165 Shenton Hulme 1 Roberts Stopforth Pilkington PriestleySat 8th Feb A Lancaster City 3-1 228 Shenton Hulme Roberts Stopforth Pilkington PriestleySat 15th Feb H HARROGATE RAILWAYSat 22nd Feb A PadihamTues 25th Feb H OSSETT TOWNSat 1st Mar A Prescot CablesSat 8th Mar H CAMMELL LAIRDSat 15th Mar A New MillsSat 22nd Mar H FARSLEYTues 25th Mar H PRESCOT CABLESSat 29th Mar A BurscoughSat 5th Apr H KENDAL TOWNSat 12th Apr A FarsleySat 19th Apr H WARRINGTON TOWNMon 21st Apr A Salford City Sat 26th Apr H BAMBER BRIDGE

SUBSTITUTESMorning * Spencer Robinson # Brooks 1 Dean Drew + Smalley * Gaskell # Toth BradburyMorning + Spencer Robinson Brooks # Dean Warburton Smalley * Gaskell # Toth Bradbury +Smalley Stopforth Robinson Gaskell # Dean Warburton * Brooks # Spencer + Toth BradburySmalley Stopforth Robinson Gaskell Dean # Edghill * Morley Johnson + Brooks 1 # RobertsSmalley Spencer Gaskell 2 Brooks # 1 Dean 1 Pilkington * Bradbury # 1 Edghill + Drew Toth WarburtonSmalley Spencer Gaskell Hulme Dean 1 Bradbury Edghill Prickett Toth * MorleySmalley Spencer # Gaskell 2 Hulme Dean * Toth * Prickett Johnson Bradbury # Warburton +Smalley 1 + Spencer Gaskell Hulme # Dean 1 Roberts + Flannery * Brooks # Morley Toth PrickettSmalley # Spencer Gaskell 1 Roberts * 1 Dean Flannery # Morley Prickett Brooks * Toth+ HulmeSmalley Spencer Gaskell Roberts Dean 1* Hulme # + Brooks * 2 Toth + Prickett EdghillSmalley Spencer Gaskell Robinson * 3 Dean Pilkington + Brooks * Toth Dawson # EdghillSmalley * Spencer Gaskell Robinson Dean Edghill + Brooks * Toth # Morley JohnsonSmalley Spencer Gaskell * Robinson + Dean Brooks * 1 Hulme + Toth Morley EdghillSmalley Spencer Hulme Brooks Dean + Edghill + Gaskell * Toth Morley PilkingtonSmalley 1 Spencer * Robinson 1 + Brooks 2 Dean Edghill * Gaskell + Toth # Morley WarburtonSmalley Spencer Robinson 1 + Brooks * Dean 1 Edghill + Pilkington * Toth Morley DawsonPrickett Toth Smith 2 Brooks 1 Gaskell + Dean Smalley + Priestley * Spencer # RobinsonSmalley 1 Spencer Robinson 1+ Brooks 2 * Dean 2 Hulme 1 + Pilkington Toth # Gaskell * ChadwickSmalley 1 Spencer # Robinson 1 + Brooks * Dean 2 Toth * Gaskell + Prickett # Chadwick JohnsonSmalley Spencer Robinson + Gaskell * Dean Toth Brooks * Hulme + Morley JohnsonSmalley Spencer Robinson Gaskell Dean 1 Toth Johnson Brooks Warburton SmithSmalley Spencer + Brooks * Gaskell Dean # Toth Robinson * Pilkington + Chadwick Roberts #Toth Hulme # Robinson Brooks Dean * Smalley * Spencer # Gaskell + Chadwick StopforthSmalley Spencer Robinson * Gaskell + Pilkington Toth Hulme * Brooks + Warburton BradburySmalley Pilkington Brooks + Hulme 3 Spencer Warrender *1 Gaskell + Smith # Bradbury EdghillSmalley Pilkington 1 + Gaskell 1 * Hulme # Spencer 2 Toth Robinson * Brooks + Dean 1 # ChadwickSmalley Robinson 2 + Gaskell 1 Hulme * Spencer 1 Toth # Pilkington + Brooks * Warburton BradburySmalley Robinson + Gaskell 1 Hulme 2 Spencer # Toth # Pilkington + Brooks Johnson MorleySmalley 1 Spencer Gaskell 1 Pilkington Dean + Toth Brooks Robinson + Hulme # EdghillSmalley Spencer Brooks * Hulme # Dean Warburton + Bradbury Smith # Gaskell * ChadwickSmalley Spencer * 1 Gaskell + Green # 1 Dean Warrender Edghill * Brooks + 1 Johnson # ChadwickSmalley Spencer + Gaskell * Green Dean Toth Pilkington + Edghill Brooks * JohnsonSmalley * Pilkington Gaskell 2 Green + Dean 2 Toth Brooks + Robinson * Spencer 1 # EdghillSpencer 1 + Pilkington Gaskell 1 Green 1 Dean # Toth Brooks Hulme * Denham 1 + Reece #Spencer Pilkington Gaskell 1 Green + Dean # Toth Reece # Firzgerald Denham 1 + JohnsonSpencer 1 Pilkington Gaskell 2 # Denham Dean 3 Toth Fitzgerald Lacy * Reece + Green #Spencer 1 Pilkington Gaskell Denham 2 Dean * Toth Fitzgerald Reece Morley Green *Spencer * Burton Gaskell Denham Dean + Toth Fitzgerald * Green + MorleySpencer 1 * Burton Green + Denham # Dean Toth # Warburton * Bradbury + Smith MorleySpencer Burton Gaskell 1 Hulme Dean 2 Toth Green Morley Johnson

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1. Sacked Kidderminster boss Steve Burr has recently been in-stalled as the new manager of which Skrill Premier club?2. Name the home ground of Ossett Albion.3. What colours do Leek Town play in?4. Hyde’s first win of the season took place at which club?5. In which county do Mickleover Sports play?6. Stafford Rangers appointed which former Altrincham manageras their new boss?7. Which is the only club to have won both the FA Cup and theFA Amateur Cup?8. Name Lincoln’s non-league club other than Lincoln City.9. In which League do Shildon play?10. Who plays at Bower Fold?

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another fun day out

1 - 3Giant Axe8th February 2014Att: 228Rammy Goals: Gaskell (40), Dean (72,90) Lancaster Goals: Connerton (59)

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delight on the touchline as wiz scores Rammy’s third


Victory over high-flying Lancaster City saw the Rams overhaultheir opponents and gain a foothold in the play-off places forthe first time this season. And that despite a horrendous startto the campaign, hardly helped by the recent three points de-duction.

However, since moving up to the Evo-Stik League, Unitedhave met former Conference side Lancaster four times, and oneach occasion they have comfortably disposed of the challenge.

The latest trip on a cold, wet and miserable afternoon innorth Lancashire allowed the visitors to gain another deservedthree points as their excellent run continued.

With the wind and rain at their backs, the Rams dominatedthe opening 45 minutes to such an extent that they gained tencorners as opposed to their opponent’s single corner kick.

From the off, the visitors intentions were obvious as theytook the game to their higher-placed hosts.Scott Burton was inches wide following a third minute corner,

with Grant Spencer hitting the side netting moments later.On eight minutes, Spencer fed Lee Gaskell, but his fierce drive

from 25 yards sailed straight into the arms of the home keeper.A trademark Owen Roberts free-kick, on 20 minutes, was

gathered at the second attempt with Gaskell and Jordan Hulmeon hand should the ball have run loose, as the assault on thehome side rarely lessened.The first goal eventually arrived after a long 40 minutes. Hulme fed Phil Dean on the left and, after beating his marker,

he put over a cross which Gaskell met, and the striker ham-mered it into the roof of the net.

It was the least the visitors deserved after almost constantpressure, with the only surprise being a lack of reward for thedominance.The second half, with the Rams now facing the ferocious con-

ditions, was more of an even affair.Lancaster, obviously relieved to be just a single goal in ar-

rears, had more of the ball, but it took a dreadful back headerfrom the Rams’ skipper, Danny Warrender, to gift them anequaliser on 58 minutes.

The defender, who otherwise had a fine game, totally mis-judged Grant Shenton’s position, and his header sailed wideand beyond the custodian, allowing Jordan Connerton the idealopportunity to slot home a leveller.

The Rams continued to battle, and eventually gained theirreward on 72 minutes.

Another dangerous run down the left by Dean saw thewinger fire in a cross which was flicked on by Hulme at the nearpost, and in off the far post to regain the Rams slender advan-tage.As the minutes ticked down, the home side threw everything

at the Rams defence, but they successfully countered every-thing before grabbing the points-clincher two minutes intotime added on.With Hulme having squandered an ideal opportunity minutes

earlier, when he beat the offside trap but delayed his final shottoo long, Dean made sure from a similar position.

With City pushing up, Dean was able to take advantage ofthe additional space, and despite his first effort being blockedby the home keeper, the bounce fell kindly to Dean who man-aged to net the Rams third, much to the delight of his team-mates and the vociferous Rams following in the crowd.

The overall performance of the Rams, especially in the firsthalf where it was virtually one-way traffic, gained them a muchdeserved three points, extending their fine run to just two de-feats in twenty-three league games.


time stands still as goal number two sneak inside the Lancaster post

On a bitterly cold night, Ramsbottom United wel-comed struggling Ossett Albion to the Harry WilliamsRiverside Stadium.

The side from west Yorkshire were bottom of thetable and looking likely relegation candidates, butfought for their lives as they stood firm to repel every-thing the Rams could throw at them.After a score-less first half, joint-manager Anthony

Johnson observed “These are the kind of games whenyou have to be patient. We’ll carry on taking the gameto them and hope that they eventually tire. If they do,we’ll probably score two or three”.Prophetic words.For almost an hour the home side failed to pierce

Albion’s rearguard, but once they managed it, an-other goal followed in quick succession.Despite much of the possession, clear-cut chances

were at a premium for the Rams.Billy Priestley was inches over the bar following

Grant Spencer’s hanging cross, before a run down theright by Spencer saw him skip past Albion keeperAdam Rhodes. His cross into the middle found ChrisDenham in front of an empty goal, but a defender’sdesperate lunge sent the ball wide for a corner.Against the run of play, Ossett almost snatched the

lead when Ben Brooksbank found space in the area,but his shot rebounded back into play off the foot ofthe post.

Rhodes was on hand to deal with a Spencer free-kick, whilst Owen Roberts, from a similar position,used the swirling wind to his advantage as he sent theball in and over everyone in the area, but, unfortu-nately for him, it also cleared the crossbar.Darren Green saw his angled drive palmed away by

Rhodes as the first half ended goal-less.The Rams continued their patient build-up, and a

fine cross field move involving Jordan Hulme andSpencer, saw the former unlucky to see his shotblocked, before Spencer fed Phil Dean on the lefthand side of the area, but Rhodes managed to deflectthe goal-bound shot over the top.The pressure finally paid off after 58 minutes.A low ball in from the right beat everyone, but as it

was returned from the left hand side, Spencer was inthe right place to tuck it home from close range, tofinally make the breakthrough.Three minutes later, and it was, in effect, game over. Hulme played a delightful one-two with Green, be-

fore blasting the ball home from the edge of the box,giving Rhodes no chance.Ossett continued to defend in numbers, whilst re-

lying mainly on breakaways, but those forays into theRams half rarely looked like producing a goal.

As the Rams continued to have most of the pos-session, Hulme, Spencer and Green all attempted toincrease the lead, but in the end those two quick-firegoals were sufficient to gain all three points, againsta team that look anything but relegation certainties.In the two games against the Albion, the Rams havehad to be at their best to gain all three points, but thiswas a game that proved that perseverance can payoff.

hulme on form2 - 0

Harry Williams Riverside Stadium4th January 2014Att: 165 Rammy Goals: Spencer (58), Hulme (60) Ossett Albion goals:

RAMMY IN EXILE - RICHARD ISAACSGood afternoon one and all. I am not at today's game ... I have trans-

ferred my cold and wet (in placed flooded) Southampton home for thecolder and snowier climes of Washington DC and Baltimore for the nextweek. Roll on 10am when I can get myself to my computer or my iPad towatch the Twitter feed and keep abreast of all that is happening attoday's game.And what is this that I hear about the Lancaster City game ... Rammy

fans SINGING!!!! Absolutely fantastic - long may it continue.I have been really buoyed by the activity of the website forum over the

last few days or so and the amount of people saying how proud they areto be Rammy fans. And I love our new hashtag on Twitter as well ...#RammyLove.As I have said before on this page and when I was editor of the pro-

gramme, when I first started watching the Rams, we were lucky to get100 people show up on most weeks and the only singing that was goingon was from Harry's tea urn. Now to hear that 20-30 of our brethren havebunched together with various renditions of "Ohhhh Rammy United"amongst others is absolutely outstanding and I can't wait to get up againand be able to join in with a few "YOUUUUUUUUUURAAAAAAAAAAAAAMS"!!!!I was watching a rugby game on Saturday (an instantly forgettable

match between Havant and Gravesend in London Division 1 South) andhad my phone on the go with the Twitter updates, letting my dad know

what was happeningwho was sat behindme. I let him knowthat on the first up-date that Rammywere 1-0 up and aGravesend supporter,who was sat next tome, said "is thatRamsgate footballteam?"No, it bloody isn't!!!!

People just do not get my fascination with the Rams down here. Nat-urally, I am a Southampton supporter, being from and living in the city (Iknow that is something of an oddity up there on the red side of Man-chester). But I am as passionate and take more pleasure out ofwhat 'my team' from 242.7 miles away from my home than Ido three minutes and 1.3 miles away. Of course, I wantSouthampton to flourish and do well in the Premier Leaguebut I haven't been to watch them this season at all while I have seena good half-dozen Rammy games this year - including Clitheroeand Cammell Laird a week or so back.Bernard and Jonno, Glenn and Darren, Katie and the players

have created something what words cannot really do justice tomy queryful friends down here. AFC Totton is the non-leagueclub of choice down here as well as high-flying Eastleigh. But,for me, neither of those float my boat. There is just somethingthat pulls me in at Rammy - the great friends, the good timeswatching, the camaraderie and the fun.Give me that anyday!

today’s visitorsharrogate

MANAGER: BILLY MILLER Billy is a keen sportsman whothrives in a team environment and is involved a greatdeal with Football Coaching and Development. He tookover the reins at Liversedge in November 2010 and al-though on a tight budget managed to keep them in theNCEL Premier Division. A happily married man with 2children.

BROMLEY, Stephen (Striker) Stephen recently signedfrom neighbours Knaresborough Town. A striker whohas a proven record of knowing where the net is. Hasbeen a useful addition to the squad already with a hat-trick already to his name

CARTMAN, Nathan (Striker/Midfielder) Nathan is backfor his third spell at Railway. Played mostly in a wideposition last time he was down at Station View but hasfound his right position up front whilst playing for Liv-ersedge under Billy Miller. Was top scorer for them with17 goals 2 seasons ago and will be looking for more ofthe same in his new midfield role. Nathan was virtuallyan ever-present last season and was chosen by his fel-low players as their ‘Player of the Year’ for 2012/13.

CROOK, Peter (Goalkeeper) Peter has just recentlysigned on for Harrogate Town and is also dual regis-tered with Harrogate Railway Athletic. A confidentyoung shot stopper that was originally a youth playerat Scunthorpe United. Peter has also played for OssettAlbion, Barton Town and Ilkley Town.

DIXON, Joel (Midfielder/Defender) Joel has recentlysigned from Frickley Athletic. A versatile player who canplay either in defence or centre-midfield

HUNTER, Colin (Midfielder/Defender) Born in HarrogateColin started his career at Harrogate Railway manyyears ago. He then moved to Guiseley and has playedfor Hednesford, Gainsborough Trinity, Leigh RMI, More-cambe, Harrogate Town, Ilkeston Town and North Fer-riby Utd before signing back at Rail from Buxton. Moreclubs than Nick Faldo.

HUNTER, Lawrence (Wide Midfielder) Lawrence has re-cently joined us from Curzon Ashton. He made hisdebut for Harrogate Railway against West Auckland inthe FA Cup. His previous clubs include Garforth Townand Goole.

IBRAHIMI, Fatlum (Midfielder) Fatlum played most ofhis football in season 2012/13 with Harrogate RailwayReserves and Academy. Has forced his way into the firstteam this season with some impressive displays in themiddle of the park

KIDD, Greg (Midfielder) Greg signed for us at the startof last season but unfortunately due to work commit-ments could only play a handful of games for us. Thisseason he’ll be looking to force his way into the startingline-up. A wide player who can play either side

MORRIS, Michael (Central Defender) Signed for Billy justbefore the start of the season and is now a permanentplayer in the centre of the Railway defence. Mike hasplayed most of his football during his time with theArmy.

PARKES, Simon (Midfielder) Simon has been at the clubsince he was 6 years old. Very competitive and neverlikes to lose. Comfortable on the ball and reads thegame well. Has had his injury problems over the lastcouple of years but is now fully fit and will now be look-ing to consolidate his position in the centre of midfield.

RADCLIFFE, Craig (Defender/Midfielder) Craig joinedHarrogate Town in August 2011 after a very successfultrial period at the club. Starting as a youth player atMiddlesbrough, he was loaned out to Durham City dur-ing the 2005/2006 season. Cambridge City would be hisnext club in 2006 and Craig would go onto make over130 appearances. Towards the end of his stay at TheLilywhites he was loaned out to Bury Town where hemade a further 10 appearances and scored 1 goal. Avery cultured player, Craig has a great range of passingand a fierce shot on him. Craig joined Bradford Park Av-enue for a three month loan spell in September 2012.Craig is now duel signed with Harrogate Railway forseason 2013/14

THIRKELL, Dan (Defender) Dan is a product of our Jun-ior Section. Dan has been at the club since he was 8years old baring a 2 year spell at the Scarborough Acad-emy. Captain of the Railway Academy at Centre-Halfbut looks comfortable on the right for the 1st eleven.He’s matured over the last few years and has now re-verted back to the centre of the Rail defence. Has cap-tained the 1st team in 2012/13 in the absence of JonMaloney.

WOOD, Simon (Defender) Simon was one of severalplayers signed from Liversedge at the start of season2012/13 whilst under the managership of Billy. Al-though it took a while for him to settle Simon has nowmade the right-back spot his own with some strongperformances as the season wore on.

YOUHILL, Rob (Wide Midfielder) Rob is duel signed forHarrogate Railway and Harrogate Town this season. Hescored one or two vital goals for ‘The Rail’ last seasonwhilst on loan and is hoping to cause a few defencesproblems with his pace and skill with his second stintat Station View.

ASSISTANT/PLAYER: LEE ASHFORTH (Goalkeeper) Leeis not an unfamiliar figure at Railway. He played in goalfor us for 3 seasons several years ago. ‘Ash’ has alsoplayed at several clubs at both NCEL & Unibond leveland is now alongside Billy as his Assistant. Lee has sev-eral Coaching badges and is also involved with Billy inFootball Coaching & Development.

The club was formed in 1935 by workers at the StarbeckLNER depot and joined the local Harrogate League withsome success and won the British Railways National Cup in1946. They borrowed £1,500 from the LNER and more than300 workers contributed one old penny per week to repaythe loan. This money secured ownership of the current Sta-tion View site. The 1950s saw the club progress through theWest Yorkshire League to the Yorkshire League and theymade the second round proper of the FA Amateur Cup in1953, going out 3-2 at Harwich & Parkstone, a special trainconveying supporters to the tie. Sadly the loco sheds closedin 1959, subsequently affecting finances as many of theworkers, and players, had to leave the area.

In 2002 after a bewildering qualifying competition, themany who travelled to Berkshire witnessed a 2-1 win atSlough Town in the first round proper of the FA Cup. Thelowest-ranking club ever to reach the second round weredrawn at home to Bristol City, top of the second division,the highest-ranking club in the competition at that stage.This was a fairy-tale tie. What’s more, Railway opted to playthe game at home. Temporary stands adorned Station View,Sky TV beamed the game around the globe and the clubwas the focus of the football world for a couple of hours inDecember 2002. Bristol City were made to fight for their 3-1 win, Steve Davey netting with 17 minutes to go, but once

again an injury-time goal sealed Railway’s fateIn 2008 the league form proved to be rather erratic but

Railway finished well clear of the relegation zone in the end.Incredibly, another mighty FA Cup run dominated and thelittle club from Yorkshire reached the second round properfor a second time. A battling home victory over then un-beaten rivals Harrogate Town was the undoubted highlightof the qualifying rounds before Blue Square side Droylsdenwere sent packing 2-0 in the first round. Mansfield Towncame to Station View on a soggy Sunday and BBC Match OfThe Day screened the game live this time, complete with RayStubbs. Mark Lawrenson and Jonathan Pearce. Mansfieldwon 3-2 but not before two second-half goals from DannyDavidson gave them late scares. The 2012-13 season started with ex-Liversedge manager

– Billy Miller and his assistant ex-Railway favourite Lee Ash-worth in charge. Although most of the players were from aleague below it was a struggle to start with but things camegood with a brand of football that hadn’t been seen at Sta-tion View for some time and by the end of the season Railhad finished in 18th position with a total of 41 points – wellclear of the relegation zone. In addition Harrogate Railwayfinished with the best Discipline record not only in theNorthern part of the League but in all 3 Evo-Stik leagues.

Visit Vitality + for more help and advice41 Bolton Street, Ramsbottom

Tel: 01706 558904

Diabetes

There are nearly 4 million people with diabetes in the UK many of whom but don’t

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There are also herbs you can take to help lower or regulate your blood glucose, such

as cinnamon, ginger and goats rue. Vitality + can provide more advice on these as

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PILKINGTON CLASS

a sensible goal celebration with Grant Spencer

PILKINGTON CLASS

29-year old Joel Pilkington was one ofBernard and Jonno’s very first signings atRammy, having played with them atClitheroe, and the hard-working midfielderhas been a permanent fixture in the squad forthe last five years. We caught up with him lastweek and asked some of the burning ques-tions about his time as a professional at Burn-ley, and what it’s like being Rammy’s “SeniorProfessional”.Let’s start with how you got into football.Were you a late starter or was footy in yourblood?I used to play at school, and then when I wasabout eight or nine I went with my friends toa holiday football session that Burnley wererunning over summer at their training centreat Gawthorpe Hall. My dad ran a few localteams and my brother was a player too so I’dplayed quite a bit. Burnley asked me to comeback to the evening sessions and picked meup from there.So you spent the next few years playing forBurnley?I did. Right through to just before my 21stbirthday I was with Burnley. I spent threeyears as a YTS and then just over two yearson a pro contract with them. I was onlyyoung, but managed to get on the first teamfour times before a change of managementmeant that the opportunites weren’t thesame as they had been. During my secondpro season I realised that I wasn’t really get-ting anywhere with Burnley and decided tolook elsewhere.I’d tried a few clubs to see if I could get atrial, but it was really difficult. A lot of clubswere struggling because of the ITV Digital sit-uation and they couldn’t afford to risk moneyon younger players. Steve Cotterill recom-

mended a trial with Valur FC in Iceland, so Iwent over there for a week. It looked goodon paper, and they offered me a car, apart-ment, contract etc, but something about itdidn’t feel right. They had great plans, but Iwasn’t sure whether it’d work out so I cameback to England and started doing a bit ofcoaching work with my dad while continuingto look around for a club.Was that when the non-league scene cameknocking on the door?Yes. I got talking to ex-Burnley player TonyEllis, who suggested I go and try a few gamesat Hyde. I did the pre-season and then car-ried on training with them, but struggled toget into an already established lineup. I thenmoved over to Mossley to get a regular gameand in my first season there we found our-selves promoted. The next season wasn’t sohot and the manager and most of the playersleft when we found ourselves relegated. During that time I was working for BlackburnRovers and Burnley doing some coaching inschools. After Mossley I spent half a season at Chorleyand then about eighteen months at Clitheroewhere I met Bernard and Jonno. When Jonnomentioned that they were both consideringthe management job at Rammy and askedwhether I’d be interested in joining them, Ijumped at the chance, and five years on, I’mstill here!How did you find the switch from full-timeprofessional to having to do a day job as wellas play footy?It was a bit of a shock at first, having to go towork all day and then come home to training,but I learnt a professional attitude while I wasat Burnley, and your body definitely adjusts.

“ I've got abeautiful family. Nomatter what lifebrings, you've got tobe grateful for whatyou've got,,

our favourite photo of the season: Gary Stopforth celebrating Pilkie’s goal with some third degree assault

PILKINGTON CLASS

“The lads joke thatI’m the senior pro because I turn up withmy boots clean! ,,

In theory football is now more of ahobby than a job so it should beharder to get myself out for runs andso on, but I have no problem. My wifeJaimie is really supportive too. We’vebeen together eleven years and babyRuby is just five months old so there’sa lot of life going on at the moment,but it doesn’t impact too much on myfootball. The most awkward thing iswork getting in the way, and aboutthe time Ruby was born I started anew job working shifts for the ambu-lance service. You can’t really start anew job and in your first week say, “Bythe way, I can’t work these shifts cosI’m playing footy,” but I’ve explainedand they’re being really decent aboutmy playing for Rammy.Given that you’re 29 and an ex profes-sional, do the lads look to you for wis-dom and advice?No! If anything they take the mickyand call me the “senior pro” - mainlybecause I turn up with my bootsclean! Also, when I’m on the bus I al-ways keep my kit on and, although Ilike a drink, I’m always very well be-haved. At Rammy you’ve been a jack of alltrades, playing in midfield for a coupleof seasons, with a spell at right-backand then centre-back. Where’s yournatural position, and do you feel thatyour versatility gets you overlooked abit?I was originally a full-back and occa-sionally centre-half, but during mysecond year of YTS the coach sug-gested I have a go in midfield, so Icould see a bit more of the ball. It tookme a while to settle in there as you’relearning new skills, but I loved it. While I’ve been here I’ve played allover, but I just want to play football.

Lots of the lads I was with at Burnleyquit the game when it didn’t work outthere, but I’ve always just wanted toplay, and play every game. It probablyis a bit of a disadvantage if you canplay in a number of positions and it isdisappointing when you get left out ofthe team, but there are always reasonsfor that happening and you just haveto get to training and prove thatyou’re up to the job, there’s no morethat you can do. With the fantasticsquad we’ve got at Rammy, if youmiss a match through injury, suspen-sion or work commitments thenyou’re in danger of losing your place,and that’s just a fact of life with a teamthat’s chasing promotion.How do you get on with the Rammyfans? Do they give you stick or arethey supportive?Once you’re on the pitch you’re sobusy concentrating that they could beshouting any kind of abuse, but in myexperience Rammy’s fans have beennothing but kind to me; I don’t reallyseem to get stick. What I can tell you though is that it’sfantastic to have such big crowds.When you’re getting crowds thatwould be amongst the highest in theleague above, you know that you’redoing something right. For all of us,the attendances are really encourag-ing, and it makes you really look for-ward to pulling on the Rammy shirtevery week....and finally, did it hurt when GaryStopforth assaulted you when youscored against Burscough?I’ve seen that photo and it looks likemy head’s going to come off! Cele-brations like that definitely make youthink twice about scoring again.

Pilky gets down and dirty with clitheroe’s Will James

EDITORIAL - SUPPORTERS CLUBCongratulations, we did it again! Our away support was once again

huge at Lancaster City, and virtually every photo I took of the actionhad rows of Rammy fans in the shot. Yet again we came pretty close tooutnumbering the home fans, and it was great to see just a little bit ofschooling together;particularly those onth’Rammy Carabancwho made such aracket throughout thematch. This is what wewant at Rammy, andwe need to get itgoing behind each ofour goals at the River-side. Have a couple ofscoops and get yoursinging voices out, as we’re now clawing our way into that play-off zoneat last, and might just see Rammy gazing down the pretty intimidatingbarrel of yet another promotion! We’re going to need to keep practisingthe singing, just incase we end up facing Darlington in the play-offs -so we can make sure we give a good account of ourselves on the ter-races while our team teach them how to play footy on the pitch! The Rammy Family is really starting to gain members left, right and

centre, and if you haven’t had the pleasure of the away experience yetthen make sure you hop into the car for the twelve mile trip up to Padi-ham next Saturday. It’s a lovely little ground, with really friendly people,and it’s going to feel like a home game, so make sure you get yourselfthere! It’ll also be good to see Sharpy, Keiran and the rest again, partic-ularly if we get some revenge for the 2-1 defeat early in the season.The postcode for your satnav is BB12 8LE, but you barely need it. If

you follow the A56 up to the M65, and carry straight on at the round-about then you’re more or less there. Turn right onto Blackburn Roadat the traffic lights, then left at the mini roundabout onto Holland Street.You’re probably best trying to park around those side streets as theground is only about 50 metres up and we reckon your chances of get-ting into the carpark are pretty slim.

We hope you like the new bits and bobs that we’ve put in the pro-gramme. It’s been jiggled around a bit to try and get some more con-

tent in - a few more photos from the matches as well as the playerfeature that we’ve just introduced. Next season we’re hoping todo something slightly different with the advert printing so thatthe production costs are lower, making it cheaper to print morecopies, but also giving us a chance to add a few extra pages. Itmeans quite a bit of work, but it’d be nice to keep the pro-gramme improving as our club improves. We’d also like to seemore people reading the programme, whether it’s online

(www.issuu.com/rufc) or the print version. Despite editing thething, I’ve never really been one for buying programmes (they’re

normally full of crap) so I’m keen to make this one into something thatit’s worth spending your hard-earned money on. Watch this space!

the rammy family - baaaaa

Managers: Anthony JOHNSONBernard MORLEY

Manager: Billy Miller

Grant SHENTONJoel PILKINGTONOwen ROBERTS

Gary STOPFORTHDanny WARRENDER

Billy PRIESTLEYGrant SPENCERScott BURTONLee GASKELL

Jordan HULMEPhil DEANTom TOTH

Darren GREENAndy DAWSON

Dominic SMALLEY

Peter CROOKDan THIRKELLLawrence HUNTERSimon WOODMichael NORRISSimon PARKESRob YOUHILLAlex METCALFENathan CARTMANJoel DIXONColin HUNTERFatlum IBRAHIMICraig RADCLIFFEGreg KIDDStephen BROMLEYMichael JORDAN

Referee: James WilsonAssistants: Wade Smith and Terry Ratcliffe

Next home game: Tuesday 25th February 7:45pm, Rammy v Ossett Town

24 Ramsbottom United v Harrogate Railway Athletic

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