PLAYER movements registered with the Evo-stik Northern Premier League from Sunday, March 24, to 11am on Saturday, March 30.
Andrew Hollins from Droylsden to Colne Benjamin Barber from Colne to Droylsden Andreas Bianga from Clitheroe to Droylsden Harry Pratt from Clitheroe to Droylsden Szymon Czubik from Stockport County to Glossop North End (youth loan) George Danaher from Huddersfield Town to Glossop North End (work experience) Markell Foulds from Salford City to Glossop North End Paddy Lane from Blackburn Rovers to Hyde United Darren McKnight from Stalybridge Celtic to Hyde United Luke Porritt from Hyde United to Tadcaster Albion (short-term loan) Weekend Non-league Football Previews
“WE will be bouncing back” is the defiant claim from MOSSLEY co-boss Dave Wild after his side suffered a rare defeat in midweek when they went down 4-0 at Kidsgrove. Until Wednesday, the Lilywhites had lost only one game since the start of December, and had not conceded more than two goals since January 19 when they beat Radcliffe 4-3. Tomorrow (Saturday) they pick up their bid to win promotion from the Evo-stik NPL first division west when they face Newcastle Town at Seel Park. Wild and Terry Hincks — who have just marked a year as Mossley’s joint-managers — have a full squad to choose from now that Ben Richardson has completed a suspension. Utility man Dieter Downey has signed a contract to stay with the club next season. DROYLSDEN, who are home to Trafford, made four transfer deadline signings. The new faces are Clitheroe striker Harry Pratt, and three men who have played at the Butchers Arms before: defender Ben Barber and midfielders Andreas Bianga and Danny Hewitt. Their only doubt tomorrow is Sefton Gonzales who faces a fitness test in the morning. GLOSSOP NORTH END, who again have no Saturday match, have also made a clutch of signings. Huddersfield Town striker George Danaher was recently at Curzon Ashton, and Stockport County forward Szymon Czubik played for Mossley earlier in the season. Defender Markell Foulds joins the Hillmen from Salford City. They have also signed Poynton keeper Jake O’Regan as cover. Commenting on the fixture situation, co-boss Peter Band said: “We really shouldn’t be without a game on the last Saturday of March, but it’s something the league have decided because of the way the programme was at the end of February. “I’m not happy because it leaves us facing seven games in 27 days in April, including two Tuesday matches.” In the premier division, influential defender Greg Wilkinson is the only doubt for STALYBRIDGE CELTIC who cross the Pennines to face league leaders Farsley Celtic. They will be heading to Yorkshire in the hope of building on the battling performance they produced last week to win at Scarborough. Will Tom Pratt play is the question being asked by HYDE UNITED fans ahead of the home clash with Stafford Rangers? His return would provide a welcome boost for a side that has lost four of its last five matches. Pratt faces a fitness test in the morning. Other doubts are Nicky Platt, Janni Lipka, John McCombe and Ryan Crowther. New signing Darren McKnight, a midfielder/defender who started out with Barnsley and has represented Northern Ireland at under-17 and under-19 level, is expected to figure. His non-league clubs include Stalybridge Celtic, Glossop and Bamber Bridge. In National League North, CURZON ASHTON have doubts over Olly Crankshaw and Sean Miller as they prepare to visit Boston United. Louis Wardle, another lad who can play in defence or midfield, has joined the Nash on loan from Barnsley where he was the longest-serving academy player. He made his debut from the bench in Tuesday’s 1-0 defeat a Guiseley. Striker Adam Morgan is finally back in full training after a long lay-off with a stomach injury. Curzon’s reverse at Guiseley may have dealt a mortal blow to neighbours ASHTON UNITED’s hopes of avoiding relegation. It has left them six points behind the Yorkshire side who have a game in hand, and with only six matches left to play. Tomorrow the Robins are away to fellow strugglers Leamington in a game they really have to win if they are to have any hope of survival. They head to Warwickshire without Ollie Crowley, Luke Ashworth and Liam Martin. However, Connor Dimaio is available and keeper George McMahon should return after being called up for Republic of Ireland under-19s duty. Manager Jody Banim signed two defender ahead of the transfer deadline: Toby Lees (Harrogate Town) and Adam Freeland (Buxton). PLAYER movements registered with the Evo-stik Northern Premier League from Sunday, March 17, to 11am on Saturday, March 23.
Connor Hughes from Curzon Ashton to Atherton Collieries (short-term loan) Michael Elstone from Marine to Glossop North End Ryan Crowther from Glossop North End to Hyde United Ionut Anghel from Ashton United to Kendal Town Youth Loan Weekend Non-league Football Previews
A FREAK training injury means GLOSSOP NORTH END will have to go to Clitheroe tomorrow (Saturday) without Dominic Marie. The striker was hurt in a tackle when a player fell on his outstretched leg, breaking it. Co-boss Peter Band believes both tibia and fibula have been fractured. “It looks like we’ve lost Dom for the rest of the season, which is sad because he’s such a good lad. He’s quiet, he trains, he works hard and he just wants to play football,” said Band. “We have to think about him at the moment, and I’m hoping to go and visit him on Sunday. The lads are planning to have a collection and I think the board are doing something too.” In terms of coping with the gap left by Marie, Band believes he has sufficient cover including ex-Fulham centre-forward Michael Elstone signed from Marine earlier this week. Otherwise Band and his managerial partner Lloyd Morrison have a full squad for the trip to Shawbridge — a game in which they ought to have a great chance of taking all three points. Clitheroe are one place beneath Glossop in the Evo-stik NPL first division west table and have lost six of their last seven matches. Victory could put the Hillmen within touching distance of Market Drayton in 16th place. MOSSLEY, who are home to Colne, will be delighted to get their promotion push back under way after two weeks without a match. Their only absentee is the suspended Ben Richardson. DROYLSDEN, who have had a very eventful couple of weeks, will be hopeful of victory as they visit bottom club Skelmersdale. Their only doubt is Sam Baird who faces a late fitness test. In National League North, ASHTON UNITED take on Blyth Spartans at Hurst Cross in what manager Jody Banim acknowledges is a must-win game. “It’s massive for us because we’re running out of matches,” commented Banim. “And no disrespect to clubs like Blyth, Guiseley and Leamington, but we’ve got to be looking to take three points from those games. If we don’t we’ll be in big trouble. Missing from tomorrow’s squad are Liam Martin, who is unlikely to play again this season, and John Roberts. Luke Ashworth is doubtful. CURZON ASHTON could do their town neighbours a bit of a favour by beating FC United at the Tameside Stadium. The Nash will be at full strength following Cam McJannett’s return from parent club Stoke City. Ryan Crowther, one of the players who helped HYDE UNITED start the 2011-12 season with ten straight league wins, could be back in a Tigers shirt for the game at South Shields, having signed from Ashton United in midweek. Fans will be hoping that Crowther, who has struggled since missing the 2017-18 season with a knee ligament injury, will regain his old goalscoring form. Paddy Lane, Nicky Platt and Tom Pratt are all doubtful and face fitness tests. Ross Daly completes his suspension for the red card against Farsley two weeks ago. Adam O’Reilly has been called up for duty with the Republic of Ireland under-18s team. Thanks to the demise of North Ferriby, STALYBRIDGE CELTIC have no game. Instead, they will be hosting a meet-the-manager forum starting at 1pm. LAUREL and Hardy, Ernie and Bert — Peter Band and Lloyd Morrison know all the nicknames.
They happily accept that they’re a pair of comedians, but they stress they’re comedians who get the job done, and who have won four Manchester Premier Cups. It’s been a rough ride since they became co-bosses of Glossop North End in October of last year. They managed only one win before Christmas, but since the turn of the year they have gradually picked up points. “When we took the job we said we were the people to save the club from relegation. Our aim was to keep them up and now, with eight games left, we’re 17th in the Evo-stik NPL first division west and six points clear of the bottom two,” said Band. “At our interview we said that Glossop were in a little mini-league. Our plan was to gradually move the side up the table one place at a time and I think we’re now the highest we’ve been all season. “Crucially, we needed to beat Skelmersdale and Kendal, and we did that. On Saturday, we plan to beat Clitheroe too.” Band believes much of the change in fortunes can be put down to the madcap style of management that he and Morrison employ. “We bounce off each other and that lessens the pressure,” he explained. Everyone knows the two of us are as mad as a box of frogs but that’s how we deal with things. We try to take it into training and games. We want people to come here and enjoy their football. Also, we’ve got an excellent backroom team. It’s a tight, neat little set-up. “What also helps is getting into a routine by playing every week. Too many times we’ve played one Saturday and then not had a game the next. “We beat Colne and thought, ‘right, that’s it’. But the next two games were called off and then we found ourselves losing 5-0 to Ramsbottom. A lot of players have left the club, too, and it’s only this last month I’ve been able to keep the same back four. “Results have picked up and I think we should have beat Droylsden and probably Prescot as well. But performances are getting better and that’s down to hard graft.” Tomorrow (Tuesday) the Hillmen have lined up a friendly against Curzon Ashton on the 3G pitch at the Tameside Stadium. Band plans to use the game to look at fringe players who have been to training, or on the bench, and not able to break into the side. A curious fact about the current Glossop side, and their position in the table, is that they are unbeaten away from home in nearly three months. Their last defeat was at leaders Atherton Collieries on December 22, when they lost out to an injury-time penalty. Asked why away results are so much better than those at Surrey Street, Band replied: “I don’t know. I’ve joked about making us use the away dressing room but, if I think about it, I think we’ve only really let ourselves down twice: against Colwyn Bay and Ramsbottom. “Hopefully, as we move forward, having a more settled squad will help us. I’m very upbeat about the way things are going.” PLAYER movements registered with the Evo-stik Northern Premier League from Sunday, March 10, to 11am on Saturday, March 16.
Jamie Reed from Ashton United to Buxton John Roberts from Ashton United to Buxton Reece Webb-Foster from Droylsden to Colne Tylor Golden from Wigan Athletic to Droylsden (work experience) Weekend Non-league Football Previews
THE demise of North Ferriby United this morning will have repercussions well beyond the East Riding of Yorkshire. Ferriby, who won the 2015 FA Trophy and spent 2016-17 in the National League, were wound up in Hull County Court for being unable to pay a debt of £7,645.25 owed to Chappelow Sports Turf. Their affairs have been placed in the hands of liquidators and they will not fulfil their remaining Evo-stik NPL premier division fixtures. Presumably their record will be expunged. Like many clubs — including Hyde United and Droylsden — Ferriby found the pressures and costs of National League football to be too great and back-to-back relegations followed. In the short term, North Ferriby’s closure deals a financial blow to STALYBRIDGE CELTIC, depriving them of much-needed income as the two sides were to have met at Bower Fold next week. One Celtic official has described the cancellation as a grievous blow to an already cash-strapped club. Tomorrow (Saturday) the Bridge travel to Scarborough. Only Elliott Cooke will be missing as Simon Haworth’s men look to snap a six-game winless run including defeats in the last four matches. A training-ground ankle injury will again rule out Tom Pratt as HYDE UNITED prepare to meet Lancaster City at Ewen Fields. Nicky Platt (calf) will also be missing, Jack McConville has a torn hamstring, and Ross Daly serves the first half of a two-match ban for being sent off last week. On the plus side, Paddy Lane is able to play after being substituted against Farsley because of a hip injury. Kyle Brownhill will be available after recovering from concussion. In National League North, CURZON ASHTON enjoy the rare treat of going into a game as favourites. They visit Guiseley who are 19th in the table and only three points clear of the relegation places. Curzon’s only absentee is defender Cameron McJannett who has been recalled by his parent club, Stoke City, for one game. ASHTON UNITED have no match as Stockport County, who they should have been playing, are at Fylde in the first leg of the FA Trophy semi-finals. In the NPL first division west, MOSSLEY resume their promotion challenge at Colwyn Bay after having no match last week. They travel to North Wales without Ben Richardson who completes a two-game suspension. Shaq Clarke, who scored two goals at Kidsgrove as DROYLSDEN came back from 3-0 down to draw 3-3, misses out on facing the Staffordshire side at the Butchers Arms. Domaine Rouse and Michael Brewster face fitness tests, and manager Dave Pace is hoping to push through a loan in time for kick-off. Phil Marsh has moved to Clitheroe and Reece Webb-Foster has joined Colne. GLOSSOP NORTH END are at full strength for the visit of Newcastle Town after what co-boss Peter Band describes as a quiet week. Winger Mason Duffy’s loan has been extended until the end of the season. |
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