v Runcorn Linnets

30.04.2016

NWCFL Premier Division

Kick Off: 15:00

Issue 24

£1.50

DANNY

PENSWICK

FROM THE EDITORS:

Thank you for buying our programme, if you would like to get in touch about anything programme related, or

maybe you have something you’d like to add. Feel free to contact us - haydendan@live.co.uk or follow us on

Twitter - @HaydeJay

Good afternoon everyone,

I’d like to welcome Runcorn Linnets to the RBL stadium in what is our final home league game of the season,

where we look to take maximum points off the league leaders. It is going to be a tough task but we are ready for

the challenge.

“It is going to be a tough task, but we are ready…”

There won’t be many other games around the league that have as much importance at both ends of the table

today as it is vital for both teams to get the win. Runcorn Linnets are flying high and have been all season, and

currently sit top with two games to play. However Colne breathing down their necks, anything but a win could

see them coming back here again next season.

“Anything but a win could see them coming back again next season”

We played the reverse fixture two weeks ago and while Runcorn came out comfortable 2-0 winners, I saw

enough in the second half to give us confidence. Since then, back to back victories against Silsden and Runcorn

Town have given us all a boost, and another positive result today will bolster our chances of survival.

“Another positive result today will bolster our chances of survival”

We're a team that enjoys the big occasion and today's game is one of those. Linnets will bring with them

a decent following but with that will come added pressure.

I'm expecting the lads to play with a freedom and really express themselves on the pitch.

Ben Fletcher (Sponsored by S.E.I. [Maintenance] LTD)

Superb young shot stopper that had a tremendous season last year. He kept numerous clean sheets

and played every single minute of every single game. 2015/16 will be his 3rd season with the club

where he’ll be looking to continue his fine form.

Nathan Trout (Available for sponsorship)

Nathan moved to the Fylde coast from Liverpool. A ball winning centre half that has a big presence

on the pitch, he’ll be hoping to force his way into the team and make his position his own.

Alex Colquhoun (Available for sponsorship)

After a short spell at the club last season, Alex has returned to the club hungry and determined to

play on a regular basis. He showed signs of quality last season and will be looking to cement his place

in the 2015/16 season.

Brett Ferguson (Sponsored by Service Solutions Direct Ltd)

One of the main characters within the changing room, “Channy” as he is called, always has stories to

tell, consistently produced good displays during last season and got on the score sheet on numerous

occasions. A very adaptable player that has made a huge impression on all within the club. Winner of

Clubman of the Year 2014/15.

Andy Richards (Available for sponsorship)

A club stalwart! ‘Rico’ as he is known, has been with the club for many seasons and has become a

linchpin of the side. His performances and changing room experience has played a vital role in recent

success. A player with many superstitions that is well liked at the club.

Josh Westwood (Sponsored by Mark Ashmore)

Josh was a rock at the heart of defence during last season. He produced some fine individual displays

and chipped in with a few headed goals. A quiet individual but very popular player that lets his feet,

or head do the talking. Josh is also adaptable to play up front.

Mike Hall (Available for sponsorship)

Mike was only with Gate briefly last season but his knowledge and experience of the game was bene-

ficial to all that played alongside him. He was influential in his performances and will be looking to

have the same impact throughout the 2015/16 season.

Conah Bishop (Available for sponsorship)

Conah is one of the youngest players in the squad and plays on the right side of midfield. He has the

pace to run at the opposition and can also score goals. He is a great addition to the team.

Joe Noblet (Available for sponsorship)

Joe had a spell with Gate a few seasons ago, and returned under the new management of Danny

Penswick. He is an attacking midfielder with an eye for goal and will be sure to add goals to the

squad.

Alex McKendrick (Available for sponsorship)

Alex has been at the club for a number of seasons, first arriving under the stewardship of ex

manager Russ McKenna. His work rate and willingness to do the unfashionable jobs in a

game have been hugely important to the team. Injury put a halt to his 2014/15 season but

he’ll be looking to come back a stronger player this season.

Billy McKenna (Available for sponsorship)

The flying winger missed a large part of last season due to injury but is looking to make the

right midfield position his own. A popular player within the changing room that can have a

big influence on games when in the mood.

Antony Stayte (Available for sponsorship)

Stayte is a great addition to the squad, who brings experience from his time at AFC Fylde

and from teams in a higher tier. He knows how to organise and motivate his team mates

and is very good at holding the ball up.

Ashley Rowley (Sponsored by TravelCare World)

Ash joined Gate towards the end of last season, and impressed in the time he played. He

scored a crucial equaliser at home to Congleton Town and will be looking to have an impact

this season.

Danny Penswick (Sponsored by Bill White)

Danny is the manager and captain of the club. He first joined midway through the 2013/14

season and soon established himself as a leader and highly influential player. His game un-

derstanding and levels of performance have seen him become a focal point of the team.

Mark Buchan (Available for sponsorship)

Mark models himself on Ally McCoist. A fiery Scot that knows where the goal is. His work-

manlike performances often go unnoticed, but he scored some valuable goals during last

season. An influential player both on and off the pitch and will be a key player during this

season.

Aaron Clarke (Available for sponsorship)

Aaron was part of the Kirkham and Wesham squad which was victorious at Wembley in

2008. Unfortunately for Aaron, he picked up an injury the week before the final so didn’t

take part in the game. A quick striker who possesses skill and eye for a pass and can also

play in behind the striker in attacking midfield. Aaron will be looking to cement a spot up

top and to fire Gate up the table.

Ryan Tanser (Available for sponsorship)

Ryan joined the club in October and came off the bench in the 5-2 defeat away at Atherton

Collieries. He scored his first goal for the club on his first full debut in our 5-1 win over

Maine Road in the MEN United cup. He will bring goals to the team for sure.

Pics by Albert Cooper

SQUIRES GATE 2 1 RUNCORN TOWN TROUT 17, NOBLET 47 HT: 1-1 HOUGHTON 7

SUBS NOT USED FLETCHER 1 1 LEVER SUBS NOT USED

RICHARDS FERGUSON 2 2 LESTER MARTLAND

COLQUHOUN HIGHAM 3 3 TOONE SPEARRIT

(BUCHAN 89)HALL 4 4 DYKES GRANT

WESTWOOD 5 5 LAWTON BURTON

TROUT 6 6 ALBEWHITE

STAYTE 7 7 SHANLEY

GIBSON 8 8 HOUGHTON

TANSER 9 9 WEBB

NOBLET 10 10 MCSHANE

RILEY 11 11 WOODS

It would be Trout who would make a

costly mistake after just six minutes

of the game. The returning defender

played a sloppy pass across defence

which was picked up by a Runcorn

attacker. He squared the ball to the

back post where Houghton was

waiting to tap in. Unlike past games

when Gate have gone behind heads

didn't drop amongst the team and

the home side continued to play

their football.

Joe Noblet had a superb free kick

saved after 14 minutes which was

punched out. And from the corner

Josh Westwood almost found the

back of the net but Lever in net

caught the ball just under the cross-

bar. Runcorn tried to play out quick-

ly from the back but Gate did well to

win the ball back in midfieldGate did

well to get the ball back into the box

where Ryan Riley was waiting. He

missed the ball but Nathan Trout,

still forward from the corner had

time to take a touch and fire into the

top corner to level for Gate! The

defender making up for his earlier

mistake to bring Gate level with 17

minutes gone. Anthony Stayte was

next to take aim and with the keeper

off his line had a great chance! But a

Runcorn Town defender was on the

line to clear the ball after 28

minutes.

Ten minutes later Joe Noblet came close

to scoring direct from the corner but

Lever again did well to punch the ball

round the post.

Ryan Riley had the last chance of the

game and it could and should have put

Gate ahead. Riley sent clear through but

Runcorn defender Toone did well with a

last ditch tackle.The second half couldn't

have start any better for Gate. Gate

would take the lead just two minutes in.

A quick throw in found the feet of Ryan

Riley who held up the ball. He then lay

the ball off to Joe Noblet on the edge of

the box to fire into the back of the

net. Gate then looked in control of the

game with Ben Fletcher not really having

much to do in goal. Town did go close on

52 minutes but the cross fell just wide of

the man coming in at the back post.

Ryan Riley was next with a chance as

Gate controlled proceedings but his

header was just wide from the corner.

Runcorn Town always looked like they

could threaten on the break from Gates

attacks but credit has to go to Gates

midfield. Gibson, Hall, Noblet and Stayte

all working very hard in the middle to

win the ball back all over the pitch.

Town keeper Daniel Lever should be praised

for his efforts throughout the game. He

again had to be alert to to punch the ball off

Ryan Riley's head from Josh Westwood's

header back in from the corner. Soon after

that Joe Noblet could have scored from

outside the box but his thunderous strike

rattled off the crossbar.

Gate did well to see out the win in what

was a fairly easy second half. A plus for

Gate was the return of top scorer Mark

Buchan from the bench for the last couple

of minutes. The win see's Gate move five

points clear of AFC Blackpool in 20th though

they have three games in hand.

Report By Mark Ashmore

Saturday 30th April 2016

1874 Northwich v AFC Blackpool

AFC Darwen v Ashton Athletic

AFC Liverpool v Silsden

Atherton Collieries v Congleton Town

Barnoldswick Town v West Didsbury & Chorlton

Colne v Cammell Laird 1907

Nelson v Maine Road

Padiham v Abbey Hey

Squires Gate v Runcorn Linnets

Tuesday 3rd May 2016

1874 Northwich v Congleton Town

AFC Blackpool v Squires Gate

Ashton Athletic v Abbey Hey

Colne v West Didsbury & Chorlton

Nelson v Cammell Lair 1907

Wednesday 4th May 2016

Barnoldswick Town v Alsager Town

Padiham v AFC Darwen

Thursday 5th May 2016

Ashton Athletic v Atherton Collieries

West Didsbury & Chorlton v AFC Blackpool

Winsford United v Nelson

Saturday 7th May 2016

1874 Northwich v Colne

AFC Blackpool v West Didsbury & Chorlton

AFC Darwen v Cammell Laird 1907

Ashton Athletic v Squires Gate

Barnoldswick Town v Atherton Collieries

Congleton Town v AFC Liverpool

Maine Road v Alsager Town

Padiham v Runcorn Linnets

Runcorn Town v Abbey Hey

Silsden v Bootle

APP SUB GLS APP SUB GLS APP SUB GLS APP SUB GLS APP SUB GLS Y R

FLETCHER 28 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 3 0 0 31 0 0 0 0

WOODS 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 0 0 0 0

RICHARDS 38 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 3 0 0 45 0 0 0 1

MCKENNA 30 4 2 1 1 0 2 0 1 2 1 0 32 5 1 2 0

WESTWOOD 37 0 1 2 0 0 2 0 0 3 0 0 43 0 1 2 0

PENSWICK 27 1 1 1 0 0 2 0 0 3 0 0 34 2 0 1 0

FERGUSON 33 4 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 3 0 0 38 4 0 1 0

MCKENDRICK 8 3 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 8 0 0 0 0

HALL 12 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 12 2 0 0 0

BUCHAN 29 7 13 1 0 0 2 0 1 2 1 2 33 6 16 2 0

RILEY 5 5 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 5 4 2 0 0

ROWLEY 13 14 3 2 0 1 0 2 0 3 0 1 15 16 5 1 0

COLQUHOUN 19 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 18 3 0 0 0

GIBSON 7 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 4 1 0 0

HIGGINS 1 4 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 3 4 0 0 1

TROUT 26 5 1 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 28 8 1 2 0

CLARKE 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 5 0 0 0

DICKSON 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0

HIGHAM 17 4 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 4 2 1 0

NOBLET 25 1 4 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 27 2 3 0 0

TANSER 13 8 5 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 13 6 6 0 0

STAYTE 17 4 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18 5 0 1 0

MOXON 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0

As the season draws to a close, we caught up with chairman Stuart Hopwood who gives us his review of the

2015/16 season. He speaks about his targets for next season, and which players he ’d sign for Squires Gate.

After the heroics of last season, what were you expecting at the start of this season? Have these expectations

been met?

I would of expected to be at least mid table, but unfortunately after the slow start we had and the changing of

manager in September, it became an uphill struggle for Danny to achieve the required points tally. However, he

has done a great job to get us to where we are now and improve on the pitch.

In your opinion, who would you say has been the best team this season, in terms of performances against

Squires Gate?

Colne. They play very good football and deserve to be in the position they are in. I’d feel for Linnets if they were

to finish 2nd for the 3rd year running though, it just goes to show how hard it is to get out this division. They have

been a top side for the past couple of years.

What has been the best game you have watched this season? In terms of performance and result?

I think our performance in our 2-1 win against 1874 Northwich was out-

standing, and thoroughly deserved the points. The 5-1 cup win at Maine

Road in the cup is possibly our best cup result and it was a good team

performance. We were struggling to score at that point so to go and

score 5 against a solid Maine Road side definitely boosted the confi-

dence in the team.

At the start of October, Gate parted company with Dave McCann after

a slow start to the season, how did these change your expectations for

the season? What was the new target for the club with Penswick at the

helm?

The aim was to get to the 42 point mark as quick as possible, to ensure Premier Division safety.

If Gate were to survive, what would be your targets for next season? Or is it too early to discuss?

I’d say it’s a bit too early to talk about targets, I still need to sit down with the manager.

Overall, are you happy with the teams performances this season? What would you change next season?

It’s still early doors to criticise or praise Penswick just yet, I have discussed with him that I would like him to get a

50% win rate so if we can achieve that then I’m happy. In terms of changing things for next season, I don’t like to

get involved with the managers decisions, but I have spoke to him about certain things, but nothing major.

If you were to bring 3 PL players to Squires Gate on a free transfer, who would you sign and why?

Tough question. I’d love to sign Gary Cahill, he’s a no nonsense defender who would quickly stop any attack and

teams would struggle to get past a pairing of him and Westwood/Trout.

Secondly, I would sign Dele Alli. He has been outstanding for Tottenham this season, and we are always looking

Kyle Hamid

The midfielder is Linnets Play-

er marker and main threat.

Usually sitting deeper and dic-

tating the play he has a su-

perb passing range ability to

spot a pass from all over the

pitch.

He also contributed 15 goals

so far with 8 man of the

match awards .

Kurt Sherlock

The attacking midfielder will

be a threat to gate players

just behind the two strikers.

The former Formby man

posses the ability to score

from long range or thread

though a pass to send the

strikers clear.

Michael White

The Former Formby,

amongst other, defender is

solid at the back for Linnets.

Commanding in the air not

much gets past the big man

who also has a decent

amount of pace to keep up

with forwards.

Also the penalty taker for the

team he bagged the 12 goals

so far season, including las

time out against Gate.

APPS: 43

GOALS: 12

APPS: 43

GOALS: 15

APPS: 41

GOALS: 17

DUG-OUT WATCH: Joey Dunn Joey took over the reins as manager of Runcorn Linnets in January 2013 after a successful spell as caretaker

following the departure of Paul McNally. He arrived at the Millbank Linnets Stadium in 2013. He won his first

honour with the Linnets in April 2013 as he guided the club to the League Challenge Cup final, defeating Form-

by 3-0 to lift the trophy. During the 2013/2014 season, he won the NWCFL manager of the month award 4

times as the Linnets finished second in the league table. For the second season running, the Linnets finished

runners-up in the NWCFL Premier division with a massive 92 points, only to be beaten by Glossop North End's

102 points total. Here is hoping for third time lucky!

Runcorn Linnets are currently 1st in the NWCFL

Premier Division and have netted 90 goals this

campaign. Gate media manger Mark Ashmore

takes a look at their main threats and the players

that have played a big part this season.

Here is a little bit of information about the ones to

watch.

Adj Daman As part of our new regular feature, we speak to groundhoppers up and down the country. This week we speak to Adj Daman who speaks

to us about his footballing adventures as he has now visited 117 grounds. Here is what he had to say;

First of all, what encouraged you to start your footballing adventures?

I had been watching non league football since 2002 when I was a season tick-

et holder at Sutton Coldfield Town but I have been 'hopping' since 2009.I

joined a ground hopping forum and was inspired by other peoples travels. I

started blogging in 2011 and now really enjoy discovering new grounds.

How many grounds have you visited now?

I have done 117 grounds now .

Do you have any favourites, and have you visited any obscure grounds?

Favourite grounds I have visited well I liked Bishop Cleeve had a large hill behind the goal that made a great view. Llandudno has moun-

tains visible from their ground that also made that ground special. Gornal Athletic also have a unusual ground that should be visited.

The worst ground I ever visited was Darlaston Towns City Ground as I walked into the stand my foot went straight through a rotten mdf

plank.

What has been the most memorable moment that you have seen for a club? (Cup wins, etc)

My most memorable game was Worcester City's last game at St Georges Lane , an emotional game in front of 2000 people they lost 1-0

to Chester City. Also my first trip to Wembley Walsall lost 2-0 to Bristol City.

Have you ever visited any games abroad, if not what would be first on your list?

I’ve never actually visited any games abroad but I have seen pictures online of the

Stadion Gospin Dolac in Croatia, it looks amazing and the Ottmar Hitzfield Stadium

in Switzerland also looks immense.

If you were to pick a "dream XI" of players that you have seen live. Who would

you pick? (teams in brackets)

Justin Bray (Sutton) Lucas Radebe (Leeds) Clayton Fortune (Clevedon) Kevin Mus-

cat (Walsall) Andy Saville (Birmingham) Tony Dorigo (Leeds) Jody Craddock (Wolves) Tony Yeboah (Leeds) James Lemon ( Droitwich , 50

goals in 1 year) Mustafa Carayol (Bristol Rovers) Steve Claridge (Birmingham)

What has been the best goal you have ever seen? From PL to non league?

Tony Yeboahs goals for Leeds were legendary , I was a leeds supporter in the 1990's and he was somewhat a hero then , the goal

against Liverpool was great Also two screamers I remember were Adam Virgo's goal for Bristol Rovers V Weston Super Mare and Lewis

Allesandras goal against Birmingham in the cup

Have you ever been to Squires Gate before, if so what was the score?

Never been Squires Gate but looks well worth a visit!

P W D L F A PTS POS

40 30 2 8 90 33 92 1st

THIS SEASON CURRENT FORM

P W D L F A PTS POS

6 3 1 2 7 5 10 7th

09 May Colne (A) L 0-2

14 May AFC Darwen (A) W 2-0

16 May Squires Gate (H) W 2-0

19 May Nelson (A) D 1-1

23 May 1874 Northwich (H) W 2-1

26 May Bootle (A) L 1-0

LAST 6 GAMES

07 May Padiham (A) NWCFL

FINAL GAME 15/16 RECORD

HOME WINS: 17

DRAWS: 2

AWAY WINS: 13

DEFEATS: 8

POSITION: 1st

14/15 RECORD

HOME WINS: -

DRAWS: -

AWAY WINS: -

DEFEATS: -

POSITION: -

The club was formed on 28 April 2006 as a replacement for the town's previous club, Runcorn F.C. Halton, which had resigned from the

Northern Premier League due to financial difficulties. The original Runcorn club's biggest success had been winning the 1981–82 Alliance

Premier League title, although they failed to reach the Football League as the league's members had voted against them joining. The club is

run by the Supporters Trust, which had been set up as "The Linnets Independent Supporters Trust", and the new club joined two levels fur-

ther down the football pyramid, in the North West Counties Football League Division Two, having been accepted into the league on 17 June.

A groundshare with Witton Albion was arranged at the start of the 2006–07 season, until a suitable ground could be found in Runcorn. This

was achieved in 2010, when the club moved into a newly built ground on Murdishaw Avenue and named it the Millbank Linnets Stadium as

part of a three-year sponsorship deal.

Steve Carragher who had played for and managed Runcorn FC Halton, joined the club as manager, with Mark Philips as his assistant player-

manager. Several players from the old club also joined the Linnets. Their first game was a 4–0 away win against Ashton Town, followed by a 5

–0 victory at home to Castleton Gabriels. Runcorn finished their inaugural season as runners-up, losing out on the league title to Winsford

United on goal difference, and won promotion to the First Division. Thomas Lamb finished the season as top scorer, with 22 goals in all com-

petitions

the 2007–08 season, Linnets spent most of their time in mid-table. They won their first ever FA Vase game against Daisy Hill, before losing to

Salford City in the First round. After a string of poor results, the board decided that a change of management was needed and Steve Wilkes

was appointed as manager in January 2008. They finished the season 12th out of 20 clubs. During the close season, the league was restruc-

tured with the First Division becoming the Premier Division. In the 2008–09 season Linnets entered the FA Cup for the first time, winning

their first game 3–2 at home to Rossington Main on 17 August 2008. In the next round they lost 4–0 to Curzon Ashton on 30 August.

Founded: 2006

Ground: Millbank Linnets Stadium

Capacity: 1,600

Chairman: Derek Greenwood

Manager: Joey Dunn

Highest Attendance:

323 (2013-2014)

FA Cup Progression:

1st Qualifying round

(2011 vs Squires Gate )

Squires Gate hosted league leaders Runcorn Linnets on Tuesday night in what would be one of there toughest

tests this year. Linnets currently sit fourth in the form table having won four of their last six. In there ranks they

have Freddie Potter who has scored a lot of vital goals towards the ends of games to secure points for linnets so

is someone who they'll have to look out for. Gate made 3 changes from Saturdays 0-0 draw with Winsford, Zach

Clark, Billy McKenna and Danny Penswick all coming Into the starting lineup.

It was a quick start to the game with both sides looking up for it and looking lively. Ben Fletcher was called into

action after just 5 minutes in goal for Gate, his brilliant save denied what would have been a wonderful opener

from Linnets. Runcorn had another another chance soon after, Lomax sent though his shot beating Ben Fletcher

but luckily for Gate Captain Penswick got back on the line to clear the ball and keep Gate in the game. Gate's

best chance of the opening exchanges came when Harry Dunn beat 3 men through the middle before slipping

Mark Buchan in but his shot was saved well. Linnets opened the scoring on 28 minutes, the ball fired into the

box found Michael White at the back post to head the opener. Gate had the chance to level just minutes later

Harry Dunn with the reverse pass sent Richards into the box but his piledriver was well saved by Mottram in the

Linnets goal. As half time approached Gate had four clear chances in the last five minutes.

Gate continued their good form into the start of the second half and opens the scoring just five minutes in.

Good link up play between McKenna and Richards down the right before Buchan met with a Richards cross in to

level the scoring. Linnets top scorer Freddie Potter, could have put Linnets ahead on 56 minutes but after he'd

rounded Ben Fletcher his shot could only find the side netting. Fletcher made up for his mistake with a fine save

which set up a counter attack for Gate, the end shot from Murphy though was fired over the bar. Gate's final

chance of the night fell to Zach Clark he found space in behind but was judged to be offside.

SQUIRES GATE 0 TUESDAY 10TH MARCH 2015

RUNCORN LINNETS 0 19:45

RUNCORN LINNETS 2 SATURDAY 28TH MARCH 2015

SQUIRESGATE 0 15:00

Squires Gate visited Runcorn Linnets on Saturday looking to get back on track after conceding late equalising

goal against 1874 Northwich. The two teams met earlier in the month at School Road with the final score 1-1.

Coming into the game Linnets sit 8 points clear of Glossop at the top of the league. Gate Anderson one change

to the starting 11 with Zach Clark coming in for Michael Hall. New signings Ashely Rowley and Joshua Kay both

started in the bench for this game. Gate had an early chance less than a minute into the game to open the

scoring, a pass played back to Mottram didn't have enough power on it but with Buchan baring down Mottram

in goal did all he could to get to the ball first and clear it out of danger. Gate again looked to attack early on and

on 5 minutes Zach Clark sent in a lovely ball that just needed any touch to score but no one could get on the

end of it. Gates early chances seemed to wake the home side up and they went on to be the better team in the

first half. A long ball pumped forward from the Linnets goalkeeper found Kevin Towey at the edge of the box

who did brilliantly to control the ball but his shot fell straight into the hands of Fletcher. The opener came in

the 16th minute, the ball fired out to the left was well controlled before the cross into the box was met by Josh

Westwood who's clearance could only find the back of the net to score the own goal. The home side doubled

the lead 15 minutes later when Adam Wade controlled the ball on the edge of the box edits unleashing the

shot which flew into the bottom corner past the helpless Fletcher. The home side could have made it three late

in the half but a brilliant point blank save from Fletcher kept the score at 2-0 going into half time.

The start of the second half started much like the first ended, Ben Fletcher again keeping Gate in the game ear-

ly on. Gate looked a lot better in the second half and more like the team that has been successful this season.

Billy McKenna had a chance 20 minutes into the second half. Good hold up play by Alex Mckendrick on the

edge of the box before playing through McKenna but his shot was tipped over. Gate then could have scored

soon after but Chris Anderson's free kick was just wide if the far post.perhaps Gate's best chance of the game

fell to Josh Westwood but his header flew over the bar. As the game went on Linnets seemed to be happy to

settle for what they had got and didn't really cause Gate any notable problems

We spoke with Linnets media man and fan Ste Bignall and asked him about his time watching Linnets, who he would bring into Linnets on a free and what his season

expectations were. Here is what he had to say*

(*interview was from the original game a few months ago)

At the start of the season, what were your expectations? Are they on track? If not, what would you change?

To win the league! It’s no secret that the club has a burning ambition to grow and be successful at as high a level as we can sustain financially. We aren’t as ‘on track’

as I I would have hoped to be honest, we have lost 6 games out of 25 this season so essentially a quarter of our games to date, which is more that we lost in both of

the last two complete seasons. We are probably 6 points worse off than we need to be.

What has been your most memorable moment/game within your time at Linnets?

Based purely on the days of the club as Runcorn Linnets, winning the NWCL Challenge Cup in 2013 was a great night and will go down in history as our first piece of

silverware. Also for very personal and emotional reasons, Ross McDowells late equaliser against Runcorn Town on Boxing Day 2012 is a moment I will never forget as

that was our first fixture after my Dad, who was a lifelong staunch supporter, passed away and the club dedicated that particular game to his memory.

Any players that Gate fans should watch out for today? Attacking threat?

It will depend on the current start of our injury list which has been horrendous lately! Most in the league are aware of Freddie Potter, he is a top class forward at this

level, and when he is paired up with Anthony Hickey who provides explosive pace they are a handful for any defence. Kyle Hamid is a genius on the ball and has the

ability to control games from midfield and score goals as well. Kurt Sherlock is a real torment for any side when he play midfield due to his unpredictable and pacey

style of play.

Which Linnets players have stood out this season?

River Humphries has been outstanding at the heart of the defence, his pace gets us out of plenty of sticky situations and he is my player of the season so far. Kurt

Sherlock has weighed in with a great goals return from both midfield and up front. Matty Atherton has really grown into his new left back position and is looking a

stand out player, and Freddie Potter has kept his role of scoring goals as and when needed.

What has been your favourite game so far this season?

Beating Colne 4-0 at home. My family sponsored the match in my Dad’s honour and barring an opening half and hour where Colne were on top, we went on to domi-

nate the title favourites for the remainder of the game and played them off the park truth be told.

If you could sign 3 PL players on a free to Linnets. Who would you sign and why?

Great question! Joe Hart because I believe that to win anything at any level you must have a goalkeeper who is better than the level he is playing at. A good keeper

can win you 15 points a season that others wouldn’t. Sergio Aguero because he has a level of football intelligence that most others can’t even comprehend and can

win his side matches when they are playing poorly because he is so much better than almost every other player. Harry Kane because I love the way he plays the

game. Out and out finishers are very rare in modern football where the desire seems to be for players to have pace or look to drop deep to collect the ball and be a

part of the build up play. When you have a player who just knocks them in like he does 25+ times a season you will always be a threat.

Have you ever been to Wembley on any occasion? What would be your dream scenario there?

Yes. I have been quite a few times, the old and new Wembley. Having lost in the FA Trophy final 3 times as Runcorn AFC, the Linnets definitely have unfinished

business “under the arch” as it is now. But my dream scenario would be to see England win the World Cup at Wembley. I know it has already happened, but well

before my time! My Dad was at the 66 World Cup final and I would love to be able to witness that for myself and be a part of what would probably be a very

exclusive club of father and sons who have witness that feat at different World Cups

Who has been your toughest opponents in your opinion?

There’s plenty to choose from, but keeping it to NWCL teams that we have faced I would have to say the AFC Fylde promotion winning side. They were streets

ahead of us and had players who have since gone on to play at the very top level of the non league game. I suppose being backed by two millionaires helped!

You’re the manager of a five a side team. You can pick 2 Linnets players and 3 PL all time legends. Who would be in your side?

Peter Schmeichel, River Humphries, Tony Adams, Kyle Hamid, Alan Shearer.

Have you ever been here before? What was the score?

I have been here before, a 4-0 Linnets win and a 1-1 draw last year which probably ended our realistic title hopes.

Now for the big question on everyone’s mind. Can Linnets finally win the league?

Yes we can, but it’s going to need the injury crisis to end very quickly and not come back, and we are going to have to go on a hell of a run between now and the end

of the season. We can achieve 108 points at the time of writing this and I think you will need 102 points to win the league this season. So if my guess is correct then

we have 6 dropped points to play with which means we need to win a lot of games. The thing is we are very capable of doing that. Before the injuries hit we were on

a run of 10 wins and 1 defeat in 11 games and the team looked strong enough to beat any team put in front of us, but in football things can change very quickly! But

fingers crossed, missing out for a third year running would be very tough to take.

Ste Bignall

As the season nears its climax, there was once again plenty of drama

and results that had an impact at the top and bottom of both divisions

on Saturday.

In the Premier Division, it's still as tight as ever at the top, with both

Runcorn Linnets and Colne needing late goals to keep their respective

title aspirations on track.

Linnets remain top after a 2-1 win over 1874 Northwich in their last

home game of the season at the Millbank Linnets Stadium. Neil Chappell gave the visitors a

half time lead, before Antony Hickey levelled midway through the second half, and not for

the first time this season Michael White struck the winner from the penalty spot, with ten

minutes left.

Meanwhile, news of that goal would no doubt have filtered through to the XLCR Stadium,

where Colne were being held by Bootle, but with four minutes left Simon Nangle scored what

could be a crucial goal for the Reds to earn a narrow 1-0 win.

Linnets now lead Colne by two points, having played a game more.

Atherton Collieries' hopes of still being in the title race were all but ended after being held to

a 2-2 draw at home to AFC Blackpool, a result that also had a big impact at the other end of

the table.

Jordan Cover gave Colls an early lead, but Boubacar Kaba and a Jack Williams penalty put the

visitors into a 2-1 lead that they held until a minute before the end, when a Mark Ayres pen-

alty levelled for Colls.

None the less, it was an important point for AFC Blackpool, in the light of results elsewhere,

most notably at Alsager Town and Silsden.

Alsager Town lost 2-0 at home to Padiham, with second half goals from Thomas Fowler and

Aaron Taylor for the Storks, and Silsden twice led at home to Congleton Town through goals

from Kyle Hancock and Andrew Hill, but two goals from Declan Fletcher, the second just two

minutes from time, meant the sides ended up tied at 2-2.

It now looks grim for both Alsager and Silsden in the relegation battle, but AFC Blackpool are

now just a point from safety and are five points behind Squires Gate with three games in

hand, with the local rivals due to meet in the final week of the season.

AUGUST

DATE K.0 OPPOSITION H/A SCORE ATT: POS: COMP:

Sat 08 15:00 1874 NORTHWICH A 2-0 293 19TH NWCFL

Wed 12 19:45 AFC LIVERPOOL A 1-0 131 19TH NWCFL

SAT 15 15:00 BARTON TOWN OLD BOYS A 2-2 122 FA CUP EP

TUES 18 19:45 BARTON TOWN OLD BOYS H 2-4 34 FA CUP EP R1

SAT 22 15:00 CAMMELL LAIRD 1907 H 2-2 48 21ST NWCFL

TUES 25 19:45 ATHERTON COLLIERIES H 3-4 150 21ST NWCFL

SAT 29 15:00 BARNOLDSWICK TOWN A 3-0 109 22ND NWCFL

SEPTEMBER

TUES 01 19:45 NELSON H 2-2 105 21st NWCFL

SAT 05 15:00 IRAM H 2-2 37 FA VASE Q1

TUES 08 19:45 IRLAM A 2-3 80 FA VASE Q1 R

SAT 12 15:00 ASHTON ATHLETIC H 0-0 49 21ST NWCFL

WED 16 19:45 AFC DARWEN A 1-1 167 21ST NWCFL

SAT 19 15:00 CONGLETON TOWN H 1-2 69 21ST NWCFL

TUES 22 19:45 COLNE H 1-4 105 21ST NWCFL

SAT 26 15:00 RUNCORN TOWN A 5-0 88 21ST NWCFL

OCTOBER

SAT 03 15:00 WINSFORD UNITED H 0-2 36 21ST NWCFL

WED 07 19:45 PADIHAM A 0-1 149 21ST NWCFL

SAT 10 15:00 BOOTLE A 5-1 129 21ST NWCFL

TUES 13 19:45 SILSDEN H 3-1 45 21ST NWCFL

SAT 17 15:00 WEST DDSBURY & CHORLTON H 0-4 46 21ST NWCFL

MON 21 19:45 ATHERTON COLLIERIES A 5-2 208 21ST NWCFL

SAT 24 15:00 MAINE ROAD A 1-5 41 MU Cup R2

SAT 31 15:00 PADIHAM H 3-2 70 20TH NWCFL

NOVEMBER

TUE 03 19:45 AFC DARWEN H 6-3 102 19TH NWCFL

SAT 21 15:00 WEST DIDSBURY & CHORLTON A 3-0 112 20TH NWCFL

SAT 28 15:00 COLNE H 2-5 40 MU CUP R3

DECEMBER

SAT 19 15:00 MAINE ROAD H 0-5 60 20TH NWCFL

JANUARY

SAT 02 15:00 BARNOLDSWICK TOWN H 2-1 68 19TH NWCFL

SAT 09 15:00 MAINE ROAD A 3-1 87 19TH NWCFL

SAT 23 15:00 ABBEY HEY A 3-1 68 19TH NWCFL

SAT 30 15:00 AFC LIVERPOOL H 2-1 85 19TH NWCFL

P W D L F A GD PTS

1 Runcorn Linnets 40 30 2 8 90 33 57 92

2 Colne 39 28 7 4 98 41 57 91

3 Atherton Collieries 39 24 9 6 110 58 52 81

4 1874 Northwich 39 22 6 11 85 61 24 72

5 Congleton Town 39 19 9 11 78 62 16 66

6 Bootle 41 17 9 15 74 74 0 60

7 West Didsbury & Chorlton 38 18 5 15 71 58 13 59

8 Barnoldswick Town 39 16 8 15 70 61 9 56

9 Ashton Athletic 38 15 10 13 67 62 5 55

10 Padiham 39 15 9 15 82 83 -1 54

11 Abbey Hey 39 14 11 14 62 63 -1 53

12 Maine Road 40 16 5 19 69 73 -4 53

13 Runcorn Town 41 15 7 19 70 74 -4 52

14 Cammell Laird 1907 39 14 8 17 69 73 -4 50

15 Winsford United 41 13 10 18 64 93 -29 49

16 AFC Liverpool 40 11 14 15 84 89 -5 47

17 Nelson 39 12 8 19 65 6 -1 44

18 Squires Gate 39 10 8 21 48 85 -37 38

19 AFC Darwen 39 10 7 22 74 107 -33 37

20 Alsager Town 40 10 5 25 50 97 -47 35

21 Silsden 40 8 10 22 53 85 -32 34

22 AFC Blackpool 38 8 9 21 58 93 -35 33

45FEBRUARY

SAT 13 15:00 COLNE A 0-0 158 19TH NWCFL

TUE 16 19:45 NELSON A 1-3 42 20TH NWCFL

SAT 27 15:00 ALSAGER TOWN H 1-2 68 19TH NWCFL

MARCH

TUES 08 19:45 ALSAGER TOWN A 3-3 70 19TH NWCFL

SAT 12 15:00 1874 NORTHWICH H 2-1 210 17TH NWCFL

SAT 19 15:00 CONGLETON TOWN A 1-1 126 18TH NWCFL

TUES 22 19:45 WINSFORD UNITED H 1-3 50 18TH NWCFL

SAT 26 15;00 CAMMELL LAIRD 1907 A 2-0 67 18TH NWCFL

MON 28 15:00 AFC BLACKPOOL H 0-1 165 18th NWCFL

APRIL

SAT 02 15:00 ABBEY HEY H 0-0 65 18th NWCFL

SAT 09 15:00 WINSFORD UNITED A 0-2 102 18th NWCFL

TUES 12 19:45 BOOTLE H 0-3 45 18th NWCFL

SAT 16 15:00 RUNCORN LINNETS A 0-2 332 20th NWCFL

TUES 19 19:45 SILSDEN A 1-2 70 18th NWCFL

SAT 23 15:00 RUNCORN TOWN H 2-1 65 18th NWCFL

SAT 30 15:00 RUNCORN LINNETS H NWCFL

MAY

TUES 03 19:45 AFC BLACKPOOL A NWCFL

SAT 07 15:00 ASHTON ATHLETIC A NWCFL

JULY

Sun 5 15:00 Rishton FC H 7-2 Friendly

Sun 12 15:00 Longsands FC A 0-7 Friendly

SEPTEMBER

Sun 06 14:15 Clifton Rangers H 8-2 League

Thu 10 18:15 St Annes H 9-0 League

Sun 20 14:15 Foxhall A 2-5 League

Sun 27 14:15 Bispham Vipers H 12-2 League

OCTOBER

Sun 04 14:15 Euxton Villa H 12-3 Cup

Sun 11 14:15 Lytham Juniors A 2-5 League

Sun 18 14:15 Thornton Cleveleys Blues A 2-10 League

Sun 25 14:15 Eccleston & Heskin A 5-2 Cup

NOVEMBER

Sun 08 14:15 Thornton Blues H 7-1 League

Sun 22 14:15 Lytham A 2-6 League

JANUARY

Sun 31 14:15 BJ Vipers H 9-1 League

FEBRUARY

Sun 14 14:15 Blackpool Rangers H 9-0 League

Sun 28 14:15 St Annes A 2-6 League

MARCH

SUN 20 14:15 Foxhall Hoops H 11-0 League

April

Sun 03 14:15 Fleetwood Gym H 18-0 League

Thur 07 18:00 Poulton FC A 2-4 League

Sun 10 14:15 BJFF Blades H 2-3 League

Thur 14 18:00 Lytham Juniors H 4-2 League

Sun 17 14:15 BJFF Vipers A 2-7 League

Thur 21 18:15 Foxhall A 1-1 League

Sun 24 14:15 Blackpool Rangers A 0-1 League

Thur 28 18:15 Poulton FC H 4-2 League

P W D L PTS

1 BJFF Blades 18 18 0 0 54

2 Squires Gate 19 17 1 1 52

3 Foxhall 18 12 2 4 38

4 Lytham Juniors 19 11 2 6 35

5 Clifton Rangers 19 11 1 7 34

6 Poulton FC 16 10 0 6 30

7 BJFF Vipers 19 8 2 9 26

8 Thornton Cleveleys Blues 18 7 1 10 22

9 Foxhall Hoops 19 5 2 12 17

10 St Annes 19 5 1 13 16

11 Fleetwood Gym 19 1 0 18 3

12 Blackpool Rangers 19 0 0 19 0

P W D L F A GD PTS

1 Padiham 12 9 1 2 33 14 19 28

2 Colne 11 8 0 3 31 21 10 21

3 AFC Fylde 12 7 1 4 32 26 6 22

4 Workington 10 6 1 3 39 21 18 19

5 Ashton Athletic 9 4 0 5 25 27 -2 12

6 Bamber Bridge 11 3 0 8 19 30 -11 9

7 Skelmersdale United 9 3 0 6 13 25 -12 9

8 Squires Gate 11 3 1 7 15 30 -14 9

9 Nelson 8 1 1 6 12 24 -12 4

JULY

Thur 23rd 19:00 Academica H 0-2 Friendly

SEPTEMBER

Sat 5th 15:00 Padiham A 4-0 League

Thu 10th 19:45 Colne A 5-0 League

Wed 16th 19:45 Workington Town A 2-1 Cup 1st Leg

Thurs 24th 19.30 Lancaster A 3-4 League

Sat 26th 15:00 Lancaster City H 4-3 League

OCTOBER

Fri 16th 19:30 AFC Fylde A 3-0 League

NOVEMBER

Wed 4th 20:00 Workington Town A 4-1 League

Thur 12th 20:00 Workington Town H 1-5 Cup 2nd Leg

Thur 19th 19:45 Bamber Bridge H 0-1 League

December

Thur 17th 19:30 Colne H 1-3 League

January

Thur 21st 19:45 Bamber Bridge A 5-1 League

February

Thur 11th 20:00 AFC Fylde H 4-3 League

Thur 18th 19:45 Ashton Athletic A 3-1 League

March

Thur 17th 19:45 Nelson A 1-1 League

Thurs 24th 19:30 Padiham H 2-2 League

Thurs 31st 19:45 Ashton Athletic H League

April

Wed 06th 19:45 Skelmersdale United A League

Thur 21th 19:45 Ashton Athletic A League

Thur 28th 19:45 Workington H League

Squires Gate - last 5 matches 30/04/16

Runcorn Linnets- Last 5 matches 30/04/16

ALL COMPETITIONS

ALL COMPETITIONS

Home D W W W W

Away W L W D L

Collated W W D W L

W D L

14 1 2

W D L

16 1 6

W D L

15 1 4

W D L

3 2 5

Home L L D L W

Away D L L L W

Collated L L L W W

W D L

5 3 11

W D L

5 4 10

0 WINS 1

0 HOME WINS 0

0 AWAY WINS 2

2 DEFEATS 0

1 HOME DEFEATS 9

1 AWAY DEFEATS 0

10 SCORE DRAWS 3

5 NO SCORE DRAWS 9

0 CONCEDING 1+ GOALS 0

0 SCORING 1+ GOALS 1

5 CLEAN SHEETS 3

0 BACK TO BACK WINS 6

Squires Gate Runcorn Linnets

2006/07 18th 2nd

2007/08 6th 12th

PD2008/09 10th 11th

2009/10 13th 11th

2010/11 9th 12th

2011/12 16th 5th

2012/13 21st 6th

2013/14 19th 2nd

2014/15 6th 2nd

WANT YOUR BUSINESS HERE?

GET IN TOUCH! Player Sponsor

If you sponsor a player, you will get FREE entry to a match of your choice*. You will also have your advert in our fantastic programme which is also available online, and uploaded to the website. All this for only £100 a season!!

Match Sponsor

If you would like to sponsor a match, you will get FREE entry for up to FOUR people. FREE beverages, entry to the boardroom where you will be served tea/coffee and some food, a mention on the Squires Gate Official Twitter page (@squiresgatefc), and FREE complimen-tary programmes! £100 a match.

Ball Sponsor

If you would like to sponsor a match ball, you will get FREE entry or up to TWO people, FREE beverages, entry to the boardroom, a mention on the Squires Gate Official Page, and FREE complimentary programmes! Only £50.

Board Sponsor

If you want your advert on a board around the ground, we have a deal depending on whether you want a 1 year deal, or a 2 year deal. If you would like to discuss the options, feel free to contact the club chairman on 07850700171. You will get an 8ft x 3ft advertising board, your advert on the club website and in the programme and FREE entry to matches.

GOALS

48 90

4 17

CLEAN SHEETS

CONCEDED

85 33

AVERAGE GOALS PER GAME

1.38 2.25

TOTAL MATCHES

12

2 2 2

AT SQUIRES GATE

OVERALL RESULTS

4 3 5

2 3 2

AT RUNCORN LINNETS

GOALS

17 18

26TH APRIL 2016

BOOTLE 1

RUNCORN LINNETS 0

9TH APRIL 2016

COLNE 2

RUNCOORN LINNETS 0

2ND FEBRUARY 2016

CONGLETON TOWN 2

RUNCORN LINNETS 0

19TH JANUARY 2016

RUNCORN LINNETS 2

NORTHWICH VICTORIA 5

28TH NOVEMBER 2015

RUNCORN LINNETS 0

BARNOLDSWICK TOWN 1

23RD APRIL 2016

RUNCORN LINNETS 2

1874 NORTHWICH 1

16TH APRIL 2016

RUNCORN LINNETS 2

SQUIRES GATE 0

14TH APRIL 2016

AFC DARWEN O

RUNCORN LINNETS 2

2ND APRIL 2016

RUNCORN LINNETS 5

AFC BLACKPOOL 1

28TH MARCH 2016

RUNCORN LINNETS 2

RUNCORN TOWN 1

23RD APRIL 2016

RUNCORN LINNETS 2

1874 NORTHWICH 1

16TH APRIL 2016

RUNCORN LINNETS 2

SQUIRES GATE 0

2ND APRIL 2016

RUNCORN LINNETS 5

AFC BLACKPOOL 1

28TH MARCH 2016

RUNCORN LINNETS 2

RUNCORN TOWN 1

19TH MARCH 2016

RUNCORN LINNETS 0

WEST DIDSBURY 0

26TH APRIL 2016

BOOTLE 1

RUNCORN LINNETS 0

19TH APRIL 2016

NELSON 1

RUNCORN LINNETS 1

14TH APRIL 2016

AFC DARWEN O

RUNCORN LINNETS 2

9TH APRIL 2016

COLNE 2

RUNCOORN LINNETS 0

26TH MARCH 2016

SILSDEN 1

RUNCORN LINNETS 3

28TH MARCH 2016

RUNCORN LINNETS 2

SQUIRES GATE 0

10TH MARCH 2015

SQUIRES GATE 1

RUNCORN LINNETS 1

1ST MARCH2014

SQUIRES GATE 0

RUNCORN LINNETS 4

1ST FEBRUARY 2014

RUNCORN LINNETS 3

SQUIRES GATE 0

21ST SEPTEMBER 2013

RUNCORN LINNETS 4

SQUIRES GATE 2

Michael Hall We spoke to Michael Hall ahead of this weekends game, and this is

what he had to say about preparing for the relegation dogfight, and

his memories from his time at Gate.

Do you prepare differently for big games than you do usually?

What is the feeling before the game in the changing room?

I try not to. Some people like to get pumped up for big games but I prefer to stay relaxed and treat

it as a normal game - I leave all the rally cries to Magsy!

What is your favourite derby game to watch? Do you passionately hate any team as a football fan?

The El Classico is the best Derby to watch for me. Rico must watch plenty of El Classico games though as his

diving is also superb! I like Everton and Blackpool but don't overly hate any team, I just enjoy good football

being played.

Do you remember your first game for Squires Gate, what was the score?

I think if I remember rightly it was a Boxing Day game vs AFC Blackpool which we drew 1-1. I think I was only

allowed to play to stop me from jumping the fence on a match day!

If you could bring in 3 PL players on a free to Squires Gate, who would you sign and why?

Sergio Aguero, the best all round striker in the league.

Cesc Fabregas - Just to see if he could do it on a cold Tues night in November away at Winsford.

N'golo Kante - he can do all of my running for me!

If you were manager of a 5 a side team, and had to

pick 2 Gate players and 3 PL legends. Who would

you pick?

Gascoigne, (Peter) Schmeichel, Scholes, Statey and Al

McKendrick - 3 top players and 2 athletes!

Do you remember your first goal for Squires Gate?

Who was it against?

Is this a trick question?! Yet to open my account for

gate, I'll need to try and get Bucs off the penalties!

Is there any memorable/favourite games that you have played in?

I always enjoyed playing games for my local side (Foxhall), when you could basically play with freedom and

enjoy the game (I used to score back then as well!)

What is your most memorable game within your time at Gate?

I think the Alsager game away this season, coming back from 3-0 down in a key game was a great result in

terms of this season with the lad's togetherness getting us back into the game.

What has been the best goal you have ever scored?

I scored at Bolton's Macron stadium in an academy game at u14's with what was, believe it or not, Maradona

-esque vs England (the dribble not the handball).

Who has been the best striker that you have played against? And the best opposition?

Andy Carroll, and Manchester United Reserves - not a good day to play left back against their wingers.

WHO’S IN CHARGE?

Jay Foulds

LAST SEASON

Squires Gate travelled to Ashton Athletic on Tuesday night looking to continue

their good form which saw Gate beat Runcorn Town 7-2 on the previous Satur-

day. Gate came into the game with an unchanged side with only Jonathan Hoth-

ersall dropping from the bench.

It wasn't the start the game would have wanted as with just four minutes on the

clock Ashton opened the scoring. Sloppy defending from Gate allowed Ashton

the room and time to easily score.

Gate had the chance to equalise soon after top goals scorer Jack Sowerby broke

away from the last man but his tame shot could only find the goalkeepers

gloves. Gate had another chance soon after, the ball knocked down by Jack Sow-

erby to Alex Murphy but his shot fell wide of the post. Gate's defence withstood

a lot of pressure throughout the first half but stood firm. The home side doubled

their lead on the 40th minute though joint manager Ben Kay, with a sweet vol-

ley just inside the area.

Into the second half and no improvement was made from the away side. Gate

struggled to really get a hold of the game and were constantly hounded put by

an impressive organised Ashton side. Gates day was made worse with a couple

of minutes of madness. First Sam Bailey scored directly from the corner kick

then just a minute later Adam Gilchrist made it two in two minutes. Late chanc-

es for both Chris Anderson and Jack Sowerby but Ashton saw out the game.

After a weekend that saw Gate run out winners against Runcorn, in every way

imaginable with Flair, fighting spirit and passion, Gate Boss now needs to re in-

stall these qualities to the team as tonight all was dreadfully missing..

GROUND

Brocstedes Park

PRICES ARE AS FOLLOWS:

Adults £5

Concessions (Over 60 & Under 16) - £3

Under 12’s - FREE*

Name Team Pts

1 Ben Fletcher Squires Gate 40

2 Daniel Hayden Squires Gate 40

3 Peter Naylor Barnoldswick Town 40

4 Spencer Leader Squires Gate 40

5 Andy Richards Squires Gate 35

6 Alex Howell FC Ingolstadt 35

7 Jack Owen 1874 Northwich 35

8 Jay Hayden Squires Gate 35

9 Joe Duckworth Winsford United 35

10 Mark Halliwell Irlam 35

11 Peter Jones West Didsbury & Chorlton 35

12 Steve Palmer Squires Gate 35

13 Ben Metcalfe Colne 30

14 Nathan Mckie NWCFL Ground Hopper 30

15 Peter Harlow Cornwall 30

16 Stuart Hopwood Squires Gate 30

17 Albert Cooper Squires Gate 25

18 Brett Ferguson Squires Gate 25

19 Brian Addison Squires Gate 25

20 Colin Worrall Abbey Hey 25

21 Danny Penswick Squires Gate 25

22 Denise Gibson Squires Gate 25

23 Ian Woodward Alsager Town 25

24 Joe Noblet Squires Gate 25

25 John Maguire Squires Gate 25

26 Josh Kay Barnsley 25

27 Mark Ashmore Squires Gate 25

28 Mark Morrissey Irlam 25

29 Mick Fletcher Colne 25

30 Jake Higham Squires Gate 20

31 Martin Fallon Runcorn Town 20

32 Paul Eke Gateshead 20

33 Paul Smith AFC Liverpool 20

34 Rob Football Blogger 20

35 Ste Bignall Runcorn Linnets 20

36 Ash Rowley Squires Gate 15

37 Chris Appleton Winsford United 15

38 Peter Barton Ashton Athletic 15

39 Ray Richards Squires Gate 15

40 Tony Emmott Padiham 15

41 Rob McKay West Didsbury & Chorlton 10

42 Adam Thurston Bristol Ground Hopper 5

Ryan Mike Your Prediction

Watford v Aston Villa 2-0 4-0

Man United v Leicester 1-2 2-2

Sheffield Wednesday v Cardiff 2-0 3-0

Burton v Gillingham 3-2 2-0

Chester filed v Bury 2-0 1-3

Coventry v Sheffield United 1-0 0-1

Crewe v Doncaster 1-1 0-0

Northampton v Luton 5-0 3-0

FOOTBALL LEAGUE SCRAMBLE

Can you unscramble the letters to find the names of these British clubs?

TWOFOLD NOW TEE

YACHTING IBM RIM

LANDOWNERS BET OR

JETS NTH NO SO

ICY DIFFRACT

UNDERFLOWS THE DID

CLOTHIER FAR AFT

WELCOME THAN NTH

UTENSIL DEED

NEIGHBOURED POUT TRUE

Football League Scramble: Fleetwood Town, Birmingham City, Bolton Wanderers, St Johnstone, Cardiff City, Huddersfield Town ,

MK Dons, Reading, Leeds United, Peterborough United

F

Can you match the teams with the year that they were formed in?

CELTC

LIVERPOOL

PRESTON

WATFORD

TOTTENHAM

,ARSENAL

1863

1888

1886

1882

1892

1881

Good afternoon everyone,

The end of the season is just around the corner, as we host Runcorn Linnets this afternoon in our last

home game of the campaign. We’d like to welcome supporters, committee members and staff to The

Royal British Legion Stadium. With a special mention to Ste Bignall who contributed his thoughts for

today’s programme in ‘VIEW FROM THE AWAY END’.

Me and my brother Jay, started the role as programme editors at the start of last season, taking over

from Albert Cooper and I’m pretty sure we are the youngest editors in the league aged 19 and 17 . Back

then we never realised how much hard work it was to draft, create and print a programme from scratch

and every week we come up with new ideas to add. Especially when you have 3 home games in the

space of 7 days.

Last season we were praised by the non league magazine for having one of the best programmes in the

lower leagues of the North West. However, we knew there was a lot of improvement to be made on

our efforts from last season. At the start of this season, we decided we were going to get supporters

more involved so we came up with the idea of ‘view from the away end’ where we get the thoughts of

a supporter from the visitors. A big thank you to everyone who has contributed to that feature, it’s

much appreciated.

Gate keeper Ben Fletcher currently sits top of our Prediction League going into today’s game. Another

feature we created which gets fans involved with our programme. If you would like to enter your pre-

dictions for today’s game (find our prediction page for the fixtures) send your scores to hayden-

dan@live.co.uk before 14.50. It is free to enter.

In the recent weeks we have interviewed a few ground hoppers from up and down the country, and

asked them what encouraged them to start their footballing adventures, and some interesting ques-

tions which got some great replies. This is a feature that will continue to run into next season, so keep

your eye out for the upcoming interviews. Today’s groundhopper is Adj Daman, who’s current ground

tally is 117.

All of our previous programme can be viewed online at issuu.com/squiresgatefc if you would like to

have a read of our latest programmes - West Didsbury & Chorlton has to be my favourite one of this

season. We’d also like to thank every one who has taken time to get in touch and send us some positive

feedback from when they visited and bought a programme. We do take time to read and appreciate

any feedback that we get. We are always looking for ways to improve on what we have so if any Gate

supporters have anything that they want to add next season then get in touch!

Another thank you to everyone that has contributed to this seasons programme, it is much appreciated

and hopefully we can build on what we have started next season with more new features. However,

the price of our programme will be making the small jump to £2 to cover the costs of printing, efficiency

and will hopefully generate some profit to the club. I think this is fair for a 44 page programme consid-

ering some cost £1.50 for 20 pages.

Thanks for your continued support and hope you will continue to buy a programme next season.

Dan and Jay

Club Information

Chairman

Stuart Hopwood

Secretary

John Maguire

Treasurer

John Stokes

Manager

Daniel Penswick

Assistant Manager

Brian Penswick

Reserves Manager

Andy Collins

Under 13’s Manager

Mick Bishop

Groundsman

Brian Addison

Mark Ashmore

Peter Bryant

Steve Bellamy

Bar & Hospitality

Denise Gibson

Emma Hopwood

Christine Walsh

Media

Albert Cooper

Mark Ashmore

Programme Editors

Daniel Hayden

Jay Hayden

Twitter

@squiresgatefc

Referee

Mark Doherty

Assistant Referees

John Lesson

Zac Bamber

Ben FLETCHER

Joshua WOODS

Andrew RICHARDS

Billy MCKENNA

Joshua WESTWOOD

Daniel PENSWICK

Brett FERGUSON

Alex MCKENDRICK

Mark BUCHAN

Ashley ROWLEY

Alex COLQUHOUN

Michael HALL

Nathan TROUT

Steven HIGGINS

Ryan RILEY

Joe NOBLET

Antony STAYTE

Tarran MOXON

Ryan TANSER

Jacob HIGHAM

Dean PORTER

Kieron BRISLEN

Matty ATHERTON

Tom HARDWICK

Michael WHITE

Michael SIMPSON

Mark HOUGHTON

Kyle HAMID

Freddie POTTER

Antony HICKEY

Kurt SHERLOCK

River HUMPHERYS

Kyle ARMSTRONG

Franny SMITH

Michael ELLISON

Taylor KENNERLEY

Jamie REEDER

Adam DONOHUE