50 Ramsbottom United v Blyth Spartans

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rammynewsv BLYTH SPARTANS07-02-15

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

fixture

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ey Hulme 1 Burton Gaskell Robinson 1* Dean + Pilkington Slaven Abadaki + Ahmadi * Cookey Hulme Burton Gaskell Robinson + Dean # Pilkington * Slaven + Abadaki Ahmadi # Cookey Hulme 1+ Burton Robinson 1# Pilkington Dean 2 Abadaki * Slaven + Ahmadi # Cook Williamsey Hulme Burton Robinson 1 Pilkington Dean Williams Slaven Cook * Krou + Morleyder Abadaki + Slaven Robinson * Hulme 1# Dean Williams + Krou * Cook # Morley Johnson

Abadaki Burton * Slaven 1 Hulme 1 Dean # Williams # Robinson * Cook + Morley Johnsonder Abadaki Burton Slaven * Hulme 1# Dean 1 Williams + Robinson # Cook Morley Krou *der Abadaki Burton Slaven + Krou Dean Mota + Cook Williams Johnson Morleyder + Abadaki Burton Krou Hulme Dean * Mota * Williams + Pugh # Johnson Morley

Abadaki Burton Mota # Hulme 2 Dean + Pugh Williams # Irwin Slaven * Cook + Abadaki + Burton 1 Pilkington Hulme 1 Williams 1# Dean + Mota # Irwin Slaven * Cook

Abadaki # Stopforth Pilkington Hulme Williams + Burton + Dean * Mota Robinson # CookMota 1* Burton Spencer Hulme Robinson 1# Williams * Cook + Dean # Morley AbadakiAbadaki * Burton Mota + Hulme Spencer # Robinson 1# Williams + Slaven Pilkington Dean *Abadaki 1 * Burton Hulme # Spencer + Dean 2 Williams * Mota Slaven Robinson 1+ Gaskell #Abadaki 1 * Burton Hulme Spencer # Dean 1 + Williams + Mota * Slaven Robinson # PughAbadaki + Burton Hulme 1# Spencer * Dean 1 Williams * Mota Gaskell + Robinson #1 Pugh

on Abadaki 1 Pilkington * Hulme Spencer # Dean + Williams + Mota # Gaskell Slaven * PiacentileAbadaki # Burton Hulme + Spencer 1 Dean Williams Mota Gaskell # Robinson + Pilkington *Abadaki + Burton Hulme 1 Spencer * Dean # Pilkington Williams # Mota Gaskell + Robinson *Robinson # Burton Hulme Gaskell * Pilkington + Dean + Abadaki # Spencer * Mota PiacentileAbadaki * Williams Gaskell 1 Mota # Dean 1 Howson + Piacentile Burton * Hulme #Williams 1* Burton Hulme # Spencer 1+ Dean 1 Abadaki * Gaskell + Robinson # Mota PiacentileWilliams * Burton Hulme 1 Spencer + Dean Abadaki Gaskell + Robinson 1* Kuba-Kuba PiacentileAbadaki Kuba-Kuba Hulme 1 * Robinson Spencer 1 Pugh Burton Stopforth Dean * Johnson

Williams # Burton * Robinson 1 Dean 1 Abadaki # Grayson Kuba-Kuba * Slaven + PiacentileAbadaki Burton + Hulme 1 Robinson * Spencer 2 Pugh * Slaven Piacentile Kuba-Kuba + BrooksWilliams 1 Burton Hulme Spencer * Dean + Abadaki Kuba-Kuba* Robinson + Grayson BrooksWilliams * Burton Robinson # Brooks Abadaki + Dean * Spencer +1 Hulme # Hartley MorleyWilliams * Burton Hulme Spencer Dean Robinson + Abadaki * Morley Kuba-Kuba SlavenAbadaki * Burton Hulme Spencer 1 Dean Williams * Kuba-Kuba Robinson + Slaven Brooks #Abadaki Burton Hulme Spencer + Dean Williams * Brooks + Robinson Slaven MorleyAbadaki + Burton Williams # Robinson 1 Spencer * Dean 1 + Davies * Johnson Slaven # Morley

Abadaki Bennett +1 Gaskell Brooks *1 Lazenbury # Hartley * Slaven +1 Dawson # Robinson

ures & results 2014/15

Our Club Needs Our Help

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

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

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

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robbo

Firstly I’d like to welcome the officials,supporters and players of Blyth Spartans forthis long overdue opportunity for me and Edgyto get our first league game underway. We’dalso like to welcome the match officials to theHarry Williams Riverside. We hope that you allenjoy your visit and have a safe journey home.

e game last Tuesday was a long timecoming. Northwich are a good team withpromotion aspirations and for the first fifteemmins caught us a bit cold. Once we settleddown and Kyle and Benno started getting holdof the ball and dictating play we settled andstarted playing some really good football. Gassydid a huge amount of work on and off the balland Brooksy was getting in behind. Also formost parts of the game we looked relativelysolid and untroubled. For a first competitivegame with almost a completely new squad ofplayers we were extremely happy.

I wasn't surprised how good the new signingswere as we will only look to add quality to theteam . what I surprised about was how well andfit they looked on a heavy pitch. Benno cameoff after a hour but still looked full of running,as did Brooksy. I was quite surprised that Kylemanaged the full ninety minutes, despitehaving not played for a few months. We alsosaw Jordan put some wonderful crosses in andhe almost scored a screamer of a goal justbefore half-time. Young centre-back CallumJones reminds me of a young Billy Priestley,without the dashing good looks!

I am really happy with the squad depth nowgiven what we had a couple of weeks ago -

some people wouldn't have said it was possible.e quality of players right through the squadis excellent and I thought the subs coming onall showed great attitude and ability. It was areally good night’s work

I think the squad is now stocked with qualityand cover for all positions and at the momentit's giving me and Phil headaches about startinglineups, but as people say, it's a great headacheto have!

We have recently signed another centre back,Alex Frost from Droylsden. Alex has a wealth ofexperience at this level, formerly with Ashtonand Nantwich and is another excellent additionto the squad.

ere have been some discussions about BillyPriestley returning to Rammy, but although weenquired at Bradford, he will not be comingback any time soon. at is why we moved tosign Callum and Alex, who I’m sure are morethan capable of doing an excellent job at theback.

It's good to have Dawson back although notyet fully match fit ,and maybe a few weeks awayfrom it. His presence in the changing room isgood to have and his leadership skills andexperience have been missed.

We now have a large squad, but with theamount of games we have to squeeze in beforeMay, it could be exactly what we need. Someplayers will be disappointed to not be straightin the team, but we have we just have to keepeveryone happy and reassure players they willget games and opportunities to play

Enjoy the game.

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Welcome to the Harry WilliamsRiverside Stadium. A special welcome toour match officials and everyoneconnected with Blyth Spartans.

I write this more in hope thanexpectation, having seen yet another gamepostponed.

Frustration doesn’t quite sum it up. It’s along time since we’ve experienced so manypostponements, yet it’s not really the snowthat’s causing us the problems. Exceptinglast year’s remarkably snow-free winter, theprevious two or three years had beenmuch worse than this season, but were notas cold. erein lies the problem. e icysurface and constantly freezing conditionshave meant that the surface has not hadtime to defrost. It could be argued thatplaying surfaces each August are invariablyhard, but an icy hard surface seems to posemore of a threat to player injury than thebaked surfaces in summer.

We are all, players, management,officials and supporters, frustrated by thelack of action, and my thoughts are with

Robbo who must be straining at theleash to get his managerial position off

the ground.As we look towards the middle of

February, is it too muchto hope that the worst of

the weather is behindus, and that we canconcentrate on

doing what we are supposed to be doing….playing football matches.

BLYTH SPARTANSIf we do manage to play today, then we

can look forward to embarking on a run ofat least two games a week between nowand the end of April.

It will be a tight schedule, and we couldnot have asked for a tougher way to startthe run than a visit from Blyth Spartans.

e very name is evocative, and a by-word for a successful non-league club.ey have a magnificent history and agreat FA Cup tradition, which theyenhanced again this season.

For Ramsbottom United to be pittingthemselves against one of non-league’sgiants is testimony, indeed, as to of how farwe have come over recent years. Likeourselves the Northumbrian club arefacing a testing run of games, as the two ofus have played fewer than any other clubsin the Division. Whilst we will beconcerned about the amount of travellingwe must do over the next two and a halfmonths, bear a thought for the miles theSpartans will have to travel. Rather themthan us, although, to be fair, they areprobably used to it.

eir remote position is partly a resultof the reluctance of other clubs in theNorth east to move up the pyramid.Whilst we now have the likes of

tony cunninghamand the wonderful world of

non-league football

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Darlington, Spennymoor and Whitbymoving away from the parochial NorthernLeague, there seems to be a reluctance ofmany others to follow suit.

I can half understand it. e cost ofplaying in a wider based Evo-Stik League ismuch higher in terms of travel and playersexpenses. Bishop Auckland, Whitley Bay andDurham City have all tried it, but for variousreasons, have returned to the local league.

Ironically, had those three clubs stayed thepace, then the much-maligned insular standof the Northern League clubs (maligned byothers, not me) would no longer berelevant, and derby matches for the likes ofSpartans would prove to be much more

appealing, no doubt leading to moreapplications to move up (I believe only oneNorthern League club has applied again thisseason).

However, back to reality and today’sfixture with Blyth Spartans (whenever“Today” is!) and hopefully we’ll see a cracker.Well done to our visitors for putting non-league and the Evo-Stik League firmly in theotherwise disgracefully neglected spotlightas far as the national media is concerned.

Enjoy the game, and enjoy your non-league football!

At it again - Blyth v BirminghamCity in the FA CupPhoto courtesy of Bill Broadley

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edgy

It’s definitely been a frantic few weeksbehind the scenes, even though a load of ourrecent games have been postponed due tothe weather. Me and Robbo have beencalling on all of our contacts to bring in thelads we’re proud to be able to now numberamongst our re-constructed squad. eweather problems have been frustrating, butit’s also given us the opportunity to go andapproach these lads the right way, givingtheir clubs the respect that they deserve inthe way that we made contact with theplayers.

ere’s no denying that we’ve missed a lotof football, with virtually all of January’sgames postponed, and it’ll take a while toget everyone back up to full match fitness,but it’s given us a decent chance to get thelads in and work on some stuff in training.Now we just want to get the gamesunderway and get going, cos with all thegames in hand we have, we’re in a goodposition and we want to push on.

We’ve been really really impressed with thequality of that lads we’ve managed to bringin. Some of them we invited along becausethey’ve been recommended to us, and thoseplayers have surpassed all of ourexpectations. It was good to be able to havea proper look at them. With a good numbercup-tied, we got the opportunity to see

some of the lads who may not have madethe first-choice lineup. It’s a great credit tothem that we did such a good job againstNorthwich, who are a big club that are goinggreat-guns at the top of the Evostik DivisionOne North. Me and Robbo now have aterrible headache about who we choose forthe starting lineup for our first league gamein charge, but with such a packed schedulecoming up, it’s going to be critical that wehave a strong squad with a lot of depth.

I think the next couple of matches aregoing to require a degree of patience fromall of us. Without a match for three weeks,the lads looked to be getting a bit tired andleggy towards the end of the Northwichgame, and we also have to remember thatthey have never played together before.ings may get a bit sticky now and again inthe next few matches, but we have a greatsquad here, with a lot of players who haveproven quality at this level, so once everyonesettles in properly the potential is huge.

I know that the supporters have been usedto good times here under Johnno andBernard, with a fantastic team that took overfive years to build. We’re very differentcharacters from those two, but with yourcontinued support, and just a little patience,we will have a team of which we can all beproud.

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After 27 days without action e Rams finally managed to get out on thepitch, in what is looking like a fortunate hole in the bad weather, to start thesecond half of their season. e repercussions of the enforced lay-off, in termsof chronic fixture congestion are still to be felt but the clear and decisive breakwith the past it has provided may well be a foundation stone for the future.

With five of the rebuilt squad cup tied any determinative assessment of itsstrength and potential would be be akin to paying attention to a Ray Winstonehalftime on-line betting advert, but there was sufficient in the performancefrom those who were on display against a team currently top of the EvostikNorth Division, albeit with their own absences, to offer realistic optimism forthe future.

e New Year's resolution for all should be to throw away backwards lookingrose tinted glasses for that is all history now and the past is a very strangecountry. For all that, for the first fifteen minutes of the game there was astrange empty feeling on both pitch and terraces-- almost Hamlet withoutthe ghost. at feeling was not helped by the visitors taking the lead after nineminutes with Godwin Abadaki forcing home at the far post after some weakdefending down the Ram's right flank. It was inevitable that the Rams wouldtake some time to get going and for a while they were wandering around withthe same prospect of finding a mate as a polar bear shipwrecked on theAntarctic, but once Tom Brooks seized on the Northwich defensive indecisionin dealing with a hopeful high ball down the middle to fire home from theedge of the box things began to settle down and for the rest of the game theRams were the better team.

ey could count themselves unfortunate not to have gone into the halftime break in front. Brooks’ darting diagonal runs offered promise but toooften denied by the flag, Lee Gaskell flashing a delicious near post headermarginally wide and on 45 minutes Kyle Harrop crashing a 30 yard drive ontothe underside of the bar after a lightening break down the right by OsebiAbadaki.

Ian Bennett was growing into a forceful and controlling presence in themiddle and on the turn round the Rams took a firm grip on the game. On thehour a quick short free kick found Bennett in space on the edge of the boxand his swerving shot into the top corner gave Dave Smith no chance. Nodoubt with the trip to Buxton in mind Bennett and Brooks were withdrawnshortly after and the loss of the Rams two most influential players on the nightit, together with some tiring legs, let Northwich back into the game. For thelast 20 minutes the Rams were forced back but kept their shape, defensivecomposure and, perhaps most crucially, their feet in the tackle. e visitors’attempts at an equaliser were already petering out when a surpise snap shotfrom the corner of the box from Malachi Slaven dipped viciously in front ofSmith and flew in under his body.

e longest journey starts with a single step.

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3 - 1Harry Williams Riverside Stadium27th January 2015Att: 158 Rammy Goals: Brooks (15), Bennett (62), Slaven (90) Northwich Goals: Abadaki (9)

Osebi Abadaki in one of his bestperformances of the season

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3 - 1Harry Williams Riverside Stadium27th January 2015Att: 158 Rammy Goals: Brooks (15), Bennett (62), Slaven (90) Northwich Goals: Abadaki (9)

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Tom Brooks - scrapping like awild animal up front

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e Rammy Ultras look on asLee Gaskell hits the post

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blyth spartansGiant Killers hoping for more successBlyth Spartans were formed in 1899 and

have certainly left their mark on the world ofnon-league football over the years. e name‘Spartans’ was suggested by the then ClubSecretary Fred Stoker, naming them after theGreek Spartan army, hoping that the playersgave their all as they went into battle on thefield of play. Stoker eventually left the NorthEast to form a practice as a Physician inHarley Street, London, but his legacy lives on,with the Spartans name playing a uniquepart in non-league football.

After initially playing friendly matches, theclub joined the Northumberland League in1901, winning the championship at the firstattempt. Further title victories followed,leading the Green Army, as they are alsoknown, to join the Northern Alliance in 1907.Blyth continued to improve and in 1913joined the semi-professional ranks in theNorth Eastern League, where they remaineduntil 1958, when the league folded. Spartanstried their luck in both the Midland Leagueand the Northern Counties League, beforereturning to the newly revived North EasternLeague in the 1960’s, until it eventually foldedfor good.

With the club at a loss to find a suitablesemi-professional league, they decided toturn amateur and in 1964 they joined theNorthern League. e Green Army remainedmembers for 29 years and during this timethey won the title on no less than 10occasions, whilst finishing runners-up 5

times. With the club eager to progress up theleague pyramid, they gained promotion tothe Unibond League in the 1993/94 season,winning the First Division Championship andthe League Cup at the first attempt.

e Spartans held their own in the Premierdivision until financial trouble nearly ruinedthe club. By 1999 Blyth found themselves insevere debt, but local businesses andsupporters rallied round the club to ensurethey staved off closure by the HMRC. With anewly appointed Executive Committee andtheir future seemingly secured, theexperienced Harry Dunn was brought in asmanager for his second spell with the club.Along with assistant Graham Fenton, Blythwon the Unibond Premier Division in 2006,gaining promotion to the Conference North.eir first season in the Conference Northsaw the Spartans just miss out on a Play-Offplace, finishing in a creditable seventhposition.

Over the next six years Blyth’s fortunes inthe now named Blue Square North, took adownturn, with a number of differentmanagers trying to preserve the Spartansleague status. With the club starting the2011/12 season with just two wins in twentygames, they brought informer Newcastle andBurnley midfielder Tommy Cassidy. Despiteperformances improving in the second halfof the season, the mangers efforts were invain, as Blyth suffered relegation, the first intheir 113 year-old history.

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Blyth are now under the leadership ofmanager Tom Wade who took full chargein April 2013 after initially joining asassistant manager back in October 2012.Wade’s appointment saw a markedimprovement last season as the Spartanscontinually pushed for a Play-Off place,beating eventual Champions Chorley alongthe way. In the end they had to settle foranother season in the Northern PremierDivision, after finishing 8th in the table,although Blyth’s quality was recognised atInternational level, with seven players beingcalled up to an England ‘C’ Representativesquad who faced a Northern League side,to mark the League’s 25th anniversary.

Blyth Spartan’s name is already written inFA Cup folklore due to their acts of giant

killing. In previous years they have beatena number of Football League clubs,including, Chesterfield, Stoke City,Shrewsbury Town and AFC Bournemouth.ey actually reached the Fifth Round in1978 taking Wrexham to a replay, theywould have met Arsenal in the QuarterFinals had they progressed. is season hasseen the Spartan’s come to nationalprominence again with their FA Cupexploits. After beating Hartlepool Unitedlive on BBC TV, they led ChampionshipBirmingham City two nil, before eventuallylosing the ird Round tie by three goals totwo.A tight game can be expected today, with

Blyth and Rammy virtually neck-and-neckin the table.

Dan Hawkins in action againstBelper Town. Photo by kindpermission Bill Broadley.

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four

to w

atch

Stephen Turnbull (Midfielder) Aged 28Previous Clubs; Hartlepool, Bury, Rochdale,Gateshead, Harrogate Town, Bayswater City& Shildon.Turnbull is nicknamed ‘Twinny’ and is in histhird spell with e Green Army, he scoredthe equalising goal in the FA Cup secondround win over Hartlepool.

Jarrett Rivers (Winger) Aged 21Previous Clubs; Middlesbrough, Whitley Baye pacey winger signed for the Spartans inthe summer and has so far made a bigimpact in the Northern Premier League.Since Rivers late winner against Hartlepoollive on TV, he has been linked to FootballLeague clubs Oldham Athletic andCambridge United, where he recently had ashort trial.

Robbie Dale (Midfielder/ Forward) Aged 30Previous Clubs; Ryton, West Allotment Celtic& Whitley Bay.Spartans legend Dale is a dangerous playerwho can play out wide, but is just as capableup front as well. His goal scoring prowess wasevident when his brace gave Blyth a two goallead against Championship Birmingham Cityin the cup.

Daniel Maguire (Centre Forward) Aged 22Previous Club; Seston Delaval.Maguire has been a revelation since joiningthe club in 2012, he was Blyth’s leading goalscorer last season, which attracted attentionfrom Oldham athletic. Maguire made theNorthern Premier Division Team of the Yearin 2014 and represented England ‘C’. Dan Maguire denies whatever it was

Curzon Ashton accused him of doing.Photo by kind permission Bill Broadley.

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meet the away fansphil castiaux fills us in

What's the mood like in the camp at themoment?e mood at the club is bubbling at the

moment. e memories of our fantastic FACup run remain vivid and we’ve been able totake the confidence and form from the run into our league fixtures. Home gates are up andwe are going into the business end of theseason with spirits high. Don’t spoil it Rammy!

Are things going to plan would you say?Well, the plan was to have a Cup run – which

has now been achieved and to greater extentthan could have been envisaged. We alsotargeted a playoff spot. e downside of theCup run is a fixture backlog which will meanus playing two games a week till the end of theseason. So, getting in to the play offs is goingto be a big ask.

Can you talk us through the last couple ofresults please.

We played at Ilkeston recently on a Mondaynight and got a highly creditable draw bearingin mind the long travel and their recent run ofresults. We equalised in added time but it wasno more than we deserved and demonstratedour never say die attitude. We were due toplay Barwell last Saturday but the game waspostponed.

For you who are the players to watch at themoment, and why.

Oh, that’s a tough one. Captain, and longterm forward, Robbie Dale is having one of hisbest seasons ever at Blyth. He scored both ofour goals against Birmingham City in the FA

Cup third round at Croft Park in January.Another forward taking the eye is youngJarrett Rivers. He also sparkled in our FA Cupgames. Jarrett was recently on trial atCambridge United.

Actually, we have a quality squad at themoment and everyone is playing really well.

How long have you been a supporter?I’ve been a supporter for about 55 years

now. I remember my first matches beingaround 1960. I was born in Blyth, just abouthalf a mile from Croft Park, at 12.30 oneSaturday afternoon. I’ve lived all these yearswith the seething resentment that my parentsdidn’t think to take me straight down to CroftPark for the match that day! Humph.

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

Oh, where to start? Could be here all day!In general there is, not a specific game or

whatever, the gradual development of theclub from a struggling Northern League clubin the mid ‘60s to a Conference North side anda solid Evo-Stik premier club currently.

On specifics, the FA Cup runs of 1971/72,1977/78, 2008/09 stand out. Some greatgames and fabulous occasions. e 1970swere a brilliant period with us contesting theNorthern League with rivals Spennymoor.inking about it your football memories arelike stardust. Numerous, sparkling and everlasting.

is season – beating Hartlepool at theirplace in front of a raucous travelling support

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was unbelievable. And beating BirminghamCity 2-0 at half time in front of the nationalpress, well, what can you say? Dealing withthe media over the last two big cup runs hascertainly been memorable.

How would you change the club if you wonthe lottery?

If it was ten quid I’d upgrade my whisky toa large single malt in the Club House onematch day.

If it was bit more I’d send the players to ‘TieTying Classes’. Blimey, can no-one under 30wear a tie properly!?

If it was a vast fortune I’d take over the clubas a despotic tyrant. I’d get supporters tomarch up and down in front of me to showtheir subjugation. I’d be in total charge of alldecisions relating to players and teamselection. I’d also be in sole charge of the reallyimportant decisions – which butcher supplies

the pies and which brewery the beer comesfrom. I’d build a vast palace, modelled onVersailles, on the spare land behind the goal.en I’d change the name of the club.‘Spartans’ ? What a stupid name for a footballclub. It would be ‘Blyth Bobsleighs’; downhillall the way under me. And the green andwhite strip...well that’s just plain odd. It willbecome all purple to reflect my divineregency.

I’d then spend lavishly for my funeral as Iguess the supporters will revolt andassassinate me. I suppose they would also pulldown the 60m high stature of myself that Ierected outside the main gates of Croft Park;and then dance on it.

e supporters would probably crownRobbie Dale as King Robbie 1st. He would livewith his Queen, Susan, in the Palace and bringpeace and success to the club. I will never bespoken of again.

Lifelong Blyth fans Philand Bob pose in front ofa fridge big enough tokeep dead relatives in

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How would you describe yoursupporters?

How would I describe oursupporters? Well – mostly peoplereally. All shapes and sizes. Bear inmind we come from near the homeof the Greggs pasty and that willgive you an indication of the mostcommon shape.

Plus we do have a pretty strongcanine following. My dog is alwayspawing me to take him to thematch.

e vast majority are committed,vociferous, colourful and steadfast.at’s certainly true of the travellingsupporters. If our Cannock Spartansare at the match today you’ll know!

What are your hopes for the restof the season?

Obviously I’d hope for a playoffspot and ultimately promotion.en there’s the NorthumberlandSenior Cup which would be nice towin.

Off the pitch, free pies and Bovrilat the games would be quitesomething. Ah, I suppose that ismore of a pipedream than a ‘hope’though.

How would you describe the townfor any visitors, and what one wordwould you use to describe theground catering?

Blyth could be described asBritain’s answer to Rome. A place ofindefinable romance, culture andstyle? Nope, just full of dilapidatedold buildings.Nah. Only joking. It’s my home town

and I’m proud of it. It’s reinventingitself from a coal mining and shipbuilding town to a manufacturinghub and a centre for developing offshore wind technology.e people are resilient andwelcoming.Ground catering in one word?Challenging.

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

I’d always recommend the ClubHouse at Croft Park. It’s alwaysfriendly, cheap and full of goodbanter. ere’s sport on the tv and agood variety of beers etc. Withbeing at the ground itself it’spleasingly accessible for a cheekyhalf time pint.

What's your connection with theclub?

I’m a supporter first and foremostbut I am the Media Manager too,working with a talented group oflads on press and media matters.

Tell us a little bit about yourself -what you do for a living? Married?Kids?

I am retired having worked in localgovernment and, more recently, fora Government charity using sport asa diversionary activity for youngpeople. I have two grown up sonsfrom a previous marriage. I marriedagain, to Anna, in Italy last year.Outside of the football season, ofcourse. I’m not daft. We share ourhouse with Bob the border collie.

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goal

spon

sors

hip

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

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

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

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

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The DonThe Don

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1. Which team ended Tamworth’s 12 game winning streak last Saturday?

2. Christian Jolley has left Newport County for which Conference club?

3. Lee Hughes has moved from Forest Green Rovers to one of his former clubs.

Which one?

4. Name the player recently transferred from Ilkeston to Sheffield United

5. Which club knocked Altrincham out of this year’s FA Trophy?

6. Name Dartford’s home ground.

7. Paul Carden has recently taken over as Manager at which north-west club?

8. Which Conference North club has been taken over by former local man

Gareth Roberts, who has made his fortune in America?

9. Which club ended AFC Fylde’s unbeaten home record last Saturday?

10. Who is the manager of Workington?

ANSWERS: 1. Oxford City 2. Grimsby Town 3. Kidderminster Harriers 4. Che Adams 5. Bath City 6. Princes Park 7. Southport 8. Bradford park avenue 9. Chorley 10. Gavin Skelton

tony’s teasers

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AN 7.

How would describe the mood likein the camp at the moment?

I'd say a mixture of excitement andfrustration. Excitement cos Robbolooks to have made some greatsignings, and frustration cos we wantto actually see them play a few gamesafter the string of winterpostponements.

Are things back on the rails wouldyou say?

I reckon so. Obviously we'll knowmore when we've seen our new-lookteam play a few games, but thereseems to be a sense of anticipation atthe club, rather than one of despair.Certainly among the fans anyway.

Can you talk usthrough your view ofthe last couple ofresults under Johnnoand Bernard please.

It seems like so longago, I'm struggling toremember what Ithought! What I doremember is that itseemed for the lastmonth or two thatother teams had gotthe measure of us.ey'd maybe donetheir research and

sussed out how we play and how todeal with that, cos we didn't seem ableto create the chances that we haddone previously. Jordan wasconsistently marked/manhandled outof the games and with only him upfront, it was left to the likes of GrantSpencer to score the goals.

For you who are the players to watchat the moment, and why.

Well, there are a whole load of newones to watch now aren't there, andit’ll take a little while to see them attheir peak. But from the players I knowabout, I think Tom Williams is one towatch. His corners and crosses areconsistently good, so I'm really gladhe's still at Rammy.

meet the home fanslittle katie at the ewe camp

Tom Williams in action atNantwich on New Year’s Day

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How long have you been a supporter?I started watching in the 2005/2006

season (one of my first matches waswatching Rammy win the HospitalsCup at the Reebok Stadium - I don'tremember much except it was reallycold!!) but only tended to watch homegames. en when Bernard and Jonnotook over as managers, I got moreinvolved and haven't missed manygames since then.

What are your most memorabletimes with the club, and what sticksout for you this season?

ere are the obvious answers ofwinning the NWCFL and the playoffmatches last season, but there are loadsof other great memories such asbeating Salford City in the FA Cup,finally beating New Mills last season(with Bernard in net for most of thegame), two late goals at home to beat

Warrington and a random game up atColne where the liner over-ruled the(terrible) ref's decision to award Colnea penalty.

Off the top of my head, this season'sstand-out moments were the victory atIlkeston and "that goal" by Whiz.

How would you change the club ifyou won the lottery?

I'd buy the old paper mill site so thatwe could have a training pitch and acarpark. I'd also build a bigger tea-barand hire a groundsman to take thepressure off Harry. I do buy a ticketevery week, so you never know!

How would you describe thesupporters?

Close-knit. I think that has reallyshown in the last few weeks with all theupheaval (although we have lost 20 orso supporters who are parents/family

Disbelief up at Colne in2012 as the ref awards abizarre penalty.

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of departed players which is gutting). Ireckon it's only in the last couple ofseasons that it really feels like we've gota "gang" of supporters and that's great. Ithink we've been a bit quiet lately sohopefully we'll start making more noiseagain.

What are your hopes for the rest of theseason?

A top half finish and some enjoyabletimes with the Rammy Family.

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

Pre-match I'm selling golden goals butpost-match we tend to end up in theCricket Club bar. I like it cos the players,fans, officials, parents etc all mixtogether which is what makes non-league so great. ey also don't mindserving me a Bloody Mary!

Away from that, I like the Irwell WorksBrewery for the atmosphere and livemusic. I've been told that the beer/alewhich is brewed on site is very good, butthat's not my tipple so I wouldn't know!

What's your connection with the club?My husband has been watching

Rammy for 17 years so I started comingdown when I met him 8 years ago. I'mnow Golden Goal seller, andMembership Secretary of theSupporters' Club.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.Married, two stepsons and two cats. I

run the radio mic department for asound company which provides soundgear for concerts and events - great job!I play squash and football regularly andenjoy doing jigsaws and number puzzles(geek!).

Katie (right) and friendVictoria riggingthe Golden Goal!

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

Danny JONES

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

Darren GREEN

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

Jon ROBINSON

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

Phil EDGHILL

rammy united meet the lads

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Date of birth: 19th September 1985Place of birth: RochdalePosition: Central DefenderHeight: 6ft 3insPrevious clubs: Blackburn Rovers, Rochdale StClements, RadcliffeAn ‘old school’ centre-half who loves a tackle.Deceivingly quick and great in the air.

Andy DAWSON

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

Cedric KROU

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

Grant SHENTON

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

Harun Bhatti

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

Kyle HARROP

D P P H P A w

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

Lee PUGH

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

George BOWYER


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

George GRAYSON

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

Luke HERON

Date of birth: 17th May 1994Position: MidfielderA decent quality midfielder who joined Rammypre-season but has been out on loan, onlyreturning to the club just before Christmas.

Malachi SLAVEN

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

Ian BENNETT

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

Jamie ROTHER

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

Osebi ABADAKI

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

Tom WILLIAMS


Date of birth: Place of birth: Position: MidfielderHeight: Previous clubs: Oldham Athletic, FC United,Mandurah (Aus), Leigh, Salford, New Mills,Rossendale, Ashton UnitedA cultured attacking midfielder and playmaker.

Chris BAGULEY

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

Tom HARTLEYD P P H P W A r 2

T S P H

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

Lee GASKELL

Team: Rammy U7sSchool: St Joseph’s, RamsbottomPosition: MascotHobbies: Football, Karate

Sonny MYERS

Team: Rammy U9sSchool: St Joseph’s, RamsbottomPosition: MascotHobbies: Football, Karate

Max MYERS

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New Years Day 2015, and there wassomething in the air that night. No, itwasn’t the stars that shone so bright forABBA’s Fernando, rather a sense of doomand despondency for the Rammy faithful.Not only had we just witnessed our fifthdefeat in a row that afternoon atNantwich Town but, if the rumours onthe terraces were to be believed, it alsoseemed we had just bore witness to theend of the most successful period in ourclubs history. Word had started to spreadamong the travelling Rammy following atNantwich on New Years Day afternoonthat Jonno and Bernard had been offeredthe Salford City managerial post after therecent departure of former Ammies boss,Phil Power. It wasn’t the first time we hadheard rumours along these lines,remember Northwich Victoria just a yearearlier, but our much loved and muchrespected management team had always

stayed loyal to theRammy cause.Somehow though,and I’m sure manyof us felt the same,this time wasdifferent.

And so a coupleof days later I waswoken from myslumber by MrsDarkside with the

news we had all been dreading “Johnnoand Bernard have gone… ey’re going toSalford!”

So an away day at Nantwich Town wasthe end of an era and, as I mentionedearlier, it was a pretty muted atmosphere,on and off the pitch, from the Rams. isI put down to a few things such ashangovers from New Years Eve, openterraces behind the goal and the run ofdefeats that we didn’t look like putting astop to on the day. For once, it seemedpeople had worse hangovers than me.

e previous evening myself and MrsDarkside, along with Martin and Joanne,Paul and Cheryl Whizz and Uncle Davehad celebrated seeing in the New Year atthe Phoenix Nights style, Buchanan Club,although I had taken it easy (by mystandards) on the alcohol consumption inorder to enjoy a good ol’ away day in themorning. What a waste that was,especially with the prices in the Nantwichbar which I have already complainedabout in a previous column, so wont boreyou further.

e bar was pretty full and, like any loyalRammy supporter, I went straight over tothe table occupied by Uncle Harry toshake his hand and wish him all the bestfor 2015. It also gave me the chance toswap greetings with Andy and Little Katie,Sir Paul Cropper and his better half Karol,as well as one of the great unsung heroines

from the darksidedarren comer reports on the latest

rammy ultras adventures

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of the Rammy Family, Sophie. I alsomanaged a quick chat before the gamewith Rob, who has continued to takeRammyTV from strength to strength,backed of course by his loyal and hardworking camera operatives, Jack andDavid, not forgetting their Dads, Mikeand Stephen.

As always there was an excellentturnout from the Mutton Army,including the Hampshire Branch of theRammy Ultras consisting of Richard,Statto Vic and, making her debutwatching the Rams, Ma Issacs. ishelped make up for the absence of UkePunk who had cried off with thedreaded Xmas-Lurgie that was goingaround, although the rumour was hehad stayed at home with his son, YoungJoel and was watching the Man Unitedgame on TV. is later led to seriousaccusations on the forum, withUkePunks Premier League consumption

being compared to e Clash’s signingto CBS (cheers for the info, Jake! at’s atenner less in your birthday card fromUncle Paul this year).

Despite the downbeat tone of muchof this column it was actually quite anentertaining ninety minutes we weretreated to. Just six weeks earlier we hadwon 3-1, in a one-sided F.A. Trophygame at Nantwich and when Robboopened the scoring on the quarter-hour,quite a few of us felt the three pointswould be a formality, but how wrong wewere. One of Jonno and Bernard’sstrengths is that they know how to instilpassion into a group of players, butsometimes this seems to rub off on theother team. is was certainly the casewith Nantwich who suddenly woke upafter the opening goal and startedattacking Shents goal with some vimand much vigour.

Going out on a low - Bernardand Johnno at Nantwich

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e upturn in the game certainly suitedthe hosts and by half time they had a 2-1lead, and were facing a Rammy team whowere down to ten men after Gaz Stopforthgot his marching orders just before theinterval. Now, I witnessed the sending offthrough Rammy tinted glasses but, eventhe Nantwich supporters I spoke to at halftime agreed it was simply a mistimedtackle that deserved a yellow at most. Notthe first dodgy refereeing decision that hasgone against us this season, and I’m surenot the last, but rather than just

complaining (again) let us all just hope andpray that we start getting some going ourway in the second half of the season.

e substitution of Whizz for Osebi, athalf time seemed to work for the Rams andfor the first fifteen minutes of the secondhalf you couldn’t really tell who had the tenmen and who had the eleven.Unfortunately, on the hour, Nantwichextended their lead and this seemed tosignal the end of any chance we had ofcoming away with any points on the day.With ten minutes left on the clock Rammy

from the darksidedarren comer reports on the latest

rammy ultras adventures

Gary Stopforth heads offfor an early shower

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were awarded a penalty, which was dulyconverted by Whizz, to set up a franticfinale. Despite an all-out attack and severalgoal mouth scrambles it just wasn’t to beour day as we stretched our winless run tosix games. We didn’t even stop for a drinkat the ground after the game and made ourway straight back home to Ramsbottomwhere we convened in e Railway, due toe Irwell Works Brewery being shut, todrown our sorrows and discuss the bigquestion on all our minds.

So, this was the last game under Jonno andBernard and now we must look to thefuture under Robbo and Edgy. ey will bea hard act to follow, as will the players wholeft and followed them to Salford, but Ithink the biggest loss for many of us will bethe members of the Rammy Family who willnow being watching their family try to

further their football careers elsewhere. Wehave had some amazing days watching thisclub, and met some people we can beproud to call good friends, but the RammyUltras will still grow and gain new membersfor the exciting new era we have ahead ofus under Robbo and Edgy. With that inmind I would like to mention the following,honorary lifetime Ultras who helped makeso many days, so special for many of us:Martin and JoanneGeoffe Gaz and Mary ChainPaul and Cheryl WhizzUncle DaveYoung DaveMick Jonno...it’s been emotional and you will always bewelcome down at e RiversideCOME ON YOU RAMS!

Paul and Cheryl Whizz, completewith New Year’s Day hangover

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rammy in exilesky sports statto richard isaacs

Good afternoon everyone, I hope youare keeping well and, hopefully, this gamewill actually take place.

It has been a very barren run of actionfor us over the last five weeks or so withjust a single game played (the excellenthome Cup victory over NorthwichVictoria) since the disappointing NewYear's Day defeat at Nantwich Town. eleague table has taken a worrying look toit with us down in about 16th place butwe, as well as our visitors today, have amonsterous amount of 'games in hand'over the majority of those above us sothere is no reason to panic or fret just yet.

Naturally, it has been a verydisappointing few weeks - both on andoff the pitch. I think I speak for us all rightnow in that all we want is to watch somefootball, watch Robbo's new look teamtake to the park and show what they cando. e lingering wait for something tohappen has only heightened theanticipation for what is to come. But

having 22 league games plus a cupquarter-final and who knows what

will happen with that, still to play atthis stage of the season is going tomean a hell of lot of matches towatch in the coming weeks. issituation is positively Bacupesque(although I did have a sneaky peakat the NWCFL table and noticedthat they are still sitting with one

win all season in 25 games!).My long weekend up in the north sadly

culminated in three postponements -two on the football field and one at theManchester Arena on Saturday evening.Yes, I was at the Arena to watch theopening night of Peter Kay's PhoenixNights Live show and yes, it was the onethat ended after about 10 minutes of thesecond half due to Ted Robbinscollapsing on stage. It was actually quitescary to see it happen and we had a viewthrough a gap in the curtain to see himreceiving CPR. Of course the show hadto end there and then so he could receivetreatment, so this hasn't exactly been themost productive of few days in the north.... and it's bloody cold too!

However, it was good to visit the groundon Tuesday afternoon to see for myselfthe state of the pitch and it was certainlythe right decision to call the game off. Itallowed me a brief time to catch up withHarry and also with Rob, who poppeddown as well. I have been doing a lot ofthinking over the last few weeks or so,ever since the departures took place. Atthis juncture, I will state that I did visitMoor Lane on Saturday forSalfordbottom United's match againstDarlington 1883 and I absolutely hated it!e atmosphere was toxic, the match waspoor and to see 'our' lads not in 'our'shirts actually really hurt. I couldn't give

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a monkey's who actually won the game, Ijust wanted to get out and get home. I wishthem all well, of course I do, but .... well, youknow!

Anyway, I digress. I have been thinkingabout how we show we have real ambition.Over the last five and a bit seasons, our clubhas gone from being utterly crap to beinga club on a meteoric rise. e groundcontinues to thrive and develop, the teamon the park have produced exciting,thrilling football and the support hasgrown and grown to levels never seenbefore. But the CLUB itself needs to startthinking very seriously about what it has todo to keep up. e CLUB in this context isnot the team or the stadium, buteverything around it.

I had a very enjoyable chat with TonyCunningham on Monday when I was up. Itwas there that thoughts came into my headabout - what next? What happens next forRamsbottom United. It was veryinteresting to read some of the recentprogrammes around the Christmas periodand all of us said "what does 2015 have instore". It started pretty ordinarily with themass exodus but my personal feeling is that2015 should be the start of when the clubstarts to leave its legacy.

What I mean is to really start puttingsome markers down. Really get involved inevery aspect. It was mentioned on the fansweb forum about the plethora ofcommittee and hierarchy that BlythSpartans have whereas we don't. And thatis because the club is still running itself likeit always used to and always has. Babiesdon't grow from toddlers to adults in the

space of four years and neither should weexpect our club to. But we have to startlearning, have to start going to school andlooking at ways to improve ourselves andgiving more and more every week, monthand year. It needs more input, more drive,more assistance because Harry can't go onforever. Yes, this has all been discussedbefore and probably at some length, butthere is a real need to see ourselves gettingmore into the community and generatingmore revenue through sponsorships andarrangements.

OK, this all might be pie in the sky and,oh, have I had some thoughts about manythings, including a purpose built stadiumat Top Park, 3G/4G pitches and the like.But that all takes considerable amounts ofmoney, time, effort, planning ... oh, and alot more money! And it is not necessarilywhat we have, but it might be somethingwe have to generate and look into a varietyof different streams of funding. A 3G/4Gpitch would be a real money spinner andalso save multiple hours of diviting andmatch postponements. is coststhousands however!

I will shut up now, I have let myimagination run wild. But I am sure youcan see and feel the sentiment and is itpossible? Nothing is impossible ... it justneeds some nurturing, some carefulconsideration and someone(s) with theambition. It is said that our recent exitshave been because we haven't shownambition.

Wouldn't this prove something, eh!COME ON YOU RAMS!

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Yet another postponement onTuesday night, which is really startingto get the supporters frustrated. Is itjust as frustrating for you fellas, andhow does it disrupt preparations formatches?

It's not great as we would all like to beplaying matches. I've never been in thisposition before so it's hard to say if itdisrupts preparation. We will soon findout I guess.

When we finally get a match playeddo you think that the lads will strugglea little bit with fitness and matchsharpness and what does the squad tryto do to minimise these problems?

We are working hard in training andthe lads are very fit and can play a solid90 mins, so that's fine. But matchsharpness may be a little low as youmay have seen with our start againstNorthwich, but we grew into the game

quickly, so the only way we will getsharp is by playing games.

What have you been up to inthe last couple of weeks oftraining, and are the players

starting to get to know eachother now?

We have been doing a lot of new drillsunder the new management which is anice change. And we definitely have ateam spirit developing - all the ladshave gelled really well and it's good tohave that feeling of a close changingroom.

How do you as players view thepossibility of three games a week as wehead towards the end of the season? Isit a nightmare scenario, or do you relishthe challenge?

Well I can't talk for other the lads whowill be putting in the shifts three timesa week, but I know it will be good forme - the more times I’ve got a ball inmy hands the better. It's not the mostideal situation for the team.

We seem to suddenly have a verylarge squad of players. Do you thinksome will get frustrated if they don'tget a game, or does everyoneacknowledge that we'll need a bigsquad for all the fixtures that arestacking up?

It's a good thing to have a big squadwith the amount of games we have left.Players will need rests so everyone willbe getting plenty of game time.

grant shentonshouting from between the sticks

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Do any of the new players really standout for you as being 'one to watch'?

All the lads bring something to thetable. Baggers has got great feet anddistribution and is very pleasing on theeye. Jamie has got great work rate andwill be big part of all these games wehave coming up. George has come in asthe new right back and brings valuableexperience which will help in makingour back five very solid I could list themall but you ( the fans) will have yourchance to make your minds up foryourselves this afternoon.

“all the lads havegelled really well

and it’s great to havethat feeling of aclose changing

room”

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So here we are - those of us that are stillhere! Astonishingly, 40+ volunteer hourswere put into clearing the snow from thepitch a fortnight ago, in the hope that Robboand the new squad could finally get a leaguematch under their belts. ose samesupporters have so far pledged a total of £36which will be given to Robbo for each andevery goal that the team scores through tothe end of the season. ese are thesupporters who have well and truly nailedtheir colours to the mast, whose loyalty isnot to the club who pays them the most orplans to set the league alight, but to the clubthat they voluntarily help out, and that theyactually PAY to watch! Some would say thatour club is run by an evil dictator, a Kim SungUn with a tea urn and a pile of multi-packmars bars, but to those who know better, itis a club to which we all belong. It is ours, andit is a club to which our loyalty cannot bebought off or stolen away.

I was reading on the internet some load ofbollocks about “e Spirit of the Kop” - the

Liverpool fans’ way of trying tosuggest that the sanitised

rows of plastic seatsthat now line Anfieldare in some wayconnected with thedrunken, urine

smelling armpit of aterrace that us realists

remember as e Kop.

ey view the original Kop in the romantic,soft-focus light of nostalgia, forgetting thatyou never got out of the ground with theprogramme you bought cos some scallywould nick it before the game was tenminutes old, and that the soft-focus wasactually due to the billowing clouds ofwoodbine smoke drifting across the pitch.

But maybe there is a “Spirit of the Kop”.Maybe there is something that is more thanjust a stand, or a ground, or a manager, or asquad of players. Maybe there really issomething tangible that is Liverpool FC. Hereat Rammy our managers and our playershave almost to a man disappeared off toaffluent pastures new, and although we’ve allfelt the Wrath of Williams in our time, we’restill here. Ten of the former Ramsbottomsquad showed up for a beer at the cricketclub after their match against Darlington,and Jordan could be seen skulking aroundthe place for the Northwich match lastTuesday. Maybe it is the “Spirit of the Ram”that stopped the rest of us even consideringwatching Salford, that left most of us in nodoubt that come hell or high water wewould still be here week-on-week, even if wehave to once again watch Baz Shuttleworthpull on his Rammy shirt for our trip up toBacup in the Northwest Counties FirstDivision.

Lee Gaskell told me last week that, eventhough he was getting paid a shed-load andbeing treated like some kind of primadonna

supporters clubon the terraces of rammy

P le t in a Ja y li e t it

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Premiership player at Warrington, he instantlyleapt at Robbo’s invitation to return to Rammy,the club he says that he “loves playing for”. Addinto that mix passionate Rammy legend Robbo,and Andy Dawson, not to mention Tony, Harry,Jack and a slack handful of die-hard fans, andyes, we already have the makings of our ownlittle “Spirit of the Ram”. We’ve shared theelation of Bamber Bridge and Darlington, andthe despair at Skem, which help the club wormits way into our hearts. ese are all the reasons

why seeds of “e Spirit of the Ram” arebeginning to germinate in all of us, and thosebudding seeds are the reason why we are all stillhere, and will be here for a long time to come.

So while I’ve got you all choked up, give us ashout if you’d like to help sponsor the team pergoal. You get a signed team photo at the end ofthe season and your name in the programmeevery week. Get in touch: [email protected] telephone 07944 038512.

After winning a tenner thiskind chap has kindly agreedto buy everyone a drink aftertoday’s game!

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Peter JEFFERIESJoel DIXONJordan WATSONRyan HUTCHINSONNathan BUDDLEStephen TURNBULLDamen MULLENJarrett RIVERSDan HAWKINSDan MAGUIRERobbie DALEArran WEARMOUTHNeal HOOKSMatthew WADENiall HARRISONAlex NICHOLSONDanny PARKERMichael RICHARDSON

Manager: Jon ROBINSON Manager: Tom WADE

Referee: William SmallwoodReferee’s Assistants: Peter Gibbon, Paul Johnson

Next home game: Tuesday 10th February 7:45pm - Rammy v Harrogate Railway AthleticDoodson Cup Quarter Final

Grant SHENTONGeorge BOWYER

George GRAYSONJamie ROTHERCallum JONESCedric KROU

Osebi ABADAKIKyle HARROPLee GASKELL

Tom WILLIAMS Ian BENNETTLuke HERON

Chris BAGULEYDavid KUBA-KUBA

Matty BURKEJon ROBINSON

Lee PUGHAndy DAWSON

Malachi SLAVEN Tom BROOKS

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50 Ramsbottom United v Blyth Spartans

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