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In a s soc ia t ion wi th


a s s u m e I'HONS: TeL 01200 442188 with your Advertiser and Times sports team of Chris Boden, Craig Salmon, Phil Simpson and Edward Lee : ' X f . M | Double Christmas


win boosts Clitheroe in search for more


By CRAIG SALMON


SIX points over the festive period provided the perfect Christmas present for Clitheroe manager Lee Sculpher. The Blues moved into


second place in the North West Counties’ First Divi­ sion, and stretched their long unbeaten run to 15 games, with 1-0 and 2-0 victories over the bottom two sides in the table - Ramsbottom United and Atherton Collieries respec­ tively. Lee Sculpher’s men are


still a long way behind leaders Prescot Cables -14 points to be precise - but judging by Clitheroe’s pre­ sent form, and the fact that they have three games in hand on the Merseysiders, a tilt at the title is still a distinct possibility. Sculpher said: “I was


pleased with the results over the Christmas period. “To be honest, the per­


formances in both games were not the best. “But we got the three


points and they are vital to us if we are going to catch Prescot. “The first half on Satur­


day was the worst we have played all season, we played a little bit better after half-time and missed a couple of chances, with Lee Cryer being the main culprit. “But credit to Lee, he


came back and got both the goals which won it for us. I’ve said all along that he’s a proven goalscorer and he’s very important to us.


play but couldn’t stick the ball away. We hit the post twice. “I t was a battle and I was pleased to pick up the


points.” Clitheroe have pegged


two points back on Prescot, but. Sculpher knows his side’s destiny is out of their hands. “I t ’s as you were really


“You have to give a bit of


credit to Atherton. They set their stall out and were very competitive, but our passing in general was very poor, especially in the first half.


long balls.” The win over Atherton


was preceded by the derby victory over Ramsbottom on Boxing Day at the Riverside Ground. And Sculpher felt his


side were worth the victo­ ry: “We had most of the


at the top. We drew with Newcastle a couple of weeks ago, which allowed Prescot to go 16 points ahead of us. But with them drawing with Skelmersdale on Boxing day, we have got those two points back. “I t’s up to Prescot really


now. There is nothing we can do apart from keep on winning and hope they slip up.


“We played far too many


lenge Trophy quarter-final tie. I t is the first time


Sculpher has ventured this far in the competition, as Clitheroe’s record over the past decade has left a lot to be desired. He added: “It’s a first for


myself to be in the quarter­ finals of the competition. Over the last 10 years, we have not done very well in the trophy. “But every competition


we enter, apart from the FA Cup which we have no chance of winning, we try to win. “So we will be giving


Saturday’s game our full attention. “Skelmersdale are a very


“We’ve played most of


the top sides now. We’re finished with Newcastle Town, Prescot and Skelmersdale.” The Blues are not total­


ly finished with Skelmers­ dale as they are the visitors to Shawbridge on Saturday for a Worthington Chal­


good side. They have the league’s leading goalscorer in Stuart Rudd and he’s very dangerous.” Barrie Hart has been


ruled out through work com­ mitments for Saturday, while Gary Jackson is rated 50/50 due to a hamstring strain he picked up against Newcastle Town. The reserves are away to Skelmersdale.


NORTHWEST COUNTIES’ FOOTBALL


LEAGUE First Division P W D


• AlsagerTown...25 Warrington Tn 20 WinsfordUtd ..25 GlossopNE ....23


Skelm'sdaleUtd 14 11 2 1 35 Padiham ........13 10 2 1 32 CLITHEROE..14 8 6 0 30 Curzon Ashton .12 9 0 3 27 Ashton Town ...11 8 1 2 25 Maine Road__14 5 2 7 17 Squires Gate ...16 4 5 7 17 Atherton Colls. .10 4 2 4 14 GlossopNE....13 2 7 4 13 CheadleTown ..13 3 2 8 11 Chadderton ... .13 2 ,4 7 10 Daisy Hill...... 15 0 3 12 3 Atherton LR .. .12 1 0 11 3


. P W D L P


Two- goal victory confirms maximum points for Blues


Clitheroe....................2 Atherton Collieries . .0 CLITHEROE made it six points out of six over the Christmas period with vic­ tory over Atherton Col­ lieries at Shawbridge on Saturday. The win saw the Blues


Chris Whittingham


leapfrog over Salford City into second place in the North West Counties’ First Division -14 points behind leaders Prescot Cables, but with three games in hand.


It was not the most flu­


ent of performances from the Blues as they struggled to get any rhythm going, especially in the opening 45 minutes. The first half was a dour


affair as both sides strug-, gled to control the ball and create any clear openings in front of goal. The visitors, who are


currently languishing in the relegation zone, seemed to bring Clitheroe down to their level and it was no


surprise that the half ended god-less. After the break;


Clitheroe started to gain the upper hand as the match progressed and the introduction of substitute Jason Jones from the bench injected some much-needed urgency into the Blues play.


hands. His perseverance paid off


after 78 minutes when a huge punt from Kris Richens was headed into the penalty area and Cryer managed to direct it into the net before the keeper. Soon after, the lead was


Lee Cryer uncharacteris­


tically fired wide when clean through in a one-on- one situation and then headed into the keeper's


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doubled when a half-clear­ ance was latched on to by Chris Whittingham, and he was more alert than the visitors’ defenders to place it past the on-rushing keep-


Skipper’s strike settles derby day


Ramsbottom United.......................... 0 Clitheroe............................................... 1 A SIXTY-SIXTH minute strike from skip­ per Neil Spencer gave Clitheroe all the points in the Boxing Day derby versus Ramsbottom United. With leaders Prescot Cables only manag­


ing a 2-2 draw against Skelmersdale Unit­ ed, Spencer’s vital second half intervention could prove vital at the end of the season. The game survived a pitch inspection


half-a-hour before the game was due to start and the conditions meant passing was going to be difficult. The first efforts of the match saw


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Spencer and Barrie Hart go close in the opening 20 minutes, but United gave Clitheroe some cause for concern when Carl Lomax saw his shot shave the crossbar, and Liam Bowden fired wide. . Lee Cryer, Lee Buggie and Hart all went


clos,e while goalkeeper Kris Richens endured a moment he would rather forget when he got away with fumbling Dale Fielding’s cross. Buggie hit the post 15 minutes into the


second half but the Blues finally nudged themselves in front when Spencer pounced on a loose ball to smash it into the roof of the net. The Blues began to dominate play and


created many openings, but were thwarted by a good performance by the Ramsbottora goalkeeper Simon Marsh, who kept the scoreline respectable for his side..


f r N 1 1 t i C (' A I' f N 1


Dave Burgess •V—'•>.


(till


Prescot Cables. .26 20 CLITHEROE..23 15 Salford City ....24 14 Skelmersdale .. .25 14 Mossley......... 21 14 Newcastle Town 24 12 St Helens Town .24 11 Nantwich Town 23 11 Fleetwood Town 22 9 Congleton ...... 22 9 Squires Gate .. .26 7 Flixton...........21 7 Curzon Ashton .24 6 Woodley Sports .23 6 7 10 25 Abbey Hey...... 22


3 10 30 3 10 30 9 10 30 6 8 27 7 11 25


L 2 3 4 48 7 46 5 44 5 43 6 40 5 40


AthertonLR ...23 4 6 13 18 Atherton Colls. .21 4 3 14 15


6 7 9 25 6 7 12 25 6 5 9 23 6 4 15 22 5 4 14 19


R’bottomUtd ..21 3 5 11 14 Reserve Division


*C . >'• "•' 7 il ’vL ? Compere Peter Stevenson with Carlo Nash and Kevin Keegan


year for Blues both on and off the field


EVENTS off the pitch have per­ haps overshadowed'Clitheroe Foot­ ball Club’s performances on it in


the year 2002. ■ The Blues have endured an indif­


ferent year football wise; achieving a respectable, if slightly disappointing, sixth place finish in the North West Counties’ First DivisibipfoAthe sea­ son 2001/02, and also reaching the quarter-finals of the coveted FA Vase. This season promises''much with


Lee Sculpher’s men handilyplaced near the top of the tabll-having just moved into second /place with a great chance of winningpromotion to the UniBond League First Divi­ sion. ..


However, transformations and //.


major events off the pitch have made all the headlines in 2002. A*1 Earlier in the year,-long-serving


chairman Steve Rush stepped down and was promptly replaced by former first-team manager Dave Burgess. The club was rocked in the sum­


mer when a fire destroyed one of the stands at Shawbridge buton the pos­ itive side, postponed games should be a thing of the past after the club’s pitch underwent extensive drainage


work. Clitheroe also celebrated its 125th Y-A/. '/.VA‘


year anniversary and then, amazing­ ly, attracted Manchester City boss and former England captain and manager Kevin Keegan to the club­ house for a question and answer evening.


Here is a month-by-month account of Clitheroe’s year. : %■:


’ J a n u a ry ' In contrast to the yep before when


Clitheroe were riding High at the top of the table, the club began the year just above mid-table - but only eight points off pacesetters St Helens Town. They moved through to the third


round of the Lancashire Marsden Trophy after a 3-0 win'over Bacup Borough and goals from Lee Cryer (2) and Chris Whittirigham con­ tributed to a similar scoreline as the Blues won through to the fifth round of the FA Vase with victory away at


Abingdon. ; > ~ & - F e b r u a r y \ Another 3-0 scoreline ended Arles-


ley Town’s interest in. the Vase as Clitheroe booked'a quarter-final


berth against Whitley Bay. Neil Spencer, Neil Reynolds and Carl Greenwood all got on the scoresheet. Former club skipper.Gary Rishton


returned to the club oinloan, 18- months after leaving Shawbridge for


Rossendale Unfted2*f^>-L: . Sculpher’s assistantirfanager John


Hosty resigned clue td york commit­ ments and was replaced by former Great Harwood manager Dave Sar­


gent. With a winter.programme deci­


mated by the weather,'the Blues


finally played theft first league game of the year on February 16th but lost 2-0 to SkelmersdaTe tfnited., However, their JU{> fcihn continued


to impress as they Bbfiked a semi­ final date with UhiBond Ifeafcue Pre­ mier Division side'BarroW in the Marsden Lancashire Trophy after a 2-0 win over derby-rivals .Ramsbot­


tom United. ' f CffeA ' . n m


V'; ,' *. CRAIG SALMON


looks hack at Clitheroe Football Club's 2002


Their first league victory of the


year arrived at the end of the month when they beat Glossop North End


2-1. March The Blues FA Vase dream died


when they conceded an injury-time decider at home to Whitley Bay to lose 2-1. Player-boss Sculpher had equalised for Clitheroe in the final 10 minutes only for Bay, who went on to lift the Vase, to win it at the death. Five points from a possible nine


arrived at the start of the month but the team was rocked by the double long-term injury blows to key mid­ fielders Neil Reynolds and Carl Greenwood. Reynolds suffered a cruciate knee


ligament injury in a 1-1 draw at Flix­ ton while Greenwood broke both his tibia and fibula bones during a draw versus Curzon Ashton. Both players were expected to be out for the rest of


the year at least. Chairman Steve Rush resigned


after eight years in the post because of work commitments. Rush, who presided over some of the most suc­ cessful periods in the club’s history, was replaced by former first team manager Dave Burgess on a three- month trial basis.


April The beginning of April saw


Clitheroe record their biggest victory of the season in a 7-0 demolition of Abbey Hey, which was the start of five wins out of seven during the month. The club was hit by controversy


when, trailing 2-1 to Salford City at home, the floodlights failed after 72 minutes. The game was ordered to be replayed with City emerging 2-1 win­


ners once more. May The Blues season ended with a dis­


appointing 3-0 defeat to Warrington Town as Clitheroe finished in sixth place - 26 points behind champions Kidsgrove Athletic. In the end of season presentation


evening, Andy Cowking scooped both the Supporters’ Player of the Year and Manager’s Player of the Year awards, while long-term injury victim Greenwood picked up the Players’Player of the Year.


June June proved to be a month of high


and lows off the pitch as the club cel­ ebrated its 125th year anniversary with a dinner dance at the Moorcock Inn in Waddington. The club then received some great


news when the Football Stadia Improvement Fund awarded the Blues with a grant of almost £25,000 to improve the drainage at.Shaw­


bridge. However, in the very same week of


receiving the grant, the club were rocked by a fire which swept through one of the stands, causing extensive


damage. There was better news, though;


with the full-time appointment of Dave Burgess as chairman.


July The players reported back for pre­


season training in readiness for the fast-approaching new season, organ­ ising a number of friendlies including matches against local rivals Padiham and Accrington Stanley.


August Clitheroe began the new season


with a 1-1 draw with last season’s runners-up Prescot Cables. Their first victory arrived soon


after when Chris Whittingham’s soli- atary strike put paid to Warrington Town, and two further victories pro­ pelled the Blues to the top of the table.


Clitheroe went out of the FA Cup


at the first hurdle at the hands of Radcliffe Borough 3-1.


September Chairman Dave Burgess broke the


news that Kevin Keegan is to take part in a question and answer evening at the clubhouse in October. The Blues tasted defeat for the


first time in the league when they lost 2-1 to Mossley which sees them drop to third in the table. A good 3-0 win over Salford City


preceded a disappointing 4-2 loss to championship rivals Prescot Cables.


October Clitheroe dropped 11 points


behind leaders Prescot Cables despite only losing once during the


entire month. Keegan mania gripped the town as


King Kev entertained an 150-strong audience at the club. The Manches­ ter City manager brings along his, goalkeeper Carlo Nash - a former Clitheroe player - and Peter Steven­ son acted as the MC for the night.


November Clitheroe safely negotiated their


passage through to the third round of the Worthington Challenge Trophy thanks to a 3-2 success over Woodley Sports. And then produced a superb per­


formances to defeat Bedlington Ter­ riers 3-1 in the second round of the Carlsberg FA Vase. The Blues ended the month on a eight-match winning run.


Y ■ .. . December .Clitheroe moved/throughjto a


: Carlsberg,FA;Vase fourth.round meeting with Ryman League Second Division side ware after beating Mid­ land Alliance side Studley;4-L/A , The Blues moved throiigh to the


quarter-finals of the Worthington Challenge Trophy with a thumping 4-1 victory over championship rivals Prescot Cables. However, the team’s 10-match win­


ning streak came to an end when they drew 0-0 to Newcastle Town. The league’s bottom two teams -


Ramsbottom United and Atherton Collieries - were disposed of over the Christmas period. A prosperous New Year looks on


the cards for the Blues as they lie sec­ ond in the league, and are alive in three cup competitions, including the FA Vase.


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