*54 Clitheroe Advertiser & Times, December 16th, 2004 Byron witnesses Clitheroe frailties


suffer in game of few chances


by Adrian Capstick


Clitheroe ...................... .0 Belper Town.................1 SATURDAY'S game a t Shawbridge welcomed new manager Paul Byron to Clitheroe FC with a thud, and displayed all the side's frailties in a goal-shy 90 minutes. The former Bamber


Bridge chief had planned to take the game in as a spectator before taking full charge this week, but come half-time he had obviously seen enough from the sidelines as he spent the second half making his presence known to both players and fans alike from the dug out. By his own admission


he is a vocal manager who does not mince his words, and believes that if he can lift the lid on a game by shouting his instructions from the bench, then he will do so, and Saturday proved to be a case in point. Clitheroe and Belper,


who are now just below the locals in the league but with two games in hand, both struggled to create chances throughout either half, although the Blues perhaps shaded possession and had by far the best opportunity to score in the first 45 minutes. Chris Whittingham was


put through, and his fore­ sight to lob the on-coming keeper deserved a goal, but the ball bounced mde of the open net. That was about all


Clitheroe had to offer all game apart from a second half attempt by Neil Spencer that flashed well wide of the mark, and in fairness, Belper showed little more, apart from the inexplicable goal which came four minutes into the second half. Michael Lyons was


allowed to run in off the right wing across the whole back line before fir­ ing his left-foot shot past a stranded Kris Richens. The right winger made it look far too easy as his


pace took the Blues com­ pletely by surprise, as up to this point the Der­ byshire side had struggled to get even close to shoot­ ing distance. And apart from the visi­


tors striking the bar towards the end, again through Lyons, and the pace of centre forward Anton Foster keeping Chris Nestor on his toes, there wasn't much more to note in this game - unless of course your name is Paul Byron, who I'm sure will quickly put his words into action come Saturday when the Blues make the return trip to Belper Town for the UniBond Chairman's Cup. However he is not about


to make any judgements about his new squad from what he was introduced to on Saturday, but by the end of this week's training sessions he hopes to know exactly what his players are capable of for his first game in charge.


1. V . j


- A y ___ ! ^ A \ a- -V- ^ ; l^gAS ^ c e r n e n i . CHRIS NESTOR CHRIS WHITTINGHAM


www.ciitheroetoday.co.uk


Clitheroe 422324 (Editorial), 422323 (Advertising), Burnley 422331 (Classified) i ......


..... ......................Mini.........Hill I im H iW IB r iH f fTOM I I , Blues Eye View


iTHE annual meeting saw a good turnout as the club' ' jiWfibiitired iheiffinancial situation and discugsed their


"accdunts forThe fma'ncial yeah The bottom line^figure - was that the club made a loss of £10,000, although the j


Tact that M'e^are now rcgisiercd for'yAT.a^^^ £5,000 of the figure.' '


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' .-The ciub is still in a healthy position; yet everyone m;; iattehdance hgreed that fund-raising and M


^ must pick'up over the coming months to cnahle..us tpj sreally establish ourselves in the UniBond League,^ There is no need to press the panic button, we do.


.need to ensure that money coming into'the club is | increased between now and the end of-the seaspn. ,;,,;., ^


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« ' FoiloMng the closure of the meeting there. was.M^^ ■open forumiwherechairman John Robinson and the^%


-^'ciuficdmnuttfee took gcherM questions.


'M-Two'of the most interesting points to come from this.1 concerned the clubhouse and a reserve side. y _ . ? s Following on from discussionsTegarding a shortfall |


'..in income,on the accounts it:was;mentioned^thal4he. current clubhouse didn’t,really fulfil its required pwr. 3 •pose.' The' chairman confirmed that he has„been ins touch with the Carlsberg brewery regarding this and; they have been to see the clubhouse themselves^ ^


' They have agre'ed in principle .to providing a loan foij' the building of a new clubhouse although the dub stilly


Sneed to provide further forecast figures before anyj ’agreement can be sealed. The chairman did go nn to. say that this isn’t a short-term project and it may take a '■'couple of years to resolve.-■ '.-' . y \


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sfjsSeveral supporters; expresseddisappointment that; ithe club hadn’t gof a reserve Jeam this season.The; ' chairman confirmed thatthe club had.held talks with? local youth side, Clitheroe Wolves, with regards to


■ using some of their older players and a mix of.new; players to form a reserve side next season.,'.';-.^^ Club Secretary Colin Wilson has contacted the Lan-'


scashire League to enquire about joining next season.> s i On the playing side I had the opportunity to speak'tO;


-new manager Paul Byron after jast Saturday’s defeat;, ?and early indications arc that he could provide the club ^ the boost it currently needs.


f > It was pleasing that despite a poor performance on the field by the players, Byron took time out to acknowledge what a good team spirit exists. , With this in mind he isn’t looking to make wholesale changes.'However I was just as pleased to hear.him say rthat we do need new players and that he already has a


-Tew in mind. A balance of what we currently have and the addition of a few newTaces should see us soon


■ return to winning ways and move awayfrom the lower half of the table.


By Andy Alston '-.


,‘5-r‘jif . ' '^ ■ 7 . -w.viVV','- / .w f 'b ? '


Perfect start hits buffers


PendleForest ................................... ' . . . . ' ......................2 Wolves Under 12s Red.....................................................0 ■WOLVES’ 100% record came to an end at the week­ end in the most disappointing circumstances. Against one of their main rivals for the title, the team produced their most inept performance of the


season. ' ■ Pendle Forest were superior in every department,


looked fitter, had a lot more ideas to offer and had a far, greater desire to win. There were very few instances when the team played any of the passing football for which they are known. ; f :iTte


note in the entire game came from a


volley by Dewhurst from a Clarkson comer, which the goalkeeper did well to tip over the bar. '- Man^f-the-rnatch Ainsworth made some important interceptions in defence and Bailey battled well in mid- field; but the whole team must be very, disappointed? and desperate to make amends in their next match; Wolves Under 11s B lu e ................................................. .2 Gt Earwood Panthers ................................. .'................0 WOLVES signed off the year with a fine performance against the Panthers.


and again


found a goalkeeper in outstanding form. Wolves found it difficult to get their passing going in the first half, with the Panthers tackling very hard,' and midway through the half they opened the scoring ivith a scin- ; tillatingmova s Tom Farrar broke from a comer in his own half, and


slipped an excellent pass for Alex Mullin; who took the ball early and produced a magnificent crossfield ball that Daniel McGrath controlled with his back to goal and slotted away to take the lead. . This gave the home team confidence, and; Zeno Leoni almost produced a second; The Panthers still had their moments, and good defending from Alex McDonald and Eaigan .Witts, and some good han­ dling from Rob Douglas in goal ensured the home team went into the break ahead. ;t ? Wolves upped the tempo in the second half, -with Michael Tomlinson giving an all-action display at the back, and midway through the half Tom Farrar gave two players the slip and fired an unstoppable shot high into the net. Wolves then took control and played some excellent


football.' Mullin began to stretch the defence, and James Banks came close, only to be denied by some excellent goalkeeping. Wolves Under Ids .............................................................f Knuzden...................................................................... .. ■ FOR most of the first half. Wolves had looked likely


ieHmSTM'ASBEEER THE new captain and


I u


lady captain, Stephen Greer and Jean Dearden, are pictured (centre) with club president Les Dearden (fourth from right) and guests at the Whalley Golf Club annual dinner. (T291104/5)


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winners of this game. But by half-time Khuzden had started to make their presence known, and by: the middle of the second half


cuted free kick hit the bar, Kurt Roberts was first to react and poke the ball home.


they had the game tied up. .'The opener came when Stephen Tandy’s well-exe­


: Wolves needed to consolidate; their lead, but were rocked moments later when they conceded a sloppy


equaliser. : 'This lifted the 'visitors, and they took the lead just before half-time with a fine header from a comer. .:? Wolves pressed forward in the second half? looking


for an equaliser, but a long ball beat their offside trap and a Knuzden forward finished clinically. • . Knuzden took advantage of the gaps to wrap the


game up with a fourth goal. ? Despite this defeat; there were good performances


o ^ A-l mM lK iiW i j f p i l Jr. ( I j r ' J -• .f


ClUheroe RVFC....................... 5 Colne and Nelson


.........17


Too little, too late for Littlemoor men in derby reversal In comparison, Clitheroe


However, towards the end of


IT was a case of too little, too late for Clitheroe at Littlemoor on Saturday. After suffering a disappoint­


ing reverse against their local rivals four weeks ago, any hopes of lessons learned were cruelly undone by a clinical and ruth­ less Colne outfit. ■ Colne hardly got out of first


gear for the opening 30 minutes and still scored 12 noints.


looked like they were in for a long afternoon, especially in the scrummage, which still remains a problem area. Time and again there was the


alarming sight of the Clitheroe eight slithering backwards towards their own goal linei Therefore it was hardly sur­


prising that the back line failed to get up any momentum - receiving the ball mostly on the back foot.


the first half they did manage to string some moves together and looked so much better for it. The second half started near­


ly as badly as the first, conced­ ing a try, but after th a t the game was all Clitheroe. With the bulk of possession


coming their way, more than one try would have been just reward. Outside centre WOl Tattersall squeezed in the corner after a


from both Aaron Sharpe and Tom Webb. Euncoat Untied............................................................... ^ Wolves Rangers U12s . . . . . . . . . . . .


• ■ . . , • ■• • • • ■!


HAYING lost 11-0 to the same opposition earlier in the season. Wolves can take heart from the fact they are improving with every game. A goal in the first minute set the hosts on theuir way,


but they were stunned when Mark Davies equalised. Storey was man of the match, with keeper Booth


making some fine saves.


seeming endless set of forward '" ’ drives involving all the pack at 0 one time or another. But it was their inability to fVg)


impose their own game plan that cost them dear, though the ^ stop-start nature of the game was not conducive to Clitheroe’s more fluid style, and they need to be far more street- ^ wise and sa-wy. The season is far from over <


though, with Clitheroe in mid- 'x table with games in hand.


Pumas crash out Whalley Under 15s . . . .1


Easlingden......................3' WHALLEY Pumas exited the league cup a t the weekend in a close game th a t produced few chances. However, the locals paid


dearly for conceding two early first half goals, and as the game onened up in


the second, Haslingden made it 3-0 before 'Whalley made a mini comeback. Sam Townend should


have headed in before Grant Eddleston got the consolation goal with a


free kick. Whalley’s man-of-the-


match was Chris Eland.


vVVT Clitiierbe 422324 (Editorial), 422323 (Advertising), Burnley 422331 (Classified) www.clitheroetoday.co.uk Clitheroe Advertiser & Times, December 16th, 2004 55


Title beyond locals after slip-up at table toppers


Goodshaw United......... 4 Rimington .....................1 RIMINGTON manager Terry Braithwaite conced­ ed that the league title is now beyond his team after this defeat, barring a miraculous run of results. He said after the game:


“I felt we had a strong side out, and was looking for­ ward to the game as we usually play well on large pitches, so Rossendale’s


ground should have suited us.


“But we did not pass the


ball well at all, and we gave them too much space and that caused us many problems. “I wonder if too many


of my lads had been on a Christmas night out on Friday because we were very sluggish.” (ioodshaw opened the scoring when they inter­


cepted Alan Sayle’s clear­ ance. The shot, which seemed


to be covered by Kershaw, was deflected in off Mar­ tin Lawson’s attempted block. They doubled the lead


just before half-time when a cross from the left caught the visitors nap­ ping, and Kershaw was given no chance from close range.


Rimington dragged


themselves back into the game when O’Neill’s deep, cross was headed in by Tom Bartlett, but soon after the home side scored direct from a free kick to go 3-1 ahead. Injuries to Parkinson


and Bartlett didn’t help Rimington’s cause as they threw men forward in an attempt to get back into the contest, but Goodshaw


hit them time and again on the break to eventually add a fourth goal late on. Rimington must pick


themselves up quickly as a home tie in the Craven Cup against Ingleton on Saturday is a must-win game. And Braithwaite will be


hoping th a t his players prepare properly for this one, kick-off 1-45 p.m.


Danny hits four WFC stun leaders


READSTONE United Under I8s earned an emphatic 9- 0 ■victory over Borrowdale at the weekend. Four goals from Danny Sharpies and a Duncan Fearn-


head brace accounted for the majority, before James War- burton, Tom Donald and Danny Green cemented victory. Man-of-the-match went to Adam Clayton. Meanwhile, the Under 14 girls earned an excellent 3-0 vic­


tory against Bamoldswick Barons to consolidate their top- of-the-table position. Louise Meloy, Ella MacDermid and Jade Bolton netted


the goals, while Kimberley Simpson was nominated player- of-the-match. And the Under 12 Girls were also in top form ^ they


remain league leaders thanks to a 2-1 win over Brierfield Celtic. Readstone dominated the match throughout, creating numerous goal scoring opportunities, but found the Celtic


goalkeeper in inspired form. Goals came from Rosie Robinson and player of the match


Alisha Cryer. In the Accrington League, the Under 11s also won a 4-2


thriller against Great Harwood Rovers, in what proved to be an excellent game of football. Joe.Martin, Jack Hudson, Daryll Holland and man-of-


the-match McLoughlin all netted for the locals. However, the Under 8s and Under 11s Yellow suffered


defeats. The younger Readstone side lost 4-0 to Great Har­ wood, while the Yellows were unlucky to lose 3-1 to Trawden Celtic after dominating the game for long periods of time. The Under 8s deserve credit for their efforts and the star


man was Denzyl Yates. Raees Bleasdale scored the Under 11s’ only goal, with


Nick Kelly winning the man-of-the-match accolade.- Finally, the Under 13s drew 4-4 against Colne Clarets, and the Under 10s earned a hard fought 2-2 result against


Haslingden. The former saw the locals concede two goals in the last 10


minutes in a game Readstone should really have won. The goal scorers were Sam Miller (2), Jordan Neary and


the outstanding Brad Coulson. And the Under 10s’ goals came courtesy of Ben Freeman


and Harry price with man-of-the-match awarded to Lewis Turner.


Conti treble top


Silsden............................. 2 Clitheroe Lions .............3 CLITHEROE Lions were ih defiant mood on Satur­ day as they won their top of the table clash away to title chasers Silsden. In a tense, well battled


game, Clitheroe came out with a 3-2 victory, with man-of-the-match Conti claiming his second hat- trick in two games. 'The Lions started the


game well and broke the deadlock after 30 minutes through the searing pace of (ionti, who left the Silsden right back for dead. It was a fine finish in the


bottom right hand corner, and was replicated after the break, thanks to good work from Pinard and an excellent flick on from striker Holden. Challenges were fierce


from midfielders Avci, Callaghan and Walsh, pro-ving to the decisive bat­ tle on the pitch. However, Silsden pulled


a goal back after a mix up spoiled otherwise superb defensive display, particu­ larly from centre halves Gaughan and Clegg. Conti claimed his third


after chasing down a ball he had no right to win, and his persistence paid off as the goalkeeper fumbled the ball and Conti finished with ease. Silsden scored late on to


set up a tense finish, but the Lions held their nerve and kept their 100% record for the season. The Lions next play


against Pendle AFC, who are also hoping to scoop the title come the end of the season.


Waddington....................1 WFC Clitheroe...............5 WADDINGTON came unstuck against their town rivals in this top-of- the-table clash a t Twitter Lane on Saturday. The two in-form teams


were both looking to extend their unbeaten runs in the league, but straight from the kick-off i t was the visitors who took control of the game, and Waddington found themselves on the back foot. An early goal from


Haslam gave WFC the lead, and stout defending and the woodwork denied the visitors further goals. Waddington forced a


good save out of the Wag­ gon keeper after a close range effort from Lloyd. However, this was a


fleeting opportunity as Waggon continued to. make the most of the chances they created, and by half-time had made it 3-0 with strikes from Gaskell and Hickling. In the second half


Waddington were fired up to make a comeback after a stirring half-time team talk, and as a result they looked like a team deter­ mined to get back into the game.


A chance for the vil­


lagers after just two min­ utes set the scene for the start of the second half. The Twitter Lane out­


fit eventually found their way back into the game after a solo goal from sub­ s ti tu te Jonathan Dug- dale, and as they pushed forward with a succession of corners, several more opportunities came their way as they hit the post twice and had several efforts go wide of the mark. Unfortunately that was


all they were, efforts, and despite all this hard work and the attempts of man- of-the-match Hirst at the back for Waddington, Waggon broke through in the final few minutes of the game to net twice more through Haslam and man-of-the-match Scorah. This result means the


gap at the top-of-the- table is reduced to just one point, with Wadding­ ton still topping the league. Waddington’s next


game is on Saturday at home in the cup, kick-off 1-30 p.m. All players are asked to


meet at Twitter Lane for 12-45 p.m.


Rolls-Royce Reserves . .4 Waddington Reserves .2 WADDINGTON slipped to their third defeat of the season against a well organised Rolls-Royce. The hosts went 1-0 up


after poor defending from a corner, and soon made it 2-0 when Waddington failed to play to the whis­ tle, allowing the attacker to score. Sam Dean pulled a goal


back for the visitors before half-time. In the second half the


Rolls-Royce keeper made a stunning save from man-of-the-match Brett Tattersall to keep his side 2-1 up. Rolls-Royce scored the


next goal, but Dean again found the net to set up a tense last 10 minutes. Waddington looked to


have drawn level, but the ball was adjudged not to have crossed the line. And to make matters


worse, Rolls-Royce wrapped up proceedings when the referee failed to piill back play for an off­ side decision th a t the linesman gave. This was a disappoint­


ing end to the year, and Waddington will look to get back to winning ways a t Skipton Bulldogs on January 8th.


Nightmare spell sees Dog’s early dominance undone


DOG INN’S hopes of claiming sixth place in Harry Dewhurst Memorial League Second Division were dashed in a nightmare 20-minute spell against Foresterers at Memorial Park. The Budweiser Boys had been reward­


ed for their early dominance with a Jamie Enefer strike on 25 minutes, but failed to press home their obvious superi­ ority. Defensive indecision allowed Forester­


ers to equalise shortly before half-time, but nobody could have predicted what would happen in the opening minutes of the second half. Defensive errors gifted the Blackburn


side four goals - one direct from a corner - as Dog were prematurely filled with the Christmas spirit. Foresterers netted a sixth from the


penalty spot before Dog, buoyed by three simultaneous substitutions, netted consolation's through John Parkin and an Elliott Wood penalty. Dog manager Simon Kerins was huge­


ly disappointed after the game: “That 20-minute spell either side of half-time has to constitute the worst spell in our recent history. “Using the players and the system


that has served us so well recently, we started playing like complete strangers. “We had been outstanding in the first


half-hour and I could only see us win­ ning the.match at that stage. “What saddens me most of all is the


fact that Foresterers have not had to work for any of their goals. “We now have a tough game on Sun­ day against Great Harwood.”


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