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www.roefield.co.uk ^ Cdl In tocky tor a free tour of our faoims


with your Advertiser and Times sports team of Chris Boden, Phil Simpson, Adrian Capstick and Edward Lee


Blues hold firm to boost title bid


by Adrian Capstick


IT all came together for Clitheroe on Saturday as


w o rk on bolstering the defence strategy paid-off with a first clean sheet in nine games. The side proved they can


prevent goals just as well as they can score them in the vital 1-0 win at Stone


n


Dominoes. A clean sheet is what had


been called for in recent weeks, and the Blues did not disap­ point as they worked solidly to withstand a strong Stone side, a characteristic Sculpher has been tryin g hard to instill of late. ■ Me said: “We did v ery well


defensively in the circumstances as Stone have had a good run in the FA Vase and won their last game against Nantwich 3-0. “ In Dave Shaw they have one


of the leading goalscorers in the league, but as a side we defend­ ed well and managed to keep him quiet. ■ “ I think throughout the full 90 minutes K ris Richens had just one save to make, which is testament to how well the team performed its a defensive unit. “With Neil Spencer going up


front with Lee Cryer, we also had g rea te r presence to put defenders under pressure, which


NORTH WEST COUNTIES FOOTBALL


LEAGUE The Ivudm:: pack- , P W U L P


Clithcroc . 29 21 .P I 67.' -3Mo ss lcy31"20 '6 5 63 Woodley Sports .30 20- 2. 8" 62'


■FIcctwood.Tn ..29 17 . 6 6 57 AlsagerTn...... 33 13 13 7 52 -3C«rz. Ashton .31 15 6 10 48 Warrington Tn .29 13 6 '10 45 6 Full table on page 33.


is how the goal came about. “And with reverting back to a


4-4-2 formation, the midfield worked especially hard as Neil Reynolds and Paul Stansfield took the pressure o ff the back four. “ The lads up front did excep­


tionally well and when Glynn Barker came on, the work ethic was superb.” Clitheroe face a home fixture


against Glossop North End on Saturday, and the Derbyshire side have enjoyed mixed results in recent weeks with a 2-2 draw against Squires Gate, and a 2-0 away defeat at the hands of pro­ motion challengers Fleetwood Town. Then on Tuesday Sculpher’s .


men.play the first of three suc­ cessive midweek games, with what could be a tough trip to relegation battlers St Helens


Town. The Merseyside club clawed themselves off the bottom of the


table with a 2-1 home win over Bacup Borough last weekend and gave Fleetwood a run for their money the Tuesday before losing 4-3 in a thriller. But with Mossley unable to


close the four-point gap at the. top of the table after losing 3-1 to Newcastle Town on Tuesday. night, the C l ithe ro e boss believes there is no reason why his side can not widen their advantage further. He said: “Mossley losing was


of going seven to 10 points clear, and as the season progresses there is less and less opportuni­ ties for the likes of Mossley to claw the d e f ic it back, which works in our benefit. “ I t would be nice to get the


cushion as it makes it more and more difficult for other sides to come back. • :: “ I know from past experience


that it can be demoralising for teams trying to catch the lead­


ers, as it doesn’t matter how well you play, if the team out in front play just as well, i t ’s a losing battle. “ T h a t ’s why I.’ve set a mini


target for us to keep it at least as it is, with a four point gap, for as


a v ery good result for us with out having to play a game and if teams continue to lose points, i t ’s all well and good as far as I ’m concerned. “ There is now the possibility


; long as possible, but if we can pull further away then great.. “ I d e f in ite ly don’ t want to


lose the four-point gap before we visit Bacup Borough midweek in two games time.’’ , And if Clitheroe can continue to put results together at the expense o f M o s s le y then


. Sculpher ideally wants to have his hands on the s i lv e rw a re before the middle of April. He added: “ I t ’s in our hands


at the moment, which also means i t ’s ours to lose at this stage. “ I want to win the t it le as


soon as possible - we don’ t want to be still waiting upon games come mid April - the sooner it’s done, the better. -“ Confidence is high in the side


as, since the defeat at Woodley, the whole team have turned it- around and upped their game to show what a title-winning side should be like.” On the injury front the road


to recovery continues for Andy Cowking, who is to play one more week in the reserves and then possibly be back for the trip to St Helens. And the same can be said for


John Paul Fagan, who will also feature for the reserves this Sat­ urday. Adam Gardner will hopefully


bo back and available for next Saturday against Glossop, but Gary Jackson is still a week to


10 days away from being in con­ tention for the first team.


Slone Dominoes CULheroe . . . . ; . .


I ^ Hi I I ~ i~ V ■ ■ - '


C l i lh c ro e Rcscrvc.'t . .8 AlherUm LR Res. . . .2 A GOAL fest took place at Shawbridge on Sat­ urday, with the Blues’ second string demolish­ ing their visitors. A second half scoring


spree did much o f the d am a g e , bu t i t o n ly to o k 12 m in u te s to break the deadlock. Th e impressive Tom


B e n f ie ld s en t C h ris Heslop away, to see the speedy s tr ik e r put the ball past the Atherton keeper. T h e p la y was d om i­


nated by the Blues for much o f the half, and o n ly a trem en d ou s triple save kept Parker and Hoslop at bay. T h e second half saw


a s low e r s ta r t , w i th Atherton g iv in g them­ selves a chance before


^ ' A FANTASTIC slar- sluddcd evening


arranged by the Clitherue Wolve.s Under 15 girls (earn, : with Iribnte acts such as S ; Club 7, Shania Twain, I.eanne. Rimes, Rocky Horror Show, ■ Roiibie Williams and the lads from Grease, provided great entertainment for the club as they continued to raise money for their forthcoming trip to Holland. The-winners “Greased Lightning” were announced by Wolves chairman George Hibbert who also invited runners-up “Shania Twain” and “ Leanne Rimes” to perform at another . Iiinction later in the year.


Glen Ainsworth coo l ly round ed th e d e fen c e and beat the keeper. A th e r to n h i t b ack


when Hall latched onto a lo n g b a l l and h i t a sweet shot past Wood- head. However, this stung the Blu es .into ac tion,


•who shou ld n o t hav e been in such a precari­


ous position, and they made it four thanks to M a t t Garner. Ainsworth added two


more to c om p le te his h a t - tr ick ; b efore Ben­ f ie ld smashed home to complete proceedings. A th e r to n n e t te d a


c o n s o la t io n from the penalty spot late.on. The Blues now travel


to local rivals Padiham on S a tu rd a y in th e Res erve D iv is ion T ro ­ phy, kick-off 3 p.m.


Clean sheet in vital win .0 i . .. ........ .1


A F IR S T clean sheet in eight games saw Clitheroe secure another v ita l away v ictory with a disciplined per­ formance against a dangerous Stone


side. N o t since a 1-0 victory on December


6th against Squires Gate had L e e Sculpher’s men prevented the opposi­


tion from scoring, and the manager was delighted with the performance of his whole team. Ironically, the only goal of the game


was actually scored by the home side as an early own goal set the Blues on the way to three more crucial points.


. The game was just seven minutes old when Neil Spencer held the ball up well inside the the penalty area. He rolled the b all back to Paul


Stansfield, and although his 20-yard shot beat the goalkeeper it rebounded backoff the post. , Fortunately for the Blues, the ball


hit Alan Barker as he ran back to clear the danger, to bounce back into the empty goal.


.


Although Stone attempted to find a way back into the game, the defensive


’display from Clitheroe was impressive. Right from Lee Cryer and Spencer


up front, through to the back line, every man stuck to his task well. •


fMWOEi EWIS.ER 1 : r ; istory i n t h e M a k i n g ! •''"•I ^ 4 ^ r ^ U p , "‘Ws/CSii ' L -u te f maaie. - C J c t k e / : a e - ■ i 1 f EkaiESZ 1 1 I ; ■


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Don’t miss, next week, the new compact size... The, Clitheroe


email: systems@4-mat.net. * Web: www.4-met.net v: 62 Whalley Road, Clitheroe BB7 1EE


’.^ This copy o f the Clitheroe Advertiser and Tunes is the very last edition to be published as.a broadsheet. Keep this copy safe, you might .want to order a few more copies for your children and grandchildren to keep. -One day this newspaper will be part o f Ribble;yalley;history.; L .’1:


a np ' '' . dvertiser and 1 imes i : p u l l L/lO:<iyJsk&j^ ' V' -


I


~ ^


iiPROBABLY.^he most sJnguispecl^ofi.Saturday’sw


.••^tirOnce: againSwei saw. a'dif-4 5: fcrc'nt .back'line'to tbe previ-;^ s b u'sT w e'e k ;• 1 b u t f i t VAy'a s'? t be •i’'


'^tbryjw%s no doubt (the club’s’ff w'first''clcan;sh'cet sincc earlyS i^December?^^


>' defehsive^p'erforraancc.of the?,' ijiwholc team that really'caught % the,eye'.


’fl-


'■i&Perhaps the key to this was| ithc earlylgoal; andiplayings. ‘Xpi


•’away from home.


'".The Blues were in front aftenjiist; s'even [minutes, and |


:the;imp_cUiSj,.was.ithcn;ohi ■StonoJo'attempl.to get back?' into the game '


-,ij [Withoujl a ■ bome, crowd' ■•[urging'the Blues on ito scorc:, »morc'goals,'thcyiWc're.able to 7 •sitbackrdefend as a unit and :> idookdo hit lbc;homc side on li


.


| [ t b e ' b r e a k s y , . ' ■aKStrikersiLeeiCryer and;'


'.-.Neil Spencer closed down the' . yStonc defence at cver}[oppor- -'; Aunity,’giving them.littletimes 5'to play'.the ball;*and: wingers’ . ■ASluart Parkinsoirand Chris ' r, Whillingham[wereJust;as; Jimpfe.ssiveln, assisting, their 4 own full backs.


~ ; -■


« wAdd the'midfield presence.? '; of;,Neil Reynold.s and‘Paul.;, i-Stansncid to.tliis mix, and it ,• .'actually looks quite a simple;. :game!.'. .f s And with every, man know-: .


7ing his role and sticking to his •; iita.sk;'the'fecent effort's;ini


'training may'just be stariing;; to reap their rewards., ’ ,


y jA s we enter the c ru c ia l ; final third of- the season, the i ' squad will be put to the test;;


jasfwc'start to play,;twice.a 1.'wcek.[i./~'^'_'?,'i*[


■..Midweek ■’games' now M id -w a y through the f irs t half


Spencer had a chance to double the lead when a long ball forward was left


by the Stone defenders. His first touch took him slightly wider than anticipated, and from a


tight angle he shot just over the cross­ bar.


Stone’s only real chance in the open­


ing period saw Kris Richens save at full stretch from a Paul Taylor header. Clitheroe started the second half in


a positive frame of mind. Firstly Cryer headed wide when well


placed from a Chris W h ittingham cross, and then Stansfield blasted over moments later from a dangerous posi­ tion. Despite coming under pressure dur­


ing the last third o f the game, the Blues defended resolutely and Richens didn’ t have too many saves to make. . One save he was called upon to make


arrived in breathtaking style on 78 minutes. A free-kick for the home side some


30 yards from goal was passed to Mar­ tin Heath, who struck a thunderous strike which Richens only saw late, and acrobatically tipped over the bar. Late substitutes Steve McDonald


and Glyn Barker contributed to this excellent team effort that hopefully sets the foundations for the coming weeks.


%become>mqre regular, and il afteriwei-enteMaih Glosso’p l 5.'NdrtlLEndion?Saturday,.wci i travel tO'St Helens oh Tues-s.


Finally,'ithe,;club' have7


i released Turtlier.details fpr.;; ;.'thc forthcoming fund-raising


i’ evehihg to.'beiheltl in Uie s.


’2Gthi-". * 4'


Andy Gudgeon has been picked for the England darts squad. (T2402IM/1)


England call for darts ace Andy!


by Phil Simpson


F R O M the Swan and R o y a l to the England squad. Clitheroe darter Andy


. Gudgeon could find himself throwing for his country alongside the World Cham­ pion. Gudgeon was picked for


clubhousc:on: Friday, Marchi; :-.r ’


'T h r e e members o f the


';1966 Everton’FA'Gu'p winning v Jside.willibe'present.toair.v their views.'-,”- " [- ‘ ‘ ^ i ^''


^,.■'^AVinning,.captain:Brian?; .' Labone,'.who was also capped ,- i 20 time's:by'England,'' goal-4


small/who scored.Ihe-wiiincr,4 ."in the'^final, Derck/Templc;;;,.: *7will all be available for. ques-•, . Iioinng on llie nignt.-^--


‘ j keeper. Gordon \Ve.st,'and Ihe/: '


ilv ”. Comedian •Canip^David swill also: providcrfiirlher;; ./'entcrtairimehtHi'fqrywhat: •• promises to be an;entertainr-i ,’ irig' evening.,, .-[.'t


’ ;


j-jr'jvTicketsa’re .limited :tOjl00,'J s arid are hoivavailable?iiriced:i .’atJClSf;-, -i-’''-...i’'


'■•"'^•They.can beobfaihed froriiv; !:{theiClub:har,oriv'ni'atchdaysif- ; or.by, calling chairman.David I, V,Burgess (01200,445738).'ss}s5


< ANDY ALSTON I.",.'v-tr'


**. ■/'; ?


the England team tor the forthcoming International D a r ts Championships, alongside A n d y “ Th e Viking” Fordham. And the local ace could­


n’ t quite believe it: “ I ’m really looking forward to it. “1 received the call on


the way to another event.


and I was shocked - I just fell silent for a few seconds. “ But i t ’s a c tu a l ly


improved my game over the past few weeks, i t ’s been a blessing. “ I ’ve been p la y in g at


county level now for about four years and that’s where the averages come from for the squad. “ This is what I.’ve been building up for, and hope­


fully I can do well.” N o t only will Gudgeon


line-up alongside the World Champion, but also house­ hold names such as Martin Adams, Ted Hankey and Mervyn King. The Clitheroe darter is


part of a 13-man squad, of


which 12 will be selected to p lay in the e vent along with one reserve. The 25th annual staging


of the event will be at the Normandy Cosmopolitan Hotel in Renfrew, Scotland on the weekend of March 27th-28th, against repre­ sentatives from Scotland and Wales. And Gudgeon added: “ It


will bo quite something.to p lay alongside those names.


■- “But I never take it seri­


ously, it is just a day out for me, and as long as I enjoy it I ’ ll be happy.”


Storks seek new manager


P A D IH AM Football Club are searching for a new manager after Graham Howarth stopped down last week. Ho ended his seven-and-a-half year


association with the club after a poor run o f results, culminating in a 5-2 home thrashing by North West Counties Second Division bottom side Castleton Gabriels on Saturday. Joining the club in 1996, Howarth had


,!i5:{


an exceptional first season in charge win­ ning both the Hospital Cup and finishing runners-up in the in the West Lancashire League Second Division. Despite being relegated two years later,


the club bounced back to scoop the West Lancashire League First Division title fol­


lowing £300,000 worth of upgrading to the Arbories. However, despite just missing out on


promotion last season, the club are with­ out a win since December 20th and are languishing in mid-table. The club never seemed to recover from


Overson’s departure in November, with Howarth once again stepping in to fill the void. ;


. ® Applicants interested in the position


of first team manager at Padiham Foot­ ball Club are asked to write to secretary Alan Smith, 242 Burnley Road, Padiham, BB128SS.


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