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Thursday, March 17th, 2005 Clip


over from £2^;50Rplr|s^i'^^^ Call in for your free’tn ^ ^ ^ S


r Telepbohc: 0120Q:^2^ with your sports team of Edward Lee, Chris Bpden^ Phil Simpson and Adrian Capstick


Byron hopes pressure will ease after key win


by Adrian Capstick VICTORY over


Rossendale United on Tuesday night was Clitheroe’s first win in nine games. And i t couldn’thave


come as a bigger relief to Blues boss Paul Byron. The game itself wasn’t


pretty, and some of the Blues’ play could be described as bordering on desperation at times, but, coupled with a point from S a turday’s 1-1 draw a t I lkeston Town, Byron believes th e pressure weighing on the players has been eased. He said; “The last few


games the lads have been nervy and edgy when in possession, but this win will hopefully have taken some of th a t pressure of their shoulders and given them a l i t t le bit of an edge going into Saturday. “Like winning, losing is


also a mentality, and the lads have perhaps settled into th a t over the past few months. “If we can win the last


, >r few games of the season though, it will build con­ fidence for the next cam­ paign, and that is what I want. “There’s also still a


UNIBOND


FOOTBALL LEAGUE TABLES


First Division P W D L P


North Ferriby Utd 33 20 7 6 67 Ilkeston T n .......... 31 19 5 7 62 WUlenhallTn ....3 1 18 7 6 61 AFC Telford Utd .33 17 '8 8 59 Kendal T n ............32 17 6 9 57 BriggTn..............30 13 11 6 50 GresleyRovers ...31 14 8 9 50 Eastwood Tn........ 32 14 6 12 48 OssettAlbion . . . .2 9 11 10 8 43 Woodley Sports...29 12 7 10 43 KidsgroveAth....32 11 10 11 43 Mossley................29 12 6 11 42 StocksbridgePS ..29 12 6 11 39 Spalding Utd........33 11 6 16 39 BelperTn ............ 32 11 5 16 38 ColwynBay ........ 31


CLITHEROE ...34 10 8 16 38 W^ngtonTn ...32


Shepshed Dynamo 31 10 7 14 37 Chorley................ 33 Rossendale Utd. . .34 Rocester................33


7 7 20 28 0 5 28 5


good chance of adding respectability to this first season in the UniBond by finishing mid-table. “So from now on I want


points, not from draws but from wins, and we need to be more adven­ turous.” Clitheroe’s next game is


this Saturday a t Shaw- bridge against Stocks- bridge Park Steels, who earlier in the season were riding high in the league and looked odds-on favourites for promotion. Recent results haven’t


gone in th e ir favour though, and when the Blues played them in the


9 11 11- 38 9 10 13 37 9 6 18 33


INJURED: Adam Gardner


reverse fixture back in October, the locals nar­ rowly lost 1-0, ju s t emphasising how close the UniBond First Divi­ sion is. But as the league has


now entered the “silly season” as Byron calls it, the Shawbridge supremo expects even more shock results from promotion challenging mid-table sides. He said: “At this stage


of the season, anyone can beat anyone, there are no easy games and points can be picked up from anywhere. “Everyone in with a


chance of promotion or in and around the relegation


zone are edgy and nervy at this time of the season. “Good footballing sides


are reduced to plain old muck and bullets.” Turning back to Tues­


day's 3-2 win over Rossendale, Byron was still grinding his teeth at the sight of his side still making schoolboy errors. “We were in training on


Monday night especially to go through set rou­ tines, b u t we might as well not have bothered as Tuesday’s game total contradicted what we did. “M a r tin and I were


going to give them tonight off from training, but we'll be back in trying to drum it home again. “We shouldn't be lump­


ing the ball forward all the time as Lee Cryer and Craig Sargeson can play the ball through. “We’ve also now got


balance on either side since Paul Crompton has joined us,” said Byron. “He is guaranteed to


get the ball in the box, but in the first half I felt sorry for him as it was as if the rest of lads had for­ gotten he was there. “They’ve got so used to


playing without a left winger th a t i t ’s taking time to adjust.”


;}'’Stod<sbHdgePvkStME:^^^ fUniBorid League;'-


: Saturday,:Maixh 19th i Kick-oIT3 p.nL. .'


For this weekend’s


game, Clitheroe will be without Russell Clarke and Paul Stansfield, as the pair will be both at the latter’s wedding. Injury has sidelined


Kris Richens, who is like­ ly to be out for the next two weeks with a back problem, so Danny Woodhead will continue to deputise, while Adam Gardner looks to be out for the rest of the season with a stress fracture in his foot.


However, after making


an appearance on Tues­ day night, Sargeson has shrugged off his ham­ string problems for the time being and should be looking for his first goal this Saturday against South Yorkshire side Stocksbridge Park Steels.


Jackson fires late winner in see-saw derby as Blues battle to ease relegation worries


Rossendale U n i te d .....................2 C l i th e ro e .......................................... 3


THIS game was always going to be a battle, and a result of any kind was always going to take priority over performance. And so it proved, as a frantic,


precarious game was witnessed at Dark Lane th a t saw Clitheroe come back from a goal down to take the lead, only to squander it again, before Gary Jackson rifled home the winner seven minutes from time. The calamities started in the


opening few minutes when Lee Cryer was put clean through on goal and motioned to go round Rossendale keeper Mark Mol3meux, only to be clattered to the ground. Molvneux didn't eet up for


ages, and when he did get back to his goal he couldn't put any pres­ sure on his knee, resulting in out field substitute Paul Varley replacing him. Then on nine minutes


Clitheroe made their own mis­ take when failure to clear the back line properly resulted in a clean shot from captain Chris Brooks finding the back of the net.


However, the Blues didn't give


up, and after winning a corner, which was taken by Paul Cromp- ' ton, a second cross into the box found the head of Craig Sarge­ son. Varley parried the ball into the


path of Cryer, who made no mis­ take from close ranee.


Some scrappy football followed


and Danny Woodhead, replacing the injured Kris Richens in the Clitheroe goal, had to make a couple of great saves to keep the scoreline level. Then on the edge of half-time


Clitheroe were given a pure gift of a goal. Crompton drifted a free kick into the box, and Varley looked to have comfortably col­ lected it, only to drop it, and the ball bounced off Jason Jones and into the back of the net. In the second half the game


proved even scrappier with Clitheroe desperate a t times to clear the ball from their own haU. Jones had a free kick tipped


over the bar, but i t was in the Blues’ half where the maioritv of


the play was carried out, as a composed Rossendale relentless­ ly attacked. Neil Reynolds was called upon


to clear the ball off the Clitheroe line in one frantic moment, and just when the locals looked to have rallied together, Rossendale were gifted an equaliser. Paul Stansfield failed to play


the simple ball and was robbed near the box. A static back line watched as Brooks slotted home his second goal of the game. Thankfully the commitment


and spirit in the Blues was not lost, and straight from the re­ start substitute Jackson netted to send Clitheroe 10 points clear of Rossendale and the relegation zone.


S Tlkestoh ii^'always going to be difficult for us, and ; sb it proved as we slTOffiled to cre^ any real oppor-


THIS tinde last-weekT'wouldLave jumped at the opportunity df;taWng four points from two tricky awaygames.


'


'ang:the'disniissal of:Russell Clarke, we somehow ?'escaped withan unexpected point. ./i-Tuesdayim


tumtiesl;.V-y- i-ssBowevef.we didn’t give up and.continued to battle Sagairist a top s


i d e . ' t h


^ g ^ a Both teams^med to the pressure, and the ■ ganM'cpiildh’t really;'be4racnbed as a footballing das- 'sici/',,'.y'''v;4/''".J-;:- ,


going to be the key


; 5Nb:6he-froto-Chtherbe really care about the jpeHonharice, as between now and the end of the sea- ‘ soh, aU we nebd-^'r^idta^^ way it’s amilar to last


-


' seasori'wheh we often p la i^ belowbur standards, but .istiU continued to picknp qncial points. ■;: v.’Ibesda.y night’s victoi^^ sees us move well clear of our defeated opponentSj-having now played the same .numbeftdffgaines".;Although we can’t take anything Tor g ^ ^ iv th e .o b d s are now back in.'our favour to remainmthuUmBbnd L ^


; Rdstondalet^b^drappear to have a slightly easier ‘nm-inTOmiJm;^


- vMaybe^mth a little bit of pressure taken off the team following an excellent week, we may play more .freely over the coming weeka


still conMuelto pick up pomts to keep the daylight betweehThe two clubs.


but hopefully we can


falsQ made his debu^ Saturday, arid with youth on his side,dt‘will be inter^tihg to see how he fares over rthe remainder of the season. " ^ .


Six tries for Clitheroe


Broughton R V F C ____17 Clitheroe RUFC ..........34 A SIX-try demolition of Broughton moved the town team up into fifth in their division. The Clitheroe outfit had


a familiar look to it, with just one change, with Jim Moody returning at out­ side half. On the bench, the more


almost totally belonged to the town team, when they were at their best, almost creating tries at will. The backs were looking


for centres 'William Tat- tersall and Nathan Peel was a good return, plus


points came in this period, and if they hadn’t tried to be just that bit too fancy, more additions to the scoreboard would have been forthcoming. As it was, a brace apiece


sharp and dangerous with the ball in hand, and Broughton had little answer to their extra pace. Most of Clitheroe’s


of view, the whole game was a strange, mish mash of superb handling moves, followed by fairly hum­ drum fare, where they seemed quite listless, espe­ cially in the second hah. The first 60 minutes


robust Allan Nuttall was preferred, for what is often a highly-charged, fiery encounter. From Clitheroe’s point


one for full back Russell Shiels, and also number eight Oliver McEntjTe. Peel was successful \vith


just the two conversions. Up front, the pack had a


solid if unspectacular afternoon, safe enough in the set pieces, but lacking that extra bite and urgen­ cy needed to really put away opponents. That Broughton came


back into the game was more due to Clitheroe’s . lethargy than anything else.


This Saturday, Clitheroe


are a t home to Lytham, kick-off 3 p.m. at Little- ^1 moor.


plays locally for the White Horse, and not "White Lion A as stated.


story reported that the 17-year-old has been selected for the England Ladies’ team after com­ ing th ro u ^ a qualifying competition at Great Yarmouth. However, Lindsay


Lindsay Lloyd. Last week’s back page


• APOLOGIES to Clitheroe pool player


^1


aging performances following his signing, with the ad d ^ bOniis being:that he is l5 t footedl Clark "Walsh


' New s ig ^ g Pali Crdmptoh has put in two encour­ ; v . ' . e wall follow-


f f u v o j J O j I uc


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