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^ ■''41^- Thursday, November 9th, 2006 w'th your sports team of Edward Lee, Chris Boden, Phil Simpson and Adrian Capstfck


Blues look to take cup form onwards


By Adrian Capstick


CHRIS Stammers is ready to make history with Clitheroe in the next round of the FA Trophy — and use the character-building experience to boost his side's flagging league form.


The Blues boss relishes the oppor­


tunity to go up against Kettering Town at the end of the month after Tuesday night's replay victory over Halesowen Town. But before they travel to


Northamptonshire to face the joint- Conference North leaders, he wants to see the same hunger and appetite, shown by his players in the cup, against Gresley Rovers on Saturday. He said: "It's nice for the club to be getting that kind of recognition and


hopefully start making some history for the club. "It will be great for the lads to be


playing professional players at a higher level, and it will be nice for me to tes t myself against a full time manager. "It's been good to have three cup


performances, seven points from those games would have been good if they'd been league games, but now we've got to buckle down and learn from this form.


"I've always been confident of my


players and now I'm starting to get the rewards of my loyalty to them. “They've got that anger and


appetite back - cup games do that. "Now we've got to use that and progress, get three points week in


week out by winning league match­ es." It was the character of the side


that impressed Stammers in Tues­ day night's 1-0 win: "We were down to the bare bones, but everyone was outstanding. "I would have been absolutely gut­


ted if we'd not won as I thought the football was different class. "Technically my players are up


there with UniBond Premier players, and now we'll see how we compare to the Conference North. The only question I had was whether they had the desire and the character to get out of a lean patch, and I think now they've proven they have. "Gresley will be wanting to come


out and give a performance after the two late goals they conceded at our place in September. "Their best striker Aaron O'Con­


nor was missing from that game and I like him. He has pace and will be a real challenge, but we can go in there with confidence." Clitheroe then entertain Chorley


in Tuesday's re-arranged Lancashire Co-operatives Challenge Trophy, where they will meet former player Ben Stanford.


The 25-year-old striker left the Blues last month and Stammers


said: "I was disappointed the likes of Ben were quick to leave as the injuries we've had this last week or so would have seen him have a run of games. "As, after the amount of time he'd


been out injured, I didn't think it was right to expect to get back into the team after just one training session. That's football though, people move on and I hope things go well for him." James Dean will miss that game


and Saturday as he still has three games left of his ban. Simon Gamer (shoulder), Ross Bain (knee) and Paul Lamb (knee) are all injured, but Steve Hussey returns having been cup tied. And keeper Raymond Francis has


been permanently replaced by for­ mer Accrington Stanley and Staly- bridge Celtic stopper Paul Horridge, after failing to attend training and not contacting Stammers until the morning of Saturday's match. Horridge has most recently been


playing for the England Fire Brigade team.


Meanwhile, there will be a manag­


er's question time at Shawbridge on Monday night, starting at 7-15 p.m. There will also be a sports quiz


(with 3 prizes) and a pie and peas supper, ^ fans get a chance to put their points of view to Stammers. Entry is £1.


Darrell’s daisy-cutter does the trick!


Clitheroe F C .................1 Halesowen T ow n ..........0 A DARRELL Avery daisy-cutter 10 minutes from time on Tuesday night sent Clitheroe through to the next round of the FA Trophy and a big money date at Confer­ ence North side Kettering Town. The central midfielder’s


stunning 25-yard strike was all that separated this keenly-contested and evenly-matched second qualifying round replay, but the Blues had to wait until the 80th minute to settle the score, and then defend in depth against their Birmingham visitors to protect it. Clitheroe, ju s t like


Halesowen Town, were missing their leading goal scorer, and it showed. It was obvious from the s ta r t that , with James


Dean suspended for this game, and in f lu en tial winger Simon Gamer out injured with a tom shoul­ der, it was going to take either a mistake or an exceptional strike to pre­ vent this encounter from going to penalties. Neither goalkeeper was


really tested in the first half, as chances were lim­ ited to set pieces. Halesowen were award­


ed several free kicks, and Clitheroe enjoyed their fair share of corners, but neither forced anything on target. The closest the Blues


went was an Owen Roberts free kick which he curled over the bar from the right side of the box. And the visitors’ best


chance fell to captain Simon Forsdick when Jamie Nay half-cleared the ball only to gift the


winger with a free shot inside the area, which was fortunately deflected out for a comer. The second half


brought more of the same. Some fast-flowing football was seen from the locals as they enjoyed the bulk of possession, and the visi­ tors were equally adept ,only to be closed out by Roberts, Kris Matthews and Gregg Anderson - there was just no finish. . Will Exton toiled away


in attack alongside Craig Sargeson and chased everything, pressuring defenders and the goal­ keeper alike with the odd shot on and off target. Sargeson lobbed a shot


ju s t wide of th e mark after the ball was spilled from the head of Town defender Stuart Pierpont. And Roberts had a shot deflected out for a corner.


So when th a t special


s tr ik e fell for Avery 10 minutes from time, it couldn’t have come soon enough. A throughball to Sarge­


son was intercepted, and the ball broke into space for Avery to run onto and rifle home. Some backs-to-the-wall


defending followed in the final few minutes, with the Blues just glad to hang


■ on, clear the ball from their own half, and scoop the £2,000 prize money - which rises to £3000 for the winner of the next round. ■ Clitheroe: Horridge,


Underwood, Roberts, D an ie ls , Anderson, Matthews, Nay (John­ son ) , Avery, Sargeson, Exton (Dempsey), Jones. Not used: Fearon.


- m' '•'I '5 •••


JAMES f EARNS * SLUES


REPLAY -PAGE 54 ^1*


all8YAttleticClub(frf^' » -‘f


Valley boasts a new athletics club


By Julie Magee


MORE than 50 athletes, parents and sup­ porters met up to celebrate the launch of a


brand new athletics club for the Ribble Val­ ley.


Ribble Valley Athletic Club had its first


official “do” at Accrington Superbowl, with those who attended sporting outlandish fancy dress costumes with a hallowe’en theme and enjoying games of bowling. The new club is the brainchild of Don


Lennon, UK Athletics Development Coach of the year 2005, with advice and support from Pete Benson, former Preston Harriers’ chairman, who felt that there was a lack of provision for athletics in the Ribble Valley. Don, formerly coach at Hyndburn A.C.,


had a vision of a club particularly for young athletes where the bureaucracy of finaiice and administration is kept separate from the business of coaching. Don had become very frustrated with the politics of the sport and the vision for the club was based on the Poster Report commissioned by Sport England to look into how the sport of athletics is run in the UK. With this in mind, Don surrounded him­ self with a strong team of officers and


advisers Including Mr Benson, who acts as an advisor, Francis Griffiths, the director of the board and Rob Pye, president. Mr Benson and his wife, Chris, were


guests of honour at the launch at which Don made a passionate speech chronicling the struggle to form the new club. He went on to thank his advisors and wife Daniella for their support over the past few months. The club has now been officially recog­


nised by and is affiliated to both the Lan­ cashire A.A. and the North of England Athletics’ Association. It has support from Ribble Valley Borough Council and the council’s community sports coach Kay Gib­ son attended the launch along with the club sponsor. Eclipse Sports. Already encouraging children from all


backgrounds and abilities, the club boasts within its ranks English schools medallists and representatives at county, national and regional level. With more than 50 members already participating, this club is sure to win many medals and friends. Any athletes who would like more infor­


mation about the club can contact Daniella Lennon 01254 871121.


Supporters of the new club are pictured


(above and below) at the launch celebra­ tions. (s)


m


7 'hf Ciui> Fifr A thldiiS.


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