H-


BLUES SUFFER TROPHY ROUT


-PAGE 78 w - I By Adrian Capstick


CHRIS Stammers' shock resignation following ClitherOfe's 10-1 mauling at Kettering Town on Satur­ day came as a complete surprise. However the out-going


t;:: I'^r-


made in two calls by other individuals at the Uni- Bond club made the deci­ sion much easier for him, and he admits he would have quit even if the Blues had won. In the end, Kettering


tional, the best team I've ever seen in non-league football, and at times I honestly thought I was watching Arsenal, but I can't accept 10-1. "I've got a professional


attitude and it was just embarrassing. "A few things were said


on Sunday that made the decision easier and I'll just


could have been Arsenal and the score would have been no easier for him to take: "I honestly thought we had a good chance,” said Stammers, “Kettering were excep­


Blues boss was in two minds about reconsidering his knee-jerk decision after talking to chairman Carl Gamer on Sunday. But upsetting comments


move on, as it left a little bit of bitterness.” He added: "One of the


until then, as Carl had offered me two weeks off to get my head straight, which just shows how much he thinks of me. "And I was under the


individuals, who is close to me, said I was a good coach but not a manager, and one of the committee members questioned my man-management skills. "I was in two minds


impression he was going to discuss it further with the vice-chairman and get back, but instead they went through the website with an official statement that I had resigned, when they hadn't officially accepted my offer of resig­ nation." He also explained why


fracas,


and I appologised that I was out of line, and of course he's welcome to have his own opinion, but I've got to move on." However, despite this the former


Burscough coach leaves with his full backing going to Gamer and the club he can't praise highly enough: "Carl is a fantastic bloke and I won't hear a bad word said about him. “The support I've had


has been immense, and I can't speak any higher of him. "The two of us are pas­


pipeline to bring young players in from profession­ al clubs, whether that will still happen I don't know, but the people at Shaw- bridge deserve all the suc­ cess they get, as they're the best set of fans I've ever seen." But after the comments.


sionate about football and I share all the same beliefs as he does. “We had things in the


he was none too happy on the team coach back from Kettering: "There was an altercation between me and one of the players because I thought there was a lack of respect for me by laughing and joking after losing 10-1. "That was addressed


he has fallen out with his friend, and now caretaker boss Ash Berry, who he first brought to the club as his assistant: "There is a hell of a lot of potential and I think all of the play­ ers will stay, but I don't ever want to speak to Ash after what he said to me. “As far I'm concerned


I'm finished with him as a friend. "I've had a taste of man­


agement and I've really enjoyed it. “I look at the founda­


tions we've laid in place and I'm really proud of what I've done, but you can only be proud for so long.


"It's not the first time


the players have frozen on the day. “If I'd brought experi­


ence in it would have gone against my principles of tr3ning to achieve success with exciting young play­ ers. "I'm one of those that


wears their heart on their sleeve. “I'm a little upset but


that's football, you've got to take the knocks and leam from it. "Certain games will live


long in my memory anjl I'll always have a place in my heart for Clitheroe."


ip r \P T U J v l Thursday,Novernber SOth, 2o6i5 with your sp oi is team of EdWard Lee, Chris Boden, Phil Sirnpsbn and Adrian Capstick


Unsettled Blues mauled again


Witton A lb io n ........... 8 Clitheroe F C ..............1 AN unsettled and incom­ plete Clitheroe endured the fallout that a mana­ gerial exit brings, with a second successive cup defeat at Witton Albion on Tuesday night. This UniBond Chal­


lenge Cup fixture was the hangover from the night three days before, this time against a side one league above. Albion were clinical,


but unlike Kettering, there was no reason why they were seven goals bet­ ter than Clitheroe, other than a lack of defensive organisation and a case of heads being elsewhere. That former Burscough


players Jeff Underwood and Ian Johnson didn’t give notice of their unavailability until 6 p.m. hardly helped, and their reasons smacked of loyalty to the former manager. This left two substi­


tutes on the bench, an injured Simon Garner forced to play, and chair­ man Carl Gamer running around behind the scenes to ensure the team was in the best possible order given the circumstances, and the fact Ash Berry was delayed in traffic.


A defence-splitting pass


put Chris Gahgan through for Witton’s first-, and fellow defender Liam Brownhill soon made it two at the near post. A deep right-wing cross


from captain Tom Spear- ritt found the head of Mike Mosely for the third of the night, as his head­ er had just enough pace to take it over goalkeeper Paul Horridge to nestle in the back of the net. And when Jamie Nay


bundled over Gahgan in the box, it was left for the Witton player to net his second from the spot for Albion to take a 4-0 half­ time lead. Nay wasn’t on his own


in the dubious tackling stakes, as Simon Garner and Anthony Daniels both escaped possible red card calls, but, like every­ one else in the side, their commitment to what quickly became a lost cause was commendable. Goal five was a sloppy


back pass courtesy of Ross Bain into the path of Griff Jones, who had to do little more than round Horridge to slot into an empty net. Goal six was a pin­


point cross at full pace, under pressure from left- back Gamer on the right


wing, to the free head of Mark Peers in the centre of the box. And goal seven saw the


Blues left ragged in defence. Peers supphed a left-wing cross for Jones, and Horridge was unfor­ tunate not to keep out the striker’s powerful half volley. Witton|s final strike


was again from their speedy wingers, and again finished from the centre of the box with a free header, this time by substitute Adam Warlow. a i ■ There was some satis- ™ I


faction taken from this game though as Jarhes Dean yet again proved @ what a goal-scoring asset _ he is becoming for the W \ club with his 13th goal in 14 starts five nainutes from time.


• The Accrington striker


latched onto a brilliant through ball into the box by Garner from the Blues’ own half, and from there it was guaranteed to find the back of the net. Clitheroe: Horridge, Nay


(Jones), Garner, Hussey, Anderson, Bain, Roberts, Daniels, Dean, Sargeson, Dempsey (Avery).


‘We couldn’t go back’ Players fighting for careers By Adrian Capstick


CHRIS Stammers’ tem­ perament has been called into question in light of Saturday’s post match reaction and his reasons for quitting Clitheroe. The passionate manag­


er’s physical and verbal outbursts on the touch- line this season have not gone unnoticed, and if he was the England boss they’d practically be wor­ shipped, but when that spills from the dressing room to the team coach, as it did on Saturday, there is no way back. Stammers lost the respect of the players the


minute he lunged for defender Gregg Anderson on the way back from Kettering, having to be restrained and moved to the front of the coach as a consequence. Of course he realised


the error of his ways and immediately apologised, but the damage was already done. Chairman Carl Garner


and vice-chair Bob Kaj^ both asked him to recon­ sider his position the next day, and he was swaying to return, but they both knew he had passed the point of no return. Garner said: “I t ’s not


the first time he’s threat­ ened to quit, as he’s done


i


it before. “Since the Gresley


game we’ve been walking on egg shells around him. “I was willing to take


him back, but after talk­ ing to Bob, it was clear that we couldn’t go back to how we were after what he did, and we had to have a clean break.” Stammers’ assistant


Ash Berry is in charge of first team affairs for the foreseeable future until a suitable replacement is found. Two applications for


the position have already been made to the club, even though the position hasn’t been advertised. •


CLITHEROE have to pick themselves up off the floor for what is mentally their biggest game of the season on Saturday. The Blues make a return


to UniBond League fix­ tures after two disastrous cup defeats, and the after- math of Chris Stammers resignation. But if the long trip to


Bridlington wasn’t enough, the fact that Stammers’ predecessor Mark Smitheringale is assistant manager at the East Yorkshire club only adds to the pressure. However, it could also be


the initiative the players are looking for to get back on their feet. Caretaker manager Ash


Berry said: “The lads are playing for their careers, forget me, Chris Stammers or any other manager, if they get released they may never play UniBond foot­ ball again. “They've got a responsi­


bility to themselves, the fans and the board to do their duty and give every­ thing theyVe got. "They're semi-profes­


sional players paid to do a job, and they've got to put aside personal feelings and stand up and be counted. “They're so young, a lot


of them, which makes it difficult, a few older heads would help but you need youth and enthusiasm in a team." The former Tottenham


n


Hotspur scout wants the full-time position himself, but he m^es it clear that if he isn't successful, some­ one dsemeeds to be given the ceinsas soon as possi­ ble: "It's^ been unsettling and confusing for the lads, and now they need some leadership from somebody. “I'd like it to be me but


it's got be quick as it's dif­ ficult trying to do a job I haven't got the full powers to do. "I'd like to bring a few


] 1\


players in, but I need the permission of the commit­ tee to do it. If Chris had been sacked I would have gone with'him, but as he chose to go, I don't think the results are a reflection on me.


"I'm a strong person and ic


I don't quit anything, “I travel two hours and g


a 130-mile round trip so it's not for the money, I want to manage. “Carl and the board ^


to UniBond Premier Marine on Tuesday in the Lancs FA Trophy, the same side that beat the , Blues 2-0 in the FA Cup.


977096336511948


have to do what they think is best-and I will respect A that." Clitheroe also face a trip


.


LOCALS TAKE TO THE


-PAGE 79


ERVIC


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41