Just a few memories of the day.....

Oh, and there was a game of football.....

The Blues make their eighth league visit to Highbury this afternoon hoping to avenge the 1-0 defeat we inflicted on them last September. Andy Bell scored the goal that separated the sides but, if I remember rightly, it was an awful game and we were just grateful for the points. Here are the teams’ league history so far, all in the Premier division:

Although Frickley didn’t play last weekend the results fell in their favour and their Premier League survival is now assured for another season so they can just have a leisurely stroll around the pitch this afternoon! They have been trounced 3-0 and 4-0 in their last two games so I hope that trend will continue this today.

The last three weeks have been hell to live through for all the fans of the top few clubs and Tuesday night’s game at Leek was no exception. It was, of course, a must win game and Fleetwood had to do it the hard way. One down early on and we were very worried until Fossie broke away to equalise with a very professional finish. Just before half time came the goal of the season from the unlikely Warren Beattie. A debut cracker from twenty five yards beat the keeper all ends up and that was how it stayed. The second half seemed to last for ever but we managed to hang on and finally go top of the NPL for the first time since 1970. Our away clean sheet record finally came to an end but at 10 hours 53 minutes it will take some beating! Our unbeaten run has now extended to thirteen games and with ninety points in the bag you would normally expect us to already be champions but Witton have proved to be a hard nut to crack and it has gone right to the wire this season.

I am sure that last year’s table is still fresh in your minds but just look at which three teams were pushing for promotion the previous season (above) when we were propelled into this division! Frickley lost on penalties at home to North Ferriby and Marine lost out, again at home, to Farsley Celtic. So who knows about home advantage in these sudden death affairs? Although Blyth Spartans and Farsley Celtic were promoted just two years ago they are both in serious trouble with relegation from the Conference North and Conference respectively a very real possibility. It just goes to show that you can take nothing for granted in this game. All teams at this level have problems eventually, no matter how good they are or were, let’s hope that ours are a long long way in the future!

For the record, the crowd for the last home game against Buxton was the largest at Highbury for a league fixture since 11th September 1973 when we drew 1-1 at home to Morecambe in front of a gate of 1415. I wonder if that could be beaten today? A win today would see us promoted to the Blue Square North so let’s get right behind the team and make this another day to remember.  It’s hard to believe but it is almost exactly two years ago that we enjoyed that fantastic final game against Brigg Town when we clinched promotion out of the blue on goal difference. It is interesting to see who played for Fleetwood on that most amazing of days : Andy Banks, Jamie Nay, Lee Pryers, Shaun Gray, Steve Macauley, Stuart Beech, Mark Openshaw, Jamie Milligan, Ian Stevens, Andy Bell, Richard Allen. Substitutes : Phil Denney, Phil Robinson and James Hone.

At the start of this season you may remember that I intended to make a note of all my Fleetwood related expenditure just to see how much an average keen supporter spends watching his beloved non league team. Well after the Leek game on Tuesday and including today’s petrol you will be pleased to know that I have finally broken the £1000 barrier, £1016 to be exact! Quite a bargain in my opinion. Now I know what to put in the piggy bank for next season!

So, this may be the last programme of the season or it may not! We will just have to wait and see. I hope I don’t see you all next Tuesday night! Have a happy Summer folks anyway.
 

A dour 1-1 draw with Frickley Athletic at Highbury didn’t matter to a record 2,666 supporters who saw Fleetwood Town crowned UniBond Premier League champions on Saturday. What did matter was the recognition of a full season’s hard work which means Town will play Blue Square Conference North football next season, just two places below the Coca Cola Football League. Town were 14 points adrift of top spot last month but put together a run of championship form to overtake Witton Albion. It’s a testament to the endurance of Tony Greenwood and the form of his men as they turned out worthy champions. Witton saw any last hope of taking the title disappear by going down 3-0 at home to Worksop Town.

The opening 15 minutes was marked by a terrible injury to Phil Robinson. The Town player leapt to meet the ball but was upended as he headed clear. Robinson received treatment on the pitch from Steve Macauley and Danny Moore, along with the Frickley physio, Becky Henry-Brown . He was stabilised in the treatment room before being taken to Blackpool Victoria Hospital by paramedics.

Combined with the importance of the match, the injury appeared to unsettle the Town players. They found it difficult to break down a combative Frickley but Andy Bell did have an on-target shot deflected out for a corner on 22 minutes. The Frickley physio sportingly treated Steve Foster on 25 minutes whilst Macauley and Moore were busy with Robinson. Henry-Brown may have regretted her generosity four minutes later when Steve Foster broke the deadlock. Foster was clean through on goal with Andy Bell in support to his left. The striker coolly fired over the prone keeper to raise the Highbury roof. Frickley were then allowed too much time on the ball, making Fleetwood pay on 34 minutes. Midfielder Danny Walsh made no mistake when he was allowed too much time in the box, squaring the ball for Lee Morris to level the score. Town closed the half with an intelligent build-up by Jamie Milligan. The skipper brought Andy Bell and Jerome Watt into play but the promising move ended in the keepers hands.

As news that Witton Albion were 3-0 down at home came in, the second half was merely a prelude to the festivities. Fleetwood raised the tempo a touch but the winning goal proved elusive. The last 45 minutes turned out to be a tense affair with no real pattern of play. Proceedings weren’t helped by a series of niggley fouls and this didn’t allow any consistency for either side. The main highlights of the half included a crucial headed clearance by Nathan Pond and a swerving shot from substitute Phil Denney. A strong talking point came at the end of the match when the referee signalled for an additional 7 minutes of added time that only delayed the inevitable celebrations.

Jamie Milligan speaking after the game: “The game itself poor and the worst we’ve played in a long time. I think occasion got to some of our players. We couldn’t settle down and get into a decent rhythm. To be fair to Frickley, they worked hard and stuck a man on me for the 90 minutes. That meant I couldn’t get on the ball too well at times.

But the important thing is the lads have done it and that’s the main thing in the end.. We deserve it and the fans as well. It’s a shame about Robo. He’s been brilliant all season long. It looked like a bad one to be fair to him and it did shake the lads up, particularly in the next 10 or 20 minutes.

With about 10 minutes to go I was told Witton were 3-0 down but that’s not the point. We wanted to come and win the last game in style. We’ve got promoted and that’s the main thing.”

Following three promotions in just four years, Town will now be playing in the highest league in their history after taking 91 points from 40 league games. Gateshead now meet Eastwood Town in the Premier League semi-final play-off on Tuesday evening. Witton Albion entertain Buxton in the other tie. The highest placed semi-final winner then host the final on Saturday.

Fleetwood lifted the UniBond Premier Division championship after sharing the spoils with Frickley in the final game of the campaign. A mammoth crowd were looking to the home side to gain their crown in style, but they had reckoned without the grit and determination of the Blues who, having escaped from the relegation dog fight, wanted to give their fans something to remember them by. There was a lively and skilful tempo throughout with Jonathan Groome having a 20 yard drive well held by Danny Hurst in the 13th minute as Frickley probed for an early advantage. Jerome Watts had a chance for Town in the 28th minute but lifted his shot from the edge of the penalty area over the goal, although they had better luck on the half hour when a long clearance sent Steve Foster clear and he held off Dean Jones before turning inside and hitting the target.

Before the Fleetwood celebrations could fully erupt, Frickley equalised in the 33rd minute, Rob Pell doing well on the left before picking out Danny Walsh who crossed for Lee Morris to score at the near post. Some good defending just had the edge on several promising raids up to the interval, and it was more of the same on the resumption.

Hurst dropped a high free-kick from Chris Hilton in the 56th minute and Chris Davies pounced on the half clearance to hammer a 30 yard volley inches wide of the far post. Three minutes later, Jamie Milligan found Phil Denney, only for Jon Hood to smartly block his 15 yard drive, and Walsh then lost the ball on the left in the 62nd minute, allowing Andrew Bell to cut inside and square the ball across the face of goal, but it was missed by several players before being retrieved by Jerome Watt who knocked it inside to Nathan Pond but his shot was cleared off the line by Davies. There was a chance for Frickley in the 67th minute when Danny Walsh got down the left and found Neil Towler whose cross was only half cleared, allowing Chris Gowen to strike a first time 20 yard shot which was only just wide. Jon Hood held an 18 yard drive from Denney in the 68th minute, while Denney got clear in the 89th minute but lobbed wide under pressure from Hilton. Fleetwood were desperate for a decider, and home supporters thought they had succeeded in the fourth minute of stoppage time when a header by Bell struck the underside of the bar, only for Hilton to hook the ball clear.

Having tracked WITTON ALBION all season FLEETWOOD TOWN moved to top spot in midweek rather like a champion runner coming round the final bend on the last lap when they beat LEEK TOWN 2-1 after going behind to the first goal they had conceded in eight successive away games. That set up a final day drama with themselves and Albion both at home to FRICKLEY ATHLETIC and WORKSOP TOWN respectively. Fleetwood gave Witton the chance they needed when held to a draw in front of almost 2,700 fans but Witton fluffed their lines with a 3-0 home defeat to suffer final day disappointment for the second time in twelve months. At the opposite end, Saturday dawned with no fewer than four clubs on 43 points and another three on 44 with yet three more on 45. Some very nervous twitches going on there then but when the dust had settled it was LEEK TOWN (by just two goals) and STAMFORD who joined the already doomed LINCOLN UNITED as the relegated clubs.
 

One of the most dramatic seasons in UniBond history saw Leek Town and Stamford join Lincoln United in relegation from the Premier Division, while Eastwood Town confirmed their place in the play-offs. Meanwhile, Fleetwood Town gave Witton Albion the chance they needed to snatch the title when held to a draw in front of almost 2,700 fans at Highbury, but Witton fluffed their lines with a 3-0 home defeat by Worksop Town to suffer final day disappointment for the second time in twelve months. Steve Foster gave Fleetwood a 29th minute lead but Danny Walsh`s 34th minute equaliser gave Albion a glimmer of chance.
However, at Wincham Park Kevin Sanasay put Worksop in front after just 2 minutes and the game was virtually over by half time as Stephen Akers and Paul Stansfield added further goals in the 15th and 32nd minutes.

Seven sides started the day facing the prospect of relegation and one of those teams was Whitby Town, who rescued their Premier Division skins in barnstorming fashion with a 4-0 mauling of Ilkeston Town. Whitby centre half Danny Farthing, who had to watch the game from the stands as he recovers from a long-term injury, was delighted that the Seasiders had lived to fight another day in the top division He said: “It was a pretty routine win,especially after Ilkeston had Gareth Holmes sent-off for handling on the line late in the first half. It's a pity that we didn't dominate games like that earlier in the season. I always believed that we would escape relegation and next season we will be battling it out at the other end of the table.” Whitby claimed first blood as Karl Charlton opened the scoring midway through the first period. The Seasiders added a second through Danny Brunskill as they battled to seal their Premier Division safety. Whitby continued the rout in the second period as Charlton added his second of the game and Anthony Ormerod made it 4-0.

Stamford ended their first season in the UniBond with relegation as Steve Hussey knocked home Marine's first and Peter Cumiskey added a second on 22 minutes. Shaun Tuck hit the Mariners' third early in the second period, but Stamford hit back with a late double from Garath Pritchard as they lost 3-2. At Harrison Park, Eastwood secured their play off place and a midweek meeting at Gateshead with a 3-1 victory over Leek - a result which sent the Staffordshire outfit down. Ricky Hanson ensured a first half lead for Eastwood, Colin Daniel levelled for Leek before goals from Lindon Meikle and an own goal from Wayne Johnson secured the Badgers' victory. Guiseley missed out on the play-offs, despite a 2-1 victory over Kendal Town. Gateshead took a 2-0 first half lead against fellow play-off qualifiers Buxton as Jamie Harwood and Paul Brayson were on target. Brayson added another in the second period and Dave Southern a double as the Tynesiders ran out 5-0 winners. Ashton United beat the drop with a 3-2 success at Matlock. Gareth Richard ensured success for the Hurst Cross men with a late winner. Prescot Cables climbed out of the relegation zone with a 3-2 victory at Lincoln United. A second half Eddie Taylor double ensured their success, while North Ferriby United guaranteed their safety, winning 1-0 at Hednesford Town.
 

FleetwoodTownFC.com || Match Archives 07/08