Farny at the far post

Vodkat League Vice Chairman Alan Farnworth casts his eye over current events

As we’ve now moved into another year, and this is the first edition of North West Side Stories in the New Year, I think it’s worthwhile reflecting what has happened in our league in 2007 and what may happen in 2008.

At this time last year, FC United, Curzon Ashton and Salford City were setting the pace at the top of Division One in the race to get into the Unibond League. As we now know, in the race to the finish, Salford faded and Nantwich Town came up on the rails to join FC United and Curzon in the higher division.

It meant that once again we promoted three clubs in order to get the restructuring up and running, after seven long years of trying (where will it all end?). The make up of the Unibond League North and South was however, in doubt right up to the wire, until the Northern Counties East League came to the table to offer an extra club. That meant every one was happy, although before long the murmurings started from the Unibond League that 18 club divisions were not what they wanted.

So where are we now? The Unibond League now want another eight clubs to reach the full complement of teams in each division that they have apparently promised to their clubs (oh really?). As our league stands now, we need another six clubs to bring us up to our full numbers, and that prospect at the moment is very doubtful.

I wish the Unibond League success in finding the clubs they want, but I hope they achieve their aims without devastating our league even more. We have contributed over 20 clubs to the Unibond League in the past few years. It makes me wonder how the Unibond League would cope if they had to get off their backsides and hunt down clubs from scratch like we have had to do in recent years.

Our approach to growing and enhancing our league over the years has been simple. We began with sowing the initial seed, then nurturing it carefully into life, and then encourage the seed to grow, sometimes with gentle persuasion, sometimes with good solid advice and sometimes with a good swift kick up the arse.

And do you know what? There are now 20 or so clubs in the Unibond League saying “Yeah, you got it dead right – well done Farny & Co.”. I’m equally sure there are people in the Unibond League saying “Thank you very much, without you we wouldn’t have the league we have now “- although I’ve yet to hear it.

After all the pain we’ve gone through, my hope is now that all the clubs who have passed through our league to the Unibond really go one to make good and maintain their position in the Pyramid. I’m sure they will.

Coming back to the present, the first half of the season saw the “big 3” out in front again in the Division One promotion race. Having just missed out last year, Salford City spent many weeks at the top of the table, although the eternal bridesmaids Newcastle Town went into 2008 with a one point advantage over both Trafford and Salford.

At the bottom of Division One, it’s been a tough first half of the season for Abbey Hey, Bacup Borough and Nelson, although they have started to close the gap between themselves and the other teams in the lower half of the table recently.

At the top of Division Two, New Mills are making a huge effort to seal their place in Division One as early as possible, having opened up a gap on the chasing teams. That chasing pack includes league newcomers Kirkham & Wesham, who along with Salford City and Formby have done us proud in the FA Vase this season.

Daisy Hill, Eccleshall and Holker Old Boys sit at the bottom of Division Two, but with just 18 clubs in the league they should be safe from relegation unless we suddenly get six new clubs from somewhere. As stated earlier, that’s unlikely as I write this, but watch this space anyway.

Apart from reaching a conclusion on league restructuring that suits everyone (a forlorn hope maybe but you never know), if I had a wish for 2008 it would be that we see a reduction in the level of abuse that gets dished out during games now.

I wrote a piece that appeared in the league newsletter a few weeks back about this subject, and I make no apologies for repeating it here again. Some of things I have heard so far this season are completely unacceptable, in particular the comments to officials and opposition that originate from the dug outs.

As I said before, I wish our game would return to being played in the spirit that I was brought up to expect. Many years ago I played in games that got a bit tasty at times but it never stopped us shaking hands and having a drink together after the game. So why can’t we get back to that now? Everyone should think on – players, managers and club officials alike.

While I’m in the mood for a moan, I was interested to hear Steve Wilkes, the Runcorn Linnets manager, speaking on BBC Radio Lancashire’s Non-League programme a few weeks ago, just after he left Padiham to go to Runcorn. Steve told the listeners how disappointed he was that last season Padiham didn’t get promoted after finishing in third place, and he suggested that the league were at fault in denying them promotion.

Sorry Steve, at no time did we ever say that three would definitely go up. In any season in our league, you have to assume that two go up from Division Two, and two come down from Division One. That’s the rule every year, and it’s only if issues like restructuring get in the way that there is any change to that.

A quick word about one of my favourite subjects – food. As many of you may know, the Albany Northern League produce a monthly newsletter called “Northern Wisdom”. In the January edition, the editor Martin Haworth recalled an anecdote from an old friend of the League, Sid Blain, a former member of the League Management committee.

Sid’s opinion was the “no club should be allowed in our leagues that don’t serve pie and chips at all games”. A man after my own heart is Sid – although I must admit that at one of the pie-free grounds in our league, Squires Gate, the burgers are good.

Finally, I was pleased to hear that Formby manager Peter Henerty is back in charge of the team, after being involved in a nasty car accident along with his son, Peter junior, on the way to Formby’s game against Bacup Borough on the 12th January. The best wishes of everyone in the league go out to them both, and I hope they have made a speedy recovery from the injuries they sustained in the accident.

To everyone out there, keep smiling, and enjoy your footie.

See you on “the far post”.

Farny

Alan Farnworth