SCORE TEAMWEAR MANAGERS OF THE MONTH - MARCH 2005

Weekend Headlines - 2nd April 2005

Honours even in Premier clash
Two goals just after half time decided the Premier Division's Match of the Day. Leaders Yeading took the lead through DJ Campbell after 47 minutes but Billericay Town hit back with a Jamie Dormer equaliser eight minutes later. The Ding remain three points clear at the top.

Three keeps Eastleigh third
A trio of goals in a ten minute spell saw Eastleigh overcome Chelmsford City 3-0 and kept the Hampshire club in third place. Ryan Ashford, Paul Sales and Andrew Forbes found the net as Eastleigh kept their third successive clean sheet.

Northwood pull off double
Two goals in quick succession earned Northwood a 2-0 win over Wealdstone and a League double. Peter Dean opened the scoring in the 57th minute with Gavin Hart adding a second shortly after.

Iron tamed at home
Dover Athletic held Braintree Town to a 1-1 draw at Cressing Road. Andrew Porter put the Iron ahead in the 29th minute before Dover hit back five minutes later through Craig Wilkins.

Dons made to wait
A defeat at Walton & Hersham denied AFC Wimbledon the point they needed to secure the Division One title. Second team Walton secured the win with a Paul Harkness hat trick and a fourth from Lee Riddell.

Hornets keep up chase
A 2-1 success over Croydon kept Horsham in third place. All the goals came in the closing 15 minutes as Horsham went 2-0 up through Jamie Taylor and John Westcott before Daniel Mathieu pulled one back for Croydon.

Six of the best for Cray
A 5-0 home win over Newport Isle of Wight saw Cray Wanderers pull off their sixth successive win. Jamie Kempster scored a brace inside seven minutes.

Late goal sees Ashford home
Two goals from David Jones, one a last minute winner, earned Ashford Town a 3-2 victory over Tooting & Mitcham United.

Tight at the top of Two
Three clubs head the second division on 54 points. Ilford moved above Enfield on goal difference after beating them 1-0. Hertford joined them after beating Brook House by the same score.

Dons celebrate promotion
Manager Dave Anderson has been celebrating AFC Wimbledon securing promotion from Division One after victory on Easter Monday. He told the club's website: "I was brought here to win promotion and I brought a lot of people here to win promotion. So I'm very glad that's been achieved. But I'm also very aware that I didn't do it on my own. Jon Turner, Warren Kelly, Mike Rayner and a lot of other people deserve the pat on the back more than I do, not least all the players! Days like this are more about them than me. You go out, chop and change things but it's the players who go out and do the job. The spirit we have in the squad is magnificent and a lot of people have worked very hard to make this possible. I think today the players have realised their achievement. We've worked very hard to keep that from them until now. Like with the British record, we just deal with each game and let the rest take care of itself - we keep everyone's mind focused on the football. Then, on a day like today you pull the cloak back and say, 'Look at what you've achieved and what it means to people. Enjoy the day!'"

Greens fans' nerves continue to jangle
Hendon's recent run of good form has seen them win six of their last ten games. It has been hard work for the fans, though, because, before the side's 3-2 victory over Wealdstone on Easter Monday, they had not scored more than twice in the Ryman League since winning 4-3 at Kingstonian in October and they have scored three at home in the League only once all season. Jangling the nerves even more is the fact that all of the Greens' last 13 league wins have been by one goal. This explains why Hendon, with 16 wins against 17 defeats, have a minus 13 goal difference.

New trio for Stones
Wealdstone signed three new players ahead of Thursday's registration deadline. David Wattley has joined from title-contenders Yeading. Anthony Clark joined the Stones from Hendon, while Laurie Stewart has joined on-loan from Nationwide Conference National side Stevenage Borough. It is the latest loan spell for Stewart having already spent spells at Bishop's Stortford and Carshalton Athletic earlier this season.

Wolf moves to Ware
Ware snapped up 24-year-old defender Danny Wolf from Premier Division Braintree Town ahead of the transfer deadline.

Swifts let Wild go
Heybridge Swifts were active in the transfer market on deadline day with two players joining the squad and one departing. On the way out is central defender Chris Wild who joined at Christmas time from Conference South Redbridge. Having steadily improved and grown on the Swifts faithful he has now left to join another Conference South side, St. Albans City. Coming into the club are two defenders. Ebow Mensah joins from Barking & East Ham United, where he has made 28 appearances this season. He is joined by 21 year old Lewisham born Paul O'Donoghue, a reserve team player at Tottenham Hotspur who has joined on loan until the end of the season. Swifts manager Brian Statham continues to develop and assess his squad both for the current push for the Ryman Premier Division play off places; and for next season's campaign.

New record for Dryden
Striker James Dryden broke Folkestone Invicta's senior goalscoring record when he headed in a priceless winner away to local rivals Dover Athletic in front of a massive 2,390 crowd on Easter Monday to take his tally to 89 for the club. The popular 25-year-old striker had equalled Paul Chambers' record of 88 goals since Invicta achieved senior status in 1991 when he struck twice in a 2-1 home win over Leyton on Good Friday. Dryden broke Chambers' appearance record for the club in January and has now made 235 starting appearances for the club, with a further 41 as substitute. He joined the club at the age of 15 and scored on his full debut in the Southern League against Burnham during December 1999. As a youth team player, Dryden once scored a hat-trick in the final five minutes of a game against a Furness youth side then managed by Andy Hessenthaler. He has been chosen as the club's Player of the Month for March. Goalkeeper Tony Kessell also completed a landmark with his 100th appearance for the club in the Leyton game on Good Friday. Kessell joined the club during the summer of 2003 and was ever present in all of Invicta's 61 games last season. He represented Gravesham District, Kent County and South East England Schools as a schoolboy and joined Charlton Athletic as a YTS for two years. He then joined Hastings, where he stayed for three seasons, making 150 appearances before joining Dartford in August 2001. He re-joined Hastings towards the end of the 2001/02 season but returned to Dartford in September 2002. The 25-year-old has also played for Cray Wanderers.

European triumph for Dulwich
Easter weekend saw teams from Dulwich Hamlet Junior Football Club return trophy-laden from Europe as the Under 13's and Under 18's both emerged victories courtesy of penalty shootouts in their respective finals at the Sirene Cup, held in Belgium. The Dulwich players had to overcome opposition from clubs as far afield as the Republic of Ireland, Wales, France, Germany, the Netherlands as well as teams from the host country.

New forward power for Hastings
Neville Southall, manager of Hastings United, has signed two new strikers as the club bid to overcome the loss of Simon Rowland due to injury. The marksman is almost certainly out for the rest of the season after suffering knee ligament damage during Easter Monday's game with Ashford Town. Twenty-year-old Lee Newman and 26 year old Germain Amanuel have both joined United. Amanuel moves from Croydon having previously been at Horsham.

Edwards out for City
Central defender Russell Edwards faces a two match ban after clocking up ten yellow cards this season. Also ruled out is defender Michael Haswell with mumps. Manager Craig Edwards made two deadline day signings with striker Ryan Moore, formerly of Wealdstone, and winger Yohance Lewis, who was with Edwards at Redbridge earlier this season, joining the club.

Tompkins back at Hayes Lane
Bromley have signed striker Mark Tompkins from Whyteleafe. Tompkins has scored 22 goals so far this season, both at Whyteleafe and during an earlier spell with Cray Wanderers. A former Bromley favourite, he netted 80 goals during his previous spell with the club before departing for Tooting & Mitcham United. Also signed is Adam Locke from Hornchurch. He is an experienced, versatile player, capable of playing in both defence and midfield. He joined Hornchurch in 2002 when they were in Division One North prior to which he made nearly 350 professional appearances.

Steele goes to Walton
Former Kingstonian player-manager Scott Steele has joined Walton & Hersham. The holder of three FA Trophy winners' medals, he left Ks last month ending two years in charge. After playing for Scottish side Airdrie he moved south to Woking in 1992.

Bent moves on
Northwood have announced former Yeovil and Chippenham Town midfielder James Bent has left Chestnut Avenue and is expected to link up with Southern League Division One East outfit Leighton Town. The player, who only joined the Woods in December 2004, made fifteen appearances in total, six as substitute without managing to find the net.

First step in treble for Ding?
Yeading completed what they hope will be the first part of a 'treble' when they lifted the Middlesex Senior Cup at Staines Town's Wheatsheaf Park against Hampton & Richmond Borough on Easter Monday night. Davis Haule scored both goals in the 2-1 win. The Ding are now hoping to clinch the league title and add the Middlesex Charity Cup when they face Premier Division rivals Northwood on April 12th.

Lucrative deal for Eastleigh
Eastleigh Football Club has agreed a long term deal with the Norwich Union that will provide a park and ride scheme for the staff at the Chandlers Ford offices of insurance giant. For Eastleigh this will produce a source of income that will fund ground improvements. This work will include extra turnstiles, new toilet facilities, extra lighting, a new PA system and improvements to the terracing. In addition some of the new funding will go towards the proposed all weather synthetic training pitches, which the club hopes to construct on part of the existing grass training pitch. The new training pitch will have third generation synthetic grass, as used by many professional clubs, such as Southampton, for their training pitches. The pitch can also be subdivided into three smaller pitches, so that three games can be played at the same time. The pitches will be available to all the Eastleigh teams for training, but will also be available for hire to other local teams and will also be made available to local schools and for other community use. In addition soccer schools will be organized for the school holidays. Officials are currently talking to both the FA and the Football Foundation about the possibilities of receiving additional funding from them for this project, which it is hoped will be in use by next year.

Registration deadline passes
The end of season registration deadline passed on March 31st with a flurry of activity. More than half the 60 member clubs registered players on the final day. Over 2,700 players have been processed during the season with over 1,600 faxes received at the administration office - 89 alone on the final day.

Quirke heads back to the Island
Newport have re-signed their former striker, Fraser Quirke, from Fleet Town, along with former Bath City and Gloucester City defender Adam Howarth. Manager John Linington said "Until recently Dave Greening had been doing the business up front for Port, but the 17-goal hitman has lost his touch of late. When he's not scoring, he doesn't punch his weight. We feel that Fraser will give us a bit of muscle where we need it. With Adam coming on board, will have some extra welcome height at the back, from a player that has played at a higher level, this experience can only be good for the club"

Ilford mourn former star
Former Ilford right half Edward Thomas Stringer has died aged 86. Known as "Ted" to his friends, he played for Ilford for five seasons in the 1940s. Meanwhile player/manager Allan Fenn has successfully played 75 minutes in a reserve fixture. It was his first game since breaking a bone in his foot at the start of January. Forward Damien Devor is out for the rest of the season. He requires surgery on his damaged right ankle therefore will not be able to play in the remaining games. Goalkeeper Ronnie Worster has undergone surgery after sustaining a chest injury in the Associate Members Trophy quarter final win against Chalfont St Peter. He is expected to be out for around three weeks.

Gomis becomes a Royalist again
Morgaro Gomis has returned to Windsor & Eton. He left Stag Meadow for Dagenham & Redbridge in January, but has now had his contract cancelled allowing him to re-join for the remainder of the season.

Easter Headlines

Ding lead down to three points
Following a 0-0 draw against Braintree Town on Saturday, Yeading saw their lead at the top reduced to three points as nearest rivals Billericay Town posted two wins. A 2-0 Good Friday success over Wealdstone was followed by a 3-1 away win against Chelmsford City. Nathan Elder scored a brace in each game.

Goalless Easter for Eastleigh
Two 0-0 draws over the weekend was enough to keep Eastleigh in third place. The games with Salisbury City and Windsor & Eton kept them a point clear of fourth team Braintree Town.

Hampton hat trick keeps run rolling
Three goals from recent signing Richard Pacquette helped Hampton & Richmond Borough to a 4-2 over Northwood - their third successive win. They stay in fifth place.

Angels secure Worthing win
After four straight defeats Tonbridge Angels picked up three points with a 1-0 home win over Worthing. Stephen Sodje scored the only goal of the game.

Dons win promotion and keep pulling in the crowds
Nearly 5,500 watched AFC Wimbledon's two games over the Easter weekend and witnessed the Dons claim six points and stretch their advantage to 17 points at the top of Division One thus securing a promotion place plus a tightening grip on the championship.

Walton into second
Two 1-0 wins propelled Walton & Hersham into second slot. The victories took them above Horsham who were held to a draw at home by Tooting & Mitcham United on Saturday.

Croydon overcome Athletic rivals
A 3-1 home win over neighbours Croydon Athletic earned Croydon their first league success since January.

Enfield stay in front
Six points out of six kept Enfield clear of the field in Division Two. They have a three point advantage over Ilford. The Foxes kept up the chase with a 1-0 Easter Monday win at Kingsbury Town. Anthony Jones scored the only goal of the game. Hertford Town and Witham Town both lost ground with one defeat over the weekend.

Wood to stand down at Hampton
Hampton & Richmond Borough will be without ambitious chairman Graham Wood next season. Wood, who divides his year between homes in London and the US, insists the club needs a hands-on successor. "What is required more than anything is someone who can consult - on a daily basis, if necessary with the manager and coaching staff, as well as the commercial team. I can't give that as I am not in the country for six months each year. The club was aware of this shortcoming when I took over two years ago. My fellow directors and I have got the club to a debt-free situation and continued to improve the ground, though there would be more to do if we got into Conference South. We also appointed a manager in Alan Devonshire, who has brought us considerable success." Wood, who made his fortune from selling his central heating boiler business, is one of three directors. The others are former TV scriptwriter Alan Simpson and property developer Mervyn Cox. Simpson, who co-wrote Hancock's Half Hour and Steptoe & Son with Ray Galton, said "I really don't want to see Graham step down, but I understand why he feels he should. He has galvanised the board to try to take Hampton to a level we've never previously reached."

Former Ashford secretary dies
Ashford Town have announced the death of former secretary Alan Lancaster on Wednesday 23rd March. He served the Club for 52 years and only retired at the end of last season. Alan and his wife Audrey earned the friendship and admiration of clubs across the Southern League and the honours they received from referees and county associations on their 50-year celebrations more than reflected the affection they deserved from all quarters. There will be a church ceremony at Christchurch Church at 12.15pm following by crematorium service at Charing on Wednesday 6th April.

Steele calls it a day
Scott Steele has resigned as manager of Kingstonian with immediate effect. Club chairman Jim Cochrane reluctantly accepted Scott's resignation and wishes to put on record the club's sincere thanks for all the effort put in by Scott in what must be the club's most troubled season in its 120 year history. Until further notice, new coach Ian McDonald takes over all first team managerial affairs.

Bowers out until the summer
Eastleigh's Tyronne Bowers has suffered a clean break to his ankle after a challenge with Fleet Town's Andy Darnton in the Russell Cotes Cup and will be out for the rest of the season. After the 2-0 win, Eastleigh now face Gosport Borough in the final of the Russell Cotes Cup, which will be held at the Sparshatts Stadium on Wednesday 13th April.

Ross Receives Recognition
Fresh from scoring two goals for the Ryman League in the Centenary match, Billericay Town's Ross Wareham has now received further recognition by being included in the initial squad list for the Middlesex Wanderers trip to Japan. The tour includes matches against Kobe and Tokyo.

Club thank the supporters
Braintree Town chairman Lee Harding was among the first to express his thanks to the supporters of the club who saved the day and helped get the players to the game at Salisbury City. "We had a blow-out on the M25 on the way down on Saturday morning and the earliest we thought we could get ourselves underway was at about 2pm, which may have led to the match being postponed. However our supporters' bus stopped and they all jumped off to let the players continue on to Fleet Services so that they could get themselves ready for the game. Surrey police also helped by speaking to the tyre company and, in the end, a replacement coach got us to Fleet and we swapped over with the supporters again. Unfortunately, in loading up all the playing kit, etc., we left after the supporters and then got caught behind a serious road traffic accident on the M3 which then delayed us even further. The supporters got to the ground first and kept everyone at Salisbury informed. Our fans really are superb and I don't think we could have asked anything more from them." George Borg echoed the thanks from the Chairman: "It was pretty hair-raising with those forty-tonners thundering past you on the hard shoulder. We got everyone off the coach and onto the embankment, but we were stranded. The police were great and gave us a lot of help, but it was the supporters that really made the difference - without them I'm not sure that we would have made it to the game. I've been involved with a few clubs over the years, but our fans really are a great bunch - all 100% behind the Club and the players. I just hope that the lads and I repay their help and support at the end of the season."

Dover set financial target
Chairman Jim Parmenter wants to target the end of next season as the end of Dover Athletic's CVA re-payments. The club currently have to pay £3,000 a month to pay off old debts to the Inland Revenue and other creditors, which is putting a severe dent into Dover Athletic's finances. Fans, local businesses, the Supporters Trust and the new board have certainly stabilised the off-the-field situation but the club desperately need to rid themselves of the CVA to get motoring again. The chairman said: "We want to sit down with the Supporters Trust in the near future and discuss how we can meet this objective because there's no doubt in my mind that once we rid this debt Dover Athletic can start doing things. We'll have a clean bill of health and the dark days will be behind us. What happened in December was amazing. Something like £50,000 was raised by the community in 30-odd days - a terrific effort. All in all, the club received a cash injection of £150,000 to save the club from closure. We now owe just over £60,000 on the CVA and the club has an old overdraft of around £50,000. The CVA is our main target and we'd like to think, with a lot of hard work, we could be clear of that by the end of next season - but we need the community to help us achieve that."

Drive to recruit new match officials
The Surrey FA are piloting a new course to develop the next generation of referees which cuts out the need for 'classroom study' and is done over just three sessions (two practical and one assessment). The course leads to a qualification as a level 9 referee on completion, moving to level 7 after 10 full matches.

Northwood bid farewell to duo
Manager Mick Harvey has released both Alistair Heselton and Billy Amarteifo from Northwood. Heselton, who has signed for Dover Athletic, only rejoined the club in January but after bagging a couple of goals for the reserves, the striker has struggled to cement a permanent place in the squad after trialling for Coca-Cola Football League Two outfit, Grimsby Town, and leaves for a second time after making the last of seven substitute appearances in the disappointing home defeat by Kingstonian in the middle of February. Meanwhile, defender Amarteifio who did not figure in the first team, leaves the Woods after several games for the Suburban League side, and is expected to sign for Southern League Premier Division Hemel Hempstead Town.

Ellis goes to Hayes
Staines Town midfielder Paul Ellis, has signed for Nationwide South outfit Hayes until the end of the season. Also departing is striker Gavin Tomlin, who goes on trial at Conference National side Exeter City. Both players have been on the transfer list in recent weeks and wanted to try their luck at a higher level but have the choice to return next season if things do not work out. The opportunity arose for Tomlin, who trialled with Notts County last season, through Craig Maskell's friendship with Grecian's manager Alex Inglethorpe who incidentally is still signed on as a Swans player.

Scott back for Windsor
Keith Scott made a sensational return to the Windsor & Eton squad as they won 2-1 at home to Staines Town. Substitute Scott came off the bench to score two late goals after Andre De Lisser had given Staines the lead. It was his first game in nine weeks.

Horsham capture Lopez
Wes Lopez from Sussex County League Division Two side Lancing has signed for Horsham. The 23 year old, former Worthing star, has been playing for the Lancers this season following injury and has hit seven goals. Crawley Town goalkeeper Mark Fox has also joined the club as cover for Luke Burton following Gary Elliott's broken finger received in training.

Ding move to solve keeper crisis
Yeading have signed Fulham goalkeeper Ross Flitney on loan until the end of the season. The 20 year-old arrives at the Warren to solve a goalkeeping injury crisis that saw manager Johnson Hippolyte forced between the sticks in the Middlesex Charity Cup Semi-Final win over Wealdstone. Flitney has yet to make a competitive first team appearance for Fulham but has featured in the bench in their Premiership campaign and also played in the Championship for Brighton during a loan spell last season. The youngster is tipped for long-term success having developed his craft under the watchful gaze of Fulham goalkeeping coach Dave Beasant, and fellow Fulham goalkeepers Mark Crossley and Edwin van der Sar. He arrived at Craven Cottage from Arsenal where he had been part of their successful Academy set-up and also made appearances in two of Fulham's pre-season friendlies at Craven Cottage in July 2004 against Watford and Celtic.

Covey goes to Earlsmead
Left back Richard Covey has joined Harrow from Wembley. The 20 year old has been a target for team boss David Howell for some months.

Three League players named in 5-a-side squad
Rob Ursell (AFC Wimbledon), James Husband (Tooting & Mitcham United) and James Elford (Hastings United) have been named in the 15 man England squad for the trip to Belgium to face an Under 21 side in a double header.

Saturday's Headlines - 20th March 2005

Ding stretch advantage
A single goal from Marvin Morgan earned Premier Division leaders Yeading a 1-0 home win over Folkestone Invicta and pushed them eight points clear at the top of the table as nearest rivals Braintree Town drew 0-0 at Salisbury City.

Six wins out of seven for Eastleigh
A 2-1 win at Harrow Borough took third team Eastleigh's tally to 18 points out of a possible 21. Tyrone Bowers put them in front after 14 minutes but Boro levelled before half time through Daniel Dyer. Christopher Collins then secured the points with a strike on the hour.

Third clean sheet for Billericay
A goal at the end of each half saw Billericay Town win 2-0 at Tonbridge Angels. Neil Cousins and Ross Wareham got on the scoresheet as the team went for a third game without conceding a goal.

Dover move out of bottom two
A 2-1 home success over Cheshunt lifted Dover to third from bottom with only one defeat in their last six outings. Dean Readings and Daniel Braithwaite were their scorers.

Dons win table topper
Over 3,200 watched the leading pair in Division One meet at Kingsmeadow. A goal from Shane Smeltz and two from Richard Butler put AFC Wimbledon 3-0 up at home to Horsham inside 28 minutes. Horsham did pull one back shortly after the break through Andy Walker but Rob Ursell underlined the win with a fourth goal on the hour. Dons still have a 14 point lead at the top of the table.

Walton go second
Paul Harkness scored late on to earn Walton & Hersham a 1-0 win at Hastings United. It moved them into second place.

Croydon felled by late goals
With eight minutes to go Croydon looked set for a point at home to Cray Wanderers, but the Kent club sneaked two goals to record their third successive win. Jamie Wood and Michael Power were on target.

Tooting bounce back
After two successive defeats Tooting & Mitcham United got back on form with a 6-1 home win over Fleet Town. Wayne Cort grabbed a first half brace.

Flackwell lose former treasurer
The Flackwell Heath v Enfield match was abandoned after just four minutes following the collapse of former Flackwell Heath treasurer John Moore. The physios of both sides as well as the Enfield goalkeeper attempted to revive him before an air ambulance took him to hospital. Unfortunately he died soon after being admitted. The game is now set to restaged on April 12th.

Maiden continental victory for Dulwich fans
The old contemptibles of Dulwich Supporters Football Team did their piece for the 'entente cordiale' as they travelled over to France to take on their counterparts from Red Star Paris FC 93 in an international challenge match, born of a chance meeting between a groundhopping Dulwich fan and an expatriate Worksop Town supporter, now ensconced in Paris. Hopefully echoing the 2012 Olympic bid, it was the Londoners who came out on top of their Parisian hosts, coming from 2-1 down late in the second half to win 3-2 courtesy of a hat trick from striker Lawrence Marsh, who was voted Man of the Match afterwards. Though this was a first victory on continental soil for the 'Rabblers', the match was played in such a spirit of 'Amitié' that a diplomatic draw would not have disappointed. Treated royally by their hosts, the Dulwich fans stayed on to watch Red Star's first team take on their local rivals Aubervilliers in their Parisian League clash, a magnificent game won 5-0 by the hosts.

Leatherhead to help launch NSPCC initiative
On Tuesday 22nd March players and managers from Leatherhead will be helping to launch the new Stop and Go! initiative for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Stop and Go! is the name of the NSPCC's new fundraising drive which is helping to make a real difference to the lives of some of the county's most vulnerable children. The NSPCC has produced fundraising packs aimed at different sectors of the community. NSPCC head of community appeals Sarah Balser said: "Every penny counts, whether supporters raise a little or a lot, their hard work and commitment will help us make ending cruelty to children a reality. We want to encourage as many people as possible to help Stop child abuse and Go fundraising!" To find out more about Stop and Go! you can call 01908 568336 or log on to www.nspcc.org.uk/stopandgo

Mike Brien
Former Southern League clubs may be wish to know that Mike Brien a former director of Dorchester has passed away at the age of 57. Anybody who wishes to know further details can contact Dorchester Secretary David Martin on 01305 262345 or 079 7117 2795.

Search on for ground
The School of European Culture and Languages in Canterbury is planning a football match between two university teams (Universities of London and Kent) on April 28. They are looking for a small stadium in London for this event. Any club who wishes to discuss making their facilities available is asked to contact Anette Kühn, DAAD-Lektorin, School of European Culture and Languages, University of Kent, Cornwallis Building NW, Canterbury, Kent , CT2 7NF. Tel: 01227 827547 or email: ak76@kent.ac.uk

First set back for McCann
Gary McCann suffered his first defeat as manager of Hendon as the Greens slipped to a 1-0 defeat at Leyton. The home side had the bulk of possession in the first half but were unable to create anything particularly clear cut. The same went for Hendon when they were able to make forays into the Leyton penalty box. Hendon started out much brighter in the second half and had a shout for a clear penalty turned down in the 60th minute when John Frendo was pushed in the back. The goal came in the 72nd minute when Leli Bajada headed home a free kick from close range as the defence momentarily lost concentration. The Greens worked hard to find an equaliser, René Street coming close with a header and John Frendo with a shot that flew just over, but were unable to find the crucial breakthrough.

Ks youngster gets Football League chance
Giles Coke has signed for Football League side Mansfield Town after impressing manager Carlton Palmer while on trial at Field Mill a couple of weeks ago. Still only 18 years old, the midfielder has a bright future according to Ks boss Scott Steele: "He's a good box-to-box player. I think he's good enough to play at a higher level than League Two but Mansfield could be a good stepping stone for him." Meanwhile, Mansfield have agreed to play the Ks in a pre-season friendly at Kingsmeadow. A date for this fixture will be announced at a later stage.

Stones support the kick racism out campaign
Wealdstone have joined forces with the Kick It Out campaign to reinforce the message that racism in any form has no place in football. Club spokesman Howard Krais said "Racism is one area where there can be no compromise and the club felt it was important to link up with Kick It Out and not only make our stance on racism clear but also take a proactive stance. Wealdstone are proud of our multi-cultural links. Our support comes from the widest range of ethnic and cultural backgrounds and our football scholarship programme, in conjunction with Stanmore college, brings in boys from all parts of the community. It is estimated that about 15% of professional footballers are black, and Wealdstone have a history of many black heroes, Eddie Dillsworth from Sierra Leone was one of the first and he played at Wembley with the club in the 1966 Amateur Cup Final on his 21st Birthday. He is one of a long line of players from a varied ethnic background although we think the first at Wealdstone was an Algerian goalkeeper, J Tur in the 1940's.

Martin back for Dons
Dave Anderson has brought Matt Martin back to AFC Wimbledon as cover for Paul Smith. The manager explained: "Matt's coming in on a short-term basis so we've got cover for Paul Smith. He's no stranger to the club of course and it's nice to see him back. He's been playing at Chipstead till recently and the big plus for us is that we know he can do it at this level and we know that he won't be fazed by playing in front of our crowd if we have to call on him." The player added: "I left Chipstead by mutual consent last week and it's good to be able to help the club out in the short term. I know that bench well and I'm looking forward to sitting on it. And of course catching up with a few old friends."

Turk commits to Salisbury
Salisbury City midfielder Wayne Turk, already in his sixth season with the club, has signed a long-term extension to his contract. Turk commented: "Throughout my time here, the fans have been very good to me, and I've enjoyed every minute, even though I was here during the time when the club nearly went out of existence. Salisbury is a great club and we're now on the way up."

Owen makes his mark
Micky Owen made his 150th first team appearance for Epsom & Ewell as they faced Witham Town. Sadly he could not end up on the winning side as Epsom crashed to a 5-0 defeat.

Staines snap up Brentford pair
After a spell at Kingsmeadow Brentford youngsters Jamie Palmer and Luke Muldowney have signed for Staines Town. The pair joined Kingstonian on work experience from the Coca-Cola League One side in December and have moved to Wheatsheaf Lane under a similar agreement.

Whites bolster squad
Dover Athletic have signed Narada Bernard on contract until the end of the season, with a view to an extension. With several upcoming suspensions to key players, Bernard is an important signing for Clive Walker's side. He arrives after being released by Conference side Farnborough Town recently. He is seen as a direct replacement for the departed Jude Stirling. After the signing had been completed, Dover chairman Jim Parmenter was keen to emphasise the importance of players signing contracts with the club. He stated, "We needed a left back to replace Jude Stirling and we're delighted to sign someone of Narada's talent and level of experience. We hope he enjoys playing for the club and decides to extend his contract with us. We believe it is vital that our players sign contracts, removing the threat of the seven-day notice." Bernard, aged 24, was born in Bristol but started his career at Tottenham Hotspur. After being spotted by Arsene Wenger, he moved up the road to Arsenal. There he played alongside Ashley Cole in the youth team but could not hold down a regular place. AFC Bournemouth was his next destination but injuries made life difficult for him there, hampering his progress. Spells at Torquay United, Woking and Welling United over the last couple of years did not result in regular first team football. However, when the former Spurs left back Dean Austin was made manager of Farnborough Town in July 2004, 5ft 7" Bernard was soon signed as Boro's first choice left back. Bernard played regularly for Farnborough until Austin was sacked in February when he was released by the struggling Conference National club.

English (and) Channell for Flackwell
Andy Driscoll has wasted no time in introducing new faces to Flackwell Heath following his appointment as manager in succession to the departed Byron Walton. Lee Channell, the former Maidenhead United striker has joined along with fellow striker Daniel Sams and midfielder Stuart English. Sams and English both return for their second spell with the club after spending the tail end of last season at Wilks Park.

Boro go for Kat
Harrow Borough manager David Howell has signed fullback Gaurav Katyal from Farnborough Town. 'Kat', for short, played against Harrow for Farnborough in a Capital League fixture and sufficiently impressed to go straight into the side for which faced Hampton & Richmond in midweek and lost 2-0.

Perkins in at Ilford
Allan Fenn, player-manager of Ilford has completed the signing of central defender Chris Perkins. Ilford face a stern challenge as the title race hots up but with home and away matches still to come with Brook House and a visit from fellow promotion-hopefuls Enfield, the Essex club still have their destiny in their own hands. It was with this in mind that team boss Fenn enquired about and subsequently signed in his own words to nonleaguedaily.com: "A player out of the top drawer, who will give us the experience that is necessary to boost our challenge for honours." Perkins, aged 24, has played numerous first-team games for Southend United before moving on to win a FA Trophy winners' medal at Villa Park with Canvey Island and a Southern League Premier Division championship medal with Kettering Town.

Loan deal for City pair
Chelmsford City duo, Liam Hopkins and Steve Butterworth, have joined Southern League Division One East play-off hopefuls Wivenhoe Town on a month's loan in order to get some first-team action.

Associate Members Trophy
The remaining places in the quarter finals of the Associate Members Trophy have been decided and the competition now moves on from the group stage. As a result the two remaining games in Groups C & D will not be played.

Saturday's Headlines - 12th March 2005

Back to winning ways for leaders
After three successive draws, Yeading got back to winning form with a 3-0 success at Dover Athletic. DJ Campbell picked up a brace with Marvin Morgan claiming the third. The Ding still lead the table by six points with a game in hand.

Late winner for Iron
Gary Abbott scored nine minutes from time against Windsor & Eton to earn Braintree Town their sixth successive home win. The Iron have lost only once in the League since September.

Eastleigh keep up chase
Three points at home to Leyton moved Eastleigh into third place. David Hughes scored the only goal of the game in the first half. They leapfrog Billericay Town, who drew 0-0 at home to Salisbury City.

Dons double brace
Two goals from both new signing Shane Smeltz and Richard Butler helped AFC Wimbledon to their biggest home win of the season against Newport (IoW). Antony Howard opened the scoring after only 3 minutes in the 5-0 win.

Horsham bounce back
After last week's defeat Horsham got back on track with a 2-0 home win over Bashley. Ryan Rummery opened the scoring after 17 minutes with Jamie Taylor on target in the closing stages.

Ashford win basement clash
As the two bottom sides in Division One met, a late goal sneaked a 3-2 win for Ashford Town over Croydon. The visitors had taken the lead in the 7th minute through Jeff Goulding but two goals from Daniel Jones gave Ashford the half time lead. Ashley Martin levelled for Croydon with 15 minutes remaining before Barry Gardner snatched the game for the home side in the 89th.

Hertford stretch lead
A 3-1 win at Clapton stretched Hertford Town's lead at the top of Division Two to four points.

Witham back into second
For the second successive Saturday Witham Town scored five. Kevin Hawes claimed a brace as Town won 5-0 at Epsom & Ewell to move above Enfield into second place.

Centenary Match
A late goal from Kieran Knight secured a 3-2 victory for the Football Association in a thrilling match to celebrate the centenary of the Isthmian League at Dulwich Hamlet. The match was a hard fought contest played in good spirit. Lee Clark put the Football Association ahead after only eight minutes, a lead which they held until just before half-time when Billericay's Ross Wareham equalised. The second half was just as competitive as the first with both sides making substitutions. It was Ross Wareham who put the Isthmians in front with his second goal in the 56th minute only for substitute Stuart Booth to equalise before Knight's late winner. Among the spectators were representatives of a number of current and former member clubs as well as a number of other competitions and county football associations.

Oxby makes his bow
Making his debut as a second half substitute in Billericay Town's win at Harrow Borough was young winger Andy Oxby. Originally with Charlton as a youngster, he went on to join the academy at Norwich City where he spent three years before being released in 2002. Andy had brief spells with Barking and St. Albans before joining Met Police in January 2004. After a year with the Police he has now arrived at New Lodge as Town make a final push for honours this season.

Stones finally better local rivals
Harrow Borough could not make it a hat trick of wins over their biggest local rivals, Wealdstone, this season. Boro went out of the Middlesex Charity Cup with the only goal of the game coming in the first minute. With the game having much local importance, both sides played stronger line-ups than might otherwise have been the case in the Charity Cup. Wealdstone will now face Yeading in the semi finals - the fourth meeting between those clubs this season.

Horsham eye charity cup
Littlehampton Town stand in the way of Horsham and a third successive Brighton Charity Cup final appearance when they visit Queen Street on March 14th. Horsham beat Ringmer 3-1 in the quarter finals to reach the last four. Littlehampton, who needed a penalty shoot out to reach the semis have never won the trophy.

Rogers gets running
Following in the steps of many others, Phil Rogers will be running the London Marathon to raise money both for Cancer Research UK, and for the youth teams at Hendon. Details are available on the club's website.

Wallace contract cancelled
Salisbury City have been announced that top scorer Adam Wallace has had his contract cancelled by mutual consent. This is due to his increased work commitments that led to him being transfer listed a couple of weeks ago. He has scored 54 goals in 113 appearances for the Whites.

More woe for Nko
Worthing's Nko Ekoku's season looks to be over after picking up a thigh injury. The striker's year has been plagued with long periods out, and yet again he has been struck down after a string of impressive performances. Joining him is fellow striker Sam Francis although his ankle injury is much less long term. Defender Marc Pullan missed the match against Folkestone Invicta after picking up his fifth yellow card at home to Staines. The Rebels have, however picked up two loan signings and a permanent one. Centre-half Marc Cable and striker Marc Whiteman join for a month from Lewes. Former Rebel Gavin Geddes has also signed again to boost the club's strike force.

Cup success for Fleet
Fleet Town kept their cup hopes alive by brushing aside Conference South opponents, Havant & Waterlooville in the Russell Cotes Cup. The 2-0 win takes Fleet on to a tough semi-final clash away at Premier Division Eastleigh. Fleet took the initiative, and grabbed the lead early on, courtesy of a great finish by front-man, David Ocquaye. Phil Archbold then made it 2-0, six minutes later with a fine lob over the head of Havant keeper, David Leaver.

Walton walks
Byron Walton has resigned from his position as manager of Flackwell Heath. Following an approach from Southern League Premier Division Hemel Hempstead Town, he has agreed to assume control of 'The Tudors' forthwith. In his twelve months in charge at Wilks Park, Flackwell Heath finished 5th in Ryman League Division Two, won the High Wycombe Challenge Cup for a record equalling twelfth time and reached the 4th qualifying round of the FA Cup. The club are expecting to make an announcement regarding his successor shortly.

Abingdon keep on signing
After Danny Wallace made his debut in the 3-0 win over Flackwell Heath, Abingdon Town have continued to bring in new talent. Among them are Nathan Jack, brother of existing player Ady from Flackwell, Ross Tyler also a midfielder from Wallingford Town and Joey Beauchamp has returned from Didcot Town, he is still the club's top scorer although he has not played for a few weeks. They will boost the squad which is still without Matty Whitehead, Jason Thomas, Danny Morgan and Adam French who are all injured. Kamron Abbasi has finished his loan period from Oxford City, also Matty Walton is on Berks and Bucks duty.

Hastings appeal to youngsters
Plans are in hand to have a 'Kids for Free' day on 9th April, when Bashley are due to visit the Pilot Field. Anyone under the age of sixteen wishing to come along to this game will be admitted free of charge, irrespective of whether they are accompanied by an adult or not.

Tonbridge chairman calls for commitment
Paul Dainty, chairman of Tonbridge Angels, has explained why he took the action of withholding the players' wages after the defeat against Windsor & Eton. Dainty said: "In hindsight maybe I was wrong to do what I did, but quite frankly I was so appalled by the performance which we had to witness that was a disgrace to the club and its loyal supporters. I felt I had to do something. I didn't actually say I was not going to pay the wages but wanted the players to justify themselves as to why they would deserve to be paid after what we had to endure. I thought the performance against Worthing was bad, but the display on Saturday lacked commitment, passion, organisation and, above all, a desire to keep the club in this division. People go on about the club and money, we have very little left but always, somehow we manage to pay the players - where was the pay back on Saturday? I felt that some players were going through the motions just to pick up their wages which is shameful. Steve Sodje is an example of what this club needs now. Steve was going to be released by the club a month ago. He accepted that but asked to stay with the club without being paid to try to help the club stay in this division. Some other players, I believe, lack such desire and what I cannot understand is why they could perform so well the week before against a top six side."

Leafe plan fundraising walk
In February 2004, Whyteleafe Supporters Club held a sponsored walk from Whyteleafe to Bromley and raised in excess of £4,500. The proceeds were split equally between the Supporters Club and the National Centre for Young People with Epilepsy (NCYPE). This was a very successful event, both in terms of enjoyment for the participants and for the enormous amount of money raised. Based on that the club have decided to organise another walk; this time from Whyteleafe to Imperial Fields, the home ground of Tooting & Mitcham Utd. The proceeds of this walk will be split equally between another local charity, The Orpheus Centre and the Supporters Club. As with the Bromley walk, the trip to Tooting on Easter Monday will try to avoid roadside and pavement walking as much as possible. Much of it, for example, will follow the Wandle Nature Trail. The route is being designed to be as attractive, interesting and safe as possible.

Witham survive Camberley fight back
Spectators at the Witham Town v Camberley Town game witnessed nine goals as the home side were made to fight for the three points. After a poor start, Camberley found themselves 3-0 down on 28 minutes through goals from Justin Pearce, Nick Emery and Kevin Hawes. Camberley recovered and Jamie Shannon pulled a goal back before the break. Four minutes into the second half Steve Lunn made it 4-1 and a heavy defeat looked on the cards but Camberley staged a tremendous fightback. Mitch While and Paul Stevens hit goals within two minutes of each other to shake Witham and then ten minutes from time Shannon hit his second of the match to level the scores. Hawes, Witham's leading scorer, broke Camberley hearts with the winner two minutes from time.

New date for Vase final
The Football Association has announced that the date for the final of the FA Vase has been changed. The game will now be played at Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, May 14th, kick-off at 2pm. The final was due to have been played the following day but the decision was made after The Premier League switched the fixtures for the last day of their season from Saturday 14th May to Sunday 15 May, therefore, Tottenham are now required to have the home game with Blackburn played on the Sunday.

Braintree plan youth campaign
Next season Braintree Town will compete in the Nationwide Conference Youth League. The club sees it as part of its ongoing initiatives to confirm the Essex club's position within the non-League Pyramid as a forward -thinking and innovative outfit, whilst also placing great emphasis on its role within its local community. At the club's Open Evening chaired by manager George Borg along with vice-chairman Barry Shepherd and youth secretary Mark Bundock, there was an good response to the offer to find the club's stars of the future by virtue of a joint educational and coaching package offered by the Cressing Road club.

GX SOCCER TEAM OF THE MONTH - FEBRUARY 2005

Slough earned the Premier Division Team of the Month award for February by virtue of being the last remaining Ryman team in the FA Trophy, before going out at the hands of Gravesend & Northfleet in the fifth round.  In Division One Molesey were recognised for their 3-0 success over Ashford Town - their first league success since December.   Meanwhile in Division Two Wembley overcame then leaders Enfield 3-0 to end a run of three games without a win.

SAFE HANDS AWARDS - FEBRUARY 2005