Stafford Rangers Academy – Winter Trials

Stafford Rangers are looking for talented, committed and ambitious local footballers currently in Year 10 & Year 11 who wish to join a semi-professional academy in the Evo-Stik League where they will #Study#Train and #Play full time after leaving school in 2019 (Current year 11 students) and 2020 (Current year 10 students)

Our students study for a BTEC in Sport qualification (Level 3), train every day with an UEFA qualified coach and play in the NPL Football Academy League with opportunities to play in the FA Youth Cup.

Starting in September 2019, the Stafford Rangers ‘Education and Football Academy’ is an alternative to college and is ideal for any 16/17 year old who wishes to gain a great education and develop as a footballer at the same time.

TRIALS are taking place in December:-

DATE & TIME: Friday 14th December, 4:30pm – 6pm
VENUE: Rowley Park Sports Stadium, Averill Road, Stafford, ST17 9XX (3G pitch)

If you would like to attend, please register your details HERE

At the Stafford Rangers Academy you will study, train and play full time.

STUDY:
– Alternative to college
– BTEC in Sport Level 3 (Diploma & Extended Diploma)
– 168 UCAS points (Extended Diploma) & 112 UCAS points (Diploma) available
– Two year programme
– Study in the classroom with your team mates
– Take the next step to UK university, US scholarship or employment/apprenticeship

TRAIN:
– Experienced & UEFA qualified coaches
– Train three/four times a week
– Improve technical ability and fitness on a daily basis
– Opportunities to train with the first team

PLAY:
– In the NPL Football Academy League
– Opportunities to play in the FA Youth Cup
– Games played at Evo-Stik League stadiums
– Opportunities to progress to the first team
– Opportunities to play for the inter-league team against
professional clubs (https://youtu.be/599ijooPbrg)

EXTRAS:
– All matches are filmed, analysed and shown in a weekly highlights package online with our video partners FilmMyMatch (https://youtu.be/3T_q_C28oQg)
– Opportunities to take part in online challenges against other students (https://youtu.be/SQfRyXeSYUc)
– Opportunities to study, play and coach in the USA by gaining a scholarship
– Progress onto our three-year university degree course (http://nplfa.co.uk/degree/)
Take a look at the NPLFA’s success stories – nplfa.co.uk/graduates – and activate your ambition now by applying at nplfa.co.uk/register

Follow the NPLFA:
facebook.com/NPLFootballAcademy
twitter.com/NPLFA
instagram.com/NPLFA
youtube.com/NPLFA

Buxton match preview – Phil Bennett

Since Neil Kitching got us back into the NPL this will be our third meeting at home to Buxton. Sadly, both games to date have seen a 2-1 defeat and last seasons 4-1 defeat. Let’s hope we can turn the corner.

Due to their new artificial pitch not being ready at the start of the season Buxton started the season with 3 away games but as the season has gone on, they have now caught up. If you look at their away league form, they could be a side who sits back and defend for 90 minutes, as they have only won once at Mickleover, back in September, but have drawn 6, at Nantwich, Workington, Bamber Bridge, Farsley, Hednesford and Stalybridge. Their only two away defeats show a dislike of the North East having lost at Whitby and Scarborough. Another feather in their cap is that they won away in the FA Trophy at our FA Cup victors, Kings Lynn.

Having now created a new unbeaten run, okay 2 drawn games, but from acorns mighty oak trees grow, we hope to step up and beat Buxton to avenge our first half defeat at Silverlands earlier this season. Buxton become the first side we have met twice this season so let’s hope we can prevent them being the first side to do the double over us this season. While we have another weeks rest, Buxton will be putting their away form to the test with a visit to Alfreton on Tuesday night in the Derbyshire Cup.

As the cold weather starts to come and the Christmas shopping takes hold, please take a break and pop down to Marston Road this Saturday and cheer the team on to a victory. Remember that this could be the last home league game without the “shed end”, so let’s close a piece of history with a win.

Games played this century on 1st December

 

2001       Vauxhall               H             0-3          FA Trophy round 2

2007       Northwich V        H             0-0         Conference

2012       Eastwood             A             2-2          Northern Premier League

 

Almost to the day,

4/12/12 we drew 2-2 at home to……. Buxton

Stafford Rangers 3-3 Whitby Town

Evo-Stik Northern Premier League
Saturday 24 November 2018

Stafford Rangers and Whitby Town shared six goals in an entertaining game at Marston Road.  Rangers had Joe Cuff back in the starting line-up after illness ruled him out last week. Missing was Andy Haworth through suspension. The hosts made the perfect start by taking a 2nd minute lead when Tom Thorley chested down Lee bullock’s defensive header and volleyed past Adam McHugh from the edge of the area.

 

Stafford looked the sharper of the two sides although Whitby were well in the contest and saw Matthew Tymon miss out with two chances that came his way.

Jake Charles forced Whitby keeper Adam McHugh low to his left to prevent Rangers extending the lead while Jack Sherratt was well off target when well placed. In between an unmarked Toby Lees planted a free header straight at Adam Whitehouse.
Whitby then stunned Rangers with two goals in a five-minute spell.

The first came from a Dale Hobson penalty on 35 mins – the award of the spot kick was a soft one after Hobson had gone down easily under Luke Jones’ challenge. The Rangers’ skipper was involved in Whitby’s second when his attempted clearance was charged down by Lewis Maloney who advanced to fire past Whitehouse.

The ding-dong battle continued, and Rangers were back level within a minute. A perfect cross from the right by Theo Bailey-Jones was matched by the run and finish from Cuff.

There was still time for both sides to add to the scoring before the half time whistle but Junior Mondall fired wide for Whitby after he had outwitted both Dan Burns and Jones while Jake Charles’ low centre played pin-ball in the Whitby defence before being blocked on the line by Lees.

The two sides exchanged chances early in the second half. Whitehouse made a good save to deny Adam Gell then a minute later Cuff was only just wide with a shot from near the left touchline.

Cuff sent another shot flashing across the face of the Whitby goal, but it was the visitors who were to strike next. Junior Mondall won possession in the Stafford area and laid off to Callum Patton who hammered past Whitehouse to put his side ahead with 20 mins remaining.

Stafford refused to give up and Cuff fired in his second of the game on 80 mins after Thorley and Izak Reid had linked well.
Rangers piled on the pressure in the final minutes but couldn’t find the important goal that would give them all three points.

Stafford: 1 Adam Whitehouse, 2 Lewis Banks, 3 James Askey, 4 Luke Jones, 5 Jack Sherratt (15 Josh Green 77m), 6 Dan Burns, 7 Theo Bailey-Jones (12 Izak Reid 77m), 8 Tom Thorley, 9 Jake Charles (14 Harry Benns 74m), 10 Andrai Jones, 11 Joe Cuff. Unused Subs: 16 Sam Coulson, 17 Liam Collings
Whitby: 1 Adam McHugh, 2 David McTiernan, 3 Jassem Sukar, 4 Adam Gell, 5 Toby Lees, 6 Lee Bullock, 7 Callum Patton, 8 Dale Hobson, 9 Junior Mondall, 10 Matthew Tymon (15 Greg Rutherford 46m), 11 Lewis Maloney. Unused Subs: 12 Kieran Weledji, 14 Ashley Coffey, 16 Cameron Wilson, 17 Daniel Dixon

Cautions: McTiernan, Maloney (Whitby)
Referee: Stuart Richardson

Att: 375

Report by Chris Elsley

THE ‘SHED END’ NAMING

Recently a suggestion was made that the new Shed End should be named the Jon Downing Stand or similar. A poll was held on an associated Facebook page and many supporters were in favour of this.

The result of this poll was considered by the Board of Directors and a decision was made to approach Jon’s family in this respect.

We can now confirm that the Downing family have been approached and that they would like the Shed End name to remain as it was first intended.

The family have said “We are extremely pleased that the club have honoured Jon’s memory by renaming the Lotus suite the Jon Downing Suite. We are aware that the stand is now being erected and that a number of supporters and companies have contributed to this with both time and money. Whilst we appreciate the wonderful gesture of Jon’s name appearing on the Shed End we feel that Jon would have wanted the credit for this to remain with these people and that the intended original name remain”

 

Whitby Town Match Preview

Please note that there has been a fixture change, as our intended opponents, Witton Albion are involved in the FA Trophy, and as a fellow Northern Premier League side, we wish them well in their tie at National League North side Leamington. That would normally leave us with a blank Saturday, but the League have done us proud and have rearranged a fixture to now give us a home game. I hope fans have not made any plans thinking we were away as we now have a home fixture with Whitby. The original date for this game was January 12th, and the potential for a bad weather postponement causing Whitby an arduous midweek journey will certainly have gone down well with our East Coast opponents. Whitby were to have made the journey to Stalybridge but for Celtics Trophy involvement, so I think the League have made a very wise decision.

Our visitors appear to have gone against the trend of a reluctance for Northern League sides to join the pyramid. Historically the Northern League sides have shunned promotion into until the rules changed last summer forcing compulsory promotion Back in 1992-93, Whitby Town won the Northern League Championship for the first time in their history but due to circumstances beyond their control, the club were denied promotion to the Northern Premier League. Prior to that Whitby had been in the Northern League since 1926. The club, who were amateurs reached the Amateur Cup final at Wembley in 1965 losing 3-1 to Hendon.
1997 was perhaps their finest year, winning the Northern League and the FA Vase at Wembley. 11,098 witnessed a 3-0 defeat of North Ferriby, refereed by Graham Poll. The following season newly promoted to the Division 1 of the Northern Premier League (Unibond) they won the League with a 7-point margin. Since then, Whitby have established themselves as a Northern Premier League side.

This season sees Whitby in a mid-table position of 13th after 18 games. Looking only at their 9 away league games, they have been successful 3 times, at North Ferriby 1-0, Matlock 3-0 and Workington 2-1. They have drawn 1-1 at Scarborough and 0-0 at Marine. Defeats have been 0-2 at Basford, 1-4 at Nantwich and 2-3 at Grantham, and last Saturday 1-4 at Gainsborough. Their FA Cup run was ended at the first hurdle with a 0-1 away defeat at Northern League side Whitley Bay. They have certainly been given local away ties in the Integro League cup with success at Pickering 2-1 before losing out on penalties at Scarborough. Anyone who has drawn twice this season at Scarborough cannot be taken lightly.

So, on paper, we may have a tricky game, so it is important that you are aware of the change of fixtures and turn up in numbers to cheer Steve’s side on to victory. We need to build on our strong defensive performance at Lancaster and score some goals to reduce our goal difference column. We have a week’s rest prior to this game while Whitby have a county cup tie on Tuesday at home to Grangetown Boys Club. They are a step 7 side from the North Riding Football League, so Whitby, too may have had a week’s rest.

Games played on 24th November this century

2001 Welling Away 2-3 Southern League
2007 Ebbsfleet Away 1-2 Conference
2012 Southport Home 0-4 FA Trophy 1st round