Mar 1, 2025
Neil Kitching’s Stafford Rangers continued their climb away from the danger zone with a hard fought victory over Witton Albion.
The Rangers’ boss made three changes to the starting line up. Scott Wara was suspended while Ackeme Francis-Burrell and John Atherton dropped to the bench. In came Jack Burgess, Ashley Fallon and Liam Brazier. Cameron Belford was still injured so Leon Phillips retained his place in goal.
A drying bumpy pitch made it nigh on impossible for passing football to be a main feature of the afternoon and while there were sporadic passages, it was largely a tight physical battle between the two sides. The outcome could have gone either way but it was Stafford – through James McQuilkin – who got the all important goal.
The bounce of the ball was unpredictable and when Jack Burgess misjudged a long ball early on, it allowed Witton’s Mammadou Djabi to put in Damola Sotona but Phillips came quickly off his line to make a brave block.
At the other end, McQuilkin volleyed wide then Brazier showed his skills before going to ground under the challenge of visiting keeper Louie Fallon but Referee Keir Sheppard was not interested in Stafford’s penalty appeals.
Having missed once, McQuilkin made no mistake with a second opportunity that came his way on 20 minutes, striking smartly past Fallon from the edge of the area after Witton had failed to clear a free kick.
Too often, Rangers afforded the visitors too much space in their final third but escaped punishment as James Hooper sliced his shot badly wide while Andy Burns raced across to clear a dangerous looking ball towards Sotona from Djabi.
Either side of these chances, another opportunity fell the way of Stafford’s McQuilkin but his shot was comfortably saved to his left by the diving Fallon.
A flashpoint came shortly before half time when a poor challenge from Callum King-Harmes on Hooper sparked a reaction from the visitors. The Stafford man got away with just a yellow and Max Harrop showed his frustration with a retaliatory foul on King-Harmes soon after and also saw his name taken.
King-Harmes almost added further spice to the incident but fired over the Witton cross bar.
Hooper sent a 25 yard free kick curling just wide of the post early in the second half as Witton tried to get back on level terms while Fallon and Brazier failed to take chances to double Stafford’s lead.
Witton sub Nick Hepple had the best opportunity to equalise when Hooper put him in behind the Stafford defence but Phillips stood his ground to make an important save before Burns cleared.
At the other end, McQuilkin went close to a second for Stafford but saw his drive come back off the cross bar while Lee Jackson took the ball off Brazier’s toe as he prepared to shoot.
A late push from Witton saw Michael Koral shoot over and Rangers were celebrating a first clean sheet in 15 games.
Stafford Rangers: 1 Leon Phillips, 2 Andy Burns, 3 Ben O’Hanlon, 4 Jack Burgess (15 Joe Thomas 77m), 5 Michael McGrath, 6 James O’Neill, 7 Callum King-Harmes, 8 Ashley Fallon, 9 Kaiman Anderson, 10 James McQuilkin, 11 Liam Brazier (14 John Atherton 81m). Unused Subs 12 Ackeme Francis-Burrell, 16 Joe Morley, 17 Louis Francis
Witton Albion: 1 Louie Fallon, 2 Michael Koral, 3 Lee Jackson, 4 Ben Harrison (12 Oliver Hitchcox 45m), 5 Josh Langley, 6 Joel Bailey, 7 James Hooper, 8 Alfie Henderson (17 James Lawrie 61m), 9 Mamadou Djabi (14 Nick Hepple 56m (15 Adam Watson 87m)), 10 Max Harrop (16 Danny Thompson-Edwards 73m), 11 Damola Sotona.
Referee: Keir Sheppard
Cautions: Burns, King-Harmes, Brazier, McQuilkin (Stafford) Harrison, Harrop, Hepple (Witton)
Attendance: 874
Report by Chris Elsley
Feb 18, 2025
Stafford Rangers were beaten for the first time in six matches with a performance that manager Neil Kitching described as disappointing.
The Rangers boss went with the same starting XI that had earned a point at Atherton three days earlier but he was forced to make an early change after striker Dan Cockerline went down with a hamstring injury with less than two minutes played. Port Vale youngster Liam Brazier came on as his replacement.
Although Rangers did create a half chance in the early stages, they were slow to get into the game and it was visitors Bootle who looked the most threatening. They were assisted too often by some wayward passing from the home side.
The game was approaching the 15 minute mark before either side produced a serious shot on goal. When they did, it came from Bootle’s Ben Hodkinson who intercepted a header out of defence and cut inside before firing just over from around 20 yards out. A decent effort but never really troubling Cam Belford.
When Bootle took the lead on 25 minutes it was simple, route one, football. Jack Leneham played a perfectly weighted long ball out of defence. Kyle Campbell got behind the Stafford back line and Belford was left stranded in no man’s land as the Bootle man lobbed the keeper.
Stafford didn’t show much sign of an equaliser until just before the break. John Atherton linked well with Brazier but his shot was an easy catch for Anthony Thompson. Then, two minutes later, the Bootle keeper made an excellent reflex save to keep out a flicked header from Michael McGrath. Another shot from Atherton was easily saved but Rangers finally appeared to be waking up to the task.
They continued the improvement after the break with an early chance for Scott Wara.
The deserved equaliser came on 55 minutes from the head of McGrath following a James McQuilkin free kick on the left although Bootle were claiming a foul as players from both sides went to ground in the penalty area.
Rangers thought they had gone ahead three minutes later when Wara headed past Harrison from another McQuilkin free kick but his effort was ruled out for offside – a decision that Rangers felt aggrieved by.
Rangers looked most likely to go on and win it as Bootle rocked but they held out and it was they who scored what proved to be the decider on 77 minutes.
A free kick into the Rangers area wasn’t properly dealt with but Belford quelled the initial danger with a good save to deny Campbell who then saw his follow up blocked.
But, from the resulting corner, it was Sam Hughes who saw his close range header flash past the Stafford keeper to the delight of his team-mates.
Rangers created one good chance to salvage a point with a shot from Brazier that was well saved by Thompson at the foot of his right hand post.
Stafford Rangers: 1 Cam Belford, 2 Andy Burns, 3 Ben O’Hanlon, 4 Michael McGrath, 5 Scott Wara, 6 James O’Neill, 7 John Atherton (17 Joe Thomas 81m), 8 Jack Burgess (12 Ashley Fallon 71m), 9 Dan Cockerline (16 Liam Brazier 4m), 10 James McQuilkin (14 Ackeme Francis-Burrell 81m), 11 Kaiman Anderson. Unused Subs: 15 Joe Morley
Bootle: 1 Anthony Thompson, 2 Jay Roberts, 3 Sean Smith, 4 Ben Dufton-Kelly, 5 Thomas Hannigan, 6 Lewis Earl, 7 Jack Lenehan (17 Jordan Lussey 66m), 8 Sam Hughes, 9 Courtney Duffus (12 Conor Harwood 75m), 10 Kyle Campbell, 11 Ben Hodkinson (14 Sean Williams 66m). Unused Subs 15 Michael Simpson, 16 Jack Morris
Referee: Owen Moreton
Cautions: O’Hanlon (Rangers), Thompson, Dufton-Kelly, Earl, Campbell (Bootle)
Attendance: 522
Report by Chris Elsley
Feb 8, 2025
It’s now four wins on the bounce for Stafford Rangers. Their latest success came at home to Nantwich Town in a game that marked the return home for management team Neil Kitching and Nick Amos.
The duo were in place for last week’s win at Kidsgrove and they kept up the good start to their battle against relegation with another 3 point haul.
There was one change to the line up with Zidan Sutherland having returned to Hednesford. Dan Cockerline came in for his start since dislocating his shoulder at Chasetown 3 months ago.
Visitors Nantwich started brightly and could have scored inside the first minute. Byron Harrison sent Alex Panter away. He cut in from the left but saw his shot strike the outside of the far post before it eventually settled into the arms of Cam Belford.
Rangers soon responded with Callum King-Harmes finding Cockerline after beating Joe Bunney but the recalled striker was unable to find a finish.
Instead, it was King-Harmes himself who made the early breakthrough. Ashley Fallon did well to get the ball out to the wide midfielder and he again got the better of Bunney before striking the ball past Ben Garratt to put Rangers one up in the 8th minute.
Play remained competitive but with neither side really testing the keeper. They were not helped by referee Andrew Biggin who seemed keen on halting play at every opportunity and not allowing the game to flow. Biggin brandished 11 yellow cards in a game that didn’t have a bad tackle although, in defence of the official, several were for acts of time wasting and displays of dissent.
Rangers managed to hold their lead into the half time break but the visitors were again quickest out of the blocks after the interval and got a deserved equaliser on 56 minutes when James Melhado’s cross landed on the foot of Harrison and the Nantwich forward was left with a simple task.
Rangers had another set back when Ben O’Hanlon was forced off with an injury but the introduction of Scott Wara as his replacement gave the defence some added security.
John Atherton was also back in the squad after missing the last three games with illness and came on to play his part as Rangers restored their lead on 76 minutes.
Substitute Atherton linked well with James McQuilkin on the right before being bundled over by Perry Bircumshaw. Cockerline’s penalty was saved by Garratt but he followed up to smash home the rebound.
Nantwich pressed for a late equaliser but found the home side in dogged and determined mood that this one wasn’t going to get away from them. The best chance the visitors had came in the final minute of added time when the ball fell to Panter but he sent his shot high over the bar.
A fourth consecutive win – for the first time in 8 years – takes Rangers up to 16th in the table, their highest placing since mid October.
Stafford Rangers: 1 Cam Belford, 2 Andy Burns, 3 Ben O’Hanlon (12 Scott Wara 66m), 4 Jack Burgess, 5 Michael McGrath, 6 James O’Neill, 7 Callum King-Harmes, 8 Ashley Fallon (15 Ackeme Francis-Burrell 72m), 9 Dan Cockerline, 10 James McQuilkin, 11 Kaiman Anderson (14 John Atherton 57m). Unused Subs: 16 Max Barlow, 17 Joe Morley
Nantwich Town: 1 Ben Garratt, 2 James Melhado, 3 Joseph Bunney (14 Perry Bircumshaw 60m), 4 Kelvin Mellor, 5 Troy Bourne, 6 Patrick Kennedy (15 Joe Robbins 72m), 7 Tom Pratt, 8 Matthew Tweedley (12 Nathan Sandison 82m), 9 Alex Panter, 10 Byron Harrison (16 Callum Saunders 77m), 11 Kofi Moore. Unused Subs 17 Darren Thornton
Referee: Andrew Biggin
Cautions: Belford, Burgess, McGrath, O’Neill, McQuilkin, Nick Amos (Stafford) Mellor, Bourne, Tweedley, Panter, Bircumshaw (Nantwich)
Attendance: 877
Report by Chris Elsley
Jan 25, 2025
Stafford Rangers came out on top in their “six pointer” clash with fellow strugglers Wythenshawe.
The result was only Rangers’ second win in seven outings and the first for caretaker manager Graham Deakin. More importantly, the gap to safety was closed to just two points with Rangers also having two games in hand on those immediately above them.
Zidan Sutherland returned to the starting line up after being unavailable for the Staffs Senior Cup tie in midweek and he went close to getting an early goal as Rangers came out full of intent.
Sutherland’s second minute free kick was heading for the top corner before being acrobatically turned away by Kyle Haslam.
Soon after, Jack Burgess – in as a late replacement for John Atherton who reported unwell – hit the base of the post following a lay off from Sutherland.
Rangers soon got their reward although it came via one of the visitors. Jimmy O’Neill headed back James McQuilkin’s corner and a lack of communication between Haslam and Andrew Keogh resulted in the latter turning the ball into his own net in the 7th minute.
Wythenshawe began to stabilize and created a couple of half chances but nothing to threaten Cam Belford who watched a shot from Darrhyl Mason roll wide while another fromRyan Shenton took a deflection off a Stafford defender.
Despite these two half chances for the visitors, Stafford remained largely in firm control and it needed a good save from Haslam to keep out a 25 yard drive from McQuilkin. The Wythenshawe keeper had to go low to his right after appearing to be unsighted.
Rangers deservedly doubled their lead on 37 minutes when Sutherland ran on to a long ball then cut in from the left before firing past the exposed Haslam.
Some late pressure from the visitors just before the interval saw Scott Wara and Andy Burns in the thick of the action to ensure Stafford went in at the break with their two goal lead.
Wythenshawe made a couple of changes at the break but they still struggled to pose a threat on the Stafford goal.
Two further substitutions on the hour had a little more impact in so much as Rangers saw less of the ball in the visitors’ penalty area but the Stafford goal remained intact with a disciplined display at the back.
But, Rangers have not made things easy for themselves this season and Wythenshawe set up a nervy finish when Tremaine Eastmond pulled one back in the 85th minute following Mason’s ball in from the right. The Wythenshawe sub came running on to the ball and fired home from just inside the area.
Dan Cockerline made a welcome return to action after injury with the forward getting a 20 minute run out and he nearly marked his appearance with a goal in added time but his effort was well blocked by Fraser Goodwin.
Stafford Rangers: 1 Cam Belford, 2 Andy Burns, 3 Ben O’Hanlon, 4 Michael McGrath, 5 James O’Neill, 6 Scott Wara, 7 Jack Burgess (16 Lewis Collins 71m), 8 James McQuilkin, 9 Zidan Sutherland (17 Dan Cockerline 71m), 10 Callum King-Harmes, 11 Kaiman Anderson. Unused Subs 12 Ashley Fallon, 14 John Atherton, 15 Joe Morley.
Wythenshawe: 1 Kyle Haslam, 2 Alastair Brown, 3 Oghenero Orhenomare (14 Louis Corrigan 46m), 4 Arron Hevingham, 5 Fraser Goodwin, 6 Luke Worth (16 Benjamin Mail 69m), 7 Darrhyl Mason, 8 Ryan Shenton (12 Noel Brindle 46m), 9 Andrew Keogh, 10 Michael Monaghan (15 Tremaine Eastmond 60m), 11 Abdullahi Ahmed (17 William Igoe 60m).
Referee: Daniel Ellis
Cautions: Anderson (Stafford), Goodwin, Shenton, Ahmed (Wythenshawe)
Attendance: 574
Report by Chris Elsley
Jan 21, 2025
The switch from league to cup football brought no improvement in fortunes for struggling Stafford Rangers as they were knocked out of the Staffordshire Senior Cup by Sporting Khalsa.
Caretaker Manager Graham Deakin fielded a full strength side with Andy Burns the only notable absentee with the defender having picked up an injury late on in Saturday’s defeat at Widnes.
The visitors – members of the NPL Division One Midlands – started brightly with Kieron Whittaker looking a threat.
Then, just as Rangers were starting to establish themselves, they found themselves behind with a goal scored in the 11th minute. A move on the Khalsa right gave the opportunity for Jayden Campbell to get in a cross from the right. James McGrady benefitted from a slip by Ethan Petterson and beat Cam Belford with a shot that looped up after being struck into the ground.
Isai Marselia had a chance to double the lead when he got clear after Michael McGrath had failed to cut out a long ball but Belford was on hand to parry.
Lewis Collins and Callum King-Harmes both got into good positions for Stafford. The former was unfortunate to see the ball bounce off him into the arms of Brandon Ganley while King-Harmes was denied by the legs of the visiting keeper.
At the other end, Belford saved from McGrady then had to rush off his line and dive at the feet of Whittaker.
Khalsa inflicted further misery on the home side 5 minutes before the break. A breakdown in communication saw Kaiman Anderson’s pass go by McGrath and McGrady advanced to put Khalsa 2-0 ahead.
Deakin made a couple of changes at half time, introducing Jack Burgess and John Atherton to the action and the changes reaped reward within three minutes of the restart.
Atherton started the move and was there to finish it after Ganley had been unable to hold Collins’ initial shot.
For the first time in the game, Stafford looked to be in some sort of control and came close to bringing the scores level through Jimmy O’Neill at the near post.
But, Khalsa looked a threat every time they went forward and it needed a goal line clearance from Scott Wara to deny Chay Tilt and a remarkable save from Belford to prevent Whittaker from converting the rebound.
Khalsa added a third goal on 72 minutes when Marselia was given a free run to latch on to Whittaker’s through ball and he beat Belford from the edge of the area.
Atherton got Rangers back into it again when he scored his second of the night on 78 minutes with a well struck drive after cutting in from the right, but Khalsa made sure it would be their name in the 3rd round on 84 minutes when Wara lost the ball to Andre Landell on the half way line. Callum Dolman picked out the unmarked Tilt to add the final nail in the coffin.
Stafford Rangers: 1 Cam Belford, 2 Scott Wara (14 Joe Morley 85m), 3 Ben O’Hanlon, 4 Ashley Fallon (15 Jack Burgess 46m), 5 Michael McGrath, 6 Ethan Patterson (16 John Atherton 46m), 7 Callum King-Harmes, 8 James McQuilkin, 9 James O’Neill, 10 Kaiman Anderson, 11 Lewis Collins (17 Sam Fitzgerald 79m). Unused Subs 12 Max Barlow
Sporting Khalsa: 1 Brandon Ganley, 2 Kristian Green, 3 Zacharias Kouroviyanni, 4 Carlo Franco, 5 Luke Ward, 6 Callum Dolman, 7 Todd Ferrier (16 Chay Tilt 60m), 8 Kieron Whittaker (17 Nana Owusu-Gyimah 75m), 9 Isai Marselia (12 Andre Landell 79m), 10 Jayden Campbell (15 Robbie Bunn 60m), 11 James McGrady. Unused Subs 14 Simeon Cobourne
Referee: Harry Warner
Cautions: None
Attendance: 157
Report by Chris Elsley
