Quotes from the Weekend: Matchweek 28
Tue 4th February 2025 | Manager Reactions | By Jay Cooper
With a good amount of NWCFL teams in League and Cup action across this past weekend, there was plenty of scope to speak to club managers for their opinions on what their teams produced in their 90 minutes.
Edward Case Cup:
Adam Wall, of Stafford Town (Stafford Town 7-4 Maine Road)
“It was a strange Saturday, if I am honest. We've worked hard this year at both ends of the pitch, and winning in the manner we did in a quarter final against a lively Maine Road team is obviously good.
“However, it was flat afterwards, as we know we didn't hold our standards and allowed the opposition back into the game multiple times. That's hugely picky, I am aware, and we as a club are still absolutely delighted to be in the semi-finals of the Edward Case Cup.”
Premier Division:
Paul Marshall, of West Didsbury and Chorlton (West Didsbury and Chorlton 4-3 Colne)
“It was a great game of football for the neutral, but very disappointing to be going into half time 3-0 down. To their credit, Colne scored a couple of great goals and probably deserved to be in front at the time.
“It was a great reaction in the second half from our lads, and the winning goal from Jimmy Moore was more than worthy of winning any game of football.”
First Division North:
Gerry Harrison, of Nelson (Nelson 2-1 Maghull)
“We knew coming into this one, having played Maghull semi-recently and won 5-0, that it wasn’t going to be the same game. Maghull are a good team with talented players. In the first half, I feel as though we somewhat expected more of the same, rather than going out and making the best of our chances. At half-time, it was 0-0, and both teams had their chances.
"Our second half was much better, and we were rewarded when Charlie Frost scored his first. Once we’d scored, I was thinking that the game could very easily finish 1-0, but we knew Maghull wouldn’t give up, and sure enough, they got a late equaliser,
"Thankfully, we’ve got a great resilience in our group, and we know that we could get one more chance if we kept going, and then we did get that Chance, and Charlie Frost, again, pulled off a superb finish.
“Our resilience is one thing we’ve been focusing on in training – we don’t really let our training sessions fizzle out; we keep going right up until the end. And we got a little bit of good fortune – Maghull put in a good performance and probably would think they deserved a point out of it, but our boys had that persistence and that little bit of luck to come out on top.
“We’ve essentially got seven cup finals between now and the end of the season, especially with still having to play Atherton LR (2nd place) twice. So, we’ll do our best to keep this going.”
Roy Mason, of Steeton (Skelmersdale United 1-5 Steeton)
"After not playing for four weeks, it was pleasing to not only get the win, but also to put on a dominant performance, I felt that we were good value for our 3-0 lead at half time and in truth, we could and should have been further ahead.
“An early fourth goal in the second half killed the game, but credit to Skelmersdale, who never gave up. I was pleased with the way the lads moved the ball quickly, which is what we'd asked for and it continues the decent run of form we've been on lately.”
First Division South:
Craig Humphries, of Barnton (Wolves Sporting 1-2 Barnton)
“When reflecting on Saturday’s game, it’s very easy to get carried away. There are a lot of positives to take away from the game and it’s a massive step in the right direction. We hope to build on that in the coming weeks as the games come thick and fast.
“The quality that the squad possess really doesn’t reflect the position that they are stuck at in the league, and along with the new signings, who are already making a massive impact, we are hopeful we can get the club moving up the league table and provide a solid foundation to build on next season.”
Liam Kelly, of Eccleshall (Market Drayton Town 1-3 Eccleshall)
“We always anticipated that this would be a tight game given its standing as a local derby, and the fact that both sets of players and the management staff know each other personally away from football. The game didn't disappoint, with plenty of aggression and desire from both sides, but it was still a derby played in a good competitive manner.
“We went one down from a well-placed finish, but I never felt like this stopped us from looking like the probable winners. We continued to move the ball well on a difficult surface, and equalising before half time was massive as we had dominated the first 45 minutes.
“The second half was more even, and credit to Drayton, they were a real threat in behind with direct balls causing us issues. We should have had a stonewall penalty, but this wasn't given, and unfortunately the opposing defender had to be stretchered off as a result of his tackle.
“A 15-minute delay in cold conditions had all the makings of the game fizzling out, but our lads were tremendous after the restart, and two late goals from our substitutes gave us what I thought was a deserved three points from one of the most difficult places to go. That's seven wins from nine for us, and we will continue to aim for the clubs highest ever league finish.”
Quotes from the Weekend: Matchweek 28
Tue 4th February 2025 | Manager Reactions
By Jay Cooper
With a good amount of NWCFL teams in League and Cup action across this past weekend, there was plenty of scope to speak to club managers for their opinions on what their teams produced in their 90 minutes.
Edward Case Cup:
Adam Wall, of Stafford Town (Stafford Town 7-4 Maine Road)
“It was a strange Saturday, if I am honest. We've worked hard this year at both ends of the pitch, and winning in the manner we did in a quarter final against a lively Maine Road team is obviously good.
“However, it was flat afterwards, as we know we didn't hold our standards and allowed the opposition back into the game multiple times. That's hugely picky, I am aware, and we as a club are still absolutely delighted to be in the semi-finals of the Edward Case Cup.”
Premier Division:
Paul Marshall, of West Didsbury and Chorlton (West Didsbury and Chorlton 4-3 Colne)
“It was a great game of football for the neutral, but very disappointing to be going into half time 3-0 down. To their credit, Colne scored a couple of great goals and probably deserved to be in front at the time.
“It was a great reaction in the second half from our lads, and the winning goal from Jimmy Moore was more than worthy of winning any game of football.”
First Division North:
Gerry Harrison, of Nelson (Nelson 2-1 Maghull)
“We knew coming into this one, having played Maghull semi-recently and won 5-0, that it wasn’t going to be the same game. Maghull are a good team with talented players. In the first half, I feel as though we somewhat expected more of the same, rather than going out and making the best of our chances. At half-time, it was 0-0, and both teams had their chances.
"Our second half was much better, and we were rewarded when Charlie Frost scored his first. Once we’d scored, I was thinking that the game could very easily finish 1-0, but we knew Maghull wouldn’t give up, and sure enough, they got a late equaliser,
"Thankfully, we’ve got a great resilience in our group, and we know that we could get one more chance if we kept going, and then we did get that Chance, and Charlie Frost, again, pulled off a superb finish.
“Our resilience is one thing we’ve been focusing on in training – we don’t really let our training sessions fizzle out; we keep going right up until the end. And we got a little bit of good fortune – Maghull put in a good performance and probably would think they deserved a point out of it, but our boys had that persistence and that little bit of luck to come out on top.
“We’ve essentially got seven cup finals between now and the end of the season, especially with still having to play Atherton LR (2nd place) twice. So, we’ll do our best to keep this going.”
Roy Mason, of Steeton (Skelmersdale United 1-5 Steeton)
"After not playing for four weeks, it was pleasing to not only get the win, but also to put on a dominant performance, I felt that we were good value for our 3-0 lead at half time and in truth, we could and should have been further ahead.
“An early fourth goal in the second half killed the game, but credit to Skelmersdale, who never gave up. I was pleased with the way the lads moved the ball quickly, which is what we'd asked for and it continues the decent run of form we've been on lately.”
First Division South:
Craig Humphries, of Barnton (Wolves Sporting 1-2 Barnton)
“When reflecting on Saturday’s game, it’s very easy to get carried away. There are a lot of positives to take away from the game and it’s a massive step in the right direction. We hope to build on that in the coming weeks as the games come thick and fast.
“The quality that the squad possess really doesn’t reflect the position that they are stuck at in the league, and along with the new signings, who are already making a massive impact, we are hopeful we can get the club moving up the league table and provide a solid foundation to build on next season.”
Liam Kelly, of Eccleshall (Market Drayton Town 1-3 Eccleshall)
“We always anticipated that this would be a tight game given its standing as a local derby, and the fact that both sets of players and the management staff know each other personally away from football. The game didn't disappoint, with plenty of aggression and desire from both sides, but it was still a derby played in a good competitive manner.
“We went one down from a well-placed finish, but I never felt like this stopped us from looking like the probable winners. We continued to move the ball well on a difficult surface, and equalising before half time was massive as we had dominated the first 45 minutes.
“The second half was more even, and credit to Drayton, they were a real threat in behind with direct balls causing us issues. We should have had a stonewall penalty, but this wasn't given, and unfortunately the opposing defender had to be stretchered off as a result of his tackle.
“A 15-minute delay in cold conditions had all the makings of the game fizzling out, but our lads were tremendous after the restart, and two late goals from our substitutes gave us what I thought was a deserved three points from one of the most difficult places to go. That's seven wins from nine for us, and we will continue to aim for the clubs highest ever league finish.”
