New Years Day preview

North Staffs Football kicks off the New Year with a full fixture list.

Stoke City look to bounce back from their 2-0 defeat to Fulham with another match at the Britannia against Everton.

Britannia Stadium

Tony Pulis has called for Jermaine Pennant to keep focused after signing a two-and-a-half-year deal from Spanish side Real Zaragoza.

David Moyes’s side are the visitors and boast just two wins away from Goodison Park, but the Toffees could prove hard to break down, having drawn six on their travels.

In League Two, Port Vale will have to put aside worries over Micky Adams departure as they travel to Yorkshire side Rotherham.

Rotherham would leapfrog Vale with a win, as Adams’s men look to bounce back from a second successive defeat to Gillingham on Boxing Day.

Burton Albion welcome play-off contenders Shrewsbury Town to the Pirelli Stadium. The Brewers have slipped down to 14^th and are in need of a win to boost their own play-off chances.

The Shrews are poor travellers for their league position and have notched just three wins.

In the Blue Square North, Stafford Rangers face a tough test at AFC Telford as Tim Flowers searches for his first league win at the helm.

Rangers sit 20^th and are desperate for a win to lift themselves out of the relegation spots, but having netted only twice on their travels so far this campaign the odds are certainly stacked against them.

In the Evo Stik Division One South, Kidsgrove Athletic and Leek Town battle out a North Staffordshire derby at the Seddon Stadium.

Grove will be hoping to push home advantage as they look to challenge for a top two finish this season, whilst Leek’s prerogative is merely survival. The Blues haven’t kicked a ball in anger since November 23.

Elsewhere, Newcastle Town travel to Market Drayton Town.

NSF predictions

Stoke City 1 Everton 1

Burton Albion 1 Shrewsbury 2

Rotherham 2 Port Vale 2

AFC Telford 3 Stafford Rangers 0

Kidsgrove Athletic 2 Leek Town 1

Market Drayton 1 Newcastle Town 3

Let North Staffs Football know your score predictions!

More postponements in big freeze

Burton Albion and Stafford Rangers have been forced to postpone today’s Boxing Day fixtures due to frozen pitches.

In the Evo Stik First Division South all fixtures have been called off for Leek Town, Newcastle Town and Kidsgrove Athletic, scheduled to be played tomorrow (December 27).

Harrison Park Pic: Hampton Productions

Only Stoke City‘s trip to Ewood Park to take on Blackburn Rovers will go ahead.

Weather permitting, Vale travel to Gillingham and Burton take on Stevenage at the Pirelli on December 28, Stafford Rangers have a home tie against Worcester and Stoke entertain Fulham at the Britannia Stadium.

Leek, Newcastle and Kidsgrove will have to wait until New Years Day before they next attempt to play.

Leek and Kidsgrove clash at the Seddon Stadium whilst Newcastle make the short trip to Market Drayton Town.

North Staffs Football brings you the news about games that have been called off as soon as we get it. Let us know your score predictions.

Festive period kicks off

With all of our side’s itching to play after postponements, the festive period kicks off with a Boxing Day feast.

Stoke City travel to managerless Blackburn Rovers in search of a win to leapfrog the Lancashire outfit.

In League Two, Port Vale have a home tie against strugglers Lincoln City and Burton Albion travel to an in-form Northampton side.

In the Blue Square North, Stafford Rangers have a home match against Telford AFC.

The Evo Stik First Division South will play their matches on December 27 where Leek Town host their match with Belper (34 days since they last kicked a ball) and Newcastle host a derby clash with Kidsgrove Athletic.

North Staffs Football will keep you informed of any postponements, but let us know your score predictions from our games.

Tonight’s fixtures OFF

Tonight’s Evo Stik First Division South matches have been postponed following further snow and ice.

Kidsgrove Athletic‘s Seddon Stadium, Newcastle Town’s Lyme Valley Stadium and Leek Town‘s Harrison Park has all failed to recover in time for their league fixtures.

Harrison Park Pic: Hampton Productions

Kidsgrove were due to play Romulus, Newcastle faced Glapwell and Leek hosted their match with Market Drayton Town.

The side’s will have to wait until Boxing Day for another chance of play and for Neil Cox’s Leek Town side, they will be itching at the thought having not kicked a ball in anger for over a month now.

A date for the re-arranged fixtures is yet to be decided.

This week’s games at a glance

The only action scheduled for this week is for our non-league side’s.

On Tuesday (December 21) Kidsgrove Athletic, Leek Town and Newcastle Town are all set to host matches but all are a major doubt with the second wave of the big freeze gripping the county.

Kidsgrove Athletic vs Romulus

Leek Town vs Market Drayton Town

Newcastle Town vs Glapwell

All matches are scheduled for a 7.45pm kick-off.

North Staffs Football will bring you the news over postponements as soon as we get it. Do football matches get called off too easily nowadays? Or not? Let North Staffs Football know.

To have a look at some of the pictures from the Emirates Stadium where Stoke City were due to play Arsenal click below.

All North Staffs matches called off

With an artic blast returning to our county, North Staffs Football has ground to a halt with none of our side’s playing any football this weekend.

Stoke City’s trip to the Emirates to clash with Arsenal is one of the shock postponements. Emirates staff has been unable to keep the walkways around the ground safe with heavy snow.

In League Two, Burton Albion’s match away to Accrington Stanley has been called off due to a frozen pitch following an earlier inspection. Port Vale’s home match to Barnet was also postponed after a 9am inspection. A date for the replayed fixtures has yet to be decided.

Cold snap puts a freeze on matches

Stafford Rangers’s trip to Guiseley in the Blue Square North has been postponed following a 3.00pm pitch inspection. The ground temperature was recorded at minus 3C with no chance of play. The re-scheduled fixture will be announced at a later date.

Kidsgrove Athletic boss Peter Ward has said their match against Stamford is highly unlikely to be on. The Seddon Stadium is currently frozen with no thaw due over the next 24 hours. A full inspection will be carried out on Saturday morning.

Leek Town and Newcastle Town have their matches called off as well.

Newcastle beat Chester to reach third round

Newcastle Town manager Greg Clowes expressed his delight after his side beat Chester 2-0 at the Lyme Valley Stadium.

The win leaves Town with a third-round clash against Chasetown on January 11.

Alan Nagington goal Pic: Joe Finnerty

Goals either side of half-time from Alan Nagington and Wayne Teague secured the win and Clowes said his side were superb.

He added: “When you are playing against these top team you have to try and get a foothold in the game and stay on top when you get a chance and we managed to do that.

“We knew they would ask questions of us but we were equal to them and stayed really solid at the back so I am delighted.”

Chester caused Newcastle some early problems from Mark Connelly’s dangerous free-kicks from the left, but Paul Donnelly and Ryan Dicker remained solid throughout the match to stop Chester scoring for the first time this season.

The first-half came to life when Nagington weaved his way into the box following Jordan Johnson’s cross, and smashed the ball across Chester’s Christopher Sanna low into the bottom left of the goal.

Newcastle had Andrew White to thank for staying in the lead at the break as he headed the ball off the line following Chester full-back Stuart Jones’s rifling header.

Wayne Teague 2-0 Pic: Joe Finnerty

Greg Clowes’s men started the second-half full of spirit and when Johnson’s cross from the right found Teague unmarked it was a gift for the young forward who made no mistake in heading home.

Town’s keeper Daniel Read was called into action to parry away a fierce shot by Steven Beck and Read had his defenders to thank after Donnelly blocked another Chester forward’s effort which was destined for goal.

Newcastle countered twice with Neville Thompson creating two glorious chances to put the game to bed, but the striker who is returning from injury shot straight at the Chester stopper.

Newcastle’s next match is away to Shepshed Dynamo on Saturday (December 18).

Newcastle Town share points with league leaders

Newcastle Town drew 1-1 with league leaders Barwell on Saturday (December 11) but manager Greg Clowes has said he is disappointed not to win the game.

Barwell took the lead, but Jordan Johnson replied to level the score almost immediately.

Town then dominated the second-half exchanges but couldn’t score the winner.

Greg Clowes

Clowes said: “We couldn’t afford to lose to them.

“We dominated the game after the break and I thought we could have pinched the win, but it would have been a bit hard on Barwell.”

Clowes’s men can go to within two points of second-placed Carlton Town if they win their two games in hand, but Clowes stressed they are not looking too far ahead.

He added: “We will look after ourselves.

“We don’t want to look to far ahead, we must firstly concentrate on tomorrow’s cup match because we want to do well in them.”

Town face Chester in the League Challenge Cup Third Round on Tuesday night. Kick-off is 7.45pm

Newcastle Town take on table toppers

Newcastle Town face table-topping Barwell tomorrow (December 11) when the two sides clash in the Evo-Stik First Division South, writes Michael Marsh.

Town (3rd) travel to Barwell unbeaten in their 13 league games so far this season, but the Leicestershire club’s record shows they prove tough opposition.

The Kirkby Roaders have only lost one game this season and currently sit three points clear at the top, closely followed by Carlton Town.

Greg Clowes’s men concede a 12-point deficit to tomorrow’s opponents, but have three games in hand after the cold snap postponed their recent fixtures.

Their last game was on November 24 when they defeated Market Drayton 4-2 in the Presidents Cup.

Peter Ward stresses Shotton will stay put

Peter Ward has stressed that striker Liam Shotton will stay at Kidsgrove Athletic despite interest from rivals Newcastle Town.

Liam Shotton

Shotton has bagged nine goals for Grove this season and Ward revealed that Newcastle had been in touch with the 23-year-old front man.

Ward said: “We have got Newcastle Town after Liam, but he is not going anywhere.

“We spoke to Liam and he is happy here, and he has a part to play with us.

“He would be in the same situation at Newcastle having to compete with Chris Budrys and Alan Nagington.”