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.

Mixed emotions from Kidsgrove boss

Kidsgrove Athletic boss Peter Ward said he is looking at the bigger picture despite seeing his side play out a goalless draw to bottom of the table Shepshed Dynamo.

The point saw Kidsgrove leap-frog fellow North Staffs side Newcastle Town into third place, also helped by their 5-3 win over Goole.

Ward said: “If you had said to me you will be in third and in the play-off near Christmas I would have taken it.

“It was a disappointment to draw with Shepshed but it wasn’t our day, the people who scored on Saturday didn’t last night, if they had taken their chances it could have been four or five again.

Peter Ward

“Shepshed will take points of other clubs before the end of the season so we just have to try and keep winning.”

Dave Walker saw red in Saturday’s clash with Goole and Ricky Bridge also got his marching orders in last night’s match for dissent and Ward said he could not condone this behaviour.

He added: “Ricky’s matter will be dealt with internally at the club and he will suffer through other means, but it means that we have been down to 10-men in the last two games.

“Fortunately we managed to win on Saturday, but Shepshed played 4-5-1 so it was hard to break them down, especially with ten men.”

Kidsgrove face Stamford on Saturday. Kick-off is 3.00pm

Managers air concern over fixture congestion

Newcastle Town and Kidsgrove Athletic management teams have revealed they are worried about their side’s after this weekend’s games were cancelled.

All but one of the Evo-Stik’s three divisions matches are postponed including Kidsgrove’s trip to Spalding United and Newcastle’s clash with Glapwell.

Ward said: “If we keep getting matches called off it is a major worry for us.

Peter Ward

“We will end up having to play three times a week and we don’t have the squad to cope with that number of fixtures and it is wrong that the league starts later than others because we keep having this problem with fixture congestion.”

Garner also aired his worries about other clubs and said that they could really be feeling the financial pinch.

He added: “Newcastle are ok financially but for some other smaller clubs it is a massive financial loss if home games are cancelled.

“The number of fixtures is also a worry and playing in the cup matches is good for the club financially but puts a strain on the league. We have played 13 in the league and 15 in cup matches. It’s crazy.”

Both management teams are doubtful for their matches this week and confess that fixture congestion will provide a major headache if the cold snap continues.

Kidsgrove are due to face Sutton Coldfield Town tonight (December 6) and Newcastle welcome Romulus to the Lyme Valley Stadium on Tuesday, December 7.

Kidsgrove Athletic and Newcastle Town’s games OFF

Two more of our sides have had to call their games off after freezing weather cancels all Evo-Stik Division One South.

Kidsgrove vs Spalding - OFF

Kidsgrove Athletic were due to travel to Spalding United and Newcastle Town fans will be disappointed to hear that their clash with Glapwell has also fallen foul of the conditions.

 

Newcastle Town vs Glapwell - OFF

Peter Ward’s Kidsgrove side will have a friendly against Biddulph Victoria instead, and Newcastle’s assistant manager Dorian Garner revealed they will be having an indoor training session at Newcastle College.

Both managers are doubtful for their matches next week and confess that fixture congestion will provide a major headache if the cold snap continues.

 

Kidsgrove boss slams league over fixture congestion

Kidsgrove Athletic boss Peter Ward has slammed the Evo-Stik league for starting fixtures later than other leagues which he claims causes fixture congestion later in the season.

The Welsh Premier and Blue Square Premier, North and South divisions all start their fixtures on August 14, but the Evo-Stik divisions start on August 21 and this delay is causing havoc as the cold weather sets in.

Ward said: “We start two weeks after everyone else and this needs changing.

Peter Ward

“This cold weather is set for at least ten days now, so we have no chance of playing our midweek games and next week so it is going to be a struggle.”

Ward also believed that the number of cup competitions is hampering the side’s that do well and progress further in the competitions.

He added: “There are too many cups – it is simple.

“We are four games behind some teams and other are four behind us so it means that we have a fixture congestion late in the season when others are maybe only playing once a week.”

Kidsgrove are currently in the quarter-finals of the Staffordshire Senior Cup but reached the third-round of the League Cup, as well as competing in the FA Cup preliminary rounds, FA Trophy and Presidents Trophy.

Grove sit seventh but if they can win their games in hand then Ward’s men will be hanging on the coattails on the top two side Barwell and Carlton Town.

Nathan Blissett aims high for a Kidsgrove start

Kidsgrove Athletic reserves front man Nathan Blissett has said he is pushing hard for a spot in the first-team, writes Luke Mallett.

Blissett, 20, has netted five goals in eight games and is hopeful he can keep impressing boss Peter Ward and make the step up to the Evo-Stik Division One South.

Nathan Blissett

Blissett, who is a student at Staffordshire University said: “I feel as though I’ve made my mark on the team and now I’m a big part of the way we play.

“The set-up is pretty good. The ground is a very high standard when you compare it to the rest of the teams in the league and Kidsgrove definitely have the potential to get promoted with the current set of players.

“It’s just a matter of keeping them all fit at the same time.”

The striker, from West Bromwich, admits that breaking into the first-team would mean a lot to him as he aspires to play football at a higher level.

He added: “Playing semi-professional football would be great, as it would mean that I am halfway to achieving my goal of becoming a professional footballer.

“If I get the chance I would like to play at a higher level.

“Firstly I need to take the steps in front of me, by getting through to the Kidsgrove first-team. Then I would like to go as high as possible.”

Blissett is currently club captain of the University football team, scoring 20 goals in 35 games.

Kidsgrove beat Belper to overcome ‘blip’

Kidsgrove Athletic boss Peter Ward has praised his players for a superb second-half performance in their 4-2 win over Belper Town on Saturday (Nov 20).

The visitors took the lead on the half-hour mark through Jon Frogatt’s converted penalty but Dave Walker equalised almost immediately.

Grove entered the break 2-1 down after losing possession in their own half and Daryl Thomas coolly finished for the visitors.

But another goal from Walker and two from Ricky Bridge in the second-half sealed the win and Ward said he was really pleased with the players.

Peter Ward

He added: “We played really well and the game was very even in the first half but a couple of mistakes cost us.

“Ricky (Bridge) had a great game after getting some time at Biddulph under his belt.

“We have just got to keep taking each game as it comes and to win, we have had a bit of a blip but the last three games have seen a massive improvement.”

Kidsgrove face Evo-Stik Premier Division side Colwyn Bay, who sit second tonight (Nov 23) in the League Challenge Cup Third Round and Ward said he has done his homework on them.

He said: “They have some big lads in their side and a long throw so they will be dangerous from set pieces.

“It’s a chance to test ourselves against a side going well in a league higher and we want to go a lot further in this competition.”

Kick-off at the Seddon Stadium is 7.45pm.

Kidsgrove boss praises striker after Newcastle cup win

Kidsgrove Athletic manager Peter Ward branded his star-striker Dave Walker as a ‘natural finisher’ after his goal sent the Grove into the last four of the Staffordshire Senior Cup at the expense of local rivals Newcastle Town, writes Matt Dodd.

A deserved win at the Lyme Valley Stadium had Ward upbeat about his side’s chances of regaining the cup, and had plenty of praise for top-scorer Walker who has now scored 19 goals in 18 games.

He said: “Dave’s (Walker) done really well. He’s a quality finisher. You give him the chances and he’ll score goals and he proved that tonight.

“He’s a natural finisher, and if we get him in those areas he’ll score goals, it’s as simple as that.

Peter Ward

“I thought the whole team played really well. We probably should have been three up at half-time.

“They only really had one chance over 90 minutes and I thought we were much the better side.”

The only goal of Tuesday night’s quarter-final came on the hour-mark.

The Newcastle defenders failed to clear a long ball from Karl Charlton, and Walker took advantage and struck an impressive half-volley into the bottom left corner.

The win puts the Grove into the semi-finals, and Ward believes the cup could be heading back to the Seddon Stadium this year.

He added: “I don’t see any reason why not. We normally do quite well in this competition.

“We want to go as far as we possibly can and we have an opportunity of making money financially if you draw one of the bigger teams.”

Match-winner Walker said that the victory was down to determination and hard work, after recent performances have not been the best.

Dave Walker

He said: “I think it was down to hard work. The last few games we haven’t been working hard. We had a chat after a loss last week and the gaffer said we just need to start getting back to basics and working hard.

“We could have been four up at half-time. We were thinking it could have been one of those days but we had a couple of chances in the second-half and obviously we put one away and defended quite well.”

Kidsgrove can now focus on the league, and will be looking for another victory when Belper Town travel to the Seddon Stadium on Saturday.

Ward said, “It’s another win under our belt. The league is more important obviously and we want three points on Saturday.”

To see Newcastle Town’s boss Greg Clowes’s comments click here

Town boss slams players after Staffs Cup defeat

Newcastle Town boss Greg Clowes slammed the performance of his players after crashing out of the Staffordshire Senior Cup to the hands of local rivals Kidsgrove Athletic, writes Matt Dodd.

The holders of the cup could only make it to the quarter-final stage this time around, and Clowes was bitterly disappointed with his side’s performance on Tuesday (Nov 16) night, admitting that “anyone could have beaten us.”

He added: “We didn’t turn up. Considering we were defending our cup which we won last year, the players didn’t show any desire to retain it. I’ve given them a few home truths.

“I don’t think it was that Kidsgrove played so well, it was the fact that we were so poor – and that’s fair play to Kidsgrove for making us look so poor.”

Town never really took control of the game and a goal on the hour from Kidsgrove’s top-scorer Dave Walker was enough to secure a deserved win for the Grove.

Greg Clowes

Clowes said: “In the end losing 1-0 flattered us tonight. On another night if they had taken their chances it could have been an embarrassing defeat.

“We’ve been knocked out of the competition without even turning up. That’s the most frustrating part of it, the fact that we worked so hard to win last year and anyone could have beaten us tonight on that performance.

“We wanted to stay in this trophy tonight. I did, unfortunately the players didn’t.”

Castle will now shift their focus back to the league, and despite being in fifth place with games in hand on the teams around them, Clowes was pessimistic about his side’s chances this season given the performance against Kidsgrove.

Clowes admitted that promotion could be out of contention based on his side’s performance.

He said: “On that performance we won’t win anything.

“It’s been a bit like Jekyll and Hyde at the moment. The same squad overturned a very good side on Saturday away from home, but the same group of players have turned in a performance like that tonight which is unacceptable.”

Loughborough Dynamo are the visitors to the Lyme Valley Stadium on Saturday, and Castle will be looking to erase the memory of Tuesday night with a convincing performance.

Clowes said: “There are things to work on – big game on Saturday. As far as I’m concerned I’ve forgot about this result already and we look forward to Saturday.”

To see comments from Kidsgrove’s manager Peter Ward click here.

North Staffs derby for quarter-final clash

Two of our sides lock horns in the quarter-final of the Staffordshire Cup tonight (Nov 16).

Peter Ward

And both managers have stressed they would like a bumper crowd to witness the derby match with a semi-final clash up for grabs.

Kidsgrove’s Peter Ward said: “It is not often that local sides get supported that well, so it would be great to see as many people at the game as possible.

“Two good sides will be on show and there is not a lot between us so it is bound to be a close game and what more could people want to watch.”

Ward is unlikely to include new signing Matt Hadrell and is waiting on injury news from Adam Beasley (shin) and Danny Schwartz (hamstring).

Greg Clowes

Newcastle’s Greg Clowes has also said it will be nice for the two teams to meet each other.

He added: “We are the holders so it is a game we will be taking very seriously.

“It has been a while since the sides last met and we wanted to face Kidsgrove in the final last year but unfortunately Port Vale knocked them out.”

Kick-off at the Lyme Valley Stadium is 7.45pm.