400 up for Carl Grimshaw

Mon 29th October 2018 | Charnock Richard | By Ian Templeman

Charnock Richard striker Carl Grimshaw (pictured) struck his 400th goal for the club in Saturday's defeat at Whitchurch Alport.

It's the latest milestone in an amazing run of goalscoring form that has established Carl as one of the most potent strikers at this level of football anywhere in the country. 

Club Secretary Dave Rowland has penned the following review of Carl's career at the club.

At the start of the 2009-10 campaign Carl Grimshaw was recruited from West Lancashire League side Eagley where he had been a regular goalscorer for several seasons. Carl scored on his Charnock Richard debut at Mossie Park in the Goldline Trophy on the 21^st July 2009 against Manchester League side Hindsford.

Little did anyone realise at the time that this would be the start of a goal scoring journey that would see the Chorley born player go on to knock in a further 399 goals for his beloved Charnock Richard in just over nine remarkable years from July 2009 to October 2018.

When he finished off a cross from the left by Jake Higham in typical Fashion against Whitchurch Alport in the Premier Division game at Yokings Park on Saturday 27^th October 2018, it was his 12^th goal of the campaign and more significantly, it was Carl’s 400^th strike for Charnock Richard from 352 competitive games for the club. It is without doubt a most remarkable achievement at any level of the game.

Along the way, Carl has collected no less than four West Lancashire League Premier Division championship winners’ medals with the Mossie Park side as well as two runners up medals.

He also collected three Richardson Cup winners’ medals, and also a North West Counties League Division 1 runners up medal, two Lancashire FA Amateur Shield winners medals and a finalist medal, and an Association of Northern Counties Senior Cup winners medal.

He won the Golden Boot award in Charnock Richard’s last season in the West Lancashire League, scoring 42 times and followed this up with the North West Counties League Division 1 award in 2016-17 with 45 goals.

The season after, he went one better, winning the Premier Division’s leading marksman award with 51 goals; a remarkable 96 goals in his first two seasons in the Step 5 & 6 competition.

Thornton Cleveleys can bear testament to the goal scoring prowess of Charnock’s powerful striker. On the 7^th February 2015 Carl netted 5 goals against them in the 1^st Round of the West Lancashire League Richardson Cup and a fortnight later ran in 7 more against the beleaguered Fylde side in the Premier Division; both games at Mossie Park.

I have been in football as player and club administrator for the past 53 years and I have never come across a more potent striker than Carl Grimshaw.  It has been, and will continue to be, a privilege to have been associated with such a wonderful character over these past few seasons. 

Loyalty in football is a dying virtue these days and especially for a striker of Carl’s undoubted quality and ability.  The way that he has represented Charnock Richard on and off the field of play is a testament to his integrity. 

The phrase 'club legend' is often banded about these days by the media, but in his case, the saying is resoundingly apt. He was often the target of clubs higher up the pecking order in the National League System but always remained a true ‘Villager’.

When the book is eventually written about the history of Charnock Richard Football Club, Carl’s achievements will stand out like a beacon. Such individuals as Carl Grimshaw and Andy Roberts will be seen to have played a prominent part in the club's most successful years. The record stands for itself.

To have scored 400 plus goals is a remarkable achievement by any standards. A striker is always at the blunt end of things, in the thick of battle and despite many a physical encounter with some of the hardiest central defenders, Carl has hardly missed a game through injury during his time at Mossie Park.

Often described as an ‘old fashioned centre forward’, there is more to Carl than that.

Indeed, Carl’s value to the Charnock cause goes a good deal further than his goal scoring prowess and he will often be seen clearing his lines at the heart of the ‘Villager’s defence.

He is a natural leader, a skipper that leads by example. His determination, passion and enthusiasm, as much as his panache in front of goal, marks him out as an extraordinary footballer.

Carl's goalscoring record at the club up to and including Saturday's game is as follows.  Note that the league goals from season 2016-17 to date were scored in the Hallmark Security League, league goals prior to that were scored in the West Lancashire League.