Alsager having to re-build again
Thu 1st August 2019 | General | By Craig Kendall
After a disappointing 2018/19 season in the NWCFL First Division South, Alsager Town and their Chairman Terry Greer are hoping that his ninth season at the club is a more positive one.
"The year before we were in the top six for most of the season but we lost virtually all the team to higher clubs. I think seven went to Newcastle Town, and three to Hanley Town, one to Leek Town and one to Kirksgreaton [1:13] so we were left with two players at the start of last season.
"Andy Turner came in and had to rebuild. We did alright in the first half of the season but, in the second half, we struggled until the last eight games. It was a difficult season, to be fair, and we were just happy to be well away from the relegation problems."
Alsager has now appointed Lee Bennett and Dan Davies at the Woodpark Stadium, "Andy left at the end of the season because he got a full-time job in Bangladesh. We had to start again this season. We’ve got new managers in and we’d probably three players left. We’re trying to build from scratch yet again and it’s difficult at the moment. Anywhere around midtable for us would be a decent season.
"It was last year [competitive], apart from a bottom couple of sides. The rest, I think, was a lot stronger than the Northern section."
The side from Stoke-On-Trent have an away tie in the Buildbase FA Vase against Bewdley Town, "It’s revenue if you win but, unfortunately for us, we’ve been drawn away in Worcester so you’ve got the cost of coaches and all the rest of it. You’ve got to win to cover your costs.
"You always look forward to a game and it’s a new club, a different club. It’s somebody we’d not normally play. I’ve spent ten or twelve years in the Midlands League so it’s not new to me but it’s a test. It’s a different test than we get every week so, hopefully, it will go well and we’ll get a decent result. If we win, I think we’ve got Abbey Hulton or Tipton; one’s on the doorstep and one’s another trip down to the Midlands."
And on pre-season, "A mixed bag, really. We’ve beaten a couple of teams who are a division below us and we’ve lost quite easily to the EvoStik sides Leek Town, Newcastle Town and Congleton Town. Every game has been a different squad. We’ve had triallists; some have been good, some not so good. It’s a bit of trial and error and I’m not sure we’ll be settled for the start of the season. It might be a month or so into the season before we settle down.
"It’s a difficult start for us. We’ve got probably four clubs in the first six games who I think will be competing for those top four places so any points we pick up early doors will be a bonus. Overall, we’ll do okay. We’ll get stronger as the season goes on. If we can finish anywhere above halfway, I’ll be more than happy."
Alsager having to re-build again
Thu 1st August 2019 | General
By Craig Kendall
After a disappointing 2018/19 season in the NWCFL First Division South, Alsager Town and their Chairman Terry Greer are hoping that his ninth season at the club is a more positive one.
"The year before we were in the top six for most of the season but we lost virtually all the team to higher clubs. I think seven went to Newcastle Town, and three to Hanley Town, one to Leek Town and one to Kirksgreaton [1:13] so we were left with two players at the start of last season.
"Andy Turner came in and had to rebuild. We did alright in the first half of the season but, in the second half, we struggled until the last eight games. It was a difficult season, to be fair, and we were just happy to be well away from the relegation problems."
Alsager has now appointed Lee Bennett and Dan Davies at the Woodpark Stadium, "Andy left at the end of the season because he got a full-time job in Bangladesh. We had to start again this season. We’ve got new managers in and we’d probably three players left. We’re trying to build from scratch yet again and it’s difficult at the moment. Anywhere around midtable for us would be a decent season.
"It was last year [competitive], apart from a bottom couple of sides. The rest, I think, was a lot stronger than the Northern section."
The side from Stoke-On-Trent have an away tie in the Buildbase FA Vase against Bewdley Town, "It’s revenue if you win but, unfortunately for us, we’ve been drawn away in Worcester so you’ve got the cost of coaches and all the rest of it. You’ve got to win to cover your costs.
"You always look forward to a game and it’s a new club, a different club. It’s somebody we’d not normally play. I’ve spent ten or twelve years in the Midlands League so it’s not new to me but it’s a test. It’s a different test than we get every week so, hopefully, it will go well and we’ll get a decent result. If we win, I think we’ve got Abbey Hulton or Tipton; one’s on the doorstep and one’s another trip down to the Midlands."
And on pre-season, "A mixed bag, really. We’ve beaten a couple of teams who are a division below us and we’ve lost quite easily to the EvoStik sides Leek Town, Newcastle Town and Congleton Town. Every game has been a different squad. We’ve had triallists; some have been good, some not so good. It’s a bit of trial and error and I’m not sure we’ll be settled for the start of the season. It might be a month or so into the season before we settle down.
"It’s a difficult start for us. We’ve got probably four clubs in the first six games who I think will be competing for those top four places so any points we pick up early doors will be a bonus. Overall, we’ll do okay. We’ll get stronger as the season goes on. If we can finish anywhere above halfway, I’ll be more than happy."
