News

There was little by the way of surprises on the opening day in the Premier Division with all the pre-season favourites registering wins.

Newly promoted BRADFORD PARK AVENUE notched four without reply at home to PRESCOT CABLES and MARINE also won by a four goal margin after hitting WORKSOP TOWN for six.

EASTWOOD TOWN won 2-0 at home to LEIGH GENESIS as did GUISELEY against CAMMELL LAIRD whilst BUXTON emulated that scoreline at WHITBY TOWN. The biggest crowd of the day, 2344, saw FC UNITED of MANCHESTER draw 3-3 against MATLOCK TOWN.

In the First Division North another four figure crowd in excess of 1,500 watched FC HALIFAX TOWN go down at home to BAMBER BRIDGE whilst NEWCASTLE BLUE STAR laid out their credentials with a 5-0 victory over ROSSENDALE UNITED.

The other North East side DURHAM CITY made a good debut with a 1-1 draw at last season's play-off Finalists SKELMERSDALE UNITED and neither of the other newcomers TRAFFORD or SALFORD CITY could win either although the former did take a point at CHORLEY.

Elsewhere there were away wins for MOSSLEY, LANCASTER CITY and OSSETT ALBION whilst COLWYN BAY, WAKEFIELD and WARRINGTON TOWN all won at home by one goal margins.

Amazingly BELPER TOWN were the only home winners in the First Division South where Nathan Lamey was the season's first hat-trick man as RUSHALL OLYMPIC won 4-1 at relegated LINCOLN UNITED.

Last season's other two relegated teams STAMFORD and LEEK TOWN both drew whilst the promoted sides GLAPWELL and LOUGHBOROUGH DYNAMO had mixed results with the former winning and the latter losing.

Last season's champions RETFORD UNITED who were denied promotion by ground grading issues set out after another title with a 3-1 win at CARLTON TOWN

Lairds Branch Out

Premier Division newcomers Cammell Laird have signed 36-year-old Graham Branch who has over four hundred appearances in the full time game under his belt with over 250 of those coming with Burnley. Amongst his other clubs have been Tranmere Rovers, Stockport County and Accrington Stanley with loan spells at both Bury and Wigan Athletic.

Other players with Football League experience to move in to the League as the first day approached were Mark Barnard who made over 150 appearances for Darlington and has now joined Belper Town for a second time with the Nailers hoping he lasts longer than his first spell of just a single game whilst Woodley Sports have signed 20 year old Nat Kerr who has first team experience with Rotherham United.

First Division Clubs Set Off On FA Cup Trail

The FA Cup Final next May seems a long time off but the League's 41 First Division clubs set off on the Wembley trail in just two weeks time.

There are three all UniBond ties with Trafford at home to Stocksbridge PS whilst Lancaster City play host to Salford City and Colwyn Bay travel to Bamber Bridge.

All of them will be hoping to repeat the heroics of Harrogate Railway Athletic who last season reached the 2nd Round Proper of the competition before going out 3-2 to the then Football League side Mansfield Town in a game televised live on BBC1 with the club pocketing over £100,000 from their cup run and television monies.

The full Preliminary Round draw involving Unibond League clubs is as follows and gives a slight ground advantage to UniBond teams who are drawn at home in twenty of the thirty-five games against outside opposition.

The ties are to be played on Saturday, 30th August with the importance of the competition to clubs at this level underlined by the fact that last season UniBond sides won £164,750 between them in FA Cup prize money.

Arnold Town or Long Eaton United v RUSHALL OLYMPIC
Ashington or Thackley v OSSETT ALBION
Atherstone Town v QUORN
BAMBER BRIDGE v COLWYN BAY
BRIGG TOWN v Maine Road or Chadderton
Chasetown v CARLTON TOWN
Cheadle Town or Newcastle Town v SKELMERSDALE UNITED
CHORLEY v Dinnington Town or Atherton LR
CURZON ASHTON v Runcorn Linnets or Rossington Main
Darwen or Penrith v CLITHEROE
Debenham LC or Dereham Town v STAMFORD
Dunston Fed or Tadcaster Albion v HARROGATE RAILWAY ATHLETIC
FC HALIFAX TOWN v Silsden or Eccleshill United
GARFORTH TOWN v Thornaby or Tow Law Town
GLAPWELL v Borrowash Victoria or Market Drayton Town
GOOLE AFC v Norton & Stockton A or Newcastle Benfield
GRANTHAM TOWN v Woodbridge Town or Newmarket Town
GRESLEY ROVERS v Dunkirk or Alvechurch
Horden CW or Sunderland Nissan v NEWCASTLE BLUE STAR
KIDSGROVE ATHLETIC v AFC Wulfrunians or Pilkington
LANCASTER CITY v SALFORD CITY
Leek CSOB or AFC Fylde v SHEFFIELD
LOUGHBOROUGH DYNAMO v Tipton Town or Teversall
MOSSLEY v Ramsbottom United or Hallam
Oldham Town or Ashton Athletic v ROSSENDALE UNITED
Parkgate or Norton United v LEEK TOWN
Pegasus Juniors / Glossop NE v BELPER TOWN
RADCLIFFE BOROUGH v Barton OB or Winterton Rangers
RETFORD UNITED v Castle Vale or Barrow Town
SHEPSHED DYNAMO v Wellington or Mickleover Sports
SPALDING UNITED v Yaxley or Lincoln Moorlands
ST Neots Town or Holbeach United v LINCOLN UNITED
TRAFFORD v STOCKSBRIDGE PS
WAKEFIELD FC v Washington or Stokesley SC
WARRINGTON TOWN v Winsford Utd or Nostell MW
West Auckland T or Hall Rd Rgrs v DURHAM CITY
WILLENHALL TOWN v Bedworth United
WOODLEY SPORTS v Brodsworth MW or Ashton Town

Just Three Left

Following his side's relegation to the First Division South Leek Town manager Wayne Johnson has been left with just three of last season's squad with which to start the new season and one of those is himself!

Johnson has named one of the survivors Nick Ward to take over the captaincy from Anthony Danylyk who has left to join Altrincham with the only other player to remain loyal being Steve Brannan.

Season Ticket Winners Announced

The results of the inaugural Corbettsports.com 2008/2009 season ticket competition in association with the UniBond League have been announced.

With over 300 entrants aiming for the unique prize, Alan Allcock the League's Operations Manager randomly picked the winners of the two season tickets and match day VIP guest prizes.

The winner of the first season ticket was Charles Richards of Ossett, West Yorkshire who will attend all home games at Wakefield FC in the UniBond First Division North.

The second lucky entrant was Francis Goy of Retford, Nottinghamshire who has also won a season ticket to his home town club Retford United of the UniBond First Division South for the new season.

The third prize will see FC United of Manchester providing hospitality to a very special guest on September 6th 2008 when Bernard Bull from Middleton, Manchester will be treated to a VIP experience at the UniBond Premier club.

Michael Corbett, managing director of Corbett's said 'Corbett's is proud to support the Unibond League as Official Betting Partner, and we are delighted to offer these fantastic prizes to the committed fans of community football. We wish all the teams the best of luck for what is sure to be an exciting 2008/2009 season.'

Corbettsports.com, the Official Betting Partner of the UniBond League launched the competition to celebrate the special betting available on UniBond fixtures throughout the 2008/2009 season.
For the latest odds for the UniBond League visit www.corbettsports.com

Ilkeston Sign Experience

Ilkeston Town has become 33-year-old Paul Hurst's second club in a long career stretching back to the 1993/4 season when he made his first team debut for Rotherham United having joined the club from school.

A defender, Hurst went on to clock up almost five hundred games for the "Millers". Another defender with over four hundred full-time appearances to his credit to join Ilkeston is 35 year old Rob Scott whose clubs include Sheffield United, Fulham, Rotherham United, Oldham Athletic and Halifax Town.

Another player with over a decade in the full time game to join Ilkeston in the past couple of weeks is goalkeeper Chris Adamson who made his first team bow for West Bromwich Albion during the 1997/8 season.

Used mainly as an understudy at West Brom Adamson had loan spells with Mansfield Town, Halifax Town and Plymouth Argyle before joining St Patrick's Athletic in the Republic of Ireland in 2002. He signed for Sheffield Wednesday in 2004/5 and made eleven appearances for them before signing for Stockport County in 2007.

Borough Grab Unsworth

Another vastly experienced former full time professional to join the UniBond ranks this summer is former Crewe Alexandra and Bury defender Lee Unsworth.

Signed by Crewe from Ashton United in 1994 Unsworth made around three hundred appearances as a pro with more than a century of games under his belt at both his clubs.

He has joined Radcliffe Borough who this term will be hoping to turn their cup form from last season in to league points after languishing at the bottom of the First Division North virtually throughout the campaign despite reaching two Cup Finals.

UniBond League Signs Up To FA's Respect Campaign

The UniBond League has signed up to the FA's Respect campaign which will see the referees working with the captains of both sides to manage the game effectively but the most visible aspect to spectators will be a pre-match Fair Play handshake involving all the players from both sides.

Another change, unrelated to the Respect campaign, that spectators will notice on the UniBond scene will be the increase in the number of substitutes on the bench from three to five as announced in the last Press Release.

Possible Arson Attack Hits Guiseley

Guiseley were badly hit last weekend when a suspected arson attack destroyed approximately half of their main seated stand.

The fire which started in one corner of the wooden construction is believed to have been set ablaze deliberately as there was evidence of unlawful entry to the ground via a makeshift ladder left against the perimeter fence adjacent to the stand.

There has been a history of underage drinking in the stand which the local police appear to have been powerless to stop and the introduction of regular visits from a professional security firm has also failed to curb this activity. The club, however, were able to still stage today's opening game against Cammell Laird.

Ironically this is the second major fire at the club albeit the first was of major benefit to Guiseley as the first was stage managed as part of the BBC 1 drama series "Playing the Field" about a ladies football team that was filmed at the Nethermoor ground.

Curzon Ashton Receive FA Recognition

After staging both this season's UniBond League Cup Finals Curzon Ashton has now been used as a venue by the Football Association during the summer to stage seven of the twenty games played in the 2008 Learning Disability European Championships.

The club was presented with a commemorative plaque and warmly praised by the FA who said "Nothing has been too much trouble for the officials of the club and they worked very hard to attract a crowd of over six hundred for the England v Portugal match. We would like to thank Curzon Ashton for their wonderful organisation and they have been instrumental in making the event a success".

Mullarkey On His Way

Grantham Town have sold striker Sam Mullarkey to Lincoln City for an undisclosed four figure fee plus a 15% sell on clause along with first option should the "Imps" send the youngster out on loan.

The twenty year old, who began his career at Nottingham Forest where he won England Youth honours, joined Grantham at the start of 2007/8 when he moved with manager John Wilkinson from Lincoln United and promptly bagged19 goals in 54 appearances.

Grantham Chairman Roger Booth said "Although the negotiations have been protracted we are pleased to have finally done a deal and we can now move on in to the new season". A sentiment echoed by manager John Wilkinson who added "It has been frustrating that it took so long for the deal to go through and I am glad for the player that it is now over. I have planned for the new season without him and that was part of the reason why I signed Ben Garrick from Spalding as I see him as natural replacement for Sam".

Durham Lift First Silverware Of The Season

New members Durham City haven't taken long to register their first silverware of the new season as the runaway 2007/8 Northern League Champions lifted that competition's annual JR Cleator Cup played between the Champions and the Cup Winners. Durham overcame Billingham Town 2-1 on 2nd August.

Colwyn Bay Shirts Help Charity

Colwyn Bay have joined the ranks of clubs such as Barcelona and Aston Villa in not selling shirt sponsorship.

Whilst the Spanish giants have been promoting Unicef and Villa the charity Acorn, Colwyn Bay players will have the name of a local children's hospice adorning their chests this season.

The Welsh club has linked up with Ty Gobaith Children's Hospice to raise awareness of the charity and also to support the charity's fund raising activities.

The club's Managing Director Darren Cartwright said "This club has been well supported by the community in the past and this is an opportunity for us to give something back and help to support a great local cause".