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Lancaster will feel a sense of relief when they begin new football season at Stalybridge Celtic this weekend
After almost six months of no competitive action, Lancaster City boss Mark Fell revealed his team are looking forward to a game which ‘actually means something’.
The Dolly Blues travel to Stalybridge Celtic on Saturday for the opening game of the new NPL Premier Division season.
After the Covid-19 pandemic brought a premature halt to the 2019-20 campaign and eventually caused it to be declared null and void, Fell admitted his men were itching for Saturday’s game.
Although they have had plenty of pre-season friendlies, nothing can compare to that feeling of fighting for league points.
“We can’t wait for Saturday,” said Fell. “It’s felt like absolutely ages since we last played a competitive fixture.
“Pre-season has been good, it’s served its purpose but there is no replacement for playing a game which is worth something or means something.
“You can try to replicate competitive football as much as you can with friendlies but it just doesn’t do it.
“I think the lads are itching to play a game where it means something. We went for a run on Tuesday night and afterwards, we said to the lads that’s your pre-season done
“They need that competitive game, but not just them, myself, the coaching staff, the supporters, the Board, everybody at the club — we will all take a big sigh of relief when the whistle blows on Saturday.”
The opening day of a season has been kind to Fell in the past.
In his time as a manager at both Nelson and Ramsbottom, he has yet to taste defeat in the first game of the season and hopes that continues this weekend.
“In the six or seven seasons I have been a manager, I have never lost on the opening day of the season,”he said. “That’s becoming a horrible thing to keep saying because one day it’s going to catch me out
“Obviously we are planning on keeping my record going. I usually win the first league game and lose the second, but hopefully we can beat Stalybridge and follow it up by beating Basford a week Saturday.”
[Post edited 17 Sep 2020 20:40]
Learning to read clusters is not something your eyes do naturally. It takes constant practice.
Important information for supporters attending our first league fixture of the season on Saturday vs Lancaster City (15:00)
Tickets
*Under current guidance from the FA, please be aware that a maximum of 600 spectators will be permitted entry in to Bower Fold.
*Once the capacity of 600 has been reached, we will have to close our doors.
*Tickets will only be available on the gate, on a first come first served basis.
*Tickets are priced at £10 for adults, £6 for concessions and £2 for U16s.
*Gates will be open from 13:30.
Inside the stadium
*On entering the stadium, you will be required to undertake a test and trace form and Covid questionnaire.
*There will be access to our social club inside the ground.
*Social distancing must be adhered to at all times.
*Gatherings of more than seven supporters will not be allowed. These will be dispersed by stewards.
*Important safety information will be displayed on clear signage as you enter the stadium, please stick to all guidelines and respect the measures and signs in place. Failure to do so will result in you being asked to leave the stadium.
Seating
*There are floor markings set out around the stadium to assist with social distancing.
*In our seated stands, there will be markings to indicate where spectators should sit to ensure they are separated at a safe distance. We would recommend sitting three seats apart from other supporters.
Safety
*Areas that spectators and staff frequently come into contact with will be disinfected at regular intervals. *There will be hand sanitising stations situated throughout Bower Fold and you will be encouraged to use these throughout your time inside the stadium.
Our stewards may be wearing protective clothing but they will be on hand to help with any queries you may have.
Please do not attend Saturday’s game if you are displaying any of the symptoms associated with Covid-19, are self-isolating or currently live with somebody who is isolating.
For more information on Covid-19 symptoms, visit gov.uk
We hope you all enjoy Saturday’s game and have a safe visit to Bower Fold.
[Post edited 17 Sep 2020 20:42]
Learning to read clusters is not something your eyes do naturally. It takes constant practice.
On Saturday, league football returns to Bower Fold when Lancaster are our opening game of the 20/21 season (kick off 3pm, gates open at 1.30pm). For those without season tickets, it will be pay on the gate.
At the point at which last season finished, Lancaster had been flying.
October and November had seen them win seven and draw two, lifting them to second in the table.
They’d been unbeaten at home all season, but cracks had been starting to show and one win in five in December saw them fall away from the top, and keep falling. Their last ten games saw them lose five and draw two, whilst they did not win at all in their last five matches. They finished last season technically in fifth, with four teams within striking distance and with games in hand, would they have stayed there? Nantwich were a point behind with three games in hand, Whitby, three points behind with three games in hand and Morpeth were five points behind with seven games in hand. It’s unknowable. As it stands, they’d played a game more, were eleven points and seven places above Celtic when the world paused.
Last season’s top scorer was David Norris, who found the net 13 times, 9 of them coming away. His closest rival was Paul Dawson, who’d netted 11 times, but only twice away. Both are still with the club.
On average, they scored their goals 58 (34 away) at a rate of 1.7 goals per game (2 goals per away game). They failed to score in only one away match, a 1-0 defeat to Ashton at the end of January.
Defending saw them concede 46 goals (28 away) at a rate of 1.4 goals per game (1.6 per away game). They kept 5 clean sheets on the road (from 12 in total), the most recent a 3-0 win over Radcliffe at the start of February.
In their last five matches, they’d scored 3 and conceded 10. Most of their goals were coming just before half time, whilst they faded in the last ten minutes, and conceded 12 in that period.
We only got to play Lancaster once last season, a goalless draw at The Giant Axe. Their last visit to Bower Fold was the end of the 2018/19 season when they won 2-1, with Neil Kengni’s early equaliser cancelled out before half time.
In the 2017/18 season, Celtic fared better. Although Celtic went behind twice in the first half, with only a Jordan Chapell goal to show for the half time deficit, two more from Chapell, and goals from Theo Bailey-Jones and Luke Ashworth saw Celtic run out 5-2 winners.
In total, Lancaster have visited eleven times. Celtic have won seven, lost two and drawn two. One of our highest ever wins came against Lancaster, when we beat them 11-0 in a cup winners cup match.
Lancaster’s pre-season has been going well, with five wins and two losses, though their final pre-season match was a 4-2 home loss to Spennymoor.
Celtic have already had a competitive match, knocking Stocksbridge Park Steels out of the FA Cup last weekend
Learning to read clusters is not something your eyes do naturally. It takes constant practice.
Capacity: 6,500 (Seats 1,500) Address: Mottram Road, Stalybridge, SK15 2RT Telephone: 0161 338 2828 Pitch Type: Grass Club Nickname: Celtic Year Ground Opened: 1906 Undersoil Heating: No Home Kit: Blue and White
What is Bower Fold like?
The ground is set into a hillside, so there is plenty of greenery on view around the stadium. Unlike most grounds in this league Bower Fold benefits by having two seated stands on either side of the pitch. On one side is the Main Stand. This tidy-looking covered stand was opened in 1996 and sits astride the halfway line. There is a small terrace to one side, whilst the other is a club building. The stand is flanked on either side by two floodlight pylons, but these don’t impede the view. Opposite is the newish looking Lord Tom Pendry Stand. This stand like the Main Stand is cantilevered i.e. there are no supporting pillars. It is raised above pitch level meaning that you need to climb a small set of steps to reach the seated area. Again the floodlight pylons are situated to either side. Both ends feature covered terracing, the more substantial of these being at the Mottram End of the ground.
Stalybridge Celtic currently plays in the BetVictor Northern Premier League Premier Division, the seventh tier of English football. This is at Step 3 below the Football League and one League below the National Leagues North and South.
Record Attendance 9,753 v West Bromwich Albion FA Cup First Round Replay, 17th January 1923
Average Attendance 2018-2019: 356 (Northern Premier League) 2017-2018: 315 (Northern Premier League) 2016-2017: 567 (National League North)
Learning to read clusters is not something your eyes do naturally. It takes constant practice.
After what seems like an absolute eternity the Dolly Blues are finally back in competitive action as they travel to Bower Fold to take on Stalybridge Celtic this Saturday at the usual weekend time of 3pm.
With a couple of new additions to the squad as well as a few familiar names returning to the City playing staff and backroom staff, Mark Fell’s side have had a busy pre-season and the manager will be hoping that all of the hard work and preparation of the last month pays off.
An active August saw the Dollies earn victories on the road to Longridge Town and Colne FC as well as a well-earned 4-1 victory at home to local side Slyne With Hest. Following this, as we moved into September, City saw a mixed bag of results with wins coming against Chorley and Kendal Town and losses being suffered versus Workington FC and Spennymoor Town.
The last time these two sides met was back in December last year when a 0-0 draw was played out by both sides at Giant Axe. The reverse fixture was unfortunately unable to be played due to the season being postponed by Covid so the two sides will be itching to get off to a great start and put the first W of the season on their records.
So, we will see you this Saturday at Staybridge, on a day where we will hopefully see a Lancaster win and three points on the board to start a happy and successful season. Come on you Dolly Blues!
Learning to read clusters is not something your eyes do naturally. It takes constant practice.
Tom Kilifin got 1 goal in his last season for the Dollies (18/19), it took him just 10 minutes to open his account this season. Here’s our equalising goal from yesterday @tomkilifinpic.twitter.com/mmTmXYgrVA
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