| 3 News Items |
| Youth team reach final |
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The County Combination Under 18 representative side reached the Final of the Liverpool County F.A. Inter League Under 18 Competition with a comprehensive 3 - 0 win against the I Zingari Combination. Goals from Ryan Liggett (South Sefton Borough), Jamie Rainford (South Sefton Borough ) and Ryan Wade (Boolte) set up a repreat of last seasons final against the Warrington & District League who were 2 - 1 winners at the West Derby Junior League. |
| December Newsletter |
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Volume 8 Issue 4 December 2004 Inside this edition; 1 County Comb continue their Challenge Cup domination 2 Lucas Cup controversy, Lord Wavertree Cup gets new sponsor 3 Bootle get makeover! 4 Get well soon Wayne! Welcome to the Liverpool County Combination League Newsletter, all contributions are welcome. Please contact: County Combination Press Officer: Jim Stanway @ 10 Olive Vale, Wavertree, Liverpool. L15 8JH. Tel: 0151 ? 281 ? 5704. County Combinations Challenge Cup domination The County Combinations top clubs continue to dominate the most prestigious local amateur football competition, the Liverpool County FA Challenge Cup, with five representatives in the quarterfinals after the recent fourth round ties. Holders, Waterloo Dock, cruised past North West Counties League Resreve Division outfit, Skelmersdale United, scoring six times with leading marksman Adam Williams leading the way with four goals. Last season?s Junior Cup Winners, Halewood Town, failed to give the Combination a 100% record, losing in a ten-goal thriller with Merseyside Police, on penalties. Town conceded a last minute equaliser, then came back from 5-3 down in extra time only to lose 3-1 in the penalty shoot out. Both Speke and South Liverpool both of whom have been very impressive in this competition over the last few years, were eliminated but only to fellow County Combination clubs, Lucas Sports and Mossley Hill Athletic respectively. Lucas Ross Kennedy and Mossley Hill's Nicky Johnstone both scored twice in their 3-2 and 5-2 wins. Previous winners Saint Dominics and Saint Aloysius, both squeezed past non County Combination opponents namely Preston and District Side Southport Trinity and I Zingari league team Stoneycroft, by 3-2 and 2-1 respectively with the Doms Jeff Dodd getting two. As well as the Police the other two non-Combination teams through are West Cheshire league Manweb and I Zingari League Premier division outfit Old Xaverians. Lord Wavertree Cup gets new sponsor The County Combination are delighted to announce that the Lord Wavertree Cup will be sponsored for this season by R.A. Brickwork Ltd,. The company is run by Richie Ackers who has strong links with local football, refereeing in the I Zingari League and sponsoring the I Zingari League Challenge Cup. Richie is definitely showing the way for closer working between the two leagues. Well done, Richie and thanks. Lucas Sports cup controversy! Whilst events on the pitch could not have gone better for Lucas Sports and their new young manager, John Gould, events off the pitch threaten to derail their efforts as it approached Christmas with an unbeaten record in all competitions. Despite having entered the competition for the last four seasons and received co-operation from both Liverpool and Lancashire football associations in re-arranging fixtures, this season has seen the club unceremoniously dumped out of the Lancashire Amateur Shield at the fourth round stage. Having already defeated three opponents the club were denied the opportunity to move into the quarterfinals as their tie against Whinney Hill clashed with their third round Liverpool County FA Challenge Cup tie against Maghull. Neither association would budge and so the club was forced to scratch from the shield having expended plenty of sweat and money( a trip to barrow does not come cheap) to progress through these three rounds. The players did give the club a nice consolation defeating Maghull, from the West Cheshire League, 3-2. A further problem for the club is that their move to a new home at I.M. Marsh College in leafy Mossley Hill has not been without its tribulations. Having been promised a new pitch and dressing rooms by the college authorities, the club were unable to play home fixtures until October, the dressing rooms have still not been completed and the newly laid pitch has struggled to cope with regular use and is on the small side. Despite all this, John Gould?s men have been on fire where it counts on the pitch and despite losing many players to Saint Helens Town where previous manager, Joe Gibiliru, had taken charge. Indeed, influential midfielder, Mischa Showers, has only recently joined Saint Helens and seems to have score din every game since his November move to the North West Counties outfit. Bootle get makeover! Having lost their first twelve league games plus elimination from two major cup competitions, Bootle?s fortunes were at the lowest ebb, attempting to compete in the County Combination with a youth team, derived from the club?s highly successful youth set up. A major change was required if the club were to be a match at County Combination level. The appointment of Carl Burleigh as manager has already had the desired effect; a whole new squad of more experienced has been signed in the last month or so and results have improved accordingly. Carl has a previous connection with the club, being manager of the club?s youth team when it won the Liverpool County FA Youth Cup in 1998/99. Indeed several of the players have returned to the club although the star turn was Lee McEvilly who is now a full time professional at Accrington Stanley. The new manager has brought in several players who also play for his Sunday team, Seaburn, in the Crosby and District League. The new captain is the left sided midfielder, Graeme Porter, signed by David O?Leary at Leeds United, more recently at REMYCA United and Cammell Lairds. Striker David Lynch has returned after a season at Marine Reserves whilst the McDonald bothers, Terry and Kevin, have been recruited from Formby. Lynch?s return was celebrated in fine style with four goals in the recent win over Royal Seaforth. As the club can now see light at the end of the tunnel on the playing side so the club?s new ground at Bridle Road is starting to take shape. The pitch is now ready to be seeded, the bases for the floodlights have been set and the perimeter fence is half complete. The club have been assured that all the utilities will be available in February / March whilst all the units for the dressing rooms will be of modular structure and need only two to three weeks notice to be fitted. The club have now applied for membership of the North West Counties League and although a successful bid is still some way off, it illustrates their ambition. We?re also happy to give a plug to the Bootle Times, the local weekly newspaper, which is giving weekly reports of the County Combination matches. The paper is available from all discerning newsagents every Thursday! Get well soon, Wayne! County Combination referee, Wayne Trott, is recovering from horrendous injuries after a road accident. Getting out of his car to help a fellow motorist who had herself crashed, he was hit by an oncoming car, causing him to break his left arm, shoulder, leg and collarbone. Nevertheless he hopes to be back out with his whistle by April! |
| Liverpool Challenge Cup Final |
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Waterloo Dock won the Liverpool County F.A. Challenge Cup with a 2 - 1 extra time win over St. Dominics at Walton Hall Avenue on Wednesday 6th April. St. Dominics, who had lost in the Lancashire Amateur Cup Fianl on Monday 4th April 1 - 0 to West Cheshire League, Merseyside Police went a goal down after 20 minutes with John Durnin scoring from a penalty. The Saints equalised with and own goal. No more goals were socred in 90 minutes forcing the tie into extra time. A Jamie O'Brien strike decided the winners in a game played in atrocious conditions. |