Melford Knight - time to retire...?

In short - and there's no legal problems about this next statement (because I was a witness) - tonight a Mossley supporter was attacked by an opposition player IN THE CAR PARK AFTER THE GAME...........

... so - me home from tonight's game at Trafford - a 3-3 draw with Trafford nicking an equaliser in the 94th minute - but the game was totally overshadowed by the "apres match antics" ...so b*ll*x to the pictures for now anyway.

The game of football covers many many things - and at the non-league level "things" are more easily put into focus, due to smaller crowds and the closeness of players and fans. Banter and insults are more obvious - reactions are naturally more obvious - tonight we (or at least three of us) saw the darker side.

Melford Knight - he's "been around" as they say in non-league circles - spent three years with Mossley - a solid midfield player with an eye for goals (scored 16 for Mossley in just over 100 appearances). However - there was aways that "edge" about the man - cannot give you the red/yellow card stats - and that "edge" was never a comfortable one. He left Mossley "under a cloud" - mostly due to the demise of Jason Beckford - and has moved around a bit since then - so you could say there IS a bit of "previous" with some of the Mossley fans.

We've crossed paths on several occasions since his departure from Seel Park - and naturally he has received some stick - as most ex-players do. Tonight was no exception (me as the photographer - looking to stand in the right place for ME - note that I was not standing with most of the Mossley fans - I never do - but we are talking about a crowd of 106 - you can hear everything ...). Now hear this - Melford Knight was Trafford's captain tonight - don't you expect the man with the armband to lead by example ? He got a yellow card tonight - he continually moaned - he continually niggled - and he continued to show that bit of skill that makes him a good player .... but that "edge", that bloody "edge" - and I'm afraid the yellow card proves that point - and that was his behaviour ON the pitch ...

Anyway - to the point (if you're all still awake) - Trafford snatch a late equaliser - Mossley fans not pleased - much shouting at all as they leave the pitch (even the Trafford fans admitted that the set of officials tonight were p*ss poor !). I'd turned up at the game via train - but was offered a lift back to Mossley - which I accepted. We got back to the car (NOTE - car park about 200 yards from the ground) - doors unlocked - and then it kicked off - we three were surrounded by some Trafford players - and the "cronies" of one certain player (guess who) - and this particular player (guess who) hit my fellow passenger on the head - this particular player (guess who) and his "cronies" (some of whom were NOT Trafford players it has to be said) continued to push/shove/insult/threaten - and may well have damaged the car ( the owner will be checking in the full light of day tomorrow - any damage costs may well be forwarded to Trafford FC) - to put it bluntly they were a total disgrace to Trafford FC - as far as I am concerned a particular player (guess who) should be sacked immediately, told to attend anger management classes and also learn to cope with football banter on his own rather than taking the cowardly route of "getting his gang together"... I could say that the behaviour tonight was akin to a Sunday morning pub team - but I feel I would be doing a disservice to Sunday morning pub teams ...

So Trafford - while that particular player (guess who) is involved with your club - he disgraces your club and therefore I'm afraid you as a club disgrace this league.

(Can I just add one "voice of reason" - Joe & Robyn - you were the attempted "calm down" side of things - but I'm afraid you had no chance - your particular team mate (guess who) and his "cronies" just ... f**ked it up -so it's up to you whether you feel the need to be involved with people like that).

I await any further comments ...

(E&OE)
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Black Monday ...

... well afternoon anyway - a couple of e-mails received today ....

Thank you for your recent application for the role above. I am sorry to say that you have not been selected for the initial interviews to be held during the next 2 weeks but we will retain your CV on file for further review should these interviews fail to produce a clear winner.

Many Thanks for your interest in E***** E***** and good luck in your job search.

and later on ...

Thank you for your application - Req//105075 Data Analyst

Having assessed your skills and experience for this role, I am sorry but you have been unsuccessful on this occasion. However, I have found your CV of interest and have placed it on our internal CV document search engine.

Hey ho - made £16 on Ebay today - could well be the future - because there seems to be naff all in computing ... tomorrow is the "directive" from the DWP (as in some "Back to Work" refresher type thing) - whoo hoo ... and only after certified attendance will I be permitted to attend football no doubt - ha ha ...

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Weekend in Northumberland - Part Two

A few (non-football !) 'snaps' from the weekend to be found here ...

... and a quick plug for "Cafe Delicious" on Market Street, Alnwick - excellent tapas !

Next stop - Trafford v Mossley, tomorrow night ...
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Weekend in Northumberland - Part One

... football first as they say !! A comfortable win for the home team to be honest - and despite wearing the "wrong trousers" and an outsized number 5 shirt, the Embleton Whinstone Rovers "number five" was very tasty indeed - he covered a lot of ground and created havoc in the Bamburgh Castle defence. The Bamburgh "number five" was all set to explode towards the end - a real "blood pressure job" - but he couldn't be faulted for his effort either. Good weather - and a nice pub just up the road (the Greys Inn) made it a good afternoon all round - some pictures at

Embleton Whinstone Rovers 3 Bamburgh Castle 1

It was a weekend up in Northumberland staying with some old friends from Mossley - and Mossley AFC in fact - Lynn and Andy - excellent weather - excellent food - excellent company - seaside - and football - result !! More to come picture/word wise ... but now - some (take away) tea !!
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Tomorrow I will be mostly watching ...

... Embleton Whinstone Rovers v Bamburgh Castle in the North Northumberland League Division 2 ...

Different eh ?
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Zippy leaves DragonForce !

(One of mine from Manchester Academy - December 2006)

Official statement:

It is with great regret that DragonForce announce a parting of the ways with singer ZP Theart. This is due to insurmountable differences of musical opinion but the rest of the band sincerely wish ZP great success with his future projects.

While the creative core members have begun writing the fifth album, they have also started a worldwide search for a new vocalist. “We are looking for a powerful melodic singer, to write a new chapter of DragonForce with us.” said guitarist Herman Li.

Anyone wishing to audition for the vacant position should apply following the instructions at this web address www.dragonforce.com/audition

A great shame - anyone out there fancy the gig ?

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Stalybridge Celtic v Southport

... yes I know, it should really have read "Radcliffe Borough 0 Mossley 1" (four wins in a row now, three of them away from home - now up to 12th !), but we are suffering from some fairly serious computer problems at home at the moment (Mrs Smiffy appears to have obtained a variant of the Kryptik trojan on her pc and it's completely knackered the internet setup), so I was trying to sort that out yesterday afternoon - which went into early evening - so Celtic ended up as the only option.

When I got to Stalybridge Station - the lights were out on Platform 1 - electrical fault (they must have known that Southport were coming - the previous game between the two teams was abandoned on 86 minutes ... when the floodlights went out - electrical fault !!)

It was a much changed side for Celtic, due to injuries and "new boys" - and to me (strictly neutral of course), it looked somewhat disjointed - Hankin looked a lonely figure out on the right while nearly everything came down the other side to new boy Michael Twiss. The other major problem (for Celtic anyway) was the presence of ex-Hyde United man Earl Davis in the centre of things for Southport - to put it simply, he had a blinder - won everything in the air - and quite a lot on the ground as well (as some of the pictures show) - oh yes - pictures are at

Stalybridge Celtic 0 Southport 1

Southport took the lead just on half-time - but had already had one disallowed for offside and one that came back off the bar. The second half was disappointing - the substitutions made little difference, Earl Davis continued to "gobble everything up" - and some of the time-wasting tactics used by Southport were a little hard to take (although it did prove that they had a certain respect for their opposition I guess). So - the three-match unbeaten run came to an end for Celtic, and the win puts Southport four points behind leaders Fleetwood Town (with two games in hand), with Alfreton Town now third after their 5-0 demolition of Droylsden last night.

Meanwhile the Mossley bandwagon keeps rolling on ...
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Losing my Ebay "virginity" ...

... in the selling sense anyway !! Well I have got a fair few years (and boxes) of accumulated "stuff" (notice use of the word "stuff" rather than "cr*p" !), so ... worth a try isn't it ? So - four (football) programmes and two (non-football) badges later ... six and a bit days to go ...

Curzon v Wakefield game off tonight - frozen pitch - the stars are out again as we write, so I wonder what tomorrow will bring football-wise - and I wonder where I'll end up ... if anywhere ... (possibly) more bugger !
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The "Man in Black"

... no not Johnny Cash, but the oft-maligned arbiter of our beautiful game - spotted this today on the Glossop Message Board (thanks to "Haggis"), and thought it worth sharing a bit more ...



Hilarious !
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No Wake in Wakefield !

... well I've been to one this week - more than enough.

A right good day out today. On the train at 1155 - having discovered an even cheaper way to get there ! Weigh it up - Mossley to Wakefield return is £12-20. The usual plan is Mossley to Marsden (£5-20) and a West Yorkshire Day Rover (£5-30), thus saving £1-70. However, thanks to "Northern Duo", a pair of us got the Mossley to Marsden leg for £7-80 (one full, one half), so another £1-30 saved each !! We'll beat this stupid ticketing system (if you can call it a "system") EVERY TIME !!

Arrived in Wakefield about 1315 - we had young Callum with us so pub options were limited - ended up in the Wetherspoons - they'll have anyone, anytime (a great shame really - I can remember founder Tim Martin's initial "ideals" back in the late 70s/early 80s - those ideals now sadly thrown out of the window in the pursuit of profit !) - spent the train savings in there before we took a "roundabout route" (!) to College Grove.

A pretty even start to the game - well until Wakefield took the lead via their version of Peter Crouch ! The equaliser had a hint of "dodgy" about it in my mind - but the ref's decision is final of course (especially when it's in YOUR favour !). However all the good work was undone just before half time when Ryan Pleasants made it "unpleasant" for Mossley.

As the second half went on it wasn't looking brilliant - lots of pressure from Mossley but no product - and Wakefield still looked dangerous going forward. However, the old adage of "It's a 90+ minute game" - that Mossley have played to so many times this season - came to fruition when Chris McDonagh smacked one in from the edge of the box to set up a tense final 10 minutes ... and with one minute left on the clock, a moment of pure magic from Lee Blackshaw - squirming through the penalty area before slotting home - saw Mossley snatch a 3-2 win which takes them to the giddy heights of 13th place in the Unibond 1 North - still with games in hand over a few teams above !

If you've made it this far, you'll be looking for these no doubt ...

Wakefield 2 Mossley 3

(Pleasantly surprised that it turned out to be a fairly good set - I was a bit dubious at the end of the game (that "crisis of confidence" is still alive and kicking in the Smiffy psyche for some reason ... if someone would give me an effing job it may well put this "all to bed" as they say)

A happy trip home - with time for a swift slurp in Huddersfield - and in deference to Friday night's "Heavy Metal Britannica" on BBC4 which featured rather a lot of Iron Maiden, I managed a pint of Harviestoun "Number of the Beast" in the "Head of Steam" on Hudd Station ! Anyone else watch that last night ? I was a touch disappointed with the Beebs "apparent history" of Heavy Metal which just seemed to stop dead at the end of the 70s ... and the half-hour prog following that was AWFUL - picked some right duff tracks - "Wise Man" by Uriah Heep - heavy metal - give me strength ! Anyway the Iron Maiden tour movie made up for it - even though I'd seen a lot of the stuff the night before when they showed the "Flight 666" film ... but I digress ...

Back to Mossley to catch the last 15 minutes of the Wolves/Man United game - Scholes scored just as we were getting off the train - he could have waited a couple of minutes - then home to this ...

Tomorrow sees a bit of DIY in the "new curtain rail" area ... and then to create something with some lumps of braising steak ... but a trip to Rajas for a copy of the "Non League Paper" will of course come first (although I must remember to take steak out of freezer tonight - in fact I'll do it now !) OK - steak now defrosting ... best finish this off and "have a trawl round" - early spots show Stalybridge winning and Belper losing ... best get up to speed before the paper tomorrow ...
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Recruitment Agencies - Waste of Space ?

When I joined the ranks of the "great unwashed", one of the first "tips" I got was to sign on to a number of recruitment agencies - and thanks to the beauty of virtual job-hunting you can upload CVs etc to apparently "increase your profile" and "put yourself in front of hundreds of recruiters" - sceptical was I ...

I've tried several different CV "styles" - dependent on who I talked to, each version was "very good" - I was told that the trick is to tweak it each time you apply, dependent on thejob itself - cover letters were another topic where conflicting advice appeared - "don't make it too long" - "don't make it too short" etc etc.

... oh, and don't forget to set up the "job alerts", so the agencies can e-mail info about the opportunities that fit your "keywords"...

Now - this morning - I received one such alert - a developer job - "looks familiar" I said - as many of them do. Checking back through my "job diary" (that thing you have to show down at the Dole to show that you're actually doing SOMETHING), I noticed that I first applied for this job on 29th January. The same 'job' "re-appeared" on the 19th February - so I re-applied using different CV/Cover Letter option. And now it's back ... who are the fussy ones, the agencies or the actual prospective employer ? If the post STILL hasn't been filled 2 months down the line, isn't it time somebody in the whole chain of communication started to lower their sights a bit - or for that point, does the job really exist ?? You really start to wonder at times - these recruitment agencies are apparently taking a serious "rake off" for every post they fill - but these people seem to be in the position of "Playing God" in the whole recruitment process - and preventing people who "can do" from actually "doing" - or even getting in front of an employer to prove it ...

Depressing isn't it ?
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Breaking News from Wakefield ...

... and all this just before the visit of Mossley tomorrow




Hot off the presses today - yes it's Wakefield District Housing presenting their experiences of Implementing Cascade's fully integrated HR and Payroll system, and describing how this saved them loadsa money (probably by sacking a few software developers - ahem !) ... truly a "top ten" Youtube hit !

Follow that Lilywhites ...
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A Humdrum Thursday ...

(To the sound of "A Day in the Life" ...)

... applied for three jobs (got knock-back on one late this afternoon - sulk)
... had haircut (by Giuseppe)
... swapped some curtains (eyelet for "ordinary")
... got specs "mended" (dodgy screw)
... cooked tea (oriental style salmon with stir-fry veg)
... opened letter confirming our endowment mortgage is "short" - (something to use a chunk of the redundancy pittance towards - sulk)
... new CD arrived from EBay "Stereo Spirit" by Daby Touré (from Mauritania)

Fallen asleep yet ? Me neither ... 1500 hrs on Saturday soon comes around though ...

But first ... Friday !!!
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Day of Departures

... a simple yet effective "celebration of life" today at Rochdale Crematorium for Steve Bostock - well attended, much emotion and a dignified farewell for someone who was slightly more than just a "workmate" - we had photography in common too - I need to play "catch-up" big style in that area though ... anyway farewell Steve - you will be missed ....

A bad 24 hours all round - on Tuesday night Macc Town Manager Keith Alexander passsed away after returning home from the Silkmen's away game at Notts County ...furthermore Michael Foot has also "left the political arena" as has Winston Churchill ... enough ...
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PC Football & DVD Football

... a quiet night in, taking advantage of Bamber Bridge's excellent live match update gizmo - and having a bit of a laugh at the same time ! And it was Mossley who had the last laugh with an important 2-1 away victory which, coupled with Woodley's 2-0 defeat at Trafford, nudges them another place up the table - and also gets the goal difference back to zero !

At "sign on" today at the Department of (No) Work and (Frozen) Pensions, I was politely informed that, as I had been signing on for six weeks I now have to attend a "Back to Work" session - I say "politely informed" - the actual wording is "I am directing you to take the action below" - naturally if I fail to carry out this "Jobseeker's Direction" I 'could' lose ... you know the rest ... hey ho ... appears on the face of it to be nowt more than a reminder about what I'm already doing (although highly unlikely to touch on phrases like "ageism" - because that doesn't happen any more - does it ? ).

Now that the PC football has finished - and in deference to Mossley's trip to Wakefield FC on Saturday - I've pulled out a DVD which I bought several weeks ago, but haven't got round to watching - it's the Emley vs Stalybridge Celtic NPL "title decider" from April 2001 - it's 1-0 to Emley at the moment (half-time) but we all know the final score don't we ? One of those games where I can say "I was there !" (after several pints in Fernandes Brewery Tap !) - and I missed the late winner rushing for the train home !

Tomorrow - off to Rochdale to attend Steve Bostock's funeral - sad times - or a celebration of his life ... I'll go with the latter.
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Ashton United v Matlock Town

... as I'd declared myself "unavailable" for the Mossley game @ Bamber Bridge tonight and no ju-jitsu for small boy, it was a choice of the two Ashtons last night - and it was to Hurst Cross that I went (no thanks to the bloody 408 bus - ten minutes late going up and non-existent going back !), eschewing the "top of the table" clash between Curzon and Lancaster (can't beat a good "eschew" now and again !).

An even first half - and it was going pretty much the same way in the second 45. Just when we were all looking at a 0-0 stalemate, up pops Ross Hannah with a marvellous free kick to put the Gladiators in front. The turning point was the goal-line clearance at the other end, closely followed by a killer second goal on 89 minutes that did flatter the visitors to be honest.

Pictures at

Ashton United 0 Matlock Town 2

Can't complain at the effort put in by Ashton - they did hit the woodwork as well (which I contrived to miss !). While play-off hopes may be fading, Danny Johnson has assembled a good nucleus of players - wonder how long Moyo-Modise will be there - a very useful acquisition if I may say so - and once Marlin Piana gets back to 100%, who knows ? The creativity IS there - maybe the addition of a target man would be the final piece in the jigsaw.

That's real football over for the midweek though - fingers crossed for Mossley tonight though ... back to "work hunt" now - 'tis "sign on" day as well (sulk) ...

Nearly forgot - a Matlock game would not be the same without "Rico" phoning through his report - so I present ... "Rico @ Work" - courtesy babycam


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Mossley v Clitheroe

Another salutary lesson in playing for the full 90 minutes ... and more. At half-time (0-0) I felt we'd just nick it in the end - five minutes into the second half Mossley found themselves 2-0 down ! Sleeves were then rolled up, and on a heavy heavy pitch (verti-drained this week ? allegedly ...), we got back into the game and pulled it round to 2-2 - with supersub Lee Blackshaw playing an important part (came on at 62 minutes - and our goals came on 65 and 70) ... and just when we were feeling satisfied to have got it back to 2-2 - two late late goals (aparently 90 and 93) gave us a much needed victory. If I was a Clitheroe fan (and as usual there was a good turnout from the "Blue Army") the word "mugged" would come to mind ! A "bumper bundle" of pix at:

Mossley 4 Clitheroe 2

A word about the "meagre crowd" of 126 - as I pointed out yesterday, five of the "Six Tame Sides" were at home - and when that happens it means no neutrals, no fans from elsewhere not wishing to travel ... and a very thin spead across the borough - a quick glance (haven't got my "Non League Paper" yet either) shows Ashton United (136), Curzon Ashton (121) Droylsden (264) and Stalybridge (423) - so really 126 wasn't that bad.

It's awayday time for Mossley now - Bamber Bridge, Wakefield and Radcliffe over the next week and a bit. Won't be at Bamber on Tuesday - now need to get that NLP and map out the week ahead ...
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Promotion to the Glossies !

Cheap plug ...

This month's "Non League 24" magazine - page 46 (credited !) and page 86 (not credited !). The Hyde/Ilson pic was not the best - but it was the one they wanted - and I think the Mossley ground pic actually came from the baby compact camera ! All good stuff mind ...

Mossley game against Clitheroe is ON - as is Ashton United v Nantwich Town - no news as yet (1145) vis-a-vis Curzon vs Prescot, Droylsden v Farsley and Stalybridge Celtic v Gainsborough Trinity (Hyde United are away at Vauxhall Motors) - it's not raining though so all should be well (don't take my word for it mind !). Another nuisance when 5 of the "Six Tame Sides" are all at home on the same day - I may have to try designing some "regional add-on" software for these fixture compilers - although with the weather we've had over the last two months we should be grateful for any football anywhere !
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More Tinkering with PhotoShop

... and still using Elements 2.0 - I REALLY must get round to loading Elements 6 onto the old laptop (copy kindly given to me by Ken - Belper Town - following his "birthday upgrade" to 8 - Thanks Ken !) Anyway a bit of a tinker with a picture from Tuesday night ... just for fun ...



Might take this one step further and change the player's eyeball to bright red ...
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Legal Theft - Concert Ticket "Touts"

... and I'm not talking about the shifty fellas outside the gig here - I'm talking about apparently credible/legal websites offering tickets for gigs ...

Last night whilst at college, I got a text from daughter - "BRMC playing Manchester 20th April" (that's Black Rebel Motorcycle Club for those who didn't !) - finally got round to replying tonight - however the gig is a sellout - viz
(click for big as usual)



PLEASE NOTE ORIGINAL TICKET PRICE ON THE LEFT - AS IN £15

However - further checking around t'internet revealed this ...



As far as I know, this is NOT the "Corporate Hospitality Package" - just a ticket. I need say no more although words like "theft", "robbery" - even "usury" come to mind. Other words include "GetMeIn" and "Viagogo" ... may I humbly suggest ...



I also noticed "no concessions" for the unemployed ... anywhere ...
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RIP Steve Bostock

I worked (in the "computer sense") with Steve on two occasions - both times at Simon Carves - and he was one of the guys who fell in the first "redundancy cull" early in 2009 - he was always a photographer first (check out his website) but computing "paid the rent" as they say.

Recently remarried (and unable to take his own wedding photos !) he was - like me - in the "out of work" situation - although his photography kept things "ticking over" up to a point. We only "crossed swords" on the pitch once - late last year at the FC United of Manchester vs Stalybridge Celtic FA Cup game - he was "doing" for the Manchester Evening News and I was just "doing" (and his pic of Phil Marsh's goal that made the MEN was tack-sharp - unlike my effort !). I got a lot of hints and tips from Steve which I would like to think has improved my snapping - and for that I am extremely grateful.

Only last week I bumped into Steve in Ikea Ashton of all places - not a lot of time for chat as we were "in the till queues" ... but he looked well. Last night he was covering the Rochdale vs Bradford City game, but left just before the end feeling unwell - he collapsed and died soon afterwards.

Off to college soon - but I have been listening to Rush (on Spotify) for the last hour or so - one of Steve's favourite bands - mentioning bands such as Oasis to Steve was like "red rag to a bull" !!

Rest in Peace Steve - it would be interesting to know what the lighting is like in the afterworld - I'm sure you'll cope very well ... cheers mate, and my deepest commiserations to the family as well.
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Ashton United to Appeal

Catching up on news from yesterday evening ... following a board meeting on Monday night, Ashton United have decided to appeal against the ruling in the Marcus Hallows case. Apparently the costs of the appeal will be somewhere in the region of £9,000 ...

Some other costs have been released as well - aparently Marcus Hallows is claiming £32,000 but ... wait for it ... court costs to date are around £90,000 (NINETY THOUSAND POUNDS) - now tell me who the real winners are here .......

If you haven't already - and feel you can - don't forget the petition

Other publicity - some words on the Non-League News 24 website - also letters have been sent to David Heyes (the local Ashton MP) and Gerry Sutcliffe (Sports Minister - who I'm told - via a Chorley contact - had a meeting with a solicitor on this very subject not long ago !) - and there are a few discussion threads doing the rounds on various non-league message boards - this topic is certainly now "out in the open" ...
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Oldham Boro v Chadderton - in Pictures

Sorted some views from last night - as usual fighting floodlights and freezing temperatures - just looking at them again makes me feel cold - again !

Oldham Boro 2 Chadderton 2

What next ... plenty to do today before heading for college tonight - back later no doubt ...
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Oldham Boro v Chadderton - No Pix Yet !

... I got football eventually !! Another bitterly cold night - with added snow flurries - but the game was on. It was certainly a game of two halves - Oldham just didn't look interested in the first 45, and Chadderton made them pay, racing into a 2-0 lead. The second half was a different story - Oldham got a penalty, made it 2-1 and Chadderton basically fell apart ... the equaliser was certainly the "goal of the game", a left foot effort from well outside the box going right across the Chaddy 'keeper and into the far corner. A bit feisty at times (well it was a local derby !), but at the end of the day a draw was the right result - I've had a first trawl through the pix - and found some half-decent ones (!!) despite weather and my apparent "crisis of confidence" - but they'll have to wait until later today...

Just about thawed out - believe or not my half-time tipple was ... a cuppa tea (well I was driving for a change) - certainly helped me cope with the second half ! Anyway tomorrow already mapped out - photos from earlier tonight, an Ashton United update , seal a window with some silicon stuff - and of course the daily dole avoidance stuff (i.e. "hunt the job") ...
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OFF !

Mossley v Curzon Ashton - frozen pitch & terracing;
Stalybridge Celtic v Fleetwood Town - frozen pitch.

What now / Where now ... "unemployment" & "match postponed" - two phrases which blight my life ... sulk ...
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Football365 Forum

Can anyone tell me what's happening on http://forum.football365.com/ ??

I seem to be getting a lot of hits via this forum, so I registered on it last night - today I receive an e-mail containing the magic phrase

"Your account 'mossleysmiffy' was declined by the administrator."

Wonder what I've done to upset them - have e-mailed back - as offered - to find out why - still waiting ...

If anyone can fill me in - mucho gracias !
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Ashton United/Danny White Update

... well I was asked to do something !!

Step One of course is to head for Number 10 Downing Street - so an application to set up an e-petition under their auspices was forwarded to same yesterday. However I received the "thumbs down" this morning - apparently the petition was "Outside the remit of the Prime Minister and Government" - so the Government cannot reconsider a verdict from the judiciary - but the judiciary can reconsider - and overturn - a verdict given by a qualified person who was there at the scene of the "incident" (i.e. the referee) !

A lowering of sights was required - so I offer up the following online petition:

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/aufcdanwhite/

Like I have said elsewhere - I personally bear no ill-will at all towards the plaintiff in this case - I just feel that his course of action is WRONG given the potential repercussions to the entire semi-pro game - and unfortunately the "blame/claim" culture and the advent of "no win no fee" probably has a lot to do with his course of action - three years after the incident ? hmmm ...

If nothing else, we should hope this whole sorry state of affairs serves to focus the minds of clubs, players AND league officials AT ALL LEVELS on the areas of insurance/liability/disclaimers - although if we're not careful it could open the floodgates to claim after claim after claim ... this too (like the club/individual bankruptcy scenarios) could also spell doom to the non-league game ...

We can only try ...
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Adiv Financial Scam Update

Sent info to Bob - and Bob has "done the business" as in:

All you need to know - and more !

My work here is done !
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FC Halifax Town v Mossley

... we started early - not even knowing if the game was on or not - arriving Halifax before 12 in time to watch "some match" on one of the 275 screens in the "Salvation" - certainly a surprise win for Everton - boded well for a shock later in the afternoon ... which sadly did not arrive.

First half was all Halifax - to be honest it could have been 5-1 at the break - however it seemed that Manager JF's rant at the ref carried over into the dressing room and despite conceding 2 more goals, it was a much improved 45 minutes by Mossley. Pix at

FC Halifax Town 4 Mossley 2

We got a "couple in" at the best pub in town afterwards (3 Pigeons), before the trek home - and it was ! Late Trains, Tight/Missed Connections - unlike the smooth journey out. I left the rest of the crew @ Stalybridge while I carried on into Ashton for a curry - home late, hence all done this morning.

Next stop - back at "Fortress Hurst Cross" on Tuesday for the local derby against Curzon Ashton (no doubt with many Halifax fans willing us on to win !).
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One Down

... the first Unibond casualty today is:

Chasetown v Leek Town

(either bad weather or Chasetown still celebrating their midweek 4-0 away win @ Stafford Rangers in the Staffs Senior Cup - grrr).

Off to Halifax soon - certainly an "In the Lap of the Gods" day out ...
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Now Waiting for Football

The young ones all fell asleep on the settee ... slackers !!

Well done to Amy Williams - winning the "tea tray on y'front" event @ Vancouver - now all we need is a frost-free Shay ... and there ARE hopeful noises on the FC Halifax Message Board. Finish beer - then bed !

(Wonder how Marcus Hallows sleeps at night ....)
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Waiting for Gold ...

... may as well stay up, watch and wait and shout "Come on Amy !!!"

(and then retire to my boudoir praying for a frost-free morning !)

B*ll*x - just been invaded by adolescents ....
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Marcus Hallows vs Ashton United/Danny White - Verdict

Be warned - this WILL be a long one - for me anyway ....

At 1700 tonight this appeared on the Ashton United website - via Chairman Dave Aspinall:

Ashton United FC are disappointed that the courts have found against the club and former player Danny White in this distressing case. This verdict opens a potential can of worms for every single football club up and down the land as, based on the precedent set in this case, any incident resulting in an injury may now be subject to a legal challenge, regardless of the lack of any intent.

Speaking as someone deeply committed to the game of football, I fully understanding Marcus Hallows’ wish to seek redress for the unfortunate injury that he suffered in a challenge with Danny White during the game between Altrincham and Ashton United on March 19^th 2005, however, Ashton United FC always felt that, as Mr Hallows’ injuries were suffered as the result of an accidental collision between two consenting adults playing a sport with a known degree of risk, no liability was owed by either Danny White or Ashton United for a genuine, if unfortunate, accident.

The club wishes to make no further comment at this stage until it has consulted with its legal advisors about the potential ramifications for both Ashton United and Danny White following this verdict. It is the club's understanding that no appeal may be forthcoming unless there is a dispute over a point of law

OK - some background here - on 19th March 2005 Altrincham entertained Ashton United. During the game Marcus Hallows was badly injured after a tackle by Danny White - he suffered fractures of both tib and fib and had to wait over 30 minutes before an ambulance arrived - on the way to the hospital his heart stopped. Danny White was not booked for the tackle.

A picture of the tackle - I must point out that it was the trailing left leg of Danny White that connected with Hallows' right leg and caused the injuries.

In June 2008 - yes over 3 years after the event - Hallows sued both Danny White and Ashton United for potential loss of earnings based on a semi-pro career until 35 years of age - Hallows was nearly 30 at the time of the incident. Original stories talked of £32,500 - later stories had the figure as high as £100,000 - certainly enough to financially ruin both club and individual - in fact I did touch on the case on this very blog back then . The story made national headlines at the time - one of the many quotes was that Hallows had to "restart his career" by becoming an Elvis Presley impersonator - not really - he was earning money from this act well before the accident (ask Sam Allardyce's wife) - and he has worked with a flooring company/in sales - as a semi-professional he could not have been dependent on his earnings from football.

In December 2009, Expert witnesses were brought into the case - acting for Hallows, Garry Mabbutt (ex-Spurs) said "It was an uncontrolled lunge" - acting for AUFC/Danny White, Jeff Winter (ex-ref) said "This particular challenge is commonplace in football at all levels" - unlike those 'lucky ones' at Premiership level, there was no video evidence - these experts were working off photos such as the one above and verbal statements of people "who were there". Ashton United had argued from the start that the tackle was "not malicious" but a "collision" - and also the fact that neither referee or linesmen took any action at the time.

A couple of points ref insurance - because the game was an away game for Ashton United, their public liability insurance would not cover any claims - as regards individual player insurance, I'm not so sure as obviously there are contract and non-contract players and I would think there are various ways and means - and much of it is up to the individual player rather than their club . A point of information - I as a "snapper" HAVE to personally take out £2 million of public liability insurance in order to take photographs at Conference level - it costs me about £90 a year - and I found this on the web tonight - obviously just an example but ...

Anyway ... the judge has ruled in favour of Hallows - and as Rasper says above this will now create a legal precedent which could theoretically turn football into a completely non-contact sport ... like bloody netball ... and potentially kill the game at our level. I thought long and hard about other such incidents - Eduardo (back playing after 12 months - no action taken against Martin Taylor), Henrik Larsson (back after 8 months out), David Busst (retired - leg healed, but infection and other muscle damage was too much) - obviously at the higher levels, the players ARE looked after and cossetted by their clubs - and are well provided with insurance etc. On the other hand we have Peter Morrison of Scunthorpe who was awarded over £400,000 compensation after a tackle that broke his leg in several places - although you must note that the tackler in this case WAS SENT OFF - unlike Danny White who WAS NOT EVEN BOOKED.

We mustn't forget Danny White and the mental damage this case has caused to HIS career (believe there could be a possible counter-claim option for Ashton United on behalf of Danny) - after leaving Ashton United he moved to Mossley for a while before moving on to Buxton and Retford - he hasn't played for a while ... for obvious reasons - and I'm sure there was plenty of work for an Elvis impersonator over the Christmas period .... And what about the officials who were involved in the game - if their decisions can be overturned by a judge (who may know jack about non-league football and the implications of his decision) on what I consider minimal evidence - there truly is no hope for the game ...

This decision HAS to be overturned .... it really does ...

23FEB10 UPDATE - (in case no-one checks later posts) on-line petition now up HERE

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Our Bird Food Burglar

... finally caught young Fitz "in the act" today ... quick dash upstairs, grab camera, open back door, quick snap - and he was away (as usual click for big - but does look better small !) ...



Football tomorrow - there's talk of sub-zero temperatures tonight - and FC Halifax Town have had this problem before with 95% of the pitch being OK but ... in steps a ref to call it off ! We wait we see - although plan is to catch the 1047 train to get there in time to see "something" on the TV (Everton are playing I believe !!), so contingency plans need to be made (as in Garforth and Wakefield are both at home ...)

Fingers crossed though ...
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Getting back to Football ...

OK - enough of "saving the world" for now - although I will continue to monitor the scum that prey on the weak, the gullible and the unemployed - and if anyone else knows anything - feel free to comment !!

Anyway - Thursday - errrm - oh yes ... we bought a new printer the other day. Our previous printer (an HP Craposmart) is now residing in the "Refuse Amenity Site" - it was cheap, and by God it was nasty - gobbled up system resources on the house computers even when not being used - got perpetual "reminders/pop-ups" - and the cartridge prices made you think it was cheaper to bin it - so we did !

Having a Canon DSLR and a Canon Compact Camera, it seemed only right to give a Canon printer a go - so we ended up with a Canon Printer, Copier, Scanner, Teasmade type thing - now I can print out hard-copy CVs !! I also tried out the scanner tonight - our Peter was trawling through some old boxes of piccies (for Facebook purposes) and he found one and chucked it over - so I scanned it in (click for big) ... Wembley ... 1972 ... and yes I'm in there as well !



Might bring back some memories for certain people in the Stafford area !!
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Well That Opened a Can of Worms !

... looking at my site statistics, it appears that the fake "Adiv Financial" have done a big spam e-mail send all over the world in the last 36 hours - I got 194 hits yesterday - with many of them coming via a Google search on the "company" - and already 86 today (1300 hrs) - from places as far afield as Greece, Lithuania, Bulgaria - and even Nigeria (that place where all the princes live - the ones who can't get their money out of the country without "your help" !!). As I said last night, Adiv Financial is just one of many honest financial institutions being used/abused by this type of scam - and totaljobs.co.uk is just one of many job sites being used/abused ...

Check out these useful links (all clean - don't worry):

http://www.bobbear.com/

http://www.avertlabs.com/research/blog/index.php/2008/07/14/ever-put-your-cv-on-a-job-site/

http://www.scmagazineus.com/rock-phish-gang-adds-malware-download-to-attacks/article/109240/

... and BE CAREFUL !
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A Job Offer ... I Don't Think So !!

Fifteen days ago we had the "loan sharks";

Ten days ago we had the "phishing" scams;

Today - a dodgy job offer from one John Allen of AdivFinancial - offering me a job as a "Payment Protection Agent" ... I give you:

Adiv Financial Pty Ltd,
67 Beard Street, Eltham,
3095, VIC, Australia.

Hello,
my name is John Allen and I am Adiv Financial hiring manager. We have found and carefully reviewed your CV at TotalJobs and decided to offer this job to you.

Our services
When buying-selling operations via the Internet are concerned, the buyer and the seller don't know each other (they may be placed in different corners of the world) - it is very important both to the buyer and the seller for their deal to be made safe. Payment Protection means receiving money, documents, goods (it might be both the seller's and the buyer's) concerning the transaction to a reliable, experienced, impartial person - our Payment Protection agent. The agent will hold all the documents and money until all the terms of the deal are satisfied and only then release them to the intended receiver.

Why we need Payment Protection agents
Having a Payment Protection agent in every country we can quickly transfer funds inside a country without wasting time on the international bank transfers, and continue our rapid growth rather than overwhelming our own bank account with inbound and outbound transactions leading to severe hold times and possible service interruption. It is time that is of significant importance to our clients.

Career and Benefits
Your main task will be receiving money transactions to any bank account you would like to use for the purposes of this job; and then forwarding these transactions to the next party of the Payment Protection process according to our instructions. You will benefit from the commissions, which are 5-7% of each transaction and depend on the quantity of the completed transactions and the speed of your work. Besides, you will be paid a basic salary of 1500 GBP per month.

For your convenience there will be no paychecks, your commission will remain in your account after every successfully completed transaction. The money transfer fee is not included in your commission, meaning that you will deduct it from the received amount, not from your commission. Also you receive 5-7% of the transaction amount. Normally the amounts that we process vary from 2,000 GBP to 10,000 GBP, but can go higher on special occasions.

Job details
As the financial activity in your area is not too high, a Payment Protection agent will be processing approximately 1-2 transactions per week. Each transaction requires approximately 4-5 hours of the agent work. Our manager always calls the agent beforehand to provide all the instructions. Therefore, with the due time management, the agent is able to combine this job with other activities (e.g. primary job or studies).

If you are ready to proceed, please provide us with your AVAILABLE phone number and our hiring manager (Stephen Holmes) will contact you shortly.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you need more information.

--
Yours Sincerely,
John Allen,
Adiv Financial.

Hmm - note they got my information via the TotalJobs website (it would be interesting to know what THEY think about all this !) - in short it's a money-laundering scam - the reference to you receiving payments into your bank account and sending it on (e.g. via Western Union) is the well-known scam. Counterfeit/stolem cheques will be paid into your bank account - they appear to clear (the money appears in your account), so you send the money on via WU, then your bank tells you the cheques have been returned unpaid, and debits the money from your account - and that's you out of pocket ... apparently there's a few like this - all coming out of Australia (well we did send all our crooks out there a while back !!). Once again - AVOID/DELETE - just another racket preying on the unemployed ...

EVENING UPDATE (1900 hrs) - as I said - there's a few like this - other "companies" names include "Romad Financial Services", "Toll Finance Pty", "Landor Financial" and "Adela Finance" - one other interesting point gleaned - some of the company names used ARE LEGAL COMPANIES - however some of the scam e-mails have links to what look like the 'kosher' company web sites - they are actually cleverly built "replicas" of the real thing - yep a little bit of 'identity theft' if you like !!
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Mossley v Warrington Town

... and a fine first win for Manager John Flanagan against 7th placed Warrington Town. An excellent all-round team performance - keeping it on the floor on a fairly heavy pitch ... and the obligatory sub-zero temperatures !! Certainly a good warm-up for Saturday's tricky trip to FC Halifax Town.

Some pix at

Mossley 5 Warrington Town 0

... again in the freezing cold, cameraman and camera struggled - need to find some method of keeping shutter finger working properly (keep dipping it in hot Bovril maybe !) - and one battery "just died" on me as the second goal went in - bugger - the perils of the "cheap options" I guess ! Never mind - it's all there somewhere.

Next job - a complete re-vamp of the old CV following yesterday's useful meeting with the expert. Got plenty of tips with an IT slant as well - time to put them into practice ..
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Mossley Game is ON !

Mossley fans hear the "glad tidings" ...

Pitch inspection was at 1445 - game called ON

Stalybridge Celtic pitch inspection at 1600

Now off to sign on the "dotted unemployment line" ... really should go for a "concession" tonight - got to be some perks somewhere ...

LATE EDIT (1715) - Back from Dole - Stalybridge game now called ON as well ... and good luck to Belper Town tonight as they visit Conf North Ilkeston Town in a Derbyshire Senior Cup semi-final - a game incidentally where NO programme will be produced - strange or what ?!?
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More "anti-football" weather (2) ...

Remember these ??

Yep rain all evening - Droylsden v Glossop NE (Manchester Premier Cup) abandoned after 53 minutes ... and then the snow returned ... although according to 'Captain Birdseye' on the Stalybridge message board - "the snow's wet" ...

Looks like another "watching brief" on tonight's games ... bugger !

Meanwhile - today - an interview with a "consultant" at 1100 (set up via DWP no less !) - sign on at 1545 ... this "new life" goes on - and on - and on - it's not nice ...
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More "anti-football" weather...

Rain ... rain ... rain ... rain ... rain ... more rain ... rain ... rain (with added rain) ...

Will this crazy weather ever end ? When will the call for summer football start again ? Will the Mossley game against Warrington be on tomorrow (hint - the Hurst Cross pitch looked a bit heavy on Saturday afternoon) ?

The big game tonight - Curzon Ashton v FC Halifax Town - was called off this afternoon due to a waterlogged pitch ... cue howls of anguish from many - and cries of "fix" by a few (hint - Curzon have a couple of players on "2 match suspensions" - players who might be 'useful' in a top-of-the-table clash ...)

Tomorrow - other than the Mossley game - there IS the Stalybridge Celtic v Farsley Celtic option - but as it is still chucking it down as I type (2110 hrs) EVERYTHING might "go to cock" ... again !
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Watching the Birdie ...

... a quick "football aside" - we've been nice to our feathered friends over this nasty couple of months weather-wise, so why not try to take some pictures ? Well I tried (they keep flying away every time I open the back door !!) ...

Backyard Birds

I think the red one is called a "Robin" ... other than that ...

Back to yesterday's game - I particularly like this picture taken by Ken Fox of Boston United - hope he doesn't mind but I thought it was worth sharing - nice one Ken !



... and that's the "long and the short of it" for now ... next match for me is back at Hurst Cross to see the "Tenants" take on Warrington Town on Tuesday night - although it would be lovely to get time off for good behaviour on Monday night as well (unlikely though !) - a "biggie" at Curzon Ashton who take on FC Halifax Town - whose visitors next Saturday are ... Mossley !
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Ashton United v Boston United

A tale of chances taken ... and chances not taken - sub-standards pics (in my mind) at

Ashton United 0 Boston United 2

Having had beer and sulked - now heading for bed and sulk ... grand party mind !
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Oh Dear Oh Dear Oh Dear

Party over - back @ home (2315) ... yes Ashton United lost 2-0 to Boston United - Ashton need a finisher to do something with the chances they create - Bridge lost 3-2 to a late late goal at the NMG - OK Mossley managed a draw at Prescot ...but ...

I've just had a quick "once through" of today's pictures - and they're awful - really awful - 102 pictures, and I'll struggle to get 20 decent ones.

Embarrassing ... off to sulk and drink more beer ...
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Off to Hurst Cross ..

... to watch our "Midweek Landlords" take on Boston United - and hope to re-ignite their hopes for higher places in the Unibond Premier. Family party tonight (hence my absence from the Prescot Cables "Booze Train" that left Mossley at 1155 this morning) - and then ...
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The Magic of the Mobile ...

How it broke in the land of Smiffy ...

Which means that temp manager Benny Phillips is "on the move" ... as is of course his "Assistant of 18 Days After leaving Mossley" Chris Willcock ... hmmmm ...
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Breaking News @ Stalybridge Celtic ...

coming soon ... if my sources are correct ...

Interesting - very interesting ... I'll leave it at that for now ... remember - you heard it first at "STS" !!

(Don't forget to "jam her ivy" !!)
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Good News at Mossley AFC

From the Mossley Message Board - posted at daft o'clock this morning !!!

"We are pleased to announce that following all the hard work of the committee and volunteers, we have raised over £4,500.

For this we must give our grateful thanks, to all the residents and supporters in and around Mossley.

The good news today is that we have now confirmed an offer from GT GRAFIX a local business in Dukinfield, to cover the shortfall in the 50% we needed to raise for the new floodlights.

Gary Threlkeld the owner of GT Grafix is a Mossley resident and wants to work with us to ensure the future of the football club.

Following two months without playing at home our financial situation is still difficult.

There are various fund raising events that have been planned through to April and hope that with the continued support of everyone, will enable us to look forward to a strong and successful future for Mossley Football Club.

The Directors & Committee of Mossley Football Club."

... and this just after I'd rustled up a "limited edition" run of fancy "begging postcards" to sell as well !! I give you (lo-res + watermark) ...



Still, we all know that the fund-raising MUST continue - so every little helps ... onward and upwards !
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The General Election "warm up" starts today ....

... with a Conservative Party leaflet flying through the door espousing the virtues of one Mr Rob Adlard. Apparently Mr Adlard "lives in our constituency", and of his four "pledges for a fresh start", three of them involve expenses, and the fourth is a very nebulous point involving "the values of our society, preserving what is great about Britain" and "promoting aspiration for all". One can probably understand the emphasis on expenses as Mr A is apparently a violinist and wouldn't want to be seen "on the fiddle"...

A brief glance through the pamphlet sees education as a big point - "as a professional violinist I had to struggle for years to make up for starting lessons much later in the state sector compared to those who had begun with private tuition" - as the guy is nearly 35 years old I guess "that early struggle" was while the Tories were running the show !

A brief glance at the chap's website shows some other interesting pointers - he first got involved in politics in 1992 assisting his local Conservative candidate against the mighty Mandelson - in Hartlepool - “It made me angry that a privately educated southerner, who was never going to be part of my town, was going to represent the area rather a hardworking local businessman" - it appears Hartlepool's loss is Stalybridge and Hyde's gain.

He moans about Labour cutting the higher education budget by £533 million - and then offers 10,000 extra fully-funded university places and the building of "hundreds of good new schools within the state system" ... to be paid for by ... ?? I assume the creation of thousands of new uni places could be funded by a deal with the moneygrabbing Student Loans Company maybe - love to find out more about the phrase "fully funded". He feels we need to "shift the balance of power in the classroom back to the teacher" (must talk to Mrs Smiffy about that one - i.e. someone down there in the real world !). There's great play in Carol Vorderman helping the Conservatives to analyse the teaching of maths in this country - hardly a new story (it was unveiled over 12 months ago), although I suppose a bit of "glamour" always helps to paper over the cracks ...

Apparently he was involved in the "NO" campaign for a congestion charge in Manchester (obviously what his fellow Tory Boris is doing in Greater London doesn't count for too much in the country's "second city") - I quote "however under the stewardship of the Conservatives, the Passenger Transport Authority is delivering a transport package for Tameside that will deliver significant improvements without the charge.". Now to the best of my knowledge the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority doesn't exist any more - it's now the Greater Manchester Integrated Transport Authority and it's made up of 33 councillors from the ten local districts - and it's hardly under the stewardship of the Conservatives (my count goes Labour 15, LibDem 10, Conservative 8) - one site says Keith Whitmore (Lab) is the chair and another says Ian McDonald (Con) is the chair ... I'm sure someone will put me right !

Anyway - enough of this for now - don't get me wrong - I'll be looking at everything that comes through the door - and having a go as I see fit - I may have been a staunch socialist - I may well still be a staunch socialist - but I've just not had a staunch socialist party to vote for ... ever (just not enough Tony Benns and Dennis Skinners in this world). However I WILL leave you with a couple of quotes from the Rob Adlard website - remember this is the guy who appears to be putting education at the top of his list (once he's sorted his expenses out) ... I give you:

"People, no matter where they are or what they’re doing, need to feel free to persue their dreams and aspirations. "

"I’m always glad to hear from Stalybridge & Hyde residents. Tell me about a local issue, or join me and get invovled."

(sic) as they say in the literary trade !!
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We have lift-off !

dot

First VB.Net lesson last night - already noticed a lot of similarities with the sort of stuff I've done in the past with Microsoft Access and VBA, so hopefully that should "fast-track it" a bit as regards bunging it on the CV with confidence, and going for some of the "junior" .Net vacancies - I even managed to build a basic Web Browser whilst having my lunch today (a little extra-mural project - my workspace now has an icon pointing to "Smiffzilla FlameWolf Version 1.0" !!).

40 hits on the CV in three days - sadly no follow-ups ... yet ... we live in hope - must get that LinkedIn account sorted as well ! Had a natter with a "NextStep" advisor yesterday afternoon at Mossley library - if only to boost my confidence a bit ! Off to the paper shop now to pick up the "Manchester Evening News" - job day today (although the job supplement usually contains at least 3 pages of holiday adverts for some strange reason !). Anyone else notice that Guardian Media Group have flogged off the MEN to the Trinity Mirror Group ? Staff are moving as well (might need to be renamed the "Chadderton Evening News" !).
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Woodley Sports v Colwyn Bay

Another outing in sub-zero temperatures for Smiffy - I suffered, the camera (and batteries !) suffered ... and in the end Colwyn Bay suffered a severe blow to their title aspirations. Some less than brilliant pictures at

Woodley Sports 3 Colwyn Bay 0

... a bit like the Bay defence, I seemed to find myself in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, unlike Lancaster City ten days ago, Colwyn Bay did not "roll over and die" and the game was a lot closer than the scoreline suggests. Despite having a lot of the possession Bay failed to get past a resolute Woodley defence - with keeper Matt Towns making his debut - and were caught with three sucker punch goals - two of which came in the last five minutes. With Skelmersdale losing 4-0 at home to Radcliffe as well, the title race has well and truly opened up - and FC Halifax Town appear to be the main beneficiaries after last night - remember, Curzon Ashton still have a five point deduction hanging over them as well (to the best of my knowledge no date has yet been set for the appeal against this deduction).

Add to this a 20 minute delay in my last train home - and I guess I walked into the house about the same time as the Colwyn Bay fans got home ... roll on the spring !
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Tonight - it's Woodley Sports ...

... versus Colwyn Bay who are, as they say, "up there" in the Unibond 1 North. Last time I went to Woodley they took on another club who were "up there", namely Lancaster City - and stuffed them 4-1. I'm sure there'll be a few (!) FC Halifax Town fans keeping an eye on this one tonight (well those who haven't gone to Boston United for their League Cup Quarter Final) - and hoping that I turn out yet again to be a "lucky charm" for them - maybe it's the least I can do after we (Mossley) robbed them of two valuable points just seven days ago !!

Words/Pictures ... maybe tonight, maybe early doors tomorrow ...
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