SPORTS VILLAGE PROJECT GOES AHEAD

Leek’s top football club has re-stated its backing for an overhaul of the sports facilities at Birchall Playing Fields on the outskirts of the town.

Staffordshire Moorlands District Council is to replace the outdated 1960s pavilion with a state-of-the-art building, and install a brand new drainage system for the existing pitches.

The package also includes re-grading and drainage improvements for the playing surface at Harrison Park, home of Leek Town FC.

Proposals for the Birchall work will be determined by the council’s planning applications committee in the very near future.

The scheme was welcomed this week by Leek Town Chairman Andy Wain, who said: “We remain fully committed to the council’s plans for a major overhaul of facilities at Birchall plus an upgrade of the Harrison Park pitch”.

The club’s renewed backing of the project coincided with an announcement that Leek Town had secured a ‘Grow the Game’ grant from the Football Foundation to develop its junior section and become a community club.

Leek Town already has an under-eights team in the Leek and District Lads-and-Dads League but will use the funding to set up a mini soccer crèche targeting five to seven-year-old boys and girls.

Coaching sessions on the astro turf at Westwood College will start on Thursday, April 22 and continue weekly after that in a bid to forge new teams for the local junior league.

Running from 6pm to 7pm at a cost of £1.50 per child, the sessions are open to children of all abilities who are not already signed to a club.

All crèche sessions will be run by FA-qualified coaches checked by the Criminal Records’ Bureau.

Children and their parents will have to complete a registration form on arrival or beforehand by visiting www.leektown.co.uk. or, contact Tracey Reynolds on 01782 269040

The Grow the Game cash will also be used to launch a disability section with Leek Gateway Club, an organisation in the Town representing the rights of people with disabilities.

In addition, the money will help fund formal training of parents and volunteers who will need qualifications to run the new teams.

These initiatives will help Leek Town achieve its ambition of becoming an FA Charter Standard club by the end of this season.

Andy went on: “Leek Town is fully committed to developing as a community club to meet the needs of children and young people who want to get fit and play football, irrespective of ability.

“We relish the prospect of working alongside the council to provide new recreational opportunities for the people of the Staffordshire Moorlands”, he enthused.

Cllr Mark Deaville, portfolio holder for leisure, sport, parks and countryside, added: “I’m delighted that we continue to enjoy Leek Town’s support for our plans developed in consultation with the local sports community to revitalise facilities at Birchall and Harrison Park.

“I also welcome the club’s ambition to grow as a community organisation. It’s an aspiration that’s right in line with our priority outcome of improved health”, he paid tribute.

SHEFFIELD REVIEW

Blues promotion push got back on track with an excellent 2-1 win at Sheffield thanks to two goals from Ashley Miller.
The home side who were second in the table and had won their last five games were left shell-shocked as Leek took a two goal lead early on.

Miller scored the first of his brace on 10 minutes when his speculative 20 yarder took a nasty bounce in front of the home keeper and bobbled over his despairing dive into the net.

There was nothing speculative about the second however as Miller rifled a 25 yarder into the top corner after 23 minutes.

Predictably the home side put Blues under heavy pressure but a combination of poor finishing and good goalkeeping from Steve Hodgson kept the Leek goal intact until Brian Cusworth headed home from close range on 72 minutes.

Sheffield's onslaught continued but Leek hung on to claim a magnificent three points from a team who had previously taken 37 out a possible 42 points available from their home games.

After the game a delighted Blues’ manager Wayne Johnson said, “That was a well deserved victory after the disappointing game at Kidsgrove earlier in the week.

“The lads responded well and we surprised Sheffield with our flying start to take a two-goal lead. The work-rate and commitment was superb, especially in the first half and then we defended well in the second half.

“I expected Sheffield to get forward more after the break and I told the lads in the dressing room that I didn’t want them to sit back.

“Today we played some good football and I was a lot more comfortable than I have been in the last few matches.

“We played it from the back, the midfield got forward and our two up front caused them loads of problems at the back.

“Finally, the fans were absolutely tremendous, they cheered us on from start to finish – it was just like being at home”, he added.

BLUES EGG APPEAL

Leek Town are once again collecting Easter Eggs for the children of Horton Lodge Community Special School in Rudyard.

The annual collection is now underway and donations of Easter Eggs can be left at the club shop at every home game or at Nixon & Reeves on St Edwards Street between now and Easter.

The last day for collecting will be the Easter Monday derby game against Kidsgrove Athletic.

Please give generously and make it a special Easter for the children at the school.

IT’S GLAPWELL NEXT

Leek entertain promotion candidates Glapwell at Harrison Park on Tuesday 7.45pm hoping to avenge the defeat they suffered at Hall Corner a couple of weeks ago.

Glapwell are currently third in the league table with 55 points from 29 games just five points ahead of Blues but with a game in hand.

On Saturday Glapwell suffered a rare defeat when they went to Chasetown and took the lead through Matt Varley early in the second half only to succumb to two late Chasetown efforts in the final ten minutes of the game.

Meanwhile, Blues will be at home again on Saturday when bottom markers Willenhall Town will be the visitors.

LOBASTOV FOILED BY RED TAPE

Leek Town have had to admit defeat in the attempt to sign Ukrainian goalkeeper Iurii Lobastov and register him with the UniBond league.

After securing his international release from the FA, Blues found themselves tied up in red tape trying to determine the player’s status in the UK before he could be registered as a UniBond player.

Lobastov is currently in the UK on a visitor’s visa as a ‘sports person’ but it was unclear what constituted a sports person.

So, Blues’ secretary Brian Wain contacted the FA who determined that since the club now holds Lobastov’s international clearance certificate he could be registered as a player.

However, when the secretary contacted UK Borders Agency, they appeared unsure and pointed him in the direction of the Immigration Service who said it was a Borders Agency matter.

Further discussions then to place with both the Borders Agency and the Immigration Service and eventually it was determined that Lobastov was not eligible to sign for any club in the UK on his current visa.

They determined that if Lobastov played in any team, even as an amateur he would be ineligible because he would be denying a British subject a place in the team.

MORE PLAYER NEWS

Long term injury victim Carl Allen has made a welcome return to the squad after recovering from a knee injury.

Allen was given the go-ahead to resume training recently after the results of a scan on his injured knee suggested he did not need surgery before playing again.

Allen was named as a substitute for the game at Sheffield on Saturday but was unused.

Blues skipper Andy Taylor faces a fitness test before the game against Glapwell on Tuesday after damaging a rib that has seen him miss the last two games.

Meanwhile, midfielder Richard Bailey, who has struggled with injuries this season, will miss the remainder of the season after suffering knee ligament damage in the recent defeat at Kidsgrove.

Manager Wayne Johnson is now scouring the transfer market in an attempt to bolster his squad for the end of season run-in and hopefully a place in the play-off places.

WEMBLEY: TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS

Leek Town Football Club has had a good response from former players to celebrate 20 years since gracing the Wembley turf in the 1990 FA Trophy Final.

Crewe Alexandra assistant manager Neil Baker and his former assistant Gary Blore will manage the Wembley squad whilst veteran manager Paul Ogden will run the other side.

However, please note that the date of the event had been brought forward to Sunday 2 May.