Lets hope it is a Good Friday for the Albion. This game will not be an easy one so lets have as many fans there as possible. If u can’t get there by car then let the train take the strain ( see F*t Controller Stu for details ). Think I would bring Brodie back in for this one ?
Still down with Bronchitis, hopefully I will be fit enough to go on our coach tour around Spain which starts on Saturday. More to the point, can we please have the title won by the time I get back on the 5th of April? You lads can roar them home now surely!!!
WHS
Looks like we are getting the 11.36 train from Hartford for anyone wishing to join us…
Sad - I know - but I’ve been trying to get hold of all of Marine’s results since the club was founded and this is starting to provide some ‘interesting’ information (I know - the term ‘interesting’ is a rather relative one). I posted the following to our Independent Supporters’ Site a few days ago:
[quote]How the world has changed since Marine first met Witton Albion in a competitive game. The date was 3 November 1945 and the match was a Fourth Qualifying Round F.A. Cup tie. Clement Attlee was the Prime Minister and King George VI was the reigning monarch.
The Second World War had ended only a matter of months previous to the game and many of the newspaper stories of the time reflected the impact of the war - an impact that shapes our society and that of many countries around the world to this day.
A major concern was the creation of new housing and Aneurin Bevin, Minister of Health, was quoted in the Manchester Guardian of 5 November as advocating the building of skyscrapers to help provide more effective large scale accommodation. We might look at this with some cynicism now given the experiences of the sixtires and seventies in high rise accommodation but it’s easy to appreciate the fact that some solution was desperately needed to the housing shortage left following the bombing throughout the war.
The middle east provided a fertile source for many of the stories in the papers. The main concerns were the large scale immigration of Jews into what was then Palestine. Anti-Jewish sentiments were beginning to build in many middle eastern countries. In many ways yet another legacy of the Second World War which continues to make the headlines to this day.
The atomic bomb also received some coverage. Professor L. M. Oliphant, then recognised as an authority on atomic energy, had voiced his concerns at a meeting in Birmingham. “We had to face the fact that within about a quarter of an hour of war being declared all the cities of a country could be laid in ruins. Nothing that science could see now could provide any protection other than living underground at a great depth or by complete dispersal over a very wide area.”
On the footballing front it would take a bit longer than a matter of months for things to return to normal. Presumably with many players having been called up to the forces clubs were struggling to field anything approaching their ‘normal’ teams. The Football League would not resume its normal business until the following season and in this first season after the war there was a very temporary feel to things.
Rather than the traditional divisions a regional league had been established for the top clubs in the game. Many clubs had been allowed to field ‘guests’ to make up their numbers but with effect from 5 November this practice was to be curtailed, with Football League clubs having to cut down their guest players from six to three. The inevitable consequence must have been that many footballers were left wondering where their future careers lay. There was much talk of a professional footballers’ strike at the time, with players wanting the 1939 wage maximum of £8 a week to grow to £12 a week. How those players would marvel at the salaries commanded by today’s players?
As to the actual results, the results from League North were:
Middlesbrough 2 - 5 Barnsley
Blackpool 5 - 1 Sheffield Wednesday
Bradford 2 - 1 Blackburn Rovers
Leeds United 1 - 2 Burnley
Grimsby Town 5 - 3 Huddersfield Town
Liverpool 3 - 0 Newcastle United
Bury 1 - 3 Manchester City
Manchester United 6 - 1 Preston North End
Sheffield United 4 - 0 Everton
Stoke City 6 - 1 Chesterfield
Sunderland 1 - 0 Bolton Wanderers
For League South:
Plymouth Argyle 0 3 Aston Villa
Birmingham City 5 - 2 Chelsea
Charlton Athletic 3 - 0 Swansea Town
Fulham 5 - 2 Arsenal
Newport County 2 - 0 Leicester City
Nottingham Forest 0 - 0 Coventry City
Portsmouth 2 - 1 Luton Town
Tottenham Hotspur 1 - 0 Brentford
West Bromwich Albion 3 - 1 Millwall
West Ham United 3 - 1 Southampton
Wolverhampton Wanderers 1 - 0 Derby County
Things were a bit different at the level of non-League football as of course most of the clubs at this level already played football on a regional basis. The Lancashire Combination, in which Marine had participated prior to the outbreak of war, had been re-established but Marine had chosen not to participate in this league, choosing instead to continue their involvement in the Liverpool County Combination for one additional season.
Witton Albion, established members of the Cheshire County League, had chosen a different path. They continued to be members of the Cheshire County League and would ultimately finish in fourth place in the Cheshire County League for 1945/1946.
Marine emerged dominant in the F.A. Cup game over Witton. A first half goal by Rudd gave Witton a half time lead but Marine equalised through Jimmy Veacock in the 55th minute. Stubbs got another goal for the visitors but David Craig scored two additional goals for Marine in the 66th and 70th minutes to give the tie to the home side.
In the intervening years the record between Marine and Witton Albion has proved remarkably even. According to the games recorded on this site Marine and Witton have met on 74 occasions:
In those 74 games Marine have won 30 and lost 30 with the remaining 14 games being drawn. Marine have scored 104 goals and conceded 104 goals.[/quote]
If anybody knows the first names of the goal scorers for Witton Albion in that first game I’d be extremely grateful to hear from them.
Good luck for the rest of the season as you bid for another Northern Premier League title. But I confess to hoping that in this upcoming fixture we can attain an ascendancy in our results with you 
Players names were Billy Rudd & George Stubbs in this FA Cup 4th Qualifier played in front of a reported 4,000 crowd at the Central Ground on November 3rd 1945.
My records of the 75 matches played between our two sides is slightly different: ie Won 30 Drawn 14 Lost 31 GF 108 GA 109
Incidentally the next time we met up wasn’t until September 6th 1969 upon Marine joining the Cheshire League. We won that day at College Road 2-1 Don Phillips & Brian Rimmer with Skinner scoring for the Mariners
Many thanks Chad.
I know I’m missing a few matches in what might be regarded as ‘minor’ cup competitions. This is particularly the case with competitions such as the Cheshire County Challenge Cup. This may well be where the extra game comes in.
Hopefully I’ll catch up with these in due course - though I’m always appreciative to hear of any missing matches.
ALVIN McDonald has warned Witton they are not ‘home and dry’ in the UniBond Premier Division promotion race.
The Marine boss reckons his team have re-established their title credentials after beating Gateshead last week.
It was their third successive victory.
“We’ve got nine massive points in the past three games,” McDonald told the Crosby Herald.
"Hopefully it means that we’ll be there or there about come the end of the season.
"Witton are by no means home and dry.
“We’re only 10 points behind them and six points can disappear very quickly in this league if you have a bad week.”
He also predicted tough tests to come for Jim Vince’s men in the coming weeks.
“We’ve played seven out of the top 10 teams away from home this season and I don’t think Witton have hardly played any of them,” he added.
“It’s all about us being consistent and churning out the games one by one.”
Witton cruised to victory over Marine at Wincham Park in August, Mark Peers’ double and a first strike for the club for Steve Brodie earned them a 3-1 win.
4:00pm Thursday 6th December 2007
Wonder if Alvin is still so optimistic about Marine’s title hopes?!
We’re certainly not home and dry - and Marine will offer a stern test - but i think it’s out of us and the Cods now for the title. Sorry Alvin 
If I remember rightly his inspiring words sent his team on a near disastrous run of results! :laugh:
I think Alvin should stick to being in the chipmunks and forget about football.
Bit unfair lads Alvin’s a really nice bloke and if you talk to him he is a big admirer of Witton. He was probably just trying to fire up his lads at the time but I guess they’ve let him down a bit. Lets hope they do again on Good Friday. Our lads need to be up for this one. Three points would be a really giant step to the finish but it will be hard there!!
[quote]]“We’ve played seven out of the top 10 teams away from home this season and I don’t think Witton have hardly played any of them,” he added.
[/quote
Seeing as we have only 2 away games left, including marine, which fixture list has alvin been consulting?
dated 6th dec 2007.
I must say i’m with Greenie on this one
well said com_on_the_albs:)
So chip monks on friday and fish friars on Monday then:)
With it being Easter weekend there should be plenty of good crosses.
Jim is thinking only of Marine
By Andrew Simpson
JIM Vince says his team will take nothing for granted against a weakened Marine tomorrow, Good Friday.
The Albion boss wants to head into Easter Monday’s title tussle against Fleetwood with another three points in the bag.
“Nobody will be taking it easy,” he said.
"We have a chance to go there and do a good, professional job and if we do that then we will win the game.
“But it’s about being focused and performing to the standards we know we can.”
He also promised to play what he feels is his strongest possible team against the Mariners, who will be without five first teamers through suspension.
“There’s no calculations,” he said.
“These next two matches are so crucial to the future of this club and all the players are really up for it.”
Ian Kearney is ready for a recall after shaking off a knock picked up at Prescot, meaning the Witton manager has a full squad to pick from.
Remember; Grantham were in a fair bit of mither in regards to being short of players when they came to us last year. Sometimes that can just make a team more determined.
Perhaps we took Grantham for granted last year, let’s not do the same to Marine. We know they are a good side, so let’s get at them and go into Easter Monday with at least the current 11 point lead.
tommorows’ game is massive, there has been alot of hype about the game against the cods but if we can get 3 points tommorow that will be a big bonus. agree with robbo lets take NOTHING for granted…marine will be up for it and our players need to put in a performance.
Lets have a big witton turnout tommorow…sing your hearts out!
COME ON WITEEEERRRRRRRRRNNNNNNNN!!!
:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
nicely put come_on _the_albs…come on the albs!!!:laugh: