A great 3-0 win for the Albs, fully deserved in atrocious weather but our pitch held up well considering. A high energy game from Witton starting with Gards at centre half following the news that Ben Harrison is to leave and join Nantwich ! He must be bonkers based on their performance today they were rubbish. Witton played pretty well and could have scored more, Danny opened the scoring with a lovely bit of skill finished with a low strike into the corner, Rainford made it two with the keeper scuffing a ball to him Jamie finished well, he went through again later to coolly lob the keeper to make it 3-0 , Henders nearly scored from the half way line with an audacious attempt. The whole team again put a good shift in and Clarke looks a gem in midfield not quite fully fit yet but has bags of skill and looks a real player. Well done to everybody, now out of the bottom 4 keepit going UTA.
Another good 3 points, we are certainly going in the right direction.
I personally would like to thank Ben Harrison for his time at Witton, not many players stay loyal in non league and pastures new I hope he continues to progress. Ben a likeable lad and was a good ambassador for the club
However the manner in which he informed the club has left a bitter taste and was a slight to a number of people at our club.
I am not saying anything more. Just thank you to Barbara his mum who did sterling work and will be sorely missed.
Well it’s a credit to all the players of both teams that such an entertaining game was played in those conditions!! We did really well to come out on top and get such a valuable three points!!
The news about Ben is utterly awful, but I suppose we have to wish him well. It has been a pleasure to see the way he has played for us and I always thought he could progress to a higher level, whether those Dabbers will do that for him remains to be seen!
I thought Luke (number eight) was very good again and it was nice to see Titch back and a debut for De La Basdtide too!
Thank goodness we don’t have to pay for the players names on the back of the shirts !
Not been a mighty Witton game for a couple of years having followed you for a couple of seasons checking out the fixtures it’s a nice surprise to see a local derby so I made the pilgrimage , Always a friendly greeting at Witton. I was sold my half time draw ticket by the same guy as two years ago lol , some things dont change , head of security John Evans still your enforcer sending cars the long way round the car park and putting the 50p in the meter to get the flood lights on.
The game started and it looked like Nantwich might give you a game but once you got the 1st goal , They had to press and you coped well the 2nd well what a nice goalie nantwich as gave the witton striker the ball lol , cool head witton number 10 and the 3rd settled it , Quick mention to the witton goalie I think he wants to play outfield he was always outside his area and on the half way line a couple of times I worry he will get caught out one day ! . And the management team very vocal even when witton where 3 up cant beat commitnant and they have that , good afternoon if very cold and very wet and no birtwisle pie ! stephen :clap :pie not
very good performance. not helped by conditions. sully has instilled in this team to work hard and to graft, which I think will see us to a safe position come the end of the season. Don’t know the Ben Harrison situation but there were a few mutters of discontent about the way it was conducted on Bens side. I don’t know Ben that well but he seemed a great young man I would like to wish him well and thank him for his time at Witton and his efforts with his soccer school( although the choice of playing for Nantwich seems a bit odd on todays showing) However we move on and under Sully I Believe we have the team to progress. well done today guys despite the lines man flagging for off side everytime we got the ball in their half. UTA :clap
Witton team:
Andy Robertson, Anthony Gardner, Zac Corbett, Liam Gibson, John Shaw, Sam Barnes, Jon Dawson, Luke Clark, Jamie Henders, Jamie Rainford, Danny Andrews.
Subs: Joe Shaw, Alex Titchiner, Danny De La Bastide, Dean Porter.
Not at the game today due to family commitments, but really chuffed about the 3 points.
Really sorry that Ben is going. The loss of a local lad (and no doubt his family) is particularly difficult at a time we are trying to build strong community links. Ben has matured at this club and has the potential to do more - but is Nantwich the answer? Its difficult to make that case even if we we take a broader view than current season results… That said good luck and all thanks to the lad and we will all watch on with interest.
Nige Deeley has persuaded Ben??
just a mention for Luke Clark. Passing today was spot on . don’t think he mislaid one all game, heard hes not 100 % fit. cant wait to see what he can do when he is… :ohmy:
Under the conditions, a pretty first rate performance. We made very few mistakes, Nantwich made loads and we exploited the situation. Neat goals and a nearly great one from 55 yards! The pitch held up very well, but the 28th looks a challenge after the snow.
Well done to all, on and off the field. The communal effort is a mark of a club moving in the right direction. Mind you, I’ve never moaned before at our OWN goalie for time-wasting… OK, I am hard to please.
Really enjoyed my first game back after an enforced absence today. Yes, there were a number of unfamiliar faces to me but their effort and endeavour in difficult conditions was excellent. Really impressed with John Shaw, Liam Gibson and the form of Henders & Rainford who combine well. Luke Clark from first viewing appears a class act and the strike that rattled the woodwork was amazing. Results have certainly improved and with effort and commitment like today, things won’t turn out too badly.
I was disappointed to hear that young Harrison had left and under such poor circumstances. However I have felt that his early promise which should have ended with him in the Conference at least has never been fulfilled. I felt he was no better at the beginning of this season than he was when he first joined. He never “Bulked Out” nor did he dominate the centre of our defence as I thought he might when he first arrived. My thoughts seem to have been confirmed in that, far from progressing to a better team and club he has decided to take the backward step of joining Nantwich. I wish him all the best but all I can see for him now is a downward spiral, he may even end up playing for another team in green!
WHS.
Really sad to see Ben leave, he has been our most consistent player for the last three years and at I’d go as far to say that I haven’t seen many better at this level. Certainly don’t agree that he has hasn’t improved and glad and surprised we actually kept him for as long as we did.
The problem for Ben recently has been his lack of a partner playing alongside him on a consistent basis, he will never be a physical player who wins the ball through aggression but his ability to read the game more than makes up for this. If he played alongside a John Goryl or Steve Mcnelis I think we would have lost him a lot sooner.
My point exactly, the fact that no one came in for him proves I am not the only one to believe he never quite fulfilled hid true potential.
I wish him all the best and sincerely hope I am wrong and his career goes on the up, but it won’t at Nantwich!!
WHS.
Good luck to Ben, strange move ! He has not progressed as expected I thought 2 seasons ago he could play higher, but he has not developed - and over the last 2 seasons he has been inconsistent ! still good though and sorry to see him go Nantwich are a worse team than Witton and no bigger as a club, hard to see how this will help him improve maybe its to follow Nigel who he knows well of course maybe not quite liking our new set up only he will know all the answers.
I don’t believe for one minute clubs haven’t come in for Ben.
The team haven’t played well defensively as a unit for a couple of years now but for me he has stood head and shoulders above everyone. I still stand by the fact that the lack of a consistent partner alongside him on a regular basis has had a massive effect on our performances
Witton don’t stand in the way of players when they are offered a chance to progress so either no one came in or Ben turned them down which seems unlikely unless he felt a particular loyalty to Pritch. He has gone now and all I can say is that very few players who choose to leave find it was the right decision except those who went to a much higher standard and many of them came back. Ben can come back, I thought he was a nice lad.
WHS.
disappointed to see him go and disappointed to read some rather barbed inuendo comments about "not progressing "etc albeit I suspect these are driven by disappointment at losing a great local lad .The past few months have been particularly difficult on and off the pitch and a lot of responsibility fell on Bens shoulders.IMO he never shirked that responsibility and we all know that defenders get better with age ,particularly as Charliebell points out ,if they have someone reliable ,consistent and as commited to the cause alongside him.More experienced ,higher earners who rarely delivered have gradually drifted off so its a bit harsh to accuse Ben ! I think he probably needed a change and the move to Nantwich ticks a few boxes.he will do well there as he is quality.Hes not a mercenary sort who moves at the drop of a hat so I , ( as we all do deep down) ,wish him well .
Besides which ,Big Ted will probably bury anyone who disagrees !
There were no Barbed comments intended or inferred by me ! I liked Ben as a player and as a person really seems a nice lad, however in his first 2 years he was very very good and had loads of potential and I think we all expected him to move onto bigger things and would have loved to have seen him do so, for whatever reason he has not realised that potential either under Pritch or Tony more recently, His later form this season has been more consistent as we have settled as a team I would agree, good luck to Him personally unless he’s up against Witton, also can’t agree moving to Nantwich ticks many boxes ! I would have thought he deserved a better team and a bigger club such as Alty or Telford where he certainly would be challenged but I guess they didn’t come in for him. As for Witton we will just have to move on and try to replace him as I don’t want to see Gards there long term he is too good a fullback. UTA