FC United of Manchester

[Gampern]

We're going up!

Nach einem 3:2 über Bamber Bridge im Semifinale konnte FCUM das Play Off Finale gewinnen und den 3. Aufstieg in 3 Jahren feiern! Nun wartet also die Northern Premier League Premier Division, Level 7!

FC United of Manchester 4 vs. Skelmersdale United 1

Att.: 3258

Platt 41 [P]

Chadwick 51

Patterson 63 [P]

Baguley C 80

bzw. McConville 10

We’re FC United - we’re going up!

With promotion dreams hanging on the result of just one, decisive game, and both teams raring to go, four goals from FC United following an early lead from Skelmersdale were more than enough to put Margy’s men into the UniBond Premier Division to complete their third successive promotion.

With nerves running high and the pressure well and truly on in front of 3,258 supporters, Skem settled the better of the two teams despite the fact that Simon Carden could have put the Reds ahead in the first minute of the game.

The ball broke to the United number eight well inside the visitors’ half and Carden had the opportunity to slot the ball home, unfortunately, Red nerves weren’t to be settled early as the midfielder’s shot was put wide of the right post.

The first goal of the game came from the opposition just inside the ten minute mark when Sean McConville converted a 25 yard free kick after being brought down by Nicky Platt. The Skem number 11 left Sam Ashton rooted to the spot, placing his free kick into the top left corner, giving Skelmersdale the early advantage.

The next chance of the game came for the home side when the ball was played into the box and collected by Rory Patterson. ‘The man with no name’ was able to bring the ball down inside the opposition’s area and turn for a shot on goal; only for his effort to be deflected wide.

The Reds seemingly undeterred by Skelmersdale’s lead, continued to have their share of chances, including a great attempt on goal from Rob Nugent. A corner was swung in from the left by Jerome Wright and the FC central defender rose high above the defence and headed the ball onto the bar for it to go agonisingly over.

The chances however, weren’t only to come from FC with Skem pushing forward at every opportunity. One such chance came for the visitors when he ball fell for Skelmersdale following an error from the pressured United defence, forcing Sam Ashton to close down the Skem forward, saving the Reds from conceding a second goal.

With the FC faithful in full voice and the Reds upping the tempo in response, that all important equaliser was sure to be on the cards. The United crowd weren’t to be disappointed as Nicky Platt slotted the ball into the MRE goal from the penalty spot on 41 minutes to level the scores at 1-1.

United’s golden opportunity came when Liam Foster played the ball into the area, onto the head of Jerome Wright. Wright’s header on goal was saved by Skem’s captain, Michael White on the line. Unfortunately for the Lancashire team, White’s save was made via his hand, resulting in a straight red card, leaving Skem one man down and the scores evenly poised at half time.

Despite being down to ten men, it was Skem that applied the early pressure at the start of the second half with two successive corners leaving the United defence under siege.

However, Adam Carden was able to relieve the pressure for the Reds when he broke from his own corner flag and carried the ball down the right wing, deep into Skem territory. Carden’s run was brought to an unceremonious end when Skelmersdale’s Steven Akrigg scythed him down on the touchline, earning the number four a yellow card for his trouble.

The resultant free kick was floated in by Jamie Baguley to be met at the far post by the head of David Chadwick and United took the lead, sending the FC crowd into raptures of delight. The relief around the stadium was tangible as the Reds began to impose their style of fluent football

.

However, it wasn’t all going to be plain sailing as Skem’s top scorer George Donnelly was put through into the United box one-on-one with Sam Ashton, forcing the FC number one to make an excellent two handed stop and, in the process, denying the visitors an equaliser.

FC responded quickly with positive play led by United’s in-form left winger, Jerome Wright. The former Maine Road man broke magnificently down the left and despite the close attentions of the Skem right back, Wright surged to the by-line and into the box to score from a tight angle. The goal however was ruled out as the ref blew for a foul on Jerome Wright in the development of the move.

After positive interlinking play and United continuing to look threatening, the Reds were awarded their second penalty of the game following another handball in the box from a Skelmersdale defender. Platt once again stepped up, however the midfielder was unable to add to his penalty tally and instead hit the bar, leaving Skem relieved.

Unfortunately for the visitors, their relief was to be very short lived as United were immediately awarded a third penalty. There was some confusion as to the referee’s decision but the main blame seemed to be directed at a defender holding Simon Carden in the box.

Patterson this time stepped up to the mark, putting United 3-1 up on 63 minutes. The Irishman’s spot kick was initially saved by Ryan McMahon in the Skem goal but the ball curled round and over the line, giving the Reds a two goal advantage and Mr Mystery a total of 41 goals for the season.

With confidence increasing, FC United upped the tempo once more and looked on course to extend their lead further. Positive play through the midfield resulted in Simon Carden hassling the Skem defence on the far touch line, winning a free kick for his efforts.

In the events that followed, Skelmersdale once again suffered at the hands of a red card when substitute Kevin Leadbetter was dismissed from play for conceding the free kick and for abusive language towards the referee afterwards.

With victory looking increasingly likely, Patterson was replaced by Chris Baguley on 74 minutes. The impact of his introduction was almost immediate as clever footwork through the midfield saw the Skem defence back off, leaving Baguley free to exploit the space and fire into the bottom left hand corner of Ryan McMahon’s net from 25 yards out.

Man-of-the-match, Chadwick was then to be replaced by up and coming reserve team captain, Adam Turner, stepping into the boots of his first team counterpart for the dying stages of the game.

With five minutes added time to play and promotion looking well and truly in the bag, FC began to relax a stretch a tiring, depleted Skelmersdale, creating further chances to increase their lead.

However, the score remained a mirror of Manchester United’s earlier in the afternoon and the scenes of jubilation on both pitch and terrace at the final whistle were a sight to behold. FC United march onwards and upwards once again after what has been a tough, but extremely well fought season.

Report by Victoria Fullen.

[revo]

Ned schlecht. Wie sieht deine Prognose für die nächsten ~3 Saisonen aus? Läuft das Werkl rund und stehen Sponsoren hinter dem Team, dass man von weiteren Aufstiegen ausgehen kann? Wie stark ist der Unterschied zwischen den beiden Ligen? Und hat der Zulauf zum Verein nachgelassen seit der Neugründung, oder ist er sogar noch stärker geworden?

[Samhain]

Ohne Patterson & Chadwick würds warscheinlich ned so gut gehn. Der Unterschied ist ansich nicht soooo groß, aber eine herausforderung

Sponsoren sind ganz gut und soweit ich weiß, stehn sie auch gut mit dem Budget da.

Die Fans stehn hinter dem Verein wie nur sonst was. Wenn man im Bury Stadion in der 8. Liga schon mehr hat, als Bury, die ja viel weiter oben sind, dann ist das schon eine tolle Leistung.

Ich hoffe der A.F.C. Liverpool kann das selbe machen wie United

[Gampern]

Ned schlecht. Wie sieht deine Prognose für die nächsten ~3 Saisonen aus? Läuft das Werkl rund und stehen Sponsoren hinter dem Team, dass man von weiteren Aufstiegen ausgehen kann? Wie stark ist der Unterschied zwischen den beiden Ligen? Und hat der Zulauf zum Verein nachgelassen seit der Neugründung, oder ist er sogar noch stärker geworden?

Relativ schwierig zu sagen. Natürlich will man nach oben kommen, aber klarerweise nicht um jeden Preis. Auch wird viel Wert auf alles mögliche off the pitch gelegt, z.B. die ganze Community Work. Wichtig ist aber auch die Schaffung von eigenen Anlagen. Beginnend nächstes Jahr mit eigenen Trainingseinrichtungen soll es irgendwann ein eigenes, möglichst zentral liegendes Stadion geben. Dazu wurde der sog. Development Fund ins Leben gerufen, in dem bereits jetzt mit verschiedensten Aktionen Geld gesammelt wird. Wer einfach was spenden möchte: >>klick<< bzw. Membership für £10: >>klick<<

Wie stark die Premier Division ist, kann ich schwer einschätzen. Die First war allerdings auch schon zach genug. Hab mir mal die Aufsteiger der letzten 4 Jahre und ihre Endplatzierungen angesehen:

2003-04 Hyde United 1; Matlock Town 11-9-5-16

2004-05 North Ferriby United 5-13-15; Ilkeston Town 16-12-17

2005-06 Mossley 20 = Abstieg; Fleetwood Town 8-1

2006-07 Buxton 5; Eastwood 4 (also beide im Play Off, dort gescheitert)

(normalerweise 22, heuer nur 21 Teams)

Direkt wieder abgestiegen ist zumindest nur ein Team, mal sehen.

Zuseherschnitt ist ein bisschen zurück gegangen, aber die knapp über 2000 sind zumeist da. Damit ist United zumindest #100 im gesamten englischen Fussball, etliche Conference Mannschaften haben weniger Zuseherzuspruch.

[Gampern]

FC United will come up against fellow supporters’ run club AFC Liverpool for the first time in the round one of the youth team Open Cup on Sunday 14 September – the pick of the bunch of the under-18s’ opening fixtures.

The young Reds kick off their season on Sunday 31st August away at Salford City and then they have a three match head-to-head with Merseyside rivals. First they travel to Prescot Cables on 7th September, then the host AFC Liverpool in the cup and the following week the Reds will be back over the East Lancs Road to face Formby.

Here’s a rundown of United’s first month of fixtures in North West Youth Alliance:

31st August - Salford City v FC United

7th September - Prescot Cables v FC United

14th September - Open Cup 1st Round FC United v AFC Liverpool

21st September - Formby v FC United

28th September - FC United v Lancaster

[Gampern]

Are you a member?

FC United offer you a unique opportunity to own your own football club and to have control over the direction it takes. The club is a mutually owned, not for profit body, democratically run on a one member one vote basis.

Why is this important?

Because many people have been driven away from professional football because they have no say in how the game is run, where greed seems to over-ride any concerns for the fans. Many people cannot afford to watch professional football; this is particularly true of families and young people. This is why FC United strives to offer affordable football to all and to create the kind of atmosphere and excitement that makes the match-going experience truly memorable. In the three years of our existence it is fair to say that that ambition has been realised.

Already, FC fans have voted on the major decisions faced by the club; the name, the shirt, the Board, sponsorship, ticket pricing and so on. Where else would you be given that kind of real decision-making power? As we embark on our fourth season it is more important than ever to uphold the principals for which FC United have become synonymous – our club, our rules!

The Future?

We know that our number one priority is to work towards having our own ground. A lot of work continues behind the scene to help make this a reality. The supporters have certainly done their bit – and continue to do so with the many initiatives that help us raise money for the Development Fund. In the meantime, the club continues to operate on a daily basis and relies on the club’s members to ensure its success.

Your involvement in your club is vital at this time. What better way to help FC United than by becoming a member and by helping to shape its future. This is true for adults and juniors alike. Whilst adults are able to vote on club issues, even though juniors cannot under the ownership rules, we all recognise that juniors offer the future security of the club. This is why we have encouraged the junior members to hold meetings, meet players and staff and to join in the many activities that are organised throughout the season.

FC United is primarily a football club but at the same time it aims to support the community within which it is based. The many community activities already undertaken have received recognition throughout the area. As FC grows, we want the community to grow with us!

So, why not join as a member of FC United now?

How to become a member.

Adult membership is £10 with juniors being £3. A apply on line at http://www.fcapps.co.uk/login or contact the office directly.

Please note 2008/09 membership will close on Friday 26th September 2008 and open again after the AGM on Thursday 23rd October 2008.

[Gampern]

Dank 7 Siegen aus den letzten 9 Partien kämpft United bis zum letzten Spieltag um die Play-Offs!

Aktuelle Tabelle

United win takes it to the wire

A last minute winner from Danny Williams at title chasing Ilkeston Town ensured that FC United’s promotion dreams will go down to the last game of the season next Saturday against Bradford Park Avenue.

The young substitute poked home the last-gasp winner to keep Karl Marginson’s men in the hunt for the play-off places whilst sending the travelling Red army into raptures. In an extremely tight game with very few chances, Williams scrambled the ball over the line to mean that FC United’s destiny is now in their own hands.

If the Reds beat Bradford at Gigg Lane next weekend then the season could well come down to goal difference. If all the other promotion hopefuls win their remaining games, Guiseley and Nantwich Town would join Ilkeston in the play-offs with United fighting it out with Bradford and Kendal Town for the final spot.

The West Yorkshire side have a trip to Leigh Genesis on Tuesday night and Kendal have one game left – at home to Buxton. If Kendal win and Bradford beat Leigh but lose to FC United – all three sides will finish on 74 points meaning that the final play-off place would be decided on goal difference. United currently have a goal difference of plus 24, to Bradford’s 23 and Kendal’s 21.

The victory over Ilkeston was as close as they come. United’s first attempt on goal came after 10 minutes when Jerome Wright laid the ball across goal from the left wing to Adam Tong but the big centre-back hoofed his effort over the bar from distance.

The Robins have been 1-0 specialists this season and it took them nearly 20 minutes to even threaten the United goal. Sam Duncum crossed from the left but Marc Newsham placed his header wide. Seconds later, Tunji Moses had the Reds’ best chance of the first half. Carlos Roca’s corner was headed out by a defender but the ball fell perfectly for Moses to volley it goalwards. Goalkeeper Chris Adamson had to be at his best to smother the shot out for a corner.

Ten minutes later, Roca was using his fast feet to dazzle the Ilkeston defence and he should have done better with his shot after a mesmerising run down the right wing but a lack of power made it easy for Adamson to save.

Down at the other end, Ben Pringle was looking like the liveliest threat for Ilkeston. The Robins’ number eight teed-up Duncum on the edge of the box and the forward should have made Sam Ashton work but he smashed his shot over.

The last five minutes of the first half began to be a little more stretched as both teams seemed keen to try to nick a lead to take into the interval. Roca was upended in the penalty area after Simon Carden had headed on Wright’s cross but the referee waved play on.

A minute later it was Adam Carden to the rescue as he used his pace to get back in time to thwart Pringle after it looked like the midfielder was on the verge of going one-on-one with Ashton. The stand-in right back had an exceptional game for the Reds, often acting like a sweeper to help them keep their 21st cleansheet of the season.

Into the second half and United were threatening from the off. Wright crossed from the left, Simon Carden flicked the ball on and Moses tried to place the ball in the corner but Adamson tipped it round the post.

The Reds, who were playing in their blue changed kit, began to take the game to Ilkeston but the well organised hosts were limiting the visitors to half chances. Just after the hour, a cross from Roca was headed out and Nicky Platt was unfortunate to see an acrobatic scissors kick sail over the bar.

Both sides made changes with Williams, David Chadwick and Jamie Baguley all coming on for United in the last half hour in place of Moses, Phil Marsh and Simon Carden. Chaddy partnered Williams up front in a bid to force the winner and even Tong joined the attack for large spells.

As United piled forward, gaps inevitably began to open up at the back. Ilkeston were also desperate to win the game to keep their title hopes alive and Anthony Church was dismayed to see his back post header go wide after being sent up by Duncum.

With just under 20 minutes to go, Robins substitute Tom Cahill could and possibly should have won it. A goalmouth scramble developed and the number 14 found the ball at his feet, he fired his shot goalwards but Ashton produced a superb point-blank save to keep United in the game.

Karl Marginson’s side were throwing everything but the kitchen sink at Ilkeston. Roca sent a teasing cross into the area and a panicky Adamson punched the ball over his bar for a corner after coming under pressure from Williams. The signs were there that a goal might be coming but even the most optimistic United fans were surely beginning to wonder whether it was too little, too late.

Then, with 89 minutes up on the clock, Roca took the ball out to the left midway through Ilkeston’s half. The winger crossed into the box and Chadwick flicked the ball on to the back post. Tong was up in support and he managed to shield the ball from Pringle before flashing it low across the six yard area.

Chadwick prodded the ball goalwards but Robins’ captain Simon Weaver dived in desperately to deflect the ball away to the left post. Williams was there and shot first time with his right foot but this time Simon Harrison as there blocking. Despite that though, the ball fell invitingly for Williams on his left and he fired a shot across goal. After what seemed like an eternity – the ball sneaked in at the back post sparking sensational scenes around the New Manor Ground.

[Gampern]

Nach einem sensationellem Frühjahr hat es ganz ganz knapp nicht mehr gereicht, die Play Offs zu erreichen:

FC United of Manchester-Bradford Park Avenue 1:1

1:0 Tonge 8'

1:1 Bett 85'

Aufgrund der Tordifferenz lag man beim auch beim Ausgleich noch auf dem erforderlichen 5. Platz.

Kendal Town-Buxton

1:0 16'

2:0 26'

2:1 66'

2:2 80'

3:2 88'

Witton Albion-Guiseley

0:1 47'

1:1 76'

1:2 80'

Hednesford Town-Leigh Genesis

0:1 8'

1:1 61'

1:2 74'

Nantwich Town-Worksop Town 3:1

(Goal Difference/Points)

1 Eastwood Town 45 87

2 Ilkeston Town 25 82

3 Nantwich Town 42 76

4 Guiseley 38 76

5 Kendal Town 22 74

6 FC United of Manchester 24 72

7 Bradford Park Avenue 22 72

8 Hednesford Town 26 69

bearbeitet 25. April 2009 von Gampern

[Gampern]

New groundshare agreement signed

On Tuesday FC United signed a two year extension to the Ground Licence Agreement with Bury FC.

FC have played home games at Gigg Lane for the last four successful seasons and whilst we would like to have somewhere closer to the City centre we are grateful to Bury FC for the use of the excellent facilities at Gigg Lane.

Discussions with Manchester City Council about a ground of our own continue to progress positively and the extension to the agreement with Bury will hopefully see the club through to the fulfilment of our plans.

[RheinkultNord]

der FC United spielt nächsten Freitag, den 22. Mai ein Freundschaftsspiel in Stockholm gegen Djurgården.

[Gampern]

The Football Association Challenge Cup, First Round Qualifying

Saturday 12th September 2009, 3pm

Sheffield FC v FC United of Manchester

[Soul]

Around 700 FC United members packed into the Central Methodist Hall to vote in favour of the club becoming an industrial and provident society. That means that every member has one vote, the board is directly elected and any profit has to be ploughed back into the club.

Ich wünschte alle Vereine würden nach diesem Modell geführt werden.

[uwnsc]

in welcher Liga spielens momentan?

[Gampern]

in welcher Liga spielens momentan?

Northern Premier League, Premier Division == 7. Liga

[Gampern]

The Football Association Challenge Cup, First Round Qualifying

Saturday 12th September 2009, 3pm

Sheffield FC v FC United of Manchester

Sheffield FC v FC United of Manchester 1:3

The Football Association Challenge Cup, Second Round Qualifying

North Ferriby United AFC v FC United of Manchester 0:1

In der 3. Runde kommen keine neuen Vereine dazu, vll. hat man einwenig Glück bei der Auslosung. Nur noch 2 Runden bis zur First Round Proper!