LSFA Report 2012-13
A copy of this report can be downloaded as a word document;
LSFA REPORT OF THE COUNCIL 2012-2013.doc
The Report of the Lancashire Schools’ Football Association Council 2012-2013.
Presented by Mike Timberlake, Secretary, Lancashire Schools’ F.A. at the Annual General Meeting, Thursday 20 June 2013.
The number of Council Meetings was again reduced this season due to members’ commitments and the ability to share information via e-mail and the LSFA website. Information from English Schools FA and Northern Counties Schools’ FA was also passed on to members by e-mail, thus saving the need for reporting at meetings.
During Season 2012-2013, the LSFA Council met on five occasions at the Lancashire Football Association, The County Ground, Leyland as follows:
Mon. 10.09.12. ( 12 present)
Thu. 08.11.12. ( 9 present)
Mon. 07.01.13. ( 13 present)
Thu. 18.04.13. ( 12 present)
Mon 03.06.13. ( 9 present)
Many thanks to Iain Kay for organising the use of the LFA for our meetings. The new venue at the LFA for our meetings is far superior to the former venue at County Hall and helps with the excellent relationship between the LSFA and the LFA due mainly to the work of Iain Kay and Mike Nadal.
Attendance at meetings was as follows:
Andy Clitheroe (Chairman, Under 16 Boys’ Management and South Ribble SFA): 5
Paul Bradley (Vice-Chairman and Hyndburn and Ribble Valley SFA): 2
Mike Timberlake (Secretary and Pendle SFA): 5
Andy Buckingham (Treasurer and Blackburn and Darwen SFA): 5
Neil Black (Chorley SFA): 4
Roy Blacktop (Senior Council Member, Under 19 Advisory): 3
Stuart Booth (Burnley SFA): 2
Dick Clegg (Preston SFA): 5
Stewart Clitheroe (Under 18 Boys’ Manager): 3
Nick Corless (Primary and West Lancashire SFA): 0
Mike Duffy (Senior Adviser): 2
Jon Edmondson (Rossendale SFA): 2
Chris Harter (Rossendale SFA): 1
Iain Kay (LFA): 5
Andy Kelly (Hyndburn and Ribble Valley): 2
Dave McFall (Lancaster and Morecambe SFA): 1
Mike Nadal (Under 16 and Under 14 Girls’ Management): 4
Dave Sammons (Referees): 1
Mark Shackleton (ESFA): 1
Paul Whelan (Primary): 0
Neil Yates (LFA and LSFA Child Welfare Officer): 0
Blackpool SFA and West Lancashire SFA were not represented at any of the meetings during 2012-2013.
LSFA Officers:
Chairman: Andy Clitheroe
Vice-Chairman: Paul Bradley
Secretary: Mike Timberlake
Treasurer: Andy Buckingham
Competition Secretary: Mike Timberlake
District Council Members:
Blackburn and Darwen SFA: Chris Bentley
Blackpool and District SFA: Ben Lavelle
Burnley SFA: Stuart Booth
Chorley SFA: Neil Black
Hyndburn and Ribble Valley: Andy Kelly
Lancaster and Morecambe SFA: Dave McFall
Pendle SFA: Mike Timberlake
Preston SFA : Dick Clegg
Rossendale SFA: Jon Edmondson (Chris Harter)
South Ribble SFA: Andy Clitheroe
West Lancashire SFA: Nick Ford
Co-opted Members of the Council:
Roy Blacktop Senior Council Member, Under 19 Advisory
Stewart Clitheroe Under 18 Boys’ Manager
Nick Corless Primary Schools
Mike Duffy Senior Adviser
Iain Kay: Lancashire Football Association
Mike Nadal Under 16 and Under 14 Girls’ Manager
Dave Sammons Referees
Mark Shackleton ESFA Area Member
Paul Whelan Primary Schools
Neil Yates Child Welfare Officer
The assistance provided by these gentlemen is vital in the delivery of our annual events and the administration of schools’ football throughout the county at all levels.
The LSFA Council was represented at the following meetings during the season:
Lancashire Schools’ Sports Federation: Mike Duffy (Senior Adviser)
Lancashire SFA/LFA Competition Planning for FA Funding – Mike Nadal (LFA & LSFA Girls), Mike Timberlake (Secretary).
The LSFA Council was not represented at the ESFA AGM or NCSFA AGM in 2012.
The County Competitions: entries.
Primary Schools League 2 associations
Luther Mercer Primary Cup 2 associations
ESFA District Qualifier 2 associations
ESFA Primary Schools’ Qualifier 12 schools
Wrennall Cup (Under 14s) 5 associations
Lancashire Cup (Under 15s) 7 associations
Under 12 County Cup 59 schools
Under 13 County Cup 57 schools
Under 14 County Cup 59 schools
Under 15 Boys’ County Cup 54 schools
Under 16 Boys’ County Cup 53 schools
Under 19 Boys’ County Cup for Schools 20 schools
Under 12 Girls’ County Cup 20 schools
Under 14 Girls’ County Cup 23 schools
Under 16 Girls’ County Cup 21 schools
The County Competitions: Roll of Honour 2012-2013
Girls’ Competitions:
Under 12 Girls’ 5-a-side Indoor Competition held at Montgomery High School, Blackpool
Thursday 31 January 2013. Referee: Mike Timberlake
Presentation: Mike Timberlake
Winners: St.Bede’s High School, Blackburn
Under 12 Girls’ Open Cup (7 a side) held at St.Bede’s High School, Blackburn
Friday 08 March 2012. Referee: Ross Fairbrother, Ieuan Skelton
Presentation: Mike Timberlake.
Winners: St.Bede’s High School, Ormskirk
Under 14s Girls’ Open Cup held at Wren Rovers Football Club, Blackpool
Monday 13 May 2013. Officials: Dave Sammons, Kris Sammons, Shaun Taylor
Presentation: Cheyna Appleton, Olivia Hooper, Hannah Wright, Mike Nadal, Mike Timberlake
Winners: St.Bede’s High School, Blackburn.
Under 16s Girls’ Open Cup held at the JMO Sports’ Park, Skelmersdale
Friday 24 May 2013. Officials: Phil Rigby, Mike Rigby, Daniel Sanderson
Presentation: Mike Nadal, Mike Timberlake
Winners: Our Lady Queen of Peace High School, Skelmersdale
Other Competitions:
Under 12 Boys’ 5-a-side Indoor Competition held at QEGS, Blackburn
Friday 1 February 2013. Referee: Daniel Sanderson Timekeeper: Mike Timberlake
Presentation: Mike Timberlake
Winners: St.Augustine’s High School, Billington
Under 12 County Cup (7 a side) held at St Bede’s High School, Blackburn
Friday 19 April 2013. Officials: Ross Fairbrother, Ieuan Skelton
Presentation: Mike Timberlake
Winners: St.Bede’s High School, Blackburn
Under 13 County Cup (The Kay Cup) held at Squires Gate Football Club
Friday 10 May 2013. Officials: Daniel Sanderson, Dave Sammons, Kris Sammons
Presentation: Dave Sammons
Winners: Ribblesdale High School, Clitheroe
Under 14 County Cup (The Jim Tolson Cup) held at Squires Gate Football Club
Friday 10 May 2013. Officials: Dave Hesketh, Daniel Sanderson, Kris Sammons.
Presentation: Dave Sammons, Mike Timberlake
Winners: Ormskirk School
Under 15 Boys’ County Cup (The Jim Hayhurst Shield) held at Wren Rovers Football Club
Tuesday 14 May 2013. Officials: Phil Rigby, Mike Rigby, Daniel Sanderson
Presentation: Andy Clitheroe, Mike Timberlake
Winners: St.Bede’s High School, Lytham
Under 16 Boys’ County Cup (The Daily Dispatch Shield) held at Wren Rovers Football Club
Tuesday 14 May 2013. Officials: Dave Hesketh, Phil Rigby, Dave Sammons
Presentation: Andy Clitheroe, Mike Timberlake
Winners: St.Mary’s High School, Blackpool
Under 19 Boys’ County Cup (LSFA Shield) held at Chorley Football Club
Tuesday 21 May 2013. Officials: Dave Hesketh, Dave Sammons, Dave Wareing
Presentation: Andy Buckingham, Roy Blacktop
Winners: Clitheroe Royal Grammar School
District Competitions:
Under 15 Boys’ Lancashire League (The Timberlake Trophy)
Presentation: Mike Duffy
Winners: Preston Schools’ Football Association
Under 15 Boys’ Lancashire Cup held at Deepdale, Preston North End Football Club
Wednesday 15 May 2013. Officials: Dave Hesketh, Dave Wareing, Shaun Taylor, Dave Sammons
Presentation: Dick Clegg, Mike Duffy, Mike Timberlake
Winners: South Ribble Schools’ Football Association
Under 14 Boys’ Wrennall Cup held at Deepdale, Preston North End Football Club
Wednesday 15 May 2013. Officials: Dave Sammons, Kris Sammons, Phil Rigby, Mike Rigby
Presentation: Andy Clitheroe, Dick Clegg, Mike Duffy
Winners: Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Schools’ Football Association
Primary Competitions
The Under 11s Primary Inter-District League
Preston PSFA
The Under 11s Primary Inter-District Cup (The Luther Mercer Shield)
Blackburn 1 Preston 3
The Under 11s Inter District 7-a-side Competition & ESFA Qualifier
Preston PSFA
The Under 11s Primary Schools 7-a-side IDI Trophy & ESFA Qualifier at Collegiate Sports College
Monday 4 February 2013. Officials: Year 11 Students from Collegiate High School
Presentation: Mike Duffy, Mike Timberlake
Winners: Slyne-with-Hest, St. Luke’s, Church of England Primary School, Lancaster
The County Representative Teams:
Lancashire County Schools’ Football Association Under 16 Boys’ Representative Squad:
The following boys represented the county during season 2012-2013:
Dan Armstrong Hyndburn and Ribble Valley 8 appearances
Liam Bleeker Blackpool 12 appearances
Morgan Birdsall South Ribble 6 appearances
Jack Brooks Burnley 1 appearance
Joe Brown Blackpool 7 appearances
Henry Cameron Blackpool 11 appearances
Callum Davies West Lancashire 2 appearances
Reece Fishwick South Ribble 10 appearances
James Graham South Ribble 1 appearance
Tom Hartley Rossendale 12 appearances
Jake Higham Preston 10 appearances
Luke Higham Blackpool 9 appearances
Owen Keighley South Ribble 9 appearances
Carl Kennedy Blackpool 3 appearances
Will Kitchen Lancaster and Morecambe 1 appearance
Sam Lavelle Blackpool 10 appearances
Sam Livesey Preston 7 appearances
Jack Lumsden South Ribble 2 appearances
Stuart Marley Preston 3 appearances
Lyle Magolis Blackpool 11 appearances
Sean Nightingale West Lancashire 6 appearances
James Quigley Blackburn and Darwen 11 appearances
Bradley Roscoe Pendle 5 appearances
Josh Sampson South Ribble 12 appearances
Brayden Shaw Blackburn and Darwen 3 appearances
Dominic Telford Hyndburn and Ribble Valley 12 appearances
Dan Towers Lancaster and Morecambe 8 appearances
Bradley Wicks South Ribble 12 appearances
Under 16 Boys’ Results
P W D L F A
14 11 2 1 56 19
Friendly Matches
v Cumbria at Preston Sports’ Arena won 6-1
v Blackpool F.C. at Myerscough College won 4-2
v Blackburn Rovers at BRFC Academy won 2-1
v Blackpool F.C. U17 at Blackpool F.C. Training Ground drew 1-1
Northern Counties Championship
v Greater Manchester at Trafford F.C. won 2-1
v Cheshire at Congleton Town F.C. drew 3-3
v Merseyside at Myerscough College won 12-2
Semi-Final v Durham at the JMO, Skelmersdale won 7-2
Final v Greater Manchester at Hyde United F.C. lost 1-3
ESFA National Trophy
R2 v North Yorkshire at Myerscough College won 3-0
R3 v Durham at Durham University won 3-0
R4 v Cheshire at Wren Rovers F.C. won 8-0
Semi-Final v Kent at Archbishop School, Canterbury won 2-1
Final v Greater Manchester at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry won 5-3 pens (2-2)
Lancashire County Schools’ Football Association Under 18 Boys’ Representative Squad:
The following boys represented the county during season 2012-13:
Gary Basterfield Preston College
Danny Birchall Queen Elizabeth Grammar School
Chris Churchman Myerscough College
Matthew Crossley Runshaw College
Aaron Fleming Preston College
Curtis Gallagher Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School
Alex Gunn Queen Elizabeth Grammar School
Jack Hutton Runshaw College
Robert Hutton Newman College
Ben Morgan Clitheroe Royal Grammar School
Adam Nuttall Accrington and Rossendale College
Alex Nwachukwo Accrington and Rossendale College
Ez Odudu St.Mary’s |College
Cane Pickering Preston College
Oliver Ras Morecambe High School
Ryan Riley Myerscough College
Michael Smith Blackpool College
Christian Suthers Lancaster and Morecambe College
Ryan Thompson Lancaster and Morecambe College
Fenton Thorpe darwen Aldridge Academy
Rhys Turner Myerscough College
Robert Walker Lancaster and Morecambe College
Ben Westhead Clitheroe Royal Grammar School
Under 18 Boys’ Results
P W D L F A
9 5 1 3 25 25
Friendly Matches
v Cumbria at Preston Sports’ Arena won 4-2
Northern Counties Championship
v Greater Manchester at Stockport Sports’ Village drew 4-4
v Merseyside at Squires Gate F.C. lost 2-3
v West Yorkshire at Squires Gate F.C. won 3-0
v Cheshire at Winsford United F.C. won 3-1
Semi-Final v Durham at South Shields F.C. lost 1-7
ESFA National Trophy
Round 2 v Cumbria at Squires Gate FC won 2-0
Round 3 v Humberside at the JMO, Skelmersdale lost 1-4
Michael Smith and Rhys Turner.
Congratulations to both Michael and Rhys who were both selected to play for England Under 18 Schoolboys and played several games each for England with Rhys in particular having a fine season. Having nominated Michael and Rhys for international selection, it was extremely disappointing that both Michael and Rhys played very few games for their county.
Rhys missed several games because of injury and Michael missed several games because he was unavailable to play for county.
Lancashire County Schools’ Football Association Under 16 Girls’ Representative Squad:
The following girls represented the county during season 2012-2013.
Chloe Adams Blackburn and Darwen
Olivia Askam South Ribble
Katie Brannigan Blackpool
Sarah Chadwick South Ribble
Lorrie Doze Lancaster and Morecambe
Mayumi Gillam West Lancashire
Hannah Godfrey Blackpool
Sophie Greenwood Burnley
Georgia Lambe Blackpool
Thea Mallett Preston
Jodie Mountain Rossendale
Zara Musker Hyndburn and Ribble Valley
Cara North Preston
Meghan Pope Blackpool
Sasha Rowe West Lancashire
Grace Vella West Lancashire
Keira Walsh Rossendale
Hannah Williamson Lancaster and Morecambe
Under 16 Girls’ Results:
P W D L F A
8 6 0 2 28 6
Northern Counties Championship
v West Yorkshire at Squires Gate F.C. won 10-0
v Merseyside at Squires Gate F.C. lost 1-2
v Cheshire at the Jubilee Hub, Orford won 5-0
SF v South Yorkshire at Holy Trinity, Barnsley won 3-2
Final v Merseyside at Liverpool Soccer Centre won 4-0
ESFA National Trophy
QF v Nottinghamshire at Clipstone Welfare F.C. won 2-0
Semi-Final v Lincolnshire at Squires Gate F.C. won 2-0
Final v Essex at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry lost 1-2
Lancashire County Schools’ Football Association Under 14 Girls’ Representative Squad:
The following girls represented the county during season 2012-2013:
Alice Adams West Lancashire
Chyna Appleton Blackpool
Katie Dudgeon Blackburn and Darwen
Justine Elliott Chorley
Natasha Fenton Blackpool
Megan Hester Blackburn and Darwen
Olivia Hooper Blackburn and Darwen
Ellie Hilton Chorley
Alicia Johnson Blackburn and Darwen
Katie Maher Hyndburn and Ribble Valley
Brenna McPartlan Blackburn and Darwen
Katie Samuels Blackburn and Darwen
Rebecca Smith Preston
Erin Staunton-Turner West Lancashire
Lucy Staunton-Turner West Lancashire
Gabrielle Taylor Blackburn and Darwen
Hannah Wright Blackpool
Under 14 Girls’ Results:
p w d l f a
6 5 0 1 24 8
Friendly Matches:
v Vantan Jalkapalloseura at Squires Gate F.C. lost 4-5
Vantan was an Under 15 touring side from Finland.
v Stafford at Stafford Town F.C. won 5-0
ESFA National Trophy
R1 v Worcestershire at the JMO, Skelmersdale won 6-0
R2 v Merseyside at Wren Rovers F.C. won 3-0
Semi-Final v Essex at Squires Gate F.C. won 4-2 (AET)
Final v Kent at Sheffield Wednesday F.C.. won 2-1
Natasha Fenton.
Congratulations to Natasha on her selection for England Under 15 Schoolgirls. Natasha represented England on several occasions and was the first Lancashire schoolgirl to score a goal for England!
Report on Season 2012-2013
Season 2012-2013 may well go down in history as the best-ever season of Lancashire Schools’ Football Association.
The facts speak for themselves:
Under 16 Boys: ESFA National Champions and NCSFA Finalists
Under 16 Girls: ESFA National Finalists and NCSFA Champions
Under 14 Girls: ESFA National Champions
Under 18 Boys: NCSFA Semi-Finalists.
The combined results in competitive matches of our four county teams reveal the following statistics:
Played: 29
Won: 21
Drawn: 2
Lost: 6
Goals For: 106
Goals Against: 40
In Lancashire we are privileged to have fully committed, enthusiastic, knowledgeable and professional Management Teams to guide our young men and ladies to achieve their highest possible potential. The members of our Management Teams, all of whom are fully employed, selfishly give up their leisure time to enable our county teams to achieve the magnificent results stated above.
The members of our Management Teams, who deserve the highest possible praise, are:
Under 16 Boys: Ben Lavelle, Andy Clitheroe, Derek Yarwood
Under 18 Boys: Stewart Clitheroe, Paul Bradley, Alistair Mollon
Under 16 Girls: Mike Nadal, Kate O’Neill, Sarah Nickless, Helen Seed, Peter Seed
Under 14 Girls: Mike Nadal, Keira Davis, Sarah Nickless, Helen Seed, Peter Seed
The County Teams.
Under 16 Boys.
The Under 16 Boys had a tremendous season and were worthy National Champions. Following the coaching course, trials and early season friendly matches, it was obvious that the Lancashire squad was the strongest squad for several years. An away victory against a very strong Greater Manchester side confirmed this view. The team suffered several postponements before the season got back on track in January with two excellent 3-0 ESFA Trophy victories against North Yorkshire and Durham. After a hard-fought draw against Cheshire away Lancashire reached the Northern Counties’ Final by annihilating Merseyside in the final group match and Durham in the semi-final. The boys then produced their best performance of the season with an 8-0 thrashing of Cheshire in Round 4 of the ESFA Trophy. Lancashire overcame Kent at Canterbury in the semi-final in very poor conditions on a snow-covered school pitch in Canterbury. In the ESFA Trophy Final in the imposing surroundings of the Ricoh Arena, the home of Coventry City F.C., Lancashire were worthy winners of the trophy after leading 2-0 at half-time and eventually winning 5-3 on penalties. It was fitting that the fifth and victorious penalty should be converted by Sam Lavelle, the son of the Team Manager Ben Lavelle at the end of his seventh year as County Manager. The last match of the season was something of an anti-climax and resulted in Lancashire’s only defeat of the season in the Northern Counties’ Final when Greater Manchester gained revenge for their defeat in the National Final.
Presentation Evening:
A Presentation Evening for the Under 16 Boys was held at the Lea Club, Preston, where the following awards were made:
Manager’s Player of the Year: Henry Cameron
Players’ player of the Year: Sam Lavelle
Leading Goalscorer: Dominic Telford (16 goals in 10 games)
It will be interesting and exciting to track the progress of the boys as they start their scholarships at the following clubs:
Dan Armstrong Queen of the South
Liam Bleeker Fleetwood Town
Joe Brown Bury
Henry Cameron Blackpool
Tom Hartley Accrington Stanley
Jake Higham AFC Fylde
Luke Higham Blackpool
Owen Keighley AFC Fylde
Carl Kennedy Bolton Wanderers
Sam Lavelle Blackburn Rovers
Sam Livesey Preston North End
Lyle Magolis Preston North End
Stuart Marley AFC Fylde
James Quigley Preston North End
Bradley Roscoe Preston North End
Josh Sampson Preston North End
Dominic Telford Blackpool
Dan Towers Fleetwood Town
Bradley Wicks Preston North End
Lancashire Schools’ F.A. would like to thank the boys named above and other squad members, especially Sean Nightingale and Reece Fishwick, for representing LSFA during the past season and wish them every success as they embark on the next stage of their careers.
Under 18 boys.
Despite a relatively disappointing first season for new manager Stewart Clitheroe and his assistants, the boys won both their early season friendly matches and had excellent wins against Cumbria, West Yorkshire and Cheshire. There is no doubt that the Under 18 boys suffered from a loss of momentum caused by the much-postponed ESFA Round 2 game against Cumbria, a game which was eventually played 10 weeks after the date originally scheduled for the match! The lack of games in November, December and January led to a lack of commitment by some players resulting in a Round 3 defeat by Humberside. The team’s best display of the season, a 3-0 victory away over Cheshire, enabled the boys to reach the Northern Counties’ semi-final but they suffered a heavy defeat to Durham in the semi-final.
Lancashire Schools’ F.A. would like to thank the boys who played for the team during the season. Some of the boys will be available to play again next season and we wish the boys who are leaving their school or college every success in their future lives and careers.
Under 14 Girls.
The Under 14 Girls emulated the Under 16 Boys by also winning the ESFA National Title, a fully deserved achievement for the girls and our girls’ Team Manager Mike Nadal at his fourth attempt at a national title in two years! With a few girls still available from the team that lost narrowly to Essex in last season’s National Final at Norwich City F.C., the squad was supplemented by many new additions and developed into an excellent footballing side. After relatively easy victories without conceding a goal against Worcestershire and a strong Merseyside team, Lancashire reached the National Final by overcoming a well-organised Essex team in the semi-final and thereby gaining revenge for last season’s defeat in the national final. Lancashire fully deserved their 2-1 victory over Kent in the National Final at Hillsborough, the home of Sheffield Wednesday F.C., to round off an excellent season for the girls.
Lancashire Schools’ F.A. would like to thank the girls for representing the county during the past season and we look forward to watching them display their skills either at Under 14 or Under 16 level next season.
Under 16 Girls.
The Under 16 Girls also had an excellent season under the guidance of Team manager Mike Nadal and his assistants and again reached both the National Final and the Northern Counties’ Final. After annihilating West Yorkshire in the opening group match, the Lancashire girls suffered a home defeat to a strong Merseyside outfit in their second group match but reached the Northern Counties’ semi-final by easily overcoming Cheshire in their final group match. On a horrendous night in Barnsley, the Lancashire girls showed tremendous character in overcoming a two goal deficit, the strong wind and the driving rain, to defeat South Yorkshire 3-2, a result which took them through to the Northern Counties’ Final and to the ESFA Quarter-Final. Convincing and confident 2-0 wins against Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire saw the girls safely through to their second successive national final. Despite dominating the game at the Ricoh Arena, the home of Coventry City F.C., in the ESFA National Final, Lancashire managed to lose the game 1-2 to a well-organised Essex team, who, except for two excellent strikes for their two goals, rarely threatened the Lancashire defence. The Lancashire girls put their disappointment at losing the national final behind them to produce probably their best performance of the season when they produced some first-class football to beat Merseyside 4-0 in the Northern Counties’ Final at the Liverpool Soccer Centre.
Lancashire Schools’ F.A. would like to thank the girls for entertaining us throughout the season with their superb footballing skills. We look forward to watching some of the gitls play for Lancashire next season and wish the girls who are leaving school every success in their future lives and careers. We hope that they continue to play football at the highest possible level.
Blessed Trinity R.C. College and Clitheroe Royal Grammar School.
In addition to the success of our four county teams, two Lancashire schools also won national titles during the season.
LSFA would like to congratulate Blessed Trinity R.C. College, Burnley on winning the ESFA Under 15 Boys’ Trophy from an initial entry of 770 schools by beating Winterbourne International Academy 5-0 in the final at Derby County F.C. and Clitheroe Royal Grammar School on winning the ESFA Under 13 Small Schools’ Trophy from an initial entry of 137 schools by beating the holders Great Cornard Middle School 1-0 in the final at Walsall F.C.
The LSFA County Cups.
The actual results of the finals were as follows:
Under 13 County Cup: Ribblesdale H.S., Clitheroe 2 St.Mary’s H.S., Blackpooll 1
Under 14 County Cup: Ormskirk School 3 Morecambe High School 0
Under 15 Boys’ County Cup: St.Bede’s H.S., Lytham 3 Ribblesdale H.S., Clitheroe 1
Under 16 Boys’ County Cup: St.Mary’s H.S., Blackpool 3 Park H.S., Colne 1
Under 19 Boys’ County Cup: Clitheroe Royal G.S. 1 Darwen Aldridge Academy 0
Under 14 Girls’ County Cup: St.Bede’s H.S., Blackburn 7 Our Lady’s H.S., Preston 0
Under 16 Girls’ County Cup: Our Lady QOP H.S., Skelmersdale 4 Burscough Priory 1
Lancashire Cup: South Ribble 1 Rossendale 0
Wrennall Cup: Hyndburn and Ribble Valley 4 Blackburn and Darwen 1
The finals were played at a variety of excellent venues with the highlight being the Lancashire and Wrennall Cup Finals at Deepdale, the home of Preston North End Football Club. We are very grateful to Preston North End F.C. and to Chorley F.C., where the under 19 Final was played, for allowing us to use their excellent facilities and grounds at no charge to LSFA. We would also like to thank Squires Gate F.C., Wren Rovers F.C.and the JMO Sports’ Park at Skelmersdale for also staging our finals.
Discipline.
During the season LSFA decided to opt in to the ESFA centrally managed discipline season. All discipline reports in Lancashire should now be sent to ESFA and dealt with accordingly by them. It is essential that all schools and districts are aware of this new procedure for the coming season.
Finance.
Despite reaching three national finals and two northern counties’ finals and playing 36 county matches (including friendly matches), the finances of the association are still healthy at the end of the season. LSFA are very grateful to the grants from ESFA, NCSFA and LSSF which help to for coaches to away games and grounds, officials and refreshments for our home games. Our cup finals, with Preston North End F.C. and Chorley F.C. providing their grounds at no cost, made a healthy profit and we thank the vast majority of parents and other supporters for willingly paying to watch the teams perform. With the demise of LSSF from the end of this season with Lancashire County Council withdrawing the grant made to LSSF, cost-cutting measures will have to be made next season and in the seasons ahead.
Andy Buckingham.
As well as being the LSFA Treasurer, Andy has just completed his first season as the manager of the ESFA Under 18 Boy, a great honour for Andy, his school and LSFA. After a disappointing start in the Centenary Shield against Wales (1-4), Andy’s England team played well during the following games and remained unbeaten in games against Northern Ireland (1-1), Scotland (3-1) and the Republic of Ireland (2-2). The team also achieved excellent results against The Royal Navy (5-1), The Royal Air Force (1-1), New Zealand (1-1) and Valencia (0-2). We wish Andy every success in his second and final year as England Manager and are confident that the team he selects will do well next season.
A summary of the highlights of Season 2012-2013:
- Following Mike Duffy’s retirement in 2011 from his role as LSFA Secretary, a post which he held for 26 years, Mike was made a Life Member of the association at the AGM in June 2012 and continues to act as Senior Adviser to the association. His support and advice are invaluable to the officers of LSFA.
- The two National Finals for our Under 16 Boys and Under 16 Girls at the Ricoh Arena, the home of Coventry City Football Club and the National Final for our Under 14 Girls Football Club at Hillsborough, the home of Sheffield Wednesday Football Club.
- The two Northern Counties’ Finals for our Under 16 Boys at Hyde United Football Club and for our Under 16 Girls at the Liverpool Soccer Centre.
- The great commitment and expertise of our four county management teams, already highlighted in the report.
- The many superb performances given by our four county teams which provided such pleasure and enjoyment to all spectators throughout the season.
- The tremendous support given to our girls’ teams by Peter and Lorraine Seed.
- All the work undertaken by Andrea Lavelle in organising the accommodation for our Under 16 boys and their parents in Dover and Coventry.
- The assistance and expertise offered by Emily Giles, the physiotherapist for our girls’ teams and by Luke Smith, the new physiotherapist for our boys’ teams. Emily and Luke provide invaluable support for our management teams.
- Continued high levels of entry in our county cup competitions..
10. Continued good liaison with our professional clubs: Accrington Stanley, Blackburn Rovers, Blackpool, Fleetwood Town, Morecambe and Preston North End.
11. The great support of Squires Gate Football Club and Wren Rovers Football Club. We thank the two Chairmen, Stuart Hopwood at Squires Gate and Dave Brewell at Wren Rovers, for allowing us to use their grounds for county matches and cup finals and for all their help at the matches.
12. The new 3G venues at the JMO Sports’ Park, Skelmersdale and Myerscough College.
13. The tremendous work of Andy Clitheroe as Course Director of our highly successful coaching course held at QEGS in August.
14. The superb support given to LSFA by Iain Kay and Mike Nadal at the Lancashire Football Association. Iain and Mike have given us tremendous assistance with the completion of the Annual County Plan required by the FA and by ESFA and have organised our meetings at the LFA during the season.
15. The support given to us by the Lancashire Football Association in allowing us to hold our meetings at the County Ground.
16. The support of parents, relatives and friends for our County Teams is excellent and exceptional. They support the team in all kinds of weather and willingly pay the admission fee for home games without complaint. The support of the girls’ families for the three National Finals was invaluable and we thank all the families for all their help, advice and support.
17. The work of Darren Alcock in his new role of organising the National Finals. We thank Darren and his colleagues for the excellent organisation of the finals.
18. The new LSFA Handbook printed for us by Burnley College and all the handbook advertisers.
19. The excellent ESFA Trophy wins by Blessed Trinity and Clitheroe Royal Grammar School.
20. The visit to Lancashire by boys, staff and parents of Carrollwood Day School from Tampa, Florida in June 2013. It is hoped that reciprocal visits will be made by Lancashire students in the future.
And on the negative side:
- The attempt by Burnley Football Club to stop boys playing for their schools, districts and county, resulting in an inevitable worsening of relationships with the club. It is of no surprise to us that none of our Under 16 County boys, the best squad in England, and none of the Under 15 Blessed Trinity boys, the best school team in England, are signed with Burnley Football Club. We sincerely hope that we can establish a better working relationship with the club in the future.
- The disappointment of having to play an ESFA semi-final on a school pitch, having travelled 300 miles to Canterbury for the privilege!
- The low number of entries in our district competitions at primary level. We hope to rectify this problem by working with SGOs in all primary areas next season.
- The relatively low number of entries for the Lancashire Cup.
- The low number of entries for the Wrennall Cup.
- The continuing lack of communication by some schools despite the era of the e-mail and the lack of awareness by some schools of some competition rules.
- The lack of assistance at county games, especially night games, where more support would be appreciated on the gate and with the welcoming of visiting teams and officials.
- The refusal of a handful of parents, including three from Durham, to pay an entry fee to county matches and cup finals.
- The British weather which caused so many postponements of county matches. With the increased number of 3G pitches and the willingness of our players to use the 3G surface, we hope to largely eliminate the problem of postponed matches in the future.
10. The demise of the Lancashire Schools’ Sports’ Federation with the withdrawal of the grant by Lancashire County Council to the federation. LSFA has received great support from LSSF over the years and the support will be greatly missed in the years ahead.
11. The poor and rowdy behaviour of a group of young people from Blackpool at the Under 16 Boys’ Final at Wren Rovers FC. LSFA would like to apologise to Wren Rovers FC and other spectators present, especially those from Colne Park High School, for the behaviour of the young people and will attempt to ensure that future cup finals are not denigrated in this way.
Acknowledgements
The final section of this report is to thank the many individuals, clubs, companies and associations who have helped Lancashire Schools’ F.A. deliver its programme during season 2012-2013. The perennial hope is that no-one has been omitted:
- The English Schools’ F.A , John Read, Darren Alcock, Dave Ebberson, Sue Gifford, Lorna Hartwell, Dawn Howard and Ed Mitchell for their help and guidance throughout the season.
- The Northern Counties Schools’ F.A., especially Peter Tracey and Chris Newman
- Our ESFA Area Representatives Nigel Brown and Mark Shackleton.
- County Secretaries in the Northern Counties’ Association and across the country for their assistance in organising games often under difficult circumstances.
- The Lancashire FA and its officers, particularly Iain Kay and Mike Nadal
- The match officials, mainly from Preston referees’ Society: Trevor Barrow, David Cameron, Ross Fairbrother, Michael Hayley-Jefferson, Dave Hesketh, Peter Ingham, Keith Martin, Josh Rigby, Mike Rigby, Phil Rigby, Cameron Robson, Dave Sammons, Kris Sammons, Daniel Sanderson, Ieuan Skelton, Shaun Taylor, Dave Wareing
- Dave Sammons for helping out as physio and goalkeeping coach at county matches.
- Dave Hesketh of Preston Referees’ Society for appointing match officials to all our county matches and cup finals.
- Lancashire Schools’ Sports Federation and its officers Mike Duffy and Amanda Parker.
10. Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackpool F.C.
Chorley F.C.
Preston North End F.C.
Blackpool F.C.
Skelmersdale United F.C.
Squires Gate F.C.
Wren Rovers F.C
11. Montgomery High School, Blackpool, for the use of their Sports’ Hall for the Under 12 Girls’ Five a Side Competition..
12. Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School, Blackburn, the Head Teacher, sports and ground staff for the use of such excellent facilities for the LSFA Summer Coaching Course, ESFA and LSFA trials and the Under 12 Boys Five a Side Competition.
13. St Bede’s Sports College, Blackburn, especially Chris Bentley and John Turner, for organising the use of the 3G for our Under 12 Finals’ Days.
14. Myerscough College, especially John Barclay, for use of the 3G pitch at the college.
15. The JMO Sports’ Park, Skelmersdale, especially Charlie Haynes, for use of the 3G pitch.
16. Staff at the Shovels’ Pub, Squires Gate, for providing refreshments after county matches.
17. Burnley College for printing the LSFA Handbook.
18. UCLAN Sports Science Department for provision of physiotherapists at County games, particularly Emily Giles, the physiotherapist for our U16 and U14 girls’ teams, and other staff at UCLAN.
19. Teachers at all levels, primary to tertiary, school team to district and county representative sides in their various roles as coaches, managers, administrators.
20. Head Teachers and Principals in our schools and colleges for their support in the release of players and staff for matches.
21. The non-teachers, who are now helping schools’ football in various capacities
22. Parents, families and supporters of players at all levels for their friendship and support in a long but highly successful season.