LSFA Report 2013-14
A copy of this report can be downloaded as a word document;
LSFA REPORT OF THE COUNCIL 2013-2014.doc
The Report of the Lancashire Schools’ Football Association Council 2013-2014
Presented by Mike Timberlake, Secretary, Lancashire Schools’ F.A. at the Annual General Meeting, Tuesday 17 June 2014.
Richard M. Clegg, Preston and Lancashire Schools’ F.A.
It was with great sadness and dismay that we were informed in March 2014 that our Vice-Chairman and the long-standing Secretary of Preston Schools’ F.A., Dick Clegg, had passed away after a relatively short illness. Dick loved sport and was a great supporter of schools’ football in Preston and in Lancashire. As the Preston Schools’ F.A. Secretary, Dick organised just about everything concerning schools’ football in the city and we hope that Preston will be able to find a suitable successor to follow in Dick’s giant footsteps. At county level Dick was always a pillar of wisdom and could always be relied upon to find the correct and sensible solution to any problem. Dick was looking forward to becoming Chairman of Lancashire Schools’ F.A. during season 2014-2015 and will be badly missed by all involved in schools’ football not least by the countless number of pupils who were given the opportunity to show their footballing talent because of the work and commitment of Dick Clegg.
Lancashire Schools’ F.A. Council Meetings:
During Season 2013-2014, the LSFA Council met on four occasions at the Lancashire Football Association, The County Ground, Leyland as follows:
Mon. 09.09.13. (10 present) (Special General Meeting).
Mon. 11.11.13. (8 present)
Mon. 10.03.14. (9 present)
Tue. 20.05.14. (9 present)
Many thanks once again are due to Iain Kay for organising the use of the LFA for our meetings.
Attendance at meetings was as follows:
Paul Bradley (Chairman): 4
Mike Timberlake (Secretary and Pendle SFA): 4
Andy Buckingham (Treasurer and Blackburn and Darwen SFA): 3
Neil Black (Chorley SFA): 3
Roy Blacktop (Senior Council Member): 3
Stuart Booth (Burnley SFA): 1
Dick Clegg (Preston SFA): 2
Andy Clitheroe (Under 16 Boys’ Management Team and South Ribble SFA): 0
Stewart Clitheroe (Under 18 Boys’ Manager): 2
Nick Corless (Primary and West Lancashire SFA): 0
Mike Duffy (Senior Adviser): 2
Jon Edmondson (Rossendale SFA): 0
Chris Harter (Rossendale SFA): 0
Iain Kay (LFA): 4
Andy Kelly (Hyndburn and Ribble Valley): 2
Ben Lavelle (Under 16 Boys’ Manager and Blackpool S.F.A.): 1
Dave McFall (Lancaster and Morecambe SFA): 0
Mike Nadal (Under 16 and Under 14 Girls’ Manager): 3
Dave Sammons (Press Officer): 1
Mark Shackleton (ESFA): 1
Paul Whelan (Primary): 0
Neil Yates (LFA and LSFA Child Welfare Officer): 0
Lancaster and Morecambe SFA, Rossendale SFA, South Ribble SFA and West Lancashire SFA were not represented at any of the meetings during 2013-2014
LSFA Officers:
Chairman: Paul Bradley
Vice-Chairman: Dick Clegg
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 SFA: 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, LFA
Dave Sammons Press Officer
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 SFA/LFA Competition Planning for FA Funding:
Mike Nadal (LFA & LSFA Girls), Mike Timberlake (Secretary).
ESFA AGM, June 2013: Mike Nadal
NCSFA AGM, June 2013: Mike Nadal, Mike Timberlake
ESFA Meeting for County Secretaries, November 2013: Mike Timberlake
The County Competitions: entries.
Primary Schools League 4 associations
Luther Mercer Primary Cup 4 associations
ESFA District Qualifier 4 associations
ESFA Primary Schools’ Qualifier 13 schools
Wrennall Cup (Under 14s) 4 associations
Lancashire Cup (Under 15s) 7 associations
Under 12 County Cup 56 schools
Under 13 County Cup 55 schools
Under 14 County Cup 54 schools
Under 15 Boys’ County Cup 56 schools
Under 16 Boys’ County Cup 53 schools
Under 19 Boys’ County Cup for Schools 22 teams
Under 12 Girls’ County Cup 21 schools
Under 14 Girls’ County Cup 25 schools
Under 16 Girls’ County Cup 16 schools
LSFA County Cup Competitions Roll of Honour 2013-2014
Under 12 Girls’ 5-a-side Indoor Competition held at Montgomery High School, Blackpool
Friday 31 January 2014. Referee: Kevin Roberts
Presentation: Mike Timberlake (Secretary)
Winners: St.Wilfrid’s High School, Blackburn
Under 12 Girls’ Open Cup (7 a side) held at St.Bede’s High School, Blackburn
Friday 28 March 2014. Officials: Matthew France (St.Bede’s), Christian Oddie (Darwen Vale)
Presentation: Mike Timberlake (Secretary)
Winners: Holy Cross Catholic High School, Chorley
Under 14s Girls’ Open Cup held at Squires Gate Football Club
Friday 02 May 2014. Officials: Kevin Roberts, Mike Rigby, Phil Rigby
Presentation: Roy Blacktop (Senior Council Member), Georgia Lambe (LSFA U16 Girls’ Team)
Winners: Ormskirk School, Ormskirk
Under 16s Girls’ Open Cup held at Wren Rovers Football Club
Thursday 01 May 2014. Officials: Dave Hesketh, Kevin Roberts, Dave Wareing
Presentation: Paul Bradley (Chairman), Mike Duffy (Senior Adviser)
Winners: St.Bede’s High School, Blackburn
LSFA County Cup Competitions:
Under 12 Boys’ 5-a-side Indoor Competition held at the Blackburn Powerleague
Thursday 20 January 2014. Referee: Daniel Sanderson
Presentation: Mike Timberlake
Winners: All Hallows High School, Penwortham
Under 12 County Cup (7 a side) held at St Bede’s High School, Blackburn
Friday 21 March 2014. Officials: Matthew France (St.Bede’s), Christian Oddie (Darwen Vale)
Presentation: Mike Timberlake
Winners: Bishop Rawstorne Church of England Academy, Croston
Under 13 County Cup (The Kay Cup) held at Accrington and Rossendale College
Wednesday 11 June 2014. Officials: Dave Wareing, Mike Rigby, Phil Rigby
Presentation: Neil Black (U14 Boys’Manager, Roger Haythornthwaite (LSFA Coach), Mike Timberlake (Secretary)
Winners: St.Bede’s R.C. High School, Blackburn
Under 14 County Cup (The Jim Tolson Cup) held at Squires Gate Football Club
Tuesday 29 April 2014. Officials: Phil Rigby, Mike Rigby, Daniel Sanderson
Presentation: Mike Timberlake (Secretary)
Winners: St.Augustine’s Roman Catholic High School, Billington
Under 15 County Cup (The Jim Hayhurst Shield) held at Squires Gate Football Club
Friday 02 May 2014. Officials: Peter Ingham, Phil Rigby, Shaun Taylor
Presentation: Mike Timberlake (Secretary)
Winners: Moorland School, Clitheroe
Under 16 Boys’ County Cup (The Daily Dispatch Shield) held at Burscough Football Club
Friday 02 May 2014. Officials: Neil Swarbrick), Niall Carson, Jonathan Murphy,
Presentation: Andy Clitheroe (LSFA Council Member)
Winners: Burscough Priory, Burscough
Under 19 Boys’ County Cup (LSFA Shield) held at Chorley Football Club
Thursday 22 May 2014. Officials: Dave Hesketh, Mike Rigby, Phil Rigby
Presentation: Paul Bradley (Chairman), Andy Buckingham (Treasurer), Roy Blacktop (Senior Council Member)
A unique occasion with two teams from the same school contesting a LSFA Final for the first time !
Winners: Darwen Aldridge Academy A Team
LSFA District Competitions Roll of Honour 2013-2014:
Under 15 Boys’ Lancashire League Winners (The Timberlake Trophy)
Presentation: Mike Timberlake (Secretary)
Winners: West Lancashire
Under 15 Boys’ Lancashire Cup held at Wren Rovers Football Club
Thursday 15 May 2014. Officials: Dave Hesketh, Courtney Hughes, Peter Ingham
Presentation: Andy Buckingham (Treasurer)
Winners: West Lancashire
Under 14 Boys’ Wrennall Cup held at Wren Rovers Football Club
Thursday 15 May 2014. Officials: Kevin Roberts, Mike Rigby, Phil Rigby
Presentation: Andy Buckingham (Treasurer)
Winners: Preston
LSFA Primary School Competitions:
Under 11s Primary Inter-District League Champions: Burnley
Under 11s Primary Inter-District Cup (The Luther Mercer Shield) held at Wren Rovers Football Club
Thursday 01 May 2014. Officials: Niall Eaves, Mariusz Kurkiewicz, Tom Wolfenden
Presentation: Paul Bradley (Chairman), Mike Timberlake (Secretary)
Winners: Burnley
The Under 11s Inter District 7-a-side Competition & ESFA Qualifier
Winners: Burnley
Under 11s Primary Schools 7-a-side IDI Trophy & ESFA Qualifier at Collegiate Sports College
Monday 27 January 2014.
Presentation: Mike Timberlake (Secretary)
Winners: Moorside Primary School, Lancaster
Results of the Lancashire Schools’ F.A. County Cup Finals:
Under 14 Girls, County Cup:
Ormskirk School 2 Ribblesdale High School 0
Under 16 Girls’ County Cup:
St.Bede’s High School Blackburn 4 Bishop Rawstorne High School 2
Under 13 County Cup:
St.Bede’s, Blackburn 6 Ripley St.Thomas 2
Under 14 County Cup:
St.Augustine’s High School 2 Baines School 1
Under 15 County Cup:
Moorland School 3 St.Bede’s Blackburn 2
Under 16 Boys’ County Cup:
Burscough Priory 3 All Hallows 3 (AET) (Burscough Priory won 6-5 on penalties)
Under 19 Boys’ County Cup:
Darwen Aldridge Academy A Team 6 Darwen Aldridge Academy B Team 2
Lancashire Cup:
West Lancashire 1 Blackburn and Darwen 0
Wrennall Cup:
Preston 3 Hyndburn and Ribble Valley 2 (AET)
Luther Mercer Cup:
Burnley 2 West Lancashire 1 (AET)
The County Representative Teams:
Lancashire County Schools’ Football Association Under 16 Boys’ Representative Squad:
The following boys represented the county during season 2013-2014:
Ben Anderson Blackpool 11 appearances
Jacob Anderson Blackpool 09 appearances
Jacob Bayliss South Ribble 06 appearances
Myles Boney Blackpool 11 appearances
Charlie Carpenter Blackpool 10 appearances
Chris Clinch Blackpool 10 appearances
Harvey Close South Ribble 12 appearances
James Corbett Blackpool 11 appearances
Declan Cunliffe Burnley 03 appearances
Josh Emmott Rossendale 12 appearances
Mark Forshaw Chorley 11 appearances
Kit Gregory Blackpool 11 appearances
Robson Hall Preston 12 appearances
Roman Hickey Hyndburn and Ribble Valley 04 appearances
James Jones Preston 02 appearances
Lewis Mansell Burnley 01 appearance
Rahul Parmar South Ribble 12 appearances
Elliott Pond Preston 04 appearances
Matthew Read Rossendale 12 appearances
Harry Roe Blackpool 01 appearance
Sam Skidmore South Ribble 11 appearances
Jordan Swift Burnley 03 appearances
Macauley Wilson Blackpool 09 appearances
James Wolfenden Hyndburn and Ribble Valley 05 appearances
Ben Woodall Preston 04 appearances
Geoff Wylie Blackpool 01 appearance
Under 16 Boys’ Competition Results
P W D L F A
10 6 1 3 18 9
Friendly Matches:
v Blackpool F.C. at Blackpool F.C., Squires Gate drew 1-1
v Bury F.C. at Bury lost 3-4
Northern Counties Championship:
v Cheshire at Squires Gate F.C. won 2-1
v West Yorkshire at Ossett Albion drew 1-1
v Greater Manchester at Squires Gate F.C. lost 1-3
v Merseyside at Liverpool Soccer Centre won 3-0
Semi-Final v Northumberland at Wheatridge Park lost 1-2
ESFA National Trophy:
R2 v Humberside at Sirius Academy, Hull won 1-0
R3 v Staffordshire at Squires Gate F.C. won 3-0
R4 v Surrey at the JMO, Skelmersdale won 3-0
Semi-Final v Merseyside at Wren Rovers F.C. won 2-0
Final v Greater Manchester at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry lost 1-2 (AET)
Lancashire County Schools’ Football Association Under 18 Boys’ Representative Squad:
The following boys represented the county during season 2013-2014:
Adam Barnish Cardinal Newman College
Cory Bent Cardinal Newman College
Jack Brooks Accrington and Rossendale College
Marcus Burgess Burnley College
Ryan Charnley Preston’s College
Lewis Cumpsty Clitheroe Royal Grammar School
Liam Devlin Darwen Aldridge Academy
Ben Foulds Runshaw College
Sam Girven Preston’s College
James Graham Cardinal Newman College
Jacob Gregory Blackpool Sixth Form College
Michael Hampson Myerscough College
Ryan Hastings Blackpool Sixth Form College
Jacob Higham Preston’s College
Robert Hutton Newman College
Owen Keighley Preston’s College
Sam Kershaw Burnley College
Daniel Lean Cardinal Newman College
Regan Linney Preston’s College
Stuart Marley Runshaw College
Barney |Morris Runshaw College
Chris Orritt Runshaw College
Joey Mullen Preston’s College
Charlie Russell Myerscough College
Tom Urquhart Accrington and Rossendale College
Daniel Vincent Accrington and Rossendale College
Jordan Wilder Cardinal Newman College
Reece Young Blackpool Sixth Form College
Under 18 Boys’ Competition Results
P W D L F A
6 2 1 3 15 16
Northern Counties Championship:
v Cheshire at Squires Gate F.C. lost 1-4
v West Yorkshire at Liversedge F.C.. won 5-2
v Greater Manchester at Squires Gate F.C. won 4-0
v Merseyside at LiverpoolSoccer Centre drew 4-4
Semi-Final v Durham at Seaham Red Star F.C. lost 0-4
ESFA National Inter-County Trophy:
Round 2 v Durham at Chester-le-Street F.C. lost 0-2
Ryan Charnley, Michael Hampson, Charlie Russell
Congratulations to Ryan, Michael and Charlie who were all selected for the English Schools’ F.A. Under 18 International Squad. All three boys played several games for their country and played an excellent part in helping England to win the Centenary Shield in Andy Buckingham’s last year as Manager of the ESFA Under 18 Team.
Lancashire County Schools’ Football Association Under 16 Girls’ Representative Squad:
The following girls represented the county during season 2013-2014
Alice Adams West Lancashire
Olivia Askam South Ribble
Natalie Bell Hyndburn and Ribble Valley
Ciara Boylan South Ribble
Sarah Chadwick South Ribble
Olivia Cooke South Ribble
Demi-Leigh Devereaux Blackpool
Natasha Fenton Blackpool
Mayumi Gillam West Lancashire
Emma Hickson Blackpool
Ellie Hilton Chorley
Neeve Hulton Blackburn and Darwen
Alicia Johnson Blackburn and Darwen
Georgia Lambe Blackpool
Katie Maher Hyndburn and Ribble Valley
Thea Mallett Preston
Cara North Preston
Meghan Pope Blackpool
Jessica Riley Blackburn and Darwen
Sasha Rowe West Lancashire
Katie Samuels Hyndburn and Ribble Valley
Beth Wilson Chorley
Under 16 Girls’ Competition Results:
P W D L F A
7 6 0 1 34 14
Friendly Match:
v North Wales at Kimmel Bay won 12-1
Northern Counties Championship:
v Merseyside at Liverpool Soccer Centre won 6-0
v West Yorkshire at Huddersfield won 5-2
v Cheshire at Squires Gate F.C. won 5-3
v Greater Manchester at Squires Gate F.C. won 5-4
Semi-Final v Northumberland at Bishop Rawstorne Academy won 8-2
Final v Greater Manchester at Wren Rovers F.C. won 5-1
ESFA National Inter-County Trophy Quarter-Final:
v Nottinghamshire at Gresham Sports Park lost 1-3
Brenna McPartlan
Congratulations to Brenna on being selected to be the Captain of England Under 15 Schoolgirls during season 2013-2014. Brenna represented her country, county and school with distinction throughout the season and won National Titles with Lancashire and with St.Bede’s, Blackburn . In the schools’ final she was awarded Player of the Match and won a PlayStation Four .Well done Brenna !
Lancashire County Schools’ Football Association Under 14 Girls’ Representative Squad: The following girls represented the county during season 2013-2014
Eve Clarkson Blackburn and Darwen
Justine Elliott Chorley
Caitlin Gerrard Pendle
Niamh MacGabhann West Lancashire
Maddison Hadley Blackpool
Ella Hutchings Hyndburn and Ribble Valley
Annabel Mayson Hyndburn and Ribble Valley
Brenna McPartlan Blackburn and Darwen
Sadie Mitchell Pendle
Jessica Rawstron Pendle
Amelia Size West Lancashire
Ellie Spooner Blackpool
Erin Staunton-Turner West Lancashire
Lucy Staunton-Turner West Lancashire
Ebony Stinson Hyndburn and Ribble Valley
Maisy Sumner Hyndburn and Ribble Valley
Kimberley Sykes Burnley
Jessica Walling Preston
Hannah Walsh South Ribble
Olivia Wilkes South Ribble
Courtney Woodhead Chorley
Emily Yeoman Hyndburn and Ribble Valley
Under 14 Girls’ Competition Results:
P W D L F A
4 4 0 0 19 6
Friendly Matches:
v Staffordshire at Squires Gate F.C. lost 0-2
v North Wales at Kimmel Bay won 13-0
v South Yorkshire at Barnsley won 6-1
v Shoreline F.C. (USA) at Wren Rovers F.C. won 6-0
v Worcestershire at Cannock won 2-0
v Staffordshire at Cannock drew 1-1
ESFA National Trophy
R1 v Greater Manchester at Wren Rovers F.C. won 5-3
R2 v Shropshire at Thomas Telford School won 7-0
Semi-Final v Surrey at Winston Churchill School won 3-1
Final v Kent at the Madejski Stadium, Reading won 4-2
Lilleshall Festival:
v Surrey won 7-0
v Sussex won 4-1
v Durham drew 1-1
v Shropshire won 1-0
Caitlin Gerrard (Pendle):
In the ESFA National Final victory over Kent, Caitlin was awarded Player of the Match and won a PlayStation Four. Well done Caitlin !
Report on Season 2013-2014.
Although perhaps not quite as successful as the previous year, Season 2013-2014 was still a highly successful season for Lancashire Schools’ Football Association.
Once again, the facts speak for themselves:
Under 14 Girls: ESFA National Champions (for the second successive year)
Under 16 Girls: NCSFA Champions (for the third successive year) and ESFA Quarter-Finalists.
Under 16 Boys: ESFA National Finalists and NCSFA Semi-Finalists.
Under 18 Boys: NCSFA Semi-Finalists.
The combined results in competitive matches of our four county teams reveal the following statistics:
Played: 27
Won: 18
Drawn: 2
Lost: 7
Goals For: 86
Goals Against: 45
In Lancashire we continue to be privileged to have fully committed, enthusiastic, knowledgeable and professional Management Teams to guide our boys and girls 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, Stuart Booth
Under 18 Boys: Stewart Clitheroe, Paul Bradley, Alistair Mollon
Under 16 Girls: Mike Nadal, Kate O’Neill, Sarah Nickless
Under 14 Girls: Mike Nadal, Keira Davis, Sarah Nickless
Lancashire Schools’ F.A. County Teams.
Pride of place must go to the Lancashire Under 14 Girls who successfully defended the National Title and who have now been in the National Final for the past three seasons. The Lancashire Under 16 Boys also contested the National Final for the second successive year and reached the Northern Counties’ Semi-Final. The Under 16 Girls were crowned Northern Counties’ Champions for the third successive year and reached the quarter-finals of the National Competition. The Under 18 Boys also reached the Semi-Final of the Northern Counties’ Championship.
Under 14 Girls.
The Under 14 Girls take pride of place this season with their third successive national final and second successive season as ESFA National Champions ! Following thorough selection trials, training and a tough friendly match, the Management Team of Mike Nadal and Keira Davis were able to select the squad of girls destined to become the best squad in the country. After overcoming a strong Greater Manchester side in the opening round of the competition, the Lancashire girls easily overcame a spirited Shropshire side on a rain-soaked night at Thomas Telford School in the quarter-final. After prolonged negotiation with Surrey SFA and the ESFA, Lancashire were then told to play the semi-final on a Saturday in Surrey without the Lancashire and England Captain, Brenna McPartlan. Despite the absence of Brenna, Lancashire showed their mettle and came away from Surrey with a convincing 3-1 victory to reach the final for the third successive year. With ESFA refusing to allow an overnight stay on the Sunday night because of the late kick-off time of 5.30 p.m. chosen by ESFA (!), the Lancashire parents and supporters rallied round the team enabling the girls to travel to Reading on the Sunday and stay overnight before the game at the Madejski Stadium. In the final, an early own goal gave Lancashire the lead but two excellent goals by Kent gave them the lead before Lancashire equalised though Lucy Staunton-Turner just before half-time. Following the half-time team talk by Mike Nadal and Keira Davis, the Lancashire girls dominated the second half of the game and ran out worthy winners with further goals from Lucy Staunton-Turner and Hannah Walsh. Caitlin Gerrard (Pendle) won the Player of the Match Award and won herself a PlayStation Four !
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 Boys.
The Under 16 Boys also reached the national final for the second successive year but narrowly lost the final this year after extra time for Greater Manchester to gain revenge for their defeat last season. Following the coaching course and trial matches, the Management Team of Ben Lavelle, Andy Clitheroe and Stuart Booth were able to select a strong squad possibly lacking the quality of the previous season. Nevertheless, the team grew stronger as the season progressed and the success of the boys in the ESFA Trophy was remarkable, progressing to the final of the competition without even conceding a goal ! After a very tight game against Humberside at Hull in Round 2, Lancashire comfortably disposed of Staffordshire and Surrey in Rounds 3 and 4. The semi-final match against our neighbours Merseyside was another hard-fought match which Lancashire, in the end, fully deserved to win. Following an overnight stay at the Stadium Hotel at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry, the Lancashire boys were unlucky to lose the final to Greater Manchester. After Greater Manchester had taken an early, Elliott Pond soon equalised for Lancashire. After 80 minutes the teams were still level at 1-1. However, Greater Manchester scored a rather fortunate winning goal just before the end of extra time when it looked as though the final was again going to be decided on penalty kicks.
In the Northern Counties’ Championship, the Lancashire boys reached the semi-final but were very unfortunate to lose to a disputed late goal just before the end of the game. Despite several injuries early in the game, the Lancashire boys had equalised an early Northumberland goal to keep the scores level until the last minutes of the game when a foul on the Lancashire goalkeeper was ignored by the match officials.
Lancashire Schools’ F.A. would like to thank the boys for representing LSFA during the past season and wish them every success as they embark on the next stage of their careers.
Under 16 Girls.
The Under 16 Girls also achieved great success this season by reaching the Northern Counties’ Championship final for the fourth successive year and by winning the Northern Counties’ Championship for the third successive year ! Following the trials, the Management Team of Mike Nadal and Kate O’Neill were able to select a strong squad of girls with some girls having played for the county during the previous season at either Under 16 or Under 14 level. Despite some hard-fought games in the group matche, Lancashire won all of their games and easily overcame Northumberland in the semi-final to reach the Northern Counties’ Final and the ESFA Quarter-Final.
In the ESFA Quarter-Final, Lancashire lost to the eventual national champions Nottinghamshire on a windswept day at Gresham Sports Park. Despite being below par, Lancashire were unlucky to lose the match. After Nottinghamshire had taken an early lead, Mayumi Gillam equalised for Lancashire before the Notts girls, with the very strong wind in their favour, scored two more goals before half-time, the second of which took a wicked deflection off a Lancashire defender. Lancashire dominated the second half but were unable to score and Notts were helped when the strong wind failed to blow for the last 30 minutes of the game !!
In the Northern Counties’ Final, Lancashire expected a tough game against Greater Manchester who has fought bravely in the previous group game which they had only lost by a single goal. However, Lancashire were totally dominant on the day and ran out worthy winners with goals from Sarah Chadwick (2), Olivia Askam, Ali Johnson and Natasha Fenton (penalty).
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.
Under 18 boys.
Following the trials, the Management Team of Stewart Clitheroe, Paul Bradley and Alastair Mollon were able to select a strong squad with three boys destined to be selected for the ESFA Under 18 International side. After going out of the ESFA Trophy in the first round with a very unlucky defeat away to a strong Durham side and losing the first Northern Counties’ Championship group match to an equally strong Cheshire team, the Lancashire boys rallied well with two excellent wins against West Yorkshire away and Greater Manchester at Squires Gate F.C. A pulsating 4-4 draw away to Merseyside was enough to take Lancashire into the semi-final where they again had to travel to Durham. Despite starting well and losing ESFA international player Michael Hampson with a broken collar bone early in the game, Lancashire suddenly found themselves three goals down with Durham scoring three goals in ten minutes just before half-time. In an even second half, Lancashire were unable to find the net as Durham added a fourth goal to run out comfortable winners. As was the case with international players in past seasons, it was disappointing that our three international players Ryan Charnley, Michael Hampson and Charlie Russell were unable to complete a full season playing for their county.
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.
St.Bede’s High School, Blackburn
LSFA would like to congratulate St.Bede’s High School, Blackburn on winning the ESFA Under 15 Girls’ Trophy from an initial entry of 263 schools by emphatically beating Fullbrook School, Woking 7-3 in the final at the Madejski Stadium, Reading. Lancashire Captain Brenna McPartlan was awarded the Player of the Match and won for herself a PlayStation Four !
The LSFA County Cup Finals:
The county cup finals were mainly played at Squires Gate Football Club, Blackpool and Wren Rovers Football Club, Blackpool. The Under 19 final was again played at Chorley Football Club and the delayed Under 13 final was finally played at Accrington and Rossendale College. The Under 12 Finals Days were again played at St.Bede’s High School Blackburn. There were many excellent cup finals and we are very grateful to all clubs, schools and colleges for allowing us to stage our finals at excellent venues.
Discipline.
LSFA has opted 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 continue to be aware of this new procedure for the coming season. At count level there were very few problems of discipline with a few yellow cards being awarded to county players in various matches.
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 and NCSFA and the final grant from LSSF which help to cover the cost of travel to away games and also pay for grounds, officials and refreshments for our home games. We manage to stage schools’ cup finals with only a small loss and we thank the vast majority of parents and other supporters for willingly paying to watch the teams perform. With grants from LSSF now at and end with Lancashire County Council withdrawing the grant made to LSSF, careful budgeting will have to be carried out next season and in the seasons ahead.
Andy Buckingham.
LSFA would like to congratulate Andy on the completion of his final highly successful season as the Team Manager of the ESFA Under 18 Boys and his four-year involvement with the National Team. Andy’s final match as National Team Manager fittingly took place at Ewood Park, Blackburn when a 1-1 draw by England against Scotland proved to be enough for England to win the Centenary Shield after defeating Wales 2-1, Northern Ireland 5-3 and drawing with the Republic of Ireland 3-3.
Ben Lavelle.
As Andy Buckingham completes his four-year involvement with the ESFA Under 18 Boys’ Team, Ben begins his spell as Assistant Manager of the team following his appointment to the job towards the end of season 2013-2014 following a highly successful eight-year stint as the Team Manager of Lancashire Under 16 Boys. We are delighted that Ben has been appointed by ESFA for two years as ESFA Assistant Manager followed by two years as ESFA Team Manager , thank him for his commitment, enthusiasm and expertise as Team Manager of Lancashire Under 16 Schoolboys and wish him all the very best in his new role. Ben will continue to liaise with LSFA as a consultant and will remain on the LSFA Council as the Council Member for Blackpool.
A summary of the highlights of Season 2013-2014:
- The National Final for our Under 16 Boys at the Ricoh Arena, the former home of Coventry City F.C. and the National Final for our Under 14 Girls Football Club at the Madejski Stadium, the home of Reading F.C.
- The Northern Counties’ Finals for our Under 16 Girls at Wren Rovers F.C.
- The pulsating 4-4 draw by our Under 18 boys away to Merseyside to ensure qualification for the Northern Counties’ Championship semi-final.
- 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 Seed.
- All the work undertaken once more by Andrea Lavelle in organising the accommodation for our Under 16 boys and their parents in Coventry.
- The assistance and expertise offered by Emily Giles, Zara Harrison and Hannah Venn, the physiotherapists for our girls’ teams and by Luke Smith, the physiotherapist for our boys’ teams. Emily, Zara, Hannah 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, Bury F.C., 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. We are also extremely grateful to the two groundsmen, Brian Addison at Squires Gate F.C. and Roy Frost at Wren Rovers F.C. for their work and help throughout the season as well as all other helpers at the two clubs.
12. The tremendous work of Andy Clitheroe as Course Director of our highly successful coaching course held at QEGS in August.
13. 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. We are also grateful to Lancashire Football Association for allowing us to hold our meetings at the County Ground.
14. 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 players’ families for the two National Finals was invaluable and we thank all the families for all their help, advice and support.
15. The work of Darren Alcock in his role of organising all the national competitions including the National Finals. We thank Darren and his colleagues for the excellent organisation of the competitions and the finals.
16. The LSFA Handbook printed for us by Burnley College and all the handbook advertisers.
17. The excellent ESFA Under 15 Girls’ Trophy win by the girls of St.Bede’s High School, Blackburn
18. The visit to Lancashire by players, staff and parents of Shoreline F.C. from Connecticut, America. It is hoped that reciprocal visits will be made by Lancashire students in the future.
19. The participation of the Under 14 girls in the Lilleshall Festival of Football.
On the negative side:
- The failure of ESFA to allow our Under 14 girls an overnight stay before their National Final at Reading F.C.
- The insistence by ESFA that Lancashire Under 14 girls should play a national semi-final without their captain.
- The lack of a reply from ESFA to our inquiry about national team selection policy for the Under 14 girls’ squad.
- The myriad of excuses invented by Surrey Schools F.A. to even consider looking for a ground for an afternoon or evening kick-off to play the national semi-final at home to Lancashire.
- The disappointment of having to play a NCSFA semi-final away to Northumberland with only one appointed match official and with two local schools’ officials having to act as assistants.
- Despite some improvement, the continuing low number of entries in our district competitions at primary level. We hope to continue to improve the situation by working with SGOs in all primary areas next season.
- The low number of entries at Under 14 district level 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.
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 including a final grant during season 2013-2014 and the support will be greatly missed in the years ahead.
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 2013-2014. The perennial hope is that no-one has been omitted:
- The English Schools’ F.A , John Read, Darren Alcock, Dave Ebberson, Sue Gifford, Lorna Blakeman, 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
- Dave Hesketh of Preston Referees’ Society for appointing match officials to most of our county matches and cup finals.
- The match officials, mainly from Preston Referees’ Society: Niall Carson, Matthew France, Dave Hesketh, Courtney Hughes, Peter Ingham, Marius Kurkiewicz, Keith Martin, Neil Midgley, Jonathan Murphy, Christian Oddie, Josh Rigby, Mike Rigby, Phil Rigby, Kevin Roberts, Daniel Sanderson, Shaun Taylor, Dave Wareing, Tom Wolfenden.
- Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackpool F.C.
Chorley F.C.
Preston North End F.C.
Blackpool F.C.
Squires Gate F.C.
Wren Rovers F.C
- Montgomery High School, Blackpool, for the use of their Sports’ Hall for the Under 12 Girls’ Five a Side Competition and the officials at Blackburn Powerleague for allowing us to use their centre for the Boys’ Five a Side Competition.
10. 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.
11. Mark Hilton and Bishop Rawstorne High School, Croston for the use of their 3G pitch.
12. 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.
13. The JMO Sports’ Park, Skelmersdale, especially Charlie Haynes, for use of the 3G pitch.
14. Staff at the Shovels’ Pub, Squires Gate, for providing refreshments after county matches.
15. Burnley College for printing the LSFA Handbook.
16. 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.
17. Teachers at all levels, primary to tertiary, school team to district and county representative sides in their various roles as coaches, managers, administrators.
18. Head Teachers and Principals in our schools and colleges for their support in the release of players and staff for matches.
19. The AOTTs who are now helping schools’ football in various capacities
20. Parents, families and supporters of players at all levels for their friendship and support in a long but highly successful season.