INTER-LEAGUE
NPL FOOTBALL ACADEMY 2-0 OLDHAM ATHLETIC
Published 5 May 2016
It was a historic night in Radcliffe on Wednesday as the NPL Football Academy’s inter league side played it’s inaugural fixture against Oldham Athletic.
The squad contained players from Belper Town, Kidsgrove Athletic, Matlock Town, Mickleover Sports, Radcliffe Borough and Warrington Town, picked by the coaches and NPLFA management staff as reward for their performances over the season.
This was the first time these students had played together and that showed in the first 15 minutes as they were involved in a scrappy affair with neither side being allowed to gain control of the game.
If there was an unfamiliar feel to the team as a whole, the same can not be said of the defence with three out of the back four coming from the recently crowned Champions along with the impressive Corey Bulheller in goal and NPLFA Player of the Year Sam Weston, it would have to take something special to score against that backline.
Golden boot winner Euan Woods was a constant menace in the first half and it was his persistence that gave the NPLFA the advantage before half time. His jinking run into the box caused problems and he was tripped by the Oldham centre half to win a penalty, which he duly stepped up to convert cooly to score the first ever inter league goal.
Changes were made in the second half by the management duo of Nick Chadwick and Keith Southern and it was one of the substitutes who made an impact when Josh Bullock doubled the lead with a brave header to loop over the Oldham goal keeper.
The outcome could have been different with fifteen minutes to go when Bulheller made a smart double save to deny two Oldham players, then two further opportunities from the visitors crept wide of the goal moments later but the NPLFA students saw out the game to record a first victory in the black and white colours.
The next fixture for the squad is against Accrington Stanley on Thursday 19th May, 7pm at Mossley FC.
TEAM: Corey Bulheller (Matlock Town), Jordan Gilhooly (Mickleover Sports), Kieran Cronin (Mickleover Sports), Ryan Rowe (Kidsgrove Athletic) Tyron Buxton (Mickleover Sports), Sam Weston (Belper Town), Scott Taylor (Belper Town), Sam Arnold (Kidsgrove Athletic), Euan Woods (Warrington Town), Aron McGrath (Warrington Town), Adam Leach (Radcliffe Borough).
SUBS: Josh Bullock (Belper Town), Joel Fletcher (Radcliffe Borough – unused), Aron Woodward (Warrington Town), Bradley Allerton (Kidsgrove Athletic), Javari Campbell (Kidsgrove Athletic), Scott Parkinson (Warrington Town), Conah Ward (Mickleover Sports)
MANAGERS: Nick Chadwick (Warrington Town), Keith Southern.
For more pictures of the game please visit facebook.com/NPLFootballAcademy
NPL FOOTBALL ACADEMY 0-4 ACCRINGTON STANLEY
Published 25 May 2016
The NPL Football Academy’s inter-league team played it’s second game on Thursday 19th May against Accrington Stanley at a rainy Seel Park, home of Mossley FC.
Students representing Belper Town, Kidsgrove Athletic, Leek Town, Matlock Town, Mickleover Sports, Mossley and Warrington Town were selected for the fixture which was managed on the night by Matlock Town Academy Head Coach Jamie Yates and his two assistants James Holmes and Martin Dewberry.
After a superb victory over Oldham Athletic in the first game, confidence was high from the squad with eight students who were involved in that victory taking part in this second game.
Accrington’s youth set up has vastly improved over the last few years and their squad contained players who have just been offered professional deals and also a couple who made the bench for the football league side this season.
Stanley took an early lead after 6 minutes through Jack Williams with a smart finish. It wasn’t the start the NPLFA side wanted but they responded immediately with efforts from Sam Arnold, Max Hunt and an Euan Woods free kick which was parried by Jack Little.
Williams doubled his tally and his sides lead with a predators finish in the 26th minute. The NPLFA had an opportunity to immediately respond when a lovely whipped in ball by Woods found Antonio Din Chin, but his header was parried away by Little.
The goal of the game came in the 32nd minute when Joseph Roberts hit an unstoppable shot from 25 yards to leave Corey Bulheller stranded as it flew into the top corner.
Two chances for either side before the break could have changed the game. First Stanley’s Keelan Steenson struck the post with a sweet free kick and then a minute later Woods had the opportunity to bring his side back into the game but fired over from 10 yards.
The second half was a more even affair with little chances in the first 15 minutes, mainly due to the changes made by each side.
The game though was put to bed in the 60th minute when Steenson was upended in the box by Simran Shahi and he picked himself up to extend his sides lead.
To their credit, the NPLFA students kept their heads raised and Woods, Ryan Rowe, Sammy Hawes and Max Hunt all had efforts in the last 20 minutes but couldn’t get that goal their efforts had deserved.
It was another good test for the NPLFA students and another enjoyable evening despite the miserable weather.
TEAM: Corey Bullheller (Matlock Town), Sam Weston (Belper Town), Arron Woodward (Warrington Town), Sam Faulkner (Leek Town), Max Hunt (Matlock Town), Sam Arnold (Kidsgrove Athletic), Prince Owusu (Mossley), Euan Woods (Warrington Town), Antonio Din Chin (Mossley), Beckham Adelaje (Mossley), Sammy Hawes (Matlock Town)
SUBS: (All Used) Simran Shahi (Mickleover Sports), Aron McGrath (Warrington Town), Scott Taylor (Belper Town), Ryan Rowe (Kidsgrove Athletic), Dan Watson (Belper Town)
NPL FOOTBALL ACADEMY 2-3 PORT VALE
Published 11 April 2017
The NPL Football Academy’s inter-league team played it’s third game on Monday 10th April against Port Vale at Kidsgrove Athletic FC.
Students representing Belper Town, Kidsgrove Athletic, Leek Town, Mickleover Sports, Radcliffe Borough, Warrington Town and Witton Albion were selected for the fixture which was managed on the night by Mickleover Sports Academy coaches John McGrath and Andy Dales.
Watched by a good crowd, the NPLFA students gave a fantastic account of their ability against professional opposition in an exciting game under floodlights.
The opening stages were all Port Vale as the NPLFA students took time to get used to each other. The first chance of the game though fell to Euan Woods on their first attack. Neat play by Stephen Stretton and Jake Dickinson saw Woods receive the ball in the box, his first touch was good but he was denied a shot with a smart tackle.
Not long after, Sam Gilbert pulled off a superb point blank save from Vale’s number 9 when it look destined to hit the back of the net.
Port Vale who were looking stronger of the two teams at this point were denied the lead when they struck a long sweet shot against the crossbar which had Gilbert beaten.
They eventually did take the lead in the 23rd minute. The impressive Ben White was outmuscled by Vale’s winger and he squared the ball back to Vale’s number 9, who slotted the ball past Gilbert into the bottom of the net.
To their credit, the NPLFA students heads did not drop and they were soon taking control of the game with neat passages of play and were soon back on level terms. A Gilbert goal kick was brought down by Woods who played in Stretton in the midfield, the Radcliffe Borough Academy captain played a ball round the corner with Dickinson, looking for the one-two, but the Mickleover forward turned and played a lovely ball in behind the defence for Adam Leach to run on to and he beautifully curled the ball around the Vale keeper.
The final chance of the first half came from Vale right on half time but they were denied re taking the lead from the assistant referee’s flag.
The visitors did take the lead not long after the break via the penalty spot. Morgan Williams who had a fantastic game, mis timed his tackle and though Sam Gilbert went the right way, he was beaten by the force of the spot kick.
Again the NPLFA continued to play good football and Jack Walsh played a delightful through ball to Leach, but the winger could not lift his shot over the Vale keeper.
Walsh who was neat and tidy all game, had an unfortunate moment two minutes later when he slipped on the ball after having the confidence to drop short and receive the ball from Gilbert but the Belper keeper made another great save to keep his side in the game.
Vale extended their lead with a brilliant free kick on 69 minutes that left Jaques Barker – who had replaced Gilbert in goal – stranded.
The NPLFA were back in the game once again on 74 minutes. The visitors failed to clear a corner and the ball fell to Tyreece Robinson and he found the bottom of the corner from 25 yards.
The final fifteen minutes saw the NPLFA students give everything to find an equaliser but the visitors finished the game stronger and secured the win.
The game and performance from the NPLFA showcased the talent we have in our programme against a fantastic professional youth academy and every single one of the students involved can feel proud of the effort and application they gave.
A special thanks to Kidsgrove Athletic FC for hosting the game and also to John McGrath and Andy Dales who took charge of team affairs on the evening.
TEAM: Sam Gilbert (Belper Town), Manzoor Amiri (Mickleover Sports), Morgan Williams (Mickleover Sports), Ben White (Warrington Town), Arron Woodward (Warrington Town), Adam Leach (Radcliffe Borough), Stephen Stretton (Radcliffe Borough), Jack Walsh (Mickleover Sports), Aron McGrath (Warrington), Jake Dickinson (Mickleover Sports), Euan Woods (Warrington Town)
SUBS: (All Used) Tyreece Robinson (Mickleover Sports), Jaques Barker (Mickleover Sports), Keeylin Thomas (Kidsgrove Athletic), Jake Daly (Radcliffe Borough), Owen Wynne (Witton Albion), Ryan Hanlon (Leek Town)
WIGAN ATHLETIC 6-1 NPLFA
Published 2 May 2018
The NPL Football Academy played it’s fourth inter-league game against professional opposition when they travelled to the North West of England to face Wigan Athletic last week.
Students from Belper Town, Carlton Town, Leek Town, Mickleover Sports, Ossett Albion, Radcliffe, Warrington Town and Witton Albion were selected to take on a successful Wigan U18 side, coached by former NPLFA coach Nick Chadwick.
Held at Christopher Park, the academy base for Wigan, the game would have been postponed at any other venue if not for the superb pitch that absorbed all of the heavy torrential rain that lasted for around three hours, making conditions difficult for both sides.
Facing opposition that also included some trialists from Catergory 1 academies, our students put in a fantastic performance matching the home side technically for large parts of the games but the League One sides fitness, team cohesion and quality shone through as they ran out 6-1 victors, Bobbie Mcdonnell with the NPLFA’s only goal in the first half.
An NPLFA spokesman commented “It was a great day for the programme and a fantastic experience for our students. They all showed exemplary attitude and behaviour and we were delighted with their performance, it was a proud day for all involved. Mark Baker (tutor/coach at Warrington Town) who was head coach on the day was particularly impressive in what is always a unique situation, putting the side together when they have never played as a team.
“The inter-league games are a perfect occasion to showcase the talent we have and to reward students for their hard work both in the classroom and on the pitch over the course of the season. We are now getting asked for fixtures from professional clubs rather than just asking clubs ourselves which shows the reputation our students are gaining and the programme as a whole.
“We are hoping to organise games at all stages of the season and are now planning one for pre-season 2018.
“On behalf of everyone at the NPLFA, we would like to thank Wigan Athletic and in particular Nick Chadwick for their hospitality on the day and we wish them the very best of luck in their forthcoming finals. Also special thanks must go to the parents/friends who transported the students to allow them to take part in the day”
TEAM: Sam Gilbert (Belper Town), Joe Ruane (Warrington Town), Morgan Williams (Mickleover Sports), Tyreece Robinson (Mickleover Sports) Ben White (Warrington Town), Josh Wright (Warrington Town), Stanley Tatters (Witton Albion), Jake Smith (Mickleover Sports), Morgan Holloway (Belper Town), Bobbie Mcdonnell (Warrington Town), Ben Harley (Ossett Albion)
SUBS: (All Used) Luke Brocklehurst (Warrington Town), Max Bennett (Mickleover Sports), Harley Kozluk (Mickleover Sports), Ollie Griffths (Witton Albion), Stephen Mellor (Leek Town), Josh Harris (Carlton Town)
For match photos, visit our official Facebook page HERE.
NPLFA 3-2 BURTON ALBION
Published 25 April 2019
The NPL Football Academy played its fifth inter-league game against professional opposition when they hosted Burton Albion in Mickleover on Tuesday evening.
Students from Belper Town, Leek Town, Loughborough Dynamo, Matlock Town, Mickleover Sports, Radcliffe, Warrington Town and Witton Albion were selected to take on a successful Burton Albion side who’s reputation for producing first team players is enhancing year on year.
An NPLFA spokesman commented “Everyone connected with the NPLFA looks forward to our showpiece game against professional opposition at the end of each year and again this year was no different.
“As with each year, we are always at a disadvantage when our students meet each other potentially for the first time in the changing rooms before the game and come up against a group who have trained and played together every day, potentially for the last 2-3 years.
“The way our students applied themselves and showcased their ability you could not tell they were playing together for the first time and it was a fantastic performance from all sixteen involved and the win topped off a fabulous evening.”
The opposition have a reputation that is growing year on year for producing players for their first team and were the perfect opponents for our students “Burton were fantastic and were a credit to their coaching staff who have been superb to deal with over the last few weeks and we thank them for coming down. After speaking to them after the game they were impressed with several of our students and very complimentary of the programme as a whole. They have a team full of talented players who will no doubt go on to make a career in the professional game. We would love to host them again in the future and wish them the best of luck”
TEAM: Nick Parker (Matlock Town), Harley Kozluk (Mickleover Sports), Elliot Murray (Mickleover Sports), Jessy Bavanganga (Leek Town), Liam Carrington (Matlock Town), Aron McGrath (Warrington Town), Ethan Ballantine (Loughborough Dynamo), Josh Devereux (Matlock Town), Sheldon Barrington (Radcliffe), Maasai Dearlove (Matlock Town), Luke Sutton (Warrington Town)
SUBS: (All Used) Stefan Sorensen (Witton Albion), Luke Tappin (Mickleover Sports), Sam Boyall (Belper Town), Jack Thatcher (Mickleover Sports), Aiden Griffiths (Warrington Town)
For match photos, visit our official Facebook page HERE.
