Season 2007 – 2008; a success?
04 Jul 2008

An end-of-season match versus our (now) old friends Elton and Walshaw produced a very encouraging performance, although the team went down 3-1. Greg Roke returned to Warthfold after a season’s absence and in an impressive performance showed what a valuable player he is. A 9-0 drubbing against Meadway kicked off the pre-season games in August, although nearly ½ the squad was absent, and from thereon performances in the following friendlies gradually improved. In this time Jack Randall and Danny Assadi were recruited and both settled in well, turning in encouraging performances as a part of a much needed bigger squad. In the final pre-season friendly Josh Nurney returned to the fold, having played in the under-11s season (2005-6), and in stunning a second-half performance scored four of the five goals, which saw Warth go on to win – again against Elton & Walshaw – by the odd goal in nine.
September 2007 – and the 2007-8 season initially kicked off well, as Warth proved more than a match for Marauders Saxons over the first 20 minutes. However, the tell-tale signs of where the team needed to improve were evident, as a very flattering (to Saxons) 9-0 reverse was experienced. The performance was much better than the result and particularly that of Jack Baker’s. Over the next two games the team’s relative progress was proven. Swinton Cougars, last season’s divisional champions, were run very close by a very determined Warth performance. Having been 3-0 down at half-time, the team came close not only to snatching a draw but also going on to win. A disallowed ‘screamer’ of a volleyed equaliser at 3-4 down, 10 minutes from time, did not deter Warth from creating havoc for the Swinton defence right to the final whistle, with Greg Roke the stand-out player in a stand-out performance! If this was not a victory by goals scored, it was by every others means, as the team left the pitch to a rapturous ovation….and a knowing nod from the opposing manager on how lucky his team had been. The new Warthfold team had arrived!
The next performance was even more stunning, as Warth hammered Clarence 13-1 on their own patch, with ‘terminator Nurney’ smashing 5 goals and scooping the manager’s and supporters’ awards for a great all-round performance, with Josh Dixon also shining particularly well. It was a great team performance too though. Perhaps a little carried away, and certainly lacking anything like a fully fit squad, the team went down to North Walkden 6-3 in the next game, in spite of dominating early proceedings and going 1 up with a splendidly timed finish from Danny Assadi. Jack Randall also stood out in a hard-working defensive performance. However, Warth were right back on their game in the next match, and a greatly controlled, disciplined performance gave them their first clean sheet in a 4-0 away win against Bridge Colts. Amongst many paying accolades to be had, James Seale stood out as a player who has endured the ‘test of time’ in a Warth shirt prior to this game, and turned in a fantastic performance alongside Josh Nurney in attack, opening the scoring with what remains a contender for goal of the season. A relatively successful opening month was signed off in style!
October, though, was a frustrating month in terms of results. Walshaw Park Wasps took another 4-3 victory away from the hallowed ‘Redvales stadium’, after Warth had three times been in the lead! Again the team’s performance merited much more in terms of a result. More encouragingly two new recruits – Rory O’Grady and Sam Haigh – turned in very encouraging debut performances. This was followed by a 1st round Main Cup exit against Bury Amateurs (3-1), and again heads were scratched as to why Warth were not pushing on to finish teams off when on top. Confidence seemed to be a factor by the time Bury Juniors visited, with only a few players playing with any conviction – Ben Lyth, Ben Stephens and Matt Turner foremost in this group. The ‘bottom of the dip’ was reached in a match that should have been over by half-time. Away to Middleton Lads, Greg Roke’s splendid early strike seemed to signify that an emphatic win was on the cards, and for 20 minutes the supporters awaited the second as chance after chance went begging without any threat whatsoever from the shell-shocked opposition. One chance, one goal was all they needed it seemed, as Warth suddenly fell apart to go 3-1 down, before a brief (hardly deserved) resurgence levelled the scores before half-time through strikes from Nurney and Stephens. Then they wilted and disappeared! The only bright spark being Josh Hoyle’s excellent volley when Warth had already conceded 3 more soft goals; and this in spite of Niall Wild’s brave goalkeeping – which also brought about a serious knee injury, keeping him out of action for many months to come. Good riddance October 2007!
Guess what? New month, new team! No new players, but new belief….brought about by a ‘decidedly indecisive’ first 20 minutes against Bridge Colts, it seems as though the team realised it hadn’t yet won at home….and now was the time to put it right! With stand-out performances from Stephens, Liam Bell (in for goalkeeping cover) and the stridently improving George Hull at the heart of the defence, once the first goal had been neatly tucked away from an impossible angle there was no looking back. A 3-0 win was followed by another impressive home performance against the run-away leaders Stand Athletic Boys. It was more a battle at times against a very hostile team, but in the face of adversity, the growth in physical and mental toughness amongst the Warth team was plain to see. The 4-1 scoreline seemed hardly to matter, as an excellent all-round team performance gave great encouragement, with Bell (in goals again) and O’Grady (against his former team) gaining particular credit. The third and final game of November was one to remember as another clean sheet complemented 8 goals (and all well struck or crafted) at the other end, against Marauders Celts. Hull and Seale just about stole the show, but again the football was great to watch against a team which, although bottom at the time, played some good football themselves and, unlike the previous opposition, contributed to a game played in the sporting manner which is what is should be all about! The pleasing point here is that Marauders Celts went on to become one of the form teams over the final 10 games of the season, finishing not far behind Warth and well away from the bottom berths.
Lo and Behold! December 2007. Joy to the World – not! The never-predictable Warth turned in a ‘strange’ lacklustre performance in the reverse fixture against Celts. It wasn’t a bad performance…..more a ‘polite’ one, in which Warth seemed content to let the good-nature opposition play along! Unfortunately they forgot to turn ruthless, with only Stephens getting out of third gear in his determined performance; the team went down 4-3 in what turned out to be the final game of 2007, to give Celts their first win of the season and, sportingly, a huge round of applause for their efforts from Warth. Christmas came early for some in more ways than one.
2008 began with a comfortable victory at home to Clarence, although it began as a very even affair and, after going 5-0 up, became rather shaky for Warth as they conceded two soft goals towards the end…holding out for a 5-2 win with stand-out performances from Ben Stoker at full back, Seale and Hoyle in attack. Mark Lloyd-Brown also made an impressive debut in a composed performance. However another ‘dopey’ performance was, it seems, due and what worse a day to save it for than the visit of arguably the best footballing side in the season to date, North Walkden (although this was officially an away game, as their pitch was unfit). After a poor 3-0 deficit was run up in the first half the team did, to their credit, rally to put in a better second-half…although still conceding a further three goals without reply. A splendid response in the next game and a thrilling encounter! Walshaw Park Wasps came to Redvales (in another away game played at home!) and won the toss…which meant they were kicking with the gale! To Warth’s credit they not only got the ball out of their half, they actually played some good football in the first half. The irony was that the two goals conceded came from player indecision and were not assisted by the prevailing elements, as feared before kick-off. In the second half Warth totally dominated but were not fully rewarded, following a splendid Stephens ½-volley only a Danny Assadi smart, late finish gave Warth a point in what was an entertaining game with some impressive passages of passing/creative football. Turner and Bell deservedly took the ‘man-of-the match’ awards.
February brought another friendly with Elton & Walshaw which provided and impressive 3-2 away win, with Assadi and Roke taking the plaudits and Connor Edwards making an impressive debut. This was followed by a return to Westbury Phoenix and an opportunity to see how much the team had really developed since that first game of the 2006-7 season. Quite well it seemed, with a hat-trick each for Nurney and Stephens, whilst Roke produced a wonderful long distanced lob in a 7-1 drubbing for the boys in orange, courtesy of ‘ours truly’. Haigh and Hull produced one of their best defensive performances as a central defensive duo and rightly scooped the ‘man-of-the-match’ awards.
March brought about some encouraging performances, although the scorelines would suggest anything but! Resuming our ‘encounters’ with Stand Boys on March 1st Warth made a great start. Although it could be argued that there was something of a wind in Warth’s favour, the commitment again seemed to shift up several gears, with the team gaining the upper hand through a Hoyle strike from a corner. Although Stand equalised quickly, it was Warth who continued to make the best chances and, some 10 minutes before ½-time another contender for goal of the season was chalked up by Stephens, with a left-footed screamer from 20 yards. Half-time and beating the team with a 100% record at that point, what a feeling! However, the wind seemed to pick up with the level of hostility from the whole Stand contingent, and as valiantly as Warth battled it was a second-half uphill struggle. Although going down 5-2 in the end, there was plenty of good combative and skilful football on display from Warth, and at least two dubious, offside-looking goals conceded. Against such opposition the team also compares greatly on moral and sporting standards for which everyone associated should be proud. The following two games brought about something of a reality check. Although the team competed well against Walshaw Sports Club (cup) and Meadway (friendly), the heavy scoreline defeats were perhaps an indicator of how far there is yet to go in bridging the gap to the best premier league standards. On the playing front, there were some fine individual performances, with Ben Lyth and Baker standing out against the team who hadn’t been beaten in their league for two years (Walshaw) and Edwards continuing to impress in his early Warth career, particularly against Meadway. The latter of the two games also saw a welcome return for Niall Wild after a lengthy absence following his knee injury – which also saw him scoop a man-of-the-match award!
Warth returned to league action with a couple of ‘thrillers’ in early April. After totally dominating proceedings and going 3-0 up away to the, then, 2nd-place team Bury Juniors, a final twenty minutes saw the opposition bounce back with three goals. Outstanding attacking play was complemented by great defensive performances, particularly from Lloyd-Brown and Turner. A topsy-turvy game followed, away to Swinton Cougars with Warth running out worthy 3-2 winners after going 2-1 down, with Edwards and Nurney shining amongst an all-round display of high quality. A strangely disjointed performance followed in an evening game against Westbury, which thanks to two braces from Nurney & Stephens, and a late Roke strike saw Warth produce a late fight back after being deservedly 2-1 down for much of the 2nd half, and then running out rather flattering 5-2 winners.
However, this did herald the start of the worst run of form in the whole season. Admittedly playing well for the first 20 minutes of the next game against Marauders Saxons - taking the lead and then fighting to get back into the game for much of the 2nd half after going 3-1, 4-2, then 5-3 down before going down by a further two goals, the ‘shakiness’ in defensive play was untypical. This carried through to a similar performance of much promise to disappointing capitulation away to Whitworth the last game of April – which ended in a crushing 8-2 defeat. There were individual plusses and some consolation that Warth knew ‘on their day’ they would be able to compete with these two promotion-pushing teams, and a measure – even in defeat – of how far the team had come this season.
Another friendly against Elton & Walshaw followed in early May and although this was a performance (with six squad players absent) which merited some encouragement, particularly from Ben Lyth who produced a strong performance meriting two man-of-the-match awards, the frailties in defensive areas was plain to see, and another defeat was suffered. The low point was reached against Unsworth in the next league game which – yet again Warth took the lead with a rare goal from Hull. From thereon it was a match to forget with the team well below par in most areas. Confidence was still low when Whitworth visited Redvales in the next match. Four 1st half goals against, though, didn’t reflect a slightly improving performance as the half went on. In fact, moving into the 2nd half and from the whistle to the end of the match, it was a very decent and much improved performance, with a Nurney penalty against a keeper who must rate as one of the best Warth has played against, only being equalised in a 1-1 draw over the last 50 minutes, with Sam Lyth and Turner leading the way – both having influential games. Another improved performance followed away to Unsworth in the penultimate league game of the season, where Warth dominated for much of the game but still couldn’t stop the occasional sloppiness in defence, which saw Unsworth seize 5 goals – Warth undeservedly coming out on the end of a 5-3 reverse.
The ‘phoenix arose’ just in time to provide a fitting end to this slump, and to the all-round quality and commitment which has seen Warth move very much in the right direction. On Saturday May 17th the team had an opportunity to put one of the worst performances earlier in the season, against Middleton, to rest….and didn’t they do just that?! Another shaky start saw the team go 1 nil down early on and the familiar (of late) writing seemed to be on the wall. A steady improvement in the 1st half though paved the way for a fine final 40 minutes to the 2007-8 season. Nurney seized on a great through ball from Stephens to coolly finish past the Middleton goalie, before Stephens himself scored a spectacular free-kick to give Warth the lead. The performance threatened further damage to the opposition’s goal as the team fired on all cylinders, matching some of their finest play throughout the season. Finally a certain makeshift centre-forward put the third goal away and Mr Hull had capped a very fine individual season! A late Middleton goal couldn’t affect the deservedly good feel to this swansong to the season….and Warth’s season came to a fittingly fine end, with ‘Bens’ Stoker and Lyth taking the final man-of-the-match accolades!
Warth Fold under-13s managed to finish 9th in a league of 14 teams and although this fell short of its target of 7th, the season on that basis has to be viewed as one of overall success. There were 9 games won, 2 drawn and 14 lost. Warth were the seventh highest scorers with 89 over the season, with a remarkable 33 contributed by Josh Nurney in his return to ‘the fold’ and an impressive 26 from midfield be Ben Stephens; there were ten other outfield scorers. There were 100 goals conceded, at an average of 3.85 per game…31 though were conceded in 5 of the last 6 games (average 5.2 per game) when Warth suffered its most difficult period of the season in terms of form. During this time, the team slipped from having the sixth to the eight best defensive record. There were in reality plenty of defensive heroics and a determination throughout all games which characterises the will of the team to never give in!
The positives and negatives in the statistics are plain to see, but what stands out from Warth’s 2007-8 season is a vast improvement from the previous three – in fact from all three put together statistically. More importantly it a team showing great potential, matching the best teams, at times out-playing them; but overall a strong sporting, team spirit which promises an even better season ahead in 2008-9.