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News Archive
28 Oct 2021 : Chairman's Update - Week 40
Men's Team
We had a mixed bag of results this week after we played consecutive matches against teams at the top of the league. Firstly, Calum pulled off a tactical masterclass to beat Workington in very testing conditions with goals from Ryan Brooke (of course), Lloyd Marsh-Hughes, Dapo Olarewaju and Rhain Hellawell.
Unfortunately, we followed that up with a disappointing 4-0 defeat at home to Mossley. I don't want to dwell on the result, so instead I will focus on the fact that 684 people turned up on a Tuesday in October to watch the Linnets and many of them stayed behind to clap the players off the pitch despite the result. Our average attendance is currently over 600 and that is very good considering we are three months into the season.
Next up is of course the FA Trophy third qualifying round tie against FC United of Manchester and this game will be a real mark of how far we have come since we last played them in 2019. I am really looking forward to this game and I'm sure it'll be a great occasion.
There is still time to buy tickets (they will be on sale until midnight on Friday), pay on the gate will be available but you will be able to jump the queue by buying an advance ticket. We are expecting a very large crowd, so I would highly recommend arriving early.
We will have the Leicester v Arsenal game on before our match as well as the Tottenham v Manchester United game on afterwards.
Runcorn Linnets Tickets
Linnets Ladies
The Ladies played a very exciting match at the APEC Taxis Stadium against Northwich Vixens on Sunday. It was a match which ebbed and flowed with both teams having a chance to win it. At the final whistle it was Northwich who edged it 4-3. A special thank you to Alex Wharton for stepping in to manage the team in the absence of manager David Todd who was away coaching in Denmark.
Our next match is on Sunday 31st October away at Mersey Valley Ladies, kick off is at 2pm.
Development Team
The Development Team didn't have a match this week after the North West Under 21 Development League made the decision to suspend all weekend fixtures after incidences of abuse and threatening behaviour towards match officials. None of these incidents involved Runcorn Linnets and as a club we condemn all abuse of match officials and expect a certain standard of behaviour from all players and coaches who represent our football club.
Our next game is away at Stalybridge Celtic U21s on 31st October at 2pm.
Ground grading visit
We had our ground grading visit in the last week and the officials who carried out the inspection were very complimentary about the improvements we have made to the APEC Taxis Stadium. There are a few minor issues we need to sort out before the Grading Officer can recommend to the FA Alliance Committee the awarding of the Grade D, however we have until 31st March to remedy these issues and they will be sorted in a matter of weeks. The deficiencies identified are;
• Free standing chairs need to be removed (already done)
• Gaps in fencing near dugouts
• 12 home and 12 away directors and three press seats need to be designated (i.e stickers on seats)
• Yellow hatched markings in front of stand needs extending by one metre
• Match officials changing rooms to be switched and designated as Match Officials 1 and Match Officials 2.
As you can see there is nothing to be concerned about and it shouldn't take our maintenance team long to remedy these issues. Once they are remedied, the ground will be reinspected and we should be awarded Grade D.
Events
Unfortunately, we had to make the decision to cancel our Halloween Party due to disappointing ticket sales. We could have continued with the event in the hope that people would pay on the door but as we were preparing food for the event it wasn't really practical to do this and the volunteers who would have been running the party and there until the end were the same volunteers who will be there early Saturday morning to prepare for the FC United match, so I didn't feel it was fair on them when we didn't know if it would be worthwhile. We are all disappointed at having to cancel this event but we have many more events coming up and hopefully they will be more successful.
We will still be hosting our Bonfire Night fireworks display on 6th November. This will be a night of fun for the whole family with food available from the tea bar and The Clubhouse Bar will be open. This is a free event and the whole community is invited, so why not come on down and join the fun?
Thank you all for reading.
Dave Jones
Runcorn Linnets FC - Chairman
21 Oct 2021 : Chairman's Update - Week 39
A brilliant team performance saw us run out 4-0 winners at home against Ramsbottom and whilst the game was only 1-0 for a long time, I felt the final score didn't flatter us at all. Ryan Brooke scored yet another goal, with the late goals being scored by Dapo and Iwan Murray with two.
We've had a run of a lot of games in a short space of time and the lads have done a great job of maintaining performances. We next travel to Workington to play the top of the table team, it will be a tough game but I know these lads are more than capable of coming away with a positive result.
What a gesture by Calum and Colin to offer to buy every Linnets fan who makes the journey to Workington a drink, it really shows the relationship they've built with the fans and how much they appreciate your support.
Unfortunately, the Ladies lost 5-2 away at West Kirby on Sunday. It's been a difficult start to the season in a new league but I have no doubt that Toddy and the Ladies will turn things around.
Next up they play Northwich Vixens at the APEC Taxis Stadium on Sunday 24th October at 2pm. It would be great to see lots of Linnets fans there to show their support.
The Development Team came up against a very good Macclesfield FC team in an away fixture and unfortunately lost the game 5-1. The defeat ended a good run of results but I'm sure the lads will bounce back in their next game.
Their next game is away at Stalybridge Celtic U21s on 31st October at 2pm.
FA Trophy game against FC United
Tickets are now on sale for this game from our website. Pay on the gate will be available on the day but the best way to avoid queuing and guarantee your entry to the game is by purchasing a ticket in advance. Anyone with a ticket will gain entry to the APEC Taxis Stadium via the main entrance rather than the turnstile.
If you would like to purchase a ticket then please follow the link below.
Our next event will be a Halloween party in The Clubhouse on Saturday 30th October with the doors opening at 7pm. Fancy dress is very much encouraged, there will be hot food provided, games played, prizes awarded for best costumes and of course our bar will be open until 11pm. Tickets are priced at £5 and I'm sure it will be a fun filled evening for all the family. Tickets will be available from the Club Shop, at the programmes table outside the main turnstile and online at the link below. If you have any questions regarding any of our events, please speak to our Events Manager Grace Mantova.
We have also announced that we will be hosting a Bonfire Night fireworks display on 6th November. This will be a night of fun for the whole family with food available from the tea bar and The Clubhouse Bar will be open. This is a free event and the whole community is invited, so why not come on down and join the fun?
Runcorn Linnets Events
19 Oct 2021 : A Thank You from the Management Team
Management Team says cheers - drinks are on us!
Runcorn Linnets manager Calum McIntyre and his assistant Colin Woodthorpe will toast the club's travelling fans this weekend - by buying them all a drink.
In appreciation of the club's ever-loyal away following, the managerial duo are to stand a round during Saturday's match at Workington - this being the longest trip of the season in the Pitching In Northern Premier League West Division.
Win lose or draw, each and every Linnets fan present will be offered a pint of beer, lager or cider, a soft drink or a single spirit courtesy of Calum and Colin - as a thank you for their commitment to the Linnets cause and backing for the players.
Calum said: "The management team have been stunned by the immense support we have received from our fans during the start of this season.
"Much has been made of our home attendances, but we have seen significant travelling support at all our away fixtures this season.
"Our players are hugely appreciative of this, as are our staff and we wanted to let our supporters know how appreciative we are of the way they get behind us.
"We will be putting our hands in our pockets on Saturday to ensure that every single Linnets supporter that makes the journey to Workington to support the lads can have a drink on us.
"Thank you for your continued support, it is appreciated by every single one of us."
Club chairman Dave Jones said: "This a great gesture from Calum and Colin and shows the relationship they have developed with our fans.
"Fans have been attending home games in great numbers and even though this is a long trip, we know our faithful fans will follow us where ever we go.
"This is a wonderful way for Calum and Colin to thank our fans for their amazing support this season and I thank them, on the club's behalf, for this great gesture."
Runcorn Linnets fans will be able to obtain their drink voucher on entry to the ground.
This can be exchanged for a pint, soft drink or short in the Tony Hopper Bar (Workington AFC's social club) before, during or after the match.
19 Oct 2021 : Information for Supporters Travelling to Workington
For any supporters travelling to Workington for Saturday's Pitching In Northern Premier League West clash it has been requested by the home team that it would be preferred for any away fans to purchase a ticket for the game using the online ticket service offered by the Cumbrian club.
Supporters will be able to purchase an online ticket by following the link provided below where they will be able to find out more information.
The prices for Saturday's game are as follows
Adults (18-24) £11
Concessions (65+, Students, Armed Forces) £6
Youths (12-17) £3
Under 11s £1
Workington AFC Ticket and Admission Info
14 Oct 2021 : Chairman's Update - Week 38
The lads put in a dominant performance away at Tadcaster Albion to win 5-1 with goals from Jacques Welsh, Rhain Hellawell, Eden Gumbs and two from Ryan Brooke in the second qualifying of the FA Trophy. As I'm sure you all now know we have drawn FC United of Manchester at home in the third qualifying round which will be played on 30th October (I'll come back to this later).
We then had 535 people watch us beat Newcastle Town at home on a Tuesday night, whilst England were playing on free to air TV. When I joined the board that kind of attendance would usually be expected for a high profile Saturday game.
We now have 117 season ticket holders and are averaging just under 600, I do expect this to level off when we enter the colder months but our original aim was to increase our average season attendance to over 400, so we are well on track to achieving that.
One of the most pleasing aspects of the increase in attendances is the number of youngsters we've had attending our games this season. I've long looked on enviously when I've seen the number of young people attending games at other club's stadiums. The club has been attempting to attract the next generation of fans for a long time now and I'm delighted that we appear to have cracked it, although no one will be resting on their laurels.
There are many factors that have led to this increase but the main factor is the improvement in our relationship with the Junior Section as the support of their Executive Committee has been vital in us attracting and retaining younger fans. We will still be looking to roll out other initiatives to increase attendances and will of course be looking at ground improvements to make sure everyone who attends has the best match day experience possible.
The Ladies played away at Alder FC on Sunday coming away with a 1-1 draw after leading at half time thanks to a Marcia Jones goal. Although we were unable to hold on for the win it was an improvement on the loss in the FA Cup the previous week.
We are away again on Sunday 17th October this time against West Kirby Ladies at Greenbank Road, West Kirby, Wirral, CH48 5HL with the game kicking off at 2pm.
The Ladies are still on the lookout for new players in particular a left back, centre forward and centre back. If you are interested or know of anyone who is interested then please get in touch.
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The Development Team had a home game against AFC Knowsley U21s on Sunday and after an excellent 1st half performance eventually ran out 4-3 winners with two goals each from Harry McDonald and Alfie Saunders. It was a very good performance and after a slow start to the season due to COVID postponements and player absences it feels like the season has really started now following back to back wins.
Their next game is away at Macclesfield FC U21s on Sunday 17th October.
When we last played FC United of Manchester in the Trophy the attendance was 962 and as we already know our attendances this season have been a lot higher than usual, I think it would be fair to expect a crowd over 1000.
We had a board meeting on Monday and obviously included the Trophy game on the agenda. We will be increasing match day security simply due to the sheer volume of fans of both clubs we will be expecting. Extra toilets will be in place to relieve any potential congestion in the toilets. We will be providing additional refreshment facilities at the bottom end of the ground including a can bar (providing we can obtain an additional licence from HBC).
We have decided against making the fixture all ticket however advance tickets will be available for all fans to purchase. Fans will still be able to pay on the gate but purchasing a ticket in advance will ensure you can get into the ground easier and will help to ease congestion at the turnstile. As well as having turnstile one open for cash and card payers and turnstile two open for cash payers only, we will be looking into the possibility of having a third entry point for those that have purchased a ticket.
One of the issues we have had at previously well attended games is a large number of fans coming in at the same time, usually from around 15 minutes before kick-off. Opening the cash only turnstile has helped to ease this congestion but for such a big fixture, if as many fans as possible could gain entry earlier that would help to ease congestion and ensure everyone gets in in time for kick off.
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