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Welcome to the web pages of Northop Hall Old Boys (over-35's veterans) Football Club, lovers of the beautiful game who put their ageing bodies on the line each week to satisfy that desire (and in a vain attempt to keep middle-age spread at bay!)
Click here to view the 2011-12 fixture list
*** LATEST NEWS *** LATEST NEWS *** LATEST NEWS ***
JANUARY 2012
Waterlogged pitches put paid to St Mary's visit
DECEMBER 2011
Festive meal tops a fine Christmas sign-off
NOVEMBER 2011
Christmas meal selections needed / Rossett confirm game
OCTOBER 2011
Christmas Social - December 10th (+ Tour and Quiz updates)
SEPTEMBER 2011
Darren's the daddy as Old Boys get back to winning ways
AUGUST 2011
Final place secured with 'derby day' win
JULY 2011
2011/12 Season - fixtures out / new kit
JUNE 2011
Committee nominated to decide future issues
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WATERLOGGED PITCHES PUT PAID TO ST MARY'S VISIT
St Mary's became the second away fixture of the season to fall foul to the weather, as the previous day's heavy rain fell on the already sodden ground in Liverpool putting paid to this week's game. The hope is that our own pitches are playable next week for the 'local derby' with Northop Hall Nomads.
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RAY HAT-TRICK IS THE SPARK FOR FIRST VICTORY OF THE YEAR
The Old Boys finally achieved their first win of 2012 thanks to a hat-trick from Mark 'Sparky' Ray in a hard-fought 5-2 victory against an older than usual Upton side who belied their years, particularly at the back. Click here to view the match report.
Before the game, Dave Pritchard and Jeff Britton belatedly received their season awards from 2010-11 from chairman Phil Southern (see photo below). Dave's season ended at Christmas 2010 with a knee operation that he has thankfully recovered from. Jeff stepped up to play a number of games in goal when we were struggling to fill that shirt and has made a further 9 appearance this season to date.
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2012 WOES CONTINUE WITH MAULING AT SHOTTON
A high scoring encounter against a very good Shotton Steel side saw the Old Boys go down 8-5 at the Corus Sports Ground, despite a hat-trick from Darren Brierley. Click here to view the match report.
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TON UP FOR DAVE BUT NEW YEAR BEGINS IN DEFEAT
As manager of the Old Boys there's a certain element of commitment required to be there each week, so it was always likely in the fourth season since formation that Dave Henrys would become the first to reach 100 appearances for the club. However, Halkyn spoilt any celebration with a 3-0 victory at Northop Hall as the rustiness of the festive season got shaken off. Click here to view the match report.
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HAPPY NEW YEAR - BACK TO BLACK LION
Happy New Year everybody! 2012 kicked off with news that our local in Northop Hall, the Boars Head, has closed, so it was a quick rearranging job which has seen Duncan McLachlan, new landlord at the bottom monkey (Black Lion) step in to look after us on match days, and many thanks to him for that. This used to be our pub when Leanne had it so we're back full circle again.
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FESTIVE MEAL TOPS A FINE CHRISTMAS SIGN-OFF
Following quickly on the heels of the narrow victory over Rossett, players and their families, a group of 32 in total, enjoyed a cracking night at the Running Hare in Ewloe for pre-Christmas festivities. Many thanks to Graham Wilks for organising it all. There's one more 6-a-side at Flint on Wednesday before the break, but may we take this opportunity to wish you all an excellent Christmas and New Year. Have a good one!
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FOUR GOAL COMEBACK SEES OFF ROSSETT IN THRILLING SECOND HALF
The Old Boys turned round a 5-2 second half deficit to narrowly defeat Rossett Veterans in a match played on the excellent 3G surface at Colliers Park, Gresford, the training ground of Wrexham FC. Click here to view the match report.
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THREE GOALS NOT QUITE ENOUGH AS WARRINGTON CROFT GET REVENGE
Warrington Croft overcame a 2-0 half time deficit to gain a narrow 4-3 victory and avenge the Old Boys 6-3 win at their place in September. In truth, the margin of victory didn't reflect the wider gap between the sides on the day though. Click here to view the match report.
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RHEWL AWAY FIRST VICTIM OF THE WEATHER
The first game of December, an away fixture at Rhewl, fell foul of the weather as a period of heavy rain left their pitch apparently unplayable. Players will have enjoyed a week off from the action to go Christmas shopping with their families no doubt!
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CHRISTMAS MEAL SELECTIONS NEEDED / ROSSETT CONFIRM GAME
Would those attending the Christmas meal at the Running Hare in Ewloe on Saturday December 17th, please supply your selections from the menu to Graham Wilks as soon as possible. You can download it by clicking here (Adobe Acrobat pdf format). Note that there will be a match that afternoon after all as Rossett Veterans have confirmed a fixture on the 3G pitch at Colliers Park in Gresford (where Wrexham FC train). This will be a 3 p.m. kick off under floodlights. See the updated fixture list which now has details of both York games on next year's tour which are also now confirmed.
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STRIKERS FILL THEIR BOOTS IN GOAL FRENZY
After 2-1 and 2-0 victories in the previous two weeks, madness suddenly took over this week with the Old Boys running out 8-5 winners in a veritable goal fest against Dee Rangers Veterans. Darren Brierley led the way with four goals and there were two apiece for Mark 'Sparky' Ray and Anthony Woosey, but the opponents were unlucky not to have got something out of the game having led 5-4 in the second half and just ran out of steam towards the end. Click here to view the match report.
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RARE CLEAN SHEET FOLLOWS ALGY TRIBUTE
A poignant fixture at Halkyn was preceded by a minute's silence in memory of Alan 'Algy' Davies, being their first game since his untimely death. The Old Boys won the game 2-0, recording the first clean sheet of the season. Click here to view the match report.
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The 'Saga Louts' held off some tough opposition to win this year's "Quiz Night". The team of John Edmunds, Steve Buckley, Anthony Woosey and Dave Henrys beat four others including Declan Hickey, Graham Wilks, Steve Bodey and Darren Gatehouse on another enjoyable night at the Boar's Head. We had hoped for much better support to raise funds for the Club, but that didn't detract from a hugely entertaining event led by Phil Southern's usual inventive sets of questions - many thanks again Phil.
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MARK PROVIDES THE SPARK IN TALE OF TWO KEEPERS
A second half strike from Mark 'Sparky' Ray gave the Old Boys the narrowest of victories, 2-1 at home to Eastham, although they had late arrival Jeff Britton to thank for a string of fine saves. Equally, the Eastham keeper had been defying all efforts to beat him at the other end, denying Anthony Woosey on several occasions. Click here to view the match report.
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We were all deeply saddened by the news that Alan Davies, known to us all as Algy, had suffered a critical heart attack on Friday afternoon, November 11th, and passed away at the tragically young age of 57. Algy helped to run the Halkyn Veterans team, although his playing days with them had only recently come to an end. As one of our local rivals, we have been playing against Halkyn for many years and knew Algy well through our meetings, always having a laugh and a bit of banter with us but always first to pop his head round the changing room door to say well done after the game. We are due to play at Halkyn next week, the game still in some doubt, but we hope it will go ahead so as to give us a chance to pay our respects. Our thoughts are very much with his family and friends, particularly at Halkyn Vets, at this time.
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A TEAM OF TWO HALVES IN SALTNEY DEFEAT
Unprecedented squad availability meant two teams playing Saltney as 21 players turned out for the Old Boys. All three goals in the 2-1 defeat came in the first half but the Old Boys had chances in both halves to have come away with something. Click here to view the match report.
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CHRISTMAS SOCIAL - DECEMBER 10th (+TOUR & QUIZ UPDATES)
Another date for the diary, Christmas Meal at the "Running Hare" in Ewloe on the evening of Saturday December 10th after the home game against Warrington Croft. £12.99 per head, wives, girlfriends etc. all invited. £5 deposit for each diner is needed A.S.A.P. - Graham Wilks will be collecting the cash and sorting the booking but, as usual with Christmas arrangements they want numbers quickly, so don't delay.
Tour update - Still to be confirmed but it looks very much like the tour weekend March 24th & 25th will be in YORK with games on the Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning and plenty of socialising in between! Players will be given the option of booking Friday and Saturday or just Saturday night accommodation. More details will be posted as soon as we have them.
Quiz reminder - Thursday November 17th at the Boar's Head in Northop Hall from 8:00 p.m. onwards, £6 per team (of four) - wives, girlfriends, children (over 16's), friends and neighbours - all welcome. Come along and help raise funds for the club.
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CLOSE CALL BUT ST MARYS NARROWLY DEFEATED
Northop Hall Old Boys survived a few scares to record a narrow 4-3 home victory over St.Marys Veterans from Liverpool. Click here to view the match report.
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GAME OF TWO HALVES AS OLD BOYS BLOW AWAY WOOLTON FIRST HALF LEAD
With a bright sun in the eyes, a very stiff breeze in the faces and an uncut pitch that regularly trapped the ball underfoot, the Old Boys survived to half time just 2-0 down at Woolton before reversing the advantage in the second half, and eventually running out victors by six goals to four. Click here to view the match report.
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BEDFORD ARGYLE STEAL A WIN AS CHANCES GO BEGGING AGAIN
In their 100th game since formation in 2008, the Old Boys lost 2-1 to Bedford Argyle but missed a number of opportunities to get a deserved result from the game, including striking the woodwork twice. Click here to view the match report.
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DIARY DATE - QUIZ NIGHT ON NOVEMBER 17th
On Thursday November 17th, we will be holding a quiz night, partly as a social event but also to raise club funds. The event will take place at the Boar's Head in Northop Hall from 8:00 p.m. onwards, £6 per team (of four) - wives, girlfriends, children (over 16's), friends and neighbours - all welcome. Let's make it a good night!
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DEE RANGERS VETS FILL A FIXTURE GAP
A new fixture for this season will take place on Saturday 26 November when the visitors will be Dee Rangers Veterans, a new over-35's team in the area, being a spin off from a long established Sunday League team in Chester. It's always good to have new challenges at this level and we look forward to seeing what they have to offer.
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SPARKY STRIKE EARNS A 4-4 DRAW IN FEISTY ENCOUNTER AT CHESTER
A second-half equaliser from Mark 'Sparky' Ray gave the Old Boys a share of the spoils in a prickly match with Chester Nomads, having literally earlier had the shirt ripped from his back. Graham Wilks with another two goals had brought Northop Hall back from 2-0 down before Darren Brierley made it 3-2, but Chester scored twice more in the last half hour before Sparky's rescue act. Click here to view the match report.
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6-3 AGAIN AS STRIKEFORCE CONTINUES TO FIND THE TARGET
The Old Boys struck six for the second week running, again recording a 6-3 win this time at home to Wirral Veterans, although the opponents thin squad needed propping up from the Northop Hall roster on the day. Darren Brierley weighed in with another hat-trick supported by Graham Wilks (2) and Anthony Woosey. Click here to view the match report.
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DARREN'S THE DADDY AS OLD BOYS GET BACK TO WINNING WAYS
The misfiring strikeforce were back on it to put Warrington Croft to the sword 6-3 backed up by an excellent team performance. In the week he learned he was to be a father, Darren Brierley hit two goals, while Mark 'Sparky' Ray bagged a hat-trick. Click here to view the match report.
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SHOTTON EDGE IT AS OLD BOYS CONTINUE TO FIRE BLANKS
Shotton Steel Veterans inflicted a third straight defeat on the Old Boys with a 2-0 victory at the Pavilion. Although chances were at a premium, there were enough created to have got something from a game that was balanced on a knife-edge at 1-0 for a long period, but anxiety in front of goal cost dearly. Click here to view the match report.
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MISSED OPPORTUNITIES COSTLY AGAIN IN HIGH-SCORING DEFEAT TO UPTON
The Old Boys paid the penalty for defensive lapses at one end of the pitch and a raft of missed chances at the other as Upton Magnets inflicted a narrow 5-4 defeat. Twice saved by the frame of the goal and many more times by their keeper, Upton also watched Northop Hall strike wide of the target on a number of occasions while they converted their chances at the other end getting ahead of the Old Boys defence too many times. Click here to view the match report.
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HALKYN TAKE INAUGURAL 'IN VOGUE' CHARITY SHIELD AS £500 RAISED
The first 'In Vogue' Veterans Charity Shield final has been won by Halkyn Veterans, 4-2 winners over Northop Hall Old Boys in a game of two keepers, heroics at one end and unfortunately a couple of costly howlers at the other. Click here to view the match report. Northop Hall Nomads took third place with a 3-0 win over Rhewl Veterans, the whole tournament ultimately raising £500 for the 'Save the family' charity, a very worthwhile effort that we look forward to improving on next season. The photos below show the teams lining up before the game and Neil, the Halkyn cartain, collecting the Shield for a year and a trophy to keep from Northop Hall managers Steve Jones and Dave Henrys afterwards.
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FINAL PLACE SECURED WITH 'DERBY DAY' WIN
The 2011-12 season kicked off in style with a brand new look for the Old Boys, courtesy of generous sponsor Eifion Jones' Green Thumb franchises, a new kit getting its first outing at the Northop Hall Pavilion (see photo below). The occasion was the semi-final tie in the inaugural 'In Vogue' Veterans Charity Shield against village rivals Northop Hall Nomads with the Old Boys running out 4-1 winners to make next week's final. The opponents at the Pavilion for the decider will be Halkyn Veterans who beat Rhewl Vets 4-2 in the other tie (k.o. 2:30 p.m.), the two runners-up playing off for third place at the same place (k.o. 2:00 p.m.). Click here to view the match report from the Old Boys game.
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SPONSOR FOUND FOR 'IN VOGUE' VETERANS CHARITY SHIELD
The season-opening Charity Shield tournament now has a sponsor with Wayne Emberton of 'In Vogue' Furniture, Kitchens & Bathrooms in Mold very kindly putting up the money for the trophies. This means that all the money raised during the competition will go to the nominated charity. The main trophy will be a Shield to be held for a year before being played for again at the start of next season. The sponsors website can be found at www.invoguefurniture.co.uk.
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LATE FIGHTBACK DELIGHT IN MONEYSUPERMARKET OPENER
The Old Boys produced a terrific late comeback to draw the traditional pre-season warm-up against Moneysupermarket five-all, the first time in three attempts that we have avoided defeat against the much younger opponents. Two goals in the last few minutes gave us a much deserved share of the spoils on a night when the result is really overshadowed by the opportunity to get playing again in readiness for the new season. A debut goal for Gary Peters and an equally satisfactory start for Darren Gatehouse at the back were amongst many pleasing aspects ahead of what promises to be another exciting season. Mark Sparky Ray managed to grab the equaliser and also provide the action photo below. Click here to view a short match report.
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CHARITY SHIELD DRAW PITCHES LOCAL RIVALS TOGETHER
The draw for the semi-finals of the new fund-raising tournament, the Northop Hall Charity Shield, was made last night with Rhewl Veterans first out of the hat to face Halkyn Veterans whilst Northop hall Nomads will host village rivals Northop Hall Old Boys. These ties will be played to a conclusion on Saturday, August 27th (a penalty shoot-out will decide the result if scores are level after 90 minutes). The final between the winners and the play-off for third place will both take place on the following Saturday at Northop Hall Pavilion. Once again, 'Save the Family' have been chosen to receive money raised, in line with our successful partnership with them over the past two years and in recognition of the fabulous work they do locally with homeless families.
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OLD FACES AND NEW TO BOLSTER OLD BOYS SQUAD
With Ady Binnersley out of action for a while (see previous item), timely news of the return of Ian Powell (pictured below) to the squad for the start of the 2011/12 season. Ian played briefly at the end of the 2009/10 season for us, scoring 3 times in 6 games, before deciding on a final season in competitive football with Llay during the last campaign. Two other new faces are set to join us having established their credentials at 6-a-side on Wednesday evenings at Flint over the past couple of months. We'll be looking to see what Darren Gatehouse and Gary Peters can offer us on the bigger pitch in due course.
We also hope to see the returns from injury of Dave Pritchard and Steve Buckley during the new campaign. Dave's healing has been slower than hoped while Steve is a regular on the 6-a-side surface for a few months in his battle to return from his own knee problems.
One player who won't be returning is our injury-ridden keeper Steve Davies (below right) who has called time after the injury sustained in last season's opener at Eastham, which he is still having operations on. We wish him well and thank him for his past service.
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Our best wishes for a speedy recovery to the youngest member of the Old Boys squad, Ady Binnersley, who is now recovering from a heart attack and subsequent surgery to insert stents into his heart. The road to recovery leads back to the football field and we hope that will be sooner rather than later. Ady, from Wrexham, joined the squad in February last season, scoring on his debut at Bedford Argyle. He went on to make 14 appearances and add 3 more goals, including two decisive ones in the Charity Cup first leg. He and his family also supported the Club tremendously over the past few months and everyone at the Old Boys wishes him well.
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There will be two 'pre-season friendlies' to give the old legs a work out before the season proper starts on August 27th. The first will be on the evening of Friday August 19th against traditional pre-season opponents Moneysupermarket. We are yet to register a win against this young side, but they give us a good workout every year. The other fixture the following week will be between ourselves - Team 'A' v. Team '1' on Wednesday, August 24th, replacing the regular 6-a-side at Flint FOR ONE WEEK ONLY. Both games will be played at Northop Hall Pavilion with 6:45 pm kick offs.
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2011/12 SEASON - FIXTURES OUT / NEW KIT
Another season looms large and the fixture list is almost completely filled. You can download a copy from the website now. The season kicks off with the revamped Charity Cup on August 27th (more details soon). Prior to that we will have a couple of pre-season games to shake off the cobwebs and introduce a couple of new faces to the squad. One of these games will be between ourselves, as we did last season - watch this space.
The website has been updated, use the menu bar left to navigate around; 'Profiles' now include last season's statistics and 2010/11 details now come under 'last season'.
Many thanks to Eifion Jones who has agreed to sponsor us a new kit for the coming season. A green shirt has been chosen (see below) which will be paired with black shorts and socks as a contrast to the yellow/green of previous seasons, which will continue as a change strip as required.
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MONEY HANDOVER TO 'SAVE THE FAMILY' INCLUDES A FOOTBALL LESSON FROM THE KIDS
Several members of the Old Boys joined a few of the Northop Hall Nomads team at the Plas Bellin centre to handover the £350 raised in the Charity Cup to the 'Save the family' charity. Steve Bodey, Mark 'Sparky' Ray, Ady Binnersley and Dave Henrys joined the "cheque handover photo pose" before getting stuck in with a kickaround with the kids, a number of whom displayed more than a few deft touches and an eye for goal and definitely gave us a runaround. Fundraising Officer Angella Rawsthorne said "I didn’t realise how much our children were going to enjoy the football match, as I sat on the bench watching them play and have so much fun – I was really touched. Thank you so much again." Photos from the night will be posted soon and we will definitely be trying to organise another visit in the near future.
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COMMITTEE NOMINATED TO DECIDE FUTURE ISSUES
Senior members of the football club met to formalise a few issues on June 30th. Phil Southern (below) has been officially voted in as Club Chairman for 2011/12, a role he has been unofficially performing during the past year. Dave Henrys will continue to combine secretarial duties with those of Treasurer, as well as organising the playing side (with assistance from the other senior players). Other decisions taken included the capping of annual player subscriptions for 2011/12 at £10.00 each player to cover the pitch fees for the year, a tour to be undertaken on the weekend of March 24th and a new kit to be purchased for the 2011/12 season. Fixtures are sorted for the majority of Saturdays already, a couple of pre-season games will be added to get sharpness back. The website will be updated soon for the new season - WATCH THIS SPACE!!
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Ray hat-trick is the spark for first victory of the year
2012 woes continue with mauling at Shotton
Ton up for Dave but new year begins in defeat
Happy New Year - Back to Black Lion
Four-goal comeback sees off Rossett in thrilling second half
Three goals not quite enough as Warrington Croft get revenge
Rhewl away is first victim of the weather
Strikers fill their boots in goal frenzy
Rare clean sheet follows Algy tribute
Saga Louts have the answers
Mark provides the Spark in game of two keepers
Loss of Algy deeply felt
A team of two halves in Saltney defeat
Close call but St Marys narrowly defeated
Game of two halves as Old Boys blow away Woolton first half lead
Bedford Argyle steal a win as chances go begging again
Diary date - Quiz Night on November 17th
Dee Rangers Vets fill a fixture gap
Sparky strike earns a 4-4 draw in feisty encounter at Chester
6-3 again as strikeforce continues to find the target
Shotton edge it as Old Boys continue to fire blanks
Missed opportunities costly again in high-scoring defeat at Upton
Halkyn take inaugural 'In Vogue' Charity Shield as £500 raised
Sponsor found for 'In Vogue' Veterans Charity Shield
Late fightback delight in Moneysupermarket opener
Charity Shield draw pitches local rivals together
Old faces and new to bolster Old Boys squad
Heartfelt best wishes to Ady
Friendlies update
Money handover to 'Save the Family' includes a football lesson from the kids!
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