The historic Stalybridge Celtic Football League Division 3 2003/2004 Squad Goalkeepers: 1. Jason Batty Age 32. New Zealand (39 Caps). 84 appearances
Our number one goalkeeper, who came across from New Zealand but failed to get starts for either Scunthorpe or Grimsby, found his place at the Bower Fold. Spent the majority of the last two seasons as the only first team keeper at the club. Still officially on the transfer list due to "wanting to move to a bigger club", but I doubt any bigger club would want him. May find his position in jeopardy this season.
13. Paul Hulse Age 21. English.
Signed from Cheshire rivals Northwich, having made only one appearance for them in two years. The long term future for the club and should challenge Batty for the first eleven spot.
34. Peter Brown Age 18. English. 7 appearances
Youth system product. Enthusiastic about his future at the club, and currently the subject of mixed views from my coaching staff. Has that in his favour at least. Probably the last season he has to prove himself though.
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Defenders: 2. Andreas Elgert Age 27. German.
Signed cheaply from Yeovil after underperforming in his only season of English football. Fortunately, speaks good English. Can play on either flank, but will start on the right in preference.
3. Tommy Jaszczun Age 25. English. 23 appearances.
First choice left back with a good first season behind him. Has seen his career revived since the move from Blackpool, where he really didn't fit in. Still sees Stalybridge as a stepping stone in his career, and is therefore probably misguided.
4. Dave Challinor Age 27. English. 24 appearances, 1 goal.
Solid centre back who really shored up our defence since his arrival from Tranmere. Now part of the central backbone of the team, and likely to remain so for a long time. Has all the qualities of a second division defender, so will be hoping he can help us get there.
5. Matt Hocking Age 25. English. 44 appearances.
Another player whose career has been resurrected since arriving at Stalybridge. Hocking played only 10 matches in the 01/02 season for York, but was a virtual everpresent last season for us. Came on a free transfer, and therefore if he does decide to move on there won't be any financial loss. Not as talented as Challinor, but can tackle hard and is a good worker. Hopefully, his partnership with "Big Dave" Challinor will pay off again this season like it did at the death last year.
15. Matt Williamson Age 23. English. 33 appearances, 1 goal.
Matt was forced into regular first team action in 01/02, which was probably a little too early for him. Developed well last season, and is probably approaching the point at which he will start challenging for a first team place. Skills-wise, there is little to choose between him and Hocking, although the latter has experience on his side. Expect a battle of the two Matt's to develop for the first team position.
16. Steve Heaton Age 24. English. 73 appearances, 1 goal.
Right back who, to be quite honest, doesn't possess an awful lot of skill. However, he played regularly in 01/02 when there wasn't any better option, and retained his place last season when he developed an amazing knack of delivering undefendable corners. Loses his place at least to start with in an effort to build defensive stability.
29. Ronnie Howells Age 17. English. 1 appearance + Loan spell at Purfleet
Product of the youth system who can also play as a makeshift striker. Loved by the coaches, but probably needs another loan spell before being considered for first team action.
30. Mike Lewis Age 21. Welsh. 10 appearances.
Free transfer in 01/02. Also well liked by my coaching staff, but never seems to perform when called upon. Probably another one riding into the last chance saloon.
31. Rob Cousins Age 32. English. 4 appearances.
OK, hands up on this one, it didn't really work. Signed in a looting raid on relegated Forest Green at the end of 01/02 season. Looks good on paper as a solid, strong, pacey, hard tackling centre back. Isn't when playing on the football pitch. Has no league experience, so probably has no chance of playing. Fortunately, doesn't place a large burden on the wage bill, otherwise he would be out of the door pdq.
32. Tony Horner Age 19. English.
A product of the youth system who we all expected to be leaving for Gravesend at the end of the last season. They wimped out at the 11th hour, and we were left with a right back who has potential. Says he is proud to be at Stalybridge, although he didn't really show that during contract negotiations in the summer.
35. Kenny Munro Age 25. Scottish. 28 appearances.
Bosman signing from East Fife who looked good enough when we needed backup in the conference. Wasn't. Therefore, probably wouldn't be in the third division either. Another one saved by a low wage.
Also:
Dominic Crookes, Age 28. English. 62 appearances, 4 goals.
Currently transfer listed due to first whinging about wanting a new contract and then demanding much higher than the club can afford, then turning up late for training and causing dissention amongst the ranks, and if that wasn't enough, publicly complaining when I warned him.
Geoff Collins, Age 18 & Scott Griffin, Age 16. Two of this years youth products. Awaiting assessment.
Midfielders 6. Lee Collins Age 29. Scottish. 40 appearances, 7 goals.
Candidate for player of the season, after being released from a season of hell by Blackpool. Has made the defensive midfield position his own, and continues to work hard at improving his game. May come under a little pressure from Marsden this season.
7. Andrew Cameron Age 21. Scottish. 63 appearances, 18 goals.
Absolute revelation who forced himself upon first team selection despite my initial decision to bed him in slowly. Some of his running on the ball is of the highest quality, and last season he started to show some of the finishing I know he is capable of. There is still a lingering doubt over his stamina, but this should continue to improve with age. A good first two years, though, although I would like to have him on a contract without a minimum release clause.
8. Neil Mackenzie Age 27. English. 29 appearances, 13 goals.
Another candidate for player of the season. Has a wealth of league experience, and after a slow start on the right side of midfield, found his niche in the centre. Scored critical goals at a time when the strikers were out of form. Could be a critical player, as part of the central axis of the team.
11. Dean Harris Age 19. English. 23 appearances, 1 goal.
Free signing who broke through into the first team earlier than expected. A left sided, left footed midfielder and therefore a rarity. Can he prove himself at a higher level? Another player who sees Stalybridge as but a stepping stone to further his career.
12. Chris Marsden Age 34. English.
Player/coach Marsden may be getting on a bit, but he still has the skill to play at the third division level. Has bags of experience too, and will be pushing Collins all the way for the one available position. Installed as the new club captain.
18. Matt Woods Age 26. English. 67 appearances, 5 goals.
Matt continues to be a victim of circumstance. He's a good squad player, in both defensive midfield and central defence. However, there are better players at the club in both positions, so Matt will have to bide his time. He is probably the only player at the club hoping for a severe case of injuryitis.
19. Richard Peacock Age 30. English. 74 appearances, 5 goals.
Attack minded right midfielder with an amazing lack of goalscoring ability. Created loads in the first season, but seemed to have been overawed by Cameron. Hence loses his starting position for at least the forseeable future. Also hovering somewhere near the exit door, only his league experience keeps him in the first team.
20. Phillip Salt Age 24. English. 13 appearances, 3 goals.
My coaches reckon that Salt is a promising playmaker. Several conference sides seem to think he's worth cold hard cash, although the babble seems to have died down a bit since I put the asking price up to £40k. At 24, he is happy to commit his future to the club, but he must be getting itchy feet by now, especially as one of the last part-time players at the club.
21. Darren Bastow Age 21. English. 8 appearances + loan spell at Stotfold
Youth Product Darren is the flavour of the month. Several lower league clubs are scrapping for his loan signing after his success last year. It's time for Darren to move up, though, and hopefully a Conference side will want to give him a try sooner or later. Otherwise, it's a long hard season in the reserves for Darren.
22. Gary Clemence Age 18. English. 4 appearances, 1 goal.
Youth product who looks to have the promise of Harris, but probably needs a loan spell to bring it out. No offers as yet.
23. Kevin Aitchison Age 21. Scottish. Loan spell at Cheltenham Saracens.
Another youth product who really does have promise. Understudy to Neil Mackenzie, although will be offered a loan spell to get experience. Needs another interested conference (or next level down) side.
28. Darren Watts Age 17. English. 2 appearances.
Still going with the youth products! Darren causes all sorts of arguments amongst my coaching staff, as they cannot decide whether he has a future or not. Has another season, and will be allowed to go on loan if necessary.
33. Tommy MacDonald Age 18. English.
Guess what? Another youth product. I don't know yet whether Tommy has twigged, but I don't have a use for a left or right sided defensive midfielder. Therefore, I may eventually have to alter his training if he makes a decision to stay at the club long term. He is progressing well so far in the youth team, and will be offered the opportunity to go on loan should anyone be interested.
Also:
Listed youth products: Carl Bird, age 17, English & Darren Atkinson, age 17, English.
New youth product for assessment: Gary Scarlett, age 17, English.
Attackers 9. Leo Fortune-West Age 32. English. 61 appearances, 41 goals.
It cannot be doubted that Leo scored the goals that got us promotion. However, it can also be noted that he goes through distinct periods of form. It is difficult to pick fault with someone who scores 2 goals every 3 games, but there were times I jumped up and down on the touchline screaming at him to just get a shot on bloody target.
10. Dave McEwen Age 25. English. 8 appearances, 1 goal.
Record signing, who I must remember has a 40 league game payment clause. Took a good 5 games to settle down, but seemed to manage it at the very tail end of the season. Needs a good start to this season, otherwise he will find himself dropped to save some money.
14. Sergio Ommel Age 25. Dutch. 36 appearances, 11 goals.
Bosman signing Sergio may not have scored as many goals as big Leo, but he was another major contributor. With Allison's retirement, he is the third choice up front so should get a fair amount of game time.
17. Gary Hart Age 26. English. 32 appearances, 4 goals.
Gary can best be described as mildly disappointing. I had big hopes for him when I persuaded him to come work with us from Brighton. He has put some good performances in, but seems incapable of putting a string of them together. Will continue to sit on the sidelines and play when required.
24. Mark Peters Age 20. English. 24 appearances, 5 goals.
The ex Southampton trainee has had two full seasons at the Bower Fold, and has impressed my coaches. He's also got the odd goal in his mostly substitute appearances. Still has time on his side, but needs to work hard in training.
25. Alex Hutchinson Age 19. English. 1 appearance + loan spell at Folkestone.
Impressed at Folkestone, impresses my coaching staff. This Youth product could go a long way. Only time will tell.
26. John Willoughby Age 18. Scottish. 4 appearances.
Free signing in my first season. Struggles to make any headway when on the field of play with the first team. Still impresses the coaches. Stays for now.
27. Matthew McNeil Age 31. English. 45 appearnace, 17 goals.
A good goalscoring ratio for Matt, but he is quite a long way down the pecking order. I would give him a transfer, but he appears very keen to stay at the club, probably because it's the only club he has ever known.
Also:
Transfer Listed youth product: Anton Walsh, 17, English.
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