Trinity 3rds 3 vs Preston GSA 1

Player Manager Simon Rushton's,first home game of the season ended in a comfortable win.

Rushton,in the privileged position of having a full squad
to pick from,controversially left out last seasons player of the year Chris Hodge,who only needs one more appearance to reach the 1000 mark.

Rushton defended this decision by saying,"I want full commitment from my players,unfortunately Chris decided to play cricket until the end of the season and has paid the price".

Chris will also be asked to appear before the Committee,after asking his long suffering partner,Sandy to verbally abuse the Manager after the game.

After an early morning downpour,the Rookery was soaked and the playing surface was perfect for an exhibition of pure football.

A strong South Westerly breeze blew across the pitch,making it difficult to get the ball on the floor and play,it was the Preston team who had the better of the early exchanges,Trinity taking time to find their feet.

On the 20 minute mark,new signing Andy Wall latched on to a through ball to calmly slot past the advancing keeper,Trinity had squandered numerous changes and looked in no trouble at all,with Young winning the aerial battle in defence and Rawlins controlling midfield,but an injury time equaliser came via an
unfortunate own goal by Young,Campbell in goal having no chance.

Campbell himself was lucky to be selected,his inclusion in the team was due to Ant Hall being unable to locate his mobile phone to answer the Manager's many calls!

The second half got underway with honours even after a scrappy 25 minute period,the game looked to be heading for a draw when Rushton sent on veteran Hodge,but it was action at the other end when it needed the "chunky" legs of Campbell to deny the Preston team taking the lead.

The gaunt looking Rushton introduced himself into the game with 15 minutes left on the clock,putting in Hodge straight away to score a fine goal,only for the Referee to disallow it for a dubious off side decision,with only 8 minutes left,a pinpoint free kick from Young found Wall in acres of space to score at the second attempt and Will Sperrin then added a third with a cool finish to secure a vital 3 points for the Roe Lane based outfit.

Credit must be given to the Preston team who never gave up fighting,but who were clearly outclassed.

Player Manager Rushton was obviously pleased with his team
saying "With performances like that many players will be knocking on the door of the Rep Team".

Trinity will be at home again next Saturday,25 September,to Leyland Red Rose.

It is advised that spectators arrive early,as word will no doubt
filter around the Town of the wonderful football on show.

Report by Steve O G Young

Simon Rushton's Slimfast sponsored team enjoyed a comfortable victory last weekend.

Rushton had decided to take his 3 most senior players Young, Campbell and Hodge for a round of golf the previous day,this obviously worked for Chris Hodge,after being axed for the previous week's victory,some money changed hands in the heavy rough on the 10th hole and yes,Chris had secured his place in this week's starting line-up.

On a near perfect afternoon,the Rookery was in glorious condition.

Rawlins was the unfortunate player to miss out with Hodge coming in,Rushton also playing himself this week,with no official Referee turning up,Lee McShane took the whistle.

Trinity started well passing the ball superbly on the lush playing
surface,and were soon awarded a penalty for a blatant hand ball,upstepped Gary Abram,who surprisingly screwed the spot kick wide.

Gary has recently announced the date for the wedding to the lovely Denise and maybe this was playing on his mind,Hodge however,soon put Trinity ahead,calmly slotting past the advancing keeper after being sent clear from a wonderful defence splitting pass from a Red Rose player.

This was to be the score at half time,though it should have been more.

The second half got underway with a change of referee,Keith "Magoo" Naylor taking over in the middle,he was soon in the thick of things,giving a dubious penalty as Young collided with the Red Rose forward,Campbell then guessed wrong from the resulting spot kick,making the score 1-1.

Trinity did not let this bother them,passing more and more,but a defensive lapse by Rushton let in the centre forward,only to be thwarted by the reflexes of Campbell.

The Club have decided to stick with Campbell until Ant Hall finds his phone.

With the game evenly balanced,it took a curling 20 yard strike by the much travelled Moran to restore Trinity's lead,from then on it was plain sailing for the Roe Lane based outfit,the only exception being Phil Morley who yet again,ran out of steam.

With the solid partnership of Young and Rushton at the back, playing delightful one-touch football out of defence,it was no surprise when Hodge made it 3-1 before a great strike from
Sperrin made it 4 - 1.

This was to be the final score.

Player Manager Rushton was delighted with the all round outcome of the afternoon,but warned his players that it was still early in the season and that,in his own words,"It's a snickers not a sprint!"

Trinity are yet again at home next Saturday and,with such eye pleasing football on show for free,a big crowd is yet again expected.

Report by Steve Young

undefined
I saw some of this game and it was a load of rubbish. Most of the players on the pitch should have packed in by now.

Saturday 2 October 2004

Player Manager Simon Rushton's,high flying team were brought back down to earth with a bump by a very confident Preston outfit on Saturday.

Trinity would like to congratulate Simon on his recent promotion at work,now he holds the title of "Discipline Manager",unfortunately Simon needs to have a word or two with himself,as he was the only player on the pitch to receive a caution from the Scottish official for persistent fouling.

Trinity started the game well,Rushton being able to field an unchanged team and they should have been ahead early on in the proceedings,Hodge being put clear but delaying his strike, enabling the centre half time to make a tackle.

Hodge is obviously feeling all of his 46 years these days,Wall also scuffed a great chance two minutes later,Trinity though were made to pay for these missed opportunities when Cahill (whose relative Tim is now a regular at Everton) gave away a needless free kick,Campbell in goals,has not yet mastered the art of lining his wall up and stood directly behind it,allowing the Preston player a free strike into basically an empty net.

Trinity never really recovered from this and were outclassed for the rest of the first half,being lucky to go into the break only one down.

The second half started much the same,but a knee injury to the injury prone Young forced him off with half an hour left,prior to his substitution,Young had been the closest to scoring for Trinity,hitting the post with the keeper stranded,however it was his own post yet again,Morley then limped off for the 6th game in a row.

Trinity then had to reshuffle the back 4 and never looked comfortable,Hodge who did not have the best of games was yet again put clear but seemed to be caught up in the remnants of Hurricane Jean and was blown off his feet by a sudden gust,the Preston team then went straight up the other end of the park, Campbell given no chance at all.

Russ Gregory,who came on with 20 minutes to go,will be fined by the club later this week,as he pulled down the shorts of an opposing player,where he gets these tendencies from I don't know!

The final whistle eventually came with the home side well and truly beaten,thanks must go to Danny Young who did an admirable job of linesman,even if he could'nt keep up with the pace for most of the match.

After the game Rushton,not available for comment,reflected on this defeat,more worried with the injury list than the loss of 3 points.

Jane Campbell looks to have things at home under control now with Anthony,who will not be spending a week in Los Americas, but who is now booked in at the Priory and unavailable for next Saturdays match.

Mrs Dodd,the Chief Kit Washer,is reported to have been disgusted to find a union jack thong amonst last weeks dirty kit,nevertheless Mrs Dodd washed the item and made sure it was available for this weeks game,however on closer inspection,the initials "S R" were found inside.....!

Next week Trinity are at home again,with an ever increasing following and due to the England -v- Wales World Cup qualifier, an earlier kick-off time is expected.

Please see press for details.

Report by Steve Young

Pics of the action below,Trinity(blue),Preston(red)

How did Chris Hodge miss this

Few more

More

Player Manager Simon Rushton responded to last weeks defeat by wielding the axe,Abram and Morley were dropped to the bench and Young was left out altogether.

With England playing at the same time,it wasn't a great shock to see no crowd at all,Trinity got off to a reasonable start early on,but chances were few and far between,it took a long
hopeful punt upfield by Rushton to bring a moment of madness by the opposing Keeper,who charged through a crowded area and completely missed his punch,the ball bouncing over everyone into an unguarded goal.

Sperrin and Moran both won their personal battles in midfield, with Carr outstanding at the back( better than Young).

The burly Gregory in goals who was standing in for Campbell, had had little to do as the half came to an end.

Hoghton found themselves back in the game when a cool finish left Gregory no chance at all,Wall was then switched to the right of midfield and began to get forward with great effect, creating a chance for Hodge,but Trinity's veteran talisman screwed his shot wide.

Rushton then decided to bring on the experienced pairing of Morley and Abram,with the clock ticking down Sperrin won the ball in midfield,carrying it goalwards,seeing the Keeper off his line he executed a fine finish with 5 minutes remaining to secure a much deserved victory for the Roe lane boys.

On a personal note,congratulations to Paul Carr and his Wife on the birth of their daughter Keira,life will now change for Paul,as he will be up at the crack of dawn from now on.

Rushton will have a full squad to pick from on Saturday for Trinity's visit to Wigan,with Campbell also available for selection,after he responded well to his treatment in the sun.

Man of the Match :Rushton

Report by Steve Young

Player Manager Simon Rushton found himself in the fortunate position of having a full squad of 16 players to choose from,this meant that tough decisions were needed in picking the right starting 11,out from the previous week went Drewitt,Gregory and Clarke,in came Campbell,Young and Morley with strength in depth on the bench also.

Yet again,no Referee turned up so it was up to a home team spectator to take up the whistle and an admirable job he did as well.

The game got underway on a poor pitch with Trinity having the advantage of a strong wind in their favour,Rushton had decided to go for a 5 man midfield with wing backs Morley and Wall licensed to cause mayhem out wide and senior coach Rawlins playing a pivotal anchor role in midfield.

Trinity soon found themselves a goal to the good,Hodge cooly slotting home one of this numerous chances after excellent build-up play by the wizard-like trickery of Morley,one of Rushton's sorties then proved successful as he out jumped the opposition to head the ball across the face of the goal for Hodge to tap in the simplest of chances and double Trinity's lead.

Rushton then became the villain after bringing down the Goose Green centre forward in a rugby style tackle,which,with a proper Referee officiating would surely have seen him received the red card,it was punishment enough though,as the resulting free kick was curled into the penalty area for the centre forward to get the faintest of touches guiding it into the far corner of the net giving Campbell no chance.

Sperrin then restored Trinity's 2 goal advantage minutes before the interval,lashing the ball into the net through a crowd of players,after good work out wide by the ever impressive Wall, bringing the first half to an end.

Goose Green started the second half the stronger,with Campbell in goal holding everything the Wigan outfit could throw at him. Campbell himself seems to have put the past few weeks behind him and is now concentrating on cementing a regular first team place.

Trinity found their feet again after the first 10 minutes and soon produced a breath taking move of one touch football that created yet another chance for Hodge,who somehow guided the ball into the trees instead of the goal,by this time the Roe Lane based outfit should have wrapped up a cricket score, instead chances went begging on a regular basis,if blasting the ball into the car park were to become an Olympic event,then I am sure Wall himself would be a gold medalist contender.

Trinity's veteran striker Hodge soon completed his hat-trick with the best goal of the game,volleying in from all of 30 yards the opposing keeper a mere spectator.

With the cup tie now as much as over,Rawlins decided to pull Rushton off with 15 minutes left on the clock,Morley also trudged off once again failing to make the full 90.

McShane entered the proceedings in a typically robust way, forcing an excellent save with his first touch,Gregory also forced the Keeper to save well with a firm header before receiving a crunching blow to the right knee,sending him to the floor in agony.

Staunch Catholic Rushton obviously added a bit of holy water to the bucket as the "magic sponge" soon did its job, bringing Gregory back to this feet.

With a minute left on the clock Carr went on a mazey run before catapulting himself through the air in an attempt to gain a penalty,the Ref quite rightly waving his appeals away.

After 5 minutes of injury time,the game to a close with Trinity progressing through to the next round quite comfortably,after the match Simon Rushton said "today was an awkward tie for us,we did what we had to do,it was also great to welcome Young back in at centre half,as he likes to play football out of defence rather than just playing the long ball game,with Rawlins now settled after his romantic break in Paris,where rumour has it (and don't quote me on this), he and his girlfriend,Angela, look to have committed themselves to each other,playing the way he did today,we are probably now favourites to lift the trophy."

Trinity's champion tipster Tony Clarke must feel a bit hard done to to be left out this afternoon,after an excellent 90 minutes the previous week,this was probably due to him giving the manager a "dead cert" for the 9 o'clock at Wolverhampton,only to see it trailing in last.

It was also nice to see Sandy back in the Club after a 4 week absence and Rushton duly received his apology from her.

The forgotten man of football Michael Wareing, was also in the Club pleading with Rushton for a signing on form,but the successful manager declined the offer telling him,"to be a part of this squad you have to be a true athlete,after a few trips to the sand dunes I might reconsider your request".

Next week sees Rushton's band of merry men travel to Preston to take on the league leaders,an extra coach has now been put on standby for fans wishing to travel,as this weeks 52 seater was full,having to leave at least a dozen disgruntled fans behind.

MOM : Rushton

Report by Steve Young

Three senior players are set to be in big trouble this week,after breaking the midnight curfew imposed by Player Manager Simon Rushton prior to match days.

Hodge,Campbell and Gregory were all spotted coming out of Angels Lap Dancing Club in Liverpool in the early hours of Saturday morning,less than 12 hours before kick-off.

Fortunately for them,Trinity's game at Preston that afternoon was off due to a heavily water logged pitch.

On speaking to strict disciplinarian and man of the cloth, Rushton,he said "I will have to wait until I speak to the lads involved and hear their side of the story before I make any decisions,but it seems that the evidence is stacked against them,in my day Friday night was for playing charades and parlour games and not acting like George Best.

If found guilty the punishment will fit the crime and I am sure the lads will be available to do their Christmas shopping over the next few Saturdays."

It has also been noted that Michael Wareing is obviously fighting for a place in Rushton's squad.

He was spotted sprinting down Roe Lane at a great rate of knots,unfortunately it was only to get the last Vanilla Slice in Lathoms window!

However,it's a start for the man who once wore the captain's armband for Trinity's first team.

Next week,Trinity are at home to Tarleton,a physical match is usually the case in these local derbies.

Kick-off is at 2-30 pm,so get there early folks.

Report by Steve Young

Southport Trinity 3rds 1 vs Tarleton 2nds 2

30.10.04

Manager Of The Month Curse Strikes Rushton

Player Manager Simon Rushton received the Manager Of The Month award prior to kick-off,but as in many cases,it was not a good sign,as his high flying team were brought back down to earth losing at home to Tarleton.

Before kick-off Rushton had strong words with the 3 players who were involved in the previous weekends binge drinking and left them in no doubt that a repeat performance would lead to their services no longer being required by the Club.

Trinity started the proceedings the stronger team against a young Tarleton outfit,Gregory the first to test the visiting keeper with a near post header with only 5 minutes on the clock,at the other end,a defensive lapse by captain Young let in the Tarleton Forward,his blushes being spared by a reflex save from Campbell,Trinity were now under the cosh,with the visitors playing some good football,but not really creating many chances.

Too many needless free kicks were conceded by the home team,with Rushton the main offender,on one occasion arriving later than a British Rail train,timing has never been Rushton's strong point,as the half drew to a close,Hodge should have put Trinity in front at the interval,fast feet by the ever nimble Gregory created an opening for Hodge,who rounded the Keeper, but scuffed his shot,enabling the Defender to make-up enough ground to clear off the line,the whistle came with honours even.

The second half got under way with Tarleton laying siege on the Trinity goal,Campbell once again coming to the rescue, Campbell must also be congratulated as he actually reached the centre circle with a goal kick for the first time this season.

Poor refereeing decisions changed the course of the match, with the man in the middle definitely having an off day,it was one of these decisions that lead to Tarleton taking the lead,a looping free kick found its way to the back post,where Clarke, who had 2 men to mark,decided to confuse them by not marking either,allowing the Tarleton Striker a free header, sneaking the ball past a despairing dive from Campbell.

With Tarleton having 12 men on the pitch,it was always going to be a mountain to climb to get back on level terms,with the Referee's whistle constantly going against Trinity,it was not from open play where Tarleton doubled their lead,another mix-up in defence with Campbell calling,but not coming for the cross,left the unmarked Striker a simple header,even a last ditch lunge by Rawlins couldn't prevent the ball creeping over the line as his foot stuck in the netting trying to scramble the ball away.

At this point Rushton threw caution to the wind by making numerous changes,it was Rushton himself who reduced the deficit,powering in a header from 3 inches out,after great overlapping play by wing back Clarke,Trinity now had the bit between their teeth and threw everything but the kitchen sink at the visiting goal,but it was not to be for the Roe Lane based outfit,with 90 minutes on the clock,it was Tarleton's best player who brought the match to an end, blowing the final whistle.

Strong words were had in the dressing room after the game, with several players having to be separated,as things got heated.

Rushton said after the game,"We can't blame the Ref for everything,even if he did have a red shirt on,today we lacked a will to win and fitness also had a lot to do with things as well. myself and skipper Young were the only 2 at training this week and it showed with certain players stamina not lasting the full 90,from now on it's simple,either train on a Wednesday night or go shopping with the missus on a Saturday".

Next week Trinity travel to Preston GSA hoping that they only have to play against 11 men.

Kick-off is now at 2.00 pm,the coach leaves from Roe Lane at 1 o'clock.

"To the regiment"!!!!

Man of the Match : Campbell

Report Steve Captain Young

Player Manager Simon Rushton was surprised to say the least when he received a call early on Saturday telling him that the game at Preston was off due to a water logged pitch.

This came as a great shock as there had been very little rain over the last week,Rushton was fuming saying,"That's ridiculous,they're running scared,the weather has been fine this week and when we do get to play them,they'll pay the price, because it'll be lift and shift!".

Chris Hodge showed what a dedicated professional he is,making himself available to play after having a"funny turn"this week at work,Chris was going about his business on his postal delivery when he entered the Synagogue on Arnside Road,Chris explains,"The last thing I remember was going in and then all of a sudden I was in the back of an ambulance....... Hold on a minute, it's all coming back to me now ...that's right,I saw someone from work who also plays football for us,he said he was just having a check-up,because it had been a year since he'd had some work done,but I can't picture his face....maybe it will come back to me later".

A change of his insulin dosage was the obvious reason for this medical situation arising or maybe it was the site of the large collection tin on his way in that sent his blood sugar level through the roof.

Rushton himself praised Hodge saying,"I wish had another 10 with his attitude and dedication,he is a credit to the club,most of the other players just want to go out on the lash on a Friday night,if the latter carries on,i'll be looking to change the entire squad when the transfer window opens in January".

It was also noticeable that,as the game was called off,Rushton insisted that his players support the first team in their Lancashire Cup 1/4 final clash with Merseyside Police,everyone turning up apart from Gregory and Campbell,who were otherwise engaged ?

Perhaps they were wise in missing this match after all,as the first team got hammered out of sight 4-1,Morley who scored the winner for them last week was axed from the squad,this blunder almost certainly causing their downfall.

Next week Trinity 3rds are away again.

Hopefully the flood waters will have subsided,so that normal service can be resumed.

Player of the week....Chris Hodge

Report By Steve M Young

SMY

Ill Discipline and Descent..................

On a pitch more suited to the African Hippo rather than 22 football players,Trinity went down in a highly eventful game.

With a couple of late cry-offs,Player Manager Rushton,had to shuffle the pack,with Clarke coming in at left back and Morley partnering the"evergreen" Hodge up front.

The first half was goaless,but was not without incident,with the pitch cutting up badly,this did not suit Trinity as it hindered their normal passing game,the main incident of the match happened on 23 minutes,a scything tackle from behind felled Abram,who then sprang to his feet and"with handbags at the ready"the 2 players pretended to swap blows,Abram probably came off worse,having his new Boots No7 lipstick smudged,the Referee pulled the 2 guilty players to one side and produced the red card to both,the conditions were bad enough for 11 a side, let alone 10.

There was little goal mouth action for the remainder of the first half,Trinity defended heroically against a slope more severe than Crossens "Rec",Campbell a mere spectator in goals.

The black and blue Roe Lane-based outfit started the second half strongly,it was in the 54th minute that Trinity took the lead,when Cahill unleashed a left foot thunderbolt,only to see it come back off the bar,luckily enough,the ever alert goal poaching Rushton was on hand to thump the ball into the empty net.

It was at this point,with Trinity playing well as a unit the Manager decided to change things around,Hodge,who has hit a bit of a goal drought lately and Morley both coming off. Morley took the decision well (as he is used to it!), but with Hodge it was a different matter,as Hodge left the field of play and headed towards the changing rooms,a barrage of 4 letter obscenities were aimed at Rushton,this clearly affected Rushton,as he drifted completely out of the game,Clarke was also replaced,another surprise as he was probably Trinity's best player on the day,with wholesale changes being made,it was only a matter of time before the Home side equalised,a low left foot shot giving Campbell no chance.

The game looked to be heading towards a draw but,with tiring legs on the heavy pitch,fate dealt Trinity a cruel blow,a quite clearly off side goal was allowed to stand,the Ref ignoring his Lineman's flag,held aloft in the fading sunlight,this was a crucial decision,as there were only 5 minutes left on the clock,giving Trinity no time to get back into the game.

In his post match report player manager,Rushton said "I can't believe we're going home empty handed,we fought hard today with 10 men and the lads are all devastated in there,on the topic of fighting,what Gary was doing I really can't contemplate,but he has got a lot going on in his life at the moment,Chris on the other hand,is a different kettle of fish,i spoke to him in the week,he actually phoned me as I was throwing the Dyson around the front room,as Martine has gone Christmas shopping in Amsterdam,he said he was getting nervous as he was only 4 goals short of Tony Kennedys Club record of 837,maybe this had something to do with his outburst today, but I'll have to speak to him on his own,in a dark room."

As you will be aware Rushton was offered the services of a Mr W Bingham at the Rookery recently but turned it down,perhaps a manager with International pedigree wouldnt have made so many changes,that were crucial to the outcome of the match and Trinity's long drive home could of been a much happier affair.

A last note must go to Russ Gregory,who will hopefully,be back in contention next week after "picking something up" on a recent trip to Edinburgh.

Next week Trinity are at home,where they will be hoping for a change of luck in front of their usual big home crowd.

Kick-off is at 2.00 pm.

MOM : Moran with Clarke not far behind

Report by Steve M Young