Welsh Players Christmas-New Year matches 2010-11 (League Two, Part 1)

Accrington Stanley
Joe Jacobson played just two matches for Accrington in the time spell of this post but he has since extended his loan deal from Oldham Athletic.
Morecambe A 1-2 (played all)
Chesterfield H 2-2 (Y foul 52, played all)

Aldershot Town
Darren Jones was surprisingly dropped to the bench for one of the two matches Aldershot were able to play. Losing to Barnet and Hereford United: is there worse?
Barnet A 1-2 (bench, on 91)
Hereford H 1-2 (played all)

Aaron Morris also spent one match on the bench but that’s less of a surprise because he often has to do that. That doesn’t mean I agree with it though.
Barnet A 1-2 (played all)
Hereford H 1-2 (bench, on 46, Y foul 69)

Barnet
Grant Basey played his final two matches with Barnet – the club have decided to cancel his contract as they felt he wasn’t fully committed to the cause. And maybe he isn’t – he really wanted to go to Aberdeen. It’s not his fault Aberdeen kept him hanging for weeks before deciding they couldn’t afford him.
Stockport H 1-3 (played all)
Aldershot H 1-2 (played all)
Stevenage A 4-2 (OG2 8, played all)

Bradford City
Jason Price’s loan spell at Bradford didn’t really go as planned as far as goals are concerned but his manager apparently still wants him.
Cheltenham A 4-0 (played all)
Lincoln A 1-2 (bench)
Bury H 1-0 (starts, off 72)

Michael Flynn is still out with a groin injury.

Burton Albion
Player of the Year Tony James ended his year on the bench.
Port Vale A 2-1 (bench)

Garyn Preen has returned from a loan spell at Stafford Rangers after deciding not to extend his loan. So did the player who went with him. Their manager Paul Peschisolido is trying to find them both new clubs but maybe he only means new loan clubs.

Bury
Owain fon Williams exchanged Stockport County’s relegation fight for a promotion race with loan club Bury. He was great but as soon as their other keeper was fit, Owain was on the bench. (And Bury lost.)
Macclesfield H 2-2 (played all)
Bradford A 1-0 (bench)

Cheltenham Town
A number Cheltenham’s Christmas fixtures were cancelled but Josh Low would have missed them anyway as he has a hamstring injury.
Bradford H 4-0 (out, hamstring)
Wycombe H 1-2 (out, hamstring
Southend A 1-2 (out, hamstring)

League Two Fixtures (and Postponements) 4th December 2010

Accrington Stanley P-P Shrewsbury
This match won’t happen as apparently there’s something wrong with the weather.

Aldershot Town P-P Bradford City
Aldershot have a frozen pitch so this match has been postponed.
Bradford’s loan striker Jason Price gets what is probably a welcome break from the rough and tumble of League Two. Michael Flynn is at least two months away from a return.

Bury P-P Chesterfield
Bury have a frozen pitch too. There’s a lot of it going around.
Owain fon Williams says Bury v Chesterfield is a massive game – but depending on when the rearranged fixture is, he might not get to play in it.
Craig Davies has a hamstring injury so I bet Chesterfield are quite glad they (probably) won’t have to play such a big game without him.
Robert Page says he’s ready to wait for his chance to play in the first team as he is getting on a bit.


Cheltenham Town P-P Lincoln City
And another frozen pitch.
Josh Low says Cheltenham have come a long way in the last twelve months. I’d say they’ve come a long way in the last six months too. At the end of last season, they were fourteen places lower than they are now.


Crewe Alexandra P-P Wycombe Wanderers
Crewe have one fewer match to show Rhys Taylor why he should stay for the whole season. Centre back Danny Blanchett certainly seems to like him.
Rhys wants to stay with Crewe for the rest of the season. Wales might be short of players who can score penalties – but here’s one who can save them.

Gillingham P-P Rotherham United
Gillingham’s pitch is a foot deep in snow so this match is off.

Hereford United P-P Morecambe
Hereford’s pitch is frozen but at least it’s theirs.

Northampton Town v Stockport
Northampton have only won once away while Stockport have only won once at home. Both teams will be glad it’s not the other around.
Paul Walker will be on the bench for Northampton.
Anthony Pulis should start for Stockport after extending his loan deal to 4th January. Highlights of his loan spell so far include a debut goal and three 5-0 defeats. But I’m sure that’s not Anthony’s fault.

Oxford United v Barnet
This match is still on but there will be a pitch inspection tomorrow to check it’s not too cold. Barnet have only two points from away matches this season but a first win would lift them out of the bottom two.
Oxford defender Rhys Day still wants to join loan club Mansfield Town full-time despite a change of manager. Rhys has recently been Mansfield stand-in captain.

Port Vale P-P Stevenage
How many ways are there of saying ‘the pitch is frozen’? I reckon I’ve got most of them.
Lewis Haldane believes he’ll struggle to get back into Port Vale’s starting eleven.

Southend United P-P Macclesfield Town
For the reasons for this postponement, see above.
Peter Gilbert would have been suspended for this match after Southend made the decision not to appeal against his red card on the grounds that it might be deemed frivolous.

Torquay United P-P Burton Albion
I’m not even going to tell you why this one’s off.
Garyn Preen has joined Stafford Rangers on loan from Burton.

League Two News 11th October

Bradford City midfielder Michael Flynn will see a specialist after he suffered a reaction following his comeback from a groin injury.

Garyn Preen started for Burton Albion in their 2-1 Johnstone’s Paint Trophy defeat to Rotherham United. He nearly got his first goal too. Mark Bradley scored one of Rotherham’s goals.

Josh Low was looking forward to facing his former club Northampton Town.

Rhys Taylor is the Vital Crewe Alexandra Player of the Month for September. He was also Player of the Month in August.

These Welsh players keep on breeding! Congratulations to Stuart Fleetwood, who has just become a father for the first time. Let’s hope it’s not a big heavy baby, Stuart already has a bad back.

Gareth Owen is supporting a 10-week fitness course for children aged 7-13 and their families.

Lewis Haldane has had a setback after suffering a bad reaction to training.

League Two Results 9th October 2010 Part 1

Barnet 0-2 Bradford City
Bradford hadn’t won their last four matches in all competitions so they’d have been glad to get three points in this match, even if they were only playing Barnet. The win was their first of the season at a ground other than their own and it meant Barnet took their place in the bottom two.
Grant Basey started for Barnet but left the field after 47 minutes due to an ankle injury.
Michael Flynn made his return from a groin injury in Bradford’s Johnstone’s Paint Trophy defeat to Hartlepool United but then (as if losing to Hartlepool wasn’t bad enough) he suffered a reaction and was forced to miss this game.

Burton Albion 1-2 Wycombe Wanderers
Going into this match, Wycombe hadn’t lose away while Burton hadn’t won at home. So a draw looked the most likely result but instead it was Burton’s unbeaten run which came to an end.
With Tony James on loan at Hereford United and Garyn Preen unselected, this tie wasn’t nearly as Welsh as it has been.

Cheltenham Town 1-0 Northampton Town
Cheltenham moved into the play-off places as they consigned Northampton to their third consecutive defeat – and their fourth in six away games. Northampton went down to ten men early on so they did well in a way only to lose by one goal.
Josh Low played the full match against his former side Northampton.
Paul Walker was on the bench for Northampton.

Chesterfield 2-1 Southend United
Chesterfield keep their unbeaten home record intact as they beat Southend. The match looked like it was going to finish as a draw but a stoppage-time Chesterfield winner put paid to any ideas from Southend about sharing the points.
Chesterfield’s victory could have been greater without the disallowed goals, including one from Craig Davies. It’s not often a match passes without Craig either scoring or getting an assist. And in a way, he got both. He won the penalty that became the opening goal.
Peter Gilbert played the full match for Southend and could have got an own goal but luckily his deflection took the shot away from the goal. Nathaniel Jarvis made a 79th-minute substitute appearance and nearly got his first goal. Nathaniel’s would have been in the right net though.

Crewe Alexandra 3-3 Torquay United
Another goal-fest for Crewe, who are unbeaten in nine League matches – although only two of those matches were wins. Torquay probably still remember their record-breaking run of games without defeat – but it probably seems like a long time ago. Their run of matches without a win is now nearly as long.
Rhys Taylor was on goal for Crewe.

Gillingham 2-1 Stockport County
Gillingham won this time but maybe Stockport can win when they host Gillingham. Neither seem to be particularly good at winning away games this season. Not that they were that great at it last season either.
Anthony Pulis made his debut on loan for Stockport County and if you ignore the fact they didn’t actually win, it was a good game for him. He was the one who scored Stockport’s goal. Owain fon Williams was on the bench.

League Two Fixtures 25th September 2010 Part 1

Cheltenham Town v Bury
Cheltenham aim to continue an impressive start to the season with victory over Bury – but Bury are only a point behind them.
Josh Low missed the last match with a calf injury and he’s not expected to play against Bury either.

Crewe Alexandra v Oxford United
Crewe haven’t won many games this season but when they win, they really do win. Crewe are ahead of Oxford only on goal difference – which does tend to happen if you’re a side that wins big.
Rhys Taylor will be in goal for Crewe.
Oxford’s Rhys Day is still out with a kne injury.

Gillingham v Burton Albion
Gillingham will be eager for another win and as they’re playing at home, it’s not impossible. Burton are up in the play-off places but as they’ve won the same number of away games as Gillingham, the home side have reason to be hopeful.
Burton still have a bit of a defensive crisis so Tony James should (deservedly) keep his place. Garyn Preen could be on the bench again.

Hereford United v Southend United
Hereford hope to win their first home game of the season and climb out of the bottom two. A win will guarantee they’re at least 22nd as they’d be overtaking Southend,
Hereford have signed 18 year old striker Nathaniel Jarvis on loan from Cardiff City. He could play up front with Stuart Fleetwood. Ryan Green and Ryan Valentine should start in defence.
Peter Gilbert should be in defence for Southend.

Morecambe v Barnet
Barnet, who are yet to gain a point away from home, face a Morecambe side who are unbeaten on their home turf. They haven’t actually won at home or anything, they’ve had three draws but Barnet might still be getting their own drawers in a twist.
Darren Moss was missing from Morecambe’s last two matches but I don’t know why, or whether he’s likely to be back today. No-one tells me anything.

League Two Results 28th August 2010 Part 1

Aldershot Town 1-1 Stevenage
Aldershot probably thought they’d won it when they were avoided a late penalty but the Stevenage keeper had other ideas. The rebound went into the net but it was disallowed for an infringement.
Darren Jones played in defence for Aldershot. Aaron Morris wasn’t in the squad.

Cheltenham Town 2-1 Burton Albion
Cheltenham had a difficult time last season but they’re at the right end of League Two for now – they’re up in the play-offs after beating the previously unbeaten Burton.
Josh Low said this week that it was time the Cheltenham midfielders starting scoring and he clearly listened to himself. Josh got Cheltenham’s winner in the 82nd minute – just two minutes after their equaliser. Josh is scarily clever by the way. Burton don’t know how they lost but Josh probably does.
Tony James and Garyn Preen were on the bench for Burton.

Hereford United 0-1 Rotherham United
Rotherham are in joint second place after beating Hereford away. Hereford looked strong in the early part of the game but a goal from Rotherham was enough to take all three points.
Ryan Green and Ryan Valentine played in defence for Hereford while Stuart Fleetwood came close to a goal for the home side.

Lincoln City 1-1 Crewe Alexandra
Crewe won 7-0 last week but although they stretched their unbeaten run to three matches, a draw was the best they could do. Lincoln are technically on relegation form but so are half the teams in League Two.
Rhys Taylor was in goal for Crewe.

League Two Fixtures 21st August 2010 Part 1

Accrington Stanley v Macclesfield Town
Accrington and Macclesfield are both without a win this season and that can only come to an end for one of them tomorrow.
Sam Wedgbury has played a part for Macclesfield in every game so far this season.

Burton Albion v Morecambe
And here are two more teams without a win.
Tony James could be back on the bench for Burton but I would keep him where he is. Burton have kept clean sheets in both their league games. The defence seems fine.
So maybe they could bring in a new midfielder instead. They do have a new one called Garyn Preen…
Darren Moss has started every game for Morecambe this season so let’s hope that continues.

Bury v Northampton Town
Bury have three points from their opening two games but Northampton have just the one.
Paul Walker will probably be on the bench for Northampton. Apparently the old saying ‘if he’s good enough, he’s old enough’ doesn’t apply in this case. (He is good enough. He played in pre-season and Northampton were unbeaten. Even though they played against Watford and Birmingham.)

Chesterfield v Hereford United
Chesterfield are up in the play-off places now with Hereford only behind them on goal difference.
The Sofas will be without Craig Davies as he completes his three-match suspension. I’ve finally found out that Robert Page’s absence from Chesterfield’s squad is due to an Achilles injury but I don’t know about Mark Crossley. Maybe he’s just a bit old.
Ryan Green and Ryan Valentine should keep their places in defence for Hereford but Stuart Fleetwood hasn’t scored yet this season. I’d still play him but managers can be a bit funny sometimes about strikers who don’t score.

League Two Results 14th August 2010 Part 1

Aldershot Town 1-0 Southend United
Southend still haven’t won in the League but a team who have giant-killed Bristol City can’t be that bad really. Aldershot were in the play-offs last year after all and they had to work hard for the win.
Darren Jones was there to clear off the line when one of Aldershot’s former players threatened to score against them. Aaron Morris was a 69th minute substitute and made a strong contribution.
Southend were again without Peter Gilbert, who wasn’t ready to return from an ankle injury.

Barnet 0-0 Burton Albion
Barnet finally managed to get a point when they faced Burton at home. They also got a clean sheet – as did Burton of course – but the match didn’t do much to prove that goalless draws can be exciting. Although maybe it’s a bit different if you support one of the teams involved.
Tony James was back in the starting line-up for Burton and the centre back did well on the right. But there was no place in the squad for Garyn Preen.

Bradford City 1-0 Stevenage
Former Premier League side Bradford did what everyone expected them to do and beat Blue Square Premier champions Stevenage – but it took a penalty from the Welshily named but nevertheless English Gareth Evans to seal the win. But even the Bradford City manager, Peter Taylor, felt the points should really have gone to Stevenage.
Bradford’s Michael Flynn was sufficiently recovered from a back injury to sit on the bench but he didn’t play.

Cheltenham Town 3-2 Crewe Alexandra
Cheltenham came a bit too close to relegation last season but here they were the better side – which technically also means they’re better than Derby County. This defeat leaves Crewe in the relegation zone with no points and only Lincoln City below them. Cheltenham’s win moves them up to 4th in the table – but let’s not get too excited, they’re only four points ahead of Crewe.
Josh Low came close to scoring for Cheltenham but his shot was blocked on the line.
Rhys Taylor might not have the points to show for it but he’s been in very fine form for Crewe and that continued against Cheltenham, who could easily have been further ahead.

Hereford United 0-0 Gillingham
Hereford remain unbeaten after beating Gillingham – for whom only promotion will do. If this is the case, they’ll have to do a bit better than one point per game. This isn’t exactly promotion form – it’s quite the opposite. But the managers didn’t seem too disappointed.
Ryan Green and Ryan Valentine helped Hereford to their clean sheet. Stuart Fleetwood didn’t score but he forced a good save from the keeper after a great run.

League Two Fixtures 7th August 2010 Part 1

Accrington Stanley v Aldershot Town
According to my new favourite football blog, Aldershot are the best team in the league at winning their opening matches. They have also won all their pre-season games. Watch out Accrington!
Aldershot have signed two Welsh players following their releases from Walsall and Cardiff City. Darren Jones and Aaron Morris will be hoping to start.

Burton Albion v Oxford United
Burton start their second season in the Football League against newly-promoted Oxford.
Some journalist somewhere said Tony James would be on the bench for this match but I don’t know why. New signing Garyn Preen could also be in the squad although he’s pretty young.
Oxford centre back Rhys Day is expected to be out until September with a knee problem.

Bury v Port Vale
Both clubs will be hoping for a place in the play-offs this time around after just missing out last season.
Gareth Owen should play for Port Vale but Lewis Haldane is still recovering from blood poisoning.

Chesterfield v Barnet
Chesterfield just missed out on the play-offs last season and are expected to be contenders again. Barnet definitely won’t want to go through another season like the last one, stressful isn’t the word.
Craig Davies is expected to make his League debut for Chesterfield after signing from Bristol Rovers. Robert Page could start too but Mark Crossley will probably be on the bench.

Rotherham United v Lincoln City
Rotherham could have been promoted last year without their enforced winter break and subsequent backlog of fixtures. This year, they’ll probably make it. Lincoln will probably be thinking more about relegation.
Mark Bradley has signed for Rotherham after being released by Walsall. I hope he’ll get more chances at Rotherham but he’s a doubt for this match.
Lincoln came very close to signing David Stephens from Norwich City following his very successful loan spell last season. But he decided to go to Aberdeen instead.

Welsh Player News 31st July League Two (Part One)

Darren Jones is doing very well at new club Aldershot Town. The former Hereford defender has positive mentions in just about every Google News result I’ve found which is saying something. It seems like the only thing he’s failed to do is win a penalty, even though he probably deserved one.

Darren has a new Welsh team-mate at Aldershot now – Aaron Morris. The Wales under-21 international was released by Cardiff City at the end of last season and spent some time on trial at Exeter City. He was hoping to sign for Exeter but obviously it didn’t work out. But he’s got a nice new club now.

Michael Flynn has been out with a stomach strain but he should be playing for Bradford City again soon. He hasn’t played since Bradford’s first pre-season match but he’s not back in training.

Garyn Preen has signed for Burton Albion on a one-year deal. He almost immediately got injured (a thigh problem) but now he’s back and he’s survived ninety minutes.

Josh Klein-Davies is still in with a chance of winning a contract with Cheltenham Town. He was given another match to prove his worth and lost… although as they were playing Wolverhampton Wanderers, this probably isn’t too serious. And it sounds like he did give them a bit of trouble.

Let’s hope Josh Low is setting the other Josh a good example. Josh L is the second-oldest player at Cheltenham and he says he feels responsible for the younger ones.

Craig Davies was very happy to score the first ever goal by a Chesterfield player in their new stadium. They lost 5-4 but losing by one goal to a Championship side is pretty good. As is putting four past a Championship keeper. Maybe Derby shouldn’t have released Lewis Price.

Rhys Taylor played in goal for Crewe Alexandra as they beat Blackpool. It wasn’t a completely full-strength Blackpool but they’re still in the Premier League. I wonder if Rhys’ parent club, Chelsea, will keep a clean sheet against Blackpool this season. It’s not impossible they won’t!
Neal Eardley, Rob Edwards and David Vaughan all played in Blackpool’s team at various times.

Chris Jones has left Grimsby Town by mutual consent after the club apparently got fed up with waiting for someone to buy him. He went out on loan to Neath last season so maybe he’ll go back there. I’d rather see him in a Blue Square Premier side beating Grimsby but maybe that’s too much to ask. And a bit mean to Grimsby.

Stuart Fleetwood was criticised by the Hereford Times for not getting a hat-trick in the home friendly against Swindon Town. Swindon won 4-1. Perhaps Stuart took this comment to heart because a hat-trick is exactly what he did get when Hereford thrashed Lydbrook 7-0. Truem, Lydbrook aren’t the best side in the world but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re easy to score hat-tricks against. I’m sure hat-tricks against better sides will follow. Ryan Green and Ryan Valentine also featured in this win.

Pre-season Friendlies (Part Two)

Bournemouth 1-1 Fulham
A great result for a side who have already lost to Tottenham Hotspur this pre-season (not that Tottenham are any good of course). Pre-season doesn’t always tell you anything but it will be a worry for Fulham after losing Roy Hodgson to Liverpool, a team who didn’t get as far in the Europa League as Fulham.
Joe Partington has been playing well for Bournemouth. Simon Davies was in Fulham’s team.

Burton Albion 0-1 Derby County
Robbie Savage played as a holding midfielder as his team Derby beat League Two Burton. New signing Gareth Roberts made his Derby debut.
Trialist Garyn Preen impressed Burton manager Paul Peschisolido. Tony James also played for Burton.

Carlisle United 0-3 Newcastle United
It was a good result for Newcastle but they need to do the same against bigger clubs than Carlisle if they want to stay in the Premier League.
Second-half substitute Jason Price could have got one back for Carlisle but he didn’t. He has had a calf problem so maybe it’s still troubling him.

Charlotte Eagles 0-3 Bolton Wanderers
Sam Ricketts was one of the only players to play the full match as Bolton beat Charlotte Eagles. He also gave an interview, which is something I like to see from Welsh players.

Cheltenham Town 5-0 Gloucester
Josh Low scored one of the goals as Cheltenham beat Gloucester City. Trialist Josh Klein-Davies was a half-time substitute. He got an assist and looks likely to be retained by Cheltenham.

Chorley 1-4 Preston North End
Craig Morgan, who has been given the No. 2 shirt at new club Preston, played the second half of this match but there was no sign of Paul Parry, who is recovering from injury but has played 45 minutes for Preston this pre-season.

Welsh Player News (Players on Trial)

Colchester United manager John Ward will make a decision this week on whether or not to keep any of his three trialists – one of whom is former Southampton midfielder Lloyd James. Lloyd played 45 minutes for Colchester in their 2-0 win over Dover Athletic and ever so nearly scored from a free kick. Lloyd said he would jump at the chance to join Colchester permanently.

Matthew Tipton is on trial at Bradford City. He was released by Macclesfield Town at the end of last season.

Trialists Garyn Preen played the whole of the second half in Burton Albion’s 2-1 win over Ilkeston Town. Burton manager Paul Peschisolido says he was impressed by all his trialists.

Josh Klein-Davies was one of seven players offered a trial at Cheltenham Town. Following a 0-0 draw with Leamington, he’s now one of four who remain in with a chance of signing for the club permanently. It’s a bit like Big Brother. Josh's goal against Cirencester can only help.

Trialist Will Richards impressed AFC Telford manager Andy Sinton in a late run-out as AFC Telford lost 2-0 to The New Saints. His chances of being signed look pretty good.

Jonathan North, who was released by Watford this summer, is on trial with Beaconsfield.

Lewis Price has joined Crystal Palace on trial. He was released by Derby County at the end of last season after spending the whole season with Brentford, mostly not playing.

Welsh Player News (Players on Trial)

Lloyd James, who was released by Southampton at the end of last season, is now training with Colchester United.

Arron Davies was expected to sign for Yeovil Town next season – he would have signed for them in January if the rules had allowed for it. But it seems he could be joining Peterborough United instead – Arron has travelled to Portugal with the Peterborough squad.

Garyn Preen is on trial at Burton Albion after being released by Southampton at the end of last season.

Josh Klein-Davies is on trial at Cheltenham Town. He spent last season with Weston-super-mare.

Peter Gilbert has left Northampton Town after his manager decided he’d just had enough. Peter had agreed a new contract but hadn’t signed it and Ian Sampson thought he was holding out for a better offer so he said fine, piss off and get a better offer, we don’t want you here. Which was a bit mean of him but there you go. Southend United jumped at the chance to sign someone decent.and Peter is expected to sign for them after their transfer embargo has been lifted. Technically Peter isn't on trial as such but neither is he officially a Southend player.

Will Richards, who was released by Shrewsbury Town when I wasn't looking, is on trial with AFC Telford.

Wales News

Southampton Reserves 3-0 Swansea City
Kayne McLaggon got an assist as Southampton thrashed Swansea. Ryan Doble replaced Kayne after 70 minutes with Garyn Preen coming off the bench fifteen minutes later.
However Swansea’s Welsh players had a lot less to be happy about. David Cornell played in goal Ashley Richards, Daniel Sheehan, Matty Collins, Scott Evans (replaced by Casey Thomas after 73 minutes) and Chad Bond also played with Daniel Alfei coming on after 73 minutes. Lee Lucas stayed on the bench. (At least, I think all these players played. I only saw their surnames so some of them could be other people.)