Acklam Football Club
2007/2008 Season's Report
Fixtures Final League Table Player Profiles
Results Appearances Top Scorers Man of the Match
What a season, this squad just gets better and better. After winning the fifth division last season we started this season by saying we would find it a lot harder to repeat. Well that’s what we thought anyway, we started with a great 7-1 victory away to St Francis who had just been relegated from the third division and followed this with back to back wins over Trimdon and Bishop Auckland St Mary’s both of whom were established fourth division sides. During this time we had also progressed in the League Cup by beating Heighington, Grangetown in a very one sided performance and second division TIBS on penalties. Next up was a North Riding Cup game away to Brotton which would be our biggest test yet, on a very windy day we went 3-0 up with the help of the wind and dug deep to hold on after Brotton pulled one back and then missed a dubious penalty. This was a great result but little did we know was not going to be the highlight of our season.
Two more victories in the league kept up our 100% record. We were then drawn at home in the League Cup to Norton & Stockton Ancients who were most peoples favourites to lift the first division title. A massive crowd had turned up in the rain with scouts representing Middlesbrough Sunderland and Darlington also in attendance. We conceded a very early goal and most teams might have caved in under the intense pressure Norton were applying, but not us. We levelled and took the game to our first division opponents. Norton scored again but the fighting spirit we were showing was fantastic. Then we scored 3 times without reply to make the score 4-2 and even a late Norton goal was not going to stop us having our day as we ran out winners 4-3
Judging by the phone calls I received after this game we had certainly made the whole of the Under 13 league sit up and take notice of us now. The week later we beat Teesside Athletic also of the first division 4-2 in the North Riding Cup and finished the last league game before Christmas with an emphatic 7-0 victory over Middleton
The New Year kicked off with a very disappointing North Riding defeat at first division Redcar Town ‘A’. The lads reacted to this by keeping up their 100% record in the league as we played one week and then would be called off the week later due to the weather, not great when you are trying to keep your performance levels up.
Marton FC were our next opponents in the semi final of the league cup and again this game was played in front of a big crowd. We took the lead and had we converted another when the ball was cleared off the line I’m sure we would of gone on to take a bigger scalp than before, but full credit to Marton they deserved their place in the final at our expense. So with just the league left to play for we were more determined than ever that we were going to win something this season.
We won a very close game away to TSC 1-0. Promotion was achieved when we won 6-1 away to Brompton and then beat another title rival in Grangetown 4-3
The rearranged home fixture with TSC was to be played during the school holidays so we ended up playing them with only ten men due to holidays and injuries. But yet another fantastic team performance of guts and courage and a late goal gave us a 1-0 victory to earn us the title. We finished our last 3 games with 3 victories that enabled us to finish the season with a 100% record of played 18 won 18 this is a magnificent achievement at any level of football
P W D L F A Pts Gd
18 18 0 0 120 16 54 +104
We have had a fantastic season both on and off the pitch and I would like to say a very big thank you to a number of people, Andy Lane for all the hard work he put in to the grant application which has given us a sound base from which to build the club up, all the players of Acklam FC will benefit from this. As some of will know we have started an Under 9’s team for next season and without this grant this would not have been possible so thanks Andy. Coaches Shaun and Daniel for their help all season at matches and training, you don’t realise how much this has helped me and I thank you so much. Angie Lane for all the hard work she does behind the scenes and whenever I need something organising she is always the first to offer. To all the parents who help out taking down the nets you know who you are. To my wife Suzanne for all her help and support she has given me. People don’t realise how much time it actually takes to run a junior football team and sometimes to the detrimental effect to my own family so without Suzanne’s support none of this would be possible. Finally the players who have given me the most memorable season I have ever had in all my time in junior football, I have been connected with some good sides over the years but you are by far the best all round footballing side I have ever had the pleasure to work with. I will never get sick of saying this, you truly deserve to be called
“CHAMPIONS”
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