The Cambridge City manager, Gary Roberts, gave credit to Hereford United for the way the Bulls approached the game last night.
He singled out Ryan Green as one of Hereford's best players "who gives them a lot of pace."
The manager was pleased with the efforts of his side "to compete with the likes of (Hereford) and run them so close."
Meanwhile Graham Turner, the Hereford United manager told the press after the game:
"It was just as tough as we expected after having them watched.
"I would have settled for the draw before Jon Brady scored such a great goal for us.
"We are having a mediocre season in the league and getting through to the next round will give everybody a huge lift."
The crowd was disappointing with only 1166 through the gate. The Hereford support was said to be 191.
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Friday, November 04, 2005
Cambridge Manager praises Bulls
Bailey returns to Crewe
Matt Bailey is understood to have returned to Crewe.
Hereford United supporters were told the news by goal-keeping coach Bernard Day at Cambridge City last night.
The reasons for the return were not disclosed.
Bailey came to Hereford just in time for the Aldershot game on September 27th. Graham Turner worked him hard as he took some part in virtually every game from that date.
Whilst with the Bulls he was only on the losing side once, that was against Accrington Stanley.
Bulls through to second round
Hereford United's Jon Brady netted late on as the Bulls progress to the FA Cup second round, courtesy of a 1-0 victory at Cambridge City.
Brady struck 12 minutes from time against the Nationwide South outfit.
As always, Bulls News will have a full report and reaction later.
The draw for the second round of the Cup will be made at 3pm tomorrow (Sunday) on BBC TV and Sky Sports. Look out for ball number 22 which has been given to Hereford.
Last night the Bulls picked up £16,000 for winning the tie. The next round is worth £24,000 provided Hereford go through.
Foster Leaves The Lawn
Former Bull Ian Foster is to leave Forest Green Rovers after agreeing to the cancellation of his contract due to long term injury. The former Liverpool trainee joined FGR in the summer, but never player a competitive match for his new side.
Another long-term injury victim to depart the Conference is Exeter defender Barry McConnell who joins Bath City on non-contract terms. McConnell, who has spent 10 years at St James Park after joining from Weston, has missed over 12 months of football and was on a month to month deal as he tried to prove his fitness. However, budget constraints appear to have led to his departure after nearly 200 appearances.
Jake Sedgemore, who had a brief stay at Edgar Street in 2001, has signed on loan for Burton from Bury. He helped Shrewsbury win the Conference in 2004 after first working for then manager Jimmy Quinn at Northwich, and joined Bury in the summer but has failed to hold down a place.
Port Vale Sign Striker
The Bulls LDV opponents have signed Torquay striker Leon Constantine on loan with a view to a permanent £20,000 move in January.
However, the player will not be eligible for the LDV match between the two sides as he was a last-minute substitute in Torquay's 3-1 home defeat to Swansea in the last round.
Port Vale could be short of bodies for the LDV game - they have two other loanee's, Gary Mulligan and Chris Cornes, both unavailable for their FA Cup game as the loaning clubs don't want the players cup-tied. Cornes will be especially missed, having scored four goals in the last four games. They have also lost Captain Sam Collins to Hull City on loan after the player asked to go to the higher graded side.
Fairclough Finalises Belgium Squad
Paul Fairclough has named the final squad for the European Challenge Trophy match in Belgium on November 15th.
Both Tamika Mkandawire and Danny Carey-Bertram are included in the 16 man squad, but both are likely to be withdrawn if tonight's FA Cup match requires a replay as it will clash with the England fixture.
Squad in full:
Goalkeepers: Ryan Robinson (Morecambe), Paul Jones (Exeter).
Defenders: David Perkins (Morecambe), Chris Blackburn (Morecambe), Tamika Mkandawire (Hereford),Kieran Charnock (Northwich), Ronnie Henry (Stevenage).
Midfielders: Carl Baker (Southport), Tyrone Thompson (Halifax), Karl Murray (Woking), Ian Craney (Accrington), George Boyd (Stevenage).
Strikers: Andrew Bishop (York), Daniel Carey-Bertram (Hereford), Dennis Oli (Grays), Jamie Slabber (Grays).
Dunbavin Sacked By Halifax
Following his second conviction for drink driving, Halifax have sacked Goalkeeper Ian Dunbavin.
Former Liverpool trainee Dunbavin, 25, was virtually an ever present in the side after signing from Shrewsbury in the summer of 2004, but was dropped from the side after being charged just weeks after regaining his licence.
39 year old Goalkeeping Coach Lee Butler was called into the side after retiring from professional football in January 2001, and will continue in goal until a replacement for Dunbavin can be found.
Thursday, November 03, 2005
Team News: Cambridge City vs Bulls
Cambridge will be without prolific striker Dave Sadler (hamstring) for the visit of the Bulls. The striker has missed two months and is still undergoing tests, but Cambridge will have tried and tested goalscorers in their line up with 11 goal striker Paul Booth and freescoring midfielder Mark Molesley both likely to start despite niggling injuries. Dale Binns and Robbie Simpson will also bolster their attack as they both return to full fitness.
The Bulls travel to Cambridgeshire again without Adam Stansfield and Stacy Coldicott. Stansfield is likely to return to full training next week, while Coldicott's return date is still uncertain. Simon Travis will travel with the squad but is unlikely to feature, and Guy Ipoua is tipped to start after coming off the bench in the last four matches. Darren Blewitt was withdrawn at Kidderminster with a hamstring strain and is unlikely to be risked with both Alex Jeannin and Ryan Green expected to return to the full back roles - a move that will return Rob Purdie to a more forward role, probably at the expense of either Jamie Pitman or Craig Stanley.
Match Odds (bet365): Cambridge 2/1, Draw 9/4, Hereford 11/10.
Top Scorer Booth poses threat to Bulls
Paul Booth has already hit six goals in four FA Cup games this season - including a hat-trick in the third qualifying round against Hitchin - and he will spearhead Cambridge City's attack against Hereford United at Milton Road according to the Cambridge Evening News.
Booth was signed from Welling last summer and has never played beyond the first round. However he is said to be confident that his side can make it to the second round.
"It is sometimes good to be the underdog in these games. We have to show them respect because they have a bigger squad and they are a full-time club, so they should be fitter. But in the FA Cup it comes down to which team is up for it," said Booth.
"It's a big game for the club, but we haven't spoken about it too much because it's important that we are relaxed when we go out there.
"Having said that, I've been thinking about the game a lot this week and I'm sure the other lads have as well. Everyone will be up for it."
The striker does not expect the difference in league status to play a big part on Friday night.
"I think they will appreciate how good our pitch is and will try to play football, which should suit us. Sometimes in our league you have to win the battle first before you can start playing, but hopefully they will play an open game and we can hit them on the counter-attack," he continued.
Ball No 22 has been allocated to the winner of the game for the draw for the next round of the Cup.
Latest betting fron Skybet for the game:
Cambridge City 9/4 Draw 9/4 Hereford evens
Turner explains why bank balance is down
In his weekly article in the Hereford Times, Graham Turner has revealed that the bank account at Hereford United is down by around £45,000 since the start of the season.
"The first thing the floating supporter does is look at our league position. If we are up in the top two or three they come, if we are halfway they don't," said Turner.
"Our gates are down this season, which reflects the league position.
"We have a higher proportion of season ticket holders this season than ever so that money taken in the summer has to be ring fenced to pay day to day running costs throughout the season."
Ipoua may start tomorrow says Turner
Guy Ipoua could start for the Bulls tomorrow evening in the FA Cup tie with Cambridge City.
Graham Turner gave this news to BBC Hereford and Worcester earlier today. He also spoke about Adam Stansfield's road to recovery from his hernia operation.
"He set his sights on returning next week. I think that might be a week too early.
"He's started joining in with the rest of the players. And should be able to contend with physical contact probably the middle of next week.
"So seven or eight days training where he is getting used to the physical side of it, again the physical contact, I think he will be ready for consideration.
Mainly Dry for Cambridge Game
Latest forecasts are saying that it should be dry at Cambridge City tomorrow evening for the FA Cup game against Hereford United.
Whilst there has been quite heavy rain in Herefordshire over the past few days, Cambridgeshire has escaped the worst and so the ground should not be in bad condition.
Bulls supporters will be hoping for a dry evening as they will be watching the game in the open.
Hereford Times reports on Foregate St
The following report appears on the Hereford Times website:
HEREFORD United fans and police clashed on Saturday when tempers became frayed at Worcester Foregate Street Station after the Bulls' 1-1 draw at Kidderminster.
About 200 fans travelling home from the match were shepherded on to one train at Kidderminster and ordered to stay on the platform at Worcester and wait for the connecting train.
"We wanted to keep the fans together and we didn't want them heading off into Worcester. Many had been drinking and there has been trouble in the past when large groups of supporters have headed into the town," said Insp Sean Boyle, from the British Transport Police.
"At Foregate Street, my 14 officers were joined by some from West Mercia to form a cordon on the platform, which came under pressure from fans.
"There was a lot of pushing and shoving, the line was getting pushed back and we were in danger of getting knocked over benches on the platform, which could have hurt both police and supporters. A West Mercia officer used CS spray to de-escalate the situation."
But many fans maintain the use of CS spray was uncalled for.
"This was my first away match and I will not go again. There were no problems before, during or after the match. It was uncalled for," said Mike Long.
"There were small children, teenage girls and people of over 60 who can't walk properly there."
Keith Norgrove from Martley said: "There was a minor push and I saw an officer with his CS gas poised.
"He let it go and a young lad in front of me went down like a sack of potatoes in pain."
West Mercia say they have received three complaints. One was resolved locally to the satisfaction of the complainant and no further action will be taken. The other two are ongoing.
Michael Vockin from West Mercia said: "Police briefly used CS spray to control disruptive fans."
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Prices for LDV Game with Vale
Admission prices for Hereford United's LDV Northern Section second round match have been announced.
The game with Port Vale takes place on Tuesday November 22nd with a 7.45pm kick-off.
It will cost just £8 for the Merton Meadow end. Concessions will be charged £4.
For a seat the charge will be £10, with Concessions at £5.
It has also been announced that the Port Vale captain, Sam Collins, has joined Hull on loan with immediate effect.
This follows the player's request to enter into discussions with interested Championship clubs.
As a result, according to the Offical Port Vale Website, the club felt that it had no alternative, but to accede to the player's request to go on loan at this time.
It is thought that Collins will now miss the LDV game at Edgar Street.
Bulls Sign Knurek
Hereford have signed Darren Knurek as back-up Goalkeeper for the FA Cup tie at Cambridge City.
Knurek, 18, is the reserve keeper at Evesham United and has played four times for Evesham this season. He replaced Karl Lewis at Evesham and now as the backup keeper for Hereford after Lewis moved to Rugby Town. Knurek is a former Worcestershire county player.
Journal Reports On Foregate St
The following is reported by Colin Osborne in the Hereford Journal:
Football fans returning from Saturday's Hereford United game against Kidderminster have hit out at the use of CS spray by Police on a crowded platform at Worcester Foregate Street railway station.
Police say they were called to deal with a disturbance "involving a number of troublemaking football supporters returning to Hereford" - but fans say there was no trouble, and that they had travelled on the train alongside regular passengers and shoppers.
"There were a few hundred people on the platform and there were some protests from people who wanted to leave the station to get buses," said John Baggott, a native of Hereford who was returning to Liverpool, "but Foregate Street itself was closed off by Police, and suddenly everyone was affected by CS spray."
"I saw people with their eyes streaming, other people were vomiting on the platform and many were screaming for water.
"The police action was unjustified. I cannot understand why it happened and I think the police lost the plot."
Another fan, Jason Hicks, told the Journal: "The spray was potent and even affected us as we were still on the train. I saw people on the platform kneeling down and gasping for air."
One fan who ended up in Hereford's County Hospital on Saturday night was barman Mike Long, who went to work in the evening until he began to feel "worse and worse": "I got really worried when I began to cough up blood. It frightened the living daylights out of me, so I went straight to the hospital A&E department, where I was told I still had fumes on my lungs. I was detained for an hour.
"I originally felt the effects of the CS spray on the platform where I saw two people unconscious on the floor" he said.
Worcester police spokesman Michael Vockins said CS spray had been used "to control some of the more disruptive fans." Fans were moved down a steep staircase leading from one platform to another on opposite sides of the station: "Fans were pushing and there was a fear that people might be pushed and injured in falling. There was a very limited use of spray on a few people - it was certainly not sprayed over a whole group." he maintained.
In the Opinion section of the Journal letters page, the correspondent questions the need for use when no arrests were made.
Another report from the Worcester Standard
The Worcester Standard has published a second article on last Saturday's trouble at Foregaste Street.
HEREFORD United supporters have slammed Worcester Police for using CS spray on them as they waited at Foregate Street station on Saturday.
United fans contacted The Standard in force on Monday and Tuesday in a response to a story we broke on our website about incidents which happened at the station as Hereford fans made their way home from their side's game at Kidderminster Harriers.
The police said they used CS spray to keep order and to maintain public safety. They also labelled the Hereford fans as hooligans and said their behaviour at Foregate Street while they waited for a connecting train at about 6pm was deplorable.
However, Hereford supporters have told The Standard they were well behaved but were treated like "animals" by officers.
One supporter said fans were sick on the platform as a consequence of inhaling the CS spray while another told us he was coughing up blood a few hours later.
Fans have also said they were not allowed to depart at the Droitwich, Evesham or Shrub Hill stations despite claiming they had tickets showing they had boarded at them earlier in the day.
A West Mercia Police spokesperson said the force had received three complaints in relation to events at Foregate Street on Saturday, one of which has now been resolved.
"Investigations into the other two complaints are ongoing and we will be making no further comment at this time," she said.
The Standard has requested a viewing of any footage police may have taken at the station but at the time of going to press we had received no response.
- Were you at Foregate Street station on Saturday at about 6pm? If so, please contact The Standard's newsdesk on 01905 726200
Turner Talks To Evening News
Graham Turner spoke to the Worcester Evening News about the Bulls' injury problems:
"There's some decent, well-organised sides in the Conference. It's not flowing for us, we're not creating a lot of opportunities or scoring many goals, so we have to hang in there until it turns."
"We've been disrupted a little bit by absentees but we've been solid at the back all season. However, our goalscoring record has been quite poor and that's the reason why we're half-way up the table instead of being in the top three or four."
"Guy (Ipoua) started the season off with three goals in three games and then got his injury. He looks like he needs more training yet, he's lacking a bit of fitness. But we have him to get fully fit and we've got Adam to come back. At the start of the season, I would have put my money on Adam getting 20 goals. He did last season, he's a goalscorer."
"There's no doubt we've missed him so there is something to look forward to when we get players fit again."
Conference News Round-Up
York are lining up moves for two new players in their promotion push. New Zealand international midfielder Leo Bertos played and scored for York reserves after being released from non-contract terms at Chester and defender Tony Crane is also in manager Billy McEwan's sights, with the Grimsby defender being told he can leave Blundell Park. Cambridge have signed teenage defender Adam Davies to a long term contract after impressing in early season performances with the deal running til June 2008. Manager Rob Newman is using the gap between league matches to give trials to five un-named players in various positions after he twice threatened to make changes to his squad. Most of the Cambridge side are still on short term deals, and after the initial threat three players were replaced swiftly. Kidderminster have moved the Xmas Eve match with Burton to the day before (7.45pm kick off). Exeter are hoping to sign trialist Danny Woodards to a permanent contract. The 22 year old ex-Chelsea defender impressed during last week's 3-0 win over Tamworth, but manager Alex Inglethorpe is struggling to find the cash in the budget for a long term deal.
Live Commentary from Cambridge Game
It has been confirmed that there will be live commentary on BBC Radio Cambridgeshire on the Cambridge/Hereford FA Cup game on Friday evening.
It will also be streamed online.
Meanwhile the referee for the game will be Mr D Whitestone from Northampton.
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Preview: Cambridge City vs Bulls
A first meeting for 12 years between these two old rivals from Southern League days sees the Bulls travel to The City Ground. The two clubs share many parallels - both were non-league giants in the 60's, and both had skirmishes with bankruptcy in the early 80's. In that last meeting, a Chris Pike effort seperated the sides in a muddy encounter.
Cambridge City's rise into the professional ranks and fall back out nearly took just 29 years. After abandoning amateur status in 1958, they won the Southern League Premier Division title in 1963 over their city rivals - one of eight times in twelve seasons they outranked their local rivals, but almost returned to amateur status in 1977 as falling gates, relegation, and rising costs threatened their existence. The club were forced to sell off large parts of the Milton Road site to developers to cover debts. They returned to the top flight of the Southern League in 1986 and remained there until the reorganisation of the leagues moved them to the Conf South last season, where they finished runners-up to a rampant Grays side. This season they lie 11th, with 18 points, drawing last Saturday 1-1 with fourth placed Havant & Waterlooville.
The Bulls travel to Cambridgeshire hoping for more luck than in August - when the trip to Cambridge United's Abbey Stadium yielded no points, and a motorway crash stopped many fans from getting to the ground. Having scraped through the last round on penalties, the Bulls will not be counting any chickens until the final whistle is blown. The Bulls will be hoping that the first free midweek in a month will have eased their injury problems. Ryan Green's niggling knee injury will have benefited from two weeks rest, and Alex Jeannin will return from suspension. Adam Stansfield, Simon Travis, and Stacy Coldicott will remain sidelined, but Guy Ipoua's steady return to fitness will give the attack an experienced edge alongside four fit strikers with less than 50 senior starts between them.
Scarboro Confirm Redfearn As New Boss
Scarboro have made caretaker boss Neil Redfearn the permanent manager after just one match.
Redfearn has been handed a 12 month rolling contract, with Eric Winstanley continuing as his assistant. Chairman Malcolm Reynolds believes Redfearn and the experienced Winstanley are the right pair for the job, and has confirmed that funds may be available to strengthen the squad.
Directions for Cambridge
Although a Friday evening kick-off has made the likely Hereford United support somewhat less than if the game had been played on the Sunday, there will still be an exodus out of the Hereford area around mid-afternoon.
For those intending to travel to the City Ground here are the directions to the ground kindly supplied by Cambridge City.
From the A14, follow signs for Cambridge A1307. This will take you down Huntingdon Road. Continue to follow this road until you reach a major traffic light controlled junction with a Texaco garage on your left.
Turn left, and follow the road through the lights and into Victoria Road (A1134). Continue along this road going past a Chinese take-away (The Yumee) on your right and Blockbuster video shop on your left. At the bottom of this road you will reach a large round-a-bout (although it does not look like one) with a large shop on it (Staples). Enter and keep left and go past the Portland Arms Pub on your left. Carry on for 100yards and the entrance to the ground is on your left, opposite Tommy Tuckers take-away.
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire will be at Milton Road on Friday afternooon to present several hours of programmes before and during City's home game against Hereford United in the 1st Round of the FA Cup. However it has not yet been confirmed whether there will be live commentary on the game. Cost may be a factor as according to Malcolm Boyden of BBC H&W it costs £1,000 to provide commentary on a FA Cup game.
Meanwhile Cambridge City have been handed a boost ahead of their clash against the Bulls with confirmation that goalkeeper Danny Naisbitt will stay for the rest of the season.
The former AFC Wimbledon stopper joined initially for one month on a non-contract basis, but he has agreed a permanent deal with the Lilywhites and is due to sign a contract tomorrow.
Worcester News report of events at station
This report is from the Worcester News.
ANGRY football fans have hit out at West Mercia Police for using CS spray on crowds penned in at a city train station this weekend.
Spray was used by at least one officer when about 200 Hereford United supporters were taken off a train to change at Foregate Street after a local derby played against Kidderminster Harriers.
Platform gates had been locked to prevent crowds spilling on to Worcester's streets during their hour-wait for the connecting train. But police have defended their actions and branded some of those involved as hooligans.
A spokesman said the spray was used to prevent further disturbance and possible injury to bystanders, other commuters or the fans themselves.
"The behaviour of a small number of trouble-making fans was deplorable, and our prime concern was to ensure the safety of other rail travellers and members of the public, and to ensure that the problems created by these hooligans did not spread to other area," he added.
But supporters said the move was an overreaction. Fan John Baggott, aged 46, told the Worcester News he was surprised by the actions of the police.
"A few people were verbally abusing police but most people were just stuck there. All of our eyes were streaming and people were vomiting when the spray covered us.
"The worst thing was that it was mainly families of supporters and people who had nothing to do with the football and had just been shopping."
Hereford United's official forum site was full of messages from shocked and angry supporters.
One entry, entitled Foregate Street Fiasco, read: "CS spray was used with no proper warning and without any real need. They were using it like a water pistol."
About 20 officers were waiting at the station from West Mercia and the British Transport Police when the incident began. A spokeswoman for West Mercia Police said three complaints had been made.
"One of those complaints has now been resolved locally to the satisfaction of the complainant and no further action will be taken," she said.
"An investigation on the other two complaints is ongoing and it wouldn't be appropriate to comment further at this time."
No arrests were made at the station.
TNS To Rename After Takeover
Sky Soccer Saturday's host Jeff Stelling famously said "They'll be dancing in the streets of Total Network Solutions tonight!"
Nearly ten years of TNS ownership of the Llansantffraid side will come to a close in the summer after BT bought TNS in a undisclosed multi-million pound deal. TNS owner Mike Harris will remain in charge of both the Telecoms side and the demerged Football Club, with BT becoming owners of the telecoms business.
The original 1997 merger saw Harris's TNS buy Llansantffraid FC and Oswestry Town and merge the two together at Llansantffraid's Treflan ground. The side will be renamed Llansantffraid and Oswestry Town FC and will move to a new 3,000 seat ground in Oswestry in the summer, with the Treflan site being used for the reserves and youth sides.
TNS are currently top of the Welsh Premier, unbeaten and eight points clear of their nearest rivals.
Dunbavin Guilty Of Drink Driving
Halifax goalkeeper Ian Dunbavin was convicted yesterday of Drink Driving for the second time.
Dunbavin, 25, had only recently returned from a 20 month driving ban for the same offence in early 2004 before he joined Halifax, and has now been given a 3 year ban from driving plus a £700 fine after being caught with an alcohol level of twice the legal limit.
Halifax officials are meeting today to discuss the keeper's future with the club. Chris Clarke was convicted of the same offence whilst playing for Halifax last season but the club kept the punishment inhouse, though the player departed the Shay in the summer when his contract expired.
Standard promises further article
The Worcester Standard has withdrawn the article which appeared on its website yesterday. The article has been criticised for not giving the supporters side of events.
The Editor of the paper, James Iles, has given Bulls News the following statement:
As it now appears that there is more to this story than was first portrayed to us we have withdrawn what was a "breaking news" story from the internet so that we can work on a more complete view of events to be run in the printed version of our paper this Thursday.
A more in-depth report is being compiled for the edition which we are now gathering together from various sources including several of your fellow Hereford supporters who have been contacting us complaining about their handling by the police.
We are also, obviously, putting these complaints to the police and have asked for a response. I expect a complete version of the story will go on our website by Thursday in line with our publication day.
Westley Fires Back At Elding
Stevenage manager Graham Westley, clearly irate at more problems with star striker Anthony Elding told the official Stevenage website: "I've talked too much about Anthony this season. It is boring me now"
"Anthony has made it quite clear to me since the summer that he wants to move elsewhere. And he has consistently behaved accordingly. We have moved from one silly spat to the next. Simply because he has been offered moves elsewhere and he wants to go and, in his words, better himself. I have made it clear from day one that he will not be leaving and that he is required to play to his best and contribute to our promotion. Kid?s play will simply continue to damage his reputation."
"It was only months ago that Anthony was thanking myself, the club and the fans for helping him to resurrect his career after his problems at Boston.A lot of people have helped him here and life is a two way street."
"There are two things; firstly, he is a contracted player to Stevenage Borough F.C. And secondly, he is required to honour that contract. Honour is an important word."
"Fortunately, we are not called Mickey Mouse and we do not need to give in to a misbehaving player."
"Whoever is pulling Anthony's strings should wake up and smell the coffee. It is not helping Anthony that he is carrying on as he is. It is one bit of petulance after the next.
I have no desire to see him leave but in any event, he will not be leaving until his contract expires. Full stop. That said, he will not be playing for us unless he toes the line and proves to me that he can be trusted to play with his heart for our club, his team, his fans and me, his manager. All of which I know he is capable of. But none of which he is doing right now."
"I am sure that this latest situation has blown up just because Jon Nurse has been preferred to him in attack in the last two games and he cannot see himself winning back his shirt.I think he is looking for an excuse for not being in the team. I am sure in the future he will look back on talk of asking for a loan as embarrassing. Knuckle down, work hard and earn a shirt, I say. Kids sulk; adults should know better; professionals act professionally. We are talking Elding not Drogba and even Drogba only gets a shirt when he earns it."
"Anthony is young. But he is talented and he is capable of learning. It is no good hanging onto the past. He has to show commitment and professionalism. And he needs to stop listening to the 'voices'; because they are destroying him not helping him. He thinks that he is okay because League Two clubs want him. If he listened and concentrated he could be moving into the Championship. But no big club will want to introduce a bad attitude."
Westley was backed up fully by skipper Jason Goodliffe who said, "The lads like Anthony. He is a funny bloke. He is popular in the dressing room. But he has let himself down with his conduct this season. The manager has treated him with respect and done his absolute best, more than you can imagine, to guide him forwards. Anthony has just behaved selfishly and has forgotten the help he has had here. He wasn't in demand when he arrived. But he has been developed. All of us have helped him in all sorts of ways. And he seems to be forgetting to say thank you."
"He needs to knuckle down and get on with the season before it passes him by. Otherwise any club that is thinking about him as a serious prospect will soon start to consider him to be a liability."
Westley Named Manager Of The Month
Stevenage boss Graham Westley has been named Conference Manager Of The Month for October. Stevenage recorded four wins in five games during the month.
Former Bull Phil Robinson won the Conference North award for Stafford, while Adrian Pennock won the award in Conference South with Welling for the second month running.
Taylor Given Leave By Tamworth
Tamworth have allowed striker Bob Taylor two weeks leave following his conviction last week for drink driving. The statement on the official Tamworth site reads:
Tamworth Football Club has given striker Bob Taylor two weeks off to deal with personal issues after the player was convicted of drink driving last Friday.Taylor was fined and banned by magistrates last week, and was left out of the squad for last Saturday's Nationwide Conference game at Exeter City because he was not mentally ready for the game.
Chairman Bob Andrews, Team Manager Mark Cooper and General Manager Russell Moore held a meeting with Taylor on Monday morning and it was agreed that Taylor should be given time away from the club to deal with his problems.The club has offered support to Taylor but it has been made clear to the player that Tamworth FC does not condone drink driving and will not accept serious breaches of the club's code of conduct.Taylor knows he has let his family, the club and the supporters down, and has apologised. He has also assured the club there will be no repeat.
Tamworth FC hope that in two weeks time Taylor will be fit, mentally and physically, to return to action and play an important part in the club's Conference campaign.
However, a later report for the icBirmingham (Birmingham Mail) website suggests Taylor was sent home on Saturday morning after turning up the worse for wear, and was later spotted drinking with Tamworth supporters before the game.