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SUMMARY

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Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Ave Att:
20	9	11	0	3,254

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Following on from the issue for the FCUM game in December 2015 which used a cover from a previous year this idea was brought in for all the issues in 2016/17. The montage here shows them all.

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NEW YEARS DAY SLIP – TWO VITAL POINTS DROPPED

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2017 started with a home game against Harrogate. We led 1-0 deep into the game, which a win meaning 6 victories on the bounce. Gary Stopforth passed the ball back, from around the halfway line, to keeper Ben Hinchliffe. It seemed to pick up pace. Hinchliffe, no doubt glancing up to see who was ready to receive it, took his eye off the ball. It skidded under his foot, and rolled into the back of the net. Two points chucked away and a deathly silence settled over EP, apart from the meagre following from North Yorkshire. As it turned out those two points cost us a place in the play-offs. Of course there are many other events during a season that lead to points dropped or gained, but reflecting back the New Years Day game was crucial.

After very little change in personnel over the first 5 months of the season we had a couple of new faces. Elliott Osborne, (who was to play an important role in the promotion campaign two years later, came on loan from Fleetwood; Kaine Felix, similarly on loan from York, and Connor Hampson, a left back, made the short trip from Curzon Ashton. Harry Brazel, after an outstanding individual performance for Winsford United at EP in a Cheshire Cup tie also signed as did Harry Winter, a strong midfield player.

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THE PLAY-OFFS JUST OUT OF REACH

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Gannon had fashioned a team which was very difficult to beat. There was only a single league defeat in the last 24 games of the season, (at Kidderminster), but far too many were drawn – 11 in total. It was very noticeable that come the final shake-up, 7 teams finished above us, and in the period from the mid-January we played them all, and only against Brackley did we come out on top. The other 6 featured 5 draws, (Fylde; Salford; Chorley; Darlington; and Halifax) to add to the defeat at Aggborough. It was obvious that we were nearly there but maybe just missing that little bit.

We did go into the last game, (against Gloucester at home), with a chance of getting into the playoffs, as it was increasingly likely that Darlington’s move to Blackwell Meadows had worked against them. The ground simply didn’t have the required seating capacity to qualify for promotion and they were excluded from the play-offs.. A huge crowd gathered for the Gloucester game 5,783, (a new record for Conference North / South). But in true County style, (and harking back 4 years to the time Dartford came to EP at the end of 2012/13), we froze on the day and a disappointing 1-1 draw consigned us to regional football for a 5th season. We finished 8th, and 15 points adrift of champions Fylde.

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BUILDING FOR 2017/18

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Shortly after the end of the season the retained list didn’t include six players. Kayode Odejayi had been a useful part of the squad, and John Marsden, after a bright start, had tailed away. Ryan Ellison, much hit by injuries had not made a single appearance in 2016/17; Mark Ross and Courtney Meppen-Walter had definitely fallen out of favour with Gannon, and Sefton Gonzales had proved as goalless in his second spell at EP as he had been in his first. Nobody would have begrudged Danny Lloyd a move upwards after some exhilarating displays and 29 goals. The move duly came as he left for Peterborough – sadly he was out of contract and County got no financial benefit from having resurrected his career.

With the departures came arrivals. The most interesting one for me was Matty Warburton. I had seen him many times playing for Curzon. I knew he was good on the ball, with a definite eye for goal. He was signed to replace the goals contributed by Lloyd, as was Jason Oswell, from the Welsh League, who came with an outstanding scoring record. Darren Stephenson, (so often a thorn in our side with his speedy forward play when at Chorley), came from Tranmere, together with Sam Walker who, having signed for Salford, gave back word and headed for EP. Another ex-Curzon man, I was pleased that we had got a quality midfield player.

Ben McKenna was another newcomer – someone who had played for a range of non-league clubs in the North West and West Yorkshire. Dan Cowan moved from Macclesfield. I had seen him on loan at Ashton United the previous season, and had been fairly impressed. He played as a centre back at Hurst Cross, but his time at EP was as a full back.

All in all the squad building gave us a lot of optimism for the campaign ahead.

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Back (l to r): Adam Etches; Darren Stephenson; Ian Ormson; Ben Hinchliffe; Connor Hampson; George West

Middle (l to r): Jordan Felgate, (goalkeeping coach); Mike Flynn, (Asst Mgr); Steve O’Halloran; Chris Smalley; Jimmy Ball: Jason Oswell; Adam Thomas; Harry Brazell; Richard Landon, (kitman); Nick McCarthy, (physio)

Front (l to r): Scott Duxbury; Sam Walker; Michael Clarke; Jim Gannon, (Manager); Harry Winter; Sam Minihan; Ben McKenna

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After a disappointing single goal reverse at Spennymoor to start the season off, (a game in which Warburton missed a penalty), there were 3 wins in the next 5 games. Oswell showed that he certainly knew the way to goal, and by early September had hit the target on 9 occasions. There then followed a pretty barren spell of 5 games, brightened only by a 6 goal hammering of Southport.

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FOLLOWING THE HATTERS FROM A HOSPITAL BED

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The home win over Curzon in the FA Cup brought a temporary end to my attendance, as I went into hospital a few days later. It was grim fare in that spell, I listened to a routine home win over a Ferriby side which had reached the heights, but as the Allam connection started to pull away were now in freefall. At the end of the season they were relegated, and having been placed in the Northern Premier League failed to complete the following season, being wound up well before the end of the campaign.

The following Saturday, devoid of any energy and strength, I listened again as we faced FCUM in the Cup. Mark was visiting me, and the game looked to be a canter as we went into a 3-0 half time lead. Jon Keighren informed us that Oswell had been replaced at half-time. I clearly remember saying to Mark that this was the usual Gannon, sitting on a lead. The second half sounded appalling as we conceded three, and it was a to be a replay at Broadhurst Park. Listening in to that that was even worse. FCUM went down to nine men with over half the game to play, and yet we still lost. It had sounded absolutely dreadful.

I made it back in time for the Chorley game in mid November. I was really heartened by the welcome I got from the guys who sit around me in the Main Stand. All asking how I was doing, and saying that while I’d been missed, in all truth I had missed very little of consequence. I missed 9 games, home and away, listened to them all and had come to the same conclusion. There had been but three wins in that time, and from what I had picked up there was going to have to be a significant change if a realistic promotion push was to be on the cards.

I managed to get back on the road for a couple of away games , (at Lancaster on a freezing cold day, and then a 5 minute drive for me to Curzon a couple of days before Christmas). It was good to be back watching, and I could only hope that the old adage that Gannon’s teams always improve in the second half of the season was going to be the case. We weren’t bad, and what we were seeing was a huge improvement on the first three seasons in the Conference North, but there unquestionably needed to be a step up.

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SUMMING UP 2017

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It had been a strange year for me. Six months of chemo; three weeks in isolation in hospital, and then recuperation at home. I missed a couple of months of the season, and with it 7 home games. After seeing all bar 6 of the previous 798 home games since missing the Wolves match back in September 1986, it was hugely strange having to listen on the radio. So, unique for me in many ways, and also unique that in all the years I have watched County I did not witness a single home defeat in a calendar year. The first and last time, (to date that is)!!

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Back to 2016 Forward to 2018 Home Games Summary Page Away Games 2017

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THE HOME GAMES I SAW THIS YEAR

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Day	Date	Competition	Tier / Round	Opponents	Res	F	A	Crowd	Home Game
Sun	01/01/17 (Highlights)	Vanarama National League North	Tier 6	Harrogate Town	D	1	1	3,725	1,033
Tue	07/01/17 (Highlights)	Cheshire Senior Cup	Round 1	Winsford United	W	4	3	326	1,034
Sat	14/01/17 (Highlights)	FA Trophy	Round 2	Brackley Town	D	1	1	1,605	1,035
Sat	21/01/17 (Highlights)	Vanarama National League North	Tier 6	Darlington 1883	D	3	3	3,649	1,036
Sat	18/02/17 (Highlights)	Vanarama National League North	Tier 6	FC United Of Manchester	W	2	1	5,630	1,037
Sat	04/03/17 (Highlights)	Vanarama National League North	Tier 6	Chorley	D	0	0	4,073	1,038
Sat	11/03/17 (Highlights)	Vanarama National League North	Tier 6	Curzon Ashton	W	3	1	3,495	1,039
Sat	25/03/17 (Highlights)	Vanarama National League North	Tier 6	Tamworth	W	2	1	3,349	1,040
Sat	01/04/17 (Highlights)	Vanarama National League North	Tier 6	Nuneaton Town	D	1	1	3,416	1,041
Fri	14/04/17 (Highlights)	Vanarama National League North	Tier 6	AFC Telford United	D	1	1	4,261	1,042
Sat	29/04/17 (Highlights)	Vanarama National League North	Tier 6	Gloucester City	D	1	1	5,783	1,043
Tue	08/08/17 (Highlights)	Vanarama National League North	Tier 6	Curzon Ashton	W	3	0	3,002	1,044
Sat	12/08/17 (Highlights)	Vanarama National League North	Tier 6	Harrogate Town	D	2	2	3,107	1,045
Sat	26/08/17 (Highlights)	Vanarama National League North	Tier 6	Gainsborough Trinity	W	1	0	3,006	1,046
Sat	02/09/17 (Highlights)	Vanarama National League North	Tier 6	Bradford Park Avenue	D	0	0	3,018	1,047
Sat	16/09/17 (Highlights)	FA Cup	Qualifying Round 2	Curzon Ashton	W	1	0	1,922	1,048
Sat	18/11/17 (Highlights)	Vanarama National League North	Tier 6	Chorley	D	1	1	3,674	1,049
Sat	25/11/17 (Highlights)	FA Trophy	Qualifying Round 3	Southport	D	2	2	1,215	1,050
Sat	09/12/17 (Highlights)	Vanarama National League North	Tier 6	Spennymoor Town	W	3	2	3,379	1,051
Tue	26/12/17 (Highlights)	Vanarama National League North	Tier 6	Alfreton Town	W	1	0	3,453	1,052