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New stand boost for Bower Fold

30/12/2002

SOCCER: Stalybridge Celtic have announced plans to improve the Bower Fold stadium.

Work is due to start early in the new year on a 600-seater cantilever stand to replace the covered seating on the bird sanctuary side of the Mottram Road ground.

A grant of £340,000 has been secured from the Football Foundation Sports Stadia fund, the largest single amount ever handed out to a sporting body in Tameside.

Celtic were able to secure this figure because of their Conference status and, because the funding bid was made last season, it was treated as a Conference application.

The money was initially earmarked to provide a new stand and a replacement floodlighting system - the current lights are 30 years old - but these plans have been modified.

Speaking at a fans' forum at Bower Fold, ground director Gerald Crossley revealed that 'soft ground conditions' meant an extra £45,000 was required for the stand ground works and the funding body had agreed to an amendment to the grant bid, effectively switching this money from the floodlights bid to the stand.

"The floodlights will still be replaced, but not in the way we initially envisaged," said Mr Crossley.

Celtic chairman Peter Dennerly also revealed that the club had reached an agreement with FX Leisure to develop a health and fitness club in the Bower Fold car park.

This scheme will replace the aborted plan with Cannons and will be a much smaller development.

Mr Dennerly said: "It will be a significant development for Stalybridge Celtic and while not as financially rewarding as the Cannons deal, it will remove the institutional debt which we have been tackling for a number of years."

The club is also planning to develop the empty former Grays nightclub into an office block, in partnership with a development company, said financial director Peter Fenton, who has been involved in negotiations for a development at the Joe Jackson end of the stadium.

Preliminary talks have been held with Tameside College - which already uses the banqueting rooms at Bower Fold for evening IT classes - to make a joint bid for funding for educational facilities which, on matchdays, will double as club facilities.

Team manager Dave Miller gave Celtic fans the Christmas present they most wanted when he revealed that on-loan defender Earl Davis has been secured for another month.

The strapping Burnley man, who has become a cult hero with Celtic, has formed a great partnership with ex-Chesterfield stopper Greg Pearce.

Celtic have won every game since Davis was recruited to replace the injured Terry Bowker.

FORMER Hyde United manager Gordon Hill took the philosophical approach after hearing of his sacking last Friday morning.

Hill, the former Manchester United and England playing star, was replaced by Steve Waywell barely two months after himself replacing Dave Nolan.

Hill told the Advertiser: "That's the way it goes, that's football I suppose.

"In this game you live and die by your results, and unfortunately they speak for themselves (Hill didn't managed a single UniBond league victory during his short stay at Ewen Fields).

"Yesterday's performance against Stalybridge Celtic was very good in parts, but we lost again and at the end of the day the buck stops at my door.

"It's been quite an amicable parting, it's been very difficult but I wish the new manager and everyone at Hyde all the best for the future."

Hill concluded by saying that he now hopes to focus more of his time on his sports lecturing at Macclesfield College, but he is also determined to 'keep in touch' with the local semi-professional soccer scene.

ASHTON United have had a great first season in the top flight of the UniBond league, but club chairman Terry Styring would welcome plans for change should his Conference counterparts get their way in the new year.

The Nationwide Conference clubs are preparing to go to the FA with plans for either a national Conference division two or two northern and southern divisions below the top flight, should there be enough interest from UniBond, Dr Martens and Ryman league clubs.

With 69 teams in those three feeder leagues, Conference club bosses are hoping to attract either 22 clubs to enter division two or 44 to contest the two regional divisions.

The idea has been mooted previously, but it still looks unlikely to proceed as the FA rejected a proposal less than a year ago.

If plans were given the OK this time around though, clubs like Ashton, Stalybridge Celtic, Droylsden and Hyde United would be required to resign from their leagues by February 28, 2003.

Robins boss Styring said: "I've always been ambitious and I want Ashton United to play at as high a level as is possible.

"Anything which takes football forward is healthy for clubs such as ours, although I am a bit surprised that the idea has reared its head again so soon after being rejected by the FA last time.

"I'll be hoping to put our name forward for the regional league proposal, but whatever happens, the development of the Hurst Cross stadium remains our biggest priority."

Two injury-time goals - from Steve Smith and Lee Connor's twice-taken penalty - rescued a point for Ashton on boxing day in the 2-2 home draw with struggling Colwyn Bay.