1999/2000

This page contains the results, league table and match reports for the 1999/2000 season, which showed a consolidation of the club's excellent first season. Newcomer Steve Makinson was Player's Player of the Year, Graeme Rooney was Manager's Player of the Year and Nigel Power was Supporters' Player of the Year. Tommy Smith won the Top Scorer's award again, and for the second season running scored more goals than the rest of the players put together. Highlights included the double over Leisure Sports and the last game win over Koronet Royals playing a 2-3-5 formation. The undoubted low point was losing at home to 8-man Blowick.

League Table

Results

Match Reports

 

Stroud Engineering Supplies Southport and District Football League Sunday Second Division 1999/2000
	P	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
Formby JSCOB	22	17	3	2	83	23	60	54
Bedford Rangers Res	22	17	2	3	68	33	35	53
Cream	22	14	5	3	68	36	32	47
Freshfield Hotel	22	10	3	9	27	36	-9	33
Scarisbrick Hotel  Res	22	10	2	10	57	51	6	32
Leisure Sports	22	9	3	10	35	42	-7	30
Koronet Royals	22	8	5	9	31	42	-11	29
Blowick	22	8	5	9	42	58	-16	29
Sandgrounders	22	7	3	12	32	37	-5	24
Formby Dons Reserves	22	4	8	10	26	61	-35	20
Festival	22	4	6	12	27	68	-41	18
Heatons Vale	22	1	1	20	17	26	-9	4

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19th September 1999 : Leisure Sports 1-4 Freshfield

Last season's Golden Boot winner Tommy Smith was on target twice as Freshfield started the season with an emphatic win against their closest rivals. He scored twice in the first fifteen minutes of a game that Freshfield dominated for long periods. Leisure equalised after Smith's first goal, but the game ended as a contest when skipper Nik Balshaw scored with an impressive 20 yard free kick just after the break. With ten minutes left the best move of the game ended with Darren Jawook being unceremoniously upended in Leisure's penalty box, and Steve Dwyer completed an impressive performance by converting the resulting penalty. Tommy Smith had a golden opportunity to complete his hat-trick late in the game, but shot wide. The game also saw encouraging performances from Neil Morrish at left back and Paul Hayes and Steve Makinson, both making debuts in the midfield.

Team: N. Power, C. Knight, G. Davies, S. Dwyer, N. Morrish, P. Hayes, Steve Makinson, N. Balshaw, D. Jawook, T. Smith, D. Irwin.
Subs (not used): G. Rooney, I. Hudson, J. Eccles.
Scorers: T. Smith (2), N. Balshaw, S. Dwyer (pen).
Players' Man of the Match: D. Irwin    Supporters' Man of the Match: D. Jawook
Managers' Man of the Match: S. Dwyer
 

26th September 1999 : Freshfield 3-2 Scarisbrick Hotel Reserves

Manager Ray Kavanagh names an unchanged team for the first home game of the season and was not disappointed. In a hard fought game against one of the fancied sides for this year's Second Division title, the Freshfield showed great character in recording their second win in two starts. After an early scare when Scarisbrick hit the bar, Tommy Smith put the home side ahead with a magnificent 20 yard strike. They held the lead to half time and scored soon after the restart when Smith found his striking partner in space on the right hand side of the box and Irwin made no mistake with his finish. Poor concentration allowed Scarisbrick to score twice within minutes to level the score, but soon after the equaliser excellent work form Darren Jawook on the right flank culminated in an inch-perfect cross which Smith easily converted. The Freshfield were under pressure for the last ten minutes, but an important save from Power, a goal-saving tackle from Graeme Davies and a match saving header off the line from Makinson secured the points for Freshfield.

Team: N. Power, C. Knight (I. Hudson), G. Davies, S. Dwyer, N. Morrish, P. Hayes, Steve Makinson, N. Balshaw, D.Jawook (M. Hurst), T. Smith, D. Irwin (J. Eccles).
Scorers: T. Smith (2), D. Irwin.
Players' Man of the Match: S Makinson    Supporters' Man of the Match: G. Davies
Managers' Man of the Match: Paul Hayes
 

3rd October 1999 : Bedford Rangers Reserves 4-2 Freshfield

Freshfield slumped to a disappointing first defeat against probably their weakest opponents so far. Despite leading twice, a poor second half performance saw both points surrendered. Freshfield started brightly and the unusually bespectacled Tommy Smith continued his fine from by opening the scoring with a superb left foot strike which followed a strong run from midfield. Graham Davies scored a freakish headed own goal ten minutes later but Dave Irwin capitalised on poor defending by Bedford to give Freshfield a deserved half-time lead. The second half showed a lack of discipline, which was not helped by the windy conditions. Bedford scored twice from unmarked headers to go ahead, and scored a fourth with the last kick of the game. Although John Eccles was a committed deputy, Freshfield missed the pace and ingenuity of Jawook on the right flank and paid for lack of defensive organisation.

Team: N. Power, C. Knight, G. Davies, S. Dwyer, N. Morrish (G. Rooney), P. Hayes (M. Hurst), S. Makinson, N. Balshaw, J. Eccles, T. Smith, D. Irwin.
Sub (not used): S. Geoghegan
Scorers: T. Smith , D. Irwin.
Players' Man of the Match: G. Davies & Paul Hayes    Supporters' Man of the Match: T. Smith
Managers' Man of the Match: G. Davies & S. Makinson
 

10th October 1999 : Heatons Vale 1-7 Freshfield

It is commonly said that “player power” has taken over the Carling Premiership. The reverse proved to be true for the Southport and District League at Heatons Vale when the referee failed to appear. Despite the wishes of the players to play the Infirmary Cup first round fixture, management duo Kavanagh and Smith took the safer course and decided that the fixture would be played only as a friendly, with the cup match proper to be rearranged. Twenty minutes later that decision was exposed as flawed as Freshfield were already 5-0 up, playing the perhaps the best passing football they have ever mustered. With striker Dave Irwin nursing a hangover in bed, Man of the Match John Eccles turned in a scintillating performance scoring two great goals and having a thunderbolt third disallowed after a Freshfield player had been fouled in the build up.

Tommy Smith added another two goals to his already impressive haul this season, Darren Jawook scored a rare goal and Graeme Rooney scored a fantastic one, breaking up a Heatons Vale attack, drifting past three Vale players before unleashing an exocet which left the opposition keeper grasping at thin air (this is how he described it after the match, anyway). Nik Balshaw added a fine goal to send Freshfield in 6-0 up at half-time. Not surprisingly the second-half proved to be a non-event, the only real highlight being a Paul Hayes shot that crashed against the bar and out to safety. This perfromance and result means, of course, that it is nearly inevitable that Freshfield will lose when the match is replayed.

The management were left with a number of headaches after this game. Eccles mounted an apparently unassailable claim to selection next week, whilst Rooney won the coveted Manager’s Man of the Match award with a performance reminiscent of Derek Mountfield. This leaves Club Captain Steve Dwyer with the prospect of watching next week’s local derby with Formby JSCOB from the bench. He was busy at a staff “team meeting” at the Freshfield Hotel, a meeting convened by Landlord and Club Chairman Les Nuttall. When Dwyer broached this subject with Les in the pub on Sunday night, he was met with the neatest of retorts: “That’s football, son.”

Team: N. Power, C. Knight, G. Davies, G. Rooney, N. Morrish, P. Hayes, S. Makinson, N. Balshaw, D. Jawook,  J. Eccles, T. Smith
Scorers: T. Smith (2), J. Eccles (2), D. Jawook, N. Balshaw, G. Rooney.
Players' Man of the Match: J. Eccles    Supporters' Man of the Match: J. Eccles
Managers' Man of the Match: G. Rooney
 

17th October 1999 : Formby JSCOB 3-0 Freshfield

Freshfield were outpassed and outplayed by their old rivals in a game which was badly affected by strong wind. Formby managed to use the conditions to their advantage and were not flattered by the scoreline. In a close first half chances were scarce, but Richard Kemp scored a strong headed goal from a corner to leave Freshfield trailing at half-time.

Early in the second half Tommy Smith had a good effort stopped by a combination of a deflection and the goalkeeper’s outstretched leg. A goal at that stage would have put Freshfield very much in contention but they failed to create another meaningful chance in the game, despite some strong running from substitute Dave Irwin.

Formby increased their lead through a soft goal scored as Graeme Davies and Nigel Power failed between them to deal with a difficult ball into the box. Minutes from the end a weak shot following a corner somehow managed to beat Darren Jawook on the line, when he was only able to slice the ball into his own net. This was a poor performance.

Team: N. Power, C. Knight, G. Davies, G. Rooney, N. Morrish (S. Dwyer), P. Hayes, S. Makinson, N. Balshaw, D. Jawook,  J. Eccles (D. Irwin), T. Smith
Sub (not used): S. Geoghegan
Players' Man of the Match: S. Makinson    Supporters' Man of the Match: P. Hayes
Managers' Man of the Match: G. Davies
 

24th October 1999 : Heatons Vale 4-1 Freshfield

The scoreline did not reflect the ascendancy in this match. Freshfield actually played OK, scored first, conceded a stupid goal fairly soon afterwards, were the better side during the rest of the first half, but kind of lost the plot as the second wore on.  Steve Dwyer had a decent game in goal and Neil Ferguson was solid at the back considering it was his first game back.

Team: S. Dwyer, C. Knight( S. Geoghegan), N. Ferguson, G. Rooney, N. Morrish, P. Hayes, S. Makinson, N. Balshaw, D. Jawook (D. Irwin),  J. Eccles , T. Smith
Scorer: T. Smith
Players' Man of the Match: P. Hayes    Supporters' Man of the Match: P. Hayes
Managers' Man of the Match: G. Rooney
 

31st October 1999 : Sandgrounders 0-2 Freshfield

Freshfield produced a workmanlike performance to beat an average but effective Sandgrounders team at Carr Lane. A goal in each half was enough to produce a win that was hard fought but deserved. Freshfield opened the scoring early in the first half when Tommy Smith took a difficult chance from the edge of the box. Little else of note happened in a first half when chances were few and far between.

In the second half, Sandgrounders used the strong wind to their advantage and exerted a fair amount of pressure, nearly levelling the score when Nigel Power could only get fingertips to a shot that rebounded back from the crossbar. Shortly afterwards an opposition player was sent off for violent conduct, kicking out at Colin Knight after being fouled. Knight was himself lucky not to go into the referee's book, in the first place for the original foul and in the second for the amount of time he spent on the floor faking injury after being kicked. Towards the end of the second half the numerical advantage started to show as Freshfield created a number of good chances, Darren Jawook in particular being denied by a fine double save from the opposition keeper. The pressure eventually told when Paul Hayes scored after a goalmouth scramble during which Stuart Geoghegan went into suspended animation rather than take an easy chance. This was not a great performance but Freshfield were well worth the 3 points.

Team: N. Power, C. Knight (S. Geoghegan), G. Davies, G. Rooney, N. Morrish, P. Hayes, S. Makinson, N. Balshaw, D. Jawook,  J. Eccles (D. Irwin), T. Smith
Scorers: T. Smith, P.Hayes
Players' Man of the Match: D. Jawook    Supporters' Man of the Match: D. Jawook
Managers' Man of the Match: T. Smith
 

7th November 1999: Formby Dons Reserves 1-1 Freshfield

Freshfield will look back on this game as one where missed chances in the first half cost them a couple of points. Nevertheless, the performance and result were pleasing bearing in mind that the opposition needed no encouragement to take advantage of the fact that their first team had no game this week.

The first quarter of an hour saw the Dons having most of the possession and they created a couple of good chances. However, as the half went on Freshfield came into the game and Tommy Smith scored from a difficult position to open the scoring after excellent work from Colin Knight and Dave Irwin. Either side of the goal Irwin missed two gilt-edged opportunities to score himself, and the misses proved costly just before half-time. Following a corner that was only half-cleared the Dons first team striker let his feet do the talking for once and scored from a difficult angle in off the post, albeit after his hands had done the talking in setting up the finish.

Freshfield missed more chances in the second half and seemed to have a genuine appeal for a penalty turned down after the ball was handled in the box. Late in the game the referee again found himself cloaked in controversy after not giving a goal following a headed effort from a corner. This was not a popular decision with the Dons, and a free kick resulted in Freshfield’s favour when the Dons centre-forward (yes him again) protested in vernacular fashion.

Team: N. Power, C. Knight, G. Davies, G. Rooney, N. Morrish, P. Hayes, S. Makinson, N. Balshaw, D.
Jawook, D. Irwin (J. Eccles), T. Smith
Subs not used: S. Geoghegan, S. Dwyer
Scorer: T. Smith
Players' Man of the Match: G. Davies    Supporters' Man of the Match: S. Makinson, D. Jawook and N. Power
Managers' Man of the Match: N. Power
 

21st November 1999: Festival 3-1 Freshfield

This was a terrible performance against a terrible team on a terrible pitch, presided over by a terrible referee. A Freshfield team weakened by the absence of Dave Irwin, Steve Makinson and Paul Hayes deserved no better than this loss against a team that on this showing fully justify their place at the bottom of the table.

Freshfield only played well for about ten minutes during the first half. During that spell they took the lead through John Eccles, who did well to force and then capitalise on a defensive error, and missed another 2 or 3 good opportunities. Just before they equalised, Festival had a good chance brilliantly cleared off the line by Martyn Hurst. The half-time score was 1-1, and the game remained there for the taking by whichever side wanted to do so.

The second half performance was woeful. Martyn Hurst missed a good chance early in the second half, but that proved to be the only real chance created in the half. Nigel Power somehow managed not to make a fool of himself and kept out a shot from the halfway line with half an hour left, but the save only made Festival more determined. They deserved their two-goal victory, the second and third goals both taking advantage of a tired midfield and bad defending. A late change bringing on Dwyer to move Graeme Davies into midfield had little effect and this is a game that will soon fade from the memory - hopefully.

Team: N. Power, C. Knight (I. Hudson), G. Davies, N. Ferguson, G. Rooney (S. Dwyer), N. Morrish, M. Hurst,  N. Balshaw, D.Jawook, J. Eccles, T. Smith
Scorer: J. Eccles
Players' Man of the Match: M. Hurst   Supporters' Man of the Match: N. Power
Managers' Man of the Match: M. Hurst,
 
 

28th November 1999: Heaton's Vale -v- Freshfield

The opposition were unable to field a team for this fixture, news which only reached Freshfield after they had travelled to the ground. Heaton's Vale were happy to concede the points, but it remains to be seen whether this will accord with the League's view.
 

5th December 1999: Freshfield 0-3 Greaves Hall

A “Jeckle and Hyde” performance by goalkeeper Nigel Power had an undue influence on this cup match, which saw Freshfield put in a creditable performance against opponents who are doing well in this year’s First Division. Greaves Hall played well and put together some neat moves, but never outclassed Freshfield, who controlled the game for long periods.

Fifteen minutes into the first half Power produced an impressive point blank save to deny the visitor’s centre-forward. However, Freshfield fell a goal behind when Greaves Hall scored directly from the resulting corner. Worse was to follow ten minutes later when a back pass from Neil Ferguson put Power under more pressure than seemed necessary. The goalkeeper was only able to slice his clearance into the path of a visiting attacker, who made no mistake with his finish.

Throughout the game Steve Makinson’s creative influence in midfield kept Freshfield’s hopes alive, but clear-cut chances were few and far between. Both sides tired towards the end of the match, and Greaves Hall scored a third goal which was significantly further offside than the late Bobby Stokes’s FA Cup winner for Southampton against the hated Mancs in the 1976 Cup Final. If the writer of this report was to give a frank appraisal of the referee's performance in this match he might find himself in more hot water than John Gregory. Given his recent performances, a suspension from the League is the last thing he needs in his search for selection.

Team: N. Power, C. Knight, G. Davies, N. Ferguson, N. Morrish (G. Rooney),  M. Hurst, S. Makinson,  N.
Balshaw, D.Jawook (D. Irwin), J. Eccles, T. Smith
Sub (not used): P. Hayes
Players' Man of the Match:  S. Makinson    Supporters' Man of the Match: N. Power
Managers' Man of the Match: N. Power
 

12th December 1999: Scarisbrick Hotel Reserves 1-0 Freshfield

Steve Dwyer's selection nightmare ended in this match when the Merseyrail Express due to bring Neil Ferguson from Aigburth failed to deliver. The match was evenly fought and a draw would have perhaps been the fairest result. Neither team dominated for long periods, and clean cut chances were few and far between. An excellent half-volley from the opposition forward "Kyle" mid-way into the second half produced the only goal of the game, and despite good pressure but wild finishing from Paul Hayes, an equalizer somehow never looked likely to arrive. Perhaps the Freshfield players were too busy dreaming about the afternoon's Christmas Party ?!

Team: N. Power, C. Knight, G. Davies, S. Dwyer, G. Rooney,  M. Hurst, S. Makinson,  N.Balshaw, D.Jawook,  J. Eccles (D. Irwin), T. Smith
Players' Man of the Match:  G. Davies    Supporters' Man of the Match: N. Power
Managers' Man of the Match: G. Rooney
 

9th January 2000: Koronet Royals  1-1 Freshfield

This was a fair result in a game where the two sides were evenly matched. For the first twenty minutes Koronet had the slight edge, and Nigel Power was forced to make two saves, the first from a short-range shot low to his left, the second diving at the feet of the Koronet striker who went in a little late and dislocated the keeper's finger. However, there were no Bert Trautman heroics and Steve Dwyer took over in goal. Shortly after Power left the pitch Paul Hayes scored with a fine long-range effort, but Koronet equalised before the break. In the second half, though Freshfield had more of the play, chances were evenly split between the two sides and a draw was the fairest result.

Team: N. Power (N. Ferguson), C. Knight, G. Davies, S. Dwyer, G. Rooney,  P. Hayes, S. Makinson,  N.Balshaw, D.Jawook,  D. Irwin, T. Smith
Subs: J. Eccles, N. Morrish
Scorer: P. Hayes
Players' Man of the Match: P. Hayes    Supporters' Man of the Match: P. Hayes
Managers' Man of the Match: D. Irwin
 

16th January 2000: Freshfield 2-1 Sandgrounders

Freshfield completed the double over Sandgrounders this season but had to come from a goal behind to do so. With Nigel Power, Graeme Davies and Darren Jawook all missing, a reshaped team did well on a heavy pitch and were just worth the points. In an even first half the only goal came from a mix-up between Neil Morrish and Graeme Davies which gifted the opposition striker an easy chance. Early in the second half Neil Ferguson rose well to convert a Nik Balshaw corner, and the remainder of the game saw good chances at either end. Steve Dwyer made some excellent saves in the Freshfield goal, while at the other end Tommy Smith did well to break free but allowed the opposition keeper just a little too much time and Steve Makinson saw an impressive effort hit the side netting. However the growing influence of Dave Irwin and the impressive John Eccles started to show and Tommy Smith made up for his earlier miss with a coolly taken goal which went in off the right hand post just before the end. Back to Fortress Brows Lane, back to winning ways.

Team: S. Dwyer, N. Morrish, N. Ferguson, G. Rooney, C. Knight (I. Hudson), P. Hayes, S. Makinson,  N.Balshaw, J. Eccles,  D. Irwin, T. Smith
Subs (not used): D. Drury, M. Hurst
Scorers: N. Ferguson, T. Smith
Players' Man of the Match:  S. Dwyer    Supporters' Man of the Match: S. Dwyer
Managers' Man of the Match: N. Ferguson
 

23rd January 2000: Freshfield 1-1 Formby Dons Reserves

Neil Morrish added his name to the injury list for this game, which once more saw Freshfield playing the Dons Reserves when their first team had no match. The score, just like last time, was 1-1. However, this game did not provide the skill, passion or entertainment that the November match at Duke Street served up, and the large crowd saw little excitement during the game.

Freshfield started well and had one good penalty shout for a foul on Dave Irwin rejected before a second foul in the box saw a penalty given. Notwithstanding Steve Dwyer's "Chilavert" hopes, the job of converting the spot kick went to Tommy Smith and he made no mistake. Dwyer was well beaten by a chip which gave the Dons an equaliser before half-time. In the second half there was a good deal of effort from both sides but there was little in good football to show for it. The best chance of the half fell to the Dons when Colin Knight played a beautifully weighted ball across the box to their centre forward. This charitable gift overwhelmed the Dons player and he could only find the side netting.

Team: S. Dwyer, P. Rutherford,  G. Rooney, C. Knight, G. Davies, P. Hayes, S. Makinson,  N. Balshaw, J. Eccles,  D. Irwin, T. Smith
Sub (not used): D. Drury
Scorer: T. Smith (pen)
Players' Man of the Match: S. Makinson    Supporters' Man of the Match: G. Davies
Managers' Man of the Match: T. Smith
Attendance: 45
 

30th January 2000: Cream 1-0 Freshfield

Cream scored the only goal of this game with just 2 minutes gone in the first half, and in truth Freshfield never really looked like coming back into the match. More readjustment was required to the line-up, and a settled starting eleven must seem a distant dream to the management team. Nigel Power returned in goal (Steve Dwyer at pub staff meeting), Darren Jawook replaced Colin Knight at right back (was this a tactical move ?), Martyn Hurst replaced Paul Hayes (working) at left midfield and Graeme Davies replaced Steve Makinson (rumoured broken ankle but also rumoured early morning dancing at Shorrocks Hill).

Although Freshfield defended well after the early setback, shooting chances were far and few between. In the first have most of the creative play came from John Eccles and Darren Jawook on the right flank, but they were hindered by a small marsh on their side of the pitch in the second half. After the interval, Cream hit a post after Power managed to get his outstretched boot to a shot that should never have deceived him but did, and Jawook was very lucky not to concede a penalty after bringing down an opposition striker in the box. At the other end Dave Irwin missed a good chance late in the game, but do not be deceived; this was  not a miss on a par with Simon Hobson's miss at the same end in the last game of last season against Cream Reserves. Mind you, that miss will take some beating.

Team: N. Power, P. Rutherford (I. Hudson),  D. Jawook, G. Rooney, N. Ferguson,  G. Davies, M. Hurst,  N. Balshaw, J. Eccles (C. Knight),  D. Irwin, T. Smith

Players' Man of the Match:   G. Rooney   Supporters' Man of the Match: G. Davies and D. Jawook
Managers' Man of the Match: D. Jawook
Attendance: About 8
 
 

6th February 2000: Freshfield 2-0 Festival

A mercurial performance from Steve Makinson was the difference between these two sides in a match which Freshfield deserved to win but could have lost. They defended well in the first half against the wind and played some flowing football in the second, which produced two exquisite goals from man-of-the-match Makinson.

Freshfield were approaching full strength as they lined up at the start of play. With only Neil Morrish and Darren Jawook unfit, the team resembled for the first time the line-up that began the season so well. Paul Hayes controlled the left side of midfield and Martyn Hurst’s resolute performance at right back gave the defence a solid feel. The first-half did not produce much goalmouth action, though midway through it Nigel Power produced a good double-save to keep the scores level. His was yet again a Jeckel and Hyde performance, brave save followed by missed cross followed by full stretch dive followed by fluffed kick. At half-time manager Andy Smith gave a measured talk which produced a more composed and thoughtful second-half performance.

Freshfield’s opening goal came from a swift counter attack. Power saved at an attacker’s feet and threw the ball immediately to Tommy Smith just inside the Freshfield half. Quick interplay between Smith, Makinson and Balshaw produced a perfectly weighted through ball from Balshaw to Makinson who coolly lobbed the Festival keeper. It seemed only a matter of time before Freshfield increased their lead, and they did so 5 minutes from the end when Makinson produced the most delicate of chips to leave the opposition keeper with no chance. This was a good performance.

Team: N. Power, G. Rooney,  S. Dwyer,  G. Davies, M. Hurst,  N. Balshaw, J. Eccles, P. Hayes (P. Rutherford), S. Makinson, D. Irwin, T. Smith
Sub not used: C. Knight
Scorer: S. Makinson (2)
Players' Man of the Match:   S. Makinson   Supporters' Man of the Match: S. Makinson
Managers' Man of the Match: M. Hurst
Attendance: 27
 

20th February 2000: Freshfield 1-6 Cream

Freshfield were completely outrun in midfield and Cream were full value for their win. Cream again took the lead early on and the emphatic nature of their opening goal set the tone for the rest of the match. They were 3-0 up at half time and justly so. Although there were offside question marks about 3 of the 6 Cream goals, the simple fact was that they were fitter, quicker, more physical, more skilful and had more desire to win in a game that Freshfield never looked like making a useful contribution to.

By the end of the second half, Freshfield were in disarray. A front 4 of Tommy Smith, Dave Drury, Neil Ferguson and Graham Davies can not have been how the management team saw the game ending as they plotted tactics during the week. Although Tommy Smith hit the post and Graham Davies managed to take the ball around the Cream keeper for a late consolation goal, the emphatic nature of this defeat was never in doubt.

To add insult to injury, Cream saw fit to introduce Barry as a late substitute. Barry is the fattest player ever to play against Freshfield (friendlies against the Railway Veterans included), and there was a sad inevitability about his neatly chipped goal for Cream's fifth.

Team: N. Power, G. Rooney,  S. Dwyer,  G. Davies, M. Hurst (D. Drury),  N. Balshaw, J. Eccles (C. Knight), P. Rutherford (N. Ferguson), S. Makinson, D. Irwin, T. Smith
Scorer: G. Davies
Players' Man of the Match:   M. Hurst   Supporters' Man of the Match: M. Hurst
Managers' Man of the Match: T. Smith
Attendance: 12
 

27th February 2000: Freshfield 1-0 Leisure Sports

Freshfield completed a well-deserved double over old rivals Leisure Sports in a competitive fixture at Brows Lane. The match was evenly balanced and only Tommy Smith's second-half strike,  his first goal in open play since the 16th January, separated the teams.

Stan, Leisure's ox-like centre-forward, was thankfully injured for this game, and their attacking options seemed curiously lightweight as a result. The real difference in the Freshfield performance came from a new 4-1-4-1 formation, which saw Smith alone up front, Nik Balshaw playing the Ray Wilkins role just in front of the back 4, Steve Makinson in a slightly advanced midfield role and Dave Irwin playing more deep. This gave Irwin's combative style a welcome chance to impress, and he added perceptive forward passing and strong running to his strong tackling. He gave comfortably his best performance of the season in this new role.

The Freshfield defence was solid, with Dwyer in particular impressive. Tommy Smith's goal came deep into the second half, when John Eccles headed on a delicate Balshaw free kick to put Smith in a perfect position to score. A late headed chance from Leisure striker Julian went embarrassingly wide, but Freshfield were just about worth their win.

Team: N. Power, G. Rooney,  S. Dwyer,  N. Ferguson, C. Knight, M. Hurst (N. Morrish),  N. Balshaw, J. Eccles (D. Drury), S. Makinson, D. Irwin, T. Smith
Scorer: T. Smith
Players' Man of the Match:   D. Irwin   Supporters' Man of the Match: S. Makinson
Managers' Man of the Match: T. Smith
Attendance: 19
 
 

5th March 2000: Blowick 1-4 Freshfield

Tommy Smith was in superb form and back to his best as Freshfield overcame difficult conditions, though the scoreline slightly flattered them. A strong and constant wind combined with a very poor pitch at Meols Park to make flowing football difficult, but what good football that did overcome the conditions was played by the away team.

Playing against the wind in the first half, Freshfield battled hard and had the early chances, Darren Jawook back form fitness just failed to beat the keeper in a one-on-one and Smith saw a long-range effort rattle against the bar. Nik Balshaw eventually put Smith into a position from which he couldn't fail to score. In the second half Blowick found that they were not better off with the wind behind them as first Jawook was upended to set up a penalty for Smith to convert and then John Eccles did well to set up Smith's hat-trick. Blowick managed a consolation goal after a gentle nudge from Graham Davies resulted in a penalty, but the three-goal advantage was soon restored when Smith rifled home his second penalty and fourth goal near to the end.

This was a good performance.

Team: N. Power, N. Morrish, G. Davies, N. Ferguson, C. Knight, M. Hurst, D. Jawook (S. Makinson)  N. Balshaw, J. Eccles, D. Irwin, T. Smith
Scorer: T. Smith (4 (2 pens))
Players' Man of the Match: N. Ferguson    Supporters' Man of the Match: N. Ferguson & T. Smith
Managers' Man of the Match D. Irwin
Attendance: 19 (including the children on the nearby swings)
 
 

19th March 2000: Freshfield 0-3 Formby JSCOB

Controversial management selections, following a new yet unclear policy concerning consistency of availability, meant that Freshfield did not start this most important of fixtures with their full strength team. Graeme Rooney, Darren Jawook and Graeme Davies all watched the first half of this game from the substitutes' bench and saw three goals conceded without reply. The first came minutes into the match when a shot was blocked by Martyn Hurst and went spiraling over a hapless Nigel Power's head into the top corner. There were echoes of Paul Parker and the 1990 World Cup semi-final in this goal. Shortly afterwards Neil Ferguson did not put enough weight on a header back to Power and he was easily beaten by the ginger Formby striker. The same forward scored again before half time when possession was given away, but this was a goal that was clearly offside; the referee in this game was inconsistent and penickity beyond belief, and made some important mistakes.

Rooney and Jawook came on at half-time and Davies soon followed, and though the opposition were more easily contained, Freshfield never looked like getting back into the match. In fact, Freshfield did not manage a single shot on goal in this match, and in addition to their 3 goals, Formby JSCOB hit the post twice and the bar twice. This was not a good performance.

Team: N. Power, N. Morrish (G. Davies), N. Ferguson, C. Knight (D. Jawook), M. Hurst, S. Makinson, N. Balshaw, J. Eccles (G. Rooney), D. Irwin, T. Smith
Players' Man of the Match: N. Power      Supporters' Man of the Match: N. Power
Managers' Man of the Match: S. Makinson
Attendance: 25
 
 

26th March 2000: Freshfield 3-4 Blowick

Freshfield were beaten in this match not by the opposition or the referee or the conditions but by themselves. In perhaps the most disappointing performance ever, complacency and internal bickering gifted the points to a courageous 8-man Blowick. It is easy to see how it is difficult to be motivated against an opposition that arrived 15 minutes late with only 8  players. Nigel Power did his best to motivate Freshfield by gifting Blowick their opening goal after 10 minutes of play, and in the remainder of the first half some sporadic signs of better things produced goals from Tommy Smith and the excellent Martyn Hurst.

The half-time break increased rather than reduced the discord in the team and Blowick equalised straight after the break. They took a 3-2 lead shortly afterwards which was soon ended when John Eccles scored almost immediately after coming on as a substitute. Although Blowick's winner just before the end was about 10 yards offside, it is difficult to say that they were not worth the three points. John Eccles locked t the changing room before any Freshfield substitutes had got changed and the lock had to be broken. It might have been better if he had locked it before anyone else had had the chance to get in.

Team: N. Power, C. Knight (J. Eccles), S. Dwyer, N. Ferguson, G. Rooney, D. Jawook, M. Hurst, S. Makinson, N. Balshaw, G. Davies, T. Smith (D. Irwin)
Sub not used: N. Morrish
Scorers: T. Smith, M. Hurst, J. Eccles
Players' Man of the Match:  M. Hurst   Supporters' Man of the Match: M. Hurst
Managers' Man of the Match: S. Makinson
Attendance: 9
 

2nd April 2000: Freshfield 0-3 Bedford Rangers Reserves

Bedford Rangers went back to the top of the league with a win over Freshfield that was not as comfortable as the scoreline suggests. However, yet again lack of concentration early in the game cost Freshfield dearly, as they found themselves 2-0 down with barely 10 minutes played. The first goal took a cruel deflection from Graham Davies (a double of own goals against this team for him this season ?) leaving Power with no chance, the second capitalised on possession given away far too early.

The game rarely flowed as Martin O'Neill's brother from Formby Dons Reserves refereed with Elleray-style officiousness. In the second half chances were rare, and the Bedford keeper did well to tip over a fierce John Eccles shot with a quarter of an hour remaining. Bedford barely deserved their third scrambled in from a corner just before full-time, and despite defeat, this was a much better performance from Freshfield. Spirit and cohesiveness displaced argument and discord, and the opposition knew they'd been in a game after this one.

Team: N. Power, C. Knight , G. Davies, N. Ferguson, G. Rooney, J. Eccles, S. Dwyer, M. Hurst, N. Balshaw, T. Smith, D. Irwin
Players' Man of the Match: N. Ferguson and M. Hurst     Supporters' Man of the Match: S. Dwyer and N. Ferguson    Managers' Man of the Match: D. Irwin
Attendance: 27
 
 

9th April 2000: Freshfield 3-0 Koronet Royals

Playing 2-3-5, Freshfield were in irresistible form in the final match of the season. With Nigel Power playing out of goal and many others out of position (or, indeed positions they had never heard of), this was a high risk strategy but it worked exceptionally well. The Koronet back 4 found it slightly strange having a 5-strong front line to contend with. Steve Dwyer was an impressive target man, and Tommy Smith completed another fine season with a goal either side of the break. Second-half substitute John Eccles took his goal coolly to the amazement of the home support, and Graham Davies was immaculate between the sticks.

Will Freshfield adopt the "W" formation at the beginning of next season ?

Team: G. Davies, P. Hayes, D. Jawook, N. Power, N. Balshaw, S. Makinson, G. Rooney, S. Dwyer, T. Smith, D. Irwin (J. Eccles), M. Hurst (C. Knight)

Scorers: T. Smith (2), J. Eccles
Players' Man of the Match: S. Makinson  Supporters' Man of the Match: Everyone
Managers' Man of the Match: M. Hurst
Attendance: 17

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