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ARNOLD TOWN’S young striker, Ben Hutchinson, has signed for Premiership club Middlesbrough in one of the most sensational
non-league transfers for many years.
The £100,000 deal was clinched just hours before the January transfer window closed
leaving the Eagles celebrating a very timely cash windfall.
Hutchinson, 18, was one of the stars of Arnold’s
amazing run in the FA Youth Cup but has also scored regularly for the Eagles reserve side as well as bagging seven goals in
just nine starts for the senior team.
Middlesbrough have signed the youngster on two-year contract after looking at
him during a week’s trial at the Riverside. The deal will see Arnold net an initial lump sum with further payments dependent
on Hutchinson’s progress at the Premiership club.
The Eagles player-manager Phil Starbuck said of the deal, “I
am ecstatic for the lad and wish him all the best.
To join a Premiership club will be a dream come for for the boy
and he has got himself a decent length contract. It is great for Ben and for the club as a whole.”
And Gavin
Plummer, who brought the player to Gedling Road, said: “Ben came to us in pre-season after things didn’t work
out for him at Eastwood Town.
“At the start of the season we set him the objective of getting into the first
team and he has exceeded that goal by some distance. He has been an integral part of the success of the academy and reserves
sides and I wish him well.”
And one of Hutchinson’s former team-mates could soon be joining him at the
Riverside as Boro are also monitoring the progress of 16-year-old Tom Watson, who has also enjoyed a week’s trial at
the Premiership club.
Indeed, Watson scored for Middlesbrough Reserves against West Bromwich Albion after being brought
on as a second-half substitute alongside Hutchinson.
ROSSINGTON MAIN have signed former Tadcaster Albion keeper
Jody Barford.
Barford has also turned out for Retford United and spent the first half of this season at Hall Road Rangers.
SIX
clubs have applied to join the Northern Counties East League next season with two sides from the West Yorkshire League joining
four applicants from the Central Midlands League.
League leaders Barton Town Old Boys head the list of hopefuls from
the CML with Dinnington Town, Radford and Rainworth Miners Welfare being the other clubs along with AFC Emley and Nostell
Miners Welfare from the West Yorkshire League.
Ground grading inspections are now taking place and the teams that will
be accepted into the NCEL for next season will be the ones that pass their inspection, finish in a high enough position in
their league and are allowed to progress by their league as part of an agreement with the NCEL.
LINCOLN MOORLANDS
have become the second club to be ejected from this seasons League Cup competition for fielding an ineligible player.
The
offence occurred during the First Division club’s third round win over high-flying Buxton in January. The Bucks have
now being re-instated into the competition and will face Maltby Main in the quarter-finals.
Happier news for the Moors
is their success in capturing the signature of winger Danny Hargreaves who has joined the club from Bourne Town. With plenty
of experience at a higher level, with spells at Stamford and Lincoln United, Hargreaves is bound to be an asset to the promotion
chasing Lincolnshire side.
Speaking about the move Hargreaves said: “I want to enjoy my football and I wasn’t
for a while and although it is a drop in standard I know the set up and will enjoy myself.
The travelling at a higher
level wears you down and that was even for home games! So, it will be nice to play local football again.”
BRODSWORTH
WELFARE and GARFORTH TOWN have been ordered to replay their previously abandoned First Division encounter.
In the original
game in December, Town were leading 5-0 with twenty minutes to play when the match was halted by the referee due to bad weather.
The
replayed match has been scheduled for March 11.
HALL ROAD RANGERS new boss Steve Richards continues to rebuild
the squad at Dene Park and has signed striker Rhys Pindar from Winterton Rangers.
Pindar began his career at Humber
Premier League team Driffield before being snapped up by Unibond side North Ferriby United. Spells at Goole and Worsborough
Bridge followed before his move to Hall Road.
Also back at Dene Park is former player-manager Jamie Barnwell. Barnwell,
who counts Coventry City, Cambridge United and Scarborough amongst his former clubs, has spent the first-half of this season
at Winterton.
MALTBY MAIN have reacted quickly to appoint a new assistant-manager following Kenny Geelan’s
decision to take the managers job at First Division Staveley Miners Welfare.
Steve Loftus is the new number two at
Muglet Lane though, with first-team boss Wilf Race still serving a suspension, Loftus will be in sole charge of the team on
match-days. And Loftus certainly enjoyed his first game with Main as his new side beat Armthorpe Welfare.
Loftus told
the Dinnington Guardian: “Wilf asked me if I could help out at the Armthorpe Welfare game and so I did. After the win
I was offered the position and gladly accepted.
“I know the club very well and have followed them for years,
and I am looking forward to the job ahead.”
Meanwhile, the club have had a point deducted, their second of the
season, for fielding a suspended player during their Premier Division match with Sheffield in October, 2005. Main have also
been fined £100.
SHIREBROOK TOWN have recruited goalkeeper Mark Wilson from Mickleover Sports as a replacement
for Darren Lomas who sustained a broken leg during the 2-8 defeat at Liversedge.
Wilson made an impressive debut between
the sticks against Long Eaton with manager Graham Charlesworth commenting, “I was very pleased with his performance.
He marshalled our back-line and showed his experience.”
The unfortunate injury to Lomas is a further injury blow
for Town for whom Dean Burrow’s suffered a broken jaw in the recent win over Glasshoughton.
BUXTON continue
to push for the Premier Division title but manager Nicky Laws is still intent on strengthening his squad and has now enticed
experienced campaigner David Reeves to the Silverlands.
Birkenhead born Reeves, 38, is the veteran of over 620 Football
league and cup appearances in a career spanning 18 years since signing for Sheffield Wednesday. The striker went on to play
for another eight league clubs including Bolton, Oldham, Burnley and Chesterfield and once moved from Carlisle United to Preston
North End for a £300,000 fee.
A scorer of 200 league goals Reeves moved into non-league football in January 2005 when
he left Chesterfield to join Nationwide Conference side Scarborough before moving onto Gainsborough Trinity.
TADCASTER
ALBION have signed right-winger Matthew Wain from neighbours Selby Town. The 28-year-old forward has previously played for
many Yorkshire clubs including Rowntrees, Pickering Town, York RI and Garforth Town.
SUTTON TOWN are relishing
the chance of once again locking horns with Buxton when they meet in the semi-finals of the Presidents Cup.
The two
sides contested the final in last seasons competition with the Bucks eventually winning the two-legged affair on away goals
after the teams were tied 5-5 on aggregate.
The Snipes made it through to the semi-final stage only after a narrow
1-0 win over First Division Retford United at The Fieldings with manager Les McJannet saying: ‘We’re delighted
to be playing Buxton in the semi-finals. They are the best team in this league, but we will have home advantage.”
STAVELEY
MINERS WELFARE’S new management team of Kenny Geelan arid David Frain have wasted no time in bringing in a number of
new players as they look to turn things around at Inkersall Road.
Nottingham born midfielder John Knapper heads the
list of newcomers with Danny Bainbridge (Maltby Main) and Marc Scott (Alfreton Town) also joining the club.
Knapper
could prove to be a crucial acquisition as he has vast experience of non-league football at a higher level. Beginning his
career at Belper Town he moved onto Eastwood Town before being snapped up by Southern League Premier Division side Ilkeston
in 1996 in a £4,000 deal.
Captaining the team, Knapper became a regular penalty taker and was one of Ilkeston’s
longest serving players when he left to join Alfreton Town, who were then playing in the First Division of the Unibond League,
in 2002.
Meanwhile, Welfare’s Marcus Brameld has signed for Winterton Rangers.
LIVERSEDGE midfielder
Chris Walton recently played in a trial match for Bradford City reserves against Sheffield United.
“It went very
well for him, I watched the game against Sheffield and Chris didn’t look out of place,” said Sedge boss Eugene
Lacy.
THREE NORTHERN COUNTIES EAST LEAGUE teams, all from the Premier Division. have made it through to the last
sixteen of the FA Vase.
Arnold Town have landed a home tie against Northern League side Crook Town, whilst Buxton and
Pickering Town face trips to Nantwich Town (North West Counties League) and Wimborne Town (Wessex League) respectively.
Everyone
involved with NCEL football will wish our teams well as they attempt to reach the final of the competition which this season
will be held at Birmingham City’s St Andrews stadium.
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