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| March 2000 News and Reports |
| Date | Story | Type |
| 25-3-00 | "Gate edge dour clash" | Report: Margate (h) |
| 21-3-00 | "Moore goals, more points" | Report: Havant & W'ville (h) |
| 20-3-00 | "Adios Adders!" | Atherstone (away) detail |
| 14-3-00 | "Hastings here we come!" | Report: King's Lynn (h) |
| 12-3-00 | "Salisbury sunk (Pt 2)" | Salisbury (away) detail |
| 12-3-00 | "Smith joins Hinckley" | Transfer news |
| 7-3-00 | "Return of the Macc" | Loan signing |
| 7-3-00 | "Salisbury Wilts" | Report: Salisbury (h) |
| 7-3-00 | "Away day blues" | Margate/ Newport (away) |
Saturday 25th March 2000 'Gate edge dour clash Dr. Martens League: Albion 0 Margate 1 Margate killed off Albion's hopes of ending March with a 100 percent record of six wins on the trot, completing the league double and inflicting on the Brewers only their second home league defeat of the season, at Eton Park on Saturday. The Kent side won't win any awards for pretty football, but were able to grind out a repeat of the scoreline from the corresponding clash at Hartsdown Park last month, keeping the Brewers' attacking ambitions at bay with a well-drilled, if uninspiring defensive display. This didn't make for the most entertaining match, in fact it was probably one of the worst we've seen at Eton Park all season, and Margate's physical style and time-wasting tactics didn't exactly endear them to fans in a healthy 1,180 crowd. However it was easy to see why the Kent side have proved didfficult to beat in their first season back in the Premier Division, with number 8 Bill Edwards in particular producing a flawless performance at the heart of the visitors defence. It was Margate who had the first scoring chance of the game, Iain O'Connell directing his header from Eliot Martin's free kick onto the top of the crossbar. Albion had little to offer in response, despite having the lion's share of posession. With Dale Anderson out injured, Christian Moore was in effect a lone striker, with David Holmes in a supporting role, and the former Ilkeston man too often found himself isolated amidst a sea of blue shirts. Ironically the Brewers' best chance came from a 'defender', Aaron Webster had only just come on to replace the injured Jamie March in the left back position when he found a chink in the Margate armour and raced through before firing just wide of the post from 25 yards out. Soon after, Terry Henshaw delivered a cross to Mark Blount in space on the edge of the box, but Blount showed why he's a defender and not a striker, firing well wide of the target. The second half continued in the same frustrating vein. The only way it seemed Albion might penetrate was from a set-piece, and so it seemed the moment of luck they needed had arrived on 63 minutes when Neil Glasser, having a quiet game on his return to the starting line-up, was bundled over in the box by Lee Williams. But the referee waved play-on, to the fury of the home fans who had watched him make a bad game even worse with his constant stoppages, and by failing to punish Margate's more 'over-enthusiastic' challenges. The sense of injustice would have been even greater if Margate had, as they so nearly did, gone straight down the other end and scored. After a quick breakaway, Mark Greatorex unleashed a shot which had 'goal' written all over it until Goodwin dived to his left to push the ball away for a corner. Within ten Margate did indeed have the lead, after a woeful mis-hit by Mark Blount left Albion exposed at the back. Greatorex was again involved, racing into the box before going down under the challenge of James Wall. This time the referee did point to the spot, and Mark Munday duly dispatched the ball into the corner of the net.
Whether you put
it down to being jaded after a busy period of matches, or just coming up
against a side who were able to effectively contain their passing style of
play, Albion looked lacking in ideas today, and will need to improve if they're
to begin the month of April with a win at Grantham Town next
Saturday.
Tuesday 21st March 2000 Moore goals, more points Dr. Martens League: Albion 3 Havant & W'ville 0 Christian Moore grabbed a brace of goals as the Brewers chalked up their fifth win in a row, at the expense of Havant & Waterlooville at Eton Park on Tuesday night, gaining revenge for the 6-0 drubbing inflicted on the Brewers on the South Coast earlier in the season. Moore, Albion's record signing, finally found his scoring boots in Saturday's win at Atherstone, and it took less than a minute of this match for him to find the net again. The number 9 was tripped on his first sortie into the Havant box by visitors defender Aaron Cook, and took the resulting penalty himself, sending 'keeper Bibbo, sporting an Albion goalkeeping jersey, the wrong way. The fans in the Brewers' lowest league crowd of the season had to wait until the 70th minute to see Moore's second, but it was worth persevering through more than an hour of pretty uninspiring stuff to witness a goal of real class. The former Ilkeston man carved his chance out of almost nothing, shaking off the challenge of his marker, chesting the ball down and firing in a tremendous shot from 20 yards which dipped under the crossbar and out of the despairing grasp of Bibbo. Sandwiched inbetween the two goals was an encounter of very few scoring chances. The Brewers found their visitors a very difficult side to break down and too often gave the ball away in the middle of the park. Havant looked happy to soak up the pressure and came close to snatching an equalizer when striker James Taylor, who leads the Dr. Martens League scoring table, fired in a long range effort which clipped Nick Goodwin's left hand upright. The nervous form of Bibbo betwee the sticks meant that the visitors looked exposed on the few occasions the ball did get into their area though, and a mix-up between he and his defender almost let in Christian Moore, but Havant managed to scramble the ball to safety. At the other end, it wasn't until the 86th minute that Nick Goodwin had a real test of his agility. Matt Jones curled in a sweetly struck free-kick towards the far post, but the Brewers 'keeper responded superbly to push the ball around the post for a corner. The result was never in doubt by this stage, and some extra gloss was added to the scoreline moments later when the Brewers snatched their third goal. The tireless running of Christian Moore down the right flank paid dividends as the scorer turned provider, finding Neil Glasser in a clear scoring position in the area. Glasser, on as a second half substitute, seemed to have wasted the opportunity, but recovered well to play the ball across the box to the feet of Pat Lyons, who side-footed it home.
So the Brewers
rampant form continues with another victory, and a clean sheet for the fourth
successive match. Albion remain on course to break the record points haul
acheived under John Barton, and perhaps even snatch second place from Bath
City, who crashed to a 3-0 defeat at Clevedon Town. Albion are at home again
on Saturday when Margate are the visitors to Eton Park (kick-off
3pm).
Monday 20th March 2000 Adios Adders! Dr. Martens League: Atherstone United 0 Albion 2 The Brewers completed the league double over Atherstone United for the first time ever at Sheepy Road on Saturday, 2-0 winners in what could be the last league meeting for some time between the sides. You have to go back to the days of Atherstone Town in the 1970's for the last time Albion took maximum points from a team from the Warwickshire footballing backwater, a measure how consistently United have proved to be a thorn in Burton sides since their promotion to the Southern League Premier Division in 1989. Whether or not you take it as a sign that this will be the season when gravity finally takes it's toll and the Adders slip into Western Division obscurity after a decade of surviving on meagre resources, it certainly makes a change. It was obviously that kind of day, as Christian Moore finally opened his account for the Brewers, converting Dale Anderson's cross from close range on 65 minutes, his first goal since joining the club in early February, to add to the 20 he's already netted for Ilkeston Town this season. Tuesday 14th March 2000 Hastings here we come! Dr. Martens Cup Semi-Final: Albion 2 King's Lynn 0 The Brewers booked their passage into the Dr. Martens League Cup Final tonight, in a pulsating contest watched by an atmospheric 1,000+ crowd inside Eton Park. From the early stages it was evident this would be better than your average Dr. Martens Cup tie, as the Brewers hit the ground running, and dominated the early stages. Mark Blount lifted a shot over the crossbar early on, and Darren Stride fired wastefully over from Christian Moore's ball in from the right. And it was from a similar situation that Stride opened the scoring, with fifteen minutes on the clock. This time, David Holmes supplied the cross in from the right, Moore couldn't connect with a stooping header, but the ball landed right at the feet of the Brewers' skipper, who fired in off the post from close range. Christian Moore, back in the side after recovering from an ankle injury, looked to be combining well with Dale Anderson, who was causing all kinds of problems for the Linnets defence. The Brewers seemed to lose their way towards the end of the half, and the visitors almost drew level on the stroke of half time when Dave Puttnam's cross from the right was met by Mark Turner's goal-bound header, which was pushed round the post by Goodwin. King's Lynn continued where they'd left off after the break, with the best chance falling to John Palmer, who brought another good save out of Goodwin with a 15-yard shot. But the Albion defence, missing Alan Davies through a hamstring injury, soaked up sustained pressure from the visitors. As the game drew to a close the tide of the game was once more with the Brewers, who looked dangerous going forward. The clinching goal came ten minutes from the end. Dale Anderson swung a cross in from the by-line, David Holmes's shot was blocked, and the ball fell to Pat Lyons, who drove home from the edge of the box past the unsighted Chuck Martini. The Linnets protested to the referee, feeling that Simon Dakin had been impeded in the build up to the goal, but there was no question of the result now, as Albion, turning on the style for their adoring fans, threatened to add to their tally. A higher score would probably have been unfair on King's Lynn, who matched Albion for long periods, but in the end it was a comfortable victory for Nigel Clough's team, his third of the season over former Forest team-mate Gary Mills's side.
The Brewers go
on to face Eastern Division Hastings Town in the final to be played
over two legs on Tuesday 4th and 18th April. After this performance there'll
be a strong feeling they can end the season with some silverware in the cabinet,
and lift the trophy they last won three years ago, especially with the decisive
second leg being played at Eton Park.
Sunday 12th March 2000 Salisbury sunk (Pt 2) Dr. Martens League: Salisbury 0 Albion 3 The Brewers completed their league double over Salisbury, with a second convincing victory over the Wiltshire side within a week on Saturday. Anton Thomas made a surprise return to the starting eleven after returning from his loan spell at Hinckley (see story below), with Christian Moore and Aaron Webster both ruled out through ankle injuries. And Thomas had a part to play in the first goal, a minute before half time, playing the through ball which allowed Dale Anderson to shake off the challenge of his marker to fire home from ten yards. As in last week's fixture, the Brewers dominated the second half, and thought they'd added to their tally on 58 minutes when Mark Blount, who got the Brewers first goal in the game at Eton Park, headed into the roof of the net, but the goal was disallowed for pushing. It took until the last minute for the Brewers to double their advantage, when James Price hopelessly miscued, allowing David Holmes, for the secod week running, to round the Salisbury 'keeper and walk the ball into the empty net. Then, on the stroke of full time, it was 3-0 when Nigel Clough set up Anderson to score his second, and complete another conclusive victory for the Brewers. Finishing in second place is still not out of the question for Albion, after Bath City were held 1-1 at home by Worcester City. League leaders Boston United also drew, 3-3 at Havant & Waterlooville. Meanwhile on Tuesday the Brewers last chance of picking up some silverware brings King's Lynn to Eton Park in the Dr. Martens League Cup semi-final. It might not be the Championship shield, but it's better than a kick in the teeth, but lifting the Southern League Cup again would be a nice way to end the season. Eastern Division side Hastings Town await the winners of Tuesday's match in the two-legged final. Smith joins Hinckley Brewers player Craig Smith has joined Dr. Martens Western Division side Hinckley United on a free transfer. Smith, 23, joined the Brewers from Derby County at the start of the 1998-99 season as a striker, and scored on his debut at Rothwell Town. His Brewers career was marred by injury, meaning he was never able to claim a regular first team place, and instead became something of a utility player, after proving himself able to play in midfield and at the heart of defence. Nigel Clough said that Smith would probably be in the team if he'd been able to maintain his fitness. "Unfortunately that's not been the case because of injuries.. and a change of club might be just what he needs to bring him a change of club," said the Brewers boss. Hinckley manager Dean Thomas will be hoping to have more success with Smith than with Anton Thomas, who's loan spell with the Leicestershire side ended last week after failing to impress in his time there. Meanwhile Albion could have another option upfront to call upon soon, after forgotten striker Phil Starbuck made a return to competetive action in midweek, playing the full 90 minutes of the Brewers reserve team's match against Hednesford Town. Said Starbuck after the game: "I know I've still a lot of work to do to get match fit, but I'm feeling more and more confident now." "A year ago I was lying in a hospital being told I would never play again," continued Starbuck, "The knee was at right angles and I had to have emergency reconstructive surgery because it was split wide open and there was a very high risk of infection. But as a Christian in sport my faith has bee central to my recovery and when I was able to join in training at the start of the year and do everything the other lads were doing I knew I would be all right." (Source: Burton Mail) Tuesday 7th March 2000 Return of the Macc The Brewers have re-signed Macclesfield Town winger Micky Mason on loan from the Nationwide Division Three side. 20-year old Mason played four matches for Albion in a month's loan spell with the club at the end of last season, and has been told by Macc they intend to release him at the end of this season. Said Nigel Clough: "Micky did well for us in his brief time with us last year and he's certainly a player worth having another look at to see how much he has progressed." Meanwhile forgotten striker Phil Starbuck was due to take another step on the road to recovery from the freak accident which has ruled him out of action since the end of last season, when he lined up for the Brewers' reserves against Hednesford Town in the Central Conference at Eton Park tonight (Tuesday, 7.30pm). Tuesday 7th March 2000 Salsibury Wilts Dr. Martens League: Albion 4 Salisbury City 1 The Brewers recovered from the blow of conceding a goal inside the first minute, to record their first home victory over Salisbury City in five attempts, on Saturday. The Brewers welcomed back player-manager Nigel Clough, who missed the games at Margate and Newport through injury, and Mark Blount, who missed the Newport game after a family bereavment. Blount lined up in defence alongside James Wall, the centre back signed on loan from Hereford United making his home debut. The Brewers were though without Neil Glasser, due to a groin injury. Fans were still finding their place on the terraces when Whites' marksman Paul Sales headed in Andy Cook's cross, with just 53 seconds on the clock. And it could have been 2-0 to the Wiltshire side midway through the half when Roger Emms headed against the Albion crossbar, with Goodwin beaten. The Brewers had chances of their own in the first half, the best of them falling to Nigel Clough, the player-boss at the peak of his form on his return to the side. Clough side-footed Christian Moore's cross just wide, brought a save out of City 'keeper James Price with a 20-yard shot, and saw a volley from even further out just miss the target. Christian Moore came close with a header, his first Brewers goal remaining elusive, as did David Holmes towards the end of the half. The Brewers' patient, controlled, passing football finally brought dividends seve minutes into the second half. Clough floated a perfectly flighted free-kick to the far post, where Mark Blount arrived to convert from close range. And Clough was again the provider when the Brewers took the lead on 68 minutes. His defence-splitting pass found David Holmes one-on-one with the 'keeper on the edge of the visitors box. Holmes skipped round the helpess Price, steadied himself and, with all the time in the world, casually walked the ball over the line. Salisbury were wilting now, and finally succumbed to a convincing victory with two further goals inside the last ten minutes. First, substitute Aaron Webster picked up Holmes's pass before cutting inside the defender and firing a beauty inside the near post, then fellow sub Andy Murfin, who'd only been on the pitch three minutes, delivered a perfect cross from the right, for skipper Darren Stride to power home a header.
Salisbury don't
have to wait long to avenge their defeat, as they entertain the Brewers in
the return fixture at Old Sarum this coming Saturday (3pm). The Brewers are
next in home action a week today (Tuesday) when they play host to King's
Lynn in the Dr. Martens League Cup semi-final (7.30pm), with either Hastings
Town or Havant & Waterlooville awaiting the winners in the final. The
Brewers then make the short trip to Atherstone United on Saturday
18th March, before seeking to avenge the 6-1 humiliation at Havant &
Waterlooville erlier this season, when the South Coast side visit Eton
Park in a re-arranged fixture on Tuesday 21st March.
Tuesday 7th March 2000 Away day blues Albion's marathon series of away matches ended with just two points out of a possible nine, ending any lingering hopes of a title bid for this season. A week last Tuesday, the Brewers went down 1-0 to Margate at Hartsdown Park, where 'Gate full-back Paul O'Brien's 25-yard screamer was enough to secure three points for the Kent side. A miserable night in the South East was completed when Christian Moore was stretchered off with an ankle injury, while Nigel Clough missed the trip altogether through illness. Last Saturday a point at Spytty Park in a 1-1 draw with Newport County was enough to move the Brewers back into third place, overtaking their midweek conquerors Margate, who lost at home to Tamworth. The Brewers went behind on 9 minutes, when Terry Henshaw was harshly judged to have impeded County striker Carl Dale in a penalty area tussle. Dale himself converted from the penalty spot, but the Brewers hit back 10 minutes before half time, when Darren Stride crashed home a left-foot volley from 10 yards. The first team injury list meant that Nigel Clough, himself an absentee, had to make changes to the side. James Wall, a loan signing from Conference giants Hereford United, lined up in defence alongside Danny George, in place of Mark Blount who missed the game on compassionate grounds. Andy Murfin was also given a full debut up front, in place of the injured Christian Moore. Meanwhile in off the field news, the Brewers announed a trading profit of £21,000 for the 1998-99 financial year. Gate receipts for the 1998-99 season increased by nearly £30,000 on the previous year, to £74,000, while sponsorship and fund-raising revenues were up £20,000 to £220,000. The players' wages, national insurance contributions and expenses increased by just £13,000 to £195,540, belying the club's 'big spender' image, according to chairman Ben Robinson. "These figures prove that we did not break the bank to take Nigel Clough and Gary Crosby on board as the new management team, but continued to take a sensible and prudent approach towards wages, " he said.
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