BIRSTALL Old Boys

8th Dec Home WON 4-0			27th Oct Away WON 4-1
.With the threat of the game being called off put to bed & the pitch in great condition the boys were up our game against an in form Birstall Old Boys. The team were in high spirits after last weeks awesome win in the county cup. 3 points however were by no means a certainty & we knew we would have to be at our best. Falcons kicked against the wind for the first half, with Birstall playing a long ball game the defence were under a lot of pressure. Falcons were playing good football & working very hard to regain possession once lost. The Birstall forwards were playing well & had a couple of chances to take the lead but great goalkeeping by Jim Smithers saw the scoreline unchanged. That was until a clever free kick by between Ross Locker & Danny Parkin saw Parkin spank the ball past the on rushing keeper 1-0 to the Falcons. Birstall continued to give the Falcons defence a tough time which they stood upto very well. Half time came & the boys were looking forward to playing with the wind behind them. As usually happens in this situation the wind & rain seemed to calm down with the half time whistle (wish the ref had blown earlier !!!) Falcons started to dominate the game & soon enough they doubled their lead with a great header at the back post by Marc Radforth. On came Adam Locker & Adam Barrigan for Deon Zollino & Matt Bishop. The shape stayed the same & the pattern of play continued as before with Falcons dominating play & Birstall having the odd half chance. Birstall did have a penalty appeal turned down but the player wasn’t touched & should definitely go for the Strictly Come Dancing Show next year ! A Birstall player was booked for his strong protest. Falcons soon put the game to bed with a great lob over the goalkeeper by Adam Locker & after a good initial save off Barrigans shot 3-0. Ashley Jones replaced Gunny & Hoggy retreated to the centre of defence. Adam Barrigan was again involved in a goal squaring the ball to Danny Parkin who jinxed past a couple of players before smashing the ball across the goalkeeper to make the score 4-0. The referee blew his whistle soon after & we all retreated to the warmth of the changing rooms. Man of the match was split between both Jim Smithers & Ross Locker. Next week we are at home to Division 1’s Markfield Town in the last 16 of the Cobbin Trophy KO 13:30.			.Back to League action this week & our opponents were Birstall Old Boys currently lying in the bottom half of the table. The game started very well for Falcons who had a couple of half chances within the first couple of minutes. The Birstall strikers were causing the defence a few problems with some quality touches & linking play. 10 Minutes in & Andy Gunn had to go off with an injury so brother Paul replaced him. This meant a re-shuffle for the team but this didn’t seem to stop the bombardment on the Birstall goal. The pitch was the size of a postage stamp so the play was constantly being switched from Box to Box. 20 minutes in & a great strike across the goalkeeper from a tight angle from Matt Bishop hit the post & went in 1-0 Falcons. Birstall were playing quite well & were always a threat at to the Falcons goal with some quality build up play without the end result. The Falcs goalkeeper was quick off his line to smother any danger. Several more chances fell to Falcons before the half time whistle came. 2nd half Birstall came out of the blocks pretty quickly & had a couple of half chances before a great corner on 50 minutes met the head of Daniel Jarvis the ball flew into the top corner 2-0 Falcons. Birstall responded in kind 5 minutes later with a well taken half volley giving the Falcs keeper no chance. Panic set in for a few minutes & Birstall had the better of the game. Again not really creating much but keeping possession well. The head of Paul Gunn met another great corner from Ross Locker 65 minutes into he second half. 3-1 Falcons. Phil McHale added a 4th 10 minutes later with a fine finish under the keeper. Off came Sam Hogg & Phil McHale on came Ashley Jones & Kevin Smith. Falcons dominated the last 15 minutes & in truth the score should have been higher. The game finished 4-1 & we returned to the Maxwells happy with 3 points and another game added to the unbeaten start to the season. Man of the Match went to Phil McHale for his non stop running, closing down & tidy link play. Next week is a return to cup action against unbeaten Glenfield Tn Reserves in the County cup KO 13:30.
team	J SMITHER , , D JARVIS , M RADFORTH , S HOGG , R LOCKER , D ZOLLINO , P GUNN , M BISHOP , D PARKIN , P McHALE , D PITCHFORD Subs,A Locker,A Jones,A Barrig		team	J SMITHERS , A LOCKER,, D JARVIS , S HOGG . M RADFORTH , R LOCKER ,, M BISHOP , D PITCHFORD, A GUNN . D PARKIN, P McHALE, Subs, P Gunn , K Smith , A Jones
scorers	D PARKIN 2 , A LOCKER , A BARRIGAN		scorers	P McHALE.... ..., D JARVIS ....., P GUNN... ...., M BISHOP...
man of the match	JIM SMITHERS ., ROSS LOCKER..		man of the match	PHIL McHALE...,

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ASHBY IVANHOE ( A )

WHITWICK Wanderers

2nd Feb Home LOST 3-1			17th Nov AWAY DRAW 0-0
This was the biggest game of the season so far. Falcons who were unbeaten were playing top of the table Whitwick Wanderers at the home of football ‘Derby Rd Playing Fields’. We knew 3 points would put us in a very strong position & even a draw would be good result. The Whitwick team seemed to have gained a few players over the last few weeks & they were all available today ! Falcons however were missing a couple of key players. The ‘Gaffers’ had the upmost faith in the lads who were playing to get a result. The game started off at a fast pace with a couple of half chances going to each team. Whitwick were up for it from the start & were putting a few hard tackles in on the strikers. Phil McHale in particular was being clattered every other minute. Unfortunately the referee saw nothing wrong with this & it continued for most of the game without any cards. Falcons took the lead after 20 minutes from a Danny Parkin header follwing a Ross Locker free kick after yet another foul on McHale. 1-0 Falcons. After that Whitwick took control & scored within 5 minutes the ball bounced around & eventually into the Falcons net after a goalmouth scramble 1-1. Whitwick then took the lead with a header from the ‘BIG’ centre half following a corner getting lost in the strong sunlight. 2-1 Whitwick. Danny Parkin had a half chance after a mix up between the Whitwick keeper & a defender but the ball came to him a little too fast & the shot went over the bar with the goal empty. Half –Time soon came & Falcons were glad for the chance to sort things out. The second half started well for Falcons in terms of possession as they dominated play without much reward. The Whitwick No 4 was cleaning up everything we could throw at them. Falcons had a cast iron penalty turned down after a defender again clattered McHale. The referee deciding the foul was 1inch outside the box rather than the 2ft inside that it actually was. Not long after Whitwick scored again with another soft goal from Falcons point of view. A low shot slipping through the keepers hands & trickling into the net 3-1 Whitwick. Falcons made 3 subs in quick sucession trying in vain to add something different to the game. Whitwick however held firm despite a couple of half chances falling to the Falcons strikers we just could not get the ball into the net. The game finished 3-1 to Whitwick who fully deserved the win (Falcons 1st of the season). Man of the Match went to Daniel Jarvis for a great all round performance. Next week we are away at high flying Kegworth Imps who we drew 1-1 with on the opening day of the season KO is 2pm.			This was undoubtedly the biggest game of the season so far in Division 2 of the NLFL. Both sides had unbeaten records on the line with Whitwick winning 11 games in a row & Falcons sitting pretty with 8 wins on the trot after drawing their first 3. Falcons started at a 100mph & almost scored in the first couple of minutes after some good play by Matt Bishop. That was just a taster though as for the next 15 minutes Whitwick bombarded the Falcons defence with some slick passing & a couple of clever set pieces. All this play was at a frightening pace & the tackles were flying in from both sides. Nothing dirty just good competitive football. A couple of corners worried the Falcons faithfull on the line but everything calmed down & Falcons started to boss the game & had several half chances but nothing clear cut. The referee started to impose himself on & booked a Whitwick player for a foul on Phil McHale who was well up for it continually running at the Whitwick defence . 3 minutes later & Paul Gunn ended up in the book for a similar type of tackle on a Whitwick forward. It was Gunny again at the centre of the action as he flashed a header an inch past the post from Hoggy’s impressive free kick into the box. A foul by Marc Radforth on a Whitwick forward sparked a response of heads & hands that should have seen the lad they called Jamma head for an early bath. The referee chose to only book him & gave Radders the same treatment. The game continued at pace with high quality football on show. The 30 or so people watching were enjoying the show. Gunny again missed a header with the ball hitting his shoulder. Whitwick nearly scored after a mix up in the Falcons defence saw the keeper in no mans land. Luckily the shot went wide. Half time came & the lads retreated to the changing rooms. Falcons continued to out play our hosts for the majority of the second half. The players were creating good chances but Whitwick were blocking shots & the keeper was making good saves. With 25 minutes to go on came Adam Barrigan & David Pitchford with Deon & Radders making way. Hoggy nearly cost us the game with a dodgy back pass of Stuart Pearce proportions ! Luckily Smithers was off his line in a flash saved the Hogsters blushes. Falcons continued to play great football without any end result. In 1 last throw of the dice on came James Hickling for Adam Locker. Falcons had a half hearted penalty appeal turned down with 5 minutes left. After that Whitwick looked like they were happy with a point & with the night sky closing in the referee blew his whistle. Falcons were a little deflated after dominating the majority of the match a point didn’t seem like much reward. Whitwick were the happier of the 2 as they still have a 6 point lead over us. No doubt about it though this was a great game between 2 very good sides who could both hold their own in the Premier Division. Man of the Match was a tough decision so was split between the in-form Daniel Jarvis & the full of running, tackling & all round grafter Phil McHale. Next week we are at home to ATI Garryson KO 2pm.
team	J SMITHER., D JARVIS..P GUNN, M RADFORTH., R LOCKER., A BARRIGAN, S HOGG,. .D ZOLLINO. ,D PITCHFORD , D PARKIN, P McHALE,,Sub		team	J SMITHERS , A LOCKER , D JARVIS , M RADFORTH ,S HOGG , R LOCKER, D ZOLLINO,, P GUNN, M BISHOP , D PARKIN , P McHALE, Subs, D Pitchford,A Barrigan, J Hickling
scorers	D PARKIN,		scorers
man of the match	D JARVIS .		man of the match	DANIEL JARVIS.... , PHILIP McHALE..

ATI GARRYSON

24th Nov Home WON 6-3			22nd Away Mar DRAW 1-1
This was a typical day down ‘The Drome’ with overcast skies & a cold gale force wind blowing down the pitch. Falcons were kicking against mother nature for the 1st half so we expected a tough time of it. This is exactly what we got. Garryson had us pegged back for most of the first 25 minutes in which time they scored 2 goals. The first a classic free kick from our left hand side going past everybody & into the back of the net at the far post. The second was from a free kick on the opposite side of the pitch but this time it was hit with power & flew into the top corner. Falcons were under the kosh & we started to give silly free kicks away in daft positions keeping the defence busy & the forwards frustrated. Adam Barrigan settled it down with a typical well-timed run from midfield & a fine finish to make the score 2-1 to ATI Garryson. The half time whistle went & we marched off for a nice cold glass of orange squash. Radders made way for Hoggy before the second half got underway. Falcons were confident they would dominate this half much the same as Garryson had the first. This turned out to be the case & we did it in some style. 2 minutes in & a corner to the far post found Gunny who did what he does best & headed the ball into the back of the net to make it 2-2. Things didn’t quite go to plan for the next 5 minutes however as the Garryson forward bundled Jarvis over only for the referee to allow him to carry on & score a 3rd goal. 3-2 Garryson. The faithful following on the line were not impressed with the referee’s performance so far & this didn’t put him top of their Christmas list either. However a goal was given & we had to just get on with it. Thankfully that’s exactly what we did. On came Pitchy for Zollino & a slight change in formation saw Bish move out right. Pitchy made an immediate impact making a defence splitting pass for Parkin to equalise with a fine finish 3-3. 2 minutes later and a corner from the right saw the ball drop at the feet of Barrigan who stabbed it forward & Pitchy managed to get a touch to take it over the line 4-3 to Falcons. We really put the pressure on & Garryson were unable to get out of there half. Wave after wave of attacks from Falcons was the norm for the next 20 minutes. This resulted in a couple more goals for Daniel Parkin. The 1st a great ball from Ross Locker found him 1:1 with the keeper & he finished it well shooting the to the keepers right. The second was thanks to Phil McHale’s unselfishness as he squared the ball to Parkin when 1:1 with the keeper after both players had sprung the offside trap. The game finished 6-3 to Falcons & in truth it could have been double figures with the assistance of the wind. Man of the match was a tough choice this week but had to go to Danny Parkin for his hat trick. Paul Gunn & Phil McHale should get a mention as well both giving great performances in difficult conditions. Next week it’s back to the County cup & we are at home to Birstall Royal British Legion KO 13:00.			Today was the turn for Falcons to visit ATI GARRYSON. With the bad winds and the on off snow showers it wasnt the best day to be playing football but we knew that we still had a job to do.  Falcons started the game off very well and straight from the off was having attack after attack. Unfortunately Falcons couldnt capitalise on any any of these chances and didnt manage to score in the first half. The main reason being the Superb garryson keeper making save after save. Garryson did have a few chances thereself but also failed to capitalise so the score at half time was 0-0.  The second half was a fairly even contest, both teams having many chances to break the deadlock but again both keepers were in top form and stopped any team scoring. This was the case until about the 65th minute when Dan Parkin knocked in a rebound from a Paul Gunn shot. 1-0 to the Falcons.  After Falcs scored this goal Garryson seemed to up there game and started having a few attacks and in the end scored a goal, one of there players knocking in a cross at the back post. Falcons did have a few more chances after this to win the game but again failed to finish any of them.  So the score finished 1-1, although we didnt win there was many good performances from many of the Falcs players.  Man of the match was split between Ross and Adam Locker
team	J SMITHERS, P GUNN, A LOCKER D JARVIS , M RADFORTH ,A BARRIGAN , R LOCKER, D ZOLLINO,,, M BISHOP , D PARKIN , P McHALE, Subs,D Pitchford,S Hogg,A Jones		team	J SMITHER. .P GUNN, M RADFORTH. A LOCKER ., D PITCHFORD, .R LOCKER . ,M BISHOP ,D ZOLLINO A GUNN , D PARKIN, P McHALE Sub,,M Tait
scorers	D.PARKIN 3.., D BARRIGAN.., D PITCHFORD.., P GUNN...		scorers	D.PARKIN
man of the match	Daniel PARKIN..,		man of the match	Ross LOCKER , Adam LOCKER

SILEBY Saints Res

17th April Home DRAW 1-1			6th May Away WON 1-0
After Tuesdays fantastic County Cup Final win it was always going to be difficult to getting the lads motivated for this almost non significant league game. Having virtually secured 2nd place & only needing a point against the leagues bottom side to be certain of it the Gaffers decide to make several changes. Falcons kicked off against the strong wind & with the ground being surprisingly hard & bobbly it was never going to be a classic. The Falcons players were up for it though & within 30 seconds Hickling had a chance only to be blatantly pushed off the ball. The referee ignored any claims for a foul (an unfortunate trend throughout the match!). All the lads who were starting their first game for a few weeks were running hard & playing some decent footy. Most notably was Matt Tait who was making his first start for 2 years ad playing very well. The first half went by without too much incident & certainly not many chances were created. John Stanbridge came on for Kevin Smith during the half time. With the wind behind Falcons were totally dominating the play & Sileby were fortunate not to be a couple of goals down with Tait, Hickling & Andy Gunn all going close. Marshall replaced Hoggy at the back with 20 minutes left. 5 minutes later and Falcons had taken the lead with a great header at the far post from Adam Barrigan following a cross by Ross Locker. Radders made way for Gunny during the last 10 minutes & Falcons were totally in control of the game having a couple of half chances to extend the lead. Sileby equalised during the last couple of minutes direct from a free kick just outside the box. The game ended all square at 1-1, the Sileby lads celebrated & the Falcons players wandered off happy with a point. All credit to the lads who came in & did a great job. M.O.M went to Matt Tait for a superb all round performance (no pun intended !). Saturday we are away at Cattapillar in the Semi-Final of the Chairmans Trophy KO 2pm.			This was our last game of the season. With neither us nor our opponents Sileby Saints Reserves with anything to play for this was always going to be a non-event. Falcons totally dominated the play from start to finish. Lot’s of good passing football & plenty of movement off the ball was the order of the day. Chance after chance was created & missed some going close lot’s going high & wide! James Hickling scored the only goal of the game after 40 minutes shouldering in an Ash Jones ‘special’ corner. Second half was much the same as the first with Falcons missing chances, Ross Locker cleaning up everything Sileby could throw at him & Deon Zollino & Ash Jones skinning the Sileby wingers/fullbacks. Matt Tait hit the post as did James Hickling. Andy Gunn also hit the post & then the bar within 1 minute of each other. The game ended 1-0 to Falcons. The M.O.M award went to the team. Although they missed over 30 good chances the team effort & work rate was second to none. Thanks for all your support over the season & hope you will be over to watch us for 2008-2009.
Team	J SMITHER. M RADFORTH, , S HOGG , S MOULT, .R LOCKER A BARRIGAN ,A GUNN , K SMITH, A JONES, J HICKLIND ,M TAIT , Subs, J Stanbridge, P Gunn, S Marshall		Team	J SMITHERS. A LOCKER, D ZOLLINO ,R LOCKER , A GUNN , M BISHOP , K SMITH, A JONES, D PITCHFORD . J HICKLING. M TAIT, Subs, J Stanbridge, S Marshall
Scorers	A BARRIGAN.		Scorers	J HICKLING ,
Man of the Match	Matt TAIT.		Man of the Match	THE TEAN