Rammy could not meet expectations
TONY CUNNINGHAM
WITH the season now ended and the usual awards having been dished out, it’s time to take a look back on the 2017/18 season to see just how Ramsbottom United performed.
The obvious starting point is to state that the end result was not quite as we expected last August, and the 14th place finish matched that of the previous season although the points tally was four short.
Disappointing? On the whole yes, as the season really did split into three distinct sections.
In the League, we were undefeated after six games, and comfortably placed in the early season play-off spots. The only blemish had been a disappointing home reversal in the Preliminary round of the FA Cup to Northern Counties East side Liversedge, whose two late, late goals came as a bit of a shock. So no income from one valuable source of funds.
Mid-September saw the undefeated league start shattered with two away defeats.
A poor performance at Mossley was followed by an unlucky defeat at Kendal, and these two games began a run in Evo-Stik North of just two victories in nine games, with disappointing defeats also at Clitheroe, where controversy and dreadful refereeing appears to be an annual event, and at struggling Skelmersdale United who were evicted from their Stormy Corner ground days after they beat us 3-2. Perhaps the poorest performance of the season saw local rivals Colne arrive at the HWRS with a possee of former Rams players, and each one of their four goals in a 4-0 drubbing was attributed to a former Ram, with Lee Gaskell’s 40 yard lob amongst the best goals seen at Ramsbottom all season!
During this time when we slid down the league table, the mood was lightened by two cup victories. In the FA Trophy, Colwyn Bay were sent back to north Wales on the back of a comfortable 3-0 victory for the Rams, before a tough looking draw away to big spending Premier ●● Sam Heathcote receiving the congratulations of his team-mates after scoring against Skelmersdale in October Division side Shaw Lane turned out to be easier than we thought. Denied a deserved win in Barnsley by a stoppage time highly contested penalty, we were not to be denied, as the replay in Lancashire saw them off 4-1 after extra time. Our final game in the Trophy saw us take on eventual Premier League champions Altrincham at Moss Lane, and despite an early goal advantage, another former Rams player, Jordan Hulme proved to be the thorn in our side as he helped the Robins to a 4-1 victory, so ending an enjoyable mini-run in that competition.
It was also at this time that the Tameside bogey struck again. Having had floodlight problems the previous season against Hyde, their neighbours Stalybridge Celtic came to town in the League Integro Cup, only to suffer the same fate again as the night was plunged into darkness. The game was eventually replayed and we beat our higher-placed visitors to set up a next round tie with their aforementioned neighbours, Hyde United. We saw them off after a penalty shoot-out.
Back to the League and our form continued to be causing concern. After a superb performance away at Bamber Bridge, a team which would gain promotion via the end-of-season play-offs, we went 3-0 up, much to the joy and surprise of all the Rammy fans present, only to see the hosts pull back two late goals and have us nervously perching on the edge of our seats. Despite a late scare, the whistle went and we had picked up our first (surprising) league victory in six weeks.
As if to sum up the season, the next week we travelled to bottom-ofthe-table Goole and were woeful as we came home on the back of a 1-0 defeat.
Unluckily, we succumbed 3-2 to eventual champions South Shields at home, but a totally undeserved last minute goal for Droylsden prolonged the run of defeats, halted briefly by a draw at Tadcaster.
By then, the worst winter for many a year had begun to take a stranglehold that was to see 11 home games postponed, and any chance of a consistent run of fixtures proved to be impossible. Indeed we went from 2nd December to 20th February with just a single home game being played, and that a disappointing draw with struggling Skelmersdale.
A trip to our local rivals Radcliffe hardly boosted the Christmas spirit, as we went down 3-1 on a Stainton park pitch that really was unfit for play, although spirits were lifted briefly at the end of January when a three game unbeaten run saw us win comfortably at soon to be merged Ossett Albion, swiftly followed by a trip to the other mergee, Ossett Town, where a last gasp goal gained us a deserved point.
Sandwiched in between was the next round of the Integro Cup and a trip to what is fast becoming our bogey team Mossley. On this occasion, the gods smiled down on us and we comfortably saw them off on their own patch with a 3-0 win.
However, the upturn in form proved to be shortlived as three defeats followed, when the weather relented sufficiently, but February and March proved to be the fixture planners’ nightmare months, with games called off all over the country on a regular basis. The Rams suffered five consecutive blank game days before a respite in the weather allowed a couple of home games to be played in mid-March. And two victories as well! Goole and Atherton Collieries went home pointless but a trip to the northeast followed, and although the Rammy contingent enjoyed the hospitality off the pitch at South Shields, the team were less fortunate on it, and came off on the back of a 0-4 defeat.
Two home defeats at the hands of Colwyn Bay, and the dreaded Mossley had us looking over our shoulders at the fast rising relegation place. Surely a battle to stay in the Division was not about to hit us?
As it happened, such fears were quickly extinguished, for after the disappointing, or perhaps more to the point, dreadful middle part of the season, the end was about to show a massive improvement, reminiscent of those heady days at the beginning of the campaign.
Having finally lost interest in the Integro Cup at eventual winners Atherton Collieries, the Rams began an awesome task of completing nine games in three weeks.
At times down to the barebones, in a season in which the management team had been criticised for signing over 50 players, those who were available turned in some encouraging and enjoyable performances.
Not that the results were all positive, with frustrating late, late goals cruelly denying the team at least a share of the spoils away at Brighouse and Atherton, but narrow defeats against promoted Hyde and playoff contenders Trafford were offset by comfortable victories at home to Droylsden and Kendal, whilst the season ended on a high with a good win away at Glossop.
We close the lid on the 2017/18 season, all in all a mixed bag, look to enjoy the summer break, before a return in August on the newly constituted EvoStik West League, where, with the departure of the big-spenders, there looks like being every opportunity for the Rams to have a competitive and, hopefully, successful season.