Gee Cross Football Club - New Club Formation

[Stuart 1971]

Gee Cross Football Club - New Club Formation

It’s the 11th ​March 2014, entrepreneur and billionaire businessman Harry Twamley has just watched his boyhood team, Hyde United, be comprehensively beaten 3-0 by fellow Football Conference Premier side Alfreton Town. A defeat which has finally relegated Hyde back to the Conference North after a 2 year stay.

Ken has decided enough is enough, he wants some success, some glory, some good times, but he has no intention of ploughing his money into Hyde, he is going to build his own new team within the town.

The season reaches its climax with Hyde only managing to record 1 win, 2-0 away at Welling United; they ultimately finish the season with a league record low of 10 points, some 34 points from safety.

Since forming his plan, his boyhood team Hyde United have suffered further embarrassment by falling down the football league pyramid a further 2 divisions and this season find themselves in the 8th​ tier of English football in the First Division North.

It’s now 1st July 2016, over 2 years have passed and 22 players have been recruited for newly formed Gee Cross Football Club. The players have reported for duty at their new 4,200 capacity Werneth Low football stadium.

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[Stuart 1971]

Months earlier, and with a transfer budget of £1.3m allowed by his friend Harry Twamley, rookie manager Stuart Docherty set about the recruitment process.

The team was assembled from British and Irish youth players from far and wide, from teams as varied as Hampton & Richmond to Chelsea to Stuttgart to Airdrie. With a lot of persuasion, promises of game time and development and convincing the players that silverware was possible almost immediately, Docherty and his team recruited the 22 players needed.

With the planning of the past 28 months and the complete backing of Harry Twamley the recruits were convinced that anything was possible!

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There is cover in every position with 2 players being recruited in each. The plan is that as the players are so young they will grow and improve each year.

 

[Stuart 1971]

The best 3 players recruited are:

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Jack Leitch is a 21 year ball winning midfielder purchased from Airdrie. He had previously played for his hometown club Motherwell where he had made 27 appearances. With high determination, work rate and stamina, he will play a vital role in the centre of the pitch.

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22 year old Elliott Johnson is a left wing back purchased from Barnet where he played nearly 140 times. At such a young age he will be one of the more experienced players in the squad.

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Locally born 15 year old playmaker Finnan Docherty is a kid with huge potential. Already standing at 6 feet and with great natural fitness and technique, if trained correctly he should be dominating matches for years to come.

 

[Stuart 1971]

Friendlies
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I left my assistant manager to arrange the pre-season friendlies, ideally, I would have liked to play 6 but he did only manage to arrange 4.

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All the friendlies were against teams in lower divisions and our own U23 team. I’m a great believer in that you have 2 players for each position and all players within the team should be of a similar quality. Obviously though, some will be better than others. All of the players started at least one game during the 4 games, with largely positive results.

• Gee Cross 2 v U23 0 – We totally dominated this match and 17-year-old poacher Daniel Butterworth was rewarded with a brace of goals in a man of the match performance.

• Congleton 1 v Gee Cross 1 – A second game where we dominated proceedings with 12 shots to Congleton’s 4. Congleton opened the scoring on 6 minutes and then left winger Jacob Maddox equalised after 35.

• Buxton 0 v Gee Cross 1 – 63% possession and 16 shots against Buxton’s 5. Shadow striker Fraser Hornby pounced after indecision from the Buxton goalkeeper on 23 minutes with the only goal of the game.

• Radcliffe Boro 0 v Gee Cross 2 – Another game where we totally dominated. This time we were a bit more clinical in front of goal although we did have to wait until half way through the 2nd​ half before central defender Danny Collinge pounced on a rebound from the goalkeeper to open the scoring. The 2nd​ goal came in the 83rd​ minute when playmaker Joe Powell secured victory.

 

[Stuart 1971]

August 2016
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Gee Cross play their first ever competitive game away from home against local rivals Stalybridge Celtic.

The first match to ever be played at Werneth Low is a tricky fixture against Bradford PA who the media expect to be fighting relegation this season.

With a total of 6 league fixtures in the month we also have a second local derby against Altrincham.

As Sir Alex Ferguson said to his players often, win at home and get what you can away is certainly a philosophy I’d like to try and adhere to. As the media have tipped us to be champions we certainly need to strive to this, although as the board only want us to avoid relegation somewhere between these wouldn’t be bad.

Having said that, if we can get 11 points from our first month I would be delighted.

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[Stuart 1971]

Stalybridge v Gee Cross

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In our first competitive match, we again dominate proceeding as we did in pre-season with 60% possession and 15 shots to 6 from Stalybridge, however we have to rely on an own goal from Stalybridge left back Danny Wisdom to secure a 1-0 win.

Left winger Jacob Maddox is injured on 53 minutes and is ruled out for 5 weeks with strained knee ligaments.

A great save from Stalybridge keeper and man of the match, as Grant Shenton denies Daniel Butterworth his first competitive goal when the Gee Cross man placed his penalty high and to the left of the keeper.

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