1st Team | 1874 Northwich F.C.

Matt Woolley’s thoughts ahead of City of Liverpool’s visit to Townfield

Caretaker manager Matt Woolley is challenging his squad to “stand up and fight”, starting with this weekends game against City of Liverpool.

1874 are looking to respond after a 4-0 defeat to Trafford last weekend, and Woolley is demanding a high intensity and work ethic from his players on Saturday.

“It was a disappointing result (Trafford) , no hiding from that. We knew it was a game we had to perform in.”

“2 weeks ago we played Mossley. We were together, committed and everyone gave 100% – as a 74 fan that has to be the minimum you expect to see and we will make sure that’s the case come 3pm on Saturday.”

City of Liverpool visit Townfield this weekend and sit in 13th place ahead of kick off. Having already faced CoL twice this season, Woolley knows it will be a tough fixture for the Greens.

“They (CoL) are a very good side. I expect them to be hard working and committed, with some real attacking threat.”

“It will be important we look to make life difficult for them but at the same time using our strengths to cause them problems.”

“We are all aware its been a challenging season but its not over! It is in these situations you see who stands up and is willing to fight and see the true character of an individual.”

Ahead of kick off on Saturday, Woolley finally issued a rallying cry to the supporters

“The club needs everyone associated now more than ever pulling in the same direction; Supporting one another & getting behind the lads on the pitch. They will be giving 100% come Saturday on it and we need you to do the same on the terraces!”

Words from Damian ahead of Trafford’s visit to Townfield

Damian Crossley has issued a rallying cry to the 1874 fans ahead of crucial NPL West tie against Trafford tomorrow.

With both sides at the wrong end of the table heading into to final third of the season, 1874 will be looking to build on Saturday’s point against Mossley, a performance that where Crossley praised the resilience amongst the squad.

“I was pleased with the determination and grit we showed, we spoke about it before the game and the lads really put a shift in.”

“It wasn’t pretty at times but we stuck at it and overall it was a pleasing performance and a positive step forward.”

One player that particularly stood out on Saturday was Salford City loanee Bowen, and Damian was quick to heap praise ok the youngsters performance.

“I thought he was terrific. He was strong, aggressive and completely unfazed by the fact it was his first game.”

Trafford head into Saturday’s game on the back of a defeat to Steve Cunningham’s Ashton United, and will be looking to avenge their poor form in the league also. The ’74 boss has not taken this for granted however, and is urging the fans to get behind the team this weekend.

“I expect Trafford to be well organised. They’ve a few really experienced players and they’ll look to manage the game.”

“Please be as loud as you were last week and get behind the lads. You were fantastic and hopefully we can go one better for you all this Saturday.”

Damian’s thoughts ahead of our visit to Mossley

Damian Crossley has issued an apology to the 1874 fans ahead of tomorrows fixture against Mossley, and is urging his team to respond after the defeat to Widnes last Saturday.

“I can only apologise to anyone who was at Widnes last Saturday. The second half was utterly indefensible and unacceptable.

“I appreciate that patience will be running out with the group and we are working hard on and off the training ground to put it right.”

Approaching a huge run of games, Crossley recognises the importance of picking up a win this Saturday away at Mossley.

“Anyone who’s been around football a long time knows that one win and suddenly everything looks different. The confidence starts to return and one can lead to two.

“I expect Mossley to try to dominate against us, they’re at home and their crowd will demand that.

“There’ll be a couple of changes to the team this Saturday, with at least one new addition.”

Pre match thoughts from manager Damian Crossley ahead of tonight’s fixture

Damian Crossley is setting his 74 side the aim to start a positive run of results on Tuesday night, as they take on Midlands Premier League side Northwich Victoria in the Mid-Cheshire Senior Cup

After a positive second half performance against Prescot, the ’74 boss is looking for his squad to continue to respond against their local rivals.

“I thought the second half (On Saturday) was very encouraging and we have to learn from it.”

“We’ve been talking about being more assertive in our play for a few games now and the second half showed why. We have to take that lesson forward now.”

A game in a cup competition is a welcome break for 1874, and Damian is relishing the chance of being part of a local derby on Tuesday night.

“We have spoken about the importance of the game already within the group and Matt and Phil will have a big role to play in impressing it on the group once more.”

“We will be as strong as we can selection wise, although the game will come too soon for the injured lads.”

Finally, Damian praised the support from the Northwich fans, and asked for more of the same come kick off on Tuesday.

“I want to say thank you for the support on Saturday, we know we have to do our bit on the pitch to give you something to shout about but the noise you can create really does help spur the lads on.”

Admission for Tuesday’s game is pay on the gate and is priced £8 for adults, £5 for concessions, £1 for 12-17 year olds, with U12s free of charge.

Words from manager Damian Crossley ahead of tomorrow’s fixture at Townfield

Damian Crossley is urging his 74 side to turn possession into chances in front of goal, as they go in search of three points this weekend against Prescot Cables.

Last time out, 1874 fell to a 2-0 defeat away at Nantwich Town, where Crossley rued defensive lapses at crucial stages in the game.

“My overriding thought is about the goals we conceded. There were some passages of play that were positive and some pretty good individual contributions but the goals were very disappointing.”

“I feel our issue is creating chances, it’s not as though we’re missing loads of chances every game, we need to have more confidence to control the game with the ball, this in turn would lead to us creating more.”

Cables will arrive at Townfield in 2nd place on Saturday, as they look to close the gap between themselves and pace setters Leek Town.

“I expect Prescot to come wanting to show people why they’re up there, be positive and put us under pressure. We’ll be looking to put in a good performance in both an attacking and defensive sense and put some points on the board.”

Admission for Saturday’s game is pay on the gate and is priced £10 for adults, £6 for consessions, £1 for 12-17 year olds, with U12s free of charge.

Damian’s thoughts ahead of the New Year’s Day fixture

Damian Crossley has urged the 74 fans to get behind the team on New Year’s Day, as they go in search of 3 points away at Nantwich tomorrow afternoon.

Last time out, a ten-man 1874 side came up short against Witton Albion, but despite this, Crossley was pleased with the response from the players during the second half.

“I wasn’t particularly happy with the first half, I thought we had a hangover from the awful performance on the Saturday and struggled to put any level of quality into the game.”

“Second half I thought we were excellent. We were the better team with 10 players and some of the lads really stepped up. If we can take that belief into future games that can only be a positive.”

A tough task awaits the greens this weekend against a Nantwich Town side that have recently dispatched national league side York City in the FA Trophy on home turf. Despite this, Crossley is targeting all three points tomorrow afternoon.

“It’ll be a tough game. They have some top players for this level and I’m surprised they aren’t competing at the top of league.”

“Having said that, I expect us to compete with every side in the league and we’ll go there looking for 3 points.”

“I’m hopeful that we’ll have a couple of new faces in the squad on Monday and I’ll be looking to add a couple more in the next week. We need to have competition for places and we need to start winning games.”

Finally, ahead of a crucial month of football, the 74 boss had a message for the fans.

“Support the team as you usually do and make as much noise as possible; it really does make a difference to the players.”

A catch up with Damian following yesterday’s game

After a disappointing loss yesterday, 1874 manager Damian Crossley has a message for our supporters.

“Before I talk about the game I’d just like to thank the fans who spoke with me afterwards. They were so positive and kind and certainly more forgiving of the performance than I would have been. In terms of the game I think there are some huge lessons to be learned. We made a really poor start and that set the tone for the rest of the day. We need to learn how to build a performance and put a platform in place early on for us to get a grip on the game. There were too many occasions yesterday when we were out fought and out run and that meant we never really got into the game.

As a group we have to put yesterday out of our minds by the end of today. Watch the game back, learn from it and move on. We owe the fans a performance and we must react well. We’ve been resolute and determined in the previous two games and that has to be the very basic start point on Tuesday, in front of what will be a big crowd.”

Sharing his thoughts on a shortage of goals, Damian had this to say: “We have to have more confidence on the ball, make better decisions when releasing it and commit players forward knowing that we have cover behind us. We are relying on individual moments at the moment but we need to be able to sustain attacks and spend more time in and around the opposition area.”

Damian’s thoughts ahead of our visit to Kidsgrove

Damian Crossley has spoken about his desire for the team to control matches and build on recent results as they prepare for the upcoming festive period.

Since taking over 3 weeks ago, Crossley has overseen two competitive draws, that have each shown promising signs at opposite ends of the pitch.

Searching for the first win of his tenure, the 74 boss spoke about the importance of backing up recent performances.

“It’s always important to back up decent results. If we can go to Kidsgrove and get the three points then that would be a nice return for the lads’ efforts in the last 3 games.”

“We need to get to a stage where we control more of the game and that’ll help us to create more chances. That should increase our goals output which is ultimately what we need and want to see.”

1874 are looking to avenge an opening day defeat against Kidsgrove this weekend, although this has not played a role in the preparation for the game this weekend.

“I don’t think the lads have really thought about that game, I’ve certainly not heard any talk around it. They’ve just been working hard in training to be ready for the next game and this weekend it just happens to be Kidsgrove.”

Matt’s thoughts ahead of Saturday’s fixture

1874 Northwich’s Matt Woolley is hoping for a slice of luck this weekend, as the greens entertain Avro at Townfield this weekend.

Coming off the back of a narrow 1-0 defeat to Runcorn Linnets last weekend, Matt was quick to praise the effort of the players, despite the result.

“Last weekend showed how cruel football can be, when you are in a bit of bad form often you don’t get that little bit of luck.”

“I thought a draw would have been a fair result but I thought the attitude and commitment was the best we have seen for a while.”

“The lads have now showed what they are capable of and the levels they can reach so for us to improve and start getting some results that has to be the benchmark.”

Avro have impressed in the early stages of the season, and find themselves in a play off position before kick off on Saturday. Woolley spoke about the importance of setting high standards from the off in order to stand a chance of forcing a positive result.

“Mark and I went to watch them (Avro) during mid week. They are a strong well organised side and very good defensively.”

“It will be important we show the same levels of attitude and discipline from last week, this weekend and will need everyone to perform to the best of their ability.”

“I would like to think we have all seen a difference in the players these last couple of weeks. I think the performances have deserved a little more than what we have got.”

“I would like to thank everyone for their support over these last 2 weeks. We believe we are heading in the right direction and aren’t far away from getting an important win. Once again we will give our all this weekend, we hope you can do from the terraces!”

1874 will be without Michael Ibeto who is ruled out with a broken foot, whilst the fitness of caretaker manager Mark Jones will be assessed ahead of kickoff. 1874 have however bolstered the squad with the addition of Elliot Coleman from Alsager Town, who has been brought in to provide cover.

Matt’s thoughts ahead of the weekend match

Ahead of their first game in caretaker charge, Matt Woolley has issued a rallying call to 1874 Northwich fans.

For the first time since 2017, 1874 will start with two new men in the dugout, after Wayne Goodison and Paul Bowyers departure earlier this week. Woolley was quick to praise the outgoing duo, before turning his attention to the weekends fixture against Bootle.

“They have both been huge for our club and we’ve all had some amazing times under the tenure.”

“I think if you look at social media and the statement that was released you see supporters, players, other coaches from many different clubs recognising not only their work on the pitch but how they conducted themselves off it. So for Mark and I, we believe that honesty and integrity is a must.”

1874 sit two points above the relegation zone before entertaining Bootle, and Matt is keen for a response after the 4-0 defeat to Clitheroe last weekend.

“A response is required, and there will be one.”

“I was very critical of the lack of energy and desire to stop them playing on Saturday but you do have to put it in to perspective, Clitheroe are a good side who will towards the top of the table at the end of the season.”

“We want to put a team on a pitch that the fans can relate to and get behind. We will expect the basics of work rate, effort & passion to be a minimum but give you something to shout about, we want to be exciting and attack with purpose.”

In what will be another tough fixture, Woolley hopes the side can draw on the home support tomorrow.

“This is a new chapter for 74 and needs all of you (the fans).”

“Be loud, proud & really get behind the lads on Saturday!”

Item added to cart.
0 items - £0.00