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Post
Winter Season Review
The 2003-4
winter season has seen a Club record 500 junior players
pull on the red and black kit of Sale United at some time
or other during the winter months. Some have joined only
recently at the back end of the season and were not eligible
to play in League games. However, 27 boys squads and 4 girls
squads have enjoyed competitive football during the winter
months.
Click picture to enlarge
The highlight
for the boys squads has been the cup successes we have enjoyed.
Five of our squads battled through to get to prestigious
final games and three of them rewarded the Club by bringing
cup silverware back to our Crossford Bridge base. These
were the Under 11's Jets, the Under 13'sA and the Under
14'sB who also completed a “Double” by winning their League
with two games to spare. Runners-up in finals were our Under
9'sA and Under 12'sA and lets hope they carry on the usual
Sale United tradition by returning to their Finals next
year and going just that one step further. Apart from the
Under 14'sB our general League form has not been consistent
enough to bring honours although our Under 13'sC squad only
just missed out on promotion taking it to their last game
of the season.
Click pictures to enlarge
Our Girls section continues to build in numbers and our
Under 10's had a tremendous League season taking the experienced
Halton Girls right to the wire in the Cheshire League which
needed a play-off game to settle it. Unfortunately our Sale
side were on the wrong end of a 2-3 see-saw game and had
to settle for the runners-up position. Still, a credible
performance in their first season in this League and proof
that Sale United Girls have definitely “arrived” on the
football scene.
Our Sale United Girls have also been one of the inaugural
Clubs taking part in the newly formed South Manchester Girls
League, based at Lostock fields in Urmston.
As expected, being Trafford’s first Club to include ‘all
Girls’ teams we have made a real impact, with the Under
12's being awarded the ‘Most Improved Team’ award.
Our two Open Age teams have had mixed fortunes. The sudden
death of Club Secretary Eric Speake in August 2003 was not
only a major blow to the Club, but Eric was also the Manager
of our more Senior side. The loss of Eric had a major influence
on team form and despite last year gaining promotion to
the Altrincham Sunday League First Division, without Eric
at the helm, sadly the team have struggled throughout.
There were better fortunes for our second Open Age side
making its debut in the Manchester Amateur Sunday League.
A squad consisting of very young players made a big impact
and early on looked very good for some honours. However,
as the more established Clubs began to realise that our
team were no “push-overs” and had some outstanding talent,
the opposition raised their game in the latter part of the
season and our early promise faltered. Still, this can be
looked on as a learning curve.
Foreign Opposition
The Easter period saw Sale United play host to teams from
Denmark, Holland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
On Easter Sunday over 200 junior boys players took part
in Sale United’s “European Hand of Friendship”
In the younger age groups it was the visiting Apex Sky Blues
from Newtonabbey, just North of Belfast, who won both the
Under 11 and Under 12 sections. Fittingly, the former Manchester
United and Northern Irish International player Norman Whiteside
was on hand to present them with their awards.
Sale United Under 14'sB took the honours in their Section
and it was the Danish side Roskilde FC who won all their
games to take the Under 15's mini-league title. Once again,
as if by good management, Kevin Ellegaard and Mikkel Bischoff,
two Danish professional players at Manchester City were
present to give out winners medals to the Danish boys.
On Tuesday 13th April, Athy Town F.C. a Club from Co Kildare
in the Republic of Ireland brought three junior squads to
play in a three game competition against their counterpart
teams from Sale United F.C. The Sale Club won two out of
the three games to take the overall trophy which was presented
to Matthew Madeley the Club captain on the day.
On Sunday 2nd May it was the turn of Ardmore Rovers from
the town of Bray, Co Wicklow who brought a team of boys’
Under 10 players to play against a select Sale United team.
It was just one of those days for the Sale lads who just
couldn’t find the net; even putting a penalty kick wide.
This is not taking anything away from the Irish visitors
who were worthy 2-0 winners.
At the end of May, nineteen of our Under 13 boys will travel
to Utrecht in Holland for four competitive games in a week
against Dutch opposition. This will be Club’s fourth annual
visit to Holland where we have developed some strong links.
In addition to the football games the boys will visit the
Amsterdam Arena, home of Ajax and the FC Utrecht ground.
They will also enjoy visits to a Fun Water park and the
Six Flags theme park. All in all a very busy week.
Click picture to enlarge
We
would like to thank the following sponsors who have helped
keep the cost of this visit as low as possible for the boys’
parents:-
Draycott Browne Solicitors
Richardson Mail
Global Remould Services
Robert Walker (Haulage) Ltd
Heavy Duty Forklift Trucks
CV Parts
Congleton Garden Centre
GMP Property Act Fund
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