News: Bashley loan Pompey midfielder Colson for a month

BASHLEY BOUND:
George Colson

BASHLEY have secured the services of Portsmouth youngster George Colson on a month's loan ahead of this weekend's trip to Barwell. 


Colson, 19, made his Pompey debut in the League Cup against Plymouth Argyle before spending a a two month loan spell with Dorchester Town. 


The attacking midfielder goes straight into the Bash squad for tomorrow's trip to Barwell in the Southern Premier. The Canaries won the reverse fixture 5-0 in September.


*The story for the Bournemouth Echo can be found here, as well as a preview of tomorrow's match. 

Betting blog: Southern Premier - Saturday 26th January 2013

IN the first of a new column theonionsack takes a look at betting in the Southern League Premier Division and picks the hot tips for the forthcoming weekend’s action.

Despite the weather forecast being pretty grim for most fixtures, we’ve plucked four matches out for potential profit this week with some of the less obvious selections looking the best bet.

There may not be a lot between AFC Totton and St Neots Town in the league table, but with the Saints’ form plummeting and Steve Riley’s charges winning seven of their last eight outings at the Testwood Stadium the Stags are great value for a home win at 11/10.

We should get two more home wins from promotion chasing clubs in the Midlands with Barwell, on the back of three straight wins, hosting a Bashley side who are winless in six and the Canaries won 5-0 at Bash back in September. Elsewhere, high-flying Stourbridge welcome strugglers Hitchin Town. Both are odds on (Barwell 4/7, Stourbridge 4/9) but added to our final selection, the odds add up to nearly 9/1.

Cambridge City, who are 11/10 to win at Frome Town make up the quartet. The hosts are without a win at The Aldersmith Stadium in six matches while the Lilywhites have won six out of eight away games with the only blots on their copybook being narrow defeats at Hemel and Barwell, bothcurrently in the top five.

We’re avoiding the top two this week as Leamington travel to an in-form Arlesey Town and Hemel host improving Weymouth. Elsewhere, Chesham’s form is too good to discount as they travel to Gosport Borough who top the form table.

TOP TIP: A cheeky tenner on those four returns just shy of £100 with Bet365 at the current odds, but get on it quickly if you’re going to, the odds are getting shorter pretty quickly.

*Prices correct at time of publication. 

Exclusive: Pompey star Paul Hall joins Romulus coaching staff

NEW ROMS COACH: Paul Hall

FORMER Portsmouth star and Jamaican international Paul Hall has joined the back room staff at Northern Premier League club Romulus theonionsack can exclusively reveal.

Hall, 40, will come in as First Team Coach as the Roms shake things up behind the scenes with current coach Dave Barnett stepping up to the role of joint manager alongside the long serving Richard Evans.

The former Pompey striker or winger returns to the game after a year out following a spell as assistant manager at Mansfield Town, who reached the FA Trophy final, and as coach at Tamworth who got to the 3rd Round proper of the FA Cup.

That came on the back of a successful Football League career, totalling more than 500 appearances and scoring over 100 goals for a succession of clubs including a successful five year stint at Fratton Park.

But he really made his name by receiving the call to represent the Reggae Boyz in the 1998 World Cup with his displays in France earning Hall a £300,000 move to the Premier League with Coventry City before helping another Midlands club Walsall to promotion.

His latest move may raise a few eyebrows, but despite the Roms sitting second bottom of the Northern Premier League Division One South, Hall is relishing the task ahead.

“This will be the biggest challenge of my life,” he said “people may look at that and think it is a strange thing to say with some of the highlights I have had in my career, but that has gone and it is all about now.

“The league position means the lads can’t be very happy at the moment, but that is a good thing, you don’t want people who are happy to be down there struggling.

“We need to create a good atmosphere because wherever I have had success there has always been that togetherness.”

Hall has already got to work, attending his first training session and meeting the players, and insists that the Roms’ young charges were not overawed by his arrival.

“Everyone was very welcoming and it was quite relaxed. I have always considered myself to be one of the lads and I respect these players in the same way I would respect the top players I have played with.

“There are some familiar faces in the squad that I have come across before and we are all in it together. We just need to try and improve what we have done already. We need to make ourselves hard to beat again.

“We’ll set our own targets amongst ourselves but you have to be realistic and remember that we are here for the long term, to build the team and get everyone doing the right things.”

Meanwhile, new joint-manager Barnett added: “The management team are united in achieving better results during the second half of the season.

“The players will get all the information they need and we will be well organised. It is now down to team spirit, hard work, raising confidence and individual standards, so that we become a more consistent, solid unit.”

UPDATED News: Redditch Utd budget cut denied by chairman

TIGHT LIPPED:
 Simon Redhead

REDDITCH United boss Simon Redhead refused to confirm or deny that his playing budget has been cut at the Valley Stadium following the departure of fans favourite Stuart Hendrie.

The former Morecambe frontrunner, who starred for the Reds last season before moving onto Stourbridge, returned to the Valley as recently as October, but the younger brother of ex-Aston Villa star Lee said on the social networking site today that his second spell had been cut short through cutbacks.

When asked about his departure by theonionsack, Hendrie tweeted: “I have left the club and want to say thanks to the fans they have been great as always.

“Was told the budget had been cut and couldn't afford to pay my wages. Gutted as I took a paycut to join them from Stourbridge.”

When asked about any adjustment, the manager of the Southern Premier strugglers politely declined to comment, a sentiment he repeated when asked whether the claims were false.

However, United’s manager did say: “Like all clubs, Redditch have found the winter difficult financially and there has been some pressure on the club. There have been so many games off, it has been a horrendous December.

“One thing I can say is to bring anyone in then players would have to go out as there is not much surplus in the budget at the moment.”

Meanwhile, on another possible departure, Redhead added that there has still been no movement with contract player Connor Deards.

The winger, a revelation on loan from Walsall last season, signed a deal with Reds in the summer but has struggled to command a place in the first XI and was made available for loan. 

On Deards, Redhead said: “There has been no movement yet. A couple of clubs came in for Connor but he and his agent felt it wasn’t right for him to go anywhere and they are pretty clear on their stance.

“He is a very good, talented player but he has struggled to adapt to the part time game and his confidence has suffered as a result. We felt it was in his best interests to go out on loan and that it might have done him good.

“After initially agreeing to go out he decided to stay put, so he will feature for us in the coming weeks and hopefully rediscover his form.”

UPDATE: 

theonionsack was unable to reach Redditch chairman Chris Swan, but the Valley Stadium supremo has since told the Redditch Advertiser that the speculation was wide of the mark in this article. 


However, in the same piece boss Redhead would not be drawn on the reasons behind Hendrie's departure. 

Report: Poole Town 2-3 Yate Town - Southern S&W

MATCH WINNER:
Yate's Matt Groves

THERE was an element of fate about Poole Town’s imperious home run coming to an end against bogey side Yate Town.

The Dolphins juggernaut has kept driving into Hungerford’s lead at the top of the Southern South & West, but all of the statistics and circumstances seemed against Poole on a day where Matt Groves’ injury time winner for Yate seemed inevitable.

Poole’s run of six straight wins with clean sheets in their last four surpassed Yate’s unbeaten run of seven matches with five wins going into the clash, but the visitors’ form was all the more surprising after winning one and losing nine of the opening ten matches before that.

And with boss Tom Killick away, the hosts were soon light on the pitch as well, assistant boss James Wood having to use all three substitutions before the second half started after injuries to defender Sam Clarke, wing wizard Carl Preston and goal machine Warren Byerley.

But in truth, the Dolphins were off colour before that and always looked uncharacteristically vulnerable at the back. On a heavy pitch, the hosts lacked tempo while Yate worked hard and were swift on the break, making light of the difficult conditions.

The match ebbed and flowed with little punch in the final third until Yate took a 13^th minute lead with a goal that would give Killick nightmares had he seen it.

After Groves’ shot was blocked by the chest of Will Spetch, the Dolphins failed to regroup for the resultant corner with Tom Seery heading home unchallenged from close range.

Poole were laboured in their efforts to fight back, but the revelation that is Warren Byerley conjured up some magic and earned a slice of luck with the equaliser.

The former Weymouth front man cut inside and did well to work some space on the edge of the penalty area before hitting a tame, bobbling shot that was heading well wide until Luke Burbidge reacted first, bombing onto the loose ball to crash home the leveller.

Byerley kept battling away and a neat touch and turn two minutes later bought the savvy striker some space on the edge of the box again and this time he made no mistake, his looping shot was deflected past the helpless Josh Dempsey to hand the hosts the lead.

Yate were not done and smart link up play between Mitchell Page and Scott Wilson saw the latter curl an effort just wide of Nick Hutchings’ post, but Poole did not heed the warning and allowed their lead to slip a minute later.

Wilson drove into space down the left and swung the ball in to the far post where the onrushing Page carefully watched the ball and sent a sublime cushioned volley past the flailing Hutchings.

The Dolphins were forced into some desperate defending before the break with Keith Emmerson instrumental as Clarke and Preston struggled with knocks that ultimately ended their afternoon.

And worse was to follow and an innocuous clash between Byerley and Yate’s Tom Warren saw Poole’s best hope writhing in agony after landing awkwardly on his ankle.

All three were replaced and while Poole kept plugging away, they just didn’t look the same side after the break.

Steve Devlin almost caught Dempsey out with an audacious chip while Byerley’s replacement Michael Charles, who looked out of sorts, spurned two presentable chances.

Yate were still dangerous on the break despite looking tired in some areas as Groves constantly switched wings to prove a thorn in Poole’s side. He flashed a shot just wide with Hutchings rooted to the spot midway through the second half before Adam Kelly saw Warren head his effort off the line at the other end.

Groves skimmed the post for Yate while Marvin Brooks drew a full stretch save from Dempsey as both sides cautiously sought the winner.

But it was Yate who upset the form book with another lapse in concentration proving costly. Wilson’s deep ball from right to left caught the Dolphins’ defence napping and Groves had time to cushion his header back across Hutchings at the far post, leaving the host’s 13 match unbeaten league run at Tatnam in tatters.

It was not all bad news though as, whisper it carefully, arch rivals Wimborne did the Dolphins a favour by ending title rivals Swindon Supermarine’s winning run as well as top dogs Hungerford losing at Mangotsfield.

This was an off day, but a rare one. Poole did show their quality in patches and could still have snared victory had one of their second half chances been converted. The Dolphins are still hot favourites to win the Southern South & West and rightly so.

Yate will rightly savour this victory but a betting man would still back Poole to lift the ultimate prize come May.

*THE post match interview with the Bournemouth Echo was with striker Warren Byerley who discusses his future at Tatnam after spending time dual registered with Dorchester Town. 

POOLE TOWN: Hutchings, Clarke (Baines 39), Spetch, Emmerson, Walker, Howes, Burbidge, Devlin, Byerley (Charles h-t), Preston (Kelly h-t), Brooks. Unused sub: Dibba. 

Goals: Burbidge 22, Byerley 24.

YATE TOWN: Dempsey, Warren, Cox, Thomas, Seery, Bater (Sarr 90+1), Groves, Bryant, Page, Wilson, Wring (Purnell 74). Unused subs: Meaker, Barnes, Cousins.

Goals: Seery 13, Page 30, Groves 90+2.

STAR MAN: Matt Groves (Yate Town)

Poole’s momentum was often stifled by their own misfortune, but Yate’s outball to Groves on the wings were also a vital part of their victory. As his team mates around him tired, Groves played with zest and energy and carried the fight. Fitting that he snatched the winning goal.