Stone Dominoes Vs Castleton Gabriels

Stone Dominoes 3-1 Castleton Gabriels...report to follow shortly.

Eccleshall Vs Castleton Gabriels

After a convincing first win of the season over Norton, Castleton were hoping to carry on their form into the next game against Eccleshall. And the 44 strong crowd would be treated to a thrilling game, one that would finish 3-3.

Eccleshall were quick to start and even hit the post early on when the ball flew past keeper Mark Canning, fortunately the ball was cleared. But things were to get much worse for the Gabs when Eccleshall took the lead after 15 minutes. Neil Edwards received a short corner and somehow from an acute angle thundered the ball into the top corner. 1-0. Gabs were on the back foot from the start and thing’s got worse after 23 minutes. Eccleshall spotted a gap through the midfield and a ball was played to Adam Challinor who from the right shot low into the back of the net. 2-0.

Castleton needed some luck and more importantly a leader…and Steve McCann took up this responsibility. Around the 39th minute Castleton were awarded a corner and with a remarkable resemblance to Alan Shearer, McCann headed home for Gab’s first goal of the game to a more respectable 1-2. Things were to get a lot better for the Gabs when former Man city reject Carl Winstanley picked up possession from the kick off and in true “Arne Rissesque” style he rifled a shot from 26.6 yards past the Eccleshall keeper into the top corner. 2-2. At half time Gabs had pulled it back from 2-0 down to level it 2-2 and they would hope to continue where they left off in the second half.

For the beginning of the second half, neither side could generate much in terms of attacking, but on the 63rd minute, after some neat passing from the Gabs, Brad Barrington was on hand to slot home and give gabs a deserved lead. 2-3.

This prompted a response from Eccleshall who began created chances after a subdued hour. And there pressing would pay off. Around the 77th minute Russell Dametteo latched onto some neat passing from Eccleshall and fired home. 3-3. Whether fitness was an issue for the Gabs or lack of concentration…but on to many occasions Castleton have conceded late on.

Both teams for the final 10 minutes created chances and pressed for the winner but neither could prevail and honours were eventually shared. An excellent game which could have gone either way, but a positive to take from the game is that Castleton have the ability to create and score goal, but need to prevent the same amount being conceded…and were onto a winner!

Norton United Vs Castleton Gabriels

Norton United 1-2 Castleton Gabriels...Report to follow shortly.

Castleton Gabriel’s Vs Ashton Athletic

On a very typical wet British afternoon, Castleton were in search of their first points of the season, but standing in their way was Ashton Athletic. But an injury ravaged team and a late surge from Ashton would condemn Castleton to another 1-3 loss in Bacup.

Because of several injuries, Andrew Pheby was pushed to the left wing, Graham Hicks moved to right back and Paddy promoted to left back.

It wasn’t the best of starts for Castleton, a few minutes in and Ashton had taken an early lead. A long ball played over left back Paddy’s head was met by the Ashton winger, who then squared the ball into the 6yrd box, and the striker was there to meet it for a simple tap in. Not a brilliant start for Castleton and they would have to dig deep early on if they were to get a result. Again the midfield partnership of Jackson and Watkinson was working well and a few chances were created for both sides, and in particular the Ashton wingers were giving Castleton’s wing backs some work to do. But Castleton persistence paid off as mid-way trough the first half, a cross swung in by Brad Barrington was met by the head of Dean Watkinson for what was a textbook Duncan Ferguson-esque header that flew into the back of the net. 1-1. Chances were few and far between for the rest of the half, Dean Watkinson again with a header but that sailed over the bar, and a couple of runs down the wing. But then another blow for Castleton, Michael Ward had to be taken off the pitch due to an ankle injury that was more serious than was first assumed and regrettably a wave to the crowd would prove to be his last contribution of the afternoon.

Assistant manager Lee Chadwick was a second half replacement for the injured Michael Ward, he would now deputise at right back. The second half commenced and soon enough Castleton’s troubles continued to mount. Brad Barrington accidentally kicked the underneath of an Ashton defenders boot after passing the ball, thus resulting in him having to be taken off, and with limited option’s on the bench, the player only known to me as “Pingu” was brought on. The rain continued to fall and as a result, some tackles looked far worse than they actually were, but in the case of Carl Winstanley, he just lost his temper when losing the ball and jumped in unnecessarily.

A defining moment in the game and indeed the season so far happened around the 70th minute. Some scrappy play in the Ashton box, a ball was played through to Andrew Pheby who, in the 6yrd box calmly controlled the ball and played in Christian Evans, who with the goal at his mercy put the ball agonisingly wide. Although the linesman’s flag was eventually raised (even though he was on-side), this was clearly a problem that Castleton would have to address as not enough chances were being converted.

Fitness again was a key factor as Castleton’s play was slowed down, and some sloppy passing and weak defending gave confidence to an Ashton side that was willing to fight to the end. With about 7 minutes to go Ashton took the lead; a neat through ball was collected by an Ashton attacker who slotted home from inside the area.1-2. Things were to get worse for Castleton when some poor marking from a corner resulted in another goal. The corner came in and was met by the head of an Ashton player who played it onto the head of another Ashton player, who with the goal at his mercy placed it in the back of the net.1-3. With only minutes to spare this was maybe a mountain too high for Castleton to climb, and soon enough the final whistle was blown.

There were a couple of chances throughout the second half, Dean Watkinson having a shot blocked along with Matthew Jackson, and Ashton also hitting the post midway through the second half, but again for the Gabs then lacked the composure to find the back of the net when needed.Injuries, banned players and a makeshift ground obviously contributed to another Gabs defeat even though things looked promising after Monday’s Chadderton game. But maybe a return to Butterworth Park for the next home game would lift a side in need of confidence and a win, but until then they would have to play away against Eccleshall and the coming weekend’s fixture against Norton United.

Player Profiles....(Updates on-going)

Name: Dean Watkinson

Nickname: 'Deano'
Age: 23
Position: Centre Midfield
Background (previous clubs, etc):
Heyside, Unsworth, Avros, Bury FC, Oldham Athletic, Leeds United.
Interests: Playing the Guitar, Listening to Music, Going out drinking, Travelling, Paper Clips, All things Orange.
Favourite food: Lasagna
Favourite club: Manchester United
Player most liked to meet: George Best
Name: Michael Ward

Nickname: 'Wardy', "Donkey"
Age: 20
Position: Defence, midfield, forward
Background (previous clubs, etc):
Manchester City, Oldham athletic, Curzon Athletic, Castleton Gabriel's
Interests: Looking in the mirror, styling my hair, ordering firthy around, organic microwave meals, looking in the mirror, playing football whilst combing my hair and women.
Favourite food: Organic microwave meals
Favourite club: Manchester United
Player most liked to meet: Luke Chadwick
Name: Andrew Pheby

Nickname: 2smooth, Pleby, Pheby, T-bag.
Age: 23
Position: Everywhere
Background (previous clubs, etc): Chadderton Park, Boundary park, Manchester United,Middleton colts,Heyside, Chadderton fc.
Interests: Trendsetting, Women, Partying hard, Catching carp for fun.
Favourite food: Steak
Favourite club: The famous Millwall
Player most liked to meet: Terry Hurlock/Keith StevenName:Carl Winstanley

Nickname: Winnie, Winstan Child
Age:22
Position:Right wing
Background (previous clubs, etc):Manchester City, Manchester Utd, Liverpool,
Heyside and The Angel
Interests:Drinking on a friday night is probably my favourite hobby, sorry
management i'm trying my best to stop, and i like to go the gym every now
and again.
Favourite food: Chicken Donner kebab from 3 Stars
Favourite club: Manchester City
Player most liked to meet: Gattuso

Name: James Elstub

Nickname: Captain/ Tubba/ Elstubborn
Age: 22
Position: Mascot
Background (previous clubs, etc): Oldham Athletic, Springhead, Three Legs.
Interests: Alan Brannick, Cleaning birds in oil slicks, running for the bus, chasing pigeons, knocking the doorman at Harvey Nichols hat off and running away.
Favourite food: Roysters T-bone steak crisps
Favourite club: Jacobs’s orange club biscuit.

Player most like to meet: Alan Brannick

Chadderton F.C Vs Castleton Gabriel’s

Just two days after the 4-1 defeat to Blackpool, Castleton would have to play an away fixture to rivals Chadderton F.C, On a very pristine pitch we would be treated to an excellent game but one that would finish with a 2-1 defeat for castleton Gabriels.

It was vital in the first half that Mathew Jackson and the still un-fit Dean Watkinson combined well in the centre of mid-field as this would be where most of the game would be played, plus with the speed of the Chadderton strikers the defence would have to be at their best.

Chances were few and far between in the first half, but in particular Carl Winstanley was at the forefront of any attacking play for Castleton, On one occasion Carl broke down the right wing and muscled past a Chadderton defender, swung a cross in that was met by the head of Christian Evans, only for the ball to sail over the bar. That was probably the best chance of the first half for Castleton other than a few long-range efforts that sailed over and around the goal. Chadderton took the lead mid-way through the first half in what would be regarded as another soft goal for Castleton. Chadderton ran down the right wing and again similar to Blackpool’s 4th goal, cut inside and slotted the ball into the back of the net. 1-0. Castleton had clearly improved their game but for a lapse in concentration but were still lacking a cutting edge upfront. The midfield partnership of Watkinson and Jackson was working well and there was an obvious weakness down Chadderton's left flank that hopefully Castleton could exploit in the second half. The first half was also marred with an ankle injury to skilful winger Nathan Eastmond that clearly disrupted the balance of play down the left flank.

The second half was much better from Castleton Gabriel’s, again there was a dogged fight in the centre of midfield, which Mathew Jackson coped well with, and with the power of Castleton’s defence, Chadderton were limited in their attacking play. Castleton again attempted to breach the goal with some long-range efforts, in particular Christian Evans unleashing a powerful 25-yard shot that was easily caught by the Chadderton keeper. Then out of the blue Chadderton scored a 2nd goal from a counter attack. Paul Ashton received the ball around the half way line and ran the rest to slot home an excellent individual effort. His pace was too much for Castleton’s defence, even when 3 defenders were hounding him. This was a catalyst for a Castleton fight back. A change of formation to 3-5-2 with Michael Ward moving into midfield worked very well. Some neat touches and some long-range efforts seemed to boost the confidence of the mostly quiet central defender. Carl Winstanley broke clear of the Chadderton defence and had a shot but the angle proved too acute for him. Graham Hicks also tried his best to provide the attackers with some ammunition…in particular a free kick from the left, which was met by a diving header, only for Chadderton’s keeper to comically push it away.

The break through was a scrappy goal, Brad Barrington played a ball into the box, which through a sea of bodies took a knock off a Chadderton defender and rolled into the back of the net. There was no time for celebrations as only 5 minutes remained on the clock so the ball was taken straight to the centre spot. With Chadderton obviously on the back foot and Castleton seeking an equaliser, Chadderton decided to throw 9 men in defence and leave a lone striker up-front, and in doing so prevented any chance of Castleton claiming an equaliser. The final whistle was eventually blown.

Another defeat for Castleton but many positives to take from an excellent game. The balance in midfield was restored with the return of Dean Watkinson, which allowed the defence to go back to full strength with Andrew Pheby returning to right back, and with a fit Nathan Eastmond on the left wing all that seems to be missing is the composure to put the ball in the back of the net. Hopefully we will see this against Ashton F.C on Saturday?

Castleton Gabriel’s Vs Blackpool Mechanics

The penalty that never was, the free kick that should never have been and the fitness that was never there…all aspects to a season opening 4-1 defeat at the hands of Blackpool mechanics.

After a disappointing pre-season, Castleton needed a positive start to the season, but with injuries to key players Alan brannick and dean watkinson they were always going to be on the back foot. In an even first half, Castleton showed more desire than they had done pre-season, a solid defence limited Blackpool’s advances and with positive counter attacking and in particular the speed and skill of Nathan eastmond, Castleton showed a desire to win. Midway through the first half Castleton made the break through. Mathew Jackson played a ball through to left wing that was met by brad Barrington, he then produced a sublime chip into the top corner from an acute angle. The keeper was left for dead. Andrew pheby was as combative in midfield as ever, giving and receiving some hard tackles and on some occasions losing his temper and lashing out but luckily he survived the half without a warning. A few dubious offside decisions limited the chances for both sides and they would both need to up their game for the second half.

A combination of dubious referee decisions and fitness level would contribute to a Blackpool white wash in the second half. The rout began with a terrible refereeing decision that led to a penalty. Blackpool on the attack in Castleton’s box, the ball fell free to Andrew Pheby who cleared from his area, only for a Blackpool player to fly into Pheby with a late challenge…unbelievably the referee awarded Blackpool a penalty. Dumfounded by the decision the Castleton player’s and management could only watch as Blackpool converted the penalty with ease. The 2nd Blackpool goal didn’t take long to come, similar play to Castleton’s first goal, Blackpool pressed down the right wing and what was clearly a cross into the area, ended up flying over the head of Mark Canning and into the back of the net. The 3rd Blackpool goal came from yet another dubious refereeing decision. Nathan Eastmond was the victim of a late challenge yet the referee stayed quiet and the Blackpool players advanced down the right wing only to be awarded with a free kick themselves. From the resulting free kick Blackpool coolly headed the ball into the back of the net to make it 1-3. The referee waved away all Castleton’s protests and the game resumed. The forth and final goal came from an excellent individual effort. A Blackpool attacker ran the right wing, cut inside and coolly slotted the ball in back of the net.

Several attempted runs down the wing, and individual runs from Nathan Eastmond could not get Castleton back into the game and the final whistle was blown. A clear lack of match sharpness was missing upfront as all efforts were confined to the stands, and despite many headers being won, and a clear ability to pass and cross the ball Castleton Gabriel’s need to find some form for Mondays clash against fierce rivals Chadderton F.C.

Welcome to Castleton Gabriels

Welcome to the official Blog of Castleton Gabriel's. information regarding fixtures, results, player profiles, stats and Bloopers will be available here.

Throughout our journey with Castleton Gabriel's you will read many match reports, hear of many hard tackles and bear witness to some very unlucky own goals. and also through out you will never know who i (the person writing this) am...i will go by the name of No.6 and only the sun and rain will know my true name.

Pre-season has now come to an end and after 3 defeats (4-0, 4-0, 3-2) the Gabriel's of Castleton need to make some drastic improvement's come the start of the season.

The league starts this weekend with a home fixture against Blackpool mechanics and the match report will be available midday...Monday.

No.6