Friday, June 22, 2007

'We'll win again'

Source: The Prestwich Advertiser

FC UNITED of Manchester manager Karl Marginson is predicting another championship trophy for his club as they prepare to embark on their latest chapter.

Margy believes his North West Counties division one champions are good enough to make it three titles in a row and he isn’t planning any major additions as they take on the new challenge of the Northern Premier League first division.

And who would bet against the Manchester United fans’ club fulfiling their manager’s prophecy - he’s been spot on with his previous predictions.

Mystic Margy, who was last week named North West Counties manager of the year, said: “All the lads from last season that I have spoken to want to stay and I’m very happy with the squad we’ve got, so I can’t see there being many changes, if any at all.

“Last year we kept a lot of the same faces throughout and they gelled as a squad, not just as a team. Our record last year speaks for itself.

“We were playing in a very strong league that contained Nantwich Town, who were the FA Vase holders.

“We beat them twice and got a draw. Then there was Curzon Ashton who got to the semi final of the FA Vase, only to be beaten by the eventual winners.

“Salford City were another very good, competitive side who tested us early on but the players came through.

“To do the double in a league of that quality takes some doing.

“Next season will be tougher but I am confident with the lads we’ve got that we will win the league. I always am. You have to think like that as a manager.

“What we will see in the next league is teams that throw money at players, not literally obviously, but they pay ridiculous wages some of them. I know for a fact that a couple of teams in that league pay the same as clubs in Conference North, if not Conference National.

“Our players are at this club because they want to be and it’s nothing to do with money - if it was, believe me, they wouldn’t be here at all.”

FC will also be hoping to progress in the FA Cup as they enter for the first time.

Margy added: “It will be a great experience for players, fans and everyone connected to the club to take part in the biggest domestic cup competition in the world.

“We could get a big draw, which will give the fans a trip somewhere and we could earn a lot of money to be ploughed back into the club.

“But despite this obvious distraction, I can assure you we will be concentrating on the league.”

The Northern Premier League division one season will see each team play 42 games despite there being just 18 clubs.

To counter this, the teams have been split in to two groups. FC will play the following teams three times: Bamber Bridge, Chorley, Clitheroe, Lancaster City, Radcliffe Borough, Rossendale United and Skelmersdale United.

They will play the rest just twice. They are: Bradford Park Avenue, Bridlington, Curzon Ashton, Garforth Town, Harrogate RA, Mossley, Newcastle Blue Star, Ossett Albion, Wakefield, Woodley Sports.

Tony Howard

First published by the Prestwich Advertiser