“People like Simon Jones get killed at work all the time and nothing gets done about it. Not this time”
It’s a sad statistic, but in the last ten years more than 3,000 people have died as a result of injuries suffered at work and a further 200,000 have suffered serious injuries. Every day workers are sent into situations without the necessary skills and training to work in environments such as the one that Simon Jones faced.
Simon was a 24 year old from the Sussex University. He was taking a year out from the course he was studying - Social Anthropology. Under pressure from his local benefits office to take a job, he went to the Personnel Selection recruitment agency, in Brighton. They sent him to work as a Stevedore at the Shoreham dockyard West Sussex for the Dutch-based firm Euromin.
Despite the fact that he had no training or experience and very little in the way of protective clothing, He was assigned the job of unloading; a Polish cargo ship that had docked that day. His job was to attach bags to chains hanging from the inside of the grab, which was open.
This was a highly irregular practice (the subsequent court case criticised the company for doing this). Simon died when the lever that operated the grab got caught in the clothing of the crane operator, causing the jaws to close around Simon’s head.
This tragic event has been a strain on the parents of Simon, Ann and Chris Jones, but their anguish has been heightened by the seeming disregard for their son’s life. For the first few days after the death they had no idea as to how Simon had been killed. It was only a chance meeting with one of Simon’s friends and a colleague that day that they found out the true course of events.
Enraged by this disregard for a life and a sense that justice must prevail. The friends and family of Simon Jones set up The Simon Jones Memorial Campaign. This campaign was set up to bring justice to the people they felt were responsible for Simon’s death.
The campaign is also fighting for recognition of a law of corporate manslaughter that would help in cases such as Simon’s. It has also highlighted the unlawful deaths of workers resulting from the increased casualised nature of work today. They did not want Simon’s death to become another statistic of a work related fatality.
The campaign has been an ongoing process and was started soon after the death of Simon. It has taken its case to the courts despite the avenues seemingly blocked at every point. It has also protested in the form of direct action, which has been a great help in raising the public’s awareness of the case.
The cause has been given prominence by writers and people in the public eye. Julie Birchall, in her ‘Weekend Guardian’ column highlighted the campaign and Mark Thomas, the comedian, raised the awareness of the campaign on his TV show, ‘The Mark Thomas’ product and his column in the New Statesman.
The campaign has recently produced a film called ’Not this time – The story of the Simon Jones Memorial Campaign’, which chronicles Simons first day as a casual worker and shows the campaign as it develops, involving direct action against the government agencies and departments that have thwarted their quest for justice.
The 25-minute film has recently gone on a 20-date tour, as a further way of increasing the awareness of the campaigns aims. The first date was at the Glastonbury festival, on 29th June on the same bill as Billy Bragg and Mark Thomas. Unions, safety campaigners, friends, direct action groups and many more organisations, have responded to campaign by setting up showings in halls, churches, cinemas and community centres across the country.
Colin Chambers, of the Simon Jones Memorial Campaign says that;
“The unique thing about this film tour is that it’s only happening because so many groups approached us wanting to show the film. There is a genuine concern in this country that the government isn’t doing nearly enough to protect passengers and workers from profiteering companies who don’t really care about anything but making a profit.
“ Simon’s death, and recent deaths of both passengers and casual workers on the railways, shows that casualisation kills. A lot of people find that unacceptable.”
One of the sad ironies of Simon’s death concerns the fact Simon was politically motivated throughout his life and he was keen activist and he campaigned on behalf of the Liverpool Dockers in their fight against the casualisation of its workforce.
He was also was a keen writer for SchuNews, the direct action’s weekly newsletter. Simon believed that if you sat back and waited for politicians you would have a very long wait. This is one of the beliefs that the memorial campaign has adopted with regard to the continuation of its struggle.
In 1998, the year of Simon’s death, there were 374 work related deaths in this country. It was witnessing figures like this, was no doubt inspired the formation of the memorial campaign, in the hope that Simon’s death would not just be another statistic alongside the other deaths of that year.
Sadly British law is such, that it is relatively difficult to prosecute any company or individual under the charge of corporate manslaughter. Having tried to seek recourse through the British courts, The Simon Jones Memorial Campaign has engaged in a course of direct action that has complemented its legal battles.
Earlier this year, David Blunkett, the home secretary, decided that passengers injured in rail crashes and workers hurt in industrial accidents will not be treated as victims of crime in the same way that other victims of crime are.
David Bergman, the director of the centre for corporate accountability says that victims of workplace and railway crashes are as much victims as much as someone who is a victim on the street.
“ Many of them suffer injuries, nevertheless it seems that not seen as a crime at the Health and Safety crime, though are promoting new rights to be extended to victims of road traffic accidents.”
The Home Office issued a statement, in which they claimed,
“ We are not bringing in a health and safety victims law at this stage although we have not ruled them out. After consulting our ministers we have decided to extend the bill of rights to the victims of road accidents because the implications are profound and far ranging.”
The introduction of a Corporate Manslaughter Act had been a manifesto pledge of the Labour Government; with it would bring the introduction of some form of policy for corporate accountability in relation to industrial injuries victims. We still wait for this to be introduced let alone to be discussed.
The odds have always been stacked against the campaign from the beginning. Before April 1998, the police were not formally required to investigate workplace deaths.
In this case, the local police had yet to be trained and the investigation started six weeks late. Investigations traditionally fall under the remit of the health and safety executive (HSE) but only 30% of the workplace deaths end in a prosecution. The HSE is chronically under-resourced and often criticised for its delays and a lack of transparency. Prosecutions usually have to focus on the culpability of companies rather than individuals, which lets them plead guilty and escape with relatively small fines while their directors remain unaccountable.
Cases that fall between the HSE and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), if the police decide that there is a criminal case to answer corporate manslaughter is difficult to prosecute.
In the last 50 years, there have been only three successful prosecutions in this country. Under current laws, a company can only be convicted of manslaughter, if a senior manager is prosecuted and found guilty as an individual.
Early in 1999, the Police had completed their investigation. At the start of April, the CPS announced, that there was insufficient evidence to prosecute Euromin or any senior manager for manslaughter. The HSE had also by this time completed its inquiries, but despite countless approaches, would not give reasons why Euromin had been allowed to operate in such a dangerous manner; why had it not been properly inspected and why it had been allowed to remain open?
The campaign approached Louise Christian, the solicitor who had had worked on a number of high-profile corporate manslaughter cases including the Ladbroke Grove and Paddington rail disasters, who decided to fight the case on behalf of the campaign.
Leave was granted in September 1999 and the following March, in a landmark case two high court judges overturned the CPS’s decision claiming that it had behaved irrationally in insisting that there was no realistic prospect of conviction they ordered it to reconsider its original verdict.
After a previous attempt to bring Euromin and James Martell to trial, November 7, 2001, saw the trial of James Martell the general manager of Euromin. The trial took place at the Old Bailey. On the November 29, Martell and Euromin where cleared of manslaughter by a majority verdict; but the company was found guilty of two lesser charges of breaching health and safety regulations, and fined £50,000.
Speaking after the courts verdict the campaign released a statement, putting forward their disappointment of the verdict,
“ We would not be human if we were not disappointed by the today’s not guilty verdicts. We had wished that James Martell and Euromin, would have been found guilty of Simon’s manslaughter and they have not.
They have however, been found guilty of serious crimes that show their criminal negligence led directly to Simon’s death. Some people may say these are minor crimes. We would say that there is nothing minor about crimes, that lead to the death of workers like Simon.”
They added, highlighting the success of the direct action campaigns,
“ Without direct action James Martell and Euromin would never have faced prosecution in the High Court for Simons death. This prosecution only took place because Simon’s family and friends broke the law.
As long as this government and its agencies, refuse to take action against companies that profit from casualisation at the expense of their workers lives, we will continue to break the law so that justice will prevail.”
As result of the case, the campaign now hope that the law is improved in the future by making it easier for similar work related deaths can be dealt with by the courts and hopefully lead to prosecutions.
Future plans for the campaign include looking at the possibility of prosecuting Personnel Selection, the recruitment agency that sent Simon to a work in an environment that was unsuitable for him to do so.
Without much help from the so-called ‘proper channels’. The campaign has resorted to direct action in trying to increase the awareness of the campaign as well as trying to present their case to the relevant agencies.
The first direct action took place on 1st September 1998, on what would have been Simon’s 25th birthday, 30 protesters occupied the Shoreham dock where Simon was killed. They unfurled banners bearing the logo ‘casualisation kills, this action resulted in the closure of the dock for a day and the casual workforce was sent home on full pay.
Two days later, the Brighton office of Personnel Selection, was also occupied and again resulted in the closure of the office for the day. Passers by where leafleted and no doubt managed to spot the ‘murderers’ banner that was unfurled from the first floor office.
On 3rd March, the Labour MP George Galloway tabled a question in the House of Commons concerning the casualisation of labour. He spoke at length about the case. The same day the DTI buildings where occupied by the campaigners and all workers where evacuated when a fire alarm was ‘some how activated’ this enabled campaigners to leaflet the bemused staff of the DTI who where mingling outside the office.
Then one year after the death of Simon Jones. The campaign descended on the Health and Safety Executive, to put their case forward.
Having written to the Health and Safety Executive, on numerous occasions, with no response. The campaign decided to protest outside the Health and Safety Executive. Ann Jones, Simons mother laid a wreath at the doorway. When their request to speak to Jenny Bacon, the Chief Executive of the Health and Safety, fell on deaf ears, the 30 campaigners walked on to Southwark Bridge, and stopped the traffic for three hours. Jenny Bacon finally relented to an audience with Ann Jones, who bafflingly said to Ann ‘Why didn’t you write.’
Little by little this direct action has brought the campaign to the consciousness of a largely ignorant nation. The direct action campaign indeed brought about the Crown Prosecution Services u-turn as to whether they had a case that could be brought before a court of law. Colin Chambers, friend and campaigner, highlights the need for direct action,
“ Direct action basically grew out of the inaction of the left and the unions. As one of the Liverpool Dockers said when we occupied Euromin, ‘A few years ago it would have been workers coming out that shut that dock, not protesters going in.’
Direct action is seen as something slightly eccentric, admirable, but ‘single-issue’, cut off from real politics. Where as in fact that it’s just doing what working class and progressive organisations have always done, but have now been effectively stopped from doing with a carrot and stick.
Its pretty scary that protesting when some capitalist bastard kills your mate is considered as unusual.”
Another sad irony for the Simon Jones Memorial Campaign is that no one has been arrested for the death of Simon. But that four protesters have been committed for trial as a result of their part in a protest at Shoreham Dock, which was staged to draw attention to the ongoing concerns with regards to health and safety at the Euromin owned dock.
Farah Bishani, Crispin Dowler, Sarah McLaughlin, and Carly North all from Brighton, have been charged under section 241 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (consolidation) Act 1992 following the protest on 3rd December 2001. Originally the date of the trial was 29th July, but this has been adjourned until September. If convicted they face up a maximum six months sentence.
Colin Chambers of the Memorial Campaign believes,
“ This dock is a death trap and now four people face going to jail for trying to get the authorities to do something about it. When we approached the Health and Safety Executive with first hand evidence of their own safety rules being broken. We were told we were ‘wasting a lot of their time with this’. ”
He further adds,
“It’s almost impossible to end up in court for killing your employees in this country. Since Simon’s death n 1998 over 2000 people have been killed at work and no director has gone to jail.
Now we see Thatcher’s anti-picketing laws being used against campaigners for who are trying to get safety laws enforced. We don’t think that trying to save lives is a crime and that is a point we will be making very forcibly in court”
Like the campaigners in the Hillsborough fight for justice campaigns the Simon Jones Memorial Campaign having sought recourse to the British Law, have yet to have their questions answered. One thing that the campaign knows is that they cannot bring Simon back, but what they can do is stop the same thing happening to future Simon Jones’s.
The sad fact that it is still happening today, as the Guardian of Saturday 24th August 2002, reports another workplace fatality of a 38 year old, man in Bradford. It is a fact that people are employed to carry dangerous jobs and that accidents can happen. But when corners are cut for the sake of profit, then it is hard to call it an accidental death.
Sunday, August 25, 2002
Monday, July 29, 2002
Hey! Mr Music Man
You may never of heard of him but that does not matter. For the last forty years Liverpool’s Billy Stratton, aged 63, has made a living from the notoriously fickle music industry and after all these years in the business, is now willing to impart the benefit of his knowledge to the future generation of the cities talent. Following the recent success of the Billy Stratton Workshop, which took place in the aptly titled Sessions pub, he is now looking to develop these workshops further.
This brief introduction does not give justice to the journey; some would say an odyssey that has been Billy’s Life. Its been a story of ups and downs, near misses and ultimately of bad health, which saw Billy being given only two years to live back in 1987 – just as he was on the verge of making it in Hollywood. After all that Billy has been through it would be easy to have a jaundiced view of life but that is not Billy’s way at all and, despite everything he has been through he still has dreams and ambitions, with which he wants to fulfil.
I met up with Billy in the basement cellar of his Kirkdale home, which he has converted into a studio and which sees the operation of his Moonrock Publishing Company, which he runs with his wife Linda.
Like any journey the best place to start is obviously at the beginning. Billy recalled his first gig way back in 1959, at the Old Swan British Legion Club, as an 18-year-old guitarist sitting down at the back of the stage as the band belted out skiffle numbers by Lonnie Donegan.
Billy remembered that first night vividly,
“ We did a couple of country numbers and an instrumental. Me and the Drummer did ‘Steppin Out With My Baby’ – it went down really well. In the meantime the singer’s in the back and he looks like Marty Wilde.
He had a pair of old Dockers gloves that we painted white and he put a trilby on and his collar up and when he finished that I started the Into to Mack the Knife. That was my first taste of what was to come.”
The Liverpool Music scene has obviously changed down the years and in some cases not for the best. It is also a possible reason why he is trying to develop and nurture the talent of today. How did he find playing in Liverpool in 1959?
“That’s why I feel sorry for the kids, because when I played in the early Sixties, the Echo used to have two pages of gigs – 500 on a page- it was easy to play, I played every night. Though it affected my marriage the only time I saw her was when I was running after the ambulance for the maternity ward!”
It has certainly been an enjoyable experience for Billy and he echoes the famous quote ‘that if you can remember the sixties you weren’t there’, when asked to recollect his experiences of the period,
“The first thing people say is How old are you and what was the sixties like? I just say one thing. I played a gig on New Years Eve 1959 – I got pissed and I woke up in 1968. What happened in between I haven’t got a clue.”
Like many Liverpool musicians at the time Billy was able to go to Germany to ply his trade. Billy’s career has also seen him travel the length and breadth of the British Isles, as well as places farer a field such as Belgium. Holland and a even few gigs in America. The American gigs also fulfilled Billy’s childhood ambition to travel at sea,
“When I was younger I stowed away on a ship called the Slovania and I played the Jack Dempsey’s bars I can’t remember how old I was. All my friends where seafarers and that’s what I wanted to do, but I got married at 17.”
It was like a marriage for Billy, with regards to his love of Music, but with out his music his life could have been a little different for Billy. His ambitions of being a seafarer now curtailed, a different avenue could have been taken by Billy. By his own admission he was a little bit of A rebel at school but the reason for this was Billy’s inability to read or write as Billy says the teachers at his school they gave up on him.
So with out much direction in his life Billy had one of those chance encounters that more often than not become life altering, he explains,
“I remember one night at the top of Sandhills and what we used to do as kids was to jump on the wagons going to the docks and throw the gear off. This particular day we were getting chased by the police – I ran into the doorway of a pub. It was a place called City Whites, at the bottom of Regent Street.
When everything died down a bit, I stood there and I heard this music. There was a fella playing called Billy Witty. He was playing Jimmy Rogers songs that was about 1956, 1957 – I was sold then.”
So with the notion that Billy was going to be a musician, Billy trudged off to the local pawnshop at the top of his road to purchase his first guitar for five pounds – the problem was that Billy could not play it.
In another quirk of fate, that owes much to that fateful night at City Whites, Billy went to a party where a chance meeting with a girl, revealed that she happened to know Billy Witty’s wife. So out of chance meeting, Billy got a foothold into the music business and Billy Witty gave Billy a chance, as well as five guitar lessons to the fledgling musician.
Billy believes that this meeting not only gave him the chance to forge a career in something interesting, but it saved him from an alternative that could have been a reality,
“Soon as I started to play the guitar. Out of 8 mates I was the only one that never went to jail I put it down to the guitar. I just practised and practised.”
In the 1970’s, he was fronting his own band the Eugene Stratton’s Rock and Blues band. The band consisted of seven members. This band took Billy back to Germany where he toured Germany’s NATO bases. Sadly this band soon broke up due to the usual distractions that effect rock bands.
Music has remained a constant in Billy’s life, though he did put his guitar down, for a time during the Seventies where he took up alternative careers as a window cleaner, after buying someone’s window cleaning round. He also had business-renovating furniture and he had a job as a demolition man. But after all this Billy came back to what he knew best…music.
After his last tour at the end of the 1970’s, he came back to a different Liverpool. The early 1980’s were a time of the Toxteth Riots and this event inspired Billy to write a song called ‘The Crowd Outside’. These events inspired Billy to branch out into a different avenue. As Billy explains,
“I got in with some fellas I knew from a few years earlier – ‘Boys from the Blackstuff’ came around. In one of the episodes there is a character called Shake hands. He came round to our house one day to ask me to write a song. I put one of my other songs on the b-side and I had ‘nine months of Beatlemania. I had an agent and everything. Everywhere I went it was the Shake hands character, everyone loved him.”
Things where seemingly heading in the right direction for Billy. A chance meeting with an associate from the Sixties called Jimmy Wide saw him and Billy set up their own company enabling them to produce plays that they had written. Everything appeared to going okay even a move to Los Angles transpired, as the newly formed company tried to sell their plays to the American moguls. Again just a things where going right. Billy had a breakdown.
“I was in the house and I just blacked out and they told me I was a diabetic. It was so bad that the doctor told me that I only had two years to live that was in 1987. He told me you couldn’t drink or smoke anymore.”
Sadly this was not the end of Billy’s health problems
“ I had that and I thought that I’d got over everything. Then In 1990 I had a stroke. I had a series of little ones. Thank god, it wasn’t a massive one, but the last one I had was when I was living in London. I was waiting on the platform of a tube station and I nearly went under a tube. That’s when they told me that the last one had left me with brain damage. To this day my left hand side is numb.”
Prior to the first attack in America Billy, was in fairly good health so his health problems came as a bit of a shock to him. During his time in LA, even though he was doing well with the play at the time, Billy likened the experience to a year’s extended holiday and by his own admission it was a time that he spent most of his time drunk.
The 1990’s saw a further period of ill health for Billy. He was in and out of hospital all the time. In 1994, he than developed trouble with his kidneys and the likelihood was that Billy might loose a kidney. After a series of operations, it was found to be a kidney stone. This required him to have surgery. Whilst in the hospital recovering Billy set his mind to other things
“I was in the recovery room and they had a jazz station on and I heard them saying that no one was writing jazz anymore. So I went home and wrote twenty songs.”
Billy’s efforts at trying to publish his album of jazz songs, led him to the setting up of his own publishing company after a chance meeting with a friend who told him that with all his knowledge he should put it to use. He did and Moonrock productions, was formed. And with it saw the release of the album ‘Melodies of Billy Stratton’.
With setting up his new company this looked like aiding Billy back to full health but a visit to the hospital told him otherwise,
“I learnt to play the piano. I started to write more songs and people than started to send us tapes. Then I went to hospital and they said to me your body is not accepting the insulin. So they put me on pills. Then two years ago – I didn’t know that my blood pressure was 200 over 100.
As a result, I had a further stroke and I lost my memory I was crying for two weeks. I would see a guitar but I couldn’t work out what it was for, Gradually as my wife Linda started put on my old records and I went to the library to re-learn stuff my memory gradually returned.”
This latest attack shook Billy up so much so that he realised that everything that he had learnt through out the years would be lost. This is partly the reason that he set up his music workshop at the Sessions pub, just down the road from his home in Kirkdale. The workshops where funded by Liverpool City Council’s Millennium awards scheme. The scheme funded projects that specialised in skill sharing.
Billy believed that the workshop worked as a two way process. Firstly, he was able to help budding talent from the city but also it acted as a sort of therapy for him after all his recent health scares. Billy was really pleased with the outcome of the course as he explains,
“We got the right crowd everyone of them was good. We put out a CD of seven singles and for a period of 10 weeks – 4 hours a week – It’ brought me right back.”
So what of the future for Billy? Still ambitious as he has ever been is seeking further funding for possible future courses. Sadly the Millennium awards, has now come to an end, so Billy is seeking funding for other projects. One of the immediate projects is working with one of the performers from the music workshop.
“I’m working with one of the guys now called Paul Hoult on an album – It’s inspired me because I’m writing his style of music now. For someone who has been playing for forty years I’m happy, It’s the best cure it’s the best relaxation.”
Typically for Billy not everything has been running smooth as he would like it be. He has started sending out demo copies of Paul’ s work to the contacts that he has amassed over the numerous years, he has spent in the business but so far without much luck,
“I’ve been sending it out, but all the guys I new years ago are either dead, divorced or skint so its back to square one. I’ve sent an ep out to a few contacts and no one has sent it back without any positive comments.”
From speaking to Billy and witnessing his work at close hand, you get the impression that Billy is deriving as much satisfaction and pleasure from what he is doing today than anything he has done in the previous forty years. I do not believe that Billy has wasted a single day on this planet but with what has happened to him in the last fifteen years everyday is a bonus for Billy and he is helping people who are grateful to him for sharing his wisdom and experience.
This brief introduction does not give justice to the journey; some would say an odyssey that has been Billy’s Life. Its been a story of ups and downs, near misses and ultimately of bad health, which saw Billy being given only two years to live back in 1987 – just as he was on the verge of making it in Hollywood. After all that Billy has been through it would be easy to have a jaundiced view of life but that is not Billy’s way at all and, despite everything he has been through he still has dreams and ambitions, with which he wants to fulfil.
I met up with Billy in the basement cellar of his Kirkdale home, which he has converted into a studio and which sees the operation of his Moonrock Publishing Company, which he runs with his wife Linda.
Like any journey the best place to start is obviously at the beginning. Billy recalled his first gig way back in 1959, at the Old Swan British Legion Club, as an 18-year-old guitarist sitting down at the back of the stage as the band belted out skiffle numbers by Lonnie Donegan.
Billy remembered that first night vividly,
“ We did a couple of country numbers and an instrumental. Me and the Drummer did ‘Steppin Out With My Baby’ – it went down really well. In the meantime the singer’s in the back and he looks like Marty Wilde.
He had a pair of old Dockers gloves that we painted white and he put a trilby on and his collar up and when he finished that I started the Into to Mack the Knife. That was my first taste of what was to come.”
The Liverpool Music scene has obviously changed down the years and in some cases not for the best. It is also a possible reason why he is trying to develop and nurture the talent of today. How did he find playing in Liverpool in 1959?
“That’s why I feel sorry for the kids, because when I played in the early Sixties, the Echo used to have two pages of gigs – 500 on a page- it was easy to play, I played every night. Though it affected my marriage the only time I saw her was when I was running after the ambulance for the maternity ward!”
It has certainly been an enjoyable experience for Billy and he echoes the famous quote ‘that if you can remember the sixties you weren’t there’, when asked to recollect his experiences of the period,
“The first thing people say is How old are you and what was the sixties like? I just say one thing. I played a gig on New Years Eve 1959 – I got pissed and I woke up in 1968. What happened in between I haven’t got a clue.”
Like many Liverpool musicians at the time Billy was able to go to Germany to ply his trade. Billy’s career has also seen him travel the length and breadth of the British Isles, as well as places farer a field such as Belgium. Holland and a even few gigs in America. The American gigs also fulfilled Billy’s childhood ambition to travel at sea,
“When I was younger I stowed away on a ship called the Slovania and I played the Jack Dempsey’s bars I can’t remember how old I was. All my friends where seafarers and that’s what I wanted to do, but I got married at 17.”
It was like a marriage for Billy, with regards to his love of Music, but with out his music his life could have been a little different for Billy. His ambitions of being a seafarer now curtailed, a different avenue could have been taken by Billy. By his own admission he was a little bit of A rebel at school but the reason for this was Billy’s inability to read or write as Billy says the teachers at his school they gave up on him.
So with out much direction in his life Billy had one of those chance encounters that more often than not become life altering, he explains,
“I remember one night at the top of Sandhills and what we used to do as kids was to jump on the wagons going to the docks and throw the gear off. This particular day we were getting chased by the police – I ran into the doorway of a pub. It was a place called City Whites, at the bottom of Regent Street.
When everything died down a bit, I stood there and I heard this music. There was a fella playing called Billy Witty. He was playing Jimmy Rogers songs that was about 1956, 1957 – I was sold then.”
So with the notion that Billy was going to be a musician, Billy trudged off to the local pawnshop at the top of his road to purchase his first guitar for five pounds – the problem was that Billy could not play it.
In another quirk of fate, that owes much to that fateful night at City Whites, Billy went to a party where a chance meeting with a girl, revealed that she happened to know Billy Witty’s wife. So out of chance meeting, Billy got a foothold into the music business and Billy Witty gave Billy a chance, as well as five guitar lessons to the fledgling musician.
Billy believes that this meeting not only gave him the chance to forge a career in something interesting, but it saved him from an alternative that could have been a reality,
“Soon as I started to play the guitar. Out of 8 mates I was the only one that never went to jail I put it down to the guitar. I just practised and practised.”
In the 1970’s, he was fronting his own band the Eugene Stratton’s Rock and Blues band. The band consisted of seven members. This band took Billy back to Germany where he toured Germany’s NATO bases. Sadly this band soon broke up due to the usual distractions that effect rock bands.
Music has remained a constant in Billy’s life, though he did put his guitar down, for a time during the Seventies where he took up alternative careers as a window cleaner, after buying someone’s window cleaning round. He also had business-renovating furniture and he had a job as a demolition man. But after all this Billy came back to what he knew best…music.
After his last tour at the end of the 1970’s, he came back to a different Liverpool. The early 1980’s were a time of the Toxteth Riots and this event inspired Billy to write a song called ‘The Crowd Outside’. These events inspired Billy to branch out into a different avenue. As Billy explains,
“I got in with some fellas I knew from a few years earlier – ‘Boys from the Blackstuff’ came around. In one of the episodes there is a character called Shake hands. He came round to our house one day to ask me to write a song. I put one of my other songs on the b-side and I had ‘nine months of Beatlemania. I had an agent and everything. Everywhere I went it was the Shake hands character, everyone loved him.”
Things where seemingly heading in the right direction for Billy. A chance meeting with an associate from the Sixties called Jimmy Wide saw him and Billy set up their own company enabling them to produce plays that they had written. Everything appeared to going okay even a move to Los Angles transpired, as the newly formed company tried to sell their plays to the American moguls. Again just a things where going right. Billy had a breakdown.
“I was in the house and I just blacked out and they told me I was a diabetic. It was so bad that the doctor told me that I only had two years to live that was in 1987. He told me you couldn’t drink or smoke anymore.”
Sadly this was not the end of Billy’s health problems
“ I had that and I thought that I’d got over everything. Then In 1990 I had a stroke. I had a series of little ones. Thank god, it wasn’t a massive one, but the last one I had was when I was living in London. I was waiting on the platform of a tube station and I nearly went under a tube. That’s when they told me that the last one had left me with brain damage. To this day my left hand side is numb.”
Prior to the first attack in America Billy, was in fairly good health so his health problems came as a bit of a shock to him. During his time in LA, even though he was doing well with the play at the time, Billy likened the experience to a year’s extended holiday and by his own admission it was a time that he spent most of his time drunk.
The 1990’s saw a further period of ill health for Billy. He was in and out of hospital all the time. In 1994, he than developed trouble with his kidneys and the likelihood was that Billy might loose a kidney. After a series of operations, it was found to be a kidney stone. This required him to have surgery. Whilst in the hospital recovering Billy set his mind to other things
“I was in the recovery room and they had a jazz station on and I heard them saying that no one was writing jazz anymore. So I went home and wrote twenty songs.”
Billy’s efforts at trying to publish his album of jazz songs, led him to the setting up of his own publishing company after a chance meeting with a friend who told him that with all his knowledge he should put it to use. He did and Moonrock productions, was formed. And with it saw the release of the album ‘Melodies of Billy Stratton’.
With setting up his new company this looked like aiding Billy back to full health but a visit to the hospital told him otherwise,
“I learnt to play the piano. I started to write more songs and people than started to send us tapes. Then I went to hospital and they said to me your body is not accepting the insulin. So they put me on pills. Then two years ago – I didn’t know that my blood pressure was 200 over 100.
As a result, I had a further stroke and I lost my memory I was crying for two weeks. I would see a guitar but I couldn’t work out what it was for, Gradually as my wife Linda started put on my old records and I went to the library to re-learn stuff my memory gradually returned.”
This latest attack shook Billy up so much so that he realised that everything that he had learnt through out the years would be lost. This is partly the reason that he set up his music workshop at the Sessions pub, just down the road from his home in Kirkdale. The workshops where funded by Liverpool City Council’s Millennium awards scheme. The scheme funded projects that specialised in skill sharing.
Billy believed that the workshop worked as a two way process. Firstly, he was able to help budding talent from the city but also it acted as a sort of therapy for him after all his recent health scares. Billy was really pleased with the outcome of the course as he explains,
“We got the right crowd everyone of them was good. We put out a CD of seven singles and for a period of 10 weeks – 4 hours a week – It’ brought me right back.”
So what of the future for Billy? Still ambitious as he has ever been is seeking further funding for possible future courses. Sadly the Millennium awards, has now come to an end, so Billy is seeking funding for other projects. One of the immediate projects is working with one of the performers from the music workshop.
“I’m working with one of the guys now called Paul Hoult on an album – It’s inspired me because I’m writing his style of music now. For someone who has been playing for forty years I’m happy, It’s the best cure it’s the best relaxation.”
Typically for Billy not everything has been running smooth as he would like it be. He has started sending out demo copies of Paul’ s work to the contacts that he has amassed over the numerous years, he has spent in the business but so far without much luck,
“I’ve been sending it out, but all the guys I new years ago are either dead, divorced or skint so its back to square one. I’ve sent an ep out to a few contacts and no one has sent it back without any positive comments.”
From speaking to Billy and witnessing his work at close hand, you get the impression that Billy is deriving as much satisfaction and pleasure from what he is doing today than anything he has done in the previous forty years. I do not believe that Billy has wasted a single day on this planet but with what has happened to him in the last fifteen years everyday is a bonus for Billy and he is helping people who are grateful to him for sharing his wisdom and experience.
Wednesday, May 29, 2002
England’s Chances at the World Cup
What with the injuries and the lack of anyone tipping them to win the World Cup, England with possibly their most talented squad of recent years it’s also the least hyped. What are the chances of England causing a surprise?
It’s simple really all they have to do is top their group, avoid France in the second round and a semi-final place is there for the taking. Easy isn’t it?
Not for England it’s not – heartbreak is always only a kick off away. Even England’s most blinkered supporter cannot see the prospect of us beating both Argentina and France to win the Cup.
But what about this sequence of results? Argentina currently struggling for goals, draw with Sweden and England. England are also held to a draw by Sweden but beat Nigeria by a bigger margin than Argentina. That leaves Sven’s men in a better position at the top of the group and the French are avoided in the next round.
Told you it’s easy – a dream but you never know. The feeling that this Championship is one too early for the talent Sven has on offer, so this time England doesn’t expect. Like they didn’t in Munich last September.
It’s simple really all they have to do is top their group, avoid France in the second round and a semi-final place is there for the taking. Easy isn’t it?
Not for England it’s not – heartbreak is always only a kick off away. Even England’s most blinkered supporter cannot see the prospect of us beating both Argentina and France to win the Cup.
But what about this sequence of results? Argentina currently struggling for goals, draw with Sweden and England. England are also held to a draw by Sweden but beat Nigeria by a bigger margin than Argentina. That leaves Sven’s men in a better position at the top of the group and the French are avoided in the next round.
Told you it’s easy – a dream but you never know. The feeling that this Championship is one too early for the talent Sven has on offer, so this time England doesn’t expect. Like they didn’t in Munich last September.
Saturday, November 17, 2001
Tranmere Rovers 4 Brigg Town 1
Saturday 17th November 2001, FAC Round 1
Brigg Town’s brave FA Cup run ended today at cup graveyard Prenton Park. It was certainly no disgrace for Brigg, as the gulf in class between the two teams separated by five divisions, told in the end.
As you would expect Tranmere started the better of the two sides and in the ninth minute Rovers new signing Jason Price stole in following Gareth Roberts good work down the left had side. Brigg Town keeper Steve Jordan was more an equal to this and parried the ball to safety.
Tranmere’s early possession was rewarded soon after. Nineteen minutes into the game the home side took the lead. Veteran striker Paul Rideout, holder of a cup winner’s medal from his time over the water with Everton, was fouled on the edge of the box. From the resulting free-kick, new boy Alan Navarro stepped up to curl the ball into the back of the net, to make it one – nil to Tranmere.
Two minutes later, Navarro almost doubled his contribution to the game, when he dispossessed the Brigg back-line. He managed to fire in a shot but this was blocked by the visitor’s keeper.
These chances seemed to spur on the nervous looking Brigg Town and on 25 minutes they should really have equalised. Phill Rowland skipped down the right – his cross, found Simon Roach, Brigg’s hero of the last round. But his header had no pace and was gathered by the grateful Tranmere keeper Joe Murphy. A minute later Murphy had to alert when Steve Carter struck a long-range effort, but this was dealt with competently dealt with by the home keeper.
Brigg’s travelling support saw calls for a penalty turned down on the half hour mark, when Danny Hope, was seemingly felled, by Tranmere defender Graham Allen. The travelling fans had to make do with a corner instead.
Tranmere boss Dave Watson had obviously seen enough at this point – and left his position in the stands. This no doubt prompted the renaissance for the remainder of the second half.
After the break again Tranmere started the better of the two sides and after 48minutes they almost doubled their lead, when Stuart Barlow reacted the quickest to Paul Rideout’s flick on. Again the visitor’s keeper excelled himself by turning the ball around the post for a corner.
Just before the hour mark, Rovers lively new midfielder Jason Price gathered the ball outside the area; he beat two men but could only drill his shot into the side netting.
Tranmere’s fitness was beginning to tell at this point with Brigg unable to get a foothold into the game in the second half. It was inevitable that Tranmere would score and when they did it was no surprise who would score it.
The goal that broke Brigg hearts came on 64 minutes following good work down the right by Steve Yates. Yates’ cross found Price unmarked, his header was superbly saved by Jordan, unfortunately for him the ball fell kindly for the Tranmere man Price and he fired home to make it two – nil.
There was seemingly no way back for Brigg. Their task was made even greater after 76 minutes when Seyni N’Diaye burst through the visibly tiring Brigg back line. N’Diaye reached the by-line, where he back heeled the ball to Price who made the score three – nil.
Almost immediately Brigg grabbed themselves a consolation goal when substitute James Leech fired a curling shot past Murphy in the Tranmere goal. This capped a meteoric rise for the undergraduate from Leeds University, who up until three weeks ago was playing parks football.
With the game virtually over there was time for Tranmere to add to there total with three minutes to go when Sean Flynn unleashed an unstoppable shot from thirty-five yards past Steve Jordan, who had excelled himself despite conceding four goals. A minute later Jordan pulled of a remarkable point blank save to deny Stuart Barlow from close range.
So Briggs FA Cup odyssey is over, but what a great run it has been. After the game Ralph Clayton reflected on what might have been,
“ I really enjoyed today’s game. The reception we got from Tranmere was great. I’m really proud of them and my players.” Dave Watson the Tranmere manager paid tribute to the Brigg Town team “All credit to them in the first half they played some good football, but I felt second half we got to know them a little better. All credit to Brigg this was their day”
ATT – 7693
* This report previously appeared on the now defunct website Pyramid Football
Brigg Town’s brave FA Cup run ended today at cup graveyard Prenton Park. It was certainly no disgrace for Brigg, as the gulf in class between the two teams separated by five divisions, told in the end.
As you would expect Tranmere started the better of the two sides and in the ninth minute Rovers new signing Jason Price stole in following Gareth Roberts good work down the left had side. Brigg Town keeper Steve Jordan was more an equal to this and parried the ball to safety.
Tranmere’s early possession was rewarded soon after. Nineteen minutes into the game the home side took the lead. Veteran striker Paul Rideout, holder of a cup winner’s medal from his time over the water with Everton, was fouled on the edge of the box. From the resulting free-kick, new boy Alan Navarro stepped up to curl the ball into the back of the net, to make it one – nil to Tranmere.
Two minutes later, Navarro almost doubled his contribution to the game, when he dispossessed the Brigg back-line. He managed to fire in a shot but this was blocked by the visitor’s keeper.
These chances seemed to spur on the nervous looking Brigg Town and on 25 minutes they should really have equalised. Phill Rowland skipped down the right – his cross, found Simon Roach, Brigg’s hero of the last round. But his header had no pace and was gathered by the grateful Tranmere keeper Joe Murphy. A minute later Murphy had to alert when Steve Carter struck a long-range effort, but this was dealt with competently dealt with by the home keeper.
Brigg’s travelling support saw calls for a penalty turned down on the half hour mark, when Danny Hope, was seemingly felled, by Tranmere defender Graham Allen. The travelling fans had to make do with a corner instead.
Tranmere boss Dave Watson had obviously seen enough at this point – and left his position in the stands. This no doubt prompted the renaissance for the remainder of the second half.
After the break again Tranmere started the better of the two sides and after 48minutes they almost doubled their lead, when Stuart Barlow reacted the quickest to Paul Rideout’s flick on. Again the visitor’s keeper excelled himself by turning the ball around the post for a corner.
Just before the hour mark, Rovers lively new midfielder Jason Price gathered the ball outside the area; he beat two men but could only drill his shot into the side netting.
Tranmere’s fitness was beginning to tell at this point with Brigg unable to get a foothold into the game in the second half. It was inevitable that Tranmere would score and when they did it was no surprise who would score it.
The goal that broke Brigg hearts came on 64 minutes following good work down the right by Steve Yates. Yates’ cross found Price unmarked, his header was superbly saved by Jordan, unfortunately for him the ball fell kindly for the Tranmere man Price and he fired home to make it two – nil.
There was seemingly no way back for Brigg. Their task was made even greater after 76 minutes when Seyni N’Diaye burst through the visibly tiring Brigg back line. N’Diaye reached the by-line, where he back heeled the ball to Price who made the score three – nil.
Almost immediately Brigg grabbed themselves a consolation goal when substitute James Leech fired a curling shot past Murphy in the Tranmere goal. This capped a meteoric rise for the undergraduate from Leeds University, who up until three weeks ago was playing parks football.
With the game virtually over there was time for Tranmere to add to there total with three minutes to go when Sean Flynn unleashed an unstoppable shot from thirty-five yards past Steve Jordan, who had excelled himself despite conceding four goals. A minute later Jordan pulled of a remarkable point blank save to deny Stuart Barlow from close range.
So Briggs FA Cup odyssey is over, but what a great run it has been. After the game Ralph Clayton reflected on what might have been,
“ I really enjoyed today’s game. The reception we got from Tranmere was great. I’m really proud of them and my players.” Dave Watson the Tranmere manager paid tribute to the Brigg Town team “All credit to them in the first half they played some good football, but I felt second half we got to know them a little better. All credit to Brigg this was their day”
ATT – 7693
* This report previously appeared on the now defunct website Pyramid Football
Tuesday, October 30, 2001
Southport 2 Marine 1
FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round, Replay, Tuesday 30th October 2001
Southport booked a place in the first round proper of the FA Cup with a 2-1 victory over Marine at the second time of asking. The Sandgrounders were made to work hard for their win, by a spirited Marine side that battled hard over the two games, and almost forced today’s game into extra time.
The Merseyside area had been treated to barmy summer like conditions all day, so it was no surprise that the referees whistle would herald storm like weather conditions, which forced the Marine fans on the open terrace, behind the goal, to run for the shelter of the covered main stand.
Southport made three changes from the side that disappointed at the weekend. Back came centre back John Robertson, who announced his return from suspension with an early booking. Like Saturday, it was Southport who started the better of the two sides and seven minutes into the game they almost took the lead when Neil Grayston’s cross from the left, found Simon Parke unmarked who narrowly fired wide of the goal. Six minutes later Parke rattled the cross bar with a header from Chris Lanes cross from the right.
Chris Clarke in Marine goal had to be alert on 14 minutes, when he saved a speculative effort from Port’s Tony Sullivan. Given the conditions had taken a turn for the worse this was a smart save from Clarke, at the foot of the post to his left.
The conditions almost played a part in Marines best chance of the game so far. 22 minutes into the game, Richie Townsend’s cross-eluded everyone in the Southport back line. Kevin Formby stole in to fire a shot that was well saved by Steve Dickinson in the Southport goal.
A minute later though Southport got the goal that there, first half pressure had deserved. Sullivan took the free kick near the half way line to Chris lane, whose cross-found defender Barry Jones who rifled his shot from the edge past the despairing dive of Clarke.
Credit to Marine, like Saturday they responded to going a goal down took the game to Southport. Nine minutes before half-time a chance went begging for Marine, when the Townsend, John Morgan or Kevin Formby never took the responsibility to convert Jon Gautrey’s cross.
The second half started with Marine continuing to search for that elusive goal and three minutes in Michael Douglas’ long ball into the box found John Morgan who turned and fired narrowly wide of the goal. Marine were frustrated in their efforts in finding a goal, in the second half. For all their possession they lacked that killer pass that could break down the effective Southport back line
Southport’s Simon Parke was further frustrated by a combination of the post and the Marine keeper Clarke, following Chris Lanes right wing corner.
Out of nothing Southport increased their lead on 71 minutes when Lee Elam dispossessed centre back Steve Rimmer. He skipped past two men but was brilliantly tackled by Gautrey. However, Elam’s follow up shot cannoned off a Marine defender and the ball fell to Steve Jones whose shot was deflected past the unlucky Clarke from the edge of the box.
Roly Howard’s plucky Marine side showed their usual strength of character and almost grabbed a foothold back into the game two minutes later. How Morgan didn’t score god only knows. It was a similar chance to that of Simon Parke earlier in the half. Again a combination of the post and the keeper’s agility denied Marine.
Marines never say die attitude brought them a late consolation goal, when a quickly taken free kick by substitute Neil Black, was turned into his own net by John Robertson. It was all in vein the visitors were left to rue earlier mistakes. Southport just about shaded it tonight but Marine was left to contemplate what might have been.
Manger Roly Howard summed up his feelings by stating “The team has played well and done us proud over the two games. We gave as good as we got in both games. We let ourselves down a little with the number of chances we failed to put away and we’ve got to put that right”
Southport’s under pressure manager Phil Wilson was certainly a very relieved man at the final whistle. “I felt we deserved tonight’s victory. It’s certainly important for us to be in the next round of the cup. Its certainly hard at this stage of the competition as the eight conference sides eliminated at the weekend will testify”
* This report previously appeared on the now defunct website Pyramid Football
Southport booked a place in the first round proper of the FA Cup with a 2-1 victory over Marine at the second time of asking. The Sandgrounders were made to work hard for their win, by a spirited Marine side that battled hard over the two games, and almost forced today’s game into extra time.
The Merseyside area had been treated to barmy summer like conditions all day, so it was no surprise that the referees whistle would herald storm like weather conditions, which forced the Marine fans on the open terrace, behind the goal, to run for the shelter of the covered main stand.
Southport made three changes from the side that disappointed at the weekend. Back came centre back John Robertson, who announced his return from suspension with an early booking. Like Saturday, it was Southport who started the better of the two sides and seven minutes into the game they almost took the lead when Neil Grayston’s cross from the left, found Simon Parke unmarked who narrowly fired wide of the goal. Six minutes later Parke rattled the cross bar with a header from Chris Lanes cross from the right.
Chris Clarke in Marine goal had to be alert on 14 minutes, when he saved a speculative effort from Port’s Tony Sullivan. Given the conditions had taken a turn for the worse this was a smart save from Clarke, at the foot of the post to his left.
The conditions almost played a part in Marines best chance of the game so far. 22 minutes into the game, Richie Townsend’s cross-eluded everyone in the Southport back line. Kevin Formby stole in to fire a shot that was well saved by Steve Dickinson in the Southport goal.
A minute later though Southport got the goal that there, first half pressure had deserved. Sullivan took the free kick near the half way line to Chris lane, whose cross-found defender Barry Jones who rifled his shot from the edge past the despairing dive of Clarke.
Credit to Marine, like Saturday they responded to going a goal down took the game to Southport. Nine minutes before half-time a chance went begging for Marine, when the Townsend, John Morgan or Kevin Formby never took the responsibility to convert Jon Gautrey’s cross.
The second half started with Marine continuing to search for that elusive goal and three minutes in Michael Douglas’ long ball into the box found John Morgan who turned and fired narrowly wide of the goal. Marine were frustrated in their efforts in finding a goal, in the second half. For all their possession they lacked that killer pass that could break down the effective Southport back line
Southport’s Simon Parke was further frustrated by a combination of the post and the Marine keeper Clarke, following Chris Lanes right wing corner.
Out of nothing Southport increased their lead on 71 minutes when Lee Elam dispossessed centre back Steve Rimmer. He skipped past two men but was brilliantly tackled by Gautrey. However, Elam’s follow up shot cannoned off a Marine defender and the ball fell to Steve Jones whose shot was deflected past the unlucky Clarke from the edge of the box.
Roly Howard’s plucky Marine side showed their usual strength of character and almost grabbed a foothold back into the game two minutes later. How Morgan didn’t score god only knows. It was a similar chance to that of Simon Parke earlier in the half. Again a combination of the post and the keeper’s agility denied Marine.
Marines never say die attitude brought them a late consolation goal, when a quickly taken free kick by substitute Neil Black, was turned into his own net by John Robertson. It was all in vein the visitors were left to rue earlier mistakes. Southport just about shaded it tonight but Marine was left to contemplate what might have been.
Manger Roly Howard summed up his feelings by stating “The team has played well and done us proud over the two games. We gave as good as we got in both games. We let ourselves down a little with the number of chances we failed to put away and we’ve got to put that right”
Southport’s under pressure manager Phil Wilson was certainly a very relieved man at the final whistle. “I felt we deserved tonight’s victory. It’s certainly important for us to be in the next round of the cup. Its certainly hard at this stage of the competition as the eight conference sides eliminated at the weekend will testify”
* This report previously appeared on the now defunct website Pyramid Football
Sunday, October 28, 2001
Marine 1 Southport 1
FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round, Saturday 27th October 2001
It was honours even at Rossett Park today as Unibond League side Marine denied their neighbours Southport a passage through to the first round proper of the FA Cup.
It was a cracking cup-tie played out by two teams with differing points to prove. Southport were looking to halt a run of form that has prompted some quite discontent amongst supporters, unhappy at the perceived direction with which the club is going. The Marine side contained numerous players who had played for Southport and no doubt they wanted to give a good account of themselves in front of their former team.
In front of Marine’s best attendance of the season with over 1300 in attendance, swelled by the travelling support of Southport who had made the relatively short trip down the coast. Southport kicked off attacking the College Road end and looked fairly purposeful, belying the form that had seen them score only once in six games.
It was not long before Southport made their pressure count when five minutes into the game they took the lead. Southport keeper Steve Dickinson launched a long hopeful ball into the box. Steve Jones prevented the ball from going out and pulled the ball back to wing back Chris Lane who stole in unmarked on the six yard box unmarked to make it one nil to Southport.
Four minutes later Southport almost doubled their lead when James Connolly rose unchallenged to head the ball wide following Gary Bauress’ cross. Marine were under the cosh a little in the first quarter of the game seemingly unable to step out and get possession of the ball. When they did they used the ball effectively. Marine centre half Steve Rimmer brought the ball out from the back. His through ball found Kevin Formby who laid the ball off to Michael Douglas who fired his shot, straight at Southport keeper Dickinson.
Having been on the back foot for the early part of the game, Marine were now enjoying a greater share of the game and almost levelled the score when Jon Gautrey headed the ball over the bar from Kevin Formby’s cross.
The deserved equaliser finally came 21 minutes into the game. Anton Lally’s worked a quick corner to Formby, who delivered a precision cross to Richie Townsend to head home the equaliser. Townsend almost doubled his contribution to the game five minutes later but the ball did not run kindly for him.
Ten minutes before half time, the impressive Kevin Formby was again at the heart of the action. His deep searching cross was flicked on by Townsend to Eddie Hussin but he could only manage to head the ball over the bar.
On 38 minutes, Marines plans took a dent when midfielder Anton Lally went off with an injury and had to be replaced by Stuart Gelling.
With five minutes to go to half time, Southport could have restored their lead. Lee Elam showed his usual trickery down the flanks. He delivered a cross that had goal written all over it but for the timely intervention from Jon Gautrey off the head of Gary Bauress.
The second half followed a similar pattern to that of the first with Southport starting the brighter. A minute after the restart Marine keeper Chris Clarke brilliantly denied Simon Parke, with a point blank one handed save.
After this early scare Marine again stepped up the pressure. John Morgan beat the offside trap; unfortunately he could only fire his shot in to the side netting. Another chance fell to Mike Douglas who fired his long-range shot over the bar. Marine were enjoying the greater possession and the resolute Southport back line stood firm, and allowed Marine long-range speculative efforts.
Sixty-four minutes into the game, Marine full back Gary Randles won possession of the ball in midfield and fired a long-range effort that Southport keeper Dickinson was more than equal to. From the resulting corner Kevin Formby’s perfectly flighted corner found Morgan unmarked but he headed over on this occasion. Four minutes later another chance went begging for Marine, when Gautrey headed over the bar following more good work by Kevin Formby.
Southport enjoyed a brief respite from the constant Marine pressure with Kevin Leadbetter and Steve Jones going close for the visitors. With three minutes of normal time remaining Southport almost snatched the game from Marine. Southport full back Chris Lane got forward and delivered a cross to Simon Parke who could only head the ball over the bar. Two minutes later Marine’s Steve Rimmer brilliantly denied Parke the simplest of tap ins, following good work down the left by substitute Stuart Whittaker and Lee Elam.
In the end a fair result both sides had enough chances to win the game but they must do it all again on Tuesday night at Haigh Avenue to determine who will play Basingstoke or Dagenham & Redbridge in the next round.
ATT – 1307
* This report previously appeared on the now defunct website Pyramid Football
It was honours even at Rossett Park today as Unibond League side Marine denied their neighbours Southport a passage through to the first round proper of the FA Cup.
It was a cracking cup-tie played out by two teams with differing points to prove. Southport were looking to halt a run of form that has prompted some quite discontent amongst supporters, unhappy at the perceived direction with which the club is going. The Marine side contained numerous players who had played for Southport and no doubt they wanted to give a good account of themselves in front of their former team.
In front of Marine’s best attendance of the season with over 1300 in attendance, swelled by the travelling support of Southport who had made the relatively short trip down the coast. Southport kicked off attacking the College Road end and looked fairly purposeful, belying the form that had seen them score only once in six games.
It was not long before Southport made their pressure count when five minutes into the game they took the lead. Southport keeper Steve Dickinson launched a long hopeful ball into the box. Steve Jones prevented the ball from going out and pulled the ball back to wing back Chris Lane who stole in unmarked on the six yard box unmarked to make it one nil to Southport.
Four minutes later Southport almost doubled their lead when James Connolly rose unchallenged to head the ball wide following Gary Bauress’ cross. Marine were under the cosh a little in the first quarter of the game seemingly unable to step out and get possession of the ball. When they did they used the ball effectively. Marine centre half Steve Rimmer brought the ball out from the back. His through ball found Kevin Formby who laid the ball off to Michael Douglas who fired his shot, straight at Southport keeper Dickinson.
Having been on the back foot for the early part of the game, Marine were now enjoying a greater share of the game and almost levelled the score when Jon Gautrey headed the ball over the bar from Kevin Formby’s cross.
The deserved equaliser finally came 21 minutes into the game. Anton Lally’s worked a quick corner to Formby, who delivered a precision cross to Richie Townsend to head home the equaliser. Townsend almost doubled his contribution to the game five minutes later but the ball did not run kindly for him.
Ten minutes before half time, the impressive Kevin Formby was again at the heart of the action. His deep searching cross was flicked on by Townsend to Eddie Hussin but he could only manage to head the ball over the bar.
On 38 minutes, Marines plans took a dent when midfielder Anton Lally went off with an injury and had to be replaced by Stuart Gelling.
With five minutes to go to half time, Southport could have restored their lead. Lee Elam showed his usual trickery down the flanks. He delivered a cross that had goal written all over it but for the timely intervention from Jon Gautrey off the head of Gary Bauress.
The second half followed a similar pattern to that of the first with Southport starting the brighter. A minute after the restart Marine keeper Chris Clarke brilliantly denied Simon Parke, with a point blank one handed save.
After this early scare Marine again stepped up the pressure. John Morgan beat the offside trap; unfortunately he could only fire his shot in to the side netting. Another chance fell to Mike Douglas who fired his long-range shot over the bar. Marine were enjoying the greater possession and the resolute Southport back line stood firm, and allowed Marine long-range speculative efforts.
Sixty-four minutes into the game, Marine full back Gary Randles won possession of the ball in midfield and fired a long-range effort that Southport keeper Dickinson was more than equal to. From the resulting corner Kevin Formby’s perfectly flighted corner found Morgan unmarked but he headed over on this occasion. Four minutes later another chance went begging for Marine, when Gautrey headed over the bar following more good work by Kevin Formby.
Southport enjoyed a brief respite from the constant Marine pressure with Kevin Leadbetter and Steve Jones going close for the visitors. With three minutes of normal time remaining Southport almost snatched the game from Marine. Southport full back Chris Lane got forward and delivered a cross to Simon Parke who could only head the ball over the bar. Two minutes later Marine’s Steve Rimmer brilliantly denied Parke the simplest of tap ins, following good work down the left by substitute Stuart Whittaker and Lee Elam.
In the end a fair result both sides had enough chances to win the game but they must do it all again on Tuesday night at Haigh Avenue to determine who will play Basingstoke or Dagenham & Redbridge in the next round.
ATT – 1307
* This report previously appeared on the now defunct website Pyramid Football
Sunday, October 14, 2001
Runcorn FC Halton 2 Bedlington Terriers 2
FA Cup Sponsored by AXA Third Qualifying Round, Saturday 13th October 2001
Former Newcastle and Preston North End man Ian Boggie, denied Runcorn with late equaliser in this keenly contested encounter. It means that both sides will have to do it all again on Wednesday night up in the North East.
It was a special day for the home side as today’s game was the first FA cup-tie to be played at Runcorn’s new home, the impressive Auto Quest stadium. It was certainly a case of first night nerves for the home side after a sluggish opening 45 minutes. It was renowned cup battlers Bedlington Terriers, who made the early running in this match. Not for the first time in cup football that the Terriers have belied their lowly status.
It was Runcorn’s Dave Gamble after six minutes, who tried a long-range effort that the Terriers keeper manage to fumble the ball to safety. It was all Bedlington at this moment, much to the frustration of the home supporters who were imploring their side to get forward and not sit back.
This advice was not heeded and after only six minutes of the match played, Bedlington took the lead. It was the visitors first meaningful shot on goal and it came following Dean Gibbs curling in swinging free kick which found William Moat unmarked to head home to give the Terriers an early lead that their early pressure had warranted.
It was a sizeable crowd at the Auto Quest stadium today, augmented with a good number from the North East and both sets of supporters were united in their despair at the whistle happy official from Manchester. Frustrations were rising amongst the players and Terriers player Ian Boggie earned himself a telling off from the referee, for talking out of turn.
In a bid get Runcorn back into the game player-manager Liam Watson switched wings and this almost paid dividends. Watson’s cross found Dominic Morley who seemed to Dally on the ball to long, his pass found Gamble who curled the ball around the post and wide.
Ten minutes before half time, Bedlington almost doubled their lead but John Milner could only head the ball wide, following Anthony Chapman’s cross. Despite this scare Runcorn were enjoying a healthy spell of pressure and after 36 minutes they were back in the match. A long probing ball from right to left by full back Steve Carragher, found Watson whose shot was saved by the keeper. Bedlington couldn’t clear their lines and from the right corner of the pitch Carragher, again delivered the decisive ball, which found McNally, who headed home to equalise.
Runcorn started the second half the more purposeful and were rewarded two minutes into the second half with a goal. Again Carragher whipped in a curling a cross that found McNally, who stole a yard on his marker but his header was saved with by visiting keeper.
The referee had seemingly awarded a corner. But with the intervention of the assistant linesman he changed this decision and instead he awarded a penalty, much to the annoyance of the visitors. The Bedlington defender was adjudged to have impeded McNally when he headed the ball. It was Liam Watson who made sure from the spot to give Runcorn the lead.
The referee was again the centre of attention a minute later when he had appeared to caution Bedlington’s number seven Anthony Chapman for talking out of turn. The confusion was heightened seconds later when Chapman was booked for an over the ball challenge on Watson. Everyone in the ground and on the benches believed that this caution was Chapman’s second of the game. The referee appeared to take his book out for the earlier incident but it transpired that he was not booked.
Bedlington were now chasing the game and John Milner was guilty of squandering two easy chances in the second half. It was Runcorn’s turn to waste chances when on 68 minutes Paul McNally fired wide following good work down the left by Liam Watson. It was to be Watson’s last meaningful contribution to game, as he appeared to pull up with a knee injury and was replaced by David Ness.
It was all Bedlington at this stage in the game as the visitors went in search of the goal that would earn them an equaliser. With four minutes of the game remaining Bedlington were awarded a free kick thirty yards out. No doubt the former teammate of Paul Gascoigne, Ian Boggie, had learnt a few tricks of the trade, from his more illustrious colleague all those years ago in the Newcastle youth team. This showed as he despatched the ball curling, over the wall and into the back of the net to give Bedlington the equaliser that their performance had deserved.
So it’s to Wednesday and a long trip to the North East for Runcorn, who are no doubt kicking themselves that this tie slipped from their grasp. Bedlington will start the replay favourites and will no doubt be fancying a plum tie in the Monday’s cup draw.
ATT – 396
* This report previously appeared on the now defunct website Pyramid Football
Former Newcastle and Preston North End man Ian Boggie, denied Runcorn with late equaliser in this keenly contested encounter. It means that both sides will have to do it all again on Wednesday night up in the North East.
It was a special day for the home side as today’s game was the first FA cup-tie to be played at Runcorn’s new home, the impressive Auto Quest stadium. It was certainly a case of first night nerves for the home side after a sluggish opening 45 minutes. It was renowned cup battlers Bedlington Terriers, who made the early running in this match. Not for the first time in cup football that the Terriers have belied their lowly status.
It was Runcorn’s Dave Gamble after six minutes, who tried a long-range effort that the Terriers keeper manage to fumble the ball to safety. It was all Bedlington at this moment, much to the frustration of the home supporters who were imploring their side to get forward and not sit back.
This advice was not heeded and after only six minutes of the match played, Bedlington took the lead. It was the visitors first meaningful shot on goal and it came following Dean Gibbs curling in swinging free kick which found William Moat unmarked to head home to give the Terriers an early lead that their early pressure had warranted.
It was a sizeable crowd at the Auto Quest stadium today, augmented with a good number from the North East and both sets of supporters were united in their despair at the whistle happy official from Manchester. Frustrations were rising amongst the players and Terriers player Ian Boggie earned himself a telling off from the referee, for talking out of turn.
In a bid get Runcorn back into the game player-manager Liam Watson switched wings and this almost paid dividends. Watson’s cross found Dominic Morley who seemed to Dally on the ball to long, his pass found Gamble who curled the ball around the post and wide.
Ten minutes before half time, Bedlington almost doubled their lead but John Milner could only head the ball wide, following Anthony Chapman’s cross. Despite this scare Runcorn were enjoying a healthy spell of pressure and after 36 minutes they were back in the match. A long probing ball from right to left by full back Steve Carragher, found Watson whose shot was saved by the keeper. Bedlington couldn’t clear their lines and from the right corner of the pitch Carragher, again delivered the decisive ball, which found McNally, who headed home to equalise.
Runcorn started the second half the more purposeful and were rewarded two minutes into the second half with a goal. Again Carragher whipped in a curling a cross that found McNally, who stole a yard on his marker but his header was saved with by visiting keeper.
The referee had seemingly awarded a corner. But with the intervention of the assistant linesman he changed this decision and instead he awarded a penalty, much to the annoyance of the visitors. The Bedlington defender was adjudged to have impeded McNally when he headed the ball. It was Liam Watson who made sure from the spot to give Runcorn the lead.
The referee was again the centre of attention a minute later when he had appeared to caution Bedlington’s number seven Anthony Chapman for talking out of turn. The confusion was heightened seconds later when Chapman was booked for an over the ball challenge on Watson. Everyone in the ground and on the benches believed that this caution was Chapman’s second of the game. The referee appeared to take his book out for the earlier incident but it transpired that he was not booked.
Bedlington were now chasing the game and John Milner was guilty of squandering two easy chances in the second half. It was Runcorn’s turn to waste chances when on 68 minutes Paul McNally fired wide following good work down the left by Liam Watson. It was to be Watson’s last meaningful contribution to game, as he appeared to pull up with a knee injury and was replaced by David Ness.
It was all Bedlington at this stage in the game as the visitors went in search of the goal that would earn them an equaliser. With four minutes of the game remaining Bedlington were awarded a free kick thirty yards out. No doubt the former teammate of Paul Gascoigne, Ian Boggie, had learnt a few tricks of the trade, from his more illustrious colleague all those years ago in the Newcastle youth team. This showed as he despatched the ball curling, over the wall and into the back of the net to give Bedlington the equaliser that their performance had deserved.
So it’s to Wednesday and a long trip to the North East for Runcorn, who are no doubt kicking themselves that this tie slipped from their grasp. Bedlington will start the replay favourites and will no doubt be fancying a plum tie in the Monday’s cup draw.
ATT – 396
* This report previously appeared on the now defunct website Pyramid Football
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
