The Ryman league have announced its winners for Manager of the Month (August) and Team Performance of the Month.

The winners of the Manager of the Month are:
Premier Division - Mark Butler - Ashford Town (Middx) F.C. 
Division One North - Michael Stone - Wingate & Finchley F.C. 
Division One South - Jimmy Bolton - Walton & Hersham F.C. 
 

The winners of the Team Performance of the Month 
Premier Division  - Tooting & Mitcham United F.C. 
Division One North - Aveley F.C. 
Division One South - Metropolitan Police F.C. 

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After their Bank Holiday Monday mauling at the hands of Horsham, the trip to New Lodge, never an easy place to visit, gave Carshalton an early chance to show whether this home reverse was a minor blip or a cause for concern.

At the end of 90 minutes, most supporters were left unclear if the draw was two points lost, failing to press home their one-goal advantage, or a point gained, coming back from 2-1 down.

With Bash Alimi still injured and Lewis Gonsalves absent, David Graves was restored to central defence and James Evans came into the midfield. Of more importance, however, was the return of Hamid Barr up front to complement Richard Jolly, who again demonstrated his importance to the side.

The first significant attack was a run down the left by Town’s Ferguson that was spoiled by a poor cross, but the Robins were soon moving forward and a promising move involving Jolly and Barr ended with the former shooting into the arms of Buckfield.

Simon Cooper caught the eye with another fine run from deep that ended with his left foot shot passing narrowly wide of the left-hand post and shortly after a cross from the right was deflected wide by Jolly.

The Robins' goal was threatened when Wood-Garness intercepted a crossfield post by Evans, but the Town winger shot wildly over when well placed.

Town were forced to make a change when full back Semanshia was replaced by Marron following an injury. The game lost its early sparkle in the latter stages of the half, but the home team were coming more into the game.

Fortunately for Carshalton, most of the Billericay chances fell to Bricknell and Wood-Garness, both of whom lacked composure in front of goal.

As usual, most of the Robins' goal threat came when Jolly was played in, but Carshalton had to thank Wilson for a double save just before the interval which kept them on level terms.

The first was a save from Wareham when he was through with only the keeper to beat and, when the ball broke loose, Wilson bravely dived to take the ball off the toes of the onrushing Bricknell.

The game came back to life at the start of the second period. A short ball by Barr found Barry Stevens and his quick pass to Jolly gave the Robins striker the chance to chip the ball over keeper Buckfield, who had strayed off his line to give the Robins the lead.

A golden chance to increase the lead followed, but Clarke failed to release the ball to Stevens who had a free run into the Town area.

A confident penalty appeal, when Barr appeared to be bundled over in the area was denied by the referee, Mr Lodge, and the Carshalton players were even more unhappy when he failed to take any action against Town’s Paul Shave when yet another of his over-vigorous challenges left a Carshalton player in need of treatment.

Twenty minutes into the half, Town were back on terms. A free-kick awarded against Cooper was knocked into the danger area for Cleary to sweep in as the Robins struggled from another set piece situation. Carshalton, however, were still more than capable of creating chances whenever they moved forward and a good build up ended with a snap shot by Carpenter that tested Buckfield.

Billericay took the lead in controversial circumstances on the half-hour. The referee appeared to play the advantage rule following a challenge by York in midfield, but when the move broke down he called play back for a free-kick.

A quick ball out to the right again caught out the Robins defence and when the ball was crossed into the area Bricknell bundled it in following Wilson’s initial save. Memories of last season’s performance stirred where the Robins threw away a two-goal lead to slump to defeat, but this time the Town lead proved to be short lived.

Clarke broke away on the left for Carshalton and cut inside to create a shooting opportunity for himself. When he delayed his shot the chance appeared to have gone, but the ball broke to Richard Jolly who gratefully accepted the chance to take the ball forward to shoot past Buckfield to level the score.

Barr was replaced by new signing, defender Nicholas Plummain, for the last few minutes. The final chance fell to Town with a late free-kick on the edge of the area, but Wilson managed to push a low shot around the post seconds before the final whistle.

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Heybridge Swifts have been rocked after manager Brian Statham dramatically resigned from the club with immediate effect.

His assistant manager Barry Lakin and director of football Steve Pitt have also left the Ryman League Premier Division outfit.

In a triple shock for Swifts supporters Statham confirmed on Wednesday that he had thought long and hard about his position but felt it was the right decision for both the club and himself.

"I have decided to resign now because I feel I cannot carry on further and that it's in the best interests of the club," explained Statham. "I have taken the club as far as I can in what everyone knows are difficult times economically.

"I thought about it over the weekend after our 2-0 defeat at Horsham, talked to my family and made the decision fairly quickly.

"It's better for the club to have time now just into the season to get someone else to take over.

"I've always been straightforward and an honest man and it would have been wrong to have carried on knowing I was not able to do the job properly.

"It was a difficult decision because it's a good club with good people but looking at the two sides out there on Saturday, I realised the void was too great for me to make up with the clubs in the division."

Statham, who took over at Swifts early in 2005 with Lakin as his assistant, suffered a major cut in his playing budget midway through last season and again saw it trimmed back further during the close season which has clearly been a factor in this week's decision to quit.

"Everyone knows that we had to lose players during last season but full credit to the players who stuck with us because we did exceptionally well to finish 12th in the division," he continued.

"But we then lost half a dozen of those players and with further limited resources now available I felt I couldn't carry on trying to get the players needed to bridge the void between us and the other sides."

Statham, who played over 30 games for Tottenham Hotspur in his playing days and later was player-coach at Chelmsford City, says he's thoroughly enjoyed his time at Swifts.

"Everyone at the football club has been a pleasure to work for and I thank them for their help and support," he said. "There's no animosity over my departure and I wish the club well in the future – I just felt it was best to go now.

"A few people put in a lot of hard work at the club and it does remarkably well to retain its level of football because it obviously doesn't have the resources available like most other clubs in the league."

Statham intends to take a break from the game but added: "I hope to get back into the game because I love football but I'll now step back, watch games and enjoy myself without any pressure on me"

Reserve team manager Wayne Bond is taking over the manager's role and his first task will be to pick a side for the match at Margate on Saturday.

Club vice-chairman Mike Gibson said yesterday: "I'm sad to see Brian go because he's worked really hard for the club and done us proud in his three years here and particularly in recent months when we've had to cut our budget. I thank him for everything and wish him well."

Striker Dave Stevens is tipping Tooting & Mitcham to storm up the Ryman Premier league after the Terrors earned their first points of the season on Monday.

Stevens was on target as Tooting dumped near-neighbours Sutton United 4-2 at Imperial Fields in their Bank Holiday clash.

And those three points eased the pain of Saturday’s 7-0 humiliation at Ashford Town.

Stevens said: “Saturday was one of those games where everything went wrong.

“Confidence wise everyone was a little low after the first two games.

“But on Monday everyone seemed to be in the right frame of mind and it paid off on the pitch.

“Everyone has had to take a step up, but now things have settled I think we can kick on from here.”

Stevens added the gloss to Monday’s win with the final goal, with Allan McLeod, Ben Abbey and Jamie Byatt also on the scoresheet.

And the former Leatherhead frontman admitted his first goal in Tooting colours was a crucial one.

He added: “For me it was very important.

“I started the first two games but then I’ve been on the bench for the last two.

“I knew it was going to take time to get used to this level, and to get off the mark early on is a big relief for any centre forward.”

The Terrors travel to Tonbridge Angels this weekend for their next Ryman Premier clash.

And Stevens is confident that Tooting will pick up where they left off against Sutton.

Stevens added: “We showed a lot of character on Monday and I think that that is typical of this side.

“We had to regroup and pull ourselves together.

“But now we have cleared that hurdle we can look forward with confidence.”

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Sutton United player-coach Steve McKimm has offered no excuses for his side’s first defeat of the season before challenging the squad to make similar performances few and far between.

United were humbled 4-2 at Tooting & Mitcham on Monday after Gavin McCallum’s penalty had given his side a 1-0 win over Hendon 48 hours earlier to stretch their unbeaten start to the campaign to three matches.

The striker bagged a consolation brace at the Terrors after manager Billy Smith’s hosts had raced to a 4-0 lead, two-days after being thrashed 7-0 by league leaders Ashford Town.

Sutton lost the services of midfielder and captain Craig Davis for the season - due to work commitments - on Wednesday, but McKimm insists boss Paul Doswell’s squad has enough quality to bounce back.

“To get our first win on Saturday and then play like we did in the next match, was a bitter pill to swallow, “ he said.

“If you have eight or nine players playing well and one or two don’t perform, you are not going to win football matches. Too many players didn’t perform on Monday.

“You could say losing Craig unsettled things, but we won without him. We are making no excuses. We let ourselves down, let Paul down and we let the 300-odd Sutton fans who watched down.

“We must win at all costs this week not just to get the league, but to get our pride back as well.

“We didn’t take them lightly because after the result they had they were always going to fight back hard. You can have these results in a season, but we have to make sure they are few and far between.”

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Eddie French is expected to undergo surgery on the horror injury he suffered last night in the next two days.

The Horsham defender broke his tibia, dislocated his ankle and suffered extensive ligament damage in the 2-1 win against Staines last night.

Manager John Maggs said the blow should keep him out for the rest of the season.

"It does not look good," Maggs said.

"They (Worthing Hospital) are looking at surgery either Friday or Saturday and they are talking about putting plates in his leg.

"Last night it was not too bad, but they have had a look at him now and it's bad news, it's a massive blow to us.

"It's too early to say if it's career threatening, it's down to what the specialists say, I would think it is long term."

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A footballer beaten and left for dead while on holiday has not been told of the attack that left him in a coma for two weeks.

Robert Hughes, 27, who joined Sutton United in February, has since started to walk after the assault outside a nightclub in Malia, Crete on June 17.

But his brother David, 36, said the family have yet to tell him how he got his injuries – caused when he was jumped on by thugs who kicked him to the ground, stamped on his head and bottled him.

David said: “For him personally I think it is better that we talk about positive things and how we can get him back to a fit state again, not concentrating on subjects that are negative and upsetting.

“We talk a lot about football and coaching and I think that motivates him to get better.

“It’s difficult to describe what it is like to see him like this – I had a brother who has gone from being a top athlete to needing constant care.

He said: “At one point we thought he was never going to wake up and that he would be a vegetable but he has improved and that is a real sign of strength. He understands how serious his injuries are, but we keep reassuring him that it will be OK.

’’ David has quit as manager of Central Midlands Premier Division side Blidworth Welfare FC to help care for his brother while he remains in hospital in Crete.

He said an operation on Robert’s skull had to be postponed until his body was ready to cope.

After the attack Robert had suffered several skull fractures and had to have parts removed to ease the pressure on his swollen, bleeding brain. The next operation would be to put the remaining skull parts back in.

David said: “The club have been very supportive and understand that I want to dedicate as much time as I can to help Rob.

“I last saw him about a week ago and the operation had to be postponed until conditions are right.

“We hope that after the operation he will be able to continue his recovery back in the UK but even then he will need lots and lots of rehabilitation.’’

Robert, who has three other brothers and three sisters, played for Croydon Athletic last season, before joining Sutton United in February and was about to sign for Bromley FC where he was also going to be working as a fitness instructor.

David said Robert was surrounded by his girlfriend Charlotte Kent, 25, and his parents Margaret and David who have moved to Malia to be by his side.

In a message posted on the Sutton FC website, Robert’s mother said: “As a family we feel very lost and alone as we are still in Greece nine weeks later and Robert still has to undergo at least one more brain operation to try and place the skull back without the pressure rising.

“Robert’s recovery will be slow and today we were told because of his injuries it could be at least three to four more weeks before the fourth operation can take place.

“As a family we want to thank you all for not only your ongoing support but also the kind words and good wishes that you have sent in our hour of need.’’

Five men arrested over the attack have been allowed to travel back to their homes in Surrey and Sussex without charge.

The family have been advised that the five suspects could be extradited to Greece to face trial.

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Sutton United striker Gavin McCallum is hoping he can put himself in the shop window and wrangle a return to the professional ranks by new year.

The 20-year-old bagged his first goal for the club in the 1-1 draw at Harlow Town and came close to notching his pre-match aim of landing a debut hat-trick - missing one chance and hitting the post with another in the dying minutes.

The Canadian U21 international started his career in this country - as a 16-year-old - with a three-year spell at Yeovil Town having arrived in the UK from Toronto.

He was released with a handful of first-team appearances under his belt and has set his sights on a 15-goal haul in the Ryman League Premier Division by December to re-ignite his career.

McCallum, who is living with relatives in St Albans, arrived at Gander Green Lane following spells with Blue Square Premier Weymouth and Blue Square South sides Havant & Waterlooville and Bognor Regis.

But he is not planning on stopping long with boss Paul Doswell if he can light the goal-scoring blue-touch paper in the opening weeks of the campaign.

“I was pleased to sign for Sutton because it is a good club with ambition and could put me in the shop window,” he said.

“I had a trial with Bognor Regis in the summer, but they took too long over deciding whether to offer me anything and Paul stepped in.

“It was disappointing to leave Yeovil because I thought I had done well enough during some loan spells to warrant another year there at least.

“We are looking for promotion and I want to go higher and higher. I think I can score a hat-trick before every match and I’d like to score 15 goals by January.

“You have to aim high to get higher and if those goals attract a Blue Square South, Premier or League Two side then hopefully I’ll be moving on.”

McCallum failed to find the scoresheet on Tuesday night, but Dean Palmer’s second-half strike secured a draw against Ramsgate on Tuesday night as Sutton came from behind again.

Doswell’s men struggled to break down the cautious visitors and the manager reckons that is something his team will have to get used to.

“As much as we’ve got good players it is going to take time to gel,” he added.

“Teams are going to come here and be happy to get a point. If that means them smashing the ball out of play and into the channels, that is what we’ll be up against.

“Ramsgate are a team who didn’t pass the ball much, but also we weren’t good enough to break them down.

“Our front two were poor by comparison to the rest of the team and that is something we need to work on.”

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Hendon added another point to their tally on Tuesday with a 2-2 draw at Margate.

But the Greens, who beat Dartford 3-0 on Saturday, should have perhaps been celebrating six points out of six from their opening two games.

Gary McCann's troops were leading 2-0 at half-time at Margate with goals from Brian Haule and Mark Kirby.

However, the Kent side took control after the interval. Wayne Wilson pulled one back with 20 minutes to go, before Louis Smith equalised ten minutes later.

The Greens held on for a point, with outfield player James Burgess in goal during the closing stages, keeper Luke Blackmore having been carried off following a collision.

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Wealdstone slipped to a 2-1 defeat at Ashford Town last night in the Ryman Premier Division.

The Stones were surprisingly flat and fell behind in the 20th minute. The second goal for the hosts came in the second half before striker Ben Alexander snatched a late consolation for the Stones.

Wealdstone manager Gordon Bartlett said: "It was poor. Ashford were hungrier, brighter and wanted it more than us."

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Hendon kicked off their Ryman League Premier Division campaign at Claremont Road on Saturday.

But it is looking increasingly likely it will be the last time they do so.

The club, on the verge of being taken over by their fans, will probably be sharing Vale Farm, home of Wembley FC, within the next few months.

There have been quite a few “final” games at Claremont Road, the club’s home for more than 80 years, but it really does now look like the old-fashioned ground in Brent Cross is on borrowed time.

On the pitch, fans were treated by a fine Hendon display, the Greens kicking off their campaign with a resounding win against one of the fancied sides.

Hendon 3 Dartford 0 . . .

Hendon made a winning start to the 2008–09 season, seeing off the third favourites for the title.

It was a disappointing afternoon for last season’s Division One North champions, who not only lost heavily, but also had centre-half John Guest sent off inside the opening half-hour.

Three starters made their full debuts for Hendon — Kevin Maclaren, brother of Casey, Mark Kirby and James Bent — while three others — Craig Vargas, Charlie Mapes and Sam Byfield — started second or third spells.

The new line-up did not take long to gel and, after six minutes, Brian Haule headed just over the bar from a good position. Four minutes later Bent was in on goal, but Tony Kessell was off his line quickly and made a smothering block.

In the 12th minute, Dartford showed a glimpse of what they were capable of when a low cross found Guest, but his drive was straight at Luke Blackmore, who made a save at the second attempt.

Hendon took the lead in the 14th minute. Kevin Maclaren was eased out of the ball’s path by Lee Noble.

Byfield took the kick and delivered it perfectly for Haule to rise almost unchallenged and plant his header in the bottom corner.

The Greens continued to set the pace, before Dartford began to enjoy a spell of pressure. However, their final balls into the penalty area were easy meat for Kirby and Marc Leach.

Things went downhill for Dartford in the 28th minute. A through-ball from Vargas resulted in Haule and Guest challenging for the ball. Haule eased his way goalside of the defender and had about 30 metres of space between him and the goal.

Although there may have been defenders level with Haule, there were none in front, so when Guest pulled Haule to the ground, the referee had no hesitation in showing the defender a red card.

Three minutes later, while the Darts were still reorganising their defence, they were opened up again.

This time it was the influential Bent who took a short pass from Jamie Busby and cut in from the right wing. Seeing a gap, Bent unleashed a powerful left-foot shot which beat Kessell all ends up.

Former Hendon striker Rob Haworth had Dartford’s best chance of the second half, and his failure to take it was another major turning point. Hendon had ceased to look like scoring themselves when, in the 76th minute, a short pass from Nick Barnes put Haworth clear on goal with only Blackmore to beat.

The tall striker did the first part easily enough, poking the ball past the onrushing goalkeeper, but he did not reckon on the instinctive run of Leach, who covered for his goalkeeper and hacked the ball clear.

Almost immediately, Hendon made their first substitution, withdrawing Haule and introducing Chris Bangura. Less than 90 seconds later, the Greens forced a corner, which Byfield crossed in. Once again the Dartford marking was almost non-existent and Bangura rose to score with a free header. It was his first touch in a competitive match for Hendon.

Manager Gary McCann said: “It is great that we started the season with a victory. I thought we were in control for most of the game, but the sending off certainly helped us.”

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Horsham manager John Maggs said he was delighted with his new-look strike force after watching a 4-2 win against Canvey Island today.

Evan Archibald grabbed a brace, while fellow debutant Liam Baitup also netted. Lee Carney added another while Chris Moore and Jay Curran scored Canvey's two goals.

Maggs commented: "I'm delighted with it. It was always going to be a hard game in hard conditions. The pitch was excellent, but the wind made it tricky.

"Everyone did their jobs and everone was responsible for their performance.

"To go 4-1 up, it was a thoroughly professional performance, but their second goal took the edge off that.

"Last year we shared the goals out among the midfielders more, so it's nice for the top two to get on the scoresheet early on."

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