Saturday 30th January; Vodkat League Premier Division; Squires Gate 1-2 St Helens Town; 0-1; Rob Hanley 18 Minutes, 0-2; Rob Hanley 35 Minutes, 1-2; Louis Mayers 87 Minutes, Town gained a modicum of revenge for the early season 4-0 reverse by Squires Gate at Knowsley Road with a solid victory in Blackpool this afternoon. The early stages of the contest were a cagey affair with both sides getting into each others’ boxes but neither keeper being unduly worried. The first effort of real note came after a quarter of an hour when excellent work by Mike Fargher down the right saw him find Rob Hanley on the far post for what looked like a tap in, the striker somehow managed to nutmeg himself six yards out and fail to apply the finish. Hanley made amends some three minutes later when Mark Evans found him from the left with a ball over the top of the defenders and Hanley beat his marker to the ball before executing and excellent right footed lob over the stranded goalkeeper to put the visitors into the lead. The visitors seemed to be content with their work at this stage and allowed the home side plenty of possession in the middle of the park without Gate hurting them closer to the penalty area. Town stepped up a gear after half an hour and good work by Hanley saw him get into the box and unleash a shot that was blocked by Tom Benfield the ball broke into the air and with Hanley and Marc Stephens in attendance the former saw his header held by the home stopper.  It was to become 2-0 after 35 minutes when Ben Kay found Hanley through the middle of the park and the hitman beat Benfield to the ball before shooting first time past the goalkeeper who was not expecting the effort and was unable to divert the ball off target. Stephens almost made it three when his spectacular effort from 12 yards out was tipped over the bar but Gate almost pulled one back before the interval as Russ McKenna tried his luck from 25 yard, his effort beating Graeme McCall but not the right hand upright and it rebounded behind for a goal kick. A spot of pinball in the Town box from an early second half corner saw the visitors have to clear the ball off the line and McCall was called into action when Luke Faulkner slipped allowing Gary Jackson an effort which the stopper did well to keep out. The screw was turned more on Town when Fargher was sent off after 57 minutes for retaliation after a foul on him by Louis Mayers, whilst on the floor the Gate man swung a foot at Fargher and the Town man was incensed by this the red mist fell and the referee dismissed him, the official obviously missed the initial foul, swinging foot and Paul Ryan throwing a punch too! The home side pressed and pressed the visitors trying to get back into the game but for all of their possession they could not break down the resolute visitors. The pressure finally paid off in the closing minutes when a ball broke to Mayers in the box and he poked the ball home. The five added minutes at the end of the match seemed like a lifetime for Town but they held on secured the three points.   Squires Gate; Speight, McCann, McKenna, Benfield(C), Ford, Osborne, Richards(Stayte 60), Ryan, Jackson(Thomas 70), Mayers, Harvie(McKendrick 85). Subs Not Used; Fielding, Horrocks.   St Helens Town; McCall(C), Elias, Birch, Jones, Faulkner, Fargher, Stephens, Frazer(Dyson 80), Hanley, Kay, Evans(J.Foster 65). Subs Not Used; Riley, Hatton, Pitts.

Tuesday 26th January; Vodkat League Premier Division;St Helens Town 0-4 New Mills; 0-1; Tommy Turner 7 Minutes, 0-2; David Swarbrick 11 Minutes, 0-3; Robert Lloyd 36 Minutes, 0-4; Tommy Turner 77 Minutes. Town sank to their first defeat of 2010, in what it is fair to say was a bad evening at the office. A New Mills side in good form did not need to work to hard to take the maximum spoils from this contest on an evening when Town were in obliging mood having a helping hand in all four of their visitors goals. The visitors quickly put last seasons defeat at the same venue out of their minds when they when into a 2-0 lead with 11 minutes on the clock. The first saw Tommy Turner take advantage of Dougie Pitts & Ben Kay’s botched attempts to clear a through ball and slotted home from inside the box in the 7th minute. Less than four minutes later it was David Swarbrick who took advantage of the Town generosity when with two chances to clear the ball from the box the home defence could only find the visiting player in the danger zone and he made no mistake to give the hosts an absolute mountain to climb. A mini revival saw Marc Stephens win the ball 25 yards from goal and his effort was well held by the visiting keeper. A well worked move on 23 minutes created the next chance with Phil Mitchell and Stephens linking on the edge of the area and the latter finding Mike Fargher in space with an excellent diagonal ball, his shot from an angle on the left however did not trouble the keeper as it went over the bar. Just after the half hour mark Town were lucky not to be three down when Turner chased a through ball which Graeme McCall got to first, his momentum was always going to take him out of the area and he released the ball as he left the area, good defending by Neil Jones averted the danger as he quickly closed down the loose ball and blocked Swarbrick’s effort. The game was up on 36 minutes when from what looked like a position of little danger, 25 yards out Robert Lloyd managed to curl the ball over McCall who was a couple of yards off his line and could not recover to tip the ball over the bar. As the half wore down Dave Burns advanced down the eight wing and linked with Rob Hanley on the edge of the New Mills area the later sent a cross hard and low into the box but his ball was cleared. New Mills’ Swarbrick had an effort from the edge of the box after a free kick had broken to him which sailed over the bar and Dyson missed Town’s best chance of the half in the final moments when he chased down a short back pass got to it before the goalkeeper and rounded him but his shot under pressure from the right edge of the area, agonisingly went the wrong side of the left hand upright.    The second period was a bit of a non-event with this visitors happy to sit on their three goal cushion, and liable to step up a gear if needed. The hosts were struggling to make any impact upon the New Mills’ rearguard. Just before the hour mark a well placed through ball from Fargher almost released Dyson but Ingram-Thomas in visitors goal was quickly off his line to avert the danger. New Mills almost added to their tally on 63 minutes when a cross from Turner was touched away from the onrushing Garry Kharas by McCall and the loose ball was cleared. A Phil Mitchell cross from the right almost found Hanley on the far post after 66 minutes but a good defensive header by Mike Bowler thwarted the striker. The final noteworthy incident of the match came on 77 minutes when a loose ball by Ben Kay in the Town half was collected by Lloyd and he strode forward before releasing Turner who added his second of the match and the visitors fourth. Town will have to put this evening down as a lesson learnt and will need to bounce back on Saturday as they visit Squires Gate.  St Helens Town; McCall, Dyson(Riley 61), Jones, Pitts(C), Kay, Frazer(Clarke 61), Stephens, Fargher(Thomas 83), Hanley, Burns, P.Mitchell. Subs Not Used; C.Foster, Hatton. 

New Mills; Ingram-Thomas, Bowler, Innes, Jackson, Bans, Pickford(C), Lloyd(Monaghan 78), Swarbrick(Brackenridge 75), Turner, Kharas, Wharton(Mather 67). Sub Not Used; Fidler.

Saturday 23rd January; Vodkat League Cup, 3rd Round; Norton United 2-5 St Helens Town; 0-1; Mike Scully 16 Minutes, 0-2; Mike Fargher 40 Minutes, 0-3; Rob Hanley 73 Minutes, 1-3; Paul Macari 75 Minutes. 1-4; Dave Burns 81 Minutes, 2-4; 90 Minutes, 2-5; Mark Sobolojew (Own Goal) 90+2 Minutes. Town secured passage to the last eight of the Vodkat League Cup for the first time since 2005 with a comfortable victory over Norton United this afternoon. After a five week forced sabbatical due to the extreme weather conditions it was a slow start to the match for the visitors but things picked up on 16 minutes when Mike Scully ran onto a through ball from Ian Frazer beat his defender and slotted into the bottom right hand corner of the net from the edge of the box. The celebrations were almost cut short as the linesman was flagging but after a quick consultation Mr Bailey signalled and the goal stood. An injury to Peter Birch saw the left back replaced and a defensive reshuffle just after the half hour with Neil Jones switching from right to left back and Marc Stephens dropping back from right wing to fill in at right back.  Before the interval Town doubled their advantage when Ian Frazer’s effort from the edge of the box deflected to Dave Burns who found Iain Dyson whose sublime touch beat his man and his ball to Mike Fargher gave him the simple task of sending the ball home from six yards out. The hosts could have pulled a goal back before half time when a right wing corner found Dean Smith on the front post and his shot was parried by Graeme McCall in the Town goal the ball broke loose but McCall recovered to claim the ball. Norton started the second half with an newly found impetus and Steve Allen looked dangerous testing McCall with an effort from the left of the box but the keeper was alert to keep the shot out. The game had hit a lull until it was reignited on 70 minutes a ball was played forward by Town and home stopper Leigh Miller came towards the edge of his area to claim the ball with him momentum he was unable to stop and appeared to carry the ball out of the area. After consultation between Referee and Linesman, Miller was rather harshly shown the red card and John Barass donned the gloves. Town rubbed salt in the hosts wounds when Stephens sent in the resultant free kick which Barass parried but Rob Hanley was first to react, Barass again parried but Hanley lifted the second loose ball over the stricken stopper and into the roof of the net. Norton were not to be kept out and quickly pulled a goal back, Paul Macari found space and unleashed a shot from 18 yards out into the bottom left hand corner of the net. In the closing stages Dave Burns broke his duck with the first team as he chased down a through ball beat his marker for speed got into the box and slotted the ball home from the right edge of the 6 yard box. In the final moments of the match Delroy Fox turned a right wing cross home at the front post and in added on time Brian Hatton, making his first appearance since the penultimate game of last season due to injury and Hanley chased a ball down and forced an error from Mark Sobolojew who lofted an effort over Barass and into his own net. So Town will take on local rivals Wigan Robin Park in the quarter finals who overcame Runcorn Linnets this afternoon. Norton United; Miller, Sobolojew, Fogg, Smith, McMann(L.Robinson 78), Carter, S.Robinson(Hill 63), McDonald(C), Allen(Macari 71), Barass, Fox. Subs Not Used; Davies, Colclough.   St Helens Town; McCall, Jones, Birch(Burns 33), Pitts(C), Kay, Frazer, Stephens, Fargher(C.Foster 78), Hanley, Dyson, Scully(Hatton 87). Subs Not Used; Riley, Woods.