Decembers Player of the Month?

With only a few games in December the Supporters Club Committee have decided to follow the Vodkat League and not make an award for December. Hopefully we can get back to normal from this weekend.

Ramsbottom Utd at home this Saturday

Lets hope the temperature starts to rise and we can get back to watching some football. it should be a good contest, Rammy are in 2nd place but a GNE win would put us 9 points behind with 3 games in hand.
With City away and Utd not playing we should have a decent crowd too. Bring it on.

Ramsbottom Utd at home this Saturday

Lets hope the temperature starts to rise and we can get back to watching some football. it should be a good contest, Rammy are in 2nd place but a GNE win would put us 9 points behind with 3 games in hand.
With City away and Utd not playing we should have a decent crowd too. Bring it on.

New Mills match postponed (again)

Tonights re-arranged game between GNE and New Mills has had to be postponed. Not too surprising given the recent weather but a pain never the less.

Christmas Party

What a great night!

Many thanks to everyone who helped put the event on and to everyone who turned up.
Diceys photo's of the night, including a few of him doing his solo, can be found at;

www.picasaweb.google.com/MrDicey/GNESCChristmasParty#

We must do it again sometime!

Vinnie Braine joins GNE

The much travelled/experienced/veteran (take your pick) striker Vinnie Braine has joined GNE. It's hard to keep up with the clubs Vinnie's had but I know he's joined and left New Mills a couple of times, played for Cheadle Town and Padiham and was at Runcorn Linnets just prior to the start of last season before he left to go back to New Mills. Anyone know where he's been since then?

Padiham P GNE P

We rapidly approach the end of the year and the Sunday Supplements are full of “end of the decade” stuff. This is misplaced as the mathematically aware amongst us realise that the end of the decade is not for another year. A controversial statement perhaps but true in that there was no “year zero”. Remember the “celebrations” relating to the end of the millennium when the new millennium was deemed to start on January 1st 2000? Your ageing scribe refused to join in such celebrations and, therefore, was forced to celebrate the arrival of the new decade on the mathematically correct January 1st 2001 – home alone, billy no mates again, very sad! (miserable sod!). If we accept this then the current decade runs from 2001 to 2010 but this does not fit in with the modern trend of trying to define a decade in numerical terms. Here we think about terminology such as “the nineties” as applied to the previous decade, and the debate about what the current decade should be called. Many commentators seem to favour “the noughties” but the temptation to replace the “o” with an “a” may be too strong for many and then become not really reflective of the spirit of the decade. Alternative alliterative extensions to this, such as the “naughty noughties”, again tend to fail any test of objectivity and accuracy – unless you know better than I do! As yet, I have seen no suggestions for what the next decade should be called. The somewhat obvious “teenies” fails yet again the test of accuracy – but hey, whatever, when has accuracy counted for anything?

The rapidly approaching end of the year also brings the Christmas period into focus although, to be honest, Christmas started sometime in September if we are to believe the behemoths of the retail trade. No prizes for spotting the first Christmas tree in somebody’s house – sometime in November. Equally, no prizes for spotting the first Easter Egg in the shops which must be due any day soon – please note that those small Cadbury Cream Eggs do not count as they seem to be sold all year round – much like hot cross buns come think about it – we like hot cross buns!!

The Christmas period becomes important for the football supporter as a recognised antidote to the enforced incarcerations which mark out the “traditional family Christmas” for so many. And, thinking of tradition for a moment, go on; own up, which of us will be feasting on turkey rather than the traditional goose? Yes, thought so, yet another example of transatlantic culture mixing with ours – very sad but perhaps understandable as the average American seems to think that the world started in the late 1770s. The annual ritual of families falling out over excess booze and deep frozen mince pies (should have got them out of the freezer on Christmas Eve) is not for the faint hearted but the avid football supporter can practice the excess booze bit at the last football match of the year.

Saturday dawns bright and very cold. It is not too long before the half expected news comes from Padiham that today’s game is off due to a frozen pitch. This is also the case for all other matches in our division so any idea of going to support whoever New Mills were playing also falls by the wayside.

Nevertheless, a baker’s dozen of the ever faithful GNE travelling army meets up in the George Hotel for “breakfast” as arranged. The term breakfast is used somewhat euphemistically in this context as it does not start until 11.15 a.m. – however, that rather depends on what time you get up in the morning and what you were up to the night before. During a convivial hour, lubricated in at least one case by a couple of pints of Old Speckled Hen – much to recommend this excellent brew, the discussion centres around what we can all do with a free Saturday afternoon in the football season – this circumstance is, of course, very rare and taxes the ingenuity somewhat. The most popular suggestion seems to be to watch Portsmouth vs. Liverpool on television either at home or in the comfort of a local hostelry – remember the requirement to practice the excess booze bit. There are some veiled comments about Christmas shopping down the High Street but not sure if this is really serious. Another option is to tune in to the Sky coverage of the 1st test match featuring England in South Africa. Difficult to get too excited at this, even for the avid cricket fan, but, at least, as the snow starts to descend on Glossop, we are reminded that even in December somewhere in the world the suns beats down from a cloudless sky and it does not start to go dark at 3.30 in the afternoon.

As we disperse, attention switches to the next match – away at New Mills on Boxing Day. Prayers are offered to the various gods who control the weather that the conditions will be such that this game can go ahead although with cold weather forecast to persist into next week and problems already this season with the pitch at Church Lane, nothing is guaranteed.

So, all we can do is to turn up the heating, do the best we can to survive the trials and tribulations of Christmas Day and hope that all is well for Boxing Day.

Have a good Christmas…

Steve Baran Memorial

Following consultation with the members of the Supporters Club, it has been concluded that the Supporters Player of the Year will be dedicated to the memory of Steve by calling it the "Steve Baran Memorial Trophy".

There was a lot of support for naming whatever may replace the "scrattin' shed" in memory of Steve but the timing for this is uncertain and may be affected by any potential future sponsorship arrangements.

Thanks to all who contributed to the discussion on this one.

GNE 2 Formby 0

Not a bad debut from the new boy was it? Look forward to seeing what he can do when he's fit.

A nice touch after the final whistle with Steve Barans ashes being buried under the centre circle.

Match Reports

Our erudite match reporter, Jonathan Haggart, will not be present at the next four matches. This is an opportunity for any budding match reporters to have a go at this quite tricky art and see their efforts published in the local newspapers.
General guidance can be given but this is very much an opportunity to express yourself in a way which will be meaningful to those who are not present at the matches.
If anyone is interested, please leave a message below or see any member of the Supporters Club Committee.

Hammy gets VODKAT Player of the Month

Darren Hamilton has been voted the NWCFL Premier Division Player of the Month for November. Congratulations Hammy, it's well deserved.

After injury hampered the start of his season, Darren had a frustrating start to the campaign with a short spell on the bench. However, once established in the side he has held off all comers to cement his place in the team, with intelligent displays and 12 goals.

Darren is now in his 12th season with GNE, yet is still not 30 years old, and therefore he has the combination of experience and fitness, and still maintains a turn of pace that worries defenders. His constant movement makes him impossible to mark, and his four goals in six games during the month of November had the hallmarks of an all round striker, including a header, a poacher's goal and a lovely placed strike from outside the area at St Helens.

Barwell 2 GNE 0

This week we mourn the death of Steve Baran. At times like this, family connections are often strengthened as geographically remote members of families meet up to pay their respects to a loved one. Whilst Steve’s family gather together and give strength and support to each other at this most difficult of times, this applies in a somewhat similar way to what we may describe as Steve’s “extended family”. This concept of the extended family, which we may call the “GNE family”, is gloriously reflected in the thread on the GNE Message Board. In these messages of respect and condolence, we see a coming together of individuals, mainly still local but also now from various parts of the country, who remember Steve and his contribution to their lives going back 50 years or so. This is reflected also in many private conversations around the town this week and also reflected by individuals in quieter moments; and for those who may detect a small tear-stain in the corner of the paper, I am not alone.

As many of us struggle to find words to express our own feelings at this time, we can sometimes take solace in the words of others, often reflected in verse.


Life is but a stopping place,
A pause in what’s to be,
A resting place along the road,
to sweet eternity.

We all, have different journeys,
Different paths along the way,
We all were meant to learn some things,
but never meant to stay.

Our destination is a place,
Far greater than we know,
For some the journey’s quicker,
For some the journeys slow,
And when the journey finally ends,
We’ll claim a great reward,
And find an everlasting peace,
Together with the Lord.



The author of this well known piece is unknown but I hope that all can find some relevant meaning somewhere in these 16 lines.

In due time, the memory of Steve will be enshrined in some way at his beloved Surrey Street. If any potential replacement for the scrattin’ shed is named in Steve’s honour then so be it but, whatever the future may hold, the name of Steve Baran and his contribution to Glossop North End AFC will never be forgotten.

And at Barwell on a wet Saturday afternoon, thoughts of Steve are at the forefront of the minds of many. As the Glossop support, of well over 100 from a gate of 306, gather at the Barwell clubhouse, black armbands are improvised. Black armbands are also worn by the players of both sides as Barwell FC mourn the recent death of Anita Burton who was the wife of Colin Burton who is Vice Chairman of Barwell FC.

The minutes silence is impeccably observed by all in the ground.

It was in 1981, in an interview on Granada TV, that Bill Shankly said “Someone said to me “To you, football is a matter of life or death” and I said “listen, it’s more important than that”.”

Well, you make your own minds up on that one but what I will say is that today, and forever, we remember the life of Steve Baran with the greatest of love and affection and, by the way, GNE lost a football match.

R.I.P. Steve.

Andy Hurst Signs (or does he?)

Although still not confirmed by either club, we believe striker Andy Hurst has left Congleton Town and is now a Glossop North End player. Andy is one of the leagues top goalscorers and he would be a great addition to the squad.

Andy Hurst Signs (or does he?)

Although still not confirmed by either club, we believe striker Andy Hurst has left Congleton Town and is now a Glossop North End player. Andy is one of the leagues top goalscorers and he would be a great addition to the squad.

November Player of the Month - Sam Hind

Congratulations to Sam Hind on becoming the Supporters Clubs Player of the Month for November.
Sam has come 2nd in every previous month so it seems right that he's won it in the last month he played.
Now, who volunteers to take the prize out to him?