Source: FOOTYMAD
Season Review: Kidsgrove Athletic/Congleton Town
A look at how this pair of local non leaguers faired in 2009/10 A trio of prolific hitmen took Grove to the play offs, but a defeat to Glapwell means they missed out on promotion to the Unibiond League. They started the season well and were unbeaten in the first eight league games of the season although by the time they tasted league defeat they ahd already been knocked out of the Challenge Cup, Presidents Cup and FA Trophy at the first hurdle. Goals were flying in at both ends, an amazing 41 in 7 games, saw the fans get their moneys worth but show the management exactly where the problems lay. October proved a good month for 'Grove when, after an early defeat to Leek, they won four and also managed to draw with eventual league winners Micklesports with Haddrell netting in all five games and Shotton starting a run of seven in seven games. Grove continued to stack up the points before a two month goal drought, and four game losing streak, hampered their promotion hopes. With the season threatening to drift towards its premature end Dave Walker stepped up and went on an amazing goal run. Walker netted in twelve successive games, bagging a total of 22 goals in that dozen game run, including five goals in a 5-2 win over Leek. Walker had also netted five against Spalding in a 5-0 August win. Those goals, and crucial strikes from Haddrell and Shotton, helped Kidsgrove to 11 wins in the final 16 games, with just the one defeat before the play off ended, disappointingly, with a 1-0 reverse at Glapwell. League record: P42 W22 D12 L8 F93 A50 PTS78 (4th - Lost in Play-off Semi finals) Top scorers: 38-Dave Walker 25-Matt Haddrell 15-Liam Shotton FA Cup: 1st Qualifying Round FA Trophy: Preliminary Round Unibond League Challenge Cup: 1st round Presidents Cup: 1st Round Staffs Senior Cup: Semi Finals A good season for the Cheshire side saw them finish fifth, despite averaging nearly two points per game. The form of local rivals Newcastle Town, where they won a record amount of points, and won all of their first 33 games of the season, coupled with the scrapping of the play off's due to the folding of clubs in other leagues meant they were never going to get near to promotion despite that impressive points haul. The team started off like a rocket when, inspired by the goals of Andy Kinsey, they lost just one of their first twenty three games and, although they were still waiting for Castle's 100% record to go, they were trying their best to keep up with the pace setters. The main damage was done when hitman Kinsey left as the club then failed to score for the next six games, a record only broken when Matt Rhead joined the club. Rhead went onto hit twenty goals and, although the club started scoring again after his arrival, thewinless run continued to a massively damaging twelve games before a welcome 4-1 win over Colne ended the run. Town had won through two rounds in the FA Cup before losing to Frickley and that long winless streak saw Town exit the other four cup competitions the side were in. That meant all eyes were on the league and whilst it seemed Newcastle would be uncatchable no matter what, the play offs were very much still a route to promotion at this time. Town certainly weren't giving up though and, with Rhead now settled in and banging in the goals, they won twelve of fifteen games to hoist themselves up behind New Mills in second place. The highlight of the season arrived in a two week period during March and April as Town stuck six goals past Ashton, Bacup and Formby and, even better than those thrashings, scored a last minute winner to beat champions Newcastle Town, one of only two defeats all season, and delay their crowning as champions. Once it had been confirmed there would be no play offs the teams form faltered but, after four games without a win, did mange to go out on a high with a 1-0 win at home to Glossop on the final day of the season. League record: P42 W24 D8 L10 F90 A46 PTS80 (5th) Top scorers: 20-Matt Rhead 16-Scott Dundas 14-Andy Kinsey FA Cup: 2nd Qualifying Round FA Vase: 2nd Round League Cup: 1st Round Cheshire Senior Cup: 1st Round Mid-Cheshire Senior Cup: Quarter Finals
