Team Redstar Football Club

Redstar Smarts News Football Club entertained arguably the best team in Division 4 on Friday 28th April 2005 - 2006 season at Lucarlys,Wilton Road,Humberston in the Grimsby Sunday League Division 4.Banana,who had earlier in the week guaranteed runners up spot with a 7-1 hammering of Huntsman Tioxide,dominated the 1st half an hour with Redstar unable to break down their packed hoardes at the back.Little grass on the well used pitch though meant alot of Banana's fluency had gone out of the window.They still possessed more than their fair share of flair players though and took the lead when a smart 1-2 ended was played into the path of leading scorer Phillips who,as most defences will tell you this season,made no mistake with a rocket of a half volley past Redstar keeper Marco Sotgiu.To everyone present,it seemed a rout was on the cards but to Banana's frustration,they could not peoduce the killer finish again or find a way past Italian Stallion Sotgiu who's handling and decision making made all the difference as the game wore on.Redstar came back into the game towards the end of the 1st period but lacked penetration up front.This was not down to lack of effort but the decision to pack the midfield and leave leading scorer Gary Cox upfront on his own seemed to be the wrong 1 with the bobbly pitch not allowing Cox to bring the ball down and run at his man as he is used to.His only real effort of the 1st half came from a freekick which he fired just over the bar.Redstar captain Dave Duff kept his troops spirits high though and reminded them how far they had come this season.The 2nd half kicked off with Redstar showing alot more determination about them.Luke Borrill started to cause a few problems on the left hand side,and both Martin Burke and John Conroy stepped up to the next gear.Even Daz Brett,who was celebrating his 40th birthday,seemed to grow in confidence and along with his opposite fullback Nick Woods,sprayed around some quality balls to find ever willing teammates.Banana still had the edge though in terms of skill but they seemed to waste possesion on more than 1 occasion,especially out wide where,despite screams of disaproval,the ball stayed in the centre of the park.Infact,it was a good battle for Redstar's centre circle masters Ian Blackmore and Gavin Johnstone.They both gave their all,expecially in the air.There was still a feeling that if Banana could get the 2nd goal their 1st half display deserved,then the floodgates might open but this never materialised and so Redstar went on and took full advantage.Infact,they scored 2 goals in the space of 5 minutes to totally deflate the Fitness men.The 1st effort came from neat interplay between Johnstone and Burke,the latter fooling his man with a dummied pass before lofting the ball into the path of the onrushing Borrill who let the ball bounce before lobbing the stranded Banana keeper.It seemed only moments later when the same man was beaten by the same man again!This time,a Gary Cox corner was whipped in and that man Borrill again eluded his marker and bulleted a header into the roof of the net to send the home contingent ballistic.No one present,especially Banana,could hardly believe the turnaround and it would have come as no surprise if Redstar had grabbed a 3rd as they pushed forward.Danny Mccann replaced Johnstone with some fresh legs and his willingness to keep possesion went along way to seeing the home side through.Borrill could and maybe should have had a hattrick in the latter stages but Banana's keeper held onto both his powerful drives and at the other end,Banana could and maybe should have grabbed a point but found home keeper Sotgiu at his best as he handled everything thrown at him sublimly as he has done for most of the season.Referee Pete Jagger,who had his usual outstanding game,brought precedings to an end and both teams were sporting to the end,wishing each other the best of luck for the future.Banana,who were playing their 2nd game in 2 days,were gracious in defeat and earned a hell of alot of respect from their opponents.Redstar won the game with a battling performance and took advantage of the conditions on the day whereas Banana's usual flowing football was unable to find any rythem on the rough surface.1 thing is for sure though,Banana's should have won this league at a canter but seem to have lost stupid games which they maybe thought they would win easily.It's hard to believe that LOR have won the Division 4 championship with Banana in this league but they have performed as a team throughout the season.I can recall seeing Banana batter LOR into the ground 5-1 earlier in the season which just goes to show,at the end of the campaign,you don't always get what you deserve.Man of the match for Redstar was Ross Atmore who showed everyone present that Dave Duff is not the only natural born leader on the park.

Redstar Smarts news Football Club kicked off their opening 2006 - 2007 Division 4 league campaign against newly promoted F Rodgers Raiders FC at the Chartdale ground on Clee Road, Cleethorpes. Redstar gave a debut to fullback Robert Bolland and, such was the quality available on the bench, player manager Simon Chapple could not even name himself in the squad with Sutton, Meiszner, Knowles, Atmore and Broderick all chomping at the bit for a piece of the action. Last season's midfield duo Danny Mccann and Gavin Johnstone resumed their partnership and Luke Borrill and Gary Cox pushed out wide, looking to hit the home side on the break with their pace and skill. Number 1 goalkeeper Marco Sotgiu also stood tall in between the sticks, fresh from saving 3 penalties in pre season games and his sheer presence oozed confidence to the yellow army in front of him so it was a suprise to see such a shaky start where the home side should've scored 1st after wasting a couple of glorious chances, Redstar took the lead when Gary Cox hassled both Rodgers centrebacks and, under pressure, a short backpass header was seized upon by Ian Blackmore who looped his effort over the outcoming goalkeeper . It really was rough justice on the F Rodgers team who played the ball around on the deck much better than their opponents in the 1st half hour of the game as Redstar struggled to kickstart any sort of attack. Rodgers best effort came when a striker went clean through at the angle of the box but placed his effort just wide of the right hand post. On the hour mark, The Smarts News team shook off the pre season rust and started to play a bit of their own brand of balls to feet. John Conroy was fouled near the cornerflag for Redstar which resulted in an inch perfect free kick from Nick Woods bulleted into the net via the head of centreback Snowy Edwards at the back stick. This put the Raiders heads in the sand and Team Redstar took control from then onwards with the masterful Dave Duff bossing precedings from the back.  John Conroy then put egg on the home keepers face when he put his foot on the ball, looked up then struck a sublime chip to make the score 3-0. Before the referee blew for the end of the game, there was still time for a 4th goal from Team Redstar and it was pretty similar to the last. Danny Mccann also lobbed the keeper from 25 yards with a smart finish and straight after that the keeper collided into his net as he kept out yet another chip over him from Ian Blackmore. The game ended with a scoreline that was pretty unjust to F Rodgers Raiders but it was a harsh welcome to the Division 4 new boys and 1 which they must learn from if they are to compete at a higher level. Pretty football may look the business but if the ball does not end up in the net then it is a waste of time as the Smarts News boys basically handed them a lesson in finishing. Referee G Hewitt was immaculate in the middle of the park and allowed the game to flow to the full. Man of the Match for Team Redstar was John Conroy who, as usual, lead the line for his teammates superbly and held the ball up perfectly.

Redstar Smarts news Football Club entertained fellow Division 4 campaigners East Coast Engineers in the Senior Challenge Cup in what turned out to be a very even contest. Team Redstar had serious hangover problems in the camp after Dave Duff's stag night only a few hours earlier which resulted in a couple of changes to the starting line up. In came Ross Atmore for Nick Woods and Darren Todd replaced Robert Bolland at full back. Coast took the lead after 10 minutes when a hopeful punt upfield was chased down by a forward. Snowy Edwards seemed to be in control of the situation as he shielded the ball back to his goalkeeper Marco Sotgiu but then seemed to lose his footing which left Sotgiu stranded on the edge of the area. The Coast striker then rounded him with ease and battered a great finish into the bottom right hand corner of the empty net. On the hald hour, Redstar equalised when a good strike from Luke Borrill was parried out to John Conroy to smash back into the net. Both teams came off at the break needing plenty of water in the energy sapping heat with all to play for. The play was end to end but the ball spent alot of time in the air as neither team wanted to slip up and allow the other the advantage. East Coast won the majority of the midfield battles with their outnumbering formation whereas Redstar used the flanks to their advantage where they are so good at hitting teams on the break with the dangerous Borrill and Gary Cox but they could just not get going. Sotgiu tipped 1 Coast effort around his post and at the other end Ian Blackmore only had the keeper to beat with his back to goal but the chance was a hard 1 without a call from his teammates and he blasted over the bar. With 10 minutes to go though Redstar won a freekick on the right. Danny Mccann flaoted a peach of a ball into the dangerzone where that man Conroy arrived again to slam a volley into the roof of the net and seemingly win the game for the home team. Coast had other ideas though even though their leveller 3 minutes from time was a fortuitous effort as a corner was whipped in with the wind behind it and flew over everyone into the top corner via the post. Extra time came and went with both teams going through the motions so along came the dreaded penalty shootout. Sotgiu saved for Redstar but his opposite number went 1 better and saved from Redstar's captain Dave Duff and leftback Atmore, leaving an Engineers substitute to grab the glory and place a neat spotkick to Sotgiu's right. Both teams shook hands at the end in a sporting game between 2 of Divison 4's better sides and wished each other luck for the future. Referee John Love controlled the game in his own entertaining style as usual and Man of the Match for Redstar was Snowy Edwards who won everthing that was thrown at him.

Team Redstar continued their pre season preparation for the 2009 - 2010 season with a 5 - 3 away win at Caistor Rovers from Divison 4. Caistor started the stronger of the 2 teams and went a goal up after 20 minutes. As usual though, Redstar seem to have to wait until they are losing before they put the effort in and they levelled matters 10 minutes later through Luke Borrill. It took only a few more minutes for the away team to grab the lead with a towering header at the back post from Paul Parker and this quick turnaround seemed to knock the stuffing out of Caistor. Borrill scored again to make it 3 - 1 just after halftime and then it was Caistor's turn to pull a goal back. Chisnall made it 4-2 to Redstar with a smart finish before, yet again, Caistor got back into it with a decent shot on the turn. Borrill completed his hattrick near the end though when he volleyed home Cameron Westcott's cross. Apart from injured duo Dave Duff and Lee Ford, the full squad got a decent runout.

Team Redstar bowed out of the 2009 - 2010 Humber Cup at the 1st hurdle when they were beaten 5 - 2 by Division 3 new boys SW Steelers on Friday 24th July at Wintringham School. Steelers were 1st out of the blocks whilst the home side struggled to come to terms with their new formation. Steelers were 3 - 0 up on the hour mark but 2 quick goals by stiker Lee Chisnall threatened the comeback. His 1st was a simple header and his 2nd was an awesome strike from 20 yards out. From this point on Redstar stepped up a gear and were in control until a freekick from inside his own half was hoofed forward by Steelers captain Gaz Deakins. As it dropped in Redstar's penalty area, both defender and striker challenged and missed their headers allowing the ball to take a wicked bounce and loop into Marco Sotgiu's net which knocked the stuffing out of Redstar's fightback. Steelers grabbed their final goal on the break with a free header at the back post but in fairness the better side won on the night.

Redstar Smarts News Football Club took on bottom club Geest Mariner at Lucarlys,Wilton Road,Humberston in the Grimsby and District Sunday League Division 4 in their final game of what has been a tremendous 2005 - 2006 season for the Redstar lads for their standards.Before the kick off,their was an interesting in team competition set as Gary Cox and Luke Borrill were chasing the clubs golden boot award,both deadlocked on 22 goals apiece.The Smarts Newsmen looked to use their pacey wings from the off and took the lead when Borrill slammed home after good work by Daz Brett found Cox who fed Borrill.On the half hour,Borrill returned the favour as he slotted in Cox who,after already fluffing 2 1 on 1's,placed the ball under the advancing Geest goalie.Martin Burke ran and ran on the opposite wing as Redstar went for the jugular.Ian Blackmore and Gavin Johnstone held a keep ball match in the centre circle before finding Borrill out wide.They knew where the tricky flankster was without even looking.He jinked into the box,left his marker standing and pranged the ball into the opposite far corner from virtually the touchline.Such was his burst of pace though,the tazmanain devil would've done well to keep up.At 3-0,both teams made changes at the break in both players and positions.Club captain Dave Duff took up a strikers mantle,forward John Conroy slotted in at centreback and with Luke Borrill having 1 palm on the leading scorer trophy,Gaz Cox unselfishly donned the gloves of Italian import Marco Sotgui who energetically jumped straight into midfield.Both teams could and should've scored a couple more goals each.Both Darren Todd and Sotgiu had efforts cleared off the goal line for Redstar whilst at the other end for Geest,they hit the crossbar and then missed an open goal from 10 yards which in a strange kind of way,kept the game flowing for the full 90 minutes with banter,humour and clean tackles from both sets of players.There was time for 1 more goal though and it came from the reliable boot of ginger bling Danny 'the man' Mccann.Already owner of the top 3 goals of the season so far,Mccann picked the ball up from Ross Atmore,looked up and let fly with a majestic 30 yard beauty which left the Geest keeper swatting flies.To the keeper's credit though he was a midfielder!.Big Jim Tyler then tried his luck but his shot was blocked as he pulled back his size 15 boot.The game was brought to an end by stand in official Trevor Webster who hardly had to put the whistle to his lips for the full 90 minutes,such was the sporting nature of the game.Both teams wished each other the best of luck for next season in their respective divisions.Considering last seasons finishing place of 5th from bottom,this season has been fantastic for Redstar.Infact,a 5th place finish is slightly dissapointing as they finish a massive 13 points clear of 6th place.Redstar also had a good cup run,going out to Division 1 teams in both competitions which included leading Division 1 Champions Jubilee 1-0 for an hour.Man of the match for Redstar was player/manager Simon Chapple who played in every position on the park apart from referee and on behalf of the Redstar management team of Chapple,Webster and Tyler,a big thankyou to all involved with the team.