Matty Cooper finished his career with a clean sheet in a day of tributes to the long-standing Trafford FC keeper.

The end of a five-year spell of 142 appearances with Trafford was marked with a guard of honour, applause from the Shawe View crowd and a special presentation on Saturday 22 April.

The season ended with a goalless draw against Runcorn Linnets – the same opposition Cooper made his debut against – which granted the veteran 35 clean sheets with Trafford.

“He’s top drawer, I can’t speak highly enough of Coops,” said Trafford’s Manager Danny Caldecott.

“His attitude, his commitment, he’s a leader. He epitomises this league. He’s everything you want in a keeper.

“That’s a massive position for us to try and fill in the summer but I’m also happy for him. He’s had a tremendous career at this level. He’s represented a lot of good football clubs and wherever he’s gone everybody’s spoken really highly of him which tells its own story of the player.”

‘List of targets’

A replacement for Cooper isn’t the only objective for the Manager over the summer. “We know who we want to retain at the football club, we know the direction we want to go in. We want to keep continuing to build, we’ve already got a list of targets we’d like to speak to in the summer. We are genuinely excited.”

Caldecott insists that a play-off position, building on the tenth-place finish this season, is a realistic target next year with the right additions to the squad and more experience for a young group of players who he says “have learnt a lot” in often difficult season.

“If we can keep the group of players together again and add a little bit more quality, we will be better again for it. We’ll be better equipped for the league and hopefully the play-offs.

“It’s now time to show that consistency and I believe that if we can do that, for even two thirds of the season, that would be enough to be in contention for the playoffs.”

‘Consistency’

The Manager does not shirk questions about the team’s consistency, describing it as the “Achilles” heel of this season.

“We’ve just not been consistent enough in each aspect of the season and that’s what’s really hurt us. You don’t go and win six games on the bounce through pure luck, but equally you don’t lose the amount of games we have without any luck.

“I understand the reasons why – this is only the group’s second season at this level and in this league. I understood when I took the job that the project we were going to start was going to be with younger players and with that comes mistakes. We have to accept that.

“I get frustrated more than anybody in this ground, believe you me, when we make mistakes and we concede goals and we don’t win football matches – because I know what we’re working with week in week out.”

One positive sign Caldecott pointed to was the spirit of the group to emerge from a disastrous run in the winter.

Arguably the most precarious moment of the season was with the team 2-0 down with fifteen minutes to go home to Glossop, days after the Boxing Day defeat to Ramsbottom, hovering above the relegation zone. The comeback that day was the “catalyst for us to produce the run of results that we did.”

At our recent home game versus City of Liverpool, the Trafford FC Supporters Club were finally able to present their two most recent “Player of the Month” awards – Max Hazeldine won the November vote (and has since been injured!) and Astley Mulholland picked up the December award following several 2nd places in the vote so far this season. Well done to both players, and we hope to see Max back in action soon. Trafford supporter Carly Law made the presentations to each player, a remarkable young lady who is recovering from major spinal surgery! We wish Carly a speedy and complete recovery!

We are writing this as an open letter to the supporters and friends of Trafford FC. As you know full well, we are facing unprecedented times. Not just for our football club, but for our families, friends, and communities. Because we feel that the club is very much a part of your community and your lives, we think it a good time to express our gratitude to you all.

It was back on 22nd February, a home win over Marine, that football ended at Shawe View and did not return for exactly six months – 22nd August when Ashton Athletic were the visitors in a pre-season friendly. During that half-year, Lockdown saw the entire country stopped in its tracks. However, this didn’t mean the grass stopped growing or the paint stopped flaking at our beloved stadium. There remained work to be done, even in Lockdown…….

The enforced hiatus not only lost us nine league games in the abandoned season (including four home fixtures) AND the Manchester Premier Cup Final, but we also had to cancel all the amateur and junior finals we host annually in May. This was a sad loss to grassroots teams across the district and costly to the club in terms of vital post-season income. We were able to acquire some financial support from Trafford Council and Sport England in the form of grants, which went some way towards mitigating the loss of income due to the cessation of all footballing activities.

However, what was THE most positive and uplifting occurrence during these uncertain times was the way that Trafford FC’s supporters and friends rallied together to help save the club. The Supporters Club was instrumental in setting up a “JustGiving” crowdfunder which exceeded its £5,000 target and went on to raise £7,302. Donations came from far & wide – not just what we call the “Trafford Family” but also fans of other clubs, former Trafford players and managers, local businesses, and the greater Urmston community….. It was heart-warming to feel the love for the club and to see everyone rallying to keep us afloat. It is a testament to all of you amazing fans and friends of TFC. From the bottom of our hearts, the Committee thanks every single one of you who were involved in organising this, and every single person who contributed, no matter the size of the donation.

But that wasn’t all, oh no! Some crazy “virtual match days” involving online Subbuteo and Playstation fun as substitutes for lost fixtures raised just over a thousand pounds. Then, later in the summer as Lockdown restrictions started to be relaxed, we saw Shawe View become a hive of activity (within the social distancing rules of course!) as volunteers got to grips with the jobs that are needed to maintain our high standards. In particular, the grounds team of Graham and Adrian maintained a mini-rota for cutting, seeding and fertilising the pitch. As the break from football continued, deep cleaning of the bar, kitchen and clubhouse areas was undertaken whilst outside jobs were completed including the painting of buildings and barriers, the of fixing roofs, pressure-washing the concrete panels around the pitch, and generally keeping the place spotless.

As the possibility of a start to the new season emerged, we had to up-our-game in making the stadium Covid-safe. We were assisted in this by one of our loyal supporters, Mike Jones, whose day-job is in the discipline of industrial health and safety. The professionalism and thoroughness of his advice helped us produce a full Covid-19 “Risk Assessment” document which is published on our website. This, along with the measures implemented around Shawe View saw us pass with flying colours all the stipulations set for us by the authorities and enabled us to open our doors again to paying customers for the aforementioned friendly on 22nd August. The work that was carried out in the run up to this game was immense – all done by a band of volunteers who stepped up and did themselves and the club proud. We would like to thank each and every one of you for your hard work and support. It will not be forgotten.

As if that wasn’t enough, the Supporters Club had a few projects ongoing as a result of their fantastic fundraising outside of the JustGiving page. Having been raising funds since the SC’s relaunch about three years ago, the new PA system was completed this summer and if you thought THAT was enough, they then decided to undertake a project to install additional concrete steps on the west side of the stadium, behind the Pennybridge Lane end. This is the first stage of a medium-term project that will eventually see the building of another fixed covering to protect supporters from the elements. The cost has been met with around £4,000 of fundraising efforts over the last three years, plus a grant of £2,000 for which the SC submitted a successful bid to the Manchester FA. The Committee wish to add their thanks to the TFC Supporters Club for all the hard work carried out to complete those successful projects.

For those of you who have managed to return to Shawe View for the first few games of this new season, you will have witnessed the results of the hard work done over the summer. You will have seen the rules which we must adhere to, and you will have experienced the new ways of accessing the stadium with E-ticketing and capped capacity. We have had considerable help in this from one of our numerous local sponsors, Shocal. We cannot exaggerate the benefits that their ticketing App has brought to the management of admissions to the stadium and the requirements for track & trace. It is looking likely that for the foreseeable future we will need a traceable E-ticketing system and the Shocal app has worked very well from the outset. Indeed, all home games so far have sold out to the capacities that we were allowed by our local council.

The success of everything we describe above has been possible through the actions and compliance of you, our loyal fans. As we continue with the season it is critically important that we do not relax our match day protocols relating to Covid-19. We have had communication from the League reminding us that unless every club implements its Risk Assessments diligently, and manages social distancing effectively, there is a very real risk that the government will restrict access to football further. We are also subject to scrutiny from Trafford Council with regular spot checks and reviews. As such, can we remind you all of the strict rules regarding the bar and drinking up times. The authorities will not hesitate to apply sanctions on any club found to be disregarding government and FA guidance.

We are ending this message by reiterating the Committee’s gratitude to every one of our loyal fans and friends. You have all done amazingly well so far and we want that to continue. From being seriously concerned that there might be no Trafford FC after the Locked-down spring/summer of 2020 we actually feel like we’ve gone from strength to strength thanks to the efforts and commitment from everyone in and around our Club. Please keep up the good work. Spread the word that football is continuing, and Trafford FC needs your support. We will continue to provide a safe and welcoming environment to our local community as long as we are able to, and we hope you enjoy this for many seasons to come.

Thank you!

Trafford Football Club

THE FUNERAL of Paul ‘Tin Tin’ Thomas will take place on 20th January – we have had a message from the family which reads as follows:

“Everyone who knew Paul is invited to join his family for a celebration of his life at Peel Green Crematorium, M30 7LW on 20 January 2022 at 10.20am followed by refreshments at Patricroft Conservative Club, M30 7AW. Can we please ask that as Paul was a big Man City fan that anyone attending wear something sky blue. Family flowers only please as the family would like donations to Trafford FC.”

Universally known as Tin Tin (and sometimes Tommo), Paul passed away in Wythenshawe Hospital on Christmas Eve following a period of ill health. He was 71. His time at TFC began over 20 years ago when his son Gareth joined the club as a player. Paul and his wife Gail soon became active members of the club helping out wherever they could.

In only their second season as volunteers their supreme efforts saw them jointly awarded “Clubman of the Year” – an award which Tin Tin would go on to receive many times in future years. It is to his great credit that our annual volunteer-of-the-year honour bears his name alongside Foxy’s.

There weren’t many jobs that Paul wouldn’t put his hand to over the years, from divotting the pitch, ground maintenance, helping and cooking in the tea hut, turnstile operator, etc. etc. and even during his recent illness he continued to wash the kit.

The wit and wisdom of Tin Tin was a vital part of the team spirit behind the scenes at Shawe View, and he will be sadly missed by all who knew him and experienced his razor sharp humour. Rest in peace Tin Tin (a true Trafford Legend).

This Thursday (1st September) is a big night for Trafford FC Youth when our Under 18’s team start their FA Youth Cup campaign with a home fixture versus Stalybridge Celtic U-18’s.

The FA Youth Cup is of course a massively prestigious tournament, won last season by Manchester United’s Youth team for a record 11th time. Around 400 clubs enter the tournament, and last season our youngsters defeated Glossop North End 4-1 in their opening tie, in front of nearly 400 supporters at the Home Estates Shawe View! It would be lovely to see a similar event tomorrow night………

Kick off is 7.45pm; Gates open at 6pm; Admission is £4 adults, £2 concessions, £1 under-16s; All our facilities will be open! SEE YOU THERE!

TRAFFORD FC face Runcorn Linnets away this Saturday 14th September, kick off 3pm.
After a marvellous victory at Bridlington Town in the FA Trophy last week, Karl Marginson’s squad return to Pitching-In Northern Premier League action this weekend. The journey is much closer to home as we travel to our very good friends in Runcorn. All the details are in the flyer – it would be fantastic to see another great away-day following of Trafford fans supporting the boys in their quest for 3 more points! See you there!

Ahead of this afternoon’s home game versus 1874 Northwich (kick off 3pm) Trafford are pleased to announce the completion of the signings of two players: Eddie Brown and Glenn Matthews.

Eddie was a young player at Bolton Wanderers and made seven appearances for The Trotters first team during the 2019-20 season. Most recently the 23-year-old forward has played for Hyde United and Wythenshawe AFC, whilst developing links with Trafford via coaching in our Youth set up.

Glenn is well known to Trafford supporters having played impressively for us last season and the early stages of the current campaign. Following the managerial change last October, 28-year-old Glenn (who was injured at the time) went to play for Daisy Hill in the NW Counties League. A tough and resilient defender, every TFC fan will be pleased to see him back in the squad.

See you this afternoon!

After a 2-year absence due to you-know-what, we are very pleased to announce that the Trafford FC Junior Tournament is BACK. May 21st and 22nd are the dates, and all the details are in the flyer attached to this news item. If you are a team at U-7, 8, 9 or 10 age group (21-22 season) or you know of such a team, get in touch with our committee member Kevin Burke and book your place now!

THEY’RE HERE! Our fixtures for the 23-24 season, in the Pitching-In Northern Premier League West Division – HOT OFF THE PRESS!

TRAFFORD – Pitching In Northern Premier League – West:
Sat Aug 5 Emirates FA Cup Extra Prelim
Sat Aug 12 Hednesford Town A
Tue Aug 15 Clitheroe H
Sat Aug 19 Emirates FA Cup Prelim
Tue Aug 22 Leek Town A
Sat Aug 26 Hanley Town H
Mon Aug 28 Mossley A
Sat Sep 2 Bootle H Emirates FA Cup 1Q
Sat Sep 9 Isuzu FA Trophy 1Q
Sat Sep 16 Runcorn Linnets H Emirates FA Cup 2Q
Sat Sep 23 Isuzu FA Trophy 2Q
Sat Sep 30 Newcastle Town A Emirates FA Cup 3Q
Sat Oct 7 Nantwich Town H Isuzu FA Trophy 3Q
Sat Oct 14 City Of Liverpool FC A Emirates FA Cup 4Q
Sat Oct 21 Stalybridge Celtic A
Sat Oct 28 Chasetown H Isuzu FA Trophy 1
Sat Nov 4 Witton Albion A Emirates FA Cup 1
Sat Nov 11 Vauxhall Motors H
Sat Nov 18 Prescot Cables A Isuzu FA Trophy 2
Sat Nov 25 Kidsgrove Athletic H
Sat Dec 2 1874 Northwich A Emirates FA Cup 2
Sat Dec 9 Widnes H Isuzu FA Trophy 3
Sat Dec 16 Clitheroe A
Sat Dec 23 Hednesford Town H
Tue Dec 26 Avro A
Mon Jan 1 Mossley H
Sat Jan 6 Hanley Town A Emirates FA Cup 3
Sat Jan 13 Leek Town H Isuzu FA Trophy 4
Sat Jan 20 Chasetown A
Sat Jan 27 Stalybridge Celtic H Emirates FA Cup 4
Sat Feb 3 Runcorn Linnets A
Sat Feb 10 Isuzu FA Trophy 5
Sat Feb 17 Newcastle Town H
Sat Feb 24 Nantwich Town A
Wed Feb 28 Emirates FA Cup 5
Sat Mar 2 City Of Liverpool FC H
Sat Mar 9 Isuzu FA Trophy 6
Sat Mar 16 Widnes A Emirates FA Cup Quarter-Final
Sat Mar 23 1874 Northwich H
Sat Mar 30 Bootle A
Mon Apr 1 Avro H
Sat Apr 6 Vauxhall Motors A Isuzu FA Trophy Semi-Final
Sat Apr 13 Witton Albion H
Sat Apr 20 Kidsgrove Athletic A Emirates FA Cup Semi-Final
Sat Apr 27 Prescot Cables H
Sun May 12 Isuzu FA Trophy Final
Sat May 25 Emirates FA Cup Final

Trafford’s new era under the management of Karl Marginson got off to a decent start this evening, courtesy of a 2-2 draw at home versus Runcorn Linnets in front of 400 spectators at Shawe View on a cold Tuesday evening. The point was enough to lift the team off the bottom of the table – a small step in the right direction! Dave Law’s match report will be published soon, so as always – keep an eye open on this website and our socials!