Serie Z2.

0
West Midlands football uncovered

Issue 1, December 2020


Welcome to Serie Z 2.0
F
ive years ago, while I was struggling for work to fill a five-
day week in Berlin, I decided to chronicle the goings-on in
the West Midlands Regional League, partly to keep my
hand in at interviewing, wri�ng and page design; partly out of
boredom; and mostly to find out what was going at the club I
support: Lye Town.
Since that �me, I have bounced around to the northern Italian
city of Genoa, via London; The Lye have won promo�on to the
Midland Football Alliance; and the local football journalism
situa�on in the West Midlands has come under even more
pressure.
A while ago, US local news giant Ganne� – which owns the
Newsquest parent company which printed the Stourbridge News,
Dudley News and Halesowen News �tles before they were
merged – decided not to replace News Group’s depar�ng sports
editor.
As a former occupant of that posi�on, I was acutely aware the
last incumbent had been saddled with the impossible task of
covering a slew of extra sports teams from sister �tles across
what Newsquest calls ‘the South Midlands.’ It was the resul�ng
lack of informa�on about The Lye which prompted me to start
ringing up managers in the West Midlands League, which I s�ll
fondly refer to as ‘The Banks’s’ in homage to the brewery which
used to be its headline sponsor.
Please note, I have
not actually looked
like this for at least
ten years...
Nowadays, the media spotlight of those newspapers clinging on
to life outside London is increasingly trained on the Premier
League, with a sprinkling of Championship football thrown in if
you’re lucky.
I s�ll believe the West Midlands game away from Molineux, The
Hawthorns, Villa Park and St Andrews has plenty to offer readers
so I’ve taken up my (virtual) pen again.
Last �me around, I said I would produce Serie Z weekly un�l at
least the end of that season. Three months later I had killed it off
because I found a proper job and my 1,500 or so faithful regulars
had proven predictably unwilling to pay for it.
So this �me there will be no promises, Serie Z 2.0 will come out
whenever I feel I have enough content lined up for the next
edi�on.
It will be free, of course, and if any West Midlands businesses
feel they might want to reach that curious body of folk that make
up the lifeblood of the non-league and women’s football
communi�es, they will be welcome to drop me a line at
lyetownmax@gmail.com. I suspect you won’t consider the price
of an ad too costly.
With Covid-19 having put the future of so many clubs in doubt,
this may be a terrible �me to launch a new venture but, on the
other hand, maybe the non-league game needs as much as
a�en�on as ever right now.
Either way, I hope you enjoy the first edi�on,
Max
 Coventry
United

‘Dalla padella alla brace.’ It’s Italian for ‘out of the frying pan, into the fire.’ When midfielder Chelsea
Weston le� Coventry United Ladies this month she departed a side third-from-bo�om in the FA Women’s
Championship and just a point above the relega�on spot. New club Bari are second from bo�om in Serie
A and have lost eight straight since an opening-day victory. But if anyone is equipped for the fight...

O
ne of my abiding memories of training with Birmingham
City Ladies during my s�nt as their press officer is the
�me I was on the end of a full-blooded Chelsea Weston
tackle. It was like being hit by a Mack truck.
I caught up with Weston as she killed �me between two
flights, en route from Worcester to the southern Italian port of
city of Bari a�er the midfielder secured a dream move to Serie A
professional side Pink Bari.
I asked her if her tackling had been tempered over the decade
since we last met – during which �me she has amassed an FA
Cup winners’ medal, been a runner-up twice in each of the
Con�nental Cup and FA Women’s Super League and been a UEFA
Women’s Champions League semi-finalist.
“I might have got a bit wiser in my older years,” she said, “but,
you know, if it’s there, it’s going to happen!”
Weston has not played top-flight football since the 2016-17
season she spent with ill-fated No�s County Ladies but she has
been on the radar of Bari – full name: Associazione Spor�va
Dile�an�s�ca Pink Sport Time – for a while. That is down to the
presence of friend and fellow London Bees teammate Danielle
Lea in the Italian team’s ranks.
That did not mean, however, the high-profile move was
inevitable, as Weston explained.
“[Danielle] men�oned it way back,” said the former England
under-20 interna�onal, “and I was asked if I would be interested
but I was happy at Coventry and I was enjoying my work. I knew
they were going to put in a seven-day approach but I didn’t even
tell my mum and dad at that stage because I didn’t expect too
much from it. They said, ‘this is the offer’ – and I couldn’t say no
to it.”
Seven days a�er the official approach, Weston was sat
between flights at Milan Malpensa airport wai�ng for a second
plane south to Puglia.
“I’ve always wanted to play abroad,” said Weston, “growing up
playing during the years I did... I don’t want to say we weren’t
allowed to go abroad but it was frowned on and you wouldn’t be
picked for England if you did. England always came first for me
and my career was great with Blues but things are changing now
and you can go abroad.
“Now it’s come about, it’s a good �me to go and experience it
and there was kind of a last-chance saloon feeling about it, at my
age and with my knees I might not get another chance like this.”
With mum and dad delivered the news at somewhat short
no�ce, it just remained for Weston to let her employers at care
provider Civicare know about her drama�c change in fortune. “I
went into work and explained the situa�on and they were
brilliant, they said: ‘you’ve got to do it.’”
Coventry
United
Sue Wood

The big-�me move – which will see Weston given free

accommoda�on, flights and food on top of her salary – is only
Chelsea the second pro contract the 30-year-old midfielder has signed
Weston since that season in No�ngham, which ended with the club
collapsing into financial meltdown just two days before the
2017-18 season, although the tough-tackling enforcer said the
part-�me deal she was on alongside her day job in her second
spell with Blues has been her “best contract.”
Georgia
And Birmingham certainly got a return for their investment,
Popple
with Weston part of the club’s historic FA Cup winning team at
Ashton Gate in 2012 and the then-right back helped the club to
those �tle challenges and a thrilling European campaign.

Anna Wilcox The Worcester-born player thought she had lined up that
dream move abroad when she headed out to Norway a�er the
No�s County debacle but she ended up taking a season out of
the game in 2018-19 when that projected move turned sour.
“The Norway thing didn’t end well and it was all too much,”
Nikki Miles says Weston, “I ended up having a year out and I really needed
it.”
When she came back in from the cold it was to link up with
former Blues teammates Sue Wood and Maz Gauntle� at
Coventry United Ladies in the second-�er FA Women’s
Maz Championship.
Gauntle� Having helped Cov finish clear of the relega�on berth in a
Covid-truncated campaign last year, Weston was all set to do the
same this �me around un�l Bari came calling.
She leaves with the club ninth, just two places and one point
Katy Morris above a Charlton side in the relega�on spot and, with Weston
depar�ng for sunnier climes, and Gauntle� having just suffered a
cruelly-�med ACL injury, Bari’s new signing said it could be a FA Women’s Championship West Midlands (Regional League) Premier Division West Midlands (Regional League) Division 1
tough season for her former teammates. P W D L GF GA Pts P W D L GF GA Pts P W D L GF GA Pts
Leicester City � 9 6 2 1 27 11 20 Shifnal Town � 8 7 0 1 20 4 21 Tipton Town � 8 5 1 2 18 11 16
“I think it’s going to be a relega�on ba�le between them, Durham 9 5 4 0 13 5 19 Worcester Rdr � 7 6 1 0 25 8 19 Gornal Athle�c 7 5 1 1 16 9 16
Helen London Bees and Charlton,” she says, “In my opinion, if they Liverpool 9 5 3 1 18 6 18 Shawbury Utd � 8 5 1 2 21 14 16 AFC Bentley 5 5 0 0 18 3 15

Dermody want to stay in that league, they need to invest more, because Sheffield United 9 5 2 2 17 5 17 Bilston Tn C FC � 6 5 0 1 17 7 15 Allsco� Heath
Droitwich Spa
6
7
5
4
0
2
1
1
22
27
8
16
15
14
apart from me, Maz Gauntle� and Sue Wood, they lack Blackburn Rovers 9 4 2 3 8 7 14 Li�leton 6 4 1 1 17 5 13
Lewes 9 4 2 3 7 8 14 Wolv Sp Comm 6 3 1 2 13 12 10 Sikh Hunters 7 4 1 2 21 18 13
experience at the highest level. Some of them have only played London City 8 3 1 4 10 10 10 Wolves Casuals 8 3 1 4 13 21 10 Gornal Colts 6 3 1 2 17 13 10
Na�onal League and it is a massive step, going up into the Crystal Palace 9 2 2 5 13 21 8 Wednesfield 6 3 0 3 16 14 9 Bromyard Town 6 3 0 3 15 11 9

Beth Merrick Championship.” Coventry United 9 2 0 7 9 24 6 Dudley Town 3 2 1 0 9 2 7 Old Wulfrunians

Wyrley
6
7
3
2
0
2
3
3
12
9
15
14
9
8
London Bees 10 2 0 8 6 24 6 OJM B Ctry Rgrs 2 2 0 0 7 2 6
It could be a similar posi�on for Bari, with the team having Charlton � 8 1 2 5 7 14 5 Pershore Tn 88 5 1 3 1 12 13 6 Wellington Am 6 2 0 4 13 15 6

lost eight of their opening nine fixtures of the planned 22-match Cradley Town 6 2 0 4 12 14 6 Wrens Nest 7 1 1 5 7 25 4

Dudley Sports 6 1 2 3 11 10 5 Willenhall Town 8 0 3 5 10 19 3

season. A 1-0 win at home to Napoli on the opening weekend of Serie A Women FC Darlaston 5 1 0 4 5 14 3
Bewdley Town 4 1 1 2 14 15 4
the campaign is all that is keeping the side off the foot of the P W D L GF GA Pts AFC Bridgnorth 7 1 1 5 11 21 4 Team Dudley 4 0 0 4 3 12 0

Amber table, at Napoli’s expense, with the southerners needing to reel Juventus
Milan
9 9 0 0 25 5 27 Wem Town 9 1 1 7 10 30 4 Bustleholme 3 0 0 3 3 13 0

Hughes in a San Marino side two points above them.

Sassuolo
9
9
8
7
0
1
1
1
20
23
4
11
24
22
D’l’ton Tn 1874
Smethwick Rgr�
6
7
1
0
0
0
5
7
4
6
17
29
3
0
A�er scrapping for every ball with London Bees and Coventry Empoli Ladies 9 5 1 3 23 11 16
Internazionale 9 4 2 3 14 15 15
in recent years, however, it is a fight Weston is likely to relish.
Fioren�na 9 4 1 4 17 15 13
With her contract set to run un�l the end of the season, in May, Roma 9 3 4 2 12 10 13
she has clearly been signed with the aim of pu�ng some fight
Shannon into the Bari midfield.
Floren�a
Hellas Verona
9
9
3
2
1
1
5
6
8
5
12
13
10
7
O’Brien San Marino 9 1 2 6 3 23 5

If this former Blues press officer’s experience is anything to go Bari � 9 1 0 8 4 22 3

by, her Serie A rivals won’t know what’s hit ’em. � Napoli CF� 9 0 1 8 5 18 1

With social media awash with Covid-related, deep-state conspiracy theories and Black Lives Ma�er
protests sparking a furious backlash in the murkier parts of cyberspace, Tipton manager Neil Perks has
been notable for twee�ng welcome bursts of perspec�ve. But is it a risky business, being the social
conscience of the West Midlands League?
“Y
ou’ve seen the replies on my Twi�er feed,” Perks tells
Serie Z, “and these are people I know and work with. I
think if your poli�cs are le� of centre at the moment,
you’re not fashionable, and you’re spoken out against. I don’t see
it as poli�cal, I see it as right and wrong, and if something’s
wrong, I’ll speak out against it.
“I speak to all the lads [at Tipton] to try and give them some
perspec�ve. They’re young lads and a lot of them are easily
influenced. I don’t go on at them all the �me with my opinions –
that would drive ‘em mad – but I’ve got players in my team on
[social media] constantly going on about conspiracy theories. Our
club is a big club and we’ve had people suffering and even dying
because of Covid-19, people don’t want to read stuff like that.”
The Tipton gaffer, who has plenty of managerial experience at
stops such as Dudley Sports, Bustleholme and Willenhall, said he
had always felt a duty to guide his young charges.
“I do look to try and give them some perspec�ve on life,” he
says, “when you get them at 17, 18, 19, you’d like to think you’re
giving them something because you spend a lot of �me with
them.”
And keeping his head below the parapet, perching on the
fence, has never been his style, according to Perks. “I’ve always
been the same. I don’t really follow the rules, if I think it’s right,
I’ll speak up.”
Tipton
Town
Mind you, the current crop of youngsters developing under
the manager’s wing might be forgiven for not taking everything
at face value a�er former Tipton chairman Bill Williams was
sentenced to five-and-a-half years in jail for two counts of fraud
at Wolverhampton Crown Court in May 2011, and subsequently
received a further three-year sentence, in March 2012, for 16
offences of fraud, decep�on and material omission.
Tipton had finished runners-up in the ninth-�er Midland
Football Alliance the same month Williams received his original
sentence, a�er a memorable FA Cup run which took them all the
way to a first-round date with Carlisle United. Since then, the
famous old club, which gi�ed Steve Bull to the world, has sunk
two levels to Division One of the West Midlands (Regional)
League and would have disappeared en�rely without the efforts
of the Wheale family, according to Perks.
“I couldn’t wish for be�er people, really,” said the Town boss.
“The club would have folded a long �me ago, when the chairman
went to jail.” Tipton is a family affair nowadays, Perks explains,
with Ian and Ann Wheale at the helm and daughter Nicola club
secretary and a member of the league commi�ee.
On the field, Perks insists there is plenty to be posi�ve about,
despite the con�nued disrup�on posed by the Covid-19
pandemic – or worldwide conspiracy, depending on your point of
view.
Tipton Town
FA Women’s Championship “We were seventh and
West had just
Midlands hadLeague)
(Regional a bit of run,”Division
Premier says the West Midlands (Regional League) Division 1 Perks picked out 23-year-old leading goalscorer Pigo�, whose Asked if it would be possible, in 2020, for a player to emulate
P W D LTipton GF GA manager
Pts of the truncated campaign P W D last L �me
GF GA around.
Pts P W D L GF GA Pts brother Jordan has just signed for Solihull Moors, as a player to the journey of Wolves legend Bull from Tipton to playing for
Leicester City � 1“We’d just20won three Shifnal
on Town �
the bounce. 8
The
7 0
season
1 20
before
4
that we
21 Tipton Town � 8 5 1 2 18 11 16
England in a World Cup finals, Perks replies: “No, I don’t think so.
Ben Holden Durham
9
9
6
5
2
4 0
27 11
Worcester Rdr � 7 6 1 0 25 8 19 Gornal Athle�c 7 5 1 1 16 9 16 watch, alongside 21-year-old midfielder Sam Hesson, who the
had13 come
5 19
in and had a lot of players that needed to be moved I think everything was right for Bully: Wolves were in the bo�om
Liverpool 9 5 3 1 18 6 18 Shawbury Utd � 8 5 1 2 21 14 16 AFC Bentley 5 5 0 0 18 3 15 manager rates “the best central midfielder in the league” if he
Sheffield United 9 5 2 2
on.17We5 dipped
17
into Bilston
the youth team that
Tn C FC � 6 5
first
0
season
1 17
and
7 15
those Allsco� Heath 6 5 0 1 22 8 15 �er, scratching around for players.” Then the manager men�ons
can overcome the tendoni�s problems in the knees which have
Blackburn Rovers 9 4 2 3players
8 7 have
14 developedLi�letonover the last 6 two4 or
1 three
1 17 years
5 and
13 Droitwich Spa 7 4 2 1 27 16 14 prolific goalscorer Josh March, who signed for League Two ou�it
Lewes 9 4 2 3become
7 8 first-team
14 regulars.
Wolv Sp Comm 6 3 1 2 13 12 10 Sikh Hunters 7 4 1 2 21 18 13 dogged his career to date. Forest Green Rovers in January, six years a�er turning out for
London City 8 3 1 4 10 10 10 Wolves Casuals 8 3 1 4 13 21 10 Gornal Colts 6 3 1 2 17 13 10
Another one to watch is 19-year-old winger Jay Rossiter. “His Tipton’s youths. “I’m a big believer that if you’re good enough,
“This21 season weWednesfield
started pre-season 3 with
0 the3 strongest 9 squad
Mitchell Crystal Palace
Coventry United
9
9
2
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5 13
7we’d9 had.
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6Ryan PiggotDudleycame
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0 a 9lot of2 goals
7 for
Bromyard Town
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6
6
3
3
0
0
3
3
15
12
11
15
9
9 work rate is excellent and he creates and scores goals,” said
and your a�tude and work rate is right, you’ll get somewhere.”
Blackham London Bees 10 2 0 8 6
Gornal 24 OJMlad.
and6 is a Tipton B CtryInRgrs 2
his first 2
game 0
he0 scored
7 2 6
three goals Wyrley 7 2 2 3 9 14 8
Perks, “he will surprise a few people.” That might make for a good tweet. �
Charlton � 8 1 2 5 7 14 5 Pershore Tn 88 5 1 3 1 12 13 6 Wellington Am 6 2 0 4 13 15 6
against Gornal, thenCradley he scored
Town
the6winner
2 0
against
4 12
Wyrley,
14 6
then Wrens Nest 7 1 1 5 7 25 4
he scored again and then Dudleythe season
Sports 6 stopped.
1 2 3 11 10 5 Willenhall Town 8 0 3 5 10 19 3
Serie A Women Bewdley Town 4 1 1 2 14 15 4 FC Darlaston 5 1 0 4 5 14 3 Advertisement
“We kept all the players and we added two or three next
Ma� Mar�n Juventus
P W D L GF GA Pts
9 9 0 0season.
25 5 We
AFC Bridgnorth
27 had a strong pre-season
Wem Town
7
9
1
but
1
we
1
1
5
didn’t
7
11
10
21
turn
30
4
up
4
in the
Team Dudley
Bustleholme
4
3
0
0
0
0
4
3
3
3
12
13
0
0
1first
20 game [this season],
Milan 9 8 0 4 24
D’l’tonforTn some
1874 reason,
6 1 0but 5we 4had 17 a great
3
Sassuolo 9 7 1 1 23
result 11
away 22
to Allsco� Heath,
Smethwick where
Rgr� 7 we 0 won0 3-0.
7 6 They
29 don’t
0
Empoli Ladies 9 5 1 3 23 11 16
Internazionale 9 4 2 3
concede
14 15
many.
15
Then we beat Droitwich on the Tuesday and it’s
Fioren�na 9 4 1 4gone17 on15 from
13 there. Other teams have games in hand on us but
2we’ve already played every team in the top five so it’s been a
Tom Baker Roma
Floren�a
9 3 4 12 10 13
9 3 1 5
difficult
8 12
start.”
10
Hellas Verona 9 2 1 6 5 13 7
San Marino 9 1 2 6 Like
3 23the5 rest of the division, Tipton have been put on hold
Bari � 9 1 0 8
since4
the
22
end
3
of October by public health concerns. “It’s been a
Napoli CF� 9 0 1 8 5 18 1
nightmare,” said Perks. “We have to keep everyone safe and
adhere to the guidelines, obviously. The biggest problem has
Ryan been the team talks, because we can only have eight players in
Williams the dressing room at a �me. You can hold them on the pitch –
and we have done – that’s alright in summer but not
when the weather changes and it’s p***ing down
with rain.”
Sam Few clubs in the division have a playing
Hesson budget, according to Perks, so the
financial impact of Covid-19 is
limited on a team which has
to find only its playing
expenses.
Conner Sco� Although,

a trueectaeste
Jay Rossiter with Tipton
having to pay rent
to Sandwell Council for
every match played at the

of Gre
Tipton Sports Academy, “we
Adam don’t run at a profit,” added the
Callingswood manager.
If Tipton can get their season
back up and running at any point, � Private home dinner party chefs
a�er the latest Covid setback, and specialising in tradi�onal Greek country
Ryan Pigo� if his young squad have stuck to cuisine
the training programmes allo�ed
� Also offering meat-free mezze delivery or
to them via a club app during the
suspension of matches – Perks is collec�on service
confident. His young side will � See www.cooksinyourkitchen.co.uk for full
restart the season top of the details and prices
Myles league, albeit having played more
Ne�leford matches than a few of the teams
Find our Cooks in your Kitchen page on Facebook
below them.
Email: contact@cooksinyourkitchen.co.uk

Will Tipton ever

unearth another Bully?
 Dudley
Durham
Liverpool
FA Women’s Championship

Leicester City �

Sheffield United
Blackburn Rovers
Lewes
P W D L GF GA Pts
9
9
9
9
9
9
6
5
5
5
4
4
2
4
3
2
2
2
1
0
1
2
3
3
27
13
18
17
8
7
11
5
6
5
7
8
20
19
18
17
14
14
West Midlands (Regional League) Premier Division

Shifnal Town �
Worcester Rdr �
Shawbury Utd �
Bilston Tn C FC �
Li�leton
Wolv Sp Comm
P W D L GF GA Pts
8
7
8
6
6
6
7
6
5
5
4
3
0
1
1
0
1
1
1
0
2
1
1
2
20
25
21
17
17
13
4
8
14
7
5
12
21
19
16
15
13
10
Tipton Town �
Gornal Athle�c
AFC Bentley
Allsco� Heath
Droitwich Spa
Sikh Hunters
Sports
West Midlands (Regional League) Division 1
P W D L GF GA Pts
8
7
5
6
7
7
5
5
5
5
4
4
1
1
0
0
2
1
2
1
0
1
1
2
18
16
18
22
27
21
11
9
3
8
16
18
16
16
15
15
14
13

London City 8 3 1 4 10 10 10 Wolves Casuals 8 3 1 4 13 21 10 Gornal Colts 6 3 1 2 17 13 10

Crystal Palace 9 2 2 5 13 21 8 Wednesfield 6 3 0 3 16 14 9 Bromyard Town 6 3 0 3 15 11 9

Coventry United 9 2 0 7 9 24 6 Dudley Town 3 2 1 0 9 2 7 Old Wulfrunians 6 3 0 3 12 15 9

London Bees 10 2 0 8 6 24 6 OJM B Ctry Rgrs 2 2 0 0 7 2 6 Wyrley 7 2 2 3 9 14 8

Charlton � 8 1 2 5 7 14 5 Pershore Tn 88 5 1 3 1 12 13 6 Wellington Am 6 2 0 4 13 15 6

Cradley Town 6 2 0 4 12 14 6 Wrens Nest 7 1 1 5 7 25 4

Dudley Sports 6 1 2 3 11 10 5 Willenhall Town 8 0 3 5 10 19 3

Serie A Women Bewdley Town 4 1 1 2 14 15 4 FC Darlaston 5 1 0 4 5 14 3

P W D L GF GA Pts AFC Bridgnorth 7 1 1 5 11 21 4 Team Dudley 4 0 0 4 3 12 0

Juventus 9 9 0 0 25 5 27 Wem Town 9 1 1 7 10 30 4 Bustleholme 3 0 0 3 3 13 0
Milan 9 8 0 1 20 4 24
D’l’ton Tn 1874 6 1 0 5 4 17 3
Sassuolo 9 7 1 1 23 11 22
Smethwick Rgr� 7 0 0 7 6 29 0
Empoli Ladies 9 5 1 3 23 11 16
Internazionale 9 4 2 3 14 15 15
Fioren�na 9 4 1 4 17 15 13
How many managers does it take to keep a side in the ‘Banks’s Premier’? Four, apparently, and given Tony
Roma 9 3 4 2 12 10 13
Floren�a 9 3 1 5 8 12 10 Gore’s touchline disciplinary record, it may prove useful for Dudley Sports to have three other chiefs to
Hellas Verona 9 2 1 6 5 13 7
fall back on.
San Marino 9 1 2 6 3 23 5
Bari � 9 1 0 8 4 22 3

“T
Napoli CF� 9 0 1 8 5 18 1 his is my 26th consecu�ve year in the West Midland new-look managerial set-up at Premier Division side Dudley
League as a manager: Halesowen Harriers reserves, Sports, which involves no less than four joint managers.
Brierley Hill and Dudley Sports,” says Gore, pulled over For years at Brierley Hill, Gore ran the side almost single-
by the side of the road to chat on his way back from a day’s handed, shouldering the burden of numerous roles on top of
plastering in Brum. managing the team. At Dudley Sports – based at the old Marsh &
A ques�on about his many contretemps with officials prompts Baxter sports ground in Hillcrest Avenue, Brierley Hill – Gore and
a surprising revela�on. number two Paul Blakeley regularly raided the ranks of bigger
neighbours such as Stourbridge and Bromsgrove to patch

Management
“In my 26 years, I bet it’s cost me...” there is a lengthy pause,
together sides which would be stripped apart as soon as
before he concludes: “£3,000. My biggest fine was £150, for
youngsters showed any promise.
having ‘a discussion’ with a referee. I think it was my third
sending off in two months, and there’s the to�ng up thing...” “It’s been a bit tough over the last couple of years, with us
struggling in the lower reaches of the league,” says Sports’ now
But then he says something even more remarkable. joint-manager. “We had a big change-around at the start of the
“Without them [referees], there ‘aint a game. They do their season. We needed a change at the club because me and Paul
best. Some�mes you might not think so but I’m sure they do. had been doing it for 11 years.
Everybody sees it differently; you can ask ten people about a

by committee
penalty incident and five of them will say yes and five of them
will say no. You’ve go�a learn, haven’t you? I haven’t been
spoken to once by a referee [this season], except when I hand
over the team sheets. I’ve tried very hard to be very
complimentary to them.”
And then the kicker: “I’ve only sworn at them twice.”
Could it be, that more than a quarter of a century in West
Words: Max Hall. Images: Richard Drew/RWD Photography Midlands (Regional) League dug-outs has tamed ‘Sweeny’, as the
manager is universally known? Or is it something to do with the
“Either we had to leave or someone had to come along and
bring more people to work with us.” Enter Ryan McDonagh, Mark
Swann, Neil Uppal and Marcus Johnson, the first three as joint
managers and Johnson as a UEFA-qualified coach.
Blakeley departed to leave four managers picking the team in
what at first glance might resemble the commi�ee method used
for selec�on in the pre-war years.
“People said it wouldn’t work but I’ve got to say it has,” says
Sweeny. “We have a management mee�ng before the game and
decide on the team. If there’s something we don’t quite agree
Dudley
Sports
Declan Haire

Adam
Roberts

Kyle Pearson
on, Ryan will have the final say. He brought in most of the players
at the start of the season because we only had one lad –
Donovan Westwood – who stayed from last season. Ryan
brought the players in so he knows them be�er than anyone and
Ricky Hayer someone has to have the final say. People thought I wouldn’t
want to surrender responsibility but I couldn’t expect people to
come in if they wouldn’t have a say and it’s become enjoyable
again. I don’t get all the text messages on a Friday night from
players saying they can’t play the next day – Ryan gets em!”
Mathew
Vaughan Dudley Sports arguably owe their con�nued Premier Division
status to the first Covid-19 shutdown, with matches suspended
and the campaign then annulled just days a�er the club had
climbed out of the relega�on zone with what turned out to be a
David Meese crucial victory at Shawbury United.
There was a body blow in January, however, with the death of
long-serving secretary John Lewis. The club stalwart would have
been the first to recognise the progress that has been
achieved this season, with Sports having beaten Wem
Mitch Evans Town, Li�leton and Rugby FC in the FA Vase to secure a
second-round �e at home to Coventry Sphinx that was
lost 3-2 a�er extra �me on Saturday.
There is a decent spine to the team this season
too, with centre-back Ma�y Vaughan described as
James
Weaver “colossal” by his manager, high-energy central
midfielder Dave Meese capable of finding the net
and a�acker Ma�hew Hearsey offering another
goal threat, whether deployed through the
Nicky Turton middle or out wide. “He’s the sort of player that
gets you on the edge of your seat,” added Gore.
The long-serving manager says the club
usually get around 30 or so hardy regulars
through the gate but the Vase run s�rred up
Tyrone interest. “In the last league game, at home to
Clarke Shifnal, and then in the Vase match against
Rugby, we got around 130,” says the joint gaffer.
“When you need to raise the money to pay the
officials and get the game on, if you can get three
Ma� Hearsey or four of them [gates] it really helps.”
It might help him maintain that (almost) squeaky
clean disciplinary record too. �