Thursday 31 March 2011

Manager Paul Olsson Departs Scarborough Athletic FC

Seadog Blog learns today that Boro Manager Paul Olsson has left Scarborough Athletic FC by mutual consent.

Olsson Leaves Boro By Mutual Consent

Paul took over the managerial reigns earlier in the season (21st September) after previous incumbent Brian France had to step down having suffered a bad injury.

Since he took on the task the club struggled somewhat to achieve the consistency that all Seadogs craved for.

To be fair to Paul though his tenure was far from a disaster, he left the club with a creditable 18 wins along with 5 draws and 13 losses - a 50% win record - the club memorably won six on the trot in February. He also oversaw the latter stages of a good FA Vase run (which included a 1st Round knock-out of landlords Bridlington Town) and a run in the NCEL League Cup (which is still in progression).

He was also refreshingly ready to give promising youngsters from the Reserves a chance to don a first-team shirt.

Recent home form shown by Boro has been a big disappointment though and two lacklustre 0-1 reverses at Queensgate to mid-table opponents (Long Eaton Utd & Armthorpe Welfare) really heaped the pressure on Paul and he was given two games to get things back on track - an ultimatum that Seadog Blog thought should have been kept "in-house" rather than made public - but there you go.

In the first of these games the club really responded for him and produced a fine 3-2 win away at high-flying Tadcaster Albion and so we all looked forward to Saturday's local derby at Pickering Town to see if the lads could give another battling performance for "Olly"....but the announcement this morning meant that it was not to be.

And so Seadog Blog would like to give hearty thanks to Paul Olsson and wish him fair winds for the future.

Of course this now begs the question who next for the managerial hotseat?

The NCEL it would appear is a hard place to keep a secret, and one name in particular has come to the fore.........but more of that later, once confirmed.



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Tuesday 22 March 2011

Disappointing Cup Exit For Scarborough Athletic

Farsley AFC 5-0 Scarborough Athletic was the grim scoreline from West Yorkshire this evening as the Seadogs crashed out of the Northern Counties East Presidents Cup at the semi-final stage.

Thankfully it is not a two-legged affair.

It is the 2nd time this month Boro have suffered a 5-0 record defeat.

Only one avenue remains open now to lift silverwear & that is in the NCEL League Cup where we will host Hall Road Rangers in the quarter finals.

The rest of the league campaign is all about trying to finish as high as we can.

This season has been so inconsistent........ But I will keep the faith.






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Saturday 19 March 2011

Brighouse Town 1-2 Scarborough Athletic - Away Day Joy For Seadogs

Today was another day of joyous celebration for supporters of Scarborough Athletic FC as the club registered a 1-2 success away at Brighouse Town (thus taking revenge for a 2-3 home reverse inflicted on them by the West Riding team earlier on in the season on the "pink" day).

Brighouse took the lead early in the first half but two quick fire ripostes from goal-machine Ryan Blott soon followed to give Boro a lead which they were able to hold on throughout the 2nd half and on to the final whistle.

This sets the Seadogs up nicely for a quick return west on Tuesday evening when they take on Farsley AFC in the semi-final of the Northern Counties East League Presidents Cup.

Can the Seadogs make it through to the first of two possible cup finals?

Seadog Blog hopes so.




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Thursday 17 March 2011

Scarborough Athletic FC: The NCEL League Cup Path Is Clearer

last night Hall Road Rangers beat Long Eaton Utd 1-0 in their NCEL League Cup 3rd round clash and in so doing booked a 4th round berth away at Queensgate to take on Scarborough Athletic FC and to do battle for a place in the semi-final.

The date for this clash is yet to be announced.


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Wednesday 16 March 2011

Scarborough Athletic 3-0 Bottesford Town: A Welcome Win In A Pea-Souper

By heck it was a result we cried out for. All 157 of us (a record low turnout for a competitive fixture - we need to do better than this oh ye Seadogs).

To see this game to it's fullest extent you had to be stood on the half-way line. If stood behind a goal or on one side of the pitch then you were fiddled out of 50% of your match viewing.

Anyhoo, it was the third round of the Northern Counties East League Cup and recently beleaguered Scarborough Athletic took on lower level opponents in the shape of Bottesford Town (equally beleaguered in the NCEL1 as they had just been stuffed 8-0 by champions-elect Stavely MW)

As it happened the Seadogs got up and running in the 3rd minute when Rich Medcalf cleverly lobbed the keeper when through. To their credit Bottesford came back and hit the crossbar & also asked awkward questions of keeper Woodhead (who was up to answering) and a rookie Seadog backline (who contrived to answer - successfully). In the meantime Boro could (and should) have notched another three or four goals for themselves.

The 2nd half started out as the Ryan Blott show and before you knew it he
had notched two further goals (as only Blotty knows how) to make it 3-0 and tie over. Bottesford barely had a sniff thereafter. It was good to see a highly competent display both in midfield and upfront along with the added bonus of a clean sheet and the chance for some youngsters to get a first-team blooding. A big morale booster for all concerned Seadog Blog reckons.

So it is into Round 4 that Scarborough Athletic progress and they await the winners of the Hall Road Rangers v Long Eaton Utd tie played later on tonight (16th March).

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Saturday 12 March 2011

Three Losses And No Goals For Scarborough Athletic

Oh dear, the last three games played by Scarborough Athletic has seen three defeats, 7 goals conceded, 0 goals scores & null points.

I don't think we have ever lost three games on the trot before and I know we have never gone more than two games without finding the net. Until today when we succumbed 0-1 at home to a very physical Long Eaton United.

Just 8 days ago we were basking in the joy of six wins on the bounce. February was a month of wins but March seems to be shaping up as a month of losses. Beware the Ides (or defeats) of March all ye Seadogs.

At least the reserves won today, 3-0 at home to Inter Charter (he typed desperately, clutching for something positive to post).

Still this season is not dead yet as Scarborough Athletic still retain an interest in two NCEL Cups (Presidents & League).

Tuesday night sees NCEL1 outfit Bottesford Town traversing the Humber Bridge when they come a-calling in the League Cup 3rd Round. They will be looking to cause an upset - is the current Seadog form up to preventing that? Beejabers but I hope so.


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Wednesday 9 March 2011

Bridlington Town 5-0 Scarborough Athletic: Boro Fall Flat On Pancake Night

It was appropriate that Scarborough Athletic FC fell to a record defeat on a pancake night because the second half defensive show put up by the Seadogs was as flat as you "flipping" well like.

At half-time we had just witnessed one of the most entertaining 0-0 first half's I can remember for a long while. Equal chances for both teams & played in a red-hot tempo that could have raised a Yorkshire Pud.

I don't know what homesters Bridlington put into the half-time brew for Seadogs to sup - batter mixture perchance?

Whatever it was, Seadogs conceded five goals (three handed on a silver platter with a nice after-eight mint thrown in). The 3rd of their goals was actually well taken, 1st, 2nd & 4th utter gifts and the 5th hardly seemed to matter - it went in on the 90th minute in inevitable cruise control.

It did matter though because it meant Scarborough Athletic's record ever defeat - previously a 2-6 reverse at home to Barton Town OB - the 5th Bridlington goal raised an unwanted bar.

But it wasn't all one way. The Seadog attack tried like Billy-ho to get one in the net but it was not meant to be. Just wide, great save, fluff the one on one, off the line.....Seadogs could easily have had four or five themselves.

Oh well, within a week the six match unbeaten run seems in the distant past and our message board is once again beginning to creak under the dismal weight of the doom & gloom brigade (quiet as mice when we win, in like flint when we lose).

Onwards & Upwards Seadogs! Those Nottinghamshire chaps from Long Eaton are our next visitors on Saturday.






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Saturday 5 March 2011

End Of The Unbeaten Run For Scarborough Athletic FC

Boro could not quite make it a "magnificent seven" wins on the bounce as they went down 1-0 at Thackley in a narrow defeat.

Boro were unlucky insofar as hitting the crossbar twice & and seeing a Gary Hepples "goal" chalked off for a marginal offside decision. Thackley's winner came late on and left very little time for a response - conceding late is always a particularly bitter way to taste defeat

The consensus of those present was that the draw would have been the fairest result. Ah well, 6 out of 7 ain't bad.

The Seadogs do not have to wait long for a chance to shake off the disappointment as a massive "away" game with our landlords, Bridlington Town, awaits us all on Tuesday 8th.

These "landlord v tenants" games always attract a good crowd & atmosphere.


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Scarborough Athletic FC U19's Up & Running

Scarborough Athletic U19's are up and running and gave played their first ever game at their new Bishop Burton home.

They drew 2-2 in a friendly with Bridlington Town's youngsters & Dom Barker earned the distinction of scoring the first ever U19's goal - in fact he got both of them.


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Friday 4 March 2011

Home For Scarborough Athletic U19's Announced

Great news today as Scarborough Athletic FC announced that the U19's will have a ground to call home for next season.

Home Ground For U19's Announced

The new home will be at the academic surrounds of Bishop Burton College, some 35 miles south of Scarborough.

Furthermore, the club has applied to join the Northern U19's Alliance Football League East for next season along with an entry into the FA Youth Cup.

This league (currently) includes the following teams: Pickering Town, Harrogate Railway Athletic, Wakefield, Hemsworth MW, Pontefract Collieries, Garforth Town and Pocklington Town.

This does mean that the Seadogs are well spread around the eastern side of Yorkshire with the reserves playing at Filey, the first team at Bridlington and the U19's down at Bishop Burton.

The new U19's ground gets a christening tonight as Scarborough Athletic & Bridlington Town U19's lock horns in a friendly, kick-off 7.45

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Wednesday 2 March 2011

The Joy Of Six For Scarborough Athletic FC

Last night Scarborough Athletic FC went on to extend their unbeaten NCEL record to six games by seeing off Winterton Rangers 3-1.

Played on a Queensgate pitch that had recovered remarkably well from last weekends bog-bath, the Seadogs restricted Winterton to a meagre handful of chances whilst looking bright and full of ideas themselves.

Boro goals came from Gary Hepples, Ryan Blott & Billy Law. The visitors consolation came at the death when the points were in the bag (and yes, I do remember the Hallam game!).

The win consolidates Boro's new found "top-half-of-the-table" status and all of a sudden those teams at the very top don't seem to be so distant anymore.

The team head westwards on Saturday (5th) to try and crack another tough nut in the shape of Thackley FC. Boro can take some inspiration from the fact they have already won there (back in January in a NCEL Presidents Cup tie).

In the interim Scarborough Athletic U19's will make another little bit of Seadog history this Friday (4th March) when they play their first ever game, a friendly, against Bridlington Town U19's, at Bishop Burton College k/o 7.45pm.




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