'Home' and Change Colours 2015-16 #4: Excelsior Marlow



Marlow and Oxford Merge

Following last season’s relegation from the Championship, it has today been announced that Oxford Excelsior have decided to merge with Marlow, who themselves only just retained their place in the top flight. The new club will be named Excelsior Marlow, based in Marlow, assume Marlow’s Championship status, their playing and honours history (including four league titles and a European Cup, of course), and sport the colours of Marlow, those famous blue and red quartered shirts with white shorts.

A significant consequence of the merger is that it means, of course, that what would have been the now-defunct Oxford’s place in next season’s Second Division becomes vacant - the Football Alliance have moved swiftly to announce that this vacancy will be allocated to the runners-up in the 2014-15 regional leagues promotion play-off, Bohemians. The winners of the play-off, Birkenhead’s Torpedo Tranmere, of the North West Counties League, have automatically replaced the relegated Newcastle United.

Matchday 29 Results & Updated Tables

Championship

Audenshaw Dynamo  2   Stalybridge Celtic   2

Burnley  1   Hartlepool United   2

Hungaria  2   Liverpool St Helens   2

Manchester City  3   Oxford Excelsior   1

Matlock Town  5   Marlow   3

Mossley  4   Gainsborough Trinity   2

Northwich Victoria  1   Wrexham   1
Red Star Sunderland  2   Blyth Spartans   1

Second Division

Atletico Espanol  3   Sheffield Wednesday   1

Crewe Alexandra  2   Gateshead Dynamo   3

Hendon Hotspur  3   Inter-Italiano   2

Manchester Newton Heath  6   Newcastle United   0

Merthyr Tydfil  2   Marine   2

Nelson CBR  4   Crystal Palace   1

Newcastle Blue Star  3   Spartak-Slavia   1

South Liverpool Red Star  3   Bradford City   2

Stalybridge Celtic confirmed as Champions, gaining the point they required at neighbours Audenshaw Dynamo, whilst the only team who could have overtaken them at the start of play, Gainsborough Trinity, were blowing their last chance with defeat at Mossley, who would never knowingly do Celtic a favour, of course - a thoroughly deserved triumph for Stalybridge, consistently the best team in the league and impressive winners of the title, their second but first in 30 seasons.

At the bottom, Matlock Town have given themselves a chance of avoiding relegation, even if they remain in the bottom two, by beating closest rivals Marlow in a 5 - 3 thriller, rendering Hartlepool's surprise win at Burnley critical to their hopes of survival too. Oxford Excelsior's virtually-certain demotion was confirmed by their defeat at Manchester City.

In the Second Division, things remain tight and the promotion places still undecided going into the final round, with only Marine of the top four picking up a point, although Sheffield Wednesday's defeat at Atletico Espanol rules them out of the equation now, whilst the bottom two were hammered.

Matchday 28 Results & Updated Tables

Championship

Blyth Spartans  2   Burnley   3

Gainsborough Trinity  1   Northwich Victoria   0

Hartlepool United  2   Hungaria  3

Liverpool St Helens  1   Stalybridge Celtic   2

Marlow  3   Red Star Sunderland   1

Mossley  1   Matlock Town   1

Oxford Excelsior  0   Audenshaw Dynamo   2

Wrexham  3   Manchester City   2

Second Division

Bradford City  3   Crewe Alexandra   2

Crystal Palace  2   Newcastle Blue Star   2

Gateshead Dynamo  3   Hendon Hotspur  2

Inter-Italiano  3   Sheffield Wednesday   3

Marine  4   South Liverpool Red Star   2

Nelson CBR  1   Merthyr Tydfil   0

Newcastle United  4   Atletico Espanol   2

Spartak-Slavia  3   Manchester Newton Heath   2

A massive and probably decisive result at the top of the Championship today, with leaders Stalybridge Celtic's hard-fought  but thoroughly-deserved 2 - 1 victory at the home of closest challengers Liverpool St Helens putting them 5 points clear of now-second-placed Gainsborough Trinity, who leapfrogged the Saints courtesy of a single-goal win over Northwich Victoria, and eliminating St Helens from the title race - only if Celtic lose both of their final two fixtures and Trinity win theirs (the next of which is at unbeaten-at-home - and close neighbours of Stalybridge of course - Mossley) will the latter be able to pip the former to the post, by the slenderest of margins, and Stalybridge's consistency in meeting the season's major challenges as they've presented themselves (not least beating each of Gainsborough, 4th-placed Blyth Spartans and now St Helens both home and away) suggests this is unlikely.

At the bottom of the table, Audenshaw's win at Oxford gives the Dynamo an excellent chance of avoiding the drop now, pulling them 4 points clear of Matlock, despite Town's valiant draw at virtually impregnable Mossley, and all but consigns the vanquished Excelsior to relegation, five points adrift of Hartlepool United and safety as they are.

A rare win in a season of increasing strife for reigning but soon to be deposed champions Marlow has given them the relative luxury of a three-point cushion over Matlock ahead of the teams' potentially-decisive meeting next Saturday, and might have gone a significant way to saving them from the ignominy of the drop, a fate that has only once previously befallen the defending title holders (Mossley back in 1997, although their form that season was more in keeping with the manner in which they'd begun their championship campaign, with 7 defeats from the first 8 games, only to miraculously revive. For the record, only the merger of the then two Nottingham clubs, and a consequent hastily-arranged play-off, had reprieved Mossley from relegation the season prior to that, so the three quarters of a season that resulted in the title was the real anomaly over that period of the club's history).

In the battle for promotion from the Second Division, previous leaders Crewe's narrow and contentious 2 - 3 defeat at Bradford City drops them out of the top two for the first time since round 11 back in mid-November, a potentially ruinous slip at this late stage, to be replaced by Marine - who emerged triumphant from a pulsating Scouse derby with South Liverpool Red Star - and Spartak-Slavia, last-minute victors over Manchester Newton Heath in a five-goal thriller.

At the opposite end of the table, Newcastle Blue Star's draw at second-bottom Crystal Palace allowed their city neighbours United, who beat Atletico Espanol 4 - 2, to gain within a point of Palace in their quest to avoid the wooden spoon and demotion back to the regional leagues - it's all set to go to the wire at top and bottom.

European Cup 2014 - 15: Quarter-Finals, 2nd Leg

Dubocica Leskovac  2   Internazionale  0  (aet)  (agg. 4 - 3)
Ferencvaros  7   Velez Mostar  0  (agg. 9 - 1)
Marlow  2   RWD Molenbeek  1  (agg. 2 - 6)
Red Star Paris  1   Karpaty Lvov  1  (agg. 2 - 4)

Matchday 27 Results & Updated Tables

Championship

Audenshaw Dynamo  2   Wrexham   1

Burnley  2   Marlow   3

Hungaria  5   Blyth Spartans   2

Liverpool St Helens  3   Oxford Excelsior   2

Manchester City  2   Gainsborough Trinity   3

Matlock Town  2   Red Star Sunderland   2

Northwich Victoria  2   Mossley   1

Stalybridge Celtic  3   Hartlepool United   1

Second Division

Atletico Espanol  2   Spartak-Slavia   4

Crewe Alexandra  1   Marine   0

Hendon Hotspur  3   Bradford City   4

Inter-Italiano  1   Newcastle United   4

Manchester Newton Heath  3   Crystal Palace   0

Merthyr Tydfil  0   South Liverpool Red Star  1

Newcastle Blue Star  3   Nelson CBR   3

Sheffield Wednesday  5   Gateshead Dynamo   1

European Cup 2014 - 15: Quarter-Finals, 1st Leg

Internazionale  3   Dubocica Leskovac  2
Karpaty Lvov  3   Red Star Paris  1
RWD Molenbeek  5   Marlow  0
Velez Mostar  1   Ferencvaros  2

Matchday 26 Results & Updated Tables

Championship

Blyth Spartans  4   Stalybridge Celtic   6

Gainsborough Trinity  3   Audenshaw Dynamo   2

Hartlepool United  6  Oxford Excelsior   0

Marlow  1   Hungaria  2

Mossley  7   Manchester City   2

Northwich Victoria  6   Matlock Town   1

Red Star Sunderland  1   Burnley   3

Wrexham  1   Liverpool St Helens   2

Second Division

Bradford City  6   Sheffield Wednesday   4

Crystal Palace  1   Atletico Espanol   2

Gateshead Dynamo  2   Newcastle United   0

Marine  1   Hendon Hotspur  2

Nelson CBR  6   Manchester Newton Heath   0

Newcastle Blue Star  1   Merthyr Tydfil   0

South Liverpool Red Star  3   Crewe Alexandra   2

Spartak-Slavia  7   Inter-Italiano   0

European Cup 2014 - 15: Second Round, Second Leg

Barcelona  0   RWD Molenbeek  4  (agg. 3 - 9)
Hajduk Split  2   Dubocica Leskovac  0  (agg.  2 - 4)
Karpaty Lvov  6  Ajax Amsterdam  1  (agg. 6 - 3)
Marlow  3   Kischpelt Welwerwolz  0  (aet)  (agg. 6 - 5)
Red Star Paris  2   Ararat Yerevan  1  (agg. 5 - 3)
Slavia Prague  1   Ferencvaros  2  (aet)  (agg. 4 - 5)
Sporting Lisbon  4   Internazionale  2  (aet)  (agg. 4 - 5)
Velez Mostar  7   Levski-Spartak  0  (agg. 8 - 2)

European Cup 2014 - 15: Second Round, First Leg

Ajax Amsterdam  2   Karpaty Lvov  0
Ararat Yerevan  2   Red Star Paris  3
Dubocica Leskovac  4   Hajduk Split  0
Ferencvaros  3   Slavia Prague  3
Internazionale  3   Sporting Lisbon  0
Kischpelt Welwerwolz  5   Marlow  3
Levski-Spartak  2   Velez Mostar  1
RWD Molenbeek  5   Barcelona  3

European Cup 2014 - 15: First Round, Second Leg

Ajax Amsterdam  2   Dynamo Minsk  0  (aet)  (agg. 3 - 3)
Ararat Yerevan  5   Kuusysi Lahti  2  (aet)  (agg. 5 - 4)
FC Copenhagen  2   Sporting Lisbon  1  (aet)  (agg. 3 - 3)
Fortuna Dusseldorf  2   Velez Mostar  1  (aet)  (agg. 4 - 4)
Glentoran  0   Barcelona  3  (agg. 1 - 9)
Grasshoppers Zurich  1   Red Star Paris  1  (agg. 2 - 3)
Levski-Spartak  3   Dynamo Dresden  0  (aet)  (agg. 3 - 2)
Osters Vaxjo  2   Internazionale  1  (agg. 2 - 6)
Panathinaikos  2   Hajduk Split  6  (agg. 4 - 8)
Rapid Bucharest  3   Kischpelt Welwerwolz  2  (aet)  (agg. 3 - 4)
Rapid Vienna  1   Ferencvaros  2  (aet)  (agg. 4 - 4)
St Johnstone  1   Dubocica Leskovac  2  (agg. 2 - 5)
Stromsgodset Drammen  4   Karpaty Lvov  4  (aet)  (agg. 5 - 6)
Trabzonspor  2   Marlow  2  (aet)  (agg. 3 - 4)
Vllaznia Shkoder  0   Slavia Prague  2  (agg.  0 - 5)
Wisla Krakow  1   RWD Molenbeek  2  (agg. 2 - 7)

European Cup 2014 - 15: First Round, First Leg

Barcelona  6   Glentoran  1
Dubocica Leskovac  3   St Johnstone  1
Dynamo Dresden  2   Levski-Spartak  0
Dynamo Minsk  3   Ajax Amsterdam  1
Ferencvaros  2   Rapid Vienna  3
Hajduk Split  2   Panathinaikos  2
Internazionale  5   Osters Vaxjo  0
Karpaty Lvov  2   Stromsgodset Drammen  1
Kischpelt Welwerwolz  2   Rapid Bucharest  0
Kuusysi Lahti  2   Ararat Yerevan  0
Marlow  2   Trabzonspor  1
Red Star Paris  2   Grasshoppers Zurich  1
RWD Molenbeek  5   Wisla Krakow  1
Slavia Prague  3   Vllaznia Shkoder  0
Sporting Lisbon  2   FC Copenhagen  1
Velez Mostar  3   Fortuna Dusseldorf  2

Matchday 21 Results & Updated Tables

Championship

Blyth Spartans  3   Northwich Victoria   0

Gainsborough Trinity  3   Red Star Sunderland   2

Hartlepool United  0   Manchester City   2

Liverpool St Helens  2   Audenshaw Dynamo   1

Marlow  3   Mossley  1

Matlock Town  1   Stalybridge Celtic  2

Oxford Excelsior  2   Hungaria   0

Wrexham  4   Burnley   1

Second Division

Bradford City  3   Newcastle Blue Star   2

Crystal Palace  1  South Liverpool Red Star   3

Gateshead Dynamo  0   Manchester Newton Heath   2

Inter-Italiano  5   Atletico Espanol   1

Marine  1   Nelson CBR   0

Merthyr Tydfil  2   Sheffield Wednesday   0

Newcastle United  1   Hendon Hotspur   1

Spartak-Slavia  2   Crewe Alexandra   4

Matchday 20 Results & Updated Tables

Championship

Audenshaw Dynamo  3   Hartlepool United   1

Burnley  1   Gainsborough Trinity   1

Hungaria  2   Wrexham   2

Liverpool St Helens  3   Matlock Town  1

Manchester City  2   Blyth Spartans   3

Northwich Victoria  7   Marlow   1

Red Star Sunderland  4   Mossley   2

Stalybridge Celtic  6   Oxford Excelsior   0

Second Division

Atletico Espanol  2   Gateshead Dynamo   1

Crewe Alexandra  2   Crystal Palace   0

Hendon Hotspur  5   Spartak-Slavia   2

Inter-Italiano  1  Merthyr Tydfil   2

Manchester Newton Heath  2  Bradford City   2

Newcastle Blue Star  0   Marine   4

South Liverpool Red Star  0   Nelson CBR   0

Sheffield Wednesday  2   Newcastle United   1

Matchday 19 Results & Updated Tables

Championship

Blyth Spartans  2   Audenshaw Dynamo  0

Gainsborough Trinity  3   Hungaria  2

Hartlepool United  1   Liverpool St Helens   2

Marlow  1   Manchester City   2

Matlock Town  2   Oxford Excelsior  1

Mossley  4   Burnley   1

Red Star Sunderland  2   Northwich Victoria  1

Wrexham  3   Stalybridge Celtic   3

Second Division

Bradford City  2   Atletico Espanol   0

Crystal Palace  4   Hendon Hotspur   5

Gateshead Dynamo  3   Inter-Italiano   2

Marine  3   Manchester Newton Heath   2

Merthyr Tydfil  2   Newcastle United   2

Nelson CBR  1   Crewe Alexandra   3

South Liverpool Red Star  1   Newcastle Blue Star   2

Spartak-Slavia  3   Sheffield Wednesday   3

First Round EWFA League Cup Results

Atletico Espanol  6   Oxford Excelsior  2
Bradford City  2   Hungaria  4
Crewe Alexandra  1   Audenshaw Dynamo  1
Crystal Palace  1   Red Star Sunderland  5
Gateshead Dynamo  2   Burnley  2
Hendon Hotspur  5   Marlow  3
Inter-Italiano  1   Liverpool St Helens  2
Manchester Newton Heath  2   Matlock Town  1
Marine  3   Wrexham  2
Merthyr Tydfil  2   Manchester City  5
Nelson CBR  1   Mossley  2
Newcastle Blue Star  2   Gainsborough Trinity  4
Newcastle United  1   Hartlepool United  1
Sheffield Wednesday  1   Blyth Spartans  2
South Liverpool Red Star  3   Stalybridge Celtic  1
Spartak-Slavia  4   Northwich Victoria  3

Matchday 18 Results & Updated Tables

Championship

Audenshaw Dynamo  3   Marlow   0

Burnley  5   Northwich Victoria   2

Hartlepool United  3   Matlock Town   2

Hungaria  5   Mossley   0

Liverpool St Helens  1   Blyth Spartans   3

Manchester City  5   Red Star Sunderland   2

Oxford Excelsior  3   Wrexham   3

Stalybridge Celtic  4   Gainsborough Trinity   1

Second Division

Atletico Espanol  2   Marine   5

Crewe Alexandra  2   Newcastle Blue Star   3

Gateshead Dynamo  4   Merthyr Tydfil   0

Hendon Hotspur  3   Nelson CBR   1

Inter-Italiano  2   Bradford City   1

Manchester Newton Heath  3   South Liverpool Red Star   1

Newcastle United  1   Spartak-Slavia   2

Sheffield Wednesday  1   Crystal Palace   1

Matchday 17 Results & Updated Tables

Championship

Blyth Spartans  5   Hartlepool United   3

Burnley  3   Manchester City   2

Gainsborough Trinity  4   Oxford Excelsior   2

Marlow  0   Liverpool St Helens   2

Matlock Town  3   Wrexham   1

Mossley  2   Stalybridge Celtic   1

Northwich Victoria  2   Hungaria   2

Red Star Sunderland  5   Audenshaw Dynamo   3

Second Division

Bradford City  6   Gateshead Dynamo   3

Crewe Alexandra  2   Manchester Newton Heath   1

Crystal Palace  5   Newcastle United   2

Marine  0  Inter-Italiano   1

Merthyr Tydfil  3   Spartak-Slavia   2

Nelson CBR  1   Sheffield Wednesday   4

Newcastle Blue Star  4   Hendon Hotspur   2

South Liverpool Red Star  10   Atletico Espanol   1

Matchday 16 Results & Updated Tables

Championship

Audenshaw Dynamo  2   Burnley  0

Blyth Spartans  3   Matlock Town   4

Hartlepool United  3  Marlow  2

Hungaria 2  Manchester City  2

Liverpool St Helens  5   Red Star Sunderland   1

Oxford Excelsior  2   Mossley   1

Stalybridge Celtic  6   Northwich Victoria  2

Wrexham  1   Gainsborough Trinity   1

Second Division

Atletico Espanol  1   Crewe Alexandra   1

Bradford City  5   Merthyr Tydfil   2

Gateshead Dynamo  1   Marine   4

Hendon Hotspur  3   Manchester Newton Heath  0

Inter-Italiano  3   South Liverpool Red Star   2

Newcastle United  3   Nelson CBR   3

Sheffield Wednesday  0   Newcastle Blue Star   1

Spartak-Slavia  2   Crystal Palace   1

Matchday 15 Results & Updated Tables

Championship

Burnley  2   Liverpool St Helens  1

Hungaria 2   Audenshaw Dynamo  2

Manchester City  3   Stalybridge Celtic  5

Marlow  2   Blyth Spartans  3

Matlock Town  1   Gainsborough Trinity  2

Mossley  5   Wrexham  3

Northwich Victoria  2   Oxford Excelsior  1

Red Star Sunderland  2   Hartlepool United  0

Second Division

Crewe Alexandra  2   Inter-Italiano  1

Hendon Hotspur  0   Atletico Espanol  1

Manchester Newton Heath  2   Sheffield Wednesday  1

Marine  3   Bradford City  2

Merthyr Tydfil  2   Crystal Palace  4

Nelson CBR  3   Spartak-Slavia  2

Newcastle Blue Star  2   Newcastle United  2

South Liverpool Red Star  7   Gateshead Dynamo  0

Mid-term Review

The league season reaches its half-way point and a suitable place at which to enjoy a few weeks’ break to take stock of proceedings thus far, with Stalybridge Celtic extending their lead at the head of the Championship to four points after another Manchester derby goalfest in the form of a thrilling 5-3 victory at City - noteworthier still for being their hosts’ first home reverse of the campaign - following last Saturday’s 6 – 4 win over Audenshaw.

The ‘Bridge find themselves in this healthy position courtesy of a combination of their own fine result(s) and second-placed Liverpool St Helens’ surprise setback at faltering Burnley, whose thoroughly-merited even if last-gasp 2-1 win was a first in 5 matches and only a second in 10, enabling them to climb a place and two further points clear of the relegation berths, raising the Clarets’ spirits just in time for Christmas.

It must be said that Stalybridge’s success has been something of a surprise, as they wouldn’t have been expected to be amongst the frontrunners this season, even allowing for last term’s mid-table consolidation in the top flight, but their consistency has been admirable, confidence instilled by the early win at Gainsborough and blossoming after the remarkable 6- 2 demolition of their hosts at Burnley: even an eventual first defeat of the season at Hartlepool has proved to be the most temporary of blips, being followed by a 15-goal-fuelled salvo of another three straight wins.

Hungaria and Audenshaw did themselves little good with their 2 – 2 draw, keeping them both in the danger zone, although Oxford and Matlock’s defeats ensured they ended the first half as the bottom two, the only bright spot for either so far being the latter’s surprise success at Marlow in the previous round of fixtures, which the reigning champions followed up with another home defeat, this time to Blyth, intensifying what is becoming an increasingly unimpressive, hapless and hopeless defence of their title. Spartans, meanwhile, are themselves on something of a roll and up to fourth with that result, with Gainsborough Trinity also on an upward curve and moving rather ominously into third place, level on points with St Helens.

Of this season’s newcomers, Hartlepool have been solid and are the only team to have beaten Stalybridge so far, although they’ve failed to win in three since, but Northwich’s win over Oxford, following last weekend’s fine victory at Wrexham, has seen the Vics climb to fifth in the table, an impressive introduction to the Championship and a continuation of their upward progress following three successive promotions up the league structure.

In the Second Division, where matters are very close, Crewe’s home win over Inter-Italiano coupled with then-leaders Spartak-Slavia’s reverse at resurgent (four wins in four) Nelson enabled them to exchange places at the top, with also-defeated Sheffield Wednesday, victims of Manchester Newton Heath’s continuing upturn in form and defensive soundness, two points behind in third, one ahead of early pacesetters Marine, who appear to have steadied their previously rocking ship with a second successive home win, and South Liverpool Red Star, who trounced a somewhat less-than-dynamic Gateshead 7 – 0.

Although hardly the ideal result for either struggler, the point apiece gained by Blue Star and United from the Newcastle derby enabled them to climb off the bottom of the table (now fourth- and second-from respectively), to be replaced by Hendon Hotspur, whose two-match winning streak came to an end at home to Atletico Espanol: things remain very tight at the wrong end, though.

More in the new year…