Thursday 29 October 2009

DONATIONS REACH NEW LEVEL

This week has been the best for the Runcorn2wembley fundraising campaign for Cancer Research UK.

Not only have we been offered the 'collection' services of complete strangers, but the company I work for, Connect PR, has donated a huge amount to the campaign.

Further positive news has been the promotion of Runcorn2wembley via new media outlets, including the Nuneaton News and Nuneaton Town's website. More of this in my next post.

A big thank you to managing director, Hazel Crawford-Upton, and everyone else at Connect PR for the donation of £500 to the campaign, taking the total money raised to almost £2,000.

Hazel and everyone at Connect PR have been extremely generous with this donation and a simple thank you doesn't seem to do the donation justice.

I hope it inspires people to donate and carry out their own fundraising campaign for charity.

Fingers crossed some or all of my friends at Connect will come along to a game in the near future.

In other news, Lawrence and I were approached by a guy called Chris about the campaign before the Nuneaton v game.

Chris followed the FA Trophy last season and read about Runcorn2wembley after the Guiseley v Kendal match.

He's offered to help collections at future games and will be joining us at Nuneaton for the game against Exeter City a week on Saturday.

Thank you Chris, you're support and help is very much welcomed.

Finally thank you to Nuneaton Town FC for the continued support. I hope to help drum up publicity about the match and fundraising campaign all next week.

If you wish to donate simply click here

Sunday 25 October 2009

KENDAL RUN OUT OF LUCK

Apologies for the lack of a preview to the FA Cup 4th qualifying round between Nuneaton Town and Kendal Town yesterday.

I didn't return from Lisbon until very late on Friday night and needed to catch up on some sleep before driving to
Nuneaton for the game.

Rob and Lawrence joined me at the game and we we're expecting a big crowd, the first one of over 500 for the fundraising campaign for
Cancer Research UK.

With an average of 50p per fan raised at the previous games we hoped for a good collection from the crowd, which turned out to be over 1,100.

The weather and traffic was terrible but calmed down after we arrived and sunshine again bathed the pitch for the game.

Liz and the rest of the staff we met at
Nuneaton Town were very helpful and explained the best places to collect from.

The total money raised was £168.19; thank you very much to everyone who donated.

The Kendal Town fans were again in good song and mood, with another lot of generous donations from them before kick off.

As the match started fans were still flooding in, with a place in the
FA Cup first round an obvious attraction.

Kendal were the more dominate side in the first half and should have been in front, with a couple of good chances spurned.

In the second half
Nuneaton applied much more pressure and just when Kendal looked like they could snatch a late win, the home side pounced to secure the win and a possible draw against the likes of Leeds United and Norwich City.

A draw and replay would have been the fairer result but maybe Kendal's luck in the previous round and penalty save against Guiseley, was all their allocation for this year.

Today the draw was made and we'll be back again at
Nuneaton, as they face a very tough game from League 1 side Exeter City.

I expect the ground will be full for the game and look forward to seeing everyone from
Nuneaton again in less than two weeks.

Finally thank you to everyone associated with
Kendal Town for the hospitality, friendliness and above all, generous donations. Good luck for the rest of the season and possible promotion.

Tuesday 20 October 2009

BENFICA TO NUNEATON

This week I'll be previewing the next round of the FA Cup a little later than usual.

The 'Runcorn2wembley' fundraising campaign for Cancer Research UK takes a trip to the Midlands to watch Nuneaton Town take on current team, Kendal Town.

Between now and then I'll be spending a couple of days in Portugal watching Everton face Benfica in the Europa League.

I'm sure the atmosphere at the Stadium of Light will be a good warm up to the red hot atmosphere at Nuneaton on Saturday as both teams dream of the First Round of the FA Cup and a possible tie against Leeds United or Southampton.

More coverage has come in from the Wharfedale Observer and through the Guiseley AFC programme, helping to boost the recent matchday collections as people attending were aware of what we were there for.


There's also a mention in the replay programme from Kendal Town, and I'll be uploading that in time.


Have a great week and I'll have that review of Saturday's game, early on Saturday.

Thursday 15 October 2009

MINT CAKE ANYONE?

So the first replay of the Runcorn2wembley fundraising campaign for Cancer Research took us to Cumbria and Kendal Town against Guiseley AFC.

The first game of the FA Cup Third Qualifying Round at Nethermoor was a closely fought battle in the first game at Nethermoor, ending with a 1-1 draw; another close game was predicted.

The fans and officials of both sides were brilliant and I can't thank everyone enough for the money donated, especially considering we only collected three days previously.

The total raised was £131.49 taking the total to £1,139.82, with another £100 donated recently yet to be added.

I was joined by Rob, Sarah and Lawrence for the trip and soon found myself answering a request for a live interview on BBC Radio Cumbria.

During the collections Rob was very kindly given a big bag of Kendal Mint Cake, a donation that was very well received. Thank you to whoever that was.

The game was played in a good spirit with some nervous passes and tough tackling. It appeared to be heading for extra time when Carl Osman (brother of Everton's Leon) headed Kendal into the lead after 78 minutes.

With a minute left Guiseley had the chance to take the game into extra time after being awarded a penalty.

But the well placed spot-kick was superbly saved and despite over five minutes of injury time it is Kendal Town that now travel to Nuneaton Town in just over a week.

The date and kick-off for the game has just been confirmed as Saturday 24th October at 3pm.

Both teams are now just one game away from the possibility of facing a League 1 or 2 club including Leeds United, Charlton Athletic and Southampton.

Look forward to seeing everyone at Liberty Way, Nuneaton next weekend, click here for directions.

Tuesday 13 October 2009

LIGHTS ON FOR A REPLAY

Tonight the 'Runcorn2wembley' fundraising campaign is off to a new county and new ground for its first replay.

The floodlights will be switched on at Lakeland Radio Stadium as Kendal Town face Guiseley AFC for the right to travel to Nuneaton Town FC in the 2009/10 FA Cup Fourth Qualifying Round.

After an entertaining 1-1 draw at Guiseley on Saturday both teams will be confident of progressing to the next stage of the competition.

Will home advantage count? Who can react best to playing under the floodlights? We'll soon find out and I'll be joined by my brother Rob, partner Sarah and friend Lawrence as Runcorn2wembley heads to Cumbria.

I must say a big thank you to everyone associated with Kendal Town and Guiseley AFC for their brilliant support to this campaign.

The fans have also been terrific, not only in donating, but also with spreading the word through various fans forums.

Special mentions must got to Chelsea, Rachel and Phil.

Fingers crossed for a good game and best of luck to both sides.

Kick off is 7.45pm and directions click here. See you there.

Sunday 11 October 2009

A TRUE LEGEND

Yesterday was a fantastic day for many reasons. It was the fifth round of the Runcorn2Wembley fundraising campaign for Cancer Research UK.

We raised over £200 for the first time at a match during the campaign, but best of all was meeting a true football legend, Sir Tom Finney.

Sir Tom is President of Kendal Town, the team that travelled to Guiseley AFC for the Third Qualifying Round of the 2009/10 FA Cup.

The big stars of today might be Beckham, Rooney and Gerrard, but Sir Tom Finney epitomised why fans loved football; and money didn't give players egos bigger than the game itself.

He was a working man, who also fought in the Second World War, playing the game with a smile on his face and was never booked in his entire career.

Meeting him and having our photograph taken is a memory that will stay with the me and the fundraising team for a very long time.

Back to the game itself and Kendal took an early lead after dominating the first 25 minutes. But a mistake at the back allowed Guiseley back in to the game and they soon equalised.

The second half saw Kendal defending manfully against a determined Guiseley, but despite creating a number of half chances, the home side were grateful to a wonderful save with less than five minutes left to keep them in the FA Cup.

That said, the header could and should have been put beyond the keeper.

I'd like to thank my brother Rob Knowles, girlfriend Sarah O'Brien and Sarah's brother Patrick for helping out yesterday. We raised a total of £201.28 taking the grand total to £1,108.33.

The result means Rob, Sarah and I travel to Kendal on Tuesday evening for the replay, when we find out which team we'll be following to the Fourth Qualifying Round of the FA Cup.

Huge thanks to everyone at Guiseley, including Rachel and Phil, the fans who travelled with Kendal Town, and everyone who made meeting Sir Tom Finney possible.

Look forward to seeing you all and meeting new fans on Tuesday in Kendal. For directions click here

Saturday 10 October 2009

TO THE M62 AND BEYOND!

Another Saturday and another round of the 2009/10 FA Cup. This week I'm off for my second visit to Unibond Premier League side Guiseley AFC.

The Yorkshire side take on Kendal Town, who lie three places above them in the league table, in the Third Qualifying Round.

After a 2-0 win over Bamber Bridge in the Second Qualifying Round, Guiseley will surely face a sterner test this time.

The game will be the fifth of the Runcorn2wembley campaign, raising money for Cancer Research UK.

To date the campaign has collated over £900, almost 20% of the £5,000 target figure.

This week I'll be joined again by Robert (my brother), while two new people will be coming along.

My girlfriend, Sarah, her sister Joanna join their brother Patrick (who was at Guiseley last time) as we hope to reach £1,000.

I'm looking forward to the game and meeting up with friends at Guiseley and making new ones from Kendal.

An update on the figure collated today will be tweeted later (richthemaster) so stay tuned or log on to www.twitter.com

A quick thank you to Lawrence Whiston for printing off the flyers at the last minute. A big help. Hopefully he'll be able to join up at future games as other commitments have meant he's been unable to come since the first two rounds.

Look forward to seeing you all at Nethermoor Park, kick off 3pm.

Wednesday 7 October 2009

COVERAGE CONTINUES

With another week nearly over the next round of the FA Cup fundraising marathon for Cancer Research UK is fast approaching.

The 'fifth' round of the Runcorn2wembley campaign is this weekend and we're back at Guiseley AFC to watch them take on Kendal Town.

The total money raised is now over £900 with the target of £1,000 after this round hopefully becoming a reality.

Recent coverage has also included coverage in the Southport Visiter though hopefully more will appear this week.

I'll put together a preview of this weekend's game on Friday so stay tuned.

To help reach the the £1,000 target by Sunday donate at www.justgiving.co.uk/richard-knowles

Saturday 3 October 2009

COVERAGE IS KEY

After four rounds of the FA Cup, there is still a further ten rounds before the hallowed turf of the new Wembley Stadium welcomes the finalists of the 2009/10 competition.

For the current team I'm following, Guiseley AFC, this must seem a world away from the last match and win over Bamber Bridge.

While it is unlikely that Guiseley will reach the FA Cup Final, they will at least play a vital role in making the competition one of the world's best.

Without teams like Bamber Bridge, Guiseley and their next opponents, Kendal Town, the romance and history of the FA Cup would simply vanish. In a word, the smaller clubs, not the big ones, make the FA Cup what it is.

The next round (third qualifying) is just a week away and it promises to be a great game between Guiseley and Kendal Town. Both team occupy lofty positions in the Unibond Premier League so a lot is at stake.

I'm pleased to note further coverage in regional newspapers. The Chester Chronicle, Liverpool Echo, Liverpool Daily Post have continued with updates on the runcorn2wembley campaign, and now a new media outlet has covered it.

The Wharfedale Observer is now following the campaign's progress and I hope they continue to update people on the route it takes to Wembley.

To date the money raised is over £800; to donate just click here

Click on the relevant lnks below for the coverage:

Chester Chronicle

Wharfedale Observer

I'll be back with more thoughts early next week as we near the fifth round of the campaign.

Have a good weekend and may your football team win.

This weekend's fixtures for the clubs I've followed are:

Guiseley AFC V Woksop Town (LEAGUE)
Market Drayton Town v Bamber Bridge (FA TROPHY)
Squires Gate v Maine Road (LEAGUE)
Runcorn Linnets v St Helens Town (LEAGUE)