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Leader Live
3 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Wrexham AFC legend Arfon reflects on last spell in tier two
Wrexham headed into the old Second Division on a high in 1978 after a title-winning campaign that also saw them lift the Welsh Cup and reach the quarter-finals of both the FA Cup and League Cup. 'They were great days,' said Griffiths, who became an icon at his home-town club where he made 721 appearances and scored 143 goals before going on to manage the Reds in their golden era. 'But the old second division was a big step up and I remember the first game at home. 'Brighton came to The Racecourse and had the ex-England international, Alan Mullery, in charge. 'They were very defensive and we never looked like scoring. 'We'd scored goals for fun in the two seasons before and it was important that we continued to play positively because Wrexham always had that identity of playing attractive football.' Griffiths' side were unbeaten in their first six but their first three home games - against Brighton, Leicester City and Newcastle United - all ended goal-less. They also enjoyed three early trips to the capital. The late John Lyons scored Wrexham's first goal in a 1-0 win at Fulham, Graham Whittle grabbed the only goal at Leyton Orient and Mickey Thomas netted in a 1-1 draw at Charlton Athletic. It was one of six goals in 16 games for Thomas so it came as no surprise Manchester United made the Welsh star Wrexham's £350,000 record signing. Griffiths said: 'There were a lot of clubs looking at Mickey and when he heard that Manchester United was one of them he came knocking on my door and said: 'I want to go'. 'I told him he couldn't until we got the best deal and we got £350,000 in the end.' After those two August away day wins, Wrexham didn't win again on their travels and their home form wasn't breathtaking either as they escaped relegation by just four points after finishing in 15th place. 'Teams did fear us because of the way we played but they wanted to shut up shop when they came to The Racecourse,' added Griffiths. The home crowds were also on a downward curve. There were 23,451 crammed in to watch captain Gareth Davies lift the Division Three trophy at home to Peterborough on May 1 1978. The opening day attendance at home to Brighton just 10 week later was 14,081 while 6,136 saw Wrexham sign off a disappointing season with a 1-0 home defeat to Bristol Rovers. It was a 16th place finish in the 1979/80 season where Wrexham again finished on 38 points, nine ahead of the relegation zone. Griffiths resigned at the end of the 1980/81 season and with his right man Mel Sutton now in charge, Wrexham were relegated the following season. 'I hope Wrexham can now stabilise in the Championship this time around,' said Griffiths, who described Steve Fox as one of his best signings during the tier two era. 'With the three promotions behind them, the players know what it takes to go up. 'The owners have done a great job, ploughing in a lot of money but it's vital that they get a new training ground.' The late great Joey Jones and now club president Dixie McNeil were just two of six players to chalk up a century-plus games in the famous red shirt in Division Two - Steve Fox (130), Dai Davies (114), Mel Sutton (106) and Gareth Davies (103) were the others. TOTAL APPEARANCES: Joey Jones 138; Dixie McNeil 136; Steve Fox 130; Dai Davies 114; Mel Sutton 106; Gareth Davies 103; Wayne Cegielski 99; Frank Carrodus 97; Mick Vinter 90; Alan Hill 88; Ian Edwards 73; Les Cartwright 70; Alan Dwyer 62; John Roberts 60; Eddie Niedzwiecki 54; Steve Dowman 44; David Giles 38; Bobby Shinton 37; Graham Whittle 36; Steve Buxton 36; Phil Bater 36; Billy Ronson 36; Ian Arkwright 30; John Lyons 28; Terry Darracott 22; Steve Kenworthy 18; Denis Leman 17; Mickey Thomas 16; Simon Hunt 15; Frank Jones 8; Peter Williams 4; Neil Salathiel 4; Micky Evans 3; Steve Jones 3.
Daily Mail
4 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Sir Alex Ferguson pays touching tribute to the late Kath Phipps during re-opening of Man United's Carrington training complex after £50m revamp - as club unveil a plaque in her honour
Sir Alex Ferguson paid a touching tribute to the late Kath Phipps during the re-opening of Manchester United 's Carrington training complex, as the club honoured her legacy with a plaque in the newly refurbished facility. The £50million revamp of United's training base was officially unveiled on Friday, as an important stepping stone to rebuilding a winning culture at the club. Ferguson joined United executives, including Sir Jim Ratcliffe, at the re-opening. United haven't won the Premier League since Ferguson's retirement in 2013, finished 15th in the table last season and failed to qualify for Europe after losing to Tottenham in the Europa League final. Phipps, who passed away late last year, served United for more than five decades, becoming a constant presence at Carrington as a receptionist. Known as the friendly face greeting players, staff and visitors alike, she was regarded as the heartbeat of the training ground. Phipps joined United in 1968 and worked through eras under managers from Sir Matt Busby to Ruben Amorim. Unveiling a plaque in her honour, Ferguson shared heartfelt stories of their time together. 'I'm going to unveil this plaque for Kath Phipps, this was her desk here,' Sir Alex said. 'She was a sweetheart, an absolute sweetheart. This was her life. When she lost her husband 20 years ago, this was her life. Every day. She was a real sweetheart, loved by everyone. An exceptional person. 'So my desk was a mess, an awful mess, and she decided to tidy it up. I'd come back in and I had one pile of abusive letters, a second one from kids in hospital, the next one players' fathers. Hundreds of letters. 'She'd say the poor kids, you need to write to this kid, to this father. I said Kath, there's hundreds there but she said I had to do it because that's your job. Fantastic. 'Every day, my desk was a mess and I depended on Kath to sort it out. She was a fantastic person - 55 years at Manchester United, it's a record. No-one has been at this club 55 years. I was honoured to be here for 27 years. Imagine being here for 55 years. 'Such a devoted person doing it and a real miss. A real loss to this club. I'm going to unveil this plaque and thank her for the wonderful person she was and for Manchester United.' The plaque itself reads: 'In memory of Kath Phipps. The welcoming heart of Manchester United for 56 years. '"Work hard and smile, you're at Manchester United".' The project has been worked on for 12 months headed by architect Lord Norman Foster Redevelopment of the men's team building follows the construction of a new £10 million building for the women's first team and men's Academy in 2024, bringing the total investment in Carrington to more than £60m over the past three years, and unifying all the club's teams in a single, modernised campus. The latest project has been worked on for 12 months headed by renowned Mancunian architect Lord Norman Foster. It has been financed by a slice of the £250m invested into United by Sir Jim last year and the club have stressed the facility has been completed on time and within budget. Special focus has been placed on upgrading equipment and technology with a focus on fitness, nutrition, recovery and team unity. Amorim's squad spent last season in temporary facilities. Now they are able to prepare for next weekend's big league kick off against Arsenal in the new build. Other staff who were previously based at Old Trafford will also now work at Carrington.
BBC News
4 minutes ago
- BBC News
Chesterfield bring winger Berry back from Wycombe
Chesterfield have signed midfielder James Berry back on loan from Wycombe seven months after he made the move to Adams 24-year-old was a key part of the Spireites side who won promotion from the National League in 2023-24 and scored 10 goals before Christmas last moved to Wycombe in January but played just 34 minutes of football for the Chairboys as manager Mike Dodds said he could be a "slow burner" of a winger has now returned to Chesterfield for the season.
