Latest news with #DaisyHill
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Daisy Hill end their 30-year wait to pick up silverware
Daisy Hill picked up their first piece of silverware for 30 years with a 1-0 win against Hindsford in the Atherton Charity Cup final last Friday. A goal from Alex Dodd in the sixth minute proved to be enough to see Daisy through to victory in front of a crowd of more than 1,000 - a record for the competition. Daisy Hill manager Lee Hill was a happy man after the game. 'I'm very proud of the lads, they have worked hard all season and worked hard again tonight,' said Hill. 'It was a great start for us to get the early goal, that settled us down a bit, and we could have had three or four in the first half if it hadn't been for their keeper. 'He was fantastic and was their man-of-the-match, they could have been dead and buried by half time and he really kept them in it. 'If you miss a lot of chances, sometimes that can come back to haunt you, but fortunately for us it didn't. 'In the second half Hindsford really stuck it on us, which we expected as they are a good side and have got a lot of experience in there. 'When you have that sort of experience, against us who are a fairly young side, it can sometimes pan out that way. 'They were very direct, but when you are playing a team like that, it only takes one knock down and they are in. 'So we spent some time camped in and around our box, but the lads had a bit of pride in their defending and they did well. 'We defended well right from the front, no one went missing and no one was hiding, and they all emptied the tank. 'To get us to two finals and get the first one over the line is a great effort, and I'm proud for them, the management team and the committee as well. 'We'll have a break for a few days now as it's been a long season, but we will carry on training next week as our season is not finished 'We have the Bolton Hospital Cup final to look forward to now, and the pressure is on us a bit to win that one now, too. 'But success breeds success, and the fact we have got over the line here will hopefully give us the confidence to go again and get that second trophy in.' It was Daisy's first appearance in the final of the Atherton Charity Cup for 12 years, and they got off to a great start when the only goal of the game arrived from the first clear chance of the evening. A well-constructed move began when Liam Sheppard sent a pass out to the right as Jacob Ridings sprinted forward, and his cross found Kaiden Barlow whose shot was blocked. But the ball fell to Dodd, who took a touch before coolly slotting the ball just inside the far post. Dodd was involved in creating Daisy's next chance when he was flattened by a challenge on the edge of the box, and from the resulting free-kick Jake O'Brien curled a shot just wide. Daisy continued to enjoy the better of the early stages, and Sheppard was next to threaten the Hindsford goal, when he headed wide from an O'Brien cross. Hindsford had been on the back foot for most of the opening 25 minutes before they created their first chance, when Alex Honeyball glanced a header wide from a corner. Daisy ramped up the pressure in the closing minutes of the half but were denied by some fine saves from Hindsford goalkeeper and man-of-the-match Ben Mather. After tipping a Callum McHale rocket from 25 yards on to the bar, Mather denied McHale again with a fine blocking save with his legs at point-blank range. On the stroke of half time, Mather was in action once more, after a terrific surging run from Charlie Roberts led to him playing Sheppard in on goal, but once again the keeper came to his side's rescue with a good save low down to his right to push the ball to safety. It had been a half that Daisy had largely dominated, but after a quiet opening to the second period, Hindsford began to exert some pressure once the game had passed the hour mark and began to pose a threat. Jojo McBride came close to connecting with a Mike Phoenix cross to the back post, and with 20 minutes remaining, McBride was left unmarked at a corner but steered his header wide. As the pressure became more intense, the Daisy defence began to give away free-kicks around the edge of the box, and Joe Bunney was unlucky with a shot that just cleared the bar after a free-kick had been blasted into the defensive wall. But in the closing stages, Daisy began to hit on the counter attack, and after Luke Nicholls was unlucky with a delicate glancing back header that was tipped over by Mather, from the resulting corner Sam Twist headed just wide. With a number of stoppages due to injuries and substitutions, the game moved into 10 minutes of added time, and the final chance of the game came when Sheppard jinked through to send in a shot that Mather was able to push away. But in the end, one goal was enough for Daisy to ensure they lifted the Atherton Charity Cup for the first time in 30 years.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Twitch star's football club takeover brings crowd
An amateur football club taken over by a Twitch streamer, who brought virtual glory on the Football Manager videogame, saw a big jump in attendance for his first real-life match. Aaron Hunt gained thousands of followers streaming his success with his local club Daisy Hill FC, based in Westhoughton, Bolton, on the management simulation game online. His popularity led to him being invited to step in and become chairman of the North West Counties Football Counties side, which needed financial support. Daisy Hill usually attracts modest numbers of supporters - about 50 - but their clash with Atherton Laburnum Rovers FC saw well-known YouTuber Angry Ginge and TikTok star Steve Bracknall among a crowd of several hundred. Mr Hunt was headhunted by manager Lee Hill, in the hope he could replicate his virtual success on the pitch. Speaking before kick-off, Mr Hunt described the differences between running a virtual club on his computer to the real thing. "I could do it in my boxers at home, I can't do that here," he said. "I've got right stuck in though. I have drawn all the lines on the pitches today and that, I want to be proper hands on with it and just help a lot of people in the community as well. "Everyone's come together as well, you've seen how many people are here." Mr Hunt said one of the biggest advantages to his appointment was the chance to bring attention and "new eyes" on the club, potentially attracting new sponsorship. "There's lads who's worked here for 60 years behind the bar and stuff. I don't want to let anyone down. I want to make sure we do it right and do it properly and succeed with it," he said. His friend Angry Ginge, real name Morgan Burtwistle, said he had attended the match to support Mr Hunt - even as he joked his fellow Twitch streamer was "very underqualified". "I think he's got the right thing, he's got the right idea, and looking at tonight, if it continues to do this, it can only grow," he said. Long-time Daisy Hill supporter Susan Ramwell said she was hoping Mr Hunt's appointment could bring "energy" to the club. She said: "He's certainly brought a lot of buzz around the place, that's for sure. It's never been this busy before, so it can only be for a positive." Fellow fan Ian Parkinson added: "Any kind of social media exposure is always good for club's at this sort of level." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on BBC Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram, and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer. 'Football Manager success landed me chairman job'
BBC News
28-02-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Aaron Hunt: Twitch star's football club takeover brings big crowd
An amateur football club taken over by a Twitch streamer, who brought virtual glory on the Football Manager videogame, saw a big jump in attendance for his first real-life match. Aaron Hunt gained thousands of followers streaming his success with his local club Daisy Hill FC, based in Westhoughton, Bolton, on the management simulation game online. His popularity led to him being invited to step in and become chairman of the North West Counties Football Counties side - who needed financial support. Daisy Hill usually attracts modest numbers of supporters - about 50 - but their clash with Atherton Laburnum Rovers F.C saw well-known YouTuber Angry Ginge and TikTok star Steve Bracknall amongst a crowd of several hundred. Mr Hunt was headhunted by manager Lee Hill, in the hope he could replicate his virtual success on the before kick-off, Mr Hunt described the differences between running a virtual club on his computer to the real-thing. "I could do it in my boxers at home, I can't do that here," he said. "I've got right stuck in though, I have drawn all the lines on the pitches today and that, I want to be proper hands on with it and just help a lot of people in the community as well."Everyone's come together as well, you've seen how many people are here."Mr Hunt said one of the biggest advantages to his appointment was the chance to bring attention and "new eyes" on the club, potentially attracting new sponsorship. "There's lads who's worked here for 60 years behind the bar and stuff, I don't want to let anyone down I want to make sure we do it right and do it properly and succeed with it," he said. His friend Angry Ginge, real-name Morgan Burtwistle, said he attended the match to support Mr Hunt - even as he joked his fellow Twitch streamer was "very underqualified". "I think he's got the right thing, he's got the right idea, and looking at tonight if it continues to do this it can only grow," he said. Long-time Daisy Hill supporter Susan Ramwell said she was hoping Mr Hunt's appointment could bring "energy" to the club. She said: "He's certainly brought a lot of buzz around the place that's for sure, it's never been this busy before, so it can only be for a positive."Fellow fan Ian Parkinson added: "Any kind of social media exposure is always good for club's at this sort of level." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on BBC Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram, and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Football club boss chosen after video game success
A man who helped win promotion for his lower league local club on the video game Football Manager has now landed the job of running the side in real life. Aaron Hunt, from Bolton, found fame streaming his virtual exploits with Daisy Hill FC on Twitch and, as a result, was invited to the save the North West Counties Football League (NWCFL) side for real after its recent financial struggles. He was headhunted to be the club's chairman by the Cutters' manager, Lee Hill, in the hope he could replicate his virtual success. "It's a romantic story, he took Daisy Hill through the leagues on Football Manager, so hopefully he can do that for real", Mr Hill said. Mr Hill said he messaged the streamer with the job offer on Instagram, writing: "Alright Daisy Hill gaffer, this is the other Daisy Hill gaffer." The new chairman said he was "buzzing take this project on", adding he felt the club "had the potential to go far". Daisy Hill, which play out of New Sirs on St James Street, in Westhoughton, sit 12th in the First Division North table of the NWCFL. The club, founded in 1894, is one of the league's founding members, and has recently been under threat of folding after running into financial difficulty. Mr Hunt, who has thousands of followers on social media and counts darts ace Luke Littler among his friends, said he planned to increase footfall on match days and drive sponsorship to help reverse the club's fortunes. Other plans include trial days for prospective new players and a fundraising push to improve the pitch. "I'll be learning on the job every day and it isn't going to happen overnight but I really think this football club has potential to go far," he said. Daisy Hill player Jacob Riding said the streamer's involvement was "great" for the club's profile. Mr Hunt's YouTube video unveiling his takeover was watched more than 60,000 times, while average Daisy Hill match attendances sits at about 50 people. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer. Football Manager 25 cancelled after two delays 'I left my job to play Football Manager full time' Daisy Hill FC North West Counties Football League (NWCFL)
BBC News
18-02-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Football Manager: New club chair chosen after video game success
A man who helped win promotion for his lower league local club on the video game Football Manager has now landed the job of running the side in real Hunt, from Bolton, found fame streaming his virtual exploits with Daisy Hill FC on Twitch and, as a result, was invited to the save the North West Counties Football League (NWCFL) side for real after its recent financial was headhunted to be the club's chairman by the Cutters' manager, Lee Hill, in the hope he could replicate his virtual success."It's a romantic story, he took Daisy Hill through the leagues on Football Manager, so hopefully he can do that for real", Mr Hill said. Mr Hill said he messaged the streamer with the job offer on Instagram, writing: "Alright Daisy Hill gaffer, this is the other Daisy Hill gaffer."The new chairman said he was "buzzing take this project on", adding he felt the club "had the potential to go far". Daisy Hill, which play out of New Sirs on St James Street, in Westhoughton, sit 12th in the First Division North table of the North West Counties Football club, founded in 1894, is one of the league's founding members, and has recently been under threat of folding after running into financial difficulty. Mr Hunt, who has thousands of followers on social media and counts darts ace Luke Littler among his friends, said he planned to increase footfall on match days and drive sponsorship to help reverse the club's plans include trial days for prospective new players and a fundraising push to improve the pitch."I'll be learning on the job every day and it isn't going to happen overnight but I really think this football club has potential to go far," he Hill player Jacob Riding said the streamer's involvement was "great" for the club's profile. Mr Hunt's YouTube video unveiling his takeover was watched more than 60,000 times, while average Daisy Hill match attendances sits at about 50 people. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
