Change at St Helens Town as Granite takes helm (From St Helens Star)

Change at St Helens Town as Granite takes helm

6:21pm Friday 27th July 2012 in Sport

ST Helens Town have a new boss in Ian Granite as the club prepares for its 30th consecutive season in the North West Counties Football League top flight.

After narrowly avoiding relegation at the end of last season the club parted company with manager Jimmy McBride and have enlisted Granite from fellow NW Counties league opponents Wigan Robin Park FC.

He is joined by his long-time assistant John Wilkie as well as striker Stephen Edwards who has become player/assistant. His backroom staff includes Paul Jones and former Skelmersdale United player Ian Price and has also been boosted with the addition of Carl Osman, brother of Everton’s Leon, who has spent the last four seasons with Kendal Town. The 28-year-old midfielder will become player/coach at the club and has already shown excellent form with a number of pre-season goals alongside the forward partnership of Edwards and Lee Vaughan.

There’s been plenty of new faces on show for Town and a series of away fixtures at South Sefton Borough (D4-4), Buckley Town (W0-1), Prestwich Heys (L3-2) and Tempest United (W1-3) have provided a good test for the new manager’s charges and a final pre-season encounter will take place this Saturday (28th July) at Atherton Collieries, kick off 3.00pm.

Town’s League campaign will commence on Saturday 4th August with a trip to Colne and they will entertain AFC Liverpool at Edge Green Street (Ashton Town) on Tuesday 7th August. In the FA Cup, Town have been drawn at home to Abbey Hey FC on Saturday 11 August, with the winners travelling to the world’s oldest football Club Sheffield FC two weeks later. It’s another home draw in the FA Vase when Town will entertain Westella & Willerby FC (Hull) on Saturday 1st September with a trip to Daisy Hill or Northwich Villa awaiting the victors.

Town are on the look-out for new sponsors - full details of a range of packages are available on the club’s website www.sthelenstownafc.com