Posts by Darren Woodhead
George Hudson: Accrington Stanley Peel Park Days Legend
George Hudson scored an amazing 35 goals for Accrington Stanley in the 1960-1961 season. Following photographs featuring Accrington Stanley’s legendary centre forward George Hudson surfacing on social media, I thought it would be good to contact George and thanks to a search on Twitter, l managed to locate initially his son Al, then eventually George himself.…
Read MoreErik In, Erik Out: Loudoun Clear From The U.K. Part 2
In my first ever piece on Loudoun United, one of the main topics I covered was the exciting news that Estonian International Erik Sorga had signed for Loudoun for the forthcoming season. On researching the 20-year old, it soon became apparent that the striker had bright future in the game. What I did not expect…
Read MoreLoudoun Clear From The UK: By Darren Woodhead Part 1
Until I joined the Podcast team on Across the Pitch to initially speak about my club-Accrington Stanley, Football/Soccer in the US had largely passed me by. Apart from watching clips of Franz Beckenbauer, George Best and Pele playing in the NASL in the 1970’s and taking a brief interest in the exploits of English players…
Read MoreAcross The Witch: A Visit To Padiham F.C. Vs Runcorn Town
Alice Nutter Statue in Padiham A last minute change of plan at the weekend gave me the unexpected opportunity to take in a visit to Padiham F.C. for their North West Counties Premier League encounter with Runcorn Town F.C. at the Ruby Civil Arena. About The Teams For those who don’t know, Padiham is a…
Read MoreFC Halifax vs Harrogate Town: FA Cup Qualifying Round Preview
By Source, Fair use, Wikipedia The FA Cup reaches the final round of qualifiers and the as the biggest teams in Non-League Football enter the fray in the 4th Qualifying Round and the games don’t come much bigger than Saturday’s clash between F.C. Halifax Town who stand at the top of the National League and their fellow Yorkshiremen Harrogate Town A.F.C.. (Kick…
Read MoreBlackpool vs Lincoln City: EFL League One Match Preview
Blackpool F.C. on a Friday night in September is usually associated with ‘The Illuminations’ or sometimes referred to as ‘The Lights’ which is an annual light festival in the town since 1879 and covers a 10km stretch of Promenade using over 1 Million bulbs! The Lights we are currently interested in though are the floodlights over…
Read MoreBlackpool vs Oxford United: EFL League One Match Preview
As the season enters the third week, both Blackpool F.C. and Oxford United F.C. are unbeaten in the league, and will be full of confidence when they meet at Bloomfield Road on Saturday. Oxford heads into the game following a 1-0 home win against Peterborough United, which followed a highly creditable opening day draw at…
Read MoreSouthend United vs Blackpool: EFL League One Match Preview
The season moves into week two and Blackpool F.C. fans must be feeling extremely optimistic. The crowds have returned following the ownership change, and over 11,000 came through the Bloomfield Road turnstiles to witness an opening day win over Bristol Rovers F.C.. It is quite a contrast to the opening home game of last season…
Read More3 Players From The U.S. NASL Who Played In The 1982 World Cup
The U.S. men’s national soccer team, with the exception of 2018, have been a regular feature at the FIFA World Cup in recent tournaments. However, the failed to Qualify between 1950 and 1990. Despite this absence, three players from other nations appeared at the finals whilst playing for club’s in the United States, at the…
Read MoreUEFA Europa League Preliminary Round: 2019-2020 Tournament Preview
By Source, Fair use, Wikipedia The 2018-2019 UEFA Europa League came to an end when Chelsea F.C. defeated Arsenal F.C. in the final on the 29th May 2019. Remarkably, just two weeks later preparation was underway for the 2019/20 competition. Many may not know that in addition to the 48 teams that qualify for the…
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