I SPENT most of last Monday in Colwyn Bay, carrying out a ground grading for the UniBond League.

The club are members of the UniBond League Premier Division, and it doesn't really seem right for two Englishmen to grade the only Welsh club in the League.

The people of Colwyn Bay are very nice people but to be honest I believe they should be playing in a Welsh league.

I took the dog out for a walk on Sunday and watched the Judge Walmsley play the Roebuck Hotel from Haslingden.

The Judge Walmsley only had nine men and as it was a cup tie they would have been disappointed by the lack of players.

Just a note of interest, the referee was a white haired gentleman who looked as though he had been told not to move out of the centre circle!

Speaking of match officials, our referee last week at the Wakefield and Emley game made a big mistake when he was the only person on the Crown Ground who thought that Barry Shuttleworth handled the ball on the goal

line. When I spoke to him after the match I think he realised he was wrong and hopefully the sending off will be overturned and Barry will not have to serve a suspension.

We were saddened to hear that Dany Robson is leaving the Lancashire Evening Telegraph and joining the Manchester Evening News. Dany has been great for the club and unlike a lot of journalists, only includes quotes in her stories that you have actually said!

I have had problems with reporters in the past, and they almost fall into the same category as referees as not being my favorite people!

I can however honestly say that Dany has been brilliant for Accrington Stanley!

The coverage we have received on local radio has also been excellent, with both 2BR and Radio Lancashire continuing to report on our progress. The Radio Lancashire non-League hour has been referred to as the Accrington Stanley show of late, and the non-League expert on the show, my old friend Ian McGarry, has been accused of being on the payroll here at the club, which I can say is definitely not true! Ian has always been very passionate about the non-League game, and I remember one occasion when I was manager of

Clitheroe and we had just won 4-0 at Darwen, managed by Ian.

He went on the radio after the match and said they were unlucky and that I must have paid the referee.

When he returned to the bar we ended up squaring up to one another and had to be separated by the players! As I say we are very good friends now though and I am sure he could do a good job as a manager again

if he chose to, though he might feel his interest is now in radio.

I would like to finish by thanking the fans for their support so far this season. It really is fantastic and I know that the players and management appreciate it and want to deliver the success that we are all hoping for!

Only 35 league games left!