THE 1874 COLUMN - A different perspective by Matt Waters

AS 2019 comes to an end, there’s still been enough time for 1874 Northwich to make North West Counties history.

In an unprecedented matter, 1874 have been awarded Club of the Month, The Discipline Award and The Respect Award – something that has never been achieved before in Counties history.

On Saturday at our home game versus Bootle, we welcomed North West Counties vice chairman Paul Lawler and Stewart Taylor, who is the head of discipline and respect for the North West Counties, and they presented 1874 chairman Steve Richardson with the Club of the Month Award.

It was clear that Stewart has admiration for the way our co-managers Wayne Goodison and Paul Bowyer have got the side playing while they’ve been at the helm.

“I have known the club since the beginning and the key to discipline is through the management,” said Taylor.

“For players it is such a benefit to see Wayne and Paul so calm on the touchline, and their behaviour permeates throughout the rest of the club.

“1874 should be an example to every team in the North West Counties.”

In addition to this, Taylor believed that despite making North West Counties history, it was no real surprise that 1874 were the club to make it.

He commented: “The best thing for clubs at this level is to be top of the league, however to be top of the league and doing it in the right way is something to be proud of.

“After watching Wayne and Paul for a while now, it is clear they make a conscious effort to instil the correct discipline and behaviour into the players and I think that’s why they are where they are, and deservedly so.”

The Respect Award is presented every three months in each of the three Counties leagues and we have won it for the first three.

Not only that, but we also won the Best Discipline which again is once every three months, which is a tribute to the football Goodison and Bowyer have got us playing since their arrival.

Taylor said: “The reality is that you expect the discipline to be excellent.

“When you’re at the top of the league and everyone is playing well, nobody wants to get sent off and allow someone else to take your place in the team, which is part of 1874’s successes during the early stages of the season.

“It’s not impossible to what 1874 have done by winning these awards, but it’s certainly unprecedented and something the club should be proud of.”

Heading into the Christmas period, we are still leading the pack and taking six points off rivals Bootle shows how good our performances have been this season.

It’s been an excellent few months on and off the pitch for the club and we all should be extremely proud of the way things are going.