Castle Stalwart Retires

Newcastle Town stalwart Ken Walshaw has decided that the time is right for him to retire. Walshaw, who has held a wide range of roles with the club, has been with the Lyme Valley outfit for nearly 50 years.

Club secretary Raymond Tatton had the following to say about the much loved member of the backroom team; "From the start of Parkway to the Newcastle Town of today one man has been part of the furniture - Ken Walshaw.

"During his time at the club Ken has raised money by the bucket full, arranged foreign tours and pre-season games against pro clubs - it seems fitting that the retirement comes after the 30th anniverary of the games against Stoke City.

"The list goes on and people outside the non-league game don't always know what goes on without payment of any kind apart from satisfaction and enjoyment.

"At times Ken may have seemed to have been a pain in the backside, but you can be sure that everything that Ken did he did because he believed it was the right thing for the club.

"The Club would like to thank Ken for all the hard work that he has put in over the years and we hope that you enjoy your retirement. However I bet we still see him at games from time to time."

One piece of good news is that from the club is that John Cotton, a former Secretary and a member of the Vodkat League Management Team, has been given the all clear following a bout of cancer that has troubled him for two years.

Tatton said, "No doubt we will see more of Cotto this season and certainly teams in the North and Premier Divisions will be pleased to hear this news as they have known John from their North-West Counties days."