Fair play champs announced

October’s Jungledrum Fair Play Awards winners were named on Saturday as Ashton United, New Mills and Sutton Coldfield Town.

The three clubs topped their respective division's Jungledrum fair play tables, coming out on top after a totting up of red and yellow cards divided by the number of Evo-Stik NPL fixtures they’d played during October. Where clubs are tied on points judges decide on the basis of marks awarded by referees over the month for Technical Area behaviour.

Each month winning clubs receive an inscribed Jungledrum Fair Play Award certificate recording their achievement and a 1.5 litre bottle of Famous Grouse Whiskey.

Competition for the Evo--Stik NPL Premier Division’s honours was a close affair with Ashton United incurring six cautions in as many games while Stafford Rangers had just three cautions but one dismissal in their six games, tieing both clubs on six disciplinary points for the month.

As a result, Technical Area behaviour marks were taken into account but the result was still close. Ashton received four ‘Excellent’ and two ‘Good’ marks while rivals Stafford, whose Technical Area behaviour marks had been poor in the earlier part of the season, improved massively to earn two ‘Excellent’ and four ‘Good’ marks in their six games. Their efforts fell just short of being enough to pip the Hurst Cross outfit who will be presented with their award by the Evo-Stik NPL Respect Manager Phil Bradley before next weekend’s home game against Chorley.

New Mills had just three cautions in five games to take the Evo-Stik NPL First Division accolade. They were just in front of perennial naughty boys Cammell Laird who judges recognised had shown a vast improvement in their discipline this season. Lairds had four cautions in six games. New Mills will be presented with their award on Monday 12 November when they take on Farsley at home, Evo-Stik NPL League Respect Manager Phil Bradley again making the presentation along with a representative from Jungledrum.

In Evo-Stik NPL First Division South Sutton Coldfield Town won with an impressive record of just four cautions in eight matches. Their nearest rivals were led by Hucknall Town who received five cautions in seven matches. The Royals will be presented with their honours by League Director Phil Varney and a representative from Jungledrum next Saturday when they play Belper Town at home.

Competition for the Jungledrum Fair Play Awards isn’t limited to monthly honours. Come the end of the season all three overall divisional winners will receive a cheque for £1000 courtesy of the sponsors Jungledrum with the runners-up receiving £500 and the third place clubs £250.

In the Evo-Stik NPL Premier Division FC United of Manchester took over the overall top spot in the tables from Nantwich Town with Ilkeston third and Blyth Spartans fourth.

There were new leaders too in Evo-Stik NPL First Division North where Skelmersdale United, with just two cautions and one dismissal in six games during October, did just enough to overtake previous leaders Clitheroe by 0.03 of a point. New Mills and Harrogate Railway are just 0.07 of a point further back in joint third.

Sutton Coldfield's excellent month enabled them to take over top spot on the Evo-Stik NPL First Division South leaderboard after averaging just 0.60 of a caution per game to lead Hucknall Town and last month's front-runners King's Lynn Town who are both also averaging under one caution per game.

The Jungledrum Fair Play Awards were instituted this season after the Evo-Stik Northern Premier League entered into a three year agreement with Jungledrum in August to reinforce the league’s reputation as one of the most forward thinking in English football by supporting fair play and the Football Association’s ongoing Respect campaign.

Marketing and advertising specialists Jungledrum harness their online expertise to open new income streams for the league's clubs while securing fans money saving deals. The Jungledrum Fair Play Tables are available throughout the season via a hyperlinked logo on the league's official site.

For more information on Jungledrum and the work they are doing to open new and no risk income streams for Evo-Stik NPL clubs visit: jungledrumdeals.co.uk.