Scholars on their best behaviour

Winning December’s Jungledum First Division South Fair Play Award is inspiring Chasetown to set their sights on taking the season’s overall accolade as the division’s best behaved team.

Chasetown are leading the campaign’s table-to-date after winning December’s fair play accolade and Scholars Secretary John Richards reckons the whole club from Chairman John Donnelly down are behind the efforts of manager Craig Harris and his side.

Chasetown volunteers Janice Brookes and Edna Richards are pictured with Harris after he was presented with the club's award by Jungledrum's David Lunn and League Representative John Beaumont before their Doodson Sport Cup clash with Northwich Victoria earlier this month.

The Scholars still haven’t picked up a single caution for dissent or a red card for any offence this term and with January’s Jungledrum winners due to be announced later this week, Richards is hoping they’ll hold onto top spot by winning a second monthly award.

He said: "It was absolutely super winning the award. We have been there or thereabouts all season and we are hoping to do well again this month. The whole club is involved from the chairman, chief executive, the management, myself and of course the players.

"We want to build on what we have done so far and December’s award is inspiring us to do even better. We set a target, we know what the incentive is and then it is passed onto the players. It is simple but it seems to be working well and we’re loving it."

Richards also revealed the key role played by assistant manager Kevin Sweeney. Following the publication of each week’s fair play results, Richards sits down with the coach to discuss progress before he takes on the responsibility of passing on fresh guidance to the squad during training and before games.

"Kevin and I sit down each week," explained Richards. "He is fantastic and a major reason why we are doing so well."

Chasetown's Secretary also took time to praise the Evo-Stik NPL's Respect Manager Phil Bradley for his work with clubs, adding: "He is such a lovely man and his heart and soul is in this. He encourages us and listens. He is our inspiration and we don't want to let him down."

Jungledrum's other divisional winners in December were Blyth Spartans who won the Premier Division Fair Play Award while Trafford took the honours in Evo-Stik NPL First Division North.

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 in the final month of 2012. Where clubs are tied on points judges decide on the basis of marks awarded by referees over the month for Technical Area behaviour.

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.

As part of the Evo-Stik NPL's Respect Programme, £4000 in prize money is also available to clubs whose players back the Football Association's ongoing campaign by cutting out cautions for dissent. The incentive has paid off. In the last three years the Evo-Stik NPL has won the FA’s overall award twice and last year were runner's up.

Blyth's single caution in the four games they played in December saw the North East outfit climb back into the top five of the Premier Division's overall Jungledrum Fair Play table. FC United of Manchester still lead the season-to-date table with Nantwich Town and AFC Fylde second and third respectively.

Trafford held onto second spot in the Jungledrum First Division North overall table after picking up just two cautions in five matches. Leaders Harrogate Railway will have counted themselves unlucky not to have won the monthly accolade after avoiding censure altogether in three matches, only missing out after December’s waterlogged pitches saw them fail to play the four fixtures required to qualify.

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.

Jungledrum’s Lloyd Bantleman said: "Jungledrum is delighted to be associated with the Jungledrum Fair Play award as integrity and fair plays lies at the heart of our business ethos. We are working with clubs across the league to help them develop a measurable income stream that gives their business supporters a fair return on investment with the club."

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: www.jungledrumdeals.co.uk