Taylor Leaves Blues

Leek Town director of football Neil Baker will now have to plan his team selections without talented defender Paul Taylor who played his last game for Blues following the 4-1 friendly victory at Ball Haye Green on Friday.

Gutted school teacher Taylor dropped the bombshell immediately after the game explaining that his work patterns have now changed restricting his availability.

The versatile defender was signed in December 2009 from Congleton Town after previous experience at Newcastle Town and Stone Dominoes. During his stay at Harrison Park, Taylor made 62 appearances and scored five goals.

>>More player news

Leek director of football Neil Baker intends trimming his 30-strong squad after the scheduled pre-season friendly at Alsager on Thursday.

Leek has 18 players registered with the league and the trialists will learn their fate later this week with Baker putting no ceiling at this stage on the maximum number of players he will have in his squad.

Some will obviously fall by the way-side but Baker will take two sides to Alsager giving all his players another chance to show what they can do.

Meanwhile, leading scorer Dan Cope is booked in for an MRI scan at the Nuffield on Monday 18 July ahead of potential key-hole surgery on his niggling knee injury.

>>Early season fixtures

Leek Town's Evo-Stik League fixture list has been released for 2011/12 and it sees them open the campaign with two games against Nottinghamshire sides.

Neil Baker's first competitive game back in charge of the Blues for 17 years will be at Harrison Park on Saturday 13th August when Carlton Town are the visitors.

Four days later, Leek visit fellow Nottingham based side Hucknall Town who were relegated from the Premier Division last season and then Blues complete a tough opening week with a visit to Grantham Town who were beaten in last season's promotion play-offs.

Other notable fixtures include a bank holiday derby at Kidsgrove Athletic on 29th August where a host of ex-Leek and Grove players will face each other.

The return fixture at Harrison Park is the first of the New Year on Monday 2nd January whilst Blues’ Boxing Day match will be their first visit to New Mills for many seasons.

The fans favourite away day at Sheffield FC comes earlier this season on Saturday 19th November whilst Leek will end the campaign with exactly the same game as last season - at home to Shepshed Dynamo, where former Blues’ boss John Ramshaw has just taken over as manager.

A full list of fixtures is available at:

http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/leektown/s/fixtures-selections-17802.html

>>Blues announce FC United happy hour (or two!!)

Leek Town Football Club is urging fans to get down to Harrison Park early for the FC United friendly on Saturday 30th July, when the Blues Bar will be open for a happy hour - or two!!

For this fixture only, the bar will be open from 1pm and fans can buy a pint for just £2 - right up until kick-off at 3pm. The refreshment bar will also be open for business from 1.30pm where pie and peas will be available for just £2.

Tickets for the game will be on sale at various pubs around the town or in the club shop at the other friendly matches. The club is expecting a bumper crowd so the advice is to get your ticket early!

It will also be possible to pay at the turnstiles on the day if anyone makes a last-minute decision to come along!

>>Blues junior crèche

The Leek Town’s Junior Coaching Crèche has now been running for almost two years and was the starting point of the junior set-up at Leek Town that has now grown to some twenty teams for the coming season.

The crèche, which is aimed at fun football training for 5-7 year olds, started with around twenty members initially and now has more than eighty members!

Last season, three new junior teams were born out of the crèche including two under 7's and one under 8's side whilst this coming season, the club already has one under 7's team and is very keen to establish a second one.

Crèche officials already have a few names of children in the age group who would love to be part of a team, so the club is looking for more players to make up a full side.

In addition to players, Leek Town is also looking for adults who might be prepared to help out with the team, especially someone willing to manage a team - young coaches interested in developing their skills in coaching at the crèche would also be welcomed.

If your child is interested in playing football, then please bring them along to one of the sessions held at Westwood College, from 6pm to 7pm every Thursday. During the summer holidays the crèche will move to Harrison Park.

Although Blues are looking to field new teams this season, there is absolutely no compulsion for a child to be in a side - a large number of children at the crèche just enjoy the training and have no desire to be in a team.

If anyone wants to know more about the crèche prior to attending, feel free to contact Tracy Reynolds either by email on tracyreynolds64@yahoo.co.uk or by telephone on 07540 161017 (evenings and weekends).

>>More season ticket deals

On top of the new season ticket initiative recently announced, Leek Town has also launched a half-season ticket deal.

The club is aware that many Blues’ fans also have footballing affinities elsewhere and other commitments outside football, so it isn't always easy to attend every game.

So, for the first time ever this season, Blues are offering a half-season ticket. This will be for entry to ten league games and, during the initiative, this ticket will cost just £50.

A booklet containing ten vouchers will be issued to be used at any ten league games during the season, - a saving of £20 compared to paying at the gate for each game.

The sale of these tickets will also count towards the club’s 100 season tickets initiative, with two half-season tickets counting as one pledge.

Fans have been requesting the sale of half-season tickets for a number of years, so the club is trialling it this season and will retain the idea if it is successful.

This should be a perfect opportunity for all Vale, Stoke, Macclesfield and Man Utd fans to get down to Harrison Park whenever their first-choice team isn't playing.

Blues are now well on the way to achieving their 100 season ticket target with over 65 sold already and if the target is met, full season ticket holders/applicants will pay a ridiculasly knocked down price of just £100

Anyone interested should email Tracy on tracyreynolds64@yahoo.co.uk to make a pledge, or telephone 07540 161017 evenings and weekends.