Malakai Reeve

[Hitthebar22]

Signed on a one year contract, with an option. Officially for the B team. Has looked proficient when he's been on in the friendlies. Seems very comfortable on the ball. Only 19, released by Coventry end of last season.

[EL CHAS]

Does the B team have a fixture list? Does anybody what other teams will be involved?

[McMark]

Does the B team have a fixture list? Does anybody what other teams will be involved?

1 Wrexham Reserves
2 Salford City FC Reserves
3 Preston North End Reserves
4 Bolton Wanderers Reserves
5 Blackpool FC Reserves
6 Barrow AFC Reserves
League; https://www.fastscore.com/england/central-league

Group C
Barrow AFC Res
Blackpool FC Res
Carlisle United Res
Wigan Ath Res
Cup; https://www.fastscore.com/england/centr ... p/fixtures

All three lads have something to offer on what I have seen of the friendly games.

[EL CHAS]

Thanks for that. Looks like plenty of opportunities for everyone to get game time.

[EL CHAS]

It looks like most games are on mid week afternoons. I remember going to reserve games in the late sixties on Saturday afternoons when the first team was away. We played a lot of first division A teams which I suppose were similar to todays under 21 teams. I have a vague memory of an evening midweek Northern Floodlight League but can’t remember going - only 11 or 12 at the time.

[Pedro]

It looks like most games are on mid week afternoons. I remember going to reserve games in the late sixties on Saturday afternoons when the first team was away. We played a lot of first division A teams which I suppose were similar to todays under 21 teams. I have a vague memory of an evening midweek Northern Floodlight League but can’t remember going - only 11 or 12 at the time.

I went to a few Southport were a team i remember watching.
Also we played weekend in another league for reserves playing likes of Burscough .Lancashire combination league?

[Wintergreen]

That's the one Peds - Lancashire Combination. Your junior season ticket would have perforated pull-out tickets for both first team and reserve team fixtures. I went to quite a few where I found you could watch the game more fully in a sparsely populated Holker End without having to keep an eye on any shenanigans behind you like at first team games.

[SKIPPER]

Used to love the old Reserves games in the Lancashire Combination. A weird mixture in retrospect. Teams like Morecambe and Wigan Athletic along with Vulcan institute,Earlestown,Guiness Exports,Prescot Cables and the like. Watching the progress of young locals like Lionel Duffin,Ronnie Stepenson,Johnny Martin and Bobby Knox. However I have to admit that one of my main reasons was to get updates on the first team. Listening out for the phone ringing in the press box (long before t'internet or mobiles) and holding breath waiting for the tannoy announcement. I was at HS for a reserves game on the day of our biggest ever defeat. It was announced Hartlepools 10 Barrow 1. I thought someone must have played a prank and dashed home to check if it was correct, Unfortunately it was.

[Wintergreen]

Good thinking that Skipper; l can only remember returning home to hear the worst from my Dad who would have been watching Grandstand (and the teleprinter) all afternoon. The only memory l can recall is of a game versus Great Harwood where an indirect free kick to Barrow in the opposition's penalty area saw the entire Great Harwood team on the goal line with their keeper in front of them. Why that has stuck l don't know but I remember great jollity among the players as they formed their wall. We didn't score needles to say.

[Pedro]

Used to love the old Reserves games in the Lancashire Combination. A weird mixture in retrospect. Teams like Morecambe and Wigan Athletic along with Vulcan institute,Earlestown,Guiness Exports,Prescot Cables and the like. Watching the progress of young locals like Lionel Duffin,Ronnie Stepenson,Johnny Martin and Bobby Knox. However I have to admit that one of my main reasons was to get updates on the first team. Listening out for the phone ringing in the press box (long before t'internet or mobiles) and holding breath waiting for the tannoy announcement. I was at HS for a reserves game on the day of our biggest ever defeat. It was announced Hartlepools 10 Barrow 1. I thought someone must have played a prank and dashed home to check if it was correct, Unfortunately it was.

Yes in my teens would stagger home drunk to buy a pink paper think Lancashire post with all Football scores.Old guy used to croutch in corner outside of the Duke of Edinburgh in all sorts weather to sell the papers he had left after touring pubs .

[Pedro]

That's the one Peds - Lancashire Combination. Your junior season ticket would have perforated pull-out tickets for both first team and reserve team fixtures. I went to quite a few where I found you could watch the game more fully in a sparsely populated Holker End without having to keep an eye on any shenanigans behind you like at first team games.

Sparsely populated just like when we came out of the League.
Gone were the 7000 supporters who used to come watch us beat Fulham with that old man Johnny Haynes playing.A past hero who was playing for a few quid unlike now.
That was the day the Church in Blake Street had a fire.

[xerxes]

I remember going to reserve games in the late sixties on Saturday afternoons when the first team was away. We played a lot of first division A teams which I suppose were similar to todays under 21 teams. I have a vague memory of an evening midweek Northern Floodlight League but can’t remember going - only 11 or 12 at the time.

I think you are mis-remembering that - as others have said, our reserves played in the Lancashire Combination, which didn't have any first division reserve or A teams. It was the likes of Bacup Borough, Rossendale, Skelmersdale, etc. You are right about the Northern Floodlit League though - it involved just a handful of clubs - Chester, Wrexham, Southport, Shrewsbury I think.

[xerxes]

Gone were the 7000 supporters who used to come watch us beat Fulham with that old man Johnny Haynes playing.

5665 was the attendance at the Fulham game. Though we regularly got crowds around 7000 a couple of seasons earlier, after our promotion from division 4.

[EL CHAS]

I googled the Lancashire Combination and of course our reserves were members for many years as several posters have recalled. It seems however thatwe left at the end of the 1968-69 season- I can’t imagine we scrapped our reserve team then as we were riding high in the third division at the time so I would guess we joined a higher more competitive reserve league. A first team programme from this period should have reserve team news in it. Perhaps someone could check it out and see what league out reserves joined and the teams involved?

[SKIPPER]

Returning to the OP notice that James Chester wasn't involved yesterday though Pete said after the Oldham game he would be. Is that now dead in the water
with young Malakai,half his age,continuing to impress albeit against lower level opponents (can only get better)