Men's Team

We made the short journey over the water to play Widnes last Saturday and it was certainly worth the trip. I sublime Iwan Murray hattrick and goals from Dapo and Sean O'Mahony saw us take all three points in the Halton derby.

The away support was fantastic once again and you basically turned it into a home game, the attendance broke their club record attendance and we now have the highest average away attendances in the West Division. I went pitch side at the end of the game and the reception you gave the players was amazing and I know they really appreciate it.

Next up is our festive fixture on Monday 27th December against Prescot Cables at the APEC Taxis Stadium. Cables have had some very interesting results recently so it's sure to be an entertaining game.

Mental Health

I want to say a massive thank you to everyone who replied to last week's update or reached out to me personally after I opened up about my mental health issues. I was genuinely touched by them all and also by the offers to help. I would like to make a special thank you to Vice President Paul Eastup, who contacted me to offer to help me sort out the information required by our Accountants.

Mental Health is a massive issue at this time of year, especially considering the uncertainty surrounding the increase in COVID infections and the possibility of further restrictions. Mental Health services have been decimated by government cuts but help is still available. A variety of free services are available for people experiencing crisis.

The following three are featured on the NHS Website and staffed by trained volunteers:

• Call 116 123 to talk to Samaritans, or email: jo@samaritans.org for a reply within 24 hours.

• Text "SHOUT" to 85258 to contact the Shout Crisis Helpline , or text "YM" if under the age of 19.

• Anyone aged under 19 can also call 0800 1111 to talk to Childline . The number will not appear on any phone bill.

Halton Borough Council also has a wide range of contact information for support services on its website at Halton Borough Council

Please reach out if you need help.

Christmas This is my last update before Christmas, so I just wanted to say a massive thank you to all our volunteers for their hard work this year. It doesn't matter what you do, without you we simply wouldn't be able to run this football club.

Merry Christmas to all our players, staff, fans and volunteers. See you on Monday.

Thank you all for reading.

Dave Jones

Runcorn Linnets FC - Chairman