Well it was good to get some football under our belts last weekend with a 1-1 draw at Aveley, a result that keeps our unbeaten run going stretching back to Boxing Day. A big thank you to the supporters that made the journey, I know many of you had awful journeys travelling around the M25 – one of our closest away games, but still a pain to get to!
That result was also my first correct score prediction of the season in the Prediction League which took me off of the bottom, but more importantly it kept us in the mid-table pack away from the bottom four where there is quite a sizeable gap now, but we cannot afford to rest on our laurels. Tomorrow we face a very tough home tie against a Maidstone United side who have picked up form since we got a 2-2 draw at their place earlier in the season, the full-time outfit are now firmly in contention for the league title.
However, this is why we wanted promotion, to compete against these sides and challenge ourselves to go further. I am confident that the management and squad we have, even allowing for injuries and suspensions, is good enough to give our visitors a run for the money, and I hope as many supporters as possible can come along to the game and add your support. As we reach the mid-point of the season, it is not unsurprising to see the names at the top of the table are as you might expect, primarily made up of full-time outfits, but there is still plenty to play for over the second-half of the season as we look to establish ourselves at this level.
Whatever happens over the coming months, we will be celebrating the season with our End of Season Awards evening, taking place after our last home games of the season either against Farnborough on 12th April or Slough on the 21st April. Put the provisional date’s in the diary – it is going to be a fantastic opportunity for supporters and players to come together and celebrate our first season in the National League South.
Other dates for your diary include our Alex Horne Comedy Football Trophy which has proved hugely popular the past two years, and we are delighted that Alex Horne has agreed to put himself through it all again on Saturday 10th May, full details and tickets will be released over the coming months. I am also delighted to report that we will once again be bringing the incredible Treorchy Male Voice Choir to Chesham at the Broadway Baptist Church on Saturday June 7th, when we will once again be raising money for our charity partner, Bucks Mind.
I mentioned last week my gratitude for us being able to take a Millwall goalkeeper on loan, Ben Goode has had a injection yesterday which will hopefully see him back in a few weeks. Defender Eoin Casey is in need of a knee operation, with a waiting list of 12-18 months, ideally, we would like to be able to help to speed that up by paying for the operation, however this cost of over £5500 is outside of our budget and would need to come from our players injury and rehabilitation fund…but currently we are already way short of what we have already paid out for this season. We really would like your help, so to find out more, please click here. We are learning this season how demanding this league is on players as we continue to manage the squad carefully and as I write this, we are looking at bringing in another loan player to help us out through this busier period, please keep an eye on our social media
Later this month, I will be attending the annual EGM of the National league at the ground of Oldham Athletic FC at the end of this month, where amongst matters being voted upon are the increase of substitutes from being able to use 5 from 7, instead of 5 from 5. This would brings us to the same level as the division above, another item to vote on is whether these are to be used at a max of three breaks during play or as currently at 5 opportunities per side. Of course, common sense shows that this is a good move if approved as it can protect and help players maintain fitness if the substitution is a technical one, but the downside it means an increase in playing budget from 17 to 19. So, it’s a matter of choice to make by the clubs. We have discussed this with our managers as to what they require and of course, there could be a problem if we get many more into the dug out, we will need more seats or even new dugouts!
Both of our senior women’s teams had another weekend without football last Sunday. The 1st team were due to travel to AFC Sudbury but with overnight temperatures falling to -6 in Suffolk the referee called the game off early. The Senior Development team also had their fixture against Tilehurst Panthers called off. No game for the first team this weekend but the Development team are due to play Ascot United Reserves away on Sunday.
I hope to see as many of you as possible at the game where it will be my last appearance on the mic as thankfully Jordan has stepped into the breach and will take over the realm for the remainder of the season. We all wish for a successful course of treatment for JP “The Voice of The Mic” over the coming period and look forward to welcoming him back as soon as he is fit and able.
Peter Brown
