Weekend Action
Premier Division - A summary will appear here on Saturday evening
Division One Central - A summary will appear here on Saturday evening
Division One South & West - A summary will appear here on Saturday evening
Midweek Matches
Premier Division - Bashley raced to a three goal half time lead before going on to complete a 3-1 home win over play-off hopefuls Chesham United while Redditch United, who scored in time added on at the end of the first half to lead by the odd goal in five, conceded twice in the final thirteen minutes to go down 4-3 at home to St Albans City and Stourbridge, ahead in the ninth minute, lost 2-1 at home when Weymouth scored five minutes from time after equalising from a penalty twelve minutes after the break.
Division One Central - AFC Hayes, two down at the interval, went down 3-0 at home when Chertsey Town scored eighteen minutes from time and Bedfont Town scored a goal in each half to win 2-0 at Daventry Town while bottom of the table Marlow, trailing at the break, equalised with fifteen minutes to go but lost 2-1 at home when third placed Beaconsfield SYCOB scored with eight minutes remaining.
Club News
Arlesey Town - The Club's physio Len McMain will be spending the summer at the Olympics as he has been selected as a medical team leader for the cycling events at the velodrome and the wheelchair basketball and wheelchair rugby at the O2 arena. This is a big honour as he was selected out of 2,500 candidates and will be a change as he normally spends his summer months touring abroad with the Great Britain Lions International rugby team as their physio.
Banbury United - One of the Club's officials has received news that he has been selected for the 2012 Olympics. Nigel Porter will not be sprinting against Mr Bolt! or even playing tennis against Andrew Murray but will be part of the Events Team staging eight football games at Wembley Stadium. The games will be played from the 29th July through to the Final on the 11th August. Nigel will find out his exact role during the training which begins at Wembley on the 5th February. (Nigel reckons his tea making in the Banbury boardroom is the best in the League)
Hitchin Town - This message was received from Sgt Derrick Sims in Helmand Province, Afghanistan on 28 January 2012 in connection with the Club's Forces day which attracted a gate of 466
'Neil, I hope that this message of thanks reaches you OK and manages to convey how grateful I am to yourself and the supporters of Hitchin Town FC for their overwhelming support for Sgt Dean and myself and indeed all members of the Armed Forces out here in Afghanistan at the moment. I have been out here for four months now and am looking forward to a short two week R&R break at home with my family soon before completing my six-month tour. My school PE teacher, Bryan Williams, was a player and a coach for Hitchin Town many years ago and doubtless his PE lessons all those years ago are partly responsible for my current level of fitness that I rely upon each day while completing my foot patrols through the Afghan countryside. I was born and grew up in Hitchin and am proud to have the support of the club and their supporters while I continue my duties out here. Thank you and good luck against Chesham United on Saturday at Top Field.'
The current economic climate has meant Hitchin Town Football Club has had to implement a series of cost controls in order to ensure financial stability at the Club. This has impacted all areas including manager Carl Williams’ playing budget. This is unavoidable if the Club is to balance its books by the end of the season.
Chairman Terry Barratt said: “I want to make it very clear that we are not in financial trouble or in any danger of insolvency but in the past few months we have received a number of unforeseen setbacks that have impacted on our financial planning for the season. In order to prevent a medium-term crisis, we are having to reduce our expenditure over the last 16 weeks of the season.”
Although income from attendances remains healthy at Top Field and the Supporters Trust continues to be robust, other income streams have been compromised by the difficult economic environment, notably the social club.
Barratt adds: “There are many good aspects about our club and crowds and supporter interaction are as good as we could hope for but we live in uncertain times and this has had a detrimental affect on our income. With the realignment measures we are taking, we will come in on budget at the end of the season and the total budget we set for the playing side will not be exceeded.”
Hitchin Town has long pursued the goal of self-sufficiency rather than relying on a benefactor or individual investor making cash injections into the club. This strategy has come under great pressure in 2011/12.
Leamington - Leamington FC are delighted to announce that they have agreed a long term sponsorship partnership with highly successful and locally based Knight & Rennie. After closely following the successful growth of the football club, both on the pitch, as a business, and in the community, Andrew James of Knight & Rennie concluded that there was such synergy between the goals and aspirations of the two entities that agreeing a long term partnership was the right decision to make.
Nic Sproul, Commercial Director for Leamington FC, commented "This is great news for Leamington FC to have secured the support of such a growth orientated, highly successful, and visible local business. We will be working very hard with the team at Knight & Rennie to make this partnership work for them and hopefully convince some of their Coventry City supporters that there is a quality alternative right here in Leamington".
Pictured Left to Right: Andrew James of Knight & Rennie and Nic Sproul
