The BADGER 2023/24 Issue 16 vs Rugby Borough

SEASON

THE BADGER

23 24

ISSUE 16

OFFICIAL MATCH DAY PROGRAMME

vs RUGBY BOROUGH UNITED COUNTIES LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION SOUTH SATURDAY 27th JANUARY 2024 I 3pm KICK OFF

Bugbrooke St Michaels FC The Badgers, founded 1929

CLUB COMMITTEE PRESIDENT - WILLY MARRIOTT CHAIRMAN - KEVIN GARDNER VICE-CHAIRMAN - NIGEL THOMAS CLUB SECRETARY - GRAHAM CONNEW YOUTH SECRETARY & TREASURER - NICK INWOOD FIXTURES SECRETARY - DAVE MELLOR GROUNDSMAN - DANNY POWELL WELFARE OFFICER – HELEN GILLIGAN COMMITTEE – RICHARD GIBBON, STUART WYKES, RICHARD FAULKNER, STEPH NASH

MANAGEMENT / COACHING TEAM FIRST TEAM – DALE WALTON RESERVE TEAM - ROB JONES ‘B’ TEAM - ANDY DEMIDOW LADIES TEAM - STUART WHITE UNDER 18s BLACK (NSYL) - LOUIE GALBRAITH UNDER 18s WHITE (NSYL) - DARREN SMITH UNDER 18s (NDYAL) - DEANO GOMES UNDER 16s - MARK LINNELL UNDER 15s - SIMON WHEELER UNDER 14s - RYAN NASH UNDER 13s - CHRIS ASHTON UNDER 12s BLACK - DANIEL BLAND / BEN SMITH UNDER 12s WHITE - TONY HILL UNDER 11s BLUE - IAN MARRIOTT UNDER 11s WHITE - MIKE BRINKLEY UNDER 11s GIRLS - STEPH NASH UNDER 10s GIRLS - KERRY HOUGHTON UNDER 9s - ANDREW JACKMAN UNDER 8s - NEIL BYRNE / DARREN WILLIX

WELCOME TO THE SETT From the Chairman …

As Chairman of Bugbrooke St Michael’s Football Club I would like to offer you a warm welcome to The Sett and hope that you have an enjoyable visit.

Here at Bugbrooke St Michaels we are working hard to develop a club with a strong inclusive ethos, offering opportunities for players of all ages and abilities.

We are extremely proud of our youth development programme, supporting players from seven all the way up to eighteen. Many of our young players go on to have success with one of adult teams, with some players going on to even bigger and better things!

There is a great wealth of local support for the club, everyone that helps does so on a voluntary basis and through everyone’s hard work and dedication we have been able to achieve and maintain FA Accredited status.

Whilst some clubs choose to reinvest their revenue into players wages, here at Bugbrooke we hold a different set of values. All of our profits go into upgrading our equipment and facilities, building a solid future-proof foundation that will be here for future generations to enjoy.

Whilst this can sometimes hold us back from gaining huge success on the pitch, we feel our excellent facilities, youth development programme and ethos on community set us apart from other clubs.

Success and progression starts from the beginnings.

Thank you for your support today, we hope that you enjoy the game, and we look forward to seeing you again soon.

Kev Kevin Gardner, Chairman

Bugbrooke St Michaels Football Club would like to place on record our thanks to our team of volunteers, our advertisers and sponsors.

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MANAGERS NOTES We’d like to extend a warm welcome to the players, officials and supporters of Rugby Borough who are the visitors to the Sett for todays United Counties Premier Division South fixture.

Having visited Rugby in December we have an idea of what to expect, a tough assignment!

That said if its anything like the fixture that was played on a freezing cold day you should be in for a thriller!

It was topsy-turvy affair as goals from Luke Emery (2), Simmo and a very late leveler from skipper Tom Walton saw us return with a share of the spoils, 4-4.

We’re expecting another very tight game today, most are in this Division which seems much stronger this time around.

Whilst unproven, the competitive nature of the league this season may be a result of the player merry-go-round. Not a day goes by without a team announcing a new signing on social media; with untold riches you can’t help but feel envious.

That said it’s a testament to the strength of our club that when we do lose players to higher-level teams we can tap into our squad and of equal importance our Under 18’s, who notably had another great win on Thursday!

These young players are the life blood of our Club, we have some fantastic talent coming through. We hope that they can see how we work and with that put their trust in the process. We strive to develop them and provide them with the platform to showcase their talent whilst hopefully winning games of football for this Club.

Ahead of todays game we are also delighted to announce the signing of Kodi Briggs, who is set to make his debut today. It’s the second time that we have tried to get him here and we’re delighted that he has agreed to join us following spells at Rushden & Diamonds and more recently Daventry Town.

Regarding player availability, whilst not a new signing we recently welcomed Freddie King back into the fold following an early season injury. Now back in full training and with games under his belt Freddie provides us with another great attacking option.

There is also positive news regarding Shad Reza who has undergone successful surgery on his knee. He can now plan his rehabilitation with the hope of being fit for the start of the new season. We can’t wait for that!

Finally, we must congratulate young Carter Oakes on his hat-trick for the Combination Team last Saturday, another great example of one of our Under 18 players making their mark in men’s football.

Thank you for your support today, enjoy the game and we look forward to seeing you again soon.

Dale & Daniel

“Whilst unproven, the competitive nature of the league this season may be a result of the player merry-go-round.

Not a day goes by without a team announcing new signing on social media”

OUR HISTORY

Formed in 1929, Bugbrooke St. Michael’s Football Club took over from Bugbrooke United who folded in 1928 after being in existence since 1910.

The club, which is named after the local St. Michael’s and All Angels Church, initially took its place in the Northants Central Village League and had immediate success, winning the league title from 1931 to 1937.

The club closed for the Second World War before reforming in 1947 and were once again successful winning the CVL title from 1947 to 1950 and were Northants Lower Junior Cup runners-up in 1949, a feat repeated in 1954.

We finally won the N.F.A. Lower Junior Cup in 1956 and followed this in 1957 by winning the prestigious Daventry Charity Cup. The club had its most successful years from 1966 to 1972 when we won the Northants Central Combination Premier title and again from 1976 to 1979 with 1977 also seeing us win the N.F.A. Lower Junior Cup again.

The club continued to succeed in the Northants Combination until 1987 when the we took the decision to join the United Counties League.

At this time, we decided to run two teams in the U.C.L. and two teams in the C.N.C. We also began our youth section and have continued this ever since. Today we run 4 adult sides, including a recently formed Ladies team as well as 15 youth teams.

The club has had continued to enjoy success across all age groups over those 30 years, the most notable being N.F.A. Junior Cup winners in 1992, N.F.A Lower Junior Cup in 1993 and U.C.L. Division One winners in 2001.

The reputation for producing successful youth teams has increased over those years and 4 of our youth players (under 16) have been signed by professional league clubs.

The achievements of the club on the field have always been supported by a hardworking committee whose chief officers are recorded on a roll in the clubhouse foyer.

They along with supporters of the club have built up the excellent changing rooms and clubhouse since 1980.

We hope that you enjoy the facilities that they have provided over those years, and we look forward to seeing you again in the future

‘LOVE FOOTBALL. PROTECT THE GAME.’ A message from Bugbrooke St Michaels Football Club about antisocial and criminal behaviour As we commence the new season we want to make you aware of new measures being taken across all of football, and the NLS, to ensure everyone can have a safe and enjoyable experience.

We are supporting strong action from the FA, and across the NLS to tackle antisocial and criminal behaviours that put all of us at risk.

Please remember the following activities are illegal, dangerous, have serious consequences and have no place in our game: • Carrying or using smoke bombs or pyros • Invading the pitch or entering the pitch without permission

For everyone’s safety, we will report anyone carrying out these offences to the police, which can result in a criminal record.

Anyone who enters the pitch without permission and those carrying or using smoke bombs or pyros will now receive an automatic club ban. These measures could also now apply to the parents or guardians of children involved in these activities.

This reflects the seriousness of the risks to fans and staff – pyros can burn at 2000 degrees Celsius and cause life changing injuries, while entering the pitch endangers players, managers and match officials. It also impacts the hard working volunteers, who ensure that our special part of the game continues to run.

• Drug use within the football ground

We know those who commit these illegal acts do not represent the majority of supporters. Please work with us to call out the risks.

• Discriminatory behaviour

#LoveFootball #ProtectTheGame

• Throwing objects onto the pitch

TODAYS VISITORS

RUGBY BOROUGH The club was founded in 2017 to give players from Rugby Town Juniors and its partners a place to continue playing football in the orange shirt into their adult years.

Full name:

Rugby Borough

Nickname(s):

Borough

Founded:

2017

Ground:

Kilsby Lane

Capacity:

Unknown

Manager:

Justin Marsden

League:

United Counties Premier Division South

2022–23:

Spartan South Midlands League Division One, 3rd of 20 (promoted via play-offs)

Current Position

14th P27, W8, D5, L14, Pts 29

Last Time Out:

Won 3-0 vs Godmanchester

Form:

LWWLW

They were placed in Division One of the Leicestershire Senior League, which they won at the first attempt, losing only three of their 31 matches with a goal difference of +168, resulting in promotion to the Premier Division.

They went on to win the Premier Division title in 2018–19 but were denied promotion as their ground did not meet FA regulations. The 2018– 19 season also saw the club compete in the FA Vase for the first time, defeating Malvern Town 3–2 in the first qualifying round, before losing to Bustleholme in the next round. The club ended the season by winning the Coventry Charity Cup with a 2–1 defeat of Coventry Alvis.

In 2021–22 the club were Premier Division champions again, this time earning promotion to Division One of the Spartan South Midlands League. They also won the Coventry Charity Cup for the second time, defeating Coventry Alvis 4–0 in the final.

The following season the club finished third in Division One, qualifying for the promotion playoffs. After beating Amersham Town 4–0 in the semi-finals, they defeated Northampton ON Chenecks 2–0 in the final to earn promotion in the table and qualified for the playoff which the club won, earning a promotion to the Premier Division South of the United Counties League.

They also won the League Cup, beating Moulton 2–0 in the final.

BUGBROOKE ST MICHAELS DATE

OPPOSITION

VENUE RESULT SCORE STARTING LINE-UP

29.07.22 St Neots Town

Away

Lost

0-3

REEVE

CALVER

SHEHI

SMYTH

POWELL

WALTON

01.08.22 Racing Club Warwick

Home

Lost

0-3

REEVE

SPENCER

BAZELEY

SMYTH

POWELL

WALTON

05.08.22 Hinckley LRFC - FA Cup

Home

Lost

2-3

REEVE

MALKIN

BAZELEY

SMYTH

POWELL

12.08.23 Aylestone Park

Home

Lost

2-5

REEVE

MALKIN

BAZELEY

SMYTH

POWELL

15.08.23 Cogenhoe United

Away

Won

4-0

REEVE

MALKIN

SHEHI

1

SMYTH

POWELL

WALTON

19.08.23 Lutterworth Town

Home

Won

4-1

REEVE

MALKIN

SHEHI

1

SMYTH

WALTON

29.08.23 Wellingborough Town

Away

Lost

2-5

REEVE

MALKIN

02.09.23 Desborough Town

Home

Lost

1-5

REEVE

MALKIN

09.09.23 Leicester Nirvana

Away

Won

4-0

REEVE

MALKIN

16.09.23 Yaxley

Away

Lost

3-4

REEVE

MALKIN

19.09.23 Desborough Town - NFA Cup

Away

Lost

2-2

W.PANTER

23.09.23 Raunds Town – FA Vase

Away

Won

2-0

26.09.23 Newport Pagnell Town

Home

Won

30.09.23 G.N.G Oadby Town

Home

Draw

03.10.23 Wellingborough Town - KO Cup

Away

Lost

14.10.23 Godmanchester Rovers

Away

21.10.23 Lincoln United - FA Vase 24.10.23 Daventry Town 28.10.23 March Town United

WALTON 1

WALTON

SHEHI

SMYTH

SURACE

SMYTH

POWELL PRICKETTREED POWELL

1

SHEHI

SMYTH

POWELL

WALTON

1

SIMMONS

SMYTH

POWELL

WALTON

P RICKETT-REED

SIMMONS

CAREY

PRICE

WALTON

REEVE

MALKIN

SIMMONS

SMYTH

PRICE

WALTON

4-0

REEVE

MALKIN

SIMMONS

POWELL

PRICE

WALTON

REEVE

MALKIN

SIMMONS

POWELL

PRICE

WALTON

W.PANTER

MALKIN

SIMMONS

SMYTH

PRICE

SHEHI

Won

4-4 2-2 (5-6 3-1

REEVE

NASH

SIMMONS

CAREY

PRICE

WALTON

Away

Lost

1-4

REEVE

MALKIN

SIMMONS

CAREY

POWELL

WALTON

Home

Lost

1-2

REEVE

MALKIN

MEMOLI

MAKEKERA

POWELL

WALTON

Away

Lost

1-2

REEVE

MEMOLI

SIMMONS

GIBBON

PRICE

SHEHI

31.10.23 Coventry United

Home

Won

1-0

REEVE

MEMOLI

SIMMONS

SHEHI

PRICE

WALTON

11.11.23 Yaxley

Home

Won

2-1

REEVE

MEMOLI

SIMMONS

STEWART

PRICE

WALTON

18.11.23 Aylestone Park

Away

Lost

1-2

REEVE

MEMOLI

SIMMONS

ALHASSAN

PRICE

25.11.23 Histon

Home

Won

3-0

REEVE

MEMOLI

SIMMONS

STEWART

1

PRICE

02.12.23 Rugby Borough

Away

Draw

4-4

REEVE

MEMOLI

SIMMONS

EMERY

2

PRICE

WALTON

09.12.23 RC Warwick

Away

Lost

2-8

REEVE

SMYTH

SIMMONS

POWELL

PRICE

WALTON

16.12.23 Cogenhoe United

Home

Lost

1-2

REEVE

MEMOLI

SIMMONS

POWELL

PRICE

23.12.23 Eynesbury Rovers

Away

Won

3-2

REEVE

MEMOLI

SIMMONS

SHEHI

MALKIN

26.12.23 Easington Sports

Home

Lost

0-4

REEVE

MEMOLI

SIMMONS

SHEHI

MALKIN

WALTON

30.12.23 Coventry United

Away

Draw

2-2

REEVE

MALKIN

SIMMONS

SHEHI

EMERY

WALTON

06.01.24 Lutterworth Town

Away

Lost

2-4

W.PANTER

MALKIN

MEMOLI

CAPATINA

PRICE

WALTON

13.01.24 Leicester Nirvana

Home

Won

3-0

REEVE

GIBBON

SIMMONS

PRICE

WALTON

27.01.24 Rugby Borough

Home

03.02.24 Eynesbury Rovers

Home

10.02.24 March Town United

Home

17.02.24 G.N.G Oadby Town

Away

24.02.24 Newport Pagnell Town

Away

02.03.24 Histon

Away

16.03.24 Desborough Town

Away

23.03.24 St Neots Town

Home

01.04.24 Easington Sports

Away

06.04.24 Godmanchester Rovers

Home

13.04.24 Wellingborough Town

Home

1

1

1

POWELL

1

1

WALTON WALTON

WALTON 1

WALTON

WALTON 1

WALTON

1

2023/24 RESULTS & APPEARANCES SUBS A.WEBSTER

ALHASSAN

PANTER

PORTER

MALKIN

SPENCER

REZA

BINDER

HALLMARK

J.WEBSTER

A.WEBSTER

ALHASSAN

PANTER

PORTER

REZA

SHEHI

CALVER

BINDER

MALKIN

J.WEBSTER

A.WEBSTER

ALHASSAN

PANTER

PORTER

REZA

GREEN

SURACE

BINDER

ALHASSAN

1

GREEN

1

1

PANTER

PORTER

REZA

SHEHI

SURACE

A.WEBSTER

GREEN

1

PANTER

PORTER

BINDER

ALHASSAN

SURACE

A.WEBSTER

GREEN

3

SURACE

PORTER

BINDER

ALHASSAN

A.WEBSTER

GREEN

1

REZA

PORTER

BINDER

ALHASSAN

A.WEBSTER

GREEN

ALHASSAN

PORTER

A.WEBSTER

GREEN

1

PRICE

PORTER

A.WEBSTER

GREEN

2

ALHASSAN

A.WEBSTER

GREEN

A.WEBSTER

GREEN

1

PANTER

A.WEBSTER

GREEN

1

PANTER

A.WEBSTER

GREEN

1

PANTER

2

PORTER

A.WEBSTER

GREEN

PANTER

1

PORTER

A.WEBSTER

GREEN

PANTER

2

PORTER

A.WEBSTER

GREEN

PANTER

1

A.WEBSTER

GREEN

A.WEBSTER

GREEN

A.WEBSTER

GREEN

A.WEBSTER

GREEN

A.WEBSTER

GREEN

PANTER

A.WEBSTER

GREEN

PANTER

A.WEBSTER

GREEN

PANTER

PANTER

1

1

A.WEBSTER

J.WEBSTER

CAREY

MAY

REZA

SPENCER

CAREY

MAY

SURACE

SPENCER

CAREY

GIBBON

CAREY

BINDER

SHEHI

SIMMONS

UNDERWOOD

BINDER

ALHASSAN

SIMMONS

UNDERWOOD

CAREY

PORTER

CAREY

SHEHI

SPENCER

BINDER

PANTER

PORTER

BINDER

ALHASSAN

STEWART

PORTER

BINDER

SHEHI

STEWART

BINDER

ALHASSAN

SHEHI

SMYTH

BINDER

ALHASSAN

SHEHI

SMYTH

BINDER

ALHASSAN

CAREY

BINDER

POWELL

MAKEKERA

PORTER

BINDER

SHEHI

MAKEKERA

OBENG

1

1

1

PANTER

PORTER

BINDER

1

PANTER

ANKRAH

BINDER

PANTER

STEWART

BINDER

1

ALHASSAN

PORTER

BINDER

1

PORTER

1

PORTER PORTER STEWART

2

1

1

1

BINDER BAZELEY

1

1

PANTER

UNDERWOOD

SHEHI

SMYTH

POWELL

ALHASSAN

SURACE

CAREY 1

2

PORTER

CAREY

STEWART

SURACE

GIBBON

J.WEBSTER

MEMOLI

GIBBON

STEWART

ANKRAH

SPENCER

J.WEBSTER J.WEBSTER

SHEHI

CAREY

STEWART

SPENCER

ALHASSAN

MAKEKERA

STEWART

OAKES

1

POWELL

MAKEKERA

PORTER

MALKIN

GIBBON

1

SHEHI

CAREY

GIBBON

J.WEBSTER

ANKRAH

BINDER

SHEHI

STEWART

POWELL

OAKES

BINDER

ALHASSAN

SHEHI

CAREY

OAKES

GIBBON

BINDER

ALHASSAN

SHEHI

CAREY

OAKES

POWELL

CAREY

GREEN

EMERY

BINDER

ALHASSAN

SHEHI

MEMOLI

J.WEBSTER

OAKES

GREEN

PANTER

1

PORTER

STEWART

ALHASSAN

SHEHI

MAKEKERA

MALKIN

A.WEBSTER

GREEN

PANTER

2

PORTER

J.WEBSTER

ALHASSAN

GIBBON

W.PANTER

A.WEBSTER

GREEN

PANTER

EMERY

BINDER

ALHASSAN

GIBBON

W.PANTER

J.WEBSTER

A.WEBSTER

GREEN

STEWART

2

PORTER

BINDER

ALHASSAN

GIBBON

J.WEBSTER

KING

A.WEBSTER

GREEN

STEWART

1

PORTER

BINDER

ALHASSAN

GIBBON

J.WEBSTER

KING

A.WEBSTER

GREEN

STEWART

1

CAPATINA

BINDER

KING

MAKEKERA

ANKRAH

ALHASSAN

1

1

KING POWELL

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LEAGUE TABLE - FIRST TEAM

PREMIER DIVISION SOUTH as at 26/01/24

POS

P

W

D

L

GD

PTS

1

Racing Club Warwick

26

19

3

4

40

60

2

Wellingborough Town

25

18

5

2

37

59

3

St Neots Town

24

16

4

4

32

52

4

March Town United

25

16

4

5

23

52

5

Aylestone Park

24

16

3

5

28

51

6

Newport Pagnell Town

24

16

0

8

21

48

7

Daventry Town

25

14

1

10

13

43

8

G.N.G Oadby Town

27

12

5

10

-16

41

9

Yaxley FC

24

10

4

10

6

34

10

Bugbrooke St.Michaels

26

10

3

13

-6

33

11

Cogenhoe United

23

9

4

10

-12

31

12

Lutterworth Town

24

9

2

13

-7

29

13

Coventry United

26

8

5

13

-8

29

14

Rugby Borough

27

8

5

14

-11

29

15

Easington Sports

22

7

5

10

2

26

16

Histon FC

24

6

6

12

-14

24

17

Godmanchester Rovers

23

5

2

16

-29

17

18

Eynesbury Rovers

25

5

3

17

-30

17 *

19

Desborough Town

25

3

5

17

-30

14

20

Leicester Nirvana

23

2

5

16

-39

11

FORM GUIDE

WLDLW 03/02 vs Eynesbury Rovers (Home)

NEXT UP

10/02 vs March Town United (Home) 17/02 vs GNG Oadby Town (Away)

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LEAGUE TABLE - RESERVES

RESERVE DIVISION as at 26/01/24

POS

P

W

D

L

GD

PTS

1

Kempston Rovers Reserves

11

10

1

0

48

31

2

Bourne Town Reserves

14

9

1

4

17

28

3

Harborough Town Reserves

16

8

3

5

16

27

4

Buckingham Development

14

8

2

4

22

26

5

Bugbrooke St.Michaels Reserves

13

8

1

4

21

25

6

Desborough Town Reserves

12

7

2

3

16

23

7

Wellingborough Whitworth Reserves

15

7

2

6

4

23

8

Northampton ON Chenecks Reserves

11

7

1

3

7

22

9

Rothwell Corinthians Reserves

12

6

1

5

-2

19

10

Irchester United Reserves

12

4

2

6

0

14

11

Godmanchester Rovers Reserves

11

3

2

6

-22

11

12

Wellingborough Town Reserves

13

2

1

10

-25

7

13

Raunds Town Reserves

14

0

1

13

-49

1

14

Huntingdon Town U23s

12

1

0

11

-53

0*

FORM GUIDE

DWWLW 27/01 vs Desborough Town (Away)

NEXT UP

03/02 vs ON Chenecks (Away) 10/02 vs Kempston Rovers (Away)

TODAYS FIXTURES PREMIER DIVISION SOUTH

Cogenhoe United

Vs

Desborough Town

Godmanchester Rovers

Vs

Newport Pagnell Town

Histon FC

Vs

Daventry Town

Aylestone Park

Vs

St Neots Town

Bugbrooke St.Michaels

Vs

Rugby Borough

Eynesbury Rovers

Vs

Coventry United

March Town United

Vs

Leicester Nirvana

Racing Club Warwick

Vs

G.N.G Oadby Town

Wellingborough Town

Vs

Lutterworth Town

Yaxley FC

Vs

Easington Sports

RESERVE DIVISION

Desborough Town Reserves

Vs

Bugbrooke St.Michaels Reserves

Rothwell Corinthians Reserves

Vs

Godmanchester Rovers Reserves

Bourne Town Reserves

Vs

Harborough Town Reserves

Irchester United Reserves

Vs

Raunds Town Reserves

Kempston Rovers Reserves

Vs

Huntingdon Town U23s

Wellingborough Whitworth Reserves

Vs

Wellingborough Town Reserves

RESERVE DIVISION CUP

Northampton ON Chenecks Reserves

Vs

Buckingham Development

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” A Club in Meltdown” The Avanhard Stadium was supposed to hold 11,000 diehard supporters for its side. Newly built, it was supposed to be the symbol of a Stalinist regeneration in the area, led first by Leonid Brezhnev and then by a succession of Soviet General Secretaries. The side was founded by builders, who had been relocated to the area to construct the socialist utopia their leaders had imagined, an occupation found in their name - Stroitel Pripyat. The club had spent its decade of existence in the fourth division, but with a new ground, an excited and enthusiastic fanbase, and backing from Moscow, hopes were high that the future would be bright. But the stadium was never used. In 1986, just a week before it was due to be opened, disaster struck. Because the centerpiece of Pripyat’s regeneration, the reason for the builder’s being moved to the town in the first place, was V. I. Lenin Nuclear Power Plant. Chernobyl.

When Brezhnev declared Pripyat to be a new atom grad a nuclear city - he could not have imagined how prophetic his words would be. Construction was started in 1972 and completed five years later. In the middle, builders who were conscripted for the project found they had little to do with their free time, so started a football team. Founded in the nearby village of Chistogaovka, Stroitel displaced the amateur side that was already in place, absorbing their fans and some of their players into the new club, as the population grew past 50,000. They were slowly joined by players from all over Ukraine, including Stanislav Honcharenko, who would later enter the Ukrainian Hall of Fame. By 1979, the power plant was completed and operational, but the builders stayed, this time building their lives in Pripyat, and continued playing for and supporting Stroitel.

By the new decade, Stroitel Pripyat were becoming something of a local force. They finished strongly in the fourth tier between 1981 and 1984 but couldn’t quite reach high enough to secure professional status for the club. But the announcement of a new stadium, they were convinced, would change that. In 1986, Stroitel went on an unprecedented run in the Ukrainian Cup, reaching the semi-finals and beginning to believe that destiny would deliver them the trophy, just as they moved into their new stadium. Fate, however, had other plans.

On the morning of 26th April 1986, Stroitel’s players were going through some light training on the pitch of their existing stadium, warming up and preparing for what was expected to be a tough tie against FK Borodyanka later that afternoon. A helicopter flew overhead, and then to the confusion of the players, came down to land on the pitch. Men, wearing protective suits, disembarked. While some inspected their instruments, others made their way over to the training players. There would be no football today. There had been an accident at Chernobyl.

Radiation levels were already too high.

The incompetence and corruption of the Soviet leadership meant that it would be another two days before the players - and everybody else in Pripyat - were evacuated to where the radiation levels were safe. Some returned soon afterwards as part of the cleanup crew, half a million volunteers, whose heroic efforts belied the willful mistakes of their leaders. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to suggest that their heroic efforts in preventing a meltdown saved pretty much the entire continent - fallout from such a disaster would have reached as far as the UK, covering the rest of Europe in between - at the cost of their own health.

The remaining players moved the club 30 miles east of the Dnieper River, to Slavutych, where they tried to reestablish themselves. Fans struggled to make the journey, but the players, brought together by the disaster, managed to finish third in the following season. But falling crowds, a lack of investment and - crucially - health problems caused by the accident at Chernobyl, the team disbanded for good in 1988.

The exclusion zone is a tourist attraction now, for those brave or foolhardy enough to enter it. The Chernobyl Power Plant itself was so badly irradiated that it won’t be safe to enter for another 20,000 years. Pripyat is a ghost town, a terrifying reminder of what corruption and incompetence can cause. The official Soviet death from the disaster toll was around 30. The highest estimate is nearly 100,000.

The loss of a small amateur football team, who had existed for barely a decade and had won exactly nothing, is largely an insignificance compared to such a number of deaths.

But in the middle of the exclusion zone, overgrown and forever empty, sits the Avanhard Stadium. A symbol of what might have been.

Enjoy the game!

Martyn Green The Untold Game Find us at TheUntoldGame.co.uk or on social media @TheUntoldGame

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