From the boardroom CHAIRMAN'S NOTES

Good afternoon everyone and welcome to Five Heads Park for this afternoon's FA Cup Preliminary Round tie with Brockenhurst. I would like extend my welcome to the players, staff, committee and supporters of Brockenhurst FC, I wish them a pleasant stay with us and a safe journey back to the new forest

Brockenhurst are always a difficult team to play against. Pat McManus is an experienced manager & he always sets his teams up to be hard to beat but with flair in wide areas That can be difficult to play against Saying that we are at home & it is a good opportunity for us to try & get through We are well over due a decent run in the FA Cup. It is vital not only for the finances but also for the National exposure it gives the Club From a players perspective it gives them a chance to pit their wits against players from higher levels

Preseason was a mixed bag really we won when we were expected to & lost to the higher league opposition. Performances were good & our win against Portland was decent It’s been a busy summer behind the scenes The new dugouts have been built & the new stand is in position. A new covered area between the dugouts is also under construction. We have other plans to improve other parts of the ground throughout the season

All the games are going to be tough & we are going to have to adapt quickly to the level. I was at the league managers meeting last night & you could already tell the difference in the professionalism of the league & the stature of step 4 football within the Football Association set up I expect us to be competitive & hopefully our quality will have the opportunity to shine through. Time will tell & we will need to adapt I’m sure once we get a few games under our belts

Mick Catlin Horndean FC Chairman