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INSIDE SPORTS followed through Youth Team games, progressing and speculating about who might get onto the bench� It’s tempting to look back over the previous season to fuel theories about the outcomes of the next: the Youth teams performed well, the Men’s team reached the playoffs and won the County Cup, the Women’s team won the League Cup and gained promotion, and the First Division Blues of the Inclusive Teams walked away with the Disability League Cup� The Managers have a challenge before them, however, there will have been promotions, with Clubs eager to hold their place in their new League, and relegations, where more experienced and in some cases full time players ‘coming down�’ This stirs the mix of Clubs, players and playing styles, all of which must be anticipated to repeat or improve on last year’s successes� Everyone’s an expert, of course: “I can’t believe he’s let them go!”, “What’s that going to do to our defence?”, “Where’s the midfield creativity going to come from?” Then there are the ‘friendlies’, giving rise to speculation about what the team’s ‘form’ might be like, with new mix of players, before launching into the Season� The Fans
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f you know any football fans, you might have noticed a slight change in their behaviour over the last few weeks� Since the end of May, there may have been a strange lethargy and moping about (particularly at weekends)� Partners and friends may welcome this period as it’s the only chance of getting major DIY activities completed or taking a holiday� For a committed fan, it is a desert to be survived: the close season for football� But fear not! The new football season is here and the excitement of the year stretches ahead of us� Every fan will have been waiting eagerly for the announcements, firstly for the Friendlies, then for the League itself, as the next 8 months is mapped out� Get your diaries out (or cut and paste in your phone), hoping there are no clashes with family weddings or big birthdays: “Of course we can get back time… as long as it doesn’t go to penalties…” It’s not just the home games to consider, as both our Men’s and Women’s teams are now in Leagues that require travelling to more distant locations: Truro, Weymouth and Weston-super-Mare being some of the destinations for the Men, and Norwich and Cambridge for the Women: “How about a nice weekend away in Bath, Love? Great architecture, some good restaurants���” “Are Worthing playing?” “Errrmmm…��” So, the scene is set, and we are ready for the rollercoaster of emotions that can be crammed into each 90 minutes� But who will the players be? It’s a time of change, as some move on� Will your favourite players still be on the team? There will be new signings, reshuffling the pack and players moved to new positions� At Worthing FC, we have a “Boys and Men’s Pathway,” so there is the potential for boys to start with the Under 14s team
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Ideal for birthdays, anniversaries, engagement p or wakes OUR CLUB BAR has the capacity for 1 self-contained venue with a long bar offering m screens for your picture showcase or videos and Our resident caterer can prepare your BUFFET o and work their way up to finally play in the Men’s team� It’s taken a number of years, but this approach is starting to yield our own ‘homegrown’ talent, with several Under 18s also having played for the Men’s team, not least Will Tillman� Despite having no senior-level experience, except as a semi-final sub, this 17 year-old stepped into the breach for the Sussex County Cup making the save that won the match for Worthing� Regular readers will know that we are also working to link up a “Girls and Women’s Pathway” aiming to repeat this success and supply the Women’s team with excellent local players� So, there’s the intriguing prospect of seeing players
online forum will be buzzing with theories and everyone “can’t wait” to get down to Woodside and get back into the routine� Early season games bathed in the last of the Summer sun, cold Tuesday nights under lights, grasping a pastie to keep your hands warm, freezing rain coming in from the west (spot the experienced supporters with ski boots, gortex jackets, hats with ear flaps and two pairs of gloves), then into Spring, as the weather warms up and we get to the pointy end of things – finishing with nothing less than comfortably mid-table, but hoping for the play-offs and beyond! We’ll hope to see you there�