ROYSTON TOWN FC vs
HEDNESFORD TOWN FC
Saturday 4th March 2023
Kick Off: 3pm
Royston Town FC would like to welcome this afternoon's opponents Hednesford Town FC for their visit to Garden Walk for this Pitching In Southern Football League Premier Division Central fixture.
We wish their Players, Officials and Supporters an enjoyable afternoon and hope that the match will be a keenly contested and entertaining game.
We also welcome today’s Match Officials and hope they too have an enjoyable game.
TODAY'S MATCH IS KINDLY SPONSORED BY
PITCHING IN SOUTHERN FOOTBALL LEAGUE - PREMIER DIVISION CENTRAL
TUCK TUCK
STEVE STEVE
Royston Town Football Club Founded 1875
President
Chairman
Secretary
Treasurer
Welfare Officer
Fixture Secretary
Executive Board
Webmaster
Programme Editors
Official Photographer
Football Management Team
First Team Manager
First Team Asst Manager
U23 Manager
U18 Team Managers
Women's Team Manager
Vets Team Manager
Ground
Colours
Alan Barlow
Steve Jackson
Terry McKinnell
9 Valley Rise, Royston, Herts SG8 9EY
07772 086709
email: secretary@roystontownfc.co.uk
Jeff Gill
Angela Baulk
Steve Endacott (07971 512402)
Trevor Burrows, Andy Toovey, Eric Joyce, David Baulk, Angela Baulk, Chris Coote, Duncan Easley, Giles Parnwell, Neil MacLeod, Matt Clowery
Steve Endacott
Angela Baulk, Neil MacLeod
Kevin Richards
Steve Castle
Chris Watters
Dan Evans
Dan Evans/Matt Campany
Lewis Endacott
Lee Wilkinson
Garden Walk, Royston, Herts SG8 7HP Telephone (01763) 241204
First XI
U23
U18
Women's
Vets
White/Black/White
White/Black/White
White/Black/Black
White/Black/White
White/Black/Black
Members of:
The Hertfordshire Football Association
Southern League Premier Division
The Herts Senior County League
Thurlow Nunn Youth League
Eastern Region Women’s Football League
The Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire Ladies League
Royston Town Football Club is Limited by Guarantee under the trading name of Royston Town FC Limited (Company Reg No 14261163)
CLUB HONOURS
WINNERS
Herts County League (Div I) 1969-70, 1972-73
Herts County League (Premier Div) 1976-1977
South Midlands League (Div I) 1977-1978
South Midlands Reserve League (Div II) 1978-1979
South Midlands Reserve League (Div I) 1979-1980
North Herts (Div IV) League Cup, 1978-79, 1979-1980
Herts Charity Shield, 1981-82, 1989-90, 1996-1997
Herts Intermediate Cup, 1988-1989
Chiltern Youth League (Div I) 1989-1990
South Combinations Reserve Floodlight Cup, 1992-1993
Chiltern Youth League Cup, 1992-1993
South Midlands Challenge Trophy, 1995-1996
Eastern Region Women’s League (Div II) 1998-1999
Eastern Counties Youth League Cup, 2001-2002
South Midlands Reserve Challenge Cup 2004-2005
KB Tyres Division III Champions 2006-2007
South Midlands League (Div I) 2008-2009
South Midlands League Cup (Div I) 2008-2009
South Midlands Floodlit Cup 1994-1995 2008-2009, 2009-2010, 2010-2011, 2011-2012
South Midlands Reserve League (Div II East) 2008-2009
South Midlands Reserve Challenge Cup 2008-2009
KB Tyres Division I League Cup 2009-2010
South Midlands Reserve Floodlit Cup 2009-2010
BIS Cambs League Division 2A 2010/2011
BIS Cambs League Divisional Champions 2010/2011
Veterans Cambridgeshire Invitation Cup 2010/2011
South Midlands Premier League 2011/2012
South Midlands Premier League Cup 2011/2012
Suburban League North Division 2012/2013, 2013/2014
Joint Winners of the Hinchingbrooke Cup 2013
Eastern Region Women’s League Plate 2013/2014, 2014/15
Suburban Premier League 2015-16
Eastern Region Women’s League Division 1 West 2015/16
Southern League Div 1 Central 2016/17
Southern League Challenge Cup 2021/22
RUNNERS UP
South Midlands Challenge Cup, 1978-1979
Herts Charity Shield, 1978-79, 1998-99, 2004-05, 2008-2009
South Midlands League (Premier Div) 1979-1980
North Herts (Div IV) 1979-1980
North Herts (Div III) 1981-1982
North Herts (Div II) 1982-1983
South Midlands Res Section Trophy, 1982-1983
Chiltern Youth League Cup, 1986-87, 1988-1989
Herts Intermediate Cup, 1989-1990
Herts County Youth Cup, 1992-1993
North Herts (Div I), 1993-1994
South Midlands Floodlit Cup, 1995-1996
Herts F A Women’s Cup, 1998-99, 2001-2002 2013/14
Eastern Region Women’s League (Div I) 1999-2000, 2013/2014 2014/15
Eastern Junior Plate, 2001-2002
KB Tyres Division I 2008-2009, 2009-2010
South Midlands Reserve Challenge Trophy 2009-2010
South Midlands Reserves Floodlit Cup 2010/2011
Hertfordshire Women’s County Cup 2013/2014
Eastern Region Women’s League, League Cup 2014/15
Southern League Division 1 Central 2014/15 2015/16
4th MARCH 2023 g
WHO'S GOT WHO? Today's other fixtures SATURDAY
SO WHEN DID IT ALL BEGIN?
The history of Royston Town FC
After some intensive research, the evidence is that the club came into existence in 1875 making Royston the third oldest Club in Hertfordshire after Hitchin and Bishop Stortford.
The Club’s very first honour came in 1911/12 when they won the Creake Charity Shield beating Wisbech 1-0 in extra time
The Club’s first major honour in more recent times came in the guise of promotion to the Herts County Premier League in 1969/70 and they went on to be champions in 1972/73 and 1976/77. In 1978 we rejoined the South Midlands League and won the Division One title at the first time of asking Success continued with a final appearance in the Herts Charity Shield for the first time in 1979 and runners up spot in the South Midlands League Premier Division in 1980 The Herts Charity Shield was won in 1981/82 and two years later the Club joined the Isthmian League Division Two North where we remained for 10 seasons before returning to the South Midlands League in 1994.
After a period in the doldrums that culminated in relegation from the South Midlands League Premier Division at the end of 2006/07, Paul Attfield was appointed manager with ex-Spurs favourite Tony Galvin returning to Garden Walk 1st Team Coach in November 2007.
Paul immediately set about building a new 1st Team squad and a run of 17 games undefeated saw the Club move from the bottom of the table to finish in 5th place in the League
The foundations had been laid for the 2008/09 season and the first team took the South Midlands Division One League title with one of the best sets of stats for any Step 6 Club in the country W33, D4, L3, GF138, GA30, GD+108, PTS 103
The 2011/2012 season will be seen as a watershed in our history with winning the South Midlands Premier Division title and promotion to Step 4 in the shape of the Evo-Stik Southern League Division One Central
In our first season back at Step 4 after an absence of 19 years, it was hard to know what to expect and how we would perform. Most of our supporters felt a mid-table position would be an acceptable target for the season, but we quickly found ourselves exceeding all expectations as our performances propelled us towards the top of the table Four straight wins in the first four games set the tone and a run of nine wins with just one defeat between October and December saw us maintain a play-off position In the very last game of the season a playoff was still a possibility and having gone 2-1 up away at AFC Hayes with just a few minutes of the game left it looked a near certainty. But it was not to be as Hayes scored an 87-minute equaliser and our play-off place was lost.
In our second season at this level, our steady progress to claim a place in the playoff zone was given a severe jolt when Paul Attfield announced his resignation as first team manager due to ill health at the beginning of November The search for his replacement began almost immediately and we were inundated with applications from some very well know and successful managers. After an exhaustive selection process, the Board appointed Steve Castle at the end of November and on Boxing Day Steve officially took over securing a 0 – 0 draw against the League’s form team and eventual champions Dunstable Town
Our 2014/15 season opener was at home against one of the promotion favourites Rugby Town but an impressive team display ensured their threat was stifled and we ran out winners 2 -1. That victory really did set things buzzing but we were quickly brought back down to earth when on the following Tuesday night Bedworth United were the visitors winning the game 3 – 1
As we all know consistency in performances provides the key to long term success and although the early stages of the season produced good results against the likes of Daventry Town and Beaconsfield these were punctuated by dismal performances against the likes of Aylesbury and Egham Town From mid-November to mid-December We really lost our way with six defeats in seven games but our rollercoaster ride saw an incredible run of form over the Christmas period and into the New Year with five straight wins which helped us maintain a position in the playoff places.
On a miserable Tuesday evening in February, we travelled to lowly AFC Hayes and after an abject performance, we lost the game 2 – 0. This prompted our Chairman to tell Steve Castle that he had given up on this team making the play–offs and said that we should start preparing instead for next season That message was conveyed to players and we witnessed a most remarkable transformation in our results with a 14 game unbeaten run during which we scored 29 goals and conceded just seven resulting in us achieving the runners up spot to league champions Kettering Town and securing our place in the playoff semi-final where we met local rivals Barton Rovers. After an incident-packed 90 minutes and extra time the game ended in a goalless draw but it was not to be our night and we lost the shoot out 4-5 and had to suffer the agony of all the emotions which go with being defeated in this way
We started the 2015/16 season strongly and between the end of December and the end of March we produced a rich vein of form with only one defeat in 14 games and this ensured we were sitting on top of the league with just 7 games to go and with the expectation that we could win promotion outright ran high throughout the whole club However, three games in succession proved our downfall when we could only draw 0 – 0 with Bedford and lost to Egham away 3- 1 and Godalming at home 1- 0 and once again we ended up in the play offs against AFC Rushden but we failed to turn up and went out tamely to our opponents 2 - 1. Having finished runners up for two years in succession Steve Castle was determined to make it third time lucky and began to recruit some experienced new blood in the shape of John Frendo and Adam Murray whilst at the same time giving youngsters Gus Scott Morris and Josh Castiglione extended runs in the first team
However, the season didn’t start well and after four games we’d only mustered five points whilst promotion rivals Farnborough just couldn’t stop winning. Although results did improve, defeat in the FA Cup to Heybridge Swifts 4 – 1 and a thrashing by Barton Rovers at home 6 – 3 at the end of September didn’t do a great of good for our confidence.
Things took a dramatic turn thereafter with 12 successive league wins which ended with defeat 2-1 at Kidlington in early January 2017, interspersed by a magnificent run in the FA Trophy including a victory against Step 2 outfit Hampton and Richmond Borough before in the replay against Dulwich Hamlet we eventually went down 1 -0.
With cup football out of the way, the team put together an incredible run of 16 league games undefeated including a 5 – 0 thrashing of closest rivals Farnborough which saw us maintain the top spot until the end of the season by a margin of 12 points and the highest number of goals scored, 120, across all three Evostik Leagues
Promotion to the Southern Premier League means that the Club was playing at the highest level in its 142-year history!
Season 2017/18 saw The Crows exceed all expectations in our first season at Step 3. Throughout the season we managed to maintain our hopes of a play-off place until they were finally put to bed with two successive defeats against the eventual play-off winners Slough Town and we had to be satisfied with a seventh-place finish The signing of Adam Marriott, a proven goal scorer who had played for Lincoln City, Stevenage and Cambridge United was without a doubt a real coup and he was to play a key role in the progress made by the Club by becoming our leading marksman with 31 goals. A good run in the FA Trophy with wins against Enfield Town and Leatherhead came to an end against Eastbourne Borough when having managed to draw at their place we lost the replay on penalties We managed to get to the final of the Herts Senior Cup where we played Borehamwood from Step 2 and in spite of a brave performance we never really had the power to compete and lost 2 – 1.
Given where we had started from we definitely exceeded our own and many other peoples’ expectations and this has provided us with the building blocks to face this season in the newly constituted Southern Premier Central League.
Season 2018/19 saw us finishing in a respectable 9th position in what proved to be a very strong Premier Division Central. During February/March we recorded six wins out of seven league games to give us a faint hope of a playoff spot, but three straight defeats in April put paid to our chances We suffered another early at AFC Sudbury in the FA Cup and in the FA Trophy we progressed through two rounds before being beaten in a replay at Needham Market
Season 2019/20 will go down in the Club’s history as one of the most successful and exciting but ultimately one which ended in bitter disappointment.
Steve Castle was quick to ensure we had players who were proven goal scorers and the arrival of Matt Bateman, Brandon Adams and Claudio Ofosu did not disappoint Perhaps the only sadness that our young and highly talented left wing-back Joe Newton had created so much interest from EFL Clubs that in the end, it was inevitable he would have to leave us and Joe was signed by Coventry City
No Crows fans will ever forget the team's brilliant performances in both the FA Cup and FA Trophy and although our FA Cup run ended with defeat to the very talented Maldon and Tiptree in front of what was then a record crowd for Garden Walk of 1152. The interest generated in the Crows both locally and beyond was immense and set the scene for what was to come in the FA Trophy It all started with very comfortable wins against Brightlingsea Regent and Haywards Heath and then were drawn away at Step 2 table-topping Wealdstone which for many was one of the games of the season as Royston shot into a 2- 0 lead before Wealdstone hit back to pull the tie level 2-2 In spite of being under constant pressure, the Crows mounted a great counterattack down the left and the cross was despatched by Brandon Adams to give the Crow’s victory 3-2 What followed was truly historic with home wins against Step 2 teams Boreham Wood 2-0, Chester 3-0 and away at National League Ebbsfleet 2-0, to set up a quarter-final tie away at Concord Rangers. In the run-up to the game, the rain had been falling heavily but our opponents declared the pitch playable and the invasion of six coach loads of Royston supporters and a convoy of cars and mini-buses descended on Canvey Island. As we started arriving for the kick-off the match referee declared the pitch unplayable and with a sense of extreme disappointment and also a lot of anger we all returned home The following Tuesday the game went ahead but it was not to be and we were defeated 2-1 There is no doubt the Clubs achievements in the FA Trophy marked a watershed in our history which will be remembered for a very long time
Running alongside the cup success it was easy to forget that we had got ourselves in contention to win the League with a run of only two defeats in 20 league fixtures. With 3 games in hand and only 2 points behind Peterborough Sports and Tamworth and playing some of our best football, we looked nailed on to win the League. Then out of the blue, the Covid crisis hit all levels of football and with what many felt was indecent haste the League decided to null and void the whole season. All our achievements were suddenly for nothing and the taste of bitter disappointment amongst all supporters of the Crows was very hard to swallow
Season 2020/21: As the pandemic took hold it seemed like the chances of seeing a new season start were remote but by summer 2020 there had been a massive improvement and by July the lockdown ended albeit with a host of restrictions in place.
By the time we had assembled a squad, we were without key players such as Matt Bateman who moved to Hemel Hempstead and Claudio Ofosu who joined Hartlepool and with a lot of the momentum and energy generated by the now-defunct season now dissipated we were finding it hard to get going again In the League, we seemed to slip into the habit of conceding goals when in a winning position and a string of draws meant we languished in the lower half of the division The FA cup again promised to provide excitement with wins against Newmarket, Wroxham and AFC Stamford before losing to our old rivals Bishops Stortford. We won our first two ties in the FA Trophy against Hythe Town and Tamworth before going out 3-2 away at Brackley by which time the League season was yet again declared null and void as the second wave of Covid took its stranglehold.
A comprehensive history of the Club can be found in The History of Royston Town FC 18752012 first published in 2013. The book was written by the Club’s President, Alan Barlow following more than five years of painstaking research and can be purchased via the Club.
IN SOUTHERN LEAGUE
https://www footballwebpages co uk/southern-football-league-premier-central-division
SCORES ON THE DOORS! LEAGUE TABLE PITCHING
PREMIER CENTRAL DIVISION
WHAT'S NEW ON RTFCTV?
THE BEAUTY of Non-League football – and indeed this job at The NLP – is the vast array of characters it brings together. Preston Edwards has long become one of my favourite players to interview. From his England C debut against Portugal in 2011, to later captaining the Three Lions and winning five promotions down the years, we ’ ve talked about the lot over the last decade – even his transition from the full-time game into becoming a maths teacher.
Edwards won the Isthmian Premier play-offs with Cheshunt last season to add to his successes with Dover, Ebbsfleet (twice) and Dulwich Hamlet
Non-League footballers may not command the largest headlines – although Edwards was one famously sent off after just ten seconds playing for Ebbsfleet against Farnborough – but they stand on a unique platform where they can really make an impact
Our most recent chat was hardly anything to do with the ups and downs of the beautiful game Instead it was about Edwards’ determination to raise awareness of autism. On April 23, he’s running the London Marathon to raise money for the National Autistic Society, a charity close to his heart
Edwards’ four-year-old son Rios has been diagnosed with autism and the Ambers stopper wants to help improve people’s understanding and perceptions
“My son is autistic – the media portrays autism that they are either really smart or they can’t operate properly and people don’t really know what autism means where they are kind of in the middle,” Edwards tells The NLP “My son is not extremely bright and he doesn’t have things like a speech delay
“It’s just that he struggles to understand some things and socially he’s awkward I want to spread more awareness and create that inclusive environment. There is nothing worse than seeing people left out just for the way they are born rather than the person they actually are
“My son is obviously the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I just want the best for him.”
He continues: “People don’t understand the challenges parents have to go through with an autistic child My son has to have a very set routine every single day If something is not in his routine, it messes up his whole day.
“People don’t understand that change. It has humbled me in a sense. I’ve had to adapt as a parent. In my head when he was born I was like, ‘Right, he’s going to be a footballer’
“But you now realise that the most important thing for myself and my wife is he is independent in life He’s able to do things himself and be the best version for him.”
Edwards believes there are many misconceptions around autism Since Rios’ diagnoses, he has learnt as much as he can about the lifelong developmental disability which affects how people communicate and interact with the world and even become autism coordinator at the school where he is a maths teacher.
And it’s why he wants to raise money by taking on one of the world’s greatest marathons.
“The National Autistic Society are the biggest autism awareness group in the country,” he says.
“They do lots of things, they come to my school and make our children really aware of it. They are very good with the students. It’s trying to place that in other educational groups and adults as well, because adults are not really aware
“For example, if I go to a park, my son sometimes doesn’t have the understanding where the sense of danger is. They feel they need to move their child away because he’s dangerous. But he’s not. He’s just loud
“Listen I understand It’s your son or daughter But they’re not dangerous They are human beings ”
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/preston-edwards1
WHO'S WHO OF THE CROWS
mi Kyriatzis (Goalkeeper)
ecent addition to the Crows squad having joined us from Bedfont Sports Dimi's clubs include Brentford and Inter Leipzig
u-Adjaye (Defender)
defender who re-joined the Crows in 2019 after spending a season at Hayes ng Started his playing career at Luton Town and broke into the 1st team he 2008/9 season. In total he made 64 appearances for The Hatters before o Forest Green Rovers and then to Hemel Hempstead Town.
Murray (Defender)
ined us at the beginning of 2017/18, having spent the previous two seasons bridge City where he made 60 appearances He quickly settled into the squad proved to be a formidable addition for the Crows.
Henry (Defender)
or the Crows at the beginning of this season after spending a season at y Town Ronnie was a product of the Spurs youth system, before going on to 2 games for Stevenage (the club’s all-time record appearances) in two spells de of two seasons at Luton Town.
Nakatani-Brown(Defender)
s a 22 year old left-sided defender who has impressed during pre-season and joins rows for their 2022/23 Southern League Premier Central campaign Joel’s previous includeWestfield,FCRomania,CockfostersandWalthamstow
om Kettering Town, where viously played for Hemel ns Joined the Crows this Cockfosters, Colney Heath efender, Spyros re-joined ding, he previously played at Garden Walk.
his season Alfie joined the Hotspur and signed a his professional debut for 1, coming on as an 83rdn at Kings Langley, Hemel
FernandoBellToxtle(Midfield)
FernandostartedhiscareeratCambridgeUnitedandspenttimeonloanatStNeots Town.FollowinghisreleasefromCambridgeUnited,hejoinedAFCRushden&Diamonds inthesummerof2017.InNovember2017hemovedtoBasfordUnitedinorderto pursuehisuniversitystudiesinNottingham.HethenrejoinedAFCRushden&Diamonds andwasakeymemberoftheirsquadlastseason
IsaRotimi(Midfield)
YoungmidfielderwhosignedfortheCrowsatthebeginningofseason2019/20,Isa previouslyspenttwoseasonsatColneyHeath
NathanTshikuna(Midfield)
FeaturedanumberoftimesfortheCrowsinpre-seasonandhasimpressedenoughto joinSteveCastle’ssquadforthecomingseason.Nathan’spreviousclubsincludeBedford Town,KempstonRovers,BartonRoversandAFCRushden&Diamonds.Nathanscoredan impressive11goalsin44appearancesforRushden&Diamondslastseason
MattBateman(Forward)
Re-joineduslastseasonfromHemelHempstead,wherehespentaseasonaftermoving fromtheCrows.MattsignedfortheCrowsatthestartofseason2019/20andscoredan impressive24goalsin41gamesduringthatseasontoearnhismovetoHemel.Previous tothatMattplayedabigpartinBerkhamsted’spushforpromotionin2018/19wherehe netted43timesin54appearancesforTheComrades
ColeDaSilva(Defender)
Recentacquisition,signedfromHemelHempsteadTown.23-year-olddefenderjoinedthe TudorsfromOxfordCityCappedbyWalesatunder-15level,forEnglandatunder-16s andthenWalesagainatunder-17,19,20,andunder-21levelBegaatLutonTown’s academybeforemovingtoChelsea,making2appearancesintheEFLTrophyin2017 HejoinedBrentford’sBteamin2018andin2020spenttimewithLeicesterCityunder23s.SignedforCroatianFirstLeagueclubHNKSibenikin2021,beforejoiningtheOxford yattheendofthe2021/22season
nnorFurlong(Midfield)
nedearlierthisyearfromAFCRushden&DiamondsPreviousclubsinclude gleswadeTown,BedfordTown,StIvesTown,OxfordCity,AylesburyUnitedandMK ns
Marsh-Brown(Midfield)
nedtheCrowsinJanuaryfromPeterboroughSportsKyjoinedtheTurbinesfromSt otsinFebruary2022andhelpedthemsecurepromotiontotheNationalLeagueNorth viousclubsincludeHemelHempsteadTown,BiggleswadeTownandWhitehawk.A pductoftheBrentfordAcademy,KymadehisEnglandCdebutin2018
Barnwell(Forward)
gningfromSouthernLeaguePremierSouthsideHanwellTownShamisatowering6′ ar-oldstrikerwhohaspreviouslyplayedforBowers&Pitsea,Dagenham&Redbridge, tortford,SolihullMoors,Barking,Brentwood,GraysAthleticandMaldon&Tiptree.
OPPONENTS
HEDNESFORD TOWN FC Club History
The Pitmen were formed in 1880 with the amalgamation of the Red and Whites (who were also known as West Hill) and Hill Top. The newly formed club played their games at ‘The Tins’, at the rear of The Anglesey Hotel in Hednesford and remained there until 1904, when they moved to ‘The Cross Keys’ ‘The Cross Keys’ was home to the Pitmen until the 1994/95 season when the club moved to the new purpose-built ‘Keys Park’ stadium, which has a 6039 capacity and currently holds a Football Association Grade B ground grading certificate.
Hednesford Town FC may have a long and proud history but it was not until January 1990 that the club’s fortunes turned for the better. The 1989/90 season had been a struggle and, at the beginning of the year, the club were in a deep relegation battle and, with gates below 300, relegation from The Beazer Homes Midland Division looked a distinct possibility In an effort to avoid relegation the club appointed former goalkeeper, John Baldwin, as manager and he gradually began to turn the club around and relegation was avoided
The following season the team finished third and then gained promotion to the Beazer Homes League Premier Division, after finishing the 91/92 season as runners-up to Solihull Borough In the same season the club became the first English football team to play at The Welsh National Stadium losing 10 to Cardiff City, in the final of the Welsh Cup.
In the first season in the Premier Division the Pitmen finished in a creditable fourth position and reached the Staffordshire Senior Cup Final losing to Stoke City over two legs The 93/94 season saw the club reach a cup final for the third year running, this time it was The Birmingham Senior Cup Final where at The Bescot Stadium they were beaten 3-0 by a full strength Walsall team.
The following season the club were crowned Beazer Homes League Premier Division champions with the team defeating Leek Town in front of 2776 supporters at The Cross Keys to clinch the title and promotion to the GM Vauxhall Conference.
The Pitmen commenced their first season in The Conference at their new Keys Park home and in the club’s first season in the top flight of non-league football they finished in third place behind champions Stevenage Borough and Woking.
The 1996/97 season will go down as the best in the club’s history as the Pitmen reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time in 72 years, eventually losing in the fourth round at Middlesbrough, in front of 27,500 supporters.
The following season saw the club finish in seventh position and further FA Cup success was enjoyed as, in front of millions of Match of the Day viewers, the Pitmen beat Hull City 2-0 at Boothferry Park but in the second round lost to Darlington.
In the 98/99 season the club reached the first round of the FA Cup for the third season running This time the team beat Barnet in the first round but lost away at Cardiff City in the next round
League success did not follow the fine cup runs and the 1999/2000 season saw the team drop to 17th position then, after John Baldwin had stepped down during December 2000, the club were relegated for the first time in their history A succession of managers were appointed to replace John Baldwin including Neil Pointon, Colin Lambert, Paul Raynor, Kenny Hibbitt and Ian Painter
The club’s first season back in the Southern League was a big disappointment and only a last day victory away at Newport (IOW) saved a second consecutive relegation
The team started the 2002/03 season with Ian Painter in charge but, with the Pitmen hovering around the relegation zone, Ian was replaced during February 2003 by Barry Powell, who returned to the club after a spell at Stafford Rangers Barry had previously been assistant manager to Kenny Hibbitt
Despite the club’s FA Trophy success in May 2004, when Canvey Island were defeated 3-2 at Villa Park, Barry Powell was replaced as manager by Chris Brindley. The club had failed during the 2003/04 season to finish high enough in the league to move into the new Conference set up but promotion came twelve months later, when a place in The Football Conference Northern Division was gained after winning play off games away at Merthyr Tydfil and Chippenham Town.
TODAY'S
OPPONENTS
HEDNESFORD TOWN FC Club History contd
The 05/06 season saw the Pitmen reach the first round of the FA Cup but the team were beaten at Histon. The team continued to leak goals and, as a result of poor results, Chris Brindley left the club in December 2005 Chris’ assistant manager, Steve Anthrobus, was appointed Manager but he was unable to save the club from relegation to The Unibond Northern Premier League
Former Nottingham Forest player, Phil Starbuck, was appointed manager in July 2006 and, despite challenging for the majority of the 06/07 season, a slump in form after Christmas saw the team finish in 7th position In the 07/08 season, the Pitmen ended a disappointing season in 8th and Phil Starbuck was replaced by Dean Edwards.
The 08/09 season saw the Pitmen in fine form for the first half of the season, but a loss of form in the New Year saw the title challenge fade away, with the team finishing in a disappointing 8th place
After a disappointing start to the 2009/10 campaign Dean Edwards left the club and Simon Line, was appointed to the vacant team manager position. Simon brought former Kidderminster Harriers player, Delwyn Humphreys, to Keys Park as his number two
More managerial chaos followed in early January 2010 when Simon Line handed in his resignation for ‘personal reasons ’ and this resulted in the appointment of former Pitman and Northern Ireland star, Bernard McNally into the Keys Park management hot seat Delwyn Humphreys agreed to stay on as Bernie’s Assistant Manager, after a short spell as caretaker manager, following Line’s departure Under this management team the Pitmen finished the season strongly and ended in a creditable fourth place, earning a play off semi-final tie away at Chippenham Town FC, which the Pitmen lost 2-0.
After a shock early exit from the 2010/11 FA Cup Bernard McNally and his then assistant Stuart Brock left the club to be replaced by the former AFC Telford United management team, Rob Smith and Larry Chambers in late September 2010.
After a very successful season finishing 2nd in the Southern League Premier Division, winning the Southern League Cup and losing on penalties to Salisbury City FC in the Play-off Final the Pitmen were moved laterally into the Evo-Stik Northern Premier League.
After a satisfactory first season back in the Evo-Stik NPL, finishing in 5th place and earning a Play Off place, losing to promoted Bradford Park Avenue, Smith set about rebuilding the team for the new season, making wholesale changes.
The 2012-13 campaign was one of the best in the history of the club, with the club finishing second in the league with 93 points and then gaining promotion through the Play Offs, beating AFC Fylde and then FC United of Manchester, the Final setting a new attendance record at Keys Park of 4412. The promotion to the Conference was complemented by winning both the Birmingham and Staffordshire Senior Cups in a truly historic season
The success story continued in 2013-14 with Smith and Chambers once more guiding the team to the play-offs, losing to Altrincham who were eventually promoted. The team also acquitted themselves well in the FA Cup getting to the First Round proper
The 2014-15 season was a season of consolidation for the Pitmen who were in play-off contention at Christmas but faded in the run-in, finishing in a creditable 8th place in the Conference North.
Soon after the commencement of the 2015-16 season the club were rocked by the news that Smith and Chambers were leaving to take up the vacant management positions at rivals AFC Telford United After a flurry of interest in the posts at Keys Park, former manager Bernard McNally was appointed to the manager position to be assisted by club stalwart Chris Brindley, however, after a poor run of results in which the team only picked up 8 pts in 11 league matches McNally was relieved of his duties In mid December 2015, former Chelsea and Leicester City star Frank Sinclair was appointed to the manager ’ s position, bringing in Chris Millington as his Assistant, a colleague of his at Oldham Athletic FC Academy. Despite their best efforts Frank and Chris were unable to avoid relegation and left the club in April 2016 After much interest in the vacant manager role, the club appointed Liam McDonald fresh from a very successful season with Redditch United FC
TODAY'S
Cambridge United midfielder George Hoddle has joined the Crows on loan.
Bishop Stortford-born midfielder Hoddle has been integral to the Cambridge United youth team's record-breaking run to the Quarter-Final of this year ' s FA Youth Cup. Unfortunately, the U's lost out to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium last week. He has also made several appearances for the Cambridge United U23s and has made the bench for the First Team on a number of occasions recently.
Crow's Gaffer Steve Castle said "George has already had a loan spell at St Neots and we are pleased that Cambridge United feel that Royston Town is the right next destination for him. He will gain valuable experience with us in a highly competitive league that will enable him to continue to make progress in his career. "
Welcome to Garden Walk George!
TODAY'S OPPONENTS
HEDNESFORD TOWN FC Club History contd
After losing Liam McDonald to Solihull Moors FC in November 2016 there followed another period of management instability with Paul Casey having three months in charge followed by his assistant manager Gary Birch When Gary Birch resigned at the end of the season the club moved quickly to appoint manager Neil Tooth However, in September Neil Tooth left the club and this heralded the return of Rob Smith and Larry Chambers. The new management team heralded a strong mid-season resurgence by the Pitmen but this did not last and the performances dropped off towards the end of the season, finishing in a disappointing 16th position in the League
The 2018-19 season started with mixed results but took a turn for the worse in late November when Smith and Chambers left the club to take up a position elsewhere, the club decided in late December to appoint Nicky Eaden as Manager who was joined by Gary Hayward as Assistant Manager After a strong finish to the season Gary Hayward was appointed as team manager and recruited Mark Ward from AFC Mansfield as his Assistant and fans favourite Danny Glover as player/coach In early December 2019, Gary Hayward and Mark Ward left to take up a management offer at Buxton FC, Danny Glover and Ben Bailey took immediate charge of team affairs and was joined by experienced former Port Vale FC manager, Dean Glover to assist in the dugout This was the season that coronavirus struck with the season shut down in mid March and all resuts expunged Amidst all of the chaos though, 2020 saw Hednesford Town FC move into a new era of ownership as Graham Jones took over the club as Chairman aong with his partner Hayden Dando on 1st May. Shortly afterwards, Andy Morrell was appointed as team manager with Danny Glover as his Assistant Manager and former Stafford Rangers manager, Alex Meechan, joining the coaching staff With only a few weeks of the new season past and with the Pitmen on the bottom of the league and out of the FA Cup, Andy Morrell and Alex Meechan left the club and were replaced by Keenen Meakin-Richards and Graham Deakin as the interim management team In another disrupted season due to the pandemic, Keenen Meakin-Richards andGraham Deakin were confirmed as the management team, they were joined by Jemiah Richards as coach and Richard Mills as goalkeeper coach.
After an inauspicious start to the 22-23 season, the management team resigned their positions and, after a brief spell with Leroy Lita and Martin Riley holding the reigns, a new management team of Steve Burr and Neil Tooth were appointed which only lasted for 10 weeks before being replaced with Danny Glover as Player/Manager and the experienced Guy Hadland as his Assistant Manager.
WHO ARE YA?
HEDNESFORD TOWN FC Player Pen Pics
PLAYER SPONSORSHIP
Dimi Kyriatzis
Cooper McKinnell
Ed Asafu-Adjaye
Jake Easley
James Brighton
Kelshall Plastics
Ronnie Henry
David Gray
Kian Harness
Roy Smith & Simone Robinson
Isa Rotimi
AVAILABLE
Adam Murray
Jeff Gill
Jay Rolfe
Phil Thompson
PLAYER SPONSORSHIP
Matt Bateman
DFM
Matt Clowery
Spyros Mentis Mick & Enid Toovey
Steve Castle Kelshall Plastics
Cole Dasilva AVAILABLE
Nathan Tshikuna
Tentshare
Fernando Bell-Toxtle AVAILABLE
Lewis Williams
Digital Execs Recruitment
Joel Nakatani-Brown AVAILABLE
SQUADS
Saturday 4th March
Kick Off: 3PM
TODAY'S MATCH IS KINDLY SPONSORED BY
STEVE TUCK
TODAY'S OFFICIALS
REFEREE: Matthew Fletcher
ASSISTANTS: Kyfer Mayhew
Billy Morgan
Dimi Kyriatzis (GK)
Ed Asafu-Adjaye
Joel Nakatani-Brown
Will Hall
Adam Murray (c)
Ronnie Henry
Nathan Tshikuna
Michael Turner
Kian Harness
Matt Bateman
Freddie Hinds
George Hoddle
Louis Chadwick (GK)
James Brighton
Fernando Bell Toxtle
Isa Rotimi
Cole DaSilva
Spyros Mentis
Connor Furlong
Ky Marsh-Brown
Shomari Barnwell
Luke Jackson (GK)
Zac Hartley
Stephan Morley
Mark Derricott
Ethan Patterson
Ben Kaninda
Harvey Portman
Tom Thorley
Kemy Augustien
James McQuilkin
Todd Parker
Chay Tilt
Rhys Williams (GK)
Max Brogan
Stanley Asomugha
Jordan Graham
Danny Glover
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Steve Castle / Chris Watters MANAGERS Danny Glover / Guy Hadland Scott Taylor / James Smith SPORTS THERAPISTS Shannon Kincade / Gary Walker2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
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