ROYSTON TOWN vs REDDITCH UNITED - MATCHDAY PROGRAMME - SATURDAY 19th MARCH 2022

PITCHING IN SOUTHERN LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION CENTRAL

ROYSTON TOWN FC vs REDDITCH UNITED FC Saturday 19th March 2022 Kick Off: 3pm

Royston Town FC would like to welcome today's opponents Redditch United 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 SPONSOR:

DAVID GRAY

Royston Town Football Club President Chairman Secretary

Founded 1875 Alan Barlow Steve Jackson Terry McKinnell 9 Valley Rise, Royston, Herts SG8 9EY 07772 086709

Treasurer Welfare Officer Fixture Secretary Executive Board

Webmaster Programme Editors Official Photographer

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

Football Management Team First Team Manager First Team Asst Manager Reserve Team Manager U18 Team Managers Women's Team Manager Vets Team Manager

Steve Castle Chris Watters Lewis Endacott Dan Evans/Matt Campany Lewis Endacott Lee Wilkinson

Ground

Garden Walk, Royston, Herts SG8 7HP Telephone (01763) 241204

Colours

First XI Reserves 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 an unincorporated association controlled by its members under the Constitution of RTFC

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 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

WHO'S GOT WHO? Today's other fixtures SATURDAY 19th MARCH 2022 AFC Rushden & Diamonds v Tamworth Banbury United v Hednesford Town Bromsgrove Sporting v Biggleswade Town Coalville Town v Lowestoft Town Hitchin Town v Rushall Olympic Needham Market v Alvechurch St Ives Town v Nuneaton Borough Stourbridge v Barwell Stratford Town v Leiston

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 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 1875 2012 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.

Verity Grainger is a teacher at Tannery Drift First School and she was recently diagnosed with an ultra-rare life-shortening genetic condition called MNGIE (mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalomyopathy).

MNGIE affects around just 200 people worldwide! This genetic condition blocks the production a particular enzyme, causing a build-up of metabolites in the blood that damages mitochondria. MNGIE is an unmerciful condition that impacts many areas of the body and causes it to slowly degenerate.

Unfortunately, there is no proven treatment for this condition. The only unsubstantiated option we have been given is to attempt a bone marrow transplantation, which comes with considerable risk. A previous trial of this was overwhelmingly unsuccessful and the results make for grim reading.

There is, however, a safer treatment known as enzyme replacement therapy, which has previously been used in trials to treat this condition with promising results. Regular infusions of enzymes would be needed around every 4-6 weeks to allow the body to perform the function it cannot do on its own, i.e., being able to remove the mitochondria-damaging metabolites from the bloodstream.

This treatment has been approved for compassionate use, but comes at a huge cost, estimated to be around £500,000! We understand that this is an enormous sum of money if 50,000 people were to give £10 or 100,000 people gave £5, then we would achieve our goal. We ask if you can spare any donation we would be eternally grateful!

Verity Grainger is truly an incredible and inspirational lady. Despite her condition, she continues to teach at Tannery Drift First School, where she is an adored teacher, usually of Year 1 pupils, but more recently Year 3. Throughout the pandemic, she has put her life at risk to ensure her children are looked after and supported. She is a beloved friend to many and is also the most fantastic mother to her son!

If you have taken the time to read to this point, thank you so much! Please consider helping Verity and her family! Please give Verity the chance to see her son grow up! Please buy us some time for a permanent cure to become available!

DONATE HERE https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/compassionate-treatment-for-mngie

SCORES ON THE DOORS! LEAGUE TABLE PITCHING IN SOUTHERN LEAGUE PREMIER CENTRAL DIVISION

https://www.footballwebpages.co.uk/southern-football-league-premier-central-division

BOOT SPOTTING! Who's the Crow in the odd boots?

Photo courtesy of Kevin Richards

By Jon Couch WHEN James Doe created Non-League Day in 2010, not even he could have imagined the beast he had unmasked. What started off as a suggestion to help acknowledge the plight of Non-League football in the community has now become one of the biggest occasions in the Non-League calendar, celebrating all aspects of the game outside of the Premier League and EFL. Year-on-year, the turnstiles continued to click and Non-League Day got bigger and bigger until Covid brought the concept to an abrupt halt in 2020 and 2021. Now, however, it’s back for the first time in three years and Doe believes this year’s event has the potential to be the best yet.

“I think it has the potential to be the biggest one yet,” Doe said of the event, which takes place on Saturday March 26 this year. “We’ve had a couple of years off and the world of football has changed quite a bit. I think there’s still a bit of reaction to the whole European Super League filtering down, I think a lot of people discovered Non-League during the pandemic because they were locked out of their big clubs. As we’ve seen, there are big crowds at lots of games this season that you wouldn’t necessarily normally get. It feels extra special this year because of the gap. We’ve had a couple of false dawns where we thought we would go with it and then things flared up and new variants appeared."

Doe, a QPR fan, came up with the idea when watching his local side Harrow Borough. And its legacy has already contributed to huge rises in attendances up and down the country which was strangely enhanced by Covid and the government restrictions which went with it. In the past, clubs have embraced Non-League Day with quirky events and traditions to get supporters through the gates. Bungay Town handed out mushrooms on the door and even paid each supporter 5p one year in order to hit the headlines. At Great Yarmouth Town, you got a free fish sandwich and Grantham Town dished out gingerbread men, courtesy of the chairman. Once again this year, Prostate Cancer UK are supporting the event – as they have done since 2014.

They are urging fans to be aware of their risk of the most common cancer in men by taking a 30second test on their website, while Doe is promoting awareness by pulling on a PCUK jersey for his annual Non-League Day ground hop. A match map, detailing which games are on, is now live on the Non-League Day website, and Premier League clubs have also got involved, promoting local games in their jurisdiction.

“It’s always been a celebration, it’s not a protest,” Doe said. “We’re trying to being every element of the football community together. That’s the idea and I think it largely has done. It will be good to get as many people involved as possible and be as positive as we can. It’s supposed to be a bit of fun. I’ve been chatting to the guys at Harrow recently and they’ve got someone who has become an outreach officer. They did their first big promotion against Taunton where they invited loads of school kids and they pretty much all turned up. It doubled the crowd, from an incredibly diverse background with people who would have never stepped foot in a football ground before that and it could be really transformative. We’d love as many clubs as possible to get involved.”

www.nonleagueday.co.uk

WHO'S WHO OF THE CROWS Joe Welch (Goalkeeper) Joined us from Chelmsford City in 2016/17, Joe started his career at Southend United before joining Histon where he played over 50 games and earned a loan deal at Stevenage. Joe’s other clubs include Ebbsfleet, Bromley and St Albans City.

Ed Asafu-Adjaye (Defender) Versatile defender who re-joined the Crows in 2019 after spending a season at Hayes & Yeading. Started his playing career at Luton Town and broke into the 1st team during the 2008/9 season. In total he made 64 appearances for The Hatters before moving to Forest Green Rovers and then to Hemel Hempstead Town.

Adam Murray (Defender) Adam joined us at the beginning of 2017/18, having spent the previous two seasons at Cambridge City where he made 60 appearances. He quickly settled into the squad and has proved to be a formidable addition for the Crows.

Ronnie Henry (Defender) Signed for the Crows at the beginning of this season after spending a season at Billericay Town. Ronnie was a product of the Spurs youth system, before going on to play 502 games for Stevenage (the club’s all-time record appearances) in two spells either side of two seasons at Luton Town.

Daniel Brathwaite (Defender) Club skipper, Dan joined the Crows from Chesham United for the start of 2015/16.

He is an experienced defender whose former clubs include Boreham Wood and Dover Athletic.

Dan Newton (Defender) Joined the Crows early into season 2020/21, Centre-Back Dan's previous clubs were Biggleswade FC and Northwood. He is a calm and confident defender and cousin of former Crow Joe Newton.

James Brighton (Defender) Experienced full-back who joined us in November 2019 from Kettering Town, where he had spent a successful four seasons. James has previously played for Hemel Hempstead Town, Cambridge City & Cambridge United.

Spyros Mentis (Midfield) Versatile, hard-working and tough-tackling midfielder or defender, Spyros re-joined The Crows in 2018/19 after a season away at Hayes & Yeading, he previously played just under 100 games for us from 2013 during his first spell at Garden Walk.

Tom Newman (Midfield) Joined the Crows at the start of 2018/19, Tom has impressed when called upon and has chipped in with some useful goals from midfield.

Isa Rotimi (Midfield) Young midfielder who signed for the Crows at the beginning of season 2019/20, Isa previously spent two seasons at Colney Heath.

Dan Green (Midfield) Joined us in December 2018 from Chesham United, Dan is an experienced midfielder whose other previous clubs include St Albans City and Dunstable Town.

Brandon Adams (Forward) Signed for the Crows in 2019, Brandon previously spent four years at Queens Park Rangers which included loan deals at Malaysian club Perlis and Linfield in Northern Ireland. After leaving the R’s in 2018 Brandon dropped into non-league hoping to catch the eye of pro clubs and has certainty impressed. After a short stint at Enfield Town he moved to Ware in 2018/19 and bagged an impressive 23 league goals in 25 games.

Isaac Galliford (Forward) Previously with Hitchin Town, St Neots Town & Hemel Hempstead after starting out with Luton Town. Isaac signed for us for the beginning of last season. Whilst with The Canaries Isaac’s performances earned him an England ‘C’ call-up.

Matt Bateman (Forward) Re-joined us for the start this season from Hemel Hempstead, where he spent last season after moving from the Crows. Matt signed for the Crows at the start of season 2019/20 and scored an impressive 24 goals in 41 games during that season to earn his move to Hemel. Previous to that Matt played a big part in Berkhamsted’s push for promotion in 2018/19 where he netted 43 times in 54 appearances for The Comrades.

Harry Draper (Forward) Signed for the Crows on loan from Stevenage at the start of this season. Harry has been with Stevenage from the age of eight, he signed his first professional deal at Boro’ in summer 2019 and then spent that season on loan at Hitchin Town.

Finlay Titchmarsh (Defender) Young defender who signed for the Crows at the beginning of this season, Finlay was originally with Barnet before having spells with Staines Town and Ware.

Marcus Goldbourne (Forward) The 20-year-old pacey winger or striker came through the Stevenage U18 ranks and spent time on loan at Dunstable Town whilst on Boro`s books. Also had a brief spell in Swedish football with Ytterhagdaka IK before returning to the UK signing for Hitchin Town. In the summer he signed for Braintree Town and had a loan spell with Brightlingsea Regent.

Rhamar Garrett-Douglas (Defender) Young defender who started his career at Barnet and was a regular in their U18s. He was previously at Bishop's Stortford and has also had spells with Maldon & Tiptree and Hullbridge Sports.

Carl Mensah (Defender) 25 year-old towering central defender who joined the Crows from Welwyn Garden City at the end of November. His previous clubs include Bedford Town, Harpenden Town, Kempston Rovers, Tring Athletic, Cockfosters and Colney Heath.

Dimitrios Kyriatzis (Goalkeeper) A recent addition to the Crows squad having joined us from Bedfont Sports. Dimi's previous clubs include Brentford and Inter Leipzig.

TODAY'S OPPONENTS Redditch United FC Club History 1891 The Reds are one of the longest established football clubs in the Midlands, starting out as Redditch Town in the Birmingham Combination League in 1891 and being crowned first winners of the Worcestershire Senior Cup in 1894.

1893 The club’s debut campaign in 1893/94 began in the 1st Qualifying Round with a 4-1 win at home against Singers FC who five years later would change their name to Coventry City. However, Redditch Town withdrew before facing Hednesford (Town) in the 2nd Qualifying Round, a pattern repeated the following season with victory over Stafford Rangers and withdrawal before facing the original Coalville Town. The reasons for the withdrawals have not been identified, but it wasn’t uncommon for clubs in the 19th Century to either struggle to fund an away trip, find enough available players, or have more important competitions to focus on.

1896 Redditch Town not only dropped its suffix at the end of the 1896/97 season, but also dropped down to compete in local league football, not stepping back up until joining the Birmingham Combination for the 1908/09 season. This was followed two years later by a return to the FA Cup, but Redditch were well beaten 6-0 by league rivals Willenhall Pickwick in the 1910/11 Extra Preliminary Round. The final few years before the outbreak of World War I would witness just one FA Cup win for Redditch, 1-0 at Willenhall Swifts in the 1914/15 Preliminary Round, but this would lead to the club’s heaviest FA Cup defeat of all time, 8-0 at the hands of Cradley Heath St Luke’s.

1930 The club prospered in the 1930s and again 20 years later when they were Birmingham Combination champions in 1952 and 1955.

1971 In 1971, United was added to the name and in November of that year, the club reached the first round of the FA Cup for the first time in their history. A record crowd of 4,500 rammed into the Valley Stadium to see the Reds draw 1-1 with Division Four side Peterborough United before losing 6-0 in the replay.

1975 The following season saw them join the Southern League and were promoted to the Premier Division at the end of the 1975-76 campaign having scored more than 100 goals in the process.

1979 They were founder members of the Alliance Premier League at the start of the 1979/80 but struggled against the likes of Barnet and Yeovil Town in what would evolve into the Football Conference.

1989 The club then plied its trade in the Southern League for more than 20 years the highlight of which was another run to the first round of the FA Cup in 1989 before losing 3-1 to Conference side Merthyr Tydfil in front of another sell-out crowd.

1997 The club made the headlines at the end of the 1997-98 season, playing nine games in nine days due to a backlog of fixtures brought about by the poor weather and the then grass Valley Stadium Pitch.

2003 At the end of the 2003/04 season, the Reds clinched an historic double promotion under the guidance of manager Rod Brown. Having secured the Southern League Western Division, the club then won two playoff matches to secure a place in the newly formed Conference North where they stayed for seven seasons. The Club entered financial troubles and drop from the National League North in 2011.

2011 Entrepreneur Chris Swan took control of the club in March 2011, clearing outstanding debts to guarantee its continued survival. The Reds won the Worcestershire Senior Cup and a number of players made the move into full-time football including Jermaine Hylton who joined Swindon Town and Omari Sterling-James who went to Cheltenham Town.

2014 Having just missed out on the play-offs in 2014/15, the club finished runners-up the following year only to lose out to Leamington in the play-offs.

2016 In 2016, the club worked with Redditch Borough Council, the FA and the Football Foundation as a £900,000 investment programme was carried out which saw a state-of-the-art 3G playing surface installed as well as substantial upgrades to changing facilities. The new-look facilities were officially opened by Sports Minister Tracey Crouch.

A full time Academy was developed which enables scholars to take part in College and University level education alongside an elite football programme. Since its formation a number of players have developed through the pathway to senior football at Redditch United and other local Clubs.

2018 Redditch United Women’s Team does the double, as they are crowned League and Cup winners.

2020 Covid-19 pandemic rages through the globe meaning that he 2019/20 season is cut short due to national lockdown and Redditch are saved from near certain relegation. A new season starts later than normal in September 2020 with a new Chairman and Manger. United start strong under Matt Clarke only for the campaign to be delayed in November and eventually curtailed in February after just 8 games had been played.

2021 The future for The Reds has never looked brighter – over 1000 people playing on the 3G pitch each week thanks toa developing junior, education and community programme. United sell over 120 season tickets for the campaign thanks in part to the continuation of the £99 season ticket offer.

BOOT SPOTTING! Midfielder Spyros Mentis is the Crow who has been wearing odd boots!

Photo courtesy of Kevin Richards

WHO ARE YA? Redditch United FC Player Pen Pics Matthew Clarke – Manager Former Reds Captain and Assistant Manager, Matt will be leading the Reds into his 2nd season as manager after an impressive opening to 20/21 before the season was curtailed.

Samson Abodunrin, Coach/Analyst Initially joining the club in 2019 to assist the Reserves, Samson has since managed the U19 PDP side and now is the PDP U21's Manager, alongside coaching the 1st Team and providing analysis Gary Whild The Former Redditch United Manager and Director returns to the 1st Team Dugout after spending the first few months of the season coaching within our Full-Time Football & Education Programme. Whild’s former clubs include Solihull Moors, Barnet, Grimbsy, Macclesfield Town & Kidderminster Harriers in a host of different roles, bringing valuable experience to the club.

Keron Jackson Jackson is a former West Bromwich Albion Academy Development Coach & joined the Reds as 1st Team Coach earlier this season.

Kieran Boucher Former Aston Villa & Kidderminster Harriers Keeper, Boucher joined The Reds in October 2019 and has become a fan favourite and formidable presence between the sticks, recently committing to contract terms for the 2021/22 season too.

Lewis Hudson Hudson has been tied down on contract this season and is an exciting talent. Seamlessly making the jump from step 5, the former Coventry United left back looks set to be one of the standout players for The Reds.

Ryan Wollacott The centre defender joins from Stourport after previously being a mainstay for Aberrystwyth in the Welsh Premier Division.

Luke Rowe Former Wolves & Coventry City Midfielder joins the Reds for 2021/22 after impressive spells at Worcester City & Racing Club Warwick.

Tom Rankin Having joined from local rivals Bromsgrove Sporting in 2019, The skipper is one of the longest serving players in the current squad and has recently agreed contract terms to lead The Reds for the 2021/22 season. Currently on loan at Highgate United Daniel Sweeney Former Solihull Moors product, and proven goalscorer at step 3, Dan Sweeney, has committed to contract terms with the Reds this season. After multiple spells at The TRICO Stadium and various clubs within the division, the clinical striker will no doubt benefit from settling at the club this season and be looking to add many more goals to his CV.

Dennis Digie A product of the Kidderminster Harriers set up, Digie signs with the Reds this season after previously making his debut in the National League.

George Roke A product of the Redditch United Academy, the promising young Goalkeeper has represented the club at every youth level from U15 to U23’s. Certainly one to look out for at just 16 years old.

Asa Charlton Redditch United and Non-League Legend, Asa Charlton will be taking to the field again this season. At the age of 43, Charlton has amassed 25 years in 1st Team Football all over the non-league pyramid and has all the composure and positioning to show for it.

Kieron Dawes Another Birmingham City product and has represented the likes of Hednesford Town & Coleshill so far in his career.

Aram Soleman West Brom Academy product Soleman boasts great experience at this level despite his age, representing clubs such as Rushall Olympic, Hednesford Town & local rivals Bromsgrove Sporting.

Jack Byrne Joining from National League North side AFC Telford United, Byrne brings valuable experience and quality to the heart of midfield.

Calum Flanagan Recently signed from Halesowen Town. Very experienced defender / left back on his second spell at Redditch. Previous clubs include, Aston Villa res, Worcester City, Hednesford Town, Rushall Olympic and Solihull Moors Ryan Edmunds Signed from Nuneaton Borough. Previous clubs include Sutton Coldfield Town and Coleshill Town. Mister versatile, can play anywhere across midfield or up front, and has also featured as a wing back.

Theo Rowe Recently joined from Banbury United.

Ryan Boothe Dual registered with Walsall Wood.

Thomas Hewlett On loan from Burton Albion.

Kieren Donnelly Recently re-joined Redditch from local side Studley.

PLAYER SPONSORSHIP

Joe Welch Ryan Easley

Daniel Brathwaite Katherine Thompson

Ed James Brighton Asafu-Adjaye Kelshall Jake Easley Plastics

Brandon Adams Martin Pendrick Royston Plastering

Isa Rotimi Martin Pendrick

Ronnie Henry David Gray

Adam Murray Jeff Gill

PLAYER SPONSORSHIP

Matt Bateman DFM Matt Clowery

Marcus Goldbourne AVAILABLE

Spyros Mentis Mick & Enid Toovey

Isaac Galliford

Dan Newton Graham Haggar

Carl Mensah

Tom Newman Clive Middlemass

Steve Castle

AVAILABLE

Steve Tuck

AVAILABLE

PLAYER SPONSORSHIP

Dimi Kyriatzis AVAILABLE

Finley Titchmarsh AVAILABLE

Fred Brown AVAILABLE

Rhamar Garret-Douglas AVAILABLE

Sponsorship available from

£150

per season

Dan Green

Makai Murray

Chris Watters

AVAILABLE

AVAILABLE

AVAILABLE

Contact ALAN BARLOW for details

SQUADS Saturday 19th March 2022 Kick Off: 3PM TODAY'S MATCH SPONSOR:

DAVID GRAY

TODAYS OFFICIALS REFEREE: Matthew Fletcher ASSISTANTS: Stuart Smith, Marc Rister

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Joe Welch (GK) Ed Asafu-Adjaye Daniel Brathwaite Carl Mensah Adam Murray (c) Ronnie Henry Finley Titchmarsh Devonte Aransibia Brandon Adams Matt Bateman Isaac Galliford Tom Newman Dimitrios Kyriatzis (GK) James Brighton Brooklyn Ilunga Isa Rotimi Makai Murray Dan Green Spyros Mentis Dan Newton Marcus Goldbourne Rhamar Garrett-Douglas

Steve Castle / Chris Watters Scott Taylor / Amber Murray

Kieran Boucher (GK) Kieren Donnelly Lewis Hudson Aram Soleman Calum Flanagan Ryan Wollacott Luke Rowe Thomas Rankin Daniel Sweeney Ryan Boothe Ryan Edmunds Dennis Digie George Roke (GK) Sam Rowbottom (GK) Asa Charlton Jack Byrne (c) Kieron Dawes Thomas Hewlett Ben Shields (GK) Theo Rowe

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MANAGERS Matthew Clarke / Keron Jackson SPORTS THERAPISTS