ROYSTON TOWN vs STOURBRIDGE - MATCHDAY PROGRAMME - SATURDAY 27th AUGUST 2022

STEVE TUCK

PITCHING IN SOUTHERN FOOTBALL LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION CENTRAL

ROYSTON TOWN FC vs STOURBRIDGE FC Saturday 27th August 2022 Kick Off: 3pm

Royston Town FC would like to welcome this afternoon's opponents Stourbridge FC for their visit to Garden Walk for this Pitching In Southern League Premier 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:

STEVE TUCK

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 U23 Manager U18 Team Managers Women's Team Manager Vets Team Manager

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

Ground

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

Colours

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

WHO'S GOT WHO? Today's other fixtures SATURDAY 27th AUGUST 2022 AFC Rushden & Diamonds v Ilkeston Town Barwell v Alvechurch Basford United v Leiston Bromsgrove Sporting v Hitchin Town Hednesford Town v Bedford Town Kings Langley v Stratford Town Mickleover v St Ives Town Needham Market v Rushall Olympic Redditch United v Nuneaton Borough Tamworth v Coalville Town

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 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.

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

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

NUNEATON MATCH REPORT

Royston returned empty handed from their first away trip of the season, as they slipped to a 3-1 defeat at the Liberty Stadium, home of Nuneaton Borough.

What looked a much-improved Nuneaton team from last season, where quick out of the blocks. Dimi Kyriatzis was called upon as early as the 7th minute, thwarting Kane Richards with a tip round the post as Richards ran through on goal. The Boro thought they had taken the lead in the 13th minute as Matthew Stenson cleverly turned Dan Newton but he was unlucky to see his curling shot thunder back off of the post. It was Stenson again in the 26th minute who had a free header in the box, but he was unable to unduly trouble Kyriatzis.

It was therefore somewhat against the run of play that Royston took the lead. A strong run from skipper Adam Murray was illegally stopped on the left edge of the box. James Brighton stepped up and delivered a deep out-swinging free-kick, that was firmly met at the back post by Dan Newton, to give the Crows the advantage.

The one goal lead was short lived though, as just 4 minutes later home full back Camron McWilliams weaved his way into the box, evading some weak defending, before smashing the ball home from 8 yards, giving Kyriatzis no chance.

With the score at 1-1 going into the second half there was much to play for, but Royston were pinned back and struggled to get out of their own half with any meaningful possession. It came as no surprise, when in the 61st minute the home side took the lead. A forceful run through the midfield area by Tyrell Waite, ended with him sliding the ball through to impish winger Charlie Dowd, who calmly passed the ball into the back of the net, much to the vocal home supporters’ delight.

The Crows were forced to push forward a bit more and the game started to open out, good play from substitute Freddie Brown saw him tee up Max Bustamante but his shot was always rising over the crossbar. At the other end Kyriatzis had to be alert, as he tipped over a longrange effort from Ryan Beswick.

The best chance of an equaliser fell to Carl Mensah as Adam Murray knocked down a Nathan Tshikuna free kick, but the ball would not drop kindly for the big centre half. Indeed, from the resulting break Nuneaton should have put the game out of reach, as a quick counter-attack, that looked highly promising, broke down as Revarnelle James overhit the crucial pass.

Substitute James was not to be denied his moment of glory though, as in the 91st minute he made the game safe, working space on the right-hand corner of the penalty area he was able to finish low into the bottom corner and give Nuneaton a well-deserved first win of the season.

Royston: 1-Kyriatzis, 6-Henry, 3-Brighton (14-Williams 54), 8-Mentis, 4-Mensah, 2-Newton, 7Ironton (17-Brown 62), 10-Tshikuna, 5-Murray ©, 9-Bateman (15-Darby 62), 11-BustamanteMacaire Unused: 12-Keane, 16-Rolfe MOM – Carl Mensah

IMPORTANT INFO FOR SUPPORTERS TRAVELLING TO BEDFORD TOWN Bedford Town FC have advised that supporters attending the game on Bank Holiday Monday purchase their ticket in advance. This will save you money, and also make life easier for you when you arrive at the ground.

Please visit: https://bedfordtownfc.ktckts.com/ ADULTS: CONCESSIONS (65+): 16-20 YEARS: 10-15 YEARS: UNDER 10:

£10 £7 £7 £4 FREE

If you are unable to purchase online, please contact Bedford Town to order your ticket in advance for the same price.

PARKING Bedford Town have also asked that supporters make sure to park in the correct car park.

Do NOT park in the Bedford FC car park next door. They will lock their gates if they are finished before our game, and you won't be able to retrieve your car. Parking is available at the two main car parks at the Eyrie and costs £1.

COALVILLE MATCH REPORT

A trip to the early league leaders did not faze the Crows, as they returned to Hertfordshire with a wellearned point, following a pulsating encounter at Coalville.

The Crows nearly took an early lead as Max Bustamante latched onto an Adam Murray flick, only to see his effort saved by experienced home stopper Paul White.

Overall, the first half proved a fairly even affair, but it was the home side that took the lead in the 26th minute, as a cross into the box was misjudged by the Royston defence. The ball fell at the feet of Timothy Berridge who looked to have missed the golden opportunity presented to him as he dragged the ball back towards the recovering defenders, however, he kept his composure to finish past Dimi Kyriatzis.

Royston’s 2 best chances both fell to Jarid Robson, the first one looked easier to score, as he skewed the ball wide from the centre of the goal, after good work by Joel Nakatani-Brown and Ronnie Henry had set up the chance. The second one saw him head over from a Nathan Tshikuna free kick.

The second half remained fairly tight until the introduction of Matt Bateman, which led to a change of shape, opening the game up. The more open spaces created by the switch to 3-5-2 suited the Crows a lot better and began to cause the home side a number of problems. It didn’t take long for the Crows to reap the rewards, as Robson atoned for his earlier miss, with a far post header from Nakatani-Brown’s deep cross levelling things up just before the hour mark.

Despite being on top the Crows could not push their advantage home as Coalville re-took the lead. A surging run down the right by home skipper Joe Doyle-Charles ended in a cross that was expertly finished with a well-controlled left-footed volley by Ashley Chambers.

The Crows were not to be kept quiet though and the deserved equaliser arrived in the 73rd minute.

Skipper Adam Murray drew a foul 25 yards from goal and Nathan Tshikuna stepped up to drive an unstoppable shot into the top corner.

At this point, the Crows decided to sit back and try and protect the point on offer. Coalville started to gain some momentum as Luke Shaw saw a curling shot just clear the crossbar. Straight afterwards Kyriatzis turned a Chambers shot onto the crossbar before substitute Lewis Williams did well to block the follow-up effort. The Ravens thought they had won it in the 88th minute as Shaw popped up in the middle of the 6yard box, but he could only direct his free header wide of the goal. There was still time for Kyriatzis to save well from Thomas McGlinchey, and it was the away team that was the happier, as referee Simon Kavanagh brought proceedings to a halt.

Royston: 1-Kyriatzis, 2-Newton, 3-Nakatani-Brown, 4-Mensah, 5-Murray ©, 6-Henry, 7-Tanga (15-Ironton 78), 8-Mentis, 9-Robson (12-Williams 80), 10-Tshikuna, 11-Bustamante-Macaire (14-Bateman 54) Unused: 16-Rolfe, 17-Rotimi MOM – Joel Nakatani-Brown

Hi everyone, Not a bad result from the travelling Crows last Saturday but considering that our opponents, Coalville, have blasted everyone previously and had achieved maximum points before last Saturday then I feel that not only a point but a good degree of belief can come from the game.

We created more chances than our hosts but they were extremely clinical with theirs – something that we really need to work on.

Please don’t think I’m dripping, I’m certainly not. The boys gave their all and overall they thoroughly deserved the result. There’s so much more to come from this group but the team spirit is definitely there!

Chris and I came up with a game plan, although to be honest, it was Chris that explained it to me!

It was more about concentrating on stopping them rather than us taking the game to them and to a large degree it worked. The downside to this approach was having to drop a few to accommodate our plan and to achieve our shape and intent. As I said it worked but I must say that the lads that got left out took it very well and stayed positive throughout. I’ve said it before on numerous occasions but it really is a squad game and the group is all-important.

On to this week ahead and we have had a free week in regards to mid-week matches but it’s been an important training time. Today we host Stourbridge and although they haven’t got off to the best of starts it’s still early and they are always a tough team to play against.

Last Sunday I popped along to Garden Walk to see the Women kick off their league campaign – unfortunately, they were on the wrong side of the result but it was a very enjoyable game.

I feel a big part of my role is to try to bring us all together. We are very strong if we can all keep together. The Youth, Women, U18s, U23s and the First Team or any team wearing the Crows badge all need to be supported and it is my intention to get the men to integrate even more and to make sure that everyone supports one another!

Cheers for now.

Steve C Photo courtesy of Kevin Richards

WHAT'S NEW ON RTFCTV?

O’s Youngster Joins The Crows on Loan We’re delighted to announce the loan signing of Jephte Tanga from Leyton Orient for a minimum of 28 days.

18 year-old Jephte is a right-sided player who made his senior debut for the O’s last season and was rewarded with a professional contract in June of this year.

Welcome to Garden Walk Jephte!!

Photos courtesy of Leyton Orient FC

On Monday the draw for the First Qualifying Round of the Emirates FA Cup was made.

The Crows were drawn to face local rivals Hertford Town away.

The tie is scheduled to take place on Saturday 3rd September.

Hertford Town are currently sitting 6th in the Pitching In Southern League Division One Central.

The Blues play at Hertingfordbury Park, Hertford, SG13 8EZ - a short 30 minute hop down the A10 from Royston.

Keep an eye on our social channels and the website for more info.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Jay Rolfe (Defender) Versatile defender who can play in a number of positions. Joined the Crows this Summer from Welwyn Garden City. Previous clubs include Cockfosters, Colney Heath and Hatfield Town 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.

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.

George Ironton (Midfield) 26 year old midfielder who joined the Crows this summer from Welwyn Garden City FC where he spent 4 years. Has impressed in preseason and is relishing the opportunity of playing at Step 3. Previous clubs include Tring Athletic, Cockfosters, Barton Rovers, Arlesey Town, Hitchin Town, Ware 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.

Nathan Tshikuna (Midfield) Featured a number of times for the Crows in pre-season and has impressed enough to join Steve Castle’s squad for the coming season. Nathan’sprevious clubs include Bedford Town, Kempston Rovers, Barton Rovers and AFC Rushden & Diamonds. Nathan scored an impressive 11 goals in 44 appearances for Rushden & Diamonds last season.

Matt Bateman (Forward) Re-joined us last season from Hemel Hempstead, where he spent a 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.

Max Bustamante-Macaire (Forward) The 18-year-old striker impressed in pre-season and has signed for the Crows. Max is a former Chilean youth player and has represented his national side at Under 15, Under 17 and Under 18 levels. His previous clubs include Barnet FC and Stevenage FC. Whilst at Stevenage, Max had loan spells at Kings Langley, Biggleswade Town and Bedford Town.

Joel Nakatani-Brown (Defender) Joel is a 22 year old left-sided defender who has impressed during pre-season and joins the Crows for their 2022/23 Southern League Premier Central campaign. Joel’s previous clubs include Westfield, FC Romania, Cockfosters and Walthamstow.

Jephte Tanga (Forward( A recent loan signing from League 2 side Leyton Orient. 18 year-old Jephte is a right-sided player who made his senior debut for the O’s last season and was rewarded with a professional contract in June of this year.

TODAY'S OPPONENTS STOURBRIDGE FC Club History "The Glassboys" were founded in 1876 and were originally known as Stourbridge Standard. Top honours eluded the club until the 1887-88 season when the Kidderminster Cup and the Worcester Charity Cup was won. By that time, it is known that that the club had changed its name to "Stourbridge Football Club" and were competing in the Birmingham and District League, where reasonable success was achieved without actually gaining the league title, but the Worcestershire Senior Cup was won on three occasions.

The 1923-24 season was one of the best in the club's history, when the Birmingham League championship was clinched by finishing seven points clear of Shrewsbury and the Worcestershire Senior Cup was won yet again.

After the Second World War, "The Glassboys" (reflecting the town's connection with the Cut Glass industry) enjoyed a particularly successful period with the Birmingham Combination Championship achieved in 1952 and the Birmingham, Worcestershire and Herefordshire Senior Cups were also won too during this particular era.

The club returned to the Birmingham League in 1954 on the disbanding of the Birmingham Combination and were runners-up in 1955-56. The Birmingham Senior Cup was won for a second time in 1958-59 and later, the 1967-68 season saw the club achieve a 'double' in lifting both the Worcestershire and Birmingham Senior Cups.

In 1971 the club was elected to the expanding Southern League and soon enjoyed success under manager Alan Grundy in the 1973-74 season, with the Division 1 (North) title and the Merit Cup (for the league's highest goalscorers) coming to Amblecote. Twin strikers, Ray Haywood and Chic Bates, each notched 50 goals that season and were transferred to Shrewsbury Town, where Bates served 13 years as both player and manager.

Another highlight in 1973-74 was a tremendous run in the Welsh Cup, in which we disposed of both Swansea and Wrexham on their own grounds and then faced Cardiff City in a two-leg final. A record crowd of 5,726 saw the Glassboys lose the home leg 1-0 and then also go down 1-0 at Ninian Park.

Four seasons were spent in the Premier Division of the Southern League between 1974 and 1984, but little of note was achieved except for a Worcestershire Senior Cup Final victory over Kidderminster Harriers in 1981. Two centre-forwards were also sold, Steve Cooper to Torquay and Tony Cunningham to Lincoln City during this time.

Subsequent Midland Division form was mediocre too, despite three good F.A. Cup runs, and a disastrous run of results in 1987-88 led to a relegation spot, however fortune was on the club's side and we were re-elected to the League in the close season.

Stourbridge then went on from strength to strength, culminating in winning the Midland Division Championship in 1991 under the managership of John Chambers. But disappointment followed when Southern League officials refused promotion due to the shared use of the Ground with the Cricket Club.

1992-93 also proved to be a truly remarkable season. Our league form was inconsistent, however following a memorable run in the Barclays Commercial Services (Southern League) Cup we reached the final, where despite the resignation of John Chambers as manager in the lead-up, we upset the form book by recording a 3-2 aggregate success over Southern League Premier Division champions Dover Athletic to win the trophy.

After a mixed start to the 1995-96 season, the Club parted company with boss Colin Gordon at Christmas and then Chairman Morton Bartleet took control of team affairs. He led the side to the 1996 Worcestershire Senior Cup final where the Glassboys lost 4-3 on aggregate to Bromsgrove Rovers.

October 1997 saw a new Chairman at the club and many impressive signings for the 1998-99 season were made under the guidance of a new manager, Steve Daniels. However early season success proved short lived as budget cutbacks then saw many of the more experienced players move on. The club finished in mid-table and shortly after the end of the season, Daniels resigned as manager, and player/coach Micky Guest was promoted as his successor.

The club suffered a torrid period on and off the pitch at the start of the 1999-2000 season and Micky Guest resigned. Meanwhile a new owner came to the club, and swiftly appointed Mark Serrell as Chairman and Mark Harrison as Manager. Despite an influx of new players, continued poor results meant the bell finally tolled on our 29-year spell at Southern League level with defeat in the last game of the season at Hinckley United in May 2000.

We finished in 5th place in our inaugural season in the Midland Football Alliance, but the highlight of the 2000-01 season was the capture of the MFA Davis League Cup. We emerged victorious over Bridgnorth Town following a dramatic penalty shoot-out after the final had finished in a 1-1 draw, to collect our first silverware for eight years.

The 2001-02 season began well with the lifting of the Joe McGorian Cup after a 2-1 victory at League Champions Stourport. In November 2001, however, the club parted company with Mark Harrison, with the former Bilston Town boss Joe Jackson subsequently taking over as manager. We remained amongst the front-runners in the League despite an inevitable transitional phase and on the final Saturday of the season, we were crowned champions in dramatic fashion as a last gasp stoppage time goal by Brian Gray earned the point we needed at Stafford Town to pip Bromsgrove to the title.

Joe Jackson again led the club to the Midland Football Alliance Championship in 2002-03. Our record total of 101 league points only just being sufficient to overcome the strong challenge of Rushall Olympic and Stratford Town. The Joe McGorian Cup had earlier been retained after a 2-0 win at Rushall.

Promotion though proved beyond us again due to the ground grading regulations in place at the time.

Joe Jackson declined to try and lead us to a hat trick of titles in 2003-04 and was replaced by Jon Ford and Gary Hackett, who had enjoyed two successful seasons in charge at Bromsgrove. The new management team had to rebuild the side from scratch, but an encouraging second half of the season saw the Glassboys finish a creditable 9th.

In 2004-05 we enjoyed a memorable run in the F.A. Vase to reach the last 8 of the competition. We put up a tremendous display at AFC Sudbury in the quarter-final before finally succumbing to a 4-1 defeat after extra time. In the league, we were well placed for a title push at the turn of the year, but after our exit from the Vase in early March we suffered a terrible run of results which meant that we slipped down the league table and eventually finished in 8th place.

In May 2005 Gary Hackett took sole charge of the team after Jon Ford decided to step down due to work and family commitments. With a re-organisation of the non-league pyramid at Step 4 level on the cards, we looked to mount a strong push for promotion. Off the pitch, concerted efforts were made to enable the club to meet the new F A ground grading requirements by April 1st. Entering the last week of the season, a league and cup 'double' was still achievable, but we went down to a 1-0 defeat to Willenhall Town in the Final of the Birmingham Senior Cup and then four days later, we were pipped to the MFA title by Chasetown and had to settle for the runners-up spot. Mark Bellingham had hit 61 goals for the season to break the club record, while his tally of 48 goals in the MFA also smashed the league record. An anxious two-week gap followed before we received confirmation of promotion and a return to the Southern League after six years at the lower level.

In our first season back in the Southern League Midlands Division, a respectable 7th place finish in 2006-07 was achieved. We also reached the final of the Worcestershire Senior Cup, but following a goal-less draw at Amblecote in the first leg of the final against Evesham United, we were somewhat unluckily beaten 2 - 1 aet away in the second leg.

In the 2007-08 season, an excellent run of results during March and April saw us seal a third-place finish in the Midlands Division to reach the play-offs. A narrow 1 - 0 win at home to Sutton Coldfield took us through to the Final away at second placed Leamington and in front of a crowd of 1.634, a stunning goal from Leon Broadhurst four minutes from the end of extra-time sealed a 2 - 1 victory to earn us a second promotion in three seasons and a return to the Premier Division of the Southern League after a gap of 24 years!

After a difficult start to our return to the Premier Division, we eventually acclimatized to life at the higher level with a final placing of 16th. We also reached our third senior cup final in four seasons with a fine run in the Birmingham Senior Cup, however we once again suffered heartbreak in the final as Hednesford Town defeated us 2 - 0 at Burton Albion's Pirelli Stadium.

In 2009-10 Gary Hackett became the first Stourbridge manager to take the club through to the First Round Proper of the F A Cup with the Glassboys earning a home tie with Walsall. In front of a crowd of 2,014 at the War Memorial Athletic Ground the Saddlers ran out narrow 1 - 0 winners on a momentous day for the club. Some excellent results in the second half of the campaign also saw Stourbridge finish in 9th place in the league.

2010-11 saw the Glassboys taste cup final success as we defeated Worcester City 2 - 0 to lift the Worcestershire Senior Cup at Kidderminster Harriers. Another solid Premier Division season ended with Stourbridge finishing 8th.

In 2011-12 we reached the First Round Proper of the F A Cup for the second time in three seasons and after a fabulous 3 - 3 draw away at League Two outfit Plymouth Argyle, a crowd of 2,519 saw the Glassboys defeat the Devon club 2 - 0 at Amblecote in front of the ESPN cameras to reach the 2nd Round Proper for the first time in our long history, but our glorious run was finally ended by Stevenage who won 3 - 0 at Stourbridge in-front of an attendance of 3,067. The Glassboys also remained in contention for the league play-offs, however a draw at Frome Town in our final fixture saw us just miss out on goal difference as we ended another memorable campaign in 6th place.

We got our 2012-13 campaign off to a winning start too as a 1 - 0 victory away at Kidderminster Harriers enabled us to retain the Worcestershire Senior Cup in a Final carried over from the previous season, but our early season form was wildly up and down. From December onwards though, we showed more consistency and a strong final run-in saw us clinch the runners up spot in the Premier Division. The Worcestershire Senior Cup was won for a third successive time in April 2013, but we needed penalties to overcome Redditch United after the final at St George’s Lane had ended goal-less, however a week later we suffered play-off heartbreak as we were beaten 2 – 1 at home by Gosport Borough in the semi-finals to miss out on the chance of promotion.

In 2013-14 the club managed to reach the competition Proper stages of the F A Cup once again. A 4 – 1 home victory over league rivals Biggleswade Town in the 1st Round Proper earned us an away tie at Stevenage where we bowed out after a 4 – 0 defeat. In the league, a last day draw at Hitchin Town secured 5th spot and a play-off place for a second successive season, however in the semi-final we were beaten 2 – 1 at league runners-up Chesham United.

We were moved across the pyramid structure for the 2014-15 season to become members of the Northern Premier League for the first time in the club’s history. In an ultimately disappointing campaign, a dismal run of one win in our last 17 league games saw us eventually finish in 16th place.

A host of new signings over the following summer gave the side a fresh look for 2015-16. Another remarkable run in the F A Cup, which included victories over Kidderminster Harriers and Dover Athletic saw the club reach the Second Round Proper once again before going down 2 - 0 to Eastleigh in-front of 2,086 at the War Memorial Athletic Ground and we also reached the last sixteen of the F A Trophy before succumbing to Nantwich Town. There was some late season disappointment, however, when defeats in our last two league games saw us consigned to a 6th place finish, therefore narrowly missing out on the play-offs.

The club once again enjoyed success in the F A Cup in 2016-17. In the 2nd Round Proper the Glassboys defeated League One club Northampton Town at home 1 – 0, in front of a crowd of 2,520, to famously reach the 3rd Round Proper for the first time in our history, where with the backing of over 2,000 travelling fans, we fell to a narrow 2 – 1 defeat away at Wycombe Wanderers. Soon afterwards defender Dan Scarr was sold to Birmingham City for a five-figure sum. A strong April saw us finish 3rd in the Premier Division to secure a play-off berth, but after overcoming Workington at home in the semi-finals, we lost 1 - 0 away to league runners-up Spennymoor Town in the play-off final to miss out on promotion.

The 2017-18 campaign saw the Glassboys have mixed fortunes in the league, eventually ending in 10th place, but the club reached the 4th Qualifying Round of the F A Cup and 2nd Round proper of the F A Trophy and the season ended on a high note with the lifting of the Birmingham Senior Cup with a 2 - 1 win over Hednesford Town in the Final played at St Andrew's.

The Club returned to the Southern League for 2018-19 as a member of the newly created Premier Division Central. Home wins over National League North teams Leamington and Kidderminster saw the Glassboys once again reach the FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round before being beaten 3 – 1 at Guiseley AFC. In the league we held a top two spot for much of the campaign only to slip to 3rd on the final day of the season with a home defeat to King’s Lynn Town. We then had to give up home advantage in the play-off semi-finals and were subsequently defeated 2 – 1 at Alvechurch to see our promotion hopes dashed once more.

A day after the play-off loss Gary Hackett resigned his post to bring the curtain down on an outstanding 16 years in charge and Jon Ford and other members of his backroom team also followed him in leaving. Ian Long then arrived from Alvechurch in May 2019 to take over at the helm. Despite a large turnover of players that summer, the Club reached the 1st Round Proper of the FA Cup again before losing to Eastleigh after a replay. However, In February 2020 Ian Long was relieved of his duties with Mark Yates subsequently appointed in his place just before the 2019/20 campaign was brought to a premature end by the covid pandemic.

The 2020-21 season proved to be a short affair as the pandemic situation worsened again, but the Glassboys exited both the FA Cup and the FA Trophy at the first hurdle, losing on penalties away to Tamworth after a 3 – 3 draw after 90 minutes in the FA Cup and suffering a 3 – 0 home defeat to Stamford AFC in the FA Trophy.

A disappointing start to the 2021-22 season saw the Club part company with Mark Yates in October 2021 with popular former Stourbridge players Stuart Pierpoint and Leon Broadhurst subsequently returning to the Glassboys as joint managers. We recovered to finish 11th in the league, however some success was enjoyed in cup competitions with a fine run to the last 16 of the FA Trophy before losing 1 – 0 at home to National League highfliers Solihull Moors, while the Glassboys also reached the Final of the Birmingham Senior Cup before going down 3 – 1 to Leamington at Villa Park.

WHO ARE YA? Stourbridge FC Player Pen Pics CHARLIE PRICE Goalkeeper who first joined the club in May 2015 from Tividale and he made 14 appearances for the Glassboys in 2015-16 before ending that campaign on dual registration to Lye Town. He moved to Alvechurch in the summer of 2016 after his year at Stourbridge but in June 2019 he returned for a second stint at the War Memorial Athletic Ground. Some strong performances early in 2020 saw him go on to secure the no. 1 jersey and he has been the first-choice stopper since then.

LEE VAUGHAN The Birmingham-born, former England C International arrived in the summer of 2021 from Barnet FC where he had spent the last two months of the 2020/21 campaign. His first season at Stourbridge saw him win the 2021/22 players’ and committee player of the year awards. He is a solid, committed rightback who also likes to get forward to support the attack whenever possible. He started his career in the youth ranks at Birmingham City and Portsmouth before being signed by then Walsall player-boss Paul Merson in February 2005. Whilst with the Saddlers he had loan spells with Willenhall Town and AFC Telford United before signing for AFC Telford in the summer of 2006. After four years with the Shropshire outfit, he moved to Kidderminster Harriers in May 2010 before he was handed the chance to play League football in the summer of 2014 when Mark Yates swooped to sign him for Cheltenham Town. He was a regular in the Robins first team during a difficult 2014/15 season that ultimately saw them relegated to the National League before he was signed on loan by Tranmere Rovers in November 2015 with that move being made more permanent in January 2016. Ahead of the 2017/18 season he returned to Kidderminster Harriers for a second stint before he was signed by National League club Solihull Moors in February 2019. He made 35 appearances for the Moors before being released at the end of the 2019/20 season and his playing career then moved full circle as he once more returned to AFC Telford in the summer of 2020. Once the National League North campaign was curtailed in 2021, he moved to Barnet early in March 2021 before being freed at the expiry of his short-term contract at the end of that season.

JACK WILSON Experienced and reliable full back who was signed from Bromsgrove Sporting in September 2021.

Well-regarded for his strength, pace and work-rate, he chalked up over 200 appearances and had been a key figure as Bromsgrove climbed the levels. He had a short stint at Lichfield City at the start of the 2015/16 season before re-joining Sporting.

CHRIS KNIGHT An experienced and versatile player who re-joined the Club for a third spell in July 2022. He first linked up with the Glassboys in the summer of 2012 after an injury-hit spell with Stourport Swifts the previous season. Prior to that, he spent a few months with Leamington in 2010/11 and had also had stints with Gresley Rovers, Dudley Sports and Dudley Town. He also represented English Colleges. Originally a bustling striker, he successfully converted to playing at the back in the 2013/14 season and he was a stand-out performer for us in an otherwise disappointing 2014/15 campaign when he was named as the supporters', manager's and player's player of the year. He left in January 2016 and played more locally with Team Dudley and Lye Town before returning to the War Memorial Athletic Ground nearly twelve months later for the remainder of the 2017/18 season. After starting the following season with the Glassboys, he moved on to Lye Town in November 2017 before spending the past three seasons with AFC Wulfrunians.

JOE HULL A strong central defender who re-joined Stourbridge for a second spell in December 2021. He first came to prominence at Kidderminster Harriers where he progressed from the youth set-up to the fringes of their first team before joining Redditch United for the 2010-11 campaign. The following summer he moved on to Hinckley United before linking up with Stourport Swifts in September 2011 and then later that season returning to Redditch. He joined Halesowen in the autumn of 2012, and he spent threeand-a-quarter years there before moving to Stourbridge in February 2016. He was with us for eight months but found his opportunities limited at times. After a brief 'loan' stint with Tividale, he signed for Rushall Olympic in October 2016 and then in June 2019 he left the Pics to move to Bromsgrove Sporting before signing for their Worcestershire neighbours Alvechurch FC in December 2019.

JOEL KETTLE Linked up with the Glassboys for a second spell in the summer of 2022 after agreeing a move from Bromsgrove Sporting. He previously had a brief stint at Stourbridge towards the end of the 2013/14 season, making one substitute appearance. The rugged 6ft 3 ins. tall central defender first came to prominence with spells at Sutton Coldfield Town and Tividale. He returned to Sutton Coldfield in the summer of 2012 before joining us in March 2014 just before the transfer deadline. That summer he opted to make the move to Halesowen Town for linking up with Sutton Coldfield for a third time in February 2015. He remained with the Royals for the 2015/16 season before joining Rushall Olympic in the summer of 2016. In December 2016 he was handed the chance to move up the levels with Solihull Moors and enjoy a spell playing in the National League. Twelve months later he joined Tamworth on loan initially before making the move more permanent in March 2018. He agreed a 1-year deal with the Staffordshire outfit that summer to remain with the Lambs for 2018/19 but in June 2019 he joined Nuneaton Borough. In August 2021 he left the Warwickshire club to link up with Bromsgrove Sporting and he was subsequently appointed as captain of the Rouslers.

MOUSSA KOITA The French passport holder is an athletic midfielder who looks to get forward when he can. He impressed in friendly matches ahead of the 2022/23 campaign having previously featured for Team Dudley in the West Midlands Regional League since April 2021.

ALEX MOORE A creative midfielder who is also adept at dead-ball situations. He was signed from Rushall Olympic in the summer of 2022 having been the Manager's Player of the Year for 2021/22 after consistently strong performances for the Pics. Often referred to by his nickname 'Scholsey', he was initially at the Walsall FC academy until the age of 14. He would later return to Walsall to take up a post within their Football Community set-up. On the playing side he played for Wolverhampton Casuals and Shifnal Town before joining Wolverhampton Sporting Community where he was a key member of their West Midlands Regional League Premier Division title-winning side of 2017/18. He subsequently made the step-up with Sutton Coldfield the following season before signing for Rushall Olympic in the summer of 2019. He spent three years with Rushall before making the move to the War Memorial Athletic Ground.

CALLUM GITTINGS The experienced midfield campaigner joined the Glassboys from Leamington in the summer of 2022.

He was with Wolves as a schoolboy. After being released at the age of 16 he had a break from the game before resuming playing for Redditch United. He also had a spell 'on loan' at Cinderford Town.

Spells followed at Tividale and Boldmere St Michaels before he subsequently made the move to Alvechurch in 2006 where he enjoyed four good years before signing for Kidderminster Harriers in August 2010 and moving into full-time football where he spent five seasons and made over 150 appearances. In the summer of 2015, he joined Solihull Moors, but he spent the last month or so of the campaign on loan at Leamington FC. He initially signed for AFC Telford for the 2016/17 season, however by October 2016 he was back with Leamington and he went on to chalk up over 200 appearances for the Warwickshire outfit over the course of the next five-and-a-half years or so, helping the Brakes to win promotion to the National League North via the play-offs and win the Birmingham Senior Cup three times.

REECE KING Signed for the Glassboys from Buxton in 2021. The tall, powerful central midfielder began his career at Malvern Town, making his first team debut in the 2011/12 season at the age of 16. He chalked up over 100 appearances for them before he signed for Gloucester City ahead of the 2017/18 campaign following a successful trial spell. In September 2017 he joined Hednesford Town - initially on loan before making the move to Keys Park more permanent towards the end of that year. In the 2019 close season he signed for Leamington FC, however after being restricted to a handful of substitute appearances in his first month at the Warwickshire club, he opted to re-join Hednesford Town where he then continued to be one of the mainstays of their side. In February 2020 he completed a move to Buxton FC, linking up again with Gary Hayward and he remained with the Bucks for the truncated 2020/21 season before deciding to join a club closer to home for the 2021/22 campaign.

DARRYL KNIGHTS Joined the Glassboys from AFC Telford in 2020. The Suffolk-born playmaker can operate at the head of a midfield diamond or out wide. He started his career with his hometown club, Ipswich Town, before spending time on loan at Yeovil Town, later making the move to Somerset on a permanent deal. He has also had two spells with Kidderminster Harriers, as well as stints with Newport County, Solihull Moors and Tamworth respectively before signing for AFC Telford in the summer of 2018. He made 64 appearances during his two seasons with AFC Telford United and netted seven times for the Shropshire outfit.

ETHAN MORAN A promising attacking midfielder or winger signed in August 2021 after successful trials. He progressed through the youth and reserve ranks into the first team fold at Worcester City in 2018/19. He had a couple of loan stints at Malvern Town before making the move on a more permanent basis during the 2019/20 season. He has also more recently been involved with the Kidderminster Harriers academy setup and he also linked up with Lye Town in October 2020.

REECE STYCHE A hard-working forward who likes to play on the shoulder of the last defender and look to get in behind down the channels. He signed for Stourbridge in September 2021 from Hednesford Town and at the end of season awards in May 2022 he was named managers’ player of the year as well as winning the supporters award. The much-travelled striker started out in the youth system at Hednesford before making his first team debut in April 2007. Spells followed with Grantham Town, Coalville Town and Shepshed Dynamo before a move to Chasetown in October 2009 saw his playing career really take off.

13 goals in 15 appearances brought him to the attention of then Conference Premier outfit Forest Green Rovers and he signed for the Gloucestershire club in January 2010. He spent the next four years at Forest Green, although a ruptured ACL in February 2013 put him on the side-lines for eight months. In January 2014 he joined Wycombe Wanderers on loan for the remainder of the 2012/13 season before he was released by Forest Green at the end of that season. In 2014, he signed a 2-year deal with Kidderminster Harriers, however the move didn't really work out. In October 2014 he was loaned out to Tamworth, and ended up spending most of the remainder of the season with the Lambs. He started the following season back at Kidderminster before linking up with Macclesfield Town, on loan, towards the end of October 2015. In May 2016 he signed for Gateshead before he moved to Tamworth in January 2017. In November 2017 Reece was transferred to Darlington for an undisclosed fee and he became something of a cult figure there with 18 goals in 33 appearances before he was sold to Alfreton Town in October 2018. In May 2019 he signed for Hereford before moving again to Bromsgrove Sporting in February 2020, but he made only one appearance for the Rouslers before the covid-19 pandemic brought a premature end to the season. He agreed a move to Buxton FC for the 2020/21 season that proved to be a short-lived affair and then in May 2021 he returned to Hednesford for a second stint. Reece has also featured for Gibraltar in both UEFA Euro qualifiers and FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

JASON COWLEY The livewire striker joined from Bromsgrove Sporting in the summer of 2021. He first caught the eye with Redditch Borough where his goals helped them to win the Midland Combination Division 3 title in 2015/16. He signed for Redditch United in the summer of 2016 but with opportunities limited there he joined Bromsgrove Sporting on dual registration in September 2016. The exciting attacker soon became a pivotal player for the Rouslers as he played a significant role in the Worcestershire side winning three promotions in a row with Sporting climbing from the Midland Football League Division One to reach the Southern League Premier Division Central in May 2019. He scored twice as Sporting beat Corby Town 4 - 3 AET in the Southern League Division 1 Central play-off final and took his tally to 107 goals in 127 appearances for the club. His goalscoring prowess had not gone unnoticed and shortly afterwards he signed for Stevenage FC. However, the Hertfordshire club had a 2019/20 season to forget, going through four managers before the covid-19 pandemic brought a halt to proceedings in March 2020. He had a loan stint with Solihull Moors early in 2020 before being released by Stevenage in the summer of 2020. He subsequently signed for Macclesfield Town only to see the Silkmen wound up a few days later due to outstanding debts to leave him unattached again. In October 2020 he re-joined Bromsgrove Sporting and made a handful of appearances before the Southern League season was halted early in November 2020. At the beginning of 2021 he joined Kidderminster Harriers on loan and he made a favourable impression with the Aggborough club before the National League North campaign also came to a premature end the following month and he returned to Bromsgrove.

GREG MILLS A skilful left-sided winger who started at Derby County where he progressed through the ranks to make 2 first team appearances with his debut coming in October 2009. He also spent time on loan with Solihull Moors, Macclesfield Town and AFC Telford United. Following his release by the Rams he signed for AFC Telford United in August 2011, but with opportunities limited, he joined Worcester City in January 2012. He moved on to Boston United in March 2013 before signing for Barrow that summer.

In October 2013 he joined King's Lynn Town on a month's loan before linking up with Corby Town the following month again on loan. Greg flourished there, eventually joining the Steelmen on a permanent basis. He spent two-and-a-half years with the Northamptonshire side, playing his part in their 2014-15 Southern League Premier title success with over 20 goals that season. He moved on to Tamworth in the summer of 2016, but in January 2017 he joined Nuneaton Town where he was re-united with Tommy Wright, his former boss at Corby. When Wright became manager of Darlington in November 2017, he soon agreed a move to the north-east and made 16 appearances for the Quakers netting once. He signed for Stourbridge in the summer of 2018 and scored 24 times to be the outgoing Manager’s Player of the Year for 2018/19. He transferred to Bromsgrove Sporting in October 2019 but was brought back to the Glassboys for a second stint during the summer of 2020 by Mark Yates. He missed the vast majority of the 2021/22 campaign after suffering a serious knee injury in August 2021 but resumed playing in July 2022 ahead of the latest season.

RACKEEM REID A talented and hardworking wide player or attacker signed from Rushall Olympic in the summer of 2022 who brings pace and power. He was a scholar at Chasetown before linking up with Paget Rangers. He then headed off to university in Nottingham in 2014 and went on to play for Belper Town and Long Eaton United before a campaign with Quorn FC in 2019/20 brought him to the attention of Rushall boss Liam McDonald. He joined the Pics in May 2020 and impressed greatly last season.

ALEX WORLEY A promising young left-sided defender who was signed after performing well in friendly matches ahead of the 2022/23 season. He was previously with the Walsall academy where he played for the U18’s. He then spent the second half of last season with Haverfordwest County in the Cymru Premier.

ELLIOTT BALL Teenage wide midfielder or attacker who progressed into the first team fold from our youth set-up last season, making his senior debut at Lowestoft Town in April 2022. He is the son of former Bromsgrove Rovers and Stourport Swifts striker Richard Ball who now manages our U21 team. Elliott spent time in the Walsall academy set-up before linking up with Stourbridge.

TYLER SMITH Lively and hardworking teenage forward who progressed from our youth and academy ranks into the first team set-up last season, making his senior debut against Coalville Town in the Southern League Cup in October 2021. He also had a stint at Bewdley Town after being dual registered with the MFL Premier Division club.

HARRY LEWIS Another teenager to have made his first team debut last season having featured regularly for our academy side and for Team Dudley in the West Midlands Regional League. He has shown his versatility by featuring in midfield, up front and at right-back at various times.

LEON BROADHURST (Player & Joint-Manager) Returned to Stourbridge in October 2021 as the newly appointed joint-manager with Stuart Pierpoint and his playing registration was transferred across from Bromsgrove Sporting at the same time. He holds the Club record for most appearances having made 780 appearances for Stourbridge between 2003 and 2019, scoring 154 times and he enjoyed a well-deserved testimonial in April 2014. Leon originally signed for Stourbridge in the summer of 2003 having previously played for Bromsgrove Rovers and Fairfield Villa, subsequently returning to Bromsgrove for a short time towards the end of the 2004-05 campaign before heading back to the War Memorial Athletic Ground. He re-joined us for a third stint in October 2009 after a brief spell with Leamington at the start of the 2009/10 campaign. A highly regarded and tireless player who has spent most of his time with us playing in the centre of midfield but has also appeared at left-back or centre-half. He opted to sign for his hometown club Bromsgrove Sporting in June 2019. The evergreen campaigner chalked up 53 appearances and scored five goals for the Rouslers before being lured back to Stourbridge for a first crack at management.

STUART PIERPOINT (Joint-Manager) Returned to Stourbridge in October 2021 as the newly appointed joint-manager with Leon Broadhurst and his playing registration was transferred across from Coalville Town at the same time. An experienced and commanding central defender, he originally saw service with Oldbury United and Sutton Coldfield Town and was then recruited by Halesowen Town in the summer of 2005 before joining Stafford Rangers in 2008. In the summer of 2009, he moved on to Nuneaton where he spent two years before signing for Solihull Moors in 2011. Ahead of the 2014-15 campaign he switched to Leamington to link up for a second time with their boss Paul Holleran, but on this occasion the move didn't work out and he joined Brackley Town in December 2014 where he played his part in helping the Northamptonshire outfit to avoid relegation from step 2. He was snapped up by Stourbridge from Brackley in June 2015 and was soon appointed as club captain. He spent four years with the Glassboys and made 165 appearances before moving to Coalville Town ahead of the 2019/20 campaign where he continued to perform with distinction before taking his first steps into management by accepting the opportunity to take charge of the Glassboys.

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SQUADS Saturday 27th August 2022 Kick Off: 3PM TODAY'S MATCH SPONSOR:

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TODAYS OFFICIALS REFEREE: Chay Hathway ASSISTANTS: Jack Coupar, Kenneth Reeves

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Dimi Kyriatzis (GK) Ed Asafu-Adjaye Joel Nakatani-Brown Carl Mensah Adam Murray (c) Ronnie Henry Nathan Tshikuna Jay Rolfe Max Bustamante-Macaire Matt Bateman George Ironton Lewis Williams Oliver Williams (GK) James Brighton Louis Tigwell Isa Rotimi Jephte Tanga Dan Green Spyros Mentis Dan Newton Taylor Newman Kian Harness

Steve Castle / Chris Watters Scott Taylor / Arron Benstead

Charlie Price (GK) Lee Vaughan Jack Wilson Callum Gittings Joe Hull Joel Kettle Darryl Knights Reece King Chris Knight Jason Cowley Rackeem Reid Moussa Koita Greg Mills Ethan Moran Alex Worley Elliott Ball Tyler Smith Harry Lewis

MANAGERS SPORTS THERAPISTS

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Stuart Pierpoint / Leon Broadhurst Richard Drewett / Jess Banks