2018-2019 St Neots Town Vs Bedworth Utd/ Rushall Olympic - Issue 01

SAINTS

Bedworth United / Rushall Olympic ISSUE 01: OFFICIAL ONLINE MATCHDAY MAGAZINE Evostik League South Premier Division Central

Welcome to Rowley Park - The Premier Plus Stadium and to the latest edition of the St Neots Town Matchday Magazine, enjoy great football, great hospitality and a great read.

Club Officials

Club Information

President: John walker

Charlie Green – Music / Scoreboard

Kayleigh-Anne Burt – Head Sports Therapist

Board of Directors

Mike Green – Stadium Announcements

Mick Hunt – Kitman

Founded 1879 The Premier Plus Stadium Rowley Park, Kester Way St Neots PE19 6SL

Richard Pyke – Head Steward

Stanley Scotcher – Matchball Retriever

Gary Wilson – Secretary

Media

Reserve Team

Iain Parr – Director of Football

Mike Green – Club Press Officer

Mark Gearing – Manager

James Ledwich – SNTtv / Social Media

Craig Lambert – Physio

Official Website

Rowan Presland – Social Media

Development Squad

Official Forum

Darren Fairbrass – Manager

www.stneotstownfc.co.uk/forum

First Team

Sammy Argyle – Coach

Barry Cavilla – Chairman Kevin Hull – Community Chairman

Gary Atyes – Commercial Director Louise Spark – F & B Director Mike Green – Director Jeremy Green - Director Fixtures Secretary Marian Izzard

Gary Jackson – Coach

Matt Clements – Manager Matt Haniver – Assistant Manager

Facilities and Pitch Maintenance

Ben Yeomans – First Team Coach

Barry Oakley – Groundsman

Gary Dean – Goalkeeper Coach

Club Welfare Officer Mick Hunt

Telephone 01480 470012 Email enquiries@stneotstownfc.co.uk www.stneotstownfc.co.uk

As a Club we support Grass Roots Football and stand firm against racism within football, visit www.thefa.com for more information on playing your part.

Matchday and Hospitality Claire Meeks – Bar Manager Diane Sales – Catering Manager

THE CLUB FOR THE COMMUNIT Y

Andy Clay – Hospitality

League Rule 2.13 Ownership: In accordance with the Football Association Rule 2.13 Publication of ownership in relation to Step 1 to Step 4 Clubs within the football pyramid, we hereby confirm that the legal status of St Neots Town Football Club Ltd identified by Company Number 02921210, and is a Private Limited Company.

For the purposes of publication of ownership, we can confirm that the following named people are listed as Directors of the company: Lee Kearns, Iain Parr, Louise Spark, Mike Green, Jeremy Green and Gary Wilson and officers of the company as Peter Naylor.

www.stneotstownfc.co.uk

Greenie’s Greeting Well here we go again…..

Mike Green

Hello everyone and welcome back to the Premier Plus Stadium, Home of the Saints and the Mick George Academy, for today’s Evostik League South Premier Division Central match. Today we welcome the players, officials and supporters of Bedworth United and Rushall Olympic and we hope you all enjoy your brief visit here in Cambridgeshire before a safe return up the A14 later tonight.

Well here we go again, another 39 weeks of football, filled with highs and hopefully not too many lows.

If last season can be used as a gauge, I’m sure we will be in for an exciting few months with plenty of good quality additions to a squad which more than held its own in the league last term. Firstly I’d like to welcome all the new players who have joined us in the summer and wish them all the very best of luck and hope that their time with us is both enjoyable and successful.

It’s all change for the Reserves this season as relegation from Step 6 mean a geographical move too, into the Kershaw Premier League, meaning local derbies against Eynesbury Rovers Reserves, Brampton and Eaton Socon so all in all, our relocation hasn’t turned out too bad for manager Mark Gearing and Assistant Gary Jackson. This season we are also running a Development Squad, who will play in the Cambridgeshire FA County League – Division 1B and will be overseen by Darren Fairbrass and Sammy Argyle so its good luck to both squads for their maiden seasons in the new leagues. Our Under 18s will once again be plying their trade in the Thurlow Nunn Youth League and will predominantly made up of our Elite Scholars squad and will be looked after by our full time Posh coach Jamie Raynor.

Away from football, lot’s going and on socially and commercially, thanks largely to the hard work of our Commercial Director Gary Atyes and the rest of the Board so keep your eyes out for posters around the town, the stadium and social media.

What do we all think of the new shirt? Personally, I love the fact that we have returned to the quarters, history and heritage on display every game. These will be available to buy in the coming weeks direct from the club.

Right then, back to today’s game, against opposition who have come over from the Northern Premier League and will, like ourselves, be looking to make a decent start to their campaign. These notes were penned prior to our trip to Stratford Town and hopefully we have returned with at least a share of the spoils.

all PUMP UP THE VOLUME Greeny

Get behind the boys from the off, your support makes all the difference and is greatly appreciated by Matt, Matty, Bridgo and the lads.

PUMP UP THE VOLUME

Greeny

From the Dugout…

With

Welcome to you all and hope you’ve enjoyed and enjoying your summer as we kick back off the season.

A warm welcome to our visitors today and everyone who’s travelled with them.

After a busy summer with the usual in’s and outs this time of year brings, we are really pleased we kept and held onto the nucleus of this young squad who did so well last season.

And with the new additions and hard work from the coaching staff and players we now look to learn from last year and develop and improve again.

This will be a tough league and the unknown of new sides combined with new managers and new players. So we just look after ourselves, keep our heads down and work as hard as we can.

I thank you for your attendance and hope you enjoy the game.

COYS

Matt

OPPONENT SPOTLIGHT

BEDWORTH UNITED FC Joined League: 1895 Chairman: Neill Rayson-Randle Website: www.bedworthunited.com A special welcome to all for our first ever home Southern League Premier Division Central fixture following the reorganisation of football at Steps Three and Four of the National League pyramid of football. For our first Premier Plus Stadium visitors in this new era we are delighted to welcome the players, officials and supporters of BEDWORTH UNITED who were last here on 17th November 2015 for a Southern League fixture which finished in a 2-2 draw. (a copy of the match report can be found elsewhere in this programme). That was the third time in the first twelve weeks of the 2015/16 season that our two sides had met. On 18th August 2015 we travelled to Bedworth midweek and won 6-0 and then on 31st October Bedworth came here in an FA Trophy fixture which our lads won 2-0. The result of the November return league fixture prevented our lads from recording an unusual treble. At the end of that season Bedworth were relegated and found themselves in the Northern Premier League (South) but last season they battled their way through the play-offs and now find themselves

back in the Southern League. So, this is to be the eighth meeting of our two clubs with the tally currently reading five wins for St Neots – one for Bedworth and a draw. The Bedworth win was in 2011/12 in our Southern League Central Championship season and Bedworth was only one of four visiting sides to win here that season, the others being Slough Town, Biggleswade Town and AFC Hayes. One St Neots player today will have fond memories of Bedworth United. Claudio Ofosu made his senior debut for St Neots against Bedworth in the FA Trophy game in October 2015 and then seventeen days later made his full Southern League debut against the same opposition prior to his departure for a professional contract in the Football League.

CLUB HISTORY The first Bedworth Town football club is believed to have been formed in 1895 when several matches were played against other local teams. They became founder members of the Nuneaton and District League in 1898, but by 1900 the club had disbanded. Another team, Bedworth Evening

Combination School became forerunners of the second Bedworth Town club five years later in 1905 finishing runners up in the Second Division of the Coventry and North Warwickshire League in 1904/5 season. The ECS changed their name to Bedworth Town on winning promotion and stayed in existence until the early 1920’s. A third club came on the scene in 1925, when Collycroft United, formed in 1916 became the third team to name themselves Bedworth Town. This was the most successful of the pre-war clubs, they were members of the Coventry and North Warwickshire League and spent one season in 1936/7 in the Central Amateur League.

They played as Bedworth Central for the 1938/39 seasons but unfortunately folded in 1940. The last club to become Bedworth Town was formed in 1947 and as a semi-pro club secured membership of the Birmingham Combination league winning the Championship in successive seasons 1948/49 and the 1949/50 seasons. In 1951/52 they had their best FA Cup ever. After defeating Nuneaton, the 3rd Qualifying round they lost

to Kettering when a victory would have given them an away tie at Bristol Rovers.

A lack of success and problems off the field saw Bedworth Town change their name to Bedworth United in 1968. In 1972 they obtained membership of the Southern League Division One North floodlights having been erected at The Oval in 1970/1. The club made rapid strides into the Premier Division when the league was reformed in 1982 and they finished 5th in 1982 and were stable in that division until a poor run saw them relegated at the end of the 1988/9 season. After two years away (including one in the Southern Premier League and one in the Northern League), Bedworth returned to the Southern League Division One Central ahead of the 2014/15 season. In their first season back at Division One Central level, Bedworth were promoted via the playoffs with a 2-0 win against Barton Rovers in the final on 4 May 2015. Season 201516 in the Southern Premier was disrupted by continued squad issues (injuries & suspension) which saw The Greenbacks struggling to avoid relegation, despite a late-rally they were relegated as 4th-bottom club, just failing to avoid the ‘dreaded drop’. United returned to play in the 2016-17 season in the Northern Premier First Division South.

PLAYER PROFILES STUART STORER (manager) Stuart took over the managers’ role at Bedworth at Christmas 2013. The club were looking doomed at the foot of the table. Fortunately with the staff and players he brought to the club all rallied around to fight off relegation.

Stuart played professional football for 19 years.

Birmingham City, Wigan, Everton, Bolton Wanderers, Exeter City and Brighton and Hove Albion amassing 400 first class appearances.

He played non league with Kettering, Chesham and Hinckley, before becoming a coach, he holds an A licence in coaching.

ANDY PENNY (assistant manager) Andy resides near Stafford and has had a long playing career. His first club was Tamworth before moving to Barnet, then Stafford Rangers. He then had a very successful spell at Bedworth United, the fans still remember this and he is a local hero. He also played for Solihull, Hinckley United, Redditch United, Stratford Town and finally hanging his boots up at Chasetown.

Andy became the reserve manager at Chasetown before taking the assistant managers’ job at Hinckley United in 2013. After Hinckley United disbanded Andy took his present post at Bedworth FC.

JAMIE LENTON (coach) Jamie started off his football career as a youngster at Coventry City. He was born in Bedworth and now resides in Coventry. Jamie had a successful non league playing career mainly with Hinckley United. Other clubs he has had short spells with are; Bedworth, Nuneaton, Leamington and Solihull. He made over 300 appearances for Hinckley mainly playing left wing back. He has a wealth of experience and knowledge in non league football.

MARK ALBRIGHTON The evergreen veteran joined the football club from Barwell FC in November 2013. The vastly experienced local player had several seasons professionally with Doncaster Rovers and loan periods with Chester City, Darlington and Cambridge City. The defender also has a wealth of conference football experience, where he played for Telford, Stevenage Borough, Kidderminster Town and Nuneaton.

ALEX TROKE Alex is the present captain and joined the club in January 2018. He is a 25 year old midfield player that is quite versatile, with a good range of passing.

His previous clubs were Notts County, Coalville and Shepshed. The manager signed him to bolster the squad in the promotion push and he is looking for another influential season at

Bedworth again.

REECE BLACKMORE Reece is a 23 year old midfield player that signed at Bedworth last preseason.

Reece started his football career at Derby County before going to Kettering and then playing more locally at Coventry Sphinx where Bedworth signed him.

He had an excellent season with us last year and is hoping to carry on that form with BUFC this season.

DAN CRANE The experienced goal keeper was signed from Rushall Olympic in November 2017 season. He has had a host of previous clubs which include West Brom, Burton Albion, Rushden and Diamonds, Corby, Solihull and Hednesford. His wealth of knowledge and experience was a big factor in our success last season, a calm confident keeper with great communication skills.

JAKE WHITMORE The 21 year old full back is a new signing during the close season; he shows lots of ability, determination and has settled in well while he has been at Bedworth. He was signed from Barwell where he played the majority of matches for them last year. Previous to this he had several years with Coventry City where a good football education has been schooled.

LUKE ROWE Luke is a local lad and he has grown in stature under the guidance of the coaching team. The 26 year old left sided player was one of the managers‘ first signings from Hinckley 5 years ago, where he played under our manager there. He has played in New Zealand for Wellington making several appearances for the New Zealand national youth team.

He always seem to feature in the end of year award ceremonies.

ELLIOT PARROTT Elliot is becoming quite an experienced player despite his young age. The combative midfielder was a youngster at Coventry City and played for Nuneaton Town youth team before joining Bedworth. He will have made approximately 100 appearances for the club and can play in a number of positions with relative ease. He swept up all the awards at last season’s promotion presentation evening.

DELROY GORDON Delroy started his football career at Rushden & Diamonds. His continued development has taken him across all the differing tiers of football with Kettering, Leamington, Corby and Rugby. Delroy is a calm strong player who’s experience will be invaluable in our success this season.

He made many impressive displays for Stamford last

season where we signed him from during this close season.

BARRY FITZHARRIS Barry was brought to the club from Romulus by the manager in October 2017.

His no nonsense approach and intelligence influenced the team in many matches last season. Barry has played for Coleshill, Solihull and Stratford previously and he had no hesitation in joining Bedworth. He made his debut with a screamer of a 30 yard goal and has never looked back. .

DANNY DUBIDAT Danny is a well travelled striker. His non league career really kick off when he was with Bedworth when we gained promotion from the southern league. Danny scored 30 odd goals and gained a good reputation.

He has bounced with a few clubs since; Redditch, Leamington, Alvechurch and Rushall, but we are hoping that this close summer signing will enjoy playing back at Bedworth again finding the net regularly too.

KIERON BREHON Kieron is a 26 year old midfield player that has been at the football club since the start of 2015/16 season. Kieron was signed at Nuneaton Town and developed his skills at Nuneaton Griff before having a couple of good seasons at Barwell in our present league. He reads the game

very well in midfield and takes up intelligent positions.

He plays several positions and can create as well as score important goals.

LEVI ROWLEY Levi is a forward player that has already had quite a few ups and downs in his short football career. The 2! year old signed at the beginning of last season from Rugby where he got relegated with them and before this he was released from Walsall as a young pro. He has also had loan spells at Stafford and Romulus, but has definitely bounced back settling in well at the Oval now and having the honour of scoring the winning goal in the play off final last season.

TOM SHARPE Tom is a calm assured defender; the 30 year old has had good football league experience earlier in his career at Bury before spending time with Kidderminister Harriers and Worcester City making an abundance of appearances in the conference leagues.

His stop start season last year still led to him showing his quality when we needed it and we feel his experience will be valuable in this seasons campaign.

RYAN BALDWIN Ryan is a 20 year old right sided player with good potential. He has played youth team football for Leicester City, before joining Leamington to develop his

talent further. He joined us 2 weeks before the start of the season, where we signed him from Barwell. He made 18 appearances for Barwell in a season where he fractured his foot. A creative player that also had a loan period with Coventry Sphinx too.

the football club just before deadline day to bolster the squad as we made our push for the play off places last season. He was signed from Market Drayton FC and he has also played for Hinckley.

His pace, attitude and direct approach are all positives in his game.

IYSEDEN CHRISTIE

LEWIS NOON

This vastly experienced centre forward has had an array of league clubs and quite a few non league clubs too with good goal ratios at each club. The veteran striker scored a number of important goals last season at Bedworth and a vital one in the play off final too. His main clubs were Coventry City, Mansfield , Kidderminster, Rochdale, Stevenage, Torquay and a host of non league outfits too. He has helped galvanise players in the dressing room with his knowledge, experience and discipline.

Lewis is a product of the progression route through the football club. The tidy midfield player has played for the club for several seasons making his way through the system and breaking his way into the first team last season. He possesses a good range of passing and has good composure too.

KAI TONGE Kai is a sort after wide player who many clubs at our level were trying to sign.

The 21 year old he started football late has played for Whetstone and Hinckley last season. The well grounded player has had a 2 week trail at Tranmere Rovers before signing for Bedworth late preseason. He has lots of raw ability and a good attitude to learn.

KYLE MINTO Kyle is a 23 year old powerful striker; he joined

ADAM HARRISON Adam is a 20 year old goal keeper; he started his football career at Leicester City, where after serving an apprenticeship was released. He then joined BUFC and had a very successful season with the under 21 team, also making several appearances for the first team too, where he performed very well.

OPPONENT SPOTLIGHT

RUSHALL OLYMPIC FC Joined League: 1893 Chairman: John Allen Website: www.rofc.co.uk A special welcome for our next home Southern League Premier Division Central fixture of the season with the pleasure of welcoming RUSHALL OLYMPIC to the Premier Plus Stadium – the first ever league meeting of our two clubs. Rushall Olympic Football Club is an English football club based in Rushall, a former mining village now forming part of the northern suburbs of Walsall. Our two clubs met in the 2001/02 season in the fourth round of the FA Vase – a run in that competition only to be equalled by St Neots on one further occasion before transferring to the FA Trophy.

For those of you with long memories the two St Neots goal scorers away at Rushall were Vince Petty and Paul Bloss.

Rushall, like St Neots, were part of the Step Three shake up for this season with our visitors making a lateral move from the Northern Premier League pyramid to our new joint home for the current season. Their best league performance was in 2012/13 when they finished sixth in the Premier Division of the Northern Premier League just missing out on the play-offs.

They have reached the fourth Qualifying Round of the FA Cup on three occasions – the most recent in 2013/14 and they have won the Staffordshire Senior

Cup on three occasions.

CLUB HISTORY Research has discovered that the original Rushall Olympic Football Club was founded at least three years earlier than had previously been thought - with editions of local newspapers found to contain match reports about the Olympic dating back to the 1893-94 season. At this time the club were a very useful junior team who played only friendly matches, but they did go on to join the Cannock & District Football League for the start of the 1895-96 season, finishing as runners-up – before later going on to become members of the Junior (winning the Championship in 1903-04), Amateur, Parks and Senior sections of the Walsall & District League. However, even earlier records have indicated that football in the village of Rushall was already being played on a regular basis at least 20 years prior to that time and in fact the opening game for the newly formed Walsall Town team was against a Rushall side at the Chuckery Ground, Walsall on the 3rd October 1874. Indeed, so many players turned up that it was decided to field a 15-a-side format, with the surplus Walsall men being “loaned” out to make up the Rushall team.

Rushall, with that extra slice of experience, won the game 3-1,

although some argued that the game should have finished 2-2 as one of the Rushall goals was scored by a Walsall player!

Rushall’s 2011-12 debut campaign in the Evo-Stik League Premier Division was nothing short of an outstanding success as they gamely battled away to an excellent 8th place finish, leaving many high-profile teams with far healthier budgets firmly in their wake – but were ultimately some 11 points shy of the promotion play-off zone.

The Pics were also heavily involved in cup action, reaching the finals of The Doodson Sport (League) Cup, Staffordshire Senior Cup and Walsall Senior Cup – but were unfortunately only successful in the latter, triumphing for the third time in four seasons.

The 2013-14 campaign saw the Pics once more fell short of the play-off places by the relatively slim margin of five points, ultimately finishing in 7th place as a result of succumbing to three defeats in their final five league games. There was also some mixed fortunes in cup competitions as they claimed the Staffordshire Senior Cup for only the second time in their history against Port Vale at Vale Park, but suffered a heavy defeat in the final of the Walsall Senior Cup at the hands

of lower league neighbours Chasetown. The first season under the new managerial regime ultimately saw wholesale changes on the pitch, however an excellent finish of 9th place was achieved. The 2015-16 campaign ended with Rushall finishing in 10th position, but they did win the Staffordshire Senior Cup for only the third time in their history and won the Walsall Senior Cup for the sixth time after being awarded the trophy when their opponents unexpectedly withdrew from the competition.

side in December 2017 after impressing in the Midland Football League U21 West Division following his arrival from local outfit Black Country Rangers of the West Midlands Regional League Premier Division. He had previously featured for Bilston Town during the 2015-16 and 2016-17 campaigns, where he netted on a regular basis. During summer 2018 he committed himself to the club for the 2018-19 campaign as the striker looks to continue his development in senior football.

PLAYER PROFILES

Kyle DELANEY – Midfielder.

Dynamic attacking player who returned to Dales Lane during summer 2018 following a two season spell with neighbours Wolverhampton Sporting Community that culminated in him being a key member of the squad that clinched the 201718 West Midlands (Regional) League Premier Division and Premier Cup double and promotion to the Midland Football League Premier Division at Step 5 of the National League System. He began his career in the youth set up with neighbours Hednesford Town and transferred to the Pics in September 2014 to become an integral part of the U18’s side that won the Midland Floodlit Youth League Northern Division championship and gained promotion to the Premier Division. During the 2014-15 campaign he also stepped up to feature on the bench for the First Team. Summer 2015 saw him agree contract terms with Rushall but joined Wolverhampton Sporting CFC

AJ ADELEKAN – Defender.

Powerful left sided defender equally at home at full back or in a central defensive position, he arrived at Dales Lane during summer 2017 having previously featured for Redditch Borough in the Midland Football League Division Two and was previously with Pics neighbours Sutton Coldfield Town predominantly playing for the U21’s section at Coles Lane. During his early career he came through the ranks with London outfit Redbridge FC and was part of the Essex U18’a Representative side prior to arriving in the Midlands to attend University.

During the 2017-18 campaign he was an important part of the Rushall squad and featured in 50 games while netting on 2 occasions and during summer 2018 committed himself to the club for the 2018-19 campaign.

Lewis ARCHER – Forward.

Prolific young forward who stepped up from the Pics U21

on loan in September 2015 in order to gain more first team football. Upon returning to Dales Lane he again featured several times on the bench between November 2015 and January 2016, before ending the campaign with Wolverhampton Sporting.

Calum FLANAGAN – Defender.

Highly rated left sided defender who arrived at Dales Lane during summer 2018 to link back up with manager Liam McDonald for the fourth time during his career after enduring an injury affected 2017-18 campaign with Solihull Moors. Naturally a left back, but can also operate equally effectively as a central defender, he began his career with Aston Villa and spent some four years at Villa Park in the club’s Academy. During February 2011 he was sent out on loan to then Conference National side Kettering Town, featuring fourteen times for the Poppies before the end of the campaign. After finding himself released by Villa in the summer of 2011, he linked up with then Conference North outfit Hinckley United, featuring for the struggling Knitters until their relegation from the Step 2 of the National league System at the end of the 2012-13 campaign. During summer 2013 he made the move across the Midlands to join Worcester City, but following a year with the then Conference North outfit he moved on to Redditch United, where he quickly developed a reputation as technically gifted, strong and determined defensive powerhouse under Liam McDonald. Season 2015-

16 saw him ultimately sweep the end of term Player of the Season awards for Redditch as they finished behind Poole Town in their battle for the Evo-Stik Southern Premier League title, but then having reached the play-off semi-finals the Reds ultimately lost on penalties to Leamington. During summer 2016 he opted to follow his manager to Hednesford Town, prior to signing for Conference National side Solihull Moors in December 2016 to link up once more with Liam McDonald.

At then end of the 2016-17 campaign he agreed terms to remain at Damson Park, but ultimately injury problems scuppered his progress.

Tobias HAYLES-DOCHERTY – Midfielder. Highly rated and pacey wide man who arrived at Dales Lane during summer 2018 on loan from League One neighbours Walsall FC. An exciting player who catches the eye with natural pace and ability, the teenager had previously helped Walsall’s Development Squad win the Central League North West Division and the Walsall Senior Cup during the 2016-17 campaign, before being rewarded with his first professional contract during summer 2017, having made his first team debut for the Saddlers’ in their 1-0 home league defeat to Port Vale in April 2017.

Josh HAWKER – Midfielder.

Highly rated attacking central midfield player who returned to Dales Lane during in January 2018 from Midland Football League Premier Division outfit

Highgate United to begin a second spell with the Pics. The accomplished midfielder went on to play a key role in the revival of the Pics fortunes last term featuring in 34 games and during summer 2018 was quick to commit himself to the club for the 2018-19 campaign. The son of former Birmingham City, Walsall and West Bromwich Albion full back Phil Hawker, he began his career by coming through the Academy System at Birmingham City, going on to become a first and second year professional at St Andrews and holding a first-team squad number during the 2012-13 campaign. The closest he came to First Team action was in In December 2012 when he took his place on the bench at St. Andrews for The Blues twoall draw with Burnley. Despite becoming a regular in the U-21 Development Squad he failed to secure a professional contract and was released at the end of the 2012-13 campaign.

He eventually linked up with Leamington in October 2013, before seeing out the final month of the season with their Conference North rivals Solihull Moors. He began season 201415 on loan from Solihull with Highgate United, before later signing for Hereford United in September 2014. When Hereford were wound up in the High Court after a petition had been brought against it by HM Revenue and Customs he originally arrived at Dales Lane in December 2014. However, in March 2015 he then moved back to Conference North outfit Leamington, but couldn’t prevent their relegation back to Step 3 on the Non-League

System. Between May and August 2015 he had a spell in Austrialian football with South Adelaide Panthers, where he also featured again in Febuary and March 2016 – before linking back up with former club Highgate United for the 2016-17 campaign.

Joe HULL – Defender. Highly regarded central defender who transferred to Dales Lane from Evo-Stik League Premier Division rivals Stourbridge in October 2016. 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 returned to Redditch. He joined Halesowen in October 2012 where he soon made a favourable impression by becoming captain and he went on to make 135 appearances for the Yeltz, the culimination of which was being a key member of the squad who the 2013-14 Evo-Stik League First Divisin South Championship to gain promotion to the Premier Division. He later ended his three-and-a-quarter years at The Grove in February 2016 when he transferred local rivals Stourbridge. During the 2016-17 campaign he scored a number of important goals as the season unfolded, ending in fourth place in the Dales Lane overall goal tally charts with 6 goals from the 36 games he was involved with. Season 2017-18

saw him skipper Rushall on a number of occasions and his excellent form ended with him being named as Supporters’ Player of the Season. Leading from the back he ended as runner-up in the Dales Lane appearance charts after featuring in 50 of the Pics 59 games, while also netting on no less than 11 occasions to finish as the clubs third highest scorer.

During summer 2018 he agreed a deal to remain with Rushall for the 2018-19 campaign.

Andre LANDELL – Forward.

Quick and skillful attacking player who returned to Dales Lane during summer 2017 to begin a second spell with the Pics following a summer trial period with Kidderminster Harriers. He first arrived at the club during summer 2012 from neighbours Hednesford Town and eventually signed forms for the Pics following trials with Brentford and Notts County.

He began his career with the Academy of Wolverhampton Wanderers in September 2001 after being recommended following a Football in the Community coaching scheme and eventually went on to gain an Apprenticeship after representing Halesowen & District Schools FA. At Molineux he spent two years in and amongst the youth development squad and in the reserves, impressing with both his raw pace and goal scoring record.

The highlight of his Wolves career was arguably being a goal scoring appearance in the Milk Cup junior tournament final defeat in Coleraine, Northern Ireland during summer 2008

against Everton. In March 2011 he featured for the second string of West Bromwich Albion after being released

by Wolves and eventually returned to the Hawthorns on trial during the summer. After leaving Molineux he also went on to tour the country training with a number of professional clubs, including the likes of Bury, Brighton & Hove Albion, Dagenham & Redbridge, Leyton Orient and Bristol City, before eventually signing for Bath City just after the start of the 2011-12 campaign. Finding his opportunities limited at Twerton Park he ultimately signed for Hednesford in December 2011, but was used somewhat sparingly at Keys Park during the campaign. However, his goal scoring appearance against the Pics in Doodson Cup action was a key reason why he was eventually snapped up from the Pitmen. Having spent the 2012-13 at Dales Lane he eventually move over to the United States of America to attend Tiffin University and featured for Tiffin Dragons in The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC), which is a competitive collegiate athletic conference affiliated with National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) College Soccer and won a whole host of honours along the way.

During 2016 he moved on to play for Michigan Bucks in the Premier Development League (PDL) which is sponsored by the United Soccer Leagues and finished as third top scorer for the Bucks as they clinched the PDL National Championship, prior to returning back home to the UK. During the 2017-18

campaign he featured in some 41 games for the Pics and chipped in with 9 goals, to finish as fourth top scorer at Dales Lane.

Ben LUND – Forward. Highly rated front runner who arrived at Dales Lane from neighbours Walsall Wood during summer 2018 having impressed greatly against the Pics in the final of the Walsall Senior Cup at The Banks’s Stadium in the finale of the 2017-18 campaign.

Thought to be one the paciest players at this level of football, he was keen to test himself at a higher level of football and had no hesitation about stepping up with Rushall. He first came to prominence with Lichfield City during season 2016-17, netting some 15 goals in 28 appearances, but after beginning the following campaign with City he eventually linked back up with former manager Gary Birch at Oak Park in January 2018 and ensured that the Wood ended the campaign as champions of the Midland Football League Disvision One and gained promotion to the Step 5 Premier Division.

Tyler LYTTLE – Defender. Rated as one of the best attacking full backs at this level of football, he put pen-to-paper on a deal at Dales Lane during July 2018 after trialing at a Football League club and also AFC Telford United during the summer.

However, he subsequently turned down the advances of numerous local clubs to be part of things at Dales Lane. The son of former West Bromwich Albion

and Nottingham Forest favourite Des Lyttle, he began his career with Wolverhampton Wanderers and also represented the English Schools’ FA U18’s team during season 2013-14. However, after being unable to make the breakthrough at Molineux he ultimately linked up with Bristol Rovers in 2014. After receiving the Youth Team Player of the Year award for season 201415, he went on to sign his first professional deal in June 2015 and two months later made his professional debut - starting in a two-nil defeat at Leyton Orient.

In December 2015 he was loaned to National League North side Nuneaton Town on an initial month long loan deal, which was then extended to the end of the season, before eventually being recalled by Rovers in April 2016. In October 2016 he joined National League South side Truro City on a one-month loan deal from The Pirates and in March 2017 he signed for Stafford Rangers. For the 2017-18 campaign he initially transferred to Hednesford Town, prior to moving on to Sutton Coldfield Town during October 2017.

Simeon MAYE – Midfielder.

Powerful box-to-box midfielder who arrived at Dales Lane during late January 2018 on a loan deal from Conference National outfit Solihull Moors to link up with manager Liam McDonald for a fourth time in recent years. During summer 2018 the engine room powerhouse put pen-to-paper on a contract to remain with the Pics for the 2018-19 campaign. He began his career by progressing

through the Academy system at Birmingham City, but left St. Andrews without making a first team appearance and took the well-trodden path to Tamworth in 2011. He became a regular for the Lambs in the Football Conference Youth Alliance and later made his debut in senior football in the Midland Alliance with Stratford Town on loan to gain some first team experience.

He was released by Tamworth during summer 2012 and linked up with Midland Alliance outfit Boldmere St. Michaels, where a return of eight goals in twenty two starts during the 2012-13 campaign was bettered the following season as he netted seventeen goals from midfield and took the captaincy of the club as the Mikes finished as runners-up to Tividale. During summer 2014 he was snapped up by Liam McDonald for Redditch United after a trial period with the club and went on to further impress at a higher level of football with consistent displays and goals from midfield to help push the Worcestershire outfit up to a Southern League Premier Division play-off spot by the end of the 2015-16 campaign. During summer 2016 he followed his manager to Hednesford Town where he signed a one year deal at Keys Park and showed some excellent early season form in a defensive midfield role.

However in December 2016 he linked back up with former club Boldmere St Michaels to get some game time in the wake of Liam McDonald’s departure to Solihull Moors, after Hednesford and the player agreed to part company. However, he quickly linked back up with his former

manager at Solihull later that month and in March 2017 the Moors secured his explosive presence in midfield for the 2017-18 campaign as he signed a new contract.

James O’NEILL – Defender/ Midfielder. Big, strong and versatile left sided player capable of playing in a number of positions other than central defence or left back, he arrived at Dales Lane during summer 2018 after linking up from neighbours Chasetown. Good in the air and with power and pace to match, he began his career playing as a front runner with home town club AFC Telford United and after progressing through the ranks he made his senior debut for the Bucks at the end of the 2012-13 campaign in a Conference game against Forest Green. However, after hoping to impress the new manager he instead found himself released, and during summer 2013 he was snapped up by Welsh outfit Newtown AFC by their then manager Bernard McNally. Having spent all of season 2013-14 at Latham Park, as a teenager he struggled to make a breakthrough into the side where he was played as at left back and ultimately made only five starts for the club. As a result and in search of regular football, during summer 2014 he subsequently moved on to Evo-Stik League First Division South outfit Market Drayton Town where he operated predominantly as a left sided defender. At the end of the 2015-16 campaign he was named as Manager’s Player of the Season Greenfields Sports

Ground, while his form during the following season ultimately ended in him transferring to league rivals Chasetown during summer 2017, before going on to become one of the Scholars most impressive performers throughout the campaign in both defence and midfield, making some 50 appearances in the process.

Simeon PAISLEY – Midfielder.

Highly rated young midfielder who has stepped up from the Pics U21 side during the 201718 campaign after impressing in the Midland Football League U21 West Division after progressing through the clubs Youth Development Programme.

He had previously been an integral part of the Olympic’s U18’s side during the 2015-16 and 2016-17 campaigns. Made a goalscoring debut for the First team from the bench in March 2018 against high flying Ashton United and is certainly one to watch out for in the future.

Justin Richards – Forward.

Highly experienced and prolific striker who arrived at Dales Lane during summer 2018 following Hednesford Town’s unsuccessful appeal to the Football Association with regards to their league allocation for the 2018-19 campaign season – which saw them moved back into the Evo-Stik League Premier Division after initially being transferred with the Pics to the newly formed Evo-Stik Southern League Central Division. He began his career with West Bromwich Albion after joining as an apprentice in July 1997 and eventual turning

professional in 1999, making his First Team debut as a substitute against Ipswich Town in March 1999. After making one further substitute appearance the following season he was ultimately signed by Ian Holloway for Bristol Rovers in a £75,000 deal in January 2001. He later had a brief loan spell at Colchester United in November 2002 and towards the end of 2002 he linked up with Stevenage Borough on loan – which was later made permanent in March 2003.

Following a year-long injuryaffected spell as a full-time player with the then Conference outfit, in May 2004 he moved on to Woking and in his second season with The Cardinals end with him finishing the 2005-06 campaign as the second top scorer in the Conference with 22 goals in all competitions. His success at Woking also saw him earn a call-up to the England ‘C’ team in May 2006 and he scored in his only game, a 1–1 draw with Wales in the Four Nations Tournament. However, his record soon attracted the attention of then League Two club Peterborough United and during summer 2006 he moved to London Road on a free transfer, signing a two year deal. Following a lean spell in front of goal in November 2006 he was sent out on loan to then Conference side Grays Athletic, but was recalled by the “Posh” the next month. Despite some interest from then Burton Albion manager Nigel Clough, in January 2007 he joined then League Two side Boston United on a one-month loan deal. At the end of the 2006–07 campaign he was released by Peterborough

manager Darren Ferguson and ultimately dropped back out of the Football League by signing for Kidderminster Harriers on a free transfer during summer 2007. His initial spell at Aggborough lasted until January 2008, when he joined Oxford United on loan until the end of the season. Upon returning to Harriers he opted to remain with the club for the 2008–09 campaign and went on to enjoy his second most prolific season in the Conference, hitting seventeen goals in all competitions. During summer 2009 he signed a one-year deal with Cheltenham Town, enabling him to make a second return to the Football League and went on to enjoy a successful campaign as he finished as the Robins’ top scorer with 15 goals in 44 games. However, despite being offered a fresh contract

by Cheltenham, during summer 2010 he was also approached

by League Two rivals Port Vale and eventually agreed terms on a move to Vale Park. He settled in quickly at the club and quickly endeared himself to “Valiants” fans, and eventually ended the campaign with 14 goals in some 50 appearances that season. During summer 2011 he signed a two-year deal with Vale’s League Two rivals Burton Albion after arriving at the Pirelli Stadium on a free transfer and went on to finish the 2011–12 campaign with 12 goals in 37 appearances. Following the departure of Brewers manager Paul Peschisolido, under the stewardship of Gary Rowett he slipped down the pecking order in a largely single-striker system during the early part of season 2012–13 and eventually returned

to Oxford United on loan for a second time in January 2013.

At the end of the month he was released from his contract at Burton and signed for Oxford on a deal until the end of the 2012– 13 season. Unfortunately, after less than two weeks he was ruled out of action for the rest of the season after picking up a knee injury and became one of 12 players released by The U’s in May 2013. During summer 2013 he signed a contract with then Conference Premier outfit Tamworth, but couldn’t prevent the Lambs suffered relegation back to Conference North football at the end of season 2013-14. During July 2014 he accepted the offer from Step 4 side Sutton Coldfield Town to drive their Northern Premier League Division One South side promotion bid and he duly delivered for the Royals as he finished as their top-scorer for the 2014–15 campaign with 29 goals in all competitions helped them clinch promotion to the Premier Division after beating Leek Town in the play-off final.

He then transferred to rivals Stourbridge in September 2015 as the Glassboys finished in sixth place at the end of the 2015–16 campaign with the striker returning 16 goals in 47 appearances. However, in October 2016 he suffered a serious knee injury that kept him effectively on the sidelines for over a year and upon returning to full fitness he eventually linked back up with former club Sutton Coldfield Town in December 2017, but despite scoring some crucial goals he couldn’t prevent the Royals finishing bottom of the Northern Premier League Premier Division

at the end of the 2017–18 campaign.

Ashley SAMMONS – Midfielder.

Extremely talented attacking midfielder, rated as one of the best talents at Step 3 of the National League System, the Pics pulled off something of a coup during summer 2018 when they clinched his signature as he linked back up with manager Liam McDonald for the fifth spell of his career. He began his career with Birmingham City’s youth academy after being spotted playing for his local side Knowle Tigers as an 11-yearold and went on to progress through the academy teams, playing for the U-18s while still a schoolboy and was in the starting eleven for the Blue’s 5–0 victory over Burton Albion in the final of the Birmingham Senior Cup during season 2007-08.

Rated amongst the brightest of the batch of City;s talent at the time, turning out regularly for the reserves and Academy side at St. Andrews, on an international stage, as a 15-year-old he played three matches for the England U-17 team in the 2007 Nordic Tournament, against their Icelandic, Finnish and Swedish counterparts.

In November 2008 he signed his first professional contract, which was due to expire in the summer of 2011 and was also issued a squad number and was included among the substitutes for an FA Cup match against Wolverhampton Wanderers in January 2009, but remained unused. During this time he also captained the U-18’s team to the semi-final of the 2008–09 FA Youth Cup, scoring their goal

as they lost 6–1 on aggregate to their Liverpool counterparts.

Although included in the squads for pre-season friendlies, he did’t initially receive a squad number for the 2009–10 campaign but was named on the bench for the Premier League match at Hull City and later made his first-team debut in the starting eleven for the League Cup third-round match at Sunderland in September 2009. He made no further first team appearances, before a knee injury eventually disrupted his 2010-11 campaign, at the end of which he signed a new one-year contract. In May 2012 he was released by Birmingham at the end of his contract and during August 2012 signed for then Football Conference club Hereford United, before finding himself released in October 2012 after making just nine appearances and scoring one goal. His next move was to then Conference North outfit Worcester City in December 2012, but following a brief spell he left to link up with manager Liam McDonald for the first time when he re-signed for Redditch United in March 2013. Following another short stint at Worcester City at the start of the 201314 campaign, he returned to Redditch in September, and quickly developed a fearsome reputation as a creative, goalscoring midfielder, as the Reds new manager set about changing Redditch’s fortunes.

Although he left Redditch in June 2015 to try his luck in the National League with newly promoted Corby Town, he later returned to Redditch in November 2015 to begin a third spell at the Valley

Stadium. During summer 2016 he followed manager Liam McDonald to Hednesford Town, where he remained until January 2017 and was subsequently reunited with his former boss at his home town club Solihull Moors. In November 2017 he joined former cub Redditch for a fourth time, initially on a dual registration, before departing Damson Park completely in January 2018 and ending the campaign with the Worcestershire outfit.

Gurjit SINGH – Forward. A prolific and highly rated front runner who returned to Dales Lane to begin a second spell with the Pics during January 2018 after transferring back from Evo-Stik League Premier Division neighbours Sutton Coldfield Town, where he netted 11 goals in a struggling side.

‘Gaz’ first came to prominence by forging himself a fearsome reputation in the West Midlands (Regional) League Premier Division with Smethwick Rangers, where he netted twenty five times in only twenty one games during the 20142015 campaign. His form soon attracted the attentions of local rivals Tipton Town, where he continued to score with a strike rate of over a goal a game at a higher level of football. This rich vein of form saw clubs higher up the non-league pyramid keep tabs on his progress, with Conference outfit Kidderminster Harriers ultimately taking a chance on him in March 2015, who promptly loaned him back to Tipton for the remainder of the season whilst training full-time at Aggborough. A

difficult 2015-2016 campaign for Harriers saw him in and out of a struggling team, scoring five times as Harriers were eventually relegated. A back injury eventually curtailed his season, following a short loan spell with Stourbridge in February 2016. After returing to full fitness then new Hednesford manager Liam McDonald was quick to secure the services of the lively forward, making him one of his first signings at Keys Park in May 2016.

Despite netting eight times for the Pitmen, in December 2016 his contract was cancelled and he moved on to Evo-Stik Southern League Premier Division outfit Redditch United, prior to initially arriving at Dales Lane in February 2017 and then transferring to Sutton Coldfield Town during summer 2017. In recent years on an international stage he has had the honor of representing the Football Association of Panjab on numerous occasions, most notably at the CONIFA World Football Cup in Russia in 2016.

There they went all the way through to the final but lost out on penalties to hosts Abkhazia.

Joe SLINN – Goalkeeper. Highly rated young custodian who originally arrived at Dales Lane in February 2018 on loan from League Two outfit Port Vale and went on to display some impressive form for the Pics after immediately establishing himself as the clubs new No.1. A Youth Academy graduate at Vale Park, he was one of four Youth Team players to be offered their first professional deals, following a successful campaign for

the Valiants U18’s, in January 2017. Having skippered the Youth Team, he signed an 18 month deal with the club, with an option of a further year. The stopper has played a vital role for Port Vale’s U18’s and has also made appearances in the starting eleven and on the bench for the Reserve side. In August 2017 he joined the Pics Evo-Stik League Premier Division rivals Stalybridge Celtic on loan until January 2018, in order to gain some experience in senior football, but was recalled by the Potteries based side at the end of his loan period. At the end of the 2017-18 campaign he found himself released by parent club Port Vale after the struggling League Two club finished just a point above safety. During summer 2018 he subsequently linked up with the Pics League One neighbours Walsall and promptly returned to Dales Lane on loan for the 2018-19 campaign.

Brian SMIKLE – Forward/ Midfielder/Defender. A highly experienced and extremely versatile Tipton-born player who returned to Dales Lane to begin a second spell with the club in early December 2017 after transferring back from neighbours Sutton Coldfield Town. ‘Junior’ originally progressed through West Bromwich Albion’s youth set-up, signing a professional contract in the summer of 2005, and later went on to enjoy loan spells with Hereford United and Halifax Town before joining Kidderminster Harriers in the summer of 2006, going on to feature in 144 games in a four

season spell with the club. He stayed at Aggborough until May 2010 and then signed a one-year deal with Cheltenham Town, playing in all 46 League matches during his first full season with the Robins. In May 2012, he was released by Cheltenham after the expiry of his contract and linked up with Hereford United on non-contract terms before being released at the end of the 2012-13 season after struggling to establish himself with the Bulls. Following a brief trial with Tamworth in the summer of 2013, he signed for Altrincham ahead of the 2013-14 season, but in early 2014 he had a brief spell with Stafford Rangers before signing for Stourbridge in March 2014.

Signed ostensibly as a striker, during the 2015-16 campaign he became Stourbridge’s regular left-back and following a string of fine displays he was ultimately awarded the Supporters’ Player of the Year award. Always a popular member of the squad amongst the Glassboys faithful, he played 139 times in total for the Glassboys (including 41 substitute appearances) scoring nine goals, the most memorable of which came in the 1-1 draw at Hitchin Town on the final day of the 2013/14 season which earned the Glassboys a play-off place. During the first half of the 2016-17 campaign he remained a key member of the Glassboys’ squad and featured in 20 games prior to transferring to the Pics during February 2017, but during summer 2017 he later opted to transfer to Sutton Coldfield Town.

Michael TOWNSEND – Defender. Commanding and influential Walsall-born central defender who returned to Dales Lane to begin a second spell with the Pics during January 2018 after transferring from Sutton Coldfield Town.

He began his career with Wolverhampton Wanderers as a Youth Team player after being signed on a three year scholarship. After impressing in the Youth set-up at the Molineux he was quickly promoted to the Reserve side where he established himself as a regular over the next two seasons.

However, having not made the breakthrough into the First Team he was eventually released by then manager Glenn Hoddle just prior to Christmas 2004.

In January 2005 he joined Cheltenham Town and went on to become a regular in the Robins’ First Team the following season and was part of the squad who were promoted into League One. Following a lengthy period of injury he returned to regain his place in the Cheltenham side and helped them avoid relegation.

He later joined Barnet on a one month loan in October 2008, with the spell then extended following a sequence of good performances. However, he turned down the chance of re-joining Barnet on loan in early 2009 and instead vowed to fight for a place in the Cheltenham Town team and through a mixture of attitude, hard work and determination, he re-established himself as a key member of the Cheltenham defence by September 2009 following several man of the match performances towards

the end of the 2008–09 and the start of the 2009–10 seasons.

He was released by the Whaddon Road club along with seven other players in May 2010 and penned a two-year deal with Hereford United in July 2010.

In late January 2012 he signed an extension to his contract to keep him at Edgar Street after some strong performances and also scooped the ‘Players Player’ of the year award after making more appearances than any other player for the second consecutıve campaign.

However, at the end of season 2012–13 he was released by the Bulls after his appearances during the campaign were severely restricted due to injury. Following successful rehabilitation from injury he linked up with Tamworth in January 2014, but fractured a vertebra in March 2014 and was ruled him out for the remainder of the season as the Lambs found themselves relegated from Conference National to the Conference North. For the 201415 campaign he became the first player to commit to Tamworth and was subsequently unveiled as club captain. However, after suffering further back trouble he eventually left Tamworth in January 2015 and ultimately linked up with the Pics during February 2015. During summer 2016 he eventually transferred to Stafford Rangers, where he remained until January 2017 when he moved on to Sutton Coldfield Town and became an inspiration behind the Royals’ fight to avoid the drop from the Evo-Stk League Premier Division. During summer 2017 he transferred to Barwell, where he led the side with many

dominant performances as club captain, before opting for a move closer to home as he re-joined former club Sutton Coldfield Town in November 2017.

Danny WALDRON – Midfielder/ Forward. Tremendously talented and skillful front runner who arrived at Dales Lane during summer 2017 after spending the previous two campaigns with Smethwick in West Midlands (Regional) League Premier Division football. During the 2012-13 and 2013-14 campaigns he was a prolific goal scorer for the Youth Team of Halesowen Town and also made a break through into the Yeltz First Team. Previously he had featured for Halesowen Town Colts, Cadbury Athletic and Hasbury Rangers during his earlier career. However, the 2017-18 campaign proved to be a memorable one for the forward who in his first season at Step 3 of the National League System netted 18 goals in the 42 Evo-Stik League Premier Division games he was involved in to finish in the top 12 list of the league goalscorers. All told he ended the campaign as top scorer at Dales Lane with 21 goals in 53 games and was named by Liam McDonald as his Managers’ Player of the Season for 2017-18, while also finishing as runner-up in both the Players’ Player of the Season and Supporters’ Player of the Season award.

Josh WEBB – Defender.

Versatile defender mainly at home in a right full back role but can also operate more

centrally, he arrived at Dales Lane in October 2017 on loan from National North outfit Kidderminster Harriers. During summer 2018 the versatile and accomplished performer agreed a deal to remain with the Pics for the 2018-19 campaign.

Originating from the Halesowen area he began his career in the Academy system at Aston Villa from the age of ten onwards for a period of around nine years.

Following his realease during summer 2016, he opted to travel north of the border and link up with Scottish Premiership side Kilmarnock, but after making only three appearances for the Killie he left by mutual consent and joined Kidderminster in March 2017, remaining until the end of the season. During summer 2017 was invited back to Aggborough for the pre-season and earned himself another short term contract.

While at Villa Park on an international in 2001 he featured for England U17s in a number of UEFA U17 Championship matches, against the likes of Ukraine and the Netherlands He subsequently went on to make one appearance for England U18s against Belgium U18 in 2013.

Sam WHITTALL – Defender/ Midfielder. Highly rated utility player who arrived at Dales Lane during summer 2016 after ending the 2015-16 campaign with Evo-Stik League Premier Division rivals Stourbridge. Tall, powerful and stylish and with an eye for a goal, he began his career with Wolverhampton Wanderers where from the age of 8 he progressed through the

Academy system to secure a professional contract in March 2012 and was a regular in both the reserves and Under 21 Development squad side. During spring of 2014 he was eventually released by Wolves and later joined Cambridge United in August 2014 on a 6-month contract. However, after only making a couple of league appearances he joined Brackley Town on a youth loan in September 2014, a move that he made permanent in December 2014. In January 2016 he signed for Stourbridge on a short term deal until the end of the season.

After linking up with the Pics as a midfielder his versatility allowed him to also successfully revert to a central defensive role in which he excelled and went on to sweep the board in the Pics 2016-17 end of season awards by being named as both the Supporter’ and Player’s Player of the Year. During the 2017-18 campaign he topped the Dales Lane appearance charts after featuring in 51 of the Pics 59 games, taking his total over the century mark and he also chipped in with 4 goals. For the second season running he was also acclaimed by his peers after being crowned as Player’s Player of the Year once more.

FROM THE CHAIRMAN… Welcome everyone to a brand new season and I hope you all have enjoyed the World Cup and our boys doing so well and enjoying this incredible barmy weather that we are experiencing…. long overdue.

It’s now that time of the year when all the running ,chasing, sweat and tears of pre-season turn into the team that leads us in to our new campaign for 2018/19.

Matt and his team are now up to speed and fitness after some incredibly hot, tiring games against top league opposition ,which has pushed his players to the limits and now it’s time to put the finishing touches in the final few days before we embark into an exciting new season with hope and aspirations on building on last season’s good work.

We welcome our visitors from Bedworth United and Rushall Olympic and their supporters to St Neots Town F.C. and the Premier Plus Stadium for today’s game and we hope you all enjoy your visit.

We look forward to hopefully a competitive and positive start to season and wish all our Saints followers a great journey, as we meet new teams within our new league and hope it brings us all good times and positive results building on from last season with Matt and the team.

Regards

Barry

PROUD TO SUPPORT THE SAINTS ON AND OFF THE PITCH

Experts in Company Branding, Marketing and Website Design www.blueprawndesign.co.uk

@blueprawndesign

GARY DEAN GOALKEEPING Every Tuesday & Thursday St Neots Football Club 1630hrs-1800hrs All disciplines covered All levels welcome GROUP & 1-2-1 SESSIONS AVAILABLE FA LEVEL 2 QUALIFIED DBS CHECKED FIRST AID QUALIFIED Mobile: 07834 06 00 88

01767 677559

THE NEW SEASON THERE was a certain relief walking out of NLP Towers at 9:30pm last Saturday night.

Another summer had been negotiated, August is here and competitive football is finally back.

The off-season is a busy one for us as we aim to keep producing engaging articles people will enjoy reading and, I hope, we have once again managed to do that.

While there might not be a full programme of matches for a few weeks, there’s always something going on in Non-League football once the regular season finishes at the end of April.

The play-offs get into full swing immediately, then there’s all the finals to cover, restructuring, league constitutions, league constitutions part two, transfers, fixtures, FA Cup, Trophy and Vase draws and, eventually, pre-season matches.

But there’s nothing quite like that first Saturday of the new campaign. Where everyone turns up, level on points, full of hope and ambition, with fans wondering, ‘Could this be our year?’

New players have been signed, stands have had a lick of paint and there’s grass in all the goalmouths – although this year much of it will be parched! I imagine there will be some expensive water bills dropping on the doormats of clubs in the near future as groundsmen battle against the heat.

Of course, we’ve had the World Cup to tick us over too and with England going deep into the competition, the excitement and feel-good factor has been palpable. Non-League football can really benefit from the national side having a good competition too.

And there was plenty to be proud of for this level of the game with Jordan Pickford’s loan spells at Darlington and Alfreton taking up many column inches, along with Nick Pope’s Bury Town beginning and the well-told tale of Jamie Vardy. Who knows where the players kicking off over the coming weeks will end up in a few years’ time.

That’s one of the exciting parts of this time of year. It’s all ahead of us now. The surprises, the shocks, the Cup runs – over the coming nine months stories and memories will unfold for everyone. We’ll enjoy covering every kick. Good luck!

SIN BINS Could we see the use of Sin Bins throughout the Non-League Pyramid in the future?

Last season the FA trialled the punishment across 31 leagues at various levels and this year that will be expanded with the plan for every Step 7 and below league to use them from 2019-20.

The FA chose to use sin bins solely for dissent. Did you know that one in four yellow cards is given for that offence? And last season’s Pilot showed a significant reduction of 38 per cent.

It seems to be tackling the problem.

The hope is sin bins will change behaviour because it will have an immediate impact. Backchat will see a player spend 10 minutes on the sidelines (eight minutes for games of 80 minutes or less) and will harm the team straightaway, rather than receive a booking and carry on.

The FA’s Head of Judicial Services, Mark Ives, answered questions on the system as part of our monthly NLP column with the governing body.

He explained how the FA are governed by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) when it comes to laws of the game. At the moment, they are only allowed to introduce it at the grass-roots level.

But, should that change, I wonder if we’ll see it higher up the ladder. If it works, which it seems to, that can only be a good thing.

Commercial Break Gary Atyes

Hi Everyone This is the first chance I have had to introduce myself. Firstly I want to say a massive thank you for the warm welcome everyone at the club has given me, it made it feel more like a family than a football club.

Initially in my role I have been looking at where the club can add additional revenue, and at the same time providing added value for sponsors and supporters. So the first task has been to put marketing and event plans in place for the coming season, plus to meet with the clubs key partners and sponsors.

I would like to thank Premier Plus, GESS, St Neots Interiors, Mick George and Greene King for being so positive and supporting our plans going forward, they have all been a pleasure to work with.

And whilst the club have a strong and supportive group of partners already, we need to extend that group to bring in further investment in the coming months and will be working hard to do so.

Finally there is a great opportunity for Saints fans to be involved, whether its supporting our functions, putting up posters, bringing a friend or work colleague to a game, sponsoring a player or match ball or even asking your employer/company if they would like to get involved with the club in some way, it all helps take the club forward.

Thanks again for your warm welcome and support.

#WeAreSaints

St Neots Town

RESERVES

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS 2018 -19

5% OFF ONLINE ORDERS AND WE’LL DONATE 5% TO ST NEOTS TOWN FC LEARNING & SPORTS ACADEMY

Visit: mickgeorge.co.uk MG billboard 6x1 St Neots v3.indd 1

 SKIP HIRE  BULK BAGS  CONCRETE

USE CODE: STNEOTS10 3/17/16 11:11 AM

Huntree Fencing Ltd Open to the trade and public All fencing and gates can be supplied and installed.

Please call

01480 471082 for your

quote.

Local Delivery Domestic Fencing and gates.

Commercial security fencing.

Visit www.huntreefencing.co.uk And shop online.

St Neots Town First Team - 08/08/18

Teams

P

W

D

L

F

A

GD

PTS

1 2

AFC Rushden and Diamonds Alvechurch

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

3

Banbury United

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

4

Barwell

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

5

Bedworth United

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

6

Biggleswade Town

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

7

Coalville Town

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

8

Halesowen Town

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

9

Hitchin Town

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

10

Kettering Town

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

11

Kings Lynn Town FC

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

12

Leiston

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

13

Lowestoft Town

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

14

Needham Market

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

15

Redditch United

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

16

Royston Town

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

17

Rushall Olympic

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

18

St Ives Town FC

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

19

St Neots Town FC

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

20

Stourbridge

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

21

Stratford Town FC

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

22

Tamworth

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

EVOSTIK LEAGUE SOUTH PREMIER DIVISION CENTRAL 2018/19

St Neots Town Reserves

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

TEAMS

P

W

D

L

F

A

GD

PTS

Brampton FC Cambridge City Development Cambridge University Press Comberton United Eaton Socon Ely City Reserves Eynesbury Rovers Reserves Foxton FC Fulbourn Institute FC Great Shelford FC Hemingford United Linton Granta FC

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Cherry Hinton FC Bar Hill FC

St Neots Town Reserves West Wratting FC

KERSHAW LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION 2018/19

ST NEOTS TOWN UNDER 18’S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

TEAM Cambridge City Ely City Haverhill Rovers Histon FC Long Melford Mildenhall Town Newmarket Town Royston Town Saffron Walden Community Yth St Neots Town

P 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

W 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

D 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

L 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

F 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

A 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

PTS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

THURLOW NUNN YOUTH LEAGUE CAMBRIDGE DIVISION 2018/19

St Neots Town Development Squad

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

TEAMS Alconbury FC Bar Hill Reserves Chatteris Town Reserves Eaton Socon Reserves Fenstanton FC Fordham FC Godmanchester Rovers Reserves Hemingford United Reserves Houghton and Wyton Isleham United Mepal Sports St Neots Town Development

Tuddenham 08 Comberton United

P

W

D

L

F

A

GD

PTS

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

CAMBRIDGESHIRE FA COUNTY LEAGUE DIVISION 1B 2018/19

In Association With

£10

Advanced Online Booking

Purchased On The Door

£12

The Gregory Suite St Neots Town FC, Kester Way, St Neots PE19 6SL

First Team Squad Sponsorship 2018/19

Sponsorship costs ÂŁ100 + vat for HOME kit and ÂŁ50 + vat for the AWAY kit for the 2018/19 season. If you are interested, please contact GARY on 07542 844256 or email Gary@sntfc.co.uk (Please note sponsorships are NOT transferrable this season)

First Team Squad Sponsorship 2018/19

Many thanks to all our very generous Sponsors

GRASSROOT FOOTBALL TEAMS FREE

MATCHDAY ENTRY

SAINTS IN THE COMMUNITY

ALL GRASSROOTS FOOTBALL TEAMS TOGETHER WITH TWO COACHES ARE INVITED TO COME AND WATCH ANY FIRST TEAM MATCH (EXCLUDING CUP GAMES) AS OUR GUESTS. SIMPLY FILL IN THE FORM BELOW LETTING US KNOW THE GAME YOU'D LIKE TO WATCH TOGETHER WITH THE NAMES OF THE CHILDREN AND THE TWO COACHES. POST OR EMAIL TO THE ADDRESS BELOW AND WE WILL SEND THROUGH YOUR ITINERARY YOUTH TEAM..............................................................

AGE GROUP............................................................

LEAD COACH............................................................

SECOND COACH............................................................

LEAD COACH ADDRESS

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

PLEASE COMPLETE THE FORM AND EMAIL leekearns4@gmail.com OR POST TO

GAME OF YOUR CHOICE...........................................................

DATE OF THE GAME.....................................................

We are also interested in helping you to raise funds for your club. If you would like to know more about what we can offer please let us know

Postal address: Grassroots offer St Neots Town FC Premier Plus Stadium Kester way St Neots Cambs PE19 6SN

ALVECHURCH

BANBURY UNITED

BARWELL

BEDWORTH UNITED

BIGGLESWADE TOWN

COALVILLE TOWN

HALESOWEN TOWN

HITCHIN TOWN

KETTERING TOWN

AFC RUSHDEN & DIAMONDS AFC RUSHDEN & DIAMONDS

02-Mar

26-Jan

13-Oct

17-Nov

29-Dec

04-Sep

24-Nov

16-Oct

22-Ap

22-Apr

16-Mar

09-Feb

16-Feb

13-Apr

12-Jan

30-Mar

29-Sep

05-Jan

20-Apr

23-Mar

19-Jan

14-Aug

27-Apr

15-De

03-Nov

15-Sep

26-Dec

26-Jan

16-Feb

25-Au

13-Apr

22-Apr

29-Sep

13-Oct

26-De

20-Nov

20-Apr

27-Aug

16-Ma

16-Oct

09-Feb

12-Jan

09-Mar

13-Ap

ALVECHURCH

08-Dec

BANBURY UNITED

20-Nov

01-Jan

BARWELL

23-Mar

06-Oct

BEDWORTH UNITED

19-Jan

20-Oct

BIGGLESWADE TOWN

14-Aug

01-Dec

13-Oct

30-Mar

18-Aug

COALVILLE TOWN

20-Apr

18-Aug

17-Nov

27-Aug

01-Jan

26-Jan

HALESOWEN TOWN

23-Feb

10-Nov

29-Dec

20-Nov

06-Apr

25-Aug

05-Jan

HITCHIN TOWN

05-Jan

15-Sep

01-Sep

01-Dec

23-Mar

26-Dec

20-Oct

15-Dec

KETTERING TOWN

01-Jan

06-Apr

09-Mar

20-Apr

27-Aug

06-Oct

10-Nov

18-Aug

22-Dec

KINGS LYNN TOWN

20-Oct

02-Feb

29-Sep

19-Jan

24-Nov

11-Aug

02-Mar

30-Mar

16-Mar

29-De

LEISTON

01-Dec

23-Feb

13-Apr

29-Sep

09-Mar

03-Nov

11-Aug

13-Oct

26-Jan

30-Ma

LOWESTOFT TOWN

10-Nov

15-Dec

16-Feb

20-Oct

27-Apr

24-Nov

06-Apr

22-Dec

18-Aug

02-Ma

NEEDHAM MARKET

06-Oct

27-Apr

08-Dec

18-Aug

22-Dec

12-Jan

23-Mar

09-Feb

14-Aug

03-No

REDDITCH UNITED

22-Dec

27-Aug

03-Nov

14-Aug

12-Jan

06-Apr

15-Sep

01-Jan

20-Apr

09-Feb

ROYSTON TOWN

15-Sep

22-Dec

09-Feb

27-Apr

06-Oct

08-Dec

23-Feb

03-Nov

01-Jan

17-No

RUSHALL OLYMPIC

02-Feb

19-Nov

11-Aug

10-Nov

16-Feb

01-Sep

29-Dec

16-Mar

08-Dec

24-No

ST IVES TOWN

06-Apr

23-Mar

24-Nov

09-Mar

08-Dec

16-Oct

01-Sep

17-Nov

12-Jan

16-Feb

ST NEOTS TOWN

27-Aug

19-Jan

30-Mar

23-Feb

14-Aug

09-Mar

02-Feb

27-Apr

29-Sep

13-Oc

STOURBRIDGE

18-Aug

20-Apr

12-Jan

22-Dec

15-Oct

09-Feb

15-Dec

28-Aug

17-Nov

26-Jan

STRATFORD TOWN

09-Mar

05-Jan

26-Dec

08-Dec

15-Sep

22-Apr

06-Oct

16-Feb

24-Nov

01-Sep

TAMWORTH

27-Apr

14-Aug

16-Mar

01-Jan

26-Jan

17-Nov

01-Dec

02-Mar

03-Nov

16-Oc

16-Oct 02-Feb

11-Au

Evostik League Sou

KINGS LYNN TOWN

LEISTON

LOWESTOFT TOWN

NEEDHAM MARKET

REDDITCH UNITED

ROYSTON TOWN

RUSHALL OLYMPIC

ST IVES TOWN

ST NEOTS TOWN

STOURBRIDGE

STRATFORD TOWN

TAMWORTH

pr

09-Feb

16-Feb

12-Jan

16-Mar

11-Aug

30-Mar

03-Nov

29-Sep

26-Dec

13-Apr

15-Dec

01-Sep

p

03-Nov

24-Nov

09-Mar

01-Sep

26-Dec

11-Aug

26-Jan

13-Oct

17-Nov

18-Sep

16-Oct

29-Dec

ec

06-Apr

18-Aug

01-Dec

02-Mar

02-Feb

20-Oct

22-Dec

23-Feb

15-Sep

10-Nov

27-Aug

06-Oct

ug

17-Nov

06-Apr

09-Feb

13-Apr

29-Dec

01-Sep

12-Jan

15-Dec

24-Nov

11-Aug

02-Mar

22-Apr

ec

23-Feb

15-Dec

01-Sep

11-Aug

10-Nov

16-Mar

01-Dec

02-Mar

29-Dec

05-Jan

30-Mar

20-Nov

ar

22-Dec

02-Feb

23-Feb

10-Nov

29-Sep

02-Mar

27-Apr

05-Jan

15-Dec

20-Oct

01-Jan

19-Jan

n

08-Dec

22-Dec

29-Sep

13-Oct

30-Mar

24-Nov

14-Aug

27-Apr

03-Nov

25-Aug

16-Mar

16-Feb

pr

15-Sep

23-Mar

11-Aug

20-Oct

22-Apr

02-Feb

06-Oct

19-Jan

01-Sep

26-Dec

01-Dec

08-Dec

ug

06-Oct

21-Nov

13-Apr

29-Dec

25-Aug

22-Apr

02-Mar

10-Nov

06-Apr

19-Jan

23-Feb

02-Feb

14-Aug

15-Sep

08-Dec

02-Feb

20-Oct

19-Jan

23-Feb

01-Dec

23-Mar

20-Nov

27-Apr

05-Jan

05-Jan

26-Dec

22-Apr

16-Feb

10-Nov

15-Dec

20-Nov

25-Aug

01-Sep

13-Oct

13-Apr

22-Apr

26-Dec

01-Sep

29-Dec

17-Nov

16-Mar

12-Jan

08-Dec

09-Feb

25-Aug

05-Jan

19-Jan

20-Nov

23-Mar

14-Aug

06-Oct

02-Feb

20-Apr

15-Sep

24-Nov

16-Feb

15-Sep

20-Apr

26-Jan

06-Apr

17-Nov

09-Mar

15-Dec

16-Oct

18-Aug

02-Mar

06-Oct

26-Jan

23-Mar

20-Apr

27-Aug

16-Oct

23-Mar

18-Aug

06-Apr

20-Oct

13-Apr

22-Apr

29-Sep

26-Dec

22-Apr

15-Sep

03-Nov

11-Aug

01-Dec

22-Dec

20-Oct

13-Aug

24-Nov

ec

ar

16-Oct

ar

27-Aug

01-Jan

ov

01-Jan

27-Aug

16-Oct

b

01-Dec

27-Apr

17-Nov

23-Feb

ov

12-Jan

14-Aug

26-Jan

01-Dec

09-Mar

ov

09-Mar

19-Jan

13-Oct

30-Mar

05-Jan

25-Aug

b

26-Jan

06-Oct

29-Dec

25-Aug

13-Apr

26-Dec

09-Feb

ct

20-Apr

10-Nov

16-Mar

20-Nov

08-Dec

05-Jan

18-Aug

01-Jan

n

27-Apr

02-Mar

03-Nov

29-Sep

16-Mar

13-Oct

01-Jan

30-Mar

16-Feb

p

23-Mar

20-Oct

25-Aug

19-Jan

20-Nov

13-Apr

06-Apr

02-Feb

11-Aug

29-Dec

ct

18-Aug

20-Apr

30-Mar

15-Dec

13-Oct

29-Sep

27-Aug

22-Dec

09-Feb

23-Feb

10-Nov 12-Jan

uthern Premier Division Central 2018-19

SQUAD

SQUAD

SQUAD

Finlay IRON

Daniel Crane

Joe Slinn

Alex Troke

Josh Webb

Matt MILES

Luke Rowe

Adedapo Adelekan

Scott SINCLAIR

Elliot Parrott

Brian Smikle

Johnny HERD

Delroy Gordon

Stevan SHAW

Tom Sharpe

Taylor PARR

Barry Fitzharris

Jack KEEBLE

Reece Blackmore

Tom WOOD Daniel OLANIRAN Luke KNIGHT James PETERS Harry O’MALLEY Dylan WILLIAMS Devante STANLEY Claudio OFOSU

Daniel Dubidat Levi Rowley Jake Whitmore

Sam Whittall Michael Townsend Josh Hawker Simeon Maye Danny Waldron Gurjit Singh

Ryan Baldwin

Ben Lund

Adam Harrison

James O`Neill

Iyseden Christie

Ashley Sammons

Kyle Cartwright

Calum Flanagan

Kieron Brehon

Justin Richards

Mark Albrighton

Lewis Archer Kyle Delaney

Dion SEMBIE- FERRIS

Tyler Lyttle

Lewis IRWIN

Simeon Paisley

Prince MUTSWUNGUMA

Colours Navy & Sky Blue

Joe Hull

Colours All Green

Colours Amber & Black

The match line up will be displayed on the electronic scoreboard (Bedworth) Referee: Andrew Humphries Assistant 1: Abdul Kadir Assistant 2: James Wetherall (Rushall Olympic) Referee: Callum Walchester Assistant 1: Daniel O’Sullivan Assistant 2: A N Other

For all your ďŹ nancial planning,

throughout life...

www.premierplusltd.co.uk Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.