O f f i c i a l D i g i t a l M a t c h d a y M a g a z i n e S e a s o n 2 0 2 5 / 2 6 O f f i c i a l D i g i t a l M a t c h d a y M a g a z i n e S e a s o n 2 0 2 5 / 2 6
"Good afternoon to you all and welcome back to the Premier Plus Stadium for today‘s Emirates FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round tie. Today we extend a warm welcome to everyone connected to Great Yarmouth Town Football Club and we hope you enjoy our hospitality here with us this afternoon”.
Here we go then, the start of a new season, a new adventure in the Pitching-In Northern Premier League Midland Division and a new era for this wonderful club with the new consortium recently taking ownership from outgoing owner Lee Kearns, who we must thank for firstly keeping the club alive and kicking during his tenure and also turning it into a self sufficient business model, so Lee, thank you so much and we all wish you well.
So, after winning promotion last season in what was a truly memorable season for everyone connected to the Club, we were allocated a place at Step Four in the Northern Premier League Midland Division. Admittedly, not our number one choice but here we are, ready to go and ready to meet some old acquaintances and make new friends over the next nine months or so.
On the pitch we are delighted that the majority of last season’s Championship winning squad have decided to stay together we say goodbye to those that chose to move on and welcome to the new lads that have decided to come on board and join our football family.
So, lots going on behind the scenes, all of which will make the club even better, so please play your part giving Cam, Steve and all the lads your support like you did last season.
Get behind the boys today as we begin our journey on the Road to Wembley, let’s go....
Greenie Greenie Greenie BE LOUD, BE PROUD, BE A SAINT
My name is Gemma Keech and I am the Club Welfare Officer (CWO) for St Neots Town Football Club.
Each football club that offers youth and open aged football is required to have a Club Welfare Officer. I am responsible for ensuring the wellbeing of the children, young people and vulnerable adults who attend the club, whether that be within the Academy or players aged Under 18 in the First Team.
My role is to be the first point of contact for all club members and parents / carers regarding concerns for the welfare of anyone within the club that fall within this group.
St Neots Town Football Club have appointed me to this voluntary role because of my employment roles in Education and Children’s Social Care, and therefore my knowledge and experience in Safeguarding and Child Protection.
My aim to be an approachable person for young p parents or carers, as well as club members, wher concerns may arise. These issues may range from about not fitting in or feeling left out, an individua dangerous incident or situation, other adult or yo persons’ behaviour or more serious allegations a another person, volunteer, member or profession the Club.
Please feel free to email me on sntfcwelfareofficer@gmail.com if you have any concerns or wish to discuss an issue, however big or small.
Hunts FA Safeguarding Team can also be contacted on 01480 447484 or by emailing Safeguarding@HuntsFA.com.
DAVID GIBBONS PHOTOGRAPHY MURPHY CULKIN THE GREYSTONES PUBLIC HOUSE
HORGAN
CHARLIE BOWEN
JAKE BURTON of PREMIER PLUS
GOFF
MEMORIAL MAKEOVERS
JOHN WALKER CLUB PRESIDENT THE CARROLL FAMILY JOSH FRANCIS
ROBBIE PARKER
HENDERSON
AVAILABLE FOR SPONSOR
BLAST FROM THE PAST
A recent FA Cup meeting three seasons ago with Thurlow Nunn opponents
FA CUP – EXTRA PRELIMINARY ROUND (5 August 2022)
Walsham Le Willows 1 St Neots Town 6
St Neots recorded their biggest FA Cup victory for fourteen years as their new-look side cruised to victory in their Friday evening fixture at Walsham-Le-Willows. It was the first time their freshly assembled squad had performed together, and the result will give optimism for the upcoming league season in their new surroundings in the Northern Premier League. Their FA Cup hosts from the Thurlow Nunn Eastern Counties League already had two league fixtures under their belts and the first half suggested that it was going to take time for the recently assembled St Neots side to gel as a unit. Falling behind after 37 minutes to a goal from lively home striker Jamie Smith, St Neots responded with two goals in three minutes to lead at half time and from then they never looked back. There were impressive contributions all over the field with goalkeeper Jamie Greygoose, the lively Dan Barton and skipper Callum Anderson all performing well and the cash reward for victory also brings a Preliminary Round home tie in two weeks’ time with either Godmanchester Rovers or Rothwell Corinthians.
There was a cautious start to proceedings in terms of goalmouth action and neither side managed a threatening strike on goal in the first twenty minutes although Walsham should have done better with a free kick in a dangerous position that was sent harmlessly wide. St Neots main threat seemed to come from Aaron Smith’s trademark lengthy throws that tested the home defence and after 23 minutes a Brandon Njoku shot on the turn was only just too high. As St Neots began to settle two shots from Callum Anderson and Njoku were blocked by defenders and then there was a long delay as Saints recent signing full back Theo Sankey-Mensah received lengthy treatment for a hamstring pull but was unable to continue and this saw Toib Adeyemi substituting with the visitors back line reorganised. Henry Harvey saw a lengthy Walsham effort sail harmlessly wide before the last ten minutes of the half saw the bulk of the action. After 37 minutes the home side took the lead with their first real opening as striker Jamie Smith took full advantage of defensive hesitancy to open the scoring. This seemed to spur St Neots into action and three minutes later the scores were levelled when Declan Nche took advantage of a mazy run by Dan Barton to level the scores.After 43 minutes St Neots set up an important half time lead when Brandon Njoku passed two defenders to set up Declan Nche for his second goal.
BLAST FROM THE PAST
After the late first half action the restart was relatively calm, and it was not until after both sides had made a substitution around the hour mark that the game came back to life. Walsham created two good openings bringing to important saves from Jamie Greygoose to deny Smith and Oliver McKensie and the important breakthrough came after 66 minutes when a fine three man move split the home defence as Njoku and Barton combined to set up Trey Charles for the important third St Neots goal.Charles then blocked a goalkeeper’s clearance to go clear on goal, but he shot wide and at the other end another important save by Greygoose to keep out a Karl Saffrey header preserving St Neots two goals advantage. Following a St Neots corner eleven minutes from time Charles produced the goal of the match with a fierce shot into the far corner of the net and a 4-1 St Neots were cruising as the home side tired. Substitute Saleem Akanbi added a fifth goal a minute into added time after missing a much easier chance seconds earlier, and Trey Charles rounded things off with a penalty deep into injury time to complete his hat trick.
The Wall is completely under cover and protected from the elements and the flowers/shrubbery are cared for and tended to on a daily basis by our dedicated grounds staff. We would like to thank Kite Utilities, Ballinger Construction and Oasis Promotions and Print for all their collective help in getting this project from an idea by Chairman Barry Cavilla to a quite splendid addition to our stadium.
Stainless steel wall plaques are now available for loving messages to be engraved in the following two options:
6” x 4” Stainless Steel Wall plaque – Lasered with black text (feels smooth to touch)
Can come with 4 countersunk screws – or they can be without and glued
Total cost £36.00
8” x 4” Stainless Steel Wall plaque – Lasered with black text (feels smooth to touch)
Can come with 4 countersunk screws – or they can be without and glued
Total cost £48.00
Any interested supporters should contact Chairman Barry Cavilla for further details via email on bcavilla77@gmail.com or in person at The Premier Plus Stadium on a matchday.
Seasons Past - With John Walker
This Edition Focuses on Season 1981/82
This is the first in a series of highlighting one of our final seasons at Shortsands to depict both the highs and the lows in the recent proud history of the Club. It is difficult to find highlights in a season as disastrous as this one, but it contrasts very vividly with last season where we swept all before us to win the United Counties League Premier Division South by thirteen points. The result was relegation back to the lower division of the UCL where we stayed for just one season before winning back our Step Five status. It is seasons like this one that makes those more successful something to remember and savour.
League: UCL Premier Division
Final League position: 19 /19 (and relegated) th
League playing record: P36 W2 D7 L27 F 25 A 91 Pts 11 (2 for win)
Cup playing record: P5 W0 D0 L5 For 1 Against 10
At home we did not win a league match and drew just five times.
We failed to score in 13 of our 18 home matches and six of the away ones.
The highlight of the league season were our two away victories at Long Buckby (2-1) and perhaps famously at Stevenage Borough (4-3) when we came back from 3-1 down!
Steve White scored our only cup goal and was second highest scorer with three goals.
Leading scorer was Ian Reed (4 goals).
Our worst season for goal scoring in more than half a century.
Three Managers tried to ‘right the ship’ that season: Terry Reedman 2 months, Roger Campbell 2 months and Graham Scarff 5 months
Formed in 1897 with the merger of 2 successful local clubs, Yarmouth Fearnoughts and Yarmouth Royal Artilery. Originally based at Beacosnfield Recreation ground until 1901-02 when they moved to the Wellesley Recreation Ground. Great Yarmouth Town Football Club was formed in 1897 with most of the players being drawn from two very successful local clubs, Yarmouth Fearnoughts and Yarmouth Royal Artillery, who between them had won the Norfolk Senior Cup for the previous four years.
The players experience obviously told as the new Town club won this trophy in its very first year, defeating Lynn Town 4-3 in a replay after a 0-0 draw. Then, between 1902 and 1906, Yarmouth were to prove invincible in the same competition, again beating Lynn on each occasion! In total, Yarmouth have won the Senior Cup thirteen times and have been runners-up a further fifteen times. Founder-members of the Norfolk & Suffolk League, Yarmouth won this championship in 1914, 1927 and 1928 before joining the newly formed Eastern Counties League in 1935; they have been ever-present members since, and are now the only club to hold this distinction following Lowestoft Town’s elevation to the Ryman League. During this period Gordon South was smashing in the goals accumulating 298 in a 28 year spell. He is still the all-time highest scorer today.
After the Second World War, the Bloaters – now with semi-professional status –gained national recognition for their FA Cup exploits, reaching the second-round proper twice! The first-round proper was reached for the first time in 1947 when they lost at home to Shrewsbury Town in front of 4160 spectators. Then in 1952 a Wellesley crowd of 3889 witnessed a first-round proper 1-0 win over Guildford City, but a 1-4 home defeat to Wrexham in the second round (crowd 6963, a new record) dealt that season’s exit; in 1953 the Bloaters’ finest hour saw them defeat League side Crystal Palace 1-0 in the first-round proper in front of a still-record crowd of 8944! Second-round exit came at then-League club Barrow, 2-4.
Opponent Spotlight GREAT YARMOUTH TOWN FC
After the Second World War, the Bloaters – now with semi-professional status –gained national recognition for their FA Cup exploits, reaching the second-round proper twice! The first-round proper was reached for the first time in 1947 when they lost at home to Shrewsbury Town in front of 4160 spectators. Then in 1952 a Wellesley crowd of 3889 witnessed a first-round proper 1-0 win over Guildford City, but a 1-4 home defeat to Wrexham in the second round (crowd 6963, a new record) dealt that season’s exit; in 1953 the Bloaters’ finest hour saw them defeat League side Crystal Palace 1-0 in the first-round proper in front of a still-record crowd of 8944! Second-round exit came at then-League club Barrow, 2-4. Other cup exploits over the years include eight appearances in the first round proper of the old Amateur Cup, and one in the second round. In 1952 the East Anglian Cup was won for the only time, and – on what we night term the “domestic front’ – the Eastern Counties League Cup has been won three times to date, in 1938, 1975 and 1981. The late fifties saw a return to strictly amateur status but it was not long before a revival of fortunes saw paid players return and with them, finally, the ECL title in season 1968-69; however, this remains the sole occasion so far. Ex-Norwich, Newcastle and Sheffield United winger Bill Punton then took the reigns for what proved to be a 21-year spell, making him the longest-serving manager of the club. This was also one of the club’s most successful periods: although the league title proved elusive Punton led the Bloaters to two runners-up spots, four Senior Cup triumphs, the two League Cup wins of ’75 and ’81, and to within one goal of Wembley in the FA Vase in 1983.
Then, as the first ECL club to get that far, Yarmouth lost on aggregate to eventual winners VS Rugby in the semi-final, despite a phenomenal goal by prolific striker Neil Hart – a Yarmouth legend – to set up a tense extra-time period in the second leg at the Wellesley in front of another, but now rare, 4000plus gate, the first since those heady days of the fifties.
It was in the It was in the last season of Punton’s tenure that he introduced a young Paul Tong to his managerial team but 1990 was a year of change with both Punton and Tong moving on to Diss Town and long-serving club official Jack Pegg retiring.
Opponent Spotlight GREAT YARMOUTH TOWN FC
The club experienced a dip in fortunes in the early nineties until Paul Chick and Donny Pye were appointed, but after two moderately successful seasons this pair also moved to Diss when Punton retired from management. Ironically, Tong then returned to the Wellesley as first team boss and stayed seven years, making him the second-longest serving manager after Punton. In this period the club revived its Youth U18 side and this has been, and continues to be, a successful breeding ground for new talent. During this first managerial spell at Yarmouth for Tong, the club won the ECL Millennium Trophy, one year after being runner-up, and reached three consecutive Senior Cup finals though disappointingly losing all three. After Tong left for a second time, the club suffered relegation to the First Division in 2005 and a period of short-lived appointments concluded with appearance record-breaking goalkeeper Nick Banham who formed a unique partnership at the club with his wife Julia as Chairperson.
With the club then heading for financial meltdown in late 2008, an appeal for help in the local media resulted in local businessman Stephen Brierley assisting in the resurrection. When Banham resigned as first team manager, Yarmouth stalwart Kevin Cruickshank stepped up to the plate and was then joined by the returning Paul Tong, and the pair set about rebuilding the team side of affairs at the Wellesley.
After a difference of opinion, the pairing broke up and Tong remained as sole manager, taking the club back to the Premier Division as Ridgeon’s Division One 2009-2010 champions and achieve a first-ever promotion for the Bloaters. And happily, with relations now restored, Cruickshank returned to the Wellesley as Reserve team manager. However the fortunes were short lived with the side relegated in 2010-11 which is where they stayed for 5 years. The brighter side of 2010 also saw the club awarded Charter Club status by the FA, and expansion of the youth programme saw the club running a number of youth sides. This has grown in statue and the club now boast at least 10 youth sides of both boys and girls.
Opponent Spotlight
GREAT YARMOUTH TOWN FC
In 2011-12 due to poor committee management the club again hit severe financial problems, which almost ruined the club to extinction but recent times have seen a dramatic change in fortunes.
In 2014-15 Yarmouth almost gained promotion back to the Premier league but just fell short in 4th and in the same season where runners up in the ECL 1st Division cup, beaten by Sudbury and Woodbridge. 2015-16 with the outgoing manager leaving for fierce rivals and neighbours Gorleston and taking half of his successful squad with him Great Yarmouth Town appointed 2 young managers in Adam Mason & Martyn Sinclair on the back of their local football success. The pair gained promotion in that season at the first time of asking to return the club to the Eastern Counties Premier League (step 5). In a very positive new era for the club there have also been off the field improvements. Chairman Kevin Cruickshank who has had over 25 years association with the club in various roles along with Ben Stone as new vice chairman were appointed in February 2017 in a restructure of the management committee.
In 2019 It was all change with Jack Jay Coming into a new look committee as Chairman, following Adam Mason and Martyn Sinclair stepping down as Managers, replaced by Rob McCombe. ‘Mase’ and ‘Sinny’ subsequently taking important positions on the Committee with Adam Mason taking on an ‘Operations Director’ Role, and Martyn Sinclair coming in as the clubs Vice Chairman. The new committee fully committed to securing the long-term sustainable future of the club, aligned to its core values and philosophy.
The 2019-20 Season was cut short by the Corona Virus and Covid19 with the side well placed in 10th with games in hand on teams above, boasting the best Defensive record in the league and with early progression in both the FA Cup and Vase as well as a Senior Cup Semi Final will be remembered as a solid start for the new management team.
ANDYSMANCLUB
WHATISANDYSMANCLUB?
ANDYSMANCLUBisafreepeer-to-peergroupthat providesaplaceformentocometogetherinasafe and open environment to talk about the issues or problemsthattheyhavefacedorarecurrentlyfacing
Theprocessisaboutbringingmentogetherwhohave been in similar situations, to help each other on a peertopeerbasis,sharinghowtheyhavedealtwith various situations through lived experiences No matter how big or small your problem feels, we are heretosupporteachother The5questionsthatare askedeachweekaredesignednotonlytoencourage mentotalk,buttostarttofocusonthepositivesand on strategies to keep moving forward. There is no pressuretoansweranyofthequestionsanditisnot uncommon for men to just listen for the first few sessions. The clubs all run on the same format and adhere to the same guidelines. A key principle of ANDYSMANCLUBisanythingthatissaidintheclub,
