Issue 6 - bourne town by St Neots Town Football Club

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

Saturday 27 Sept 2025 th 3.00pm

Greenie’s Greetings

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BE LOUD, BE PROUD, BE A SAINT

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From The Dugout

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With Manager Cameron Mawer

Asalways,thankyoutoourloyalsupporters.I’mincredibly proudtomanagethisfootballclubandtobepartofwhat isanexcitingperiodforus.We’llkeepbuilding–brickby brick–andwithyoursupport,thatjourneybecomesjust thatlittlebiteasier.

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With Chairman Barry Cavilla

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John Walker's Match Preview

BOURNE TOWN FC

CLUB WELFARE OFFICER

GEMMA KEECH

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.

MATCH REPORT

LONG EATON UNITED (H) 13 Sep

Pitching In Northern Premier League Midland Division

ST NEOTS TOWN 2

LONG EATON UNITED 3

Another league defeat for St Neots in a match that had everything including three red cards, six unrelated cautions and five goals. The visitors’ making their first visit to St Neots since 1959, will have been delighted to have returned home with the points after playing the final 24 minutes with nine men.It was a lively encounter as the statistics suggest but St Neots should have taken a more significant opportunity when playing ten men against nine in the final half hour. After a lively first 45 minutes in which the visitors just had the edge and a single goal advantage, there was an incident as the players left the field resulting in red cards for Murphy Culkin (St Neots) and Gianluca Bucci (Long Eaton). St Neots had made three team changes from the side beaten in midweek at Shepshed, with Kieran Barnes and Harvey Henderson not available, and Rhys Thorpe not fully fit so into the side came Aaron Smith, Murphy Culkin and Andrian Ankrah. St Neots lined up in a 3-5-2 formation with wide men Harvey Williams and Connor Furlong playing as emergency strikers. It was a first home game for recently appointed Assistant Manager Chris Nunn.

It was a feisty contest from the start with both sides committed to attacking play. Connor Furlong had the first chance but saw his fierce shot blocked and at the other end Connor Pace suffered the same fate. James Goff then twice had to leave his line to clear and when the visitors appealed for a penalty as striker Evan Garnett fell in the area, he was booked by the Referee for feigning the challenge. Then after 16 minutes the visitors went ahead as Tristan Thompson-Matthews crossed from the right and defender Own Betts arrived late to beat the home keeper. The lively Michael Amaeshike then saw a header to a Furlong cross well saved and Murphy Culkin playing in midfield saw his effort pushed away at full stretch by the visiting keeper. Jahvan Davidson-Miller then shot wide for Long Earon when well placed, but after 33 minutes the visitors increased their lead as Davidson-Miller crossed to the near post and as he attempted under pressure to clear Charlie Bowen only succeeded in diverting the ball into his own net. St Neots hit back three minutes later when Furlong picked out a run by Michael Amaeshike and he rounded Lewis King to net from a narrow angle to put St Neots back in contention.

MATCH REPORT

LONG EATON UNITED (H) 13 Sep

After the interval the teams returned ten-a-side to resume an end-to-end contest. Both made substitutions to reshape their line-up, and the visitors began cautiously happy to play keep ball without really seriously threatening the home goal. Amaeshike shot over the bar for St Neots and the visitors then produced a quick break setting up Thompson-Matthews who forced an important save from James Goff at the expense of a corner. The lively Harvey Williams saw a net bound effort deflected for a corner and then after 61 minutes the visitors created what was to prove to be the most significant goal of the match. It came as Thompson-Matthews won the ball on the left and picked out Jahvan Davidson-Miller to net from close range. Five minutes later substitute James Hanson brought down Amaeshike in full flight on the edge of the area and became the second visiting player to see red to reduce the visitors to nine men. Eight minutes later St Neots lively substitute Jessi Obeng pulled a goal back with a crisp finish deflected into his own net by defender Jayden Cotterill but that was as good as it got for St Neots who dominated play in the final quarter of an hour but were unable to break through the packed visiting defence.

St Neots Town: Goff, Willis, Culkin, Parker, Smith, Bowen, Furlong, Tavernier, Amaeshike, Ankrah, Williams

Subs: Thorpe (for Ankrah 46 mins), Obeng (for Williams 61 mins), Francis, Jessop, and Forster.

Cards: Culkin (RED – 45 mins), Parker (Y – 90+4 mins), Bowen (Y – 90+4 mins)

Goals: Amaeshike (36 mins), Obeng (74 mins)

Long Eaton United: King, Betts, Finnerty, Keane, Cotterill, Bucci, ThompsonMatthews, Duncan, Gamett, Pace, Davidson-Miller

Subs: Hanson (for Finnerty 46 mins), Taylor (for Betts 61 mins), Atwal (for Duncan 75 mins), and Shaw.

Cards: Bucci (RED – 45 mins), Hanson (RED – 66 mins), Garnett (Y – 14 mins), Thompson-Matthews (Y – 48 mins), Keane (Y – 88 mins), Taylor (Y – 90+3 mins)

Goals: Betts (16 mins), Bowen OG (33 mins), Davidson-Miller (61 mins)

Attendance: 241

Referee: Christopher Darling (Newmarket, Suffolk)

(John Walker)

MATCH REPORT

Coventry Sphinx (A) 20 Sep

Pitching In Northern Premier League Midland Division

COVENTRY SPHINX 2

ST NEOTS TOWN 3

Rhys Thorpe returned to the St Neots side following injury and claimed the first ever NPL hat trick for the Saints to give them a notable victory over the previously unbeaten league leaders. The visitors must have gone into the match with some misgivings following the late withdrawal from the side of Christian Tavernier for personal reasons. They were already without suspended duo Murphy Culkin and skipper Rob Parker and defender Aaron Smith on temporary loan returned to St Ives. Into a much-changed line-up came Thorpe, Harvey Henderson, Kieran Barnes and new signing Eniola Agemoh-Davies who slotted in very comfortably at full back. Looking to extend their lead at the top of the table Sphinx found themselves outplayed in the first half but most of the drama and significant action came late in the match – in fact in the final six minutes plus added time when three goals were scored as the pendulum of fortune swung backwards and forwards. St Neots Manager Cameron Mawer was jubilant but admitted he would have been happy if the match had finished 2-0 to his side without the stress of those final minutes.

The first half was surprising in that St Neots dominated much of the play against the previously unbeaten league leaders. Regardless of the team shuffle because of the unavailable players, St Neots settled quickly and began to dominate possession. Much of the action was confined to the Sphinx half of the field but the visitors found it difficult to find a way through a resolute defence. After 14 minutes Michael Amaeshike played Rhys Thorpe clear, and he should have done better in a one-on-one with home keeper Charlie Woods, but the shot was blocked and cleared. Other St Neots attacking moved were resisted and in their first serious chance at the other end Sphinx might have taken the lead, but Matthew Shipman’s free header was too high. The main threat from the home side in the latter stages of the first half came from long throws into the area from Ryley Nicholson but the first half ended goalless.

MATCH REPORT

Coventry Sphinx (A) 20 Sep

St Neots came out positively to take the lead in the second minute after the break. From a searching Harvey Williams cross, Rhys Thorpe opened the scoring, and then Connor Furlong forced a fine save from the home keeper at the expense of a corner. Ben Vallance joined the home attack to fire over the bar and then after two substitutions the home side began to compete.The St Neots defence was under some pressure, but Williams broke away to have a net bound shot blocked by a defender. Then, in another breakaway attack, a neat move involving Kieran Barnes and Furlong ended with Rhys Thorpe claiming his second goal. Now the home side responded with more attacking substitutions and St Neots found themselves under pressure. With six minutes remaining substitute Djibril Diedhiou took advantage of a deflected shot to pull a goal back and four minutes later in a goalmouth scramble another of the home substitutes Daniel Reka levelled the scores. However, three minutes into added time Rhys Thorpe completed his hat trick to seal full points for the visitors

St Neots Town: Goff, Willis, Agemoh-Davies, Ankrah, Henderson, Bowen, Furlong, Amaeshike, Thorpe, Barnes, Williams

Subs: Obeng (for Barnes 86 mins), Francis (for Furlong (90+6 mins), Stirling, and Jessop.

Cards: Barnes (Y – 9 mins), Goff (Y – 53 mins), Bowen (Y – 90+4 mins)

Goals: Thorpe 3 (47,72 & 90+2 mins)

Coventry Sphinx: Woods, Vallance, Tellyn, Fuseini, Nicholson, Shorrock, Bowman, Woodward, Shipman, Carey, Smith

Subs: Reka (for Smith 48 mins), Diedhiou (for Tellyn 56 mins), Zito (for Vallance 61 mins),Kelly (for Shipman 66 mins)

Cards: Carey (Y – 90+4 mins)

Goals: Diedhiou (84 mins). Reka (88 mins)

Attendance: 117

Referee: Kieran Rogers (Lichfield, Staffs)

(John Walker)

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BLAST FROM THE PAST

Sept 27th 2017 - Royston Town (H)

A home league match eight years ago today – 27 September 2017

Southern League Premier Division

ST NEOTS TOWN 3 ROYSTON TOWN 1

This first ever league meeting of these two sides turned out to be a feisty affair with the visitors contributing to their own downfall as their indiscipline saw them pick up four yellow cards and play the last 41 minutes with ten men when their skipper Scott Bridges was dismissed for an alleged stamp on an opponent. For St Neots it was a welcome third consecutive home league victory and three points that lifted them to mid-table prior to their next two fixtures which are lengthy away trips. However, regardless of the sending-off the St Neots performance fully merited their victory as they carried on from their impressive weekend performance with a confident allround display of power and creativity that could have easily resulted in more than three goals. There was one enforced team change with centre half Liam McDevitt unavailable for selection, so the reliable Tom Wood seamlessly slotted into his place in a defence that seldom looked under serious threat.

With the visiting defence maintaining a high line up the field their goalkeeper Joe Welch had to twice leave his line to clear in the first five minutes as St Neots threatened but it was the visitors who took a surprise lead after six minutes when they counter attacked following two St Neots corners as Adam Marriott picked out the unmarked Josh Oyinsan who advanced to beat the unguarded St Neots keeper with a low shot.If the St Neots defence were culpable in that incident they made up for this with a solid display for much of the rest of the game. Former Cambridge United and Lincoln City professional Marriott did have one chance which he sent high over the bar for the visitors, but St Neots settled to dominate much of the play. After 15 minutes St Neots were level as Ryan Horne turned sharply in the penalty area to register his first goal of the season and within a minute the home side could have been ahead as Dylan Williams and Johnny Herd combined to set up Dion Sembie-Ferris whose shot beat the keeper but rebounded from the underside of the cross bar. Kyron Wiltshire saw a shot deflected over the bar and eight minutes before the break the woodwork denied St Neots for a second time when a Herd shot rebounded from a post. A Williams chip was cleared off the line by Lee Chappell, but Royston ended the half with a flourish as a Marriott effort rebounded off the woodwork and Scott Bridges played clear by Ryan Ingrey shot the wrong side of a post.

BLAST FROM THE PAST

Sept 27th 2017 - Royston Town (H)

There was an explosive start to the second half as Bridges picked up a straight red card and this saw the visitors vary their approach with two substitutions to adopt a more defensive approach to the match.The pace of Sembie-Ferris was a constant threat and he picked out Tom Meechan whose shot was blocked by Marriott after 55 minutes but nine minutes later Meechan put St Neots ahead with a trademark goal as he skilfully weaved his way through defenders to make it 2-1.Welch then produced the save of the match to deny Meechan a second goal but after 69 minutes there was further controversy as Oyinson and Taylor Parr clashed in a bloody ariel battle that resulted in the St Neots defender being helped off with a cut head from an elbow that earned the Royston striker a yellow card and substitution. With the one-man advantage St Neots continued to dominate and after 77 minutes they clinched the result as Jack Bradshaw sent in a low hard free kick that was diverted into his own net by Scott Thomas.This prompted further Royston indiscipline with Thomas and John Frendo both booked along with Luke Knight in a frustrated incident six minutes from time. St Neots managed to keep their cool and in time added Adam Murray was extremely lucky only to be booked for a cynical challenge on an opponent on the edge of the penalty area.

St Neots:Emery, Bradshaw, Herd, Knight, Wood, Parr, Sembie-Ferris, Wiltshire, Meechan, Horne, Williams (D)

Subs:O’Malley (for Parr 72), Sinclair (for Horne 79), Clarke (for Williams 85), Hyem and Tibbetts.

Cards:Horne (Y – 54 mins), Knight (Y – 72 mins)

Goals: Horne (15 mins), Meechan (64 mins), Thomas OG (77 mins)

Royston: Welch, Asafu-Adjaye, Alomenu, Bridges, Murray, Chappell, Castiglione, Thomas, Oyinsan, Ingrey, Marriott

Subs:Scott-Morriss (for Marriott 52), Powell (for Alomenu 72), Frendo (for Oyinsan 72), Bridges and Ives.

Cards:Bridges (RED – 49 mins), Ingrey (Y – 19 mins), Thomas (Y – 84 mins), Frendo (Y –84 mins), Murray (Y – 90 + 3 mins)

Goals:Oyinsan (6 mins)

Attendance: 207

Referee:Robert Claussen (Northampton)

(John Walker)

The Saints Community

Memorial Wall

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.