Letter From The Manager - Richard Kay

richard kay

LETTER FROM THE MANAGER

A warm welcome to the players, management and committee of Bure Park for today’s Oxfordshire Prem League game.

We hope you enjoy the matchday experience at Bobby Hancocks Park. What a difference a week makes in football. We lost our two-year unbeaten league record at home to Summertown in bizarre fashion to then react superbly with a fantastic overall team performance away to Garsington. I’m never one to reflect at a time when you are on such an incredible run but now that we have been defeated at home in the league for the first time in over two years its only right that us as a club acknowledge what an outstanding achievement it has been. We have broken every club record including; 20 straight wins in all competitions, 25 competitive game unbeaten run and an unbeaten home league record that had lasted from September 2019 to September 2021. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the current players and staff and those that have represented the club over the last two years and now left the club. What has been achieved over the last two years will forever be ingrained in the club’s history and leave a lasting legacy. After losing a game its all about the reaction. I haven’t had to utter the words to the players that we needed a reaction for such a long time. When you are on such an incredible unbeaten run the pressure mounts, motivation for the opposition can’t get any higher and the target on your back becomes

Head Coach Richard Kay

enormous week after week. It becomes more than just beating the opposition and you end up playing against yourself. Now we have been beaten in the league a massive weight has been lifted off our shoulders and we now move forwards with a clean slate. For whatever reason last week at Garsington we certainly threw off the shackles and played with an energy and freedom I have been asking for. After a successful period I have said previously that there is farm more expectation. Its a little unfair on a new group of players

that are still getting used to myself, a new club and new teammates. Its easy to forget that when we relaunched the first team in 2019 we lost four of our first eight in all competitions. Then, from November 2019 the rest is history. There is always a process but the signs look promising. The players are understanding more and more how I want us to play. They are getting fitter and sharper with every passing week and really starting to come together on and off the pitch. There have been some incomings and outgoings which was always going to be the case. The rebuild was never going to happen over a pre-season but as always happens in September players become available. We’re now in good shape squad-wise and have good depth. Its always been about putting a squad together that is totally committed. I feel we now have that in regards to training and matchdays. Onto today’s game where, again, I am expecting another tough game. Teams arrive at Bobby Hancocks Park and become

the best versions of themselves. They bring their A-game so again, we will have to perform very well and build on last week, which was the minimum in terms of how we go about our work out of possession. Again, I am looking for a reaction. This time at home in front of everyone associated with the club.

Enjoy the game. COYS

Rich

When you are on such an incredible unbeaten run the pressure mounts, motivation for the opposition can’t get any higher and the target on your back becomes enormous week after week “ “