STEYNING TOWN COMMUNITY FOOTBALL CLUB - v PAGHAM FC

Page created by Michele Campos
 
CONTINUE READING
STEYNING TOWN COMMUNITY FOOTBALL CLUB - v PAGHAM FC
STEYNING TOWN
  COMMUNITY FOOTBALL CLUB

        v PAGHAM FC
  Saturday 7 August 2021 | 15:00
           Emirates FA Cup
       Extra Preliminary Round

                                   Steyning Town CFC   1
STEYNING TOWN COMMUNITY FOOTBALL CLUB - v PAGHAM FC
Scott Media
                                                                                  Digital & Print Media Solutions

                               WHITEHAWK FC
                               CHOSEN BRANDING
                                                              WHITEHAWK FC
                                                              WHITEHAWK
                                                              CHOSEN    FC
                                                                     BRANDING
                                                              CHOSEN BRANDING

                                                                                  AWARD WINNING
                                      WHITEHAWK
                               WHITEHAWK
                               BRANDING WITH
                                            FC FC
                                      BRANDING WITH TEXT - LANDSCAPE
                                                  TEXT       - LANDSCAPE        PROGRAMME EDITOR
                                                                                   SOCIAL MEDIA
                                                                                GRAPHICS PRODUCER
                                                                           WHITEHAWK
                                                                         WHITEHAWK
                                                                         FOOTBALL CLUB CLUB
                                                                       FOOTBALL
                                                                                            WHITEHAWK
                                                                                          FOOTBALL CLUB
                                                                                                                                                                                         WHITEH
                                                                                                                                                                                       FOOTBAL
                                                                                       EST.
                                                                                       EST. 1945
                                                                                            1945
                                                                                         EST.                 1945                                                  EST.
                                                                                                                                                                    EST. 1945
                                                                                                                                                                         1945              EST.   19

                                                                                                            WHITEHAWK
                                                                                                                  WHITEHAWK
                                                                                                          FOOTBALL CLUB
                                                                                                              FOOTBALL   CLUB
                                                                                                                                  EST.
                                                                                                                                  EST. 1945
                                                                                                                                       1945                            EST.     1945
                                                                                  v THREE BRIDGES FC 07/03/20 | BetVictor Isthmian League South East | 15:00 | £2

           EASTBOURNE BOROUGH FC OFFICIAL PROGRAMME | ISSUE 17 | £2.50                                                                                                            6
                                                                                                                                                                                  6
       SATURDAY 29 FEBRUARY 2020 | VANARAMA NATIONAL LEAGUE SOUTH | 15:00

                     BOROUGH      v Billericay Town FC

                    NATIONAL
                    LEAGUE
         NATIONAL
                                                                                               ACTIVE SUSSEX CLUB OF THE YEAR 2019
         LEAGUE

                                     DOES YOUR CLUB NEED A NEW-LOOK
                                              PROGRAMME?

                           OR ARE YOU LOOKING TO IMPROVE YOUR
                                 SOCIAL MEDIA GRAPHICS?

     GET IN TOUCH TODAY ON 07444 195571
    OR E-MAIL ASCOTTMEDIA@OUTLOOK.COM
           FOR MORE INFORMATION
2   #Barrowmen
STEYNING TOWN COMMUNITY FOOTBALL CLUB - v PAGHAM FC
WELCOME
BARROWMEN BOSS GERRY MURPHY PENS HIS THOUGHTS FOR THE MATCHDAY PROGRAMME AS STEYNING TOWN
WELCOME PAGHAM TO THE BIRCHWOOD GROUND IN THE EMIRATES FA CUP

A warm welcome to everyone today at               We have introduced an u23s team this season
the Birchwood Ground including all those          which will be made up predominantly of 1st
involved with Pagham FC for this Extra            team players looking for minutes or coming
Preliminary Round tie in the Emirates FA          back from injury and u18s looking for the next
Cup.                                              step before seniors so keep an eye for fixture
                                                  update and come and support the boys aswell
We turn our attention to FA Cup today with a
                                                  as the 1st team.
tough home tie against Pagham FC.
                                                  Thank you for your support.
After winning our first 2 games in the league
we go into this game with confidence but are      Gerry
fully aware that one off games can go either
way but hopefully we can progress to next
round.
As a club its important to have a clear pathway
from juniors right through to seniors and over
the previous 2 seasons we have had a very
successful u18s set up which has seen 2 or
3 players representing the 1st team also but
unfortunately most of those players go on to
University so makes it difficult in some ways.

                                                                                  Steyning Town CFC   3
STEYNING TOWN COMMUNITY FOOTBALL CLUB - v PAGHAM FC
OUR CLUB
                                              Steyning Town Football Club was established in 1892 and
                                              was originally called Steyning. The club became founding
                                              members of the West Sussex Football League in 1896, joining
                                              the junior Division.
                                              The club joined Division 2 of the Brighton, Hove & District
                                              Football League for the 1919–20 season, remaining in Division
                                              2 until the end of the 1933–34 season, when they finished
The Birchwood Ground, The Shooting            as champions and gained promotion to Division 1. The club
Field, Steyning, West Sussex, BN44 3RX        spent three seasons in the top division of the league before
                                              being relegated, but they finished as champions two seasons
Founded: 1892                                 later in the 1938–39 campaign but were not promoted
                                              After WWII, the club was still playing in Division 2 of the
Chairman: Ian Nichols                         Brighton & Hove league until the end of the 1951–52
Vice Chairman: Vacant                         campaign when they gained promotion to Division 1. The
Treasurer: Richard Woodbridge                 1963–64 campaign saw the club leave division one, when
Committee Member: Mark Munns                  after finishing as runners-up, gaining promotion to Division 2
General Manager: Gerry Murphy                 of the Sussex County League.
Club Secretary: Aelred Wilkinson
Match Secretary: David Kennett                For the next 17 seasons, Steyning stayed in Division Two
Kit and Equipment Officer: Paul Hart          of the Sussex County League, until they gained promotion
U18 Secretary: Paul Hart                      as champions, to Division One at the end of the 1977–78
Senior Football co-ordinator: Paul Hawkins    campaign. After their first season in Division one the club in
Ladies & Girls Football co-ordinator:         1979, they changed their name to their present one.
		Karen Bridgewater                           After winning the Sussex league the club left the league, to
Youth Co-ordinator: Adrian Ridley             become one of the founder members of the Wessex Football
Junior and Minis co-ordinator: Iain Staines   League in 1986. Later leaving to join the Combined Counties
Health & Safefy Officer: Vacant Groundsman:   Football League. At the end of their fifth season in the
John Brown                                    Combined counties league, the club returned to the Sussex
                                              county league but was placed in Division two.
First Team manager: Gerry Murphy
First team Head Coach: Paul Ettridge          The next four seasons saw the club remain in Division Two
First team Asst Manager: Paul Hawkins         until they were relegated to Division Three at the end of the
Ladies First team manager: Danny Norris       1996–97 campaign. At the fifth attempt, the club managed to
Under 18s manager - West: George Staples      escape from Division three and return to Division two when
Under 18s manager - North: Kinsley Iorpenda   they finished as runners up behind Pease Pottage Village at
Under 18s manager - Arun: Paul Ettridge       the end of the 2001–02 season.
Club Physio: Vacant                           In 2013, Steyning Town FC merged with the Steyning Strikers
                                              (Juniors) to become Steyning Town Community FC with 18
Registration Secretary: Laurence Bennett      teams from men down to U6’s and two girl’s teams.
Club Welfare Officer: Gemma Manvell &
		                    Nigel Younger           The club was awarded Sussex FA’s Community Club of the
Sponsorship and PR Manager: Geoff Balmont     Year in 2016 and 2017. On 16 October 2015, the club opened
                                              its new 3G pitch at the Shooting Field ground after 3 months
                                              of preparation and groundwork by Velocity. The 3G surface
                                              cost the club over £450,000 and was funded by a donation
                                              from the Wilson Memorial Trust, other private investors and an
                                              HSBC loan.
                                              The 2018-19 season was a very successful season for the
                                              club. The 1st team got promoted to the Premier Division
                                              of the Sussex Combination Football League after finishing
                                              Runners Up and won the League Cup beating Wick FC 4-0 in
4   #Barrowmen                                the Final.
STEYNING TOWN COMMUNITY FOOTBALL CLUB - v PAGHAM FC
Steyning Town CFC   5
STEYNING TOWN COMMUNITY FOOTBALL CLUB - v PAGHAM FC
THE ‘PINGDEMIC’
WE TAKE A LOOK AT HOW COVID AND GETTING ‘PINGED’ CAN EFFECT THE FOOTBALL SEASON AS IT
GETS UNDERWAY

The new English football season gets under way           English Football League, at an estimated cost of
this weekend with EFL Cup games taking place -           £5m.
but does a flurry of cancelled pre-season fixtures
                                                         This term, there is no requirement to be tested.
suggest another campaign will be disrupted by the
coronavius pandemic?                                     It is acknowledged by all parties that players are at
                                                         greater risk of both catching coronavirus or being
Matches at Bournemouth and Sheffield Wednesday
                                                         ‘pinged’ as a close contact than they were last
mark the first competitive domestic fixtures played
                                                         season - because footballers were in strict ‘elite sort’
with no coronavirus restrictions in place since March
                                                         bubbles and had far less interaction with the general
2020.
                                                         public, both in their professional and personal lives.
Covid-19 infections remain high - although they are
                                                         Now with restrictions lifted for the general public,
falling - and a nationwide record of self-isolation
                                                         the leagues are trying to navigate their way through
alerts from NHS contact tracing has led to worries
                                                         this. At present, this means there is no mandatory
of a ‘pingdemic’ spreading to football. Already a
                                                         requirement for clubs to test players.
number of pre-season fixtures have been disrupted
or cancelled as a result of outbreaks or close contact   The EFL has issued guidance to all its clubs, for both
tracing issues in recent days.                           training and on matchdays. Under that guidance,
                                                         there are two sets of protocols, red and green. Most
Manchester United’s friendly at Preston on Saturday
                                                         clubs are under the green protocols, which rely on
is the latest to be called off because of positive
                                                         daily screening to check if any players or staff are
cases, while Norwich have been similarly impacted,
                                                         showing symptoms. The EFL believes this is better
Arsenal scrapped their US pre-season tour and
                                                         than simply doing nothing.
Newcastle lost three goalkeepers to self-isolation for
one fixture.                                             Red protocols would be triggered if there was a local
                                                         coronavirus outbreak; if local or national restrictions
So with the season about to start is there potential
                                                         were imposed by the government; or if EFL doctors
for chaos?
                                                         carrying out spot checks at clubs discovered the
We look at the changes that have been made and           regulations were not being adhered to.
why football could have a problem.
                                                         Moves to red protocols would be made by the league
Last season, the Professional Footballers’               after consultation with the clubs and would involve
Association paid for players to be tested across the     testing.
6   #Barrowmen
STEYNING TOWN COMMUNITY FOOTBALL CLUB - v PAGHAM FC
THE CHAIRMAN
WE CATCH UP WITH STEYNING TOWN CHAIRMAN IAN NICHOLS WHO TALKS ABOUT THE LATEST NEWS FROM IN AND
AROUND THE BIRCHWOOD GROUND AHEAD OF TODAY’S EMIRATES FA CUP TIE

I am delighted to welcome everyone to the       The two teams today are fairly evenly matched
Shooting Field for this extra preliminary       so we are expecting an exciting game with
round of the Emirates FA Cup. Today’s           hopefully a Steyning win!
visitors are Pagham.
                                                Have a great afternoon and dont forget to pick
This season we find ourselves having already    up some meat raffle tickets.
played two league matches prior to the FA Cup
                                                Once again we have Steph Gretton to thank for
fixture.
                                                his kind sponsorship of the meat raffle for this
For the Barrowmen it is 6 points from two       season.
games, away and at home, and a second place
                                                Thank you for your support.
behind Saltdean on goal difference.
                                                Ian
For the visitors a win and a loss but new
signing Langford looks to be finding his
shooting boots already.
Talking of new signings our own Josh Bradley
punished his old club Loxwood on Tuesday
night with a superb long-range goal.
Andrew Younger, who has come up through
our youth section, gave another excellent
display winning man of the match as chosen
by matchday sponsors Working Away from
Home. Thanks to Paul, Grant, Jack and Milky
for their kind sponsorship.

                                                                                 Steyning Town CFC   7
STEYNING TOWN COMMUNITY FOOTBALL CLUB - v PAGHAM FC
8   #Barrowmen
                 Steyning Town Community FC | 9
STEYNING TOWN COMMUNITY FOOTBALL CLUB - v PAGHAM FC
lboard_FINAL_AW.pdf   1   06/07/2021   14:36

                                                                     Steyning Town CFC   9
                                          14 | v Bexhill United FC
STEYNING TOWN COMMUNITY FOOTBALL CLUB - v PAGHAM FC
FIXTURES & RESULTS
THE LATEST FIXTURES, RESULTS AND SCORERS FROM THE 2021/22 SEASON
 DATE      OPPOSITION               H/A   COMP     RESULT   ATT.   SCORERS

 31 JULY   EASTBOURNE UNITED        A     SCFL P    3-1     105    GATHERN, HOWELL, CLARKE
 03 AUG    LOXWOOD                  H     SCFL P    3-0     130    BRADLEY, HOWELL, BOLD
 07 AUG    PAGHAM                   H     FAC EP
 14 AUG    AFC UCKFIELD TOWN        A     SCFL P
 17 AUG    LITTLEHAMPTON TOWN       H     SCFL P
 24 AUG    BROADBRIDGE HEATH        A     SCFL P
 28 AUG    HASSOCKS                 A     SCFL P
 31 AUG    PAGHAM                   H     SCFL P
 03 SEPT   PEACEHAVEN & TELSCOMBE   H     SCFL P
 11 SEPT   RAYNES PARK VALE         A     FAV Q1
 18 SEPT   BEXHILL UNITED           H     SCFL P
 21 SEPT   HORSHAM YMCA             A     SCFL P
 25 SEPT                                  FAV Q2
 28 SEPT   ALFOLD                   H     SCFL P
 02 OCT    CRAWLEY DOWN GATWICK     A     SCFL P
 09 OCT    SALTDEAN UNITED          H     SCFL P
 16 OCT    NEWHAVEN                 H     SCFL P
 23 OCT    LITTLE COMMON            A     SCFL P
 30 OCT    LINGFIELD                H     SCFL P
 06 NOV    EASTBOURNE TOWN          A     SCFL P
 13 NOV    AFC VARNDEANIANS         A     SCFL P
 20 NOV    EASTBOURNE UNITED        H     SCFL P
 27 NOV    BROADBRIDGE HEATH        H     SCFL P
 04 DEC    LITTLEHAMPTON TOWN       A     SCFL P
 11 DEC    AFC UCKFIELD TOWN        H     SCFL P
 18 DEC    LOXWOOD                  A     SCFL P
 28 DEC    EAST PRESTON             H     SCFL P
 03 JAN    PAGHAM                   A     SCFL P
 15 JAN    HORSHAM YMCA             H     SCFL P
 22 JAN    ALFOLD                   A     SCFL P
 29 JAN    CRAWLEY DOWN GATWICK     H     SCFL P
 12 FEB    SALTDEAN UNITED          A     SCFL P
 19 FEB    NEWHAVEN                 A     SCFL P
 26 FEB    LITTLE COMMON            H     SCFL P
 12 MAR    EASTBOURNE TOWN          H     SCFL P
 19 MAR    LINGFIELD                A     SCFL P
 25 MAR    PEACEHAVEN & TELSCOMBE   A     SCFL P
 09 APR    BEXHILL UNITED           A     SCFL P
 16 APR    HASSOCKS                 H     SCFL P
 19 APR    EAST PRESTON             A     SCFL P
 23 APR    AFC VARNDEANIANS         H     SCFL P

10 #Barrowmen
SCFL PREMIER REVIEW
THE LATEST FIXTURES, RESULTS, GOALSCORERERS AND TABLE FROM THE 2020/21 MACRON STORE SOUTHERN
COMBINATION PREMIER DIVISION
                                              P    W      D     L      F     A         W      D     L        F      A     +/-    Pts
SALTDEAN UNITED                               2    1      0     0      6     0         1      0     0        3      0      9      6
STEYNING TOWN COMMUNITY                       2     1     0     0      3     0         1      0     0        3      1      5         6
EASTBOURNE TOWN                               2     1     0     0      2      1        1      0     0        2      0      3         6
LINGFIELD                                     2     1     0     0      2      1        1      0     0        1      0      2         6
LITTLE COMMON                                 2    0      1     0      0     0         1      0     0        4      0      4         4
NEWHAVEN                                      2     1     0     0      2     0         0       1    0        1      1      2         4
LITTLEHAMPTON TOWN                            1    0      0     0      0     0         1      0     0        6      4      2         3
ALFOLD                                        2     1     0      1     5     3         0      0     0        0      0      2         3
PEACEHAVEN & TELSCOMBE                        2     1     0     0      1     0         0      0     1        1      2      0         3
BEXHILL UNITED                                2    0      0     0      0     0         1      0     1        3      4      -1        3
PAGHAM                                        2     1     0      1     2     5         0      0     0        0      0      -3        3
EAST PRESTON                                  2    0      1     0      1      1        0      0     1        0      3      -3        1
AFC UCKFIELD TOWN                             2    0      0      1     0     3         0       1    0        0      0      -3        1
BROADBRIDGE HEATH                             1    0      0     0      0     0         0      0     1        1      2      -1        0
CRAWLEY DOWN GATWICK                          1    0      0     0      0     0         0      0     1        0      1      -1        0
EASTBOURNE UNITED ASSOCIATION                 1    0      0      1     1     3         0      0     0        0      0      -2        0
HORSHAM YMCA                                  1    0      0      1     0     2         0      0     0        0      0      -2        0
AFC VARNDEANIANS                              2    0      0      1     4     6         0      0     1        1      2      -3        0
LOXWOOD                                       2    0      0      1     0      1        0      0     1        0      3      -4        0
HASSOCKS                                      1    0      0     0      0     0         0      0     1        0      6      -6        0

    SCFL PREMIER DIVISION FIXTURES & RESULTS                                               TOP SCORERS 21/22
    Saturday 31 July                          Saturday 7 August                            Joseph Benn
    AFC Uckfield Town 0-3 Saltdean United
    AFC Varndeanians 4-6 Littlehampton Town
                                              Emirates FA Cup Ex. Preliminary Round
                                              AFC Varndeanians v Farnham Town
                                                                                           Littlehampton Town               4
    Alfold 2-3 Bexhill United                 Ashford Town (Mx) v AFC Uckfield Town
                                                                                           Tom Boyle
    East Preston 1-1 Newhaven
    Eastbourne United 1-3 Steyning Town
                                              Badshot Lea v East Preston
                                              Bexhill United v Peacehaven & Tel
                                                                                           AFC Varndeanians                 4
    Horsham YMCA 0-2 Eastbourne Town          Broadbridge Heath v Littlehampton Town
                                                                                           Kieran Pamment
    Loxwood 0-1 Lingfield
    Pagham 0-4 Little Common
                                              Chatham Town v Eastbourne United
                                              Crawley Down Gat. v Welling Town             Saltdean United                  3
    Peacehaven & Tel 1-0 Crawley Down Gat.    East Grinstead Town v Alfold
                                                                                           Sam Lemon
                                                                                                                            3
                                              Eastbourne Town v Guildford City
    Tuesday 3 August                          Hanworth Villa v Loxwood                     Alfold
    Alfold 3-0 East Preston                   Hassocks v Spelthorne Sports
    Broadbridge Heath 1-2 Pagham              Jersey Bulls v Horsham YMCA                  Reece Hallard
    Eastbourne Town 2-1 AFC Varndeanians
    Lingfield 2-1 Peacehaven & Tel
                                              Lingfield v Egham Town
                                              Newhaven v Camberley Town
                                                                                           Saltdean United                  2
    Little Common 0-0 AFC Uckfield Town       Saltdean United v Frimley Green
                                                                                           Max Howell
    Newhaven 2-0 Bexhill United
    Saltdean United 6-0 Hassocks
                                              Staines Town v Little Common
                                              Steyning Town v Pagham                       Steyning Town                    2
    Steyning Town 3-0 Loxwood
                                                                                           Trevor McCreadie
                                                                                           Saltdean United                  2
                                                                                                                 Steyning Town CFC       11
We would like to wish all the Steyning Football Teams all the best for the season. Thank you for all the
support you have given Steyning Butchers. We welcome all our customers old and new alike, so why
not pop in and meet Mick and his team for some local quality meat, joints, steaks, our very own best in
town smoked and sweetcure back bacon and our delicious range of hand made sausages.

Christmas is just around the corner. We are now taking orders for your Christmas meats and local
Bronze Turkeys, free range white Turkeys, Geese, Capons, ribs of Beef and more. If you are looking for
something different or would like some assistance then we are always happy and here to help.

We shall look forward to seeing or hearing from you.
(Telephone Orders taken)

With Thanks
Mick
                                                 77-79 High Street, Steyning, West Sussex, BN44 3RE
Come on the Barrowmen!
 12 #Barrowmen                                  Tel: 01903 816 444 Web: www.steyningbutchers.co.uk
                                                                           Steyning Town Community FC | 7
MATCH ACTION
STEYNING TOWN 		 3
LOXWOOD				0
Steyning Town made it two wins out of two            The rest of the half continued to flow from end
in the Sussex County football league last            to end and became a bit niggly however Town
night with a convincing three nil win over           were delighted to get to the half-time whistle
Loxwood FC.                                          with their three-goal lead in tact.

The game got off to a really fast start and in the   After all the excitement of the first half the
first minute Ex Loxwood man Bradley missed           second half was a bit of an anti-climax as
a one-on-one and unbelievably in the second
minute Bennett, who was a threat all night,
also missed a one-on-one lobbing over the            Town seemed happy to sit back on their three-
bar after the keeper narrowed the angle. A fast      goal lead and nullify anything that Loxwood
start.                                               could throw at them. The whole half saw very
                                                     few chances at either end and Town were able
                                                     to see out the game with little alarm. Last years
The visitors responded immediately and               U18s player Andrew Younger again impressed
missed a couple of good chances themselves           at centre half alongside Murphy.
one of which bought an excellent save from
town keeper Hawkins. Frenetic stuff and only
10 minutes gone.                                     Overall a pleasing performance in patches
                                                     however a home win is always very welcome
                                                     and a healthy crowd of 130 were there to see
The match started to turn in Steyning’s              the action. We wish Loxwood all the best for
favour in the 15th minute when Bradley hit           the remainder of the season.
a stunning valley from 30 yards which gave
Loxwood keeper Trigwell no chance. What an
introduction on his home debut.

Six minutes later it was two as the lively Howell
broke through the middle after a neat move
and lobbed home in style.

Unbelievably minutes later it was three as
Bradley was brought down in the box and
Bold made no mistake from the spot sending
Trigwell the wrong way.

                                                                                        Steyning Town CFC   13
ASK GERRY
THE BARROWMEN SUPPORTERS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO QUIZ FIRST TEAM BOSS GERRY MURPHY IN TODAY’S
MATCHDAY PROGRAMME

2021 has been a tough old year so far and with     Q: I always played in a 4-4-2 formation, do you
lots of uncertainty still around, we thought       think that is old fashioned now or do you think
who better to give us some sound advice then       we will see that back in the Premier League
the man that makes tough decisions every           this season?
week………The Steyning Town Community Foot-
                                                   A: I don’t think many teams will play 4 4.2 now
ball Club 1st Team Manager – Gerry Murphy, in
                                                   most likely to be 4.3.3 or or 3.4.3
our new feature called……………..ASK GERRY:
                                                   Ben Aged 7:
Tony Aged: 63
                                                   Q: What advice would you give me if I want to
Q: What’s the number one meal you have when
                                                   be a Professional Footballer?
celebrating a win?
                                                   A: Work hard in training and listen to any help
A: Burger shack chairman’s choice
                                                   or advice along the way but you really do need
Richard Aged 57:                                   to enjoy it also.
Q: If you had to choose an Olympic sport to
take part in, what would it be?
A: oh…… definitely shooting
Nico Aged 13:
Q: What colour football boots would you wear, if
you were playing in today’s era?
A: Black adidas copas
Tom Aged 35:

14 #Barrowmen
Steyning Town CFC   15
16 | v Bexhill United FC
NON-LEAGUE INVESTMENT
READ STUART FULLER’S (@THEBALLISROUND) LATEST ARTICLE AS HE EXPLAINS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
INVESTMENT AT PREMIER LEAGUE AND NON-LEAGUE LEVEL
“Sack the board, sack the board!”                         the alternative is no football club at all. Fans may
We’ve all heard it in football stadiums, radio shows      want change out of frustration but often it is better
and social media forums up and down the coun-             the devil you know and unless there is a solid plan
try. Yet it is one of the most ludicrous statements       to replace the resources, fans may not really want to
football fans fall back on when things aren’t going in    “sack the board”.
the right direction on and frequently, off the pitch.
Technically, nobody but the board themselves can          There’s no doubt that if the club was put up for sale
sack the board and there’s very little chance of that     today, there would be a queue of potential investors
happening.                                                stretching from the Olympic Park back to Upton Park.
                                                          There’s certainly been no shortage of rumours about
All football fans, irrespective of the level their club   potential investors, including a rumoured £400m bid
plays at, have felt anger and frustration at times        just last month from a group of US investors.
about the performance of the club on and off the          Down in the Non-Leagues the situation is a bit dif-
pitch. It only takes a poor performance on a Saturday     ferent. Every summer we hear of another club being
afternoon and a few pints later in the evening for        taken over by someone with money. “The plan is to
some of the loyalist fans to take to Social Media to      be playing in the Football League within five years” or
vent their feelings about those running the club.         the like is a phrase we have all heard so many times.
There are currently 383 clubs from the Premier            Only a very small number of clubs have managed
League down to Step 4 of the National Game. At a          that journey - Forest Green Rovers, Fleetwood Town
guess less than ten percent actually make a profit        and Salford City are notable exceptions to a rule that
every year, which means the vast majority will be fi-     nearly always ends in tears.
nancially supported by one or two individuals. These
people tend to be directors and will be doing so on       The community, or in Germany 50+1 rule, does give
the most part because they love the club they are in-     power to the fans, and does allow them to “sack the
volved with. Of course, there will be some exceptions     board” in instances. Our model at Lewes FC means
to this where the owners intentions are hidden, dare      that anyone can sign up to be a owner and that one
I say nefarious, but on the whole, football clubs exist   share not only means that the fans can vote (or not)
because of illogical economic reasoning.                  for the board of directors, and stand themselves at
                                                          the annual elections.
There are some businesses up and down the country
that run at a loss but are supported by a labour of       In the ideal world fan power would carry more weight
love. Some independent book stores in quaint town         in the governance of the game but with the current
centres, where browsers of the books are plentiful        moves by the professional game and more impor-
but actual customer numbers are dwindling. Ever           tantly, the Premier League to create a financial model
increasing rents, utilities and staff costs do not make   that suits them, the potential for fans to have a say
up the shortfall on falling revenues and so they          on how their clubs are run is rapidly disappearing.
survive because of the loyalty of the owner. Many         At the top end football clubs are no longer viewed
football clubs are the same.                              as “nice to have’s” but serious investment vehicles
For the vast majority of clubs, especially those in the   for wealthy individuals and global organisations. At
Non-Leagues, volunteers fill almost every position.       the grass roots end, where investment comes in the
Volunteers who put their hands in their pocket to         form of time more so than money, there is no such
cover a bill, pay for some kit, replace essentials in     thing as a return on time, resources or finance.
the ground or simply ensure that players are paid
on a weekly basis. Only a small proportion of fans
really know or understand this, so to hear the dissent
from the terraces often hurts. Many of them are
only still doing the same thing that they always have
because there is nobody else stepping forward and

16 #Barrowmen
R.J.SKINNER

              Steyning Town CFC   17
MATCH PREVIEW
AFTER LOSING THEIR OPENING GAME, PAGHAM GOT THEIR SEASON UP AND RUNNING ON TUESDAY NIGHT WHEN
THEY BEAT BROADBRIDGE HEATH 2-1 AT NYETIMBER LANE

Gerry Murphy’s Barrowmen will look to             Neither Town nor their opponents have ever
take their strong league start into the           got beyond the Second Qualifying Round.
FA Cup as the road to Wembley begins on
Saturday.                                         Pagham took the honours in all three
                                                  meetings last season as the sides met once in
Steyning have prevailed in both of their          the regular season before the lockdown-
opening two league contests against               enforced curtailment, and then again at the
Eastbourne United and Loxwood, and welcome        group stage of the inaugral, end of season
divisional rivals Pagham to the Shooting Field    Supplementary Shield.
in the extra preliminary round of the world’s
oldest and most prestigious knockout cup.         There is £1,125 up for grabs for the extra
                                                  preliminary round winners, with the draw for
637 clubs begin the “March to the Arch” in the    the next round having already been made – a
150th season of the famous trophy, with sides     visit from Combined Counties League Sutton
often pitted against local rivals at this stage   Common Rovers awaiting Saturday’s victors.
with the competition’s early rounds
regionalised to prevent long journeys. Murphy’s   With excitement building towards what is
men won two rounds in 2020-21, beating K          always a fantastic day in the diary for clubs at
Sports and Hanworth Villa respectively before     this level, our admission prices are as follows:
Sheppey proved too strong in the First
Qualifying Round.                                 £7 for adults, £2 for U16 and £4 Concessions.
                                                  We hope to see as many of you as possible to
The Lions of Pagham, meanwhile, knocked out       cheer on the team and support the lads.
Combined Counties Fleet Town before falling
to Hampshire-based AFC Stoneham of the            By Jamie Spoor
Wessex League in the Preliminary Round.
18 #Barrowmen
EVERY GOAL
EVERY CELEBRATION
EVERY MOMENT
EVERY TEAM
                            FREE
FOLLOW THE ACTION LIVE ON   www.faplayer.tv

                                    Steyning Town CFC   19
the teams

  STEYNING TOWN                                      PAGHAM                     OFFICIALS
                                       RED & WHITE   WHITE & BLACK
                                          MANAGER    MANAGER                           Referee
                                 GERRY MURPHY        KERRY HARDWELL
                                                                                      Assistant
                  BOBBY BENNETT                         JACK BARNES
                         TOM BOLD                       JOE BENNETT                   Assistant
                     JOSH BRADLEY                       GEORGE BINGHAM
                        ROB CLARK                       JAMIE CARROLL
                 GEORGE COUSINS                         CALLUM CHALMERS
                 MARSHALL DARBY
                       RYAN DOYLE
                                                        JOE CLARKE
                                                        SAM CONNOLLY
                                                                                  NEXT UP
                      SCOTT FABER                       ROSS EDWARDS
                   JOE FITZPATRICK                      BEN FOX
                     ALEX GATHERN                       CONOR GEOGHEGAN
                 JORDAN HAWKINS                         RYAN HALLETT      AFC UCKFIELD TOWN
                      MAX HOWELL                        OLLIE HAMBLETON                  AWAY
                    JOSH MCGRATH                        JAKE HERYET        SATURDAY 14 AUGUST
                                                                                 SCFL PREMIER
                    SCOTT MURPHY                        DYLAN JELLEY
                                                                                         15:00
                     AUSTIN OKOLO                       CONOR KELLY
                  MAYCKOL SABINO                        JOE KILHAMS
                    JADEN SPARKES                       JACK LANGFORD
                ANDREW YOUNGER                          RYAN MOREY
                                                        GRANT RADMORE
                                                        DAN SIMMONDS
                                                        JACK WILLIAMSON

          Scott Media
20 #Barrowmen
     Digital & Print Media Solutions
You can also read