They say a week is a long time in politics, but I think it is even longer when it comes to running a football club! This week my post bag has been a lot quieter. After the disappointment of the draw at Didcot, last Saturday we picked up an excellent 1-0 win at Hungerford Town, a side unbeaten at home this season and very much in the promotion hunt. That result, coupled with none of the other top five recording a win, has left us sitting five points clear at the top of the table with big smiles on our faces.
Without getting repetitive, being top at this stage means nothing, but it is a very good feeling and one I would like to get used to between now and the end of the season! A big thank you to our supporters that made the journey, I said last week that we will be much stronger as a club if we learn to stay together through the good and bad, last Saturday was definitely a good day. The game was not a classic (please see Simon Newbury’s match report on the club website), but it is these horrible games where we will need to grind out a result if we are going to achieve our objective.
Tomorrow we are due to host Hanwell Town at The Meadow, but I have to be honest, we are facing a really tough battle against the frost to get the game on. We are doing everything we can, but our location at the bottom of the hill is notoriously cold and there are areas of the pitch that stay in the shade all day this time of year giving the pitch little chance to thaw. Watch this space, I really hope we can get to watch some football this weekend, but we will not be putting the safety of players or supporters at risk).
It was celebrations all round last weekend with one half of Joint Management team JD turning 40 (I’m sure he won’t mind me sharing that) and Ricardo German also celebrating his birthday – what better way to do that than by scoring the winning goal.
As we continue to strive for promotion I have said many times that we will not be putting the club’s long term future in jeopardy by overstretching the finances, and I remain adamant that that is the case. Just this week the Southern League lost another club, Nuneaton Borough unable to resolve their issues, which have included them being locked out of their ground and have had to resign from the league mid-season – I don’t know the full details and am in no position to comment, but it is an awful situation for the supporters. Chesham supporters will remember going to Nuneaton in a play-off semi-final a few years back and suffering a heart-breaking defeat. They are a tremendously supported club and it is not the first time they have faced this situation in recent years. I am sure they will bounce back again and I hope their supporters get a stable club that can bring some longevity and sustainability for the community to get behind, that should be at the heart of everything, success on the field is a bonus, and certainly not the sole measure of success.
And to top off the weekend, there was a fantastic win for our Ladies side on the Sunday winning 6-2 away at Cambridge City in their Women’s National League Division One South East fixture, with a fantastic hat-trick from Natalia Makowska. The Ladies are next in action, a week on Sunday (28th) as they host Haywards Heath at the Meadow and then 2 weeks after that hosting AFC Wimbledon Ladies (Sun 11th Feb) at the Meadow.
As reported over the last couple of weeks, we have our new flag pole and we have a new claret and blue flag to fly from it. We will be having the inaugural raising of the colours at a special ceremony ahead of the Walton & Hersham game on Saturday 27th January with the club chaplain leading a service to the flag at 2.30pm. Thank you once again to everyone who has offered their support to this mini project, it is remarkable how quickly we have gone from a request for help in these notes to having an unveiling in place.
Our online club shop continues to go from strength to strength – claret hoodies will be in stock within ten days, bucket hats have been ordered and will be available from the shop within the clubhouse in either claret & blue or yellow & black. This shop has become a vital addition to the club’s budget, basically adding an income stream that we have never had before, or certainly not one worth including in the budget. All of this helps us to put out a competitive team on the pitch whilst maintaining all our off-field activities to ensure everyone feels a part of the club – the ladies, the youth, boys and girls, and the community at large.
It also enables us to continue improving the matchday experience for supporters. We are inching ever closer to installing a new PA system within the club to overcome what seems to have been an internal problem of making the tanoy audible wherever you are in the ground. We have had some very generous support in making this affordable and just need to secure some additional funding to get the project over the line. As something that will benefit everyone that attends game, I have approached the Supporters’ Trust to see if there is any possibility of support, but I appreciate that decision will be down to them and their members.
Our volunteers remain at the heart of the club and I am delighted that this week we have a new volunteer to help with events at the club. We also have another volunteer who is eventually receiving the operation they need after two cancellations – we wish them a speedy recovery. We are always on the lookout for volunteers, including somebody that can help with the hospitality towards our guests and sponsors on a matchday – if you can help, please do get in touch.
And lastly for this week, our very own Alex Horne will be in the club shop (inside the Chess Suite) running things for the home games against Walton & Hersham (27th Jan) and Swindon Supermarine (10th Feb). So pop in, grab your shirt or hoodie and have a chat with everyone’s favourite comedian while you are doing it.
Thank you as always for your incredible support, I hope we can get a game on tomorrow, but please do keep an eye on social media. Actually, after the success of the flag pole plea, if anyone has any of those large industrial pitch heaters that go up and down heating the pitch and preventing it from freezing, please contact me directly…
Peter Brown, Chairman
