It has been another fantastic week on the pitch with a win at Dorchester last weekend followed by a 3-0 home win over Beaconsfield Town on Monday in front of an excellent crowd – that is now five wins out of five in the league, and it no doubt would have been six out of six if the first game of the season had not been abandoned at half-time when we were 3-0 up! That re-arranged game will now take place next Tuesday, 5th September, with a 7.45pm kick-off – let’s hope we get the same performance, but better weather!
Tomorrow (Saturday) we have a break from the league as our FA Cup adventure begins with an away trip to Walton & Hersham. Our opposition are newly promoted to our league this season, are also unbeaten and get excellent crowds at home, your support will be much appreciated. I know there has been a lot of talk about the expansion of ULEZ this week, but rest assured if you are driving to the game, without a ridiculous diversion you will not need to enter the zone. As long as you stick to coming off the M25 at junction 11, 12 or 13 (you can use any of them) you will stay in Surrey, which is where Walton-on-Thames is.
If you are not driving I know the Supporters’ Trust had tried to book a minibus but have been unfortunately been unable to source one, however they have set-up a WhatsApp group for Away Travel where supporters can offer spaces in their cars, or equally go on and request if anyone has any spare seats that you can jump in with – a great idea. If you would like to join the WhatsApp group then message Ryan Woolnough at 07528 378981 on WhatsApp with your name
Please also be aware that with a large crowd expected, you can beat the queues by purchasing your tickets online in advance from the Walton & Hersham ticketing website. Click here for details and to make your purchase.
Many of you will have read about the changes to how ground grading will be monitored across non-league with a move to digitalisation and a central database which makes it much clearer what standard any one club’s ground is at, and what needs to be achieved to maintain a level, or indeed progress to the next level. That involves every ground getting a new inspection, with ours due to take place on Friday 6th October. Clearly on that day we are going to want to make a good impression and will be looking for any volunteers to help make the ground spotless during that week. Look out for more details, or if you know you can help, please contact me at chairman@cheshamunited.co.uk. Please do help if you can as our Facilities Manager, Ray Trafford, is away on a well-deserved holiday that week, so helpers will be essential.
On Sunday 8th October, one half of our management team, James Duncan, is running the Royal Parks half marathon in memory of his Dad with donations going to the British Heart Foundation. The BHF has helped halve the number of people dying from heart and circulatory disease in the UK but sadly everyday hundreds of people lose their lives. It’s only thanks to support from people like us that the BHF can create new treatments and discover new cures. You can sponsor James and support this excellent cause by clicking here.
We are now less than a fortnight away from our Evening with Ian Holloway and Alex Horne at The Chess Suite, on Thursday 14th September. A massive thank you to the local businesses that have purchased tables, we do still have a handful of tickets available for any individual supporters that would like to attend what is guaranteed to be a hilarious and informative evening. Tickets are priced at £72, include two free drinks and a fish & chips supper. For more details and to book your place, please email commercial@cheshamunited.co.uk
Further ahead we have confirmed the date for our annual fireworks extravaganza, this will take place on Friday 3rd November with family tickets available (2 adults, 2 children) available for £30, or adult tickets are £10, £8 for under 18’s with children under six free of charge. Watch this space, tickets will be available to purchase in advance shortly.
Thank you as always for your support, I hope to see as many of you as possible at Walton & Hersham on Saturday, wear your colours, bring your voices and let’s hope this is the start of another memorable FA Cup journey.
Have a great Bank Holiday weekend,
Peter Brown, Chairman
