Belated notes this week as I have been enjoying a bit of time away in my homeland of Wales, somewhere I always love to go back to. Despite what some people might think, this was always a planned break and not a last minute decision to run away after Tuesday night’s defeat at Hanwell Town.
We cannot brush over the fact that Tuesday was a disappointing performance, but we must keep perspective, it was just one game and hopefully we can learn our lessons and press on from there. A reality check. A kick up the backside. Whatever you want to call it, I know that JD and Muzza share all of our frustrations and will be looking to rectify things, starting today when we welcome Gosport Borough to The Meadow.
This is without doubt a tough fixture and your support for the team will be most welcomed. We know that Gosport has put together a very strong side in a push for promotion, but so have we, so it should be a real early season cracker. With the clubhouse bar open selling refreshments throughout the game and Billy Burger there to serve your food, it does make for a great day out – and if you happen to love football programmes, I think we have one of the best in the league available for today’s game, and our Supporters’ Trust Club shop is packed with old programmes from many clubs, league and non-league, come along and have a browse.
Today we should at last be wearing our new home shirts after the delays in delivery, those that travelled to Hanwell on Tuesday will have seen the nice bright yellow shirts in all their glory, featuring our main shirt sponsors for the year, Castlemore, as well as the Bucks Mind logo – once again our designated charity for the season.
In a slightly unusual manner I would like to thank our match sponsors today – Asprey Harris, which is of course my business, but I remain delighted that we can support the club as a sponsor, as well as other local community activities. A thank you also to our matchball sponsor, Phil Morgan, whose ongoing support is invaluable.
I have often spoken about the financial challenges faced by the club with the increased cost of utility bills, travel and everyday expenditure. However, I do also appreciate that our supporters too are facing challenges and I can assure you that any price increases we have had to make have not been taken lightly and are with the best interests of everyone at heart.
We have had to increase the cost of the programme because without doing that we would have had to stop printing copies, and I don’t believe that is what anyone wants. Our entrance fees are on a par with most of the league and I know that performances on the field will dictate the value of that. I believe we have the squad to deliver that value, hopefully starting with a good match this afternoon.
Thank you for your ongoing support.
